Archive: Race Updates 2008
Archive: Race Updates 2009
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Jesus Racing - Race reports 2008
Oran Park - December 7 - Day Three
Sunday morning dawned a little overcast and drizzly which was quite a relief compared to the 37 degree temperatures of the day before, Andrew wasn't relishing the prospect of potetially having to take the Supercar out in the wet altough he did suggest that today would be as good as any day to experience a wet race in a V8 Supercar as a lead into next year.
The weather did hold off for the Ute race which was at around 9.30am. The boys had done a great job getting the Ute straight after the biff and barge of the day before and Andrew started Race 3 from position 19 on the grid. Andrew drove the car on the edge, given it was damaged from the day before there was not much to lose, he made his way up to tenth spot with two laps to go. On the second last lap Andrew was setting himself up for an over taking move on Ben Dunn however going through turn one Ben locked a brake so Andrew had to try hard to avoid him, in doing this Andrew also locked a brake ran wide and lost a spot to Colin Corkery. Although disappointed by this Andrew was happy to have driven from 19th to finish in eleventh spot.
The Supercar race was just after lunch and although it hadn't rained all day, as Andrew was getting suited up for the race it started to drizzle which made the prospect of 22 laps in a Supercar even more daunting. The rain got even heavier as the cars took their place on the grid and the start of the race ended up being delayed in order for the field to put slick tyres on. Eventually the race got underway in the pouring rain - Andrew radioed back to the team that he had ZERO visibility coming into turn one which is quite terrifying considering the number of cars and the speed at which they are travelling! The race had a number of Safety Car periods due to the trying conditions and Andrew had his own moment when he executed a full 360 degree spin over the top of the "Dog Leg" which is a blind right hand corner. He then proceeded to grab a gear and continue on which was quite a feat, although he did lose 4 valuable spots! It should also prove great viewing when the racing is televised next weekend as he had an in-car camera on board.
The very next lap Andrew was back at it at the same spot over taking two cars whilst "drifting sideways" through the dog leg. Andrew had started in Position 23 but with only a few laps to go had made it up to 12th spot and which was an awesome job given the level of experience the other guys in the field had and the fact it was his first race in the wet.
Andrew had been told to dial in a heap of rear brakes to balance the car in the wet however when the conditions started to dry a little Andrew didn't have experience to make the necessary adjustments to suit the drier conditions. As a result he had a minor mishap under brakes which caused him to spin offf and he ended up in the sand and couldn't get out and complete the race. It was disappointing not to finish the race but the team was really encouraged by the competitiveness of the car and experience gained was invaluable.
In terms of the ministry side of things, Andrew and Steve had the opportunity to engage with a large number of people over the weekend and during the lead up to the Supercar race, the trackside commentators gave Jesus Racing an extraordinary plug in terms of what has been happening on and off the track, including details about the schools ministry program.
So the 2008 season is over and it been a really encouraging year. The team has really felt God's hand in everything that has happened. We would like to thank you for your prayer and financial support and would ask that you be in prayer for the team as they look towards 2009.
Yours in Christ
The Jesus Racing Team
Oran Park - December 6 - Day Two
The heat was certainly on at Oran Park on Saturday with temperatures hovering above 30 degree's all day. The racing seemed just as hot with plenty of incidents to entertain the crowd.
The Ute race got underway in the morning with Andrew off 10th position. The opening lap was action packed with a number of incidents. Fisher was competitive off the line but found himself in a group of cars that all seemed out to prove a point. There was lots of bumping and grinding and after a couple of laps and the dust settled the Jesus Ute had certainly been knocked around and showed the scars. As the laps went on Fisher was again caught in another moment of exuberance from another racer coming off the Yokohama bridge. Unfortunately this time it damaged a wheel and Fisher had a deflating tyre which took him out with one lap to go. As the team assessed the damage after the race they found only one straight panel on the car, everything else had been hit!
The Supercar race got underway in the heat of the early afternoon. Starting from 23rd position Fisher felt confident in the car and for only his second start in a Supercar Fisher was really happy with start saying "I really nailed it". Lap two into the race heading down under the Yokohama bridge Fisher had a slight touch under brakes and hit the car in front. The Super Car sustained some damage which looked a lot worse than it was. It did however sustain some brake duct damage on the driver's side, which, given the heat of the day this did have some ongoing trouble for the Supercar that will be sorted out overnight.
