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SUPERCARS HAS JUST HAD PERHAPS ITS BIGGEST MONTH OF ‘BIG NEWS’ ANNOUNCEMENTS IN ITS HISTORY, WITH A NEW MANUFACTURER, MORE RACING KILOMETRES AND A FINALS SERIES, AS WELL AS A NEW TRAVEL PARTNER, ALL BEING THE REWARD OF PLENTY OF WORK BEHIND THE SCENES. ANDREW CLARKE REPORTS ON THE SEISMIC ACTIVITY AT SUPERCARS ...
THE PAST month has seen some announcements from Supercars that creates a seismic shift in the landscape for the country’s top motorsport category.
Less than four weeks ago, Toyota’s future involvement in the sport was released to the public followed by a full-scale mock-up of the new race car was unveiled at Bathurst.
The 2025 calendar was released with a 13th round, dramatically revised race formats and the introduction of the Sprint Cup, Endurance Cup and Finals series to change the way the sport crowns its champion.
The final big announcement was the creation of Supercars Travel, a partnership between Supercars and Sportsnet Travel that will have significant impacts in the way travel and hospitality is organised for the sport.
Because of the commercial arrangements needed for their deals, Toyota and Supercars Travel are projects that have taken more than
12 months to pull together, while work on the calendar has been progressing since the start of the year.
Since Racing Australia Consolidated Enterprises Ltd (RACE) bought the sport from Archer Capital and the teams in October 2021, it has been criticised for its lack of activity and change, but the momentum of the past month proves plenty has been happening behind the scenes to reshape the sport.
When talking with RACE Chairman Barclay Nettlefold over the weekend, it was likened to a duck swimming on the water, everything on top looked calm but under the surface there was lots of frantic activity.
“I think when you take over something that’s so big with rich history and it’s got long term contracts, you’ve got to really work with first getting the right executive in place – we have built a whole new executive team,”
“And then we had to really start to work out commercially what was right. And it takes time. You just can’t tell a government to give us approval for a new contract – you’ve got to really earn your stripes.
“I think we’ve started to succeed with all the work we’ve been doing over the past two years – with new staff like Tim Holden, Tim Watson, Mark Pejic, James Delzoppo and Tim Edwards into the executive suite. From a commercial perspective they are really starting to show their stamp on the sport.”
He said the first year of ownership was one of understanding the sport as an asset as well as the business model, and then what it should be. Then it was sorting out Gen3 amongst other things, and then turning the third year into one where some of the work was realised.
“Without sorting all that out, you really can’t push your drivers and how good they are, because they are they’re great talent. Now we can really start to focus on the drivers and promoting them.
“I think that’s going be the focus from here on. But until you’ve got the product right, it’s pretty hard to do that. The athletes need to believe in the product too.”
With all the announcements to the calendar and Toyota, Supercars Travel feels like it has slipped under the radar.
“That’s another commercial platform that starts to expose our fan base both locally and internationally to be more engaged with us to travel, to understand how to get to events and enjoy them in a way that they want.
“We’ve got a lot of positive things in the pipeline, and I just hope we just we’ll continue to keep the momentum going on in the sport now through to the end of the year. The hard work over the last few years is coming together now publicly.”
Walking up and down pitlane and cruising the paddock, it was hard to find a critic of the changes, although a few said they would remain on the fence about the Finals until they saw how it plays out. One team owner said, ‘what happens if someone wins Bathurst from outside the top 10 in the Championship and all the final races of the season from there? Don’t they deserve to win?’
But Tim Edwards over the weekend was confident the system was solid, but maybe not perfect in its first iteration and it will be fine-tuned until everyone feels it is right.
Our analysis of the calendar and Finals series starts on Page 35.
Toyota’s arrival has been extensively covered by Auto Action since the announcement in the days after Sandown and we have more coverage starting on page 14, including a look at the design process and the blending of the FT-1 concept car with the GR Supra to create the Supercar.
Supercars Travel is the one that snuck in under the big changes, but is significant for the business of Supercars and how it does corporate entertainment and travel packages. Details of that are on AA’s website.
SERIES CHAMPIONS LAST YEAR, EREBUS’S SEASON WAS DERAILED AT THE START OF 2025, WINNING BATHURST HAS EASED MOST OF THE PAIN AND RIGHTED SOME WRONGS, WHILE HE CONTINUES TO LOOK AT A YOUTH-BASED FUTURE. ANDREW CLARKE AND BRUCE WILLIAMS REPORT.
EREBUS MOTORSPORT’S title defence has been one the most disrupted titled defences since the disintegration of Dick Johnson Racing at the end of 2010. The season started with Brodie Kostecki benching himself, but last weekend reached its zenith with a dominant Bathurst win signalling both Kostecki and Erebus were back in town.
CEO Barry Ryan has been at the centre of the storm, but through it all has kept his team focussed on their jobs, working towards this win after losing momentum while also worrying about the mental health of his crew, as well now as its physical state after the coward’s attack on a team member on Sunday night.
“Just because of all the keyboard warriors and people that don’t know any facts, and if we could just avoid that, not just for us but for the interest of the sport and the mental health of all the people in it, it’d be a much better place to be,” he told Auto Action after the win.
