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DOOHAN SET FOR ALPINE RACE SEAT

By LUIS VASCONCELAS

AUSTRALIA MAY have three drivers on the Formula 1 grid in 2025, with Jack Doohan set to be promoted by Alpine in the coming days, becoming Pierre Gasly’s team-mate from the start of the 2025 Formula 1 World Championship.

AA understands that key staff at the team’s base, in Enstone, in the UK, have been informed of the decision, which could be announced at any time. The team’s recent signing – last week – of new CEO Oliver Oakes might delay an announcement a few days while he ‘gets his feet under the table’, but we’re told it’s a ‘done-deal.’

With Oscar Piastri secure in a long-term deal with McLaren and Daniel Ricciardo fighting to either replace Sérgio Pérez at Red Bull or keep his seat at Racing Bulls next year, Australia could have three full-time drivers in Grand Prix racing for the first time in a long time.

The last time three Australians took part

in the same Grand Prix was in the 1976 USA Grand Prix, when one-time Formula 1 driver Warwick Brown joined future World Champion Alan Jones and Brabham stand-in Larry Perkins on the Watkins Glen grid.

From the moment it became clear to Alpine’s former management that Carlos Sainz wasn’t seriously considering their offer to join Gasly next year, Jack Doohan became their number one choice, even if there were other experienced drivers, like Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu, knocking on the door.

The young Australian driver has impressed the engineering team with his speed, consistency and feedback every time he works on the simulator and also during his rare track tests, his plan for this year matching what the French team had prepared for Oscar Piastri two years ago.

Back then, the 2024 Hungarian Grand Prix winner had been forced to take one year off racing to fully focus on a testing program that would prepare him to race for Alpine in 2023, but a series of mistakes by then team

boss Laurent Rossi led to his departure for McLaren. Now Alpine seems determined to avoid a similar scenario and is believed to have taken the option over Doohan’s services within the contracted deadline, guaranteeing the Aussie a race seat for next year.

In the days after the Belgian Grand Prix, Alpine looked set to make the formal announcement of Doohan’s promotion, but with Oliver Oakes having just arrived at Enstone to take over the role of Team Principal and Flavio Briatore not permanently available for meetings and discussions, it was decided to give more time to the new power duo to discuss matters, before making any announcements.

It’s also possible Oakes brings his own ideas about which drivers he wants to work with in the future and that could carry a lot of weight as the British manager is believed to be the face of a group that will eventually acquire the Enstone-based team from Alpine (read separate story, F1 News, page 25). That could influence the length of Doohan’s

deal but it is not expected to get in the way of the Aussie’s official Grand Prix debut in his home race, the 2025 Australian Grand Prix, next March.

Images: MOTORSPORT IMAGES

The call all young racers wait for? ...

SUPERCARS CALENDAR

STILL IN PROGRESS

SUPERCARS NEEDS TO REACH SEVERAL COMPROMISES WITH THE TEAMS IF IT IS TO EXPAND ITS SERIES NEXT YEAR AND ENHANCE THE RACING FORMAT. ANDREW CLARKE REPORTS ...

SUPERCARS IS locked in a battle with its teams as its grapples with the commercial metrics to expand the series to 14 events next year and to provide more racing at each event.

The Teams Racing Charter has provisions for extra payments for each event more than 12 and also a maximum kilometre limit for racing over the season, which has been the factor affecting the SuperSprint formats this year.

After Perth and Darwin produced lacklustre racing in the SuperSprint format, Supercars has been negotiating with the teams to get an increase in racing by 30-40% on the current 12-event format. Before it can do that, it needs to increase the racing kilometres limit for the season, and is proposing less practice at the races as a way of reducing the overall kilometres travelled in a weekend.

The kilometre count is relatively simple – oddly, it may allow the teams extra test days as compensation compared with the extra payments for extra rounds

A provisional calendar seen by Auto Action has the series starting under lights at Sydney Motorsport Park in March and running through to the final weekend of

November in Adelaide, with a return to Queensland Raceway almost certain and Phillip Island on the wish-list for November.

The teams are believed to be standing firm on the extra payment required for the extra rounds, with one team owner at Sydney Motorsport asking “who is going to pay”. The payment is currently set at $60,000 for each car for each event, which means Supercars is up for $2.88m to add Queensland Raceway and Phillip Island, with no guarantee of extra income but also no injection from Fox Sports for the extra weekends.

Early proposals from Supercars included paying teams for only one of the two extra rounds, but that fell on deaf ears with the teams who appear to have rejected that proposal.

In further news on the calendar, Supercars also appears to have again missed the opportunity to run at Sandown on the weekend of the pre-season AFL bye, which would give it better reach in the AFL obsessed city. It is also not clear yet if the Sandown race will remain as a 500km two-driver endurance race or switch to the SuperSprint format, with the former the more favoured option but under threat

thanks to the maximum racing kilometres clause in the TRC. Plans are also under way for two-night race meetings.

The calendar should be locked away this month for a launch at the Sandown 500 in September.

MARCH 1-2 Sydney Motorsport Park

MARCH 15-16 Australian Grand Prix

APRIL 12-13 Taupo, NZ

MAY 3-4 Tasmania

MAY 31-JUNE 1 Wanneroo Raceway, Perth

JUNE 14-15 Hidden Valley, Darwin

JULY 5-6 Townsville 500

JULY 19-20 Queensland Raceway *

AUGUST 15-17 Sandown 500

SEPTEMBER 12-14 The Bend 500

OCTOBER 9-12 Bathurst 1000

OCTOBER 24-26 Gold Coast 500

NOVEMBER 15-16 Phillip Island + NOVEMBER 28-30 Adelaide 500

* Queensland Raceway will almost certainly be added as the 13th round + Phillip Island will be added as the 14th round if a suitable agreement can be reached

SUPERCARS DRIVER DOMINOS YET TO FALL

GROVE RACING MAY HAVE OPENED THE DOOR TO THE #26 CAR, BUT SO FAR NO ONE HAS STEPPED INSIDE … PUBLICLY. ANDREW CLARKE REPORTS ON THE LATEST AS THE SILLY SEASON OFFICIALLY BEGINS ...

THE 2024-25 Silly Season has officially commenced, with Grove Racing announcing that it will not be renewing Richie Stanaway’s contract next season. The vacated seat has been the centre of much speculation, but it is not the only seat available in 2025, with Erebus and PremiAir believed to be in the driver market and plenty wanting to drag Dick Johnson Racing into the discussions.

The Kiwi Bathurst winner was effectively signed on a one-year deal after racing with Red Bull Ampol Racing last year, but has failed to live up to expectations and his form has steadily dropped after starting the season well. Stanaway is expected to rejoin Triple Eight with the pending retirement from endurance duties for Jamie Whincup opening the door for a co-driver return. He is also likely to spearhead its GT challenge in the class where he made his name.

There are still many other unknowns for the 2025 season with as many as eight seats up for grabs and the future of key drivers hanging in the balance, including a likely new home for 2023 Supercars champion Brodie Kostecki, with it appearing increasingly apparent he won’t be with Erebus next season.

Tim Slade will not be driving the #23 Nulon Camaro in the series next year, with his most likely role to be a highly sought after endurance drive and lining himself up for a crack at a Bathurst 1000 win.

Slade’s departure is not yet formally confirmed, but it opens the door for Kostecki to join PremiAir Racing a little more than a year after it was suggested that his former manager, Nathan Cayzer, tried to drop him into the squad with a nice payrise while still under contract at Erebus.

Kostecki’s tenure at Erebus has looked pretty shaky since the off-season drama that saw the reigning champion miss out on the opening two rounds of the season.

Many in pitlane have questioned whether the fierce racer is engaged with his racing this year, and a change in team could bring back the fierce and competitive Kostecki who took the 2023 series by storm.

Kostecki is a key piece in the puzzle, and when he chooses between his suitors other dominos will start to fall.

The fate of Anton De Pasquale remains up in the air, with people joining the dots and linking him to Grove Racing, but we now believe he will not be joining Grove Racing and that reigning Super2 Champion Kai Allen is in the reckoning for that drive after his holding deal with DJR expired at the end of July.

Allen is on track for back-to-back titles and many believe he is ready for the next

There are at least three drivers potentially – or

:step, but clearly

chasing other options, which could include sticking with De Pasquale, but it is also rumoured to be knee deep in pursuit of Kostecki. Of the others, several Super 2 young

guns are vying for seats, including Zach Bates, Jarrod Hughes and Cameron McLeod, with possible seats at Blanchard Racing Team and Brad Jones Racing.

Aaron Love has had a tough rookie season, but it would be cruel of Blanchards to cut him loose before it gives him a chance. Courtney will run another season with the team, which many think will be his last in as a full time driver after he hinted on a TV interview that is the way he is thinking. He did take a step backwards from that statement at Sydney Motorsport Park, but we think that 2025 will see him out.

BJR will likely give Jaxon Evans another run in the SCT Logistics car and could yet opt for no changes to its four-car driver line-up.

We also expect Mark Winterbottom to go for another season at Team 18 although, like many on the grid, it is believed he is under pressure to lift his performance and to become more consistent. WHAT WE KNOW

2 Ryan Wood Walkinshaw Andretti United

6 Cameron Waters Tickford Racing

7 James Courtney Blanchard Racing Team

8 Andre Heimgartner Brad Jones Racing

9 Jack Le Brocq Erebus Motorsport

11 Anton De Pasquale Dick Johnson Racing

17 Will Davison Dick Johnson Racing

19 Matthew Payne Grove Racing

20 David Reynolds Team 18

25 Chaz Mostert Walkinshaw Andretti United

31 James Golding PremiAir Racing

34 Nick Percat Matt Stone Racing

35 Cameron Hill Matt Stone Racing

55 Thomas Randle Tickford Racing

87 Will Brown Triple Eight Race Engineering

88 Broc Feeney Triple Eight Race Engineering

OUR BEST GUESS

3 Aaron Love Blanchard Racing Team

4 Jaxon Evans Brad Jones Racing

14 Bryce Fullwood Brad Jones Racing

18 Mark Winterbottom Team 18

23 Brodie Kostecki PremiAir Racing

26 Kai Allen Grove Racing

96 Macauley Jones Brad Jones Racing

99 Jarrod Hughes Erebus Motorsport

DJR is

definitely – on the move for 2025: Kostecki, de Pasquale (below) and Stanaway (bottom). Images: MARK HORSBURGH

WHAT CHOICES ARE LEFT FOR AUDI?

FOLLOWING WILLIAMS’ announcement

that Carlos Sainz will join the team from the start of next year and Alpine being close to confirming Jack Doohan’s promotion to a race seat, Sauber/Audi is now the target of all the drivers still without a seat in Formula 1 for 2025.

While there are still doubts about Sérgio Pérez’s situation at Red Bull beyond the end of this year and the name of Yuki Tsunoda’s future team mate is yet to be known, the choices for those two seats are limited to Red Bull’s own pool of drivers.

This means the drivers’ market is now fully revolving around Sauber/Audi, a team that has changed the top management in the last week!

Mattia Binotto won’t really have any time to enjoy Formula 1’s summer break for, even with the team’s factory on a mandatory shutdown, the Italian will be working flat-out to secure the best possible talent to drive their cars in 2025. The first thing that needs to be understood is what kind of driver Binotto will be looking for as Nico Hulkenberg’s 2025 team-mate. The German guarantees a high level of experience, very helpful for the technical departments of the Hinwill-based squad and is clearly in one of the best periods of his career, clearly outperforming his teammate at Haas, Kevin Magnussen. This may encourage Binotto and Audi to take a bit of a risk and hire a young and promising driver to be paired up with Hulkenberg, knowing that in the German they have a safe pair of hands.

Theo Pourchaire remains a Sauber driver, but a season jumping between Super Formula and IndyCars, without any outstanding result so far, may not be the best preparation for a full Formula 1 season with a works team. Sauber

Academy driver Zane Maloney currently sits in fourth place in the Formula 2 championship and has performed well above expectations, so he could be an alternative as well, if Binotto’s plan is to hire a promising rookie that can grow with Audi.

And there’s always Liam Lawson, who will become a free agent if Red Bull doesn’t sign him on a race deal with one of its two teams for 2025, by September 15. The Kiwi’s management was already in talks with Andreas Seidl before the German was sacked, so now they’ll have to start all over again with Binotto and the people that will support him in his new role.

The other alternative for Binotto is to hire another experienced driver to help accelerate the development of the team – if that’s the case then current Sauber driver Valtteri Bottas is the main candidate for the job. In his third season with the Swiss team, the Finn is ideally placed to help Binotto identify the areas where new people, new technology and new methods are urgently needed, with the advantage of being very highly rated by the squad’s middle management.

A 10-times Grand Prix winner, who scored 20 pole positions when he was Lewis Hamilton’s team mate at Mercedes, Bottas’ speed hasn’t gone away, as the massive gap he’s normally had over Zhou

Guanyu this season clearly proves. The Finn is also a consummate team player who doesn’t play any political games, is always ready to put in the hours in the simulator or in some private test sessions,and would thus be a good asset to keep.

Dane Magnussen, Zhou Guanyu and Logan Sargeant are the other three current drivers without a Formula 1 seat for 2025, but none of them has any attraction for an ambitious project like Audi’s, so the bottom line is that Binotto is likely to choose between Valtteri Bottas and a promising rookie to define Hulkenberg’s team mate for next year. Luis Vasconcelas

McLAREN STICKS WITH STELLA

HAVING HELPED McLaren back to the top step, Andrea Stella has been granted a multi-year extension as the famous British team aims higher. Since taking over McLaren following the departure of Andreas Seidl at the end of 2022, McLaren has risen from being one of the slowest cars on the grid at Bahrain 2023 to arguably being the fastest.

In that time McLaren has steadily risen up the ranks through wellexecuted upgrades to take 20 podiums, headlined by two wins this year.

Both exciting Aussie talent Oscar Piastri and established Brit Lando Norris have taken maiden wins of their own.

The team’s acceleration has been so strong it now holds ambitions for the once unthinkable target of beating Red Bull in the Constructors championship. Being a calm and steady presence at the top has been Stella, who is determined to continue the trajector:.

“It’s a privilege to be part of the McLaren Formula 1 team, and I am honoured to continue in my role as

team principal,” Stella said.

“We’ve made great strides forward in the past year and a half and we still have a lot more work to do to consistently fight at the front of the grid, which poses an exciting challenge.

“Success comes through the team working in synergy, and I am enjoying my role, which has allowed me to help unlock individual talent and empower people to work together towards our team’s objectives.

“My thanks go to Zak (Brown, McLaren CEO) for his confidence in me as a leader, to my entire leadership team and all my colleagues in the team, for their continued collaboration and support.

“I am excited for what we can continue to achieve together.”

Stella’s commitment continues the short-term stability at McLaren with both Norris and Piastri also extending their contracts recently.

More F1 news can be found on pages 24-26.

Thomas Miles

Much has changed at Audi since the team was initially announced ... Images: MOTORSPORT IMAGES

WARMING UP THE KEY IN CHILLY TASSIE FOR WATERS

BATTLING THE cooler temperatures in Tasmania will be one of the biggest challenges next round according to Cameron Waters.

Having been held towards the start of the season since 2012 and at the end of the year beforehand, the 2024 edition of the Tasmania SuperSprint will be held in a non-traditional window.

The pre-enduros August window sees Supercars head to its southernmost circuit in the heart of winter.

Freezing temperatures are predicted with last week’s forecast having overnight lows of -2 and highs of 11 degrees.

Tickford star Waters said ensuring key elements such as the SuperSoft tyres stay warm could be the determining factor of the weekend.

“There are definitely some challenges from an engineering aspect trying to get the tyres up to temp for one lap which will be very different to Darwin and Townsville,” he said.

“It is another challenge for us to deal with, which is part of the fun. Whoever deals with it the best will win.

“We are already thinking about the weather and what we need to do differently because of it.”

Despite Waters never winning and Tickford not tasting success at Symmons Plains since 2012, the #6 driver enjoys the

door-to-door style of racing at the historic layout.

“I like racing at Symmons Plains,” he said.

“Obviously it is a shorter lap, but it lends itself to really good racing.

“You have two long straights into the tightest hairpin on our calendar so it is always entertaining when we are trying to go in there side-by-side.

“Always fun and lots of passing ... and qualifying is super tight.”

After a tough start to 2024, Waters has bounced back brilliantly with wins at Perth and Townsville to be fourth in the standings.

He believes Tickford has found a “happy spot” in the set-up of the Monster Mustang and believes it can work once again in Tasmania.

“This year has been a rollercoaster for us and a couple of little things influenced us being a bit rocky at the start,” Waters said.

“We have learnt so much about our car over the first three rounds and have found a bit of a happy spot now which has been great.

“It has been fast over a number of tracks so I would like to think we can keep the momentum going and just need to find a bit more car speed.”

The Tasmania SuperSprint is on August 16-18.

Thomas Miles

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TRIPLE EIGHT

‘COULDN’T BE HAPPIER’ ABOUT TEST

TRIPLE EIGHT Race Engineering has walked away from a “massive” test at Queensland Raceway with its head held high.

All four drivers including main game stars Will Brown and Broc Feeney, plus respective co-drivers Scott Pye and Jamie Whincup got plenty of laps under their belt at the Paperclip last Tuesday.

Triple Eight is hoping to fire back after losing its grip on the top two positions in the drivers championship for the first time in 2024 following Chaz Mostert’s Sydney sweep.

Drivers and Mark Dutton highlighted the importance of the test in the aftermath of the Sydney SuperNight.

Importantly Whincup believes everything went to plan.

“Both cars ran extremely well, and we got through our test program,” Whincup (pictured above) said.

“It was one of the best test days we’ve run operationally; everyone did a fantastic job, and we gathered a heap of information, which is now going to be up to us to sort through to try to make some gains.

“From my point of view, couldn’t be happier.”

Championship leader Brown admitted it was one of the busiest he has ever had behind the wheel.

“It was a massive day. Probably the greatest number of laps I’ve ever done on a test day,” he said.

“We had a lot to work through.

We’ve got a really fast car at Queensland Raceway, so it’s quite hard because some of the changes that we’re trying to figure out what might make the car faster at other tracks make it a little bit slower here.

“It was a lot to work through. Trying to confirm what set-up changes we can put in our toolbox for certain tracks and when we might be a little off the pace.”

For Pye it was a good chance to continue getting used to the Camaro.

“It was a really good opportunity for me to jump in and out during the day, and to get a good feeling from the car,” he said.

“The ride day last week in Sydney was of real benefit to me, making sure I was super comfortable and then being here today and getting on with the program and helping out where I could.

“It’s been a massive day for Will, and then for me, it’s just jumping in and out where I can.

“But all in all, for me, it’s been a very good day, I’m feeling confident.”

Triple Eight hopes to fire back at the Tasmania SuperSprint on August 16-18.

NEW EPISODES OUT EVERY WEDNESDAY

SUPER2 NEEDS MORE TRACK TIME

WITH THE main game series expanding in 2025, the Dunlop Super2 Series will likely expand by one more race meeting giving the next generation racers an extra weekend to show their wares, which many feel may reduce some of the risk-taking by the young drivers trying to get into the spotlight.

There is also a feeling among the teams that more track time is needed on each race weekend in addition to the extra round.

“It would be wonderful to be able to give them a bit more track time and enable them to show what they can do, it’s been hard this year,” Walkinshaw Andretti United CEO, Bruce Stewart says. “We’ve had a few races that have been affected by incidents at Bathurst, Perth and Townsville that cost track and racing time.

“It’s such a good category. I just want to see those young people show us what they’ve got.”

Stewart said the answer to more track time was more complex than simply adding more race meetings, and he would like to look at the formats more.

“Every time we pack up the truck and move the staff to a track, there’s a significant base cost. I’m probably looking for more of a fairness thing, with more track time at the six events.

“I’m not having a crack at the organisers because there’s a lot going on, but it’s sometimes hard to watch Super 2 with all the yellows and even red flag sessions, it’s difficult because you just wonder what could have been.

“They’re all learning and they’re all trying to get experience.”

Terry Wyhoon is a stalwart of the class, having run Image Racing for much of

Super2’s existence and has cultivated plenty of driving and engineering talent in the 20 years he’s been there. He agrees the racing is sometimes frustrating, and while he works with his driver to coach them through the ranks, he thinks there is a layer of desperation caused by the lack of racing.

Unlike Stewart though, he wants extra rounds to reduce the desperation levels.

“The racing laps are obviously an issue at times,” Wyhoon says. “They changed the number of laps to a set race time three meetings ago, which seemed to work. We seemed to have a couple of good races, but then we got to Townsville with cautions and unnecessary accidents.

“I don’t have the answer – I wish I did because it is a bit of an issue. Some of the moves, are moves made by inexperienced and desperate drivers, I guess is one word you could also use.”

Wyhoon is hopeful of a seventh round in 2025, and says Supercars has been discussing this with the teams and that as the main game expands so too will Super2.

“We’ve been talking about that. I’ve been in discussions with Supercars over a seventh round; and I think seven rounds will be on the calendar next year. Spread it

out over 14 races, two per event, it’s a little bit different to the 12.”

In total this year, there have been 119 laps run in the races, with only 22 of those under Safety Car conditions, but 43 minutes of the timed races have been lost to red flags, including the double red-flagged second race in Perth. Andrew Clarke

YOUNG EREBUS ENGINEER GETS OS OPPORTUNITY

AFTER RISING through the ranks quickly at Erebus, a special opportunity awaits in the UK for data engineer

Tom McCausland (right).

McCausland is making the big move to complete a Masters of Motorsport Engineering course at Oxford Brookes University, which has close connections with F1 giants McLaren, Red Bull and Mercedes.

It comes just a year and a half since his very first Supercars event, at the 2022 Adelaide 500, where he was “chucked in the deep end” before finishing his exams.

But he loved it and grew under the junior data engineer role to become a big part of the team’s championship success last year before stepping up to the senior data engineer position this year.

Following the rapid rise, McCausland is now excited to see what is possible at the home of some of the biggest teams in the world after fulfilling duties at the upcoming Tasmania SuperSprint.

“It was sort of the next natural step,” he said.

“It is a pretty cool thing and one of only a handful of Australian students selected and the university has good relationships with McLaren, Red Bull, Mercedes and Hyundai WRC.

“The buzz of the racing weekend will hit me more when I am in a big lecture hall thinking this is a lot quieter and slower.

“My time at Erebus is something that will stick with me for the rest of my life.”

However, the departure of McCausland leaves Erebus searching for a new data engineer.

With McCausland and #9 engineer Tom Moore proving the Erebus environment provides opportunities for young engineers to flourish, Erebus CEO Barry Ryan is looking forward to providing a pathway for the next one.

“If they have the want and the will to be involved in motorsport, that is what is most important,” Ryan said.

“It is great that we want to give more people opportunities and find the next Tom Moore and Tom McCausland.

“One of the strengths of Erebus is being able to foster and develop young talent, turning them into winners.

“Tom (McCausland) was straight out of university when he joined us here and he learned on the job very well and very quickly.

“It’s disappointing to be losing such a great young person in Tom, but that’s part of what we do here at Erebus, and so yes we are looking for someone that has aspirations to join the team and climb the ladder and even do something like being a race engineer in the future.”

Hopefuls can apply for the position by contacting hr@ erebusmotorsport.com

Thomas Miles

2024 DUNLOP SUPER2 SERIES

Image: PETER NORTON

HUGHES’ INITIATIVE LEADS TO FIRST GEN3 LAPS

THE SUSPICION of a potential opportunity following the Sydney SuperNight has led to Super2 talent Jarrod Hughes getting some special first Gen3 Supercars laps with Erebus.

Driving for the Erebus-affiliated Image Racing ZB Commodore team, Hughes attended the Sydney Motorsport Park round to gain a deeper understanding of the Supercars round to assist his Super2 campaign.

Knowing ride days often take place on the following Monday, the forward-thinking teenager brought his race gear just in case a sudden chance to drive a Gen3 Camaro surfaced and it did ...

After talking with Erebus CEO Barry Ryan and media manager Carly Hammersley, Hughes got the green light to drive Brodie Kostecki’s #1 Chevrolet.

Not only did he give seven separate guests the rides of their lifetime, but it was also a career highlight for the 19-year-old, who cut his first laps in Gen3 machinery.

“If you told me at the start of the year that I would drive a Gen3 car I would say ‘I hope so but doubt it’” Hughes told Auto Action.

“Every kid watching Supercars dreams of this so the fact I can say I have pulled a few gears in one is just unreal.

“It has been an awesome year so far and I am very lucky with all the opportunities I have received from Super2, Supercars, TA2 and GT4.

“To hang out with Erebus from Friday to Sunday and then drive the Camaro on Monday was just awesome.”

Having picked the brains of Kostecki, Jack Le Brocq, Todd Hazelwood and Jayden Ojeda before jumping in the car, Hughes said the biggest revelation was feeling what the drivers described himself.

“I felt like I got up to pace pretty quickly and it all felt natural,” he recalled.

“I struggled to see over the dash a bit but it was all okay. We put a few cushions in there and it was not too bad!

“There were a few differences (to the ZB) but it was on a pretty old set of tyres so it was quite slippery which I thought was really fun. It is cool to whip around that track when it is nice and loose.

“Also how long the throttle is to get to 100 percent or what the brake pressure

feels like, how hard you are pushing it.

“It was just so interesting to hear what the boys were saying about the car and then experiencing that in the car thinking ‘I can see what they mean now’.

“It was cool for me to understand and feel what these drivers talk about with these cars.”

The chance to drive the #1 Camaro was the cherry on top for Hughes after a special weekend inside the Erebus garage.

“To be honest I only went down there because I was hoping to learn as much as I could off Erebus and brought my helmet and everything just in case hoping that I would get some laps,” he said.

“Obviously they were the team to beat last year and know what they are doing so I just tried to learn as much as I could off them to put into my Super2 season this year.

“I got to sit down with Betty and Daniel Klimenko and learn a lot from them.

“Daniel is a vault of knowledge and it was great to have a chat with Betty.

“She was awesome and you can see the way she operates and how she is as a person flows down through the team.

“It was a privilege to be in that garage.”

Thomas Miles

SUPERCARS COMMISSION TO RULE ON ‘CLIP’ FIX

A WRITTEN warning was issued to Supercars teams last week concerning ‘non-approved’ modifications which doesn’t relate to any performance advantage but affects teams which have been making a simple fix for what is seen as a structural weakness in one element of the Gen-3 cars.

It concerns the front and rear ‘clip-on’ frames – incorporated to make at-track front or rear crash repairs quicker and simpler, with a damaged ‘clip-on’ simply replaced with another.

However, it seems that, over time, an issue has arisen with some of the tubular bolt-on parts cracking in some joint areas, potentially requiring the clip-on to be replaced as routine maintenance, rather than as accident damage repair –reportedly at up to $10,000 a time.

Several teams have instigated their own solution, by adding a simple gusset to the affected joints to take away the

cracking risk.

This has come to the attention of Head Office, with Supercars teams last week issued with a warning that ‘unapproved modifications’ risk disqualification.

If this were to be enforced, several teams would be faced with the need to literally cut out the strengthening gussets before the Tasmanian round of the series, for which team transporters will depart in less than a week from now.

This newly-raised issue is the latest

of a number mechanical problems that have affected the Gen-3 cars since their introduction last year.

AA understands that the ‘to gusset or not’ problem is creating significant debate

around the teams, and that a Supercars Commission meeting – these days involving every team on the grid – will be asked to rule on it at a meeting shortly.

Bruce Williams

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STOP / GO

NEW CHASSIS FOR PERCAT

NICK PERCAT and Dylan O’Keeffe will take on the Sandown 500 with a brand new chassis.

The new chassis is MSR-05 and is on track to make its on-track debut at the iconic September enduro.

The front and rear clips have been attached, while the Chevrolet engine is also in place with the build expected to be completed by the Tasmanian SuperSprint.

he arrival of a new chassis means a pause in racing commitments for Percat’s current chassis MSR-04.

MSR-04 will go down as one of the most famous in MSR history having collected both of the team’s wins to date.

SUPERCARS HEADING FOR HOBART

SUPERCARS WILL make a maiden trip to Hobart ahead of the return to Tasmania later this month in the form of a street party.

On Wednesday, August 14, two days before the Tasmania SuperSprint, five drivers will head to the capital of the “Apple Isle” for the free public event.

From 15.00-18.00 AEST Mark Winterbottom, James Courtney, Chaz Mostert, Ryan Wood and Aaron Love will be taking part in signings, Q and As, fan activations and giveaways at Princes Wharf #1.

A select number of Gen3 Supercars, team transporters and official vehicles will also be on show.

BIG WEEK OF SUPERCARS TESTING

IT IS a busy week of testing for Supercars with Walkinshaw Andretti United, Erebus Motorsport and Triple Eight in action across three different states.

WAU star Chaz Mostert became the latest driver to test the new 2025 Dunlop development tyre on Tuesday at The Bend where teammate Ryan Wood also enjoyed a Rookie Test.

On the same day a Triple Eight Camaro was used for a homologation engine test at Queensland Raceway.

This ran alongside the continual AVL testing being held in America with the Australian session used to validate the recent findings from the other side of the world.

Jack Le Brocq’s #9 Erebus Camaro was also fitted with the new Tickford-developed steering rack in a separate session at Winton on Wednesday.

WHY HERNE MADE BIG SWITCH

NATHAN HERNE was a renewed force at Queensland Raceway last weekend, thanks to a significant prerace shift. In between the Tailem Bend and Ipswich rounds, Herne’s team underwent the major job of turning his 2021-winning Dodge Challenger into a Ford Mustang … sort of.

The successful chassis was retained but Mustang body panels were applied – and the new bodywork did exactly what was hoped for.

It paid immediate dividends with Herne holding off Todd Hazelwood to take a special breakthrough win, his first since his 2022 title, racing in America and returning to Australia with his own team.

“I have lost my voice and it is just unreal,” Herne said in victory lane.

“Todd was really good under braking and I was really good with drive out of the corners. After about three laps I had no front brakes.

“Big thank you to Blue Gold Industries for supporting me. It has been a big year.”

Having made his return to Trans Am in Round 2, Herne had scored two podiums before Ipswich, but wanted more.

“At the end of the Bend round I left it a bit disillusioned with it all,” Herne told Auto Action

“I felt like I had a car to win and didn’t get any. I made a few mistakes,

but just felt like I needed the last percent.

“There were a couple of the issues like with cooling. I sat behind a car for a lap and just had no brakes. I want to be able to follow lap after lap and put pressure on people again.

“Everyone told me when I came back the Dodge isn’t competitive but I think we proved them wrong to an extent and had some good results.

“But moving forward I want to be on an even playing field which is the best thing for me with the category getting more and more competitive.

“I want to turn this into a pretty successful operation and challenge for race wins and want to make sure I have the best chance possible to do that.”

During the long break since the previous SpeedSeries round at The Bend, Herne had been busy, including returning to America.

He left Australia last year to take on Trans Am in the USA but, despite

showing lots of promise, lost the ride after one year which is why he is back.

Herne was able to make a cameo appearance at a recent round at Mid Ohio and made an impact, leading with 17 laps to go before being punted off.

However, Herne felt he turned the right heads and already wants to go back across the Pacific.

“It was awesome. It is how I wanted to go back there,” he reflected.

“I had been away for a fair while so every other driver and team has had a fair bit of development on me, but I knew I had a good team around me again at Howe Racing.

“It was a great weekend, even though I got taken out of the lead for a second time in a row over there.

“We will see ... working behind the scenes to make that happen. I got to fire some shots back when I hopefully go back there. I won’t be as easy to be pushed around anymore.”

Thomas Miles

HOW HAZELWOOD TRUMPED GRM

DESPITE BOTH Todd Hazelwood and TFH Hire Racing being newcomers to Trans Am, a near-perfect weekend at Queensland Raceway has sent the rookies to the very top.

Three wins out of four allowed Hazelwood to rise from third to first in the championship and knock Garry Rogers Motorsport out of top spot for the first time in a long time.

Suddenly TFH Hire Racing has a very real shot at being Trans Am champions on its first attempt, with two rounds to go.

After getting close to breaking through at The Bend, Hazelwood was delighted to score a maiden round win at a circuit he and the team had circled as a massive opportunity.

“We came here knowing it was our test track and we took full advantage of that, so an amazing effort by the whole team at TFH Racing,” he said.

“We had an absolute rocketship all weekend and it was almost the dream round.

“Outside of that one second to Nathan (Herne) it would have been a clean sweep.

“Dreamwork makes teamwork so I could not be happier.” Hazelwood and the TFH team have taken impressive leaps forward in all five rounds so far in 2024.

