Tony Bates has encountered some trials and tribulations with the handling of his KFC/Moveitnet/Local Roadways/AFS/Bryant & Bryant en route to a seventh-place finish in this morning’s second Australian GT Championship race at the Grand Prix.
Starting ninth on the grid, Bates made a rapid start and passed a couple of cars on the run to the first corner, before becoming engaged in a feisty battle with several other competitors.
Some robust defence enabled Bates to hold his position through to the chequered flag, but he said there are some improvements to be found for tomorrow.
“The Melbourne Performance Centre team changed the brakes overnight, and they were definitely an improvement compared to yesterday, but there were a few other areas where I was struggling with the car,” Bates said.
“The rear end felt quite twitchy, and to compensate I was over-slowing the car for the corner apexes, and losing time on the exit.
“At Adelaide, it took other teams some time to come up with the right setup to optimise the 2019 upgrades, and we’re going through that process this weekend.
“The good news is the car is in one piece, so we can keep learning and improving.”
The third of the weekend’s four Australian GT races will be held at 10:05 tomorrow morning.
