Dream Racing Australia and Jackson Rice will hold an advantage when the Trico Trans Am Series makes its maiden appearance at Hidden Valley for its third round of the season.
Rice will be eager to build on his solid pace by matching it with strong results in the Top End following a tough opening two rounds to start his second full-season campaign in Trico Trans Am.
Lying 17th in the standings heading to Darwin is not a representation of Rice’s pace at Symmons Plains and Bathurst. A puncture at the Mountain spoiled Rice’s chances of a top 10 finish, but his charge in the final race of the weekend highlighted the pace of the package.
However, Rice and Dream Racing Australia will enter Darwin confident of knowing what to expect courtesy of competing at Hidden Valley Raceway as part of the TA2 Muscle Car Series in 2023. Rice scored a pair of top five finishes and will be one of the few drivers in the field holding Trans Am experience at the circuit.
Rice will be aiming for consistent results in Darwin to build his comeback towards the top 10 following the opening pair of rounds and his prior knowledge will be handy for when the Trico Trans Am Series roll out for practice.
Hidden Valley Raceway will provide plenty of challenges for the Trico Trans Am contenders due to its heavy stops, flowing corners and some sections where there is limited margin for error.
Rice and Dream Racing Australia will aim to turn their fortunes around at the betr Darwin Triple Crown at Round 3 of the Trico Trans Am Series supporting the Repco Supercars Championship on June 20-22.
QUOTES
Jackson Rice
#7 Dream Racing Australia, Ford Mustang
“We’ve got a lot of data from two years ago when we raced at Hidden Valley,” said Rice.
“It’s good to come in with experience on-track as there’s only so much you can do on the sim in preparation for the round, so it’s good to have data, I’ve been around the circuit and I can head into Friday practice with a bit of confidence.
“It’s been a shame at the start of this year because we’ve had such bad luck, but great pace. We’ve had three punctures this season already, we’ve been taken out twice as well, so it’s just been one of those things where we’ve displayed great pace, but haven’t got the results.
“For myself as a driver, I find that frustrating because you know you’ve got pace in the car and the team’s set-up is good, which is demonstrated by the data, but isn’t displayed by the results. This weekend, the main focus is to hope that we’ve got the majority of the bad luck out the way and we can then focus on the results.
“Consistency is key and make sure to hit all our marks. It’s a circuit that is challenging and although it isn’t super narrow, there are a few areas where you have to really pick your opportunities. Coming into the last turn is a good passing place, Turn 1 under brakes and exits around the back side of the circuit are very important to set up the next sections. It’s one of those tracks where you have to be smart about your passing as losing momentum affects the next corner or you get swallowed up.
“Last time we were up here the racing was awesome and with the talent in the field this time, I expect it to be even better.
“It’s the first time we’ve had a poor season for a while and our aim is focused on moving inside the top 10 before dragging our way back into the fight for the leading positions. We have to be methodical about it and to turn it around we just need consistent results.”
