HRT Driver To Face Pre Qualifying At Mallala

[RaceTime]

SKAIFE TO PRE-QUALIFY FOR ADELAIDE!


Defending Champ Says Advantages Outweigh Risks

The Holden Racing Team today announced that defending Australian Touring Car Champion Mark Skaife would face pre-qualifying for round one of this year's Championship, prior to the Clipsal 500.


With an oversubscribed grid for the Clipsal event, around 20 drivers will have to pre-qualify at Mallala Raceway on Wednesday March 13th for the final 11 spots on the grid. This meant that the Holden Racing Team - having brought its Holden Young Lions program back in-house in 2002 - would have to pre-qualify one of its three cars, with the expectation that V8 Supercar "rookie" Rick Kelly would be the one to do so in the HYL Commodore.


However the Team decided late last week that - despite some obvious risks - a number of factors led them to nominate Mark Skaife as the driver to face the cut-throat session on the Wednesday prior to the Clipsal 500.


"It's obvious with the quality of driver that has to pre-qualify (for the Adelaide race,) that the competition to make the grid will be intense and that's something that Mark - with his experience - is better suited for." TWR Racing General Manager Jeff Grech said today.


"Without doubt too, there are performance gains to be made. With Mark pre-qualifying, the Holden Racing Team - like the others involved - will gain some very beneficial track time on the new Dunlop Control Tyre, that will hopefully assist the Team as a whole when we get to the Clipsal.


"Also, a major priority for the Team this year is to ensure that the Young Lions program and Rick Kelly are given every opportunity to perform. Of particular importance are the commercial considerations for the Young Lions and its sponsors so with the Clipsal race being such a major event and the first round of the season, we felt it was vital that Rick made the grid to meet those requirements. This was particularly the case when the Young Lions entry did not gain an invitation to the Grand Prix meeting." Grech pointed out.


Defending V8 Supercar Champion Mark Skaife was part of the decision making process and is supportive of the move that will see him at Mallala on the Wednesday of the Clipsal week.


"Sure, there are risks. "Skaife said. "But there are risks at any race meeting and in this case, I agree there's much to be gained. Mallala is a circuit that - as a category - we haven't been to for a while so to have some track time there with the new Control Tyre on a circuit that has some resemblance to the Adelaide street layout is a benefit! There are a number of stop-go corners, it's quite bumpy and you can use the kerbs. All good information for later in the week." Skaife explained.


"It's interesting too, that while there has been some negative 'chat' about the pre-qualifying, many of the teams and drivers that have to do so are seeing it the same light as HRT, in that there are quite a few benefits to be gained.


"Maybe that suggests there's a big loophole in the process that will have to be looked at, as the teams that do pre-qualify pick up some gains with tyres and pre race testing, over the teams that don't." Skaife pointed out.


Interest in pre-qualifying for the Clipsal 500 will be high with - apart from HRT's Skaife - the likes of Kmart Racing's Greg Murphy and Todd Kelly, Larry Perkins, John Bowe, Craig Lowndes and Skaife's co-driver at Bathurst Tony Longhurst all facing the 20-minute do-or-die session at Mallala.

[Crash Test]

Hrmmm.... I'd hate to get a flat battery on my out lap

[RaceTime]

Or be tapped by another driver either in that session or an earlier one!

Very risky this but I can see what the teams are doing to manipulate the rules - they are nominating there 'gun' drivers for PQ on the assumption that they WILL get through, thus ensuring the 3rd or rooky drivers get an automatic start.

Shows the idiocy of the PQ system.

[elephino]

Definitely. But then again, it is showing AVESCO the flaw in their system.

[RaceTime]

And, of course, something AVESCO will never admit to - after all, that would show a weakness, wouldn't it?

[Crash Test]

Maybe the cars will be racing in the ATCC, because CS doesn't sound very good.... could that possibly count as a weakness??

[RaceTime]

CS - WTH is that?

