Kody Garland is looking to build upon the speed shown at the season opening event in Newcastle as the Aussie Racing Cars tackle round two at Queensland Raceway this weekend.
The Motor Traders’ Association of New South Wales supported driver was one of the biggest movers in the opening round, as he fought his way back through the field after being turned around from the podium places in race one.
Consistent race leading pace across the weekend saw Garland able to fight back to finish third in race three, helping to recover as many points as possible before heading to Queensland Raceway.
The trip to the Willowbank circuit is the first since 2019 for the Aussie Racing Cars. Garland was a part of the field that year, notching up four top ten finishes around the 3.1km circuit on his way to 2019’s Rookie of the Year honours. The 2021 series points leader has highlighted the nature of Queensland Raceway and style of racing in the category as a perfect blend for close quarters action.
“I’m feeling quite good about this weekend, we know there’s a lot of speed in our car and I expect it is going to be a very close field,” said Garland.
“The racing is already really tight in the category, so a track like Queensland Raceway only amplifies that with its long straights. I’ve been to QR in the TCR since my last Aussie Racing Car event there in 2019 and so I have got a great understanding of the characteristics of the track.
“In terms of the car, it was obviously quite fast down in Newcastle. We will be looking for some different traits out of it however for this round, with the two circuits being quite different from one another. It’s all about high speed, long straights and some big braking zones for round two, compared to the stop-start nature of Newcastle.
“It’s a good event for me to be doing, just a couple weeks out from TCR returning for round two after a big break so I’m eager to get back into the right mindset to go racing,” concluded Garland.
The second round of the Aussie Racing Cars is held at Queensland Raceway as part of the Australian Superbikes Championship event, with coverage on Sunday via ASBK TV.