In proof of just how quickly Motorsport can go from giving the highest of highs to the lowest of lows, Chris Alajajian endured a tough pair of races in the third round of the Fujitsu V8 Supercar series at Winton Motor Raceway today.
In early April Alajajian was basking in the success of his first ever V8 Supercar race win, at Wakefield Park, whilst today was arguably one of his toughest since joining the Fujitsu series mid way through the 2006 season.
After ending yesterday’s opening race on his side in the sand trap after a gentle half-roll, Alajajian was looking to bounce back in today’s two races at the rain-sodden Northern Victorian venue.
After his race one non-finish Alajajian started today’s opening race from the very back of the massive 34 car field and again showed his flair and aggression as he worked his way through the field.
By the end of the first lap the Protecnica Racing Commodore was 26th. He was 23rd on lap two and inside the top 20 one lap later.
After working his way into the competitive midfield and running as high as 15th by the 5th lap, the 20 year-old eventually crossed the line 17th after a solid comeback.
In race two he battled to the line in 20th position after 25 laps, a late-race spin costing him time.
“Some other cars had dragged some dirt on the racing line and I thought I would be able drive right through it, ” Alajajian explained.
“Unfortunately the car swapped ends and it cost us a couple of positions. ”
The weekends’ results came as a surprise to the resident of Sydney’s North Shore, after believing that he would be competitive in the lead up to the weekend.
“It has been a strange one, ” Alajajian mused after race two this afternoon.
”We were struggling to find a setup all weekend and whilst the car felt quite good it just didn’t have the speed.
”I’ve never been in that kind of a situation which makes the weekend even more frustrating. It’s very unusual.
“I have to take my hats off to the team because they have done an exceptional job, ” he added.
”After every session they have sat down and worked through what we needed to do to make the car go quicker. Every change they made helped us in a little way.
“In the end we couldn’t quite get on top of the power-down oversteer we were having so we have been left scratching our heads a bit after this weekend! ” he said.
Chris Alajajian sits 20th in the Fujitsu V8 Supercar Championship after three rounds, with 24 points.
Chris and the Protecnica Racing team will next be in action at Queensland Raceway on July 20 – 22.
| 
|