Noske To Take Debut Drive For WPS Racing
4/3/2004 19:14 (Press Release) -
Talented V8 Supercar driver Mark Noske will be behind the wheel when WPS Racing team makes its series debut in the support races at the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne this week.
Noske has got the nod from team owner Craig Gore to pilot the first of WPS Racing's two-car assault on the 2004 V8 Supercar Championship Series.
The team, which has been assembled from scratch over the past month, has chosen to race just one of its Falcon's in Melbourne as it fights the clock to be ready for the first official race of the series - the Clipsal 500 in Adelaide later this month.
Star driver David Besnard is expected to make his season debut in the other WPS Racing Falcon in the first round in Adelaide.
"We have been working around the clock since late January when we decided to field a team in the 2004 series," says Craig Gore, chairman and chief executive of team sponsor Wright Patton Shakespeare Financial Services Group.
"We had our first trial run last week in Queensland and we were ecstatic with the performance of the whole team.
"Mark did the bulk of the test driving last week and we were keen to give him a start in his home town.
"The performance of the car in the testing has given us a level of confidence going into Melbourne but we have decided to run just one of our two cars to take some of the pressure off the team."
Besnard's car is still being pieced together in the in the team's Gold Coast workshop and it is expected to trial in the next fortnight ahead of the Clipsal 500.
"We are using Melbourne as a team building exercise," says Mr Gore.
"Our focus is very much on Adelaide at the moment so we don't have any great expectation in Melbourne.
"That said, we have assembled a tremendous team, we have trialled well and we have a huge talent behind the wheel so anything is possible."
WPS Racing was launched in February at the Brisbane Motor Show just four weeks after Mr Gore finalised the purchase of the former 00 Motorsport operation.
He has since relocated the team to the Gold Coast, developed a fully-operational workshop from scratch and assembled a strong team of experienced motorsport technicians.
The launch of the team follows Mr Gore's initial exposure to motorsport last season when he sponsored Charlie O'Brien's Porsche in the Carrera Cup and Noske's own Falcon for a few races.
"That involvement gave me an understanding and insight into the appeal and potential of the V8 Supercar Championship Series," says Mr Gore.
"Now I am a passionate advocate of the series and I've made a three-year, $10 million commitment to demonstrate how serious I am about the sport."
Release Date: 3/03/2004
WPS Racing
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