News

Track: Symmons Plains
Race: Tyrepower Tasmania SuperSprint
Date: April 1st 2016

No. 12 Detroit Ford – Fabian Coulthard
Practice 1 - P 18 - Fastest Lap 52.23
Practice 2 - P 23 - Fastest Lap 52.19    

No. 17 Western Star Trucks Ford – Scott Pye
Practice 1 - P 22 - Fastest Lap 52.42
Practice 2 - P 8 - Fastest Lap 51.62    

Recap Practice 1 and 2: A cool and windy day at Symmons Plains has provided plenty of action in the two one hour Practice sessions today. DJR Team Penske ran a program primarily using the Dunlop Hard tyre compound as the bulk of the field moved to the Soft tyre.

Scott Pye left it until the last 5 minutes of Practice 2 to move to a new set of Soft tyres and was immediately in the Top 10. He would finish the day in 8th in the Western Star Trucks Ford.

Fabian Coulthard used both compounds over the two one hour sessions but spent considerable time in the pit garage as the clock ticked down in the final session. The DJR Team Penske crew were undertaking set up changes which left very little time for Coulthard to set a lap.

Although the Detroit Ford did make the track at the end, time was indeed against him as he did not put in a full flying lap on the new tyre.

Saturday will see a single Qualifying session to set the gird for the first of the 120km race.
 
Fabian Coulthard Quote: "We split the sessions onto a hard and soft tyre run, but deciding to make a change very late in Practice 2 did not allow us the time to get on track and really have a crack with the new tyre.  

"We are still trying to improve the Detroit Ford every time we go out. Thankfully Scott got a good lap in so we have some data to look at from both cars, but I would have liked to compare apples with apples as we get ready for Qualifying on Saturday."

Scott Pye Quote:  "The car was pretty good. We improved it during the day on the Hard tyre, while the bulk of the field were on the Soft option. I think it is a strategy that will repay us in later rounds.

"We kept a level head as we knew what the program would be with the Western Star Ford. I moved onto the Soft tyre at the end and we bounced up 8th place. I felt we could have been a bit more aggressive but to be in the Top 10 today was a good result."
 
About Western Star Trucks
Western Star Trucks has a long and proud history in Australia and New Zealand. Our reputation for designing, building and distributing heavy-duty trucks is well known around the world. And like any good reputation, it wasn’t built overnight.

The brand celebrated its 45th Anniversary in 2012, its 30th Anniversary in Australia in 2013, and continues to balance modern technology and hand assembly in every truck. The result: Western Star remains the premier producer of custom heavy-duty trucks in the world. And though advances in technology have made manufacturing faster than ever, you’ll find that we build every truck in the same manner we did when we started over 45 years ago: by hand. It’s this attention to detail and drivers’ needs that have made Western Star Trucks what it is today: the ultimate in comfort, power, convenience and durability.

About Detroit
Detroit has the most advanced range of fuel efficient and durable diesel engines in the world, available in a wide variety of horsepower and torque configurations. Detroit engines feature market leading low whole-of-life costs and warranty conditions.  All Detroit on-highway products have value-added features from on board fleet management data to dashboard driver display modules. We offer unparalleled support through genuine parts, advanced technical expertise, maintenance programs and a network of branches and dealers across Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia and the Philippines.