Drivers: 'Plenty Of Passing In Store Today'

LEADING contenders for today’sopening leg of the Clipsal 500 Adelaide say the new V8 Supercars will producebetter racing, more often – at least if practice and qualifying this weekend isan accurate form guide.

The V8 Supercar ‘Car of theFuture’ platform delivered lighter, more nimble and what will ultimately be quickerracing cars than the previous generation V8 Supercars - and with some seriousrunning now underneath their wheel tracks, drivers are starting to find theirfeet with the new cars.

The change to a larger (18”)wheel and tyre package, plus a totally new rear suspension package hastransformed the cars’ handling package this year, with mixed results for somebased on Friday’s practice and qualifying running.

Pepsi Max Crew FordPerformance Racing ace Mark Winterbottom says he is learning to adapt to theway his new #5 Ford behaves.

“I don’t know what theothers cars are like but ours are definitely different in the rear,”Winterbottom said after jumping six places further up the grid from his initial qualifying performance, in Friday’squalifying shootout.

“It feels like trying toplant the car in the road is the biggest thing that we’re trying to find. Sohow you do that, although the cars are meant to be quite similar, I think thereare about a thousand changes you can do to the rear end, whether it’s geometry,spring or roll bar.

“We’re trying to get thatrear end settled for us at the moment, without creating front end issues.”

Winterbottom believes thenew rear end will be a contributing factor towards generating better racing,especially in the opening stages of the season as drivers and engineers come togrips with a totally different racing car to what they are used to.

The new V8 Supercars nowhave an open-wheel style, fully independent rear suspension that incorporatesthe six-speed sequential gearbox in a transaxle format – meaning the car nowhas a better weight distribution than the existing vehicles.

But it also means a levelplaying field and a 28-car grid that will truly be racing into the unknown thisafternoon at about 2:35pm, Adelaide time.

“I think everyone is goinginto tomorrow not knowing what is going to happen,” Winterbottom said.

“You could sit here and saythey’re going to have a demon car for 30 laps, but if you watch the shootout,it’s mainly the rear of the cars that are sliding, whether it’s (James) Courtneyin the first lap or Craig (Lowndes) in turn one. The rear end is what’s movingaround.

“With that will come betterracing because once the rear end has a bit of a wobble the next guy will havean attack. The old car didn’t have that with the rear end. It looks like it’snot just our problem; it’s something everything is trying to work on.”

Clipsal 500 polesitter Shanevan Gisbergen agrees with his Ford compatriot – suggesting the improved brakepackage on the cars this year would also assist in generating more passing.

Despite a series ofbrake-related issues at the pre-season V8 Supercars test day at SydneyMotorsport Park, a new supply of brand-new control AP Racing rotors performedwell in Adelaide’s warmer temperatures yesterday.

“The cars stop really well,”van Gisbergen said.

“No one has done a real racerun yet, and no one has done a full 30 or 40 laps in a row, so it’s going to beinteresting to see how the cars will go. Tyre strategies won’t be the same,with the different style of tyre and how it hangs on.

“I think there will be a lotof passing. It’s a good track for that and the cars brake really well, so Ithink we’ll see a lot of action.”

“I think they brake better,”Winterbottom agreed.

“The pulling up power isstronger, but when you lean on the rear, it doesn’t have the same amount ofgrip as what the previous rear end had. So you’re moving your strengths andweakness and once we’ve fixed those areas, I think we’ll go quite a bitquicker.”

The second-placed qualifiersaid no matter what the issue – there was always going to be someone in a lessideal situation than he.  

“If you complain about yourcar, and you’re in Position two, the team is pretty quick to tell you thatthere are 26 other blokes who don’t like their cars, as much as you shouldprobably like yours!”

Race one of the 2013 V8Supercars Championship will be shown live on the Seven Network aroundAustralia, live into New Zealand via Sky Sports and online at V8Supercars.com.au

Race fans can keep up todate with all the action from the track via the official V8 Supercars mobileapplication – available in the app store now.