AA#1871

OSCAR PIASTRI’S COLUMN: MY JAPANESE BREAKTHROUGH!

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EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THIS YEAR’S GREAT RACE n FULL TEAM-BY-TEAM PREVIEW – WHO’S HOT AND WHO’S NOT! n MARK SKAIFE: HOW TO WIN THE 1000 n 60 YEARS OF BATHURST HISTORY

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THE PIASTRI TRAIN IS GATHERING SPEED …

THREE WEEKS AGO, OSCAR PIASTRI HAD NEVER VISITED JAPAN. TWO WEEKS AGO HE LAID DOWN HIS ROOKIE CREDENTIALS THERE, ACHIEVING A SERIES OF F1 CAREER MILESTONES – A FRONT ROW STARTING SPOT FOLLOWED BY A MAIDEN PODIUM FINISH. AUTO ACTION’S REESE MAUTONE SUMS UP A FANTASTIC WEEKEND FOR AUSTRALIA’S RISING STAR AT SUZUKA …

International F1 pundits are now proclaiming the McLaren duo as the best pairing in F1 ...

Image: MOTORSPORT IMAGES AUSTRALIA’S F1 rising star had a near-ideal Japanese Grand Prix weekend after his car received the same highly effective McLaren upgrades that had rewarded his team-mate, Lando Norris, with a P2 finish only days prior, in Singapore.

Oscar’s career-best result, at the Japanese Grand Prix, also came after the announcement of a significant contract extension with McLaren, lasting until the end of 2026.

Japan’s practice sessions were the perfect opportunity for the quick-learning Piastri to come to terms with the handling of his upgraded MCL60, as well as the circuit – which the #81 pilot immediately described as “a lot of fun”.

Despite some rain and low-grip conditions, it was a positive Friday for Piastri who – adopting his now recognised step-by-step weekend build-up – finished within the top 10 in both FP1 and FP2 sessions, with Norris ending each in P3.

Saturday was when Piastri, as usual, climbed the order, headed for the eventual highest

starting position of his short F1 career thus far.

Norris and Piastri set two of the three fastest times in FP3, separated by just 48 milliseconds – albeit still over two-tenths behind the untouchable Max Verstappen.

Again, in Qualifying, the McLaren duo was ‘best of the rest’ (with Verstappen already cementing a significant interval), making for an interesting inter-team battle between the papaya cars.

After the duo’s first Q1 run Norris led Piastri by four-tenths, despite a red flag interrupting their first run. The second (Q2) portion of qualifying was even better and saw Piastri edge ahead of his team-mate, finding himself just over a tenth behind Verstappen after his first attempt put him in P2.

However, with the Red Bull star having saved two fresh sets of Red tyres for Q3 – both McLarens having used up one more set of the Softs getting this far – the pole shootout was always going to be for P2 on the grid.

And so it was – with the next car a significant 0.446 seconds behind the championship

leader. Except this time it was the #81 in P2, albeit a slim 35 milliseconds ahead of his team-mate.

“The first lap in Q3 was pretty solid. I was quite happy with it,” Piastri said. “On the last chicane, I could have done a better job, but it was a good lap.

“On the second lap, my first sector was good and the next two sectors not so good … so happy to end it in P2.”

It was a milestone Q3. The 0.581 second gap from Verstappen to Piastri etched itself into the history books as the largest pole margin since Michael Schumacher in 2004, while the Melbourne-born young man became just the fifth Australian to start on the F1 front row.

“It’s been a really good weekend for the team so far – we’ve got upgrades on the cars and they’re quick here. We thought we might have a decent chance but still had to make it happen. So, happy to be second and for the team to be second and third. Very, very happy!”

Sunday brought a solid result for the Aussie – his post-race chat centring around the need

to understand a little more about race set-up and tyre conservation.

While thrilled with his first podium, according to the rookie, the Japanese Grand Prix wasn’t one of the best of his short career.

He lost a spot into the first corner after having to back out as Verstappen came across (a repeat of Senna/Prost was otherwise on the cards!), leaving his teammate clear to sweep around the outside line into Turn 1/2.

“I got a good launch, got a bit too excited on the throttle pedal in the second part of the start and at that point I knew I wasn’t far enough alongside [Verstappen],” Oscar admitted.

However, pitting under the Virtual Safety Car saved the #81 some seconds, allowing him to undercut Norris in the process as he rejoined. However, he struggled to match his experienced team-mate for pace, being instructed to let him by on Lap 27.

“I just wasn’t quick enough at certain points of the race, I think. These high-deg races are probably the biggest thing I need to try and work on at the moment,” Oscar said later.

It took a few laps to re-pass the onestopping George Russell later in the race, but Piastri clinched the podium position quite easily into Turn 1.

The Aussie crossed the finish line 17 seconds behind Norris, securing his maiden F1 podium and earning the fan-voted ‘Driver of The Day’ award.

“You never forget your first podium regardless of whether it’s been a strong performance or not,” he concluded.

“There’s not many people in the world that get this opportunity in their whole life – and I’ve managed to have it in my first season.

[There are] definitely some things I want to try and improve on and still work on but, yeah, for now, I’ll enjoy the trophy …”

And in case you need reminding, the Japanese GP was just Piastri’s 16th F1 race, in his Rookie year. The Piastri Train is on its way …

See page 19 for Oscar’s own personal thoughts in his exclusive AA column.

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This is how the Australia storm looking likely to hit NASCAR next year could look – plans are afoot for an Erebus Chevrolet to appear in several races ...

Opposite: Erebus CEO Barry Ryan; Brodie Kostecki with RCR’s Richard Childress. Digital Images: SCOTT YORSTON – ssMEDIA

EREBUS REVEALS NASCAR PLANS EREBUS MOTORSPORT HAS SPOKEN EXCLUSIVELY WITH AUTO ACTION ABOUT ITS PLANS TO ENTER SOME NASCAR RACES IN 2024, CAPITALISING ON ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING AND DRIVER BRODIE KOSTECKI’S DESIRE TO EXPLORE MORE ACTION STATESIDE IN 2024 AND BEYOND ...

THE EXACT nature of the campaign will not be known until the release of the Supercar and NASCAR calendars, both of which are expected in the next two weeks, but CEO Barry Ryan says this is not a pipedream or a publicity stunt – it is real and, providing calendars align, it will happen.

By the time Richard Childress and engineer Andrew Dickerson arrive for the Adelaide 500, the plan for 2024 should be clear.

“It is something we’ve talked about for a while, and I’ve always told Betty [team founder Betty Klimenko] that it should be something we look at,” Ryan explained.

“With Brodie having so much interest in it,

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too, and with what he did, it’s silly not to keep developing our relationship with RCR for the benefit of both teams.

“RCR definitely sees value in it for their road course program, and we see value in it. If we can send more staff over there and get some experience in between events, it’s invaluable.

“If we can cycle some of our crew over there, and some engineering staff like George and Tom, we can always learn something. That’s why, for a period there, I did Spa 24 hours, Dubai 24 hours, Macau, and all those races, because you just learn so much.”

He said the timing is now right. Erebus has nailed the Gen3 transition and is

working on winning its first Team and Driver championships – both of which it leads heading into Bathurst – and he says this is not a distraction; rather it will help across the board next year.

Just as drivers need more races, he says the crew does too, and the alignment between the cars and engineering philosophies make it a good time to dabble in the world’s largest touring car series.

“It’s like trying to step into Supercars from another country; we’ll probably go slowly and we’re just in the planning phase at the moment without forgetting what we’ve got to do here first.

“I’d love to one day think we’ve got everything but a pit crew doing NASCAR

because it’s so specialised and they do so much practice that we’d have to have a car and all the equipment here to practice, but I think having a couple of mechanics and maybe George or Tom in the pit box with another crew chief guiding them and contributing to engineering and strategic decisions would be an amazing experience – and that can only make us better here.”

He said the magnitude of what they are talking about has not escaped either him or majority team owner Betty Klimenko, who said in Auto Action five years ago that she wanted to go NASCAR racing.

“It’s just that we believe in ourselves, and we want to ensure that we’re not just a Supercar team, and we can go off and

do some other categories in Australia. But that’s not what Betty’s about, I remember when I first met her, she was, like, ‘world dominance’ was her thing, and everything we’ve ever done, whether it was GT or Utes, we’ve succeeded.

“Every team aspires to win races regularly, and if we can win a championship, then it’s a box ticked – so then what are we going to do next?

Apart from trying to keep winning championships in Supercars, you’ve got to keep moving forward. You don’t go forward if you stand still.

“I think between Brodie’s interest and my explaining to her how it could be done financially – because this would be a business decision, not just Betty spending money – she is on board. This is a way to go over there and work with a team that we’ve already got a relationship with, and the prize money and stuff that you can get over there if you can do a good job, you can pay a big percentage of it, if not a lot of it, through results. It’s different from Supercars.”

Ryan said the relationship between Erebus and RCR started with an introduction from Image Racing’s Terry Wyhoon, through RCR engineer Andrew Dickerson, who used to work for Wyhoon.

He says so far both teams have benefitted from the relationship and that this next step is logical for them, as well as providing opportunities for Kostecki and other Erebus drivers to get more racing, which is important for them to stay at the top of their game.

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“It’ll be like what Brodie and Shane did this year and like a wildcard in Supercars, I guess. We’d like to pick three to four races and sit down with Richard and his team, do a budget, and make sure we can manage that budget. And then, obviously, attract sponsors and train crew and use some of his crew, or there’d be a lot of his crew.

“But as a two- or three-year plan, I’d love to think that we could try and have a base over there that’s Erebus Motorsport, but probably combined with a team like RCR, and to know that we’ve got a program we can run over there, whether it’s four or five races or, ultimately, a whole NASCAR season.”

Ryan adds that we saw the benefits of a NASCAR tie-up when Team Penske was involved with Dick Johnson Racing, and in a series as competitive as Supercars, every advantage you can find is good.

“There is a similarity now between the cars – it’s not like it was in the last generation of cars. There are a lot of things we can cross-pollinate with and make sure we learn from each other, and both being GM teams obviously helps because it just gives us less chance of friction.”

Peter Adderton backed Kostecki with his US-based Mobile X brand, and there is obviously a chance he will be involved, but Ryan said that sort of planning and pitching can’t take place until is clear what races Erebus can do.

“We haven’t dug that deep yet, but obviously Pete was very generous with what he did with Brodie, and we had Earl

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and his team from Shaw & Partners and Steve from Southern Cross Truck Rentals, and they all chipped in to help Brodie get there. I’m sure when we put the program together, they’ll all want to be involved in some way.

“But we can’t lose our focus on Supercars. That’s the biggest thing, so this has got to complement what we’re doing here and not be a replacement or anything.”

He remains cognisant of Kostecki’s desire to compete in more NASCAR races, but he says there is more to this than just future proofing Erebus’ driver line-up, although that has not escaped him or Klimenko – it is just not the focus.

“That’s what you’d love to do,” he said of keeping the championship leader for as long as possible, “but Brodie might be like Shane and decide he wants to go on the track to try and tackle NASCAR head-on – if it means that we’ve helped him get there and we win a championship or two and consistently win races, well then we’re going to be having the next top-line drivers lined up, ready to come into our camp.

“We’d love to keep Brodie as much as we would have loved to have kept Will, but we can’t just sit still. We’ve got to work with Brodie and his wishes – he might be happy to just do three or four races a year, and keep doing Supercars for the next five years ... and then after that he might decide to do NASCAR. Whatever he decides, we’ll back him while he’s an Erebus driver and use his skills, whether it’s in Supercars or overseas.”

He also feels something like this will make Erebus more attractive to the next generation of drivers too and avoid scenarios like the loss of Will Brown at the end of this season without a line-up of drivers to bring through the Erebus system.

With up to seven road course races expected next season, he expects RCR will want the Erebus involvement to help with those, but that ovals remain a possibility as well, with Brodie having cut his racing teeth on ovals in junior NASCAR categories before returning to Australia to run Super2.

“We’re trying to support RCR with the road courses which makes sense, but there could be an oval here and there depending on what they think. We’re going to be guided a lot by them with oval stuff.

“Brodie has done a lot of oval stuff, so it probably wouldn’t be as daunting as it is for someone like Shane, who had never done it. We’ll probably be led by them, and by the calendar, because you don’t want to be doing too much that’s too close to race meetings and stuff like that.

“Both the calendars sound like they’re just a couple of weeks away – then we can put some more reality into this. I won’t say it’s a pipe dream, but it’s something that, until the calendar comes out, we have no idea how it will fall.

“We might only find two races that line up – but we might find six ... I don’t know!

We’ll target three to four, which I think would be a nice number.”

Andrew Clarke

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SIXES AND SEVENS. FUEL STRATEGY TO DECIDE BATHURST WINNERS SIX STOPS MAY NOT BE THE KEY TO WINNING THE FIRST BATHURST 1000 OF THE GEN3 ERA. ANDREW CLARKE TALKS ALTERNATIVE STRATEGIES WITH TICKFORD’S TIM EDWARDS ...

ALL THE talk has been around how you can win Bathurst with the fewest stops possible – but maybe the answer is not the minimising of stops but being a bit more about maximising fuel flow. Plenty has been spoken about removing the requirement of at least seven stops and the now real possibility of five or six, but more may be a better approach.

The new cars are expected to be able to run 30 laps on a tank of fuel, which means five stops – or four if there are plenty of Safety Cars and some fuel saving. But with the history of the race revealing the only stop that really matters is the final one, and how much quicker that is than your rivals, an alternative strategy may be better.

The soon-to-be-departing Tickford Team Principal Tim Edwards says the devil is in the detail and that a combination of fill time and tyre life opens the strategy, with the height of the fuel tank relative to the fuel rig throwing in a new variable.

“It’s interesting though because even though there’s a 135-litre tank, unless you have to, you might not want to fill the last 35,” he says. “The tank is so high inside the car now that when you start to put that last bit of fuel in the top of the tank, the height of that versus the now low height in the fuel tower,

more than 60 minutes and that the 2.5 hour maximum will be around 68 laps without Safety Cars – meaning Lap 93 is the critical number, if the race is green, to allow a lead driver to get home.

OLD PHILOSOPHY (SHORT FILL AT LAP 140) STOP 1 - 0-30 Laps – Co-Driver STOP 2 - 31-60 Laps – Lead Driver STOPS 3 AND 4 - 61-100 – Co-Driver STOP 5 AND 6 – 101-161 – Lead Driver There are a number of Bathurst strategy options according to Tickford team boss Edwards.

Image: MARK HORSBURGH there’s not much height difference, so you lose flow rate at the end.”

He said the height difference from the start of a fill to the end may halve and that has a consequential effect on the flow rates.

Watching that bit of fuel going into the car at such a slow rate may change the plan.

“You’ve got over a metre of difference in head pressure, it will be really slow for that last part.

“You might run a strategy at Bathurst where you’re only ever going to put 100 litres into the car because your pit stop is so much slower. You might work it out and go, ‘Well, you know what? From a tyre point of view,

we’re probably better off if we still do seven stops, which means we’re only going to put in 100 litres versus someone who’s going to do 135 at each stop and they’re only going to do five stops or six stops, but their pit stop is going to be 30 seconds longer because it’s so slow putting that last bit of fuel.”

With estimates stretching out to 30 or more laps for a tank of fuel and no rules around minimum stops, race strategy opens up.

There is a two-and-half-hour maximum for any driver in any stint with a one-hour break and all drivers must run at least 54 Laps.

Here are some strategy options, ignoring Safety Cars. Keep in mind that 30 laps will be The last litres of a complete 135-litre refill could be slow enough to demand a rethink ...

Image: ROSS GIBB

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THE BARCLAY OPTION (SHORT FILL AT LAP 140) STOP 1 - 0-30 Laps – Lead Driver STOP 2 - 31-60 Laps – Co-Driver STOP 3 - 61-90 – Lead-Driver STOP 4 - 91-110 – Co-Driver STOP 5 AND 6 - 111-161 – Lead Driver THE GUN CO-DRIVER OPTION (SHORT FILL AT LAP 150) STOP 1 - 0-30 Laps – Lead Driver STOP 2 - 31-60 Laps – Co-Driver STOP 3 - 61-90 – Lead-Driver STOP 4 - 91-130 – Co-Driver STOP 5 AND 6 - 121-161 – Lead Driver THE SHORT-FILL OPTION (SHORT FILL AT LAP 145) STOP 1 AND 2 - 0-40 Laps – Co-Driver STOP 3 AND 4 – 41-80 Laps – Lead Driver STOP 5 – 81-100 – Co-Driver STOP 6, 7 AND 8 – 101-161 – Lead Driver

FORD AERO CHANGE CONFUSION THE ONGOING SUPERCARS PARITY WARS MAY NOT HAVE A RESOLUTION THAT KEEPS ALL PARTIES HAPPY FOR BATHURST. ANDREW CLARKE INVESTIGATES ...

THE QUEST FOR parity in Supercars took a new turn last weekend when the Ford homologation team, Dick Johnson Racing, said that it believes it has closed the parity gap.

Testing on the #98 wildcard car after Thursday with its lead cars was washed out, DJR ran a new front bar with an infill and a wider rear wing, dealing with both the aero

imbalance and lower top speed of the Mustang.

Along with the already approved light panels for the Mustang which lowers the centre-of-gravity by 1.31mm, it is hoped that parity could finally be at an appropriate level, providing the final hurdle can be overcome.

That final hurdle is approval – which, if not negotiated,

could end up being contentious.

According to our sources, the mythical parity trigger has not been reached since the mid-season trigger, which makes a further round of changes more difficult and open to political pressure.

Under Supercars regulations, the Board can make changes on the recommendation by the Head of Motorsport Adrian Burgess when the trigger has been met. Under rule 1.4.6 it can also make changes when it wants, but is also beholden to the Teams Racing Charter (TRC) which requires a 75% approval vote by each TRC holder outside of an official parity review.

Ford holds 44% of the charters at the moment meaning it will need a significant block of support from Chev-based team owners to support the change – with up to eight of them aligned to Triple Eight, it means that block would need to be broken to avoid any fall-out from an approval – which doesn’t seem likely as AA closed for print.

Supercars is keen for agreement on any changes to avoid protests and other possible legal action.

Stay tuned to the website for updates.

OAM DATA 2023

POLES

WINS

PODIUMS

CHEVROLET

78%

91%

75%

FORD

22%

9%

25%

NEW WHEEL NUTS DESIGNED FOR BATHURST

SUPERCARS TEAMS are expected to arrive at next weekend’s Bathurst 1000 with a new design of wheel nuts following the spectacular failure at the Sandown 500 and another immediately after, at a ride day.

It has been suggested a new design, which is will be compulsory for Bathurst, was given to teams on Tuesday, leaving just eight days to manufacture them before the first on-track session at Mount Panorama on Thursday, October 5.

Wheel nuts were back in focus following the Sandown 500 when the front-running David Reynolds and Garth Tander Grove Racing Mustang was taken out after losing its left-rear wheel in a spectacular mid-race failure.

As the five-time Bathurst 1000 winner negotiated the first left hander of the Dandenong Road Essex section on lap 19, the left-rear suddenly became loose and parted from the Mustang.

The shock moment sent Tander spinning into the barriers at high speed before his first ever Supercars race for Ford ended in the sand trap.

James Moffat was also caught up in the

freak accident with the lost wheel clipping the rear wing of the Monster Mustang.

Post-race, Grove Racing team owner Stephen Grove said the cause of the crash was down to a “faulty wheel nut design”.

The Auto Action motorsport podcast The team that’s not trying to make friends or look after sponsors!

“The issue with Tander was a faulty design on a wheel nut, so not a team or driver error,” he said post-Sandown.

Tander also said in the previous issue of Auto Action that an “investigation was required” because “we can’t have that happening at Bathurst.”

Just one day later another team suffered another wheel nut failure during a ride day session, with the incident also causing a front spindle failure.

It appears the post-Sandown investigation conduced by Supercars and Triple Eight has resulted in a brand new wheel nut design.

The Gen3 cars have a much smaller spindle and wheel nut than the Gen2 versions, which also utilised a safety locking system that stops the nut from coming loose that wasn’t retained this year – and it is suggested that this is one of the solutions being floated.

NEW EPISODES OUT EVERY WEDNESDAY

It’s hard and it’s fast and sometimes it’s a bit rough, but we call it how we see it and pull no punches.

Plenty of analysis and lots of opinion from some of the most experienced motorsport media people in the business - Bruce Williams, Paul Gover and Andrew Clarke. autoactionmag

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EREBUS OUT TO WIN BATHURST BATHURST IS BATHURST, SAYS EREBUS CEO BARRY RYAN, AND KEEPING AN EYE ON THE CHAMPIONSHIP WILL NOT ALTER ITS ATTACK ON THE GREAT RACE. ANDREW CLARKE SPOKE WITH HIM IN THE LEAD-UP TO THE RACE ...

WHEN EREBUS won Bathurst in 2017, Dave Reynolds was 10th in the championship, and it was fifth in the team’s title. This year, it goes into the race with the extra weight of leading both as the series enters its final five races, but CEO Barry Ryan says that will not change how his team approaches the weekend.

Erebus has been the standout team of 2023, showing great consistency across the season with the #99 car of Brodie Kostecki, and now it finds itself in rare territory.

“Of course, we’re thinking about the championship, but our priority is to win Bathurst with either car,” Ryan said.

“Ideally, in my mind, if you’re thinking championship, I want to come out of Bathurst with Brodie more than 150 points ahead of second place. If he wins, that will happen.

“If we do that with only four races left, he can afford a DNF, and then you have a good chance of winning the championship.”

Kostecki leads the series by 155 points from Shane van Gisbergen and Broc Feeney, another 49 back. Will Brown is the only other driver within the 300 points on offer for one round, but at 294 points off

the pace, he will need a lot of luck from here.

“There’s pretty much only been three teams in the past decade and a bit that have had the chance to win a championship. Now we are making that four. I guess it’s a unique situation, but we’re not daunted by it. We’re just doing our job, like we have all year. We’re going there to do our best – if the best is winning, well, great. If it’s coming fifth, we’ll make sure we come fifth and get the points.

“We’ve been pretty methodical, and all the cars were brilliant at Sandown where there weren’t many mechanical issues.

The wheel falling off was unfortunate for Groves, and he was lucky that it didn’t go into the crowd or something, but there’s been a good plan to fix that. Every team’s on board, and a lot of money is being spent again on wheel nuts and clips ... but it’s a safety thing.

“The little problem we had on ride day was another thing that every team’s on top of now; we’re hoping it’s just a freak issue.

There will be an update to that component, because you can’t ignore it, but you can’t make those parts in two weeks. So, we’ve all crack-tested everything and put our

earliest life parts in, and we probably won’t see another issue.”

Despite the doom and gloom statements, he said the cars have been reliable, and even the steering racks have been pretty solid, with the issue more about feel than anything else.

“Touch wood, the cars have been reliable. If we can get through the Sandown 500 smashing those kerbs every lap, I think Bathurst would be a breeze compared to that.

“We’re pretty comfortable with where we’re at,” he said, talking about steering racks. “Now it’s just a feature of the car. It’s not a fault. It’s just that some people don’t like the way it feels. So, if you can’t deal with how it feels ... it’s stiff shit.

“We’ve had a really good system that we’ve used to make sure our racks are all blueprinted and make sure they’re how we want them to be. We’ve got an extravagant dyno that we run them on, and we make sure we know what it’s going to feel like before the driver even gets the rack. All the others need to do is put some systems in place, as they did with the old cars and then, within six months, nobody will be talking about steering racks.”

He also reckons the brakes won’t be an

issue either – all cars running full distance must change brakes at least once in the race. He did not expect the problems he’d heard people talking about to be a reality.

“It’s not a flawed system; we did a heap of them (changes) on the test day, and it was bulletproof. It’s disappointing that we have to do it because this car was supposed to be the start of not having to do brake changes any more at Bathurst.

“We didn’t change brakes at Sandown, and we still had a good performance at the end of the race; it wasn’t a problem, but I think if you did a 1000kms at Sandown, you would have had to. Bathurst is a little bit easier, but if you don’t do a change at Bathurst, you’ll probably be in a bit of trouble by the end of the race.”

Team boss Barry Ryan believes Sandown has eased many of the reliabilty concerns some teams have going into Bathurst.

Image: PETER NORTON

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SCAN HERE TO ACCESS OUR COMPREHENSIVE SUPERCARS EVENT GUIDE.

SUPERCARS AND NSW GOVERNMENT COMMITTED TO NEWCASTLE OPENER DESPITE DOUBTS surrounding the future of the Newcastle 500, both Supercars and the NSW Government have publicly confirmed their commitment to opening the 2024 season at the street race.

A one-year contract extension for the race to take place in 2024 has been put forward.

But doubts are circulating from the location itself after a front-page Newcastle Herald report stated the race “appears destined for the scrap heap”.

However, from the Supercars side of things, the championship is still desperate to continue racing on the seaside street circuit.

“Supercars and Destination NSW are aligned in their shared commitment to host the opening event of the 2024 Supercars Championship in Newcastle,” a Supercars statement read.

“Discussions are ongoing with Newcastle City Council and we continue to work collaboratively to find a resolution swiftly regarding the long-term future of the event in NSW’s second largest city.”

Ministers for Jobs and Tourism John Graham has now come out and voiced his

support for the race.

Graham put the Newcastle 500 on the same pedestal as other “iconic major events” such as the NRL Grand Final, Mardi Gras and Sydney Festival.

“In the current fiscal environment, the NSW Government has prioritised retaining iconic major events such as the NRL Grand final, Mardi Gras, the Newcastle 500, and Sydney Festival,” Graham said.

“These events and others are currently going ahead with one-year extensions while we work through the budget black hole we inherited.

“The NSW Government is committed to finding solutions for our major events that generate economic and social value, delivering community and legacy benefits to our state and we look forward to a resolution for the Newcastle 500.”

The NSW Government media release also indicated “the Government is working towards a five-year deal with Supercars” and “the future of the event now sits firmly in the hands of the Newcastle City Council.”

Although Supercars and the NSW

Government have stated their commitment to the race, a decision from the City of Newcastle council which has made clear it will make the “final decision” may not arrive soon, given the topic was not on the agenda at September’s Council meeting – the next is later in the month.

The front-page Newcastle Herald story headlined ‘Red Flagged’ painted a worrying picture, with Greens councillor John Mackenzie suggesting the event “won’t go ahead” in 2024 unless a last-minute change occurs.

“Unless there is an 11th hour intervention and it comes back to the Council, it won’t go ahead,” Mackenzie told the Newcastle Herald.

“If the council administration is not prepared to push for agreement on a oneyear extension, unless they come back with an alternative offer, it won’t be on the schedule of events next year.”

A potential one-year extension was also described as “inconsistent” by Acting City of Newcastle chief executive David Clarke in a letter.

Despite the worrying signs, Newcastle Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said the event has been “very successful” for the region.

“I would say Supercars has been very successful for Newcastle,” she said.

“It has really showcased us, the city, as being able to host major events.

“I know the Premier is very supportive of having Supercars in Newcastle and a lot of people really want the event to go ahead here.

“But we have to be mindful of all the stakeholders and make sure we go through a methodical process. There is no point rushing this.

“A five-year contract would be something that Council would want to look at closely, but until we a have a deal that is done based on our terms of our consultation earlier this year there is not anything for council to decide at the moment.”

With Supercars setting a soft deadline of this weekend’s Bathurst 1000 for the announcement of the 2024 calendar, time is ticking ...

Thomas Miles

Image: PETER NORTON

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JONO WEBB “FEELING AT HOME” AT PREMIAIR JONATHON WEBB “feels at home” now he is back racing in Supercars, with PremiAir Racing.

After a year and half in the Supercars wilderness since selling Team Sydney to Peter Xiberras, Webb, 39, ironically made his comeback to the team he once owned in the new NULON PremiAir Racing colours.

Driving alongside Tim Slade, the 2016 Bathurst 1000 winner was back like he never left as helped the #23 return to the top 10 with a ninth-place finish at the Sandown 500.

Slade and Webb ran a solid pace all weekend and just missed out on the Shootout before enjoying a clean 158lap journey to ninth.

With Slade finishing in the top 10 once in the previous nine races, Webb said the result was a big boost for everyone at PremiAir Racing ahead of Bathurst.

“The result is not only a good confidence boost for just me but the entire team,” he told Auto Action.

“The key was getting in the car at the test and I was extremely happy with how Friday played out.

“We were so close to getting in the

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Shootout, which would have been amazing, but we knew the car was going to be good because the team had been doing a really good job at getting the car speed, pit stops and flow right.

“We were pretty confident the day was going to be a good one, but you never really know ...

“We sort-of pushed up a few early in the day and then Tim just kept pushing and kept it clean, so to come away with a top 10 has made everyone really, really happy.”

It was a welcome result for Slade; however it was a bigger achievement for Webb who, at 39, was making a Supercars comeback from obscurity.

Having not missed an enduro campaign between 2006 when he debuted with Marcus Marshall and 2021 when he shared a Team Sydney Commodore with Fabian Coulthard, Webb suddenly found himself unfamiliarly away from Mount Panorama last year.

But he is back for 2023 and performed for PremiAir where he “feels at home”.

“Yeah, in my head I had the ability and desire to do it,” he said.

“I am thankful for PremiAir and Peter (Xiberras) for giving me the opportunity to do it.

“I think I had 16 or 17 years at Bathurst straight and had a year off but now I am back again and it feels like I am home.”

In addition to Webb’s arrival as a late replacement for Joey Mawson, PremiAir has had a significant reshuffle behind the scenes with Matty Cook departing and Romy Mayer arriving as the engineer of car #23 just to name a few.

Webb said he feels the team is heading in the right direction for Mount Panorama.

“We have all worked hard as group leading into the enduros,” he said.

“We had a really good start to the season, but was a bit up and down through the middle, so it was up to Dylan (O’Keeffe) and I to help these guys as best we can across the enduros with the idea that momentum will carry on through the remainder of the season.

“The team had a bit of a shakeup coming in, but so far it seems for the good.”

Thomas Miles

DE SILVESTRO GETS TO GRIPS WITH GEN3 DJR WILDCARD racer Simona De Silvestro got in her Bathurst 1000 warm-up laps at Queensland Raceway late last week, as well as getting her first look at new teammate Kai Allen.

The Swiss veteran will take on her sixth Great Race alongside the Super2 rising-star and, in getting her first Gen3 laps out of the way, was able to put aside the ‘stories’ to experience the new Supercars machinery first-hand.

“It’s good to actually drive it, because I’ve heard so many stories about this car,” De Silvestro said.

“You just get into it and learn what the car needs. For sure, it’s different to what I’m used to. But to be honest, it’s been four years since I drove a Supercar.

“The first few laps, I had to get used to sitting on the ‘wrong’ side.

Coming out of corners, I was using a little bit too much road ... things like that – just getting into the groove of it. But, at the end of the day, it has a few pedals, a steering wheel and four wheels. You just try to go as quick as you can with it.”

The Thun (Switzerland)-born racer was also impressed with her running mate, and offered some advice ahead of his maiden assault on the Bathurst 1000.

“Kai is amazing, and we get along quite well, I’m definitely a bit more picky than he is in the car,” she continued.

“One of the team members came in and said it’s pretty good to show you can be a little bit picky. We just need to be comfortable. It’s going to be his first long race – right now we need to be as comfortable as we can.

“My advice to him is that he has to really enjoy himself. When I did my first Indy 500, I went in like a normal race, but as the years went on, I realised how cool it is to be part of it.

“He’s a quick driver, so from that point of view, he’ll be good.”

TW Neal

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RUSSELL EYEING BIG BATHURST RESULT

By Thomas Miles DAVID RUSSELL has become one of the most consistent co-drivers on the grid with Erebus Motorsport and he is optimistic a career-best moment could be around the corner at Bathurst.

Ever since joining Erebus in 2021, Russell and Brodie Kostecki have been a formidable combination, collecting two podiums from three starts and finishing no lower than fourth.

The latest example was at Sandown when the #99 Coke Camaro was a close second to Broc Feeney, while at Bathurst last year Russell produced one of the standout co-driver performances in tricky conditions.

Since then the team has gathered more information at a pre-Bathurst test at Winton which has put Russell in a confident frame of mind ahead of the big race.

“A lot of people do not realise how little mileage the co-drivers had to get up to speed with Gen3, so it was great to get more seat time,” he told Auto Action.

“The test gives me confidence. I am not trying to get up to speed in the car still and now it is about refining things for Bathurst.

“We have had such a good lead-up and are better prepared for Bathurst than we have ever been.

“After having strong results at Bathurst previously, plus with the team’s performance this year, our eyes are firmly focused on one thing, which is winning the race.”

Russell is a veteran of the Supercars enduro scene, having first taken on Bathurst in 2003 driving an AU Falcon with Jose Fernandez.

Despite the odd test with the likes of BJR, he then had to patiently wait another seven years before his next

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crack at Mount Panorama when he teamed up with former Super2 rival Jonathon Webb.

He has not missed a Great Race since, with a long time spent at Kelly Racing/ Nissan, plus brief stints at Tickford and Matt Stone Racing.

But it has been at Erebus where Russell has felt most at home, making the most of the opportunity after his time at Tickford was cut short.

Russell revealed the productive partnership all started with a careerchanging phone call with Barry Ryan, where the driver went from being on the road to racing elsewhere to suddenly being at Erebus.

“In 2020 I had driven with Garry Jacobson and, from memory, we were top five in the co-driver sessions so the pace was still there,” he recalled.

“I had some discussions with a few teams and one was going down the line, but then Barry called me out of the blue.

“The timing was very good for him because I had not signed a deal just yet.

“I had been impressed with what I had seen from Brodie and Barry explained what they had planned with the team.

“When I saw what was coming together and the opportunity to work with (former Nissan engineer) George Commins again it was soon a nobrainer.

“We very quickly nutted out a deal on the phone and I had a contract that afternoon.”

Once Russell arrived at Erebus, he immediately knew he made the right decision.

“From the first test day we gelled very quickly,” Russell recalled.

“The way Erebus goes racing sort of resonates with me, putting a lot of effort into the car and thinking all the processes through.

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“I feel part of the Erebus family and they made me feel welcome from when I first joined and that has continued on.”

Whilst the last two years Kostecki and Russell have put their heads down with nothing to lose at Mount Panorama, this year they take on the Great Race with the added pressure of being championship leaders.

Although this is a new position for Kostecki, Russell and the team, the co-driver is not feeling any extra weight and is sticking to the same processes that have worked well in the past.

“For me nothing changes and the goal remains the same,” he said.

“Brodie and the team are doing a great job and we have a fast car which means you are not overdriving the car or trying to compensate in different areas.

“I think when everything is going well there is no pressure built up in any way. You know what you have to do, just get down to business and the rest will take care of itself.

“We have had some good results recently, but for me there is one missing which is a trophy with a P1 and that has always been the goal.

“The biggest thing at Bathurst as a co-driver is trying to minimise risk, but everyone else has that same goal so we just need to make sure we prepare ourselves as well as possible and put it all together when the time comes.”

Image: SUPPLIED

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SPORTS SEDANS RETURN TO THE MOUNTAIN

RECORD MOTOGP CALENDAR REVEALED THE AUSTRALIAN Motorcycle Grand Prix will retain its traditional October date as part of a record MotoGP calendar in 2024. There will be 22 stops next year, which breaks the record for the most races in a single season (21 this year). For the 35th anniversary of the first Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix at Phillip Island, the race will be held from October 18-20, 2024.

The season opens in Qatar once again on March 8-10 and wraps up with the familiar Valencia finale on November 15-17. A second crack at staging the inaugural Kazakhstan Grand Prix will take place on June 14-16, while Aragon returns.

PREMIAIR RETAINS BOTH ITS DRIVERS FOR 2024 PREMIAIR RACING has locked away its 2024 lineup, announcing that both Tim Slade and James Golding will stay put next year. Slade and Golding sit 13th and 15th in the championship in a year that has been full of highs and lows. They started with top five speed at Newcastle, but have struggled to remain in the 10 on a consistent basis. It offers PremiAir a chance of stability for the first time in its short history having fielded three separate full-time drivers in 2022 and Slade leaving BRT and replacing Chris Pither this season.

CAMERON TO STAY IN SUPER2 AFTER A solid Sandown debut, Aaron Cameron will enjoy an extended stay in Super2 and complete the remainder of the 2023 season.

The longtime TCR and successful S5000 racer will continue racing the #27 SCHRAMM Group Racing Ford Mustang at the upcoming Bathurst and Adelaide rounds that conclude the Dunlop Series.

It is a major boost for the 23-year-old who is looking to make an impact in the Supercars world having been a TCR championship contender since his rookie season and currently leads the S5000 standings.

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Image: RICCARDO BENVENUTI ROUND 4 of the Precision National Sports Sedans Series represents the category’s “biggest event in 30 years” as it completes a long awaited return to The Mountain on October 5-8.

It’s a huge window of opportunity for the category with the Gold Coast 500 to follow, but of more immediate importance, it goes to the Bathurst 1000 with a stacked 34-car grid.

The last round at SMP gave a tantalising glimpse of what lies ahead for the ‘big front-three’ after series legend Tony Ricciardello took the championship lead in his iconic Alfa Romeo GTV. Jordan Caruso was heading for a sweep when his Audi A4 engine

decided to quit in Sydney, which has been replaced with the spare 6L V8 Chev heart. And aside from him being a keen and highly rated sim-driver, he’s never tackled The Mountain in a Sports Sedan ... and that will be a good watch.

The other expected front-runner is Steve Tamasi in the Holden Calibra after he finally got it up to speed at SMP before he pulled out of the Sunday with engine issues to ensure a clean bill of health for Mount Panorama.

Whilst the trio is expected to run up front from a large and competitive mid-pack – headlined by Ashely Jarvis who still holds second over Caruso

in his Monaro – there’s plenty of unknowns that await the field.

Getting the set-up right from gear to diff ratios, and then achieving an even gearing both up and down the mountain, whilst balancing lap time over top-end speed are the big key factors, with the first Practice session on Thursday set to be a fascinating insight into what might unfold.

Making a category debut is Ronan Murphy, son of Greg, in a MARC Ford Focus in a trial by fire, whilst another Kiwi in Angus Fogg also returns after debuting at SMP in his handsome 1970 Fastback Mustang, which set the TCM category lap record in 2019 at Bathurst.

Category manager and competitor, Michael Robinson, says it’s a defining weekend.

“It’s the biggest thing for us in 30 years, it’s a major stepping stone, and we expect to keep going with Supercars from here. They’re excited from what they’ve seen,” Robinson told Auto Action.

“They love what we bring with the uniqueness of not being a one-make series, and the crowd loves it. It’s been a while since we’ve been in front of a crowd like this, and I think it will make a big impression.”

TW Neal

CLASSIC CARS TO CELEBRATE MILESTONE SOME OF the most illustrious cars to take on the Mountain will be the focal point of the 60th anniversary Bathurst 1000 celebrations this weekend, giving fans a dose of nostalgia.

Thirty years after it conquered Mount Panorama, Larry Perkins and Greg Hansford’s Castrol VP Holden Commodore will return after being recently restored by Larry’s son Jack.

In 1993, the Commodore delivered Perkins a fourth Bathurst 1000 crown, but his first as a team owner.

Perkins and Hansford prevailed by 10s after a cat-and-mouse battle with the Gibson Commodore of Mark Skaife and Jim Richards.

