Hazelwood 'working harder than ever' for results

Todd Hazelwood has spoken of his mindset following his tough outing at this month’s Merlin Darwin Triple Crown, saying he is ‘working harder than ever’ to see results.

The Brad Jones Racing driver currently sits 17th in the championship, experiencing his first DNF of the season in the monstrous multi-car pile-up in Race 12 that ended seven drivers’ outings within 30-seconds of the start.  

WATCH: HAZELWOOD'S 'FIRE IN THE BELLY' HEADING TO TOWNSVILLE

It’s been a tough season for the 25-year-old, with qualifying pace remaining an Achilles heel for the four-car team.

However, race pace is a different story, seeing Hazelwood fight back from 16th to eighth in Race 5 in the Sandown SuperSprint and convert 24th to 14th at Symmons Plains.

Reflecting on the first-lap incident that saw the #14 Pizza Hut Commodore and teammate Jack Smith out of the race by Turn 1, Hazelwood said the teams’ efforts are yet to be realised on track.

“We have an amazing crew at BJR,” Hazelwood told Supercars.com

“It was far from ideal situation in Race 13 for car 14 and from Jack Smith’s point of view.

“Being collected up in that Turn 1 incident, from my point of view, I got drilled from behind and pushed into the incident.

WATCH: WILD START CAUSES DRAMA: RACE 12 HIGHLIGHTS

“It was quite a big crunch and had quite a significant amount of damage to my car.”

Pulling together overnight to get back on track for Sunday, Hazelwood qualified 19th and finished 14th in Race 13, but moved backwards from 20th to 21st in the finale at Hidden Valley Raceway.

The 2017 Dunlop Super2 champion recognized the hard work of his team, but admitted he was left wanting in Darwin.  

“There was a big effort from the crew overnight,” Hazelwood said.  

“They did an amazing job; the car was faultless from qualifying when we rolled out the next morning.

“We are working hard to unlock qualifying pace, Darwin was our best shot yet, even though the results didn’t show it.

“But we have to take the little positive and thrive on them, keep our heads down and keep positive.

“We now Townsville is strong for us, so we need to keep our head down and keep going.”

Hazelwood's maiden pole in Townsville

Townsville presents an opportunity for Hazelwood netting with his maiden ARMOR ALL pole at the circuit in 2020, and a BJR front-row lockout with teammate Nick Percat at the same venue.

The South Australian driver, who took ownership of a new go-kart this week, says he is ‘doing everything’ he can to make off-track gains.

“I’m trying to do whatever I can behind the scenes,” Hazelwood said.

“Doesn’t matter if I am qualifying poorly or not.

“I’m doing everything I possibly can to ensure I’m best prepared.

“The ironic thing about this sport is that you will never know when your time might come.

“Last year we had a very up and down season, so you have to keep the mindset sharp. Those dark days can get you down it can knock your confidence around.

“It’s all about trying to keep mentally switched on but also physically as well.

Career-best 3rd for Hazelwood in 2020

“A big thing for me now is knowing that it doesn’t matter what happens on a race weekend, I know I have given it my all behind the scenes.  

“I don’t believe in luck, you make your own luck in this game, so I’ll keep working harder and hopefully Townsville turns it on for us.”