Melbourne Performance Centre Press Release
Melbourne Performance Centre Audi R8 LMS
ultra
Rnd#3, Australian GT Championship presented by Pirelli
Phillip Island, Victoria (24-26 May)
Rnd#3, Australian GT Championship presented by Pirelli
Phillip Island, Victoria (24-26 May)
After a race winning weekend at Melbourne’s
Sandown Park during the Victorian State Series the week prior to the third
round of the Australian GT Championship presented by Pirelli, Melbourne
Performance Centre/Skwirk.com.au Audi R8 LMS GT3 ultra pilot Rod Salmon was
‘fired up’ ahead of Phillip Island and ready to get into the thick of it..
Joined by Englishman James Winslow - a
multiple Formula 3 champion - the team were ready to do battle. “Last weekend I
had my first victory in the Audi, which was pretty special,” Rod reflected. “It
was nice way too to prepare for this weekend, especially after a three month
break.”
Whilst the Sandown event provided Rod with
some extra momentum heading into Phillip Island, it also turned up an
unexpected set of circumstances that would plague the team through practice and
race one.
During the opening practice session, Rod’s
times were affected by stones that had become embedded in the hot rubber after
the final race at Sandown, when the Audi driver was forced to return to the transporter
through the back of the pits. The cool Phillip Island conditions, and the lack
of grip kept the tyres below operating temperature, with the stones remaining
embedded in the tyre through much of the session.
The other impact of the Sandown event
didn’t become apparent until race one where both drivers reported a ‘long’
clutch pedal, a result of Sandown’s standing starts. “That’s not something we
do in the GT Championship,” MPC’s Troy Russell explained. “And whilst it hasn’t
impacted the pace of the car, it’s a driver comfort issue, so we’ll fix it between
races.”
Despite losing much of the opening practice
session, the Skwirk.com.au Audi was into the thick of the action in P2 with
Winslow sitting on top of the timesheets for much of the session, his 1:29.4124
beaten only by GT rookie Jack Le Brocq in the Erebus Mercedes Benz SLS AMG in
the closing stages of the session.
Ahead of qualifying the team opted for
strategy, leaving Rod in the car to avoid further pit stop penalties on top of
Winslow’s classification as a professional driver.
“During the compulsory pit stop (CPS) in
each race, teams are given performance time penalties based on their qualifying
position and the experience of each of their drivers,” Rod explained. “With
James in the car we automatically receive an additional 18-second penalty, and
for every row further forward we qualify, that’s a five seconds more.”
James started race one off the fourth row,
and the experienced open-wheel star was quickly into the thick of the action,
locked onto the tail of the McMillan Lamborghini in a battle for sixth
position. That soon became a battle for fifth position after McMillan spun
wildly off the circuit on the run out of the final corner on lap two.
“I could see he was watching me in his
mirrors,” Winslow confirmed afterwards. “He started to slide on the exit, then
caught it and then finally went completely sideways. I wasn’t sure exactly
which way to go initially, but he was soon off the circuit and we kept at it.”
Next in line was Roger Lago, although the
two-time Porsche Challenge champion wasn’t about to be pressured into giving up
track position, leaving Winslow as the sandwich between the Lamborghini and a
hard-charging Klark Quinn.
Lap after lap ahead of the CPS, Winslow
looked for a way past the big V10 Gallardo, but was unable to effect a pass
ahead of the pit stops.
“The three of us were locked together for
much of the opening stint of the race, and I just couldn’t get past the
Lamborghini,” Winslow admitted. “I tried everything, and used every trick I had
up my sleeve maximising my aero experience from Formula 3, but we just didn’t
have the legs to get past him.”
Rod put in a consistent drive to cross the
line in sixth place, having dropped a position to the R8 of Andrew McInnes in
the closing laps.
“It’s nice not to have had to complete the
full one hour distance on my own,” Rod admitted afterwards. “I looked at how
exhausted Tony Quinn was after he emerged from his car after having completed
the full race distance alone and remembered just how hard that had been at
Clipsal. To be consistently quick across a full hour in one of these cars is
hard work, both mentally and physically, so that was a much more pleasant
experience for me.”
Rod was back behind the wheel for the start
of race two, and despite dropping a position early to the hard-charging Justin
McMillan, he sat comfortably within reach of the battle unfolding between
McMillan’s Lamborghini, the Audi R8 of McInnes and the Ferrari 458 of Peter
Edwards.
“I just wanted to settle into a rhythm and
stay within reach ahead of the pit stops,” Rod admitted. “I knew that if we
kept within a couple of seconds that James would be able to recover that during
his stint, and there was no sense getting into the middle of a battle for
position; this weekend was about amassing points and getting back into the
championship.”