Arguably the most emotional Great Race was 2006 which occurred shortly after the tragic passing of nine-time winner Peter Brock.

Fittingly, Brock’s understudy Craig Lowndes held off Rick Kelly in a finish for the ages to give Jamie Whincup and Triple Eight Race Engineering a maiden Bathurst crown, plus Ford a first in eight years.

The memorable Betta Electrical BA Falcon will return to the track as part of the display.

In addition to Whincup’s first Bathurst winner, his last will also be on show.

The 2012 Holden VE Commodore known as ‘Kate’ is the second most successful car in ATCC/Supercars

Image: MOTORSPORT IMAGES-MARK HORSBURGH history and Whincup and Paul Dumbrell drove it to victory in the 50th anniversary 2012 Bathurst 1000.

Whilst it may not have achieved incredible results, the only car legends Peter Brock and Allan Moffat shared at Bathurst will also be wheeled out.

The 1986 Holden Dealer Team VK Commodore will return in its Mobil colours.

The dream combination had to settle for fifth after a troubled weekend which included a heavy practice crash at Skyline.

Not only are famous race winners being celebrated, but also some iconic Shootout cars.

The 2023 event is the 45th anniversary since the first Top 10 Shootout was held at Mount Panorama in 1978.

Then known as Hardie’s Heroes, Brock took pole position with a

2:20.006s in his Holden A9X Torana, eight-tenths faster than Colin Bond.

To mark the anniversary, a number of notable Shootout cars will be stationed in the Harris Park precinct along pit straight.

In his first ever crack at the Mountain, Marcos Ambrose produced a stunning 2:09.6770s.

Those famous Pirtek colours (above) which took pole in their first appearance, in 2001, and were retained in 2002 will be back at Bathurst as will the Allan Moffat ANZ Ford Sierra from 1990 which will also be part of the Shootout demonstration.

Moffat’s German co-driver Klaus Niedzwiedz topped the shootout with a 2:13.94s.

More cars have been promised to take part in the “special displays” which will entertain fans this weekend.

Thomas Miles

PORSCHE CARRERA CUP AUSTRALIA LOOKING TO RACE OVERSEAS AUTO ACTION can confirm that plans are underway to take a round of the 2024 Porsche Carrera Cup Australia offshore, to Suzuka in Japan.

It is believed the event in Japan which will be held in the first part of the season will coincide with a round of the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia series and will be run as a combined event.

Running a combined event would be similar to a couple of other occasions that the Australian and Asian based singlemake series have joined forces, such as Malaysia 2017.

The provisional calendar for the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia series, confirms a proposed date in May for Suzuka.

The potential offshore program was discussed at a Porsche Carrera Cup Australia teams forum held in Melbourne

during the recent Sandown 500 race meeting.

Members of the Porsche Carrera Cup Australia management team attended last weekend’s Japanese Formula 1 Grand Prix to explore options for facilities and to plan for the possible event.

Porsche Motorsport management are looking at dropping a local round to maintain an eight-round series.

It is likely that the Darwin Supercars event will be the likely omission from the calendar.

It has also been suggested that the round which is listed on the provisional calendar for a round at the Sandown 500 event could be replaced by a round at The Bend Motorsport Park.

It is believed the costs for competitors to transport the cars, plus secure flights and

accommodation in Japan will be similar to what is currently required to travel to Darwin.

If the Porsche Carrera Cup Australia does go racing at Suzuka next year, it will not be the championship’s first tie up with the Asian series.

It was in 2016 that the two series combined for a race meeting run at Sydney Motorsport Park alongside Supercars.

The Australian and Asian Porsche series held two races each across the weekend before concluding with a 10-lap combined Pro race won by Matt Campbell.

The Australian series then headed offshore a year later when it held a championship round at Malaysia’s Sepang International Circuit in July 2017 in combination with its Asian counterpart.

David Wall dominated at the former Formula 1 circuit, winning both Porsche Carrera Cup Australia races.

Auto Action spoke to several team owners and competitors who confirmed that the potential Japanese round had been raised and that the idea was seen to be a positive move.

A travel support package is also on offer for both options for the Japanese, Darwin and Townsville rounds.

Bruce Williams

POTENTIAL 2024 PORSCHE CARRERA CUP AUSTRALIA CALENDAR – OPTION 2 R1: Australian Grand Prix, March 21-24 R2: Suzuka, May (Or Darwin) R3: Townsville, July R4: Sydney, July R5: Sandown* September R6: Bathurst, October R7: Gold Coast, October R8: Adelaide, November *Option –The Bend Motorsport Park The Australian Porsche series has raced overseas before – here at Malaysia’s Sepang circuit.

Image: MARK HORSBURGH

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ATR GOES ONGRID THE AUSTRALIAN Tarmac Rally (ATR) group has employed some important overseas technology, joining the revolutionary ‘onGRID’ motorsports platform. The system allows competitors to register for ATR events with the ease of just a few clicks, doing away with the boundless red-tape of the past.

The German based software company released a statement saying, “we are thrilled to announce our new partnership with ATR, backed by passionate rally enthusiasts dedicated to producing top-level tarmac rallies in the breathtaking Victorian Alpine and Gippsland regions. The next ATR event is The Great Tarmac Rally in Marysville, VIC, on October 21-22.

SVG RUNS SECOND IN DAYBREAKER SHANE VAN Gisbergen took second place behind ERC champion Hayden Paddon (who won all 11 stages) at the returning Daybreaker Rally in the NZ Rally Championship on the North Island, on September 22/23. In challenging conditions in the Manawatu and Rangitikei districts, SVG ran a comfortable second in his Audi S1 AP4 alongside co-driver Glen Weston, 3min 8sec behind his fellow NZ racing star. He’ll return to the NZRC one more time for the foreseeable future at the Rally Bay of Plenty in Whakatane on October 15-16, sandwiched neatly between the Bathurst 1000 and Gold Coast 500.

WTAC AN SMP CROWD HIT THE 2023 Yokohama World Time Attack Challenge Sydney saw over 35,000 fans pack into SMP over two days. A stacked schedule provided plenty of thrills, including title winner Barton Mawer rewriting the record books with a 1:17.860 lap in his Porsche RP968, and a host of renowned international and local stars driving some of the most powerful machinery on the planet. CEO Ian Baker said “Records were broken across the board, and I really noticed the smiles on the dials!

“The happiness this event brings to so many is unquestionable and the feedback overwhelmingly positive. We welcomed the world back, and the world loved it!

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NEW SPIRIT OF TARGA REVEALED AS ANTICIPATION builds for the return of the famous TARGA Tasmania tarmac rally in 2024, the first ever Spirit of TARGA conference will be held in February next year.

To prepare competitors for the event’s return after the 2023 cancellation and split with Motorsport Australia, TARGA will conduct the Spirit of TARGA on February 9-11 2024 at Mount Buller.

The event is highlighted by a presentation and Q&A session fronted by TARGA CEO Mark Perry about how the 2024 edition of the iconic tarmac rally will take place without Motorsport Australia sanctioning but with the safety recommendations following a review into the fatalities of previous events.

But festivities such as welcome parties, lunches and the announcement of a new-to-Australia event will also take place.

The flexible three-day event is open to anyone who has a connection to TARGA on and off the road.

It begins with a Welcome Party on the Friday night before a presentation of the rule changes takes place on Saturday.

An “extensive Q&A session, to ensure complete transparency and knowledge” will follow, as will the announcement of TARGA’s long-term business plan.

This proceeds a lunch and dinner

Image: TARGA

where interviews and entertainment are promised before the event wraps up on Sunday.

Anyone who is connected to TARGA both on and off the road, from competitors to officials to families, is invited.

TARGA CEO Mark Perry said the event is designed to reconnect the TARGA community ahead of the rally’s comeback next year.

“We’re excited to announce something a little different for everyone in the TARGA family to enjoy in the months leading up to a return of TARGA Tasmania in April,” Perry wrote in a CEO’s update.

“What is the SPIRIT OF TARGA all about? It is about catching up with old friends over a meal and a wine. It is about learning from each other as to how you have dealt with the tough times, and how we will move forward

to a bright future.

“It will also be a great opportunity for you to have direct input into TARGA’s future and hear from me about what has happened, how we got here and what we have planned for 2024 and beyond.

“I also plan on holding the largest Q&A session ever undertaken

by TARGA to ensure complete transparency and knowledge before our return.

“I will also present the long-term business plan for TARGA, which will include the announcement of an exciting new event not seen in Australia before.”

Perry also said there has been a “steady flow of flow of responses about the regulations and intentions to be at TARGA Tasmania” as responses closed on Saturday, September 30. Thomas Miles

SUPERCARS STARS VOTE YES TO SUPPORTING INDIGENOUS YOUTH THE RACING Together program has made strides on and off the track, supporting Indigenous youth in motorsport in 2023, but at Queensland Raceway recently they were supported by two Supercars stars.

Dick Johnson Racing race winner Anton De Pasquale (pictured) and Triple Eight Race Engineering wildcard driver Zane Goddard jumped on board to share driving duties with youngsters Karlai Warner and Braedyn Cidoni respectively at the recent EFS 4x4 Accessories Excel Cup. It was a big weekend at the fifth round of the Queensland Racing Drivers Championship with a 30-lap sprint held in addition to the main event 300km enduro.

In the 30-lap sprint, which set the grid for the big race, things were going swimmingly with Warner and Cidoni sitting ninth and fifth respectively before mechanical dramas halted their momentum.

Whilst the obstacles did not disappear, the big 300km race was a more successful affair.

Warner and De Pasquale started strongly, rising from 18th to 14th on lap one before settling into ninth.

But an off at Turn 1 by the youngster

Image: MTR IMAGES

meant car #71 dropped to 23rd.

However, De Pasquale put his head down and “drove like a champ” to pick off his rivals before snatching a top 10 spot on the very last lap.

There was more misfortune for Cidoni and Goddard, who were showing strong progress before gearbox dramas got in the way.

But no matter the result, Racing Together director Garry Connelly said the experiences both the young program members and Supercars drivers shared across the weekend meant it will have a much greater impact than a trophy.

“The purpose of the project is not to win races – that is just a bonus. The kids were rapt and learnt so much from Zane and Anton,” he told Auto Action.

“They were not just providing driver tips, but also everything from diet and a whole lot of things.

“It was brilliant and I think they got a kick out of it themselves and even

indicated they would love to do it again.”

The relationship with De Pasquale goes back to when Racing Together first turned wheels back in 2020, whilst the partnership with Goddard only materialised during the recent Triple Eight wildcard at Darwin when program participants designed the livery.

The Excel Enduro was just one part of what has been a big year of growth for Racing Together with 10 kids, both at Brisbane and Townsville.

It now has grown to operate three Hyundai Excels, whilst making its debut in the Toyota 86 Scholarship Series and moving into new headquarters at Queensland Raceway.

“The whole objective is to teach kids skills that enable them to get a job in motorsport,” Connelly said.

“So far we have been very successful and it is going very well with five kids in full-time employment which is a 10,000 percent increase compared to what was there three years ago.

“We had a one-off in the Scholarship Series and would love to get kids into the 86 Series which is the next objective ... but it is just a matter of budget.” Thomas Miles

Image: REBECCA HIND/REVVED PHOTOGRAPHY

SANDOWN HISTORICS TO CELEBRATE THUNDER OF YESTERYEAR

Hillyer (left) with his Sonic team-mates, Jake Santalucia and Conor Summers.

HILLYER WRAPS UP FORMULA FORD TITLE IN STYLE MATT HILLYER felt “epic” after joining an illustrious list of young drivers to win the Australian Formula Ford Series after wrapping up the title emphatically at the recent Phillip Island Victorian State Race Series meeting.

A special three-peat at the sweeping Victorian circuit was the perfect way for Hillyer to clinch the championship, with one round still to go, at the Bend Motorsport Park, with Zak Lobko an unassailable 92-points adrift.

The #2 driver is the 14th to take the Formula Ford crown with Sonic Motor Racing Services, joining the likes of Supercars stars Will Davison, Jamie Whincup, David Reynolds, Nick Percat and Anton De Pasquale among others.

“To take the 2023 series win, is absolutely epic for me,” Hillyer reflected.

“It means a lot – all the team at Sonic do such a great job to give me such a reliable car and to make me the best I can possibly be.

“None of the hard work goes unnoticed, so a big thank you to every single person at Sonic for all that they do.

“A big thanks to my sponsors and also to my parents for giving me the best opportunities.”

Despite Lobko winning the opener, Hillyer emphatically hit back, winning the next four races on the bounce at Morgan Park and Sydney Motorsport Park.

His championship campaign was halted at Tasmania where a Race 2 spin meant he lost significant ground to his rivals.

But, since then, Hillyer has been close to unstoppable, winning eight of the last nine races, including sweeps at Winton and Phillip Island.

The late charge has meant the Sonic young gun is in an unbeatable position heading into the finale.

Going forward, the Formula Ford title might open some big opportunities for Hillyer, who is also operating in the Toyota 86 Series as a Walkinshaw Andretti United driver.

With Ryan Wood heading to Supercars, a WAU drive in Super2 could be the next step in 2024.

But before then Hillyer wants to send off a stunning 2023 Formula Ford season at The Bend finale on October 13-15.

Thomas Miles

WHATS ON: OCTOBER CALENDAR

THE NATION'S

ACTION TRACK! WINTONRACEWAY.COM.AU

THE VHRR Sandown Historics is fast approaching, on November 10-12, with big crowds and big fields expected across the board, with the on-track entries looking to pass the 300 mark for its Thunder of Yesterday theme.

Among the highlights of this year’s event is certainly the Historic Sports Sedans, which are expected to have nearly 30 cars on the entry list which – will likely feature over two grids, with plenty of entries coming over from Queensland and South Australia.

Among some of the Sports Sedans to be taking the field will be the famed and restored Clem Smith Chrysler Charger, the Mercedes 450 SLC that was driven by the likes of John Bowe and Brad Jones, the Doug Clark Celica GT that terrorised Queensland field’s in the 80’s, the awesome Graeme Whincup built Chevrolet Monza (pictured), Peter Fowler’s recreation of Bryan Thompsons VW Fastback, and many more throwbacks to a great age of Aussie Sports Sedans.

There will be plenty of Historic Formula Fords and Formula Vees expected, as well as another appearance of the Formula 5000s, and there’s also something special planned for this year’s Regularity class.

Alongside the two 15-minute outings, there will also be a two-driver, half-hour mini enduro, featuring driver changes and enforced pit-stops for single entry drivers that want to take part.

There will also be the J,K, and L classes, P,Q, and R, and M and O classes, all of which will bring good grid numbers.

With group N being another of the main attractions, the C and A classes will also run a sprint alongside the tribute cars.

There’s also going to be large display attractions in the Red Hill area, and this year’s celebration displays on the concourse will be centred around 100 years of the MG, as well as 50 years of the Honda Civic, with the latter also having put on a display at Phillip Island earlier in the year.

The event will run from Friday to Sunday November 10-12 with free admission on the opening day, with adult $40 on Saturday, and $50 on Sunday. A weekend pass is $80 with free entry for accompanied children under the age of 15. TW Neal

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NATIONALS NEWS

STOP / GO

SARGENT NAMED FOR US GT DEBUT PORSCHE CARRERA Cup North America Aussie Tom Sargeant has been named to make his GT World Challenge America debut at the Indianapolis Road Course at the Indy 8 Hour on October 6.

The McElrea racer will race for DXDT RACING Team alongside Bryan Sellers, and Scott Smithson in the #8 Mercedes AMG GT3 after impressing with his lap times at the recent CCNA event.

“Even though I’ve only done a few laps in the Mercedes I was fortunate enough to gain some track experience on the IMS Road course recently,” he said. It’s his first enduro since winning the B6H with Cam Hill in ’22.

COX TO RACE SOLO TA2 RACE AT SMP TCR AUSTRALIA driver Jordan Cox will make his Solo TA2 Muscle Car Series debut at SMP on October 1314, subbing for Mark Crutcher in the #4 Mustang. Cox and Crutcher took out the 35 lap twin-driver enduro at the Hi-Tec Oils Super Series round at Hidden Valley, and he can’t wait to swap the TCR Peugeot for the V8 machinery. “I’m pumped to make my first solo TA2 start in Sydney. It’s a great category with great cars, and great competitors as well, so I’m super excited to get into it,” Cox said.

BROWN HYPED FOR SOME SPRINTCAR DATES WILL BROWN is set to take on some yet-to-be-finalised Sprintcar dates in the upcoming 2023-24 season, with Dyson Motorsport.

Brown engaged in testing at the Eastern Creek Speedway earlier in the year with positive results.

Dyson Motorsports is certainly no stranger to big name pro drivers after last year running American World of Outlaws Sprintcar star Carson Macedo in its #99 Lancaster GMSV, taking a handful wins in a successful campaign.

Brown is currently heading towards the end of his time with Erebus Motorsport in the 2023 Supercars season and, prior to suiting up Triple Eight in 2024, he wants to fill in some competitive off-season time in the 900hp dirt track machinery.

He cites the driver he’s replacing at T8 as an influence for wanting to give Sprintcar a go, saying he admires Shane van Gisbergen’s willingness and skill to be able jump into anything.

But he also says that he “wanted to see what all the hype was about”, with several other Supercar drivers like Cameron Waters and teammate Brodie Kostecki also having recently jumped into the machinery.

“I wanted to see what the hype was about – how hard they are to

drive and the horsepower. There’s probably no discipline like Sprintcars and I thought I’ve got to give it a go,” Brown related.

“Over the last couple of years, even though he’s a competitor of mine, I’ve idolised SVG and what he’s been doing, and what he’s capable of doing in Drift cars, in NASCAR, in Rally cars – everything.

“Jumping between different disciplines and wanting to be up the front in all of them. So, that’s the thing. I just thought ‘a Sprintcar, something different, really cool piece of equipment. Can I jump in it and be able to do a good job in it?’ ” The chance to test came about via some long term sponsors, Lancaster GMSV.

EASTERN CREEK FUTURE REMAINS CLOUDED

Image: COX PHOTOGRAPHY

PALUMBO BOUND FOR THE BEND RONNIE PALUMBO passed his all important Top Doorslammer Licence test to confirm he’ll be racing the revitalised Fabietti Racing ACDelco Monaro at the opening round of the National Drag Racing Championship. The 2017 championship-winning Monaro returns to the top-tier at the opening of the new Dragway at The Bend on October 21-22. Palumbo made two sub-six second passes at the Sydney Dragway to stamp his ticket in the 3500hp beast.

“Wow! There are no words to describe what happened yesterday. Had to pinch myself to make sure it all was not a dream,” Palumbo said.

16 I www.autoaction.com.au

And subsequently, thanks to the personal friendship between Mark Lancaster and Sean Dyson of Dyson Motorsport, the opportunity was successfully orchestrated, which quickly became a vision to get him behind the wheel competitively.

“After a great test, we decided that we may have a go at running some events during the 2023/2024 Sprintcar season, with dates yet to be locked in,” said Lancaster “We are all looking to have a bit of fun in Will’s Supercar off-season” The car will be sponsored by Lancaster GMSV, Complete Parts & Equipment Solutions, Heritage Farming & KMC Wheels, along with the Dyson Motorsport team.

TW Neal

THE IMMEDIATE operating future of the Eastern Creek Speedway remains clouded following the sudden cancellation of its 2023/24 season on September 14 after its venue operators, Speedway Promotions Pty Ltd, put an end to its two-year tenure.

Little information was provided at the time, leaving the speedway community and competitors in the dark after an initial statement from the Sprintcar Association of NSW simply read: “Unfortunately the season, which was due to begin on September 23 at Eastern Creek Speedway, has been cancelled. No further details have been provided.”

With the lack of information provided, rumours of cost blowouts at the venue owing to the ongoing drainage issues of the ‘saucer-shaped’ track abounded, with some figures putting the initial $40 million out past $100 million to solve the issue and to keep the state-of-the-art venue running.

Following that, Speedway Australia remained silent on the matter until breaking its silence with a public statement on September 22 which positively declared that: “After recent conversations with the NSW Government, Speedway Australia are confident that racing will return to Sydney’s Eastern Creek Speedway in the near future,” the

statement began.

“The departure of the previously appointed operators was unexpected, however Speedway Australia have been in communication with the government exploring multiple options to provide a swift return to racing.”

That statement was then rescinded by the national speedway body on September 29, saying that the information it provided on the near future reopening was misleading.

“Speedway Australia wishes to address recent developments surrounding Eastern Creek Speedway,” it began.

“We have taken note of certain discrepancies and miscommunications that require clarification, and we apologise for any confusion that may have arisen.

“In our earlier media release, Speedway Australia conveyed information regarding Eastern Creek Speedway. Thanks to the previous operators, we have since discovered that the information we relied upon was incomplete and did not provide a comprehensive view of the situation.

“On this basis, Speedway Australia formally retracts the statement made concerning the status of the venue’s operation. We recognise the importance of accurate and transparent communication and regret any confusion that may have resulted from our previous release.”

The statement also confirmed that it would not be a part of the appointment process in selecting a new operator, but that it would act as a mediator between all parties.

Auto Action attempted to contact Speedway Australia, and a representative of the body said that there “won’t be any comment in addition to the [September 29] statement at this stage.” TW Neal

THE BEND DRAGWAY BUZZING AFTER PASSING EARLY TEST THE ANTICIPATION can be felt in the “phenomenal” air at the new Dragway at The Bend facility, which successfully held its first event on September 22.

On the Friday night, a strong total of 120 entrants took to the brand new state-of-theart drag strip as part of the Harley Davidson HogFest celebrating 120 years event.

In addition to the on track action created by the 90 bikes on show, 2500 fans also sat in the stands to catch a glimpse of racing at the new Dragway.

Dragway at The Bend general manager Steve Bettes hailed the maiden event as a big success: “The overall event was quite amazing and a good test for us,” he told Auto Action.

“We had over 2000 Harley Davidson owners group members at The Bend and 120 entrants in the drag racing event.

“There were a couple of little glitches at the start, not so much with the facility, more over technical regulations.

“But we ironed them out pretty quickly and the event ran faultlessly from that point on.

“It was purely a ‘grudge race’, where they selected who they wanted to run in the various classes of Competition Bike, Modified Bike, Street Bike and then the Harley owners group.

“It was a great fun night with a lot of people in the stands.

Venue owner Sam Shahin has delivered an A-grade drag racing facility.

“We also showed off a little of what our LED and TV screens are capable of, so it all worked very well.”

The successful opening event was a further boost, following the announcement the Australian National Drag Racing Association and the Dragway at The Bend signed an official sanctioning agreement.

After completing a successful track inspection, ANDRA will provide sanctioning for a wide range of events at the new complex.

“The completion of Dragway at The Bend has been hotly anticipated by the entire Australian drag racing community

and ANDRA is pleased to be a part of the operation of this world-class facility through the provision of sanctioning services,” ANDRA Chief Executive Officer, Tim McAvaney said.

“With the track inspection completed, we look forward to seeing the first ever events being held here, including October’s Spring Nationals – the first national-level event for the venue.”

Shell V-Power Motorsport Park managing director Sam Shahin said these are just the first steps of the Dragway’s exciting future with the huge Spring Nationals event where over 280 racers are expected

to kick off the National Drag Racing Championships Top Fuel season in style on October 21-22.

“It was a fantastic opportunity to welcome the public into our newest precinct ahead of the Spring Nationals in October,” Shahin said.

“The Dragway at The Bend has been 10 years in the making, we promised it and now we’ve delivered it.

“We look forward to welcoming a capacity crowd on October 21-22 for the return of the Australian Top Fuel Championship to South Australia.”

Bruce Williams with Thomas Miles

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LATEST NEWS

WALKINSHAW ANDRETTI UNITED HOPING “CRAZY” BATHURST BUILD UP PAYS OFF HAVING SUFFERED a nightmare Sandown 500, Walkinshaw Andretti United hopes a “crazy amount of work” leaves it on track for a return to form at Mount Panorama.

Walkinshaw Andretti United is stumbling to this weekend’s Bathurst 1000 after its worst Sandown 500 performance since 1995.

Neither the #25 of Chaz Mostert and Lee Holdsworth or the #2 of Nick Percat and Fabian Coulthard finished inside the top 20 on a day lacking of pace and full of frustration highlighted by Holdsworth’s frequent visits to the pits to repair battle scars.

But now sights are set on Mount

Panorama where all previous frustrations could disappear with a strong performance at the biggest race of the year.

Walkinshaw Andretti United has a proud history at the race and not even an untimely puncture could stop Mostert and Holdsworth from charging to one of the most peerless Bathurst wins of recent times in 2021.

Mostert also scored a solid second at the Mountain last year, but being the squad’s first Great Race with the “Blue Oval” on board, previous history counts for nothing. Gen3 at Bathurst is a new challenge for everyone which is why Mostert said the team has undergone a

“crazy amount of work” since Sandown to rediscover some speed.

“The holy grail is here, it’s Bathurst, there is nothing quite like this week..

“We have had a pretty big debrief as a team, the whole crew have put in a crazy amount of work in the last few weeks, it’s awesome to see the commitment from everyone!

“It will be an interesting weekend.

We know the Mountain could chuck anything at us, throw in the soft tyre which we have never used around here and it is going to be an exciting race.”

Holdsworth carried on his momentum from his 2021 victory with Mostert into 2022 where he put the Grove Mustang on the

front row and led the crazy opening period of the race.

Despite a disappointing trip to Sandown, he is sure WAU will bounce back.

“I’m pumped to be getting back behind the wheel. A huge amount of work has gone into the last two weeks, so I’m confident heading in we can bounce back strongly,” Holdsworth said.

“As we know, anything can happen at Bathurst, the track is one of the best in the world, the first time over the top will be special.”

The first of six practice sessions begins at 13.20 AEST this Thursday.

Thomas Miles

BRT UNVEIL F1 STYLE BATHURST WILDCARD THE BLANCHARD Racing Team (BRT) wildcard will take on Mount Panorama with a striking Mercedes Formula 1 style Petronas livery this weekend.

After the #7 Mustang made its debut at the hands of Aaron Love and Jake Kostecki with Racer Industries colours at Sandown, the livery has received an upgrade.

Replacing the Racer Industries red is the Petronas aqua, while the aggressive black look has been retained.

The style is the Supercars version of the black livered Mercedes Formula 1 cars of 2020, 2021 and 2023.

It is not the first time the worldwide brand has been seen at Supercars, with Petronas backing Tim Blanchard’s own wildcard ZB Commodore at Wanneroo in 2019 when he raced in silver.

The BRT team owner said it is a thrill to have a famous logo on the doors of the #7 Mustang at the biggest race of the year.

“For BRT, having PETRONAS on the grid at the Bathurst

1000 is an exciting prospect,” said Blanchard.

“It truly validates our Super2 program – not only have we been able to develop Aaron and prove his skills by participating in the main game for this wildcard campaign, our PETRONAS partnership also steps up to the next level.

“PETRONAS has an incredible legacy in motorsport, and without a doubt, the livery will be a standout on Mount Panorama.

“Both Aaron and Jake put in a solid effort at Sandown, and with that experience under their belts, they should be in a position to have a great run at Bathurst.”

Love arrived at Sandown as a fresh faced rookie with just three Super2 rounds under his belt in addition to his domestic and global Porsche career.

He teamed up with the returning Kostecki and they achieved their

objective of greeting the chequered flag.

After getting as high as 15th, the pair of young West Australians finished 24th, two laps down.

Both drivers will be looking to build on the foundations made at Sandown at the biggest challenge of all, Mount Panorama’s Bathurst 1000 this weekend.

Thomas Miles

OLIPHANT ADDS INTERNATIONAL FLAVOUR TO V8 SUPERUTES BRITISH TCR driver Tom Oliphant will add an international flavour to the V8 SuperUte Series field at Mount Panorama Bathurst this weekend.

Oliphant will jump behind the wheel of the JKD Family Racing Toyota Hilux for the fifth round of the season.

The TCR Australia driver is subbing for Dean Brooking, who the team stated “has not received the required medical clearance after his race 4 incident at The Bend in August.”

As a result JKD Family Racing has called up the services of Oliphant, who will be racing with his familiar #115.

The 33-year-old from Tarporley, England, has plenty of international racing experience behind him.

Oliphant is a Ginetta GT4 Supercup champion and has two British Touring Car Championship race wins under his belt both at Brands Hatch in 2020 and 2021.

He also scored a further eight podiums across his four full time seasons.

In 2023 Oliphant has embarked on his first full TCR Australia season with Ashley Seward Motorsport.

Driving the new Lynk & Co car, he took a reverse grid victory at Winton and currently sits ninth in the championship despite missing a round.

“Oliphant has an impressive track record with two wins in the British Touring Car Championship, including success in Europe and The Middle East in GT Racing,” read a JKD Family Racing statement.

“He brings a wave of energy and skill to our team that we can’t wait to see come to life on the track as he wrestles our SuperUte on the Mountain.”

The V8 SuperUte Series stint presents an invaluable opportunity for Oliphant to get a taste of the Mountain before TCR takes it on at the Bathurst International in November.

Adam Marjoram holds a narrow lead in the V8 SuperUte Series standings as four races lie ahead this weekend.

ANDRETTI F1 ENTRY APPROVED BY FIA ANDRETTI FORMULA Racing is in the box seat to become the 11th Formula 1 team after its application was approved by the FIA. Following months of a “rigorous and comprehensive” application process, Andretti Formula Racing is the only applicant to be put forward to the third and final stage, which involves Formula 1’s commercial rights holders.

Although the FIA believes the team headed by 1993 McLaren driver and CART champion Michael Andretti fulfils the criteria, a place on the Formula 1 grid is not guaranteed however.

It still requires a commercial agreement with FOM and there has been resistance to the field being expanded beyond the current number of 10 teams.

If Andretti Formula Racing does make it, it will join Haas as an American owned Formula 1 team, but with support from General Motors through Cadillac.

Following a call for expressions of interest in February, the FIA assessed each applicant “on the sporting and technical ability, the ability of the team to raise and maintain sufficient funding to allow participation in the Championship at a competitive level and the team’s experience and human resources and also sustainability management.”

Aside from Andretti, only three other applicants made it through to the second stage of analysis, with New

Zealand’s Rodin Carlin, Hitech and the Asian based LKYSUNZ. FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem said Andretti Formula Racing emerged as the top pick after a very thorough selection process.

“The FIA was very clear in establishing stringent criteria for entry from the outset of the Expressions of Interest procedure,” he said.

“Our objective, after rigorous due diligence during the application phase, was to only approve prospective entries which satisfied the set criteria and illustrated that they would add value to the sport.

“The FIA is obliged to approve applications that comply with the Expressions of Interests application requirements and we have adhered to that procedure in deciding that Andretti Formula Racing LLC’s application would proceed to the next stage of the application process.

“In taking that decision, the FIA is acting in accordance with EU directives on motor sport participation and development.

“Andretti Formula Racing LLC was the only entity which fulfils the selection criteria that was set in all material respects. I congratulate Michael Andretti and his team on a thorough submission. I also want to thank all prospective teams for their interest and participation.

“The Expressions of Interest process builds on the positive acceptance of the FIA’s 2026 F1 Power Unit

Regulations among existing OEMs which has also attracted further commitment from Audi, Honda and Ford and interest from Porsche and General Motors.

“I would like to thank all of the FIA team members involved in the Expressions of Interest process for their tireless efforts in ensuring a diligent assessment of all of the applications received.”

Michael Andretti himself naturally welcomed the news.

“Andretti Cadillac is honoured that the FIA has approved Andretti Formula Racing’s Expression of Interest for the Formula 1 world championship,” he said.

“We appreciate the FIA’s rigorous, transparent and complete evaluation process and are incredibly excited to be given the opportunity to compete in such a historic and prestigious championship.

“The formation of this distinctly American team is an important moment of pride for all our employees and fans.

“We feel strongly that Andretti Cadillac’s deep racing competencies and the technological advancements that come from racing will benefit our customers while heightening enthusiasm for F1, globally.

“We look forward to engaging with all of the stakeholders in Formula 1 as we continue our planning to join the grid as soon as possible.”

Thomas Miles

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It’s a team success ... (L to r) Lando, Zak, Oscar and Andrea and of course a few people from the race team. Image: MOTORSPORT IMAGES

WOW... WHAT A RACE FOR MY LATEST COLUMN, I HAVE TO FOCUS ON SUZUKA AND MY FIRST-EVER F1 PODIUM ...

I FINISHED second in the Saturday sprint race at SpaFrancorchamps back at the end of July, which was a podium of sorts, but to stand on a grand prix podium and spray the champagne for the first time in Formula 1 was a special feeling.

I had my fingers crossed that there would be no Safety Car towards the end of the race as that was what cost me a topthree spot in the British Grand Prix at Silverstone.

I managed to get past George Russell into Turn 1 to take third and then, in the closing stages, it was just about keeping a gap to Charles behind me in fourth and looking after the tyres as there was such high degradation.

To celebrate with all the

Oscar Piastri’s

FORMULA 1 WORLD team in parc fermé, hear the reception from the crowd and have so many fans, staff and other drivers come up to me to congratulate me in the paddock afterwards was sensational.

I had a lot of messages on my phone when I got back to my driver room in McLaren hospitality and was also inundated with support on social media from fans, which meant the world.

To have a trophy for your efforts is always cool and something to show for all the hard work of everyone in the team trackside and back in Woking at MTC. They have worked so hard to get the car where it is and

deserve all the credit they are getting.

Overall, I was happy with the weekend. I felt like we got the maximum out of the car in terms of pace and there wasn’t a lot left on the table, although there are still plenty of things I can improve.

I’m only 16 races into my F1 career and still soaking up new info and knowledge about all of the tracks so I’m gaining experience that I can hopefully draw on for years to come.

Qualifying on the front row of the grand prix grid for the first time was another big positive.

I’d been on the front row for a sprint race but to put together all the little pieces and produce

a strong lap around a track that I had never visited before was especially pleasing.

Suzuka is an old-school racer’s track. It’s got amazing high-speed sections and undulations and it flows from one sector to the next.

It tests you to the limit and I’m glad that my first podium and first front row GP start came at one of the classic circuits.

The energy and passion from the fans across the whole four days was incredible too and it made for a really amazing atmosphere to enjoy a good result.

Suzuka has only given me a taste. Now I want to kick on and keep improving.

I want more of these moments and to achieve more than third.

With that in mind, it was great to recently extend my partnership with McLaren until the end of 2026.

The way that I have been received by the team and

welcomed into everything has made it feel like home.

The team’s consistent commitment to me, desire for me to be a part of its long-term future and belief in me, means a lot, especially after just half a season.

I want to be fighting it out at the front of the grid with this team, like I was at Suzuka, and am really excited by the visions and foundations that are already in place for the future.

I feel a real part of all things papaya and I think the stability of building with a brand as prestigious as McLaren gives me the opportunity to continue the work that we’ve started.

We’ve enjoyed some good moments so far, but I want more ... and even better ones than Suzuka. Take care, OP

OSCAR IS PROUDLY SUPPORTED BY

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INTERNATIONAL AUSSIES

ELMS CHAMPIONSHIP BECKONS FOR ALLEN JAMES ALLEN and the APR team will head into the European Le Mans Series finale with the LMP2 championship lead under their belt after winning a hectic outing at the Four Hours of Spa (below).

Alongside the IndyCar bound Kyffin Simpson and Alex Lynn, Allen steered the #25 ORECA to a 1.811s win in a race dictated by yellow flags.

A first corner incident took out their main rivals (#30 Duqueine Team) for the title, whilst a further five Full Course Yellows would be deployed to ensure that pit strategy would make all the difference.

Allen ran second during his stint after Simpson had earlier had his 10s lead

depleted by caution flags, but Allen says that they held the pit stop advantage throughout.

A final Safety Car with 18 minutes to run put the #25 ahead in the pit shuffle, with Lynn taking it home.

“I think the whole time we realistically had the effective lead,” Allen said.

“We let the chaos unfold and focused on keeping it as clean as possible, and that’s what won us the race today.”

The Algarve Pro Team now head to their home track in Portimao, where a double header will be held due to the cancellation of the Imola race earlier in the season.

“Last year our car was quite strong at Portimao but we couldn’t get it to the finish, and I’m quite confident owing to the fact that we have two races that we’ll get it right. I think getting the championship would be a really nice gift for the team.”

Taking the ELMS title would cap off a magnificent year for Allen after winning his LMP2 classes at both the 24 Hours of Daytona and Le Mans.

After heading into Spa one point in arrears, they now hold a 17 point lead with two back-to-back 4 Hour races at the Algarve International Circuit in Portugal on October 20-22. W Neal

Image: MOTORSPORT IMAGES

SARGENT PREVAILS AT LAGUNA SECA

A VICTORY in the USA has finally come for Team McElrea racer Thomas Sargent (above), breaking through for a maiden win in the Porsche Carrera Cup North America series at Laguna Seca.

It was the first time that an Australian has taken a win in the series, heightening the achievement for both driver and team in their first year in the largely IMSA-based category.

Prior to the penultimate Round of 8 clash at Monterey, Sargent had taken six podiums, five of which had been second place finishes.

And after qualifying on the front-row for Race 1 the NSW-born racer finally a chequered flag in his debut intentional season.

Sargent took the lead after a full-course lap two caution was flown following champion-elect Riley Dickinson diving disastrously for the lead at the Corkscrew inside poleman Will Martin.

With both drivers taken out, Sargent was left at the front of the field at the restart and, after so many near misses for the Aussie, he controlled the race all the way to the chequered flag over the final 25 minutes, taking a 6.668s win over Sean Varwig.

His visiting McElrea Aussie team-mate and Carrera Cup Australia regular Bayley Hall also put in a stellar effort in his international debut, taking P7 in a notable drive after qualifying in the top-10.

Whilst Martin and Dickinson filled the top two steps in Race 2, Sargent made an early pass into third in the 40 minute finale, holding that spot comfortably to finish 12.416s in arrears of the victor.

Sargent’s next outing will be at the Indianapolis Road Course for his GT World Challenge America debut in the Indy Eight Hour, whilst his final CCNA round will be at COTA on October 22, where he will try and secure a brilliant second place in his debut year. TW Neal

GT ENDURO DOOR CLOSES, BUT SPRINT TITLE IN FRAME FOR WILLIAMS WRT BMW M4 driver, Aussie Calan Williams (pictured), has finished off his debut campaign in the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup at Barcelona.

Although it was a disappointing end to the long-format campaign, the former F2 driver can hold his head high with a sixth place finish in the Gold Cup season placings after they mustered a fourth place finish at the 3 Hours of Barcelona, with a pit-penalty putting paid to any podium charge.

With teammates Jean-Baptiste Simmenauer and Niklas Krutten, the young trio impressively managed three Gold class podiums: a third at the Three Hours of Monza (Williams’s debut), a second place at the 24 Hours of Spa, and another third at the Three Hours of Nurburgring.

Alongside Krutten, Williams will now head to Zandvoort with the chance of winning the GT WCE Sprint Cup.

20 I www.autoaction.com.au

Image: WRT “It was a pretty frustrating weekend for us. We struggled quite a lot since the beginning with the car balance and it ended up in going into qualifying and the race with a lot of unknowns,” Williams said.

