CSB - Chad Neylon - Sandown 500

Pittlane reporter for Supercars coverage Chad Neylon joins us to preview The Sandown 500. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Motorsport on the Country Sport Breakfast powered by CRC five
to five six made right here in New Zealand.

Speaker 2 (00:08):
Time to talk supercars now on the show and its
endurance season, with a grid set for the sixtieth running
of the Sandown five hundred this weekend, and that of
course means the next big one is Bathist. We are
going to run the rule over the driver combination. Just
see how things are going to shape up the Melbourne
circuit right now. Catch up with our intrepid reporter and

(00:29):
commentator Chad nin on morning Chad.

Speaker 1 (00:32):
Okay, Brian, what's going on mate? Very excited for a
big old weekend at the Penrod or Sandown five hundred.
It's a traditional event that's thankfully still in our calendar
and one that I think is going to be pretty
unpredictable come Sunday.

Speaker 2 (00:45):
And it's been around for sixty years, so that's quite
quite important, really, isn't it.

Speaker 1 (00:50):
That's what I mean, that's what's special about it. You know,
you think back to the names and the moments that
have happened there and the legends who have conquered it.
It's as much as you know, Bathurst has made places
like Peter Brook so Sandown, you know, and Alan Moffert
in particular, Larry Perkins, all these guys that just became
heroes at this place. So it's still got that feeling
when you walk to the gate there. It's got the

(01:10):
big old grand stand and it's just when you go
racing there you steal that history. So it is important
and it is a good anniversary and maybe one that's
been a little bit slightly overlooked I think this week
is that, you know, it's an important thing to celebrate
sixty years of the sixtith running of a great event.

Speaker 2 (01:27):
What makes Sanddown so special? I mean it's so different
to Bathist or a start off, isn't it?

Speaker 1 (01:32):
Yeah, it really is. I think. Well, as long as
it is in its spot now as being the first
of the Enduros, it carries the extra weight of it
being like the world of the unknown co drivers, the strategies,
completely different brand and kind of racing to what we've
seen throughout the sprint races so far this year, in
the street races, plus the actual racetrack itself pretty cool.

(01:54):
It's fast, splat out, it drives more like a street circuit,
and it's prone to Melbourne weather, so you never really
know what's going to happen there, but also draws a
big crowd. It's in a really nice time in Melbourne
in the middle of September, typically very good weather. It's
sort of when the footy season there's not too many
games on because it's the finals, so it does feel

(02:14):
like it takes in a stage as well. So there's
a lot about Sandown that makes it cool.

Speaker 2 (02:18):
Okay, so let's take a look at some of the
driver peerings this year, and I think there've been a
lot of changes. There's only seven peer peerings as the
same as last year of the twenty six combinations, aren't there.

Speaker 1 (02:30):
Yeah, I don't know how that happens and why that happens,
why there's just so much turnover every year, But you're right,
a very different looking lineup so what we saw last year.
Still some pretty fast combinations that have survived from last year,
and it's more like little changes like you know Candas
days at pen right, but he'll be in a different
side of the garage where Jammie win Cup stays around

(02:52):
to continue what he's been doing, but then triple at
bringing a guy like Scott Pie who's obviously going to
be very very fast. So there's some completely differ looking
lineups and then there's some that still have a little
bit of a familiar film from last year.

Speaker 2 (03:04):
Yeah, I think talking about last year, I think the
team to beat really probably Brock Feenie Jamie win Cup
defeening champions.

Speaker 1 (03:11):
I still think that's the best combo in the field.
I mean, you can argue to your blue in the face,
but who you think the greatest of all time is?
But if you look at the stat book, it would
tell you that Jamie Winkup is the greatest supercar driver ever.
So if he is your co driver, that straightaway is
going to be a pretty good lineup. You throw under
the fact that Brock is, you know, growing year on. Yeah,

(03:33):
I think he's a better driver than what he was
last year. Triple I know how to get the job
done in duros. They won both Sandown and Bassist last
year with Gussee and Stanaway, so I think that's a
pretty hard combination to get around. But that's not to
say that they're the only one. You know, Mostett and
Holdsworth killer combination. They've won Bassist together. They didn't have
much luck last year but Moffatt together with Cam Waters,

(03:55):
I think they're due a big result. They haven't won
a big race together yet, but they've had plenty of
podium so they're a bit of a I wouldn't call
him a dark horse because he won the last race
of the championship, but he's certainly a big chance to
pull off a win this week. Tick fit In particularly
go really well at Sandown, so I think across the
board there's some pretty good combos.

