Todd Hazelwood Finishes Fifth in Action Packed Bathurst Enduro Race

Dunlop Development Series, Todd Hazelwood Racing

Hazelwood crossing the line after the 38-lap race. Photo: Speed Shots Photography/Nathan Wong

ROOKIE DRIVER Todd Hazelwood has defied all rookie-odds, finishing an impressive fifth place in the Bathurst Wilson Security Medic One endurance race for Round 6 in the V8 Supercars Dunlop Development Series.

Due to safety cars, the race was shortened to 240km with the South Australian racing from ninth place on the starting grid – battling right to the end.

Pit stops played a huge part on the result, with the 19-year-old having to learn the whole new dynamic of taking a pit stop during a longer race.

“The race was one of the toughest I have ever endured and so much happened during the race,” Hazelwood said.

“The team did a great job in the pits helping us gain a few positions on the track … we changed the tyres on Lap 10, so by the end of the race I was really struggling with tyres but I just drove the wheels off the car and held on.

“Five guys behind me had fresh tyres on with 10 laps to go and I was under immense pressure, I just had to believe I could hold on and make this work!”

Despite not electing a co-driver, Hazelwood was quite impressed with his own physical and mental health during the race.

The rookie was stoked to finish fifth on debut in at V8 Supercar at Bathurst – and also mentioned that this felt like a win to him.

“I’m really proud of our efforts during the Bathurst weekend, we kept the car straight and came home with a strong result,” Hazelwood continued.

“All of this would not be possible without the on-going efforts from the team, my family, sponsors and supporters – I cannot thank them enough.”

The fifth place pushed the teenager to eighth in the championship on 966 points, with Hazelwood currently leading the rookie standings in the Dunlop Series.

The finish also left Hazelwood the highest ranked driver that did not race in yesterday’s Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000.

“We will now start preparing for Sydney, hopefully we can finish the year off with a good result.”

Round 7 is the final round of the Dunlop Series championship, and will be held at the Sydney Olympic Park circuit at Homebush on December 5-6.

Rookie Hazelwood Finishes Ninth in Qualifying for Bathurst Enduro

Dunlop Development Series, Todd Hazelwood Racing

Todd Hazelwood made a great rookie debut, P9 in Qualifying

SOUTH AUSTRALIAN Todd Hazelwood has qualified inside the top ten in the V8 Supercars Dunlop Development Series for this afternoon’s Bathurst 250km endurance race.

During a 30-minute session that was red-flagged twice, the 19-year-old drove a strong lap to secure him ninth on the starting grid for the 41-lap race.

Hazelwood also finished a strong ninth position in Practice and at one stage was a high as fourth on the lap time board, with the teenager stoked with yesterday’s results.

“Very pleased with our efforts in both Practice and Qualifying,” Hazelwood said.

“It has been a tough day both getting confidence around the Mount Panorama circuit and understanding what set-up to use.

“We need to work on set-up for today’s big race … hopefully with some more homework we can find some more speed for the race later this afternoon.”

The rookie driver also mentioned that this race will be his biggest challenge to date – and he is still focusing on getting further towards the top of the series championship.

“250km around Bathurst is going to be my biggest challenge in my racing career – both mentally and physically,” Hazelwood continued.

“I feel being placed ninth is a good starting position and we have the potential to go forward from there.

“Maintaining our position in the race would be amazing, it would feel like a win for us … hopefully we can have a good and clean race, keep out of trouble and bank some good points for our championship.”

The teenager is currently eleventh in the championship on 744 points, with Hazelwood currently leading the rookie standings in the Dunlop Series.

Hazelwood will hit the Mount Panorama circuit in his Tecalemit Ford Falcon at 9:55am local time for a brief warm up session; with the race being telecast live on Channel 7 at 12:30pm.

Race schedule – Mount Panorama, Bathurst
Saturday: Warm up – 9:55 (15 minutes)
Race 1 – 12:30 (250km) live on Seven

Hazelwood Pumped for Debut at the Mountain

Dunlop Development Series, Todd Hazelwood Racing

Hazelwood sporting a new Tecalemit Racing/Thomas Steel Fabrication livery

DUNLOP SERIES rookie Todd Hazelwood will be making his debut at the historic Mount Panorama circuit today, and could not be more excited to make his V8 Supercars Dunlop Development Series debut.

The 19-year-old tested last week at Queensland Raceway for this year’s new 250km race format and said this helped with his preparation leading-up towards this week.

“Testing last week went really well, I mainly focused on cold-tyre pace and pit-stop procedures,” Hazelwood said.

“This will be the biggest race of my career to date, 250km around Australia’s toughest track including a compulsory pit-stop in front of big crowds – the pressure could not be greater.