“Still, we tried to persevere and make the most out of a difficult race. Unfortunately, we had a really tricky situation at the pit stop because the pit stop window was just when there was a full course yellow, and obviously the entire field was pitting at the same time.

“The car couldn’t stop at the right place and we lost 30 seconds to reposition it. We then had to fight back in the middle of slower cars. It’s frustrating but we will not give up – this actually motivates me even more ahead of the last race.”

The final Sprint round in the Netherlands is on October 1415, where they’ll have two races to overturn a six point deficit to Audi R8 pair Alberto di Folco and Aurelien Panis.

Fellow Aussie and AGM Junior factory Driver Jordan Love is also in the hunt for the Silver class title, with only a single point to chase down to also take his maiden GT WCE Sprint championship. TW Neal

Image: MOTORSPORT IMAGES

BATHURST OF OLD PLEASE COLUMNIST WEST YEARNS FOR AN UNPREDICTABLE BATHURST OF OLD. I HAVE a standard line I trot out every year ahead of the Bathurst 1000. It’s a predictive statement that is surely even more applicable this year.

What’s my regular utterance, you ask?

“I don’t know what the racing gods who haunt Mount Panorama have in store for us this year; I just know it’s something we’ve never seen before.”

Unforeseen circumstances of the last decade have included a race leader cramping up, the race surface breaking up and echidnas spiking up. This year, with Gen3 tossing up unknowns, I’ll be truly astounded if something unexpected does not significantly influence the race’s outcome.

True to my mantra, I can’t tell you what will rear its ugly head. Yet there is truth in the notion Gen3 components will be subjected to loads through Mount Panorama’s high-speed corners not been previously encountered. And not for a duration approaching the 1000’s six hours.

You don’t have to be Nostradamus to predict a highly political race week, particularly if

by Friday afternoon the Fords are still at an obvious disadvantage.

with Luke West

REVVED UP Parity will be a key talking point, despite Supercars’ best efforts to divert attention away from this ever-present curse.

The category has received plenty of positive PR from its 60 years of the Great Race theme.

It’s highly appropriate a new era begins with the 60th anniversary event. Pity then, the new Supercars beginning is panning out following old patterns.

Precisely half of the Bathurst classic’s first six decades were run to the red versus blue V8 formula.

After all, it’s 30 years since the five-litre touring car class first made up the majority of the field and battled for outright honours in 1993. Well, it was effectively only the leading Commodores that battled for outright honours that year, after the Holdens received a new aero kit mid-season that gave them the upper hand on the Mount after Glenn Seton’s Falcon won the ATCC.

Well played to General Motors.

It certainly expertly outplayed its opposition politically that year and for many years after, if its Bathurst success rate is any indication.

Inclusive of that first 1000 for what would soon become V8 Supercars, Holden won 22 of the 30 races between 1993 and 2022. That’s a success rate for GM of 73.3%. Okay, Ford teams shot themselves in the foot on occasions, admittedly, but even taking this into account, there has been an extraordinary imbalance.

As I’ve said before, when Ford held an advantage, any imbalance was swiftly dealt with to GM’s advantage. But it hasn’t worked the other way. When the shoe is on the other foot – and Holden holds the upper hand – that shoe invariably gets planted with great force on Ford’s arse and the butt kicking continues. Such is the way of the Supercars world, until the day Ford decides it has had enough.

The 2023 race doesn’t only represent a new era on the Mountain, it’s a truly pivotal year, when many long-time fans are wavering. The show has to be good and the playing field level to keep them engaged.

I predict a bumper crowd trackside over October 5-8 with many diehards eager to see the new Gen3 cars in action on the iconic track, just as fans have flocked to most Supercars events this year. If I’m wrong and numbers are down, it will be obvious on raceday when we the crowd density on the usually packed spectator mounds.

The fact campsites are fully booked is a massive positive, as regulars continue their personal traditions and catch-ups with mates.

Television audience figures were traditionally the best indicator of how a sport was tracking in the network television-only era.

However, it’s almost impossible these days to get a true indication with so many watching via pay TV and its streaming services and at pubs and clubs. Television platforms and audiences have become so fragmented with stats so easily manipulated they cannot be trusted.

Anyway, I shall be cheering on the underdog, which means the Mustangs. Reynolds and Tander is an irresistible combo.

Cam Waters hasn’t put a foot wrong at Bathurst for several years, so maybe karma will kick in and give him a well-deserved victory.

Of the Camaros, I’d be happy for the championship-leading Erebus machine to get up, as it would mean victory for good guy, David Russell. A Bathurst win for this second generation Great Racer, who has never started a solo round, would be something.

I’ll also be cheering on Zane Goddard, as he didn’t deserve the shellacking he received nationally for his small mistake with big consequences last year. Good on Triple Eight for giving him a chance at redemption.

Oh, and the prospect of longer stints, thanks to Gen3’s bigger fuel tanks and new fuel blend, brings some welcome unpredictability. And that’s what we all want – a dramatic and unpredictable Bathurst of old rather than the highly technical garbage we have been subjected to in recent years.

Unpredictability is a beautiful thing at Bathurst.

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INTERNATIONAL NEWS

INDYCAR RELEASES 2024 SCHEDULE SCHUMACHER NAME BACK AT LE MANS? MERCEDES FI Reserve driver Mick Schumacher is in discussions with French team Alpine about competing in the 2024 World Endurance Championship season, which would of course include the Le Mans 24 Hours.

Alpine is set to make a return to the top flight of the WEC next season with its new A424 Beta LMDh Hypercar, and among the possible pilots, the son of the Formula 1 great and driver in limbo has been publicly aired.

Schumacher’s legendary father raced at Le Mans just prior to making his 1991 F1 debut, where he finished fifth for Team Sauber Mercedes at the Circuit de la Sarthe driving a Mercedes-Benz C11; and now the famous ‘Cordwainer’ (French for ‘cobbler’) name is a good chance to return to the famous race.

Alpine’s Interim Team Principal, Bruno Famin, has confirmed the discussions.

“It’s true that we are talking with Mick about the possibility to race in our endurance programme with the A424,” Famin said. ”It would be a good opportunity for both parties. For the time being, we are just talking and hopefully we will organise a test soon.”

One looming difficulty is whether the Mercedes F1 team would allow the cross-drive with a paddock competitor, but Toto Wolff has himself endorsed the opportunity, and said that it wouldn’t puncture his current F1 reserve contract.

“Mick has a place here as our reserve driver and is part of the family,” Wolff said.

“We hope that he stays with us in that role. We will give him time in the car and he can get a works seat with another manufacturer in WEC or sportscars or wherever.

“We will always have this home here for him.Whatever programme he does decide, he can stay, if it is possible from the other side, with us as a reserve driver.”

When Schumacher was quizzed in the Suzuka GP paddock about it being official, he replied: “Nothing is official … I’ll share that from my side. It will probably take a while. But of course I have to look at my options, and of course there are discussions.”

The former HAAS driver would make his WEC debut in Qatar on March 2 should it happen, with an eight round Hypercar season also set to visit Italy, Belgium, France, Brazil, USA, Japan, and Bahrain.

TW Neal

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Images: MOTORSPORT IMAGES THE 17-round schedule for the 2024 IndyCar season has been released with a return to a historic venue and new season closer, whilst Texas misses out.

Only weeks after Chip Ganassi’s Alex Palou took out his second Astor Cup, and Scott Dixon closed the year out with a big win at Laguna Seca, a 17-race 2024 has been released with some alterations and new additions.

Making its return to the IndyCar calendar for the first time since 2015 is the famous Milwaukee Mile Speedway, which will serve as one of two double-headers on the calendar, with the other being in Iowa, which makes for six of the final 10 races being conducted on ovals.

The Milwaukee Mile replaces Texas on the oval calendar, as a date clash between IndyCar organisers and the venue couldn’t be resolved, with the super-fast Texas oval previously having held a race every year since 1997.

The returning 1.6 km Wisconsin facility first hosted IndyCar in 1939, and will serve

its first ever double-header weekend.

The 108th running of the Indy 500 has kept its late May date, with the greatest spectacle in racing to take place from May 18-26 after the Indianapolis Road Course race to make up the traditional ‘Indy May’.

In another change, the season will close with the hugely popular streets of Nashville race, with the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix replacing Monterey’s Laguna Seca, whilst the traditional season opener at St Petersburg Florida has kept its place.

The newly re-paved Laguna Seca that hosted the frantic 2023 season finale has been moved to mid-season on June 23.

In a surprise move, the newly announced non-championship Thermal Club $1 Million Dollar Challenge has been wedged in between the opening two rounds, and will serve as a non-point paying round in Southern California, which will then be followed by the 40th running of the Long Beach Grand Prix.

TW Neal

2024 INDYCAR SCHEDULE DATE EVENT March 10 Streets of St. Petersburg March 24 The Thermal Club $1 Million Challenge* April 21

Streets of Long Beach

April 28

Barber Motorsports Park

May 11

Indianapolis Motor Speedway (road course)

May 18

Indianapolis 500 Qualifying Day 1

May 19

Indianapolis 500 Qualifying Day 2

May 26

Indianapolis 500 Motor Speedway (oval)

June 2

Streets of Detroit

June 9

Road America

June 23

WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca

July 7

Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course

July 13

Iowa Speedway Race 1

July 14

Iowa Speedway Race 2

July 21

Streets of Toronto

Aug 17

World Wide Technology Raceway

Aug 25

Portland International Raceway

Aug 31

Milwaukee Mile Race 1

Sept 1

Milwaukee Mile Race 2

Sept 15

Streets of Nashville

EX-F1 ALL-STAR WEC PORSCHE IN TALKS … INCLUDING THE BEE GUY! RUMOURS OF talks have been confirmed concerning the prospects of Seb Vettel making a full-time racing comeback via the World Endurance Championship in a Porsche 963 Hypercar for Hertz Team Jota.

Jota joined the WEC midway through the season and have performed admirably against the manufacturer teams, impressing in their debut at the 6 Hours of Spa. Rumours about a Formula 1 return have constantly been parried off by the German superstar, but now the prospects of a return via the environmentally inclined WEC hypercar grid have been stirred up after some comments at the F1 round at Suzuka where he was setting up his ‘Buzzin Corner’ at Turn 2.

On the potential of driving with Jota, Vettel said, “nothing has been signed or decided yet, but I have the matter in the back of my mind. I still have time to decide.

“If at some point I come to the conclusion that it doesn’t work without racing, then I will drive again.”

Team Principal Sam Hignett also

confirmed that they had been speaking, but it’s early stages.

As well as pricking the interest of Vettel, Jota have also had talks with another former F1 champion in Jenson Button, who has been making some NASCAR appearances this season, which included his Le Mans 24 Chevrolet cameo.

Jota has also spoken with F1’s 2008 Canadian GP winner Robert Kubica, who is already in the WEC via the LMP2 - a

category that will be going by the WEC wayside after this season.

It’s an exciting prospect to have an all ex-F1 team at the Le Mans 24. Throughout the entire 100 year history of Le Mans there have been over 300 F1 drivers to have taken on the famous race (with 65 of them having gone on to be winners) whilst in last year’s entire starting grid, there were 18 alone – including Button and Kubica.

TW Neal

Team principal press conferences can be tricky sometimes ... L to r: Tim Edwards (Tickford), Barry Ryan (Erebus) and Bruce Stewart (WAU).

YOU WANT THE TRUTH? THERE ARE TINY MARGINS BETWEEN FACT AND FICTION IN MOTORSPORT ...

DRIVERS RARELY tell the truth about their on-track actions, unless they are doing a Max Verstappen and streaking away in front.

The grand prix coverage from Japan included plenty of radio snippets about villainy by rival drivers, even including – think Mercedes-AMG – between team mates.

Usually there is a back-down once the race is done – again, think Mercedes-AMG – and the adrenalin levels have returned to normal.

So any time there is car-to-car contact there will be at least two versions of the truth. In Supercars, it can be three or four.

Then the drivers see the television footage . . .

So, reporting from the pitlane, you have to learn quickly to sort facts from fiction. And how to assess the many degrees of ‘faction’.

Often it’s best to go with a simple ‘He said, he said’ report and let the reader make up their own mind.

It’s less dangerous to longterm relationships with drivers, too.

But the search for truth in motorsport is not just with the drivers.

with Paul Gover

THE PG PERSPECTIVE Almost everyone, at some time, has a secret they want to keep a secret.

The job of a journalist, any journalist anywhere, is to find those secrets and bring them to their readers. It’s still called a scoop.

In motorsport, with so much action condensed into such a small area and a relatively small number of people, it’s tough.

The people with the secrets want to keep them secret, while everyone else wants to know.

Sometimes the margins between the truth and a lie are very marginal.

Some secrets can stay hidden for years. Like the ’tweaks’ in the Jaguar XJ-S that once won at Bathurst.

Many years later, I asked Tom Walkinshaw about the over-sized fuel tank and the

modified front suspension in the XJ-S racers, which had been exposed by later owners of the Tomcats.

“Did it pass scrutineering?,” Tom replied when I asked if it was a cheater car.

He didn’t remotely answer the question, and he didn’t tell me a lie. But it was definitely not ‘The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth’.

Sometimes, you have to ask exactly the right question.

So if you ask “Are you building a new red racer?” the answer will be “no”.

But if you ask about a blue car?

Or a red car?

If you ask if someone is leaving, or changing their drivers, or considering a new team structure, you have to be direct and precise with the questions.

So there are degrees of truth in not confirm his NASCAR plans motorsport. because nothing was officially There is the black-and-white signed. There was no lying, but stuff and then there are the many, his plan for 2024 was clearly many, many shades of grey. more than just an “if, but, When you’re trying to discover maybe”, long before the final deal the future plans of any driver you with Trackhouse Racing was done. cannot ask “Are you leaving Team But all the talk about him A to drive for Team B?” planning to finish his Triple Eight Instead, it’s more like “Are you, deal in Supercars in 2024. Hmm . . . or anyone connected with you, Eventually, it all comes out. talking to any other teams about a There have been other times change at some time?” recently when the facts have not Even then, you could be asking been clear and neither has the a few hours ahead of the actual timing or reporting. So deals are contact. done, or not done, but still secret.

When the driver money-goCalling someone a liar can get round was spinning this year you into a lot of trouble. Or a in Supercars, there were plenty courtroom. of people who knew more than There are times when it’s best to they were telling. And others who wait, or try for the right question. were happily stirring the pot with But, even then, you can never be rumours and suggestions and sure about the answer. predictions.

So perhaps it’s best to leave the David Reynolds’ move from bottom line to a close mate who Grove Racing to Team 18 was an used to race in Supercars and is open secret, while Will Brown’s still involved at a senior level. Years signing at Triple Eight was a slight ago, as we skirted around a story surprise. which he clearly wanted to keep Once again, it’s about the timing secret, he cut to the bottom line. of the question and the exact “Please don’t ask me, because I question. don’t want to have to lie to you,” he Shane van Gisbergen and Richie Stanaway – SVG’s likely replacement?

So Shane-van-Gone could said.

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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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR PUBLISHER

Bruce Williams bruce@autoaction.com.au 0418 349 555

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

Oakleigh Victoria 3166

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Bruce Williams STAFF JOURNALIST Timothy W. Neal STAFF JOURNALIST Thomas Miles NEWS EDITOR Andrew Clarke FEATURES WRITER Paul Gover SENIOR ART DIRECTOR/PRODUCTION Caroline Garde NATIONAL EDITOR Thomas Miles HISTORICS EDITOR Mark Bisset SPEEDWAY REPORTER Paris Charles ONLINE EDITOR

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS AUSTRALIA Josh Nevett, Dan McCarthy, Bruce Newton, Mark Bisset, Geoffrey Harris, Bruce Moxon, Gary Hill, Craig O’Brien, Ray Oliver, Martin Agatyn, Reese Mautone.

David Batchelor, John Lemm, Pete Trapnell , Toby Cooper

SOCIAL DISCOURSE AS BATHURST NEARS, THERE WAS PLENTY DISCUSSION ON SUPERCARS AND OSCAR PIASTRI’S HEROICS ON AUTO ACTION’S SOCIAL CHANNELS ...

PRE BATHURST AERO TESTS AND NEW PANELS FOR FORD

FORMULA 1 Luis Vasconelos US CORRESPONDENT Mike Brudenell PHOTOGRAPHERS AUSTRALIA Mark Horsburgh-Edge Photography, Peter Norton-Epic Sports Photography, Ross Gibb Photography, Daniel Kalisz, Mick Oliver-MTR Images, Rebecca Hind-REVVED, David Batchelor, Randall Kilner, Richard Hathaway, Bruce Moxon, Ray Ritter, Ray Oliver, autopics.com.au Roy Meuronen Photography, Angryman Photography, Riccardo Benvenuti, Matthew Bissett-MJB Photography, Phil Wisewould Photography.

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ADVERTISING MANAGER Bruce Williams All Advertising inquiries bruce@autoaction.com.au 0418 349 555 Editorial contributions may be sent to Auto Action. No responsibility will be accepted for their safety. If you require the return of any sent item or items, please attach a separate, stamped and fully addressed envelope.

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Go to autoaction.com.au or scan below

Oscar Piastri, TRS Arden, battling hard at Silverstone in the 2017 MSA British F4 Championship. Image: MOTORSPORT IMAGES

MORE FORMULA 4 – REALLY!

I read in the latest issue of the magazine that you are suggesting that Formula 4 is coming back to Australia.

I haven’t read it anywhere else; can this be true? After the last disaster when CAMS spent a heap of members money to bring in a category that very few people wanted to race in. And they tried to get rid of Formula Ford! But in the end they gave drives away to try and get it to work. I would have thought the last thing we need is another open wheel category to compete with what is already here. With S5000, Formula Open and Formula Ford, don’t we have enough open wheel categories?

Barry Thomson Burwood Vic Editor’s note: Thanks for your feedback Barry. This time the members’ funds are not at risk.

The plan is that the F4 cars will be brought to Australia by a private business with the support of local race teams who will run the cars for the various drivers etc. Motorsport Australia’s only role will be to sanction the events and provided officials, for which I’m sure they will be paid. And of course, in addition to the paid staff that attend, the events will also be supported by many volunteers. And I would say this; Formula 4 is a proven pathway to F1 – our own Oscar Piastri, who raced F4 (in Britain) and Liam Lawson (who actually raced F4 here in Australia) is proof it works. But, will it will work here second time around remains to be seen ...

SEASON’S SUCCESS RIDES ON BATHURST

We really need Bathurst to be a cracker race this year.

The Gen3 Supercars season

24 I www.autoaction.com.au

has been pretty underwhelming, but a great Bathurst 1000 could get our sport back on track (sorry about the sick pun).

Supercars lacks personalities these days and the cars no longer have relevance to the public.

OK, us petrol heads will always watch, but a lot of the public only know motor sport as being Bathurst.

That’s why this year’s race has to be great.

I reckon it can be, simply because the circuit up at Mt Panorama has a history of serving up great things.

Whatever eventuates though I think Supercars needs to do a big review of where they’re at and where they’re going.

Perhaps our sport needs to be looked at by an outside research agency to see where it’s at because I think there’s a lack of inspiration within.

I thought the RACE organisation (Racing Australia Consolidated Enterprises) was meant to bring a whole lot of new ideas to Supercars, but other than the technical rules for Gen3, which haven’t exactly been an overwhelming success, what’s changed?

And now I read on the AA website that the guy overseeing Gen3 has been done for drinkdriving. Not a good example and look.

We diehards want to keep the faith in Supercars, but we also need to see reasons to keep the faith.

Anyway, enjoy Bathurst everyone.

Steve Wilson, Wollongong

HOW TO SPICE UP THE SUPERCAR ENDURO SEASON

In the Supercars Championship the endurance races like the Sandown 500 and the Bathurst

1000 are very popular and attract large crowds and high television ratings.

Maybe Supercars Australia could introduce a new ‘split’ endurance round to add spice to the series.

It could feature two 80-lap mini endurance races on the Sunday.

The first race could begin late in the morning with the main drivers starting. Have a compulsory pit stop with driver change so that the co-drivers complete the race. The second mini race could then be run in the afternoon with the co-drivers starting, then a compulsory pit stop and driver change so that the main drivers complete the race. The overall results would determine the placings for the drivers and the teams for the day.

An endurance round like that could suit the drivers, teams and fans well.

It could be held before the Sandown 500.

The Bend round of the Supercars Championship is held before the Sandown 500, so maybe have the split endurance round there?

The Bend has the infrastructure to cater for a major event and an endurance one at that.

Why not introduce a split endurance round at The Bend from the 2024 championship onwards?

Malcolm Webster Boronia, Victoria Editor’s note: Thanks for yet another contribution Malcolm.

Supercars is a long way down the track on its 2024 calendar and I’m not sure they’d heed your suggestion for next year, although – as you point out – The Bend is all set up for a major event. The endurance season could do with a rethink, especially as the Sandown 500 has a clouded future.

John Bowe AS IF that (lighter panels) will make any difference at Bathurst!

Scott Williams AND IF that doesn’t work, at the 500km mark there will be a compulsory stop for the Chev drivers with a “Murphy toilet break” to even things up!

Peter Moutzouris REALLY? WE are five days out from the biggest race of the year and they are testing aero?

Ford has a fight on its hands.

EDWARDS LEAVES TICKFORD Barney Patterson TIM, YOU have done a great job over the last 18 years and this year has been bloody hard with the new cars.

You will be sadly missed in Supercars and enjoy your travelling around Australia.

Darren Crebert THE FRUSTRATING debacle of getting the Mustang competitive has most likely played a part in his decision.

Wishing Tim all the best and a huge thanks for supporting the Ford product during some ordinary and good times.

PIASTRI ON THE PODIUM Steve Emson CANNOT PUT my finger on it, but there is a little bit of Senna in this guy.

Pete Dadson GREAT DRIVE Oscar! He is the best chance Australia has for an F1 world championship since Alan Jones. A “real racing driver”.

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THE FUTURE IS VERY BRIGHT FOR PIASTRI MCLAREN’S SURPRISING announcement that Oscar Piastri’s contract had been extended until the end of 2026 was a clear demonstration that Zak Brown and Andrea Stella put a lot of faith in the young Australian, but also a good indication the Melburnian and his management team believe the British team’s amazing rise through the ranks during the 2023 season will be extended into the future, making it a Grand Prix and title contender on a regular basis.

Under Brown, McLaren has taken to signing contracts with future drivers long before they become available – Daniel Ricciardo, for example, agreeing terms to join the Woking-based team when he still had one year to run in his contract with Renault. Now, with Lando Norris already secured until the end of 2025, McLaren has tied Piastri for a period longer, moving him away from likely and very tempting approaches from Red Bull, Mercedes and Ferrari.

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with Luis Vasconcelos

F1 INSIDER Of course you could look at the drivers’ contracts and think Piastri could be a shoe-in to replace Hamilton at the end of 2025, when his contract with Mercedes will expire, or either of the Ferrari drivers when Leclerc and Sainz’s contracts end in about 14 months, or even partner Max Verstappen for a while and be the Dutchman’s natural successor at Red Bull if he keeps up his intention of moving away from Red Bull by the end of his current contract, five years from now.

What is clear is that Piastri has found a home in Formula 1, is building a very solid future for himself and the team, having

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impressed everyone at McLaren since day one and what he has seen from the team’s future plans was enough to convince him to stay put for another three seasons.

The fact he was able to beat an experienced and great qualifier such as Lando Norris on what was his first visit to Suzuka tells you all you need to know about Piastri’s raw speed – and his open admission at the end of the Japanese Grand Prix that he still needs to improve on the way he manages the tyres demonstrated this is a young man who understands where he’s still lacking and will be working hard over the winter to close the gap to Norris on high degradation tracks.

Speaking to Andrea Stella after McLaren’s announcement, it was clear there were quite a few factors that had led to his and Zak Brown’s decision to offer Piastri a long-term contract so far from the end of his current deal.

For one, he’s tremendously quick, has good racecraft and makes very few mistakes; two, his progress throughout his rookie season has been linear, with no hiccups, hinting there’s still quite a bit more to come once he gets the experience that only comes with time; three, his calmness behind the wheel, Piastri’s radio messages being devoid of any emotion, clear, straight to the point and expressed in a matter of fact way that makes the engineer’s lives so much easier than when they’re dealing with highly emotional drivers; four, the way he treats everyone in the team and accepts playing the team game when necessary; and, five, the professional attitude the young man has when dealing

with the sponsors, the media and the fans.

In fact, it’s difficult to find a chink in Piastri’s armour, for he seems to be the complete package. Yes, tyre management is the area in which he’ll need to progress quickly, because points are given on Sunday afternoon and, so far, Norris clearly has the upper hand in that department, but in 2024 the Australian will be going to every track for the second time in a Formula 1 car and will be able to start working already in FP1 in finding the best set-up and driving compromise to still be quick in qualifying but extend the Pirelli’s life in the races.

Signing a 22-year-old on a long-term contract is not an act of faith from McLaren: it’s proof the team knows it has a gem on its hand and is prepared to help him grow; while it needs to keep progressing, in order to return to its winning ways ... as it’s now 15 years since one of its drivers won a World Championship.

www.autoaction.com.au I 25

FORMULA 1 NEWS – LUIS VASCONCELOS

PIASTRI’S LONG DEAL SHOWS McLAREN’S FAITH McLAREN HAS a tradition of signing contracts with drivers years before they become valid, but has now taken an extra step in this direction by extending Oscar Piastri’s contract until the end of 2026 – more than 15 months before the current deal would expire!

The new deal with the Australian driver means McLaren will keep its current line-up for at least another two seasons, as Lando Norris’ contract with the team is valid until the end of 2025, giving Zak Brown and Andrea Stella plenty of stability on the drivers’ front, allowing the management to focus on the other areas they need to move forward.

An obviously delighted Piastri admitted that, “I’m obviously very happy to have that announced already. You know, it was already around for next year but to announce it for the end of 2026 now is very exciting. I’m very happy to have my future secured for a long time in papaya and I’m looking forward to it.”

Given his reputation is on the way up, with Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull reportedly interested in his future services, Piastri explained his decision to extend the contract with McLaren for another two years, saying that, “it’s always nice to have a sense of security. And it made sense from my point of view, from a team point of view as well. So, just that longevity and continuation together as well, so it’s a nice boost confidence for us all.”

The fact he’s feeling extremely welcomed at McLaren also helps explain why Piastri and his management stuck with the team, so he’ll have a good environment in which he’ll continue to grow: “I think it’s important to just having a team around me that’s very supportive, that were keen to have me in Formula 1 in the first place. To be able to continue that journey is the most important thing. And, obviously, we’ve made a lot of strides and a lot of progress this year, firstly

on the car and the team point of view, but also, they’ve been helping me develop as well. So, I feel very much at home and I think just continuing that for everybody involved was the main thing about that.”

Team Principal Andrea Stella, who has steered the team into a success route since he took over from Andreas Seidl at the start of this year, was not shy on his praise for the young driver from Melbourne: “We offered Oscar this new contract, because it became very apparent for us that we wanted to secure this prospect and we wanted to realise the full extent of the collaboration. It came at the point in which it was very apparent for us that Oscar is the right driver for McLaren, because of the many, many reasons. I would like to say that this has been clear to us very early.

The announcement comes now, but actually the agreement was found pretty early on, because what we needed to assess became clear and apparent to us very soon. I’m happy to say that the same was on Oscar’s side. It was a recognised by both parties that this is the collaboration that should lead both parties — from a team point of view and from a driver point of view — into the future.”

For the Italian engineer, on top of his obvious driver’s skills, Piastri’s personality has impressed everyone at McLaren and the fact he’s proved to be a team player has helped solidify his position within McLaren: “Like I’ve said already a few times, Formula 1is a highly professional business, highly competitive, but it’s run by humans and executed by humans, and the foundations as to how you generate the positive feelings, the positive state of mind, in which people offer their best, they have to do with humans. Showing confidence, proving the confidence, proving the trust, proving the belief, proving the spirit of being mates in this journey of McLaren towards a winning

races in the future — they are fundamentals.

We want to leverage performance on these fundamentals. That was one of the reasons why we wanted to show very early that we don’t need any more reassurance. We are totally happy that we want our future to be with Oscar. We are ready to commit, and we were delighted when he said pretty much, ‘You know what, I agree. I’m thinking the same’. So, that’s why I say it was an easy conversation, and it does look at the human elements of these kinds of negotiations and this kind of business.”

And the maturity the young Australian has shown on several occasions, diffusing potential tensions inside the team, has also made him a key element for McLaren’s return to a competitive position, according to Stella: “He is a calm, considerate person. He doesn’t have nervous reactions. He doesn’t have unnecessary irritation. He doesn’t have tension in his comments. His comments are a genuine report of what happens with the car or a genuine report of what happens in a situation that wasn’t ideal, so you know you can trust what he’s saying.

He’s not adding speculatively anything because he needs to promote himself. He’s trustworthy and calm. To be honest, calmness is a quality I generally try to strengthen as much as possible throughout the team, because there are already enough reasons to be tense for the competition itself. Nobody should create additional tension just through behaviours or the way you speak

to your colleagues or the way you report things, emphasising. So, he is calm. He is very considerate with his words. He is very considered with the way he presents himself and he is a totally trustworthy person.

He’s somebody you know you can trust.

Images: MOTORSPORT IMAGES

SPORTING REGULATIONS SET FOR MAJOR OVERHAUL THE FORMULA 1 Sporting Regulations are set to get a major overhaul before the start of the 2024 World Championship, according to sources from the FIA. In recent Grands Prix, the penalties system has been heavily criticised by drivers and teams, and the way Sérgio Pérez dealt with consecutive 5-second penalties in Singapore and Japan reignited the discussion.

At the Marina Bay Circuit, the Mexican simply took Alex Albon out with a move that the Thai described as “very optimistic, at best” but the consequences for the Red Bull driver’s race were none, because he finished the Grand Prix more than 16s ahead of the following car, so the 5-seconds penalty didn’t change his final result. In Japan, he drove into the left-rear wheel of Magnussen’s Haas, spinning the Dane’s car around. With the time lost to recover from the spin, plus pitting for

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repairs and new tyres, Magnussen was doomed to finish last on Sunday, while Pérez retired, only to get back in the car more than 40 minutes later to serve the penalty, thus avoiding carrying a grid penalty in Qatar, in the next Grand Prix.

From the team’s side the number one complaint is that the Sporting Regulations are not written in a logical order, with many points of the rule book making refence to other articles and paragraphs, making it very difficult to get a quick understanding of what the regulations really mean without going back and forth through the rule book.

The fact there are several mentions of the International Sporting Code and several directives complicates matters, so the calls for a complete overhaul of the rule book have been mounting and now the FIA is reviewing the whole process and aims to have a completely new version of the Formula 1 Sporting Regulations ready

before the middle of February 2024.

The highly experienced Steve Nielsen, who moved from being in charge of all the logistics at Formula 1 to become the Federation’s new Sporting Director, has been put in charge of this process. The Brit has a long experience on the team side of the sport, having previously worked for Lotus, Tyrrell, Arrows, Renault, Toro Rosso, Caterham and Williams, moving up through the ranks from spare parts coordinator to Sporting Director, the position he first held

at Tyrrell close to the final years of the team, in the nineties.

Highly regarded by his former peers and with no enemies in the paddock, Nielsen proved his competence when he was the man who came up with the COVID-19 protocols during the 2020 season, making it possible for the sport to resume before the start of that summer, when all other World Championships simply collapsed because of the tremendous challenges imposed by the traveling restrictions that affected the whole world during the first stage of the pandemic.

That’s why the current Sporting Directors are very confident the new regulations will be much clearer than the current ones, with the penalty system being overhaul to make sure drivers don’t take penalties knowing they won’t affect their final result, thus making them pay a price for their mistakes.

SCAN HERE TO ACCESS OUR COMPREHENSIVE FORMULA1 EVENT PREVIEW

VOWLES DEFENDS SARGEANT AFTER ANOTHER CRASH WILLIAMS IS the only team that has yet to confirm its full line-up for next year, after AlphaTauri announced during the Japanese Grand Prix weekend that it was retaining the services of Yuki Tsunoda and Daniel Ricciardo until the end of next year. That announcement meant that 19 of the 20 drivers who will start next year’s Formula 1 World Championship will be racing exactly for the same teams they’ll be finishing this season with. If Logan Sargeant ends up being retained alongside Alex Albon at Williams, it will be the first time in the sport’s history that there will be not a single driver change between the end of one season and the beginning of the next one.

Williams’ Team Principal James Vowles has made it clear on a number of occasions that his priority is to give the American driver another year in the car, explaining that, “the onus is on us to give him the best possible conditions to learn and improve, because we gave him so little preparation time before the start of this championship that we put him in a very difficult position to start with.”

With the Florida-born driver crashing heavily in qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix, his situation inside the team has become more difficult, but Vowles was quick to point out that, “you cannot compare Logan’s lap times with Alex’s because since the Italian Grand Prix they’ve been running with different configurations, as we ran out of parts from the latest upgrade to fit in both cars.” That’s because Sargeant broke a lot of parts of that aerodynamic package when he crashed twice in Zandvoort, the team then opting to keep both sets of new parts for Albon’s car, as the Thai is a regular points’ scorer, with the American running an old spec in Monza, Singapore, Suzuka and now, very likely, Qatar.

Vowles says that, “Logan has been running with an old aerodynamic package in a number of ways, actually a hybrid, just simply because parts are becoming more and more difficult to come by. As we near to the end of the year under the cost cap, what you don’t want to be doing is overproducing parts, because we’ve had more attrition than was expected, it’s fair to say.”

He then concluded that, “we have enough parts to deal with the Suzuka accidents, but it will mean we’ll have to divert attention away from other items while producing more spare parts before we get to the end of the year.”

For his side, the American admitted that, “I keep crossing the line and I have to stop doing that, because I can see I’m getting closer and closer to Alex, even running with a different aerodynamic spec, so my focus will be on having clean weekends from now on”, he concluded.

INJURED RICCIARDO SECURES 2024 SEAT WITH ALPHATAURI STILL INJURED and unlikely to make his racing return in the forthcoming Qatar Grand Prix, Australia’s Daniel Ricciardo was confirmed as Yuki Tsunoda’s teammate at AlphaTauri in 2024, the announcement being made in Suzuka, just before the start of final practice for the Japanese Grand Prix. Having been in Singapore to support Liam Lawson and the team on the debut of the AT04’s latest aerodynamic upgrade and to give the Kiwi some guidance on a difficult track he’d never been to, Ricciardo flew back home and was not in Japan, as both the team and the drivers were very familiar with the Suzuka track.

In the team’s official release, Ricciardo

said that, “I’m stoked to be driving with Yuki again next year and continuing the journey with Scuderia AlphaTauri. Following the progress we have already made and the plans for the future, it’s an exciting time for the Team. We are building and it is a great feeling. There is a lot of work to do, but we are heading in the right direction and there is a lot to look forward to. Bring on 2024!”

Always a big defender of continuity, Team Principal Franz Tost was also very pleased with the decision made by the Red Bull management, explaining that, “next year, the technical regulations remain largely unchanged and it was therefore logical to go for continuity in

our driver line-up too. I am very pleased with the development that Yuki has shown over the last two and a half years with our team and with Daniel’s great race-winning experience we will have one of the most competitive driver pairings on the grid in 2024.”

Tsunoda, for his side, seemed more relieved than delighted with the announcement, explaining that, “now there are less things to worry about. At least I can push the maximum as I can.

I’ve been waiting quite a long time, until announcement, won’t be guaranteed, so it’s a good thing, and on top of it, announcing it in front of Japanese fans was good.”

LAWSON 2025 RACE SEAT ASSURED? LIAM LAWSON was amazingly contained in his public reaction to being sent back to the role of test and reserve driver for Red Bull Racing and AlphaTauri next year, his only open dig at the company’s decision being made 24 hours before the announcement – but at a time the Kiwi already knew his fate – when he made it clear that, “I wouldn’t be happy to go back to being reserve. Obviously I know how hard it is to get into Formula 1 and I understand that can be really, really difficult sometimes.”

Once the announcement was made before the start of final practice, Lawson was obviously on a mission to show Red Bull they had made the wrong decision and if he was outqualified by Tsunoda, a couple of forceful moves on his team mate during the opening lap – after the Japanese was boxed behind the

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two Hamilton/Pérez incidents, before Turn 1 and after Turn 2 – together with a good pace around the pit stops time, guaranteed him P11, right in front of the home hero.

One of the reasons Lawson may have been so cool about his demotion is that, according to Red Bull insiders, he’s been assured he’ll be racing for AlphaTauri (whatever the team’s name will be by then) in 2025, so the coming year will see him heavily involved in all the simulator work, tyre tests for both teams and so on, making it hard for the Kiwi to repeat the Super Formula program, as his focus will be entirely on his own preparations for 2025.

There is, however, still a seat available in the 2024 Formula 1 grid, at Williams, but Lawson was almost dismissive of his chances to replace Logan Sargeant in the British team

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next year: “I’m a Red Bull driver, so all the Red Bull seats are filled and unfortunately for me that means for now I’ll be a reserve driver.”

And as for his assurances regarding a race seat with one of the Red Bull-owned teams in 2025, he was, again, extremely cautious with his words: “Right now I’m trying to do the best job in these races that I can. Once this stint that I have is over then I can start looking at what options there are, but right now it’s focused on these races.”

In any case, he made it clear that, “ultimately, my goal is to be in Formula 1 and the best way to achieve that is

by extracting the best performances I can in these races, so maybe I’ll think about what to do next once this stint is over.”.

A big fan of the New Zealander, departing Team Principal Franz Tost praised his driver, saying that, “Liam, who has impressed everyone in his races so far, will definitely help the team in his development role as a third driver, and I’m sure he will have a future in Formula One soon.”

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2023 SUPERCARS BATHURST 1000 PREVIEW AND EVENT GUIDE

60

YEARS OF THE GREAT RACE

WHO WILL WIN THE BATTLE ON THE MOUNTAIN IN THE NEW GEN3 ERA? CAR-BY-CAR: WHO CAN WIN AND WHY SIX DECADES OF GREAT RACE WINNERS JAMIE WHINCHUP – GOING FOR THE ENDURO DOUBLE 60 MOMENTS OF 60 YEARS MARK SKAIFE – HOW TO WIN BATHURST ROOKIES AND WILDCARDS ... WILL THEY SURVIVE? PLUS FULL EVENT SCHEDULE Bathurst edition made SUPER by

BATHURST 1000 PREVIEW

A BATHURST LIKE NO OTHER …

BRING IT ON!

THE GEN3 era throws up so many unknowns for this Bathurst 1000 that it really does leave the race wide open.

What can we expect in 2023, and how can you win or lose this race?

ANDREW CLARKE looks at 60th Birthday running of The Great Race.

SIXTY YEARS ago, a little car race from Phillip Island was moved to inland New South Wales to a tourist road that was conceived as one of the world’s great racing tracks. And it was made as a public road so the Feds would pay for it. Smart.

A legend was begun that changed the face of motorsport in this country. It gave our touring car racing a reason for being, and we love it.

In this preview we track back through six decades of the race, looking at the races for each of the years ending in a three – all the way from the first race in 1963.

Images: MOTORSPORT IMAGES, MARK HORSBURGH, EPIC SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHY

Shane van Gisbergen defends his Bathurst crown in a race in which mechanical issues could play a part in a way that hasn’t been the case for many years – and with Ford/GM parity being tweaked even as the transporters head to the Mountain ...

