Tuesday 27th July, 2010
Author: SpeedCafe ©

Warren Luff makes way for James Courtney in the #18 Jim Beam Racing Falcon at Eastern Creek today
Jim Beam Racing has confirmed its endurance driver pairings for the long distance V8 Supercar events at Phillip Island and Bathurst.

Championship leader James Courtney will team with experienced racer Warren Luff, while Steve Johnson, 10th in the standings, will pair with Marcus Marshall.

The combinations gives the Dick Johnson Racing drivers a solid level of experience and speed.

Team sporting director Adrian Burgess told Speedcafe.com.au that he couldn’t be happier with the driver line-ups.

“The combinations for #17 and #18 are extremely strong, it didn’t matter what way we did it,” he said.

“It’s slightly easier for Warren to race with James because they don’t need any seat adjustments, so we decided to pair those guys together.

“Marcus, Warren and Steve Owen (Jamie Whincup’s TeamVodafone team-mate) are probably the three stand-out blokes who should be in the Main Series full-time anyway, and we’re quite happy to have two of them. It gives us a strong solid line-up in both cars.”

All four DJR drivers were at Eastern Creek today, conducting a ride day for Sydney-based fans and sponsors.

“Both Marcus and Warren would have done over 35 rides today. That’s some good seat time for them. We’re really happy. They are both pretty happy in the cars,” Burgess said.

Luff goes into the endurance races with the added pressure of sharing the seat with championship leader Courtney. It’s not an uncustomary situation for Luff, who paired with Marcos Ambrose in the 2005 endurance races while Ambrose was heavily embroiled in the title fight.

Burgess is certain that Luff, a former full-time V8 driver, will be able to do the job required.

“I don’t think there’s any extra pressure on Warren. Every driver on the grid has pressure on them. There’s no use winding yourself up,” he said.

“We know he can do the job, and that’s why we’ve given him the opportunity in our team. It will be a walk in the park for him.”

As previously confirmed, the third DJR-prepared Falcon will see David Russell will team up with Mother Energy Drinks-backed driver Jonathon Webb. Both Russell and Webb were also at Eastern Creek today.

www.speedcafe.com.au/2010/07/27/djr-conf...rance-race-pairings/

Wednesday 28th July, 2010
Author: SpeedCafe ©


If experience counts for anything, pencil in Jason Bargwanna and Glenn Seton as a threat in this year’s V8 Supercars endurance races at Phillip Island and Bathurst.

Seton will team up with Bargwanna in the #11 Rock Holden Commodore at the L&H 500 at Phillip Island and the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000.

The duo’s combined total of Bathurst 1000 starts is 39, equal to the #888 TeamVodafone pairing of Craig Lowndes and Mark Skaife.

Seton was announced as a part of Kelly Racing’s endurance driver line-up in May as the two-time Australian Touring Car Champion chases an elusive first Bathurst 1000 victory.

While the pair has never competed in the same V8 Supercar, or even the same team, they do have endurance race experience as part of the same team. Bargwanna and Seton both raced as part of the Pro-Duct operation at the Bathurst 12 Hour production car race in February, where Seton finished in second place.

Seton says that a podium result is the pair’s aim for the two races.

“Jason (Bargwanna) spoke to me about what I was going to do this year because we were in the same team at the (Bathurst) 12 Hour earlier this year,” said Seton.

“So it’s great to get the opportunity to go there again for the 26th time at Bathurst and get to be a part of Jason’s show and go up there together.

“Jason drives like a little terrier dog and if he ever gets the chance he will be digging at their heels.

“I’m really looking forward to being a part of that and to get up on that podium is our aim.

“Having all those Bathurst starts makes both of us feel old – we’ll have to talk that down I think!”

Bargwanna, the 2000 Bathurst 1000 winner, said that with the addition of Seton, his entry’s speed and experience won’t be lacking at Phillip Island and Bathurst.

“Obviously this year, with not being able to pair up your number one drivers, it’s going to make the race very interesting,” said Bargwanna.

“Last year I had Mark Noske in my car and we were fighting for a podium position.

“I think this year with Glenn with me in the Rock car, there is no doubt that with the experience we have between us, we are in with a good shot.

