Russell looks to capitalise with strong Falcon
Novocastrian Motorsport's Aaren Russell is intent on improving his 2014 campaign at this weekend's Perth 400 in his Go Karts Go Falcon.
Russell has had a frustrating start to the Dunlop Series, unable to capitalise with what he believes has been a strong car at the first two rounds.The 22-year old is 13th in the standings after suffering a wheel nut failure at the last round at Winton last month.
"We've left Adelaide and Winton feeling a bit disappointed at not being able to record the results we're capable of achieving; this weekend is about hopefully avoiding those little issues and putting it all together," Russell said.
"We know the car is strong and I've learnt a lot about it already, and how it compares with the chassis I raced last year.
"After the wheel nut failure at Winton in Race One, we moved from the rear of the grid to 11th in nine laps in Race Two. Unfortunately we were then on the receiving end of some contact, which sums up the season so far, but the race pace is definitely there."
Having endured a troubled run at Barbagallo Raceway last year means a strong result would be even sweeter this time around.Twelve months ago Russell was 17th for the round, with a best result of 13th in the final race - but with a revamped format this year, the 38-lap races on Saturday and Sunday are approximately twice as long as those contested in 2013, meaning tyre management is set to be a greater factor at the highly abrasive circuit.
"Barbagallo was probably our toughest event of 2013, nothing went our way from the moment we rolled the car off the truck," Russell recalled.
"It's a unique circuit on our calendar, the shortest we visit, and in recent years it's been important to look after the rear tyres over the course of the race. This year, with considerably longer races, that's going to be key, especially getting out of Kolb Corner for the long run down into the final corner if you're in a battle during the closing laps.
"Our car has been strong over a race distance so far this year, hopefully we can qualify well and make the most of that this weekend."
The Dunlop Series is just one of a number of support categories at the Perth 400 -the V8 Utes, Aussie Race Cars, Super GT and Historic Touring Cars set to take to the track. Tickets are available for the V8 Supercars event now.
