Dejected Waters’ clear message after near miss
By Thomas Miles
Date posted: 20 May 2023
Cameron Waters had a clear message after watching a podium place slip away on the final lap of a dramatic opening race at Tasmania.
After being the only Mustang to qualify in the top 10, Waters was once again waving the Ford flag in the 42-lap race.
Car #6 ran as high as second for the first half of the race until he boxed on Lap 20 and rejoined in third behind winner Will Brown and runner-up Andre Heimgartner.
Waters stayed third until the final lap where he lost a trophy spot to Shane van Gisbergen, who went by at Turn 6 after setting up the move with a fast exit from the hairpin.
Although the record books state the Monster Mustang won the first race of the season, it crossed the line third behind the two disqualified Triple Eight Camaros.
But that remains Waters’ only podium of the season and he was dejected to miss out by just two corners at Symmons Plains.
After van Gisbergen reigned him in with superior tyre life at the back end of the race, Waters claimed he brought a “knife to a gunfight”.
“I had a good battle with Shane and raced him hard. It is always fair between us which is cool (but I am) just disappointed not to get the podium,” he said on Fox Sports
“I threw everything at that race with every lap being a qualifier and really wanted to get the first Ford win (on track) but I blew the tyre off compared to the others.
“The car is edgy to drive (but) driving around against the other guys they are having less wobbles and have more turn. Their cars are just a fraction better than what we have got.
“I feel like I am in a gunfight with a knife at the moment.”
Adding to Waters’ frustrations was the lack of Mustang support around him.
In qualifying he snagged grid position #3 as the only Ford in the final phase of qualifying which included the 10 fastest cars.
Although car #6 was the only Ford up the front, both Nick Percat and Thomas Randle squeezed themselves into the top 10, but only after the likes of Brodie Kostecki and Chaz Mostert dropped out after hairpin incidents.
The search for parity has continued at the fourth round of the championship, with various engine maps being trialled by the Mustangs across the two Saturday morning practice sessions.
Like Waters, when asked for his viewpoint on the final-lap showdown van Gisbergen said it was a “fair” last-lap battle.
“It was a great race,” he said on Fox Sports.
“I knew he would hit me down the straight and stuff, but it was all fair.
“We really hurt after not getting a lap in qualifying, but it was alright.”
Waters hopes to hold onto a trophy in at least one of Sunday’s two races at Symmons Plains.
2023 Tasmania SuperSprint schedule (all times AEST)
Saturday, May 20
Practice 1: 1 Brodie Kostecki 51.0147; 2 James Courtney +0.1485; 3 Todd Hazelwood +0.179
Practice 2: 1 Brodie Kostecki 51.172; 2 Jack Le Brocq +0.019; 3 Will Brown +0.054
Qualifying R10: 13.20-14.15
Race 10: 15.50-16.45
Sunday, May 21
Qualifying R11: 9.50-10.05
Qualifying R12: 10.15-10.30
Race 11: 13.05-14.00
Race 12: 15.50-14.45
Download the full Supercars Tasmania Round 4 Event Guide with track stats and facts and a full event schedule, plus our extensive driver profiles here
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