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SKAIFE REACHES OUT AFTER VAN GISBERGEN SPRAY MARK SKAIFE HAS REACHED OUT TO REBUILD HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH SHANE VAN GISBERGEN AFTER GIVING THE REIGNING CHAMP A FAIR WHACK ON TV WHEN HE REFUSED TO TALK AT A MEDIA CONFERENCE MARK SKAIFE launched a strong onair attack on Shane van Gisbergen after a clip from Sunday’s post-race media conference was aired on Fox Sports. The clip showed van Gisbergen repeating the lines from his post-race interview when commentator Chad Neylon opened up the conference.

“Basically, I will just repeat what I said on track. Thanks to the team, our cars were awesome, and all of our talking was done on the track today,” van Gisbergen responded.

When Neylon asked van Gisbergen to talk through his race-winning move on Mostert, the Kiwi refused.

“It happened. All my talking was done on track today. Thank you,” van Gisbergen replied, before a testy exchange of words between the pair that ended with van Gisbergen raising his hand in a stop motion. Later in the conference, van Gisbergen hinted that his anger came from being censured by Supercars for comments he made about the cars in earlier media conferences during the weekend.

The clip was played for Skaife, Garth Tander and Jess Yates while they were wrapping up the weekend. Yates had earlier been snubbed by the race winner straight and Chaz Mostert filled in for van Gisbergen when he didn’t take his place in the winner’s chat with Fox. Skaife was not happy with what he saw.

“We have been in some pretty tense press conferences over the years and that is part of the history and authenticity of what we do, but when you are the champion, you have an ambassador’s role in this sport,” he said.

“Although you might not want to make any more comments, you have a duty to say what you need to say about the result and what went on.

“He has a duty off the track and that’s not right.”

Former co-driver Garth Tander also took a swipe at the Kiwi, but it was Skaife’s comments that hardest, and van Gisbergen took to social media to do his talking.

His extended post on Facebook and Instagram said his “if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say it at all”

SVG had little to say post-race on Sunday at Newcastle ... Image: PETER NORTON - EPIC SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHY approach to interviews was implemented after he upset “some of the top brass” in Supercars when he expressed his honest thoughts on the new cars.

The three-time Supercars champion also labelled Skaife’s comments as a “kick in the teeth”.

“I understand it’s my duty to represent the sport in a good light as champion and I will do that to the best of my ability by being myself off track, racing hard on track for my team members, team partners and our fans,” the Kiwi wrote.

“It was a real kick in the teeth hearing those comments from a five-time champion – someone I look up to and respect.

“I am not going to pretend it’s all roses when it is not.”

After the incident, Skaife revealed he has reached out to Triple Eight key figures

Jamie Whincup and Jeromy Moore in a bid ‘to move forward’.

“I called Jamie and Jeromy to say how do you want me to move forward,” Skaife told News Corp.

“I made the offer to fly up to Brisbane.

I had a really good open discussion with Jeromy and Jamie to talk about the issue with Shane.

“It was a very open and honest discussion, and where we finished was Jamie was going to talk to Shane, and we would meet up going into the Grand Prix.”

Skaife also took the opportunity to address his comments, saying they were not targetting van Gisbergen personally, instead reflecting on the “ambassador” role he should play.

“I made sure that my comments the other day were not from being a board member or hierarchy in any way from Supercars.

“I was making a comment as a Fox Sports commentator regarding what the expectation is of a champion, of an ambassador for our sport. That was simply it.

“There was nothing spiteful (intended), I certainly didn’t want him to feel like I had kicked him in the teeth, for instance. It wasn’t that.

“I have been to lots of press conferences over the years (of) mine where I didn’t want to be there – and I put my hand up, totally, that sometimes I could be hard to deal with if it was a bad day, there is no doubt about that stuff.”

Skaife and van Gisbergen are expected to break bread in Melbourne before the Australian Grand Prix meeting.

Van Gisbergen, meanwhile, has refused to detail who from Supercars censured him.

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WHAT WAS THE WASH UP FOR GEN3?

THE DEBUT WEEKEND FOR THE GEN3 RACERS WAS REMARKABLY TROUBLE-FREE BUT NOT WITHOUT ITS ISSUES. ANDREW CLARKE REPORTS THE CRAZY last-minute dash to get the Gen3 Supercars to the track returned 25 mostly reliable cars, some with a few niggles and issues in the pitstops causing more problems than anything else. Nick Percat was the only driver across the two races with a major mechanical issue resulting in DNF. But that doesn’t mean the cars escaped the weekend without dramas or with an unequivocal pass mark.

Supercars head of motorsport, Adrian Burgess, was like a proud parent during the weekend as the new cars hit quite a few of the goals set for the Gen3 program when it started three years ago. But he also acknowledged the work for his team is not yet.

“It’s been a great day,” Burgess told AUTO ACTION. “All 25 cars rolled out, and they look amazing; hats off to the teams, the two homologation teams and my Supercars technical department.

“There are going to be problems to come.

Let’s not believe we live in this perfect world. There’ll be issues that we’ll get over.

We’ll work to understand, find a solution and put it in place.

“But for day one, brand new cars and really demanding circuit, it was great.”

The reduced aero on the cars made them harder to drive, and we saw the cars sliding a lot more than previously, but whether it helped the racing is still open for debate.

“There were quite a few mistakes out there from every driver. Hopefully, that gives us good racing; everyone will make mistakes and create good overtaking opportunities.”

Burgess pointed to the pre-season wheel nut issue as a way to deal with any technical issues. The first wheel nuts had a design issue with the circlips intended to help keep wheel nuts on the cars.

The teams got together and designed a fix, albeit one that hasn’t fixed all the problems in that area, with many teams having issues during the races masked by the longer time required to get fuel into the cars.

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“The wheel nut is one issue that we are all working together on this, with three or four different solutions being tried this weekend.

It’s not a high-stress weekend for the wheel, not so to speak, because you’ve got the fuel drops, so the pit stops are going to be quite long anyway. They don’t need to do a four-second pit stop, so we can test it.

“We want to develop a robust system that works this weekend because it will be a different matter at the AGP, and they’ll be trying to do quick pit stops. This is the cycle that we go through. We have issues; we come up with fixes.

“There’s a few little things like that on the cars we’re working on. They’ll get updated and modified as we go.”

After the Newcastle 500 weekend, Burgess’ team debriefed and consulted all the teams for feedback to keep fine-tuning the cars, which is part of the process.

“We’ll have our internal Supercars debrief as all the teams do. But equally, we’ll have a TWG meeting, the technical working group.

We’ll sit with the technical director from each team and go through everything we’ve learned this weekend, from heat shielding and wheel nuts to a whole range of things.

“We work together as a group, and some teams will put ideas forward, which we’ll all talk about and share across the board for everybody because we will keep this a controlled car, but with everybody’s input.

We won’t let things open up and become an engineering war again.

“We’ll work together and agree on a combined solution to any problem, and we’ll introduce it as quickly as they can, depending on the topic.”

He said the revisions to the heat shielding during the weekend was one example of how the system works.

“I spoke to half a dozen of the drivers today, and they said it’s the coolest car they’ve ever had, so leave me alone. And then there’s a couple of others that, you know, are quite sensitive to the heat, and they’re struggling.

We couldn’t ignore those guys, and we allowed them to put things in place to

Flames are back in Supercars! improve it If you look at the values, they are cool inside, but there’s still an engine that creates a lot of heat at certain points and is close to the cabin floor or the bulkhead.”

It is believed the initial resistance to the heat shielding on the exhaust of the Camaros – likely the engine mentioned above – was that it could have altered the

FOR ALL THE LATEST SUPERCARS NEWS AND EVENT GUIDE FOR THE NEXT ROUND OF THE CHAMPIONSHIP SCAN HERE

Changing tyres proved to be a handful for the pit crews.

Right: Adrian Burgess looks on as the Tickford crew evaluate the damage to James Courtney’s car. Images: PETER NORTON-EPIC SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHY

performance output of the engine.

“It was a big day, but you probably don’t let it soak in as much as you should just because you’re too involved and close to the coal face. It was a massive undertaking for everybody in our department. It’s a big thing for the sport.

“It’s the biggest project that Supercars has ever undertaken. I hope everyone goes home tonight, has a beer, and sits there and says, that was a bloody good day. What we’ve created combined with the pitlane is something special.”,

RELIABILITY There were minor niggles up and down the pitlane, but in reality, no more than normal. Nick Percat’s wheel bearing issue in the first race was the only major issue in either race that cost a car many laps; Percat didn’t complete enough laps to be classified as a finisher.

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Walkinshaw Andretti United felt there were other issues with the car too, and it has been stripped and will be fully rebuilt for the Australian Grand Prix meeting.

Brad Jones Racing reported braking issues on all four cars and is also stripping cars looking for an issue it can fix.

Mark Winterbottom had power steering issues in his Team 18-built Camaro.

RACEABILITY Shane van Gisbergen said creating cars that are harder to drive doesn’t necessarily give better racing. Before a mystery person inside Supercars shut him down, he said that cars sliding around while behind another car was causing just as many issues as previously.

That said, he was still able to overtake.

The reality here is that Newcastle was never going to give us any meaningful answers on raceability or parity.

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Talk of Dunlop making a better tyre seems too late for the rest of the year, and maybe next season, according to Dunlop’s Kevin Fitzsimons, who said they just build a tyre to a set of specs and that, with testing required, it wasn’t a simple process.

CRASHABILITY James Courtney nosing into the wall in Sunday’s Top 10 Shootout gave the new Gen3 chassis its first major test. The car looked to have more damage than the previous car, but no crash is the same as another, so the jury is out there.

But Tickford couldn’t get a new front clip on the car as the parts didn’t align. The teams have spent a lot of time building cars, but this was the first time they had to pull one apart and rebuild it quickly. A Gen2 car would have made the race, but that is not a definitive answer given the repair’s pioneering nature.

Declan Fraser, also of Tickford, gave it a second test but given it was the opening lap of the race, no attempt was made to fix it at the track. Fraser wasn’t convinced yet about the crashability.

“Being back in the workshop, the guys have a bit more time to process it and the resources to get it done,” he said.

“I think some work needs to be done on the crashability and repairability of the cars.

But from a starting base, I think Supercars have done a pretty good job, and once we tune up a few more final things and make the cars a little bit easier to work on, I think it’ll be a good project.”

Tickford team principal Tim Edwards was more concerned about the bumpability of the cars, pointing to what he said were minor bumps top Thomas Randle in the pitlane and Cam Waters on the track that resulted in significant steering damage.

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TRIPLE EIG

ARING E E H S D R A W E T S S N HT QUESTIO

VIDENCE

APPEAL INTO ITS DISQUALIFICATION TO BE HEARD NEXT WEEK

RED BULL AMPOL RACING BOSS JAMIE WHINCUP HAS QUESTIONED SUPERCARS HEAD OF MOTORSPORT ADRIAN BURGESS’ INPUT AS HIS TEAM MOUNTS A DEFENCE AGAINST ITS DUAL DISQUALIFICATION FROM THE OPENING RACE OF 2023. ANDREW CLARKE EXPLORES THE NUANCES TRIPLE EIGHT Race Engineering team principal and co-owner Jamie Whincup has mounted a staunch defence of his team after both its cars were disqualified from the opening race of the 2023 season for running a second driver cooling system during the race.

In defending his team, Whincup has queried Supercars Head of Motorsport, Adian Burgess’ evidence in the Stewards’ hearing into multiple protests against its cars.

His assertion will now be tested in an appeal which will be heard in the lead-up to the Australian Grand Prix next week.

In the Saturday evening hearing at Newcastle, Triple Eight Team Manager Mark Dutton contended the cars weren’t running illegally, despite not being fully compliant with Rule C16.2 Driver Cooling System, because he had verbal approval from Burgess to run a second driver cooling system. This system, which Dutton says was shown to Burgess and given verbal approval, was mounted between the driver’s seat and the side intrusion part of the roll cage on both its cars as they battled extreme heat inside the Camaro cockpit.

Burgess inspected the systems in both cars immediately after the race while the

teams waited for the podium presentation.

The Deputy Race Director and Tickford protested cars #97 and #88, while Walkinshaw Andretti United only appealed car #97 since it didn’t see the #88 pitstop.

The heat issues were first raised by Shane van Gisbergen when he spoke in Friday’s media conference about the heat in the footwell of his car as he asked for the heat shielding, which his team had been forced to remove, to be allowed back on his car.

Additional heat shielding was granted in a comms piece to the teams on Friday night.

Section C16.2 of the Supercars Operation Manual covers the Driver Cooling System, and it says in C16.2.1.1 that any driver cooling system must be “mounted within the cockpit utilising the mounting points designated in the GSD for the passenger seat”.

In the transcript of the hearing, Dutton referred to a conversation with Burgess in the lead-up to the event: “He denied the allegation that the systems were not in conformity with the Rules because of a discussion with the HOM (Head of Motorsport) that was had on Thursday 9 March 2023 in the Respondent’s Pit Garage during which he showed the systems in issue to the HOM, the HOM did not tell him that the systems did not comply with the

Supercars Head of Motorsport takes a post-race peek inside the driver’s door of Broc Feeney’s Triple Eight car ...

Image: PETER NORTON-EPIC SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHY

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Rules and so it was his understanding that the Respondent had the HOM’s permission to use the systems.”

Burgess disagreed with the proposition that he gave approval, and Dutton has accepted that he erred by not getting Burgess to confirm what he believed to be approval in an email.

On Sunday morning, Whincup suggested that Burgess’ evidence in the hearing awas incorrect and that, if he thought the system was illegal, he should have told them at the time he was shown the set-up.

Tickford’s Tim Edwards said there was no greyness in the rules, and the issue only arose because Triple Eight used the ChillOut driver cooling system, which can’t send cool air to the helmet.

“It seemed very obvious to all of us that that’s not in the rules and I don’t understand the greyness,” Edwards told Auto Action on Sunday morning. “Sure, they’re concerned about driver welfare, but they made a decision to put the ChillOut unit in their car.

“We chose not to put it in the car because we didn’t feel it was capable of doing the job. All four of our drivers are very comfortable in the car. We’ve got no temperature issues at all.”

A secondary issue running along pitlane suggests the Chev engine generates more cockpit heat than the Ford, but no-one would confirm or deny that issue.

During the Appeal, Triple Eight can only introduce new evidence that was not available at the time of the tribunal hearing, meaning the appeal will centre around a ‘he-said-she-said’ argument and is unlikely to return a different result if all parties remain true to their evidence at the hearing.

We expect Triple Eight will then mount a defence in the court system.

Drivers from Triple Eight, Erebus Racing and Penrite Racing all suffered from the ill effects of heat during the first race, and all three use the ChillOut system.

ChillOut’s website says: “The groundbreaking ice-less cooling system delivers a high standard product that requires minimal labor, eliminating the track day nuances that come with inferior cooling methods such as archaic dry ice.”

CARS USING CHILLOUT • Red Bull Ampol Racing • Coca-Cola Racing by Erebus • Penrite Racong • Team 18 • PremiAir Racing

Image: Mark Horsburgh/Edge Photgraphics

“WE ONLY DID THE BODYWORK.” DJR RESPONDS TO HOMOLOGATION ‘CHARGE’

DICK JOHNSON RACING ENDURED A TOUGH TIME AT NEWCASTLE BUT LAUGHED AT THE SUGGESTIONS IT SHOULD HAVE HAD AN ADVANTAGE AS FORD’S HOMOLOGATION TEAM. ANDREW CLARKE REPORTS ON WHY ALL IS NOT AS IT SEEMS DICK JOHNSON Racing left Newcastle with plenty of head-scratching to do and 10th place in the Championship. Team principal Ben Croke is confident the team will bounce back “if not at the next round, the one after” following a soul-searching week at the famous Stapylton team.

Croke also was able to laugh at suggestions his team should have had an advantage as the Ford homologation team, pointing out that DJR was only responsible for the bodywork of the car.

“I was having a laugh at some of the things we’ve read ... you just have to. We designed the body, which is the aero side of it,” Croke told Auto Action. “As far as I’m aware, and certainly how it worked with us, is that Supercars retained all the data from testing.

“I think we just missed the mark set-upwise. These cars are quite a bit different to what we’ve used in the past. It was quite a big change away from that and the way that the roll bars and the front end and all that works, and I think we just missed the mark there.

“So we need a good, honest look at ourselves and find something that fundamentally didn’t work for us over the weekend.”

He echoed the thoughts of Ludo Lacroix who, on Sunday morning, told Auto Action the team was going for a bit of a ‘hail Mary’ with the set-up. Croke said that didn’t work either.

“It was a fairly dramatic change from the Saturday to the Sunday, and it didn’t seem

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DJR Team Principal Ben Croke and Will Davison – still positive.

Image: PETER NORTON

to have much effect on it. If anything, it was maybe negative.

“Of course we’re nervous [heading to the AGP meeting]. You can’t come off the back of a weekend like that and be bristling with confidence. There’s an element of nerves about it, but I back the team we have here and the people we’ve got involved in turning it around and bouncing back.”

Neither Will Davison nor Anton De Pasquale qualified inside the top 10, and they fared little better in the races, with only the Tickford pair of Declan Fraser and Thomas Randle trailing them in the two-car Mustang ranks, and Fraser effectively didn’t start the second race. Davison left Newcastle with 11th and 19th in the two races, and De Pasquale

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had a pair of 16th-place finishes.

He said the lead-up to the races for the team was not smooth sailing, but he didn’t want to use that as an excuse.

“We didn’t have an ideal lead-up either with some clutch issues, the rain and SMP and then the shortened shakedown because of the track hire situation. I think we spent a lot of that time trying to fix issues rather than concentrating on speed.

“So for us, this week, it’s been good to sit down and have a fair bit of reflection time on where we are set-up-wise and just really being able to look deep into how we think this car will work and what we’ve got coming up.”

He is also confident he has the drivers

to do the job and rejected the idea that they couldn’t drive around problems like other drivers. He said the clutch problems appeared on Davison’s car on Saturday and that probably cost him a spot in the Shootout, which would have change the entire weekend.

“We changed the clutch, the master cylinder, the slave cylinder, the lines… there’s probably not a part that hasn’t been changed in that system twice, it not three times. I think anything new makes it a little bit more difficult to get your head around, but there are some pretty clever people here. I’m sure we’ll work it out.”

He said the headlines stung a little, but his team did not close up shop on the media and suggested the issue might have been with some of the media. Auto Action can confirm this since we spent time in the garages talking to DJR people, including Croke.

“That’s not us, but one bad weekend doesn’t define our team. One sunny day doesn’t mean it’s summer. Every team has a weekend like that, probably more than once during the year.

“So for us, jwe ust put that behind us and bounce back. It’s essentially the same group of people here that won championships years ago. The runs are on the board.

“Anyone saying no Penske, no DJR has just got no idea. Nothing’s changed. We’ve still got the same amount of sponsorship with the same people. You read that, and you have to laugh at it because it clearly shows they’ve got no idea.”

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VALIANT FANS HELPED GET JONES STRESSES TILLEY’S PACER OVER THE LINE

PATIENCE ON GEN3 PERFORMANCE

Image: PETER NORTON

PREMIAIR BUZZING AFTER BEST EVER RESULT PREMIAIR RACING has pounced on the new Gen3 regulations, by recording its best ever Supercars result at the Newcastle 500.

In just its second year as a team, the squad led by Peter Xiberras was one of the fastest across the weekend, with at least one car in the top 10 in eight of the nine sessions.

The solid performance culminated in Golding’s P4 on Sunday, which knocked off its previous best of P6 recorded at Albert Park by Garry Jacobson in 2022.

Despite missing out on a potential maiden podium, Golding was pumped by the strong performance while teammate Tim Slade arrived in ninth to give the team handy points.

“This is a huge result for myself and our young team.

Something that we can all be proud of,” he said.

“It was a great way to finish out the opening round with bothBOWE cars againbrought in the top ten both300th qualifying and JOHN upinhis racing.

Touring Car Masters start at Sandown “I think it is just sample ofdung what the future will hold for Raceway on aSunday the Shannons us all – bring on Melbourne!”

Motorsport Australia Championship.

InThe addition to the valuable points, made the Bathurst legend is awhat four-time Sunday performance even sweeter was the vindication it winner of the fan favourite category, provided afterup Saturday. bringing the milestone at a track Slade became the cantured 21st driver to tour recordSandown 400 Supercars/ where he also ATCC startsTCM and looked on track to scoreina2008, strong bts race Bowe’s career started result in hisinmilestone race. driving Camaro before jumping into a Car #400 was sitting in a comfortable fifth, but a front Ford Mustang Trans Am affectionately right wheelas nut“Sally. issue put known ” him last.

Xiberras saidBowe he wasshifted proud by over the way team In 2015, tohis the bounced backRetro and believes a podium be coming for Bendigo Muscle cars could Torana, the squad, justin sixwhich top 10 finishes last year. built by which Garyrecorded O’Brien, he nas “Saturday wein went the highest highs300th to the lowest competed 147from races.

Bowe’s ofstart lows.almost It was almost a 101 of how to go from delivered a fairy talehero to zero,” Xiberras on Supercars finish,said where the leftTrackside. mirror of Adam “But the boys recovered and we learnt a lot. Welarge turned Bressington’s #95 Camaro loomed itwith into race we wereinto ablethe to bring twostraight. cars home theform #18and Torana final in the 10. margin of 0.024s was the Thetopfinal “Sometimes thereinareTCM a lot ofhistory, things youwith haveBowe to do to closest finish motivate butand resultsa lifted everyone. losing the byteam, a foot half’s length – or “When the cars went out today everyone were fast the Camaro’s bonnet.

Bowe hadand the itchampionship was like a light switch andleading everyone into lit up and lead thethere we were. round, but the rival Torana of Ryan “We are all hoping podium and one dayheading our time Hansford takesfora anine point lead will come I guarantee ” into Bathurst onit.November 11-13.

Boosted its bestthe everBathurst result, PremiAir is aiming Havingbywon 1000 twice,for more success at Albert Park where it recorded three top 10 there’s a fair chance Bowe’s victorious results from fourof races in just its secondmay race meeting knowledge The Mountain have last year.

Miles himThomas in good stead ... TN

BOWE BREAKS THE 300 TCM BARRIER

circumstances, but the grid was reverted after leaving their own jobs, I couldn’t even AS THE rain dumped down on the to the dry practice session times in a begin to count the hours that we all put in Sandown race track on the Saturday of the controversial decision. over the nine weeks. To experience that Shannons National round, AUTO ACTION The delighted reaction from the crowd level of support was something else – I was on-hand in the Touring car Masters tent reflected their appreciation for it being there couldn’t believe it. behind the pit lane.

MACAULEY (above) has rounds…a weeks ago, someplayed peoplea were way, I understand he’s (SVG) coming at all, withfew its fans also having part SurroundedJONES by mechanics andhighlighted onlookers, “I got a big helpwhere from Gear-Exchange from the need for a realistic patiencehis over Gen3, thinking we weren’t going to make it to the from, and I think it’s good helike that in its return.

Cameron Tilley stood behind rebuilt Smithfield in Sydney also.that It’s when people and thatinlike it won’t first race,fan ” Jones explained, and thatI set “notup every chooses anything, then go “The support was massive, Valiant hisother blue generations, racing suit with a smile as that keepnot usto allsay going really. people And Anglomoil happen car was going topage be making the line, let … ‘hang-on, that’sme notfor right’ . and they’ve a Go-fund-me which rounded upalone a wide as overnight. his Pacer’s bonnet. has also helped years, Although there’s many different facets to nailing it.” contribution, which got me about given “But ifme that’s thesupport way we’ve got to this reasonable The normally reserved driver had reason great throughout. ” point attack this argument from, the currentinreality never of really like that … theAUTO of being able have to go,done ‘ok..well you want me and to a“It quarter the happens way there, ” Tilley told to be satisfied after taking a podium the “I couldn’t it without them is that the performance of the Gen3 took a little to get sorted. be positiveelse. about something that’s probably ACTION. Trophy race when he blasted off thestands line as Gen2’s everyone People just kept coming out itdown does,the andoutside this is the base will develop and “The aero parity thatitwas there a fewit years unrealistic? ’ just I mean, it’sthey never going to be of the pititstraight, putting of nowhere… saying could help.

No “Whether I raced again or not, had improve from. ago, wasn’t something that got fixedit perfect, Jones out.the contribution, It him in first position by the second turn. matter ”how bigpoints or small to bethat fixed – I couldn’t handle seeing Yes, Supercars have years to sort overnight, and (similarly) there’s every going to be “We’veme hadtosome across He also qualified in had P1 inthree trying helped keep issues on pushing. ” the TN like that. People were helping day it out, but that’s in the past from here on in – things about these cars that aren’t going to be weekend that we’ve never had before, and we as Jones and reality dictates. It’s now about fixed overnight. didn’t have that with the old cars. the vital important steps forward.

On the notion of drivers having to be “But now we’ve had those issues and we’re Jones also moved to defend Shane van tight-lipped about their positivity toward the learning about it … it’s not ideal, and there’s Gisbergen on hisAUSTRALIAN need to not sayOff anything Mustang’s and Camaro’s,competition Jones relatedin it to a before going to teething to issues.

2003 hebe returned competition MULTIPLE Road Champion Les Siviour if passed he can’t say anything nice regarding thea shortCatch-22. “…Iinf you’d rinse and repeat briefly in 2005, and again 2010rather with daughter Katie,answers, also away on September 8 after battle with realistic nature of how racing things stand. a hard one, because get then there’s point having an interview – atyou Griff ith.roasted He kept involved, withno support to son-in-law cancer.

He began in 1983 at Waikerie“It’s in his wife’s The BJR #96 racer sensibly pointed out online for saying what you think, butRentsch if you andjournalists are going Shannon his fathercan Ianjust in write their what bids we to win the shopping car.

Hequite subsequently campaigned Nissan Patrols that of the Gen3 reaching say what you think,Australian then peopleChampionship. just to sayAUTO in thatACTION case. They can probably predict extends its deepest forthe 19 fruition years and won theprogram Production 4WD don’t Championship its16fulltimes, potential, patience. Off Road Championship know it’s fake!” what you’re going toBobbie say if you wanted condolences to his wife Jan, daughters and Katie,a rosy andneeds the Australian in he continued.

“We’re not going to nail it in rice the first “So it’sfulltime kind of like a Catch some family answer. ” TW Neal GO and22, to and the in extended and friends.

1985. The Griffith-based farmer retired from

VALE – LES SIVIOUR

8 IAutoActionMagazine www.autoaction.com.au Auto_Action

instagram.com/autoactionmag/

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NEXT UP: 64 48

Blast-off for the very first Supercars Race – at Calder Park, in 1997. Greg Murphy (below) was the winner. Images: MARK HORSBURGH

OVERVIEW

800 CHAMPIONSHIP RACES

THE FIRST SUPERCARS RACE AT THE AUSTRALIAN NEXT WEEKEND WILL BE THE 800TH SUPERCARS CHAMPIONSHIP RACE … NOT INCLUDING THOSE FUNNY SANDOWN 500 ONES THAT WERE ‘QUALIFYING RACES’.

ANDREW CLARKE RUNS THROUGH THE NUMBERS. ALTHOUGH THE sport switched to the homegrown Holden-v-Ford V8 formula in 1993, the Supercars Championship era didn’t begin until 1997 when AVESCO was formed, and Tony Cochrane put a rocket under touring car racing in the country.

Since then, the sport has grown and prospered and is one of the biggest sports in the country – and next Thursday at 5:40 pm when the Supercars saddle up for Race 1 at the Australian Grand Prix meeting, they’ll also start the 800th Championship race of the (V8) Supercar era.

There’ve had plenty of non-Championship races in that time too, but only 800 in the official series.

Greg Murphy sat on the pole for that first race at Calder Park and went on to record a historic first win for the revamped series. Since then, another 47 drivers have won pole positions (48 in total), and another 63 drivers have won races (64).

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There have been two dominant teams, Holden Racing Team (which morphed into Walkinshaw Racing and now Walkinshaw Andretti United), and Triple Eight Race Engineering. When Triple Eight won its first race at Eastern Creek in 2005, HRT/Walkinshaw already had 100 wins in the Series, with Mark Skaife and Craig Lowndes winning races through that period with ease.

But from there, it has been all Triple Eight, with

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242 wins, or 31% of all the races, and more than half of those falling to Jamie Whincup. Shane van Gisbergen is now in the top three for wins in the Supercars Championship with 76, trailing only Whincup (123) and Lowndes (94).

Whincup is the stats king on every measurable, with seven championships, 126 race wins (and five Sandown 500 qualifying races) and 92 pole positions. Seton, Skaife and Lowndes all have an

extra Australian Touring Championship win, or two in Skaife’s case, before 1997.

Holden has dominated the era with 500 wins, and Chevrolet’s win at Newcastle made it the sixth marque to win in the series.

Fourteen drivers have one pole position, and 21 drivers have only one win, with five drivers – Wayne Gardner, Craig Baird, Jason Richards, Richie Stanaway and Will Brown – having one pole and one win.

WINNERS

SUPERCARS CHAMPIONSHIP WINNERS Jamie Whincup Mark Skaife Scott McLaughlin Shane van Gisbergen Marcos Ambrose Craig Lowndes Glenn Seton Russell Ingall Rick Kelly Garth Tander James Courtney Mark Winterbottom

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7 3 3 3 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1

TOP 10 POLE WINNERS Jamie Whincup 92 Scott McLaughlin 76 Shane van Gisbergen 46 Craig Lowndes 41 Mark Winterbottom 36 Mark Skaife 32 Garth Tander 30 Will Davison 27 Chaz Mostert 23 Cameron Waters 19 MANUFACTURERS Holden 500 Ford 287 Volvo 6 Nissan 3 Mercedes-Benz 2 Chevrolet 1 ONE WIN ONLY Jim Richards Tony Longhurst Alan Jones Wayne Gardner Andre Heimgartner Broc Feeney Craig Baird Greg Ritter Jack Le Brocq Jack Perkins Jason Richards Luke Youlden

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POLE SITTERS TOP 10 RACE WINNERS Jamie Whincup 123 Craig Lowndes 94 Shane Van Gisbergen 76 Mark Skaife 69 Garth Tander 57 Scott McLaughlin 56 Mark Winterbottom 38 Greg Murphy 28 Marcos Ambrose 28 Russell Ingall 26 TOP 10 TEAMS RACE WINNERS Triple Eight Race Engineering

242

Holden Racing Team/Walkinshaw Racing

167

Dick Johnson Racing

93

Ford Performance Racing/Tickford

79

Tom Walkinhsaw Racing

50

Stone Brothers Racing

41

Perkins Engineering

27

Garry Rogers Motorsport

23

Brad Jones Racing

14

Glenn Seton Racing

13

Mark Larkham Mika Salo Richard Lyons Richie Stanaway Scott Pye Simon Wills Steve Ellery Will Brown Yvan Muller One Pole Position Only Wayne Gardner Craig Baird

Mark Larkham Alex Davison Chris Pither James Moffat Jason Richards Larry Perkins Richie Stanaway Russell Ingall Scott Pye Todd Hazelwood Will Brown Zak Best

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MOSTERT PINPOINTS TYRE

LIFE AS KEY TO BEATING SVG

GROVE GOES GLOBAL FOR NEW CO-DRIVER

GROVE RACING has gone global to complete its co-driver duo for the 2023 Supercars Championship, signing Porsche factory driver Kevin Estre.

Estre, 34, has never raced a Supercar, but has extensive international experience at FIA World Endurance Championship level and will steer a Porsche Penske 963.

Grove Racing team owner Stephen Grove revealed Matt Campbell was the original option, but due to a clash with the Australian’s IMSA commitments, the team had to look elsewhere.

“Kévin is an incredible talent with raw speed and we are confident there will be a short learning curve for someone of his professionalism,” said Grove.

GEN3 ROLLOUT A “VERY EMOTIONAL MOMENT” The first appearance of Gen3 race cars at a championship round brought Supercars CEO Shane Howard to the verge of tears.

After many delays, setbacks, parity arguments and a massive summer where the teams hardly put tools down, all 25 cars rolled out of pit lane at Newcastle and Howard admitted he struggled to contain his emotions. “It was very emotional and I did have a bit of a tear in my eye,” he revealed on the Supercars TV broadcast. “The effort that has gone in behind this project is extraordinary and I am very relieved.”

Image: MOTORSPORT IMAGES

FAMOUS SUPERCARS COMING TO ADELAIDE SOME SPECIAL race winning V8 Supercars are making their way to South Australia to rekindle some memories at the Adelaide Motorsport Festival.

With 23 5-litre and V8 Supercars on show on the same streets as the Adelaide 500, Supercars plays a major part at the March 25-26 event.

The V8 Supercars field has been extended to 10 Commodores thanks to the recent additions of the ZB Commodore Broc Feeney drove to victory at Adelaide last December plus Will Davison’s and Johnathon Webb’s 2016 Bathurst 1000-winning VF Commodore.

Jamie Whincup’s 2013 and 2014 championshipwinning VF will also be on show.

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CHAZ MOSTERT may had walked away from the Supercars season opener with the championship lead for the second straight season, but he is aware there is still lots of work to do to slow Shane van Gisbergen.

Mostert recorded a pair of second places to emerge 45 points clear at the top of the standings, but could not stop van Gisbergen from charging to a win on Sunday.

Van Gisbergen got the job done after the Camaro made front-to-rear contact with the Mustang on corner entry at Turn 9.

Mostert retaliated with a desperate lunge at the hairpin, but did not possess enough Dunlop rubber to mount a serious challenge as SVG drove clear to win by 4.4992s.

In the immediate aftermath, Mostert described van Gisbergen’s race-winning move as “cheeky” while Walkinshaw Andretti United team principal Ryan Walkinshaw thought it was a “classic Shane move”.

However, Mostert admitted Walkinshaw Andretti United has work to do to retain its championship lead after finishing second-best in the Triple Eight arm wrestle.

“How Shane drove that race and made the tyres live across that second stint with the times he was doing was super impressive,” Mostert reflected.

“I left it all out there and tried my hardest to make mine live, but in the last 10 laps of each stint I started to hit a cliff in degradation.

“I tried my hardest to hang on and get as much momentum as I could, but we touched and I ran wide.

“I had a little bit of rest mist at the hairpin, but I knew I

was never going to get him back. He had plenty more tyre than I did.”

Mostert’s strength was early in the stint when his Mustang came alive on fresh tyres, but said the “early throttle pickup” meant he chewed through Image: PETER NORTON the rubber quickly.

“My car just really maxed the early throttle pickup which is where I hurt the tyre a lot,” he said.

“I am good for the first 20 laps, but after that is a bit of a battle once I start hurting the tyre and braking starts to struggle.

“We definitely have to work more a bit, but it is part of the challenge, which is enjoyable.

“When you are working with your engineer it is old school without simulation – just go out and give the best feedback you can.

“It is a bit of a beast and I am pretty tired.”

Despite not being able to win a race, Mostert is greatly encouraged by Walkinshaw Andretti United’s pace in its first round representing the Blue Oval.

After a huge summer Mostert believes the Newcastle form provides a great launching pad for the road ahead.

“Overall we are pretty pumped for the weekend,” he said.

“We finished both races and it was super tough around there.

“It was super impressive from the guys and girls back at the work shop to get these cars here in little over a month from not even a bare chassis to everything.

“I am just super grateful we had two good races with a good amount of points and a straight car, so we will push on.” Thomas Miles

PAYNE’S NIGHTMARE MOMENT

MATTHEW PAYNE will not forget his full-time Supercars Championship debut anytime soon for many reasons.

Payne emerged as the most impressive of the three rookies on show at Newcastle to sit 12th in the standings, well ahead of Cameron Hill and Declan Fraser.

The #19 Ford Mustang driver kept his cool in the Saturday heat where early stops and a “mistake free” drive helped him climb from 22nd to 12th.

But sadly, when Payne’s career is over, he might be asked more about an unfortunate moment prior to Sunday’s second race than his solid racing performance.

The young Kiwi’s mind was ready to race around the Newcastle streets on Sunday, but his body was not with Grove Racing teammate Reynolds revealing the rookie suffered an infamous nightmare moment inside the car.

“You have got to save a thought for Matt Payne because on the warmup lap he spewed inside his helmet,”

Reynolds revealed.

“Thank god there was a red flag because he had to go in for a new suit and helmet because apparently there were chunks of chicken and rice and stuff ...

“Poor fella. I have never seen that before in my life.

“I have no idea what happened.

He probably ate too much and then got a little nervous, the poor little soul.

“At the red flag I saw him and there was white stuff everywhere and I was like ‘oh no.”

Fortunately Payne did not just make an impact on his racing gear, but also on the track, finishing the dramatic Sunday 14th on the road.

The clean debut puts him in good stead to take on the Australian Grand Prix.

Hear more from the three Supercars rookies in a special feature on Pages 36 and 37.

