Gray fires warning shot to Super2 rivals after main game debut
Rising star Rylan Gray made Supercars debut in Darwin
Teenager claimed three 21st place finishes in #5 Mustang
Gray current Super2 Series leader after Tasmania round win
Tickford's teenage prodigy Rylan Gray has issued a bold statement to his Dunlop Super2 Series rivals after a solid debut in the Repco Supercars Championship at the betr Darwin Triple Crown.
The current series leader after a breakthrough race win and pole propelled him to a second career round win, Gray took over the #5 Mustang that was piloted by Tickford Autosport teammate Lochie Dalton in Perth.
It was a quiet weekend for the 18-year-old, who recorded three finishes of 21st across the weekend, and a best start of 21st for the Sunday refuelling race.
The NSW Hunter Valley product was unhappy with some mistakes he made during the weekend, including two on Sunday that saw him knocked out in the first segment of qualifying, and run off the road in the early laps of Race 19 attempting to overtake Aaron Cameron.
Gray, who has also won a race in GT4 Australia this year, said the despite the mistakes, he is thrilled to have ticked off three starts before he appears in the Enduro Cup alongside Dalton at The Bend and Bathurst.
“I did enjoy myself, a few errors which I’m a bit upset with myself about,” said Gray on Supercars' Cool Down Lap podcast.
“But it was all great fun out there, really enjoyed the first weekend in the main game.”
Now armed with main game experience, Gray believes he is well positioned to hang on to his series lead over the remaining eight races of the year, his confidence boosted after a conversation with one of the two Super2 graduates in the 2025 Repco Supercars Championship.
“Yeah I’m pretty confident now. I talked to Cooper Murray on Friday and he said it’s going to be a lot easier to go back into Super2.
“In qualifying today I thought I had a pretty decent time down, but you’re down the back. In Super2 you’d nearly be on pole, so it’s a bit different.
“I’m really looking forward to going back to Super2, hopefully I have a strong Townsville and a strong rest of the year.”
Gray holds a 48 point advantage over Tickford Autosport teammate Nash Morris in the points standings, with the son of 2014 Bathurst winner Paul potentially in line for a co-drive with Richie Stanaway at PremiAir Racing.
The 2025 Dunlop Super2 Series returns at the NTI Townsville 500 from July 11-13. Tickets for the event are on sale now.
