Todd Hazelwood

WHAT GOT YOU INTO RACING?

Racing cars and going fast was everything I wanted from such a young age. I remember going to the race track at Mallala and competitive Hill-climb events in S.A with Mum and Dad before I could hardly walk. I just loved the cars and competition element of Motorsport. My racing debut started back in 2003 in a Dirt Kart track in Adelaide. I remember being hooked instantly and wanting more. I was super competitive as a kid there was no turning back once I had won my first race. I feel very fortunate to now be living my dream being a full time Supercars Championship driver for Brad Jones Racing.

WHAT IS YOUR GOAL FOR THE NEXT 2 YEARS?

I am super excited to see what the future holds for me. Now that I have made the transition to the team at Brad Jones Racing in 2020, I personally feel there is huge potential for great results. I can't see a reason why we can't consistently fight for top ten finishes and edging closer to a podium finish over the next 12 months. Within the next two years I would like to finish inside the top ten of the Championship and achieve my first Supercars podium finish.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE RACE TRACK TO RACE ON?

I really enjoy the challenge of a street circuit in a Supercar. I personally get a lot of satisfaction behind the wheel around the Adelaide, Townsville and Newcastle street tracks. The commitment you need as a driver to be fast can't be compared to anything else. The concrete walls offer no forgiveness, the constant changes in surfaces, manipulating the balance of the car using the kerbs and bumps makes any lap really exciting. If I was to narrow it down to one track that is my favourite, it is Mount Panorama, Bathurst. But the Adelaide 500 street circuit is a very close second.

WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT YOUR NEXT LEVEL RACING PRODUCT? HOW IS SIMULATION HELPING YOUR TRAINING?

I really love how you can replicate so many real life elements into the Next Level Racing simulator. Using their latest modern simulator technology has provided myself with a great new tool to help develop my skills and enhance my education as a driver. In the Supercars Championship, testing is controlled in the actual race car making it tricky to develop as a driver. Now having a Next Level Racing simulator, this provides myself with an advantage to get behind the wheel anytime which I find very useful. During my simulator training I personally put focus into replicating real life scenarios such as shootout lap qualifying simulations, long race distance concentration and consistency, improving my knowledge and understanding with chassis setup and muscle memory for future events.