Richie Stanaway says a run in the Dunlop Super2 Series at Sydney Motorsport Park is the perfect opportunity to showcase his potential to Supercars teams.
The Kiwi is set to make his maiden solo start in a Supercar later this month when he pilots a Prodrive run Falcon in a special one-off outing in the second tier series.
Stanaway has recently switched his focus on forging a career in Supercars having opted to turn his back on a successful sportscars career in Europe.
Confirmed earlier this week, the 25-year-old’s Dunlop Super2 Series chance offers an opportunity to impress the Supercars paddock, which could prove important to his long term career aspirations.
Stanaway turned heads last year when he made his Supercars debut in the Pirtek Enduro Cup alongside Chris Pither in the Super Black Racing Falcon.
His display earned a recall from Prodrive for this year’s enduro campaign alongside Cameron Waters in the Monster Energy Falcon.
“I haven’t looked forward to a race weekend this much in a very long time,” Stanaway told Speedcafe.com.
“It is a perfect opportunity for me really as I need to benchmark myself against all the guys in the Dunlop Super2 Series to see where I am at.
“It gives me a good opportunity to show what I am capable of so hopefully it goes well.
“It is also going to be really good preparation for the enduros. I will be a lot better prepared than I was last year.”
Stanaway stepped up his preparations for his solo debut at Sydney Motorsport Park by undertaking a test day in his Prodrive Falcon at Winton on Tuesday.
The Kiwi admitted the outing proved valuable as he bids to learn the intricacies of setting up a Supercar for the first time.
“It was a good exercise for me as well to start getting involved with the set-up,” he said.
“In the past I have been driving the cars as it is. I haven’t been asking too many questions regarding what we are changing on the car and things like that.
“It was the first time I have been proactive on that.
“Normally I am working with a main driver that would lead the way on that and I would trust the direction they are going.
“For me it was my own car and I was trying to find a base for Sydney Motorsport Park.
“I got involved and started to learn the ins and outs of the set-ups of the cars which is obviously crucial going forward.
“It was good day in that respect.”
While happy with the progress made, the former Aston Martin GT factory driver is unsure how he will fare at Sydney Motorsport Park next weekend.
Stanaway was able to complete a qualifying simulation during the test to aid his transition to the category.
“I’m feeling good going into Sydney Motorsport Park but I have no idea where we will end up,” he added.
“We will see how it goes.
“The hardest thing for me so far is putting together the new tyre runs.
“Even though I did two new tyre runs I will obviously be a little less experienced than everyone else when we go out for qualifying, but I am obviously a lot better prepared than I was 24 hours ago.”
Prodrive is expected to unveil the livery of Stanaway’s Prodrive Falcon next week.
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