http://www.sportal.com.au/v8x.asp
More testing and a heavy dose of determination are the ingredients Shell Helix Racing’s Paul Radisich hopes will help him repeat last year’s total domination of the V8 Supercar Championship at Perth’s Barbagallo Raceway.
Radisich was in fine form a year ago, taking his Shell Helix Falcon XR8 to a clean sweep of success with pole position and three wins from three starts on the fast but abrasive Western Australian circuit.
Twelve months on Radisich is having a tougher season, and is now looking to Barbagallo this weekend to score his first win of 2002.
"Last year in Perth was a fantastic round for me because everything went exactly according to plan," Paul Radisich said.
"Unfortunately this year has been disappointing for the team, particularly me, so this weekend would be the perfect place to change that.
"A lot of work and thought has gone into further developing the cars, we’ve been testing hard, and I think we’re making progress … I know it will be tough to repeat last year’s success but we go to Barbagallo with a strong base.
"I am optimistic we can be strong there."
Shell Helix Racing teammate Steve Johnson is also looking for a bolder result, coming off what he considers was his best-ever drive, at Barbagallo, last year.
"I was sick as a dog with the flu and still came sixth overall, so I was pretty pleased," Steve Johnson said.
"Of course I was coming off my win in Canberra last year so we were all pretty pumped, but this year’s been hard … I’ve finished inside the top ten in the past few rounds but really that’s not good enough.
"Testing has gone well and that’s what we need, speed, and if that’s there then we can qualify up front and race there … at least at Barbagallo there’s a couple of places to pass so that’s a bonus.
"What’s different this year is that pit stops have been included for the first time, so that brings the team into play during the races, which is great news. Our (pit) stops are always very quick and that will certainly help us."
Steve Johnson is currently placed ninth in the V8 Supercar Championship Series with 411 points and Paul Radisich 20th with 215.
Linear Mode
