New Colours: Dean Fiore will be in Jim Beam Racing colours this year, after taking his car and Racing Entitlements Contract (REC) across to Dick Johnson Racing.
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6:45 AM Fri 20 January, 2012
Source: BigPond Sport
RUNNING as a small single car team is tough stuff in the V8 Supercars Championship and after a few years of doing it, Dean Fiore has had enough.
He’s linking up with Dick Johnson Racing for this season in a Jim Beam Falcon, but before he gets stuck into the new challenge, we grabbed the recently married Fiore to get his download on the 2011 championship.
Championship Position: 27th
Best Result: 14th (Hamilton)
Best Qualifying: 10th (Hamilton)
What is your highlight of 2011?
Hamilton – I made the Top 10 Shootout – if I didn’t trigger the beacon at the chicane I would have qualified right at the front. The car was great there. When it’s wet we seem to go well and it’s a leveller!
What is your funniest moment from the 2011 season?
We were staying at Euroa for the Winton event; we booked the whole place out. My team manager got there first; he didn’t think it was quite up to Abu Dhabi palatial standards set earlier in the year!
What are you getting up to during the off-season break?
Honeymoon. Safari. Africa. Sounds pretty good huh! Seeing as my wife is from Albury and I’m from Perth we always have the drama of who goes where for Christmas. We try and do a little bit of both!
What was the race that got away from you this year?
The Saturday race at Sandown. We were looking good for 12th and Dumbrell clean put us into the wall.
New Year’s Resolution?
Get fitter.
2012 Goal?
To finish in the top 15 in the championship and build a steady relationship with my new team.
2011 Rating out of 10?
Two and a half. It stared alright but we had inexperience behind the desk in the engineering department and that cost us some good results early on. Then it was terrible from there on.
