The Auto Trader Motorsport team will be in a confident frame of mind at the Free State Phakisa Raceway on Saturday, October 4, during Rounds 15 and 16 of the 2003 South African WesBank V8 Saloon Car Championship. –
– Following two previous outings this season, team driver Gary Formato feels that he and the Auto Trader Jaguar XR8 should be a combination to reckon with in the year’s remaining six races. –
– Formato joined the most prestigious 2003 South African circuit racing title chase at the Pretoria Zwartkops Raceway in the beginning of August. –
– Despite the fact that the Auto Trader Jaguar literally turned a wheel for the first time that morning, the car finished both of the day’s WesBank V8 Saloon Car races. –
– At AA Kyalami on Saturday, August 30 – again without the benefit of testing time with the car, Formato drove it to fifth places in both Rounds 13 and 14 of the WesBank Championship. –
– Since then, the team has been hard at work, preparing the Auto Trader Jaguar for the forthcoming Free State races. –
– "The car has shown that it is reliable by finishing four races on the trot in almost totally undeveloped form – a good ground base from which to work." –
– "After Kyalami we have changed the suspension settings front and rear, to cure a seemingly inherent understeering problem," said Formato. –
– "We shall test the car at the Meyerton Midvaal circuit this week, with the venue’s long straight giving us a chance to fine-tune the aerodynamics and downforce characteristics – both vital elements at the Phakisa Raceway," he added. –
– The multiple former South African Champion is confident that he can take the Auto Trader Jaguar to at least a pair of podium placings on October 4. –
– "Our pace in the car is not all that much slower than that of the current front-runners, and I believe that our improvements during testing should do much to bridge the gap," said Formato. –
– "That apart, we know that the Phakisa Raceway is hard on tyres, making consistency and smoothness just as important as outright speed." –
– "Thus, we shall concentrate on tyre conservation and smoothness, while being able to put the front teams under constant pressure." –
– "They certainly need to add us to their worry list the rest of this year," Formato added.
