Auto Action #1836 by Auto Action

DAKAR CHAMP TOBY PRICE WANTS SUPERCAR DRIVE

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WAU TURNS BLUE ‘NO EXCUSES NOW, WE’RE A FACTORY TEAM’

BENZ’S BATHURST BLITZKRIEG KENNY JOINS HIS HERO PETER BROCK AS A BATHURST WINNER ISSN 2204-9924

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THE DAKAR WINNER IS EYEING A FOUR-WHEEL FOCUSED FUTURE By Paul Gover, News Editor DAKAR DUELLER Toby Price has one eye on Supercars as he looks at a long-term switch from two wheels to four. The 34-year-old KTM factory racer is already dabbling in off-road Trophy Trucks, including the Mitsubishi-bodied racer he will run at the Finke Desert Race next month, but sees a potential opening in Supercars. He has been talking about a test for some time and is a close mate of Chaz Mostert and Shane van Gisbergen, but knows he needs to get moving. “I’d like to get into a Supercar and see if I can be any good at it,” Price tells Auto Action. “If I could, for sure I would definitely throw my hand up for a go in the Supercars series. I’ve definitely spoken to a few teams, mainly around Red Bull supported outfits.” “It’s something I definitely need to work on, get in a seat, and give it a go. It is a bit of a work-inprogress and I’m trying to keep everyone happy. It’s something we’ll definitely work on ....” Price believes he could still have five more competitive years on motorcycles and will be one of the favourites for the 2023 running of the Dakar, but also knows his two-wheeled time cannot go on forever. “On a motorcycle you can only get to the 38 or 40 bracket to be competitive. If I walk away now, I wonder if I’ll look back in 30 years or so and wonder ‘what if?’,” he says.

“While I’ve got the speed and ability for another Dakar win then I want to take that chance. I want to do as much on two wheels as I still can. “I don’t want to hang up the helmet on motorcycling. Without being cocky, I know I can win another Dakar. Or two. “I’m just trying to grab onto my last few little windows on two wheels. And then I’ll look at what comes next. “Then I can do the transition to four wheels. And then I’ll have around 20 years, until I’m around 60, to still do four wheels in the Dakar.” But Price is not just looking at the Dakar. He has raced his Trophy Truck in the Finke, has also tried four-wheels in American offroad racing and also dabbled in Stadium Supertrucks. “The quickest thing I’ve driven is probably my Trophy Truck, but that’s on dirt. The Stadium Supertruck is probably the only other thing, but

that’s more about putting on a show. “I’ve done a lot of racing in the ’states in the Trophy Truck, including second overall in 2019 in the Baja 1000. And I’ve had other events where I’ve finished in the top 10 or top five. “I’ve still got a lot to learn, but I know that.” Price has already had some bitumen circuit racing experience, in 2018 and 2019 he raced a factory supported Mitsubishi Triton in several rounds of the SuperUte series (above), included racing at Bathurst and other circuits around Australia. That experience has given him plenty to consider. Right now, he is focussed on the Finke and is also dabbling with Can-Am, the brand that often dominates the side-by-side classes at the Dakar. “This year I’m just doing the Finke with the Trophy Truck. With the motorcycle, I tried to work something out with KTM but trying to juggle both is chaotic behind the scenes. And there is a lot on my plate on the weekend.

“If I do crash then it’s a pretty much 90 percent chance I won’t be on the start-line for Dakar. “I’m not that young 21-year-old that bounces back with a broken bone. “People do still think I’m a bit of an alien or a freak, but you do feel it some mornings when the weather is a bit fresh.” He also aiming for some extra Australian championship events in the truck, and the CanAm is coming. “I do have some plans to try and do some Can-Am stuff in the ‘States, probably next year. They are fun tools and equipment to have a good time with and I use a four-seater to pre-run for the Finke. In Australia, we’ve just announced a Simpson Desert event we’re doing in October. Although Price is keen to test a Supercar, he’s not being pushy. “The biggest thing is that I’ve never driven one before, so I don’t want to put any more workload on a team. I haven’t had that proper fit that suits everybody to make it happen.” Equally, he knows he needs to get moving to make it happen. “In a car you can be any age, but with the young guys coming through it’s something I need to get into pretty soon. I need to see if I can get on the pace and do the right things in the car. “But I might not be on the pace, or struggle, so I would need a test to find out.”

UP COMING RACE EVENT CALENDAR Brought to you by www.speedflow.com.au • SUPERCARS RD 5 WINTON MAY 21-22 • FORMULA 1 RD 6 SPAIN MAY 20-22 • FORMULA 2 RD 4 SPAIN MAY 20-22 • WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP RD 4 PORTUGAL MAY 20-22 • AUSTRALIAN RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP RD 1 WA MAY 20-22 • NASCAR TEXAS MAY 22 • NURBURGRING 24 HOURS MAY 26-2 • INDYCAR INDY 500 MAY 27-29 • FORMULA 1 RD 7 MONACO MAY 27-29 • FORMULA 2 RD 5 MONACO MAY 27-29 • MOTOGP RD 7 ITALY MAY 27-29 • SHANNONS MOTORSPORT AUSTRALIA CHAMPIONSHIPS SYDNEY MOTORSPORT PARK MAY 27-29

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Done Deal in Detroit ... (l to r): Ryan Walkinshaw and Michael Andretti with Ford’s Global Motorsport Director Mark Rushbrook and (Australian) Trevor Worthington, Ford’s Vice President, ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) programs.

RED TO BLUE AT WAU LONG-TERM HOLDEN TEAM MAKES A SHOCK SWITCH TO FORD By Paul Gover, News Editor A BLUE revolution is about to begin at Walkinshaw Andretti United as the longterm Holden heroes prepare for an injection of Mustang muscle in the 2023 season of Supercars. After failing to lure either BMW or Jaguar into Australian touring car racing – although nothing has ever been confirmed – the Ford move is a giant change for the former red powerhouse. It also hammers the final nail into the coffin of the Holden Racing Team, which Tom Walkinshaw established as the factory motorsport spearhead and which flew the Holden flag for more than 15 years. A pair of Ford Mustangs will be rolled into action next year for Chaz Mostert and Nick Percat as WAU celebrates a return of full manufacturer backing in Supercars. “We’ve been exploring what we needed to become a factory team again for a couple of years,” says WAU joint owner, Ryan Walkinshaw. “It’s not the fact that we fell out with GM – we wanted to make a change. We wanted to be a factory team and wanted a partnership where we felt we were wanted. “In the end we have several options, but this was the one that felt right.”

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The WAU team boss, Bruce Stewart, confirms that the team will be staying in-house with its Mustang build, but is not going into any detail. “It’s still early days. We’re still looking at all the components for Gen3 that will help us to create the new car,” he tells Auto Action. Robertson confirms that both of the team’s current Commodores have been sold, but that the final ZB clean-out at Clayton will mean other cars are available. “We do pre-sell our cars, and they are going to collectors, but we do still have an extra chassis or two.” Confirmation of the new deal comes right from the top at Ford, with global CEO Jim Farley announcing the plan. “This is a really important series for us. This is a really

important moment for the company,” says Farley. Ford Australia says the Supercars deal is not a pointer to any potential road-car tie-up with the Walkinshaw Group, but a move to strengthen its Mustang presence in Gen3. “It’s all about building a stronger team. This will take us to a new level,” says the president of Ford Australia, Andrew Birkic. “We want to win races. We’re very unapologetic about that. But we also want a team that’s stable.

“We want teams that are super competitive. And really connected to the fan base.” For Walkinshaw, it’s business as usual through to the end of the 2022 season. “We are a Holden team at the moment and will be until December 31,” he tells Auto Action. “We want to win as many races as we can before the change, so that everyone misses us when we’re gone.” The WAU Mustang is going to be one cool looking unit .. Cover and image above: Scott Yorston- ssMedia.com

WAU FORD DEFECTION WHAT THE FANS ARE SAYING By Paul Gover, News Editor THE BIGGEST Supercars defection since Craig Lowndes deserted Holden for Ford has triggered a seismic reaction among fans. The explosive reaction to news of the defection by Walkinshaw Andretti United was entirely predictable, even for team owner Ryan Walkinshaw. “It still feels a little bit weird. It hasn’t hit home,” Walkinshaw says. “You expect some passionate response. Disappointment. Anger. (But) the vast majority of our fans will follow us because of who we are.” Walkinshaw is trying to paint the flip to Ford as a return to base for WAU, as his father Tom raced a Ford Capri in Britain in the 1970s in the early days of TWR. But much of the Holden fan base has already reacted angrily to the news. “It hurts. It’s quite painful,” says John Crennan, one of the founders of the HRT and also Holden Special Vehicles. “I am somewhat devastated, to say the least. I have much the same feeling as when Holden made their shock announcement (to close). “Emotionally, it rocks me somewhat. And I fail to see the logic. “If it’s been a product selection – to do better with the Mustang than the Camaro – then it’s probably as dumb a decision as I’ve seen in motorsport – as dumb as what we saw with Peter Brock’s decision in 1987, in favour of an Energy Polariser over his relationship with Holden.”

FANS REACT TO WAU FORD MOVE

This is some of the reaction from Auto Action readers: Jason Stanyer: I think you grossly underestimate the importance of that badge for the majority of fans – however, I’m sure we’ll be replaced by Ford fans in time. Good luck and goodbye. You’re dead to me now. John Wright: Sorry. I’ve just dumped you guys. Any money I was to spend on merchandise this year is now staying in my account. See ya! Neil Burton: Very classy as usual Ryan, you did what is best for the team’s future. I wish you all the best. Lee Fulton: I get why you would do it from a business perspective and given the limited time the road-based Camaro has left, however it would have been good to see another manufacturer. I most likely would have followed you to any other brand except the blue oval. Bobby Bingham: I’m a Holden fan and initially this disappointed me but the fact is the Holden brand is gone and General Motors probably deserve this for walking out on you guys Christian Searl: I’m a fan of the WAU team because I love who they are, what they stand for and how they operate, and not just because of the badge that adorns the bonnet of the car they race. Jay Sharma: I’m a diehard Ford fan. Looking forward to buying some WAU merch next year and welcoming Chaz back to the family! Jake Christison: BOOM! Mozzie back in a Mustang. Fantastic news. Michael Burson: All the best, but my support ends at the end of the year. Understand the reasons but feel betrayed after supporting you through some tough unsuccessful years as a Holden fan. Liam McGuinness: What happened to wanting to bring in a third manufacturer? Big kick in the guts to the fans who stuck by when you lost factory backing.

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You’ve shown the fans mean nothing to you anymore Mark Williamson: Funny how all the Ford supporters that wrote Chaz off when he went to Holden and bad mouthed him and the team are now welcoming him back. Hypocrisy at its best. Mark Creek: I’m sorry to say I won’t be renewing my membership next year. I can’t support a Ford team. Kelly McLaren: “Lifelong fans” really have short memories. Ryan was trying to bring Camaro to Supercars for years and had no support from GM to do so. Why wouldn’t he then go on to make a choice that will benefit his race team? Ashleigh Powell: People can be as angry as they like but, ultimately, GM killed Holden. Nicholas Coleman: You have lost me as a fan sorry. I will be forever Holden. Damien Wilson: Next chapter in the book, look forward to seeing the Mustang in full WAU race uniform. Sean Cox: I can understand it is a business deal, and the bottom line is the dollar. And every sporting body wants that bottom dollar.

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WAU EXPECTS TO BE MORE COMPETITIVE

WALKINSHAW ANDRETTI United is certain that the move to Ford will enable them to be more competitive and fight for championships once again. Despite being a front-runner in the championship for many years, WAU, formerly the factory Holden Racing Team, has not won a Supercars championship since it did so in 2002, in the hands of Mark Skaife. However, since then, the team has won four Bathurst 1000s and many, many Supercars Championship races and rounds. In 2017 the team lost its Holden factory support to Triple Eight and despite some great race results, including a dominant win at the Bathurst 1000, the team is adamant a move to Ford will allow them to win a title once more. “We are rapt to be able to talk through the rationale behind it. Passion comes from people, but this is also a business and our business is about winning races and championships and we need to take the next step,” Team Principal Bruce Stewart explained in a press conference which Auto Action attended. “We are going places. This makes us stronger and I can’t reiterate that enough – this is a big step. We’ve got the same goals ... we’re taking this team to another level. Team owner Ryan Walkinshaw expressed a similar view, stating that in the Supercars championship you now have to be factorybacked. “We’re not here to come second or third,” Walkinshaw said. “If you look at Supercars over the last 10 years, I think there’s only one championship winner that wasn’t factory supported, which is a good indication of the importance of being factory supported. “If you want to win championships, it’s really, really critical to our ambitions to do that, I think the vast majority of people will understand why we made the decision. “From the very start of the discussions with Ford, it was very clear that we share those same ambitions, same values, and beliefs. “It’s purely to go and partner with Ford into the future and go and run races and win championships. “I’m really, really confident this is the right choice. I’m very, very excited. I’m going to be very proud to have the Ford Blue Oval, on our shirts going forward into next season.” Team co-owner Zac Brown, who also owns the McLaren Formula 1, team recalled Ford’s rich history in Motorsport and is also confident of success with the brand entering the Gen-3 era next year. “I think Ford can help take us to the next level, win more races and, most importantly, go for that championship,” Brown said. “We’ve been getting a little bit closer but haven’t quite clinched the deal, but I think all working together will be awesome. Whichever way you turn, Ford is never far away from racing glory.” Stewart said it’s time for the talking to stop and time for the team to deliver on track: “I guess there’s no excuses, right? Our expectation is that we keep pushing forward,” he said. “Over the last three years, it’s been crawl, walk, run, but we’re moving forwards with our team performance with Chaz with Nick and the team and this is just as another bolster. “We’ve got not only commercial, but technical (support) and also the support that we’ll get as a result of being a factory team again. “I guess we’ve got no excuses, we’re got to start putting money on the table.” Dan McCarthy

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FEENEY INVESTING IN HIS FUTURE SUPERCARS TEST AT WINTON AHEAD OF THIS WEEKENDS SUPERCARS DEBUT By Paul Gover, News Editor BROC FEENEY is doing some smart spending to smooth the rookie wrinkles out of his first year in Supercars. He began future-proofing himself at Darwin last year, splashed out again ahead of Perth, and has gone all-in at Winton with the help of his team at Triple Eight. The only potential glitch in his spending plan is Pukekehoe in New Zealand. The objective of his investment is not about negative gearing or capital gains, but getting a points payback when he tackles tracks that he has not already raced. The move worked in Perth, where he finished fifth, eighth and 11th in three starts to see him sitting a solid sixth in the series standings. Ahead of the next round at Winton, Feeney and T8 spent one of his three rookie test days to get track time on the unfamiliar circuit. It was an unusual move, as teams usually stay loyal to their home track – which is Queensland Raceway for The Bulls – and avoid the inevitable costs of an interstate test. “We’re using up our rookie test days. And I’ve organised a couple of things,” Feeney tells Auto Action. He reveals that racing a humble Hyundai Excel at Darwin in 2021, the first hint that he would step up to the main game in Supercars, was a planned move ahead of racing in the big show in 2022. “Laps are laps. That’s why I raced the Excel,” Feeney says. He had a similar motive for an early visit to Wanneroo in Western Australia, where he hired a Radical sports car from Arise Racing in race week to learn the track. “I just wanted to do laps at Perth. I had the opportunity and explored a few options in driving at the track,” he says. “I thought the Radical was the best option and a very similar lap-time. It was to get an understanding of the joint. “It was great to learn the track, although driving the two cars is very different. But

I knew the track and the corners and undulations.” He also confirms that he was the one who paid for the Radical experience. But Winton (pictured above) was very different, and a full-scale T8 test day. “It was a great opportunity. Any time you get to do a test day, and do it at a different track – let alone ahead of a race – is great,” Feeney says. “It was good to do some laps and get comfortable. We were just trying to get me up to speed and learn new things about the car.” It was also a chance to advance his relationship with his engineer Andrew Edwards. “We’re both new to Triple Eight so it’s good to spend more time working together.” “He had a couple of things he wanted to

try. We did a lot of changes through the day. And we’ve got time to look at it all ahead of the Winton races. “It feels like I’m starting to get to grips with the car. We’ve only done four rounds in the championship buts it feels more normal now. – like I belong.” But Feeney is still fiddling with the Red Bull racer, as he searches for the same comfortable feel he had last year in his Super2 car. “We made a few changes to the seating before Perth, to get me more comfortable. In the Super2 car felt I could drive all day. I think we’re now about 90 per cent to where I want to be. “It’s leg position, and the steering position. Just mucking around with it a tiny little bit. It’s only little things but makes a big difference on the track.”

Feeney says he feels well prepared for the rest of the year, apart from Pukekehoe, but has no plan yet for an early run on the New Zealand circuit. He will also be new to The Bend in South Australia, but knows there are plenty of chances to cut laps there. “I haven’t really thought about it. I’ve got two rookie days left. The only other track I can probably get to is Tailem Bend.” Instead, he is happy to be sitting sixth in the series. “I didn’t even think about where I would be running. To look back on it, to be sitting sixth as a rookie after four rounds is pretty good,” Feeney says. “It’s just part of this learning process. I feel like I’ve been hard on myself at a lot of the time, but it’s part of this process. And trusting the process.”

NEW MANUFACTURERS STILL POSSIBLE FOR GEN3 WALKINSHAW ANDRETTI United Director Ryan Walkinshaw has further signalled that multiple manufacturers outside of Chevrolet and Ford are interested in fielding cars in the Gen3 era of Supercars. WAU recently made the controversial move to switch from Holden/Chevrolet to Ford for Gen3, announcing the partnership a couple of weeks ago. In joining the Ford stable, WAU did not just reject Chevrolet and its new Camaro ZL1 Supercar, but also a raft of brands according to Walkinshaw. “In the end we had several options, but this is the one that really felt right,” he said. “From the Walkinshaw side, we do automotive design, engineering, and manufacturing work for a variety of different manufacturers, some which are publicly known and some which aren’t. “On the racing side, historically, we’ve had plenty of relationships with different brands. We were open to exploring any opportunities.” This is not the first time Walkinshaw has teased new marques joining Supercars – back in January he told the Rusty’s Garage podcast that WAU had been in discussions with half a dozen manufacturers that ultimately proved fruitless.

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As reported by Auto Action there were several discussions with Jaguar and previously, BMW was rumoured to be in the mix. “We’ve probably spoken to six manufacturers, and we’ve got NDAs with all of them... I can’t tell you who they are,” Walkinshaw said. At the time Walkinshaw said that potential suitors were put off by the uncertainties surrounding Gen3 regulations. However, most of those questions are now resolved and the formula is clear to see with prototype testing of the Ford Mustang and Chevrolet Camaro well underway.

The overhauling of regulations has drawn in new makes in the past – Nissan and Volvo joined the series back in 2013 on the back of rule changes, while Erebus Motorsport ran a customer Mercedes program for three years up to 2016. Late last year, Auto Action reported that Jaguar got close to committing to a Supercars entry with Walkinshaw Andretti United. Josh Nevett

Could BMW be a Supercars option at some point? Graphic: Tim Pattinson Design

KING KENNY JOINS BROCK AT BATHURST

TRIPLE EIGHT TO ASSIST WITH ALL-NEW BENZ RACER LOCAL FEEDBACK TO HELP WITH DEVELOPMENT IN GERMANY

Image: Mark Horsburgh-Supercars

12-HOUR WINNER IS ALSO NOW A LOCAL AT MOUNT PANORAMA By Paul Gover, News Editor BATHURST IS more than just a race for Kenny Habul, it’s also home. The man who planned and anchored a landmark win in the Bathurst 12-Hour with his Mercedes-AMG GT has also put down roots at Mount Panorama – on Conrod Straight. “I bought a house on Conrod. I love it. It’s a beautiful property. I’m going to build a new house there,” Habul says as he celebrates with his three co-drivers at the end of the race. “It’s a place for my kids to come. I really want them to spend more time here and there is no better place to learn more about Australia.” Habul leaned more lessons about The

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Mountain on a wickedly tough day in the 12-Hour, as he competed alongside defending race winner Jules Gounon – who ran flat-out to the flag to beat Maro Engel and Shane van Gisbergen in a Benz podium sweep. Audi was the pre-race favourite after showing the best speed in practice and qualifying, but treacherous conditions during the race – including thick fog and heavy rain – played to the strengths of the Benzes and their superior strategy. Despite a small field, his by the Covid date change to the 12-Hour, 13 cars were still running at the finish. “It’s a miracle that half of us aren’t in hospital,” says Habul. “It was dangerous,” says both Chaz Mostert and David Reynolds, who were quick in Audis in the early hours. But it was Habul who celebrated and told the story of a kid who was rescued

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from a terrible upbringing at age 14, who became a billionaire in the USA thanks to his Sun Energy company, and now lives his motorsport dreams in GT racing and occasionally running the Brock Commodore that won the Bathurst 1000 in 1987. “I had a rough upbringing. He looked after me. He took me in. I swept the floors and washed the wheels,” Habul says of Brock. But he also paid tribute to his co-drivers – Gounon, Luca Stolz and Martin Konrad – as he celebrated. “It’s a dream. It’s a dream, and I’m just thankful for this race. Thankful for the history that makes this so special,” he says. Habul is considering parking the winning AMG GT in the Bathurst museum and is already booked for the next running of the 12-Hour in January of 2023. “I definitely want to come back more,” he says.

By Paul Gover, News Editor INPUT FROM Australia will help to drive the next all-new Mercedes-AMG GT3 racer. The successor to the current V8-powered AMG GT is coming in 2025 and Triple Eight Race Engineering is being asked to contribute to its development. AMG Customer Racing is not expecting any special insights on speed, but more of a focus on how to make the car more user-friendly for remote teams. “With their engineering knowledge they should help build up the AMG community,” the head of AMG Customer Racing, Stefan Wendl, tells Auto Action. “We have a strong partnership with Triple Eight Racing. They are ready for the future to support and build up a community.” He is in Australia for the Bathurst 12-Hour as part of an all-on effort by Benz to win the world-famous endurance classic. “This is an iconic place to race. It is one of the races where the drivers are getting shiny eyes. They want to race here.” But Wendl is also looking deeply into the future of the Customer Racing program and the car that will be needed to compete through to 2030. He is ruling out any switch to hybrid power for GT3 racing, based on the cost and complication needed to run a car of that type. “Hybridisation is, so far, not planned. We discussed it here and there with all the manufacturers but, so far, we could not make it accessible for customer racing. “It is hard to sell those units. The biggest issue is that, after we sell the car, they are not under the control of the factory. “This makes it dangerous. And that’s why we cannot move forward. And it will make it more expensive.” Looking to the new GT3 racer, Wendl only gives a broad-brush picture. “We potentially introduce a new car in 2025. That is the next homologation period. This is the earliest point to go into it,” he says. On the T8 front, Wendl is enthusiastic about what the Australian operation is bringing. “We invite them to give feedback. And this will be collected and discussed internally, for reaction. The technical aspects. “There are well organised. Well structured. And lots of experience in the team. “But it’s a very young relationship. And we have long talks and some ideas we share.” He is still only dropping hints but, with strong sales of both GT3 and GT4 cars since T8 became the Australian arm of the Customer Racing operation, he says things will continue to evolve and grow. “We have to work hard, stay close together, and next year we can announce something bigger,” Wendl says.

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CHAZ MOSTERT has called out the online trolls who attacked Will Davison and Craig Baird over the contentious decision to penalise Cam Waters in Perth. Social media erupted with attacks following the five-second penalty handed to Waters. For Mostert, it’s too much. “I am disgusted that this has happened,” Mostert says on Facebook. “What gives you the right as a person to target someone and throw aggression/hate and even threats to another person and to top it off towards someone you personally don’t even know!” PG

THE DECISION made by Team 18 to test with just one Supercar at Winton, in the aftermath of Scott Pye’s huge crash in Perth, proved to be beneficial for Team 18 as both drivers gave very similar feedback. Both drivers completed over 100 laps in Winterbottom’s machine and made a host of setup tweaks which they think will be beneficial when they return to race. Pye expressed how beneficial it was to drive former Supercars Champion Mark Winterbottom’s car. DM

THE EREBUS Academy will continue to nurture young talent in Australia by running a Supercar testing program for aspiring drivers at Winton on June 7. The initiative titled ‘who’s next’ will see several youngsters trial an Erebus Supercar at Winton, after the program kicked off at Norwell Motorplex in Queensland last year. Successful applicants will be coached on the basics of driving a Supercar and given an experience which will hold them in good stead as they pursue a career in motorsport. JN

EXPERIENCED SUPERCAR racer Tim Blanchard will return to his Formula Ford roots at Winton Raceway from May 21-22, taking on a round of the national series with Sonic Motor Racing Services. In a one-off appearance, the 34-year-old will pay homage to his 2007 Formula Ford title by steering a Sonic Mygale chassis with the same Jaylec livery that he campaigned 15 years ago. JN

SHELL V-POWER Racing held onto its Pit Stop Challenge lead after the Perth SuperNight, the team sitting four points clear of Brad Jones Racing. Points were allocated in Race 10 only, but that was enough to drop Tickford Racing from second to fifth, while Walkinshaw Andretti United currently holds the last spot on the podium despite struggling on track at Wanneroo Raceway. JN

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FORD TO BACK ALL TEAMS IN ‘23 ALL FORD Supercars Championship outfits will be backed by Ford as the Gen3 era commences in 2023. Ford Australia President and CEO Andrew Birkic made the announcement when Walkinshaw Andretti United were announced as a Blue Oval team. This means that all its teams – Dick Johnson Racing, Tickford Racing, Grove

Racing, Blanchard Racing Team and now WAU – will all have factory backing. “We have a number of factory-backed teams in 2023, all of them, more than two,” Birkic confirmed in the press conference which included Auto Action. He also confirmed that they were capping the limit on Ford teams at that for 2023, with no other teams to move over to the

Blue Oval side in coming months. This also confirmed that MSR will remain with General Motors for the 2023 Supercars Championship season. “We are not adding anymore teams to that in terms of Ford Mustangs,” Birkic revealed. “2023 will be the teams that we have now with the addition of WAU.” Dan McCarthy

MSR STAYS RED

MATT STONE Racing has officially confirmed it will commence the Gen3 era of Supercars as a Chevrolet team, fielding a pair of Camaro ZL1 machines in the 2023 championship. The Queensland based operation has admitted it had conversations with the Blue Oval but elected to stay with General Motors and will transition from Holden Commodores to Chevrolet Camaros for the new era. “There were many factors that had to be weighed up just like any major decision in any business,” MSR CEO and Managing Director, Matt Stone said. “MSR is not in Supercars to just make up the numbers as we have shown with our continuous improvement and results.” “Being a race team, the overall performance of the car was of course at

the top of our list, and we have no doubt that the Chevy Racing Camaro will be an excellent package that we can win races with. “We are also impressed with the leadership and support at Triple Eight, which is something Ford doesn’t offer. “We are here to win, and the quality of our key partnerships is key to achieving that goal.” Stone expressed the reasons for choosing General Motors over the Blue Oval despite the family history. “The most difficult part of this decision was knowing that we have a lot of fans that wanted to see the Stone family back racing with Ford,” Stone said. “We did speak with both GM and Ford about this decision for over a year and we

thank them both for the time and effort that went into those discussions but in the end, it was clear to us that the team at GM and Chevrolet Racing were more aligned with our goals and us with their goals, which is key to any relationship. “GM has always been a big part of racing in Australia, and we want to see that continue and flourish into the future.” Chevrolet Racing General Manager, Chris Payne was thrilled to confirm that MSR will campaign Camaros. “We’re excited that Matt Stone Racing is onboard with the Chevrolet Racing Camaro for Gen3,” Payne said. “Matt and the MSR team have shown a great commitment to the GM product at all levels of the competition, and we’re enthused to be working with them as we enter this next exciting era.” MSR has a strong alliance with the marque fielding Holdens in Super2 and Super3 also. “Our factory operates three different racing divisions, Supercars, Supports and Special Projects,” he explained. “All three of these areas are scaling up currently and it’s critical that we have the best possible partners in every area. For us knowing what we have planned for the future, GM and Chevy Racing were the clear choice for us. “When we entered Supercars just over 4 years ago, we had around 10 employees, now we have 35. Things are building nicely, and the team is improving all the time.” Dan McCarthy and Josh Nevett

WALKINSHAW INTERESTED IN EXPANDING PERFORMANCE BUSINESS WITH FORD ANY TRUTH BEHIND ADELAIDE 500 E-REPORTS? WITH THE Adelaide 500 fast approaching a number of reports are coming out of Adelaide including major concert drawcard, other Motorsport at the venue and whether it will be completed on time. Auto Action decided get to the bottom of these reports and tell you what is going on. Andrew Daniels who is leading the revived South Australian Motorsport Board confirmed the track build will be completed on schedule in time for the Supercars Championship finale in December. “Planning is well underway for completion of the build on time for the event to be held 1 to 4 December,” Daniels said to AA. Other reports in Adelaide are that the all-electric Formula E Championship is in conversations with the government about holding a round of its World Championship. This was spoken about previously, however has resurfaced in recent weeks since Daniels was appointed to the role. He firmly denied the reports, however expressed an interest going forward. “There has been no approach to SA Motorsport regarding Formula E, but it’s something we’ll be happy to consider in the coming years,” he said. “This year, however, we are focused on delivering the Adelaide 500.” On SA’s Triple M radio station the newly appointed Premier of South Australia Peter Malinauskas addressed speculation about a couple of bands. “In the coming months we’ll be launching the (Adelaide 500) ticket sales with a bit of a big bang,” he said. “We’re also working pretty hard behind the scenes on the band. You guys (in particular) have speculated about the Foo Fighters,” Malinauskas was also asked about the speculation of Powderfinger making an appearance. “We are working hard, we’re working hard on that,” he admitted. Dan McCarthy

WHILE NOTHING was confirmed at the Walkinshaw Andretti United announcement of the swap from Holden to Ford for Gen3, Ryan Walkinshaw (right) has admitted he is interested in any opportunity to expand his automotive enterprise, Walkinshaw Performance, with the new Ford alliance – although there are no commercial plans in place currently. Walkinshaw Performance built highperformance Holden road cars with the HSV brand for decades and in recent years has imported, converted and sold the Chevrolet Camaro as well as having relationships with Volkswagen and importers of the Dodge Ram light truck range. However with the legendary Holden brand no more, Walkinshaw explained he would be open to deal with Ford. He was asked in the press conference announcing the partnership between his Supercars Championship team Walkinshaw Andretti United and Ford ahead of the introduction of the new Gen3 regulations in 2023. “If you’re asking me if there’s an opportunity to expand my automotive business with new customers, I think it’s a pretty obvious answer … of course,” Walkinshaw said. “What a fantastic brand – they’ve got some great products!” Walkinshaw explained that Walkinshaw Performance could be extremely beneficial to the Blue Oval brand across the nation. “We know that we’re the leading automotive design, engineering and manufacturing business in Australia at the moment, so we feel we can add a lot of value there.” Walkinshaw however stressed that the move was made solely for the sake of the race team and had nothing to do with the automotive business. “At the end of the day, that (Walkinshaw Performance) is not why we made this decision,” he explained. “It’s really important to make it clear

that WAU is a partnership with myself, Michael Andretti and Zac Brown – the only affiliation between that and my automotive group is me. “What we do on the racetrack is not connected to what we do off track – on the automotive side, you’ve got multiple business partners and customers there. “But this relationship, and this discussion we’re having today is purely motorsport. “Our focus on the race team has nothing to do with what we’re looking to do on the automotive side. It’s purely to go and

partner with Ford into the future and go and win races and win championships.” Ford Australia President and CEO Andrew Birkic, who was also in the same press conference, was asked about a possible Walkinshaw Performance and Ford alliance responded with the same perpsetcive as Walkimshaw: “The answer is they are separate businesses – so today we are talking motorsport and there is no discussion on the other side of it,” he stated. Dan McCarthy

WAU WILL LEAVE GEN3 DEVELOPMENT TO DJR WALKINSHAW ANDRETTI United Team Principal Bruce Stewart wants to get his two drivers behind the wheel of a Gen3 Ford Mustang as soon as possible, but admits that the team must respect its current relationship with Holden. WAU was the sole Holden factory team for over two decades over three different

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eras of V8 Supercars competition, Group 3A, Project Blueprint and Car of the Future. Because of this wealth of knowledge and experience for the Clayton based team, Stewart was asked if it will assist Dick Johnson Racing with the Gen3 homologation process. “First and foremost, like with our fans,

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we’ve got to be respectful with what we’re doing with the Holden brand to the end of the era and then, equally, moving forwards we’ve got to be respectful the teams are in those places,” he said last week. “DJR is a homologation team – our goals and aspirations are clear about what we want to do in regard to race wins and championships. “Gen3 homologation is not in the vision and it’s not something in consideration for us – we know what we’re here for.” Ford Australia President and CEO Andrew Birkic was quick to jump in and explain the situation. “DJR are the Ford homologation team and we know they do a wonderful job for us on and off the track and that partnership will continue,” Birkic explained.

