Frosty ready for first test in a Commodore
REBECCA WILLIAMS LONG-TIME Ford favourite Mark Winterbottom will have his first hitout in a Holden next week when he tests his new car at Queensland Raceway.
After driving a Falcon his whole career in Supercars, Winterbottom will have his first taste racing a Commodore when he shakes down Team 18’s new chassis on Tuesday.
Winterbottom has made the biggest move of the Supercars off-season, joining the single-car outfit after 13 years with Tickford Racing.
The 2015 Supercars champion admitted it would be a learning curve adjusting to a new car and a new team, but was excited by the challenge.
“I don’t really know what to expect, to be honest, but there’s no doubt it will be different,’’ Winterbottom said.
“Just engines and setups and all that sort of stuff. I am sure this is going to feel massively different.
“Driving style, everything is going to have to change for this car. It will be nice to get a feel and know when the engineers talk to you what they are talking about, because at the moment it’s all theory. You just want to get in and feel it.’’
Triple Eight Racing has prepared the Commodore chassis for Team 18 again this year.
It was a testing year for Winterbottom in 2018, scoring just one podium and finishing 12th in the championship – the first time he finished outside the top 10 since 2005.
“It’s nice to have a freshen up. Thirteen years at one team was a long time,’’ Winterbottom said.
“I haven’t looked forward to a championship start like I have at the moment for a long time.”