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But perhaps more important is this year’s race and there is a Bathurst form guide, just as there is every year, but this year more than any other, we have more head-scratches than ever before. For everything that Gen3 has delivered, it has offered equally as much that we don’t know.

So here is what we know.

Coca-Cola Racing by Erebus and Red Bull Ampol Racing have been the class of the field this year. The Bulls we expected, but the two Erebus cars have surprised, and championship leader Brodie Kostecki has been the most consistent driver in the field … hence the lead in the series.

Erebus has done a stunning job and hats off to the team from Dandenong South. Beating Triple Eight is never easy, and they have made this season entertaining.

But both those teams have the best tool in the shed, the Chevrolet Camaro, and we can’t talk about this race without dwelling on

the parity issues affecting the Mustangs. As one team principal in Blue Oval Land said at Sandown, yes, Erebus has done a brilliant job and need to be lauded, but has anyone even contemplated the fact that his team (in a Ford) might be doing a better job with inferior equipment? To be honest, we’d never looked at it that way, but it is a fair call.

So, what is the disadvantage? In a parity technical formula it shouldn’t matter how we got there, whether Ford in the US and Dick Johnson Racing as the homologation team did a good job or not doesn’t matter, the technical specs should have balanced that out. So we, or more specifically I, don’t wear that line.

Getting accurate data out of Sandown wasn’t easy though with three of the Fords carrying damage – lost wheels and wings and a damaged undertray – and another running a weird set-up. The baseline is unclear, which just keeps adding to the complexity of the parity mix.

There is an aero issue and there is an engine issue that is not related to reliability – we’d be very surprised if an engine fails on the Mountain this year, although we believe one Ford had a broken valve spring at Sandown to remind us that anything that is mechanical can have issues.

But let’s start there. All season, the two engine builders – Herrod Performance Engines for Ford and KRE Race Engines for Chev – and Supercars have been trying to get the engines paritised and everyone accepts this has not happened. Kenny Mac built the Chev to a spec, and Ford has had to try and tune its more complex engine to match it.

Without getting the two donks on a transient dyno this appears not to have happened, and sadly, it won’t happen before Bathurst so there’ll still be a little bit of finger-licking to see which way the wind is blowing.

At Sandown, we believe the Fords were losing time coming out of the slow corners, which

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Erebus Coca-Cola Racing has been the new class of the field so far in 2023., while Cam Waters (top left) has, along with WAU’s Chaz Mostert, battled hard for Ford in a car on the wrong end of the parity equation so far ... Brakes, more especially brake changes, will challenge all teams. left them lagging behind the Chevs for the first half of each of the two long straights.

Bathurst has three significant straights in Mountain, Conrod and the Pit Straight, all starting with relatively slow corners. This is Ford’s worst nightmare unless there is a mapping change, which may still come ‘at five to midnight’ and render this part of the story irrelevant.

At some stage, they will get it right, but they could also shift the balance to the Fords, which is what they are trying to avoid.

Part way along the straight, aero comes into play, and the now draggier Ford is losing at the top end. In trying to create an aero balance that doesn’t wear the rear

tyres excessively, Supercars and Ford have taken away some top speed.

According to our sources, the aero issues are related to the edges of the front splitter and side skirts. The Chev has rounded edges while the Ford is relatively sharp which is what may lead to its pitch sensitivity, and trying to dial that out of the cars without a fundamental change has not been easy. They will run with a narrow set-up window, and they will more than likely still run at a disadvantage.

New panels for Bathurst on the Ford are only reducing weight and shifting the centre of gravity on the cars, and yes that will help with the rear tyres, but it is a crude Band-Aid to what is a large and open wound.

In short, it is hard to see a Ford winning given the job that the two leading Chev teams are doing. We can’t see Erebus or Triple Eight missing the mark, and that is ignoring the stellar years from Brad Jones Racing, Matt Stone Racing and Team 18, the latter two of which have won races in 2023.

So that is it for the parity discussion. At the start of a tyre run, we could be talking tenths of a second difference over the course of a lap, which may open up as the tyres wear.

Now for the rest of the debate.

We do not know how certain components will survive the gruelling race. The front wheel bearings, spindles and wheel nuts have been problematic, but considerable work has been going on between Sandown and Bathurst to try and get on top of the issues. Grove Racing lost a wheel nearly 20 laps into the race which is not a human error thing – it was a failure of some sort. Then, on the drive day on the Monday after that race, an Erebus car had a spindle failure that shed a wheel, too.

There are theories around that spindle failure, one of which relates to the wheel nuts.

The wheel nuts have been a problem from the very start and with the

number of in-race pit stops expected – likely to be six or more – this may be an issue that could end the run of a car or two. Or worse, the Mountain is a tough and scary place that doesn’t forgive errors too kindly.

The run from Griffins Bend to Forrest’s Elbow is as unforgiving as any piece of racing tarmac in the world, which is what makes this place so special. But losing a wheel at a couple of hundred clicks while fully loaded would not be a pleasant experience.

The other risk here is the steering racks, which have also been struggling all season.

These racks are borderline at best – will this be fixed in time for Bathurst? They will require a lot of maintenance during the weekend, and even that will not give anyone security.

The steering is one of the things Shane van Gisbergen dislikes the most about these cars, and at The Bend, he tried every rack that Triple Eight had in its transporter. We will be staggered if there is not a major drama during the weekend from a steering rack.

The Gen3 cars have a bigger fuel tank, and this will be a factor in the races more than in practice and qualifying. Getting off the line at Bathurst has never been easy – now it will be harder. But it is more than just that; it means the balance of the cars will shift more dramatically over the course of a fuel run as weight lowers and the centre of gravity drops.

This will add to the unknowns around the new Dunlop tyre, the Supersoft, being used at Bathurst. We expect pit strategy this year to be dictated more by tyre wear than fuel loads. A tank of fuel may now run to 30 laps, whereas at full noise the previous generation car was good for around 21 or 22, meaning seven stops was the minimum needed to get to the finish. This year, you can get there on six, and a fuel-saving run could make the final stop quite short … if you can get the tyres to cope with all these laps. The tyres are built to a spec to make it hard on the drivers, but they will tippytoe the first couple of laps on each set of tyres to try and eke some extra life out of them.

The strategy options are opened up because of all this and we will thus see some flexible options at play during the race.

We can’t wait to see what the creative thinkers at Brad Jones Racing can throw at this race. There will be a lot of spreadsheet racing going on, and Larko’s whiteboard will go into meltdown as it maps the strategies and trajectories.

Lastly, the brakes need some discussion.

At Sandown, the clumsy change process led to the Triple Eight cars not changing pads to minimise the risk. Previously, you could change pads, now you need to change the entire calliper set-up and it is proving to not be as easy as before according to some – but the much longer fuel stops (more fuel and slower filling rigs) will ease a little bit of the pressure.

But it is still a risk point and engineers are control freaks who don’t like the unknown.

Now we come to the best part. The drivers.

The lead drivers have a pretty good handle on the new cars, and some drivers have stepped up and become superstars and have made the series entertaining. Brodie Kostecki is leading the series from Shane van Gisbergen, with Broc Feeney and Will Brown racing hard in the top four, meaning three of the leading drivers are yet to put 100 races under their belts.

This is a changing of the guard, especially with van Gisbergen running what may very well be his final Bathurst. We’ve seen drivers like Jack Le Brocq step up too, so the complexion of the series looks a little different.

But Bathurst is all about the co-drivers and what you can and can’t do with them. We are surprised every year at the faith some teams have in some drivers, and we’ve had those discussions with the teams who all have their reasons. But we remain unconvinced.

The power of a gun co-driver has never been more obvious than in the past two seasons where first Lee Holdsworth and then Garth Tander set up the wins because their speed created so much flexibility. Not every team and every car has that power this year.

There are a handful of co-drivers that will define this race, and that doesn’t just mean the guns we expect.

Drivers like Dave Russell, Tony D’Alberto and Warren Luff may not be Jamie Whincup, Richie Stanaway, Tander or Holdsworth in terms of profile, but on the track and at Bathurst they are not that far away. They don’t make mistakes and they are plenty fast enough.

And this is what we love about Bathurst. It is what we don’t that excites us more than what we do know. It is why this race is special.

A star can be born and halos can be destroyed. Winning is everything, and to many, it is still more important than the championship. Bring it on.

Can DJR; Fords homologation team for the Gen3 Mustang, build on their performances and take it to the Chev based teams at Bathurst.

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BATHURST 1000 PREVIEW

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YEARS OF BATHURST 1963-2023

19 ARMSTRONG 500

63 FROM THE ISLAND TO THE MOUNTAIN … THE GREAT RACE IS BORN

By Mark Bisset WHEN THE Light Car Club of Australia and the Phillip Island Auto Racing Club held the first Armstrong 500 at the birthplace of Australian road racing in November 1960, touring car racing was already usurping single-seaters as the most popular race category in Joe Public’s mind.

Guys like Jack Myers, Leo Geoghegan, Len Lukey and Norm Beechey weren’t national household names, but in their home-states were door-handle to door-handle crowdpleasers in ‘Humpy’ Holdens and Ford Customlines.

Brilliant PR man Ron Thoneman created the race by pitching the notion of a uniquely Australian long-distance event to his client, Armstrong York Engineering (Armstrong shock absorbers).

By October 1962, three successful 500 milers for production cars had been run and ‘won’ at the Island by John Roxburgh/Frank Coad, in a Vauxhall Cresta, and by Harry Firth and Bob Jane in 1961-62 in a Mercedes 220SE and Ford Falcon XL; the first win for a fully locally built car.

Ye olde-rickety wooden bridge between San Remo and Newhaven on The Peoples Republik of Phillip Island caused the Island to lose the race. The bridge couldn’t support the weight of modern hot-mix bitumen road equipment, then the thinning cold-mix track surface was beaten to destruction by pre-event rain and the pounding of 42 cars.

PIARC was skint …

Bathurst was the obvious place to accept the 1963 baton, having successfully run the Bathurst Six Hour Classic for production sedans and sportscars in September ’62.

Many of that event’s competitors were, or became, stars: Des West, John French, Ron Hodgson, Peter Wherrett, Bruce McPhee, Bob Holden, David McKay, Greg Cusack, Peter Williamson, Brian Foley, Kevin Bartlett, Fred Gibson, Harry Firth and Bob Jane. Not to forget the Brothers Geoghegan – Leo and Pete – who won the Six Hour in a Daimler SP250 V8; the pair achieved a race distance of just under 400 miles (641 km) in a chassis which was so floppy the drivers door kept flying open on some corners – sub-optimal on the Mount!

The ARDC kept the best of the race’s traditions; classes by price and only Australian-built or assembled cars eligible, with cars gridded by class with starting positions out-of-the-hat; no Top 10 shootout then! TV coverage continued, albeit Channel 7 rather than 9. In was a massed start; out was the Le Mans sprint to the cars and each class start being separated by 10-seconds.

1963 was an epochal year also in that the EH Holden S4 was the first of the factory built ‘Bathurst Specials’, albeit the opposition ‘outright’ Morris Coopers and Ford Cortina GTs had been blooded by competition in the dirt and circuits of Europe.

The fabulous tradition of Weekend Warriors running their roadies comprised a big chunk of the 57 starters, the Bill Burns/Brian Lawler Humber Super Snipe perhaps the epitome of optimism!

The strongest outright pairings were the FoMoCo entered Cortina GTs of Jane/Firth and Geoghegan/Geoghegan, the Holden S4s of Spencer Martin/Brian Muir, Bartlett/ Bill Reynolds, and the ‘Flying Brick’ Morris Coopers of Foley/Peter Manton, West/John Martin and Hodgson/Charlie Smith.

The rich tradition of what became The Great Race started on October 6, 1963 at 1pm with a huge explosive bang, courtesy of the Howard Family – racers and purveyors

Bob Jane and Harry Firth shared the winning Cortina (below). LEFT: Kevin Bartlett and Bill Reynolds finished 15 laps down in an EH S4 Holden ‘Special’.

Above: The drop down from Skyline was quite different back then ... Above right: Jane and Firth – the stylishly attired race winners ... The David McKay/Greg Cusack Vauxhall Velox heads the Holden EH of Jim O’Shannessy and John Brindley.

IMAGES: AUTOPICS.COM.AU/BOB JANE COLLECTION

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of fireworks displays to the governments of Australia.

Harry Firth’s innate feel for long-distance racing prevailed again when he and Bob Jane bagged three wins on the trot with the Mountain producing its own challenges over undulating Phillip Island; brakes and gearboxes were hugely stressed, so too were steel wheels which failed in-bulk.

At the end of 500 miles, 130 laps, it was (outright) the winning Cortina GT of Jane and Firth, from the Ralph Sach/Fred Morgan in their Holden S4, the McPhee/Ryan Cortina in third place, then the Tony Allen/ Tony Reynolds Chrysler Valiant AP5 … the battle lines of production touring car racing for the ensuing decade had been clearly drawn!

1963 ARMSTRONG 500 POS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

DRIVERS CAR Harry Firth/Bob Jane Ford Cortina GT Frederick George Morgan/Ralph Sach Holden EH S4 Bruce McPhee/Graham Ryan Ford Cortina GT Tony Reynolds/Tony Allen Valiant AP5 Geoff Russell/John Reaburn Ford Zephyr Doug Chivas/Ken Wilkinson Morris Cooper Jim Gates/Mike Nedelko Morris Cooper Bill Cunliffe/Barry Broomhall Ford Cortina GT Harry Budd/R. Smith Holden EH S4 Alan Caelli/Ern Abbott Ford Cortina 1500

LAPS 130 129 129 126 126 125 125 124 123 123

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19 HARDIE FERODO 1000: 73 THE TIMES THEY ARE A-CHANGIN’

By Mark Bisset DOUG CHIVAS was leading the first 1000km incarnation of The Great Race in the HDT Holden Torana GTR XU1 he shared with reigning champ, Peter Brock, when he provided one of its most thrilling but excruciating moments when he ran out of fuel atop the mountain at 2.30pm.

The vastly experienced, gifted 51-year old veteran famously coasted down Mount Panorama then attempted a clutch start which failed and killed the car’s momentum. The pitlane and the nation watched agonisingly as he pushed the car up the slope to the pit entry line, before being flung aside by Brock to complete the fuel/driver stop.

The 1960s was a decade of sex, dope, rock ‘n roll; one of great societal change. By the 1970s The Beatle’s saccharin ’63 hit ‘She Loves You’ had given way to more strident lyrics as war, terrorism, oil-shocks and environmental concerns took hold. Change was afoot in Australian racing too.

The Big Three (TBT) Australian manufacturers Holden, Ford and Chrysler slugged it out in the dealerships, with victory in Series Production races key to sales success; Win on Sunday, Sell on Monday was definitely the adage.

The Big Three’s ‘Skunk Works’ built fantastic road cars to win races. Their calibre went up a notch when Ford Australia raided the Mustang parts-bin to build the ’67 XR Falcon GT 289 V8.

Holden retaliated with the 327 Chev V8 HK Monaro. It was game-on: Ford won Bathurst in 1967-70-71 and Holden in 1968-69-72.

Then newspaper ‘160mph Supercar’ headlines put the kibosh on the proposed

The stunning yellow Goss/KB XA GT351 Coupe (above right) led away from pole position at the start but didn’t finish. Right: Colin Bond working at the wheel of the HDT GTR XU1 Torana which would ultimately finish third.

1972-73 Holden LJ Torana V8, Ford Falcon XA GTHO Phase 4, and Valiant Charger V8, as CAMS shut down politicians’ easy-PR-wins.

Group C, a set of rules for the Australian Touring Car, and Manufacturers Championships, allowed modified engines, suspension and driveline, brakes, wheels and tyres. It was a neat fix – not that it ended the homologation-wars!

In 1973 the ATCC was fought out largely

by Allan Moffat and Peter Brock in Group C variants of their faithful XY GTHO and LJ XU1 weapons; Moffat achieved the victory he never quite bagged with his epochal Boss 302 Trans-Am. It was left to privateer-hero John Goss to spectacularly run FoMoCo’s new XA GT351 coupe. He experienced a development program of speed and blown engines as oil-surge became a big problem for cars with

much greater grip than hitherto.

Ford introduced their coupes for the fiveround Manufacturers Championship to do battle with the venerable XU1s – the LH Torana didn’t appear until March ‘74. In the Bathurst lead-up, Fords placed 1-3 in Adelaide, and Holden 1-2 at Sandown.

At Bathurst, Class D, for cars of over 3-litres comprised five Falcon GTs, 16 Torana GTRXU1s, four Charger E49s and an HQ Monaro GTS350.

Goss’ hard work was rewarded in qualifying when the big, yellow, bellowing Max McLeod XA GT he shared with Kevin Bartlett was on pole a second clear of the Brock/Doug Chivas XU1, the Moffat/Pete Geoghegan works Falcon GT, and John French/Bob Skelton GT. In a race of mechanical carnage – eight Toranas DNF’d with blown engines (Fred Gibson’s works GT had engine failure on lap 17)

– Brock took the lead when the Goss and Moffat Falcons pitted for fuel and driver changes.

Clear of the first round of stops, Bartlett led the HDT Toranas of Chivas and Leo Geoghegan (sharing Colin Bond’s car). When Bruce Stewart inverted his Torana GTR in The Cutting, he winged Goss as Pete Geoghegan handed the white GT coupe to Moffat, in the lead. Goss’ crew repaired a crushed guard but he ultimately retired with overheating/low oil pressure.

Chivas’ mishap was caused by minimal pre-event testing and Harry Firth’s strategy to win the race with one fuel stop less than the Fords. After that stop, despite lapping 2-3 seconds quicker than Moffat, the Bond and Brock Toranas fell short with dramas of their own, with both blowing tyres in the later part of the race, allowing Moff and Big Pete an immensely popular and well-deserved victory.

1973 HARDIE FERODO 1000 RESULTS POS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

DRIVERS Allan Moffat/Ian Geoghegan Peter Brock/Doug Chivas Colin Bond/Leo Geoghegan Bob Jane/John Harvey Bob Forbes/Dick Johnson Ray Kaleda/Peter Granger Murray Carter/Lawrie NelsonShell Racing Ray Harrison/Mal Robertson Mel Mollison/Bruce Hindhaugh Bernie Haehnle/Wayne Rogerson

TEAM Ford Motor Company Holden Dealer Team Holden Dealer Team Bob Jane Racing Lakis Manticas Roamer Watches Australia Ford XA Falcon A.F. & M. Beninca Pty. Ltd Mazda Racing Team Bernie Haehnle

CAR Ford XA Falcon GT Hardtop Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1 Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1 Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1 Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1 Chrysler Valiant Charger R/T E49 GT Hardtop Alfa Romeo 2000 GTV Mazda RX-3 Mazda RX-2

LAPS 163 163 163 161 154 150 150 149 144 144

Back then John McCormack’s Australian F1 Championship race win win dominated the Auto Action cover, with Bathurst relegated to bottom of page!

Times have changed ...

The Moffat/Geoghegan ‘XA GT Falcon Superbird’ prevailed over the nimbler Toranas.

Above: The Mel Mollison/Bruce Hindaugh Mazda RX-3 finished ninth outright, second in Class B. Images: AUTOPICS.COM.AU

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BATHURST 1000 PREVIEW

19 BROCK’S TWO STEP

83 IT TOOK TWO CARS TO DO IT, BUT THE HDT COMMODORES DOMINATED

By Paul Gover THE EARLY 80s were torrid times in touring car racing.

Anyone who thinks the parity stoush in 2023 is tough was not around when the local Group C regulations were in force.

There was constant jockeying for an advantage, or to pull back a rival, and the Bathurst battle began long before the teams arrived at Mount Panorama for the traditional Grand Final.

In 1983, Allan Moffat had somehow snatched the Australian Touring Car Championship in a Mazda RX-7 that most people considered a sports car. And there was no other RX-7 with the wickedly wide flared guards allowed under Group C – or its 13B Wankel powerplant.

George Fury was second in the series after making the transition from rallying and his car too, a turbocharged Nissan Bluebird, upset the traditional thinking about Ford-versusHolden and Falcon-versus-Commodore competition.

There was also the smooth looking BMW 635 CSi coupe, a long way from the roots of touring car racing – with international touring car superstar Frank Gardner back to call the shots.

So, heading to Bathurst, there was turmoil and conflict as well as the usual uncertainty.

But 1983 was a time of Peak Brock.

His cars were the quickest, he was at the peak of his driving powers, and his co-drivers were as good as anyone on the big day.

So no-one was remotely surprised when Peter Perfect scooped up the chocolates on Sunday afternoon with his Commodore from the crack Marlboro Holden Racing Team finishing a full lap ahead of Moffat in the

From pole, Brock’s 05 only lasted eight laps – which led to the unusual sight of three drivers on the podium (right) Above right: Despite only qualifying 14th, Moffat and Katayama drove heroically for second.

Peter Stuyvesant Mazda with Japanese insert Yoshimi Katayama – who managed to lock Moffat out of the car at one pitstop – joining the local ace.

And what about those cigarette sponsors, which also included JPS on the BMWs . . .

Although Brock was a predictable and popular winner, there were still question marks over the tactics that took him to the top.

He swapped cars – something totally foreign under today’s regulations.

But long before the 163-lap running of The Great Race, at a time when cars thundered straight down Conrod without the diversion into The Chase, the scene was being set.

A total of 58 cars fronted for Bathurst, although only 55 could start, and there were classes for Under and Over 3.0-litre engines.

Car companies were heavily involved, with Holden, Ford, Mazda, BMW and Nissan fronting with factory-backed outfits, while the privateers in the lower class injected other brand badges including Alfa Romeo and even Audi.

The biggest pre-race drama was a giant crash for Dick Johnson during the ‘Hardies

Heroes’ shootout on Saturday morning for the fastest 10 cars from qualifying.

Johnson made a mistake exiting Forrests Elbow, clipping the wall and turning hard right into the trees at very high speed.

Anyone who was watching live at the circuit – including me – saw the in-car camera action in live and terrifying reality from the in-car camera. But someone in Channel 7’s broadcast centre had forgotten to push the record button and the footage was lost.

So, too, was Johnson’s Greens Tuf Falcon.

Now, as Brock celebrated another pole position on the mountain, with a 1.3-second margin over Fury’s high-boost Bluebird in the first front-row start for Nissan, Johnson began frantic negotiations for a replacement car.

He eventually got his hands on Andrew Harris’s Falcon, (got him a replacement Commodore), and the paint on the stand-in Greens-Tuf racer was still drying on the grid.

There was more drama when Brock’s Commodore blew its engine after just eight laps, but team manager Larry Perkins knew the rules on cross-entered drivers so he and

Brock jumped across to the #25 Holden and took their second straight win with John Harvey sharing the win.

Phil ‘Splitpin’ Brock never got to drive the winning car, a frustration for the ‘other’ Brock brother, despite being entered and doing the whole lead-up. He never truly forgave Perkins.

The race became a David-and-Goliath battle between Brock’s Commodore and Moffat’s Mazda, but the V8 grunt was too much to overcome as Allan Grice and Colin Bond proved when they took third in another Holden.

There were six Commodores in the top 10 – including the car-swap Harris Commodore – with three RX-7s and the single Falcon of Alf Grant and David Seldon that was seven laps behind after qualifying only 26th Not surprisingly, Johnson and Kevin Bartlett failed to finish.

1983 JAMES HARDIE 1000 POS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

DRIVERS Peter Brock/John Harvey/Larry Perkins Allan Moffat/Yoshimi Katayama Allan Grice/Colin Bond Steve Harrington/Garth Wigston Peter McLeod/Graeme Bailey Jim Keogh/Leo Leonard Alf Grant/David Seldson Bob Morris/Rusty French Phil Alexander/Ron Gillard Andrew Harris/Gary Cooke

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TEAM Holden Dealer Team Peter Stuyvesant International STP Roadways Racing STP Roadways Racing Petrolon Slick 50 Team Toshiba Alf Grant John Sands Racing Tokico Andrew Harris

CAR Holden VH Commodore SS Mazda RX-7 Holden VH Commodore SS Holden VH Commodore SS Mazda RX-7 Holden VH Commodore SS Ford XD Falcon Holden VH Commodore SS Mazda RX-7 Holden VH Commodore SS

MARGIN 163 162 160 158 158 157 156 154 153 151

HDT’s VH Commodores were always going to win – but, controversially, it needed Brock and Perkins to transfer to the second car to do it.

Below: Johnson’s huge Hardies Heroes crash was the other big 1983 story.

Left: AA’s cover was able to feature two of the ‘hotselling’ words – Brock and Bathurst!

Images: AUTOPICS.COM.AU/ AUTO ACTION ACHIVES

Bathurst edition made SUPER by

19 HOLDEN POWERS LARRY 93 IF ANYONE KNEW THE ENGINE RULES BACKWARDS IT WAS PERKINS

By Paul Gover EVERYONE REMEMBERS The Great Race of 1993 as a landmark event.

It was the final time a Holden with a Holden engine won the Bathurst 1000, thanks to the engineering expertise and tactical thinking of Larry Perkins.

He knew his Holden-Holden would have the edge at The Mountain, as others took the easy way into a Chevrolet V8, just as he stuck with traditional wheel nuts until centre-lock systems proved their advantage – LP also ordered two right-hand driving boots for every left – because they wore out faster and it saved him money!

Winning in ’93 also allowed Perkins, a one-time Grand Prix racer who only failed in Formula One because he lacked the poise and polish of his rivals, to step convincingly out of the shadow of Peter Brock.

He and Brock scored a three-peat at Bathurst, but this time Perkins did everything his way to the first of three more wins.

He also took pole position with a lap that was a half-second clear of Mark Skaife, with Dick Johnson only fifth in the fastest Falcon after a pre-race aero adjustment to the Commodores.

The Perkins package for ’93 included Gregg Hansford, a one-time world-class Kawasaki grand prix motorcycle racer, who had previously guested in Allan Moffat’s cars.

Perkins and Skaife blast away from the start as Bathurst reverted to a Ford versus Holden contest.

The day before the race, Hansford was put on notice by Wayne Webster – the highly-rated but highly-controversial motoring editor of Sydney’s Daily Telegraph – who said the pair could win the race if he was prepared to be a hard-edged racer and not just a pretty boy.

At the press conference after the finish, the expected showdown between Hansford and Webster failed to fire when the star made a surprising admission.

“I want to thank that guy,” Hansford began, pointing at the scribe ... It was typical of the Perkins’ approach to racing, and Hansford’s humility.

The all-new arrangements for Bathurst ’93 marked a significant turning point in touring car racing, although the 47-car field still included a category for small-capacity tiddlers.

Godzilla was gone when the field was formed-up and no-one was mourning its death. Gone, too, were the international regulations – called Group A – which had spawned the Nissan GT-R and a run of other race-bred specials including the Ford Sierra RS500 and BMW M3.

Instead, Bathurst was back to its Aussie roots with an emphasis on V8-powered homegrown muscle with Holden Commodores – lots of Commodores – and Ford Falcons dominating.

This was the run-up to what has become Supercars racing.

Ford Falcons won seven of the nine races in the Australian Touring Car Championship, which Glenn Seton claimed in his EB – although Jim Richards salvaged something from the final races with wins for his VP

Commodore from Gibson Racing.

This was a time when cigarette funding drove most of the top teams, with Winfield against Peter Jackson in a big-money battle at the front, as even the Holden Racing Team ran a relatively low-key program with Tomas Mezera.

Some BMW M3s continued after the Group A cull with smaller engines, as highly-rated internationals Steve Soper and ‘Smokin’ Joe Winklehock joined the locals. The smallcapacity class included a de-turboed Sierra in among the hordes of Corollas in Class B. Although Seton was expected to star, he was one many highly-rated retirements. They included Dick Johnson in a Falcon, Mezera and Win Percy for HRT, Soper and Tony Longhurst in their M3, and even Allan Moffat’s Falcon crewed

by Andrew Miedecke and Charlie O’Brien.

So the race was a Commodore-fest, with the Perkins’ car resisting the challenge of secondplaced Jim Richards and Mark Skaife, with Wayne ‘Captain Chaos’ Gardner snagging third with the under-rated Brad Jones for HRT. But there is a post-script to the story of Bathurst 1993. The winning car will be back on track at Mount Panorama as part of the anniversary celebrations this weekend.

The Castrol Commodore has been immaculately and meticulously restored by Larry’s son Jack Perkins, down to the tiniest detail, for a high-profile cameo appearance.

If you’re there, don’t miss it ...

1993 TOOHEYS 1000 TOP 10 POS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

DRIVERS Larry Perkins/Gregg Hansford Mark Skaife/Jim Richards Wayne Gardner/Brad Jones David Brabham/Anders Olofsson Troy Dunstan/Steve Harrington Geoff Brabham/David Parsons Bob Jones/Greg Crick Paul Radisich/Cameron McConville Terry Finnigan/Garry Rogers Bob Pearson/Bruce Stewart/Phil Ward

TEAM Castrol Perkins Racing Gibson Motorsport Holden Racing Team Gibson Motorsport Pepsi Quix Racing Peter Jackson Racing Ampol Max 3 Racing Dick Johnson Racing Terry Finnigan Pro-Duct Motorsport

CAR Holden VP Commodore Holden VP Commodore Holden VP Commodore Holden VP Commodore Holden VP Commodore Ford EB Falcon Holden VP Commodore Ford EB Falcon Holden VP Commodore Holden VP Commodore

MARGIN 161 161 160 159 156 154 153 151 150 148

Below: Wayne Gardner and Brad Jones combined for third in one of the HRT Commodores.

Bottom: First Falcon home was the Geoff Brabham/ David Parsons Peter Jackson car, in sixth, albeit seven laps down.

Images: AUTOPICS.COM.AU/ AUTO ACTION ACHIVES

Perkins’ Commodore was the only leading car with a Holden (rather than Chevbased) engine – his interpretation of the engine regs enabled some brilliant innovation – and the fourth of his six Bathurst 1000 wins.

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BATHURST 1000 PREVIEW

20 MURPHY’S LAP OF THE GODS 03 HOTTEST OF SINGLE LAPS TURNS INTO TOTAL GREAT RACE DOMINATION

By Andrew Clarke GREG MURPHY and Rick Kelly were in total control of the 2023 Bathurst 1000, and only a major disaster was going to provide any outcome other than a win for the #51 Kmart Commodore. The Lap of the Gods in the Shootout was just one part of it even if, to many, it is the most memorable.

Not that Murph was immune to disaster as the 2002 instalment and five-minute toilet break proved, but all the stars aligned for ‘03.

Murphy’s Law was always an apt moniker for the Kiwi.

Running the second cars out of the Holden Racing Team, the junior squad (with Kmart backing) was less restrained.

It had the gun Holden engine rather than having to transition into the future. And to be fair, Murph was driving like a man possessed. It was like there was more than just redemption at stake, not that he had any inkling on Friday when he topped qualifying as to what lay ahead.

The funny bit about the Lap of the Gods is that the lap wasn’t perfect, which only built the tension and eventual exultation. The lap was in the 2:06s for the first time and more than a second clear of John Bowe on the front row alongside him.

We don’t need to recount the lap, which has been done many times but Murph, in the book I wrote with him, spoke about the emotion after first seeing the time on his steering wheel, and then turning down pitlane.

“Holy shit, what have I just done?” he said was his first thought as he turned down

After the stunning Top 10 lap, Murphy led from the start, sharing the car and podium with Rick Kelly (top right). 2023 was also Larry Perkins’ last Bathurst 1000 (right) – sharing with Steven Richards. pitlane to be greeted by streams of his opponents exiting garages to acknowledge what they had seen. The lap has been beaten, but nothing in the 20 years since has matched its significance.

“You struggle at any moment to get a pat on the back from anybody in this sport. It is so competitive it just doesn’t happen. To have those people coming out into pitlane like that made the moment truly magic.

“Even if we hadn’t had such a strong race the next day, nothing was ever going to take that away from me.

“Some people said to me after the race that it never looked like we were going to lose, but Bathurst doesn’t work like that, as we have seen many times, and we knew we had to get everything right on the day to win.

“I was so confident in Rick to do the job that I didn’t worry there, and everyone in the team was so focused. Maybe we all

remembered the fuel hose incident from 12 months earlier even though we didn’t discuss it; regardless, we weren’t going to let this one slip.” And they didn’t.

The race itself was pretty much a race-long battle between Murphy and Kelly with the #1 car of Mark Skaife and Todd Kelly. With only a handful of laps to go and 1.2 seconds between the two Commodores, Skaife was blackflagged for a rear door that was opening … just as it had been for nearly 20 laps.

Skaife and HRT were fuming, but even without that you felt Murphy had pace in hand should Skaife get any closer. In the end, Murphy won the race by more than four seconds from the Prodrive car of Craig Lowndes and Glenn Seton, and Steve Ellery and Luke Youlden a little further back in a Triple Eight Falcon.

“It was a very satisfying feeling that win,” Murphy said. “Rick became the youngest-

ever winner of the race, and I was proud to be part of that with him and over the moon to have my third win.”

In the history of Bathurst, this was one of the most dominant performances of the modern era. You would have said it was a hard act to follow ... only they did it again the next year.

This race was also notable as the final run for six-time race winner Larry Perkins.

Then 53 years of age, Perkins crashed the Commodore he was sharing with Steven Richards at The Cutting in final practice, and later said he was thinking of issues other than driving, which told him it was time – despite the duo finishing fourth.

2003 BOB JANE T-MARTS 1000 RESULTS POS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

DRIVERS Greg Murphy/Rick Kelly Craig Lowndes/Glenn Seton Steven Ellery/Luke Youlden Steven Richards/Larry Perkins Jim Richards/Tony Longhurst Marcos Ambrose/Russell Ingall Paul Radisich/Rickard Rydell Mark Skaife/Todd Kelly John Cleland/Andrew Jones John Bowe/Brad Jones

2003 is remembered for Murph’s staggering Top 10 lap ... Below right: Glenn Seton recorded the first of his two second place Bathurst finishes, co-driving with Craig Lowndes. Images: MOTORSPORT IMAGES, MARK HORSBURGH

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TEAM Kmart Racing Ford Performance Racing Steven Ellery Racing Perkins Engineering Holden Racing Team Stone Brothers Racing Triple Eight Race Engineering Holden Racing Team Brad Jones Racing Brad Jones Racing

CAR Holden VY Commodore Ford BA Flacon Ford BA Falcon Holden VY Commodore Holden VY Commodore Ford BA Falcon Ford BA Falcon Holden VY Commodore Ford BA Falcon Ford BA Falcon

MARGIN 6:32:55.4044 +4.9377 +8.4910 +9.3615 +9.8725 +20.5635 +28.6114 +32.4087 +1 lap +2 laps

Official Supercars Filtration partner

20 PRODRIVE FINALLY NAILS IT 13 FEW SECONDS SAVED THROUGH THE DAY MADE THE DIFFERENCE ...

By Andrew Clarke AFTER A decade of toil and heartbreak, Ford Performance Racing (nee Prodrive and now Tickford) finally pulled it all together at Bathurst to record a win on a tense day at Mount Panorama. Mark Winterbottom and Steve Richards claimed the win after an all-day battle with Jamie Whincup and Paul Dumbrell, the reigning champions.

The closing laps of the race were spent with Whincup sitting on Winterbottom’s tail with lights flashing trying to distract the Ford driver. It looked like the Commodore was pacier, but track position is everything on those closing laps. It needed Frosty to stumble, but he didn’t – on the last lap Whincup launched a Hail Mary move at Griffins Bend, but Winterbottom held his line and hung Whincup out to dry … the rest of the lap was soaking it in.

“What an amazing day for the team – we came very close in 2007 and we still feel like that was ours,” departing Tickford boss Tim Edwards said this week. “In fact, we’ve got the bonnets from the two Bathurst-winning cars in ‘13 and ‘14 on the wall in the gym, and we’ve also got the bonnet from the 2007 car – in all three instances, everybody in the team signed the bonnets and that’s a nice reminder that sit on the now, gym wall.

“In 2007, we were fastest in every practice session, qualifying and led all the laps to the race till ‘13 to go when, if you remember, Frosty skidded off at The Chase. So that was very close, but then to actually get it over the line in ‘13, it’s what childhood dreams

The Whincup/Dumbrell car led early, but FPR’s final stop was fast enough to jump into the lead. Lower right: Jason Bright/Andrew Jones snared fifth for BJR. are made of and it made grown men cry because they were so overwhelmed with having finally done it.”

“We knew we had a fast car all weekend – that’s one thing you have to have, and that was no different to 2014. You’ve got to have a fast car for the last hour of the race, but it’s a 1000K sprint these days. You’ve got to be fast all day because it’s very easy to find yourself without the track position and then you’re on the back foot ... and then you’re having to get creative – you might find yourself in fifth or sixth.

“When everybody’s travelling at a very similar speed, you manage to get two seconds extra fuel in at the previous stop because of something you creatively did earlier in the day, it’s those things that

actually come down to making the difference at the end.

“The decisions you make at 11 o’clock in the day and at 12 o’clock in the day, and the speed of your car at 11 o’clock and 12 o’clock, ultimately all play a big part in where you finish your day because if you find yourself down the order a little bit halfway through the race, you’re then just taking aggressive strategy decisions to try and get yourself back to the pointy end.

“But it doesn’t leave you anything in the tank for that final pit stop of the day where you might be out of the pit slightly quicker than someone else.

“In a perfect world, you don’t want to cash your chips in until that last pit stop. That’s where you push your all chips across the

table and go, ‘Beautiful. We’re stopping for 14 seconds and the guy we’re racing is stopping for 20 seconds’.”

And that is kind-of how it worked. On the second last pitstops with Whincup and Winterbottom triple stinting to the end, the spots swapped, and the hunter became the defender and they raced to the flag like that for 43 laps.

For the record, Craig Lowndes and Warren Luff were third.

2013 SUPERCHEAP AUTO BATHURST 1000 POS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

DRIVERS Mark Winterbottom/Steven Richards Jamie Whincup/Paul Dumbrell Craig Lowndes/Warren Luff Garth Tander/Nick Percat Jason Bright/Andrew Jones Scott Pye/Paul Morris Will Davison/Steve Owen Scott McLaughlin/Jack Perkins David Reynolds/Dean Canto Andy Priaulx/Mattias Ekstrom

TEAM Ford Performance Racing Triple Eight Race Engineering Triple Eight Race Engineering Holden Racing Team Brad Jones Racing Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport Ford Performance Racing Garry Rogers Motorsport Rod Nash Racing Triple Eight Race Engineering

CAR Ford FG Falcon Holden VF Commodore Holden VF Commodore Holden VF Commodore Holden VF Commodore Holden VF Commodore Ford FG Falcon Holden VF Commodore Ford FG Falcon Holden VF Commodore

MARGIN 6:11:27.9315 +0.4744 +6.2369 +7.0960 +14.1358 +20.2543 ++29.2654 +43.3411 +46.0667 +48.2772

After several near misses, 2013 saw victory for Ford Performance Racing (Tickford Racing these days) under intense late race pressure from Triple Eight ...

Images: MOTORSPORT IMAGES, MARK HORSBURGH

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BATHURST 1000 PREVIEW

BATHURST CAR-BY-CAR

THE AUTO ACTION BATHURST INDEX IS A COMPLEX MATRIX THAT MEASURES LEAD DRIVER, CO-DRIVER, TEAM, CAR AND SANDOWN RESULTS TO COME UP WITH A RATING OUT OF 100.

