AUS: Barbagallow Friday practice notes, times

YOUNG BRIGADE BRIDGING THE GAP AT BARBAGALLO

Less than one second separated the top 12 Porsches in practice for round two of the Wright Patton Shakespeare Carrera Cup at Barbagallo Raceway near Perth today.

While racing legend and veteran Jim Richards (OAMPS Insurance Brokers) topped the time sheets fresh from his Targa Tasmania sojourn, eight of the next 12 drivers were under 30 years of age showcasing the abundance of talent in the one make series.

Richards clocked a best lap of 57.9088 seconds around the 2.415km circuit to finish the day slightly ahead of highly-rated series leader Fabian Coulthard (Glenfords Tool Centres/Makita) who also set a best time under 58 seconds.

In ominous signs for this weekend and the remaining seven rounds this year, ex-V8 Supercar driver Cameron McLean (Sherrin Hire Racing) is finding the speed to match the top bunch in his debut season in the Wright Patton Shakespeare Carrera Cup.

The Brisbane-based steerer finished third in practice with a best lap of 58.1164 seconds, with the experienced Peter Fitzgerald (Abcor/Acer) also posting some impressive times as next fastest.

With pre-round hype centred around Fitzgerald's 20th consecutive round start in the Porsche series and his liking for the Barbagallo circuit, the 55-year-old did not disappoint and will give a good sight in the three races scheduled over the next two days.

The third-placegetter at the opening round in Adelaide, Luke Youlden (Team VIP Petfoods), continued his solid start to the season as the sixth fastest but within four-tenths of a second of Richards.

Knowledge of the circuit looks like paying dividends for Adelaide's Bryce Washington (ADRAD). The South Australian 21-year-old has been competing in the WA State Series in his Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car since the Clipsal 500, clocking up plenty of kilometres to gain further experience for his burgeoning career.

Series newcomer Andrew Luxton (Hyundai Construction) showed his competence behind the wheel of these 400 horsepower Porsche machines, finishing the day as 19th fastest from the 22 starters.

Qualifying and race one over 20 laps will be held tomorrow, while races two and three will be staged on Sunday. The leading six drivers after round one of the Wright Patton Shakespeare Carrera Cup will also be signing autographs for fans at the WPS Merchandise Truck at 12.30pm tomorrow.

The Wright Patton Shakespeare Carrera Cup is the most successful 'one make' championship in the world, and is the primary support category to the V8 Supercar Championship Series in Australia.

All cars in the Wright Patton Shakespeare Carrera Cup are developed and built by Porsche' racing arm in Weissach, Germany. With a top speed in excess of 300 kilometres per hour, the lightweight, high performance vehicles have a 400 horsepower, 6 cylinder Boxer engine which revs to 8000 RPM, producing a sound that is distinctly Porsche.

Trackside on Network Ten will telecast the Wright Patton Shakespeare Carrera Cup at Barbagallo Raceway on Sunday May 15 from 2pm.

<pre> Practice (Combined) Friday May 6, 2005

1.  Jim Richards        OAMPS Insurance Brokers 0:57.9088
2.  Fabian Coulthard    Glenfords Tool Centres  0:57.9368
3.  Cameron McLean      Sherrin Hire Racing     0:58.1164
4.  Peter Fitzgerald    Abcor/Acer              0:58.1385
5.  Luke Youlden        Team VIP Petfoods       0:58.2487
6.  Jonathon Webb       Paul Cruickshank Racing 0:58.2948
7.  Bryce Washington    ADRAD                   0:58.4332
8.  Tony Quinn          Team VIP Petfoods       0:58.7123
9.  Paul Freestone      Freestones Transport    0:58.7358
10. Klark Quinn         Team VIP Petfoods       0:58.7896

-cup.car.au-