Conrad Clark says he is yet to demonstrate his full potential in the Castrol Toyota Racing Series, labelling his opening round performance “pretty disappointing.”
The 17-year-old was one of several rookies in the field for last weekend’s New Zealand Grand Prix at Hampton Downs.
Getting up to speed over the first two days, Clark nearly snared a stunning pole position in a wet qualifying session on Sunday morning.
Over one second quicker than his nearest rival, Clark would skate off the road with seven minutes left on the clock.
The consequent red flag resulted in an immediate three-place grid drop; and as the circuit conditions continued to change during the pause, Clark would ultimately be shuffled back to sixth.
Still, Clark ended the round with two top-ten finishes with his best result being sixth in race two.
But when reflecting on his performance, he insists that there remains room for improvement.
“Overall, it was special to be a part of the Grand Prix and be with Ken Smith on his 50th GP,” Clark said. “But the weekend was pretty disappointing in my eyes.
“I know I am capable of achieving more, but that weekend I felt we struggled to work together as a team.
“The wet weather in qualifying was the only opportunity to show my proper speed.
“At the end of the day, I can’t ask for a picture-perfect weekend every time. So, I will push on this weekend and hope for some better results and try and score some podiums.”
Clark is currently fourth in the full-time driver standings, one point behind Billy Frazer in a hotly contested battle between the two young rookies.
“We were always going to be up against it from a car performance perspective having not had the same preparation as the other drivers,” Clark said.
“But I feel like we made some gains and have a good footing to build on for the other two rounds.”
This weekend sees a seven-car field have two races on the Hampton Downs national circuit before the season draws to a close at Manfeild in mid-February.
Main Image: John Cowpland/TGRNZ
