History in the making for Konica Minolta V8 Supercar Series
19/8/2004 0:47 (Press Release) -
The champion of the 2004 Konica Minolta V8 Supercar Series will be announced this weekend as the series holds its sixth and final round at Mallala Motorsport Park near Adelaide, South Australia.
For the first time in the series’ five year history, seven drivers go into the round with a chance of being crowned champion and another four have a mathematical chance of walking away with the title.
There are 192 points on offer over the event weekend, with 64 points available in each of the three races on Sunday, guaranteeing spectacular race action for Australian motorsport fans.
Super Cheap Auto Racing’s Luke Youlden is leading the championship by 10 points over fellow Ford driver Andrew Jones, followed by seasoned performed Owen Kelly. A mere 15 points separate the top three drivers.
Youlden held a handy lead going into the second last round at Queensland Raceway, but an over heating problem with the Falcon’s brakes ended any chances of him finishing on the podium and allowed Jones and Kelly to close in on the championship.
Youlden’s Super Cheap Auto Racing team will have the car set up for the testing Mallala circuit where they will try to resurrect the form that has helped him lead the series for the past three rounds.
“Mallala is one of those places where it is usually wet at some stage of the weekend, so ensuring you have a good wet setup in the bank is vital,” Youlden said.
“It will be essential for the Super Cheap Auto Racing Falcon to stop well and get the power down quickly with the corners at Mallala being short and quick rather than a smooth radius at circuits such as Eastern Creek.
“Mallala is a track where you continuously seem to be stopping and then going again, so if you can execute that efficiently, there is a good chance you will end up on the podium at the end of the weekend.”
Team BOC’s Andrew Jones will be looking for the same qualifying performance at the Mallala circuit that he experienced at the same round last year when he recorded one of his best qualifying performances.
“The team have looked over the setup which worked at Mallala in 2003 and the different things which have led the Team BOC Falcon to good results recently and developed a formula which we believe will suit the circuit,” Jones said.
“There have been no major changes, the car has been fantastic lately – my thoughts are when you are on a good thing, don’t mess with it.”
An aspect that may come into the equation for the championship contenders is the full reverse grid race two, which has been at the topic of much conversion amongst teams and media this year.
“I’ve been pretty outspoken about the series format all season,” Team Fujitsu’s Owen Kelly said.
“There is always damage done by the more inexperienced drivers and with the series being so close, no-one wants to lose the championship because someone sitting in the lower 50 per cent forces a contender’s retirement.”
Jones argues that on the other side, the full reverse grid race provides spectators with the opportunity to see some exciting racing.
“The reverse grid race throws a bit of life into the racing and provides the fans with a lot of action,” Jones said.
“However, we are in the industry of racing and should be rewarded if you win the first race by being able to start the race from the front of the grid.
“The other thing is if you have a bad first race, you get a good result due to the reverse grid and it provides you with the opportunity to stay in touch with the leaders over the weekend.
“On the other hand, we are also in the entertainment industry and the reverse grid race gives the fans fantastic value for their money. Like everything there are the positives and negatives for the race format and I guess the way you look at it depends on the weekend you have on the track.”
Castrol Perkins Motorsport’s Steven Richards will act as the official Konica Minolta V8 Supercar Series Ambassador for Mallala, offering spectators some expert commentary over the two event days as well as handing over the champion trophy to the eventual winner of the series.
Mallala Motorsport Park is located just over an hour from the centre of Adelaide. Ticket prices are Friday only $10, Saturday only $15 and Sunday $25. Children under 14 are free when accompanied by an adult.
Program Schedule
Saturday 21st August
10am – 10.35am Konica Minolta V8 Supercar Series Practice One
12pm – 12.35pm Konica Minolta V8 Supercar Series Practice Two
2.15pm – 2.35pm Konica Minolta V8 Supercar Series Qualifying (Lower 50%)
2.40pm – 3pm Konica Minolta V8 Supercar Series Qualifying (Upper 50%)
After Qualifying Media Conference
Sunday 22nd August
9.30am – 9.50am Konica Minolta V8 Supercar Series Warm Up
11.25am Konica Minolta V8 Supercar Series Race 1 – 16 laps
1.20pm Konica Minolta V8 Supercar Series Race 2 – 16 laps (Full Reverse Grid)
3.10pm Konica Minolta V8 Supercar Series Race 3 – 28 laps
Race End Podium Presentation
Series Champion Podium Presentation
After Podium Media Conference
Konica Minolta V8 Supercar Series Top 15
1. Luke Youlden Super Cheap Auto Racing 771pts
2. Andrew Jones Team BOC 761pts
3. Owen Kelly Team Fujitsu 756pts
4. Mark Porter TKR/Hydraulink Racing 717pts
5. Matthew White Jayco/Gulf Western Oil 701pts
6. Jose Fernandez Team Fujitsu 695pts
7. Cameron McLean Howard Racing 647pts
8. Grant Elliot Sydney Star Truck & Bus 600pts
9. Tony D’Alberto Independent Race Cars 576pts
10. Marcus Zukanovic PCR/Actron Air Racing 535pts
11. Gary MacDonald Rod Lynch Motorsport 532pts
12. Adam Wallis Rupprecht Motorsport 499pts
13. Wayne Wakefield Century Batteries 453pts
14. Lee Holdsworth Smiths Trucks 434pts
15. Jay Verdnik Jay Motorsport 416pts
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