PAYCE TEAMS OVERCOME CHALLENGES TO ENJOY STRONG FINISH TO 2015 MOTOR RACING SEASON
- Homebush Racetrack, NSW.
Dramatic season finales see plenty of ups and downs for PAYCE backed Volvo Polestar
Volvo Polestar Racing end to a roller-coaster season.
The Homebush 500 saw the season finale of the V8 Supercars. While attention was focused on the Drivers' and Teams Championships, which with just three races to go, had come right down to the wire, fans of the Wilson Security Racing GRM (Volvo Polestar Racing) team were hoping to see the Volvos continue their recent good run of form, with finishes high up the table, and perhaps even a win to finish off a roller-coaster season.
Bump-in day near miss
The team faced problems from the off during Thursday's bump-in day, when the transporter suffered a mechanical failure during the unloading of the #34 Volvo Polestar S60, which left the car teetering at a dangerous angle. Thankfully, the team managed to fix the issue quickly and rescue the car, before continuing to set up the pit garage.
After the drama of Thursday, practice on Friday was trouble free, as the team set up and tested the cars for the conditions they might face during the racing weekend. Over the three practice sessions Scott McLaughlin's best result was 5th place and David Wall's 20th.
Saturday Qualifiers
The program on Saturday featured the final practice session before the race and a pre-race warm-up, before the important business of qualifying for the two short sprint races began. Scotty had a promising start, recording the 4th fastest time during practice session 4, before the qualifiers.
Scott and David just missed the top 10 in the first qualifier for Race 34, coming in at 11th and 13th respectively, making this David's best qualifier of the season. The second qualifier for Race 35 saw Scott improve massively as he won 6th spot on the grid, while David claimed 19th.
Brian Boyd, PAYCE Managing Director said David's qualifier was superb, giving a clear sign of things to come during the rest of the racing weekend.
Race 34 from the observation box
Race 34 was largely uneventful for the team, the only incident of any note being when the #34 Volvo, driven by David, took a smash up the rear which wrecked his track position. Thankfully, the crash only caused damage to the boot panel and back bumper valance. Scott drove a strong and sensible race, gaining three positions to take 8th spot as he passed the chequered flag. David fought hard to recover from the earlier smash to finish in his starting position of 19th.
Race 35 from the observations box
Scott started Race 35 on the third row of the grid. He made a clear start and finished the race in 5th, having gained one position. Despite his best efforts, David finished with another 19th, unable to progress up the ladder any further.
"A fairly good day of racing, sadly we just didn't quite manage it in qualifying, but we had an undoubtedly strong race pace which meant we gained a couple of positions during each race," said Scott McLaughlin.
David noted that overall, the day had been much better than previous rounds, and that he was extremely happy with qualifying for 13th spot for race 34, a season-best position.
Difficulties over the sprint races, but a Great Job at the end of the Day - Brian Boyd.
Brian Boyd said both drivers did a great job during the sprint races, but that the hot conditions made it difficult for the drivers.
"I was happy to see Scotty improve on his start positions in each race, but David had to battle the usual biff and barge that often occurs during short distance races, and which make it a challenge to keep your car out of trouble," he said.
Volvos shine over long distance on Sunday
The long distance qualifier on Sunday was where the Volvos really began to shine. As usual, the majority of the teams were relatively cautious during the earlier stages of qualifying; Scott took the lead briefly and was never further back than 5th. David pushed hard but couldn't quite pull anything out of the bag during the first nine minutes of the 10 minute session. However, when he took Turn 11 on two wheels, with the car at a 45 degree angle, it thrilled spectators both at the track and watching on television.
With less than one minute of the race remaining, Scott put in his now customary high speed lap, taking second position. David also had a great final 60 seconds that put him in 9th place with 29 seconds still on the clock, meaning that both Volvos qualified for the top 10 shootout for the first time this season.
High Praise from Brian Boyd
"An incredible effort from both drivers and a fitting reward for David, who has driven his heart out this entire season and has never given up trying to get #34 further up the grid," said Brian Boyd.
David was the second car out in the top 10 shootout. Although he posted a great time on a track heavily affected by the intense heat, he finished in 10th place. Scott had to wait as the lap times fell before he got underway. He was the fastest over the first two sectors and looked set to finish the final sector to claim a pole finish, but as he pushed the car hard during the final corners, Scott drifted towards the concrete wall causing him to back off for a moment. This loss of pace resulted in him finishing 7th fastest.
Brian Boyd said: "While it was disappointing for the team and the fans, the fact that the two Volvos made it into the final shootout was a major achievement and confidence builder for next season."
The Final Race of the Season
The final race of the 2015 season proved to be something of an anticlimax. Due to an issue during the qualifying session, David was moved two positions, towards the rear of the grid. However, both Scott and David made a good start, with Scott quickly moving up to take 4th spot. David maintained his position before the intervention of the safety car.
After the race had been restarted on the 15th lap, Scott had been pushed back to 5th place, but David had found his way to 9th. However, on lap 62, Scott was forced to take a pit stop due to issues with the car's steering. It is likely this was caused when his car came into contact with the high curbs on the track. David was travelling well and holding 12th place up until he had a half spin during the second-to-last lap, that relegated him to 17th place where he crossed the finish line. After his extended stop in the pits, Scott wasn't able to do much except press on. He finished 19th, after what had been a very bold drive from him before he'd been forced to stop for repairs.
Nothing like ending on a Positive Note - Brian Boyd.
How well the cars and the team had performed on the day was not reflected in the final results, and the season came to a close on a highly positive note, with the cars having once again demonstrated great race pace and with the early reliability issues now fixed.
Brian Boyd said: "This augers well for a great 2016 season and best wishes to David on his top 10 qualifier and the great job he has done throughout this season, battling with many factors not of his making.
"Also a fantastic job by Scotty, who had some terrific results towards the close of the season and of course an excellent job by the team boss, Garry Rogers and his dedicated, hard-working team, who never lost heart and have finally seen some positive results for all their efforts.
"Congratulations also to the winner of the 2015 Drivers Championship, Mark Winterbottom." said Brian Boyd.
Final Round of the Dunlop Development Series
Because of the attention focused on the V8 Supercars the final round of the Dunlop Development Series took something of a back seat. Macauley Jones was representing PAYCE behind the wheel of the #14 Commodore VE2. Macauley has had a fantastic season, quickly mastering the skills needed to compete in this category, for which he was rewarded with co-driver roles in the V8 Supercars enduros. He finished in 8th and 16th places after qualifying midfield at Homebush.
Brian Boyd said: "Macauley has a very exciting career ahead of him and is to be congratulated for his mature approach to motor racing and on his results through the 2015 season."
Go Team PAYCE!, beamed Mr Boyd.
- Brian Boyd – Managing Director of PAYCE Consolidated Limited Limited Sydney NSW
- Brian Boyd – PAYCE Consolidated Limited Limited, Sydney Property Development Company
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