THURSDAY, AUGUST 6: History and current form indicate James Courtney is on target to repeat his 2008 pole position and race win 'double' at Queensland Raceway when the V8 Supercar Championship resumes on August 21-23.

Courtney claimed pole position as fastest qualifier and won the first of the three races in the previous championship round on the 3.1km circuit near Ipswich 13 months ago.

"I've always been quick at Queensland Raceway, and right now I feel I have the momentum to have a good shot at more race wins there," said the Jim Beam Racing Falcon driver.

"In the past month we proved we can be as competitive as anyone with race pace, strategy and pit-stops."

Gold Coast-based Courtney goes into the eighth event of this year's championship at Queensland Raceway fresh from impressive form in Townsville (July 10-12) and at Sandown in Melbourne (July 31-August 2).

The 29-year-old won a race in Townsville and had a second place at Sandown. He also qualified on the front row of the grid for races at both events.

Courtney said he would be further assisted for this month's two championship races at Queensland Raceway because it was the official test track for teams he had driven for since entering the series fulltime, firstly Stone Brothers Racing (2006-08), and now with JBR.

"I've done plenty of laps around Queensland Raceway, whether racing or testing, and that helps with track knowledge and car set-up," said the JELD-WEN sponsored driver.

"It looks like a straight-forward track when you see the layout, but the secret for quick laps is knowing what lines to take to avoid the bumps, or how to ride over them without getting out of shape."

"The surface is bumpy through Turns One and Two, on the entry to Three and Four, and on the exit to Five and Six."

Apart from 2008, Courtney's past championship results at Queensland Raceway also include qualifying on the second row in both 2006 and 2007, and finishing third in three of the six races held in those two years.

Courtney, an ex-Formula One test driver with Jaguar and dual world karting champion, said he anticipated strong spectator support at Queensland Raceway for the JBR team, co-owned by legend Dick Johnson, whose son Steven is his team-mate.

"I noticed at Sandown last week our team had plenty of extra support, and many Ford fans told us they were pleased to see us up the front mixing it with the factory cars," said Courtney.

"Dick (Johnson) and his team have always had a big following in Queensland, and I'm sure many local supporters will turn up wanting to us do well."

Courtney finished sixth in the 2008 championship, but had a difficult start this year's series. Crashes in Adelaide and Tasmania left him 20th in the series after four events, but he has since improved to 14th, and is only 58 points outside the top 10.

"Race wins are worth 150 points at Queensland Raceway, so I'm after as many of them as I can get," he said.

The Queensland Raceway event begins with three practice sessions on August 21, qualifying and a 100km race the following day, and qualifying and a 200km race on August 23.

JAMES COURTNEY - PAST QUEENSLAND RACEWAY RESULTS:

2008:
Qualifying: 1st (lap time 1-min 10.735-secs)
Race Results: 1st, 6th, 2nd

2007:
Qualifying: 4th (lap time 1-min 10.448-secs)
Race Results: 3rd, 4th, 18th (penalised 27-seconds for driving infringement)

2006:
Qualifying: 3rd (lap time 1-min 10.610-secs)
Race Results: 3rd, 3rd, did not finish (engine problem)

MEDIA ENQUIRIES: Mike Porter - Tel: (0417) 311-997. E-mail: mikep@qldnet.com.au

WEBSITE: http://www.jamescourtney.com.au

PHOTOGRAPHS: jpeg images of James Courtney available for media/editorial use