Speaking from the Pirtek Rally Team’s Dandenong (Vic) workshop today, Chief Technician, Paul Cane, said that the cars were progressing well with the bodyshell complete, the engine installed, and the wiring loom due to be fitted next Monday.
Cane, who was Possum Bourne’s head mechanic in the Kiwi’s final season of rallying, said the team was confident the cars would be completed well before the first event in Queensland in a fortnight’s time.
“I can’t wait until the public gets a look at these cars – they’re the best looking rally cars I’ve ever seen,” Cane enthused.
The cars will appear in a similar livery to last year’s Ford Focus, with Pirtek signage dominating the cars’ appearance, but with subtle changes.
Cane said that he hoped the cars would be tested in Victoria prior to leaving for Rally Queensland, more than likely at Ford’s proving ground at the You Yangs, near Geelong. Another option would be to test the cars on private land owned by the team’s number two driver, Darren Windus, near Melton.
“I don’t see why the cars shouldn’t be good straight out of the box,” Cane added. “The team have access to some amazing technical equipment and I’m confident that they’ll be quick from the outset.”
Team owner, Jason Bright, has been spending many hours working on the cars as well, often not finishing work until well into the evening, and giving his advice on the building of the cars.
“Brighty’s been great – he’s there day and night and is a guy who’s really in the Possum Bourne mould. He’s a country lad, what more would you expect?” Cane said.
Britek’s V8 Supercar team will start work on the Fiestas next week after the “V8 Taxis” head across the Nullabor to Perth for their next round. According to Cane, the V8 mechanics are just as keen to see “Team Dirt” out there competing and doing well.
Ford’s 2006 ARC car, the rear-drive Focus, now lays dormant in the Britek factory with seemingly little future. The much-maligned car failed to live up to the expectations Ford had for it in 2006, largely because it was too big and too heavy.
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