He got his first podium in his second race, finished all three races in the top five in Tasmania, scored a new PB at Phillip Island before breaking through to a first race win at The Bend.

A further leap was taken at QR with the crushing round win and Hazelwood says hard work is behind the constant improvement.

“I have been pushing really hard, trying to make a new challenge for myself this year,” he said.

“With myself and the team both brand new to the category we were a bit rough and ready at the start, but we are really starting to find our straps.

“We have had to work hard for this moment. We did a lot of homework at the workshop, basically going from top to bottom to understand how we can make these things as quick as we can.

“This is a testament to the team because Nathan is an absolute standout in this category and a great talent, so for our first year we could not be prouder.”

The big haul means Hazelwood enjoys a 38-point advantage over Moffat ahead of the high-profile finish to the championship at Bathurst and Adelaide, which the South Australian cannot wait for.

“This puts us in a strong position in the championship,” Hazelwood concluded.

“We are really lucky going to two of the best tracks at Bathurst and Adelaide.

“They are two massive events and tracks I love so the title hunt is going to go down to the end no doubt.”

Thomas Miles

When a Dodge becomes a (successful) Mustang ...

TCR CONTENDERS NOT THINKING ABOUT TITLE

THE CHASE for the TCR Australia title might be reaching a pointy end, but neither leader Zac Soutar or challenger Josh Buchan are worried about it.

Whilst Tony D’Alberto was the class of the TCR field at Queensland Raceway, both Soutar and Buchan were consistent enough to be best of the rest and secure top three berths for the weekend.

It ensured they left Ipswich as the top contenders ahead of the two-month break before the final two rounds.

Soutar holds the high ground being 27 points clear of reigning champion Buchan. It creates a massive opportunity for both the Audi driver and his family-run team, but he feels it is so finely poised it is not even worth worrying about.

“No, not one bit,” Soutar replied when asked about the championship.

“It is not worth it because if you look at the points they are so close.

“I think it is more important to focus on reliability and getting the most out of myself so we will see what we can do.”

Soutar was simply pleased to be second for the round, having reported some rear-end issues during the weekend and race with 30kg of compensation weight.

“The car was actually better than earlier. It wasn’t sitting on the bumps nicely through Turn 1 which cost us a little bit but everywhere else the car was amazing, rotated and drove really well,” he said after Race 3.

“We had a fair bit of weight on this

weekend so I am stoked to come away with two podiums.”

Reigning champion Buchan may be yet to win a round and only has one race victory to his name this year, but he has been a model of consistency.

A pair of thirds on Sunday brought his podium tally to nine, easily the most in 2024.

Although the chance of back to back TCR titles is there, Buchan is feeling no pressure and is just enjoying driving, but eyes an opportunity next round at SMP.

“I have already won one so I am pretty cruisy. He (Soutar) can worry about it because I am just here to drive,” Buchan said.

“Sydney is my best track of the year and I always look forward to it.

“Had the two fastest laps against the best in the World Tour so I am hoping we are competitive again but in this category you never know. You have to work for it.”

Thomas Miles

D’ALBERTO GETS REDEMPTION

TONY D’ALBERTO has taken the TCR win he lost at Symmons Plains, with a dominant performance at Queensland Raceway.

D’Alberto took the chequered flag first in the Tasmanian opener back in Round 2, but points were not awarded after officials determined not enough racing laps were completed.

As a result, the 2022 champion parked his Wall Racing Honda in protest and did not take part in the final race of that weekend.

Across the following two rounds he had only scored one podium, but was back to his best at Queensland Raceway.

Starting from second, D’Alberto seized upon his earliest opportunity by flying to the lead off the line and took the opening race with a lights to flag performance keeping Aaron Cameron at bay.

After getting the breakthrough first official win of 2024, D’Alberto backed

that up with another success in Race 3 to be the overwhelming round winner.

After the clear frustration from Symmons Plains, D’Alberto was certainly satisfied to have a win he could keep:

“It is amazing to get a win like this,” he said.

“We all know the story ... we have been trying to get it since Tasmania and if we had that then we would be in the championship hunt.

“The car is fast and the team has been doing a great job, so it is just nice to get a win.

“The car was fantastic all weekend. We pretty much topped every session so big thank you to the whole team.

“This result has been coming all year and thankful to get it here where my championship kicked off a few years ago.

“This gives me some confidence and reminds me I can still do the job.”

Thomas Miles

The contenders, Soutar and Buchan head the pack at QR.

STOP / GO

GROVE’S TOUGH RETURN

GROVE RACING’S return to the GT World Challenge Australia field was short lived after the team withdrew on Sunday morning.

Brenton and Stephen Grove were forced to make the call ahead of Sunday’s finale due to the damage sustained in Saturday’s dramatic opener.

Brenton Grove was the innocent party after Renee Gracie was spun into his Mercedes.

“A few cars ahead seemed to forget that we still had a third of the race to go and decided to dive Renee at the first corner.

“We were caught up in an unnecessary incident. I would’ve thought the guys would be smarter with the experience they have, but clearly not.

“It was best to take it offline and fix the car properly before Phillip Island.”

TRANS-TASMAN ALLIANCE CREATES YOUTH PATHWAY

Two leading Motorsport teams from each side of the ditch – TekworkX Motorsport and Mackenzie Motorsport – are creating an alliance to open up further pathways for young Trans-Tasman drivers to advance.

Aimed at nurturing further avenues for young drivers to advance up the rungs, the leading Aussie and Kiwi teams will work side-by-side to promote talent through their respective lanes.

Both the teams are active in the promotional Toyota 86 scholarship series’, as well as their national TGRA GR Cups, whilst TekworkX also operates on the Porsche side of the coin.

NRG LANDS PREMIER NZ DEAL

MotorSport New Zealand has appointed National Racing Group Promotions (NRG) as the official promoter of its Premier Race Championship.

NRG is part of the Tony Quinn stable of motorsport and entertainment companies throughout Australasia.

Deborah Day, President of MotorSport NZ, says it’s an ideal partnership. “Their experience and vision align with our goals for the Premier Race Championship, and we are confident that this collaboration will lead the championship to new heights.” A provisional series calendar is set to be shared with race categories and circuit operators over the next weeks with a final calendar set to be confirmed in early September.

TOYOTA ORCHESTRATES ARC/JRC SWAP-OVER

THE UPCOMING Australian Rally Championship (ARC) round in Gippsland, Victoria, will feature a young guest star from Japan in a Toyota GR Yaris Rally2, whilst our current champion Harry Bates will go the other way come September.

Round 4 of the ARC will feature the biggest field ever assembled for the Gippsland Middle of Everywhere Rally, with 37 ARC crews also set to include the TGR-WJC development driver, Nao Otake.

Otake was a former member of Toyota’s Gazoo Racing WRC Challenge Program, and races in the new Japanese Rally Championship category to advance young talent, where he took the JN-2 class honours at the last round in the Gunma Prefecture.

Bates – the current leader of the ARC who is on the hunt for his third national title and back-to-back honours – will head over to Japan with co-driver Coral Taylor to take part in the JRC Hokkaido Rally on September 5-8 for the competition’s penultimate round.

It starts off a planned period of interaction for Toyota between the two championships, which seeks to cultivate cross-border friendships and promote the global motorsports culture, as well as exposing young drivers to a higher level of competition.

Otake will join a big field that is gearing toward a tight title race after Scott Pedder and Glen Macneall stuck their Skoda Fabia R5 into contention at Rally Queensland with a memorable outright victory.

Pedder, the 2014 ARC champ and former international competitor, closed the gap to just 11 points as he topped an all-Skoda podium with both Bates’ Toyota’s going by the wayside.

This round also sees the debut of the highly anticipated Subaru WRX Challenge, with three crews lining up for the opening round of the new onemake series: Glenn Brinkman/Scott Beckwith, Timothy Clark/Leonie Clark, and Garry Yeomans/Kam Baker. Both Maguire brothers are also returning with the QLD podium Skoda, with Eddie Maguire having moved

into third in the championship – 14 points back on Pedder – whilst Alex Rullo splitting the brothers with Steve Maguire in fifth over Alex’s son Peter.

The Production Cup field will be stacked with talent also with QLD winner Clayton Hoy returning for another round to take on leader Molly Taylor and 2023 class champion Bodie Reading.

Other names include the likes of Danny Traverso, Josh Wiedman, Aidan Peterson and Molly Spalding.

With a further list of 26 Victorian Rally Championship cars, it brings the total field to 63 machines that will be kicking up the dust out of Heyfield, 206km east of Melbourne.

The Middle of Everywhere Gippsland Rally takes place this weekend, 9-11 August, with Pedders Rally Central based out of Heyfield in Victoria.

The event gets underway with the BSR Automotive Rally Show at the Port of Sale precinct from 4pm – 7pm on Friday 9 August, with the Heats to take place over Saturday and Sunday.  TW Neal

DRIVERS SHOW DISLIKE FOR SPRINT FORMAT

SUPERCARS DRIVERS have voiced their disappointment in the Sprint format that will be in use at Tasmania next weekend and thrown their support behind longer races.

This year’s new Sprint format of 2x hour long races has not been well received, being too long to be a flat-out sprint like those seen at Albert Park or at every round in the 1990s, but too short for significant strategy elements to come into play and thus being somewhat in no-man’s land.

Chaz Mostert says the extra intrigue that strategy brings to longer Supercars races should be seen at all solo rounds.

“Personally I don’t think we should do Sprint races anymore,” Mostert said.

“The teams really enjoy it (longer racers) especially the engineers who are world class and finally when you have these types of races you create strategy around it.

“Every race we go to should be a fuel race on a Saturday and Sunday.

“The different tracks we go to will create different strategies depending on what the deg is and how long the

pit lane is and all that kind of stuff.

“If you go to a sprint race everyone knows you need to pit once and generally you finish where you start.

“My heyday of Supercars is the 2012 era and I was working on the workshop floor of FPR and you had this great rivalry between T8 and FPR and everything was a two-stop mini endurance race.”

Saturday runner-up Matt Payne utilised the one-stop option to jump from 10th to second and enjoys the longer and shorter races, but felt the

current one-hour sprint format is stuck in between:

“I like the longer races,” the young Kiwi said. “You settle into your rhythm really early on and you have a pretty good idea what the team is feeling strategy wise.

“The sprint races at AGP were a lot of fun with so much battling going on and that style of racing is really good.It is just the middle ground races like Darwin and things like that where they are not long enough to have a different strategy.”

Thomas Miles

Harry Bates – hoping to get back into the ARC winner’s circle – then off to Japan.

INGRAM’S WILD RIDE TO DES WALL TROPHY

PRECISION NATIONAL

Sport Sedan Series

leader Peter Ingram (right) collected the prestigious Des Wall Trophy at Sydney, but it was far from an easy drive to the destination.

Ingram was forced to start last after missing qualifying due to a broken driveshaft, but a brilliant recovery driver to third in Race 1 set up his weekend.

This ensured he was within striking distance for the deciding final race and he hunted down Steven Tamasi to take the trophy – but that is only just part of the story. Lifting the Des Wall Trophy at the end of a trying weekend made it extra special for Ingram.

“It is a really special trophy to win,” he told AUTO ACTION

“Everyone that has ever been involved or knows anything of Sports Sedans knows of Des Wall and everyone speaks very fondly of him, unfortunately I was not racing when he was.

“To win an award with his name on it is very special. A lot of Sports Sedans drivers work hard to achieve it so pretty cool to do it in my second attempt.”

Ingram’s Mazda RX7 was fast out of the gates, topping Practice 1, but it was not without dramas before even bigger concerns would come in Practice 2.

A broken drive shaft saw Ingram pull off and leave his team with a mad dash to repair the car in time for qualifying due to a missing brake.

Ultimately they fell just seconds short of taking part in qualifying, which produced some of the most emotional scenes ever seen in Ingram’s garage.

Ingram was able to put the setback behind him and produce a special comeback drive to third in Race 1.

In Race 2 the championship leader then took the fight to Tamasi, but fell short after they clashed coming out of the Turn 8 hairpin.

This meant it all came down to the final race where the Des Wall Trophy was on the line and Ingram won the battle convincingly. He sensed Tamasi “cooked his rears a little

bit” and the Mazda blazed past the Holden Calibra down Brabham Straight and charged to glory.

Ingram now enjoys a handy 50-point lead in the Sports Sedans title race over Geoff Taunton ahead of the penultimate round at Sandown on August 23-25.

Despite having never raced at the iconic track, he believes his Mazda will be well suited to the long straights.

Sandown is Tamasi’s home track so he will be strong there,” Ingram said.

“I have never driven there before but I also hadn’t driven at Symmons Plains and Tailem Bend before so I am not worried about that.

“I think the car will suit the track because its strong under brakes.

“The main thing is to make sure I am consistent and finish every race – the points reward finishing near the front.

“The goal is to do a really solid prep of the car and give us the best opportunity to finish every race.”

Thomas Miles

ROSSI CONFIRMS BATHURST 12 HOUR RETURN

MOTORSPORT LEGEND Valentino

Rossi has confirmed he will be back in Australia for a third straight Bathurst 12 Hour, in 2025.

Despite official entries yet to be open, Rossi told Endurance-Info. com journalist, Laurent Mercier, “I will be” at the Mount Panorama summer classic.

Rossi made his Bathurst 12 Hour debut in 2023 when Team WRT brought its BMW M4 GT3s for the first time and returned in the #46 this year.

The Italian MotoGP legend and now GT racer will be making a third straight appearance in 2025 when the race returns on January 31-February 2.

“I’ll be at the start of the 2025 Bathurst 12 Hours,” Rossi confirmed to Endurance-Info.com.

“I hope it will be with these two guys.”

Rossi made his 12 Hour debut alongside Augusto Farfus and Maxime Martin and finished sixth, bringing record crowds to the Mountain.

The #46 Team WRT entry improved in 2024 where Rossi, Martin and now Raffaele Marciello crossed the line fifth, just 5s away from winner Matt Campbell.

Rossi has carried on racing for Team WRT in the GT World Challenge Europe this year, during a campaign that has included three top-five finishes in the first five races this year. His admission came during the most recent round at the Nurburgring where they finished 18th.

Tickets are now on sale for the 2025 Bathurst 12 Hour from January 31-February 2.

Thomas Miles

LEYBURN SPRINTS TO CELEBRATE 75-YEAR GP MILESTONE

THE 28TH Historic Leyburn Sprints is getting closer, August 17-18, as Queensland’s “town of living history” gets set to commemorate the 75th anniversary of its hosting the 1949 Australian Grand Prix.

On the 18th of September, 1949, Leyburn’s small population temporarily swelled to well over 30,000 people as it hosted the 14th Australian Grand Prix on an ex-wartime aerodrome.

The race – the first GP to be held in Queensland – was taken out by John Crouch in a 1936 3.6 L six cylinder French Delahaye 135MS, a machine that had previously won a Monte Carlo Rally in 1937, and the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1948.

Twenty-eight entrants began the race on the old runway at the abandoned RAAF airbase – a 6.92 km track – with 11 finishing, and Crouch finally grabbing an Aussie GP win in his 10th attempt.

The old airfield also played its part in bringing people to the town, with seven planes landing in the morning to transport out of town spectators, whilst an estimated number of six thousand cars were parked around the track.

With so many people at the track, police and organisers had a hard time in stopping spectators encroaching onto the airstrip during races, with the sixth and final event of the day being called off as a result of a failure to control the swelling crowds.

Crouch drove the #4 car that now exists in a museum in the Mullin Automotive

The Historic Leyburn Sprints will again feature its famous Round-the-houses sprint, and will feature a record field of 240 historic and classic cars.

And to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Leyburn GP, there will also be a host 1949 Grand Prix machines on display, as well as appearances by some former International Aussie racing stars, Warwick Brown and Bruce Allison.

Also at the event will be former touring car teammates Dick Johnson and John

“Dick and JB are two of the most popular personalities in Australian motorsport with a true enthusiast’s feel for the type of grassroots event we stage at Leyburn,” She said.

“They will be part of the biggest Sprints since the event was founded in 1996. There will be a wonderful range of attractions on and off the track.”

Johnson and Bowe join Warwick Brown, Bruce Allison, Ron Harrop, Brian Gelding

and John Harris as fellow guests of honour at Leyburn.

The Sprints will kick off at 8am on the Saturday and go through till Sunday. Adult tickets are available on-line or at the gate for $25 a day or $35 for the weekend, with children under 14 free.

On-street parking is free. The event is also holding a raffle to win a Bathurst 1000 weekend for two valued at more than $11,000 or five $500 Supercheap Auto vouchers.

TW Neal

COMPETITORS PUSH NOAKES BACK TO THE GRID

JACKSON NOAKES would not have been on track in Round 4 of the RX8 Cup Series at SMP last weekend without special assistance from his competitors.

One of the original RX8 Cup Series teams, Noakes Motorsport, faced the challenge of a complete car rebuild after a heavy incident in Round 3.

The prospect of seeing the #27 racing at SMP was unlikely, but thanks to generosity of his rivals, the third generation team was able to hit the grid and ended up securing a top-10 finish.

The entire RX8 Cup grid rallied behind Noakes with drivers, teams and families coming together, donating parts and

resources to aid in the swift rebuild of the damaged car.

In less than 10 weeks the car has been rebuilt and the finishing touch has been a sharp new livery.

Noakes was extremely grateful for the support of his rivals.

“It’s been a very busy 10 weeks since

the accident,” he told RX8 Cup.

“A lot of time and dedication has gone into getting this car rebuilt and ready to go.

“We could not have done this without the insane amount of help we have had from all our mates in the RX8 Cup, existing sponsors and even new sponsors who have come onboard.

“The RX8 Cup community and drivers have been so generous with their donations and a tonne of parts to help us rebuild the #27 RX8.

“Huge shoutout to our sponsors who have been with us all the way – John Ryan Freight Management, Australian Automotive Parts, Platinum Gaskets, Ultima Brake Parts & Suspension, BC Sands, MCW Lawyers and Macri Motors.

“Also to the guys who have just recently jumped onboard and helped us out in many ways.

“One of the drivers, Robert Scott from Scott Property Group, plus Taren Point Towing, Tom’s Auto Body, Townsend Signs ...

Michael Hazelton enjoyed a perfect weekend on-track, ahead of Jett Blumeries and Thomas Shaw.

A full report of the action will be found in the next issue of Auto Action

Thomas Miles

Museum in Oxnard, California.

Bowe, which President Tricia Chant was thrilled to announce.

ON THEIR WAY ...

EXCITEMENT IS building for the 2024 Yokohama World Time Attack Challenge at Sydney Motorsport Park with some Japanese favourites already on their way to Australia.

Stacked Racing Inc. Japan recently loaded up some shipping containers packed with JDM goodness headed for Sydney.

Leading the charge from Japan is Masashi ‘The Zombie’ Yokoi, who will steer a meticulously-crafted MCR Factory S14.

Yokoi is a three-time champion of the D1 Grand Prix Series and is one of just two drivers to score back-to-back titles.

He will stand out in a purple livery and the MCR Factory S14 is just one of the prized possessions in the container.

Also on its way from Japan is Daigo Santo’s 3.5-liter 2JZ-powered Toyota JZX100 entered in the 2024 Garrett International Drifting Cup.

The pink Yashio Factory S15 Nissan Silvia of Kazuyoshi Okamura is also part of the fleet,

One of the most anticipated cars coming from Japan is the four-rotor Mazda 3 named The BULLET after conquering Pikes Peak. This will be steered by drifting icon ‘Mad Mike.’

Some precious cargo will be Hirokazu Arios Suzuki’s world-first McLaren MP412C GT3 drift machine.

Another key part of Team Japan is Yasuhiro Ando and his FD3S Mazda RX-7, which is just one of 1500 examples ever made.

All these cars are currently on their way to Australia and ready to be unleashed around SMP come August 30-31.

Thomas Miles

KIWI DRIFT KINGS COMING TO SYDNEY

SOME OF the best from New Zealand’s drifting scene are heading across the Tasman to show their skills in the upcoming Yokohama World Time Attack Challenge.

Shaun Potroz and Jaron Olivecrona will lead the Kiwi assault on the Garrett International Drifting Cup at Sydney Motorsport Park later this month.

Potroz has been labeled as a cult figure in the NZ drifting world, having been a New Zealand Pro Sport champion.

His competitors know the ‘Potroz effect’ all too well, with the Taranaki product taking multiple regional victories.

Potroz will stun crowds in his freshly rebuilt S15 (pictured), which has undergone extensive strengthening to handle the sheer power the 2JZ engine will produce, with nearly 1000 horsepower expected.

The recently built 2JZ engine is controlled a Link ECU Fury, and a dry sump system.

The Yokohama World Time Attack Challenge will be a significant moment in Potroz’s career, being his first international competition.

Also on the charge from across the Tasman will be Jaron Olivecrona and his screaming twin-turbo V12 engine.

Olivecrona and his Olivecrona Drift Motorsport team is making a comeback to the Yokohama World Time Attack Challenge.

They will be one of the contenders chasing the Garrett International Drifting Cup with their Lexus RC-F beast.

As much of the RC-F’s build has been down by the Manawatu-based ODM team itself with Jaron’s father Kester Olivecrona leading the way.

The Lexus means so much to the team it is described as “a member of the family.”

The RC-F will be one of the more unique

cars on show at Sydney Motorsport Park, being quite heavy at 1200kg.

The centrepiece of it all os the V12 twinturbo engine, which is the creation of ongoing R and D between Hartley Engines and ODM.

It is a fully custom engine with a 3D-printed intake, billet throttle body, 3D-printed runners, and twin custom Aeroflow turbochargers, as only three factory parts remain.

Operationally the Lexus is as Kiwi as they come with a Link G5 ECU, three Link PDMs and a NZ-built TTI 5-speed gearbox. With 7psi of boost, the car can get towards 1500bhp.

Olivecrona is determined to make an impact in the international spotlight and will be one to watch in Sydney come August 30-31.

Thomas Miles

The Best Value in Auto Racing Safety

RaceQuip brand has built a reputation for manufacturing and distributing high quality auto racing safety equipment at affordable prices and continues to build on that reputation

TCM CHARGING AHEAD TO 2025

AFTER A SPECIAL WEEKEND OF RACING AT THE RECENT SUPERCARS EVENT AT SYDNEY MOTORSPORT PARK, TOURING CAR MASTERS TEAMS AND MANAGEMENT ARE DETERMINED TO BUILD EVEN MORE MOMENTUM. AA’S BRUCE WILLIAMS AND THOMAS MILES TAKE A LOOK AT THE RETURN TO QUALITY RACING AND WHAT LIES AHEAD FOR THE FAN-FAVORITE CATEGORY ...

THE UNDISPUTED fan favorite Supercars support category delivered some of the most exciting and spectacular racing in recent memory at SMP.

The opening ‘Trophy Race’ was decided by a photo finish, before the three championship sprints delivered fantastic action from start lights to flag.

Series leader Ryan Hansford was in the thick of the battle over the weekend with plenty of talented racers, including a strong display from Adam Garwood in his Commodore, Joel Heinrich in a Camaro, with young guns Rylan Gray in a Ford Capri and Jamie Tilley in a Mustang serving it up to the veterans of the category.

At the conclusion of the weekend’s furious racing, it was Jamie Tilley who snatched a popular race win and first round victory.

Looking forward, the total number and variety of cars in the category was up for the recent round, and not only was the racing close, but the wide variety of cars and engines made it more impressive with Toranas racing Commodores, Mustangs, Camaros, Falcons, Capris and Valliants all in the fight.

Watching it all with a smile was TCM

Founder Tony Hunter, who labelled it as one of the highlights of the 17-year history of the category.

“It is one of the best rounds TCM has produced in its long and colorful history,” he told Auto Action

“I cannot think of any other round as exciting, as clean and as good as that.

“Considering it has been a long time since a group of us started TCM, I have seen many rounds indeed.”

Hunter confirmed that the management of the category is working hard to return the high quality and popular support category to one that Supercars management can have at the Supercars events with some pride.

“What needs to be reinforced is that not only was the racing close but for all of the races there was no Safety Cars or red flags, and that makes a big difference for the show.

“I had an experienced racing driver who is now involved in race teams tell me ‘I cannot

remember how long ago it was since I have seen anything like that. That was absolutely brilliant, please don’t touch it’ – which, coming from this particular person, was quite a shock.

“To see other people from the outside expressing these views is great.”

Sydney was the fourth round of what has been an entertaining start to the new era of Touring Car Masters.

Following a very disappointing 2023 season with a lack of direction and rounds run at low-profile events, the competitors worked hard for changes to the management and ownership structure.

The end of 2023 saw the category taken over by new management and with greater involvement and investment from the competitors themselves.

“Unfortunately, the series last year was fairly run down and had no guarantee of a reasonable or acceptable future.

“So, we worked with the then TCM owners, Garry and Barry Rogers of ARG to see what could be done. They were very keen to see TCM return to its former glory and I can’t thank them enough for allowing us to move forward and make it a simple process.

Ryan Hansford’s familiar Torana shows the way to Jamie Tilley’s Mustang, Joel Heinrich’s Camaro, Adam Garwood and Andrew Fisher in another Torana. Above: Steve Johnson two-wheels the Brut Mustang in the Darwin heat.

“Now it is a growing series and managed by the people for the people and therefore it is something to be part of, rather than a series where you are just a number.”

Hunter said.

The new season started with a fresh and positive approach and after much work has delivered more rounds back to the Supercars stage and with the bigger platform, the category and racing has flourished.

“There is not just more momentum, but people in TCM now have an interest in it being a success, whether that is by being a shareholder or a car owner,” Hunter explained.

“They have a fresh new approach to treat the series as their own; they understand they are the series and that it’s up to them as a group to deliver a good program.

“They are paying attention to it and have pride in their cars and driving and they are achieving something.

ensure Supercars understand what we have got; that this is not just a motor racing series at their events, but a true support category,” he said.

“TCM brings memories of those of an older age and intrigue to those of a younger age.

“With Supercars now being Camaro v Mustang, TCM is the perfect fit.

“The Pro Sports in particular are for those who love their motorsport and want to simply drive and race,” Hunter continued about the class plans for 2025.

“As the series becomes stronger next year, one of our main goals is to develop that Pro Sport class and make it even more affordable and inviting.”

A number of new drivers and cars have come to the category in the last two rounds and Hunter also revealed some more might be on their way soon.

“We are waiting on the return of the Chev Monza and anticipating the return of another Camaro.

Yes, we are working to put together a final event to make up the six rounds for the 2024 series ... “ ”

The season so far has delivered rounds at the Bathurst Sprint, Perth, Darwin and the recent Sydney Motorsport Park round. Next up is Sandown, where the Touring Car Masters will be back supporting the iconic Sandown 500 event and Hunter feels it’s an appropriate venue given its history and fan base.

“Traditionally Sandown has been a fantastic venue for TCM, and it’s a great venue for our cars to race and put on a great show” he said.

“The fans love the cars at the Sandown 500 – and I remember, one case in particular, where we had to get security because we could not physically get the cars out of the marquees because the crowds were so big and didn’t want to move!”

Hunter hopes to harness all the momentum generated so far in 2024 to make 2025 even bigger and better, and with several new cars, potential new makes and models on the horizon, Hunter confirmed a focus to continue complementing Supercars events and develop the Pro Sport division.

“There are some new cars on the way, but where they are on the build I am not sure. Potentially some new makes and models and there is one in the pipeline that will be rather special if it does happen,” he said.

“TCM is back on an upward curve and is showing no signs of slowing down.

“We now need to put this all together to

“It was extremely welcoming to see the Jeremy Gray Capri back running and more so the fact that young Rylan hopped into it and proved the beautiful looking car is still super competitive.

“There is another two-door Torana we know of, and there are a couple of Commodores being built that should come along, while there is a Fox Bodied Mustang similarly shaped to the one Dick Johnson raced in Group A in construction.

“As these cars come through it will certainly add to TCM.”

Team owner and one of the prime movers of the category ownership changes, Bob Middleton told Auto Action that he sees a very positive future for TCM.

“Personally, I think things are going very well with the new ownership and management structure that we have put in place for the category.

“The competitors have put in the hard yards this year with lots of travel to distant events and we are seeing some real growth in the competitor numbers, and the quality of the racing has been first rate.

“The recent round at the SMP Supercars SuperNight event was a bit of a turning point and showed people that we are capable of returning TCM to its former glory, and that’s exciting.

“There’s lots of positive feeling within the group, and I think we are going to only get

stronger with several new potential car owners coming into the category.

“Things are looking much better for the long term of the category.”

While Sandown is listed as Round 5 of 6, it may be the finale, with the season closer still a TBA following a cancellation of one of the SpeedSeries round at SMP.

“Yes, we are working to put together a final event to make up the six rounds for the 2024 series.

And what does the immediate future look like for Touring Car Masters beyond 2024?

“The feedback that we have been receiving from the teams and sponsors is that we are ready to return to a seven-round series for 2025 and we are working hard to grow the five rounds with Supercars we have had in 2024 to try and gain another two events.

“It’s not easy as there are plenty of other categories that want to be on the program, but we have done the hard yards this year –we delivered some great racing in Perth and Darwin as well as the other Supercar rounds we have been a part of.

“We think that another two rounds would complement what Supercars are doing with their show and add value to the entertainment package – and we are working hard to get back on the Adelaide 500 program after the shock of being dropped as part of the traditional support program.

“It was very disappointing and, to be honest with you, a bit of a kick in the guts to learn that TCM had been dropped from the Adelaide 500 event which has been a traditional high-profile and very popular round of the series.

“We know that the fans want us there, but a change of the event management has seen another category slotted into our place.

“It was a bit strange that TCM was dropped from the high-profile event, but we are working hard to get back on the program for 2025.” Hunter confirmed.

Bob Middleton also expressed his disappointment with TCM not being part of the 2024 Adelaide 500 event: “I am personally very disappointed that we have been dropped from the Adelaide 500 event.

“We love to put on a show there and the fans love the TCM racing there, and it’s always important for TCM to race in South Australia.

“We have been part of that event since day one, but I think there has been a bit of politics involved and that really annoys me.

“I know that TCM management are working towards a return for the 2025 event,” South Australian native Middleton concluded.

Above, top to bottom: Tony Karanfilovski in his classic Mustang battles it out with father and son duo Brad and Jamie Tilley; Joel Heinrich loves his time racing in the big Camaro; TCM has plenty of iconic cars racing including the Canon Falcon XY GT; Andrew Fishers’s Torana fights off Kiwi visitor Lance Hughes who loves our local TCM category; Adam Garwood has pushed his VB Commodore up to be one of the leading contenders in TCM. Images: JAMES SMITH PHOTOGRAPHY

Variety is the spics of life and in some recent SMP action, four different TCM models go at it nose-to-tail.

McFADDEN RACKS UP A WoO DOZEN

AUSSIE SPRINTCAR racer James McFadden has returned to the World of Outlaws (WoO) with a trip to victory lane at Pennsylvania’s BAPS Motor Speedway.

McFadden is running a limited WoO program in 2024 in the Roth Motorsports 83SR machine, with most of his seat time this season in the High Limit Series, an opposing top-tier US Sprintcar series co-owned by NASCAR superstar Kyle Larson.

After consecutive seasons running in the top-ten in the WoO, McFadden returned by taking his 12th career victory (six in 2023) in his ninth series outing this year.

“To rebound tonight and win against the Outlaws is special,” McFadden said.

“Anytime you can win a race in America is great, but against the Outlaws is

something that I grew up wanting to do as a kid … and it’s great to take a little bit of money away from David (Gravel- who ran second). He’s been hogging it all lately.”

It’s the 11th track that the 35-year-old Aussie star has tasted WoO victory at, getting the win from fourth on the starting grid.

In a fierce duel with poleman Giovanni Scelzi, McFadden moved into second after the flag dropped, eventually taking the lead on lap 15 of 30.

With most of the race taking place within the main groove, an error by Scelzi in drifting off the main-line allowed McFadden to pounce by getting under him on the inside.

After briefly losing the lead on the next lap, big runs out of Turn 2 and 3 saw him regain the lead for the next restart on lap

19, where he powered away for career win #12.

“It was a super tough race – you just didn’t know where to run in (Turns) 1 and 2,” McFadden added.

“There were really big holes in the middle there. My car was really good rotating underneath them. I just thought if we bided our time there and hope Gio (Scelzi) made a mistake or lapped traffic slowed him down we’d be able to get by.”

The NT star returns to the High Limit series in ninth place – 477 points back from the leading Brad Sweet – after the Olympics break at the Thunder Bowl Raceway in Tulare, California, on August 15 for the start of a Golden State double-header, wrapping up at the Kings Speedway in Hanford the following night.

