Orrcon Racing 2005 season preview

Stability the Key at Orrcon Racing

While much of the discussion around the V8 Supercar paddock is about the changing of the guard at numerous teams and numerous sponsor changes Larkham - Orrcon Racing are currently enjoying one of their most stable off season periods.

Both drivers Jason Bargwanna and Mark Winterbottom will be remaining in the familiar Number 10 and 20 Orrcon Racing Falcons for the 2005 Championship and aligned with the same engineers that assisted to generate their impressive results during 2004.

Bargwanna's eighth place in the Championship highlighted the team's continual improvement to reward Larkham Motor Sport with their best result in the Championship since their inception in 1995. Bargwanna was also the first Ford driver in the Series behind the Championship winning Stone Brothers Racing outfit.

Bargwanna finished the year with a wet sail to claim five top ten results in the final seven rounds, including a podium finish on the Gold Coast.

While pleased with the finish to his 2004 campaign Bargwanna is looking for bigger and better things from the team in 2005.

"Last year was another step in the continued development if the team and a reward for the hard work put in by the guys," said Bargwanna.

"This year it is time to take that next step and become a serious top five contender in the Championship all year long."

The 32-year-old father of two spent the Christmas break with his family with several weeks spent in Nowra, New South Wales on a family holiday.

"The Christmas break is really the only time I can kick back and spend a large amount of time with the family," said Bargwanna.

"Every year I try and get away for a couple of weeks with Deb and the kids. This year we all had a ball and I got to spend a fair bit of time water skiing which I don't get to do to often once the season kicks into top gear."

With a stable outfit for the 2005 season team owner Mark Larkham is confident of good results in the Championship this year.

"Potentially our greatest asset going into 2005 is the stability of our team, this is very important in what is such a volatile industry," said Larkham.

"I contribute our ability to achieve our results and stability to a good team culture and environment.

"Coming off the break with a lot of stability in the team will allow us to build a good foundation and complete some engineering improvements on the cars which will in turn ensure that that we hit the ground running in 2005.

"Whilst we have a new car as a part of out plans for the year the emphasis with our resources to ensure that we get the "best bang for our buck" is to focus on engineering improvements on our current cars this way we haven't got the overhanging pressure on the team to build a new car in a short time."

"We are positioned as well as we have ever been leading into a Championship and coupled with the strong performances in the latter half of last year I have a good feeling about the year ahead."

Bargwanna and Winterbottom will return to the circuit for the first time in the pair of Orrcon Racing Falcons in the Non-Championship hit out at the Foster's Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne on March 3-6.

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