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No rest as Kiwi young gun eyes breakout Supercars year
Joanna Guelas, AAP • February 20th, 2026 7:48 am
Walkinshaw Andretti United's Ryan Wood is out to push his title credentials from the very start | Photo: Dan Himbrechts/AAP
Supercars young gun Ryan Wood hasn't bothered about letting the dust settle as he looks to stamp his championship credentials.
Refusing to put his feet up in the aftermath of a controversial grand final, the Walkinshaw TWG Racing star will roll into Friday's season-opening race in Sydney without any worries of off-season rust.
And a fiery on-track reunion is on the cards for Wood at Sydney Motorsport Park, following a dramatic fallout with Triple Eight rival Broc Feeney on the streets of Adelaide.
Broc Feeney's hopes of a maiden title died when his car went spinning after tangling with Wood | Photo: Dan Himbrechts/AAP
Feeney's bid for a maiden championship was derailed just seconds into last year's deciding 250km race when a tangle with Wood sent him spinning, opening the door for teammate Chaz Mostert to win the series.
While a heartbroken Feeney spent his off-season flying under the radar, New Zealand's Wood tested his mettle in the Formula Regional Oceania Trophy on home soil.
The 22-year-old impressed in his open-wheel debut, netting two race wins in Taupo to finish the series fifth overall.
"I just have never done racing outside of my full-time championship or anything like that," Wood told AAP.
"I feel like sometimes I'm on the back foot because of that.
"To race an open-wheeler just helps me hone in on different skills and have more tools in my toolbox - like I've got a few extra hammers and allen keys."
Wood firmed up his status as a rising star last year after breaking for a maiden win on home soil en route to a finals berth.
But he was eliminated in the first round on the Gold Coast through a mechanical failure after his car began to leak fuel while he was leading the opening race.
"I don't really dwell on that too much because I can't change that," Wood said.
"We race in a sport where there's so much uncertainty and a lot that can go wrong.
"You think about it, but at the end of the day you just can't beat yourself up or the people around you about it too much."
Wood and defending champion Mostert will have one final dress rehearsal in the new Toyota Supra at 3.55pm (NZT) on Friday, before qualifying starts at 6.20pm.
The first race of the season - a 26-lap, 100km sprint - will get underway at 9.50pm.
David Reynolds on Sydney Motorsport Park
