The third round of the 2024 Dunlop Series sees the category take to the streets of Townsville, where Max Vidau has claimed two victories in Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup.
Vidau comes off the back of a breakout performance in Perth, overcoming a challenging Friday to fall agonisingly short of a maiden win in just his second weekend of Super2 competition.
The 23-year-old has continued to keep himself busy with a myriad of activities between rounds, ranging from a long awaited return to the wheel of a Formula Ford to coaching his MVA Racing driver Brad Gartner to the podium in the TA2 Muscle Car Series.
In 2023 Vidau was in superb form around the Reid Park Street Circuit, kicking off his weekend by earning a front row start in an exceptionally competitive Carrera Cup field. Two excellent performances followed where Vidau stormed home to take back-to-back victories, before fifth place in the weekend’s final race secured second overall for the weekend.
The South Australian driver has adapted quickly to his new surroundings in the Anderson Motorsport Ford Mustang, signified by his challenge for the victory in Sunday’s race in Perth.
After qualifying in third, Vidau had settled in strongly to a podium position when a pair of red flags brought about a frenetic ending to the race. A daring move to take the lead at the final corner went unrewarded when a red flag saw results backdated, demoting him to second.
Both the qualifying performance and race result are the best so far in 2024 for a Dunlop Series Rookie, while his race result matches the best performance for a rookie in Super2 this season.
Max Vidau will take to the Reid Park Street Circuit from July 5-7 as part of the NTI Townsville 500. All sessions will be live on Fox Sports & Kayo, with both races live and free on 7.
Quotes:
Max Vidau
“Leading in to this one I’ve been working hard on the simulator, I’ve had some good success there in the past but it’s a different beast in the Supercar,” said Vidau.
“The kerbs will be one of the biggest things, I think it’ll be a bit easier on the body at least. This car really glides over the kerbs, so you can attack them pretty aggressively and it requires a different driving style to what I’ve used previously.
“Friday in Perth was one of the toughest days I’ve had at a track, so to bounce back the way we did was incredible and the confidence we can carry into this weekend is really high. It’s just a case of ensuring we get all the one percenters right, and then in the race really looking after the tyre which is not something I had to deal with too much in the Porsche. Physically it’s a bit easier, but mentally it’s hard work.
“I cut some laps in a Formula Ford recently, for the first time since we won the title, so that was pretty cool and a nice day to get a feel for that raw driving experience again.
“I get to take mum for a hot lap this weekend as well, which might be the highlight of my year. I’m not sure I’ll be able to hear the engine over her screams though,” Vidau concluded.