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Supercheap Auto Racing star Russell Ingall returns to his former home track, Winton Raceway in North-East Victoria, this weekend with V8 Supercar victory uppermost in his mind.
Standing on the second step of the podium last round at Queensland Raceway - his best result since returning from Ford - has rekindled the 2005 V8 Supercar champion’s hunger, and the reinstated Holden hero wants a win.
“This could be the one where we eventually bowl a win over,” he said this week. “We should be good; I’ve done a million laps around Winton and know it like the back of my hand - and it’s the only place I’ve got a pole position at as well!”
Sitting ninth in championship standings and well within striking distance of the top five, Ingall said his track record at Winton - added to a season which continues to build in momentum - bodes well for an outstanding result.
“I’ve always done better there in a Commodore than a Falcon, I found it hard to get around the track with the Ford,” he said. “Winton’s a low grip circuit, and our car seems to be pretty good in those circumstances.”
“The team is very confident, and we haven’t re-invented the wheel between events.”
“Last year I started off the back (missed the scales after qualifying) and got up to eighth, then sixth in the last race. Going on that and with the car I’ve now got, I think we should go pretty well.”
Ingall’s teammate, Supercheap Auto Racing owner Paul Morris, said Winton was traditionally a tough place to pass and that under the current restrictive passing rules, he expected only rain would spice things up.
“We’ll see what we’ve got when we get there and make the most of it,” he said. “We’ve always gone OK there, it’s hard to pass on, so don’t expect much passing. Qualifying is going to be important, and so is pit stop strategy. We need the rain to make it exciting.”
Ingall said there was no longer a home track advantage at either Winton, where the majority of the Holden-based teams - except Supercheap Auto Racing - test, or Queensland Raceway, where most Ford teams call home. He pointed to the fact that the past three rounds at Queensland have been won by Victorian-based teams, while the last two rounds at Winton have been plundered by a Queensland-based team.
“There are no home track advantages any more. When you look at Willowbank, we went bloody good but someone from Melbourne still won it, and the Queensland teams have won at Winton the past two years,” he said. “There’s no reason why we can’t go one for one in V8’s state of origin.”
This weekend’s round kicks off with practice on Friday afternoon, with qualifying and the first race of three for the weekend following on Saturday. The round concludes with two 40-lap races on Sunday.
