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Bargwanna’s back – but how did he do it?
by Stefan Bartholomaeus
I’m sure I wasn’t the only one who was a little surprised to see this week’s announcement from Tasman Motorsport that Jason Bargwanna would be piloting their #3 Commodore in 2009.
Having been a victim of Craig Gore’s last minute decision to shut down his V8 Supercar team earlier this year, many thought we’d seen the last of ‘Bargs’ as a full time driver in the main show.
That’s not casting a negative assertion on the 2000 Bathurst winner’s talents, but once you spend a season out of such a competitive championship, it is very hard to get back in. Just ask David Besnard, Steven Ellery, or Glenn Seton...
Unless you can afford to buy your way back into the championship, it appears that there are three things you’ve got to do in your ‘off year’ to regain a seat....
1) dominate a lower tier championship
2) star in the V8 Supercar endurance races
3) keep your name in the spotlight off-track
Needless to say, Bargwanna did those three things very well in 2008.
The Melbourne based driver dominated the MINI Challenge from the moment he joined the series at Sandown, immediately showcasing his speed, race craft, and race winning hunger to the world at large.
Critics may point to the fact that having one of the second batch of MINI Challenge cars to come into the country helped his new team considerably. Whilst key rivals such as Neil McFadyen and Paul Stokell (both in cars from the initial batch of 20 imported) were plagued by technical problems at several rounds, the two Bargwanna cars (from the second batch of five) had no such issues.
On the other hand, to dominate the MINI Challenge, Bargwanna had to overcome not only reverse grid races, but also the weight penalty system that sees winners slugged with ballast to spice up the competition. To win ten races despite these regulations was unarguably impressive.
Whilst some may have been cynical about the difficulty of dominating the MINIs, no one could question Bargwanna’s achievments in the Bottle-O Commodore at Bathurst.
In the two practice sessions where he had the car to himself, Bargs was 4th (Thursday morning) and sixth (Friday morning). The fact that he wasn’t installed in the car for qualifying was a frustration to say the least...
Whilst the fact that the #55 VE was crashed out of sixth with just three laps to go was also a tough blow, by that stage, Bargwanna’s job was done. He’d stepped out of the car at its final pitstop whilst running in a genuine fifth place, right behind Whincup, Winterbottom, Besnard, and Jason Richards. Point proven.
To further keep himself in the spotlight, Bargwanna spent several hours in the Channel #7 commentary box in 2008, working on the support racing coverage. Here he was able to remind race fans of his live-wire personality that burst onto the Supercar scene in the late ‘90s like a fire-cracker.
Whilst Bargs would no doubt admit he doesn’t have the Hollywood-style race car driver ‘look’ (and is unlikely to get a ‘Dancing with the Stars’ invite anytime soon!), his enthusiasm and bubbly personality clearly go a long way with the fans, media, and sponsors alike.
So now that he’s back, what can we expect? At 36, he has the potential to produce several good years yet, providing Tasman can supply him with a reasonable car. With the team struggling for speed (Bathurst 2008 aside) since the introduction of the VE, consistent top 15 finishes would be a realistic target.
Regardless of the competitiveness of the car though, watching him battle rival turned team mate Greg Murphy will be good value in itself, before they team up for the enduros.
What odds on a “How good’s this?” speech on the 2009 Bathurst podium?
- Stefan Bartholomaeus
© 321 IGNITION Pty Ltd 2008
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