Team Red gets a monkey off its back
7/4/2005 15:01 (Press Release) -
The Holden Racing Team has put to rest rumours of its demise as a V8 Supercar powerhouse in emphatic fashion, winning two of three non-championship races at the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne.
Drivers Mark Skaife and Todd Kelly each collected a race victory, while Skaife’s overall result of 3rd, 3rd and 1st in the three races made him the most successful driver of the weekend and has given the team a timely confidence boost prior to the season opener in Adelaide, the Clipsal 500.
“The monkey is certainly off our back, the promise of the weekend indicates that,” said Skaife, the team principal. “I don’t feel like, going into Adelaide, we have to make up so much. This time last year we were in a car that was an eight out of ten, this time it’s probably a nine or nine-and-a-half.”
Skaife has also fired the first shot in what promises to be an intriguing battle in 2005 with arch-rival Marcos Ambrose, a crafty Race 3 pass on the defending V8 Supercar champion demonstrating the closeness of their machinery and skill.
“He (Ambrose) braked deep, and I thought when he turned in he was going to make it okay, but I was able to switch back and come up the side,” Skaife said. “Marcos gave me room on the exit to Turn 2 and instead of having a bumping duel we were able to get on with the rest of it.”
Kelly fired the first shot of the weekend by winning the qualifying battle, placing the HRT #22 Commodore VZ on pole for the first of three races with Skaife behind him in 3rd position. Kelly led Race 1 from flag to flag, with Skaife held at bay by Marcos Ambrose to finish third.
Kelly dominated the opening to Race 2, easily leading after one lap when, under caution conditions, he put a wheel on a slippery piece of kerbing and speared into a wall.
“I just stuffed up,” Kelly said afterwards. “It happened after the Safety Car board came out, I was trying to keep a bit of heat in the tyres and just got sideways onto the straight, hit the kerb and that was the end of the story. I went around, ran out of lock and knocked the front on the wall.”
His car was retired and Skaife assumed the lead, but was run down by John Bowe and Brad Jones, the only drivers to run “dry” tyres after early wet conditions dried out. Skaife finished third behind the Ford pair.
“I take my hat off to them – if you’re going to take a risk like that you deserve to get a result,” Skaife said afterwards.
Starting from third position in Race 3, Skaife was briefly shuffled back to 4th placing as both Ambrose and teammate Russell Ingall went past, while Skaife reeled in Jones. However, Skaife picked off Bowe, Ingall and Ambrose within four laps and was never seriously threatened on his way to his first Grand Prix support race victory since 2001.
“We’ve had car speed all weekend, the guys have done a great job in the off-season with building new cars and with all the engine work we’ve done,” Skaife said.
You go down to the garage and the same guys are there, we’ve got a great vibe around the place.
“On race weekends I don’t come along as a team owner at all, I come along to drive the car and I’ve said that for a long time now and it’s certainly the case. I feel good about it; I think it’s a welcome return to where we should be.”
Release Date: 06/03/2005
Holden Racing Team
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