Hot and Hard Day for Kanga’s Pither

12 12 2006

 

Phillip Island
Saturday, 9 December 2006

Friday’s strong southeast wind and perfect blue skies were replaced with a light wind from the north and a heavy smoke haze from the serious fires in central-east Victoria. In-car conditions were best described as ‘stifling’.

The Kanga Loaders’ young charger had an up-and-down day, in qualifying being nearly 3 seconds faster than yesterday’s practice sessions, but that gain was blown away at the start and Pither took all race to regain the positions lost.

 

Qualifying:  

 

More overnight changes to the Kanga Loaders Falcon proved beneficial, Pither being a massive 2.79 seconds quicker than his fastest time during both practice sessions.

 

Pither: ‘It’s better than it was yesterday, but it’s still doing the same stuff.

Qualifying Order: 1 Macrow, 2 Price, 3 D’Alberto, 4 Thompson, 5 Denyer, 6 M. White, 7 Perkins, 8 Alajajian, 9 D. White, 10 O’Brien, 17 Pither.

NOTE: Macrow was stripped of his time for a technical breach of the rules and relegated to the rear of the grid.

 

Race 1 (19 laps):

 

As a tribute to Mark Porter, tragically killed at the Bathurst Fujitsu Round, grid positions 1 and 2 were left vacant and all Fujitsu team members lined pit lane to listen to words of condolence to Mark’s family and many friends.

For the Kanga Loaders Falcon, shock absorber changes during the break were hoped to fine tune handling a little further.

 

Pither tried a new starting technique, but the result was negative – dropping five spots in the first lap. From there it was fight back time, the young Kanga Loaders driver taking Hobson on lap 3 and Wyhoon on lap 7. Storming through and Alajajian having ‘an off-track experience’ left Pither 19th.

 

O’Brien left the track on lap 8, leaving the Kanga Loaders Falcon 18th. The suspension changes left Pither with a car that was at least consistent, setting his fastest lap time on lap 11, more than half way through – and with a similar time on the second-last lap.

 

Pither picked up Jones on lap 12 and Howard on lap 15 to get back to his starting position of 16th, which he held to the chequer flag.

 

Race 1 Results:

 

1 Price, 2 Thompson, 3 D’Alberto, 4 M. White, 5 D. White, 6 Perkins, 7 Caruso, 8 Pretty, 9 Macrow, 10 Wakefield, 16 Pither.

 

Chris Pither and his Kanga Loaders Falcon will line up for Race 2 (19 laps) tomorrow.