News: Morris gets boost for Bathurst Top 10 Shoot Out

Bathurst-bound Sirromet Wines Holden Commodore driver Paul Morris reckons the late move by front running teams to group fulltime drivers in one car will improve his chances of qualifying for the Top 10 Shoot Out in this week's Supercheap Auto 1000.

The 39-year-old has qualified for the Shoot Out on the 6.2km Mount Panorama circuit three times in six attempts since establishing the Paul Morris Motorsports team on the Gold Coast.

Morris said his aim to qualify for the Shoot Out in the 10th round of this year's V8 Supercar Championship would benefit from the Toll HSV Commodore team deciding to pair series leader Rick Kelly and second-placed Garth Tander in the same car at Bathurst. They drove in separate Holdens in the lead-up Sandown 500 in September.

Ford Performance Racing has done the same with Steven Richards and Mark Winterbottom, who are in the top 10 in the championship, and drove in different Falcons in the Sandown endurance event.

Morris, who is driving at Bathurst with fellow-Gold Coast racer Steve Ellery, has not yet qualified in the top 10 in the 2007 championship. His best qualifying result to date was 12th in round eight at Oran Park in Sydney during August.

"I think we would have been a chance to make the top 10 at Bathurst even if other driver combinations had stayed the same as Sandown," said Morris.

"That said, the changes by some teams should give us a better shot at making the Shoot Out because it's eliminated some of the fast guys."

"You don't win Bathurst by making the Shoot Out, but it does have some prestige and extra television exposure for sponsors."

The Shoot Out for the 2007 race is this Saturday, with the 161-lap race the following day. Practice and qualifying sessions will be held this Thursday and Friday.

Morris and Ellery finished sixth at Bathurst in 2006 in a VZ Commodore. They were just 14.400-seconds behind the race-winning Falcon driven by Craig Lowndes and Jamie Whincup.

Both Morris and Ellery have finished on the podium in the Bathurst 1000, but neither have won the event. They will contest this year's race in a VE Commodore.

"Bathurst is the biggest race of the year and it's the one every driver wants to win at some stage of their career," said Morris, who has contested the 1000km event 14 times.

"The track is awesome, especially across the top of the mountain, and it's the ultimate test for drivers and car reliability."

"Steve (Ellery) and I can do similar lap times all day, which gives you more flexibility with strategy because either of us can do a double-stint if we have to and it doesn't matter which of us is in the car in the race to the finish."

Ellery, who is about to make his 14th start in the Bathurst 1000, said maintaining consistent lap times without damaging components on the car was essential to being competitive.

"Bathurst is all about staying on the lead lap and looking after the car until you get to the last 30 laps," said the 33-year-old. "You've got to have a fast car for that last stint."

"It's no use blazing away in the first couple of hours stressing the gearbox and so forth because even if you open up a big gap you lose it all when the Safety Car comes out and bunches everyone up again."

"Paul (Morris) and I had a great run last year, and after driving the VE (Commodore) at Sandown I think we've got a better car and engine package this time."

PMM has entered two Commodores at Bathurst, with emerging New Zealanders Fabian Coulthard and Chris Pither driving a VZ Sirromet Wines Holden.

Both Sirromet Wines Commodores were despatched to Bathurst yesterday in the team's transporter, which also contained spare engines, replacement panels, gearboxes, differentials, suspensions, windscreens, and other tools and equipment.

PMM will have more than 25 personnel at Bathurst including drivers, team management, crew chiefs, engineers, engine and suspension staff, computer data acquisition staff and mechanics.

Coulthard has contested Bathurst three times before. The 25-year-old Aucklander is in his first full championship season and has finished 18 times from 21 race starts this year.

The 2007 race will be Coulthard's first at Bathurst as a lead driver. He has never qualified or started the race before.

"Usually I've been standing next to the car on the grid listening to the national anthem just before the start," said Coulthard.

"This Sunday when the cars form up on the grid I'll be strapped in the car and ready to go. I'm looking forward to it. The big difference for me is racing regularly in the championship so I'm better prepared."

