With the Bathurst 1000 now run and won, our home race on the streets of Surfers Paradise beckons for this weekend’s Gold Coast 500.
With our workshop based at Arundel on the Gold Coast, we will be able to enjoy the best of both worlds as well this weekend – with Peter taking the chance to head up the road to Willowbank Raceway on Saturday for some Top Fuel testing with our drag racing crew while we take on all the ‘concrete canyon’ has to offer.
While there are definitely a lot of perks to racing at home, the Gold Coast is definitely a hard round operationally for a few reasons, but it also can really deliver when it comes to the racing!
We don’t have the trucks with us, they are parked seven kilometres down the road at The Spit, so we are working out of containers and the garages, and it is a hard one on the crews and drivers as it is a always hot, and we are talking about long and hot races in a concrete jungle where all the walls feel far too close all the way around the track.
There is also the fact that there is no fuel drop, so we will be looking at ‘fuel to tyre’ for both of the compulsory stops in each race, which means our pit stop guys will have to be on their game and in their fire suits all day in the heat, which isn’t particularly nice either.
On the other hand, the event itself can be a very good event, there is no doubt about that.
Boost Mobile do a very good job of promoting the event, and there is always a good crowd and a good atmosphere about it – it can be very festival like, which is really cool.
The racing can also be particularly good there – I still remember one of my favourite races, it was back in 2014 or 2015 and I am not sure even if I was with the Triple Eight team at the time, but Jamie Whincup and Shane van Gisbergen were trading the lead basically on every corner and every lap, and it was one of the best races I had ever watched.
That is the Gold Coast – it is hard, but there are a lot of good things overall and when you can get it to work, it is an amazing feeling.
We were quick there last year, although we also had our share of bad luck – Tim – who has finished on the podium on the Gold Coast twice before in 2014 and 2017 – was taken out off the second row in the first race and then again when he started the second race further back, and Jimmy – who has best results of 5th in 2016 and 6th in race two last year – was running in fourth before a spin and a touch with the wall.
While it didn’t work out our way, we had the pace, and hopefully we can have the pace again this year and take it from there.
See you on the Gold Coast!
Stephen Robertson
PremiAir Nulon Racing Team Manager
The 2024 Gold Coast 500 will be held across October 25-27. For event information, visit www.supercars.com
PremiAir Nulon Racing will carry live race coverage and team updates on its website across the weekend – stay up to date at www.premiairracing.com/
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