Cry Shell
Car Series
Champion Seton
Champion Skaife
Cheese Sandwhich

[Crash Test]

Cuddly Sexmaniac
Cool Sundae
Calcutta Sootfest
Canned Series
Can't See
Caramel Spasm
Crappy Spade
Common Splatter

I was thinking of "Shell Championship Series" without the 'Shell'

[RaceTime]

Wouldn't that make it a muscle if it didn't have a shell?

[Crash Test]

A slug is a snail without a shell.... or so Seasame Street told me as a young 'un.

How about Chairman Sucks?

[RaceTime]

Hehe - wonder where that came from?

[Crash Test]

I don't know.... do you expect me to keep track of all of the emails that come my way??

[RaceTime]

Yes - I have to

I was also thinking of Champion ****stirrer but I think the filter may mangle that one!

[marcus]

Christs sake !!!!!!



anyway this whole pre qual thing is ridiculous , why they dont just show up and start the fastest 35 cars or whatever the grid size will be is beyond me , I mean that way it gives everyone an equal chance and still the big boys could miss out if they have a problem in the qual session.

could you imagine the look on Skaife's face when this was first mentioned to him though ??
but you can see why they are doing it and it is well in the rules and if they do have to have a pre qual session then they should have made it for the drivers and not the entries , but im going over old territory there arent I ?

****** to it all i say and so there will be nine drivers that miss out , will Skaife be one of them ????

[RaceTime]

marcus, this is what you seem to be missing - they CAN'T start the 35 cars because at this stage they do not KNOW who the fastest 35 cars are - would oyu care to tell us please?

The cannot accommodate more than - what is the number? 35? transporters in the paddock - OK that is a failing of the circuit and needs to be addressed.

[Emfa]

Hmmm... very interesting.

So, Adelaide doesn't have the facilities to host all the entrants. But it is the jewel in the SC crown? :confused: And permanent circuits are being dropped because they don't meet TC's standards. Am I just cynical, or do I detect a two-faced policy there?

The obvious thing would be to send them all out to qualify, then take the 35 fastest (which I think is what marcus was getting at), but if they can't fit the teams in the paddock I guess they do have a significant (IMO) problem.

Originally posted by marcus
****** to it all i say and so there will be nine drivers that miss out , will Skaife be one of them ????

One can only hope! Might make things a little more interesting in the championship! But if it does, you can bet that a rules revision will be on the wire before the ink dries.

[RaceTime]

Don't get me wrong - I agree with letting the fastest 35 start but the problem is that there are way too many cars now for a single field.

IMHO what *should* be happening is that every vehicle that wants to enter should be allowed to - similar to the Formula Ford Festivals of the late 1980's - 80 cars - qualifying over 3 sessions with, in their cases, repercharges and finals.

There is NO reason why, if AVESCO claim to have 50 plus cars, they don't allow the 50 to enter. Practice them all in seperate sessions (odd numbers in one, evens in another, then qualify them in two consecutive sessions.

The top 35 run the Championship races whilst any 'non-qualifiers' run in support events. This gives the punters more value and gives everyone a chance to have a race instead of being sent home.

[marcus]

ok..so there simply isnt enough room at Adelaide for more than 35 cars.
I really dont know the answer but this seems completely silly to me , but i guess its the only option they can take.
surely there is some paddock area somewhere in the adelaide circuit to try and fit these guys in????
and then run two qual sessions to determine the 35 car grid...
another thing ...will this happen at every round this year ???
or is it just special for Adelaide ?

[marcus]

yeah racetime ...you get the idea ..thats the best solution...

(sorry posted before reading the last post )

[RaceTime]

No problem - you can borrow my rading glasses if you want

As to other tracks - most likely. I am not disputing the popularity of the V8's - the organisation leaves a lot to be desired however but I guess that any successful category will attempt to do whatever they can, by any means possible, to protect their 'property'

[sevi]

This may sound stupid, but if they can pre-qualify some at Mallalla why not all the entries?
Then the fastest 35 move into the circuit.

[D.R.T.]

I guess cost is rising all the time for teams, when they are having to do all this extra running time added on to a normal race weekend.