The multi-award winning BigPond Broadband V8 Supercar website www.v8supercar.bigpond.com today has been officially relaunched with a range of new features and upgrades as a direct response to feedback from fans.
7/4/2005 18:53 (Press Release) -
Paul Radisich gave his new Team Kiwi Racing a real boost with a top-10 performance in qualifying for tomorrow’s opening round of the V8 Supercar championship in Adelaide.
Radisich, who moved from Ford’s Triple Eight Racing to Holden for the only New Zealand based team in the championship off-season, was second fastest in qualifying for the first 250km race for the Clipsal 500. He locked a break in the Top 10 shootout to finish ninth, the position he will lineup for tomorrow’s race.
The leading Kiwi is four-time Pukekohe champion Greg Murphy, who guided his new Super Cheap Auto Racing team’s Holden to sixth spot for tomorrow first race.
Holden’s Rick Kelly will start on pole tomorrow ahead of defending champion, Marcos Ambrose for New Zealand’s Stone Brothers Racing, with Queenland’s Steve Ellery a surprise in third for his new Team Betta Electrical Ford.
There are four Ford’s in the top five in the shootout, although both Radisich and Murphy were pleased with their day, and with early season progress for both the Adelaide round and with an eye on the second round at the PlaceMakers V8 International at Pukekohe on 15-17 April.
``We’ve been in the top half dozen all day and so that’s really pleasing for the team, considering we are dealing with such a new package,’’ Radisich said. ``We had some brake issues and it was a lock-up that cost me in the shootout.
``Overall that’s not such a concern because we have gone really well. We thought we ahd a top-10 car so to be second fastest in qualifying was very pleasing.
``We have got some new car issues which is to be expected but I know the whole team is quite excited about today.’’
Murphy was more circumspect with his effort, clocking 1:23:49 to be 0.5secs behind polesetter Kelly.
``I would have liked some more speed and there are a few things we need to work on which you would expect with a new car. So to be sixth is quite pleasing really because we know we have a long way to go and lot’s more to do.’’
There are three Kiwis in the top-10 with Steven Richards driving his Team Perkins Racing Holden into seventh in the shootout, a tenth of a second behind Murphy.
Earlier Ambrose was fastest in the qualifying session in 1:22.17, the fastest lap of the day, but only 3/10ths of a second ahead of Radisich.
Simon Wills was the next best of the Kiwis guiding his Team Dynamik Holden into 16th place, a strong showing for the Adelaide-based team.
Jason Richards was disappointed in his 28th qualifying spot for Tasman Motorsport Holden while Craig Baird was 32nd qualifier in his first championship outing for the WPS Ford team.
The only major incident was a crash by four-time champion Mark Skaife in the Holden Racing Team, and although he had qualified for the shootout, decided against running and will start in 10th place in tomorrow’s first race.
Leading qualifiers for the first race of the Clipsal 500 in Adelaide:
Rick Kelly Holden 1:22:94, 1; Marcos Ambrose Ford 1:23:04, 2; Steve Ellery Ford 1:23:19, 3; Russell Ingall Ford 1:23:24, 4; Jason Bright Ford 1:23:44, 5; Greg Murphy Holden 1:23:49, 6; Steven Richards Holden 1:23:58, 7; Craig Lowndes Ford 1:23:74, 8; Paul Radisich, Holden 1:24:07, 9.
Other New Zealanders:
Simon Wills Holden 1:23:08, 16; Jason Richards Holden 1:23:65, 28; Craig Baird Ford 1:24:21, 32.
Release Date: 18/03/2005
Team Kiwi Racing
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