Qualifying the key as Cameron Hill prepares for Tasmanian debut

Truck Assist Racing’s Cameron Hill is set for a new challenge this weekend at Symmons Plains as he makes his debut at the circuit.

Tasmanian’s premier circuit has not been featured as part of the Repco Supercars Championship rookie’s junior pathways, but arrives as Hill scored his best qualifying position in Race 9 at Perth, 12th in addition to his highest finish so far.

Buoyed by this amid the closeness of the field during the infancy of the Gen3 regulations, Hill is aiming to build on these results in Tasmania after completing preparation on a simulator to gain experience prior to the fourth event of the season.

Just 0.4s covered the top 23 drivers for Race 7 in Perth and historically Symmons Plains is an even closer affair thus highlighting the importance of qualifying in the Repco Supercars Championship.

It will also be a big weekend for Hill as the three-car CHE Racing Team attack contest Round 3 of the Australian Formula Ford Series as part of the Repco Supercars Championship support program. Providing early support for his three young drivers on Friday, Hill will focus on his Supercars duties.

It will be a busy weekend for Hill in Tasmania with eight sessions split evenly across two-days of Supercars action.

QUOTES

Cameron Hill
#35 Truck Assist Racing, Chevrolet Camaro

“Looking back historically at Symmons Plains, it’s always super close,” Hill said.

“I’ve never been there, so it will be a new track for me, but I’ve got all the tools at my disposal to go out there and make the most of it.

“I’ve jumped on the sim and checked it out. Symmons Plains has that tricky hairpin, which looks interesting as there are multiple lines you can take and during the racing a concertina effect can occur there.

“I think it’s going to be so important to nail a lap. If you get one corner wrong and give away a tenth, we’ve seen that could cost 10 positions in Supercars this year. It’s exciting because if we get it right and do a great job there’s potential for good results including top 10s. You have to look at it as an opportunity and everyone is in the same boat.

“This is a championship where qualifying is the most important part of the weekend. With everyone being so close, track positions key, so there’s going to be a lot of emphasis on getting that right.

“It was great to get my best qualifying result so far in Perth and I feel like we’re getting better each round. I’m not rolling into Tassie thinking I’m going to put it on pole or anything, but I think there’s a great opportunity if we do a good job, we can get a strong starting position.

“I’ve been doing a lot of preparation work for our Formula Ford team in the lead up, so that once we get down there and hit the ground everything will be under control. On Friday, there are no Supercars sessions, so I’ll wander over and make sure the drivers are finding their feet on a new circuit.”