After their CPS, Winslow charged, moving quickly back
into the top six, the Skwirk.com.au now the third fastest car on the circuit,
but despite his pace he fell just short of McMillan’s Lamborghini, crossing the
line in sixth place.
“A couple more laps and I would have had him,” James
explained afterwards. “We were consistently in the 29s, but lapped traffic cost
us in the end, but all up I was grateful for my Audi experience with Rod, it’s
a fantastic car to drive, we just needed a slightly longer race.”
For the MPC/Skwirk.com.au team it’s off to Sydney
Motorsport Park in July (12-14) for round four of the Australian GT
Championship presented by Pirelli.
2013 Australian GT Championship presented
by Pirelli
Rnd#3, Phillip Island - Qualifying [May 25]
01. 36. Jack Le Brocq - Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 [CHAMP] - 1:26.5248R
02. 88. John Bowe - Ferrari 458 Italia GT3 [CHAMP] - 1:27.4308
03. 7. Tony Quinn - Aston Martin Vantage GT3 [CHAMP] - 1:28.0291
04. 23. Roger Lago - Lamborghini Gallardo LP560 GT3 [CHAMP] - 1:28.8855
05. 48. Justin McMillan - Lamborghini Gallardo LP600+ GT3 [CHAMP] - 1:29.0617
06. 1. Klark Quinn - Porsche GT3-R [CHAMP] - 1:29.1267
07. 71. Dean Koutsoumidis - Audi R8 LMS GT3 [CHAMP] - 1:30.5255
08. 6. Rod Salmon - Audi R8 LMS GT3 ultra [CHAMP] - 1:31.3387
09. 75. Steve McLaughlan - Dodge Viper Competition Coupé [TROPHY] - 1:33.9012
10. 29. Jim Manolios - Chevrolet Corvette Z06.R [CHAMP] - 1:35.9553
Rnd#3, Phillip Island - Qualifying [May 25]
01. 36. Jack Le Brocq - Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 [CHAMP] - 1:26.5248R
02. 88. John Bowe - Ferrari 458 Italia GT3 [CHAMP] - 1:27.4308
03. 7. Tony Quinn - Aston Martin Vantage GT3 [CHAMP] - 1:28.0291
04. 23. Roger Lago - Lamborghini Gallardo LP560 GT3 [CHAMP] - 1:28.8855
05. 48. Justin McMillan - Lamborghini Gallardo LP600+ GT3 [CHAMP] - 1:29.0617
06. 1. Klark Quinn - Porsche GT3-R [CHAMP] - 1:29.1267
07. 71. Dean Koutsoumidis - Audi R8 LMS GT3 [CHAMP] - 1:30.5255
08. 6. Rod Salmon - Audi R8 LMS GT3 ultra [CHAMP] - 1:31.3387
09. 75. Steve McLaughlan - Dodge Viper Competition Coupé [TROPHY] - 1:33.9012
10. 29. Jim Manolios - Chevrolet Corvette Z06.R [CHAMP] - 1:35.9553
Race #1 [May 25]
01. 36. Jack Le Brocq - Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 [CHAMP] - 39-laps
02. 7. Tony Quinn - Aston Martin Vantage GT3 [CHAMP]
03. 23. Roger Lago - Lamborghini Gallardo LP560 GT3 [CHAMP]
04. 88. John Bowe/Peter Edwards - Ferrari 458 Italia GT3 [CHAMP]
05. 71. Dean Koutsoumidis/Andrew McInnes - Audi R8 LMS GT3 [CHAMP] - 38-laps
06. 6. Rod Salmon/James Winslow - Audi R8 LMS GT3 ultra [CHAMP]
07. 1. Klark Quinn - Porsche GT3-R [CHAMP] - 36-laps
08. 19. Mark Griffith/Jack Perkins - Ginetta G50 GT4 [Sport]
09. 29. Jim Manolios - Chevrolet Corvette Z06.R [CHAMP]
10. 73 Michael Hovey - Ginetta G50 GT4 [Sport] - 35-laps
01. 36. Jack Le Brocq - Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 [CHAMP] - 39-laps
02. 7. Tony Quinn - Aston Martin Vantage GT3 [CHAMP]
03. 23. Roger Lago - Lamborghini Gallardo LP560 GT3 [CHAMP]
04. 88. John Bowe/Peter Edwards - Ferrari 458 Italia GT3 [CHAMP]
05. 71. Dean Koutsoumidis/Andrew McInnes - Audi R8 LMS GT3 [CHAMP] - 38-laps
06. 6. Rod Salmon/James Winslow - Audi R8 LMS GT3 ultra [CHAMP]
07. 1. Klark Quinn - Porsche GT3-R [CHAMP] - 36-laps
