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Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series Rnd 1

Clipsal 500
Adelaide, SA
1-4 March, 2012

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Tim steps up to FG Falcon for 2012 DVS assault

FG_side04 Jaylec Automotive Electrical sponsored V8 Supercar driver Tim Blanchard has unveiled a bold new look as he again joins forces with DVS Championship winning team MW Motorsport for 2012.

The Melbourne based driver has enjoyed success in two seasons in the V8 Supercars Development Series with Round and Race wins to his credit and the move to a current spec ex FPR FG Falcon gives Blanchard a firm shot at the 2012 crown.

Blanchard drove the FG at a Winton FPR Test day prior to Christmas sharing duties with Chaz Mostert and was enthusiastic about the cars capabilities.

“The off season has been pretty hectic” Blanchard said.

“My manager and I sat down to review all the options for 2012.

"Whilst we were really focussing on a move to the main game, we never lost sight of the importance of ensuring the best possible package for the Development Series.

"With Matthew White’s team stepping up to the FG and building a strong alliance with the FPR Team, it presented an opportunity to really fight for the Championship this year.

"I know all the guys at MW Motorsport and having a second season with the team in the Jaylec FG should see us at the pointy end” Blanchard added.

MW Motorsport chief, Matt White commented “I was very keen to upgrade to the FG, but would only do so with the right package and driver.

"Getting Tim in the car for his second year with us gives our team a great base to start at Clipsal in a winning frame of mind.

"With some off season rule changes as well in the mix, it is shaping up a very competitive year.” White said.

Jaylec Automotive Electrical Marketing Manager Matt Russell commented "Jaylec Automotive Electrical is in a strong growth phase and we see the association with Tim and V8 Supercars as an ideal way to broaden our brand awareness with very well defined target market."

Blanchard finished fifth overall in the 2011 Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series gaining a podium at the Clipsal 500 and a race win in Townsville. The MW Motorsport FG Falcon will be sponsored by Jaylec Automotive Electrical with support from Sanden, CPS, CoolDrive, Palm Trans, Bosch & Global Welding. The series will run over 7 rounds commencing in March at the Clipsal 500.

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Tim Blanchard secures fifth place in 2011 Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series

The season reached a dramatic end today in the hunt for the 2011 Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series. Following on from a great performance in Race 1, Tim Blanchard lined up in P6 for the start of the final race. The weather conditions had taken a turn from Saturday with wind and rain lashing the Olympic Park venue. Top of mind for Blanchard was to secure his 5th place position in the Championship whilst chasing a good result in the finale.

Nearly all cars the lined up on Dunlop wet weather tyres as the lights went green. A few of the back markers rolled the dice and chose slicks - a decision which would prove to be a master stroke as the race wore on. For Blanchard however the race became somewhat of a nightmare from the very first lap.

"By Turn 4 on lap 1, I could not see a thing" Tim said "My screen fogged up and very soon after I was getting smoke in the cabin - it was bloody hard just seeing brake lights and the corners, let alone trying to put together some decent laps!" Blanchard added.

The timing screen and in car camera showed Tim's plight vividly. A shot from inside the #27 Falcon on the Cool Drive in car camera showed a totally misted windscreen with zero visibility. Blanchard pressed on but was an easy target for those behind him. As the laps wore on he tumbled from the top 10 to finally cross the line in 19th place. The valuable 48 points gained secured Tim in 5th place in the 2011 Championship.

"Without doubt one of the hardest races I have run. The smoke was making me feel quite ill and together with not being able to see much, I was very glad to see the flag." Tim concluded.

Tim Blanchard would like to thank the Team Jayco / MWR crew as well as his sponsors Cool Drive, Sanden, CPS, VIS & Revolution Racegear for their support in 2011.

