Seton to be fit for Sandown, car not so lucky
28/9/2000 10:59 (V8 Wire - Jason Whittaker) - Glenn Seton has been given the clean-bill of health after his frightening pit straight shunt at Phillip Island yesterday, however his car hasn’t fared as well.
Seton will be released from Melbourne’s Alfred Hospital tomorrow where he spent last night recovering from a high-speed crash during pre-Bathurst testing at the Island circuit yesterday.
While fractured ribs, bruises and stiffness are not expected to keep Seton out of the action at the penultimate championship round at Sandown next weekend, the FTR AU Falcon Seton was driving at the time of the crash is not expected to fully recover.
The body shell and a number of major components were written off in the 200km/hr impact, and a new car will need to be built.
The Ford-Tickford Racing crew will work night and day to complete a new machine for Sandown, however FTR General Manager Jon Matthews concedes the outlook is grim.
"The guys are working huge hours in an effort to get the new car up and running, but it's a tough ask for it to be ready in a week,” Matthews said. “We will most likely run just the one remaining car at Sandown and Indy."
"Given Glenn's Championship standings, he's hoping to regain fitness for Sandown. We will have to wait and see how he pulls up over the weekend,” he said.
With just one FTR Falcon likely to line-up on the Sandown grid, and Seton’s title hopes in the balance, Neil Crompton looks a likely non-starter at Sandown. He is, however, on stand-by should Seton’s recovery take a turn for the worse.
Seton lies third on the Shell Series table, 247 points behind leader, Mark Skaife.
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