Preparation the key to Clipsal 500 success: Skaife
7/4/2005 15:46 (Press Release) -
The winner of the V8 Supercar Championship Series’ traditional season opener, the Clipsal 500, will come from the best prepared and most organised team, Holden Racing Team owner Mark Skaife predicts.
Skaife, a two-time winner of the Clipsal 500 (2002-03), says the usual pre-season rush to prepare new racing cars will take its toll on many teams who will simply have survival on their minds over 500km of Adelaide’s punishing street circuit.
“It’s a tough race to win, certainly one of the toughest we race,” Skaife said. “You only have to look at the high attrition rate and damage bill from last year’s race to see that.
“Many teams have made significant changes to their cars, driver line-up and to key personnel over the past few months. Some won’t have tested yet a few may be driving their cars for the first time.
“It has always been the bigger and better organised teams that do well here. We’re confident that Team Red has the structure in place to be in the mix.”
He said the punishing nature of the 2005 V8 Supercar calendar could also weigh heavily on the minds of crew and drivers. “It’s a bloody tough start to the season,” Skaife said.
“We’ve got to get the cars on the boat to New Zealand and then we’ve got a trip to Perth after that, all within the space of six weeks. You don’t want to risk pushing too hard and making a mistake that will bite you.
“This team knows the Clipsal circuit pretty well, so Todd Kelly and myself will be going out there with plenty of respect for the track and the conditions.”
He said he was encouraged by the team’s recent form at the Australian Grand Prix, where HRT won two of three non-championship races and his own results - 3rd, 3rd and 1st - made him the most successful V8 Supercar driver of the meeting.
“You can never get a true gauge of your competitors from a non-championship race so we’re not getting too carried away, but we are genuinely comfortable about where we are at this point,” he said.
“We have got everything in place that we want – well-designed cars, good engines and a settled, focused team environment.
“We’re about as ready as we can be and with a bit of luck we’ll be thereabouts when the race is there is to be won.”
Release Date: 14/03/2005
Holden Racing Team
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