Latest news with #HiddenValley
News.com.au
15 hours ago
- Automotive
- News.com.au
Supercars Darwin: Barry Ryan's frank verdict on fall of Erebus
Erebus chief executive Barry Ryan has offered a frank reflection on a crippling 18 months that has seen his title-winning team slip to last in the Supercars standings. After a fairytale start to the Gen3 era, which saw Erebus win both the drivers' and teams' titles in 2023, the squad has endured a string of well-publicised internal struggles. Will Brown defected to Triple Eight at the end of 2023, while reigning champion Brodie Kostecki missed the start of the 2024 season while in dispute with the team, which coincided with big name sponsors such as Coca-Cola walking away. Kostecki would later return and win the Bathurst 1000, however left to Dick Johnson Racing at the end of last season – along with both Erebus race engineers George Commins and Tom Moore. Team principal Brad Tremain also left the squad at the end of 2024 with plans to pursue an opportunity in IndyCar in the US. That has prompted a significant, and ongoing, internal rebuild, highlighted by Ryan himself needing to take the race engineer role on Jack Le Brocq's car. It's been tough going for Le Brocq and rookie teammate Cooper Murray, too, with Erebus slumping to last in the teams' standings ahead of this weekend's Darwin Triple Crown. 'There's no hiding behind it; the last 18 months have been really hard on our team. Really hard,' said Ryan at Hidden Valley on Friday. 'Losing key people … our last rebuild was 2021 and we got Brodie and Will and no one believed, really, in that. And we won a championship two years later, and we won Bathurst the year after. 'We've gone back to where we were [in 2021]. 'It's hard on the team. To replace people like George, Tom and Brodie is really hard. Brad Tremain is going to kick goals in America. That's four key people out of the team, it's really tough to replace that. 'It's going to take time. We can't hide behind that. I can only do so much and the boys that I've had there for six, seven years can only do so much. 'Unfortunately I'm still race engineering, and I say that because I shouldn't be. I should be running the business. But until we can get the right person to do that role; we're trying to self-promote from within, we're trying to find an engineer we can just put in and be really successful. 'It's a balancing act and I can't say I'm really enjoying it. We got to a point where we were beating Triple Eight and we wanted to be that team that was the best year in, year out. 'Massive respect to Roland Dane for what he did for that whole time he was there, and what they're still doing. We got there and we just couldn't keep the momentum. 'No matter what everyone thinks the reason is why. We just couldn't keep that momentum that teams like that can do. 'Anyway, it's a lesson learned, this whole situation. We'll try not to go through it again. 'We'll get there again. We're confident in our team. We've got a great bunch of loyal staff that want to stay on and want to see us get there again and win championships and Bathursts. 'We're still going to go to Bathurst trying to win there this year. We'll have the belief and we'll have the drivers than can do it.' Erebus showed signs of improvement on track on Friday, with Murray 11th in the second practice session and Le Brocq in 19th as Andre Heimgartner led the way for Brad Jones Racing ahead of Ryan Wood and Will Brown.
Yahoo
18 hours ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Wood on fire in sizzling Darwin Supercars practice
Ryan Wood has scorched the Supercars field to set the fastest time in the first practice session in Darwin. The Walkinshaw Andretti United youngster outpaced nearest challenger Broc Feeney by more than two-tenths of a second in the Top End dry-season heat on Friday. Wood set the best lap of one minute and 7.059 seconds, with championship-leader Feeney 0.265 seconds behind and Triple Eight teammate Will Brown another hundredth of a second behind him in third. Drivers tested the limits of Hidden Valley's challenging 2.9km circuit, with several racers overshooting the long, loopy left-hander at turn one. A patch of parched grass at the end of the turn was set alight after Brown ran his Camaro off towards the end of the session. That's one for the Darwin bingo 🔥Follow along this weekend from our NEW Live Insights here 👉 #Supercars — Supercars (@supercars) June 20, 2025 With temperatures expected to run into the 30s throughout the weekend - and up to 50C inside cars - drivers' endurance will be as much of a challenge as keeping their cars running. Feeney was the first driver to run off on the first turn at the end of the 1.1km straight, but recovered to set a speedy lap time that had him at the top of the totem for most of the session. The 22-year-old won the last two races in Perth and showed promising pace as he looks to extend his 72-point gap at the top of the leaderboard at the track he won two races at last year. Teenage wildcard entrant Rylan Gray, Matt Stone Racing veteran Nick Percat and Tickford's Cam Waters also took excursions off the track on turn one, while Andre Heimgartner battled to hold onto control of his lively Camaro on several occasions. Drivers will return for the final practice session at 2.55pm (ACST) on Friday, ahead of Saturday's back-to-back qualifying sessions. Two 120km races will follow qualifying on Saturday, before the final 200km race of the weekend on Sunday.
