Supercars’ super fan Vince Caiafa’s ‘magic’ Hidden Valley weekend ... tinged with sadness
Supercars’ super fan Vince Caiafa had another cracker weekend at Darwin’s Hidden Valley Raceway, but the occasion was tinged with sadness.
Northern Territory
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SUPERCARS super fan Vince Caiafa had another cracker weekend at Darwin’s Hidden Valley, but the occasion was tinged with sadness.
Vince has been coming to the Darwin Supercars races for more than 20 years.
“I just love coming up here and spending time and catching up with old friends and that – the racing is absolutely brilliant,” he said.
“Apart from Covid lockdown I’ve missed one round, so I’ve probably been up here 20-odd times easy.”
Vince and his best mate Rex Baxter had become well-known in Supercars’ — and before them, the V8s’ — fan circles for travelling around Australia to watch the always spectacular events.
But, sadly, Rex — and his wife Marie — passed away recently.
“Rex and (his wife) Marie passed about three years ago, 10 months between each other, and we used to travel all over Australia and New Zealand and watch the V8 Supercars,” he said. “I find I miss them a fair bit when they’re not here.”
This year, Mr Caiafa travelled from his hometown in regional Victoria with his partner, two sisters, and their partners.
“We’re doing a trip up the centre and down the west coast,” he said.
“I enjoy the Territory. Everyone’s so friendly and good up here.”
Vince said his favourite event was the Bathurst round.
“When I got my licence, the first thing I’d done was go to Bathurst and that was in 1972. I’ve only missed one because of Covid,” he said.
“But as far as events go, this is definitely the pointy end so Bathurst, here, Adelaide and then the rest, but yeah, this is absolutely magic up here.
“I’m a Holden man, so I’m not biased, any Holden will do.”
The mega fan has made a name for himself within the Supercars community, with the drivers all knowing him on a first-name basis.
“They’re all good dudes – Ford, Holden or whatever – and I get on well with them and they always say g’day to me so I’m just stoked,” he said.
“They’re all friendly dudes and they put on a good show for us and I just keep coming back because I love it.”
Reggie Whalan’s favourite event was the superbikes.
The local fan bought a weekend ticket so he could watch the Nitro in the Top End as well.
“It turned out to be cheaper to buy a weekend pass than it was to get the two nights to the Nitro Up North and I thought I would come in on the Sunday race day to check it out,” he said.
“It’s been awesome. One of my mates had never been to one of these events before, and it was impressive to see his reaction.”
Holden given the perfect Hidden Valley send-off
HOLDEN has been given the send-off Darwin fans could have only dreamed of with Chaz Mostert taking out the final race at Hidden Valley in epic fashion.
An early pit stop followed by a safety car is not usually a recipe for success, but the Walkinshaw Andretti United racer stuck to his guns and held off all comers.
Chief among them was Anton De Pasquale on significantly newer tyres, keen to not only score his second Darwin win of the round, but also chip more points off the championship lead.
But in the last ever Darwin Supercars race for the Holden Commodore it was Mostert who came out on top proving any doubters of his ability on older tyres wrong.
“There’s no worse mentality than going into a safety car knowing everyone’s got fresher tyres behind you,” Mostert said.
“Ripper effort by the team. We went super aggressive and fast and we somehow just hung on.
“Obviously temperature played a big part, I kept Anton at bay just long enough, but I had nothing left.”
As he did in the first race of the weekend De Pasquale was quick to overtake his Shell V-Power Racing teammate and pole position holder Will Davison on the opening turn of lap 1.
Mostert, from Walkinshaw Andretti United, was one of the earliest to head into the pits on lap 9, taking only two rear tyres.
He heavily threatened the other favourites from there, with some taking three or four tyres in their own pits sacrificing track position for potential long term gains.
Though almost as soon as he hit the top spot a safety car was called after a bit of push and shove between Garry Jacobson and Zak Best saw Best off the track.
This would have usually spelled curtains for Mostert, but he gritted it out as his tyres deteriored to hold off De Pasquale to the bitter end.
Championship leader Shane van Gisbergen went on the offensive as soon as everything came back together undercutting Davison.
But the brief gain of position damaged van Gisbergen in the long run as he took a couple of bumps from passing motors and found himself fall to the back of the pack.
To add insult to injury the defending champion, who was trying to better consecutive thirds, was handed a 15 second time penalty for the driving infringement.
Hometown hero Bryce Fullwood enjoyed his best finish of the weekend ending up in 14th, 11.673s behind his former teammate.
