Fujitsu Racing’s Jason Bright has withdrawn from the remainder of the Indy V8 Supercar round on the Gold Coast following a heavy accident in today’s opening race.
Bright is physically fine, but the same can’t be said for his Ford Falcon V8 Supercar after it made heavy contact with the turn #1 chicane with just four laps remaining in the race.
The accident came after a crash during Friday’s second practice session.
“It’s very disappointing not to finish the weekend, ” said Bright.
“We had to consider that we had already taken two big hits. Although we could have pieced the car back together for the first race tomorrow, it would have required repairing damaged components and we were not willing to take that risk.
“There’s only a week’s turnaround before the car leaves for Bahrain. Considering we have two days on the road to get back to Melbourne, it was decided to cut our losses on this event.
“This weekend has already proved tough on a lot of teams, not just us. There are two more races tomorrow and I don’t think we’ve seen the last of the tough luck stories. “
The Friday practice accident disrupted preparations for qualifying and Bright had to start from 22nd. The Fujitsu Racing team decided to stay-out as long as possible to try and gain some positions on the opposition.
Bright was looking for a spot inside the top-15, but a brush with the wall on his in-lap caused a longer pit stop.
“The car was good, but starting down the order it took a while to get some clear track, ” said Bright.
“Mark Winterbottom had to start from the back and when he came upon me I decided to let him past. I then put my head down to stay with him.
“Then on the in-lap I brushed the wall and the boys took a little extra time making sure the car was OK. That put me behind Jason Bargwanna and I had Steven Richards on my tail.
“I went into turn #1, got it on two-wheels and then I got into the wall. Steven caught me as I bounced off the barrier and unfortunately he was eliminated as well.
“On most tracks a slight error like I made today would have seen me run wide, but at this place the concrete punishes any mistakes. “
Fujitsu Racing Chief Engineer Geoff Slater has already started planning for Bahrain.
“We have already started to send guys back to Melbourne to get on with the manufacture of new components, ” said Slater.
“The competitor in me wanted us to get back on the track, but as an engineer I couldn’t guarantee the car would be 100%. That was by far the overruling factor with the decision to withdraw the car.
“Our attention now switches to Bahrain. With a fresh set of components and spares we will be up for that challenge. “
The Desert 400 in Bahrain will be held on 1-3 November.
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