“Personally, it’s huge because I saw what it did to our team. We won a championship. We didn’t even get to celebrate because we had all that shit thrown at us. And it flows down to
everyone, from the mechanics to the secretary, and everybody feels it.
“The sport’s so much about the mental state and momentum it’s taken us this long to get momentum, and Brodie’s happy again. Whether it’s because he’s going to DJR or not, it doesn’t matter, people just surmise that, but he’s happy again because he is in a good mental space.
“Whatever happened, that’s his business, and that’s what people don’t get. It was his business, and he’s moved on, and we’re happy for him. You know, we’ve created a Supercar champion and now a Bathurst champion. It’s full credit to our team and to Brodie and Todd, of course, but full credit to our team and all the team that stuck by us.”
The pace of the 2024 race and the lack of Safety Cars made it the fastest Bathurst 1000 in history, and Kostecki and Todd Hazelwood led for all but three laps when the Will Brown and Scott Pye car stopped for fuel one lap later three times.
When the race’s first Safety Car and Full Course Yellow appeared on lap 132, Kostecki was in control of the race, although Triple Eight thinks it was closing with a car that was
better. A final pitstop tune-up returned Kostecki to being the fastest car on the track and he controlled the race to the finish.
“I could have told you last week I felt we could win, mainly because of the mental state of the team and Brodie.
“Todd’s done a brilliant job with himself. He’s such a commercial guy, he’s bought sponsorship money to teams, and he hasn’t always been in the best team; he’d never qualified in the top 15 at Bathurst. And now he co-drives is as fast as Brodie in practice, like within tenths. And then the race he was just rock solid.
“We’ll probably lose him next year because a team will offer him stupid money, but hopefully he’ll come back with us. But we’ll just move on, we’re used to drivers leaving because that is what we do.”
The team’s second car was running fourth for much of the race, but dropped spots in the final pitstop and eventually came home in eighth.
“That full course yellow really killed him (Jack Le Brocq) and he ended up going back because he just got screwed over. As soon as a full course yellow goes green and you’re in pit
lane your race is ruined.”
He was impressed with the drive of next year’s #99 driver Cooper Murray in the Supercheap Wildcard entry, and with the rise of Jobe Stewart in the team’s Super2 supported operation he feels like he has good options for 2025.
“Cooper was unbelievable, one of the fastest drivers overall. He made an error under the safety car, but it’s his second endurance race ever; he’d never done a Bathurst. Full credit to the team behind him as well; they’ve obviously given him the right direction, but Cooper’s an exceptional talent and he’s ready to go.
“Jobe will co-drive next year because that’s our direction. We want to give these young kids a go; we want to create more champions.”
Added to that was the success of Max Geoghegan with two wins in the Toyota Gazoo Racing Australia GR Cup.
“They’re (Stewart and Geoghegan) the future of Supercars, we’ll just keep breeding them, and hopefully they’ll stick with us. But even if they don’t stick with us, we’ll be proud when they go somewhere else and they make it.”
TODD HAZELWOOD is not sure how long it will take to fully grasp that he is a Bathurst champion, but he knows this is the result of a lifetime of dreaming and the work of more than a decade.
One of the most likeable people in pitlane, Hazelwood was enjoying his win with the fans while his more reserved teammate Brodie Kostecki was soaking it all in his own way.
“I don’t know if this will sink in tonight, but it’s an unbelievable feeling,” he said while holding the Peter Brock Trophy an hour after the race. “This is something I’ve dreamt of from before I could even walk, to be honest. I’ve been obsessed with this race, obsessed with this sport. I love it to bits. And to win the greatest race in Australian motorsport is… I’m lost for words.
“It’s quite remarkable. The car was a rocket ship from start to finish. It was special and the whole team did a magnificent job, we were faultless, we were fast. Ticked all the boxes and we’re the winners.
“I just wanted to put my full focus on long runs, making sure the car was good on a full load of fuel. I didn’t care if I looked fast in the co-driver session because you don’t win Bathurst by looking fast in the co-driver session.
“We got so much valuable information out of doing those long runs with low pressures and high fuel loads. We just flew under the radar
but come the race our car was fast in the start and middle stages of the race. We probably lost a little bit of pace towards the end, but you can’t have it in all conditions.
“I’m just proud of my efforts, proud of the whole team and we’ve got the biggest prize in our hands. I couldn’t be happier.”
Hazelwood and Kostecki dominated the fastest Bathurst in history, only conceding the lead officially for three of the 161 laps during the pitstop windows. Hazelwood knew his job, and he stuck to the plan, holding his own against lead and co-drivers alike.
The key to the win was focus and preparation. The team, which was the fastest
at Bathurst in 2023 but fell short of a win, learnt its lessons and was methodical and clever in its approach and didn’t put a foot wrong all weekend. And the drivers just had to keep it all in check and not worry about lap times in practice.
“We’ve tried to stay emotionless all week, and the whole build up to this week. You never get excited about Bathurst, because you know that it can tear your heart out at any stage of the race.
“Then you get to the other side and you go, man, we’ve actually done it. It’s a weird feeling, and I think that’s probably why it might take so much to sink in. I’ve
walked away from this place with so much heartache.”
