Supercars rookies cut early Pukekohe laps

The pair are gearing up to race at the circuit for the first time for next month's Auckland SuperSprint.

It will be both their first and last visits to the famous circuit which will close down early next year.

In order to fast track the learning experience, both Feeney and Randle travelled to NZ for last week's Toyota Gazoo Racing TR86 test day at Pukekohe.

It wasn't the first time Feeney has made an exploratory trip to a new circuit, the Triple Eight driver having sampled a Radical at Wanneroo Raceway in the lead-up to the Perth SuperNight earlier this year.

For Randle, meanwhile, it was a return to the Toyota NZ fold, the Tickford driver having won the Toyota Racing Series back in 2017.

“It was all very short notice to be honest,” said Randle of the Pukekohe sneak peek.

“I had never driven the Pukekohe circuit before so to get some laps prior to the [Supercars] round was always going to be beneficial.

“I really loved driving the track. We had a mixture of wet and dry conditions so it was great to experience both prior to our Supercars round here in a couple of weeks.

“It is a real shame that the circuit will be closing down as it has quite a lot of character to it. Even being quite a short track there are some very tricky sections.

"The first sector will be challenging over the bumps through Turn 1 and the run down through 2, 3 and 4. The final corner onto the straight will also be a lot of fun in the Supercar, requiring plenty of commitment.

"The Toyota 86 was fun to drive. It just took me a little bit to get used to the ABS and also the tyre as it is quite different to what we drive on. It was made even more challenging by the conditions with all the rain but nonetheless was a lot of fun and we achieved what we needed to."

The Auckland SuperSprint will mark Supercars' return to New Zealand for the first time since 2019.

It will take place on September 9-11.