Randle keen to build on momentum in Tasmania
Thomas Randle leapt into top 10 in points after strong form
Finished third in Sydney opener after being pipped to pole position
Tickford second in teams points, teammate Cam Waters fourth
A breakthrough series of performances in the past two events in Townsville and Sydney have Tickford Racing driver Thomas Randle eager to carry the momentum into the NED Whisky Tasmania SuperSprint.
Sitting 14th in the points standings heading into the NTI Townsville 500, Randle’s great run of form has seen him launch into seventh in the standings, whilst Tickford have jumped into second in the teams standings.
Speaking on the On The Grid Podcast, Randle recounted what has been a turnaround for the slimmed down Tickford operation in the past two events.
“Townsville, to start things off, was a really good sort of turning point for the team,” the 2020 Super2 champion said.
“We struggled in Darwin, so leading into Townsville we have been strong there in the past, but to come out of the blocks and Cam put it on pole on Saturday, I was third, then Sunday he was second, I was fourth, and he won on Saturday.
“I was battling with Chaz with about 12 laps to go for the lead and then it rained, and it was seriously such an exciting race.
“I would’ve loved to have won it or even got a podium, but I just sort of burnt my tyres a bit too much in that phase and learnt a lot about that for Sunday, and then the lead in to Sydney.”
The breakthrough weekend for Tickford left them in good stead for the following round at Sydney Motorsport Park, another track that is notoriously hard on tyres.
“If you’re not in the [set-up] window, it really makes such a difference and heading into Townsville, which is quite hard on the tyre, but then SMP, which is well and truly the hardest on deg, probably on par with Taupo for deg," Randle added.
“SMP has been known as being a weak circuit for the Tickford cars, I think [Mark] Skaife said on the broadcast that the front row lockout we had was the first one for Tickford there.”
Randle raced on from the front row to claim a first podium for 2024, having led the opening stint after beating Waters off the line.
“That Saturday was really cool, leading that first stint I think there’s a few things I could’ve done better to challenge Chaz [Mostert] a bit more for the win or at least finish second," he said.
“And then Sunday, a bit of a rookie error, grabbed both the throttle and brake in turn four and blew the chances of another good qualifying, but then we managed to finish in the top 10.”
Off the back of that recovery drive, Randle is eager to continue his good form in Tasmania, a track that presents its own challenges.
“Well Turn 4, the hairpin on the opening lap gets hairier depending on where you are in the field, so if you’re in the mid-pack it’s not a fun time,” the 28-year-old said.
“On top of that, your brakes are normally not up to temp either, so one thing that we’ll normally do is we’ll wind the brake bias rearward on the first lap or two, so you don’t lock a front when the tyre temps and pressures are down."
As always, qualifying will be crucial on the tight 2.4km Symmons Plains Raceway, with the knockout qualifying format seen in Perth to be used once again.
Getting a clean lap away in the first segment of qualifying in particular will be a challenge given the tight nature of the circuit, Randle adding: “So 52 seconds is the lap, there’s 24 cars, that’s an average of about two seconds gap between cars, which is not a lot of time.
“It’s always the case, similar to Perth, traffic is always a big question mark in that first knockout phase and how you structure your run plan.
“Do you go out of phase try and avoid the traffic, or is that going to ruin your prep lap? Will that ruin your flyer? It’s one of the most chaotic sessions of the year.”
The NED Whisky Tasmania SuperSprint takes place from August 16-18 at Symmons Plains Raceway. Tickets for the event are on sale now.
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