V8 drivers moving

[fpv_gtho]

So far this season the fields been shaken up a bit. FPR confirmed that next year they'll be dropping David Besnard and going to a 2 car team, SBR have ended Mark Winterbottom's 5 year contract after just 1 year with the reasoning that after his performance this year staying in the Konica's would be too easy and right now it isnt finacially viable to put him alonside Ingall and Ambrose, Mark Larkham has retired to make way for Mark Winterbottom at Orrcon Racing but Larko has said he'll be there for the enduros, and most recently, Max Wilson has left DJR after just 1 season and has gone back to 888 Racing to joing Paul Radisich, leaving Dean Canto on the sidelines for the enduros but 888 have said Canto is free to join another team if a deal arises. So theres a spot open at DJR, with 3 possible drivers to fill it with the 3rd being Warren Luff

[fpv_gtho]

My mistake, it should be Tony Ricciardello, not Warren Luff

[fpv_gtho]

DJR just confirmed that Warren Luff will be behind #18 next year. i knew he had some relationship with DJR and i though it was Konicas, but that was Tony in the Konicas, Luff helped with he enduro's

[Falcon500]

Well tony ricciardello got the can when he wasnt performing and not getting along with the team and left to join the holden young lions team for the enduros as dale breedes co driver. They were planning on putting luff in the konicas next year but it looks like they need another driver. On the upside this could very easily be the risk i was talking about he came half season in the MG cup and won a few races almost literly by a country mile as well as won the brutes so hes got some good credentials too his name.

[fpv_gtho]

and to think he was completely blown away when he was asked to joing junior in next years season. at least the two of them got to know each other at bathurst and sandown this year

[Falcon500]

Yeah also luff proved himself to have pace and stengthend himself as a very reliable driver and because both himand junior are similar sizes (around 6'2" for luff and about 6'4" for junior theydont have the problems they had with the rat needing speacly seats with some booster padding) and it seems that the team has found some form again kepp and eye on the top 10 and psosiblt a few poduims next year max wilson proved in the last few races the cars had pace and were reliable.

[fpv_gtho]

well Luff will more than likely go for a car setup closer to Johnson's, so they might go up, down or stay the same next year, hopefully up. DJR used to be a top ford team and now theyve got the money but they dont have the results

[Falcon500]

Well if you look closely at johnsons car becasue he has to sit so far back he has a real bend in his shifter so he doesnt haveto reach very far foreward and luff being a similar size wouldent make it too hard for him. Well DJR is the longest established racing firm in this country was made during the days of the
tru-blu XD and have had their fair shares of ups and downs this is one of their downs and dick says its one of their worst ones ever. I think theyll improve how ever slightly next year as i said look more carfully at the top 10 youll probly see shell cars in there next year.

[fpv_gtho]

well hopefully it goes back to the days where DJR led bathurst 1-2. DJR really improved this year with getting into the shootouts, they got into 4 consecutive shoutouts actually and i noticed johno's bend gearstick, my dads f250 has the same thing

[Falcon500]

And the pdium with little maxi wilson dont forget last time they won a round wa the qld 500 with the rat and steven behind the wheels and the canberra400 of the same year.
Youll find the gear stick is like that because you are sitting a fair distance back in the car and it needs to go over the bench seat (that or you oldman done it as a prefernce thing)
Dick johnson used to be a very un insipering holden driver who then looked carfeull looked at the rule book and found out the flacon could be many 100s of kilos lighter then people were making them and was winning untill the rock incident happend (he still won the season and won with greens though as wellincluding 2 championships)then came the publics donations and then the goverment equling the donations and then greens tough then the forgettable mustang III of goupA and then the introduction of the sieras which got him and john bowe 2 bnathurst wins which then later affect him by not being competative to the skylines and then the introduction of out current catigory which got him another bathurst win (not bad for the worlds worst autobigraphy on dick johnson) i typed all that to show you its not all been clear sailing the mustang III was a brillan light car with good suspension but was hobbled by not having many mods avalible really killing its hp potential and later with the sieras which was a miaxture of bad luck and not being competative in the later years of the catigory. and then there is the current misfourtune but hell bounce back he always does.

[fpv_gtho]

well hes got the resources to join FPR, 888 and SBR as the top guns so hes got my full support for next year. im sure juniors dying for a bathurst win as well as the championship and it sure would be a turnaround if he could get either of them next year.

[Falcon500]

Apprentlyhe really wants to go overseas and race in NASCAR its just somthing he reallywants to do. Hes finallymaking heads and tails of the new dunlop controlltyers (which he claimsreally killed him before) and seems to have some pace.

[fpv_gtho]

well the start of next year, DJR will have most of the development work behind them fro the BA's and will mainly have to concentrate on setting up #18 to Luff's preferances. perhaps thats a job for the races at the grand prix next march?

[Falcon500]

Whatmakes you think theyll have the most development? im not saying your wrong id assume the shake down will be done in the indy race.

[fpv_gtho]

well theres probably still alot of development left for the pair of BA's, but the team would be past the point where theyre figuring out what the similarities and differences are between the AU supercar and where theyve got any hope of extracting car speed from. theyve still got to find the sweet spot on #18 for Luff and Johnson could probably still do with a little bit of help there to keep consistent