GRM announces V8 enduro challenge

[RaceTime]

Garry Rogers Motorsport has ended weeks of speculation in announcing a driver line-up they believe will lead to success in the upcoming V8 enduros.

GRM’s Nations Cup Monaro driver, Nathan Pretty, and young Dane Allan Simonsen will join regular V8 drivers Garth Tander and Jamie Whincup in an all-out assault on the Betta Electrical Sandown 500 and Bob Jane T-Marts 1000 at Bathurst in Repco/Valvoline/Cummins VY Holden Commodores.

For team owner, Garry Rogers, the line-up continues the team’s long-established tradition in developing young, aspiring drivers.

“I believe this is the strongest four-driver line-up we have ever taken to the enduros,” Rogers said.

“Nathan and Garth have shown they can produce results, with Garth a former Bathurst 1000 winner and Nathan having achieved fourth and fifth with Holden Racing Team, as well as the pair being part of our winning outfit in last year’s 24-hour race at the mountain.

“Jamie has started producing some very good speed in his first full year with the team. He might have crashed out at Bathurst last year but all the good drivers have done that and I am sure he will have learned from the experience.

“Allan Simonsen has impressed me with his speed and maturity. He tested well with us last week and he realises that racing in enduros isn’t just a weekend effort. He is very professional in his approach.”

For Simonsen, who is leading Category 2 in the Nations Cup after a near-clean sweep of the 10 races in which he has competed, it is the chance of a lifetime.

“My goal is to secure a full-time V8 drive, so I know I have to prove myself at these races,” he said.

“I haven’t been to Bathurst before. The closest I have come is playing it on Playstation. Every top driver who has driven on the world’s best circuits rates

Bathurst as one of the best. It’s a great opportunity for me to be driving with a very good, experienced team.”

For 2000 Bathurst winner Garth Tander, the new driver line-up is welcome news.

“We are looking at getting both our VY Commodores up to the podium in the enduros and I believe that with the speed our cars are starting to show this is achievable,” he said.

Whincup said he was also looking forward to racing at the pointy end of the field.

“Sandown will be the first meeting where we will have had two fully-specced VY Commodores on the track and I am confident both cars will be on the pace,” he said.

“Personally, I am really looking forward to getting back to Bathurst. Last year is behind me and I am looking for good results.”

Pretty was similarly upbeat about his prospects. “GRM know how to win enduros. They’ve won Australia’s most difficult race, the Bathurst 1000, and I have good memories from last year in the 24-hour event,” he said. “Another result like that would be great.”

The Betta Electrical Sandown 500 will be held on September 14 while the Bob Jane T-Marts 1000 at Bathurst is on October 12.

[GTRMagic]

Interesting that they didnt confirm pairings specifically...

[RaceTime]

That doesn't really surprise me - it allows them to keep their options open whilst saying that a, b, c and d are our drivers.

[GTRMagic]

The issue might be that other than GT, the other 3 guys arent familiar with the VY Blueprint front end.

If they were clever, the pairings might be Tander/Simonsen and Pretty/Whincup, so that the 2 cars were as good as one another in having a lead driver who can set cars up (NP got a lot of practice with the Monaro this year) and a young gun without that experience but still some genuine pace.

As ever, we shall see

[marcus]

for sheer speed they would have to pair Pretty with Tander wouldnt they ???

I mean they are both very fast drivers and can produce the results , but having said that the Whincup and Simonsen car could be what lets the team down.

dunno its a tough one , do they go for the all out assault with GT and NP or as you said GTR Magic will they want to fairly even cars , with two top drivers training two young guns ??

cant wait and see this one but personally I would like to see Pretty in Tanders car.

[Onlooker]

I doubt that Nathan would be to pleased to end up with anyone apart from GT as one is a rookie and the other sat the car on the back row next to Dumbrell at his last race.Jamie isn't getting much quicker and if he was half a chance he would be in with GT.The 2nd GRM car is always a dud and so it is simply racing miles for 2 guys to stop a fine and make the sponsers happy.

[GTRMagic]

Whincup is in Bargs' old car, which never had results as strong as Tander's. Other than the Indy win last season.

GR has said in Auto Action that Whincup is not able to lead the technical direction of the car, so being in a different model to GT, there would be a substantial problem in getting the car sorted if it isnt right straight off the truck.

[Onlooker]

2nd car seems to be the poisened challis over the time GRM have been in the game

96 -DNF
97- 2nd
500 1000
98 DNF/7 3/DNF
99 2/12 9/DNF
00 2/9 1/DNF
01 12/15 6/DNF
02 3/20 DNF/DNF

Ok for he 500 but pretty poor for the 1000.And the signs are that the lead car is getting dragged down with it.

[RaceTime]

How does their car relateto other 2 car teams though? That would be a more accurate assessment.

[Onlooker]

Now there is a task.I'll get back to you

[Onlooker]

Ok Bathurst only are as follows and for multi car teams.