Thomas Miles

LOVE CLICKING FAST AFTER SUPER2/CARRERA SWITCH IT WAS hard to take your eyes off Aaron Love in last year’s Carrera Cup, and now the WA native faces a new set of challenges in Super2.

But a solid start at the Newcastle 500 with BRT in his Petronas Cool Drive Commodore – despite trouble seeming to find him – bodes well for his 2023 campaign, as the prodigious talent looks to tread a path into Supercars.

A 50s penalty had him relegated to the rear in Race 1, as well as a grid penalty after qualifying, whilst a P2 from the second row in an interrupted race was more representative of the good speed he showed.

Love spoke to Auto Action about his first hit-out, and the finer-points of having to alter his driving style.

“Saturday didn’t go to plan and I got caught up in a couple things … I didn’t handle them as well as we probably should’ve,” Love told AA. “I think Sunday was good – to be able to turn that around and show what I think was a good representation of what we’re capable of as a team, and myself, in the new car … I was quite happy.

“It’s important to qualify at the front end, as it’s harder to drive around the aero wash than in the Porsche, and at Newcastle there’s bound to be carnage.

“When you’re back on the third or

fourth row there’s a fair bit of door bashing, and you’re bound to get caught up, so it’s about finding the correct approach to qualifying for us.

“I’ve had people tell me it’s not about doing 110%, it’s more about getting a solid 95% because we’re going to be quick enough. You get one or two laps on the Dunlop tyres, whereas in the Porsche’s you had 3 or 4.”

Love explained the challenges and differences between the categories, and about getting his head around the switch.

“The main one is the tyre life. In a Cup Car you drive to the grip with a little bit of slide and wheelspin, whereas in the Supercar, you run out of tyre sooner than you think.

“So I’m learning to rewire my brain and under-drive at the start for longevity. In

Image: MARK HORSBUGH-EDGE PHOTOGRAPHICS terms of the style, the harder you drive these things the slower they go.

“In a Cup Car if you’re two-tenths under, you can find it by going harder, but I’ve learnt that’s definitely not the case here.

“And physically, the Cup Car has the bigger front tyre and much bigger rear, but the Supercar has the smaller tyre but a whole lot more horsepower, and it’s less

automated with the gear shifter.

“There’s more you can put into action on the track, and if you use them you’ll get the benefit, but if you don’t, you just end up standing on your tail.

“But as a team, me and the personnel are still learning the car and everything, but we’ve all done well to adjust so far.”

TW Neal

STEWART BRACED FOR RIVALRIES AFTER ‘SURPRISE’ SUPER3 WIN BOOSTED BY a “surprise” round win on Super3 debut, Jobe Stewart is bracing himself for more on-track rivalries in 2023.

Having made his debut at the end of 2020 in the Toyota 86 Series, Stewart scored breakthrough race and round car racing wins at the Newcastle 500 for Image Racing.

Being his maiden attempt of Super3 racing, the Mount Gambier based teen admitted the success exceeds all expectations.

“It think it is still surreal,” he recalled to Auto Action.

“I was hoping to be somewhere near the top three, but being fast straight away was a little bit of a surprise.”

Ever since he first arrived at Townsville in 2021, Stewart has developed a liking for street circuits and “felt comfortable straight away” in the VF Commodore in his first Newcastle drive.

The #999 was the only Super3 competitor to record a 1:14s lap time on Friday and was an early contender for pole before missing out to Cameron McLeod.

This sparked a tight battle for P1 in Super3 honours with the pair jostling for position until McLeod made an aggressive

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Image: PETER NORTON move at the hairpin on the final lap.

Despite muscling his way past the #92 Nissan Altima received a five-second penalty for the pass, which handed the win to Stewart.

Little split the duo in the shortened second race, with McLeod this time retaining the win, but not doing enough to

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stop Stewart from taking round honours, who was “pretty cautious” to retain an 18-point championship lead.

The race-deciding move on the final lap was missed by the TV cameras, but Stewart believes the penalty was there.

“There were two or three cars between us, but I got a pretty good start and got

behind him on the first lap,” Stewart said.

“I managed to get past him after the first Safety Car and I had a comfortable gap.

“Coming into the hairpin I blocked a little bit because he was not too far behind, but he just fully out-braked himself and tapped me in the rear, got me sideways and pushed me wide.

“I was lucky to stay in front, but I don’t think it was too intentional.

“It does take a little bit of the gloss off it winning with the penalty – I would have liked to win on track, but I felt I did enough to win the race, so I’m still happy.”

With Stewart and McLeod topping all-but one Super3 session across the weekend, the Blue Lake boy is strapping himself in for a potential on-track rivalry similar to the one fellow Mount Gambier driver Kai Allen experienced against Brad Vaughan last year.

“With that incident I think there is already a rivalry starting to form,” Stewart said.

“But I think with how close it was between Cameron and myself, I think it will definitely be one of the main battles to watch in the Super3 season.”

Thomas Miles

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MCLAUGHLIN OUTLASTS FIELD IN LMP2 TRIUMPH WALL REVEALS NEW COLOURS

DAVID WALL is ready for another Porsche Carrera Cup Australia season and will race with a new livery.

Wall will sport red and black colours with backing from Monochrome in the #38 Wall Racing Type 992 GT3 Cup car.

The 40-year-old is a Carrera Cup veteran with 73 rounds, 13 wins, and 10 poles next to his name.

Wall has finished in the top five of the championship in every seasons Ince he returned to the category in 2016 after his full-time Supercars career.

He is joined by Luke King and Drew Hall at the team.

RACING SUITS SHEDDING WEIGHT THE RACE to save weight in Formula One is going to radical extremes. While teams leave their cars with raw carbon bodywork to save the weight from paint, Puma has trimmed its latest F1 driving suits to save just three grams. It’s done the job by replacing metal pieces with fabric, following developments which have seen the weight of fireproof suits halved from 1.6 kilograms to just 800 grams in 2023. Among the converts to the latest lightweight grand prix-specification suits is PremiAir Racing in Supercars, which took delivery of new suits from Alpinestars just in time for the Newcastle 500.

BRABHAM CHAMPIONSHIP WINNER OFF TO ADELAIDE TWO GENERATIONS of Brabhams will celebrate Sir Jack Brabham’s legacy at the 2023 Adelaide Motorsport Festival.

Sir Jack Brabham’s 1966 Formula 1 world championship winning BT19 will be steered on the Victoria Park streets by both son David Brabham and grandson Sam Brabham.

“It’s going to be fantastic to not only have the BT19 on track, but to have my father (David) coming to drive it with me at the Adelaide Motorsport Festival is going to be really special,” said Sam Brabham.

The BT19 will be hitting the track on Saturday, March 25.

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KIWI STAR Scott McLaughlin is an IMSA LMP2 race winner just two starts into his career, after he steered the #8 ORECA to victory in the 12 Hours of Sebring.

Alongside teammates John Farano and Kryffin Simpson, McLaughlin made the most of his call up, guiding the Tower Motorsports entry home during a tense final stint.

Despite showing strong pace early, the Tower Motorsports trio was in trouble when their #8 ORECA was forced into the pitlane for repairs mid-race after Simpson spun the car at Turn 1. However, Simpson emerged quickly and was sent back on his way without losing a lap.

“Pushed a little too hard there and got crossed up at T1,” Simpson tweeted after the incident.

“Thankfully the damage was just cosmetic and the team did an incredible job fixing the car up. We literally lost a few seconds and 1 place. Insane.”

McLaughlin, who is best known as a three-time Supercars Champion and IndyCar Series race winner, took the reins for the home stretch of the IMSA enduro.

Leading the LMP2 field with 32 minutes on the clock,

Image: MOTORSPORT IMAGES McLaughlin was first forced to defend an attack from Paul-Loup Chatin in the #52 PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports ORECA he shared with Ben Keating and Alex Quinn.

The 29-year-old then held off a fast-finishing Mikkel Jensen in the #11 TDS Racing ORECA that he co-drive with Scott Huffaker and Steven Thomas in the final four minutes to win the eight-car Le Mans Prototype 2 class by 0.834s, and finish third overall in the 53car field.

“It’s not just me, it’s the bounceback from the whole team,” McLaughlin said.

“Daytona was a tough one, as we all know, but Kyffin drove well today, as well as John. They really put us on the right path.”

All’s well that ends well, as they say, but McLaughlin was still happy to fire a friendly jab at Simpson post-race.

“Our guys got the car back together after our little guy’s misdemeanour,” McLaughlin said.

“We’ll let him off the hook now.”

“I’m really proud of everyone on the team,” McLaughlin said.

“The strategy at the end was just incredible. Glad I could hold them off for them.” JN

RACA HONOURS FORMER SYDNEY SHOWGROUND SPEEDWAY PROMOTER JOHN SHERWOOD THE ROYAL Automobile Club of Australia (incorporating the Imperial Service Club Limited) will honour RACA’s late great speedway promoter John O Sherwood – and the history of the Sydney Showground Speedway – with a speedway nostalgia dinner on Friday, April 28.

The presentation will be held in the function room of the RACA located at 89 Macquarie Street in the Sydney CBD., from 6pm.

Mr Sherwood, one of the founders of the Mt Panorama racing circuit at Bathurst, NSW, was a Director of the world famous Empire Speedways Pty Ltd company at the Sydney Showground for 23 years.

He linked with fellow directors Frank Arthur and Bert Pryor after World War II and, as track manager,

he steered the historic Sydney Royale circuit through its greatest speedway decades of the 40s, 50s and 60s before his retirement in the late 60s.

He also had a long time administrative involvement with the RACA. The special guest speaker on the night will be long time speedway journalist/publisher/and mainstream media representative Dennis Newlyn.

“It’s a wonderful honour for me to

be asked to speak on this very special occasion honouring Mr Sherwood,” Newlyn said. “I have always considered Mr Sherwood to be one of all time great Australian speedway promoters during a wonderful era for the sport.”

The famous Speedcar (pictured) driven by the late, great Sir Jack Brabham (AO, OBE) will take pride of place in the foyer of the RACA clubrooms. Brabham drove this car to victory in the 1948/49 season Australian Speedcar Championship at the Sydney Showground.

Tickets are now on sale at $85 per head for a two course meal with tea/coffee.

For more information phone (02) 8273-2300 during business hours; email: eventsadmin@raca.com.au (Visa Card available).

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Image: DJH CREATIVE

COOK SCORES ‘SURREAL’ WIN IN SEASON OPENER

BUMPER FIELD TO TAKE ON RALLY LAUNCESTON THE 2023 Australian Rally Championship will fire up in a big way at this month’s seasonopening Rally Launceston.

A big field of 31 crews will make the journey to the Apple Isle, which will be the biggest ever national field at the event.

No less than 25 of the 31 crews are Australian Rally Championship teams to have signed up and a total of 10 brands will be flying through the Launceston forests.

The Toyota Gazoo Racing Australia cars are expected to be at the front of the field, with Lewis Bates and Anthony McLoughlin (pictured) coming back to defend their 2022 ARC title.

But looking to stop them is Harry Bates, who has teamed up with championship-

winning co-driver Coral Taylor, who used to co-drive with Harry’s father, Neal Bates.

The pair enjoyed a successful cameo partnership at last year’s Rally Launceston where they led home a Toyota 1-2-3 followed

by Richie Dalton and Lewis Bates.

There will be more Yaris entries on show with Luff Motorsport’s Jamie and Bradley Luff, plus James Dimmock and Larisa Biggar.

Joining the Luff Motorsport team in a new car are Troy Dowell and Bernie Webb, who have upgraded to a Skoda Fabia R5 Evo. Other Skoda runners are Daniel Gonzalez and Daymon Nicoli, plus Luke Anear and Malcolm Read.

Although Anear is no longer driving a Ford, the Blue Oval will still be represented, by

White Wolf Racing’s Tom Clarke and Ryan Preston, who hope for more success after suffering a big crash in Tasmania last year.

Indonesian Gandewa Sanders will steer a M-Sport prepared Ford Fiesta Rally 3, with global co-driver Rhianon Gelsomino.

The 2017 Australian Rally Champion Nathan Quinn spearheads the Hyundai assault, while former Supercars driver Alex Rullo will also drive for the Korean brand.

Three cars are rented in the ARC 2WD Cup including Scott Pedder and Chris Randell, while five Tasmanian crews hope to impress at home.

The 2023 Rally Launceston has a nearly identical schedule to last year with 12 stages covering 207km. Thomas Miles

THE MOTORSPORT Australia Off Road Championship started in a big way, with James Cook scoring a “surreal” historic win.

Cook and co-driver Mitch Aucote (above) were able to edge out reigning champions Ryan Taylor and Key Floyd to become the first victorious SXS combination ever.

The pair achieved the feat in glamorous fashion by leading the field in every section of the nine-lap Gold City 450.

Despite being in control from start to finish, it was far from a smooth ride with an ecstatic Cook revealing the car crossed the line “not in great shape”.

“It’s amazing. It’s just so surreal and I am still pinching myself. I can’t believe we got it done,” Cook said.

“It wasn’t easy by any means. We had to push hard all weekend and luckily some good laps on Saturday morning set the scene for the weekend and gave us a nice lead.

“From there we just chipped away and did what we had to do.

“The car’s not in great shape and it was making a lot of noises due to broken bits, but we got there and did what we had to do.

“The win gives us a good start to the year from an outright perspective and I’ll definitely enjoy it for the moment. It’s unreal.”

The layout was expected to suit the more nimble SXS cars and Cook showed why by immediately taking control.

After getting past Travis Robinson and Andrew Pinto to take second, Taylor and Floyd set their sights on the leading SXS duo to setup a tense finish.

Despite Taylor closing the gap, Cook held on to secure a historic win as Robinson and Pinto completed the podium.

Other class winners were Nicholas Commins (Extreme 2WD), Phil Lovett (Extreme 4WD), Brian Bradford (Super 1650) and Ross Newman (SXS Sport).

The second round of the 2023 season is the Pooncarie Desert Dash on April 21-23.

Thomas Miles

WHATS ON AT WINTON THE NATION’S ACTION TRACK! TEST AND TUNE DAYS - Dedicated test and tune days for the preparation and setup of race cars.

Test days may be broken into sessions (if applicable) which allow for sedans and open wheelers to share the track independently, this ensures the Racecar Test Day is perfect for any race car from Production Specification to V8 Supercar to S5000 and everything in between.

24 March 2023 25 March 2023 26 March 2023 28 March 2023 31 March 2023

Winton Test and Tune Pedders No Bull Sprint Rd 2 Nugget Nationals Rd 1 Winton Open Wheeler Test Winton Test and Tune

BOOKINGS ARE ESSENTIAL. FREE PIT GARAGE SLOTS ARE INCLUDED WITH ENTRY. Contact mail to: reception@eintonraceway.com.au or call the events hotline on 03 5760 7100 For more information go to: www.wintonraceway.com.au/drive/racecar-test-days autoactionmag

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STAN JONES: AUSTRALIAN ACE CENTENARY

BURDON UNLOADS AT SEBRING 12 HOUR JOSH BURDON has taken out his second ever IMSA victory in the LMP3 class, for Riley Motorsports, at the Sebring 12 Hour. The third generation racer from Hobart – in his second IMSA outing for American team Riley Motorsports – helped his teammates Felipe Fraga (BRZ) and Gar Robinson (USA) fight back from P4 in their #74 Ligier JS P320, winning by a lap over the #13 AWA team. That makes two IMSA wins for the Aussie after taking out the LMP3 class win at the Le Petit Le Mans last season for Andretti Autosports.

StanJones, Maserati 250F, Longford, 1958.

Image: B. YOUNG Right: Stan Jones’ Centenary memorial.

By Mark Bisset

MCFADDEN’S HISTORIC VOLUSIA WIN JAMES MCFADDEN has a had a strong start to the World of Outlaws season: sixth in the 64-driver standings after six starts. But his win at Volusia was a memorable one for the Alice Springs Sprintcar superstar. His sixth career win was the 100th victory for his Roth Motorsport team in the #83 RM Toyota, and a first ever Sprintcar victory for a Toyota Racing Development 410 Engine. “To be the guy to get the hundred is pretty special. This car has been on the road for 25, 26 years, I know how much it means,” McFadden said.

SEPANG 12 HOUR PODIUM FOR TRANSTASMAN OUTFIT THE ALL-Antipodean AMAC Motorsport team have stormed to a terrific GT3 Am class podium at the Sepang 12 Hours in Malaysia. Australian GT stalwarts Ben Porter and Andrew Macpherson were joined

by BJR Supercars gun Andre Heimgartner. It was a sensational fightback from the amateur AMAC team after qualifying in P11 in the oldest GT generation car in the field (#51 Porsche 911 GT3-R), who after 215 laps, finished three laps back on the outright Audi GT3 winners (Absolute Racing), and one lap back on Am class winners, AAI Motorsports in the #91 BMW.

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A GROUP of devotees of Aussie 1950s Ace Stan Jones – father of 1980 World F1 Champion Alan – gathered at Melbourne’s Springvale Cemetery to celebrate the life of the 1958 Gold Star and 1959 Australian Grand Prix winner last week.

Born a century ago on March 3, 1923, Stan died 50 years ago in London on March 16, 1973 in the care of Alan and then wife Beverley. Sadly, he missed Alan’s first British F3 Championship win at Silverstone two days later aboard a

BENNETT FLIES AT INAUGURAL ROB ROY REVIVAL DESPITE THE Saturday being cancelled due to extreme heat, the inaugural Rob Roy Revival Hill Climb enjoyed a stellar Sunday, as car lovers, competitors, and organisers came together for the historic event put on by the MG Car Club Victoria, with collaboration from the VHRR. Held in Victoria’s Yarra Valley region with two-time Bathurst 1000 winner John Bowe as MC and competitor, over 75 historic cars and motorcycles turned up to go on show and to compete.

“It was truly an incredible event that wouldn’t have been possible without the hard work and passion of everyone involved,” an event spokesperson said.

“To the participants who came out to compete and share their magnificent machines with us, the passion for the sport and commitment to push yourselves to the limit was inspiring, and it was an honour to have you all.

“The energy and enthusiasm the spectators provided was infectious, and it was wonderful to see so many people coming together to celebrate the sport of hill climbing.”

In terms of the day’s winners over the eight categories, the Modern Sports & Racing Cars to 2000cc victory was taken out by Laurie Bennett in his #53 Elfin 600, in what was the largest of the fields with 15 entries.

Bennet’s average time of 26.66s was enough for the outright victory, whilst third place came from the same category, with Angus Mitchell in his ASP Clubman posting a 28.09.

The Air Cooled category was taken out by Darren Visser in a Bates Cyclo for the outright second fastest time of the weekend (32.69).

In the Pre-War Sports & Racing Cars, David Bishop grabbed it in an Austin 7 by 2s over Colin Kirkpatrick in a Bugatti T37.

The Historic Sports & Racing Cars up to 2000cc went to Graeme Raper in a George Reed Ford Special Monos, whilst the Post-War Sports

GRD 372 Ford. A tearful AJ had his garland placed inside Stan’s casket for the flight home.

A win-or-bust racer until late in his career, Stan is fondly remembered for his performances at the wheel of the Charlie Dean/Repco Research built Maybachs and a Maserati 250F. Historian David Zeunert organised longtime friend and employee Lloyd Holyoak to regale the Stan-Fans with some anecdotes about a racer who lived and played hard, not the least of which was that Jones ‘dated’ not one, but three Miss Australias. Eat your heart out Brocky…

Laurie Bennett (1971 Elfin FF600B) took out Modern Sports/ Racing Cars up to 2000, with the FTD while (below) Mike Ellsmore ran jis 1957 MGA Coupe. Images: ROBIN PAGE

& Racing Cars up to 1500cc was won by Mark Pitman’s MG TC. The Post-War Sports & Racing Cars from 1501cc to 3000cc went to Louis Santin in a Singer Lemans, whilst Jeffrey Welsh in the Prad Holden Sports won an epically close battle in the Modern Sports & Racing Cars up to 2000cc against Bowe, in his Chevrolet Corvette by just 0.02s.

In the Saloons & Touring Cars, Peter Weymouth-Wilson got it done in his Morris Cooper S. TW Neal

LATEST NEWS

WAKEFIELD PARK SALE

TO DELIVER A RETURN TO RACING IN A result that is set to secure the future of Motorsport in the Goulburn Mulwaree Shire and Greater NSW, The Benalla Auto Club (BAC) has announced that Wakefield Park has been sold to Steve Shelley, the owner of Pheasant Wood Circuit.

The vital collaboration means work is now set to ramp up in conjunction with the involvement of the surrounding community, to facilitate and ensure the re-opening of Wakefield Park.

Pheasant Wood Circuit is located at Marulan, just 25 minutes drive from Wakefield Park, towards Sydney.

Both the BAC General Manager Stephen Whyte and Steve Shelley have attributed the facilitation of the arrangement to Local Liberal Member Wendy Tuckerman, who related her enthusiasm for the breaking news.

“We are thrilled to have found a solution that will allow the reopening of Wakefield Park Raceway,” said Tuckerman.

“This is a win for the motorsport community, local businesses and the wider community.

“We’ve been working hard to come up with a long-term viable solution, and the NSW Liberal and Nationals Government will continue to work with the community and stakeholders to achieve a Wakefield Park Raceway everyone can be proud of.”

To cap off the historic settlement, the current NSW Liberal and Nationals

The sale of Wakfield Park , by the Benalla Auto Club to Steve Shelley (centre), was aided and facilitated

by Liberal MP, and minister for Local Government, Wendy Tuckerman (left).

They are seen standing here with BAC’s Steven Whyte, at the Shelley owned Pheasant Wood Cicruit in Marulan NSW.

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Government have announced a $5 million dollar commitment to the track should they win the upcoming state election (the polling booths open on March 25).

On the other side of the coin, the contesting Labour Party have also pledged a $1 million dollar spend should they defeat the Dominic Perrottet government.

Whyte has declared it a “significant moment” for the future of the park, and that its new custodian is well placed to ensure its continued operation.

“Today is a significant moment for the future of Wakefield Park,” Whyte described.

“With Steve and his team having significant experience in Motorsport facility management and event management, I couldn’t think of anyone better to be the custodian of Wakefield Park Raceway.

“It is significant that Steve already knows the area and the current situation with Wakefield Park and I have no doubt he will continue to work with the Residents, Council and Government to secure the future of the Facility,” also noting that: “This arrangement would not have happened without the significant involvement and passion of Local Liberal Member Wendy Tuckerman.

“Her understanding of what we (the current BAC management) inherited, has given us some positive direction and clear indication of the obvious support from the government for the future of the Raceway.”

“I must also acknowledge the Goulburn Mulwaree Council CEO Aaron Johanssen, and council staff that have been working through this behind the scenes over this time. We also look forward to continuing to work with Steve and his team in the future as they put plans together to reopen the circuit.”

The passion of the park’s new owner, Steve Shelley, is evident; and he gives his thanks to all the parties involved as it assures the survival of the much loved and recently embattled raceway.

“I am passionate about Wakefield Park and have competed there on many occasions,” Shelley said.

“The opportunity to continue our Track Ownership along with investment in the local community of Goulburn is something that we believe is critically important for the future of Motorsport in the region.

“I’d like to thank Wendy Tuckerman for putting me together with Stephen and the BAC, and for being so passionate about a Motorsport Strategy that gives us the confidence to commit to this wonderful opportunity.”

A statement from the Pheasant Wood Circuit owner also included this reference to the reopening in addressing the concerns of local residents.

‘The acquisition of Wakefield Park Raceway by an established track operator in the region, such as Pheasant Wood Circuit,

will breathe new life into the raceway and provide a sustainable and commercially viable solution to the noise concerns that led to its closure.”

With the new ownership, and the strong relationship forged by Tuckerman, Shelley will set about building a new and exciting future for the track.

“I look forward to working closely with the neighbours of Wakefield Park and The Goulburn Mulwaree Shire Council when planning and securing the future of Wakefield, and especially avoiding any repeat of mistakes made in the past,” he continued.

“I hope all parties and the Motorsport fraternity in New South Wales will be buoyed by this announcement about Wakefield Park Raceway.”

Alister Henskens, the Liberal Minister for Sport, has outlined the plan for the aforementioned financial pledge that will go towards the aim of a long-term fix “That five million dollars will go towards the investigation of re-opening the park, and will go towards acoustic measures that will make it suitable for the surrounding community.

“We have also committed to having a new motorsport strategy for NSW which we’ll develop with Motorsport Australia and other key stakeholders to make sure that motorsport flourishes in our state.”

TW Neal

LATEST NEWS

DOOHAN GETS THE F2 BALL ROLLING AT JEDDAH JACK DOOHAN had a slow start to the year at the Formula 2 opener in Sakhir, but the Virtuosi speedster kickstarted his point-scoring with a fighting P2 at Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

He admitted after Round 1 that he and the team needed to find some pace to match it up the front and, two weeks out from the Melbourne Grand Prix, it appears they’ve managed to close that gap.

After being only 0.793s off in Free Practice, he put in a strong late effort to salvage a strong P4 in qualifying, 0.784s short of pole getter and his Alpine Academy Jr teammate, Victor Martins.

He then held his nerve to put points on the board in the reverse grid sprint race, finishing in P7 as Ayumu Iwasa led in Martins and Jehan Daruvala.

The F1 Alpine Reserve driver then put in a mature and measured display to grab P2 to leave the round sixth in the standings as the point scorers from Bahrain faltered.

“Got some solid points on the board, The top guys in the championship didn’t score so great today, so to be able to get a little bit higher up on the board and solidify myself for this year is great,” Doohan said.

“I’ve been struggling to really find

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confidence with the car, and we’ve had quite a few fundamental issues so far this season … which been a big shock to the system for all of us, because it really hasn’t been in our control.

“Still, coming into today, I didn’t really have any confidence at all unfortunately, but hoping that with things that we are changing, I’m going to reinstate that.

“I think we had a good race, and we did the maximum we could, I didn’t think I had the outright pace but to finish P2, but we finally got a little bit of good luck.”

Doohan battled with Martins early on, and sat in P3 when a virtual Safety Car was called out.

He pitted for Mediums on lap 7, but a slow re-entry had him losing provisional spots and saw him fighting with Oliver Bearman for P4 when the order settled.

He got ahead of Bearman at the fall of another yellow, but was 5s back on Vesti, and had moved into effective P2 as the final pit stops rolled in with four laps to run, and held the gap to the chequered flag to take P2 by 3.587 fro Daruvala.

Next up, Doohan finally gets a home nation race, the first in any form of racing outside of karting, taking on Albert Park on March 31-April 2.

TW Neal

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Image: MOTORSPORT IMAGES

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SMITH KEEN TO SOAK UP HOME SUPPORT

Image: MOTORSPORT IMAGES AUSTRALIAN FORMULA 3 racer Tommy Smith cannot wait to race in front of a huge home crowd at Albert Park.

Smith is the oldest Australian on the Formula 3 grid, driving the #19 machine for Van Amersfoort Racing.

After a character-building Bahrain opener where Smith finished 23rd and 28th, he hopes home support gives him some extra tenths.

“Being one of five Aussies in F1, F2 and F3 will be insane,” he told Auto Action.

“I raced F4 there in 2019 and even then the amount of people that came up to me was crazy.

“This year I think the event sold out in hours, so the support will be awesome and it will be a career highlight.”

Although there may be a lot of fanfare off the track, Smith is aware of the challenge ahead on it.

He admitted he “struggled” in testing and his problems were compounded by a pair of incidents in the feature race, which means the Aussie has received a six-place grid penalty for the Albert Park Sprint Race.

Despite the battles, Smith said his race pace was encouraging and he hopes to build some momentum down under.

“I was probably the most inexperienced in F3 out of everyone and I just struggled to come grips with the car,” he said.

“The results are pretty terrible, but my race pace was around the top 12, which is great.

“I unlocked a bit in the last race, so as long as I am improving each race I am happy.”

Thomas Miles

Image: MOTORSPORT IMAGES

HARD WORK PAYS OFF FOR CAMPOS’ #25 SHOOTING STAR HUGH BARTER has entered F3 with Campos racing after a monster 42 F4 races 2022, coming away with a 64.2% record of being on the podium –13 wins, and 14 podiums across the Spanish and French F4.

The 17-year-old grew up in Hughesdale, Victoria, after being born in Nagoya, Japan, and ahead of his Home GP debut at Albert Park, the Campos ace has fond memories of the street track as a kid, at the age of five.

“I do remember sitting on the exit of Turn 1 and 2 and seeing how fast the cars went, and it got my attention. I had a lot of adrenaline from that and, as my dad says, my eyes just opened

up,” Barter explained, “It’s been quite a journey – I started racing in Australia when I was five!”

12 years later, and after an extensive karting regime prior to his exhaustive F4 season, the Japanese Aussie is ready to rumble for a true hometown fight.

“With F3 being 10 rounds, there’s a lot of travelling across nine different countries so I think having the dual championship last year, combined with the amount of travelling I was doing … which was getting quite tiring … I think that experience will be helpful moving forward.”

Barter also has the fortune of having a fellow compatriot in his Spanish based

Campos team, “He’s more of a true Aussie, and I’m more inner-city,” Barter quipped.

“We’ve been racing against each other since we were 12, and have a really good dynamic on the team … we’re pretty good mates.

“I’m looking forward to seeing the fans and the atmosphere because I think Australia really does have the best one.”

Although his opening races at Bahrain didn’t quite go to plan with finishes of P14 and P16 – with an unfortunate puncture early in Race 2 – he qualified in P5 and, in a good team, Barter is guaranteed to trouble the field in 2023.

TW Neal

MANSELL READY FOR SPECIAL HOME RACE CHRISTIAN MANSELL is ready to race on home turf for the first time in four years after completing an “intense” Formula 3 season opener in Bahrain.

Mansell recorded a pair of P13 finishes at Bahrain and believes the consistent start is a strong launching pad for a pursuit of points at Albert Park, which would be a perfect homecoming gift.

“I think definitely points are possible and that is my goal for Melbourne,” he told Auto Action.

“Bahrain was pretty intense, hot and sandy, but I think we did a good job of being consistent and moving in the same direction.

“I think we definitely could have scored points in Bahrain, so hopefully we can score some big ones in Melbourne.”

To become a regular points finisher, Mansell believes everything has to be right in the ultra competitive series.

“To achieve our goals is more about

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Image: DUTCH PHOTOGRAPHY maximising everything and being on the limit,” he said.

“F3 is its own war zone and pretty crazy compared to what I have raced before.”

Even though a pecking order has been established through three days of testing and racing at Bahrain, everyone will be on a level playing field at Australia.

To get back into the Aussie spirit, he attended the Newcastle 500 Supercars race and enjoyed a hot lap in Thomas Randle’s Tickford Ford Mustang.

Not only will Mansell be looking to race hard in Melbourne, he also hopes to use his platform as a local Formula 3 driver to raise awareness as the first diabetic driver competing at the level.

The #24 Campos Racing driver is pumped to fulfil a dream of racing around the Albert Park streets.

“It is going to be fairly full-on.

“I never expected this to be even remotely possible when I was a kid,” Mansell said.

“I thought the only way I would be able to race at Albert Park would be if I was a Formula 1 driver.

“To be in a position to inspire kids and people my age is a nice feeling.

“This is all pretty exciting to be honest.”

Thomas Miles

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

HERNE CRACKS THE PODIUM IN US TRANS AM NATHAN HERNE stormed from P15 to P2 to take his maiden American Trans Am TA2 podium at New Orleans on March 12 in a brilliant come from behind drive.

After topping practice Herne then struggled in the Cube3 Mustang with an admittedly disappointing qualifying, starting the race in P15 at NOLA Motorsports Park in extremely hot conditions.

In an absolute thriller, Herne took P2 on the second last corner to finish just 0.060 seconds behind four time race winner Brent Crews – a 14-year-old prodigy – in the #70 Mustang.

“I’ve worked hard before, but Jesus Christ … 15th to second on the line,” Herne said.

“Cool suit failed, no helmet fan, and lost my drink straw on the eighth lap!

It’s a hot, humid place here at NOLA ... that was hard work.

“We’re fast ... got to tune up this straight line to keep up with the others, but we were fast around the corners.”

“Looking forward to the weekend off,

then we’re back at Road Atlanta! Good to give the boys a trophy! It’s been an awesome time, good to get some championship points!”

Herne had moved his way up in P7 by lap 6 when a caution drew a tight field back together, before the Aussie Stevens-Miller Racer got the jump into P6 on the lap 9 restart.

Another full course caution was flagged and, on the restart, Herne jumped the 2022 champion Thomas Merrill to move into P4 on what is considered a difficult track to pass on.

Stuck in a tight four-way battle up front, Herne bided his time to move into P3 on lap 22 of 37, then started hunting down former IndyCar driver Rafa Matos.

The #29 S-MR Mustang withstood extreme pressure from fourth to work onto the wing of Matos and, on the final lap, a lock-up from the leader Brent Crews put Herne in the frame for a last ditch lunge, taking Matos on the inside for P2 on the second last corner in a thriller.

That lifts Herne up to seventh in the standings after two rounds, with the Lismore born Aussie starting to turn some heads with his aggressively composed race-craft.

Also grabbing a podium in the TA class was Aussie Matt Brabham,

who after winning the round prior at Sebring, leads the premier TA class standings.

Herne’s next date with the TA2 American Trans Am tour gets underway at Road Atlanta on March 23-26.

TW Neal

SARGENT MARCHES ONTO DOUBLE SEBRING PODIUM

PRADEL CLAIMS ROOKIE SPANISH FWS TITLE IN ITALIAN F4 TUNE-UP GIANMARCO PRADEL has scored the rookie title in the F4 Spanish Formula Winter Series, with the young Aussie also claiming outright second in the title standings.

Pradel was competing in the four round Spanish series ahead of his debut season in the Italian F4, collecting six podiums, with five straight on the run home on his way to rookie honours.

The AGI Sport Academy graduate, and Ferrari Driver Academy (FDA) world scouting finalist, raced with German team US Racing, whom he’ll drive with in the Italian F4.

Pradel’s teammate, Polish racer Kacper Sztuka, took out the main honours for the series, where drivers raced the Abarth engined, Tatuus Gen2 open wheelers at circuits like Ricardo Tormo and the Circuito de Barcelona-Catalunya.

British F4 bound Aussie Patrick Heuzenroeder also took part in the at round at Ricardo Tormo, finishing in P11 and P13.

Pradel will next race at the opening round of the Italian F4 at Imola of April 23-25, where he’ll have his hands full with compatriot James Wharton for Prema Racing, current FDA academy member, and winner of the UAE F4 Championship.

Fellow young Aussie Jack Beeton will also be racing in the Italian series for Dutch team Van Amersfoort Racing.

Beeton shared the FDA world scouting final stage with Pradel in 2022. TW Neal

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Image: MOTORSPORT IMAGES YOUNG PORSCHE up-and-comer Tom Sargent (leading, above) has started off his International Porsche career in style at the Sebring International Raceway, Florida, with a couple of podiums.

Racing in the Porsche Carrera Cup North America for Australian team McElrea Racing, Sargent’s first hitout came at Sebring as support for the second IMSA round, as the first round of the WEC. The 21-year-old from Young, NSW, started off strongly, taking P2 in the opening practice behind Texan Riley

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Dickinson by just 0.290s.

He then qualified the #17 Porsche 911 GT3 in P4, just 0.535s down, before jumping onto the podium for Race 1, making up two spots to grab P2, 7.925s behind the rampant Dickinson.

In Race 2, the former national Formula Ford, and Porsche Sprint Challenge Australia champion started on the front row, holding his place to again fall to Dickinson by 4.952s.

Team Owner Andy McElrea praised Sargent for his composure on debut.

“It’s been a great start to our North American adventure,” McElrea said.

“Thomas did a great job and drove mistake-free all weekend. It’s going to be an unpredictable season with such a variety of circuits and a big field, so starting strongly was important for us.

“It’s awesome to know we’re in the mix in a very competitive field, and to get a pair of podium’s first time out is exactly what we were looking for.

Sargent’s next Porsche CCNA round is on April 14-16 at the Long Beach Street Course, in an eightround season that closes at COTA on October 20-22. TW Neal

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REYNOLDS HOT JOURNEY TO PODIUM DAVID REYNOLDS went from crying in the cockpit to smiling on the podium in a taxing Newcastle 500.

Reynolds cut an exhausted figure at the conclusion of the opening race of the 2023 Supercars season having struggled to keep cool in the sweltering conditions.

But the #26 Grove Racing driver found top speed on Sunday, converting provisional pole into his 16th career pole by just 0.0058s over Chaz Mostert.

Despite conceding the lead to Mostert into turn 1 and finishing third behind the fellow Ford driver and Shane van Gisbergen, he was pumped to take third after a late-race pass on James Golding.

“I am ecstatic with our third place. I don’t think I had the pace of Shane and Chaz,” Reynolds recalled.

