The Dodger
First Grade
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Solid final test for SBR
Release Date: 01/11/2005
Stone Brothers Racing completed their sixth and final test of the V8 Supercar season at the Queensland Raceway today. The session allowed both Caltex Racings Russell Ingall and Pirtek Racings Marcos Ambrose to have their final hit outs of the year before going head-to-head into the final two rounds of the season.
With two rounds remaining in this years championship Ingall leads Ambrose by 66 points.
The day also provided an opportunity for team newcomer James Courtney to have a steer of an SBR Falcon for the first time.
Courtney actually did several laps as a passenger with two-time and defending champion Ambrose in the Pirtek Falcon, before having the chance to have a drive himself.
Courtney, who will replace Ambrose at SBR next season, will head to Japan for the final round of the Japanese GT Series in two days time.
He will then return to Australia to join SBR at the final two rounds as a spectator at Symmons Plains in Tasmania and Phillip Island in Victoria.
He will actually drive the SBR three-seater car in a special promotional day at Symmons Plains on the Monday after the Tasmanian round.
It really has been a great day, said Courtney.
There really is a difference between the Pirtek Falcon and the HRT car I drove at Sandown and Bathurst.
Marcos showed me around with a few laps and what works for him, which was great. I modified that a bit for myself and got on with the test.
Visually this car is a lot different for the driver with the steering, seat and other things being different. With this car I tend to sit a lot more towards the centre of the car. It really is like a new office where you need to learn where everything is.
I really felt comfortable with the entire team from the get go and that is always a good sign.
SBR co-owner Ross Stone was more than impressed with all his drivers today.
James fitted into the team very well, Marcos did a solid job and Russell was certainly very quick at different stages, said Stone.
We got to try plenty of new things and hopefully a few tricks that might help us in the last couple of rounds.
I think everyone has come out of the day feeling really positive about the whole deal.
The next round of the V8 Supercar Championship Series will be held at Symmons Plains in Tasmania on November 11-13.
http://www.v8supercars.com.au/news/latestnews/newsdisplay.asp?Ind=M&gid=20814
since this will be the last year pirtek will be sponsoring the stone brothers car,theres talk about the car being sponsored by Jeld Wen Windows and Doors, which owns the Stegbar and Corinthian Doors brands in Australia.
Theres also talk about "Autobarn livery" being sponsors. not sure if its gonna be both or just one, or one will be the main sponsor and the other will be the minor one.
i have links for this info as well.
http://www.crash.net/uk/en/news_view.asp?cid=53&nid=121477
http://www.crash.net/uk/en/news_view.asp?cid=53&nid=121488
courntey is currently running second in the Super GT Series in japan which has one more round left at suzuka and he is in with a pretty good chance with his team mate Takeshi Tsuchiya.
he also drove for HRT this year for the endurance races with Jim Richards. they came 11th at sandown and did not finish at bathurst due to an unlucky accident which practically rode the car off, preventing them from finishing the race.
i'm not sure yet, didn't really watch him in the endurance races, but he looks like he has potential. the stone did the same with ambrose, got a young driver with alot of potential and made a champion out of him. lets hope courtney can rise to the level that ambrose was on when he started in 2001.
(2001 finsihed in 8th; 2002 finsihed in 3rd; 2003 and 2004, won the championship and in 2005 has a strong chance of winning it again)
what does everyone else think?
Release Date: 01/11/2005
Stone Brothers Racing completed their sixth and final test of the V8 Supercar season at the Queensland Raceway today. The session allowed both Caltex Racings Russell Ingall and Pirtek Racings Marcos Ambrose to have their final hit outs of the year before going head-to-head into the final two rounds of the season.
With two rounds remaining in this years championship Ingall leads Ambrose by 66 points.
The day also provided an opportunity for team newcomer James Courtney to have a steer of an SBR Falcon for the first time.
Courtney actually did several laps as a passenger with two-time and defending champion Ambrose in the Pirtek Falcon, before having the chance to have a drive himself.
Courtney, who will replace Ambrose at SBR next season, will head to Japan for the final round of the Japanese GT Series in two days time.
He will then return to Australia to join SBR at the final two rounds as a spectator at Symmons Plains in Tasmania and Phillip Island in Victoria.
He will actually drive the SBR three-seater car in a special promotional day at Symmons Plains on the Monday after the Tasmanian round.
It really has been a great day, said Courtney.
There really is a difference between the Pirtek Falcon and the HRT car I drove at Sandown and Bathurst.
Marcos showed me around with a few laps and what works for him, which was great. I modified that a bit for myself and got on with the test.
Visually this car is a lot different for the driver with the steering, seat and other things being different. With this car I tend to sit a lot more towards the centre of the car. It really is like a new office where you need to learn where everything is.
I really felt comfortable with the entire team from the get go and that is always a good sign.
SBR co-owner Ross Stone was more than impressed with all his drivers today.
James fitted into the team very well, Marcos did a solid job and Russell was certainly very quick at different stages, said Stone.
We got to try plenty of new things and hopefully a few tricks that might help us in the last couple of rounds.
I think everyone has come out of the day feeling really positive about the whole deal.
The next round of the V8 Supercar Championship Series will be held at Symmons Plains in Tasmania on November 11-13.
http://www.v8supercars.com.au/news/latestnews/newsdisplay.asp?Ind=M&gid=20814
since this will be the last year pirtek will be sponsoring the stone brothers car,theres talk about the car being sponsored by Jeld Wen Windows and Doors, which owns the Stegbar and Corinthian Doors brands in Australia.
Theres also talk about "Autobarn livery" being sponsors. not sure if its gonna be both or just one, or one will be the main sponsor and the other will be the minor one.
i have links for this info as well.
http://www.crash.net/uk/en/news_view.asp?cid=53&nid=121477
http://www.crash.net/uk/en/news_view.asp?cid=53&nid=121488
courntey is currently running second in the Super GT Series in japan which has one more round left at suzuka and he is in with a pretty good chance with his team mate Takeshi Tsuchiya.
he also drove for HRT this year for the endurance races with Jim Richards. they came 11th at sandown and did not finish at bathurst due to an unlucky accident which practically rode the car off, preventing them from finishing the race.
i'm not sure yet, didn't really watch him in the endurance races, but he looks like he has potential. the stone did the same with ambrose, got a young driver with alot of potential and made a champion out of him. lets hope courtney can rise to the level that ambrose was on when he started in 2001.
(2001 finsihed in 8th; 2002 finsihed in 3rd; 2003 and 2004, won the championship and in 2005 has a strong chance of winning it again)
what does everyone else think?