TW Neal

SARGENT SALUTES IN VIRGINIA

SARGENT has scored his first GT World Challenge America class win in the Pro Am at Virginia Raceway alongside Californian teammate, Kyle Washington.

After winning the national Porsche Sprint Challenge in 2022, Sargent took on the Porsche Carrera Cup North America in 2023 for McElrea Racing, becoming the first Aussie to achieve a victory in the one-make US series, finishing the year as runner-up in the title race.

Driving in a brand new Type 992 Porsche 911 GT3 R for GMG Racing Porsche, it was a rousing last-to-first run to claim their maiden win in Race 1 in the 90 minute outing.

The New South Welshman inherited the car second in class for his stint, hitting the lead over local racer Neil Verhagen in a BMW M4 GT3, before holding off constant challenges to the chequered flag in a thrilling finish.

“I had to really work for it on the last lap,” Sargent said.

“I haven’t had to do that in a while, but it was good fun in the end. On the secondto-last lap, he (Verhagen) got really close to me, and was actually pushing me down the back straight.

“He was trying to do everything he could; I knew I was going to be close on the edge, I might have just dropped a wheel on the last lap, but I gave it everything I had to build a gap to keep me safe for the final half lap.

“It’s unbelievable, I truly can’t believe it, and it is just great for everybody on the team. It is important for everyone.”

Sitting fifth in the class, Sargent is back on track at Road America on August 16-18.

AUSSIES CONTINUE USF4 DOMINANCE

AT NEW Jersey Motorsport Park, the strong contingent of young Aussie and Kiwi talent continued its F4 US Championship by sweeping the third round, as well as taking all but two of the nine available podiums.

For the Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport team, it accounted for seven of the total podiums, with its championship-leading driver Nicholas Stati winning Race 2 to extend his lead to 32 points.

Second in the title race is another Aussie, Atlantic Racing Team’s Daniel Quimby, who managed a podium in Race 2, whilst Crosslink NZ youngster Alex Crosbie took a maiden win in Race 1.

Completing the Trans Tasman sweep was another maiden winner in Aussie Connor Roberts for Team Roberts Racing

who, after sweeping the podiums in Round 1 and walking away from a big crash in Ohio in Round 2, finally took the top-step.

“We had trouble all weekend from a lot of stuff that carried over from the crash I had at Mid-Ohio,” Roberts said, who overcame a three-way battle between Stati and

Quimby to take the win.

“Once I got out there (for Race 3), the pace was just unlocked right in front of me.

“This win means so much for my me and my dad … to give him that win after all his hard work, dedication, and the money he’s spent in letting me pursue my dream.”

With 34 points separating Stati, Quimby, and Crosbie, and Roberts 46 points back on the leader in fifth, the championship heads to Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in Ontario from August 29-September 1 for the penultimate round.

Also in the Junior Formulae, across the Atlantic, young Jack Taylor broke through for a maiden GB4 Championship podium at Silverstone in the #50 Fortec Motorsport machine, taking P2 in Race 3 to reward his consistent top-10 finishes across the last three rounds.

And in the Spanish F4 at Motorland Aragon, Griffin Peebles finished in second place in the round finale; his second podium of the year in the #3 MP Motorsport, Abarth powered Tatuus. TW Neal

TOM

Connor Roberts – maiden win in US F4. Image: MOTORSPORT IMAGES

Image: TRENT GOWER

Image: MOTORSPORT IMAGES

WRC BREAKTHROUGH FOR AUSSIE GILL

AUSSIE RALLY PAIRING TAYLOR GILL AND CO-DRIVER DAN BRKIC HAVE ACHIEVED A DREAM WRC JUNIOR VICTORY IN EUROPE’S RALLYING HEARTLAND, WINNING IN FINLAND AFTER A STORMING COMEBACK TO MAKE CLAIMS ON THE TITLE. TIMOTHY W NEAL REPORTS …

IT HAS been a two-year learning pilgrimage across Europe for Newcastle’s Taylor Gill alongside co-driver Dan Brkic, with the FIA Rally Star pair taking an historic breakthrough win at Rally Finland in the Junior class last weekend, their first on the World Rally Championship stage.

After being the youngest ever winner of the ARC Production Cup on home soil in 2022, Gill then competed for the chance to win his WRC Junior seat in 2023 via the international FIA Rally Star training and racing program in a Ford Fiesta Rally3.

Whilst he still occupies an M-Sport Fiesta seat, he’s doing it against the globe’s highest rated Juniors on largely unfamiliar roads, with he and Brkic living and working in Finland and doing all they can for seat time and testing between rounds.

Their pre-rally warm-up saw them finish second in class at the national Pohjanmaa Finnish round before attempting what Gill described as a “bucket list rally,” taking the win over Turkish driver Ali Turkkan in a thrilling finish to win by just 2.1 seconds.

At one point on the Saturday, Gill and Brkic found themselves in eighth place after a puncture on SS12 left them 1:01.1 off the leader, before they then found themselves in a +9.3sec lead overnight.

“This is something that will stick with me for the rest of my life, that’s for sure,” said Gill. “To win such an iconic rally on our first attempt means so much, especially now that we live here.”

With that victory, the pair are now second on the table with only one round remaining.

Prior to Finland, the #66 pairing had taken

one podium across three rounds – a second place in Croatia – whilst in Sweden and Italy they battled mechanical woes on snow and gravel terrain to take eighth and sixth respectively.

But after leading into the final four stages on Sunday in Finland, Gill had 41.66km to survive on the fastest gravel roads he’d ever had to navigate, with a super quick Turkkan hunting him down.

After SS17 the pursuer cut the gap to 12.3sec, and then by a further second in the following 4.35km run at the Laajavuori stage.

Above and below: Victory in Finland, and a first win has put the Aussie pair in contention for the WRC Junior title. Images: MOTORSPORT IMAGES

Stage 19’s longer 14.2km run saw the pressure turned on as the #70 Fiesta made it a 4.2 second difference before the 8.7km finale.

Although it was tight in the end, Gill also rode his luck earlier with engine troubles over the opening day, followed by the puncture that sent him down the order.

Overall, he took two stage wins over SS11 and SS15, as well as being in the top-three across 12 of the 20 stages.

“It’s simply an amazing feeling to take the top step of the podium in our ‘home away from home in Finland,” Gill continued.

“The number of twists and turns that the weekend took showed that it was a true rollercoaster, and despite a few little setbacks, Dan and I worked hard to stay patient throughout the whole rally.

“When we had our puncture on Saturday, we knew the time loss wasn’t massive, so we kept at it, knowing that anything could happen.

“I think it was that attitude that helped us set some great times and get us back in with a chance for victory.”

In terms of the championship picture, Gill is second in the table against his good mate, Estonian Romet Jurgenson.

The highly rated Estonian went off the road on Friday, which crippled his rally, despite the fact that he still took out a rally-high 10 stages.

With Jurgenson finishing 12th, it leaves the Aussies only eight points behind whilst having a 20 point buffer to Paraguayan Diego Dominguez in third.

With double points (50 for the win) on offer at the Acropolis Rally Greece finale, it will be anyone’s game on the rough Hellenic gravel.

“Winning this weekend gives us a chance in the championship,” he added.

“It’s something we’ve been working towards all year, and we’ll leave no stone unturned in our preparations for Greece next month.”

“The support we felt from those spectating at the rally and watching on at home in Australia was amazing, and we’re so grateful to know that everyone is behind us on this journey.

“This is a huge high and a great achievement, but there’s so much more work to do.”

Gill and Brkic will head to the Mediterranean Peninsula in five weeks time, on September 5-8.

GROVES SECURE RISING STAR ALLEN

RISING STAR Kai Allen will complete his journey to the Supercars full-time grid next year, having been snapped up by Grove Racing on a “long-term” deal.

The 19-year-old Mount Gambier based teenager fills the seat that will be vacated by Richie Stanaway at the end of the season. In addition to two successful Super2 campaigns, Allen will have three Supercars starts under his belt when 2025 rolls around.

He will still fulfil his co-driving commitments with Dick Johnson Racing in the iconic #17 alongside Will Davison at the upcoming enduros having made his debut in the #98 wildcard at Bathurst last year.

DJR’s holding deal with Allen expired at the end of July and Grove Racing has pounced on the youngest ever Super2 champion.

With the driver currently on track to be the first to take back to back Super2 titles joining two-time winner Matt Payne, 22, Grove Racing will have the youngest driver line up on the grid in 18 years.

However, it is loaded with potential and one the Ford squad could build around for a future where it hopes to challenge for championships.

Fittingly Allen will race the #26, which he has used throughout his career from winning national kart titles from 2016-2018 to his Toyota 86, Super3 and Super2 debuts and he can’t quite comprehend his dream becoming a reality.

“It’s pretty surreal! I’ve been racing since I was 8 years old, maybe even younger, so I’m super grateful to finally be in a position that I’ve worked towards my whole life,” he said.

“It still hasn’t sunk in, but I’m sure come Round 1 next year that will all change.

“I can’t thank Stephen and Brenton enough for the opportunity.

“I feel like I’m joining a team that’s really on the way up and there’s some really great personnel on the team with so much experience. David Cauchi, Shippy (Grant

McPherson), Garth (Tander), who are all massive names in this sport.

“Ultimately, I’m here to learn as much as possible.

“Matt’s a really talented driver so I’ll be doing my best to keep the team up the front and absorb as much as possible from him.

“Driving car #26 is pretty surreal too! It’s a number that I’ve raced with since karting, so I guess it’s meant to be!”

Allen made the jump from karts to cars in 2021 on the streets of Townsville in the Toyota 86 Series and despite being sick, made an immediate impression finishing third.

After a handful of Toyota rounds, he stepped up to Super3 with Eggleston Motorsport in 2022 and went on a record-

breaking rampage.

Allen scored the most number of poles ever in a single season and took six wins, but a costly mistake at Adelaide’s infamous Turn 8 meant he fell second best to Brad Vaughan in a tense title fight.

He stepped up to Super2 last year and took the elevation like a duck to water.

Another milestone arrived on the streets of Townsville, this time being his first Super2 win in just his fifth race.

The teenager then showed an impressive amount of maturity to finish the final 10 races in the top five, and this consistency pushed him to a thrilling rookie championship success, six points ahead of Zak Best.

During that same year Allen made his Supercars debut at the Bathurst 1000 in a

DJR Wildcard with Simona de Silverstro and finished 20th.

Boosted by that experience, the teenager has been even more relentless in 2024 with the #1 on the door, winning four of the first six Super2 races of the year to be a clear championship leader.

Although a dream Supercars drive is secured, Allen remains determined to achieve history and go back to back in Super2.

“My goal for the rest of this year is to tick Super 2 off. That’s really important,” Allen said.

“It will also be valuable to do Sandown and Bathurst in the Gen 3 car, just so I can be as comfortable as possible with that style of car before I join the team.”

DJR DELIGHTED FOR ALLEN

DESPITE LOSING rising star Kai Allen to a rival Ford team, Dick Johnson Racing is pleased for its co-driver.

Allen will be the latest full-time rookie next year when he drives the #26 Grove Racing Mustang in the 2025 Supercars season replacing Richie Stanaway.

But it was DJR that gave the reigning Super2 champion his first crack at Supercars through the #98 wildcard with Simona de Silvestro at Bathurst last year. In a greater show of faith, this year the teenager has been given the chance to drive the iconic flagship #17 alongside Will Davison at both the Sandown and Bathurst enduros.

Despite both Davison and Anton De Pasquale being off contract and Allen

appearing to be the next in line, Grove Racing has snatched him up.

However, DJR Team Principal Ryan Story said the team is “very happy” for the teenager.

“We’re excited to have Kai join us for the enduros,” Story said.

“He has had a lot of seat time with us over the past few years so we have gotten to know him well and his potential.

“He is heading to a great team where they know how to win and he will do a great job there.

“Very excited and happy for him (and) happy to see him in the main game.”

Whilst Brodie Kostecki has been linked to DJR, the current status quo is expected to remain in 2025.

CASHA ON ‘SUPER FULFILLING’ WIN

RYAN CASHA enjoyed a breakthrough moment in his career last weekend, scoring a special maiden TCR Australia win at Queensland Raceway.

Starting from pole after finishing 10th in a troubled opener, Casha controlled Race 2 from pole and established a gap over Jordan Cox.

In the end he led home his more experienced teammate by 3s to secure a special win for the rookie fresh from winning the 2023 Toyota 86 Series title.

Casha said some overnight changes following an off on Saturday came to the fore.

“It was super fulfilling,” he told AUTO ACTION.

“Just to comeback from the day before and get a good result for the team was cool.

“At the same time there was a lot of work that went into it.

“We made a couple of changes with setup and focus on a few things with driving and how I was tackling certain parts of the track, just trying to make use of the Peugeot strengths.

“We ended up pulling a bit of a gap and settling into a nice rhythm and the car just kept getting quicker.

“It was a big credit to the team at GRM to set the car up and put it in that window for me and hopefully there are many more.”

Whilst the success arrived in the reverse grid affair, it marks the high point of a successful start to life in TCR for Casha.

He raced out of the blocks on debut at Sandown, where he finished third in his second race and scored fifth in the finale.

Despite a tough time in Tasmania where he had a heavy crash coming onto the first straight, Casha has finished in the top three once in each

of the following three rounds at Phillip Island, The Bend and now Ipswich.

As a result he sits a solid fifth in the championship, just 27 points away from second and ahead of the likes of Brad Harris, Dylan O’Keeffe, Tony D’Alberto and Aaron Cameron.

Casha admitted his rookie campaign is currently progressing well ahead of expectations.

“I think so (it was coming) you always want to win and try your best but you don’t go out there expecting to win

when you qualify poorly in such a competitive field,” he said.

“It was not surprising but super rewarding.

“We had a couple of good runs at the previous tracks. Tasmania was a tough run in the first race getting away from the crash but we ended up around fifth, so for that to be our weakest round is a pretty cool thing to say.

“We now have four podiums in five rounds is great in a rookie year.

“We are definitely exceeding expectations and now we have to focus on more which will be the hard part.”

Switching from the rear-wheel-drive

Toyota 86 to the front-wheel-drive

Peugeot 308 TCR is a challenge Casha felt he has come to terms with.

“I feel like I have adapted really well,” he said.

“I did not expect to come out of the gate firing at Sandown like we did because the calibre of drivers is so high.

“There have been a lot of firsts for me being a paddle shift car, sitting on the lefthand side, starting with a launch procedure, first time racing on slicks, so many new things.

“So for us to come out firing at Sandown and continue that form throughout the year shows that we can be genuine contenders.”

WAU TO RETAIN BLACK LIVERY

THE ALL-BLACK livery that brought Walkinshaw Andretti United success in Sydney will be retained for the remainder of the season, but with a slight tweak.

To celebrate 50 years of main sponsor Mobil 1, WAU went black for the Sydney SuperNight on both of its Mustangs for

Chaz Mostert and Ryan Wood.

The new colours brought success as Mostert became the first driver to sweep a multi-race Sydney round since Marcos Ambrose in 2004 and ignite his championship charge.

For not just the upcoming Tasmania SuperSprint, but the remainder of the

season, both Mostert and Wood will retain the all-black look due to the “overwhelming public positivity.”

The only changes are the Mobil 1 gold disappearing, with the usual blue and orange stripes for Mostert and Wood respectively returning.

Also the Pegasus that made a

Supercars comeback for the first time in 25 years will be retained.

It means the familiar white looks that WAU have adopted since switching to Ford in 2023 are gone and the team hopes the livery’s perfect record can be retained at the scene of Mostert’s first WAU win.

HILL BLOWN AWAY BY ‘INCREDIBLE’ ONE RACEWAY

THE NEW-LOOK ONE Raceway is well on the comeback trail with Supercars driver Cameron Hill delighted by the “incredible” circuit.

Alongside double World Superbike champion, Troy Corser, Matt Stone Racing’s Hill was the first racing driver invited to cut laps at the revived and redesigned circuit in Goulburn, NSW.

Formally known as Wakefield Park when it was established in 1993, the 2.2km circuit was closed in August 2022.

However, it has been brought back to life by new owner Steve Shelley, who has installed a new layouts that can be used in both directions in an Australian first, plus profiled banked corners, new pit facilities and viewing mounds.

Hill is no stranger to the circuit, having raced and won at the venue in the Australian Formula Ford Series in 2015.

This is why he was thrilled to cut the historic laps in a current-spec 911 GT3 Cup type 992 Porsche.

“It’s just incredible the work that has been done by Steve and his team here at ONE

Raceway,” Hill reflected.

“It was such a shame when we lost this track. But it’s back and it’s really unreal. I can’t wait to sort of see the full finished product.

“There’s a whole range of work that’s gone down here. In some parts, it still looks like the old Wakefield Park, but there’s so much work that’s happened.

“The pit facilities have been completely transformed. All the surroundings have been given a huge facelift – there’s been so much work done – obviously, to combat some of the issues that they’ve faced in the past.”

Hill said the new surface and especially the final corner caught his attention.

“The track surface is all brand-new, and it’s that nice, grippy tarmac that we all love,” he said.

“The last corner, I think it would get a lot of people’s attention as well. There’s some serious banking on it.

“It’s a great initiative that the track actually runs the opposite direction also. This will really give drivers, teams and spectators a totally different experience each time they

come here.

“The corners are coming up really quick. You know, you really have to sort of hustle the car, and, yeah, it was quite enjoyable.”

Hill believes ONE Raceway will become a hit in the national racing landscape.

“For a professional driver, ONE Raceway is at a high standard,” he said.

“It is great that it’s pretty close to my home town, but I’m just as interested in our amateur drivers, or drive days, or ride day type people too.

“It’s really going to suit the way they go about their motorsport.

“I think this track is definitely going to cater to everyone from high-level and state and national level events, all the way down to your track day enthusiast – both cars and bikes.”

The work at ONE Raceway is almost crossing the finish line with just some earth moving, landscaping and ripple strips to be added in the coming months.

The first race meeting at the revived circuit will be the Australian Superbike Championship on October 4-6.

HAZELWOOD AND HERNE HIT BY PENALTIES

THE TWO drivers that dominated Trans Am at Queensland Raceway, Todd Hazelwood and Nathan Herne have been hit by post-race penalties.

Round winner Hazelwood has been slapped with a 5s penalty for jumping the start of the final race, but retains the win as the big news surrounds Herne.

The Lismore racer would have inherited the win thanks the #111’s penalty, but has been disqualified from the race all together.

Herne has been stripped from his second place finish in Race 4 due to a technical breach.

“A technical breach in Parc Ferme following the final race of the weekend saw Herne referred to the stewards and subsequently stripped of his runner-up finish,” read a Trans Am statement.

This means the adjusted Race 4 results see Hazelwood clinging onto the win by six tenths over Jordan Boys and Elliott Cleary.

It also fives James Moffat and James Golding extra points in fourth and fifth respectively.

The shakeup means Herne has slipped from second to third in the round points having been trumped by Boys.

It also means Hazelwood’s series lead to Moffat has been trimmed from 38 to 32 points ahead of a big break before Bathurst in November.

RICCIARDO BELIEVES RB STILL HAS WORK TO DO

DANIEL RICCIARDO does not believe the recent Racing Bulls upgrades have been able to address the team’s weaknesses before the summer break.

The VCARB 01 has struggled through high-speed corners and despite some upgrades arriving at recent Belgian Grand Prix, it remains a focal point.

In recent rounds the team has scored points in each of the last four races with Ricciardo showing improved pace.

Despite the team taking small steps forward, Ricciardo believes a lot more needs to be done.

“I still feel like our strengths are in a little bit more the lower speed stuff and our weaknesses are a bit more in

the real quick stuff,” he said.

“I think real high speed we still got to work on a bit, but all the kind of tighter, twistier stuff we seem to be alright.

“So yeah, probably same characteristics, just now load is our friend so maybe I’ll put on some weight over the break, and that’ll help.”

In recent rounds Racing Bulls has been able to skip ahead of Haas and established a safe grip on sixth in the constructors title.

When F1 returns Ricciardo will be keen to make up for lost time as he returns to the scene of his hand injury last year at Zandvoort on August 23-25.

ATCC VETERAN O’BRIEN OFF TO LEYBURN

ATCC AND Bathurst veteran Charlie O’Brien is the latest to be announced to make a special appearance at the Historic Leyburn Sprints event later this event.

The August 17-18 event celebrates the 75th anniversary of the Australian Grand Prix when it was held at Leyburn.

O’Brien himself contested three Australian Grands Prix from 1981-1983 and recorded a best finish of sixth in the latter at Calder Park.

In addition to open-wheel racing, the Queenslander was a star of the touring car world in the seventies and eighties.

O’Brien started his ATCC career with a bang in 1976, winning just his third race at Amaroo Park.

With the success coming at the age of 21 becoming the youngest ever at the time, a record that stood until 2003. That led to a chance to drive for the Holden Dealer Team where he recorded back to back top five finishes in the Great Race.

His best Bathurst 1000 result was fourth, first scored with Wayne Negus in 1976 and again when he partnered with Tony Longhurst in a VP Commodore in 1994.

All up he started in 20 Great Races and after am 18-year absence from ATCC/Supercars he made a shock return at the 2004 Sandown 500 with WPS Racing alongside David Besnard and finished 16th.

He also won the 1982 National Panasonic Series driving an Australian Formula 1 Ralt RT4 and the 1987 New Zealand National Touring Car Series in a BMW 635CSi.

Other drives were in Super Touring, Porsche Carrera Cup, V8 Utes, GT3, Touring Car Masters, GT Production and Australian NASCAR.

O’Brien has joined the likes of Warwick Brown, John Bowe, Dick Johnson, Bruce Allison, Ron Harrop and Brian Gelding that will appear at Leyburn.

“Charlie O’Brien has had an amazing career and will be well remembered by many motorsport fans attending the Sprints,” Sprints President Tricia Chant said.

“He’s done everything from racing in the Australian Grand Prix to touring cars, sports cars and even NASCAR. We’re grateful he has been able to join us for what will be an historic weekend at Leyburn in more than the usual sense and know he’ll be welcomed enthusiastically by the Sprints patrons.”

The Historic Leyburn Sprints are on 17-18 August.

MILLER ENCOURAGED BY SILVERSTONE

AUSTRALIA’S JACK Miller felt encouraged by scoring points with his future on the line at Silverstone.

As MotoGP returned from the summer break at the British Motorcycle Grand Prix, one of the biggest talking points was Miller’s future.

The Australian is without a ride for 2025 and it is looking increasingly likely he may unfortunately drop off the MotoGP grid.

Whilst Miller’s 12th place may not shoot the lights out, it was an important step for the Toowoomba product personally.

The Australian qualified 11th and stayed out of trouble throughout the retro weekend, getting a strong seventh in the Sprint, which was his best result since the Catalan Grand Prix when he did the same on Saturday.

It also means Miller has scored points in three successive Grands Prix for the first time in 2024.

Miller said he felt comfortable from Friday and hopes it can give him a boost as the season fires up again.

“We threw everything but the kitchen sink at it in this weekend’s race but struggled a bit with temps in the rear, but all in all, it was a positive weekend,” he wrote on his website.

“Speed-wise, we were pretty quick from the get-go, the high-speed nature of the circuit seemed to suit our setup and we found ourselves with a direct transfer into Q2 after P5 in practice which was nice to see.

“That put us in a solid position for the Sprint Race, which we were competitive in again as we made our way forward

throughout the race.

“I chose the medium tyre for the race which paid off for us, even though I managed to lose a wing after the first few corners. Thankfully that didn’t impact performance too much and we could keep charging to finish P7.

“We were optimistic heading into the Feature Race, but it was a bit more challenging than the previous days.

“I struggled a bit to get the rear right-hand side of the tyre to switch on, especially on entry, which was a bit weird.

“It may have been the lower temperatures on the day that we struggled with, but all in all got some points on the board with 12th, and we’re aiming to only get stronger.”

FREE ENTRY FOR GT FESTIVAL

FANS WILL enjoy free entry at the inaugural GT festival at Phillip Island later this month.

SRO Australia has thrown open the gates for the August 23-25 event where the GT World Challenge Australia and GT4 Australia headline the schedule.

It brings the likes of Chaz Mostert, Will Brown, Jaxon Evans, Declan Fraser and Jayden Ojeda back to the scene of the

season opener.

In addition to the GT World Challenge Australia and GT4 Australia that will both conduct two one hour races, Australian Production Cars will also stage four 60-minute races.

“We really want to make the inaugural GT Festival as accessible to the fans as possible,” said SRO Motorsports Australia CEO Ben McMellan said.

“This is the first time that SRO Motorsports Australia has promoted our own event. We know we have a great racing product, and we want as many people there to see it live.

“There is just no better place to hold a GT event than at Phillip Island. The track suits the cars and the teams and drivers love going there. We are really looking forward to putting it on for everyone.”

PUBLISHER Bruce Williams

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Andrew Clarke

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NATIONAL EDITOR Thomas Miles

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Go to autoaction.com.au or scan below

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Email: editor@autoaction.com.au

Postal: Suite 4/156 Drummond Street. Oakleigh Victoria 3166

WHAT A DISGRACE! AJ FORGOTTEN IN HOME TOWN

BY GOLLY, didn’t the local media get excited about the young bloke from Melbourne’s recent success.

Coverage about Oscar’s first Grand Prix win was everywhere. I even heard his mum on just about every radio station in Melbourne.

Some of it was a bit like a gossip session, but I suppose for those who don’t know the sport all that well it makes a bit of interest, etc etc.

The coverage put motorsport front and centre in the local media, but how p... poor is it that the Murdoch rag in the town doesn’t realise that young Oscar is not the first GP winner from Melbourne.

Alan Jones – remember him?

He won a heap of GPs and a world championship! His father also won an Australian GP, although not in the F1 world championship, and Alan was born and raised in Melbourne.

Sean Kirkpatrick, Ivanhoe, Victoria

TEENAGER HAS THE MOST VALID POINTS ABOUT PIASTRI

I CAN’T get enough about Oscar Piastri on social media and you guys at Auto Action do a great job of promoting his fabulous success in F1.

But a lot of the other old-fashioned media (am I allowed to say that?) don’t give Oscar the credit or space he deserves.

Maybe it’s just that the journos are all excited about the Olympics at the moment.

I saw a table on Facebook that shows Oscar has scored the equal most points in F1 in the past four rounds as Lewis Hamilton – 80 each.

That’s an incredible feat! Hamilton is the seven-time world champion. And somewhere else I saw that only Max Verstappen, a three-time champion, has scored more points than Oscar in the last eight rounds. Our gold medallists at the Olympics are getting a lot of coverage, but for me Oscar is the biggest hero in Australian sport right now and I reckon he’ll be around doing what he does for a lot longer

WEBSTER’S WARBLE

On the back of news of the Perth street race, our inveterate correspondent now wants to see twice as much Supercars action in the Apple Isle with a street race in Hobart.

A DOUBLE-HEADER IN TASMANIA THE WAY TO GO

JUST RECENTLY the West Australian government made the announcement about a Townsville-style part-permanent, part-temporary street circuit in its capital city for a Perth 500 Supercars round from 2026.

SOCIAL DISCOURSE

ALTHOUGH THERE MAY BE LESS RACING ON AT THE MOMENT, THERE’S STILL BEEN PLENTY OF DISCUSSION ON AUTO ACTION’S SOCIALS …

STANAWAY LOSES SEAT

Wayne Spencer

than the Olympic stars.

Publisher’s note: Great letter, Simon. Call us old-fashioned, mate, but we like to do things properly at AA. Oscar is our pin-up boy too and we’re proud to publish his regular columns.

GRAND PRIX NUMBERS DON’T MAKE SENSE

A RECENT report stated that the annual fee paid to Formula 1 for the ‘right’ to stage the Australian Grand Prix is $37 million.

If that is the case, why is the overall loss on the event more than $100 million?

Especially when 400,000 or more people are attending.

Where’s all the money – the difference between the race fee and the ultimate bottom-line loss –going?

Are a lot of the tickets being given away free?

Shouldn’t those people going to the grand prix be paying more so that the ledger is squared on the event?

Or is the Victorian government, already mightily indebted, running a charity at Albert Park?

Cynthia

Walsh

Travancore,

Victoria

SUPERCARS

HAS HIT SWEET SPOT AT JUST THE

RIGHT TIME

WE V8 Supercar enthusiasts witnessed another superb race weekend at Sydney Motorsport Park.

Now that parity has been put to bed the racing is great. Driver ability, teamwork and

Why not also build such a hybrid circuit in the Tasmanian capital so that a Hobart 500 Supercars event could take place annually?

Like Townsville, a Hobart motorsport venue could have permanent pit garage facilities and half the circuit could be permanent.

This would greatly reduce the cost to stage a Hobart 500.

The venue could be built close to Hobart’s city centre and its hotels and other amenities for the fans from interstate and overseas who would like to attend.

As Hobart is Tasmania’s biggest city a Hobart 500 would attract a lot of the Tasmanian population as well as being a great economic boost for the island state.

A Hobart 500 would be a great way to promote Hobart and Tasmania around Australia and internationally.

A Hobart hybrid circuit could become a reality as a co-operation between, and co-financed by, the federal and Tasmanian governments.

Why not try to get it built and ready for the 2025 or 2026 Supercars Championship?

Symmons Plains in Tasmania’s north should maintain its Supercars round and if a Hobart 500 became a reality perhaps make it a Tasmanian “double-header” while the Supercars teams are in the Apple Isle.

One week there could be the Hobart 500 and the other week the Symmons Plains round, or vice-versa.

A Hobart 500 would add spice to the Supercars season and would be great for the Tasmanian motorsport fans and visitors.

Malcolm Webster Boronia, Victoria

strategies are the go now.

With Chas Mostert bridging the gap to Will Brown, the Drivers’ Championship has lit up with the enduros coming up.

The teams’ championship is another part of 2024 with so much going on.

DJR has been the quiet achiever in the teams’ championship so far this year, which is a good sign for them.

I love Chas thanking his immediate family live in interviews.

It takes me back to Craig Lowndes always saying hi to Chilli and Levi.

Am heading back to Derby, WA, on our long trip back to SA.

Nomadic Phil

I am sure with the driving talent that Stanaway has he can attract a professional driving position somewhere internationally outside of Supercars which isn’t the be-all to end all. Let’s hope he has good management looking out for him?

Victor McLaughlin

Pretty disappointing to only get 6 or 7 rounds before they decided to go with someone else. Hope he gets another drive, but if not would be a great co-driver for any team. Has a Sandown 500 and Bathurst win already.

Tony Naughton

Unfortunately Richie hasn’t proved himself again. One good drive with Cam got him a drive that when it didn’t work for him he showed his immature side. He maybe very talented but not in a Supercar.

SUPERCARS CLIP FIX

Noel McLaughlin

Yet another example of Supercars becoming more and more like Nascar. Easy solution for a problem becomes an indictable offence. Next move will be to hand out race directions for a choreographed show

Mark Richard-Preston

I don’t know why they didn’t just use the TA2 chassis with a couple of tweaks and swap to relevant engines. Then at least they’d only have to get engines right.

GT RACING ON THE RISE

Mark Richard-Preston

Hope it goes from strength to strength. Real race cars straight from the factory that bear resemblance to their road going cousins. Good racing without all the politics.

Rob Brooks

Fans want to see multimanufacturer racing of real cars they can go out and buy and SRO know how to get BoP (parity) right (most of the time).

Simon West, age 16 Caloundra, Queensland

Alan Jones of Melbourne, Victoria, celebrates on the podium with Hans-Joachim Stuck who drove a Brabham, after claiming his and Shadows first victory, at the Austrian Grand Prix held at the Osterreichring in August 1977 ... Image: MOTORSPORT IMAGES

STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN

THE ROAD TO F1 IS A CROWDED AND EXPENSIVE ONE BUT ANOTHER AUSSIE LOOKS TO HAVE KICKED A GOAL …

THE IMMINENT confirmation that Jack Doohan is to get the vacant F1 drive with Alpine for next year is of course great news for Australian fans.

Jack will join Oscar, and hopefully Danny Ric (if Red Bull get their youknow-what together) on the F1 grid and, if promises are to be kept, Kiwi Liam Lawson will also slot in, at Red Bull’s junior RB team, alongside Yuki Tsunoda.

That’ll represent an Australasian F1 grid content unmatched since the heady days of Brabham, McLaren, Hulme and Amon – and what a crew that was!

