Auto Action #1848

REMEMBERING THE EVIL EMPIRE HRT 20 YEARS ON

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TANDER WANTS A SIXTH BATHURST WIN

CHAMPIONSHIP! SVG DELIVERS TITLES ON THE GOLD COAST RECORD BREAKER MAX CRUSHES F1 WIN RECORD PARADISE LOST MASSIVE COST IN CRASH-FEST SUPERCARS LATEST 2023 DRIVERS AND DATES ISSN 2204-9924

JACK DOOHAN MAKES

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THE RISE OF JACK DOOHAN

By TIMOTHY W NEAL AUSTRALIAN ALPINE Academy driver Jack Doohan dipped his feet into Formula 1 with a Friday Free Practice 1 session at Mexico’s Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez circuit.

Piloting Estaban Ocon’s A522 at the highaltitude track, the mature young Aussie realised the first step of a dream turned reality, with 13 laps on the hard slicks before a PU issue forced him to pit early.

After cutting his teeth in the F3 Asian Championship and progressing steadily through the FIA formula ranks, the son of five-time 500cc champion Mick Doohan has found himself living on the edge of the F1 pits whilst driving for Virtuosi Racing in the penultimate (F2) feeder series.

Auto Action spoke with Doohan after his session in Mexico City, with the 19-year-old Gold Coast resident giving his thoughts about the experience in the car, what the future holds, and his realisations of being on the track with his idols.

“When I hopped in the car and pulled out of the garage there was so much excitement, and there were a lot of emotions going on,” Doohan described.

“But once I was on the track, that really flushed away. It’s hard to describe what I was feeling, it was such a cool sensation.

The nerves were worse four weeks ago, but I put in so much prep and I knew this was where I wanted to be, driving in Formula 1.”

Having tested in the A521, Doohan explained the step up in machinery, as well as the difficult high-altitude conditions of Mexico.

“So with the extra 200 kilos and the 18 inch tyres the stopping performance was a bit worse, it wants to run on more the ’21 model and, due to the tyres, it was lazier in the front end at low speeds, I felt like I was constantly waiting for the front to settle in,” Doohan told AA. “It’s something I noticed also going from F3 to F2, so that jump from the 13 to 18 inch is something you have to quickly adapt to. But you have to factor in that we were 2300m above sea level with the equivalent downforce of say Monza, but with less air, so that with the slippery conditions … it was quite a handful.

Doohan’s immediate future holds a second

FP1 in Abu Dhabi and the closing F2 race at Yas Island and, with no F1 seat available next year, a reserve seat could be on the offing, but he explains that it’s likely he’ll do another year in F2 with Virtuosi Racing.

“I would have loved to have been on the F1 grid next year, but at the start of last year I couldn’t have imagined being in an F1 practice session, so regardless of the outcome we’re ahead of where we thought we’d be.

“Currently I’ll be doing F2 again and probably staying where I am (Virtuosi), but that news will be released in time I guess. We have one more round so we’ll see what happens, obviously a lot of things can change.

“I understand the decision with Pierre (Gasly) – he’s experienced and will do well next year, but regardless I don’t think I would’ve been in the position anyway. I would have loved a seat, but everything happens for a reason.

“It’s good to know that I have the support from Alpine, and that I can be branched out if the opportunity becomes available.”

If Doohan does drive in F2 next year, he told AA about his feelings of driving in a home race.

“It would be amazing, regardless of whether I was in F1 or F2 if I was going to be racing in Australia, which would be incredible. It would be my first ever car race at home, even though it’s in Melbourne not the Gold Coast … I think those cars would be a bit of a handful around there,” Doohan jokes.

“It’ll be cool, but it’s one of those things, ... you can put too much emphasis and pressure on it, but I’ll enjoy racing at home, keep it simple, and use that to my advantage.

Jack highlights that one of the things that struck him most was being on the grid with drivers he grew up idolising, particularly Fernando Alonso.

“He was in Formula 1 when I was born.

It’s strange to think about that. But he’s so cool, he’s very relaxed and we had a chat this morning, I know I can always speak to him – he’s always the first person to say hi in the morning.

Images: ALPINE AND MOTORSPORT IMAGES “I went into his driver room today and had a chat about kerb riding – not about lines or anything like that, more technical details.

But I’m sure we’ll talk now that the day is over.

“I spoke with Esteban (Ocon) also in the lead up, and a few weeks ago he said ‘do not crash my car!” Doohan laughs. When he last had his car lent for an FP1 it was in Mexico and the driver put it in the wall at Turn 13 ...

“Every time I went through the exit of 13 and into 14 I had Esteban in my head

saying ‘do not crash this car,’ so I was thinking ‘hmmm’ and braking very early and going super-easy five metres into the exit kerb.”

With his immediate future to still be clarified, a reserve role is not entirely out of the question with the team still to announce his future, but another year in F2 looks likely and a race start at next year’s Melbourne Grand Prix looking like a reality.

Whatever does transpire, Doohan’s impressive level of skill, endeavour, and attitude, will hold him in good stead.

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SVG WRAPS IT UP AND PONDERS HIS FUTURE THE THREE-TIME CHAMPION SAYS THE ‘RACE-ABILITY’ OF THE NEW CARS WILL DEFINE WHERE HIS FUTURE LIES

By ANDREW CLARKE SHANE VAN GISBERGEN sealed his third Supercars Championship on Saturday on the Gold Coast, and Red Bull Ampol Racing did the same with the Team title on Sunday when he gave the team its 21st win for the season.

Both van Gisbergen and his team looked set for the twin titles early in the season, with the only debate being how early the dual titles would be confirmed.

Reflecting on the season and his record-breaking title defence, van Gisbergen was surprisingly chatty: “This year was obviously a massive change with Jamie retiring and taking over the team with Jess and also Roland taking that big backwards step,” he said. “It’s been a huge change, and then Cauchi leaving as well and a new engineer, Andrew, coming in ... the team’s been awesome.

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“Having no real rule changes has helped. We’ve got a good car that we could continue with, but it’s just been great this year with not too many mistakes. A couple from myself hurt, but it’s been amazing this year, and we’ve still got a fair way to go, so I don’t want to relax.

“All the talk, ‘Oh, he’s just got to finish 23rd’ or whatever, I use that as motivation. I’ve never started a race to finish 23rd, so I went out there, got the lead, and then just raced the gap behind on the dash and watched the gap increase. My goal was to get up to 20 seconds, and I failed, but I just pushed like anything and did my talking with the finishing position.”

Van Gisbergen also spoke about his future, which is locked in with the team for next season but not yet beyond 2023. He says the ‘race-ability’ of the new Gen3 cars will be the key decider

on whether he stays or heads off looking for new challenges.

“I’d like to stay here, and if I stay in Supercars, I’ll definitely stay with Triple Eight. I love the team, and we have started talking about a new deal, but I’d like to start next year and see what the racing’s like. The car has potential, but I like to race people.

“The race today probably was pretty stale,” he said of his Saturday demolition. “You can hardly follow with the aero stuff, so let’s see. Hopefully, it will be a better race car next year, and I’d love to stay in Supercars. It’s close to home.”

This year his motivation was not to drop off at all, with the retirement of Jamie Whincup coming a year after his other rival, Scott McLaughlin, left the series to run in IndyCar. “I spoke about it a bit last year, that level that we all pushed ourselves to.

When Scotty and Jamie left, my focus was to stay at that level and keep making myself better, and I’m just stoked I’ve been able to do that and not be caught or drop to the other guys’ level. Maybe that’s my car advantage.

Maybe next year it’ll be the same.

“I have a good car, but I feel like I’m constantly pushing myself to be better and keep improving as a driver.”

In the second half of the season, he has been untouchable with 12 wins from 14 starts after Cam Waters started throwing down a serious challenge.

Hidden Valley was the only weekend of the season he hasn’t won at least one race, and that kick-started the Championship defining charge.

“There were probably some moves at Winton where I could have gotten past Cam, and I was complacent there. Then at Townsville getting spun out and the media firing up, his (De Pasquale) team

TRIPLE EIGHT LOCKS AWAY ANOTHER TEAMS’ TITLE NOW EYES OFF THE QUALIFYING AWARD FOR VAN GISBERGEN

Images: MARK HORSBURGH-EDGE PHOTOGRAPHICS/ MOTORSPORT IMAGES

giving him some back. He was pushing hard, and I was finally under challenge, and I haven’t seen him for three months. So that’s what I love doing; just keep pushing myself focused and have a proper crack.”

Mark Dutton, Red Bull Ampol Racing’s team manager, paid tribute to the three-time champion, saying he is one of the most accomplished drivers with whom he has worked, and his racing IQ separates him from the rest.

“I’ve never seen anyone compare to Shane with just how much capacity he’s got for the racing, not just for the feel of the car, but for the strategy and the thinking,” Dutton said.

“Jamie, I still think is the best for the raw feedback of the car handling and keeping cool, calm and collected. But Shane is definitely the best for the overall capacity of thinking about the

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strategy and other people’s strategy and computing all that while going at a ridiculous pace.

“He’s non-stop thinking, and he still enjoys it as much. Like that passing move on Will, today, was spectacular.

And over the radio, he cheered and was excited to share that moment with the team. So that’s pretty cool.

“None of us are taking it for granted.

We’ve had so much success this year, but each title is as special as the last.”

Van Gisbergen has won 21 out of the 32 races so far, which is 66% of all the races run and even if he doesn’t win in Adelaide, he will still finish with the highest win percentage since the Supercars Championship began.

Only three drivers have won half or more of the races in one season: Scott McLaughlin (50% in 2019 and 60% 2020), Mark Skaife (52% in 2002), and now van Gisbergen.

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BY ANDREW CLARKE TRIPLE EIGHT Race Engineering has locked away its 11th Teams’ Championship after another big points haul on the back of a Shane van Gisbergen domination on the Gold Coast. Having wrestled the title back from Dick Johnson Racing last year, the coveted number one spot in pitlane will remain with the team as it moves into the Gen3 era.

“It’s huge,” team manager Mark Dutton said about winning both the Drivers’ and Teams’ titles in one weekend. “We haven’t had a chance to digest it all yet, but we’ll have a few beers tonight and celebrate. We’ve got a damaged car, and we have a heap of work to do, but I couldn’t be prouder of the whole team – the home team and the travel team.

“I don’t spend a lot of time during the season looking at the numbers because you don’t want to get a big head or get complacent, so you treat every race on its own merit. You don’t want to get too far ahead of yourself.

“They’re pretty spectacular statistics for Shane this year. They’re just unheard of.

“And the thing is that the field is amazing. It’s so tight. Broc missed out on the top 10 by 0.04 of a second yesterday, and he was 15th. It’s so tight, and to have that win rate with Shane in such a competitive field is next-level impressive.”

In comparing van Gisbergen to Whincup – the most winning driver in Australian touring car history – Dutton says they are quite different.

“Jamie was super single-minded. He wanted to be the best at Supercars and executed it in fine detail and made sure everything was a full focus on Supercars. Shane’s the opposite in a

way. He wants to drive anything and everything and improve his skill set by doing that.

“For sure, they both learned a lot off each other during their time racing together with Shane going from strength to strength. He was amazing before he came to Triple Eight, and you can see that he’s still improving.

Hopefully, we are playing a part in that because its pretty special to be on that journey with him.”

In finding out that van Gisbergen was now one pole behind Cam Waters in the Amoral Pole Award for 2022, he set that as a goal for Adelaide.

“We have been working hard to improve our qualifying pace, which we haven’t had all year. To have the qualifying pace we had this weekend was awesome. We’ve had great race pace, which has been our focus, but now we’ve got qualifying speed.

“What’s the point of having your cake if you can’t eat it too?

“We always want to have both. So we keep chipping away, and this weekend showed that it has paid off.

“We’re up for that; getting that close is brilliant,” he said of the season’s qualifying award, “I didn’t know that one; let’s see what we can do in Adelaide.”

Cam Waters leads the qualifying award with nine poles, and van Gisbergen and Will Davison are tied for second with eight poles each.

Surprisingly, Anton De Pasquale has the best qualifying average for the season (4.5), just edging out van Gisbergen on 4.6. Cam Waters (5.0) and Will Davison (5.3) are also up there too, but the only decider for the Pole Award is pole positions, and van Gisbergen needs two to win it on his own.

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NEW ZEALAND DROPPED AS THE 2023 SUPERCAR CALENDAR TAKES SHAPE

BY ANDREW CLARKE THE 2023 Supercars Championship series calendar is taking shape. It is likely to be run without a round in New Zealand, with Winton and The Bend also under threat from a revamped Queensland Raceway, but will feature the return of the Sandown 500 as the calendar shrinks by one round to 12.

A draft calendar was floating around the Gold Coast and, while many weren’t paying too much attention to it given previous changes, it was expected that the TBA for Round 8 will not include New Zealand as an option going forwards.

The demise of the New Zealand round is because resort consent for a round at Hampton Downs, which is believed to be the preferred option, cannot be secured in time for 2023. It is hoped it will be OK for 2024.

Resource consent is permission from the local council for an activity that might affect the environment and isn’t allowed in the district or regional plan. A big Supercars event with a significant crowd falls into that category.

Gaining resource consent has proved problematic for Supercars in the past. It was one of the big stumbling blocks for the original Pukekohe round in 2001. It proved a stumbling block for an Auckland street race but was eventually navigated for the Hamilton street race.

The return of the Sandown 500 has been on the cards since the Sandown round this year. After the troubled opening to the Bathurst 1000, the teams have increased pressure on Supercars to give them an endurance race leading into Bathurst. ARG has secured the middle month of September for its speed series, so it is believed the 500 will run outside the AFL finals series, probably on the weekend of the pre-finals bye, if the AFL proceeds with that in 2024.

The TBA is the only remaining piece of the puzzle and is now a battle between Winton,

IS THIS THE 2023 CALENDER? WE RECKON IT MIGHT BE...

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Newcastle, March 8-10 Albert Park (AGP), March 30 - April 2 Symmons Plains, Launceston Wanneroo Raceway, Perth Sydney Motorsport Park Hidden Valley, Darwin Townsville, July 7-9 TBA – Winton/Queensland Raceway/The Bend/New Zealand Sandown 500, September 1-3 Bathurst 1000, October 5-8 Gold Coast 500, October 27-29 Adelaide 500, November 30 - December 3

The Bend and Queensland Raceway.

Winton has lived on the precipice when it comes to the Supercars calendar. It was dropped from the calendar in 2005 but returned the following year. It has hosted

33 rounds of the Australian Touring Car Championship since its debut in 1985 and always gets great local support and big crowds.

The Bend has hosted a round of the series

The 2023 series will kick off in Newcastle ...

Images: MOTORSPORT IMAGES every year since its debut in 2018, yet still hasn’t embedded itself into Supercars culture. While it appears on the surface that the return of the Adelaide 500 has shifted the balance away from it holding a round, the South Australian Government does support the regional venue so don’t be surprised if the venue holds a round.

With Queensland Raceway as the test track for the Queensland-based teams, plenty of pressure is being applied for a return to the circuit now owned by Triple Eight Race Engineering co-owner Tony Quinn. QR’s outdated facilities and part of the pit complex have been upgraded, and work continues on further improvements.

Supercars is expected to announce the final calendar soon. Above is our best estimate, with dates where possible.

GT AIMING FOR A BIG SIX

By Bruce Williams, Publisher

GARTH TANDER is not done with Bathurst.

The five-time winner of the great race will be back again in 2023 alongside Shane van Gisbergen at Triple Eight.

He is not quite ready to confirm the details – as he talked to Auto Action on the day before the Gold Coast 500 – but everything is set for another assault in October 2023.

Tander smiled as he said he has the best co-drive in the business, as well as the best opportunity of joining Larry Perkins and Mark Skaife as a six-time winner.

“There is an option to go again next year. It’s quite likely. But it’s not a done deal because I haven’t gotten around to doing the paperwork,” Tander said.

“Will I be back? Yes. “Will I be going for the win? Yes.” Tander knows there will be a new challenge with the Gen3 Chevrolet Camaro, but he said his enthusiasm for 2023 is the same always.

“Gen3 is an intriguing time. All new. A clean sheet of paper.

“But why would I go anywhere else but Triple

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Eight? You can share the car with Shane in a team with so many runs on the board.

“My enthusiasm level has been consistent the whole time. There have been some journos are on a crusade that I’m retiring, but I’ve never said that, or even thought that.

“The internal challenge is within myself, and the opportunity to share the car with Shane. I get to measure myself against the best guy in the field, once a year.

“As an athlete looking to measure myself, that’s a pretty good yardstick.”

He’s doing pretty well for a bloke approaching his 50th birthday.

“I’ll be 46 at the next Bathurst. But my fitness this year, at 45, was probably as good as it’s ever been.

“I’ve found the hardest bit is the training, the fitness. As you get older and older that gets hard, and you give yourself a break after Bathurst.

“This year I have made the longest training runs I’ve ever done and at the fastest pace I’ve ever done.

That’s even compared to back in my HRT days.

“This is a reason I strive for that. It’s to give the team the maximum flexibility in their strategy for the race.”

Apart from himself, Tander is also high on praise

Tander took his forth win and his first with SVG in 2020. Image: MOTORSPORT IMAGES for a couple of the other old-timers in the co-driving ranks at Bathurst.

“Yeah, Luffy (Warren Luff) and Dave (David Russell),” Tander said.

“I think David Russell did a great job this year. He passed me in the early laps and I let him go. Then, when I was in the lead, he was second and didn’t do anything silly.”

Despite a high-profile push, a full-time Supercars gig seems unlikely for Boost Mobile boss Peter Adderton and driver Richie Stanaway ... Image ANDREW CLARKE

ADDERTON’S DREAM REDUCED TO WILDCARD? IT IS unlikely that Peter Adderton’s Boost Mobile Racing 2023 will be a grid regular in 2023, even though the outspoken Telco owner has bought a car for the season. The Teams Racing Charter takes the decision out of the hands of Racing Australia Consolidated Enterprises (RACE) and its chairman Barclay Nettlefold, placing it fair and square with the other teams in pitlane.

Rather than Adderton being blocked, as has been reported elsewhere, it is more about the contractual obligations between RACE and the teams, which were agreed to during the sale of the teams’ shares.

Those obligations are outlined in a document known as the Teams Racing Charter (TRC), which replaced the previous Racing Entitlements Contract (REC).

Auto Action has seen a TRC, and in that agreement, the 26th TRC, which it defines as a ‘New Charter’, must be offered to the teams first up until the end of next year.

Clause 5.8 section (a) states: “If V8SCA or any of its Related Entities proposes to enter into a Charter at any time after the date of this Charter and

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before 1 January 2024, that would make the total number of Charters (which are not terminated) at that time equal to 26 (New Charter), then it must first offer the New Charter to all V8SCA Teams and give the V8SCA Teams a period of at least 20 Business Days to: (i) Offer a price for the New Charter; and (ii) Satisfy any other reasonable requirements of V8SCA.” Auto Action has found at least two teams that will buy the New Charter if it is offered, including Tim Blanchard, who has been trying to expand to two cars for a number of years. Blanchard missed out in the most recent expansion when Tickford Racing bought the 25th REC, as it was at the time, and was critical of the decision not to allow the 26th REC to be activated.

The only way the New Charter can make it through to Adderton is if these teams cannot reach a suitable agreement with V8SCA (V8 Supercars Australia), which is the controlling entity of Supercars racing in Australia, which we believe is unlikely.

Not that any of this is getting in the

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way of Adderton’s plans. He has bought a Gen3 Camaro from Triple Eight Race Engineering, has the driver in Richie Stanaway lined up and Greg Murphy as Team Principal.

All he is missing is the TRC, and he is yet to be informed one way or the other on his formal approach to purchase the New Charter, which is why he is pressing forward with plans to run a full campaign in 2023.

“We went and bought a Gen3 Camaro.

I love the car, love the category. We’re trying to get the car here to race in the series next year,” Adderton said during the television coverage from Queensland.

“Before you can race a car you have to have one, so we committed today to buy a car from Triple Eight Engineering. They are a great team.

“So now it’s just a matter of, well, will they let us race it?”

Adderton also rattled through his plan.

“The ultimate plan is to have Boost Mobile Racing here and have our own car and our own team, and really try to take it to the other guys,” Adderton said “We are obviously going to have support

through Triple Eight with what we are doing, but we are going to build our own team.

“The whole plan for us is to basically go do it ourselves. The support will come. Triple Eight are really good to their customers.

“As we develop the team, we want to put it together ourselves.”

He also explained his motivation.

“I hate losing. Competition is needed in the sport, and Boost is about trying to get to the front.

“We’ll do whatever we need to do to make it work. I want to see us at the front of the grid. Doesn’t everyone?

“We want to get to the front. We want to be aggressive.

“Richie has been a huge focus. He did an insane job (at Bathurst). We’re super excited to put him in a car.”

Adderton’s new team will be able to run in one of the nominated wildcard events and the Bathurst 1000, although he says he is yet to consider that, given he hasn’t been advised about the success or otherwise of his bid for the New Charter.

Andrew Clarke with Bruce Williams

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DE PASQUALE DISQUALIFIED DICK JOHNSON racing star Anton De Pasquale was excluded from the results after the second and final race of the Boost Mobile Gold Coast 500.

De Pasquale finished the dramatic 32nd race of the championship in 10th place after his rear end was caved in following the early-race drama.

Despite the tough drive, the eight-time winner was removed from the results for the second time in his career after it was discovered DJR breached the minimum tyre pressure regulations.

The left-rear of the #11 Mustang was below the minimum tyre pressure of 17psi and the disqualification meant De Pasquale’s teammate Will Davison jumped ahead of him in the championship.

EREBUS BACKS DOWN FROM APPEAL

EREBUS MOTORSPORT had a busy Monday initially lodging an intent to appeal the 15-second time penalty applied to Will Brown, before backing down and withdrawing it.

With just three laps to go Brown made contact with Scott Pye, which sent the Team 18 Holden ZB Commodore towards the tyre barriers on the outside of the final turn.

The stewards quickly imposed the penalty on car #9, which dropped the him from P8 to P11.

Less than 24 hours after the race Erebus had lodged an intent to appeal, but withdrew it in a matter of hours.

MSR DOCKED OVER DATA BREACH

MATT STONE Racing and Todd Hazelwood were docked points after a data breach during the opening day of the Gold Coast 500.

MSR was docked 50 points, while Hazelwood was excluded from the results of Friday practice and given the loss of a five grid spots for Saturday’s race.

It was discovered MSR was incorrectly logging the damper settings on the #35 Commodore at 50Hz during the Friday sessions.

Hazelwood was relegated to the back of the grid for race 31 of the championship and climbed seven spots up to P18

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ALL THE SEATS ARE GONE! THE 2023 GRID TAKES SHAPE

By ANDREW CLARKE ALL THE seats for next season’s championship are locked away, with announcements expected soon from the three teams yet to declare their hands for 2023.

Brad Jones Racing is expected to retain its four drivers.

PremiAir will confirm James Golding, and Matt Stone Racing has made its decision and is working through the final parts of the deal, with Cam Hill seen as the leading contender after Declan Fraser and Jayden Ojeda have declared they are out of the running.

Despite having the financial backing and support of Supercheap Auto, Fraser has failed to secure a main game seat for 2023.

According to MSR’s Commercial Director, Al Bye, a number of other drivers with significant sponsorship – including one with seven figures – have also missed the drive, with the financial strength of the team meaning they could choose the driver they wanted rather than take a pay driver.

“We could have had three title sponsors this year.

We’ve had to turn them all away,” Bye said. “The sport is commercially as strong as it has ever been, and it is starting to take off again.

“We are just dotting the i’s and crossing our t’s on the deal with our driver, and we’ll be able to make an announcement soon.”

While refusing to be drawn into who has been chosen, he confirmed Jack Le Brocq is staying with the team and that they are happy with his form this season.

“His championship position is not reflective of his CAR 2 3 4 5 6 8 9 10 11 14 17 18 20 22 25 26 31 34 35 55 56 88 96 97 99

PRIMARY DRIVER Nick Percat Todd Hazelwood Jack Smith * James Courtney Cameron Waters Andre Heimgartner * Will Brown Matt Payne Anton De Pasquale Bryce Fullwood * Will Davison Mark Winterbottom Scott Pye Tim Slade Chaz Mostert David Reynolds James Golding Jack Le Brocq Cameron Hill # Thomas Randle Jake Kostecki Broc Feeney Macauley Jones * Shane van Gisbergen Brodie Kostecki

driving this year with the DNFs. We are happy with him.”

PremiAir should announce this week that Golding will remain with the team and race alongside Tim Slade, who is shifting into the Queensland team from CoolDrive Racing.

Golding joined PremiAir after the mid-season sacking of Gary Jacobson and impressed team owner Peter Xiberas on his debut for the team in Townsville. Golding has since delivered some impressive results and was unlucky not to finish well inside the top 10 at Bathurst, and also put the Subway car into the Top 10 Shootout on the Gold Coast before triggering the monster crash early in the Sunday race.

PremiAir will run a pair of Triple Eight-built Camaros and will also buy technical support from the Championship winning team. Owner Peter Xiberas is targeting a climb up the pecking order in 2023.

Brad Jones said an announcement on his drivers would come soon and would not confirm the unchanged driver line-up, but he also didn’t deny it.

Andre Heimgartner has impressed in his first season with the team, and Bryce Fullwood has delivered as expected after his switch from Walkinshaw Andretti United. Macauley Jones will enter his third full-time season with the team, and Jack Smith, whose family controls the Charter he races under, will line up for season four.

In team news, Erebus has replaced Boost Mobile with Coca-Cola for next season, opting to run with one of the world’s leading brands despite a courtship with Caltex, which is looking for a significant return to the grid in 2023.

TEAM Walkinshaw Andretti United Blanchard Racing Team Brad Jones Racing Tickford Racing Tickford Racing Brad Jones Racing Erebus Motorsport Grove Racing Dick Johnson Racing Brad Jones Racing Dick Johnson Racing Team 18 Team 18 PremiAir Racing Walkinshaw Andretti United Grove Racing PremiAir Racing Matt Stone Racing Matt Stone Racing Tickford Racing Tickford Racing Triple Eight Race Engineering Brad Jones Racing Triple Eight Race Engineering Erebus Motorsport

Mustang Mustang Camaro Mustang Mustang Camaro Camaro Mustang Mustang Camaro Mustang Camaro Camaro Camaro Mustang Mustang Camaro Camaro Camaro Mustang Mustang Camaro Camaro Camaro Camaro

Brad Jones Racing is expected to remain with the same driver line-up in 2023. # Cam Hill is rumoured to have agreed to terms with Matt Stone Racing, but this has not been confirmed.

Image: MARK HORSBURGH/EDGE PHOTOGRAPHICS

TICKFORD AND BJR’S HUGE CRASH BILL FOR FINAL SEASON OF GEN2

SOME BIG crashes this season have blown the annual crash repair budget for Tickford Racing and Brad Jones Racing. There is also a flow-on effect to the workforces at each team which have worked incredible hours at times to keep the cars on the track.

Tickford Racing has had huge crashes – for Thomas Randle at The Bend, James Courtney and Thomas Randle in Darwin and Zane Goddard at Bathurst. Brad Jones Racing has had the normal scrapes and bruises plus the massive Andre Heimgartner crash with Randle at The Bend, and then with co-driver Dale Wood at the wheel for the big one at Bathurst with the Tickford car of Goddard.

Matt Campbell was also caught up in that one in a Grove Racing Mustang.

Both teams also copped it on the Gold Coast, with Courtney and Randle from Tickford and Macauley Jones, Jack Smith, Bryce Fullwood and Heimgartner all being involved in the race-stopping Lap 3 crash.

Brad Jones didn’t want to place an estimate on the bill, breaking into a cold sweat at the mention of it, but he did admit this season was much more than normal, thanks in no small part to the Heimgartner and Randle crash at The Bend, where the cars were subjected to

more than 38G and 51G respectively.

“You don’t write a car off every year. We probably burned $300,000 on that one alone,” Jones said. “But you have years like this where you have more damage than normal. It sometimes just happens.”

After that, the ‘new’ R&J Batteries Commodore was beaten up in the Bathurst crash.

Tim Edwards at Tickford was much more animated about his bill for the season, saying this year, the damage bill after some big crashes has blown his budget by quite some margin.

“It’s been horrendous,” he said before the Sunday crash on the Gold Coast. “We typically set a budget of $250,000 yearly, and we’re probably approaching three times that.

“Aside from the financial cost, it’s been very taxing on the team because they’re the ones that have to make all the new parts and do the repair work. As a team, we’ve had to dig pretty deep this year to keep the show on the road.

“I think that cost is probably more than the financial cost.”

In addition to Randle’s biggie at The Bend, team cars also suffered significant damage at Darwin, Bathurst and now The

Gold Coast. Edwards says The Darwin one hurt the most, with James Courtney being belted off the track only to collect Randle in another of the team’s cars.

“It wasn’t just The Bend ... I mean roll back to Darwin; that was a horrendous weekend as well. I think Gary [Jacobson] clipped JC, and he skated across the infield and then took out Randle’s car. I can’t blame any of my guys for that one; it was just circumstances at the time. But it caused a lot of damage. That was big.”

Not long after repairing those cars came The Bend and the huge crash for Randle on the grid. That chassis was repaired just before Bathurst and rejoined the action in the Gold Coast 500 with Courtney (his Bathurst car was still being rebuilt), where it got caught up in the Lap 3 crash. Courtney was perhaps lucky to get away with as little damage as he did the ferocity of the impact it suffered.

“It came off the jig Bathurst weekend, and we had to get a quick paint job and then built up from a bare shell. It was a big job, which was good timing given what happened at Bathurst.

“I think it is just bad luck. But when you’re not qualifying well, you are probably more

in the danger zone. There’s more likelihood of major damage if you’re in the back half of the field; that battle for 20th has always been one of the most hard-fought in the pit lane. So, to be fair, we have to put our hand up for that one. If we haven’t qualified that well, we’re making it hard and exposing ourselves more.

“There’s a greater degree of respect at the pointy end. There’s more at stake and more to lose, I suppose. We need to get all our cars up there, and that will help.”

In terms of damage, Erebus’ Barry Ryan said they’d had a couple of big ones too, but that in terms of hardware, it hasn’t gone over budget – even the big one in Pukekohe was only $60,000. He budgets $150,000 a year, which is about the same as Brad Jones Racing allows for four cars.

“You can’t count labour when you are costing them,” he said. “We do a lot in-house and it helps to have our own chassis man.

We could reduce it more if we had in-house paint and stickers, but at the moment, we spend less outsourcing than we would on wages, so we are happy with that.”

Other big crashes for the 2022 season have included Scott Pye in Perth and Darwin.

Andrew Clarke

CHAHDA FRUSTRATED AS HE BUILDS SUPER2 TEAM FRESH FROM his debut at the Bathurst 1000, Albury driver Matt Chahda said he is a little frustrated as he tries to set up a two-car team to tackle next year’s Super2 championship.

Chahda says he is struggling to get access to two cars from the same team, which makes it hard.

“I have access to a car if I want it,” he said. “But I want more than that car.

“I can get one DJR Mustang, but not a second one.

Collectors are a big issue for Super2 at the moment. They keep buying these cars to do nothing with them, and it’s annoying.

“It’s also driven up the value of the cars. We should be able to pick cars up for maybe 300 thousand, but collectors are paying 800 grand for cars just to sit them in their sheds.

That’s a real problem for Supercars at the moment.

“A lot of people want to race Super2, and then, literally, we can’t get our hands on cars. I want to run a two-car team but can’t get another car. That’s just messed up.”

He said he would run one car if that is all he can do, but he wants a team-mate with the same equipment so they can compare notes and develop the cars. In the meantime, he’ll try to get to the collectors who have bought the cars and hope they are will lease him their car.

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“Hopefully, we can find someone who is really into motorsport. We always give them back in pristine condition, so what difference does it really make?”

He also said an issue for the class is the lack of racing time this year, affecting sponsor involvement and causing a drain on drivers who pay for their drives by the round.

“Another annoying thing about Super2 is we’ve done so much Safety Car running this year, and races are getting

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cut short. To go to Bathurst, which is a round that everyone brings their sponsors to, and I know the weather wasn’t great, but to literally only do two laps for them all weekend is hard.

“It didn’t affect me ... well it sort of did because it helped me not suffer too much damage in the points ... but that’s not good. Especially when teams are demanding 80 grand to run a kid for a round and then you rock up to that.

They’ve already spent the money, so there’s no refund.

“So how do they then take care of the guys who are paying for the drives? It’s a tough situation at the moment.”

Tickford Racing’s Tim Edwards denied there is a shortage of cars and that he has cars to sell or lease for next year in addition to the two he will most likely run in the Super2.

“If they really want a car, tell them to call me,” Edwards said.

Barry Ryan at Erebus has confirmed he will have two cars for Super2 next season, with at least one being run by Terry Wyhoon’s Image Racing.

Triple Eight is also expected to run a Super2 campaign, most likely for Declan Fraser and another driver, while Walkinshaw Andretti United has not announced yet if it will run cars in the Series. Andrew Clarke

www.autoaction.com.au I 9

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Image: DANIEL KALISZ

HERNE SET FOR TEXAN TRANS AM DEBUT AFTER TAKING his maiden S5000 wins with a dominant clean sweep at the Gold Coast 500, Nathan Herne has jetted off to America to make his international Trans Am2 debut.

The two-time national Trans Am champion’s S5000 Tasman series victories came at the expense of two-time national champion Joey Mawson, with each of his three wins coming in commanding fashion for the pole-sitter.

After securing the first clean sweep in the series’ history, his first foray overseas to the States will involve him racing in the final round of the American National Trans Am2 Championship in a Stevens-Miller Ford Mustang.

“To go over to the US is something I’ve always dreamt about since I was about 12-years-old, but I quickly wrote that off as soon as I found out how much it cost to go over there,” Herne said.

“To finally get the opportunity to go over there ... I’m keen as mustard and hopefully it’s not the last chance to go.

“After 2019, we were even trying to get over there and test the waters. Back then it was a different proposition because I was unproven and a young bloke who just wanted to get over there to race as a bucket list item, but

now it’s turned into something different.

Herne’s star grew bright this year, with his Trans Am title coming in an indomitable fashion. His 10 victory season secured him back-to-back championships, fending off teammate Owen Kelly with a coolness that defied his years.

Despite his saying Australia is still his top priority, Herne said he is going to maximise this unexpected trip to the best of his ability with an open mind for the future.

“This year was a weird one. I thought to myself the last few years I’ve had in Australia hopefully something was going to happen, but it went into a quiet phase where I just settled and thought this was going to be the end of my racing until next season,” Herne continued.

“All of a sudden this popped up and a few other things are starting to emerge, so it’s pretty cool.

“I’ve just got to take the pressure off and enjoy it because this is just a bucket list item for me, I’m not really expecting anything to come out of this, but never say never and maybe something will.

“For now, I’m still 100 per cent committed to Australia to see what I can do locally.

Once in the US, Herne will get two practice sessions to

prepare for his debut on the Circuit of the Americas track, the purpose built F1 circuit in Texas. He is aware of the challenge ahead, with only two sessions allowed to get up to speed to the bigger cars, tougher competition and Formula 1 circuit.

“Stevens-Miller Racing is the Howe factory team, and in Australia we race the same brand chassis. But in America, it’s a bit different with bigger engines, different chassis manufacturers, more aero and a half radial tyre,” Herne explained.

