Clayton Pyne Racing

Articles from all Events

05/03/2007

It was a new circuit and new race car, but that didn’t stop Clayton Pyne from piloting his Auto One Racing BA Falcon to two top 15 race results in the opening round of the 2007 Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series. Pyne drove faultlessly to record points over a weekend which saw the harsh streets of Adelaide leave many casualties in its wake.

Pyne had a strategy of longevity in approaching the Adelaide streets, “We always said leading into this weekend we would only reflect on our success or failure after race two. Sure, we still have goals and milestones for every run, but having got through every session without incident, leaving here with a car in as good a condition as it arrived, and bagging some valuable points – it’s a very solid base to look toward some top ten results from here on in the Championship.”

After not opting to go for green tyres in practice, as nearly all his competitors did, Pyne found himself in the first of two qualifying sessions and had some difficulty gaining a clear lap. At the end of the two 20 minute qualifying sessions it was clear Pyne would start from twenty-one on the grid for Race One.

Pyne charged forward in the opening laps to be as high as fourteenth, until flat spotting a tyre on oil dropped by another competitor. This saw Pyne head to the pits where a new right front tyre was fitted. Pyne rejoined outside the top twenty, but pushed on to regain over eight positions to finish the race in thirteenth position.

“I could have nursed the flat spotted tyre, but the car developed a very bad vibration and we decided it wasn’t worth the risk around here. We pitted, consolidated and fought back to thirteenth. It was a great recovery for the team.”

Race two saw Pyne leap from the line and was pushing inside the top ten on the opening lap. However, the hustle and bustle of the opening lap saw Pyne get checked back to around fifteenth. Pyne then recovered back to thirteenth as the race progressed.

“I really started to find a good rhythm out there toward the end of the race. I was feeling more comfortable in the car and really started to nail some sector times. I consistently lifted my lap time two-tenths per lap over five consecutive laps. I had thirteenth quite comfortably as I had gapped Daniel Elliot and just passed Sam Walter, but then the car started to mis-fire – it was running out of fuel. I finally found the reserve switch, but not before losing those two positions in the last sector of the last lap.”

The mandate for the weekend was to leave Adelaide with minimal damage, completing as many laps as possible – to learn both a race car and track which Pyne had never encountered before. The result following that mandate is clear: two top fifteen results and an immaculate race car Pyne now hopes to campaign at Wakefield Park Raceway in four weeks time.

When asked how he felt about his new mount, Pyne reflected, “It’s a very different race car from the VX I campaigned last year, much more pointy at turn in. I have gone from an inherently under-steering car to an over-steering one, & now with more horsepower than last year, this weekend has been a real learning curve for me as a first outing. I had developed some habits to make the VX go around that bit quicker, which I have had to eliminate, along with developing a new technique to get the most out of the Auto One BA Falcon.”

Pyne continued, “Net, net – it’s a very strong race car, certainly capable of running at the front. With some more seat time, some adjustments to the pedal box and seating position, we will be aiming for a top ten result at Wakefield Park Raceway.”

However, it isn’t assured that Pyne will greet the starter’s flag in four weeks time at Wakefield Park Raceway, with Clayton still needing additional support to continue in the 2007 Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series.

Pyne – a first class honours graduate – at only 24, has had a long and decorated career in Motorsport, graduating from the same crop that produced drivers such as Courtney, Briscoe, Whincup & Winterbottom. In 1997 whilst driving alongside Courtney for the TonyKart factory team, Pyne finished third in the world’s most competitive junior go-karting race; the Andrea Margutti Cup. Pyne also raced alongside Michael Schumacher for the TonyKart factory team in the 1997 Race of Champions in Monaco, qualifying 3rd for the final.

If you wish to contact Clayton with regard to becoming a partner of the Clayton Pyne Racing team, please email enquiries@claytonpyne.com.