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The opening day of practice and qualifying at Oran Park Raceway for the Yokohama V8 Ute Championship proved to be a frustrating affair for the Wilson Brothers Racing duo of Jack Elsegood and Kurt Wimmer.
A problem with the computer lap timing during qualifying saw the grid set by combined practice times, after new tyres and set up changes saw both cars gain pace during qualifying.
Elsegood will line up on grid position five, while Wimmer will start in 20th for the opening 12 lap encounter today.
Elsegood, driving the Coopers Pale Ale BF Falcon ute, looked in control during qualifying, taking after cruising through the earlier practice sessions to conserve the car for the qualifying session.
It will be a busy weekend for the Wilson Brothers Racing assisted driver, with double driving duties aboard Eric Stanfield's historic GT Falcon in the Biante Touring Car Masters class.
Meanwhile, Wimmer had been making steady progress in his un-sponsored VE Holden ute, finally striking a happy balance in the car during qualifying.
Despite the set back, Wimmer will be looking for a strong run after starting rear of grid at the previous round at Bathurst to wind up on the podium for the weekend.
Wimmer’s ute is sporting a eye catching question mark livery, with the team searching for a new sponsor for the 2009 season.
Team principal Cameron Wilson is optimistic that the day will be a strong one for WBR.
“Jack is a guru around Oran Park, he has had a lot of success here in the past, and is primed for a good result this weekend,” said Wilson.
“Obviously the stuff up with the timing hasn’t helped us as we felt we had very good qualifying pace after practice, but you have to roll with the punches and get on with it.
“Kurt proved at Bathurst that he is a very strong racer, and we now know that we have a well sorted car, so everyone should be watching their backs as he comes flying through.
“Oran Park is a pretty tricky track, and the key will be to keep your nose clean on the first few laps, then get into it.”
The extended weekend schedule will see the crew at Oran Park for a total of five days, with one race today followed by live televised races on Saturday and Sunday.
Weekend Schedule
Friday
Race 1 12:20pm 12 laps
Saturday
Race 2 11.25pm 14 laps
Sunday
Race 3 9.30pm 12 laps
You can follow all of the action from he V8 Utes Championship at www.wilsonbrothersracing.com.
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