We'll keep you informed of the final wash up of Sunday's races. Keep praying for Lucas Dumbrell as the doctor's seek to deal with his injuries.
The Jesus Racing Team.
Oran Park - December 5 - Day One
This year Oran Park is the final round of the V8 season. It's also the home round for Jesus Racing and the team are keen to finish the year well. As you will be aware now, Andrew had on sold the drive in the Ute to a friend of his from Canberra, Darren Orchard. Unfortunately Darren had come down with an illness last week which left Andrew back in the driver's seat again of both cars.
Things got underway on Thursday with the busiest day for Andrew across the weekend. 3 sessions in the Ute and two 50 minute sessions in the Supercar. At the end of the day Fisher was quite tired but really happy with the results. No damage in either car and feeling like he was gettting some good pace in both. The day finished with the qualifying session with the Ute with all the times being recorded incorrectly so grid positions for Friday mornings race would have to wait until the morning.
Friday's activities for Jesus Racing got underway with Andrew's qualifying session in the Supercar. Qualifying for the Fujitsu V8 Supercars is split into 2 segments with the fastest cars going second. Jesus Racing were out in the first session with Fisher putting down a quick time in the first few laps. For much of the session he was in 4th place. The team put some new tyres on for the second half of the session and made a couple of changes to go with it. Unfortunately the changes didn't help and the times weren't improved on. At the end of the session there were a few other teams able to improve on their times. At the end of the complete session Jesus racing finished in 22nd place for race one on Saturday.
For the utes, unfortunately there was a big crash in the Formula Fords just before the Ute race. The race meeting was stopped for around 40 minutes and the ute race was postponed until after 5 in the afternoon. Lucas Dumbrell who was involved in the accident was badly hurt in the accident is in hopsital tonight and very much in the prayers of the Jesus Racing team. The Ute race got underway late in the afternoon and with Fisher starting from position 8 he was feeling quite confident. By mid way through the first lap Fisher had moved up to P6. After 12 laps Andrew had managed to hold onto one of the previously gained places.
Both Saturday and Sunday have one race each for both catagories with both Ute races being televised by channel 7 this weekend. You can catch all the action for the Utes on Saturday Race 2 - Approx 3.25pm - 3.45pm AEDT, Sunday Race 3 - Approx 3.30pm - 3.49pm AEDT. Check your local guides for the Fujitsu race times.
We'll keep you informed of the results and be sure to keep Lucas Dumbrell in your prayers.
The Jesus Racing Team.
Bathurst - October 12 - Day Three
It’s been tough finish to a big weekend for Jesus Racing. Andrew “Fishtail” Fisher woke up Sunday morning a bit sore in the shoulders, neck and lower back after Saturday afternoon’s major collision on the mountain. Unfortunately the car didn’t look any better either and it looks like it will be a fairly large repair bill.
We got underway Sunday morning in the first race of the day in the V8 Ute series. After an electrical malfunction the day before the team felt they had sorted the problem out over night and were ready for a strong race from position 16. Unfortunately as Andrew headed off up mountain straight on his warm up lap the problem resurfaced again. Andrew started the race but given the intermittent nature of the fault and the fact that it could happen anywhere on the circuit he decided to park the car after the first few laps.
It was a disappointing end to a promising weekend. The up side to the accident in the Super Car was firstly that it wasn’t Andrew’s fault and secondly that it gave a lot of people in the paddock an opportunity to give Andrew feedback on his involvement. It was only on the Sunday that we really realized how many people up and down pit lane were keeping a close eye on Andrew’s debut in a Super Car. Quite a number of well known and respected people in the paddock were very complimentary.
Alongside all the disappointment we also had a phone call from a supporter in QLD who explained that a friend of his had come to hear Andrew speak at a men’s event earlier in the year. They caught up again over the Bathurst weekend and our QLD friend led his mate to a clear understanding of who Jesus is finishing with them praying a prayer of Salvation.
There are many high’s and low’s in both motor sport and in ministry. Jesus racing has experienced a number of those in just a few days. The work doesn’t stop there for Andrew and Steve, they will stay in the Bathurst area this week to do some work in schools and some men’s ministry events. Keep praying for the guys as they seek to bring the name of Jesus to people in a sensitive and culturally relevant way.
Bathurst - October 11 - Day Two
Well we should get straight to the point for those of you that have seen the crash, Andrew is OK, a little disappointed but physically fine.
