Drivers' Quoteboard: ITM 500 Auckland preview
Craig Lowndes, Red Bull Racing Australia, p1 (Championship):
“I’m still confident we can get good results this weekend even though Winton wasn’t great. Pukekohe is a track I enjoy. It’s probably one of the bumpiest tracks that we race on, which gives drivers a challenge to set their cars up. The new chicane on the back straight has reduced the top speed but introduced a whole new technical section.
“I think the car wasn’t perfect last year. I struggled throughout the weekend as well so hopefully this year we can turn it around and make it a much better weekend in results.
“There’s no doubt that the Kiwi drivers go well at Pukekohe, this being their home country. I think that they’ll definitely lift their game for the special occasion.”
Mark Winterbottom, Ford Pepsi Max Crew, p2:
“I am looking forward to the trip across the Ditch. Pukekohe is really demanding on the driver and is a tough place to race. It needs high commitment and you are constantly on the edge of the limit. Last year we were so unbelievably quick but unfortunately the results were so unbelievably bad. This year we want to turn it around and get the results we deserved last year as we should’ve won three of the four races. That’s easy to say but I want to redeem myself and use the pace we have to continue our recent points gain.”
Fabian Coulthard, Lockwood Racing, p3:
Click here for Coulthard’s preview.
James Courtney, Holden Racing Team, p4:
“Momentum in the team has been really strong.
“We started the year with a win at the Clipsal 500 in Adelaide. We followed that up with a second and a third place in Tasmania, and another second at the last round in Winton.
“Garth (Tander) took two top three results at Pukekohe last year, so the cars are going to be pretty strong in New Zealand.
“We have a lot of momentum behind us. We have a lot of new stuff coming onto the car, and we’re just getting stronger and stronger.
“I’m looking forward to Pukekohe, racing the ANZAC Appeal car, and standing on top of the podium. It’s what we’re there for.”
Jamie Whincup, Red Bull Racing Australia, p5:
“It was nice to have Easter off with my family and I’m looking forward to getting back to Pukekohe where we showed good pace last year, but we tripped ourselves up a couple of times. We were looking good in race one, but had a blown tyre, so that was unfortunate.
“Then we had a great battle with Brighty in the final race, but all in all I was happy for him and the team to win the round. It was one of the most emotional rounds with it being the first year of the Jason Richards Memorial Trophy.
“I’m confident we should have good pace and come back where we left off last year. We’ve got a bit to prove after a poor showing at Winton.”
Shane van Gisbergen, Team TEKNO VIP Petfoods, p6:
“We always go alright there, I like Puke. It is one of my better tracks ever since I started racing. And back on the hard tyre, which we were pretty good on at Adelaide, so we will just see what happens and see if we can get over the hill there (coming on to the front straight), that’s the key.
“If your car is good there it will be good round the whole track.”
Tim Slade, Supercheap Auto Racing, p7:
“Pukekohe’s a fast circuit, with not a lot of room for error. It’s quite bumpy in some sections, which adds a lot of character. The last couple of corners are the most exciting part of the track, and entertaining to drive. It’s very much like the top of Mt Panorama at Bathurst. You want a car that gives you confidence in there, to push to the limit…
“It was really nice to be back on the podium (at Winton) and get that kind of result early in the year.
“It’s still relatively new and fresh for me. I have a new team, new car and a new engineer. So it’s good to show, with some other solid results we’ve scored, that everything is coming together well.
“What’s really exciting, though, is knowing how much more there is to come in terms of development with the car.”
David Reynolds, The Bottle-O Racing, p8:
“I love going to New Zealand. It has a good crowd, smart fans and my housemate is a Kiwi so I have a real affinity with the place. The track rewards bravery and occasionally some craziness so that should suit me! Last year we were pretty strong across the event and Winton last time out was much better for us and the team so we can build on this to have another good weekend."
Lee Holdsworth, Erebus Motorsport, p9:
“Everyone knows there's a huge rivalry in our sport between the Aussies and the Kiwis so what better weekend to hold the event than ANZAC weekend.
“Aussie and Kiwi pride is on the line as we take to the track to battle it out on what I consider the best permanent race track on the V8 calendar. It's fast, tight and bumpy making it one of most challenging tracks for engineers and drivers.
“I'm confident we can keep our run of strong results going in NZ. We need to find more speed and consistency but now we've shown our true potential, and with upgrades on the horizon, things can only get better for Erebus Motorsport.”
From Holdsworth’s blog – read more here.
Jason Bright, Team BOC, p11:
"It would mean a hell of a lot to win the JR trophy back to back.
"Last year was great but to win it again would be just as special I think. It certainly meant a lot to the team to win it last year so I’d love to see it back here again.
"I think we’re getting a handle on the car. We had a tough weekend in Tassie but Winton wasn’t as tough apart from our qualifying.
"We found a few small things after the round that may have been causing that so hopefully we’ll go into New Zealand and be a lot stronger.
“Pukekohe is one of the best tracks in our series. Very high speed… a real race track and the fans are great.
"It’s a good atmosphere there and the fans enjoy seeing us at fast flowing circuits and there are good vantage places there at Puke."
Click here to read Bright’s Lap of Pukekohe.
