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SBR drivers say confidence is
key at Indy
Round 11, Coffee Club V8
Supercar Challenge, Nikon Indy
300, Surfers Paradise, QLD
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Stone Brothers Racing
drivers say that
confidence is the key to
success at this
weekend’s round of the
V8 Supercar Championship
Series, the Coffee Club
V8 Supercar Challenge at
the challenging Surfers
Paradise Street Circuit.
SP Tools Racing’s Shane
van Gisbergen will be
the youngest driver in
the field this weekend,
but with just over a
year of V8 Super car
racing under his belt,
the young Kiwi is more
than ready for his
second stint at the
circuit.
The 19-year-old admits
to feeling a little
overwhelmed at last
year’s event but says
that his building
confidence in the SP
Tools Racing Falcon will
help him get on top of
the 4.4km ‘concrete
canyon’.
Van Gisbergen is also in
awe of the local
enthusiasm for the Indy
event; with the Gold
Coast now home to the
Auckland-born driver, he
is enjoying being
immersed in the Indy
atmosphere and chomping
at the bit to get on the
track.
JELD-WEN Motorsport’s
James Courtney also
believes that confidence
is the key this weekend
and the 28-year-old and
his crew have plenty of
it on board after a
podium finish at the
Supercheap Auto Bathurst
1000 just over a week
ago.
Courtney has shone at
street circuits in
recent times and thrives
on the aggression
required to deal with
the bumps and kerbs.
It will be no different
this weekend when
Courtney hits the track
with the in-form
JELD-WEN Motorsport
Falcon, the number-four
car showing great speed
at Bathurst, claiming
the fastest lap of the
race.
SBR’s BF Falcons will
have their first hit out
on the Surfers Paradise
Street Circuit today
with practice starting
at 1:05pm, followed by
qualifying at 4:55pm.
Race one will take place
on Saturday with races
two and three on Sunday.
James Courtney, #4,
JELD-WEN Motorsport
Falcon
“I qualified front row
in Surfers (Paradise)
last year, and I've been
on the podium at other
street circuits such as
Adelaide, Hamilton and
Bathurst; I just really
enjoy the challenge of
the street races.
“The Indy track is a
typical street circuit;
the car slides around on
the bumps and you have
to deal with running
over man-hole covers,
white lines, drains, and
different cambers.
‘It's a hard place to
pass apart from a couple
of places where you can
throw the car down the
inside on the bumpy
braking areas at the end
of the front and back
straights; you’ve got to
be really committed to
make it work.
“You can't be 'gun shy'
and you have to run the
car close to the walls
for a quick lap.
“Having said that,
myself and the guys in
the JELD-WEN crew are
full of confidence this
weekend. The car had
plenty of speed at
Bathurst, including
fastest lap of the race,
and there's no reason
why I can't carry that
momentum onto the
streets of the Gold
Coast.
“SBR’s got a pretty good
record at Indy and I’ll
be looking to keep that
tradition going.”
Shane van Gisbergen,
#9, SP Tools Racing
Falcon
“I raced at Indy for the
first time last year and
I struggled with
confidence through the
tyre bundles and
chicanes a bit.
“The Surfers Paradise
circuit is all about
confidence; you have to
get comfortable enough
to let the car run close
to the walls, then you
start to put in some
good lap times.
“I was still living in
New Zealand t his time
last year so this wasn’t
really a home race for
me then; now I’ve been
here almost a year and
its great to be racing
on the streets of
Surfers.
“So many locals support
the event, all the radio
stations promote it,
everyone is so into it;
it’s a great atmosphere
and I’m really looking
forward to getting out
there in the SP Tools
Racing Falcon and
getting on top of the
circuit.” |
