Tickford's quiet achiever looking to add name to winners list

If there was an award for the most improved driver in the Dunlop Super2 Series, then Reuben Goodall would be a short-priced favourite.

After a tough initiation to the development series ended in a frightening qualifying crash in Adelaide last year, Goodall has been the quiet achiever of 2025 at his new home in Tickford Autosport.

Though he hasn't reached the race-winning heights of teammates Rylan Gray and Nash Morris, the 21-year-old South Australian claimed second for the round last time out in Tasmania, and sits third in points after the opening four races.

Saturday in particular was a breakout day for the former Toyota 86 frontrunner with a front row start converted into a maiden podium, and it's this momentum that he's looking to carry into the rest of the season.

"It's definitely positive, we didn't sign up to run around at the back, we signed up to be competing for race wins and podiums," Goodall told Supercars.com.

"It's great just two rounds in that that's what we're doing, so really happy that we've gotten to that point just by Round 2, and I'm really excited to see what we can do for the rest of the year."

Goodall, Gray, Morris, and Lochie Dalton have all sung the praises of 2015 Supercars champion Mark Winterbottom's contribution to the team since re-joining Tickford in the off-season.

Such is the camaraderie formed between the five, that all four juniors joined the Winterbottom family for dinner at the start of the week.

"Definitely pinching myself, and better yet he invited us over for dinner on Monday night, so you're sitting across the table with Frosty and you're going, 'Geez, what am I doing here?'," Goodall said.

"You grow up watching this guy on TV, winning the 1000, winning the championship, it's pretty surreal to have him. He's such a great mentor, nicest guy, lovely family, and not only that, he can drive pretty damn well and he's got a lot of experience behind him that he's really helping us boys with."

Only 72 points off Gray with a third of the season completed, Goodall believes that he has all the tools he needs to mount a title challenge this season, and is intent on making himself a fixture at the front of the field.

"I think the team is definitely in a really strong spot. I love the track, it's really awesome getting up to the walls and jumping over kerbs so I'm really looking forward to it, the team was pretty good there last year as well," he said.

"To be honest, I don't expect much less than what we had in Tassie, obviously there are a lot of other quick guys in the category as well that are going to be up there."

"I think if we all put our best foot forward and get the car right in practice, and listen to the engineers and get some good data, I think we can be right at the pointy end come the races."

It's been a remarkably competitive season so far, with four different pole sitters and race winners in as many races, with 10 drivers having stepped foot on a race podium through the season.

The driver of the Gtechniq Mustang is placing a big emphasis on his qualifying performances in Townsville, saying that he is right on the cusp of claiming his first career Boost Mobile Pole Award, adding: "I think it's about the other end of a hundredth of a second if you look at the qualy margins right?

"Probably executing in qualifying I think, it's so important, especially at a track like Townsville. It's tight, it's narrow, it's hard to pass, so I think it's just really putting your best foot forward in qualifying and doing a good lap time.

"Getting yourself on the front row, getting yourself off the start down that really long straight into Turn 2, I think that's going to be the recipe for a race win, and I think we've definitely got it in us to add myself to that list as the fifth winner of 2025."

The 2025 Dunlop Super2 Series returns at the NTI Townsville 500 from July 11-13. Tickets for the event are on sale now.