08. 19. Mark Griffith/Jack Perkins - Ginetta G50 GT4 [Sport]
09. 29. Jim Manolios - Chevrolet Corvette Z06.R [CHAMP]
10. 73 Michael Hovey - Ginetta G50 GT4 [Sport] - 35-laps
Race #2 [May 26]
01. 36. Jack Le Brocq - Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 [CHAMP]- 38-laps
02. 7. Tony Quinn - Aston Martin Vantage GT3 [CHAMP]
03. 1. Klark Quinn - Porsche GT3-R [CHAMP]
04. 88. John Bowe/Peter Edwards - Ferrari 458 Italia GT3 [CHAMP]
05. 48. Justin McMillan - Lamborghini Gallardo LP600+ GT3 [CHAMP]
06. 6. Rod Salmon/James Winslow - Audi R8 LMS GT3 ultra [CHAMP]
07. 71. Dean Koutsoumidis/Andrew McInnes - Audi R8 LMS GT3 [CHAMP] - 37-laps
08. 75. Steve McLaughlan - Dodge Viper Competition Coupé [TROPHY] - 36-laps
09. 29. Jim Manolios - Chevrolet Corvette Z06.R [CHAMP]
10. 19. Mark Griffith/Jack Perkins - Ginetta G50 GT4 [Sport]
A highlights package will be televised on SBS Speedweek on Sunday, June 9 from 2:00pm AEST (check local guides for confirmation).
01. 36. Jack Le Brocq - Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 [CHAMP]- 38-laps
02. 7. Tony Quinn - Aston Martin Vantage GT3 [CHAMP]
03. 1. Klark Quinn - Porsche GT3-R [CHAMP]
04. 88. John Bowe/Peter Edwards - Ferrari 458 Italia GT3 [CHAMP]
05. 48. Justin McMillan - Lamborghini Gallardo LP600+ GT3 [CHAMP]
06. 6. Rod Salmon/James Winslow - Audi R8 LMS GT3 ultra [CHAMP]
07. 71. Dean Koutsoumidis/Andrew McInnes - Audi R8 LMS GT3 [CHAMP] - 37-laps
08. 75. Steve McLaughlan - Dodge Viper Competition Coupé [TROPHY] - 36-laps
09. 29. Jim Manolios - Chevrolet Corvette Z06.R [CHAMP]
10. 19. Mark Griffith/Jack Perkins - Ginetta G50 GT4 [Sport]
A highlights package will be televised on SBS Speedweek on Sunday, June 9 from 2:00pm AEST (check local guides for confirmation).
Australian GT Championship presented by Pirelli
GT Championship points (after round three of six)
1. Klark Quinn (195 points), 2. Tony Quinn (141), 3. Roger Lago (135), 4. Craig Baird (133), 5. Peter Edwards/John Bowe (118), 6. Dean Koutsoumidis/Andrew McInnes (115), 7. Justin McMillan (111), 8. Jack Le Brocq (110), 9. Jim Manolios (70), 10. Rod Salmon (65), 11. Christian Klien (70), 12. Andrew Taplin (59), 13. Shane Van Gisbergen/Matt Kingsley (54)
GT Championship points (after round three of six)
1. Klark Quinn (195 points), 2. Tony Quinn (141), 3. Roger Lago (135), 4. Craig Baird (133), 5. Peter Edwards/John Bowe (118), 6. Dean Koutsoumidis/Andrew McInnes (115), 7. Justin McMillan (111), 8. Jack Le Brocq (110), 9. Jim Manolios (70), 10. Rod Salmon (65), 11. Christian Klien (70), 12. Andrew Taplin (59), 13. Shane Van Gisbergen/Matt Kingsley (54)
2013 Australian GT Championship
presented by Pirelli - calendar
Rnd#1, 8-10 February - Bathurst 12-Hour, NSW
Rnd#2, 28 Feb - 3 March - Clipsal, Adelaide, SA
Rnd#3, 24-26 May - Phillip Island, Victoria
Rnd#4, 12-14 July - Sydney Motorsport Park, NSW
Rnd#5, 2-4 August - Queensland Raceway, Ipswich, QLD
Rnd#6, 8-10 November - Highland Motorsport Park, NZ
Rnd#1, 8-10 February - Bathurst 12-Hour, NSW
Rnd#2, 28 Feb - 3 March - Clipsal, Adelaide, SA
Rnd#3, 24-26 May - Phillip Island, Victoria
Rnd#4, 12-14 July - Sydney Motorsport Park, NSW
Rnd#5, 2-4 August - Queensland Raceway, Ipswich, QLD
Rnd#6, 8-10 November - Highland Motorsport Park, NZ
Photo credit: Melbourne Performance Centre
