VOLUME 4 - ISSUE 2
IT’S OUR BEST OIL YET... WWW.CASTROLEDGE.COM.AU
20th FEBRUARY 2014
V8 SUPERCARS KICKSTART WITH OFFICIAL TEST DAY The 2014 V8 Supercars Championship kicked off over the weekend with all teams taking to the Sydney Motorsport Park circuit in a free event for spectators. The Castrol-backed Nissan pair Todd and Rick Kelly were second and third fastest respectively ahead of Craig Lowndes, James Courtney, Shane van Gisbergen, Jason Bright, Michael Caruso, Dale Wood and James Moffat. As usual, tyre condition and compound choice played a large role in the final order, with the eventual top runners having elected to use the softer option. The Mark Winterbottom and Chaz Mostert driven Castrol-oiled Fords were in the bottom half of the field for the majority of the day; positions that team principal Tim Edwards put down to track and tyre conditions.
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“We didn’t look at the time sheets because when your tyres aren’t great it’s just pointless,” he said. “The weather hampered our test plan a little bit but we still got a lot of things done.” The day saw Winterbottom working with Will Davison’s former engineer Grant McPherson for the first time following James Small’s move to NASCAR. The afternoon’s session ran green for its duration, after the morning had started in heavily wet conditions, ensuring the early running was undertaken on grooved rubber. Castrol EDGE-backed Supercheap Auto Racing’s Tim Slade was 11th fastest for the day as Russell Ingall held the fastest time by the halfway point before ending the day in 13th. Pos
Team
Driver
Car
Laps
Time
1
Lockwood Racing
Fabian Coulthard
Holden Commodore VF
52
01:30.48
2
Jack Daniel’s Racing
Todd Kelly
Nissan Altima
33
01:31.12
3
Jack Daniel’s Racing
Rick Kelly
Nissan Altima
13
01:31.16
4
Red Bull Racing Australia
Craig Lowndes
Holden Commodore VF
58
01:31.48
5
Holden Racing Team
James Courtney
Holden Commodore VF
21
01:31.58
6
TEKNO Team VIP Petfoods
Shane Van Gisbergen
Holden Commodore VF
55
01:31.58
7
Team BOC
Jason Bright
Holden Commodore VF
46
01:31.83
8
Norton Hornets
Michael Caruso
Nissan Altima
37
01:31.89
9
Team ADVAM / GB
Dale Wood
Holden Commodore VF
40
01:31.89
10
Norton Hornets
James Moffat
Nissan Altima
22
01:31.91
11
Supercheap Auto Racing
Tim Slade
Holden Commodore VF
30
01:32.01
12
Walkinshaw Racing
Nick Percat
Holden Commodore VF
40
01:32.03
13
Repair Management Aust Racing
Russell Ingall
Holden Commodore VF
26
01:32.11
14
Erebus Motorsport V8
Lee Holdsworth
Mercedes E63 AMG
32
01:32.11
15
Red Bull Racing Australia
Jamie Whincup
Holden Commodore VF
36
01:32.17
16
Pepsi Max Crew FPR Ford
Chaz Mostert
Ford Falcon FG
37
01:32.26
17
Valvoline Racing GRM
Robert Dahlgren
Volvo S60
42
01:32.26
18
Pepsi Max Crew FPR Ford
Mark Winterbottom
Ford Falcon FG
21
01:32.36
19
Valvoline Racing GRM
Scott McLaughlin
Volvo S60
36
01:32.38
20
Holden Racing Team
Garth Tander
Holden Commodore VF
43
01:32.42
21
Jeld-wen FPR Ford
Jack Perkins
Ford Falcon FG
35
01:32.53
22
Wilson Security Racing
David Wall
Ford Falcon FG
35
01:32.58
23
The Bottle-O FPR Ford
David Reynolds
Ford Falcon FG
27
01:32.75
24
Wilson Security Racing
Scott Pye
Ford Falcon FG
36
01:32.89
25
Erebus Motorsport V8
Will Davison
Mercedes E63 AMG
22
01:33.03
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Volvo drivers Robert Dahlgren and Scott McLaughlin ended the test 17th and 19th fastest respectively having completed a combined total of 174 laps. Guest drivers Oliver Gavin (Walkinshaw Racing) and Alex Buncombe (Nissan Motorsport) both enthused over their laps despite the poor conditions. Other non-primary drivers present included Steven Richards and Paul Dumbrell (Red Bull), Greg Murphy (Holden Racing Team), Andre Heimgartner (Dick Johnson Racing) and Tony D’Alberto, who sampled Tim Slade’s Walkinshaw entry ahead of a possible endurance drive with the team.
