Bathurst Cat Racing Qualifying

CAT RACING

V8 SUPERCAR ­ SHELL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES TOP TEN ­ ROUND THIRTEEN, FAI 1000, BATHURST SATURDAY, 13th NOVEMBER 1999

BOWE AND RICHARDS FIRED UP DESPITE TOP TEN DISAPPOINTMENT

Cat Racing stars John Bowe and Jim Richards will start tomorrow¹s FAI 1000 in 8th position after engine problems hindered Bowe¹s attack on the top ten shoot-out.

Bowe stopped the clocks at 2:11.696, despite being down on straight line speed after a new engine was installed overnight.

"The new engine looked fantastic on the dyno but for some reason it has seemed to have given the same results on track," Bowe said.

"The car was much slower in the straight line and you could really feel it going up the hill.

"When you look at the dyno figures, putting in a new engine for today and tomorrow was the right thing to do but it hasn¹t worked out that way.

"We are not sure whether to go back to the old engine but the guys are pouring over the data to find a solution."

Fellow Ford driver Mark Larkham took pole position with a time of 2:09.514, ahead of Holden driver Mark Skaife.

Today¹s set-back came after setting the 2nd fastest time in practice on Thursday and 3rd fastest in yesterday¹s qualifying.

However, both Bowe and Richards do not believe starting from the fourth row will hinder their chances of success.

"This race has been won from a lot further back before, so I believe we are still in very good shape," Bowe said.

"The car is still fantastic to drive and I think we have as good a chance as anybody.

"Our suspension development has really paid off this weekend and with a guy like Jim Richards sharing the work with me, I am very confident.

"Tomorrow is a very long race and anything can happen but we have had a very strong preparation ­ much better than I anticipated."

The Bowe and Richards combination is the most successful in the race in terms of podium finishes ­ both are keen to add to that record tomorrow.

"I signed for this team very early in the year and way things have panned out, I certainly made the right decision," Richards said.

"My job is to keep the car circulating at a strong pace during my stint and not to damage the car.

"JB has done a great job all year and the team have given us a fantastic car this weekend. We are both very keen to give Caterpillar a strong result for their Bathurst debut.

QUALIFYING 1. - Larkham/Jones (F) - 2:09.514 2. - Skaife/Morris (H) - 2:09.579 3. - Lowndes/McConville (H) - 2:09.906 4. - Radisich/Ellery (F) - 2:10.000 5. - Perkins/Ingall (H) - 2:10.340 6. - Bright/Baird (F) - 2:10.426 7. - Seton/Crompton (F) - 2:10.709 8. - BOWE/RICHARDS (F) - 2:11.696 9. - Tander/Bargwanna (H) - 2:11.766 10. - Johnson/Johnson (F) - 2:11.851 (F)Ford (H) Holden

TIMETABLE: SUNDAY, 13th NOVEMBER, 1999 7.15 - Warm-Up 10.00 - FAI 1000, 161 laps

Paul Ryan