Photo: V8SC Media

Team Vodafone looking for a win at Sandown

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The winners of last year’s Sandown 500, TeamVodafone, are hoping to continue their success as round 5 of the the V8 Supercar Championship Series at the weekend will revert to a sprint race format.
Winning the 500km race in 2005 and 2007 and finishing third in 2006, the TeamVodafone drivers are more than capable to take the awards over the Queens Birthday Holiday weekend.

This year’s event will see a change in preparation for the leading Ford team with the V8 Supercars to contest three 39 lap solo-driver races over the course of the weekend.

Jamie Whincup will be looking for another good result in his new chassis, which finished third on debut at Perth’s Barbagallo Raceway three weeks ago.

“This is track that traditionally suits our cars and it is one where we have enjoyed great success in the past,” Whincup said. “It will be a good test for the new chassis and should give us an indication of just how good it really is.”

“We won the Sandown round last year, but this year we are going to a completely different race format, so we really are going to have to change our preparation and approach to this event.”

“Personally, it is a track I really enjoy and this will be the first time for me racing a V8 Supercar without a co-driver. I am looking forward to it,” he added.

Teammate Craig Lowndes, who has won this event four times, twice as an endurance event and twice as a sprint round, acknowledged the change in format would see tyre temperatures play a much bigger role.

“The shorter races will mean we need to put a lot more focus on tyre temperatures,” Lowndes explained.

“It is also going to be a lot colder than when we raced in September so getting tyre temperatures up for qualifying will be really important.”

“I love this circuit – it is one of the last of the bumpy tracks which can make it quite tricky to set up a consistently fast racecar. You need it (racecar) to absorb the bumps and kerbs but at the same time put its power down leading onto the two main straights and also be stable under brakes,” he continued.