Stewart explained that although WAU will not assist in the homologation of the Mustang, he is very keen to see his drivers jump behind the wheel of the current development car. “Absolutely, and putting those guys (Mostert and Percat) in the Mustang will be one thing we want to do pretty quickly,” Steward explained. “To listen to the sound and to see the product on the track is really exciting, so can’t wait, can’t wait to put them in the car!” It was noted that when the Gen3 machine was unveiled at Bathurst in December last year that both WAU drivers did not attend, due to the fact the team had not committed to racing a Chevrolet in Gen-3. Dan McCarthy

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RALLY PORTUGAL will see the biggest ever gathering of FIA World Rally champions as they come together to celebrate 50 years of the series. Title-winning drivers, co-drivers and team managers will all honour the World Rally Championship’s 50th season during Rally de Portugal weekend, this year’s fourth round. Champions of the past attending include Walter Rohrl, Ari Vatanen, Carlos Sainz, Marcus Gronholm, Miki Biasion and Petter Solberg, who in total have amassed 28 of the 49 titles. DM

THE TOYOTA Racing Series’ FT-60s have been officially homologated by the FIA as a Formula regional car and engine combination, allowing the New Zealand machines to be sent abroad to assist the W Series. The W Series agreeds to borrow the cars due to the tight turnarounds between its rounds on the Formula 1 schedule. The successful homologation means that the NZ FT-60s will used in two upcoming rounds of the W Series, the first at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Spain and the second at Suzuka in Japan later this year. DM

AUSTRALIAN YASSER Shahin has been announced as a GT World Challenge Asia driver, racing for the Audi Sport Asia Team X Works. The Asian Audi outfit has confirmed a two-car line-up for the GT World Challenge Asia which last took place in 2019 prior to the pandemic. The manufacturer’s official regional drivers Sandy Stuvik and Shaun Thong will lead the two Pro-Am crews. Aussie Shahin will pair up with Stuvik, while Thong will share his machine with David Pun. DM

GUS GREENSMITH is targeting his maiden World Rally Championship podium at the Rally de Portugal from May 19-22. The M-Sport Ford driver is familiar with the gravel surfaces of Portugal having competed there six times previously and is confident that he can eclipse his previous best finish of fourth. “I want to get on the podium,” said the Ford Puma Rally1 driver. “For me, that’s the only goal. I’m going to give it everything and go flat out from the start.” JN

AUSTRALIAN NICK Foster has been signed by Triple Eight to race alongside Prince Jefri Ibrahim in the 2022 GT World Challenge Asia. The former Australian Carrera Cup Series winner will join Ibrahim for the full GTWC Asia campaign in the Triple Eight JMR prepared Mercedes-AMG GT3. As such, Triple Eight JMR’s involvement now features two MercedesAMG GT3s at all six events. Sepang hosts the opening round of this year’s championship on May 20-22. DM

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MOTORSPORT AUSTRALIA PUTS TARGA EVENTS ON HOLD

MOTORSPORT AUSTRALIA has decided to stop issuing permits for Targa style tarmac rally events for the foreseeable future after the deaths of four competitors at Targa Tasmania over the last two years. Tony Seymour was killed in the 2022 event when his car left the road near Mount Roland, causing the remaining days of Targa Tasmania to be run as a tour event. The most recent tragedy came after three competitors were killed in 2021, which prompted an in-depth investigation and the implementation of new safety recommendations. After a Motorsport Australia meeting, it has been determined that a Targa Review Panel will be appointed to investigate the latest incident and make further recommendations on the future of Targa style tarmac rallies. During that time, no permits will be issued by Motorsport Australia. The Review Panel will be Chaired by Garry Connelly AM, while Matthew Selley and Neal

Bates will also be members. Once the Review Panel has had its say, the new Motorsport Australia Risk and Safety Committee, which was established late last year, will assist the Board in making any decisions. Motorsport Australia CEO Eugene Arocca said the Board was left with little choice given the current circumstances. “First and foremost, we again extend our sympathies to the Seymour family during this tragic time and will remain on hand to support them, as well as the wider motorsport community,” Arocca said. “While many competitors acknowledge that motorsport is dangerous, we cannot accept that death is an outcome of competition as has been suggested to us. “There are far-reaching consequences following such incidents, whether it be for the first responders who attend, the volunteer officials that are part of the event or witness these incidents, as well as the enormous impact on family and friends. “There are also insurance and legal ramifications that impact the wider sport when incidents such as this occur. There are flow on effects that follow incidents such as these, widely impacting all aspects of motorsport, including licence costs and permit fees for all disciplines. “As the peak governing body for four-wheeled motorsport in this country, Motorsport Australia must do everything it can to prevent these

tragic incidents, and this will often mean having to make difficult decisions for the safety and sustainability of our sport. “At this current time, we are not in a position to establish the cause of this recent incident, and this may take some time. “We have spoken to key event organisers and informed them of this decision, and while they are understandably disappointed, we will continue to liaise with them as this process continues.” Tour events will continue, after passing a risk assessment process. Any tour event must follow all road rules and signs that apply on a route, even if the road is closed for the event. Other competitive Targa style events are also run under an alternative sanctioning body, including the Australian Auto-Sport Alliance (AASA). AASA Business Manager Stephen Whyte said the body would continue to sanction tarmac rallies due to fundamental differences in the format of its events. “Firstly, I pass on my condolences to the family members of those who have passed,” Whyte told Auto Action. “We will continue on with our current plan our current program but we are always learning from everything that’s happening in the sport. “The style of our tarmac rallies is quite different to TARGA Tasmania – we have shorter events, different roads and lower speeds. “We know that our protocols and policies are strong and we’ve got a great relationship with our insurer, they’ve got the utmost confidence in us to continue providing a safe platform to conduct events.” Josh Nevett

NO MCLAUGHLIN FOR BATHURST OJEDA A WILDCARD

AS EXPECTED, Dick Johnson Racing has announced that Scott McLaughlin will not return for the Bathurst 1000 this year, locking in its co-drivers for the 2022 edition of the ‘Great Race.’ There was talk of three-time Supercars champion and current IndyCar driver Scott McLaughlin returning to pair up with one of the main drivers, or even as a Wildcard with his former Bathurst 1000 winning co-driver Alex Premat, however both have been extinguished. Tony D’Alberto and Alex Davison have been retained for the 2022 Bathurst 1000. The co-driver pairings remain the same with Alex Davison to partner his brother Will, and D’Alberto to race alongside Anton De Pasquale. Dick Johnson Racing (DJR) Executive Chairman and co-owner Ryan Story is delighted to keep the stability within the team, locking down D’Alberto and Davison for another year he believes can only be a good thing. “To have Tony and Alex co-driving with

us again in the Great Race, the Bathurst 1000, is exciting for the Shell V-Power Racing Team after their excellent results in 2021, with a just missed podium,” Story said. For D’Alberto, it will be his seventh consecutive season with DJR, his best finish coming in 2017 when he finished third with Fabian Coulthard. D’Alberto is thrilled to jump back in the Mustang with De Pasquale. “I’m very excited to be Anton’s co-driver at the Bathurst 1000 and build on the relationship and momentum we had in last year’s race,” he said. “Anton, Will and the team are showing their speed again with their on-track performances so far this year and it’s exciting to be part of one of the teams to beat. For Davison it will be the second straight year he has joined the team, however has paired up with younger brother Will on five previous occasions yielding a best finish of fourth in 2014. Alex Davison expressed his delight to once again race for DJR in the legendary #17. “I’m elated to return as Will’s co-driver for this year’s Bathurst 1000 and continue building on the performance we had in 2021,” Davison said. “It’s an amazing opportunity to race in the iconic Shell V-Power colours and for such an iconic race team in DJR. I can’t wait to get to the Mountain and bid for the Bathurst 1000 title.” Dan McCarthy

WALKINSHAW ANDRETTI United have locked in Jayden Ojeda for two Wildcard appearances, the first one at Winton Motor Raceway and the second three weeks later in Darwin. Winton Raceway is WAU’s test track and Ojeda had his first proper test in the ZB machine last weekend and this weekend simply wants to put his best foot forward. “I’m probably a bit lucky in the fact that we start at Winton,” Ojeda said to AA. “Obviously our Wildcard test track is at Winton so you can kind of get a bit of a taste before I go there racing. “I just want to do the best that I can – its about taking it all in and learning as much as I can. “Whether results do or don’t come, as long as I get the most out of it and put my best foot forward that’s what is important to me. Whatever comes from it, comes from it. “I don’t have targets for top 10, top 15 or anything.” At one stage the two-time Bathurst 1000 was linked with a possible WAU Super2 start, however that did not come to fruition, instead a Wildcard program occurred. “I’ve known Bruce Stewart for a while,” Ojeda said. “He’s always flirted with the idea of having me in a Walkinshaw car but ultimately it didn’t work out in Super2 and there were no hard feelings around that. Eventually we put together this wildcard program. Ojeda was pleased with how the test at Winton went. “Just getting used to the characteristics of it obviously compared to my Super2 Nissan from last year and the Triple Eight MSR car that I drove last year as well. “We didn’t really stumble into any problems. More just throwing things at the car, building my database of how the car responds to changes. Dan McCarthy

BOYS SUPERCARS DRIVE STARTS WITH WILDCARD JORDAN BOYS hopes two strong Supercars Championship Wildcards will get his name on the lips of team owners as he tries to secure a spot on the Supercars Championship grid for 2023. A three-time Super2 race winner, Boys previously finished third in the 2020 second-tier series, however for 2022 he elected to run a two round Wildcard program in Supercars instead. Boys will race a ZB Commodore at both Winton Raceway and The Bend Motorsport Park, fielded by front-running Super2 operation Image Racing, the team with which he contested the majority of his Super2 career. The Albury-born racer has not set a target ahead of this weekend’s Supercars racing at Winton – he just wants to be competitive on both days of action. “I haven’t put a finishing position expectation on it,” Boys said to Auto Action. “I want to be in the thick of the field and showing that I belong. “If I can come out of the weekend and say there was not one session where I was out of my depths, and at all times, I was in it being competitive, I’ll be really happy. “I’m not putting it out there that I need to be in the top 10 or anything crazy like that. It’s just if I can come away from the weekend and be comfortable at all times, I’d be stoked.” Boys has recently signed to contest the Bathurst 1000 with Brad Jones Racing as he did in 2020. As for a main game drive, Boys hopes that the Wildcard will help lead to conversations. “Definitely, that’s where I want to be and that’s where

I’m pushing really, really hard to be,” he said. “I’m not ruling anything out for next year. “The main game is where I want to be and that’s what I’m trying to put together over these two Wildcards: to show what I can do and then and then try and have my name on people’s lips. “If I can do a good job in the Wildcards that’s where this conversation starts. It’s too early for me to really think about, – I just need to think about these wildcards and do a really good job and that’ll set me up for a drive or no drive.” Last week Boys took part in a pre-event test at the country Victoria venue and explained how crucial it was to drive the car before the round. “It was really, really crucial, because when I jumped in, it took me a bit,” Boys told AUTO ACTION. “I guess it’s just muscle memory. I know where to brake in the Super2 VF; in the ZB you’re pushing past that by a good distance – it’s the aero and the soft tyre and supersoft tyre as well.” Dan McCarthy

BATHURST IS THE GOAT TRACK AMERICAN ACE RATES MT PANORAMA AHEAD OF INDIANAPOLIS By Paul Gover, News Editor Indy 500 champion Alexander Rossi says Bathurst is the toughest racetrack on the planet. After a dismal Wildcard start at the Bathurst 1000 in 2019, where he struggled to come to grips with driving a Supercars Commodore, the American ace puts Australia’s showcase circuit ahead of the Indianapolis oval, Daytona, Sebring, the classic Nurburgring and even a string of grand prix circuits. Asked by veteran F1 reporter Tom Clarkson to name the world’s most challenging circuit for his Beyond the Grid podcast, Rossi has no hesitation: “It’s Bathurst,” he says. “I think you have the speeds of a very fast road course with the confines of a street circuit. And the most elevation changes you will ever see on a racetrack. “I think Bathurst ticks all the boxes from the challenging standpoint. It’s very hard to get it right there.” Rossi and fellow IndyCar racer James Hinchliffe came to Bathurst in a WAU Wildcard entry, thanks to the team’s connection to its part-owner Michael Andretti. After crashing their Commodore during testing at Winton, Rossi finished 18th and two laps down with Hinchliffe. “We got our butts kicked, it’s plain and simple,” Rossi says. “I loved the experience, I think that race is amazing. I think the Supercars are awesome.” So, is he planning a second swing at The Great Race? “Michael asked if I would go back and do it again and it was a ‘Hard No’ unless I get to do, kinda, the Bathurst 12-Hour first. “For me, I would only consider doing it again if I got to go back in a GT3 car, learn the track first of all, and have some sort of confidence. And then go back there with a car and kind-of adapt that.”

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Rossi has plenty of reasons for his lacklustre debut in Supercars, right back to the basics. “One, I had never at this point driven anything with a roof. And, number two, I had never raced anything where you had to, like, heel-and-toe shift. I had never right-foot-braked a race-car. I had to learn all of that, at Bathurst, which is probably one of the more challenging tracks on the planet. In a very short time, with very limited practice. “To learn both of those things on a weekend, and qualify in the rain, was a big, big task. A big learning curve!” Rossi is speaking to Clarkson in an interview that also sheds new light on Andretti Autosports and its owner Michael Andretti. “Andretti Autosport is the largest motorsport organisation in the world. And I think that he has success in every category that he competes in. And I think that speaks for itself,” he says of Andretti. But he also remembers his Supercars experience at Bathurst. “If I didn’t have access to timing and scoring I would be like ’That was the best weekend of my life’. But I did. And I struggled with it immensely. “It was an amazing experience to be able to say ‘Yes, I did the Bathurst 1000’, but it was certainly a humbling experience at the same time.”

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FORMER SUPERCARS driver Alex Rullo will make his Australian Rally Championship debut next weekend in his home state of Western Australia. The 21-year-old is not unfamiliar with rallying and for his return to the sport, Rullo will steer a Race Torque Engineering 2006 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX with accomplished co-driver and 2018 ARC runner-up Steve Glenney alongside him. Rullo has previously competed in Supercars fulltime for Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport as well as in the inaugural TCR Australia Series with Kelly Racing. DM

CAMERON MCCONVILLE will join the Touring Car Masters grid at Sydney Motorsport Park, making his debut in Ian Woodward’s 1969 Chevrolet Camaro SS. The ‘Fataz Racing’ Camaro has been a frontrunner in the past, Ryal Harris driving the machine to race wins. Returning to the grid this year, the car will present in a distinctive black and white livery. It is expected that McConville will complete the rest of the TCM campaign. JN

BRABHAM BT62 SETS NEW PHILLIP ISLAND LAP RECORD

Image: Revved Photography SUPERCAR STEERER Tim Slade drove the wheels off a Brabham Automotive BT62 at Round 3 of the Victorian State Race Series to set a new outright lap record at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit. Slade set a 1m 24.06s during the second race for the MG and Invited Sportscars in the BT62’s maiden circuit competition appearance in Australia, beating the previous record by 0.15s. Simon Wills has held the record since 2000, when he set a 1m 24.221s in a Reynard 94D Formula Holden during the opening round of the 2000 Australian Drivers’ Championship. Slade was able to make history on his first racing lap in the Brabham BT62, flying to the front of the field from a pit lane start into clean

air which he took full advantage of. “We basically had one shot at the record,” Slade said. “The track conditions were relatively unknown as the wind increased, it wasn’t a perfect lap, but great to tick it off and claim the record. “It’s nice when a plan comes together. For me it’s good fun. Driving such a cool car like this is always great.” The achievement was even more impressive considering that Slade and his team’s preparation was hampered by bad weather at Phillip Island. “It hasn’t been an ideal lead up to the record attempt, limited laps on Friday and none yesterday as it was raining,” Slade explained.

SINGLE DUTY HELPING HERNE MICHELIN WILL continue to support young Porsche racers in Australia, putting up a $300,000 prize pool for Porsche Junior Development Programme drivers in 2022. The prize pool is broken down into round-by-round rewards and a pair of grand prizes distributed later in the season. The main prize for the Michelin Junior drivers is to be nominated to attend the global Porsche Motorsport Junior Shootout to represent the Carrera Cup Australia. JN

TEAM 18 has appointed experienced motorsport manager Bruin Beasley as its new Team Manager, commencing immediately. Beasley carries a wealth of national and international motorsport experience with over 30 years in the pit lane, including time as Team Manager at Erebus Motorsport. Beasley will start with the team in the leadup to the Winton SuperSprint and will head up the racing operations of the squad owned by Charlie Schwerkolt. JN

MOTORSPORT AUSTRALIA has announced that Shannons Insurance will take on naming rights sponsorship for this year’s Rally Launceston round of the ARC. To be known as the Shannons Rally Launceston, Tasmania’s north will play host to a welcome gravel rally return in June, with the event last on the national calendar in 2019. The 2022 Shannons Rally Launceston will be held from June 25-26. JN

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NATIONAL TRANS Am Series winner Nathan Herne is certain that focusing on one category each round is contributing to his success in both categories this year. Last year Herne performed double duties racing in both the National Trans Am Series and S5000 Championship, however he felt that he was unable to put his best foot forward when racing them back-to-back. Image: ARG This year Herne is only racing S5000 rounds which do not clash with rounds of Trans Am and he is adamant this helped him finish second at the Australian Grand Prix round, beating his Garry Rogers Motorsport teammates James Golding and Tasman Series winner Aaron Cameron. “It has been good – we had a chat with Marcos Ambrose, Garry and Barry Rogers before the season started about doing double duty again,” he explained to Auto Action. “Whilst I was keen to do it, and I love racing two categories at once, it also did crowd up a lot of my time, and I wasn’t able to 100% commit to one category. “For these 5000s, they’re not a car you can just hop in and drive – they are a beast of a thing; they are the fastest race cars in Australia and are hardest to drive as well.” He explained that the issue was when they were back-to-back and when he was literally hopping from one car to the other. “I’d learn something in data between sessions, hop out of the Trans Am and have to run straight to the S5000 and forget all about it – that was hard for me to adjust to,” he admitted. “Whilst swapping from car to car isn’t too bad, having to do it backto-back straightaway is where it sort of stuffs you a little bit. “Last year, in general, there’s a lot of times where I didn’t capitalise on things – I was still trying to relearn the car at the start of the races.” Herne is confident he is getting to grips with the open-wheeler and is optimistic the first win is first around the corner. “I still haven’t got that elusive win, I’ve got a lot of second places and podiums to my name, I just can’t break through for that win,” he said. “At the end of day, I feel like I’m starting to get my head around these cars very slowly – we’ll see how we do for the rest of the year. We’ll press on for Darwin.” Dan McCarthy

“Because also the car is so much faster than all the other MGs it’s against this weekend it is really hard to find clear track to put a lap together. “Worked pretty hard and jumped through a few hurdles just to be out on track, and we have to thank the MGs and Invited British Sports Cars for accommodating us. “Happy for the car owner, Matt and Scott from AMS Motorsport and everyone else who has been involved behind the scenes in getting the car here – it’s very appreciated.” Slade will be back on track this weekend at Winton Raceway in the Supercars Championship, while Round 4 of the VSRS is scheduled for Sandown Raceway from August 12-14. Josh Nevett

CARRERA CUP ROOKIES EXPLAIN DOUBLE DUTIES FAMILIAR AUSTRALIAN motorsport names Brad Shiels and Angelo Mouzouris are both taking on two national categories this year but are doing so for very different reasons. The pair are racing as rookies in the Porsche Carrera Cup Australia Championship this year in addition to their commitments in the TCR Australia Series and Super2 Series, respectively. As such, both will continue to have busy schedules in 2022. Shiels, who is competing with Royal Purple Racing in Carrera Cup and Tilton Racing in TCR, explained that the one-make Porsche series will be his priority from now on after treating TCR as a stopgap. “We always wanted to do Carrera Cup and we were waiting for this new car to come out. TCR was just something to do in between really,” Shiels told Auto Action. “I’m not sure if I will continue to do both. Maybe we get through this year and focus on Porsche after that I’d say. My main focus is on Porsche racing now.” Shiels has been solid since joining TCR in 2021, Steering a Hyundai i30N TCR to 12th in his rookie campaign and sitting in that same position after three rounds this year. However, the experienced racer was set on shifting into Carrera Cup all along, waiting patiently for the new Porsche 992 Cup Car to reach Australian shores. “There was a big waiting list for this car so we put our name down and we weren’t sure if we would get one because we haven’t had Porsches previously,” Shiels said. “We planned it all for about a year and we found out in December last year we would get one. “I think someone pulled out and we were lucky enough to get that car.” Mouzouris has a different reason for doubling up in 2022. The 20-year-old up and comer has been following the Supercars pathway in recent years, spending his last two seasons in Super2. He believes that extra seat time in Porsche competition will develop his driving and help him to take the next step towards Supercars. “I’m racing the Porsche for more seat time,” Mouzouris told Auto Action. “It’s not a change of direction, it’s to give me experience in a different car and category. “The Porsche is a completely different beast and requires different skills.” Mouzouris and Shiels will take on the second round of Porsche Carrera Cup at Winton Raceway this weekend, entering the event 10th and 11th in the standings, respectively. Josh Nevett

…YOU GOING TO WINTON THIS WEEKEND FEATURE CATEGORIES

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TASTY NEW LAMBO FOR GT3 AGGRESSIVE UPDATE FOR THE HURACAN RACER

By Paul Gover, News Editor

car,” says Lamborghini’s head of motorsport, Giorgio Sanna. “It’s a new project that reinforces the technological transfer between Lamborghini’s motorsport division and the company. (It) inherits two difficult tasks: to prove as successful as the previous generations of Huracan GT3, which have won more than 40 international titles in six seasons, and to match its commercial success by helping to reach the target of 500 Huracan racing cars since 2015.” Body changes are the most obvious difference, with a massive difference in what

IT’S TOO late for 2022, but look for an all-new Lamborghini to shake up the GT3 pecking order when the Bathurst 12-Hour returns in 2023. The new Italian hero car is called the GT3 EVO2 and is based on the latest track-focussed Huracan EVO road car, as Auto Action explained last issue. It’s the first major update to the Huracan racer since the car was homologated for racing in 2019, although the Lamborghini has been a GT3 contender since 2015. “Not simply an evolution of the current

Lamborghini calls the ‘aerodynamic solutions’, but the car also has a new intake system for its Vee-10 engine and a much more high-tech interior built around a new steering wheel. There is a new snorkel, replacing side air intakes, while the engine gets individual electronic throttle bodies. The all-carbon bodywork has new splitters, diffuser and underbody to significantly boost downforce. There is also a near rear wing mounted on aluminium alloy pillars, allowing for more-precise adjustments. There is a new roll-cage with two rear pillars and side-impact panels, and even the

plexiglass side windows are fixed with a ring of screws for improved structural rigidity. Braking has been updated with new calipers and pads designed by Lamborghini’s Squadra Corse, combined with dedicated traction control and anti-lock brakes. One of the objectives is to make the car easy to control, even for what Lamborghini still describes as ‘gentleman drivers’. First deliveries of the EVO2 will begin in the second half of this year. Lamborghini also has an evolution kit that will allow owners to upgrade existing Huracan GT3 racers ahead of homologation for the 2023 season.

GOVERNMENT COMMITED TO NEW VICTORIAN ‘HOME’ THE VICTORIAN Government has announced that it will allocate $1.7 million from its 2022/23 budget to the master planning and site due diligence for a new motorsport venue in the state. Motorsport Australia CEO Eugene Arocca is delighted with the news and confirmed that the funding was a big step in developing an important motorsport venue for Victoria. “We have been working closely with the Victorian Government around discussions for a new motorsport venue in the state, which we know is sorely needed,” Arocca said.

“This funding announcement is a terrific show of support from the Andrews Government who like us, can see the need for more facilities as motorsport’s popularity continues to grow. “The funding will allow the Victorian Government and Motorsport Australia to conduct preliminary work into finding a location for a Victorian Home of Motorsport and allow more people to enjoy more motorsport more often.” Motorsport Australia has said that no locations are off the table and that there is no set size or scope for the venue. “This is early days in the project, but as many people would know, you need to put in the hard work now for the benefit of the sport into the future,” Arocca continued. “This support Victoria’s Minister from the Victorian for Tourism, Sport and Government is Major Events Martin in addition to the Pakula, with AGP CEO many funding Andrew Westacott. programs they

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have initiated with us, benefiting Motorsport Australia affiliated clubs and venues, so we are very grateful that they see the benefit motorsport delivers to the state. “Our recent Ernst & Young research highlighted motorsport’s strong contribution to the state’s economy, with motorsport contributing 4,400 direct jobs in Victoria, as well as more than $800million of gross output every year. This new venue will only see that grow in the years ahead.” Victoria’s Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events Martin Pakula said that motorsport’s current growth globally has highlighted the need for more facilities around the state of Victoria. Last month the record attendance for an Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park in Victoria was smashed, despite a crowd cap. “Motorsport participation is growing rapidly across the state and we’re undertaking detailed planning work to help make the Victorian Home of Motorsport a reality,” Pakula said. “I look forward to Motorsport Australia finalising the location of the Victorian Home of Motorsport and seeing the plans for the new precinct.” Dan McCarthy

LEFFO GETS HIS SEND-OFF By Paul Gover, News Editor SINGLE-SEATER ace John ‘Leffo’ Leffler is about to get a fitting send-off from his old team mates and rivals. A gathering is being organised in Sydney next month and several dozen people are expected to attend the ‘Celebration of Life’ event. Leffler starred in the heyday of Formula 5000 in the 1980s after starting his racing in a one of the giantkiller Minis sports sedans from the 1960s. He is best known for his winning efforts in the Grace Brothers racing team that also included Ian ‘Pete’ Geoghegan in a Ford ’Super Falcon’. He won the ‘Driver to Europe’ championship in Formula Ford with a Bowin and graduated to Formula 2 with the same maker, before taking to the Lola T400 that won the Gold Star in 1976 and finished second in 1977. The event to honour ‘Leffo’ is being held on June 24 and is organised by his former team manager, chief mechanic and close friends. It will include recollections, an audio-visual presentation and many of his mates. Anyone with a personal connection to ‘Leffo’ is invited to register for the event by logging into www.johnlefflermemorial.au as soon as possible as spaces are filling fast.

TRACKSIDE FOR 12 HOURS

MULTIPLE FORMULA FORD MANUFACTURERS NOW LIKELY

FORMULA FORD is now likely to remain as a multiple manufacturer category after Motorsport Australia took note of competitor feedback. Motorsport Australia Director of Motorsport and Commercial Operations Michael Smith opened up to Auto Action about the current state of play in the incredibly popular Australian Formula Ford category. Smith explained that the original idea Formula Ford now appears to be substantially less likely after listening to competitors views. “We’re really wanting the DNA to stay the same,” he said to AA. “I know one of our preliminary recommendations was to look at a single manufacturer path,” he said. “Whilst the (Formula Ford) working group hasn’t formed a view, one way or another on that, I think we’re coming around to the view that, potentially a multi-manufacturer format would be a better path to go, because that’s consistent with what Formula Ford has always LONG-TIME been in this country. AA’S “We had the stakeholder forum, we COLUMNIST then had the survey, and then we REFLECTS ON A invited people to make submissions.

“We’ve taken the time to speak to every single one of those people or email every single one of those people. “I guess as a consequence of that we’ve come around to the view that perhaps a multi-manufacturer concept is the way to go.” Smith feels that if they can get the rules right, then a multi-manufacturer series will continue to work successfully. “In order to do that (a multi-brand category) you have to get the rules right, we know that, it’s a lot simpler to craft a set of rules when you’re only have one homologated manufacturer.

with Luke West

MEMORABLE B12

evolution of Formula Ford Racing, as distinct from trying to introduce something that’s entirely new that we know with our Formula 4 experience hasn’t worked.” Smith also admitted that the plan for a 2023 introduction along with the reintroduction of championship status is looking ambitious. “If I’m being really honest, I think 2023 introduction might be a bit ambitious at this point,” Smith felt. “But we haven’t formed a fixed view on that, the Formula Ford Association “But ultimately, if we’re, wanting to of course, will be key to all of this as achieve or carry on the philosophy of well. Formula Ford Racing we need to be “What I will say is our current thinking able to do it in a multi-manufacturer is to run Formula Ford, the current Image: environment.” cars as a national series next year, and Smith believes the reason that then at a point in time, whether that’s Formula 4 did not work in Australia 2023 or 2024, we will introduce a new was because it did not appeal to the car as a championship. Australian motor sport scene, this is “We’d run existing cars in parallel why it is essential that Formula Ford with the new sort of a mixed Image:ones Markas Horsburgh remains as close as possible to its grid and that would happen for a roots. period, broadly speaking, I’d be “Formula 4 didn’t work here,” he anticipating that it’d be three to five older GT3 cars in Australia, yet there although there were way too many admitted. “It’s clear, people are very years, something like that. were just two entries in the all-Am pitstop regulations. I could cope with passionate about Formula Ford Racing “I guess ultimately, it depends on the for one year, ditto the ‘Lucky “Our thinking isclass. haveWhat it asgives? an take up them of any new car. DM

Contrast this to the Bathurst Dog’ rule, but they are not needed 6-Hour production car enduro for 2023. Anyone else uncomfortable IF 2022 was a weak year for the where many cars have seen duty with the wave-around rule being Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour, then for over a decade. Strangely, the applied at the discretion of officials? Mount Panorama’s international same principle of buying a race and Sheesh, that’s asking for post-race of the illustrious names that won in the ONE OF the country’s longest serving GT race is truly in rude health. Yes, in Kenny ‘half-a-woody’ Habul and were playing the role of Holden amortising costs over many years trouble with the legal eagles. category administrators Margaret Hardy category. the field was untypically small for plot lines influenced by weather. This (complete with two entries from doesn’t apply in GT3-land. A big thank you to B12 entrants, Hardy assisted all of these drivers on passed away from cancer on Thursday the 11th running, to GT3 rules, but was, after all, the first motor race Triple Eight), while Audi was Ford. Carrera Cup’s success is the especially those from overseas, their route to Australia’s top-level. August 19. another great weekend of racing held in May on the full Mountain four-ring circus dominated biggest thing working against GT3 in who did contest the race. It was She was liked by all whoThe knew her Hardy was involved in motor racing speaks volumes for the event’s circuit. qualifying only for their teams to find this country. Thirty-one cars rocked appropriate that Habul, with three in the industry which is why the motor for decades and was known for her future. This was a B12 for the true Personally, I will long remember creative ways to shoot themselves in up the 2022 opener at the AGP and previous trips to the race, came sport community is sad to hear of her dedication to Formula Ford. believers. watching the exotics charge up the the foot come race day. I’d seen that many former GT competitors now up trumps. The Conrod Straight passing. Hardy joined the Light Car Club as As a card-carrying, Bathurst hill with headlights ablaze in the movie before. play in Carrera Cup, which, from property owner even bathed his During her time in the category, the office manager and began working 12 Hour fanboy, I soaked up the foggy pre-dawn, as my group sat The quality of the GT3 entry was where I sit, a spectator’s perspective, celebration in some Brock goodness she was named a Life Member of the with the Australian Formula Ford weekend’s action trackside, covering in the dark opposite where Dicky is disappointing. Give me multi in giving a nod to his mentor. Formula Ford Association.very good under the circumstances, championship 1978, doing paperwork many miles on foot, wandering from Johnson hit the rock almost 42 years albeit without the usual variety. marque GT racing any day. It was good to see some giantFormula Ford Association for the category throughout the ‘80s. vantage point to vantage point. It ago. It was cool, not cold, and oh Aston Martin, McLaren, Lamborghini A positive development was the killing performances from the Early in the following year she became representative Phil Marinon said was easier this year, as it wasn’t so so magically atmospheric! The roar and Ferrari were all Missing in presence of the event’s first GT2 car, privateers, like sixth place Marc Cini, she remained very connected to the the administrator of the category and bloody hot. Everywhere I ventured of the engines seemed to linger in Action and have seemingly given the KTM X-Bow. This was a fast and who has supported the event for so category. was tasked with organising national I found a discernible, positive vibe the misty air longer than normal. up on the Intercontinental GT fascinating addition to the field. More long. and was always focused on the result and present took to social media to “Margaret was a tireless Administrator series events, a role she held until 2013. from fellow B12 devotees who And headlights – for cars going Challenge. Porsche appeared please. Hopefully, the GT2 entry of the 2022 B12 entrants rather than looking for accolades. send theirEach condolences. for Formula Ford Association and also She has dealt with many of Australia’s understood a 20-car field was an faster than Supercars in the daytime completely disinterested in the B12 grows in the future, including the should be rewarded with a the AFFM including category manager “Margaret was very dedicated to Outside of Formula Ford, Margaret motor sport stars over the years and aberration not a trend. The many, came into sight a few seconds this year, just when the race needed BT-63, one of which was start next year – and also tookguaranteed on roles such as the race for the national competition,” he told all things FormulaBrabham Ford and has was well-known as a hardworking –and many folk present were genuine before the actual cars did. the German marque to step up. racing at Phillip Island. Brabham is maybe the following year – when the secretary for Sandown Raceway. Auto Action. recently assisted the association in passionate worker. enthusiasts who simply like watching the outright BMW will arrive with its new M4 natural successor to Holden as fair-weather friends return. Hardy was diagnosed with “Herthink attention to detail and ability to the production ofthe a book on 50 years In her time as category manager I couldn’t help car racing at Bathurst. field, essentially six AMG-Mercedes next year and Ford will follow suit the Aussie manufacturer to cheer The B12 was in survival mode this Inflammatory Breast Cancer in 2019 support the competitors has been very of Formula Ford in Australia and seven-time Bathurst 1000 winner Craig Camper numbers were down, yes, Audi R8s, gave the the GT3 Mustang soon after. at Bathurst. Please make it happen, back on the launching pad and wentyear intobutStage 4 in May. strongly acknowledged onwith social media disappointingly will not get to see the Lowndes, reigning 1000 victor, Willversus as many but those who made the pilgrimage 2022 race a distinct, if all-too familiar, What was most baffling was the David Brabs! again to rocket into prosperity. It’s Auto Action sends its condolences to final result.” Davison, David Reynolds, Chaz Mostert and is undisputed. were rewarded with a uniquelytwo-dimensional feel not unlike the lack of entries in the amateur and The Pro-Am focus this year just so good we have less than nine her friends and family. DM “Margaret was a very private person Many Australian racing legends past and Anton de Pasquale are just some flavoured enduro, a popular winner October classic. The AMG-Mercs lower classes. There must be over 50 certainly added another element, months to wait until the next one.

