Walden's Winton washout
14/8/2004 14:54 (Press Release) -
As poor weather forced an unscheduled change to the qualifying format at Round Seven of the V8 Supercar Championship Series, Walden Motorsport is one of three cars already looking ahead to Round Eight.
Whilst regular conditions would have seen the top and bottom 50% qualifying separately, the rain induced full field session made it difficult for all teams to post decent times as cars constantly lost traction and either ended up on the boggy infield or in hazardous positions.
Walden Motorsport’s Team Manager Brian Walden said, “Saturday’s result was extremely frustrating. Not only was there a full field to overcome in qualifying, but our best times had to be discounted because they were deemed to be completed under red flag conditions.”
“A lot of teams were off the pace out there for most part… the wet weather probably played too much of a role on the day with the qualifying session continually flagged for dangerous conditions,” said Brian.
Despite the result, Walden Motorsport is confident that the round has been an invaluable lesson for the team in preparation for a full assault on the supercar series.
“We took the invitation for a late-series entry with realistic goals - to take things one step at a time as they get thrown at us,” said Brian.
“The important thing for us at the moment is the experience, so that we can competitively contest the full season from 2005, and I believe that conditions down here have taught our guys a lot.”
As one of only two Sydney-based teams in the competition, Walden Motorsport is looking forward to a strong performance at the local Round Eight of the 2004 V8 Supercar Championship, being hosted by Oran Park Raceway.
“This is a sport where preparation and track knowledge play an integral role in all teams’ performances,” said Brian.
“So far we’ve had to travel away from tracks that we know, and rely on data that we haven’t had the opportunity to test… at least we can be confident in our set-up for Oran Park.”
For the Waldens, the Oran Park round means much more to the team than simply competing on their testing track; both the Team’s Manager and Driver made their racing debuts on the raceway in 1970 and 1998 respectively.
“Oran Park is like our backyard. It’s been our teething ground and is now our much loved home. Round Eight will be our time to shine, and that’s exactly what we plan on doing.”
Walden Motorsport’s next appearance will be under the Romano Racing Franchise at Round Eight of the 2004 V8 Supercar Championship Series, to be held at Oran Park Raceway, 13-15 August.
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