Although for the entire week leading into Round 2 of the 2022 Industrie Clothing New South Wales Supersports Championship at Sydney Motorsport Park this weekend, substantial levels of rain was predicted for the Friday practice, it seems that an entire day of rain arrived just before the Supersports were released for the first time on Friday onto what was for a short period of time more of a water skiing park than a motor racing circuit!
As a result, even the wet weather tyres that were fitted to all of the Supersports failed to provide any noticeable benefit over the negligible level of grip that slick tyres would have provided if they had been fitted.
The conventional wisdom, that the gap between the more powerful Class 2 Radical SR8’s and CN cars, and the lighter central seat Stohrs and Wests, and also to the Class 1 Radical SR3′, would be reduced when the track surface coefficient of friction is affected by rain, was turned upside down when the greater weight of the Radical SR8’s and CN cars helped the tread of their wet weather tyres cut through the water, while the lightweight Stohrs and Wests watched the heavier cars drive into the distance.
As Ryan Godfrey, driver of the number 8 Ready Set Reline Plumbing Wolf Tornado S, stated, he did more steering with his right toe than with the steering wheel, even when driving in a straight line!
The hydraulic conditions were so extreme that the data obtained by all the teams were of little relevance in
Tailem Bend’s JAM Motorsport is supporting the Wolfs of John Paul Drake and Mark Lauke at Round 2 of the Industrie Clothing New South Wales Supersports Championship this weekend in preparation for a Australian Prototype Series round at Sydney Motorsport Park next month. JAM’s chief, Aaron Steer, looked on the bright side though, saying that despite being based in South Australia, they actually don’t get too much wet weather racing, and although the first session was only useful as a shakedown session of all major controls, at least some useful data was obtained in Session 2 a couple of hours later, when the conditions were less extreme.
New South Wales’ Paul Royal obtained lots of good cockpit time throughout the day, his Class 1 Radical SR3 showing greater balance and speed as Friday progressed than at the similarly wet Round 1 in late February, which was his debut race in New South Wales Supersports racing.
Jonathon Canavan returned to Supersports racing at Round 1 after a break of more than two years from New South Wales Supersports racing, showing non loss of speed by scoring two top ten results, and during Friday practice his speed levels looked equally fast.
Sue Hughes, Warwick Morris, Mark Brame, Championship leader Darren Barlow, Steve Shiels, Peter White, Stephen Champion, Craig McLatchey, Simon Copping, and Zig Fuhrmeister, were also all at Sydney Motorsport Park enduring the rain, making the Supersports numbers one of the largest categories at the Friday practice day.
Qualifying for Round 2 of the 2022 Industrie Clothing New South Wales Supersports Championship takes place at 9am tomorrow Saturday the 9th of April, with three races to follow throughout Saturday.
Photo – New South Wales Supersports Jonathon Canavan (#67) in his Radical SR3 side by side with South Australia’s Mark Lauke (#55) in his Wolf Tornado
For more information on the 2022 Industrie Clothing New South Wales Supersports Championship, contact Darren Barlow on 0439044128, visit Facebook Supersports Racing New South Wales Australia, or visit https://www.supersportsracing.com.au/
