|
Nine times Australian Champion Neil
McFadyen is the latest driver to declare his intention to take out the 2008
Australian MINI CHALLENGE Series, joining forces with experienced Sydney outfit, M3
Motorsport.
The excitement from 24-year-old McFadyen
and M3 Motorsport is palpable. The experienced duo of Peter Doulman and
engineer, Simon Copping have taken two
Bathurst Class wins in the past and they
have just one thing on their mind in MINI CHALLENGE –
victory.
“I’m pumped about being involved in MINI
CHALLENGE and with M3 Motorsport,” said the ordinarily reserved McFadyen. “The
fact the car is a true race car and the whole setup of the Series behind the
scenes is pretty exciting. I’ve never raced a front-wheel drive car before, but
from what I’m told, the MINI handles like a go-kart, so it should hold me in
good stead given my experience in karting.”
That experience includes being the only
driver to win three successive Australian CIK Karting Championships in three
different categories in an era that featured the likes of Jamie Whincup, James
Courtney, Paul Dumbrell and Mark Winterbottom, to name a few. Add to that
another four karting national Championships, not to mention his Australian
Formula Ford Championship (2003) and Australian Driver’s Championship Gold Star
the following year.
This is what attracted Doulman, who was a
little less circumspect than his young charge:
“Neil’s one of the most talented drivers
Australia has ever produced,” Doulman
observed. “And he was sitting on his bum doing nothing! We wanted someone behind
the wheel who could win the Series for M3 Motorsport and I believe that Neil is
the driver who will deliver that for us.”
With McFadyen and Doulman squaring off
against last week’s major signing in Paul Stokell and Bill Gremos at DecoRug
Motorsport, the battle for bragging rights at the head of the MINI CHALLENGE
field should be one to watch, but not so, says Doulman, who wasn’t afraid to lay
his cards on the table.
“That battle will be a non-event,” he said
(with a hint of tongue in cheek). “Neil is by far and away the better driver. If
you were rating him out of 10, he’s an 11. We do want a bit of competition up
the front, but at the end of the season, our sole aim is to walk away with the
Series win.”
Doulman, who began his motorsport career
behind the wheel of a MINI at Bathurst, believes MINI CHALLENGE has all the
right ingredients to become one of the leading Motorsport Series in this
country.
“The setup of MINI CHALLENGE is the best
motor racing Series in the world that I’ve seen. Many people have said it’s a
‘one-make Series’ and while they are all identical, the MINI R56 racer is a
purpose built race car by BMW Motorsport. By nature, with slick tyres, weight
penalties after each round and numerous other aspects, it’s different to other
one-make Series’ that we’ve had in Australia.
“The best race car I’ve ever driven was my
factory prepared BMW M3,” Doulman continued. “I drove one of the (older spec R53) MINI CHALLENGE cars at
Eastern Creek last year and it was like déjà vu! It took me back to the mid-90s
– it turned in nicely, hugged the road, it was just a brilliant race car – it
made me think I wouldn’t mind getting behind the wheel
again.”
Doulman and his team are currently putting
the finishing touches on a marketing and management program for McFadyen’s MINI
CHALLENGE effort. He says with the support of long time sponsors Scope Signs and
Graphics – who produced Doulman’s famous V8 Supercar Gatorade ‘bubble’ livery –
Castrol and Doulman Automotive, MINI fans can expect something spectacular on
the car when it turns out for round one on March 7-9 at Eastern
Creek.
MINI CHALLENGE has attracted over seven
hours television coverage for its inaugural season, four hours of which will be
live as part of the Seven Network’s V8 Supercars
coverage.
With Neil McFadyen now confirmed, the
battle for overall honours at the head of the MINI CHALLENGE pack is heating up
– and we’re still over three weeks away from round
one!
|
News 