CASTROL CONTINUES SUPPORT OF FPR V8 SUPERCAR SQUAD Castrol EDGE will once again partner Ford Performance Racing in both a technical and commercial partnership as the team embarks on an exciting season in the V8 Supercars Championship. The team continues with title partners Ford Australia and Pepsi Max with strong support from Castrol which has been a foundation partner for the factory outfit. Ford Pepsi Max Crew will marry a fresh new on-track look with a driver line-up providing the important mix of experience and youth for the 2014 V8 Supercars season and beyond. Bathurst 1000 winner Mark Winterbottom returns for his ninth season with the factory Ford team where he will be joined for the first time in his career by a rising star as FPR young gun Chaz Mostert steps up to the team’s #6 entry. FPR Team Principal Tim Edwards believes the
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team’s new line-up is already bringing unexpected benefits and feels fans have a lot to look forward to. “Having Chaz around the team has already started to boost morale and bring a renewed level of enthusiasm and determination which has been a very welcome bonus,” Edwards said. “Last year he proved his talent and while the step up this year and pressure is far greater, he knows he has the support of everyone working with him so the environment is the right one which is important when it comes to developing young drivers. “Mark has spent time mentoring him over the last few years so their relationship is strong and he is really enjoying having a young driver in the other car. Also, the established relationships within our engineering group will provide a great
working environment for everyone in the team. We have won at every track on the calendar, we know what it takes to win and the equipment and personnel is capable of doing the job. If we can make a better start to the season than last year we are well and truly in with a chance. We’re ready and up for the battle ahead.” Winterbottom signed a new deal with the team late last year which will see him stay with FPR until at least the end of 2016. With more than 300 race starts he is looking forward to the challenge of a young, fast team-mate and the new dynamic within the Pepsi Max-backed squad which will see him work with long-serving FPR race engineer, Grant McPherson. “Chaz is probably the most similar team-mate to me I’ve ever had, we’ve come from the same type of background so I have a lot of respect for him,” Winterbottom said. “I am also looking forward to working with Grant as it is good to change and work with a different mindset as it will make us think more and will bring out the best in both of us. We will naturally need to work harder to build our understanding so there will be no laziness. Overall, the whole team is in the best mindset for the year ahead and it is nice to get some young hungry guys in the other cars as that pushes everyone.” This year will be Mostert’s first full V8 Supercars season after a late and unexpected call-up to the main series last year allowed the 21-year-old to demonstrate he had the talent to drive for Ford’s official factory team. “Obviously this is a dream this year to be driving for the Pepsi Max Crew in car six and I am really excited to get some good results for the team and for myself,” Mostert said. “I’m looking forward to creating some noise both on and off the track for the Pepsi Max Crew. There is an awesome engineering group here so the hard work ahead will be made easier by the support of such a great bunch of people. I can’t wait for Adelaide to come around. It is going to be a physically and mentally tough start to the year but all drivers start the year with zero points on
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the board so I will just give it my all and see where I end up at the end of my first full year in V8 Supercars.” Making the transition easier will be the continuation of his working relationship with race engineer Adam De Borre. “It is fantastic to have Adam come along with me as he proved last year how good he is as an engineer and I really enjoyed working with him,” Mostert said. “It is a real honour for us both to get the call up to the factory Ford team and we both have things we want to achieve so it is good for us to continue together. When we work together it just feels like a couple of young guys hanging out so that closeness has cemented how close we work together.” The V8 Supercars season kicks off in Adelaide for the Clipsal 500, March 1-2.
