MONDAY, OCTOBER 5: James Courtney predicts the historic Bathurst 1000
qualifying lap record set by New Zealander Greg Murphy in 2003 will come
under siege this week by a fleet of frontrunning cars - and he hopes his
Jim Beam Racing Falcon will be among them.

Murphy's record time of 2-minutes 6.859-seconds (average speed 176km/h)
around the 6.2km Mount Panorama circuit six year's ago is now part of
Bathurst folklore, and Courtney said it would again be the target in
qualifying for the 10th round of the 2009 V8 Supercar Championship from
October 8-11.

"Winning Sunday's race is by far the most important thing at Bathurst,
but every year there is always plenty of extra interest whether anyone
can beat 'Murph's' (qualifying) record," said Courtney.

"I think a few of us can finally do it this year, and hopefully I'll be
the one leading the pack."

The 29-year-old, who finished on the podium in the past three years at
Bathurst, is set for his fifth start in the annual 1,000km endurance
event and will share an FG Falcon with Steve Johnson.

As a pointer to pole position at Bathurst, Courtney and championship
leader Jamie Whincup from Team Vodafone have been the most consistent
drivers in qualifying during the 2009 championship.

Both have finished in the top 10 in 15 of the 16 championship qualifying
sessions they have contested this year, and Whincup has the best average
grid position with 4.06, followed by Courtney in second position on
5.56.

Courtney said it was unusual Murphy's record, set in a Commodore, had
remained intact considering advances in technology, and chassis, engine
and tyre development in the time since.

"So much has happened since 2003 - I was racing Formula 3 in Japan back
then," he said.

"At many tracks the (V8 Supercar) lap times keep coming down every year,
which you expect, so the situation at Bathurst is unique - 'Murf'
clearly did a great job back in '03 for his record to last as long as it
has."

Courtney believes the introduction of the FG Falcon this year, which
replaced the BF model he raced in 2008, could be decisive in whether
Murphy's record is bettered.

"This is the first time we've had the FG at Bathurst, and so far it's
had consistent qualifying speed at most tracks," said Courtney.

The two-times world karting champion and ex-Jaguar Formula One test
driver qualified third at Bathurst in 2008, with a time of 2-mins
7.702-secs, and clocked the fastest lap of the race with 2-mins
9.277-secs on the way to finishing third.

"To be quick at Bathurst it's important to minimise mistakes because
it's such a long lap," he said.

"You have to maintain speed through the right-hander at the top of
Mountain Straight, keep the car stable and flowing across the top of the
mountain, and make a good exit out of Forest Elbow for the run down
Conrod Straight."

Courtney's best results this year to date were a race win in Townsville
in July, and second places in races at events at Hamilton in New
Zealand, Sandown in Victoria, and at Queensland Raceway. He is seventh
in this year's championship.

The Gold Coast-based driver and Johnson finished fourth in the 500km
endurance race at Phillip Island in Victoria on September 13, behind the
teams of Garth Tander-Will Davison (Holden Racing Team), Jamie
Whincup-Craig Lowndes (Team Vodafone), and Mark Winterbottom-Steven
Richards (Ford Performance Racing).

"There were only 14-seconds between the top four cars at the end of the
Phillip Island race, so I think Steve and I will be right in the thick
of it at Bathurst," said Courtney.

"This is the first time I've had a team-mate at Bathurst who is racing
fulltime in the championship, which is important because since I came
into V8 Supercars no team with part-time drivers has won this event."

Practice at Mount Panorama begins on Thursday. There will be further
practice and qualifying sessions on Friday, with the Top 10 Shoot Out on
Saturday to determine the first five rows of the grid for the race.

BATHURST 1000 - FAST FACTS

TRACK: 6.2km (race 161 laps)

RACE LAP RECORD: 2-mins 8.465-secs, Jamie Whincup (Ford) 2007

QUALIFYING LAP RECORD: 2-mins 6.859-secs, Greg Murphy (Holden) 2003

2008 POLE POSITION: 2-mins 7.296-secs, Garth Tander (Holden)

2008 RACE RESULTS: 1st Jamie Whincup-Craig Lowndes (Ford); 2nd Greg
Murphy-Jason Richards (Holden); 3rd James Courtney-David Besnard (Ford).
Fastest Race Lap: Courtney 2-mins 9.277-secs

2009 CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS (after event 9): Jamie Whincup (Ford) 2,254;
Will Davison (Holden) 2,083; Garth Tander (Holden) 1,738; Craig Lowndes
(Ford) 1,725; Steven Johnson (Ford) 1,590; Mark Winterbottom (Ford)
1,574; James Courtney (Ford) 1,370; Russell Ingall (Holden) 1,364; Rick
Kelly (Holden) 1,336; Lee Holdsworth (Holden) 1,310

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

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

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