In the case of Jack and Oscar, the two young most recent Aussies have followed an almost identical pathway to F1. Pathway is a much over-used word in assessing the value of racing categories on the way to motorsport glory but, in the case of F1 it has, over recent years, simplified down to one, very crowded, highway.

It’s so much simpler if you have been born into a British or European family – the highway literally passes by your front door.

For aspiring F1 stars in Australia, and NZ, it’s a bit more complicated (being 17,000kms away from where the action is), requiring a big decision, quite early on to relocate to the UK – or somewhere nearby.

James Courtney was one of the first to go all-in. He moved to Italy, by himself, in 1995, at the age of 15, to be right in the middle of the world karting scene, driving for a factory team. He won the World Junior

with Chris Lambden CL ON CALL

Championship that year, a Senior title two years later, before moving via Formula Ford (British Champion, 2000) to the Jaguar Junior F3 team for 2001/02.

He was so close to F1 … leading the F3 championship and testing for the Jaguar F1 team, when a horrible crash at over 300kmh (rear suspension failure) while testing at Monza, saw him suffer serious migraines for 12 months, ruining his F3 challenge. As it eventuated, his F1 dream ended there. Via the Japanese F3 and GT championships, James has, of course, become a fixture in the Supercar championship since. Karting remains not one option, but THE starting point for an F1 career.

Oscar moved to the UK when he was 14, having snared podiums in Aussie kart championship categories, signing up at a boarding school outpost of his Melbourne school, and joining up with the UK’s most professional kart team – Ricky Flynn Motorsport, contesting a range of European championship series, and working his way into top 10 ranking.

Then came the first rungs on the car racing ladder – Formula

4, followed by Formula Renault Eurocup, then the F3/F2 rookiewins-championship two years that most are familiar with … and here we are in F1.

Doohan’s path has been almost a carbon copy – national karting championships in Australia at the age of 12 and 13, on the podium in the 2017 European OKJ kart championship (Ricky Flynn Motorsport again!), and on to F4 at the age of 15, in 2018. From there, it’s been similar, if steadier progress – twice runner-up in Asian F3, then second in FIA F3 in 2021, and third in F2 in 2023 … currently going through the same non-racing F1 reserve role that Piastri did in 2022. Like I said, almost a mirror image. Apart from the obvious talent quota – discovered in karting then honed from F4 through to F2 – the other required ingredient is, simply, money – whether it’s by fortune of family with the ability to do so, or national business support groups (NZ in particular) or sponsorship –plus, once you gain their attention, an F1 Team Academy.

Whichever, it’s not small change. A season in one of the top F4 European championships (Germany, Italy) will run at A$500k-

plus. A year in FIA F3 costs A$1.8m; F2 is A$3.5m-plus … You need to be in an academy before you get to F2 …

Both young Aussies have benefitted from the resources of family and sponsor contacts. NZ has always had a history of supporting young drivers heading overseas – from its original Driver to Europe award (boat ticket and a few dollars!) which sent McLaren, Hulme and others northwards, to the more recent support for the kid from a modest Pukekohe home, Liam Lawson, from high nett worth motorsport benefactors such as the late Colin Giltrap, honorary kiwi Tony Quinn, and computer company founder/Rodin car constructor and now F2/3 team owner David Dicker, all initially co-ordinated by that country’s legendary racer and talent-finder Kenny Smith.

In Australia, a CAMS-organised International Rising Star programme was closed in 2012, replaced by a similar-to-NZ business-based support co-operative, called PODIUM. The last to benefit from it before it shut its doors was Joey Mawson. Joey won the 2016 ADAC German F4 championship (Mick Schumacher was runner-up) with the Van Amersfoort team, but its subsequent F3 team was just not in the game, and Mawson’s overseas bid fell short in the end. It can be as simple as team choice in F3. That F3 championship was won by a young Pom by the name of Lando Norris … Piastri and Doohan are classic examples of the current ‘pathway’ to

F1 for an Australian – karting … then go overseas to a major F4 series. Neither raced a car in Australia on the highway to F1. Formula 4 here never quite hit the mark – mainly due to lack of numbers and relative cost – though the Sydney-based Ferrari Driver Academy, run by AGi Sport for MA, has proved to be a terrific launch/development opportunity for young Aussie karters evaluating their potential before venturing overseas.

The F1 pathway, then, is clearly defined. The thing about F4 is that it utilises the ubiquitous ‘paddlechange’ gearchange, with ‘auto-blip’ on the downchange, and so on, common on all the open-wheeler categories along the chain these days. Karting to F4 is thus pretty straightforward.

Formula Ford, still a superbly economical pathway of its own, nationally, bred the Webbers and Ricciardos of the previous F1 generation, with its H-pattern ‘crash’ gearbox demanding the learning of ‘heel-and-toeing’ as a necessary skill – no longer necessary on that defined roadway to F1, but very much so if its Supercars you’re ultimately looking to.

‘Pathway’ within Australia is thus a very different story – but that’s a conversation for another day …

In the meantime, that year of uncertainty, and the complex jig-saw surrounding F1 drives and teams for 2025 looks to have (subject to formal confirmation) given Jack Doohan his opportunity Go Aussie …

That familiar ‘Doohan Family’ helmet design looks set to appear in the F1 championship next year … Image: MOTORSPORT IMAGES

THE VALKYRIE IS NO LONGER WEC MYTHOLOGY

ASTON MARTIN has begun testing its 2025 FIA World Endurance and IMSA championship entry – the Valkyrie Hypercar AMR-LMH – with its on-track program to be guided by Heart of Racing.

Initially slated as being one of the formative entrants when the LMH WEC rulesets were created for 2020, the Hypercar that’s based off AM’s road-going Valkyrie is no longer a mythological WEC machine.

Initial angst over the FIA and ACO’s decision to introduce the LMDh option, plus costs of its Formula 1 program, meant the British based team pulled the plug on entering alongside Toyota when the WEC Hypercar revolution began.

Work was already under way when the newer ruleset was announced, and with AM building its machine already of its roadgoing product, the LMH ruleset was then frustratingly amended to accommodate for the future crossover of WEC and IMSA; this was also at the same time of AM Lagonda being taken over by the Stroll consortium… which had its eyes firmly on F1.

But four years on, the machine that boasts a Cosworth-built RA 6.5-litre naturally aspirated V12 is now turning laps ahead of its FIA homologation process in the European Autumn.

It will also still be the first LMH WEC machine that truly can trace its roots back to a road-going vehicle.

It will also be the first LMH Hypercar to race simultaneously across WEC and IMSA seasons, after it was recently announced that Ferrari will not contest IMSA in ’25.

After performing a systems check without its complete bodywork at Portimao and Silverstone, its eventual and proper track-day at the latter, saw AM’s High Performance development driver Darren Turner (GBR), Heart of Racing’s Mario

Farnbacher (DEU), and Harry Tincknell (GBR) taking the AMR for a serious spin.

Information on the specs are still naturally kept under the hood pre-FIA Homologation, but the engine is closely based on the road-legal Valkyrie, but modified and specifically built for purpose by Cosworth.

The Valkyrie itself has up to 1000hp and is capable of 11,000 rpm but, under WEC rules, the AMR’s engine will need to be fine-tuned to 670hp, whilst performing with

a combined 500kW output via its hybrid output. And, unlike an LMDh counterpart, that power can be distributed to the rear and front wheels.

With the LMH ruleset freedom allowing construction of an in-house chassis rather than having to choose between four makes (the LMDh ruleset can choose between Dallara, Multimatic, Ligier and Oreca), all that is known is that it has custom designed and built carbon fibre chassis.

So, with its confirmed two-pronged

attack at next years 24 Hours of Le Mans, the manufacturer will embark on its quest to win its first Le Mans since 1959, when it overcame a contingent a Ferrari 250s to achieve a one-two with its DBR1/300, which had American Carroll Shelby and Brit Roy Salvadori at the winning wheel.

Aston Martin’s Head of Endurance Motorsport, Adam Carter, said the early signs are promising.

“It is a pure, leading edge racing machine, and while it is very early in the testing cycle, from what we have witnessed so far, we are satisfied that it is achieving the targets and criteria we have set out for it to accomplish.”

The Heart of Racing Team Principal, Ian James , also reiterated the promising performance standards.

“The first runs for the Valkyrie AMR-LMH have been an immensely proud moment in the programme.

“The birth of this project has been a couple of years in the making, so to get it to the track and to see it going around in the flesh, feels momentous.

“We’re looking forward to the journey ahead – it’s a steep hill to climb for everyone involved. We are at the pinnacle of sportscar racing, the competitors are formidable, and they have been doing it a long time.

“Some of them have endless resources. We know we are going up against the best, so we intend to represent Aston Martin at the same level. I believe, from what we have seen so far, and with the DNA of where this car came from, I think we have the right tools to be able to do this successfully.”

The machine will join Toyota, Ferrari, Peugeot, and the Isotta Fraschini makes as the only other LMH builds to date.

TW Neal

Testing of the Valkyrie is now ramping up ...

WATCH OUT FOR (MORE) DRIVEL

A WORRYING GLIMPSE AT PREVIEWS OF THE LATEST F1 MOVIE – ‘F1’

THE ALARM bells are ringing after Hollywood presented the teaser for its upcoming F1 movie.

The pictures look epically good, but you would expect that with film maker Jerry Bruckheimer – think of Top Gun – behind the camera.

The new F1 teaser has great action shots from Monza and Silverstone and the theme music is We Will Rock You by Queen. Guenther Steiner does a cameo from the pit wall, where he previously lived his life for Haas, and there are great in-car closeups of the star, Brad Pitt.

There are cars in pit stops, cars in the gravel, Pitt and his team mate going wheel-to-wheel against the pit wall – reminiscent of some Senna-versus-Prost action – and the heroes alongside the real F1 racers on the grid. Pitt looks fit and focussed, and almost every grand prix racer in history would be happy to look as good as he does at 60.

But . . . A few snippets of

with Paul Gover

dialogue on the teaser loop hint at clangers to come.

They are plucked from a scene where comeback racer Pitt is talking to a female technical director, Jodie, played by actress Callie Cook.

“Ok, Red Bull, Ferrari, Mercedes, Aston, now McLaren, all have us beat on the straights,” Pitt begins.

“Our shot is battling in the turns.

“We need to build our car for combat.”

What?

No, surely not. Surely they are not going down that sort of slippery slope.

But they are.

“How am I supposed to make that safe?”, asks ‘Jodie‘.

“Who said anything about safe,” Pitt replies.

That’s the cue, not for action but a gag reflex. If this is the standard of the script, we’re potentially looking at a return of the Hollywood machine that created the IndyCar movie, Driven, starring Sylvester Stallone. That execrable flick should have been named Drivel, because it was exactly that.

There was even a ludicrous action sequence when Stallone and his co-star – I’ve conveniently forgotten his name – raced IndyCars through the streets of Las Vegas. At night. In party clothes. With no helmets.

Hopefully, F1 stays closer to the real world.

Still, the basic story is about an older retired racer coming back to mentor a kid.

Does that sound familiar?

What about Days of Thunder, where Tom Cruise is mentored by the grizzled team boss played by Robert Duval.

It’s an easy tease and a chance to create tension between the characters, without compromising a happy ending.

But the script is not the only worry.

There will be real-world action sequences but one of the stunt drivers, Jack Barlow, is apparently a one-time driver in Formula 4 who is best known for his appearances in the television ‘reality’ show Love Island.

But there is plenty of potential for upside.

“Spa race winner Hamilton is a producer on the film. Is that a good thing?” asks Mike Breen, the now-retired Toyota executive who

was a lifelong player in motorsport and helped create a string of onemake race series from the Triumph TR7 and Ford Laser – where Mark Skaife and David Brabham got their starts – to the Toyota 86 championship.

Breen is a noted ‘glass-half-full’ who has helped and guided many people over the years - including me - and it will be good if he is right.

Others are already lodging their concerns, but hopeful F1 can do in movie theatres what Drive to Survive has done for television viewers. If it works, and if it brings new fans to Formula One and motorsport in general, it will be a winner.

Right now, the bar has been set by Rush and, from a very long time ago, Grand Prix

“Wait and see, I say,” says John Bowe.

F1 will hit theatres on June 25 next year, but if you want to see for yourself then take a look at the teaser:

On the grid, at Silverstone – Brad Pitt and Damson Idris. F1’s latest movie – great pictures; hopefully the dialogue will complete the package ... Image: MOTORSPORT IMAGES

BINOTTO AND WHEATLEY JOIN AUDI!

AUDI HAS completely reshaped the top management structure of its Formula 1 program in the space of 10 days.

Last Thursday, the German manufacturer announced that the highly experience Jonathan Wheatley will join the Hinwillbased squad to be its Team Principal, some time next year – July 1 at the latest, although negotiations are already under way with Red Bull for his early release.

This announcement came 10 days after former Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto was confirmed as Audi Formula 1’s new Chief Operating Officer and Chief Technical Officer, the Italian being in charge of both technical departments and running the factory-based team as well.

According to the statement issued by Audi, Wheatley will be running the race team at the tracks, representing Audi in all Formula 1-related meetings and will also be the management spokesperson from the moment he arrives in Hinwill.

Audi’s brutal decision to sack both Oliver Hoffmann and Andreas Seidl in one go was already enough proof the German manufacturer is coming to Formula 1 with the uncompromising target of winning the World Championship and won’t allow personal agendas or internal frictions to get in the way of its route to success. The conflict between the two Germans dragged on for more than four months and was one of the reasons Carlos Sainz opted against joining the manufacturer which had just helped his also famous father to win another Dakar Rally at the start of this year.

With many other well-reputed engineers turning down the offers they were being made, it was clear the Hoffmann-Seidl management was not going be able to make the team strong enough so that Audi could hit the ground running in 2026, so the company’s CEO, Gernot Dolnner, had

no hesitation in making very swift and brutal changes.

In just one sweep Audi has been able to attract two highly experienced and successful Formula 1 veterans, who will not only quickly improve the way Sauber is currently working, but they’ll be also be able to attract some of the hundreds of talented people they’ve previously worked with to come to Hinwill and Audi’s Power Unit plant in Neuburg.

Putting Binotto in charge of all technical matters can only be seen as a good move, for the Italian comes with 20-plus years experience of rising through the ranks in Ferrari’s Formula 1 engine department –and when he took over the role of Team Principal at Maranello, he also became Technical Director for the chassis side. Of course, Binotto is a mechanical engineer and won’t be designing any part of the chassis – or the Power Unit, for that matter – but he has enough experience to know what works and what doesn’t, what is the best human structure you can get, and how to get things done quickly.

The fact he won’t be involved in any political discussions, except those regarding the Power Unit regulations, is also a good thing for Audi, for Binotto’s relationship with some of his former counterparts – particularly Christian Horner and even more so Toto Wolff – was quite fractious after the Scuderia was caught, at the end of 2019, using a second, illegal, fuel tank and had to take them out from the second day of practice for the US Grand Prix.

Binotto also cut ties with most of the specialised media on the days leading to his departure from Maranello, blaming the journalists for his demise … so keeping him away from the public eye is, clearly, a good move.

Wheatley finally gets the chance he’d been longing for, to run a Formula 1 team. The 57-year-old Englishman rose through the ranks, having started as a race mechanic for Benetton some 30 years ago, and was part of the first group that started running Red Bull in 2005 and rose to the role of Sporting Director soon after.

While he’s highly regarded inside the team, his position had become quite precarious after he put himself forward as a possible Horner replacement when, early in March, the British manager looked set to be sacked, following the harrassment accusation from his former PA. Horner didn’t appreciate the move, and so the

relationship between the two men became frosty ... so it was only a matter of time before Wheatley would move elsewhere. His knowledge of how a very successfful Formula 1 team operates, both at the factory and at the tracks, and his good relationship with some of Red Bull’s key players could be vital for Audi’s success, as he’ll put in place a winning structure and will be able to attract experienced and talented people to join the German team. So, after one and a half years of dithering and hesitating, Audi has made a clear statement of its intentions and clearly comes to Formula 1 to run at the front from the word go.

FIA PLANS TO FORCE COOLING FOR DRIVERS

LEWIS HAMILTON was not impressed by the FIA’s decision to experiment with a new cooling system aimed at reducing temperatures inside the Formula 1 cockpits, when told a new system will be trialed during next month’s Dutch Grand Prix, in Zandvoort.

The seven-times World Champion was adamant that such a system “isn’t needed” after admitting he was surprised this was even a matter of serious discussion within the FIA.

With last year’s Qatar Grand Prix taking place in extreme conditions, as the Losail race was held one month earlier than usual, a few drivers struggled towards the end of the Grand Prix.

The fact that Pirelli had imposed a threestops strategy for everybody, to prevent tyres blowing up due to the unique nature of the circuit’s kerbs, meant it was possible to drive flat out the entire 59 laps. Logan Sargeant retired close to the end of the

race, totally exhausted; Esteban Ocon threw up inside his helmet in the final stages of the Grand Prix; Lance Stroll briefly passd out as he tried to climb out of his car and Alex Albon needed to be helped out of his Williams too.

As a result of those events, the FIA promised that it would take concrete action to find ways to make the cockpits cooler.

That’s why the Federation is experimenting with installing a simplified air conditioning system in the cockpits of the cars.

Over the last few months the FIA’s Medical Commission has been working with the Federation’s Technical Director, to try and find the best way to achieve the goal of increasing the airflow to the cockpit, including he possibility of adding a second

air intake in the upper part of the frame, in order to improve the flow of air arriving at the pilot in the cockpit.

In next month’s Dutch Grand Prix, an experimental system will be fitted to a car to test a cooling method directed towards the cockpit. Accorrding to sources from the FIA, rather than a second air intake into the cockpit, the cars will be fitted with smaller openings around the cockpit and surrounding bodywork, to channel cooled air towards the driver.

None of the drivers asked about it showed any enthusiasm for this new idea, with Hamilton stressing that “we’re highly-paid athletes – you’ve got to train your arse off to make sure you can withstand the heat, ultimately.” The Mercedes driver admitted that, on some occasions, conditions are “tough, it’s not easy, especially when you go to places like Qatar and Singapore”, but was adamant that “I don’t think we need an A/C unit in the car...”

How former rivals become co-workers – Binotto (left) and Wheatley. Images: MOTORSPORT IMAGES

Among those to wilt in the oppressive Qatar heat last year was Williams’ Logan Sargeant, who retired with heat stroke ...

WILLIAMS HAS announced Carlos Sainz will join the team for 2025, 2026 and beyond, according to its official statement. The Spanish driver turned down offers from Audi and Alpine in favor of joining forces with Alex Albon at Williams, in what will be one of the strongest drivers’ line-ups of the next season.

Once it was clear Lewis Hamilton was going to take over his seat at Ferrari from 2025, Sainz was first close to accepting Audi’s offer of a three-years deal, his father’s links with the German manufacturer and the success Audi has had in all forms of motor racing being very appealing to the Spanish driver.

However, once Oliver Hoffmann was appointed to a newly created role within the Formula 1 project and went into an open conflict with Andreas Seidl, Sainz saw that nothing was being done to improve Sauber’s structure, and no important names were joining the team, so he looked around and started to negotiate more intensively with Alpine and Williams.

The changes at Alpine’s management, with Briatore returning to the Frenchowned team and Bruno Famin being sidelined didn’t encourage Sainz to move there either, even if Mercedes engines look to be on the cards for 2026 and beyond. The likely possibility the team will be sold before the end of 2025 and run by

Oliver Oakes and his backers didn’t look too appealing for Sainz, so negotiations with Williams picked up speed.

James Vowles has recently gone to great lenghts to explain how much work he has put in to attract Sainz into his team, revealing “the first talks were held during last year’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix,” as he wanted to put a marker just in case Ferrari wouldn’t renew the Spanish driver’s contract.

Explaining why he was determined to get Sainz to join Williams over any other candidate, Vowles said that “I needed a leader, not just someone who is quick in the car. I wanted everything around them to be just right, in order to create performance. Carlos has that. If you look at every team he’s gone to – look at where they started and where they finished. You’ll see he has a history of ending in a much better place in the team than when he started.”

The Ferrari driver, from his perspective, admitted that “it’s been a tense few months, combining racing with having to decide my future,” before adding that “now I’m 100% committed and confident that Williams is the right place for me to spend my next few years. I really believe in the project, I really believe in the progress that has been done, and from the January 2025 I will be pushing flat-out to try and bring this team back where it belongs.”

WHY SAINZ CHOSE WILLIAMS OVER AUDI OAKES IN, FAMIN OUT AT ALPINE

OLIVER OAKES (right) is Alpine’s new Team Principal, replacing Frenchman Bruno Famin from the restart of the Formula 1 season after the summer break. The return of Flavio Briatore to the French team was a big blow for Famin, who had done a very good job at rebuilding a team that had been left in bad shape after going through too many management changes in the last three years and had been bleeding talent for quite a while.

Under Famin, Alpine changed its technical structure to match what the top teams have in place, David Sanchez becoming the team’s Executive Technical Director, with three heads of department reporting directly to him: Ciaron Pilbeam (Technical Director, Performance), Joe Burnell (Technical Director, Engineering), and David Wheater (Technical Director, Aerodynamics).

Briatore’s arrival in Enstone and his decision to shut down Renault’s engine program in Viry-Châtillon put him at odds with everything Famin had put in place and was still building, the contrast in style between the two men being painfully obvious right from their first time together, at the Spanish Grand Prix. Therefore, it was inevitable that Famin would be gone sooner rather than later. The veteran Frenchman is now being charged with putting together a plan to save as many jobs as possible at ViryChâtillon, while trying to convince the

Formula 1 project was clear for some weeks, but the decision to bring Oliver Oakes into the team has alarmed a few observers, given the British manager’s links with the Mazepin family. Oakes was the man who ran the Hitech team for Dmitry Mazepin, Nikita’s father, until the magnate’s support for Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine made the situation impossible for the team. Hitech was then sold to a private fund fronted by Kazakh bilionnaire Vladimir Kim, but it’s widely believed that this Dubai-based fund is, effectively, controlled by the Mazepin family, meaning Oakes is still directly linked to the Russians.

Given Dmitry Mazepin’s open ambitions of owning his own Formula 1 team – he bid against Lawrence Stroll to acquire Force India and, recently, had his own bid to enter Grand Prix racing, as Hitech, rejected by the FIA – it’s not impossible to link everything and everybody!

It’s expected that, later in 2025, Briatore will sell the team, already with a Mercedes engine contract in his pocket, to that Dubai private equity fund, thus avoiding any problems with the sanctions that are still imposed to some of the biggest Russian companies and oligarchs. Briatore could well remain as a consultant to Oliver Oakes, while the real owner would be Dmitry Mazepin, the Russian forced to keep a low profile until the invasion of Ukraine comes to an end.

500 people working there, that joined Renault Sports to work in motor racing, to accept their future will be in the design of

new technologies for Alpine’s ambitious road cars program. That Famin had no future in Alpine’s

Carlos had a big secret up his sleeve at the recent Belgian GP ...

WOLFF CONTINUES TO FUEL ANTONELLI RUMORS

UNLESS MAX Verstappen sensationally decides to leave Red Bull and join Mercedes at the end of this year, it’s relatively clear that Lewis Hamilton’s replacement in the German team will be teenage sensation Andrea Kimi Antonelli.

The Italian had been struggling quite a bit in his maiden Formula 2 season, as, for once, Prema hasn’t been able to give its drivers a competitive car, but a Sprint race win, in the wet, at Silverstone, has now been followed by a Feature race win at the Hungaroring, where tyre management was crucial, so the young Italian has just given Toto Wolff more amunition to convince his two partners at Mercedes – Daimler and Ineos – that he’s the right man for the job.

After seeing Lewis Hamilton get another podium in Hungary’s main event, Wolff also commented on his younger charge’s progress, admitting that “Kimi did a good job today. That was a dominant win – two different tyre compounds, he was really strong and it was deserved.”

Clearly proud of the job the driver he picked up at the age of 11 is showing all he expected from him, Wolff added that “we have never doubted his pace and it is about really learning. He had such a fast development but it is about learning tyre management and all these things. That’s

why today was a statement.”

Trying to lower the pressure around the young Italian, Wolff also mentioned the other two young drivers that are part of the team, Fredrik Vesti and Mick Schumacher.

The Mercedes Team Principal said that “when it comes to Fred, he has done

the job but there is just no opportunity in Formula 1 at the moment and that’s a shame, because he’s doing a great job for the team, supporting us in the simulator – they are the unsung heroes because you can see how they spend their nights, Friday to Saturday, in their simulator work.

Mick also deserves a seat, so we’re really lucky they are part of the family.”

As questions made him return to the Antonelli subject, a quote from the Italian saying “I’m not yet sure I’m ready for Formula 1” led Wolff to praise the young driver’s maturity:

“In a way we sometimes forget how stupid you were at 17. I can tell you clearly, that my lack of maturity when I was 17 wouldn’t allow me to make clear decisions in such a highly competitive field. In the two years I did in junior formulas, this didn’t happen!” He then added that “what I would like to see from Kimi is do mistakes, learn from them and continue to guide the team to improve the performance, for Prema, tyre management, reading the race, reading the tyre and all of that, like he has done today.”

In conclusion, he pointed out, like Technical Director James Allison had done one month ago, that it’s what Antonelli has shown when testing a 2022-spec Mercedes that is driving his decision to put him in Formula 1 already next year:

“Now we are ready to see if he can concentrate on that level, but in Formula 2 it is always difficult to judge. What we see in data from the Formula 1 test is encouraging.”

FIRST RENAULT F1 BOSS IN SHOCK OVER VIRY’S FATE

REACTION IN France to the Renault Group’s decision to stop it’s own Formula 1 Power Unit program has been tremendously negative, as expected.

Not that Flavio Briatore and Luca di Meo would care, of course, but the image backlash the French manufacturer is suffering from this decision could make the company’s CEO regret taking such a radical step.

Renault’s Formula 1 first Team Principal, Gérard Larrousse, was tremendously vocal about his disappoinment with this decision.

The man who led that program from its start, in 1977 until the end of 1984 and followed that by fielding his own Formula 1 team from 1987 to 1994, admitted that “at first, I didn’t believe it. My son told me but, at the time, I thought it was fake news!”

The two-times Le Mans 24 Hours winner admitted that this decision “for me, is a terrible shock. A shock, and a great sadness because indeed, I have a lot of memories at Viry-Châtillon and, given the whole history of this team, I find it terrible to abruptly stop its activity for Formula 1, at least.”

Looking back at the role the historic factory played not only in the company’s motor racing activities but also on its contribution to the road cars program, the 84-years old added that “it was Renault that developed the turbo in Formula 1. On production cars, we were the ones who started this trend. I think we had put together a team of exceptional engine manufacturers for Renault. I would like to pay tribute to François Castaing [Viry-

Châtillon’s first technical Director], who must be turning in his grave.”

Like many people in the Formula 1 paddock, Larrousse sees an hypothetical Alpine-Mercedes partnership as unnatural. In no uncertain terms the former racer says that “I don’t see how you can race an Alpine with a Mercedes engine. You can’t marry the two. An Alpine is made to have a French engine. Renault has just recently relaunched Alpine, whereas it had been somewhat forgotten in my time. But now

the brand has regained a certain notoriety. I admit that I don’t understand.”

But, with bitter sadness, the man who helped make Renault a powerhour in Formula 1 admitts that “maybe I understand that it is perhaps the beginning of an operation by Renault aimed at completely withdrawing from Formula 1.”

Larrousse revealed he’d been recently to Viry-Châtillon, at Bruno Famin’s invitation, and was blown away by what he saw:

“When I saw their facilities in April, I

was really amazed by the possibilities that existed. I was really pleased to visit Viry. I was really stunned by the means implemented. It is magnificent –everything there is magnificent. They have all the means possible and imaginable.”

Which is why the veteran concluded that, having seen all that, he was “greatly astonished,” commenting that “I had been told that 500 people worked on the Viry site. But there aren’t 500 incompetent people in Viry-Châtillon ... It’s not possible!”

Big clue ... Andrea Kimi Antonelli has been spending time with Bono – Lewis Hamilton’s Engineer.

When Renault was serious ... former Renault F1 boss Gerard Larrousse, with a young Alain Prost, in 1983. Larrousse is disappointed with Renault’s withdrawal as an engine manufacturer ...

THAT’S MORE LIKE IT!

AUDI’S COMPLETE overhaul of the top management of its Formula 1 project was the biggest story during the weeks leading to the much-needed mid-season ‘summer’ shutdown.

Gone, in one sweeping move, were Oliver Hoffmann and Andreas Seidl, with former Ferrari man Mattia Binotto and Red Bull starwart Jonathan Wheatley coming in.

Everyone has their own opinions about Binotto and Wheatley’s real value for this new project, but one thing that it is clear to all is that both the Italian engineer and the former Benetton mechanic have a tremendous wealth of Formula 1 experience. Both rose to the top on merit, going through the ladder thanks to the good work they were doing and not because of their political merits.

On their way up, Binotto and Wheatley had the opportunity to work directly with hundreds and hundreds of talented people, gaining contacts, making friends and creating bonds that will now be put to good use in recruiting the best people they can get to

with Luis Vasconcelos

join them at Hinwill, Neuberg or at the circuits.

Sauber is, of course, in its 32nd Formula 1 season – only Ferrari, McLaren and Williams have been in Grand Prix racing for longer than that – but the Swiss-based team never made the grade from competent to really competitive.

The four years in which the team was owned by BMW gave it its best shot at success. Robert Kubica led an historic one-two for the team in the 2008 Canadian Grand Prix and fought for the title until the final stages of the season, but that was that – very little to show for a manufacturer with the German’s company motor racing pedigree.

Now it has been Audi’s turn to acquire the entire Sauber Group and appointing Andreas Seidl as

project CEO seemed a good first step, as the German engineer had done well in his brief stint with McLaren, starting the team’s great recovery from the darkest period of its history. However, that first step, taken right at the start of 2023, required many other steps to be taken quickly, as time is of the essence in motor racing. They never came, though… For month after month after month there was nothing really new, nothing really exciting being done, as the few names that came into the team were, essentially, rejects from other teams. And when you saw the Audi personnel come into the paddock, on rare occasions in the last 18 months, you couldn’t help but get a feeling of déjà vu, being taken back to the days

Toyota arrived on our shores with a truckload of money, a hoard of corporate middle management people with no clue of how things work in motor racing, zero contacts up and down the paddock and the ‘know-it-all’ attitude office executives tend to have …

As I told a top Audi advisor who actually raced for Toyota in Formula 1 early in their program, “you can explain to the Germans how NOT to do things, based on your previous experience” and, with a sad smile, he confessed he’d already done that – twice –in the same meeting!

But, for a long while, it looked like no one was listening. Now, though, Audi has reacted and in a decise manner.

Binotto and Wheatley have a direct line to the company’s CEO, Gernot Dollner; there’s no middle management to interfere and get in the way of quick decisions being made.

The Italian was already in Hinwill and Neuberg before the summer shutdown and has laid down the rules under which

he operates. The Englishman, however, will have to wait a maximum of 11 months to be released from his Red Bull contract, so Binotto will be very much running the ship on his own until July 2025.

But nothing will stop Wheatley to start his hiring drive immediately and, given how the working atmosphere now seems at Red Bull Racing, he may be in a position to attract a good amount of talent to Hinwill.

Time is of the essence, as I wrote above, and Binotto is aware of that. What he does in his first six months in the job will determine how well Audi will do in years to come and the Swissborn Italian knows that.

Having now digested his departure from Ferrari, he’ll be more motivated than ever to show John Elkann and his advisors they were wrong in sacking him, so expect more changes, new arrivals and a new, more dynamic and modern structure to be announced soon, as Audi’s Formula 1 program finally gets onto its stride.

“Wanna swap shirts?” Not so long ago, Frederick Vasseur (left) was top man at Sauber, and Mattia Binotto was calling the shots at Ferrari … Image: MOTORSPORT IMAGES

MORE THAN JUST THE DRIVERS …

SUPER2 HOLDING ITS PLACE

IT IS EASY TO GET LOST IN SAFETY CARS AND RED FLAGS AND QUERY THE VALUE OF SUPER2, BUT ANDREW CLARKE FOUND THAT NEXT GEN DRIVING TALENT IS ONLY PART OF THE STORY ...

WITH SUPER2 locked into the Gen2 cars for another couple of seasons, the risk of it becoming a dumping ground for newer cars and deflecting from its purpose has been reduced. It had been called the development series in the past, and nearly all of the top flight talent in the main game of the Supercars series has spent time there.

