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Speculation is rife that this will be the Last Race at O.P. before the track succumbs to a tidal wave of little boxes with people living in them.
O.P. is a fantastic driver's track, and the fans can see most all of the track, as it undulates around it's 2.7 km, 12 turn length.
Unique in Australia, for the loop onto the overhead bridge, it is a track just waiting to smack the driver for the slightest error...and it is fast.
The downhill start grid,on the main straight, and pit entry/lane, have seen many a driver cop a penalty.
The Event will unfold,thus;
Friday Practice 50 laps 13:15 to 15:45.
Sat, Qualifying 55 mins 12:05 to 13:00
Sat, Race 1 45 laps, 15:20 to 16:20
Sunday Race 2, 45 laps 10:40 to 11:40
Race 3 45 laps 13:40 to 14:55.

There have been six Holden Victories, and 4 for Ford in the last ten years,
Ford have won the last 4.
Craig Lowndes still holds the Lap Record, at 1:08:0631, set TEN years ago, in a, gasp, Commodore.
Check your local TV Guides for any changes to the coverage.

The Team Kiwi car will be back on track this weekend, tho the car will roll out of the Stone Bros Stable for the first time. It will be in the hands of their new star of the future, the young Kiwi Shane Van Gisbergen.(aka " The Van")
It will be interesting to watch his times, as he has never driven a V8 at O.P. which is not an easy circuit to learn.

JC will have a new Stone Bros car at O.P. The full team had an extensive test at Willowbank this week, JC reporting that the new car felt better than the old.

The showers predicted for this weekend could add some excitement, especially coming off the Bridge.

Top Twelve in Practice were:
R Kelly........................1:08:7503
T Kelly
Holdsworth
Skaife
Jason Richards
Tander
S Richards
Bright
Bargs
Courtney
Whincup
McConville...................1:09:5367

Young Shane (The Van) was 15th in his first outing.
Murphy and Dumbrell brought up the rear.

Holdsworth did well, it is the first time ever, in any class of racing, that he has had a new car, which he debuted last round.
Holdens filled the top 6 spots.
Do we have a parity problem with 2 years to go before the Orion hits the track?.

It kind of annoys me that, if I want to buy the same vehicle as my Holden Heroes drive, I will need a lot more room to park it than they do
Since when, do we cut n shut, in Australia???
Robbie F might as well bring the "Custaxie "..........."Colour Me Gone" out of retirement

Holden dominated qualifying.

Results.
T Kelly
G Tander
Skaife
L Holdsworth
R Kelly
Winterbottom
Jason Richards
J Whincup
J Bright.

Oh, did I mention ...........Shane Van "The Van" is............18 years of age

Top 10 results Race One
Skaife
R Kelly
Whincup
Winterbottom
S Richards
W Davison
Lowndes
T Kelly
G Murphy
L Holdsworth.

There were a surprising number of DNFs, ranging from Tander with suspension failure, to electrical/mechanical mis-fires, starter motor failure, and shunts.
Not a good omen, with the enduros beginning next round

10:15 am, and gumboots are the go at Oran Park, which will close in 2009

This is one of my favourite tracks. Not only are the drivers competing against each other, they are competing against the track. Difficult tracks make for interesting racing.

Tander must hate this track with all the back luck he has had here. Car problems two years in a row.

Southernman wrote:This is one of my favourite tracks. Not only are the drivers competing against each other, they are competing against the track. Difficult tracks make for interesting racing.

Tander must hate this track with all the back luck he has had here. Car problems two years in a row.

Interestingly, the Guy who owns the track, and the zillion acres around it has said that when it is subdivided in 2009, he intends to build an improved, updated version of the track, bridge n all a few miles down the road.
It will only cost him spare change from the quadrillions he wll get from the Sale of OP.

Julian Mayo wrote:

Southernman wrote:This is one of my favourite tracks. Not only are the drivers competing against each other, they are competing against the track. Difficult tracks make for interesting racing.

Tander must hate this track with all the back luck he has had here. Car problems two years in a row.

Interestingly, the Guy who owns the track, and the zillion acres around it has said that when it is subdivided in 2009, he intends to build an improved, updated version of the track, bridge n all a few miles down the road.
It will only cost him spare change from the quadrillions he wll get from the Sale of OP.

Pleased to here that. I do like bridges and tunnels (Monaco in F1) in race tracks. No idea why though.

Garth Tander will be laughing. He was mildly rebuked for suggesting that Skaife ran outof Ability. So far Skaife hit most everyhing out there in race 2, plus made a dangerous re-entry, nearly cleaning up young "The Van " !!!!!