“I reckon it will probably take the other drivers about two laps to get back on par with Garth and myself, That’s how long it normally takes to dial in to a new track,” said Kelly.
Rick Kelly and teammate Garth Tander participated in a Pro Am support race at the Bahrain Grand Prix at the start of the 2006
FIA Formula One World Championship.
“The only real advantage that Garth and I might have is that we can word up our engineers on how to set the car up for the first session.”
In a V8 Supercar first the majority of this round will take place during the week, with the two concluding races of the weekend taking place on Saturday.
"I have spent the past week in Bahrain acclimatising and checking out the circuit so I am quite eager to actually get the car out on track, it is great to be going out on a level playing field this weekend. Like Shanghai last year no one will have a clear advantage in Bahrain,” said Lowndes.
"We are confident we can get up to speed quickly as the track is very similar to Shanghai where we showed we had good pace and car setup. I have swapped from being the hunted to the one doing the hunting and with 640 points still available I am looking forward to the challenge."
In addition to the tight Driver’s Championship challenge, the V8 Supercar Manufacturer’s Championship could be wrapped up this weekend. Ford currently holds a one round lead over Holden in this race - if Ford wins Bahrain the Blue Oval will clinch the title. If the reverse occurs, the winner of the Caterpillar Grand Finale will deliver his marque all the glory.
Three races will be held in this round – one sprint on Friday, and then two on Saturday. Practice will get underway on the opening Thursday, with Qualifying and the Top Ten Shootout on Friday.
