Alan Draper to develop Paul Morris Motorsports engines
27/1/2005 7:46 (Press Release) -
Alan Draper, one of the most experienced and successful engine technicians in Australian touring car racing, has joined Paul Morris Motorsports for its 2005 V8 Supercar Championship campaign.
Brisbane-based Draper commenced work at PMM's Gold Coast premises on January 4 and will oversee engine development for the new Sirromet Wines VZ Commodore currently being built for Morris to drive in the championship.
Draper previously worked for Dick Johnson Racing from 1987 to 1999, and during that time the team won three championship titles - by Dick Johnson in Ford Sierras in 1988 and 1989, and John Bowe in 1995 in a Ford Falcon. Johnson and Bowe also won the Bathurst 1000 twice while Draper was with DJR, firstly in 1989 in a Sierra, and in 1994 in a Falcon.
After leaving DJR, Draper worked in V8 Supercars for CAT Racing and Briggs Motorsport, and then Team Dynamik in 2003 and 2004.
Morris said securing Draper's services was a crucial step forward in PMM's aims for improved performance on the race track, and also in the team's expanding V8 Supercar designing and manufacturing business.
PMM is also building a VZ Commodore for Team Kiwi Racing driver Paul Radisich to contest the 2005 championship as part of a technical partnership with TKR, which includes them relocating from Melbourne to be based in PMM's facilities at the Holden Performance Driving Centre.
"Alan (Draper) is one of the best and most experienced engine builders around, and his record speaks for itself in terms of winning championships and Bathurst," said Morris.
"The timing for Alan joining us is perfect because our team will have a much bigger workload this year, especially with the Team Kiwi situation. We could have as many as seven engines on the 'go' either in the race cars, in the truck, on the 'dyno', or being re-built."
Draper said his decision to join PMM had been influenced by the team's stability, resources, the expertise of Technical Manager Paul Ceprnich, and commitment to growth and improvement.
"I wanted to go to a settled team for a period of time, and you can see this operation is growing fast," said Draper.
"Paul (Ceprnich) designs and builds great cars, and the team has the resources to maintain the type of engine development you need if you want to run at the front consistently."
Draper said he would initially develop PMM's existing engines, and then introduce new-generation powerplants for the VZ Commodores during the 13-round 2005 championship. He will be assisted in PMM's expanded engine department by Arch McMurray and David Harvey.
"Some people say these (V8 Supercar) engines are fully developed because they are 'push-rod' technology, but I've been playing with them for 20 years and there's still a lot you can do," said Draper.
"When you start using more horsepower and different materials it puts extra stress on the engine, so you've got to find the balance with reliability. You have to constantly evaluate things like the electronics, cylinder heads, camshafts, and other bits and pieces."
"Extra horsepower is important, but you have to consider the drivability of the car, and what works best at one track might not be suitable somewhere else. Drivers also have their preferences in how they like power delivered, and that's another variable."
Draper's engine development program will utilise PMM's new partnership with technology solutions company Camplex, Delcam software, and a $220,000 Haas Computer Numerical Control (CNC) five-axis machine.
Morris' team are in the process of completing their sixth 'in-house' Commodore V8 Supercar since 2001, and all of their race cars have been designed by Ceprnich with Computer Aided Design-Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAD-CAM).
The 2005 V8 Supercar Championship begins with the Clipsal 500 in Adelaide on March 17-20. Before then the teams will contest the non-championship races at the Australian Formula One Grand Prix at Albert Park in Melbourne from March 4-6.
Release Date: 12/01/2005
Sirromet Wines - Paul Morris Motorsports
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