QLD RACEWAY - WILLOWBANK JULY21 -23

Julian Mayo · Post by **Julian Mayo** » Wed Jul 19, 2006 12:14 pm

The V8s invade Willowbank this weekend.
Practice Friday 1315hrs-1545hrs
Qual-Sat,1105-1150
Shootout 1205-1235

Race 1 (32 laps) Sat 1520-1600hrs

Sunday
race 2 45 laps 1130-1230 REVERSE GRID
race 3 45 laps 1530-1630

Lounge Lizards CH10 Race 1 SAT After the AFL
SUN 1400-1700
Check your local guide.

The Track.
Known as the Paper Clip. For good reason.
The 3.2km track looks like one,
The cars leave the start line half way down the main straight, turn right across the top of the clip, turn right and blast down one side,turn right and come back up that side, turn left go down the inside of the other side of the clip, turn right and go up the outside of the clip..which is the main straight. Draw it.
Chuck in some bumps, off camber braking points, curbs that can trip (a la Jason Richard's multiple barrel roll, nose spin, two and a half with pike), and sand traps the size of the Nullarbor, and you have Qld Raceway. Oh, and the surface grip can fluctuate wildly with a couple of degrees change of temp. And there is often a thunderstorm mid race.

In With A Chance.
It is Stone Bros home track. I reckon that the way the team has struggled this year, and his relative success in such a short time in the USA, is a pointer to just how good one M.Ambrose really is. Good chance for a top 5 place.

Craig Lowndes. Enuff said, good chance for a podium.

DJR, should be right up there on their test track.

Garth Tander. Is leading the title fight by 8 points from Craig, this could be a make or break round for the Westralian

HRT, always in with a chance.

My "smokey" for the round win is Jason Richards.

Julian Mayo · Post by **Julian Mayo** » Fri Jul 21, 2006 4:42 pm

Results after Friday practice: The top 15 are
Skaife 1:10:1390
Tander
Bright
R Kelly
Lowndes
Whincup
Winterbottom
Canto
S Johnson
S Richards
M Wilson 1:11:06
Dumbrell
Ingall
Courtney
McConville 1:11:2202

The lap record is 1:11:0033 set by Tander in1999

James Courtney was :005 slower than Ingall

Southernman · Post by **Southernman** » Sat Jul 22, 2006 11:00 am

It's not my favourite track. In NZ the first two races will be on TV one sometime between 3-6pm on Sunday. The third race will be on at 11:40pm. Too late for me.

Julian Mayo · Post by **Julian Mayo** » Sat Jul 22, 2006 11:12 am

Southernman wrote:It's not my favourite track. In NZ the first two races will be on TV one sometime between 3-6pm on Sunday. The third race will be on at 11:40pm. Too late for me.

Well, the good news is that a decision on a Townsville street circuit race is imminent. I agree that Willowbank is not the best V8 track, but I guess we can't have 9 Mt Panoramas.

Julian Mayo · Post by **Julian Mayo** » Sat Jul 22, 2006 4:01 pm

The top ten on the grid after the shootout are:
Tander
Bright
J Courtney
R Kelly
J Whincup
Winerbottom
Ingall
Skaife
S Richards
M Wilson

I have an unconfirmed report, with no details as yet, that Max Wilson has been excluded from the result. There is no time awarded to him.

Julian Mayo · Post by **Julian Mayo** » Sun Jul 23, 2006 12:26 am

For those of you who will watch the replay much later today I will not post the results of race 1 til about midday sunday (today)

Is it just me, or does Tom Walkinshaw cause morale, and technical problems in every team he touches ?
A couple of the umpires' decisions were a tad dodgy today.
Despite starting alongside each other, Skaife and Ingall did not touch each other, a couple of others did tho'.
It wasn't a good day for Qld based teams for the first time in about 5 years.
It wasn't totally disasterous either.
The rain has held off til the reverse grid race. When it does rain, it is going to be a big dump.
Thanks CH10.......10 mins late...No I do not want a hot babe on my mobile....nor do I wish to drive to Sydney to buy a shonky "Persian" carpet........yes I do expect to see at least 40 minutes of racing in a 1 hour program, not 30 minutes. Not good enough CH10. I now formally forbid my kids to watch Big Brother.

jacfan · Post by **jacfan** » Sun Jul 23, 2006 3:04 pm

Hey try watching the World Championship Poker. Soooooooooooooooo many ads for "hot babes" and "text flirt" etc etc. Feels like I am watching some porn channel. Why? Surely not everyone who watches poker or racing is a desparate single male with nothing but time on the hand to "chat" to some semi nude #$%# who in reality looks nothing like the ones they get to do the ads.

jacfan · Post by **jacfan** » Sun Jul 23, 2006 3:04 pm

GO Lowndes!!!!!!!

Julian Mayo · Post by **Julian Mayo** » Tue Jul 25, 2006 10:46 am

Results from Qld Raceway.
Race 1
Garth Tander
J Bright
J Courtney

Race 2 (Reverse grid)
M Skaife
G Tander
J Coutney

Race 3
Garth Tander
R Kelly
J Bright

Round Results
G Tander
J Bright
C Lowndes

Ch'ship Points Standings

Tander 1,642
Lowndes 1.604
R kelly 1,597
r Ingall1,474
Winterbottom 1,435

Basically Tander was driving a jet. The rest were in cessnas.
His thing had outright speed, good balance, great brakes, and conserved tyres. The rest had most or some of those attributes.
Bright was suffering with "brake knock off' all day Coutney had the developmental "D3" engine let go in race 3 while heading for another 3rd place.
Skaife went and played with his bucket and spade.
Lowndes lacked speed.
owen drove into, or caused half the field to drive into him.
Ingall chugged around in and out of the top 5 all day.
tod Kelly broke another gear lever. And so on.

Is is obvious to Blind Freddy that the Holdens are faster than the Fords.
Quicker down the straights in terms of sheer grunt. Getting the power down thru the corners, giving them even more speed on the straight.

Courtney demonsrated his ability. It is the first time he has been on a track he knows, throughout the series. The Stone Bros report that he is starting to go in his own direction in terms of what development and set-up he wants on the car.

And so to Oran Park for the last reverse grid race. See yers there.

Tander was a fresh face on pole. Ambrose had the last 5.