Zane Goddard feels he has wrapped his head around the Tickford Racing Ford Mustang ahead of next month’s Repco Bathurst 1000.
The 22-year-old will co-drive with James Courtney in the #5 Mustang at this year’s Great Race.
Goddard has been out of a full-time championship seat this year, but was snapped up by Tickford for the Mount Panorama enduro.
The Gold Coast driver’s most recent Supercars experience came in a Triple Eight-built ZB Commodore in his stint with Matt Stone Racing in 2021.
While the fundamentals of the cars are largely the same, Goddard says the adjustment to a Tickford Mustang has been an eye-opener.
The team recently had a test day at Winton where final preparations were made ahead of Bathurst.
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“It’s all definitely going in the right direction,” Goddard told Speedcafe.com.
“It’s funny, I only have the one Supercar race this year but it has come around quite quick, it’s only two weeks away now.
“As far as James and I working together, we’ve known each other for a long time.
“I’ve never driven with him before, but as far as ergonomics go I pretty much slot in the car straightaway; seats comfy; belts pretty much work spot on. So that side has been easy.
“Obviously, it’s taken a little bit to adjust to a new car being with Tickford in the Mustang.
“So that’s something that I feel like I’ve started to get my head around.
“For me, as long as I’ve got my head around it before Sunday at Bathurst that’s all that really matters being the co-driver.”
Despite the lack of a full-time seat, Goddard has been to nearly all of this year’s Supercars events, nestled in the back of the Tickford garage and participating in ride days.
He was in the frame to replace Garry Jacobson at PremiAir Racing in June, though committed to his co-drive.
Goddard expended on the adjustment to Tickford: “Everyone has sort of got different ideas of how to attack that rulebook.
“It’s funny, we’re all in Supercars and you’d think that they’re quite similar, how much of the DNA is across all the cars.
“When it comes to stuff like front uprights, the way they sort of set that up and the philosophy they have towards making the car fast, it’s funny jumping from one team to another how it can actually feel so different.
“Obviously, for me, everything I’ve done in Supercars has basically been a Triple Eight-built car; getting my head around that, you drive it a bit different.
As a free agent, Goddard has been entrenched in the testing and development of Supercars’ Gen3 prototypes.
The new-look S650 Ford Mustang Supercar will make its on-track debut as part of the Gen3 demonstrations at Bathurst.
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