Ash Walsh is a driver in the 2013 Dunlop V8 Supercar Series. The Dunlop Series, formerly known as the Fujitsu V8 Supercar Development Series, is the second tier V8 Supercar Series in Australia. Ash will compete in the 2013 series in a Matt Stone Racing Ford Falcon. To keep up to date with Ash’s racing, be sure to visit this site regularly.
Infants’ Friend V8 Supercar driver Ash Walsh has wrapped up his season netting 2nd place overall in the 2013 Dunlop Series. The final round held as part of the Sydney NRMA Motoring and Services 500 was one of highs and lows for Walsh. With a Pole Position and great first race win, Ash lined up on Pole Position again hoping to close out the year with another win.
However, his race was over before it began. During the warm up lap, Ash was running through the normal start procedure when the rear axle snapped. It was an unexpected and disappointing end of the season for the young Ipswich based driver. Walsh pulled the car off the grid and into the Pit lane, hopping out of the car as the field got away.
Walsh was philosophical, but pleased with the win and Pole Position prior to the final event. The Infants’ Friend Team will now take a well earned break before planning the 2014 season.
#87 – Ash Walsh – Infants’ Friend FG Falcon
“I was just going through the normal start up procedure, grabbed first gear to do a burn out and the axle snapped. So that was it! All these parts have a racing life but there was no sign of something like this happening. It was a tough way to finish the weekend after Pole and a race win”
Speaking on the overall series, Ash said, “We have had some bad luck this year but a round and a few race wins shows that the Infants’ Friend MSR Falcon can do the job. I am happy with my own performance this year and second in the Dunlop Series given the quality of the field is a good result. I will analyse all the results and look to come back stronger in 2014.”
Twitter: AshWalsh45
Infants’ Friend V8 Supercar driver Ash Walsh has delivered a dominant performance in the opening race of the 2013 Dunlop Series. After a last lap do or die quaffing lap, Walsh grabbed Pole Position to start at the head of the 30 car field.
All the series contenders were at the front of the field as the cars gridded for Race one of two this weekend. Series point’s leader Dale Wood sat one row behind Ash, with Steve Owen and Jack Perkins making up the first two rows.
Walsh made a great start and instantly gapped the field running in clear air. Behind him a huge battle was brewing between Perkins and Wood, with Owen about ½ second behind Ash. Incidents up and down the field were coming thick and fast and not unexpectedly a Safety Car was called for. With the field closed right up, Ash jumped well at the restart but Owen was much closer to the rear bumper of the Infants’ Friend MSR Falcon. As the laps ran down Owen was pushing hard but a cool headed Walsh resisted every attempt and in fact increased the gap in the dying laps.
The Matt Stone crew were on the fence to cheer on Walsh as he crossed the line in 1st place. A great reward for Ash and the team and a clear second place in the 2013 Dunlop Series locked away.
#87 – Ash Walsh – Infants’ Friend FG Falcon
“It was great to put my starting woes behind me and get away really well from Pole.” Ash joked. “I had Steve (Owen) really pressuring me for over half the race. We had decided to start with lower tyre pressures but as the race progressed it was really good. I could work on the bias and tune the car as the laps rolled on. When Owen started to come at me I really focussed on not giving him any opportunity to come past. I was still having a little bit of squirming under brakes so I knew if I could keep him covered there was a good chance I could gap him at the end. It is a great result for the Infants’ Friend Falcon, and the team really deserved this win. I am really looking forward to see if we can do it all again tomorrow.”
Web: www.ashwalshmotorsport.com
Twitter: AshWalsh45
The 2013 Dunlop Series comes down to the wire this weekend at the Sydney NRMA Motoring and Services 500. With Infants’ Friend Falcon driver Ash Walsh battling Dale Wood for the overall championship in the Dunlop Series, today’s Practice session was an important guide to the form of the lead contenders. And Walsh did not disappoint finishing the day in a very strong position two in the 30 car field.
Recent rounds have seen Walsh and the Matt Stone Racing team chasing the MW Motorsport Falcons of Wood and Owen as well as Jack Pekins in the ex Tekno Commodore. But the Infants Friend Ford was right in the mix today in both sessions.
Ash was exploring grip levels and some re contoured kerbing and by his own admission had to really drive hard to post his best time. The crew have some more tuning to do overnight but are confident that the car will be on the pace in the critical Qualifying session on Saturday morning.
#87 – Ash Walsh – Infants’ Friend FG Falcon
“We improved a lot from the morning session. There were no real issues between each Practice session, so we were able to change the spring rates and it did help. I was really concentring this afternoon on the lines into the corners and not getting the car too high off the kerbs. You fly the car here over these kerbs and it just does not want to come down! The Dunlop Series is ultra competitive so you have to take some risks to punch out the times.”
2013 Dunlop Series Pointscore – after 6 rounds of 7
1 Dale Wood 1586
2 Ashley Walsh 1358
3 Andrew Jones 1194
4 Jack Perkins 1146
5 George Miedecke 1090
6 Steve Owen 1027
7 Drew Russell 988
8 Daniel Gaunt 943
9 Taz Douglas 894
10 Aaren Russell 828
Web: www.ashwalshmotorsport.com
Twitter: AshWalsh45
In front of a bumper weekend crowd of over 175,000 fans, the second leg of the Armor All Gold Coast 600 was a more sedate affair than Saturday’s race. For Dick Johnson Racing, today’s race has delivered another strong result for the #12 Wilson Security backed car of Chaz Mostert / Dale Wood and another Top 20 result for the #17 Advam Falcon of Tim Blanchard & Ash Walsh.
