Toughest weekend of year for Webber
Mark Webber endured what he reckoned was his toughest race of the year so far, highlighted when the Australian had a dramatic near miss with the invader who ran onto the track during the event
The Jaguar ace was one of the first cars to arrive on the Hanger Straight after the kilted-demonstrator ran onto the track, and was forced to take avoiding action to avoid hitting him, which left Webber somewhat shocked for the remainder of the race.
"This was my toughest weekend and race of the season so far," said Webber, who finished down the order in 14th. "The afternoon was very long as we battled against debris and spectators on the track. I got caught up behind some traffic after my first stop and that didn't help my strategy. However even with all that in mind, I am pleased to have finished and very pleased not to have killed someone in the process."
Dr Mark Gillan, Jaguar's head of vehicle performance, was disappointed with the team's results, with Webber's team-mate Antonio Pizzonia forced out of the race with an engine problem, but was impressed with the effort shown by both drivers.
"Both drivers drove a strong race despite suffering some issues," said Gillan. "Antonio had an engine issue that ended his race. We cannot confirm the reasons for this, but of course we will have a full investigation back at the factor. Mark also ran a strong race, despite being clearly shocked by coming across a spectator on lap 11. I am very pleased that no-one was injured.
"After all the hard work that the team has put in for their home race it is disappointing not to reward the team or the fans, but the true and accurate pace and performance of the car was not really given the opportunity to be showcased this weekend."
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