Tough weekend for Paterson, but the fans loved the DPE Camaro

Dale Paterson Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro GT3

Rnd#3 2015 Australian GT Championship presented by Pirelli

Townsville, Queensland (10-12 July, 2015)

Melbourne’s Dale Paterson came into the Townsville round of the Australian GT Championship with high expectations from his DPE Performance Exhausts Sareni Camaro.

12-months ago he’d made his debut at the circuit in his Chevrolet powered British-built Mosler, and despite being unceremoniously forced into retirement after contact with rivals early in the event, he’d learnt enough about the demanding Queensland street circuit to know he couldn’t wait to get back.

“More than any other event on the calendar this year, the Townsville circuit really suited the Camaro,” Paterson admitted. “I had a tough time last year, but I loved the demanding nature of the circuit, and I knew the bulk power and torque of the Camaro would suit the circuit perfectly.”

Unlike Clipsal and Phillip Island, the former karting champion elected to do Townsville alone, with regular co-driver Steven Richards focusing on his Porsche commitments.

“As he always is, Steve was there to lend support and advice, but I wanted to try this one alone, in part because the lack of an additional pit stop penalty as a result of Steve’s status as a ‘Pro’ driver, because I felt that might allow me to break into the top ten after my stop, and with the width and power of the Camaro, it could be difficult for the other drivers to find a way past, so the goal was top ten.

“Unfortunately, whilst we were capable of that kind of pace on occasion, for the bulk of the weekend we were chasing the car. The problem was the bulk oversteer, and the power delivery. We dialed in plenty of understeer to try and counter it, but anything we did at one end, opened up an issue at the other. The car clearly has pace when it’s good, but it really needs more development before it’s going to be able to run with the lead pack.

“It wasn’t all bad news, we actually enjoyed a stunning run in race one, and I worked past five or six cars in the opening lap with relative ease, and the car was just incredible for about six laps, then unfortunately it fell off quite rapidly which is the issue we have to deal with and look to resolve.

“My goal for the weekend was to keep the car straight, and learn as much as possible about it, and we achieved that, but we also highlighted the challenges we have with the car being so new and relatively undeveloped, and what areas we need to focus our attention on going forward.

“There’s no question it’s an exciting car, the reaction from the fans is impressive, and the number of people who come up after each session to talk about and see the car is amazing, so we’re onto a good thing, we just need to spend some more time sorting it.”

Keep up to date with further announcements from the DPM Motorsports team by visiting; www.facebook.com/DalePatersonMotorsports

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Townsville, Queensland (10-12 July)

Qualifying #1: (10 July)

1. Tony D’Alberto (Ferrari 458 Italia GT3) – 1:12.9713

2. Steve Owen (Ford GT GT3) – 1:13.4001

3. Nathan Antunes (Audi R8 GT3 ultra) – 1:13.4746

4. Klark Quinn (McLaren 650S GT3) – 1:13.7628

5. Graeme Smythe (Ferrari 458 Italia GT3) – 1:13.8080

6. James Koundouris (Porsche GT3-R) – 1:14.1658

26. Dale Paterson (DPM Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro GT3) – 1:17.8134

Qualifying #2: (11 July)

1. Jono Lester (Ferrari 458 Italia GT3) – 1:12.1179

2. Christopher Mies (Audi R8 LMS GT3 ultra) – 1:12.1639

3. Nathan Antunes (Audi R8 GT3 ultra) – 1:12.6556

4. Bradley Shiels (Porsche GT3-R) – 1:12.8518

5. Grant Denyer (Ferrari 458 Italia GT3) – 1:12.9519

6. Klark Quinn (McLaren 650S GT3) – 1:12.9997

29. Dale Paterson (DPM Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro GT3) – 1:18.3328

Race#1 (60-minutes): (11 July)

1. Tony D’Alberto/Grant Denyer (Ferrari 458 Italia GT3) – 46-laps

2. Tony Quinn (McLaren 650S GT3)

3. Max Twigg/Geoff Emery (Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3)

4. Nathan Antunes (Audi R8 GT3 ultra)

5. James Koundouris (Porsche GT3-R)

6. John Magro (Lamborghini Gallardo FL2 GT3)

21. Dale Paterson (DPM Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro GT3) – 44-laps

Race#2 (60-minutes): (12 July)

1. Nathan Antunes (Audi R8 GT3 ultra) – 43-laps

2. Tony D’Alberto/Grant Denyer (Ferrari 458 Italia GT3)

3. Klark Quinn (McLaren 650S GT3)

4. Tony Walls (McLaren 650S GT3)

5. Tony Quinn (McLaren 650S GT3)

6. Steven McLaughlan (Audi R8 LMS GT3 ultra)

28. Dale Paterson (DPM Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro GT3) – 40-laps


GT Championship Class 
(points after round three of six)

1. Tony Quinn (330-points), 2. Nathan Antunes (318), 3. Christopher Mies/Greg Crick (300), 4. Tony D’Alberto/Grant Denyer (236), 5. Klark Quinn (234), 6. Max Twigg/Geoff Emery (229), 7. Jono Lester (216), 8. James Koundouris (178), 9. Tony Walls (165), 10. Steven McLaughlan (150), 22. Dale Paterson (58)

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Rnd#1 – 26 February-1 March, Clipsal 500, Adelaide, SA*

Rnd#2 – 22-24 May, Phillip Island, Victoria**

Rnd#3 – 10-12 July, Townsville, Queensland*

Rnd#4 – 21-23 August, Sydney Motorsport Park, NSW*

Rnd#5 – 11-13 September, Sandown 500, Melbourne, Victoria*

Rnd#6 – 13-15 November, Highlands Motorsport Park, Cromwell, NZ

(* with V8 Supercars, ** with the Shannons Nationals)

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Every practice and qualifying session, and every race of the 2015 Australian GT Championship held in conjunction with the V8 Supercars will be broadcast live in Australia on the Foxtel network. Check guides for details and replays.

Dale Paterson Motorsports is proudly supported by DPM Motorsports, Di Filippo Performance Exhausts, Harrop Engineering, Safe Pack Packaging and M-Motorsport.

www.dpmspt.com.au