Cameron Hill is optimistic his strong street-circuit form in the Toyota 86 Racing Series will enable him to finish his 2017 season on a high, when the series stages its final round at the Coates Hire Newcastle 500 this weekend.
The last time Hill competed on a street circuit was at Townsville in July – on that occasion, the Canberra driver dominated, smashing the records for the biggest pole position and race-winning margins ever seen in the series.
Hill says the brand-new street circuit will present challenges for every driver in the field.
“Because no-one has raced at Newcastle before, we will all have to learn the track very quickly,” Hill said.
“We only have a single practice session on Friday morning to get used to the track, and then it’s straight into qualifying. We’ll be doing a very thorough track walk on Thursday to learn as much as we can before we actually drive around the circuit.
“From the photos and aerial shots I’ve seen, it looks like it will be a cool circuit – there are some high-speed sections, some more technical corners, plenty of elevation changes and some good overtaking opportunities.”
The Newcastle event also marks Hill’s last Toyota 86 Series round, providing him with extra motivation to complete the series on a high note.
“We’re fourth in the standings coming into the weekend but only 16 points behind second place, so the aim will be to seal the runner-up spot,” Hill said.
“It’s been a fun two years in the series, the Toyota Racing Australia crew and category management team from Airtime Autosport run a very professional show and we’ve benefited from plenty of exposure.
“I’m looking forward to a final blast in the series, and then concentrating on ensuring everything is in place for the next stage of my career in 2018.”
All this weekend’s Toyota 86 Series sessions will be shown live on FOX Sports 506.