REVVED UP – FORMULA FORD’S GUIDING HAND VALE: MARGARET HARDY

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DRAG RACING CREW ESCAPE FRIGHTENING INCIDENT Image: Motorsport Images

DAVISON LOCKS IN NASCAR DRIVE SIX-TIME INDY 500 runner and former Indy Lights runner-up James Davison has revealed to AUTO ACTION that he has locked in a oneoff NASCAR drive for later in the season with a highly competitive team. After making several one-off IndyCar appearances in the Indy 500, last year Davison elected to turn to tin-top racing, contesting the majority of the NASCAR Cup season with Rick Ware Racing. The team struggled to field a car capable of finishing in the top half of the field and so, for this reason, Davison has elected to run a oneoff drive with a competitive team. “Have a NASCAR race locked in with a good team later in the year ... going for a bit of quality over quantity,” Davison revealed. “After running around at the back in the Cup Series, and while it was great to get a start ,but

opportunity ran its course. “It’s now time to get myself into competitive equipment or it’s just not worth doing, in my eyes.” Although he indicated it would be with a front-running team in one of the top two NASCAR categories, he was not willing to share much more information at this stage. After growing up as primarily a single-seater driver, AA asked if he had changed to tin-top racing on a permanent basis. “No, my elite level career has always been a case of jumping from opportunity to opportunity due to how tough it is in this modern era to have sustained establishment. “Racing in IMSA and GT World Challenge, IndyCar, NASCAR, Historic F1, S5000, Carrera Cup ... is just a case of racing wherever there’s an opportunity – the same still applies.”

The 36-year-old confirmed that he is seeking a couple of races with this new team later this year. “This year, I did the Daytona 24; and looking for at least one NASCAR race later in the year,” Davison said. “Wherever there’s opportunity ... I’m just following the pattern and enjoying it.. “Would I like to be in a sustained opportunity? Of course, everyone would, but in the end, I’m making it work and I’m blessed to be one of the lucky few that get to do it. “But I’ve gotten to the point where, unless it can be done properly, it’s not worth doing at all – it’s no different to many drivers I know who have mounted an attempt on a career in Supercars, and just never quite landed where they’ve wanted to.” Dan McCarthy

FAMOUS NAME TO DEBUT IN SPORTS SEDANS AFTER A tightly fought first round at Phillip Island, the National Sports Sedan Series will return to the track at Winton Raceway this weekend with a famous name joining the grid. Mason Kelly, the son of Bathurst 1000 winner Todd Kelly, joins a 24-car strong Sports Sedan field for the second round of the season, which will act as a support to the Supercars Winton SuperSprint. The 17-year-old junior racer will drive the MARC car owned by Stuart Eustice in his debut, as he looks to forge a career in motorsport. Kelly has committed to the next three rounds of the national series, which National Sports Sedans Series Director Michael Robinson described as a boost to the category. “Mason is a bit of an unknown – he’s a late entry. He’s in a very good car, suitable for that track – it’ll be ideal for him,” Robinson told Auto Action. “He has committed to the next three rounds, which is a bonus.”

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Mason Kelly headlines a list of nine new competitors for the Winton round, which will host competitors from every state. The boost in demand is linked to the opportunity to race in front of a national audience, as all the Sports Sedan action will be broadcast on Foxtel. Robinson is confident that his category will give a good account of itself. “We supported Supercars back in 2015 at Winton and are looking forward to heading there again. Foxtel coverage of our races is a big drawcard for all the competitors. “The whole area is booked out for accommodation – it’s a very well supported event and when the fans see the Sports Sedans I’m sure they’ll be excited. “We want to put on a good show for the public – 24 cars around that track will be pretty impressive, lots of noise!” Audi A4 steerer Jordan Caruso enters

Round 2 as the points leader, just five points clear of veteran Steve Tamasi. While those two will be hard to beat this time around, Robinson believes that the tighter track at Winton will bring others into contention. “The current leader Jordan Caruso is fired up and ready to go, as are fellow frontrunners Steve Tamasi and Shane Woodman,” Robinson said. “Those three, plus others like Shane Bradford and Daniel Crompton will be in contention at the pointy end. “I think the shorter track will change the order a bit, level the playing field. “One third of the field haven’t been to Winton before, so they’ve been working hard on the simulators.” The Winton SuperSprint will take place from May 21-22 in country Victoria. Josh Nevett

A FRIGHTENING Top Fuel Drag Racing incident was caught live on-air on May 7 when the engine of the Jim Read Racing machine exploded just prior to a run on the Sydney Dragway. Fortunately, none of the crew received serious injuries and all were dischaged from hospital after examination. Regular Supercars pitlane reporter Chad Neylon was doing a pre-race piece-to-camera when the explosion occurred behind him. Neylon was seen running over to a crew member who had fallen to the ground as the coverage cut to a commercial break. In recent days the team confirmed all of its crew members have made a full recovery. “We are relieved to hear that all members of Jim Read Racing will be making a full recovery after the unforeseen accident at Sydney Dragway,” a team statement read. “Fortunately, the safety containment devices and equipment were able to offer protection in preventing any further injuries. “We’d also like to acknowledge and thank all the medical staff and officials who attended to the Jim Read Racing team members so quickly. “We greatly appreciate the outpouring of love, support and well wishes to the team from fans and the racing community.” Four of the five crew members were discharged that night and assisted with the packing up of the racing car on Sunday. The other was kept in hospital overnight as a precaution. An extensive investigation occurred the following week with the team concluding it would be able to race this weekend in Victoria following some repairs. “Obviously after something like that, you go through everything with a finetooth comb, so we have taken our time over the last few days to really assess the damage and analyse every inch of the car,” Hydraulink Jim Read Racing crew chief, Bruce Read, said. “While there is quite a lot of damage, we were very relieved to find that the chassis itself was unaffected. “The crew is hard at work now to ensure we can replace all the necessary components and have the car fully prepped and ready to roll out again in plenty of time for Round 5 of the Australian Top Fuel Championship. “Everyone on the team is very excited to waste no time in getting back onto the track, and I am very thankful for the dedication and enthusiasm of our crew who will make this possible.” Dan McCarthy

Image: Motorsport Images

HELMET HEAD ON MY desk I have a scaled-down replica of my favourite helmet from all of motorsports. It’s ‘Donkey,’ the helmet used by Valentino Rossi at Misano in Italy in 2009 when he was racing for Yamaha. If you wonder how a character from the Shrek movie would translate to MotoGP, take a minute to Google it. I reckon it will make you laugh . . . I was reminded of Donkey during the Miami Grand Prix, which saw some of the best helmet designs in recent F1 history. And, once again, we have to thank the ‘Netflix Factor’. Anything that injects extra personality into grand prix racing is now considered to be a good thing. It’s a massive contrast to the days when Bernie Ecclestone killed the idea of helmet changes because he found it difficult to identify the drivers.

with Paul Gover

THE PG PERSPECTIVE I’m guessing he liked the simpler days when Niki Lauda used a plain red helmet with his name on the side; when Jacky Ickx was dark blue with a white outline; and Jackie Stewart – always ahead of the curve – flashed a strip of the family tartan around his Bell bonnet. The move to a single helmet for each season – with only one swap allowed for a home race or a favourite GP – was partly a reaction to the race-by-race changes made by Sebastian Vettel during his championship years at Red Bull Racing. Seb was the Rossi of F1, switching

all the time but without the humour or quirkiness of the MotoGP star. For a while I was collecting replicas of Vettel’s helmets, but it got too much and they looked too similar. Now, after Ecclestone’s ousting from the big chair in F1 and the arrival of the fan-friendly Liberty ownership, we’re getting more variety in the driver’s helmets. For me, that’s a good thing. Very good. When Niki Lauda died, I thought Vettel nailed it with his tribute design at the Monaco Grand Prix. Lewis Hamilton also had one, but … nah.

Sir Lewis did much better with the diversity design he used last year in the middle east to highlight the lack of human rights in the Arab countries. This year there has been some variety in in the skid-lid situation, with Vettel again taking the lead with his reaction to the situation in Ukraine. In Miami, the drivers went wild with their helmets. Even the organisers got into the spirit when they provided football helmets for the podium presentation. Six drivers had something different for the inaugural Miami street race, with Valtteri Bottas going all-in with a different design for each of the three days in the ’States. Daniel Ricciardo showed his crazy side with a tribute to the Ace Ventura movie franchise, where the Pet Detective worked in Miami

Lando Norris took Gover’s ‘Best Helmet’ award from Miami with his basketball look (left). Best of all time? Valentino Rossi’s ‘Donkey’ (top). Vettel’s Miami helmet (above) messaged the theory that, by 2060, melting glaciers will result in the Miami GP being under water ...

and football player Dan Marino – who handed out a prize on the F1 podium – did a cameo. But my favourite helmet in Miami 2022 was one that would have even made Rossi proud. It’s the basketball design used by Lando Norris. It was spot-on in style and execution and Norris is already advertising replicas on his personal website. It won’t be long before I have one sitting alongside Donkey on my desk.

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DE VRIES TO MAKE F1 PRACTICE DEBUT MERCEDES F1 reserve driver and Formula E driver Nyck de Vries will make his Formula 1 practice debut at the Spanish Grand Prix this weekend. The Dutchman will drive Alex Albon’s Williams FW44 throughout the 60-minute opening practice session before handing the car back to the Thai driver for the remainder of the weekend. De Vries is the reigning Formula E World Champion and a former Formula 2 Champion. The Circuit de Barcelona Catalunya practice laps will be the 27 year olds first in an F1 car. His appearance fulfils one of Williams’ two mandated young driver sessions, a rule introduced this year. Williams is certain de Vries will aid the team’s preparation ahead of qualifying and the race. “We are looking forward to having Nyck de Vries in the car for FP1 as it is always good to work with a new driver and get a fresh opinion on the car’s strengths and weaknesses,” said Head of Vehicle Performance Dave Robson. “Nyck’s experience and professionalism will be crucial on Friday as he will complete some of the key engineering Images: Motorsport Images tests in FP1 before he hands the car back to Alex for FP2.” The Dutch driver is thankful for the opportunity and hopes he can aid the team. “Firstly, I’d really like to thank Williams for the opportunity to run in FP1. It’s great for me to get to know the team and drive the FW44, and also to get myself out on track during a Formula 1 weekend,” de Vries said. “Preparation for the test is going well so far and the team have been incredibly supportive of me. I’m very much looking forward to the whole experience in Spain now.” “I’m looking forward to seeing Nyck join the team for FP1 at the Spanish Grand Prix,” commented Williams Grand Prix Sporting Director Sven Meets. “As a very talented and experienced driver, I have no doubt that he’ll maximise his time in the FW44 and deliver a strong, capable performance for the team.” De Vries currently shares the Mercedes reserve role with Stoffel Vandoorne and has previously tested F1 machinery when he drove the Merc in last year’s post-season Abu Dhabi Grand Prix test. Dan McCarthy

PYE CAR REPAIRED THE REPAIR of Scott Pye’s #20 Team 18 ZB Commodore has been completed ahead of this weekend’s Winton Supersprint, team owner Charlie Schwerkolt explaining that the damage was not as bad as first thought. In the most recent Supercars round at Wanneroo Raceway, Pye and Matt Stone Racing driver Jack Le Brocq collided on pit straight resulting in Pye slamming backwards into the pit wall. The badly damaged car ruled Pye out of the final race and required an extensive repair, including a trip to a jig at Walkinshaw Andretti United in Clayton. After weeks of effort, the Team 18 Commodore has been fully repaired and restored, only the doors need to go back on. “It was not as bad as what we thought, it was a bit more superficial once we ripped all

the sheet metal off around the fuel tank and everything around there,” he explained to AA. “It actually wasn’t as bad, but still one major bar that had to be fixed, but I think we got out of it pretty lightly, it could have been a lot worse.” “It was rather a nasty hit near the left rear air jack, it was really only one bar that was replaced and that was from the bottom of the main hoop up to the to the rear tower, it was repaired really nicely Walkinshaw did a good job for us.” The car returned to the Team 18 workshop where the team reassembled the body panels. “We came back from Perth, the truck driver got back nice and early so the car was down there Thursday night – complete bare shell,” he recalled.

“Very first thing Friday morning last week we got it back and then the car’s been completely reassembled, all painted, done and finished and it’s just about all together now.” Since the crash, Team 18 has taken on a new Team manager Bruin Beasley, Schwerkolt is certain he is the right man to move the team forward. “We lost our team manager at the start of this year and we’ve been searching for the right quality of person with leadership and someone who really, really wants to win, and Bruin wants to win, that’s what he wants to do,” Schwerkolt said. “Everyone needs a leader, you’ve got to bring it all together and good communication and all sailing in the right

MACROW TO RACE AT SPA THIS WEEKEND S5000 AUSTRALIAN Drivers’ Championship front-runner Tim Macrow will race a Sports Car this weekend at the legendary SpaFrancorchamps Circuit in Belgium. The two-time Gold Star winner jets off to Spa-Francorchamps tonight (Tuesday) to compete in the Spa Classic event driving a Group C Tiga Sports Car. Tiga was founded by Australian international driver Tim Schenken and New Zealander Howden Ganley. It produced an array of competitive open-wheelers and sports cars. Macrow’s car, which competed in the Daytona 24 Hour is now owned by local racer, Robin Swift. “Robin has some Pro Sport 3000 cars here and he’s been good enough to let me have a steer in local historic events, but it was a nice surprise to get the opportunity to drive a Group C car at Spa, I can tell you,” Macrow said. “The car is based in Europe and it’s a pretty serious bit of kit. I’ll be driving with a guy called Jack Fabby, who has driven them before, in a pair of one-hour races. “It’s something really new for me and I

can’t wait to get there and not only drive the car, but get a crack at Spa as well.” Plans are already in place for Macrow to return to Europe and drive the car at the annual Historic Le Mans festival later this year. The Victorian admits he may have a bit of jet lag come next weekend but is certain it will be worth it. “I’ll cop some jet lag for racing miles in something that should be as fast and as wild to drive as the S5000,” Macrow laughed. “It’s a tight turnaround but it’s a great opportunity to drive something new and

experience one of the world’s great tracks. “Any miles in a car will be helpful for my Gold Star campaign so I’m pretty content with that. “I’m looking forward to Spa, and then coming straight back and getting back in our UCS Group / Hollinger entry in Sydney to try and close the margin to Joey in the championship.” Macrow won’t be in Belgium long as he has to return for the fourth round of S5000 at Sydney Motorsport Park on May 27-29, he is currently second in the standings, 28 points behind reigning champion Joey Mawson. Dan McCarthy

TANDER JOINS KARTING AUSTRALIA BOARD

direction. “I know myself there’s some stuff that we’ve been lacking in, I think we can build it and make it a really tight knit team working on the same page. “I think a really fantastic opportunity for the team, he wants to make the place better, more competitive, and get the boys up there. “There are some areas that we’re lacking a little bit, he’s got that expertise to bring it all together and really make it a really strong bonded team. “A lot of work to be done, we’re not going to see changes or anything massive overnight, it takes time, but I’m really, really excited to bring him on, he’s a good fit for the team for sure.” Dan McCarthy

FOUR-TIME BATHURST 1000 winner Garth Tander has joined the Karting Australia Board of Directors. Tander accepted the invitation to join the Board replacing Troy Bundy Head who moved to America to take up the role of managing Porsche Motorsport in the USA, a role he held in Australia for four and a half years. Tander’s appointment adds racing experience and commercial knowledge to the board. These days, Tander finds himself at the kart track on a regular basis, fielding his children around the nation. Tander is highly regarded for his work as a part of the commentary team in the Supercars Championship and other motor racing events and is expected to add further depth to the skills-based Board with his career in motorsport. “Karting provided me with some of the best memories of my racing days, I recall the great times that we spent as a family travelling around Western Australia and various parts of the country,” said the 2007 V8 Supercars Championship winner Tander. “I also met some great people through the sport, some of whom I remain good friends with today,” “The sport has changed a lot since those days, but the fundamentals

are still the same and I’m excited to be appointed to the Board to help further grow the sport into the future.” “There is a lot of experience on the Board, both in motorsport and business, everyone there is extremely passionate about further growth for the sport,” he said. “I look forward to working with my fellow Directors and the Staff on building karting into the future.” During his karting days, Tander was successful at State Championship level on seven occasions before being crowned the 1997 Formula Ford Australian Champion and then continuing to a decorated career in the Supercars Championship. Dan McCarthy

PREMIAIR RACING EXTEND SUBWAY DEAL PREMIAIR RACING has extended its partnership with Subway until the end of the 2022 Supercars Championship season, ensuring that Garry Jacobson will continue to campaign his distinctive livery. The renewal comes after a solid run of form for Jacobson, who managed three top 10 finishes at the Australian Grand Prix aboard his PremiAir Racing Holden Commodore. After penning the deal with PremiAir Racing at the start of 2022, Subway has been impressed so far according to Head of Marketing Rodica Titeica. “We wanted to partner with both the PremiAir Racing Team and Garry because we think they’re the best in the business,” Titeica said. “Like Subway, they’ve come from humble beginnings.” “We’re not the traditional car or fuel brands that fans are used to seeing at these events. “It’s an exciting opportunity for us. Investing in people to grow the future is exactly what we’re all about at Subway – we do things in a fresher way and we’re ready to bring that to the track.” PremiAir Racing Team Owner, Peter Xiberras was thrilled to confirm the extension

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of his team’s partnership with Subway. “We have thoroughly enjoyed having Subway on board for our opening four rounds and we look forward to partnering with them for the rest of the season,” Xiberras said. “The partnership that the team and Garry have been able to form with this incredible company already has been very

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rewarding and I look forward to seeing those relationships continue to grow.” Jacobson has enjoyed racing the Subway Commodore so far this year and is looking forward to building the brand going forward. “The car looks fantastic of course, and I have been really enjoying the relationships we are forging with Subway and its team oﬀ the track,” Jacobson said.

“We are having a lot of fun creating entertaining content with them and of course, I love the product – I have made no secret of the fact that even before Subway came on board, it was my go-to meal numerous times a week!” Jacobson and PremiAir Racing will hit the track this weekend for the Winton SuperSprint. Josh Nevett

LATEST NEWS

LAMBORGHINI LATEST MARQUE TO ENTER

LAMBORGHINI IS the latest manufacturer to announce its intentions to enter a Hypercar in the top-tier FIA World Endurance Championship and IMSA Sportscar Championships. Lamborghini Squadra Corse is developing its first LMDh prototype to enter both championships in 2024. The legendary brand is the 11th manufacturer to confirm entry in the new Hypercar era of Sportscar competition alongside Ferrari, Toyota, Alpine, Glickenhaus, Audi, Porsche, Peugeot, Acura, Cadillac and BMW. Since 2015, Lamborghini has been competing at the pinnacle of GT racing, taking more than 40 titles and won the GTD class in the Daytona 24 Hours for three straight years. However, this announcement see’s Lamborghini step up to the top-tier Hypercar class where they will be competing for outright honours at Le Mans, 24 Hours at Daytona and 12 Hours of Sebring. Lamborghini Chairman and CEO

Stephan Winkelmann explained why this was such an important move. “This step up into the highest echelon of sports car racing marks an important milestone for our company,” he said. “We will be measuring ourselves against the very best, on the most demanding proving grounds. “On one hand, this will give our successful motorsports program even more visibility, but it will also allow us to test future technologies: our LMDh prototypes will become our most sophisticated open laboratory on four wheels.” Squadra Corse is making the step into the motorsport landscape driven by hybrid propulsion, and has stated that by the end of 2024 Lamborghini’s entire road range will have gone this way also. For Lamborghini, the LMDh program will run in addition to Squadra Corse’s GT platform, consisting of Super Trofeo and GT3, which remains the core of its customer motorsport operation. “I am absolutely delighted that

Lamborghini will be taking the next step in our motorsport journey, the step into LMDh and the top level of sports car racing,” Lamborghini Head of Motorsport Giorgio Sanna said. “LMDh will play a special role in Lamborghini’s Motorsports strategy, giving us the unique opportunity to expand our customer racing activities to new platforms and enforce our long-term partnership with customer teams and drivers.” FIA WEC CEO Frederic Lequien is excited about Lamborghini’s participation. “We are honoured that Lamborghini will join the Hypercar class of FIA WEC from 2024,” he said. “Lamborghini is an iconic brand but it has never competed in the premier class of endurance racing before. They will join the FIA WEC at a very exciting time in its history. “For the 2024 season there will be an exceptional line-up of marques competing in our premier class. The competition will be fierce but we have no doubt that Lamborghini will be in the thick of the fight.

“Lamborghini has been highly successful in other classes of endurance racing so we cannot wait to see them compete for overall victories at our iconic events.” IMSA President John Doonan agreed explaining that the brand has a long history with IMSA. “IMSA has enjoyed a longstanding partnership with Lamborghini dating back to the introduction of Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America a decade ago and continuing into a successful GTD program,” Doonan said. “We are proud that Lamborghini is confirming plans to grow its IMSA footprint even further in 2024 into GTP and the top category of prototype sports car racing. “Having another manufacturer of this calibre make the commitment to race in GTP reinforces the LMDh technical platform that we developed alongside our partners at the ACO, and we cannot wait to see these new Lamborghini prototypes debut in the 2024 IMSA SportsCar Championship.” Dan McCarthy

MILLER LINKED TO TECH3 KTM MOVE

JACK MILLER is one of the hot topics in the MotoGP silly season this year and Sky Sports Italia is reporting that the Queenslander is set for a move to KTM

alongside fellow Australian Remy Gardner. Following the departure of Suzuki, the MotoGP silly season has gone into overdrive with factory Ducati rider Miller right in the middle and has been linked with a move to the satellite KTM squad Tech3. Spaniards Alex Rins and 2020 MotoGP champion Joan Mir are now on the look out for rides and means that there will likely be two riders left without seats for 2023, Miller doesn’t want to be one of them. Miller’s teammate Francesco Bagnaia has already been locked in for two-years following his resounding end to the 2021 season when he took pole in all of the last

six races, winning four of them. This leaves one seat at the factory team. While Miller has performed strongly in recent rounds two costly crashes in the first five races didn’t do him any favours. Ducati satellite rider Enea Bastianini has won three of the first seven races with Gresini Racing and is a real championship contender and appears favourite for the seat. Pramac Ducati rider Jorge Martin was a contender, however he has failed to score points in five of the seven races this year so his shot at a factory 2023 ride is dwindling. Until now it was expected Miller would return to Pramac Ducati where he spent three years before joining the factory team, however Sky Italia is confident he will wear orange leathers in 2023. Sky Sport Italia noted there is a significant figure at KTM who worked with

the three-time MotoGP race winner at Pramac in the past. Francesco Guidotti was recently hired as team manager of the KTM Factory team making the shock to replace Mike Leitner. Brad Binder is already locked in for 2023, although his factory team-mate Miguel Oliveira is unlikely to re-sign. This means Miller’s move would be to satellite KTM team Tech3. Although only seven races into his MotoGP career, it’s reported that Spaniard Raul Fernandez will leave the KTM Tech3 team at the season’s end. With him teammate Gardner expected to re-sign, Miller’s move would make it an all-Australian line-up at ech3 KTM next year. This all comes after Ducati Corse Sporting Director Paolo Ciabatti said that “the futures of Bastianini and Martin will be clear in June.” Dan McCarthy

SUZUKI RIDERS ON THE MARKET THE RIDER market has been thrown into shambles with the news of Suzuki’s intentions to depart MotoGP as two Spanish guns Joan Mir and Alex Rins both admitted they are on the market looking for rides. Former champion Mir is confident, teased that something could be announced soon and has already being linked to the Repsol Honda squad replacing Pol Espargaro. “Well for this I’m calm, my manager will do a good job with me and soon I think that we will have news about it,” Mir said. “I don’t know when and everything, but for sure, from Jerez on I was officially in

the market. “Before everything happened we were in negotiations with Suzuki. It’s not the situation that we expected, but, will be like this, so let’s see what we can do. “About Honda nothing is a signed, like I said we are officially on the market so for sure my manager will speak with all of them and we will value at the end and we will take the best decision for my future,” he said. A furious Espargaro labelled this rumour as fake news, explaining that he had a contract with Honda for next year before contradicting himself. Thus far Rins has not been linked with any

teams, however the good news for him is that only four riders have officially signed 2023 contracts. “At the moment, I have nothing for next year,” Rins admitted. “But I have a manager who for sure will be busy compared to the previous weeks. I just need to keep doing what I’m doing. “The plan was to continue. We were in negotiations. If Livio [Suppo] or [Shinichi] Sahara-san knew it was coming, we wouldn’t have started those negotiations. “I’m not in the position to say which bike I want next year, I only have these phones on the table right now.” Dan McCarthy

PORSCHE TEST ELECTRIC GT4 CAR PORSCHE HAS begun testing an electric version of the Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 race car. Last year at IAA MOBILITY Porsche outlined a vision of fully-electric GT racing future with the Mission R, however the Cayman GT4 ePerformance is turning that into a reality by taking components from the Mission R machine. The Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 ePerformance is all-wheel-drive and uses the chassis of the 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport. The electric motor and battery technology comes from the IAA conceptual study, which in qualification mode translates to a maximum output of 735 kW. In simulated racing, it could run up to 450 kW for 30 minutes, i.e. the duration of a Carrera Cup race. In terms of lap times and top speed, the 718 Cayman GT4 ePerformance is on par with the performance of the current 992-generation 911 GT3 Cup. The 718 Cayman GT4 ePerformance is based on a permanently excited synchronous machine (PESM) on the front and rear axles. Together, they turn the racing car into an all-wheel-drive and can deliver a peak output of up to 800 kW. “With the Mission R, we’ve shown how Porsche envisages sustainable customer motor racing in the future,” said GT racing vehicle project manager Matthias Scholz. “The 718 Cayman GT4 ePerformance now

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demonstrates that this vision works impressively on the racetrack. “We’re very excited about the response because a one-make cup with electric racing cars would be an important addition to our existing customer racing program” The German sportscar brand has targeted a carbon neutral life cycle of each new car by 2030 when it is expected that 80% of all cars sold will be electric. GT4 ePerformance project manager Bjorn Forster explained how essential direct oil cooling of the e-motors and battery pack developed by Porsche counteracts thermally induced derating. (The battery to lose power due to overheating.) “The integration of oil cooling has significantly impacted the vehicle concept,” said Forster. “With experts in the fields of aerodynamics and thermodynamics as well as high-voltage and bodywork specialists. “The development team created an architecture to tap the full potential of the battery

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cells for the first time, since there is no thermal derating. In this way, the power output in racing mode remains constant for half an hour.” The racer, thanks to 900-volt technology, can charge from five to 80 per cent in about 15 minutes. The car is 14 centimetres wider than a standard 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport, about 6,000 parts were designed from scratch. Porsche is happy that the body is made of natural fibre composite materials, among others, therefore generating fewer emissions than the production of comparable synthetic materials. The flared fenders allow more room for the wider 18-inch racing tyres from Michelin. The Porsche Cayman GT4 ePerformance will makes its public debut at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed. Dan McCarthy

SATO TOPS DAY 1 OF INDY PRACTICE FORMER FORMULA 1 driver Takuma Sato topped the opening day of official Indy 500 practice setting a lap of 228.939mp/h (368.441kp/h), while Will Power and Scott McLaughlin were buried in the pack. In the final five minutes of the day, using a tow, two-time Indy winner Sato shot to the top of the timesheets comfortably 1 mp/h faster than the rest of the field. New Zealander Scott Dixon, pole sitter last year was second fastest in his Chip Ganassi Racing machine with a speed of 227.767mp/h (366.557kp/h) “We had a big tow,” Sato said. “In Happy Hour, if you have new tyres, I think you can do that. I’m pretty happy today. “To be honest, this morning wasn’t as smooth as we wished. We had to go back to the garage and check up on lots of things because there was something we were not very happy with. But in the end, in the afternoon we quickly turned-on good speed. “I’m very happy with the 51 car. Dale Coyne Racing did a good job.” Aussie Power leads the IndyCar Series into the Indy 500, he ended Day 1 18th, setting a 225.432mp/h (362.797kp/h) lap. Power ended the day two places ahead of Team Penske teammate, Scott McLaughlin who was 0.102mp/h slower. There teammate Josef Newgarden ended up inside he top 10, in ninth. Seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson again impressed on the ovals ending the day third fastest. Last year he elected not to race on ovals, but this year has taken to it well finishing sixth in his first race at Texas. He completed the lap with an average speed of 227.722mp/h (366.483kp/h) in the #48 Ganassi Dallara Honda, fastest of the seven rookies. “We have a really good race car,” Johnson said. “It’s just trying to work through extremes for me. What is a low trim setting? What’s a high trim setting? What’s mechanically tight? What’s mechanically free? Just trying to work through some of those big-picture things. “All in all, a really good day. I feel like where we ended in this session gives me a lot of confidence for working forward.” Ex-F1 driver Marcus Ericsson was fourth ahead of Dutchman Rinus VeeKay in his Ed Carpenter Racing car and reigning Series winner Alex Palou. Dixon, Johnson, Ericsson and Palou showed that Chip Ganassi Racing look strong early in the week. David Malukasm Sage Karam, Nergarden, and Tony Kanaan rounded out the top 10. Championship contenders Pato O’Ward, Colton Herta and defending Indy 500 race winner Helio Castroneves ended the day outside the top 20. Indy 500 qualifying and the race itself can be seen live and ad free exclusively on Stan Sport. Dan McCarthy

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AUSSIES

DOUBLE DELIGHT

AUSTRALIAN WILL Power has revealed the striking livery which he will run in this year’s Indianapolis 500. The 2018 500 winner will race a Team Penske machine for the 14th straight year and again his machine will be backed by Verizon. The colourful livery is orange at the front, red across the middle, with both the rear-right and rear-left corners a dark purple shade. The Indy 500 takes place on May 29. DM

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THE AUSSIE contingent had mixed fortunes in the opening round of the Italian F4 Championship, at Imola. James Wharton scored a podium, the Prema team driver managing three top 10 finishes to sit fifth in the standings. R-ace GP steerer Marcos Flack struggled to make an impact. Flack’s best finish for the weekend was 19th in Race 1, while he failed to finish in the final encounter. JN

AARON LOVE’S tough start to life in Porsche Carrera Cup France continued at Spa, although the series rookie managed his best race finish so far. Love started from seventh in Race 1 and moved up a couple of spots before suffering a puncture which ended his race. From 14th on the grid in the final race the Western Australian started strong again, moving up to P6 by the end of the first lap. He didn’t quite have the speed to maintain the rage, falling back to P8 by the chequered flag. JN

FORMER W Series driver Caitlin Wood had a successful weekend in the Nurburgring 24 Hours qualifiers, recording a podium. Driving an Adrenaline Motorsport BMW 330i Racing, Wood finished second in the night race and P4 in the second race on Sunday in the VT2 class as she pushes towards a berth in the famous endurance race. A double podium was on the cards, but an extra pitstop on the Sunday ended those hopes. JN

TOMMY SMITH was unable to follow up his podium at Oulton Park in the GB3 Championship, running at the rear of the field in Round 2 at Silverstone. Smith finished 14th, 16th and 12th in the three races at the iconic British circuit, leaving him 19th in the standings after the completion of two rounds. The Douglas Motorsport driver will look to reverse his form at Donington Park, where the next round will be held from May 28-29. JN

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CHRISTIAN MANSELL has stayed within arm’s length of top spot in the Euroformula Open Championship by registering a pair of podium finishes at Circuit de Pau-Ville. Competing with Motopark, the young Aussie (pictured above and right) starred in the second meeting of the season, finishing second in both races in France. Starting third on the grid for the first 26-lap encounter, Mansell made a clean getaway to move into second past his teammate Vladislav Lomko at Turn 1. Set on taking the top spot on the podium, Mansell then pushed to challenge the race leader before the Safety Car neutralised proceedings and he was forced to settle for second. The teenager from Newcastle started from third again in Race 2, falling back to fourth in the opening exchanges before pouncing on an error from polesitter Oliver Goethe to jump to second. Mansell again played the hunter, fiercely

pursuing Lomko for the lead – however he was unable to make a move stick on the narrow circuit. A fourth podium finish in five races leaves Mansell second in the standings, 19 points behind Goethe. “Another great weekend for us, and plenty of important points picked up once more to keep us in the title fight although it’s still early days,” Mansell said. “Pau is a very tricky track, so it was a challenging start to the weekend trying to get used to it. Our pace throughout was really strong though, and we were up in the fight for pole both times which was the key to a good weekend. “It’s basically impossible to overtake here. A good start in race one was the main thing and it put us in a great place. After that we could just chill and get into the zone to get the car home for a podium finish. “It was a similar story on Sunday with a good qualifying session. We missed out on

the front row but attacked into the first corner and took advantage of some mistakes to get up to second place. “It’s a really good weekend for us, and hopefully we’ll take that positive momentum into Paul Ricard next.” Mansell is back out on track in France at Circuit Paul Ricard from May 21-22. Josh Nevett

STREET FIGHTER HUGH BARTER extended his lead in the French F4 Championship with a dominant round at Circuit de Pau-Ville. Barter added a third victory to his season tally in the first race of the second round, before completing a consistent weekend with another podium in Race 3. An opening lap move kicked off the round in style for Barter, who surged into the lead and never looked back. Japanese polesitter Souta Arao could do little as his Australian rival quickly established a gap and was then forced to defend for second. Arao was up to the task, showing himself and Barter to be the pacesetters

Images: Motorsport Images

of the field, before displaying resilience to challenge Barter for the lead late in the piece to no avail. Another chapter was written in the battle between the two title contenders in Race 2, as Arao crashed out of the reversegrid affair leaving Barter to extend his advantage. The Aussie finished fifth to bank more valuable points, Arao left to rue his situation. The latter struck back in Race 3 though, beating Barter off the line to take his first victory of the season around the narrow Pau street circuit. After an enthralling see-saw round of

French F4 action, Barter emerged with a 35-point lead in over Arao in the standings. “A victory and a podium, not a bad weekend at all,” Barter said. “Managed to score some good points.” Barter will have to continue to bolster his margin, as he will miss two rounds of the French series to complete his double duties in the Spanish F4 Championship. Josh Nevett

Barter (68) heads Arao (330)and Nomura (15) Motorsport around theImage: historic Pau street Images circuit.

