Wildcard Dalton wants more
A taste of what life as a full time Supercar driver could be like has left Tickford’s Lochie Dalton wanting more.
Tickford’s wildcard rookie, Dalton, may not have set the world on fire during his main game debut, but he showed enough to put his hand up for some more running in the main game as he continues his learning season in Super2.
Early in the Friday session he was running mid-field, but when the heat was turned up near the end, he couldn’t raise his speed like the regulars did. Then a small error in qualifying on Saturday cost him plenty of grid spots.
Both races were tough for the young gun, but he got more racing laps than he might get in two or three rounds of Super2.
He finished 22nd and 24th in the two races, but his fastest race lap on Sunday was mid-pack and faster than teammate Cam Waters and less than half a tenth off Thomas Randle in the other Tickford car. On the track, he peaked at fifth in the Saturday during the pitstop window, and had a few good battles over the two races.
“It was a hectic at times, I felt like I was back in Super2,” he said.
“Everyone was just dooring each other, and it was quite difficult because I was just trying to keep the tyre underneath the thing.
“Mixed feelings with the weekend, we did have good potential to be in that mid-pack, and I understand that I made a few mistakes which cost us. Looking back, there is a lot to learn, a lot to go over so we come back and be better.
“It was a little frustrating, just because I know I can do better. That’s the first one, so we’ll take it. I definitely want more, but I think that’s just natural.”
Tickford Racing debriefed all three cars together. He said a lot of the engineers involved are part of the Super2 program, so he was familiar with them, and he said Waters, Randle and the engineers were good at getting him involved in the discussion.
But the biggest challenge for the weekend was the amount of activity outside of the car with signing sessions – although he felt like a third wheel sitting at the Tickford table – sponsors appearances and the like. Plus, people were coming up for autographs and photos, which is not as common with the Super2.
“I used to think Cam and Thomas had it easy. They just laid back in the truck and ate some snacks, but the off-track stuff is so busy. All the appearances and signing sessions is pretty crazy.
“It was a bit of a shock because you don’t get much time to see your engineer or get your pre-race mojo on. I was a little bit out of form leading up to the race because I was just so busy off the track. It’s something you adjust to when you plan your day around better.
“I had a horrible qualifying and I was pretty gutted with myself, but you’ve got fans and kids coming up to you wanting autographs and you’ve just got to turn it on for them. They’re the reason why everyone’s here.”
READ MORE FROM DALTON IN THE PIASTRI VICTORY ISSUE OF AUTO ACTION DIGITAL HERE
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