From Dean Canto as the winner of what was then the Konica V8 Lites Series to Kai Allen last year in the Dunlop Super2 Series, the main game has fed the Supercars main game with a series of champions. Mark Winterbottom in 2003 – which makes him sound old now – to Scott McLaughlin (2012), Cam Waters (2015), Bryce Fullwood (2019),

Thomas Randle (2020) and Broc Feeney (2021) all won the Super2 Series. And there are others too who didn’t win the series. Of the current drivers, only James Courtney didn’t run some form of apprenticeship in Super2. Even Richie Stanaway who also came from a European racing background ran four races in 2017 with Tickford (then Prodrive Racing Australia) to prepare himself for spool diffs and the endurance races before his full-time drive in 2018.

Today though, with only six race meetings a year, there is a sense of desperation among young racers trying to get in the spotlight for one of the rare main game drives with cars

getting torn up, Safety Cars and red flags. In Townsville, it felt like half of the first race in Super2 was run under Safety Car conditions, but it was only a little less than a third of the race … but then the Sunday race was green for all 29 laps.

It prompted us to look at the series a little deeper. Super2 drivers when stepping up talk about the limited laps of consecutive running in the series. In the Supercars series they might run for two hours in one race, that is an entire weekend in Super2.

So, if we focus only on the drivers, are they learning enough? Are we seeing enough to know who is the next big thing?

There are two models for running Super2

teams, one is an adjunct to a main game team – like Walkinshaw Andretti United, Tickford, Brad Jones Racing and Blanchard Racing Team – and then the other is a standalone operation – Egglestone Motorsport, AIM Motorsport, Anderson Motorsport, Kelly Racing, MW Motorsport – sometimes with semi-formal links to a main game team –Image Racing with Erebus and RM Racing with PremiAir.

We spoke with Bruce Stewart from WAU and Terry Wyhoon from Image Racing and discovered each model has its benefits and the leading drivers in the series prove the diversity of the model. Cynically, outsiders often think the Super2 teams running out of

Jobe Stewart leads the Super2 start at the early-season Bathurst meeting.

Images: RACE PROJECT, PETER NORTON, MARK HORSBURGH

the back end of a main game team are just there as cash cows, but Stewart, the CEO at Walkinshaw Andretti United, says the Super2 and Toyota 86 program has delivered in ways they didn’t expect.

“Initially we wanted to expand our reach into the younger drivers and to coach and train and have a pathway in that respect. But the amazing thing that has come when you start running Super2 and wildcards is you start understanding what you’re bringing through is not just young drivers, it’s engineers and mechanics too.

“So, when you look at Super2, it’s just a natural extension of our program, and we get to bring young guys and girls through from various universities to learn the Walkinshaw Andretti United way, and to work alongside drivers that may be in the main game.

“In fact, the number two mechanic on Car #2, going forward for the rest of the year,

Sylvester Tan, came to us from Kangan Tafe. He won Apprentice of the Year and he’s been on the 86 and then Super2.

"He’s done everything from sub-assembly and now he’s going to be a full-time number two mechanic. We know he’s 100% invested in the team, he understands the processes and he’s fully trusted by everyone in and around it.

“It’s such a wonderful experience.”

But it is more than just a rewarding experience for Stewart, it is now part of the business strategy for WAU.

“In the past, there may have been a situation where someone wanted to leave the team and go off and do something else. You would look up and down pit lane and everyone you knew that you might be able to poach from another team or have a chat to. Invariably, it would come down to money and it’s not a sustainable model.

“Inflationary prices do nothing for the sustainability of racing team and that is what

In the past there may have been a situation where someone wanted to leave the team and go off and do something else ... “ ”

remunerated. And at the end, for the long term, they want to be part of the journey when you take your team to, hopefully, championship glory.

“I think it is a much more sustainable model to grow on our own and teach them right from the exit of uni or from trade school and bring them through because you’re unearthing fantastic talent, but also, you’re unearthing fantastic attitudes from the young people coming through. You can add to that commercial people and the PR people that we’re bringing into a team; it’s just been a revelation.”

He said the learning is two-way, that the WAU team also learns off the recruits and that is what adds to the ‘secret sauce’ that he hopes is both a competitive and sustainable model.

“I’m super proud of the growth of young, middle-aged and older guys and girls in the team, and I think we’ve got a great mix right now of differing ages, genders and backgrounds, and in that respect, it makes us stronger.”

On the driving side, Ryan Wood was a shock and speedy elevation to the main

WAU runs a pair of Super2 cars – for Zac Bates and Campbell Logan – in effect its own Academy. Team boss Bruce Stewart is a big fan of the team's efforts in young talent identification. Below right: School's in – the Super 2 line-up.

Bottom right: Not just drivers – Sylvester Tan (right) came from Kangan TAFE as Apprentice of the Year – now, via WAU's Super2 team he is number two mechanic on Ryan Wood's main game car ...

game, but not to those at WAU who saw him from the inside.

“He is an extraordinarily talented young driver and he’s a wonderful person to have around the team. He’s not the kind of guy that sits in his road car with his helmet on the seat and looking at his phone – he’s in talking to the crew, he’s engaging with the characters like Vinny and, and talking to engineers, gaining greater insight.

“He was a no-brainer for us. You can’t be taught what he has got.”

But now his main game squad is settled for a while, his focus turns to developing driving talent for others, and other team members for his squad.

“Anyone who comes through our program, if there’s not a spot available for them in our team, we will do everything we can to try and

help them get into the main game, because that’s the dream. That’s the objective.

“We’re not going to stand in the way, and we’ll be very pro-active. I can hear a lot of conversation and chatter and speculation about other young drivers. But Zach is a pretty special talent who was as fast as Ryan Wood last year in the last few rounds and he’s challenging for the championship in Super2 right now, and he’s just a wonderful human as well.

“If you are a team owner anywhere in the world, looking to inject youth I don’t think you can go past Zach because he gets our full endorsement and there’s no holds or ties with WAU. We just want to see a good person get to where he should be.”

When he gets the chance, he chats to other team leaders about his drivers, but he doesn’t go chasing the conversations.

“You might have a chat in front of the truck if you bump into them, but we have a busy job running a racing team on a weekend ... but yes, if the opportunity to help a quality young driver like that comes up, we will take it. He has the talent and the ability to be in the main game and we’d like to see him there.”

If he gets a driver to run through the ranks from Toyota 86 through the Super2 program and into the main game, he says that is enough satisfaction for him. They don’t have to remain in the WAU squad.

“It’s important when you’re in a Supercar team and you’ve got Super2 or Toyota 86 racing on track, the sense of team when one of your pathway cars is on track is huge and when you win or you have success, the team morale lifts. Matty Hillyer at Sydney Motorcycle Park set the tone for us each day, and he won all three Toyota 86 races, and we talked about it in the team.

“It’s all about team – we’re all in it together. And yeah, it was a wonderful experience for everyone.”

Terry Wyhoon runs Image Racing as a standalone team but with strong ties to Erebus Motorsport, but he was running Image well before Erebus even existed. He’s thankful for the relationship, and he hopes Image becomes a pathway to the main game in the same was as WAU.

Like many, he’d love more racing laps, but there is more to it than that.

“The racing laps are obviously an issue at times,” Wyhoon says. “They changed the number of laps to a set race time three meetings ago, which seemed to work. We seemed to have a couple of good races, but

then we got to Townsville with cautions and unnecessary accidents.” He runs Image Racing to get drivers on the pathway, to unearth talent. It is a business, but he says it is not a good one.

“Everyone knows how much money you don’t make out an automotive squad. The shot in the arm for me is seeing kids, your Jack Perkins, Jack Le Brocq, Jordan Boys, Taz Douglas, that have all come through here, seeing them get to the main game. That’s why I do it.

“I know how difficult it is for young kids to fund these cars. That’s why we do it. I’m not the person to just get people to pay the money and drive the car, we are concerned all the time about value for money.

“When you see some of those laps, unfortunately, the problem is the money’s

Cam McLeod, here two-wheeling in Perth, was struggling to find the budget to get into Super2 until a Supercars team – in his case Peter Xiberras' PremiAir team – stepped up. He will now co-drive for the team at Sandown and Bathurst.

Opening round – Vidau versus Hughes, Turn 1, Bathurst. Above: Brad Vaughan is chased by Aaron Cameron at the same event.

spent before we get to the racing, and whether we do one lap or 20, it’s really not much difference. It’s no different in cost. So, it is concerning; I do not know what the answer is. Some of the moves are moves made by inexperienced drivers, and some are just ‘desperate’, I guess is one word.”

Like many, he feels that with only six race meetings a year there is a sense of urgency, but there is no easy answer.

“We’ve been talking about that. I’ve been in discussions with Supercars over a seventh round; and I think seven rounds will be on the calendar next year. Spread it out over 14 races, two per event, it’s a little bit different to the 12.”

He doesn’t want a standalone round, as with Wakefield Park two decades ago – he thinks it is important to be with the main show, but with Queensland Raceway and Phillip Island maybe joining the series, there is a logical home for an extra round.

“From the sponsor’s point of view, they like being on the big show. You have people swing by the garage and have a chat to them, which pumps their tyres up a little bit. Barry [Ryan] comes through all the time because of our alliance with Erebus, he makes sure the kids are doing a good job and keeps an eye on them because he is always looking for young talent.

“At times, I wonder about the pressure that creates, but you’ve got to be able to take that pressure, don’t you? You get to the main game; it’s not going to be any easier.”

He thinks having an involvement of some sort with a main game team is important because all the young drivers and technical people who come into his team have the main

It’s all, it’s all about team, we’re all in it together. And yeah, it was a wonderful experience for everyone … “ ”

game as their goal.

“We need to be involved with main game teams to keep their names out there, and not just with Erebus; with anyone. I talk to Brad Jones, I talk to anyone I can about exceptionally good kids. I say, ‘hey, have a look at this one.’ Barry’s always been a ‘let’s throw in some young kids’ type of person. He’s always looking for the next Kostecki.

“The other important part for us, is that we get that engineering from the main game for the cars that we’ve purchased from them.

“We’ve got two good young kids now and we continually look at data to see who can be the next one. I do feel sometimes some of the main game see Super2 as a bit of a cash cow, but Super2 is my priority. It is all we do, just like Benny Eggleston and some of the others.

“I just wonder at times if some of the teams there need to move some people on,” he said of the main game and co-drive opportunities. “There needs to be more opportunity for good first and second year drivers to be co-drivers for the endurance races. It shouldn’t take five years to get to the main game.

“Cooper Murray is only in his second year, and he did a stellar job up in the wildcard in Darwin, probably better than he does in Super2. It shows there is talent here.

“My big question over the next five years is where is the main game heading? We rely on the kids wanting that cherry at the end, I’m just not sure it’s right there at the moment. There’s no seats now, so where’s the next generation?

“They need to come through to come through Super3 and Super2 to be able to get in there and do a good job. Simple as that. You don’t need to drive a front-wheel drive car, you don’t need to drive an open wheeler. You need to drive a Super2 car.

“If you want to be a Supercar driver, this is where you've got to be and the field’s healthy right now. It’s the strongest field we’ve had for a long time. It’s just so expensive, sure, but that’s what it is. That’s what Supercars made it.”

In the meantime, he, along with officials like Craig Baird and the other team owners, will work with the young drivers to teach them what they need. To be less desperate and to provide the racing respect that doesn’t cause red flags and Safety Cars.

It is why it is called the development series by most, and why it will retain that role in the Supercars world.

Kai Allen leads Cooper Murray, and Zac Bates (Perth) – the same trio made up the podium (below) and all three will figure in the future for a main game drive.

Left (top): Cam McLeod – new face, Supercars co-drive ...

Left: Terry Wyhoon has been a Super2 specialist team owner for many years.

YOUNG GUNS

THE SUPER2 FIELD HAS BEEN A STRONG PRODUCTION LINE OF TALENT EVER SINCE IT STARTED AT THE TURN OF THE CENTURY. THOMAS MILES SELECTS SOME TO WATCH FROM THE CLASS OF 2024 ...

KAI ALLEN

AFTER COMING close to winning Super3 on debut, he took the 2023 Super2 title as a rookie, and in 2024 Allen is dominating the series again. It is obviuse that Kai Allen is easily the cream of the current crop of Super2 drivers.

Having competed in karts before jumping to Excels and Toyotas, the Mount Gambier teenager showcased immense speed in Super3 in 2022, but one mistake cost him the title.

However, a year later Allen displayed his growing maturity to snatch a historic Super2 crown with a consistent campaign in 2023 where he also made his Bathurst debut in a DJR wildcard and will co drive for the team again this year.

With the #1 on the door, the Eggleston Motorsport driver has shown a more dominant side, winning four of the six races.

With a number of Supercars teams currently circling him, there is little doubt Allen will be in the main game next year.

CAMERON McLEOD

JUST TWO rounds into his Super2 career, Cameron McLeod already had his first Supercars drive announced, providing an insight into his potential.

McLeod, never afraid of an opportunity, is a prolific racer across a number of different cars and categories not just in Australia, but also around the world.

He burst onto the Super3 scene last year, being rapid in his Nissan Altima across one lap and winning eight of the 12 races, but cruel luck at Sandown saw the title slip – but he did

receive the Supercars-Mike Kable Award.

Despite finding some trouble at stages, headlined by a scary crash at Perth, McLeod has done enough to collect solid points at each Super2 round.

COOPER MURRAY

MURRAY MAY sit 21st in the Super2 championship, but that does not reflect the talent many in the Supercars paddock believe he has.

His pace in Super2 was evident from his very first race, which he won, at Newcastle after a year off from racing.

He ended up fourth in the standings and hoped to challenge for the title this year, only to get caught up in multiple incidents.

He

of his first 13 races and being a national Formula Ford champion. The 20-year-old is carrying on a family legacy being the son of rallying identity Rick Bates, nephew of ARC champion Neal Bates, while cousins Harry and Lewis currently dominate the dirt.

Being in his second Super2 season, it will be interesting to see what is next.

AARON CAMERON

AARON CAMERON is an interesting case study having taken a different path to Super2.

Cameron made the switch from karts to cars back in 2016 and has been a TCR front runner since its inception. He also has plenty of open-wheel success with back to back S5000 Tasman crowns.

Despite being a SpeedSeries star, Cameron always had Supercars on his mind and made a long-awaited Super2 debut at Sandown last year. He took little time to settle into the Kelly

ZACH BATES

DESPITE BEING overshadowed by Ryan Wood last year, Zach Bates has made his own mark in 2024.

Bates is now WAU’s leader in the Dunlop Series, evident by his continued progression in 2024 where he has taken four podiums, including a Wanneroo win.

He rose to Super2 after being a Toyota 86 Series frontrunner, including winning nine

However, Murray received the golden opportunity of driving the Triple Eight Wildcard and has made full use of it.

put the #888 into the Top 10 Shootout at Darwin with a lap that raised many eyebrows in the big league.

Kai Allen (right) is the current man to beat ... Left: Zack Bates two-wheels his way around Barbagallo. Above (centre, top to bottom): Cooper Murray; Lochie Dalton; Jarrod Hughes kerb-hopping in WA; Jobe Stewart took silver at Bathurst; Rylan Gray debuted at Bathurst.

Images: PETER NORTON, RACE PROJECT, MARK HORSBURGH, PACE IMAGES

Racing Mustang and impressively relentless consistency in the top five sees him as Allen’s biggest challenger.

His hard work has been rewarded with a BRT co-drive for the enduros, and Cameron maybe in the right place at the right time at BRT. If he proves his worth as a main game co driver he could be in line for James Courtney’s full time seat, when the veteran retires.

MAX VIDAU

ANOTHER WHO has taken an unconventional journey is Max Vidau. Vidau replaced Zak Best at Anderson Motorsport, but has a solid track record across a large variety of cars.

He is fresh from the Porsche pathway, finishing fifth in the Carrera Cup and winning three races last year.

In addition to the Porsches, Vidau has also steered Excels, Formula Fords, Trans Ams, MARC GTs and even Sprintcars.

He has shown strong consistency across his first three Super2 rounds, highlighted by backto-back podiums.

If he continues this trajectory he could easily turn himself into a candidate down the track.

RYLAN GRAY

AT THE tender age of 17, Rylan Gray is already doing good things to suggest he could graduate to Supercars.

Gray is the latest youngster to come through the Tickford academy and got his first drive with the team after a GT4 Germany appearance, having impressed in the NZ Toyota Series.

Despite being one of the youngest on the grid, Gray has finished as high as fourth twice so far in Super2, while he went straight to the podium in a sudden Super3 debut at Adelaide last year.

In addition to Super2, he has been winning GT4 races in the new Mustang, and recently raced his fathers Ford Capri in Touring Car Masters. Gray has adapted

Cam McLeod has earned a Supercars co-drive after a handful of Super2 races, including the ultimately damaging round in Perth. Below: Aaron Cameron comes from winning in TCR and S5000 – not a

to each challenge that has come his way and could well be representing Tickford in Supercars in the not too distant future.

LOCHIE DALTON

ANOTHER TICKFORD youngster is Lochie Dalton, who already has Supercars experience under his belt.

date, and Tickford is said to be impressed through the data that he has generated in racing and the testing he has done so far. So far the #6 Mustang is P6 in the championship with three top 10s.

Dalton made the switch from BJR to Tickford this year, which is his third at Super2 level.

JARROD HUGHES

SUPER2 ROOKIE Jarrod Hughes has quietly snuck into the top five of the standings to prove he is one to watch.

Hughes has stepped straight in to Super2 and has been relentlessly consistent with five of a possible six top 10 finishes.

Being his first Supercars season, this has been impressive and is where he has caught the eye of Erebus, recently leading to a maiden drive in one of the teams Gen3 Camaro’s at the Supercars SMP ride day.

In addition to Supercars, Hughes has raced Excels, Toyota 86s, GT4 and TA2 where he won in the wet on debut at Calder. He has developed this versatility by being busy picking up skills with Paul Morris at Norwell Motorplex.

JOBE STEWART

THE OTHER youngster fighting hard, for Image Racing, is Jobe Stewart.

A fello Mount Gambia native to Kai Allen, Stewart made the step up to Super2 after

bad resume. Left: Max Vidau – came from Carrera Cup.

ALTERNATIVE PATHWAYS TO SUPERCARS

AUSTRALIA IS FLUSH WITH CAR RACING CLASSES, AND SOME PROVIDE BOTH A GOOD PATHWAY TO SUPERCARS AND THEN AS A GREAT WAY TO KEEP MATCH FIT. BUT WHICH CLASSES WORK BEST?

WE HAVE looked at the key categories in Australia with an eye to learning – a pure pathway class – and also as a category to keep your hand induring the long gap between rounds.

HYUNDAI EXCEL

THIS CLASS features the affordable and compact Hyundai Excel cars. It’s known for being a cost-effective entry point into circuit racing, offering close competition and a focus on driver skill due to the relatively equal performance of the vehicles.

WE SAY: A surprising pathway class where drivers learn to drive like it is a combat sport. Low power and no aero like Formula Ford mean the clean and smooth drivers are rewarded, better still if you have a strategic brain.

Some clever and prominent people in motorsport are backing a resurgence here, so brace for some more Broc Feeney’s to come out of here.

FORMULA FORD

A PROVING ground for future professional drivers, Formula Ford is a single-seater, open-wheel class. It emphasises driver skill with its lightweight chassis and lack of aerodynamic aids, making it a popular choice for those looking to climb the motorsport ladder. The list of Supercar drivers who have won Formula Ford championships is a very long one.

WE SAY: Formula Ford holds its place in the motorsport world as it has since the 1970s because it works. Despite attempts over many years by Motorsport Australia

to diminish its significance and replace it with things like Formula 4, Formula Ford continues to thrive, and that tells you all you need to know.

It is very much a pathway category though; you wouldn’t want to be dropping back here just to keep your hand in.

TOYOTA 86 SERIES

THIS ONE-MAKE series uses the popular Toyota 86 sports car. It’s designed to be accessible for emerging drivers and offers a platform where the emphasis is on driver ability, with all cars being mechanically identical.

Several current Supercars drivers cut their teeth in the 86 series and helped to grab the attn of Supercars heavyweights, including current T8 teammates Will Brown and Broc Feeney, as well as Cameron Hill, Ryan Wood. WE SAY: Toyota is investing heavily in the class on both side of the Tasman, and with plenty of Motorsport Australia Superlicence points up for grabs across the two series it is an attractive pathway. It helps that it runs on the Supercars undercard and looks like a lot of fun. Again a solid pathway choice, a set up with a roof from the Excels.

PORSCHE SPRINTCUP CHALLENGE AND CARRERA CUP

THESE PRESTIGIOUS one-make series feature Porsche sports cars in sprint and endurance races. The Sprintcup Challenge is often a stepping stone to the more competitive Carrera Cup, which sees professional drivers competing in highperformance Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars.

WE SAY: Racing Porsche 911s is always going to get attention, and there’s plenty of talent floating in the classes treating it as both a pathway and a class to keep your hand in. Young drivers like Harri Jones are making a name here now in the Carrera Cup, but where it takes him is open for debate.

But what is clearer is that many codrivers are using it to keep their hand in. In Sydney recently, Dylan O’Keeffe, David Russell, Fabian Coulthard, Garth Tander and Dale Wood were all blowing off the cobwebs in some pretty expensive machinery.

Both series carry points, so you could get into Supercars just running and winning in these two categories in one season. Victory in both series is 22 points when only 15 is required.

TCR

TOURING CAR Racing (TCR) is a relatively new addition to the Australian racing scene. It features front-wheeldrive, turbocharged cars that are closely related to their road-going counterparts, providing competitive and diverse racing. Front-wheel-drive, which is not so appealing for Supercars.

WE SAY: The series is struggling a bit and is probably not the headliner it was when Will Brown and Chaz Mostert were battling Tony D’Alberto and James Moffat for honours. In reality, unless the racing is fierce and fired up, small front-

wheel-drive cars are not going to tell you much about any of them.

TCR is probably battling for survival as a premium category in Australia, but it still has plenty of Superlicence points up for grabs.

TRANSAM

TRANSAM RACING in Australia

showcases American-style muscle cars with a modern twist. These races feature powerful, V8-engined cars with rear-wheel-drive and no aero … sounds familiar.

WE SAY: This is perhaps the most relevant class for Supercars elevation.

The cars are in many ways not that far removed from a Supercars, and you also get to race again some know quantities like Todd Hazelwood, James Moffat, Jordan Boy and James Golding, with accomplished global TransAm racer Nathan Herne.

GT AND GT4

GT RACING involves high-performance sports cars from various manufacturers, while GT4 is a more regulated class focusing on lower-cost GT cars. Both offer multi-class racing with a mix of professional and amateur drivers.

WE SAY: Both categories are growing in Australia, and GT4 we think will be particularly attractive thanks to its relative running costs. The need to run pro drivers with amateurs means there will always be drives for good young drivers.

Last weekend Nash Morris, Jarrod Hughes and Rylan Gray were all running GT4 cars, while Jayden Ojeda and Declan Fraser joined Will Brown and Chaz Mostert in the GT World Challenge Australia races.

POINTS FOR MOTORSPORT AUSTRALIA SUPER LICENCE ENDORSEMENT (15 REQUIRED)

We think GT Racing in Australia is ready for a bit of a growth spurt, so expect to see a bit more action from young Super2 driver, particularly in the GT4 class.

GETTING A SUPERLICENCE

TO RACE a Supercar, even as a co-driver, a driver needs to hold a Motorsport Australia Super Licence endorsement and an FIA International Grade C Circuit Licence (or higher) and be at least 17 years old.

The Motorsport Australia Super Licence system requires a driver to earn 15 points across any combination of the below. Obviously, the easiest way in is a top six championship finish in Super2 ... everything else will need a combination. But then there is an extraordinary amount of points for Super3, which only has three competitors this year. Anyone could do a round or two and finish in the top four this year, and if they did the same last year or any other year in the past five, they have qualified. There doesn’t appear to be a minimum number of races required from what we can see for the endorsement, but the FIA International Grade C Circuit Licence requires a minimum of five observed races within two years of application.

MISSING FROM our analysis are two notable exceptions – Both powerful and fast and in most cases V8 rear whell driven -S5000 and Sports Sedans. Indeed, S5000 is not even racing this year, after category owners ARG/ GRM ‘parked’ the cars following the inexplicable slashing of the category’s points allocation from 12 to 6 to win the championship – on a par with SuperUtes, Toyota 86s and Formula Ford – after two years of the infamous ‘must do Super2 decree’ by Supercars, supported by MA, that saw double Gold Star chanpion Joey Mawson unable to get a Superlicence ... It is a highly-charged, somewhat political situation – especially when aligned against the points handed out for Supercars’ own Super3 category (5 competitors last year; 2 this year). A review of the situation has been sought but, to date, there’s no news ... For its part, Sports Sedans – undergoing a strong resurgence – might hope for some improvement in its ‘rating’ – V8powered and fast ... though looking at the driver demographics of the category, it’s not easy to pick out anyone who would be all that interested in Supercars!

Trans Am (below) has emerged as perhaps the most relevant pre-Supercars category ... though a double championship win still doesn’t snare the 15 points required for a Superlicence ... Left: TCR is an international category, part of the ARG/MA SpeedSeries show. Above: GT4 (top) and GT World Challenge (GT3) provides also provides openings for international competition.

The Toyota 86 series has become a popular training ground ... Left: Formula Ford – has produced many Supercar champions. Bottom (far left): Excels – the ‘new HQ’ – offers low-cost entry. Bottom left: Carrera Cup – as a bonus, has its own pathway to overseas racing ... Images: RACE PROJECT, PETER NORTON, REVVED PHOTOGRAPHY, ALASTAIR BROOK,

EDDIE BESWICK EYES FOR INDY

YOUNG AUSSIE EDDIE BESWICK RECENTLY DIPPED HIS TOES IN AMERICA’S ROAD TO INDY LADDER WITH EYE ON A FULL SEASON IN 2025. BUT BEFORE HE CHASES HIS US DREAM, THERE’S UNFINISHED BUSINESS ON THE HOME-FRONT ...

By Timothy William Neal

HAILING FROM Sydney’s Eastern Suburb beaches of Maroubra, Beswick has made himself a familiar name in 2024 as the current leader of the National, Victorian, and NSW’s Formula Ford (FF) championships.

The 19-year-old fell into racing somewhat later than the average story tells, with only minor forays into karting before he turned his full attention to FF at the age of 16.

Despite not taking the extensive karting path in his formative teenage years, Beswick presents as a highly considered and intelligent competitor. He’s a driver who thinks deeply about his craft.

And whilst his family are generational race fans, Beswick is the first in his lineage to race competitively. He’s also surrounded himself with some good company via the excellent tutelage of Justin Cotter, whilst he’s also good mates with another of Australian motorsport’s rising stars, Cameron McLeod.

And through his FF relationship with Cotter’s Synergy Motorsport – who guided Paul Laskazeski (2008) and Chaz Mostert (2010) to national FF titles – that has led Beswick to take two competitive trips to the US. His first trip in 2023 saw him take two

victories driving in familiar F1600 machinery at Road America and New Jersey but, more recently, across the weekend of July 19-21, Eddie jumped into Tatuus machinery for the first time and competed on the streets of Toronto in the USF2000 with Exclusive Autosport.

The Indy feeder category is the second rung on the famed Road to Indy ladder, consisting of the USF Juniors, USF2000, USF Pro 2000, and Indy NXT (formerly IndyLights), with IndyCar being the top of the tree.

It’s there in the Indy canopy where he’d like to end up, and strong plans are currently underway for the Cotter led Synergy team to compete with two Tatuus USF2000s in 2025 with Beswick at the forefront in pursuit of the $664,425 USD scholarship into USF Pro 2000.

But first things first. Beswick is hell-bent on delivering Cotter and himself the 2024 National, and state FF titles; a campaign that started with a great win at Bathurst in his first ever time racing on Mount Panorama.

From his home in Maroubra, he spoke to Auto Action about his pathway to the states, what he’s learnt/learning in FF, what winning the title would mean for himself and Cotter, and his eye-opening experience in North America – where he also toured the famous

Penske sheds with Aussie superstar Will Power.

“I learnt how to drive and race in Formula Ford, but when you look into it really deeply, it’s all about discipline,” he began.

“You need clean footwork, especially with the heeling and toeing, throttle application, and brake tracing. It’s really taught me about vehicle dynamics and how to make weight transfer work for you.

“In terms of getting results this year, the biggest thing I’ve learnt is in what direction I want to take the vehicle in, as in how to set it up to gain an understanding of the rollbars, springs, and ride heights. In doing that it’s helped me be cleaner, smoother, and be precise with my inputs. The way the motor is in FF, you can’t get away with mistakes … the numbers don’t lie.”

Beswick’s learnings are largely intertwined through the tutelage of Cotter who, since 2022, has been his guiding influence.

“I met Justin in 2022 when me and my family decided to go with a Sydney-based team. I just wanted to race as much Formula Ford as I possibly could, and he was a really attractive option.

“He’s been massive because, at the beginning, I had no idea how far I could go,

and then just a few years after having never touched a race car, he’s helped me get to the point where I can seriously weigh up a career overseas. I’d be nowhere without him, and I don’t think I could do it with anyone else. And of course, my mum and dad are hugely supportive.

“I want to get the titles for Justin this year.

I learnt how to drive and race in Formula Ford, but when you look into it really deeply, it’s all about discipline ... “ ”

race in the Formula Race Promotions series came via Cotter’s efforts to make the connections, along with some help from Aussie manufacturer Mike Borland and his US Spectrum importer and racer Mike Scanlan.

“Doing it in machinery I knew well was the best way to get over there and give it a go. Compared to the Ford Duratec over here, it was a lower-powered Honda on a Hoosier slick tyre, so it was easier in comparison, but pretty hooked up … it was more about slipstream racing.

“Driving at Road America gave about three seconds of it per lap, so it was a massive learning curve figuring out how to race with slipstream, because no matter how hard you tried you couldn’t escape the field. After losing the first race I slept on it overnight, came back refreshed, and won it by a nose cone … getting my first overseas win at Road America was a pretty special feeling.”

AA also spoke with Cotter, who gave his impression on how Beswick has developed himself through FF with Synergy.

“Eddie’s growth proves how good Formula Ford is,” Cotter explained.

“To see him go to the States twice already and be competitive – both in testing and on track – that extra year has developed him well. There’s no shortcutting the system –you need to be a good learner.

“He’s always refining what he’s been taught. Formula Ford is both the cheapest, and hardest way to learn your craft, and he’s polished himself up over a short time. In every race, he’s finishing at all cost … and that’s how you put a championship together.

“Both ourselves (Synergy) and Eddie will go well in the US. People like Will Power and Scott Andrews have been really great with their time toward us, especially Will. We’re aiming to set up a good network for kids to head over, get to work, and get racing … we want to create a platform so they don’t go in blind, as well as create opportunity and education for them to get work in motorsport off the track.”

Recently In July, Beswick’s second trip saw him in Tatuus machinery for the very first time.

Through Cotter – with an eye on both of them preparing for 2025 – he managed to get a seat with Exclusive Autosport: a team that could offer valuable and hard-to-get seat time ahead of Toronto.

Beswick did his testing at the Autobahn, 45 minutes from downtown Chicago, after doing his seat fitting in Indianapolis.

Testing alongside young American teammate Evan Cooley (who’d had plenty of time in the 2000 machinery) Beswick consistently lapped within half-a-tenth.

“Driving the Tatuus was easier than the Formula Ford. There’s no heel-and-toe and a lot more grip. You’ve got paddle shift and

left foot braking also. The biggest adjustment was trusting the grip and driving with aero … that was a first for me! Even though it doesn’t have much downforce, it’s still so much more than I’m used to.”

Whilst he didn’t get the race results we wanted over there, he did qualify in the top-10 after having only one session in the car. And against kids that have had some 50 or more test sessions plus race time, he left feeling that he could compete.

“The racing was pretty aggressive, and It was my first time on a street circuit. I made up five spots early in both races, but it’s pretty different racing with the walls so close … you have to have a bit more trust in everyone around you.”

And in terms of racing at an IndyCar event?

“It’s cool, you really feel like a race driver, especially on the pre-grid with heaps of people about and everyone wants autographs.

“Then to look up the paddock and see Team Penske and Ganassi … I was pinching myself to be around that kind of calibre. It’s just a big event – I’ve raced in Tassie with the Supercars, but this was just another level.”

Beswick also experienced something special in 2023 when two-time Astor Cup and Indy500 winner Will Power gave him a tour of the Penske factory, whilst Power was also recently able to give him some personal advice about racing in Toronto.

“Last year he toured us around the factory, and he really reinforced the mindset you need to have; how hard you have to work, and how to take your opportunities.

