Wayne Gardner Q&A

"Everyone says my motorbike experience is paying off, but I've been quick in the wet in the Japanese GT Championship too. They call me the Waynemaster there! It's easy to make a mistake and I think I've been lucky on the day."


"I only did one proper day at Phillip Island. I was supposed to do another one, but I only got a few laps and after that I was too busy with 'Skaifey' (Mark Skaife) pulling Glenn (Seton, team-mate and Ford Tickford Racing boss) outta the car after his accident (in which Seton was injured). Glenn's supplied a good car for me here. It's working very well and the Ford Tickford Racing team has backed me up well."


"Yeah! I'd certainly be worried in Glenn's position. It is much easier. Also I've had a good time racing in Japan with faster cars, so I've honed myself to a faster point in my head. But really I'm walking around with my hands in my pockets with nothing to do but drive the car."


"I'm always open to options. I'm one of Toyota's quickest drivers in Japan so there's obviously an opportunity to go back there. I'm waiting to hear back from them and it's more than likely I'll get an opportunity. But I'm open to offers."


"With my speed in the wet I can catch up a fair bit. What is daunting is that I haven't really tried the car in the dry except at Phillip Island. The cars have changed and been developed quite a bit since last year, but I've got a gut feeling it should be OK in the dry. To be honest I'd prefer a dry race."


"I actually made a couple of mistakes and could have gone a second quicker, but it was quite a nice moment. It's great to come back from racing overseas and give the team something to cheer by starting on pole."