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CONTRIBUTING WRITERS AUSTRALIA Bruce Newton, Mark Bisset, Garry O’Brien, Geoffrey Harris, Bob Watson, Bruce Moxon, Gary Hill, Craig O’Brien, Mick Oliver, Martin Agatyn. FORMULA 1 Luis Vasconelos US CORRESPONDENT Mike Brudenell PHOTOGRAPHERS AUSTRALIA Daniel Kalsz, Mark Horsburgh, Ross Gibb, Rebecca Hind, Mick Oliver, David Batchelor, Randall Kilner, Rhys Vandersyde, Richard Hathaway, MTR Images, Bruce Moxon, Ray Ritter, autopics.com.au

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THERE’S ROOM FOR EVERYBODY

MIAMI PUT on a great show for its first Formula One Grand Prix and it was remarkable how such a big city got completely geared up for this event, something the sport had never seen in the United States, even though last year’s weekend in Austin marked the beginning of this increase of popularity of Formula One in such a big market. There’s no doubt Americans know how to put a big show together and they only know one way of doing things – they go big on everything! Having the race right next to the Miami Dolphins stadium guaranteed everyone in town knew how to get in and out of the circuit; the stadium itself served as base for offices, catering, paddock club, media facilities and so on and, of course, everyone that was someone and within a few hours’ flying time from Miami was there on Saturday and, especially, Sunday. And it was this big influx of A-listers and other not so famous VIP’s that showed one of the biggest limitations of the set-up the Miami promoters put together: their Paddock is the narrowest of the season, even narrower

with Luis Vasconcelos

F1 INSIDER than the one in Imola two weeks earlier, so there was virtually a road block, making it hard for the teams to work, especially in the last two hours before the race – not the kind of environment multimillionaire sports people or businessman want to be part of when they go to an event. Another limitation was that teams couldn’t function as a single unit (which it’s ideal) because their cabins in the Paddock were so small, they couldn’t even fit guests at the same time. The poor boys and girls from the hospitality units amassed miles walking back and forth from the kitchens, which were inside the stadium. Engineering offices were also scattered so, from a physical side, this was a punishing Grand Prix for all involved. Not least, of course, for the drivers – most of them were

completely knackered at the end of the race. The combination of the heat and humidity in Miami in May, together with the tight nature of the circuit made it quite demanding for the drivers, with extreme concentration required to avoid the walls also playing a part in their fatigue. But it was the very poor quality of the surface – let’s not call it tarmac, because it wasn’t really that sort of surface they had to deal with – that got deserved criticism from the drivers. That and the very aggressive kerbs on the chicane that will, in all likelihood, be changed for next year, with another solution required to slow the cars before the longest straight of the circuit. A lot was being made of the show Miami put together and of how European promoters would have to raise their game to stay

in Formula One, but the cooler heads in the sport agreed there’s room for everybody. Miami had a large number of high-profile guests, yes, but apart from David Beckman and Anthony Parker, they were all Americans and foreign TV commentators were really struggling to know who was who, so I presume the same was happening to those watching the broadcast from home. In Monaco, you get a completely different crowd in the stands and in the Paddock Club; a different group of people at Monza, Suzuka, Singapore, Barcelona or Silverstone and, quite frankly, Formula One needs this mix of fans and VIP’s to attract as large an audience as possible. Yes, Miami was different and that’s part of the reason that made it good – if all Formula One events were like this, life would be unbearable for those working hard on the ground and you’d struggle to keep some very valuable personnel if you were a Team Principal. Variety of events is the key, so let’s not go all ‘showbiz’ from now on, just because that set-up worked well in Miami ...

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FORMULA 1 NEWS

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TEAMS UNWILLING TO SUPPORT ANDRETTI’S F1 BID

AS WELL as straight line speed, Formula 1 Championship leader Charles Leclerc has outlined that tyre life is a big weakness with his Ferrari compared to title rival Max Verstappen. “Yes, I’m disappointed,” said Leclerc after the race in Miami. “We are very strong in terms of tyre warm-up so at the beginning of every run we are strong. “But after four, five laps they [Red Bull] are quicker than us and it’s very difficult for us to do anything.” DM

DANIEL RICCIARDO was quick to identify the reason for McLaren’s poor results in Miami, pointing to the track layout. Neither Ricciardo nor Norris scored points, the former classified 13th after a post-race penalty. “Unfortunately, the track played a bit more to our weaknesses than our strengths,” Ricciardo said. “Lots of long corners, lots of long straights, so we’ve got to work on that.” JN

RENOWNED AUSTRALIAN American commentator Leigh Diffey believes that the current strength of both the IndyCar Series and Formula 1 is a sign that motorsport is in a healthy place. The popularity of F1 has skyrocketed since the arrival of Netflix documentary Drive to Survive, which has showcased the pinnacle of open wheel motorsport to new audiences. “I think more eyeballs is better for the sport holistically,” Diffey told the In the Fast Lane podcast. JN

MICHAEL ANDRETTI was a busy man in Miami, trying to meet representatives of the existing 10 teams, FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem, and Formula One’s CEO Stefano Domenicali, but came away with very little to show for his efforts. Only McLaren and Alpine have openly declared they are willing to accept the American’s entry into the World Championship from 2024 and, according to sources close to his bid, Ferrari and Williams told the former driver they wouldn’t oppose his plan, if asked by the FIA and Formula One, in the future. Andretti tried to lobby the FIA president to support his bid and told American reporters, after the meeting that: “I think he is in support, but there’s a big process. We’re not going to get an answer for a while. It could be all the way to September or October.” His meeting with Domenicali doesn’t seem to have been so positive, as the Italian doesn’t seem to want to dilute the sports’ profits by more than 10 teams and that seems to be everyone else’s concern. Even Toto Wolff, who leads the most successful team of the last decade and, therefore, gets more prize money than all other teams bar Ferrari – which gets 5% from the top of all profits thanks to its special statute in the sport – expressed serious doubts about what Andretti would bring to Formula One: “If we have a true American team with an American driver, that would be very beneficial. But we have 10 entries today, so we divide the prize fund among those 10 entries.” The Austrian explained that: “we have invested considerable amounts over the last 10 years, so new team needs to be additive. If a team comes in, how can you demonstrate that you’re bringing in more money than it’s actually costing the rest of us? Because an 11th team means a 10-percent dilution for everybody else. If one is able to demonstrate that, then we should all be sitting at the table and cheering for such an entry. But that hasn’t been demonstrated

Images: Motorsport Images yet. And that may sound a bit dry because it comes down to the numbers, but the value of Formula One is that it’s a limited amount of franchises, and we don’t want to dilute that value by just adding teams.” Haas’ Gunther Steiner was even more clear about the matter, simply stating: “I think at the moment that 10 teams, 10 solid teams, is a good solution. We, as a team, we don’t need more.” Andretti’s biggest supporter remains McLaren’s Zak Brown, who has business connections with his fellow American and

defended that, “I’m not surprised at all that some of the race teams take a very selfish view on what should or shouldn’t happen in motor racing.” With Alpine’s Laurent Rossi telling us that, “we’ve agreed to supply our Power Units and other technology to Andretti, provided they guarantee an entry to Formula One”, part of the problem seems to have been solved, but the Frenchman added: “we’ve passed all relevant information to the FIA but it’s up to them and to Formula One to make a decision.”

STROLL CONFIRMS AUDI APPROACHED HIM KEVIN MAGNUSSEN was left frustrated after a late race crash prematurely ended the ‘hardest race’ of his career. Magnussen collided with Lance Stroll in the closing stages of the Miami Grand Prix and was left with nothing to show for his efforts in the blistering heat. “It was the hardest race I’ve ever done, it was unbelievably hot,” Magnussen said. “We tried everything we could and didn’t get points ... onto the next one.” JN

MCLAREN RACING CEO Zak Brown confirmed former F1 World Champion Mario Andretti will drive a McLaren at this year’s United States Grand Prix event in Texas in October. He will jump back behind the wheel of an F1 car at the age of 82, although Brown did not confirm what era or model McLaren this would be. Andretti has raced for Lotus and Ferrari, but has never driven a McLaren. DM

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ASTON MARTIN’S largest shareholder, Lawrence Stroll, confirmed early this week that “Audi has approached us” in an interview with Italian magazine Autosprint. The Canadian billionaire has been faced with a lot more challenges that he had anticipated since he bought the Force India team for a very low price and, with the German manufacturer keen to buy an existing team to make a full-fledged entry to Formula One from 2026, could take this opportunity to cut his losses and even make a modest profit out of his first real venture outside the fashion industry. Although he didn’t want to elaborate on the subject, Stroll’s cryptic answers confirmed Audi has already entered negotiations with the Silverstone-based team: “Have we been approached by Audi? Yes. And are we very happy with our collaboration with Mercedes? Yes. The world of Formula 1 is full of these stories.” Stroll may have said on the record that his engineering team is happy with Mercedes, but it’s not a secret to anyone in Formula One

that his personal relationship with Toto Wolff has been left in tatters after the Austrian felt hard-done-by with the way Stroll has diluted the shares in the Aston Martin Lagonda car company, after he had convinced Wolff to invest a significant amount of money in it. And while it’s certain that Aston Martin is not the only team Audi is currently in talks with – McLaren, Williams and Sauber are also targets for the Germans – Stroll is the team owner with the best reason to sell, as he’s quickly finding out success in Formula One and in the car industry is a lot more difficult to achieve than in the fashion industry he knows so well and where he made his considerable fortune. The fact Stroll has gone public about the negotiations with Audi is indicative that he’s not totally averse to the idea of selling the Formula One team and, if possible, the car company as well – even if that will mean the end of his son Lance’s Formula One career, as no other team seems interested in recruiting his services if he finds himself on the market at the end of the season.

WOLFF INSISTS: “WE STILL BELIEVE IN THE W13 CONCEPT”

MERCEDES WON’T drop the ‘Zero Pod’ concept that has made the W13 distinct from the other front runners, Team Principal Toto Wolff revealed at the end of the Miami Grand Prix. The technical team in Brackley remains convinced there’s a lot of speed to extract from the W13 but, until they can get rid of the extreme porpoising the car experiences even through the faster corners, they know they won’t be able to run it as efficiently as they can in the wind tunnel and in the CFD simulations. Wolff started off by stating clearly that “we are still committed to the current concept and we need to be, because if we don’t believe and we give the other one a 50 percent chance, then you better switch now. We’re faithful to the current concept. We’re not

looking at the lady next door and if we like it more or not, because it’s still good.” The Austrian then explained that “we need to understand – before you make a decision to switch to another concept – where did this one go wrong? And what is the goodness of the concept and what is the badness of the concept? And that is a question you can only respond to yourself, which I would be asking ourselves, to get an answer after Barcelona, because that’s the real correlation we have. And by then, we’ve got to look at ourselves in the mirror and say: ‘did we get it wrong or not?” George Russell’s surprising performance in FP2 in Miami, when he set the fastest time of Friday’s combined sessions, seems to have given Mercedes hope they’re close to the

breakthrough they need to find the sweet spot of the W13. As Wolff explained: “Miami has definitely given us answers. On a positive side, the car is quick when it’s in the sweet spot. But understanding where the sweet spot is is something that we will come a step closer to after analysing all the data this weekend. Therefore, whether it’s Barcelona or not, I don’t know.” Pushed to give more details into the car’s problems, Wolff denied the team is flying blind in its search for answers: “I wouldn’t want to give you the headline because it looks like we are a bunch of fools! We’ve been straight from the beginning, flying in the fog a little bit. It’s clear there’s potential in the car and she’s fast, but we just don’t understand how to unlock the potential.”

In conclusion, the Austrian admitted he could understand why Hamilton and Russell are finding it so hard to drive the W13 on the limit without making mistakes: “It’s a car that is super difficult to drive, and on the edge, dipping in and out of the performance window – more out than in. And discussing the data with a scalpel is just a painful process because it takes very long. As a matter of fact, the data sometimes doesn’t show what the drivers tell us. Certainly they have their hands full with a car that is just not at all comfortable, nice or predictable to drive. But the data doesn’t show any of these big swings. We haven’t had this situation before in any of the years, that it just didn’t correlate on the screens what the driver feels and that is just making it even more difficult.”

BINOTTO: “RED BULL WILL HAVE TO STOP SPENDING SOON!” FOLLOWING TWO races in which Red Bull had the faster race car than Ferrari, the Scuderia’s Team Principal, Mattia Binotto, has defended his team’s strategy of bringing big upgrades out in one go, rather than bring developments to every single race, as Red Bull has done since the start of the season. In Miami, the Italian admitted he hopes, “Red Bull will have to stop spending soon”, throwing some doubts about the way his rival team is abiding to the budget cap imposed by the FIA since the start of last year. Asked about his own team’s strategy, Binotto explained that “I always said that we should wait five races at least to assess the proper competitiveness between the cars. Now five races have gone, we are leading both championships which is great, so we should not be too disappointed.” On the subject of Red Bull’s strategy, Binotto seemed a bit puzzled, if not suspicious, about the way the Austrian team has been constantly developing the RB18: “It’s true that Red Bull have introduced upgrades, and if I look at the last two races,

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maybe they’ve got a couple of tenths per lap faster than us. Now, no doubt that in order to keep the pace, we need to introduce upgrades. I hope, because there is a budget cap, that at some stage Red Bull will stop development, otherwise I will not understand how they can do that. In the next races, it will be our turn, to try to develop as much as we can the car by

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introducing upgrades and I think it’s not a surprise that we may have a package in Barcelona, which will be important for us. “As usual I hope that the package we are introducing is working as expected and, in that case, can be a good tool in order to try to catch up the current gap we’ve got compared to the Red Bull.” In spite of his admission that Red Bull

had the faster car in Imola and Miami, Binotto remains confident his team is on the correct path to remain at the top of the two championships: “ Am I concerned? I would say no, because I don’t think that the differences is huge. It is a matter of, maximum, a couple of tenths. We should not forget that we locked out the front row in Miami, so in qualifying we had a better performance compared to the Red Bull. Overall, in a weekend, I don’t think there is much difference between the Red Bull and the Ferrari. If there is a concern, it is how much they are developing considering the budget gap. That’s certainly a concern I’ve got. But more than a concern, maybe it is a hope, because at some stage they will need to stop.” In conclusion, the Italian engineer insisted that “we do not have the money to spend for upgrades at each single race. I think it is as simple as that. Not because of an inability, but because of the budget cap. So we need to try to focus development when we believe it’s the right moment and the right spending.”

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SPORTS CARS 1, SUPERCARS 0 GLOBAL GT3 ACE MARO ENGEL NEVER GOT TO GRIPS WITH SUPERCARS – IT WAS AUSTRALIA’S LOSS ... Words: Paul Gover Images: MTR Images, Motorsport Images/ Dirk Klynsmith Photography. WHEN THINGS get tough in GT racing then Maro Engel is the go-to guy for Mercedes-AMG. He can bend it like Beckham, pull a drop-punt like Buddy Franklin, and bust a defensive line like Tom ’Turbo’ Trbojevic. Like the three-point bomber in the NBA playoffs, he is the guy you want to have the basketball with 0.6 seconds on the countdown clock. The ball didn’t quite drop in the Bathurst 12-Hour, but to come from dead last to second – after an engine failure and no qualifying on Saturday – was still a headline result. And that’s typical of Engel. “Any chance I get to race anything at Bathurst my answer is YES. Give me a soapbox and I’ll race that down the hill. Not that our AMG GT3 is a soapbox,” Engel laughs. “It is a magical place. More than that, I’ve really enjoyed my time getting to know Australia and your people, even if it was a tough day on the track. The racing culture and fan culture here is incredible.” But Engel hasn’t always been so happy about racing in Australia. He was parachuted into Supercars in the earliest days of Erebus Racing, when the team was transitioning into Supercars.

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A 2013 dip into Supercars, with the fledgling Erebus team and their oneoff Mercedes cars, was problematic. A desultory ninth place was his best finish through the 2013 season and he was only 28th in the championship point score. But those were very tough times for his Queensland squad, where he was also up against seasoned campaigners Lee Holdsworth and Tim

Slade. And it didn’t help that he was jumping into the seat that was vacated by Shane van Gisbergen, who realised that the former Stone Brothers Racing squad was going to be very different in ’13. “Obviously, from a car perspective, it was a massively tough season. We faced challenges in

“ ”

“Any chance I get to race anything at Bathurst my answer is YES. Give me a soapbox and I’ll race that down the hill.

every area. That was on power, and the chassis and reliability,” he begins. “There were some strong performances. But, equally, there were some terrible races. I think all three of use were struggling massively with the car.” To provide some perspective, Engel has been massively successful in motorsport. He is an FIA GT World Cup champion, winner of the Nurburgring 24-Hour classic, and has also been on the top step in the DTM series in Germany, at Suzuka in Japan and in GT cars at Macau. He is still only 36, married to Stefanie with a young daughter Sophia, and living the good life in Monaco. This year his main job is the DTM – the German touring car championship,

which now runs with GT3 cars – but he will compete somewhere in the world on 28 weekends. At least. Engel was born in Munich and his connection to Mercedes-Benz came early, as his first car was a tiny A-Class. His first racing was in the single-seater ADAC Formula Junior in Germany. “In single-seaters, the highest level I reached was Formula E. This year I’m racing the DTM,” he says. So the series has come to him, as his experience in sports cars and GT3 means he is in the sweet spot for Mercedes-AMG. “To be perfectly honest, the GT3 racing world is incredibly strong. No matter where anybody comes from, whether they are a Formula 1 driver or from Super GT in Japan, or Supercars, everyone is in for a tough time. Noone just turns up and blows everyone away.

“To be honest, it’s been incredible. Even all the way through 2020 and 2021, in the pandemic, racing has been going really strong – even at the races where we didn’t have spectators. The number of cars and the strength of the grid has been really impressive. The organisers have done a great job to get things up and running. “With the exception of Asia, all races are back up and running. You can really feel the positive energy. We just came back from the Nurburgring 24-hour qualifying race and the crowds in the forests and around the racetrack are special. “I would say there has hardly been any downturn. Which is not something you would normally expect.” His place at the 12-Hour comes thanks to solid support from the Customer Racing operation at Mercedes-AMG, which injected a

The Mercedes AMG team brings key crew members as well as drivers to Bathurst. Above: With the DTM switching to GT3 cars, the Mercedes team has another strong outlet for its cars and factory team.

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Following its switch to GT3 regulations, the DTM has regained its competitive depth – with Mercedes right in the mix.

top-class support crew – including defending 12-Hour winner Jules Gounon, who went backto-back with Benz – into the event. “This is my sixth 12-Hour,” Engel says. His sports car experience in Australia began in 2012, when he joined Erebus in a Benz SLS batmobile – so-called due to its gull-wing doors – at Phillip Island. Now he is doing DTM, the VLN series at the Nurburgring, the International GT3 championship at tracks like Spa in Belgium and Kyalami in South Africa, as well as the major IMSA endurance events in the us. “I couldn’t be happier with the program. From a motivational point of view, I’m very proud to be able to race. It’s something that’s amazing from a driver’s perspective. No matter where we go, we go with the aim of winning. “Even the DTM, now it’s gone to GT3 – it’s fundamentally the same. The challenge is more in the detail. It’s obviously amazing for us drivers to do that. To get a chance to really get to know the car well and focus on the smallest details.” Engel says he never has to be asked twice about the 12-Hour. “I’m sure there is a huge number of drivers, teams and manufacturers sitting at home and watching this race and wishing they were here. I’m sure the international appeal is as strong as ever. I’m sure that, looking the way things are going now, and with the pandemic mostly behind us, we’ll see a huge grid again in the future. “It’s one of the huge endurance races on the calendar. “My feeling is that, through the years, the event has got bigger and bigger every year. I remember it starting with GT3 and people talking about this crazy track somewhere in Australia, but even the drivers were saying ‘Man, you need to experience the place’. The buzz got bigger and bigger. And the international media picks it up from year to year. “Everyone wants to race at Bathurst. Everyone wants to win there.” For Engel, the Australian experience got bigger – and much tougher – in Supercars.

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Engel is also currently competing in the IMSA GTD Pro series, driving for WeatherTech Racing.

In DTM, Engel drives for the Mercedes-AMG Team GruppeM Racing.

“Coming into Supercars it was very exciting to discover a new championship with close racing. At the time I described it as driving a go-kart with 700 horsepower. There wasn’t much aero, unlike even GT3. “That part, the racing, was great. For me, personally, one of the other great things to take away was I got to see a huge amount of the country. And some old-school awesome tracks. “It’s very different to racing at Paul Ricard, for example. Yeah, I went to Winton . . . “ So, given all the challenges at Erebus with unproven Benzes, how does Engel look back at 2013? “I honestly think I did quite a good job.

Engel on his way to his only DTM victory in 2017 – Round 5, Moscow, Mercedes-AMG Team HWA, Mercedes-AMG C63 DTM. series, For everyone coming in new to the series it’s a massive challenge. I remember getting our first Top 10 qualifying as a team – we were so happy. “But when you come in and have a struggle with the car, it just adds to the difficulty. I learned a lot during that year because we faced so many issues and had to find solutions. Whether it was burning your feet on the floor at the first event, to engine drivability, there was a bit of everything in that year. “I had two strong team-mates in Tim and Lee, who finished Top 5 , and I out-qualified them a fair few times. But when you’re qualifying P25, P26 and P27 it doesn’t matter that much.”

Engel says he still keeps an eye on Supercars and is current on the drivers. “I try to watch. Timezones are always a bit of an issue. I still have a fair few friends in the series and the racing is pretty spectacular. “Let’s be honest, Supercars are extremely well developed in their set of regulations. People know the levels of drivers in Supercars is very high.” There is no plan to return to full-time racing in Supercars, but Engel is not discounting a co-driving spot at Bathurst. “There has been some very loose conversation but it’s never been a possibility with my schedule. I wouldn’t count it out. “It’s an amazing race. Maybe someday.”

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We’re racing the AMG GT all over the world. Last weekend I was at the Nurburgring, one of most amazing tracks in the world, and now I’m hauling the car over The Mountain.

With team-mates Juncadella and Tse, Engel came from the back to second in the 2022 Bathust 12 Hour.

But his focus for 2022 is the Bathurst 12-Hour with Benz, and the result is second spot behind the emotional star of the race, Kenny Habul, with another group of Customer Racing specialists from Mercedes-AMG led by defending champion Jules Gounon. “There is a lot of preparation that goes into this sort of event. It’s a quick weekend. You don’t have much time from Friday to get things going. “It’s amazing. Especially with what’s just happened in GT racing over the last 10 years. We’re racing the AMG GT all over the world. Last weekend I was at the Nurburgring, one of most amazing tracks in the world, and now I’m hauling the car over The Mountain. There are tracks where you can go out and push and small mistakes are unpunished, but not at Bathurst. It’s definitely an intense track. “I feel blessed that we can live this life, live our passion and share this passion with people who are like-minded around the

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world. It’s definitely special.” But not special enough for 2022, as he comes up one spot short despite a torrid battle to the end after starting from dead last. “Second place. It’s good, but … “I felt a bit out of synch, a bit out of tune. I felt a bit rusty. But we lost a whole day of practice. “Still, I left nothing on the table. I’ve tried so many times to win this race but again it was not my year. We didn’t necessarily have the fastest car this weekend, but we are still celebrating.” And, not surprisingly, Engel is already planning his next trip to Australia for the 2023 running of the Bathurst 12-Hour next January. “The good news is that it is only nine months away now. So not as long as usual to wait.”

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ALMOST ANYONE’S RACE 2022 INDIANAPOLIS 500 PREVIEW INDY’S MONTH OF MAY THRILLS AND SPILLS IS UPON US AGAIN, AND THE 106TH RUNNING OF THE 500 IS AN OPEN RACE WITH MANY POSSIBLE WINNERS. DAN MCCARTHY AND MARK BISSET PREVIEW THE RACE WITH SOME GLANCES BACK AT THE PAST 60 YEARS AND THEIR RELEVANCE TODAY Images: Motorsport Images/Indianapolis Speedway Museum THERE IS nothing like the roar of 275,000 race-fans at Indianapolis as the pace car takes the 33-car grid away at the start of their 200 lap, 500 mile, 2½ hour Memorial Day weekend journey. If the ‘Taps’ bugler doesn’t choke you up a bit, then The Star-Spangled Banner or Back Home in Indiana certainly will. Nobody does hoopla and razzamatazz quite like the Americans. The race truly is The Greatest Spectacle in Racing – add it to your Bucket List if you’ve not been there. The race has a rich history – both in technical terms and driver legend. One of the more significant contributions in the evolution of IndyCars was made by our very-own Jack Brabham. His revolutionary Cooper T54 Climax showed the potential of rear-engined cars to Indy’s front-engine Roadster Establishment in 1961. But it was the speed of Jim Clark’s Lotus 29 Ford V8 in 1962 which rammed home the inevitability of rear-engined dominance. It took until 1965 for the Lotus/Ford/Clark combo to win at the 2.5-mile Brickyard, but 1962 – 60 years ago – heralded Indy’s modern era. Every contemporary 231mphper-lap IndyCar is related to the 150mphper-lap 1962 Lotus 29 in the same way every current Grand Prix car is related to the 1962 Lotus 25. The quintessential American business and race-team is Team Penske. Roger Penske’s first big international win was bagged by

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AJ Foyt’s Watson Offy Roadster en route to the last Indy win for a front-engined car, in 1964. Mark Donohue at Indy a half-century ago, in 1972. Donohue’s 700bhp McLaren M16B Offy triumphed over a strong field including works McLarens raced by American Aces Peter Revson and Gordon Johncock. The combination of Penske’s money and management skill, and Donohue’s driving and engineering capabilities provided a Team Penske generation of success from the mid60s until Donohue’s untimely August 1975

death, after a tyre failure-induced Austrian Grand Prix practice crash aboard a Penske March 751 Ford. This year, Indy’s winningest team, with 18 Indy 500 wins, has all three of its drivers in title contention. Kiwi Scott McLaughlin took pole and the first race win of the year, Josef Newgarden won the second and third races, while Aussie Will Power is the only driver to finish in the top five of all races this season –

and leads the championship as a result. Last year’s Indy 500 was a disaster for the team. Power only just qualified, while McLaughlin was the highest of the (then) quartet, starting in 17th. In the last 12 months Team Penske has done everything in its power to turn its oval form around. Since last year’s Indy, Newgarden has won both oval races and is confident after topping the last day of the open test.

Colin Chapman, Jim Clark and the Lotus 38 Ford crew – including a very youthful Allan Moffat – at Indy in 1965. Below left: Winners Are Grinners. Little Al Unser, the Galles crew and Galmer G92 Chev after victory in 1992. Below: Mark Donohue aboard his Penske McLaren M16B Offy before going out and winning the 1972 race. Superb packaging of this very successful Gordon Coppuck/John Barnard design is clear.

Slinky Wildcat! Gordon Johncock’s victorious Wildcat Mk8B Cosworth DFX in 1982. He beat Rick Mears’ Penske by one-tenth of a second.

Despite being a two-time champion, an Indy 500 win still eludes Newgarden. “I can’t deny things feel really good on the #2 car,” Newgarden said. “We’ve been on a good trajectory. I don’t want to see it flatten too much; I want to see it go the other way. I feel confident with what we’ve got, and feel good at showing up anywhere. Being at Team Penske makes that easier. I always feel confident in our group.”

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McLaughlin has gone from rookie to championship contender in 12 months. He has shown he can win on the streets, doing so at St Petersburg and was one corner shy of winning at the Texas Motor Speedway more recently. The former Supercars champion has taken to oval racing like a duck to water – and, aside from last year’s Indy 500 McLaughlin has finished comfortably inside the top 10 in all his

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oval races and was fifth fastest in the two-day test. “Good few days across the bricks. Car feels solid; nice build up for May, can’t wait,” he said. “We are up there running with the big boys now. I learn every week.” While Newgarden and McLaughlin are yet to drink the traditional winner’s milk, Power won in 2018 and his championship-leading consistency this year demonstrates he is in fine form and is confident of running strongly. “I am really looking forward to this year’s Indy 500, really looking forward to the ‘Month of May.’ We have worked extremely hard in the off-season on development of the car and I think we are going to be right on the pace,” Power said in the lead-up. The Indy 500 history books are full of great motorsport tales: A decade after Gordon Johncock’s 1972 McLaren M16B DNF, he won the 1982 Indy 500 for the second and final time aboard a Wildcat Mk8B Cosworth, designed by Gordon Kimball. Coincidently, Gordon is the father of IndyCar veteran Charlie Kimball who will not enter the 500 for the first time since 2010.

It was a great result in a field dominated by factory-built March, Eagle and Penske machines, but the honour of the last ‘small’ manufacturer to win a 500 goes to the 1992 winning Galmer G92 Chev. Thirty years ago, Al Unser Jr steered the Galles-Kraco Racing entry to victory in the closest even Indy finish – his margin over second-placed Scott Goodyear’s Lola T92/00 Chev was 0.043 seconds, not even the blink of an eye! The car was built by Galles Racing’s manufacturing subsidiary, Galmer Engineering, located in Bicester, Oxfordshire right in the heart of the UK’s Motor Sport (Thames) Valley. Ten years later, the standardisation of chassis/engines had been the norm from 1997 when the chassis/engine options available to the teams were Dallara IR-7/GForce GF01, and 4-litre, 32-valve Oldsmobile Aurora L47/Nissan Infiniti VH V8s. Helio Castroneves took the second of his four wins that year (2002) aboard a Penske Dallara IR02 Chev. In 2001 he had become the first driver to win as a rookie, and again in his sophomore season, and was the early 2000s dominant Indy force.

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Panoramic 2012 Safety Car finish. Dario Franchitti and Scott Dixon’s Ganassi Dallara DW12 Hondas in front of Tony Kanaan’s DW12 Chev.

Last year he was a surprise victor. At 46 years of age, he had a one-off drive with the burgeoning Meyer Shank Racing squad ... that win led to a full-time drive this year. A team on the rise, Meyer Shank made its Indy debut in 2017. its first full-time IndyCar campaign was in 2020, and this year is running two cars – former Indy 500 winner Simon Pagenaud is a massive asset to the team. This year, Castroneves seeks to become the first five-time 500 race winner. Currently level on four wins with AJ Foyt, Rick Mears and Al Unser, his Indy offensive didn’t start well. He crashed exiting pit lane on the first day of testing, sustaining heavy damage to his Dallara, and was forced to sit out the following day’s running too. At Indy, the recent form has been with Honda who have powered the last two 500 victors. However, it is clear that Chevrolet has made progress with its engine during this last off-season – the first four 2022 races went Chev’s way (and last weekend’s rain-fest at Indy’s road course wasn’t about engine power!), so the engine contest at Indy looks like being intriguing. “I continue to be impressed with the rebound by Chevrolet this season,” said longtime IndyCar writer Paul Kelly. “Let’s not sugar-coat it: Honda was superior in the last two seasons, winning the championship and Indianapolis 500 both years. Honda won 10 races to Chevy’s six in 2021, but Chevy has re-emerged as a Race Day force in 2022. “It will be interesting to see how Chevy’s resurgence looks at Indy, where it powered only two of the first nine starters in the 500 last year and only one of the first 12 starters in 2020. “The power pendulum appears to have swung back toward Detroit in the last 12 months, and I would be stunned if Honda – still a formidable and reliable rival for Chevy – locks down the front of the starting grid in a similar fashion this year.” Chip Ganassi Racing has had a fantastic decade. Since 2012 it has won five IndyCar Series – Scott Dixon 2013, 2015, 2018, 2020

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Scott McLaughlin ran the iconic Pennzoil livery last year – the young kiwi (and ex-Supercars champ) is now a race winner and championship contender ... Below: Double champion Josef Newgarden is yet to win at Indy, but already has two wins under his belt this year.

and Alex Palou in 2021 – but at Indy things have been a bit lean since Dario Franchitti’s victory a decade ago. That was the year the current 2.2-litre V6 twin-turbo engine package debuted. This year, the team’s Dallara IR18 Hondas are being driven by Alex Palou, Scott Dixon, Marcus Ericsson, Jimmie Johnson and Tony Kanaan. While it may be a lengthy winless drought, it’s not through lack of speed. Last year Dixon took his fourth pole.

