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Rising star Ryan Wood has described his Evaluation Day in a Walkinshaw Andretti United Gen3 Supercar as an “awesome” experience.
The 19-year-old Dunlop Super2 Series rookie has now received his first laps in top tier machinery, during which he shared WAU’s #2 Mustang at Winton Motor Raceway by one of the team’s enduro co-drivers, Fabian Coulthard.
The latter stayed on after the team completed a standard ‘VCS Test Day’ at the rural Victorian circuit on the day prior, when Coulthard also drove Car #2 in preparation for partnering Nick Percat in this year’s enduros.
While Evaluation Days are intended to provide prospective Repco Supercars Championship drivers experience with contemporary machinery, Team Principal Bruce Stewart pointed out that the activity was also a chance to give other young crew members a similar opportunity.
“It was great to have Ryan behind the wheel of the Ford Mustang today,” he said.
“Providing the opportunity for young talent to drive a Gen3 Supercar is exactly what these days are for, so it’s great to see it come to fruition.
“Opportunities like this are the exact reason we’ve started the WAU Foundation Academy, not just for drivers but all staff members, so we are looking forward to working through possibilities with Zach [Bates, Super2 team-mate] as well.
“Today followed on from a positive test yesterday with Nick and Chaz, and Lee and Fabian got some valuable laps as well, so we’ve got plenty to go through back at Clayton before Sydney on the main game side of things.
“It’s awesome to give Ryan, and our young engineers and mechanics the chance to do a full day of running at Winton, but now our full focus is Sydney next week, and Ryan’s on Sandown.”
That Coulthard was chosen to complete the maximum 10 laps rather than one of WAU’s primary drivers, either Percat or #25 Mustang pilot Chaz Mostert, is unusual.
Ordinarily, per the Supercars Operations Manual, “A Driver who drives a Car at an Evaluation Day will not be permitted to be an additional-Driver in any Car at any Endurance Event in the same Season. Save for any Driver that has not competed in an Endurance Event for the previous three (3) years.”
In this case, a Supercars Spokesperson confirmed to Speedcafe that “prior approval was sought and approved by the HoM [Head of Motorsport] for Coulthard to drive today in line with Evaluation Day regulations.”
Stewart put the unusual case down to the similar driving styles of Wood and Coulthard, the latter of whom has been a left-foot braker for the majority of his Supercars career, which saw him compete as a full-time driver as recently as 2021.
“It was great to have Fabian there today, both being Kiwi left-foot brakers,” said Stewart.
“He’s been a good sounding board for Ryan.”
Wood himself, who drives one of WAU’s ZB Commodores in Super2, “It was awesome to get behind the wheel of the Ford Mustang Gen3 car today.
“Certainly eye opening at times, but the team were great, and it was a lot of fun to drive.
“The whole day was pretty cool, I learnt a heap, but now my focus is on Sandown and the back half of the Super2 season.
“I’m excited to see how both cars go up in Sydney next week, fingers crossed it’s a good weekend for the team.”
