Murray completes final rookie test at Winton
Erebus Motorsport driver Cooper Murray has completed his final rookie test at Winton Motor Raceway today, Tuesday 21 July.
As part of his second season in the Supercars Championship, Murray was allocated his final rookie test at Erebus Motorsport's designated test circuit.
The focus of today’s test was to fine tune the TotalEnergies Quartz Camaro’s setup direction and give Murray valuable seat time, while also providing the flexibility to trial a range of set up changes in a pressure free environment.
“This rookie test day is a great opportunity to take the pressure off the driver and focus purely on development,” said Erebus CEO Barry Ryan.
“It gives Cooper the chance to continue building his skills and confidence behind the wheel, while the engineering team can work through different setup directions without the pressure of a race weekend.”
On the value of the rookie test, Murray said, “These rookie test days are really valuable, especially halfway through the season when there are a lot of things we've wanted to try.
“Being at Winton gives us the chance to work through our processes without the pressure of a race weekend, and we learned a lot today that has definitely added to our toolbox heading into the second half of the year.”
Murray’s co-driver, Lochie Dalton, also completed 10 laps during the session, allowing him to confirm his seat fit and become familiar with car #99 ahead of next month’s mid-year Supercars test at Queensland Raceway.
On having Dalton at the test, Murray said, “It was great to have Lochie here observing everything when he wasn't in the car, it's a great opportunity for him to learn ahead of the Enduros.
“I'm confident having Lochie behind the wheel with me. I think he’s going to do a really good job, so I'm excited.”
Looking ahead to his Enduro campaign with Murray, Dalton said “It was great to get down to Winton and get comfortable in the TotalEnergies Quartz Camaro.
“There are still a few little things to sort out before the Enduros, but the car feels really good and it was great to be back around the crew.”
Erebus Motorsport will return to the track next weekend for Round 8 at Wanneroo Raceway, 31 July - 2 August.