“I knew the boys had worked so hard over the break and built a good car.

We set the car up well, but just need a little bit more pace to catch these two buggers (Shane and Chaz).”

Reynolds led a resurgent Grove Racing squad in 2022, scoring seven podiums on his way to eighth in the championship last year - compared to one in 2021 and a P18 in the points standings.

The pace at Newcastle gives the team (which has recently acquired big-name signings such as Garth Tander and Grant McPherson) vindication it is heading in the right direction in 2023.

However, the heat dramas on Saturday threatened to throw a spanner in the works.

It is not the first time Reynolds has struggled with the heat, notably at Bathurst in 2018 where cramps cost him back-to-back ‘Great Race’ glories, while he was also exhausted after his

podium on the Gold Coast last year.

On this occasion Reynolds admitted the heat reduced him to tears on Saturday, which created some fear heading into his podium bound Sunday, but some cooling changers made life behind the wheel more tolerable.

“With 50 laps to go (in race 1) I actually cried while I was trying to

throw up in the car. I was in a world of hurt,” he said.

“I was shitting myself before the (second) race because I knew how bad it was on Saturday, so all I was just trying to do was survive.

“Being a skinny bloke with fast metabolism, the heat just upsets me a lot and you just have to deal with it.

“If I don’t have air flow or the helmet air is warm, it is just like putting a hairdryer on the whole way round.

“But I found it much easier (on Sunday) because they ducted a bit of air to me and the drop in temperature was probably five degrees cooler than Saturday, so it was a bit easier.”

Thomas Miles

DE PASQUALE BOUND FOR BATHURST 6 HOUR DICK JOHNSON Racing’s Anton De Pasquale will take on the 2023 Bathurst 6 Hour in a BMW this Easter.

De Pasquale returns for another crack at the Mount Panorama production car race with Anthony Soole and Adam Burgess in a BMW M4.

The eight-time Supercars race winner is hoping to bounce back from a tough Newcastle 500 where his #11 Ford Mustang emerged 17th in the championship.

De Pasquale raced for the team last year when he put the car onto the escond row in P3, before it ended in the gravel with fuel pressure issues.

Despite the disappointment of last year’s result, Soole believes the presence of De Pasquale will be enough to fight for victory.

“Anton is first-class, he’s a superstar and one of the best young drivers in the country so it was a no-brainer to ask him back,” Soole said.

“He did a great job to qualify third last

year, and although the race didn’t go to plan he was still really impressive. It showed that if things go our way, we have the speed to be a contender.

“It’s always great to get back to Bathurst and compete in this race, and I’m really looking forward to teaming up with Anton and Adam again this year.”

In addition to chasing a Bathurst 6 Hour trophy, Soole will be racing for charity in support of Destiny Rescue.

Destiny Rescue is a charitable organisation working to free children from sex trafficking and exploitation around the world, with 250 volunteers that have helped free more than 11,000 children.

“Destiny Rescue is a charity that I am very passionate about and would love to use my platform in racing to get their story out,” Soole explained.

“These guys are amazing. They are working to help free the over 1 million kids that are currently being sex trafficked around the world. Kids between the ages of 5-14 are being held and sold for sex.

“It sounds unbelievable and it is - it’s awful. I really want to help get their story out and if I can use my racing to raise awareness for this important cause then that can only be a good thing.”

The 2023 Bathurst 6 Hour will be held from April 7-9.

Thomas Miles

HILL POSITIVE AFTER ROOKIE TEST DESPITE TECHNICAL DRAMA

CAMERON HILL has focused on the positives from his invaluable rookie test at The Bend Motorsport Park despite mechanical drama cutting it short.

Hill was aboard the Matt Stone Racing #35 Chevrolet Camaro and shared the South Australian venue with Tickford’s Declan Fraser and Grove Racing’s Matt Payne.

After making his main-game debut at Newcastle and emerging 22nd in the standings, the Canberra-born driver was able to get some critical laps on the board at the fast 4.945km South Australian track.

However, plans went haywire at the three-quarter mark when a power steering pump failure occurred, which brought the #35 car into the garage.

Despite the setback, MSR still made good use of the time and took the opportunity for Hill to focus on practice starts for the remainder of the day.

With racing to resume at the Australian Grand Prix just three weeks after the Newcastle 500, Hill said every lap was a bonus at the test where he gained an understanding of the multiple tyre compounds that will be in use at Albert Park.

“It was good to get to Tailem Bend and run on a fast, open circuit for the first time,” he said.

“We got a bit of a read on what the car was going to be like through corners at a higher speed and we tried a few different set up configurations.

“Throughout the day, we also compared different tyre compounds from hards to softs and looked at how the car would respond on those different tyres at the Grand Prix.

“The good thing is the balance was pretty consistent, so we were happy with that.

“After we had our power steering drama, we focussed on race starts and coming in and out of the box, because that was something that was pretty new to me at Newcastle.

“I definitely feel like we made progress on both of those things and I’m feeling more comfortable ahead of the Australian Grand Prix.”

Thomas Miles

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SLADE REVEALS GEN3 CARS ARE “HARSHER” ON THE BODY

TIM SLADE believes the new Gen3 cars were “more taxing” on the body across the Newcastle bumps and kerbs than the Gen2 predecessors.

Slade showed good pace at Newcastle, appearing in both shootouts in his PremiAir Racing debut, but said he felt “flat” in the aftermath of a gruelling weekend.

Drivers were forced to push hard across two long 250km races in hot cabins around the busy 2.641km street circuit where the corners and walls were coming thick and fast.

Slade revealed the Gen3 Camaro was much “harsher” on the body than the Gen2 ZB Commodore on the bumpier Newcastle street circuit.

“I felt a bit flat (after the race) and not the best I’d ever felt, that’s for sure,” he said.

“It just feels normal now, so it is hard to remember what the old cars feel like.

“But thinking back to the first practice session the cars just felt more physically taxing and harsher across the bumps and kerbs.

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“You kind of had to brace yourself on some of the kerbs, while it felt more compliant and plush in the old cars.

“It (driving) is normal now, but we still have a little bit of work to do to get it a bit more comfortable.”

Slade raised his 400th race start in Saturday’s opening race and celebrated it by sporting #400 on his PremiAir Racing Chevrolet Camaro.

The 37-year-old also enjoyed a return to form at the new team, securing two straight shootout appearances to match his shootouts total from the entire 2022 season in the same weekend.

Although a special result went begging due to a faulty wheel nut issue on Saturday, a P9 finish on Sunday ensured Slade could walk away from Newcastle with some solid points in his pocket.

However, the veteran admitted the weekend took a lot out of him, likening the taxing nature of the Newcastle 500 to the traditional Adelaide 500 season opener.

With a big crowd enjoying a busy

on track schedule, Slade said these factors, plus the heat and driving duties created an enjoyable, but frantic weekend for the drivers.

“The first day was the toughest just to process everything (such as new team, car, engineer etc) but it got easier from that point of view,” he said.

“It was awesome to see so many people at the track, but it just added to the busy and cramped nature, so you can’t sit down anywhere and take a breather.

“We didn’t have the trucks, so we were just working out of little containers, so it honestly felt nonstop for four days.

“I think Newcastle was similar to when we have had Adelaide opening season being pretty warm on a physically demanding track, so two 250km races was a brutal way to start the year.

“But it was an awesome event and great to have a successful first weekend for Gen3.”

Thomas Miles

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AUSSIE TALENT RECRUITED FOR EURONASCAR workshop, which means I have the perfect conditions for preparing myself.”

Team owner and manager. Ferruccio Finkbohner, pictured left with Max, is excited to have Mason on board with the team again.

“We have already been working with Max, so we knew about his talent. I am sure that he will adapt to the car and the series quickly. We are confident that we are ahead of a successful season.”

The European Stock car series is one of four internationally based NASCAR sanctioned events around the world, which includes the Canadian based Pinty Series, the Mexican Series, and the NASCAR Brasil Sprint Race (yes, Brazil with an S, as in the Portuguese spelling). TW Neal RACE CALENDAR EURO NASCAR 2023 Circuit Ricardo Tormo, Spain May 6-7 Brands Hatch Indy Circuit, England May 6-7 Autodromo di Vallelunga, Italy July 8-9 Autodrom Most, Czech Republic August 26-27 Motorsport Arena Oschersleben, Germany September 23-24 Circuit Zolder, Belgium October 14-15 Automotodrom Grobnik, Croatia November 11-12

YOUNG AUSSIE Max Mason has been picked up

by Swiss team Racingfuel Motorsport to tackle the EuroNASCAR for 2023.

The 16-year-old from NSW will pilot the #54 Chevrolet Camaro in the second tier EuroNASCAR 2 series in the seven round European series, starting on May 6-7 at Circuit Ricardo Tormo, Spain.

Mason was a part of the 23 young drivers selected for the Asian region of the Ferrari Academy back in September of 2022, and also competed some rounds for Racingfuel Motorsport in the EuroNASCAR Club Challenge last year in

Zolder, Belgium.

Mason, the 2022 NSW Formula Ford Rookies champion, is looking forward to the new challenge of driving the 450hp V8 Camaro.

“The car is really fast, the team is professional, and the racing series is a lot of fun,” Mason said.

“I am looking forward to the season and am extremely motivated to get everything out of the car.

“Most of the tracks are new to me, so my learning curve will be quite steep.

However, the team has a state-of-the-art simulator at their

POWER PRIMED FOR SUPER FAST TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY WILL POWER has raced the Texas Motor Speedway in IndyCar 16 times, but still describes the super-speedway oval as a “daunting” prospect.

The two-time, and 2022 IndyCar champion, will make his 17th start (fifth most) at the super-speedway on April 2, and has enjoyed success there in the past.

After logging 3,480 competitive laps at the TMS, the 42-year-old Aussie has had two wins (2022,2017), with four podiums, three poles, and ranks third for most laps led of all-time at the oval track (453).

Even so, Power describes that the physical nature and pure speed of the TMS, saying drivers have to approach it with the utmost respect.

“It’s always been a spectacular place to race with the high banks and being a superspeedway,” Power said.

“The front stretch is very tough because it’s not straight and it’s not a constant curve.

“You have to hit two apexes, which also makes it quite daunting when you are threewide or even two-wide.

“I’ve seen many big wrecks here too, so it’s unforgiving and you’ve got to respect the

place. I really enjoy it…in fact, I love it.”

Last year, Penske took 3/4 of the top spots at TMS last season, which saw the closest finish of the season when Penske teammates Josef Newgarden and Scott McLaughlin were split by just .0669s in a last lap overtake, with running Power in P4.

“Last year we came in, and I was vocal about us running a special session to run the second lane to create some really good

racing,” Power continued.

“We had one of the best finishes we have ever seen here with a pass for the lead on the last lap – I mean the best finishes as far as the lower downforce races we’ve had at this track.

“We’re going to do that again this year, but with all cars running a second lane. All cars will get a set of tires and try to bring in that second and even third groove.

“I’m looking forward to the race. We’ll have more downforce this year – it’s quite a bit more – which helps the car stick to the road, so you’re going to see closer racing. I think we will be more wide open for more laps in the race and potentially easier to run on the outside.”

With one race under the drivers belts so far this season at the St Petersburg street course in Florida – won by Marcus Ericsson – April 2 represents a very different prospect the TMS, as well as the race-calendar then slipping into a more regular pattern.

Power had a subdued first hit-out in Florida, finishing +11.680 behind the winner in P7, with the all-time record pole getter, qualifying in P10.

Repaved and redesigned in 2017, Texas Motor Speedway features 20 degrees of banking in Turns 1 and 2 and 24 degrees of banking in Turns 3 and 4, and has a a minimum width of 60 ft.

Round 2 of the IndyCar season the Texas Motor Speedway can be seen live or on replay via Stan Sport, with the race starting on 0400am Monday morning (April 3) AEDT. TW Neal

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CARRERA CUP

O’KEEFFE READY FOR ‘BEST CHANCE” OF CHAMPIONSHIP SUCCESS DYLAN O’KEEFFE believes his fifth Porsche Carrera Cup Australia Championship tilt will be his best yet.

O’Keeffe will race for GWR Australia in the one-make series with teammates Indiran Padayachee and Dean Cook for company.

The 2022 season was a fruitful one for O’Keeffe, who took GWR’s maiden pole position, race win and round podium.

These milestones helped him finish fourth in the standings, just 64 points behind champion Harri Jones.

It was O’Keeffe’s fourth Carrera Cup campaign, but first in four years having first competed into the category from 2016 to 2018 before going to Super2 and racing TCR nationally and globally.

Fresh from a solid comeback in 2022, O’Keeffe believes 2023 could be the year he launches a strong Carrera Cup championship assault.

“The 2023 season is my best chance of winning the Carrera Cup title,” he said.

“I thoroughly enjoyed returning to Carrera Cup last year and we were competitive all season.

“Qualifying was the strongest part of our game last year – I qualified in the top three at six of the eight rounds – but there are a few aspects of our race setup that need some work, such as our performance on cold tyres.

“Over the off season, we’ve identified a couple of areas where we need to improve, to be able to take the next step forward and contend for regular race victories.”

Padayachee returns to Carrera Cup after a Porsche Sprint Challenge campaign last year, while Cook has been a Pro-Am frontrunner and missed out on the 2022 title on a count-back.

GWR Australia’s Garth Walden believes his trio of drivers will feature at the pointy end of the Pro and ProAm title fights.

“Dylan was in contention for the championship all the way through last season, with qualifying being a particular strength,” Walden said.

“Heading into this season, we’ve identified a couple of areas we need to work on, including cold tyre pace and our performance on higher-speed tracks such as Albert Park and Bathurst.

“Dylan scored a lot of podiums last year, so we only need to find a few small improvements for him to regularly win races.

“Dean will be a great addition to our team environment – he has a fun personality out of the car,

but he’s focused and competitive behind the wheel.

“Last year he only just missed out on winning the championship, so he will be highly motivated to get the job done this season.

“Indiran scored best ever results in the Porsche Sprint Challenge last year and I think he will surprise some people in the Pro-Am Class and maybe even score a sneaky podium.”

The 2023 Porsche Carrera Cup Australia season kicks into gear at the Australian Grand Prix on March 30-April 2.

Thomas Miles

KING EMBARKS ON CARRERA CUP LUKE KING has signed with Wall Racing to make a long-awaited debut in the Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia series in 2023.

King will drive a Moutai backed Wall Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car for the first time at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix later this month.

Alongside King in the Wall Racing garage will be veteran team owner David Wall and Drew Hall.

“Carrera Cup is a category that’s been on my radar ever since I first watched the 996 and 997 cars roll around Bathurst when I was a boy,” King said.

“The eight round Carrera Cup Championship is one of the best calendars I have ever seen and I can’t wait to tick off some bucket list tracks including the Grand Prix.

“I’m looking forward to making a good impression within the Porsche ranks and representing Moutai, Fast Track Communications, Paynter Dixon and all of our supporting partners in 2023. It’s going to be a big year!”

King rose to prominence in the Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series recently, being a championship contender in 2021, finishing fourth for Melbourne Performance Centre after collecting back-to-back podiums at Phillip Island.

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Last year King switched to DashSport Hyundai and recorded two podiums at Sydney Motorsport Park and Queensland Raceway after missing the first two rounds.

This followed on from two back-to-back runner-up finishes in the Toyota Gazoo Racing Australia 86 Series in 2018 and 2019.

In 2023 King’s sights shift to the Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia championship, where he hopes to make a “good impression” with Wall Racing.

Whilst King is a newcomer to Wall Racing in 2023, Wall revealed he nearly raced for the team five years ago after a TCR Honda test.

“From both a team and personal point of view, it’s great to welcome Luke King and his partners to our team,” Wall said.

“We have tried to get a season together for some time now with our first introduction way back in 2018, and it’s great we can finally announce we have a season in place for 2023 joining not only myself, but Drew Hall in Carrera Cup Australia.

“We are excited to get things underway

kicking off at this year’s AGP!” “I went to David back in 2018 when TCR was first kicking off and he was good enough to let me drive their brand new Honda at the TCR test,” King added.

“A deal never eventuated but we’ve talked almost every year to see if we can put something together.”

But after years of near misses, the King and Wall partnership has finally come to fruition and their debut will take place at the Formula 1 Rolex Australian Grand Prix on March 30-April 2. Thomas Miles Luke King (left) and David Wall.

Image: MARK HORSBURGH

MOVE OVER MAFS

AA’S LONG-TIME COLUMNIST SAYS GEN3 IS DELIVERING IN SPADES – OFF THE TRACK, AT LEAST

I CAN’T wait for the next episode of the new reality TV series Supercars Gen3 to play out on our screens from next Thursday.

Episode 2 of 12, set at Albert Park in Melbourne, promises to be filled with the more intrigue, drama and interpersonal tension.

Married At First Sight may have wound up for the year but Supercars Gen3 looks set to fill the void, if Episode 1 in Newcastle was any guide. The new SGen3 show has more good guys and villains and hissy-fits than MAFS. Gaslighting, too, apparently, whatever that is.

Anyway, the performance of one key character in the Newcastle episode was particularly impressive. This contestant came under fire from the rest of the group, including the all-powerful alpha male character, for showing everyone the cold shoulder. But then, the day after, this dashing young man magnificently played the victim card on social media.

This move drew widespread sympathy and flipped things on their head, successfully putting the alpha male in the firing line for perceived conflicts of interest.

Brilliant! Reality television at its finest. More please!

Okay, I maybe exaggerating slightly…

with Luke West

REVVED UP I will say, I thought Shane van Gisbergen looked like a goose Saturday and Sunday for the way he refused to properly answer questions in the media conferences and at other times.

Okay, I now understand his reasons – valid reasons – but there was surely a better way to go about getting his point across.

He should have made his point during the weekend not after it.

How effective is a protest if no one knows you’re protesting, much less what you’re protesting about?

And I have no issue with Mark Skaife – and others – pulling SVG up for snubbing questioners.

After all, the media are simply the conduit for fans to hear from their sporting heroes. The word media is a plural form of the Latin word ‘medium’ meaning ‘middle ground’ or ‘intermediate’ – the media asks the questions for the information of fans and viewers. I thought Garth Tander

summed the situation up nicely in saying van Gisbergen was acting disrespectfully.

Of course, Skaife got more than he bargained for when the whole affair served to highlight the many hats he wears and the potential for conflicts of interest.

Supercars is unique among the major sporting ‘codes’ in Australia for producing its own television coverage – so it can control the show AND the narrative.

Supercars is on a hiding to nothing if it starts to censor its competitors, as there’s a trend globally for sporting stars to call out improper behaviour from governing bodies.

Let the drivers speak openly.

At least criticism is a genuine response. Toxic positivity is unhealthy.

It breeds contempt from fans. Is it such a bad thing if the drivers voice their concerns about the new cars? I learned long ago that the more drivers and engineers

love the cars, the less entertaining the racing. Sport thrives on controversy.

Anyway, the Newcastle 500 was a fantastic event to attend live. It was a thrill to walk into the venue on Saturday morning and find the place heaving with fans. By 10am the atmosphere was electric.

More than one person in Newcastle made the point that Supercars is truly an excellent events company and know how to organise a shindig.

Not so strong on the technical and sporting sides, but it does hold a sensational trackside extravaganza!

The bumper crowd will make it harder for the authorities to kill the event, despite the best efforts of some locals, including many who reside there courtesy of the taxpayer.

As someone who has spectated at every Supercars street-race venue over the years, I reckon Newcastle is second only to the Adelaide Parklands for trackside attendees. It’s not just the scenic beachside and harbourside location. Each corner offers wandering spectators a unique viewing experience, with the cars moving around differently at each spot, brushing the wall here and leaping kerbs there. Plus, there

are three pubs, a registered club, numerous bars and coffee shops inside the circuit, if you know where to look.

I’d just like Supercars to have another crack at re-profiling Nobbys hairpin (I refuse to call it Turn 11) to create an overtaking spot. Get that corner right and it will bring the racing alive in Newcastle.

Now to Albert Park. I expect many of the fascinating storylines from Newcastle to run and run this year. Will SVG be speaking to media and TV personnel? I do know he’ll be fielding a helluva lot of questions about Newcastle. How will he handle that?

Will Skaife continue to cop heat? And what if the Gen3 cars struggle to overtake on the wideopen expanses? Or damaged cars fail to back up for the next sprint?

Victorians experiencing Gen3 cars live for the first time should pack their earplugs, as the new Mustangs have a sharper, raspier edge to their engine notes that bounce off concrete walls and can sting the ears.

Whatever happens (or, erm, doesn’t happen) on the track, the drama behind the scenes is shaping up to be particularly intriguing in Episode 2.

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AUTO ACTION WEBSITE

For more of the latest motorsport news, reviews and features, PLUS additional breaking news.

Go to autoaction.com.au or scan below

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

Oakleigh Victoria 3166

OFF-TRACK IS REALLY WHERE SUPERCARS NEEDS TO IMPROVE WE’VE HAD a look at the new Gen3 cars now. They have a few frailties and the racing was a bit ho-hum, although the telecast was a very nice showcase of Newcastle.

It’s great that Supercars get out to the regional centres outside the capital cities like this. Wish they’d come our way.

However, what really annoys me is how the Supercars show – our biggest motorsport act in this country – always finds a way to shoot itself in the foot somehow and detract from the racing.

First race Saturday run and won, but then the results are up in the air. Not settled that night, or before Sunday’s race, or after Sunday’s race and now, I hear, it will probably be adjudicated just before the Grand Prix in Melbourne.

And how about Sunday’s post-race performance from our champion Mr Van Gisbergen. Got the sulks and everyone else had to pay the price because of his bad mood. Great driver, no doubt about that, but off-track he needs to pick up his act massively.

By Monday he was trying to explain his actions, but not doing a very good job of it. I was shown some ‘post’ – don’t understand how that social media works – but couldn’t understand whether he was p….. off, offended or regretful about what Mark Skaife said about him. The guy needs a decent adviser, or three, around him in that team to help him present better.

So too does David Reynolds.

Reading or texting on his phone, sitting sideways, in the press conference. Too much of a smartarse for my liking.

Steve Bissell, Wollongong, NSW

F1 AT RISK OF BECOMING A PANTOMIME Wasted good sleep getting up to watch an awful F1 race at that awful track in Jeddah on Monday morning.

First up, that crash-tool Gasley destroys Piastri’s race at the first corner by crunching his front wing.

Then a trigger-happy race director calls a completely unnececessary Safety Car, which destroy any real ‘strategy’ contest in the race, with the usual artificial winners and losers as a result.

Then the post-race chat is about “did the jack touch the car” (really) and a stupid penalty post-race to Alonso – twice the original penalty

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anyway – and then reversed it anyway!. Embarrassing.

They’ve lost me.

Michael Frost, Canberra, ACT

LEVEL PLAYING FIELD SHOWS THE GOOD, BAD AND UGLY FOR THE first time in a very long time, we saw the advent of a completely new chassis and motor combo. Everybody was starting with new cars and new motors.

No excuses of hand-me-downs or couldn’t afford the latest upgrades/ widgets. In other words, nowhere to hide. So what did we find out?

Some rich parents should hide their wallets and get their kids a proper day job. If you can’t cut it now when there is an absolute level playing field, then you certainly aren’t going to as the season progresses.

DJR and Premiair Racing have swapped places on the grid.

The four-car teams really only have one strong runner. ‘The Wobbler’ (SVG) and Chaz are still the standouts, and could drive anything, anywhere (and have proven so). The cars look way better, sound good, but are hopelessly fragile. How is it possible that a light hit, such as JC had on Sunday morning, not be repairable due to a twisted chassis that a new front clip can’t be attached to?

Maybe Supercars should take a leaf out of the big-brother NASCAR playbook.

And how is it that after a threeyear gestation period we end up with cars that don’t fit some of our bigger drivers or can even keep the jockey-sized ones relatively cool. Major fail. Again look at NASCAR. And don’t mention the wheel nuts! Really expect better from the expensive new cars.

Given GM has a 5.5l DOHC engine racing successfully, and is available in a road car, why are the GM cars running with a bitza LS series donk?

Or is that the 2025 upgrade when the Camaro road car ceases production?

And Supercars, please stop trying to brainwash the punters.

“If your family had a Holden you should be a Camaro supporter/if your family had a Ford you should be a Mustang supporter”. Really?

Kind of like Albo and his ‘Voice’.

If you really want to generate some excitement, show us snippets of some of the wonderful dices between Moffat and Jane.

Now that is relevant and will provide some lineage.

Peter L Dutkowski Sunshine Coast

CRASH TESTING A MUST FOR SAFETY REASONS WAS A crash test completed on Gen3 cars?

If not, in this day and age, I would have thought for driver safety it would be a must along with the data to prove the easy fix on race days they used as selling point. Not true as first crash on race day proved.

Peter Warburton Huntly, Victoria

GEN3 NEEDS A TWEAK ON THE SCREEN I WAS excited to check out the new Gen3 racing but came away disappointed.

After two hours I still had no idea which drivers were driving what or which place they were in, except for the Waters, Mostert and SVG battle towards the end.

The screen needs to show a little side profile icon of the cars against each driver. Formula 1 does it well.

Showing car numbers on the TV is useless, especially for teams running different livery.

If they want to convert light users to serious fans the coverage has to be user-friendly. I’m really keen to give Gen3 a go and hopefully help my nine-year-old son catch my motor racing addiction too!

David McKay, Canberra, ACT

WHERE HAVE ALL THE TCM CARS GONE? TOURING CAR Masters has been my favourite category for years, but what’s happened to it?

Only 10 or 11 TCM cars on the track at Newcastle after a similar size field at Symmons Plains a couple of weeks earlier.

I just like watching these historic tourers race, I don’t follow any politics associated with the category, but something has gone horribly wrong here. The TCM field should be 25-30 cars.

Lloyd Fisher, Newcastle

AND THE WINNER IS!

This author of this issues best letter takes home a copy of the wonderful Australian Grand Prix book.

A BIG RAP - AND A RAP OVER THE KNUCKLES AS A frequent Auto Action reader I enjoy the wide variety of views expressed by the many contributors to the ‘Letters to the Editor’ section.

Each individual presents their

personal take on issues that are often based on emotions that stem from their love of motorsports.

Regardless of the content of the writer’s point of view, the very fact that people choose to express their opinions confirms they are a part of the Auto Action family, and allowing readers to have their say should come with due respect for the opportunity to do so.

Notwithstanding this opportunity for open dialogue from your readers in the ‘Letters to the Editor’ page, in AA issue 1855 some negative comments were penned

by Todd Smith regarding spelling and typographical errors in the magazine.

In your response, you confirmed the criticism as valid. What was NOT valid, was the petty payback that you ended your reply with “and I note ... a couple of errors in your letter!”

Firstly, it’s not Todd Smith’s letter that needs to be addressed, because he is just making a valid comment. But you (Auto Action), are responsible for producing the best quality magazine in a professional manner. You expect to get payment ... readers expect to get value!

In business, suppress any form of ego, and never insult or offend customers that have a valid point!

In every other respect, you have steered Auto Action into a genuine world-class publication. It’s got to the point now that it’s amazing how every issue is very high quality ... congratulations!

Phil Hilzinger Illawarra Editor’s note: Phil, your rebuke is accepted and your kudos appreciated.

Please accept a copy of the new book FORMULA ONE DOWN UNDER – AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX HISTORY. This wonderful hardcover and jacketed book features over 300 pages, covering each year since 1985 the Formula One circus has pitched its tent in Australia for an annual round of the World Championship – every Grand Prix is covered in this quality publication.

Published by Gelding Street Press, Rockpool Publishing, and available from all good bookstores. $39.99

SHANE-GATE SHANE VAN Gisbergen is the only person who truly knows what happened in Newcastle.

Mark Skaife has his take, and vented his opinion in an extraordinary outburst on national television.

Chad Neylon has his view, but is maintaining a dignified silence.

Many others have an opinion, too, from Russell Ingall and Roland Dane to Scott McLaughlin and countless keyboard warriors.

I know because the phone ran hot in the days following SvG’s monosyllabic “I do my talking on the track” performance after the Sunday race at the Newcastle 500.

I have a personal opinion, but that’s not the focus for this column.

Instead, everyone should be thinking about what triggered van Gisbergen’s extraordinary post-race performance, and the words from other drivers over the first weekend of Gen3 racing, as well as the general bitching and moaning from various players in the pitlane.

So, let’s shift the focus slightly.

To Formula One. In the lead-up to the Saudi Grand Prix, seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton refused to answer politicallycharged questions about the dreadful human rights record in the country.

He had clearly been warned about lighting a fire after new moves by the governors of Formula One, both the FIA and Liberty Media, to muzzle the drivers on anything but racing.

It followed attempts last year to crack down on any sort of political statements by drivers – remember Seb Vettel’s helmet designs in support of gay pride and environmentalism – last year.

Not to mention the pointless and petty move to force Hamilton to remove his jewellery and piercings.

with Paul Gover

THE PG PERSPECTIVE But, back to Supercars.

Unpicking what happened during the Newcastle 500 is not as simple as reporting on a racing driver spitting the dummy – or not – in a press conference.

It’s true that SvG has been one of the most difficult interviews in the history of touring car racing.

Allan Moffat could be cutting and cruel; Allan Grice was belligerent; Garth Tander once asked for “a better question;” and Skaife sometimes brought the same win-at-all-costs approach to media meetings.

I know, because I’ve interviewed every one of them.

I’ve even had a couple of bans, including one by Paul Radisich that was followed by an invitation to ’step outside’.

But even Skaife was not as prickly and difficult as SvG, and I have a good example.

Following the ’Shriek at the Creek’, when he stood trackside at Sydney Motorsport Park and waved his fist at Russell Ingall, both drivers were charged with bringing motorsport into disrepute and there was a long Stewards hearing that ran past 8pm.

Straight afterwards, Skaife came directly to the remaining reporters – just two of us, from memory – and talked through the whole process and his penalty.

Ingall strode straight past into the darkness …

Fast-forward to Newcastle, and SvG was much more like Ingall.

He didn’t want to talk, didn’t

want to engage, was clearly enraged by efforts to muzzle his thoughts on Gen3.

Thankfully, but far too late, he went to social media with an explanation. But no apology.

“Over the weekend I probably said a bit too much publicly on Friday about the heat of the cars, although it did prove fruitful getting extra cooling for the drivers.

“Unfortunately that upset some of the top brass and hence my adopted media strategy for Sunday.

“I understand it’s my duty to represent the sport in a good light as champion, I will do that to the best of my ability by being myself off track, racing hard on track for my team members, team partners and our fans.”

There is something else in this sorry story which needs to be explained.

It’s something which is totally – and always – missed by Supercars fans on social media.

The Supercars broadcast team is not ’the media’. Not even close. They are paid employees

of Supercars, so not remotely independent.

Mark Skaife, despite his role as an anchor and race commentator, is also a member of the board Is this a conflict of interest?

Many people say it is.

But the ‘real’ media, independent and servicing everything from radio to newspapers, magazines and the inter webs, have no such conflict.

They want – and deserve – both sides of any story.

So, cutting to the chase, will ’Shane-gate’ change things?

There is already a move by Supercars to consult with leading drivers. Some people have realised the pressure on drivers was too much, and the ‘media’ have reported extensively on everything that happened in Newcastle.

For me, the potential positives handily outweigh the negatives and there is every chance that ’Shane-gate’ could provide some of the best publicity for Supercars since the ’shriek’.

LAWYERS THAT KNOW MOTORSPORTS Know your position.

• Teams • Series owners • Manufacturers

SVEN BURCHARTZ

Partner sburchartz@kkilawyers.com.au

T +613 8825 4800 kkilawyers.com.au

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NEWS

RICE WINS TWICE AT WINTON JACKSON RICE emerged victorious from a dramatic Round 1 of the 2023 TA2 Muscle Car Series at Winton Motor Raceway.

The Wodonga-based driver finished in the top two in every race, triumphing twice to lead the standings at the end of the weekend.

After kicking off his campaign in style with a Race 1 win on Saturday, Rice faced stiffer competition on Sunday.

Lee Stibbs was quickest off the line in Race 2, surging to an early lead before 2022 South Series champion Zach Loscialpo collided with Graham Cheney between Turns 2 and 3. The contact saw Cheney fall down the order, and Loscialpo was dealt a 10s penalty.

There was more action on lap 2, with Chris Pappas collecting Chris Formosa during an attempted pass, resulting in a 10s penalty for the former.

At the front, Stibbs managed to stay out of trouble and cross the line 1.6s clear of Rice and Nicholas Bates, while 2022 Rookie of the Year Josh Haynes jumped from 27th to ninth at the flag.

Pappas was in the thick of it again in Race 3 – on

the run to Turn 1 Hadley tagged the back of his Chevrolet Camaro, sending it off the tarmac and into a roll. Hadley was cleared of any injuries after the shocking incident.

Following his success in Race 2, Stibbs couldn’t hold his position at the front, dropping behind Rice at Turn 11 on Lap 4. Rice cruised home thereafter, taking the chequered flag by 3.5s from Stibbs and Bates.

The weekend’s final race was won by Haynes, after a Lap 4 incident between Rice and Stibbs. Rice tagged Stibbs’ Camaro at Turn 11, spinning the #66 Camaro out of contention.

Thanks to a Safety Car period, Haynes was right on Rice’s tail in the closing stages, which presented the opportunity for Haynes to dive down the inside at the final corner and beat Rice to the line by less than 0.2s. Gartner completed the podium, charging home to third from 11th.

Despite his last race heartbreak, Rice took home the round win from Stibbs and Thomas. Nicholas Bates finished fourth outright and first in the Masters Class. Josh Nevett

HILLYER STORMS MORGAN PARK ON AFFS DEBUT

ROOKIE AUSTRALIAN Formula Ford racer Matt Hillyer (above) has risen from the Vic state ranks in style, going back-to-back on the Sunday to take Races 2 and 3 for Sonic Motor Racing, and the outright win for Round 1.

“The weekend went pretty smooth. Everyone at Sonic have done really well to get me up to speed. They are a great bunch of people and nothing ever fails. It’s a great team to be,” Hillyer said.

“After finishing second in Race 1, I went back and looked at it all, limited the mistakes and was able to drive away from the pack in Race 2.

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“It was great to take the Race 3 win too and it sets me up for a good championship.”

Hillyer won the Victorian title last season – defeating national frontrunner Jordan Sinni – and started out his anticipated debut weekend in strong form after qualifying in P2, whilst also grabbing P2 in the opener.

24 cars took too the grid for the AFFS opener, with 12 rookies among them.

Race 1 went to CHE Racing’s Zak Lobko, who had a great debut season in 2022, finishing ninth with three podiums.

Lobko went into the opener having taken his maiden AFFS pole over Hillyer, but lost the lead early to his Sonic counterpart.

Pouncing on an error from the #2 rookie, he retook the lead, holding off a further challenge to take the win over Hillyer and Jake Santalucia – another Sonic debutant.

Race 2 was Hillyer’s turn to take his maiden AFFS victory, with Synergy Motorsport racer Eddy Beswick taking his second ever national podium over Lobko.

Hillyer’s back-to-back Sunday was then capped off in the closer with a thrilling 8 lap battle with Lobko and second season racer Xavier Kokai, stepping up for his maiden national podium.

The podium sweeps from the Sonic and CHE duo, gave them the early series lead, with Kokai sneaking in for third.

Next stop – SMP on April 1416, before the AFFS talent crop heads to Tasmania to support the Supercars at Symmons Plains.

TW Neal

FERRARI IS NOT ON FIRE!

Image: MOTORSPORT IMAGES THE CASUAL Formula One fan must be excused for thinking Ferrari’s current situation is catastrophic and that Maranello must look like a house on fire, for that’s the picture some people are trying to paint after the Scuderia had a less than auspicious start of the 2023 Formula One World Championship.

The reality, though, is that the SF-23 was the secondquickest car in Bahrain and Charles Leclerc was on his way to joining both Red Bull drivers on the podium, when an ECU battery failure took him out of the race. Therefore, if the reliability issue was unacceptable for a team trying to fight for the title, the speed of the car was there, even if not enough to beat Red Bull.

Far from a disaster, then. Last weekend was less impressive – but at least reliable, sixth and seventh ...

Ferrari is a unique team in many ways, not only because it’s been around since the start of the World Championship and has more fans worldwide than all other teams combined, but also because its “national team” status makes it the stage

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with Luis Vasconcelos

F1 INSIDER of endless political games being played around the Scuderia.

Everyone that takes the top job at Maranello knows there’s dozens of people, even working close to him, actively trying to overturn him and many more that want to be with Ferrari conspiring to throw him out.

Even an old hand like Cesare Fiorio, who was the first Ferrari leader after the passing of the company’s founder, who got the job at the start of 1989, soon discovered all his political skills, together with his tremendously ability to achieve success in motor racing, weren’t enough to keep him in the job. The veteran resisted just over two years before being kicked out in an internal coup.

