Queensland: TPR preview

V8 MILESTONE FOR BRIGHTY WHO'S 'AS FAST AS EVER'

Thundering around in V8 Supercars never gets boring says Jason Bright, who will compete in his 150th event this weekend.

In his career Brighty has racked up 10 pole positions, 15 race wins and 69 race podiums and believes Queensland Raceway may add to that tally after Trading Post Racing made significant developments at the last round.

Only one stumbling block stands in his way: the introduction of a soft-tyre-only format, which may put the brakes on his progress.

Practice at Queensland Raceway, Ipswich will start at 10:55am this Friday.

Jason Bright
Trading Post Racing #14

"I guess there are two aspects to a long career in V8s: one is being able to get the results for the team and the sponsors obviously, but secondly it's hard for young guys to get a start in the category because sometimes it's a gamble for teams to change too much so they stick with what they know.

"I think there's plenty of guys knocking on the door who could do a good job, whether it's in the Fujitsu Series or Formula Ford, but it's all about making the right moves and then making the most of it when you get there. Whether that's looking after sponsors or developing the car; you've got to be able to offer something over and above the next guy.

"I think that I can still do that. I would say that even under the difficult circumstances of the last couple of years, when I've got the car into the window I've had some fair performances especially at the end of last year. I'm sure that's going to happen again this year and I believe I've got plenty of years to come where I can battle for race wins and championships. That's one of the beauties of our sport."

Bradley Jones
Co-Owner

"150 is a reasonable amount and it's amazing considering he's been in and out of the championship with his overseas career. The great news is that he doesn't slow down at all; he's still as fast and as competitive as he's ever been.

"In terms of the soft tyre, everyone's going to be in the same boat at Queensland, but not being on the same tyres certainly doesn't help with the development of the car. I think that whatever you turn up with, in terms of car set-up, is what you'll have to go with because the degradation of the soft tyres means you'll struggle to tune it. That means qualifying is going to be even more important if that's possible."

-source: tpr