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Fighting finish puts Blanchard in the hunt at Sydney Telstra 500

After a tough practice day, Tim Blanchard was looking for a change of fortune in Race 1 of the final round of the 2011 Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series at Sydney's Olympic Park. The tight confines and unforgiving layout was a recipe for action and it delivered on the very first lap. Starting from P10, Tim was holding station as the cars ran down to the tight Turn 1. All hell broke loose with a major accident behind him involving Rodney Jane and Marcus Zukanovic bringing out the Safety Car. After a number of laps under yellow, the field was away and Tim quickly moved past Andy Jones and then closed on Paul Morris and Taz Douglas. These two then got together at Turn 11 and a fast reacting Blanchard steered the #27 Jayco / Cool Drive Falcon around the two cars. This moved Tim into 7th place which became 6th when Jilesen retired.

Tim's race pace was very strong matching times of Russell and Perkins in the closing stages to finish a fine 6th place.

'Qualifying wasn't too flash this morning. We struggled getting the car to ride the kerbs so we made some big changes to soften the car up for the race. It was bit of a hero or zero strategy but turned out well' Tim said as he arrived back in the Jayco garage. 'We made up some spots in the race including watching Taz & Paul getting together. They blocked the track a fair bit, but I managed to pick the gap and get by. Our race pace from the mid to the end was quite good so it should allow us to really push on tomorrow' Tim added.

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Practice cut short for Tim Blanchard at Sydney Telstra 500

Practice was held today for the final round of the 2011 Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series at Sydney's Olympic Park. Team Jayco driver Tim Blanchard comes into the final round in a strong fifth place in the Championship and is looking for a podium result to finish the year.

The first session today saw Tim work hard on set up and effect a number of changes to the #27 Falcon. 'The car responded to some brake and handling changes and seemed to get better toward the end of the session' Tim commented. 'I don't think the time was really representative of the overall car speed but we will run some new tyres this afternoon and see how we go' Tim said.

The second 40 minute session lasted only a handful of laps for Blanchard. On his third lap a major drive line failure saw the Falcon stop on track and put an end to Tim's practice for the day. 'I just felt a huge bang and lost all drive in the car. It has caused a fair bit of damage but hopefully the MWR crew can get on top of it tonight. Not the start I was hoping for!' Tim concluded.

Qualifying and the first of two x 17 lap races for the 2011 Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series will be run tomorrow.

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Tim Blanchard grabs a Top 10 at Sandown round

Following a good result in Race 1 of the 3 race round of the Sandown Fujitsu V8 Supercars round, Tim Blanchard lined up in fourth place for the inverted top 10 format for race 2. The start was clean, however chaos reigned at Turn 3 when Team Jayco team mate David Russell missed the turn and arrived back on the track turning around David Wall. Caught up in the mess were series contenders Jack Perkins, Nick Percat, Scott McLaughlin and FPR recruit Chaz Mostert.

The outcome was good for Tim, who cleared away in Position 2 as the Safety Car was sent out on track. At the restart, Blanchard was quickly into the lead after the restart but was quickly overtaken by series leader Andrew Thompson in the T888 Holden.

Blanchard held station and ran with Thompson in the closing laps to record a fine second place and earn a position 3 grid spot for the final.

"The car was better and we were not too far away from Thompson in that race." said Tim 'I did not really see what happened behind me on Lap 1 but it did me a favour for sure!' Blanchard added.

Race 3 saw Tim start well and run strongly in fourth place. The #27 Jayco / Cool Drive Falcon led its stablemate and looked good for a strong result. After a Safety Car period, the field were on let go on lap 11 but Tim only made it to Turn 1 where an out of control Nick Percat slammed into the side of Blanchard putting both cars intuit the sand trap. Another Safety Car period was called for to extract Tim, but his race was run finally crossing the line in in 18th place.

"The car was pretty good and we were definitely in the top five on genuine pace." Tim said "At the resort I saw Dave dive down the inside and chose to slot in behind him. I then got the biggest hit I reckon I have ever had as Percat hit me. He must have been carrying a lot of speed. That's the way it has gone this year. Every time it looks like we can grab a result something pops up!' Blanchard concluded.

Overall, Blanchard was seventh for the round and retained his 5th place in the Championship.

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Top 10 finish is good reward for Tim Blanchard at Sandown

After a hot and humid practice day, persistent rain was the order of the day for Qualifying and Race 1 in the 2011 Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series at Sandown. Tim Blanchard put in a strong qualifying performance to place the the #27 Jayco Falcon on the fourth row of the grid in position 7.

