[V8SC] Supercars' international flavour
![Just two weeks after the biggest event on the V8 Supercar calendar, teams have had a quick turnaround to be ready for another big challenge - the [now] annual Armor All Gold Coast 600 where some of the biggest names on the international stage will join the series regulars for 600 kilometres of the Gold Coast 'Indy' street circuit.](http://www.321ignitionmag.com/_linkedimages/V8SC-Supercars-international-flavour_1470.jpg?cache=20111021120702)
pic: chris bronicki 321ignition
Supercars with an international flavour!
PREVIEW: Karl Reindler Racing, Armor All Gold Coast 600
V8 Supercars Rnd#21 (October 21-23)
Just two weeks after the biggest event on the V8 Supercar calendar, teams have had a quick turnaround to be ready for another big challenge - the [now] annual Armor All Gold Coast 600 where some of the biggest names on the international stage will join the series regulars for 600 kilometres of the Gold Coast 'Indy' street circuit.
For Fair Dinkum Sheds Racing's [FDSR] Karl Reindler, 2011 will see him once again paired with European Touring Car veteran Fabrizio Giovanardi. Last season the duo were one of the more successful partnerships, finishing in the top ten in race one, and well within sight of the team's best finish of the season in race two before a former Formula One world champion ended their weekend prematurely.
"It will be nice to have Fabrizio back in the car with me," Karl admitted. "It's nice to have some consistency from one year to the next. I got on really well with him last year, and he drove the car exceptionally well.
"He has a great deal of experience across a variety of different categories, but I think the circuit knowledge [Giovanardi has] from last year will play into our hands quite well. We know each other pretty well, and between the two of us last year we had a great result in the first race to get inside the top ten, and were looking pretty good for another great result in the second race until [Jacques] Villeneuve drove into the back of Fabrizio. It was frustrating, but unavoidable.
"Like most of the internationals he struggled early with the right-hand drive car and hit a few of the tyre bundles early in the weekend, but it was all cosmetic. It's a bit tricky for these guys coming over to a street circuit like this and adapting to not just the cars, but also resetting their brains to attune to where the corners of the car are.
"At the end of the day though, with the world class level that these 28 guys are running at, it's not a big factor or variable for them to get used to, it never takes long."
After contesting one of the toughest races in the world less than two weeks ago, how does he feel about facing the tight, narrow and dramatic nature of the Gold Coast street circuit.
"I love coming up here to Indy, but I love street circuits in general. I love the challenge of it, the technical aspect, and the fact that it's in Surfers Paradise is an added bonus. There's no other round we go to where you can wander to the circuit or the beach within a five minute walk from the hotel, it's fantastic, there's such an amazing atmosphere here."
Given that the team was so competitive last year at this event, what is Karl's expectation coming into the weekend?
"It's a soft tyre round this one, which makes it different to last year, but typically we've been strong on the soft tyre so based on that knowledge and how we went last year, I think another top ten would be realistic, and I'd be pretty happy with that. That said, I'd like to do better than last year as well..
"We've been working hard all year on the engineering of the cars too, although to date they haven't had very good change of direction.. the car compliance will be good, but the fast chicane on the back of the circuit with the left-right-left-right-left will require some work, so if we can get the car stable enough to change direction whilst maintaining the kerb compliance then I think we'll be pretty strong.
"The biggest strength we need on a circuit like this is traction off the corners, with the soft tyres as well, you need to be able to look after tyres - be patient, be conservative and look after the rear tyres."
Having spent almost two full seasons now in the Supercar Championship Series Karl knows only to well that you're only as good as your last result, and whilst Bathurst at one point promised the FDSR team's best result of the year [with just over 20 laps to go, Karl was holding down P5], the 14th placed result achieved by Karl and team-mate David Wall was still a solid result, so how does he reflect on the weekend almost two weeks later?
"My neck was a little bit sore after my off-track excursion for the oil, I got pretty airborne after I hit a little dip on the outside of the Chase, but apart from a little trip to the physio I'm great.