Today was another big day for Jesus Racing with a Race in both the Ute and the Fujitsu V8 Supercar.
The first race saw Andrew start off from 6th place in the Ute. He was running with the guys at the front and looking good for a strang finish until an electrical problem caused the car to cut out going over the mountain and then again into the left hander after the chase. Andrew was forced into the pits to have this problem attended to. The mechanics could not find anything wrong and sent Andrew back on track however the problem resurfaced exiting the pits.
Andrew managed to get the Ute going however the race finished under safety car so he was not able to regain any of the positions.
After the race the mechanics found that the accelerator electronics were malfunctioning and have replaced it for race 3.
The second race of the day for the Jesus Racing Team was Race 2 in the Fujitsu V8 Supercar series.
As Andrew lined up on the grid the rain started to fall which was not a welcome sight for him as he sat there waiting for the start procedure to commence. Andrew managed to get the car off the line for the practice lap (no doubt with a sigh of relief). Much to the relief of the team the officals decided that it was too wet to start in the rain and ran the first few laps under safety car.
Once under way Andrew performed exceptionally well and was holding his 16th position, Andrew's lap times we indeed better than those just in front of him.
Unfortunately on Lap 5 as Andrew came over the top of the mountain heading towards the "dipper" a fellow competitor made an error in judgement - after having spun out he came back across the track directly into the path of Andrew's car which resulted in a significant impact to the front of the Jesus Supercar.
Commentators and race drivers were all of the opinon that Andrew did everything he could to avoid the accident but there was just nowhere to go!
Unfortunately the fact that it was not Andrew's fault does not mean that the other person pays for the repair bill so this will leave the Jesus Racing team with a substantial cost estimated to be somewhere between $20,000.00 to $30,000.00. Ironically the incident has highlighted the number of people that have been observing what Jesus Racing was doing this weekend and the interaction following with V8 Supercar team, officals and fans alike has been extraordinary. The positive to this unfortunate experience has been the National Television coverage received by the Jesus.All about life V8 Supercar in the News Bulletins.
The accident ended what had been a fantastic debut for the Jesus.All about life V8 Supercar Bathurst Campaign. Everyone has been incredibly supportive and encouraging in regards to the Jesus Racing V8 Supercar campaign this weekend.
Andrew completes his driving duties tomorrow morning at 7.50am NSW time - this is also a live to TV race. Please pray for safety for Andrew.
Bathurst - October 10 - Day One
A fantastic day on the mountain for Andrew “Fishtail” Fisher as he rolled the Jesus V8 Super Car onto the circuit for its first race in his hands.
Andrew qualified the black Holden Super Car in 23rd position in a 35 car field at Bathurst yesterday and was looking forward to getting into the first race today. After a slow start that saw Andrew lose 3 positions in the first lap he fought his way back through the field throughout the 14 lap race. Andrew said that the car had great pace and a couple of safety car interventions helped his cause through the race. The team were a little nervous during the race with a gearbox oil pump failure and soaring temps for the gearbox. A third safety car kept the temp in a safe range and Andrew brought the car home in 16th position. A really great result which is quite amazing given that this is Andrew's first outing in a Super car.
We then had the first race for the V8 Ute late in the day. Andrew started from 7th position but had trouble in the first lap. He slipped back to 11th position and managed to maintain that place until the end.
Alongside all that, both Steve and Andrew continue to be amazed at the level of courage and excitement the Jesus Racing team brings to Christians at a motor racing event.
Tomorrow sees Andrew running in both classes again. The Ute race is a reverse grid which will see him starting from 6th position and the Super Car race will start from 16th. Channel 7 will carry both races live so set the video recorder to see all the action.
Thanks for your prayers and support and we trust that Andrew will do well and stay safe.
Winton - August 2nd - August 3rd - Day Three
Sunday’s race day was a busy and tiring one for Andrew Fisher of Jesus Racing. Race two got underway at 10am with Andrew starting from 29th position on the grid. A lot further back that he’s used to in recent times. Race one was a hard fought battle with Andrew passing more cars than any other in the race, he made his way through to 16th position by the end of the race which was a fantastic result. More than that, all of Andrew’s passing moves were clean and well judged, it was a great result.
Race three starting positions are a combination of the results of race one and two. That saw Jesus Racing starting from 22nd position on the grid. Lots more work for Andrew to do but he was right in the zone for some competitive racing and the team felt they’d given the car to do it. After another great race Andrew finished in 10th position having passed 12 cars. A terrific drive! Overall the Jesus Ute passed 33 cars for the weekend. The only disappointment was having to be so far back in race one when the car was so competitive.
