V8supercars.com.au: What are the main characteristics of the circuit?
Hollway: Very high corner speeds combined with massive rise and fall make Bathurst unique.Across the top is crazy, from the exit of the cutting to skyline the car is in fourth gear and mid-corner speeds are around 190km/h!There is a lot of places where the car is on the rise going light or loading up from the road ramping up; at the bottom of the dip into Sulman the loads are so high the power steering often runs out and the steering goes heavy!We run the car stiffer and with higher ride heights than any other circuit to stop the splitter smashing into the track.
How will the ruling of seven mandatory pit stops affect strategy?
I don't think the seven stop ruling will have a huge effect on the strategy. It's a long race and there is bound to be an opportunity under safety car to dive in for an extra stop to top up. With the smaller tank this year the six-stopper was going to be very tight.*Hopefully it doesn't come down to a fuel economy war in the last stint
.What would it mean if the drop gear ratio was changed during the event?
If the drop gear changes the biggest workload will be on the drivers to get used to the different gearshift points around the circuit. It may mean going down a gear in a couple of locations and maybe even using first gear in qualifying. At the end of the day, it's the same for everyone.
What is the tyre allocation and what sort of degradation are you expecting? How will this impact setup and strategy?
You are allocated eight sets of tyres for the meeting, so with a seven stopper you have enough for fresh tyres in every stint. With the tall diff ratio traction and degradation are normally not too bad, the key is to look after the tyre construction. The loads are so high at Bathurst you have to run higher pressure and less camber than other circuits to look after the sidewall
.What are the biggest differences with endurance racing/running co-drivers?
I'm lucky with Scotty and Jacko, they work very well together and their feedback is virtually identical. If you have drivers who prefer different setups the compromise becomes difficult. You have to bias the setup towards the main driver who may be pushing for a win at the end of the race but you still want the co-driver to be comfortable with the car.
What aspects of the circuit are you expecting to suit your car and what do you have to be mindful of?
Our cars are generally pretty good across the top but we have suffered from understeer in a few key areas and we need to work on this to make a better racecar.The key is to make the car forgiving and easy to drive, you don't want a car that is wild across the top or else it will be a long day for the drivers
.What are you expecting to be the most important thing to do well this weekend?
You have to do everything well to win Bathurst and a little bit of luck helps as well. The car setup, strategy, pitstops, tyre management all have to be spot on to set yourself up for the last 30 laps and to have a crack at winning it.
Something really special about those Group C cars. 