CASTROL-BACKED JOHN FORCE SMASHES RECORDS TO WIN NHRA OPENER Castrol-backed John Force has dominated the opening round of the 2014 Mello Yello series by winning the 54th annual Circle K NHRA Winternationals. This was John Force’s sixth final in a row as he was also the No. 1 qualifier and set the national elapsed time record (3.965 seconds) and speed record (324.12 mph). For the seventh time in his career, Force drove his Castrol GTX High Mileage Mustang Funny Car to victory at the Pomona-based strip. Force defeated Matt Hagan with an earth shattering time of 3.965 seconds at over 323 MPH to Hagan’s tire smoking time of 6.61 seconds. “I’ve got a good race car. It is amazing. We are out here trying to run good for the fans,” said Force. “Jimmy Prock (Crew chief) and the whole brain trust
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are working together. You take a 64 year-old-man and put him in a fire suit, you are Superman but I am back in the game and we are excited.”
the points lead and a new Funny Car record for both the elapsed time and speed, something he hasn’t done since 2004.
John Force leaves the Circle K NHRA Winternationals with his 139th race win,
Robert Hight entered as the No. 2 qualifier and his Auto Club Ford
Mustang was the first Funny Car to advance to the second round. His Mike Neff tuned Auto Club Mustang outran Tim Wilkerson convincingly, posting a new career best elapsed time, 3.986 seconds at 318.69 mph. Hight made his first official three second run on Friday night a 3.996 second pass. In the second round against eventual finalist Matt Hagan Hight lost
a close side by side race. Courtney Force was shorted one qualifying pass when the throttle cable broke during her burnout in the first session, but she came back with a 4.046 at 320.13 mph to eventually put her Traxxas Ford Mustang team in the No. 7 spot going into race day. Force lined up against Matt Hagan in the opening round of eliminations.
Despite putting on a great show for the fans, Force lost when her Traxxas Ford Mustang posted a 4.083 to Hagan’s 4.036 ET. Brittany Force had a short day at the Circle K NHRA Winternationals as well with her first round loss to rookie Richie Crampton, but her spirit and attitude remain upbeat as she’s more determined to put her Castrol EDGE Dragster in the winner’s circle.
2014 MELLO YELLO POINT STANDINGS - FUNNY CAR
STRENGTH TO PERFORM
POS
DRIVER
POINTS
1
John Force
144
2
MATT HAGAN
94
3
DEL WORSHAM
76
4
BOB TASCA III
71
5
Robert Hight
61
12
Courtney Force
33
STRENGTH TO PERFORM
2014 BNT V8 SuperTourer overall drivers title POS
DRIVER
POINTS
1st
Greg Murphy
553
2nd
Andre Heimgartner
425
3rd
Ant Pedersen
418
4th
Richard Moore
409
5th
Simon Evans
392
CASTROL-BACKED MURPHY MAKES IT SIX IN A ROW IN NZ SUPERTOURERS Castrol EDGE driver Greg Murphy completed a clean sweep of race wins of the second round of the BNT V8 SuperTourers Championship at Manfeild. Murphy has now bagged all six races in the 2014 title hunt as the touring car legend commences a charge for a second straight title in the Castrol-oiled Mike Pero Mortgages Holden. While Murphy remains unbeaten, Simon Evans pushed hard and established himself as the new star of the series. “Simon just drove beautifully,” Murphy said. “He just pushed and pushed, he didn’t give up. It’s not easy – I was pushing eleven-tenths all the way. If I relaxed a bit he was right on me again.” Castrol-backed Ant Pedersen, a close second to Murphy in the 2013 championship, qualified on pole for race one but spun coming out of the first corner. On Sunday he steered his Ford
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Falcon to second in the first race, ahead of Evans, and came third in the finale. Andre Heimgartner was third overall for the round, just ahead of another Castrol-backed driver, Richard Moore in fourth.
The next round of the BNT V8 SuperTourer championship, running within the Hankook Super Series, will be staged at Pukekohe on the weekend of March 22-23.