If his more recent predecessors enjoyed a short honeymoon period after

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getting the top job at Ferrari, Frédéric Vasseur wasn’t given that “luxury”, his leadership coming under attack as soon as the chequered flag fell in Bahrain. Given the Frenchman had just landed in Maranello two months before, everyone knows that the SF-23, chassis, engine and all other parts, were designed and developed many, many months before he arrived at Ferrari and even the development program for the season had been established while the Frenchman was still worrying about securing P6 in the 2022 championship for Alfa Romeo Sauber.

The campaign against Vasseur has all the hallmarks of coming from people who were at Ferrari for a very long time and now resent being out of the Scuderia. Instead of moving ahead with their careers, though, they spend

a great amount of time and energy trying to plot back a group return to the Italian team, using the connections they still have inside the team, in the media and in the paddock, to create and spread rumors that are solely aimed at discrediting Ferrari’s current leadership.

Of course, it’s tempting for some media, Italian and foreign, to go with negative and sensationalist headlines and the nature of social media and homemade websites leads to those headlines spreading like wildfire.

Vasseur, however, wasn’t born yesterday and knows that two can play this game, so he first gave an exclusive interview to a trusted French journalist, to start making his point, and then invited a dozen credible Italian and foreign journalists for a video-conference, in which he stated his case and dismissed the negative stories.

Cleverly, he left out those who had spread the rumors fed by former Ferrari people, the message being a clear one: if you’re openly against me, you won’t get any information from inside the team. Which, of course, it’s something

specialised Italian press can’t live without ... so the ball is back in their court!

It’s also worth reminding everyone that the super-team Ferrari put together 25 years ago, with Michael Schumacher driving, Jean Todt running it, Ross Brawn and Rory Byrne being in charge of the technical department, needed five full seasons to win a Drivers’ championship. Also, with Sebastian Vettel driving cars designed by Adrian Newey, it took Red Bull four years to win its first title and Mercedes was already on its fifth Formula One season before Hamilton clinched his first championship with the Silver Arrows.

Vasseur and the structure he’s putting together need time to become a well-oiled winning machine and need stability and firm support from John Elkann and Benedetto Vigna, to achieve it. The wildfire started by those who want his job, has to be put out immediately before it gets inside the team and makes the Frenchman’s task an impossible one ... so it’s now up to the big bosses to make their voices heard, in and outside the Scuderia.

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FORMULA 1 NEWS – LUIS VASCONCELOS

SANCHEZ TO MCLAREN TO SOLVE AERO ISSUES

The departure of French aerodynamicist David Sanchez from Ferrari, announced by the man himself last week, was immediately attributed to the SF-23’s poor showing in the first Grand Prix of the season by a few “sofa experts” but the reality is that Sanchez had made his mind up a couple of weeks earlier, after receiving a very attractive offer from McLaren.

Having been Chief of Engineering Performance, at Ferrari for the last two years, Sanchez felt the lack of autonomy he had enjoyed previously as Head of Aerodynamics but didn’t have any real alternative until Andrea Stellla came calling with the offer of a better salary and a more important role in MclLaren’s structure, where the Frenchman will work closely with Technical Director James Key and is likely to be seen as an alternative to the British engineer, who’s obviously under pressure as his last two creations have fallen well bellow the team’s expectations.

Although he’s yet to confirm he’ll be joining McLaren at the end of his six-months long gardening leave, Sanchez, when announcing his departure from the Scuderia, made it clear he was not leaving Formula One altogether, posting that, “I have decided to leave the team for another F1 project. My decision, thoroughly matured for quite some time.”

Then, answering to comments posted on his Linkedin page, he joked that, “we’ll have to do our BBQs in the rain then,” a clear indication he’s moving back to the United Kingdom, a country famous for its almost daily dose of rain. Sanchez is no stranger

David Sanchez has been with Ferrari for several tyears ...

Images: MOTORSPORT IMAGES to the UK and to McLaren in particular, as he spent five and a half years working in Woking, from May of 2007 until October of 2012, before moving to Ferrari. His first experience in the UK, though, was with Renault, where he had spent two and a half years, from the start of 2005, in what was his first job in motor racing.

With poor aerodynamics being blamed for the McLaren MCL60s poor performance – the car generates too much drag and doesn’t even have the amount of downforce displayed by the faster cars – the team’s Chief Engineer for Aerodynamics, Peter Prodromou, is seriously under pressure and could be on his way out as soon as Sanchez arrives in Woking. From being the heir apparent to Adrian Newey, the British-Greek

engineer’s reputation has taken a big tumble in the last couple of years as the work he has produced has not allowed McLaren to keep up with the faster three teams and now the orange cars are clearly in the second half of the grid.

While Sanchez will arrive at McLaren too late to have an impact on the development of this year’s car, he’s likely to make big changes in the concept for the 2024 chassis, in what will be a crucial season for the team to convince Lando Norris to stay put and extend his current contract, when Mercedes is already sounding out the young British driver, seen as the most likely candidate to replace Lewis Hamilton when the seventimes World Champion finally decides to hang his helmet up.

PRESSURE ON ALPHATAURI: “IMPROVE OR WE’LL MOVE IT” ALPHATAURI’S IMMEDIATE future hinges on the results the Faenza-based team will achieve this year, Red Bull’s mastermind Helmut Marko said in his most recent interview to German media.

The Austrian stated that, “last year’s ninth place in the Constructors’ Championship is not at the minimum standards Red Bull has and this means rapid improvements are necessary. We are putting a lot of money into AlphaTauri but still the team is operating at a big loss, so this means we need to quickly find new sponsors to bring fresh money into the team.”

The rumors about AlphaTauri’s future were started

by Marko himself and, over the last couple of weeks, the man from Graz has been issuing all kinds of statements, using his two preferred German media outlets to say one thing and then the opposite in quick succession, always blaming the other media outlet for misusing his words, when speaking to its rival outlet!

After flatly denying the report written by the highly respected journalist Michael Schmidt, after they went out for dinner together in Bahrain, Marko welcomed the German journalist to the Red Bull hospitality during the first Grand Prix of the season to tell him his report was accurate …

Now, though, the Austrian has talked at length with another German publication. Marko admitted that, “the sale of the team was discussed but it is now clear that the plan is to keep AlphaTauri with us, because the team is a key tool in our work with the young drivers. That’s what that other journalist (NDR: Schmidt) misunderstood after he spoke to me.”

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Yuki Tsunoda, AlphaTauri AT04, leads Kevin Magnussen, Haas VF-23 during the Saudi Arabian GP. In any case, the man who effectively leads Red Bull’s motorsport agenda, admitted that, “we’re not happy with the sporting performance of AlphaTauri nor with the financial results of the team and, therefore, we need to do something to change the situation and, obviously, among the options we are evaluating there is the possibility of moving the team to the UK.” Marko went on to point out that, “AlphaTauri already has more than 100 people based in England because it was much easier to find specialised people in England that in Italy”, referring to the fact that the entire wind tunnel team that was based in Bicester for over a decade now operates from the Red Bull wind tunnel in Milton Keynes – before seeming to go back on his own words by saying that, “but claiming we’ll be moving the entire team to the UK is an extensive interpretation of what I said!”

So, in brief, Marko says the team is not for sale, but has to improve its results and finances drastically this year to continue to make sense for Red Bull to own it

and finance it, at the same it admits it’s not practical to move the entire structure to the UK. Too many mixed signals to make any sense, before the Austrian set a clear target for Franz Tost’s man: “The optimum target would be to finish the championship in the top five but even a seventh place would be acceptable. That’s what we discussed with Franz when we laid out the plan for this season.”

Marko’s erratic statements may be designed to increase the value of the team, as no one seemed interest in buying it when a figure of around US$700m was first mentioned. Hitech, IronLynx/ Prema and Hong Kong billionaire Calvin Lo have all been mentioned in connection with a possible buyout of the team, but a lot will also depend on Marko’s position within Red Bull as it’s almost certain that when he finally retires - willingly or unwillingly - the young drivers’ program will be seriously cut down and, in that case, owning a second team at a huge cost will stop making sense for the Austrian company.

WHY LONDON GP PLAN IS ANOTHER DEAD END LONDON’S MAYOR’S announcement that he’s actively seeking a deal with Formula One to bring a Grand Prix to the streets of his city had a big echo in the British press, but a quick look behind the scenes and an analysis of the real chances this project will ever get off the ground, shows this is yet another political pitch by someone who knows he’s got a tight re-election battle on his hands for 2024 and is trying to create the impression he’ll be bringing a huge event to London should he win.

Last week, London Mayor Sadiq Khan,said that “we’re speaking to Formula 1 and they’re really receptive. And it so happened the greatest name in the sport is Lewis Hamilton, a man who is a credit to our nation and the sport, and it would great to have a Grand Prix in the capital city, to have Silverstone and London on the calendar. I think next year would be too soon but I’ve been really impressed with those at Formula One and I’m keen to bring it as soon as possible.”

Now, this is at least the fifth time in the last 25 years a race in London has been seriously mentioned – back in the 90s Bernie Ecclestone started to flirt with the idea, particularly when it was time to renegotiate Formula One’s contract with Silverstone and he needed a potential alternative to put the pressure on the Grand Prix promoter, the BRDC. More recently, after a demonstration in The Mall area, back in 2019, the idea resurfaced but local opposition to having central streets closed down for at least one week made it clear the project wouldn’t go ahead even if there was strong political backing for it.

Now the plan seems to be to use a redevelopment in the Docklands area to put together a street circuit for Formula One to race on, but the fact this area is more than 12km from the city centre certainly takes away most of the attraction that a London Grand Prix would have for the sport.

As Christian Horner said in the past, when similar plans were discussed, “a London Grand Prix only works if it’s proper London –if it’s in Dagenham, it doesn’t quite count.” Even with the best work of the TV producers, filming a race in the Docklands would hardly show the audiences any sign Formula One was actually in London, so that already sort-of defeats the purpose.

Then, of course, there’s the not small matter of the promoters’ fee, as it’s highly unlikely Mayor Khan would take the political risk of spending 50 to 60 million pounds per year, plus whatever the costs would be to put together a street circuit every year, to get the contract with Stefano Domenicali. While in the past Ecclestone briefly mentioned the possibility of Formula One promoting the race by itself, that sort of deal now seems available only for US-based events, like Las Vegas, but not for European venues.

That’s why many view this latest “project” as just a red herring aimed at getting funding for the Docklands development project, as well as serving the purposes of a politician running for reelection next year.

VASSEUR DOUBLES DOWN FRÉDÉRIC VASSEUR has lost no time in fighting back against the prophets of doom that attacked Ferrari and his own leadership as soon as the flag dropped at the end of the Bahrain Grand Prix.

Before flying to Jeddah, he called a dozen journalists for a zoom conference in which he denied there’s any sort of chaos inside the Scuderia and insisted the high-profile departure of David Sanchez didn’t surprise him.

Having previous said that, “it’s natural that people who were close to Mattia feel it’s better for them to leave”, Vasseur only added that, “I wish David all the best in his future and thank him for the important contribute he made for the team while he was with us.” And on the subject of future departures, the Frenchman dismissed the

chances of an exodus from Maranello, explaining that, “I don’t expect any other key personnel to leave but, as for the rest, in any Formula One team there are always people leaving while others are arriving, but we have a solid group that is working well for the future.”

With a lot of speculation surrounding Laurent Mekies’ future in the Scuderia, (the Frenchman was relieved from some of his previous duties as soon as Vasseur arrived in Maranello), the new Team Principal insisted he counts on his countryman’s presence for the immediate future: “Of course I’m not happy with the job we did in Bahrain and no one in the team is: I’ve known Laurent for about 25 years, I have full trust in him, we collaborate extremely well and he’s one of the pillars in

my plan for the future of the team.”

One name that has been continuously mentioned with a return to Ferrari since Binotto left is that of Simone Resta, but, for now, Vasseur insists there are no plans to bring him back to the Scuderia: “For the moment there’s no plan to bring him back. Simone is the Technical Director of one of our costumers and he’s doing a very good job together with Gunther, so things are working well for him.”

Even when bluntly asked if it was him or Ferrari’s CEO Benedetto Vigna who was running the team, Vasseur didn’t budge: “Benedetto and I are in permanent contact and what I can tell you know is that our cooperation works really well. We discuss all the details, all the issues and I cannot be unhappy with that. The conclusions

you’ve heard from some people are made by people outside the team with no direct knowledge of how things are working and, therefore, are irrelevant!”

In conclusion, the Frenchman even refused to take a direct dig at those who attacked his leadership after just one race in charge of Ferrari: “It’s not up to me to say if those attacks were fair or unfair – I’m OK with it. Those judging me are doing their job and they can do it any way they want it. For me what matters is the team and that’s why I’m focussing on improving it in every area.

I know exactly what the team’s situation is, what is going on around us too and if at times it may seem harsh and unfair, what we have to do is carry on with our work and that’s what I’m going to do.”

WOLFF UNCONCERNED BY HAMILTON’S FUTURE: “HE’S PUSHING US FORWARD!” MERCEDES’ LACK of pace during the entire Bahrain Grand Prix weekend raised the alarm bells for Lewis Hamilton’s many fans, as they fear the seven-times World Champion could decide to call it a day at the end of this season if he realised there would be little or no chance to add another title to his impressive CV. Hamilton is the only driver currently racing for a top team that is not under contract for 2024, as both Ferrari drivers, plus Russell and Pérez, have deals with their current teams until the end of next year, while Alonso and Norris are under contract until the end of 2025. Max Verstappen is tied to Red Bull until the end of 2027 and Stroll has a rolling contract with his father’s team with no end point.

That, of course, could allow the British driver to simply walk out of the sport at the end of this year, but Team Principal Toto Wolff played down the possibility of his start driver abandoning ship after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, pointing out that, “you heard him on the radio at the end

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of the race. He is an integral part of the team, picking the team up and we are all sticking together and I don’t think that is going to change just because we had a start that was really bad. We have won eight Constructor’s Championships and six Drivers’ Championships with him and that relationship holds.”

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The Austrian immediately pointed out that it was up to his team to make quick progress with the W14 for, as long as Mercedes does its job, the two current drivers are more than capable of delivering results: “It would be much too easy to lose a driver and throw in the white towel. We

are not doing that., on the contrary, we just need to really dig deep and deeper than we have every done and provide both drivers with a car they are able to fight with. They are doing everything they can with the car but if the thing just slides through the corners and they have to correct, you just almost feel for them.”

Pushed by the British media, who believe Lando Norris could be Hamilton’s replacement should the veteran retire, even if the youngster is under contract with McLaren until the end of 2025, Wolff denied he was considering any alternative plan to keeping Hamilton in his team: “As much as we’re being being transparent as to how we need to turn the car around, it is not the point to talk about the driver situation for 2024. It is far too early; we need to all push in the same direction – the drivers, the engineers, all the management – rather than throwing in the towel. We have never done that and we will not do it.”

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WELCOME HOME IT MAY NOT BE THE OPENING RACE OF THE F1 SEASON THIS YEAR, BUT THE AUSTRALIAN F1 GRAND PRIX IS ALREADY A SELL-OUT – AND WHILE RED BULL'S CURRENT DOMINATION IS CAPTURING HEADLINES, MELBOURNE WILL BE ALL ABOUT THE HOME DEBUT OF MCLAREN YOUNGSTER OSCAR PIASTRI ...

WHILST THE Australian Grand Prix arrived back with a bang from COVID-19 last year, the enthusiasm has only grown 12 months on.

In addition to the ever-more-popular Formula 1 taking centre stage, the worldrenowned Formula 2 and Formula 3 feeder championships are coming down under for the first time.

Completing the supporting events, an intriguing Supercars sprint round is in store with the new Gen3 Camaros and Mustangs making a maiden Albert Park appearance, while the Porsche Carrera Cup Australia season also kicks off.

With so much high-quality racing ahead, the four-day event will be motorsport heaven for what looms as another record-breaking crowd, with all GA and grandstand race day tickets already exhausted.

Ever since crossing the border from Adelaide to Melbourne in 1996, the Australian Grand Prix has been one of the biggest reasons behind the Victorian city’s

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claim of being the ‘sporting capital of the world’.

Racing on the track and in the pit lane has always been intriguing, highlighted by the Sebastian Vettel v Lewis Hamilton battles for victory in 2017 and 2018. It also known to produce its fair share of drama with many memorable moves and incidents including Turn 3 where both Fernando Alonso and Martin Brundle barrel rolled two decades apart.

Although the first Melbourne Formula 1 Grand Prix was held in 1996, Grand Prix cars were flying around the Albert Park lake as early as 1953.

Being the 70th anniversary of the first Melbourne Australian Grand Prix, there will be great intrigue to see who will take the winner’s trophy seven decades after Doug Whiteford won by six laps.

The Formula 1 paddock has always felt at home in Melbourne and its absence hit hard during the COVID-19 enforced absence from 2019-2022.

But when racing returned in 2022 it came

back in a big way with the biggest ever crowd flocking through the gate.

Over 55,000 people turned up the the F1-less Thursday alone, while massive numbers over the next three days including a race-day record of 128,294 brought the total to an astonishing 419,114.

Incredibly an even bigger crowd is on its way as the first release of tickets sold out within hours, forcing organisers to increase its capacity with 44,000 more grandstand seats.

“We set a new attendance record as we returned to Albert Park in 2022 with more than 419,000 at the event across the four days and we’re delighted to see such high interest in our event once again,” Australian Grand Prix Corporation CEO Andrew Westacott said.

“We’ve worked really hard to configure our venue in a manner that maximises the opportunity for more fans to experience F1, F2 and F3.”

Last year the stands were painted papaya in support of Daniel Ricciardo

and although the “Honey Badger” will not return in a racing capacity, there is a new kid in town.

Australia’s next big thing, Oscar Piastri, is now the sole Australian on the grid and replaced his compatriot at McLaren.

Piastri is boosted from an encouraging performance in Saudi Arabia where he put the unfancied MCL60 into Q3 and outperformed his highly-rated teammate Lando Norris.

In the aftermath of a tough race at Jeddah, the 21-year-old could not hide his eagerness for his first home race.

“I am definitely excited for my home race, it will be nice to have the home crowd there,” Piastri said.

“My first home race will be a cool experience and hopefully we can take our qualifying pace to Melbourne and have a cleaner Sunday. That would be very nice.”

As much as the Australian faithful would love to see Piastri fighting at the front, a points finish will feel like a win given McLaren’s challenging start to 2023.

AUSTRALIAN F1 GRAND PRIX PREVIEW

Charles Lecler dominated the AGP last year – this time it looks a bit tougher ...

Right: Sebastian Vettel is Red Bull's only AGP winner to date (2011) – the team is a raging favourite this time ...

Images: MOTORSPORT IMAGES

TO STAY UP-TODATE WITH ALL THE LATEST FORMULA 1 NEWS AND AUTO ACTION'S CAR-BY-CAR GUIDE SCAN HERE An extra DRS zone could make for more passing. opportunities.

The team to beat will be Red Bull, which has appeared to be the fastest car by a mile, recording back-to-back 1-2 finishes for the first time in 14 years.

Despite the dominance of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez, Albert Park

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has been a bogey track for Red Bull.

The Milton Keynes based team has only won the Sir Jack Brabham Trophy once from 16 attempts with Vettel going all the way in 2011.

Last year there were many unknowns

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with brand new cars taking on a heavily revamped circuit and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc pounced.

Although teams are not quite diving into the unknown in 2023, one slight change to the track has occurred and it could have a positive impact on the racing.

A fourth Drag Reduction System zone has been added along the sweeping lefthanded waterfront run from Turns 8 to 9 before the fast left-right switchback.

The rear wing will continue to open along pit straight, plus prior to the entires into Turns 3 and 13, which all loom as overtaking hot spots.

Westacott predicts the extra DRS zone will lead to the “fastest Melbourne race ever” with speeds possibly reaching 340kph around the 5.278km circuit.

“You’ve got the evolution of the cars from last year, they’ve obviously got better, and the fourth DRS zone means the cars will be quicker around the back of the circuit,” Westacott told the Herald Sun. For Westacott himself, each Australian Grand Prix is significant, but 2023 will be extra special.

It will be the 11th and final time he is in charge of the show at Albert Park as he steps down as AGP CEO. With more attention on the event than ever, Westacott is set to depart on a high with all in readiness for an unforgettable weekend of racing.

Thomas Miles

2023 AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX SCHEDULE THURSDAY, MARCH 30 10.30-11.00 Porsche Carrera Cup Practice 1 11.25-11.55 Supercars Practice 1 12.30-13.00 Porsche Carrera Cup Qualifying 13.15-13.45 Supercars Practice 2 14.45-15.00 Supercars Qualifying (Race 1) 15.10-15.25 Supercars Qualifying (Race 2) 16.50-17.35 Supercars Race 1 (19 laps) 18.00-18.35 Porsche Carrera Cup Race 1 FRIDAY, MARCH 31 8.50-9.35 Formula 3 Free Practice 1 10.00-10.45 Formula 2 Free Practice 1 12.30-13.30 Formula 1 Free Practice 1 14.00-14.30 Formula 3 Qualifying 14.50-15.25 Supercars Race 2 (15 laps) 16.00-17.00 Formula 1 Free Practice 2 17.30-18.00 Formula 2 Qualifying 18.25-18.55 Porsche Carrera Cup Race 2 SATURDAY, APRIL 1 9.30-9.45 Supercars Qualifying (race 3) 9.55-10.10 Supercars Qualifying (Race 4) 11.00-11.40 Formula 3 Sprint Race 12.30-13.30 Formula 1 Free Practice 3 13.40-14.00 Historic Demonstration 14.25-15.10 Formula 2 Sprint Race 16.00-17.00 Formula 1 Qualifying 17.25-17.55 Supercars Race 3 (13 laps) 18.25-18.55 Porsche Carrera Cup Race 3 SUNDAY, APRIL 2 9.05-9.50 Formula 3 Feature Race 10.20-10.50 Supercars Race 4 (13 laps) 11.35-12.35 Formula 2 Feature Race 15.00 Formula 1 Race (58 laps)

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Last weekend, Fernando was third, then fourth, then third again as the race Stewards had a bad day ...

Below: the Red Bulls were stunningly fast when passing others.

Bottom: Ferrari and Mercedes are battling for third.

Images: MOTORSPORT IMAGES

F1 FORM GUIDE:

THE YEAR SO FAR WITH THE 26th Melbourne Grand Prix on our doorstep for the third round of the F1 season, early form suggests an ominous year dominated by the Red Bull team again, led by back-to-back world champion Max Verstappen.

Heading into Albert Park, the Dutch dominator again heads the championship to no surprise, with his teammate Sergio ‘Checo’ Perez one point behind after a pair of 1-2 finishes to start the year.

The big mover in the midfield battle is Aston Martin, with the evergreen Fernando Alonso holding third after filling the podium twice.

The year started with the extensive preseason testing and, although it was difficult to ascertain exact form heading into the Bahrain Grand Prix, the out-and-out pace of the Red Bulls – and the fact that they had plenty left in the tank – sent shivers down the chasing pack of the top two in Ferrari and Mercedes.

What was evident however, was that the battle for the 'next best' has a new visitor in the Silverstone-based Aston Martin – and after many thought Alonso would be worse off after switching from Alpine, the veteran and self professed “bad guy”, is having the last laugh thus far.

Not only did they show enough to turn the midfield-pack heads of Alpine, McLaren, HAAS, and AlphaTauri, but they may have relegated Mercedes into it – with Lewis Hamilton once again in complete

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despair about the performance prospects of the W14.

But that’ll require AM driver Lance Stroll to keep pace with Alonso in the top-10, with the Silver Arrows currently second in the Constructors, ahead of AM and Ferrari.

The opening round in Bahrain was a complete walkthrough for Red Bull, with Verstappen topping Checo by 11.987s from pole, while Alonso drove from P5 to overcome the Ferraris, as Leclerc began his title assault with a DNF following a power unit failure, with Sainz taking P4.

Unfortunately for Aussie fans, Oscar Piastri started his McLaren F1 career with a mechanical failure DNF after looking strong early, whilst Stroll split the Mercedes pair in P6, with Valtteri Bottas, Pierre Gasly, and Williams’ Alexander Albon filling the top 10.

Onto the 82% full throttle street circuit of Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, where street specialist Perez took the ascendency from pole, with Verstappen having drive shaft issues to start in P15.

Alonso again looked the goods with a front row start, while young rookie Piastri shocked the 'Orange Canoe' McLaren doubters by making Q3 to start in P8.

Although Verstappen started in P15, his #1 Red Bull was on rails, with the two cars also having a 27kmh advantage with the DRS, rendering their opponents helpless on the straights, as the Dutchman took P2 to top the championship on 44 points.

Despite an early grid penalty, Alonso managed a second P3 for the year – although he was stripped of it after the race to give George Russell the spot, only for a protest being upheld giving the Spaniard his podium back!

Misfortune again struck Piastri, this time before the first corner, as Ocon squeezed him toward the fencing, Piastri lost a part of his front wing and sending him to the rear.

The McLaren bosses would be impressed however; after being left on the same set of Hard’s throughout, he fought back into P15, and overtook his teammate, Lando Norris.

Hamilton took P5 over Sainz and Leclerc – with the latter coming from P11 following a 10-spot grid penalty – whilst the two Alpines of Ocon and Gasly topped

Kevin Magnussen of HAAS. Whilst Leclerc dominated last year’s Melbourne GP and can have some optimism, the Ferrari’s are doubtful to have the pace at Albert Park, whilst 2006 winner Alonso will need some luck, but will be very bullish, as any “bad guy” Flavio Briatore-managed driver is.

The extra DRS zone, without any funny effects, should make the Red Bulls unbeatable, but you never know what might on a street circuit. TW Neal

AUSTRALIAN F1 GRAND PRIX PREVIEW

AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX AT ALBERT PARK:

70 YEARS YOUNG

1953 AGP grid. Front row starters, left to right: Lex Davison HWM Jag, Stan Jones Maybach 1, Doug Whiteford Talbot-Lago T26C. Image: DACRE STUBBS COLLECTION-MARTIN STUBBS

By Mark Bisset

Top: Winners are Grinners, Doug Whitehead has won his third and last AGP and is well-pleased.

Image: THE AGE NEWSPAPER ARCHIVES Above: The Jones Maybach in for the pitstop which changed the race, albeit the car retired in any event.

Passing is the Jag XK120 of Frank Lobb. Image: DACRE STUBBS COLLECTION-MARTIN STUBBS. Right: Curley Brydon, in the second-placed MG TC S/C Special, leads the 16th-placed John Nind in an MG TB Special. Image: KEN WHEELER VIA RICHARD TOWNLEY COLLECTION

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WHEN ST Kilda’s ‘Dicer Doug’ Whiteford won the 1953 Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park – the first race around the lake was 70 years ago this November 21 – in his slinky French Talbot Lago T26C F1 machine, he won by a phenomenal six laps!

Imagine Max Verstappen beating Charles Leclerc by that margin today?

Things have changed so much in seven decades – technology hadn’t put a man in space then, let alone on the moon.

It took the Light Car Club of Australia from 1934 to 1952 to get government support to race in the park. That ’53 AGP was a one-dayer too.

Practice, qualifying, the 50-mile, 16-lap Albert Park Trophy support race and 200-mile, 64-lap AGP were held on one day, between 8.30am and 5.30pm to be precise.

By contrast, it took the Victorian Government’s operatives months to swipe the AGP from their Liberal colleagues in South Australia in 1995. This year the first set-up trucks for the four-day carnival rolled into Aughtie Drive at 7.05am on January 1.

A staggering 50,000 to 70,000 people rocked up on that hot, muggy 1953 day without the vast array of entertainment options we have now; a pie and chips and Coke was pretty exotic fare back then ... don’t even think of an oatmilk capuccino with your easy-over crepe.

On track, there was enough variety among the 40-car Formula Libre grid to give the F1 hierachy a myocardial infarction.

Today’s crushing, prescriptive F1 rules create boring sameness of specifications to go with undeniable speed.

It wasn’t all great back then, mind you.

Half the grid comprised pre-war cars; Bugatti, Talbot Darracq, Maserati and MGs which should have been consigned to an

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historic race. The balance was made up of contemporary sports cars such as Austin Healey 100, Allard J2 and Jaguar XK120s, Ford V8 powered Australian Specials, new-wave mid-engined Coopers – nah, they won’t catch-on – and genuine frontrunners; Whiteford’s Lago, and Lex Davison (father of racers Jon, Richard and Chris and grandfather of Alex,Will and James) in his ex-Stirling Moss Jaguar powered English HWM. Stan Jones – father of 1980 World F1 Champ Alan – raced the home-grown Charlie Dean/Repco Research developed six-cylinder Maybach, while Sydney youngster Jack Brabham took his AGP bow at the wheel of a new Cooper T23 Bristol.

Back then we needed the oldsters to make up the numbers. We don’t have that problem today – the quality of grids is much better.

We have a carnival of support events now.

In ’53 the solo support Albert Park Trophy was won by Davison’s second-string Alfa Romeo P3, from Jones’ Cooper 1100 then another Melbourne car-dealer comingman, Reg Hunt in his Allard J2 V8.

The AGP started – more or less – at the scheduled 2.30pm start time – there is no 'more or less factor' today given global TV commitments. Another differentiator was that when the Australian flag dropped not all the crews had departed the grid! Fortunately all made it to the sidelines without casualty.

Jack Brabham and Lex Davison (four times AGP winner in 1954/57/58/61, inaugural Gold Star victor in 1957) ran bearings in their Bristol and Jaguar engines in the morning. Jack didn’t take the start, Lex did, and led for part of the first lap before being pushed aside by good-mate Jones, then

retiring. Retirements came thick and fast – 10 cars were "hors d’ combat" before lap 15, with Jones (1954 NZ GP, 1958 Gold Star and 1959 AGP winner) in a strong lead from Whiteford (three times AGP winner in 1950/52/53) at half distance.

The Jones Boy was win-or-bust at that career stage, and pitted on lap 40 for fuel and a new water-pump drive belt – the Maybach-six was cooking!

Whiteford was quickly past and into a lead he never lost. Melbourne’s weather played its part; a downpour enlivened proceedings and caused further carnage and retirements.

Whiteford caused a late-race sensation when he came into the pits on a rim with two laps to run.

Such was his lead this wasn’t a problem and he won from the MGs of Curley Brydon and Andy Brown.

While the argument rages on between ‘aficionados’ that the first AGP was held at Goulburn in 1927, and not Philip Island in March 1928, there is no argument that the first AGP held at Albert Park was in ’53, and the first of the park’s ‘modern’ F1 era was held in 1996.

So, ‘Happy 70th Birthday’ Albert Park, long may you reign supreme as one of the great F1 venues; a unique blend of history, mystique, beauty and challenge.

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TOUGH START DOESN’T DIMINISH PIASTRI’S STAR BORN IN MELBOURNE, RAISED IN BRIGHTON, AND EDUCATED AT HAILEYBURY, OSCAR PIASTRI IS COMING HOME AS A FORMULA ONE DRIVER. ANDREW CLARKE SAYS BELIEVE THE HYPE ...

Piastri is one of only five to win F2 at the first attempt – Three of the other four are current F1 stars.

Images MOTORSPORT IMAGES

LIKE MANY young Aussies, Oscar Piastri headed overseas as a teenage karter. Now, like only a handful before him, he returns to our shores for his first ever ‘home’ car race in the Australian Grand Prix as a Formula One driver. Piastri has never raced a car in Australia after heading off to Europe as a star karter to pursue his dream of racing in F1.

However, that is just the start of a dream that ends with the young Melbournian as Australia’s third World Drivers’ Champion.

In only his second outing with McLaren, he confirmed his ability by taking a back-ofthe-grid car into the top 10 in Formula One qualifying last weekend in Saudi Arabia. Then he outraced the highly rated Lando Norris in the race.

All involved admit the MCL60 is not a great car. But as they said on the telecast when he retired from his first Grand Prix, there is nothing worse than having a slow car that is unreliable. Piastri will need to dig deep into his resolve to get through this season with a smile.

Oscar Piastri delivered a Q3 result on genuine pace in only his second F1 race ... He fought back from a first lap drama to beat home his seasoned McLaren team leader Lando Norris.

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His achievements in car racing have not been defined by luck or chance. He has won races and titles, in 'control' formulae, because he is good, not because he is the right driver in the right car at the right time.

The transition from Formula 3 to Formula 2 has never been an easy step. it is why, in the past two decades, only four drivers before him have won the F2 series on their first attempt. George Russell is the most recent (2018), with Charles Leclerc (2017), Lewis Hamilton (2006) and Nico Rosberg (2005) as the others.

Of those, only Hamilton and Leclerc also have won the equivalent title in Formula 3 – but, unlike Piastri, they did not do it in their first season. His early success won him a spot in the Alpine (originally Renault) Academy, which led to last year’s contract blow-up. That said, he was left on the sidelines last year for Fernando Alonso – and had he stayed seemed likely to be 'loaned' out o Williams (before Alpine knew of Alonso's defection)..

“He is a huge talent. He possesses speed, racecraft, maturity and has huge potential for the future”, Laurent Rossi, Alpine’s Chief Executive, said of Piastri back in 2021 when it thought it had him locked away on a longterm deal.

Then the proverbial hit the fan in the middle of 2022, his gap year, when Alpine, without talking to him, announced he would be replacing Alonso in 2023. At that stage, his advisors had already studied his Alpine deal, spotted the escape route in his contact, and guided him to McLaren.

His ability to adapt has impressed the talent spotters throughout his career, so in 2021 he jumped into the F2 car and was on the pace right away. On the track and inside a race, he can adapt strategies to match what is happening around him, and varying weather poses no problems.

This year he is adapting to the cranky MCL60. In Bahrain, the car beat him, and he didn’t get out of Q1, and then it failed 14 laps into the race. In Saudi Arabia, he made it to Q3 and, as the car gets better – he has been promised a massive upgrade for Baku straight after the AGP – he will continue to climb the order.

Lando Norris, his new teammate, knows nothing in F1 other than McLaren. His ability to drive around its weaknesses made Daniel Ricciardo look ordinary, which we know is not the case. F1 drivers have a style. Ricciardo likes to be able to trail-brake and is a demon on the middle pedal; the McLaren didn’t and doesn’t seem to like that. It defeated him, despite recording McLaren’s only win in a decade.

Piastri, like Norris, knows nothing else in F1,

so he will adapt to what the car asks of him and not try to get the car to do what he wants.

McLaren knows what it has in the young Aussie, and new team principal, Andrea Stella, was impressed with Piastri before he’d even turned a wheel in the new car.

“We gave him some audio files to listen to of previous races … the way he gets to the bottom of matters, even making questions; ‘why did you guys do this here? You could have done that’,” Stella said.

“He challenges you. In a very polite and constructive way, he doesn’t take things superficially. He doesn’t stop challenging just to please. This is what we want. We want to be challenged.

“In this sense, he is a demanding guy who can help raise standards by being almost constantly unhappy.”

“Even driving on the simulator, you let him drive, and you can observe the way a driver challenges himself in terms of finding speed.”

Last year, when the contract dispute with Alpine exploded, F1 journalist Scott MitchellMalm on The Race website said it was obvious why McLaren had chased the young superstar: “Piastri’s plenty good behind the wheel. He’s also confident, ambitious, studious – and a deceptively relaxed character. That can cloak how self-assured he has always been.

“There’s the usual stuff, like stating at the end of 2021: ‘I would have done perfectly fine on the F1 grid next year’. But there are other examples, such as a desire to ‘mark my territory’ once he got onto the F1 package in Formula 3 and ‘make sure no one was going to push me around’.”

AUSTRALIAN F1 GRAND PRIX PREVIEW Mitchell-Malm said it was Piastri’s racecraft that made him stand out, which was something he had worked on from his debut Formula Eurocup season, the one before he won the title. Then he fixed his qualifying speed, which initially was an issue, and now he is the complete package.

It seems like nothing escapes him too.

Standing on the sidelines at an F1 race meeting each weekend, he was making physical and mental notes of what was required to succeed. Last year in Melbourne, as a reserve driver, he copped plenty of exposure to the Australian media and educated fans. He says that will help him next weekend, but he expects it all to ramp up to another level now he is wearing a helmet, especially with Jack Doohan in F2 and Hugh Barter, Christian Mansell and Tommy Smith in F3 trying to emulate his championship-winning efforts, and this year getting the chance to race in Australia.

In that sense, it is a bit like Alan Jones’ success in the late-1970s and early-1980s that provided the impetus for F1 coming to Australia.

“Melbourne was already a bit of an experience as reserve driver,” he said earlier this year. “I’m expecting it to be pretty nuts, it’s an even bigger crowd than last year,

which is awesome. So yeah, it’ll be big chaos, but that’s always a good thing. It’ll be special.

“I think being a Melbourne boy as well. It’s a nice story there. I remember when I was a kid being able to hear the cars from where my parents used to live, about six or seven kilometres from the track. So I’ve got some special memories there.

