After years in various racing series, Alice Buckley finds her way to the top with her Supercar debut.
The newcomer to the Alice Buckley Motorsport team already boasts several years of experience in various racing series. After years in karting, Buckley has competed successfully in various Toyota one-make series in recent years. This year, she has moved up to the Dunlop Super 2 Series, the main support championship for the Repco Supercars Championship. The latter is considered one of the most prestigious touring car championships worldwide. Buckley is undertaking this promotion with her own team, supported by Matt Stone Racing.
The first practice sessions were rather mixed for most riders. The weather on Sydney’s short circuit wasn’t as stable and the grip levels weren’t as good as expected. While there were essentially no accidents, most riders made a number of serious errors. Buckley was not among them. The Australian showed no problems in either session and had good pace from the start. In the second practice, she managed to stay near the top for a long time before the more experienced riders pushed her out.
Buckley’s ups and downs continued in qualifying. She improved her position with each lap, but her time was repeatedly beaten by the established drivers. Nevertheless, she didn’t quite reach the back of the pack. In the end, she secured 15th place.
The Australian got off to a great start in the first race. She made a good initial run, securing 14th place in the opening corners by overtaking Tommy Smith. This was a crucial success, as overtaking on this short, narrow track is notoriously difficult. However, she couldn’t maintain the position in the chaos of the first lap. Smith managed to retake his position in the first lap. Buckley lost some of his rhythm and a second behind him. The gap then remained constant. The same was true for the gap to Chada behind her. Depending on the sector, he was only half a second to a full second behind, ready to pounce on the slightest mistake, but not close enough to overtake independently on this track.
For the first 20 minutes, these gaps are virtually frozen. Even if they shift briefly, they quickly return to their starting positions. Buckley manages to get her Holden close to Smith on one lap, only to have to defend against Chada on the next. Last year she won her race in Sydney, and the team is correspondingly optimistic in the interview. After 23 minutes, she lives up to this expectation. In the first sector, she chooses a better line than Smith and manages to overtake him – a maneuver considered almost impossible on this track. She can’t create a significant gap, but she does manage to build a stable distance from the chasing group.
Just two laps later, Smith went off the track, clearing the way for Hall. Hall then pulled off an outstanding stunt, closing in on Buckley. The rookie defended her position for a while, but ultimately it wasn’t quite enough. Shortly before the finish, he found his way past, pushing Buckley back to 15th place, which was also her target position.
In the second race, Buckley starts from 17th place, behind Bailey Sweeney. The race doesn’t go as well as the first. In city traffic, she’s forced onto a less favorable line and drops to 19th. On the second lap, Thomsen slides out of the leading group into the gravel, lightly touches the wall, but is able to continue and rejoin the race behind Buckley. At the same time, Buckley manages to regain a position, thus returning to her starting position. As in the first race, she is now stuck behind Smith.
With 28 minutes of race time remaining, any hopes of gaining further positions had vanished. In turn two, her pursuer, Buckley, attempted an aggressive overtake. He made contact with her, pushing her hard into the car in front. This caused the car to spin, making contact with Buckley’s car again. The steering broke on Buckley’s Holden, and she ended up stranded in the gravel trap at turn three.
Despite the setback, the debut can be considered a success. Buckley maintained a competitive pace throughout all sessions and was able to gain positions independently, although this is considered extremely difficult at Sydney Motorsport Park. From March 4th to 8th, Buckley will attack again in Melbourne and try to make up for the lost points.
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