Morris puts air conditioning back in V8 Supercar for seson opener
7/4/2005 15:38 (Press Release) -
Gold Coast driver Paul Morris has re-installed an air conditioning unit in his Sirromet Wines Holden Commodore in a bid to combat expected hot conditions in the opening round of the V8 Supercar Championship in Adelaide next week.
Morris revealed his decision to race with in-car air conditioning in the Clipsal 500 from March 17-20 after evaluating the system yesterday in his new VZ Commodore during a test session at the Queensland Raceway circuit near Ipswich.
The 37-year-old made history in 2004 when he became the first driver to race with a complete air conditioning system in his car since the category for V8 Fords and Holdens began in 1993.
Morris raced with air conditioning in 2004 at championship venues with traditionally warm weather, including the series opener in Adelaide, where he finished eighth overall in the round.
He has not use the air conditioning unit since the 2004 championship round at Hidden Valley in Darwin, and said his move to have the system re-installed was influenced by conditions on the 3.2km Adelaide street circuit.
"Adelaide is always a tough physical slog because the heat and fumes get trapped between the concrete walls - the air conditioning was a big plus the last time we raced there," he said.
"The car loses a couple of horsepower driving the (air conditioning) compressor, but you stay cooler in a long driving stint and that helps keep the lap times consistent."
"In the past some drivers have been badly affected by the heat in Adelaide, but the air conditioning makes things more comfortable."
Morris said there was a major change in the airflow inside the car with the 2005-specification air conditioning unit, compared to the system used previously.
"We've sealed off the front of the car inside the cockpit with clear plastic," he said. "It isolates the cool air in the front of the car which is better for the driver."
"In the testing we did (yesterday) the on-board temperatures were around 31-degrees, which is 4-degrees cooler than when we ran the air conditioning last year."
The air conditioning unit was designed by Paul Morris Motorsports under the direction of Technical Manager Paul Ceprnich at the team's workshop and manufacturing premises at the Holden Performance Driving Centre.
Morris drove a total of 41 laps in yesterday's test on the 3.1km Queensland Raceway track, and recorded a best lap time of 1-min 11.4-secs. His team-mate in the 2004 Bathurst 1000, Alan Gurr, also drove 31 laps in the VZ model, and clocked a fastest lap of 1-min 11.8-secs.
During the test Morris said he and PMM staff worked on solving the brake problems which hampered his debut in the new VZ Commodore in non-championship V8 Supercar races at the Australian Formula One Grand Prix in Melbourne from March 3-6.
"We tested on 'old' tyres and basically the aim was to do a full systems check on the car for Adelaide," said Morris. "Our main concern with the new car in Melbourne was with brakes. At first we thought the problems were with the rotors or pads, but it's something else and we're sorting it out."
"Last year we were competitive in Adelaide, and since we're going back with a new and updated car then there's no reason why we can't carry plenty of speed."
New Zealand driver Paul Radisich also tested at Queensland Raceway yesterday in an identical PMM-built Team Kiwi Racing VZ Commodore. This year PMM and TKR have formed a technical partnership.
The V8 Supercar program at the Adelaide round begins with practice and qualifying next Friday, with a 250km race on each of the following two days. Marcos Ambrose won both races in the 2004 Adelaide round in a Pirtek Ford Falcon.
Release Date: 12/03/2005
Sirromet - Life, Style, Wines (PMM)
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