“And then for the young guys coming up, it is nice to be, I guess, the next Aussie into F1.

There’s usually only one of us at a time, so to be the Aussie on the grid now is a special feeling, and I think it’s nice that there are some drivers following the footsteps in the lower categories coming up.”

As the drivers enter the track and head to the paddock, the famous Melbourne Walk is sure to go ‘nuts’ every time Piastri passes by. If you want to get an autograph or selfie, you’d better get there early.

There’s every chance you’ll be talking about a young driver who will be a World Drivers’ Champion.

MELBOURNE WALK HOURS Thursday, 30 March 09:30 – 12:00 Friday, 31 April 08:30 – 11:00 Saturday, 1 April 09:00 – 11:30 Sunday, 2 April 08:30 – 11:00

AUSTRALIANS IN F1 PIASTRI WILL be only the fifth Australian to compete in the Australian Grand Prix (as a World Drivers Championship event), and only the 17th to enter an F1 race. He left

Australia in 2016 to pursue the dream that is now a reality, spending time that year in both karts, Formula 4 before turning only to cars in 2017.

Piastri joins a celebrated collection of Aussies to have made the F1 grid – which includes (l to r) Tony Gaze, Sir Jack Brabham, Mark Webber, Alan Jones, Warwick Brown and Vern Schuppan.

DRIVERS

ACTIVE YEARS

ENTRIES

Tony Gaze

1952

4 (3 starts)

Jack Brabham

1955–1970

128 (126 starts) §

Paul England

1957

1 (0 Starts)

Ken Kavanagh

1958

2 (0 starts)

Frank Gardner

1964–1965, 1968

9 (8 starts)

Paul Hawkins

1965

3 (3 Starts)

Tim Schenken

1970–1974

36 (34 starts)

David Walker

1971–1972

11 (11 Starts)

Vern Schuppan

1972, 1974–1975, 1977

13 (9 starts)

Larry Perkins

1974, 1976–1977

15 (11 starts)

Alan Jones

1975–1981, 1983, 1985–1986

117 (116 starts) *§

Warwick Brown

1976

1 (1 Start)

Brian McGuire

1977

1 (0 starts)

Gary Brabham

1990

2 (0 starts)

David Brabham

1990, 1994

30 (24 starts) *

Mark Webber

2002–2013

217 (215 starts) *§

Daniel Ricciardo

2011-2022

232 (232 Starts) *§

Oscar Piastri

2023-

2 (2 Starts)

* Denotes Started an Australian F1 Grand Prix § Grand Prix Winner

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World Drivers Champion

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Image: MOTORSPORT IMAGES

F2 AND DOOHAN

TO BREAK AUSSIE GROUND THE FIA Formula 2 series will join the F1 show at Albert Park for the first time in its history for round three of its 2023 campaign.

The next rung below the globe’s premier open wheel series is full of immense talent, including Australia’s own Jack Doohan the son of Australian 500cc legend Mick Doohan.

Doohan will race in Oz for the first time in his career (outside of karting), and the Gold Coast resident does so by also boasting an official F1 Reserve Drivers seat with French team Alpine.

Racing his second F2 season with British team Virtuosi, Doohan catapulted himself into the F1 reserve ranks with a three-win season in 2022, including a string of four unfortunate DNFs in the run home to finish sixth in the title chase.

To start the 2023 season, Doohan had a rough time of it in Round 1 at Bahrain, with Ralph Boschung of Campos Racing taking the sprint, with pole-getter and strong title favourite, Theo Pourchaire dominating the feature race for ART Grand Prix.

Unlike the F1, the second tier teams have little to no influence on the car design

using homologated parts, chassis, and engines, with the focus being on the driver skill to separate the cream from the bun.

The second generation Dallara Chassis, in use since 2018, uses carbon-fibre monocoque materials, mated with a single-turbocharged direct injected Mecachrome V6, with soft, medium, hard, Pirelli tyres, with an allocated selection of two compounds per round.

The Soft tyres are generally opted for in the opening 120km Sprint races, with a common switch to Hard compound in the 170km feature races (generally the change is

made at the mandatory pit-stop).

The 3.4L V6 engine produces 620 hp, with a Dutch made Van Der Lee Turbo System, and a rev-limit of 8,750 rpm, and features a 6-speed sequential gearbox in its drivetrain.

F2 cars have also used DRS (Drag Reduction Systems) since 2015, and feature a standard pushrod operated wishbone suspension.

Exclusive to the F1 calendar, the F2 runs over 14 rounds (28 races), concluding at Yas Marina on November 26.

TW Neal

TRIO OF AUSSIES FOR AUSTRALIAN F3 DEBUT FORMULA 3 will likewise make its first trip to Australia and Albert Park and, like the F2, is an element-controlled series, featuring the brightest young talent taking their first big steps – generally out of the endless options of Formula 4 series that scatter the globe in abundance.

The teams that run in F3 mostly also run an F2 team, with the exception of Swiss team Jenzer Motorsport.

The big bonus for Aussie fans is that this year’s talent crop features three homegrown racers, in Hugh Barter (pictured), Christian Mansell, and Tommy Smith.

Both Barter and Mansell race with Campos Racing – a strong Spanish outfit that produces regular winners over F4, F3, and F2 – with Smith competing for Dutch team Van Amersfoort Racing, a team that has had moderately good success in the lower tiered European formulae.

Whilst Mansell had four races at F3 level in 2022, both Barter and Smith are making

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Image: MOTORSPORT IMAGES their debuts this year, with Barter being a highly regarded talent after dominant seasons in both the French and Spanish F4.

The Melbourne Grand Prix is Round 2 of the F3 season, with the opener taking place at the Bahrain GP in support of the F1 and F2.

The Australian trio had no luck or success in the opener, with Barter being the highest placed qualifier in P5, only to finish in P11 in the opening race, which was won by his

teammate, Spaniard Pepe Marti. A puncture after early contact in Race 2 saw him languish in P26, but expect the Japanese born Melbournian to thrive in his hometown race.

Mansell had a pair of P13 finishes to start his 2023 season with Campos, whilst Smith, fresh out of British GB3, finished in P23 and P28, and will need some time to settle in.

Race 2 went to Brazilian youngster Gabriel

Bortoleto, from the Italian Trident team.

Like the F2s, the driver skill is key, with the 2019-introduced F3 car homologated across the board, with its Dallara carbon-fibre monocoque chassis, with the rear wing also featuring the use of DRS. Similarly to F2, they employ a 3.4L V6 Mecachrome, but it’s naturally aspirated, and scaled down to 380 hp.

F3 also uses Pirelli as its tyre supplier with designated two-compounds per round of the Soft, Medium, or Hard.

The drivetrain also features a 6-speed sequential gearbox configuration, with a pushrod wishbone suspension.

Including driver and fuel, the F3 cars have a minimum weight of 673kg, as opposed to the 755 kg of an F2 car.

Exclusive to the F1 calendar, the F3 season runs over 10 rounds (20 races), finishing at Monza on September 3, with the last eight rounds taking place across Europe. TW Neal

AUSTRALIAN F1 GRAND PRIX PREVIEW

TRUER GEN3 TEST AWAITS AT ALBERT PARK SUPERCARS MAY not be the biggest show at Albert Park, but Round 2 of the 2023 Championship could be one of the most pivotal.

Although the Gen3 Supercars era kicked into gear at Newcastle, the more flowing 5.3km circuit located in the heart of Melbourne will provide a greater reflection of where the new Chevrolet Camaros and Ford Mustangs sit aerodynamically.

The parity signals from the opener were promising, but 2019 showed any disparities will become crystal clear at the high-speed layout.

Tyres will also be a big talking point, with degradation always having a major say in who wins the Larry Perkins Trophy.

Melbourne is the only round to feature a mixture of compounds with both the SuperSofts and Hards on show.

The pressure will be on all pit crews to perform as one compulsory tyre stop awaits in each race.

The new Gen3 tyre changing system has already caused some dramas and one slip up in pit lane spells disaster.

The racing will also be rapid, being the shortest championship round ever at Melbourne with Thursday’s 100km opener followed by an 80km Friday race and a pair of 70km sprints over the weekend - a major change of pace from the two 250km strategy races at Newcastle.

Last year’s four Australian Grand Prix races were shared by Chaz Mostert and Shane van Gisbergen and the form guide suggests they will be at the pointy end once again.

For the second straight season, Mostert

The pressure will be on Supercars pit crews at Albert Park. Image: PETER NORTON left Round 1 with the championship lead after being the most consistent force at Newcastle.

He came within five laps of winning Sunday’s race, but was bumped out of the way by van Gisbergen on fresher rubber and needs more prolonged tyre life.

Despite sitting 11th in the standings, the reigning champion was the benchmark in Newcastle and will be fired up from the messy aftermath.

Not even a costly puncture and a rear of the grid start could stop van Gisbergen from claiming the 2022 Larry Perkins Trophy and the challengers need to up their game to stop him from going back to back.

The likes of Cameron Waters, David Reynolds and Brodie Kostecki all showed strong pace at Newcastle, but lacked the potency required to challenge car #97 over a race distance.

PremiAir Racing was a regular front runner in Round 1 and will be buoyed by its 2022 Albert Park form where it recorded three top 10 results.

All eyes will be on Dick Johnson Racing to see if it can respond from dreadful Round 1 at a track where it has claimed 11 of the 18 poles on offer since 2017.

The racing might be truncated, but there will be no shortage of action at Albert Park.

Thomas Miles

OPEN BATTLE FOR PORSCHE TITLE

THE PORSCHE Carrera Cup Australia championship has retained its place on the Australian Grand Prix schedule and another competitive season will commence at Albert Park.

With reigning champion Harri Jones

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graduating to the European based Mobil 1 Supercup and his arch rival Aaron Love switching to Super2, an open race for the 2023 title is in store.

A wide range of experienced veterans and raw young talents will form the grid in

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the eight-round season.

David Russell was best of the rest behind Jones and Love last year and returns with the ambition of pushing hard in pursuit of a maiden crown.

The only driver with a previous Carrera Cup Australia trophy under their belt in the field is David Wall, who lines up for his 11th season in the category.

The 2017 champion is once again leading Wall Racing, while other veterans to watch will be Dale Wood and Luke Youlden.

Dylan O’Keeffe leads a three-strong GWR Australia team and has his sights set on the crown.

O’Keeffe picked up the sole win at Winton in 2022, but was a regular frontrunner and believes he has the tools and knowhow to go all the way this season in car #88.

Despite not winning one of the four races, Max Vidau emerged as the round winner at last year’s Australian Grand Prix.

Vidau found the new Porsche 992 Cup car and the flowing Albert Park circuit to his liking and stood on the podium in each of the three races.

Now with a full season under his belt at TekworkX Motorsport, he and Thomas Maxwell are looking to take the team to the next level.

Callum Hedge made an impact scoring two wins on debut and will spearhead the Team Porsche New Zealand assault.

There are a number of talented debutantes coming to the category with Luke King fulfilling a career-long ambition with Wall Racing and Ryder Quinn becoming the category’s first third generation racer.

Also making headlines will be Courtney Prince, being the first full-time female Carrera Cup racer for nine years in the BWT Porsche Centre Melbourne Motorsport entry.

Geoff Emery and Dean Cook will resume their rivalry after tying on points in the ProAm battle. Liam Talbot and Sam Shahin will also be contenders in the competitive class.

The first round of the Carrera Cup Australia season will be spread across three 30-minute races at Albert Park.

Thomas Miles

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ADJUSTING TO THERE WERE THREE ROOKIES ON THE GRID AT NEWCASTLE WITH DIFFERENT YET SIMILAR STORIES TO TELL. ANDREW CLARKE DEBRIEFED WITH CAMERON HILL, DECLAN FRASER AND MATT PAYNE THREE ROOKIES took to the grid for the opening round of the Supercars season, and they had similar yet different weekends. On Saturday, they had similar days, but Sunday was wildly different.

Cameron Hill comes to the main game after a third-placed season in Super2 with Triple Eight and a Bathurst run with PremiAir. He was signed by Matt Stone Racing not long after his Bathurst run, and settled himself into the team.

Declan Fraser, even though he won the Super2 title and had the support of Supercheap Auto in chasing a seat, looked like he was going to be without a drive for 2023 until Tickford sacked Jake Kostecki for his off-track performances. In the end, he didn’t need Supercheap’s support, but he also didn’t need a hospital stay on the eve of his first race weekend.

He now also knows what it is like to crash a Gen3 Supercar.

Matt Payne has been on the Grove Racing radar for a while, and after they bought Kelly Racing it was only a matter of time before he entered the main game. His debut weekend produced the best result of the rookies, with 12th and 14th place in the two races.

CAMERON HILL, #35 TRUCK ASSIST RACING CAMARO QUALIFYING RACE 1 – 19TH / GAP TO FASTEST – 0.6438S QUALIFYING RACE 2 – 22ND / GAP TO FASTEST – 0.7214S RACE 1 – 20TH / -1 LAP RACE 2 – 21ST / -1 LAP ADC: Tell me, was it daunting to get out there for the first time?

HILL: From a competition standpoint, I was pretty relaxed. I wasn’t putting any pressure on myself to do anything considering the nature of Newcastle street track and the 250km races. The track was certainly a bit daunting when we first got there. When the track’s a bit green and dusty, it’s slippery, and you think to yourself, ‘how am I going to be able to do this?’ But it’s funny how quickly you can get to grips with the track and then as the grip comes up, so does your confidence and by practice two, practice three, you’re hooking in really hard, which was good.

ADC: What was the biggest difference between Super2 and the main game?

HILL: By far, it was just the length of the races and having to manage yourself over a long run. There’s a lot of strategy involved – it’s not just a sprint race, so that’s probably the biggest difference. There were minor adjustments from a driving perspective, but how you approach the race and how you race is the biggest difference.

ADC: Did you go into the weekend with a survival mentality, or did the red mist descend?

HILL: It was probably more get to Newcastle, get it under the belt, survive it, and bring the car back nice and straight

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because it’s a long season. It was more about getting out there, almost using Newcastle as more practice, more training and getting prepared because I feel, as a rookie and where we are as a team, we’re just going to keep getting stronger and stronger, and we’ll have some opportunities later this year.

ADC: You got lapped by van Gisbergen.

How was that?

HILL: My goal was to finish the race and try to finish on the lead lap. But I worked out on Sunday, and even if I hadn’t made that mistake, he probably still would’ve got me.

It’s quite impressive the pace that that front bunch is running. But at the same time, on Saturday, we had a dodgy pit stop where we weren’t able to get the fuel in, and I popped out in between Broc and Shane, and with the pace I had then, I didn’t feel out of place.

The race pace is there – we’ve just got to qualify at the front.

ADC: Some people think the dream is to make the main game. My gut feeling is that that’s only part of the dream. How are you lining up the next bits?

HILL: It’s funny; you’re dead right. The first dream is to make it into the main game, so once I had tucked everything away and got it locked in, it was 'okay, now I’m here, what’s next?’ Is winning a championship the next goal? But I’m realistic; that’s probably not something you will achieve in 12 or 24 months. I have the fire in my belly to keep pushing upwards and see, in my rookie season, what results we can get. Hopefully, in the near future, we can start challenging for top 10s, top fives and podiums and so on.

Cameron Hill

FRASER: The atmosphere here is a lot different. We just came off our driver’s parade; to see all the fans with their Tradie hats on is pretty cool. To have so much support is pretty special.

ADC: The fan level is a big step up, isn’t it?

FRASER: It’s massively different, and I’m just super grateful that Tickford gave me this opportunity to step up into the main game.

We had a fantastic race yesterday, coming

DECLAN FRASER QUALIFYING RACE 1 – 24TH / GAP TO FASTEST – 1.3477S QUALIFYING RACE 2 – 24TH / GAP TO FASTEST – 0.8266S RACE 1 – 13TH / -1M27.7302S RACE 2 – DNF / 0 LAPS SUNDAY MORNING ADC: It’s a bit different than the Super2, isn’t it?

Declan Fraser

away 13th from 24th. So to do that on my debut, I’m pretty stoked.

ADC: How much of a step up from Super2 is it?

FRASER: For a start, that’s the longest stint I’ve ever done. In Super2, they are around 15 laps, so to go out and do 95 laps straight with no Safety Cars was a lot different. It’s also about managing tyre wear – it’s tough to keep the rear tyres on it.

ADC: Were you happy with your practice and qualifying times?

FRASER: This track is crazy. I love being here, and the biggest thing for us was settling into what is Supercars. Tim and I have made sure that I’ve just been chipping away every session, and Chris Stuckey’s been awesome helping me through all the data and stuff, and I think we showed good race pace. Now I’ve just got to fix up my qualifying.

ADC: You’ve gone from the front of the grid to either the back or the middle of the grid – what was the first corner like?

FRASER: It sounds a little bit rough when

THE BIG TIME

Images: PETER NORTON-EPIC SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHY Matt Payne you say it like that, but it was massively different. I was still rolling when they called the green flag, trying to get into my grid box; they’re a little bit fast on that when you’re down the back. I got a good start, and it was a bit chaotic. I was nearly down in first gear through the staircase section it was that backed up. It was a whole new experience being right down there, but I’m not planning on being down there for long.

After Sunday…

ADC: We had a bit of a chat the other day, but this is not really the follow-up you wanted, is it? You now know what it’s like to crash a Supercar.

FRASER: It is definitely not the follow-up that I wanted. There’s a lot of stuff to unpack from that, and I’m not looking past it, but I’m more focused on the positives that we could take out of the weekend because there were so many.

ADC: I imagine the more frustrating part is just missing the race. That’s 95 more laps you could have done.

FRASER: A hundred per cent. Last year, travelling around with T8 and sitting in the back of the pits, I was excited to be there and watch. This year, sitting in the back of

gains in the car, which was good. We did a lot of work overnight, and the timesheet didn’t reflect our gains. I made a mistake down at Turn 11, but looking through my data, I was actually matching Courtney’s lap, which was P8, I think. That was a pretty big jump in performance overnight.

MATT PAYNE QUALIFYING RACE 1 – 22ND / GAP TO FASTEST – 0.7215S QUALIFYING RACE 2 – 12TH / GAP TO FASTEST – 0.4722S RACE 1 – 12TH / -53.1997S RACE 2 – 14TH / -1 LAP

the pits doesn’t have the same appeal. It was probably the longest 95 laps in my life.

ADC: How big was the crash? It looked like it wasn’t that hard, but the fence moved a bit.

FRASER: Yeah, the fence moved a fair way, and I think it actually hurt one of the officials on the other side, which is a bit of a shame.

Physically I felt it, but it wasn’t a huge crash, so I got away pretty lucky.

ADC: So what can we take out of the weekend now?

FRASER: I was pretty happy despite the crash. In qualifying, we made really good

ADC: How did you enjoy your first weekend?

PAYNE: It was pretty full on. Your commitments throughout the day are a lot, and it takes it out of you. Then you have to focus on the racing. But to be fair, I really enjoyed it after getting a good result on Saturday and qualifying well on Sunday. The track was awesome as well.

ADC: What else is different to Super2?

PAYNE: In Super2, you have your debriefs and all of that, but then you can hang out in the truck and chill out. But when you’re on the centre stage, it’s really busy, and it’s hard to make time for yourself. But I’m not

complaining about it – I fully understand it comes with the job, and I love going and talking to the fans.

ADC: Super2 was pretty wild at times, but how did the mid-pack in a Supercar main game feel as you’re barreling into that first corner?

PAYNE: I was pretty impressed. All the drivers on the grid know what they’re doing and many have been doing it for a long time.

Obviously, you lean on each other as much as you can, but there’s a little bit of a sense of respect between each other which makes the racing much cleaner. In Super2, you’re out there fighting for your life. People are trying to pass you just because they need the position. But now, I’ll get them at the next pit stop, or I’ll get them when my tyres come on.

It’s a little bit more constructed.

ADC: And the longer races make a big difference?

PAYNE: It’s really hard to focus for 95 laps.

You get to lap 45 laps, and you’re like, ‘Oh, my God, I’ve got to do that again’. It was certainly a long way on Saturday. I felt a little bit better on Sunday, but Saturday was definitely a real struggle.

ADC: The debriefs now, they’d be a bit more complex than the past as well?

PAYNE: Last year, I did the main game debriefs with the team, and I always imagined what I would answer if I was in the two main drivers’ positions. Now I’m at that point where I am, and it’s quite strange.

ADC: The Groves have put a lot of faith in you. Do you think that adds to the pressure a little, or is it just a symbiotic relationship?

PAYNE: I can’t thank Steven and Brenton enough for giving me this opportunity. But, if they have decided to employ me as a driver, they obviously believe in my ability, which only proves to myself that I’m capable of doing this. I don’t see it so much as pressure.

I see it more as reassurance.

ADC: What do you think the work is you've got to do?

PAYNE: It’s just experience and the little things that come with experience that help you. I think a lot of it is getting used to the cars and making sure I’m not making mistakes where it’s easy to lose time. I’ll get better over the next few race weekends.

www.autoaction.com.au I 37

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SPEEDWAY

STORER STOKED FOR MAIDEN SPRINTCAR WIN!

Image: BLAKE JONES

BEARE BITES FOR SEVENTH NATIONAL TITLE Daniel Storer (9) lost out to Jordy Rea (43) literally in the run to the finish line.

Image: PARIS CHARLES A THRILLING last lap pass in the fourth round of the Sprintcar Racing Association C & H Trucking Pro Sprints brought the crowd to their feet at Horsham’s Blue Ribbon Raceway in the feature race to give Portland’s Daniel Storer his maiden Sprintcar feature race victory.

Storer shared the front row going into the 25-lap final alongside previous round winner Jordy Rea, who jumped to the lead and set the pace for the first 24 and a half laps, express, before making the slightest of mistakes allowing Storer, who had chased hard over the journey, the opportunity to pounce and lead the final four seconds of the six-pus plus minute journey to be the first car to the chequered flag by a mere 0.292 of a second. He was closely followed

by Rea and Domain Ramsay who ran third over the distance to round out the podium.

Sam Wren made a solid run, coming from 10th to fourth, followed by Matthew

SPEEDWAY NEWS with Paris Charles Symonds, David McKay, Steven Horton, Eddie Lumbar, and Andy Hibbert one lap in arrears, while Dale Walsh retired early in the race.

The heat race wins were shared between McKay and Storer while the Silver and Gold Dashes were won by Ramsay and Rea.

SUPPORTS

THE VSC Unlimited Sedans – comprising of a mixed field of Super Sedans and Late

Models – provided some closely fought racing. From position five, Corey McDonald sliced his way through the field to claim the 15-lap final over Sean Lister and Peter Farley.

Stuey Robinson made the most of his front row start for victory in the Production Sedans – Darren Pumper led early before dropping back to sixth and fighting his way back into the runner-up position; and Heath Riley came from seventh to round off the podium.

After trading places three times over the first two laps of the final, Trevor Perry found the fastest way to the finish line over Mark Cecil and Aaron Stubbs in the Compact Speedcars. The Junior 1200cc Sedans was won by Bryce Leek, although post-race celebrations would see his success stripped away by the officials. This elevated Arthur Hutchinson to the winners list ahead of Chase Doherty and Libby Ahearn.

LIGHTNING LUKE DELIVERS THE SMACKDOWN! Image: TONY POWELL

A SOLID field of 18 Sprintcars made a return to the Castrol Edge Lismore Speedway for the running of the Sprintcar Smackdown and from the getgo it would be Luke Oldfield (right) who set the pace, setting the quickest lap in qualifying, recording a lap time of 11.855.

From this point Oldfield would remain undefeated claiming both his heat races and the dash event to claim pole position for the 25-lap final.

Joining Oldfield on the front row was Lachlan McHugh but as the green lights blazed Oldfield would pounce from the front, making his way through lapped traffic in just three laps and did not relent on his mission until crossing the finish line.

Even with a late race restart with four laps to run, McHugh wasn’t able to mount a threat to the leader – however

40 I www.autoaction.com.au

he charged hard for second which ended his winning streak of three on the trot. Rounding out the podium in the tight tussling affair was Taylor Prosser.

Adam Butler, Mark Pholi, Tony Bridge and Trent Vardy were next followed

by Jarred Desmares the first Pro Sprint home. Jai Stephenson, Luke Manttan, Noah Ball and Thomas Martin completed the 12 to go the journey.

Brad Ayres and Daniel Bridge brought on the red as they both flipped out of contention while Richard Morgan, Anthony Vanderryden, Libby Ellis and Carlos Moiola also failed to finish.

Joining Oldfield with heat wins were Vardy and McHugh.

SUPPORTS

ALSO ON the program were four supporting classes – the largest field

of the night was 19 RSA Street Stocks, Brendan Hayes claiming the victory over Greg Dickenson and Jakob Lesha.

Nathan Gordon proved too strong in the Production Sedans final with Steve Hogan and Sam Mooney making up the top three. The AMCA Nationals put on a great show, Tony Blanch taking the spoils over Steve Potts and Paul Reeves. David Eggins also went flag-toflag in the Wingless Sprints final with Tim Harris and Ian O’Toole sharing the podium positions.

AGAINST 112 fellow competitors South Australia’s Anthony Beare (above) has successfully defended and added a record seventh Australian Street Stock Title (presented by East Pilbara Tyre Service) to his most impressive CV at the Bunbury Speedway in Western Australia, after a dramatic and controversial ending to proceedings.

Western Australian Jamie Oldfield crossed the line first in the 40-lap final, after making a last lap and corner pass on Beare, where contact was made. The race Steward would relegate Oldfield two positions after the race to be officially third, elevating Ben Norman into the runner-up position.

However with emotions running high the drama would intensify before the cars came off the track as Beare and Oldfield drove into each other on the warm-down lap with Oldfield rolling his Holden Commodore.

Both drivers emerged from their damaged race cars with Oldfield and Beare reenacting the infamous Marcose Ambrose and Greg Murphy confrontation in the 2005 Bathurst 1000 ...

After 40 hard charging heats, plus dual C and B Mains ran over two nights of competition, the top 22 qualifiers would go into the 40-lap final with Hayden Norman and Beare sharing the front row.

Beare controlled the tempo until Oldfield snatched it away on the 18th lap. Soon after, Mick Dann brought the yellows on for the first time as the race hit the midway mark.

Norman’s tilt at the title would sadly come to an end while holding down third position at the halfway point.

The latter half of the race would encounter further caution periods. The final five laps would prove a thrilling affair – Beare regained control but a determined Oldfield went with him for every metre, as the duo drew even, running side-by-side on several occasions in the run to the line.

Oldfield crossed the line first from Beare, Ben Norman, Jack Barnewall and Ricky Cornwall, the latter two coming from the last row of the 22 car grid. With only half the field going the full journey, Steve Gartner, Jake Hoath, Zane Humphrys, Shane Whild, Bailey Heinrich and Justin Brumfield completed the field. The retiree list read Mick Hamon, Kayne Dellar, Morris Ahearn, Trent Lyall, Andy Maxwell Jnr, Jayden Blomeley, Ethan Genev, Mick Dann, Hayden Norman, Shane Roycroft and Damon Lyal.

HARPER DEFENDS SA TITLE AFTER AN action packed Australian Late Model Championship at Warnambool’s Premier Speedway, the thundering V8’s moved to The Murray Machining and Sheds Murray Bridge Speedway for the running of the 2023 Gunspray South Australian Championship.

Tasmania’s Callum Harper (right) made it back-to-back state championships – however he would have to work hard in the early period, coming from position four as New South Welshman Lachlan Onley and the newly-crowned Australian Champion Brent Vosbergen shared the front row for the 35lap final.

Onley took command at the green and despite an early caution period he would continue to set the pace as the remainder of the race ran express to the chequered flag.

Harper worked his way by Vosbergen and began to chase down the leader. With around 10-laps in the books Onley’s promising run at the front would diminish as Harper, followed

Jason Robinson completing the finishers. Victorian’s Fiona Verhoeven and Peter Nicola both retired after damage from the second lap crash.

Brendan Hucker claimed quickest time in qualifying with a 13.964 and in doing so setting a lap record, while Vosbergen, Kinsella and Bayley won the three qualifying heats.

Anthony Beare celebrates with a victory lap

SUPPORTS Image: RAY RITTER

by Vosbergen, would drop him back to third in the space of one lap. From this point Harper stretched his legs as he ran away though traffic, lapping the field up to Todd Bayley in fourth. Joining Harper in the top three was Vosbergen and Onley. Fifth placing went to former South Australian Champion Ben Nicastri followed by Freddy Kinsella, Brendan Hucker and the local duo in Mat Crimmins and

THE AMCA Nationals podium proved an all Victorian affair with Darren McCarthy, Kent Davey and Malcolm Crick sharing the honours. Brendan Zadow claimed the Formula 500 final over Corey Jones and Scott Dungey. Phil Watson inherited the Street Stock final after Wade Fell retired with a flat tyre two laps from home, from Neville Nitschke and Craig Buchanan. Henry Brumfield led the Junior sedan final until exiting the final corner when Lachlan Brown and Diesel Fallon slipped by to rearrange the podium.

BORDERLINE

TRIPLE TREAT MOUNT GAMBIER’S Borderline Speedway played host to three divisions who all co-headlined the billing, giving the fans a quality filled night of action.

The Australian Sprintcar All Stars Mainline DynoLog Dynamometers Round 8 (in conjunction with the Flocon 360 Tri State Series Final) took centre stage with 28 Pro Sprints vying for the prize. The Lewiston Haulage South Australian Modlite Championship and a massive field of 38 competitors vying for the honours in round three of the Ti Bills Race Parts Wingless Sprint SA State Series all proved great attractions.

PRO SPRINTS

GOING INTO the final, Mark Caruso and Brendan Farrer were separated by a solitary point – whoever finished in front of the other would claim the Tri State mantle and bonus $3,000 prize purse.

Caruso had the advantage with a front row start and Farrer having to work from ninth.

However Todd Moule had his eye on the round win and would lead all 25 laps to claim the final. Farrer sliced the field, moving to second, Ben Morris taking the final podium position. Caruso dropped to fourth and was followed to the line by Scott Enderl, Ricky Maiolo, Ryan Davis, Corey Sandow and Paul Solomon; one lap down were Steven Loader, Kane Newcombe, Zac Farrer and Jeremy Kupsch.

Sadly Angus Hollis, Boyd Harris, polesitter Brendan Quinn, Lisa walker, Chris Campbell, Steven Caruso and Keke Falland failed to finish.

Heat wins were shared between Caruso, Morris, Solomon, Farrer, Harris, and Hollis.

The B Main went to Newcombe and Chad Ely claimed the Quick Time Award.

MODLITES

A FIELD of 17 competitors, including interstate guests from New South Wales

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Todd Moule led the Mount Gambier final all the way. Images: STEVEN WALTERS Ryan Alexander was victorious in the Modlites contest.

and Queensland, fronted for the Lewiston Haulage South Australian Modlite Championship. The final proved a thrilling affair out front as Queenslander Rodney Pammeter and Ryan Alexander ran side-byside for 16 of the 20 lap final; with four laps remaining Alexander got his nose in front and held the advantage to the finish, to add the South Australian Title to his reigning Australian and Victorian titles.

A trio of Queenslanders filled positions two to four – Rod Pammeter, Mitchell Pammenter and Nathan Politch. New

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South Welshman Joshua Hearne was next followed by the South Aussies Luke Fraser, Brett Stephens, Sam Lamont, Michael Hayden and Dylan Richter rounding out the top 10. Jacob Carlier, Keir Doe and Shane Price failed to travel the distance while Michael Miller, Brian Chadwick, Justin Chadwick and Jake Armstrong were all nonstarters in the final.

Singles heats were shared between Alexander, M. Pammeter while Rod Pammeter and Miller claimed two apiece.

WINGLESS SPRINTS

THE HEAT racing proved an entertaining affair with wins shared by Keke Falland, Luke Wheel, Kirby Hillier, Michael Spoljaric, Tyson Martin and Darryl Sloan with Blake Walsh taking a double. Falland would also start his night by earning the Quick Time Award. Sadly the Wingless Sprints final was cancelled due to fog rolling into the venue.

Image: VERN PARKER

SAVILLE’S IRONBARK CLASSIC THE VICTORIAN Grand Prix Midget Association headed to the Rushworth Speedway for the annual Ironbark Classic with 10 drivers keen to drive away with the night’s victory.

The feature event had the top qualifiers towards the rear of the field, a formula designed to make for some thrilling racing as the quickest cars come through the field.

Chris Fowler claimed the opening heat race and New South Wales’ Janelle Saville claimed two remaining qualifying racer to earn the high points scorer mantle.

Local racer Alex Myers made the most of his home track knowledge coming from the third row of the grid to lead the opening laps of the journey before Saville, the Princess of Power (pictured) worked her way to the front on the ninth lap. From that point she would lead Myres and Chris Fowler for the podium.

Fourth to the line was Matt Kamo followed David Bacon, Daniel Meredith and the Wards (Jack and Shawn) as the final finishers. Pole sitter, Mark Blackeby failed to finished and Terry Brown was unable to start the final.

SUPPORTS

THE DIRT X VSC Sports Sedans provided the largest field of the event with a solid 32 cars in attendance. Standing tallest at the conclusion of the 20-laps Sports Sedans final was Jamie Lock with a flag-to-flag win over Zac Swanson and Luke Fallon.

Jade Ewart proved to strong in the SDAV Hot Rods; joining Jade on the podium was Russell Hovey and Shannon Meakins.

The local Goulburn Valley divisions consisted of Open Saloons, Ladies and Juniors. Keith Simmonds, Joshua Brown and Mark Bergman took the Open podium while Natalie Anderson, Jasmin Malloy and Lisa Chalcaft were the fastest females. Jacob Tinworth was the best of the Juniors from Hunter Carey and Mia Lamb.

www.autoaction.com.au I 41

NATIONALS WRAP

WILKINS/GLEESON MOUNTAIN MAGIC Image: SHOW’N’GO

GARDNER RAINBOW KING THE ARB Big Desert brought about a high attrition rate among the favourites but not Greg Gartner and Jamie Jennings (above) who scored a resounding 10min 40s victory. They perfectly kicked off the ARB Australian Off Road Championship at Rainbow on March 11-12.

Second behind the Class 4 6.0-litre SVO Ford powered F150 Trophy Truck were last year’s event winners Brent Martin and Andre De Simone (Class 1 Jimco Aussie Special/Nissan V6). They had just over 5mins on third placed Andy Brown and Danny Hardman (Unlimited Alumi Craft/ Nissan V8).

Danny Brown and George Apted (Alumi Craft/Nissan turbo) were fastest in the Prologue, but they were sidelined early with a torque converter failure. Gardner traversed the two sections of Heat 1 (160kms) 39s ahead of Martin with Steven Graham and his daughter Ella (Class 10 Alumi Craft/Honda K24) next.

Andy Brown followed ahead of Damien Nicol/Cameron Percy (Ext 2WD Nicol Offroad TT/Chev LS2) , Simon and Kyle Tucker (Southern Cross/Nissan ProLite) and Michael Marson/Chris Colborne (Racer Engineering/Ford V8).

Aaron James (Alumi Craft/Ford Ecoboost turbo) and Clayton Chapman (Razorback/ Toyota turbo) prologued in the top 10 but were sidelined with engine problems – two of many to suffer attrition.

There were a further four heats on Sunday where Gardner consolidated ahead of last year’s champion Martin. Matt Burrows and Jay Mitchell (Jimco/Holden Alloytec ProLite) progressed from 10th to fourth while Graham finished fifth. Mark Monk and brother Tom (MonkFab/Holden Alloytec turbo) were ninth at the end of day one, and on placegetter pace until a CV failure.

Sixth were Mick Magher and Ray Farrell (TSCO Aussie Spec TT/Dougans Chev) ahead of David and Alice Middlemiss (Cougar/Nissan), Craig and Megan Barnett with Gary Hardie Southern Cross/Chev LS2), James Tyrrell (Jimco/Nissan) and Simon Gubbins/Ben Lugg (Class 6 Can-Am Maverick) was 10th.

Brock Pendlebury (Hornet/Toyota) did have a commanding lead in Class 2 before a DNF allowed Brad Geraghty and Rod Berry (Tinybuilt/Hayabusa) to take the class. Simon Gobbins and Ben Lugg (Class 6, Can-Am), Norman Parker and Mark Robertson (Class 7, Toyota Landcruiser), and Pete Makeham and Michael (Class 11 Can-Am) scored the other classes.

Garry O’Brien

42 I www.autoaction.com.au

Image: WISHART MEDIA IN THE state championships combined first rounds, Tim Wilkins and Jim Gleeson (above) were the clear winners of the Mitta Mountain Rally on March 4 as they headed every stage.

Aboard their Mitsubishi EVO 9 they were also winners of the NSW State Championship opener, 3mins clear of second outright Tim and Leonie Clark (Subaru Impreza WRX) who were victorious in the equivalent Victorian State Championship round.