“The American Trans Am cars are much more like a Supercar than the Australian version, so it will be exciting, and fingers crossed it all goes well.

“I’ve got two sessions to get my eye in around the track before official practice starts through Trans Am and Stevens-Miller Racing, who have put that together for me.

“I’m racing at the Circuit of The Americas, which is a big facility with a lot of blind apexes, so it’s going to be hard to learn.”

Herne will be tackling the American Trans Am series on November 4-6.

Timothy W Neal

AUSSIE FORD RAPTOR STALKS BAJA 1000 FORD’S NEXT Generation Ranger Raptor has been slated to make a competitive appearance at the gruelling Baja 1000 on November 15-20.

Ford Performance has worked with Australia’s Kelly Racing and US based Lovell Racing to build the Baja-ready Ranger Raptor, which will head to Mexico’s California Peninsula to contest one of the world’s most rough endurance races.

The vehicle was built and tested in Australia before being shipped to the US for its final development and testing before it embarks on the demanding endurance race.

“By entering this event, we’re building on the hundreds of thousands of kilometres of development testing and pushing the Ranger Raptor to new extremes,” said

10 I www.autoaction.com.au

Brian Novak, Off-Road Motorsports Supervisor of Ford Performance.

“The Baja 1000 is a demanding event and a well-known proving ground for off-road vehicles, we are excited to compete in this extreme event with Ranger Raptor.”

The Baja 1000 is considered one of the world’s most prestigious endurance desert races, with the globe’s best flocking to the event to take on the treacherous terrain that represents the ultimate test for offroad vehicle makes.

Ford has a rich history at the Baja 1000 – its F-150 Raptor and Ford Bronco have successfully combated the enduring event, while the stock 2017 F-150 grabbed a podium before driving 400 miles home.

In 1969 the Ford bronco affectionately named ‘Big Oly’ managed to take home an

historical and rarely achieved victory.

The Ranger Raptor will also be fuelled by Shell low-carbon biofuel, made from a mix of ethanol and bio-naphtha.

“Demonstrating low-carbon fuels in performance settings like the Baja 1000 can help bring biofuels and other clean

energy technologies to scale more quickly, and help to make them more available and affordable for everyone,” Cynthia Williams said, Ford’s Global Director of Sustainability, Compliance and Homologation.

Timothy W Neal

TANAK FOR FORD MOVE THE FIGHT for the World Rally Championship could return to a three-way contest in 2023 thanks to Ott Tanak.

The disgruntled Estonian has taken an early mark from his drive time at Hyundai and, having previously split from Toyota, is a near-certainty to lead the M-Sport Ford team next season.

His arrival at Ford would spark a new-age hybrid fight with Toyota – which has dominated the latest season with its world champion youngster Kalle Rovanpera – and Hyundai.

The factory Ford Puma R1 has shown some serious speed through the current WRC season, starting from the unlikely victory by ageing ace Sebastian Loeb on the Monte Carlo Rally.

Craig Breen has scored fastest stage times and the Irish driver has shown consistent podium potential despite a series of crazy mistakes, while even the under-achieving Englishman Gus Greensmith has managed to top the times on a couple of stages in season 2022.

With Tanak now available, Ford and M-Sport are likely to swoop

in a repeat of the deal that put eight-time world champion Sebastian Ogier into a Ford Fiesta.

Ogier served two seasons for the blue oval brand before moving on to Toyota, taking world drivers’ titles in both 2017 and 2018.

M-Sport boss Malcolm Wilson told Auto Action earlier this year, during a visit to his headquarters in the UK, that the team could not afford a true front-line driver like Tanak.

But perhaps it now cannot afford not to have one.

And it’s worth remembering that Ogier’s time at M-Sport was made easier with a big bag of cash from Red Bull.

News of Tanak’s departure came following Rally Spain, after a season where he has consistently complained about the Hyundai i20 R1 car despite mounting the only serious challenge to Kalle Rovanpera for the WRC driver’s crown.

“For me, the time has come for something new,” Tanak said in an official Hyundai press statement.

His departure comes despite scoring three wins through 2022 with the Hyundai R1 car, taking

his career total to 17 victories.

“This is a personal decision and one that I have taken with careful consideration and respect for the team,” Tanak continued.

“However, I feel that I am at a stage of my career where I need to embark on a new challenge.”

If the 35-year-old does switch to M-Sport and Ford it will be something of a homecoming, as he drove for the British team in 2011-2012 and again in 20142015 and 2017 as he tried to get established in the WRC. He was often quick but also flawed, once rolling his Ford Fiesta into a lake in Mexico in 2015.

Tanak has been increasingly frustrated at Hyundai, which is looking to a total overhaul of its driving strength for 2023 having fired Oliver Solberg - son of former world champion, Petter - after a series of crashes.

“The second part of this season has shown the performance level we can achieve when things click, but …”

Tanak said.

Image: MOTORSPORT IMAGES

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D’ALBERTO’S LEAD SLASHED

BRINGING THE CARS TO THE FANS FANS WILL be able to get up close and personal with as many as 40 of the race cars competing in the Supercheap Auto Bathurst International. Cars from all of the seven racing classes will travel via police escort from the Mount Panorama circuit to Russell Street in the heart of the regional town to showcase themselves to the fans in a ‘Circuit to City’ parade on the Thursday evening just prior to the race, held from November 11-13. The free event will start at 4pm AEDT on Thursday, November 10 before the on-track action gets underway the following day.

Image: DANIEL KALISZ

SCHUMACHER AND SLADE JOIN FORCES MOUNT PANORAMA local Brad Schumacher will make his outright Fanatec GT World Challenge Australia powered AWS debut on home turf when the Supercheap Auto Bathurst International arrives next month. Schumacher will join the top GT3 class after upgrading his Audi R8 to the current Evo II specification and he will steer it alongside current Supercars star Tim Slade. – a combination which they hope can drive them to some championship success. Schumacher has a 14-point lead in the GT Trophy standings, but sits second in the endurance title.

AUSTRALIA TO FEATURE IN TCR WORLD TOUR AUSTRALIA HAS been included as part of the new 2023 WSC-operated TCR World Tour global series.

The TCR World Tour is replacing the WTCR Series and will see some of the best drivers in the world compete in a nine-race series. The WSC TCR World Tour will commence in Europe before heading to Australia late in the year. “Australia has consistently been one of the most exciting and professional TCR series and we are delighted to acknowledge this by bringing the TCR World Tour to Australia,” said WSC Group president Marcello Lotti.

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THE RACE for the 2022 Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series championship title has become even more interesting ahead of the Bathurst season finale after a pair of penalties were applied more than a month after the incident.

Motorsport Australia released two penalties affecting Will Brown and series leader Tony D’Alberto in relation to incidents which occurred in the third race of the Sandown round held back in mid September.

Brown’s has been stripped of his win and demoted to second place after a five-second penalty was applied due to his role in an incident with Zac Sultar at ‘Dandenong Road’ corner.

The consequence has meant the trophy has changed hands to Michael Caruso, who gets to celebrate his first win of the season in belated style.But the biggest headline to arrive from the penalties is the one imposed on D’Alberto.

The Honda Wall Racing driver was given a 10-second time penalty due to his actions in an incident with Bailey Sweeney at Turn 1.

Due to the competitive nature of the race, the penalty forced D’Alberto’s name to slip from fifth down to 10th in the results, which has had a big impact on his championship lead.

His advantage over title rival Jordan Cox has been slashed from 56 points to 46 and has added extra spice ahead of the Supercheap Auto Bathurst International, which concludes the season on November 11-13.

Motorsport Australia explained why the penalties were applied more than a month after the race concluded: “The delay in confirming these penalties was due to the limited time available following the race, and the relevant officials being unavailable due to ongoing judicial matters from Race 2,” read the statement.

“Given some of the drivers involved were also competing in the recent Bathurst 1000 race meeting, it was decided to wait until the conclusion of that event to allow drivers and teams to properly consider the alleged infringements and recommended penalties.”

Thomas Miles

BRESSINGTON KEEN FOR TCM BATHURST BREAKTHROUGH TOURING CAR MASTERS is set to climb the Mountain again, for the Bathurst International on November 11-13, with its usual four-race schedule locked away.

Friday has the practice and qualifying sessions, whilst Saturday will have the Trophy race and Race 1 with the final two races featuring on the Sunday.

After making a triumphant comeback at Sandown in the Whiteline #95 Camaro, Adam Bressington returns to Bathurst where he has yet to stand on top of the podium, with two outright seconds to his name.

“I’ve finally come down from the clouds after winning at Sandown, and I’ve had a bit of time to reflect on the car,” Bressington told Auto Action.

“I was a bit nervous about the rebuild initially, but it felt comfortable straight away and I actually learned a bit about having more trust with the front end. They’ve made some tweaks there and it’s better than ever.

“The thing with these TCM cars ... even though they look like they’re brutish to drive, if you push them too hard they’ll go slower cause they don’t like it. You’ve got to finesse them a bit, and that was the best thing to come out of Sandown really … I feel pretty

Image: JACK MARTIN PHOTOGRAPHY confident going to Bathurst.”

Despite the Toranas dominant in the top standings this season with John Bowe and Ryan Hansford, Bressington feels confident of beating his two outright seconds.

“This car’s always been great across the top of the Mountain for me – we’re going to be 100 revs down compared to the five litres, but I think we’ll have the edge with going up the hill.

“Going down the chute we’ll probably lose a bit of speed because of the RPM. We’re already on the limit at about seven and half thousand revs and it can get a bit shaky for us after that.

“The car prep for Bathurst is almost the most important part really, and Bob (Middleton) and the crew are always sure to make it a good weekend for racing.

“Judging by the weather in NSW lately, we’re probably going to have some wet runs too, and I feel the Camaro, with how Bob has set it up, goes pretty well in that. But I think Ryan (Hansford) is probably the guy to beat there.

“I think we might be getting the pit garages there too, so that’s great for the fans. TCM really relies on the fans being able to get up close, it’s what makes it so great and we really welcome that interaction.

Heading into the round five hit-out, the championship is on a knife edge with Hansford leading Bowe, who is aiming to win his seventh TCM title this season, by just five points with December’s Adelaide 500 also to come.

T W Neal

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FERRARI READY TO RACE NEW GT FERRARI WILL open a new chapter in its rich history of sports car racing next year when its highly anticipated 296 GT3 makes its debut at the Rolex 24 At Daytona.

The new GT challenger will replace the extremely successful 488, which has won more than 500 races internationally in the last six years.

The 296 GT3 is powered by a new V-6 turbo producing 600 horsepower and began on-track testing in April and has racked up thousands of development miles since.

It will make its racing debut on January 28-29 2023 at the Rolex 24 At Daytona.

LAMBO ROUND THE BEND SUPER TROFEO HEADING DOWN UNDER. INTERNATIONAL SPORTS car racing will return to The Bend Motorsport Park next June.

The Adelaide circuit has been chosen for the resumption of the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Asia series in 2023.

It will be the first international sports car contest at The Bend since the visit by the Asian Le Mans series in 2020.

It will also be the first Super Trofeo contest in Australia, as The Bend runs as the second round of the series after Malaysia on the first weekend in May. The Super Trofeo series is a one-make series contested by the Italian sports car company’s V10-powered Huracan EVO2.

More than 20 cars are expected for the championship next year as the series has been mothballed for three years because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Teams will race in five countries – Malaysia, Australia, Japan, South Korea and China – before combining with racers from the parallel European and North American

championships for the Lamborghini Grand Finals.

The date and location of the 2023 Grand Finals will be announced by Lamborghini in November when the 2022 finals are held at the Portimao circuit in Portugal.

It will be the ninth series for Super Trofeo Asia, which has seen 254 drivers competing from 30 countries in a total of 96 races on 18 different circuits.

“The 2023 season is also expected to boast the largestever Super Trofeo Asia grid,” Lamborghini said in an official press release. Bruce Williams Lamborghini Super Trofeo Asia - Calendar 2023 Round 1: Sepang (Malaysia), 5-7 May Round 2: Adelaide (Australia), 9-11 June Round 3: Fuji (Japan), 14-16 July Round 4: Everland Speedway (South Korea) 18-20 August Round 5: Shanghai (China) 8-10 September Round 6: Grand Finals - To be announced

THE BEND APPOINTS NEW CEO PORSCHE COMPLETES MEGA TEST PORSCHE HAS completed an important milestone on its journey to 2023 after finishing a mega test.

The Porsche Penske Motorsport team held an endurance test at Sebring Raceway to put the new 963 LMDh prototype through its paces.

With the help of former Sauber and Manor F1 driver Pascal Wehrlein, the car operated for 36 hours and 7,331km.

It now means the 963 LMDh has amassed a total of 24,500km since it tolled out in January.

Australian Matt Campbell has played a big role and is one of the eight prototype drivers confirmed by the team so far.

NEW LAMBORGHINI HURACAN SET FOR DAYTONA 24 LAMBORGHINI IS looking to up itself in performance from the first version of its Huracan GT3 IMSA model.

Its brand new Huracan GT3 EVO2 will debut at the 2023 Rolex 24 at Daytona. Its predecessor won three consecutive Rolex titles from 2018-20, as well as driver and team titles in IMSA’s 2018 and and ’21 seasons. With its unmistakable hexagonal air scoop design and rear fin derived from Huracan STO (street model), Lamborghini’s newest beast will feature across the GTD and GTD Pro classes with five entries on debut. The 61st Rolex 24 At Daytona is set for January 28-29

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ISLAND MAGIC EVENT READY TO GO THE PHILLIP Island Auto Racing Club annual Island Magic event is back this November with the best of the best in Australian motorsport taking on the fastest permanent race circuit in the country on November 25-27.

This year’s event will see the mix of old and new at the club’s signature event in its 32nd year.

Highlights of the event include the 50k Plate for Sports Sedans and the Matthew Flinders Trophy for Improved Production vehicles.

The ever-popular Hyundai Excel series will see a single driver enduro on the Sunday on top of two sprint races over the weekend.

Historic Touring Cars will compete for the Victorian Historic Touring Car Trophy and Saturday’s Alan McKelvie Memorial Trophy, while new additions will include something for everyone.

The 2022 Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia season will be decided by three 20-minute sprint races.

The German marque will also be well represented by the Endeavour Cup Porsche 944 Challenge, while open wheel fans are well covered with the

stars of tomorrow in the Formula Vee, Formula Ford and Formula Ford 1600 enjoying three races.

Also on the card is the John Roxborough Trophy for Formula Open Victoria, with the wing and slicks open wheelers back on the card for the first time in 20 years.

With so many great categories on show, PIARC president, Nick Scarcella noted the importance of Island Magic to Australian motorsport.

“Island Magic is a highlight on the calendar for competitors, officials, and spectators alike,” he said.

“Over the years at this event, we have had many of the superstars of today launch their careers, be it in Formula Ford, Formula Vee, or the great battles in Improved Production and Sports Sedans. Plus, this year we will enjoy the next generation of Porsche future stars with the final round for the Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia.

“In PIARC’s 70th Anniversary year of celebrations we look forward to seeing full fields and goodcrowds descend on the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit to see magic at its best.”

ALISTAIR MCDONALD (right) has been named as the new Chief Executive Officer of The Bend Motorsport Park.

It’s been a big year for motorsport in South Australia, with Premier Peter Malinauskas putting it firmly in the public eye with the welcome return of the Adelaide 500, and the re-introduction of the SA Motorsports board, as well as The Bend Motorsport Park itself receiving some significant upgrades.

The appointment is another step forward for a motorsport complex that has grown in stature, and is currently building a dragway under the watchful eyes of Steve Bettes that will be as good as anything built around the globe.

McDonald has over 20 years experience in senior leadership roles across the sports and entertainment sector, which included being the general manager of the Superloop Adelaide 500.

“It is an absolute privilege to have the opportunity to work with Dr Sam Shahin and the team at The Bend Motorsport Park,” McDonald said.

“I am in awe of the vision, investment, and execution to date at this world class facility. I am looking forward to inviting more and more local, interstate and international visitors to a venue that all South Australians can be proud of.”

Shahin, the Parks owner, is excited to announce the addition to the operations team, and for the continuing upward trajectory of the circuit.

“The Bend Motorsport Park is moving into the next phase of the venue’s growth as a top tier Australian destination for both corporate and private clients,” Dr Shahin said.

“Alistair is eminently qualified to take on the role of leading the venue’s continued growth and development. It is with great pleasure that I warmly welcome Alistair to the organisation, and I look forward to working with him.”

Alistair holds a Doctor of Psychology as well as Masters and Undergraduate degrees in Business and Psychology and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. TN

FORMULA FORD

AWESOME ASTUTI TAKES FORMULA FORD BY STORM

Images: RICCARDO BENVENUTI-FF FORMULA FORD’s newest champion, 19 year-old Victorian Valentino Astuti, stormed home at SMP to claim a highly deserved maiden national title.

His season included five victories – including a clean sweep at Phillip Island – and eight podiums, as the young racer with one of the best names in racing took the title by 37 points over James Piszcyk, with Cameron McLeod in third.

“I’m just completely over the moon, it’s only just starting to sink in really,” Astuti told Auto Action.

“It was a hard year, and after a lot of ups and downs and putting everything together and just learning as I went … it’s

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just the best feeling in the world.

The title was wrapped up when Astuti guided his Sonic #2 Mygale SJ15 into P4 in Race 2, but admitted he’d no idea that that got the championship over the line.

“I came fourth over the line in Race 2 and came into the pits and was getting congratulated for winning it …

“I’d no idea that it had sealed the deal with that race. It just didn’t set in and I just wanted to get on with the next race ...

I was just immediately about getting the tyre pressures done but everyone was congratulating me … there was a lot of happiness – it was pretty surreal.”

Piszcyk didn’t compete in the last round

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as he was testing F4s in the UK, and Astuti revealed his thoughts about his closest combatant not being there.

“I’m really happy for his opportunity to do that, I think it’s fantastic. I Guess In all truth, I was a little bit … not disappointed I would say, but from the point of view that I’d worked myself up for a hard battle with him to win the championship, that feeling went away a bit because that huge fight disappeared.

“But I still had to win it, there was still a job to do and a championship to win, so the focus just went straight there,” he explained.

With the title wrapped up by Race 3,

he told AA about the pressure release of having got it done, starting form P3 in the finale.

“At first I just wanted to race smart and get it done, then when I was on the pregrid for Race 3, I just had this feeling that there was no pressure and it was just me in the car doing what I love doing. I just put it all on the table and just went for it.”

As for his future after winning a championship that has produced a lot of Australia’s greatest talent, Astuti gave a small glimpse into his goals.

“I definitely want to move up, whether it be the Porsche Michelin Cup or Super 3, I just need to find the budget. I do love open wheelers, but I love the idea of tin-top racing, that kind of thing just looks really fun and I’d love to find a seat somewhere.

“We’re trying to organise an open test day with DJR, I’ve never driven a V8 and it’s something I’d be very interested in trying.”

Timothy W Neal FORMULA FORD STANDINGS 1.

Valentino Astuti 274 2. James Piszcyk 237 3. Cameron McLeod 226 4. Ryder Quinn 217 5. Winston Smith 214

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REMEMBERING THE EVIL EMPIRE 20 YEARS ON

IN 2002, THE HOLDEN RACING TEAM WAS AT THE PEAK OF ITS POWERS, BUT DIDN’T KNOW WHAT LAY AROUND THE CORNER TO UPSET ITS ERA OF DOMINANCE. WE CALLED IT ‘THE EVIL EMPIRE’ BACK THEN, NOT BECAUSE IT WAS WINNING, BUT BECAUSE IT PLACED A SHIELD AROUND ITSELF AND BLOCKED OUT THE REST OF THE WORLD.

FOR THE media, it was a fortress and penetrating it was the challenge. But once you broke down the doors, it was relatively open and welcoming. The always-smiling Lucas Docking was one of the gatekeepers, so it was no surprise to find that he was the engine room behind the recent 20-year reunion for, what we now know, was the final Holden Racing Team championship in that guise.

Docking contacted Mark Skaife, fresh off his 30-year Gibson Motorsport party, team leader Jeff Grech, and the mastermind of the whole thing, John Crennan, with the idea of organising a reunion of all team members from the ‘winningest’ season (2002). Skaife sealed his third title in a row and went backto-back at Bathurst as well.

All four were on board, and it was organised for the Richmond Public House two weeks after Bathurst. All team members were invited, as were many many of the team’s associated business partners.

According to Crennan, the celebration lived up to expectations from the time the green flag dropped. The race was on to recall all memories of Holden’s most championshipwinning team ever. After two hours of mixing, mingling and a few adult beverages, Lucas Docking played MC and called the 60 attendees together to hear from Crennan, Grech and Skaife.

Attendees heard how 2002 was the pinnacle of all HSV and HRT performances with best record-breaking profitability; $15m-plus record apparel, merchandise and licenced product sales; another Bathurst win; and the fifth consecutive championship title. And, with the ‘satellite’ Kmart Racing that year, the championship scoreboard for the team featured its four cars all finishing in the top five positions in the championship. It is unlikely that record that will ever be matched.

Each speaker spoke on the secret of the team’s success being its people and the unique team spirit, unity, trust and total absence of egos from everyone in every department in the race team to members of the apparel department. Crennan had created a business model that was uncomplicated, transparent and had a nononsense style appreciated by all levels of the business.

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Crennan spoke with fondness about the 10-year reign of the ‘Evil Empire’ and said that, aside from the business model that generated the necessary funds, that success was based on everyone in the team knowing what winning looked like. He compared that era to the past 10 years, and the team’s performances, where that same winning way has never been revived.

All speakers complimented the team members’ exceptional commitment and preparedness to put in crazy hours and always put the team first and foremost. There was also no shortage of humour – some hilarious stories of many experiences.

The event was uplifting and appreciated by all attendees and many of their partners, who also shared in the pride of their partners’ contributions to the HRT trophy cabinet.

All attendees agreed the 25th Anniversary would be bigger and better.

The Evil Empire (Clarke’s take)

Many teams in the early-2000s were open and friendly – not the Holden Racing Team.

It existed solely to dominate the sport, and it did. Little did we know the financial and legal issues facing Tom Walkinshaw would pull it apart in a way no opposition team could imagine ...

From its creation in the late 1980s, HRT took a little while to establish itself. A shock Bathurst win in 1990 to team boss Win Percy and Alan Grice took many years to replicate.

And like most things Holden, Peter Brock was at the heart of it, although most of the time only as a driver which, if truth be told, was the only way it would work.

Then it was Craig Lowndes, followed by Mark Skaife on the track that capitalised on the equipment being prepared by a crew headed by Grech and Robbie Starr, with upand-comers like Richard Hollway stepping up to the plate. But before then, people like Ron Harrop-who had been engineering components and Chris Dyer, who crossed the floor from Holden Special Vehicles, helped redefine the team and set it on its path.

The cast felt like hundreds, but in reality, it was only a few more than 50.

Crennan was running the team’s business, which was part of the Holden Special

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Vehicles world, but thankfully independent enough to survive the empire’s demise.

With Lowndes, they won the title and, with young Kiwi Greg Murphy, Bathurst in 1996.

Then Lowndes went away before returning after just The big ones ... Bathurst 2001, with Tony Longhurst (Motorsport Images) one year in Europe. and (below) backing up in 2002, with Richo (Image: Mark Horsburgh-LAT).

Skaife arrived that year too, and Murphy was pushed back only to re-emerge soon in the team’s second team – Kmart Racing, which was also known as HSV Dealer Team and took titles and Bathurst wins in the post-Walkinshaw era.

In 2000, Skaife kicked off a run of three days for which we best remember the team. titles and in 2001 took Bathurst with Tony Eventually, I worked with Skaife and Docking Longhurst and then again in 2002 with old on a couple of projects. I know more than I mate Jim Richards. Much of the winning was can tell you here, suffice it to say the team’s done in a car called The Golden Child, and inner workings at its peak would most likely Skaife was very protective of that car and, in have kept it there for a long time had the fact, still is.

Arrows Formula One operation not dragging Walkinshaw’s legal issues saw the team Walkinshaw down. that Crennan had built pulled to pieces.

I feel like I should have got an invite to Three racing teams were for sale, and the celebration even though I didn’t work Holden Motorsport was created as a standfor them. I did pierce the inner workings as alone unit to supply equipment and tech to an outsider ... I was allowed to stand in there the Holden teams. John and Margaret Kelly and peer over their shoulders. bought Kmart Racing, featuring their son, That is when, for me, the team grew to be Rick, and Greg Murphy. But Holden Racing more than just a set of stellar results.

Team was the big prize, which eventually fell Andrew Clarke with John Crennan to Mark Skaife after a bid from Roland Dane’s HOLDEN RACING TEAM 1990 TO 2002 Triple Eight Race Engineering was rejected.

BATHURST WINS Contrary to the popular view at the time, 4 (1990, 1996, 2001, 2002) Skaife did actually buy the thing. He fronted up CHAMPIONSHIP WINS with money, borrowed from a bank, and he did 6 (1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002) so because he didn’t want to see it dismantled.

SANDOWN/QUEENSLAND 500 WINS Walkinshaw eventually regained control of 3 (1996, 1997, 2000) Holden Motorsport and set his eyes on HRT, ADELAIDE 500 WINS which he got in time for the 2009 season.

6 (1999, 2000 x2, 2001, 2002 x2) But it is what was built in the Evil Empire

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SKAIFE ADMITS HE WAS HARD ON GODDARD TIMOTHY W NEAL AFTER ZANE Goddard went off at The Chase during October’s Bathurst 1000, the young driver received some scathing backlash surrounding his attempt to re-enter the track, particularly from Mark Skaife and Neil Crompton over the live broadcast.

The comments and reaction caused Russell Ingall to defend Goddard online as the backlash was extremely harsh.

Ingall then wrote a column in AUTO ACTION’s latest digital and print magazine, where he criticised the commentators for making snap judgements without the facts: “…in sports, experts who have opinions need to be very careful about how they comment on incidents like this. To ‘pull the trigger’ without immediately knowing the full fact’s can be very damaging to an individual,” Ingall said in his column.

On the live broadcast, they were highly critical of the young driver, mentioning that he was recklessly hard on the throttle when in actual fact the Tickford garage data proved otherwise.

“He’s into it and he’s emerged back on out of control with nowhere for them to go. That is a massive shunt, and seriously, you can’t rejoin out of control,” Skaife said at Bathurst.

“Yeah that’s dead set ordinary…he drives off the road, picks up the throttle to try and scramble back on. But look

how wet and muddy it is, now he can’t steer, so he steers straight into the side of Heimgartner and straight into Campbell,” Crompton then replied, with both of them using a harsh tone towards Goddard.

On the Gold Coast 500 broadcast just prior to Practice 1, Skaife had this to say on the matter and conceded he may have been harsh.

“I was probably a little bit hard on Zane

Goddard, the first part is that when you go off the road at The Chase the first thing in a racing drivers mind is getting back on the road as quickly as you can, the problem was that he couldn’t control the car through the dirt and the mud to get back out,” Skaife said.

“So I feel sorry for him, and the reaction that came as a consequence after it, and all the social media stuff that has just been totally out of order with the way that people have treated him.

“So he’s a racing driver, he’s a young bloke, he’s a great young guy, and he made a little mistake.

And at the end of it, there was no intention for him to join back in out of control like that.

“So as you said the incident was massive, and I felt really sorry for those couple of guys that didn’t know where Goddard was going to come back out, and the damage was very big.”

In his ‘Opinion column’, Ingall also asked people to think about their critical judgements before brandishing them in public: “To those of you who chose to smash up Zane online, or indeed have done the same to others in the past, have a good think about it. Zane has an impressive national and international racing record but he is also still a human being.

He was clearly devastated by what had happened and immediately apologised to the other teams and drivers involved.”

RACING TOGETHER PUTS INDIGENOUS YOUTH ON GRID

NOT-FOR-PROFIT motorsport organisation Racing Together, continues to open doors for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youngsters within the sport.

In 2020, motorsport heavyweights Garry and Monique Connelly created Racing Together to address the nearly non-existent levels of participation by Indigenous youth in motorsport and has just selected a new cohort of entrants.

The new Racing Together Team of Indigenous boys and girls aged between 12 and 17 were welcomed following a recent Open Day in Townsville and they will build, prepare and race a car in the Queensland Excel Racing Series, while also completing their education.

Team members will not only be responsible for the racing aspect, but also engineering

and mechanics, workshop management, and running the team’s social media accounts.

The Open Day in Townsville saw applicants for the program undergo a series of evaluations and tests, being assessed on topics such as reaction times, dexterity, mechanical and driving skills, to learning media interview training.

Current Australian rally champion Harry Bates was in attendance to give the students an insight into careers in motorsport, racing safety, and to offer driving tips.

The inaugural Racing Together team was formed following an Open Day in late 2020 at Norwell Motorplex, where more than 100 applicants were put through their paces in a range of tests before the final 10 were selected to build and compete a car in the

Queensland Excel Racing Series.

Some program participants have been able to gain full-time employment at the highest level, including Tristian MitchellDelaney and Braedyn Cidoni, who have taken on roles in Supercars teams at Dick Johnson Racing and Triple Eight Race Engineering respectively, while Ryan Jenyns has also secured an apprenticeship at a local automotive workshop.

DJR team member Mitchell-Delaney said the program had helped provide him with unique opportunities to kickstart his career in the motorsport industry.

“The Racing Together program has been a fantastic experience for me; without it I likely wouldn’t be working with Dick Johnson Racing right now,” he said.

“The experience you gain from this program goes beyond just racing a car, it really provides you with knowledge and experiences across a range of motorsport topics.

“It’s great to see the program continue in Townsville, and I look forward to seeing the next bunch of Indigenous kids lining up on the grid.”

Prior to starting Racing Together, Garry and Monique Connelly had discussed many different ways to improve Indigenous participation in Australian motorsport.

The pair were inspired in part by Lewis Hamilton’s comments promoting

increased diversity in Formula 1 in the wake of Black Lives Matter protests during the 2020 season.

Racing Together started later that year and Connelly said the program has been “an outstanding success.”

“Apart from the fact that we’ve got 10 kids who have formed the team, we’ve now put over 100 kids through our two-day course at Norwell that involves not only driving skills but classes on social responsibility, road safety and first aid,” he said.

“So those kids have had an experience of motorsport which they, as indigenous kids, wouldn’t have had. But the ultimate goal is to equip these kids so that they can get a job in the automotive and motorsport industry, and we’ve succeeded in getting three of them jobs already.”

He said that the most satisfying part of the program was seeing the development of the participants not as young members of a racing team, but as people.

“I think I’m most proud of the development of these kids as human beings, showing great leadership potential and working together as a team, learning new skills, doing things they couldn’t even imagine doing 18 months ago,” Connelly said.

“My wife and I have confidence in the program, and we’re really proud that we’re getting some big corporates like Toyota on board, letting us expand up to Townsville.”

DRIVERS VOICE CONCERNS OVER BUNDLES AFTER SMASH-UP

By Thomas Miles THE FINAL race of the Boost Mobile Gold Coast 500 was marred by a sickening crash, with a tyre bundle being the centre of the trouble.

Todd Hazelwood, James Golding, Broc Feeney, Lee Holdsworth, Nick Percat and Macauley Jones were all wiped out in an instant, while James Courtney and Thomas Randle, also sustained heavy damage, but the Tickford team was able to get them both back out.

All drivers were okay, but some voiced their anger about the use of tyre bundles.

The first driver to share their thoughts on the Supercars TV broadcast was Courtney, who revealed the drivers’ concern about tyre bundles causing such an incident.

“That is why we as drivers lobby so hard to get rid of tyre bundles because that is pretty much what caused it all,” he said.

“I am not sure what happened in front, but there were just cars blocking the track.

“I tried to stop, the initial impact was not too bad, but then I got cleaned up from the rear.”

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Percat had a similar view, believing in 2022 tyre bundles should be a thing of the past.

“It is a shame to have so many cars out and I think in this day and age we are a bit over tyre bundles,” he said.

“Obviously he (James) has lost a car, but he should not have to pay a price like that because we use old rubbish tyres that are ratchet strapped to the track.

“It’s Disappointing we use a used tyre from a garbage bin and we write-off six cars.”

The incident appeared to be triggered by Golding, who straight-lined the final turn of the Beach Chicane and collected the tyre bundle, which in-turn was kicked onto the racing line and was collected by several other drivers in the chasing pack.

Will Brown and Thomas Randle were the first onto the scene and caught the tyre bundle, but behind them chaos unfolded as the likes of Courtney, Holdsworth, Feeney and Percat had nowhere to go and careered into the stricken Golding.

A shaken Golding held his hand up taking blame for the incident when interviewed by Supercars TV. “I am all good, but really unfortunate and disappointing for the team.

“My mistake, human error. Got too high on the kerb and when I came out of it, I just couldn’t recover.

“I am sorry for all of the other drivers and teams involved.”

The impact was so heavy Jones’ BJR Commodore caught alight, but Golding, Feeney and Percat all grabbed the fire

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extinguishers to assist the #96 driver.

“It was a big impact, and the fire extinguisher going off isn’t a good sign,” said Jones after returning to the pits.

“It was a pretty big train actually, and they all started slowing down…I saw brake lights, that’s all I could see.

“I saw the back of Nick, and he grabbed on the brake in the chicane, and I pretty much did the same.

“We were both left with nowhere to go, Golding was sitting there and Nick hit him, and I hit Nick up the arse.”

The track was jammed and the red flag was brought out for the sixth time in 2022 with races in Tasmania, Perth, Darwin, Tailem Bend and Pukekohe also suspended due to major incidents.

The smash up was bad timing for the teams involved, all of which have a tight deadline to meet to get the new Gen3 cars ready for 2023, whilst only one round remains for the current generation of cars and championship.

A shattered Tickford CEO, Tim Edwards, said his team is working huge hours just to keep the current cars clean, and with some caught up in the crash, the task will not get any easier.

“The reality is we aren’t head down in Gen3 cars because were are flat out keeping these cars on the track,” he said.

“It has taken a huge toll on the team. There is a financial cost, but also a cost on the staff.

“They’ve worked 18-20 hour days to get the (Courtney) car built from Bathurst.”

TOP DRIVERS BACK BUNDLES

By Thomas Miles NOT FOR the first time, tyre bundles went under the microscope when Supercars raced around the Gold Coast last weekend.

For a record equalling sixth time in the 2022 season, a red flag paused a Supercars race after six cars were wiped out in a massive crash at the Beach Chicane early in Sunday’s race.

The incident was caused by James Golding misjudging the left-right section, collecting the tyre bundle, kicking it onto the racing line, before the PremiAir driver came to rest on the exit of the high-speed section, leaving the chasing pack with nowhere to go and blocking the circuit.

The crash brought tyre bundles back into sharp focus, which have been a part of the Surfers Paradise streets for almost the entirety of the track’s existence.

In 2011 Supercars infamously replaced them with rubber bollards, which only lasted the one event after multiple stoppages as they only enhanced the issue with cars regularly kicking them out of place.

Bundles have been in place ever since, but were brought back under sharp focus as the likes of James Courtney and Nick Percat expressed their anger after being impacted by the big crash.

However, replacing tyres is not a view shared by all of the grid with the top drivers backing bundles.

“That (replacing bundles) is probably a bit of an emotional comment, tyre bundles are nothing new and I think we all agree they are a good solution instead of the electronic sensor,” said DJR’s Will Davison.

“They are behind the sausage kerb which is there to prevent us from using the kerb. I do not think there is an issue with the tyre bundles.

