Positive Signs at Ipswich Despite Heartbreaking Sunday DNF

G'day guys,

What a weekend at Queensland Raceway for the Century Batteries Ipswich Super 440! It was a real tale of two halves, some genuinely encouraging signs from the Supra and the team, and then a gut punch on Sunday afternoon to finish things off. We'll take the good with the bad and keep pushing, because there's plenty to be excited about heading into the back end of the year.

We went well in qualifying across the weekend. I was the only Toyota driver to make it into the top ten shootout for both Saturday and Sunday's races, which felt like a real step in the right direction. The Supra has been getting closer and closer, and starting fifth both days gave us a solid platform to race from. The speed is there, it's now just about putting it all together across the full race distance.

Race 26 was a tough one. There was some pretty hectic racing in the early laps, lots of pushing and shoving at the front, and I was right in the middle of it. I got shuffled around a little bit in the pit stop cycle after being pushed wide at Turn 5 when I had the position, which cost me a few places and some time I couldn't get back. I ended up sixth, which wasn't what we were aiming for, but the pace was real and I knew we had more in store for the afternoon.

I came in early in Race 27 when the tyres started to go off since Queensland Raceway can be brutal on rubber once you're past the first stint. We went onto a different strategy and it got hectic with two safety car periods in the latter part of the race. I was working hard to hold my ground and make moves when the opportunity came. Fifth place at the end was a solid points result given how chaotic things got out there, and I felt like I drove a smart race even when we were under pressure.

Sunday is the one that hurts. We lined up fifth and the Supra was feeling good in the early laps, we were tracking in a points-scoring position and I felt like we had the pace to climb further through the field. Then the engine just let go underneath me and that was it. Second DNF of the year, and it stings every time.

Here's the silver lining though: this weekend we ran the new B-spec engine for the first time in race conditions, and performance-wise it was a real step forward. There's been a bit of a hole in the rev range that we've been working on all year, and this engine felt a lot more linear and drivable through that section. The power delivery was better, and I genuinely felt more confident in the car. So even though it broke down on Sunday, the signs from the new engine are positive and we'll strip it down on Monday to find out exactly what happened.

We've also got a test day on Tuesday right here at Queensland Raceway, which is honestly the best kind of test, straight off the back of a race weekend on the same surface. There are a few things on the list I want to work through, and I'm really looking forward to getting some laps in and pushing on the development front. With the enduros coming up at The Bend next month, this is exactly the kind of prep time we need.

As always, a massive thank you to everyone at Walkinshaw TWG Racing. The amount of work that's gone into delivering this new engine package has been enormous, and the team never stops pushing to give me the best car possible. Days like Sunday are tough for everyone, but this crew just makes me want to repay them on track more than ever. We'll be back stronger.

Cheers,
Chaz