Russell Ingall, Repair Management Australia, p13:
“I’ve certainly enjoyed racing at the Pukekohe circuit and glad it returned there after a few years away.
“The track is super fast and got some real charm and going through turn one you still have to keep hard on the gas even though its quite bumpy and the car’s launching around, that’s what makes the track special and that’s why it gets its character.
“I’ve come so close to winning this race and had some great races here, especially with New Zealand V8 Supercar hero Greg Murphy.
“I’ve always had a very strong fan base in New Zealand and nothing will please me more than to come out with a win here, I would certainly like to put that on the resume.
“I definitely think we’re on the radar with other teams with our strong performances this year and I can only see that getting stronger as the year goes on.”
James Moffat, Norton Hornets, p15:
“The new format is going to put quite a lot of pressure on you and the team to make sure everything is right.
“I’m a big supporter of the two-day formats, so if we’re racing in this format in New Zealand, I don’t know why we can’t do it at most other venues.
“We’ve already had the reduced practice time at Symmons Plains and Winton, which has taken some time to get used to, but it’s the same for everyone so you have to deal with it.
“I think it will advantage those who have raced at Pukekohe before, because some people haven’t and they’ll be very green.”
Garth Tander, Holden Racing Team, p17:
“Jason (Richards) was a great mate of mine, and the way that he fought his battle with cancer was very much in keeping with the Spirit of ANZAC.
“It was a fitting result last year, given Jason Bright won it in JR’s car and for his old team, too.
“However, there are a number of us in the V8 Supercars pitlane who were close to JR, and who would like to win it as well...
“It’s a great honour to have the ANZAC Appeal livery on the car – we had a great weekend in New Zealand last year with the ANZAC livery on the car so hopefully we can have a strong one this year as well.”
Rick Kelly, Jack Daniel’s Racing, p18:
"It's quite a challenging track, I'm a little bit frustrated still from Winton, so I can't wait to get back in the car and get it back up to the front.
"Last year when we went to New Zealand we weren't too bad, and we were still trying to learn the new car, and this year our expectations are a little higher than they were this time last year.
"The track itself is a very exciting one, it really does provide absolutely everything; it has one of the slowest corners of the season, it has a couple of fast sweeping corners, like turn one and the last pair.
"Obviously there are a couple of new corners in the complex over the back of the circuit, which has a new and really high grip surface.
"From a setup point of view it's very difficult to get a car setup that favours all of those different elements, which is a really good challenge.
"Last year was the first time back there since 2007, and it provided a lot of very exciting racing.
"I'm just looking forward to it, we've visited Winton, which is a challenging track inside the car with the tyres going off, and now we're off to a track that is a bit more exciting, and the only one we do in New Zealand as well."
Jack Perkins, Team JELD-WEN, p19:
“The New Zealand event is a really important one for our Championship and all of our sponsors and it's great that it's back at Pukekohe and Auckland. I haven't raced a V8 Supercar at Puke but it's been a happy hunting ground for me in recent years, winning multiple races in the NZ V8SuperTourer Championship with Greg Murphy, and I played a part in assisting Murph to win the Series Crown here last year.
"The schedule is pretty brutal for us with a practice, qualifying and race in quick succession on ANZAC Day Friday, followed by a pair of races Saturday and one 200km race Sunday.
"With Mark Winterbottom winning the last race at Winton, the whole FPR team is on a high and we are hoping for improved results in the Team JELD-WEN Ford, and hopefully move forward in the Championship.”
Chaz Mostert, Ford Pepsi Max Crew, p20:
“As an Honorary Lieutenant in the Royal Australian Navy the ANZAC commemorations are very important to me and obviously everyone related to the Defence Force. Our team has a strong partnership with the Navy as well so racing on ANZAC Day adds a little more for us.
"It is my first time in a V8 Supercar at Pukekohe but my experience last year in New Zealand V8 SuperTourers will help me get up to speed. The format this weekend is pretty hard for newbies but I am up for the challenge and excited to have four races to gain more experience. Hopefully we can knock the Kiwi drivers off at their home event and bring some silverware home.”
Todd Kelly, Jack Daniel’s Racing, p23:
"Racing at Pukekohe is always something you look forward to at the start of the year, the fans in New Zealand always embrace V8 Supercars, it's a big event on the calendar.
"From a driver's perspective, the track packs in a lot of really interesting corners into quite a short lap. The run onto the pit straight is fairly wild, while the new chicane on the back straight adds another overtaking opportunity and another challenge when setting the car up.
"With the limited practice running, we'll have to unload the car and be right on the money, you won't have time to try a lot of different setups before qualifying and racing.
"As a team last year we had top 10 speed, so with a season of development under our belts, I'm confident we'll be in a strong position."
Nick Percat, HHA Racing, p24:
“I made my debut there (at Pukekohe) with Greg (Murphy’s) team last year and was very fortunate to learn all the tricks of the track from the ‘King of Pukekohe’ himself. He has given me an insight into what I need to do in the HHA Racing Holden Commodore and I have also been watching heaps of in-car vision, as there is very little turn around time from practice to qualifying.
“It’s a track that requires a driver to be very committed with a car that can work the flowing sections of the track and be nimble in the tighter new section.”
Click here for the various ways to follow this week's ITM 500 Auckland.
