Clipsal - Round 1 - 2011

I was excited to be heading to Adelaide for Round One of the Australian V8 Ute Championship where I would be racing the Ice Break, Real Coffee - Ice Cold Holden and it went fairly well to plan.

It was a new race format for the weekend.  We had four races over four days.  Thursday was the busiest day having two practice session, qualifying and race one.  Friday to Sunday having just one race each day.

Practice one was utilised to familiarise myself with the track again.  We were the first session on track so it was very slippery.

Practice two we aimed to set a time and get a good feel of how the Ute is going.  We finished the session 4th fastest and gained some direction with the set up.

I drove out pretty confident in qualifying but was disappointed to find myself 7th.  After analysing the results sheet I felt a little better since I was the only Holden in the top 10.

I moved up a few spots in race one to claim 5th.  We showed good race pace which was promising and put pressure on Charlie O’Brien and had a run to the finish line but couldn’t claim the position.

Race two saw the top 18 Utes reversed.  I started from the 14th grid.  A good start saw me move up a few spots.  I sat in 9th position but dropped back a couple when some over aggressive drivers challenged for position.  It’s a long championship and keeping the Ice Break Holden unbroken was foremost in my mind.

Combining my points for races one and two saw me sit on grid 3 for race three.  This gifted me clear track and allowed me to press on fairly hard sticking with the two Falcons in front. The team and I were all happy as I was able to set my fastest lap of the weekend.  It showed we had made a steady improvement over the round.

I also started race four from grid 3.  After Saturdays race I was looking forward to challenging the front runners but everyone’s aims changed when the skies opened.  By the time our race started it was raining cats and dogs!  The first half of the race wasn’t to bad but the rain got heavier with one lap to go.  With a fogged windscreen and a Window Wiper struggling to keep up with the downpour I thought it was best to back off a bit to ensure I made it home!  It’s not a nice feeling when your flat out in 4th gear and you get wheel spin as your car aquaplanes sideways into turn 8 at 185kph!  On the final lap I eased down the back straight and into turn 8 to watch David Sieders ahead understeer straight ahead into the wall.  Not nice to see but I picked up the position and was pretty happy to see the chequered flag!

A consistent four days saw us take 3rd for the round.  This was a great way to kick off the 2011 championship.  I am now looking forward to Hamilton which is the final round for the NZ championship and then onto Perth to race at Barbagallo which will be a new circuit and a new challenge for me.

Thanks to everyone for your support,