Courtney gives Gen3 take
By Auto Action
Date posted: 10 March 2023
After a three-year development, the Gen3 racers have hit the track at Newcastle, and the word on the street is that they are hard to drive.
The cars are spectacular to watch from the outside, dancing under brakes and clearly sliding more in and out of the corners.
Despite a more than 60% reduction in downforce and less power, the cars got to within one second of the times record in the equivalent sessions in 2019 when the Supercars were last here.
Tickford star James Courtney, despite his trademark grin, said he wasn’t sure if they were fun to drive yet. He said they move around on the street circuit bumps and are hard to get right under brakes, which is what they were designed to do.
The other goal was more overtaking, with the cars able to follow more closely thanks in part to the reduced aero but also because of changes to the cooling system, including larger radiators, which means the cars will not overheat in the slipstream.
Courtney is unsure if overtaking will be easy, though, and he says the lack of vision may cause more problems than anything else.
“They are so wide and low it is hard to see through to know what is coming,” he said. “I haven’t followed anyone yet, so I don’t know if that is easier, but I think passing will still be hard here.”
The first session of the day was tough for Courtney and the entire Tickford squad as they filled the last three spots on the time sheets with Courtney, Declan Fraser and Thomas Randle, with Cam Waters not that much higher in 19th.
They bounced back in the next session, with Courtney and Waters in the top 10.
There is one more session today and qualifying tomorrow morning before the year’s first race.
For more of the latest motorsport news, pick up the latest issue of AUTO ACTION.
AUTO ACTION, Australia’s independent voice of motorsport
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