Marcos Ambrose is looking forward to his first full test with Dick Johnson Racing on Sunday after undertaking preliminary preparation work today at Lakeside.
Ambrose completed approximately 30 rides over the course of five hours, ferrying a raft of media, sponsors and team personnel around the sun-baked 2.41km course.
The day provided a somewhat unusual reintroduction to V8 Supercars for Ambrose, operating under the spotlight of the media and a small army of enthusiastic fans.
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“It all went pretty well,” Ambrose told Speedcafe.com at the completion of the Lakeside hit-out.
“I was coming to grips with the handling of the car again and feeling out how they’ve changed.
“I couldn’t brake as hard as I would have liked but we’ve got two full tests coming up and we’ll be able to go through everything and test them thoroughly.”
While driver cooling proved a challenge amid sweltering conditions, the team reported positive progress on making their new driver comfortable in the car.
Cabin ergonomics were the only real area for adjustment on the ride day, which sees teams prohibited from making set-up changes or collecting data.
“You can work on that stuff all you like in the shop but when you get it on track, it’s always a little bit different,” technical director Nick Hughes told Speedcafe.com of the seat fit.
“It’s been a good introduction for him to start getting a feel for the car and get comfortable before the test.”
Ambrose complained of a steering vibration throughout the day; an issue Hughes says was a result of trying to accommodate the driver’s NASCAR-style preference to be seated close to the wheel.
“He has the wheel quite a bit closer than our other drivers and the mounting is a little bit different as a consequence,” said Hughes.
“We had a little bit of vibration through the wheel, so that’s something we’ll have a look at and work on.”
The majority of the team’s crew cycled through the passenger seat in the afternoon, giving Hughes his first run inside a V8 Supercar.
“It was a good experience, but you don’t really learn anything from it,” said the former Michael Waltrip Racing technical director, who was installed at DJR by Penske in August.
“I think I was staring out the front window with my eyes wide open. It was really just a bit of fun.”
The day also provided the team’s five American imports a chance to work with the existing DJR crew for the first time.
The quintet will stay on for the two Queensland Raceway tests and the NRMA Sydney 500 before heading back to Penske’s headquarters in North Carolina.
“They’re all experienced race car mechanics so they’re all picking it up quite quickly,” said Hughes.
“They’re giving their own thoughts and ideas on things as well which is great. It’s been a good thing for everyone involved.”
Ambrose and DJR will test at Queensland Raceway on November 23 and 27 before the Sydney 500 on December 5-7.