16 June 2023 | General

Mawson remains cautious after Winton clean sweep

After completing a crucial S5000 Australian Drivers’ Championship clean sweep at the Hi-Tec Oils Race Winton, the series leader remains cautious of how quickly things can change in the world of racing.

The two-time Motorsport Australia Gold Star winner extended his lead to a comfortable 77-points over Cooper Webster after taking out all three races at Winton Motor Raceway.

Qualifying in second behind James Golding on Saturday, Mawson found himself in the lead during the early stages of race one and never looked like surrendering it for the remainder of the weekend’s encounters.

But while the series lead was extended, Mawson knows he could lose that buffer at any given moment.

“The weekend was very positive, we got the clean sweep and we have a big lead in the title race,” Mawson said.

“It’s obviously a nice margin at the top now, but all it took was one weekend for Cooper to lose all his points so there is no reason why it can’t happen the other way around.

“If I manage to get some bad luck it can easily turn, but it gives me a chance to have a bad weekend and still stay in the whereabouts.

“The approach always stays the same and we try and maximise each weekend.”

A key factor to Mawson’s success was the ability to have a testing day not long before the race weekend, which was his first since joining the category back in 2021.

“We benefited from having a test day just before the race meeting, we were able to test a lot of things and find the direction we need to go,” Mawson added.

“It was actually my first test day in the category despite competing for three seasons now.

“The fact I was able to get out there and try things I won’t usually have the opportunity to do played a big role in my success last weekend.”

Following what was the final S5000 round on the medium tyre compound, the competition is expected to get even closer with the introduction of a softer tyre from here on out.

Higher tyre degradation will allow for more mistakes and more strategies to be implemented into the race – meaning there could possibly be a change in the pecking order come the next round of the season at the Sydney Motorsport Park in August.

“Winton was the last race on the medium tyre so I think it was important to finish strong,” Mawson explained.

“Everyone starts to reset after this round so it was crucial to come away with a clean sweep.

“The softer compound is expected to be a fair bit different; it is meant to give a lot more feel in the front – something the cars currently don’t have.

“Us more experienced guys still have trouble with the feel of the tyre so you can imagine what it’s like for the new guys.

“We are hoping for more degradation, which allows for more strategy in the race and it’s going to make us quicker which is exciting for the category.”

The S5000 Australian Drivers’ Championship will next feature at the Sydney Motorsport Park as part of the Beaurepairs Sydney Supersprint on 28-30 July.