Kiwi Super2 driver Ayrton Hodson endured a challenging second race at Hidden Valley Raceway but still leaves Darwin encouraged after securing his best result of the season earlier in the weekend.
Hodson delivered an impressive performance in Race 1, charging through the field to claim fifth place after a determined drive. A strong launch off the start line saw the New Zealander gain three positions on the opening lap to move into seventh before taking advantage of incidents ahead to break into the top five.
From there, Hodson managed his tyres well and maintained a comfortable margin over the chasing pack, crossing the line in fifth to record his strongest result of the 2026 Super2 Series season.
Buoyed by that performance, Hodson entered Sunday’s final race looking to continue his momentum. After qualifying ninth, the Kiwi was left frustrated after spending much of the session inside the top five before a flurry of late improvements from rivals pushed him down the order.
With Nash Morris and Lochie Dalton sharing the front row, Hodson lined up from the fifth row with hopes of another strong result.
However, his race got off to a difficult start. Hodson lost five positions before reaching Turn 1 and found himself buried deep in the midfield. He quickly responded, regaining two places by Turn 2 to climb back to 12th, but the race would continue to prove challenging.
As he pushed hard to work his way back towards the top ten, Hodson repeatedly found himself testing the limits of both his tyres and the circuit, dipping his rear wheels into the dirt on several occasions. The aggressive approach cost him valuable ground, dropping him as low as 17th as he battled to recover.
The Kiwi’s car also suffered damage during the opening stages, further complicating his efforts as he searched for pace in the tightly packed midfield.
While Hodson fought through the field, Dalton controlled proceedings at the front. The race leader established a lead of more than one second over Brad Vaughan, with Morris, Campbell Logan and Reuben Goodall rounding out the leading group.
Despite the setbacks, Hodson continued to battle to the chequered flag and managed to recover several positions in the closing stages. He eventually crossed the line in 14th place after a determined drive.
At the front, Dalton converted pole position into victory, finishing ahead of Morris and Logan, who completed the podium.
Although the final race did not deliver the result Hodson was chasing, the Darwin weekend marked a significant step forward. The fifth-place finish in Race 1 highlighted the progress made since the opening round of the championship and provided further confidence heading into the next event.
The Super2 Series returns for Round 3 at the Perth Super 440 from July 31 to August 2, where Hodson will look to build on the positives from Darwin and continue his upward trajectory.
Header Image: Super2 Series
