The Holden Airship will be supporting Commodore V8 Supercar teams in its last flyover at the Sandown 500 this weekend before ‘Big Red’ is decommissioned and returns to the USA. Special messages have been prepared for the benefit of Holden fans trackside at Melbourne’s classic V8 enduro.
Holden Racing Team’s Mark Skaife, part of the 2005 Bathurst 1000 winning dynamic duo with Todd Kelly, says Big Red’s support is welcome.
“Our red Commodores have been on the pace all season and we again expect to qualify and race strongly, and there’d be nothing better than seeing Big Red float off over the horizon for the very last time flashing ‘Holden Wins Sandown 500’, ” said Skaife.
Last round winner Lee Holdsworth ranks himself and co-driver Dean Canto as dark horses to win Sunday’s race.
“We’re a really good chance at Sandown, the Garry Rogers Motorsport Commodores are always strong in enduros and we have more race pace than previous, as was evident at Oran Park last month, ” said Holdsworth.
“If it rains it won’t worry us. Both of us have proved this year we can mix it with the race favourites, so bring it on! ”
Tasman Motorsport’s Jason Richards also rates himself and team-mate Greg Murphy, a two-time winner of the Sandown classic, as a strong chance.
“There’s always a fair bit of luck involved with the enduros and it’s not necessarily the fastest car that wins, ” said Richards.
“Murph’s won Sandown twice and I’ve done well there in the past, so we’ve got a strong driver lineup, and our Tasman Commodore is a reliable car. We’d love to see our name up in lights come Sunday night. ”
Paul Dumbrell and Paul Weel pair up at Sandown for the first time with Supercheap Auto Racing and if recent testing is any indication, the pair will be ultra competitive.
“We’ve got some new bits on our Supercheap Commodores and we tested well at Winton. Paul was right on the pace and we’re excited at our Sandown prospects, ” said Dumbrell.
Weel racks up 100 rounds this weekend at the scene of his racing debut as an 18-year-old in 1998.
“It was a lot less serious then than what it is now, ” said Weel.
“I never thought I’d make it to 100 starts back then, but we go to Sandown 10 years later and I’m hopeful of a top 10 result this time around. ”
Cameron McConville shares the second team car with newcomer David Reynolds for his eleventh tilt at the 500.
“It’s always a great race, what with gravel traps, Safety Cars, and unpredictable weather, ” said McConville.
“My best result is a third place in 1998, and I wouldn’t mind another podium this time around. ” Joining Reynolds in making his V8 Supercar debut will be Fujitsu Series front runner Jay Verdnik, who will be driving with Mark Noske for Tasman Motorsport.
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