“But they are part and parcel at street tracks, they will cause an accident if you are coming in hot into the chicane and do not abort the last apex “I don’t think getting rid of them will be the ultimate solution.”

The man, who swept up the Surfers Paradise streets, Shane van Gisbergen, also believes tyre bundles should stay. “(In) the accident today (bundles) probably did not contribute,” he said.

“I think the bundles are probably our best option.”

Poster Design Terragrafix 0419 874 299 ~ Image courtesy Chris Carter

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TOP FUEL, ADRC READY FOR WILD WEST AUSTRALIA’S FASTEST and wildest racers will soon be on their way to Western Australia’s Perth Motorplex, as the Burson Auto Parts Australian Top Fuel Championship and the Australian Drag Racing Championships get ready to entertain at the 48th annual Goldenstates across November 11 and 12.

Six 12,000+hp nitro-powered Top Fuel Dragsters will be joined by a field of the popular ADRC Top Doorslammers and Top Fuel Motorcycle racers to lead the entertainment.

There will also be plenty of other impressive vehicles of all shapes and sizes from the Summit Racing Equipment Sportsman Series and WA Drag Racing Championships.

In addition to the interstate battles, the third round of the 2022/2023 Top Fuel, ADRC Top Doorslammer and ADRC Top Fuel Motorcycle titles will no doubt put on a grand spectacle.

Upping the ante even further is the running of the postponed Top Fuel and Top Doorslammer finals from the previous round in Alice Springs after that event was brought to a premature close.

This means WA race fans are guaranteed intense racing from start to finish, with the second qualifying run to be held on Friday evening for both Top Fuel and Top Doorslammer.

This will double as the Alice Springs A and B Finals and Burson Auto Parts Australian Top Fuel Championship.

ADRC promoter, Andy Lopez, said the jammed schedule shapes up to be an event not to miss.

“The race fans of Western Australia are in for an absolute treat on November 11 and 12,” he said.

“The Perth Motorplex is an absolutely fantastic facility and a perfect venue for showcasing the raw power and mindblowing spectacle of Top Fuel, ADRC Top Doorslammer and ADRC Top Fuel Motorcycle.

“Local heroes will take on interstate challengers in what is guaranteed to be an absolutely wild show over two big nights.

“With the second round of qualifying on Friday night also hosting the finals from Alice Springs for Top Fuel and Top Doorslammer, the intensity is going to be

through the roof.

“The Goldenstates is one of the biggest events on the WA motorsport calendar and we couldn’t be more excited to be part of what is set to be an epic show at the Motorplex next weekend.”

Taking to the track will be all of the superstars of the Burson Auto Parts Australian Top Fuel Championship, including two-time reigning champion Peter Xiberras.

Xiberras will be looking to fend off former champions Phil Lamattina, Phil Read, Damien Harris and Wayne Newby, while series newcomer Shane Olive will be one to watch after he secured his first Top Fuel win during last season’s round of four.

Also set to impress is the 11-time Doorslammer champion John Zappia, and ADRC’s Top Doorslammer winner from round 1, Kelvin Lyle. Last year’s Goldenstates winner Stuart Moresby,

and defending ADRC title winner Daniel Gregorini will also be among the major draw-cards.

On two wheels, Top Fuel Motorcycle will be headlined by big names such as round 1 ADRC Top Fuel Motorcycle winner Rob Cassar, local heroes Mark Drew and Jay Upton, and the world’s fastest amputee, Benny Stevens.

The Goldenstates will be held across November 11 and 12.

FERRARI UNVEILS NEW HYPERCAR AT IMOLA TIMOTHY W NEAL FERRARI HAS unveiled its new endurance LMH type Le Mans hypercar at Imola, where it went around the track alongside the new 296 GT3 racer.

With an eye to take on the 2023 Le Mans, it marks Ferrari’s return to top tier endurance racing some 50 years after the 312P’s last run in 1973.

Ferrari abandoned its sports car endurance efforts to focus on its ailing Formula 1 program after a sustained lack of competitiveness.

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The new hypercar will make its debut in March where it will contest the 1000 Miles of Sebring at the Sebring International Raceway in Florida, America.

Since it’s not an LMDh type, Ferrari was able to develop its own chassis for the 499P, whereas the LMDh chassis must come from either the Dallara, Multimatic, Ligier or Oreca manufacturers.

It tops out at 670 horsepower and uses a hybrid system like the LMDh: It is however – unlike the LMDh models – a four wheel drive, with an Xtrac sevenspeed sequential transmission, which

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sends power form the gas engine to its rear wheels, while a differential splits the torque from the single ratio electric motor upfront.

The 499P derives its name from the Ferrari racing tradition, a reference to the displacement of its 2992-cctwin turbocharged V-6 that shares the architecture of the engine found in the new 296 GT3.

The engine has however been reworked to also fulfil its purpose as a loadbearing piece of the structure of the 499P. The electric motor situated at the front

axle is powered with a 900v battery pack, and is charged with an ERS (Engine Recovery System) that recharges in deceleration and braking with no external power required.

The concept for the new hybrid started with simulated tests in late 2020, before a relatively quick turn around to its build and its testing. And while it has more relation to a Ferrari’s F1 in terms of its aero and chassis, the new GT3 was a big influence in its internal design and performance, and the two machines were tested alongside one-another.

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NEW SERIES TO FUEL DESIRE TO GO RACING

The sun will rise to a new Motorsport Australia series in 2023.

WITH GROWING desire to go racing, there will be a new addition to the national motor racing scene in 2023 with the introduction of the Motorsport Australia Trophy Series.

The new Trophy Series will add more track time to the calendar and provide further opportunities for the many categories to race on Australia’s best circuits.

The new series will hold its inaugural season at three of the top dedicated race tracks in Australia.

It makes its debut at Sydney Motorsport Park on June 16-18 before heading north to the recently redeveloped Queensland Raceway on the first weekend of August, while the season finale will be held at The Bend Motorsport Park in South Australia on October 13-15.

These races will coincide with SpeedSeries events to provide back-toback racing for the benefit of fans and competitors alike.

Motorsport Australia Director of Motorsport and Commercial Operations

Michael Smith, said the Trophy Series has been created thanks to a strong desire for more racing opportunities.

“We’ve been in discussion with a wide range of category managers who have said they are eager for more track time to expand their calendars and provide as much racing as possible to their competitors,” Smith explained.

“Given that level of interest, we’re thrilled to be confirming the debut of the Motorsport Australia Trophy Series in 2023. This will provide categories with

even more opportunities to go racing at iconic circuits around the country.

“Most of the events will also take place either side of the SpeedSeries events, which means logistically we can set up at venues for both events and will have staff in place to deliver both race meetings efficiently and sustainably.

“The category line up for the Motorsport Australia Trophy Series is already close to capacity, so there’s real interest there for these events and we know they will be a great success in 2023 and beyond.”

NEW AORC SEASON LOCKED IN

The Tatts Finke Desert Race will serve as the third event in a five-round season in 2023.

Photos:Dakar Press Team Australia AFTER A thrilling finish to the 2022 BFGoodrich Motorsport Australia Off Road Championship season in Kalgoorlie, the next chapter of the category has been confirmed.

The 2023 season will be held across five rounds in multiple states and territories with many of the same events featured this year making a return.

The new AORC season commences with a brand new event in March.

For the first time the championship heads to the regional town of Charters Towers, situated just south of popular Supercars destination Townsville.

The season will commence in style with the Gold City 450, with crews to complete three sections of the challenging course.

Six weeks later the field will head to the

The Kalgoorlie Desert Race will once again host the fifth and final round of the 2023 season 2022 season opener, the Pooncarie Desert Dash.

Positioned just north of the New South Wales and Victorian border, the event run by the Sunraysia Motorsport Club was a hit amongst crews and officials as eventual champions Ryan Taylor and Key Floyd

secured the first win of their successful year.

The third round of the season will be the crown jewel, with the Tatts Finke Desert Race to again take place in its traditional slot on the King’s Birthday long weekend in the middle of June.

To give crews a chance to rest and recharge the batteries after the iconic event, a six-week break will precede the Loveday 400.

The fourth round is renowned as one of the most challenging events on the calendar, and to accommodate for this, another lengthy spell is allowed before the series heads west for the season finale, the Kalgoorlie Desert Race.

As one of the three rounds that made its successful national debut in 2022, the Western Australia event was a hit amongst crews and created the perfect backdrop for what ended up an exciting end to the championship title fight and will do the same this October.

Motorsport Australia’s Managing Director of Motorsport, Michael Smith, was pleased with the 2023 calendar and is excited for the return of racing on March 10-12 in 2023.

“We are extremely happy as to how the

calendar turned out with five rounds, as it covers five different states and territories,” Smith said.

“Having Loveday, Pooncarie and Kalgoorlie receive such positive feedback following their first year on the calendar was a major boost for the AORC. I’m sure crews are keen to get back out there and have another crack at these events now that they are familiar with them.

“The success of each new event should give crews the confidence that Charters Towers will be able to achieve a similar outcome and provide an event that will meet the high standards of the rest of the championship.

“We’re also pleased that there is a good amount of rest between each event, giving crews plenty of time to recover between each round and I am hopeful that this will allow for more crews to attend each round.

“Obviously it’s disappointing to have lost the Rainbow Desert Enduro for the 2023 season, however it is completely understandable as to why the Victorian Off Road Racing Association chose to withdraw and we support its decision and hope to see them again soon.”

2023 AORC CALENDAR ROUND 1: 10-12 March - Gold City 450 - Charters Towers, Queensland ROUND 2: 21-23 April - Pooncarie Desert Dash - Pooncarie, New South Wales ROUND 3: 10-12 June - Finke Desert Race - Alice Springs, Northern Territory ROUND 4: 28-30 July - Loveday 400 - Loveday, South Australia ROUND 5: 19-22 October - Kalgoorlie Desert Race - Kalgoorlie, Western Australia

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HISTORIC SANDOWN

THUNDER TO DESCEND ON SANDOWN SANDOWN RACEWAY will come alive this weekend as more than 300 classic cars will take on the circuit in a journey back in time for a special Historic Sandown event.

This year’s running of Historic Sandown will be special for a number of reasons with the event celebrating “30 years of Thunder” and a big comeback from the dark days of COVID-19.

In total around 310 cars will compete in 11 classes, ensuring there is something to cater for all tastes from open wheelers to Bathurst winners.

MG and Invited British Sports Cars, HQ Holden’s and Formula 5000s will open proceedings.

Jaguar E-Types celebrate its 60th anniversary, while there is two Historic Touring Cars categories and Sports Sedans will put on a show with a national round.

Other classes that will be on show are Formula Ford, Group S, PQR Racing and Q and R Sports, M and O Sports, plus J, K, Lb, Formula Lee and Invited.

Despite this year’s event marking a breakaway from the challenging COVID-19 restrictions, Victorian Historic Racing Register treasurer Ian McLennan said one popular aspect cannot go ahead.

“Unfortunately we are not going to use the Red Hill viewing area because it is too wet and impossible, but we will make alternative arrangements at the top end of the circuit behind the grandstand” he said.

However, with so many beautiful machines with rich racing history, the 30th edition of Historic Sandown shapes up to be one of the biggest yet.

Friday opens proceedings with practice, before qualifying and the opening race takes place on Saturday, while two races conclude the big event on Sunday, while catering facilities will be open.

Thomas Miles

RECORD BREAKING SHELBY HEADED FOR SANDOWN HISTORICS TERRY LAWLOR’S Shelby GT350 will be one of the many attractions to feature at the Sandown Historic 30 Years of Thunder on November 4-6.

It first raced in America between 1966 and 1971 in American club racing, but its history of historic victories has since been staggering.

Lawlor took it to the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion at Laguna Seca, America’s largest historical race meeting, where he stormed to victory over his yankee rivals in 2015 and 2016. He also raced it at the Indianapolis Speedway and at the Classic Daytona 24 Hour.

“We took it to Monterey to compete against the yanks where we beat over 40 of them,” Lawlor said fondly.

“We started the pre-union at Laguna Seca the week before and qualified it in 17th, and then they started telling me how I should be racing on the track. Before they knew it, we were climbing up the spots and then took out the victory which was really special …they stopped talking to me after that.”

In Australia, Lawlor has raced this particular car in Group S Sports cars since 2013, where it has broken lap records at Bathurst SMP, Phillip Island, and Sandown itself, where it’s in its element on the two big straights.

At the Sandown Historic it will race in the Historic Touring Cars Group Sb, for sports cars built between 1961-1966.

“We love racing at Sandown, it’s a big

horsepower track that really suits the Shelby. She loves to stretch her legs out there,”Lawlor continued.

“Last year was quite wet so hopefully it dries up a bit, and it’ll be great to race in front of some fans, which was really something that was missing last time around. Because you can see the whole track, it’s a really great grandstand.”

“We’ll be racing against other Shelby’s and some big-block Corvettes, so it’ll be stiff competition to say the least, but hopefully we’ll prevail.”

Other classic categories running at the event are the Historic Formula Fords, Formula 5000s and HQ Holdens.

TW Neal

SPORTS SEDAN TITLE HEADS FOR SANDOWN SHOOTOUT AFTER FOUR rounds of action from the Precision National Sports Sedan Series, its Sandown finale at the 30 Years of Thunder event on November 4-6 is down to a tight two-horse race.

Jordan Caruso’c consistency has had it over Steve Tamasi this year, with the back of Caruso’s Audi A4 becoming a familiar sight.

Tamasi has stuck fast however, scoring consistent podiums in the Holden Calibra to sit only 27 points back on the #4 Audi A4, with 135 points on offer.

Caruso – aiming for his first National title – told Auto Action that winning it would be a great satisfaction: “It would really solidify what we’ve tried to do all year.

John (Gourlay) and the team have really worked hard on the car, they’re constantly chipping away at it to make it super reliable. So it’ll be a relief, and a great testament to all the hard yards.

“But I’m feeling very confident, the cars been great all season so I’m sure we’ll have the pace. It’s a matter of finding the limits in practice for Sandown in the Audi, last time I raced there I was conscious of staying away from the kerbs. It can be a matter of creeping up on them and seeing how the car reacts.

18 I www.autoaction.com.au

“The ones through two and three though, if you can push the limits there’s a heap of time to be had though them. But generally the car’s just too low and stiff, so mostly I’ll be avoiding them.

Shane Woodman still holds third over Michael Robinson following the SMP hit-out in September, when the field battled it out for the perpetual Des Wall Trophy, which series leader Caruso took home.

Woodman was able to put a larger gap on Robinson for that third place, now holding a 68 point buffer heading into the Sandown Historic round.

Young Mason Kelly, son of former Bathurst 1000 winner Todd Kelly, will once again take to the grid, after managing to sit mid-table following his first three outings.

This time however, Kelly will be racing in his fathers former Supercars Nissan Altima L33 that was used under the Kelly Racing banner between 2013-2017.

The field will be a mixture of Victorian State series entrants and regulars from the national series, with a few additional MARC Cars making the grid, including that of Vic State front-runner Tony Groves.

Currently there’s 23 cars entered with time for more entrants, whilst some national regulars won’t make it due to conflicting events.

Shane Bradford in his Chev Camaro and Ashley Jarvis will make the trip down from Queensland, though Supercars driver Andre Heimgartner is unable to attend after a strong showing at the SMP. 300 entrants are confirmed with a large array of categories, both modern and historic, with displays celebrating 60 years of the e-type Jaguar and MGB cars.

TW Neal

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 I’VE NEVER had the pleasure always been in this country. of meeting Peter Adderton. And “We had the stakeholder forum, we 12 months ago I would not have then had the survey, and then we recognised him if he knocked on 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.

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 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 ones as sort of a mixed Image: ANDREWfor CLARKE remains as close as possible to its grid and that would happen a roots. period, broadly speaking, I’d be blonde lady I think I’d ever seen.

Frankly, Supercars can learn a “Formula 4 didn’t work here,” he anticipating that it’d be three to five This self-confident chap is met by lot from Adderton right now when admitted. “It’s clear, people are very years, something like that. similar-looking fellow. They soon it comes to drawing attention and passionate abouta Formula Ford Racing “I guess ultimately, it depends on the hotfoot it down pitlane to a garage “Our thinking is have it as an take up entertaining. of any newThe car.series DM would

BOOSTING INTEREST AA’S COLUMNIST CAN’T GET ENOUGH OF PETER ADDERTON

with Luke West

my front door. occupied by the other team with a be vastly more interesting for his Different story now, as Boost Honda Accord entered in the race, presence. Stanaway’s too.

Mobile’s founder has harnessed driven by Robb Gravett and another Aside from the cars spectacularly the power of social, specialist and Pommy bloke. I’m informed this is a hopping through the triple increasingly the mainstream media mission to procure the spare engine chicane – too spectacularly early in of the illustrious names that won in the ONE OF the country’s longest serving to make himself Oz motorsport’s @padderton Insta post showed him and Kiwi production cars. It’s about from the Rock-it Cargo Accord Sunday’s race, as it turns out – last category administrators Margaret Hardy category.

‘Addie Everywhere’. Bless him. sporting a Boost Mobile Racing 8pm on the Friday night of race – the only one available in the weekend’s racing was lacklustre.

Hardy assisted all of these drivers on passed away from cancer on Thursday Truth be known, I almost can’t get 2023 t-shirt shaking hands with weekend and I’m still at the track country, supposedly – to get Mark There was almost a complete lack their route to Australia’s top-level.

August 19. enough of this master marketer and Jamie Whincup, having purchased assisting my mate Anthony Robson, Adderton back on track Saturday to of compelling storylines and only She was liked by all who knew her Hardy was involved in motor racing agitator right now. The energetic and a Triple Eight-built Gen3 Camaro. whose ex-Tony Longhurst BMW 318 complete enough laps to qualify. marginally more passes. This has in the industry which is why the motor for decades and was known for her enigmatic racing enthusiast is central One of his mantras is “the man is being readied for Sunday’s race.

Being a seller’s market, I hate to to change. Fast. Endless discussion sport community is sad to hear of her dedication to Formula Ford. to the most intriguing storyline in who wins, is the man who thinks In truth, because I’m useless think how many zeroes were on about track limits and tyres coming passing.

Hardy joined the Light Car Club as Supercars right now – his drive to he can.” At the very least, the man with anything mechanical, I’m the cheque handed over by Peter up to pressure won’t return the During her time in the category, the office manager and began working get a Boost-branded team on the knows how to get noticed and just hanging around pitlane Adderton that chilly early October sport to past levels of popularity. she was named a Life Member of the with the Australian Formula Ford grid full-time in 2023. It’s all part make things happen. The man also gossiping about who might and night, but at least the Honda got The youth-orientated Boost Formula Ford Association. championship 1978, doing paperwork of his pet project of championing knows how to make an entrance, as might not make the race. There’s back on track the next day … only Mobile brand’s title sponsorship of Formula Ford Association for the category throughout the ‘80s.

Richie Stanaway’s full-time return I learned when he first came to my a lot of conjecture whether Mark to crash after a couple of laps. No the Surfers Paradise event and its representative Phil Marinon said Early in the following year she became while, erm, boosting Boost Mobile’s attention way back in 1998.

Adderton’s Honda Accord will start big deal, the famed TAFE Smash many, many creative activations she remained very connected to the the administrator of the category and profile to new heights.

That was when Adderton was as it lunched its remaining engine a Repair team had it ship-shape for provided a blueprint for attracting category. was tasked with organising national Adderton’s campaign for a partner in TOCA Australia, the day earlier and hadn’t been sighted Sunday so it could fulfill its destiny new audiences. And God knows 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.

Supercars’ currently dormant 26th mob behind Super Touring in this off Nobbys since. as the first car to retire from the Supercars needs to find a new, rather than looking for accolades. send their condolences. for Formula Ford Association and also She has dealt with many of Australia’s Teams Racing Charter (formerly country, and heavily invested in But wait … who is this knight in 1998 race! crowd. the AFFM including category manager “Margaret was very dedicated to Outsideyounger of Formula Ford, Margaret motor sport stars over the years and a REC, aka franchise) is proving Brad Jones Racing’s Audi A4 team. shining armour driving up pitlane to Anyway, I digress. @padderton If Adderton can’t secure TRC26 also took on roles such as the race for the national competition,” he told all things Formula Ford and has was well-known as a hardworking and to be most entertaining. His push Adderton’s brother Mark raced a save the day? The shining armour clearly a man who makes things 2023, maybe he should consider secretaryforfor Sandown Raceway.

Auto Action. recently assisted isthe association in passionate worker. has ramped up significantly since Honda Accord in ’98, too. is actually a glorious Ferrari F355, happen, so I won’t bet against another way to get Stanaway a Hardy was diagnosed with “Her attention to detail and ability to the production of a book on 50 years In her time as category manager running a wildcard at Bathurst for Let me take you back to that fresh into town after a three-hour Stanaway becoming part of the full-time drive for 2024. Perhaps he Inflammatory Breast Cancer in 2019 support the competitors has been very of Formula Ford in Australia and seven-time Bathurst 1000 winner Craig Stanaway and would-be 2023 team year’s AMP Bathurst 1000, the trip from Sydney. The gleaming red Supercars furniture again full-time. up a seat at Triple Eight and wentcould into open Stage 4 in May. strongly acknowledged on social media disappointingly will not get to see the Lowndes, reigning 1000 victor, Will principal Greg Murphy, with his second and final ‘traditional’ 1000 machine stops in front of a particular Bring it on, I say. by funding Shane van Gisbergen in Auto Action sends its condolences to final result.”

Davison, David Reynolds, Chaz Mostert and is undisputed.

Instagam account getting a damn contested by the two-litre Super pit garage. Out of it hops a dashing I’ll let others decide whether it’s an IndyCar drive? her friends and family. DM “Margaret was a very private person Many Australian racing legends past and Anton de Pasquale are just some good work over. My favourite Tourers and a hodge-podge of local young man and the most glamorous fair on the other teams.

Just a thought…

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

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GOLD FOR AUSTRALIA

MATT CAMPBELL cannot stop winning, with his latest success delivering Australia its first gold medal at the FIA Motorsport Games.

Fresh from his IMSA GTD PRO championship glory, Campbell dominated the GT Sprint medal race at Circuit Paul Ricard, leading from start to finish.

The 27-year-old eventually held off Italy and Belgium by 1.6 seconds to secure Australia’s first ever gold medal at the event.

“This is really cool, it’s nice to get the first gold and the first medal for Australia,” Campbell said.

“It definitely wasn’t easy, the pressure was on the entire way.”

AUSTRALIA FIGHTS HARD TEAM AUSTRALIA battled hard at the 2022 FIA Motorsport Games at the famously colourful French venue, Circuit Paul Ricard.

Team captain Stephen Grove and son Brenton combined to record a P7 finish in GT Cup after charging from the back.

Aaron Cameron battled speed issues to finish 11th in the Touring Cars, while Costa Toparis climbed from 19th to 13th in Formula 4.

Philippa Boquida just missed out on an Esports medal in fourth, while Peter Bouzinelos and Aiva Anagnostiadis failed to finish in Karting Sprint Junior and Karting Sprint Senior respectively.

TOPAIRS FIGHTS HARD IN F4 Young gun Costa Toparis was in the limelight racing a Formula 4 at the FIA Motorsport Games.

Toparis started on the front foot recording a pair of P6 finishes on Friday practice and started the opening race from P10.

Despite losing his front wing in a first-lap incident, the teenager battled as high as seventh, before the damage restricted him to finish 12th.

Toparis was able to finish a tough weekend on a positive note however, working his way through to finish a solid P13 after starting from 19th on the grid in the final race.

20 I www.autoaction.com.au

BOLD UK LEAP FOR AUSSIE YOUNG GUN

JAMES PISZCYK has taken all before him in the Australian Formula Ford series this season, but has elected to follow his open wheel goals to the UK where he hopes to race in the British F4 series.

Piszcyk, 16 years-old, chose to forego the final round of the championship which he led by 11 points to test for Hitech GP, the team that won last year’s British F4 Champion.

Auto Action spoke with Piszcyk who was preparing for another day of testing at the Snetterton circuit (Norwich) in the UK about how the opportunity came knocking.

“At first we were put into contact with Dominic Stott, the Hitech GP Team Manager in England, and after a lot of back and forth we were then put into contact with Adam Gotch who runs the AGI F4 program over here,” Piszcyk explained.

“That was their way of sussing me out in an F4 I guess, and then we got invited to come here to the UK.” The Open Wheel young gun has high hopes of competing in the UK next year, revealing his inner drive that led him to taking this chance.

“We looked at what we could have done in Australia after Formula Ford, and my passion and goals really are for the open wheelers, so we came to the conclusion that our best move was to look to England where they have great F4 programmes,” he continued.

“I’ve not done any racing with wings and big downforce yet, and I wanted the challenge to learn that kind of race craft over here.

“So far we’ve tested at Croft (Yorkshire) and Pembrey (Wales), and then they confirmed two official driver test days for me here in Snetterton.

“It’s been an amazing experience, I absolutely love driving with slick tyres. They’re pretty fast cars to be honest, a lot faster than what I expected. It kind of feels like you’re in an F1 with the halo and the really cool cockpit.

“The experience in the Formula Ford’s has made the transition pretty smooth for me. I’m definitely still getting my head around it, but I felt really prepared through my experiences back home.

“The feedback from the team here has been really

positive. They know I’m getting my head around it, but they said that they like what they’ve seen progress wise, and that I’ve been performing.”

For a young man with big goals and the skill to get himself there, the choice to not finish the season and opt for overseas testing at a high level F4 team seems a bold but logical choice. It was met with some shock within the Formula Ford community and his team at CHE racing, but Piszcyk is extremely grateful for how they prepared him to make this leap.

“It was a really difficult decision to miss the final. Che Racing really developed me as a driver and I couldn’t thank them enough. I wouldn’t be here otherwise, it really meant a lot.

“Ultimately, it led me to being in this position and having this option. It could have gone either way, but I looked into my future and thought this would be more beneficial, to learn about the F4 and really prepare myself.”

Piszcyk is one of a few young Australians that are in the FIA’s European F4 scene, such as Costa Toparis with Carlin F4 in the UK, and Hugh Barter in the Spanish and French F4, who may race F3 next season.

The future of Australian open wheel racing is in very good, very young, yet highly mature and focused hands. The steely determination and straight shooting towards their goals is clear across the board with these kids, and may provide motorsport fans with a great deal of entertainment and international success in the near future.

TW Neal

AUSSIE F4 STAR MAKING WAVES IN EUROPE

IN JUST two seasons of racing, young Japanese born Australian Hugh Barter is on the verge of completing three full seasons in the FIA’s French and Spanish F4 series’.

Auto Action spoke to barter in 2020 when he was a karting prodigy on his way up, and two meteoric years on, he’s believed to have a strong chance of signing an F3 contract with Spanish team Campos.

Even at the age of 14, Barter was fairly sure of his professional direction, with one of aims already coming to successful fruition, that of competing in F4.

He currently races for team Campos in Spanish F4, meaning that a progression into F3 through them is likely given his results. The other common path for F4 drivers is to

enter into the Formula Regional European Championship (FRECA).

Two years on from Auto Action’s chat with Barter, he has wrapped up the 2022 French season with a 10 win, 13 podium season at Paul Ricard on October 14, finishing second overall to Frenchman Alessandro Giusti by 59 points.

However, four of those 10 wins – which came at Spa and Ricardo Tormo in Spain – were deemed ineligible for points due to him racing at the same circuits in the Spanish F4 series. Although that has cost him the championship, the seat time was Barter’s main aim, with him completing nearly 50 races in the space of just 8 months … plus testing.

His Spanish F4 campaign also sees him sitting second with one round to come, having had an epic battle with his close friend and Campos teammate, Bulgarian driver Nikola Tsolov, who went on a ballistic 9 out of 11 race winning streak, whilst Barter collected 5 podiums and two wins.

Barter won his last Spanish F4 race

at the Circuito De Navarra on October third, where he helped his team to the constructors crown.

The final round is at the Circuit de Barcelona on November 13-14, where he sits 93 points behind his teammate, and four points above Polish rival Tymoteusz Kucharczyk.

More impressive yet, was that as a 15 year-old, Barter’s first full F4 season in 2021 in the French F4 series, also had him finishing second in the championship.

The young gun scored two wins and five podiums in that formative series, with his first win on debut in Race 3 a strong sign of things to come. He would miss the title to Frenchman Esteban Masson by just 6 points that year, who has since progressed to the FRECA series.

The most exciting prospect for Australian race fans is that if he does secure an F3 seat next year and skip the FRECA option, which is looking more than likely, then he will feature at the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne.

Aussie motorsport fans will then be treated to Barter in F3, Jack Doohan in F2, and McLaren’s newest signing, Oscar Piastri in the F1.

TW Neal

RED BULL PENALTY GIVES MIXED SIGNALS Image: MOTORSPORT IMAGES THERE WERE always going to be two oppositive views regarding the penalty the FIA would hand Red Bull Racing for breaching the budget cap in 2021: the Austrian team was always going to complain the penalty was too harsh and would put them at disadvantage for the next couple of seasons, while eight of the other nine teams – AlphaTauri, understandably, cannot express a view on this matter – would be left feeling the World Champion team was allowed to get away with murder.

On the face of it, and after carefully reading the FIA document and listening to Christian Horner’s 50-minute dialogue on his team’s complete innocence, it seems reasonable to believe Red Bull got away quite lightly. If it’s true the development of the next two chassis, particularly the 2024 car, will be hit by the

with Luis Vasconcelos

F1 INSIDER 10 per cent reduction of wind tunnel time and CFD capacity usage, it is also clear there were considerable gains in overspending last year’s budget by more than 1.8 million pounds.

Yes, the Cost Cap Administrator went to the trouble of explaining that, had Red Bull’s accountants had done their work correctly, some tax returns would have been included in their submission, to the tune of 1.4 million pounds, bringing the breach down to just over 400,000 pounds, but the penalty awarded was for a breach of 1.8 million pounds.

The list of items in which Red Bull failed to declare the right

amounts was quite extensive – 13 items, no less – and if eight out of 10 teams managed to do their homework right and Aston Martin’s errors didn’t take them over the budget cap, then it’s clear Red Bull had to be punished.

As usual, Horner did a brilliant job at diverting attention, pointing out that, “we won’t stop feeding our people”, revealing “part of the costs we didn’t include were sick payments, because we look after our people in sickness and health.” He also added that the salaries paid by a Red Bull-related company to Dan Fallows, after he was placed on

gardening leave by the Formula One team, weren’t included in the team’s submission but were added by the Formula One Cap Cost administrator.

Horner went on to claim the penalty was, “draconian” – particularly the sporting penalty – but the credibility of his statements lost strength when he mentioned a loss of 10 per cent of aerodynamic development would cost “between 0.25s and 0.5s per lap” and even more when he insisted a fine of US$7 million (A$10.9m) was “massive” and would have “a direct impact on the team’s ability to develop.”

Those two statements had rival Team Principals rolling their eyes as everyone knows Red Bull is in rude financial situation and US$7 million (A$10.9m) is like a drop in the ocean for the company.

Quite a few people, myself included, believed the seven million should have been

deducted from Red Bull’s 2023 allowance, for that would be a real penalty for the Austrian team. As it is, the US$7 million loss is a small hit for such a wealthy company and only the 10 per cent limitation on aero development tools will hurt them.

Which is why I believe the FIA has sent conflicting messages with this penalty – on one side it’s clear that any breach, small as it may be, will lead to a penalty, but, on the other hand, the penalty applied doesn’t seem to punish the perpetrator to the same tune it benefitted them while breaching the Budget Cap. A clearer sign would have been welcome, as there’s enough grey areas already in the Sporting and Technical Regulations – it would be tremendously helpful if the Financial Regulations weren’t one of those areas ...

Luis Vasconcelos

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR PUBLISHER

Bruce Williams bruce@autoaction.com.au 0418 349 555 EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Bruce Williams STAFF JOURNALIST Timothy W. Neal STAFF JOURNALIST Thomas Miles NEWS EDITOR Andrew Clarke FEATURES WRITER Paul Gover PRODUCTION/SENIOR ART DIRECTOR Caroline Garde SENIOR DESIGNER Neville Wilkinson NATIONAL EDITOR Garry O’Brien HISTORICS EDITOR Mark Bisset SPEEDWAY REPORTER Paris Charles ONLINE EDITOR

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email: letters@autoaction.com.au Postal: Suite 4/156 Drummond Street.

Oakleigh Victoria 3166

IT’S END OF THE ROAD FOR DAN IT’S BEEN really disappointing to see Daniel Ricciardo’s decline in Formula 1.

But I think we F1 fans in Australia, and Daniel, have to face the reality that his time is up.

Daniel’s a loveable guy and has been a great ambassador for us on the world stage for a long time now, but nobody can be paid so handsomely and be so comprehensively and consistently outperformed by a young teammate and expect to keep a drive at the top level.

Daniel would be better to retire to a commentary role and be done with it.

After the year he’s had at McLaren, left in the shade by Lando Norris on every measure, he can’t expect that a better team is going to have a seat for him in 2024 after a season out of racing.

Let’s remember him for eight grand prix wins, a fine achievement, but throw our allegiance now behind young Oscar Piastri.

Alan Higgins, Glenelg, South Australia

THE WRONG FORMULA FOR GRAND PRIX FAIR DINKUM, did I really see somewhere that international Formula 2 and Formula 3 is on the programme for next year’s Grand Prix in Melbourne?

What relevance is that going to have to us Aussies?

Who knows or cares what the cars will be? And a whole heap of unknown drivers.

People usually only take any interest in the top five or six drivers in F1, although admittedly Drive to Survive on Netflix has perhaps broadened that out.

But the only interest in F2 and F3 will be if there are Aussie drivers – and how many of them will there be if Jack Doohan goes up to F1 next season? – or if there are some good bingles.

And what’s it all going to cost?

How many planes will it take to bring these ‘shows’ out here. Who’s footing the bill?

Why can’t we just have plenty of our Aussie categories like S5000 and Formula Ford with drivers we know as well as Supercars with F1 at the Grand Prix?

Michael Patterson Geelong, Victoria Publisher’s note: While to those of us that are Formula racing purists will look forward to the spectacle, made more interesting with the likelihood that young Jack Doohan will be competing in F2 again next year, I’m also concerned about the deletion of the local categories that will now not be on show and the massive cost to the event to fly in all the cars…

class was Kevin Mackerell’s Nissan 600Z, an all-wheel-drive vehicle with a 6-litre Earnhart Chev aboard and named Viagra.

The list goes on and many other champions have driven and won titles at Mt Cotton.

But what irks me is that just up the road the Noosa Classic Hillclimb was run over the same weekend.

And that same club runs other events on the same weekends as Mt Cotton.

Seems like the organisations have a beef with one another. It must be a pretty big one, but it isn’t good for motorsport in Queensland.

Mt Cotton is a full-time dedicated motorsport venue, whereas Noosa is on government land, local or state, and used for other purposes.

Why the heck can’t they get together and run a series comprising a Queensland Championship rather than disenfranchising fans!

Grant Currie Macgregor QLD

HILLCLIMBS NEED TO GET TOGETHER

APPRECIATION FOR AA’S CONTRIBUTION

SOME STUPIDITY has gone on in hillclimbing in Queensland recently.

The Australian Hillclimb Championships were finally run at Mt Cotton recently after Covid had earlier caused cancellation.

The event is only held in Queensland every six years, with the championship rotating in each of the states.