CASTROL EDGE AND VOLKSWAGEN WIN WRC RALLY SWEDEN The Castrol EDGE-oiled Volkswagen Motorsport squad have continued their impressive start to the 2014 FIA World Rally Championship winning Rally Sweden. The second round of the WRC saw Jari-Matti Latvala and Mikka Antilla take their third Rally Sweden win with reigning champion Sebastien Ogier only able to scrape sixth after losing plenty of time after becoming stuck in a snow bank on day 2. “It’s amazing to have won the Rally Sweden for the third time,” said Latvala. “This victory is especially important to me as I won my first ever WRC rally here in 2008.“
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Volkswagen teammate Andreas Mikkelsen ensure a one-two finish for the squad with an impressive second behind the wheel of the third Polo R WRC. The team’s Nordic drivers – Latvala and Andreas – were embroiled in a spectacular duel for long periods of the rally, scrapping for every fraction of a second. “First time on the podium!” Mikkelsen claimed. “I have longed so much for this result. To have achieved it practically on my doorstep is awesome!” Flying the flag for the Castrol supported M-Sport World Rally Team was Mikko
Hirvonen who finished a well earned fourth after battling for the podium all weekend. “It’s been a tough rally, but I think that we did a good job in the end.,” said Hirvonen. “We’re not quite back up to the pace that I was hoping for, but it was not too bad. Some sections were really good so I think that gives us a good base to build on and hopefully when we get back to gravel we can be even faster.” Round three of the WRC takes crews to Mexico for the first gravel test of the season, March 7-9.
FINAL RESULTS: Rally Sweden POS
DRIVER
TEAM/CAR
TIME/GAP
1
Jari-Matti Latvala
VW
3h00m31.1s
2
Andreas Mikkelsen
VW
+53.6s
3
Mads Ostberg
Citroen
+59.5s
4
Mikko Hirvonen
M-Sport Ford
+2m26.9s
5
Ott Tanak
M-Sport Ford
+3m00.5s
6
Sebastien Ogier
VW
+4m29.9s
7
Henning Solberg
M-Sport Ford
+4m47.5s
8
Pontus Tidemand
M-Sport Ford
+5m38.2s
9
Craig Breen
Kel-Tech Ford
+8m55.4s
10
Kris Meeke
Citroen
+11m18.0s
DRIVERS’ STANDINGS
STRENGTH TO PERFORM
POS
DRIVER
POINTS
1.
Jari-Matti Latvala
40
2.
Sebastien Ogier
35
3.
Mads Ostberg
30
4.
Andreas Mikkelsen
24
5.
Bryan Bouffier
18
6.
Kris Meeke
17
7.
Mikko Hirvonen
13
8.
Ott Tanak
10
9.
Elfyn Evans
8
10.
Henning Solberg
6
THE CASTROL EDGE V8 PREDICTOR RETURNS IN 2014 The Castrol EDGE V8 Predictor returns with major upgrades in 2014 as it continues as the number one online fantasy tipping competition of the V8 Supercars Championship. The game will this year feature advanced playability with Facebook integration and advanced mobile and tablet accessibility and gameplay now available. 2014 will also provide increased incentive to play the game which is supplied to the fans free of charge courtesy of Castrol EDGE. The winner of this year’s game will select the V8 Supercar round of their choice in 2015 and be treated to a fully funded VIP experience with access to behind the scenes with Castrol-backed V8 Supercars teams. There will also be $100 BP Fuel cards and merchandise packs up for grabs for round-by-round winners.
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Experts for this year see a star studded line up of international and local stars including; 3 x World Touring Car Champion Andy Priaulx and TV Personality Greg Rust. The Castrol EDGE V8 Predictor is based on the 2014 V8 Supercar Championship, and is brought to you by the same people that produce the Castrol EDGE Grand Prix Predictor. The game is free to play and offers you the opportunity to predict the top 10 accumulated points scorers on each race weekend. You can compete against friends, and for prizes, throughout the year. The V8 Supercars season kicks off in Adelaide for the Clipsal 500, March 1-2. Click here to play: www.v8predictor.com
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