“My mental and physical training for the last few months has been successful, hopefully I can take some of the rookie success at the mountain.”

Although Hazelwood has focused on mental physical strain for the mountain, one of his biggest tasks was to find the financial support to make it to the endurance race on Saturday.

The South Australian is very thankful for all the on-going support and would like to thank Tecalemit Australia, Thomas Steel Fabrication, iSeek, Verto, Australian Post-Tensioning and The Pool Shop Group for partnering with Hazelwood for the Bathurst week.

This is a dream come true for the teenager and he cannot wait to hit the circuit this morning for Practice 1.

“I’m super excited about this week … it is very special to be racing at the iconic Bathurst 1000 weekend for the first time in a V8 Supercar,” Hazelwood said.

“I cannot wait to get on track and absorb all of the emotions the mountain brings.”

The teenager is currently eleventh in the championship on 744 points, with Hazelwood currently leading the rookie standings in the Dunlop Series.

Hazelwood will hit the Mount Panorama circuit for the first time in his Tecalemit Ford Falcon at 10:05 local time.

Race schedule – Mount Panorama, Bathurst
Thursday: Practice 1 – 10:05 (50 minutes)
Friday: Practice 2 – 10:25 (50 minutes)
Qualifying – 15:55 (90 minutes)
Saturday: Warm up – 9:55 (15 minutes)
Race 1 – 12:30 (250km) live on Seven

Set-up changes the key for today’s Qualifying and Race 1

Dunlop Development Series, Todd Hazelwood Racing

Todd Hazelwood in Practice yesterday. Credit: Matthew Paul Photography

SOUTH AUSTRALIAN Todd Hazelwood is ready for his race debut at Queensland Raceway in the Dunlop Series, and believes after yesterday’s practice the car will be great for Qualifying and Race 1 for Round 5 of the championship.

Yesterday saw the teenager finish Practice 1 in fifth place, and in Practice 2 a respectable twelfth.

“In practice I was very happy with the amount of set-up combinations we tried throughout the two sessions yesterday,” Hazelwood said.

“The key aspect we achieved was to understand what set-up to run in Qualifying and also in Race 1 today.

“It was good to go out in the first session and finish inside the top five … it is great for the team and myself to be on the front foot from the first session and to continue towards the right direction.”

The Thomas Steel Fabrication/All Purpose Pest Control Falcon currently leads the rookie standings in the series and is seventh in the championship on 666 points, with the 18-year-old looking to extend his rookie lead after today’s results.

“The field was separated by a small margin throughout practice yesterday, and it will be even closer in Qualifying,” Hazelwood continued.

“It’s going to be a crucial session … fingers crossed we can put it all together for today!”

The Matt Stone Racing driver will hit the Willowbank circuit at 10:35 (AEST) this morning for the first Qualifying session for Round 5 of the Dunlop Series.

Round 5 V8 Supercars Dunlop Series – Queensland Raceway (AEST)
Saturday: Qualifying 1 – 10:35 (30 minutes), Race 1 – 15:25 (29 laps) live on Seven/7mate
Sunday: Race 2 – 13:55 (29 laps) live on Seven/7mate

Successful Townsville Debut for Hazelwood Moving to Seventh in Series

Dunlop Development Series, Todd Hazelwood Racing

Todd Hazelwood in Townsville. Photo: Dirk Klynsmith

DUNLOP SERIES rookie Todd Hazelwood has moved to seventh in the championship, after a successful debut at the Reid Park circuit held on the streets of Townsville.

The 18-year-old had a challenging weekend, finishing Race 1 in eighth and Race 2 an impressive 13th, after being taken out on the final corner early in the race, recovering from a bad situation to finish towards the top ten.

The Thomas Steel Racing driver was also setting some of the fastest times in the race, despite being in traffic.

“Yesterday I was unfortunate to be turned around during the early stages of the race … it was a shame as the car was well balanced and we were one of the fastest cars on the track,” Hazelwood said.

“That’s racing though, when you’re racing hard unfortunately these things happen but we made the most out of a bad situation.

“I was pleased to finish 13th after falling back to 26th, it was fantastic to use sheer pace and determination to drive through the pack and pass cars left, right and centre.

“I was hoping the race was five laps longer, as I caught up to the tail end of the top ten.”

The South Australian managed to finish tenth for Round 4 of the Dunlop Series, and is looking to further his championship position at the next round in Ipswich.

“Overall, we must remain positive and use this to our advantage to bounce back stronger at Ipswich in a months’ time,” the teenager continued.

“We will have a test day in-between now and the next round, hoping to find more car speed.