Based out of Mitta Mitta in north eastern Victorian in hot conditions, the 154kms of competition was also the opening rounds of the East Coast Classic Rally Series and the Victorian Club Rally Series (117kms).

They were won by Thomas Dermody and Eoin Moynihan (Ford Escort RS1800) and Daryl King and Darcy McClure-Wallace (Toyota Corolla) respectively.

Wilkins won the first stage ahead of Riley Walters and Andrew Crowley (WRX),

Clark, Brendan Reeves and Kate RaymondCatford (Datsun P510), Adrian Stratford and Kain Manning (Toyota Corolla), Tony Sullens and Kaylie Newell (Peugeot 208 AP4), Redhead, Chris Stilling/Jon Thomson (EVO III), and Sandy Miles/Kim Bessell (WRX).

The next two stages of Heat 1 were cancelled due to a serious accident to Stratford and Manning. Their Toyota barrelrolled numerous times and both driver and navigator were airlifted to hospital with spinal injuries.

Heat 2’s three stages were all won by Wilkins, the first ahead of Darren Sweeney and Padraig Cronin (WRX) and the next two from Clark. Sullens came unstuck with a rollover while Walters (driveshaft) and Reeves (diff) were also among the 23 retirees out of the 80 that started.

Overall, third place went to Redhead from Stilling who were second and third of the NSW contingent. Then came Miles

NATIONALS WRAP with Garry O’Brien and the first of the 2WDs in Dermody.

Behind seventh placed Jacob Umback/ Peter Stringfellow (Corolla) were Victorian placegetters Kevin Millard/Patrick Hughes (Datsun 1600) and Nick Seymour/Grant Gordon (Ford Fiesta R2).

Sweeney was fifth overall at the end of stage five before stopped almost within sight of the finish with a problem and was eventually classified 24th.

Garry O’Brien

QUINN AND KERR

DOMINATE TAREE RALLY THE FIRST round of the AMSAG Southern Cross Rally Series, the Taree Rally on March 4, was dominated by Nathan Quinn and Brett Kerr (right) in their Hyundai i20 AP4.

Kerr was entered with Andrew Maurer, but the entry was pulled, and Kerr accepted an invitation to join Quinn. The Image: SUNSET & FLOWERS PHOTOGRAPHY combination won four of the six stages that totalled 116 competitive kilometres, and won by just steering issue on those stages and finished under 3mins over Steven Arthur and Harvey third and second respectively. He came Smith, and Chris Giddins and Tara Mcilroy, back to take the last two while Ridge lost all both crews aboard Mitsubishi EVO 9s. boost and battled home for fourth outright.

Dean Ridge and Brad Jones (Ford Fiesta Over the first two stages, Jeffrey David AP4) offered the most serious challenge and Grant Geelan (Porsche 911) were fifth and were second on the first two stages behind Arthur and Giddins, and also fifth and won the next two. Quinn had a power on the next two legs. But last on Stage 5

took them right out of contention. After an 11th place on the first stage, David and Jordon Darby (Nissan SX189) followed up with two stage sixths, a fifth, a fourth and a second to be fifth overall and first of the 2WDs. Next were Damien Frizell and Todd McDonald (Mitsubishi EVO 5) in front of Scott Fletcher and Pete Hellwig (Holden Gemini RS) who replaced Col Fletcher in the navigator’s seat after two stages.

Datsun 1600s crewed by Michael and Erin Valantine and Wayne Hoy followed, ahead of Sam Hill and Mikayla Davidson-Hill (Subaru Impreza) who were 10th of the 42 entered.

Garry O’Brien

PERENJORI TO TIGHE TAKES TWO TREWHELLA AGAIN Image: TRENT BENNETT

BOTH THE opening rounds of the NSW Hillclimb Championship, held back-toback on the same March 4-5 weekend on Mt Panorama, saw Dean Tighe (above) the outright fastest in his supercharged Hayabusa powered Empire Wrath.

Round 1 was held on Saturday where it started adjacent to the Bathurst Light Car Club on Conrod Straight and climbed up through the Esses to Brock Skyline. Then on the following day, Round 2 started on the crest of Mountain Straight and went to McPhillamy Park in the traditional race direction. Over the two rounds there were 85 entrants, and 11 new class records were set.

Tighe did three runs in the first round for a best time of 22.58s for the outright and Formula Libre over 2.0 litre victory. He was over 3.0s faster than the second best time put down by Peter Brown in his Prosport Mulsanne with a new Clubsport Sports 1600 record.

Third fastest and best of the Tin Tops was Phil Heafey (Time Attack Mitsubishi EVO VI) ahead of Matthew Brown (Road Registered Non Log Booked Audi RS4) and Greg Boyle (Sports Sedan Nissan Skyline R32 GTR).

Wayne Penrose (Volkswagen Superbug) from Time Attack drivers Malcom Michel (Holden GTS), Dave Williams (Holden Commodore) and Brenton Byfield (Subaru Sports Wagon).

It came as little surprise that Tighe would top the second round time sheets, and he did with a best run at 40.83s. Heafey was second fastest, some 5.0s adrift and 1.6s better than third placed Michel whose 46.78s was a new TA 2WD course record.

Penrose scored fourth outright ahead of Peter Brown with an new class record, Matthew Brown, Boyle, David Isaacs (Improved Production EVO 9RS), Tim Blake (Sports Sedan Subaru Impreza WRX) and Peter Bowditch (Ford Lynx).

Image: BRUCE MOXON Garry O’Brien

ALONG WITH new navigator Koby Grant, Adam Trewhella (below) won the McPhee Freight, Gturbo Perenjori 360, the first round of the West Australian Off Road Championship on March 4-5. Trewhella replicated his victory in the event last year.

In their Chev-powered Rimco 2000 Pro Buggy, they won all three sections and finished 17mins 16s clear of ProLite frontrunners Robert Sobczyk and Brin Ketteridge-Hall (Tatum/Nissan VQ36) with another 30s to class rivals Jared Percival and Josh Howat (SS Racetech/ Toyota 2GR-FE).

After Prologue honours went to Troy Higgins and John Simmons (GETS Performance/Nissan turb) by over 6.0s, the duo could only manage third on the first section – one lap of the 80km course. Trewhella was the fastest ahead of Stephen Ketteridge-Hall/Haylee Cowling

(Bullet/Nissan ProLite).

An early pacesetter was Harleigh Uren (Ford Trophy Truck) but he dropped out and left the Extreme 2WD class lead with Brad Krepp and Kerry Yaxley (Armorcraft/Chev) while fifth was the best of the SXS Pros in Alex Davies and Dylan King (Can-Am).

On Sunday there were two sections of two laps each where Trewhella was untouchable as he was faster every time.

Higgins overhauled Ketteridge-Hall on the second section before a misfire in the engine ended his event on Section 3.

Ketteridge-Hall resumed second until he too, suffered engine dramas. Krepp was another casualty with a broken axle.

After the ProLites, the next three were the SXS Pro entries of Paul Delacy/Jay Costantini, Murray Kifer/Katie Chandler and Will Quinn-Schofield/Tia Wormall

– all in Can-Am buggies. Davies had a puncture and time penalty for 11th on S2, and another penalty for 24th on S3.

A remarkable seventh were Graeme Bentink and Matt Cull in their Production 4WD Toyota 1VD-FTTV and they placed ahead of the Can-Ams of Jono Hansen/ Cameron Drayton, Jake and Taylah Montgomery, and Scott Douglas/Ashley McKechnie.

Less than half of the 60 entered completed the three sections where Peer and Oliver Horn (Mercedes) took out Extreme 4WD by 26.8s over Mathew Beck and Brent Studman (Nissan/ Holden). Meanwhile Sean Beck and Kenzie O’Connor (Holden) took out Performance 2WD after pacesetters Simon Jones and Uwe Kreusch (Toyota/ Chev) dropped out.

Garry O’Brien

Image: BRETT SANDELLS

WILSON HAD WORK TO WIN ENDURO THE NORTHERN TERRITORY off road racing season kicked off at Mt Ooraminna on March 11-12 with the Jaws Contracting Enduro and was won by Jason Wilson and Anita Work (right) in their Southern Cross Sportslite buggy.

They completed the four laps of the 40km course, 2mins 40.7s ahead of Jack Weir and Patrick Healy (Jimco/Toyota ProLite) as class rivals Rory Taylor and Cam McDonnell (Aceco) took third 32.8s further back.

The Prologue was taken out by Alex Heinzel and Tori Warfe (Southern Cross/Nissan) and they carried that pace through the first two rounds where they headed Wilson and Weir.

They were followed by Rory Taylor and Cam McDonnell (Aceco ProLite) ahead of Mark Booth who had Donna Wright and Tammy

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Walden taking turns in the navigator’s seat of his Extreme 2WD Trophy Truck. In Round 2 the latter was fourth ahead of Taylor.

Heinzel didn’t figure in the second half of the event where the two rounds were won

by Wilson with Weir second. Booth was third on the third tour ahead of Taylor and Shane and Axle Greening, together with Julia Antonelli in their Autocraft Magnum/Toyota Pro Buggy.

Taylor was third over the final round, from Booth and Shannon Lander/Josh Lander/ Cody Hodgins (Ext 2WD Ford Ranger/Chev).

Booth finished the event fourth ahead of Lander while sixth overall were Rhianna and Mia Carlson in their SXS Turbo Can-Am. Garry O’Brien

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Image: ASORC

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NATIONALS WRAP

BIG DAY AND NIGHT FOR MRA CLUB RACING kicked off for the Motor Race Australia Series on March 11 in fine – even hot – conditions with a one-day meeting that stretched into the night. There were seven categories and over 160 entries.

SUPER TT

TODD HERRING’S day was a good one as he drove his Mazda MX5 to victory in both the preliminary sprint and the one-hour feature. In the former he headed home Myles Jones (Honda Civic) and Matt Boylan (Mitsubishi EVO X) before a dominate 31 laps ahead of Ben Connell and Charlie Viola in Honda Integras.

Herring led all but one lap of the enduro, when he took his mandatory pitstop. The one-lap leader Connell was the last to pit and just before a Safety Car. It meant he stayed on the lead lap for the rest of the race.

Jones finished third but a five-lap penalty dropped him to 22nd and elevated Viola to third ahead of Parry Anastakis (Peugeot 205), Grant and Harry Inwood (Subaru Impreza WRX STi), and Brock Stinson (Toyota 86). Dimitri Agathos and Brianna Wilson (WRX) were classified seventh ahead of Mitchell McGarry (Toyota 86), Steven Head (MX5) and Grahame Fraser (Holden Commodore VE).

Shannon McLaine (Toyota 86) was ninth on the road but also copped a five-lap penalty. Jimmy and Benny Tran (Civic) was second early but lost fourth gear and retired. Boylan was on for a podium before a late DNF with a gear linkage failure.

PULSARS

WILL FOOT won two races to take the major points over Dan Smith who snared the other. While it was hard fought between them, it was harder to determine third with different minor placegetters at each outing.

There was an early Safety Car in the first race as a stranded car was retrieved. With the resumption Smith passed Foot for the win as Greg Dufficy headed Scott Tidyman, Kerry Avramidis, Simon Kendrick (then docked 5.0s) and Chris Manning.

In the next outing, Smith led the first lap before Foot gained the upper hand. Together with Tidyman and Kendrick, the four were close in the end. The latter came from eighth and finished ahead of Dufficy, Avramidis, Andrew Cortes and Manning. There was a Safety Car after Tim Molesworth crashed at the entry to the hairpin.

Foot led every lap of the last, narrowly ahead of Smith. Manning came through to third from Avramidis, Corey Fraser, Kieren Pilkington and Kendrick who laboured with a damaged driveshaft. Both Tidyman and Dufficy were out early and shortly after Cortes as well.

EXCELS

Several Queenslanders ventured south and were rewarded with first and third as

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Herring, Tran, and Boylan head the Super TT field. Below (top to bottom): Finnigan, Pring and Hourigan head a packed Legends field. Stuart Shirvington was one of three different Clubmans winners. Excel action – Casha, Colombrita and Roberts show the way. Images: RICCARDO BENVENUTI Ryan Casha won and Jackson Faulkner placed third behind local Tim Colombrita.

The latter led the first race until Casha gained the upper hand with a move behind Corporal Hill on the last lap. Just behind them came Connor Roberts while Faulkner edged out Dylan Debono, clear of Lewis Buhagiar.

There were several lead changes in race two, the last came at Turn 1 on the final lap when Colombrita made the move that won the race ahead of Casha. Roberts and Faulkner were close behind and clear of Brett Parrish and Buhagiar.

It was similarly so in the last. After a couple of lead exchanges, Colombrita led but erred at Turn 2 on the penultimate lap and that allowed Casha through.

Faulkner was next from Buhagiar, Debono and George Wood. Roberts and Parrish had big moments at Turn 1 on lap three which dropped them down the order before they recovered to 12th and seventh respectively.

LEGEND CARS

SERIES AND SMP rookie Billy Finnegan was the round winner while there were three tied for second overall. On a countback to qualifying Scott Morgan was given second from Ryan Pring and Brendon Hourigan. The first race was declared a nonevent when it was red flagged.

Scott Melville was the early leader of Race 2 before Finnegan took over.

Hourigan grabbed the front running with a lap to go, but it was Finnegan the narrow winner as Pring picked off Melville on the last lap. Morgan and Robert Hogan were close behind. Pring, Finnegan, and predominately Hourigan led Race 3 which was won by Morgan in the end. Finnegan was second ahead of Pring and Hourigan.

MX5 CUP

WHEN RACE one winner Jaxon Fraser was an early casualty in the second, it paved the way Robert Giovenco to show the way and snare a couple of wins. He was third in the opener behind Start McFadyen after he fought his way past John Fraser, Scott Lanham and Jacob Giovenco.

The Giovencos ran one-two in the second outing after Ben Cathcart fell down the order from second early, and John Fraser retired when he had second.

Third went to Andrew Boydell from Jamie Martin. Jacob Giovenco was second initially in the last before he lost out to Lanham. John Fraser charged from the back and relegated Boydell on the last lap for fourth.

CLUBMANS

EACH RACE produced close results and different winners. Ivan Srejber (PRB S4) came from third to win the first encounter over Stuart Shirvington (PBR Birkin) and Josh Versluis (Birkin) while Allan Bugh (PBR) lost fourth to Chris Barry (PRB Composite) through a 5.0s penalty.

Versluis took the second by 0.06s over Shirvington after a last lap move. Srejber was a close third and clear of Bugh, Barry and Adam Srejber (Birkin). In the last Versluis led before Ivan Srejber took over.

But his race ended two laps from the end, and Shirvington won from Versluis, Adam Srejber and Bugh.

ALFA ROMEOS

A DNF in the second race denied Robert Seritti (GTV6) a threepeat after he won the first and bounced back to take the third. Michael Musumeci (GT V6 Busso) was the early leader of Race 1 and

ultimately placed third behind Carmelo Mirabella (147 GTA) after he was hit with a 5.0s penalty. Fourth went to Simon Greirson (GTV6) ahead of the best of the Twin Sparks in Andrew Wilson (156).

Musumeci led every lap of Race 2 and Seritti held second until his demise.

Mirabella was less than a tenth away in second with Wilson third ahead of Twin Spark rivals Peter Tillett and Brad Wilson in 147s. Mirabella led the last until passed

by Seritti and maintained a clear second ahead of Greirson, Andrew Wilson, Tillett and Brad Wilson. Garry O’Brien

Brad Shiels, here followed by Willem Fercher won three-from-three in Sports Sedans. Image: NEIL HAMMOND. Below: Osborne heads Baxter and Molle in the HQ contest. Image: RICCARDO BENVENUTI. Bottom: Matt Holt and Chris Sutton finished 1-2 in Production Touring. IMAGE: NEIL HAMMOND

OUT-OF-STATE FIRST ROUND WITH ONLY one circuit available in their own state, the NSW State Motor Race Championships took its opening round to Winton Motor Raceway in Victoria on March 4-5. The meeting featured good numbers in several of the six categories but poor turnouts in the others.

AUSTRALIAN FORMULA OPEN

Three outright and AFO1 class wins went to Tim Macrow Racing’s Trent Grubel in a Dallara F312. He dominated after he qualified fastest and led each race throughout. TMR shut out the front row with fellow F3 driver Winston Van Laarhove (Dallara F308/11) second fastest and the pair ran one-two in race one while chased home by team mate Ryan How (F308/11).

Ryan Astley (99 Motorsport F308/11) was slow away from third spot, dropped to 15th before he recovered to fourth ahead of Andrew Roberts (R-Tek F307) and Kristian Janev (AGI Sport Mygale) who was the best of the F4s.

Astley made amends in the second race where he placed second ahead of How, Van Laarhove, Roberts and Janev.

Graeme Holmes (Dallara) was sixth and best of the NSW Formula Race Cars’ regulars.

The race was red flagged on lap 10 due to a crash by Craig McLatchey where his Tatus came off at Turn 12 with two wheels over the outside kerb. Wall contact caused the bell housing and rear wheels to break off the Tatus F4.

The final race produced the same top five, in close order, due to a late Safety Car when Greg Muddle beached his F307. Lawrence Katsidis (F304) finished sixth ahead of Janev, Hanming Huan (Mygale), Rod Anderson (Reynard 893) and the Mygales driven by Mark Wilson and Tim Boydle.

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PRODUCTION TOURING

A second and a first in the pair of one-hour enduros gave Matt Holt and his Class A2 HSV Clubsport VF overall victory ahead of Chris Sutton (A1 Mitsubishi EVO X) and Chris Lillis (Clubsport). The pacesetter was Simon Hodges in his Class X BMW M4 who won the Driver A sprint race before Aaron Gretch took victory in the Driver B outing in the same car.

Hodges proved too strong in the first one-hour, where he only surrendered the lead at the compulsory pitstop. Holt had Sutton in close company until the pitstops put a 5.8s space between them.

Dimitri Agathos (A1 Subaru Impreza WRX STi) finished next, just in front of Lillis, and Leigh Burges and Jack Winter in their EVO 9s.

From the outset of the second enduro Hodges led until he pitted. But he would have ongoing issues with the hot weather and the car going into limp mode.

He would pit a further four times and finished 18th.

In the meantime Holt took a stranglehold on the race and won ahead of Sutton who was caught out as he elected to pit late and copped a Safety Car. Lillis was next as Winter was fourth in front of Agathos.

Hodges still took X honours overall while other class honours went to John Fitzgerald (B1, BMW 335i), Gavin and Stuart Clarke (B2, BMW M3 E92), Alex and Robert Bryden (C, VW Scirocco), Daniel and Geoff Tierney (D, Toyota 86), and Phil Alexander/John Connolly (E, Mazda 3 SP25).

FORMULA VEES

Three time and current Nationals title holder Michael Kinsella (Jacer F2K10) took out the first round ahead of Victorian

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Reef McCarthy (Sabre 02) and Tyron Wiseman (Checkmate) while Stephen Butcher (Stinger) had a clean sweep in the 1200 class.

In the opener Kinsella came out on top, narrowly ahead of Wiseman and McCarthy. The trio were well clear of Simon Pace (Sabre), Darren Williams (Sabre), Curtis Porter (Jacer) and Aaron Pace (Sabre) as they duked it out for fourth.

The top three were more spread out in the second with Kinsella first from McCarthy and Wiseman. Williams edged out Aaron Pace and Porter for fourth while Simon Pace was in the mix but DNF’d. McCarthy turned the tables in the last and beat Kinsella by 0.06s. Wiseman was a close third as Porter took fourth from Aaron Pace.

HQ HOLDENS

Osborns Transport are the naming rights holder for the championship this year and kicked off with a team one-two in all three races. Brett Osborn showed the way ahead of John Baxter while current champion Chris Molle was third in each.

Dave Proglio was fourth across the line but languished in 18th place after one lap of the last before he atoned somewhat and pushed through to ninth. With a pair of fifths, Matty Barker looked likely to be next best placed outside the top three but only lasted three laps in the finale.

Victorian Ken Wright carded with three sixths, the last behind Jarrod Harber who was second best of the B Division drivers overall behind Aston Parker.

SPORTS SEDANS

Three race winner Brad Shiels (Fiat 124/20B turbo) had a narrow lead in Race 1 over Steve Lacey (Chev Camaro) until

the latter was able to get by. There was a Safety Car when Graham Smith (Mazda RX7/Chev) stopped with a voltage issue, after which, Lacey speared off at Turn 1 with overheated brakes. He recovered for fourth behind and Willem Fercher (Toyota 86/Chev) and Rod Moynahan (Holden Monaro/Chev).

Turn 1 caused the demise of Lacey in Race 2 with damaged steering after contact with Fercher after the start.

Fercher continued for second while Dan Nolan (RX7/ Toyota turbo) was third after he missed the first race with a subframe issue. The order was the same in Race 3 with Moynahan again fourth.

FORMULA FORDS

With just two Mygale Duratec entries, Zak Lobko and Lachlan Mineeff were well clear of the Kent engine cars throughout the three races and finished one-two in each. Thomas Kalamakis (Spirit) finished best of the older cars with two thirds and a fourth. He was headed in Race 2

by Scott Tidyman who finished behind William Liston (Listec) and Kiarra Jones (Spirit) in Race 1 and DNF’d the third.

Garry O’Brien

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NATIONALS WRAP A DRY PROTOTYPE DAY THE WEATHER gods did their part and kept the rain away for the opening round of the South Australian Motorsport Series at The Bend Motorsport Park on March 4-5. DAVID BATCHELOR tells us what went on and took the photos as well.

SA PROTOTYPES A COUPLE of new faces joined the Prototype field on Saturday for Round 2, but it was Mark Lauke (Wolf Tornado) who set the pace in qualifying. Lauke sprinted to a Race 1 victory ahead of Yasser Shahin (Radical SR3 RS) with Andrew McKee (Wolf GB08CNT) who chased them for third.

Race 2 and the top two places were reversed. Shahin pitted early and took the lead when Lauke made his stop.

Tim Cook (Wolf Thunder) finished third this time, but a poor finish in Race 1 gave McKee third overall behind Shahin (above) and Lauke who finished on equal points.

Scott Bormann (Wolf Thunder) didn’t trouble the front runners but did look good on paper as he led both races during the pit stops. Ian Eldridge (Stohr WF1) qualified second but failed to finish either race.

TIN TOPS ANDREW BAILEY and his Nissan Silvia looked the business when the combination out qualified the field and won the first three races. He didn’t start race four and that left him equal third with Phillip Deane (Ford Falcon AU) in the outright standings. Race four winner Wayne Williams (below – Holden Commodore VT) was catapulted to the top spot with Steve Nealie (AU) a lucky second after Deane’s car went off of song in a couple of races.

ACCESS AT PI

SUPPORT PORSCHES THE FIRST Access Meeting for the year at Phillip Island held over the weekend of March 4-5, played host to the Porsche Sprint Challenge Australia as reported last issue. The event also featured local support category plus one out-of-state category.

NSW SUPERSPORTS

CATEGORY DEBUTANT Justin Tigani (Radical SR3) overcame a front upright failure in qualifying to win the three races in the interstate series first round.

He was assisted when fastest qualifier and Race 1 leader Nick Kelly (SR8) succumbed to an alternator failure while 2022 champion Mark Brame (SR3) had the engine let go.

Jonathon Canavan (SR3) was second twice and third in the last, behind Warwick Morris (SR3SX) in race three.

Terry Knowles (SR3 XX) survived a first corner spin to finish with a first up third as only five cars finished. The others were patched up and returned. Morris was third in race two ahead of Simon Copping (West WX10) and Simon Arthur (SR3RSX), and the latter two swapped places in the last.

PRODUCTION SPORTSCARS

SUPERKARTS THE BEND was the opening round of the 2023 Zucoins Championship with the Australian Superkart Classic.

A bumper field of 75 karts, the largest Superkart event in recent years, took to the track with racing fierce across all classes. Lap records were broken and sensational five wide racing was seen in the Rotax classes.

Former champ Ilya Harpas (pictured) took a commanding lead in the Championship after a clean sweep in 250cc International, closely followed in each race by Jordan Ford. , along with a clean sweep for James Boden in Stock Honda. Nicholas Schembri also followed suit with a perfect four from four along with Joe Brancati, dominating the new Dunlop SuperMaxx Class at its first National Event!

The other categories weren’t as straight forward, with multiple winners throughout the weekend. It was both Aus #1 drivers Sanuja Perera Racing and Patrick Ross who took out Rotax NGB Light and Rotax NGB Heavy respectively and taken the early lead in the race for the title and opportunity to represent Australia in NZ for the Trans Tasman Prize.

Local hero Mark Vella was a popular win in 250 National and injects huge confidence to come back strong at Round 2.

The championship concludes at Phillip Island in August for the Festival of Superkarts.

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ALL THREE races for the new class were taken out by Jamie Lovett in his Porsche 991.1 GT3. In every race he crossed the line ahead of Michael Kokkinos (Audi R8 LMS Ultra). Kokkinos had to work his way past Andrew Hall midway through the races, but in the first two races, time penalties would mean relegation to third.

Steven Kepper (997.2) was fourth in the first and held that place in the second until he slowed and took the back entrance to the pits. Ben Schoots (996) inherited fourth and held out George Konstas (991.1).

Kokkinos held onto his second in the last while Konstas passed Schoots at MG on the final lap to finish fourth.

BMW E30s

ROUND ONE saw Alex Jory and Brian Bourke finish on equal points ahead of Jesse Bryan. The latter was the one to beat. He held off Bourke and Jory to win the first race, then did the same to Excel convert Royce Lyne and Jory in the second.

Lyne snatched the lead early in Race 3 from Bryan before both fell to Bourke and Jory.

Bryan lost his third spot due to a Safety Car breach and was relegated behind Ash Rogers, Geoff Bowles, Seth Burchartz and Rory Plant. Lyne was ousted with an eligibility issue.

In Race 3 Bryan slipped off at the Southern Loop and resumed last.

Jory bounded away to a resounding win over Bourke.

Rogers was next and clear of Simon Shiff who held off Bryan.

EXCEL TROPHY

WITH THREE different race winner, it was Toby Waghorn who took overall honours ahead of Bradley James and Jaylyn Robotham. Harry Tomkins was off to a perfect start as he led all the way in Race 1.

James Lodge was second initially but ultimately fell to Waghorn, and later James.

Robotham was close behind and clear of Antonio Venier, Ethan Grigg-Gault and William Sala.

After he fell from third to fourth in the opening stanza of race two, James ultimately came through to win ahead of Waghorn and Tomkins. Robotham was fourth ahead of Grigg-Gault after he survived a hit into Lodge who was having a drama.

There was no Lodge or Grigg-Gault for the last where James led until the final lap. Waghorn was fourth after one lap and gradually worked his way to second and then nabbed the lead on

Top: Tigani and Canavan head the Supersports field. Middle: Jamie Lovett dominated Prod Sports. Below: Merrifield, Rowse and Bywater side-by-side in Excel Masters!

Images: PHIL WISEWOULD

the last lap in the run to the flag.

Robotham finished third just in front of Ash Cattach.

EXCEL MASTERS

TWO RACE wins ensured Adam Bywater the round over Tim Rowse and David Musgrave.

It was hard to split the top three in Race 1. Bywater led at the start, Musgrave took over midway through before Bywater again showed the way. Rowse shadowed the pair and passed Musgrave as they started the last lap.

It was three abreast across the line with Bywater just, over Rowse and Musgrave. Larry Merrifield chased them home ahead of Antonio Venier.

In the second race, Musgrave just held off Bywater who had the lead a couple of time earlier. Merrifield briefly had second spot at one stage but ended up fourth behind Rowse and was clear of Venier in the end.

In the last race early laps, it was a five-car scrap at the front before a safety car, and apart from Musgrave and Merrifield briefly, Bywater led and won. Rowse came home second ahead of Merrifield, Musgrave, Venier and Glenn Mackenzie.

Garry O’Brien

Mason Harvey and Rob Marcon fought out the Saloon Car contest. Images: RAY OLIVER

SEASON BEGINS IN THE WEST field together, which left Carlos Ambrosio, Craig Charnley, Jackson Callo and Sam Christison to battle it out for victory.

Ambrosio came out on top while Sherriff fought back to sixth. Sherriff took out the following races and the round ahead of Ambrosia while Charnley and Clohessy picked up the minors respectively and were second and third overall.

HQ HOLDENS

Grant Ord and Michael Howlett head a tense HQ race ...

THE WEST Australian season kicked off at Wanneroo cargo.com.au Raceway on March 4-5 with categories split over the two days – some of which, on day one, raced under lights.

IMPROVED PRODUCTION/STREET CARS/PRODUCTION CARS

THE CLEAR winner of the first two encounters was Aiden Friel in his Toyota Sprinter AE86 turbo Street Car. However, he was disqualified from the event as he fell foul (the first) to the P-plate horsepower rule. That resulted in Michael Brandt (Street Mazda RX7) elevated to first in two races while Ben Peachey (Street Datsun 200B SSS) took the other.

John Callegari (Holden Commodore VN) clean swept among the Improved Production field as Lib Palermo (Commodore VE) and Niel Pollard (Honda Civic) filled the minor placings. The latter had a massive moment in the final race when he almost rolled as he spun out of the esses.

Jim Gellan had an amazing debut of his Toyota GR Yaris in the Production class where he dominated on debut. Second went to Damien Croxon (Renault Megane) with third to Laurie Whittome in the first of three RX8 Cup cars.

HISTORIC TOURING CARS

THE THREE races were won by Mark Cates in his Ford Falcon XY GT at a canter. In Race 1 it seemed a case of no one wanted to win.

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Graeme Woolhouse (Ford Mustang) led and then spun. This gave John Bondi (Holden Monaro HQ) the lead that lasted only a few kilometres before mechanical issues halted his run. Peter Pisconeri (Mustang) came home second and repeated in the next outing before Brian Bondi (Monaro) was the runner up in the third.

SALOON CARS

THIS YEAR the classes have been brought back together as one single event and it did not disappoint. With the Holden Commodore VNs and Ford Falcon EAs able to mix it with the slower Commodore VTs and Falcon AUs. Up front, in an all Falcon show and it was Mason Harvey and Rob Marcon that duelled it out over the three races and the results went two-one to the former. Chris Kneafrey (AU) finished third overall while Brock Ralph was the best of the Commodores in fourth.

Michael Koberstein (VN) cleaned up the first two races in the older class. A rare mechanical failure destroyed his clean sweep in Race 3 which handed that victory and the round to Nicholas Hanlon (EA).

Reggie Ralph and Andrew Martin in their Commodores were second and third.

EXCEL CUP

IT WAS looking to be a Brett Sherriff and Jake Clohessy show until both went off into Turn 7 early in Race 1. Sherriff was out the other side of the sand trap, but Clohessy was beached. The Safety Car brought the

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THE CLOSENESS of racing was second to none where the top four in the first two races were covered by around 2.0s. Grant Ord claimed Race 1 before Michael Howlett took out the other two while Peter Marsh and Dennis Russell finish third and fourth overall, and Ryan Davis had two good results but DNF’d in race two.

FORMULA CLASSICS

IT WAS all Arthur Abrahams in the first two races as he cleaned up in his Ralt RT4 before a DNF in the last. Both William Norman [RT4} and Daniel Gate [March 80a] suffered failures. Abrahams had easy wins over Jamie Kerkhoff (Toyota TRD) who won the last and took overall honours ahead of Lance Carwardine (Jane Brabham BT23) and Harvey Leys (Chevron B19).

FSR

A CUT above the rest, Elliot Schutte had three straight wins as fellow Radical SR3 pilot Cooper Cutts scored a pair of seconds, with Brad Russell (SR3) second in the first race. Moment of the day was when Campbell Nunn decided that he wanted to rearrange the front of his Radical into the pit entry wall in Race 2. It was a lucky escape with only slight body work damage.

Chev) who won the last in their respective Sports Car and Sports Sedan.

In Race 2, both had a huge moment as they touched into the braking zone for Turn 7. Bloomfield went for an outside pass and Humfrey copped a buckled rim and flat tyre on the way to the finish line. Both were lucky not to find the wall.

In WA Muscle Cars [TA2] it was ex-West Coast Eagle footballer Troy Wilson (Mustang) that showed the way.

After second in Race 1 in a charge from the back, he was best in class in Races 2 and 3.

Brock Boley headed Wilson in the first before a pair of seconds ahead of fellow Camaro driver Brett Niall.

FORMULA VEES

THREE CARS were eliminated when they crashed into each other after oil was left on the racing line. It left Vini Paduano (Jacer), Jonathan Rudak (Sabre) and Jason Fowler (Mako) all with some expensive repair bills.

Rod Lisson (Sabre) won all three 1600 races that included the Gerry Prosser Memorial Plate but had to fight throughout with Danny Cerro (Sabre), David Caisley (Stinger) and Franz Esterbauer (Jacer). In the 1200s, it was all the same where Brett Scarey (CD-Vee) did the triple over Andrew Lockett (Elfin Crusader) and Jon Scarey (Vennom).

Ray Oliver Peter Pisconeri (Mustang, second in Historic Tourers.

SPORT SEDANS/SPORTS CARS/WA MUSCLE CARS

THE SEASON opener reverted to the three sprint race format instead of the two longer races. The battle for the lead was on, and Richard Bloomfield (Porsche 997 GT3 took two wins over Ryan Humfrey (Falcon XE/

John Callegari cleaned up in Improved Production.

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NATIONALS WRAP

“BEST EVER” ISLAND CLASSIC PUTS ON A SHOW

THE “BEST ever” Island Classic was held March 9-12, with stunning classic cars, big crowds and blue skies at Phillip Island.

Organisers from the Victorian Historic Racing Register had high expectations with huge fields and their hopes were blown away.

VHRR president Ian Tate said the 2023 Island Classic set a new benchmark for the long-running event.

“It was the best classic we have ever had,” Tate told Auto Action.

“We had a record crowd Friday and Saturday and it went exceptionally well.

“The crowd between the road and the back of the pits was packed, I have never seen a crowd like it.”

One of the big highlights was the thundering spectacle produced by the wide range of former Formula 1 cars from the 1970s and 1980s.

Across the weekend they raced against Formula 5000 cars before holding their own Phillip Island Historic Grand Prix.

Six classic F1 cars took part in the eight-lap showpiece race, which was won by Irelandbased driver James Hagan, who drove his former James Hunt Hesketh 308/1 to victory.

Hagan had an eventful weekend, starting it by getting too close with the local wildlife, which caused damage to the right front wing endplate.

After an earlier confrontation with some wild-life, James Hagan took the Hesketh 308 to victory in the F1 feature. Image: NEIL HAMMOND

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But nothing was stopping him in the main event, rising from fourth to first on lap two to finish two seconds in front of Martin O’Connell’s Shadow DN8, which also enjoyed success earlier in the weekend.

Rounding out the podium was Guido Belgiorno-Nettis in his 1986 Ferrari.

Victorian Marc Devis gave the locals something to cheer about to finish fourth in a Surtees TS16 ahead of UK travellers Ian Simmonds and Paul Tattersall, who drove a Tyrrell 012 and Ensign MN09 respectively.

To complete the F1 festivities, Alan Jones’ 1980 world championship winning Williams FW07 led the field on the parade lap.

Tate said the sight of the Formula 1 cars flying around the sweeping Phillip Island Grand Prix circuit will be remembered by those in attendance for a long time.

“The crowd response to the Formula 1 cars was amazing and the sound of them was just incredible,” he said.

“The overseas drivers said it was the third most impressive track they have raced on – and they run all over famous European tracks every weekend.

“The winner Martin O’Connell creamed the Formula 5000s on Sunday and actually passed two of them down the inside under brakes at Miller Corner and drove away.

“He also did an incredible time of a 1:27.7 which is nearly as fast as any Formula

5000 cars have ever gone and we were all surprised.

“The Formula 1 cars put on the show we hoped for and the times were incredible.”

Formula 5000 honours went down to the wire with Timothy Berryman recording one of the closest clean sweeps ever.

Each race was a nail-biter with the margins of victory just 0.2s, 0.7s, 0.7s and 1s across the four races.

On each occasion Berryman and his Lola T332 led home Thomas Tweedie in the Chevron B24/28.

Victorians Frank Harris, Charles Talbot and Dean Came were left to fight for the minor places in the popular category.

Great racing was also produced by the Group C and A class, where 1999 Bathurst 1000 winners Greg Murphy and Steven Richards went head to head in a pair of Nissan Skylines.

Richards won the first battle taking pole by more than a second, but the races were far more competitive.

Murphy won the opener, closely followed

by Chris Stillwell in a Caltex Ford Sierra RS500, Richards and Edward Sansil in a Diet Coke BMW E30 all within a second.

The second race went to Paul Stubber in the ex Alan Moffat Mazda RX7 with Murphy close for company.