The first of three races started with a damp track but the Dunlop slick was the tyre of choice. A wild start saw Tim run down along the fence as Marcus Zukanovic moved across finally clipping the front of the Jayco Falcon. Sensing a bigger accident Tim wisely backed out of it. Zukanovic then spun taking Douglas & Paul Morris with him. A lucky escape saw Tim into P5 as the Safety Car was called.

At the restart Tim struggled for grip and the lead pack skipped away. A mid race battle with McLaughlin and series leader Andrew Thompson developed but they both got by Blanchard.

The races pace increased as the track continued to dry and Tim crossed the line in 7th position to record another Top 10 in the series. "We all started on slicks but I was really struggling to get some grip. In the early laps it lacked the drive I needed off the corners but as the race wore on I could put in some better laps." Tim said. "The points today keeps us in 5th place overall but I really want to try for the podium tomorrow" Blanchard added.

Sunday sees two 15 lap races, the first with an inverted top 10 which will see Tim start from P4.

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Hot and windy practice for Tim Blanchard at Sandown

Tim Blanchard and the Team Jayco / Cool Drive Falcon returned to Sandown today for two 40 minute practice sessions. The track was hot with Melbourne turning on humid and windy conditions for the 25 strong field.

After the first session Tim sat in P11 just 2/10ths second behind team mate David Russell. "The car improved during the session. It was starting to dial in well, and we were still running on some old tyres. I think with some better rubber this afternoon, we should be in good shape." Tim said after his first Practice run.

The afternoon session however did not produce the results Blanchard was hoping for and he only managed P13. The top of the time sheets was dominated by the main series team entrants. The Championship 'satellite' teams scooped the first four positions.

"The car really struggled today in the afternoon. We went about a second quicker on better rubber but the handling and balance seemed to fall away." Blanchard said at the conclusion of the session. "We really have to focus on getting the car balanced for qualifying." Tim said.

Blanchard will be back on track for Qualifying at 10.05am on Saturday followed by the first 15 lap race on Saturday afternoon.

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Tim Blanchard looking for strong Sandown performance

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The 2011 Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series reaches the penultimate round this weekend at Sandown. For the Jayco / Cool Drive Falcon of Tim Blanchard, it is very much a home round. The fast and challenging layout of Sandown has produced some good results for Blanchard both in his debut year in 2010 in the Fujitsu Series and in his Formula Ford years.

"Sandown is a very demanding track, particularly on tyres. We found last year that those cars who had managed their tyre allocation the best by race three were very strong" Blanchard commented as the teams set up today. "This weekend will be no different. We need to qualify really well then be in the front group in all races. This weekend is critical to my overall championship campaign" Tim added.

The Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series will run over three 15 lap races - one on Saturday and two on Sunday. A bumper field with some new faces and new cars will spice the racing up.

Tim Blanchard 2010 Sandown Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series Results -

Qualify Position 9

Race 1 Position 5

Race 2 Position 2

Race 3 Position 5

Overall for the 2010 Sandown Round Position 4

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Tim Blanchard grabs his first Bathurst 1000 finish

In his first ever Bathurst 1000km race, Tim Blanchard continued his great run with David Reynolds in the Stratco Kelly Racing Commodore with a top 20 place, As recent years have shown, the race runs on a knife edge right to the finish with just a car length separating the winning car of Garth Tander from Craig Lowndes.

Starting in the top 10, the #16 Stratco Commodore ran solidly in the lead group until the first round of pit stops. Tim was in the car on lap 25 and set about consolidating the cars position. A major battle developed with Tim and the two GRM Commodores and Steve Richards in the FPR Falcon. After settling into some good lap times Tim sat in 13th place. He pitted on lap 40 when he joined nearly the whole field in pit lane when a Safety Car was deployed.

The car continued to hover around P13 for the next long stint and Tim pitted again from P11 on Lap 64 - again under a Safety Car period. Blanchard was back in the car for the next stint but ran into trouble just one lap after the pit stop with a loose electrical cable to the alternator.

