IRWIN Racing will make its longest trip of the season when it lands in the Kingdom of Bahrain for the 12th round of the V8 Supercar Championship Series, the Desert 400 on 1-3 November.
It is just the second time that the V8 Supercars have visited the Middle East, but it’s the first time for driver Alan Gurr.
Home of a round of the Formula One World Championship, the Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) is recognised as one of the most modern race tracks anywhere in the world.
Built in the middle of the desert, the track is a motor sport oasis amongst the arid landscape.
“A new experience for me, but being only the second visit for the series it’s not as big a disadvantage as other tracks, ” said Gurr.
“It will be a total contrast to all the others tracks and the surroundings in the desert is like no other.
“The impression I get is that it’s a very wide track, but you can’t be fooled into thinking you have a lot of room as the cars are so evenly matched.
“We are keen for a strong result. That would be a great reward for all the work the guys have had to put in over the last month especially. “
Irwin Racing Ready For The Desert 400
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Gurr will have a different engineer calling the shots from the pitlane, with regular Lead Engineer Greg Foletta staying home for the birth of his second child. Data Engineer Peter Craik has been promoted to the role for the weekend.
Craik has been overseeing preparations after last weekend’s V8 Supercar round on the streets of the Gold Coast.
“It has been a very hectic period since Indy and we have a tight schedule to conclude our preparations, ” said Craik.
“The track is a total contrast to Indy and Bathurst. Being a modern Formula One track it’s wide and has plenty of run-offs. One of the unique features is that the desert that surrounds the track puts a fine layer of sand on the circuit. The front bumpers and especially the windscreens take a pounding. I’ll take that over heavy panel damage any day!
“It’s our longest journey of the season, but it will be well worth it with a strong performance. “
The IRWIN Racing Ford Falcon along with the associated equipment will be delivered to Avalon Airport outside Geelong this Saturday at 9am.
All crew will be traveling Sunday, with the equipment airlift to Bahrain leaving Monday.
Practice gets underway on Thursday with qualifying and the opening 31-lap race on Friday. To keep with the Bahrain weekend period, racing will conclude on Saturday with two more 31-lap races.
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