It was Sansil’s turn on the top step of

the podium in Race 3 where he enjoyed the biggest margin of the weekend of two seconds.

Richards put Jim’s Nissan into P1 in an ultra-competitive final race where the top three were covered by just half a second.

Tate said the margins of victory reflected the quality of racing produced by the 1980’s and 1990s touring cars.

“The C and A was absolutely stunning because we had Steven Richards, Greg Murphy, Chris Stillwell and Edward Sansil put on an unbelievable show with four cars side by side passing each other,” he said.

“They livened the crowd up lap after lap each race. Just stunning.”

Stubber doubled up and also raced in the Historic Touring Cars over 2L and Invited class having swapped his Mazda for a Camaro.

But his momentum was cut short by a firstlap DNF in Race 2, which allowed fellow Camaro driver Aldo De Paoli to take P1.

Although De Paoli secured another win in Race 3, all eyes were on Stubber as he charged from last to second within five laps.

It opened the door for the #31 Camaro to cruise to a dominant 10-second win in the third and final race.

As usual De Paoli followed his fellow WA driver home, leaving a host of Mustangs and

Steven Richards shows the way in the Nissan HR-31.

Image: NEIL HAMMOND

Steven Boultbe (Lola T70). Image: NEIL HAMMOND

Toranas to fight for best of the rest which went to Jamie Tilley.

A photo finish was required in the Groups M,O Sports and Racing, Formula Junior and Inv opener.

Andrew Robson and Nicholas Bennett went head-to-head all race and crossed the line with just 0.07s the difference in the former’s favour.

Robson went back to back in his Brabham BT30 by the less stressful margin of 1.5s in race 2

By Race 3, the McLaren M1B of Laurie Bennett and Brabham BT29 of Andrew McInnes found some extra pace to ensure the top four crossed the line within one second of each other.

Despite the grandstand finish, Robson remained on top.

The penultimate race was even closer with Robson beating Elfin driver Bennett by just 0.04s.

The #63 Brabham steerer eventually made it five from five, but as always had to earn it with McInnes and Bennett both in his slipstream.

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F5000 cliff-hanger, with Berryman shading Tweedie and O’Connell.

Image: JOHN LEMM

O’Connell defends from the F5000’s of Tweedie and Berryman. Image: NEIL HAMMOND

Paul Stubber leads De Paoli, both in Camaros.

Image: JOHN LEMM

Saglieti Aston ... Image: JOHN LEMM

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Although Jason Armstrong led home a Mini Morris Cooper S 1-2 in the opening Historic Touring Cars Under 2L and Invited race, Joshua Axford emerged as the one to catch.

Once in control there was no stopping Axford, who won the remaining races in his Ford Escort RS1600.

The Group S Mosquito Squadron featured many lovely old European cars including the sole surviving Ferrari 196 SP Dino.

But at the front of the field was the Alfa Romeo 1750 GTV of Matt Magraith in the first race.

After finishing second best, Bryce Rogers hit back in his Austin Sprite MK3 in race 2 as Magraith dropped to fourth.

The third race was a thriller with Rogers, Warren Hotz and Magraith separated by less than a second.

Despite the competitiveness Rogers remained out in front of the rest of the weekend.

Although Wayne Seabrook had to fight for the Group S Bomber Squadron opener, he came to dominate the class.

Seabrook’s Porsche Carrera was an untouchable figure in the final four races, while Terry Lawlor’s Shelby GT50 was not afraid to fight agains the other quick 911 Carrera’s for the podium spots.

A scary high-speed crash at Miller Corner for Clive Brook marred the Formula Vee category, which shared the spotlight with Groups J,K,Lb and invited Sa. The fastest of them all in the first race was Nicholas McDonald by some margin in a Repco Holden.

McDonald also cruised home in Race 3, but had to fend off David Reid in the third four lapper.

After falling just two tenths short in Race 4, Reid prevailed in the final race after beating McDonald by four seconds.

Formula Fords enjoyed five races around

the famous circuit, but the one to win was the fifth and final five-lap affair on Sunday afternoon.

With the Larry Perkins Cup on the line, all drivers pushed hard with Nicholas McBride, Andrew Reid and Jonathan Miles having a tight tussle.

Despite only three seconds covering the top three cars, McBride was untroubled in his lights-to-flag journey to the trophy.

The #8 driver also won Races 1 and 4, while the other two thrillers went to Miles.

The Q and R Sports and P and Invited class featured a number of classic sports cars based in Australia and Europe.

France’s Ludovic Caron in the distinctive Chevron B31 showed good pace in the Group R category, while at the front of the field sat Daniel Nolan in the Nola Chev.

After Nolan won the first three races comfortably, Caron took the fight to him in the final race with the gap coming down to just half a second at the chequered flag.

Although Caron gave it his best shot, Nolan prevailed once again.

Four Regularity runs were also held throughout the weekend with John Hardy (Alpine Renault A110) Victor Spiteri (Jaguar E-Type) and Stewart Webster (Porsche 356) collecting the most points on separate occasions.

No less than 12 juniors were also part of the on-track fun with Thomas Vondrasek impressing to win the Don Kinsey encouragement in one of Murray Carter’s old XC Falcon, which his dad owns.

Four-time Formula 1 Grand Prix winner Eddie Irvine was a star guest at the event and enjoyed it so much he proclaimed ‘I might come back next year!’.

With motorsport enthusiasts of all ages and abilities leaving with a smile, the 2023 Island Classic will be remembered fondly for a long time to come. Thomas Miles

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INTERNATIONAL NEWS

BUTTON JOINS NASCAR

IN THREE-RACE DEAL MYTHICAL RALLY PULLS FIRST DRAWCARD THE FIRST Mythical Rally event in the mountains of Varzi, Italy, haas announced WRC rally winner Andreas Mikkelsen as its first star attraction.

The event is designed to recreate the legendary and party-like atmosphere that European rallies used to generate in the 90s, with Group A cars from that period, all the way up the pre-hybrid 2021 vehicles.

Mikkelson was unfortunate to run into the prolific Sebastien Ogier in his bid to win a world title, and the last of his WRC wins came at Coffs Harbour in Australia, 2016.

Currently competing for Skoda in the WRC2, there were strong rumours of him joining M-Sport prior to Ott Tanak’s signing.

The Norwegian will be reunited with his Skoda Fabia S2000 (pictured), the car that kick-started his ascent into the WRC, in which he dominated the Intercontinental Rally Challenge in 2011 with, before ruthlessly defending his crown and setting up his successful relationship with the Volkswagen Motorsport II team.

“I have only good memories of this car,” said Mikkelsen.

“It was the car that really got me into the world championship, so the chance to be reunited and to drive one again will be really nice. I’m sure it will bring back some memories.

“For me, this was a chance to come and drive a nice rally car in a place where the fans are so passionate about motorsport. I know the organisers for the event have something very special planned in terms of the festival and the atmosphere.

With more big names to come, the Mythical Rally takes place on May 25-27. TW Neal

Images: MOTORSPORT IMAGES FORMER F1 world champion Jenson Button will jump on board a Rick Ware Racing Mustang for three NASCAR Cup Series races this season.

With added support from Stewart-Haas Racing, Button will pilot the #15 Mobil 1 Mustang, starting as soon as March 26 at COTA, Texas.

The Somerset born veteran will also race in the Grant Park 220 on the streets of Chicago, Illinois, on July 2, and again in the Verizon 200 at the Brickyard, on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course on August 13.

The COTA and Chicago races come ahead of his Le Mans 24 Hour entry, where he will race the Garage 56, Hendrick Motorsport modified NASCAR cup car with Jimmie Johnson and Mike Rockenfeller on June 10-11, for the historic event’s centennial celebrations.

Button will join fellow-former F1 champ Kimi Raikkonen at COTA, resuming their on track rivalry – in NASCAR of all places, – with the “Iceman” taking on his second

appearance in the American Series having raced at Watkins Glen in 2022.

Button won’t be going into COTA totally blind, with the Le Mans team having already logged 3600km of testing.

“The Garage 56 car has given me an idea of what it will be like along with a direction, which is really useful,” said Button.

“I know in my first race I’m not expected to be qualifying right at the front and I’m not expected to be fighting for a victory.

“I have a lot of respect for the drivers racing in the Cup Series. There’s so much talent there, whether it’s on ovals or road courses” Despite having the 2009 F1 title under his belt (306 starts), as well as the 2018 Super GT title in the GT500 class, this is a whole new challenge for the British star.

“Racing a Cup car is very different from what I’m used to obviously,” Button continued.

“It’s a lot heavier with a lot less power and, basically, no downforce. It’s got a

sequential gearbox where you need to blip the throttle, so there’s lots of stuff to learn in a very short space of time.

“But I just get excited about that new challenge, and when I throw myself into something, I am 100 percent in.

“I’m not just doing it for fun in some one-off. I want to be competitive, and I know that to be competitive, it’s going to take a bit of time. That’s why doing these three races works very well this season.”

Also racing at COTA in the place of the injured Chase Elliot, is three-time IMSA champion and Le Mans 24 class winner, Jordan Taylor. TW Neal

PADDON COMEBACK BREAKS HYUNDAI ERC DUCK KIWI RALLY star Hayden Paddon has broken a couple of ducks at the opening round of the European Rally Championship (ERC) in the Rally Serras de Fafe in Northern Portugal.

In a remarkable come from behind victory under the nose of Mikko Heikkila, Paddon not only snatched his first ever ERC victory, but remarkably also gave Hyundai its first ever ERC win.

Paddon and his regular co-driver John Kennard started the final day in P3 in their Hyundai i20N Rally2, but chased down his MRF Tyres Dealer Team rival Mads Ostberg

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in the early stages of Sunday.

The leading Finn was coasting through the final stage however, with a 2.8s lead, when he needed to stop for a damaged front-left less than 5km from the finish line.

That gave Paddon his maiden ERC glory, and his first win in Europe since he won the Welsh Rali Ceredigion in September of 2022.

“I’m sorry for Heikkila, we want to try and overcome those 2.8sec fair and square,” Paddon said at the finish line.

“But we’re happy, very happy, and this is definitely right up there with my other career

achievements.

“We just wanted to build our way into the championship and just get a strong result this weekend. We’ve been pushing, but not taking the risks and that’s been the philosophy for the whole weekend – pick a speed and hold it … and today that went down quite well.

It has been a strong run of late for Paddon, who took out the WRC2 win at Rally New

Zealand for his first WRC win since Argentina in 2016, as well as winning the Asian Pacific Rally Championship last season.

Paddon now heads to Australia where he’ll drive his all-electric Hyundai EV rally car at the Adelaide Motorsport Festival on March 25-26. TW Neal

NASCAR

Images: MOTORSPORT IMAGES

LOGANO, FORD DOMINATE IN ATLANTA JOEY LOGANO broke Ford’s NASCAR Cup Series drought with a breakthrough win at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sunday.

Chevrolet drivers saluted in the first four events of the year, but it was Logano and his Ford that crossed the line first in Atlanta, after Blue Oval machines took the first eight positions on the race grid.

Logano started and ended the race at the head of the field, retaking the lead from Brad Keselowski on the final lap.

After electing to pull down to the inside lane through the final two corners, Logano won the drag race to cross the line 0.193s ahead of Keselowski and 0.194s ahead of Christopher Bell, who completed the podium.

It was a special win for 32-year-old Logano, who plied his trade in Atlanta as a junior.

“Yeah, first off so special to win Atlanta for me,” Logano said.

“So many memories of me and my dad racing right here on the quarter mile. This is the full circle for us.

“Dreaming of going straight at the quarter mile and going onto the big track. That was always the dream to do it. To finally win here means so much to me here personally, but the team.

“The Auto Trader Mustang – this thing was an animal. Very, very fast. Able to lead a ton of laps, race really hard there at the end.

“Huge victory. Nice to get one early in the season. Always feels better, but what a great day for us.”

Logano was in the box seat from the outset, winning the first stage after starting at the front of the field.

Team Penske teammate Austin Cindric pipped Logano in Stage 2, but the latter’s last minute move ensured a deserved win after he led a total of 140 of the 260 laps.

Keselowski was also a deserved second, after leading 47 laps.

“The coolest thing about this race is two veterans showed you can run a race here side-by-side, bump-drafting, and not wreck the field,” Keselowski said.

“It can happen if you race respectfully. I thought everybody did a great job.

“We were right there. Proud of my team and the effort. Nothing much we could do there at the end.”

Aside from the late race scramble, the first two stages of the 270-lap affair were devoid of action.

After an extended period of single file running, the race came to life in Stage 3.

On Lap 190, Chastain pulled up behind race leader Kevin Harvick who lost control of his #4 Ford, triggering a 12-car pile-up that included Harvick, William Byron, Chris Buescher, Harrison Burton and BJ McLeod.

TWICE DOWN, TWICE RISEN FOR BYRON WILLIAM BYRON again cashed in on late overtime cautions to take back-to-back NASCAR Cup Series wins at the Phoenix Raceway in Arizona last week.

It was a mirror-image finish for the Hendrick Motorsports ace, as the #24 Chevy racer blew past teammate Kyle Larson to notch a sixth career win, stamping an early Playoff ticket in the process.

In wildly familiar scenes to Vegas, Aric Almirola and Harrison Burton spun out at the death to push the race into overtime.

Byron posted a 0.330s gap on Ryan Blaney, with Tyler Reddick filling the podium over Byron’s teammate Kyle Larson, who led for a race-high 201 laps.

The back-to-back winner credited crew chief Rudy Fugle, who again orchestrated a late switch to fresh

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tyres, which saw Byron fly home.

“I owe the last couple weeks to him (Fugle),” he’s done a really good job strategy-wise, and executionwise we’ve done a good job to put ourselves in those

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positions on the front row with a shot at the end,” Byron said.

“Thanks to everybody back at Hendrick Motorsports, putting together great cars, doing a great job. This is a

It was a particularly devastating outcome for defending race winner Byron, who was chasing his third straight Cup victory of the season.

Less than 20 laps late, things got messy at the front again when new leader Aric Almirola copped a flat tyre and tangled with surrounding cars. Almirola, Kyle Larson and Daniel Suarez were all eliminated.

Logano avoided the carnage to become the second straight driver to win from the pole at Atlanta, following Chase Elliott last summer. It was Logano’s 32nd career win.

Corey LaJoie finished a career-best fourth, while Tyler Reddick, Denny Hamlin, Ryan Blaney, Erik Jones, Ty Gibbs and Kyle Busch rounded out the top 10.

Texas will host the upcoming NASCAR Cup Series race at the Circuit of The Americas next Sunday.

Josh Nevett

big credit to them, the engine shop, team owner, Rick Hendrick ... everybody.”

Larson lost his lead to Kevin Harvick on lap 269, who charged away before Burton’s late spin brought the field back together, with Larson retaking the lead in the overtime restart.

The #5 leader was again brought undone in overtime with an accident between Gibbs, Gragson, and Allmendinger, and on the lap 316 restart, Byron flew past Larson, with Blaney and Reddick doing the same on a tyre advantage.

As for the new aero package – with higher horsepower and 30% less downforce, the driver consensus was that it wasn’t necessarily groundbreaking, and that while the cars did slide around a lot more, it didn’t break the traffic up as intended, and there was still dirty air aplenty as a result.

Perhaps the road-course at Road Atlanta for Round 5 will give more of an insight? TW Neal

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WRC RALLY MEXICO

Images: MOTORSPORT IMAGES

TOYOTA’S PART-TIME DOMINATOR PREVAILS AT RALLY MEXICO EIGHT-TIME World Rally Champion Sebastian Ogier made it two-from-two to start the WRC season in his part-time 2023 campaign for Toyota Gazoo Racing.

And after missing Round 2 at Rally Sweden, the wily veteran is still finding a way to compete with his absent old foe Sebastien Loeb (nine-time champion).

Ogier (pictured above) overhauled Loeb to be the holder of most Rallye Monte Carlo Victories in Round 1, before doing the same in Guanajuato Mexico, with his seventh title in the hot and dusty mountain region.

He did so by 27.5s over the WRC’s perennial runner-up Thierry Neuville, with Toyota’s Elfyn Evans filling the podium after the Belgian Hyundai i20N driver chased him down in the finale by just four-tenths, overcoming a 5.3s deficit going into Day 4.

Ogier’s victory now puts him on top of the championship standings, with Ott Tanak having a lamentable mechanical outing for Ford M-Sport, whilst Neuville moved into second over Kalle Rovanpera.

“The car was great this weekend and it was a faultless rally for us and the team,” said the championship leader.

“As I am doing the next rally, it’s important to start first on the road in Croatia, and it was important to get the points for the team as well.”

Hyundai part-timer Dani Sordo finished in P5 behind Rovanpera, whilst retirements saw WRC2 driver and ex-M-Sport racer Gus Greensmith take P6 over fellow Skoda drivers Emil Lindholm, and Oliver Solberg.

Tanak fought back into P9 after dropping 14 minutes off the pace into P18 on Day 2, whilst Kajetan Kajetanowicz made it four WRC2 drivers to round out the top 10.

After Hyundai Rally1 driver Esapekka Lappi

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Esapekka Lappi’s rally ended up against a power pole ... and Rovanpera drew level in the Shakedown, Tanak opened up the Friday by taking the short speed stages, heading Rovanpera by 1.7s before competitors started on Saturday, 2700 metres above sea level.

Huge crowds turned up for the first Rally Mexico since 2023, with the UNESCO World Heritage city centre of Guanajuato providing a stellar backdrop, as well as sprints through the old cobbled mining tunnels.

With Tanak opening up the gravel rally on Day 2, things immediately went pear-shaped for the Estonian, losing his turbocharger to limp to the end of the famous El Chocolate stage, leaving his chances of winning in the plentiful Mexican dust.

It was Lappi that shone on Day 2, fending off Ogier with a great display of clean mountain rally driving, holding a 5.3s lead after taking five of the 10 stages, with Evans 30.1s back in third.

It was a shocking day for the Ford team

all around, as both Pierre-Louis Loubet and Jourdan Serderidis retired their Pumas in the opening stage with mechanical and hybrid unit failures.

The promise of Lappi’s first WRC win ended on the opening stage of Day 3, with the Finn dramatically collecting a utility pole.

“There was right with a cut, and it went straight into the left over a crest,” a dejected Lappi explained.

“I was a bit caught out with this cut and I was delayed on the entry to the left. We went wide and hit the bank which spun us out immediately, and we hit the rear of the car.”

Toyota’s young Japanese pilot Takamoto Katsuta also found trouble on Day 3, after running off an embankment to end his rally, continuing his difficult start to the season.

Ogier then took advantage to essentially put the result beyond doubt by the end of the day, heading into day 4 with a 35.8s lead over Evans.

But with four Saturday stage wins, Neuville had fought back to be breathing down the neck of Evans, with the Las Dunas and Otates stages to come, as well as the longest stage of the rally – San Diego, at 35.63km – before it closed with the Power Stage at El Brinco.

Sunday proved no issue for Ogier, who played it safe before blitzing the double-point El Brinco Stage to close out his victory.

Neuville and Evans provided all the entertainment on Sunday, with Neuville running Evans down in a thrilling finish. And although the Belgian again finished second, his tenacity is always present, and will take heart that he is second in the standings as he chases his first title, whilst knowing Ogier won’t be present for the whole season.

The season resumes in the Croatian capital of Zagreb on April 20-23 with a return to Asphalt, before a sustained seven rally-run on gravel.

Tanak will enjoy a better starting position in Croatia whilst, after showing good promise, Lappi will fight to be in the frame for his breakthrough win in his first full season.

In the Toyota world, another failure could spell trouble for Katsuta long-term Toyota future, whilst Rovanpera will seek to hit the championship lead for the first time in his title defence. And the Welsh driver that constantly promises to deliver, Evans, will be hoping for his first win since Finland in 2021.

TW Neal WRC STANDINGS AFTER ROUND 3 1.

Ogier 56 2.

Neuville 53 3.

Rovanpera 52 4.

Tanak 47 5.

Evans 44

WEC SEBRING

The Sebring 1000 Miles is away (above). In the end, no-one could match the Toyotas, headed by the #7 car below.

Images: MOTORSPORT IMAGES

TOYOTA BEGINS NEW WEC HYPERCAR ERA ON TOP AFTER YEARS OF ANTICIPATION FOR THE JOINT LHM AND LMDH HYPERCAR ERA, TOYOTA GAZOO RACING STORMED TO A 1-2 FINISH AT THE 1000 MILES OF SEBRING IN THE WORLD ENDURANCE CHAMPIONSHIP OPENER, TIMOTHY W NEAL REPORTS ...

2023 MARKS the 40th anniversary year in the WEC for the Japanese giants, and after two years of LMH Hypercar dominance against Alpine, Peugeot, and the non-hybrid boutique Glickenhaus franchise, the joining manufacturing giants of Ferrari, Porsche, and Cadillac, could do little to stop its charge (also joining the ’23 season is the single Floyd Vanwall Vandervell 680 LMH-non hybrid).

The other notable celebration however was a Ferrari podium. The Italian’s return to the top flight of world endurance racing after 50 years, with its beautiful LMH Ferrari 499P, took a fighting P3 by 10.127s over the #02 Cadillac V-Series LMDh. It was a dominant outing for both the #7 and #8 GR010s, with the team of Kobayashi, Conway, and Lopez, finishing just 2.168s ahead of the the #8, Buemi, Hartley, and Hirakawa; with the pole getting #50 499P in P3, two laps down (Fuoco, Molina, Nielson).

“The first couple of stints was all about front tyre management – getting through the double stints and seeing how we were going to fare against our competition,” Toyota’s Conway said.

“It went quite well and we seemed to have the pace especially when we needed to keep the tyre. Obviously the Ferraris went off strategy at that point and it didn’t work for them. That enabled us to increase the lead with the pace that we had.

“It was a great job by my teammates as well. Great job on the whole team, the pit stops were solid all weekend and credit to the #7 crew.”

“I’d like to dedicate this to my Dad (Michael Conway MBE) who we lost last

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year. This one is for him.”

The two LMDh Porsche’s took the next two spots as the historically strong Porsche Penske team continues to iron out its 2023 WEC and IMSA 963-LMDh campaigns.

The second AF Corse #51 Ferrari took P7 after a costly collision with its LMGTE namesake with just two hours to run in the 239 lap race, whilst the #4 Vanwall 680 secured P8 in its maiden outing – a team that will take time to challenge.

In a disappointing start to its WEC campaign, the Peugeot TotalEnergies team floundered under its mechanical failings after a pre-season that promised a vast improvement.

The French marque’s pair of 9X8 LMH cars took ninth and 10th, 26 and 98 laps back after constant issues, whilst mechanical misfortune brought the

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Jaques Villeneuve piloted Glickenhaus undone after three hours.

For the first half of the 1000 mile outing, the #8 GR101 had the ascendency, with little between them, running similar strategies.

But it was a ferocious out-lap by Lopez in the #7 that split the two Toyotas, after a long stint from Kiwi racer Brendan Hartley had the #8 in a tenuous lead – though only half a second still split the pair with 90 minutes to run.

Piloted by Buemi, a slow fuel stop and traffic proved the ultimate difference for the #8, but it was never threatened by the #50 AF Corse Ferrari.

An early pit under a Safety Car proved their undoing, incurring a penalty drive through, and a further 5s penalty, whilst the #51 499P was there in the mid-pack battle, until it hit a Ferrari GTE 488

coming out of the pits, spinning into a Porsche 911 and sending it to the pits for 20 minutes.

The midfield fight between the Hypercar Porsches, Ferraris, and Cadillac, was tight and entertaining until various pit issues pulled them apart, with Porsche’s race coming down to an in-house battle – ending when the #6 needed an electrical system reset with an hour remaining – while the Peugeots were never in it.

Both were in the garage for prolonged periods with high-voltage energy store issues, and gear shifting problems, while the #93 9X8 also clipped the Vandervell entry to further darken the French team’s day.

And despite an early spin for Villeneuve in the Vanwall entry, the #4 680 was able to finish two laps ahead of the #94 Peugeot.

In the LMP2 class, the #48 Hertz team Jota entry took the win over the United Autosports #24 Oreca-07 by 2.863s in a close run affair, with Prema Racing’s #63 Oreca 29 seconds back, with seven LMP2 racers finishing on the lead class lap (230).

Eighteen laps back, in the LMGTE class, the #33 Chevrolet Corvette C8.R took victory over the #77 DempseyPorsche Proton team by two laps, while the Kessel racing Ferrari 488 finished 14.592s back to round out the podium.

The next instalment of the WEC season sees teams head to Portugal on April 16 for the 6 Hours of Portimao,, with its entertaining variance of fast and slow corners, and distinct gradient changes.

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Formula 1 Round 02 SAUDI ARABIAN Grand Prix - Race report

This was Sergio’s day ...

PÉREZ SURVIVES SAFETY CAR SCARE TO WIN AGAIN

By LUIS VASCONCELOS Images Motorsport Images

THERE MUST have been a sense of ‘déjá vu’ for Sérgio Pérez when he saw the SC signs come out midway through lap 17. One year ago, the Mexican had led the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix from the start, pitted for tyres at what was supposed to be the ideal time, only for the Safety Car to come out immediately after he returned to the track, handing an advantage to his rivals, who pitted with the race neutralised and dropped him down to P4.

This time around, the damage wasn’t that bad, but his gap of nearly 6s over Fernando Alonso and, more importantly, the safe 21.5s he had over team-mate Max Verstappen were erased and the Mexican knew he had a fight on his hands, as he admitted at the end of the race: “The Safety car tried to take the win again from us in Jeddah, but not this time! I was so close to victory last year, so now finally I’ve got it.”

With Verstappen up to fourth place after the Safety Car period, and the main players knowing they’d go to the flag with their set of Hard tyres, Pérez had to open as big a gap as possible before the Dutchman could get past Russell and Alonso after the re-start and that’s exactly what he did.

In the five laps it took the World Champion to dispatch his rivals, Pérez put 5.4s between the two Red Bulls and braced for 25 long laps, knowing his team-mate wasn’t going to settle for second. But while it was reasonable to expect Verstappen would eat away at the gap (as he’d been close to half a second faster than the Mexican in practice and qualifying before a broken driveshaft put him out in Q2), the best Verstappen could do on Sunday was to gain one tenth here, another tenth there, the gap only going down to a safe 4.2s with nine laps to go, as the World

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Champion started to feel something was not right in the rear of his car.

He several times reported, “there’s something wrong in the rear” and enquired if it could be another driveshaft issue, as he was feeling a vibration and hearing a strange sound, but with the team reassuring him everything was fine, he took stock of the situation.

“I did the calculations and I wouldn’t have been able to close that gap to the end with only 10 laps left. So, at that point it’s more important to just settle for second and not having an issue with the car.”

By that time, Pérez had the fastest lap of the race and looked set to jump to the championship lead by one point, and the

team told both drivers to settle for a target lap of 1m32.6s –to match what Alonso, way behind them, was doing – but Verstappen had other plans: “With a few laps ago, I asked what the fastest lap was. We were first of all free to race and of course we had a target lap time to the end. It’s a point on the line ... it was the same also in Bahrain; it got asked, so especially when it’s just between the two cars, I think it’s quite normal that you asked for what the fastest lap is.”

Sitting alongside his team mate, Pérez was clearly unhappy with that last lap push, having already asked the Dutchman, as they waited for the podium, when had he set the fastest lap of the race:

“I asked two laps from the end, when they told me to keep a certain pace. They told me I had the fastest lap and to keep the pace. So I thought the communication was the same to Max ... We need to review, because I got certainly different information ... just didn’t push for more.”

With just its two drivers seemingly fighting for the title, Red Bull may have to brace for some controversy really early in the season.

Having played the dutiful Number Two role in the last two years, only to be denied assistance from his team-mate when he needed help to finish the 2022 championship in second place, Pérez is now pushing his own case and if he can race at the same level he did in Jeddah, matching Verstappen times

Fernando Alonso made a super start and led the field through Turn 1.

After a costly driveshaft issue in qualifying Max Verstappen was forced to charge his way through the field.

Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly fought hard to give Alpine a double points finish.

Oscar Piastri’s day was ruined at Turn 1/2 when Gasly pushed him wide and hit the McLaren’s front wing – the Alpine was lucky not to cut a tyre. through the second half of the race, he may give the team more trouble than they’d be hoping for. Which can only be good for the show, as at the pace they’re travelling, the two Red Bull RB19s are not going to be troubled by the other cars anytime soon!

ALONSO DESERVED THE PODIUM

Fernando Alonso was the closest thing the two Red Bull drivers had to a rival, the Spaniard even passing Pérez for the lead with a great start and staying in front of the Mexican for three glorious laps.

Even when he lost the position, the Aston Martin driver hung on for dear life to the back of the RB19, remaining in DRS range for another impressive six laps, before the rope finally broke and the blue car started to pull away.

By then Alonso knew he was in trouble, having parked his car a tad too much to the left when he stopped on the grid, so a 5s penalty was on his way and he had to push to open a bigger gap to Russell, who was keeping Stroll and Sainz behind, in third place. By lap nine the job was done, Alonso even extended the gap to the Mercedes driver to 7.5s before the Safety Car brought into the pits everyone that was yet to change tyres.

Having opted against fighting Verstappen, “because that would just cost me time and bring no benefit,” Alonso kept the two Mercedes just three to four seconds behind, before being urged to open a 5s gap to Russell, as there were questions being asked about the way the team had served the penalty and duly did it. The Spaniard celebrated on the podium, only to be told he’d been handed a 10s penalty later on, a penalty that would drop him to fourth place. In the end, after Aston Martin got the Stewards to review the pit procedure he got his P3 back, keeping the same position in the championship.

For the veteran, “it was unthinkable one month ago, when we launched this car, to be this competitive, but these guys made a fantastic car, a fantastic execution of the race in Bahrain and here as well, with the strategy as well ... so, two podiums! What a start of the season.”

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Stroll’s DNF, due to a suspected energy recovery issue, put a small dent in the team’s celebrations but the fact Aston Martin had the second quickest car on race day in Jeddah deserves all the plaudits they can get.

For Mercedes, being beaten by a customer team seems to be an experience the team will have to get used to with, after a poor qualifying, Lewis admitting “I feel disconnected from the car.” He was, at least, able to recover positions to finish behind Russell in P5. The younger Brit did very well to keep Stroll and Sainz at bay during the first stint, in spite of an inferior straight-line speed and then did well to keep within sight of Alonso.

For Hamilton, the only front-runner to start on Hard tyres, the early call for the Safety Car dashed his chances of up an upset as he was planning to inherit the lead when everyone would discard their Medium compound tyres, to then drop down the order and try to recover on Soft tyres in the final 15 laps.

As it was, on Mediums, he couldn’t get past Russell, who didn’t agree with an order to swap positions.

QUALIFYING RACE 02

At least the team got 22 valuable points, matching Aston Martin in the championship with 28 points apiece.

In the battle for the minor points placings, Alpine was unchallenged with Ocon getting the better of Gasly, securing his first points of the season in eighth place, while Kevin Magnussen passed Yuki Tsunoda for the final point with just five laps to go, finally getting ahead of the Japanese driver after an exciting race-long battle.

For Oscar Piastri the great work done in qualifying, where he got into Q3 and managed to get up to eighth on the grid, was undone on the first lap, as his McLaren and Pierre Gasly’s cars made light contact.

That was enough to damage the right front wing of the MCL60. Forced to stop for repairs, the young Australian benefited from the SC period to get to the back of the peloton, was waved to pass by Norris, as the more experienced driver didn’t seem able to make any ground, and managed to pass Logan Sargeant for a meagre P15 at the start of the last lap, a small glimpse of what could have been without the first lap incident.

For Piastri, “the contact felt really small, so I was really surprised to have damage. But the rest of the race was reasonable; some good experience with learning how to use the battery at the end, with the overtakes and stuff like that. Nice to see the end, but that (start) was a shame.”

The fact he completed 49 laps on one set of tyres showed the young driver from Melbourne could manage the Pirellis well, but the need to be conservative may have masked his true race pace: “I’m not sure how great our pace was anyways. Doing 49 laps on Hards is never going to be great for your race pace, but we’ll have a sit down and have a look at how it was.”

RESULTS RACE 02 50 LAPS JEDDAH CORNICHE CIRCUIT

CHAMPIONSHIP AFTER RACE 02

Pos Driver

Time

Pos Drivers

Make

Laps

Margin

Pos Driver

1

Sergio Perez

1:28.265

1

Sergio Perez

Red Bull

50

1:21:14.894 -

1

2

Charles Leclerc

+0.155

2

Max Verstappen

Red Bull

50

3

Fernando Alonso

+0.465

3

Fernando Alonso

Aston Martin

50

4

George Russell

+0.592

4

George Russell

Mercedes

50

5

Carlos Sainz

+0.666

5 Lewis Hamilton

Mercedes

6

Lance Stroll

+0.680

6 Carlos Sainz

Ferrari

7

Esteban Ocon

+0.813

7

Charles Leclerc

Ferrari

8

Lewis Hamilton

+0.958

8 Esteban Ocon

Alpine

9

Oscar Piastri

+0.978

9

10 Pierre Gasly 11

Points

Max Verstappen

44

-

+5.355 s13 2

Sergio Perez

43

-

+20.728 t1

3

Fernando Alonso

27

-

+25.866 t1

4

George Russell

21 s3

50

+31.065 s2

5

Carlos Sainz

20 t1

50

+35.876 t2

6

Lewis Hamilton

20 t1

50

+43.162 s5

7

Lance Stroll

8 t1

50

+52.832 t2

8

Charles Leclerc

6 s11

Alpine

50

+54.747 -

9

Valtteri Bottas

4 t1

+1.092

10 Kevin Magnussen Haas

50

+1:04.826 s3

10 Esteban Ocon

4 s8

+0.816

11 Yuki Tsunoda

AlphaTauri

50

+1:07.494 s5

11

Pierre Gasly

4 t2

12 Zhou Guanyu

+0.826

12 Nico Hulkenberg

Haas

50

+1:10.588 t2

12 Kevin Magnussen

1 s1

13 Kevin Magnussen

+0.882

13 Zhou Guanyu

Alfa Romeo

50

+1:16.060 t2

13 Alex Albon

1 t3

14 Valtteri Bottas

+1.033

14 Nyck de Vries

AlphaTauri

50

+1:17.478

15 Max Verstappen

+21.318

15 Oscar Piastri

McLaren

50

+1:25.021 t7

16 Yuki Tsunoda

+1.178

16 Logan Sargeant

Williams

50

+1:26.293 s4

17 Alex Albon

+1.233

17 Lando Norris

McLaren

50

+1:26.445 s2

18 Nyck de Vries

+1.483

18 Valtteri Bottas

Alfa Romeo

49

+1 Lap t4

19 Lando Norris

+1.686

NC Alex Albon

Williams

27

– t2

20 Logan Sargeant

+39.749

NC Lance Stroll

Aston Martin

16

– t15

Nico Hulkenberg

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Pierre Gasly

,

FERRARI TUMBLES DOWN THE ORDER

CHARLES LECLERC’S heroics disguised Ferrari’s poor form in Bahrain but with the Monegasque forced to start from P12 after serving a grid penalty, the limitations of the SF-23 were exposed during the 50 laps in the very fast Jeddah course.

Making the most of his choice of Soft tyres for the start, Leclerc moved swiftly up the field and by lap 13 he’d already moved up to P6, quickly closing the gap to Hamilton. Called into the pits one lap later, the Ferrari driver was unlucky the Safety Car was called just seconds after he left the pits and ended up being stuck behind the Mercedes but also behind his team mate, who had pitted earlier to undercut Stroll.

On the Hard tyre, none of them was able to make any inroads on the Mercedes duo and slowly drifted away from them to complete the race in sixth and seventh positions, way behind their rivals. As Leclerc pointed out: “I think a very good management of the Soft tyres, which was positive, but then with the Hard, on one lap I got within one second of Carlos in one lap and got the DRS but then, unfortunately, I lost the DRS and then, from that moment onwards, you are losing too much downforce when you are one second or one second and a half behind, and I was just staying there for the rest of the race.”

Sainz also added that, “on the last stint, on the Hard tyre, I was pushing flat out, Charles was pushing flat out behind me, and we just couldn’t keep up.”

The Spaniard insisted, “we know where the weakness is in the wind tunnel, where it is on track; we know where to develop the car, we just need time, because for the weakness we saw in Bahrain and we saw here, we cannot bring the upgrades as soon as tomorrow.

I’m positive this team is capable of bringing them early in the season and this could change completely our season ... so heads down and time to work hard.”

Even Team Principal Frédéric Vasseur, who had valiantly defended the car’s concept after the first race of the season, had to admit that, “what we saw here was sort of a continuation, because on the Soft tyre Charles was very quick; he fought for pole on Saturday, and moved up a lot of positions before we called him in. But on the Hard tyres the car was simply not quick enough and after being clearly faster than Aston Martin and Mercedes in qualifying and the first part of the race, we simply couldn’t keep up with them once we had the Hard tyre on. So, that’s where we have to focus now, on keeping the car’s performance with all tyre compounds because the basic speed of the car is clearly there, as we showed in qualifying, both here and in Bahrain.”

