Richards finishes fifth in V8 Supercar Ch
11/1/2005 16:16 (Press Release) -
As the chequered flag flew for the 2004 V8 Supercar Championship Series at Eastern Creek today, Castrol Perkins Motorsport’s Steven Richards rounded out the year by finishing fifth in the tough championship chase with fourth overall in the final round.
The 32-year-old had a good day today, moving the Castrol #11 car from eighth on the grid to fourth place in the first 150-kilometre race run in warmer conditions.
Richards’ team decided to run longer on their tyres before their compulsory pit stop, running until lap 25 of 39 before stopping, while many of his rivals decided to pit early.
In the second race he delayed himself by stalling exiting the pits, dropping a few spots on his way to finishing eighth in the final race of the season, which has spanned 13 rounds across Australia and New Zealand.
The second race saw rain clouds surround the Western Sydney circuit, prompting Richards to opt to fit the best of his tyres for the opening stint with the thought that the rain may negate using his not-so-good tyres in deference for wet weather rubber.
“It was a bit harder to run on the second set of tyres in the last race but we’re still happy,” said Richards.
“In the first race’s pit stop there was a little drama with the right rear tyre and in the second I stalled.
“We had two clean races and I made good starts in each. In the earlier race today I spent 25 laps behind Steven Johnson, but no real complaints really.
Richards’ result moved him in front of Kmart’s Rick Kelly to seal fifth place in the championship, an improvement over his sixth-place finishes in the title in 2002 and 2003.
His team-mates Paul Dumbrell and Alex Davison both struggled today, with cars that they were unable to find happy setups for meaning that they spent two difficult races in the back part of the pack.
Dumbrell started 16th for race two and ended up 25th before running 24th in the final race.
The 21-year-old has finished his second full season in the V8 Supercar Championship Series and will have shoulder reconstruction surgery later this week before the 2005 season.
Davison, who will join the Perkins team as a full-time driver next year, also struggled, frustrated as he continues his learning process in V8 Supercar racing.
The 25-year-old had a pair of 27th place finishes today, after the team changed an engine overnight.
With the season finished, the Castrol Perkins team will begin planning for its 2005 assault, taking away the knowledge that their VY Commodore with the Holden Motorsport engine has proved to be fast over the past four or five rounds, despite a lack of luck.
The V8 Supercars will reconvene at the non-championship Australian Grand Prix event at Albert Park at the beginning of March.
Round 13 Results – V8 Supercar Championship Series at Eastern Creek
Pos No Driver Car Points
1 1 Marcos Ambrose Pirtek Falcon BA 192
2 88 Paul Radisich Betta Falcon BA 174
3 98 Russell Ingall Caltex Falcon BA 160
4 11 Steven Richards Castrol Commodore VY 158
5 2 Mark Skaife HRT Commodore VY 144
6 33 Cameron McConville Valvoline Commodore VY 142
7 17 Steven Johnson Shell Helix Falcon BA 142
8 3 Jason Richards Tasman Commodore VY 136
9 10 Jason Bargwanna Orrcon Falcon BA 124
10 6 Craig Lowndes CAT Falcon BA 122
23 8 Paul Dumbrell Castrol Commodore VY 68
28 7 Alex Davison Castrol Commodore VY 44
Final Points – V8 Supercar Championship Series
Pos No Driver Car Points
1 1 Marcos Ambrose Pirtek Falcon BA 2174
2 9 Russell Ingall Caltex Havoline Falcon BA 1936
3 50 Jason Bright PWR Commodore VY 1920
4 51 Greg Murphy Kmart Commodore VY 1913
5 11 Steven Richards Castrol Commodore VY 1819
6 15 Rick Kelly Kmart Commodore VY 1793
7 22 Todd Kelly HRT Commodore VY 1623
8 10 Jason Bargwanna Orrcon Falcon BA 1526
9 12 John Bowe Ozemail Falcon BA 1502
10 17 Steven Johnson Shell Helix Falcon BA 1416
24 8 Paul Dumbrell Castrol Commodore VY 1018
29 7 Tony Longhurst Castrol Commodore VX/VY 856
38 7 Alex Davison Castrol Commodore VX/VY 256
Release Date: 05/12/2004
Castrol Perkins Motorsport
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