When 2023 finished, Hazelwood thought he was just doing some Trans Am and endurance racing with Erebus, but that changed in January when Kostecki stepped away from racing for a bit and he ran the first two rounds, which he thinks might have helped him this weekend.
“She’s been a crazy year. I feel like this is probably the reward that the whole team at Erebus Motorsport. As far as levels of motivation, there was a lot of heartache at the start of the year for many reasons and once we got through the first few rounds of the year, they said, ‘Hey, let’s just win Bathurst’.
“For me, it was enjoy the two rounds that I had and do a good job for the team. And fortunately, I was able to do Bathurst at the start of the year. I was on the hard tyre, but we didn’t have a very good round there. We struggled and that was burning in our minds all year.
“How can we make our race car better for Bathurst? And the team’s worked tremendously hard. Brodie’s worked incredibly hard as well. Brodie is such a smart man, he is so mechanically-minded and the way he works with George is quite impeccable.”
Hazelwood hasn’t settled his Supercars plans for next year yet. He will continue with Trans Am but will no doubt have more options today than he had last week.
RED BULL AMPOL RACING TEAM MANAGER MARK DUTTON SAYS HIS CARS WERE FAST ENOUGH FOR SECOND AND THIRD, AND THAT IS WHAT THEY GOT. HE SPOKE WITH ANDREW CLARKE WHILE PACKING UP AFTER THE REPCO BATHURST 1000 ...
RED BULL Ampol Racing filled the lower steps of the podium at Bathurst, and Mark Dutton says that with the speed of the #1 Chiko car, that is what they deserved.
“We’re definitely satisfied,” Dutton said of the team’s sixth podium in six years.
“The whole outfit dug deep and pushed hard this weekend. Today the drivers drove amazingly, the engineers and pit crew did a cracker job. Someone else was faster and they won.
“I can’t be disappointed with the team’s effort. We’ll obviously debrief and go, “Okay, what could we have done better?” But no, I’m very happy.”
He said the Scott Pye crash was only a little thing in terms of track time and the like, but it did give the crew a late night.
“Look, it’s not optimal but we’ve got the crew to deal with that stuff and the best bit about that was that straight away, the number 3, Joel, from #88 goes over,
and then Jordy, the number 1 on #88 continues on servicing that car by himself to allow that crew to tip in. And then as soon as #88 was finished, Jordy comes over and helps too.
“With the early damage we had a
couple people come down in a van and bring more parts down for us and for some other teams, so everyone tipped in. You lose a little bit of sleep but that’s part of the fun when the team is working in unison so well, to nail it perfectly.”
In terms of the race, he felt the Safety Car impacted the chances of Broc Feeney hunting down Brodie Kostecki. On T8’s calculations, Feeney was between five and 10 laps from catching Kostecki when the first and only Safety Car of the race was called, and Erebus was able to give the #1 car a tune up,
“Broc had tremendous speed and was closing in on car #1, but the Safety Car came out and Erebus did a cracker job of tuning up their car in the pit stop and turning it back into the fastest car on track. Broc was clearly the fastest car in the second-to-last stint, so full credit to them taking the opportunity to tune up.
“It wasn’t just track position – they just had a fast car. We weren’t on their back hounding them or anything like that –they pulled a gap and held it. Full credit to Erebus – last year they put it on pole and didn’t back it up in the race. This year they backed it up.”
BRAD JONES RACING HAD ANOTHER TOUGH RUN AT BATHURST, BUT TEAM OWNER BRAD JONES SAYS HE’LL BE BACK IN 2025 DESPITE WHAT SOME RUMOURS SUGGEST. HE SPOKE WITH ANDREW CLARKE ...
BRAD JONES Racing had another tough Bathurst in what, if you believe pitlane chatter, may be its final Bathurst under its current ownership structure.
While Brad Jones would neither confirm nor deny the rumours of a BJR sale to VAILO’s Aaron Hickman, he did say he will be at Bathurst next year again trying for that elusive win after three podiums in 25 attempts.
“It was such a strange race – I don’t know the last time, we only had one Safety Car,” he said. “Andre and Declan were really fast. I felt they had top five pace most of the day,
but they had a problem with the refuelling rig, so they had to come back in and that just dropped them out of position.
“I felt like Macca and Jordan did a really good job. They got stuck in a bit of traffic midrace. But I thought 13th was a good result for them. Macca’s drink bottle stopped working, so he was rooted at the end. But he runs hundreds of miles, so he was fine.
“Bryce struggled with the car all day, but I thought Jay did a really good job as did Bryce with what they had. But they had to drive the car too hard. They couldn’t quite end up with the balance that they were happy with, and
you’ve got no adjustability so they had to wait for the next pit stop, which is stupid.
“I felt this was a breakout weekend for Jaxon. He was bobbing up in the top 10. He also had a little bit of trouble with traffic. But I thought he did a good job. Probably better than the results reflected, to be honest.”
He said without Safety Cars it was hard to mix up the strategy, and with the cars so close in speed, overtaking is next to impossible.