Mt Cotton is a hillclimb where the likes of Peter Hollinger in his F1 Repco-engined car competed, as did Paul England in his Ausca twinsupercharged VW, Brett Hayward in his Hayward cars, Peter Gumley in his Wortmeyer SCV and the F5000 Chevron of Ivan Tighe.

Another car of interest which raced in the sedan/sports car

OUR FORMULA 5000 committee and racing members thank Auto Action for its generous support of our Formula 5000 group and the Winton Formula Festival.

The trophies you provided our winners will be a treasured part of the first Rose City Cup 10000 Revival meeting, with it now being declared an annual event.

Paul Zazryn, the recipient of the Spirit of the Event award, was particularly elated, but everyone was pleased to be part of the event.

We were especially pleased with Auto Action’s coverage in the leadup to the event.

It has been a long time since F5000s have appeared with such

SOCIAL DISCOURSE

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a presence and it was exciting for all to be part of not just the Winton Revival but F5000’s re-emergence as a true crowd-pleaser.

We look forward to being a regular part of the breaking news in Auto Action as we begin our race calendar planning for the next 12 months.

So once again Auto Action, and particularly publisher Bruce Williams, thank you for all you have done promoting F5000s and taking the time to attend.

We will certainly be encouraging our members to become regular subscribers to Auto Action.

Rob Splatt – President Peter Brennan – Vice President/ Race Director Formula 5000 Association Australia

SEE YER LATER, BULLY FOR YOU ‘BATHURST BULLIES’ – shame on you Auto Action for that description of the Bathurst 1000 winners on your cover.

You will now save me $9.95 every fortnight! Shame on you. Shame on you.

Richard Gordon (Ex-purchaser of AA) Publisher’s note: Lighten up, Dick.

FOX FRUSTRATION I’M TOTALLY frustrated with Foxtel.

They have been screening the second-grade NASCARs, just when the main game was getting interesting.

I have been following Joey Logano for a very long time and he is going really well and winning races in the Mustang.

I’m very disappointed.

Philip Jones.

Ballarat Auto Action

In post Bathurst wash-up, there was no shortage of debate on Auto Action’s socials about the hot topics in the motorsport world.

ADDERTON’S PUSH FOR NEW TEAM

Simon Redden I think his more modern outlook may be a benefit to the sport.

Wayne Bourke This would definitely throw a cat amongst the pigeons...

Rhonda Quillan-Howett Taking pot shots at Supercars and the current teams isn’t doing him any favours. He’s trying to come through the back door by attempting to build bridges with RACE. Scott Connie Are you sure (the sport doesn’t need him)?

That means Greg Murphy would not have been in a car, same as James Courtney, Broc Feeney, James Golding and Richie Stanaway.

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CALDER ON THE WAY BACK

STRUGGLING DANIEL

Gavin Carr Thunderdome could do wonders I reckon.

We could see the heavy hitters from the USA come out here. Now that I wanna see.

Jonathon Duvall You can’t go from destroying Hulkenberg every race to being unable to keep up with a driver who has never won an F1 race. F1 is a complex business. McLaren no longer has the leadership, culture or ability to build a winning car.

Peter Lion Hope it gets revived. I used to go there in the sixties and seventies to watch Bob Jane, Pete Geoghegan and Allan Moffat race.

Jason Hastings As much as I’d love to see Calder Park back to its former glory, sadly I can’t see it happening.

The houses built around will be the biggest issue.

Kurt Dunn Believe it when I see it, they have said this many times over the years.

Billy Ray Valentine You could see the pain in his eyes. He wanted to say more about it but decided not to.

David Vile He should have had a dog on a leash rather than riding a horse in because that would better represent what he currently drives.

Garth Bosworth I think the artwork on his helmet said enough.

There is no team backing him anymore, it’s just him.

FORMULA 1 NEWS - LUIS VASCONCELOS

THE SCALES OF JUSTICE

RED BULL FINED 9.8 MILLION DOLLARS, DEDUCTION OF DEVELOPMENT TOOLS RED BULL has been fined US$7million (A$9.8m) and received a cut of 10 per cent on their allocated yearly time of wind tunnel usage and CFD capacity, with immediate effect, after being found in breach of the Budget Cap regulations during the 2021 Formula One World Championship.

Aston Martin was also fined US$450.000 (A$700,000) for a Procedural Breach of the Financial Regulations but suffered no sporting penalty and will be able to use its allocated yearly time of wind tunnel usage and CFD capacity in the next 12 months.

In a detailed report, the FIA explained that Red Bull had submitted an expenditure of US$131,951,000 in its accounts but the calculations made by the FIA’s Cost Cap Administrator found out the Austrian team had left out US$6.469,647 that should have been included in their report. That left Red Bull with a total cost that was US$2,151,995 (around 1.6%) over the Budget Cap limit, a calculation the team accepted during its negotiations with the FIA Cost Cap Administrator.

However, the FIA officials also found that Red Bull had left out of its accountancy US$1,651,581 related to tax expenses that should have been included in their accounts and, therefore, concluded that the real breach of the Budget Cap by the Austrian team was of US$500,413, representing 0,37% of the total allowed.

The FIA went on to list the 13 items which its Cost Cap Administrators had found Red Bull had incorrectly failed to include in their accounts – three of them related to Social Security costs, the others being related to catering, non-F1 activities, bonuses, capital gains, apprenticeship levies, costs associated with the use of Power Units, inventories, inclusion of costs related to Red Bull Powertrains, travelling costs and maintenance costs.

The fact that Red Bull was considered very cooperative by the Cost Cap Administrators and even failed to take away from its total cost the US$1.6 million related to tax returns, as it was allowed to do, demonstrated good faith on their part and that has contributed to what can be considered a very light penalty for the Milton Keynes-based team.

Regarding the loss of 10 per cent of wind tunnel time and CFD capacity, it should be noted that the regulations including a sliding scale of time and capacity the teams are allowed to use per year, inversely related to

Image: MOTORSPORT IMAGES their final classification in the previous year’s Constructors’ Championship. While Williams, which will finish last this year, will be allowed to go 10 per cent over the accepted limit of 2000 hours of wind tunnel usage, Red Bull, which has secured this year’s title, would be allowed 70 per cent of that total, i.e. 1400 hours of wind tunnel time, a number that will now be cut to 1260 hours after the penalty is applied.

The same scale is applied to CFD capacity and, related to Ferrari, who will likely finish second in this year’s championship, Red Bull will have 240 fewer hours of wind tunnel time next year and 12% less CFD capacity to use in the next 12 months.

Speaking a couple of hours after the ruling was made public, Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner defended his team in a very passionate statement: “The more draconian part is the sporting penalty, which is a 10 percent reduction on our ability to utilise our wind tunnel and aerodynamic tools. I’ve heard people reporting today that that is an insignificant amount, but let me tell you that is an enormous amount. That represents anywhere between 0.25s and 0.5s of lap time. That comes in from now, it has a direct effect on next year’s car and it will be in place for a 12 month period.”

Asked why the team accepted the penalty, when it had the possibility to take it to

jurisdiction, Horner explained that, “had we dragged it out through the administration process to go to effectively appeal, that could take months and, beyond that, the appeal could have taken further months.

“So we could have been looking at 12 month period to have this situation closed and the amount of speculation, commenting and sniping going on in the paddock, it was in everyone’s interest – our interest, the FIA’s interest and Formula One’s interest – to say we close the book and we close the book here and today ... so we accept the penalties, begrudgingly.”

He then took a direct shot at Mercedes and Ferrari’s bosses for their previous comments: “They have obviously been quick to talk in the media, some of them. I’m sure for them it won’t be enough – I’m sure if you burned our wind tunnel down it wouldn’t be enough.”

As for Aston Martin, the team accepted the fine without making any public comment but its personnel was privately keen to stress it had not overspent over the Budget Cap, unlike Red Bull, and the procedural breach came as a result of a difference of interpretation of these new regulations. Like Red Bull, Aston Martin fully cooperated with FIA and that also explains why, in Formula One terms, the fine was quite minor.

With Mattia Binotto back at Maranello, only Toto Wolff commented on the penalty, saying, “I think the most important thing for

me is that there is a robust governance. They didn’t budge an eyelid, they did just follow the process. I know how rigorous they were with us, all throughout the year.

“That was a difficult process and when I’m seeing 13 positions that were wrong, with us it wasn’t the case. And it’s just good to see there is a penalty, whether we deem it to be too low or too high.”

The Austrian was in conciliatory mood, concluding that, “we’ve now closed the numbers for 2021, let’s see what they do with the 2022 submissions. I think they will have investigated everything right this time, so hopefully it’s enough about this and it won’t happen again with any other team.”

Andreas Seidl, however, was not so magnanimous, after admitting he hadn’t listened to Horner’s 50 minute press brief: “No, I didn’t listen to it because I can imagine it was another fairy tale, probably.

Not really interested in that. In the end, on a positive side I think it’s good to see the FIA did a good job in terms of doing the audit.

Nine teams got it right and it was clear one team was in breach, so that’s a positive outcome.

“But on a negative side, it’s also clear, from my point of view, that the penalty doesn’t fit the breach. I just hope moving forward we have stricter penalties in place.”

Cleary the matter doesn’t finish here...

Luis Vasconcelos

VASSEUR EXPLAINS “AUDI DEAL WAS THE WAY TO GO” THERE’S ALWAYS a ‘worst kept secret of the year’ in Formula One and this season the award goes to the Sauber-Audi deal, that everyone knew about for more than two months but was only formally announced days after the US Grand Prix.

And even then, the German manufacturer only announced that Sauber is becoming a strategic partner from 2026, with the supply of Audi’s Power Units, but didn’t mention the acquisition of a majority shareholding of the Sauber Group, as it’s widely believed 50 per cent of the company is already in Audi’s hands with another 25 per cent changing hands at the end of the 2025 season.

Oliver Hoffmann, the man in charge of Audi’s Formula One program, said that:

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“We are delighted to have gained such an experienced and competent partner for our ambitious Formula 1 project. We already know the Sauber Group with its state-ofthe-art facility and experienced team from previous collaborations and are convinced that together we will form a strong team.”

This was such a momentous occasion that the man who has refused to acknowledge he was the sole owner of the team since the middle of 2017, Finn Rausing, issued a public statement: “Audi is the best strategic partner for the Sauber Group. It is clear that we share values and a vision, and we look forward to achieving our common goals in a strong and successful partnership.”

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Image: MOTORSPORT IMAGES For Team Principal Frederic Vasseur, “the partnership between Audi AG and Sauber Motorsport is a key step for our team as

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we continue to make progress towards the front of the grid. To become Audi’s official works team is not only an honour and a

great responsibility: it’s the best option for the future and we are fully confident we can help Audi achieve the objectives they have set for their journey in Formula One.” In Mexico, the Frenchman explained that, “Audi knows how good our facilities are, how good our wind tunnel is, because they used it extensively in the past for their racing programs. But they’re also aware the team needs investment, mainly in new personnel, but also in some more modern machinery, to be able to compete at the top right from the start of 2026. How much they’ll help us in the next three seasons is yet to be discussed, but I’m sure Audi will do all it can to get to the ground running when they’ll enter Formula One.” Luis Vasconcelos

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FORMULA 1 NEWS - LUIS VASCONCELOS

RED BULL F1 FUTURE SECURE DESPITE FOUNDER’S DEATH

Images: MOTORSPORT IMAGES Images: MOTORSPORT IMAGES DIETRICH MATESCHIT’s passing during the United States Grand Prix will have no negative consequences for Red Bull’s Formula One future, Team Principal Christian Horner said, after his team secured its first Constructors’ title since 2013.

Paying tribute to the Austrian billionaire, Horner insisted that, “the future is set. He’s put in place a very strong foundation for the future.

“And with 2026 Red Bull becoming a power unit manufacturer, that was the missing piece of our jigsaw and he had the vision to enable that to happen. And just as we’ve done with the chassis, we will take that same spirit, his spirit into the future engine company.”

According to sources close to him, Mateschitz became aware he was not going to survive his illness more than 18 months ago and devoted whatever energy he had left to put in place a succession plan that would guarantee both his energy drinks company and the motor sports program would continue to operate exactly the same way he managed since their respective foundations.

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In Austin, after the end of the US Grand Prix, Horner confirmed that information: “Didi set that vision, and he was involved right up until last week. He had the vision, and endorsed the plan, for Red Bull Powertrains, to set the team up for the future, for the long term. And the commitment that he’s shown to that, and what he’s enabled us to create in Milton Keynes, puts Red Bull Racing in a very strong position for many, many years to come.

The creation of Red Bull Powertrains was also good news for the future of Scuderia AlphaTauri, because having a paying costumer is important for any manufacturer, so the Italian squad is set to remain part of the Red Bull family for the long haul.

With the Red Bull young drivers’ program failing to bring up any new drivers to Formula One in recent years – Yuki Tsunoda was the exception but he mainly came via his Honda connection – Mateschitz is said to have been considering selling the Faenza-based team, with Andretti Global and Porsche being mentioned as potential buyers. But

with the need to amortize the costs of designing, building and development of its own Power Unit, Red Bull will want to keep AlphaTauri in the family, using the ‘motorisations’ that will be built in Milton Keynes from 2026 onwards.

It’s the Young Drivers’ Program, however, that may be undergoing some changes soon.

Mateschitz didn’t really appreciate the fact that the likes of Hartley, Kvyat and Albon had to be recalled to Red Bull years after being dumped and, with the need to get Nyck de Vries to join AlphaTauri for next year because none of the five youngsters the company sponsored in Formula 2 was considered ready for Formula 1, none of the four drivers Red Bull will field in Grand Prix racing next year will have come through the company’s ranks.

Regardless of that, Red Bull showed its metal on Sunday in Austin, in what Christian Horner admitted was, “a hugely emotional weekend, when we learned the news of Dietrich’s passing – it was very emotional for the whole team, because he’s such a giant of a man and he’s done

so much, not just for Red Bull Racing, but for Formula 1.”

The way the team reacted to the news, even if it had been expected for the last couple of months, would have made Mateschitz proud, Horner believes: “We felt determined to go out and really honour him in a way that would make him proud. So, there was no black armbands, there was no minute’s silence, there was the embodiment of celebrating him. And the best way to do that, obviously, was the performance on circuit.

“So, after eight long years, we’ve never stopped believing, we’ve never stopped picking ourselves up, brushing ourselves down and never lost sight of what our goals and objectives are, which were to get back onto the top of both World Championships.

“And we’ve done that, and that is testimony to the hard work of all of our staff, the contribution of all of our partners, our suppliers. And just the spirit that he embodied, that runs throughout all of Red Bull that has enabled us to achieve what many people would have thought would be impossible.

FIA REVEALS “PORSCHE ARE STILL IN DISCUSSIONS!” PORSCHE’S HOPES of returning to Formula One by 2026 are still alive, according to FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem.

Speaking at the end of the World Council for Motor Sport that was held in London, the Emirati revealed that, “Porsche are still in discussions with Formula 1 teams”, fuelling rumours that the German is still trying to find a partner to rejoin Grand Prix racing after the negotiations with Red Bull collapsed when the two parties could not agree on who would get control of the race team.

In a statement issued at the end of the World Council for Motor Sport, Ben Sulayem praised the agreement between all parties involved in the discussions regarding the 2026 Power Unit Regulations: “During the Summer, the FIA World Motor Sport Council approved the Formula 1 Power Unit Regulations for 2026. These regulations are the result of extensive research and development by the FIA and consultation with incumbent and potential new PU manufacturers.

The FIA continues to push forward on

innovation and sustainability across our entire motor sport portfolio. The 2026 Formula 1 PU Regulations are the most high-profile example of that mission.”

The FIA president then went on to salute Audi’s commitment to the sport and it was then he made the revelation Porsche is still considering entering the sport in 2026: “At Spa-Francorchamps in August, Audi announced it was joining the FIA Formula One World Championship from 2026 as a Power Unit manufacturer. This announcement was an endorsement of the hard work by all stakeholders to develop those Regulations. We also note that Porsche are still in discussions with Formula 1 teams.”

These words led to a flurry of speculation, with Williams, McLaren, Haas and even Andretti being mentioned in connection with Porsche’s entry. The reality is the German manufacturer seems to need a partner that will be able to contribute to the design and development of parts of its future Power Unit and that was the main attraction of joining forces with Red Bull,

a team that has set its own Power Unit department with the creating of Red Bull Powertrains a couple of years ago.

That criteria would certainly eliminate Haas and Andretti from the list of potential Porsche partners, with McLaren being the most attractive team for the Germans.

But, again, the subject of who controls the team arises, for that was the main reason Audi and McLaren didn’t reach an agreement before the Germans turned to Sauber and there’s no reason to believe the Bahraini owners would now change their mind and give up control of the company that’s been funding for so many years.

For Porsche to take control of McLaren Racing they would have to buy McLaren Cars as a whole and, clearly, that’s

something they’re not interested in.

That leaves Williams as the only real candidate to partner Porsche, even if the company has sold its Advanced Technology company a few years ago.

Still, under Jost Capito’s guidance, Williams still has the connections to partner up with designers and suppliers of Power Unit parts, so if Porsche is really still on course to return to Formula One by 2026, the best bet is that it’s trying to join forces with Williams.

SHORTER AND LIGHTER CARS FROM 2026 FORMULA ONE is already working on the Technical Regulations for the chassis that will be put in place from the 2026 World Championship, after years of discussing the future of the Power Units, with a compromise between the manufacturers planning to compete with the new generation of engines being reached only in August this year.

The FIA and the teams all agree that the current generation of cars is too long, too wide and too heavy, to the detriment of racing, so there’s a general consensus that, from 2026, the sport needs to go back to smaller, nimbler cars that will allow better wheel-towheel racing and facilitate overtaking.

With the regulations regarding the Power Units making sure the next generation of engines is far more compact than the current one – with ‘75-degree‘ V6 engines being mandatory and no MGU-H allowed anymore – the weight and the size of the Power Units will be smaller and lighter.

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While the MGU-H weights only around 5kgs, the entire assembly it requires to function weighs up to 20kgs, so that’s already a serious reduction of weight.

Also, with stricter fuel consumption rules coming into effect and half the power output coming from the hybrid side of the Power Units, fuel tanks will be a lot smaller than the current ones and that has allowed the teams to agree that the wheelbase of the cars will be reduced to 3400mm, taking away between 200mm and 400mm from the current chassis.

A return to narrower cars, reducing the maximum width of the chassis from the current 2000mm to the 1800mm the previous generation of Formula One chassis had, has also been agreed in principle and while that will reduce the amount of downforce generated by the underside of the cars – the ground effect is now the biggest generator of downforce in Formula One – it will increase top speeds, as the cars will generate less drag than now, adding to the

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chances of overtaking.

One area where there is no consensus for now regards the introduction of more mobile aerodynamic devices on top of the existing DRS. On one side there are those who believe fully mobile front and rear wings for the cars following others would increase the chances of overtaking; on the other side is the group which maintains that overtaking shouldn’t be too easy and also fear there could be catastrophic failures of more aerodynamic devices with serious consequence to the drivers’ safety.

For now, the Technical Working Group is gathering as many opinions as possible with the intention of proposing a draft of the 2026 Technical Regulations for chassis by June 30 next year in order to have them ready for publication by the end of October 2023, thus giving the teams more than two years to do all the R&D they need in time for the debut of the new cars less than 30 months later.

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Images: LAT/Motorsport Images, Mark Horsburgh, Dirk Klynsmith, Daniel Kalisz.

FROM FULL-TIME TO PART-TIME...

DESPITE TOTING A MICROPHONE, GARTH TANDER REMAINS A COMPETITIVE BEAST ...

BY ANDREW MACLEAN GARTH TANDER was a fresh-faced kid when he won Bathurst for the first time.

Now he is a relatively old man, at 45 and with two children following in his wheel tracks racing karts.

But the feisty style that helped him to the famous underdog victory with Jason Bargwanna in a Garry Rogers Motorsport Commodore way back in 2000 was just as evident as he raced to his fifth win alongside Shane van Gisbergen in 2022.

The difference is in the experience that allowed him to start fast on a treacherous track among the codrivers, then do the job in the Red Bull Commodore that was bleeding speed

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across the top of the Mountain but was set up to be fast on the straights.

“Leaving the circuit this year on Saturday night, the word in my head was patience. But that would not have been in my calculations in 2000,” Tander told Auto Action.

“This year I was well aware of that.

But back in 2000 I wouldn’t have been thinking that. It was all about getting to the front, to win the race.

“I didn’t know any of that. I didn’t understand it. I definitely didn’t appreciate it. But I was only 23 and it was the first time I finished the race.”

Even though it was 22 years ago, Tander still has some clear memories of that breakthrough victory.

“It was a tough race because it was a wet race,” he said.

“We stayed out of trouble. Which, as a couple of young guys, trying to win our first Bathurst, was a bit surprising.

“I still remember the team did a really good job. We were always on the right tyres at the right time, and we had good strategy.

“Bargs was quicker than me in the wet and I was quicker than him in the dry. So, it flowed and worked.”

The story was much the same this time, with van Gisbergen doing the heavy lifting to get the pair to the front and Tander concentrating on holding position, running quick, and not getting into trouble.

And, through the dying laps, his job was to sit in a puddle of anxiety, with his feet twitching even more than Christian Horner on the Red Bull pit-wall as the Giz fending off his challengers.

Tander will be back for Bathurst in 2023, again with Van Gisbergen, as he continues his transition to a frontline television commentator in Supercars.

“I often say I’m a full-time go-kart mechanic. Scarlett and Sebastian (11 and 9) are both racing karts these days,” Tander said.

His kids would also tell you that his favourite colour is black, and that they are heading to Perth at Christmas to catch up with their grandparents.

But what about Tander and his career?

2009 highlight was taking out the Bathurst 1000 with Will Davison (below).

“ ” The first big Bathurst win – 2000, with Jason Bargwanna.

2007 – Supercars Champion ... fending off one of his toughest rivals – Craig Lowndes.

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We stayed out of trouble. Which, as a couple of young guys, trying to win our first Bathurst, was a bit surprising...

“I see myself as a television person that drives race cars occasionally,” he said.

“When you’re not racing in the championship full-time then you’re not a full-time race driver.

“I certainly hope that’s where my future is, long-term. So, you see that as your primary job.”

Tander has made a brilliant transition to broadcasting, thanks to his intelligence and insights, but it was not his first choice.

In the later days of his Supercars career he was the team leader at Garry Rogers Motorsport after heady days with the HSV Dealer Team and then the factory Holden Racing Team, and planning for a segue into team management.

But then he was dropped as Garry and Barry Rogers took a big bag of cash to insert Richie Stanaway into their team.

“That decision was made for me. I’m still not happy about it,” Tander said.

“I had been there 20 years and felt like I had given a lot to that organisation.

I understand the reasons and the relationship . . . but I think it was done poorly.”

So, was he tempted to continue with the management plan despite the loss of his full-time ride at GRM? “That was still an option, but I felt I couldn’t go forward after that scenario played out.”

Rolling back to the beginning, Tander remembers his start in motorsport.

“It was 1986. I was eight-and-a-half. It was in a kart on a dirt track,” he recalls “Yes, I did win my first race. The fine print will say there were only two of us,

and the other one spun out… But a win is a win.

“I don’t have the trophy, but I still keep the significant ones. Bathurst. The championship.

“There are some other ones. My Formula Ford trophies. Clipsal trophies.”

He rates the Adelaide victories very highly because the races are so punishing, but they are not his favourites.

“My favourite win, other than Bathurst, is Barbagello in 2007. It was pole position and sweeping the weekend. At home. To that point I had never won a national level race at that place.”

“The VE Commodore was clearly a very, very good car, especially the Walkinshaw cars. Our car, in that part of the year, was working exceptionally well.

We were in a pretty confident space.

“Given that it’s your home race, you also grow another foot taller. I’m not sure why that happens. But it’s what we saw with what van Gisbergen did in New Zealand this year.”

When Tander began at GRM he was also working the parts’ counter at Garry Rogers’ Nissan dealership, as Bargwanna drove the delivery van, but he felt like a proper professional in 1999.

“I still wasn’t sure when I joined in ‘98 and I was on a round-by round deal. But I got an opportunity in ’99 and started getting podiums. When you’re racing as a kid and getting results you start to feel like you belong.”

There was definitely a turning point.

“I think it was the first round at Eastern Creek. I was racing against the HRT

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Clipsal 500 Adelaide ...

Below and Bottom:: Bathurst 2011 – Tander/Percat win for HRT. Below right: GRM comeback in 2017, with James Golding – here with Garry Rogers.

cars, with Mark Skaife, and Glenn Seton was up there. I got Larry Perkins and Glenn and put some good moves on them. They couldn’t do anything and that put me into third, and I got a lot of confidence from that.”

Although he was up and away, Tander – not surprisingly – wishes he had known then what he knows now.

“Looking back, I needed to focus more on the mental aspect and not the talent aspect. I was always focussed on trying to make myself better as a driver, where I should have focussed more on getting my head right.

“So, the best rules might not be crashing and burning while trying for first.”

Tander was always smart and was once aimed to be a mechanical engineer.

“If you look at my high school results, I’m not that smart. But my focus wasn’t high school ... it was karting and racing.

“Still, I seem to be able to work a lot of

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stuff out. I understood the engineering aspects of racing. I was thinking about mechanical engineering so I could be a motorsport engineer. And I did a lot of engineering on Formula Fords and then our Formula 3 cars.

“I completely over-prepare and over-engineer the kids’ karts, just because that’s the way I am. They have to be the neatest, the cleanest, the best prepared.”

He also made a smart move in 2005.

“I went to a sports psychologist... Even at that point I felt I didn’t really need this, but he (Anthony Klarica) understood how much better I could be.

“It was a different way of looking at things. He had worked with a lot of AFL

players and tennis players. He had a broad view of sports and performance.

“I spent a lot of time trying to understand the mindset of my rivals and how they drove the car.”

So, what about some of his rivals?

Jamie Whincup?

“He is just relentless. Now, when you look back and look at seven championships, you can see how that worked for him.

“When we were team-mates at GRM I was able to keep the car a lot straighter than him.

But the records will show he was better than me.

“That’s what the records show.

“But probably my most continuous opponent was Craig Lowndes. Even if he started a little earlier.

“I knew even if he was in a championship battle he would still go for broke.”

And Rick Kelly, who was his HSV Dealer Team sidekick and shared a Bathurst win?

“Rick was probably too conservative in too many aspects. In that period when we were at HSV he probably could have achieved a higher win tally if he was more on the offensive.

“But, hey, he won his championship. And as a full-time team mate he was the most enjoyable.”

James Courtney?

“He spent a lot of time running into the back of my car. Yes, I ran into him too, but nowhere near the number of times he ran into me.

“But we can both sit back and laugh about that now. Being bitter about it doesn’t fix anything.”

But his target, as a rival and later as a team mate, was Mark Skaife.

“To be honest, when I joined Clayton and I was at the HSV Dealer Team, I modelled myself on Mark. I wanted to be ’that guy’, and then better than him.

“He was the measure. He was the professional who looked good and drove smart. He had the whole package.

“But then I realised that wasn’t time well spent – trying to be something I wasn’t – and that it wasn’t healthy.

“Joining him as team-mate in 2008 at HRT it was very competitive. Nothing changed, we were just in the same garage.

And I enjoyed that, and I think he did too.”

2020 – Tander’s first Bathurst win sharing with Shane van Gisbergen ... it was close ...

“I look back to Townsville last year, when Neil Crompton was away, and it was a 250kay race and we thought it went quickly.

A lot of people thought we wouldn’t work well, but we’re both professionals.”

Tander’s relationship with the media was different when he was a racer, and it still shows sometimes during the enduros.

“I don’t like answering questions that are masquerading as something else. If there is a question to ask, then ask it. ”But if you’re looking for a clickbait heading, don’t waste my time,” he said.

As for his own approach, he is clear.

“I want to get the drivers to tell you, the viewers, ‘why’. Add that’s why I can potentially ask them questions they are more comfortable to be asked.

“They know I’ve been there before and done it. Not that I’m sympathetic. But I’ve been there and walked the walk.

“My mindset is how can I get the viewers at home to understand more deeply what just took place.”

It’s not racing, but Tander admits he likes the challenge.

“I do enjoy it. To be honest, the most comfortable I feel in the TV world is calling. And it’s the most daunting thing.

“Having the ability to have the follow-up question on the run in an interview is still evolving. And I’ve treated this very much as being a racecar driver.

“So, I look to debrief and improve after every session. It’s now how I do things.”

“As an athlete you always have that. You just divert that into a different aspect of your life.

“The job is never done. You are never complete.”

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MY MATE SHANE ...

NO-ONE knows Shane van Gisbergen better than his Bathurst buddy, Garth Tander.

After twin wins with the three-time Supercars champion, GT has some unique insights.

Not that he’s about to share . . .

GT is just like SvG on that front, something he will admit.

“I’ve never been a massively open book, but I’m probably more open publicly than he is,” said Tander.

“We’re identical on how we like the car. From when we first started, it became evident straight away. We could be quite comfortable knowing if the other driver was developing the car then we would both get an advantage.”

It’s an advantage that allowed them to race hard and fast, all day, at Mount Panorama.

But what about their relationship?

“It genuinely depends on the time of the year. And what shirt I’m wearing. When I’ve got the TV shirt on he treats me like any other reporter.

“When I’ve got my Red Bull shirt I’m inside the tent.

There is no holding back. It is very open.

“We talk a lot about what we do and how to do it, and how we achieve lap time.”

They are frenemies these days, depending on their shirts, but when Tander was still a main-game racer – and rival – things were very different.

“When I was racing full-time we had a strong relationship and a lot of respect. He knew he couldn’t pull the tricks on me that he pulled on anyone else.

“In the early days he got well whacked back. And that fixed that.”

As the co-driver, Tander admits he’s happy to be the wing man for van Gisbergen.

“When you’re the primary driver and have a codriver, the roles and responsibilities are different. I’ve only been a co-driver with him,” he said.

“But I’ve been fortunate to have really, really good co-drivers all the way thought. So I know the role.”

And there is one thing that makes their relationship special.

“The cool thing this year is that he said he is still learning things from me. So, given where he’s at in his career, that’s a good feeling.”

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NEWS EXTRA Young gun Thomas Sargent will lead McElrea Racing’s North American assault.

Image: SPEED SHOTS PHOTOGRAPHY

WINNING IN AUSTRALIA IS NOT ENOUGH FOR CARRERA CUP TEAM BOSS ANDY MCELREA

Andy McElrea enjoyed plenty of success as a driver on both sides of the Tasman.

BY BRUCE WILLIAMS WHEN ANDY McElrea announced he was going Carrera Cup racing in the USA for season 2023 a lot of people assumed he was stringing a safety net for his son.

Hunter McElrea is aiming for IndyCar but there are no guarantees in motorsport – even for someone who has just sealed the Rookie of the Year award in Indy Lights racing and has a confirmed place with Andretti Autosport next year.

Even so, the 22-year-old’s father, Andy, tells Auto Action his new Carrera Cup plan has nothing to do with his son.

“Of course people would think that. I can

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understand that,” McElrea said.

“But it’s crap. Hunter has absolutely no interest in racing a Cup car. Or racing for me. If he was going to do Cup car then he would have done it with Sonic.

“When he was younger, it subconsciously helped him make the decision to be his own bloke.”

So, what’s the American expedition all about?

McElrea says it is as simple as a new challenge and a big new opportunity.

He’s seen the standard of Carrera Cup racing in the USA, and the number of Porsche owners who are looking for track-

day opportunities to exercise their cars, and believes he can deliver on both fronts.

So he will field two cars in the 2023 Carrera Cup championship and also help Porsche – and other exotic car owners – to hit the track.

McElrea’s latest young Australian protege, 20-year-old Sprint Challenge points leader Thomas Sargent, has just been confirmed for one place at McElrea Racing.

The other car will be raced by an American.

The basic details are already confirmed, including a race base at Mooresville in North Carolina, as McElrea revives – with a twist – a plan from his earlier days in racing.

After winning Formula Ford and TransAm titles at home in New Zealand, he believed he could graduate to the big leagues in the USA. He made the move, and got some help from fellow Kiwi racer Steve Millen, but things never clicked.

Even so, he is older and (much) wiser and can see a different way into US motorsport.

“I lived in the ’States for six years. But I’ve been away for 20 and I literally forgot how much opportunity existed there,” McElrea said.

“Given that we’re likely to be going across to watch junior for five or six times

a year I thought I might as well make it a business for 10 times a year, with enormous growth potential.

“While I’ve been travelling for Hunter, in the back of my mind a little seed formed when it looked like his future was going to be there.”

But it’s not a retirement plan, or a bit of fun for weekends away from Indy Lights.

McElrea has targeted victory, not just in individual races but in the overall championship in Porsche Carrera Cup North America present by Cayman Islands – to give the series its full name – in 2023.

“No point in doing it otherwise,” he said.

“Definitely we can win. I’m very confident in the driver we have, that he’s good enough to win the championship And, without under-estimating the competition, I think they will be surprised at how quick the drivers are from this part of the world.”

McElrea, now 56 and living on the Gold Coast close to his race base at Yatala, was once among those youngsters.

“I won the 1991 Formula Ford championship in New Zealand, and in ’96 it was TransAm. It was pretty hot. I had Peter Brock as my team-mate, there was Stevie Johnson and Paul Gentilozzi from the USA. “That championship came down to final at Timaru with myself and Jim Richards equal on points. So I beat my childhood hero.”

THE HONOUR ROLE

Top right: Jaxon Evans joined McElrea Racing in celebrating their 2018 Carrera Cup Australia championship success.

Above right: McElrea Racing got off the ground in unexpected fashion with Dan Gaunt driving in the development series in 2009.

He thought America was next.

“I went to America with Steve Millen, who told me to come and helped me to meet some contacts. He gave me a department of his business to run and I did too good a job.

“He forced my racing career to end but I don’t regret it all all, as I headed in a different direction.”

His plan for Australia was to form a Carrera Cup team, but there was a twist.

“I formed it for 2009. Then Carrera Cup got canned. We were dressed up and ready to go with Warren Luff.

“It all fell on its arse. But then Ross Stone called and asked me what I was going to do.

“Within 24 hours he handed me a deal to run Dan Gaunt in the Development Series.

It was a way bigger deal than I wanted, but in the end it was probably better.

“I realised then what a difficult thing it is to make a business.”

By the time Carrera Cup was ready to fire in Australia, McElrea Racing was ready.

“For 2011, I wanted to make sure we started with a bang and so I bought our own car. Which was the first of many financially suicidal decisions I made. But it worked out ok.”

He started with Jonny Reid and Michael Patrese. Then Alex Davison and Warren Luff.

“We’ve won 12 championships if you count the Sprint Challenge as well. So far,” says McElrea.

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His current business model is to prepare and run Porsches for their owners, often wealthy families giving a youngster a start, although he also has some cashed-up veterans including Tim Miles.

McElrea’s team is the consistent and confident rival to Sonic Motor Racing Services, running four cars from a workshop he bought in 2007 as a furniture distribution centre before morphing it into a race shop.

“The budget for Carrera Cup is around $400,000 a year, for someone who owns the car. We have 10 full-time staff now.”

So, why the USA and why now?

It helps that Troy Bundy, former Porsche Australia Motorsport Manager, was parachuted into the ’States this year to run Carrera Cup after long-term success with the category at home.

“He was the one who gave me the last shove in making the decision to do it. He wants to have better operations in the series. A lot of them have big transporters but not a lot of infrastructure,” McElrea said.

