Sieders to make ammends in the Top End

Anyone using last year as a benchmark for this season would probably think that Australian Industrial Supplies' David Sieders is dreading the trip to the Northern Territory for Round Three of the Auto One V8 Ute Series - protected by Armor All next weekend, 17-19 June.

However, the 2010 Rookie of the Year is far from concerned; for the second consecutive year, Sieders held the Championship lead out of the Season Opener in Adelaide, and has slipped to third place after Round Two (just like last year), but he is confident that the team is much better prepared than this time 12 months ago

"The Darwin round last year was far and away our worst result," said Sieders, "but a lot has changed, and a lot of lessons learned since then"

"Most importantly, unlike last year, we're not only heading to Darwin with an engine in great condition, but now we also have a spare...just in case"

After finishing equal fifth in the last round at Perth, Sieders now sits behind the Holden entries of Chris Pither and Grant Johnson in the Enzed Drivers Championship, three points away from the Championship Lead

"Going to Barbagallo, the talk around the paddock was about how much of a 'Holden track' the place is," said Sieders, "we were hoping to buck that trend, but we ended up finishing equal with Ryal Harris for the weekend, as the best placed Fords".

With traffic causing Sieders his major issues in Perth, the 26-year-old is confident to make ammends for the poor Reverse Grid Result in the next round.

"The Reverse Grid is such a critical part of this category," said Sieders, "in Perth, I found myself stuck on the outside of the track at the wrong time, and missed the run that allowed [Chris] Pither and [Grant] Johnson to skip away."

"Our car was far from the pace we needed at Darwin last year, but even after being turned around a couple of times, I managed to make up a few good positions, so I'll be looking for those kinds of breaks again next weekend."

Normally working on the three entries prepared by his family-run Sieders Racing Team between rounds, Sieders will see his car for the first time in seven weeks when he flies into Darwin next Wednesday.

"We're lucky to have some resources around the country, so we prepared the cars straight after the last round, before sending them to Darwin, and they'll go straight from there to Townsville to be prepared for the next Round," said Sieders.

A recent change to the schedule has been confirmed by the V8 Ute Category Managers, announcing that the Darwin Round will see an extra race for the weekend, with a total of five sessions, including Qualifying, attracting Championship Points. "I'm all for more races," said Sieders, "ultimately, that's what we live to do, so to get more track time is great, and it also puts another 32 points up for grabs in what is already a tough title chase".

The Auto One V8 Ute Series resumes for Round Three of the Championship at Hidden Valley Raceway with two practice sessions on Friday 17th June, Qualifying, Race One and Two on Saturday, with Races Three and Four on Sunday.

Live Race Broadcasts will air on Saturday 18th June at 2pm on Network Seven, and Sunday 19th June at 1pm on SevenMate, with a post-produced special telecast by Network Seven on 2nd July at 12:30 (check local guides).

"I wasn't able to show just what we're capable at Hidden Valley last year, so we'll be doing everything possible to stick with the front-runners this time around."