Alan Gurr is excited ahead of his Symmons Plains Raceway debut in this weekend's Falken Tasmania Challenge, the 13th round of the 2007 V8 Supercar Championship.
The 25-year-old has never competed at the Launceston-based circuit before, but he has been studying it for the past week and is clearly revved-up for the challenge.
“[It's] a track with a lot of character,” Gurr remarked, “especially the hairpin. The top side of the track is quite narrow and the fence is right up against the circuit, then down the back section it is wide open with plenty of space.
“The track is so short that picking the wrong time to pit can cost you a lap, while a clever strategy can leapfrog you up the order. Add in the Tassie weather and it can make for some exciting racing.”
A boost for the former Australian Super Touring Champion this weekend is the return of lead engineer Greg Foletta, who missed the previous outing in Bahrain as he stayed in Melbourne for the birth of his second son. Between parenting duties Foletta has been overseeing preparations for the trip across Bass Strait.
“They call it the Falken Tasmania Challenge,” he said, “and that's just what it is – a challenge! For such a short track it has everything that circuits three times as long don't have.
“The hairpin is the tightest corner of the entire series, and then you charge down one of the fastest sweeping bends in Australian racing. We have made improvements to the car in the last part of the season, so Tasmania could prove the time to showcase our improved pace.”