This was the turning point as the #16 Commodore fell off the lead lap with the extra stop. From that point Blanchard and Reynolds fought hard eventually getting back on the lead lap but nearly two thirds of the Mt Panorama circuit behind the leaders.

Eventually Reynolds crossed the line in 19th place to give the combination a 100% finishing record in the two major 2011 V8 Supercar endurance races.

"I am a little disappointed but glad to get my first Bathurst under my belt. The car had good pace but we had an issue with the alternator cable. If it wasn't for that I think we really could have given the Top 10 a shake up. My first Bathurst was not by any means a disaster but the potential was there for a great result' Tim said at the finish of the 1000km Classic.

The race was won by Tander / Percat from Lowndes / Skaife and Tim's Kelly Racing Team Mates Murphy and Simonsen.

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Blanchard collects another top 10 at Bathurst

The final race in Round 5 of the 2011 Fujitsu Supercar Series was a wild affair today at Mt Panorama. Starting from sixth position on the grid, Tim Blanchard's race almost ended at the green light as he bogged the #27 Jayco / Cool Drive Falcon down, just managing not to stall. Importantly all the cars behind him managed to scramble around Blanchard as the field headed off.

Tim picked up speed but was back in position 15 as the cars headed up Mountain Straight. Chaos was not far away as a number of cars clashed at the The Chase including Tim who got across the sodden grass and back on track. The Safety Car was deployed and the cars ran another 3 laps before the restart. Blanchard was immediately on the move passing Geoff Emery into Turn 2 then set about gaining places as the race developed.

A storming drive with consistently fast laps saw Blanchard on the tail of David Wall with Mostret, Zukanovic & Jane battling in front of them for 7th place. Wall made a mistake at Reid Park clipping the wall and Blanchard pounced not without his own brush with the concrete a few metres further down the road. He then got past Jane & Mostret who were intent on putting each other off the road and into 6th position on Lap 10.

"The start was terrible! I was busy trying to get the car back up to speed and obviously hoping not to get someone crashing into the rear of me!' a relieved Blanchard said after the race. "We had a great car today so I just had to go for every opportunity to make up for that start. Thankfully some of the guys I was battling with were determined to take each other out so I had to thread the needle and pounce. I was pleased for the team that we got back to 6th but a bit like yesterday it was a missed opportunity" Blanchard added.

After round 5 of the 2011 Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series Tim Blanchard sits in 5th place overall with two rounds to run. The Bathurst round was won by Andrew Thompson from David Russell and Jack Perkins.

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Top 10 Finish for Tim Blanchard in Fujitsu V8 Supercars

V8Event1011-006459 The 2011 Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 has thrown up all sorts of weather and track challenges for the Fujitsu V8 Supercar Teams. It was therefore with some relief that the 28 car grid faced the starter in overcast but dry conditions for the first of two x 14 lap races.

The Start was clean and Tim Blanchard slotted in behind Rod Jane on the run up the mountain. Tim was looking for a way past into the Chase but finally got a run down the inside of the Falcon into Murray's Corner on lap 2. The gap to the front pack however had opened up to around 5 seconds and from that point Tim ran a race largely by himself.

'It was a pretty uneventful race. Once I cleared Jane, I could maintain the gap to the leaders but they were simply too far down the road" Tim said "I was pretty happy with how the car performed. The pace is good which is a good sign for tomorrow." Tim added.

At the finish Tim bought the #27 Jayco / Cool Drive Falcon home in 6th place. The second and final race will be held on Saturday to decide the overall round winner.

Today's race was won by Andrew Thompson from David Russell and Jack Perkins.

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Testing conditions greet Tim Blanchard in Bathurst practice

v8event1011-001290a The 2011 Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series resumed to day with practice at the famous Mt Panorama track at Bathurst. Wet and cold conditions were the order of the day for the 29 strong car field. Tim was quickly on the pace in the #27 Jayco Falcon sitting comfortably in the top 5 for the bulk of the session.

