LAUREN GRAY MOTORSPORT is well positioned to shoot for a class podium in the Dial Before You Dig Australian Six Hour at Eastern Creek, after posting a strong performance in qualifying today.
The LGM Toyota Corolla Sportivo qualified fourth in Class D, however the driving trio of Lauren Gray, Jake Williams and Michael Gray have proved evenly matched and extremely consistent – giving the team cause to believe a strong performance will be forthcoming tomorrow.
The three drivers were split by less than half a second across both sessions today and in the midst of a tight battle with class rivals from Renault and Mini.
After an essentially trouble free run in the Armor All 12 Hour at Bathurst in February, and strong advances in car setup during practice for this weekend, the team is looking forward to the race tomorrow justifiably confident about competing for a class podium.
Earlier in the weekend the team dialled the car into the 3.9km Eastern Creek circuit and set competitive times – however the true performance wasn’t seen until a new tyre-run in qualifying gained the team 2.5 seconds.
Jake Williams is expected to start the #5 car tomorrow when the race gets underway at 10:30am (AEST), with Lauren Gray set to tackle the second stint. Each driver must complete at least 1.5 hours in the car during the race.
The Dial Before you Dig Australian 6 Hour at Eastern Creek will be streamed live on the internet on Sunday, with vision and commentary all day from Eastern Creek. Action can be followed via the Shannons Nationals website, at www.thenationals.com.au.
Lauren Gray
“We’re quite pleased with the performance in qualifying and I think it puts us in a good position tomorrow. We have never really targeted outright pace - what we are looking for is consistent laps tomorrow in the 1m55 and 1m56-second range and I think we are more than capable of that.
“There’s nothing between the drivers which is also important as consistency is key for long races like this. We’re racing the Mini’s and the Renault’s as the Honda and Holden Astra have a lot more pace, but we know we have a reliable package and I think a podium is very realistic. I can’t wait.”
Jake Williams
“It’s been a big learning curve (compared to racing a HQ) however it’s a fantastic car and it’s been great fun. My longest ever race was 30 minutes at a state round so I’m really looking forward to getting a longer run tomorrow and really getting in the groove.
“The car feels great and it’s really hard to fault. The LGM team is doing a great job and we’re having a great time and looking forward to a good run tomorrow.”
