The Bend. Round 2. We're coming.

Where We Left Off

Phillip Island handed us eight points and a lot of unfinished business.

Not because the car was slow. Not because we weren't ready. The pace was there from the very first session - sixth fastest in practice out of 34 cars, two tenths from outright P1. In the closing laps of Race 2, we were the third fastest car on track as everyone else's tyres gave up. The #95 Mustang belonged further up the order, and everyone in the garage knew it.

But motorsport doesn't reward what could have been. It rewards results. And they didn't come our way at Phillip Island.

We're pushing hard to make sure that changes at The Bend.

What's So Different This Time

A few weeks ago I got behind the wheel of the Mustang again for a test at The Bend, and it was one of the better days I've had in this car.

I can't say what we found - that stays in the garage. What I will say is that we didn't go there just to turn laps. We went there with specific things to work on, and we came away having ticked every box. The team has been pushing hard behind the scenes since Phillip Island, and the work that's gone in during this six-week break is exactly the kind of preparation that turns promising pace into actual results.

My comfort in the Mustang has grown a lot too. There's a settling-in process with any new car, especially a 450-500hp GT4 machine when you're coming from open wheelers with a fraction of that number. I'm seriously loving driving this car.

The Circuit

The Bend Motorsport Park - circuit layout

The Bend is a proper driver's track, and one of the newest in Australia - first raced on in 2018.

Long, fast, and technically demanding. It rewards commitment and punishes hesitation. Shell V-Power Motorsport Park is one of the most modern and well-equipped circuits in Australia, and I think it really suits the Mustang.

Having already tested there means I hit the track this weekend with the circuit already in my head.

What I'm Looking For

Phillip Island showed too many glimpses of what we're capable of without the big moments coming through where it counts.

Third fastest car on track late in Race 2. Qualifying pace that would have been enough to be right at the front, if the red flag hadn't come out. A field of 34 cars, and on pure pace we were right there.

This weekend, I want to convert. Less "glimpses", more results. Glimpses don't get championship points, and I'm well aware of that.

"We're currently 11th in the Silver/Pro standings. There's a long way to go in this championship - but rounds like The Bend, where we arrive prepared and hungry, are where you make up ground fast."

Watch this space.

How to Watch

Tune in and let's see what the #95 can do!

Rep the Brand

If you want to be part of the journey, the store is live at blakedowdall.shop.

Merch, supporter packages, stickers - every order goes straight back into this campaign, and this weekend would be a great time to get involved.