Paragon Motorsports Bathurst race notes

Mclean & Scott beat the big guns to bring V.I.P. Falcon home eighth in Bathurst 1000.

ONE of the smallest teams in V8 Supercar racing achieved a dream result when Cameron McLean and Tony Scott brought their V.I.P. Pet Foods Ford Falcon XR8 home eighth in today's Bob Jane T-Marts 1000 at Bathurst today.

The two Brisbane drivers started 19th this morning and had a faultless run to be just 55 seconds behind winners Mark Skaife and Jim Richards and still on the lead lap at the end of the seven-hour race.

"It would have been a good day for our little team if we'd got into the top 10. To finish eighth is just fantastic and beyond our dreams," McLean said.

"It wasn't just the biggest and toughest race of the year, it was also our highest finishing position.

"The car ran superbly all day and we only had two small concerns; once when I ran wide at the Chase in the rain and also around lap 120 when I had to pit to have a plastic bag removed from the radiator grille.

"Scotty and all the team did a brilliant job."

McLean and team manager Ross Dillon are co-owners of Paragon Motorsport, which has only two other permanent staff and a modest budget compared to those of many teams they beat today.

Pit strategy played a major part in the team's success. Dillon said they followed a pre-race plan to pit at every opportunity presented by the safety car.

The safety car was called on to the circuit nine times and McLean/Scott pitted nine times, ensuring they stayed in touch with the leaders.

McLean did three of the five driving stints and was in the car for the start and finish.

The pair was the last of the 38 starters - 14 subsequently retired - to complete the race on the lead lap, the third Ford finishers and the first of the small one-car teams.

Scott said deliberately staying away from trouble helped get the the car to the finish virtually unmarked.

"If there was anyone behind us who was faster and wanted to have a go, we just let them through and tacked on the back if we could," he said.

"There were plenty of drivers, especially less experienced co-drivers, spearing off the track and Cam and I just made sure we kept well away.

"We were also careful in the braking area for the Chase, where a lot of cars had right-front tyre failures due to lock-ups. We knew from experience on Thursday we'd have to watch it there.

"I'm ecstatic with our result."

The Bob Jane T-Marts 1000 counted for round 10 of the V8 Supercar Championship Series and McLean added 64 points to bring his tally to 314 and lift his position in the standings one spot to 28th.

The nextround will be the Gillette V8 Super Challenge at the Gold Coast Indy in two weeks' time.

-paragon