Toll HRT - the team to beat
March 14th 2008 06:03
Toll HRT are on a roll this weekend at the Sprint Gas V8 Supercars Manufacturers Challenge. Mark Skaife showed a positive turn of speed in qualifying yesterday, finishing the session in provisional pole position but it was Garth Tander who stole the show today in the top ten shoot out, blitzing the field to put his Holden Commodore on position one on the grid for this afternoon’s first race.
With a flying lap of 1min 58.2337sec, Tander was unbeatable, tearing past the impressive time set two cars before by Craig Lowndes in his Ford Falcon. He had to wait impatiently for another five cars to complete their flying laps before being declared pole position sitter, leading the Red team from the front.
“It was not a bad lap,” Tander said, suggesting that a flying lap at Albert Park is always a gamble due to the constantly changing track conditions at Albert Park.
“The problem here is that you never know what the grip level is going to be like. The F1s put a lot of rubber down so you just don't know where you are at.
“I think I nailed 70 percent of the lap, but if I had a second lap it would probably be quicker.”
That’s tough talk from the Holden favourite and he’ll be putting his money where his mouth is later this afternoon.
He went on to confirm that although this isn’t a points round of the championship, winning is still just as important to the drivers and the unique Red v Blue format of the Manufacturers Challenge made for an interesting weekend’s racing.
“I haven't sat down and looked at the rules too closely, but I figured if you put it on pole and win all three races then you must go okay, so that is the current plan,” he said.
“It is something a little bit different, the manufacturers challenge has mixed up the grid a little from where people qualified. It's an interesting one, but I am on the front row and when I get the green light I just hope to disappear into the distance.
“The guys from Holden said that we need to make sure that we do the job for them.”
Craig Lowndes was thankful he had saved a set of green (unused) tyres for his flying lap.
“I am the best of the Falcons, but a lot of that has to do with the fact that I had a good green set of tyres to use,” he said. “It's encouraging that the car is able to respond; yesterday we were able to do the one lap on the one set of tyres and then we were able to do the same today. There are always areas that you want to improve; however it was a good clean lap; I probably could have pushed even harder, but it is no good thinking about 'ifs' and 'buts'.”
With a flying lap of 1min 58.2337sec, Tander was unbeatable, tearing past the impressive time set two cars before by Craig Lowndes in his Ford Falcon. He had to wait impatiently for another five cars to complete their flying laps before being declared pole position sitter, leading the Red team from the front.
“It was not a bad lap,” Tander said, suggesting that a flying lap at Albert Park is always a gamble due to the constantly changing track conditions at Albert Park.
“The problem here is that you never know what the grip level is going to be like. The F1s put a lot of rubber down so you just don't know where you are at.
“I think I nailed 70 percent of the lap, but if I had a second lap it would probably be quicker.”
That’s tough talk from the Holden favourite and he’ll be putting his money where his mouth is later this afternoon.
He went on to confirm that although this isn’t a points round of the championship, winning is still just as important to the drivers and the unique Red v Blue format of the Manufacturers Challenge made for an interesting weekend’s racing.
“I haven't sat down and looked at the rules too closely, but I figured if you put it on pole and win all three races then you must go okay, so that is the current plan,” he said.
“It is something a little bit different, the manufacturers challenge has mixed up the grid a little from where people qualified. It's an interesting one, but I am on the front row and when I get the green light I just hope to disappear into the distance.
“The guys from Holden said that we need to make sure that we do the job for them.”
Craig Lowndes was thankful he had saved a set of green (unused) tyres for his flying lap.
“I am the best of the Falcons, but a lot of that has to do with the fact that I had a good green set of tyres to use,” he said. “It's encouraging that the car is able to respond; yesterday we were able to do the one lap on the one set of tyres and then we were able to do the same today. There are always areas that you want to improve; however it was a good clean lap; I probably could have pushed even harder, but it is no good thinking about 'ifs' and 'buts'.”
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