Waters pumped to return to scene of 2020 'turning point'

The return to Townsville has Cameron Waters "pumped" to tackle the venue which marked a turning point in his 2020 campaign.

Waters claimed three podiums across last year’s Townsville doubleheader en route to second in the 2020 standings.

The Tickford Racing driver arrived in North Queensland last year sixth in the standings, but moved to fourth after the two Townsville weekends.

From there, he was the form driver of the rest of the season, finishing just one race outside the top 10, winning a race at The Bend, and narrowly missing out on a Bathurst 1000 victory.

A topsy turvy weekend in Darwin last month saw Waters drop to fifth in the standings, and is 297 points behind series leader Shane van Gisbergen.

However, Waters is keen to attack another Townsville doubleheader as he looks to breathe new life into his 2021 campaign. 

"I’m super pumped to get to Townsville, not just for one weekend but for two," Waters said.

"We went pretty well there last year, it was probably the turning point for us with car speed, and we got a heap of podiums, so it will be good to get back up there.

"It’s nice and warm, and the car should work pretty well up there as well."

All smiles in Townsville last year

Townsville has been a happy hunting ground for Waters; he scored five top five and two podium finishes across six races in the two 2020 events.

He also scored a pole and a podium in 2019.

This weekend’s two 250km-race format will present several challenges to drivers and teams following four sprint rounds.

With the Dunlop Soft Tyre compound and refuelling also returning, the two races, worth 150 points each for a win, looms to shake up the title fight.

Already, the two-race format has affected Waters, who dropped a swag of points to van Gisbergen following a power steering drama in the Bathurst season opener.

'The 250-kilometre races will be pretty full on around Townsville'

Waters expects fatigue to play a role in the longer races, which around the challenging Townsville street circuit, could offer van Gisbergen’s rivals to eat into his 221-point series lead.

"I think the 250-kilometre races will be pretty full on around Townsville," he said.

"We haven’t done them for a while and obviously street tracks make it a little bit harder physically as well.

"You’re driving up against the walls, the deg will be pretty full on around there, so I’m expecting it to be pretty challenging."

The 2021 Repco Supercars Championship season will resume this weekend at the NTI Townsville 500. Tickets are available here.

The event will be broadcast live on Foxtel and will be streamed on Kayo, and will be broadcast live and free on Seven.