OUR JUDGES WERE BRUCE WILLIAMS, PAUL GOVER AND ANDREW CLARKE, AND HERE IS HOW THE NUMBERS FELL ...

EVERY YEAR we, along with most of the motorsport media, sit down and play Nostradamus. This combination is better than that one, because … It is purely subjective, and our Editor, Bruce Williams, tries to get it to make sense.

So, this year, we put together a system that takes Williams' final stamp out of the system as he and Paul Gover were asked to rate each driver, co-driver, car and team along with me. Then we added endurance form based on the Sandown 500 and we came up with a rating know for each car out of 100 – the Auto Action Bathurst Scale.

Three independent sets of eyes, not consulting each other and a little bit of maths. For drivers, the 0-10 scale was set as 10 being the best driver in pitlane

and five being the minimum standard to be in the main game or co-driver’s seat depending on which driver is which. A 10 for a co-driver doesn’t mean they are at the same level as a 10 for the lead driver, it just means they are the best co-driver.

The Sandown 500-winning car of Broc Feeney and Jamie Whincup tops our ratings narrowly from the sister car of Shane van Gisbergen and Richie Stanaway. Bathurst form counts and no other team in pitlane can boast a record like that of Triple Eight with nine wins in the past 16 years and nine wins (10 if you count the first race from which it was disqualified for a non-performance technicality) from 23 races this year. As a team, it has some of the best brains in pitlane sitting behind computer

screens calling the strategy, as well as a seemingly limitless budget to put the cars together.

With 10 race wins this year, only Erebus seems in the same league, and that is reflected in the third and fourth rankings for its two cars, with championship leader Brodie Kostecki (and Dave Russell) only a fraction away from the #88 car, but a significant step in front of the Will Brown and Jack Perkins car.

From there, the order gets very mixed up. Andre Heimgartner and Dale Wood in the lead Brad Jones Racing car sit half a point ahead of the third Triple Eight car for Craig Lowndes and Zane Goddard before the first of the Fords, the Tickford car of Cam Waters and James Moffat, comes in a further half point back.

All the Mustangs were dropped a point or two by the panel just because they are Mustangs and are clearly at a parity disadvantage.

The one disclaimer we have here is that we don’t know what, if anything, will change on the cars in the lead-up to the race in that respect.

Even a small parity tweak could make a huge difference, with gearchange ignition cut timing able to be adjusted at almost any time as an 'on-the-run' performance adjuster.

There are four Mustangs within 2.5 percentage points of each other in the bottom rungs of the top 10.

So here are our rankings out of 100, if you disagree jump on our socials and let us know why.

TRIPLE EIGHT RACE ENGINEERING

88

DRIVERS: BROC FEENEY/JAMIE WHINCUP ENGINEER: MARTIN SHORT

94.3

CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1 Post Sandown all the cliches around the 'master and apprentice' have been rolled out, but there is more to this pairing than just that. Feeney has emerged this year as a rising star of the sport, and we’re pretty sure even the GOAT will accept he is ready to lead the charge at the rare double of the Sandown 500 and the Bathurst 1000 in the same season. There’s not much between the two Triple Eight cars, so track position and avoiding double-stacks will be critical.

TRIPLE EIGHT RACE ENGINEERING

97

EREBUS MOTORSPORT

DRIVERS: SHANE VAN GISBERGEN/RICHIE STANAWAY CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1 ENGINEER: ANDREW EDWARDS

BRODIE KOSTECKI/DAVID RUSSELL 94.0 99 DRIVERS: ENGINEER: GEORGE COMMINS

The two-time Bathurst winner is paired with a resurgent star in the team with the best modern-day track record in the sport. Van Gisbergen has been off his game in qualifying of late, but he still races as well as anyone in the field, and it is hard to see him not being fully focussed for what might be his final Bathurst. Stanaway emerged from his self-induced exile last year with a stunning wildcard run – his temperament is different to when he was last a full-time driver.

DRIVERS: WILL BROWN/JACK PERKINS ENGINEER: TOM MOORE

BRAD JONES RACING

CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1

83.0 8

The second Erebus car has been a little less consistent than the sister car, hence the lower rating, which pretty much matches its performance at Sandown – fourth. Brown is a jet when he is on his game and is more than capable of fighting with the best, but doesn’t seem as consistent as his teammate. Perkins, as a co-driver, is a race winner and will have to be at his very best if the #9 car is going to challenge for a win.

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92.8

The championship leader is having a breakout season, and he’ll be looking to continue that form at the track where he made us all pay attention a couple of years back. The Erebus team has been on the money since the start of the year and is perhaps the only team that looks to have a full handle on Gen3, with Kostecki yet to have a rough day in the office. David Russell is a gun co-driver and brings more to the table than you would think; there are not many better at the craft than him.

EREBUS MOTORSPORT

9

CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1

DRIVERS: ANDRE HEIMGARTNER/DALE WOOD ENGINEER: TONY WOODWARD

CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1

77.5

Another driver pairing with a ‘sleeper’ co-driver. Wood’s name is not as big as many in the field but year in, year out, he keeps getting the job done. Heimgartner has been one of the better performers of the year with six podiums, but there has been an element of hit-or-miss for the #8 Brad Jones Racing Car. In the pits and with race strategy, there are few better teams so that elusive Bathurst win is always a chance.

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Following their strong performance at the Sandown 500, the pairing of Feeney and Whincup are the strong favourites to back up with a Bathurst win Image: PETER NORTON - EPIC SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHY

TRIPLE EIGHT RACE ENGINEERING

ZANE GODDARD/CRAIG LOWNDES 888 DRIVERS: ENGINEER: WES McDOUGAL

TICKFORD RACING

CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1

77.0 6

If Whincup is the championship GOAT, there is a good argument that Lowndes is the Bathurst GOAT, even better than Peter Brock.

He comes into his own on The Mountain and, despite his age and relative lack of on-track activity, once the lights go green on Sunday morning he’ll be as good as ever. Goddard was unfairly maligned after last year’s opening lap crash, but we feel he is well and truly good enough to be a main game regular and we think he will shine this year. Goddard will qualify the car.

GROVE RACING

26

DRIVERS: CAMERON WATERS/JAMES MOFFAT ENGINEER: SAM POTTER

FORD MUSTANG GT

76.5

After a few years of struggling to get off the line, Moffat was good at Sandown, until a bouncing wheel landed on the rear of the car and broke the wing off. Only in Tickford-land would something like that happen. That said, Waters is one of the fastest drivers in the field and is a real shot at pole, and he’ll race with the best. If the car is in a competitive position when Moffat’s day is done, Waters will back himself in the low-drag era to have a crack at those in the Championship hunt.

WALKINSHAW ANDRETTI UNITED

DRIVERS: DAVID REYNOLDS/GARTH TANDER ENGINEER: ALISTAIR McVEAN

FORD MUSTANG GT

CHAZ MOSTERT/LEE HOLDSWORTH 76.0 25 DRIVERS: ENGINEER: ADAM DE BORRE

Both these drivers have won Bathurst and know what it takes, and we don’t have too many concerns aside from the Ford badge. Tander is the best of the co-drivers on our ratings, and the Grove Racing cars seem to have benefitted from some testing in the lead-up to Bathurst, while Reynolds looked like he had returned to the early season form that saw him as the leading Ford driver on pace.

FORD MUSTANG GT

75.5

Two years ago in a ZB Commodore, this pair put together one of the greatest Bathurst performances in the 60-year history of the race. Holdsworth was a gun that day, and his performance set up the race win and allowed enough slack for the strategy to play out after a tyre issue. Mostert is a two-time winner of the race and the leading Ford in this year’s Championship, but he is yet to look like he is ready to win a race in the Gen3 car. Had an off day at Sandown that is unlikely to be repeated.

DICK JOHNSON RACING

11

DRIVERS: ANTON DE PASQUALE/TONY D’ALBERTO ENGINEER: LUDO LACROIX

74.0

FORD MUSTANG GT De Pasquale has proven his speed and is the only on-track winner in a Ford this year, albeit assisted by a tyre advantage from a Saturday DNF at Townsville, and D’Alberto is a bit of a co-driving gun. You get the feeling DJR is building for this one, but there remains a question mark over the Mustang and whether there is enough parity to allow it to get the job done.

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BATHURST 1000 PREVIEW

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YEARS OF BATHURST 1963-2023

MATT STONE RACING

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DRIVERS: JACK LE BROCQ/JAYDEN OJEDA ENGINEER: JACK BELLOTTI

72.5

CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1 MSR has been a revelation this season, with the second-generation Stone-led operation taking its first win and shaping up as a legitimate contender in the more even playing field. Le Brocq has taken to the new cars and is fast and steady, while Ojeda is a good co-driver now with three Bathurst runs under his belt. We expect them to qualify inside the top 10 and race with the leaders for most of the day.

DICK JOHNSON RACING

17

DRIVERS: WILL DAVISON/ALEX DAVISON ENGINEER: RICHARD HARRIS

GROVE RACING

FORD MUSTANG GT

MATTHEW PAYNE/KEVIN ESTRE 72.0 19 DRIVERS: ENGINEER: JACK BELL

A similar story to car #11, but with a co-driver we believe is just a little bit rustier due to a lack of racing during the season. That said, the return of the Sandown 500 allowed the cobwebs to be blown away.

Davison – Will – is quick, but so far this year appears to have struggled with the Gen3 DJR car, but then, on the Ford side, he is not alone.

TICKFORD RACING

5

DRIVERS: JAMES COURTNEY/ZAK BEST ENGINEER: SAM SCAFFIDI

FORD MUSTANG GT

CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1

CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1

65.5

Hill’s rookie season has been good, and Robotham is a bit more of an unknown than he should be after doing well in the feeder series and debuting last year in the Matt Chahda wildcard. Hill is improving, but this is his first Bathurst as a lead driver, and he has a lot to get his head around.

TEAM 18

FORD MUSTANG GT

SCOTT PYE/WARREN LUFF 65.5 20 DRIVERS: ENGINEER: RICHARD HOLLWAY

Percat has struggled on his return to the Walkinshaw camp, and will no doubt be looking for better times when he joins MSR next year. That said, WAU is always good at Bathurst, and you just don’t know when he’ll get it all together. Coulthard is a steady hand as a co-driver and he is still hoping for a main-game reprieve so he will be at the top of his game.

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68.5

Randle has been a revelation of late and Jacobson, despite being sacked from PremiAir last year, has lost none of his speed and is out to prove them wrong. Three podiums at The Bend have put Randle right in the frame, and this Tickford car will benefit from living in the second garage where it is less likely to be impacted by double stacking.

CAMERON HILL/JAYLYN ROBOTHAM 66.0 35 DRIVERS: ENGINEER: PAUL FORGIE

WALKINSHAW ANDRETTI UNITED

DRIVERS: NICK PERCAT/FABIAN COULTHARD ENGINEER: ADAM AUSTIN

FORD MUSTANG GT

MATT STONE RACING

Winterbottom broke his losing streak this year and put Team 18 on the top step of the podium in Darwin – on his day, we still see the speed that took him to a championship and a Bathurst win a decade ago. Caruso was good at Sandown and appears to like the new cars. There are plenty of good brains out the back of the garage, but the team is perhaps the unluckiest we have seen in a long time when it comes to Bathurst.

2

Matt Payne is the standout rookie of 2023, and it is now obvious why team boss Stephen Grove has placed so much faith in the young Kiwi. Frenchman Kevin Estre was impressive at Sandown, but Bathurst is a different story … or so everyone says. Estre has raced there in several B12 Hours and he will get the job done. Grove Racing has been working towards this race and had the best Fords at Sandown.

THOMAS RANDLE/GARRY JACOBSON 71.5 55 DRIVERS: ENGINEER: RAYMOND LAU

TEAM 18

18

71.5

TICKFORD RACING

James Courtney seems to like the new cars, and, despite only having one podium for the season, is one of the leading runners in a Ford. Zak Best we know is fast and he’ll do a great job in the co-driver’s seat. Can Tickford put it all together in Tim Edwards’ last Bathurst at the helm?

DRIVERS: MARK WINTERBOTTOM/MICHAEL CARUSO ENGINEER: MANUEL SANCHEZ

FORD MUSTANG GT

CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1

65.0

Luff is the Bathurst co-driver of all co-drivers, with a stunning record at Bathurst – he has done everything but win the race. Pye on the other hand has had a rough year or two, and this will likely be his final Bathurst as a lead driver. The team itself could do well, but we’ll have to see Pye return to his best to maximise the outcome.

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PREMIAIR RACING

31

DRIVERS: JAMES GOLDING/DYLAN O’KEEFFE ENGINEER: GEOFF SLATER

64.0

CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1 PremiAir Racing borrows IP from Triple Eight and Golding is more than up to the task, as is O’Keeffe as a co-driver. We’ve seen flashes this year, but not as many as last year so they’ll need a much more consistent weekend than any of the other outings this year. Golding is an outside chance for the Shootout.

BRAD JONES RACING

14

BLANCHARD RACING TEAM

DRIVERS: BRYCE FULLWOOD/DEAN FIORE ENGINEER: PHIL KEED

CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1

64.0 3

Fullwood has been good this year, but he’s also been a little inconsistent, while Fiore has plenty of experience but perhaps lacks seat time in 2023. We know the ability of Brad Jones Racing to get the strategy and pitstops right, but double stacking could become a factor.

DRIVERS: TIM SLADE/JONATHON WEBB ENGINEER: ROMY MAYER

CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1

MACAULEY JONES/JORDAN BOYS 59.0 96 DRIVERS: ENGINEER: ANDREW DONNELLY

FORD MUSTANG GT

58.0 4

Fraser has had a tough rookie campaign and hasn’t matched the heights of his Super2 Championshipwinning season, and next year is without a drive. Everingham is back for his third run at Bathurst but hasn’t yet really shown us what he is capable of. Double stacking could be an issue.

DRIVERS: JACK SMITH/JAXON EVANS ENGINEER: JULIAN STANNARD

CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1

55.5

We’ve seen little from either Smith or Evans to suggest they’ll leave much of a mark on this race, but there is a bit more of the unknown with Evans who is proving himself to be pretty adaptable. Evans did get the car into the top 10 during the Sandown 500, so this one could go either way.

DICK JOHNSON RACING

BLANCHARD RACING TEAM

DRIVERS: SIMONA DE SILVESTRO/KAI ALLEN ENGINEER: ED WILLIAMS

FORD MUSTANG GT

54.0 7

De Silvestro has plenty of experience at Bathurst and is a pretty accomplished driver in her own right, but not running Sandown and a bout of appendicitis has limited her time in the new car. Allen is a highly-rated rookie who we’ll be watching as a future star.

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59.0

BRAD JONES RACING

DRIVERS: DECLAN FRASER/TYLER EVERINGHAM ENGINEER: CHRIS STUCKEY

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CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1

Jones has had plenty of years in the sport but has only ever given the occasional flash that says he deserves to be there. He’s always been at his best for Bathurst though, and there is no reason to expect anything else this weekend. Boys is popular with the Albury-based team, but he doesn’t get much seat time.

TICKFORD RACING

98

59.5

BRAD JONES RACING

Webb was dropped in as a last-minute replacement for Joey Mawson and has been relishing his return to the sport, but he’ll be a little rusty, albeit capable. Slade hasn’t really shone at PremiAir and will be looking for a big weekend to boost his stocks – recent confirmation of his spot in the team for 2024 will be a boost. He’s plenty experienced now, so a result for this car will in part be just a matter of how much the Peter Xiberras-led squad is evolving.

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FORD MUSTANG GT

It has been an inconsistent year for Hazelwood and the Cooldrive team, and we are hoping they turn up at the top of their game as they explore being a two-car team with a wildcard entry. Having a second car for the first time will help them get on top of the set-up. Hazelwood is one of the most likeable drivers in the pitlane, but that isn’t always enough. For Blanchard, as a team owner, the time clock is ticking on his career in the driver’s seat.

PREMIAIR RACING

23

DRIVERS: TODD HAZELWOOD/TIM BLANCHARD ENGINEER: SHELDON AUHL

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DRIVERS: AARON LOVE/JAKE KOSTECKI ENGINEER: CHRIS FITZGERALD

FORD MUSTANG GT

51.0

Love has looked pretty good in Super2, but stepping up to lead a main game car at Bathurst is a big ask.

He is learning and will be all the better for it on what might be a very visible job interview for next season.

Kostecki has plenty of experience now and is only out of a main game drive for reasons other than his ability. He’ll be seeing this as a redemption opportunity.

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BATHURST 1000 PREVIEW

WHINCUP EYEING OFF SECOND ENDURO DOUBLE

TRIPLE EIGHT BOSS JAMIE WHINCUP WILL HEAD TO BATHURST IN OCTOBER WITH A HISTORIC SECOND SANDOWN 500/BATHURST 1000 DOUBLE FIRMLY IN HIS SIGHTS, ALONGSIDE BROC FEENEY ...

AS WELL as eyeing off the endurodouble, Whincup also heads to Mt Panorama in search of a fifth Bathurst 1000 victory, 11 years after his last Great Race triumph, in 2012, with Paul Dumbrell in the T8 VE Commodore.

A fifth Bathurst 1000 triumph would give him his second Sandown/Bathurst enduro double, which would be the third such occasion since the 5L V8 era began in 1993, and the ninth time in history, whilst Feeney could also become just the ninth driver to achieve the feat.

Alan Moffat was the first to crack the double in 1970 when he took out the Sandown 3 Hour 250 and Hardie-Ferodo 500 in an XW Falcon, racing for the Ford Motor Company.

It comes as no surprise that the next five occasions happened during the indomitable “King of the Mountain” era, when Brock achieved the feat in 1975/1978/1979/1980/1984.

Brock’s first double enduro scoop saw him take the then Sandown 250 solo, before winning the Hardie-Ferodo 1000 with Brian Sampson in the #5 Holden LH SLR5000 L34 Torana in the over 3L class.

After doing it three more times in succession, 1984 marked the first occasion that the double was achieved when the Sandown 500 (known then as the Castrol 500) became a 500 km race. It was also the first time that the double had been achieved by two co-drivers, with both Brock and Moffat’s Sandown victories prior having been solo efforts.

Prior to that, Brock’s Bathurst winning

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Peter Brock’s’shared’ double was in 1984, with Larry Perkins.

Whincup took an enduro double in 2007, with Craig Lowndes. In 2023 he’s going for a second with Broc Feeney (above). partner in his enduro double years after Sampson was Jim Richards, between 19781980.

Brock then partnered with Larry Perkins in 1984 for the Castrol 500 and the James Hardie 1000, doing the double in the ‘Big Banger’ #05 VK Commodore for the Holden Dealer Team, with that year’s Sandown 500 being the first such occasion when a co-driver was a required factor, and the first time since 1969, when it was it was called the Three Hour Datsun Trophy Race.

It was also the last time that Brock won the Sandown enduro, one lap ahead of Moffat and Gregg Hansford, whilst they took the 1984 1000 in bitterly cold conditions by two laps over stable mates John Harvey and David Parsons.

The next double wasn’t achieved until 10 years later in 1994 when Dick Johnson and John Bowe took out the Sandown 500 and

the Tooheys 1000 in the DJR #17 EB Falcon, marking the first occasion since the advent of the V8 era that the double was taken. For both drivers, it was also their first time on the top step of the Sandown Enduro, whilst it was the pair’s second time with the Bathurst 1000 wreath.

It wasn’t long before the eighth double was achieved when Lowndes took the first of his two enduro sweeps in 1996 alongside Greg Murphy, taking out the Tickford 500 and the AMP Bathurst 1000 for the Holden Racing Team in the #1 VR Commodore.

It was also a first Bathurst or Sandown win for either of the two iconic drivers, knocking off Johnson and Bowe to take the Great Race in a year where ‘The Kid’ truly became a household name by also winning the Australian Touring Car Championship for the first time.

11 years later, Lowndes took his second

enduro double – this time it was Whincup sharing the driver’s seat of the Triple Eight BF Falcon, taking the 1000 in a damp thriller with little separating the top four to give the pairing two-straight wins in the Great Race before going on to a hat-trick in 2008 (there was also no Sandown 500 in 2008).

That was the last time the double was achieved, and now Whincup will be aiming to tie Lowndes with two of his own alongside Feeney when the Supercars hit the Mountain for its 60th anniversary on October 5-8. Timothy W Neal Images: MOTORSPORT IMAGES/AUTOPICS.COM.AU

SANDOWN AND BATHURST ENDURO DOUBLES • 1970 Allan Moffat • 1975 Peter Brock • 1978 Peter Brock • 1979 Peter Brock • 1980 Peter Brock • 1984 Peter Brock/Larry Perkins • 1994 Dick Johnson/John Bowe • 1996 Craig Lowndes/Greg Murphy • 2007 Craig Lowndes/Jamie Whincup

Bathurst edition made SUPER by

“The last 60 minutes” is when Bathurst is won according to the six-time winner, crossing the line in ‘The Golden Child’ for the win in 2002 after surviving plastic bags blocking the radiator intake. Below right: Sharing the 2002 podium with Jim Richards and 1963 Bathurst winner Bob Jane.

Images: MOTORSPORT IMAGES

THE SKAIFE METHOD FOR WINNING BATHURST

By Paul Gover

MARK SKAIFE explained to me the key to winning The Big One. It has nothing to do with qualifying on the front row after the Top 10 shoot-out at Mount Panorama.

It has even less to do with the torrid firsthour battle for the lead, and the television kudos it brings.

Instead, it’s all about 60 Minutes.

No, he wasn’t talking about the television show on Sunday nights . . .

Skaife’s 60 minutes are the final hour before the chequered flag in the greatest race – even if Grand Prix fans now focus on Albert Park each March – in Australian motorsport.

Skaife has won six times at Bathurst.

Twice he was a co-driver but the other four victories were a tribute to his calculated and intense approach to victory.

He applied science and brain power to the challenge of winning, then combined it with the red-hot intensity he brought to his driving.

For the first decade of the 21st century, if you wanted to be a Bathurst winner you first had to beat Mark Skaife.

He was so dominant he scored his four wins with four different co-drivers.

There were three successes at HRT with old-timer and former winner Tony Longhurst and youngster Todd Kelly, split by a final thank you with Jim Richards that reversed their roles from the Godzilla days with Nissan and made ‘Richo’ the oldest winner in the race’s history at 55.

His fourth win of the decade and the sixth overall? He did it alongside his former team mate at Team Red, Craig Lowndes, with Triple Eight.

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Skaife’s last Bathurst win came in 2010, sharing a Triple Eight Commodore with Craig Lowndes.

Right: the duo and the Peter Brock Trophy ...

Some would argue that Skaife was ‘only’ the co-driver in 2010, but he was the one who did the heavy lifting on car set-up, mind management and the other tiny details that allowed Lowndes to romp home while he suffered in the back of the pits with a broken rib.

My personal Skaife master class came in 2001, when he was dominating for the Holden Racing Team and agreed to give me a year of insights from the garage at Team Red. Through that year’s title fight we talked about set-up, tactics, mind games and the things that really make a difference – beyond raw talent and one-lap speed – for a successful career in touring cars.

Skaife proved the point when he won Bathurst, and also claimed the championship after a typically torrid battle with Russell Ingall.

He was, at the time, the Michael Schumacher of Supercars.

He focussed on fitness, team building,

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testing, development and a deep and thorough understanding of his Holden Commodore racer.

Through the sprint races he explained the differences between a good car for qualifying and a good car for the race. And how to move between the two set-ups.

He even explained his personal driving position – sitting close to a high-set wheel – and his mental approach to a race weekend.

When it came to Bathurst, there was more of the same.

But . . . Skaife always went to Bathurst like a battlefield general, more like a team boss – Roland Dane is the same – than a driver.

From the opening laps at Mount Panorama he was also focussed on the 60 Minutes.

“You have to make the car easy to drive,” he told me.

“It’s a long day and you cannot afford to wear yourself out.”

Skaife was always keen to get his codriver’s comfortable, in the car and on the track.

But his real focus was the car set-up.

“It’s all about the last hour. That’s when you need a fast car,” he said.

So a Skaife-mobile was never likely to be the fastest during the opening stoushes. It would be quick, but not super-quick.

Instead, as more and more rubber was laid down, and the temperature heated and then cooled, and the cars were hustled through tyre sets and brake changes, the focus was always on the final sprint.

Track position was also a focus.

“It’s easier to defend,” he said.

So, if everything had run to plan, the Skaife car would be in the lead for the final hour – or after the final Safety Car – with a perfect set-up for the track conditions and anyone hoping to challenge for victory.

That’s how things played out at Mount Panorama in 2002, as Skaife led at the final hurdle and – despite pressure from Steven Richards (son of race winner Jim) and Russell Ingall in the Perkins Engineering Castrol Commodore while managing an overheating engine that was just one degree from disaster caused by plastic bags covering the air intakes – he was first to the flag.

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BATHURST 1000 PREVIEW

THE GREAT RACE BEING THE BIGGEST RACE OF THE YEAR, THE BATHURST 1000 ATTRACTS SOME FRESH FACES AFTER FLYING the flag for Ford at Sandown, there will be a lot of attention on how Porsche ace Kevin Estre tackles the Great Race for the first time alongside rising Kiwi Matt Payne.

Estre is one of three Bathurst 1000 rookies and he is almost double the age of the others as teenagers Aaron Love and Kai Allen prepare for the brightest of spotlights.

One driver who is not new to Bathurst is Craig Lowndes. He is back in the familiar Supercheap Auto colours alongside Zane Goddard.

To add extra spice, there will

be the strange dynamic of longtime rivals Triple Eight and DJR operating from the same garage.

THOMAS MILES takes a look at the 2023 class of rookies and wildcards.

ALLEN FEELING “NO PRESSURE” AHEAD OF “DREAM” DEBUT MAKING YOUR Supercars debut aged 18 at Bathurst for Dick Johnson Racing could be daunting, but it is a “dream” scenario for Kai Allen.

The Mount Gambier teenage sensation will complete his rapid rise from Super3 to Supercars within two years at the 60th anniversary Bathurst 1000.

Allen will do so behind the wheel of a team steeped in Great Race history in DJR as he shares the eye-catching yellow #98 wildcard with Simona De Silvestro, who is on a comeback mission of her own.

With just four full Super2 rounds under his belt, he will easily be the youngest and rawest driver in the field having only arrived on the car-racing scene at Toyota 86 Series level in Townsville 2021.

But since that promising debut, Allen has gone on leaps and bounds breaking the Super3 pole record and being a Super2 race winner championship contender.

Despite the short accent, Allen is in a

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good headspace ahead of the big race and can’t wait to take on his biggest challenge yet.

“There is no pressure or any nerves. It is like a dream come true,” he told Auto Action. “I am full of excitement for the opportunity to take it with both hands and see how we go.

“For me it is about learning and gaining experience. If I can take a lot away from this it will be great going forward for my career.

“We will just go there to do the best we can and let the Bathurst gods decide what happens.”

One of the biggest reasons behind Allen’s confidence and composure is the team around him.

Whilst his co-driver De Silvestro has not raced Supercars since 2019, she has three full-time seasons and five Great Races under her belt, plus her experience gathered around IndyCar and Formula E since.

Both drivers were in the DJR garage

during the Sandown 500 and tested the #98 Mustang last week at Queensland Raceway.

Allen said DJR has provided him with the perfect preparation to not only race in Supercars, but the required 54 laps which will be easily the biggest race stint of his career.

“The longest race I have done was only 32 laps in the Super2 race at Perth, so I will have a few more to do, especially being such a long lap at Bathurst,” he said.

“But I have spent a lot of time with the team and have a great preparation behind me.

“I have spent time up at the workshop and on the simulator working with the team, practicing driver changes and all of the things that goes on behind the scenes.

“It is pretty insane to see how a full Supercars team runs with all the processes and the amount of staff compared to Super2.

“I am all ears at the moment absorbing it all.

“I am pretty grateful to be a part of such a cool team and have had a really good preparation leading up to this special event.”

Importantly Allen enjoys driving Gen3 and he and De Silvestro are on the same page.

“Simona has been great and we are gelling very well,” he said.

“Driver ergo wise we both like the steering wheel and pedals in the same positions, which is great to know so we don’t have to waste too much time in the pits.

“I loved it,” Allen continued on Gen3.

“They are not too different because the Gen3 is on a soft tyre and Gen2 on a harder tyre, so they sort of equal each other out.

“I have worked pretty hard at making the Super2 car cockpit pretty similar to the Gen3 which will make it easier.

“Simona and I have a pretty good base setup and we will tweak it together.”

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AND EXTRA CARS TO THE EXPANDED SUPERCARS GRID OF 28 CARS ...

BRT WILDCARD LOOKING TO BUILD THE BLANCHARD Racing Team wildcard of Aaron Love and Jake Kostecki is looking to build from the foundations laid at Sandown.

Super2 debutant Love and comeback man Kostecki were happy to greet the chequered flag at the Sandown 500 in 24th place, two laps off the leader.

However, being the Love’s first race and BRT’s maiden experience of racing two cars, car #7’s campaign was more about miles than results.

Now a bigger challenge awaits at Mount Panorama where their Racer Industries colours will swap for a Mercedes F1 like Petronas livery.

Kostecki is keen to build on the team’s Sandown experience.

“We were happy to finish and can’t expect too much more,” Kostecki told Auto Action.

“Obviously it was the first time the team had two cars and the team did a pretty good job.

“We had a good strategy but just not enough pace.

“We were progressively moving forward throughout the weekend and in the race we were not too far off a few of the Fords in front of us.

“Hopefully we can learn from this weekend and keep the tyre on and take it all to Bathurst.”

Love and Kostecki gradually built speed across the weekend having started 1.4s off the pace on Friday before trimming the deficit down to 0.9s come qualifying.

Rookie Love started in the car on race day and made up three places on the opening lap and survived a close call with the spinning Zak Best.

When Kostecki jumped in the former MSR and Tickford full-time driver went all the way up to a solid 15th place and felt comfortable racing on the big stage for the first time since Adelaide 2022.

“In my first stint I felt quite strong against all the co-drivers and then my balance changed a bit on my second stint and dropped a little of pace, but not too bad.

“I only had a couple laps left in the stint and made some good

progress, getting to 15th, so I thought we had just got to hang on even though the tyre was quite shot.”

Kostecki believed the biggest lesson from the drive was trying to find the best way to make the tyres live.

“All these main game guys have been driving the cars all year and know all the tricks of how to keep the tyre under it,” he said.

“Also just doing little things like brake bias. If you are a bit slow moving the bias you can spin the tyres easily and you can lose lap time that does not come back.”

In addition to growing as a team, one of the biggest parts of the wildcard campaign was giving Love a taste of Supercars given he has been he has been speculated to receive a full-time rookie season next year.

It was a big weekend for the 19-year-old as he dovetailed Supercars with Super2 and Kostecki said the experience will “open Aaron’s eyes up a bit”.

“I have known Aaron for a long time since we were very young and he had a big weekend,” he said.

“Maybe this will open his eyes up a bit and make him realise it is not as easy.

“There is a lot of competition and it takes a lot of work, and time to gel with the team and get up the front.”

With one race under their belts, Love and Kostecki hope to take another leap forward when they double the distance at Bathurst.

FEARLESS FRENCHMAN KEVIN ESTRE took to Supercars like a duck to water at Sandown and he will be aiming to produce another eyecatching performance at Mount Panorama.

French Supercars rookie Estre and full-time debutante Matt Payne were one of the most impressive combinations at the Sandown 500, finishing as the leading Ford in sixth.

Despite having limited Gen3 exposure time and never seen Sandown or a Supercars race before, the 34-Year-old showed why he is one of the most sought after Porsche GT drivers on the planet.

The Porsche Penske Motorsport Hypercar driver held his own against the Supercars regulars and put the #19 1979 Allan Moffat retro Mustang as high as third.

The impressive 57-lap double stint stood out considering how internationals genuinely experience difficulty adjusting to Supercars and Estre was ecstatic.

“It was a great day,” he reflected.

“I was a bit stressed at the start because I have not done a standing start for 10 years but it went well.

“The team helped me a lot on the radio, coaching me on what they saw on the telemetry and I was also learning from the cars in front.

“The cars are very different to what I normally do shifting with the left hand, braking with the right foot including heel and toe which is a whole different technique to what I am used to.

“But I enjoyed it because it is old school. There is a lot on the driver and you can make a big difference.

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“There is a lot of power for the amount of grip we have so you need to be very patient on the throttle but a lot of fun.”

Estre’s exploits were a boost for young co-driver Payne, who has found some form in recent rounds and brought the car home in sixth.

The Kiwi has finished in the top 10 in three of the last four races after not getting close in the previous 12.

It is an impressive effort for Payne being the leading Grove Racing car considering he is just 20 and his teammate David Reynolds is 38.

The young Kiwi is now three places and 101 points ahead of Reynolds in the championship.

Despite being the least experienced Supercars pairing, Payne and Estre can turn to previous Mountain memories.

Payne shared the #10 Grove Racing Mustang with Lee Holdsworth last year and finished a strong sixth.

Although Estre will be readying himself for a first crack at the Great Race, he has tackled Mount Panorama four times in the 12 Hour with a best result of fifth in 2018.

If they can continue their form and master Mount Panorama, car #19 will be a dark horse to watch.

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LOWNDES TO MAKE MORE BATHURST HISTORY AS THE Great Race itself celebrates its 60th anniversary at Bathurst, Craig Lowndes will celebrate his own Mountain milestone.

When Lowndes shares the #888 Supercheap Auto wildcard Camaro with Zane Goddard, he will become just the third driver to notch up 30 Bathurst 1000 starts alongside Jim Richards and Peter Brock.

The 1996, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2015, and 2018 winner has not missed a Great Race since 1994 and he is returning to Mount Panorama as ripe as ever at 49 years of age.

Lowndes was one of the fastest codrivers at Sandown, having set a string of fastest laps and charged from 23rd to sixth.

In the end Goddard brought the Camaro home cleanly to secure a solid top 10 finish.

Lowndes described the result as “amazing” with plenty of promising signs.

“It was an amazing feeling to be in the top 10 at Sandown,” he said.

“We’ve brought people together from all different areas and they’ve shown they can get it done under pressure.

The pitstops were smooth and driver changes were okay.

“Zane did a fantastic job to bring it home under a lot of pressure from the primary drivers to bring home a P10 which was really really good.

“I think the result is really encouraging heading into Bathurst with the same car, and team.

“Zane and I took a lot out of that weekend before taking on the Mountain.”

For Goddard, who only made four Supercars starts in the previous two years prior to Sandown admitted it was a “tough” last stint holding onto 10th in the pressure-packed final stint.

But the pain means he and Lowndes are in good shape to take on the Mountain.

“To be honest I was very tired after Sandown, it was a tough last stint for me,” he said.

“But it was a great result for the team who had put in so much work.

“I’m very keen for Bathurst. It’s obviously the biggest event on the calendar and I’m keen to see what we can do there.”

The bar is high for the Supercheap Auto Camaro after Lowndes and Declan Fraser recorded a best ever wildcard result of eighth last year.

But history could be on their side as Lowndes has made the podium in his first, 10th and 20th trips to Bathurst, so who knows what is possible in his 30th.

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BATHURST 1000 PREVIEW

60

YEARS OF BATHURST 1963-2023

60 MOUNTAIN 60 YEARS CARRIES A LOT OF MEMORIES, SOME GOOD AND SOME NOT SO GOOD. OUR TEAM HAS A LOOK AT THE GREAT RACE AND BRINGS YOU OUR 60 MOST INCREDIBLE MEMORIES FROM THE RACES THAT HAVE BUILT THE BATHURST 1000 (AND 500 BEFORE THAT) INTO WHAT IT IS TODAY. a familiar one. Driving a Falcon with Ian ‘Pete’ Geoghegan, Allan Moffat takes his third Bathurst win, proving he is the man to beat at the Mountain no matter how long the race is.

1974 GOSS AND BARTLETT’S PRIVATEER VICTORY

WITH ALLAN Moffat’s Falcon out of the picture and Peter Brock retiring from a sixlap lead, the privateer Falcon of John Goss and Kevin Bartlett claims a surprise win in 1974. Lucky? Maybe. But really, it’s talent that gets the pair through one of Bathurst’s wettest ever races.

Images: MOTORSPORT IMAGES-MARK HORSBURG, DIRK KLYNSMITH,DANIEL KALISZ/AUTO ACTION ARCHIVES/ SUPERCARS-AN1 MEDIA/HOLDEN ARCHIVES/FORD MOTOR COMPANY

1963 THE FIRST GREAT RACE

IN 1963 the Armstrong 500 shifts from Phillip Island to Mount Panorama. Bob Jane and Harry Firth finish first in the race, but the real winner is the event. For the next 60 years Bathurst is and remains Australia’s premier motor race, the Great Race.

driven by Allan Moffat and Alan Hamilton – finishes fourth, two laps behind.

1966 MINI WIN THE BIG ONE

IT SEEMS inconceivable today, but Mini Coopers were once the cars to beat at Mount Panorama. The little racers are so good that they fill the first nine positions in 1966. Its success is short-lived however, as the V8 era is just around the corner.

1967 THE BIRTH OF FORD AND HOLDEN’S V8 WAR

LITTLE CARS were the go in the early races at Bathurst, but in 1967 Harry Firth and Fred Gibson show the way forward when their V8 Falcon obliterates the field. One year later Holden matches the feat, with Bruce McPhee and Barry Mulholland winning in a V8 Monaro. The rivalry is born.

1969 FIRST FACTORY SQUAREOFF BETWEEN FORD AND HOLDEN

FORD AND Holden have squared off plenty of times at Bathurst, but in 1969 both marques arrive with factory-backed squads.

First blood goes to Holden, with rally and circuit racer Colin Bond pairing up with Tony Roberts in a GTS 350 Monaro to take the win. The best factory Ford – an XW GT-HO,

1976 FORMULA ONE LEGENDS TACKLE THE MOUNTAIN

THEY WOULD have made a tremendous team in Formula One during the 1960s, but Stirling Moss and Australia’s three-time F1 world champion Jack Brabham wait until 1976 to race a Holden Torana together.

Unfortunately the pair only last a handful of laps after Brabham stalls on the grid and is hit from behind.

DICK JOHNSON’S story of redemption comes a year after his big crash -but the race could have been very different. On lap 122 a crash between Christine Gibson and Bob Morris blocks the track at McPhillamy Park.

The race is stopped, and Johnson and John French are declared the winners based on their positions on lap 120. Despite crashing, Morris is declared runner-up.

1977 FORD’S FORMATION FINISH

1971 THREE FOR III IN 1971

ALLAN MOFFAT leads a trio of GT-HO Phase III Falcons to victory in 1971, with Colin Bond’s Torana the only non-Falcon in the top six. The cars are so good that Moffat’s pole time is a whopping 10s faster than his own previous best from the year before in a Phase II.

IT REMAINS one of Ford’s top Bathurst moments, with both factory cars crossing the line next to each other – only the second car of Colin Bond and Alan Hamilton is ordered to remain behind the ailing Falcon of Allan Moffat and Jacky Ickx. Like a magician’s illusion, its impressive, yet not exactly honest.

