Hrt Announces "young Guns" Entry For Konica Series!

RaceTime · 20 Dec 2002, 07:32 (Ref:454022)

John Faulkner Racing To Run Development Team

Over the past few years, the average age of the leading drivers in the V8 Supercar category has been lowered quite dramatically. In 1995, the average age of the Top 10 Championship drivers was 40 years old and yet by the end of the 2002 season, it was down to 29.

The Holden Racing Team was instrumental in pushing for the introduction of youth with firstly Craig Lowndes and the subsequent establishment of the Holden Young Lions program. This has resulted in across the board opportunities for new talent in many teams and helped bring a younger and growing audience to the sport in Australia.

However, the Team recognises the continuing need to develop future V8 Supercar drivers so it has joined forces with John Faulkner Racing for Faulkner to run the HRT "Young Guns" program in the Konica Series.

Faulkner recently announced his retirement from driving and building cars at the highest level and, has contracted TWR to prepare and run the Kmart Racing Team under his Level 1 franchise. John and his family will shortly re-locate to the Gold Coast and will now establish a race preparation facility, take out a Level 3 V8 Supercar franchise and prepare VX Commodores for racing in the Konica Series.

Faulkner will use the Commodore he raced during this season for the program and will receive technical support from HRT to ensure it is as well prepared as possible for the driver or drivers to compete in the Series.

"It's vital that we have some sort of 'feeder' system to ensure we keep drivers coming through the ranks as the V8 Supercars continue to grow." Faulkner said.

"What we're trying to do is be the 'primary school for HRT and Holden Motorsport and give a chance to young drivers - or drivers who haven't had the same opportunity as others due to a lack of funds."

Over the next few months, HRT and John Faulkner racing will seek out and confirm appropriate sponsors and drivers for the HRT "Young Guns" program and announce further details prior to the start of the 2003 season.

Phase3 · 20 Dec 2002, 08:10 (Ref:454034)

Does this imply no "young Lions" team in the main series?

sevi · 20 Dec 2002, 15:14 (Ref:454277)

Jsmes Brock is driving if that is any help.

marcus · 21 Dec 2002, 00:04 (Ref:454576)

so will we see HRT dominate the Konica series now ????

I certainly hope not, as it should never go down that path , I wasnt to happy with the big teams entering this series in the first place.

but well done to Faulkner, now he has retired he has picked up a good deal to keep food on his table and wish him and his team all the best.

and it will be interesting to see how young Brock handles himself back in a V8 , if it is him who has the drive

**GTRMagic** · 21 Dec 2002, 00:18 (Ref:454590)

Its a JFR Commodore, I hardly think it will dominate much of anything.... it will be competitive, but there will be an inexperienced driver , a new team (all the JFR guys were released a few weeks ago, and the factory is for sale) and it could all end up a bit hard

Not sure if James Brock (whose first name used to actually be Brock... interesting huh) has the kind of talent that expectations from the name have thrust upon him.

Onlooker · 21 Dec 2002, 00:49 (Ref:454609)

"What we're trying to do is be the 'primary school for HRT and Holden Motorsport and give a chance to young drivers - or drivers who haven't had the same opportunity as others due to a lack of funds."

Well James brock certainly fits that to a T dosent he?????

Mattracer · 21 Dec 2002, 00:51 (Ref:454611)

How long did we all think it woud take for TWR to become involved. I'm surprised it wasn't sooner.

Agreed, a JFR Commodore won't dominate unless it's given a total makeover and made into a TWR one.

Even though young drivers with good prospects should have opportunities to participate, I don't think the giants of the calibre of TWR and SBR should be involved. It cheapens the original idea behind it all.

The best and least offensive way would be how Dumbrell did it (to the best of my knowledge, please correct me if I'm wrong). Buy a 2nd hand car and run it with your own band of enthusiastic team members and achieve recognition with the car's former team, but don't get them to actually run it.

Onlooker · 21 Dec 2002, 00:56 (Ref:454617)

Quote:

Originally posted by Mattracer
How long did we all think it woud take for TWR to become involved. I'm surprised it wasn't sooner.

Agreed, a JFR Commodore won't dominate unless it's given a total makeover and made into a TWR one.

Even though young drivers with good prospects should have opportunities to participate, I don't think the giants of the calibre of TWR and SBR should be involved. It cheapens the original idea behind it all.

The best and least offensive way would be how Dumbrell did it (to the best of my knowledge, please correct me if I'm wrong). Buy a 2nd hand car and run it with your own band of enthusiastic team members and achieve recognition with the car's former team, but don't get them to actually run it.

Yes a young guy who can reportedly spend about $1 million to do the Konicas and leap frog all those that used to absolutly blow the doors off him in Karts,F Holden despite his continualy lopsided budget comared to competitors should be the role model for all young hopefuls with nothing to offer but raw talent.

**GTRMagic** · 21 Dec 2002, 01:01 (Ref:454621)

Having said that Onlooker, Dumbrell did a good job at Bathurst, but the rich kid tag will NEVER leave him...

A pukka Perkins 2002 spec Commodore with Oscar from 00 doing the engineering, and a few more 00 people sprinkled in there for good measure meant that Marty Brant and theboys at IRC got to bring it to the track and wash it sometimes....

