Fabian’s no road worrier

Supercars title hopeful positive of a bounce back at Ipswich

FORD speedster Fabian Coulthard is viewing his Townsville troubles as the kind of horror weekend every Supercars frontrunner will have to deal with at some point this season.

The DJR Team Penske No.12 driver was caught up in incidents during both North Queensland races this month, limiting him to 10th and 21st place finishes.

The double whammy proved a bitter blow to his championship challenge, plunging him from the top of the standings to third, 158 points off teammate Scott McLaughlin’s lead.

Coulthard believes it’s part and parcel of battling for the category’s coveted silverware.

The top four drivers – McLaughlin, Jamie Whincup, Coulthard and Shane van Gisbergen – all suffered tyre dra- mas at the controversial Phillip Island round in April.

A race-ending collision in Darwin then hurt reigning champion van Gisbergen’s points haul, much like Coulthard’s tally was damaged in Townsville.

“It’s all part of it,” Coulthard said.

“You can’t have a good round every round – it would be nice if you could but unfor- tunately you always have a bad one thrown in the mix.

“So hopefully that’s my bad one out of the way, we can regroup, focus and make amends at QR (Queensland Raceway).”

Coulthard said debriefs will be held to help him return to the pointy end of the field alongside McLaughlin, who has started 12 consecutive races on the front row.

The next round in Ipswich on July 28-30 is shaping up to be a blockbuster, considering it is the home test track of both DJR Team Penske and the Red Bull Holden Racing Team, the two squads driving the Supercars development race.

Coulthard added he is interested in opportunities that have come to light to do some racing overseas through Penske connections but assured his focus is first and foremost on Supercars glory.

At the top of the list is winning the championship and the Bathurst 1000.

“Bathurst, I have always said the mountain chooses you. I think you wake up on the Sunday morning and lots of things can go very right or wrong,” he said. “The championship is more about doing everything right all year.”