Bahrain: Rollover involving HRT and FPR

[XHUTE6]

I can't believe it hasn't been mentioned yet... this is BIG Pub talk.

http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/s...-12428,00.html

AN EARLY-morning highway smash may have ended the Bahrain race hopes of the Ford Performance Racing and Holden Racing teams.

The FPR cars of Steve Richards and Mark Winterbottom, along with Mark Skaife's and Todd Kelly's HRT cars, were being transported to the track from the Bahrain airport in preparation for the start of this weekend's Desert 400 when the truck carrying them was involved in a crash.

It is believed a local in a small four-wheel drive cut off the truck driver, forcing evasive action that tipped the four-car trailer over.

No one was injured but the main highway to the track was blocked.

Skaife could be the biggest casualty.

"At this point we don't know how bad it is, but Skaife's car may have sustained bad damage," V8 Supercars spokesman Col Hitchcock said.

Hitchcock said if the damage to other cars was slight, pit crews should be able to repair them in time for practice, which starts tomorrow.

"It really depends if the roll cages have been compromised," he said.

"If that's the case it will take a lot of work to repair."

The $160 million Bahrain complex has the facilities to repair the cars.

The four affected drivers are close on the championship table. Kelly is in fifth spot on the points tally, having 324 points with three races left.

Richards is sixth on 299, Skaife is in seventh with 283 points and Winterbottom eighth on 271.

Each team has been allowed two specially-designed shipping containers that can carry about 3.5 tonnes of gear, including cars, for the race.

The teams have had to trim down their usual equipment lists to keep weight down.

In the case of FPR cars, team manager Chris O'Toole said last week this amounted to four front bumpers, two rear bumpers, two engines, four gearboxes and 16 tyres. Like all teams, FPR has to gauge what can fit in the shipping containers.

Kelly's car had been repainted in Chevrolet livery to mark the launch of Chevrolet Special Vehicles in Bahrain tomorrow.

[MITCHAY]

It's in the Pits forum mate ;)

[bob 351]

look here

http://www.fordforums.com.au/showthread.php?t=11196602