His team will operate from Mooresville because it’s American motorsport heartland. It’s best known for NASCAR teams but there are also GT teams and drag racing operations.

“It’s a real melting pot,” said McElrea.

“I could have set up in Indy but the weather in Mooresville is less extreme.

I’m leasing half of an existing facility from a team that runs Mercedes-AMGs in GTs. “I’ll have one full-time guy and we have a team of really good fly-in operators.

One of the things I’ve learned, by taking a bunch of risks at various times, is how to run a team with an appropriate level of overhead.”

McElrea intends to punch hard in his first season and is confident of success.

“I don’t believe it’s a gamble. It’s pretty strategic.

“I’ve got my first driver signed and I’m about to have meetings with two other interested parties from Australia.

Tom Sargent is a huge talent.

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“I only want to run two cars in the first year. I could run three or four, but I’m happy to run two and focus on getting the results and getting the brand established.”

But McElrea is not only focussed on race results.

“Where I see the massive growth potential in creating the brand is by winning GT races and attracting all the track-day guys who don’t care how much they spend on their hobby. That’s huge in the US. “There are tracks all over the country and a huge number of blokes with fast track cars. There are lots of current-spec Carrera Cup cars, TransAm cars, single seaters, you name it.

“It is a massive industry and I want a part of it.”

THERE IS a surprising name on the honour roll at McElrea Racing.

It’s Scott McLaughlin.

In 2010, as he prepared to race in the Development Series with Stone Brothers Racing, he needed race miles to qualify for the necessary license.

So McElrea fielded a car for the Kiwi teenager – one of three – in the Australian Mini Series.

McLaughlin only completed two meetings but, combined with a Formula Ford start in Victoria, his time with McElrea Racing was enough to launch his career in Australia.

“Scotty must have been about 16,” McElrea recalled.

He knew he was talented, but no-one back then would have predicted his rampage through Supercars and his graduation to IndyCar in the USA. “Andy and the team at McElrea Racing taught me a huge amount of my knowledge about racing,” McLaughlin said.

He has been followed by a long string of speedy youngsters, starting with Matt Campbell – who is one of the lead drivers for Porsche’s return to the Le Mans 24Hour with an all-new prototype.

Daniel Gaunt was an early member of the team, so too Bathurst 1000 regular Dale Wood.

But there was also James Davison, Nick Percat, American Patrick Long and even Renee Gracie.

Jaxon Evans, too, suited-up in a McElrea Porsche and Warren Luff – a Bathurst lucky charm for many drivers – has been a regular racer and driver coach for McElrea Racing.

McElrea cut his teeth in NZ Formula Ford, winning the championship in 1991.

Warren Luff in action on his way to second in the championship in 2014.

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PRODUCTS AND INDUSTRY NEWS

RYCO PROVIDING FILTRATION IN THE NEW GEN3 ERA RYCO HAS been playing a big role in the development of the new Gen3 Supercars and has now been named as the official filtration partner of Supercars.

RYCO has developed an advanced range of oil, air and fuel filters to suit the new Gen3 race cars which are set to debut in the 2023 Supercars Championship.

The new ‘Control Parts’ will feature in all participating race cars and follows many months of development and testing by RYCO in partnership with Supercars engine builders and race teams.

Supercars Engineering Project manager for engines, Craig Hasted, explained how the category wanted to extend engine life to reduce rebuild frequency, with filtration playing a key role.

“One of the biggest challenges we had was increasing the engine mileage. Current race cars have a 4,000km life – for Gen3 we’re targeting 10,000kms,” Hasted said.

“Improving filtration was seen as a major step in reaching the 10,000km measure.”

In response to the challenge, RYCO designed a range of new filtration products specifically for Supercars, with the benefits transferable to other race categories and everyday passenger cars.

RYCO’s unique Supercar filtration package breaks the traditional view that fine-particle filtration must come with a compromise to flow restriction and engine performance.

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For the fuel filter, rolled element fine-micron media is used, rather than course particle pleated metal screens, while the air filter employs a hydrophobic nano-fibre coated media with unique honeycomb construction.

Supercars Head of Motorsport Adrian Burgess and RYCO GM for engineering and innovation Alastair Hampton (pictured) have teamed up to develop filters for the new Gen3 cars which will be seen in 2023.

To prove the feasibility of these combinations under racing conditions, prototypes of each were extensively evaluated in RYCO’s laboratory, as well as in current Supercars race cars and the Gen3 Mustang and Camaro prototypes.

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Supercars engine builder and owner of Herrod Performance Engines, Rob Herrod, was impressed by the new suite of RYCO filters.

“RYCO stepping up to the mark and getting involved in this program has been an absolute benefit to this whole Gen3 engine program for us at Herrod Performance Engines.

“It was not just in oil filtration – air and fuel filtration was also required, and RYCO has come in leaps and bounds and given us the products we need.” Herrod said.

Supercars’ Head of Motorsport, Adrian Burgess said the new filters is one of the many exciting elements of the new Gen3 era.

“RYCO’s innovative, world-first filtration technology will enable the Gen3 series the best chance of ensuring engine mileage and as a result will significantly improve sustained race performance for teams,” he said.

SPEEDWAY

VEAL’S WINNING DEAL! Scorgie. Rounding the finishers was Adam Butler, Grant Tunks, Mick Turner, Mark Blyton and Darren Salmon while Caunt, Kaidon Brown, Brett Hobson and Coby Elliott.

Attard, Little, Walsh and Saller each claimed a heat win, but Veal proved a class of his own sweeping both of his heats and the Gold Shootout for Pole Position. The Silver and Broze Shoouts were claimed by Caunt and Jordyn Brazier while Sayre would run flag to flag for the B Main event.

Jamie Veal in the Dyson Motorsport N99 Sprintcar Image: ANTHONY SNEDDEN

Michael Stewart, Speedcar feature race winner.

WHILE THE East Coast of the nation has been smashed with rain, Sydney’s Eastern Creek Speedway has taken a few hits and some of the scheduled events had been cancelled. However Mother Nature managed to turn on some nice weather and the venue opened its gates to the fans and headlining the program was the Sprintcar Track Series Round Two. With 35 Sprintcars teams ready to do battle the evening started with Time Trials and it would be Sam Walsh in the opening group of three flights to set the quickest lap with a time of 11.548 while Jamie Veal and Lachlan Caunt headed the remaining groups.

Michael Saller shared the front row with Veal. When the green flag dropped Saller led the field away closely followed by Veal. On the fifth lap, Veal would go to the

front, followed closly by Lachlan Caunt as Saller dropped to third. Caunt’s run would soon turn south as he dropped back through the field before retiring with just three laps remaining.

Over the journey Veal used both the high and low lines, although the race was hampered with a mid-race stoppage. Veal powered on with clear track ahead at the resumption as he mastered the challenge through the traffic to put the Dyson Motorsport entry on the top step of the podium; Jessie Attard would advance to second and Saller remained consistent to round off the podium. Warren Ferguson, Jake Baines, Troy Little and Daniel Sayre finished on the lead lap. One lap down and rounding out the top dozen were Aaron Kelly, Allan Woods, James Thompson, Luke Stirton and Brendan

STEWART SLICES N’ DICES TO VICTORY!

MICHAEL STEWART showed his worth as the reigning NSW Speedcar Champion as he sliced his way through the field, coming from 11th to park his ride in Victory Lane after a thrilling 20-lap Midget feature. Jamie Hall led the first half of the race before Stewart worked his way to the front and from that point would control the tempo.

With seven laps remaining, Daniel Patterson flipped at Turn 1, which would

bring on the red lights. Stewart would restart at the front and power home for the victory, Jay Waugh and Matthew Jackson shared the podium while Dylan Menz, Hall, Nathan Smee, DJ Raw, Jeffrey Burns, Troy Wagstaff and Glen Arnold completed the top 10 finishers.

Alan Day, Jordan Mackay and Mitch Brien would join Paterson on the DNF list.

Stewart enjoyed two heat race victories while Hall and Brien claimed singles.

SUPPORTS

THE FORMULA 500s (Senior and Junior) divisions were both on hand. The Senior division feature was claimed by Blake Matthews taking a flag-to-flag victory in the 15-lap journey, Paul Gray, Tim Randell would share the podium festivities, Scott Connole, Andrew Stevens, Cameron Jewell, Michael Johnson finding the chequered flag.

Kobie Wright dominated the Formula 500 Junior feature, taking the 12-lap final over Cooper Norman, Riley Parson and Klayton Bailey. Victoria’s Rowdy Andreatta did not start the main race.

The Street Stockers were well represented with a strong field of 21 competitors, Chris Marino would prove the best of the pack as the reigning state champion claimed the victory.

The podium included Shaun Davoodi and Troy Dawes for the minors. Mark Alexander, Shane Ward, Mat Alexander, Danny Glover, Stephen Kurtz, Charlie Dodson, Caitlyn Healey and Shannon Alexander finished on the lead lap.

HAMMERSTEIN HAMMER’S HOME A WIN! THE RIVERLAND Speedway, located on the Murray River just outside of the picturesque town of Renmark, South Australia, narrowly dodged a wet weather bullet for the opening night of their 2022/23 season. With the graces of the Weather Gods there was some great racing from the Super Sedans, Wingless Sprints, Street Stocks, Modified Sedans, Junior Sedans and a healthy grid of Classic Saloons and Sedans, turning back the hands of time to keep the crowd entertained with a series of spirited demonstration runs.

The Super Sedan feature saw a small field of just four competitors take to the extremely slick track, however a thrilling game of Cat and Mouse would transpire between the front row of Kym Hammerstein and Kym Jury who each claimed a heat race victory.

Jury would start from Pole Position and led going into the opening corners – however Hammerstein would slingshot around the outside and settle into the lead down the back straight as Jury, Chris Ferguson and Victorian racer Danny Smith followed closely in his tyre tracks.

On the second lap, it was deemed that Jury tapped the race leader sending him into a spin and bringing on the cautions, sending Jury to the rear of the field for the restart.

Over the next 10 laps Jury would start to reel in the positions and distance between

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SPEEDWAY NEWS with Paris Charles himself and Hammerstein, quickly picking off Smith, while Ferguson briefly challenged the leader. Jury quickly joined the fray and disposed of Ferguson while Hammerstein cleared a handy margin for Jury to chase down. However, the real-estate would be too much to cover before the chequered flag.

After 12 laps Hammerstein celebrated his victory over Jury, Ferguson and Smith.

MCCARTHY FLIES WITHOUT WINGS

WITH 17 Wingless Sprints nominated for the evening, the class was well mixed with a blend of youth and experienced competitors, but it would be the experienced and in-form racer Jack McCarthy making the most of his front row start to lead the 20-lap feature from flag to flag. Following him to the line would be Jordon

Super Sedan feature race winner Kym Hammerstein powering on.

Image: PARIS CHARLES

Bolitho and Anthony Tapley while Joel Chadwick advanced from sixth to fourth on a track that provided little passing opportunities.

Harley Alexander, Mitchell Rigney, Thomas Walkom, Dale Gesell, Jesse Alexander, Tyson Newton, Alan Saint, Nicole Southby and Ryley Hammerstein rounded out the field while Sam Martin, Nate Trewin and Troy Frisby failed to travel the journey.

McCarthy and Trewin picked up single heat wins while Bolitho doubled up to claim Pole Position while the bonus race was won by Tapley.

SUPPORTS

THE EXPERIENCE of Carey Weston and Darren Flatman would shine brightly in the

Street Stock ranks, each taking a heat race however Weston would prove too strong in the feature race, romping away from the field to win by half a lap over Flatman and Curtis Brown rounding the podium placings.

Flatman would go on to claim the bonus race.

Justin Demaine took a clean sweep in the Modified Sedans taking both heats and the final; Trev Logan and Jason Demaine were the other competitors.

The Junior Sedans were divided into two groups being New Stars and Top Stars, Summer Gesell, Ryan Burns and Chase Faux would podium in the New Stars while the Top Stars feature podium would consist of Lucas Warnett, Diesel Fallon and Ollie Bartlett.

WALSH WINS NORTH QUEENSLAND SC TITLE

SCROOP SCOOPS MADDINGTON SERIES OPENER

NQ65 Gwesyn Dalliston and NQ3 Brian Walsh battle for the lead Images: GORDON GREAVES

Kye Scroop takes the opening round of the Maddington Toyota Sprintcar Series. Images: RICHARD HATHAWAY A MASSIVE crowd of over 8,000 people rolled into the Perth Motorplex to kick off the 2022/23 summer season with the sixth annual running of the Powerpalooza featuring Drags, Burnouts, Monster Trucks and Speedway’s opening round of the Maddington Toyota Sprintcar Series.

With 23 Sprintcars assembled in the pit area the teams were keen to put their best wheels forward in a bid to claim maximum points and a strong start to their campaigns.

AJ Nash would set the pace early, claiming the qualifying session with a speedy 13.145s and after the qualifying heats claimed by Mitchell Wormall, Ryan Lancaster and Kye Scroop, the first row would be the latter two with the aforementioned sharing the second row going into the all-important 30-lap final.

As the lights blazed green Scroop would make the most of the inside line as he shot to the front, opening almost a quarter of a lap over the field and quickly entered into lapping slower traffic until the red lights blazed on the fourth revolution after Todd Davis and Jack Williamson would somersault their rides in spectacular fashion after contact going into Turn 1.

Scroop would lead at the resumption with Nash in second – however his run would come to a premature end just three laps further into the journey. By one third race distance, Scroop was carving his way through traffic and had opened almost half track distance over David Priolo who himself experienced difficulties and began to fall back through the field, while Wormall, Jason Kendrick and Taylor Milling developed an interesting three-way dance for the minors.

Priolo would soon spin, regrouping the field as he was assisted to the infield for repairs.

Scroop again pounced away, however Kendrick and Milling advanced past Wormall who rapidly fell back through the field. Over the remaining laps Kendrick would pull in the real-estate between him and the race leader as they negotiated lapped traffic and, with four to run, Kendrick would draw alongside making a bid for the lead. however Scroop would cover him off as he found the fastest way to the chequered flag and chalked up his maiden Sprintcar victory over Kendrick and Milling for the podium, followed home by Daniel Harding, Trent Pigdon, Callum Williamson,

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Jaydee Dack, James Inglis, Bradley Maiolo and Dayne Kingshott rounding out the top 10, followed by Ryan Lancaster, Kris Coyle and well-travelled Victorian racer Brenton Farrer. One lap down was Jason Pryde, Troy Lawson and George Eaton while Wormall limped home to complete the finishers as Nathan Swan, D. Priolo, Nash, Davis, J. Williamson and Andrew Priolo failed to travel the distance.

Speedcar Series Kaiden Manders drove flawlessly to lead the field over the entire 20-lap journey to claim the feature race win over Lee Redmond. Rounding out the podium was Daniel Harding who was doing double duty in the Sprintcar division.

Rounding the depleted field of finishers was Daniel Golding and Keenan Fleming.

Steven Ellement proved too strong, going flag to flag in the 15-lap Opal Finance

WITH THE North Queensland Sprintcar Championship in conjunction with the Mike Walsh Trophy and the sixth round of the domestic series and up for grabs the Pro Sprints racing proved to be a fast and furious affair on a fast track dished up at the Totally Workwear Cairns International Speedway.

Going into the 20-lap final Brian Walsh would line up in Pole position – however Gwesyn Dalliston would slingshot from the outside to take the lead after the opening lap, running sideby-side. With clear track ahead, Dalliston picked the lines suiting his ride best as Walsh, Wes Jenkins, Brodie Davis and company chased the leader. Davis’ run would come to a premature end on the 11th lap, retiring to the infield with a mechanical issue.

As the race leader closed on the back of slower traffic his run at the front would soon come to an end, tagging the wall, affording Walsh (pole, below) the opportunity to strike for the lead. Jenkins would also elevate into second as Dalliston manhandled a wounded car to the finish to round out the podium. He was followed

by Cameron King, Brett Sciban, Andrew Sues and Mark Jorgenson to fill out the field.

Walsh’s win would bookend his night beautifully having claimed the fastest time in qualifying, the opening heat and Pole Shuffle while Dalliston claimed the second of the 10lap qualifiers.

34 Matt Nylander and 7 Kodee Brown battle hard for the win in the Late Model Series.

FORMULA 500’s UNDERWOOD WINS FINALE WHILE EWING WINS SERIES

BROWN GOES TO TOWN!

KODEE BROWN came from sixth in the Late Model field to work his way to the front and collect maximum points in the opening round of the Pro Dirt Series, proudly presented by ABN Trade Mates, while David Nylander would lick his wounds after dominating the opening stanza of the race, leading by almost a quarter lap distance before the yellow lights were triggered for Kye Blight who was running second at the time.

With a reset field D. Nylander led them away, however mechanical failure would send him to the infield, handing Brown the race lead and from that point Brown made the most of his gift as he stormed to victory over Matt Nylander and the Oldfields, Warren and Jamie. Jay Cardy, Michael Holmes, Veronica McCann and David Boyes all finished on the lead lap with Willy Powell and Nathan Richards rounding the field.

The eight-lap qualifying heats were shared between Blight and McCann.

SUPPORTS

THE THREE supporting classes were all open wheeled categories, starting with the opening round of The Pool Shop Group

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Kaiden Manders dominated the Speedcar Feature.

Formula 500 feature. Chris Dymock and Jamie Nardini shared the podium celebrations, while rounding the top five of 17 would be Thomas Davies and Glenn Carstairs.

With 18 Wingless Sprints in the house the racing proved entertaining but at the business end of the deal it would be Brendon Wedge leading Daran Humfrey over each of the 15-laps.

Brandon Sharpe would drop from third to fourth to be the meat in an Iwanow sandwich as West Australian Champion Matt Iwanow would stand on the final step of the podium and Blake Iwanow home in fifth.

SECOND ON the marque was the Autobarn Formula 500s Series Championship and with a baker’s dozen of competitors squaring up for the series final it was Lexi Underwood making the most of her front start to claim the 20-lap final over pole sitter Ash Ewing.

Ewing’s runner up placing would afford him enough points to take the overall series win and John Magro would fill out the podium placings and second in the series, Brody Duncan and Ryan Potts also finished on the lead lap while one circulation back was Cameron Lowe to round out the top six finishers.

Underwood, Magro and Duncan would each claim a single victory in the qualifying heats.

SUPPORTS

JUSTIN LEE took home the feature race win in the Formula 400s, followed to the line by the Pollocks – Les and Len. Jamie Naylor claimed the Super Street Sedans Laurie Manning Cup win; joining him in the podium celebrations was Brett Hardy and Owen Rankine. Livi Jorgensen held on in a spirited contest in the Jr Sedans over Kayla Adams. Rounding out the supporting categories Dylan Hedger continued to learn his craft in the Junior Formula 500s.

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NATIONALS WRAP

Tenkate, Bishop and Palmer head the Trans Am field.

Images: MTR IMAGES

SEVERAL CLEAN SWEEPS AT QR TWO LONG days and nine categories were at Queensland Raceway for the QR Drivers Championships seventh round on October 15-16. The mix of cars feature another big field of Excels while Production Touring went enduro mode.

EXCEL CUP

SECOND PLACE at the penultimate round gave Ryan O’Sullivan an increased points lead. He finished second in the four races as Connor Roberts topped the round after he qualified fastest and won three races. In the first two encounters O’Sullivan showed the way until Roberts gained the ascendancy.

Jarrod Hughes was third in each, followed

by George Wood in the first, and then Jack Wood and Brett Parrish in the second.

O’Sullivan was again the early leader in Race 3 and this time it was Jack Wood who passed him for the lead and took the win.

Hughes was third in front of Parrish who had Roberts, Tyler Collins and Zane Dremel behind.

From sixth early in the long race, Roberts took the lead on lap three and drove away to win comfortably. Behind O’Sullivan, Hughes maintained third throughout while Holly Espray came from 14th to fourth.

It was a troubled race for Wood. He was second early, dropped to 23rd, worked back to ninth before he retired.

PRODUCTION TOURING

FROM QUALIFYING through to the Shootout and then to the pair of one-hour enduros, it was Ben Gersekowski who headed each in the fifth round aboard his BMW M3 E92. Second in the two races and overall went to Gary Beggs (Holden Commodore).

Gersekowski only surrendered the lead in Race 1 with his pitstop, and that gave Beggs the front running until he stopped.

Third went to Tim McDonald (BMW M240i) ahead of Scott Dean (Mercedes A45 AMG), Gerry and Jed Murphy (Commodore), Jake Camilleri (Mazda 3 MPS) and Robert Gooley (Mitsubishi EVO X RS).

There was an early Safety Car for an incident that involved the BMWs of Tony Vaughan and Damien Drew. Anthony Levitt went off in the Shootout, charged from

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NATIONALS WRAP with Garry O’Brien 10th to fourth before high oil temps put the Mercedes C63 into limp mode, and Matt O’Brien/Arthur Tsovolos, who were second early, eventually retired with a broken diff.

It was similar in Race 2 with the lead change only in the pitstops. Behind the tearaway front runners, the Murphys finished third 1.5s ahead of Camilleri, while fifth went to McDonald in front of Dean.

Levitt had similar problems to race one and Trentan Allen (Subaru Impreza WRX STi) and Gooley also retired.

HQ HOLDENS

THE FOUR races on Saturday had Jake Madden the one to beat with three wins.

It started with Race 1 where he edged out his brother Brandon by 0.5s. Close behind were Peter Coleman and Kirk Porter who was elevated to third after Coleman was penalised 30s for an incident that ended Joe Andriske’s race.

The latter came back to take Race 2 ahead of Brandon Madden and Coleman before Jake Madden who was seventh, took the last two outings, ahead of Andriske and Coleman, and then Brandon Madden and Andriske.

AUSTRALIAN TRANS AM

DRIVERS OF the 6.0 litre cars won the four races with Anthony Tenkate (Ford Mustang) the round winner ahead of Alwyn Bishop (Plymouth Duster). Zak Hudson (Mustang) a big winner of the first race over Tenkate.

Bishop was third ahead of Ron Prefontaine and Sean English in their 5.0lt Mustangs.

Ian Palmer (Plymouth AAR Cuda) had a clutch issue and DNF’d.

Hudson wasn’t without drama as a master brake cylinder leak and the lack of the

Below: Waters and Murphy show the way in Prod Sports.

Bottom: Grant Green dominated the Qld Sports Car races.

correct seal ruled him out. That left Tenkate to win the other races ahead of Bishop.

English was third in Race 2 with Palmer fourth before the latter scored two thirds.

Peter Schulte (AMC Javelin) also scored a fourth as did Prefontaine in the last.

PRODUCTION SPORTS CARS

PORSCHE GT3 Cup Car drivers filled the top three places at round five. Shane Wilson won the first two races before Gerry Murphy took out the last two, and the round by two points. A close second in the first outing went to Greg Waters (Chev Corvette) ahead of Murphy and Grant Sparks who finished the round third.

Waters had the lead in the next three races, yet was beaten home by Porsche drivers twice and in the last, the gearbox broke and put him out. Murphy had another third in Race 2 while Wilson finished fourth and third, subsequently, and behind second placed Sparks in the last.

QR SPORTS & SEDANS/HOT HATCHES/PROD UTES

THERE WERE five races for the combined categories where despite just two race wins, Ken Samway was the overall and QR S&S victor in his Mazda MX5 turbo. Stephen Coe (ex-Supercar Holden Commodore VE) had three wins but didn’t figure in the others.

Samway also notched up two seconds and a third while Cameron McLean (Mitsubishi Mirage) scored seconds and thirds before a broken axle on the dummy grid kept him out of race five. Meanwhile Ute honours went to Brendan Exner (Ford Falcon FG V8), as Peter Clarke (Falcon AU) topped the ‘sixes’ over points leader Danny Ford (Falcon BA) who had engine issues in the last. Jamie Dixon (Hyundai Getz) with three wins, was the best hatch.

QLD TOURING CARS

WITH VICTORY in four of the five races, Chris Brown (Holden Commodore VT) increased his Group A and outright points score. Second for the weekend was fastest qualifier Matt Haak (Commodore VY) ahead of Gary Lange (BMW E46) which was first race finish order.

The second race was cut short because of

an accident that involved the Commodores of Nick Linton (VT) and Murray Reilly (VE).

Brown greeted the chequered flag ahead of Haak and Chris Sharples (Holden Monaro).

The latter DNF’s the third with a blown engine before Brown won from Haak and Peter Bray (VT).

Haak was second in Race 4 ahead of Lange and Bray before Haak beat Brown in the last as Bray, Lange and Nathan Marks (BMW E36) who clean swept Group B, followed. Paul Bonaccorso (Ford Falcon XE) and Ettore Vosolo (E36) had Group C successes before Hudson James (VY) was best in the last three races.

QLD SPORTS CARS

AFTER HE qualified fastest by over 4s, Grant Green (Wolf Tornado) easily won the four races. Second in each was Jamie Davies ahead of fellow Radical SR3 driver Adam Gino Beesley. Tom Davies (Mygale SJ2011A Formula Ford) was fourth on three occasions and fourth overall, only pushed to fifth in Race 3 by Kirk Batchelor (SR3).

FORMULA VEES

THE ROUND was a clean sweep for Alex Macdonald (Jacer) with one all-the-way victory, followed by three that had to be earned. Tim Alder was a distant second in the first just in front of fellow Rapier driver Alex Hedemann and Matt Dicinoski (Jabiru Bee Cee). Alder led initially in Race 2 and finished fourth behind Hedemann who also sampled the front running, and Dicinoski.

It was similar in Race 3 as Hedemann and Alder had turns in front and ultimately placed third and second behind Dicinoski. After he led the last at first, Hedemann finished second to consolidate the round second place.

Garry O’Brien

MRA LIGHTS UP BRABHAM CIRCUIT THE LIGHTS came on for the one-day seventh round of the Motor Race Australian Series at Sydney Motorsport Park on October 15, and for the first time on the longer 4.5km Brabham circuit.

SUPER TT

TWO SECONDS and a win gave Adrian Wilson (main image below) in his Production Sports-spec BMW M4, the overall victory. He chased pole sitter Todd Herring (Mazda MX5) throughout the short Race 1, and after the pair had relegated the fast-starting and early leader Brett Mitchell (OzTruck Maloo). The race was red flagged when Brendan Scotter’s Mazda RX7 FD stopped, ablaze out of Turn 15.

The second race had a Safety Car period when Michael Ricketts rearranged the left front of his Nissan Pulsar. Wilson led throughout but was penalised 15s for a Safety Car procedure infringement, and Herring pitted out of second before the chequered flag which gave Jimmy Tran (Honda Civic) the win.

Wilson had enough of a lead to retain second while Mitchell was third ahead of Chris Sutton (Subaru Impreza WRX), Mark Granger (Ford Falcon), Daniel Kapetanovic (BMW 328), Richard Herring (MX5) and Charlie Viola (Honda Integra).

The third race was red flagged at the end of the first lap, due to the Denis Pana Holden Commodore having a wheel depart at Turn 5. After a restart Wilson had a clear-cut victory. Mitchell stormed off the line, a little too hasty and was penalised 4s.

He maintained second ahead of Charlie Khoury (Civic), Tran, Kapetanovic, Herring and Sutton.

EXCELS

THE SEASON capped off with William Seal a standout winner after he qualified fastest and won the three races. He took the overall honours ahead of Dylan Debono and Wil Longmore whose results confirmed him as the series winner – his third in four years.

While Seal sauntered away to a big win in race one, Debono had to overcome George Mawad and Max Geoghegan to secure second. Longmore started from the back of the 26-car grid after a technical infringement penalty and charged to fifth ahead of Preston Breust, Cameron Brown and Lewis Buhagiar.

Geoghegan had a great opening lap and led until pipped at the end of the first lap

by Seal who then eased away. Debono quickly settled into second as Longmore so in third. It was on for fourth in the first half where a clash between Geoghegan and Mawad allowed Breust and Brown to join the contest.

Despite the contact Mawad prevailed for fourth from Geoghegan and Breust.

Buhagiar retired with a cracked sump.

Behind Seal in the last, Longmore was second while Mawad slipped from third to finish behind Geoghegan and Debono.

PULSARS

THE CRAIG brothers, Josh and Jamie topped the sixth round with first and second respectively in each of the three races. In the first race Harri Inwood split them and held second for the first two laps and until Jamie Craig passed him. Will Foot was a lonely fourth ahead of Dan Smith who fell by the wayside on the last lap with a broken gearbox. Fifth was Chris Manning from Shane Tate and Jamie Canellis.

The Craigs were one and two from the outset of Race 2, ahead of Inwood, Foot, Manning, and Canellis until he was passed

by Tate. Josh McDonald and Jerome Pirozzi had contact at Turn 15 on the second lap which put both out and had the Safety Car for three laps before the race was called.

As the brothers continued at the front of Race 3, Foot put out the challenge on Inwood and successfully secured third.

Manning was next in front of Tate and the battling duo of Greg Dufficy and Corey Fraser.

MX5

HERRING RACING won the three races and even filled the top four places in the last with Verne Johnson the one out in front. He took out the first ahead of Jaxon Fraser while fastest qualifier Zac Raddatz, Ben Oldfield and Todd Herring were close together in the race for third. Richard Herring was sixth, clear of Brad Herring and Stuart McFadyen.

The second race had Johnson the winner from Fraser and Tim Herring who was plagued in race one with a wiring loom short that restricted revs and left him 21st.

Oldfield edged out Todd Herring for fourth while McFadyen headed Raddatz.

Johnson had another big win in the last, ahead of Tim, Todd and Richard Herring.

Oldfield came home ahead of Raddatz, McFadyen and Brad Herring for fifth. Fraser

was an early casualty when he pitted with an electrical fault that curbed engine performance.

ALFA/BMW

THE SCORE went two-one to Alfa Romeo, with Michael Musumeci (GT) the Race 2 and 3 winner after Rob Boaden (BMW E36) took the first encounter. Musumeci seemingly had the first race in hand too, until second place Boaden hauled him in and grabbed the lead on the last lap.

Doug Selwood (Alfetta) had third throughout and finished ahead of Simon Greirson (Giulietta) and Shaun Penwarden (E36). It was tight among the Twin Spark Alfas where Andrew Wilson had a 1s advantage on Peter Tillett.

Very shortly after the second race start, Musumeci grabbed the lead and won from Boaden, Selwood, Penwarden and Greirson while Wilson had just a little more on Tillett.

Boaden had a slow start in Race 3 and slipped to third before he passed Selwood on the second lap. He couldn’t do anything about Musumeci while Penwarden was fourth ahead of Wilson, and Tillett DNF’d.

CLUBMANS

THE THREE races were over and done with by early afternoon. In a small turnout Josh Versluis (PRB Birkin S3) qualified fastest and won each race comfortably.

Ivan Srejber (S4) was second in Race 1 ahead of Jos Kroon (S2) and Chris Barry (Composite). The latter pair passed Srejber in Race 2 before he came back to split them by the end. Kroon and Barry filled the minor places in the last ahead of Srejber and Bill McBride (BBB BBB).

Garry O’Brien

GARRY’S NATIONAL

EVENT

CALENDAR SANDOWN HISTORICS, Sandown VIC – Nov 04-06 NATIONAL SPORTS SEDANS SERIES Rd06 , Sandown VIC – Nov 04-06 TASMANIAN OFF ROAD SERIES Rd05, Peron Dunes TAS – Nov 04-06 MOTOR EVENTS RACING, 20+ Hour, The Bend SA – Nov 04-06 AMSAG RALLY SERIES Rd05, Oberon Rally NSW – Nov 05 VICTORIAN CROSS CLUB RALLY SERIES Rd07, Broadford VIC – Nov 05 TIME ATTACK #5, Lakeside Park QLD – Nov 05 WEEKEND SPRINTS & SUPERSPRINT #11, Queensland Raceway QLD – Nov 05 NISSAN DATSUN CAR CLUB HILLCLIMB CHALLENGE – Collingrove SA – Nov 05 WASCC STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS Rd06, Wanneroo WA – Nov 05-06 QLD STATE HILLCLIMB SERIES Rd06, Mt Cotton QLD – Nov 05-06 TASMANIAN KHANACROSS CHAMPIONSHIPS, Symmons Plains TAS – Nov 05-06 CENTRAL AUSTRALIAN RALLY SPORTS CLUB Autocross, Alice Springs NT – Nov 06 GEELONG MOTOR SPORT CLUB MOTORKHANA Rd08, Avalon VIC – Nov 06 NOTTA GRAND PRIX #4, Lakeside Park QLD – Nov 06 MG CAR CLUB KHANACROSS DIRT/TAR KC06, Ringwood Park NSW – Nov 06 LEGENDS OF THE LAKES HILLCLIMB, Mt Gambier SA – Nov 11-13 BATHURST INTERNATIONAL, TCR Australia Series Rd07 , Mt Panorama NSW – Nov 11-13 BATHURST INTERNATIONAL, Touring Car Masters Rd06 , Mt Panorama NSW – Nov 11-13 BATHURST INTERNATIONAL, S5000 Tasman Series Rd02 , Mt Panorama NSW – Nov 11-13 BATHURST INTERNATIONAL, Trans Am/TA2 Muscle Cars Special , Mt Panorama NSW – Nov 11-13 BATHURST INTERNATIONAL, GT World Challenge Rd07 , Mt Panorama NSW – Nov 11-13 BATHURST INTERNATIONAL, Porsche Sprint Challenge Rd06 , Mt Panorama NSW – Nov 11-13 Bathurst International, Mazda RX8 Cup Rd06 , Mt Panorama NSW – Nov 11-13 BATHURST INTERNATIONAL, Production Cars Rd05, Mt Panorama NSW – Nov 11-13 500 CAR CLUB JUNIOR TRAINING PROGRAM, Baskerville Raceway TAS – Nov 12 NORTH WEST CAR CLUB RALLYSPRINT, Burnie TAS – Nov 12 STATE MOTORKHANA CHAMPIONSHIP, Huntley Saleyards VIC – Nov 12 MOTOR RACE AUSTRALIA SERIES Rd08, Sydney Motorsport Park NSW – Nov 12 STATE RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP Rd03, Lockyer Valley QLD – Nov 12

Top: Josh Craig, Inwood, andJamie Craig head the Excels. Above: Johnson, Fraser and Herring show the way in the MX5 contest. Images: RICCARDO BENVENUTI

HERVEY BAY MOTOR SPORTS ASSOCIATION INTERCLUB KHANACROSS Rd06, Tinana QLD – Nov 12 RALLYCROSS STATE CHAMPIONSHIP, Raleigh International Raceway NSW – Nov 12-13 STATE KHANACROSS CHAMPIONSHIP, Willowbank Dragstrip QLD – Nov 12-13 STATE MOTOR RACING CHAMPIONSHIP Rd04, Winton Raceway VIC – Nov 12-13 500 CAR CLUB KHANACROSS SUMMER SERIES Rd01, Baskerville Raceway TAS – Nov 13 TARGA BUNBURY SPRINT, Bunbury WA – Nov 13 MG CAR CLUB HILLCLIMB, Ringwood Park NSW – Nov 13

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NATIONALS WRAP THE WRIGHT WAY

THE DELUGE that hit Victoria in the lead-up to the Great Tarmac Rally on October 22-23 abated enough for Jason and Fiona Wright (right) to take the win and wrap up the Australian Tarmac Rally Championship.

In their Nissan GTR R34 they completed the 12 competitive stages for a total of 220kms, 1min 22.7s quicker than Jeff Morton and Daymon Nicoli (Porsche GT2 RS). Third place 50.8s away were father and son Liam and Larry Howarth (Skyline GTR V-Spec).

