INGALL IN SUPERCARS DETENTION
Russell Ingall admits he is back in Supercars school with plenty to learn after his first official test ahead of the Repco Bathurst 1000 in November.
The two-time Mount Panorama winner and touring car champion knows he can still turn a fast lap but is taking his time to learn the new procedures and processes he needs to go consistently quickly in his Wildcard start at Bathurst.
Talking after his first laps in the Supercheap Commodore he will share with teenaged speedster Broc Feeney, during a giant Triple Eight test at Queensland Raceway, Ingall is as optimistic as ever about his chances but concedes he has lots to learn.
“The game has moved on a bit. There’s a lot more going on. There is plenty of stuff to learn,” Ingall tells Race.news
Ingall and Feeney split the time in their T8 racer for the test day at Queensland Raceway, with Supercars title leader Shane van Gisbergen also cutting a handful of laps to give the pair a benchmark and confirm the status of their car.
Feeney’s best time ahead of the lunchbreak was 1 minute 9.4 seconds, set on green hard-compound Dunlop tyres, while Ingall managed a 1:09.8.
“I’m doing one thing at a time. You can’t pull a lap time unless you’re comfortable. I’ve divided it up like a cake, doing once slice at a time, and then I’ll put it all together,” says Ingall.
While he still enjoys the driving, and is looking forward to racing again, Ingall says it’s everything inside the car – from switches on the wheel to brake-bias adjustment and the anti-roll bar controls – that are keeping him busy.
“This morning I had to show him how to find his lap time on the dash,” Feeney jokes as he talks about tutoring the old-timer.
“I’m familiar with everything in the car. It’s not the same as my Super2 car, but it’s closer than when Russell drove last time. I also know how the car reacts.”
Still, he was impressed with Ingall’s straight-up speed.
“He actually surprised me. He’s definitely going to be good enough at Bathurst. He’s picked it all up pretty quickly. The cars are quite a bit different and he’s actually got up to speed with how it needs to be driven.”
For Ingall, the biggest difference is in the additional aero grip and the confidence he can take into the quicker corners at QR.
“The first thing I felt is the aero. It’s felt pegged through (turns) 1 and 2. Across the top at Bathurst it’s going to be fast,” says Ingall. “But even the gearshift is different.”
“And I’ve still got to find the limit. Knowing how hard you can push. Even here at QR it feels more like a GT car, like the BMW I raced in the 12-Hour at Bathurst, than an old Supercar.”
For Ingall, the build-up to Bathurst is going well as he concentrates on his fitness and upcoming tests.
“I think I will enjoy it. It’s about slowing it all down in my head. I know there are another couple of test days and the time is there to get it all right.”
As Ingall and Feeney concentrated on the SuperCheap Commodore, T8 was also running its Gen3 engine mule and the GT3 Mercedes-AMG that Shane van Gisbergen and Prince Jefri Ibrahim are sharing in Australian GT racing.
“I haven’t been in the car since the start of the season. And even longer since I drove here at Queensland Raceway,” Ibrahim says.
T8 has a cloak of secrecy around the camouflaged TA2 car being used for its engine work ahead of Gen3, but it has a bellowing open exhaust and Craig Lowndes has a big smile after turning laps for durability and tuning work.
“He won’t be commenting about what we’re doing,” says T8 boss, Roland Dane.
