Love shows he’s up for challenge
A FORTNIGHT ago Carrera Cup challenger Jordan Love was unsure he would even race in Townsville.
After shattering his left hand in a serious crash at Hidden Valley Raceway last round, the 20-year-old driver had to undergo surgery.
Despite still feeling the effects of his injury behind the wheel, Love could not be stopped at Reid Park yesterday coming out on top in the second practice session.
Love finished the day with a sizzling lap time of one minute 14.1518 seconds beating out Sonic Motor Racing Services teammate and series leader Dale Wood by 0.0905 seconds.
It was a big improvement from Love’s first practice session when he finished eighth in the field with a best lap time of one minute 14.9710 seconds.
“I was pretty stoked with that obviously considering where we were in practice one,” he said.
“We didn’t plan to set the world on fire in the opening practice, I don’t think anyone really does.
“Obviously we knew after practice one that the cars were fast because the other boys (from Sonic) were up the top. It is a little bit annoying that we weren’t up there with them.
“We definitely went out for practice two with a decent set of tyres in the bank. Pretty happy to end up on top and now eyes forward for tomorrow.”
Love said his hand was holding up to the rigours of driving in the Carrera Cup even with the extra bumps and kerbs the cars have to endure on the Reid Park circuit.
It is the first time the Porsche machines have raced in Townsville since the 2015 Townsville 400, and they were a hit with the fans.
“It is awesome, the cub cars are an awesome piece of machinery and you put them around a semi-bumpy track like this,” he said.
“It is an eye-opener but it is awesome fun. You feel (the kerbs) all the way through the body, it is not like a Supercar where they absorb it a bit more.
“(The hand) is holding up better than I expected. It is really good, it is just annoying. It is weak and it has no strength to it in terms of holding on to the wheel.
“I noticed it a little bit out there going over the bumps.”
Love sits second on the Payce Carrera Cup series leaderboard, 165 series points behind Wood, but will aim to make up ground this weekend after his troubles at Hidden Valley.