Motorsport: PRA to draw on 2015 success in Townsville

Mark Winterbottom during V8 Supercars practice ahead of the Darwin Triple Crown. Photo / Getty Images

Prodrive Racing Australia will draw on its 2015 success when it takes to the testing Townsville street track this weekend with hopes for redemption.

After a less-than-ideal Darwin event, Mark Winterbottom will aim to continue his winning-streak at the Reid Park circuit, where he hopes a no-mistakes run will return him to the top of the championship leaderboard.

"Townsville is one that in the past we've feared a little bit, it's one of those tough tracks but last year it was one of our best tracks," Winterbottom says. "We struggled with consistency across the three sectors but we made it work last year which was really positive. The different sections of the track with the parklands and the street used to throw the car off quite a bit but there wasn't a huge difference for us last year and it showed.

"You go up there with a bit more confidence and obviously this time of year the championship is getting very close, that top six guys are separated by 100 points. A good result out of this one is going to boost you up the order but it's very easy to have a bad race at Townsville. The goal is to get to the front and if you can't win it, get the result."

Cameron Waters will draw on his Dunlop Series victories at the circuit last year as he aims to find consistency within the main game. After finishing fourth at the Clipsal 500, Waters believes his strength at street circuits so far this year will help him challenge for the top 10.

Chaz Mostert's confidence in the #55 Ford continues to grow as the season progresses, with his Darwin podium acting as a booster ahead of the Townsville round. Mostert will aim to return to the front row ahead of the two-200km races with a first race win for the season in his sights.

"Townsville is one of my favourite events in terms of the atmosphere," Mostert says. "The warmer weather is awesome and the people of Townsville always get around it. It was really good to get back on the podium in Darwin but we're still chasing that win.

"Townsville is definitely one of the tougher events and you really have to give it everything you've got. It's an exciting event with the rock and race aspect and then the action on track. The FG X actually suits the track really well, where we had struggled in the years before that so if we can pick up where we left off last year, hopefully we can get back on that podium."

Chris Pither's rookie season continues to improve as the Kiwi prepares to debut a new-look livery, as well as a brand new sponsor at Townsville for the remainder of the season.

A strong Darwin showing has also been a confidence booster for Pither who says the familiarity of the track will be beneficial on race day.