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| Lowndes Leads The Caltex Charge To Winton |
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| Wednesday, 16 May 2007 | |
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Defending round champion Craig Lowndes will lead the charge for the Caltex-backed V8 Supercar drivers when the Team Vodafone pilot sets his sights on back-to-back victories at the Winton Motor Raceway near Benalla in Victoria this weekend. Lowndes’ victory in 2006 came somewhat of a surprise given the fact that the tight 3.0km circuit is the test track for 20 of the 31 drivers in the championship, not including Lowndes’ Caltex-backed Team Vodafone outfit. The multiple series champion is currently seventh in the championship standings and is confident of climbing closer to the top of the order with a good showing in this weekend’s fourth round of the championship. Lowndes’ team-mate Jamie Whincup is currently the highest placed Caltex-backed driver in the Championship Standings in fourth spot. Whincup has been consistent throughout the opening three rounds and given Winton was his test circuit during his Formula Ford career and the early days in a V8 Supercar he should again figure prominently this weekend. Caltex Racing’s Russell Ingall has previously tasted success at the Winton venue with two round victories (1997 and 2001) and a pole position (2001) throughout his illustrious V8 Supercar career. This year marks Ingall’s tenth round aboard a V8 Supercar at Winton and from his previous nine rounds he has recorded four podium finishes with a total of four race victories. Ingall and his Stone Brothers Racing team-mate James Courtney completed a successful test day at their home track of Queensland Raceway last Friday which has provided them both with an extra boost entering this weekend’s round. Courtney, who had his first start at Winton last year, has continue to repay the faith shown in him by his team bosses with some scintillating pace throughout the opening three rounds of 2007. The ex-Formula One test driver secured pole position in Adelaide and is currently sixth in the championship standings. Practice begins on Friday afternoon with qualifying being contested on Saturday morning. The first of three 40-lap races will be held on Saturday afternoon with Sunday being highlighted by a pair of 40-lap races. After four rounds in the 14-round Championship Rick Kelly leads the way ahead of Garth Tander and Todd Kelly. CALTEX QUOTEBOARD Russell Ingall - #9 Caltex Racing Ford Falcon “It was good to have a shakedown at Queensland Raceway last Friday which worked very well,” said Ingall. “We have a new team structure which will maximize the development between the two cars and with the way V8 Supercar teams operate today, it’s essential that both cars work closely together with the limits on test days and so on. “I personally don’t believe the nature of Winton means it doesn’t really suit the Falcon; the tracks that do are yet to come. But there are always surprises and some of the things we tried on Friday were specifically for Winton. “I know the track very well; it was my home circuit for seven years. If the car is up to it there is a good chance we can pull out a good result.” Craig Lowndes - #888 Team Vodafone Ford Falcon “Heading into the weekend it looks as though rain may pay a major part in the racing, and to be honest I won't really mind, I’m pretty confident on a wet track,” said Lowndes. “This is one of the most important rounds in terms of qualifying at the front, given that there are so few places to pass. “The team has a good handle on what's required to do well here, and I’m looking forward to getting underway after we won here last year. “Last week’s test proved very successful, and while the tyres we ran on weren’t that great we still made some really good progress in terms of set-up.” Jamie Whincup - #88 Team Vodafone Ford Falcon “We had a very good and productive test last Friday where we tested a number of new components ahead of the race weekend at Winton, which will be a significant round in terms of the championship,” said Whincup. “The Team are just phenomenal - they are working really hard to make up the deficit and trying a whole range of new things. “To see them putting in the hard yards gives me great confidence and inspires me to work even harder on my own preparation. “Both Craig and I were quick at Winton last year and I am confident we will have quick cars again this year, my focus is to keep the momentum that I’ve built up from the start of the season going.” James Courtney - #4 Jeld-Wen Motorsport Ford Falcon “Testing on Friday was a bit like the old days in Formula One where I would be testing things for other circuits on tracks that it wasn’t meant for,” said Courtney. “It was a difficult session in that regard, when you test Winton stuff at Queensland Raceway you have no gauge from the times on how you are going. “You really need to trust your crew that you are heading in the right direction. We have come away from Friday learning a lot, not only for Winton but other rounds to come as well. “It was great to have a run through with the new set up of the engineering guys. Everything went as planned and I feel confident that I have the right group of guys behind me to get the job done. “I think we have a good shot at the podium this weekend; I have a bit of ground to make up on some of the Holden guys so I would like to come out of the weekend in the top four in the championship. “We haven’t had a lot of luck in recent rounds; it’s been pretty frustrating waiting for everything to come together. But good things come to those who wait so there must be something good just around the corner.” 