So, You Want To Be A Supercar Driver?
An in-depth look at two differing ways to climb the Australian Motorsport Ladder
So, You Want To Be A Supercar Driver?
Written by Wes McDougall
“What is the best junior category to race to become a Supercar Driver?”
Back in July, The Complete Race Driver and Gomersall Motor Sport held a Super 2 Evaluation Day for a number of aspiring up and coming drivers. This test day at Queensland Raceway featured three young pilots, all interested in seeing how their driving measured up in a Supercar.
Both myself and Complete Race Driver Coach Todd Hazelwood were in attendance, and able to work through a program of testing and coaching to help guide the drivers through the process. The day was a great success, with each driver clocking 40 laps and being able to compare themselves against a competitive baseline laptime. And each driver also got their own set of new tyres – almost unheard of in Supercars / Super 2 / Super 3 testing!
Concluding the test day, I began thinking about the path many drivers take to get to Supercars. What is the correct path? Is there even a correct path? With the Supercars Superlicence points system heavily favouring certain categories, drivers are often almost ‘forced’, or coerced into driving certain cars to ensure they meet the requirements.
In this article, I am going to look at two very different series, and how they are structured to help drivers climb the metaphorical Australian Motorsport ladder.
Toyota Gazoo Racing Australia GR Cup
Previously known as the TGRA 86 Series, the TGRA GR Cup (that’s a lot of letters!), is a one-make control series, fully endorsed, sponsored and marketed by Toyota. No doubt, the financial clout of a large auto-maker has propelled the series into the spotlight since it was introduced in 2016, and it is now a permanent fixture on the Supercars calendar. And of course, the recent announcement of Toyota joining Supercars will have far reaching ramifications in this junior category, with eager drivers falling over one another to be the next ‘works’ Supercar driver.
Such is the popularity of the class, there are multiple series, with a scholarship series running in parallel using the older model car, thanks to the introduction of a new model in 2024. Thus, on its calendar, it visits a number of the same circuits that Supercars compete on.
Like all one-make categories, part of the appeal of the series is that you are driving a car that is fundamentally the same as your competitors. Therefore, in theory, it is a great way of leveling the playing field and letting driving talent shine through. Of course, as everyone knows in racing, whilst the cars may be equal in terms of their potential performance, it is the teams (and drivers) that extract the actual performance out of the vehicle through preparation and engineering.
So, on the above prognosis, things sound positive right? Who wouldn’t want to drive in front of Supercar team bosses and have a chance to impress the paddock?
There is one downside to the TGRA GR Cup, and unfortunately it does get missed amongst the shiny lights and glossy brochures. Thanks to its low power to weight ratio, it is very much a ‘momentum’ race car, which is at odds in a lot of ways to driving a Supercar.
Take turn 3 at Queensland Raceway for example. It is a hairpin turn – a second gear corner in a Supercar – a corner that requires heavy straightline braking, before an important trailbrake phase to rotate the car, and then a laterally loaded drive off the corner. In a Supercar, it’s a crucial corner to understand the fundamentals of how to drive these particular cars. As I explain in chapter 9.6 of The Complete Race Driver course (‘V-ing the corner’) - you carry considerable entry speed and turn in early to create apex number 1 before slowing the car down to the maximum rotation point, then accelerate hard in the right direction towards the 2nd apex and down the following straight. The characteristics of this corner and the Supercars braking system, power to weight ratio, tyre construction and locked diff all contribute to this ‘V-ing the corner’ approach. However, a car with a lower power to weight ratio tends to favour extremely early throttle, to keep the ‘momentum’, or speed up. Here, at Turn 3, some cars can be on the throttle at the same point where a Supercar is still on the brakes!
Its strength then, is that there are a lot of competitive drivers to use as a yardstick for a performance comparison, but beware! There will definitely be a transition period to learn these new Supercar techniques that will require further exploration. All of this is not to say that TGRA GR Cup is not useful – but it doesn’t make you a Complete Race Driver ready for Super 3 / Super 2 or Supercars. Be ready to be open to learning a new approach for Supercars!
Formula Ford Australia
From a pure driving technique point of view for learning the fundamentals, Formula Ford is still amazingly relevant. Yes, perhaps it doesn’t have the commercial clout anymore that it once did, but in terms of applicable driving style, it is still a fantastic way to learn skills that will put you in good stead throughout the future.
There are many opinions about the ‘correct way’ to climb the ladder (almost as many as there are race categories in Australia!) – but my reasoning for using Formula Ford is based on fact, rather than simple opinion.
Firstly, is the simple, yet important power to weight ratio. Supercars are well known as being a powerful yet heavy beast. In the GEN3 era of Supercars, the cars have around 470kW of Power for a weight including driver of 1340kg. This equates to a 0.35 power to weight ratio. Next up, Formula Ford – 119kW and 510kg including driver. 0.23 power to weight ratio. 66% of a Supercar. And TGRA86 GR Cup? 190kW at 1315kg including driver, or a power to weight ratio of 0.14. Or in otherwords 41% of a Supercar.
Secondly is Laptime. If we take Sydney Motorsport Park as an example - the fastest race lap from a TGRA GR Cup in 2024 was a 1:46.7. The fastest Supercars race lap? A 1:31.1 laptime. Formula Ford posted a 1:35.1 laptime a month earlier in their national race meeting – just 4 seconds off a Supecrar laptime compared to the TGRA GR Cup which is some 15+ seconds slower.
Finally – data. Let’s take a look and see how all three of the cars that we are talking about actually compare. The data below shows a Supercar lap in the black trace, a TGRA GR Cup in the light blue trace, and the Formula Ford in the coloured trace (dark blue speed).
Note how closely the braking zones and the corner speed of the Formula Ford match the Supercar. Especially at turns 4, 6, 7, 8 and 10. As the data shows, the speeds match amazingly well between the open wheeler Formula Ford and the Supercar touring car in both high and low speed corners. Whilst both the TGRA GR Cup and the Formula Ford cars are left wanting in terms of acceleration it is clear to see that the Formula Ford closely matches a Supercar in terms of driving technique and cornering speeds.
What Is The Right Choice?
Of course there are many other factors that come into making a decision, often financial ones. Generally Formula Ford comes in cheaper to race across a season. The Formula Ford national series is held across 7 rounds, compared to 5 rounds for the national TGRA GR Cup. Thus in a lap to $ ratio, Formula Ford is generally a cheaper option. However TGRA GR Cup does tend to get more TV coverage, which can be preferable to sponsors.
However, The Complete Race Driver's purpose to to help drivers from all walks of life achieve their goals. And we are focused on the techniques and methods used to educate and coach drivers become better race drivers.
Therefore in terms of actual driving, Formula Ford is still a great a way to learn the fundamentals of how to drive, especially if you are looking to climb the national staircase of categories on the way to Supercars.
Testing, Testing.....
The Complete Race Driver and Todd Hazelwood are teaming up to run more of these Supercar learning days at the end of 2024 throughout 2025. If you would like the change to drive a Super 2/3 car, with coaching from myself and Todd Hazelwood from The Complete Race Driver, please get in touch!