Round 1 - The Bend | Partner Update
A promising start for our first outing as a stand-alone team
Round 1 at The Bend exceeded our expectations as a stand-alone team.
When Robbie was asked on Friday night what his expectations were for the weekend, his response was simple:
"If we are anywhere near the Top 10 in this field, I would say we are exceeding our expectations."
To see him running in 5th and 6th place for the majority of the final race before ultimately suffering a tyre failure was an incredible result for our first round.
This was Robbie’s first time ever racing at The Bend, and the result was achieved with a team made up entirely of volunteers, with no external engineer or dedicated data support, which makes this result even more rewarding.
We were also pleased to host a high school student for the weekend who has a keen interest in becoming a race engineer. He was looking for the opportunity to spend time with a team that had the capacity to support his learning and allow him to see how a race team operates up close. While many of the larger teams operate under very structured programs, we were proud to be able to give him the opportunity to spend meaningful time with the team and learn across the weekend.
Our crew worked incredibly hard throughout the event. Although the car is new to us, it has done a couple of seasons of racing so there was always going to be some previous gremlins, which is expected. Robbie experienced an intermittent radio communications issue, which meant he was unable to communicate with the crew chief for much of the racing. Some of these issues only reveal themselves once the car gets real track time.
We also discovered a slow power steering leak that could not be repaired at the track, and on Saturday night the team had to deal with a ruptured fuel tank, which required a significant repair effort. The weekend quickly became a blur of service station meals, early mornings and late nights as the crew worked to keep the car on track.
Performance Summary
Saturday Qualifying
P15 – Lap time: 1:22.54
2.294 seconds off pole position.
Race 1
Started P15 (based on Saturday qualifying)
Finished P10
Race 2
Started P10 (based on Race 1 result)
Finished P8
Sunday Qualifying
P10 – Lap time: 1:22.04
Now only 1.60 seconds off pole.
Race 3
Started P10 (based on Sunday qualifying)
Finished P11
Fastest lap: 1:22.75
By the time we reached Race 4, tyre management was becoming a major factor. TA2 operates under a strict tyre bank of six tyres per race meeting, which makes strategy critical by the final and longest race of the weekend, particularly when some cars had not completed every race earlier in the event.
Race 4
Started P11 (based on Race 3 result)
Robbie ran most of the final race inside the Top 6, circulating in 5th and 6th position with a fastest lap of 1:22.71. That time placed him only 0.704 seconds off the fastest lap recorded by anyone in the field, and he was one of just nine cars running in the 1:22 bracket, with no driver breaking into the 1:21s.
Unfortunately, with three laps remaining, a tyre failure ended what had been a remarkable drive.
Despite the outcome, the response from the paddock was overwhelming. Many competitors and team members came into the garage after the race to congratulate Robbie on an outstanding performance.
With most teams able to conduct testing at the circuit prior to the event, it would have been interesting to see what Robbie might have achieved with that same preparation. Testing is restricted under TA2 rules to 10 days prior to the race meeting, and at that point we didn't even have a car to test with.
Looking ahead, our focus now quickly turns to the Bathurst 6-hour event, which is only three weeks away. The car will not return from South Australia until the end of this week, which leaves us with very limited time to prepare for one of the biggest events on the calendar.
As always, we will also be turning our attention to welcoming new partners for the Bathurst event and for the remainder of the season as we continue building the program. Bathurst is a Motorsport Australia event which requires a different license, some changes to the car and a different level of safety equipment including the requirement for a new helmet which we will have in the next week or so. This particular event is a massive commitment for our team.
We look forward to continuing to share the 'behind the scenes" part of this journey with you throughout the year.
Key Stats – Round 1 The Bend
Track: The Bend Motorsport Park
First time racing at the circuit
Team Structure
Volunteer crew
No external engineer
No dedicated data support
Qualifying
Saturday – P15 | 1:22.54
Sunday – P10 | 1:22.04
Race Results
Race 1
Start P15 → Finish P10
Race 2
Start P10 → Finish P8
Race 3
Start P10 → Finish P11
Race 4
Start P11
Running P5–P6 before tyre failure (3 laps remaining)
Fastest Racing Lap (Weekend)
1:22.71 which was recorded on Lap 14 in the final race
• Only 0.704 seconds off the fastest lap in the field by Race 4
• One of 9 cars in the 1:22 bracket in Race 4
• No cars recorded a 1:21
Championship Standings – After Round 1
- Jackson Rice
- Tyler Cheney
- Tommy Smith
- Joel Heinrich
- Alice Buckley
- Kody Garland
- Pip Casben
- Brock Paine
- Des Collier
- Robbie Farr
- Chris Smerdon
- Ben Gomersall
- Stephen Wilson
- Josh Thomas
- Patrick Neville
- Cameron Laws
- Diesel Thomas
- Clinton Rayner
- Kiara Zabetakis
- Danny Reid
- Paul Hadley