TODD HAZELWOOD – TOUGH INITIATION
Todd Hazelwood – Tough Initiation – Photo: Ross Gibb
Todd Hazelwood’s debut season in Supercars was full hard lessons to learn as he and the Matt Stone Racing squad adjusted to the increased professionalism and competition. The 2019 season has already shown the resilience of both parties as Hazelwood detailed to HEATH McALPINE
It was a forgettable 2018 campaign all round for Matt Stone Racing for both its debut season in Supercars and going back-to-back in Super2. Todd Hazelwood knows only one way, the nuggety South Australian has struggled with budget his entire career with his determination being the key ingredient to how he got on the Supercars grid.
A reduction in the role he plays within the small Queensland-based team has meant that he can focus more on the qualities that make him a better driver.
“It’s probably the first time in the last seven years that I’ve actually put a lot of effort into being a racing car driver and not putting a lot of aspects that go with it, whether that be marketing, commercial or media,” Hazelwood told Auto Action.
“It’s a really refreshing time for me at the moment and I’m just trying to make the most of that.”
“I’ve been the underdog my whole career, in go karts people wrote me off because we didn’t have the money and that steam rolled from there, I think we’ve defied a lot of logic over the years, but to get to this point now and to start to show some sort of promise, it’s still very early days, but hopefully we can start getting good results as the year goes on.”
A glimpse of that promise shone in his hometown of Adelaide after he made the Top 10 Shootout for Race 2 and went on to finish a credible 10th, despite being held up by Chaz Mostert and Rick Kelly tangling in pit lane.
“The coolest thing coming out of qualifying was that we were the top Triple Eight car and that was pretty cool for a small team to achieve that on our first weekend with the ZB Commodore,” Hazelwood said.
“That put a bit of a pep in the step for the whole team, we all work hard behind the scenes to achieve those sorts of moments and you can’t take it for granted because you don’t know when your next major moment may be.
“It was very special to do it in front of the home crowd and start the year on a high.”
Even though Hazelwood has signalled qualifying as a place he needs to improve in, race-wise he is confident in mixing it with the big boys, he is also keen to prove himself amongst the stars of the sport.
“It’s a big step up [from last year] and it’s probably the biggest thing now is to show drivers that I’m not here to sit behind them and consolidate points, I’m here to race hard like the rest of them do,” assured Hazelwood.
“Probably the most bruising thing last year was that I wasn’t really racing anyone and I wasn’t showing everyone what I was capable of. Now I have to start again this season and really show that I’m here to have a go, and race hard. Hopefully, I can earn that respect in the meantime.”
Last season may have been a tough initiation, a lot has been taken out of it by both Hazelwood and MSR to make sure 2019 is a much better season. To say it hasn’t already paid some dividends is a lie.
“We learnt a lot and I think the best thing was that we did have a tough year, but that made us stronger,” Hazelwood explained.
“We understood where our weaknesses were, we worked hard over the off season to rectify all that.”
“Even throughout the year, we hit the reset button halfway through the season, we understood that there were some issues we had to rectify and I think the best thing we ever did was call it quits with the car we had. We set a direction where we thought it was best and Adelaide showed what that sort of partnership can achieve for us.
“We were pretty firm that that was going to work in our favour, it’s good to silence those critics that didn’t believe what we were doing and move forward from that.”
A car change to the Super2 winning VF Commodore proved a turning point as at the same time MSR announced that an ex-Red Bull Holden Racing Team ZB Commodore was to be utilised for this year alongside support from Triple Eight Race Engineering. Hazelwood is optimistic about the partnership and sees a bright future with the path currently being taken.
“They [Triple Eight] are the most successful team of the last decade, so to be able to link up with a team and the engineering capabilities they have, but from a driving point of view for myself, to have access to some of the data that two of the best guys in championship drive, that’ll help myself as well,” enthused Hazelwood.
“For us – a small team – we’re still building and to have access to those sorts of capabilities is a huge asset for us and the best thing about the whole Triple Eight alliance is that when you sign up for something, you know exactly what you are going to get, there are no ifs or buts. They are very professional how they run their program and their business, we feel pretty lucky that we can be a part of that.”
So, what are the goals for the rest of the season? Hazelwood has his eyes set on shaking up the established runners on the edge of the top 10 and is keen to remain there.
“I’d love to have a consistent season where we can bank really good points, put a whole championship together and really stamp our authority on what we can achieve as a team moving forward,” Hazelwood continued.
“I definitely feel the capabilities are there if we have the right day and I can put the program together.”
Article originally published in Issue 1758 of Auto Action.
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