Street smart Todd gets up to speed
TODD Hazelwood hopes a return to his “happy hunting ground” at Reid Park can be the catalyst for his rookie Supercars season.
Hazelwood and the Matt Stone Racing team were victorious in Townsville last year in the Dunlop Super2 Series, taking both race wins, a pole position, and the overall round win.
The 22- year- old has made the step up to the Supercars this season driving an ex- DJR Team Penske Falcon, but it’s been a tough initiation with a best finish of 18th in the third race in Melbourne.
Hazelwood admitted his team faced a steep learning curve with a new car against a more experienced class of drivers, but he said he felt a little more confident on the Townsville street circuit.
“It brings back good memories ( racing in Townsville) and hopefully for us it can be a turning point for our season,” Hazelwood said.
“I always enjoy the street circuits. I don’t know what it is about them, but it seems to suit my driving style and I can really get the most out of the car and myself as well.
“The last couple of events we’ve gone to, we’ve been shooting into the blind a little bit as far as car set- up, learning the track, and a few other aspects.
“We’re going into a track that we’ve driven on before and got results at so we know the car should be strong as well. That makes a big difference in preparation for this weekend.
“That’ll just help narrow our window down a little bit and hopefully we’ll be able to get up to speed a little bit quicker.”
Hazelwood said he had enjoyed the new challenge in the Supercars after clinching the Super2 championship last season and he was determined to keep improving with each race.
“It’s everything that we expected and probably more to be honest. From a driving point of view, it’s aggressive, it’s fast- paced, and there’s nothing that separates the whole field,” he said.
“One of the smallest slipups and you go from being mid- pack to the back. It’s a very close game that we play, but when you get the rewards it makes it all very much sweeter.”