V8: 2012 Season Preview

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V8: 2012 Season Preview

The V8 Supercars kick off their season this weekend at the Clipsal 500 in Adelaide, and we ask the drivers to preview the championship and rate their chances.

SPEED Australia | http://www.foxsports.com.au/motor-sports | Posted February 29, 2012

Another exciting season of V8 Supercars starts this weekend in Adelaide. (Photo: LAT)

After nearly three months since Jamie Whincup took home the title at the Sydney 500, the V8 Supercars are back.

The 2012 season kicks off in Adelaide on March 2 and it's going to be one of the hardest fought and most significant championships in the history of the sport.

It will be the last season of just a Holden vs Ford battle with at least Nissan joining under the new Car of the Future rules from 2013, so drivers will be looking to become the last champion of the red vs blue era.

Every racer wants to win, so we've looked at the biggest stars of V8 Supercars' chances at success in 2012 and also asked them personally why they'll be on top.

Jamie Whincup

He goes into the 2012 season as the favourite for the title and rightly so. TeamVodafone were far and away the best team in 2011 and Whincup just seems to get the job done almost week-in, week-out. Only time will tell if the rest of the field has caught up or not.

How J-dub's feeling heading into V8 Supercars 2012:

"I don’t think (coming into 2012 as the reigning champion) changes much. We’re in the same position as we were the last the four years, the cars are quick, so it’ll just come down to us doing our job at the end of the day. I think for most people, we’re going to forget about 2011. That was a great year for us, but it’s 2012. If you coast and think about (2011), you’ll be in trouble. We’ll go out there and start from scratch and not worry about the expectations."

Craig Lowndes

2011 was one of the best overall seasons for Lowndes, probably since 2006 when he and Rick Kelly went into the last race of year equal first in the points. The "Kid" turns 38 in 2012, but it appears he’s going to be able to match the best of the young guns well into his 40s. If anything, his consistency is probably his only weakness right now.

How Lowndesy’s feeling heading into V8 Supercars 2012:

"The cars haven’t changed, the team hasn’t changed structure. I’m confident and happy we can still set off this year at Clipsal the way we finished Homebush."

Mark Winterbottom

Frosty and his Ford Performance Racing team seem to have a trend of starting out cold and heating up too late in the year. After some of the shockers he had early in 2011, it shows how well he came back late in the year to finsh as the highest ranked non-TeamVodafone driver. If FPR can get off to a good start to the season, there’s no reason why he can’t go to Homebush as a title contender.

How Frosty is feeling heading into V8 Supercars 2012:

"The Sandown test was a good day, we were really happy with what we did. We feel like we’re ready for Clipsal. I think we’re very well prepared. Every year we go in thinking you’re a chance to win it. We’ve kept all our staff from last year and the car finished off strong. So there are no changes that could upset the system a bit. But we need to go out and start Clipsal how we finished Homebush. Last year there was the soft tyre issues and we were able to fix that issue a little bit. We know we’re good at Clipsal, Homebush, Tasmania and all those places. But when we go to Hamilton, Perth, Queensland Raceway which were our weakest races, we need to make sure we learn and be strong there. I think we’re running on confidence."

Shane van Gisbergen

Each year the Giz just keeps getting better and better. He finally cracked it for a win in 2011, in fact he got two. The addition of the highly experienced Lee Holdsworth to the Stone Brothers Racing squad will provide a bigger boost for both van Gisbergen and Tim Slade. On certain circuits Shane’s incredible, on others he’s a little off the pace. If he can improve on those weaker ones, he’ll be in the top three at least at the end of 2012. It's easy to forget he's still only 22-years-old. He's sure to become a champion one day.

How the Giz is feeling heading into V8 Supercars 2012:

"It’s all feeling pretty good at the moment. I’m definitely looking towards getting back out there at Adelaide. If we can fight for wins again and be in the championship race at Homebush, I think we would’ve met our goals. I’m definitely looking forward to working with Lee Holdsworth."

Garth Tander

GT and HRT just weren’t themselves for much of 2011 and they will almost certainly improve on that season. As always, drivers need that c-word (consistency that is!) for the whole year to be a title contender. The Walkinshaw outfit seems to have sorted out all of its internal dramas, so they have everything in place to fight for the title.

How GT is feeling heading into V8 Supercars 2012:

"The Sandown test was okay. We got through a lot of stuff not too concerned with outright speed just development stuff. In saying that, we feel the cars will be better than last year. Last year we had some really good races, but some races we we’re really poor. When you’re racing for a championship, you can’t have those. I think we’ve improved, but we’ll just have to find that out at Clipsal."

