ORRCON RACING READY FOR ANOTHER SHOOTOUT IN THE TOP END
21/5/2004 19:57 (Press Release) -
Orrcon Racing driver Jason Bargwanna is aiming to continue his good early season speed this weekend as the V8 Supercar Championship heads to the Hidden Valley Raceway just outside of Darwin for the fourth round.
Bargwanna was placed fifth in the Championship prior to the previous round in New Zealand and showed great pace to start in his second consecutive top 10 shootout at Pukekohe. Despite his pace Bargwanna’s results were marred when he was spun in the opening race dropping him down the order.
Given the close proximity of the points structure this year with only two points separating each position in a sprint race the spin that dropped Bargwanna outside the top 20 in Race One also dropped him outside the top 10 in the Championship.
Highlighting the intense battle in the Championship standings is the fact that there is an average of eight points (or less than two spots overall in a round) between each competitor that is placed between fifth and 13th in the Championship.
In the past Bargwanna has been a front runner at the Hidden Valley round finishing runner-up for the round in 1998 and is confident of another good showing this weekend.
“Hidden Valley is a track that I have had success at before and it is always one that I enjoy, it is unique in it’s layout and atmosphere of the event,” said Bargwanna.
“In the opening few rounds I think we have showed that we have a good package that also includes some good power under the bonnet that should put us in a good position for this weekend.
“After making the shootout in New Zealand it has made me even hungrier for more success.”
For the third time this year Bargwanna’s Orrcon Racing team mate Mark Winterbottom is making his debut on a new circuit for the reigning Konica Champion.
Just like his more experienced team mate Winterbottom has also showed good pace in the first three rounds of the Championship.
In New Zealand 22-year-old Winterbottom elevating himself from his qualifying position of 25th to be chasing down a top ten finish in race three. Unfortunately for Winterbottom an electrical problem with a fuel pump put a premature end to his charge.
“We are certainly making forward progress with our pace and it was unfortunate that we didn’t get the result in New Zealand but it makes me and the team more determined for the upcoming rounds” said Winterbottom.
“Many people say that this round is one of the toughest on the Championship with the heat and humidity but I always love a challenge and am really looking forward to another new track.
“The closest I’ve been to the Darwin is Alice Springs when I was on holidays a few years ago.
“It seems to me that the track will be a very technical one with some challenging turns including a hairpin as tight as Adelaide and a long straight where you can get a good draft.”
Practice for this weekend’s round begins on Friday afternoon followed by qualifying and one 17-lap race on Saturday and a pair of 35-lap races on Sunday around the 2.9 km circuit that will include a compulsory pit stop for tyres.
CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS AFTER ROUND THREE
Marcos Ambrose – 532 points
Steven Richards – 528
Greg Murphy – 509
Rick Kelly – 502
Jason Bright – 457
Craig Baird – 364
Russell Ingall – 350
Paul Weel – 347
Steven Johnson – 341
John Bowe – 326
13.Jason Bargwanna – 306
20.Mark Winterbottom - 234
ORRCON RACINGS DRIVER HISTORY AT HIDDEN VALLEY
Jason Bargwanna
Best Round finish – 2nd (1998)
Best qualifying position – 4th (1998)
Best race finish – 2nd (1998)
2003 results – Qualifying 21st, Race One 17th, Race Two 13th, Race Three 20th Overall round results – 20th
Mark Winterbottom
Best Round finish – N/A
Best qualifying position – N/A
Best race finish – N/A
2003 results – N/A
Overall round results – N/A
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Friday 21 May
2:30pm - 3:05pm - Practice 1
Saturday 22 May
9:30am - 10:05am - Practice 2
11:40am - 12:00pm - Qualifying (Lower 50%)
12:05pm - 12:25pm - Qualifying (Upper 50%)
2:30pm - 3:00pm - Top 10 Shoot Out
4:30pm - 4:50pm - Race 1 (17 laps)
Sunday 23 May
9:40am - 10:00am Warm Up
11:45am - 12:30pm - Race 2 (35 laps)
2:30pm - 3:15 - Race 3 (35 laps)
TV TELECAST - Network Ten
Sunday
2:30pm - 5:00pm
Round Four
Hidden Valley Raceway
Darwin, NT
May 21-23, 2004
Track Length: 2.90km
Avg Speed: 151 kph
Max Speed: 256 kph
Round Format:: 1 X 20 min (17 laps) and 2 X! 100km (35 laps)
2003 result – 1st Marcos Ambrose, 2nd Mark Skaife, 3rd Jason Bright
Release Date: 17/05/2004
Larkham Orrcon Racing
|
|