Waters claims win following four car smash
TICKFORD racing’s Cam Waters secured his first win in Darwin with a blitzing run in a widely chaotic race at Hidden Valley.
The Supercars championship contender bounced back from a disappointing 12th place qualifying in race 1 to claim the pole in race 2.
He found himself alongside fast starter David Reynolds on the grid, but it was Waters who outmanoeuvred his foe on the opening lap.
The Tickford racer would go on to hold his spot throughout the race, leading Shell V-Power racer Will Davison, who also pipped Reynolds on turn 1, by 0.617s.
Chaos struck in the opening lap when James Courtney skittled off the track and into the racing pack ending his day and the day of Scott Pye.
OUCH..
— Supercars (@supercars) June 19, 2022
A massive smash on the first lap has red flagged Race 17 in Darwin! #RepcoSCpic.twitter.com/dEbN2WsQ1d
Racing resumed following a safety car and the front three of Waters, Davison and Reynolds found themselves a decent gap.
But earlier pits for the former two paid dividends as despite Reynolds going for the four tyre switch he found himself with too much road to make up finishing fifth, also behind Shane van Gisbergen and Anton De Pasquale.
Meanwhile, local boy Bryce Fullwood, one of the last racers to pit, finished in 15th 28.408s behind the race winner.
The win puts Waters back into third in the 2022 Supercars series.
“It was great. We’re not usually strong up here so it was nice to get a trophy and reward all the team for their hard work,” Waters said.
“We knew Will had something in the tank, but we were trying to manage it and make sure I had something in the end and we had enough.
“Getting those points was really valuable, yesterday we didn’t have the best day but still got some good points, but you can’t do better than (a win).”
Ford duo split pole positions for Sunday Supercars finale
FORD drivers have continued their strong form at this weekend’s Merlin Darwin Triple Crown by clean sweeping Sunday morning’s qualifying sessions.
Cam Waters (Monster Energy Mustang) and Will Davison (Shell V-Power Mustang) claimed the two pole positions for Sunday’s two races.
Davison’s lap was the quickest ever by a Supercar at Hidden Valley and has him on his second pole position of the weekend.
It was Waters’ first ever pole position in Darwin and means he will start from top spot on the grid in Sunday’s first race.
“I was pretty dirty on myself yesterday,” said Waters, who claimed Tickford Racing’s first Darwin pole since 2015.
“Today I just had to do a clean lap, put it together and we’re up there in both races.
“There were a few wet kerbs out there; I was fine on them, but it caught others off-guard.”
“Tricky to go out, thinking it would be grippy,” Davison said.
“Really great to get another one-two for the team on the grid.
“To lower my quali record to a four-eight is pretty cool.”
Fords dominate hectic first race at Hidden Valley
IT was a one-two punch for Shell V-Power Racing in a hectic first race of the Darwin Triple Crown at Hidden Valley.
Anton De Pasquale, currently second in the Championship, pulled off his first win of the season after a stunning race in the blistering Top End heat.
He was followed in by pole setter and teammate Will Davison (1.183s behind) who was able to hold off fast-finishing defending champion Shane van Gisbergen (1.473s off the front).
In typical Darwin Triple Crown fashion the race got off to a hectic start with cars flying off the track left and right and turn 1 proved to be decisive.
Lights out and the DJR duo make contact!!#RepcoSCpic.twitter.com/U54jUBawIg
— Supercars (@supercars) June 18, 2022
It was there that De Pasquale was able to hit the front over his teammate and after a brief bump between the pair around turn 5 didn’t look back.
Van Gisbergen, who won two of the three races in Darwin in 2021, was the last of the major players to head into the pits determined to get every ounce out of his tyres.
He will be left ruing a longer three tyre change that left his assault on the win a little too late.
The championship leader forced his way through the field with his elite pace and passing ability but was held up by Davison in the last couple of laps.
“It’s awesome. It’s always good to get the one-two. We came a little close on turn 5 but both made it out the other side,” De Pasquale said following the race.
“Shane was coming pretty hard from the three tyres so I had to pick up the pace towards the end, he made us work for it.
“It was awesome to get the win. We’ve been close a few times this year.”
Local boy Bryce Fullwood would have felt a little bit hard done after being handed a 15 second penalty for a lap 2 incident which saw David Reynolds onto the dirt.
At the time he was holding seventh place following a tremendous qualifying effort, but the penalty took its toll and he ended in 19th, 35.305s off the race winner.
