Townsville: TeamVodafone preview

TeamVodafone's strategy on track for Townsville 400

TeamVodafone's Jamie Whincup and Craig Lowndes are gearing up for the Sucrogen Townsville 400 with confidence following lucrative preparation by the team. Feeling positive about set-up, the team has high hopes for the Townsville track which will hold Race 15 and 16 of the V8 Supercar Championship Series. After his triumph at Darwin's Hidden Valley Raceway, Whincup is eager to continue his success on the street circuit where he won the opening race in 2009.

"We've got momentum going into the Townsville round because of our Darwin success," Whincup explained. "Everything's under control in relation to the car being on track and with my training, so I couldn't be more confident. The circuit is really physically demanding and I'm hoping my fitness gets me through.

"Townsville is definitely a highlight for me. The people of far North Queensland have been deprived of motorsport for many years and I feel they have really embraced the event as their own," he added.

Team-mate Lowndes, who came in fourth and ninth place respectively in last year's event, is excited to make a return to Townsville and will tour the East Coast in the lead up to race day. The #888 driver is confident he can master the circuit and gain valuable points towards his championship standing.

"It's a great event, everyone gets right behind it and were expecting crowd numbers to be bigger and better this year," Lowndes stated. "During last year's race, we had some radio communication problems which shouldn't be an issue this year.

"This will be the last sprint round before the endurance races so it will be a great opportunity to score maximum points before the big break," he explained.

TeamVodafone is giving V8 fans the chance to win tickets to the hottest party in town featuring Australian pop band, Operator Please. For details on how to enter and secure your spot at the gig, visit the TeamVodafone website at www.teamvodafone.com.au.

The Sucrogen Townsville 400 will get underway on Friday July 9 with the first of four practice sessions to start at 10.20am. Qualifying and Race 15 (200km) of the V8 Supercar Championship Series will be held on Saturday. The event concludes on Sunday with the final 200km race.

-source: teamvodafone