Straight after Race three Andrew jumped in the replica Ute with Steve and they headed for Albury City Church to talk through the story of Jesus Racing and discuss the concept of ministry in the market place. It was a fantastic night and great to get to know the folks in Albury.
Keep praying for Jesus Racing as Andrew and Steve will be involved in some schools in Melbourne from Wednesday to Friday this week talking through the topic of courage and how young people can be courageous by looking into the claims of Jesus.
We’ll keep you informed as to how things are going in the schools and and some exciting developments for the next round at Bathurst.
Day Two
Qualifying kicked off early on Saturday morning with Jesus Racing making a couple of minor changes to the Jesus Ute to improve it’s handling performance. As Andrew headed out for qualifying it didn’t take long to realize that the changes were not going to help. Andrew adjusted some of his driving style to accommodate and managed to get a good clean lap to put the Ute on the 4th row of the grid (pos 7) for race one just after lunch.
We returned the car to it’s previous state for race 1 believing that was our best way to move forward with confidence. Andrew said he’d made his best start all year and was racing down to turn one with Colin Corkery on his right. Unfortunately for Jesus Racing, Grant Johnson also made a great start off the line and lined up to pass Andrew on the inside into turn one. That makes 3 cars next to each other heading into the first corner. Not good! Unfortunately Andrew was caught in the middle and was hit by Grant causing contact with Colin. The outcome for Jesus Racing was 2 damaged rims, apuncture and some bent steering. Andrew limped to the pits where the team changed the left front wheel. This put us a lap down though.
In the end Fishtail finished in 29th position but had times equal to only the first 7 cars in the field. We are hoping that race 2 brings a higher level of success and some trouble free racing. The weekend will conclude with race 3 in the mid afternoon. After all that Steve and Andrew head off to a church service at Albury City Church. It will be another long day no doubt but it all equates to opportunities for Jesus Racing to further the cause of Christ and bring the name of Jesus to people who don’t normally have contact with Christianity. Please keep praying for us as we minister in this environment.
Queensland - July 18th - July 20th - Day Three
The Sunday is the business end of a race meeting and Sunday at Queensland Raceway was a tough day for Jesus Racing.
The day got underway early. Well the previous day never really left us, a number of the team stayed all night at the track putting in the replacement engine damaged on the previous day. Unfortunately the team ran into a number of major problems with the engine and by the morning it was still wasn't in a fit state to race.
Andrew and Steve in the meantime attended an XR club breakfast at the track to sign posters and chat about motor sport.
In a mad last minute flurry the team had a last ditch effort to get the car on the track for race 2 but were unable to do so.
There were 3 hours between race 2 and 3 and the guys were finally able to get the car running well on 7 cylinders and in a position to be competitive. Andrew headed off to the 3rd race with mindset of really having a go from last place on the grid but the car having a bit of a limp. The comentators described it as an XR7.
By turn 1 Andrew had made up 3 positions already. In what could only be described as a really gutsy and determined drive Andrew made his way through the field at a great rate of knots. With in just a few laps "Fishtail" was in 21st position having made up 11 positions and he was flying!
Unfortuntely not all the gremlins had been ironed out and the car had an electrical fault and finally a powersteering failure which retired the Jesus Ute.
Three DNF's are not something the team has ever experienced before. It was certainly a disappointment but also gave the team an opportunity to display yet another side of Jesus Racing that certainly intrigues people. Andrew comentated the second race from pit road and did a fantastic job representing the Ute series, himself and most importantly Jesus as he talked about the "downs" of motor sport.
With an engine rebuild happening this week we hope to have everything sorted for the next round in Winton, Victoria in just 2 weeks time.
Queensland - Day 2
Saturday is race day at Round 5 of the Ute racing series. The morning started early for Jesus Racing with our one qualifying session getting underway at 8.55 am. Andrew and the team were confident going into the session and Andrew put down a great lap early on to put him in 3rd position. “The car feels great, really quick” said Andrew. We decided to park the car before the end of the session to save the tyres for the race. It was a good decision and the session ended with Andrew starting from position four.
