Gold Coast - the party track
Sun, surf and concrete - that pretty much sums up the Castrol EDGE Gold Coast 600 weekend in three words.
I always find the contrast of going back-to-back with Bathurst and Gold Coast really strange. From Mount Panorama, so rich in history and deep in racing heritage, to the Gold Coast, just a few days later, where we all put our shorts on and the vibe is to let your hair down a little.
But as much as it is a party for the thousands of fans who will soak up the sun and enjoy the high octane pace of the event, it's far from a party in pit lane.
Bathurst produced eight DNFs. Four cars on the grid this weekend - cars 2, 4, 23, 55 - will all be spare or borrowed chassis for the 600km street fight.
Last year the concrete jungle of the vicious Gold Coast circuit delivered 10 DNFs across the weekend and one DNS.
This place gives fans everything they want, but for the exhausted teams it also has all the elements for disaster - but that is what makes holding a surfboard (or throwing a pot plant) at the end of a long hot day so bloody great.
Now we have had time to digest (and sleep) after the epic Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000, the Championship picture has changed once again.
Jamie Whincup's bold 'no risk, no reward' final laps with the team pleading, begging him to save more fuel could have potentially seen him parked on the side of the road with a big fat zero for the round - but he survived, he took a risk and he still leads this rollercoaster ride by 297 points. Once again it's next-door neighbour Mark Winterbottom as the nearest challenger.
We have 900 points on offer before we crown our 2014 V8 Supercars Champion and while Lowndes has said earning the Championship is almost now just a dream, it is not over. If Whincup didn't make it down Conrod Straight things would be very different and if you look at last years GC600, these two races are not easy to win.
We have 2 x 300km races and we are back on Dunlop soft tyres.
Also up for grabs this weekend is the Pirtek Enduro Cup. Currently being led by Whincup and Dumbrell, from Mostert and Morris, bragging rights are certainly on the line.
When I have questioned the drivers previously on their favourite circuit, the streets of the Gold Coast certainly features high on many lists. Conquering a street circuit is pretty important on the list of achievements a driver wants to tick off.
The nature of the concrete jungle requires ultimate commitment but crucifies mistakes, as we have seen plenty of times in the past.
A hot talking point going into the weekend is that it will be the first time teams will be running soft tyres with the newly mandated tyre pressure ruling (Minimum pressure of 17psi). History tells us tyre degradation hasn't been an issue, however we now venture into unknown territory.
I think we could possibly see more mistakes towards the end of the stints and it will certainly keep strategists and engineers on their toes as it mixes up the game.
At Bathurst we definitely saw that drivers and co-drivers were racing hard. Plenty of big, bold moves, passes that we may not have thought were there, but were made, and nobody was 'just circulating' or making up minimum laps.
There is a lot less run-off on the streets of the Gold Coast and a much higher chance of hitting concrete than anywhere else. These are all the ingredients we want to produce a weekend of action packed racing.
The top three are fighting for this Championship but the other 22 cars just want a surfboard.
Riana's wrap
- FPR have found form and records show, with five wins here, they will be hard to beat.
- BJR will be looking to get back on track after a horror Bathurst 1000 - they were fast but unfortunately it was a race to forget.
- Both HRT cars will be hungry for a result. Another team with nothing to show for fast cars at the Mountain. With seven wins at this circuit they certainly know what it takes to hold a surfboard.
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