The Alonso Supercar moment that stands out for Randle
Supercars
11 Mar
Fernando Alonso drove Thomas Randle's Supercar in 2022
Alonso bowled a wide at Turn 1 on his final lap
Supercars season continues at Grand Prix on March 21-24
It was two years ago that Thomas Randle handed the reins of his Castrol Tickford Racing Supercar with Formula 1 star Fernando Alonso — and one moment still stands out.
Supercars and F1 cross paths each year at the Australian Grand Prix, where the Repco Supercars Championship resumes with the MSS Security Melbourne SuperSprint.
In 2022, Randle had a special opportunity to rub shoulders with idol Alonso, who got behind the wheel of Randle’s race-ready #55 Gen2 Ford Mustang.
Alonso, a two-time world champion, took a liking to Randle’s Ford — so much so, that he ran off the road on his final lap.
The car had been used by Randle just hours earlier in qualifying for the Supercars event, and was set to roll out the next day for the first race of the weekend.
When recently asked by Supercars.com if he was spooked by Alonso’s off, the Tickford Racing driver said: "Nah, I didn't really care. I found it funny.
"I actually thought it was awesome that I've been off the track in my Supercar, with Fernando Alonso driving!
"I literally just finished qualifying, I think an hour before, and then he hopped in and drove it.
"Like, I saw where he braked and I'm like, ‘Yeah, that's, it's not happening. It's not gonna stop. Not there.’
“It was pretty funny. He apologised, it was pretty cool. It’s probably the only time he'll drive one of our race cars."
It wasn’t the first time Randle had lent his car to F1 stars, with current Alpine drivers Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon, along with Aussie rising star Jack Doohan, sampling the Castrol Gen3 Ford at Calder Park last year.
The Alpine drivers also drove Randle’s race car, while in 2022, Sergio Perez at least drove a spare Red Bull Triple Eight Commodore.
Randle’s 2024 car was on the pace at the last start Thrifty Bathurst 500, with the 2020 Super2 champion finishing fourth in Race 2 to end up seventh overall.
This year’s Melbourne SuperSprint is more sudden-death than ever, with no compulsory pit stops for all four sprint races.
The Thursday of the event alone has two practice sessions, two qualifying sessions and a race, with a short qualifying session to set the grid for each race.
“Anything can happen in those four races,” Randle told Supercars.com.
"No pit stops, 20 laps on a Soft tyre. It's going to be interesting, that's for sure. Thursday is seriously jam-packed. We have two practice sessions, I think there's less than an hour between Practice 2 and qualifying.
“Best case scenario, you roll out for Practice 1 and the car's mega and it's only fine-tuning from there. But, if you're trying to do big swings, you haven't got a lot of time to get it right.
"I know every team, every driver wants that, but we just need to nail all those one percenters.”
Supercars will hit the track at the Grand Prix for the first time on Thursday March 21.
