Stokes Skis Australia Racing driver Jason Miller is ready for the physical and mental demands of flying solo in this weekend’s third round of the Australian Production Car Series at Winton Raceway.
The Mitsubishi Evo IX is the only car in Class A1 with a single driver tackling the pair of two-hour races.
“When we looked at the calendar at the start of the year, the plan was always to do the Winton round solo,” Miller said.
“The biggest advantage is awareness of the car and track conditions – because I’ll be staying in the car at the pit stops, I’ll already understand the level of available grip and will come out of the pits knowing exactly how hard I can push. Whenever there’s a driver change, it often takes the incoming driver a lap or two to work out what sort of package they have underneath them.”
Miller, a former national water-skiing champion, believes he is well-prepared for the physical challenges of the long distances.
“Two hours is a long time to spend in a race car, but I’ve been training hard in preparation for it,” Miller said.
“In many ways, the biggest challenge is maintaining concentration for such a long time – Winton is a busy track, and they’re aren’t any long straights or opportunities to have a rest.
“It’s a technical circuit and there are lots of direction changes that you need to get absolutely spot-on, lap after lap. There’s also the traffic management aspect of having different classes, and being aware of passing slower cars while potentially being passed by faster cars.
“The Winton track should suit the Evo – the straight-line performance of some of the more powerful cars won’t be as much of an advantage, and if it’s wet, even better!”
Australian Production Cars Round 3 Schedule
Saturday, 1 September
8:55am – Practice (15 min)
11:20am – Qualifying 1 (15 min)
11:40am – Qualifying 2 (15 min)
2:45pm – Race 1 (120 min)
Sunday, 2 September
11:30am – Warm-up (15 min)
2:30pm – Race 2 (120 min)
