A combination of Northern Territory heat and big-braking corners will test teams using V8 Supercar’s mandatory one-size-fits-all brake discs in Darwin this weekend, according to championship leaders Rick Kelly and Garth Tander.
Tander says the big stop at the end of Hidden Valley Raceway’s 1.1km, 265km/h main straight, followed by another at Turn 3, give brakes a solid workout each lap.
“Add the high ambient temperatures that we experience at Darwin and we will soon find out how on top of the new brake package we all are, ” he said.
Defending champion and current championship leader, Rick Kelly, says braking stability is a key at Darwin, along with an ability to carry maximum speed through the looping final turn on to the fast main straight.
Kelly knows all about brake problems at Hidden Valley – he was looking good for a round win there in 2004 when his brakes failed, sending him hurtling off the track in the final race.
However, the team has had no such problems over the past two years at Darwin, with Tander and Kelly scoring successive double podium results.
Kelly says cabin temperatures in the V8 Supercars often reach 50 degrees in Darwin, but driver fitness helps to counteract the effects.
“I think the fitness that Garth and I have now is as good as anyone’s, and that will help us out there, as it is generally a tough round physically, ” he said.
Kelly is leading the championship by 25 points from second-placed Tander, who has a break of 46 points over Todd Kelly and Jamie Whincup after five of the 14 rounds.
Rick Kelly will be shooting for his sixth straight podium finish in Round 6 of the V8 Supercar Championship Series at the 2.9km track outside Darwin. He is the only driver to have managed this feat this season.
The 24-year-old Victorian has not finished worst than fourth in any race this year – testimony to his pace and consistency.
Kelly and Tander have both won races in Darwin – Kelly in 2004 and Tander in 2005 – although neither has won a round at Hidden Valley. This year, however, after their barnstorming start to the season, they believe they have a good opportunity to fill that blank on their CV.
Tander, who had to fight back from a Race 2 clutch failure last round at Eastern Creek, will be looking to close the gap on his team-mate with a big weekend at Darwin.
The West Australian has won more races that any other driver this year (7), and he will be looking to regain that sharp edge at Hidden Valley – a circuit that has been a reasonably happy hunting ground for him and the Toll HSV Dealer Team in recent years.
#1 Rick Kelly: “We finished in the podium there (Hidden Valley) last year, and we have been around the front every year we have raced there. If we can do the same thing at Hidden Valley that we did at Eastern Creek and score another podium, we will be in good shape in the championship. Our cars have tended to be speedy around Hidden Valley – that track seems to suit us. We have good braking stability in our cars now, and generally our base set up has worked at most tracks now. We have pretty good confidence that we can wheel our car out of the truck and it will be pretty good there. ”
#16 Garth Tander: “Darwin is a weekend we always enjoy because we go to the warm weather from the Melbourne winter. The event up there is always fantastic – they get right behind it. We have had pretty good success up there, being on the podium the past two years. We probably have a little bit of work to do as far as outright speed goes, but for some reason or another we always seem to go well there. I enjoy the circuit, so I am looking forward to a good result this year. Getting on to the main straight is important as you want to carry as much speed as possible. Braking is also important there. Obviously there is a pretty big stop into Turn 1, and a pretty critical stop into Turn 3. It is a circuit where you need good car balance and good braking, and so it is going to be interesting to see how the new braking package goes up there this year, because the ambient temperatures are going to be high – probably as high as we will have all year. ”
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