Wood: WAU confident for Perth after crucial test
WAU heads to Perth confident after test, says Ryan Wood
WAU tested both Ford Mustangs at Winton in Perth lead-up
Chaz Mostert third, Wood 19th in drivers' points
Ryan Wood says Walkinshaw Andretti United heads into the latest round in Perth high on confidence following a recent test day.
In the lead-up to this weekend’s event, WAU rolled out its two Ford Mustangs for a full test day at Winton Motor Raceway.
Wood and Chaz Mostert had respective co-drivers Fabian Coulthard and Lee Holdsworth on site, as the team got crucial laps in in-season.
Mostert remains third in the championship, but dropped from 97 to 196 points behind over the course of the Taupō, largely in part to a loose wheel.
Kiwi rookie Wood, meanwhile, recorded his best weekend yet with finishes of fourth and 10th, and now returns to the scene of a career-defining outing.
In Perth last year, a then 19-year-old Wood crushed the Dunlop Series field, winning both races in a performance that has since inspired current WAU Super2 driver Zach Bates.
Wood wants a repeat of his 2023 results, and says he is keen to get back behind the wheel following a solid test day.
“Really looking forward to Perth this weekend, would be nice to have the same sort of weekend as we did last year, that was a lot of fun,” Wood said.
“It’s back to sprint format this weekend which puts the pressure on qualifying.
"We have been pretty consistent in qualifying this year, hopefully we can find a bit more and get the Mobil 1 Truck Assist car up near the front row.
“We had a good test day last week, so we head into Perth confident, I’m excited to get back behind the wheel.”
WAU has been hot and cold in Perth, infamously struggling to get off the final two rows in 2022 before Mostert fought in the top five at last year's round. A Walkinshaw car hasn't won a Supercars race in Perth since Garth Tander with the HSV Dealer Team in 2007.
WAU is also winless since the penultimate race of 2022, and is now one of just three teams without a win in the Gen3 era.
Mostert echoed Wood’s comments regarding qualifying, given 67 of 85 races in Perth have been won from the front row of the grid.
“Being back to a sprint round means we will have to be on our game in qualifying, makes the afternoon pretty hard if we don’t get that right," Mostert added.
WAU is fifth in the teams' standings after three rounds, but is just 137 points behind second-placed Penrite Racing.
Tickets for the Bosch Power Tools Perth SuperSprint are on sale now. Track action will commence on Friday. International viewers can follow all the action on Superview.