1972 THE LAST 5OO-MILE AND RACE WITHOUT CO-DRIVERS

1983 BROCK SWITCHES TO HIS BROTHER’S CAR AND WINS

BATHURST IS tough, but in the days of yore, it was even tougher. The final race under the old format is held in wet conditions in 1972 and is mastered by a then 27-year-old Peter Brock. The youngster proves himself on the big stage, taking his first of nine Bathurst 1000 wins.

1973 FIRST 1000KM RACE

THE GREAT race evolved to a 1000km affair in 1973, but the name at the top was

1983 JOHNSON IN THE ROUGH IN 1983

Dick Johnson must feel like he used up all of his luck. His crash during qualifying is monumental to say the least, and though an immense effort piecing together a new race car happens overnight, the car fails to finish.

Reality steps in the way of another fairytale.

1979 BROCK’S BATHURST BLITZ

AT THE peak of his powers, no-one gets close to Peter Brock. Driving his famous A9X Torana, Brock is unstoppable in the 1979 race, winning by an astonishing six laps.

Just to add insult to injury, Brock broke the touring car lap record on his final, imperious tour of what was then a much more perilous Mount Panorama circuit.

1980 DICK AND THE ROCK

IT IS the career defining moment for Dick Johnson. The young Queenslander leads the 1980 race, when on lap 17 he hits a giant rock that has been thrown on to the track.

The massive accident destroys his car, but Johnson comes back stronger than ever and wins the race the following year.

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1981 DICK’S FIRST WIN

WHEN THE famous #05 retires early in 1983, Peter Brock switches to the sister HDT Commodore piloted by his brother Phil and John Harvey. Brock, Larry Perkins and Harvey are listed as winners of the race, while Phil and second-place man Allan Moffat are left feeling hard done-by.

1984 BROCK TAKES THE LAST GROUP C BATHURST WIN

THE LAST Group C race goes down as a momentous affair, with Peter Brock and Larry Perkins driving the beast-like VK Commodore to a commanding win.

Teammates David Parsons and John Harvey come home second, mirroring Ford’s famous 1-2 finish in 1977.

1984 FURY GRABS THE FIRST POLE FOR NISSAN AND FOR A TURBO

NISSAN SHAKES up the touring car scene in 1984, with George Fury’s Bluebird lapping the track in a then-record 2:13.850. The car is the first turbo to grab pole at the

Bathurst edition made SUPER by

MEMORIES 1992 FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMP DENNY HULME DIES

Mountain and influences Nissan’s future involvement in Australia’s motorsport.

1985 FIRST GROUP A RACE SEES A FOREIGN INVASION

PEOPLE STILL wax lyrical about Group A today and there’s no denying the format arrived with a bang. The podium in 1985 sees five foreign drivers claim a trophy, with race winner John Goss the only Australian on the dais. Aussie V8s are no longer kings after they’re challenged by Jaguars, BMWs and even a Volvo.

KIWI LEGEND and 1967 F1 world champ Denny Hulme loved racing at Bathurst. The Kiwi turns up in a Benson & Hedges BMW M3 for the 1992 race, but suffers a fatal heart attack behind the wheel at around 230km/h going down Conrod Straight.

1986 MOFFAT AND BROCK TEAM UP

THE GREATEST rivals in Australian motorsport unite in 1986 to drive Brock’s Commodore. The partnership fails to inspire, with a massive practice accident on Friday and a pitlane crash during the race seeing the pair struggle to fifth place.

THINGS CAN go wrong very quickly at Mount Panorama - just ask Jason Bargwanna. The Holden Young Lions driver crashes heavily during Sunday’s practice, ending his race hours before it starts.

Bargwanna redeems his reputation in 2000 by winning with Garth Tander for GRM.

IN 1998 Steven Richards returns from Europe to win Bathurst in an unfancied EL Falcon with Jason Bright. Driving a VT Commdore the following year, he and Greg Murphy win the Great Race – giving Richards the unique honour as the only man to prevail at back-toback races with separate manufacturers.

1992 JIM RICHARDS CALLS THE CROWD ‘A PACK OF ARSEHOLES’

AN AFTERNOON storm turns Mount Panorama into an ice-skating rink in 1992, and despite crashing, Jim Richards and Mark Skaife are declared the winners of the red-flagged race.

The crowd is none too happy with the result and the usually polite Richards calls the mass “a pack of arseholes” in response to the booing.

2000 A MOTORBIKE WORLD CHAMPION AND RALLY DRIVER TEAM UP – AND GRAB POLE

SURE, IT had a lot to do with the weather, but former 500cc world champion Wayne Gardner takes a remarkable pole position in the 2000 Top 10 Shootout. Gardner teams up with Australian Rally champ Neal Bates for the race, though his familiarity with gravel does not help when he beaches the car on lap 43.

1993 PERKINS AND GREGG HANSFORD WIN THE FIRST 1000 IN THE V8 SUPERCAR ERA

TEAMED WITH former motorbike racer Gregg Hansford, Larry Perkins takes DIY to the next level when he wins in 1993 with a car he built himself. The victory is the first in the V8 Supercar era and last for Holden’s V8 engine, masterfully specced by LP, after its teams switch to Chev power plants.

1987 PETER BROCK TAKES SIX MONTHS TO WIN HIS LAST BATHURST

1994 LOWNDES’ PODIUM DEBUT

GROUP A’s introduction sees cars push the regulations to their limits. In 1987 the European Sierras dominate the race, but a post-race protest sees their dominant win thrown out. Six months after the appeal, Peter Brock is declared the race winner for a record ninth and final time.

DRAFTED IN at Sandown as a late replacement for Rickard Rydell, 20-year-old Craig Lowndes shows enough promise to get a run with the team at Bathurst. What follows next is a remarkable debut, as Lowndes and teammate Brad Jones finish in second place. A star is born.

1989 SIERRAS DOMINATE

1995 LARRY PERKINS AND RUSSELL INGALL’S LAST-TOFIRST WIN

1991 GODZILLA TAKES ITS FIRST WIN IN RECORD TIME

1995 SETON’S HELPFUL RETIREMENT

IF YOU can’t beat them, join them. Dick Johnson trades in his V8 for a turbocharged Sierra and builds the quickest examples in the world. The Sierras are so good that Peter Brock switches to Ford in 1989 and puts the car on pole. However, in the race he is no match for the #17 of Johnson and John Bowe.

NICKNAMED ‘GODZILLA’, the Nissan Skyline GT-A four-wheel-drive monster dominates the ATCC and Bathurst in 1991.

The race time is a remarkable 6h19m and it takes until 2010 to break the record – despite V8 Supercars being six seconds per lap faster around Mount Panorama.

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2003 RICK KELLY BECOMES THE YOUNGEST EVER WINNER ...

WHILE GREG Murphy’s pole lap earns most of the plaudits in 2003, his co-driver Rick Kelly becomes the youngest ever winner of the race at 20 years and eight months old.

He took the record from Craig Lowndes, who was 22 in 1996.

1999 STEVEN RICHARDS GOES BACK-TO-BACK, IN DIFFERENT CARS

1986 SKYLINE MAKES ITS MARK ONE YEAR after Group A’s first race at Bathurst, Gary Scott wrestles his Nissan Skyline around the Mountain to take the iconic car’s first pole. The car finishes third the following day; a landmark result for a Japanese brand at Bathurst.

1997 BARGWANNA FAILS TO FIRE

THEY SAY you can’t win a race on the first lap, but you sure can lose one.

Well, nobody told Larry Perkins and Russell lngall. The pair fall a lap behind at the start of the 1995 race with a puncture, only to claw their way back to the front; taking a surprising and extraordinary win.

LARRY PERKINS’ win in 1995 would never have happened if it weren’t for a cheap valve spring in Glenn Seton’s Falcon. The Ford driver is comfortably leading the race on the 30th anniversary of his father Bo’s win, only for his car to grind to a halt when his engine expires.

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2004 THEN GOES BACK-TO-BACK DESPITE THE record-breaking weekend in 2003, Kelly and Murphy are outsidefavourites in 2004. But the pair pull off the double, with an assured race mixing strategy with balance of pace as the two win from fourth on the grid.

2004 BROCK RETURNS IN ‘04 TO DRIVE #05 FOR THE LAST TIME

PETER BROCK made a couple of comebacks after his retirement from fulltime racing in 1997, but none were more shocking – or showed as much promise – as 2004. Given the keys to HRT’s second car, Brock and Jason Plato’s race ends early after a infamous crash with fellow veteran, John Cleland.

2005 CRAIG LOWNDES’ TYRE TROUBLES

2002 MURPHY’S FORCED ‘PITSTOP’

GREG MURPHY might have been ‘The Man’ in 2003, but a year earlier he was given a five-minute penalty for leaving the pits with his fuel hose still attached. Enraged, Murphy storms off into his team’s port-a-loo to sit and think about the punishment.

2002 JIM RICHARDS BECOMES THE OLDEST EVER WINNER

TEN YEARS after their infamous 1992 Bathurst triumph, Jim Richards and Mark Skaife reunite to tame the Mountain. At the height of HRT’s dominance, Skaife is aided by the experience of his co-driver, who proves an impressive deputy, and drives a superb opening stint, at a record 55 years old.

2003 MURPHY’S ‘LAP OF THE GODS’

THERE’S A reason it’s called ‘the Lap of the Gods’. Kiwi Greg Murphy blazes the Mountain in record time; over one second up on his nearest rival in 2003’s Top 10 Shootout. When he arrives in pit lane he is met by a standing ovation, and though cars have since gone faster, no-one has done it better.

STARTING THE 2005 race from pole, Lowndes is flying early in the race when a stray wheel from Paul Dumbrell bounces into his windscreen as he exits Griffin’s Bend. The damage sees Lowndes return to the pits, before he races on without his front and rear windscreens, finishing 14th.

2005 MARCOS AMBROSE AND GREG MURPHY GO TO WAR

WITH GREG Murphy looking for his third win in a row and Marcos Ambrose chasing a pre-NASCAR send-off, the heated rivals clash in dramatic fashion with only a handful of laps remaining in 2005. The pair famously exchange different opinions of the incident next to their wrecks.

2005 WHINCUP COMES OF AGE

THIS IS the performance that changes Whincup’s VS Supercar career. Teamed with Jason Richards at Tasman Motorsport, the pair drive a faultless race, finishing a close second to the HRT cars after putting Todd Kelly and Mark Skaife under constant pressure. Based on that drive, Whincup is then snapped up by Triple Eight for 2006 – and the rest is history.

2005 SKAIFE AND TODD MAKE IT A KELLY TRIFECTA

NOT TO be outdone by his little brother, Todd Kelly partners Mark Skaife to victory in 2005.

The older Kelly becomes the 50th driver to win the Great Race and completes an unprecedented streak by a pair of brothers.

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BATHURST 1000 PREVIEW

60

YEARS OF BATHURST 1963-2023

2014 MORRIS COMPLETES BATHURST TRIPLE

PAUL MORRIS has a unique record – winning the 6-Hour and 12-Hour enduros at Mount Panorama in addition to the Supercars grand final, in the same year. But what makes him so legendary is his ability to read the race – and preview the action – in real time. He is a racer’s racer and is now guiding his son ‘Flash’ Nash towards a career in Supercars. Or perhaps into NASCAR?

2015 OLD BLOKES ON TOP 2006 SKAIFE STARTS FROM POLE BUT ONLY LASTS ONE CORNER

SKAIFE IS a hot favourite to win his second Bathurst in a row in 2006 when he grabs a sensational pole. But come race day his car baulks off the line, sending him back through the field after the first turn. He is then hit from behind by an unsighted Jack Perkins, ending both drivers races within metres of starting.

2006 LOWNDES’ EMOTIONAL WIN

JUST WEEKS after Peter Brock’s death in a tarmac rally in Western Australia, Craig Lowndes takes an emotional win to claim the inaugural Peter Brock Trophy and his first win in a Ford at Bathurst. The moving victory has both sides of the Holden and Ford divide uniting and celebrating Lowndes’ tribute to his mentor.

2008 LOWNDES AND WHINCUP TAKE A THREE-PEAT

FOR THREE years in a row Craig Lowndes and Jamie Whincup prove unstoppable around Mount Panorama. Both Lowndes and Whincup are the first drivers since Peter Brock and Larry Perkins in 1982-84 to win the race three years straight.

2009 TWELVE CARS FINISH WITHIN 13 SECONDS OF THE WINNER

A LATE Safety Car in 2009 causes a bit of nervousness around the HRT bunker. The late- race flurry sees the top 12 cars noseto-tail across the finish line, with winners Will Davison and Garth Tander shadowed by Jason Richards by a narrow 0.7599s.

2010 SKAIFE RETURNS – AND WINS

FOLLOWING HIS retirement in 2008, Mark Skaife returns to the inside of a V8 Supercar in 2009 when he drives with Greg Murphy and finishes fourth at Bathurst. He switches to Triple Eight in 2010, winning his sixth Bathurst crown before getting the silver medal in 2011.

2011 THE YEAR OF THE ROOKIE AND THE PRO

DUNLOP SERIES driver Nick Percat gets the call-up to HRT in 2011 with the tough task of partnering Garth Tander. The youngster almost ends the pair’s race after hitting the wall at Griffin’s Bend, but recovers from the near-shunt to win the race on his Mountain debut.

2012 J-DUB WINS CLASSIC 50TH GREAT RACE

JAMIE WHINCUP has had some famous disasters at Bathurst, with one wag suggesting he suffers ‘Altitude Sickness’ on The Mountain. But with Paul Dumbrell to nurse him, before heading into a bigbusiness future as an executive, things went very right and they scored a well-deserved win in a classic finish with Reynolds on his tail.

2013 HOLD YOUR BREATH AUSTRALIA

THE Triple Eight v FPR rivalry was at its peak as Winterbottom and Whincup took the fight for the win to the final lap. Whincup made his move at Griffins Bend with a big lunge around the outside, but ‘Frosty’ kept his cool and won the battle to give FPR an emotional maiden Great Race glory.

2010 CRAIG LOWNDES BREAKS THE LAP RECORD

IT TAKES seven years to beat Greg Murphy’s (unofficial) lap record, but a practice session in 2010 sees Craig Lowndes eclipse the mark by a narrow 0.0582sec. Though no-one has gotten close to Murphy in qualifying or the race, Lowndes’ effort shows anything is possible around the Mountain.

2010 COULTHARD IS ON A ROLL

ALL NEW Zealand’s Fabian Coulthard can do is sit tight when his left-rear tyre punctures at the end of Conrod Straight, barrelling him into the sand trap and rolling six times. Coulthard climbs out of what is left of his car, giving the crowd a wave and earning his place in Bathurst folklore.

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2014 MOSTERT/MORRIS LAST TO FIRST

THE RACE that stops the nation – kinda – really did stop in 2014. When the track turned to crap the only solution was to park the cars on the pit straight and make emergency repairs. It was a long and gruelling day, even more so than usual, but somehow Chaz Mostert and Paul Morris got home first after only leading a single lap and Morris at one stage being in the fence.

AFTER A very troubled build-up to the Sunday fun, the old blokes in #888 got everything right on race day. When Craig Lowndes and Steven Richards were first to the flag it was one of the most popular wins in Bathurst history. The numbers were important, as both added another victory to their considerable totals, but it was all about emotion.

2017 EREBUS CONQUERS THE MOUNTAIN

DAVID REYNOLDS has had a (very) upand-down record at Bathurst, including his famous (literal) meltdown while leading in 2018. But he got the recipe right in ’17, anchored by the under-rated Luke Youlden, as they worked together to claim the Peter Brock Trophy.

2019 DJR’S INFAMOUS DROUGHT BREAKER IN A year of turmoil and controversy the rivalry between DJR Penske and Triple Eight

reached a new peak at Bathurst. So, too, did the bad feeling between the Ford and Holden camps. But did the right guys win? Yes, with Scott McLaughlin and Alex Premat giving DJR a first Great Race win in 15 years.

2020 GIZ AND GT WIN FOR HOLDEN

NOT EVEN the pandemic could stop The Great Race, but what a strange year on The Mountain. Almost zero spectators and no fraternising allowed between the essential people – including media – in the pitlane.

It was an eerie place and a strange event, but one of the truly memorable events as GT and The Giz got the job done as one of the best Bathurst 1000 pairings in recent memory.

2021 WAU BACK ON TOP

THE GOOD guys got the goodies when ‘Lethal’ Lee Holdsworth returned with Chaz Mostert. He also proved that recent full-time experience in the Main Game was a new key to success. The pocked rocket was quicker than his highly-rated team leader and did everything right to score his breakthrough win on The Mountain.

2022 SVG PUTS DANE’S T8 IN RARE AIR

NO LIST of the highlights from the past decade would be complete without Roland Dane. His crack crew he created and led have a record-equalling nine Peter Brock Trophies. He deserves everyone with SVG and Tander dominant in Triple Eight’s latest last year.

Official Supercars Filtration partner

THE AUTO ACTION TEAMS BATHURST TIPS Given that we here at AA HQ are supposed to know something about the sport of Supercars and the fact that we are trying to be better than average, we thought we should challenge the team to give you their own personal thoughts on who will fill the top three spots on the podium.

Given it’s a challenge there will be a prize of some sorts … the Publisher will have to work on that one!

ANDREW CLARKE – AUTO ACTIONS NEWS HOUND

I HAVE two sets of answers for this, which will aggrieve the Editor, but without knowledge of the acceptance of the parity adjustment, you can’t make a fair call.

So I have two sets. Non-adjusted, it is hard to see how over 1000km the class of van Gisbergen doesn’t get the job done and, to me, only Kostecki can challenge. The second cars from each of those teams will be out of the running because of stacking, leaving Andre Heimgartner to scoop up another podium for 2023. If there is an adjustment, and if it is as reported on our website, the lead Tickford car of Cam Waters will be a jet and take his first win in a season where everyone at Tickford has been sharpened by adversity.

I like Dave Reynolds and Garth Tander (note the only time I’ve mentioned a codriver) for an upset on the blue oval side and Mark Winterbottom for the bow ties.

No Adjustment #97 – Shane van Gisbergen/Richie Stanaway #99 – Brodie Kostecki/David Russell #8 – Andre Heimgartner/Dale Wood With Parity Adjustment #6 – Cam Waters/James Moffat #97 – Shane van Gisbergen/Richie Stanaway #99 – Brodie Kostecki/David Russell

PAUL GOVER – KEEPING IT SIMPLE AND DELIVERING ON BRIEF FOR A CHANGE.

1. BROC Feeney-Jamie Whincup Victory at Sandown has made these Bulls the favourites for Bathurst.

B-Feen has matured into a genuine star and J-Dub continues to star.

They are the only A-A driver pairing on the grid and Triple Eight looks to have a firm grip on the car, which makes them the ones to beat.

2. Shane van Gisbergen-Richie Stanaway If Shane-van-Gone can focus for the full weekend then they have the rest of the right ingredients.

SvG was good but not great at Sandown, the story of his season, but Stanaway ticked his boxes.

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It’s a great combination with great potential, but Bathurst is a box of chocolates.

3. David Reynolds-Garth Tander No-one knows what the Mustangs will bring to Bathurst, but Tander brings the glue to Grove Racing.

If the car is right, and GT will make it right if he can, then this pairing looks like the best of the Fords.

Can they do better than Brodie Kostecki?

Another of the known unknowns for 2023.

TW NEAL’S BATHURST 1000 TIPS

1 VAN Gisbergen/Stanaway; 2 Kostecki/ Russell; 3 Waters/Moffat With Shane van Gisbergen on his way to NASCAR in 2024, the sense of the sameold-same-old has gone out the window and now it’s a case of “see him whilst you still can”.

It also might be his last Bathurst 1000 for a long time, and he’ll be doing his utmost to leave the main-game (for now) by going equal with Dick Johnson with three wins in the Great Race.

Stanaway’s reliably eye-catching performances at the Sandown 500, coupled with SVG’s charge from P19 to a podium, also mean that if the Kiwi star puts in together in qualifying the Triple Eight garages superior race-day tactics in the long format stuff will have the #97 on the top step.

For second, I’m tipping an all-important and season defining P2 for Brodie Kostecki and David Russell, meaning the Erebus championship leader will do enough to keep a healthy points lead heading into the Gold Coast 500.

I’m also tipping the battle for third is going to be a close affair, and that’s going to be a fourth straight Bathurst 1000 podium to Cam Waters, with James Moffat earning a third straight of his own in the #6 Tickford Mustang.

THOMAS MILES AA HQ’S MERCH MANIAC

1 Kostecki/Russell; 2 van Gisbergen/ Stanaway; 3 Reynolds/Tander.

It is never easy picking a Bathurst winner and the unknown element of Gen3 adds an extra element to the Great Race.

This year Erebus and Triple Eight have been a cut above the rest and should continue their rivalry chasing the Peter Brock Trophy.

After two podium appearances, the time is right for Brodie Kostecki and David Russell to finally appear on the top step at Bathurst.

Car #99 has been ultra fast all year, Kostecki and Russell know how to get the best out of each other and it could be their time if double staking or a recovery truck does not get in their way.

If Erebus prevail then Triple Eight will fall heartbreakingly short of a record-breaking 10th Bathurst win.

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Being his last likely Bathurst 1000, expect Shane van Gisbergen to give it everything in pursuit of being the first back-to-back winner since 2008.

The man he won the race with last year, Garth Tander, could join him on the podium, albeit in different colours.

An experienced combination such as David Reynolds and Tander could emerge through all the chaos to give the Ford fans something to cheer about.

Despite being in a Mustang, both drivers at their best can be faster than anyone around the Mountain, so if luck is on their side, car #26 is a major dark horse.

AA’S NSW-RACE AND RALLY MAN GIVE US HIS BATHURST TIPS … WELL SORT OF ...

MOST YEAR’S Bathurst’s result runs to form and this year all the form has been with Triple 8 and Erebus. So, if it goes to form, the winner should come from one of those teams.

But the Fairy Godmother and Practical Joke departments occasionally get the upper hand over the Office of the Status Quo. The last time the Fairy Godmother got up I reckon it was to the benefit of Chas Mostert and, in particular, Lee Holdsworth.

And the last time the Practical Joker decided the race, it was also Chas Mostert who benefited, this time with Paul Morris.

So, Moxo’s tip? Hard to go past the vast experience in winning that sits in the Triple 8 garage, in particular the Van Gisbergen/ Stanaway entry after a fantastic drive through the field at Sandown. Kostecki/ Russell, Feeney/Whincup and Brown/ Perkins are a short nose behind. Mostert and Holdsworth will be up there for Ford and so should the DJR pair. And if anyone bets any money based on the above, they’re a bloody idiot!

THE BOSS’S CHOICE ... BRUCE WILLIAMS.

IN THE interest of making sure that I can get a clip for getting it wrong here goes…

It is hard to go past the fast four – in fact to put it lightly, no one has been really been able to go past them on the track all year, so that’s the reason why the Erebus and Triple Eight cars get my vote to fill the podium.

In reality, it won’t pan out that way because at some stage the team cars will get boxed together and that will leave the door open for another fast car to grab a spot.

So here is my prediction – as it could be a wet race, a Ford result may not be out of the question.

Podium in no order: Car 97 SVG and Stanaway, Car 99 Brodie and Dave and, to finish it off (and let’s hope a Ford makes its way to the front and who knows something terrible might not happen to them) … Mustang 6, Cam and Moff to fill the podium.

BATHURST FAST FACTS TRACK LENGTH: 6.213km DIRECTION: Anti-clockwise AVERAGE SPEED: 179 km/h TOP SPEED: 300km/h QUALIFYING LAP RECORD: Chaz Mostert 2:03.3732 (2021) RACE LAP RECORD: Chaz Mostert 2:04.7602 (2019) MOST BATHURST 1000 WINS • Peter Brock 9 • Jim Richards, Craig Lowndes 7 • Larry Perkins 6 • Mark Skaife 5 MOST BATHURST 1000 POLES • Peter Brock 6 • Mark Skaife 5 • Allan Moffat 4 MOST BATHURST 1000 PODIUMS • Craig Lowndes 14 • Peter Brock • Jim Richards • Larry Perkins 12 • Mark Skaife 10 • Steven Richards 9 TEAMS WITH MOST WINS • HDT/Triple Eight 9 • HRT/WAU 8 • Ford Motor Company 6 TEAMS WITH MOST POLES • HRT/WAU 8 • Tickford 7 • Ford Motor Company • HDT 5 CLOSEST FINISH • Moffat/Ickx +0.1s to Bond/Hamilton 1977 BIGGEST WIN • Brock/Richards +6 Laps to Janson/Perkins 1979 MOST BATHURST 1000 STARTS • Jim Richards 35 • Peter Brock 32 • Craig Lowndes 29 MOST SHOOTOUT STARTS • Dick Johnson 21 • Larry Perkins 18 • Peter Brock, Craig Lowndes 17 BIGGEST POLE MARGIN • Allan Moffat, +3s to John French (1971) SMALLEST POLE MARGIN • Steven Richards +0.0012s to Jason Bright (2004) MOST MANUFACTURER WINS • 36 Holden • 20 Ford MOST MANUFACTURER POLES • 26 Ford • 24 Holden

www.autoaction.com.au I 49

BATHURST 1000 PREVIEW

SUPPORTING STARS WHILST THE 60th anniversary of the Great Race captures the imagination, there will be no shortage of action from the impressive spread of support categories. THOMAS MILES takes a look at who will be the ones to watch across the supports…

maiden win before losing a three-car battle for the lead in the last sprint.

Experienced competitors such as Matt Chahda, Aaron Seton and Jack Perkins have also appeared on the podium and cannot be discounted.

All roads lead to another unpredictable Super2 battle at Bathurst with two more 40-minute races on the cards.

SUPER2

ONE OF the tightest ever battles for the Super2 crown will reach top gear at Bathurst.

A wild trip to Sandown has created the closest top four in championship history with just 90 points the difference between the leading quartet.

At the head of the pack is the consistent and experienced Zak Best, who leads Great Race wildcard Kai Allen by 33 points.

Sandown winner Ryan Wood is also in close proximity 75 points adrift, while a race two victory at the previous round brought Cooper Murray back into contention.

With 600 points still up for grabs at famous tracks Bathurst and Adelaide, the fate of the Super2 crown is still anyone’s guess.

Best has the experience up his sleeve of three previous trips to Mount Panorama in

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SUPER3

Super2 alone.

The Anderson Motorsport driver has never finished lower than sixth from his five races at the famed circuit and was victorious last year.

Whilst Best is mainly a picture of consistency, Sandown was a setback and he will be looking to rebound after being sent to his first non top 10 finish of the year

by Zane Morse.

Another driver who showed pace at Bathurst last year, albeit in Super3 was Allen.

The Blue Lake boy has been fast at all

tracks this year, but will have the added challenge of jumping between his Eggleston Motorsport Commodore and DJR Mustang Gen3 Supercar.

The man with the momentum is WAU prodigy Ryan Wood after winning the round in Sandown with a first and third highlighted by some aggressive moves.

But the beauty of the 2023 Dunlop Series is the vast range of drivers who could win on any given day.

Tickford’s Brad Vaughan has shown raw speed at times, while another Mustang runner Aaron Love was on course for a

THE ENTIRE Super3 season has been about two drivers – Jobe Stewart and Cameron McLeod – but their title fight could come to a premature end this weekend.

If Image Racing’s Stewart finishes ahead of McLeod at Bathurst, he will knock his arch rival out of the equation with a round left.

Rotten luck at Sandown has dealt a hammer blow to the title hopes of McLeod, who trails the #999 by 302 points.

Despite dominating qualifying and being convincingly the leading Super3 car when racing, nothing went the Nissan driver’s way in round four.

The #92 Altima ran out of fuel on the last lap in race one before damage sustained on

Bathurst edition made SUPER by

finished ninth in the standings overall, but just a solitary point short of the Rookie Cup title.

The Pro-Am battle remains competitive with 87 points separating Sam Shahin, Dean Cook, Adrian Flack and Rodney Jane.

After two of the three races last year were washed out, the Porsches will be simply looking forward to enjoying some racing laps this weekend.

TOYOTA 86 SERIES Super 2 (below left) is wide open.

Sports Sedans (left) return to the Mountain. Above/right: Toyotas, Utes, Carrera Cup and Super3 make up the Bathurst show.

Images: MARK HORSBURGH/PETER NORTON/JOHN MORRIS/JACK MARTIN PHOTOGRAPHY

the first lap brought Race 2 to an early end.

The point-less weekend left McLeod’s champion in tatters with the consistent Jett Johnson now in second, 138 points adrift.

However, the form guide suggests the two-horse race between McLeod and Stewart will resume.

McLeod will be a man on a mission for redemption, while Stewart hopes to continue his consistency in what is now the only Holden VF Commodore in the Super3 field.

A special part of the Super3 field is also the family history, with McLeod, Johnson and Mason Kelly all looking to make an impression at the track that made their grandfathers and fathers famous.

PRECISION NATIONAL SPORTS SEDANS

FOR THE first time in over three decades the Precision National Sports Sedans will shake Mount Panorama on Great Race weekend and will be the some of, if not the fastest on show.

The much-loved and viscerally stunning category has not been present at the Bathurst 1000 since all the way back in 1992 when Keith Carling’s Nissan 300ZX dominated and it will be worth the wait.

An amazing variety of machinery and engineering interpretations will be on show across the bumper 36-car grid.

No less than 14 different manufacturers will be taking on the Mountain in one of the last categories in Australia where engineers and racers can create their own take on technical regulations and drive uniquely fast monsters.

The intensity is stepping up a notch with a grandstand finish to the season ahead with Bathurst followed by the Gold Coast finale.

Veteran Tony Ricciardello currently enjoys a 19-point lead as he chases a record extending 13th title.

The unmistakable Alfa Romeo GTV is still Ricciardello’s weapon of choice, while

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his nearest rival on the points table is the consistent Ashley Jarvis.

He remains marginally in front of reigning champion Jordan Caruso, who still has plenty of speed in his Audi A4, but is chasing better reliability.

The last round in Sydney was the prime example where Caruso won the first two races, only for gearbox gremlins to rob him of the Des Wall Cup which went to Ricciardello.

The fire-breathing Sports Sedans will entertain across three six-lap races.

PORSCHE CARRERA CUP

JACKSON WALLS will be looking to regain ground on Callum Hedge in the Porsche Carrera Cup Australia championship battle, which could be blown open at Bathurst.

Walls’ title chase against Hedge took a further hit at Sandown where the gap ballooned from 32 to 116 points.

Since getting a breakthrough win at The Bend, Hedge has been a winning machine appearing in victory lane in four of the last six races with one of those a special lastcorner pass on Dylan O’Keeffe.

However, Hedge will not be present at Bathurst due to commitments in the Formula Regional America open-wheel series, which he also leads.

After a costly trip to Sandown, it is a huge opportunity for Walls, who could go 64 points up with a clean sweep.

Despite Hedge’s absence, the Earl Bamber Motorsport Porsche will still be in action with Carrera Cup Asia winning machine Chirs van der Drift jumping in to debut down under.

To add an extra wildcard to the mix, reigning champion Harri Jones will return to Australia for the Bathurst and Gold Coast rounds with his own new team, Jones Motorsport.

Last year’s champion has been racing at the top level Porsche SuperCup this year and

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Auto Action

THE STARS of tomorrow will be gunning to make a name for themselves at the famed Mount Panorama in the Toyota 86 Series.

Whilst the 2023 season has been competitive with no less than seven drivers sharing the 12 races on offer, Campbell Logan is the one to beat.

Logan charged into the championship lead after going back to back at Sandown.

To promote even more confidence, the #37 driver is steering the same chassis that won the 2017 championship, plus claimed multiple victories at Bathurst in the hands of Luke King and Jimmy Vernon.

Those looking to stop him will be regular winners Cody Burcher, Ryan Casha and Ryan Tomsett just to name a few, whilst third generation driver Clay Richards also won last last time out.

Kiwi Ben Stewart joins the field having won the inaugural Scholarship Series Evaluation Day. Chaos unfolded in the rain at Bathurst last year, so those who can keep their cool at the challenging circuit will be rewarded.

V8 SUPERUTE SERIES

A STUNNING battle for the V8 SuperUte Series title will take another turn at Mount Panorama.

Only 95 points separate the top seven drivers in the championship and with only two rounds to go, the fight for first is set to go down to the wire.

Leading the way is the consistent Adam Marjoram with 758 points.

But he only enjoys a 28-point buffer to defending champion Aaron Borg, who is a man on the charge in the AC Delco D-Max. After missing The Bend in Europe, Borg made an emphatic return, winning three of the four races and finished the closest second ever in the other.

He also has form at Bathurst, being the round winner last year.

Whilst Borg has the momentum, wellknown front runners David Sieders and Ryal Harris are also within 50 points of Marjoram.

The four races are anticipated to be full of action once again.

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BATHURST 1000 PREVIEW

Bathurst edition made SUPER by

BATHURST 1000 HONOURS BOARD YEAR DRIVERS

TEAM

MAKE

POLE

2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999

Triple Eight WAU Triple Eight DJR Triple Eight Erebus Tekno Triple Eight FPR FPR Triple Eight HRT Triple Eight HRT Triple Eight Triple Eight Triple Eight HRT Kmart Racing Kmart Racing HRT HRT GRM Gibson Motorsport SBR TWR Perkins Engineering BMW HRT Perkins Engineering DJR Perkins Engineering Gibson Motorsport Gibson Motorsport HRT DJR Benson & Hedges Racing Holden Dealer Team Roadways Racing Tom Walkinshaw Racing Holden Dealer Team Holden Dealer Team Holden Dealer Team DJR Holden Dealer Team Holden Dealer Team Holden Dealer Team Moffat Ford Dealers Ron Hodgson Racing Gown-Hindhaugh Racing McLeod Ford Ford Motor Company Holden Dealer Team Ford Motor Company Ford Motor Company Holden Dealer Team Wyong Motors Ford Motor Company BMC Australia Fairfield Motors Ford Motor Company Ford Motor Company

Holden Holden Holden Ford Holden Holden Holden Holden Ford Ford Holden Holden Holden Holden Ford Ford Ford Holden Holden Holden Holden Holden Holden Holden Ford Volvo Holden BMW Holden Holden Ford Holden Nissan Nissan Holden Ford Ford Holden Holden Jaguar Holden Holden Holden Ford Holden Holden Holden Ford Holden Holden Ford Ford Holden Ford Ford Holden Holden Ford Morris Ford Ford Ford

Cam Waters Chaz Mostert Cam Waters Chaz Mostert David Reynolds Scott McLaughlin Jamie Whincup David Reynolds Shane van Gisbergen Jamie Whincup Will Davison Greg Murphy Mark Winterbottom Garth Tander Garth Tander Mark Winterbottom Mark Skaife Craig Lowndes Steven Richards Greg Murphy Mark Skaife Marcos Ambrose Wayne Gardner Mark Larkham Mark Skaife Rickard Rydell Mark Skaife Paul Morris Glenn Seton Craig Lowndes Glenn Seton Larry Perkins Dick Johnson Mark Skaife Klaus Niedzwiedz Peter Brock Dick Johnson Klaus Ludwig Gary Scott Tom Walkinshaw George Fury Peter Brock Allan Grice Kevin Bartlett Kevin Bartlett Peter Brock Peter Brock Peter Brock Allan Moffat Colin Bond Peter Brock John Goss Allan Moffat Allan Moffat Allan Moffat Ian Geoghegan Bruce McPhee Ian Geoghegan

1998 V8 1998 2L 1997 V8 1997 2L

1996 1995 1994 1993 1992 1991 1990 1989 1988 1987 1986 1985 1984 1983 1982 1981 1980 1979 1978 1977 1976 1975 1974 1973 1972 1971 1970 1969 1968 1967 1966 1965 1964 1963

Shane van Gisbergen/Garth Tander Chaz Mostert/Lee Holdsworth Shane van Gisbergen/Garth Tander Scott McLaughlin/Alex Premat Craig Lowndes/Steven Richards David Reynolds/Luke Youlden Will Davison/Jonathon Webb Craig Lowndes/Steven Richards Chaz Mostert/Paul Morris Mark Winterbottom/Steven Richards Jamie Whincup/Paul Dumbrell Garth Tander/Nick Percat Craig Lowndes/Mark Skaife Garth Tander/Will Davison Craig Lowndes/Jamie Whincup Craig Lowndes/Jamie Whincup Craig Lowndes/Jamie Whincup Mark Skaife/Todd Kelly Greg Murphy/Rick Kelly Greg Murphy/Rick Kelly Mark Skaife/Jim Richards Mark Skaife/Tony Longhurst Garth Tander/Jason Bargwanna Greg Murphy/Steven Richards Jason Bright/Steven Richards Rickard Rydell/Jim Richards Larry Perkins/Russell Ingall Geoff Brabham/David Brabham Craig Lowndes/Greg Murphy Larry Perkins/Russell Ingall Dick Johnson/John Bowe Larry Perkins/Gregg Hansford Jim Richards/Mark Skaife Jim Richards/Mark Skaife Allan Grice/Win Percy Dick Johnson/John Bowe Tony Longhurst/Tomas Mezera Peter Brock/David Parsons/Peter McLeod Allan Grice/Graeme Bailey Armin Hahne/John Goss Peter Brock/Larry Perkins Peter Brock/Larry Perkins/John Harvey Peter Brock/Larry Perkins Dick Johnson/John French Peter Brock/Jim Richards Peter Brock/Jim Richards Peter Brock/Jim Richards Allan Moffat/Jacky Ickx Bob Morris/John Fitzpatrick Peter Brock/Brian Sampson John Goss/Kevin Bartlett Allan Moffat/Ian Geoghegan Peter Brock Allan Moffat Allan Moffat Colin Bond/Tony Roberts Bruce McPhee/Barry Mulholland Harry Firth/Fred Gibson Rauno Aaltonen/Bob Holden Barry Seton/Midge Bosworth Bob Jane/George Reynolds Harry Firth/Bob Jane

Brodie Kostecki Shane van Gisbergen Broc Feeney Will Brown Andre Heimgartner Chaz Mostert Cam Waters Jack Le Brocq Will Davison Bryce Fullwood

Erebus Motorsport Triple Eight Race Engineering Triple Eight Race Engineering Erebus Motorsport Brad Jones Racing Walkinshaw Andretti United Tickford Racing Matt Stone Racing Dick Johnson Racing Brad Jones Racing

Erebus Motorsport Triple Eight Race Engineering Brad Jones Racing (#8,#14) Dick Johnson Racing Tickford Racing (#5 #6) Walkinshaw Andretti United Team 18 PremiAir Racing Grove Racing Matt Stone Racing

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TIME 07.25-07.45 07.55-08.15 08.25-08.45 08.55-09.45 10.00-10.40 10.55-11.15 11.25-11.45 12.45-13.05 13.20-14.20 14.50-15.30 15.45-16.05 16.15-16.35 16.50-17.50

CATEGORY Sport Sedans V8 SuperUtes Toyota 86 Porsche Carrera Cup Dunlop Series Sport Sedans V8 SuperUtes Toyota 86 Supercars Dunlop Series Porsche Carrera Cup Sport Sedans Supercars

SESSION Practice 1 Practice Practice 1 Practice Practice 1 Practice 2 Qualifying Practice 2 Practice 1 (All Drivers) Practice 2 Qualifying Qualifying Practice 2 (Co-Drivers)

CATEGORY Sport Sedans V8 SuperUtes Dunlop Series Dunlop Series Supercars Sport Sedans Toyota 86 Supercars Porsche Carrera Cup Dunlop Series Supercars

SESSION Race 1 (6 laps) Race 1 (6 laps) DS3 Qualifying DS2 Qualifying Practice 3 (All Drivers) Race 2 (6 laps) Race 1 (6 laps) Practice 4 (All Drivers) Race 1 (15 laps) Race 1 (40 min) Qualifying

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 6 TIME 07.55-08.15 08.25-08.45 08.55-09.10 09.20-09.35 10.00-11.00 11.15-11.35 12.35-12.55 13.05-14.05 14.20-15.00 15.15-16.00 16.15-16.55

SATURDAY OCTOBER 7 TIME 08.15-08.40 08.55-09.10 09.20-09.35 10.00-11.00 11.15-11.35 13.00-14.00 14.15-14.35 14.45-15.05 15.15-15.40 15.55-16.40 17.05-17.50

CATEGORY V8 SuperUtes Dunlop Series Dunlop Series Supercars Sport Sedans Supercars V8 SuperUtes Toyota 86 Porsche Carrera Cup Dunlop Series Supercars

SESSION Race 2 (8 laps) DS3 Qualifying DS2 Qualifying Practice 5 (Co-Drivers) Race 3 (6 laps) Practice 6 (All Drivers) Race 2 (6 laps) Race 2 (6 laps) Race 2 (9 laps) Race 2 (40min) Top Ten Shootout

SUNDAY OCTOBER 8 TIME 08.00-08.20 08.30-08.50 09.00-09.20 09.30-09.55 10.05-10.25 11.15

CATEGORY Supercars Toyota 86 Supercars Porsche Carrera Cup Events Supercars

SESSION Warm Up Race 3 (6 laps) Drivers Parade Race 3 (9 laps) Legends Parade Race 24 (161 laps)

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 5 2171 2016 1967 1877 1680 1660 1550 1385 1375 1314

2023 SUPERCARS TEAMS CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 5

2023 BATHURST 1000 TV TIMES (AEDT)

2023 SUPERCARS CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

2023 BATHURST 1000 SCHEDULE (ALL TIMES AEST)

4048 3953 2964 2689 2677 2551 2464 2305 2177 2156

TIME

6.25am - 5.15pm 6.25am - 5.15pm

STREAMING

NETWORK

Live: Fox Sports 506 Live: Kayo

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 6 TIME

6.25am - 4.30pm 6.45am - 4.30pm 10.00am

STREAMING

NETWORK

Live: Fox Sports 506 Live: Kayo Live and free: Seven

SATURDAY OCTOBER 7 TIME

7.15am - 5.30pm 7.15am - 5.30pm 10.00am

STREAMING

NETWORK

Live: Fox Sports 506 Live: Kayo Live and free: Seven

SUNDAY OCTOBER 8 TIME

6.15am - 6.00pm 6.15am - 6.00pm 7.30am

STREAMING

Live: Fox Sports 506 Live: Kayo Live and free: Seven

NETWORK

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PRODUCTS AND INDUSTRY NEWS

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NEW MELBOURNE RACER INDUSTRIES STORE OPENS IT HAS been a busy time at Racer Industries of late with a Queensland store opening a few weeks ago, located close to the M1 Motorway at 9-13 Dixon Street Yatala; and now the focus has been on the grand opening of the new Racer Industries Superstore in the Melbourne suburb of Box Hill.