Record breaking lap set at Hidden Valley
HISTORY has been made at the Darwin Supercars with a Shell V-Power racer smashing his own Hidden Valley qualifying record, while the Territory’s own driver delivered on the track.
Shell-V Power racing veteran Will Davison grabbed himself pole position with a record breaking time of 1:04.954 in his 500th race start.
The time beat his own record of 1:04.9553, which he set last year on a day where he grabbed dual pole positions in Darwin.
It sets the Ford Mustang driver up well for his first ever Darwin race win as he lines up next to teammate Anton De Pasquale, who finished 0.281s off the pace.
Andre Heimgartner finished third after an impressive showing throughout the qualifying period holding off championship leader Shane van Gisbergen, who will start fourth.
“Today is really special day, you don’t want to be caught up in milestones, but the team did such a nice thing for me this morning and I’m so grateful to be with them,” Davison said following the result.
“To still be able to put laps together like that at 500 races means so much to me so I’ll be doing a lot to convert now.
“I’ve just got a great team behind me and plenty of support at home. I’m just trying to be the best version of myself.”
Davo has broken his own Darwin lap record ahead of his 500th race! 🤩🤩#RepcoSCpic.twitter.com/wKFxpACZCi
— Supercars (@supercars) June 18, 2022
Hometown hero Bryce Fullwood finished with a strong eighth place to give his dad something to celebrate early on his 50th birthday.
The 24-year-old hurtled into the top ten impressing as drivers were eliminated around him and put together a tidy lap to finish 0.815s behind Davison.
“We’ve really, really put the hard yards in. The team has worked really hard and I’m super stoked to get a bit of speed out today,” Fullwood said.
“Everybody here has put the hard effort in. it’s been hard going but it’s really nice to get the chance to repay everybody.”
Defending champ stands out in Supercars practice
DEFENDING Supercars champion Shane van Gisbergen has laid down a statement of intent setting the benchmark time in practice.
On the opening day of the inaugural Indigenous round the championship leader set the time to beat just 10 minutes into the 30 minute practice session.
His time of 1:05.4203s beat out Andre Heimgartner by 0.04s, with third going to main rival and second placed overall Anton De Pasquale of Shell V-Power Racing.
Will Davison, who is known for strong showings in Darwin, and Mark Winterbottom, who knows the track well, also finished within 0.18s of the leader.
Veteran James Courtney didn’t have the desired practice session running off the circuit and crashing head-on into the Turn 10 barriers.
Earlier in the day it was the Territory’s own Bryce Fullwood who had his taste of misfortune colliding with a tyre wall after misjudging the same Turn 10 in Practice 1.
Though he remained in relative high spirts following the incident which saw him finish last of the practice 1.2s behind former teammate Chaz Mostert.
“Luckily, the gravel trap there washed a lot of the speed off. I tagged the tyre wall but very minimally,” Fullwood said
“The boys have got a little bit of work to do but I think structurally there’s going to be nothing wrong. It didn’t bend anything or anything like that, so that’s good.”
Hometown hero to lift a gear at Hidden Valley
THE Territory’s own Supercars racer Bryce Fullwood is gearing for a strong showing when he hits his Hidden Valley home track in front of friends and family.
Fullwood set the racing world alight in 2019 dominating the Dunlop Super2 Series securing the title a round early.
The following year he became the first Territorian to score a full-time contract in the Supercars after signing for Walkinshaw Andretti United.
He took to the Hidden Valley track for the first time in the 2020 season, and enjoyed some strong results in his two seasons at WAU including a top five finish at Bathurst.
This season he joined the Brad Jones Racing team and though he has struggled for results so far this season will be eager to make a mark on his home track.
“It’s been a bit of a rough season for us to date. I’m at a new team with new engineers so there’s a few hurdles to jump,” Fullwood said.
“But we’ve been learning as we go and we have good people around us. Our category is just so competitive at the moment that you don’t need much to have a massive impact on the weekend.
“So, it’s been a bit of a struggle for us but I’m really looking forward to coming home and racing in front of the Darwin crowd.
“Supercars put on a really good show up there. There’s a lot of people that love coming out to the track and love watching all the action.”
Looking ahead to the coming set of races Fullwood veered to a more realistic goal hoping he and his team could stay in the top 15 across the weekend.
But he was keen to see improvements week on week for the rest of the season as he and his new engineer Phil Keed continue to build their relationship and their unique language.
“It’s hard to know where we’re going to be at to be honest,” Fullwood said.
