R6S PREV - What they said...
22/6/2001 14:19 (V8 Wire - Jason Whittaker) -
How the main players access their chances of success this weekend, round six of the Shell Series at Barbagallo Raceway.
MARK SKAIFE (Holden Racing Team)
"The thing about Wanneroo is, the short track brings the field together and it's incredibly close. That closeness can also lead to people taking risks that in turn, can then lead to the possibility of contact between cars and your day can be very easily ruined.
"Saturday is pay-day really, what with two practice sessions, qualifying, the top ten shootout as well as race one. Setting up the car is critical as, you need to qualify well to keep out of the potential trouble back in the pack.”
JASON BRIGHT (Holden Racing Team)
"While it's not a technically difficult circuit, finding a balance at the track is vital to doing well there. I was on the podium in 1999 behind Craig and Mark; it'd be nice to be a couple of places higher up this time.
"Given the speed of the Ford's lately, we'll really have to qualify well as they'll be very difficult to pass, even if their tyres go off late in each race."
GREG MURPHY (K-Mart Racing Team)
“There isn’t any point in dwelling on what happened in Canberra, so I’m looking forward to this weekend’s race at Barbargallo with great enthusiasm.
“I’ve done well there before and our Kmart Racing Team is focussed winning our first round this weekend.”
TODD KELLY (K-Mart Racing Team)
“As with any race, setting the car up right in practice will be the first goal, then making the top 10 qualifying shootout will be the second. From there on, the goal is to race hard and finish well in all three races.
“I haven’t raced a V8 at Barbargallo before, so it might take a few laps to settle in, but after that, especially with the experience and data we have with this team, I should be okay.”
STEVEN JOHNSON (Shell Helix Racing)
“It’s been a week since Canberra and I’m still on a high, but I’m also starting to think about getting the job done in Perth.
"Qualifying will be critical, as passing can be quite hard, and with no pit stops at this round, you can’t rely on making up positions in the pit lane.”
PAUL RADISICH (Shell Helix Racing)
“The fact of the matter is that although the championship was my aim this year, for a variety of reasons it’s now out of reach, so I am free to concentrate purely on winning races.
“It probably won’t affect my approach much because I always go racing to win but without the title chase to worry about, you can take things race by race and not worry about the issue of points.”
STEVEN RICHARDS (Ford-Tickford Racing)
"With the competition so close, you need to take every advantage – our team has continued to improve at every event and our first round win is very much the goal at Barbagallo.
"The track itself is a combination of some twisty stuff, as well as a very long straight. I’m sure we can get the right balance of speed and handling to be successful in Perth.”
GLENN SETON (Ford-Tickford Racing)
"Although our most recent form at Barbagallo has not been that good, my car this year has been very strong.
"We are very close to gaining that much-needed round win, and along with Steve and the entire 16-man crew, I’m confident the job can be done in WA.”
CRAIG LOWNDES (Gibson Motorsport)
“As a circuit, Barbagallo is complex for drivers in all categories. Due to the large movements of sand on the track, you’re greeted with totally different conditions every morning, which makes it hard to perfect set-up.
“The track is also hard on tyres. By race three we’ll be left with the ‘best of the rest’ of our tyre ration, with none of them in particularly good shape to set lap records. It should make for some interesting racing, and we’ll see which drivers are kindest to their tyres.”
GARTH TANDER (Valvoline-Cummins Race Team)
"I think the HRT winning streak is more of a true form guide than Lowndes’. The red cars are the ones to beat everywhere and their record says they know Barbagallo pretty well so theirs is the streak I want to break this weekend.
“We will be pretty confident as the Valvoline Cummins car was the quickest Commodore on the track in Canberra and we were the only ones who managed to split the HRT cars at this track last year."
JOHN BOWE (CAT Racing)
"The car has been quite fast and consistent and I would love to have a good result in Perth this week.
"The Cat team originally started in Perth three years ago but we have not been able to pull out a good result there. In the past, I have done well in Perth with a couple of round wins and I think we are well placed to do well again."
CAMERON McLEAN (Greenfield Mowers Racing)
“It doesn't look like a ‘technical’ track but it’s actually a lot trickier than some people give it credit for.
“It's a combination of most types of corners. The long back straight is very fast and ends with a downhill run that tapers into a slight uphill rise as you hit a right-hander onto the main straight.”
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