With six IndyCar titles Dixon is desperate to add to his sole 2008 Indy win. Since then he has started on pole three times, but things just haven’t gone his way. Towards the end of his career, the 41-year-old still has the drive, motivation and pace to win another Indy 500. He was quickest on the first open test day showing he will again be a contender. Despite being the reigning series winner, Palou is still after his first oval win. What a place Indy would be to do it! Palou finished second last year after leading as late as lap 198 before being overhauled ... so it’s not through lack of oval racing prowess. Castroneves believes that his experience over Palou proved crucial to his victory but doesn’t feel he could overhaul him again. “Clearly, he’s getting more experience all the time. I’m glad I got him when I did,” he said. This year the young Spaniard is feeling a lot more confident. “We were really good at the Speedway test,” Palou said after finishing seventh on the overall speed chart. “Really good, really comfortable – a lot better than we did at the same test last year.” His team-mate, former F1 driver Marcus

Ericsson, also lacks oval racing experience, but he believes he made large gains at Texas earlier in the year. “I’m very confident,” he said. “I’ve been working a lot on trying to improve my oval strength and Texas was a good result for me and my confidence; and that’s something I’m bringing into the month of May. “We have an extremely strong organisation right now, especially with Tony (Kanaan) joining the team. It’s a privilege to be teammates with all these great drivers.” Yes, once again, former 500 winner Kanaan joins the team for the 500 and will doubtless prove a useful asset and 500 victory dark horse. Another is Jimmie Johnson – the NASCAR star shone on his oval debut earlier in the year. The Indy 500 is steeped in tradition and as American as Apple Pie but it’s a truly international race. 1995 was the first year that more than 50% of competitors hailed from countries other than the US. In the last decade and a half there have been only two American Indy 500 winners – Ryan Hunter-Reay and, most recently in 2016, Alexander Rossi. Both won with

Left: Helio Castroneves and Palou in close company during 2021’s race. Below left: Adrenalin-pumping pitstop for Will Power, Team Penske Chevrolet at Indy 500 in 2021 Below: Politically incorrect as it is, weren’t Marlboro’s colours wonderful! Roger Penske and Helio Castroneves with the winning 2002 Dallara Chev and Borg Warner Trophy.

Andretti Autosport, a team that hasn’t won since. Rossi’s 2016 victory was something special. As a rookie he outsmarted the opposition to win the 100th edition of the race. The last two seasons and 500s haven’t gone to plan, so while not a favourite, rule him out at your peril. On his day Andretti’s Colton Herta is unstoppable – his win in appalling conditions last weekend was epic. The youngster is fast but prone to mistakes – his day at the 500 could go either way! Their Andretti Indy 500 rookie teammate is 10-time F1 podium finisher Romain Grosjean.

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The Frenchman has shown great pace in his only two oval races to date, but failed to finish strongly. Utterly fearless he will be as much of a contender as Herta. Last year there were only two rookies – this year there are seven, from diverse backgrounds and experience. While Grosjean is the headliner, a couple of Formula 2 Championship front-runners will debut – Christian Lundgaard and 2020 series runner-up

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Callum Ilott, who is being coached by Hunter-Reay. The three youngsters who have risen through American feeder series, David Malukas, Devlin De Francesco and Kyle Kirkwood, all thus have oval experience,. while lots of eyes will be on our final rookie, seven-time NASCAR champion Johnson. Arrow McLaren SP is in hot form after a lacklustre start to the season. Pato O’Ward took victory in Alabama. When he is happy, the team and car perform strongly. He was third on the 500’s final lap last year and finished fourth. Like Palou, he has more experience this time around. Despite showing great qualifying pace this year, his team-mate, Felix Rosenqvist, has had wretched luck in races – but it’s only a matter of time before he breaks through with McLaren and again proves his mettle. Former race winner Juan Pablo Montoya is aboard the third McLaren and will be looking to improve on his ninth-place finish last year. Other entrants include runner-up finishers Marco Andretti and JR.Hildebrand. Two-time winner Takuma Sato always lifts his game during the Indy 500 week as does veteran Graham Rahal.

Other notables to keep an eye on include the Ed Carpenter Racing trio of Carpenter, Conor Daly and Rinus VeeKay. With exactly 33 cars entering this year, qualifying has been altered by adding an additional session. The top 12 drivers go into a shootout, before the fastest six progress to a second, final qualifying shootout. The winner of that will start the 500 from pole. Last year the Indy 500 speed record was broken – Castroneves won in 2h 37m with an average of 306.885kp/h. Quite what the victor of the inaugural 1911 Indy 500, Ray Harroun would have made of this would be fascinating. He, and Cyrus Patsche, who relieved him for 35 laps, took 6h 42m for a race average of 120.060kp/h aboard their Marmon Model 32 based Wasp, so named for its wasp-like tail. Of all the major motor races in the world, the Indianapolis 500 has the widest range of potential winners – and potential surprise endings. The track is unique and thus even current championship form can go out the window. The Auto Action office picks for the top five are Newgarden, McLaughlin, Palou, O’Ward and Scott Dixon. But absolutely anything can happen at Indy ... Gentlemen, start your engines! Stan Sport will have full coverage of all the Indianapolis 500 action with the race live, starting at Sun, 29 May at 2:00am – or you can watch the race later on demand on Stan Sport.

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MOUNTAIN THE PEUGEOT 308 TCR HAS QUICKLY BECOME A FRONTRUNNING PACKAGE IN THE AUSTRALIAN ITERATION OF THE GROWING INTERNATIONAL RACING FORMULA, BANKING WINS AND CHALLENGING FOR THE TITLE AS RECENTLY AS LAST YEAR. JOSH NEVETT VISITED GARRY ROGERS MOTORSPORT TO INVESTIGATE WHY THE FRENCH MACHINE HAS BECOME THE VEHICLE OF CHOICE FOR THE BIGGEST TCR TEAM IN THE COUNTRY.

The Sparco steering wheel has basic controls, paddles to shift the SADEV Six-speed sequential gearbox, a Magnetti Marelli dash supplies the information and logs the data. The pedal box in the 308, is a Peugeot item complete with the road car throttle pedal, Sparco FIA homologated racing seat and harness retains the driver.

ONE-TWO-Three. Those were the positions that Aaron Cameron, Ben Bargwanna and Dylan O’Keeffe occupied with their Peugeot 308 TCR machines in Race 1 at Mount Panorama in April. It was a remarkable achievement for the trio, their team (Garry Rogers Motorsport) and the Peugeot product, which has flown under the radar compared to more flashy offerings in the TCR Australia Series. Will Brown and Chaz Mostert are the only drivers to have been crowned TCR Australia champions so far, the pair giving Hyundai and Audi moments of glory, respectively. Other marques received attention for the rarity of their TCR creations down under, or for the attractiveness of their designs, but comparatively the Peugeot racer has little in the way of a sexy backstory. TCR was developed as a cost-effective touring car racing alternative by Marcello Lotti in 2014, putting affordable C-Segment production hatchbacks and sedans at the centre of a competitive, international ruleset. The Peugeot 308 TCR landed down under for the final round of the inaugural Australian season in 2019, piloted by Frenchman Aurelien Comte to uninspiring results because of a wiring issue, before sitting parked throughout 2020 as COVID brought the competition to a halt. It was in 2021 that the Pug rose to prominence, Aaron Cameron steering a GRM-prepared 308 TCR to second in the championship behind Mostert. Fast forward to the current campaign and Peugeots are in the hunt again, O’Keeffe, Bargwanna and

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Cameron sitting third to fifth in the standings after three rounds. So, what drew powerhouse Melbourne-based team GRM to the French front-drivers, when offerings from Volkswagen, Renault, Hyundai, Audi, Alfa, Subaru, Honda and Alfa Romeo were also available? First and foremost, Peugeot’s factory expertise. Factory owned entries are not accepted under the TCR Series regulations, however Peugeot’s motorsport arm (Peugeot Sport) which develops and supports the 308 TCR is closely integrated into the factory. “It’s the most closely factory backed of all the brands that are out there, you get direct technical support and parts so in terms of the quality of the car its first class,” GRM Team Manager Stefan Millard tells Auto Action. The perks of having Peugeot involved are several, including the guarantee of a well-built product and insider knowledge.

“When you look around, they’re just a well put together car,” Millard explains. “There’s nothing overly exotic about them at all. It’s just a solid package and we haven’t had to spend any effort getting to know how the thing works because it’s been reliable and easy to work on.” “They’ve got two or three full time technical assistants that are there to answer any of our questions and keep us running at the track. “They have access to all the OEM information, the documentation goes into great detail about how the car works and how best to maintain it. “They’ve been great to work with and are interested in how we’re going over here and the competition in Australia.” The Peugeot 308 TCR is derived from the 308 Racing Cup car of the mid 2010s, which in turn is based on the 308 GTI road car.

LION

At its heart is a 1.6-litre straight four-cylinder engine, the smallest of any in the field, equipped with an upgraded turbocharger sourced from Mercedes-AMG. Indeed, the regulations stipulate that all TCR cars must be powered by production-based turbocharged engines with a capacity of up to two litres. That means that the engines in all TCRs including the Peugeot 308 are not too dissimilar from the roadgoing versions, giving the series a relevance that is almost unmatched. The powerplant used here produces 256kW and 420Nm, a sizeable bump over the 200kW and 330Nm of the street legal GTI. “But that is mostly down to the upgraded turbocharger, while the car still retains most of its humble roots, according to Millard. “The engine itself apart from the turbo and the gearbox is pretty much a factory engine bolted straight in.

The Peugeot 308 TCR owes its origins to the road going 308 and shares many components.

“There is surprisingly little strengthening of the engine – it’s just got rods and pistons. “The turbo works a lot harder – it’s glowing red hot by the end of a session. “From a fan’s perspective, it’s as close to a roadgoing version as any race car I have ever seen; it’s comparable to a Bathurst 6 Hour car.” The engine may be small in displacement, but it is no slouch, propelling the 308 TCR from 0-100km/h in just 4.5s thanks in part to a trick launch control system. “Launch Control is the best thing they’ve done,” leading steerer Cameron tells Auto Action. Cameron knows TCR better than most, having raced a Volkswagen Golf GTI in the inaugural 2019 season and also spent time behind the wheel of an

Audi RS3 LMS TCR. “Launch Control is a big help on the start – it makes our race usually,” he continued. “The VAG cars, the Volkswagen and old Audi, have a rev cut system. The Hyundai’s and Honda’s also have Launch Control but it’s not as good as ours. “It’s such an advantage to be able to pick up a row or two before Turn 1 ... it takes pressure off qualifying.” The Peugeot is limited to a top speed of 250km/h, which can be a disadvantage at tracks with long straights such as Mount Panorama and Phillip Island. However, straight-line speed is not where the Pug shines. “The Peugeot’s only massive weakness is it hits the limit at the end of Conrad; we just don’t have that last bit of acceleration,” Cameron says.

The Peugeot runs a Magnetti Marelli SRG340 Electronic Control Unit (ECU), linked up to a Magnetti Marelli dash and Power Control Module. Seen here is the onboard fire suppression system and VBox camera system.

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Peugeot One, Two, Three, Four... The 308 TCR was the car to have at the recent Bathurst round of the TCR Australia Series. (Above) Aaron Cameron lead home Ben Bargwanna and Dylan O’Keeffe in race 1 at Bathurst. (Top right)

On the cooling front, it’s OEM parts across the board. A standard Peugeot radiator and intercooler ensures that the boosted powerplant continues to perform at its peak, although ducting is improved to channel air into the front of the car. “It’s got the smallest engine of the TCR field, but we’ve proven they can be more than competitive even at the bigger tracks like Phillip Island and Bathurst,” Millard confirms. The engine is sealed, leaving no room for manipulation, as is the gearbox. Steerers pull the gears via a six-speed SADEV sequential racing gearbox, which is paddle shift operated. An electric pump is used to pump hydraulic fluid generating the pressure for shifts, which occur seamlessly. The transmission features a TM Performance sintered multi-disc clutch and sends power to the front wheels through a mechanical, preload adjustable limited slip differential (LSD). Millard speaks highly of the maintenance schedule and reliability of the Peugeot 308 TCR, with the transmission only requiring a service every 5000km, with an inspection every 2000km. “The gearbox and drive shafts are obviously working pretty hard in a front-wheel-drive car, especially with this much power. Those are the main service items,” Millard says.

The Peugeot has a comprehensive cage system, it’s clean an simple, with great build quality. Note the air jack spike and fuel filler system that fills the central mounted 97 litre fuel tank.(Right) (Far right) Twin piston AP rear calipers pairing with a non ventilated rear disc do the braking on the rear. All TCR cars run catalytic converters. The rear suspension retains the factory-twist beam axle, while 2-way adjustable Sachs coil over shocks, Eibach springs and fabricated adjustable anti-roll bar control the rear suspension.

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“Maintenance wise they require a little bit of work but it’s not excessive.” On the performance front, the Peugeot 308 TCR earns the bulk of its praise for its handling. Rolling out as one of the lightest cars on the TCR grid before Balance of Performance (BOP) adjustments, the Peugeot is uniquely agile and, despite being the close relative of a road car, it has plenty of upgraded parts to carve the corners. The rear suspension setup is a standard twist beam axle lifted directly out of the standard car, as required in the homologation process, with Eibach springs and two-way adjustable SACHS dampers. At the front, Peugeot was afforded more freedom, settling on a McPherson strut system with custom motorsport uprights. Height, track and camber are all adjustable. “There aren’t many production parts in the front suspension,” Millard confirms. Steering inputs go through an electric rack-andpinion system, while stopping power is provided by ventilated discs that are 378mm in diameter at the nose, and 270mm at the tail. Chunky six-piston AP Racing aluminium brake calipers stand out at the front, and two-pot units are present at the rear. The pedal box is equipped with a balance bar and screw type proportioning valve to adjust brake bias. The brake setup is relatively standard fare for the

series but leaves room for improvement. “When there’s a huge braking track, the car is good in quali but the brakes overheat quite quickly,” Cameron admits. “The car performs well at all tracks except Symmons Plains and Queensland raceway because of the huge braking required there. “The Peugeot also doesn’t have as good a brake balance adjustment system; all cars have a rear limiting valve and the Peugeot’s one isn’t as nice as the Volkswagen and the Audi.” ABS is outlawed in Australian TCR competition, however the assistance system is permitted overseas in endurance races. Michelin S9M+ tyres keep the 308 TCR firmly planted to the tarmac, the series-controlled rubber wrapping 18-inch BRAID aftermarket wheels at each corner. With this recipe of handling components in mind, Millard attributes much of the Peugeot’s success to its superiority in the twisties. “Handling is where its strengths lie,” Millard explains. “We seem to be quick consistently everywhere, we might not be the outright quickest car at a lot of the tracks, but the Peugeot is consistent which is really good.” An upgraded aerodynamic package also serves to turn the Peugeot 308 into a precision racing tool. Pumped-out guard flares are required to fit the

The 308 TCR’s engine bay is clean and simple, employing many standard factory components. (Top left) The production based turbocharger feeds one of the smallest TCR engines and gets a massive workout during competition.(Above). AP six piston calipers and 378 mm vented rotors are the stopping power on the font of the 308 TCR. The front suspension is all race with 2-way adjustable Sachs controlled McPherson struts, with adjustable height, track, camber and an adjustable anti-roll bar.

FAST FACTS PEUGEOT 308 TCR control tyres, and the panels are factory items. However, the additions of a front splitter, new rear diffuser and large rear wing are solely for performance gain through improved downforce. With its race face on, the Peugeot 308 TCR certainly has a menacing stance. “I think that aero-wise it seems to be better than others,” Cameron surmises. “At Bathurst over the top of The Mountain we were always the fastest.” In order to reinforce the original bodyshell to withstand motorsport collisions, the interior cabin is dominated by a welded, multipoint, FIA homologated roll cage. Safety is paramount in TCR, so the cage is complemented by an FIA grade racing seat and harness, which are both Peugeot fitted items. Behind the driver sits a 97-litre fuel tank and system which leads to a mechanical high pressure fuel pump in the engine bay. Although the TCR Australia regulations are relatively strict, there is room in the interior for the use of products from different brands and backgrounds. That can be clearly seen in the pedal box of the 308, which is a Peugeot item complete with the road car throttle pedal, different to the Tilton product which other TCR models use. Greeting Cameron as he sinks into his Sparco bucket seat is an array of tech. The Peugeot runs a Magnetti Marelli SRG340 Electronic Control Unit (ECU), linked up to a Magnetti Marelli dash and Power Control Module. Data logging provides information on wheel speed, RPM, gear, steering angle, brake pressures and damper positions, which can be used postsession for analysis. Real-time telemetry is not permitted in TCR. While there are plenty of features at the disposal of TCR teams, Cameron believes many of them are surplus to requirements in Australia. “The Peugeot is quite a basic car inside compared to the Audi – there’s a lot of buttons there, but most of them we don’t even use. “It has everything that you need. There’s no need for the fancy extra buttons or Cool Suit.”

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The steering wheel is an uncomplicated removable item, provided by Sparco in the case of the Peugeot. While the interior of the Peugeot 308 TCR contains a mishmash of components from various sources, Peugeot, and indeed other marques, send cars to the customer ready to rock and roll. As such, it was an easy process when GRM elected to deal with the French manufacturer. “The great thing about TCR is that you can just buy a car off the shelf and it’s ready to race,” Millard said. “There’s not a whole lot for the individual teams to do which is quite attractive.” The cars may be sent ready to race, but in order to achieve top results teams must set up their fighters appropriately at the track. That is especially true given the vast range of set up parameters in TCR, as Millard explains. “In terms of tuning window on these cars, your setup matrix is quite large in terms of the options that you’ve got to work with. “Shock settings, springs, wheel alignment, ride height, wing angle… we can tune all of those at the track, which is different from a development category.” So, what can you expect to pay for one of these out of the box frontrunning racers? Peugeot advertises the 308 TCR for €109,000, which translates to roughly A$165,000, before duties and freight etc. It seems like a strong deal, especially considering the extent of factory after-sales support and the dependability of the package so far. As such, it is no surprise that GRM is running the Peugeot for four out of its six TCR entries this year. “The drivers are comfortable in them, they have confidence to push the car to the edge,” Millard concluded. “It’s a great all-rounder, it’s better through the highspeed corners and matches all of them elsewhere,” Cameron said in agreement. The booming nature of TCR globally means that Toyota and Fiat are due to have products available shortly, joining the long list of homologated cars – however there is no reason why the Peugeot 308 TCR won’t continue to be a car of choice for teams and drivers worldwide.

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Engine Transversally mounted 1.6-litre straight-four cylinder engine with Mercedes-AMG turbocharger, four valves per cylinder, wet sump lubrication, stainless steel 70mm exhaust system, Magnetti Marelli SRG340 ECU Power: 256 kW (350 hp) at 6,000 rpm Torque: 420 Nm at 3,000 rpm Bore/Stroke: 77mm / 85.8 mm Transmission SADEV Six-speed sequential gearbox with paddle shift, multidisc sintered racing clutch. Brakes F : disc brakes with all-around inside ventilation (378 x 34 mm), AP Racing 6 piston calipers. R: disc-brakes (270 x 12mm), AP Racing 2 piston calipers Brake proportioning valve. Suspension F: McPherson struts; adjustable height, track and camber; adjustable anti-roll bar. R: Twist beam axle, adjustable height, track and camber; Adjustable anti-roll bar . Body Steel shell, weld-in roll cage, enlarged arches, adjustable rear wing. Weight/Dimensions Running Weight:

1,225 kg

Length:

4,333mm

Width:

1,950mm

Wheelbase:

2,619mm

Balance of Performance (BoP) BoP Weight:

-40kg

Ride Height: 70mm Engine Power:

102.50%

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Brake fluid is a type of hydraulic fluid and serves several important purposes within modern braking systems. Its main task is to transfer force – when the brake pedal is pressed, it activates the brake master cylinder which pushes pressurised brake fluid through the brake lines and ultimately to the brake calipers which apply pad pressure to the disc brake rotors. Brake fluid is non compressible, ensuring that the pressure that’s applied at the pedal is maintained to deliver the necessary braking force to safely bring a vehicle to a standstill. A secondary purpose of brake fluid is to lubricate all the moving parts within the braking system, helping to protect it against rust and other corrosion. It also helps dissipate heat within the system, leading to reliable and predictable braking performance. Like most fluids and oils used in a vehicle, the brake fluid should be periodically changed to ensure it remains fresh and uncontaminated, which in turn ensures the braking system is operating at its full potential. Although the braking system is classed as a closed system, over time it’s impossible to keep out small amounts of moisture which can be absorbed from the air through imperfect seals, microscopic holes in rubber hoses or even when the cap is left off the fluid reservoir for too long. Eventually the moisture mixes with the brake fluid increasing its water content; this reduces its ability to protect the braking system’s internals against corrosion, it also lessens the fluid’s boiling point which reduces performance. If the brake fluid does need replacing, your technician will specify a fluid that’s in keeping with the vehicle’s OEM parameters because not all brake fluids are the same. A visit through any automotive retail outlet reveals the wide selection of replacement brake fluids available on the market, and each will include a ‘DOT’ reference on the labels: DOT 3, DOT 4, DOT 5 and DOT 5.1. So what is DOT? DOT refers to Department of Transport, it’s a standard that sets the safety regulations that are acceptable for different brake fluids, and the DOT ratings given to a brake fluid are based on the fluid’s wet and dry boiling points. A reference point for dry boiling point is when the fluid is brand new, while wet boiling point is when the fluid is 1-2 years old and already has some moisture content. As an example, dry boiling temperature for a DOT 4 fluid would be over 230°C, while the wet boiling temp could be closer to 155°C. Generally speaking, the higher the DOT rating, the higher the boiling point and longevity of the fluid. Before rushing off to buy the highest DOT fluid though, consult the vehicle owner’s manual because some brake fluids are incompatible with different brake lines and systems. DOT 4 fluids are the most widely used – Bendix offers both high performance Polyglycol DOT 3 and DOT 4 fluids, providing optimum performance in both hydraulic and conventional braking systems, meeting stringent Australian and U.S specifications. To learn more, visit: www.bendix.com.au/product-range/brake-fluid

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SPEEDWAY

Marcus Dumesny came from mid-grid to take Australia’s most prestigious Sprintcar title.

Photos: Matthew Paul

MARCUS DUMESNYSON OF A GUN IS A1! FOR THE eighth time (and what was noted by Brisbane Promoter John Kelly, the final time, given the land is up for sale!) in the history of Brisbane’s iconic Archerfield Speedway the venue hosted the 59th running of the Australian Sprintcar Championship. In front of a near capacity crowd, a strong field of 40 teams would come from far and wide, for a crack at the crown which had not been challenged for since 2020 at the Latrobe Speedway in Tasmania, when Victorian Jamie Veal racked up his first crown. For the running of the 2022 event, the field was wide open and it proved hard to pick an outright favourite other than the defending champion in Veal who had been on a hot streak of form, having racked up six feature races in a row. However, it would be thirdgeneration racer Marcus Dumesny, son of three time Australian Sprintcar Champion Max, who would claim his maiden Australian crown. To get the job done he would have to do it the hard way – he fought from the midfield, starting on the fifth row among the best 20 competitors over the two-night extravaganza. Going into the Championship race, local

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SPEEDWAY NEWS with Paris Charles ace Lachie McHugh would start from pole position, while alongside him was the reigning champion in Jamie Veal, who had been in tremendous run of form leading into the championship weekend. At the drop of the green McHugh pounced to the lead while the rest of the field settled into position, only for the race to receive its first caution period when Dave Fanning spun, bringing his run to a premature end. McHugh would lead the field, Veal looked comfortable in second until Jock Goodyer made a successful challenge, relegating the defending champion to third on the 10th lap – and just three laps later the field would again regroup with the second caution period of the race when Taylor Prosser

limped around with a flat tyre before joining Fanning and Steven Lines on the infield. McHugh again set the pace as Goodyer, Veal, night one preliminary feature winner Luke Oldfield and Marcus Dumesny, who had charged his way up to fifth, began to feel each other out. The red lights would soon be ablaze for the first time after Robbie Farr and Matt Egel tangled in Turn 4, ending Egel’s run at the title, while Oldfield would also retire at the same time. As the field fired back into action from the Indian filed restart ,Goodyer would have a crack at the lead, taking it momentarily before checking up and allowing McHugh back to the front, while Veal and Dumesny also mixed it for the minors, making it an exciting battle at the pointy end. Marcus would eventually make his way into second, and then hit the lead, sliding under McHugh in Turn 1. McHugh would try to repay the favour in Turn 4 only to check up and brush off some momentum, allowing Veal back into the picture. McHugh tried to fight back around the topside in Turn 1 while Veal occupied the underneath space, only to hit the wall and roll over and out of contention.

As this was unfolding, Aaron Kelly also rolled over and out of race, taking a big tumble down the front straight after tagging the Turn 4 wall then riding the wheel of Brock Hallett. , Matthew Dumesny would also retire, with a broken hub, after contact with the Turn 1 wall with just three laps remaining. For the run to the line, Marcus Dumensy would make the most of the clear track ahead and drive the N47 Valvoline/Rowett Racing Maxim to victory lane where an elated Dumensy and team would celebrate their finest moment. Veal and Goodyer would round out the podium and, while it was all smiles for the winning team, the podium placers emotions ran high, respectfully sharing their opposing points of view on how the race between the two of them unfolded. Ian Madsen finished where he started, in fourth, despite falling back to sixth late in the race. Tasmanians Tate Frost and Jamie Bricknell were next, making three hard chargers from the Apple Isle to place in the top half dozen, followed by South Aussie Daniel Pestka, Nicholas Whell and Hallett rounding out the only nine competitors to finish the incident-plagued final.

Jennings in 13th. O’Connell, Mazzer, Jayden O’Toole, Atkinson each claimed single heat wins. TERRY LEERENTVELD made the most of the front row to claim the 15-lap Modlite feature. Trailing him to the line was the reigning Australian Champion Sam Gollschewsky, with Luke Harrison and Sean Rose completing the top four. Anthony Stewart, Steve Collins, Joel Smith, Dakota Laverty, Phil Gower and Mark Webster were the final finishers. Bailey Imhoff was the only competitor to retire while Tyson Snow and Callum Beerling did not front for the main race. The two 8-lap heats were split between Gollschewsky and Rose.

Keeping it in the family ... Dumesney’s win adds to the three taken by father Max ... From that point back the retiree list would read McHugh, Matthew Dumesny, Kelly, Farr, Oldfield, Egel, Jessie Attard, Jordyn Brazier, Prosser, Lines and Fanning. Egel, Brazier, Frost and Farr took the maximum points from the four 12-lap heats races, while Chris McInerney led for a goto-whoa victory in the last chance C Main. Brenton Farrer journeyed from eighth to second over Will Caroll and Mitch Gowland to become the fourth and final driver to transfer to the 20-lap B Main. Just missing out on the transfer was the lone female of the field, Libby Ellis, followed home by Jason King and James Matthews the final runner. Luke Thomas, Jy Corbet and Adam Butler were all retirees. The showdown B Main was claimed by Farr with a flag to flag victory over Egel, Prosser and Bricknell as the final qualifier for the big dance. Stirton and Randy Morgan finished fifth and six to fill the two reserve spots should there be a first lap incident. Victorian, Peter Doukas was seventh across the line, followed by Richard Morgan, Bryan Mann, Farrer, veteran racer Darren Jensen, Tim Farrell, Mark Pholi, Karl Hoffmans, McInerney, Gowland and Carroll the final finisher, while the luckless Kevin Titman retired at one quarter the mark of the journey. LUKE OLDFIELD TAKES NIGHT ONE! THE OPENING night of competition started with an all-important hot laps session with each competitor running against the clock. Lines showed his class early and would prove the quickest runner, stopping the clock with a time of 12.145. Veal, Marcus Dumensy, Oldfield, Farr, Goodyer, Attard, Kelly, Bricknell and Brazier completing the top 10. This would be followed by the heat races where the wins would be shared by Prosser, Luke Stirton, McHugh, Brent Kratzmann, Oldfield, Veal and Madsen taking singles while a lightning fast McHugh would claim both of

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his while Frost would take the B Main. Oldfield claimed the 25 lap Preliminary A Main after an interesting battle with Veal – both competitors controlled the lead at various points of the journey, however Oldfield would prove the quicker, taking the lead back with just three laps remaining. Veal would settle for the runner-up position with Goodyer, McHugh and Marcus Dumensy rounding out the top five, the latter after staring from deep in the field in 14th position. Kelly and Matthew Dumensy would finish where they started, in sixth and seventh respectively, while Madsen, Lines and Fanning rounded out the top 10. Frost, Ryan Newton, Hallett, Stirton, Pestka and Whell rounded out the field. Brent Kratzmann and Attard failed to travel the distance. SUPPORT RACES THE MAIN supporting class on the show was the mighty midgets for Round 10 of the TFH Speedcar Series. Scott Farmer and Casey O’Connell were in blistering form going into the final, both undefeated as they shared the heat race wins with two apiece. O’Connell got the jump but on the second lap Farmer would fight back for the lead and go on to take a well-deserved win in the 20-lap feature; rounding out the podium was series points leader Michael Kendall who finished where he started in third, as did fourth-placed Darren Dillon. Brad Dawson, Rob Stewart, Bernard Clarke, Dylan Menz, Brock Dean and Gavin McDowell rounded out the top 10 placings. Chris Moor, Jesse Harris, Robert Mazzer, Barry Gibbes and Jack Bell failed to travel the distance.

podium. Jamie Usher, Casey O’Connell, Andrew Robinson, Chris Catchpole, Mikaela Blyton were followed by pole sitter Robert Mazzer, who had dropped back to ninth, while rounding out the finishers was Lance Dawson, Anthony Joyce, Gary Hall and Ben

THE 15-LAP Formula 500 feature race was claimed by three time Australian champion Liam Williams who dominated the entire evening with a clean sweep of the two 8-lap heat races to claim maximum points. Brock Thornton was a strong runnerup and led the race until half distance before Williams struck. Brady Argles was third, followed by Kaydon Iverson, Tomas Partington, Mitchell Whittaker, Wayne Juke and Jason Rae the final car to cross the line. Jake Hooper, Khiana Gay, Noah Ball and Kurt Wilson failed to travel the journey while Cona Stephan had a frustrating night – after failing to travel the distance in the opening heat race he was a scratching from the rest of the night.

Lachlan McHugh crashed out while contending for the lead.

Jordyn Brazier took to two wheels in his attempts to get by Randy Morgan ...

WITH 24 Wingless Sprints in the house, Ben Manson would prove the best in an undefeated run, claiming both of his 8-lap heat races and the 20-lap feature race, over Jacob Jolley and Liam Atkinson, who had climbed his way from 10th to round off the

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SPEEDWAY NEWS

MAT MAKES 10K PAY DAY WITH A cool $10,000 cold hard cash up for the winner of the Ian Boettcher Classic for Super Sedans, hosted at the at Hi-Tec Oils Toowoomba Speedway, a total of 36 competitors came from far and wide as the on track action proved to be a hard fought affair over the two nights of competition. The opening night started well for Steve Jordan as he went on to claim the Preliminary 25-lap A Main over the well-travelled Tasmanian duo of Corey Smith and Callum Harper with reigning Australian champion Mat Pascoe separating the Apple Islanders in third. After the 12 qualifying heats, dashes and top eight pole shuffle were run and done, Harper and Jordan shared the front row of the top 24 competitors going into the uniquely numbered 36-lap feature race. At the drop of the green Harper would use his momentum around the topside to take the lead with Jordan in pursuit, followed by the talented New Zealand wheel twister in Michael Kendall. While the field jockeyed for position over the opening laps, at times three wide as they argued over the prime realestate, Harper would make the most of clear track ahead and open a handy break. Zak Hudson became the first of the retirees as he pulled to the infield, just four laps into the race and, two laps furhter on, Harper would encounter the first of lapped traffic. With 10-laps in the books the lights would go yellow for the first time as Jordan’s fairytale run would come to an end with power steering issues, rolling to a halt on the back straight. For the restart, the leader would solely occupy the front row while the rest of the field lined up two-by-two behind. Harper led the charge with Kendall, Pascoe and Victoria’s Michael Nicola entering the top four. Things would remain in that order until Rockhampton’s Michael Larsen brought on the second yellow stoppage with 22 laps

Australia #1 Matty Pascoe broke the lap record en route to a $10k win .... Photo: Declan Brownsey remaining, lucky not to roll over as he tipped the RK8 into the Turn 4 wall. Callum again jumped to a handy lead as the field battled, Pascoe would climb to second and was on a mission to close on the leader. Kendall remained third while Darren Kane advanced to fourth, relegating Nicola to fifth. Over the next few laps, Pascoe would gain the distance required and diced with Harper. All eyes were fixated on the lead duo as they traded blows, racing door to door through traffic, Pascoe eventually gaining the upper hand and hitting the lead with a dozen laps remaining. However Harper would continue to throw out the return challenge until Kendall brought on the red lights after rubbing wheels with his Ian Boettcher Race Parts supported teammate Kane, rolling over

and out of the race in Turn 2 while holding down third place. With eleven to run Pascoe would make the most of clear tack, leading while a determined Kane moved to second. Harper and Pascoe continued the high-speed dogfight as Mitchell Gee moved into the top four. Pascoe was on a mission, breaking into the 12 second barrier, smashing a 12.989 on lap 27 just prior to another stoppage as Michael Hally spun on the back chute. With seven laps remaining, the contenders were all at the pointy end with 14 national titles shared amongst the leading half dozen cars. At the green, Pascoe charged to the front for the next three laps until the yellows blazed again after Hayden Brims, Zac and Ty Pascoe tangled further back in the field, ending their runs.

