Noske To Get His Season On Track At Darwin
20/5/2004 20:58 (Press Release) -
WPS Racing’s Mark Noske, sidelined for the first three rounds of the 2004 V8 Supercar Championship Series while his team negotiated the purchase of a second license, is primed for a strong season-debut drive at Darwin later this month.
Noske said he had put the frustration of being sidelined for the first three rounds behind him and was focused on finishing the three-race Darwin event inside the top 20.
But with the following round in Perth limited to the top 32 drivers on the championship table, Noske may need to finish inside the top 15 to guarantee his place in the fifth round.
“My main goal is to get points in Darwin and to do that I have to stay out of trouble and make sure I finish all three races,” said Noske.
“At this stage I’m not completely sure where I will need to finish to ensure qualification for Perth but I imagine it’s inside the top 15.
“That is a big ask considering the other drivers have three rounds already under their belts, but I’m determined to give it a shot.
“Personally I think a realistic goal is to finish in the top 20 but I realise that may not be enough to get me into the next race.”
Noske is determined to qualify for the Perth event as Barbagallo is a track that has been kind to him in the past.
He qualified in 8th place at Barbagallo last year.
“It was my best ever qualifying position so that gives me extra incentive to do well in Darwin to ensure I can race in Perth,” said Noske.
Noske said he was confident in the set up of his WPS Racing Ford BA as it was being configured to the same base specifications as that of his team mate David Besnard’s car.
“That has been one of the positives of sitting in the pits watching Bezzy race,” said Noske.
“We have shown good speed so I know when I jump in the car it will be competitive.
“It has been good to watch how the team has performed under pressure and it has been something of an education for me.”
Further engine development on the WPS Racing cars has been under way since the completion of the previous round in New Zealand.
That work is designed to extract greater horsepower to complement the sensational cornering the team has derived from its first class chassis set up.
“Now it is up to me to get in the car and get on with the job,” said Noske.
His season debut drive at Darwin was confirmed earlier this month when team owner Craig Gore finalised the purchase of David Thexton’s license.
Up until then WPS Racing was operating off a single license, allowing just one car, driven by David Besnard, to compete in the series.
The purchase of the second license allowed WPS Racing, sponsored by the Wright Patton Shakespeare Financial Group, to field two cars.
David Besnard is currently in 17th position on the championship table.
Release Date: 12/05/2004
WPS Racing
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