“The cars are very hard to pass and that’s something that we probably need to look at a little bit. Unless you’ve got a decent amount of speed on someone, more than half a second,
you’re stuck. They need to do something.” He also said shortening the length of the stints may improve the race too by not making it so easy to get the co-drivers out of the way with two stints.
On the ownership front, he had previously said to Auto Action that anything is for sale at the right price, but that he would only sell if he retained the Team Principal role.
“I’m expecting to be standing here next year. I’ve been here every year, not necessarily to this race, but this or the other one, since 1995 as a competitor and I don’t intend to miss the next one.”
COOPER MURRAY WAS AMONG THE FASTEST DRIVERS AT BATHURST AND LOOKED ON COURSE TO CHALLENGE FOR A PODIUM WHEN A MINOR ERROR COST HIM ANY CHANCE. ANDREW CLARKE REPORTS ...
COOPER MURRAY’S performance at Bathurst was enough to confirm why Erebus has snapped him up to replace Brodie Kostecki next season. The 23-yearold from Melbourne was impressive in the Supercheap Auto wildcard entry in Darwin, but his charge from 16th to fourth in his first ever stint in at Bathurst, with only two spots gained through cars pitting, was even better.
Co-driving with Craig Lowndes, Murray proved he was learning from the Bathurst master.
Unfortunately, he blotted his copy book with an error during the full course yellow that earned him a pitlane penalty that pushed him down to 14th at race’s end.
“It was a bit of ‘what could have been,’ to be honest,” he said after the race. “We had amazing car speed all day. It’s just a shame one silly little mistake costs a whole day’s worth of good work, but there’s a lot of positives to take out of it and move forward into next year.
“It was very gutting; I knew it was going to happen. I engaged the limiter and then accelerated to get back to 80. But the limiter wasn’t engaged, so I had to quickly slow back down again and engage it for a second time.
“I’m not sure what happened. I don’t know if it was a human error, or me not clicking it hard enough, or if it was a technical error that caused it not to engage, but we’ll figure it out and find the solution.”
Murray was confident in the car’s pace despite qualifying in 18th, with a change to the car on Saturday morning bringing it to life.
“Ever since we changed the car Saturday morning it has been an absolute rocket. I have been really at home behind the wheel too, so I knew once I got in and I got into a nice rhythm that the car would be fast and we could climb our way through the field.
“It’s a bit of a dampener what happened, but I’m sure when I wake up tomorrow, I’ll realise how good it all was up until then and I definitely won’t take these moments for granted.”
Murray will drive full time for Erebus next year after a Super2 campaign that has been disjointed and sidetracked by some crashes, including the huge shunt that sent Cameron McLeod barrel rolling in Perth.
But he says that is all part of the learning for next season.
One bonus will be sitting in the Bathurst winning car.
“Every time I open the door, it’s going to have a little Bathurst sticker there just to remind me how fast I’ve actually got to drive the thing.
“I’ve always known I had the ability to do it; I just needed the right opportunity and the right car and it will all click. Once I got into the main game this year with the Supercheap wildcard program, I felt really at home and comfortable in the Supercars Championship.
“So that’s really a good feeling. To be honest, it feels like I’ve been doing it for years, but it’s only my third race. I think if we can be in the Playoffs next year, so after Bathurst, if we can be in the top 10, that would be an awesome first year.
“I was definitely learning this year with the wildcard program, and I’ve also had some very bad and sad moments in the Super2 series that sort-of shift your focus as well.
“I’ve just had to learn how to deal with the bad and the good and work around all that.
But it’s made me a better person this year.
“Triple Eight runs a very good operation, I can see how they’ve been at the top level for 20 years, and it’s a big kudos to them. They worked day-in-day-out to make it happen, and they worked very hard with the drivers as well.”
THE TEAM at Auto Action is excited to welcome Betty Klimenko into the ownership team with Bruce Williams and Andrew Clarke. Bruce and Andrew will continue as the business’s directors in an equal partnership between the three owners—no one shareholder has a controlling interest. All three owners of Auto Action share a commitment to and love of motorsport in Australia. They have all been part of the industry for a very long time and have invested both their own time and money in it.
“I’m not saying I’m the best person to bring feminism into a car racing magazine, but I will try being a little bit pinker because women have given a lot to get here and we need to also let them do their thing,”
Klimenko said at Bathurst last weekend.
“I’ll do my thing too, I’m not there to take it over, I’m there to enhance it and hopefully
with other women in the sport we can do things that are worthy of being in the magazine.
“It’s something I’ve always wanted to do; I even have a quill tattooed on my arm. The ‘why’ is very simple for me, I love writing.
“For me, this is fantastic.”
Separately, there is an opportunity at Auto Action to reinvigorate, look to the future, and add her voice to its direction alongside Bruce and Andrew while continuing the magazine’s focus on the broader motorsport world and the spotting of and fostering of young talent.
This is an exciting new phase for Auto Action, which has been the bible of Australian motorsport for more than 50 years. Recently, Auto Action started delivering digital magazines to various partners and it has plans to expand both its digital and print activities.
BLANCHARD
BLANCHARD RACING Team has had a tough year while expanding into a two-car operation, but nothing prepared the minnows from Box Hill for the challenges of the 2024 Bathurst 1000.