With three laps remaining, the field bunched into Indian File and Pascoe would power home, finding the shortest passage to the chequered flag, resetting another new lap record with a 12.951 and grabbing the $10,000 winner’s purse. Kane, Harper and Gee would round out the podium. Next came Justin Randall, Dusty Higgs, while Nicola fell back to seventh followed by Tassie pilots David Nichols and Smith. Gavin Northfield, Hally, Andrew White, Dion Bennett, Tyson Moon and Rod Enman squared off the finishers. Randall, White, Jordan, Smith, Sean Black, Mat Pascoe, Zac Pascoe, Hally, Kane, Higgs, Nicola and Harper each shared a heat race victory while Hudson claimed the 15-lap B Main with White, Hally, Ty Pascoe, Doyle and Bennett also advancing to the feature event Paris Charles .

MCCARTHY UNTOUCHED IN SA FINALE THE MURRAY Machining & Sheds Murray Bridge Speedway brought down the final curtain on their 2021/22 Speedway season – and from a large field of 26 Wingless Sprints it would be Jack McCarthy continuing his strong run of form, leading all 20 laps of the A-Main along with winning both of his heat races. Second across the line was Harley Alexander, who recorded a career best result while local racer Brett Ireland completed the podium. Anthony Tapley, Ryan Alexander, Rory Button, Michael Spoljaric, Brent Fox, Rylan Furler, Hayden Vickers, James Rodda, Jesse Alexander, Ross Miller, Tahleesha Mayes, Kahn Aston,and Bronson Mauro rounded out the top 16. Veteran racer Carey Weston claimed the final round of the Street Stock Track Championship with Nigel Reichstein second and Craig Buchanan taking the final podium step for the 20-lap final, Keith Moore and Ben Whitehead rounding out the top five.

T13 Tasmanian Rodney Basset fights for the SA AMCA Title with V99 Justin Richardson. Photo: Terry Scriven The Junior Sedans were spilt into New and Top Stars for their heat races before being combined for their feature event. The top five to the line were Lucas Warnett, Lachlan Brown, Diesel Fallon, Riley Greig and Henry Brumfield. The competitor who travelled the

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furthest to be here found the shortest way to the finish line with Tasmanian Rodney Basset setting a new AMCA National 20 lap Track Record of 5:05.553 in the final. Shannon Hilder, John Stumann and Darren McCarthy rounded out the podium.

SUNLINE SHINES FOR RODNEY BASSETT

The following night, Bassett would find the fastest way to the finish line to claim the National Karate South Australian AMCA Nationals Championship at Waikerie’s Sunline Speedway.

Sharing the trophies was Justin Richardson, Shannon Hilder and Thomas Walkom. The Victorians dominated the 12-lap heat races with Ritchardson, Darren McCarthy and Hilder claiming a win apiece. In the supporting classes, the podiums would result in; Nick Hall continued his dominance in the V6 Sprints over Renee Pfieler and Jordan Grillett. Teenage sensation Mitchell Rigney claimed the Super Sedan feature from Neville Nitschke and Sarah Pope. The Modlites podium went to Jacob Carlier, Dylan Richter and Anthony Grillett. Tony Hardy found himself the meat in a Mildura Sandwich as Peter McCarthy claimed the Modified Sedan final with Trev Logan third. The Junior Sedans Top Stars / New Stars combined Feature was claimed by Lucas Warnett with Lachlan Brown and Diesel Fallon, the first New Star home was Evan McAlister in sixth. Paris Charles

NATIONALS WRAP

GARY’S

NATIONAL

EVENT

CALENDAR

Image: B Team Rally Media

CLEAN SWEEP IN TRYING MARYSVILLE STAGES RAIN AND cold conditions faced the big field for the Sheen Panel Service Ringwood Marysville Stages, the third round of the Till Hino Victorian Rally Championship, which was won by Adrian Stratford and Kain Manning on May 7. It was their third outing in the Subaru Impreza WRX (pictured above) after a campaign in a 2WD Ford Fiesta last season, and they clean swept the sevenstage event by 6mins 1.0s ahead of Glen Raymond and Kate Catford in the non-turbo Subaru Impreza RS. Luke Sytema and Tracey Dewhurst survived a couple of off road excursions in their classic Ford Escort RS1800.

The VRC comprised 130km of competitive distance where Stratford won the three stages to take out heat one ahead of Richard Galley and Claire Buccini (Mitsubishi EVO 8) with two stage seconds and seventh. Third were Warren Lee and David Lethlean (EVO 9) after a fourth and two thirds. Stratford continued his unrelenting pace to net the four stages of heat two ahead of Raymond and Sytema and Galley. The latter finished fourth overall ahead of Lee, Kevin Millard and Andrew Daniell (Datsun 1600), and Wayne Stewart and Lucas Zinsstag (WRX). Behind eight placed Danny Traverso and Jason Page (EVO 8) there was a tie for ninth with Ian Martin/Steve Young (WRX STi Spec

C) and Tom West/Stephen Dunbar (Hyundai Excel). Nathan Quinn and Ray Winwood-Smith (Mazda RX2) were sixth for much of the rally until dramas on stage six relegated them to a final 17th place. In conjunction with the VCR, it was round three of the Victorian Club Rally Series, run over 115km of competition on a combination of five daylight and evening stages. The winners were James and Mark Leoncini (Toyota Corolla AE71) by 2mins 47s over Steven Porter/Tony Robinson (Mazda RX7) and Ben and Cathy Hayes (Datsun 1600) who were split by 19s. Garry O’Brien

FINALLY! THE LAST ROUND THE FINAL round victory, in the Whiteline Tarmac Rallysprint Series, on April 21, went to Lance Arundel and Luke Job (pictured). They also won the series ahead of Tim Blake and Peter Akers, and David Isaacs and Paul Pritchard, second and third respectively. With cancellations and delays caused by weather, Covid and construction of the new Speedway, the North Shore Sporting Car Club could have walked away. But Director Brett Middleton and his hard-working volunteers got the fourth round underway with 77 entries competing under threatening skies. Arundel (Subaru Impreza WRX) made a conservative start, third on the first run behind Blake (WRX), and Isaacs (Mitsubishi EVO 9). Run 2 also went to Blake, by just 0.08s from Arundel, who was starting to hit his straps. Third were Josh and Matt Redhead (EVO 5), and then Andrew Best and Jayme Rowland (Ford Focus). Arundel took fastest time on Run 3, from Redhead, then Isaacs, Josh Muggleton and

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Image: Bruce Moxon Blake Stokes, and Justin Lewis and Nadia Toffetti, both crews in Toyota Yaris GRs. Arundel was fastest again on Run 4, with Redhead second again from Blake and Isaacs. The final run went to Redhead from Arundel. With each crew’s best three runs counted, Arundel had enough in hand to take the win, but by just 1.3s. Blake and Akers might have been able to make an impression, but their car went into ‘limp-home’ mode on the final

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run, leaving them 12.8s adrift of second placed Redhead. It was interesting that the best times got progressively faster over the night, despite the track surface getting cooler. Best of the 2WD runners was Dean Muddle and Logan Waterhouse (Honda Civic), from Josh Buchan and Reece Harradine (Hyundai i30n). First Junior driver was Jake and Dallas Beattie (WRX). Bruce Moxon

SOUTHERN DISTRICTS CAR CLUB, Junior Development Program Day 2, Mid Murray Motorplex SA – May 21 South Eastern Automobile Club, Trials Series Rd01, Mt Gambier Forests SA – May 21 Tasmania Off Road Series Rd03, Symmons Plains – May 21 Roll Racing Brisbane #5, Qld Raceway QLD – May 21 Grip Attack - Race your mates, Lakeside Park QLD – May 21 Queensland Rally Short Course Rally Series Rd02, TBA QLD – May 21 Supercars Winton SuperSprint, Winton VIC – May 21-22 V8 SuperUtes Rd03, Winton SuperSprint, Winton VIC – May 21-22 National Sports Sedans Series Rd02, Winton SuperSprint, Winton VIC – May 21-22 Aussie Racing Cars Rd05, Winton SuperSprint, Winton VIC – May 21-22 Central Coast Car Club (Gladstone) Bitumen Motorkhana/ Khanacross, Benaraby NSW – May 21-22 South Australian Motor Racing Championships Rd02, The Bend SA – May 21-22 Australian Formula Ford Championship Rd03, Winton SuperSprint Winton VIC – May 21-22 Australian Rally Championship Rd02, Forest Rally WA – May 21-22 West Australian Rally Championship Rd02, Forest Rally WA – May 21-22 Baskerville 1000, Baskerville TAS – May 21-22 North Queensland Off Road Rd02 7hr Enduro, Charters Towers QLD – May 21-22 Ipswich West Moreton Auto Club, Autocross Rd02, Willowbank QLD – May 22 Southern Districts Car Club, Khanacross Rd03, Mid Murray Motorplex SA – May 22 WA Sporting Car Club, Speed Event Series Rd05, Point 2 Point, Wanneroo WA – May 22 MG Car Club Newcastle, Motorkhana Dirt Mk3, Ringwood Park NSW – May 22 TCR Australia Rd04, Shannons Championships, Sydney Motorsport Park, NSW – May 27-29 Touring Car Masters Rd02, Shannons Championships, Sydney Motorsport Park, NSW – May 27-29 Trans Am Series Rd04, Shannons Championships, Sydney Motorsport Park, NSW – May 27-29 S5000 Australian Drivers Championship Rd04, Shannons Championships, Sydney Motorsport Park, NSW – May 27-29 GT World Challenge Rd03, Shannons Championships, Sydney Motorsport Park, NSW – May 27-29 Radical Cup Rd03, Shannons Championships, Sydney Motorsport Park, NSW – May 27-29 Porsche Sprint Challenge Rd01, Shannons Championships, Sydney Motorsport Park, NSW – May 27-29 Production Cars Rd01, Shannons Championships, Sydney Motorsport Park, NSW – May 27-29 Queensland Circuit Racing Championships Rd02, Morgan Park QLD – May 27-29 QR Drivers Championship Rd03, Qld Raceway QLD – May 28 500 Car Club of Tasmania, Backwards Basky Hillclimb #3, Baskerville TAS – May 28 Townsville City Autosports Club, Hillclimb Rd02, Mt Stuart QLD – May 28 Motor Culture - Cars & Culture - Track Edition, Lakeside Park QLD – May 28 NSW Khanacross Series Rd03, Armidale NSW – May 28-29 Hervey Bay Motor Sports Association, Khanacross Rd03, 300 Gympie Rd, Tinana QLD – May 28-29 Australian Tarmac Rally Series Rd02, Snowy River Sprint, Lakes Entrance VIC – May 28-29 West Australian State Championships, Wanneroo WA – May 28-29 45th Historic Winton, Winton VIC – May 28-29 Raleigh Motorsports Association, Rallycross Club Day, Raleigh Raceway NSW – May 29 North Australian Motor Sport Club Championships Rd02, Hidden Valley NT – May 29 Central Australian Rally Sports Club, Motorkhana, Finke Desert Race Complex, Alice Springs NT, May 29 Limestone Coast Off Road Club, Khanacross Rd03, Curtis Boyd’s SA – May 29 Walkerville All Cars Club, Khanacross, Walky Park SA – May 29 MG Car Club Newcastle, Hillclimb, Ringwood Park NSW – May 29 Euro Day - Show n’n Shine & Track Challenge, Lakeside Park QLD – May 29

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NATIONALS WRAP FOWLER FITS HISTORIC BILL RACE CAR designer and builder Peter Fowler, best remembered for Bryan Thomson’s Volkswagen and Mercedes Benz sports sedans, was special guest at this year’s Morgans (Unley) All Historic Mallala on April 23-24. Very fitting, as Historic Sports Sedans were one of the main features, and Fowler was reunited with the Mercedes.

ANOTHER CLOSE ENDURO FINISH FOR THE second time this year, a Motor Events Racing endurance event has seen two teams finish on the same lap. The Sydney Motorsport Park 20 Enduro on April 29-30 had Shwarze Wurst Motorsport and Chop Shop Racing cover 417 laps and were 0.55s apart at the finish. In a BMW 330ci and BMW 328i respectively, they finished nine laps ahead of third placed Black Peal Racing in their Subaru Impreza. Two laps further back were RaceLab (BMW 323ci) with a lap on ThinkFire and their Toyota 86. The event had 27 entries and cars had to be under $5K on the Redbook price guide. Each had four or more drivers and the race was contested in a social, no pressure atmosphere. On-track contact, dangerous driving, spins etc were dealt with penalties like sin bins or bribes. RaceLab were the early leaders in the wet before Shwarze Wurst (pictured) passed them. RaceLab had another stint in front and then as the pitstops occurred, GT-40 led. The latter’s Mitsubishi Lancer had undergone a full rebuild after a crash the weekend before. Shwarze Wurst and Chop Shop completed the first half of the race with both covering 275 laps which finished with night racing. They continued to dominate into the second day. The lead changed several times with a shifter problem for Shwarze Wurst and tyre issues for Cop Shop. The latter surrendered the lead six laps from the end with a spin which resulted in a titanic dice to the finish. They finished first and second in the ME1 class with Black Pearl first in ME2. Class ME3 went to GT-40 who were sixth outright ahead of The Imposters (Mitsubishi Magna), DPKR (Subaru Wagon), Golf Racing (Datsun 1200 Ute) and Impreza WRX Club (Subaru). Civic Unrest blew the motor in their Honda Civic, found one for sale down the road, and managed to get out on track again before they dropped a ball joint and eventually finished 20th. Infinite Racing (Mitsubishi Mirage) sustained damage but made repairs and finished, but not so Tiny Team whose Ford Falcon spent more time in the garage with gearbox issues, than on track. Garry O’Brien

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HISTORIC SPORTS SEDANS TWENTY-FIVE RAN in Supersprints with Simon Pfitzner in the Thomson Benz got down into the 1min 12s to be fastest in all four encounters, followed each time by Myles Bond (Barry Bray Datsun Stanza) and Jason Maros (Clem Smith Charger). Damian Johnson (Doug Clark Celica) picked up two fourths with Glenn Gerstel (IMSA Mazda RX7) and Barry Bray himself in his old Nissan Gazelle took one each. GROUP M, O SPORTS & RACING IN A field consisting entirely of Elfin, Brabham and Rennmax cars, Shane Kuchel (Brabham BT18) and Laurie Bennett (Elfin 600B ) battled all weekend, Kuchel (pictured) taking three wins to Bennett’s two. Wayne Wilson (Brabham BT35) had three thirds then seconds in the final two races, due to Bennett’s off in the fourth dropping a spot, before Kuchel stalled on the grid in the final. Storming his way back to finish third, Kuchel set the fastest lap on his final tour. He also picked up the Driver of the Meeting Award. F5000S & FORMULA HOLDENS ABOARD THE South Australian TAFE-built Shrike Formula Holden, Grant Doulman was easily fastest both days, down to the 1min 07s on its way to five wins. Rohan Carrig (Hocking 901) and Dean Camm (F5000 Chevron B24) completed the top three in the first three encounters, with Brenton Griguol (Lola T142) out of the battle for fourth with Bill Hemming (Elfin MR8) due to engine failure in the third encounter. A spin at half-distance in the fourth dropped Carrig behind Camm and David Crabtree (March F5000) but he got back to finish third. With Camm missing from the final, Carrig spun twice, and let Hemming

Image: John Lemm into second, before Crabtree also spun, which allowed Carrig back to third. HISTORIC TOURING CARS FROM POLE Josh Axford (Escort RS16000) led all the way in Saturday’s opener, chased by Justin Elvin’ (Morris Cooper S). They cleared out on a three-way battle between Mark Blyfield (Holden Torana XU-1), Kym Burton (Ford Falcon GT) and Kirk Davis (Mazda RX2). In the second, Axford was pressured again in the early laps by Elvin, and finished 1.4s ahead, with Burton 6.0s back. Sunday’s opener was the most exciting race of the weekend, with battles right through the field. Elvin was on Axford’s tail until he slipped past with two laps to go to win by 0.6s. Burton took third after a fight with Davis, Blyfield and Jason Armstrong (Cooper S). Burton got by the Mini on the first lap in the next, as Axford pressed on to win and Elvin fought off Davis for third. Burton was first into the first turn in the final, leading for two laps before both Axford and Elvin passed him out of the Southern Hairpin. Davis and Armstrong chasing the Falcon for fourth and fifth. GROUPS Q, R, FORMULA FORDS WITH THE mix of cars, Andrew Ford (Birrana 274) headed Malcolm Boyd (Elfin 792) and Kevin West (Grantinni 111B) in both of Saturday’s races. Bruce Connolly (Elwyn

003B) was first of the Formula Fords in the first, then Neil Richardson (Van Diemen RF86) took that spot in the next. For Sunday’s races the Formula Fords started first. In the first of these, Richardson was first, with Ford and Boyd coming through to fill the top spots on the final lap. Connolly took the next from Richardson, Boyd was third from Scott Blake (Reynard 84). The final saw Formula Fords in the top three spots with Connolly from Richardson. Glen Woodforde (Reynard RF83) and Boyd fourth. GROUPS K, L, FORMULA VEES THE TOP three in the four scratch races were Derek Foster (Cooper Mk 6 JAP), Shane Bowden (Lotus 11 replica) and Max Pegram (Gemini Ford FJ). The only change came in race three where Bowden took the lead on the final lap. The fourth race was also the DG Fraser Memorial for Group K and the pre-event favourite, Michael Shearer’s Ford A Special was out after a broken crankshaft in practice. First over the line was Andrew Box (Dodge Special) but later disqualified. He arrived late to the grid and started from his original position rather than the rear. Gerard Miller (Plymouth Special), who battled with Box early on, picked up the award. Box had the satisfaction of a final win, a handicap race, ahead of Shearer (in his Elfin NG Vee) and Bowden. John Lemm

EXCELLING ALONE EXCELS HAD exclusive use of Phillip Island on April 30 for the second round of the Trik Trailers Victorian Championship. A first-up victory and two thirds for Mackenzie earned him the Masters win while a first, second and third did it for Tomkins to take the Trophy honours. Tim Rowse set the benchmark in Masters qualifying ahead of Larry Merifield, and it was these two with Mackenzie in between, that led at the start of Race 1. However Rowse and Merifield slipped on fluid on the track on the second lap. Mackenzie went on to win by over 10s to Karl Neilson as Stuart Bruckner charged from 12th to third to edge out Ed Narkiewicz. Donovan Mrnjavac was second until he fell back to sixth behind Mark Pesavento. Merifield recovered to seventh, Rowse was ahead of him but was black flagged for an open hatch and pitted to rectify it. Mackenzie led the second mostly, only passed by Tim Yates with two laps to go, and before Rowse passed them

Tomkins heads Simpson (117) and Bloxsom (69) in the Trophy division. Image: Phil Wisewould both. Fourth saw several place changes before Merifield pipped Stuart Bruckner and Karl Neilson. In the last, Rowse led all the way. Merifield overtook Yates on lap two to secure second, and Mackenzie snared third midway in, and held off Yates and Mrnjavac. Pole sitter Tomkins took an all-the-way-win in the first Trophy event. Toby Waghorn wrestled second off Hugo Simpson before the latter got it back by the end. A distant

fourth was Lachlan Bloxsom who came from 10th early to hold off Cooper Barnes. It was a five-scrap for Race 2 supremacy. Tomkins led twice, and Bloxsom once but in the end, it was Simpson over Tomkins, Bloxsom, Barnes and Waghorn, all covered by 1.1s. Simpson led the first half of the last before passed by Waghorn who in turn lost out to winner Bloxsom. Tomkins was third in front of Barnes and Waghorn. Garry O’Brien

Brendon Hourigan (51) has the inside running on Danny Burgess (7), with Stephen Chilby (226) in close attendance in the Stock Car contest.

Image: Riccardo Benvenuti

PRE WINTER MRA MEETING POPULAR

EXCELS IN numbers headed up Motor Racing Australia Series’ third round at Wakefield Park on May 7-8. The popular onemake series had 35 qualifying in split sessions while Super TT and Mazda MX5s were also well supported. Several categories raced one day only, others across both.

to Turn 3 on the first lap and led from there. Burgess finished second with Mitchell third. Vying for second Nind and Chilby spun off at Turn 9 on the last lap. Chilby recovered for fourth while Nind DNF’d. Behind Hourigan in the last, Chilby was second in front of Burgess and Mitchell.

EXCELS NOT ONLY was it the perfect round for Will Longmore, with three race wins, but he did it by leading each race from start to finish and had quite comfortable margins over his rivals. Second for the day went to Tim Colombrita with William Seal third. Colombrita started Race 1 on the front row but was muscled back to sixth on the first lap. Paul Quinn slotted into second before he was passed by Seal with Cameron Brown next in front of Colombrita, Dylan Debono and Monique Sciberras. The second race finished behind the Safety Car when Quinn parked at Turn 2. Before that Colombrita had improved to third behind Seal. Debono headed Sciberras and Matt Woodward who was on a charge after starting 17th. In the last, it was again Longmore from Colombrita from Debono, Brown, Woodward, Preston Breust, Sciberras, Buhagiar and Seal who spun out of fourth with three laps to go.

CLUBMANS HE WASN’T the fastest qualifier, but Peter Nowlan scored three dominant victories in his NRC Bullet. Pole sitter James Dick (PRB Birkin) spun off at Turn 2 on the opening lap of Race 1 and had to play catch-up from there on. Ivan Srejber (Birkin) cleared an energic scrap to secure second in the first race while Stuart Shirvington (Birkin) edged out Chris Barry (PRB Composite) and Dick. In the second outing, Srejber held sway ahead of Shirvington and Dick narrowly, as Jos Kroon (Birkin) pipped Barry. Dick was second throughout the last while Srejber was comfortably third. Barry was next, the pressure off him when Shirvington spun on the final lap and finished behind Josh Versluis (Birkin) and Kroon.

SUPER TTs MAZDAS SHOWED the way in qualifying and the races. It was almost a one-two in each outing after Todd Herring and Mathew Fraser qualified their MX5s fastest and ran at the head of the first two races. Herring scored three race wins, twice ahead of Fraser who was a non-starter in the last. Keven Stoopman (Mitsubishi EVO 7) qualified third but burnt out a plug before the first race was under way. The EVO dropped a cylinder at the start of the second. Mark Granger (Ford Falcon AU V8) was third in Race 1 ahead of Scott Johnson (Nissan Silvia)

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Alfa Romeos spread across the road, with Ewan Jones showing the way. Image: Riccardo Benvenuti and Damien Hunter (Renault Clio). On the final lap John Taylor (Peugeot 205 GTi) was turned about and was then hit by another car which had nowhere to go. Granger had to overcome Denis Pana (Holden Commodore VS) in the second to finish third and go through a similar scenario in the third for his second place. MAZDA MX5s HERRING RACING owned the three races. The team’s Andy Harris had to get by Richard Herring after several laps to take out Race 1 while Jaxon Fraser had to also get past Todd Herring for third. Jamie Martin was fourth just in front of Rob Hay and Zac Raddatz. There was almost immediate safety car in Race 2 with Fraser stopped at Turn 3 with alternator failure. Racing resumed with Harris the winner ahead of Richard Herring, Hay, Todd Herring, Ben Oldfield and Raddatz. Harris won the last ahead of Richard Herring while Todd Herring had the pressure off when Hay spun at Turn 2. Hay finished sixth behind Oldfield and Raddatz. ALFA ROMEOS FIVE RACES were undertaken for the Italian marque, and they were joined by the BMW E36s for the final three. After qualifying fastest Ewan Jones (Alfetta) spun off at the start and

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dropped to last. Alfio Musumeci (GT V6) went to the lead and won ahead of Robert Seritti (Alfetta). Jones recovered for third ahead of Simon Greirson (Giulietta). Jones had no such dramas in the following three outings with victories in each and was first across the line the last before slapped with a 5s penalty. Musumeci and Seritti renewed their scrap with the latter getting three seconds. Grierson was fourth in each before he was handed victory in the last. Urs Muller (156) netted four victories the Twin Spark Cup, only beaten once by Peter Tillett (147). In the BMWs David Bailey had three wins and good dices with Rob Boaden and a second outright in the last while Aaron Lloyd was third twice and Mark Field once. STOCK CARS AUSTRALIA CATEGORY NEWCOMER Brendon Hourigan (Oz Truck Chev Silverado) made an impressive debut with two victories at round two. Stephen Chilby (Silverado) led all the way in Race 1 and finished ahead of Scott Nind (Ford Mustang) with Hourigan, Brett Mitchell (OzTruck Maloo) and Danny Burgess (Silverado) just behind. Nind passed Chilby on lap three to win Race 2. The latter ultimately finished fifth behind Hourigan, Burgess and Mitchell. In Race 3 Hourigan displace Nind in the run

SUPERKARTS THE SPEARHEAD of the 125cc Gearbox karts was Lee Vella who won overall after three race wins in his Avoig Elise. He won the first clear of a three-way scrap for second where the similarly mounted Mark Robin won out over Paul Campbell, and Aaron Cogger, who slipped up at Turn 4 midway through but still held onto fourth. Robin lowered Vella’s colours in the second with an all-the-way leading effort while Cogger stopped at Turn 4 and Campbell came to a halt at Turn 8. Michael Doherty (Avoig 250 National) finished third ahead of Blake Roese (BRM GPM-66). Vella took out the final two races where Cogger won the scrap for second both times as Robin and Campbell each took a third. Garry O’Brien

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NATIONALS WRAP

LUKE ERCEG ON HIS OWN A NARROW outright and ProLite win went to Luke Erceg (ProLite ECE Honey Badger/ Nissan) in the Symons-Clark Logistics Richard Bennett Memorial Enduro at Parilla on April 30- May 1 and set his SA Multi Club Series campaign off to a good start. Matt and Gary Curtis with Brad Cheer (GCR Rhino/Nissan) had started day two from first with nearly 20s over Erceg (right) who started fourth. But when the flag fell Curtis was just over 20s down after a big charge from Erceg. Queenslander Chris and Cooper Western (Pro Buggy Rush Buggy/Chev) slotted into third but 4mins behind the winner. Pro Buggys filled the next two spots. Brenton and Matthew Gallasch (Southern Cross/ Chev) battled hard with Western and finished not far behind. Kevy, Jackson and Sarah Nott (Element Prodigy/Chev) were on the lead pace throughout with fifth a good effort. There was a gap back to sixth-placed David Hall and Corey Hayworth (Murphy/Nissan) who had a big moment in the prologue and comfortably ran inside the top five on day one. Victorians Josh Gaskin and Evan Lampard (Southern Cross/Honda) were next home well clear of Lachlan, Hannah and Roydn Bailey (SXS Pro Can-Am Maverick). Ninth went to Chris and Colin Johnson (Custom/Nissan) who had a trouble free run and a buffer back to Nick and Alexander Burt (Extreme 2WD Rush Truck/Chev) who rounded out the top 10. Aaron and Jordan James (Alumi Craft/Ford Ecoboost) were the top qualifiers and led from the start until a broken rod on the first lap of Section 2. Daryl Nissen and Andrew Harness (SORE/Nissan) qualified second but failed to make the start with a bad oil leak.

Image: David Batchelor Looking menacing on Saturday, Andrew Fitzgerald and Maddy Barrett (Element Prodigy/Chev) and came home just behind Curtis. However it all went wrong on lap two of Sunday’s eight lapper with power steering failure.

Simon and Lucy Tucker (Tickner Ratbagz/ Toyota) took out Super 1650 after Darren and Lewis Oliver (Tiny Built GSXR3/Suzuki) couldn’t maintain the scorching pace they showed in Section 1 – although still a promising debut.

Michael Shipton and Paul Chorlton (Ford Ranger/Chev) outran Millie Vanderwoude and David Schultz in the L98-powered Holden Colorado for Performance 2WD honours. David Batchelor

MAHON MAKES IT THREE FROM FOUR THE OUTRIGHT points leader of the Eziup and Go Victorian Hillclimb Championship, David Mahon (pictured), made it three FTDs this season when he topped the times at Bryant Park’s fourth round on April 24. In each of his four runs of the PIARCrun event, the Hayabusa-powered Dallara F394 driver was fastest and went quicker with each effort. Ultimately his best in the up to 1.3 litre Formula Libre on

the Figure 8 layout was a 52.62s run. Second and third places went to 1.32.0lt F/L cars with Wim Janssen (Wimp 003) besting class points front runner Mike Barker (Hayward 06) with a 55.29s flyer on the final run. Bruce and Peter Minahan shared the Formula Libre up to 1.3lt F/L Suzukipowered Hayward 07 for fourth and fifth with the former quicker than his brother. Class rivals Ewen Moile (Ramblebee

Mk8) and David Casey (Casey TH109R) were next. Eighth outright and the best placed tin top was Jordan James in his 4WD Sports Sedans Mitsubishi EVO 4. He finished ahead of the two leading up to 1.6lt Sports Cars Clubmans in Steven Buffinton (Westfield) and Colin Newitt (Locost). There were 85 competitors with Hugh Feggan (Porsche 996 GT3) was the top

Production Sports and 11th ahead of James McNiven (Toyota Celica Sports Sedan), Warren Heath (Improved Production Ford Laser Sport), Dale Hocking (Dalrick Clubman) and Damien Pennycuick in his Nissan Skyline, the first of the Non Logbooked Cars. The closest class contest was in Historic Other where Keith Charman (GD) edged out Robert Wilson (Peregrine) by 0.02s. Garry O’Brien

Image: Otway Edge Photography

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TAYLOR TAKES MAIDEN NATIONAL OFF ROAD VICTORY RYAN TAYLOR (above) scored a memorable win in the 2022 Pooncarie Desert Dash, his maiden victory in national off-road competition. The win elevates Taylor to the top of the Motorsport Australia Off Road Championship standings, after previous lead Josh Howells failed to finish at Pooncarie. With the assistance of navigator Kye Floyd, Taylor defeated Shane and Zane Elphinstone by 40s in the New South Wales event. “No words can describe the feeling we’ve got right now,” Taylor said. “Just elated and all the hard work that goes into coming to these events, we’ve been doing this for years and to finally get one under the belt is awesome.” Elphinstone was thrilled to finish runner-up. “This is perfect actually, it was a pretty good run from what we’ve done, so it’s good,” Elphinstone said.

“It takes me a little while to get into a groove and when you have a couple hundred kilometres under your belt. It’s just easier.” Pro-buggy pairing Matt Hanson and Nigel Pendlebury (pictured, right) completed the overall podium, a mighty achievement considering it was the first race Hanson finished since 2019. “It’s good to get seat time, good to get a finish and ending up third, it’s been a good weekend,” Hanson said. Lachlan Bailey was victorious on debut in the SXS class alongside Rodyn Bailey, a surprising result in the words of the driver. “Definitely wasn’t expecting to win,” Bailey said. “I think we got a bit lucky, but that’s racing I suppose.” Greg Campbell was second in class and Nic Hicks rounded out the SXS podium,

despite leading for much of Sunday. In the Extreme 2WD class Brent Smoothy and Rheece Burgess came out on top, leading Beau Robinson and Shane Hutt. Mel and Melissa Brandle were deserved winners in the pro-lite class over Ally Howells and Sarah Corrigan. James Tyrrell was first in Sportslite and 17th overall, as many competitors across the categories failed to finish the tough New South Wales event.

AMOS RETURNS FOR THIRD ROUND WIN THE THIRD round of the Queensland Hillclimb Series at Mt Cotton produced its third driver/team combination to pull the fastest time with Dean Amos (pictured, right) the quickest, on May 7-8. Usually a regular in the MG Car Club Queensland series, it was first visit there this year for Amos and his Nicholson McLaren V8-engined Gould GR55B. It took until his sixth and final run flyer of 37.05s to unseat Dean Tighe from the top spot. Just before Tighe (supercharged Hayabusa Empire Wrath) had set the benchmark at 37.21s.