“Ipswich will be a strong round as I have done plenty of testing laps around there, unlike every other circuit I’ve raced at this year.”

Hazelwood is currently seventh in the Dunlop Series on 666 points, and is currently leading the rookie standings in the championship.

The next round of the Dunlop Series will be held at Matt Stone Racing’s home circuit Queensland Raceway, on 1-3 August.

Hazelwood Moves to Fifth in Series After First Race at Townsville

Dunlop Development Series, Todd Hazelwood Racing

Todd Hazelwood. Image credit: Digital Realism

AFTER REMAINING consistent throughout the series this year, Todd Hazelwood has moved to fifth in the Dunlop Development Series after finishing an impressive eighth in Race 1 for Round 4 of the championship at Townsville.

The 18-year-old stayed out of trouble and climbed his way through the field, and the teenager is looking to further his way through the field again in today’s Race 2.

“After a disappointing qualifying, we were aiming to move into the top ten and gain crucial championship points,” the South Australian said.

“It was a crazy race filled with safety cars, making it tough to stay out of trouble, but we did well to keep moving through the pack and gaining positions.

“Throughout the race I really struggled to get the car balanced, we spent all night looking through the data after Race 1.”

The Thomas Steel Fabrication driver will be on-track today at 1:15 (AEST), starting from position eight after today’s qualifying session.

“Really pleased with the changes we made for qualifying today, which really suited the track’s conditions,” Hazelwood continued.

“It’s always nice to beat my personal best in qualifying, hopefully in today’s race we can get a good start and move closer to the front.”

Hazelwood has moved from ninth to fifth in the championship currently on 600 points, whilst leading the rookie standings in the Dunlop Series.

Round 4 Dunlop Development Series Townsville 500 (all times AEST)

Sunday:
Qualifying 2: 9:25
Race 2: 13:15 (Race 2 live on Seven/7mate)

Fourth Position Overall for Hazelwood at Perth

Dunlop Development Series, Todd Hazelwood Racing

Todd Hazelwood. Photo credit: Cam Waters

SOUTH AUSTRALIAN Todd Hazelwood has finished an astounding fourth place for Round 3 of the Dunlop Development Series at Barbagallo Raceway in Perth.

The 18-year-old held off his more experienced rivals in the thrilling final race for the round, closely finishing in fifth position.

Hazelwood was only 12-points shy from his first Dunlop Series podium, but still managed his personal best result finishing fourth for the round.

“It was such an awesome feeling to have two top five finishes this weekend, there has been so much work going on behind the scenes to produce this result and I’m really proud to accomplish this,” Hazelwood said.

“I had some great battles throughout the race and it was tough to decide weather to push hard or conserve tyres, but with a great team behind me I was able to maximise both and have strong speed towards the end of the race.

“It’s great to race against ex-V8 Supercar drivers in this field, not only am I learning a lot but it also proves to myself that I have what it takes to mix it with some of the best.”

The youngster is now planning to find funding for the next round of the Dunlop Series at Townsville.

“With today’s great result, hopefully I have now proven to potential sponsors that I have what it takes to be racing in the V8 Supercars field,” Hazelwood continued.

“It would be great to find a major sponsor for Round 4 of the championship at Townsville.

“We would love to back-up our strong results produced in Perth, continuing our strong consistent form in both the rookie standings and the overall championship.”

Hazelwood currently leads the Dunlop Series rookie standings, and with today’s result the rookie has moved up to ninth in the championship on 510 points, with only 84 points separating ninth to third in the championship.

The next round of the Dunlop Development Series will be held as the Castrol Townsville 500 in conjunction with the V8 Supercars, over July 4-6.

Dunlop Series Personal Best for Hazelwood Finishing Fifth in Perth

Dunlop Development Series, Todd Hazelwood Racing

Todd Hazelwood. Photo: Naomi Maltby

TODD Hazelwood has finished his personal best in the Dunlop Development Series, coming home for Race 1 of Round 3 of the Dunlop Development Series in fifth position at Barbagallo Raceway.

The 18-year-old is ecstatic with today’s results, and believed it was only a matter of time before he could produce a top five result.

“What a fantastic way to start our weekend, with fifth place in Race 1,” Hazelwood said.

“It’s great to see all of the hard work we have all put in this year start to pay off and this is a great way to say thank you to everyone who believed in me, making this opportunity possible.

“It was quite a long race, I knew the key thing at the start was to look after my tyres to have something to work with at the end of the race.”

Hazelwood also set three fastest laps towards the closing stages of the race.

Tomorrow’s Race 2 will be a reverse-grid top ten, placing the teenager in sixth spot on the grid.

