Performance & Racing

DAYCO DAVE FINISHES THIRD IN EPIC BATHURST SIX HOUR

Dave Russell partnered with Grant Sherrin for the gruelling race

Dayco Australia ambassador and highly experienced endurance race driver David Russell finished third after an epic 2021 Hi-Tec Oils Bathurst Six Hour Production Car race. Paired with 2019 Bathurst Six Hour champion driver Grant Sherrin, the BMW M4 duo drove a fast-paced race all day, remaining within reach of the race leaders for the majority of the gruelling race. Perfect pit stops combined with an excellently planned race strategy saw Dave in a position to contest for the win when he took over the final driving stint with just over one hour remaining in the Easter Sunday Bathurst race. The Dayco sponsored driver was tasked with having to make up an 11 second deficit on race leaders and BMW M4 rivals Shane Van Gisbergen (driving with Robert Rubis and Shane Smollen) and Tim Leahey (driving with Beric Lynton). Dave was promoted into third position with 54 minutes remaining when rival Tim Slade pitted with tyre issues, setting the fastest lap times of the final stint in pursuit of Tim Leahey. Shane van Gisbergen was leading the final stages with a five second penalty issued by the stewards of the meeting for a Safety Car infringement was hanging over his charge for the victory. Tim Leahey was three seconds behind and Dave in third, a further three seconds in pursuit with 25 minutes remaining in the epic Production Car race. With 12 minutes to run, a mistake from Tim Leahey saw Dave get within striking distance of his BMW powered rival, with the two embarking on a close battle across Mount Panorama for second place, with Shane van Gisbergen extending his lead to 11 seconds. By the chequered flag and after 105 laps of racing, Dave finished in third place behind Tim Leahey and Shane van Gisbergen; the three BMW teams separated by 17 seconds after six hours of racing. This result is Dave’s second Bathurst Six Hour race podium adding to his outstanding record with class wins and victories in every format of Bathurst Production Car endurance racing. “It is great to be on the podium with Grant, he did a fantastic job in his second stint to get our strategy back on track. The Sherrin Racing team did a phenomenal job with our pitsops all day. It’s satisfying to bring our car home in third, ultimately we didn’t have the power on the straights, but we gave it all we had,” Dave said. After qualifying second and gaining another Bathurst outright podium, Dave looks forward to returning to Bathurst in October, co-driving with Brodie Kostecki and the Erebus Motorsport Supercar team in the Repco Bathurst 1000. For more from Dayco, visit www.dayco.com

RECONNECT AT 2021 SEMA

Exhibitors are pulling out all the stops to pave the path for a monumental gathering

Following Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak’s recent commitment to reopen the state at 100 percent capacity by June 1, SEMA Show organisers say exhibitors are demonstrating their commitment and excitement for the 2021 SEMA Show by securing booth space at the event taking place in Las Vegas, Nevada. “The industry has spent the past year separated, and businesses are anxious and eager to reconnect in person,” SEMA Vice President of Events, Tom Gattuso, said. “We’re seeing more and more manufacturers sign up to exhibit at the SEMA Show every day.” More than 1,200 companies are already confirmed to exhibit at the event on November 2-5, at which time the SEMA Show will mark the first industrywide in-person gathering in almost two years. Manufacturers are able to secure space up until the event in November. Utilising the Las Vegas Convention Center’s newly 102 constructed West Hall, the SEMA Show will include exhibits in all four halls, seminars in dozens of meeting rooms, networking events in nearby ballrooms and special displays and interactive attractions in the outdoor areas. Having been separated for more than a year, manufacturers are making plans to impress the industry with enhanced booths and unique displays. “We are hearing an overwhelming response from exhibitors,” Tom said. “They have nearly two years’ worth of innovation to share, and they will be showing it off at the SEMA Show. Based on what we are hearing, exhibitors are pulling out all the stops.” Since 1967, organisers say manufacturers of automotive aftermarket parts have relied on the SEMA Show to debut their new products, showcase new trends and conduct business. Made up mostly of small- to mid-size manufacturers with a deep passion for turning everyday drivers into one-of-a-kind works of art, exhibitors take center stage as they unveil groundbreaking and ingenious products that enhance the performance, styling and functionality of cars, trucks and SUVs. To apply for booth space or register to attend the show, go to www.semashow.com