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Image: Peter Buchanan Over 1.3 litre Formula Libre cars finished in the top four spots with Brett Bull (Van Diemen RF03K/supercharged Kawasaki) third ahead of Warwick Hutchinson (OMS 28

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The Motorsport Australia Off Road Championship now takes the iconic Finke Desert Race, set for June 11-13. Josh Nevett

RPV03/Rotary turbo) by 0.31s. The next four positions were taken by Up to 1.3lt F/L cars with the best being Jim Milliner (OMS 2000M), ahead of Doug Daniels (Nutec), Neil Lewis (Fly-001), and Mitchell Allwood (Energy Firecat). Ninth and 10th went to the Up to 2.0lt Sports Sedans, as they battled to be the best of the tin tops. Tyson Cowie (Ford Escort) won out over Gavin Taylor (Volkswagen Golf) 0.01s as their times swapped continually. They were fractionally quicker than Stephen Edwards (GS Yamaha R6 F/L), while 12th went to Ken Graham (Over 2.0lt Improved Production Datsun 1600 SSS) ahead of James Heymer (Farrell Supersports/Sports 1300) and Jeff Daniels (Escort Sports Sedan). Not that it counted but Amos produced his quickest effort in the end-of-day Top Six where his 36.86s was good enough to down Tighe, Bull, Hutchinson, Milliner and Cowie. Garry O’Brien

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INTERNATIONAL

Images: Motorsport Images

DUCATI DUEL

Ducati 1-2 – Bastianini heads Miller (above). Miller (below) led early and hung on for his best result of the season.

ENEA BASTIANINI capitalised on a Francesco Bagnaia crash to take victory in the MotoGP World Championship round at Le Mans, while Aussie Ducati rider Jack Miller scored his best result of the season in second. It was Bastianini’s third win of the season and one that has the Gresini Racing star hot on the heels of

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championship leaders Fabio Quartararo and Aleix Espargaro after seven rounds. The latter rounded out the podium in France, the Aprilia rider keeping his title charge on track. Of the frontrunners, Miller got the best launch surging into an early lead, while Espargaro fell to seventh. In the midfield there were battles

aplenty, Honda rider Marc Marquez duking it out with Takaaki Nakagami and Johann Zarco going head-tohead with Brad Binder. At the front, Bagnaia and Alex Rins established themselves as the pacesetters, displacing Bastianini. The joy would be short lived for Rins though, who was forced to retire after taking a fall at the beginning of lap 3. Rins’ exit left Ducati machines running 1-2-3, Bagnaia taking the lead off Miller on lap 4. Miller’s countryman Remy Gardner was out of the race shortly after, before his Tech3 teammate Raul Fernandez joined him in the garage on a tough day for the team. At the halfway point it became clear that Bastianini would have too much tyre life for Miller, the Italian also sliding by the Australian on lap 12. Espargaro gained a position each soon after as Joan Mir crashed out at Turn 14, while the retirements continued to pile up when Pramac

STANDINGS 1 Quartararo 2 Aleix Espargaro 3 Bastianini 4 Rins 5 Miller

102 98 94 69 62

Racing rider Jorge Martin recorded his fourth DNF for the season. A period of calm followed, before Bastianini launched his challenge on Bagnaia for the lead. From lap 17 Bastianini was all over his rival, finally making a decisive move five laps later at the Dunlop Chicane. Bagnaia put a fight, regaining front spot after losing it momentarily. However, his resistance shattered when he overcooked the final corner, sliding into the gravel and out of the race. That left Bastianini a clear winner and Miller comfortable in second, while Espargaro was third. Hometown heroes Fabio Quartararo and Zarco had to settle for fourth and fifth. Marquez was sixth while Nakagami scored another seventh-place finish. Despite missing a wing from his early jousting, Binder claimed P8, while Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) and Maverick Vinales rounded out the top 10. Josh Nevett

HAPPY HUNTING GROUND

NO PLACE LIKE HOME

THE AKKODIS ASP pairing of Raffaele Marciello and Timur Boguslavskiy (above) blitzed the GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup field at Magny Cours to take a second victory of the season and return to the top of the standings. Dries Vanthoor and Charles Weerts opened the weekend with a Race 1 win for Team WRT, thanks to a game-changing pitstop, before Marciello and Boguslavskiy hit back in Race 2 to leave France as series leaders. Audi Sport had five of its new-spec cars in the top six in the first encounter, as Vanthoor finished 3s clear of Marciello. Tresor by Car Collection recorded its first ever series podium thanks to the efforts of

Simon Gachet and Christopher Haase. In Race 2, the #89 Akkodis ASP Mercedes-AMG GT3 rocketed off the line with Marciello behind the wheel and was never in danger of losing front spot with as a composed Boguslavskiy sealed the win by 13.6s. It was a 1-2 finish for Akkodis ASP, with Jim Pla and Maximillian Gotz coming home second in the #88 Mercedes-AMG. A penalty to a rival Audi team ensured that the #25 Audi R8 LMS was third, giving Sainteloc Junior Team and its drivers Patric Niederhauser and Aurelien Panis a podium finish on home soil. The #33 Team WRT Audi of Christopher

Mies and Jean-Baptiste Simmenauer was on track to earn a spot on the steps, running in second during the latter stages, however a 10s penalty for an unsafe pit release dashed their hopes. In Silver Cup, the #53 AF Corse Ferrari racked up two podiums including a class win in Race 2 to take out the weekend. Pierre-Alexandre Jean and Ulysse De Pauw have now won three of the last four races in the class. Pro-Am honours for the weekend went to the #111 JP Motorsport McLaren of Christian Klien and Patryk Krupinski, which also recorded a win and podium to top the class. Josh Nevett

SPECIAL K NOBODY WAS going to stop Kurt Busch (pictured) from claiming his first NASCAR Cup Series victory of the season at Kansas Speedway, including his brother Kyle and reigning champion Kyle Larson. Kurt Busch squeezed his way past Larson on lap 259 of 267 and did not look back, crossing the line 1.413s clear in his #45 23Xl Racing Toyota. Despite being the 34th win of Busch’s career, it was his first at the venue. “If I can get one Kyle, I can get both,” Busch said after passing the pair on the way to victory. “It’s all about teamwork,” Busch said. “I don’t do this alone, and the way that Toyota’s helped us, JGR (Joe Gibbs Racing)… My little brother has been so important, just on the family side of ‘Hey, you’ve got to get through these steps.’ “But this is 23XI. This is our first win with the 45 car, and with Jordan Brand on the hood, I felt like I had to play like the GOAT, race like the GOAT. I had to beat the Kyles. I beat both.” One of the stories of the race was the plethora of tyre issues which took big name players out of the running, left rear tyres unable to handle the strain of the Kansas surface.

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Christopher Bell lost the lead on lap 64 to a deflation, while the same issue sent William Byron into the wall on lap 113. Front row starter Tyler Reddick was the next driver to lose his rubber, just three laps later. Martin Truex Jr. was running fourth when his tyre blew at the end of Stage 2. Pit road incidents and mistakes also dashed the hopes of several contenders, leaving the Ks to fight at the front. Denny Hamlin finished fourth after starting from the rear of the field and receiving subsequent penalties. The result was his second top five of the season. Pole winner Bell finished fifth, followed by Truex Jr., as Toyota claimed five of the top six positions. Ross Chastain, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Alex Bowman came home seventh through ninth, respectively.

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Bubba Wallace, who scored 23XI’s first victory last year at Talladega, rounded out the top 10 despite receiving a penalty late on for an uncontrolled tyre. Josh Nevett

RICKY TAYLOR maintained his imperious record at Mid-Ohio to take a fourth DPi win in five years alongside co-driver Filipe Albuquerque, as Acura completed a 1-2 sweep in the IMSA Sportscar Championship. The win was far from easy, Taylor taking the lead after a door-to-door battle with the polesitting #1 Cadillac Racing DPi driven by Renger van der Zande which resulted in the latter spinning out at Turn 6. IMSA determined that no party was at fault for the clash, leaving Taylor to speed off into the distance. The son of Konica Minolta Racing team owner Wayne Taylor crossed the finish line 2.098s clear of Tom Blonqvist, who secured second in the #60 Meyer Shank Acura DPi. Blomqvist and teammate Oliver Jarvis were disappointed despite standing on the podium steps for the second race in a row. “We lost that one,” Jarvis lamented. Pipo Derani and Tristan Nunez finished third in the #31 Action Express Racing Cadillac DPi, followed by Alex Lynn and Earl Bamber in the #02 Cadillac Racing Cadillac DPi. In LMP2, former DPi champion and two-time Indy 500 winner Juan Pablo Montoya and co-driver Henrik Hedman claimed top honours in the #81 DragonSpeed USA ORECA LMP2 07. The pair finished 13.652s ahead of Jonathan Bomarito and Steven Thomas in the #11 PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports ORECA, who were ahead right till the final stage. There was late drama in the GTD Pro class, as the #70 Inception Racing McLaren 720S GT3 was denied a maiden victory after a postrace inspection found the machine to be underweight. The #70 was relegated to the back of the order, promoting Bill Auberlen, Robby Foley and the #96 Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT3 to a class win. Colin Braun and Jon Bennett took out the LMP3 class in the #54 CORE Autosport Ligier JS P320, their 21st and 19th victories, respectively. Josh Nevett

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INTERNATIONAL

UNUSUAL SUSPECTS

Images: Motorsport Images NESTOR GIROLAMI kicked off his World Touring Car Cup campaign in style, claiming an early championship lead with a race win at Circuit de Pau-Ville. The Munnich Motorsport driver (above) led Race 1 from start to finish in his Honda Civic Type R TCR, before Mikel Azcona made a statement on his own in Race 2 to be hot on Girolami’s heels after Round 1. It was a double dose of success for Munnich Motorsport in Race 1, with Girolami and his teammate Esteban Guerreri coming home 1-2. The pair jumped off the line on the streets of Pau and never looked back, heading hometown hero Yvan Muller. Meanwhile, battles for the minor positions broke out behind the podium getters. Nathanael Berthon was a shoo-in for fourth place in his Audi Sport RS3 LMS before loose bodywork slowed his progress and saw him

passed by Yann Ehrlacher at Turn 2 with just two minutes remaining. That was not the end of Berthon’s woes – he dropped to 16th after contact from Azcona directed him into a barrier, causing damage worthy of a pitstop. Benefiting from Berthon’s late race capitulation was Ma Qing Hua, who finished fifth for Cyan Performance despite dropping down the order early. The Chinese steerer made a couple of crucial passes before defending from Azcona on the final lap, the latter settling for sixth in his first race for BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse. Santiago Urrutia was seventh ahead of Gilles Magnus who was the first Audi driver to cross the line in eighth. Norbert Michelisz and Mehdi Bennani rounded out the top 10.

Azcona came out on top in the partially reverse-grid Race 2, avoiding early chaos on the streets of Pau. The Spanish driver led Urrutia and Ma to the line, who both completed the podium. Front row starters Michelisz and Attila Tassi were well positioned to score strong results in the second encounter – however they collided on the way to the first corner, with Tassi hitting the pit wall at speed. Michelisz’s Hyundai rebounded into the middle of the track, starting a domino effect on just the first lap. The Audi of Gilles Magnus slid into the back of Muller’s Lynk & Co, while Bennani’s Audi suffered broken suspension after a separate collision. As a result the Safety Car was called upon, with racing temporarily suspended.

Racing resumed with 23 minutes remaining, Azcona and Urrutia battling it out at the front (above). Azcona held his nerve and created a buffer, eventually winning by 3.876s over Urrutia. Berthon picked himself up from a disappointing first race to come home fourth. Guerrieri completed a consistent first round with a fifth place finish, ahead of Muller. Race 1 winner Girolami was seventh, with Rob Huff eighth from P13 on the grid in his Zengo Motorsport Cupra Leon Competicion. Thed Bjork and Tiago Monteiro completed the top 10. Josh Nevett

TOYOTA STRIKES BACK TOYOTA GAZOO Racing drivers Kamui Kobayashi, Jose-Maria Lopez and Mike Conway won a dramatic weather-affected 6 Hours of Spa Francorchamps. The trio mastered the conditions best, surviving a heavily interrupted race which included three red flags, six Safety Cars and five full course yellows. In fact, less than half of the six-hour race took place under green flag conditions. The win was Toyota Gazoo Racing’s first win of the season, and it could very well have been a 1-2 finish. The sister #8 Toyota was leading 90 minutes into the race. However after the first lengthy red stoppage concluded the car did not restart properly, it suffered a hybrid failure and forced #8 into retirement. After spectacularly rolling out of Round 1, Jose-Maria Lopez brought the #7 Toyota home first (above), with a margin of 27s.

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The Alpine drivers, Matthieu Vaxiviere, Nicola Lapierre and Andre Negrao, stayed out of trouble. In race trim they lacked the outright pace of the Toyotas but second place ensures that they extend their lead in the 2022 standings. Third overall went to the #31 Team WRT LMP2 machine driven by Rene Rast, Sean Gelael and Robin Frijns. Frijns led a large portion of the race outright, and when the rain was at its worst was even able to gap the Hypercars. In the closing two hours, as the track dried the #31 car was eventually overhauled. There was a scare on the penultimate lap when Rast crashed into a spinning back marker – somehow, he escaped scot-free and went on to take the LMP2 class win. The pole sitting Hypercar, the Glickenhaus, remained in contention for much of the race, but a miscommunication led to slicks being

incorrectly fitted too early and resulted in them going a lap down – they finished ninth overall. Behind the dominant LMP2 class winners came Ferdinand Habsburg, Rui Andrade and Norman Nato for Realteam by WRT. The #38 JOTA car of Will Stevens, Antonio Felix da Costa and Roberto Gonzalez claimed the final position on the LMP2 podium. Aussie James Allen had a difficult day, finishing outside of the top 10 in the LMP2 class. There was a thrilling battle in GTE Pro, the top three cars split by just 1.2s at the line. Ferraris could not match the Porsches or Corvette on pace at Spa Francorchamps – until it rained. Great strategy and speed in the tricky conditions meant that Ferrari held a 1-2 with an hour to go – however the #92 Porsche with Michael Christensen at the helm was

charging as the track dried. He made his way by the #52 Ferrari with around half an hour remaining, before an intense fight for the lead occurred. James Calado in the #51 machine did not put a foot wrong. He was forced to defend on numerous occasions, including into the Bus Stop chicane on the final lap, but he held on to take the win (above inset). Calado and teammate Alessandro Pier Guidi took the win by a meagre 0.523s from Christensen and Kevin Estre, with Miguel Molina and Antonio Fuoco rounding out the podium. Christian Ried, Sebastien Priaulx and Harry Tincknell won the GTE Am class in their Dempsey-Proton Porsche. The next round is the big one. The 24 Hours of Le Mans takes place over the weekend of June 11/12 and will be viewable exclusively live on Stan Sport. Dan McCarthy

INDYCAR

Herta (26) battles with Dixon (9) during a rare dry period. Images: Motorsport Images

CRAZIEST RACE EVER COLTON HERTA (right) scored his first victory of the IndyCar Series season at Indianapolis on Saturday, overcoming unpredictable conditions, caution periods and numerous incidents. Herta’s triumph was the first for Honda in the 2022 campaign, the #26 Andretti Autosport car crossing the line first under Safety Car conditions after starting from 14th on the grid. The race was meant to total 85 laps however the chaos and carnage as well as rain throughout reduced it to a two-hour limited affair. A well-timed move to slick tyres, then back to wets, made the race for the American, who led for a race-high 48 laps. “It sure helped us a lot, we gained a lot of positions there man,” Herta said. “This is awesome. That was the hardest race I think I’ve ever done. Wet to dry, dry back to wet ... “Thank you so much for the Hoosiers for sticking around. I know you’re used to this weather, so thank you very much. Love you guys.” Simon Pagenaud was second after starting from way back in 20th on the grid, his best result of the season in the #60 Meyer Shank Racing Honda, while polesitter Will Power completed the podium in the #12 Team Penske Chevrolet. The podium result takes Power into the series points lead. The Grand Prix at Indianapolis had everything, as drivers across the field struggled to come to grips with changing wet to dry conditions that threw pre-race strategies out the window. Pre-race rain saw the start declared wet and teams fitting their wet tyres. However, Herta and Takuma Sato

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transitioned to slicks after just two laps realising there was an advantage to be gained. The move was pivotal to Herta’s success, as the rest of the IndyCar field scrambled to match the strategy by lap 5. From about the midpoint of the race, the drama began to ramp up. Rain came and went, with all drivers adjusting their tyre setups regularly, while the Safety Car also made multiple appearances. Lap 62 saw one of the defining moments, as hard rain sent contenders into the pits for wet tyres except for Pato O’Ward, Scott McLaughlin and Romain Grosjean, who elected to stay out on alternate slicks. Racing resumed on lap 66, Herta screaming past O’Ward who could not get any grip grip at Turn 1. On Lap 69, O’Ward spun out of second in his #5 Arrow McLaren SP. Such was the unpredictability of the conditions that multiple steerers spun their machines under yellow flag conditions on slick tyres, failing to return to the pits in time to fit wet rubber. Three-time Supercars champion Scott McLaughlin was another driver who fell victim to the soaked tarmac, spinning out from the lead during a caution and falling back to fifth with 15 minutes remaining. Things went from bad to worse for the Kiwi in the #3 Team Penske Chevrolet, who lost control again after the restart and dropped to the rear of the field where he remained, finishing 20th. With adequate grip and confidence in his machine, Herta gradually pulled a gap which reached 3.8s on Pagenaud over the closing laps, before Juan Pablo Montoya hit the wall in his #6 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet.

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That incident brought out the Safety Car to complete the race under caution conditions. Behind the podium getters, Marcus Ericsson finished fourth after slicing through the field in the closing stages, coming from 18th at the start to continue the trend of drivers charging hard from the back of the pack. Indianapolis native Conor Daly rounded out the top five in the #20 Chevrolet, his best finish of the campaign to date. “I’ve never been in a race like that in my life,” Daly said. “That was the craziest thing I’ve ever experienced.” Felix Rosenqvist and Takuma Sato were sixth and seventh.

Herta heads O’Ward – who would get caught out on slicks late in the race.

Callum Ilott and Christian Lundgaard were also members of the season best result brigade, earning their first top 10 finishes for 2022. Kiwi Scott Dixon rounded out the top 10 in his Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. Josh Nevett

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VICTORIAN STATE RACE - PHILLIP ISLAND Adam Poole (Monaro) dominated Improved Production.

Images: Revved Photography

ISLAND SHOWDOWN SPORTS CARS A WET Qualifying session didn’t go to plan, but Ben Schoots still managed to extend his series lead, easing his Sin R1 home to wins in both races. Behind Schoots, the podium positions in both races were filled by Jamie Lovett (Porsche 991.1 Cup) and Andrew Hall (Porsche 991.2 Cup). Jacob Li (Porsche 991.1 Cup) challenged the podium early in the feature race until a coming together with Hall forced him into the fence and out of the race. Three strong second places earned Matthew Holmes the overall Formula Ford win. Report: Steven Devries WITH A mixture of conditions across the weekend, 12 categories packed into the 3rd round schedule of the Victorian State Race Series at Phillip Island. The highlight was a new outright track record set by Tim Slade in a Brabham BT62 (pictured top of page) while running with the MG & Invited British Sports Cars. FORMULA FORD JORDYN SINNI revelled in Saturday’s changeable conditions to take Race 1 over Matthew Holmes and Bailey Collins. Sinni repeated proceedings in Race 2, with the top six cars covered by 1.5 seconds at the flag. He couldn’t make it a clean sweep, with Matthew Hillyer, Holmes and Kobi Williams pushing him down to fourth in the third race, giving Holmes the round win. In Kent Class, Richard Davison and Brendon Jones tied on points for overall round honours. IMPROVED PRODUCTION AFTER MISSING last round, Adam Poole restored normal service at the head of the Improved Production field. A clean sweep of wins was complemented by lapping within four-tenths of the IPRA lap record. Jarrod Tonks (Holden Commodore), Paul Cruse (Nissan Silvia) and Luke Grech-Cumbo (HSV Senator) shared the remaining podium positions across the three races – Cruse edging Grech-Cumbo for thitd for the round by a single point.

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SPORTS SEDANS WHEN TROUBLE struck Dean Camm and Francois Habib, Greg Lynch was there to capitalise and take his first ever win in the category on Saturday afternoon ahead of John Ippolito and Stuart Eustice. Habib doubled down on Sunday taking his maiden win in Race 2 and saluting again in Race 3. Overall, Eustice’s consistency delivered him overall round honours while title challenger Dean Camm left the round with no points scored. CIRCUIT EXCELS THERE WAS pack racing-a-plenty in the Excels all weekend, with Ryan Phillips winning the opening two races and Hugo Simpson taking the third race. The results left Phillips with the most points for the round ahead of a three-way tie between Simpson, Ethan Grigg-Gault, and Harry Tomkins. FORMULA VEE REEF MCCARTHY enjoyed an easy win on Saturday afternoon ahead of Heath Collinson but had to work harder on Sunday, splitting Sunday’s two races with Collinson, who’s results were enough to keep him atop the points table. First-year driver Andre Curin showed experience beyond his two rounds in the car, giving Nic Jones a run for his money for the final podium position in Race 1 and going one spot better in the next two races to record an excellent trio of race results.

PORSCHE 944s JAMIE WESTAWAY and Cam Beller staged an epic dual right to the line in Race 1, with the nod going to Westaway by .02s, with a distant gap to Adam Brewer in third. The first races’ result would be identically repeated in Race 2, but more was still to come in the third. Contact between Beller and Westaway on lap 1 mixed up the order and left Brewer to slowly edge away from Lyndon Watson to take his first win, with the veteran Richard Howe joining them on the podium. SALOON CARS SHAUN JAMIESON swapped allegiances to Ford for the round but still found himself at the front of the field. He was under attack from the returning Jacob Prestipino who took out Race 1, but who finished fourth in Race 2 after showing plenty of sideway antics. Prestipino charged onto the back of Jamieson after just one lap of the feature race, but he could never find a way through. The pair finished well clear of an unchallenged Sutherland in third. MG & INVITED BRITISH ROBIN BAILEY was uncontested in Race 1, from Jason Holmes and Keith Ondarchie, but an engine misfire in Race 2 put an end to Bailey’s weekend. Holmes was elevated to the lead and win ahead of Gary Bulmer and Michael Tratham. The same three drivers filled the same podium positions in Race 3, with Tratham staging a last corner pass on the final lap over Chris Gidney.

BMW E30s ALEX JORY continued his great series to date, taking two wins and a third place to secure the round ahead of Jesse Bryan and Brian Bourke. Bryan took the second race win when E30s and Improved Production shared a grid on Sunday morning in a close finish with Geoff Bowles, with Jory not too far behind. HQ HOLDENS STEVE BANKS couldn’t convert his first ever pole position into a win in Race 1, with Andrew Magilton marching away to a big win in tricky conditions ahead of Gavin Ross and Andrew McLeod. McLeod kept Magilton in close touch for the remaining races with Steve Banks (Race 2) and Perry Bekkers (Race 3) posting third-place finishes. HISTORIC TOURING CARS DARREN COLLINS (Chev Camaro) and Glenn Miles (Valiant Charger) engaged in three-race duel that resulted in Collins prevailing in all three. Third placings were shared between Peter Meuleman (Ford Mustang), William Trengrove (Ford Falcon Rallye Sprint) and Wayne Rogerson (Mazda RX2 Coupe). .

Stuart Eustice, here heading Ippolito’s HSV Clubsport, took overall Sports Sedan points.

Ben Schoots still managed to extend his series lead, in the Sin R1

BATHURST 12 HOUR SUPPORTS

Le Brocq heads Humfrey and the Sedan pack.

CLEAN SWEEP FOR LE BROCQ AT THE wheel of Warren Millett’s ex-Techno Holden Commodore VE Supercar, Jack Le Brocq won the three races in the Duggan Family Hotels Combined Sedans at Bathurst. The category featured V8 Touring Cars, Spaceframe and Chassis Sports Sedans along with cars from Improved Production and Production Touring ranks. Le Brocq also took out V8TCs, while Ryan Humfrey was second overall in his Chassis Chev-powered Falcon XE, and Stuart Inwood placed third in his Spaceframe Chev Corvette. At the first corner of race one Birol Cetin (Camaro) was hit by Phil Ryan (Datsun 280ZX/LS2) but the race stayed green. Pole sitter Steve Lacey (Chev Camaro) was out early when his engine shut down and that did bring out the Safety Car. Brad Shiels who led for half the race in Joe Said’s turbocharged twin rotary Fiat 124 lost almost a lap when he stopped on track with an isolator switch issue. Paul Boschert (Corvette/Dodge) led for a lap, lost brakes and finished fourth behind Humfrey and Inwood who started 14th. Firth was Darren Currie (Marc V8 Mazda) who pipped Jordan Cox (Suzuki Swift GTi turbo). Fog delayed Race 2 which eventually went green but only for a brief period. Cox spun out at McPhillamy Park, and Currie tagged the wall in avoiding the loose Suzuki. Le Brocq was the leader from Humfrey while Boschert passed Inwood for third. Donaldson was next, from Elliott, Fercher, Boyle, Jarred Danaher (V8TC Ford Falcon FG) and Shiels who picked up 11 spots. Lacey went from the back to 23rd while Cetin in the other Camaro was 29th. Le Brocq led throughout the final race which finished behind a Safety Car after Allen Nash (Commodore VE) went off at the Chase. Second went to Humfrey with Inwood third after he recovered from a hairy moment at the first corner, avoiding Boschert’s Corvette which broke a front upright. Shiels progressed to second before a right rear tyre failure. From outside of 20th Lacey charged through to third before the engine shutdown again. Cox went from the rear of the grid to 13th and then the gearbox blew. Donaldson was fourth in front of Fercher, Danaher, Michael King (Mitsubishi EVO 8), Elliott, Cetin and Greg Boyle (Nissan Skyline GTR R32). Garry O’Brien

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Images: MTR Images

FORMER CHAMP BEST OVERALL AT BATHURST MT PANORAMA was the venue for the Toyota Gazoo Racing Australia 86 Series’ second outing where Races 4 and 5 went to Zach Bates, and the sixth to Toyota guest driver Will Brown. Bates (leading, inset image above), who was the pole sitter, led from Race 4 from start to finish. David Schulz would have joined him on the front row but was penalised for impeding in qualifying and would start further back. In his stead Lachlan Gibbon joined Bates on the front row and held second until he was passed by Brown. There was a Safety Car period when Connor Roberts stopped on the circuit, after which Bates was able to hold off Brown for

the win. Third went to Gibbons ahead of Jobe Stewart, Schulz, Bailey Sweeny, Ryan Casha, Chris Pither the other guest driver, Hayden Jackson and Luke Pink. In race 7, Bates again led all the way, initially ahead of Brown who would be displaced by Stewart at Griffin Bend on the second lap – and almost immediately Gibbons was through as well. A crash in the run from the Dipper to Forrest Elbow by Lachlan Bloxsom on the third tour brought out the Safety Car and made for a one-lap dash to the flag. Bates held on ahead of Gibbons who had displaced Stewart in the Chase before the cautionary period. They were followed

by Brown, Bailey Sweeny, Casha, Schulz, Pither, Jackson and Clay Richards. Former 86 series champion Brown (above) took out the last race after a great dice between the top five through much of the race. Brown won ahead of Casha, Stewart and Gibbons. Early race leader Bates was taken by Gibbons firstly, then Brown before he dropped back to fifth. Bates resurged on the fourth lap but was wide at Murrays Corner and ran off into the sand trap. That meant a local yellow flag and the race going one lap short. Sweeney finished fifth ahead of Pink, Richards, Harrison Gray, Rossi Johnson and Pither in tenth. Garry O’Brien

ANDERSON BEATS SERIES LEADER JOSH ANDERSON became the third overall victor after he took out Round 4 of the Battery World Aussie Racing Car Series at Mt Panorama. He overcame Tom Hayman in two of the three races (changed from the usual four) to beat the series leader while Anderson’s teammate Reece Chapman was third overall. In the opener, Hayman (Mustang) and Anderson (Mustang) swapped the lead before pole man Joel Heinrich (Cruze) bought into the scrap and led until passed by Hayman on the final lap. Craig Woods (Mustang) was fourth throughout and ahead of Kody Garland (Mustang) who bunkered at Murrays Corner on the final lap as he battled Matt Forbes-Wilson (Camaro). Forbes-Wilson held onto fifth as he just

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Anderson heads Hayman. MTR Images Andre Heimgartner has a new pipped Lachlan Ward home (Camaro). at BJR and Then takes over theThe last race also went down to the wire followed Chapman, clear R&JofBatteries an engrossing number 8 car. as Anderson took the lead off Hayman at dice where Courtney Prince (Mustang) Griffin Bend only to lose out to his rival on finished eighth ahead of Kyle Ensbey Conrod Straight. Anderson had a better run (Mustang) and Adam Clark (Camaro). out of the Chase, and they were side-byA one-lap charge to the flag produced side into the final corner where Anderson a thrilling finish to the second race where was able to prevail. Anderson and Chapman pulled off a oneThe battle for third was equally tight with two result after they passed leader Ensbey Chapman able to hold on, just in front of and Hayman on Conrod Straight. Ward and Woods. Next was Bowler ahead Ensbey led the reverse top 10 second of Prince, Clark, Ensbey and Osborn. encounter when the Safety Car was called There was a Safety Car on the opening after Craig Thompson (Mustang) and lap. Grant Thompson had a drama off Garland had contact out of the Cutting. the start and nosed the wall and pitted to Ensbey crossed the line third but incurred remove the Mustang’s front clip. Heinrich a 5s penalty and dropped to 13th. Bowler (Cruze) was hit and turned around on took third from Hayman, Heinrich, Ward, Mountain Straight, and Jeff Watters Adam Clarke (Camaro), Ryder Quinn (Euro (Altima) was hit and had wall contact at GT), Woods and Brett Osborn (Camaro). Sulman Park. Garry O’Brien

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BATHURST 12 HOUR REPORT

The combination of Australian Kenny Habul, Jules Gounon, Martin Konrad and Luca Stolz powered to victory in the Bathurst 12 Hour by a margin of less than 10s.

THREE-POINTED STAR GOES 1-2-3

THE 2022 EDITION OF THE BATHURST 12 HOUR MAY NOT HAVE CONCLUDED WITH A THRILLING LAST LAP DUEL, BUT IT CERTAINLY PACKED A FEW SURPRISES, INCIDENTS, TWISTS AND TURNS THROUGHOUT THE DAY. Report: Dan McCarthy Images: Ross Gibb Photography and MTR Images AFTER 12 Hours of racing, it was the #75 SunEnergy 1 Racing Mercedes AMG GT3 that prevailed. For team owner and driver Kenny Habul the win was a dream come true, taking victory alongside reigning Bathurst 12 Hour winner Jules Gounon and two other internationals in Martin Konrad and Luca Stolz. Despite some driver’s best efforts, the 20 entered Bathurst 12 Hour cars did indeed start Australia’s sole international endurance race. For most of the weekend it looked as through the Audis would cruise to victory, however with better reliability, better strategy and better understanding of the rules it was Mercedes that prevailed, scoring a historic 1-2-3. Rain, fog and increased night-time running all played a significant role in deciding who was victorious in the 2022 edition. Rule changes included the introduction of the ‘Ams’, with each team’s Am to complete a minimum of three hours in the car, with at least 60 minutes to be driven in the final half of the race. In 2022, each car would also complete nine compulsory pitstops in which they were required to spend at least two minutes in the lane. The first half of the race was full of Safety Cars, fog, rain, incidents and accidents, while the final six hours was a high-quality intense fight for the 12 Hour crown.

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Theo Koundouris crashed heavily during Friday practice and was ruled out for the remainder of the weekend while his teammates David Russell, Paul Stokell and James Koundouris went on to win the all Am class. PRACTICE – PRACTICE MAKES CRASHES AUDI GT ace Kelvin van der Linde was fastest on Friday 0.33s ahead of Chaz Mostert, however attention was more focussed on the woes. Audi appeared in control early, topping the three practice sessions throughout the day and the first ever 12 Hour night practice session to conclude proceedings. The Craft Bamboo car, with Maro Engel behind the wheel was the quickest Mercedes in third, while Gounon was fourth fastest.

The notable drama on day one came when Canberra’s Theo Koundouris crashed into the wall at the top of the Mountain. Koundouris was ruled out of the weekend on medical grounds, the car was in a bad way and were forced to source a different Audi R8 to race. Saturday morning practice saw yet more drama at the Mountain. Mark Rosser crashed heavily and as a result the #17 Team BRM Audi R8 he shared with Nick Percat and Joey Mawson missed qualifying. Two others missed quali – the #95 MARC

Mustang in the Invitational class suffered an engine failure The other was one of the contenders for pole, the Craft Bamboo Mercedes with former Supercars driver Engel set to drive. However the team elected to err on the side of caution and replace an engine. QUALIFYING – MOSTERT BEATS THE INTERNATIONALS AS WELL as playing a pivotal role in the outcome of the 12 Hour race result, the Ams also played a part in qualifying.

Chaz Mostert snatched pole position away from Kelvin van der Linde – here he is celebrating with Liam Talbot (left) and Fraser Ross (right).

The fastest aggregate time between an Am and a Pro determined who would take part in the Top 10 Shootout. There were several surprise combos to miss out on a shootout spot. The major casualty of the session was the #24 Audi driven by David Reynolds, Cameron Waters and Tony Bates. Bates was sixth fastest in the Am session, however Reynolds was unable to set a time due to red flags – it meant the trio would start from 16th place. Supercars driver Will Brown was one of the red flag causes, beaching his Mercedes in the sand at Turn 1 and as a result the #19 Mercedes he shares with Jack Perkins and Mark Griffith qualified in 11th.

