Ryzz
10-10-2005, 02:11 PM
Holden legend Peter Brock has warned that lack of driver stability in the Red Lion camp is making it easier for Ford to dominate the V8 Supercar series.
The winner of three championships has criticised the Holden teams for having too many driver changes in recent years, reducing the challenge to Ford's Marcos Ambrose who won the title in 2003 and 2004 and is fighting out the 2005 crown with team mate Russell Ingall.
"I think they (Holden) are a little bit disjointed in their team structure," said Brock.
"And the drivers in their alignment to the teams they're in.
"They've just been jumping around a bit the last few years."
However, Brock believes there are a handful of Holden drivers capable of winning the championship next year.
He said "once they settle" the current crop of top drivers like Bathurst winners Mark Skaife and Todd Kelly plus New Zealanders Greg Murphy and Steven Richards could win the title.
But Brock added he thought unsigned driver James Courtney is perhaps their best chance.
"Certainly (Greg) Murphy could do the job. He is a bloody good driver.
"Steven Richards is a good driver and Skaife could do it and yeah Todd Kelly probably can.
"But there is one young kid out there (Courtney)... who could do the job for Holden if they ever got him."
Courtney, who has tested with Formula One teams, drove the second Holden Racing Team (HRT) entry in Sunday's Bathurst 1000 but crashed out in the first hour.
With Courtney set to sign a year extension on his contract to compete in the Japanese Super GT championship, Brock said Murphy, who has a superb success record at Pukekohe in New Zealand and Bathurst, should be Holden's leading contender for the title in 2006.
"It is just a matter of (Murphy) learning to be a little bit more... it is sort of like being a bit more settled in his approach to races," said Brock.
"If you could get Murphy to think like (he does at Bathurst and Pukekohe) on every track he raced on he would be champ.
"He loves Bathurst and loves Pukey (Pukekohe, NZ) and that is how he approaches it. When you start getting this disciplined mind type thing that top class athletes have that is when you start getting consistent results."
The winner of three championships has criticised the Holden teams for having too many driver changes in recent years, reducing the challenge to Ford's Marcos Ambrose who won the title in 2003 and 2004 and is fighting out the 2005 crown with team mate Russell Ingall.
"I think they (Holden) are a little bit disjointed in their team structure," said Brock.
"And the drivers in their alignment to the teams they're in.
"They've just been jumping around a bit the last few years."
However, Brock believes there are a handful of Holden drivers capable of winning the championship next year.
He said "once they settle" the current crop of top drivers like Bathurst winners Mark Skaife and Todd Kelly plus New Zealanders Greg Murphy and Steven Richards could win the title.
But Brock added he thought unsigned driver James Courtney is perhaps their best chance.
"Certainly (Greg) Murphy could do the job. He is a bloody good driver.
"Steven Richards is a good driver and Skaife could do it and yeah Todd Kelly probably can.
"But there is one young kid out there (Courtney)... who could do the job for Holden if they ever got him."
Courtney, who has tested with Formula One teams, drove the second Holden Racing Team (HRT) entry in Sunday's Bathurst 1000 but crashed out in the first hour.
With Courtney set to sign a year extension on his contract to compete in the Japanese Super GT championship, Brock said Murphy, who has a superb success record at Pukekohe in New Zealand and Bathurst, should be Holden's leading contender for the title in 2006.
"It is just a matter of (Murphy) learning to be a little bit more... it is sort of like being a bit more settled in his approach to races," said Brock.
"If you could get Murphy to think like (he does at Bathurst and Pukekohe) on every track he raced on he would be champ.
"He loves Bathurst and loves Pukey (Pukekohe, NZ) and that is how he approaches it. When you start getting this disciplined mind type thing that top class athletes have that is when you start getting consistent results."