TKR is Black again for 2005

Q: What is your day-to-day role in the team?

A: I spend the money!! David (David John, team owner) gets the money in and pays the bills but I get to spend it. Anything to do with ensuring we have a car/s and team ready to run at any given event be it a V8 Supercar round or a NZV8 Touring Car meeting is my responsibility. As we only have a few full time staff/team members we tend to do most things ourselves, we arrange most of our own travel, run the office without support on a daily basis and obviously maintain and race in various championships.

Q: Will that role change next year with the new board structure at TKR?

A: The Board has been put in place to ensure we make the best decisions for the business. You need to make sure you are making good business decisions and when you are so focused in a team sport it can help to have experienced outside help to steer the business. I will still look after the running of the team and the build of our new cars etc.

Q: How would you rate the season for TKR overall in 2004?

A: We had some great highs and some huge disappointments. The start of the season was fantastic and we were hugely proud of our effort to run in the top 15 in the Championship until half way through the year. Obviously the highlight of the year was to get our first pole position.

Q: The pole position at Winton must rate as the high point of the 2004 season – what was the waiting like as the final four cars went out after Craig had set his time (1:39.7544)?

A: It was the high point of our time in the sport so far. We knew Craig could do it as he was so comfortable with the times he had achieved in Practice and Qualifying, he had not pushed the limits until the shoot-out and then he put together a fantastic lap. Waiting for the final four cars wasn’t that bad, we knew we were going to be in with a chance although Skaife is always able to put together special laps in shoot-outs.

Q: How do you feel about the critics out there who called the pole position a ‘fluke’ because the pole was on a wet track?

A: I won’t say what I really think of those people!!! The drivers in this championship are all extremely talented and the difference is often the equipment they are given to do their jobs with. Put them all in the same car and lets see how the order changes. The same is true of putting them out on a wet track where the equipment is far more equal especially given that horsepower is not such a factor. All ten drivers had the same conditions to work in and one of them was better than the other nine, that said it is a team sport and it was the team that achieved the result on the day.

Q: In 2003 you started the year with a GRM (Garry Rogers Motorsport) car, but were not allowed to share data with GRM, and the team reverted back to the Perkins chassis and your own engine development program. For 2005 you are joining PMM (Paul Morris Motorsport) in a technical alliance which will allow you to share data and testing – has there been a change in the rules which allows this to happen?

A: No we will simply be “grouped” with PMM, which means we have one test logbook between us and only six test days available to us. When we ran the leased GRM car and our own ex Perkins cars we where seen as a single car team with our own test log book and test days.

Q: How do you answer the people out there who say the two teams should not be allowed to share data etc?

A: If that was the case then lets split the two car teams up. To be serious about being competitive in the championship you need to hit the ground running at every round and ensure that each and every time you run on the track you are gathering as much information as possible. Obviously two cars gather data at twice the rate of a single car so on that basis a single car team should never be as competitive as a two car team. Two single car teams working together are just allowing them to have the same opportunity to gather data as a two-car team.

Q: You are in the process of moving the Australian base from Melbourne to the Holden Performance Centre on the Gold Coast with PMM, what are the new facilities there like?

A: The facilities are first rate and the guys at PMM are fantastic to work with. PMM are moving everything “in-house” so development is being ramped up for 2005 and we will share the benefits. The facilities are more than just a first class manufacturing operation and workshop for us, it provides TKR with a place to take our sponsors and supporters to view the facilities and the opportunity to experience a ride in our “ride car” on the Holden Performance Driving Centre track.

Q: This year will be an exciting year for the team, with your first opportunity to start the year with a brand new chassis, and the new ‘Holden Motorsport’ engines, what are your goals for 2005?

A: We want to win a race this year and be consistently competitive. Our goal will be to finish in the top 10 in the championship.

Q: Do you have any plans to run a driver in the V8 Supercar Development series this year, or are you selling the ‘Astro’ chassis that you ran in the 2004 V8 Supercar Series?

