New Tickford boss' take on rollercoaster first round

Simon Brookhouse expects Tickford to “come out fighting” at AGP
Thomas Randle seventh, Cam Waters 20th in drivers' points.
Brookhouse replaced Tim Edwards at the helm of Tickford

New Tickford Racing CEO Simon Brookhouse expects the Ford team to “come out fighting” at the next round after a rollercoaster Thrifty Bathurst 500 weekend.

Brookhouse took the reins of the Ford squad ahead of the season-opening event at Mount Panorama, having replaced long-time boss Tim Edwards.

Heading into the weekend, Cam Waters was touted as a hot championship favourite, but left Bathurst 20th in the points after a torrid first round.

Waters struggled over one lap, and was 22nd and last in Saturday’s race after a spindle failure led to a wheel coming off late in the race. On Sunday, he raced from 18th to 16th, but is already 192 points off the pace.

It was a brighter story for Thomas Randle, who finished fourth in Sunday’s race from seventh on the grid, a day after racing from 16th to 14th.

Heading to the Melbourne SuperSprint, Randle is an impressive seventh in the championship, and third of the Ford drivers behind Chaz Mostert and Richie Stanaway.

While helpless as Waters struggled, Brookhouse was delighted by how his team rebounded and delivered a result for Randle

"Yesterday was tough. There's no doubt about that,” Brookhouse said on the Schick Cool Down Lap podcast after Sunday’s race.

"We had some problems in qualifying for Cam and then obviously we had a few mechanical issues. He got shunted early and then the wheel fell off, which wasn't exactly fantastic.

"But all in all, the real positive out of it was they rebounded today. I mean, Cam again had a solid day, but not as well as he has normally driven.

“We're really happy with Thomas. Thomas had a great race today. The three cars up front were just a little bit too quick. That's the reality of it.

"So, we'll go back and reassess and we'll work on everything and come out fighting at the AGP."

Key for Brookhouse was how the team rallied and managed to get Waters’ #6 Monster Energy Ford back out on track after a broken spindle led to a wheel coming off in Saturday’s race.

Waters dropped laps while the team frantically repaired the car, but Tickford managed to get the #6 back out to score crucial championship points, something not lost on Brookhouse.

"The thing that I noticed the most is the amount of teamwork that goes on along pit lane,” Brookhouse said.

“Even yesterday when our wheel came off and we got the car back, it was key to get Cam back out on the track, and everybody in the team just pitched in and it worked so hard to make that happen.

"And we did it with about 30 seconds to spare. We don't know, those 37 points might actually be really important come the end of the season. So, I think there's a real camaraderie against the group.

"Obviously, we fight pretty hardly out on track. But, what I like is just, looking now, everyone's pitching in. I see Dave Noble's [Dick Johnson Racing CEO] over there cleaning out the Shell V-Power [garage].

"I'm in here helping out and it's just good to see. So, I'm loving it. It's fantastic.”

Tickford Racing is seventh in the teams’ standings, 288 points behind Red Bull Ampol Racing, heading to the Melbourne SuperSprint on March 21-24.