Rick Kelly

They say rain is a great equaliser in motorsport and if that’s the case, Rick Kelly is one of the quickest guys in the field. He had two wins in the wet at Hamilton and Sandown and they both we’re smart drives that only the elite can pull off. The younger Kelly is a master of making the most of what he has under him. so whether Jack Daniels Racing can get plenty of out of the older Holden while they’re thinking about next year’s Nissan is a big question. He'll be posted in the fifth to tenth region in almost every race as he's the master of consistency, but expect him to pop on to the podium every now and then.

How Rick is feeling heading into V8 Supercars 2012:

"The biggest difference for our race team is we’ve got a lot of new engineers on board than usual. We're working at bringing everyone together and work well together to start with. A lot of drivers come out and say they're going to win the championship every year and a lot of them are the same people that haven’t done it yet. We’ll come out and say top three is the aim to set us up for 2013. There’s no better feeling than stepping on top of the podium, so we'd love to win all the races and we'll certainly give that a good go."

Will Davison

Just like his teammate Winterbottom, Will Davison really started to gain pace late in the season. That’s understandable for someone switching from the factory Holden to the factory Ford squad. Davo is in his seventh full-time season now, so he knows the V8 ropes and what it takes to win. He’ll bag at least a couple wins in 2012 and shouldn’t be a surprise on any podium. He's a good outside bet for the title if he can get on a roll early in the year.

How Davo is feeling heading into V8 Supercars 2012:

"I’m absolutely raring and ready to go. It’s only the second time in seven years in V8s I’ve had the carry over engineer, (with Jim Beam Racing) in 07-08 was the last time that happened. This time last year, I was obviously changing teams and meeting people and had so much to learn and take in. Now it’s been very simple. So I’m feeling really good, fresh and mentally confident. It’s nice to have that sense of confidence...knowing that your car is going to be quick from lap one. If we can minimise mistakes and work on consistency, I think we’re a good chance to challenge (Jamie Whincup). They’re beatable, we’ve just got to be on top of our game. As the factory Ford team, we need to be striving for the championship. I go into the year feeling as confident as I ever have that I can give it a good shake."

Lee Holdsworth

Holdsworth and Stone Brothers Racing should be a good fit. Holdsworth has always been regarded as one of the biggest talents in the V8 Supercars and the Team Fujitsu car hasn’t quite been consistent enough to make him a regular race winner. It might take a few rounds for him to sort the IRWIN Falcon, but by Barbagallo we reckon his name will be seen towards the top of the timesheets.

How Leethal is feeling heading into V8 Supercars 2012:

"There’s a really good feeling in SBR at the moment. I’m feeling comfortable in the IRWIN Racing car and I’m ready to go. The car is massively different to (the Team Fujitsu Holden), it’s a totally different feel. The IRWIN car feels very soft...I’ve had to adopt a new driving style so sometimes that will take me a couple of runs to get on top of. But once I get there, I feel like I’m fairly competitive and I feel like I’ve got a really good year ahead. I’d like to be top five at Clipsal and have a really solid start the year on a good note. "
Tim Slade

One round doesn’t define a season, but Tim Slade’s performance at his home ground of Queensland Raceway showed that he’s a star of the future. It’s year four for Slade in the top grade and just like teammate van Gisbergen, Holdsworth will provide a boost to his campaign. He’s a big chance to take his first win in 2012.

How Sladey is feeling heading into V8 Supercars 2012:

"We had a pretty good year last year. It’s my third year with Stone Brothers and I’ve got a new car and the same people around me. It’s great to have Lee’s experience to come to the team. It’s good to have a fresh view on things. We got a few podiums in 2012, some more of those would be nice and you’re always chasing that win. I finished ninth in the championship...so top eight this year, that’s the ultimate goal."

James Courtney

The reigning champ had a shocker in 2011, but he’s not denying that. But Courtney’s a calm and cool character, so a fresh start will mean last year counts for little heading into 2012. He’s had a year to settle at team red and his teammate Garth Tander needs no introduction. There’s no reason why he can’t finish at least in the top five of the championship. Even fighting for the title itself, shouldn’t be too much of a surprise.

How JC is feeling heading into V8 Supercars 2012:

"I’m looking forward to the season. The cars are a lot better than what we finished with in 2011 and I’m confident we’ve made improvements. There’ll still be pressure on me (with the no.22), I can’t see the number one from where I’m sitting anyway. Winning championships is why I’m in in the business and why I’m at HRT. I’m not after anything apart from a win."

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