Matt Stone Racing’s Cameron Hill has completed a productive rookie test day despite a power steering drama which arose midway through.
Hill, Grove Racing’s Matt Payne, and Tickford Racing’s Declan Fraser took to The Bend Motorsport Park today for the first of their three rookie days for 2023.
A power steering pump failure on the #35 Truck Assist Camaro occurred about three quarters of the way into proceedings, prompting a switch of focus to practice starts and pit exits.
Before then, Hill and the MSR crew had taken the opportunity to gather data ahead of the second event of the season at Albert Park, where teams will use the hard compound of tyre for the only time this season, as well as the super soft.
“It was good to get to Tailem Bend and run on a fast, open circuit for the first time,” said the 2021 Carrera Cup title winner.
“We got a bit of a read on what the car was going to be like through corners at a higher speed and we tried a few different set-up configurations.
“Throughout the day, we also compared different tyre compounds from hards to softs and looked at how the car would respond on those different tyres at the Grand Prix.
“The good thing is the balance was pretty consistent, so we were happy with that.
“After we had our power steering drama, for the rest of the day we focussed on race starts and coming in and out of the box, because that was something that was pretty new to me at Newcastle.
“I definitely feel like we made progress on both of those things and I’m feeling more comfortable ahead of the Australian Grand Prix.”
The power steering failure is not the first for a Gen3 car, and such dramas were a not uncommon trait of the previous generation of Supercar.
While an electronic rack was considered for Gen3, it was ultimately decided to continue to use a hydraulic system.
The Beaurepaires Melbourne SuperSprint takes place at the Formula 1 Rolex Australian Grand Prix from March 30-April 2.
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