The event was based out of Marysville and travelled through Cambarville and Cumberland Junction before competitors headed to Eildon-Jamieson Road via Buxton and Taggerty.

Morton won the opening stage ahead of Paul Dowie and John Allen (Porsche GT3 RS) with the Wrights third ahead of Brent and Garry Coleman, and Melinda Bergmann and Kelly Handley, both crews in Subaru Impreza WRXs. Wright won the next stage, and the last for the day after Morton scored another, and

Image: ATR Coleman and Howarth had stage wins. With the overnight rest, Wright led Howarth by 21.7s, with Morton a further 54.3s away and ahead of Coleman, Dowie, Max William/Bruce Bush (Porsche Cayman GT4) and Roger Lomman/Annie Bainbridge (Datsun 240Z).

Wright kicked off day two with a first-up stage win and followed it with another after

Morton took out Stages 9 and 10. Morton’s win on the penultimate Stage 12 elevated him ahead of Howarth before Downie’s triumph on the last ensure he kept fourth spot.

Coleman placed fifth ahead of Williams, Xavier Franklin/Jaidyn Glukie (Porsche GT4), Neil and Sue Cuthbert (Lotus Exige 350 Sport), Matt Gibbens/Tim Jurd (Exige

410) and Lomman. Bergmann finished 12th behind Michael Minshall/Rhys Llewellyn (Audi TT RS).

There were two rare Ultima RSs in the field.

Debutants Craig Haysman and Michael Lloyd placed 23rd while Michael Pritchard and Gary Mourant were out at the start of Stage 5.

Garry O’Brien

THE WEIRS GO ONE-TWO IN FINALE

Image: BRUCE MOXON

HEAFEY CONTINUES HIS WINNING WAYS PHIL HEAFEY (above) picked up where he left off, with a victory in the first round of the 2022-23 Whiteline Suspension Tarmac Rallysprint Series at Sydney Dragway on October 13.

Eighty-four starters made it to the opening of the longer, 4.5km event now that the new car park and the speedway construction are finished.

With Luke McFarlane calling the corners in their Mitsubishi EVO 6, Heafey started well and commented that the longer course made a co-driver even more essential. He took fastest on run one from Lance Arundel and Luke Job (Subaru Impreza WRX) by 2.7s, with Stephen Marlin and Stevan Jovanovich (EVO) next.

Heafey’s night almost came undone on run two, with a broken throttle pedal. Car preparer Darren Williams rushed over with a replacement and fitted it. While Heaphy was having repairs, David and John Calabria (EVO) took the fastest time on the second run, from Arundel and Marlin.

Heafey was back for run three and was right back at the front, taking best time from Calabria and Arundel. Run four was more of the same, Heaphy from Calabria and Marlin, then Arundel. Heaphy also took the fifth and final run, from Calabria, and Josh and Matt Redhead (EVO 5).

With the three best runs to count, Heafey’s missed run didn’t hurt, such was his pace. Heafey ran out the winner by 12.5s from Calabria and Arundel a further 3.3s back.

Best 2WD was Michael Caine and Tom Vadoklis (Mazda RX7) from Stephen Pembrey and Brendan Clarke in a V8-engined Toyota Corolla, with a Nissan EXA front. First Junior driver was Jake and Dallas Beattie (WRX) from Keara and George Zabetakis (EVO). Bruce Moxon

38 I www.autoaction.com.au

THE FINAL event of the Alice Sprints Off Road Club season took place at Mt Ooraminna, 25km south of Alice Springs on October 15-16. It was won

by Tim Weir (right) in his Holeshot/ Toyota Super 1650 class buggy.

The Alice Hosetech & Industrial Supplies 250 NT Titles second round consisted of a 6km Prologue and followed by two sections of the 47km course, the first over Image: ASORRC two laps and the second in the dark, over one lap. There were two further single lap sections on Sunday morning.

Weir won three of the four sections, only beaten on the last by Jack Weir (ProLite Jimco/Toyota) who finished 5mins 10s behind in second place

and almost 6mins ahead of Ken Callanan (Nissanpowered Super1650). Fourth outright and first of the UTVs were Jason Neate (Can-Am) and they finished ahead of class rival Rianna Carlson (Can-Am) and

split by 5mins 13s.

Next was Craig Meekings (Performance 2WD LS1-powered Holden Commodore Ute) in front of Ben McNamara (Can-Am), Chloe Wright (Super1650 Southern Cross/Mitsubishi), Production 4WD winner Rod Berry and second in class Taylor McDowell (Mitsubishi Triton V6).

Jason Flavell (Can-Am) was back on the trailer after three sections, and Hayden Foley’ Trophy Truck was also out. Clayton Agnew and Mark Booth completed just two sections and were classified, but the likes of Brad Geraghty, John Alfred, Jason Wilson, Jamie Lawson and Peter Baulch were not.

Garry O’Brien

SMOOTH RUN AT KALGOORLIE AS WELL as the sixth round of the Motorsport Australian Off Road Championship, the fourth year of the Black Diamond Kalgoorlie Desert Race included the final round of the MA West Australian Championship on October 22-23.

Best of those registered in both championships were Brent Smoothy and Reece Burges (right) in their Extreme 2WD Chev-powered Geiser Trophy Truck where they finished 1min 14.9s ahead of Troy and Deb Schoen (Race Tech Engineering/Chev Pro Buggy) with Brett Comiskey/ Daniel Mckenzie/Corey Cooper (Ext 2WD Geiser TT/Chev) well over 4mins away in third.

Effectively the event was the fourth round after the cancellation of Three Springs in September. Adam and Craig Trewhella came into the event as the state championship leaders. However the Chev LS engine on their Baja Pro Buggy let go in the 3.5km Prologue.

They made the start after an all-night engine change and then had the diff break 25km into the first section.

Despite the disappointment it appears they secured the state outright championship as their nearest rivals did not compete, although the title has to be confirmed.

Smoothy won the first 121km section ahead of Stephen Ketteridge-Hall and Haylee Cowling (Bullet/ Nissan V6 ProLite), Schoen, Comiskey, and Brad Krepp and Kerry Yaxley (Ext 2WD Armorcraft/Chev L98).

After a troubled first section which they didn’t finish, Troy Higgins and John Simmons (GET Performance/ Nissan twin turbo Pro Buggy) won the second section ahead of Schoen, Ketteridge-Hall, Smoothy, Krepp and Comiskey. Higgins also won the final section, in front of Smoothy, Schoen, Comiskey and Krepp. Ketteridge-Hall

was sidelined with a broken gearstick.

Krepp finished in overall fourth position, ahead of four SXS Pro class machines which was headed by Chriss Kounis and Jhye Kent (Can-Am) over Jim Cairns and David John Sutherland (Polaris), and the Can-Am crews of Royce Gill/Chris Bargiev and Jayden Grewar/Simon Hart.

Ninth placed Mark and Jessica Jarrett, along with Brandan Castle, won ProLite in their Stevco /Nissan, and Murray Kifer and Katie Chandler (Can-Am) were tenth.

Garry O’Brien

DEAN TIES UP NATIONAL HILLCLIMB TITLE Image: IAN COLLEY

SIX DAYS after he took out the National Supersprint Championship, Dean Tighe (pictured) parked his Dallara and brought out the Empire Wrath and won the Australian Hillclimb Championship at Mt Cotton on October 22.

Tighe follows in the footsteps of his father Ivan who won the title in 1964, 1985 and 1991 and becomes just the fourth driver to win two Australian Championships in the one year.

The 76th running of the event was supposed to take in the full weekend, but major rainfalls forced officials to

halt proceedings at the end of the first day of competition.

The initial runs were in wet conditions before it gradually dried out. Tighe set the pace on intermediates in his supercharged Hayabusa machine, ahead of Formula Libre over 2.0 litre class rival Warwick Hutchinson (rotary OMS28 RPV03) and Greg Ackland (F/L U2L Ninja GA8/turbo Kawasaki).

Queensland state champion Dean Amos (Gould GR55B/Nicolson McLaren V8) spun on his first attempt,

had a slow run on his second, and gear selection problems on his last two, to ultimately finish third overall.

Tighe set the day’s fastest run of 37.46s on his third attempt before he lost the supercharger belt on his next.

Ackland put in his best effort on the fourth run and was 0.37s adrift of Tighe.

Hutchinson finished in fourth outright ahead of F/L U1.3L winner Alan Foley (R Foley). The latter’s class rivals filled the next four outright spots with Jim Milliner (OMS 2000M) in front of David Quelch (Homebuilt DPQ03), Luke

Weikes (Empire 1) and Dave Morrow (Krygger Suzuki).

Tenth outright and the best of Tin Tops was Michael Larymore (Production Sports Toyota MR2) ahead of Wayne Penrose (turbo VW Superbug Sports Sedans), with Ben Jagger (Stockman MR2 Superkart) next.

The event attracted 78 competitors – Pauline Graham (Improved Production Datsun 1600 SSS) was the fastest female and Ashley McKenzie (Time Attack Honda CRX) was the best of the Juniors. Garry O’Brien

TIGHE SPRINTS TO NATIONAL TITLE NSW HILLCLIMB champion Dean Tighe has another trophy for the cabinet after he won the Motorsport Australia National Supersprint Championship at Sydney Motorsport Park on October 16.

It was the first time the championship was held at the Sydney venue, and it took place on the Gardner circuit.

The Queenslander dusted off his F1 Judd V8-powered Dallara for the one-day event where the 94 entrants had a number of eight minute runs to achieve their fastest times. Tighe set the quickest lap of 1min 22.7328s to have 1.34s over Doug Barry (Lola T8750) with Dan Nolan (Nola Chev) third fastest overall. The three competed in the 1S4 class.

“Last time we held it, I was second to Doug, so I was coming back for a vengeance, it was good to get a win,” Tighe said.

Barry, who was the reigning champion – he won the title in 2019, before Covid, at Phillip Island where he beat Tighe by 0.67s, set the early pace. At SMP Barry posted the first session best effort aboard his V6 Buick Indy Lights-engined car but missed the second session due to

a fault in the fuel relay.

Tighe set his best time in that outing with the aim to go quicker in the next. But he had two 180 degree spins out of Turn 2 which stopped the session.

Nolan used the Supersprint to ready the 1988 Australian Sportscar Championship winner (driven

by Alan Nolan) with a test and tune for the upcoming Sandown Historic and finished the day early.

Fourth outright went to Damon Ashton in his Time Attack Mitsubishi EVO. He finished ahead of Richard Perini (Radical SR8) who was fourth in 1S4. Then came Jonathan Wong (TA1 Toyota GR Supra), and Jaime Cheng (2R1 Porsche 911 GT2 RS).

In eighth overall was Adam Savic (1S3 Stohr F1000) in front of Nik Spartan Kalis (TA2 Evo X), Victorian Peter Nowlan (1S2 NRC Bullet), Andrie Tan (2R1 McLaren 720) and Robert Kolimackovski (TA1 Honda Integra) – all under 1min 40s. The 3R4 class went to 13th placed John Nguyen (BMW M2) who pipped class rival Jose Fernandez (Ford Falcon XT GT) by 0.021s.

Garry O’Brien

Image: BOB TAYLOR

WHITESIDE THE BOSS AT COLLINGROVE CHALLENGE SEVERAL COURSE class records went by the board on the Collingrove track at the Challenge Trophy Hillclimb fourth round on October 9. Fastest overall though was David Whiteside (above) in the Mazda V6 twin turbo Cheap BOSS over 3.0 litre Formula Libre.

Seventy-one graced the venue in warm and mostly sunny conditions in 11 classes for the Sporting Car Club of South Australia event. Whiteside was second in the first round, the second was cancelled, and he didn’t compete at round three. Yet even at this round, he only made two runs of the eight available, where the second was his best at 32.47s.

Second fastest 0.47s adrift was Brenton Byfield (Subaru WRX Sports Wagon Rally Car) while class rival Damien Brand (WRX)

came in third, just 0.07s in front of the last round winner David Coombe (Road Registered 4WD Sedans Mitsubishi EVO 7).

Sixth place went to Sean Day (Subaru WRX STi C-Spec Rally Car) with a 0.11s advantage over Harry Pfeiffer (Clubman Sports Car), and they were followed by Roy Michie (Cheap BOSS), Matt Reed (RR Amaroo Clubman), David Pfeiffer (Talbot RF Formula Ford) and Mark Dixon (WRX Rally Car).

Rally Cars 4WD was the most popular class with 13 entries and won by Byfield. Improved Production was well supported in U2L, U3L and O3L and taken out by Colin Hanks (Mitsubishi Lancer CE), William Wauchope (Toyota GR Yaris) and Andrew Wilson (Audi A4) respectively. Garry O’Brien

Outright placegetters – Dan Nolan, Dean Tighe and Doug Barry.

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ROSE CITY REVIVAL TO GROW IN STATURE Berryman chased Tweedie all weekend and pounced when the latter hit gearbox trouble to win in Sunday’s feature race.

Images: PETER ELLENBOGEN

THE WINTON FORMULA FESTIVAL TURNED OUT TO BE A RESOUNDING SUCCESS, WITH THE CIRCUIT OWNERS KEEN TO BUILD AND EXPAND ON THE IDEA INTO THE FUTURE WITH THE ROSE CITY 10,000 REVIVAL AS ITS CENTREPIECE.

F5000 debutant Josh Buchan was very quick out of the blocks from first practice on Saturday, visibly pushing to find the limits of adhesion with the Matich. Technical issues kept him out of the first two races, but he set quickest race lap in the Sunday feature race before technical issues forced his early retirement.

Peter Brennan debuted his spectacular ex-Graham McRae GM1 at this event.

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ONE OF the major drawcards was the Formula 5000s which contested the tribute to the Rose City 10,000, as well as running three seperate sprint events over the weekend alongside the Formula Ford and Formula Vee 1600s, as well as some historic Formula Fords.

Sponsored by Auto Action, the feature revival race was taken out with a comfortable margin by Tim Berryman in his pristinely kept ex-Alan Jones/Theodore Racing Lola T332 Chev.

The winner of the overall sprints was Tom Tweedie, but on the big day his Chevron B24/28 had gearbox issues which forced him into an early retirement. TCR competitor Josh Buchan also came out flying, piloting the ex John Goss Australian Grand Prix winning A53 Matich, but brake issues also forced him out early.

The Elfin MR8 Chev that Formula 1 champion James Hunt drove to victory in 1978 also participated and was a real fan favourite, with it able to be presented on the grid prior to the start of the race.

Second place getter was Paul Zazryn in his Lola T332, who was awarded the ‘Spirit of the Meeting’ award, presented by AA publisher and editor, Bruce Williams.

Zazryn’s Lola has a great history, competing in the first American Grand Prix in 1975. After he purchased it, its American return saw him take the Laguna Seca lap record at the Monterey Classic.

“It was a really great day, the atmosphere was fantastic and the pit walk was really cool for the spectators,” Zazryn told Auto Action.

“We had a few problems with our fuel system and gearbox stuff in the morning so we had to work hard all day – they can be pretty delicate machines. But the class presented itself really well, and we came in second … which you can’t sneeze at!

“What’s great is that we push these things to their limits, especially the ones up front. We were hitting about 230/240km at Winton, and we’ll probably get them up to 270 at Sandown in a few weeks.

“Winning the award from Auto Action was a real highlight. We’re not in it to win sheep stations or trophies, but the idea of the Spirit of the Meeting is the idea of the whole thing. The cars are the real stars here. Racing them and sharing them with people, and with the spectators and other drivers … it’s the point of it really.”

Even though the event was slightly hampered early by the weather, a good crowd still showed up, and the track’s General Manager, Stephen Whyte, has had feedback to the extent that they’ve ideas to grow it over the next few years.

“For a first go at the event, particularly for the revival of the Rose City 10,000, and having the Formula Fords and Vees with it, was a huge success from our side of the coin … and a really good foundation to build on for something even bigger next year and going forward,” Whyte said.

“The feedback that we got, particularly from the Formula 5000 side of things, by all the competitors, was quite exciting.

The whole thing was enhanced by various

Consistently fast and reliable, Paul Zazryn scored two second places and a third – chased here by Berryman, whom he beat to the flag to claim second in Race 2, Saturday. Winning margin ... 0.2 seconds. Zazryn was awarded the Rose City 10000 commemoration trophy.

VEE KING KINSELLA

Rob Splatt leading a chasing pack during Sunday’s feature race

factors, but the enthusiasm of seeing the 5000s was big.

“And now that we’ve understood that there is a real taste and want for it, we’ll invite more open wheel categories and make it a real festival.

“There’s been a real spate of enquiries from other open wheel categories that want to be a part of it next year. We can absolutely guarantee that it will run again next year at a similar time.

And we aim to make that a bigger and better experience, not only for the competitors, but for the spectators that I think will really get on board.

“At the end of the day, I’ve had calls from competitors, categories, and various other circles that have rung and just said ‘hey, that looked awesome, we want be involved’.”

Normally a competitor at the Formula 5000 races, Rod Carol was forced to spectate at Winton due to mechanical problems, but he gave his thoughts

“ ”

The feedback that we got, particularly from the Formula 5000 side of things, by all the competitors, was quite exciting...

to Auto Action about the proceedings, which initially looked dim, before the sun came out on the Sunday.

“We had a flood up here at Benalla, and to get to the race track we had to drive miles out of our way to avoid the floodwaters.

“It was the same for a lot of the competitors who came.” Carol said.

“Buy the time we got to Winton, the track had rivers of water running across it on Friday, but we still went out and

The actual Elfin driven by James Hunt to victory in 1978 was on hand, taking pride of place in front of the feature race front row of Tweedie and Berryman.. Image BRUCE WILLIAMS

had a go and a great time was had by all.

“I think today would have been the biggest number of purely Australian F5000s on the track ever.

“The Formula 5000s are so spectacular because of the way they grunt out of the corners. It’s really something to see and they eventually wound up going fairly close to lap records. I look forward to seeing this event grow into something spectacular for the future.” TW Neal

THE 2022 VEE Nationals went to Michael Kinsella (above), driving a Jacer, his third title in four years. Competitors came from all over to the flood-affected Winton area on October 14-16. Kinsella and Daniel Reynolds (Sabre) headed the field in the final, having been the fastest two drivers all weekend.

But it was not without drama in the leadup. Kinsella had a brake master cylinder fail in one of the heat races. There was also concern from the Jacer drivers, as their relatively small fuel tanks might not have gone the full distance of 16 laps.

The final started with Reef McCarthy (Sabre) ahead of Kinsella into Turns 1 and 2. Kinsella made a lunge at Turn 2 on the next lap, but he dropped to third behind Reynolds momentarily.

Reynolds led into lap two as he had a great run-on McCarthy out of the final corner, Kinsella following him through to grab second. Reynolds and Kinsella pulled away by the next lap, with McCarthy, Hayden Crossland (Jacer) and Heath Collinson (Sabre) next.

Kinsella took the lead going into lap six, with a pass at the first corner in a superbly timed move. A lap later the Safety Car came out after Corey Ogden came to a halt on the main straight. Recovery was quick and efficient, and the race restarted on lap seven. Kinsella led from Reynolds, Crossland, McCarthy, Collinson and David Caisley (Jacer).

Kinsella kept Reynolds at bay, with just enough in hand to keep him covered. By lap 10, McCarthy was still third, from Crossland, then a gap back to five-car battle group headed

by Darren Williams, Isaac Woodhouse and Andre Curin, all in Sabres.

The end of lap 12 saw the fuel consumption question solved, with a second Safety Car period. Curin had passed Adam Nicholson into turn 11, but they tangled on the way out – Curin’s car rolled neatly onto its roll bar, then rolled back the same way onto its wheels.

The one-lap sprint to the finish was enlivened slightly when Kinsella dropped a wheel into the dirt on the exit of Turn 2, but Reynolds wasn’t able to capitalise. Third place went to McCarthy, from Crossland and Woodhouse.

The 1200cc race somehow managed to see the field spread out, most unlike Vee races. Stephen Butcher (Stinger – above) led from lights to flag, with the historic Elfin of Max Bonney next, from the West Australian pair of Myles Lockett and April Welsh (Ajay 99 and Jacer).

FESTIVAL OF FORMULA FORDS

THE FIELD was split into three groups for the weekends races, the modern Duratec, Kent engine cars and Historic Formula Fords.

In Duratec, Bailey Collins (Spectrum) took two wins and a second, with the other win to Joe Fawcett in a similar car.

In the Kent 1600s, Tim Hamilton (above) brought his Spectrum down from Queensland to win three from three.

Luke Ellery (Spectrum) took three seconds and Will Liston (Listec) all the thirds.

In Historic Formula Ford, Andrew Reid (Van Diemen RF89) took two wins and a third, the other win going to Andrew McInnes in his RF89. Andy Nethercote (RF87) shared top three results with the others.

Story/Images: Bruce Moxon

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AUSTRALIAN RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP

ONE BATES FOR ANOTHER

THE BATES brothers have had a switch at the top of the Australian Rally Championship standings, with Lewis storming into the lead by taking out 12 stages at the Adelaide Hills Rally.

Lewis and his co-driver Anthony McLoughlin (right and below right) have taken first place with one round remaining, finishing well ahead of Harry Bates and John McCarthy who had a tough time of it to finish in P16 following an engine fire on the Saturday at Charliegate’s Stage 10.

Richie Dalton (below left) managed to finish second overall in the outright, whilst youngster Troy Dowel and co-driver Bernie Webb made it two outright podiums on the trot to hold onto third in the championship standings over Dalton.

The victory by the #2 Yaris also gave Toyota the constructors title with one round remaining on the same weekend that the Japanese manufacturer also took out the WRC constructors title.

Six stages were cancelled due to weather, including four on the Sunday around The Bend Motorsport Park for the closing of the The Bend AutoFest, but the final double points EROAD power stage went ahead, with L. Bates taking it out over his brother by just one hundredth of a second.

Bates was delighted to win in such dominant fashion, going into Sunday with a comfortable overall lead and capping it off with the power stage.

“It’s been an amazing weekend, I think we won 12 stages and by far that’s the best performance we’ve ever had in the Australian Rally Championship,” Lewis said.

“We were also able to have the better of

Harry and John for a period of time on both gravel and tarmac which was exciting in itself.

I think that added confidence after Gippsland enabled us to push a little harder and gave us that slight bit of belief that Harry and John are actually beatable.

“It was unfortunate for them (Harry and John) to have their issues because it was a cool battle we were in – it was intense and we were all enjoying it, so I hope we can continue that in Coffs Harbour.

“The GR Yaris was amazing all weekend, straight out of the box it just clicked. It felt like I was at one with the car from that first stage on Friday night and that carried on all the way through.”

The win also secured them a qualifying spot in the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) final at Coffs Coast, finishing ahead of Dalton and first year driver Daniel Gonzalez, who made up the final spots.

H. Bates also qualifies for the APRC final as a wildcard entrant, with WRC2 Aussie Luke Anear getting the fifth and final spot after competing in WRC events in Italy, Estonia, NZ and Spain.

Jamie Luff managed to secure the Production Cup win ahead of Zayne Admiraal, whilst Taylor Gill snuck into third, and will leapfrog Max McRae in the standings all the way into first place, with Max McRae sliding into seventh place after registering a DNF with gearing issue on the Friday, before sliding off on the Saturday.

With Production Cup leader Ronald Bustard not taking part, as well as second placed Carey Cahal, it leaves that championship open for a gripping finale on the Coffs Coast.

“It’s a tough way to finish a rally – we needed a good result for the championship and now it’s a bit more complicated,” McRae said.

“Basically we need to win the class last time out on the Coffs Coast Rally and then hope our rivals hit trouble. That’s not ideal, but all we can do is get our heads down and drive.

“This sport is so much about experience and, trust me, I learned a lot again this weekend. Apart from the gearbox – which isn’t a Subaru part – the Impreza was perfect again and I was feeling really positive coming into the event.

“Now it’s over to Coffs Harbour for the final round, another event I’ve never done – but an event with some legendary roads from the World Rally Championship.”

For the 2WD Cup runners, James Dimmock and Paul Bennett secured the win ahead of Guy Tyler and Steven Fisher.

With Glenn Campbell and Darran Ambrose rounding out the 2WD podium.

Meanwhile, the battle of the juniors continues to heat up with South Australians Molly Spalding and Douglas Johnson taking the win ahead of Dimmock and Bennett.

And in the ARC Classic Cup, David Thomson and Matthew Sanders completed the event to secure a class win in their mighty Mazda RX7.

The Australia Rally Championship returns to Coffs Harbour for the first time since 2018, with the Supercheap Auto Coffs Coast Rally hosting the Championship decider, as well as the winner takes all FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship finale, where both the Bates Brothers will take on NZ Rally legend Hayden Paddon.

POHLNER AND BRANFORD BATTLE TO SOUTH AUSTRALIAN TITLE WIN VICTORY IN the fourth and final round of the MRF Tyres South Australian Rally Championship capped off a great October 21-23 week end for Jamie Pohlner and Adam Branford (right) .

It meant that they won the title for the second year in a row aboard their Mitsubishi EVO 9.

The Adelaide Hills Rally round was run in conjunction with the Australian Rally Championship and took in the SA capital surrounds and The Bend Motorsport Park.

The state rally triumph was a narrow one, a bare 16s over father and daughter, Declan and Zoe Dwyer in their EVO 6, with Zayne Admiraal and Matt Heywood on the comeback after early

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drama with their Subaru Impreza WRX STi. Throughout there was little between the front runners. On day one, Pohlner and Dwyer had two stage wins each and were split by less than a second as they headed into day two. Third were Guy Tyler and Steven Fisher (Mitsubishi Magna) ahead of Admiraal, and Bruce Field and Karien Heimsohn (Alfa Romeo GTV6 Replica).

It was tightly contested on day two. Stage 10 was downgraded due to the Harry Bates’ ARC Yaris fire, and Stages 12 and 13 were cancelled.

Pohlner topped the day by 2.7s over Dwyer after they each had four stage wins. Admiraal topped three stages and held onto third despite a diff

failure on the first afternoon Bend stage.

Then followed Molly Spalding and Doug Johnson (Subaru Impreza RS), Michael and Casey Mohr (WRX), and Mark Povey and Brendan Dearman (Datsun Stanza). Fisher slipped to eighth as he struggled with broken rear upright for four stages.

On the last day, Pohlner won the first three stages and Dwyer one. Spalding finished the rally fourth ahead of Mohr, Povey and Glenn Campbell and Darran Ambrose (Renault Clio).

Tyler slipped another spot when delayed at the watersplash and finished eighth ahead of Field.

Garry O’Brien

That event takes place on 25-27 November, with free attendance for all spectators and a number of fan-friendly activation at the Service Park at C.ex Stadium, bookending the massive Coffs Coast Festival of Motorsport that starts on November 12. TW Neal

ARC CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS 1. L.Bates 398 2. H.Bates 371 3. Dowel 310 4. Dalton 289 5. Gonzalez 191 6. Taylor 142

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SARGENT TAKES CONTROL OF CHAMPIONSHIP THE FIGHT for the 2022 Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge championship has been blown wide open after the fourth round of the season at The Bend Motorsport Park.

Thomas Sargent (right) extended his championship lead from nine to 46 points to head to the Supercheap Auto Bathurst International in pole position, despite his rival Ryan Wood gaining the early upper hand in South Australia.

A record grid took on The Bend, but it was top two in the championship, who led the way with Wood taking a fourth straight pole position The pair battled furiously throughout the opening race, with the Kiwi Wood emerging victorious by just under two seconds from Sargent, while Lachlan Blossom was a distant third.

Brett Boulton and Bradley Carr won Morris Pro-Am and Class B honours respectively.

Wood said a bold move into the opening corner secured the hard-fought win.

“It was a pretty cool race, I managed to pass him (Sargent) early on and it went back and forth,” he said.

“I did a dive bomb at Turn 1 and it paid off, managed the gap and I am happy to take the first race win.”

The battle resumed in the second 22-lap Jim Richards Endurance Trophy race with the rivals fighting furiously for the lead.

Sargent was able to keep Wood at bay after a countless amount of relentless attacks, while fans braced themselves for a thrilling finish after the mid-race safety car

Image: SPEEDSERIESPHOTOGRAPHY caused by the standard Courtney Price was cleared.

However, the thrilling battle was over just after the restart when Wood’s car suddenly slowed and fuel pressure issues forced the Team Porsche New Zealand/Earl Bamber Motorsport entry to retire.

Sargent took full advantage and won by six seconds ahead of Aron Shields and Blossom, while Boulton led the Morris Pro-

Am runners and Class B was fronted by Lachlan Harburg.

In similar scenes to Sandown, the third and final race of the weekend was abandoned due to heavy rain.

But the weekend’s result was a critical moment in the story of the season where Wood and Sargent have fought blow for blow and the current championship leader was well aware how imperative it was to capitalise.

“Very chuffed with that one, its always good racing the long (endurance) one,” Sargent said.

“It’s unfortunate to see those things happen with Ryan, but its important for us to capitalise on those races when you can.”

With Sargent enjoying some breathing space ahead of Wood, the championship heads to the penultimate round at Mount Panorama. Thomas Miles

PERINI AVIODS CHAOS AND WINS TITLE CHRIS PERINI has a ticket to ride to the UK after he stayed out of trouble in a chaotic season finale at The Bend to be crowned as the 2022 Radical Cup Australia champion.

Perini finished 18 points ahead of runner-up Peter Paddon and will get to race a round in the world’s premier Radical racing series in England as a result of his title.

“The whole year was topsyturvy; the whole competition is just extreme” Perini said.

“There were some lows back in Perth where some results just got away from us, no fault of anyone.

But the rest of the year just blossomed (and) to come out on top is sweet.”

Despite the inclement weather, the Radicals were one of the few categories to complete its entire The Bend AutoFrest schedule.

Elliott Schutte claimed a tense victory in a dry opening race of the weekend after a race-long battle with teammate Caleb Sumich.

Perini finished in third, while there were numerous midfield battles to ensure the race was an entertaining one.

“It was tense, lots of pressure from Caleb,” Schutte said.

“I made a few mistakes, but pulled

through in the end, feels good.”

When the field arrived to take on the second and final race of the round, the track was soaked and proceedings started under Safety Car conditions.

Schutte led the pack again during the early stages, but a couple of spins dented his charge as many struggle to stay on the road.

His race eventually finished in the gravel trap after losing control on a crazy final lap, while Mark Rosser also aquaplaned off the track.

The chaos allowed Sumich to cross the line in first position on the track, but a five-second penalty for a starting grid infringement handed the overall victory to Peter Clare and Josh Hunt.

Reflecting on the win, Clare (below) said it was a big challenge overcoming the conditions.

“It really bucketed down the whole race – the visibility was really poor,” Clare detailed. Thomas Miles

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DRAKE CROWNED CHAMP AMID BEND CHAOS JOHN-PAUL Drake was crowned the 2022 Australian Prototype Series champion after a pair of dramatic races at The Bend.

On a weekend where mother nature did her best to throw everyone off course, Drake (leading, above) stayed strong and won the first race before finishing seventh in the second to officially secure his title.

Reflecting on a maiden championship success, he admitted it was quite an overwhelming feeling.

“It is the first (Series) I have ever won. I had a good car this year and I was driving really well,” Drake said.

“It feels really good, it feels like a sense of accomplishment.

“We took a long-term approach, don’t go out hard all the time and just play the safe, practical way to try and win a Series.”

Drake started the round strongly by taking pole position by more than a second and converting it to victory in a shorted opening race.

He controlled proceedings from start to finish ahead of Chien-Wen Liew and Ricky Capo after a grid mix up delayed the start.

The second race of the weekend was a crazy affair, with Capo slipstreaming past Drake off the start line, only to undo all his good work with a spin at the first corner.

After Drake also made some mistakes, Ryan Godfrey took the lead and controlled the field until the Safety Car finish following an

incident between Capo and Mark Laucke.

Despite missing out on the title, Godfrey was thrilled to score a season-ending victory after a tough weekend.

“It’s been a very up and down weekend, but this was one to remember,” Godfrey said.

“It went from being okay to extremely wet really quick, but I just tried to keep and smooth and calm and I felt pretty good out there.”

The Bend round concluded the 2022 Australian Prototype Series, but many of the drivers will compete at a non-championship round at the upcoming Bathurst International. Thomas Miles

TRIPLE EIGHT OVERCOMES OBSTACLES FOR BEND WIN

Feeney shaded Ross on the final lap. Image: Daniel Kalisz NOT EVEN a 15s time penalty could stop Prince Jefri Ibrahim and Broc Feeney from charging to victory in the first and only Fanatic GT World Challenge Australia Powered by AWS race at The Bend.

The fifth round of the season was held at The Bend AutoFest and the Triple Eight Race Engineering combination got on the front foot straight away by taking pole position.

But their race win did not go according to plan with the drama of the exciting race arriving instantly when Ibrahim put series leader Yasser Shahin into a spin at the first corner, which earned the #888 MercedesBenz a penalty.

The team served the penalty at the first stop as the Shannons Audi of Fraser Ross and Liam Talbot took the lead and stayed in control for the majority of the race.

But as chequered flag neared, Triple Eight Race Engineering started hunting as a pack with both the Feeney and Jamie Whincup Mercedes Benz AMG GT3s breathing down the Audi’s neck.

Whincup – driving with Prince Abu Bakar Ibrahim – played the team role and allowed Feeney by, who went on the attack to create a grandstand final-lap finish against Ross.

Feeney took his chance at Turn 1 and

made it stick to steal the win from long-time leader Ross in thrilling circumstances on the final lap.

“That was a wild race, I did not think I was going to work that hard,” Feeney said.

“A 15s penalty on top of the 5s in the pits made it pretty hard, but for Jamie to let me have a go and get Fraser on the last lap was so much fun.”

Ross’s Audi was sandwiched between the Triple Eight Race Engineering AMG GT3’s on the podium, while Shahin and Garth Tander finished fourth.

Sergio Pires and Marcel Zalloua took a dream GT Trophy win on debut, defeating

Launch Racing’s Michael Kokkinos after a close early battle between the pair.

Mark Griffith and Nash Morris secured the GT4 Class ahead of Christos Batzios and Sam Brabham.

Ross Poulakis put in a solo effort in his Mercedes to win the Am class.

The excitement of the opening race was dampened by the persistent Sunday rain, which forced the cancellation of the second and final race of the weekend.

Shahin now only holds an 11-point championship lead over Ibrahim as the Bathurst International beckons.

Thomas Miles

RUSSELL TRIO SURVIVES THE BEND’S BIG WET CONSISTENCY WAS the key for Wayne, Drew and Aaren Russell (right), who walked on water to win the Australian Production Car series round at a soaked The Bend Motorsport Park round.

Action, incidents and Safety Cars littered the four Australian Production Car races held during The Bend AutoFest with the drama beginning almost as instantly as the green flag dropped.

The Safety Car was required after a first lap incident where Grant Sherrin spun and forced the remainder of the top four to take evasive action.

Despite intermittent rain, the remainder of the race ran trouble-free as the Russell trio drove off to secure a clear

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outright win, while Sherrin had recovered up to P2 only for a tyre puncture to undo his good work at the halfway mark.

The tone for an incident-filled second race was set on lap five when Karl Begg and Shane Smollen got tangled up in a heavy incident following a brake failure for the former’s car #67.

