ENGINEERING STEELS + ALLOYS
M-Motorsport battles through the rain at Phillip Island
M-Motorsport/Interlloy Lamborghini Gallardo FL2 GT3
Rnd#2 2014 Australian GT Championship presented by Pirelli
Phillip Island, VIC (23-24 May)
Despite battling through treacherous conditions during opening practice at Phillip Island for round two of the Australian GT Championship presented by Pirelli, Bathurst 1000 champion Steven Richards and M-Motorsport team-boss Justin McMillan put the Interlloy Lamborghini Gallardo FL2 GT3 right where they wanted it to be ahead of the 101-lap endurance race on Saturday afternoon.
“There was very little to gain from today because the conditions were so changeable,” Richards explained. “I did the first session just to sort the car and make sure it was in the box, and then left Justin to turn laps in conditions which were ideal for building experience.. it couldn’t have been much more testing under the circumstances..”
Within the top three for much of the session, Richards settled for the fourth fastest time before concentrating his efforts for the afternoon on his Carrera Cup commitments further down pit lane.
McMillan meanwhile put his years of Victorian winter weather driving experience to good use, turning laps in the gorgeous black and Interlloy-orange Gallardo to gain a greater feel for the car.
“I’d have been far happier in that today, I have to admit,” McMillan laughed gesturing towards his four-wheel-drive Lamborghini Gallardo Super Trofeo that the team had brought with them to conduct rides..
“To be honest it was tricky out there, but there will be races where conditions like that become prevalent, so it was ideal to go out and turn laps and gain some experience with how a car with this much power and torque handles the wet..
“The boys added another degree of difficulty too by sending me out on slicks.. now THAT was an eye-opener.
“Overall both Richo and I are pretty happy. Today wasn’t about going after a time, because Saturday is predicted to be dry, so there was no sense unduly risking the car to set a time that didn’t mean anything. Right now laps are important, regardless of the conditions, but we don’t need to be setting the world on fire until qualifying tomorrow..!”
Qualifying for the 101-lap endurance race for round two of the Australian GT Championship presented by Pirelli gets underway at 11:05am, with the main race scheduled for 2:05pm.
The second round of the 2014 Australian GT Championship presented by Pirelli will be televised via live streaming through www.thenationals.com.au on Saturday, May 24 from 1:00pm (AEST).