A: “Astro” has been sold. We will not run in the Development Series this year. We are getting back into the NZV8 Touring Car championship next season after taking a year out to ensure we could get our Supercar program where it needed to be.

Q: When Craig Baird announced he was leaving TKR it was a surprise to the team, did his departure news alter the plans for next year, or were plans for the PMM partnership already underway?

A: We had been developing our relationship with PMM and what we are doing for 2005 was always an option. It was a case of “sliding doors” with Craig’s departure prompting us to move to another level earlier than expected. Craig and I are mates and we worked together in the nineties with BMW so it was not such a surprise to me as we had talked through his options.

Q: Craig drove for TKR for two years, he brought some great results to the team, it must be quite disappointing to see him leave?

A: Craig moved us to a new level this year and I guess that is why his options opened up as well. We had a great driver in Jason Richards and then he moved as his options opened up and he moved on. Craig and I have worked together for many years so I understand why he is moving, he has to do what is right for him and his families future. As in any professional sport drivers have a limited time to make the most from the opportunities presented. They must make decisions for themselves and their families and ensure when their use-by date is up that they have their ducks in a row.

Q: Obviously as well as the changes of location and management structure of the team, there is a new driver for this year with Paul Radisich joining the team – what do you think he will bring to TKR as a driver?

A: Paul proved at Eastern Creek that he still has it. We will provide Paul with the best equipment we have ever had to work with this year and that will in turn provide us with our best ever opportunity to be competitive. Paul is a household name in New Zealand and that with help with our team profile and ability to gather additional funding from corporate New Zealand.

Q: Are there any rule changes that you would like to see introduced into the V8 supercars for 2005?

A: We all have ideas on various parts of our sport but in general AVESCO and TEGA are doing a great job, it must be hard to please all of the people all of the time.

Q: There have been rumours of a new points system which may only reward the top 10 or 15 cars in each race – what is your opinion on this?

A: This idea has been floated in various championships and it is just not a fair reflection of the effort each team puts into being involved. Unless funding is controlled there is no way we are all playing on a level playing field and therefore there is no way all 35 cars can win races. Imagine how teams, sponsors and supporters would feel if their team got no points from a round of the championship. How do you rank the cars without points? How do you tell your sponsors where you finished in a championship, “outside the top 15??”

Q: Of course TKR are not only running in the Australian V8 Supercar championship this year, but are also returning to the New Zealand V8 Touring Car championship for the 2005/2006 season - are you planning to run one or two cars next season, and are there any other plans for NZ?

A: We will be ready to enter the NZV8 Championship next season and it will likely be with two cars. We won the championship in the 2003/2004 season and made the decision to take one year out to ensure we got our V8 Supercar program on track. It has been interesting to hear the expectations that people place on the teams but the reality is we run businesses and you can only do what you can afford to do.

Q: I understand a new base is being built in Auckland with the help of Jennian Homes and Placemakers, which has workshop facilities, office space and also will sell the new TKR merchandise range – you must be looking forward to having a new NZ base, and the workshop facilities?

A: David is working with Jennian Homes to get the team a new base and yes it will be great to have everything under one roof.

Q: With the team racing on both sides of the Tasman, how much time will you spend in each country?

A: I spend about half of my time in each country. It would be easy to move to Australia but reality is we are a New Zealand team and our loyalty is to our New Zealand sponsors and supporters. With our plans to run here in New Zealand again next year I will be heavily involved in the build of the new race car.

Q: Also, 2004 saw the TKR livery change sometimes round by round (for major sponsors), has a major sponsor been secured for 2005? Also can you give us any clues as to the look of the TKR car for this season?

A: We are working on the livery now and will have it ready for the 19th Feb, it is always a hard one for us, as we want to keep it simple for maintenance purposes and keep the black NZ theme. David is working with a few companies for major sponsorship.

Comment: Thanks very much Martin for taking the time out to answer these questions, and best of luck to you and the team for this season. I look forward to TKR having it’s best season so far!