Best to lap up Randle advice

Rising talent Zak Best is eager to soak up as many lessons from MW Motorsport teammate Thomas Randle as possible in his rookie Dunlop Super2 Series year.

The 18-year-old is making his first foray into Super2 with MWM, alongside former Tickford Racing driver and 2018 Mike Kable Young Gun Award winner Randle.

Best has steered Matt White machinery for the past two years in Super3 and finished fourth in the standings last season, winning six of the 15 races but hampered by two DNFs along the way.

He was runner-up the year before, finishing on the podium at every round and setting the lap record at The Bend Motorsport Park for the third-tier category.

This weekend marks his first chance to prove himself at the next level, steering a Nissan Altima at the Superloop Adelaide 500 – and he already has a goal in mind.

"I'd say definitely finishing all the races will be the main goal based off last year’s performance," Best told Supercars.com.

"Learning as much as I can with the team and learning as much as I can off Tom.

"It's massive to have Tom as a teammate, it's a massive advantage having a teammate and someone with the experience, rather than just having another rookie with you.

"It'll be great working with Tom and trying to speed up the process a bit, he'll definitely be able to help with that."

Ahead of the season-opener, Best got a chance to cut laps in his #78 Nissan as part of a two-day team test at Winton Motor Raceway last week.

Best noted continuity at MWM will be of benefit, stepping up with the same mechanics and engineers he's familiar with.

"It was very valuable to get the two days of testing before Adelaide, to figure out all the little bugs and fix all the things we had to fix," Best said.

"I've been with the team for years and years now, so it all starts to feel like family."

Best will be one of six drivers – also including newly announced MWM teammate Jayden Ojeda (livery above) – vying for the $100,000 rookie of the year prize, and admits it'll essentially be a battle against his previous competitors.

"Definitely rookie of the year is going to be the number one goal, which is really going to be Super3 all over again with the same guys stepping up," he added.

"I'm already used to racing against those guys, and racing them again and moving forward with them is definitely something good.

"I'd say my rivalry with Feeney (Broc, 2019 Super3 champion and Tickford recruit) will continue. We'll probably be very close all year, but that's just part of the game and hopefully we can come out on top this time.”

The 2020 Dunlop Super2 Series kicks off today in Adelaide with opening practice at 12:55pm local time.