Sandown - Day Two
SATURDAY 14TH SEPTEMBER
MAIN GAME
Saturday was a busy day for the team in the Supercars Championship with four key sessions, kicking off with a wet Practice 4. The rain was consistent throughout the session, and both cars focused on pit stop practice, including driver changes and refuelling. In Car #55, Tom Randle started before handing over to Tyler Everingham, who completed the majority of the session. They finished in P19 after a final driver change and tyre swap. In Car #6, Cam Waters also started the session, with James Moffat taking over for most of the running. Despite a small spin at Turn 4, Moffat avoided any damage. After a late driver change, Car #6 ended the session in P20. Cam gave a light-hearted interview mid-session, commenting on the tricky conditions, saying, "It’s pretty moist out there, lots of rivers you can’t really see – a lot of fun. Being a speedway driver in these conditions definitely helps!" He also commented on Moffat’s incident saying “yeah, she’s alright slap her on the ass and send her on her way”
Practice 5 saw the team fine-tuning their setups with no pit stop practice this time around. Both drivers were in and out of the garage as adjustments were made. The session ended under a red flag, with Tom finishing P15 in Car #55 and Cam P12 in Car #6. Both drivers ran on wets before switching to slicks for the final 10 minutes, with lap times improving as the track dried.
In Qualifying, the track remained wet but with no active rain during the session. Cam had a strong run, finishing P5 and earning a spot in the Top Ten Shootout, while Tom struggled with braking and couldn't quite pull his lap together, finishing P20, where he will start Sunday’s race. In the Top Ten Shootout, Cam delivered a solid lap to secure P2, meaning he and co-driver James Moffat will start the 500km race from the front row. Cam was pleased with the result, saying, “I’m pretty happy – it’s pretty cool to be on the front row. The weather threw everything at us today, but we made the car better, and I’m confident we’re quick in the dry.” There are mixed emotions after the result, with Car #6 on the front row and strong pace with both cars, the team is confident Car #55 has a real shot, knowing strategy will play a key role in a long race where anything can happen.
During the press conference, Cam was also excited to see Monster merchandise back on shelves, commenting, "It was great to see fans in CW & #6 gear over the last couple of years, but it’s awesome to have the Monster merch back and available online." Looking ahead to the race, both Cam and James expressed confidence in their driver changes, saying, "We’re feeling good – we’ve done a few and been doing this together for four years, so we’re not too worried." Race 19 will commence at 14:05 tomorrow. For those wanting to catch all of the action, the event will be broadcast exclusively live on Foxtel and Kayo
QUOTES FROM DRIVERS
Tom Randle - Car #55
“Didn't have the best qualifying session just didn't feel that confident, unfortunately we’re going to be out of P20 tomorrow in the race as difficult as it is to say that but it's a long race – we've had really good car speed in the dry. Tylers a guru so he’s going to have sore shoulders tomorrow carrying me but I think it's going to be dry”
Tyler Everingham - Car #55
“Our dry pace was pretty good so I think we're able to sorta move forward but you never know it's a long day and we gotta see how it pans out”
Cam Waters Car #6
“You know wet weather, we were a bit up and down. We both made some mistakes in the wet but qually was good with 5th then the shootout in the dry was also pretty good, probably could of had pole if I didn't make a mistake but you know we’re right up there, we’ve got a fast car and we will see what tomorrow brings”
James Moffat Car #6
“Cam did an awesome job, nailed his lap in qualifying when he needed to then again in the shootout. Sort of expect nothing less of him in those conditions and a good starting spot for us tomorrow, so ready to rip in”
DUNLOP SUPER 2 SERIES
Saturday saw the team tackle both qualifying and Race 1 in the Dunlop Super 2 Series. Qualifying didn’t go as planned, with a red flag near the end of the session catching the drivers out, leaving all three further down the grid than their earlier pace suggested. In Race 1, the team remained confident in their race pace, but unfortunately, it didn’t come through on the day. As Rylan put it, "We got caught out in qualifying, which put us behind where we wanted to be, but it’s a new day tomorrow, and hopefully dry, so we can actually show our true pace."
The Super 2 boys are ready to go again tomorrow, with qualifying at 09:20 and Race 2 at 12:40.
TOYOTA 86 SERIES
Saturday in the Toyota 86 Series was a solid day for Charlie. Qualifying took place in wet conditions, ending with a red flag, and he finished P28 with his focus set on the first race. In Race 1, Charlie had an impressive climb, moving up 12 spots to P16 after avoiding the chaos at Turn 4 and gaining 8 places on the opening lap. “The car felt strong, and I was pretty stoked with how it all came together,” he said afterward. Race 2 saw more action with several safety cars and some close calls on lap 1, but Charlie managed to gain a few more positions. His restarts went well, and he finished the day feeling confident about tomorrow’s races. Charlie will be back on track with Race 3 at 11:10
