Craig Lowndes and Zane Goddard are on the same wavelength so far as engineering feedback is concerned in their first test day in the Supercheap Auto wildcard entry.
Triple Eight Race Engineering will once again field as many as three cars during in this year’s Supercars Championship season, with the wildcard programme expanding from the Great Race only to a SuperSprint event and both enduros.
Ahead of Goddard’s return to competitive Supercars action at Hidden Valley later this month, the #888 Chevrolet Camaro rolled out along with the two sister Red Bull Ampol Racing entries, and the rest of the northern-based teams, at Queensland Raceway today.
“We’ve seen the car in the workshop getting built and putting panels on it, but now you can actually hear it and see it,” said Lowndes.
“For Zane, it’s great because he’s never had a brand-new car, so he got to break it in.
“Today is all about giving Zane more miles – I’ve been in the car to evaluate it and give my feedback on where I think the car is at.
“Zane and I talk the same language, which I think is really positive, but right now is more for Zane to get his head around the car, the style of the car, and understand what the team’s philosophy is of the car before we head into Darwin.
“The car felt really nice – we made some adjustments with the suspension which the car is responding to, and I’ve been giving my feedback to Wes [McDougall, Race Engineer] throughout the day.”
The commonality of feedback may be because both Lowndes and Goddard were involved in the development of Gen3, driving the prototypes at the same time as each other on a number of occasions.
Helpfully for Goddard, he and McDougall have also worked together previously, at Matt Stone Racing, albeit not on the same car.
“This is my first brand-new Supercar, so I was stoked that the team let me do the first few laps, seeing as though they had both Craig and I to choose from,” he said.
“Craig and I have been working together well so far. We’ve previously done some stuff together in the early stages of the Gen3 development, so we already know how each other speak in regard to what we want out of the car and how to get the most out of it.
“So far, we’re both wanting the same things from the car which is a positive – we’re not fighting to go in one direction and not the other, and working with Wes has been good.
“We worked together a few years ago, so that definitely accelerated the learning process as well, and we have great synergy.
“All in all, I’m super happy with how our first test day is going.”
That Lowndes and Goddard are in sync with each other will be all the more important for the former considering his first start in the Gen3 era will come in the Supercheap Auto car at September’s Penrite Oil Sandown.
Before then, Car #888 is entered for the Betr Darwin Triple Crown on June 16-18.
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