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Pretty Supports V8 Reverse Grid Races |
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Wednesday, 19 July 2006 |
Leading V8 Supercar driver Nathan Pretty has come out in support of the continuation of reverse grid races in the second tier Fujitsu Series.
Pretty’s comments come just a week after V8 Supercars Australia announced an end to the controversial races in the ‘main’ V8 series.
“I don’t know what all the fuss has been about, the reverse grid races
have seemed to work well in the Fujitsu Series for the past few years
and I’m more than happy for them to stay a part of it,” Pretty said.
Pretty, who is contesting just his first full season in V8 Supercars,
said a more cautious approach was needed in reverse grid races.
“It’s just a matter of using your head more. The system rewards the
smarter drivers who don’t mind holding back for a lap or two rather
than those who risk everything in a split moment for the sake of two
points.
“More often than not, the fronts have been torn off cars due to silly
errors rather than a problem with the actual concept of the reverse
grid races.
“If anything, it’s the Fujitsu Series where they should have been more
of a concern, with the teams running with just a fraction of the
budgets of the Level 1 teams in the ‘main’ game.”
Pretty, who goes into the third round of the Fujitsu Series at
Queensland Raceway second on the championship points table, said his
Mack/Smiths Trucks team’s goal this weekend was to consolidate its
championship standing.
“Queensland Raceway is the home track for quite a few teams in the
series, including [series leader] Adam Macrow’s, so it is important for
our championship that we don’t lose ground,” Pretty said.
“Our first mission is to improve our qualifying – we’ve had problems at
each of the first two rounds and had to start outside the top 10 each
time, so we need to make it a little easier for ourselves on race day.
“The team has a good set-up for the track, so if we can start a little
further up the grid then we’ll be in the mix. It’s important we come
away with a good result if we’re to challenge Adam for the title.”
Pretty’s Smiths Trucks team-mate Geoff Emery, a four-time Commodore Cup
champion but V8 Supercar rookie, said he is targeting a top 10 finish
in just his third Fujitsu Series start this weekend.
“Over 40 cars are entered for the round, but we came close to finishing
in the top 10 at Wakefield Park so I think we’ve got realistic
expectations,” Emery said.
“We haven’t tested since we last raced, instead we’ve spent more time
working on our cars in preparation for this weekend. While I obviously
would have liked more time in the seat, I don’t think it will hamper us
– in fact, it’ll probably make us even more determined.”
Practice for this weekend’s third round gets underway Friday with two
35-minute sessions schedule. Qualifying and the 16-lap Race 1 take
place Saturday. Two races are scheduled for Sunday, the first a 16-lap
reverse grid race, and the final a 28-lapper.
Network Ten will broadcast a one-hour highlights package from the event
on Sunday, 30 July, beginning at 2.00pm (check your local guides).
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Last Updated ( Saturday, 06 January 2007 )
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