ABC News
10-06-2025
- Climate
- ABC News
North Queensland residents struggle with restrictions on damaged road
There is growing frustration among residents of a rainforest community north of Townsville who are struggling with a permit system to return home each night. The Mount Spec Road, leading to the townships of Paluma and Hidden Valley, was cut by landslips during record-breaking monsoon rain in February. Alternative routes increase travel times by more than two hours along roads mainly suitable for four-wheel drives. Queensland's Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) has not provided a timeline for fully reopening the road. It last month introduced a permit system for full-time residents to access Mount Spec between 6am and 6pm. "We assure the community that we are working as quickly and safely as possible to progress critical repairs," a spokesperson said. Traffic controllers monitor entrances and the road is shut and monitored by cameras outside permitted hours. Tourism operators said the impact had been "devastating", with one business estimating more than $100,000 in lost bookings. Rhett Harrison, who lives between Paluma and the Hidden Valley, said the permit system had been challenging. "After you work an eight-hour day, by the time you travel into town, you really haven't got a lot of time to be able to live your life, get groceries and you have to pretty much hope there's not an accident on the way back to the range road," he said. Mr Harrison worked from home and homeschooled his son while Mount Spec Road was closed, and relocated to his sister's house in Townsville to reduce travel times. "We would come back in and stay at her place for the entire week, all in one bedroom," he said. "Pretty much so that we could go to work, so that he could have some level of normalcy of being able to return to school." He said he wanted access hours to Mount Spec Road reviewed. "I actually think that road is safer to drive at night because if there are any vehicles oncoming I can see them because of the headlights," he said. Paluma and District Community Association president Jamie Oliver said part-time residents were being denied access to their homes and the community was growing frustrated. "For those people who work in town and finish by around 5:30pm, it's very difficult to get to the start of the road by six," he said. "It's still extremely inconvenient even for those permit holders to get up." Mr Oliver said residents wanted TMR to release geotechnical expert assessments so they could understand the key data and logic behind the department's decisions. "Repeatedly we get nothing but vague information that is contained in the road reports," he said. "It really is infuriating and insulting to be held in this kind of disregard." A TMR spokesperson acknowledged the residents' frustration and said public safety had remained a top priority throughout the planning process. The spokesperson said the department would continue to update the community. "Engineering reports are complex technical documents and uncontrolled distribution can lead to misinterpretation and misinformation," they said. The authority said it was complying with conditions outlined by geotechnical experts, which included limiting the number of vehicles travelling on the road to reduce the risk of further landslips. They said the 6am-to-6pm timeframe provided drivers with the "best opportunity" to react to oncoming hazards. "TMR anticipates changes may be made to the conditions once restoration works occur and the risk of the slope sites reduces," they said. "Traffic data is being monitored and if volumes remain within safe limits, TMR would be able to issue further permits to other residents within the area, including those who reside there part-time."
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Chipotle is releasing its first new dip in five years
Chipotle (CMG) is tapping into America's seemingly never-ending obsession with ranch dressing. Beginning June 17, the chain is permanently adding Adobo Ranch to its menu. The dip, a variation on classic ranch, is seasoned with adobo pepper, sour cream and other herbs and spices that Chipotle says will give its food a 'craveable kick,' the company announced Monday. The addition of Adobo Ranch is the first time Chipotle has added a new dip in five years. In 2020, the chain rolled out a reformulated queso, which immediately boosted sales. The company is likely hoping for the same success as it deals with a slowdown in consumer spending. Sales fell during the first three months of the year, which Chipotle says is due to customers cutting back restaurant visits over concerns about the economy, echoing other chains' concerns. Chipotle (CMG) shares are down 12% for the year. Ranch, in particular, is popular among younger eaters and has increasingly appeared on more menus in recent years. Taco Bell added a spicy ranch created with Hidden Valley to accompany its crispy chicken nuggets, KFC features five ranch flavors at its new Saucy concept restaurant and Burger King once offered an 8-ounce ranch dipping cup. Chipotle acknowledges that ranch has 'become a cultural phenomenon, especially among Gen Z, who are finding creative ways to enjoy it beyond the traditional salad,' Chris Brand, the company's president and chief brand officer, said in a press release. Ranch also is well-known to consumers, giving them 'permission to experiment,' according to Maeve Webster, president of consulting firm Menu Matters. She adds that it's a sauce everyone is familiar with so 'that fear of wasting money, wasting time, or just generally not enjoying an experience will be mitigated.' Adobo Ranch will be available at Chipotle's US and Canada restaurants, and will be offered to members of its rewards program for free on launch day. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
CNN
09-06-2025
- Business
- CNN
Chipotle is releasing its first new dip in five years
Chipotle is tapping into America's seemingly never-ending obsession with ranch dressing. Beginning June 17, the chain is permanently adding Adobo Ranch to its menu. The dip, a variation on classic ranch, is seasoned with adobo pepper, sour cream and other herbs and spices that Chipotle says will give its food a 'craveable kick,' the company announced Monday. The addition of Adobo Ranch is the first time Chipotle has added a new dip in five years. In 2020, the chain rolled out a reformulated queso, which immediately boosted sales. The company is likely hoping for the same success as it deals with a slowdown in consumer spending. Sales fell during the first three months of the year, which Chipotle says is due to customers cutting back restaurant visits over concerns about the economy, echoing other chains' concerns. Chipotle (CMG) shares are down 12% for the year. Ranch, in particular, is popular among younger eaters and has increasingly appeared on more menus in recent years. Taco Bell added a spicy ranch created with Hidden Valley to accompany its crispy chicken nuggets, KFC features five ranch flavors at its new Saucy concept restaurant and Burger King once offered an 8-ounce ranch dipping cup. Chipotle acknowledges that ranch has 'become a cultural phenomenon, especially among Gen Z, who are finding creative ways to enjoy it beyond the traditional salad,' Chris Brand, the company's president and chief brand officer, said in a press release. Ranch also is well-known to consumers, giving them 'permission to experiment,' according to Maeve Webster, president of consulting firm Menu Matters. She adds that it's a sauce everyone is familiar with so 'that fear of wasting money, wasting time, or just generally not enjoying an experience will be mitigated.' Adobo Ranch will be available at Chipotle's US and Canada restaurants, and will be offered to members of its rewards program for free on launch day.