“He’s done it all, and when we met again in Toronto, he was kind enough to give me valuable pointers on the track. You should have seen how vast his personal notes were! They were pretty extensive … it was impressive to say the least.

“He’s a pretty cool guy, and he’s also very, very funny … you can see in eyes that he’s a proper Toowoomba lad,” Beswick quipped. Synergy racing and Beswick will next be on track at Symmons Plains in the Supercars Super Sprint weekend on August 16-18, followed by the Sandown Vic State weekend on the 23rd-25th, then at SMP’s NSW Motor Racing Championship on September 28-29.

Taking a Formula Ford win at Bathurst earlier in the year was a good start ...

Top and right: battling the locals in FFord in the US at Road America. Above: On the streets of Toronto, with the USF2000.

Top middle: With Justin Cotter and the Synergy Motorsport crew – left to right: Kyle Cotter, Justin Cotter, Eddie Beswick, and Cody Maynes-Rutty. Far right: Tour guide at Penske Racing and a source of great information was Will Power ... Images: GINGERRED PHOTOGRAPHY/SUPPLIED

Formula Ford – the best training ground ...“You can’t get away with mistakes.”

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‘TOP SHELF’ RACING ON THE DIRT

MEETING UNDER unusually inclement skies, we are six meetings into the 2024 Season in the Top End, at Darwin’s Northline Speedway and there is a hint of something special coming in the second half of the season.

The racing in each category has been top shelf and the normal seasonal dry season chill is about to disappear with the heat being produced by the racing.

WINGLESS SPRINTCARS

Yet again another quality field of Wingless Sprintcars was on show and it was Matt Sealy who dominated Heat 1A to win ahead of Mathew McLennan and Cameron Jaenke in third place.

Heat 1B saw an epic duel between Jamie McInnes and Daniel Goldoni with McInnes holding on for the win and a smokey Goldoni in second place and Raymond Walliss in third place.

Sealy went two from two in Heat 2A after Kyle Quinlan led early in the race.

Quinlan held on for second place and Jaenke again in third place.

Raymond Walliss scored a great win in

Heat 2B to lead home Daniel Goldoni and McInnes in third.

Young William Prest took out the Mid Pack Dash ahead of Scott Murdie and Ty Ede whilst Sealy recorded the win in the Top 8 Dash ahead of Daniel Goldoni and Raymond Walliss in third. It was redemption time for Daniel Goldoni in the Feature Race.

After enduring so much heartache and bad luck this season it was a great finish for him to win the Feature Race ahead of Sealy and McInnes in third.

A clearly exhausted Goldoni could hardly muster his breath in Victory Lane but the beaming smile said it all.

SPRINTCARS

As we approach the business end of the year, seven winged warriors fronted the starters with a noticeable inclusion being that of Jordyn Charge, driving the NT11 for Ekins Motorsports alongside Zack Grimshaw.

WA’s Trent Pigdon is looking to turn his luck around claiming he must have run over a black cat somewhere this season.

Last start Feature winner Chris Harrison was looking to go back to back as was NT77 Hayden Brown, hoping to emulate his first Feature Race win a couple of meetings ago.

WA regular this year Aaron Chircop was out to stake his claim as well and the perennial teenager David Ling also keen to make inroads in the field.

It was a messy affair with a false start in Heat 1 followed by another near false start, but it was Trent Pidgdon who streaked away to ultimately take out the 8 lap journey ahead of Charge and Grimshaw in third place. Not a good start for Hayden Brown who pulled infield.

Fresh from a stint in the USA it was Jordyn Charge who lit up the timesheets on a super fast track to obliterate the

1 lap record in Heat 2 to record a new benchmark of 10.825 whilst leaving Harrison and Pigdon in his wake.

It was another DNF for Brown still experiencing issues with the #77 machine.

The Feature race started out strongly for Pigdon who jumped to the early lead with Charge hot on his heels.

The war of attrition began with Zack Grimshaw suffering a failure when the diff gears stripped taking him out on lap 7. Pigdon then cut a tyre on lap 17 which deflated to see him pull infield and handing the lead to Charge.

Aaron Chircop retired with fuel issues when the car literally stopped on him with three laps to go whilst in third spot.

Out front it was ‘Lead Foot’ Charge who blasted away for the win ahead of Chris Harrison and David Ling home in third place.

Charge was very comfortable in his first outing at Northline Speedway tonight, throwing down the gauntlet as he prepares for Chariots of Thunder in September.

Scott Kernahan

Charge on a charge ... Above: Daniel Goldoni gets the feel of the track during the hot laps.

Images: JAKE DUNN/NORTHLINE MEDIA

US SPRINTCAR star and High Limit coowner Brad Sweet (right) will be heading back to Oz for the 2024/25 season, with WA team Landrigan Motorsports announcing his bumper seven event calendar.

Alongside the recent unveiling of the 2024/25 season calendar for the state of Western Australia, Sweet’s WA appearances are more-or less cemented, with Australia’s richest ever Sprintcar races  – the High Limits International – to be at the start of his tour.

Sweet, the winner of five straight World of Outlaws titles from 2019-2023, will race in the USA#49 Landrigan Motorsports Maxim Sprintcar.

“We have been working closely with Brad to map out our schedule over the past couple of months, as the tracks over here piece their calendars together, and we are all very happy with how our calendar looks,”

commented Landrigan Motorsports team manager, Jamie Landrigan.

“This is going to be our third consecutive season with Brad as our driver here in

Australia and with the exciting recent announcement of the three nights of the High Limits International event at the Perth Motorplex over the Christmas-New Year

period, we are looking forward to what is going to be an enjoyable time racing together as we try and chase getting to the top step of the podium.”

The High Limit Series which is a product of NASCAR star Kyle Larson and Brad Sweet’s purchase from Tony Stewart, has set itself up as a major rival to the World of Outlaws series in the States.

Stewart, a NASCAR Hall of Famer and current NHRA drag racer, owned the All-Star Circuit of Champions before the deal was done to sell it on.

Its big purses and competitive calendar set-up has seen many WoO regulars, including Australia’s own James McFadden, prioritise the High Limits season over the WoO option, which is currently in its 45th year and itself just enjoyed a record year of awarded money purses.

Tim W Neal

Image: CBM MEDIA/CRAIG MITCHELL

Image: RICHARD HATHAWAY

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BUMPER WA SPRINTCAR SEASON REVEALED

A MASSIVE 2024/25 Maddington Toyota Sprintcar series season has been unveiled headlined by the High Limit International.

To mark the 25th anniversary, a 22-round season will be spread from October 19-March 29 across three of the leading venues in Western Australia.

Perth Motorplex will host many of the big races as usual and Bunbury Speedway will also play a leading role in the busy Christmas/New Year period.

The season also includes Ellenbrook Speedway for a one-off meeting towards the end of the season at the start of March.

The highlight is the addition of High Limit Racing bringing its American stars to Perth Motorplex for three nights on December 28-30 where the feature race victory offers $100,000.

The likes of Brad Sweet, Kyle Larson, Rico Abreu, Cory Eliason and Parker Price Miller will be coming from America, whilst Australian superstar James McFadden will also be racing.

The three-night international meeting will be part of a bumper nine-round USA v WA Sprintcar Speedweek Series that kicks off in Boxing Day and concludes on January 11.

SEG chairman Geoff Kendrick said discussions with High Limit Racing began before Sweet arrived in WA for last summer’s Speedweek.

“Those conversations with Brad ramped up when we took the Americans on a boat cruise here in Perth when we had a day off from racing during Speedweek last season,” Kendrick said.

“From there serious conversations were held between

myself, Gavin Migro from the Perth Motorplex, High Limit Racing and Flo – it took a lot of meetings over winter and from there we have collectively been able to announce one of the biggest speedway events and the highest paying sprintcar race in Australia’s history.”

Overall, Kendrick feels it will be a special summer to remember.

“While a lot of attention will be on the three High Limit International nights, they are part of a big Speedweek series that will also have big payouts each night and the overall Maddington Toyota Sprintcar Series that will also have record prize money this year –  we will have more announcements on that in the near future.

“It’s been amazing from everyone involved to put this deal together and it will be a great thing for Australian speedway.

“We could have up to at least 10 American drivers here to take on local and interstate drivers which is a great showcase for sprintcar racing.

“We will have record prizemoney this season and to mark the 25th anniversary, we will also be paying $25,000 to our series champion at the end of the season.

“At our end of season awards night last season, we paid $150,000 in cash and contingencies, something we are building on and will be announcing more details on in the near future.

“And we have to acknowledge the awesome support from Paul Davies and the team from Maddington Toyota that has backed us all the way and played a pivotal role in helping us grow the sport.”

Thomas Miles

2024-25 MADDINGTON TOYOTA SPRINTCAR SERIES (subject to change)

Rd1 - Perth Motorplex - Powerpalooza - October 19

Rd2 - Perth Motorplex - Westernapolis - October 26

Rd3 - Perth Motorplex - King of Wings - November 9

Rd4 - Bunbury Speedway - November 23

Rd5

Rd12

Rd13

Rd14

Rd18 - Perth Motorplex - Krikke Boys Shootout - February 15

Rd19 - Ellenbrook Speedway - March 2

Rd20 - Perth Motorplex - Silver Cup - March 8

Rd21

Rd22

March 29

AUSSIE MOULE TAKES 410 WIN IN THE STATES

YOUNG VICTORIAN and third generation dirt tracker Todd Moule (right) has taken out a sensational 410 A-Main win in the Maverick Winged SprintCar series in Bloomington, Indiana.

Just a few weeks after SA racer Scott Bogucki took a 410 win in Knoxville, Moule – a 20-year-old racer from Heathcote, Victoria, who has also competed at the World of Outlaw series on the Brad Doty Classic weekend –took the A-Main in Bloomington against a strong field that included NASCAR driver Chase Briscoe.

After winning the Heat 2 affair from pole position, Moule started on the front row alongside Joe B. Miller in the 30 lap main. Racing in the 26AU Moule Motorsport 410 machine, Moule was the chief

challenger to the breakaway Miller over the red clay in the first 10 laps as they started to hit traffic.

Dicing through traffic with some wild moves, the Victorian jet hit the front at the halfway mark, and in a close affair of the final five laps, held off the 51B driver from Missouri.

Moule almost backed up the feat at Red Hill Raceway in Illinois, qualifying on pole for the A-Main after winning another Heat. In the 25 lap feature, Moule then led the field for 23 laps before his engine dropped a cylinder, forcing him to retire the 26AU.

With his US trip coming to an end shortly, Moule is expected to be on track for the Indiana, Lincoln Park round on August 17.

Tim W Neal

Image: RICHARD HATHAWAY

KARTING WATCH

JENNER GETS SPECIAL KARTING CROWN

THE FIRST Australian Kart Champion of 2024 is Brad Jenner (pictured) after he secured the X30 title at the latest round in Coffs Harbour.

Despite defending champion Jace Matthews fighting hard and winning all heats aside from the final, he could not stop Jenner from taking an unassailable lead in the penultimate round.

He slashed a 2.2s deficit to win the final and take a fifth career Australian title.

Jenner is the first and, to date, only Australian Karting Champion of 2024 with the rest of the classes to be determined in the season finale.

A new name rose to the occasion in the KZ2 Gearbox final with Leon Cordato taking a maiden success from the third row.

Cordite and Nik Mitic had a fierce fight for victory that went down to the final corner.

Mitic was in charge as they arrived at the final turn, but ran wide which allowed Cordato to swoop past and take a special win.

In the championship fight, only four points split leader Fife and Dicker.

Whilst there was a breakthrough success for one Cordato, the other had a tough time.

Younger brother Lewis

entered the round with a solid 23-point lead in the KA2 class, but that advantage is now just five points.

Lewis Cordato had a mixed round and a DNF and Isaac McNeill maximised his opportunity by winning the round.

McNeill dropped only one heat across the weekend and took a 1.5s win as Lewis Cordato charged from ninth to second.

Harrison Hoey put himself in the box seat to go back to back in the TaG 125 crown with a perfect weekend.

Hoey took all the heats and won the finale by 2.4s to retake the championship with a 20-point advantage over Jason Dowson.

The KA3 fight is close to being resolved with Mika Lemasurier charging 46 points clear of William Thompson.

Thompson had a tough weekend, starting with a technical problem and missed the fourth heat.

Despite the dramas he still finished third as Lemasurier won by 5s.

Christian Estasy and Dominic Penman started as championship contenders, but didn’t make it to halfway when they clashed with Jace Matthews.

Archie Bristow enjoyed a

perfect weekend and is now the clear favourite to win Cadet 12 with a strong 61-point advantage.

However, Bristow had to work hard for it after a thrilling battle with Cooper Folley.

The pair swapped the lead on several occasions before Bristow stamped his authority.

In Cadet 9 Oliver Williamson retained his advantage by taking a 6.3s triumph.

Behind him Oliver Armitt and Lazarus Anonuevo had a racelong battle for second best, which went to the latter who had his best AKC result.

There is an interesting situation in KA3 Junior with points leader Jack Szewczuk unable to race for the title in the finale due to age restrictions.

Szewczuk took a 5s victory having made a team change prior to the race.

But, due to his 16th birthday falling prior to the season finale, Szewczuk faces a nervous wait to see of the likes of Isaac McNeill can haul down his 48-point advantage.

McNeill’s hopes were hit by a late-race collision with Ayce Buckley.

The final round of the Australian Kart Championship will be at the Oakliegh Kart Club on August 31-September 1.

Thomas Miles

Image: TIM FRANCIS

DON’T STOP ME NOW

THE FIRST ever F4 Australian Championship remains all about one driver, James Piszcyk (above) as he made it nine from nine at Sydney at the weekend.

Having taken the first two rounds with ease, all eyes were on Piszcyk to see if he could continue his streak.

It turns out there was no stopping the AGI Sport driver, who remained in a league of his own.

The third round of the season saw the F4 Australia paddock join the NSW Motor Race Championships.

In Qualifying 1 it was an AGI Sport 1-2-3 with Piszcyk’s 1:29.5597 nine-tenths clear of Nicolas Stati, while a further second adrift was Seth Gilmore, who impressed as a rookie, while Nathan Gotch took Masters Class honours.

Piszcyk led away from pole in commanding fashion with Stati settling into second.

Gilmore dropped to fifth by lap two and could not regain ground, with Sebastien Amadio putting Jam Motorsport on the podium and Imogen Radburn shooting to fourth.

The race was interrupted by an early Safety Car after John Paul Drake speared off on lap two and got stuck in the outfield.

Mark Wilson was another non-finisher having stopped with mechanical dramas on lap 11.

There was no catching Piszcyk as he charged 6s ahead of Stati setting recordbreaking pace with a 1:30.6019.

But this benchmark did not stand for long as the #93 found more pace in Race 2.

It was another race marred by an early Safety Car with Lawrence Katsidis going off at Turn 2, but he was eventually able to rejoin the race.

Off the line Piszcyk went back into the lead as Radburn stalled, which sent her to the back of the train.

However, this did not stop the 18-yearold from charging back up to fourth with a late-race move on Gilmore.

Gotch went back to back in the Masters Class.

Piszcyk would cruise to a 10s win in the 16-lap affair, but the advantage would ultimately become 15s due to a track limits penalty for runner-up Stati.

With Amadio 16s adrift, second was never under threat.

Piszcyk completed the perfect weekend

with his most dominant performance yet in the all-green Race 3.

He won by a commanding 17s margin and once again lowered the lap record, to a 1:30.1767.

Stati and Radburn also impressed to make it an AGI Sport podium sweep.

The grid was set from Qualifying 2 and Radburn was the major mover up front, snatching third from Amadio.

Gotch completed a clean sweep of his own, winning the Masters Class for the weekend with a sixth place overall.

With three Aussie rounds out of the way, the championship now sets its sights globally with the next round at Malaysia’s Sepang International Circuit on September 7-8.

Thomas Miles

NSW RALLY CANCELLED

THE FOURTH round of the 2024 NSW Rally Championship was cancelled due to landslides and severe weather.

The Rally of the Bay was scheduled to take place at Batemans Bay on July 27, only for inclement weather to make it not possible.

Over 50 cars took part in the rally last year and dashed through the forests of the Eurobodalla region.

However, unfortunately that sight will not be recreated this year.

Event organisers North Shore Sporting

Car Club released a statement on the decision:

“It is with great disappointment that North Shore Sporting Car Club announce the cancellation of the 2024 Lazer Rally of the Bay. Unfortunately, recent landslides and severe weather events have rendered two of the major stages unavailable, making it impossible to proceed with the event as planned.

“The organising committee have explored every possible avenue to keep the rally on track, including a significant re-route.

“However, given the current situation and the limited time frame available, the team have found no viable options to move forward.

“Postponing the rally until later in the year is also not feasible, as the committee must consider other scheduled events and the impact on all participants and stakeholders.

“This news is devastating for everyone involved, from the dedicated and hardworking volunteers and sponsors, through to the competitors and fans who

loyally support the event.

“Despite this setback, NSSCC are committed to regrouping and starting the planning process for the 2025 Lazer Rally of the Bay, and are determined to make it an even bigger and better event!

“The organising team and NSSCC committee deeply appreciate the understanding and support during this challenging time and look forward to seeing you in 2025 for an unforgettable rally experience.”

The Lazer Rally of the Bay, organised by the North Shore Sporting Car Club, is one of the premier events on the NSW rally calendar, attracting competitors from all over the state and beyond. Known for its challenging stages and breathtaking coastal scenery, the rally has become a favourite for both drivers and spectators alike.

This year’s event was set to include stages through the stunning forests and along the beautiful riverfront, promising an exhilarating experience for all.

The next round of the NSW Rally Championship is the Narooma Forest Rally. on August 24.

Thomas Miles

NATIONALS WRAP

SMASHING SLIPPERY SMP

A WET old Sydney day greeted the competitors as the Motor Racing Australia Championship returned to Sydney Motorsport Park for their fourth Round of their series on July 27. RICCARDO BENVENUTI watched it all unfold…

SUPER TT

TODD HERRING was the fastest during a wet qualifying beating the more fancied Harrison Cooper in the AWD Evo 10. Cooper used the AWD advantage in Race 1, however Heering fought back to claim the lead and eventual win. Cooper came home in second and Matthew Holt was third. In Race 2 the previous leaders swapped position, with Cooper winning from Herring, Holt finished third. Race 3 was run in dry conditions, Herring made the best start. Cooper could not match the leader speed in dry condition. Herring won the final race and the round. Brett Mitchell in the Oztruck uses the conditions to his advantage and finished second. Copper came home in third position.

MG RACING AUSTRALIA

THE MG category was a welcome addition to the MRA series. Jac Cousin led early in the first race after starting from pole. He was hounded throughout the wet race by Warren Hotz. Hotz claimed the lead in the penultimate lap and eventually won. Cousin was

second from Blake Hotz. Warren Hotz was leading most of Race 2, but was passed by David Stone towards the end of the race. Stone won from Blake Holts and Warren Holtz. It was dominant win to Stone in the final race. Warren Hotz showed his consistency to finish second and Brayden Taylor claimed the last position on the podium.

EXCELS

THE EXCELS returned to form with a solid 25-car field. Blake Tracey dominated the meet with pole position and 3 wins out of a many starts. A commanding performance that saw him beat Connor Cooper and Nick Hough. Race 1 was run in torrential rain – Cooper finished runnerup and Hough was third. Both drivers had a chance to put pressure on the leader after a Safety Car period, but it was to no avail. Race 2 was a repeat of the first one. The third and final race saw Hough get the better of Cooper to claim second place.

MX5

JETT HERRING showed his speed by starting from pole and winning the first race. Stuart McFayden was second and Zac Raddatz third. As the conditions improved and the track dried, Raddatz came to the fore by winning the second race from Herring. Rob Kriletich was third. In the final race, Raddatz made a great start and was never headed. He won from Herring and John Fraser

CLUBMAN

IN THE Clubman Championshi, Stuart Shirvington showed great speed winning the first race from Chris Barry and Adam Srejber. During Race 2, Shirvington ran into trouble, retiring after just two laps. Allan Bugh took control of the race and won from Srejber and Graham Roberson. In the final race the drivers could show their true speed on a dry track. Bugh claimed an early lead as Shirvington retired again. Bugh powered on to take the win from Srejber. Russel Butler claimed third after a long tussle with Roberson.

FAMILY AFFAIR

THE SIXTH round of the NSW Hillclimb Championship at Oakburn Park, Tamworth on July 21 belonged to the Cox family. No one in the 40-car field could touch them as they recorded a memorable family 1-2 with Luca (above) leading Brian.

However, domination was no certainty as neither of them had recorded an outright top three before, while they only sat third and fourth at the halfway mark. Both of them left it late by nailing their ninth and final runs of the tarmac course in front of the silos behind the wheel of their OW1s. Luca Cox was well clear of the rest with an impressive 1:08.1810, which was 2.4190s clear of the next best time.

To complete a leaderboard to remember, Brian Cox won a fierce battle for second. Just half a second covered positions two to four as Peter Akers and Greg Jones pushed him hard. It was a tale of what could have been for Akers, who set his fastest time as early as Run 5, but did not return to the track.

At that stage he was almost a second clear in P1 in his Subaru Impreza and was one knocked off by the Cox pair, while Jones’ Locost GSL Clubman came within two-tenths.

Rounding out the top five was Leslie Maloney in the Ford Focus. She led an even tighter and longer train from positions 5-9 where just eight-tenths was the difference.

Maloney edged out a pair of Evos driven by Michael Boaden and Virgil Smith.

They were followed by the Toyota Celica of Allan Barnes, the Ford Laser of David Hussey and Beetle of Colin Mayman.

A further eight-tenths adrift was the leading Commodore of Riley MacQueen, who completed the top 10.

Round 7 of the NSW Hillclimb Championship is at Ringwood Park in Balickera on August 11.

Thomas Miles

Allan Bugh took out thr Clubman category while (below) Zac Raddatz did the same in the MX5 category. Below left: Super TT was close, but Todd Herring took the chocolates ... Images: RICCARDO BENVENUTI PRICELESS IMAGES

MORGAN-Horan and David Morgan have written their names into the Motorsport Australia Off Road Championship winner’s list by taking out the Loveday 400.

For both Kiwi Morgan-Horan and navigator Morgan (pictured), it was a maiden success after they overcame Brett Comiskey and Corey Cooper by just 24s on a day for the Extreme 2WD competitors.

For much of weekend, Loveday 400 honours appeared destined to go to Aaron and Chelsea Haby.

Haby started on the front foot by completing a “pretty cool” lap in the Prologue they dominated, being the only crew to do the 7km course in less than four minutes.

The father-daughter duo then carried on their momentum on Saturday where they powered to a commanding lead.

Despite contending with wet conditions, Baby used the hometown conditions to good effect and pushed their advantage to more

than four minutes across the two sections. Settling in behind were Rodyn Bailey and Dean Ellbourn and completing the an all Pro Buggy top three was Joshua Ferguson.

Things were much closer in SXS heading into the final day as just 1.8s split leader Lachlan Bailey and runner-up Glen Ackroyd. It was a tough day for reigning champion Travis Robinson, who suffered a power steering pump issue on Section 1, while Shannon Rentsch failed to make the start of Saturday with an engine failure.

The event was turned on its head early on Sunday morning when dominant lead Haby was stuck in the pits with engine dramas.

This saw Haby miss the opening section and see the commanding advantage built over two days dashed.

Morgan-Horan took the opportunity with both hands and charged to a maiden victory for both himself and navigator Morgan.

They emerged just 24s clear of Comiskey, while Finke winners Beau Robinson and

A consistent drive across the Sunday’s 200km schedule saw Horan get a maiden triumph.

“It was pretty rough out there, I just had to baby the car the last few laps there,” MorganHoran said.

“I think it worked in our favour starting in the first heat, because we started up the front there and got clear air. It was good to follow some cars before the track cut up.”

To make the win extra special, MorganHoran was thinking about not even competing in 2024 after a tough time for the family.

“At the start of the year I didn’t think I was going to race again, due to my brother passing away – but here I am, and I’m glad I came back with a win.” Morgan-Horan said.

One of the closest class battles of the day was the SXS Motorsport Australia Championship.

Just 3.8s covered James and Michael Mogford and runners-up Lachlan Bailey and Nathan Sracek.

Mogford gave it his all.

“We laid everything on the track, we had nothing left, so we had to wait around to see the boys come in. 3.8 seconds behind me and Lachy [Bailey] at the finish – that’s good racing,” Mogford said.

Pro Buggy honours went to top five finisher Roydn Bailey and Dean Ellbourne, Prolite was taken out by Mel Brandle and Liam Brandle, while Sportslite winners were Paul Tinga and William Daniel Kelsey.

The best Performance 2WD drivers were Michael Shipton and Paul Chorlton, while Production and Extreme 4WD honours went to Norman Parker/Mark Robinson and Philip Lovett/Luke Stanley respectively.

The penultimate round of 2024 is the Markwell Group Gold City 450 on August 30-September 1.

Thomas Miles

NEW WINNERS STEAL LOVEDAY BAILEY TAKES STATE HONOURS

ROYDN BAILEY and Dean Ellbourn (Element Prodigy/Toyota – pictured) claimed a lucky win in the second round of the South Australian Off-Road Championship at Loveday on July 26-28.

Aaron and Chelsea Haby dominated from the start in the factory Element Prodigy/ Toyota but suffered an engine failure on Sunday morning which propelled Bailey into a comfortable lead over WA’s Beau Robinson and Shane Hutt (Mason TT) who was on a charge after overcoming gearbox problems.

Mel and Liam Brandle  (Alumicraft/Nissan) came home a safe third after a clean race. Daryl Nissen and Andrew Harness (Sore/ Nissan) were next across the line and didn’t quite have the pace of the Brandle’s but beat home a lot of bigger budget cars. There was a gap back to New South

and

Chev) were

in P7.

Sportslite front runners Paul Tinga and William Daniel Kelsey were next home just ahead of Darren and Lewis Oliver (Tinybuilt/

Suzuki) while Ben McNamara and Wayne Pascoe (ECE/Chev) rounded out the top 10.

Victorians Joshua Ferguson and Jordon Anderson cut some fast laps in their Jimco but broke on Saturday afternoon while Kyle Tucker and Ian Wedding (Jimco) had a similar story to tell.

Class wins fell to Pro Buggy,Bailey Prolite,Brandle, Super 1650, Oliver. Extreme 2WD Robinson. Performance 2WD, Michael Shipton and Paul Chorlton (Ford Ranger/Chev) struggled with the wet conditions on Saturday morning but cruised home 14th outright, for the class win.

SXS Pro Mugford and In Sportslite, it was Patrick Geraghty that set the pace before being sidelined handing Tinga the win.

David Batchelor

BOSTON

Shane Hutt claimed valuable Championship points rounding out the podium.

Welshmen James

Michael Mogford (Can-Am) who just scrapped home ahead of locals Lachlan Bailey and Nathan Sracek (Can-Am).

Robbie Gadaleta and Alan Fennel (Jimco/

hot on the heels of the battling Can-Am’s

Image: TONY DONOGHUE

Image: DAVID BATCHELOR

NATIONALS WRAP

RACING HARD IN THE WEST

THE WA Sporting Car Club Racing Championships reached a further gear by hosting Round 4 at CARCO.com.au Raceway in mixed conditions on June 20-21.

With rain arriving on Saturday, the big field of drivers were put to the test, but raced hard around the historic circuit in the round sponsored by Valvoline.

In the end Driver of the Day awards went to Excel Enduro competitors Harrison Beres and Jake Fisher on Saturday, plus Formula Vee’s April Welsh on Sunday.

FSR SPORTS CARS

Kicking things off was the one-make FSR series where Bryce Moore started brilliantly, taking pole by over a second.

But things did not go to plan when lights went out, retiring after four laps with Chris Reindler the beneficiary.

However, Reindler found himself retiring just one lap from home in a tight Race 2 that went to Brandon Duncombe.

This meant it was anyone’s guess for the finale where Moore completed his comeback to P1, while Duncombe did enough to take pole. This means thrillingly Moore and Duncombe are level in the championship.

FORMULA FORD AND VEE’S

There is also not much in the top of the table in the Formula Ford standings after a tight battle.

Tomas Chapman started strongly, rising from third to first in the opener as just ninetenths covered positions 2-6.

However, Brock Brewer then hit back in a dramatic Race 2 where pole sitter Todd Vince was one of three retirements.

Vince fought his way up to third in the finale and was racing with the leaders when the chequered flag fell as Brewer held off Chapman in a close contest in the fight for victory.

Despite a final race DNF, Marc Redman still holds a tight five-point championship lead.

It was anyone’s guess who would take the Formula Vee 1200 honours with three winners from as many races.

Callum Lamont started strong, winning the

opener, but was forced to regret a Race 2 DNF as Jonathan Scarey went to the top.

Although April Welsh took the finale, a narrow round win went to Scarey, who emerged just two points clear. The overall standings are still well led by Callum Lamont.

Formula Vee 1600 state leader Paul Moltoni was forced to take a step back as David Caisley had a perfect weekend.

Caisley took all three heats, forcing Jason Fowler and Moltoni second and third respectively on each occasion.

MIXED MUSCLE CARS

The Sports Car, Sports Sedan and Muscle Car championships ran together.

The combined field was headlined by the Sports Cars with six Porsches and both finishes were decided by less than a second with Richard Bloomfield on top on both occasions.

Chase Hoy and Clinton Rayner shared the Muscle Car honours in their respective Mustang and Camaro drivers.

HISTORIC TOURING CARS

There was a solid field of Historic Touring Cars turning heads with Mustangs, Toranas, Monaro’s, Capris, Coopers, Jaguars and more.

From early on it was clear the Graeme Woolhouse Mustang was looking fast and he took pole and Race 1 victory.

However, he was trumped by fellow Mustang driver Peter Pisconeri in the second encounter, ensuring the round went down to the final race.

It proved to be both an exciting and

anticlimactic affair with the Monaro of John Bondi surging ahead to take the race win, whilst round honours went to runner-up Pisconeri as Woolhouse retired on lap two.

Mitch Evans didn’t have his fastest weekend but still leads the title by 14 points ahead of Stuart Young and Simon Northey.

BASED SEDANS

PRODUCTION

The Street Car, IPC and 3E Production fields were combined and there was nothing in it with just 0.0077s between IPC leaders John Callegari and Grant Gellan in qualifying.

Racing was not quite as close with Peachey the only finisher in Street Cars, Peters’ VE Commodore powering away in the Production Cars and Callegari beating Steven Turpin in IPC.

Whilst Peters and Peachey carried on their winning ways, Turpin turned the tables on Callegari in Race 2.

However, Callegari ended up taking IPC honours with a Race 3 victory as Peters and Peachey completed clean sweeps.

The only Street car within 2s of them was Ben Peachey as leading 3e was Neil Pollard.

Mick Woodbridge and Stuart Kenny had a back and forth battle for Holden HQ honours.

Woodbridge started on top with pole and held onto a thrilling Race 1 win by just a single tenth over Kenny as 1.6s covered the top five.

Kenny had his moment in Race 2, taking the lead on lap two and holding firm.

This saw the round go down to the final sprint and Woodbridge saved his best for last.

Woodbridge rose to the occasion and took

a strong 4s triumph as Davis jumped Kenny for second.

EXCELS

The Excel Cup ran three races over the day with the final being a 1 hour enduro with compulsory driver swap stop during the race. The first two races would set the grid for the final race and slippery conditions caught out Jon Scholtz in the opening turn but he managed to regain control.

As the pack entered the uphill left hander, Vagner de Souza went for a spin with multiple other competitors spinning in sympathy or running wide to avoid the Excel ballet.

At the front Jack Caiulo, Stephen McGregor and Brett Sherriff would battle out closely until an incident in the closing laps would see Sheriffs’ attempt to get past Caiulo in Turn 1 end up with Sherriff in the sand promoting Zane Rhodes to finish third behind McGregor and winner Caiulo.

Callo created a race-ending Safety Car in Race 2 that went to Carlos Ambrosio.  The final race of the day and for Excel Cup was the enduro over 60 minutes plus one lap. Multiple Safety Car periods would test the drivers, officials and teams with getting driver stops done within the allocated times and tracking exactly which car was the one to beat. Unfortunately, due to a combination of factors, the final result recorded ended up in an official protest with the result under investigation as at publication of this article.

LAP TIME CHALLENGE

Time Challenge saw drivers nominate their own time with the most consistent emerging on top, Peter Towie’s Volkswagen Golf did just that ahead of Ryan Appleby. There were over 150 volunteers making the event possible led by Chief Scrutineer John Najar and Safety Car Communicator Karen Nice, who were awarded Official of the Day honours on Saturday and Sunday respectively.

