V8Supercars - media releases below

Wednesday, 10 March 2010   Team BOC Media Bulletin 1 of 4 Event Preview: Clipsal 500, Adelaide Parklands, South Australia. Round: 3 / Races: 5 & 6   The V8 Supercar Championship series returns to Australia this weekend when the teams travel to the Adelaide Parklands street circuit for the Clipsal 500. Team BOC kicked off the 2010 season with a brand new chassis and showed they will amongst the front runners following Jason Richards top ten qualifying and eighth position finish in his last race at Bahrain. Brad Jones, Co-Owner Quote & Objectives: “Clipsal is definitely a strong circuit for Jason Richards and the Team BOC car, last year we had plenty of pace and were a little unlucky not to end up on the podium. I’m sure we can arrest that this year and build on our solid start to the Championship. I can’t wait to get to the Clipsal, if we can get everything right, Jason is going to be a real contender for this event.” Jason Richards, Team BOC #8: V8 Supercar Championship Race Starts: 123 Previous Qualifying, Race Results, Clipsal 500: 2009 - Q 8th, R1 5th, R2 7th “The Clipsal 500 has huge crowds and great atmosphere and is always a highlight for the drivers. I had a strong race weekend here last year here to finish 5th and coupled with a strong race in Bahrain last start and some hard work on car set up back at the workshop, I believe the Team BOC Commodore will be amongst the leaders come Sunday afternoon.” Current Championship Position & Points: 15th  249 pts

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Wednesday, 10 March 2010   Fair Dinkum Sheds Racing Media Bulletin 1 of 4 Event Preview: Clipsal 500, Adelaide Parklands Races: 5 & 6   Fair Dinkum Sheds Racing heads to the Clipsal 500 on the streets off Adelaide this week fully recovered from the dramas that plagued the team on the recent Middle Eastern trip and confident of a more competitive showing. This round the team have been able to source set up data from last year’s No 8 car and have a clear direction on which set up will give rookie Karl Reindler his best chance. Brad Jones, Co-Owner Quote & Objectives: “It’s great to be racing back on Australian soil and Clipsal is one of my favourite events. I think it’s been a pretty wild start for Karl and the Fair Dinkum Sheds Racing Team, they’ve had two mechanical problems but I feel we’re on top of things now. Clipsal 500 is a circuit Karl has driven on before and it’s a nice long race, plenty of time to get your eye in. It’s one of the hardest physically we do but fortunately Karl is one of the fittest drivers in the field. What Karl needs to focus on this weekend is staying out of trouble and getting a nice solid result. With the small fuel window we have now, they’ll two or maybe three stops and we’ll take tyres on each time, strategy will come into it, we’ll be focusing on not letting this car drop off the lead lap and finishing the weekend with a good bank of points.” Karl Reindler, Fair Dinkum Sheds Racing #21: V8 Supercar Championship Race Starts: 5 Previous Qualifying, Race & Round Results, Clipsal 500: Debut Race at Clipsal 500 “Current Championship Position & Points: 29th - 69 pts "The first two rounds are in the past now; so now it's down to the business part of the season and competing on circuits I have experienced before. I'm really looking forward to Clipsal, it's one of my favourite venues, and a track I know quite well having competed in both Formula 3 and the Fujitsu Series in years past. Competing in front of huge crowds during the Clipsal event is an incredible experience; there's a fantastic vibe around the whole city. There's fun and excitement for the teams both on and off the track - it's just a brilliant weekend. BJR have traditionally been strong at Clipsal too, so that takes a lot of pressure off because we'll have a great benchmark to start from."      Event, Circuit Data: Track - Length/Direction/Turns: 3.22 kms/Clockwise/14                    Qualifying record:  1.21.6102 Mark Skaife 2006 Lap record: 1.22.8075 James Courtney 2007     Top speed: 245 kph                                               Slowest corner: 55 kph– hairpin at the end of the main straight      Average lap speed: 159 kph                                  100% throttle: 61%                                           Longest straight: 500 meters                            Tyre allocation: 24           Laps & distance: 78 - 250 km                           Typical fuel burn per race: 226L Typical average fuel burn per lap: 2.9L                          Time loss for pit stop: 35 seconds

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BARGWANNA SEEKS JUMP INTO TOP 10 IN ADELAIDE

Jason Bargwanna wants to put Rock Racing into the top 10 in the V8 Supercar Championship standings at the Clipsal 500 on the streets of Adelaide this weekend.

The V8 veteran is in his first season with the Kelly Racing operation and admits that there is more improvement to come from the #11 Rock Holden Commodore as he adapts to the team’s cars.

But in spite of that learning process, the former Bathurst winner already sits equal 14th in the series points after four races and is aiming to leap into the top 10 as soon as possible.

Entering the gruelling Adelaide event, which Bargwanna names as one of his favourites, he sits 21 points outside the top 10 in the driver’s standings.

Bargwanna has enjoyed success in the past on the streets of Adelaide, with the highlight being a podium result in 2000 with third place in Sunday’s race that year. Other top 10 race finishes came in 1999, 2002 and 2004.

Tony Ricciardello will make his Clipsal 500 debut in Adelaide this weekend, but it will not be the first start on the famous street circuit for the West Aussie driver.

The driver of the #16 Super-Max Holden Commodore has raced on both configurations of the Adelaide street circuit, on the longer Grand Prix circuit in his well-known Sports Sedan in 2000 and in the Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series support event at this event in 2003. In the Sports Sedan event Ricciardello won two of the three races held and was second in the other.

Ricciardello will be aiming to learn as quickly as possible in practice on Friday ahead of this weekend’s demanding pair of 250-kilometre races, seeking to convert his previous knowledge of the circuit into improved race results.

