Max Vidau has employed a busy program of on track and off-track activities as he continues to develop in all areas as part of his maiden Dunlop Super2 Series attack with Anderson Motorsport.
Through his family-operated team, MVA Racing, Vidau is a regular in South Australian Sprintcar competition each summer. With the season wrapping up in close proximity to the start of the 2024 Super2 Series, Vidau’s attention has turned to driver coaching and engineering.
“Every time you get in the Sprintcar it’s an absolute mission, you’re lucky if you get two laps before you go into time trials. We’re only coming in as a little family operation, and we end up getting our stuff together by the B-Main, which means we end up just short of making the feature,” said Vidau.
“There’s a lot to learn on the fly and everything happens quite fast, which just makes everything else seem a little calmer. While there’s not any obvious traits that can be applied to the Supercar, you do become very comfortable using the throttle to rotate the car and driving it off a four-wheel slide. That has shown up a few times in the wet, where the conditions see a lot of that driving style.”
Along with maintaining his relationship with TekworkX Motorsport as a driver coach for Zoe Woods in GT4 Australia, Vidau has recently established his credentials in New Zealand. In the backend of 2023 Vidau began working with International Motorsport (IMS), with the 23-year-old helping the team to claim the outright victory in the GT New Zealand Championship.
The partnership also saw a recent reunion with the Porsche Carrera Cup Australia Paddock, where Vidau is a three-time race winner, with IMS joining the field for the category’s maiden visit to New Zealand. Vidau coached and engineered Rick Armstrong to second overall for the weekend in Pro-Am.
“It’s been a cool start to the year, the opportunity to work with IMS in New Zealand has been incredible and we’ve achieved some great results already. They only received their 992 last year, so it’s been great to bring so much information over and help them with their program” said Vidau.
“No matter what level anybody is at that you’re coaching, you can always pick up small things for yourself. The more you’re in the race environment, the more it feels like home as well and you really become accustomed to being in and around the fast-paced nature of the sport.”
Behind the wheel, a recent test of Vidau’s race-winning Porsche has kept the South Australian sharp ahead of an upcoming test day with AMS in preparation for round two of the Super2 Series. A trip to Dream Simulation has also helped Vidau learn the Perth track, having never previously visited the circuit.
“I was lucky enough to take my Porsche out for a run at The Bend, just me and the old boy running it ourselves. It was awesome to jump back in the car, and the lap times are so close to the Supercars that it served as a great day to get my eye back in so we can hit the ground running in our Super2 test.
“That day will be about really adjusting the car to my driving style, we learned so much at Bathurst that we can apply for the rest of the season. I’m really excited for that test, and what we can do next round.
“I’m not much of a sim guru, but the Dream Simulation facility is mightily impressive and a couple hours there has given me a major head start on the learning process for Perth,” concluded Vidau.
Round two of the 2024 Dunlop Super2 Series takes at Wanneroo Raceway in Perth from May 17-19.