Extra set of Sprints allocated for Tassie
An aeriel photo of the hairpin at Symmons Plains Raceway last year
An extra set of Sprint tyres have been allocated to V8 Supercars teams for the Symmons Plains round in November.
Teams will be allocated two sets of Dunlop Sprint tyres, with each entry permitted to use on set on Saturday (Race 21) and one set on Sunday (Race 22).
This is a change from the original rule where teams would have only received one set for Sunday’s race.
The other remaining Sprint tyre events this year (Hidden Valley in June and Sandown in November) will see only one set of the soft rubber given to the teams for Sunday.
THE FINAL RACE OF THE 2023 REPCO SUPERCARS CHAMPIONSHIP ON ONE OF THE WORLD’S BEST STREET CIRCUITS. GO ALL IN AT THE VAILO ADELAIDE 500, CLICK HERE TO BUY TICKETS
James Courtney at Symmons Plains last year
V8 Supercars Championship leader James Courtney is the Sprint tyre king, having won all of the past four on the faster tyres. He told Speedcafe.com.au today that the more Sprint tyre races there are, the better.
“The Sprint tyre definitely showed that it improved the racing at both Queensland Raceway and Winton,” he said.
“It opens up a few different lines to overtake and opportunities to pass and take a few more risks so you can pull the car up.
“To have more Sprint tyres available for Symmons Plains will be a godsend. It’s probably a great thing for the championship too, because it will make the Tassie round a lot more exciting to watch. There’ll be a lot more passing, the lap times will be better, and the racing was good there last year when we only had one set. I can’t see any down sides at all.”
The Jim Beam Racing driver doesn’t have a great deal of racing experience on the Sprint tyre at Symmons Plains, though, after he was involved in a first lap incident with Jack Daniel’s Racing’s Todd Kelly. Their clash cut his right-rear tyre, dropping him out of contention.
“I didn’t do many laps at Symmons Plains on the Sprint tyre last year,” he said.
“I had a little altercation with my mate Todd (Kelly). He tore the side out of tyre on the first lap, so I didn’t get to race on them at all, so it will be a new experience for me.”
Unlike the Queensland Raceway and Winton rounds where he dominated, Courtney says that getting the car set-up right in the duel compound races will be a balancing act.
“You’re probably going to have to sacrifice a bit of the set-up on one set of tyres, or maybe a little bit on both,” he said.
“You’ll just have to weigh it up at the time. I’m pretty confident with the way the our car reacts on the soft and hard tyre.”