96
HRT 1/5
DJR 2/8
GMS 7/9
SBR 11/DNF
97
HRT DNF/DNF/DNS
DJR 4/DNF
CPR 1/12
SBR 3/11
98
HRT 6/DNF
DJR DNF x 2
CPR 2/11
GMS 7/DNF
SBR 1/
99
HRT 2/3/6
DJR 4/DNF
CPR 7/20
KRT 1/DNF
SBR DNF x 2
FTR 5/10
00
HRT 5/6
DJR 2/4
CPR 11/DNF
KRT 3/9
SBR 7/DNF
FTR 13/DNF
01
HRT 1/13/DNF
DJR 4/DNF
CPR 8/DNF
KRT 3/14
SBR DNF x 2
FTR 9/5
02
HRT 1/3/4
DJR 7/DNF
CPR 2/5
KRT 13/DNF
SBR 21/DNS
So in conclusion the tally for DNF's by these teams when running 2 cars is as follows
(Note SBR ran Larko and AJ at one time HRT achieved 3 cars over the line 2 out of 3 times)
HRT 4+1 x DNS
DJR 6
SBR 5+1 x DNS
CPR 2
GSR/FTR 3

GRM have 7 DNF's so dividing DNF's by number of cars entered the chances of a DNF by at least 1 car is as follows
For
CPR=15%
HRT=27%
GSR=30%
DJR=43%
SBR=46%
GRM=58%

So in answer to your question,about as bad as I thought but hey it filled in half an hour to confirm that I wasn't just expelling heated wind from my rear end.

[GTRMagic]

Ouch! The GRM record isnt flash at all is it... SBR isnt spectacular either....

Would be interesting to see if these stats influence the odds on SportsTAB, maybe we can convince the handicapper to think SBR have no shot again and get some insane odds happening like in Adelaide

[RRR]

Good work Onlooker. GRM have never really been able to have two really fast cars. They did for a little while 99/00 but since then, only Tander has been scoring top 10 places.
Bargs was given no chance with the ****e box he had last year, while Whincup is making the most of what he got this year. I heard GRM did a test recently and Jamie wasn't even invited!
GRM need to invest more time in getting both cars to the front of the field, and not just concentrate on GT's car ...

[Onlooker]

Again the numbers can be made to talk a different story by looking at the last 3 1000's, they are the goods if they get to the line but what a struggle it is to achieve that task
Team Starts DNF/DNS Avge pos %of finishes
HRT 10 1 4.125 90%
DJR 6 2 4.25 66.6%
FTR 5 2 9 60%
CPR 6 2 6.5 66.6%
SBR 6 4 14 33.33%
KRT 6 1 5.6 83.3%
GRM 6 4 3.5 33.3%

In summary both GRM and SBR have hardly a hope in haidies of actually getting to the end but if they do GRM will be some 10 spots ahead of them,DJR have a better track record than both CPR and FTR by way largely of the fact that they field 2 genuine top 10 cars and the boys at Clayton are more chance to finish than not by a gap of some 20% over the others.SBR were hindered a bit by 2002 and 2000 in losing one almost sure win and had hat occured they would be ifact on a 50% strike rate and a finish of 9.6 but solom reading for a few of those teams that ride high in the saddle when talking about their enduro form by way of the odd good result.
For your info incase you seek new employment one team is sitting on 12.3-1-4-75%

[Onlooker]

Originally posted by RRR
Good work Onlooker. GRM have never really been able to have two really fast cars. They did for a little while 99/00 but since then, only Tander has been scoring top 10 places.
Bargs was given no chance with the ****e box he had last year, while Whincup is making the most of what he got this year. I heard GRM did a test recently and Jamie wasn't even invited!
GRM need to invest more time in getting both cars to the front of the field, and not just concentrate on GT's car ...

The price you pay for constantly employing young guys I guess.If I were paying the bills I would be keen to see where all this youth stuff is getting me as far as a return for my bucks.

[GTRMagic]

But does it cost a lot to have a young guy? Whincup this year is running the ex-bargs car, so would be soaking up the redundant VX engines, spoilers, consumables and the like so would be using things paid for out of last year's budget??

Arguably Dumbrell is in the same situation. What was it LP said in AA a few weeks ago, he has 15 VX motors laying around, 3 cars or thereabouts and a shedload of redundant bits and pieces. Might as well give them an airing on a less-than-important outing....

[Onlooker]

Team owners don't pay bills,they are merely a conduit between sponsers and component suppliers

[GTRMagic]

A nice way of looking at it Where do the boats, helicopters and planes come into it?

[Onlooker]

Maybe their wives work a second job saturday mornings and late night shopping at the local Myres and maybe a bit of dabbling in the short term money market waiting till the money has to be spent on spoilers.It can't be that lucrative otherwise they wouldn't be complaining would they

[GTRMagic]

That must be it... they might send the kids out to do the local paper run in the afternoons and weekends to keep the maintenance up to the Porsche