“Really looking forward starting from sixth position tomorrow in the reverse top-ten race,” Hazelwood continued.

“We know we have good car speed, so hopefully we can get a good start again and aim for another strong result.

The teenager is leading the rookie standings and with today’s result is now inside the top ten of the Dunlop Development Series Championship sitting in 10th position.

The second race for Round 3 of the championship will begin tomorrow at 11:40am (AWST), check your local guides for the television coverage of the race.

Race schedule – Perth 400 Barbagallo Raceway

Sunday: 11:40: Race 2 (38 laps) check local guides for television coverage

Hazelwood Gains Championhip Momentum in Competitive Dunlop Series Round 2

Dunlop Development Series, Todd Hazelwood Racing

Todd racing at Winton. Photo: Belinda Douglas

TODD Hazelwood has once again outperformed with his rookie status, finishing Race 2 of the Dunlop Series in 11^th place out of 30 highly experienced racers at Winton Raceway.

With only making his fourth Dunlop Series start, the teenager drove his way through the field from a position 15 grid spot, gaining a strong advantage after the safety car restart avoiding the carnage, gaining the 18-year-old a 12^th place finish overall for the round.

“Race two was action packed, the start was nose to tail and there was cars going everywhere, I was very lucky to survive lap one and not get turned around,” Hazelwood said.

“The safety car restart was crazy, I could see a couple of cars starting to hit the brakes hard in front of me and it was just a chain of cars running into each other, and I was fortunate to somehow miss the chaos and avoid damage.

“I’m very pleased with finishing 11th in Race 2 and 12th for the round.

“Both the team and myself worked hard all weekend and this is a great reward for my sponsors and supporters knowing that we are forever improving and getting closer and closer to the front of the 30 car field.”

Hazelwood is currently sitting outside the top ten of the Dunlop Series Championship on 288 points in 11^th position out of 34 drivers.

“It’s a great feeling knowing we are 11th in the championship in just my second race meeting in a V8 Supercar,” Hazelwood said.

“There is some very experienced drivers both in front and behind me, so we have to be pleased with our current position.”

Round 3 of the Dunlop Development Series Championship will be held at Barbagallo Raceway for the Perth 400 in conjunction with the V8 Supercars, May 15-18.

Top 15 Finish for Race 1 at Winton Raceway

Dunlop Development Series, Todd Hazelwood Racing

Todd Hazelwood in the pits ready for Qualifying 1

AFTER a strong practice session yesterday, Todd Hazelwood raced his way to position 15 in Race 1 showing promising pace for tomorrow’s final race at Round 2 of the Dunlop Series Championship at Winton Raceway.

The South Australian showed strong pace from the beginning of the day, finishing qualifying in position 13 with a lap time of 1:24.5447.

Race 1 saw Hazelwood three-wide on the outside of Turn 1 during the opening lap, falling back a few positions after being pushed wide, coming out in 20^th position.

The 18-year-old pressed on, charging his way back through the field to finish an impressive 15^th place over the 25-lap distance.

“After a good qualifying session this morning we were feeling confident we could produce a top-ten result in Race 1,” Hazelwood said.

“It was promising to know that we had good car speed throughout the race it was just a shame to get caught out on the outside at the start which hurt us with track position on the opening lap.

“Although 15^th isn’t the place we want to be, I am forever improving and I’m understanding the car better every time I get behind the wheel.

“It’s important during my learning stages to gain as many championship points as possible and set ourselves up for a strong placing in the championship at the end of the year.”

The teenager will hit the circuit for the final race tomorrow, with his starting position for Race 2 based on his finishing position for Race 1.

Hazelwood is currently sitting outside the top ten of the Dunlop Series Championship on 216 points in 12^th position.

Race 2 will start at 1:15pm AEST and the lap times can be viewed live through www.natsoft.com.au.

Winton 400

Sunday (6 April)
13:15: Race 2 (25 laps)

Media by Loren Hazelwood

Motor sport media, marketing and content specialist

Hazelwood

Todd Hazelwood Finishes Fifth in Action Packed Bathurst Enduro Race

Rookie Hazelwood Finishes Ninth in Qualifying for Bathurst Enduro

Hazelwood Pumped for Debut at the Mountain

Set-up changes the key for today’s Qualifying and Race 1

Successful Townsville Debut for Hazelwood Moving to Seventh in Series

Hazelwood Moves to Fifth in Series After First Race at Townsville

Fourth Position Overall for Hazelwood at Perth

Dunlop Series Personal Best for Hazelwood Finishing Fifth in Perth

Hazelwood Gains Championhip Momentum in Competitive Dunlop Series Round 2

Top 15 Finish for Race 1 at Winton Raceway