The first race of the weekend was just after lunch, again the team were very excited about the possibilities. Fishtail made a great start and was holding his own in 5th place. Early on in the race Andrew reported low oil pressure to the team and as the guys were monitoring the issue the car slowed dramatically coming out of turn three. That was effectively the end of the race as the car developed some terminal problems with the engine. It turns out the oil pump had a failure and stopped pumping oil to the engine. Very shortly after that it was all over. Jesus Racing first DNF since they joined the series at he start of 07’.
The team have been working feverishly since then to replace the engine and get the car ready before race two at 8.15 in the morning. Work will go on late into the evening no doubt – lucky we had a spare. Regardless of major failures like this and the disappointment of a DNF, strong race car events like this give Jesus Racing a great opportunity to respond in a manner that reflects their values. We’d obviously rather be racing but the team understand this is a part of motor sport and you have to take the good with the bad.
We’ll let you know how tomorrow goes
Queensland - Day 1
This is another big weekend for Jesus Racing this weekend in QLD. It’s only been 2 weeks since the last round in Darwin and the Wollongong Performance Racing truck that carries the Jesus Ute didn’t have time to get back to Sydney and then on to the Brisbane for this race meeting. Short turn arounds are the order of the day for the middle part of the V8 Ute season. The Jesus Ute came out of Darwin with only minor mechanical issues so it hasn’t been a problem for Jesus Racing.
Andrew and the team feel confident coming from Darwin. We finished the second race with the fastest lap and had some really good pace over the weekend. The suspension hiccups we suffered have been fixed along with some gearbox dramas. To add to that Andrew had a win at the QLD round in 2007 and feels really positive about how the car is handling.
4th place in the championship is being hotly contested at the moment and a number of drivers are keen to move past Andrew in this round. The format for racing after practice and qualifying is race one of Saturday followed by 2 races on Sunday. We’ll look forward to seeing how the “Fishtail” and the Jesus Ute perform this weekend and we’ll keep you informed. After the racing this weekend Andrew will be back in QLD and he and Steve will present at number of schools on the topic of courage and how that relates to motor racing and the pursuit of God. There is also a church event at Southport Church of Christ on Wednesday night and a major Men’s outreach at Kilcoy on the Friday night. It promises to be an exciting, busy and fruitful.
We’ll keep you informed of the racing over the weekend given that there’s live TV coverage of this weekends Ute racing. You have to wait until September 6th to catch the footage of this round.
Darwin - July 4th - 6th 2008 - Day Three
Well day 3 saw the Jesus Racing Team starting from 4th place on the grid, overnight the team found that there was a bent upright on the left hand side of the car and it was felt that this had caused the issues that had developed with the steering.
Andrew started the race strongly as he got a great run into turn 1 and was able to take 2nd place. He maintained this position for the next 9 laps until he missed a gear and lost a couple of positions on lap 10. Andrew held it together to eventually come in with 5th place. Andrew was a little disappointed, however the team felt that it was a great result given they lost two sessions the previous day. The fact that the team was able to get the fastest lap during the race was also a good sign.
This result meant that the Jesus Ute team would start out of 9th position for the last race.
Race 3 was a fairly uneventful race that saw Andrew get a good start to move through to 8th position. He held this position for the next 8 laps until a hard charging Gary Baxter came through the pack.
Andrew then duelled with Jack Elsegood for much of the race and was pleased with his race pace. The team ended up in 9th position at the end of the race.
This result saw the Jesus Racing team end the weekend in 8th position, not a bad result considering they started the first race from 16th.
As the series moves into the 5th round of the Yokohama V8 Ute series at QLD raceway the Jesus Racing Team has managed to maintain 4th position in the championship. The QLD round was where the Jesus Racing Team had its last win, so they hope to replicate this on the weekend.
Other activities
Andrew and Steve were able to engage with many fans over the weekend which was great, the boys also spoke at Darwin Baptist on the Sunday night. This event lead to many new faces attending the Church for the first time.
Darwin - Day Two
Saturday at Hidden Valley got underway with Andrew “Fishtail” Fisher heading out for the last practice session for a final shakedown before qualifying. Practice sessions can be a bit of a game of foxing and the championship leader Grant Johnson chose not to participate in the final session. The time of day lead to some good times being recorded and although not completely happy with the car “Fishtail” managed to record the 7th fastest time, equal to the time he set in the heat during practice two on new tyres.