Aaron Love started the race in 20th and peaked for the race in 18th before finishing in 23rd, while James Courtney started in 23rd and finished 21st with a high of 15th during the mid-race pitstop window.
“Tough weekend, but It’s not for a lack of trying,” Courtney said. “I think we tried every possible combo, and then running the Great Race, we had quite a few little things. We had power steering cut out at one point, but to come out of it on the #7 side of the garage with no damage, that’s a good thing.
“And on the other side, with Aaron, they had minimal cosmetic stuff yesterday. But, we’ve got two straight cars going into the next one – it’s a short turnaround so that’s good. As a team, we’ll look at everything and hopefully come up with a better package next time.
“It is frustrating for everyone involved, not just us drivers, but mechanics, team owner, engineers … everyone. I’m not the only one.
“As a team we want to progress and move forward and develop. It’s just this, this game is so tough and with such a young and quite inexperienced team it makes it so much harder.”
Blanchard looked flat after the race, barely able to smile through our interview.
“It was a big challenge,” he said, not just over the weekend but running the
“I think we had one session where we had a good pace, and the rest of the weekend we struggled. Not really sure why we had that pace because there wasn’t anything that we were doing differently to what everyone else was doing.
“We changed just about everything on the car, we were running out of things to change and nothing seemed to change the feeling that the drivers were getting
nothing seems to be changing any of the feeling that the drivers are getting.”
He said it might be painful at the moment, but he thinks being self sufficient is the only way to advance as a team.
Things, however, may be looking up for Courtney though, with a chance emerging for him to be reunited with the Jaguar Formula 1 car he tested before moving to Japan and, ultitaely, joining
“It’d be cool. It’s been a long time since that happened and that event’s so good. Hopefully everything falls the right way and we can make it all happen.
“We just need to make sure there’s no calendar conflict, but my wife is due to give birth that weekend so it may be tough.
“But it would be great to get back in and have Gunther on the cans and see how we go.”
ARMIN CHAHDA, the father of Matt Chahda, has confirmed the team is intending to run a wildcard entry for this year’s Vailo Adelaide 500, with the intention of running a high-profile driver, with names like Daniel Ricciardo and Valtteri Bottas being thrown around the Bathurst paddock as possibilities.
“We have something exciting to say, that we’re looking at running a wildcard in Adelaide ... it hasn’t been a secret this weekend,” Chahda said. “I’ve spoken to Supercars, I’ve spoken to a lot of people, and we have a few potential sponsors on board already and then, after today, even with the shicker we had, people still want to be involved. So, it’s pretty cool.
“We’re just trying to cut a deal with a certain driver, if we don’t get him, then obviously I’ll get Matt to drive because today was just a big learning curve for him. What people forget is, we had two Super2 drivers, not main game drivers
and it is a big step up.”
He said for most of the day his son and Brad Vaughan were lapping in the ballpark of the mid-pack, but a couple of spins and early contact with Chaz Mostert
put them well down the order.
“It’s massive step up. We did it in 2022 and realised how big it was. We came into this with our eyes open, we learned a lot at Sandown, and these cars are different
to what we had in ‘22 and what they’re using in Super2.”
Even if he gets one of the two F1 stars in the car, he doesn’t expect that will put the car on the front row of the grid.
“It’s not easy, but these guys we are looking at are next level calibre. Depending on if we can secure one or not between now and Adelaide or whether we focus on next year with them and put Matt in the ex Broc Feeney T8 car, I haven’t made that decision yet.
“We’ve got some pretty good backing –I’ve got some people behind it, which is pretty cool when you think where we’ve come from. We have a little workshop in Albury and all these guys here working this weekend are from the workshop, which is pretty cool, and we appreciate the help we get from Triple Eight and Supercars.”
He said he needs to lock down his plans this week.
FORD’S SERIES of engine failures on the Sandown week cast a huge cloud over the 10 Fords leading into Bathurst, but a massive all-team effort got them on the grid with minimal issues in the Great Race. ANDREW CLARKE spoke with Ford’s Ben Nightingale leading into Sunday’s race:
SANDOWN COULD have been the undoing of Ford’s campaign for the 2024 Bathurst 1000 – instead, the engine failures could have saved the campaign.
Richie Stanaway ground to a violent and shuddering halt on the back straight not long into the race. But had it not been for the three failures during the Monday ride day, it could have been dismissed as a one-off and not given the full investigation … which in turn revealed a major problem.
From that day on, Dick Johnson Racing’s Motorsport Powertrains, which builds the engines, Ford Performance, and all the Ford teams banded together and worked on the fix.
The first task was to work out what happened, which was a relatively quick process. But then, implementing the fix was the next and biggest challenge, with a rebuild of at least 20 engine required in a little more than two weeks.
“Obviously Sandown presented an issue with a batch of supply crankshafts, so with Bathurst on the horizon, we immediately had to mobilise the global Ford Performance machine,” Ford Performance spokesman Ben Nightingale said at Bathurst.
“Over the last three weeks, we’ve had collaboration between DJR, our homologation team, Motorsport Powertrains, our engine supplier, Ford Performance in
are getting a brand-new motor with the GT3 spec crankshaft this weekend.”
