Grech gambles with two aces; Skaife and Bright unite
14/8/2001 21:38 (V8 Wire - Jason Whittaker) -
The Holden Racing Team will put all their eggs in one basket at next week’s Queensland 500, pairing title contenders Mark Skaife and Jason Bright together in the No. 1 HRT Commodore.
The team’s enduro imports, Tomas Mezera and Tony Longhurst, will share the second car.
Skaife and Bright lead the Shell Series ahead of the 500km race, and are likely to fight out the championship over the remaining rounds.
But Team Manager Jeff Grech said a change in team policy, instituted last year, led to the decision.
"We've split our lead drivers once before and that was in 1999," Grech explained.
"But the team's policy since then has been to put your two lead drivers together and to attempt – whenever possible – to win the race. By winning the event, the Shell Series outcome will then look after itself."
Grech said the team will evaluate the pairings again before the V8 1000 at Bathurst.
"This year's a little different in that there's another 'regular' round before Bathurst and another two after the 1000km event, so we will evaluate our position again post-Queensland and Winton,” he said.
The Holden Racing Team tested their men and machines at Melbourne’s Calder Park Raceway last Friday, in preparation for Queensland Raceway.
Longhurst and Mezera spent the day familiarising themselves with their red rocketship, as well as practicing pit stops and driver changes.
Their pairing is a racing reunion of sorts, with the seasoned drivers having raced to Bathurst glory together in 1988.
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