Round One At The Clipsal Adelaide 500

Despite a mid-field finish of 15th in Round One of the 2006 Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series, the team is delighted with the weekend's results. The 165 points gained by team driver, 20-year-old Jay Verdnik, will be handy for the overall championship, but the final placing says nothing of Jay's inspirational efforts on the tough Adelaide street circuit.

Qualifying in 11th position with a very credible 1.25 lap time, Jay was
only one second off the pole position.

Friday's Race 1 on a warm Adelaide evening in front of a record crowd was the big test for driver and team. After a nervous start, Jay slipped back to 12th position, but he settled in quickly and tenaciously drove his car through the pack to 6th position. With only three laps to go, Jay spun the car. With the car still in good shape, he finished the race
in 22nd position.

"What a drive", said Team Manager, Mike Quinn. "He picked the rhythm up quickly and drove a great race. I am very proud of him. The spin was a driver error, but that's motor sport, and it happens to the best"

The team was at the track for an early start on Saturday morning. The weekend's second 24 lap race started just before 10am. After a difficult start in the middle of the pack, Jay was caught up in traffic in the usual 'turn one scramble'. Forced to stop his car rather than hit the concrete barrier, Jay found himself in 28th and last position. The team's pit crew looked shattered, but the smiles quickly returned, followed by excitement as Jay raced the #42 Commodore past 17 cars, clocking fourth fastest lap times in the race of his life, to finish
11th!

"I am very happy with what happened", said Jay. "It was great to be back on the track. It is very competitive and you can't afford even the smallest mistake. I am feeling confident and the car went very well, it felt strong and didn't miss a beat. and it hasn't got a scratch on it."

Bring on Round Two at Wakefield Park in May!

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