TB: Don't write us off
8/9/2003 17:58 (Press Release) -
Betta Electrical Team Brock’s lead driver pairing, Jason Bright and Paul Weel, have issued a warning in the lead-up to the Sandown 500 enduro this weekend: don’t write us off.
A myriad of factors – including a season-worst performance for both drivers at the previous round at Oran Park; the team’s inability to go testing until last week; and an unavoidable reliance on the superseded VX Commodore – have seen their chances slip dramatically in the opinions of media, fans and opponents.
However, both reject such speculation and after a test session in Bright’s #50 car at Winton last week – their first since the start of the season – maintain they are confident in their ability to bounce back.
"I’d be surprised if we’re not running in the top five, that’s for sure,” Bright said. “We’ve got a proven package that has worked well for most of the year and I think after testing last week we’re closer to getting it right than we have been for a good while.”
Weel agreed. “We’re probably down a few horsepower on some of the other cars, but we’ve been about the most reliable team on the grid this year, and that sort of consistency means a lot in the enduros,” he said.
“Stone Brothers [Racing] have maybe had more top ten finishes than us, but I reckon they’re the only one. We can win at Sandown, there’s no doubt about it.”
Meanwhile, new arrivals Greg Ritter and Marcus Marshall have used last week’s test session to find their feet in the #16 Commodore which has been raced this season by Weel.
Marshall, a leading contender in the Porsche-based Carrera Cup series, said the pair were yet to alter the set-up of Weel’s car. “I think Greg and I have a similar style, and we’re both finding Paul’s car to our liking,” he said. “At Winton the other day we were just getting comfortable, we’ll look at the set-up in a bit more detail when we practice on Friday.”
Ritter, whose Ford-based 00 Motorsport team collapsed mid-season, is a veteran of several enduro campaigns and has set his sights on a top ten finish at both Sandown and Bathurst.
“I’d be disappointed if we couldn’t finish in the top ten, and I reckon qualifying in the top ten is not out of the question, although that might prove to be a bit harder,” he said.
“I haven’t driven a V8 yet at Sandown but I’ve driven a Formula Ford there a lot and I really like the track, it’s one you can attack and it will reward you.”
--Team Brock press release
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