Onlooker · 21 Dec 2002, 01:08 (Ref:454625)

He did do a great job at Bathurst etc but one question that begs to be asked is how good a job could others have done with the same resourses?
For a young guy who, time of school in 4th form as a 16year old, took his secertary,PR guy with him to the Steward Driving School a few years ago to lay the foundations for his F1 assualt he seems to have come up a bit short.Remeber this is a guy who was so good that he didn't even bother with Formula Ford as it was a waste of time and Formula Holden was the go straight out of karts then a AUSCAR/crashed first race then a NASCAR at the AGP/written off at first race SUPERCAR crashed heavily at first race at Bathurst and the FH was always out the back of the garage getting the mud hosed out of the radiators while mechanics fitted new parts to it

**GTRMagic** · 21 Dec 2002, 01:14 (Ref:454629)

Must be nice to have a rich dad mustnt it?

The way they portray it is like the family has no dosh, but they kept the Wynns GMS operation alive while running Paul ina FH, then bought GMS and ran the Kmart operation, then sold GMS to Bob Forbes, but still kept in the series in a GMS Commodore in Konica in Wynns colours, then the same this year, run by IRC...

All up cost, more than a few million.... to do what, win a Konica series...wow!

Onlooker · 21 Dec 2002, 01:18 (Ref:454630)

You will never stamp it out but some people just don't have what it takes to maximise their oppurtunitys and he is unfortunatly one,nice guy, not a bad steerer but hey throw that sort of $$$ around and as you say only win the Konica's is a poor return for your $$compared to say D Canto who also has only only won the Konicas and nothing much else for far less dosh

RaceTime · 21 Dec 2002, 01:21 (Ref:454634)

I find the change in the Konica Series amazing - the original concept - as announced by AVESCo when it first started - was for a series that did not have and was not permitted to have involvement from any Level 1 franchise holder - it was intended purely for those looking to get into V8 Supercars and couldn't get into the main series.

Amazing how time (money???) change things, isn't it?

Onlooker · 21 Dec 2002, 01:27 (Ref:454639)

Quote:

Originally posted by RaceTime
I find the change in the Konica Series amazing - the original concept - as announced by AVESCo when it first started - was for a series that did not have and was not permitted to have involvement from any Level 1 franchise holder - it was intended purely for those looking to get into V8 Supercars and couldn't get into the main series.

Amazing how time (money???) change things, isn't it?

So true it really was to allow the spill over for those unable to fund a full Shell series, the Mal Rose's etc but wanted to race a shorter and less expensive program.Allowing VT's anAU's in so early was a mistake.They should be only now comming on board as the big teams move to a new car.

**GTRMagic** · 21 Dec 2002, 01:57 (Ref:454655)

You will find that when the VS is ruled ineligible from 2004 the class full of privateers will all disappear into the night.... which will be a shame because some guys who love motorsport will be lost to it..

Having said that, I dont think Konicas should be treated like another club level series either

RaceTime · 21 Dec 2002, 02:00 (Ref:454658)

I don;t think anyone has advocated treating them like a club series - but the original concept was to allow it to be used as a training ground for the main series whilst keeping the big boys and money chasers out of the series.

Something I would have to say they have failed to do on both counts.

**GTRMagic** · 21 Dec 2002, 05:25 (Ref:454716)

There are some real dunger cars out there in Konica land RaceTime, you probably know that better than I do. Some of them have skipped a few birthdays too so the success levels are indicative of the preparation levels....

Arguably the main series would normally have kept these kinds of teams running on a selected round basis... at least I suppose AVESCO sweeps the 'Winton' end of pitlane into another series, away from the crown jewels

Mattracer · 21 Dec 2002, 10:26 (Ref:454778)

I wasn't aware Dumbrell was such a "rich kid". It seems v8 Supercar is crawling with them these days. Another one would be Mark Noske. All things considered, I thought Dumbrell did a good enough job for Larry at Bathurst. At one stage he passed Jim Richards for 2nd place I think. Maybe Jim was looking after fuel economy but I digress...

Larry wouldn't be the easiest person in the field to audition for and everyone was waiting for him to .... up.

Rich kid or not he did a solid job, but I wasn't aware of all the details to his earlier years in the sport but I do remember his crash at Mc Phillamy in the Wynns Commodore.

**GTRMagic** · 21 Dec 2002, 22:45 (Ref:455094)

Mark Noske swears blind he's not a rich kid, I have the emails from him to prove this assertion when I have made similar statements. He seems a nice guy who could do with a lot better PR representation than currently in place.

It will be interesting to see Noske's new Ford team in 2003, it looks fully funded although seriously late to my mind, especially without the fallback of an AU in case they run out of time.

DAVID PATERSON · 24 Dec 2002, 20:55 (Ref:456992)

Didn't Tony Nske own Kalari Transport, a sizeable company that wouldn't have ben sold for peanuts?

I can't help thinking Dumbrell has improved, a lot. I remember his early days he was utterly hopeless. I couldn't understand how someone so slow could have so many spins and crashes, big ones too.

Maybe he got lessons.

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