"The result was a little bitter-sweet. If you'd told me at the start of the day I'd finish 14th, I would have been really happy because we probably didn't have the best car this year, it wasn't as strong as last year because of the lack of track time leading up to the race, so we didn't quite get on top of it.
"14th was it, but as I found myself with 20 odd laps to go, sitting fifth behind the Safety Car... it would have been nice to maintain a position up that end of the field, but I didn't get any warning about the oil at the Chase and there was nothing I could do, I was a passenger. I went off, and from there it was just a matter of rejoining and doing the best that I could with a flat-spotted front right. It wasn't easy keeping cars at bay, it was a battle I was never going to win. At the end it was 14th, but it would have been so nice to finish in the top ten at Bathurst.."
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So who is Fabrizio Giovanardi;
Aside from being Karl Reindler's team-mate for the second year in a row at the Gold Coast 600, the 44-year old Italian is also one of the most accomplished Touring Car drivers in the world, having won two British Touring Car Titles (2007 and 2008 - interestingly for Triple 8 UK), the European Touring Car crown (2002) and the European Super Touring title (2000 and 2001).
Fabrizio is no stranger to V8 Supercars having run in the past with Triple 8 (enduro's in 2008) and last year with Karl where the FDSR team acquitted themselves very well to be inside the top ten in race one. The team were looking towards their best weekend of the season prior to contact from former F1 world champion Jacques Villeneuve in race two which broke the diff on the FDSR Commodore, eliminating them from the race.
2010 Armor All Gold Coast 600 - Race One
1. Garth Tander/Cameron McConville (HRT Commodore) - 102 laps
2. Craig Lowndes/Andy Priaulx (Triple 8 Commodore)
3. Shane Van Gisbergen/John McIntyre (SBR Falcon)
4. Michael Caruso/Patrick Long (GRM Commodore)
5. Alex Davison/David Brabham (SBR Falcon)
9. Karl Reindler/Fabrizio Giovanardi (FDSR Commodore)
2010 Armor All Gold Coast 600 - Race Two
1. Jamie Whincup/Steve Owen (Triple 8 Commodore) - 102 laps
2. Shane Van Gisbergen/John McIntyre (SBR Falcon)
3. Mark Winterbottom/Luke Youlden (FPR Falcon)
4. James Courtney/Warren Luff (DJR Falcon)
5. Paul Dumbrell/Jacques Villeneuve (FPR Falcon)
DNF. Karl Reindler/Fabrizio Giovanardi (FDSR Commodore)
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2011 Armor All Gold Coast 600 - Race Schedule
The following times are Australian Eastern Standard Time
(add one hour for other Eastern States)
Friday October 21, 2011
Practice 1; 9:25 - 10:05am
Practice 2; 11:35 - 12:15pm (co-drivers)
Practice 3; 1:35 - 2:15pm (co-drivers)
Practice 4; 3:45 - 4:15pm
Saturday October 22, 2011
Qualifying; 9:25 - 10:05am
Top 10 Shootout; 10:50 - 11:20am
Race One (V8SC Series Race 21) - 102 laps**; 1:40pm
** 102 laps (300km) or one lap after 4:20pm
Sunday October 23, 2011
Qualifying; 10:45 - 11:15am
Race Two (V8SC Series Race 22) - 102 laps**; 1:40pm
** 102 laps (300km) or one lap after 4:20pm
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2011 V8 Supercar Championship Series (points after race 20)
1. Craig Lowndes (Holden) - 2329 points
2. Jamie Whincup (Holden) - 2229
3. Shane Van Gisbergen (Ford) - 1920
4. Garth Tander (Holden) - 1848
