2019 Supercar season starts with podium results for Dayco.
Dayco Australia’s Supercars debut for 2019 proved to be a successful one with the leading engine products and drive systems supplier for the automotive, industrial and aftermarket industries once again joining forces with Tickford Racing for the 15 event, 2019 Virgin Australia Supercars Championship.
The 2019 season opener, the Adelaide 500 on March 2 and 3, heralded a major change as Dayco adorned the rear wing of a brand new Monster Energy Tickford Racing Mustang driven by Cam Waters, making its racing debut in Australia’s most popular motor racing category.
Waters raced to second place in Sunday’s swelteringly hot 250 kilometre race that proved to be a closely contested battle on the Adelaide Parklands Street Circuit. The Tickford driver bravely held off Triple 8 Commodore driver Shane Van Gisbergen throughout the closing stages, dealing with significant pain in the highly challenging heat wave conditions.
The Dayco sponsored team driver was forced out of the race to win Saturday’s first leg of the Adelaide 500 due to his personal cooling system being inoperative. Under new Supercar rules, once the ambient temperature reaches a certain level, any driver without a functioning cooling system will be brought into the pits to have it repaired.
“I used mental strategies to stay focussed as the race was reaching its closing stages but I knew where my car was strong and it was where it needed to be to keep Shane behind me. Gaining second place was a good bit of redemption following Saturday’s situation,” Waters said.
The 21st running of this Supercar season starting event proved to be as popular as always, despite the extremely hot conditions, with 254,000 spectators visiting the event (including a Sunday total sell-out of 91,500) and record television viewer numbers across the three days.
The Supercars debut of the Ford Mustang proved to be extraordinarily successful with wins of both races going to Team Penske DJR driver and defending champion Scott McLaughlin in Adelaide.
The Australian Grand Prix hosted the Supercars’ second round from March 14 to 17 in Melbourne, the 24th staging of this massive motor racing event in Australia’s sports capital.
This proved to be another successful event with the Dayco sponsored Monster Energy Tickford Racing Mustang finishing 3rd in the opening AGP Supercars race hands of Cam Waters. A second podium result (3rd) came Waters’ way on Saturday, but drama struck in the third AGP race, when he and championship leader McLaughlin managed to crash into each other on the way to the starting grid – dramatically wiping out both front row starters.
Waters’ returned to his speedy ways for the fourth and final AGP Supercar race, seeking a strong haul of Championship points and getting them with a solid 4th place finish. This result meant that in every race Waters has completed this season, the Dayco sponsored Mustang has finished within the top four.
Along with Supercars, Dayco continues to have a presence in the Porsche Carrera Cup with leading Pro-Am category racer Roger Lago, who took the outright Pro-Am win at the Australian Grand Prix, capping off an outstanding start to the season in the world’s fastest one make series.