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Tander: Volvo will be a threat

13 Sep 2014
Holden ace has no doubt McLaughlin will vie for victory.
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Factory Holden ace Garth Tander is sure the factory Volvo S60s will pose a threat in racing as well as qualifying at this weekend's Wilson Security Sandown 500.

Tander set the second fastest time in this morning's final practice for the opening round of the Pirtek Enduro Cup in his Holden Racing Team Commodore VF, pipped by Scott McLaughlin in the factory Volvo Polestar Racing entry.

The #33 Valvoline Volvo has now been fastest in every session except for yesterday's opening practice, when Jamie Whincup led the way in the Red Bull Holden Commodore VF. But this morning McLaughlin broke into the 1min08sec bracket to set the fastest time of the meeting, withFrenchman Alex Premat the quickest co-driver during yesterday's sessions.

But while fast, the Volvo is unproven over the 500km distance of this race. It has finished 250km races and won the 200km Race 28 mini-marathon at Sydney Motorsport Park last time out.

"They are a genuine threat, they have proven all year they are a genuine threat," said Tander. "There are big long straights here."

Tander's belief was backed up by McLaughlin himself, who said he was "quietly confident" the Volvo would be able to run 500km.

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"So far the car has been really good and not had any issues," he said. "The more racing we do the better it is, but I am quietly confident we will have no dramas."

Tander wasn't getting carried away by his form in the Commodore he will share with Warren Luff. He has never finished on the podium at a Sandown enduro, although he did win the Bathurst warm-up in 2008-09 when it was conducted at Phillip Island.

"We were good in the mid part of the session on used tyres and then like everyone we threw greens at it at the end and we went ok. We have a few things still to work on but we have been there or thereabouts every session," he said.

Tander said the recent two-day Walkinshaw Racing test at Winton had helped unlock more speed in his new chassis, which debuted at SMP.

"It was generally a good test where we found good gains across all the cars. We double tested a lot of stuff on different cars to make sure it was a conclusive gain and it was.

"What we are seeing here is the result of the work for the package. It wasn't Sandown specific."

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