Top Ten Finish Testament To Tasman Team's Tenacity
24/3/2004 0:35 (Press Release) -
After the opening practice session of the Clipsal 500 meeting – the first of the 2004 V8 Supercar Championship Series – Tasman Motorsport driver Jason Richards boldly predicted his car would finish in the Top 10.
Both the prediction and the team’s resolution were put to a stern test by the #3 car’s retirement in the first of the weekend’s two 250km races, after mechanical problems and a collision which broke a steering arm.
But by 4pm on Sunday afternoon, the rest of the V8 Supercar paddock was sitting up and paying attention after Richards and the team steered the #3 car – one of only two outdated VX Commodores in the field – to an outstanding eighth place finish.
An outstanding result by any standard for the fledgling single-car operation, it was made more special by the fact that Richards had started the 250km race from 24th position on the grid and slipped to 27th after the first lap.
“I almost stalled it off the grid and got shuffled back, which was a bit annoying,” Richards said.
It was to be the last time the team would take a backward step, as chief engineer Wally Storey brought the car in for early tyre and fuel stops to enable Richards to concentrate on one thing – driving quickly.
“It was good to get the stops out of the way early on so I could put my head down and pass some cars,” Richards said.
“The car was awesome – it was a shame about yesterday (Saturday) because we probably actually had a better car then, so you’ve got to wonder about what might have been.
“I was just trying to keep my nose clean and not be too forceful. The aim was always to finish and the car – and a good strategy – allowed us to finish well.”
The eighth-place finish gives Richards a valuable 75 championship points to sit in 16th place at the completion of Round 1, and the team a timely morale boost as it pushes to complete the construction of its first VY Commodore.
Round 2 of the V8 Supercar Championship Series will be held at Eastern Creek on April 2-4.
The team’s previous identity, Lansvale Racing Team, last year used Eastern Creek as the test track for the VX Commodore and Tasman Motorsport has access to all relevant data.
“We’ll be looking for a big weekend at Eastern Creek,” Richards said. “The team knows the track well and it’s our home town, so we’ll be wanting to show the home crowd just what we can do.”
Release Date: 22/03/2004
Tasman Motorsport
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