Cameron Hill calls out driving standards after competitive, yet frustrating Grand Prix

Tyrepower Racing’s Cameron Hill has left the Melbourne SuperSprint at Albert Park frustrated having not been able to turn car speed into results during Round 2 of the Repco Supercars Championship.

The former Formula Ford and Carrera Cup champion labelled some of the driving standards of his rivals "average" after getting escorted off the track in three of the four sprint races.

The final race on Sunday was the worst case, with Hill running eighth, only to get slammed by rookie Ryan Wood, who would later score a 30 second penalty for his troubles.

Hill eased into the weekend during practice and qualified 14th in Race 1.

Making early progress during the opening 19-lap event, Hill sat inside the top 10 for most of the distance until a small mistake at Turn 1 saw him finish 13th.

Hill qualified back in 23rd for the second race Race 2 but was quick to move through the pack, running 16th – a net gain of seven positions – before contact dropped him to 20th.

Kicking off with two 15-minute qualifying sessions on Saturday proved the good pace Hill had by scoring 11th in both.

Aims of finishing in the top 10 were achievable, but further contact at the start of Race 5 resulted in a half spin at Turn 3 for Hill. A superb recovery drive followed considering the shorter distance and considerable time run under safety car to finish in 15th.

It appeared Hill’s luck had gone in the right direction when he sat comfortably in eighth during Sunday’s final event, but contact on the final lap at Turn 6 resulted in a spin into the gravel trap to complete the weekend non-classified.

Despite the difficulties encountered this weekend, Hill remains upbeat ahead of the next round of the Repco Supercars Championship at Taupo International Motorsport Park on April 19-21.

QUOTES

Cameron Hill
#4 Tyrepower Racing, Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

“When it's not your weekend it's not your weekend,” Hill said.

“I got punted off in three out of four races. I was running eighth in the last one, which would have been the best result of the weekend and to have it taken away by some average driving was obviously disappointing.

“A few guys out there probably need to practice using their brakes.

“I really wanted to deliver a result for the MSR team, they work so hard.

“We've shown that we're definitely going to be competitive this year. We had awesome speed at Bathurst and the cars were quick this weekend. Once I found my feet in practice, I definitely had a strong car and I’m really keen to get our opportunity to show what we've got.

“Congratulations to Nick (Percat) for getting the win. It's very cool to see. He's obviously been through a rough patch and it’s good to see he's got his mojo back.

“We'll bounce back, and next up is New Zealand. I’m really looking forward to getting over there.

“I’ll try to stay clear of any black cats and ladders between now and then!”