Phillip Island handed us eight points and a long list of unfinished business. Six weeks of preparation since then, all aimed at one thing - results.
Where We Left Off
The pace was there from the first session at Phillip Island - sixth fastest in practice out of 34 cars, two tenths off outright P1. Late in Race 2 the #95 Mustang was the third fastest car on track as the rest of the field's tyres gave up. Everyone in the garage knew where we belonged.
But motorsport doesn't reward glimpses. It rewards results. And the results didn't come - so we got back to work.
A few weeks before the round I tested the Mustang at The Bend, and it was one of the better days I've had in this car. We didn't go there just to turn laps; we went with a specific list and came away having ticked every box. Six weeks of preparation, aimed at one thing.
Practice
Welcome to South Australia - wet, dry, wet again, and back to dry. The kind of conditions that make a clean lap a luxury, with everyone on slicks trying to survive the changes. Add 34 cars on a technical circuit and the inevitable red flags, and an uninterrupted lap just didn't happen. We barely got a lap in across Friday - I was grateful for the test day we'd banked beforehand.
Qualifying
We rolled out early in wet conditions, on a track I'd never driven in the rain. It came together when it counted - a lap near the end of the session put us P10 outright and P6 in Silver. I almost stole another, too: a flyer on my final lap was significantly faster, but I caught traffic and couldn't get it to the flag.
Cooper's qualifying session was much the same - rolling around in tragic wet conditions until a last-lap move from around P20 up to P10, even in traffic. Two P10s for qualifying. Somewhere we can race from.
Race 1
We lined up P10, outside of the grid. The spray was brutal - I could barely see the car in front, let alone the corner ahead. But the Mustang launched: four corners in we were up to P6, and we settled into P5 outright, P3 in Silver. We were right in the fight.
Then I did something out of character - something I hadn't done in two years of racing. I spun the car. That cost us seven places in a heartbeat, dropping us to P12. Frustrating, and nothing more to say than that.
The safety car came out, and the pit stops added a twist - the window opened just after half the field had passed the pit entry, handing the back of the grid a free undercut. Fully within the rules, but we weren't on the right side of it and lost a couple more spots in the stop.
That's when Cooper got to work. He took the car back out from P14 and drove a brilliant stint to bring it home P7 in Silver. Six championship points, and an epic recovery drive.
Race 2
Cooper's turn to start. Same grid spot - P10 on the outside - and another beautiful getaway: two places gained off the line, up to P8, straight into a battle with George Miedecke in our sister car. He pressed on with a solid stint, then a big shunt between two McLarens brought the safety car out.
That moved the pit window forward. I jumped in for a 35-minute stint to bring it home, rolling out in P12 after a clean stop. Then it was head down - five places up on the restart, P12 to P7, and the Mustang felt strong.
A couple of laps later the field concertinaed out of Turn 6: a big check-up near the front rippled back through the pack, and I caught contact that took out the front-right dive plane. Losing downforce on one corner meant the front tyres scrubbed and overheated through the high-speed stuff, and I spent the rest of the race working the brake bias to keep them alive. We crossed the line P12 outright, P7 in Silver. Another six points - the hardest I've ever worked for a P7.
My Thoughts
I've got a lot of hope going into the next round. The pace in the #95 is there - it's been there since the first session at Phillip Island. The results just haven't caught up to it yet.
I hate that this is starting to sound like the last newsletter; I don't want to write another "could have been" story. But the truth is the car is fast, we've got the platform underneath us, and after two rounds it's clear what we need to do. The #95 is coming. We're building - and by the end of this season we're going to have something strong to show for it.
Next stop is Queensland Raceway, another circuit I think will suit the Mustang - long corners with plenty of trail-braking, long straights, room to use what this car does best. Bring it on.
Rep the Brand
Merch is finally here - the designs are finalised and the store is stocked. Merch, supporter packages and stickers; every order goes straight back into this campaign. Grab something for yourself at blakedowdall.shop.