'The first session was wet for the full 40 minutes. It was the first time I had driven in the wet around Bathurst so it was a cautious start. The car w as competitive right away and I could punch out quicker laps as the session went on" Tim said at the conclusion of practice "We pitted about 10 minutes before the end of practice 1 and did not get out for final run as the session was red flagged, so overall to finish up in P7 was a good start"

Blanchard was then off to Kelly Racing for his duties in the #16 Stratco Commodore he will share with David Reynolds in the 1000km race on Sunday. A full 40 minute co driver session was run again in wet conditions and Tim ran conservatively to ensure he got good track time. ""We ran some old tyres on what was effectively a dry set up and then bolted on some better rubber toward the ends. The car was quite good and a lot quicker, but it was very slippery. Unfortunately the afternoon session was called off so we will watch the weather for qualifying tomorrow" Blanchard said.

Qualifying for the Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series and the Bathurst 1000 will take place on Friday.

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Tim scores superb Top 10 finish at L&H 500

The Phillip Island L&H 500 has once again proved a perfect lead up to Bathurst. For Tim Blanchard and David Reynolds it has been a great first up result in their Endurance campaign. Starting in 6^th place Tim was one of the bulk of the co drivers who would face the starter. But a restart was required as Nick Percat in the #2 HRT Commodore stalled. Tim then had to go through the whole process again but started very well and held sixth in the first few laps. A huge battle developed between Blanchard and Steve Richards, Dean Canto and Owen Kelly one of the Kelly Racing entries. Tim was holding position then made a good move on Canto to break the pack and move back into 6^th place.

After 10 laps, Blanchard’s lap times were right on the lead pace as he pulled a gap in clean air in front of the #55 Bottle O Falcon of Canto. The Stratco crew were busy working out the strategy for the car as Tim continued in 6^th place for fuel and minimum driver laps. The equation was interesting as each driver had to complete a minimum of 38 laps where a maximum fuel run was expected to be 36 laps. The team called Tim in on Lap 17 for a change of tyres and re fuel to ensure the race strategy would pan out before David Reynolds took over.

Once all the first round of stops had been completed, Blanchard was in a fine 5^th place. Cam McConville in the Courtney HRT Commodore slipped past but Blanchard consolidated his 6^th place holding a good 2 second gap to the #9 Stone Bros Falcon. The race was running under green flag conditions with the second round of pit stops coming on Lap 47. Tim was out of the car with Reynolds in for a double stint to the finish.

“I was glad to get a good start and stay out of trouble. I then found I could run with the lead group and turn some good lap times.” Tim said after he handed over to Reynolds. “We had a good strategy to see where I was after Lap 10, so after the first stop I pushed like crazy on the second set of tyres and got a good clean gap which I could hold. The car was really nice to drive and I was pleased to be able to hand the car over to Dave from 5^th position.” Tim added

Lap 65 the Phillip Island wildlife interrupted the race when two sea birds decided to wander across the track at Honda corner. With nearly all the field pitting the crew called Reynolds in to ensure he retained track position with the lead bunch. The race settled down into a tough battle at the front between Lowndes, Van Gisbergen and Whincup with the Reynolds / Blanchard combination holding station in 6^th place.

A frantic finish saw Tander get a struggling Van Gisbergen right on the line and another lap David Reynolds would have been on his tail. Regardless the Stratco combination of Blanchard and Reynolds scored a fine 6^th place overall at the L&H 500.

“A great result, I am really wrapped to get a top 10 finish in such big event” Tim said as Reynolds crossed the line.

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Top 10 start for Tim Blanchard & David Reynolds at L&H 500

The momentum kept rolling today for Tim Blanchard as he tackled Qualifying and the first race at Phillip Island today. Each driver ran an individual qualifying session followed by a 14 lap - 60 km race which determined the grid for the L&H 500km race.

In the first qualifying run David Reynolds finished in P6. Not long after Tim was at the wheel and finished the session in a very credible 12th place. In a unique set of qualifying rules, a requirement was that the car had to make a tyre stop in one of the two 14 lap races. In the first leg, David Reynolds ran the full distance leaving the pit stop for Tim's race.

