IRWIN Racing’s Alan Gurr will be making just his second start at the Clipsal 500, but he’s confident of making an impression at the opening round of the 2007 V8 Supercar Championship Series.
He might be aboard a Ford for the first time, but Gurr is more than comfortable with the car and a new team.
“Everything might be new to me, but with the experience of the guys behind the IRWIN Racing team, I feel relaxed going into the Clipsal 500, ” said Gurr.
“There’s been plenty to learn and people to meet, but it’s all gone very smoothly in the lead-up Adelaide.
“I didn’t have much seat time last year, but I did race at Adelaide and I’m fully aware of what to expect.
“It will be hot and being a street race, there’s plenty of concrete to hit. I have that experience from the Fujitsu Series a couple of years back.
“Importantly I know that finishing this race is critical if we are to progress in 2007. We must stay on the lead lap and if we can do that, we should be in the top-half of the field. “
Another new element to the IRWIN Racing team in 2007 is lead engineer on the #26 Ford Greg Foletta.
Foletta has plenty of experience on the track and gravel, having won the co-drivers title in the Australian Rally Championship and managed Subaru’s motor sports programs in recent years. His switch to IRWIN Racing is also a return to Ford.
“I was one of the engineers at Ford on the BA Falcon road car, ” said Foletta.
“While at Ford I had the opportunity to work with different teams on the V8 Supercar program.
“It’s fair to say that Alan and I are still getting to know each other. We have spoken plenty of times since our test at Winton and we’ll be pretty much in each other’s pocket in the lead-up to practice and qualifying.
“We have worked very hard in the last couple of weeks getting ready for this race. Our focus has been on having a reliable package for Adelaide.
“Reliability is going to be important. The track is tough on just about every area of the car, including brakes and transmission. We feel confident in all these areas. “
The #26 IRWIN Racing Falcon hits the track for practice and qualifying on Friday, before the first 250-kilometre race on Saturday afternoon at 2.30pm. The second 78-lap race will be held at the same time on Sunday.
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