“When you look at the amount of podiums that Glenn has had at Bathurst, it shows what he is capable of there.

“We teamed up together at the (Bathurst) 12 Hour in separate cars but in the same team earlier this year.

“I chased him around the Mountain and I can tell you that he knows the place better than most and that’s the bloke you need in your car.”

The L&H 500 at Phillip Island will be held on September 10-12 before ‘the Great Race’ – the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 on October 7-10.

www.speedcafe.com.au/2010/07/28/seton-te...args-for-v8-enduros/

FPR confirms endurance driver combos

Ford Performance Racing has confirmed its endurance driver combinations for the upcoming endurance races – the L&H 500 at Phillip Island and the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000.

Experienced driver Luke Youlden will join Mark Winterbottom aboard the Orrcon Steel Falcon, while James Moffat will make his V8 Supercars Main Series debut alongside Steven Richards in the Dunlop Super Dealer Falcon.

Youlden will be racing at Bathurst for the third straight year with FPR, having previously recording five top 10 results on the Mountain since debuting in 2001. His best result came in 2003, partnering Steve Ellery to third place.

On both previous occasions behind the wheel of the FPR Falcon Youlden has teamed with Dean Canto, with the pair registering a seventh place finish in 2008, before retiring late in last year’s event while running in fifth position.

It is expected that Youlden will also team up with Winterbottom in the Armor All Gold Coast 600, while Richards will be paired with international IndyCar star Will Power.

Moffat has been campaigning the Ford Rising Stars Racing Falcon in the Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series this season, currently sitting fifth in the points standings. Moffat, the son of four-times Bathurst winner Allan Moffat, had a stunning debut season in 2009 where he finished second in the championship, picking up the Mike Kable Young Gun Award.

FPR team principal Tim Edwards believes that his driving combinations have the perfect mix of speed and experience.

“We are very happy having Luke and James team up with Mark and Steven, and we’re extremely confident of a strong showing in the endurance races,” Edwards said.

“Over the years, Luke has demonstrated that he is one of the most talented drivers in Australia without a full time drive, and we are glad that he has joined the team for a third straight year.

“We have obviously been following James very closely through our association with Ford Rising Stars Racing, and he is a very mature driver for only his second full season in V8 Supercars.”

The third FPR-prepared Falcon (The Bottle-O Racing), regularly driven by Paul Dumbrell, will be co-driven by Canto.

www.speedcafe.com.au/2010/08/03/fpr-conf...rance-driver-combos/

V8 endurance combos firming for Phillip Island

The countdown to V8 Supercars’ ‘Season of Endurance’ is getting on, with just 34 days until the first of the enduros – the L&H 500 at Phillip Island.

Most of the V8 Supercars teams have confirmed their endurance driver line-ups, with only a handful of teams yet to lock in its combinations.

Walkinshaw Racing is yet to officially confirm its pairings, but expect to see Garth Tander partnered by Cameron McConville (#2 Toll HRT), Will Davison with David Reynolds (#22 Toll HRT) and Fabian Coulthard with Craig Baird (#24 Bundaberg Red). The fourth entry (#10 Bundaberg Red) is likely to have Nick Percat and Ryan Briscoe share duties with regular steerer Andrew Thompson.

For the Armor All Gold Coast 600, McConville is likely to stay on as Tander’s team-mate, with Ryan Briscoe filling in alongside Davison. In the Bundaberg Red camp, Baird would stay with Coulthard, while former F1 driver Mika Salo will partner Thompson.

Of the regular Championship Series cars, the only other driver line-ups yet to confirmed are the #7 and #16 Kelly Racing Commodore VEs.

The only other TBAs are the Wildcard entries. Greg Murphy Racing has Geoff Emery as its only driver sorted, while Matthew White Motorsport has no drivers locked in yet.

The other Wildcard entry for the Sieders Racing Team, to be driven by David Sieders and Andrew Fisher, is currently looking shaky and may not be able to fulfil its Wildcard duties. This scenario would leave the field at 31 cars.

For a full preview of this year’s V8 Season of Endurance, stay tuned to Speedcafe.com.au for a special video presentation – the Castrol EDGE Endurance Countdown …

Below is an unofficial entry list for the L&H 500 at Phillip Island.

