Triple the fun and double the trouble at QR
Wanna really put V8 Supercars teams and drivers under the pump? Then stage two races back-to-back with a 15-minute window between them. That’ll test them!
The typical 120km Saturday race has been split into two for the Coates Hire Ipswich 300 (19-21 August). So Races 16 and 17 of the 2011 championship will be 70km sprints, each over 22 laps of the 3.12km Queensland Raceway. And once the last moving car arrives in the pits after Race 16, the 15-minute countdown to Race 17 begins!
That’ll leave precious little for teams to turn around their cars and prep them for Race 17, particularly if there were any dramas in Race 16. Sunday’s race remains at 200km, while Dunlop’s soft tyre will be used exclusively over the weekend.
While Saturday’s double-header presents a real challenge for teams and drivers, fans are sure to enjoy the double dose of action, be they watching on the couch with a XXXX Gold or in attendance at Queensland Raceway.
The track, which lies just south of Ipswich, 45 minutes south-west from Brisbane’s CBD, may lack the amenities of other tracks, but for the fans in the stands it’s one of the best events to attend as its compact layout and paperclip shape provides some of the best viewing options on the calendar.
There’s no in-field grandstands or billboards to obstruct your view, so you can see the V8s zipping around in all different directions across the whole track. It’s a rarity in this day and age.
And there’s sure to be plenty of action across the three races with drivers eager to cement their championship positions and move forward before the three upcoming endurance events. After all, this is the last event that they’ll have their cars to themselves until mid-November!
Triple Eight and XXXX Gold ambassador Jamie Whincup and teammate Craig Lowndes may enjoy a healthy buffer at the top of the standings, but Shane van Gisbergen has proven that on his day he can outmuscle the Holden pair.
Also look out for Mark Winterbottom, eager to claim his first win of the season, and Garth Tander, who returned to winning ways last time out in Townsville, to challenge for podium places. And never discount the Queensland based teams, who rack up their testing miles at this track.
The Australian Superbikes will also be in attendance with two races across the weekend, while the Fujitsu Series drivers will follow in the main game’s example with three races.
With the endurance events at Phillip Island and Bathurst right around the corner, it’s the last chance for co-drivers to get some V8 mileage before their main game tilts.
Joining the Fujitsu regulars at Ipswich will be Cameron McConville and Andrew Jones, out to stop runaway points leader Andrew Thompson, who is preparing to join Whincup for the enduros.
Hopefully the Sunshine State can live up to its name for the stage is set for an intriguing weekend!