2007 V8 Supercar Championship Series Standings after Round 3 of 14 1. Rick Kelly 173 2. Garth Tander 160 3. Todd Kelly 132 =4. Jamie Whincup 104 =4. Mark Skaife 104 6. James Courtney 100 =7. Craig Lowndes 79 =7. Mark Winterbottom 79 =9. Steven Johnson 78 =9. Will Davison 78 11. Russell Ingall 75 12. Greg Murphy 57 13. Steve Richards 55 14. Lee Holdsworth 36 15. Paul Radisich 27 16. Jason Richards 25 17. Jason Bright 17 18. Max Wilson 12 =19. Cameron McConville 8 =19. Dean Canto 8 =21. Steve Owen 5 =21. John Bowe 5 =23. Paul Morris 4 =23. Shane Price 4 25. Jason Bargwanna 3 26. Fabian Coulthard 2 2007 V8 Supercar Teams Championship Standings after Round 3 of 14 1. Toll HSV Dealer Team 333 2. Holden Racing Team 236 3. Team Vodafone 183 4. Stone Brothers Racing 175 5. Jim Beam Racing 156 6. Ford Performance Racing 134 7. Tasman Motorsport 82 8. Garry Rogers Motorsport 44 9. Team Kiwi Racing 27 10. Britek Motorsport 17 11. WPS Racing 15 12. Supercheap Auto Racing 8 13. Team Sirromet Wines 6 14. Autobarn Racing 5 15. Glenfords Racing 5 16. Jack Daniel’s Racing 4 17. Team BOC 0 2007 V8 Supercar Championship Series - Round 4 of 14 Winton Motor Raceway, Benalla, VIC – May 18 - 20 Weekend Schedule *All times are local NZ time (+2 AEST) Friday 18 May 1:15pm – 3:45pm – Practice Saturday 19 May 12:00pm – 12:55pm – Qualifying 3:50pm – Race One (40 laps) Sunday 20 May 11:20am – Race Two (40 laps) 1:50! pm – Race Three (40 laps) Support categories: Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series, Carerra Cup, Australian Performance Car Championship and the Australian Formula Ford Championship. TV SCHEDULE *All programs are shown on Channel 7 Saturday 19 May 2:00pm – 5:30pm (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth) Sunday 20 May 12:00pm – 5:00pm (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth) 3:30pm – 6:00pm (Adelaide) *All times subject to change. Please check local guides ABOUT THE TRACK Situated in Central Victoria, near Benalla, the Winton Motor Raceway hosted its first race meeting in 1961. Winton was the venue for the first race meetings of legend drivers such as Peter Brock, Alan Jones and Allan Moffat. In 1985 the venue hosted its first ever round of the Group A Shell Australian Touring Car Championship, which was also the first Touring Car round to be televised by the Seven Network. Winton has the unique characteristic where the public can see all of the racing from almost any part of the facility. It is also the test track for 20 of the 31 competitors in the 2007 championship. Circuit length: 3.0km Circuit direction: Clockwise Average speed: 129 km/h Maximum speed: 240 km/h Current Qualifying Lap Record: Jason Bright, Holden Commodore VX, 1m22.6618s, 2002 Current Race Lap Record: Jason Bright, Holden Commodore VX, 1m23.1514s, 2002 Previous Winton Round Winners 1985 Jim Richards JPS BMW 635 1986 Jim Richards JPS BMW 635 1988 John Bowe Shell Ultra Ford Sierra RS500 1989 George Fury Gibson Nissan Skyline GTS-R 1990 Jim Richards Gibson Nissan Skyline GTS-R 1991 Jim Richards Gibson Nissan GTR 1992 Mark Skaife Winfield Nissan GTR 1993 Glenn Seton Peter Jackson Ford Falcon EB 1994 Glenn Seton Peter Jackson Ford Falcon EB 1995 John Bowe Shell FAI Ford Falcon EF 1997 Russell Ingall Castrol Holden Commodore VS 1998 John Bowe Shell Helix Ford Falcon EL 1999 Jason Bargwanna Valvoline Holden Commodore VT 2000 Jason Bargwanna Vavoline Holden Commodore VT 2001 Russell Ingall Castrol Holden Commodore VX 2002 Jason Bright HRT Holden Commodore VX 2003 Marcos Ambrose Pirtek Ford Falcon BA 2004 Cameron McConville Valvoline Holden Commodore VY 2006 Craig Lowndes Betta Ford Falcon BA Most wins 4 – Jim Richards 3 – John Bowe 2 – Glenn Seton, Russell Ingall, Jason Bargwanna 1 – George Fury, Mark Skaife, Jason Bright, Marcos Ambrose, Cameron McConville, Craig Lowndes. Previous Winton Pole Position Winners 1985 Jim Richards JPS BMW 635 1986 Gary Scott Peter Jackson Nissan Skyline 1988 Dick Johnson Shell Ultra Ford Sierra RS500 1989 Peter Brock Mobil Ford Sierra RS500 1990 Jim Richards Nissan Skyline GTS-R 1991 Jim Richards Nissan GTR 1992 Mark Skaife Winfield Nissan GTR 1993 Dick Johnson Shell Ford Falcon EB 1994 Glenn Seton Peter Jackson Ford Falcon EB 1995 John Bowe Shell-FAI Ford Falcon EF 1997 Larry Perkins Castrol Holden Commodore VS 1998 Mark Skaife HRT Holden Commodore VS 1999 Jason Bargwanna Valvoline Holden Commodore VT 2000 Glenn Seton FTR Ford Falcon AU 2001 Russell Ingall Castrol Holden Commodore VX 2002 Marcos Ambrose Pirtek Ford Falcon AU 2003 Marcos Ambrose Pirtek Ford Falcon BA 2004 Craig Baird Team Kiwi Holden Commodore VY 2006 Jason Bright CAT Ford Falcon BA Most pole positions 3 – Jim Richards 2 – Dick Johnson, Mark Skaife, Glenn Seton, Marcos Ambrose 1 – Gary Scott, Peter Brock, John Bowe, Larry Perkins, Jason Bargwanna, Russell Ingall, Craig Baird, Jason Brigh |
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