Winton: IRWIN Racing preview

IRWIN RACING TO HAVE SAME SET-UP AS THE GIZ AT WINTON

IRWIN Racing will start this weekend's V8 Supercar event at Winton Raceway with the same car set-up as Shane Van Gisbergen's Falcon.

Stone Brothers Racing (SBR) wants to closely monitor the performances of IRWIN's Alex Davison and Van Gisbergen to see how each car performs with exactly the same set-up.

The change in pre-event strategy is expected to help both Davison and Van Gisbergen as the team strives to have both of its drivers racing for the podium in the future.

Alex Davison believes the strategy will be good for IRWIN Racing.

What IRWIN Racing's Alex Davison had to say:

On all three Stone Brothers Racing cars having the same set-up:

"It will be interesting to see what we learn after Friday practice. It's not the first time that we've all started with the same set-up, but it comes back to the fact that car nine has been going really well so far this year and we haven't been able to achieve the same results. It makes a lot of sense. I have a different brake pad package, with everyone using the same set-up we can truly see where we are at. The cars were fairly similar at the start of the year and we've both gone in slightly different directions, to go back to where we started is very logical and should give us another strong option. If it works then it'll definitely be a good exercise."

On racing at Winton:

"Winton is the most important regional event that we go to. There's a lot of history at the track and some big names have won there. Peter Brock, Dick Johnson, Glenn Seton, Jim Richards, Larry Perkins - some of the greats of Australian Motorsport. Given the history, it's easy to see why so many people come out. The region really gets behind the Championship. Hopefully we again put on a good show. Winton is a really tight track and narrow, which makes it difficult to overtake. It's vitally important to achieve the right car balance because if you get it wrong there is nowhere to hide. I really enjoy racing at Winton, I've had some good results there in other categories in the past, but this is only my second visit in a V8 Supercar. Our results last year weren't great but we've come a long way since then. I am more confident in the IRWIN Ford and we have improved. Last year (at Winton) was the first time we'd used softs (compound tyres) anywhere and they were great. You can brake a lot later and dive up on the inside (to overtake) confident that you'll stay on the track. We'll certainly be working hard to get a good result. We're hoping to be competitive and to get our Championship back on track."

What IRWIN Engineer David Stuart had to say:

"All three cars; the IRWIN Ford, car 9 (Shane Van Gisbergen) and car 47 (Tim Slade) will start with exactly the same set-up (at Winton). Starting the event this way allows us to analyse where everyone is and make educated decisions on the next step of development. The IRWIN Ford has shown flashes of speed throughout the season and we'll be trying hard to have this speed at Winton this weekend. We're certainly learning a lot about the IRWIN Falcon. When it is good, it is excellent, when it not, it can be a challenge to drive. We probably made too many changes at Queensland Raceway, we'll have a very specific agenda to focus on this weekend. As far as Alex goes he's doing a very good job for someone who's only been in a full-time seat for 16 months. It's taken James Courtney five years to be where he is and Shane (van Gisbergen) is experiencing success in what is effectively his fourth season. We'll get there."

-source: irwin