When racing resumed, Sherrin found himself in the lead and looked set for victory in his BMW M4, but a right-front tyre failure crushed his dreams, while Jimmy Vernon and Dean Campbell’s day finished in flames.

The late drama for Sherrin inside the final 18 minutes allowed the Russell family entry to secure a second straight win.

Diabolical conditions greeted

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Image: David Batchelor the drivers for the third and fourth races of the busy weekend, which both started under the control of the Safety Car. The third race on Sunday morning was shortened by half an hour and Chris Lillis looked set for victory after passing Aaren Russell until his engine cut out with just two minutes

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to go, paving the way for Dean Campbell to score an emotional outright win.

The fourth and final race was a nail biting one-hour affair with many heart in mouth moments for the drivers in the wet weather.

Jimmy Vernon led the field away after the Safety Car start, but Camilleri snatched P1 almost straight away with some

aggressive moves.

As Vernon struggled to find pace in the slippery conditions, Nathan Callaghan made his move up the order up to P2.

But the dangers remained as many of the top contenders including Paul Razum, Camilleri and Vernon all had scary offtrack excursions.

Callaghan and Camilleri enjoyed a tense back-andforth tussle for the lead with the former eventually emerging victorious.

The round was taken out by the consistent family trio of Wayne, Drew and Aaren Russell, who secured outright honours after sweeping Saturday and recording a pair of P3s on Sunday.

The fifth and final round will be at the Supercheap Auto Bathurst International on November 11-13.

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WORLD RALLY CHAMIOPSHIP

Images: MOTORSPORT IMAGES

RALLY LEGEND PUTS ON SPANISH TARMAC CLINIC SEBASTIEN OGIER HAS COMFORTABLY WON THE WRC SPANISH TARMAC RALLY, SECURING TOYOTA GAZOO RACING THE MANUFACTURERS TITLE, AND CLAIMING HIS FIRST VICTORY OF THE CHAMPIONSHIP’S HYBRID ERA. THE FRENCH rally legend was contesting only his fifth outing of the season in the Spanish round of 12.

The eight-time WRC Drivers champion, is second only behind Sebastien Loeb (9 Championships) and went into Sunday’s final day holding a 20.7s lead over Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville and Kalle Rovanpera after taking three straight stages on the Saturday.

Ogier (above) ended up with a 16.4s win from the German Hyundai i20 N driver, helping clinch his co-driver – Benjamin Veillas – his first WRC win, as well giving Toyota its second straight manufacturers title, to go with Rovanpera’s drivers championship.

He went into the Saturday holding a 4.8s lead over the sports newest, and youngest ever champion, as Rovanpera struggled with understeer on the Tarmac, but still managed to trade blows with the French legend by taking four stages throughout the day as the overall lead swapped several times.

Neuville also featured on the Saturday, taking the lead at one stage but faded into the afternoon, combating tyre wear which led to sliding, with the +12.5s margin to Ogier too much to make up on the Sunday.

“It’s a fantastic feeling today. The most important thing was the manufacturers’ title for the whole team. They have done a fantastic job the whole season and really deserve it,” Ogier said after Sunday’s victory.

“I am also very happy personally to take a win after the bad luck we have had on the events we’ve done this year. It was a very enjoyable weekend and the car was really fun to drive and the times were following.

“It is almost a surprise because I hadn’t driven this car on asphalt for so long, apart from only one day of testing, so it was nice to

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Thierry Neuville at speed in the Hyundai. Rovenpera (right) made the podium after a puncture. Below: Ogier and Veillas pop the corks ...

see straightaway at the beginning of the rally that we were really fast, even with not such a great starting position on Friday.

“I am also very happy for Benjamin (Veillas) as it’s his first win. After six wins for Kalle and one for myself, let’s try to make it eight victories in Japan – especially given that eight is a lucky number there.”

Rovanpera suffered a puncture on the Sunday morning during the second stage, hitting a drain pipe cover that punctured his front left tyre. That time-loss made the scrap

for second a formality, as Neuville beat the new world champion into P2 by 18.1s.

“Seb (Ogier) was flying the whole weekend – he was really fast and even if I was pushing to the maximum, so I’m not sure if I could have matched him. He fully deserves the win and it’s nice to have two cars on the podium again,” Rovanpera said.

“A huge congratulations and thank you to the team. I think this year we really showed how talented this team and our people are, to be able to make this new car the strongest and the fastest and the most reliable.

“It’s especially nice this season as I think we have done our part quite well and brought many points for the team. We can all be really proud of what we have done. This weekend was pretty good for us.”

Ott Tanak – who announced after the event that he was leaving Hyundai after two years – came in at P4, 9.5s being his rival, and 44s behind Ogier, with the Estonian star struggling to find performance and speed on the tarmac all weekend.

Hometown hero Dani Sordo managed P5

after winning a couple of smooth tarmac speed stages on the Saturday, but his late found speed was little too late, finishing 37.5s behind Tanak, with Welshman Elfyn Evans coming in at P6, suffering a puncture in the same spot as teammate Rovanpera, whilst Japanese young gun Takamoto Katsuta came in at P7.

Akio Toyoda, team founder of GR Yaris, sent his congratulations to the team ahead of the Japanese rally.

“Congratulations to everybody in the team!

I’m really happy that the team achieved all three titles: Drivers’, Co-drivers’ and Manufacturers’ just as last year. And above all, I’m so glad that the GR Yaris has become a triple champion car. My sincere thanks to all of the team members,” Akio related. TW Neal WRC STANDINGS ROUND 12 1. Rovanpera 255 (Champion) 2. Tanak 187 3. Neuville 166 4. Evans 124 5. Katsuta 107 6. Ogier 85

NASCAR

Chastain (#1) takes the ‘outside line’ literally ... Images: Motorsport Images

BUFFALO GIRLS…

A SCARCELY believable finish to the NASCAR final four qualifier has seen Joe Gibbs Racing’s Christopher Bell take a must-win victory, with Ross Chastain pulling off one of the most remarkable last-lap moves ever seen to also scrape into the Playoffs.

Bell’s clutch victory came at the expense of a pass on Chase Briscoe – who also had to win to go through – with five laps remaining, making it two walk-off wins this postseason in the hunt for a maiden title.

But it was Chastain’s unbelievable move at the very death where he clung to the wall as if he’d put afterburners on, to

sling-shot with an open throttle from 10th to 4th and pip Danny Hamlin in P5 for the final playoff spot. It was a move that will enter NASCAR folklore for many years to come.

Astoundingly, that final lap of Chastain’s was also a whopping 0.864s quicker than the qualifying pole lap.

“I made the choice, and grabbed fifth gear down the back. Fully committed,” Chastain said.

“I Basically let go of the wheel, hoping I didn’t catch the Turn 4 access gate or something crazy. But I was willing to do it. I just cannot believe that we have a chance to go fight for a championship.”

That wasn’t the only nail in the coffin for the unlucky Hamlin, with Chase Elliot’s P10 enough to knock him out of the Playoffs by a meagre four points, the same margin enjoyed by Chastain.

In the end it was Bell, Joey Logano (P6:already qualified), Elliot and Chastain to make up the final four.

“I can’t believe it, man. To come here in Martinsville, this place has always been so tough on me,” said an elated Bell after the race.

“Just pre-race looking up, seeing all the fans, this place is packed… I don’t even know what to say.

“I say it all the time, but the

driver is just a small piece of the puzzle for these races. The reason why this car won today is because it was the best car on the race track. (Crew chief) Adam Stevens and this entire #20 group, they just never give up. When our back is against the wall, looks like it’s over, they show up and give me the fastest car out here.”

Briscoe had taken a gamble and stayed out on old tyres following the final race caution, where he went into the last 24 laps with the lead.

Bell finally got him on lap 496 of 500, having led for a total of 120 laps throughout, with the

eliminated Hamlin having had the lion’s share of lead laps with 203.

Before Hamlin assumed the majority of the lead, Larson had it for the first 68 laps, before Elliot held it for the next 52. Hamlin then took the lead on lap 121, winning the first two stages then holding the lead for the next 203 laps before Bell got him off the pit road exit.

Hamlin dropped off but still had the final spot until rocket man Chastain did the unfathomable.

The NASCAR postseason now heads to the Phoenix Raceway, Arizona, on November 6 for the Championship Four, 312 lapper.

Timothy W Neal

LARSON CRUSHES MIAMI TO LEAVE PLAYOFF ON EDGE

NON-CHAMPIONSHIP contender Kyle Larson last week swept aside the field at the Miami Speedway to clinch his maiden win at the track and 19th of his career.

The 2021 NASCAR champion did it in dominant fashion, leading for 199 of the 267 laps to take the

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chequered flag over Ross Chastian and AJ Allmendinger.

“We’ve been capable of it, I feel like many weekends, we just hadn’t quite put it all together. Crew chief Cliff (Daniels) gave a great speech this morning and got us all ready to go and focused. Amazing race car,’’ Larson said of his victory.

The result leaves the Round of 4 contenders on a knifes edge, with the Martinsville Speedway in Virginia set to fill the final three spots, with Joey Logano (P18) still the only qualifier.

Of the seven contenders fighting for the three advance spots, Chastain and Danny Hamlin (P7) were the only two to make the top-10, with Christopher Bell and William Byron coming in at P11 and P12, with Chase

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Elliot and Ryan Blaney in P14 and P17.

Chase Briscoe hit the wall on lap 160 leaving him to finish last, with both he and Bell needing victories in Virginia to advance.

Although Larson dominated the pace, he had to earn it late, with Martin Truex Jr taking the lead after a caution period with 46 laps remaining.

Truex took advantage of that caution to pull two seconds clear, before a late-caution was waved on lap 23. When the cars pitted Truex broke late on entry, which caused Larson to go into the back of him and turn him, with both drivers saying they were hampered by the sun in the windshields.

Truex re-entered outside the top-10 after getting his car fixed up, and managed to grab P6 as a consolation, whilst Larson blew them away at the re-start to beat Chastain in by 1.261s in a canter.

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GOLD COAST 500 SUPPORTS Nathan Herne was on fire on the streets of Surfers Paradise, cleansweeping the opening round of the S5000 Tasman Series.

HERNE SWEEPS SURFERS STREET FIGHT IN A throwback to the days of Gold Coast Indy300, the S5000 Tasman Series brought high-powered open-wheelers back to the streets of Surfers Paradise.

But the historic round was all about one man, Nathan Herne, who clean-swept the entire weekend to be in the box seat to secure the S5000 Tasman Series.

A total of nine cars graced the Gold Coast streets to kick off the new Tasman Series and Jordan Boys was on the pace early.

In a trouble-free opening 20 minute session the Boost Mobile backed car driven by Boys went one-tenth clear of Garry Rogers Motorsport teammate Herne.

Action then lifted in the second practice session where Cooper Webster lit up the timesheets.

Webster banked a 1:10.0973 lap to jump sixtenths clear of the rest of the field.

This time Boys had to settle for second ahead of Herne, while Jude and Ben Bargwanna completed the top five as Joey Mawson had a tough session with a flat tyre.

But Noah Sands had the biggest issue, bringing out a red flag after a crashing into the Turn 2 tyres.

Despite finishing just short in practice, Herne unleashed his express pace with a scintillating lap in qualifying.

Herne flew around the Gold Coast streets

to became the first driver ever to get in the 69-second barrier since the street circuit was shortened in 2010.

His pole time of 1:09.6681 was just enough to edge out Webster by one tenth of a second, whose weekend hopes took a hit due to an awkward crash on the exit of the first chicane, while Jude Bargwanna also found the concrete in the session.

Reigning S5000 champion Two-time Gold Star champion Joey Mawson tried his best to stop Herne, but had to settle for second best. Image: DANIEL KALISZ Mawson and Boys rounded out the top four.

Herne made full use of his pole position, finally scored the S5000 win he has been converting it perfectively to secure a chasing for two years. breakthrough win in Race 1.

Boys joined them on the podium followed The Valvoline-backed driver made a perfect

by Ben Bargwanna, Sands, Jude Bargwanna, getaway from the line, which forced Mawson Mark Rosser and trailblazing female racer Elly and Boys to slot in behind, taking over from Morrow. the missing Webster, who could not repair his Sunday might have been a new day, but no damaged car in time. one could still lay a hand on Herne.

Mawson was the only driver able to match The second race of the weekend was won Herne’s pace as the pair traded fastest laps in dominant fashion by Herne, who led each during a tense run to the flag. of the 17 laps.

Despite setting the fastest lap of the race, Mawson was the only driver able to keep up double Gold Star champion Mawson had in the Team BRM car and crossed the line a to settle for second best as Herne took the second behind, just being unable to get close chequered flag. enough to challenge for the lead.

It was a big relief for the GRM star, who has Two decades after his dad won the first ever

BORG SECURES SUPERUTE CROWN THE 2022 SuperUtes season concluded in dramatic style on the streets of Surfers Paradise with Aaron Borg securing his crown and a former champion turning back the clock.

It was an eventful four-race weekend with former champion Ryal Harris returning to the category in fine style, winning the opening race.

After getting past Borg at the Turn 4 hairpin, Harris charged away from the field with Craig Woods eventually edging ahead of #64 to keep his title hopes alive.

Things exploded in the second race of the weekend where the battle for the lead between David Sieders and Harris turned ugly.

The race built to an exciting crescendo on the last lap where second place Harris made a bold move for the lead around the outside of Sieders.

But Sieders got his elbows out, forcing Harris wide

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and into the tyre wall on the exit of turn 11.

The wash-up of incident allowed Sieders to secure a dramatic win and Harris to limp home in second place with a damaged Ranger.

Harris was able to get revenge on the following day by sweeping the floor on Sunday.

The driver nicknamed ‘The Kid’ was an untouchable figure in the #1 Ford Ranger after he cleared Sieders as early as the second lap.

Harris completed the near-perfect comeback by winning a fourth and final race full of drama.

“The Kid” slumped to fifth after a slow entry into turn one, allowing eventual champion Borg to exit the opening chicane in the lead.

Despite the slow start, Harris went on the charge and managed to cross the line in second place.

But this turned into his third win of the weekend after a 10 second time penalty was handed to Woods, who

Supercars Championship round at Surfers Paradise, Ben Bargwanna jumped on the podium to take third, while the returning Webster came home fourth after a comeback drive from ninth on the grid.

The third and final race of the weekend provided a grandstand finish as Mawson took the fight to Herne in the run down to Turn 1.

Mawson made the better start than his GRM rival and the pair went wheel-to-wheel into the first chicane and almost banged wheels.

To avoid contact Mawson straightlined the chicane and emerged in the race lead as the field entered the hairpin.

However, Race Control demanded the double Gold Star champion hand the lead back to Herne, who stayed on the racing line.

After the clash, Herne was unchallenged for the remainder of the race to complete a commanding clean sweep.

Ben Bargwanna completed a consistent weekend with another podium finish after he crossed the line fourth, but was promoted to the rostrum after Boys was penalised for a track limits breach.

Herne enjoys a 28-point lead in the Tasman Series over Mawson before the finale at the VALO Adelaide 500. Thomas Miles

Ryal Harris turned back the clock to win three of the four SuperUtes races on the Gold Coast last weekend. Image: TAMARA JADE MEDIA

spun Borg at the first chicane.

It was a crazy finale to a dramatic season with Borg emerging as the champion. Thomas Miles

JONES HANGS ON TO TAKE MAIDEN CARRERA CUP TITLE

By Thomas Miles HARRI JONES has been crowned as the 2022 Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia champion after he did enough to fend off the fast-finishing Aaron Love.

After a tense season finale held on the streets of Surfers Paradise, Jones closed out the title by finishing sixth in the third and final race of the weekend.

Love did everything he could, not only winning the closing race, but also eight of the last 10.

However, Jones was able to overcome the onslaught and take out the championship by 11 points.

The McElrea Racing star can put the trophy alongside the Michelin Sprint Challenge crown he claimed in 2019 and was overjoyed by the latest success.

“I’m thinking every emotion now, I almost cried coming into pit lane, absolutely over the moon,” Jones said.

“I just can’t thank the whole McElrea team enough, my family, my partner and commercial partners ... I can’t believe it.

“It was a tough weekend for us and it went down right to the last laps – we just had to keep our heads cool, keep focussed and all the hard work paid off this weekend. I’m absolutely stoked.”

While the overall fight for the Carrera Cup went down to the final lap, the battle for the Pro-Am trophy was so close, it was not decided until after the chequered flag was waved.

The dramatic finale was one not to forget with the standings having three different leaders across the weekend.

Geoff Emery held the upper hand after Saturday, but relinquished his lead to Liam Talbot following Race 2 on Sunday.

But Talbot’s hopes disappeared in a first-lap incident at the Turn 4 hairpin in the final race, which opened the door for Dean Cook to throw his name into contention.

Cook seized on the opportunity to take his first Pro-Am race and round win of the year,

Harri Jones was full of relief after holding on to the 2022 Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Championship.

Image by EDGE PHOTOGRAPHICS

and with Emery recording third in the class and 17th overall, the pair suddenly found themselves tied on points after the season.

Eventually the dramatic championship win went Emery’s way on countback, by virtue of his superior number of race wins.

Emery said it was a thrill to be crowned the winner after a fight for the ages.

“It feels unbelievable,” he said.

“Dean Cook did a very good job all year – he’s been an awesome team mate and a fierce competitor as well, so really happy to equal the points with him and win on the count back.

“It couldn’t be more exciting. Its been a pretty up and down season to be honest, got into a bit of trouble here and there, but we going to celebrate with a couple of beers, it will be great.”

Jones got his championship weekend off to a flying start by recording the fastest lap ever of the shortened Surfers Paradise street circuit in a Porsche GT3 Cup car.

His 1:11.7935 lap was a last-ditch lap at the end of a Friday littered with interruptions, but when qualifying arrived Callum Hedge rose to the occasion.

Hedge took pole by more than a tenth of a second from David Russell courtesy of his 1:12.1662, while championship contenders Jones and Love qualified P4 and P15 respectively after the latter was denied a flying lap due to a red flag.

The pair who lined up on the front row continued their duel into the race, which proved to be a classic.

Hedge ended up victorious after surviving a race-long battle with Russell, but the all eyes were further down the pack as the championship fight sprung to life.

With Jones starting 11 places above Love, the Sonic Motor Racing driver had a mountain to climb.

However, he did not give up and charged through the pack with an almighty comeback drive.

With some impressive aggressive moves, Love broke into the top 10 by lap two and then smashed the lap record.

To compete the march, he flew past rival Jones to score an outstanding P4 finish to bring the championship fight alive, while the McElrea Racing driver could only manage P6.

The result meant there was plenty of hype

heading into Sunday and Love did not slow down when racing resumed.

He wasted no time and snatched the lead by the 10th lap, before powering away to win by the largest margin of the season.

Nine seconds back was Hedge, while Russell and Dylan O’Keefe both finished ahead of Jones, who rounded out the top five after Dale Wood’s hopes of a podium were denied by mechanical issues.

There was also drama in Pro Am with then class-leader Emery suffering contact with Rodney Jane, which tore a rear tyre out of his car, forcing him to pit and lose a lap – ultimately finishing seventh in class.

The dramatic second race set the stage for a nail-biting conclusion to the season where Jones had to finish ninth of better to secure the title.

Love started from pole and nailed the start, to lead the field through the opening chicane, while the #12 McElrea Racing endured a nervous time trying to stay out of trouble.

Jones was able to tip-toe his way through the first chicane and the Turn 4 hairpin safety, however Pro-Am title contender Talbot was not so lucky.

He got tangled up in a crash at the tight left-hander where multiple cars were caught up, which paved the way for Emery to reclaim his crown.

In the race for the overall prize, Love blazed off into the distance to secure a commanding five-second win.

Hedge was able to fend off Russell and a resurgent David Wall to be the best of the rest in second to take out the round win.

But after the chequered flag all of the focus was on Jones.

Whilst Love won the most races in 2022, Jones was a picture of consistency and the Michelin Junior driver soaked up his emotional championship success on his home track.

Despite a comeback drive for the ages on Saturday, Aaron Love fell just short of championship success.

Image: EDGE PHOTOGRAPHICS

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Supercars RACE REPORT Round 12 – GOLD COAST

Images: MARK HORSBURGH/EDGE PHOTOGRAPHICS/MOTORSPORT IMAGES

TRIPLE EIGHT PARADISE THE RACING WORLD IS RUNNING OUT OF ADJECTIVES TO DESCRIBE THE PROCESSION OF DOMINANCE FROM SHANE VAN GISBERGEN AS HE CONTINUED HIS RECORD-BREAKING SEASON WITH A CLEAN SWEEP OF THE GOLD COAST 500. HIS 20TH VICTORY SEALED THE 2022 TITLE, WHILE HIS 21ST SEALED THE TEAMS CHAMPIONSHIP FOR TRIPLE EIGHT ENGINEERING. THE KIWI WONDER MOVED ONE CLOSER TO EQUALING JIM RICHARDS’ ‘MOST EVER’ FOUR CHAMPIONSHIPS FOR A NEW ZEALAND SUPERCARS DRIVER. IT WAS a long wait to finally have the Supercars back on the Gold Coast, with 2019 marking the last outing, when the 600km format saw a two-race co-driver format.

This time teams had to face two 250km races with the gruelling task of a single driver for the 85 lap outings across the aggressive street track where wear and tear is next to unavoidable with high-speed chicane’s and tight barriers.

The scheduling for the run home has been tough on the garages, with Pukekohe leading into Bathurst, and now two potential car-killer street tracks to close out this generation of Supercars.

Driver fatigue, soft tyre wear over a new surface, and the heat of Surfers Paradise provided the talking points of a track affectionately known as the ‘Bull Ring,’ where van Gisbergen was expected to close out the title.

In the end, fans turned out in droves to welcome back Supercars biggest street party with its surf board trophies and sundrenched circuit. And although carnage was expected within the concrete walls of the high-speed circuit, not many could have prepared themselves for the extent of the screeching smash-up that will be making the highlight reels for many years to come.

Friday saw two hour and a half practice sessions with kerb strikes the talking point through the quick chicanes which had the

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tyre bundles pushed back, inviting drivers to push the line limits.

Will Davison and Cameron Waters took out the day’s two sessions, with the #17 DJR putting up an 1:11.221 late in P1 as teams collected data on their soft tyre set-ups in scorching temperatures.

The second session had seven drivers sneaking under the elevens – and around the countless left hand mirrors and splitters strewn about the track. Waters topped the

majority of the session with a 1:10.721 at the death, with the Tickford star looking fast early in the piece.

Will Brown experienced alternator issues ahead of a trouble filled weekend, bringing out the only red flag of the day.

BJR were also given something to smile about, with the team picking up a fourth Golden Rattle Gun by winning the Pirtek Pit Stop Challenge over Triple Eight to pick up a healthy 20,000 dollar cheque.

QUALIFYING: RACE 31

David Reynolds provided Grove Racing with a spark of life after the shock of their early Bathurst exit.

The #26 Penrite driver put in the perfect GC lap to hold sway over van Gisbergen, Waters and Chaz Mostert in the top-10 shootout.

The first knockout session saw two red flags with SVG grabbing provisional goal by four tenths over Mostert and Brodie Kostecki.

Randle followed by team-mate Courtney – both cars were decidedly more worse for wear by Sunday evening ...

Davson was as intense as ever, especially with SVG playing tap-tap on his rear bumper ... but earned a strong pair of top four finishes.

Dave Reynolds topped the Saturday Shootout and turned that into a fine scond place, behind you-know-who ...

Jake Kostecki became the weekend’s first casualty, as the #56 Mustang bounced between the walls at the exit of Turn 12, and Scott Pye was unlucky to miss the top-10 by just three hundredths with De Pasquale rounding out the 1:11.0014 cut off.

The knockout was plagued by three kerb strikes, with B.Kostecki, Davison and Heimgartner failing to register a time, as Reynolds grabbed his third pole of the year which sent the Grove Racing garage

into a well deserved celebration.

SATURDAY: RACE 31 – SVG SHUTS THE DOOR

The title race closed its doors on 2022 as Shane van Gisbergen romped home to take Race 1 of the Gold Coast 500.

Van Gisbergen took his 20th win of the season to be a three-time champion in Triple Eight’s 600th Supercars race, with David Reynolds taking P2 over Chaz Mostert in a surprisingly flag-free race.

The gruelling 250km single driver race got underway with David Reynolds on pole in front of Shane van Gisbergen, Cam Waters and Chaz Mostert.

Reynolds kept the lead onto the first corner with all cars going through without issue, as van Gisbergen kept right under the rear wing of the #26 with the top 10 holding their spots.

Winterbottom moved up three spots into P10 as Reynolds gained a 1.037s split by lap 7.

Davison went for the first undercut after being held up in P9, then lost time with a faulty wheel gun holding him up, re-entering in P23 with a scrap on his hands to claw back the time.

The #26 Penrite just held off SVG on lap 15 but inevitably lost P1 a lap later out of the chicane before Turn 4, with Waters holding P3 over Mostert before taking his compulsory stop.

Reynolds took his first stop on lap 25 with half the field having taken their first stops, and with the #97 also pitting a lap later.

SVG came back out in P9 just in front of Reynolds, Waters and De Pasquale.

Lap 30 had the first compulsory stops out of the way, with Reynolds lapping the fastest having gained ground back to be in P2 by 0.934.

Both Heimgartner and Brown had mechanical black flags, with both cars parked up. The #9 undercarriage got stripped on a kerb due to power steering issues, and the #8 suffered backfiring with both cars out on lap 34.

Brodie Kostecki and Randle were made to swap places for P10 after the #55 cut the chicane, with the top 10 holding except for Mostert pushing on Davison for P5.

Reynolds was having steering wheel issues, and started to lose tenths on SVG by lap 40, with the field nearing its final

Reynolds followed by Van Gisbergen – second and fourth represented a super return for the Grove team leader.

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Supercars RACE REPORT Round 12 – GOLD COAST

refuelling stop for the 40+ lap run to the chequered flag.

Lap 45 came with no yellow flags waved yet, as teams started to get their fuel deliveries done with van Gisbergen holding a 4.878s split on Reynolds, with Waters losing P3 to Mostert on Turn 4 with Winterbottom in P5.

Waters somehow stayed in the race with a massive spin off the tyre barrier at the exit of the first chicane which filled his cabin with smoke as he hit the throttle at the top of his spin – with he and Mostert both taking their fuel stops, as Reynolds had his steering wheel screwed back on in his pit stop.

Van Gisbergen came in on lap 56 with over a minute split on Reynolds, re-entering with an 11s lead on his march to clinching the championship, whilst Mostert cut his time to P2 to just 0.628s.

With 20 laps remaining the podium was looking settled barring a yellow flag with Davison 3s back in P4 over his DJR teammate, and Waters in P6 over B.Kostecki and Courtney, with Winterbottom and Pye filling out the top 10.

With only nine laps left, SVG met up with the back of the field holding a 15s lead, and the #17 DJR had snuck up on Mostert to threaten for P3. Davison had moved right under his wing with five laps left, as Mostert’s tyres looked shot from his push on Reynolds.

The last lap saw a fight for P3, with Mostert brilliantly holding Davison off, as van Gisbergen stormed home by 17.344s in a shockingly dominant win.

QUALIFYING: RACE 32

Van Gisbergen put himself in the box seat for the clean sweep by topping Davison by 0.323s in the weekend’s second Top-10 Shootout.

His impressive 1:10.313 gave him his sixth pole position at the Gold Coast street circuit and eighth of the season, which now means he shares the record for the most at the venue alongside his team principal Jamie Whincup.

James Golding continued his PremiAir rise by putting himself in P9, which gave the team and the #31 driver a first top-10 shootout, with Scott Pye also pushing in with a solid 1:10.911 for P5.

After its innocent involvement in Sunday’s early mass shunt, Courtney’s car was somehow patched up to get to the finish ...

Image: ROSS GIBB PHOTOGRAPHY

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Mark Winterbottom made race progress both days, starting outside the top 10, but finishing inside it.

Heimgartner started the provisional qualifying strongly after an overnight engine change but was knocked out by the two DJR Mustangs.

Slade came undone at turn 11, clipping the wall to break his front suspension with the strange sight of a spring bouncing free from his #3 Mustang.

Golding swooped late to knock out the hometown driver in Feeney from the top-10 that would feature B.Kostecki, De Pasquale, Randle, Pye, Mostert, Waters, Reynolds, Davison and van Gisbergen.

In the Shootout, a tired Reynolds couldn’t repeat his day two heroics, registering a 1:11.030 to drop him into P7, whilst Davison could only watch on as the indomitable SVG blasted his time to take pole.

James Golding continued his upward progress with a Shootout spot on Sunday, but the day ended badly and early following tyre bundle contact at the beach chicane ...

RACE 32 – GUESS WHO!

It was a matter of signed, sealed and delivered for the #97 breakaway, as van Gisbergen swept the Gold Coast 500 with his 21st win of the season in a carnage-filled race which featured a huge 10-car pile up.

In a mirror image of Bathurst a late Safety Car saw Mostert get one final chance at the title holder, but it was to no avail as SVG eased it in over the #25 WAU challenger and DJR’s Davison.

The final 250km race had drivers combating the fatigue of the previous day’s

Bull Ring opener, with the newly crowned champion on pole with two Mustangs looking to give him grief in the form of Davison and Waters.

Davison went through the first corner on a forced shortcut to take the lead, with Mostert cutting in front of Waters for P3.

Van Gisbergen was furious over the radio with Davison’s shortcut, and later admitted it fuelled his aggressiveness.

A scrambling start had plenty of spot switching before a massive pile up saw a nasty red flag with a 10 car snarl up and big fire on Macauley Jones’ bonnet.

Feeney, Jones, Percat, Holdsworth, Hazelwood and Golding all had their days ended with a tyre bundle seemingly at the centre of the trouble, having turned Golding’s car through the beach chicane at high speed.

Bathurst deja-vu ...

Mostert chased SVG home on Sunday after a strong third the day before .

De Pasquale, Brown, Le Brocq, Winterbottom, Courtney and Heimgartner also sustained damage with repairs needed to continue.

All drivers were thankfully deemed okay following the incident, with a huge cleanup required for the re-start with 81 laps to run and Will Davison in the lead over SVG, Mostert and Waters.

A lap eight green flag had things back underway with a 17-car field and Davison covering van Gisbergen to keep the lead with plenty of bumper contact from P2.

“Tell this guy to stop driving into me,” Davison said over the team radio, as van Gisbergen sat right under his rear wing.

Van Gisbergen got him on lap 11, bullying him out the way with the #17 looking vulnerable from the restart, going down 1.191s in little time.

The unstoppable #97 broke into a three second split by lap 17, racking up fastest lap after fastest lap and looking ominous early for the sweep.

Tickford remarkably had Courtney’s car ready to go back out in the scramble for points in an attempt for 2023’s second garage spot, albeit with him +16 laps in arrears.

Davison went in on lap 26 having dropped six seconds back, re-entering behind Mostert who led the pitted cars, with Waters 10s back on the leader, as SVG went in on lap 29.

He came out behind Mostert but with a fuel load variation which could’ve played into Mostert’s hands further into the race if he could keep the pace, but a loss of up to QUALIFYING RACE 31 Pos Driver 1 David Reynolds 2 Shane van Gisbergen 3 Cameron Waters 4 Chaz Mostert 5 Anton De Pasquale 6 Thomas Randle 7 James Courtney 8 Brodie Kostecki 9 Will Davison 10 Andre Heimgartner 11 Scott Pye 12 Nick Percat 13 Mark Winterbottom 14 James Golding 15 Broc Feeney 16 Chris Pither 17 William Brown 18 Jack Le Brocq 19 Lee Holdsworth 20 Tim Slade 21 Bryce Fullwood 22 Macauley Jones 23 Jack Smith 24 Todd Hazelwood 25 Jake Kostecki

five seconds on the #97 was inevitable for his next fuel stop.

It was not to be, as by lap 37 SVG had closed the split on Mostert to 1.832s with the #25, with Davison in P3 ahead of his teammate, Brown and Winterbottom.

Courtney’s Mustang overheated and was forced back in with his car looking a mess, but the team were eager to get him classified.

Lap 45 had van Gisbergen onto Mostert’s bumper with the WAU car pitting for fresh tyres and a refuel as he looked set for a P2 podium, with most teams also going for their last refuels.

The leader’s last pit had him re-enter 4.887s in front of Mostert, with Davison holding 9.501s over Reynolds for P3.

Le Brocq got a mechanical black flag with smoke pouring out of his patchedup Commodore on lap 56 with the top 10 looking tentatively set for the 28-lap run home.

On the 71st lap a Safety Car was called with Randle pulling over and his day over, with Courtney also farcically still going around with a bent bonnet obstructing his view – the #5 had endured an absurdly futile day, but still he persisted.

With 11 laps to go the closed field had one more crack at the runaway Triple Eight car with the top four quickly distancing themselves again with Reynolds looking to threaten Davison for P3.

Van Gisbergen quickly shut the door on the challenge with five laps to go, stretching the margin to 2.746s with the top three looking settled.

RESULTS RACE 31 85LAPS (250KMS) Time 1:10.4319 0:00.4039 0:00.5498 0:00.7000 0:00.7086 0:00.8108 0:01.0431 N/A N/A N/A 0:00.6261 0:00.6351 0:00.7055 0:00.7096 0:00.7561 0:00.8479 0:00.9062 0:01.0061 0:01.0133 0:01.0842 0:01.1525 0:01.2300 0:01.4183 0:01.8716 N/A

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Pos Drivers 1 Shane van Gisbergen 2 David Reynolds 3 Chaz Mostert 4 Will Davison 5 Cameron Waters 6 Anton DevPasquale 7 Brodie Kostecki 8 James Courtney 9 Mark Winterbottom 10 Nick Percat 11 Thomas Randle 12 Tim Slade 13 Jack Le Brocq 14 Broc Feeney 15 Lee Holdsworth 16 Chris Pither 17 Scott Pye 18 Todd Hazelwood 19 James Golding 20 Macauley Jones 21 Jack Smith 22 Bryce Fullwood 23 Jake Kostecki 24 William Brown DNF Andre Heimgartner

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Laps 85 85 85 85 85 85 85 85 85 85 85 84 84 84 84 84 84 84 84 84 83 83 82 70 30

QUALIFYING RACE 32 Race time 01:43:27.5354 01:43:44.3868 01:43:45.3295 01:43:45.6479 01:44:00.1015 01:44:01.9745 01:44:02.4663 01:44:10.1585 01:44:26.4929 01:44:33.6415 01:44:36.0353 01:43:32.3252 01:43:32.8581 01:43:33.2821 01:43:33.5509 01:43:37.8133 01:43:43.3318 01:43:51.2819 11:43:52.1382 01:43:52.6583 01:43:30.3828 01:44:18.7820 01:43:27.5387 01:44:35.1797 00:37:31.4214

s1 t-1 s1 s5 t-2 t-1 s1 t-1 s4 s2 t-5 s8 s5 s1 s4 t-6 s7 t-5 s2 s2 t-1 s1 t-7 t-15

Pos Driver 1 Shane van Gisbergen 2 Will Davison 3 Cameron Waters 4 Chaz Mostert 5 Scott Pye 6 Brodie Kostecki 7 David Reynolds 8 Thomas Randle 9 James Golding 10 Anton De Pasquale 11 Broc Feeney 12 Mark Winterbottom 13 Lee Holdsworth 14 William Brown 15 Todd Hazelwood 16 James Courtney 17 Jack Le Brocq 18 Chris Pither 19 Nick Percat 20 Andre Heimgartner 21 Macauley Jones 22 Bryce Fullwood 23 Jake Kostecki 24 Jack Smith 25 Tim Slade

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Cam Waters qualified third on both days, but the races weren’t kind to the Monster car.

