Skaife: Why Townsville proves ultimate championship form guide
Townsville proves ultimate championship form guide, says Mark Skaife
Townsville is first of three major street circuit events in final seven rounds
Gold Coast and Adelaide make up two of three Finals Series events
Townsville could offer the greatest glimpse yet at who really will be the one to beat ahead of a street circuit-heavy end to the season, says Mark Skaife.
The upcoming NTI Townsville 500 is the seventh round of the season, but the first at a bonafide concrete canyon.
While Melbourne's Albert Park is technically a street course, it is fast and flowing, has plenty of run-off, and hasn't got much in the way of kerbs.
Townsville's Reid Park, meanwhile, is punctuated by its car-killing kerbs, surface changes and close walls, which have caught out many a driver since its 2009 debut.
Crucially, after the likes of Tasmania, Perth and Darwin, which are traditional road courses with plenty of run-off, sweeping corners and small kerbs, Townsville will provide a potential glimpse of what's to come at the end of the year.
The 2025 championship will be contested in the Finals across three rounds, two of which are iconic street circuits on the Gold Coast and Adelaide.
According to Skaife, who designed the Townsville circuit, the upcoming round could reveal who could be the stars of the show come the back-end of the season.
In the Gen3 era, at Townsville, Gold Coast and Adelaide, Cam Waters leads the way with four wins, ahead of Will Brown (two), Matt Payne (two), Anton De Pasquale, David Reynolds, Brodie Kostecki and Broc Feeney (one apiece).
“When you get to a street circuit like Townsville, there’ll be a greater emphasis on what you do at that race track,” Skaife said on the broadcast in Darwin.
“When you go to the finale, and you’re looking for the form off the back of Gold Coast… street circuits are going to play a pivotal role in how this championship is won and lost.
“The Gold Coast will play a big role, and then we’ll have this mad final with only four competitors that can win in Adelaide on the streets.
“Townsville’s form guide will be a really big one for the end of the year.”
Garth Tander, who claimed 16 of his 57 career wins at street circuits, agreed with Skaife's comments, saying: "We don’t know where everyone’s at on performance at traditional street circuits, bashing over the kerbs, the different road surfaces and all the rest of it.
“Townsville’s going to give us a real window for those that do make it into the 10 late in the year, what they’re going to be like when it comes crunch time in Adelaide."
The 2025 season resumes in Townsville on July 11-13. Tickets are on sale now. International viewers can watch the action on SuperView.
