Teenager Gray reflects on first Supercar laps

Hunter Valley racer Rylan Gray recounted his first laps in a Supercar as “unbelievable”, having steered a Tickford Racing-run Ford Falcon FG X at Winton Motor Raceway. 

Teenager Gray, from Denman, west of Newcastle, has struck a development deal with Tickford Racing that will see the young gun test the Falcon a number of times this year, with an eye toward entering the Dunlop Series in the future. 

“To test with such an iconic team is such a surreal experience,” Gray said of the two-time Dunlop Series championship and 2015 Supercars championship-winning team. 

Gray’s first steer of a Supercar came in drizzling conditions at the regional Victorian circuit. While hardly the easiest way to learn the nuances of driving the high-powered touring car, the teenager enjoyed the experience and took plenty of learnings from the outing. 

“Very challenging,” he said.

“Like, first time in a Supercar and it's wet. So (I’m) just building up the confidence in that and just hopefully the next one will be dry. “ 

Gray is currently racing in the Toyota Gazoo Racing Australia 86 Series, and finished fifth in the standings of its sister series in New Zealand earlier this year. The youngster has been keeping busy behind the wheel, driving a variety of cars over the past couple of years. 

“We've done a lot of different categories in the past, like Excels, 86s, it’s just driving as much as we can and just to build that experience.” 

The Toyota 86 Series platform has become an effective stepping stone bridging drivers between karting and Supercars machinery, with notable alumni including Supercars race winners Broc Feeney, Will Brown, and reigning Dunlop Super2 Series champion Declan Fraser.

The Dunlop Super2 and Dunlop Super3 Series are back in action at the NTI Townsville 500, July 7-9 on the streets of Reid Park. 

Tickford co-driver Zak Best leads the Super2 championship by 48 points over Cooper Murray, while Erebus Academy driver Jobe Stewart is on top of the Super3 standings through two rounds.