"Another plus for me this year at Bathurst is the chance to do more laps in practice and qualifying. This makes it easier to work out the best braking points and build up your confidence."

"When you are the 'second' driver you sometimes get minimal laps before the race, especially if there is a problem with the car."

Pither, 20, is making his Bathurst 1000 debut this week. The Kanga Loaders-sponsored racer has made two previous championship starts, driving a Team Kiwi Commodore in the Bahrain round in 2006, and finishing 19th with Coulthard in a Sirromet Wines Holden in the Sandown 500 in September.

"I would have liked more time in the car, but we've had bad luck with rain on test days and it was also wet on the Friday at Sandown," said Pither.

"Sandown went reasonably well considering my lack of track time, especially the second half of my stint when I settled into a rhythm. I didn't put a scratch on the car and gave it back to Fabian to finish the race - that will also be my aim at Bathurst."

In 2006 the Bathurst 1000 attracted a peak race day television viewing audience of 1.9-million viewers. The crowd figure was 193,647. The Seven Network telecast on Sunday begins at 7am and finishes at 6pm.

SIRROMET WINES HOLDEN COMMODORE DRIVER FAST FACTS

CAR 67 - PAUL MORRIS & STEVE ELLERY (VE Commodore)

PAUL MORRIS.
Age 39. Lives Gold Coast.
14 Bathurst 1000 starts - best result 3rd in 1999 (Holden Commodore)
2006 Bathurst 1000: 6th (with Steve Ellery)
Championship starts: 125 (since 1992)
Other results: Australian Super Touring Champion 1995, 1997, 1999, 2000, 1st Bathurst 12-hour 2007

STEVE ELLERY.
Age 33. Lives Gold Coast.
13 Bathurst 1000 starts - best results 3rd in 1996, 2003, 2005 (Ford Falcons)
2006 Bathurst 1000: 6th (with Paul Morris)
Championship starts: 118 (since 1994)
Other results: 2nd Sandown 500 2003, 6 x Bathurst 1000 top 10 finishes

CAR 39 – FABIAN COULTHARD & CHRIS PITHER (VZ Commodore)

FABIAN COULTHARD.
Age 25. Lives Gold Coast.
3 Bathurst 1000 starts - best result 20th in 2004 (Holden Commodore)
2006 Bathurst 1000: did not finish (with Paul Radisich)
Championship starts: 18 (since 2004)
Other results: Carrera Cup champion 2005, New Zealand Formula Ford champion 2000-01

CHRIS PITHER.
Age 20. Lives Gold Coast
0 Bathurst 1000 starts - debut 2007
2006 Bathurst 1000: did not start
Championship starts: 2 (since 2006)
Other results: 11th 2006 Fujitsu V8 Supercar Development Series, 4th Bathurst 12-hour 2007

CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS (after round 9): R. Kelly 443, Tander 434, Whincup 389, Lowndes 373, T. Kelly 324, Skaife 273, S. Richards 238, Winterbottom 234, Ingall 214, Davison 194. Other: Morris 60, Coulthard 8, Ellery 6

BATHURST 1000 SCHEDULE

THURSDAY, OCT 4: Practice 10.40am-1.10pm
FRIDAY, OCT 5: Practice 9.20am-9.50am, 10am-10.30am. Qualifying 2.05pm-3.15pm
SATURDAY, OCT 6: Practice 10am-11am. Top 10 Shoot Out 3.40pm-4.25pm
SUNDAY, OCT 7: Warm-up 7.50am-8.10am. Race 10.30am-5.30pm (161 laps)

BATHURST 1000 FAST FACTS

CIRCUIT LENGTH: 6.2km
RACE LAP RECORD: 2-mins 8.651-secs, M. Skaife (Holden) 2005
2006 POLE POSITION: 2-mins 7.422-secs, M. Skaife (Holden)
2006 RACE WINNERS: C. Lowndes-J. Whincup (Ford)