GWR Australia driver Duvashen Padayachee believes this weekend’s second round of the Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup at the Australian Grand Prix will be one of the most technically challenging of the year.
As well as a unique, four-race format, the Albert Park street circuit event also features a different mix of categories compared to normal Carrera Cup rounds.
“Like any street circuit, the track evolves quickly as rubber is laid down on the circuit, but this weekend we have the Formula 1 cars as well as the Supercars and other categories,” Padayachee said.
“From past experience, I’ve found the grip levels change considerably after the F1 cars have done a few sessions, so we’ll really need to keep thinking on our feet and adapt our car setup and driving technique on the run.
“Other than that, the Grand Prix is a big event, one of the highest-profile ones we attend, and you really notice the crowds around the back of the track, especially on Saturday and Sunday.”
As a result of the four-race format, Carrera Cup drivers will be permitted to use a third set of new tyres for the weekend, but Padayachee says managing that extra tyre set will still be critical.
“We’ll probably use two sets of tyres in qualifying, which will leave us with one brand-new set for one of the races, but we’ll also have to re-use at least one set,” Padayachee said.
“I think we’ll see some variation in results, because different drivers will be on their best set of tyres at different times.”
Padayachee lies 13th in the outright Carrera Cup standings, charging into the top 10 in the weekend’s final race at the Adelaide 500 season opener after losing valuable track time with a crash in practice. Duvashen’s father, Indiran Padayachee produced one of his personal-best performances at Adelaide, achieving his fastest lap at the venue.
“Dad made some really good progress at Adelaide, and took a step forward with his driving. It’s given him a solid base to build upon for this weekend, and no doubt Garth and the team will be giving him some target lap times to aim for,” Duvashen said.
Races 2, 3 and 4 of this weekend’s Carrera Cup round will be broadcast live on Channel 10, and FOX Sports 506.
Porsche Carrera Cup – Round 2 Schedule
Thursday, 14 March
12:20 – Practice (20 min)
16:10 – Qualifying (20 min)
19:05 – Race 1 (25 min)
Friday, 15 March
14:55 – Race 2 (25 min)
Saturday, 16 March
15:20 – Race 3 (25 min)
Sunday, 17 March
12:55 – Race 4 (10 laps)
