Opportunity knocks for Rodney Janes return to motorsport racing in championship winning V8 Supercar.
Rodney Jane has made a welcome return to motorsport, making his 2009 debut in the Number 20 Bob Jane T-Marts BF Falcon in the Fujitsu V8 Supercar Development Series at the Townsville Round last weekend. In what has been a whirlwind return to racing, Rodney is quickly coming to grips with the new challenges presented by driving the 2008 championship winning Supercar. The wind-up of the Carrera Cup series last year left Rodney without the opportunity to continue racing in 2009 and while he considered a variety of options, Rodney was keen to find the right fit for him. Opportunity knocked when Bryce Washington revealed he was leaving the Fujitsu V8 Supercar Development Series after 2 rounds. Washington had been competing in the ex-Jamie Whincup (Triple 8 Race Engineering) BF Falcon which won Bathurst and the V8 championship in 2008. Rodney knew this was the opportunity hed been waiting for. Only some 4 weeks ago an agreement was reached that saw Rodney return to the Sonic Racing team fold with Michal Ritter, continuing their relationship into a 5th year. Rodney finalised his agreement with Washington at 9pm and the next morning he was heading off to take part in testing with the Sonic team in his new Falcon at Winton Raceway. This was followed up with further testing a week later. Michael Ritter of Sonic was pleased to have Rodney back in the Sonic garage. We know Rodney and he knows us, and although that sounds like an obvious comment to make it does make a big difference when you have history together. We know what he likes in his race cars and we get along well. All that stuff is important. Swagman Motorhomes and Revolution Racegear have come on board as on-car sponsors together with the Bob Jane T-Marts family of brands. Snap-On Tools has continued with their long-term support. Incorporating these sponsors logos with Bob Jane T-Marts corporate colours has delivered a car livery that stands out from the pack. Whilst the sponsors, support team and even his competitors may be familiar, Rodney is quickly realising how very different V8 racing is compared to the 997 Porsches. Not surprisingly Jane noticed the significant difference in the tyres with a narrower rear tyre and overall harder compound than the Michelin tyres in Carrera Cup. The V8 takes a lot more getting used to. The car has much more horsepower, much softer suspension and a locked differential. The whole approach to a corner is quite different to the Cup car. Despite the obvious differences in moving to V8 Supercars, its anticipated Rodneys considerable racing experience will see him adapt quickly to the new competition. With 4 rounds remaining of the Fujitsu series, Rodneys debut performance at the new circuit in Townsville placed him on a more level playing field as no other races had been held there before. In the coming rounds, he will be able to draw on his previous experiences at the tracks. The remaining rounds will be held at Sandown and Queensland Raceway in August followed by Bathurst and the inaugural round at Sydneys Homebush in December. Full coverage of last weeks Townsville round is scheduled for 1.30pm this Saturday July 18 on Channel 7. Please check your local guides to confirm telecast times.

track talk

Rodney Jane has recorded his best overall result
Less than 12 months since joining the Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series, Rodney Jane has recorded his best overall result in the competitive series with the Bob Jane T-Marts Falcon finishing sixth overall at the second round of the 2010 championship at Queensland Raceway on the weekend. The result saw Jane catapult three positions up the championship order with the Bob Jane T-Marts driver moving from ninth to sixth. Jane started the weekend in a strong position and was 13th and 11th in the two practice sessions. The following day, Jane made the most of the time allocated for qualifying and at the end of the session was eighth fastest.
Rodney Jane Racing Newsletter ~ Issue 2 ~ 2010

Race Two

The second race of the weekend saw Jane start from grid position five with the top 10 from the opening race reversed for the start of the 10-lap sprint. Jane got a fantastic start to the race and was able to avoid the carnage from an Owen Kelly and Scott McLaughlin incident off the start. The #777 Falcon was in third position at the conclusion of the opening lap but after a long safety car period of five laps, Jane was overtaken by series leader Steve Owen on the restart, then a lap later, lost another position to Jack Perkins. Jane maintained fifth position for the final five laps of the race and claimed valuable points at the end of the action packed race.

Race One

Jane got a great start from the fourth row of the grid and by the conclusion of the opening lap of the race had worked his way into seventh position. The Bob Jane T-Marts driver completed a number of consistent laps and stayed in seventh for the opening half of the race. On the eighth lap, Jane made his move and overtook Owen Kelly to take sixth and maintained this position through to the chequered flag.

Race Three

After a steady run throughout the opening two races, Jane had a challenging final race with the Bob Jane T-Marts driver experiencing tyre trouble throughout the final 22 lap race of the weekend.
The weekend was one were everything just seemed to gel together
Despite the tyre problems Jane battled on and after starting from grid position six fell as low as 13th before fighting his way through the pack to finish inside the top ten. The result was enough to secure Jane sixth overall, his best Fujitsu V8 Supercar finish to date. The weekend was one were everything just seemed to gel together, Jane said, The car felt great over the first two races and I felt really comfortable, it was good to get a strong result on the board. I said when I first entered the Fujitsu Series that it would take a good 12 months to settle into the series and now I feel as though Ive got more of a handle on the car and also the style of driving within the series. The points from the weekend also shot him up the championship order to sixth overall with just two points between him and former team-mate, James Moffat in fifth position. The result has really helped my position in the championship and if I can continue to record some consistent results there is no reason why I cant finish inside the top five, Jane added. The next instalment of the Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series will be at Winton Motor Raceway on May 14 16, 2010.

2010 Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series

Round TWO Race Results

PosDriver 1. Steve Owen 2. Jack Perkins 3. Paul Morris 4. Tim Blanchard 5. Nick Percat 6. Rodney Jane 7. Ant Pedersen 8. Owen Kelly 9. Drew Russell 10. Marcus Zukanovic

Points 164 159