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It’s a new bright and well stocked store full of the best racing gear and equipment available, and Racer Industries are one of the biggest stockists of quality motorsport equipment in Australia, with premium brands from around the world in stock.

Racer Industries are also a Sparco Premium dealer and lifestyle store.

For more information on the huge range of motorsport related products visit www. racerindustries.com.au

NATIONALS WRAP

PUSHING THE LIMITS DRIVERS PUSHED their cars to the limit as the Warwick District Sporting Car Club held the final round of the B Series Super Sprints for 2023 on September 16-17 at Morgan Park Raceway.

Whilst there is no real difference between the A,B or C series, the B series seems to be the choice for the ever colourful range of Lotus.

In particular Geoff Noble – who was the fastest of the weekend as well as taking out the Championship series.

There was also a large turn-out from the Alpha Romeo Club, as well as a strong number of juniors all battling it out for the quickest time.

The final round was run on the favourable 3km K track. For many it was the first time back on the K circuit since the resurfacing from Turn 8 to 10.

There were nine groups on the weekend with each group getting seven runs at three laps a run.

Even though the entry numbers were down a little and a few pulling out over the weekend, there was still plenty of on-track action.

With the racing finishing a little earlier, it meant longer track time for the Junior Driving Programme. It features

a programme developed to give the juniors a chance to learn how to drive and, for the more advanced, how to hone their racing technique on the track.

There is free entry for spectators at the WDSCC Sprint Series at Morgan Park Raceway, with the ability to drive up to the bridge for a great viewing experience.

The next event for the WDSCC Super Sprint Series will be the C series on October 21-22.

This will also be the last round for the C series as well as the 2023 Super Sprint Series.

Pete Trapnell

Barry Gourley won the Over 5000cc category.

Above: Ken Percival’s Alfa Sports Sedan.

Images: PETE TRAPNELL

GRUNDON WINS KHANACROSS OPENER BILL GRUNDON (right) has taken the early high ground in the 2023 National Speed and Auto Test season by winning a tense opener.

Grundon held off 30 rivals to take top spot at Queensland’s Benaraby Motorsports Complex, which challenged drivers with a mix of sealed and unsealed roads.

But these were not enough to stop the 23-year-old Mitsubishi Lancer from powering to victory lane.

With the event hosted by the Central Coast Car Club (Gladstone) Inc and Grundon a local member, it was a fitting result.

He was ecstatic with the success.

“I’m pretty excited, definitely on a bit of a high,” Grundon told Motorsport.org.au “I’ve been involved with the Central Coast Car Club since the 90s and I’ve had a lot of local involvement with the club in both bitumen and dirt events, so

56 I www.autoaction.com.au

Image: CH IMAGES because this Khanacross was a dual discipline, I think that set me up to have a good feel for both.

“There was about two weeks of preparation on my car where I checked every nut and bolt, but it was a holistic thing, with good support from my family, my wife, the club members and mates at work.

“I’m also a mechanic by trade, so I’ve pretty much been involved with wheels and petrol all my life.

“My car is not special. It’s

a basic, 23-year-old 1.5 litre Mitsubishi Lancer that I’ve developed a little bit over the last couple years.

“I haven’t got a hotted-up engine or turbo charger, but it was the little wagon that could.”

Round 2 brings the National Speed and Auto Test Championships across the border into New South Wales at Nirimba Education Precinct see report in our next issue

Want to see your category event or news story included in the Auto Action Nationals Wrap.

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BUCKLEY AND MORRIS EXCEL IN ENDURO THE ‘PAPERCLIP’ was alive with a huge Excel enduro and many other categories during a busy weekend of racing in round five of the Queensland Racing Drivers Championship. THOMAS MILES reports…

not look back, holding off the fast-finishing Tye Gray as Scott Andriske fell to fourth.

The second race was a thriller as just twotenths was the difference at the chequer and the #69 edged ahead of Seth Mathie.

By Race 3 Justin Van Twest was now Joseph Andriske’s biggest threat but once again the latter prevailed and completed a hat-trick of wins.

His run of wins came to an end in the fourth and final sprint when Scott Andreiske was finally able to capitalise on his speed and convert a 1s win over Van Twest.

EXCEL CUP

ALICE BUCKLEY and Nash Morris won a fight for survival in the biggest ever EFS 4×4 Accessories Track Attack Excel Cup at Queensland Raceway.

After 96 laps and more than two and a half hours of racing, Buckley and Morris held off the Conner Roberts and Ryan Casha entry by just five seconds.

The 300km race was the culmination of a big weekend where the field participated in two qualifying, a top 10 shootout, a 30-lap sprint race and another top 10 dash.

Roberts showed early pace by topping the shootout with a 1:30.2880, four tenths better than Supercars driver Jaylyn Robotham.

This set things up for the 30-lap Sprint where Robotham fell to seventh as the only solo driver to finish with Gavin Faulkner and Ben Grice finding trouble.

Up front the battle for the win was a tight one between Roberts/Casha, plus Tyler Collins and Cameron McLeod.

Just six-tenths was the difference when the chequered flag fell in favour of Roberts and Casha.

The Top 10 race proved to be a thrilling two-car battle between Roberts and Shane Mahoney.

Although Roberts led all four laps, he only held a three-tenths buffer on Mahoney as they crossed the line.

By Sunday afternoon the stage was set for the 30 cars to take on 300km in the main event.

The long opening stint was a competitive one as there were many dices for the lead with six separate cars taking charge across the first 30 laps.

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Tom McLennan heads the Production Car field into Turn 1. Above: the Buckley/Morris car leads the Excel pack. Images: MTR IMAGES But as the race entered the second half, it started to take its toll.

The Racing Together car with Triple Eight’s Zane Goddard and Braedyn Cidoni at the wheel retired with a gearbox gremlin, while fellow Bathurst co-driver Jaylyn Robotham found himself on the sidelines by lap 76.

In the end, a third of the field would not see the chequered flag.

After the initial jostling for position, an early stop and relentless pace vaulted the #50 of Buckley and Morris to the front.

They gained the lead on lap 66 and did not let it go across the final 30 to take a convincing win.

Behind them the whole way were Roberts and Casha, who did not have the late race pace, while rounding out the podium was Matthew Boylett and J Murray.

QUEENSLAND PRODUCTION CARS

TOM McLENNAN emerged as the man across the three Queensland Production Car races.

McLennan announced himself in qualifying by taking pole by a huge 0.8s

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over Roman Miller.

This provided the springboard to a comfortable Race 1 victory where the BMW M4 was in a league of its own, 14s ahead of its nearest rival.

But McLennan had his work cut out in Race 2 and fell short in a tense battle with Anthony Levitt.

McLennan led the early stages before losing track position with just 10 laps to go and he was unable to recover.

He hit back to wrap up the weekend in style by comfortable winning the finale over Roman Miller where only four cars finished on the lead lap.

HOLDEN HQ

THE HEAT was on in the Holden HQ where the State of Origin rivalry was on show between the Queensland locals and NSW challengers.

After four races in one day, Joseph Andriske emerged victorious after blitzing the opening skirmishes of the weekend.

After losing out on pole position to Scott Andriske by two-tenths, Joseph hit back in the opening eight-lap race.

He snatched the lead on lap two and did

UTES/HOT HATCHES

The Production Utes and Hot Hatches created to contrasting tales to victory.

In the Hot Hatch category, Mark Bretherton had the Midas touch in his Hyundai Getz and gobbled up all five races across the weekend leaving Lester Ward and Jason Pocock to fight for second best.

The battle for the Production Ute win was the complete opposite with the ultraconsistent John Young winning the round despite not finishing first once.

Consistency was the key as his run of five straight second places trumped Ashton Healy’s four wins and a DNF, while Brendan Exner’s XR8 ute was not seen after its opening race win.

PRODUCTION SPORTS

IT WAS all about Porsche power as the German make recorded a one-two-three finish in the Production Sports category.

Lachlan Harburg and Oscar Targett prevailed by cruising to a hat-trick of wins in their 911 GT3 Cup car.

This meant the fight for second was a tight one between Kevin Vedelago’s and Brendan Whittaker’s Porsches with the former sneaking ahead.

The next QRDC meeting is October 21-22.

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NATIONALS WRAP

BROWN PERFECT IN THE PINES ...

MARTIN CROWNED VICTORY TASTES Image: WAYNE HOUGH

DANNY BROWN and George Apted (pictured below) cruised to back-to-back Teagle Excavations ARB Pines Enduro 400 wins as Brent Martin and Andrew de Simone (right) were crowned Australian Off Road Racing Champions in Millicent.

Martin and de Simone saluted the chequered flag in fourth, putting an exclamation mark on another remarkable season highlighted by a victory at Hillston.

Rewarded for their emphatic consistency, the Victorians secured a third ARB Australian outright and Class 1 crown, and became the first to do so in consecutive years; surviving a gallant David Middlemiss and Matt Burrows for 2023 supremacy.

In the chase for Millicent glory, Brown launched out of the blocks in another Pines masterclass, starting from the back of the grid the two time ARB Australian champion stormed to a 59 second lead at the completion of lap one.

From there he was never headed in the Nissan TT powered Alumi Craft; cruising to a powerful 3.23 min triumph.

The 2013 Pines champion, Carl Haby and Chloe Roehr completed six treacherous laps of the iconic Mount Burr forest to be second fastest.

Capitalising on a late flat tyre to fellow South Australians Andrew and Fletcher Murdock #1166, Haby crossed a mere 28.5 seconds ahead of the Murdock father and son crew, who rounded out Images: CLUTCH LIFE MEDIA AND STEVE CHAPPLE

Images: CLUTCH LIFE MEDIA

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the podium in a career high result.

They managed to keep champions Martin and de Simone away from the podium, while NSW father and daughter crew of Steven and Ella Graham #1065 finished fifth outright for a third time in 2023.

The Class 10 Alumi Craft campaigners also left Millicent with ARB Australian championship and Pines class honours.

David and Alice Middlemiss closed out a fantastic 2023 campaign in seventh, and in doing so wrapped up second place in both the ARB Australian outright and Class 1 Championship.

Brendan Forssman and Leigh Whitehand collected a maiden ARB round Class 2 victory, overcoming teammates Andrew and James Forssman.

Queenslanders Jamie Knight and Lachlan Brosnan secured their second ARB Australian Class 4 championship, after an impressive victory at the Pines; outlasting Jason Forssman and Del Palmer, plus former ARB champions Peter Sibson and Jason Munro.

Jackson Evans and Sam Raper debuted their new Polaris RZR Turbo S in style, claiming a maiden national Class 6 win.

This left eventual ARB Australian class champions Matt Hummer and Aaron Lukschanderl to settle for second and Glenn Pike and Aidan Campagnolo finished third.

The fight of the Class 7 Patrols was claimed by Darren and Damon Gill #760 who made it consecutive Pines triumphs.

Matt Lavis and Andrew Dance finished their ARB Australian Class 66 championship winning season on a high by taking home the Millicent silverware.

Owen Ward and Curtis Laidlaw #832 continued their love affair with the iconic South Australian event, taking home the Pines and ARB Australian Class 8 championship spoils.

It was a race of attrition with a number of notables falling on Saturday including Brendan Payne and Shaun Klingberg.

Sunday was just as tough with three time Pines Enduro champion Matt Hanson falling to power steering issues, while 19 others all succumbed to the brutal Pines terrain during the six-lap section.

The event wrapped up the 2023 ARB Australian Off Road Racing Championship in style before attentions turn to 2024 with the four-round season starting in Rainbow, Victoria on March 22-24.

TC Media

SWEET FOR SELLEY IN THE BAROSSA MATTHEW SELLEY and Hamish McKendrick (above) enjoyed the sweet taste of victory, after a flying finish, to win the MSS Safety Rally Barossa.

The penultimate South Australian Rally Championship round was a tense one as Selley and McKendrick did not hit the lead until stage seven, but prevailed by two minutes and 42 seconds over Declan and Zoe Dwyer.

It was a dream return to the dirt for Selley, who had taken a break from rallying and was thrilled to overcome the 30-plus crews despite a slow start.

“It feels terrific to get the win after a bit of an absence from competing,” Selley said.

“It was also the first time we have run the Evo on gravel, so it is very pleasing to get the result.

“Much like everywhere around Australia, the weather was quite warm, so the dust was diabolical.

“At the start, I was just preserving to get those stages out of the way, but it meant we suffered through that dust and were several minutes behind.

“Sunday it all changed – we could actually see where we were going and we were able to jump a number of positions.

“It was a terrific event in such a beautiful part of the world.”

It was far from a relaxing drive through the Barossa for Selley and McKendrick, who pulled off a late comeback.

As crews battled challenging conditions early on, the #8 Mitsubishi Evo VIII RS was off the pace after a trio of eighth-place finishes.

But as the rally went on they built more momentum and victory in Stage 7 fired them into a lead they would not let go.

Selley and McKendrick further strengthened their position with wins in stages nine and 11 to build a two minute and 42 second advantage over the Dwyers.

The Dwyer duo were a consistent force across the rally and picked up two stage wins to secure the runner-up position.

In third place were David McDonough and Steve Hiser, who limped over the line with a laststage mechanical issue.

Their fighting efforts proved to be enough to keep Molly Spalding and Guy Tyler at bay.

The SA Regularity Series also ran around the Barossa and Stephen Barker and Mandy Rudham pipped Emma and Ross Smith in a nine-stage nail-biter.

The South Australian Rally Championship wraps up with the Adelaide Hills Rally on October 13-15.

Thomas Miles

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QUINN’S BATHURST BRILLIANCE THE NEW South Wales Rally Championship returned to Bathurst and Nathan Quinn (right) stole the spotlight, winning all 11 stages.

Championship rallying’s reunion with Bathurst arrived through the North Shore Sporting Car Club’s Midstate Freight Bathurst Rally.

Run West of Bathurst, in the Blayney and Carcoar areas, the rally used many new stages, with a blend of Forestry and Shire roads.

The roads were very fast and as pacenotes were not allowed, some teams found the going a little daunting.

Quinn and Ray Winwood-Smith dominated in their Hyundai i30, winning all 11 stages and giving themselves a good test and shakedown for the upcoming South Australian round of the Australian Rally Championship.

Quinn took the first two stages from Josh Redhead and Holly Kilbride’s historic

Dermody/Moynihan’s Escort was the first 2WD home. Images: BRUCE MOXON

MAGUIRE AND BENSON WRAP-UP FIRST TRC TITLE

DOWELS’ DAY OUT IN VRC FINALE Image: JOHN DOUTCH IT WAS a day to remember for the Dowel family in the final round of the Victorian Rally Championship, the Ballarat Supatilt-Valley Stages Rally, as the father-son duo of Justin and Troy Dowel (above) stole the show.

Unlike previous years in the Yarra Valley where wet conditions have prevailed, this year offered a big challenge with dry and fast conditions providing a big test for crews on the Hoosier tyre.

There was a good mix of fast and technical routes, offering up some oldschool classic roads which enjoy a good national reputation, rewarding a smooth and fast commitment.

ARC youngster Troy Dowel, alongside experienced Targa winning co-driver Bernie Webb, won all 10 stages to win his maiden VRC round, whilst his father Justin came from behind in Heat 2 to take out his fifth state championship alongside co-driver Tracey Dewhurst, nine years after his last title.

After Heat 1, only 18 points separated the top three in the title hunt, with Datsun driver and Gippsland winner Brendan Reeves leading Dowel and Tim Clark, with the eventual champion topping Reeves over every stage in Heat 2 to finish second overall.

The Mitsubishi Mirage driver would finish 3.81min ahead of him, whilst fellow contender Clark would finish in fifth place above Reeves.

But the event belonged to the younger Dowel in his Ford Fiesta Rally2, 2min 30sec to the good over his father, with third going to Darren Windus/Joe Brkic in the Fiesta G4, who only once dipped out of the top-three

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across the 10 stages to finish over Danny Traverso/Anthony Carr.

In winning his first state event, the Rally2 operator was pleased for himself and his father.

“I’ve normally been running in the national championship, so we did this a prep for the ARC Adelaide round, and we went in without any expectations, so it was great to win and we enjoyed the roads very much,” Dowel said.

“I’m a pretty competitive person, so it was great to beat my dad … but it was a big surprise that he came out with the championship after he was behind prior to the weekend.”

As for the season’s ultimate victor, Dowel Sr said it was an enjoyable encounter throughout the year.

“It’s obviously great to win another title, and it’s been a long time coming,” he said.

“It was great competition, all the roads across all the rally’s were great, so all up it was a very good championship year.

“We’ve been developing the car all year so there were a lot of teething problems.

We lost our brakes in Gippsland for example, and had a split boost hose at Ada River, so it was a big challenge and we were on the back foot a lot.

“The priority was to finish as far ahead of Brendan as we could and we pushed as hard as we could without excessive risk, so we’re very happy.

“It’s great for Troy also, his consistency and speed were fantastic this rally, and for only his second rally in that Fiesta, it was an exceptional performance.” TW Neal

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Lancer GSR by 13 and 31s respectively, which set the tone.

The battle for second on the next stage went to the Riley Walters / Andrew Crowley Subaru WRX. By the end of the first rotation of five stages, Quinn was over a minute ahead of Redhead, while Tim Wilkins and Katie Giddins were nearly 26s further back in their Lancer Evo. Richie Dalton and Dale Moscatt were next ahead of Walters, as Mal Keogh retired the crowd-pleasing Audi Quattro after stage five, with clutch problems.

The second rotation went much as the first, as far as Quinn was concerned.

However, Redhead and Dalton swapped second placings for the next four stages.

Redhead eventually took second place on the last two stages to ensure his runner-up status.

Interestingly, Redhead does a lot of the preparation of Quinn’s car, which left him short of time for his own, so the Luff team (which finished a creditable 14th in their VL Commodore), came to Redhead’s aid.

Quinn ended up two minutes and 40 seconds up on Redhead, then Dalton another 90 seconds behind.

Next was Walters, then Wilkins, then David Opie/Kam Baker (Evo 4), Tom Dermody/ Eoin Moynihan (Escort) as the first 2WD .

The NSW Rally Championship moves next to Bega on the far South coast, on October 28-29.

Bruce Moxon

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STEVE MAGUIRE and navigator Stuart Benson (right) have won their first Tasmanian Rally Championship title in style by overcoming the reigning champions in the finale.

Heading into the fourth and final round, the Table Cape Tavern Hellyer Rally, Maguire and Benson, held an eight point lead over defending champions Bodie Reading and Mark Young, with 80 points up for grabs.

The battle lived up to expectations on the opening stage, with Maguire and Benson taking the first stage by just eight-tenths of a second in their Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9.

Sadly, Reading’s Subaru Subaru WRW Sti started to develop differential issues, costing him nine minutes in the second stage and another 22 minutes in the third and final stage of the first heat.

Reading and Young eventually retired at the mid-event service stop, unable to rectify their problems.

Although the reigning champions were out of the picture, things didn’t get any easier for Maguire and Benson, with former state champion Tim Auty and navigator Callan Randall were posting competitive times in their Mazda GTR after a small slip-up in the opening stage.

Kurt Wyllie and Jobe Sims (Subaru WRX Sti) were also running at the pointy end of the field, winning the third stage in heat one.

However, despite the challenges, Maguire and Benson won the next two stages and had a handy break by the time they started the 5.3km final stage – which was just as well, because they copped a 30 second penalty after jumping the start.

Even with the penalty they still won the stage by 11.5 seconds to wrap-up the title in style.

Chrichton Lewis and Anthony Carr (Subaru WRX Sti) were third in the championship at the start of the day, but were playing catch-up from a mistake in the opening stage.

They eventually clawed their way back up to fifth, to secure second in the championship by just two points after Reading and Young’s demise, with the out-going champions third.

Meanwhile further down the field, son and father team Jacob and Adrian Walsh (Mazda RX-7) had a battle on their hands in the two-wheel-drive category to hang on to their championship lead after finishing fifth in the first three-stage heat, which was won by Lee Peterson and Matthew Whitten in a Nissan Sunny GTi. Jaidyn and Lucy Gluskie (Hyundai Excel), finished second to close the gap to the Walsh’s for the championship, but a broken wheel in the first stage after the service break ended their rally and any chance of winning the title, although they had banked enough points to salvage second.

The Walsh’s still continued to push hard though, and won the final three stages to claim the title, finishing a creditable seventh outright on the day as well and first two-wheel-drive car home.

Martin Agatyn

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ROB JANNEY MEMORIAL CUP UP FOR GRABS AT WANNEROO WITH THE Rob Janney Memrorial Cup, Torque Trophy and G T Tander Trophy, there was plenty of silverware on the line for round six of the WA State Championships at Wanneroo. MICK OLIVER was on hand for Auto Action.

IMPROVED PRODUCTION CARS

A GOOD field fronted for the annual running of the G T Tander Trophy and none could stop Matt Cherry from tasting success.

Cherry started on the front foot by winning the opener ahead of John Callegari and Lib Palermo, while Tim Riley was the best of the under 2000cc cars.

Race 2 was a reverse grid affair, but this did not stop Cherry from surging to second by the end of the first lap.

He went on to take the win ahead of Callegari as Neil Pollard with Neil Pollard the first of the under 2000cc competitors.

The finale was another reverse grid affair, but Cherry charged to the front within the first lap.

Callegari followed him into second but lost several laps after an off at turn one where Colin You’d and Tim Riley also found trouble.

Cherry continued his charge to the GT T Tander Trophy as Pollard claimed under 2000cc honours.

PRODUCTION AND STREET CARS

THE STREET Cars took charge over the production cars early with Craig Maloney leading Jared Carey.

James Gillon was the first production car across the line but first place went to Damien Croxon after the former received a five second penalty.

Maloney dominated Race 2 which was interrupted by a red flag caused by Laurie Whittmore who unfortunately found the way off-road adjacent to the Esses.

Maloney was on course for a clean sweep

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in Race 3 but slowed on lap two which promoted Carey into victory lane.

FSR

THE FSR action was made interesting when pole sitter Elliott Schutte was relegated to the rear of the grid.

He eventually rose to second having been denied the win by Adam Lisle.

Schutte found himself on the back foot again in Race 2, dropping to third at the start and had to wait until lap nine to get to second, but could not catch Lisle.

Schutte got the jump at the start over Lisle in Race 3 and the positions were held to the finish.

EXCELS

THE FIRST Hyundai Excel race was a tense two-horse affair between Brett Sherriff and Zane Rinaldi.

Rinaldi was on the bumper of Sherriff all race but could not make the race-deciding move.

The second race was a repeat of the first with Sherriff taking the win.

The third race saw Rinaldo hit back, jumping into the lead off the line only to lose it by lap two.

Rinaldi came back on lap four bit lost out on the next lap and Sherriff claimed the clean sweep.

Rinaldi even lost second on the last lap to the fast-finishing Jack Clohessy.

FORMULA FORD

LOGAN EVERLEIGH led the Formula Fords away closely followed by Brock Brewer and Marc Redmond.

On the next lap Redmond managed to make the pass on Brewer only to retire on lap three. Brewer then moved onto the rear of Everleigh and made a lunge at Turn 7, but this resulted in both cars ending up in the wall in the exit of Turn 7 and a red flag.

Jack Sheldon took the win from Jason

Tim Wolfe leads Walter Epple, as Allan and Pryde tangle. Above: Matt Cherry dominated Improved Production. Above right: Schutte and Lisle battle for the FSR lead. Images: MICK OLIVER Youd and Xavier Henderson.

Everleigh returned and started last but only needed five laps to hit the lead and take the win from Redmond.

Everleigh then held off Redmond and Brewer to take out the finale.

FREE FORMULA

THE FIRST Free Formula race got off to a bad start when pole sitter Daniel Gate was slow off the line and Rick Virago and Glen Swarbrick found the wall.

After the red flag Allan Jones led early before being displaced by Simon Alderson.

However, Alderson received a penalty which promoted Jones to P1.

Daniel Gate returned to the fray for Race 2 and won both the second and third races from Alderson and Jones.

FORMULA VEE

CLOSE RACING was the order of the day in Formula Vee 1600 with David Paisley keeping an angry pack of Franz Esterbauer, Rod Lisson and Paul Moltoni at bay.

Although the minors did their best, none could catch or pass Caisley and these results were repeated in Race 2.

Caisley won again in Race 3 with Lisson snatching second from Esterbauer.

Brett Scarey won the first two 1200s races but had to fight hard for them.

A fast start ensured Myles Lockett

could fly to victory in Race 3 over Andrew Lockett and Connor Welsh.

SPORTS AND MUSCLE CARS

THERE WAS drama at the first turn when Dave Allan ran over the kerb and hit Jason Pryde, who spun on the outside.

At the restart Tim Wolfe took the lead and opened up a gap on Walter Epple.

Race 2 saw Wolfe take the win from Epple and Niall.

HQ HOLDENS

THERE WAS nothing in it between Michael Howlett and Stuart Kenny as they exchanged places for Holden HQ glory.

Kenny eventually prevailed as Marc Watkins joined the fray and displaced Howlett.

Kenny then dominated Race 2, where Howlett hit back on Watkins.

Howlett then took an early lead in Race 3 and won the race despite losing track position to Kenny who was penalised late in the race.

SALOON CARS

ROBERT MARCON did his best but could not find a way past Mason Harvey who led a nose to tail field in Race 1.

Marcon for the jump in Race 2 and fended off Harvey who was tapping his rear bumper all race and did the same in Race 3.

Tony Michelsen in the Ford GTP was the best on the day in the Time Challenge.

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SA CHAMPS WRAP UP IN GRAND STYLE THE 2023 South Australian Motor Racing Championship ended in style with big fields and close racing on display and Auto Action’s DAVID BATCHELOR watched it all at Shell V-Power Motorsport Park.

Bialek claimed the Race 4 win but a DNF in Race 2 the day before left him on the bottom step of the podium behind Rhys Rollond (BeeCee).

It was all Baxter Midwinter (Panther 01) in 1200’s with Frank Chessell (Elfin Crusader) a distant second after a DNF in Race 3.

IMPROVED PRODUCTION

ADAM POOLE made his first local appearance this year and showed the Improved Production field a clean pair of heels.

Poole dominated in his Holden Monaro, taking pole position by over three seconds before cleaning up all four races.

It was hard to separate Andy Sarandus (Evo 8 Lancer) and Scott Cook (S13 Nissan) for the minor places as they battled hard to fend off challenges from Victorian Robert Braune (BMW E30).

Brenton Faggotter also fought near the front in his Nissan Silvia before not finishing the last two races.

CIRCUIT EXCELS

JOEL JOHNSON was equally as dominant in Circuit Excels, while the war raged behind him.

Johnson won all four races and three of them by big margins, while race three was a cliffhanger as he fended off Nick Scaife by a second.

But behind him it was game on for second between the Curries, Scaife and Aaron Oliver, who put in a late charge.

In the end Scaife claimed second for the round with Jacob Currie not far behind.

Jordan Johnston was a surprise winner

HISTORICS in Excel Masters, narrowly defeating Brian Smith who had an uncharacteristic DNF in Race 4.

The non-finish proved to be costly, breaking his winning streak for the weekend and allowing Kim Anderson to take the chequered flag first and Martyn Butler grab third for the round.

SPORTS CARS

PANAYOT BOYACI steering a Porsche 911 Cup Car was a comfortable winner in Sports Cars.

He controlled proceedings with ease, but Ian Wilson had to work hard for second in his TVR Tuscan ahead of Anthony Giustozzi. Richard Newman took the Sports Sedan win in his ex Briggs Motorsport Ford BA Falcon V8 Supercar.

Dean Lindstrom had been the man to beat on Saturday in his TA2 Mustang but didn’t run on day two, opening the door for Newman.

There had been a good field of Sports Sedans but that dwindled down to only three cars by Sunday morning.

Matt Longhurst retired after his Honda Integra had a broken exhaust in the opener, while Jason Waye’s Nissan powered Ford Cortina took the other two podium spots.

SALOON CARS/HOLDEN HQ

DESPITE SHAUN Jamieson’s perfect score

being broken by Scott Goding’s Race 3 win he still topped the Saloon Car points once again.

Jamieson won a thrilling opener by just 0.5s over Scott Dornan before cruising to a more comfortable Race 2 triumph.

It was Race 3 where Goding snapped the streak in an AU Falcon one-two before Jamieson returned to winning ways in the finale.

The consistent James Jaeschke was second for the round, while Goding was third.

It was all on in the Holden HQ’s with some door handle to door handle racing.

In the end Darren Jenkins bagged a very narrow win from David Smith.

Darryl Crouch got right in amongst it with the front runners but ended the weekend in third.

FORMULA LIBRE/AUS SPORTS CARS/FORMULA VEE MATTHEW WOODLAND (Tatuus FT50) and Mark Haig (West WR1000) did battle in Formula Libre and Australian Sports Cars with the balance eventually tipping in the West’s favour.

Daniel Westcott’s (Jacer F2K5) Formula Vee 1600 win didn’t come easy with Matthew Bialek (Stinger 03) pushing him all the way.

A BIG contingent of interstate cars boosted the Historic numbers so much son that they were split into two fields.

In Group F,M,O and P, Laurie Bennett (Elfin 600B) took the top prize back to Victoria.

Mark Goldsmith (Globe Elfin 400) upheld local honour and claimed the Race 1 victory to settle into second for the weekend.

Meanwhile, New South Welshman David Kent (Brabham BT21) hung on for third.

A podium finish could have gone Declan Foo’s (Formula Ford) but for a DNF in Race 1.

Group Q and R honours fell to Sean Whelan (Ralt RT4) even though he didn’t start the final race such was the Ralt’s dominance. Kevin West (Norax C2) slotted into second thanks to a good points haul from all four races.

Blake Miller (Elfin 700) also didn’t start the final race but scored enough points to hang onto third.

Peter Nowlan (Mallock Mk 16B) only ran on Sunday and won Race 4.

Shawn Jamieson took the outright win in Saloon Cars. Top: Lawrie Bennett and his Elfin 600B snared the Historics win. Above: Adam Poole dominated in Improved Production. Right: Panayot Boyaci was a comfortable Sports Car winner. Images: DAVID BATCHELOR

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NATIONALS WRAP

CHAMPIONS CROWNED AT ISLAND STATE ROUND THE PENULTIMATE round of the Victorian State Race Series saw some champions crowned at Phillip Island during the weekend of September 23rd and 24th, while some others still hang in the balance.

STEVEN DEVRIES covers the action.

FORMULA FORD

MATT HILLYER was crowned the 2023 National Formula Ford champion over Zak Lobko and Jake Santalucia after three intense races.

Hillyer had a comfortable margin entering the weekend following Lobko’s horror run at Sandown a month earlier, and a narrow opening race victory over Santalucia and Connor Somers was all it took for him to put the title to bed, with Lobko unable to finish any better than sixth.

With the title done and dusted, the focus shifted to Lobko and Santalucia for second and third in the standings.

Santalucia followed Hillyer home in a repeat of the opening race’s podium as Lobko improved to fourth.

Race 3’s start was delayed after an unusual formation lap collision between Conor Nicholson and the Kent-class car of Mark Zellner while the latter was warming his tyres.

When the race got underway, Lobko bided his time before scything through to a critical third place at the start of the fifth lap.

As Hillyer and Somers finished first and second, third gave Lobko enough points to hold onto second in the series over the fourth-placed Santalucia by three points.

On a state level, Joe Fawcett’s seventh place for the round secured him state honours over Eddy Beswick and Cody Maynes-Rutty.

SALOON CARS

THERE WERE three different winners saluted in a nail-biting final round of Saloon Cars racing. Travis Lindorff, Jacob Prestipino and Keven Stoopman all saw the top step of the rostrum, but the real interest was in the close title fight between Adam Lowndes (VY Commodore) and Daniel Johnson (AU Falcon).

Lowndes entered the weekend three points ahead of Johnson, but results of sixth, fifth and second against a second and two thirds for Johnson was enough for the latter to turn the tables and take the title.

IMPROVED PRODUCTION

DANNY TIMEWELL duly converted pole into a hat-trick of race wins and fastest laps in his VF Commodore.

Series leader and eventual champion Luke Grech-Cumbo went on to finish second in all three races, limping home in the third race after electrical gremlins cost him a chance at the win.

Third place for the round was secured by Matt Logan by a solitary point, with two third places and a last-gasp fourth in race three enough to outpace Ian McLennan.

HYUNDAI EXCELS

JAMES LODGE may have prevailed in all three of the weekend’s closely contested races, but Cadel Ambrose, Blake Tracey and Harry Tomkins didn’t make it easy.

Lodge needed to rely on trouble for Ambrose to have any hope of title glory, but nothing eventuated and second place for the round was more than enough to give Ambrose a maiden state title.

FORMULA VEE

OUT OF five cars that could have won, Nick Jones snapped Reef McCarthy’s 10race winning streak by demoting the series

Matt Hillyer (2) and Zak Lobko (7) show the Formula Fords the way. Thomas Randle (right) was chasing a Sports Sedan lap record. Improved Production contest as Daniel Timewell (11) and Luke Grech-Cumbo go side-by-side. Images: REBECCA HIND/REVVED PHOTOGRAPHY

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leader and eventual champion to third on Saturday. Heath Collinson took second – a position that he would also finish in on Sunday morning as Jones and McCarthy traded places on the podium, setting up a three-way fight for the round.

Collinson was in prime position on the final lap behind McCarthy but spun out at Turn 10, letting McCarthy off the hook and allowing Jones and Andre Curin to round out Race 3’s podium.

SPORTS SEDANS

TICKFORD’S THOMAS Randle was in pursuit of a lap record in his Saab 93 and was dominant in the opening race after re-passing Dean Camm at the end of the first lap.

With next to no running in Race 2 following an early red flag, and Dean Camm not suiting up for the finale, Randle set off after the record again in Race 3, but a flat tyre at the end of lap three forced him to retire, gifting the final race to Francois Habib over Ben McLeod.

PORSCHE 944s

ADAM BREWER scored a maiden pole position but couldn’t convert it into the opening race win. He came home third after Chris Lewis-Williams wrestled the lead away from Cameron Beller.

The same trio would finish the next two races in the same order which kept LewisWilliams at the top of the standings and awarded him the title over Beller and Brewer.

BMW E30s

ROYCE LYNE looked set to secure his third consecutive round win after leading Ash Rogers and Jesse Bryan home in race one, then Rogers followed by Brian Bourke in race two. Unfortunately for Lyne, he was forced to limp his ailing car home to a

ninth-place finish in Race 3 and watched Rogers, Bryan and Bourke go sailing past – which was the eventual top three for the round.

HQ HOLDENS

RYAN WOODS inherited pole following a Rod Raatjes qualifying infringement, which he converted into all three race wins, despite having to play defence against Raatjes in the closing stages of Race 3.

Raatjes’ finishing results of fourth and two second places was enough for a narrow two-point margin over third-placed Steve Banks, who netted a second and two third places in a solid weekend.

MG AND INVITED BRITISH

SIMON ELLIOTT (MG B) was a runaway winner in all three races, finishing comfortably ahead of Phillip Chester (MG B GT V8) and Simon Howell (MG ZR Judd).

Race 1 resulted in a one-lap dash following a lap one accident on the front straight and a long Safety Car period, with Races 2 and 3 more traditional affairs that ran their full seven and nine lap distances respectively.

HISTORIC TOURING CARS

DARREN COLLINS made a high-profile switch from a Camaro to a Mustang, but proved the driver makes the car with three excellent wins.

One included an extremely narrow half-second victory over Trevor Talbot (Chevrolet Camaro) in the final encounter.

Glenn Miles (Valiant Charger) and Jervis Ward (Ford Falcon Rallye S) completed the top three for the round following mixed bag of results and non-finishes for several drivers.

The final round of the Victorian State Race Series will be a significant one, at Calder Park on October 27-29.

Want to see your category event or news story included in the Auto Action Nationals Wrap.

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Jamie Lovett was unbeaten in Sports Cars. Shannon Smith (below) deals with a flat left-rear. Bottom: David Musgrave leads the Excels.

