Improvers in 2005

[Evomike]

Who do you think will make the gains in 2005? Personally (and I am not biased) Radisich will improve on his 19th thus improving TKR's 2004 standing. Bairdo too at WPS will improve on his 2004 results.

[buza]

Paul Dumbrell
Paul Weel
Steve Ellery
Steve Johnson i think will all improve
and Skaife can't go any worse then last year

[nicko]

Bairdo is the most under-rated driver in my opinion, so think he will do will in a more competitive car. In saying that though this could be Team Kiwi's most successful year with the rat and the new package.

[Lowndesfan6]

I have this thought that Lowndes can't do much worse, points wise, than last year.

[peckstar]

i am preety confident that andrew jones will improve his point score by the most compared to last year

of last years regular drivers david besnard (if he can hold his spot) will improve the most, he finished the year in good form with a pretty quick car and one of only 4 (i think) ford drivers to win a race last year. at tassie he was as quick as bright and skaife, so their is no reason why he cant be a regular top 10 performer

[Lowndesfan6]

Besnard, I doubt it.

You should see him in Practice, he's forever off the track, and in the races, well, he's just a menice.

[resisturban]

what a stupid thing to say lowndesfan.....

besnard is a great talent

[peckstar]

well the final few race last year, suggest differently, certainly no menace when you can lead a race

[stmookeyj033]

The 2 guys that will improve the most will Steve Ellery now that the pressure to perform is reduced substantially (no sponsors to drive his life for) and also expect Winterbottom now that he has had a year in the system to start heading to the pointy end.

[Dobbo89]

I would love to see seton win Bathurst, that would be nice for a change.

[mac]

I think McConville and GRM could improve this year. As the number one at the team, I can see good things coming from him.

I also think the boy Jones will be quite good. He strikes me as being a somewhat analytical driver ...... a little like Skaife.

Others to improve will be Ellery, Winterbottom and obviously Lowndes (from a points perspective).

[Trev Campbell]

I would have said Dumbrell, he seemed to turn the corner late last year, but now he's been shafted by TEGA. So I reckon Cam McConville and Steve Ellery.

[Raglanparade]

Boy jones was keeping his lead at Bathurst with only 7 Cylinders... until he crashed

[Lowndesfan6]

Originally Posted by resisturban

what a stupid thing to say lowndesfan.....

besnard is a great talent

Well, you go back and watch the races from the last 3 years and then come back and tell me it's stupid.
Even my mate Lowndesy reckons he's a menice.

[911]

Originally Posted by resisturban

besnard is a great talent

[KE30MAN]

Besnard - sometimes fast, sometimes farcical. Mostly farcical.

[FalconEL]

Originally Posted by nicko

Bairdo is the most under-rated driver in my opinion, so think he will do will in a more competitive car.

Who would consider the Falcon that Bairdo will be piloting to be a better prospect than a PMM engineered Team Kiwi Commodore? I agree Baird is underrated as a peddler, but could a move from Team Kiwi to his current team for 2005 be considered a step backwards?

I guess one of the only things lacking at Team Kiwi during Baird's stay was $$$$$$$, and where he is now seems to have an ample supply of that substance.......

[Gaz170]

Seton & DJR
Rat & TKR
Jones & GRM

Bezzy I dunno, end of last year showed great promise, it's up to him to live up to it this year. If he keeps driving with his head I expect he'll do well.

[peckstar]

Originally Posted by Lowndesfan6

Well, you go back and watch the races from the last 3 years and then come back and tell me it's stupid.
Even my mate Lowndesy reckons he's a menice.

well thats maybe because bessie has won more race than lowndes in the last 3 years, and for two of them he had a lesser car and got paid considerable less

[motormad]

David Besnard is a talent, and will win races this year.

Originally Posted by Lowndesfan6

Well, you go back and watch the races from the last 3 years and then come back and tell me it's stupid.
Even my mate Lowndesy reckons he's a menice.

[GTRMagic]

Originally Posted by resisturban

besnard is a great talent

In all seriousness, I think the above is correct. But sometimes, a driver's head is not in the right place for all manner of reasons.

Imagine driving for a team owner with a history of chucking drivers out when they are seen to "underperform" and the pressure that generates.

And when that team owner admits to all and sundry that he has made some clangers of strategy blunders

Or when the team owner admits that the technical gumbies preparing the car found some stuff that worked in testing, yet in real conditions made the car look as grippy as a cat on polished lino..

Imagine driving for a team where the cars are at the 98% stage, and that elusive 2% appears and disappears with incalculable regularity.

The "desperation" in the driving reflects a number of things... none of which ends up looking positive.... sometimes I wonder what a proper driving coach might be able to offer Mr Besnard....

[tanalised]

Big improvers: Radiscich & TKR

maybe Whincup & J Richards & Tasman

[pete55]

To be an improver you have to take it that they were there last year and that leaves Whincup out. I feel he will surprise this year though.
I see the improvers as Radisich, Dumbrell and Lowndes.

[SkaifeysGal]

I think Skaifey, Cam McConville, Craig Lowndes

[tanalised]

whincup was in 2 years ago, and he for whatever reason suxed