Trophy, or rather surf-board time ...

In the end it was another canter home for the 2022 champion, stamping his authority on the Supercars competition in brutally dominant fashion, coming home over Mostert and Davison by 2.1s.

FOR SEVERAL of the teams, the monthlong break between now and the Adelaide 500 will be a breath of fresh air that will see several teams having to multitask their rebuilds with the closing Gen3 deadlines.

Although Tickford somehow got both their cars back on the road, two more badly damaged cars will have Tim Edwards pulling his hair with an ugly RESULTS RACE 32 85LAPS (250KMS)

Time 1:10.3133 0:00.3236 0:00.4069 0:00.4225 0:00.5983 0:00.6365 0:00.7173 0:00.9101 0:01.1994 0:01.2094 0:00.3979 0:00.3986 0:00.4076 0:00.4935 0:00.5587 0:00.5718 0:00.5839 0:00.6292 0:00.6419 0:00.6456 0:00.9458 0:01.0367 0:01.0741 0:01.2955 0:01.5124

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Pos Drivers Laps Race time 1 Shane van Gisbergen 85 02:19:20.3212 2 Chaz Mostert 85 02:19:22.4308 3 Will Davison 85 02:19:23.8234 4 David Reynolds 85 02:19:25.6939 5 Brodie Kostecki 85 02:19:28.6220 6 Mark Winterbottom 85 02:19:30.7336 7 Cameron Waters 85 02:19:32.5596 8 Andre Heimgartner 85 02:19:33.6636 9 Chris Pither 85 02:19:34.4838 10 Tim Slade 85 02:19:35.6100 11 William Brown 85 02:19:48.1316 12 Scott Pye 85 02:20:06.6349 13 Bryce Fullwood 84 02:19:36.8953 14 Jack Smith 84 02:19:47.4734 15 Jake Kostecki 68 02:19:50.4931 16 Jack Le Brocq 66 02:20:11.1177 17 James Courtney 64 02:19:40.0900 NC Thomas Randle 50 02:03:47.3379 NC James Golding 3 3:47.7455 NC Broc Feeney 3 3:49.1029 NC Lee Holdsworth 3 3:50.0737 NC Todd Hazelwood 3 3:50.5986 NC Nick Percat 3 3:51.3742 NC Macauley Jones 3 3:51.8300 DSQ Anton De Pasquale

garage bill, after admitting his team had already been pulling 18 hour days.

After their ongoing Bathurst carnage BJR and Blanchard racing will once again be busy, as will Triple Eight and PremiAir with the Feeney and Golding Chassis’.

And following on from Reynolds Bathurst rebuild, Grove Racing also faces another long week of headaches with Holdsworth’s worse for wear #10 Mustang.

The Valo Adelaide 500 kicks off December 1-4, closing the chapter on another generation of Supercars, as well as providing the scene for Holden’s last hurrah.

Timothy W Neal CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS AFTER ROUND 12

s2 t-1 s3 s1 s6 t-4 s12 s9 s15 s3 t-7 s9 s10 s8 s1 t-1 t-10 t-10 t-9 t-8 t-7 t-4 t-3 t-15

Pos 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25

Driver Shane van Gisbergen Cameron Waters Chaz Mostert Will Davison Anton De Pasquale Broc Feeney David Reynolds Brodie Kostecki Mark Winterbottom Andre Heimgartner Tim Slade William Brown Lee Holdsworth James Courtney Scott Pye Nick Percat Bryce Fullwood Todd Hazelwood Jack Le Brocq Macauley Jones Chris Pither Jake Kostecki Thomas Randle Jack Smith James Golding

Points 3382 2722 2547 2429 2407 2137 2000 1932 1735 1682 1678 1573 1572 1565 1449 1436 1329 1303 1186 1174 1152 1135 1045 967 630

– – s1 s1 t-2 – – – s1 t-1 – s1 t-1 – s1 t-1 s1 t-1 s1 t-1 s1 t-1 – – –

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Formula 1 Round 18 US Grand Prix, Austin TEXAS

ONE FOR THE BOSS! IT WAS A WEEKEND SHROUDED IN SADNESS FOLLOWING THE PASSING OF DIETRICH MATESCHITZ, BUT MAX VERSTAPPEN DELIVERED A WIN DEDICATED TO THE RED BULL OWNER

By LUIS VASCONCELOS Images Motorsport Images Max Verstappen had to dig deeper than he anticipated to win the US Grand Prix, after a botched pit stop cost him the lead he snatched from pole man Carlos Sainz at the start.

In a very emotional weekend for Red Bull Racing, with the passing of the company’s founder and great motor racing enthusiast Dietrich Mateschitz, the double World Champion didn’t leave anything on the table, and passed Leclerc and Hamilton in the final 10 laps of the race, to dedicate the win and the Constructors’ title to the Austrian.

Straight out of the car, Verstappen admitted that, “we gave it everything out there today. Of course, it’s a very difficult weekend for us, so this one is definitely dedicated to Dietrich himself, for what he has done for everyone. The only thing we could do today was win and even though after the pit stop it was not looking great, I gave it everything out there and I pushed to the limit to come back.”

Comeback he did, in style, but his biggest rival wasn’t a Ferrari driver but a rejuvenated Lewis Hamilton, who came six laps short of

giving Mercedes its first win of the season.

Carlos Sainz, the man who could have run Verstappen closer – and benefit from his pit stop drama to get an unassailable lead – had been taken out at the first corner of the race by George Russell, and it was too much to ask Charles Leclerc, who started 12th after taking a grid penalty for using new Power Unit elements, to do more than reach the podium and beat Sérgio Pérez, to retake P2 in the Drivers’ Championship.

Sainz had shocked the favorites by beating Leclerc and Verstappen in Q3, the Spaniard relieved that, “for once the half a tenth I’ve been missing all year was in my favour”, but with his teammate dropping to the sixth row of the grid, he was on his own against the World Champion. Verstappen also had no ally at close quarters, for Pérez also served a grid penalty and dropped to ninth after qualifying fourth, ahead of the two Mercedes.

A GREAT COMEBACK DRIVE

A lot hinged on the start and Verstappen got it inch perfect, while Sainz was slightly slower to react and then had a lot of wheelspin once he hit second gear in. The Dutchman kept the inside line into Turn 1, braking as late as he dared, while Sainz

opted against going the long way around, knowing he’d be given no space on the corner exit, and cut across the rear of the RB18, hoping better traction would put him back in the lead.

The move caught George Russell unaware and contact was inevitable, the Ferrari being spun around in front of the whole field before retiring in the pits with a damaged radiator. Sainz, obviously, was far from pleased with his young rival’s move: “I was in the middle of a fight with Max, and suddenly came someone who wasn’t even in that fight and bump into me. I don’t think it needs too much explanation than the footage itself.”

Penalized lightly by the Stewards, with 5s added to his first pit stop, Russell admitted he was at fault: “You never want to be involved in an incident and destroy someone else’s race. When I attacked Turn 1 I was focused on the three cars around me, I was expecting Carlos to fight it out on the outside of Max’s car, so I braked quite deep into the corner. When I saw he was trying to cut him back and go underneath Max, it was already too late for me there and I couldn’t avoid the incident. So, yes, hands up from my side.”

That left Verstappen in the lead with Hamilton not too close behind but, unexpectedly, the Red Bull wasn’t pulling away easily, leading the seven-times World Champion by 3.7s after 10 laps, so when Hamilton pitted two laps later, Verstappen had to react. As usual Red Bull’s stop was quicker and, with the Mercedes driver briefly held by the two Aston Martins, the gap grew to 6.3s once he finally cleared the two green cars.

At this stage it seemed game over for Hamilton, especially as Leclerc, still to pit, was between the two contenders, but two consecutive Safety Cars – the first to remove Bottas’ beached Alfa Romeo from the gravel in Turn 19, the second to clear the track following a nasty incident between Stroll and Alonso that earned the Canadian a penalty of three places on the grid for Mexico – reopened the game.

For the following nine laps, Verstappen was never more than 2s ahead of Hamilton, so when he pitted for Hard tyres on lap 34, Verstappen responded one lap later and a problem with the left front wheel cost him 8.5s, dropping him behind Leclerc.

It was only at the fourth attempt, on lap 39, the Dutchman got ahead of the Ferrari

Leclerc put together an impressive race to get from 12rth to third. Left: George Russell finished fifth, lucky to not have damage afer his Turn 1 clash with Sainz.

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Lewis came the closest Mercedes has come to a race win in 2022. Above: a massive US crowd turned up in Texas to see Verstappen, Hamilton and Leclerc join Helmut Marko on the podium.

and having a tyre advantage – Red Bull had saved more Medium than Hard sets, unlike Mercedes – was on the back of Hamilton’s car 10 laps later, passing him on lap 50 to claim a highly emotional win.

Hamilton, for his side, admitted, “it always hurts to lose but they were so much quicker down the straights – there was nothing we could do about them. It felt great to lead for so long, I love this track and this crowd and our performance shows we never give up and this team is awesome.”

Leclerc wasn’t sure if he should be happy or sad with P3, “because starting from 12th this is a good result but after the Safety Car helped us and we were in P2 I thought we could win, until the tyres started to drop off.” Still, passing Pérez on track after the second stop put him back in P2 in the championship, the Mexican ruing a first lap contact with Bottas, “that damaged my right front wing and made my life a lot more difficult”, with a late comeback at Leclerc coming short. Russell was a lonely fifth, his penalty dropping him quickly out of contention in what he described as, “my worst weekend since I joined Mercedes.”

NORRIS SHINES AS ASTON MARTIN BLOWS IT

For the first time since the start of the year, Aston Martin had the fourth quickest car in Austin, the AMR02 showing great pace in the bumpy and windy COTA. Vettel admitted to making mistakes in qualifying that took him out in Q2, but Stroll started fifth after penalties were applied and got past Pérez at the start to briefly run inside the top four.

A storming first lap from Vettel put him behind his teammate once Pérez cleared the Canadian and the team looked set for its best result of the season, especially after the first pit stop went according to plan and Vettel, running faster than his teammate, got ahead of Stroll by pitting later.

The Canadian, however, blew it big time after the re-start following a brief Safety Car period to remove Bottas’s beached Alfa Romeo from Turn 19’s gravel, and moved too late in the big straight, leaving Alonso no space, so contact was inevitable.

The Spaniard flew high and landed hard, but, amazingly, after a pit stop for new tyres and repairs, managed to carry on to

QUALIFYING / STARTING GRID RACE 18

RESULTS RACE 18 56 LAPS CIRCUIT OF THE AMERICAS

CHAMPIONSHIP AFTER RACE 18

Pos Driver Time 1 Carlos Sainz 1:34.356 2 Charles Leclerc 1:34.421 3 Max Verstappen 1:34.448 4 Sergio Perez 1:34.645 5 Lewis Hamilton 1:34.947 6 George Russell 1:34.988 7 Lance Stroll 1:35.598 8 Lando Norris 1:35.690 9 Fernando Alonso 1:35.876 10 Valtteri Bottas 1:36.319 11 Alexander Albon 1:36.368 12 Sebastian Vettel 1:36.398 13 Pierre Gasly 1:36.740 14 Zhou Guanyu 1:36.970 15 Yuki Tsunoda 1:37.147 16 Kevin Magnussen 1:36.949 17 Daniel Ricciardo 1:37.046 18 Esteban Ocon 1:37.068 19 Mick Schumacher 1:37.111 20 Nicholas Latifi 1:37.244

Pos Drivers 1 Max Verstappen 2 Lewis Hamilton 3 Charles Leclerc 4 Sergio Perez 5 George Russell 6 Lando Norris 7 Sebastian Vettel 8 Kevin Magnussen 9 Yuki Tsunoda 10 Esteban Ocon 11 Zhou Guanyu 12 Alexander Albon 13 Pierre Gasly 14 Mick Schumacher 15 Fernando Alonso 16 Daniel Ricciardo 17 Nicholas Latifi NC Lance Stroll NC Valtteri Bottas NC Carlos Sainz

Pos Driver 1 Max Verstappen 2 Charles Leclerc 3 Sergio Perez 4 George Russell 5 Carlos Sainz 6 Lewis Hamilton 7 Lando Norris 8 Esteban Ocon 9 Fernando Alonso 10 Valtteri Bottas 11 Sebastian Vettel 12 Daniel Ricciardo 13 Kevin Magnussen 14 Pierre Gasly 15 Lance Stroll 16 Yuki Tsunoda 17 Mick Schumacher 18 Zhou Guanyu 19 Alexander Albon 20 Nicholas Latifi

(12) (2) (9) (3) (4) (5) (6) (14 (7) (8) (10) (11) (18) (19) (13) (15) (20) (16) (17)

Make Laps Margin RED BULL RACING 56 1:42:11.687 s1 MERCEDES 56 +5.023s s4 FERRARI 56 +7.501s t-1 RED BULL RACING 56 +8.293s – MERCEDES 56 +44.815s s1 MCLAREN MERCEDES 56 +53.785s s2 ASTON MARTIN 56 +65.354s s5 HAAS FERRARI 56 +65.834s s8 ALPHATAURI 56 +70.919s s6 ALPINE RENAULT 56 +72.875s s8 ALFA ROMEO FERRARI 56 +76.164s s3 WILLIAMS MERCEDES 56 +80.057s t-1 ALPHATAURI 56 +81.763s – HAAS FERRARI 56 +84.490s s5 ALPINE RENAULT 56 +85.078s t-6 MCLAREN MERCEDES 56 +90.487s s1 WILLIAMS MERCEDES 56 +103.588s s3 ASTON MARTIN 21 DNF t-11 ALFA ROMEO FERRARI 16 DNF t-8 FERRARI 1 DNF t-19

Points 391 – 267 s1 265 t-1 218 – 202 – 198 – 109 – 79 – 65 – 46 – 38 – 29 – 26 s1 23 t-1 13 – 13 s1 12 t-1 6 – 4 – 2 –

Note - Perez scored an additional point for setting the fastest lap of the race.

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complete the race in seventh place.

Stroll retired on the spot but Vettel was still on course to finish sixth, and with Bottas out of contention and Zhou out of the points, that would help his team to close on P6 in the championship.

Unfortunately a problem with the left front tyre in the second stop cost the German 14s in the pits, dropping him to 13th place.

After that, “the car was quick but in the DRS train I couldn’t pass anyone, so I had to be creative and find new overtaking spots in the final sector.” A great move on Magnussen with two corners to go moved him back to eighth place, minimizing the damage.

With all that drama ahead of him, Lando Norris ended the race in P6, at the end of a weekend where McLaren was never on the pace. Fighting with Gasly and Bottas early on, the young Brit’s race became alive with the last set of tyres, as from 13th after the last tyre change he moved up the order, gaining a lot of places under braking into Turn 1, finally passing Alonso with two laps to go, cutting McLaren deficit’s to Alpine in the championship by two points.

Teammate Daniel Ricciardo was completely at loss to explain his lack of pace throughout the weekend, admitting that, “I’m smiling because we’re nearly done, but it’s painful for sure. One of those ones it’s happened all too often this year, where early in the race, by lap eight, lap 10, I know how the rest of the day is going to go. You can just feel … and also see what the other cars around can do. And simply what I’m not able to.

“If I knew why, the year would be going better – it’s not three, four tenths. Even three, four tenths is massive. I remember when I was with Max, three, four tenths and I’d be throwing things around in my room. I’m seconds off nearly – it feels so far off, it’s bizarre...”

Magnussen scored two important points for Haas in their home race, making the most of a risky one-stop strategy, with Yuki Tsunoda recovering from P19 on the grid to score the final point to keep the battle between the two teams going, as they fight for P8 in the championship.

,

MERCEDES DARED TO DREAM IT’S TRUE that the Safety Car periods around lap 20 and Verstappen’s delay in his second pit stop brought Hamilton back into contention for the win in Austin, but since the Hungaroring and Zandvoort we hadn’t seen Mercedes seriously in contention for the win.

Hamilton’s pace in the second stint, matching Verstappen lap times for 10 laps, gave hope to the German team this could be the day they’d break their duck, as Toto Wolff readily admitted: “Yes, at one stage, when Charles and Max were six seconds behind Lewis, it felt like they couldn’t really eke out enough. Lewis had the tyre deficit on the hard, because he simply didn’t have any Mediums any more, and still holding on to a potential win that felt feasible at that stage. But once Max was past Charles and he couldn’t fight back, I think it was just waiting for it to happen.”

In spite of the bumpy nature of the track making the W13 a bit of a handful to drive, Hamilton kept the lead until six laps from the end, showing that even if the concept of the silver car is flawed – and will be radically changed for next year -–when conditions are favorable it’s still a competitive machine.

Admitting the defeat hurt him, as he’s been waiting for his first win of the season, Hamilton was full of praise for his team: “We came here with upgrades and we closed the gap a little bit. We were so, so close. I did everything I could to try and stay ahead, but they were just a little bit too quick today. But great strategy, great work from my team.”

Never a man to give up, Hamilton insisted that a win is still on the cards until the end of the season, even if, “the car was a handful today.” But he added that, “it felt amazing, firstly, to be in the lead. That’s something we’ve been working so hard on as a team through the year and I felt so much hope. But it’s OK. We’ll hold on to that. We’ll keep pushing, we’ll try and give it everything we can in these next three races. It will come to us at some stage.

On the back of his very impressive display, it will take a brave man to bet against Hamilton and Mercedes finally winning a Grand Prix this year, even if the odds are against them.

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Formula 1 Round 20 MEXICAN GP, Circuit Mexico

ONE FOR THE RECORD BOOKS!

By LUIS VASCONCELOS Images Motorsport Images MAX VERSTAPPEN capped his incredible 2022 season by becoming the first Formula One driver to win 14 Grands Prix in a single championship, taking away from Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel a record they shared for the last nine years.

In Mexico it was, again, Lewis Hamilton the only one who could get close to the new World Champion, but Mercedes was beaten by strategy, with the choice to run the hard compound in the second stint backfiring, as Verstappen proved it was also possible to complete the race with just one stop, starting with the Soft tyre, getting it to one third of the race distance and then use the Medium compound for the final two thirds of the race.

With the run down to Turn 1 being quite long, the cars behind the leader tend to get a great tow off the line, but even with a small mistake he admitted to, the Dutchman was able to keep everyone at bay and lead after

Ferrari had a bad day ...

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the first three corners: “At the start I made a small mistake with the release, but it was still good enough. And then we had good top speed, so that probably helped a little bit to Turn 1, to fully stay ahead. I was never worried that they would fly past me. But, of course, if you are fully side-by-side, it can be a bit difficult.”

Behind him, both Mercedes were more concerned with each other and Pérez, helping the Dutchman have a clean run through that first section of three corners. Russell, starting second, covered the racing line into Turn 1 but then Hamilton went around the outside of his team-mate in the following corner, so the younger Brit had to run wide in Turn 3 to avoid contact. That opened the door for Pérez to out-drag him into the following corner and by then the first six places at the end of the race were already settled …

Russell admitted that, “In Turn 1, I would ordinarily have chopped across, or in Turn 2 would have ran the driver wide, but not with my team-mate. And that cost me the position

to Pérez as well. That’s the way the game works sometimes. I’d like to think it would have been the same had it been the other way around. Maybe not, I’m not too sure.”

At the front, we had the same scenario as in Austin, and, again, Verstappen wasn’t pulling away, leading the Mercedes driver by just 1.6s by lap 24, so Hamilton, on a harder tyre, looked in a strong position.

The Dutchman pitted one lap later and on his new Medium tyre started to push, so Hamilton continued to manage his very used Medium tyres, which were still in good condition, before pitting lap 29. He resumed 6.5s behind his rival, but with fresher tyres he expected to catch the Red Bull driver towards the end of the race as tyre drop off would come in.

TOO HARD FOR MEXICO!

But that was never the case, as both Mercedes drivers found their cars way less competitive than on the Medium, so the gap just grew and grew with Verstappen easily

managing his softer compound until the end.

Records may not man much to the Dutchman, but he surely was pleased with his 14th win of the season: “It’s been an incredible year so far. So we are definitely enjoying it and we’ll try to go for more. We knew that the first stint was going to be the crucial one for us, to keep that Soft tyre alive long enough, which seemed to work. I did struggle a bit towards the end but, luckily, the gap was big enough to extend a few laps. And once we put on the Medium tyres, everything was working quite well.

“And I think quite early on we figured that we could make it to the end. Another great race, but also it’s just an incredible season for us as a team. Never thought I would be able to win 14 races in a year. but I’m incredibly proud.”

Hamlton, for his part, admitted he had pushed the team to offset the strategies of the two cars, without success: “ I was speaking in strategy about us taking a risk with one of the cars at least doing something different. I

Lewis pulled off an outside pass (with team-mate co-operation) on Russell at Turn 2 on the opening lap.

,ting Go Daniel ... the old Daniel was back and he drove through the field for a superb P7.

RICCIARDO’S OLD FORM IS BACK!

Verstappen got to the first corner first and from then on it was ... all over. Above left: the crowd was huge and vocal ... had a gut feeling that they will be on the Soft to start with and when everyone took their blankets off, everyone around us was on the Softs and we’re on the Mediums.

“At that moment. I thought that we may be in trouble. But then again, it’s a long, long race, so I thought maybe they’ll be on a two-stop. But that Medium tyre just had no drop-off ...”

The Mercedes driver explained that, “at the beginning tyre difference was the issue.

I think the Soft tyre naturally is a little bit faster in the early phases. It definitely was surprising to see how consistent he was able to keep it. So in the early phase I’m sure he was managing a little bit, but I could tell that they had the upper hand in that first stint.

“But then towards the end I started to close up a little bit and I was hopeful of some sort of a bit of a battle but as soon as we migrated onto that Hard tyre, it was kind of over from that point.”

QUALIFYING / STARTING GRID RACE 20

RESULTS RACE 20 71 LAPS MEXICO CIRCUIT

Pos Driver Time 1 Max Verstappen 1:17.775 2 George Russell 1:18.079 3 Lewis Hamilton 1:18.084 4 Sergio Perez 1:18.128 5 Carlos Sainz 1:18.351 6 Valtteri Bottas 1:18.401 7 Charles Leclerc 1:18.555 8 Lando Norris 1:18.721 9 Fernando Alonso 1:18.939 10 Esteban Ocon 1:19.010 11 Daniel Ricciardo 1:19.325 12 Zhou Guanyu 1:19.476 13 Yuki Tsunoda 1:19.589 14 Pierre Gasly 1:19.672 15 Kevin Magnussen 1:19.833 16 Mick Schumacher 1:20.419 17 Sebastian Vettel 1:20.419 18 Lance Stroll 1:20.520 19 Alexander Albon 1:20.859 20 Nicholas Latifi 1:21.167

Pos Drivers 1 Max Verstappen 2 Lewis Hamilton 3 Sergio Perez 4 George Russell 5 Carlos Sainz 6 Charles Leclerc 7 Daniel Ricciardo 8 Esteban Ocon 9 Lando Norris 10 Valtteri Bottas 11 Pierre Gasly 12 Alexander Albon 13 Zhou Guanyu 14 Sebastian Vettel 15 Lance Stroll 16 Mick Schumacher 17 Kevin Magnussen 18 Nicholas Latifi 19 Fernando Alonso NC Yuki Tsunoda

CONSOLATION PODIUM FOR PÉREZ AS FERRARI SINKS

There was another Red Bull-Mercedes battle behind the leaders and in this case the result was the same, as Pérez beat Russell for the final podium position. The gap between the two was never big – the Mercedes driver extended his first stint until lap 33, in the hope of having faster tyres in the final laps of the race, but for him too the Hard compound didn’t work, and he was never a threat to the local hero.

Having targeted a home win, Pérez could, at least, console himself with getting back to second place in the Championship, five points ahead of Charles Leclerc: “I gave my best, today, at the start. I really, really pushed hard. Unfortunately, we had a little bit of a bad stop, which prevented us to undercut Lewis. Overtaking is so difficult.

“As soon as I got behind him it was really CHAMPIONSHIP AFTER RACE 20

Make Laps RED BULL RACING 71 MERCEDES 71 RED BULL RACING 71 MERCEDES 71 FERRARI 71 FERRARI 71 MCLAREN MERCEDES 70 ALPINE RENAULT 70 MCLAREN MERCEDES 70 ALFA ROMEO FERRARI 70 ALPHATAURI 70 WILLIAMS MERCEDES 70 ALFA ROMEO FERRARI 70 ASTON MARTIN 70 ASTON MARTIN 70 HAAS FERRARI 70 HAAS FERRARI 70 WILLIAMS MERCEDES 69 ALPINE RENAULT 63 ALPHATAURI 50

Margin 1:38:36.729 +15.186s +18.097s +49.431s +58.123s +68.774s +1 lap +1 lap +1 lap +1 lap +1 lap +1 lap +1 lap +1 lap +1 lap +1 lap +1 lap +2 laps DNF DNF

s1 s1 t-2 s1 s4 s2 t-1 t-4 s3 s7 t-1 s3 s3 t-2 s2 t-10 t-7

Pos Driver 1 Max Verstappen 2 Sergio Perez 3 Charles Leclerc 4 George Russell 5 Lewis Hamilton 6 Carlos Sainz 7 Lando Norris 8 Esteban Ocon 9 Fernando Alonso 10 Valtteri Bottas 11 Sebastian Vettel 12 Daniel Ricciardo 13 Kevin Magnussen 14 Pierre Gasly 15 Lance Stroll 16 Mick Schumacher 17 Yuki Tsunoda 18 Zhou Guanyu 19 Alexander Albon 20 Nicholas Latifi

Points 416 280 s1 275 t-1 231 216 s1 212 t-1 111 82 71 47 36 35 24 23 13 12 s1 12 t-1 6 4 2 -

Note - ?????????? scored an additional point for setting the fastest lap of the race.

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difficult to follow so I had to stay in third. I thought we were going to be a little closer but unfortunately it didn’t work out for us today, but still it’s good a good podium in front of this crowd.

“For now, I just want to go into the next two races and aim for the win. There’s nothing more to lose, so we will try everything. It’s been a very difficult weekend with far too many issues, so we need to put everything together and then I believe we can do the next step.”

If Red Bull had a lot to celebrate, it was all gloom and doom at Ferrari. Forced to compromise the aero package of the F1-75 even more than its rivals to cope with engine and brakes overheating – an inevitability in the Autódromo Hermanos Rodriguez – Ferrari also had to de-tune the engine to secure reliability.

Split by Bottas in qualifying, Sainz and Leclerc had lonely races to P5 and P6, respectively, finishing a good minute behind the leaders. Both drivers complained of lack of power and, from Maranello, Mattia Binotto had to agree with them: “I think the compromise both of them are mentioning is certainly in the Power Unit, as we were not at our best performance for the weekend, but I don’t think that that’s explaining everything and is part of the equation, but there is more than that. It’s something which we need to look at and there is not a clear answer right now. So the ride was not great and the balance was not great.”

Thankfully for the Scuderia there are only two Grands Prix to go and even with Brazil featuring a sprint race the 40 points’ buffer to Mercedes should be enough to secure second place in the Constructors’ Championship.

But Leclerc no faces an uphill battle to beat Pérez for the runner-up spot among the Drivers after looking a very likely championship contender after the first three races of the season…

DANIEL RICCIARDO’S drive through the midfield, in the second stint of the Mexican Grand Prix was one of the highlights of the race. The Australian driver pitted only on lap 44 and put Soft tyres on for the last 26 laps of his race, resuming in P13 but moving up one place one lap later as Zhou was also in for new Soft tyres.

Tsunoda, though, proved a tough nut to crack and it was only after contact between the two, in Turn 6, took the AlphaTauri driver out of the race that Ricciardo’s race came alive.

Soon aware he was carrying a 10s penalty for his incident with the Japanese, Ricciardo started to fly, passing Norris on lap 55, Bottas two laps later and Ocon, for P7, on lap 61, one lap after Alonso retired with an engine failure. He then had nine laps to open a 10s gap over the Frenchman and by lap 69 the job was done, the gap being extended to 12.2s at the flag.

His points, added to Norris’ P9 helped McLaren cut to seven points the gap to Alpine in the championship, and with two Grands Prix to go the battle for fourth place in the Constructor’s championship is clearly still on. For his part, Ricciardo was beaming as in the good old days at the end of the race: “I’d say it was the first time I felt this car underneath me. I guess better late than never! But I’m just going to enjoy it and appreciate that our pace was and. I hope it means that it’ll be like that the next two. But I don’t even want to look ahead. I just want to take today for what it is.

And hopefully we’ve learned something from it.”

The penalty for the contact with Tsunoda didn’t catch Ricciardo by surprise: “I figured they probably had to do something. But it’s so hard when you’re in the heat of battle, but I didn’t remember locking like with Carlos in Imola Turn 1, you know, when I went off the apex and slid into him. It didn’t feel like that. So, I was going to come on the radio and vent a little but I just chose to say nothing. I went pretty dark and then just decided to keep pushing and try to make up for it.”

The final laps, though, with the need to open a big gap and blue flags coming into the equation, had Ricciardo worried: “I was pretty nervous, because I was close to getting a blue flag because George was catching me and I knew I would lose a couple of seconds with that. And that would have dropped me back into Ocon. I was pushing like hell just to try and hold that two second gap to George, so when I heard he pitted for fastest lap ... he probably doesn’t know it, but I’ll buy him a beer anyways!”

Mercedes went with the wrong tyre strategy ...

www.autoaction.com.au I 57

TEST YOUR MOTORSPORT KNOWLEDGE 1

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5. W ho is the most successful Finnish Formula 1 driver in terms of race wins? (surname) 6. Which team won the Supercars’ 2022 Pirtek Pitstop Challenge? (abbreviation) 9. Who is the only driver to race in all Formula E races since its inception? (surname) 10. In which city did the Formula 1 season conclude in 1994?

11. Who recently signed to remain with Andretti Autosport in IndyCar until 2027? (surname) 12. Who scored his first Supercars Championship pole at Queensland Raceway in 2016 racing for Super Black Racing? (surname) 15. Who took Aussie Jack Miller out of the Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix this year? (full name) 16. Michael Schumacher won his first Formula 1 title in 1994 after controversially colliding with who in the final race? (surname) 19. At what track did Mark Winterbottom make his V8 Supercars Championship debut?

20. Who did Mark Winterbottom win the Sandown 500 with in 2006? (surname) 21. Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger lost their lives on the same Formula 1 weekend at which circuit in 1994?

22. With what team did Alain Prost make his Formula 1 debut in 1980?

23. Who famously said, “if you no longer go for a gap that exists, you’re no longer a racing driver.” (surname) 24. How many times did Dale Earnhardt win the Daytona 500?

25. After winning the Bathurst 1000 in 1993, where did Larry Perkins and Gregg Hansford finish the Great Race a year later?

1. Who won his first Supercars Championship race at Hamilton in 2011? (surname) 2. Gregg Hansford won the pre-Bathurst Sandown enduro in 1988, who was his co-driver? (surname) 3. Which team won the Bathurst 1000 in 1994? (abbreviation) 4. David Coulthard and Mika Hakkinen were teammates in Formula 1 for how many years?

5. Who won the 2022 Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix? (surname) 6. Steven Richards has won the Bathurst 1000 five times – who did he win his first with? (surname) 7. Which manufacturer took victory in the MotoGP race at Phillip Island this year?

8. With what team did Michael Schumacher win his first Formula 1 World Championship?

10. Which brand of bike will Miguel Oliveira ride in 2023?

13. In 1994 Gregg Hansford won the 1994 Bathurst 12 Hour alongside who? (surname) 14. Who am I? I won the World Sportscar Championship and raced for the Tyrrell F1 team in 1984, I finished third in Monaco before being disqualified. (surname) 17. Which Australian won the 500cc Motorcycle World Championship in 1994? (surname) 18. How many times did Gregg Hansford finish second in the 250cc World Motorcycle Championship?

19. Who won the Australian Touring Car Championship in 1994? (surname) 22. In the 1983 Australian Touring Car Championship Gregg Hansford finished on the podium driving what brand of car?

Bathurst crossword answers: 1 down – seven, 2 across – three, 3 across – Torana, 3 down – three-hundred, 4 across – Hell Corner, 5 down – Jim Richards, 6 down – Smith, 6 across – Skaife, 7 down – twenty-eight, 7 across – three, 8 across – six, 9 across – Dick Johnson, 10 down – one, 11 down – two, 12 down – Dumbrell, 13 across – Coulthard,14 across – zero, 15 across – Goddard, 16 down – one, 17 down – MSR, 18 down – Moffat, 19 across – seven, 20 down – nine, 21 down – fourteen, 21 across – fifty-one, 22 across – nine, 23 across – Besnard, 24 across – fifth, 25 across – Lowndes, 26 across – French

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

1972: SOME LUCK and willpower pushed Allan Moffat over the line to victory in the Phillip Island 500 50 years ago. Despite the track expected to favour the Holden Torana’s, Moffat’s big Ford Falcon GTHO Phase 3 prevailed, while Peter Brock’s hopes were dashed due to a slow pit stop. The ‘World Formula Ford Championship’ final was held at Brands Hatch and Larry Perkins was the only Australian able to survive the carnage to finish P5 as other finalists John Leffler and Bob Skelton had to withdraw early. Johnny Gerber was the winner.

1982: PETER BROCK could not stop winning 40 years ago, backing up his Bathurst 1000 triumph with a clean sweep of the opening two New Zealand Benson & Hedges Touring Car series events. Brock drove a NEC backed New Zealand General Motors Dealer Team Commodore with David Oxton to win at Baypark and Manfield despite an early tyre failure at the latter. Recently crowned 1982 Formula 1 world champion Keke Rosberg was a late omission from the upcoming Australian Grand Prix at Calder Park as the Finn was required to complete a tyre test for Williams in America.

58 I www.autoaction.com.au

1992: EXCITEMENT WAS building for the eighth running of the Australian Grand Prix at Adelaide. The man to beat was Nigel Mansell, who had dominated that year’s Formula 1 season for Williams, but arrived amid an ‘avalanche of criticism’ due to his decision to hand over the Japanese Grand Prix win to teammate Riccardo Patrese. The British champion said “I won’t move over in Adelaide” but his race finished after just 15 laps following an infamous run in with Ayrton Senna at the hairpin.

2002: WET WEATHER caused chaos turned the annual Indy 300 into a ‘CARTastrophe’ after a nine-car pileup on the startling marred the main event. More than 100,000 people packed the Gold Coast, but they were only treated to a shortened 44-lap CART affair won by Mario Dominguez from last in bizarre circumstances.

It was also the first time Supercars raced for championship points on the street circuit and Jason Bargwanna stole the stage to charge through the field and claim an unexpected round win for Garry Rogers Motorsport.

2012: TWENTY YEARS after Nissan’s infamous Bathurst 1000 and ATCC wins, the Japanese brand revealed the car to lead its return to the sport. Kelly Racing took the covers off the first ever Nissan Altima V8Supercar ahead of the brand’s comeback in 2013. The Altima could not reach the heights of its predecessor, the ‘Godzilla’ Skyline GTR, only winning three times. James Moffat scored the combination’s first win at Winton in 2013 and Michael Caruso triumphed three years later at Hidden Valley. The brand’s last Supercars win was an emotional one by Rick Kelly, again at Winton in 2018, just days after Nissan announced its exit.

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