A BIT of pit-lane push and shove in his last outing will not slow Karl Reindler as the V8 Supercars series brings the West Australian to his home track at Barbagallo Raceway this week.
Reindler, the 2005 Cleo Bachelor of the Year, will take his place in the series' fourth event, the Trading Post Perth Challenge, from Friday to Sunday after a controversial final race of the Hamilton circuit last weekend.
The Fair Dinkum Sheds driver made contact with the back of James Moffat's Jim Beam Racing Falcon at turn six, resulting in an unhappy rival after Moffat turned into a wall.
"It was purely unintentional, when you're caught up in the moment it happens and I've been the victim of my fair share," Reindler, 26, said.
"James Moffat, he's a pretty emotional kind of guy and he got pretty upset and approached me afterwards and was yelling and threatening me and stuff, and basically created a really big scene.
"It's a bit unfortunate, he pushed me in the pit lane, but I just shrugged it off. My attitude is that it's water off a duck's back and I'm not really phased by it.
"I've never been one for holding grudges because it never got me anywhere and I'll just focus on the job at hand."
Reindler, a proud Perth boy, has so-far resisted overtures from his team to move east, remaining one of only two WA-based West Australians in the field along with Triple F's Dean Fior. This week's Barbagallo stage will mark Reindler's maiden V8s race in front of his home crowd.
"It's really tough doing it from the West, we are really isolated, we're racing every fortnight from pretty much February through until December, so I rake up some frequent flyer points," Reindler said.
"But I grew up in Perth, I love it here, and I find it difficult to contemplate a move over east, although it would make life easier, that's for sure.
"More than anything, I've got family and friends here who've never even seen me race.
"To come to the track that I grew up with and the track that my dad used to race on, is pretty special."
Reindler is currently competing in only his second V8 Supercar series after making a later-than-usual shift from open-wheel racing, which led him to England after he won the Australian Formula 3 Championships in 2004.
But the staggering costs associated with open-wheel soon spurred a move back to Australia and Reindler has not looked back.
"To make that final step to Formula 1 was going to take more than talent, more than being marketable and presentable, more than even knowing the right people you had to basically bring a bucket-load of money, I'm talking five-to-10 million dollars worth," Reindler said.
"To justify that money, it just wasn't worth it ... so I looked at my options and thought the pinnacle of racing in Australia being the V8 Supercars, that was a good goal to aim for."
Source http://www.perthnow.com.au/
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