1 Jamie Whincup Steve Owen Vodafone Triple 8 Race Engineering
2 Garth Tander Cameron McConville Toll Holden Racing Team
3 Tony D’Alberto Shane Price Centaur Tony D’Alberto Racing
4 Alex Davison David Brabham IRWIN Stone Brothers Racing
5 Mark Winterbottom Luke Youlden Orrcon Ford Performance Racing
6 Steven Richards James Moffat Dunlop Ford Performance Racing
7 Todd Kelly – Jack Daniel’s Kelly Racing
8 Jason Richards Andrew Jones BOC Gases Brad Jones Racing
9 Shane Van Gisbergen John McIntyre SP Tools Stone Brothers Racing
10 Andrew Thomson Nick Percat Bundaberg Red Walkinshaw Racing
11 Jason Bargwanna Glenn Seton Rock Kelly Racing
12 Dean Fiore Michael Patrizi Bing Lee Triple F Racing
14 Jason Bright Matt Halliday Trading Post Brad Jones Racing
15 Rick Kelly Owen Kelly Jack Daniel’s Kelly Racing
16 Tony Ricciardello – Kelly Racing
17 Steven Johnson Marcus Marshall Jim Beam Dick Johnson Racing
18 James Courtney Warren Luff Jim Beam Dick Johnson Racing
19 Jonothan Webb David Russell Canadian Club Dick Johnson Racing
21 Karl Reindler David Wall Fair Dinkum Sheds Britek Motorsport
22 Will Davison David Reynolds Toll Holden Racing Team
24 Fabian Coulthard Craig Baird Bundaberg Red Walkinshaw Racing
27 – – Matthew White Motorsport
30 Mark Noske Nathan Pretty Gulf Western Oils Racing
33 Lee Holdsworth David Besnard Fujitsu Garry Rogers Motorsport
34 Michael Caruso Greg Ritter Fujitsu Garry Rogers Motorsport
39 Russell Ingall Paul Morris Supercheap Auto Paul Morris Motorsport
46 Geoff Emery – Greg Murphy Racing
47 Tim Slade Jack Perkins Wilson Security JR Racing
51 Greg Murphy Tim Blanchard Castrol EDGE Paul Morris Motorsport
55 Paul Dumbrell Dean Canto The Bottle-O Rod Nash Racing
888 Craig Lowndes Mark Skaife Vodafone Triple 8 Race Engineering
– David Sieders Andrew Fisher Sieders Racing Team

www.speedcafe.com.au/2010/08/09/v8-super...ance-combos-firming/

Not a confirmed pairing, but t=a new topic is unlikely to get many replies, so;

Sieders and Fisher have pulled out;

That is a real shame that they have pulled out, As the more cars the better I would say

Clubby wrote:


i reckon they would have been maybe the best of the wild cards or the more organised team coming into phillip island.

Don't agree with you at all there Davis, GMR and MWM are much more established teams. Agreed Clubby

That's a disappointment, hopefully they'll be back in the enduros next year.

On Clubby's point, I think they need to increase the number of wildcars to at least five. Bigger grid = better race.

888rocks wrote:


REALLY NOW......

You really have your head in the sand and have no idea about the situation.

The Seiders and even GMR and MWM are all in the same boat, only difference is they (GMR and MWM) arn't running three cars in the ute series, and their drivers aren't doing double duty.

The cost to run at Bathurst for wildcards is alot and the Seiders have struggled to find enough sponsors to meet the quota, and above all that they have major sponsor commitments in the V8 utes.

It is a shame, but they feel that at the moment while sponsors pockets are quite tight they are focusing on utes instead where they have sponsors who are willing to open their pockets.

BAC-013 wrote:
I thought you had a good relationship with this team, yet you don't even know how to spell their name

Anyway, what I was saying, is that GMR and MWM are much more established teams IN V8 SUPERCARS! Because what are we talking about...V8 SUPERCARS! And further to the point, do you see a Sieders car smashing everyone in the Fujitsu Series at the moment, did the Sieders win the Fujitsu Series last year? No...