The teams had been delivered rebuilt engines with re-purposed cranks that had previously been used and were known to be OK, then on Thursday at the Great Race two truckloads arrived with the GT3 crank engines.
The first car to run with a GT3 crack was a Blanchard Racing Team car, with the assistance of engineers from Grove Racing, in a test at Queensland Raceway where it ran without a drama.
“On reflection, the Monday ride day was actually a blessing because it highlighted the magnitude of the issue which allowed
“That was the very first crank they got brought in, as hand luggage. A member of the DJR team did three return trips to Japan last week to bring those cranks in.”
In full-on PR mode, Nightingale beamed with pride.
“It was a demonstration of what Ford Performance is capable of when we mobilise all of our resources, when there’s the focus on an issue – find a solution, and then execute to get it done.
“How this happened comes later. It’s ‘what do we do to fix it?’, and that’s where the global organisation that is Ford Performance comes into play.
“You think back to when we had Super
got them sorted, got them to Australia, and then the Motorsport Powertrains guys have done just an astoundingly good job in a tiny window, like 10 days basically, to pull it all together.
“It was really impressive collaborative effort across the board, with all five teams working together with a common goal.
“And it shows what you can do when everybody’s pulling in the same direction.” However, this may not be the end of the story.
The initial focus in building the engines was on the costs of the components, and that some of those have continued to fail on both the Ford and Chev; Motorsport
BRODIE KOSTECKI and Broc Feeney
gave it everything in pursuit of Great Race glory in a stunning run to the flag.
In the 27-lap sprint to the flag, Kostecki and Feeney charged away from the field, producing a stunning two-horse race.
The pair traded fastest laps going at breakneck speeds and in the end Kostecki’s pace was too strong, while thirdplaced Will Brown was a distant 13s away.
Kostecki lauded engineer George Commins after a late sway-bar change proved critical in unlocking the speed in the #1 uhnder the greater cloud cover.
“I cannot believe it,” Kostecki said in victory lane.
“This guy (Hazelwood) here did a stellar job and I knew we had a fast car all weekend.
“We had a really good car for the middle stint when the sun was out but as soon as the clouds came out we struggled a bit.
“George changed it up there at the end and I just had enough to stay in front of Broc, but he was breathing down my neck.
“They were 27 Shootout laps at the end there. It was balls to the walls.”
For Feeney, it was nice to get a first Bathurst podium, but he admits there is some disappointment after being second best having “left my heart out there” in a triple stint to the end.
“It feels good to be up here,” he said.
“We came up a bit short but I drove my heart out there and I’m absolute knackered.
“I don’t think I have driven so hard for so many laps before.
“We did not make any mistakes and tried our hardest but came up short.
“It was so much fun racing these guys with the level they were at.
“The last 500km of the race was insane.”
“I was in a similar position to last year with around 30 laps to go closing in on the leader and thankfully we were able to keep going.
‘The goal is to stand on the top step here but it is great to be on the podium after a day you gave it everything.’
Thomas Miles
IT WENT under the radar, but a maiden Bathurst 1000 podium for Will Brown has put him in the box seat to win the 2024 Supercars title.
As Brodie Kostecki and Broc Feeney sprinted home, Brown calmly drove the #87 to an important third-place finish, easily his best at the Mountain.
Whilst Brown and Scott Pye never quite had the pace to compete with the top two, they drove a lonely race and never had their grip on third place threatened following the opening stint.
With only Feeney finishing one place ahead of the #87 and Chaz Mostert coming fifth, a strong enduros campaign
that also included a victory at the Sandown has seen Brown build a strong points buffer.
The 26-year-old enjoys a 204-point lead over teammate Feeney, while Mostert is a further 21 back.
Whilst anything can happen at the concrete canyons of Gold Coast and Adelaide, there is a big chance the Triple Eight driver could even wrap things up before the finale.
With the Great Race out of the way and only two rounds to go, Brown admits the championship is starting to enter his mind, but his attitude will not change.
“We said after Bathurst we will start
looking at the championship so it will start playing on my mind a bit,” he said.
“We have Gold Coast and Adelaide and I still want to win races at two great events.
“I don’t want to run around and just get points because that tends to be how you lose them so we will go out and race hard as we can and see what happens. Will just take it as it comes.
“It is tough I have not been in this position in Supercars, but I have in other championships and if you start thinking about it and drive defensively that’s when things can go wrong.”
Thomas Miles
TEAM 18 has been in the news recently and owner Charlie Schwerkolt took the opportunity at the Bathurst 1000 to address some of the speculation.
Toyota will join Supercars in 2026 with Walkinshaw Andretti United being the homologation team, with four GR Supras on the grid.
But only two of them will be run by WAU, leaving the door open for another team to make a big manufacturer switch.
The one Supercars team on the grid with the arguably the biggest connections to Toyota is Team 18 through Toyota Forklifts. They were the main sponsor for Scott Pye’s #20 Camaro at select events in 2023 and have been a long time
supporter of the team.
Whilst many believe Team 18 is the frontrunner to race a Supra in 2026, Schwerkolt would not reveal anything:
“I would look at it for sure,” he said.
