R2 PREV – Can anyone derail the HRT juggernaut?
12/4/2002 1:17 (V8 Wire - Jason Whittaker) -
The Holden Racing Team juggernaut steams ahead to Phillip Island Raceway for the second round of the V8 Supercar series at Phillip Island Raceway this weekend, with the gulf between themselves and the rest of the field never wider.
It’s one of the great enigmas of Australian sport: why, when the Ford verses Holden battle is so close and with no shortage of talented, capable teams and drivers, is one team so indestructible?
Rivals who held some hope they could derail the HRT Express this season suffered a painful reality check when Jason Bright dominated the non-championship Grand Prix meeting in Melbourne, before teammate Mark Skaife took out the Clipsal 500 in an emphatic romp.
And this weekend at Phillip Island, the team’s nominated test track, they again hold all the aces. Shorter practice time, reduced to just two 20-minute sessions on Saturday, can only play into their hands.
"It's great to go back there,” said Skaife, a resounding winner at Phillip Island last year. “It is one of our favourite circuits and our cars have always worked well there in the past.”
That’s not to say they will win; motorsport is an unpredictable game. Only to say if things go their way – and they so often do – then they look just about unstoppable.
So who are the genuine challengers?
HRT clones, the Kmart Racing Team, are the obvious choice.
Their claim of being only distant cousins of the factory outfit is becoming increasingly far-fetched; nipping at the heels of Skaife and Bright in what, if you didn’t know any better, would look like an orchestrated move. Drivers Greg Murphy and Todd Kelly will be in a position to pounce in the unlikely case their de-facto teammates fall by the wayside.
The Castrol Commodores are also legitimate contenders, led by Russell Ingall and Steven Richards.
Their intense on-track rivalry could inspire a long-awaited championship win for Larry Perkins’ operation this season, from either Ingall or Richards, but could, too, create dissension in the ranks.
Not so, says Perkins. “I’m pretty confident that, after Winton, we’re heading in the right direction,” he said, buoyed by a constructive day out at Winton Raceway recently. “Everyone is working well together and we all seem to be heading towards the same goal.”
Ingall is especially fired up. Gone is ‘nice’ Russell, he says, replaced by the uncompromising antagonist that come so agonisingly close to the championship crown in previous years.
“I tried calm and collected last year and didn’t win the championship,” he said. “It was boring, so now it’s going to be balls out...it’s back to ‘the Enforcer’.” It’s a scary thought.
Ford’s stable of stars is rich in talent and enthusiasm, but lacks the very ingredient needed to be a regular HRT pest – consistency.
Craig Lowndes’ green-eyed 00 Motorsport Falcon is, however, improving every race. He is Ford’s biggest ace, both off track and on, and wants nothing more than to lead the Blue Oval brigade into battle.
"Phillip Island is a real favourite of mine in the series," Lowndes said. "We had a great run there in the first round of the series last year so hopefully we can be up there on the podium again this weekend.”
Shell Helix gun Paul Radisich is making up for lost time after walking away from Adelaide without a single championship point. He’ll be racing to win – assuming he survives today’s cutthroat pre-qualifying session.
Rookie Greg Ritter will also make an appearance for Dick Johnson Racing this weekend. If he can reproduce the speed shown in last year’s endurance events, he’ll be a wildcard to watch.
The world-renowned 4.4km grand prix circuit, this year celebrating its 50th anniversary, is a favourite among drivers – a high-speed roller coaster ride alongside Port Phillip Bay.
It doesn’t often provide the best V8 racing, tending to produce a sprawled field, but with two flat-out 100km sprints, each featuring a compulsory pit stop, the action will be thick and fast.
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