WAU stars helping Wood become Super2 contender

Ryan Wood has cited input from Walkinshaw Andretti United star drivers Chaz Mostert, Nick Percat and Warren Luff as key to his early Super2 success.

Wood swept the round at the Bosch Power Tools Perth SuperSprint to signal his potential as a 2023 title contender.

The Kiwi teen has been on it since the get-go, scoring pole on debut in Newcastle before dominating the Perth races.

On both days at CARCO.com.au Raceway, Wood made overtakes for the race lead before running away to victory.

Wood and teammate Zach Bates have big names in their corner, with six-time Bathurst podium-finisher Luff the team’s driver advisor.

Bathurst winners Mostert and Percat have also taken Wood under their wing, and the efforts aren’t lost on Super2’s latest winner.

“It’s more than coaching — I call them mates now,” Wood said.

“It’s pretty cool. I do a lot of training with Mozzie on the online bike.

“When you’re talking to a mate, it gets through a little bit different to a coach.

“They’ve got so much experience. Coming here [to Perth] and also Newcastle, they’re tracks I’ve never been to.

“To be fast and be on it straight away has been really cool. It’s kudos to them, and I’m pretty lucky to have those guys in my corner.”

Wood says his Perth wins were rewards for the hard work after Newcastle, where he crashed out after scoring pole.

The DNF stunted his early title hopes, with series leader Zak Best 104 points ahead heading to the NTI Townsville 500.

However, Wood maintained that he will remain aggressive in the races as he aims to win his way back into contention.

“You could see the way I was driving today and yesterday — I was racing pretty aggressively,” he said.

“That’s the way I’m gonna be throughout this championship, to try and take it home.

“It’s a lot of emotion. As a team, we’ve been through a lot of highs and lows already.

“To repay them with this high is pretty cool.”

The 2023 Dunlop Series will continue at the NTI Townsville 500 on July 7-9.

Anderson Motorsport's Best leads Eggleston Motorsport's Cooper Murray by 48 points, with Blanchard Racing Team's Aaron Love a further 27 points down.