Since the GP the car has had a lot of work and most of the suspension was new for Hamilton.
The initial feel of both the car and track was pretty good. The track was quite bumpy in places and very challenging and enjoyable to drive.
We made a few changes during the practice session and the car was very responsive.
Everything was going well in the first part of qual and I was very confident that we could have a good run and get into the top ten.
In the second portion of qual I was on the first lap on my second set of new tires and locked up into turn 5. Jamie Wincup was behind me and we got tangled as I was coming back onto the track. Motor racing can be pretty bad sometimes and it certainly was on that day.
Due to the drama in qual I had to start a long way back in the first race. In the end we managed to get back to 8th which is where we should have really been in the first place.
In the second race I got a good start and after the boys did a great job in the pit stop I was running around in 4th position. The car was hanging in quite well and I was very happy with where we were pace wise. Half way through the race we struck a few problems.
The exhaust system came loose and eventually left the car. Once it was off the exhaust was exiting straight onto the battery and left rear tire.
I slipped back pretty quick and got shoved into the wall eventually finishing 19th.
Overall we had a very bad weekend with the qualifying drama and the way the races panned out but in between all of that the car showed much more pace and consistency than we have seen all year and the potential for a decent result was definitely there.
I’m not sure how but after the weekend we actually moved up 2 places in the championship, from 10th to 8th .
At the moment its fairly busy at work with the preparation for the next round at
Perth.
The guys are putting the finishing touches on my new car which will be run for the very first time in practice over there. It has all of the current suspension that we had in for N.Z. plus a few extra bits and pieces.
Can’t wait to get there and see what it does,
All the best,
