Craig Lowndes’ Caltex Holden is on track at Queensland Raceway today despite catching fire during preparations at the circuit.
A small fire broke out inside the car’s airbox when the engine was being warmed up in the pitlane ahead of the test commencing.
The Triple Eight crew reacted quickly to extinguish the fire before the team worked on repairing the damaged components.
While the team is unsure of the cause of the flames, Lowndes was impressed by how quickly his squad dealt with the issue.
“I don’t know what happened, they (the team) were doing an engine run up and it caught fire,” Lowndes told Speedcafe.com.
“They extinguished it, changed a few parts and we got going again.
“It happens every now and then and if we knew why we would change it. It all happened pretty quick.”
Team manager Mark Dutton confirmed that a full debrief into the incident will be completed to ensure the problem is not repeated.
“We will make sure we check all of our procedures,” Dutton told Speecafe.com.
“Everyone reacted well and responded, and we still started the test on time but it is a good reminder.
“A trumpet needed to be swapped out that was all.
“It was not the best start to the day but I was really happy with how quickly everyone responded so there was no further damage.”
The timing of the test has left Lowndes to miss today’s 10 year anniversary memorial for Peter Brock, which is being held at Bathurst.
CLICK HERE for more with Lowndes on Brock’s anniversary.
Triple Eight will focus much of its running around its Pirtek Enduro Cup co-drivers ahead of next week’s Sandown 500.
Steven Richards will pilot the #888 while Paul Dumbrell will once again partner Jaime Whincup in the #88 Red Bull entry.
The day will prove crucial for Shane van Gisbergen’s co-driver Alex Premat as the Frenchman acclimatises to the sister #97 Red Bull car.
The Brisbane operation is joined by Tekno Autosports and DJR Team Penske at the circuit for today’s test.
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