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5/07/2010 Local support motivates Bundy Red Racing for Townsville event

Bundy Red Racing V8 Supercar drivers Fabian Coulthard and Andrew Thompson have been injected with an extra boost of motivation for this weekend’s Sucrogen Townsville 400 after the local Bundaberg fans rallied behind their racing heroes today.

Coulthard and Thompson have spent the last 24 hours touring the North Queensland town of Bundaberg and the home of their major sponsor – Bundaberg Rum.

The two Walkinshaw Racing drivers arrived in town aboard a Walkinshaw Performance E2 Supercar after a pleasant drive up the coast from Brisbane to Bundaberg yesterday.

The iconic Bundaberg Distillery was the team’s destination today, with the drivers treated to a behind the scenes look into the 120 year old facility.

Bundy Red Racing fans were also welcomed into the Distillery to meet the drivers at a fan open day. Coulthard, who drives the team’s #24 car, said it was great to get an inside look into the company’s historic premises.

“Bundaberg Rum is such an Australian icon and a brand that has been synonymous with North Queensland for more than 100 years, so I am really honoured to have been invited here by our major sponsor, Bundaberg Red,” Coulthard said.

“The Bundaberg community is very passionate and they definitely get behind anything Bundy so we are really delighted to have their support this weekend when we hit the streets of Townsville on Friday,” he said.

“The staff at the Distillery have really turned on a good show and have looked after us for the past day so our visit is the least we can do to thank them for their ongoing support,” he said.

One person at the front of the queue to meet both drivers was Bundaberg Rum Distillery worker, John Chase, who is a keen V8 Supercar supporter and avid Bundy Red Racing ticket holder.

“I have been a fan of V8 Supercars for a number of years and was really pleased to see Bundaberg Rum get behind a team in the competition. I was even more excited to hear that the boys were bringing their transporter and cars to our workplace to visit the people from Bundy,” John Chase said.

The stopover was of even more significance for car #10 driver Andrew Thompson whose great great grandfather was born in Bundaberg and then re-settled there after returning from World War 1.

“My great great grandfather owned a sugar cane farm in Bundaberg so it is a nice place for me to visit from a family history point of view,” Thompson said.

“Mum gave me the run down on our family ties to Bundaberg before we left so it has definitely been in the back of my mind when we have been touring around the place,” he said.

“The Distillery is a very impressive facility and a great opportunity for both Fabian and I to appreciate the history behind the product,” he said.

The team’s focus now turns to the next event on the 2010 Championship when the V8 Supercar series returns to Townsville after a successful initiation in 2009.

Coulthard and Thompson will make their way further North tomorrow, arriving in town early to get a dose of the atmosphere and time to prepare for this weekend’s races.

The team’s season hasn’t been as successful as they hoped and Townsville presents another opportunity to try and get things right.

Coulthard has been frustrated with his season so far but is determined to keep fighting and chipping away at each event.

“From a personal point of view the Townsville circuit is one I rate. It is a track where you can really attack the kerbs and you have to have a well setup car that can handle that sort of driving,” Coulthard said.

“Walkinshaw Racing experienced success at the same event last year and they stood on the podium both days so I am quite excited to get there,” he said.

“It is that time of year where it is important for us to be getting results and Townsville and Far North Queensland is Bundy heartland so we have to perform, not only for our sponsor but for our team.

“It hasn’t been the best year but we are working at it and some of the head way we made in the second race in Darwin we can bring to Townsville,” he said.

Coulthard spent a couple of days in Townsville in the days after the Darwin event and said the atmosphere was really starting to build.

“Townsville is only a relatively small place but has a huge V8 Supercar following and they do an incredible job to put this event on,” he said.

Coulthard’s team-mate, Andrew Thompson, will race around the streets of Townsville for the first time when he hits the track on Friday having sat out the event last year when it made its debut within the Championship.

Learning a new track can often be daunting but the 22 year old is looking forward to the experience.

“It is definitely going to be another challenge but one I am excited about. Most of the other drivers have at least one event under their belt which will put us at a slight disadvantage but we will just focus on the job we need to do,” Thompson said.

The Sucrogen Townsville 400 will shift into top gear when the V8’s first hit the track on Friday for practice. They will be back on track on Saturday for qualifying, the top ten shootout and the first 200km race. The field will qualify again on Sunday morning before rounding out the weekend with a second 200km race in the afternoon.



 

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