From the outside the problem seems to be exactly the same Ferrari had last year with the SF-75, as Leclerc was the king of pole positions in 2022 but always found his car was using up the tyres in the races, regardless of the compounds, when compared to Verstappen’s Red Bull. The fact Ferrari sacrificed downforce to gain straight line speed – last year’s car Achilles’ heel – only seems to have accentuated the issue, making the gap between qualifying and race performance even bigger than it was in 2022.

Clearly, there’s work to do in Maranello, new parts have already been designed and are on their way to the wind tunnel, so it’s likely we’ll see big changes on the SF-23 around the start of the European season, in Imola, by the middle of May.

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NEWCASTLE SUPPORTS

JUNIOR’S TCM MUSTANG DOMINATES NEWCASTLE STEVE JOHNSON is on an absolute tear in the Russell Hancock Brut #33 Mustang, sweeping the Newcastle 500 to achieve a record four straight round wins in the Touring Car Masters.

On a winning streak that goes back to the Bathurst International in 2022, Johnson has won 11 of the past 12 feature races in TCM, taking three poles in the process, as well as winning one Trophy Race, at Bathurst.

The grid numbers were down again for the Newcastle 500, with just 12 entries in the first TCM in Newcastle since 2019.

The grid included Ian Price in his 2L Ford Escort Mk II competing in the “baby class” TCM category, with Adam Bressington, Tony Karanfilovski, John Adams, and Geoff Fane all making return appearances.

Last year’s champion Ryan Hansford continued to quietly amass points, finishing the round in second place in his A9X, with the returning Bressington in the Whiteline Camaro in outright third.

Cameron Tilley marked a TCM milestone in the opening Trophy Race, notching 200 races in his fan-favourite #60 Valiant Pacer, finishing first the Pro Am class, but unable to get a podium with the Pacer carrying extra weight with its heavy old all-steel V8.

After Johnson stormed to another pole, TCM returnee Marcus Zukanovic notched a comeback win in the flag interrupted Trophy Race over Karanfilovski and Andrew Fisher in the Jesus Torana.

Johnson and Fisher gapped the field by a large margin in Race 1, before Fane found the Turn 2 wall with the race ending under a yellow, with Bressington filling the

Stevie J’s Brut Mustang shows the way on the streets of Newcastle ... Image: DANIEL KALISZ podium, whilst John Bowe struggled in the opener, after a grid-box penalty dropped him into P7.

Race 2 saw the #33 Mustang take a more comfortable passage to the chequered flag, bursting out to an early four second lead. Hansford picked his way through the field from P7 into second and closed the gap to Johnson as he eased the Mustang home, with Bressington again putting the Camaro in P3.

A shortened third feature saw a halfpoints 6 lap dash on the Newcastle streets, with Johnson taking the sweep by under a second over Hansford, but once again, in total control.

This time it was Fisher getting in for the podium by four seconds over Bressington.

Despite Johnson’s dominance, Hansford sits only 44 points in arrears in the early standings, with Zukanovic and his Ford

Falcon sitting in third over Tilley and Fisher.

The series returns to Victoria on June 9-11 at the Winton Motor Raceway.

TW Neal TOURING CAR MASTERS STANDINGS 1: Johnson 366pts 2: Hansford 322 3: Zukanovic 284 4: Tilley 278 5: Fisher 262

HEINRICH SWEEPS UP IN AUSSIE RACING CARS MAYHEM JOEL HEINRICH (pictured) has started his 2023 Battery World Aussie Racing Car Super Series title chase in style, taking four wins on the hectic streets of Newcastle.

In his Mustang-bodied pocket rocket, he appeared unbeatable, holding off defending champion Josh Anderson and Reece Chapman in their Cool Drive Mustangs, with plenty of carnage left behind them.

Anderson qualified fastest in the 38-car field ahead of Heinrich, Lachlan Ward (Camaro), Kody Garland (Mustang) and Craig Woods (Mustang), leading the first two laps before Heinrich took control.

There was first lap contact between Garland and Ward which sent them down the order as Chapman slotted into P3 ahead of Woods, Rylan Gray (Camaro) and Kent Quinn (Mustang).

When Matt Gooding’s Camaro stopped on lap four, there was a Safety Car restart saw Heinrich bolt clear.

Another Safety Car was deployed for the stranded Keith Bensley Aurion, as

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Image: PETER NORTON - EPIC SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHY Woods passed Chapman for P2.

From the start of Race 2, Heinrich cleared the pack to be 2.7s clear of Woods in two laps before Anderson who was fourth early behind Chapman - moved into P2.

Contact between Sheridan, Phillips, and Gooding brought out a Safety Car, with Heinrich again pulling away, before three separate multi-car accidents triggered a

red flag, leaving a heap of oil on the track for the Super2’ and Supercars to later discover on Turn 7.

A rollover by Michael Bartsch (Camaro) started some more mayhem elsewhere on the track, whilst the most damaged scene culminated when Michael Sherwell (Altima) was tapped and spun into the Cody Brewczynski Mustang out of Turn 1.

Miraculously most of the 10 cars damaged were repaired overnight and back for Race 3 on Sunday morning.

Again, it was Heinrich all the way, with Anderson chasing him throughout as they pulled a sizeable gap on Garland who was busy holding off Chapman.

The race went one lap short, called when Gray went into a tyre bundle.

Woods was fifth as Brewczynski held off Quinn. They headed Di Mauro, Ward and Nathan Williams (Mustang).

The last race was another that warranted a red flag when five cars down the order crashed into each other when Layton McKechnie went into the tyres and causing a snarl up.

Prior to that Heinrich showed the way narrowly over Anderson, with Chapman pursuing them into P3.

Round 2 for the Aussie Racing Cars heads to the Queensland Raceway in support of the Australian Super Bike Championship on April 28-30.

Garry O’Brien

NO CLEAR WINNER IN STREET FIGHT THE STAGE is set for an ultra competitive Super2 series after a host of young guns fought at the front in a dramatic seasonopener at Newcastle.

With the introduction of Gen2 Supercars and nine of the 20 drivers being rookies, the Super2 Series was given a breath of fresh air Although many new names gave it their best shot, a familiar face, Best, was the most consistent and emerged on top to take an 18-point series lead.

It is a near repeat of last year’s season opener, where Best also led the championship after finishing second in the preceding season.

Although the Anderson Cooper Murray took pole and a debut win. Image: MARK HORSBURGH Motorsport driver used his experience to win the final race and collect a solid haul of points, Cooper Murray set a scorching pace to snatch the it with a smart pass at the Turn 11 hairpin on Murray (pictured), Jay Hanson, Matt Chahda, first pole of the season by the impressive Lap 6.

Kai Allen, Ryan Wood, Aaron Love and Jack margin of three-tenths of a second.

The move was made just before a Safety Perkins among others all had their moments A late lap from Perkins was enough to Car caused by Jason Gomersall, who found Best driving in Dick Johnson Racing join the Eggleston Motorsport driver on the the tyres at Turn 7 and was joined by the colours started the weekend in ominous front row and the Super2 veteran made full unsighted Love and Jordyn Sinni. fashion by going two and a half tenths clear use of the opportunity.

When racing resumed, Love found more of the rest in a shortened practice session.

The Erebus Motorsport veteran flew off trouble in the ‘staircase’ section, spinning The second practice session followed an the line, which left Eggleston Motorsport Pollicina as Murray became the first identical script with car #17 in front by the teammates Murray and Allen to duel side by driver to win on debut since a far more same margin ahead of old Super3 foes Kai side into Turn 1 with the pole sitter coming experienced Cameron McConville 13 years Allen and Brad Vaughan. out on top and car #26 forced to shuffle ago.

Best’s streak at the top of the timesheets down to fourth behind Best.

In its first Super2 round for a decade, was stopped suddenly by a driver, who did Despite losing the lead to Perkins off the Walkinshaw Andretti United took a pole not race throughout 2022 in Cooper Murray. start line, Murray fought back and regained position courtesy of Ryan Wood, who

edged out Love in a frantic session where the top nine were separated by just four-tenths.

Wood failed to convert the pole and slipped to fourth, allowing Best, Love and Chahda to go by.

With Love the fastest on track, an interesting battle was emerging, but only six laps of green flag racing were possible.

The race came to a halt when a huge car-park was formed at Turn 8 after Wood got the tricky right-hander wrong.

Teammates Murray and Allen somehow snuck through, but many were not so lucky with Zane Moorse, Brad Vaughan, Jaylyn Robotham, Cameron Crick and Zach Bates all stopped in their tracks.

With Best crossing the line behind the Safety Car ahead of Love and Chahda, it was an anticlimactic end to an entertaining round.

Although Best is well placed to chase his long-awaited Super2 crown, there will be countless contenders trying to stop him at Round 2 in Perth April 28-30.

Thomas Miles SUPER2 STANDINGS AFTER ROUND 1 1: Zak Best 279 points 2: Cooper Murray -16 3: Jay Hanson -48 4: Matthew Chahda -54 5: Kai Allen -57

STEWART SNEAKS AHEAD THREE YEARS on from his car racing debut, Jobe Stewart converted his maiden race win into a round win in a tight Super3 season opener.

A new rivalry was formed in the Super3 battleground with Stewart edging out another quick rookie in Cameron McLeod at Newcastle.

The pair went head to head at the front of the third-tier series throughout the weekend and evenly shared the races.

Stewart started the weekend convincingly in his Image Racing Holden VF Commodore, going seven-tenths faster than McLeod in their maiden session at Newcastle.

Eggleston Motorsport’s Matthew McCutcheon then threw his hat into the ring in a much more competitive practice session.

McCutcheon edged out Stewart by just 0.0280s, while McLeod was shadowing them in his Nissan.

Despite finishing second best in the final practice, Stewart loomed as the driver to

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beat in qualifying having been the only car to register a 1:14s lap time on Friday.

He looked to be in the box seat for pole until the field was blown away by McLeod, who was pushed to pole by a relentless string of laps.

As qualifying progressed, McLeod found more speed from his Nissan and his final two laps were both good enough for P1.

In the end a 1:14.0778 was enough to beat Stewart by two tenths, while third generation racer Jett Johnson also impressed to take third in his #117 Altima.

The Stewart v McLeod battle hit new heights in race one as they pair duelled for the lead.

McLeod gained the early advantage and led for the first nine laps before Stewart pulled off a successful pass on Lap 10.

But McLeod struck back, muscling his way through at the hairpin to snatch the lead back with just two corners left to run.

Although the third generation racer crossed the line first, it was Stewart, who

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McLeod leads Jobe Stewart – the pair dominated the weekend. Image: MARK HORSBURGH was awarded the win after the stewards handed car #92 a five-second penalty.

After slipping from first to fifth, McLeod hit back on Sunday, firstly taking pole by seven seconds and winning a shorted race.

But with Stewart trailing his every move, the Mount Gambier teen did enough to score a breakthrough round win.

The consistent Ryan Gilroy was third despite not scoring a top-three finish and is

tied on points with Johnson.

They hope to take the fight up to Stewart and McLeod at the Perth SuperSprint on April 28-30.

Thomas Miles SUPER3 STANDINGS AFTER ROUND 1 1: Jobe Stewart 288pts 2: Cameron McLeod -27 3: Ryan Gilroy -39 4: Jett Johnson -39 5: Matthew McCutcheon -48

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Supercars RACE REPORT Round 1 – NEWCASTLE

School’s in ... Image: EDGE PHOTOGRAPHICS

THE TALKED STOPPED HERE… LITERALLY A FRESH SUPERCARS YEAR IN EVERY SENSE SAW LIGHTS OUT AT THE NEWCASTLE 500, WITH THE RAMPANT DEFENDING CHAMPION MARKING HIS GEN3 TERRITORY IN RACE 1, BEFORE HAVING IT STRIPPED, THEN REPLYING IN KIND. A NEW ERA DOESN’T ALWAYS MEAN A DIFFERENT STORYLINE, BUT NEW SAGAS ARE A CERTAINTY … TIMOTHY W NEAL REPORTS. QUESTIONS GOT answered, and new questions in need of more answers unfolded at the Newcastle 500 for Round 1 of the 2023 Supercars season.

The wet and official pre-season test day at SMP a fortnight prior left all the cards still on the table, with another VCAT parity test squeezed in at the Temora Aerodrome.

Ford, Chevrolet and Supercars finally signed off on the parity with less than 48 hours to go on the clock after three years of planning, with the Camaro given a minor, and added, downforce tweak to its front splitter.

Newcastle’s narrow bullring street circuit offered the first real test of the new Gen3 era, where teams and expectant fans would witness three days packed full of uncertainty, drama, and hype.

The 11 teams rolled in with their trailers full of new toys (with hopefully enough parts) and a couple of new drivers over the Tuesday and Wednesday.

They would be facing two 250km races over a hot and windy two days, with the opening Friday offering up three practice sessions in a crucial day of simulation and data collection.

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The new generation of cars would be fitted with soft compound tyres, with eight premarked and 32 green softs allotted to each Mustang and Camaro.

The field would witness three full-time debutants for 2023, with Declan Fraser, Matt Payne, and Cameron Hill, racing for Tickford, Penrite, and Matt Stone Racing respectively.

What eventuated was an almost staggering lack of yellow flags – an inaugural result dictated by the stewards – a healthy mix of Mustangs and Camaros at the top of the field, some new promise for teams on the rise, and one of the world’s best drivers doing what he does best … which most definitely wasn’t talking.

FRIDAY

THE FIRST of three practice sessions got underway with BJR’s Andre Heimgartner staying on top of the timesheets from testing at SMP, laying down a 1:11.995 as the field tested its new machinery before a decent day one crowd.

The #8 Camaro was the only car to go under the elevens in the first practice, with

Impressive qualifying and pole for Kostecki ... Image: PETER NORTON most drivers appearing to be wrestling to get their new toys clean around the street circuit bullring, with Will Brown and David Reynolds falling in behinds the Kiwi – and with all the Tickford Mustang’s in the bottom six.

For comparison, that opening time was just 1.8s short of Cameron Waters’ track record in 2019.

Practice 2 saw teams running a race

simulation, as van Gisbergen ominously topped his first Gen3 session.

It highlighted plenty of differences in the nature of the new cars, with vastly different wheel nuts, new rattle-guns, new air-spike positioning, and a higher fuel mounting point to contend with, including a new fuelhose connector.

The cars started to look pretty lively with a few wall brushes, as Davison put a

Despite a cooling infringement on Saturday, it was pretty much business as usual for SVG ... Image: EDGE PHOTOGRAPHICS Disqualifications and appeals aside, Chaz leads the championship after a strong showing. Right: JC’s car couldn’t be fixed in time after his qualifying meeting with the wall ... (Image: PETER NORTON)

DJR Mustang as high as it would go on a timesheet all weekend with a P2 behind SVG’s 1:11.792.

Erebus then completed a Chevrolet sweep in Practice 3, as teams started to run Qualifying simulation ahead of Saturday’s telling Gen3 Qualifying.

Kostecki showed signs of the pace he’d put down in Qualifying with a 1:11.131 to top the final run of the day, with an entertaining final five minutes, as Chaz Mostert went P2 over SVG. The consensus at the end of the day, in the first real test of race simulated handling and data collection for tyre life, was that the cars were far more difficult to drive.

By the end of the day, enough rubber had been worn in the track to improve the grip, but the loose and lively nature of the cars’

rears would still offer up a good wrestle between pilot and machine.

SATURDAY

THE FIRST 20 minute Qualifier had the #99 Erebus top the street sheets again, with Kostecki’s early time of 1:11.131 standing throughout the session as the fastest lap time of the new era.

A Tickford Mustang finally clicked, as Cameron Waters shot into the top-10 after struggling in the practice sessions, with the successful qualifiers split by just 0.4298 down to James Golding.

Mostert slotted into P2, over the #97 Camaro, followed by Tim Slade, Reynolds, Waters, Broc Feeney, Heimgartner, Scott Pye, and Golding. It was all smiles for PremiAir with their two Camaro’s through.

RACE 1 - COOLING GATE

So, Kostecki, Mostert, Van Gisbergen, Slade, Reynolds, Waters, Feeney, Heimgartner, Pye, and Golding.

The first ever Shootout ledger would see seven Camaros and three Mustangs.

The debut Shootout for the Gen3s provided a tense and tight show, with Kostecki making it a hat-trick of sessions and taking the new era’s first ever pole with a 1:11.848.

Golding again found himself at the rear of the 10-car field, but only a meagre 0.395s separated all the chargers, as Waters gave Race 1 a fitting front row by putting the #6 Mustang into P2, missing out by just +0.152.

Feeney and Slade took the second row, followed by Reynolds and the second Red Bull, with Mostert, Heimgartner, Pye and Golding heading up the first five rows.

HISTORY WILL show Waters, Tickford, and the Mustang as the inaugural winners of the Gen3 era, with Mostert and Kostecki filling the podium … but in reality, van Gisbergen put an absolute blowtorch on the field.

The action – or some might say a lack of it – on a difficult and narrow passing circuit, was dictated by the two Triple Eight Camaros, with Feeney coming in for P2, 14.740s behind his clinical teammate, and a further distant Waters, 19.746s back on the #97.

A protest of rule C16.2 regarding the placement of the Driver Cooling System, was lodged by Tickford and WAU, and upheld on the Sunday morning, stripping the winners of their dominant 1-2 finish.

The rule reads: “Any Driver cooling system that contains a cooling medium must be mounted within the cockpit utilising the mounting points designated in the GSD for the passenger seat,” whereas Red Bull made the call to place it on the opposite side next to both drivers’ seats.

(At the time of AUTO ACTION going to print, Triple Eight had lodged an official appeal, which the Supercars Court of Appeal will hear on March 22).

But nonetheless, there was a race, and this is how it unfolded.

Anton De Pasquale made the first driver error with a spin that put him at the rear

Cam Waters got his Tickford car well onto the pace – and ended up winning on Saturday, but a light nudge with the wall on Sunday damaged the steering and cost valuable points. Image: EDGE PHOTOGRAPHICS

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www.autoaction.com.au I 59

Supercars RACE REPORT Round 1 – NEWCASTLE

Gen3 is go! Kostecki leads the snake of Mustangs and Camaros on Saturday’s opening lap.

Image: EDGE PHOTOGRAPHICS of the field, the first action of a difficult weekend all round for DJR. The field was a settled train early on with SVG the only real mover, into P4, but he also made the first insightful tactical move, pulling back from the front three to protect his tyres.

Nearing lap 20, the Red Bulls swapped, with the #97 looking very assured and racey, as he harangued Waters, giving Kostecki some slight breathing room up front.

On lap 31, both Waters and Kostecki took their first stops, leaving clean air for the current champion, who drove the wheels off the Camaro to make up for the #99’s fuel-pit time advantage which stood around 10s.

A promising race from Slade was ruined by a stuck front right, whilst Kostecki’s plan backfired with Feeney holding off for some time before he retook P3, as SVG’s pace shut out the advantage.

Whilst Percat’s race ended with brake issues on lap 54, the #97 headed Waters by over 6 seconds from Kostecki, and Feeney, with the chasing three pitting with 35 laps to run.

James Golding qualified third and finshed fourth on Sunday – along with teammate Tim Slade (both in the top 10 in both qualifying sessions), it made for an impressive start to 2023 for the PremiAir team.

Image: EDGE PHOTOGRAPHICS

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After a lap 65 pit for a final fuel stop and green right-side softs, SVG blitzed the pack, whilst Mostert had worked his way into a fortuitous P4 that would become a P2, with Kostecki 8s in arrears. Brown, Heimgartner, Winterbottom, Pye, Courtney, Le Brocq, and Reynolds, all filled out the revised top 10 finishers.

SUNDAY

AFTER THE mentally taxing 250km Race 1 in the hotter cockpits of the new cars, there was no rest for the Supercars Gen3 test bunnies, but the veteran in the #26 Penrite turned up on a mission.

Reynolds backed up his good qualifying form from late last year to top Q2 with five minutes to spare, lodging a 1:11.487 to book the last spot in the Shootout, with Waters continuing his strong weekend in P2.

PremiAir Racing booked a double shootout spot again, with both Red Bulls also placing, as the top runners were split by 0.418s down to Feeney.

Hazelwood, Courtney and Le Brocq also

earned themselves an advance.

The Shootout was then supercharged with a couple of Gen3 firsts, as Reynolds banged out a 1:12.081 with a flying third sector to break the Mustang pole cherry, but not before Courtney introduced a Gen3 car into a wall for the very first time.

It immediately felt doubtful he’d take the grid, and it proved as such, with questions raised over the delicacy/availability of parts that make up the front section of the new chassis.

A larger gap of 1.022s split the session down to Hazelwood in P9, with Mostert next to Reynolds by the barest of margins, +0.005, followed by Golding, Waters, SVG, Slade, Feeney, and Le Brocq.

RACE 2 – TRACK TALK

ANYTHING YOU do or say may be held against you in the Newcastle bullring … “all my talking was done on track!”

Those were the only offered words in the after race press conference from an obstinate and defensive SVG, as he quietly

stewed in his 76th Supercars victory.

And although it was far from the romp of Race 1’s margin, there was familiarity in the clinical nature of the Triple Eight race strategy, and of the defending champion’s general racecraft to boot.

Although the finish definitely had some drama, in the end, it all came down to leaving the #97 in clean air despite a fuel load disparity, kingly tyre management and pit timing, and just being able to send it despite the liveliness of the new machinery.

There were other challengers, and Mostert in P2 seemed to have it good until he didn’t, whilst Waters blew it on a driver error, and Reynolds just got jumped.

Tickford got a double whammy at lights out, with Macauley Jones clipping Declan Fraser on his debut Supercars weekend, sending him into the pit-wall fence at the rear of the field.

Mostert had jumped the #26 pole getter, and after a red flag rolling restart, (the first race condition yellow) blew into an early lead.

Chaz finds another ‘champers’ victim ...

Davey Reynolds – too hot on Saturday (above); podium on Sunday.

Images: EDGE PHOTOGRAPHICS Triple Eight’s Saturday 1-2 joy was short-lived ...

Image: EDGE PHOTOGRAPHICS QUALIFYING RACE 1 Pos Driver 1 Brodie Kostecki 2 Cameron Waters 3 Broc Feeney 4 Tim Slade 5 David Reynolds 6 Shane van Gisbergen 7 Chaz Mostert 8 Andre Heimgartner 9 Scott Pye 10 James Golding 11 Will Brown 12 James Courtney 13 Thomas Randle 14 Will Davison 15 Jack Le Brocq 16 Mark Winterbottom 17 Anton De Pasquale 18 Bryce Fullwood 19 Cameron Hill 20 Todd Hazelwood 21 Nick Percat 22 Matthew Payne 23 Macauley Jones 24 Declan Fraser 25 Jack Smith

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RESULTS RACE 1 95 LAPS (250 KMS) Time 1:11.8481 +0.1520 +0.1527 +0.1638 +0.1783 +0.1940 +0.2648 +0.2943 +0.3110 +0.3951 +0.4304 +0.4454 +0.4623 +0.4780 +0.5561 +0.6048 +0.6292 +0.6397 +0.6438 +0.6472 +0.6920 +0.7215 +0.7247 +1.2286 +1.3477

Pos Drivers 1 Cameron Waters 2 Chaz Mostert 3 Brodie Kostecki 4 William Brown 5 Andre Heimgartner 6 Mark Winterbottom 7 Scott Pye 8 James Courtney 9 Jack Le Brocq 10 David Reynolds 11 Will Davison 12 Matthew Payne 13 Declan Fraser 14 Todd Hazelwood 15 Bryce Fullwood 16 Anton De Pasquale 17 Thomas Randle 18 James Golding 19 Macauley Jones 20 Cameron Hill 21 Jack Smith 22 Tim Slade NC Nick Percat DSQ Shane van Gisbergen DSQ Broc Feeney

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Laps 95 95 95 95 95 95 95 95 95 95 95 95 95 95 95 95 95 94 94 94 93 90 50

In similar fashion, SVG dropped back in defence to get free air in P5, whilst Mostert built a two-plus second lead into lap 12.

The field was tight, and the train was broken with plenty of pitting, which reshuffled the board in purposeful bids to extend tyre life, whilst the top five gradually gapped each other until the #25 WAU leader pitted on lap 25.

Along with Kostecki, SVG was again the last to pit (lap 39), with Mostert and Waters the effective leaders over Feeney and Reynolds.

Although Waters was some distance back on Mostert, he looked to have a good handle on the lively Mustang and started eating up the gap.

Reynolds made a brilliant charge on Golding to retake P3 after a strategic mistake by Penrite, while Waters was the quickest on track.

With Mostert in sight, an error saw the 2022 runnerup brush the left wall, badly damaging his steering and ending an exciting challenge. After an agricultural fix with a hammer in the pits, Waters’ race was done and dusted, in P19.

Mostert appeared to be off the hook with 12 seconds on Reynolds – who had van Gisbergen under his wing – but needing a fresh set, which he took on lap 59, rejoining in P5 (effective P2) with SVG now in the lead but still on one pit.

By the time #97 pitted on lap 71, Mostert took the lead by 7 seconds, but was facing a big tyre deficit to van Gisbergen, with a time-certain race likley due to the early red flag, having around 18 laps to run.

With seven minutes to run, that gap was closed to under two seconds, and the pass was inevitable.

At Turn 9 with three minutes to go, SVG took the inside run with contact on Mostert, who had no chance QUALIFYING RACE 2

Race time 01:58:33.2312 01:58:40.8803 01:58:46.6723 01:58:50.7673 01:58:51.7185 01:58:57.8238 01:59:03.7288 01:59:15.9978 01:59:16.0996 01:59:16.7964 01:59:23.0047 01:59:26.4309 02:00:10.9614 02:00:17.5818 02:00:29.7432 02:00:34.6468 02:00:36.0536 01:58:48.3364 01:58:55.8177 01:59:20.3425 02:00:19.2029 01:58:45.2174 01:03:04.1605

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s1 s5 t3 s7 s3 s10 s2 s4 s6 t5 s3 s10 s11 s6 s3 s1 t4 t8 s4 t1 s4 t18 t2

Pos Driver 1 David Reynolds 2 Chaz Mostert 3 James Golding 4 Cameron Waters 5 Shane van Gisbergen 6 Tim Slade 7 Broc Feeney 8 Jack Le Brocq 9 Todd Hazelwood NC James Courtney 11 Will Davison 12 Matthew Payne 13 Andre Heimgartner 14 Mark Winterbottom 15 Brodie Kostecki 16 Thomas Randle 17 Will Brown 18 Scott Pye 19 Bryce Fullwood 20 Nick Percat 21 Anton De Pasquale 22 Cameron Hill 23 Macauley Jones 24 Declan Fraser 25 Jack Smith

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to defend on much older tyres.

SVG stormed home by 4.499s in the end, with Mostert topping a delighted but tired Reynolds by 21.140s to fill the podium spots.

Golding held fast to finish in P4, equalling his best ever Supercars race placing (2017 Sandown 500), along with it being PremiAir’s highest placing to date.

Feeney, Kostecki, Heimgartner, Le Brocq, Slade, and Winterbottom, made up the final top 10 placings.

THE WASHUP

AFTER FINISHING with dual P2s, Mostert heads into Round 2 with the championship lead, as he did in 2022.

What do we know going into the second fixture at the Melbourne Grand Prix?

You could say an awful lot – or you could say not enough, considering how different the Albert Park environment will be, with four races over 100km, 80km, 70km, and 70km.

But what can be said is that Triple Eight are still the absolute strategy masters, and van Gisbergen is still one of the world’s most accomplished race car drivers, and that the lively nature of the new cars and his ability to protect a tyre means the Gen3 cars suit him to a T. The first major crash (in a Tickford garage that was brilliant against adversity in 2022, getting damaged cars back in the game) didn’t bode so well for the new Gen3 front end. Too many small parts (front-clips) with too much that can go wrong … small sample size however.

Was it the difficulty in handling that caused the Waters error? No, it was the inside Turn 9 wall, so another driver error under pressure cost him a chance.

Was Newcastle the perfect track for the Gen3 debut?

No, but we need to wait for a larger sample size of tracks and some sprints to judge it fairly.

It’s also funny that a twice dominant race winner, who’s admittedly suited to the car style, doesn’t even like the car. The consensus through the whole field was that they are difficult to drive, but with time and solutions, comes a better product.

Bring on Albert Park!

RESULTS RACE 2 89 LAPS (234KM) Time 1:12.0813 +0.0058 +0.1092 +0.2142 +0.2672 +0.5455 +0.658 +0.877 +1.022 N/A +0.4619 +0.4722 +0.4880 +0.5477 +0.5595 +0.6151 +0.6361 +0.6365 +0.6379 +0.6601 +0.7002 +0.7214 +0.8227 +0.8266 +1.4589

Pos Drivers 1 Shane van Gisbergen 2 Chaz Mostert 3 David Reynolds 4 James Golding 5 Broc Feeney 6 Brodie Kostecki 7 Andre Heimgartner 8 Jack Le Brocq 9 Tim Slade 10 Mark Winterbottom 11 Bryce Fullwood 12 Cameron Waters 13 Will Brown 14 Matthew Payne 15 Todd Hazelwood 16 Anton De Pasquale 17 Scott Pye 18 Thomas Randle 19 Will Davison 20 Jack Smith 21 Cameron Hill 22 Macauley Jones 23 Nick Percat DNF Declan Fraser DNS James Courtney

Laps 89 89 89 89 89 89 89 89 89 89 89 89 88 88 88 88 88 88 88 88 88 88 87 0

CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS AFTER ROUND 1 Race time 02:11:50.4825 +4.499 +25.140 +27.090 +27.659 +28.608 +33.324 +46.9620 +54.4407 +58.9770 +1:04.1608 +1:15.5632 +1 Lap +1 Lap +1 Lap +1 Lap +1 Lap +1 Lap +1 Lap +1 Lap +1 Lap +1 Lap +2 Laps –

s4 – t2 t1 s2 s9 s5 – t3 s3 s8 t8 s4 t3 t6 s5 s1 t2 t5 s5 s1 s1 t3 –

Pos Driver 1 Chaz Mostert 2 Cameron Waters 4 David Reynolds 5 Andre Heimgartner 6 William Brown 7 Mark Winterbottom 8 Jack Le Brocq 9 James Golding 10 Scott Pye 11 Shane van Gisbergen 12 Matthew Payne 13 Bryce Fullwood 14 Todd Hazelwood 15 Tim Slade 16 Will Davison 17 Anton De Pasquale 18 Broc Feeney 19 Thomas Randle 20 James Courtney 21 Macauley Jones 22 Cameron Hill 23 Jack Smith 24 Declan Fraser 25 Nick Percat

Points 276 219 207 207 186 180 174 171 150 150 132 132 123 123 120 114 111 105 90 87 87 87 66 36

www.autoaction.com.au I 61

AUSTRALIAN GP PREVIEW ACROSS

2 Which current F1 driver will attend the

3 Two Aussie born drivers race for a Spanish team – what is the name of the outfit?

Adelaide Motorsport Festival? (surname)

5 In which Australian state did Oscar Piastri grow up? (first three letters)

4 How many corners does the revised Albert Park layout contain?

6 Jack Doohan will be the sole Australian

10 How many drivers represent Australia in Formula 3 this year?

in FIA Formula 2 – for which F1 team is he

11 Who has taken the most Australian Grand Prix victories since it became a Formula 1 Championship round in 1985? (surname)

7 Who won the Australian Grand Prix in

14 At Albert Park last year two drivers won Supercar races – Mostert was one, and who was the other? (surname)

scored its first double podium at Albert

15 In what position did Jack Doohan finish in the 2022 Formula 2 Championship?

16 What round of the 2023 Carrera Cup Series will take place at Albert Park?

19 Who won the first race of the Supercars Gen3 era in Newcastle? (surname) 20 How many races will Supercars contest at Albert Park?

21 How many F1 teams finished on the podium last year?

the reserve driver?

2022? (surname)

6

7 9

8

10

12

11

debutant in the opening round of the F1 season? (surname)

13

12 Who leads the Supercars Championship heading into the Melbourne

14

15

16 17

round? (surname) 18

13 This year, Albert Park celebrates its

19

20

70th year – who won the first Grand Prix

21

there in 1953? (surname)

22

17 Who is the highest placed Camaro

18 Who finished third in the 2022

26 Which manufacturer won the Australian Grand Prix in 2022?

22 Who won the first Formula 1

1 In what position did Australian Daniel Ricciardo finish the Australian Grand Prix last year?

4

5

9 Who was the highest placed full-time

24 Who took pole position for last year’s Australian Grand Prix? (surname)

DOWN

3

Park in 2022?

driver in the Supercars Championship

29 How many DRS zones will be on the track this year?

2

8 Which Supercars Championship team

23 How many laps does the Australian Grand Prix consist of?

28 How many Australian-born drivers will be on the grid in Formula 3 during the Australian Grand Prix weekend?

1

leading into Round 2? (surname)

23

24 25

Australian Grand Prix? (surname)

26

Championship round at Albert Park in 1996? (surname)

27

28

25 Who finished second in the Australian Grand Prix in 2022? (surname)

29

27 How many times has Lewis Hamilton won in Australia?

28 Australian Oscar Piastri will be making what number F1 race start in Australia?

Supercars Preview Crossword Answers: 1 down – Fraser, 2 across – Percat 3 down – Payne, 4 down – Adelaide, 5 down – Sandown, 6 down – Heimgartner, 7 across – Dewalt, 8 down – Fullwood, 9 down – ninetyseven, 10 across – eleven, 11 across – Coke, 12 down – Goddard, 13 across – Hazelwood, 14 across – Golding, 15 across – NSW, 15 down – Newcastle, 16 down – twenty-eight, 17 across – Tickford, 18 across – Grive Racing, 19 across – Whincup, 19 down – WAU, 20 down – Stanaway, 21 across – Chevrolet, 22 down – twelve, 23 down – one, 24 down – three, 25 down – Hill, 26 across – Albert Park, 27 across – Slade, 28 across – one

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

1973 CAMS OFFICIALS were “running around like chooks with their heads cut off” at an eventful Australian Touring Car Championship round at Calder Park.

Allan Moffat took round honours, but did not cross the line first after Bob Jane passed him with seven laps to go but was later disqualified. Before the race commenced a drivers’ strike was threatened, while Peter Brock and John Goss were excluded for failing to come under starter’s orders. The pair still started the race, but were quickly black flagged.

At Oran Park John Goss put the first Toby Lee points after a “hard fought” battle.

1983 THE PLUG was pulled from the Geelong 500 touring car street race scheduled for Easter Monday. A lack of required government permit concerning road closures and speed limits caused the cancellation. It came as a “great shock” to the motorsport community having looked a certainty a fortnight before racing. A plan to bring the Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix to the streets of Surfers Paradise had emerged. A group of un-named but “prominent Australian motorsport identities” had spoken to the mayor about the project.

Although Adelaide got the Grand Prix in 1985, Gold Coast did welcome IndyCar in 1991.

62 I www.autoaction.com.au

1993 NIGEL MANSELL won on IndyCar debut on the Gold Coast with a dominant drive in his first race since quitting Formula 1. Mansell became the first driver to take pole and the race win in his first IndyCar start after edging out another former F1 star, Emerson Fittipaldi, by five seconds. The Brit crawled over the line and ran out of fuel seconds after taking the chequered flag. The man who replaced Mansell at Williams, Alain Prost threw away the Brazilian Grand Prix by spinning from the lead. The mistake allowed Ayrton Senna to score “one of my best” wins in front of a delighted home crowd.

2003 FORD AND Holden shared the honours at the season-opening Clipsal 500, which kicked off the Project Blueprint era in “sensational” style. Marcos Ambrose drew first blood for the new BA Ford Falcon, but Mark Skaife fired back emphatically to put the VY Commodore on top in front of a record crowd. A young Kimi Raikkonen blew his fancied rivals away to cruise to a crushing maiden Formula 1 Grand Prix win in Malaysia. The then 23-yearold cruised to a 39s win in his McLaren, while Michael Schumacher finished a lap down after a first corner incident.

2013 KIMI RAIKKONEN ruled the Albert Park streets having recorded an “easy” win in the 2013 season opener.

Now at Lotus, Raikkonen rose from seventh on the grid to take a commanding win over Fernando Alonso and pole-sitter Sebastian Vettel. The “Iceman” even admitted he “took it pretty easy”. Mark Webber finished sixth in his final Australian Grand Prix after a KERS issue held him back off the startline. Kiwis won all four Supercars non-championship support races with Brad Jones Racing’s Fabian Coulthard winning the first three. Coulthard’s four-peat was denied by his future teammate Scott McLaughlin, who took his first win in a Supercar in just his fifth event.

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