DARK HORSES, SLADE AND PERKINS FINISH 5TH AT PHILLIP ISLAND ENDURO

Topics:  L&H 500 Phillip Island, Tim Slade, Jack Perkins

Stone Brothers Racing
September 12, 2010

Best mates, Tim Slade and Jack Perkins, labelled as the ‘dark horses’ of the V8 Supercar field impressed in the L&H 500 today after finishing the 113 lap enduro in 5th place. Perkins drove a stellar double stint under some serious pressure at the middle point of the race before handing over to Slade who managed to pass Webb for the top five spot in the dying stages of the race.

IRWIN Racing’s Alex Davison and David Brabham made a great recovery after starting 19th on the grid to finish 10th. Brabham, who had limited experience in the #4 Falcon leading up to the race drove a sensational stint and made it up as high as sixth place before handing over to his teammate, Alex Davison to finish the race. Davison took over on Lap 82 but dropped back once the final pit stops were made. Davison was shuffled back to 13th in the field but pressed on and managed to break into the top ten at the chequered flag.

Van Gisbergen and McIntyre’s hopes of a good result were cut short early in the race when on Lap 8 it became evident that the SP Tools Racing Falcon was experiencing engine problems. After starting the race and hanging in there for 54 long laps McIntyre’s driving duties were over and van Gisbergen held on for the remainder of the race to finish 27th.

Tim Slade – Driver, Wilson Security Racing Car #47

“Jack and I said all along that we wanted a top ten finish but a top five would be a massive bonus so we couldn’t really ask for a better result today. It’s a massive credit to the guys in the team, the car was faultless all weekend and Wes did a great job setup wise and Alistair with strategy. I think the only way we could have finished any higher up is if we rolled the dice like the Jason Richards car but we weren’t in a position to do that.

“I actually thought that Webb was a lap down there to start with and then as soon as Wes said he was for position I pushed hard but really tried to look after my tyres and it paid off, in the end I passed him and pulled away.

“I just can’t wait to get to Bathurst and see what we can do!”

Jack Perkins – Co-driver, Wilson Security Racing Car #47

“It’s great, we wanted a top ten so to finish 5th was an awesome effort, it was just good to be part of it and a massive thanks goes to Stone Brothers Racing for preparing such a good car and obviously to Wilson Security and James Rosenberg, it’s been a great weekend.

“I passed alot of good drivers, it was actually pretty cool to be out there mixing it with those guys that I have been watching all year and to go out there and race against them and ultimately be ahead of them was a great achievement for me personally and Tim.”

“I am really looking forward to Bathurst now, we can only do better than 5th!”

Alex Davison – Driver, IRWIN Racing Car #4

“There were alot of positives to take out of today, at times we had good pace, particularly on David’s second set of tyres he had fantastic pace then. We passed alot of cars today and would have liked the car to have handled a little bit better but we definitely improved it since yesterday.

“For David this was a great run in preparation for Bathurst, in the race he got quicker and quicker so we are going to be looking good when we head to the mountain.”

David Brabham – Co-driver, IRWIN Racing Car #4

“I was really happy with my drive today, on my second set of tyres I was able to really press on and dice with some guys. With the pace car #9 showed all weekend and the #47 guys finishing 5th I think it all gives the team a really good boost leading up to Bathurst.

“I learnt so much this weekend, the racing is so different compared to what I'm used to. For me this weekend was about getting a feel for the team and how they and Alex operate. I think the thing I can take away from this weekend is the confidence of heading to Bathurst and doing well.”

Shane van Gisbergen – Driver, SP Tools Racing Car #9

“It was tough, we had an engine issue early on with John in the car and we tried a lot of things, as much as we could but it got no better, no worse. When I got in the car I just cruised around and luckily got to finish, I would have been crushed if it made it all that way and didn’t finish. It’s such a shame because we had such a good car all weekend and to have that happen in the race just sucks!”

John McIntyre – Co-driver, SP Tools Racing Car #9

“It’s a real shame but as everyone knows these events are out of your control and I'm sure this is a good precursor to Bathurst, we have good speed, a good driver combination and I think we will be right come the big race next month.”

Stone Brothers Racing will now head back to the Gold Coast to begin preparations for the biggest race of the season, the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 October, 7 – 10.

L&H 500 Phillip Island Race – RESULTS

1 888 C.Lowndes/M.Skaife
2 5 M.Winterbottom/L.Youlden
3 8 J.Richards/A.Jones
4 15 R.Kelly/O.Kelly
5 47 T.Slade/J.Perkins
6 19 J.Webb/David Russell
7 55 P.Dumbrell/D.Canto
8 39 R.Ingall/P.Morris
9 2 G.Tander/C.McConville
10 4 A.Davison/D.Brabham
11 34 M.Caruso/G.Ritter
12 18 J.Courtney/W.Luff
13 51 G.Murphy/T.Blanchard
14 12 D.Fiore/M.Patrizi
15 3 T.D’Alberto/S.Price
16 17 S.Johnson/M.Marshall
17 21 K.Reindler/D.Wall
18 7 T.Kelly/D.Wood
19 24 F.Coulthard/C.Baird
20 11 J.Bargwanna/G.Seton
21 6 S.Richards/J.Moffat
22 27 D.Assaillit/A.Pedersen
23 44 G.Emery/M.Zukanovic
24 30 M.Noske/N.Pretty
25 16 T.Ricciardello/T.Douglas
26 10 A.Thompson/N.Percat
27 9 S.van Gisbergen/J.McIntyre
28 22 W.Davison/D.Reynolds
29 1 J.Whincup/S.Owen
DNF 33 L.Holdsworth/D.Besnard
DNF 14 J.Bright/M.Halliday