Dale Wood and Zane Morse put the GT4 machines in 12th and 13th respectively. Alex Davison paired up with Craig Lowndes, Scott Taylor and Geoff Emery qualified 15th, while Eric Constantindis crashed heavily up the hill out of Griffin’s Bend and brought an early end to the session. Less than an hour before the Top 10 Shootout commenced it was confirmed that as a one-off it would be held over two sessions. It was deemed due to the cold temperatures resulting in difficulties warming up tyres that it would be more of a spectacle and less of a risk to split the top 10 into two groups of five and give them 15 minutes to set their fastest times.

Maro Engel charged hard in the closing two hours of the race but he could not catch race winner Jules Gounon.

In the end it proved to be the correct call with Mostert setting a 2m 02.493s time. The reigning Bathurst 1000 champion was marginally down in Sectors 1 and 2, however a blistering final sector saw Mostert steal pole position from van der Linde after the chequered flag had fallen. Both Audi drivers Mostert and van der Linde exchanged top spot throughout in what was the closest ever Bathurst 12 Hour qualifying margin, 0.085s. Van der Linde and Mostert were in a league of their own, Gounon next best, over 0.8s from pole. In taking pole Mostert became the first driver to take the coveted Allan Simonsen Pole Position award twice Behind Mostert, van der Linde and Gounon came another Audi in the hands of Ricardo Feller. Van Gisbergen set his time in the first 15-minute segment – his one attempt was good enough to put him fifth overall, just ahead of Lee Holdsworth and Ben Barker. Duvashen Padayachee impressed, fastest of the all-Am entries and would start from eighth outright ahead of the Wall Racing Lamborghini and Brett Hobson.

BATHURST 12 HOUR: MERCS RISE TO THE FORE WITH AUDI dominating the weekend to this point on Saturday night, all the Audis up and down the field were hit with an additional 15kg ballast to run for the entirety of the race, while the Mercedes AMGs had 5kg removed and the Porsches 10kg taken away also. Fog was a cause for concern on Sunday morning due to the earlier start time. Although foggy conditions did indeed cause a little bit of havoc throughout the race, it could have been so much worse. Erring on the side of caution, one additional lap was run under Safety Car before the green flags were waved – the one additional lap however meant that the race started single file, rather than the traditional side-by-side start. Pole man Mostert started in the #65 Audi as did van der Linde in the #74 machine. Qualifier Gounon sat out for Luca Stolz, while Marcus Winkelhock steered the #777 Mercedes after Feller qualified the car. While Broc Feeney was in #888. Mostert made a good start which meant that he was not under pressure – at the end of lap 1 it remained as it was in the top five. Within the first couple of laps Mostert and van der Linde established a small advantage of 1.7s over Stolz. However, in the pitch-black conditions the 20 drivers settled into a rhythm. After the first 30 minutes Mostert led van der Linde, Stolz, Winkelhock, Feeney and Barker. Reynolds had just made his way through the field, from 16th he now sat in seventh, however Barker was 30s down the road. Thirty-four minutes into the race Engel had made his way onto the fringes of the top 10 when he pitted for the first time – the team had wanted to make it one of the compulsory 2min stops, however Engel departed the lane after 1m and 59s and so they went down a lap for no gain. Just moments later Zane Morse in the #52 MARC car crashed at The Grate. He had just jumped in the car, but within an hour his race was over. As a result, the Safety Car was called and everyone elected to pit. Liam Talbot replaced Mostert and led on the pit exit;

The #74 Audi was in contention all day until it was dealt a more than two-minute penalty late in the day, putting the car a lap down.

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BATHURST 12 HOUR REPORT

RESULTS RACE 05 57 LAPS MIAMI Pos 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 NC NC NC NC NC NC NC NC NC

Car # 75 91 888 74 6 9 777 17 47 222 24 55 11 4 45 65 95 50 19 52

Team SunEnergy 1 Racing Mercedes-AMG Team Craft-Bamboo Triple Eight Race Engineering Audi Sport Team Valvoline Wall Racing Hallmarc Audi Sport Team Valvoline Team BRM Supabarn Prostate Cancer Foundation C Tech Laser Valmont Racing Our Kloud-UpTo11 Motorsport Grove Racing RAM Motorsport Coinspot MARC Cars Australia M Motorsport /Vantage Racing Nineteen Corporation P/L Wheels /FX Racing PNG

Drivers L.Stolz/J.Gounon/K.Habul/M.Konrad M.Engel/D.Juncadella/K.Tse S.van Gisbergen/B.Feeney/J.Ibrahim K.van der Linde/N.Berthon/B.Schumacher T.D’Alberto/D.Wall/A.Deitz/G.Denyer L.Holdsworth/D.Fiore/M.Cini M.Winkelhock/R.Feller/Y.Shahin N.Percat/J.Mawson/M.Rosser D.Russell/P.Stokell/J.Koundouris S.Taylor/A.Davison/C.Lowndes/G.Emery C.Waters/D.Reynolds/T.Bates D.Padayachee/S.Pires/M.Zalloua I.Padayachee/E.Constantindis/A.Zerefos B.Barker/B.Grove/S.Grove M.Sheargold/G.Walden/B.Hobson C.Mostert/F.Ross/L.Talbot G.Taunton/J.Camilleri/D.Fraser G.Wood/D.Wood J.Perkins/W.Brown K.Kassulke/Z.Morse

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Vehicle Race time/Laps Mercedes AMG GT3 12:00:56.1980 Mercedes AMG GT3 +0:08.707 Mercedes AMG GT3 +1:35.367 Audi R8 EVO II 290 Lamborghini Huracan 286 Audi R8 EVO II 286 Audi R8 EVO II 285 Audi R8 EVO II 284 Audi R8 EVO II 283 Porsche 991.2 GT3 276 Audi R8 EVO II 256 Mercedes AMG GT3 199 Porsche 991 GT3 GEN 198 Porsche GTR 3 197 Mercedes AMG GT3 170 Audi R8 EVO II 161 MARC II V8 143 KTM 6T2 X BOW 38 Mercedes GT 4 33 MARC II Mustang 15

and Brad Schumacher took over from van der Linde. Feeney jumped up to third in the stop ahead of Martin Konrad who jumped in for Stolz and Yasser Shahin in for Winkelhock. Under Safety Car conditions Shahin overtook both Konrad and Feeney and subsequently was handed a drive-through. Engel pitted under S/C again and once more as soon as the race went to green – this continued throughout the early part of the race as the #91 team tried to get the compulsory stops out the way as soon as they could. Now racing the Ams, Feeney was an man on a mission and made light work of both Schumacher and Talbot to lead 1h and 10m into the race and quickly extended that margin. S5000 Gold Star champion Mawson had started at the back due to teammate Rosser’s practice crash but against the Ams, he, like Feeney, worked all the way to the front overtaking Talbot around 80 minutes in. Just moments later the rain began to fall and Brenton Grove, directly behind Mawson, ran wide and beached his Porsche in the gravel at Turn 1 requiring another Safety Car. With rain falling on the circuit under S/C, Bathurst veteran Jack Perkins crashed at the Chase – caught out on slicks on his out lap. Under this Safety Car many driver changes were made – some took slicks and some took wets, ... but the slick runners were soon back in for some grooved rubber. Fraser Ross took wets initially and therefore gained the track position that Am Fraser lost to the Pros in his stint. Ross led the restart with just over 10 hours to go. With rain getting worse Dale Wood put his KTM X-Bow in the wall which resulted in yet another caution. It was on this restart that Habul was found to have overtaken multiple cars before the restart – it turned out he did it more than once and was handed two drive-throughs. Things were to get worse for the #75 Merc. Habul locked the rears into the final turn and spun backwards, keeping it out the gravel by

As dawn broke on The Mountain, conditions were treacherous, and many drivers had incidents or off-track excursions as the rain fell (left). The Triple Eight machine driven by Shane van Gisbergen, Broc Feeney and Prince Jefri Ibrahim finished third outright after briefly going down a lap (above). Craig Lowndes, Alex Davison, Geoff Emery and Scott Taylor won the Cup class (below). mere millimetres. From this point, however, the #75 machine did not put a foot wrong. The race settled into a rhythm, with green flag for an hour before fog descended over Mount Panorama and saw the S/C return. One of the contenders, the #17 Audi (now with Percat in the car started by Mawson), was forced into the lane, its rain light was not working. As a result they lost laps they would never recover. Under the latest Safety Car period, the Triple Eight Merc fell off the lead lap, however when the race returned to green a determined van Gisbergen aggressively unlapped himself and did so just a couple of minutes before the track again went under thick fog Safety Car. Incredibly, after three and a half hours the #91 Mercedes of Engel, Kevin Tse and Daniel Juncadella had completed all nine compulsory pit stops – they could now spend as little time in the lane as they liked. The race now settled into a groove with a lengthy two hour green flag period. In this time the track dried out and slicks were fitted back onto the cars. During these stops the #91, with Juncadella at the helm, was able to save up to 40s on his other rivals and quickly found himself not only at the head of the field but lapping a lot of the opposition. With seven hours remaining only four cars remained on the lead lap – Juncadella led Feeney by 46.32s, Stolz by 1m 43s and Winkelhock by 1m 57s. The van der Linde and Mostert Audis had fallen down a lap and worse was to come for the latter.

With Talbot at the helm the car shut down on Mountain Straight – a Control-Alt-Delete briefly fixed the issue before it shut down a further two times. Enough was enough – the team had to diagnose the problem. They changed the compressor and gearshift cylinder and lost 10 laps in the process, Mostert, Talbot and Ross were out of contention. With 6hrs and 30m gone, a majority of the field were putting in there Am drivers for their final stint of the race. The #75 team went in a different direction, putting reigning champ Gounon in the car. He got the orange Merc back in contention, often catching race leader Tse by over 5s a lap. Tony Bates, co-driver to Waters and Reynolds, was going to be lapped with six hours remaining but chose to ignore the blue flags and in doing so picked up a bad sportsmanship flag. Karma caught up with him 20 minutes later when he spun at Forrest’s Elbow and clouted the wall, forcing him to come in get the Audi repaired. This brought to an end the green flag running. On the restart Engel led SVG, Konrad in car #75 and Schumacher in the van der Linde Audi. Of those four, only Schumacher’s car had not completed the required nine compulsory stops, with 5h 30m remaining. With 4h 40m to go, Schumacher jumped out of the car, the first Am driver to complete his required Am time, and handed over to van der Linde. Konrad was next to complete his required running and handed the baton to Stolz. The #74 Audi with van der Linde at the helm just needed to complete one more two-minute stop, while the Triple Eight and #91 Mercs still needed their Ams to complete another hour of running. With 4h 30m remaining, SVG handed over to Am Prince Jefri Ibrahim and Engel to Tse. 15 minutes later the #75 SunEnergy Merc became the first team to complete both the compulsory stops and minimum Am driver time – it was very much a four-horse race. With 4h and 14m remaining Ibrahim, Tse and van der Linde sat line astern. Hong Kong’s Tse overtook the Prince into the Chase and was followed through by van der Linde on the exit of the turn. The South African then made light work of Tse just two corners later on the run into Turn 1. With an additional 40s to take at the next stop, van der Linde put his head down to gap the Ams, and gap them he did.

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In just 13 minutes he pulled out over 30s and continued to pull away – the only scare was avoiding a stationary Indiran Padayachee on the exit of Turn 1. The pace of van der Linde was so relentless that he lapped the Prince. The #74 Audi was going to come out the pits in the lead despite the additional 40s to serve in the pits … or so they thought. Upon his arrival into the pits the team was informed that Schumacher had run for 88 minutes, eight minutes more than an Am was allowed to complete in one go – as a result the #74 Audi was dealt a massive two-minute penalty ... This didn’t just stop them from reemerging in the lead of the race, it put them a lap down. While this was happening, rain was falling on the top of the Mountain and just minutes later claimed not one but two victims. Michael Sheargold hit the inside wall at the Grate and Stephen Grove the outside wall at McPhillamy Park. Stolz now led the race in the #75 machine from Juncadella and Feeney, although second and third were at the back of the queue. Nathanael Berthon hopped in the #74 Audi, his sole goal, to get back on the lead lap of the race. The race restarted with just over three hours remaining and, unfortunately for Audis sole remaining hope, Berthon went backwards, lapped by Juncadella and Feeney. With no Safety Cars in sight, it was now a three-way Mercedes scrap for the win as

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the trio pounded out their best laps of the race. Juncadella had dropped to 18s behind Stolz when he pulled in and handed over the keys to Engel with 2h and 18m to go. Stolz came in a lap later as did Feeney, both jumped out as the gun drivers hopped in. One gun driver had an off-track excursion at Turn 1 – on the wet white line Engel lost the rear and was forced to take a tour of the gravel trap. He was lucky to escape – however this allowed Gounon to put a margin of 20.9s, with SVG a further 18.4s behind. As the green flag stint continued, SVG was unable to match the GT regulars with relentless pace and steadily dropped further and further back. Halfway through the stint, Engel was complaining of a severe vibration believed to be caused by the gravel trap excursion. The crew were ready for the #91 car to pit but elected not to bring him in as his pace was still matching Gounon. At one stage Engel cut the margin to under 13s, but by the time he entered the lane Gounon had extended it back to 15s. Engel came in for a fuel and new set of boots, his final stop with 65mins remaining. The following lap, Gounon responded – the team also took on a new set of tyres, however the stop was not as swift. The gap had been slashed – the lead margin when he re-joined was just 8.2s. The two exchanged fastest lap of the race lap after lap after lap. Although the margin was over 8s it was a relentless battle, Engel

The podium (above), the SunEnergy1 Racing quartet became the first four car team to win the Bathurst 12 Hour since 2014. Below: The #6 Wall Racing Lamborghini was the best placed all Australian team in fifth with Tony D’Alberto, David Wall, Adrian Deitz and Grant Denyer driving the car.

throwing everything at the Frenchman but he did not crack. In the end Gounon took the victory by 8.7s over Engel, with van Gisbergen finishing 95s back. For Gounon it was his second straight 12 Hour win while, for the rest of his crew – Aussie Habul, Konrad and Stolz – it was an emotional first win at the Mountain. Engel, Juncadella and Tse in the Craft Bamboo car gave their all but came up just shy in the end. The Triple Eight Race Engineering machine finished a lonely third, SvG, Feeney and Prince Jefri Ibrahim rounding out the all Mercedes AMG GT3 podium. It was a case of what could have been for the #74 Audi, van der Linde crossing the line one lap down. The South African had unlapped himself relative to SVG and was catching, and finished only 39.5s behind the Kiwi. Tony D’Alberto held off reigning Bathurst 1000 winner Lee Holdsworth in the intense fight for a top five position. David Russell, Paul Stokell and James Koundouris won the all Am class, while Craig Lowndes, Alex Davison Geoff Emery and Scott Taylor took the Cup Car class.

www.autoaction.com.au I 55

Formula 1 Round 05 Miami, USA GP

Leclerc got the jump, but it didn’t take long for Verstappen to scythe past both Ferraris.

WINNING IT IN THE FIRST STINT By LUIS VASCONCELOS Images Motorsport Images MAX VERSTAPPEN and Red Bull recovered well from a difficult Friday to take a fully deserved win in the inaugural Miami Grand Prix. From third on the grid, the Dutchman looked set for a long afternoon behind the two Ferraris, but he dispatched Sainz coming out of the first corner and set off after Leclerc, to pass his championship rival on lap 9 and quickly pull away. Things looked set at the end of the first stint, when the Ferrari driver dived into the pits, on lap 24, already trailing by 4,5s, and had a relatively slow pit stop and was not so quick on the first two laps on Hard tyres. By the time Verstappen pitted, and returned to the track two laps later, the gap had grown to 7,5s and it was very much game over for the Monegasque. That is, until, on lap 40, an incident between Norris and Gasly required a Safety Car intervention, nullifying Verstappen’s advantage – that had remained at 7,5s for 15 laps. On the Harder, used tyre, there wasn’t much between the RB18 and the F1-75, so with the last 10 laps to run, after the SC pulled into the pits, the two title contenders drove 10 qualifying laps, quickly pulling away from the rest of the field. Red Bull’s greater top speed was crucial for Verstappen to keep Leclerc behind, even when the Ferrari driver had the benefit of DRS, for five consecutive laps, and having secured the extra point for the fastest lap, Verstappen had good reason to be happy with his win: “It’s a very good comeback. I didn’t even do a practice start all weekend, so I didn’t know what to expect in the actual start, but we had a good launch and I saw the opportunity to go round the outside of Carlos at Turn 1 – I tried and luckily it worked.”

56 I www.autoaction.com.au

As at Imola, two weeks before, Verstappen was able to pass his rival on the track, a good sign the 2022 rules are working as their creators hoped for: “I tried to see the pace of Charles in front of me and from the start it was very close. I couldn’t get into the DRS initially, but then Charles started to struggle a bit more with the front tyres and it seemed like our car was very good on the medium compound.” The Dutchman, of course, “was not very happy with that Safety Car – of course it was fully understandable with what happened. You can’t be too disappointed about it because also in the past it has benefitted me in some other races. I knew the next 10 laps we would have to be flat out, which on a track like this is not easy. I was struggling a bit initially with the tyre temps; I was sliding around a bit too much for my liking, but once the tires came back up to temperature I think I had a little bit more pace and pulled him out of the DRS which was very crucial around here.” Sitting next to his rival, Leclerc was fully convinced there was nothing more he could

have done to beat Verstappen, “because today they were simply quicker than us, particularly with the Medium tyre.” Overall, the championship leader considered that, “the race result is still good,” and was happy that “on the hard we were strong.” But, ”on the medium we struggled a little bit after 5-6 laps with the front tyres and basically lost the race on that stint, losing the lead and losing quite a bit of race time. We need to look at that and be on top of it for the next race but apart from that I think on the Hard we were very competitive or at least as competitive as Max, and after the Safety Car I really thought that we will have a shot to actually take back the lead, but it wasn’t enough.” Even though Red Bull has now won two races in a row, with Verstappen overtaking Leclerc in both of them, the World Champion ended his afternoon with a warning to his team: “We are still having a few issues we have to solve. We are quick, but as you can see, my Friday was terrible, which is not great if you want to have a good weekend. Also, I think

Alex Albon: the redder his hair gets, the faster he goes ...

Perez looked a possibility for third until his engine lost power late in the race.

Checo had a few issues in the race, so we have to be on top of that. Clearly there is a lot of potential, we just have to make sure it’s reliable.” For Leclerc, it’s clear where Red Bull has the upper hand at the moment: “It’s the straightline speed. I think it is just the characteristics of both cars, Red Bull are quite quick on the straights, we are quite quick in the medium and high speed corners, but today I was quite surprised we are struggling more than them on slow speed corners – that was also a weakness on the medium tyres and we need to look at that.” Behind the two main title contenders, their team-mates had a race long battle that was settled in Sainz’s favour but, had it not been for a PU issue on Pérez’s car, the result might have been different. Second in qualifying, the Spaniard was, “sort of expecting to lose the position to Max at the start, because we knew there’s a lot of grip on the racing line and none whatsoever out of it, so I was not surprised he got past me.” Sainz admitted he was not in the best of

RUSSELL’S LUCK RATTLES HAMILTON AGAIN

Leclerc flies the Ferrari. Even with DRS, he couldn’t match Verstappen for straight-line speed.

Lando Norris’ great run of results ended with an unnecessary collision wit pitbound Pierre Gasly.

Bottas ran ahead of the Mercs for most of the race, but threw it away with a late race spin. shapes, due to a combination of two factors: “I’ve been better! Obviously, after the crash from Friday, I still had a bit of neck pain going into the race, but I had to manage it and I fought through it, especially with Checo at the end on the Medium tyre – it was very difficult to keep him behind.” Suffering even more than Leclerc on the Medium tyres, Sainz was quickly out of contention and started to fall into Pérez’s clutches. As he finally got into DRS range on lap 17, the Mexican’s challenge fell apart, when he suddenly lost power: “I think it was a sensor issue. It was all working well, but then when we

QUALIFYING RACE 05

had this sensor issue we lost seven seconds in two laps and then it was just a poor race.” The reprieve started to come during the stops, when a slow right front tyre change cost Sainz more than two seconds, but still the gap remained at just over 5s until the Safety Car came in. While the top three stayed on track, Pérez, who had a big gap for Bottas, pitted for new Medium tyres and looked in a very good position to snatch at least P3 from Sainz, but never managed to make a move that would stick. The Mexican, however, had a good explanation for his inability to get ahead of his rival:

RESULTS RACE 05 57 LAPS MIAMI

CHAMPIONSHIP AFTER RACE 05

Pos Driver

Time

Pos Drivers

Make

Laps Margin

Pos Driver

Charles Leclerc

1:28.796

Max Verstappen

Red Bull Racing RBPT

57 1:34:24.258 s2

Charles Leclerc

104

Carlos Sainz

1:28.986

Charles Leclerc

Ferrari

+3.786s t-1

Max Verstappen

1:28.991

Carlos Sainz

Ferrari

+8.229s t-1

Sergio Perez

1:29.036

Sergio Perez

Red Bull Racing RBPT

+10.638s

George Russell

Valtteri Bottas

1:29.475

5 George Russell

Mercedes

+18.582s s7

Carlos Sainz

Lewis Hamilton

1:29.625

6 Lewis Hamilton

Mercedes

+21.368s

Lewis Hamilton

Pierre Gasly

1:29.690

Alfa Romeo Ferrari

+25.073s t-2

Lando Norris

1:29.750

8 Esteban Ocon

Alpine Renault

+28.386s s12

Valtteri Bottas

Yuki Tsunoda

1:29.932

Williams Mercedes

+32.365s s9

Esteban Ocon

10 Lance Stroll

1:30.676

10 Lance Stroll

+37.026s

10 Kevin Magnussen

1:30.160

11 Fernando Alonso Alpine Renault

+37.128s

12 George Russell

1:30.173

12 Yuki Tsunoda

Alphatauri RBPT

+40.146s t-3

12 Yuki Tsunoda

13 Sebastian Vettel

1:30.214

13 Daniel Ricciardo

Mclaren Mercedes

+40.902s s1

13 Pierre Gasly

14 Daniel Ricciardo

1:30.310

14 Nicholas Latifi

Williams Mercedes

+49.936s s5

14 Sebastian Vettel

15 Mick Schumacher

1:30.423

15 Mick Schumacher Haas Ferrari

+73.305s

15 Alexander Albon

16 Kevin Magnussen

1:30.975

16 Kevin Magnussen Haas Ferrari

DNF

16 Fernando Alonso

17 Zhou Guanyu

1:31.020

17 Sebastian Vettel

Aston Martin Mercedes 54

DNF t-4

17 Lance Stroll

18 Alexander Albon

1:31.266

NC Pierre Gasly

Alphatauri RBPT

DNF t-11

18 Zhou Guanyu

19 Nicholas Latifi

1:31.325

NC Lando Norris

Mclaren Mercedes

DNF t-11

19 Mick Schumacher

20 Esteban Ocon

DNQ

NC Zhou Guanyu

Alfa Romeo Ferrari

DNF t-3

20 Nico Hulkenberg

Fernando Alonso

AutoActionMagazine

Valtteri Bottas Alexander Albon

Aston Martin Mercedes 57

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Points

Daniel Ricciardo

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“After that issue in the first stint, the engine was never the same. I was losing too much time. It was like 10 kph down on the straights Even with the DRS I couldn’t get close to Carlos. The deficit on the straight was quite high and I was just pushing really hard to stay close to him on the corners.” Behind the top four, Valtteri Bottas looked set for a comfortable P5 ahead of Hamilton until the late Safety Car, like in Australia, gave George Russell a great chance to pit and change to the Soft tyre, having done 40 laps on the Hard compound – a gamble he had to take after a very poor qualifying. As a consequence, Russell was able to pass both Hamilton and Bottas (the Finn making a rare mistake into Turn 16 immediately after the restart), to remain the only driver to finish every 2022 race inside the top five. Hamilton (read separate story) was not a happy camper in sixth, ahead of former team mate Bottas. Having started from the pits, having missed out on qualifying following a heavy shunt at Turn 13 during FP3, Esteban Ocon made the alternative strategy work and finished the race in P8. Team mate Fernando Alonso actually finished ahead of the Frenchman on the road, but two 5s penalties – one for hitting Gasly during an overtaking attempt that went wrong, the other for cutting the chicane and gaining a lasting advantage, later on in the race – dropped the veteran out of the points. That elevated the sensational Alex Albon to 9th place, the Thai repeating his heroics from Melbourne and showing great pace. Lance Stroll collected the final point for Aston, the Canadian benefiting from a late clash between Vettel and Schumacher, who both looked set to finish ahead of him.

AS IN Melbourne, four weeks before, George Russell benefited from a timely Safety Car to get a “free” pit stop and gain an advantage over Lewis Hamilton, who had been clearly more competitive in qualifying and the race. On newer, softer tyres, the younger of the two Brits had no trouble getting past the seven times World Champion and, naturally, the mood in the two sides of the Mercedes garage was quite different at the end of the race. Asked about how he felt in the battle with Hamilton, Russell was naturally delighted with the outcome: “It was nice. You’ve got to leave a bit more room when you’re battling with your team-mate than you would do ordinarily, and where I passed him, that’s a corner where you can’t really judge where the edge of the track is, because it’s just a white line. Then when they told me we had to swap positions back, it was a little bit frustrating, because I was catching the guys ahead at one point, but fortunately we all came home in one piece.” Russell confirmed the team order to give back the position after being outside the track while battling Hamilton came from the race officials: “Yes, it was an FIA thing, I think I went off track when I passed him. It’s a bit of an odd corner, it’s like a car park there – it’s so wide, then you’ve got the white line, which when you’re driving, you can’t see.” Hamilton didn’t use too many words when asked to describe the battle with his team mate: “George did a great job – it was fair, he had fresh tyres, so I was a bit of a sitting duck but, again, he did a great job to recover from his position and get the points. So we’ve got fifth and sixth today; it’s great points for the team.” Having been heard complaining on the team radio with James Vowel’s Mercedes Chief Strategist during the SC period, Hamilton explained why he refused to make a decision when given the freedom to do so: “In that scenario, I have no clue where everyone is. So, when the team says ‘it’s your choice’, I don’t have the information to make the decision. That’s what your job is; make the decision for me. You’ve got all the details, I don’t. That’s what you rely on the guys for, but they didn’t give it to me and I don’t understand it.” LV

Grid-iron helmets on the podium ... Really!

www.autoaction.com.au I 57

Name:

Indy 500 Crossword Test your knowledge on “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing”

INDY 500 CROSSWORD

Test your knowledge on “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing”

Across 1. T he last American to win the race was back in 2016 – who was it? (surname) 5. H ow many drivers are tied on a record four Indy 500 wins? 6. L ast driver to win both the championship and Indy 500 in the same year? (surname) 7. T he first Indy 500 was held in 1911 – do you know who won it? (surname) 9. H ow many New Zealanders are entered this year? 13. W ho was the last driver to win the race in consecutive years? 15. H ow many Australians are entered this year? 18. H ow many times did Emerson Fittipaldi win the legendary IndyCar race? 20. T eam Penske is the most successful team with 18 wins – what is the second most successful, with six? 21. W ho goes into the 2022 race as the defending Indy 500 champion? 22. T he only IndyCar driver to win the 500 twice in the last 10 years? (surname) 24. H ow old is Helio Castroneves? 26. T he first Australian to take pole in the Indy500? (surname) 28. W ho will race the third Arrow McLaren in the Indy 500 this year? (surname)

Images: Motorsport Images

29. H ow many Australians have won the race?

Down

2. T he most successful Indy 500 engine supplier has not won the race since 1976 – what is the name of that manufacturer? 3. L ast rookie Indy500 winner? (surname) 4. W ho is the only driver to win the F1 World Championship and Indy 500 in the same year? (surname) 8. C hip Ganassi Racing’s most recent Indy 500 winner? (surname) 9. O ver how many laps is the Indy 500 contested? 10. W ho was the last Chevroletpowered Indy 500 winner? 11. M ost recent female driver to take part in the race? 12. H ow many times has Josef Newgarden won the Indy 500? 14. W hat was Nigel Mansell’s best Indy 500 finish? 16. J im Clark won the race in what brand of car? 17. W hat team won the race in 2021? (abbreviation) 19. W ho will run with car #1 at the Indy 500 this year? (surname) 23. L ast team to score a 1-2 finish at the Indy 500? 25. H ow many rookies are entered in the Indy 500? 27. W ho was the first Indy 500 winner for Roger Penske’s team, in 1972? (surname)

11 13

19 20

23 24 25 26 27 28 29

Created using the Crossword Maker on TheTeachersCorner.net

Down 1835 Crossword answers: 1 down – Prost, 2 down – Audi, 3 downAcross – Vatanen, 4 down – Michael Schumcaher, 5 across – Imola, 6 down – Pironi, 7 down – Queensland, 8 down – Biaggi, 8 across – Bird, 9 down – Dick 1. The last to win race was back in 2016– who won the The most Indy 500 engine supplier has not won the Johnson, 10 across – Ducati, 11 across – Duval, 12 across – Keke Rosberg, 13 American down – third, 14 the down – Lotus, 15 across Dovizioso, 16race? down – Alan 2. Hamilton, 17successful across – Lowndes, 18 across – Ian Geoghegan, 19 race since (surname)23 across – Beechey, 24 down – Unser, 25 down – Soper, 26 across – Fourteen, 1976, what is the –manufacturer? down – Camel, 20 down – Bentley, 21 across – Watson, 22 down – Sandown, 27 across Revson, 28 across – Lancia, 29 across - one 5. How many drivers are tied on a record four Indy500 wins? 6. Last driver to win both the championship and Indy500 in the same year? (surname) 7. The first Indy 500 was held in 1911, do you know who won it? (surname) 9. How many New Zealanders are entered this year? 13. Who was the last driver to win the race in consecutive years? 15. How many Australians are entered this year? 18. How many times did Emerson Fittipaldi win the legendary IndyCar race? 20. Team Penske is the most successful team with 18 wins, what is the second most successful with six? 21. Who goes into the 2022 race as the defending Indy 500 champion? 22. The only IndyCar driver to win the 500 twice in the last 10 years? (surname) 24. How old is Helio Castroneves? 26. The first Australian to take pole in the Indy500? (surname) 28. Who will race the third Arrow McLaren in the Indy 500 this year? (surname) 29. How many Australians have won the race?

3. Last rookie Indy500 winner? (surname) 4. Who is the only driver to win the F1 World Championship and Indy 500 in the same year? (surname) 8. Chip Ganassi Racing’s most recent Indy 500 winner? (surname) 9. Over how many laps is the Indy 500 contested? 10. Who was the last Chevrolet powered Indy 500 winner? 11. Most recent female driver to take part in the race? 12. How many times has Josef Newgarden won the Indy 500? 14. What was Nigel Mansell’s best Indy 500 finish? 16. Jim Clark won the race in what brand of car? 17. What team won the race in 2021? (abbreviation) 19. Who will run with car #1 at the Indy 500 this year? (surname) 23. Last team to score a 1-2 finish at the Indy 500? 25. How many rookies are entered in the Indy 500? 27. Who was the first Indy 500 winner for Roger Penske’s team in 1972? (surname)

We take a look back at what was making news in Auto Action 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 years ago

1971: COLIN BOND, driving for the Holden Dealer Team in the Gold Medal series for Production Cars, made his way past both John Goss and Fred Gibson to win the round in his XU-1 Torana. Internationally, Peter Gethin clinched the 1972 edition of the Pau Grand Prix, beating a young Patrick Depailler. Notably, F1 stars Emerson Fittipaldi and Graham Hill failed to finish.

1982: IT WAS understood that the then twotime Formula 1 World Champion Niki Lauda would compete in the non-championship Australian Grand Prix at Calder. Legendary Ferrari Formula 1 driver Gilles Villeneuve was killed in qualifying for the Belgian Formula 1 Grand Prix. Allan Moffat confirmed that he would return to Le Mans to drive in the 24-hour classic, driving a factory-built Mazda.

58 I www.autoaction.com.au

1992: LEADING INTO the new era of national touring car competition, there was further confusion and uncertainty. CAMS was threatening to slow the 5-litre V8 Holden Commodores and Ford Falcons in an attempt to get more competitors into the 2-litre class. The formula was set for the change after Nissan’s domination of the Group A era in the early 90s. Meanwhile, Tony Longhurst won Round 5 at Lakeside.

2002: FOR THE first-time in over a decade, Larry Perkins missed a V8 Supercar round – he stood down from entering the event at Barbagallo due to grids being oversubscribed. In Formula 1, Rubens Barrichello was controversially told to let Michael Schumacher past to win – he did so at the exit of the final corner and it caused an uproar amongst fans. GRM driver Garth Tander was also stripped of his Clipsal podium.

2012: FOR THE first time in Formula 1 history, there had been five different race winners in the first five Grand Prix, – even more interestingly it was for five different teams. Jenson Button (McLaren), Fernando Alonso (Ferrari), Nico Rosberg (Mercedes), Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull) and Pastor Maldonardo (Williams) at the Spanish Grand Prix – still the team’s most recent race victory.

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