“Obviously I’ve got a relationship with Toyota and all that sort of stuff, but I think they are going to go through a tender process (and) see what happens, so we will see where it goes.”
Schwerkolt also took the opportunity to explain why veteran Mark Winterbottom was let go for Anton De Pasquale.
“Youth for one. He is quick and speedy and it was something we could progress to three to four years down the track,” he explained.
“Mark has been great for us as a team and an incredible ambassador for us but it was time to move on at some stage.
“David is not young either and still has a few years left, but Mark is right at the end of his career so it was time to look for something a bit more youthful.”
The 2024 Great Race was another one to forget for Team 18 with Reynolds/Luff crawling to 24th with a car still struggling to recover from the qualifying crash, while Winterbottom and Caruso battled all weekend and finished 18th.
‘Frosty’ labelled the #18 Camaro (above) as “probably one of the slowest that we’ve ever had here too.”
With his future up in the air, Winterbottom
made a vow to find a seat where he could win the Great Race.
“That was one of the toughest weekends I think we’ve had here,” Winterbottom said.
“I’ve got two rounds to go, going to enjoy my last couple of rounds, but I’ll make sure when I come back to Bathurst next year, I’m coming here to win.”
Thomas Miles
A MAIDEN Super2 win has thrown Aaron Cameron (above) into the title race, but he still has “no idea” what is in store for 2025.
Despite a mechanical DNF robbing him of second in the Bathurst opener, Cameron owned Saturday in Super2.
After storming to pole with a recordbreaking 2:04.7010s – almost a second quicker than the Supercars pole lap – the Kelly Racing driver cruised to a comfortable maiden victory.
Suddenly Cameron now sits second in the Super2 standings, just 39 points away from new leader, Zach Bates.
Cameron admitted the win is a sweet reward for the hard work he and the team have put in since joining forces at Sandown in 2023.
“It is bloody good actually and validation for what we have been doing,” Cameron told Auto Action.
“The purpose at the start of the year was to have a proper crack at Super2 and to do it in front of all of these race teams.
“It has been a long time coming.”
Despite being in contention to win the Super2 title, Cameron’s future is not clear.
Having driven his first Supercars rounds
as a co-driver with Aaron Love this year, he revealed a return to the main game is likely.
However, anything outside of that is unclear for the versatile racer who has successfully steered both TCR and S5000 in recent years.
“Super2 is a big budget and for me it was never really attainable which is why at 24 it is only my first year. I have done a lot of groundwork with Garry and Barry Rogers in TCRs which I owe a lot too and without that I would not be here.
“I don’t know if we do Super2 again next year because the budgets are so
big for this category.
“At this point of time I actually have no idea.
“There is a good chance I will be codriving again, but aside from that I do not know.
“We would all like to get into the main game at some point.
“I am a pretty realistic person and really happy being a co-driver at the moment.”
Things could change if Cameron can snatch the Super2 title at Adelaide in a month’s time.
Thomas Miles
A BREAKTHROUGH Super2 victory could just be the start for Jobe Stewart (right) after his success at Mount Panorama.
Having come so close on debut at the Bathurst 500 in February, nothing was going to stop Stewart when he returned to the lead of a Dunlop Series race at the same circuit eight months later.
The Image Racing Super2 rookie dominated and won by a commanding 13s.
It comes at an important time too, with Erebus Motorsport CEO Barry Ryan hinting that Erebus Academy member Stewart will co-drive one of its two Camaros when it defends the Peter Brock Trophy next year.
“Jobe will co-drive next year because that’s our direction,” Ryan told Auto Action.
“We want to give these young kids a go; we want to create more champions.”
The win was a bit of validation for Stewart and Image Racing after an up-and-down season.
But most importantly, it was an emotional one as it was the team’s first since the passing of key team member Dana Wyhoon.
Unfortunately team owner Terry Wyhoon was unable to witness the success due to a finger injury on the morning of the race.
“To get my first win at one of the best tracks in the world is awesome,” he told Auto Action post race.
“I think he is doing alright and he messaged me saying ‘good job.’
“Terry hurt his finger this morning and so he’s at a hospital in Orange which sucks.
“Everyone is always thinking about Dana. She was heavily involved in the team and
especially away from the track.
“We all miss her every day so this win is for her.”
After some disappointing rounds at Wanneroo and Townsville, Stewart bounced back in Sandown where he fell one point short of a maiden round win and carried on the momentum at Mount Panorama.
Whilst Saturday did not go to plan, with flat tyres forcing him into retirement, a fantastic Friday will live long in the memory.
“We started off the year almost perfectly, but it went a bit downhill,” he said.
“The team have been working hard and never gave up and we bounced back brilliantly at Sandown.
“The car was fast here since Thursday practice and we barely touched it.”
Thomas Miles
SHANE VAN Gisbergen fell heartbreakingly short of the next phase of the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs.
Despite finishing the Charlotte ROVAL race in a solid third, van Gisbergen missed the cut to progress into the Round of 8 by by two points after Jesse Love climbed from 25th to 19th to knock him out.
Kaulig Racing rolled the dice by not taking fresh tyres with 12 to go and it did not pay off.