Speaker 2 (04:13):
Looking at the Kiwi combination Matt Payin, who's gone really
well this season, He's teaming up, as you mentioned, with
Garth Tender, that's going to be an interesting combination.

Speaker 1 (04:22):
Yeah. I like that combo a lot. Garth's the winner
obviously of bassist a bunch of times, but he's claimed
Sandown as well. When Matt gets going, he seems to
be almost untouchable.

Speaker 2 (04:33):
You know.

Speaker 1 (04:34):
We've seen some pretty impressive drives from him, picked up
a couple of race wins. The wins that he got
earlier this year were quite mature as well, different strategies
playing out. So pen Wright Racing has shown that they're
willing to think on their feet a little bit quicker.
They won by pitting more than anyone in Townsville, and
they're won by pitting fewer times than anyone else in Sydney.

(04:55):
So in a race where strategy is going to come
into it, I think Kenwright Racing will have that advantage
up their sleeve as well. But I mean, you know,
similarly to talking about win Cup being an amazing co driver,
so is Gas. That's a pretty impressive lineup. So they're
also very similarly sized drivers Gas and Matt as well,
so that'll aid them as well. They both won't have
to compromise with their driving positions. Driver changes me quick

(05:17):
and easy. All those little things one percent of work
in their favor as well.

Speaker 2 (05:20):
And the championships still wide open with a few races remaining.
Double points for durance will brown out in front of
the moment. But gee, Chairs Master has improved over the
last couple of rounds, hasn't.

Speaker 1 (05:30):
He sort of looked like maybe coming into out of Darwin,
it was like, Okay, Red Bull are probably just going
to walk away with this. But they haven't won a
race since then, you know. So we've gone all through
the Townsville, typically a place that triple A whips everybody.
They didn't win their Sydney they were quickish but certainly
not the same old triple A and then Tasmani the

(05:51):
other track, but normally they just romp home. They didn't
get to win their either, so Will's been at least
saving a few of those points, so he hasn't hemorrhaged
too much. But Brock's lost that spot being second in
the championship, being the wingman there, so chas Mosst's really
got amongst them. Cam Waters has closed now to be
inside nearly the top three as well. So when you
consider three hundred points to sand down three hundred points

(06:14):
for Bathurst, if anything happens to Will at all in
those two races, he could be looking at the championship
deficit by the time we get into the Gold Coast.
So very curious championship fight that didn't look like it
was going to play out come three rounds ago. It
was all of a sudden, the live and.

Speaker 2 (06:32):
Then looking ahead after it's all over this season. We've
got some big changes next season. I guess the big
one is Brodie Kosticki moving to DJR. That's a big one,
isn't it.

Speaker 1 (06:41):
Yeah, it should be a different looking grid next year.
It's sort of we're all waiting to see where the
pieces are going to fall there, and all of a
sudden they started to click into place. So yeah, Brodie's
off to Shelby Power Racing. That's an interesting combination that'll
really hinge as well on what the engineering lineup looks
like there. If he's able to bring a few of
the people across with him from Erebus, that would aid

(07:05):
his advantage there. Mike Winterbottom, we don't know where he's
going to end up off the back of finding his
way out of Team eighteen, so that's big news. There's
rumors abound that you'll find us seat next year, so
he won't have to be just a co driver. Richie Stanaway,
we know that he's on the move from Penright Racing
because young Kyellen's going to get a gig there. So
up and down the field we've seen that sort of

(07:27):
typical movement that you usually get about this time of year.
But definitely Brodie's the headline now. I mean he's defending
we know what Shelby Power Racing are capable of. When
they're going on a run together, those two could be
pretty hot. Comes with some pretty big backing from Ford
as well, so they've really thrown their arm around Brody.
There's connections obviously there through Ford and the racing program
in America that I'm sure would light Brodie up as

(07:49):
well if if he gets that opportunity, but his focuses
very much here in Australia.

Speaker 2 (07:53):
It would seem going to be a huge weekend. You
and the team do a great job calling the race.
We look forward to qualifying top ten shootout on Saturday
and the race on Sunday. Chad, go well mate, thanks
so much, see.

Speaker 1 (08:03):
You ran looking forward to, mate, and good luck picking
a winner this week because it's gonna be pretty difficult.

Speaker 2 (08:07):
I think it always is with those Induros, that's for sure.
Chad Naylon joining us out of Melbourne