Not long after the last practice came qualifying. Quite a number of teams made some improvements which saw a lot shuffling in the orders through the session. After all was said and done Andrew finished mid pack in 16th position for the start of the first race. For some reason when we bolted on fresh rubber we did not pick up the same advantage as the day before and Andrew reported that the cars handling was much worse than the previous sessions. It was a tough qualifying session however we did good job to keep the car competitive and to post a time not far off the front running Fords. It was pretty tight at the top!
Race one got underway just after lunch right in the heat of the day. Andrew made a great start and made up 4 positions on the first lap with a number of cars coming together at the first corner. Thankfully Andrew managed to steer clear of the carnage and move through to 12th position. After a good clean run in the Darwin heat the Jesus Racing Team managed to finish in 13th position.
Saturday night will see the team changing the brakes and some suspension components and getting ready for the Sunday. Sunday’s program consist of a reverse grid race at 10 am and then the final race at 1 pm. The best thing about finishing in the middle of the pack in race 1 is you start at the front in the reverse grid race. Andrew will start the second race in the morning from 4th position on the grid.
Make sure you’re tuned in to Channel 7 around 1.30pm (check your local guide) to see the action of the reverse grid race unfold.
In other exciting news, the Jesus Racing screen saver is now available. (For PCs only) Just go to our home page (www.jesusracing.com.au) and click on the link to download the file onto your desktop. There are a whole lot of changing images from the Jesus Racing Ministry
Darwin - Day One
Day one of round 4 of the V8 Ute series in Darwin has been very positive for Andrew Fisher and Jesus Racing. The involvement for the Utes on the Friday is 2 timed practice sessions. These sessions are important for setting the car up for the race meeting and making sure you are fast. Each session runs for 20 minutes which is ample time to post a fast time but not a lot of time to change anything on the car.
Andrew’s first session saw the car being competitive but lacking some grip in some key places on the track. There were no major incidents during the session and Andrew finished in 10th place reasonably happy with the cars performance but with a few changes for the team to make before the second session only 1.5 hours away. The changes were made and Andrew and the team were confident some improvement was possible.
The second session got underway just after 11 am and Andrew’s first flying lap shot him to fastest car on the track. He wasn’t headed for the rest of the session and was the only driver in the 1 minute, 22 second category. In the grand scheme of a race meeting practice sessions are not the most important thing but it’s always better to be up the top and confident in your car than down the back of the pack not knowing how to fix it.
Saturday’s schedule is one more practice session early and then one qualifying session. Race 1 is in the afternoon on Saturday with race 2 and 3 on the Sunday.
We’ll keep you updated with Andrew’s progress and make sure you tune in to the V8 Supercar coverage on channel 7 this Sunday to see the reverse grid race.
Perth Round - May 9/11, 2008
Race 2
Andrew started the reverse grid Race in P11 after finishing race one in 6th place. The whole right hand side of the grid had to deal with a wet racing line after earlier rain and Andrew and the other drivers on his side of the track struggled to make up position and got caught in traffic. Andrew slipped back to 13th spot before making a strong recovery to finish 10th. The racing was fairly fierce and there was a big incident that made the local television news so Andrew was happy to have stayed clear of this.
Race 3
Andrew again started in P11. He made his best start off the line all season and was involved in some great tussles. He had worked his way up to 8th spot with 2 laps to go, closely following local champion driver Clint Harvey.Andrew made a great pass on Harvey with 2 laps to go and held on to clinch 7th position.
The results of the weekend brought some valuable points on a weekend when many teams struggled. It looks as though Andrew may have moved to 3rd or 4th in the championship.
Sunday Night
Straight after the racing Andrew and Steve took off to an Event at one of the WA Baptist churches.
This was a great event that was well attended and saw Andrew and Steve speak about the Jesus Racing Ministry. this was well received and the boys sold lots of merchandise as well as raising $1000.00 from the sale of the damaged front bonnet of the Jesus Ute from the test day accident.
A big thank you to the team, including Owen and Brett and their wives Dawn and Lorraine for making the trip all the way from Tasmania and VOLUNTEERING their time and support! Also a big thank you to Ric and Pauline Birch who have been our main local JAAL point of contact. Their hospitality and friendship was fantastic. Steve Peach as always made a fantastic contribution to the ministry.
As we look to heading home on Tuesday we are really happy with the way the trip has gone, in terms of the racing, the family time and the support we were able to provide the Jesus. All about life (WA) campaign. For those supporters who live in WA, we would encourage your Church to become involved in this great campaign that will begin here in October.
Andrew and Steve look forward to joining you again then.
