STEVE OWEN MAINTAINS CHAMPIONSHIP DOMINANCE AT BATHURST
Tint-a-Car Racing’s Steve Owen will be the man to beat for the Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series title after the Melbourne race driver took his sixth straight podium finish and maintained a healthy championship lead at Bathurst’s Mount Panorama last weekend (October 9-12).
With the Fujitsu Series being the main drawcard for Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 weekend, Steve scored a third-place overall result in trying conditions around the iconic 6.2km racing circuit, and now holds a strong 255-point buffer over his rivals heading into the series decider in Sydney in December.
Starting the weekend dominantly with his third pole position of the season, Steve set a new Fujitsu Series qualifying record of 2:07.7175, beating the previous record held since 2004. The time was also good enough to have placed him inside the top-10 for the main V8 Supercar qualifying session the following day.
“The car was fantastic,” enthused Steve. “We’ve got a tight budget so we decided to keep the old motor in the car. We were going to change it after qualifying but when we did such a good time we decided to leave it; at this point in the championship it’s all about reliability and staying in the game for the title.”
With caution periods in the first 14-lap race putting paid to Steve being able to build on the pace of the #62 Tint-a-Car Racing Commodore, he fought on to finish fourth. With race two starting under safety car conditions due to heavy rain, Steve adopted a ‘safety first’ approach to finish third for the final race and the round.
“We got a bad start in that second race and it was quite difficult to pass even though the car was fantastic, especially across the top of the Mountain. We only needed a handful of points for these last couple of rounds so we are just trying to keep the car straight and stay out of trouble.
“Even though the title will come down to the races at Oran Park, to be honest, I was worrying more about this weekend because of all the sorts of variables you get at Bathurst like the rain. But I think if we can qualify up the front at Oran Park, even if we have to finish second or third in the first race to wrap up the championship, then we can take our gloves off and have a bit of fun in the last race.
“The team’s worked really hard all year and Tint-a-Car has been a great sponsor so to wrap it up for them would be great. Sometimes it’s tough to eat a bit of humble pie and just drive around safely but it’s all part of the bigger picture and for me that’s the championship.”
Also racing in the prestigious Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000, Steve and teammate Warren Luff were consistent top-10 competitors for Dick Johnson Racing, placing as high as third at one stage mid-race. Despite numerous safety cars, and a challenging strategy that included eight pitstops, Steve finished a credible 11th overall.
Currently leading the Fujitsu Series on 1597 championship points, Steve will fight for the title at the final round of the series at Oran Park Raceway on December 4-7.
The Tint-A-Car race team would like to also thank Beaumont Tiles, Bollé and Racer Industries.
Source:V8 Latest News
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