Jeld-Wen Motorsport's James Courtney has confirmed that he will debut Stone Brothers Racing's new Ford Falcon BF at round four of the V8 Supercar Championship this weekend.
Work on the new chassis was stepped up following Courtney's heavy crash at the Clipsal 500 in Adelaide, with the final pieces put into place last week upon the team's return from New Zealand. A 20-lap shakedown of the new car went smoothly at Queensland Raceway last Thursday, with Courtney extremely positive about the #4 machine ahead of the Barbagallo round.
Courtney has shown good speed at the 2.42km West Australian circuit in his two previous starts at the venue, but engine and mechanical failures have put paid to good results. This time, the Jeld-Wen driver is looking to continue his current form, following a third place finish at the Hamilton 400 three weeks ago.
“The shakedown on the Falcon last week went really well," Courtney confirmed, "We had absolutely no dramas. The track condition was pretty dirty, but the performance was definitely there.
“We've had good speed but bad luck at Barbagallo the last couple of years, but we are definitely in a position to continue with the podium finishes. We have eleven rounds to catch the guys at the front of the championship, so we need podiums and every point from here on.”
Team-mate Shane van Gisbergen will be visiting Barbagallo for the first time this weekend, and is looking to learn from Courtney, who was in a similar situation just two years ago.
The SP Tools Racing driver kept his eye in over the recent break between races, entering a Formula Vee endurance event at Manfield and running in contention before mechanical failure cut his race short.
“Barbagallo is another new circuit for me, so I will be putting my head down and learning what I can from the data and from James," the youngster confirmed, "SBR has had quick cars over in Perth in the last few years, so I'm looking forward to getting onto the track and getting up to speed."
