The introduction of soft-compound 'sprint' tyres in this year's V8
Supercar Championship has been an interesting challenge for teams.

Teams have adopted several different strategies to maximise the extra
grip of the Dunlop V8 Sport Maxx tyres across two races at six
championship events.

The 'sprint' tyres were used at Winton in Victoria, Symmons Plains in
Tasmania, Darwin's Hidden Valley, Sandown in Melbourne, Queensland
Raceway, and at Barbagallo Raceway near Perth.

For most of those events I had 'sprint' tyres fitted to my Jim Beam
Racing Falcon at the start of the first race, and I had second places at
Sandown and at Queensland Raceway.

However, my team and I tried something different for the two races in
the13th and penultimate event at Barbagallo Raceway (November 20-22).

I started the first race over 100km on Saturday on the Dunlop 'control'
tyres and then switched to 'sprint' rubber when I made my mid-race
pit-stop.

We felt a change to 'sprint' tyres would give me a chance to win if the
field was bunched together by a Safety Car period in the second half of
the race.

It was a gamble, but a calculated one, because traditionally there are
usually plenty of Safety Cars in races on the 2.4km sand-swept track.

Unfortunately, there were no Safety Cars, and I finished fourth. It was
a solid result, but a Safety Car could have made it so much better.

I also started the second race on Sunday (200km), on the 'sprint' tyre,
and moved up to third by lap 10.

The tyres then began to lose grip, which was understandable considering
I had used them the previous day, and I went off the track before my
first pit-stop. I completed the race on 'control' rubber and finished
10th.

Ironically, there was a Safety Car period mid-race, and this allowed
some of the cars on 'sprint' tyres to pass me toward the end.

So on this occasion the Safety Cars at Barbagallo Raceway didn't help
me, but maybe next time they will. These things tend to even out over
time.

Overall I scored 198 championship points for my results, which lifted me
from ninth to eighth in the series with just one event remaining, the
inaugural Sydney 500 from December 4-6.

On the Monday after the racing I was back at Barbagallo for a ride day
with 3 Mobile, one of our team's sponsors. Later that day I made an
appearance for my personal sponsors JELD-WEN.

The next day my wife Carys and I caught a flight to England to attend
the wedding of sports car driver Marino Franchitti. He was my 'best man'
when Carys and I were married back in 2005 and we have been friends for
many years.

Marino is a brother of this year's Indycar champion Dario Franchitti.
Marino is marrying Holly Mason, daughter of Pink Floyd drummer Nick
Mason.

Both Marino and Holly stayed with Carys and I at our Gold Coast home
during a visit to Australia last year.

The wedding is on Saturday. While I'm in England I will also be catching
up with my British-based manager Alan Gow.

After the wedding I will be returning to Australia next Tuesday, flying
into Sydney a few days before the final championship event at Homebush.

I was overseas racing in 2000 when the Sydney Olympic Games were held at
Homebush. I had never been there until earlier this year when I did a
lap of the new street circuit in a taxi.

There has been a lot of pre-promotion for this event, and it is a major
step forward for our category in terms of developing a bigger public and
media profile.

Predicting the outcome is impossible, but I've usually been competitive
on V8 Supercar street circuits and hopefully that will be the case at
Homebush.

Keep smiling.

JC

BARBAGALLO RESULTS - JAMES COURTNEY
EVENT 13, V8 Supercar Championship, (November 20-22)

Qualifying - Race 1: 9th
Top 10 Shoot Out: 10th
Race 1 Result: 4th
Qualifying - Race 2: 8th
Race 2 Result: 10th

CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS (after event 13): Jamie Whincup (Ford) 3,175; Will
Davison (Holden) 2,894; Garth Tander (Holden) 2,766; Craig Lowndes
(Ford) 2,544; Steven Johnson (Ford) 2,177; Mark Winterbottom (Ford)
2,147; Rick Kelly (Holden) 2,078; James Courtney (Ford) 1,988; Lee
Holdsworth (Holden) 1,886; Russell Ingall (Holden) 1,871.