Erebus Academy junior Reef McCarthy achieved his career-best result at last weekend’s Sydney SuperNight, meanwhile signs of promise didn’t translate into race results for Jaylyn Robotham.
McCarthy claimed his third Super3 podium in just as many races, scoring second in the opening race at Sydney Motorsport Park.
“Coming second on Saturday has given me a lot of confidence moving forward as it’s my best result all year,” McCarthy said.
“I’m pushing myself more and more every race and I feel like I’m getting quicker each time.”
Unfortunately, Sunday’s race saw opposite results from the 18-year-old who started from the back of the grid after a crash into the tyre wall at the beginning of qualifying.
“Up until Sunday’s qualifying session, I’d had no experience in a Supercar in the wet,” he said.
“I pushed it a bit too hard, too early and after only getting half a lap in qualifying, I had made it really difficult for myself starting from the back of the grid.”
For Robotham, the weekend wasn’t as he had hoped after qualifying 13th for Saturday’s Super2 race and only managing to gain one position during the race.
While Sunday’s race was showing promise for the 19-year-old who had gained eight positions in the opening stint, it was declared a non-race after heavy rain resulted in a number of accidents.
“I have done some racing in the rain but never in a Supercar so it was definitely a new experience for me,” Robotham said.
“It was a relief that the race got red flagged because it was difficult to see but I also wanted to keep going because I was having a good race.
“The more laps in the rain, the more comfortable I was feeling. It was great practice so the next time it rains, I’ll feel more confident in what the car is capable of doing.”
The pair are both feeling positive heading into next month’s Bathurst 1000 after seeing good results at the track earlier this year.
“I’m feeling really good heading into Bathurst, it’s a track I’ve actually been to so it won’t be my debut unlike every other track this year,” McCarthy said.
“Bathurst was my first Supercar race so I’m hoping to go back there and fix up the mistakes that I made there last time and hopefully come away with some good results.”
Robotham shares the same excitement, adding: “I’m excited heading into Bathurst, particularly after last Sunday’s race where I really started to find the speed in the car.”
“Now that we’ve got a few races under our belts, hopefully we can finish the year off strong.”
The Image Racing duo will be back on track next week for the Bathurst 1000, November 30 – December 5.