Wet and wild ride
RICK Kelly confirmed himself as the V8 Rain King with the Nissan driver sliping and sliding his way to an endurance season-starting practice win amid a Sandown 500 soaking.
Winding back the clock to 2011 when he stormed his way to a wet weather pole in a Sandown shock, Kelly yesterday blasted his way through the puddles to become a 500km contender by beating Garth Tander (Holden).
On a rain drenched racetrack that claimed championship contender Fabian Coulthard, Kelly evoked memories of his famous qualifying win by mastering the weather to not only survive but thrive.
“It’s quite wet, everyone’s just circulating and seeing what the car’s like,’’ Kelly said. “Ours felt pretty good.’’ Also a wet weather winner in New Zealand in 2011, Kelly confirmed himself as a rain racer following the weather marred session that was eventually cut short. “I enjoy the wet,’’ Kelly said. “There are so many different surfaces, so many different lines, rivers running across that you have to be aware of as well.
“We had a lot of turn-in oversteer into Turn 2, which can confuse you for the next corners where there is some more grip.”
Coulthard’s Penske teammate Scott McLaughlin was 13th in a slow but safe start for the championship leader.
“It wasn’t as wet at the start, (but it got) wetter and wetter and wetter as practice went on,” said McLaughlin.
“We were trying to get some laps in the wet, I don’t think it’ll be wet on Sunday but nice to get some laps in the conditions
“The car was alright, but we were pretty bad traction-wise all session, so we’ll work on that. The front of the car felt pretty good.”
Nissan fired the first shot of the day as the fight for the “Endurance Cup” began when Dean Fiore went fastest before the wet weather arrived.
Fiore, who will strap down with Michael Caruso for the 500km race tomorrow, edged out Dean Canto in the Bottle-O Ford to win the first of two co-driver only sessions.
The final session was won by Tony D’Alberto with the part-timer hitting back in the car Coulthard put into the fence.