Motorsport: Ryan Wood welcomes Supercars ‘biff and barge’ in rookie campaign

A potential Kiwi superstar makes his debut in Supercars this weekend — and he’s braced for the motorsport equivalent of the biff.

Ryan Wood is on the Supercars grid for the first time as the season starts with the Bathurst 500 at Mount Panorama.

Three-time champion Shane van Gisbergen has departed for Nascar but was glowing in his assessment of Wood when talking about the remaining New Zealand drivers in Supercars.

“There are some good Kiwis still in the field, like Matthew [Payne], who in his rookie year, has been really impressive, and Andre [Heimgartner] is also always there,” van Gisbergen said. “There’s also a young guy, Ryan Wood, racing [this year] who is really good and will be a superstar.”

That praise from one of the most successfully versatile drivers in world motorsport hasn’t fazed Wood.

“I’m really keen to get started this weekend at Bathurst and get the ball rolling,” the 20-year-old said. “It’ll be a challenge starting [the series] at Bathurst and the weather looks like it’ll be a bit up and down. It’ll also be good to get some practice in before the [Bathurst] 1000 later in the year, because I didn’t get to do it last year.”

Wood is aware that as a rookie, he may be the target of some argy-bargy, but he sees that as part of racing in one of the world’s hardest-fought tin-top categories.

“It’s kind of a tradition to be roughed up a bit but I’m just going to run my own race. If there’s a bit of biff and barge, I’ll just give it back. It’s no different to any other championship I’ve been in,” said the Walkinshaw Andretti United driver.

It may appear Wood has been fast-tracked into the top tier of Supercars but when the likes of Ryan Walkinshaw and Michael Andretti think he’s got the ability to challenge more established drivers, fans should take note.

Wood already boasts an impressive CV, finishing third in Super2 last season, winning more races, rounds and poles than any other driver.

He was also runner-up in the 2022 Porsche Sprint Challenge Australia after being third in the Toyota 86 Championship.

He raced a Porsche 991 Cup car in the 2021-22 South Island Endurance Series, winning the series without losing a single race.

“It’s all happened pretty fast. It’s one of those things where if you get a bit of momentum behind you, you kind of ride that wave. Luckily enough for me, I’ve landed on my feet this year and it’s a pretty cool feeling having achieved one of my childhood dreams.

“It’s all about getting experience and learning off Chaz [Mostert, teammate] as much as I can. If we can pick up some results along the way, that would be amazing.

“For me, it’s about being consistent and smart on track and making the best decisions.”

There are five Kiwi drivers in Supercars this season: Wood, Heimgartner, Payne, the returning Richie Stanaway and rookie Jaxon Evans.