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David Reynolds says that V8 Supercars’s 2011 soft tyre regulations will be a huge bonus for his return to V8s as a full-time driver.
V8 Supercars Australia is beefing up the amount of soft tyres being used in the championship next year, with six rounds being run completely on the stickier rubber. CLICK HERE for a complete look at the breakdown of next year’s soft tyre races.
Reynolds, recently announced as the driver of Kelly Racing’s #16 entry, tested the ex-Rick Kelly Jack Daniel’s Racing Commodore VE at Winton on Tuesday. He used a set of soft tyres in the test, and while he says the team has some work to do to get better life out of them, he is sure the extra available soft sets will be a benefit to him.
“The way that V8 Supercars are using the soft tyre next year is really going to help me,” he told Speedcafe.com.au.
“I really like those tyres and I feel I can make them last longer. As it stands at the moment, I don’t think the Kelly cars can make the tyres last – it seems to be a bit of an issue – so it’s something that we can work on. We want to rectify what’s going on there so the tyres can last a whole race.”
Reynolds’s return to the V8 Championship comes after he sat out the 2010 season, acting only as a co-driver for the Walkinshaw Racing organisation.
In 2009, Reynolds competed with WR as a full-time driver where his most impressive race was at Barbagallo Raceway on the soft tyre. While he did not finish the race due to a mechanical fault, it was there that he signified himself as a future V8 star.
Reynolds says that he is pleased to be confirmed as a full-time driver again.
“It’s great to be back full-time – it’s what I’ve been planning for all year,” he said.
“I don’t particularly like watching V8 Supercars on television. I prefer to be racing them.
“Kelly Racing is a pretty good step for me. I’ve only been there for a week, and everyone has been extremely kind and generous and they are a great team to be around.”
The Albury-born driver says that it will take him some time to deal with the subtle differences between the Walkinshaw cars to the Kelly Racing-built Commodore.
“The Kelly cars are a fair bit different to the Walkinshaw car,” he said.
“At the Winton test, it was a bit different to what I’m used to – the way the engine delivers the power, the gearing, the systems, it’s all different, but I think I adapted to it pretty quick and got down to reasonable pace. The car also makes grip differently to a WP car.”
Reynolds is confident that he has made the right career decision.
“It’s still a new team and they’re doing the right thing by putting the right people in the right positions to move forward,” he said.
“The Kellys always have a real positive outlook as well. I don’t think their results have been ideal, so hopefully I can contribute to the team’s car speed and we can all move forward together.”
