FullGas Racing drivers Dimitri Agathos and Lachlan Gibbons have been rewarded for intelligent tyre management with a top-six result in this afternoon’s Australian Production Car Series Four Hour at Sydney Motorsport Park.
Unlike many of their key rivals who suffered tyre failures, Agathos and Gibbons enjoyed a trouble-free run aboard their Nova Employment/Castrol/Whiteline/All Drive Subaroo/Hog’s Breath Café North Parramatta Subaru WRX STI.
After qualifying seventh, Gibbons started the race, running inside the top six for the opening stint and keeping pace with some of the more powerful cars.
The team made the first of three pit stops just after the one-hour mark, Agathos taking the wheel and maintaining the car’s position.
The second pit stop was taken just after the half-way point, Gibbons returning to the driver’s seat and the team changing the two load (right) side tyres.
A well-timed Safety Car with just under one hour to go presented a perfect opportunity for the third and final pit stop, Agathos climbing aboard for the run to the chequered flag.
“It’s not often endurance races run exactly according to plan, but today everything ran smoothly,” Agathos said.
“We knew tyres were going to be a major factor today, and we made the decision to set the car up conservatively, and manage our pace accordingly.
“We took all our pit stops when planned, and we even had a Safety Car come out at the perfect time for our last stop.”
“I could have pushed harder in the first stint, but I restrained myself,” Gibbons added.
“We made some clear gains in performance compared to last year. Our speed in the first sector, where it’s mainly about mid-corner speed, was as fast as anyone, which is very encouraging for the Phillip Island 6 Hour in November.
“The team did an excellent job – we made the decision to change at least one tyre at all three pit stops, but they handled the pressure extremely well and executed the tyre changes efficiently.”
FullGas Racing is next on track for the Phillip Island 6 Hour, 3-4 November.
