Round #1 down! Not exactly the best result, but a solid points base to build from at the rounds to follow. Also, considering the large number of new staff we have onboard at team at Kelly Racing, including my new engineer Alex, I think the result was OK.
The off season for the crew at Kelly Racing has been very busy. Lots of preparation, not only overhauling the race cars and improving them, but also upgrading the teams’ presentation at race weekends, and changing the livery of the cars/trucks/walling etc. to ensure it’s all shiny for the new season. This made for a very busy Christmas! Personally my Christmas break was a great opportunity to reflect on the season that has just passed, and plan an improved attack on the new racing season. Clipsal was a great chance to get out there on the track and put these thoughts into action, and it was a great feeling to be back inside the Supercar, racing it around the streets of Adelaide!
The weekend was pretty busy for Todd and I, with the hype around our recent announcement of shifting to Nissan in 2013 continuing with the fans, sponsors, and media.
Both JD cars managed to run well inside the top 10 all day Saturday, with Todd losing 4th in the final stages of the race, being turned around by Lowndes, dropping him to finish 8th right behind me. Sunday’s result was a little worse as we had to make a quick dash into the pits in the closing stages of the race, dropping us from 7th to 11th, putting us 9th in the points leaving the Clipsal event for another year.
The Clipsal weekend was very much an economy run in both races, with drivers racing up the straights at half throttle to save enough fuel, in order to make only two pit stops, as this is a quicker option than pitting again. Pretty frustrating from a driver’s point of view. We want to race and push as hard as we can, rather than cruise around saving fuel. It would be great to see this changed to bring back the fierce racing.
With Clipsal now behind us, we head to the Australian GP, which for us is a great home-town event. A Chance for V8 Supercars to perform in front of the F1 crew which is always exciting. There is no championship points on offer at this event which tends to produce very interesting driving! There is sure to be plenty of damaged panels at the end of the weekend. Hopefully we will be towards the front of the field, clear of the carnage!
For now, take car and enjoy the racing at the AGP!
Rick
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