KELLY RACING QUOTEBOARD

JASON BARGWANNA - #11 Rock Holden Commodore:

“The Clipsal 500 is an event that I really love,” said Jason Bargwanna.

“I’ve had some pretty good success there in the past and usually it’s an event that is a great way to kick the season off.

“It’s a top circuit and a very tough event that I really enjoy.

“We didn’t understand the Rock Commodore well enough in Bahrain and we paid the price.

“While I am are still learning what these cars like in terms of set-up, we’ve had a solid start to the year so that’s very encouraging.

“Coming out of the Middle East and going to a circuit that we know should give us a leg up in terms of being even more competitive in Adelaide.

“Our aim is to come out the other side of Adelaide and be in the top 10 in the championship points and I definitely think we are capable of achieving that this weekend.”

TONY RICCIARDELLO - #16 Super-Max Holden Commodore:

“I have raced in Adelaide twice, once on each circuit,” said Tony Ricciardello.

“I raced there in 2000 in the Sports Sedan on the full Grand Prix circuit at Le Mans Series event. The Grand Prix track is virtually the same – you really just miss the Turn 8 sweeper.

“Then in 2003 I raced at the Clipsal 500 in the Fujitsu V8 Series. I qualified fourth but had some mechanical failures set me back.

“So I didn’t get as many laps as I would have liked but all that experience adds up for this weekend.

“The two rounds we have already had this year will also help as it has allowed me to get used to the Super-Max Commodore and to also get ‘race fit’.

“But Clipsal is another kettle of fish. Compared to the open space of Abu Dhabi and Bahrain the barriers are right up close in Adelaide. That also adds to the heat and hurts the air circulation, so it’s a tough race.

“We train for hard for events like Clipsal, so the key is just keep your mind on the job for the entire race.”

V8 Supercar Championship Series Points Standings
After Race 4 of 26
1. Jamie Whincup 600
2. Mark Winterbottom 543
3. Shane Van Gisbergen 471
4. Craig Lowndes 447
5. James Courtney 420
6. Rick Kelly 392
7. Lee Holdsworth 372
8. Steven Johnson 296
9. Michael Caruso 294
10. Russell Ingall 270
14. Jason Bargwanna 249
23. Tony Ricciardello 135

CLIPSAL 500 DETAILS:
Circuit: Adelaide Parklands Street Circuit II
Location: Adelaide, South Australia
Circuit Length: 3.22 kilometres
Format: 250km race Saturday and Sunday
2009 Attendance: 272,800 (four days)
2009 Pole Winner: Jamie Whincup
2009 Race 1 Winner: Jamie Whincup
2009 Race 2 Winner: Jamie Whincup



WEEKEND SCHEDULE
Times below are Australian Central Daylight Savings Times (SA - GMT + 10.5 hours)

Friday 12 March 2010
11:00am – 11:30am: Practice 1 (Rookies & Lower 50%)
2:15pm – 2:45pm: Practice 2
3:40pm – 4:10pm: Practice 3

Saturday 13 March 2010
10:30am – 10:50am: Qualifying
11:30am: Top 10 Shootout
2:35pm: Race 1 (Series Race 5) – 78 laps

Sunday 14 March 2010
11:00am –11:20am: Qualifying
2:35pm –Race 2 (Series Race 6) – 78 laps

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TeamVodafone enlist divine intervention ahead of Clipsal 500

Tuesday, March 9th, 2010

Championship leaders TeamVodafone have made an unusual visit ahead of the Clipsal 500, with drivers Jamie Whincup and Craig Lowndes visiting the plaza next to St Francis Xavier’s Cathedral to be officially blessed by a Catholic priest.

The duo, who will contest their first race on Australian soil behind the wheel of a Holden Commodore this weekend, were blessed by Father Dean Marin to have safe racing in the ‘City of Churches’, as well as the rest of the 2010 V8 Supercar Championship season.

Reigning V8 Supercar Champion Jamie Whincup, who is also the defending Clipsal 500 winner, became the first ever three-time victor of the event last year. Whincup will be aiming to write himself into the record books and become the first driver to win four.

The series leader won all four of the season opening races in the Middle East and admitted there was an air of anticipation surrounding the TeamVodafone Commodores’ Australian race debut.

“I am looking forward to another big weekend at the Clipsal 500,” Whincup said.

“It is going to be a totally different experience to previous years as we have four races under our belt and it will be the first time we race our new Holden Commodores on home soil.

“There is a lot of speculation about the how the cars will go on a traditional bumpy street circuit but I can’t wait to work with my teammate, Craig Lowndes, to get the cars up to speed as soon as possible.

“It is good to come here to the City of Churches and have our new drive behind the wheel of a Holden blessed and highlight that road safety is important, both on and off the racetrack.”

Whincup’s clean sweep in the Middle East sees him currently leading the 2010 V8 Supercar Championship Series with 600 points.

Team-mate Craig Lowndes has enjoyed one of his best ever starts to a season with podiums in both Abu Dhabi and Bahrain.

“The Clipsal 500 is one of the toughest events of the year although having already completed four races we will go there better prepared than we ever had,” Lowndes said.

“This has been one of my best starts to a season in the past couple of years and I am looking forward to keeping the momentum rolling on.

“Clipsal has always been the circuit we have pegged as really knowing what our true speed will be as it is the first track we will race on this year that we all know. It is completely different to the previous two circuits it is a more traditional bumpy circuit with lots of kerbs and 78 laps each day makes it a gruelling event.”

The Clipsal 500 is the third event of the 2010 V8 Supercar Championship Series and features two 250km legs across Saturday and Sunday.