The sprint race format is back for the latest round of the 2024 Supercars Championship, the Tasmania SuperSprint (August 16-18), and PremiAir Nulon Racing couldn’t be more keen to see this format back in play on the Apple Isle.
While it’s a cool format, the temperatures will be even colder, with tops of 15 and lows of 6 forecast across the weekend.
As always, qualifying will be incredibly important, and for this event, knockout qualifying will return.
Three segments of 10 minutes each will decide the race grids for races 17 (Saturday) and 18 (Sunday) of the 2024 season, with the first segment hosting all drivers, the second only the top 20, and the third the top 10.
It is a high-stakes way to set the grid, and one that demands a lot of the competitors, but it certainly delivers plenty of entertainment for the fans and is becoming a popular part of our championship.
Come the racing, and we are set for two outings of 42 laps around the deceptively simple 2.4km Symmons Plains Raceway, inclusive of one compulsory pit stop per race with a minimum of two tyres to be changed in this stop.
In preparation, our crew has been continuing to hone their pit stop skills, focusing on tyre changes since there is no fuel drops this weekend.
Minimising our time in the pit lane will be crucial for success – a lap around Symmons Plains takes less than a minute, with the current track records of the Gen3 era being 50.6218 seconds (qualifying, Brodie Kostecki) and 51.6797 seconds (race, Cam Waters), so any amount of time lost in the pits will have dire consequences.
While the track may seem straight forward on paper, it is anything but easy and always provides great racing – seven corners essentially break down into just three left-handers, with the challenging layout demanding precision and skill to master.
For Tim Slade in the #23 PremiAir Nulon Racing Camaro, it will be his 15th round at Symmons Plains, with his best race result being 4th position in 2012, with a best qualifying position of 4th in 2017. He has finished within the top 10 ten times.
For Jimmy Golding in the #31 PremiAir Nulon Racing Camaro, this weekend will mark his fourth round in Tasmania, with a best finishing position of 9th in 2023 and a best qualifying result of 6th, also in 2023.
Both drivers and our crew are laser focused on bringing home the goods across the Bass Strait, so make sure you keep an eye on PremiAir Nulon Racing this weekend.
Stephen Robertson
PremiAir Nulon Racing Team Manager
The Tasmania SuperSprint will be held across August 16-18 at Symmons Plains. For event information and schedules, 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/track-updates/
For more information on PremiAir Nulon Racing, please visit www.premiairracing.com or follow the team on its social media platforms at www.facebook.com/PremiAirRacing/, www.instagram.com/premiair_racing/, www.linkedin.com/company/premiairracing/ and www.twitter.com/premiairracing