“The category is so competitive so you’re looking at two tenths of a second being the difference between a good weekend and a bad one.
“Realistically with our recent form being not so great I think being inside the top fifteen all weekend will be a good improvement from where we’ve been.
“I think we’re capable of much more than that but you sort of have to have realistic goals.”
For now though he has found his home at Brad Jones Racing, a team based in Aubrey which he has found a real relationship with.
“They’re awesome, theyre a real family team and everybody there are just real racers and really passionate about what they do,” Fullwood said.
“And that’s similar to me so I just get on with everyone. They’re a really good bunch of people, I’m loving racing with them and hopefully the results will sort themselves out quite soon.”
And with his dad’s 50th birthday happening on the same day the 24-year-old has extra incentive to perform in Darwin.
“I’m pretty happy I’m able to make it up for (the birthday) and be there for him,” Fullwood said.
“We’ve got a lot of friends coming up for the event and then they will stay on for the birthday party for the weekend party the week after.
“It’s really cool to be able to come up and see all my family and all my extended family that haven’t been able to come to the racing the past couple of years because of Covid and such.
“It will be quite cool to race in front of all of those people again and we will be having a lot of friends there for the weekend.
“Hopefully, I can put on a show so we have even more reason to celebrate the weekend after.”
Darwin’s hometown hero has also unveiled his Indigenous livery with the Middy’s pink taking on a distinct twist thanks to Indigenous artist Jedess Hudson.
The Triple Crown will mark the inaugural Indigenous round with riders from across the grid looking forward to showing off their new liveries and what they represent.
“Having the Indigenous round is awesome particularly being a Territorian, I think all the people in the Territory understand and appreciate the history of the Indigenous people,” Fullwood said.
“It’s been really cool to have a lot of Aboriginal artists involved in designing the cars and every car has a unique story and design.
“”The design on my car is to talk about the weather patterns in the Territory. I think it looks great and would be quite keen to keep it all year to be honest.”
Ms Hudson took inspiration from Middy’s role and longevity in the electrical industry when she created her artwork. “Across our land, we see various weather patterns that signal the changing of seasons, mainly through the hot and humid summer months,” Hudson said.
“Bryce was born and raised in Darwin and Northern Australia which is known for its distinct wet and dry seasons and various types of lightning that can occur. Dry lightning, lightning to fire, and lightning to storms.”
‘One I’d love to win’: Veteran Davidson’s focus on debut Darwin victory
SUPERCARS veteran Will Davison will rack up 500 races in Darwin next weekend, but his mind is on more pressing matters: getting a breakthrough win at Hidden Valley.
Davison, who first raced in Darwin in 2006, has collected several podiums and pole positions over the years, but it hasn’t equated to a victory.
When asked what 500 races meant to him, Davison made it clear all his energies were being channelled towards results at the Merlin Darwin Triple Crown (June 17-19).
“It’s a nice story ... but it doesn’t mean much I suppose,” Davison said.
“I’m not carrying any emotion with it, I’m just so focused on achieving the results and achieving the wins.
“It’s a brief moment to pause and reflect and be grateful that in such a cutthroat industry I’ve been able to survive this long.
“I’ve had some amazing times in my career. It’s been a wild ride so far.
“But to be honest my ultimate focus is purely on the results, not the amount of races I’ve done.”
Davison believes it could be circumstances which have thwarted his efforts in Darwin in the past.
He scored back-to-back pole positions last year but was unable to convert either into V8 victory.
“I don’t think I’ve gone bad in Darwin ... I just haven’t quite been able to win,” he said.
“It plays on my mind.
“It’s certainly one I’d love to win ... it’s an iconic event.
“It isn’t just one fast lap (that seals victory), there are many elements which need to come right to win.”
While he always loves to drive in Darwin, it is by far the toughest drive on the calendar, with the mercury reaching 65 degrees in the vehicle.
“It’s bloody hot in the car, it was a bit of a shock that first time (in Darwin),” he said.
“It’s certainly the hottest environment we’ll race in each year.
“You just have to be that little bit more thorough. If your cooling doesn’t work, you’re in for a long race.
“The amount of fluid lost is massive.”
Despite more than 15 years in the racing game, Davison says he still feels pre-race nerves as much as anyone.
“I’m as hungry as I was at my first start,” he said.
“I still feel like a rookie.”
He said his biggest challenger at Hidden Valley was likely to be Shane van Gisbergen, but more than 10 racers would be challenging for the title.
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