(October 21, 2014) - Lucas Oil’s Shane van Gisbergen and Jonathon Webb have already put the heartbreak of Bathurst behind them and turned their attention to this week’s Gold Coast 600.
The pair were leading Australia’s great race with just 12 laps to go when Van Gisbergen stalled the car during a final ‘splash and dash’ to the flag, but their VIP Petfoods Commodore suffered a starter motor failure, leaving the small team in anguish.
Rather than lament on what could have been, the TEKNO Autosports duo are taking the positives from their incredible run at Mount Panorama and looking to convert their Commodore’s blistering pace into a win in Surfers Paradise.
“We didn’t win Bathurst but we still had an awesome weekend – winning pole in the Top 10 Shootout is one of my career highlights, and leading the race for 45 laps was special,” Van Gisbergen said.
“But we’re over Bathurst now, we’ve had our debrief and we’re looking towards the Gold Coast and getting a big result.”
Team owner Webb agreed, saying the disappointment of Bathurst would further motivate the giant-killing, single car team.
“It’s not the first time we’ve gone in with high hopes and come out with nothing – that’s motor racing. It’s never easy but you can’t dwell on these things too much,” Webb said.
“We’ve come away from Bathurst with a lot of positives and we’ve got a straight, fast car, so I’m confident we’ll have the pace to be up the front again.
“We’ll bounce back on the Gold Coast.”
Van Gisbergen said he is confident the team will bounce back at its home race.
“For us, the Gold Coast is home and we’ve been fast there before. Webby’s had some strong results too – he’s one of the best co-drivers to have – so I can’t see any reason why we won’t be up the front,” he said.
Thoughts on Surfers Paradise:
“The Gold Coast is known for being quite tight and hard to pass but the racing’s always good. You’ve really got to qualify well, which is what you always want to do, but it’s more important at Surfers Paradise. You’ve then got to stay out of trouble for the race, which is pretty hard to do.”
Turns 1-3:
“Turn one is pretty hard. It’s a long braking zone and you bounce over the kerbs as best as you can - you just to smash into them! It feels like you’re going to break the suspension every lap, but everyone’s doing it so you have to do it too to be quick.”
Turn 4:
“The hairpin onto the back straight is first gear and the slowest point of the track. You’ve got to get a good run out for maximum speed on the back straight. It’s also the best passing opportunity.”
Turns 6-10:
“The back straight chicane is pretty wild with big kerbs. You just have to do what you can – you pretty much slam over the top of them. You’ve got to make sure you don’t unsettle the car so you can hit the next one.”
Turns 11-13:
“It’s pretty technical through the last part of the track. It’s more or less all second gear the whole way through and you have to make it flow as best you can.”
Turns 14-15:
“The last corner is a right then left, which is pretty tight. There’s no passing there but you’ve got to get round as best you can. It’s so tough to turn that last corner but a good exit is crucial for a good run onto the main straight.”
2014 Gold Coast 600 Schedule:
Friday, 24 October
09:35 – 10:05 Practice 1
11:55 – 12:25 Practice 2 (Co-drivers only)
13:40 – 14:10 Practice 3 (Co-drivers only)
15:30 – 16:00 Practice 4
Saturday, 25 October
11:35 – 11:55 Qualifying
12:40 – 13:10 Top 10 Shootout
14:40 – 17:00 Race 31 (102 laps)
Sunday, 26 October
11:25 – 11:45 Qualifying
13:55 – 16:10 Race 31 (102 laps)
*N.B. The above times are all in Australian Eastern Standard Time.
2014 V8 Supercars Championship Series
Top 10 Drivers' Championship Points
Top 10 Teams' Championship Points
* Single-car team.
