R1 PREV - Dumbrell the standout ahead of Konica opener
30/3/2002 14:02 (V8 Wire - Jason Whittaker) -
A 19-year-old university student is the glaring favourite for this year’s Konica V8 Supercar Series, the junior V8 league that begins its 2002 season at Wakefield Park Raceway this Easter weekend.
Paul Dumbrell’s age belies his experience, a former Formula Holden front-runner, three-time Mount Panorama starter, and vice-champion in last year’s Konica Series.
He won’t have the backing of a Level 1 outfit this season (Gibson Motorsport prepared his Commodore last year), but with Marty Brant’s Independent Race Cars outfit behind his cause, the unassuming young-gun will be out to avenge his narrow series loss last year.
"I am really looking forward to the 2002 season, we came so close to winning the title last year but Simon (new Briggs Motorsport spearhead Simon Wills) pipped us in the last round at Mallala,” Dumbrell said.
He also has the class car of the field, Russell Ingall’s 2001 VX Commodore, a more than formidable package in a fleet of second, third and fourth-hand machines.
"Marty and the crew at Independent Race Cars have built a fantastic car for the new season, obviously we're hoping to be on the podium but most importantly we're looking for points for the championship. We'd like to improve on last years runner-up position," he said.
While this year’s Konica league looks a little short on quality, quantity shouldn’t be a problem. A record 28 cars will greet the starter this weekend, with more entries expected throughout the five-round series.
It’s a rough-around-the-edges formula: aging, battered cars in the hands of raw, unproven talent. Even the opening round venue, a tight 2.2km layout near Goulburn in rural New South Wales, has a quaint, country feel to it – light years away from the bright lights of Adelaide’s Clipsal 500.
And with Level 1 campaigners Gibson and Garry Rogers Motorsport abandoning their Konica efforts this year, it’s left to an eclectic rabble of fledgling race teams and largely no-name drivers to challenge Dumbrell and make their mark on the V8 Supercar map.
Journeyman Matthew White, second in the 2000 Konica Series, is a worthy opponent.
The 28-year-old will concentrate on the junior league this year after a failed, cash-starved assault on the main championship the past two seasons. Aboard a reborn VT Commodore, and with the backing of VIP Petfoods, White should be a regular visitor to the podium.
"It was a lean year for all out on the track last year, but this year with a shift in strategy, we'll be able to bring our fans and sponsors some more wins," said White, who will also prepare a Commodore for V8 Supercar rookie Michael Turner.
Falcons have traditionally struggled in the Konica Series, though this year Ford's stocks have been bolstered with two-car efforts from Craig Harris, Michael Simpson and Ross Halliday.
The under-achieving Harris garage will prepare a second Falcon for Canberra driver Dale Brede, 26, who has secured an impressive array of supporters for his campaign, headed by oil giant Gulf Western.
Driving an AU Falcon will be a new experience for Brede, but it should provide the pace for him to improve on his sixth in last year’s championship.
“I like the Wakefield circuit, it suits my driving style,” Brede said of his chances this weekend. “It will be interesting to see how different the Gulf Western Falcon is to the Commodore I drove there last year. It should be a lot of fun and I’m hoping for a good result to start off with.”
Also in the blue corner, debutant Kiwi Mark Porter. The former TraNZam ace has been recruited to Paul Weel’s factory-backed operation as a test driver and has been handed a current-spec AU Falcon to go racing in the Konica championship.
“I'll just make the most of the opportunity to get used to the car and the new tracks,” Porter said. “This is a great chance to get into the class, so I'm really looking forward to it.”
Along with Turner and Porter, four other drivers will make their V8 Supercar debut at Wakefield Park; Bob McDonald (in a Peter Doulman Commodore), Mark Howard (a renowned Gold Coast property developer and partner in Michael Simpson’s two-car tilt), Grant Elliott (who won the opportunity as part of the Chance of a Lifetime campaign) and Clyde Lawrence (in a self-prepared VS Commodore).
Australia’s leading female racer, Leanne Ferrier is back for 2002, though in an aging VS Commodore her hopes of improving on last year’s fifth appear slim.
Drivers will again compete over three races this season – including the controversial top ten reverse grid for the second heat – though the final race has been extended from 20 minutes to a 35-minute staying test. This year, the overall victors will have more than earned the winners' wreath.
Qualifying will take place later this afternoon.
|
|