Qualifying saw another Top 10 grid spot for Mostert in P9. Tim Blanchard could not repeat his Saturday form and lined up on row 12 of the grid. Once again it was up to the co drivers Dale Wood and Ash Walsh to do the opening stints of the race. Safety cars would play a role in ensuring the drivers completed their mandatory 34 laps and actually extended both drivers time in the seat. Wood was first to pit on Lap 21 under Safety Car with Walsh just missing the pit lane and completing another lap. The second stint was a long one and both DJR cars were making good progress through the field. Wood was running as high as 5th and Walsh just made the Top 10 as the stops again cycled through.
It was over to Mostert and Blanchard to run the final laps and with all cars on exactly the same fuel and tyre strategy it would be a race to the flag. Mostert was immediately on the pace moving up from 15th to just miss another Top 10 berth, a P11 backed up nicely his P9 from Saturday.
Blanchard was not able to capitalise as he felt he may have damaged a rim on one of the big kerbs on the Gold Coast track and had to drive with a heavy vibration for the final 20 odd laps. He would cross the line in P16, benefiting from late race accidents for Courtney and Moffat.
#17 – Advam Falcon – Tim Blanchard
“Not as good as yesterday, but we pushed on well. Ash did another great, and long, opening stint and we were in good shape. I think I bent a rim on one of the big kerbs on the last restart and it made the car a handful with a big vibration through the steering wheel. But the car is straight and we have some good points from the weekend. We are getting more competitive at every outing, the last couple of rounds in particular. I am looking forward to Phillip Island later this month.”
#17 – Advam Falcon – Ash Walsh – Co Driver
“We didn’t quite have the car we had yesterday. The start went well and I just wanted to keep out of trouble in those early laps. Our strategy just missed the opportunity to pit at the first Safety Car and I had to run another lap. It cost us track position but staying out longer in the second stint did give us back quite a few positions. We just didn’t have the pace at the end when everyone was on the same strategy. It has been a great experience to race the #17 DJR Falcon with Tim. To get good results at Bathurst and here made up for the Sandown hiccup!”
The Armor All Gold Coast 600 threw up a myriad of challenges for the DJR / Wilson Security Team but both the #12 Falcon of Chaz Mostert / Dale Wood and its sister car the #17 Advam Falcon of Tim Blanchard & Ash Walsh secured strong results. Mostert bringing the car home inside the Top 10.
It was a race of what could have been for Blanchard and Walsh after a superb Qualifying run netted a P12 starting position. Blanchard was in and out of the Top 10 with seconds to spare and pushed hard on his final laps. Not so happy was Chaz Mostert who would line up in P23 after encountering a front end problem.
All but five cars elected to start their co drivers so it was Dunlop Series stars Walsh and Wood who would take the green light. A minimum requirement of 34 laps from the race distance of 102 ensured the co drivers would have to undertake at least two stints behind the wheel.
With Safety Cars expected, this strategy would work well for some but not for others. The #17 Advam Falcon was in trouble as the clutch went away on the practice start then all together at the race start. With this problem, Ash Walsh was doing a great job and was on the move from the word go and broke into the Top 10 by the time the first safety car was called on Lap 13. Dale Wood was making slower progress in the traffic and pitted with the first opportunity. From this point mixed fuel and pit stop strategies would be the order of the day.
The race became quite topsy-turvy from this point with cars running at the front then dropping way down as they cycled their pit stops. Wood handed over to Chaz Mostert and despite the Wilson Security Falcon showing some battle scars on the bonnet had pushed well up into the Top 15. A great effort from so far back.
Walsh and Blanchard too were hovering well in the Top 10 until tragedy stuck Tim at his final stop. The failed clutch meant that the starter motor was being used to get the car away from the pit box, but at Tim’s last stop it cried enough. This put paid to a fine run from the young pair and relegated the car back to P19 at the flag.
Sunday will see another 300km event with a fresh Qualifying session in the morning.
#17 – Advam Falcon – Tim Blanchard
“I was very happy with Qualifying delivering the team my best result this year. Ash did a great job early on keeping the car inside the Top 10 for most of his stint. We lost the clutch from the start but we drove around it, but we had to use the starter motor to get the car moving at each stop. Unfortunately at the last stop it had enough. We are pretty gutted – the Advam Falcon was really good today and a solid place in the Top 10 on pace was on.”
#17 – Advam Falcon – Ash Walsh – Co Driver
“From the practice start I had a clutch problem, which at the Green Lights became a clutch failure. So we were pretty lucky to get away cleanly. We settled into a good race pace and found the car was really quick and able to run inside the Top 10 even allowing for others pit strategies. The second Pit Stop threw up another problem when my cool suit hose got stuck in the seat so we dropped some time and it did force a slight change of strategy. Tim jumped in and we could see the starter motor issue getting worse, and in the end it cost us a Top 10. Still, I think we showed today that we really can run in a very good race position.”