Lucky 7 Racings Tim Slade is looking forward to giving Andrew Thompson, his endurance event co-driver, some valuable miles at Phillip Island this weekend.
Thompson, who will race alongside Slade at the Sandown 500 and the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000, will drive on Friday in what is the first event of the year to offer co-drivers track time.
Following Phillip Island, Thompson will re-join Slade on the track at the Darwin, Townsville and Queensland Raceway events.
Having driven V8 Supercars for several years, and winning the 2011 V8 Supercars Dunlop Series, Slade is looking forward to Thompson's input when it comes to preparing the car for the weekends racing.
Slade travels to Phillip Island looking to continuing his good season form, with more top 10 results and the top five being his goal.
The Phillip Island 300, a single driver only event in 2012, begins with practice this Friday, followed by qualifying and a race on both Saturday and Sunday.
What Lucky 7 Racings Tim Slade had to say:
Its going to be good to have (Andrew Thompson) Thommo in the car, he's got a good knowledge of the track given where he placed last year. He can also help us out a little with the set-up of the Lucky 7 Ford on Friday, Im looking forward to his input. Having Andrew involved on Friday is the first step towards the endurance events, it's good to have these sessions and test days to give guys like Thommo some decent seat time, especially as he doesn't have a full-time drive this year. When he drove the Lucky 7 Ford at the start of the season he settled in pretty quickly, we were pretty happy, so we're looking forward to him cutting some laps. I think based on where we finished up in Perth and the fact that we have had some good form at Phillip Island in the past, we have a lot to look forward to this weekend. I really want to continue our good form.
What Lucky 7 Racings Andrew Thompson had to say:
Its the first time back at a race meeting for me this year and Im looking forward to getting into the Lucky 7 Falcon and working with Tim (Slade) and the SBR boys. It's been a little while out of the seat so my first goal is to get some laps and get comfortable. I hope to give some decent information to Tim and Wes (McDougall) that will help them move forward so when Tim gets in the car he has a base to work from. Being in the top 10 they dont get to compete in the opening two practice sessions so hopefully I can get my head into gear and give them what they need to prepare the car for the weekend.
What Lucky 7 Racings engineer Wes McDougall had to say:
We are in a fantastic position to have someone of the calibre of Andrew driving the car. With all the experience that he brings to the team and his proven speed in recent years Im sure he will work well with Tim to get the Lucky 7 Ford ready for the weekend. The biggest challenge is that Phillip Island is quite different to any other track weve been on so far, its high speed; aerodynamics comes into play along with tyre degradation and fuel load. Managing all of this is crucial, which makes the weekend challenging.
2012 V8 Supercars Championship after nine of 29 races
1. Jamie Whincup 1095 points
2. Will Davison 1066
3. Mark Winterbottom 935
4. Craig Lowndes 779
5. Lee Holdsworth 737
6. Shane van Gisbergen 695
7. Fabian Coulthard 694
8. Tim Slade 681
9. Garth Tander 618
10. Rick Kelly 571
TIM SLADE CAREER STATISTICS
Event Starts: 47
Race Starts: 88
Best Finish: 2nd Race 16 & 18, Queensland Raceway, 2011
Best Qualifying: 2nd Race 16 &17, Queensland Raceway, 2011
Best Championship Position: Ninth, 2011
2011 Phillip Island Results
2011 Qualifying: 21st
2011 Race: 24th
Best Phillip Island Qualifying Result: 15th, Race 17, 2010
Best Phillip Island Race Result: 5th, Race 17, 2010
