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Kostera back as Scud Racing confirms a major last-minute expansion |
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Friday, 01 February 2008 |
One day before the 2008 Kumho
Tyres Australian Formula 3 Championship opener at Eastern Creek, Melbourne-based
Scud Racing was a two car operation harbouring only longer-term plans to expand
into the outright ranks of the Australian Drivers Championship.
Today, however, team owner Bill Maddocks closed a deal on an ambitious plan to
lift the team up the pecking order full-time thanks to a last minute arrangement
- finalised yesterday in the Eastern Creek paddock - that will see Scud Racing
take over the ex-James Rosenberg Dallara F307 Mercedes Benz entry for the full
2008 series and beyond.
West Australian driver Stuart Kostera has been
tabbed to drive the car following a strong season last year, winning one race
and twice finishing on the podium despite only taking part in six of the eight
rounds contested, with two different teams.
Though the Scud team, in
partnership with Bevan Carrick of Cooltemp Racing, won the title last year with
Tim Macrow they had no plans to enter the championship class with the newer
generation cars this season.
Instead, they had intended on taking on the
Opes Prime National Class (For ’02 – ’04 model cars) with team newcomer Mathew
Radisich and the Trophy Class (For the oldest generation cars eligible) with
impressive newcomer Justin Tate, just 16, in the teams ex-Tim Macrow F301
Dallara.
As it has turned out yesterday’s opportunity to acquire the
ex-Manor Motorsport Dallara F307 has dramatically accelerated the teams’ plans
to create a three-tiered developmental system for young drivers coming through
the ranks.
”It certainly wasn’t our intention to get a new car this year
– we were happy to run Mathew and Justin this season and look at getting a 307
next year,” Bill Maddocks explained today.
”We have a plan in place to
work with Mathew and Justin to give them experience, miles and laps in a Formula
3 car and progress them through the classes. We think Mathew has the potential
to be in the championship class next year and Justin can step up to the National
Class.
”The plan was to purchase a 307 car for next season, but the
chance to get this car now was too good to refuse so we have made the investment
in an effort to take the team forwards.
”It was a case of biting the
bullet and buying the car when it was available.” He said.
The team has
also invested in serious talent to run the car, championship-winning mechanic
Gary Sturdy set to run the car for the season whilst experienced engineer Barry
Jones has been confirmed as the overall Data & Race engineer for the entire
three-car Scud program.
”We’re very serious about this and we have a
very capable team now,” Maddocks enthused.
”I had always intended on
getting Stuart in one of our cars this season and I can’t think of anyone better
to run the new car. In Stuart we have a driver with the potential ability to win
the championship, like we had with Tim last year.
”This is another piece in our plan to
run a program that allows drivers to gain experience and come through the ranks
of Formula 3 to gain as much experience as possible in a very affordable way. We
don’t put our drivers under any pressure to perform – they generally place
enough on themselves anyway – so we want to work with them to learn the tracks
and cars in the National and Trophy classes, before going out and having a crack
at the championship.
“This is an ongoing plan that we have mapped out into the future, but
it’s really exciting. I’m very excited about the potential of the young kids we
have this year and the potential for them in the future.”
West-Australia
based Kostera was only called up at the last minute to drive the new Scud Racing
acquisition however he said that he jumped at the chance.
”I had been
talking to Bill for a couple of weeks to put something together for the season,
but nothing was concrete and I didn’t think I’d be here,” he
explained.
”When he called and said that he had a new Dallara and wanted
me to drive I jumped at the chance. It’s great to be back in the series and I’m
really thankful to Bill for the chance to drive for him. These are fantastic
cars and he’s got some excellent ideas about bringing the younger kids through,
so it’s good to be a part of that.”
Scud Racing’s three-tiered assault on
the Kumho Tyres Australian formula 3 Championship and the Opes Prime National
Class gets underway this morning at 10:05am with Opening Practice.
Two
races will be held Sunday to complete the round.
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