The third round got underway at Barbagallo raceway in Perth on May 9th. Andrew had 2 practice sessions on the Friday with positive results in both sessions finishing 8th and 9th at the completion of each session - a great result after the accident during testing 8 days before. Jesus Racing would like to thank the boys at Tucker Time for helping to track down a repairer and also to the guys at Just Commodore (unless fixing a Ford) for their tireless work to get the Jesus ute back on the track.
Saturday morning saw us get underway with a rain interupted qualifying session. Heavy rain made conditions tricky and with the likelihood of the session being disrupted by accidents it was important to put down a good lap early. Andrew managed this well getting to second place on the time sheets as the track started to dry out. As the end of the session approached being able to get a clean lap in the drying conditions was paramount. Unfortunately Andrew was caught in traffic as the session was red flagged due to an accident which saw him qualifying in 9th, probably a little further back than his times suggested should have been the outcome.
Race 1 was on Saturday afternoon. Andrew made a fantastic start from 9th and made up 3 places with a couple of really good moves on the opposition that will hopefully be picked up on the telecast. Andrew bought it home in 6th position with hardly a scratch on the car.
Andrew reported that the car is handling really well and the team have made a couple of changes for Sunday's 2 races that should make it a little faster. Andrew is very confident that things will continue to improve for the 2 races on Sunday.
9.30 am will see Andrew line up in 10th position in the reverse grid race that will be carried on Channel Seven's Live V8 Supercar telecast on Sunday. The combined result of those races determines the starting position for the 3rd race.
Stay tuned to Channel 7's broadcast to catch the second race of the weekend.
Eastern Creek - March 8/9, 2008
Round 2 of the 2008 V8 Ute series is upon us already. With the Clipsal 500 in Adelaide only 2 weeks behind us Eastern Creek sees most teams scrambling to get things ready.
Sydney's Eastern Creek is not only Andrew 'Fishtail' Fisher's home track it is also the place where he took his first win in the Yokohama V8 Ute series in 2007, passing Kim Jane who missed a gear coming onto the main straight for a stirring win.
The weekend is sizing up well for Andrew having left Adelaide with a straight race car, no mechanical issues and some good points in the bag after his 14th place and 3rd place in the first two races. Unfortunately the 3rd race was red flagged after a major turn one accident and no points were awarded.
Many of you would have seen the highlights and have realised just how fortunate Andrew was to not end up with serious damage.
Things are very tight on the leadership table with 'Fishtail' being just 11 points off the lead yet down in 11th place overall!
Eastern Creek is also the home event for Jesus Racing's main support, The Bible Society of NSW, who run the Jesus All About Life campaign. Many of the Bible Society team and up to 100 guests will be at the event so it promises to be a positive weekend.
Steve Peach who co ordinates the promotion and ministry opportunities for Jesus Racing and wife Belinda are expecting their first child the week after the Eastern Creek round, Steve plans to be trackside however, but will be ready to jump on a plane to return to the Gold Coast at a moments notice should anything develop while he's away.
The final day of racing for the Jesus Ute began nice and early on the first race of the day (Race 2) was at 9.45 am so it was an early start for Andrew and the boys to get out to the track.
Andrew started at P8 on the grid and unfortunately didn't have the best start and lost a few positions on the opening lap. The first few laps were incident packed and the safety car had to be deployed. Andrew got stuck behind a slower car found it frustrating that other drivers were bumping each other out of the way, this is one area that is really challenging with driving the Jesus Ute as Andrew does not want to be seen as taking people out and he therefore pressed on being careful not to hit the other drivers. Unfortunately this left Andrew in 12th position and feeling a little bruised to say the least.
Race 3 of the weekend was at 2.00pm and Andrew again started from P8. He got a much better start and managed to maintain his position for the majority of the race, albeit with some close racing. Andrew managed to hold off Jack Elsegood (last year's runner-up) for the majority of the race, but Andrew got caught up behind another car and reliquished P8 to Jack in the last lap, but held onto P9 over the line.
So all in all it was a solid weekend for the Jesus Racing Team. As a testament to his consistency, Andrew actually finished the weekend in 7th place and now stands at 5th in the championship with only 7 points between Andrew and 2nd position.
It was fantastic to have Mike, Owen and Brett up from Tasmania to help out over the weekend, as well as Steve Peach's flying visit for the day to attend the Bible Society's function on Saturday even though his wife Belinda is due to give birth to their first child any day.
