hero-img

Coulthard’s first steer

07 Feb 2016
DJR Team Penske new recruit will shakedown his fresh Ford Falcon FG X today, hoping to top last year’s championship finish this season with new team.
Advertisement

Fabian Coulthard will shakedown his new DJR Team Penske Ford Falcon FG X today, as he integrates into his new team for 2016.

A race winner at last year’s Clipsal 500, Coulthard shifted to the squad with engineer Phil Keed, who he worked with at Brad Jones Racing for the past three seasons and is expecting to top last year’s Championship finish of seventh.

DJR Team Penske unexpectedly expanded to run two V8 Supercars this season, and for Coulthard, earning the seat alongside Scott Pye has been a boost. He will do all he can to represent not just one, but two respected names in racing this year. 

“Anytime you can align yourself with two icons of motorsport with Roger Penske and Dick Johnson is pretty special,” Coulthard told v8supercars.com.au. 

“So it’s up to me, the guys and Scott to make that name and live up to that expectation.

“I put a lot of pressure on myself regardless to succeed and obviously it’s going to be no different at this team here. We’re looking to get consistent podiums and race wins throughout the year, and hopefully to advance on the championship standing I had last year.”

Announcing his partnership with DJR Team Penske after Bathurst last October – though the rumour of his move picked up mid-season around Townsville – Coulthard can’t wait to steer the new chassis, even if it is only for 60km today.

“It’s a good time to see it will run faultlessly and for me to get comfortable in the car because obviously it’s different to what I’ve driven in the past,” the Kiwi said of today’s shakedown. 

“Simple things, like just being comfortable in the car, are quite important ahead of our test day later on in the month.”

With Pye aboard the Falcon, DJR Team Penske scored its first podium finish since the team’s reinvention in New Zealand last year, while Prodrive’s FG X won the Championship in the hands of Mark Winterbottom.

“Knowing that I was going to be changing teams so you certainly do keep an eye on the progress and the development [of others],” Coulthard aid.

“I feel like, from the start of last year to where DJR Team Penske ended up … it’s all very promising.

“I’m just looking forward to hopping in and seeing what the car’s like for my own peace of mind. What I’ve seen on the outside is pretty good, so I’m looking forward to getting in and driving it.”

Technical guru Keed has been a key part of Coulthard’s success, engineering him to five wins and six pole positions.

Advertisement

“That was obviously part of my decision to ultimately end up at DJR Team Penske. We’ve had a good working relationship over the last four years and it’s nice that we can continue that partnership,” Coulthard added. 

"With Phil’s knowledge and my understanding of V8 Supercars, I feel like we can work together.”

Along with Keed, DJR Team Penske has snagged one of their rival’s key engineers in Adam De Borre – who engineered Prodrive star Chaz Mostert since he arrived in the series – another positive for Coulthard. 

“On the other side of the garage with Adam De Borre working with Scott now, he’s been well ingrained in PRA so to have him on-board with DJR Team Penske is going to be valuable.

“We’ve got a very strong engineering group now and that’s all part of the team – that moves the team forward at the end of the day. So as long as we can all work together, get the most out of the car and make the most of the knowledge we’ve gained throughout the year then I feel like we’re in for a reasonable shot.” 

In 2015, Coulthard cracked the Clipsal 500 winning one of Saturday’s races and clinched his and BJR’s first ever victory at a street circuit. Adding more marquee wins like that to the resume is one of the goals.

“Last year was awesome winning a race at Clipsal – it has such a big following that event. With the crowd there it’s a pretty awesome feeling to stand up on that podium and even better to be a race winner.

“I’m looking forward to building on that – we had a reasonable start to last year but it all just falls off like it has every other year, which is something we can’t seem to overcome. But this year is going to be different.”

The second half of the season has traditionally been weaker for BJR than the first, but given his success with the small Albury squad, Coulthard says he only moved on because of the possibilities he saw with DJR Team Penske.

“I don’t feel like I would’ve moved teams if I didn’t think they could do the job,” he said.  

“I know what Roger [Penske] is like from the short dealings I’ve had with him, and the dedication he’s had to NASCAR and IndyCar.

“[With] the success both of those categories have had, he’s going to want V8 Supercars to be exactly the same.

“I’m pumped to be here and aligned with such an icon and now have to live up to expectation.”

Coulthard is permitted to 60km in his new chassis today while Pye completes a ride day.

Related News

Advertisement