Blanchard started well and held down a strong mid pack position pitting on Lap 8. "I settled into a good pace and was as quick as any of the cars around us" Tim said "We tried a few set up changes from Dave's race and it has definitely given us a direction for the race tomorrow. A top 10 start is a good result for the team. " Tim added.

The combined result sees the #16 Stratco Commodore starting in seventh grid position for the 500km race.

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Practice delivers top three result for Tim Blanchard & David Reynolds

After three practice sessions today at Phillip Island, the #16 Stratco Commodore piloted by regular driver David Reynolds and co driver Tim Blanchard finished in a strong third position overall. Blanchard has been recruited by Kelly Racing to team up with Reynolds in a combination many believe have a very good chance to deliver strong results at the Phillip Island L&H 500 and next month's Bathurst 1000.

Tim took the wheel in the second 'co driver' session and put in a very solid run on nearly full tanks. The car showed good speed and Tim was sitting comfortably in the top 15 for most of the session.

"Like everyone we were running old tyres and did not go onto a newer set at the end as some others did. The guys had made some spring and set up changes during David's first session and the car was getting better as the day went on." Blanchard commented. Whist he was hoping to get another run in Session three, engineer James Small left Reynolds in the car in the dying minutes.

"I was hoping David's time in the last session would stand even though there were other cars with some new rubber right at the end!' Tim said. "It was great to be part of the first day and the result is a hopefully a good gauge to our qualifying pace' Tim added.

Tomorrow sees a qualifying session for each driver followed by a 2 x 14 lap races.

To listen to Friday's Top Three Press Conference click here

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Tim Blanchard puts in a great recovery drive in Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series

The final race of Round 4 of the 2011 Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series was another exciting race today at Queensland Raceway. Starting from position 14 Tim Blanchard made a good start and then put his head down determined to pass as many cars as possible. He was soon inside the Top 10 when once again a Safety Car was called.

"The car felt a lot better this afternoon. I was able to pass some guys and was getting really good drive out of the corners. The set up was really an extension of where we go to on Saturday as we had to change the car for the wet running this morning" Tim said. "It gave us a reasonable result form a very tough weekend. Importantly we got good points to keep our Championship assault alive" Tim added.

The race was again close at the front with Tim running just behind the top 5 cars. Pleasingly the car showed good race pace setting its fastest lap the 15th of the 22 lap journey. Tim matched the times of the front runners for the balance of the race and bought the #27 Jayco Falcon home in 6th place and 9th overall for the weekend.

The round was won by Andrew Thompson from Paul Morris and Scott McLaughlin. Tim sits fifth in the 2011 Fujitsu V8 Supercar Championship with 734 points at the half way mark.

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Wet and wild at Queensland Raceway for Tim Blanchard

After two days of fine weather, the Fujitsu Teams were greeted with a rain soaked Queensland Raceway this morning for the second of three races. This added to a huge workload for many teams after the incident packed race on Saturday. Tim Blanchard lined up in 11^th place as was confident of a good wet set up in the Jayco Falcon.

At the start cars were searching for grip and Tim was caught out by a slow starting Rod Jane who tagged the back left wheel of Blanchard’s car spinning him off the track at turn one. A Safety Car was called as Rod Jane too was off the track with a damaged front suspension.

Blanchard was quickly into the pits to check for any damage and effect a tyre change and the Jayco Team got him back out before the Safety Car finished the lap. A second visit to ensure the car was in race shape saw Tim at the back of the queue for the restart.

‘The start was very frustrating as we are all told to hold our line off the start particularly in the wet. I was past Rod when he clipped my rear wheel and that was it’ Tim commented after the race. ‘Our wet set up was OK but starting again at the back of the pack is a tough gig.”

Blanchard set about picking cars off and climbing up the order in a strong display gaining ten spots before a wild spin at Turn 1 and some great avoiding action by Marcus Zukanovic dropped Tim back a few spots. The laps ran down with Blanchard again gaining ground to finish in 14^th position.

The final race will be held later today to decide the overall round 4 results.