The next racing event is now not until the second weekend in May at Barbagello in W.A, but Andrew is busy with commitments with the Jesus racing events at Bathurst, Toowoomba and Brisbane over the next few weeks.
Thank you for your support
Clipsal 500 Adelaide February, 2008
This weekend saw the kick off for the 2008 V8 Utes in Adelaide at the Clipsal 500. With 2 solid practice sessions on the Thursday Andrew was well poised for Friday qualifying, the team were just chasing some minor handling issues and an engine fault.
Friday saw Andrew qualify in 11th place and have a solid first race. With only a lap to go Fisher was in 8th place but had to avoid a potential accident in front of him. As a result he lost a number of positions and brought the car home in 14th, but without damage.
Race 2 was the reverse grid and saw Andrew start from the second row. After losing 2 places off the start he regained those 2 positions to finish in 3rd place. A great result, again with a straight car.
Race three on the Sunday morning was filled with excitement. Andrew started from 11th place on the grid with fellow Wollongong Performance Racing driver Colin Corkery behind him in 13th. The first lap was intense with plenty of jostling, the start of the second lap saw a huge accident at turn 1 with Craig Dontas and Matt Kingsley having a major crash. 4 other cars were involved and the race was red flagged as three drivers were taken to hospital.
Andrew finished the race in 8th place but no points were awarded due to its premature conclusion.
After the race weekend Andrew sits in 11th place in the championship, however is just 11 point from 1st place and 7 points off 3rd place and he has a straight car for the next round at Eastern Creek in Sydney. There are a number of teams with a lot of work to do to be ready in the 2 week turn around.
Action in the Paddock
The public have access to the Ute Pit enclosure and over 300,000 people attended the event for the weekend. One of the focuses for Jesus Racing is to engage people personally in the paddock and talk to them about why we race, and why we have Jesus All About Life on the race car.
There were many posters signed by Andrew and lots of discussions had by both Steve Peach (Ministry and Public Relations) and Andrew.
There were also a number of people over the weekend who wanted to support the work of Jesus Racing. Over 40 people signed for the free email updates. All the hats that Jesus Racing had with them were sold along with a handful signing up for the 300/600 campaign to get behind the ministry financially. http://www.jesusracing.com.au/jesusracingsupport
Ministry off the Track
Saturday Night saw the Jesus Racing Team head out to Elizabeth Church of Christ for a BBQ and opportunity for people in the area to meet Andrew and hear a bit of his story. It was a great night of informal interaction for those who enjoy motor sport, and the team appreciate the churches willingness to make the opportunity available and pull it together.
Sunday night had Andrew and Steve back at Elizabeth Church of Christ for their night service. With a good turn out Steve interviewed Andrew about his racing, his family and the ministry focus of the team. Steve went on to preach out about ministry in the marketplace from Acts 17. Again it was a great night for people to get up close and personal about motor sport and outreach in the racing environment.
Many if you no doubt saw Andrew give an interview with Channel 7 about the accident involving Ashley Cooper on the Saturday at the Clipsal event. Ashley sustained substantial injuries during the crash which later took his life. It was a very difficult time for the whole motor sport family and particularly WPR who have very close links to the Cooper family.
It92s important for us to not underestimate the way God will use Andrew and Jesus Racing in a broader sense when tragedy occurs and the deeper questions are being asked. Please pray for the team in this.
Coming up Next
The next race meeting is only 2 weeks away at Eastern Creek on March 7 - 9. This is a short turn around for the team and will create many challenges for most. For Jesus Racing, thankfully Andrew finished Clipsal with a straight car.
Steve will not be at the race meeting due to the impending birth of his first child however being the home track Andrew will no doubt have plenty of supporters on hand.
Jesus Racing would value your support over the coming months in three areas. Firstly in terms of the on track racing for safety, clean racing and good results. Secondly for the ministry that happens both on and off the track. Motor sport is a loved passion of many Australians and provides a meaningful way into the lives of all generations, pray for effective ministry opportunities.
Thirdly please be in prayer about peoples willingness to come on board with the 300/600 campaign. That is what makes this whole ministry possible. There have been many churches both at Katoomba and Clipsal very keen to engage the services of Jesus Racing for Outreach/camps etc but it can only happen when people get behind the ministry via the 300/600 campaign. Please pray for people to respond to this partnership opportunity.
Grace and Peace,
Jesus Racing team
