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Speeds set to rise at Adelaide's Turn 8

08 Feb 2018
Lowndes inspects resurfacing work ahead of Adelaide 500
2 mins by James Pavey
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Resurfacing work is set to make the notorious Turn 8 even faster in next month’s Adelaide 500, Craig Lowndes believes after visiting the street circuit.

The track surface from Turn 7 along Bartels Road, through Turn 8 and then past the corner exit on Dequetteville Terrace has been relaid prior to the 2018 race.

Ahead of the debut of his new Autobarn Lowndes Racing moniker within Triple Eight, three-time Supercars champion Lowndes visited Adelaide earlier this week on promotional duties.

Lowndes had his first look at the work while touring the circuit with Supercars enduro regular Jack Perkins in a video for the event’s Facebook page.

“This is going to be a change for us that we’ve got to get our head around,” Lowndes said of the resurfacing.

“The new surface is obviously going to add grip, hopefully maybe save some tyre life, but it’s going to be faster.

“[From] halfway through Turn 7, leading onto [Bartels Drive] through Turn 8, which again is going to create more grip, it’s going to be faster through that section.

“This is going to be fantastic to be able to utilise the speed of the car.”

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Lowndes agreed with Perkins’ suggestion that the resurfacing work would nudge corner speeds through Turn 8 even closer to 220km/h.

The prediction comes despite the move back to the 2016 Dunlop control tyre, which generally offers less grip than the '17 construction.

“That [increased speed] is exciting for drivers to maximise the tyre, maximise the car set-up, knowing that’s there,” he said.

“That’s going to be fantastic for us to be able to get the car set-up to go through that corner and then the approach to Turn 9.”

Alongside Triple Eight team-mates Jamie Whincup and Shane van Gisbergen and Tekno Autosports rookie Jack Le Brocq, Lowndes will shakedown his new ZB Commodore on Friday at Queensland Raceway.

The 20th anniversary Adelaide 500 will be held on March 1-4, again marking the start of the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship.

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