Images: NEIL HAMMOND

CONSISTENCY WINS WINTON 300 WINTON 300

ANDREW BOYDELL and Jason Walsh reigned supreme in the 2023 edition of the Winton 300. DAN McCARTHY covered the action.

The pair used a great strategy to jump their rivals during the pitstop sequence and from there were never headed.

They may have only qualified fourth, 0.6s from pole position, but the consistency of the Mazda MX-5 duo over the 300km distance meant they took the win by almost 90s.

For much of the first half of the race the #791 machine sat in fourth, but the duo bided their time and played the long game. It was the first Winton 300 win for both drivers.

Second place went to Jimmy Tran and Andrew Shah driving a Honda Integra.

Shah led much of the race – however as a Class B entrant they had to serve an extra 2.5 minutes in the pits. It was the second time in succession that Tran finished as the runner-up.

Gerry and Leigh Burges were in contention for the win for much of the day in their Mitsubishi Evo 9; however, late on, a clutch issue saw Gerry stuck in third gear. He limped across the line albeit two laps down in third position.

The win in class D and fourth position outright went to Toyota 86 drivers Christoph Heiniger and Daniel Flanagan, while TA2 driver Josh Haynes and his co-driver Mick Ricketts remarkably won Class E and finished fifth outright in a Nissan Pulsar.

The Winton 300 pole curse continued in 2023 as Subaru Impreza drivers Trevor and Scott McGuiness proved to be the only retirement of the race with a cooked coil pack.

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VICTORIAN SPORTS CAR CHAMPIONSHIP

IT WAS a tale of two in the Sports Cars.

Jamie Lovett continued his dominant season, winning all four races, although he was challenged in each by Andrew Hall.

Sven Burcharz finished three races in third, enough to finish third for the round.

HYPER RACERS

2-LITRE SPORTS SEDANS/ NISSAN PULSARS

THE GLOVES were off in the 2-Litre Sports Sedans with as many as five drivers fast enough to win the round and some wheel banging action on Saturday.

Through it all Linda Devlin in her Mini took all four race wins. While Vincent McNair, Michael Ricketts, Damien Hunter and James Harris each bagged a secondplace finish.

In the Nissan Pulsars class Dan Smith won three of the four races, enough to take the round win. However, Matthew Butters stopped him from taking the clean sweep in the final race.

AUSTRALIAN SUPER TRUCKS

AS ALWAYS, the trucks put on a show.

Championship leader Barry Butwell failed to set a lap time in qualifying and was on the back foot for much of the weekend.

Reigning champion Steven Zammit won two of the four races, and dominated the first by beating home Shannon Smith and Marcus Prillwitz.

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Zammit looked set for another comfortable win in Race 2 – however he made an unforced error and fired off the road, finishing in eighth. Smith inherited the win beating Prillwitz to the line.

Zammit responded by winning Race 3 ahead of Butwell and Frank Amoroso.

Butwell continued the upward trajectory in the final race beating Zammit home by 7s.

As always, the Truck Teams races for the second drivers were full of action with Harvey Dale and Lachlan Fern taking a win apiece.

LEGEND CARS AUSTRALIA

DEAN CROOKE clean swept the weekend and with it claimed the championship lead.

He beat home Damon Sterling in every race. Former series leader Luke Klaver finished third for the round.

EXCEL MASTERS/EXCEL TROPHY

THE EXCELS were split into two different racing categories at Winton. In Masters, wins were split between Glenn Mackenzie and David Musgrave; the round win went to the latter as he finished second twice.

In Excel Trophy it may have been Toby Waghorn that won the opening race, but Bradley James won the round by taking the remaining three race wins in what was a clean, yet fierce battle all weekend between the pair.

THERE WAS action at every turn in the five Legends races, which provided four different race winners.

Scott Morgan won two of the five races; however it was his title rival and Race 1 winner Brendon Hourigan who looked set to win the round until a mechanical failure in the final race.

Bruce Duckworth and Ryan Pring won the other two races.

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MOTOGP JAPAN/INDIA

GAME ON AS MARTIN WALKS ON WATER IT IS game on in the 2023 MotoGP World Championship with just three points the difference between Francesco Bagnaia and Jorge Martin after the Pramac Ducati rider’s latest masterpiece in Japan.

It was another perfect weekend for Martin, who completed a hat-trick of Sprints and his third Grand Prix win of the year but only after a massive rainstorm halved the distance of Sunday’s 24-lap race at Motegi.

But with 13 laps completed, full points were awarded, giving Martin an extra reason to smile for beating Bagnaia, while Marc Marquez ended a 351-day drought between Grand Prix podiums and Jack Miller returned to the front of the field finishing fourth in the Sprint and sixth on Sunday.

Martin maintained his momentum by smashing the lap record to take pole position with a 1:43.198s, a tenth better than Bagnaia, while Miller was a strong third.

Fabio Quartararo managed to rebound from a big practice crash but could only manage 14th, while returning wildcard Cal Crutchlow was 19th.

Martin got a strong start to take a lead he would never let go in the Sprint as the two KTMs of Miller and Brad Binder went down the inside of Bagnaia.

Miller held second until the end of the final straight where his teammate made a dive, while Bezzecchi dropped to seventh.

Although Aleix Espargaro retired, the race settled down with limited overtakes.

But things livened up later in the race as Miller and Bagnaia went head to head for third.

Wet or dry – no-one can live with Jorge Martin at the moment ...

Images: MOTORSPORT IMAGES Despite the Aussie putting up a strong resistance, a mistake on the exit of Turn 11 allowed the Italian to finally claim the podium place.

Bezzecchi also made a late move on Marquez to get sixth, but there was no catching Martin, who won by 2s.

After a sunny Saturday the clouds arrived on Sunday, and just before the start of proceedings the drops started to fall, if only lightly and the track was still mostly dry when riders completed the warmup lap.

However, the rain arrived suddenly thick and fast as the race began and, amazingly, almost all riders dived into the pits for wets at the end of the opening lap.

One rider who did not make it was Maverick Vinales who fell in the sand at Turn 1.

Martin led the field, but this was all

academic as he, Espargaro, Marquez, Miller and Bagania left the lane neck-and-neck on wets.

The Pramac Ducati won the drag race ahead of Espargaro and Marquez, while Miller held fourth before losing it to Bagnaia in a matter of corners.

Michele Pirro was one of five riders who tried to brave the wet weather on slicks but the gamble was never going to pay off.

Martin appeared in control, but he bowled a wide at turn three and dropped all the way down from fourth to 10th.

But it only took four laps for the #89 to be back in the lead after powering past all of his rivals.

He soon built a lead over Bagnaia, who also jumped ahead of an angry pack wrestling for third.

Marquez emerged victorious and started to reel in the leaders.

However, the weather halted his

momentum as the persistent rain meant conditions dramatically deteriorated and the red flag arrived.

The final straw proved to be Johann Zarco’s heavy crash at the penultimate corner, while Binder also fell earlier.

Half an hour after the initial red flag there was an attempt to restart the race, but that only got as far as the warmup lap.

Despite the shortened race, there was no doubt Martin ruled the wild weekend and set up a thrilling next instalment of the championship battle at Indonesia on October 13-15.

Thomas Miles MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP AFTER ROUND 14 1 Francesco Bagnaia 319 2 Jorge Martin 316 3 Marco Bezzecchi 265 4 Brad Binder 201 5 Aleix Espargaro 171

BEZZECCHI DOMINATES TITLE-CHANGING RACE SEVEN DAYS before Japan, the first ever Indian Grand Prix made its mark as Marco Bezzecchi’s brilliance and Francesco Bagnaia’s blunder meant the MotoGP title race was blown open.

With Jorge Martin also battling through exhaustion to take second, Bagnaia’s championship lead was cut from 62 points in Barcelona to just 13 after racing around the former Formula 1 circuit in New Delhi.

The top three in the championship were also the leading trio in qualifying with Bezzecchi beating Martin by a slender 0.043s.

However, the VR46 Racing rider was unable to convert the pole in the Sprint due to some friendly fire.

Teammate Luca Marini carried too much speed into Turn 1 and careered into the back of Bezzecchi, who did not fall, but dropped to 15th.

Marini was not so lucky, sliding into the gravel, while further back Stefan Bradl, Pol Espargaro and Augusto Fernandez were also involved in a separate accident.

The drama allowed Martin to control the field ahead of Bagnaia and the two Repsol Hondas, while Jack Miller soared up eight spots to seventh.

Joan Mir held third until he had low-speed fall at Turn 3, which was a mistake repeated by Johann Zarco.

Whilst Martin led home Bagnaia comfortably and

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Bezzecchi ran away once he hit the front.

Marc Marquez held off Brad Binder for third, Bezzecchi was lighting up the timesheets.

He set a string of fastest laps to fly from the back and into the top five and limit the damage.

Bezzecchi carried the momentum from the blazing ride into the Grand Prix where he was untouchable despite a slow start.

Martin got the jump as Bagnaia also went ahead of the #72, but by turn four it was the Pramac Ducati dropping from first to third.

This left the two Italians fighting at the front and

Bezzecchi launched an attack on Bagnaia at the final corner. The VR46 rider made the bold move stick and was never seen again, blazing off into the distance.

Bagnaia was now under pressure from Martin and a late lunge from the latter at Turn 4 saw the reigning champion lift and lose second place.

Marc Marquez was hoping to join them in fourth, but a fall at Turn 1 destroyed his podium hopes.

Bagnaia managed to regain second from Martin, only to present his rival with an open goal.

Later that same lap the #1 Ducati was flying through the gravel after the Italian fell heavily at Turn 5.

Although Bagnaia was gone, Martin was not out of trouble with his leathers suddenly appearing unzipped.

He lost second to Fabio Quartararo in the process which ignited a battle that was not decided until the final lap when the Pramac Ducati chopped in front of the Yamaha.

Despite being angered by the aggressive move, Quartararo was still thrilled to score his first podium in 11 races, while an exhausted Martin had no energy left in the sweltering conditions.

Miller was forced off during the start at Turn 1 and never recovered, finishing 14th.

Thomas Miles

Poster by Terragrafix 0419 874 299 ~ Image Courtesy Chris Carter

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Tanak put a controlled (albeit high-flying) effort together to take the win.

Below: Evans is the only driver with a hope of catching Rovanpera for the Driver’s title.

Above: “Don’t think it’ll buff out! ...” Lappi’s Hyundai only made it 19.6km into the rally.

Images: MOTORSPORT IMAGES

TANAK TAKES CHILE AMID TOYOTA THREE-PEAT FORD M-SPORT’s Ott Tanak maintained his 100% winning record in Chile last weekend, taking out the Rally Bio Bio amidst Toyota clinching its third straight World Rally Championship manufactures crown.

Whilst the Estonian finally found some reliability in the Puma Rally1, it was his cunning choice of tyre over Friday and Saturday that gave him the edge in difficult and varied conditions presenting a hard and abrasive surface, but lots of loose gravel that minimised grip.

And whilst Toyota became the sixth marquee in WRC history to take a threepeat – joining Lancia, Subaru, Citroen, Peugeot,Volkswagen – it’s in-team fight for the Drivers championship was also kept alive for another rally, as Elfyn Evans finished marginally above Kalle Rovanpera in points despite being over a minute ahead in the rally.

Ahead of the penultimate Central European round, Rovanpera now just needs to finish ahead of Evans in that rally, after the Welshman only gained two points on the Finn, who took the Power Stage championship points – which in turn clinched the title for Toyota over Hyundai two rounds early.

But the Bio Bio glory went to the 2019 champion, as Tanak took his second win of the season over Thierry Neuville by 42.1s, with the Belgian driver a fortunate beneficiary of his fellow i20 N driver’s heartache – part-timer Teemu Suninen losing a deserved podium after going off the road in the penultimate stage.

The victory was Tanak’s 19th career win, which also places him equal ninth on the all-time winners list alongside Markku Alen.

It was also 94th WRC win for Ford, putting them within eight wins of Citroen for the all-time record.

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“It’s great to finally have a positive outcome, thanks to the mechanics and everyone in the team – we are a small bunch, but everyone did a great job,” Tanak said with a rare smile across his face.

“It’s a great place with a lot of support, and there are even a lot of Estonians here which is a big surprise.”

The WRC’s first visit to Chile since 2019 presented an all-new set of stages covering 320.98 km with set-ups in the unknown conditions being key with little prep available.

After Evans took the shakedown opener ahead of Rovanpera, the real test was to come on Friday with 112.86 competitive kilometres on the cards.

And it was Tanak who sprung to life early, despite the rally gods attempting to derail him, but the Estonian would have none of it after a horrid season of mechanical misfortune.

A heavy landing in the early stages damaged his suspension, took out his

turbo boost, and heavily winded co-driver Martin Jarveoja. But, after it dropped him to third, he was able to fight back because he was the only driver that went in with the Pirelli soft rubber, giving him maximum grip where everyone else struggled despite the tyre wear.

Both his luckless team-mate Pierre-Louis Loubet and Hyundai’s Esapekka Lappi bowed out early after flipping their Rally1s, with the respective damage ruling both out for the weekend.

Heading into Saturday’s 154.08 km, Tanak had a 4.2s lead over Suninen, who showed up Evans, Neuville, and even Rovanpera for control.

But as the field followed Tanak’s earlier ploy with the Softs, the Estonian went to the Hards in an attempt to go the distance with the rubber – and it paid off with a 58.3s buffer at day’s end.

By the mid-service break, the soft Pirelli’s on the contenders had worn out on the super abrasive surface. The lead was 47.8s by then, with the damage done after they all nursed the tyre into the service park.

Suninen held his nerve over Neuville with a 13.9s lead after the Belgian coped with a slow tyre leak, with Evans 10s back, whilst Rovanpera sat fifth after struggling for grip across all 12 Stages to that point.

Tanak could afford to be defensive over the final day, as Neuville took all three of the opening stages, and inherited P2 after Suninen went off the road on SS15, becoming the fourth Rally1 retiree alongside Ford part-timer and local, Alberto Heller.

Toyota threw everything at the Power Stage to clinch the Manufacturer crown, with Rovanpera’s stage win crucial in gaining the five bonus points. He’ll head to the Central Europe Rally with the precise goal of finishing over Evans to clinch backto-back titles.

Tanak ended up taking seven of the 16 stages, with Neuville and Rovanpera the next best with three apiece.

GR Yaris’ Japanese driver Takamoto Katsuta finished fifth behind Rovanpera to make it three straight Toyotas, whilst the Rally1 retirements allowed Swedish WRC2 driver Oliver Solberg to take his second win of the year in sixth outright, with Gus Greensmith and Sami Pajari completing the podium in a Skoda clean-sweep, whilst Yohan Rossel and Nikolay Gryazin completed the 10.

The brand new tri-country Round 12 rally, spreading across the borders of Germany, Austria and Czech Republic is next up on October 26-29.

TW Neal WRC STANDINGS AFTER 11 ROUNDS Rovanpera/Halttunen 217 Evans/Martins 186 Neuville/Wydaeghe 155 Tanak/Jarveoja 146 Ogier/Landais 99

WRC • CHILE I NASCAR • TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY • TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY

BYRON’S MILESTONE TEXAS SURGE HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS driver William Byron (above) put it all on the line in a late restart to take out the Round of 12 clash at the Texas Motor Speedway.

The Charlotte native not only elevated himself into a career best six-win season in the hot and humid conditions, but gave Hendricks its 300th NASCAR victory, a feat unmatched in series history.

The late surge saw the #24 Chev driver book an automatic spot in the Round of 8, leading his only laps of the day to top Ross Chastain by 1.863s, whilst poleman Bubba Wallace came home in third after leading a race (and career) high 111 laps.

But it was all about the restart for Byron, who jumped away with just the six laps remaining after a caution which came about due to a crash from team-mate Kyle Larson, who was running door-to-door with Wallace until he got loose into the wall with 20 laps left.

“I finally got a good restart at the end and number 300 for Hendrick Motorsports, but Kyle really deserved this one – those guys were really fast all day, and I hate it for them in the end,” Byron said.

“But man, it was awesome getting this car to the front; it loved the clean air. We just fought through traffic all day … It was a grind-it-out race and I’m really proud of this one as hot as it was ... it was tough.

“I don’t know if I can even put it into words (Hendricks 300th). I was such a Hendrick Motorsports fan growing up as a kid, watching Jimmie Johnson and became really fond of Jeff Gordon as I got to know him. Just thankful for all the men and women back at Hendrick Motorsports … just appreciate all Rick Hendrick has done for me.”

Larson was by far Wallace’s closest competitor, leading a total of 99 laps, and after finishing in 31st after the wall contact, is right on the cusp of the eight with Wallace only two points behind him.

The race saw 11 caution periods over the 267 laps with 10 of the “Playoff 12” experiencing issues.

Aside from Larson, the two other contenders who had the most disastrous days were the two bottom ranked playoff drivers in Kyle Busch and Ryan Blaney, both suffering DNFs. Busch hit the wall on the second lap and limped about until a tyre failure sent him into it again on lap 74, where he drove in reverse around the whole track to park it in pit lane, whilst Blaney was caught in a late six-car pile-up after running in the top-10 for most of the day.

The two remaining Round of 12 clashes included the trip to Talladega SuperSpeedway (see opposite), and the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course on October 8. TW Neal

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BLANEY BY A NOSE OVER TALLADEGA WRECK AN EPIC photo-finish at the Talladega Superspeedway last weekend saw Penske’s Ryan Blaney pinch his second NASCAR win of the year on the last lap as a rolling-wreck unfolded behind him.

The fellow Mustang driver denied the retiring Kevin Harvick a 61st career win by just 0.012s, with the two going at it in front of a tight pack over the final 13 laps, with William Byron in a close third.

The win stamped a ticket to the Round of 8 for the Ohio native after only leading eight of the 188 laps, whilst he can also credit non-regular starter Riley Herbst for helping push to help him overcome Harvick.

It wasn’t until the last lap that Blaney hit the lead in that battle, taking an inside dive through the Turn 2 and 3 stretch as it came down to the nose.

Right behind the tight finishing trio, it was Herbst whose nose turned left to start a rolling-wreck which saw cars scatter everywhere at the finish line, creating a dramatic final scene.

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“It was a pretty wild restart, let alone the last couple of laps losing momentum and getting it back, just getting clear to the bottom to get to the front row and drag race it out with Kevin,” Blaney said.

“To win here three times at Talladega is super-cool. I have to give a big thanks to Riley Herbst. He did a really good job there the last couple restarts. He doesn’t have a lot of Cup starts, but he did a great job and pushed me so thanks to him. This is so cool.”

After qualifying in P10, Blaney took the opening Stage under a caution, courtesy of an incident between Ross Chastain and Kyle Busch on the 60th lap, which was caused by Ricky Stenhouse Jr running out of gas and slowing dramatically.

Brad Keselowski prevailed in the second stage over Byron, whilst the third stage had a fiery start as Ty Gibbs drove out of the pits with the gas can still attached!

Joey Logano – who led a race high 47 laps – had the lead at that stage with 63

laps to run, with he and Byron locked in a tussle.

On lap 163 a multi-car wreck led to the caution which set up the thrilling 13 lap finale, when Keselowski jammed the back of Carson Hocevar to collect Austin Dillon, Chase Briscoe and Gibbs, with a red flag called to clean up the mess of debris.

After Alex Bowman led Blaney and Aric Almirola at the restart, Harvick was pushed into the lead over Blaney, with those two then duelling it out.

Left at the bottom of the remaining Playoff 12 ahead of the Charlotte Roval on October 8 are Kyle Busch, Bubba Wallace, Ross Chastain and Tyler Reddick, with Keselowski in ninth, holding a slight two point advantage over Reddick.

Following Charlotte, the Round of 8 will head to the Las Vegas, Miami, and Martinsville Speedways.

TW Neal

While it was pretty close for the win, all hell was breaking loose just a few metres back ...Image: MOTORSPORT IMAGES

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VERSTAPPEN PROVES HIS POINT Report: LUIS VASCONCELOS Images: MOTORSPORT IMAGES

“IN SINGAPORE, we had a bad weekend.

Then people started saying it’s all because of the technical directive, but I think they can go suck on an egg”, said Max Verstappen at the end of qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix, having left the rest of the field more than half a second behind.

On Sunday, to dispel any possible doubts, he won the race by nearly 20 seconds and set a fastest lap that was more than one second quicker than what anyone else was able to do that afternoon. Clearly, Verstappen came into Suzuka with a point to prove and he surely proved it!

Such was the margin of superiority Verstappen had in Japan, the only tense moment for the Dutchman came at the start, with the two McLarens challenging him: “As soon as I released the clutch I felt it wasn’t biting properly, so I had to wait a bit to go to the second stage of the release, to avoid wheelspin. I saw on the right mirror that Oscar had a little bit of a jump on me, but at the same time I saw in my left mirror that Lando had a real jump on me. Then I tried to close off Oscar but he was still there and I saw on the left-side Lando coming with a lot more speed. He then moved a bit to the right and I was, like, ‘I can’t go more to the right!’ So, I was trying to get straight and luckily nothing happened.”

Norris’ attempt to go around the outside of the RB19 was never going to work, as the McLaren driver admitted: “Knowing Max, I expected it to be very hard to pass him and it was. I think I was marginally ahead going into Turn 1, but on the outside, so I gave it a good go but he just had more speed on the inside.”

From then on, Verstappen was on a Constructors’ Champions ... Drivers’ title pending!

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The McLaren pair shared the podium – they were quite closely matched (top right) and shadowed Verstappen in the early laps (right). demonstration run, pulling away from Norris with ease. Even with an early Safety Car to clear debris, the Dutchman was 5.3s ahead of his friend by lap 13 and with Pérez holding up Norris during the subsequent VSC period, that gap grew to 9.9s in two laps, before the first tyre change. and it continued to grow to 15.4s before the second round of stops, around lap 35.

Then came the mega lap that settled the matter of the extra point for the fastest lap, Verstappen admitting, “I told the team to leave me alone as I wanted to do the fastest lap right at the start of the last stint and they did. The rest of the race was just a matter of managing the car and the tyres”, he concluded.

Speaking of the team’s success in the Constructors’ Championship, Verstappen said that, “to win here was great. I think the car was working really well on every compound, but of course the most important was also to win the Constructors’.

So, very proud of everyone working at the track but also back at the factory. I mean, we are having an incredible year and I’m very proud of everyone.”

Oh yes ... there was another Red Bull RB19 in the race, but Sérgio Pérez managed to hit Lewis Hamilton going into the first corner, breaking the front wing of the car, then overtook two cars under Safety Car as he came out of the pits with a new wing and then 10 laps later slammed into the side of Kevin Magnussen’s Haas in the hairpin, retiring with terminal damage.

Or not, as it turned out to be, as – realising he hadn’t served his second 5s penalty (one for each offence) the team sent him out almost 30 laps later to do one out lap, serve the penalty, and then another out/in lap to park the RB19, the only way to avoid being handed a grid penalty for the Qatar Grand Prix …

PIASTRI’S FIRST PODIUM

MCLAREN HAD the second quickest car in Suzuka and, with Pérez having another off weekend, Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris fought for P2 both in qualifying and the race. On a very demanding and unforgiving track the Australian took a cautious approach on Friday and then, like he’d done one week before in Singapore, just went for

it in qualifying, putting his MCL60 on the front row of the grid – the first time in 27 years a rookie has managed such a feat at the Japanese track!

In the race, Piastri was faster than Verstappen off the line but was pushed to the grass on the run down to Turn 1 and had to lift, allowing team mate Lando Norris to actually pass both, momentarily, before being forced to give way to the Red Bull driver. For the young driver, “tyre management is still what’s making the difference for Lando. On the first stint I actually thought I was just managing the tyres but when I tried to push there was not much left in the tyres.”

Pitting on lap 13, Piastri lucked in as a VSC period was called to remove debris from the Pérez/Magnussen collision, and what was a 4.6s deficit to Norris became a 6.4s advantage after the Brit pitted on lap 17. Again, the more experienced driver was able to get more out of his fresher tyres and, after a bit of radio talk, positions were reversed on lap 27. From then on the Australian’s battle was with Russell, on a one stop strategy, and he got him with 11

Formula 1 Round 17 JAPANESE Grand Prix - Race report

GASLY FURIOUS WITH ALPINE TEAM ORDERS

The start was quite chaotic behind the front three ... Above: Leclerc leads his team-mate through the Esses.

Tsunoda got beaten

by Lawson ... again; while Russell didn’t want to let Hamilton past ...

laps to go, securing a first podium he was delighted with: “It’s definitely been a pretty special week, obviously, with the announcement of the extension and then qualifying on the front row yesterday. First podium today. It’s been a very fun week. So, I’ll enjoy it. There’s still a lot to learn and try and improve on, but I’ll enjoy the moment for now.”

The young driver was also keen to point out a first podium is to be celebrated no matter in what track you achieve it: “It’s special wherever you get a podium, I think. To get the first one, I don’t think it really matters where, it’s always going to be special. For myself, it probably wasn’t my strongest Sunday. So, from that side of things, there’s still a few things I want to work on. But, to get the first podium, on pace as well, is a very exciting moment.”

Norris, who hadn’t been too pleased with being beaten by the rookie on Saturday, was much more relaxed and happier after the race: “Compared to the second place in Singapore, this one was lot less stressful, QUALIFYING RACE 17

especially the last five or 10 laps. But just better, because we have two cars on the podium. This is our first double podium since Monza a couple of years ago, but probably our most deserved in terms of we’re there on pure pace – nothing had to go our way.

“We’re just where we deserve to be so, yeah, an incredible day for everyone but also for myself. I couldn’t challenge Max. Maybe for half a car ... I actually got into the lead for maybe half a second so I’ll take that. I could push and we were where we deserve to be, so a good job by the whole team to execute a perfect race.”

FERRARI BEATS MERCEDES

WITH THE papaya orange cars out of reach, Ferrari and Mercedes had an important battle, not so much for P4 in the race but because second place in the Constructors’ Championship is at stake.

Charles Leclerc, who did a magnificent lap in qualifying, won the battle with relative

RESULTS RACE 17 53 LAPS 5.807KM SUZUKA

CHAMPIONSHIP AFTER RACE 17

Pos Driver

Time

Pos Driver

Team

Laps

Margin

Pos Driver

1

Max Verstappen

1:28.877

1

Max Verstappen

Red Bull

53

1:30.58.421 -

1

Max Verstappen 400

Points -

2

Oscar Piastri

+0.581

2

Lando Norris

McLaren

53

+19.387 s1

2

Sergio Perez

223

-

3

Lando Norris

+0.616

3

Oscar Piastri

McLaren

53

+36.494 t1

3

Lewis Hamilton

190

-

4

Charles Leclerc

+0.665

4

Charles Leclerc

Ferrari

53

+43.998 -

4

Fernando Alonso

174

-

5

Sergio Perez

+0.773

5 Lewis Hamilton

Mercedes

53

+49.376 s2

5

Carlos Sainz

150

-

6

Carlos Sainz

+0.973

6 Carlos Sainz

Ferrari

53

+50.221 -

6

Charles Leclerc

135

-

7

Lewis Hamilton

+1.031

7

George Russell

Mercedes

53

+57.659 s1

7

Lando Norris

115 s1

8

George Russell

+1.342

8 Fernando Alonso

Aston Martin

53

+1:14.725 s2

8

George Russell

115 t1

9

Oscar Piastri

57 s2

Yuki Tsunoda

+1.426

9

Esteban Ocon

Alpine

53

+1:19.678 s5

9

10 Fernando Alonso

+1.683

10 Pierre Gasly

Alpine

53

+1:23.155 s2

10 Lance Stroll

47 t1

11

+1.631

11 Liam Lawson

AlphaTauri

52

+1 Lap -

11

46 t1

12 Pierre Gasly

+1.632

12 Yuki Tsunoda

AlphaTauri

52

+1 Lap t3

12 Esteban Ocon

38

-

13 Alex Albon

+1.660

13 Zhou Guanyu

Alfa Romeo

52

+1 Lap s6

13 Alex Albon

21

-

14 Esteban Ocon

+1.709

14 Nico Hulkenberg

Haas

52

+1 Lap s4

14 Nico Hulkenberg

9

-

15 Kevin Magnussen

+1.788

15 Kevin Magnussen Haas

52

+1 Lap -

15 Valtteri Bottas

6

-

16 Valtteri Bottas

+2.172

NC Alex Albon

Williams

26

+27 Laps t3

16 Zhou Guanyu

4

-

17 Lance Stroll

+2.304

NC Logan Sargeant

Williams

22

+31 Laps s4

17 Yuki Tsunoda

3

-

18 Nico Hulkenberg

+2.422

NC Lance Stroll

Aston Martin

20

+33 Laps t1

18 Kevin Magnussen

3

-

19 Zhou Guanyu

+2.521

NC Sergio Perez

Red Bull

15

+38 Laps t14

19 Liam Lawson

2

-

20 Logan Sargeant

-

NC Valtteri Bottas

Alfa Romeo

7

+46 Laps t4

20 Daniel Ricciardo

0

-

Liam Lawson

autoactionmag

Auto_Action

autoactionmag

Pierre Gasly

autoactionmag

ease, but Carlos Sainz, who followed his team-mate during the first stint, lost out to Hamilton after being undercut in the first stop.

The Spaniard decided to delay his second stop for as long as possible to come back strong in the final laps, managing to pass Russell – on a one-stop strategy – with four laps to go, but couldn’t get the veteran, “because on similar pace, even with DRS and fresher tyres, Suzuka is not a track where it’s easy to overtake”, he admitted.

Gloves were off between the two Mercedes drivers, Hamilton pushing Russell wide at the hairpin following a mistake coming out of Degner 2 after the early restart.

Then it was Russell’s turn to dive-bomb. inside his team mate at the chicane on lap five, only to be repassed in a muscular way at the start of the following lap. Being behind, Russell then opted to go for a onestop strategy, “even if we knew it was the slowest strategy but would give us track position and open opportunities if there were more Safety Cars”, he explained.

But he found himself out of grip when his team-mate caught up with seven laps to go.

Then there was lengthy radio chat about who should give DRS to whom in order to keep Sainz behind the two. Hamilton was eventually waved through, gave DRS to his team-mate but it was to no avail as the Ferrari driver passed him almost immediately.

For Hamilton, “fifth was the best we could do but I should have just pulled as big a gap as possible to Carlos, because I waited for George – that cost me nearly two seconds and it was hard to keep the Ferrari behind in those final three laps.”

Behind this battle Fernando Alonso had a pretty lonely race after pitting early to prevent Tsunoda from undercutting him, a decision the Spaniard didn’t appreciate: “I had a great start, passed four cars and was up to P6 under no pressure, so there was no need to cover the AlphaTauri.”

From then on his battle was, at a distance, with the two Alpines, complaining, “even with DRS the cars I wanted to pass were pulling away, but I should have been up there with Mercedes and Ferrari because, today, we had the pace to fight them.”

Still, he grabbed another four points for Aston Martin but McLaren is becoming a real threat in the championship given the pace advantage they have now.

PIERRE GASLY lashed out against team orders that forced him to let Esteban Ocon by in the last metres of the race, making it very clear that decision had not been discussed before or during the 53 hours of the race meeting. Faster than his team-mate in qualifying, Gasly found himself behind Ocon due to an undercut allowed by Alpine, but on a proper two-stops strategy, while the other Frenchman, Ocon, did effectively a one-stop one after pitting for repairs at the end of the opening lap, was much faster at the end of the race.

Gasly’s fury was clearly audible in his radio communication on the last lap. After being told by his race engineer there was an instruction from the pit wall to swap positions, he didn’t hold back: “Wait, what the f***? Are you kidding me? I was faster, I’m on fresher rubber, I’d have overtaken him anyway.” Told the matter would be discussed post-race, he replied, “are you serious? You’re being serious? I started in front, I was in front the whole race ... you let him undercut me!”

Close to the end of the last lap a hopeful Gasly enquired: “you confirm you want to swap?” only to be given the answer he didn’t want, so he shot back a curt: “thank you. – complete joke!”

Still incensed after the race, Gasly made it clear that, “this wasn’t discussed before the race. I was told that if they would decide to undercut me with the strategy to favour him, they will let me back past him, so we don’t lose time. But it was never said that we’ll need to invert the position again, because I started ahead and I was always in front. It was definitely not something I expected or something I really understand as well as I was the leading car.

I’m behind the wheel. And my job is to go as fast as possible. I’m going as fast, I’m giving everything I can. Why giving up a position? For what reason?

Today I put the team in front of myself and that’s what I will do anyway ...”

Ocon, the beneficiary of what looked like a massive miscommunication from Alpine, played down Gasly’s fury, insisting normal procedures had been followed: “I’ve been with this team for four years now and the rule has always been this one, with Daniel, with Fernando, that if one driver swaps positions, so in that instance, I gave the position to Pierre, he needs to pass the car in front of us, which in this case was Fernando, in order to be keeping that position.

Otherwise you just give the place back to your teammate. That’s always what we’ve done. If I’m on the other side, I will obviously do the same.”

Given that until Gasly signed to join Alpine for this year, the two Frenchman hadn’t been on speaking terms since their days in karting, the fragile peace that existed between them may have been shattered, giving Bruno Famin the first real test of his team leadership.

www.autoaction.com.au I 69

TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE OF THE BATHURST 1000 ACROSS

DOWN

3 How many times has Chevrolet won the Bathurst 1000?

1 How many times has Garth Tander won the Bathurst 1000?

4 Holden won the Bathurst 1000 the last how many years in a row leading into 2023?

6 Who has the most amount of Bathurst 1000 podiums? (surname) 7 Jim Richards has the most amount of Bathurst 1000 race starts – how many times did he compete in the race?

9 How many cars will be on the Bathurst 1000 grid in 2023?

11 Who remains the youngest Bathurst 1000 race winner? (full name) 12 What anniversary is the Bathurst 1000 celebrating in 2023?

16 Which manufacturer, not Holden or Ford, was the last to win the Bathurst 1000?

18 Who finished as runner-up in the Bathurst 1000 alongside Chaz Mostert last year? (surname) 19 Shane van Gisbergen and Garth Tander will not defend their crown together in 2023 – who will Tander co-drive alongside? (surname) 20 Where did the Sandown 500 winners Broc Feeney and Jamie Whincup finish in last year’s Bathurst 1000?

22 How many times has a Ford Mustang won the Bathurst 1000?

23 What is Brodie Kostecki’s best Bathurst 1000 finish?

25 Who crossed the line first in 2016 before being handed a post-race penalty? (surname) 26 How many times has Ford won the Bathurst 1000?

2 Peter Brock holds the record of Bathurst wins, but who is tied with Jim Richards on seven? (surname) 4 What is Simona de Silvestro’s best Bathurst 1000 finish?

5 The Bathurst 1000 circuit is made up of how many turns?

7 How many times has Shane van Gisbergen won the Bathurst 1000?

8 Which team will field the #98 Wildcard entry in the Bathurst 1000? (abbreviation) 10 Who qualified on pole position for the Bathurst 1000 in 2022? (surname) 12 In the last 10 years, how many times has Holden won the race?

13 How many cars failed to complete five laps in the race last year?

14 Simona de Silvestro will return to race in the Bathurst 1000 this year – who will be her co-driver? (surname) 15 Who scored the most Bathurst 1000 pole positions? (surname) 17 Who holds the Supercars Championship Bathurst lap record? (surname) 18 Turn 4 of the Bathurst 1000 circuit is called The …?

21 Where did Kevin Estre finish the Sandown 500?

24 How many drivers will make their Bathurst 1000 debuts in 2023?

1870 CROSSWORD ANSWERS - 1 down – Peugeot 2 across – five, 3 across – MSR, 3 down – Mazda, 4 down – Winterbottom, 5 down – Brands Hatch, 6 across – Ferrari, 7 across – Malukas, 8 across – third, 9 down – Gonzalez, 10 across – England, 11 down – Walker, 12 across – Amaroo Park, 12 down – Alboreto, 13 down – Castroneves, 14 down – Mario Andretti, 15 down – Morris, 16 across – Hartley, 17 across – Grice, 18 across – Northern Irish, 19 across – Power, 20 down – KTM, 21 across – Twenty-second, 22 down – GRM, 23 down – Alonso, 24 across – Bright, 25 down – two, 26 across – Russell, 27 across – Bright, 28 across – two

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

1973 ALLAN MOFFAT and Ford were celebrating a third Bathurst victory in four years after he and Pete Geoghegan toppled the Toranas.

Despite a spin and being the only Ford in the top five, Moffat and Geoghegan were victorious after completing 163 laps in the first ever 1000km Great Race. Peter Brock and Doug Chivas had to settle for second after the exhausted latter infamously had to push the #1 Torana GTR XU-1 into the the pits. Bathurst was not the only news on the front cover with John McCormack’s Australian Formula One Championship round win in Adelaide also a major headline. He overcame a one-minute penalty to to beat Johnnie Walker by over a lap.

1983 PETER BROCK was the king of the Mountain for a seventh time in the 1983 James Hardie 1000, but only after a team effort.

After the #05 retired after just eight laps due to engine issues, Brock and Larry Perkins jumped into car #25 alongside John Harvey.

The HDT trio managed to beat Allan Moffat’s Mazda by a lap in what was the second of Brock and Perkins’ Bathurst hat-trick.

Aussie world champion Alan Jones was back on the front page as he considered a return to Formula 1 having received offers from a “number of European teams”.

70 I www.autoaction.com.au

1993 Larry Perkins was back on the top step of the Bathurst podium in 1993, but his fourth win with Gregg Hansford was the sweetest because it was “done my way”. Perkins and Hansford prevailed in the Toohey’s 1000 after a weekend-long battle against reigning winners Jim Richards and Mark Skaife. The two Commodores exchanged the lead on numerous occasions before a late Safety Car caused

by Dick Johnson’s crash opened the opportunity for Perkins to pounce. He ended up winning by 10.5s as Holden filled out the top five in the first 5-litre Great Race. Despite Wayne Gardner and Brad Jones finishing third, the future of the Holden Racing Team was in the balance as Tom Walkinshaw left Bathurst “making up my mind” with the contract up.

2003 A NEW look AUTO ACTION cover added extra excitement towards the 2003 Bathurst 1000 where Marcos Ambrose was determined to break Ford’s drought. Ironically that year’s winner Greg Murphy was in the headlines, with a rumoured potential shift to Ford.

Murphy was adamant he would leave Kmart Racing if HRT “is going to be the only Holden team there to win”. Adding to speculation was a dinner the Kiwi had with DJR general manager Steve Chalker. In F1 land, all eyes were on Suzuka to see if young guns Kimi Raikkonen and Juan Pablo Montoya could stop Michael Schumacher from winning a sixth championship.

2013 GODZILLA WAS embarking on a return to Mount Panorama as the first Car of the Future Bathurst 1000 neared. But the Ford camp was also making many headlines with DJR losing young gun Chaz Mostert to FPR. Negotiations between FPR and Will Davison had ground to a halt and Mostert was elevated initially as an “insurance policy” to cover for the veteran in #6. Sebastian Vettel completed arguably his most crushing win, at Singapore, taking pole position, leading every lap, recorded the fastest time and winning by more than 32s.

After such a sublime Singapore performance, accusations that Red Bull were cheating by running some form of illegal traction control on Vettel’s surfaced, but were hosed down as “blatantly stupid”.

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