Smart Gamble Pays Off for GMR in Final Fujitsu Race of 2011

December 5, 2011

Smart Gamble Pays Off for GMR in Final Fujitsu Race of 2011

A smart tyre gamble for Greg Murphy Racing almost produced a stunning result for Geoff Emery and Tony Bates in the final Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series race for 2011 at Homebush yesterday.

On a very damp track, the majority of the field elected to start the race on wet tyres, but Emery and Bates opted for slicks. The two drivers slipped and slid their way down the order in the early laps of the race, with Bates actually spinning on the greasy track and dropping to last, but as the circuit dried out, the slick tyres came into play and Emery and Bates charged through the field.

Emery eventually finished sixth in the AC Delco / Simworx / NDD Commodore after overtaking multiple cars in the final few laps of the race. The five-time Commodore Cup champion set the fastest lap of the race and was over six seconds a lap quicker than the race leaders in the closing laps, and only missed out on an even better result due to the surprising absence of safety car interventions.

“I was flying at the end of the race and overtaking about three cars a lap,” Emery said. “If only there had been a safety car, I reckon I could have won that race, because I had a huge pace advantage over everyone on wet tyres at the end. They were all sliding around and struggling to get traction out of corners, and I was driving past them like they were standing still.”

Tony Bates also staged an exceptional recovery after his first lap spin, setting the second-fastest race lap and working his way into 10th place in the very last corner of the race in the Favourit.com / Alternative Freight Services entry.

“I was kicking myself after I spun on the first lap,” Bates said. “For the first few laps it was extremely slippery and I thought we had made the wrong call on tyres for sure. But as the race progressed and the track dried out, it started to come to me and I was able to overtake really easily towards the end.”

The driver Bates overtook in the last corner was Daniel Jilesen. Starting at the rear of the field after his Race 1 DNF, Jilesen chose wet tyres and was electric in the opening laps of the race, setting times among the quickest for the drivers who had chosen wets as he clawed his way up the order in his R & J Batteries / Earthex / King Gee-supported car.

“It was a good race, and good to be one of the fastest cars on wets,” Jilesen said. “I worked my way into the top-10 but the tyres were dead at the end and I couldn’t quite hold Tony out in the last corner.

“Overall, it’s been an up-and-down season, but it was good to score enough points to finish in the top-10 in the championship.”

Nick Cassidy was unfortunately forced into retirement after his third shock absorber failure of the weekend. Cassidy had worked his way up into 10th position before the breakage, and was showing good pace in the Fuchs / Drillpro / Tricor Commodore.

“It was a disappointing end to the weekend, but in that race at least I was making good progress through the field,” Cassidy said.

The Greg Murphy Racing team now moves into an off-season period, with the team’s 2012 driver lineup to be confirmed in the new year.

Round Results Summary, Fujitsu Series Round 7, Homebush
Qualifying: Jilesen 4th, Emery 13th, Bates 17th, Cassidy 22nd
Race 1: Emery 13th, Bates 15th, Cassidy 17th, Jilesen DNF
Race 2: Emery 6th, Bates 10th, Jilesen 11th, Cassidy DNF
Overall: Emery 7th (168 points), Bates 12th (138 points), Jilesen 20th (72 points), Cassidy 22nd (54 points)

Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series – Top 10 Pointscore (Final)
1. Andrew Thompson – 1896
2. Jack Perkins – 1601
3. David Russell – 1594
4. Scott McLaughlin – 1461
5. Tim Blanchard – 1262
6. Chaz Mostert – 1253
7. Nick Percat – 1207
8. Paul Morris – 944
9. Rodney Jane – 827
10. Daniel Jilesen – 816
(14. Geoff Emery – 732)
(18. Tony Bates – 598)
(31. Nick Cassidy – 153)

ENDS

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