Two-wheeled Beattie has need for Supercar speed
20/6/2002 17:19 (V8 Wire - Jason Whittaker) -
Former 500cc motorcycle racer, Daryl Beattie has been bitten by the V8 Supercar bug.
"I'd love to race these V8s regularly, so as from today I'm on the lookout for a drive,” the 31-year-old said after a brief but promising test run in Paul Morris’ VX Commodore at Queensland Raceway yesterday.
Beattie, now a commentator with the Ten Network, was a 500cc front-runner in the shadow of five-time champion Mick Doohan. He won three grand prix and finished second to Doohan in the 1995 world championship.
Beattie spent 12 laps behind the wheel yesterday, clocking a best time more than two and a half seconds outside the record lap from last year’s Queensland 500.
But Morris was impressed: "Daryl showed plenty of speed and natural talent considering it was the first time he's ever driven one of these cars.
"He did three stints and went quicker every time, and you can see he would improve in leaps and bounds with more time in the car. The laps he did were quicker than you'd expect from someone with no previous experience."
Beattie said he hoped to clock many more testing miles before looking at a drive in the junior Konica V8 Supercar Series.
“I'm serious about wanting to make this happen," he said. "The V8s are the biggest show in Australia right now and after today I'm hooked. Watching them is one thing, but when you drive one of these cars and feel all that horsepower, it's awesome!"
Doohan spent some time behind the wheel of Morris’ Commodore earlier this year, but has expressed no interest in V8 racing.
Morris’ endurance campaign is all but finalised, with mercurial Queenslander Wayne Wakefield expected to receive co-driving honours.
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