ADRAD Racing and their South Australian driver
Bryce Washington will debut a brand-new
Reiter Engineering-built Lamborghini Gallardo GT3 during
the second round of the 2007 Australian GT Championship, the Clipsal 500
which will be held on March 1 - 4.
After two years of campaigning
Porsche GT3s in the local GT Championship - that included a win during the
2005 series as well as multiple
Porsche Drivers Challenge titles - Bryce will step into the Reiter
Engineering constructed
Gallardo for the first time at his home event.
The Gallardo, often known as the 'baby Lambo', packs a 500hp punch from a
5-litre (mid mounted) V10 engine with the power being delivered to all four
wheels via a six-speed, paddle shift sequential gearbox.
The car has already proven successful in the European GT3 Championship - racing
against powerhouses such as Porsche,
Ferrari and Dodge - and will give Bryce the added ammunition needed to try
and regain the Australian GT
title he won in 2005.
It is expected to be the Australian racing debut for the car after Washington's
car was air freighted in from Germany last week, leaving the ADRAD Racing team
just a few days to prepare the car for the rigours of
street racing.
Bryce finished on the podium in the first round for 2007 held at
Eastern Creek
Raceway recently, driving his Porsche, and will look to go one better
at Clipsal with a debut win in the new Lamborghini.
The Clipsal field will be one of the strongest GT fields in Australia seen to
date, with
Allan Simonsen in a
Ferrari 360GT, Greg Crick in a Dodge Viper, David Wall in a
Porsche RSR,
Peter Hackett in a
Lamborghini and Washington's new Gallardo all expected to be contending for
race
wins.
Washington, 22, will also debut new sponsorship support from Natrad
Radiators at the Clipsal 500 event.
"It's exciting to be able to debut our new car at the Clipsal 500,"
Washington said.
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The Lamborghini Gallardo GT3 has already proven
successful in the 2006 European GT3 Championship
(above) racing against powerhouses such as Porsche,
Ferrari and Dodge. |
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It
is expected to be the Australian racing debut for
the Gallardo GT3 after Washington's
car was air freighted in from Germany last week, leaving the ADRAD Racing team
just a few days to prepare the car for the rigours of
street racing. |
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"With the
Porsche we lacked the horsepower of the Dodge, the
Lamborghini and the Ferrari, but with our new Gallardo GT3 I'm confident
that we will have the package we need to take us back to the front in the
championship we won
two years ago.
"It is an amazing looking car. If it goes as quick as it looks it'll be
brilliant!" He said.
Despite the appeal of the new car, Washington said that it would still be a
demanding debut event for the new machinery.
"It will be a tough weekend at the Clipsal event," he cautioned.
"The car has only just arrived in Australia so it's not going to give us
much time to get a handle on it and how to set it up. Clipsal will be a pretty steep learning curve as we try to learn the car
and develop it to how we'd like it to perform."
Washington will again be doing double duties in 2007, recently agreeing to drive
for the championship winning Paul Cruickshank Racing Carrera Cup
outfit, in his ADRAD Radiators
Porsche GT3 Cup Car.
This will mean that the local ace from Adelaide's Eastern Suburbs will have
dual chances at success come next weekend.
"Clipsal is the event you want to perform well at, so to have two chances at
it will be excellent," Washington enthused.
"The PCR Carrera Cup team is fantastic and I'm confident that we'll have a good
run in that series. The new car for the GT Championship will also be a
bonus and really give us two chances at success.
"It's going to be a huge event... I really can't wait." He said.
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