5. Mark Winterbottom (Ford) - 1687
6. Rick Kelly (Holden) - 1663
7. Will Davison (Ford) - 1646
8. Jason Bright (Holden) - 1502
9. Alex Davison (Ford) - 1448
10. Steven Johnson (Ford) - 1411
26. Karl Reindler (Fair Dinkum Sheds Racing Holden) - 829
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2011 V8 Supercar Championship Series Calendar
Rnd#1 - Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi (February 12) - KRR DNF
Rnd#2 - Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi (February 13) - KRR 11th
Rnd#3 - Clipsal 500, Adelaide (March 19) - KRR 19th
Rnd#4 - Clipsal 500, Adelaide (March 20) - KRR 17th
Non-champ. - Australian F1 Grand Prix (March 24-27) - 18th / 19th / 15th
Rnd#5 - ITM 400, Hamilton, NZ (April 16) - KRR 17th
Rnd#6 - ITM 400, Hamilton, NZ (April 17) - KRR 13th
Rnd#7 - Trading Post Perth Challenge (April 30) - KRR 7th
Rnd#8 - Trading Post Perth Challenge (May 1) - KRR DNF
Rnd#9 - Trading Post Perth Challenge (May 1) - KRR DNS
Rnd#10 - Winton Motor Raceway, VIC (May 21) - KRR 20th
Rnd#11 - Winton Motor Raceway, VIC (May 22) - KRR 23rd
Rnd#12 - Skycity Triple Crown, Darwin (June 18) - KRR DNF
Rnd#13 - Skycity Triple Crown, Darwin (June 19) - KRR 25th
Rnd#14 - Sucrogen Townsville 400 (July 9) - KRR 22nd
Rnd#15 - Sucrogen Townsville 400 (July 10) - KRR 24th
Rnd#16 - City of Ipswich 300 (August 20) - KRR 9th
Rnd#17 - City of Ipswich 300 (August 20) - KRR 16th
Rnd#18 - City of Ipswich 300 (August 21) - KRR 16th
Rnd#19 - L&H 500, Phillip Island, VIC (September 18) - KRR 28th
Rnd#20 - Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000, NSW (October 9) - KRR 14th
Rnd#21 - Armor All Gold Coast 600 (October 22)
Rnd#22 - Armor All Gold Coast 600 (October 23)
Rnd#23 - Falken Tasmania Challenge (November 12)
Rnd#24 - Falken Tasmania Challenge (November 13)
Rnd#25 - Norton 360 Sandown Challenge (November 19)
Rnd#26 - Norton 360 Sandown Challenge (November 20)
Rnd#27 - Sydney Telstra 500 (December 3)
Rnd#28 - Sydney Telstra 500 (December 4)
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TELEVISION SCHEDULE SEVEN NETWORK
Please check local guides for confirmation;
Saturday October 22, 2011
12:00 - 5:30pm: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane (Eastern DS)
11:30 - 5:00pm: Adelaide, Darwin (Central)
10:00 - 3:30pm: Perth (Western)
Sunday October 9, 2011
11:30 - 5:30pm: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane (Eastern DS)
11:00 - 5:00pm: Adelaide, Darwin (Central)
9:30am - 3:30pm: Perth (Western)
RACE REPLAYS - SPEED CHANNEL (FOXTEL Channel 505)
Please check local guides for confirmation;
Saturday, October 22; 9:30 - 11:30pm (Race One replay)
Sunday, October 23; 12:00 - 2:00pm (Race One replay)
Sunday, October 23; 9:30 - 11:30pm (Race Two replay)
Monday, October 24; 9:30 - 11:30am (Race One replay)
Monday, October 24; 11:30 - 1:30pm (Race Two replay)
Tuesday, October 25; 8:00 - 10:00pm (Race One replay)
Tuesday, October 25; 10:00 - 12:00am (Race Two replay)
Wednesday, October 26; 4:00 - 6:00am (Race One replay)
Wednesday, October 26; 6:00 - 8:00am (Race Two replay)
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Karl Reindler is proudly supported by Brad Jones Racing, Fair Dinkum Sheds, Yale, Wilson Security, Thompson Aviation, Westrac, EMT, JSW Drilling, National Tyres, Herbalife, Fitness First, Focus Bikes, Zise and Sponsorxchange.com.
www.karlreindler.com
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