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Roller coaster ride for Tim Blanchard in Queensland Raceway hit out

Tim Blanchard has had a day of highs and lows in the first race of round 4 of the 2011 Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series. The #27 Jayco / Cool Drive / Sanden Falcon had benefited from some overnight work by the MWR crew. Tim was looking for this to translate in Qualifying but although again running quick times, the final sheets saw Tim in 16th place.

'The car was better for sure but the second run was not any quicker.' Tim said after qualifying. 'A 10th of second quicker was good enough for a top 10 start, but we just did not get it' he added.

The first of three races for the Fujitsu series turned into a wild affair right from the first turn. A multi car incident involving Emery, Douglas and Russell put them out and saw cars taking avoiding action. Tim skilfully dived to the left and onto the dirt as the accident happened and got through unscathed. Lap 1 bought more action just one corner later with Perkins and Percat getting together and once more Blanchard was faced with spinning cars. He emerged after the end of the lap in a stunning 6th place having avoided everything and moving up 8 spots. The field settled behind the Safety Car as the officials cleaned the track, finally releasing the field on Lap 7.

With another safety car called on lap 9, racing laps were becoming a premium. Blanchard was settled into 6th place and was closing on Cam McConville when the car locked its brakes at the end of the back straight. Recovering quickly, Tim had lost five spots and the good work of his charge through the pack.

'I was determined not to get involved in all the carnage and came out in good shape. At the restarts I could hold onto the front pack but could see that they were all over each other, so I just kept the gap and thought about the points.' Tim said 'But at turn 3, I had the brake pedal go long again and locked it up. It was the first time the brake issues from Friday had come back but at just the wrong time.' Tim explained.

An 11th place at the flag was not the result Tim and the MWR team deserved after a heady race. With two races to run on Sunday Blanchard is looking at a strong recovery for the round.

The race was won by Scott McLaughlin from Andrew Thompson and Paul Morris

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Tim Blanchard endures tough practice day at Queensland Raceway

The 2011 Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series kicked off Round 4 with two forty minute practice sessions today at Queensland Raceway near Ipswich. The first session saw Tim again trying to find a good brake set up in the #27 Jayco / Cool Drive Falcon. The pace of the field had stepped up from the last visit in 2010 but Tim found some issues in stringing consistent lap times together.

'We are actually quicker today than the car ran here last year in practice, but the whole field has stepped up a lot' Tim said at the conclusion of the first session. 'I was finding some brake problems but the boys are putting new rotors and pads in for the next run.' Tim added.

The second session did indeed improve the brakes but the team had also made some balance problems which overall did not improve the drivability of the car.

'I was getting understeer through turns 4 and 5 and as the session went on the car was not really improving in any sector' a disappointed Tim said at the conclusion. 'We have a bit of head scratching to do then we will have to make some real changes for qualifying to bounce back inside the Top 10.' Tim added.

Saturday sees Qualifying and Race 1 of the 3 race round at the Queensland paperclip.

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Tim on track for Queensland fight back

2011per-05293 2 The Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series reaches the half-way point at Queensland Raceway this weekend where Round 4 will be contested. After another long layoff from the Townsville round in early July, teams have been taking the chance to refresh the V8 Supercars. Tim and the MWR Racing Team have been no exception. Continuing their technical alliance with Ford Performance Racing the #27 Falcon has a number of upgrades ready for this most important race meeting.

'After the Townsville round we identified a number of areas of the car that Matt and the MWR team were going to focus on to make the car better over the race distance.' Tim reported. 'The 5 week mid-season break has allowed a lot of development time. Of course all the other teams are doing likewise so we really don't know where we are till we hit the track on Friday' Tim added.

In 2010 Tim posted a good result in Queensland and sees no reason why the Jayco / Cool Drive Falcon can't be right on the pace.

'Having both Jayco cars at similar spec provides a lot of good feedback to our engineering crew, and with the input from FPR during recent weeks, I really can't wait to get going!' Tim said.

Tim has also kept himself 'race ready' by having a very successful return to Formula Ford Racing last weekend when he piloted his father’s Van Diemen RF88 to a clean sweep of wins at the 2011 Winton Festival of Speed.

The Fujitsu V8 Supercars will contest 3 races this weekend at Queensland Raceway for Round 4 of the Championship.

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