The next round of the WA Sporting Car Club Racing Championship is on September 14-15. Thomas Miles

Bryce Moore leads the pack of Radicals into Turn 1.

The Vagner de Souza/Leandro de Souza gets some air coming out of the final turn.

Images: TIM WILSON / REAL HUMAN PHOTOS / TURN  7 MEDIA

CHERRY ON TOP

THE NAMSC Club hosted the 2024 Yokohama Improved Production Nationals at hidden valley raceway and Mathew Cherry led the way in the biggest National Grassroots event in the territory.

The weekend kicked off with a full-day practice session before Adam Poole was fastest in the odd-numbered Qualifying session, while the even number session went to Cherry in his Monaro.

Heat 1 saw Poole take the lead, but later had issues and retired, allowing Matt Cherry won the 8-lap affair.

Rob Braune started on pole in the second heat of the day for the C & D groups and maintained his lead in his BMW, closely followed by Ashley Isarasena.

Poole fired back in Heats 3 and 4, dominating in his Monaro, finishing with a massive 35s second lead.

Cherry also stole the show in his hears and cruising to more commanding successes to set the scene for the decider.

The 2024 Yokohama Nationals finale featured the 18 surviving cars with Cherry’s #44 on pole and Robert Braune also on the front row, while Poole was back in 13th.

Mathew Cherry hit the lead with Braune and Isarasena close behind as a safety car was deployed on lap one due to Brent Upton’s car trouble.

When racing resumed Cherry continued to lead, battling the defending champ, Poole, who had charged through the field. However, the defending champion had to pit due to recurring issues, allowing Braune to secure second place until the last lap where Isarasena would throw a move to take second.

Rodney Jessup finished fourth after starting towards the back, while Mathew Logan took fifth as several competitors, including Poole, Brent Upton, Sue Palermo, and Craig Wright did not finish the race.

HOLDEN HQ

THE 2024 HQ Crocodile Cup featured familiar faces as they chased glory in a mix

of short sprints and longer enduro races.

The #99 of Tony Maloney and Robert Braune raced out of the blocks to take pole with a 1.33.0692 ahead of Lee Smith/Tony Bo-Bridge.

Maloney led the opening heat with Smith struggling at the start, but eventually rebounding to third with Mick Magilton finished second.

But Magilton stormed to the lead off the line and took the second heat ahead of Maloney.

The first HQ Enduro 50-minute enduro saw Magilton and Ver-Bort start from pole position and they led initially.

But Maloney/Braune took the lead before the required pit stops and eventually record a commanding 20s win ahead of Magilton/Ver-Bort while Whitehair/Ling secured third.

Attention then returned to sprint races and Lee Smith led the pack for six laps with Maloney close behind.

Magilton took the lead in the fourth and final HQ sprint race from third on the grid followed by car #99.

The #53 received a 5-second penalty to end up in 6th position as Anderson had a dramatic incident on the first lap, sliding off

track and stopping, while the #83 had to retire after completing only one lap.

Completing the weekend was the second half of the 2024 Crocodile Cup 100-minute enduro, where Magilton and Ver-Bort took the lead, followed by Maloney and Braune.

Magilton built a significant lead before pit stops, with car 99 emerging in second after a tyre change. However, car #99 suffered an engine failure near the end of the race, allowing Magilton to claim victory.

A further 28s back were Smith/Bo-Bridge finished in second place, while Whitehair and Ling secured third place.

COMMODORE CUP

THE COMMODORES had three track appearances on Saturday first and Ryan Robson took pole with a lap time of 1.19.3877 ahead of David Ling and Gary Dempsey.

P3, Eddy Austin P4, Shane Smith P5, and Geoff Cowie P6.

But when racing began, David Ling hit the lead over Ryan Robson for four laps before Robson fired back on the exit out of Turn 14.

After that, Robson increased his advantage by more than 20 seconds to secure the victory ahead of Ling.

In Race 2 Robson and Ling battled it out once more, with Robson securing the lead early on and cruising to victory.

There were intense battles for third place between Dempsey and Cowie. Robson continued his dominant performance in Race 3 despite Ling giving him a challenge for most of the race.

Cowie finished

The final Commodore Cup race began dramatically with Robson and Ling battling for the lead.

The pair made wheel-to-wheel contact and Robson spun into the armco barrier while Ling managed to control his car after gaining damage.

The race continued under Safety Car until the final two laps where Geoff Cowie cruised to the victory. Smith finished in second place as Eddy Austin got his first podium since 2015 and Gary Dempsey suffered a DNF due to issues non-involved with the major two-car incident.

EXCELS

IN THE Excels Aleeanz Voltz flew out of the blocks and set a new lap record of 1.28.4103 to secure pole position.

This left Connor Kroonstuiver and Kurtis Hinks to settle for the minor placings.

Noah Grosser 4th, Dakota Masters 5th, Hewett, G Hinks, and Robert Holloway filled the other spots. Sam Hoskins did not set a lap time.

Voltz took an early lead and ended up winning the opening race by a comfortable 10s margin.

Hinks battled Kroonstuiver for second place and ultimately finished ahead. Noah Grosser had a mechanical failure on lap eight.

Voltz fell away in the opening laps of Race 2 with brake issues where Kroonstuiver and Voltz dominated the top two spots for most of the 30-minute race. Kroonstuiver ultimately emerged on top as Grosser fought his way to second place after a previous DNF, while Voltz finished third after struggling with brake fade.

In Race 3 Kroonstuiver started from pole and dominated ahead of Grosser with Hinks on the podium. In the Excel finale, Kroonstuiver battled with Voltz, who started from the rear but would later DNF. Grosser jumped to second, followed by Kurtis and Hinks.

Jake Dunn/Northline Media

Geoff

third, while Austin placed fourth due to Shane Smith’s DNF from a tyre issue.

Mathew Cherry heads to victory in the Yokohama Nationals. Top: Ryan Robson – Commodore Cup pace-setter was a DNF after a clash with David Ling. Above: Kroonstuiver took the Excel points.

Images: JAKE DUNN/NORTHLINE MEDIA

NATIONALS WRAP

WINTON DELIVERED A GREAT FESTIVAL OF SPEED

A BIG WINTON CROWD WAS PRIVY TO THE MOST SUCCESSFUL VHRR WINTON FESTIVAL OF SPEED OVER ITS SOME 14-YEAR HISTORY, WITH PACKED GRIDS AND HUGE CROWDS SHOWING UP AS VICTORIA PUT ON A SUNNY THREE DAYS OF STELLAR HORSEPOWER FROM YESTERYEAR.

NEARLY ALL of the 38 races were at maximum grid capacity over the 28 categories, giving Winton its greatest historical bonanza, with spectators showing up in droves, with an added 400-500 magnificent display machines also punctuating the festivities.

David Bellenger, Event Director, spoke glowingly of the weekend as a whole.

“I was head down and bum up all weekend, it was a brilliant event with great energy and generally capacity fields. It was certainly the largest C & A field seen in a long time, that was my personal highlight,” Bellenger told Auto Action.

“It was three glorious days of sunshine with excellent racing and amazing crowds. There were a lot of cars parkedup off the track, and I can’t recall seeing a bigger turnout. Everyone would have gone home very satisfied in getting a bang for their buck, and the driving standards were also very good.”

With a major Ford Vs Holden motif nestled amongst the highlights, and races such as the Group N 50k Plate enduro, as well as it being the 60-year anniversary of the Mustang, there was no shortage of clean action with the on-track stuff running almost to the minute across both days.

With over 300 machines taking to the tarmac, another highlight was undoubtedly the Historic Sports Sedans, as Simon Pfitzner’s Mercedes 450 SLC took the flags on both days in the famous

ex-Brian Thompson beast.

And whilst the highly anticipated Enduro over 16 laps didn’t get its Mustang or Holden romance, it was a Mazda RX2 Coupe driven by Victoria’s own Peter McNiven that took the prize by under a second, with Bradley Tilley’s and Adam Walton’s Mustang’s filling the podium in stacked 31 car Group N grid.

Tilley did however set a new lap record in Group N on the Sunday to fly the Blue Oval flag, winning the Historic Touring Cars Race 2 as well as setting a 1:34.4471 to snatch said record.

The Group C only stoush on the Saturday also saw QLD’s Brian Henderson upset the motif, taking his 1800cap Nissan Bluebird to victory over Stephen Axisa’s Holden VH SS.

For the huge Mustang celebration, car clubs from all over Victoria brought in machines ranging from 1964-2024, with that culminating in the most popular offtrack highlight over both days.

There were so many entries for the racing at this year’s event, that Winton’s famous and most populous garage set-up in the whole of the country, wasn’t even enough to hold them all, with an extra 35 marquees required to house them.

Another of the highlights was the huge fields that showed up were the Tribute Touring Cars, Group C’s that have largely disappeared, but they managed to field a 35 strong grid.

Chairman of the Winton Festival of Speed Committee and Group C

Top: Historic Formula Fords were all action as is usual with the super-competitve open wheelers. Above: PremiAir Racing’s Peter Xiberras drove the ex-Graeme Crosby VK Group A Commodore. Below: The combined Group A and Group C cars put on some spectacular racing – a reminder of the times when they were the focus of Australian touring car fans ... Images: NEIL HAMMOND AND COLSON PHOTOGRAPHY

competitor Ian Ross, reiterated Bellinger’s views on the event.

“We were very lucky with the weather, the feedback from all the various categories was superb, and they all said it was the best meeting we’ve put on… Keeping in mind we were lucky with the sun, they all stated their desire to return next year.

“It’s turning into a genuine Festival of Speed, and the future of this event is looking very bright. With the event being streamed, we also had big numbers both locally and overseas.”

TW Neal

Peter Fowler driving the replica he built of the original Bryan Thomson Volkswagen Chev Sports Sedan. Below left: The small bore Group Nc field put on great racing all weekend.

Below: The Mazda RX2 Coupe driven by Victoria’s own Peter McNiven put in a ‘giant killing performance to take Historic Touring Cars 50k Plate Enduro.

Classic open wheeler racing.

Below: The battle for Group S Sports Car honours was a hard fought one.

NATIONALS WRAP

RETURNING TO THE TOP LEADERS CLASH

IT HAS not been an easy year for Tony D’Alberto, but he put his frustrations behind him to dominate TCR at Queensland Raceway.

Fans at Ipswich would have felt it was 2022 with D’Alberto and his Wall Racing Civic the class of the field.

He topped three of the five sessions throughout the weekend to secure his first round win of the season.

D’Alberto announced himself by sweeping Friday practice.

Despite the Wall Racing driver looking strong, he was actually beaten to pole by Tom Oliphant.

The Brit emerged on top by a meagre 0.0133s ahead of D’Alberto, while championship leader Zac Soutar was also less than a tenth away.

However, Oliphant did not enjoy the privilege of starting on pole due to a penalty for an engine change.

This put the D’Alberto in charge and he made full use of it, flying into the lead.

Soutar did not get a perfect getaway and sacrificed second to Aaron Cameron and this was the order to the finish, while

Dylan O’Keeffe was the only retirement after failing to get off the line at all.

Garry Rogers Motorsport rookie Ryan Casha had an off-track excursion at Turn 3 and settled into 10th, but this proved to be a blessing in disguise.

With Race 2 the reverse grid affair, Casha inherited pole and made the most of the opportunity.

He dominated from pole, having left Will Harris in the distance as the Wall Racing driver slumped to ninth.

Jordan Cox settled into second and stayed there despite being under pressure from Buchan.

D’Alberto had an important comeback, rising from 10th to fourth.

Both Ben Bargwanna and Cameron were victims after a clash at Turn 3.

Oliphant made contact with Bargwanna, which bounced the latter into Cameron and the pair of Peugeots were at the bottom of the leaderboard as a result.

Oliphant received a drive-through penalty as a result.

However, all the applause was for Casha as the reigning Toyota 86 champion

enjoyed his first TCR triumph.

On points, D’Alberto enjoyed pole for Race 3, which gave him he perfect platform to reassert his dominance.

He led away as Soutar struggled off the line which put him under threat to Buchan.

The pair went side-by-side and even made contact, but the Audi emerged in front.

Trying to chase them down was Cameron, but he was caught by Oliphant, who dived down the inside on Lap 18 at Turn 4, but not without contact.

The only DNF was Glenn Nirwan after a clash with Will Harris sent the Audi spearing off.

The next TCR round is at Sydney in October 18-20 where Soutar will head with a 25-point lead over Buchan.

Thomas Miles

TCR POINTS AFTER ROUND 5

1: Zac Soutar 531 points

2: Josh Buchan 504

3: Jordan Cox 479

4: Brad Harris 465

5: Ben Bargwanna 464

THE FIGHT for GT4 Australia glory reached boiling point as Ford and McLaren put on a might show at Queensland Raceway.

The opening race of the weekend was a nail biter as Mustang steered by George Miedecke/Rylan Gray (above) was embroiled in a tense fight with the Method Motorsport Artura of Nathan Morcom/Tom McLennan.

The two rivals had been fighting for 43 of the 44 laps in a stunning battle but it ultimately ended in tears.

After a lightening opening lap the #35 Ford Mustang appeared in control, with Miedecke leading the way with two laps to go.

But McLennan was right behind him and launched a move on the penultimate lap at Turn 3 where tensions boiled over.

Contact saw McLennan spin Miedecke, who had to settle for third as the former, sharing an Artura with Nathan Morcom, led a McLaren 1-2 followed by Marcos Flack and Tom Hayman.

A post-race investigation took place where McLennan was cleared and the 7s win stood.

“Tom was driving a great race up until that point,” Miedecke reacted on 7plus.

“He had a lot of pressure on me. He was strong where I was weak and I was strong where he was weak.

“Up until then I was looking forward to a high-five after the race, but I am not a real big fan of how that turned out – being backwards in the gravel when I have him enough room on the inside.”

But Miedecke was able to settle the score by smashing the field in the first three-hour enduro of the season that started at 7.30 in the morning.

Strategy opened the door with Miedecke going long in the first stint to gain track position.

From there he and Gray were unstoppable and cruised to a 50s triumph.

The Method McLarens were forced to fight for the minors with Flack/ Hayman emerging ahead of Morcom/ McLennan.

The battle for Am honours stole the show as John Bowe turned back the clock, producing a defensive masterclass to keep teammate Jamie Augustine behind.

GT4 returns to where it began, at Phillip Island, on August 23-25.

Thomas Miles

D’Alberto heads the TCR field away from the line ...

ALL AUDI

THE GT World Challenge Australia field produced some decent racing around Queensland Raceway, but one make took all the spoils – Audi.

Rookie and former Aussie F3 driver Alex Peroni enjoyed his first GT win down under alongside Mark Rosser after a crazy opener.

Then on Sunday in a tamer onehour affair, Will Brown and Brad Schumacher became the first repeat winners of the year to give Audi a clean sweep.

There was much excitement around the arrival of the Aston Martin Vantage through Volante Rosso Motorsport with youngster Alex Gardner making his debut with Ben Porter.

But the car’s racing debut will have to wait after Porter’s qualifying crash ruled it out of the weekend.

The opener was a wild affair that went down to the death under the setting sun.

Paul Stokell was fully committed off the rolling start and swooped around the outside to hit the lead.

Further back there was mayhem as Marc Cini and Koundouris spun with two other Mercedes forced to take tours of the dirt.

Stokell built a 5s lead but that was wiped out when the Safety Car arrived for Ash Samara’s spin.

Another Safety Car immediately followed when Darren Currie rotated at the final corner.

This is when teams completed their pit stop cycles and at the restart there

First-time winners Alex Peroni and Mark Rosser cross the finish line.

was more drama.

Now deeper in the pack, Stokell’s co-driver Renee Gracie tangled with Declan Fraser, which left nowhere to go for Brenton Grove. The damage saw the returning Mercedes ruled out for the remainder of the finale.

To add further drama, Supercars stars Chaz Mostert and Will Brown both toured the gravel and had to pit as a result.

After it all, the #7 Audi of Leitch was in the lead but he was then hit by two penalties that equated to 10s.

He did his best to pull a big enough gap and took the chequered flag first, but could not do hold onto the win.

That went to Peroni and Rosser, who were just four tenths clear of Jayden Ojeda as Leitch fell to third.

There was less drama in the afternoon race on Sunday where the pits made the difference.

Jayden Ojeda started from pole, but only after the Tigani team fixed a cracked brake rotor on the grid.

He led the way as Leitch flew from sixth to second and Brown in third.

But the latter held the advantage with no extra time required in the lane, seeing Schumacher emerge in P1 having changed hands with Brown.

Brown cruised home to victory, 8s ahead of Leitch/Miles and Fraser/ Hackett, as Ojeda/Lucchitti dropped to fifth.

The GT World Challenge makes a second trip to Phillip Island on August 23-25. Thomas Miles

THE HOFF STRIKES

TODD HAZELWOOD has made his move, flying into the Trans Am championship lead with a storming performance at Queensland Raceway. Three wins out of four was enough to vault Hazelwood from third to first in the standings as James Moffat and James Golding could not unlock their top speed.

The TFH driver fell four-tenths short of a clean sweep as Nathan Herne edged him out in a thriller.

The decision to change from Dodge Challenger to Ford Mustang body panels proved to be a masterstroke for Herne, who got his first Trans Am win since the second of his Aussie crowns in 2022, moving to America and returning to Australia with his own team.

The ‘Lismore Bullet’ had to fight for it seriously as he and Hazelwood went side-by-side into Turn 1.

Despite the TFH driver being on pole, Herne prevailed on the outside.

Elliott Cleary started with high hopes from third but a clutch issue saw him retire after just four laps. This allowed Jordan Boys to settle into third.

By lap 12 Hazelwood was ready to launch a counterattack on Herne and had a look at the final corner but carried too much speed.

This was the first of a number of close calls in a thrilling battle, but in the end Herne’s superior drive on exit trumped Hazelwood’s braking strength.

It all came down to the final corner as they were neck-and-neck amid tyre smoke, but Herne’s defensive work was enough to secure a special win. However, Herne might have won the battle, but Hazelwood won the war and the rest of the round.

The TFH driver took his earliest opportunity to hit the lead in Race 2 by snatching it off the start line.

With the roles reversed, Herne tried to reel in the TFH racer but ended up 1.2s back with Boys completing the podium again.

Golding and Moffat put in important drives to be in the top five and limit the damage.

All eyes were on Cleary as he soared from last to sixth, while Jackson Rice, Tom Davies and Domain Ramsay all had a DNF.

Hazelwood wrestled the championship lead off Moffat and GRM with victory in Race 3.

He wrestled the lead from Herne after an even start and a strong run down the back straight.

This proved to be the decisive moment as Hazelwood won by just 0.1857s.

Golding suffered a big blow, being stuck in third gear and drifting down to 20th.

Another fast start pushed Hazelwood to a Sunday sweep while there was drama behind.

Tom Davies and John Holinger collided and took each other into the gravel.

The fight for second was an interesting one with Boys initially holding the high ground before Herne got him after the restart.

Golding fought his way back to sixth, behind Moffat.

But now Hazelwood will be the hunted with a 38-point lead over Moffat with Bathurst the next round in November 8-10.

Thomas Miles

TRANS AM POINTS AFTER ROUND 5

1: Todd Hazelwood 672 points

2: James Moffat 634

3: Jordan Boys 627

4: James Golding 563

5: Nathan Herne 458

Images: RACE PROJECT

Hazelwood and Herne were this close all weekend ...

NATIONALS WRAP

OSCAR TARGETT reasserted his dominance in the Porsche Sprint Challenge by recording the first clean sweep of 2024, at Queensland Raceway.

Despite ceding the lead in all three races, Targett showed his racing prowess by fighting his way to victory lane on each occasion.

Despite Ayrton Hodson getting a better jump and leading the first two laps, Targett eventually had his man.

After taking the lead on Lap 3, Targett was never troubled and cruised to a commanding 6s win.

It was a much closer fight for third however with less than 2s covering positions 3-8.

After also being passed by Brock Gilchrist, Hudson had to get his elbows out to retain a podium place and did so by just four-tenths, with Ryan Suhle and Clay Osborne separated by 0.0073s behind.

The likes of Bradley Carr, Stephen Moylan and Scott Taylor all did not complete a lap.

In Race 2 Gilchrist hit the lead early

with the Team Porsche NZ and Grove Racing drivers quickly breaking free of the pack.

However, Gilchrist threw away the lead by locking up and spinning at Turn 3. This forced him to settle for ninth.

It also released Targett as he cruised to a 2s win, but it was on in the fight for second as a five-car train squabbled for the podium.

In the end Clay Osborne held on with Ryan Suhle, Ayrton Hodson and Jake

Stanalucia right behind him.

Ramu Farrell fought near the front to take Pro Am honours.

The Race 3 finale doubled as the Jim Richards Endurance Trophy affair, held over 45 minutes and 29 laps.

This time Osborne hit the lead off the line, but once again could not resist Targett’s charge as he soared past on lap two.

It would be a lead Targett would never let go of as he completed a hat-trick.

But he had to contend with two Safety Car periods as Aron Shields, Ross McGregor and Mark Darling were all taken out by incidents.

Osborne did enough to get his best round finish with second as Suhle returned to the podium in his first Porsche race since 2022.

Farrell’s clean sweep saw him take the Pro-Am round victory over points leader Lachy Harburg.

The Porsche Sprint Challenge goes racing on the Supercars stage in Tasmania on August 16-18.

Thomas Miles

MIGHTY MACMILLAN MAKING A POINT

RYAN MACMILLAN (above) was in top form at Queensland Raceway, taking all three wins in the Australian Formula Open Series.

It was more than enough to lift the Errol Gilmour Memorial Cup as the only major prize Macmillan did not enjoy was pole position, which went to Miles Bromley by a meagre margin.

Bromley’s 1:04.5723 was just 0.0269s clear of Macmillan, while Kyle Evans and Beau Russell were also not that far away.

But when racing arrived it was Macmillan’s time to shine with the #21 snatching the lead off the line and not looking back in Race 1.

He took a solid 4s win over Bromley, while Evans also held third throughout.

Race 2 was rinse and repeat with Macmillan in complete control by 8s with the only change of position in the top five Russell passing Gilmour.

After two comfortable wins, the final race was a tougher affair with a 5s penalty for Macmillan

This time Bromley got the better of his rival with a nice move down the inside at Turn 4.

He then controlled most of the race, but Macmillan bided his time and it paid off as he snatched the lead in thrilling style at the start of Lap 16.

The pair charged side-by-side into the opening corner and Macmillan was the bravest, forcing his way down the inside.

He then pulled away to take a commanding win, but the difference only ended up being half a second once the post-race penalty was applied.

Evans had a seamless drive to third, while Russell still got fourth despite spinning Chris Gilmour. Jayden Hamilton and George Kantzios failed to finish.

The penultimate round of the Australian Formula Open Championship is at Sydney Motorsport Park on October 18-20.

Thomas Miles

TUMBLING TOYOTAS

enough to snatch the round win from Stewart (leading the queue, above).

a

The third and final race of the weekend had hardly got underway before it was neutralised in dramatic fashion.

Wood was fighting for third with Charlie Parker as the field roared down the back straight for the first time.

But it all went wrong as Wood climbed over the rear right of Parker, which sent the #15 through 180 degrees.

This meant Wood skated through the braking zone on his roof and somehow avoided the others, making only light contact with the rear of Max Geoghegan before ending up in the sand where he took another barrel roll.

The aftermath saw the car finish on its roof, but importantly Wood emerged unscathed.

Despite being struck by Wood, Geoghegan was able to pull off a last-lap move on Ben Stewart to snatch the Race 3 win.

Despite the late heartbreak, it was not

The Kiwi had already won the first two races in his 99motorsport machine.

Stewart kicked off his TGRA Scholarship Series campaign perfectly with a 3s triumph.

Alice Buckley also impressed, winning a thrilling fight for second with Max Geoghegan as just half a second covered the pair.

Stewart put himself in the box seat for round honours by being victorious in Race 2 which was a much tighter affair.

Buckley led off the line and forced the Kiwi to have multiple attempts at retaking the lead.

Eventually Stewart made the decisive move on lap five and did not look back.

Now Buckley was in a fierce fight with Hayden Hume for second and lost out, dropping to fifth.

The fifth and final round of the 2024 TGRA Scholarship Series is at Sandown on August 23-25.

Thomas Miles

THE TGRA Scholarship Series trip to Queensland Raceway will be hard to forget for Jack Wood, who survived

spectacular tumble in Race 3.

OGIER SURVIVES FINNISH CHAOS

A BATTLE OF ATTRITION AND LOCAL ANGUISH PUNCTUATED RALLY FINLAND FOR ROUND 9 OF THE FIA WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP, WITH ANOTHER RAMPANT PART-TIME TOYOTA DRIVER TAKING THE WIN. TIMOTHY W NEAL REPORTS …

FOR THE sixth time this season, a parttime competitor has taken out WRC victory, with a hectic Rally Finland collected by an ominous Sebastien Ogier at the expense of his team-mate’s heartbreaking last-day retirement.

The retiree just happened to be back-toback champion Kalle Rovanpera who, at the time, was cruising to a third successive win. Ogier, the eight-time WRC champion, had only won Rally Finland once (2008), and it would’ve appeared to have stayed that way when he trailed Rovanpera by 45.8sec into the penultimate stage.

But for the second year running at his home rally, the 23-year old flipped his Yaris whilst leading after clipping an ill-placed rock in a high-speed left hander, sending his Rally1 into a roll.

Ogier’s third win of ’24 also elevates him to second in the title race.

“It’s hard to really smile right now – a win in Finland is great but it’s not the way we’d like to have it,” the Frenchman said.

“I’m very sorry for Kalle and Jonne, they had amazing pace all weekend and were unlucky with that stone on the road … it’s a big shame. That’s the way it is in rallying. We lost one in Sardinia with bad luck, and today we get one … that’s motorsport!

When pressed on whether he’d contest the rest of the championship and try for title #9, Ogier said:

“We’ll have to see, but it looks like I have no other option … I don’t know, it’s not my priority anymore, but we’ll see …”

There was a hint of suggestive smile, and his involvement at the next rally in Greece has already been confirmed.

Toyota was looking the goods for a 1-2-3 finish early, but championship hopeful Elfyn Evans fell from second on the Saturday with mechanical issues.

The biggest beneficiary was Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville, with the championship leader elevated into second by rally’s end, 40.1s in arrears.

His two biggest title challengers, Evans and Ott Tanak, both didn’t fare well, as only four Rally1 machine’s finished in the top-10, throwing the title fight into the unknown.

Taking his fourth podium of the season was Ford-M Sport’s Adrien Fourmaux (1:14.1s from Ogier), whilst Toyota’s Finnish Rally1 debutant Sami Pajari was the last of the Rally1s in fourth until Takamoto Katsuta in 19th!

There was 305.69km of timed action and,

for the first time, regulators also introduced a dashboard GPS alerted virtual chicane, where drivers had to immediately slow to 60kph before setting off again. There was also the return of the legendary Ouninpohja stage.

2017 Finland winner Esapekka Lappi took out shakedown, before the spectator-heavy 3.4km SS1 in the centre of Jyvaskyla was taken out by Neuville to end the Thursday. Friday delivered the bad weather and bad early omens for Hyundai, which entered this round with a slender one point lead in the Manufacturers battle.

It was on SS3 that the championship may have slipped away from Tanak, who rolled his i20N into retirement – his co-driver Martin Jarveoja was taken to hospital for checks.

Hyundai also lost Lappi after hitting a tree and relieving his Hyundai of its rear suspension, whilst Rovanpera went on a tear, battling oversteer to take four stages and an 8sec lead from Evans and Ogier. Takamoto was another casualty of the slippery roads, with only seven Rally1s

making it through over the days 116.3km, whilst Pajari also claimed his first ever stage win, on debut, taking out SS9.

After Saturdays 144.2km, it was hard to see that Rovanpera wouldn’t end his home duck, winning five of six to hold a 44.2sec lead over Ogier, who was elevated at the expense of Evans.

In a Super-speed Saturday, the latter’s championship hopes were damaged badly when his front right driveshaft broke in SS12 and, with Neuville up into third, his title chances look to be fading.

The biggest shock on Sunday’s closing stages was of course the rogue-rock derailing Rovanpera. The Finn was on an absolute tear after winning the first two stages of the morning, but it wasn’t to be for the second year running, with Rovanpera cutting a forlorn figure sitting on a stump in the middle of the woods.

In the end it was Ogier giving Toyota a bittersweet victory, taking out his 61st WRC win.

In WRC2 title leading Oliver Solberg took a third win for the year in his Skoda in fifth outright, 39s ahead of Jari-Matti Latvala in the GR Rally2 and Lauri Jonna in another Skoda. Notably, a Rally3 Citroen driven by Nikolay Gryazin, also finished in the top-10. And for details on Aussie Taylor Gills Junior WRC victory, see page 19.

Next up in the WRC is the Acropolis Rally Greece on September 5-8, with only Chile, Central Europe, and Japan remaining.

WRC STANDINGS AFTER 9 ROUNDS

1. Neuville 166

2. Ogier 141

3. Tanak 137

4. Evans 132

5. Fourmaux 119

Ogier flies to an unexpected win while (below) a disconsolate Kalle Rovanpera reflects on what should have been ... Bottom: Neuville at speed in the public special stage, headed for second outright. Images: MOTORSPORT IMAGES

WEC UPDATE

WITH THE FIA World Endurance Championship not back in action until September 1 at COTA, there’s been plenty of off-track news regarding both the future and the more immediate present.

Whilst Team Penske continues to lead the Drivers and Manufacturers championships via its #6 963 Porsche (above), there’s still questions about the LMDh machine’s straight line speed that was evident at Le Mans that could hold it back from taking the Driver’s wreath. But in terms of reliability it has ticked every box since, which in endurance racing, is king!

Owing to that, the long-speculated engine upgrade to flat plane crankshaft (90 degrees to 180) has now been revised in-house.

Both of Porsche’s factory cars have been regulars on the podium, whilst the Jota customer car took a shock victory at the Spa 6 Hours.

So, with near zero reliability concerns, Porsche boss Thomas Laudenbach said after Le Mans that “the car is extremely reliable and the car is fast, so why should we touch it?”

Initially, the revised twin-turbo V8 design was to counter the extra vibration on the bellhousing where the MGU is mounted, but with only limited evo-joker upgrades allowed, any major upgrade would have to be carefully considered. With Porsche also leading the IMSA championship … If it ain’t broke …

In terms of future announcements, Ferrari has put to bed any talk of its Le Mans winning 499P LMH machine crossing the Atlantic to race in North America’s IMSA series next year.

Whilst the US is a key branding ground for Ferrari’s road-going sales, the head honchos at Maranello won’t compromise any chance of WEC success in the short time, with the on-

track programme not yet two-seasons old.

That leaves 2025’s incoming Aston Martin Valkyrie as the only (and first) LMH spec machine to be entering IMSA thus far.

Another recent announcement is that Toyota’s much talked about hydrogencombustion machine, which is still in development, could enter the WEC by 2028 to race alongside its GR010 hypercar. Before that is confirmed however, there are still regulations to be set by the FIA and ACO.

Whilst the current LMH and LMDh spec rules have been extended until that time in question, FIA technical director Xavier Mestelan Pinon stated in regards that they must “define what we call the generic regulation for liquid hydrogen,” and that “we are starting from white sheet of paper. We have a lot of challenges in front of us.”

TW Neal

INDY’S INCOMING EURO FLAVOUR ENTERTAINS SARGEANT

AFTER APRIL’s confirmation that European Junior Formulae giants Prema will enter IndyCar in 2025, outgoing Williams Formula 1 driver Logan Sergeant (pictured) has been linked with one of two seats. The news that Carlos Sainz will be taking his services to the Grove based F1 outfit next year, finally drew a line through a few tumultuous years for the American driver.

His possible path to North America was confirmed when Prema Racing team principal Rene Rosin said that he had held talks with the Fort Lauderdale-born racer.

Sergeant raced for Prema during the 2020 season when he finished third behind current IndyCar and F2 champion Theo Pourchaire, and Oscar Piastri. The other seat has also been linked to another

former F3 Prema driver, Callum Ilott.

The British driver previously raced two seasons for Juncos Hollinger Racing, whilst 2024 has seen him occupy a fill-in roll for Arrows McLaren –finishing 11th at this years Indy 500 – between his WEC Hypercar duties with Porsche privateers Jota, where he was in the winning team at the Spa 6 Hour.

When they launched in April, Rosin stated that he desired to “be competitive right from the word ‘go’ with an experienced driver and, of course, one rookie.”

