Disapointing Weekend For Holden Racing Team
10/5/2004 0:35 (Press Release) -
PWR Racing’s Jason Bright has finally stopped the winning run of Kiwi Greg Murphy at his home circuit in New Zealand. Bright scored 2 race wins and a 2nd to take the round honours from the Marcos Ambrose Ford, with Murphy in 3rd.
The round was disrupted by heavy rain Saturday, forcing the postponement of race #1 and, causing a re-arrangement of the program for Sunday of 3, 36-lap races with the Compulsory Pit Stops deleted.
Despite the wet on Saturday, the Holden Racing Team’s Mark Skaife took pole position and Todd Kelly 9th in the Top 10 Shoot Out, but Skaife in particular wasn’t able to convert the front row spot after he missed the start and was later spun after contact with Steven Richards. Race 2 contact with Craig Baird forced Skaife’s retirement with damaged steering and he came back from 32 on the grid in race #3 to finish 19th.
Todd Kelly finished the 3 races with results of 17th, 10th and 14th, after a race 1/lap1 “concertina” crash put him out of the top 10 and damaged the air intake and radiators of the car.
The HRT pair is 15th (Kelly) and 16th (Skaife) in the Championship
Mark Skaife:
“I’m disappointed in the result, given we qualified on pole. We looked for a better result, but unfortunately circumstances in race 1 put us back for the rest of the day. Grabbing pole in the Shoot Out was pleasing as it’s out first in a while and it displays the gains we’re making with this package.”
Todd Kelly:
“The chassis was quite good but our lap speed still isn’t quite there. This place (Pukekohe) is a ‘drag strip’ and, that’s where we’re suffering at the moment”
Rob Starr – Team Manager:
“The first race cost us in both Mark’s and Todd’s case. We took a gamble on (a dry) set up and it didn’t work so, we were back in the pack for the rest of the day when anything can happen. With 20 cars within a second of each other, it’s hard to come through from there.”
Car #2/Mark Skaife:
Practice #1:
Laps completed – 20
Position – 2nd
Fastest Lap – 57.12 seconds
Practice #2:
Laps - 22
Position – 11th
Fastest Lap – 57.28 seconds
Qualifying:
Laps completed – 13
Position – 3rd
Fastest lap – 56.62 seconds
Top 10 Shoot Out:
Position – Pole
Race #1:
Position – 16th
Fastest lap – 58.34 (fastest race lap)
Race #2:
Position - DNF
Fastest lap – 58.67
Race #3:
Position – 19th
Fastest lap – 58.25
Round Result: 21st
Championship Points: 254
Position in C’ship: 16th
Car #22:/Todd Kelly
Practice #1:
Laps completed – 22
Position – 5th
Fastest Lap – 57.33 seconds
Practice #2
Laps completed – 21
Position – 14th
Fastest Lap – 57.50 seconds
Qualifying:
Laps completed – 11
Position – 4th
Fastest Lap – 56.71 seconds
Top 10 Shoot Out:
Position – 9th
Race #1:
Position – 17th
Fastest lap – 61.63
Race #2:
Position – 10th
Fastest lap – 58.38
Race #3:
Position – 14th
Fastest lap – 58.16
Round Result: 11th
Championship Points: 269
Position in C’ship: 15th
Release Date: 02/05/2004
Holden Racing Team
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