V8: Bargwanna tops Winton test

Jason Bargwanna topped the first V8 Supercar Championship test of the season at Winton Motor Raceway on Monday.

The test, for teams based in the Victoria region of Australia, attracted 14 drivers with Bargwanna’s Kelly Racing-run Rock Racing Holden Commodore going quickest with a time of 1:22.7234.

Rick Kelly was second in the Jack Daniel’s Racing Commodore, four tenths off Bargwanna’s best time, while Ford Performance Racing’s Mark Winterbottom was third and Jason Bright fourth.

“We really set out today with a program and we didn't deviate from that at all,” said Bargwanna.

“We watched other guys go fast during the day but we stuck to our program and at the end of the day we put it all together on a better set of tyres we had saved and did a good time.

“I think that is what comes with 140-odd events of experience. You really know what the car is like and you focus on your own job. You work with your engineer and your crew and hopefully you develop a fast race car for the end of the day.

“I've said it already that I believe this is my best chance ever to have a crack for the championship and this is a good way to start the year.”

Paul Dumbrell’s switch from Holden to drive the Bottle-O Ford Falcon showed early promise as he went fifth fastest, quicker than factory Ford driver Steven Richards.

“Driving a Ford for the first time, I’ve been getting my head around what the team does to the car to make it go faster and we just go up and down on every change to just get a thorough understanding for the two flyaways,” Dumbrell explained.

“The engineering philosophy is a lot different in terms of how they achieve their speed; they make all the speed up into the entry of a corner where previously (in a Commodore) that wasn’t the case.

“This is more suited to my natural style to what it has been the last couple of years, but I worked very hard the last couple of years to break those styles and habits.

“I wish it was as easy as flicking a light switch; if I win races now I will be thoroughly frustrated.”

Tony D’Alberto, Daniel Gaunt and Karl Reindler all revealed the livery of their newly-sponsored Commodores while Garry Rogers Motorsport confirmed that David Besnaud and Greg Ritter will return to the team for the V8 enduros later in the year.

Dale Wood sampled the fourth Kelly Racing Commodore in the test, but the team hasn’t yet named a full-time driver for the car, which is the only vacant seat on the 2010 grid.

Combined times

1. #11 Jason Bargwanna 1:22.7234
2. #7 Rick Kelly 1:23.1154
3. #5 Mark Winterbottom 1:23.2144
4. #14 Jason Bright 1:23.6123
5. #55 Paul Dumbrell 1:23.6501
6. #6 Steven Richards 1:23.6879
7. #3 Tony D’Alberto 1:23.9823
8. #34 Michael Caruso 1:24.3938
9. #33 Lee Holdsworth 1:24.5674
10. #8 Jason Richards 1:24.8358
11. #30 Daniel Gaunt 1:24.9606
12. #15 Todd Kelly 1:25.1786
13. #21 Karl Reindler 1:25.3184
14. #16 Dale Wood 1:25.9832

Watch the V8 Supercars Championship on Motors TV (Sky Channel 413, Virgin Media 545) in 2010.


Andy Wilkinson