BOSCH TO DEVELOP ELECTRONIC VEHICLE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM FOR FORMULA E

The development will be part of a new long-term partnership between Bosch and Dragon/Penske Autosport

Bosch Motorsport and the Dragon/Penske Autosport Formula E Team have agreed on a long-term technology and engineering partnership for the Los Angeles and UK headquartered racing team’s cars in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship. Within the framework of this cooperation, Bosch will be developing an electronic vehicle management system specially tailored to the requirements of the Formula E vehicle along with the corresponding hardware and software components required. The system core is represented by the central MS 50.4P vehicle control unit (VCU). Apart from the motor functions and central energy management, the MS 50.4P also controls other vehicle functions such as brake energy recovery and the display in the driver cockpit. “Collaboration with Dragon enhances our successful involvement as a series sponsor of Formula E,” said Dr Markus Heyn, member of the board of management at Robert Bosch GmbH. “With this partnership, Bosch underscores its claim as a leading supplier of powertrain management solutions, both in electromobility for production vehicles and in electrified motorsports.” Plans entail deploying the innovative vehicle management system in a race for the first time in spring 2021. Preparations are already underway, and Bosch is also planning to develop an entire electric powertrain for Formula E season 9. The central VCU offered by Bosch represents the heart of the vehicle electronics for the electric race cars of the Dragon/Penske Autosport Team. Bosch has developed a bespoke vehicle wiring harness to provide optimum integration within the cars. Bosch also equips the Team’s development car with data loggers to improve the Team’s research and testing capabilities. In order to optimally adapt the new vehicle electronics to the overall vehicle, Bosch provides its RaceConnect LTE cloud solution during development and test driving for transferring telemetric data and data analysis. This provides the race team engineers with all the important parameters and data on the vehicle, powertrain, and tyres, enabling them to be analysed and optimised swiftly and efficiently. As the Formula E regulations prescribe the use of many systems, the performance of the electronic system makes a decisive contribution to racing success. Moreover, with the race energy management function of the MS 50.4P the vehicle’s driving performance is adapted dynamically so that the fastest possible lap time can be achieved with a specified amount of energy. What is more, the central vehicle control unit also ensures maximum energy recovery rates in the interplay between the electric and hydraulic brakes, and adapts the powertrain and brakes to the individual race conditions, thereby optimising vehicle feedback to the driver. For more from Bosch, visit www.bosch.com.au

ACS PARTNERS WITH TICKFORD RACING WILDCARD ENTRY

The wildcard entry is being steered by Thomas Randle

Australian Clutch Services will be partnering with Tickford Racing for their wildcard entry in the 2021 Supercars Championship. The wildcard entry will be a Tickford Racing built Mustang driven by 25-yearold Thomas Randle. Thomas has already completed his first round at the OTR SuperSprint where he showed great pace in the #55 Ford Mustang including an eighth place finish in race 10. The remaining two rounds for the wildcard entry include the Darwin round at Hidden Valley Raceway and the Perth Round at Wanneroo raceway. “We are excited to be partnering with Tickford Racing and Thomas Randle for 2021,” Australian Clutch Services General Manager, Simon Acton, said. “Thomas Randle is a great talent and we look forward to supporting a young driver who shows enormous passion and commitment to the sport. “ACS have had a long history in Motorsport all over the world and we look forward to returning to Supercars in 2021.” Thomas has an impressive background in Motorsport including Australian Formula Ford, Formula 4, British Formula 3, Formula Renault 2.0 and even a round in Formula V8 3.5 with Comtec Racing. He made his main game Supercars debut at The Bend in 2019 and put in a great performance competing with the main game drivers. He then went on to win the 2020 Super2 Title with MW Motorsport and this year finished in second place for the VHT S5000 Australian Drivers’ Championship. “It’s fantastic to have the team at Australian Clutch Services onboard the #55 Tickford Racing Mustang for our wildcard program,” Thomas said. “Being Adelaide based it’s great to have the first of our three wildcard rounds in South Australia.” Australian Clutch Services’ leading brands include ClutchPro, Xtreme Clutch, Xtreme Outback, ClutchPro Commercial, AG Clutch and Classic Clutch. Operating for more than 30 years, Australian Clutch Services offers an extensive range of complete clutch kits, flywheels, hydraulics, accessories and tools through a nationwide distributor network. For more information about the ACS range, please visit www.australianclutch.com.au or call 1800 Clutch.