The Italian team is already well under way with its US plans with Fisher, Indiana, confirmed as its place of headquarters.

TW Neal

MOTOGP OPTIONS SCANT FOR MILLER

THE SEAT options for the 2025 MotoGP season are fast becoming threadbare for Aussie rider Jack Miller, who confirmed recently that his “phone isn’t ringing”.

That means that the Townsville-born rider who has raced for Honda, Ducati, and KTM over the last 10 seasons, likely faces MotoGP exile at 29-years of age.

That means recent rumours about reconnecting with Ducati via the World SuperBike Championship haven’t happened, with Miller confirming there has been no contract talk with any factory.

“It’s all rumours because frankly at the moment I have got nothing. Not one single contract,” Miller said.

“But until things are signed, sealed and delivered I’m not giving up on this.

“Can honestly say my phone ain’t ringing. I’m trying to push it from every angle I can possibly do.

“But sometimes you say things to piss people off, or whatever. It is what it is. It’s why I’ve lived my life like that … it’s been my whole career. I’m the character I am. This is what it is.

“I’m trying to do what I can do on track, because at the end of the day that’s what talks the most.”

On the WSBK rumours and whether he’d race in the production based series, Miller said that:

“Of course – the level over there is fantastic. I think the championship is cool. At the end of the day, I love racing and three races in a weekend is pretty cool. Never say never.

“I definitely feel like I have more to give here in MotoGP, but we will wait and see.”

TW Neal

Images: MOTORSPORT IMAGES

PORSCHE CONTINUES WORLD-WIDE HYPERCAR DOMINANCE

WITH TWO PREMIER-CLASS ROUNDS LEFT IN THE IMSA SPORTSCAR CHAMPIONSHIP, THE PORSCHE PENSKE OUTFIT HAS CEMENTED ITSELF ON THE TOP RUNGS IN THE HUNT FOR A BREAKTHROUGH GTP TITLE. TIMOTHY W NEAL REPORTS …

IN JUST its second year of operation running the Porsche 963 Hypercar, Team Penske finds itself on top of the sportscar world in both the North American IMSA, and FIA World Endurance Championships.

Entering the seventh round of Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) battles in IMSA’s top class at Road America, the 963 LMDh brigade were already holding sway, but with its one-two in Wisconsin, it also holds a onetwo in the Drivers’ championship.

The #6 machine piloted by Anglo-French pairing Mathieu Jaminet and Nick Tandy led home its sister #7 963 by just 0.390 seconds after two-hours and 40 minutes, with Felipe Nasr and Dane Cameron overcoming the pole-sitting #10 Acura ARX-06 to make it a red letter day for the German manufacturer.

With a 16 minute dash to the line telling the final story, only 1.5 seconds separated the top-four, with the #31 Whelen Cadillac just 1.449sec back of the leading pack.

In front of a record IMSA crowd at the Elkhart Lake track, the #6 machine took its second victory of the year despite an early driving penalty, moving to within 100 points of its garage counterpart, giving Penske its 39th IMSA victory.

After an Acura front-row lockout it came down to strategy with no fewer than six full course yellows throughout. It was a race where Porsche just got in front when it counted, pitting at the right moments, with the leading pair qualifying in sixth and ninth: respective of their finishing places.

Jaminet admitted that the win was certainly

a “long shot” in a race where there was no shortage of contact, with the Frenchman’s own words doing the race story justice.

“It was definitely intense, It was a pretty big long shot – and from the moment I got in the car,” Jaminet discussed.

“I always had in my mind that we could be good, depending on the yellows, and make it to the end. This was something I was already discussing before. I was always saving (fuel) like hell.

“In the end, we were a bit lucky with an extra lap of yellow but then, on the other hand, I wasn’t sure I could keep the lead for the last few laps because of the tyres and brakes … everything was stone cold.

“It was about surviving for the last couple of laps. Then we caught traffic and we had a couple of contacts on the last lap. We touched quite a few cars ...

“It was pure IMSA-style racing. This is why we love it and why we want to come back every time.

“You can be nowhere the day before and nowhere at the start of the race and two

hours later you come back with a big trophy.”

In the LMP2 stakes, United AutoSports continued their good run in the prototype class after its Le Mans victory, taking its first ever IMSA win with Ben Keating and Ben Hanley at the wheel.

They took the win by just over six seconds from Aussie racer Scott Andrews and American Gerry Kraut in the #79 JDC–Miller MotorSports ORECA 07.

In the GTD Pro (GT3) class there was a boil-over win, with the #35 Conquest Racing Ferrari 296 topping the field in just its second team outing, with Giacomo Altoe and Daniel Serra guiding it home over the #1 BMW M4 GT3 and #23 Aston Martin Vantage.

But as to how the premier GTP class story played out, there was plenty of muscling from the get-go …

The two Acuras led off the line ahead of the #07 Cadillac and #8 Proton customer Porsche, with Tandy clipping the second Cadillac down the field shortly after it turned green to incur a penalty.

The early yellow flags came as a result

of GTD cars, with one of the Lamborghini Hurricanes catching fire unexpectedly.

That second yellow had Acura running divergent strategies on the leading pair, with the leading ARX dropping to ninth, whilst the poleman led Phillipp Eng’s BMW.

The early-pitted Acura had been in a wheel banging-battle with Tandy as he looked to recover for the penalty, before he then wrecked his car after contact with the JDCMiller MotorSport 963, also incurring a pit penalty for the team working from outside the box.

The third Yellow came when Nick Yelloly put the #25 BMW into the fence at the Carousel, whilst Sebastien Bourdais also found the fence in the #01 Caddy.

Jaminet had moved into second with an hour remaining behind the Acura, with the latter pulling away.

With another yellow called for GTD debris, Taylor had to pit for fuel with 26 minutes left after running long and, with 16 minutes to go, at the green, Jaminet had the lead over the #31 Caddy and his teammate, with the fresh tyre’d Acura in ninth and ready for a late charge.

The Cadillac attacked hard on fresher tyres but Jaminet parried him off after briefly losing the lead, whilst that allowed the #7 Porsche in for second, whilst Taylor passed the Aitken Cadillac at the death in a thrilling finish.

Next up in IMSA in the GTD-only round at Virginia Raceway, before the all-in (GTP, LMP2, GTD) 6 Hour Battle on the Bricks at Indianapolis on September 22.

Winners, Penske Porsche winners, are grinners. Above (left): the #6 Porsche heads for victory. Above right: The Acuras took out the front row for the rolling start, but lost out on fuel consumption/strategy. Images: MOTORSPORT IMAGES

BASTIANINI’S BRITISH BRILLIANCE

THE ENTIRE MotoGP grid went retro in celebration of the premier class’ 75th anniversary, but Enea Bastianini stole the show in Silverstone.

Bastinaini was brilliant on the Ducati saluting the team’s first ever season in the premier class, flying to victories in both the Sprint and Grand Prix.

But with the second Ducati flying, Francesco Bagnaia was well below his best, which saw the championship lead change hands once again with the consistent Jorge Martin back on top.

Whilst Ducati covered the podium again, Aleix Espargaro threatened to turn back the clock to last year, taking pole by twotenths ahead of Bagnaia and Bastianini.

THE SPRINT saw an even start between Bagnaia and Espargaro who went side-byside through Turn 1, but by the time they reached Turn 3 it was Martin who had the momentum.

Martin soared into the lead as Bastianini also pounced on Espargaro, while Bagnaia fell to fourth.

Further back there was a high speed crash between Marco Bezzecchi and Franco Morbidelli. The latter dived into Abbey Corner far too hot and took out Bezzecchi in dramatic fashion.

At the start of lap two, future team-mates Brad Binder and Pedro Acosta had a sideto-side clash.

In addition to losing a significant amount of aero, it allowed Marc Marquez to pass the pair and get fifth.

The strong pace of Bastianini meant Martin was not allowed to ride into the distance in a tight two-horse race comfortably clear of Espargaro.

As the race approached midway, Bagnaia started to show his hand and crept closer to the leaders having set the fastest lap.

However, he stopped himself from making any further inroads by crashing under braking at The Loop.

The battle for the lead hotted up on lap six when Bastianini made his first move.

He dived the inside at Copse, only for Martin to perform the switchback and retain the lead after the pair charged into Maggotts side-by-side. The contest resumed as they charged down the Hanger Straight where Bastianini was able to snatch the lead for good.

Within two laps the #23 was able to pull the best part of half a second on the #89.

At the end of lap eight Marc Marquez, who looked settled in fourth, fell into the gravel on approach to Club.

Although other big Ducati names fell, Bastianini was on fire and charged to victory by more than a second.

ON SUNDAY the full field donned their retro liveries and there was little in it off the line as Bagnaia, Martin and Bastianini wrestled for track position across the first four corners.

In the end Bagnaia won the battle to lead a Ducati 1-2 as Martin settled for third ahead of Marc Marquez as Espargaro fell to fifth from pole.

But before the lap was run, Espargaro snatched fourth, while Brad Binder was an early victim going nowhere off the line.

There was heartbreak for Trackhouse as both riders Miguel Oliveria and Raul Fernandez crashed out.

A mistake at Brooklands proved costly for Bastianini as Martin slipped by before

the #23 was knocked off the podium by Espargaro a lap later.

All eyes were then on Alex Marquez and Fabio Di Giannantonio, who traded spots for sixth on no less than seven occasions within half a lap.

With the Aprilia now in clear air, it was setting a scorching pace and reeling in the leading Ducatis with the top three pulling away from the rest.

But as the race approached mid-way, things settled down with the gaps evenly split and by Lap 11 Espargaro lost his pace.

He fell a second behind the leading Ducatis and could not stop Bastianini from snatching third.

The fight for the lead then ignited as Martin launched his first assault at the start of lap 12 and made it stick.

The following lap, the Spaniard bowled a wide at Village and was very lucky to retain the lead.

By now he had two factory Ducatis on his tail with Bastianini climbing over the back wheel of Bagnaia.

This allowed Martin to pull half a second clear, which created a predicament for Ducati with Bagnaia holding up Bastinaini.

However, the #1 did not have the grip and went wide at Luffield, which solved the problem, releasing Bastianini.

Martin now enjoyed a seven-tenths advantage with seven laps to go.

Espargaro was also dropping back and could not stop Marc Marquez from taking fifth.

Bastianini produced a remarkable lap 17 to slash the gap to two-tenths with fierce commitment through Maggotts and Becketts.

On the penultimate lap the pressure became too much for Martin and he ran wide at Village.

Whilst he had retained the lead earlier, it was extremely costly on this occasion as it provided Bastianini with the perfect invitation to take P1.

The Pramac rider was not given another sniff with Bastianini blazing up the road and to a special double triumph.

The dominant weekend means the #23 cannot be discounted from the championship fight as the Austrian Grand Prix awaits in a fortnight.

Thomas Miles

MOTOGP STANDINGS AFTER ROUND 10

1: Jorge Martin 241 points

2: Francesco Bagnaia 238

3: Enea Bastianini 192

4: Marc Marquez 179

5: Maverick Vinales 130

Bastianini completed a Silverstone double. Below: The front end of Bagnaia’s bike lets go as he tries to keep with the Sprint pace. Bottom: Quarteraro and Aussie Jack Miller diced, but well back – 11th and 12th. Images: GOLD AND GOOSE

MAKING A STATEMENT

A FOURTH victory of 2024 has helped Isack Hadjar (above) tighten his grip on the FIA Formula 2 title following an impressive Feature in Spa.

All four wins have come in Features and the latest built his title advantage to 36 points over Gabriel Bortoleto.

Fans had to wait for the sight of F2 cars racing around the iconic Spa Francorchamps with the Sprint race postponed by heavy rain.

Even when lights went out, there was a further delay with the red flag being waved in the Sprint.

The Sprint started just over four hours later than originally scheduled and Zak

O’Sullivan led away in wet conditions from pole.

Ollie Bearman was one of the few drivers to make early ground, rising from 14 to seventh.

Whilst the pack safety negotiated the sketchy conditions, O’Sullivan quickly built a 2s lead and remained unchallenged until the Virtual Safety Car arrived with Pepe Marti’s Campos stopping at Pouhon on Lap 3.

A lap later the full Safety Car was deployed before the conditions worsened and the reds came out before the race was not resumed.

“The decision not to resume the FIA

LEAPING LEO

THE STAGE is set for a thrilling finale as Leonardo Fornaroli has leaped from fourth to first in the FIA Formula 3 standings after another consistent showing in Spa.

Fornaroli arrived in Belgium in fourth, seven points behind Gabriele Mini, but departs on top to get lounges wagging ahead of the Monza finale.

The Trident driver leads by just a solitary point over fellow Italian Mini, while Luke Browning remains in the frame only five points away.

The final member of the tightly bunched quartet, Arvid Lindblad, lost some ground with a second straight point-less weekend, but remains in touch.

A Sprint Race triumph for Dino Beganovic ensured the Swede is still a mathematical chance 29 points away.

The dream of Australia’s Christian Mansell being F3 champion is over after a costly weekend in Spa saw him unable to score a point.

Beganovic started the Sprint from pole but lost the lead early to Mini.

But the Swede sealed the win with a

move following an early Safety Car for Max Esterson’s heavy crash at Raidillon.

Lindblad started down in 27th and made nine places on the opening lap, but critically could not charge all the way to the points.

Browning was in the fight for third, but a tangle with Sami Meguetounif saw him drop to the back of the train, crossing the line sixth, but a penalty dropped him to 12th.

The contest for the final spot on the podium eventually went to Noel Leon after he fended off Tim Tramnitz.

Mansell stayed out of trouble and was 16th while Tommy Smith battled to 25th.

Callum Voisin steered to his way to a maiden F3 triumph in a heavily affected Feature Race.

Only seven of the 15 laps went green as three Safety Cars disrupted things.

However, none of the stoppages impacted Voisin as he fended off each challenge by Sebastian Montoya to eventually take victory by 0.9s, while Fornaroli took a vital third as his rivals tripped up.

Behind them there was high drama in the championship race with Mini being spun at

Formula 2 sprint race was taken due to the lack of visibility caused by the level of rain we have experienced in the past few hours coupled with the high-speed characteristics of the Spa-Francorchamps circuit. The safety of drivers, team members, volunteers, officials and spectators is our main priority,” the FIA explained.

This meant even more anticipation was built for the Feature Race on Sunday and there was action as soon as the lights went out.

Bearman and Marti both made lightening starts, but threw it away at La Source.

As the pair arrived the hairpin, they

also encountered a slow-moving Zane Maloney and made contact.

Beaman fired into Marti and careered into the tyres, with the Haas-bound driver blamed and receiving a five-place grid penalty for Monza.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli put himself on the back foot, suffering a 10-place grid drop due to dry ice pellets falling from his car on the formation lap which also happened at Silverstone.

Paul Aron led from pole as Hadjar blasted past Bortoleto before the Safety Car arrived.

When racing resumed another stopped arrived straight away when Rafael Villagomez spun into the path of a luckless Victor Martins at Les Combes.

There were no further interruptions however, as Hadjar hunted down Aron and made the race-winning move going down the Kemmel Straight on the third attempt.

After the stops Hadjar cruised to a 3s win, but the fight for the minor placings was unresolved.

Bortoleto caught Aron’ on fresher tyres and snatched second before the Hitech driver’s hopes were wiped out when he suddenly slowed on the final lap. This promoted Jack Crawford to third.

Formula 2 returns to Monza on August 31-September 1.

Thomas Miles

2024 F2 STANDINGS

1: Isack Hadjar 165 points

2: Gabriel Bortoleto 129

3: Paul Aron 124

4: Zane Maloney 111

5: Jak Crawford 100

La Source by Oliver Goethe.

The first Safety Car arrived after Martinius Stenshorne and ART debutant Tuukka Taponen had separate crashes at Stavelot.

A lap later Joseph Locke then tagged Sophie Floersch into the Bruxelles gravel, but in another championship-changing moment the same fate happened to Lindblad, who clashed with Mansell.

The Aussie was deemed responsible and a post-race penalty dropped him to 21st.

With three drivers covered by six points, all eyes turn to Monza for a memorable fight for the 2024 F3 title. Thomas Miles

FIA F3 CHAMPIONSHIP

1: Leonardo Fornaroli 129 points

2: Gabriele Mini 128

3: Luke Browning 123

4: Arvid Lindblad 113

5: Dino Beganovic 100

A strong Spa weekend saw Fornaroli jump to the championship lead. Image: DUTCH PHOTO AGENCY

Image: MOTORSPORT IMAGES

STRATEGY GIVES IT, STRATEGY TAKES IT AWAY

STORY: LUIS VASCONCELAS

IMAGES: MOTORSPORT IMAGES

GEORGE RUSSELL became only the fifth driver to be disqualified after being first at the end of a Formula 1 Grand Prix, after his car was found to be underweight. The Mercedes driver joined James Hunt (1976 British GP), Alain Prost (1985 San Marino GP), Ayrton Senna (1989 Japanese GP) and Michael Schumacher (1994 Belgian GP) on this list –so he can at least take solace from the fact that only World Champions have had the same cruel fate before him.

A strategic masterstroke was the key to Russell crossing the line in first place at the end of the Belgian Grand Prix, the Mercedes driver being the only front-runner to change to a one-stop strategy, jumping from P5 in the early laps to the lead without overtaking anyone.

Credit to Russell for insisting with his team this was the way to go and also by being able to keep enough tyre life to resist Lewis Hamilton’s comeback, the youngster’s final lap actually being his fastest of the afternoon!

Alas, by using almost all the rubber on that set of Hard compound tyres, Russell’s W15 was found to be 1.5 Kg underweight in postrace scrutineering, making disqualification a slam-dunk. It certainly tainted what had been a perfect day for Mercedes, Team Principal Toto Wolff admitting that, “we have to take our disqualification on the chin. We have clearly made a mistake and need to ensure we learn from it. We will go away, evaluate what happened and understand what went wrong. To lose a one-two is frustrating and we can only apologise to George who drove such a strong race.”

Before learning of his fate the youngster was understandably delighted, explaining that the team “definitely didn’t predict this win this morning in our strategy meeting, but the car was feeling really awesome, and we made a lot of changes from Friday night.

“And the tyres just felt great, so I just kept saying, you know, ‘I think we can do the onestop, I think we can do the one-stop’. And the strategy team did a really great job.”

Hamilton, who had effectively led the race from lap three, after getting ahead of Leclerc on the run down to Les Combes, accepted a win he clearly felt he deserved, saying that “I feel for George, and you don’t want to win a race through a disqualification, but we have been back in the fight for victories in the past few races.”

Before his win was confirmed, though, Hamilton was far from pleased for being left in the dark about his team mate’s strategy:

“If you listen, you could have heard what I said to the team most of the time. I think the tyres were pretty good, I still had plenty of tyres and I was going quicker. I didn’t want to stop.”

Still, he praised the way the team turned around its fortunes after a tough Friday, adding that, “we didn’t expect to be competing with the McLarens or the Red Bulls at this point in the season, with how we started off. So, for us to now have closed up and be, it’s going to be one hell of a second half of the season for sure.”

ANOTHER MISSED OPPORTUNITY FOR MCLAREN WITH VERSTAPPEN certain to get a grid penalty, McLaren looked set for another onetwo finish in Spa-Francorchamps, especially after Oscar Piastri set a blistering pace during FP2’s long runs, with Norris leading the

young Australian on the low-fuel runs. So certain was the team of its superior pace, no compromise was made to cope with the wet conditions in qualifying, where Norris and Piastri actually did quite well to secure P4 and P5 on the grid.

Norris, however, threw his advantage away over Verstappen soon after the off. While in Hungary the British driver had a bad start, dropping behind Piastri, in Spa he actually had a good reaction time but was so cautious into Turn 1, giving way too much room to his rivals that he lost three positions on the run down to Eau Rouge.

McLaren stuck to the plan and didn’t react to any undercut calls from Red Bull, so Norris stayed long in the first stint, dropping 5s behind his championship rival. And although he eventually caught up with the Dutchman, he found it impossible to stay close to the Red Bull on the downhill section and, therefore, was never in a position to successfully attack Verstappen on the way to the Les Combes chicane.

A downcast Norris blamed himself for the first corner minor off, at the end of a race, where he actually lost another two points to Verstappen:

“I just misjudged it, honestly. I just didn’t want to get taken out in Turn 1, so I left the gap and just misjudged the exit a little bit.” He then was, as usual tremendously critical of his own performance, saying that “I’ve given away a lot of points over the last three or four races, just because of stupid stuff.

“Mistakes and bad starts. Turn 1 now. I don’t know why, it’s just silly things, it’s not even difficult stuff. It’s just Turn 1, trying to stay out of trouble, trying to make sure there’s a gap and not get hit. And then I put myself off the track. Just some stupid things. The last two

The ecstacy, and agony. Russell pulled off a brilliant strategic win with a one-stop and (below) at the post-race press conference Lewis was a bit ‘contemplative’. That all changed when Russell’s car came in under weight ...

Piastri led mid-race, but had to play catch-up after a second tyre stop. Could he have won if the team had left him out there? Left (top to bottom); The pre-disqualification podium; Leclerc led into Turn 1; Verstappen did manage to keep Norris at bay. Right: Sainz’s crew got the tyre mix wrong and he struggled. Bottom: Norris’ first corner mistake proved costly.

of months now with McLaren and, more occasionally, Mercedes, having the upper hand.

or three races, I’ve just not clicked as much as I needed to. I’ve given up a lot of points, so hopefully I can come back stronger.”

For the second race running it was Oscar Piastri the most efficient of the two McLaren drivers. Beaten by Norris in qualifying, the Aussie passed his team mate out of Turn 1 but was stuck behind Pérez the entire first stint. A better run on the out lap helped Piastri passed the Red Bull driver early in the second stint, pulling away easily, closing slowly down on second placed Leclerc. Once the Monegasque and race leader Hamilton pitted, Piastri ‘s pace was seriously impressive. But even though he was telling the team that “clean air is king”, McLaren soon called him in for a last stop putting him in traffic. The youngster didn’t help his cause by arriving long in the box, losing 2s in the process and was lucky to inherit P2 after Russell was thrown out of the results. It had been another strong weekend for Piastri, who accepted “this was probably one of my best Formula 1 races ever”, smiling when he added that, “my front jack man probably doesn’t agree with that”, as the mechanic took a hit on his neck muscles when the young driver arrived too long in the box for his final stop.

Being quickly quicker than the two Mercedes, he caught up with Hamilton and Russell with two laps to go but was never close enough to attempt a move, inheriting second place, another great result, when the leader was disqualified.

VERSTAPPEN’S CHANGED TUNE

RED BULL arrived in Belgium knowing Max Verstappen would have to take a 10-place grid penalty for changing the ICE and made it a priority to help the Dutchman to pole position, so he’d start from P11. That strategy had worked in 2022, when a grid penalty dropped the World Champion to P14 and also last year, when he was quickest in Q3 but lined-up from sixth on the grid. Times, though, are a-changing and this year’s RB20 is not as dominant as Verstappen’s two previous cars. Actually, it has not been the fastest car for a couple

Red Bull was also the only top team to leave its drivers with two set of Medium tyres and one set of Hards for the race, with McLaren, Mercedes and Ferrari going the other way

The combination of needing to secure pole and placing Pérez as high as possible on the grid, to help the Dutchman’s recovery on Sunday, with protecting the Medium tyres in the race, forced the Austrian team to go for a higher downforce setting than its rivals from the start of qualifying.

In wet conditions, of course, that worked a treat, Verstappen romping to P1 in qualifying with Pérez marginally beaten by Leclerc, who inherited pole position.

In dry, hot conditions, on Sunday, that wasn’t the way to go, though and Verstappen knew before the start, he was going to be facing an uphill struggle for 44 laps.

A good first lap, combined with Norris’ mistake in Turn 1 helped the Dutchman climb to P8 by lap two, sitting right behind his championship rival.

Pitting way earlier than Norris did the trick, as the undercut worked and for the rest of

the race the boot was on the other foot, the McLaren driver finding it impossible to even attempt to overtake, as Verstappen had felt during the first stint.

Inheriting P4 thanks to Russell’s DSQ, Verstappen was a completely different man than the one we’d talked to at the end of the Hungarian Grand Prix. Calm, analytical and composed, Verstappen admitted that “we were just not faster than the cars around us, and then you just get stuck in that DRS train. I think, as a team, we maximised the performance today. Naturally, if you start P1 with the pace that we had, I think you’re fighting for the win regardless. But starting P11, I knew that it was always going to be a damage limitation race.

“Of course, looking at the championship, it was still a positive day, I extended my lead where it could’ve also easily been calculating losses. So, from that side, of course, it’s a positive day.”

And, on the same note, he concluded that, “on the other hand, having an engine penalty made our race look very different. So, it’s not very fair to fully look at my race coming from P11, because if you just start from P1, the race is very different.”

Behind the disappointing Pérez, who dropped to seventh after starting from the front row, Fernando Alonso won a race-long battle with Esteban Ocon for P8, making the most out of his one-stop strategy, with Daniel Ricciardo securing the final point at the end of a hard fought race that left him feeling, “there was nothing left on the table, for me or for the team, so we have to be happy with what we’ve got.”

FERRARI’S BACK IN THE GAME

CHARLES LECLERC started from pole position and finished third at Spa, a high-speed track where the SF-24’s bouncing problems didn’t seem to affect performance as much as it had since the Spanish Grand Prix.

The Monegasque had no answer for Verstappen in qualifying but did a great job to beat Pérez and the rest, knowing that was the real battle for pole. Sainz, who had been quicker than his team mate in Q1 and Q2, made a costly mistake into La Source at the end of the final Q3 lap and dropped to a disappointing P8.

Leading from the start, Leclerc had no answer for Hamilton’s superior pace and was passed on lap three but was still on course for an unexpected podium finish as neither Norris nor Verstappen seemed capable of gaining positions. Russell’s onestop strategy caught him out and there was no stopping Piastri in the last stint, before the Mercedes DSQ put Leclerc back on the top three.

Happy with the improved pace of his car, the Charles wasn’t however, impressed with the gap to Mercedes on race pace:

“If it was a Red Bull and the two McLaren in front of us, then I think it would have been a positive weekend. But now it was a Mercedes, which we thought we were on a par with, and they had the edge on us. So, I don’t consider this result a very positive one. McLaren and Red Bull were as quick as expected, Mercedes was faster than expected. On a normal race, dry track, it’s very difficult to keep them behind on a track like this, so we did a good job to keep Max and Lando at the end behind, but fourth was the best we could hope for today.”

For Sainz, the only front runner to start on the Hard tyre, going as long as possible was his best bet to gain some positions, but the team opted to have him discard his set of Medium tyres after only eight laps on track, so the best he could do was to beat Pérez for P7 on track, that became P6 a couple of hours later.

Naturally, the Spanish driver was not delighted with the strategy, admitting that ““starting on the Hard tyre, we even won a position, so I was very optimistic and positive about this strategy. We managed to extend it quite a bit, to lap 20, but with hindsight it was not long enough, because the one-stop seemed like a good possibility today. We didn’t do a one – but we also didn’t do an optimal two – because we boxed either too late for the two, or too early for the one. It’s easy to say now, in hindsight but I felt like the race was promising a lot more.”

Nevertheless, it was encouraging for Ferrari to be back in the mix, with a podium finish on merit helping Leclerc put behind his back the tough couple of months he had since winning his home race.

ONCE UPON A TIME –

2004 - PWR FIGHTING SABOTAGE AND DEPARTING DRIVER

A HIGHLY emotional Kees Weel raised sensational allegations that both his PWR Commodores were sabotaged at the Oran Park V8 Supercars round.

A handful of bolts – described as being brand new, between six and 10 in number, of an allen-head style, 5mm across and up to 20mm long, with washers and nuts – and a small plastic bag were discovered in the number one cylinder of Jason Bright’s PWR Racing Commodore’s Holden Motorsport engine, after the championship leader spun off course with a stuck throttle during Friday practice without completing a lap.

Weel also alluded to the steering on son Paul’s car being tampered with, though he refused to specify the damage when asked.

It was Weel’s assertion that the PWR garage at Oran Park was broken into on Thursday night:

“When we got the car back on Friday morning and we couldn’t turn the engine over, we put a borescope (a small camera used to examine engine bores) down there, and there’s a number of bolts and nuts and washers of various sizes on top of the piston that stopped the engine and a plastic bag was wrapped around the butterfly (located at the top of the air intake trumpet),” Weel

1974

FORD CONFIRMED there will be “limited activity” for the Ford Dealers Australia team in motorsport.

After some concerns, Ford Australia Marketing Director Keith Horner revealed to Auto Action that the Ford Dealers Team would be present at Mount Panorama and possibly Sandown.

At Oran Park Max Stewart romped home to start the 1974 Australian Formula 1 Championship in grand style.

Stewart won both 30-lap heats in his Chev powered Lola T332 ahead of Warwick Brown, while John Goss impressed on debut in his Matich A53.

told AA during Race 1.

“The fairy godmother didn’t just drop them in there.

“It’s an absolutely disgraceful bit of work that someone’s done, and we just don’t know who would lower themselves to that sort of thing in this category.”

Weel strongly denied that it may have simply been a crew error, either at the track or prior to reaching it.

“There’s just no way known (that it could be crew error), and I don’t say that lightly. If there was any chance it was, we wouldn’t be talking about it.”

To make matters worse for PWR, star driver Bright looked set to leave the pace-setting PWR Racing to establish his own team the following season.

Bright had never hidden his desire to establish his own racing outfit, and felt it might be time for him go out on his own.

“It’s something I’ve wanted to do for quite a while, regardless of whether the team I’m working for is good or not,” he confessed.

“I have the opportunity to do it and to do it right. I’d rather build something for myself, doing a lot of groundwork and putting it together than working for

1984

THE ‘BIG Banger’ Holden Dealer Team VK Commodores were revealed ahead of their assault on the Mountain.

The HDT revealed their stunning VK and driver line-up led by Peter Brock and Larry Perkins, joined by John Harvey and newcomer David Parsons, as the #05 aimed for a hat-trick of Great Race triumphs. Before the Big Bangers arrived, Brock had suffered a disaster in the opening endurance championship round at a wet Amaroo Park. Brock, fed up with the dreadful conditions, came into the pits way too fast and understeered straight into the rock wall, right under the press box. The race was won by Gary Scott in a Bluebird.

There was growing hope of the Adelaide Grand Prix was becoming a real possibility with September firming as the date – however, there was “still lots of talking to do,” said CAMS President John Large.”

someone else.

“Saying that, there’s nothing definite for next year. I have other options as far as driving for other teams. I’ve got four to eight weeks to make up my mind.

“I’ve got backing. I’ve done a lot of work with different sponsors and some are ready to step up a bit.

“We’re nowhere near the budget I want, but it’s achievable.

“If I can, l’m sure I can do it as well as anyone in the pit lane”

Starting his own team was only one

1994

ONE MAN not a fan of the new Albert Park Grand Prix was Sandown promotor Jon Davison, who warned of “frightening costs.”

Davison feared staging the race on a temporary street circuit “could not be justified” and believed Sandown was capable of hosting the race.

Larry Perkins was in an engine row having won the previous year’s Great Race with a Holden engine, with the spotlight on the cylinder heads, but rivals believed he should have used a Chevrolet engine like the other Commodores. Perkins said there was “an actual shortage of Chevrolet engines” and it was “totally legal” .

Benetton made plenty of headlines for the wrong reasons at Hockenheim where the infamous fiery pit stop for Jos Verstappen took place that saw his pit crew engulfed in flames due to a fuel spill following a valve failure.

option for the in-demand racer.

PWR Racing boss Kees Weel admitted that he has given Bright the option of staying with the team.

“We have a contract on the table,” Weel said.

“With Jason, nothing is in dispute. But he has indicated that he has an opportunity, that he wants to pursue his own team.

“I can’t stop that. If he wants to do that, it would be with our best wishes. We’d be disappointed, of course.”

2014

IN HIS final NASCAR Cup Series season, Marcos Ambrose best shot at securing a maiden Chase spot had faded after being second best at Watkins Glen.

Ambrose was in the mix to secure a third win at the Glen, which he needed to book a Chase spot and even led on the penultimate lap.

However, AJ Allmendinger managed to muscle his way past to snatch a maiden win.

It was heartbreak for Ambrose, who said he needed a Chase berth if he was to receive another drive with Richard Petty Motorsports.

The race was held under a dark cloud after Tony Stewart was involved in a winged Sprintcar tragedy that took the life of Kevin Ward Jnr.

Despite initially planning to race at Watkins Glen, the shaken Stewart chose not to race.