The Winterbottom Season

[00 XR8]

Seeing that we are nearly at seasons end, what is everyone's opinion of the performance of Mark Winterbottom in 2004?

I ask because I was speaking with someone about this subject the other day, and he described Winterbottom as being "disappointing".

I was surprised by this as I think he has done very well this year. If you compare him to what the rookies did last year (Dumbrell, Whincup and Canto) then he has done even better. Canto was just too slow in qualifying and was all round pretty disappointing in 03 and Dumbrell was just plain dangerous. Whincup also under-performed but I would have liked for him to stay at GRM this year because the team ran a VX for Jamie and a Aurora-powered VY for Garth so it was like having two one-car teams out there with the same sponsors. In your first year you really need a team-mate to learn off of and Whincup really didn't get that. I should go all right with Tasman in 05 I think.

Anyway, back to Winterbottom, if he just had a couple more tenths in qualifying (easy to say I know) then he would be a consistent top-10 race finisher. As it is, he is fifteenth in the points and, despite one tiny mistake at Bathurst (that didn't even scratch the Orrcon car!) he proved he could really run with the big boys in the enduros.

LMS have had both cars finish in the top 11 in the last two round results. Those qualifying tenths Winterbottom is lacking should come next year when he goes back to the circuits with his own data and knowledge bank ready to run for practice one. If they continue to get to notch SBR motors I think both Larkham cars can finish in the top 10 in the Championship next year. Oh yeah, and going on their enduro form, they will win Bathurst too...............