“We had a good crack at it, but just gutted for the whole team. It was a bit of a rollercoaster all race and just wish last weekend would have gone better,” van Gisbergen said.
A TOTAL of 93 competitors will compete at this years
Motorsport Australia Hillclimb Championship, held at Bryant Park and hosted by Gippsland Car Club from 24-27th October.
The entrants include multiple past Australian Hillclimb Champions including Dean Tighe, Dean Amos, Greg Ackland and Brett Hayward, along with recent State champions like Mike Barker and David Mahon, as well as a number of class hillclimb champions from Victoria and interstate.
The event will be run over four days, with Thursday and Friday being practice for competitors, with Saturday and Sunday being the days of timed competition with the Bryant Park Figure 8 layout to be used.
Spectator entry will be free for the four days.
DECLAN FRASER sadly does not have a home to return to after the Bathurst 1000.
As Andre Heimgartner took on the Top 10 Shootout on Saturday, the house Fraser was renting on the Gold Coast was burnt down.
Unfortunately, Fraser had possessions including his championship trophies and motorsport memorabilia in the house. A family of three escaped the blaze unharmed, but the house was destroyed.
Gold Coast fire department’s Mark Walding said: “It’s been gutted basically, so the house will have to be pulled down totally and rebuilt.” An early fuelling issue saw Heimgartner and Fraser’s Bathurst challenge fade ...
TGR will provide design, technical and manufacturing services to the US F1 team, while Haas will offer expertise and commercial benefits in return. Toyota Gazoo drivers, engineers and even mechanics will be involved in Haas F1 tests – helping them to understand the challenges of modern elite motorsport machinery in a live environment.
The Haas team will have access and use of the former Toyota F1 facility in Cologne. Toyota’s staff will assist Haas with aerodynamic development along with the design and manufacture of carbon fibre parts. Toyota will also assist in the construction of a new Simulator facilty at Banbury (where Haas is based in the UK).
THE TECHNICAL partnership Haas and Toyota Gazoo Racing announced on Friday is clearly a great step in the right direction for the American team and also offers obvious benefits for the Japanese manufacturer’s racing department – but it will be a difficult balancing act for all parties involved.
There is no doubt that the Haas team, managed by Ayao Komatsu, will retain full control of the design and development of its future cars, but the co-ordination of the work that will be done by the project group, (largely based in Maranello, next to Ferrari’s premises, and majorly formed by former Ferrari designers) with the manufacturing and development work that will take place in Cologne, plus what Dallara will continue to do in its own factory in Italy, will be a very complicated arrangement to manage.
Haas will benefit from this link with Toyota, because it will gain access to
more qualified personnel, the latest technology available in motor racing, as well faster production of parts for its cars and all the commercial benefits that come from partnering with one of the most important car manufacturers in the world.
On the other hand, the coordination between what will be designed in Maranello with what will be developed in Cologne, what will be manufactured in Varano de Melegari and what will be assembled in Banbury, to be raced all over the world, won’t be an easy task to achieve.
For example, Renault CEO Luca di Meo recently admitted that the only way he could make the Alpine F1 Team successful, while designing and building chassis and Power Units, would have been to move the entire structure to Enstone. The impossibility of moving the engine department from Viry-Chatillon was what led to his decision to kill the 2026 Power Unit program and try to sort a deal to run with Mercedes’ Power Units in the future.
Ferrari has always had its chassis and engine structures housed together, Mercedes has the Brackley and Brixworth factory withing a 45 minutes drive from each other, and now that Audi has decided to enter Formula 1, it has built a new factory for the design and development of its first Grand Prix engines as close to the Swiss border and the Hinwill factory, as possible. Clearly, teams believe that proximity of all its departments is crucial for their efficiency and have gone to great lenghts to achieve it.
Haas, on the other hand, will now operate from at least four different locations (with still some part of the team still based in North Carolina), so the success of the co-ordination between all these different departments and the ability to guarantee there won’t be any overlaping of work will be crucial. Time will tell how the smallest team in Grand Prix racing will evolve under this new structure, but these are certainly exciting times for Haas and for the racing arm of Toyota in Europe.
round of the Australian Superbike Championship.
It doubled as the first race meeting held at what was once known as Wakefield Park since it was taken over and given new life by Steve Shelley following the 2022 closure.
Over the following 18 months, Steve Shelley, plus his team of workers and local volunteers have worked tirelessly to introduce layout changes, safety improvements, new pit facilities, sound barriers/viewing mounds, new timing technology and more.
All of this was on full display as One Raceway was opened in grand style with around 4,500 fans coming to watch Broc Pearson win the Superbikes.
The man behind it all, One Raceway owner, Shelley, admitted it was an emotional moment to bring the track
back to Goulburn.
“I could not be prouder,” Shelley told Auto Action.
“It was a goosebumps moment to see the culmination of all the hard work from my brothers, my son, the team and all of our fantastic workers, contractors and volunteers, who have been working for basically seven days a week for 18 months.
“I would just like to acknowledge how appreciative I am of everyone who dug
deep to meet the deadline.
“Some of our suppliers worked through to late and even electricians and plumbers were planting trees and laying down turf so everybody dug in, getting behind the cause in a way I will always appreciate and be thankful for.
“It was just a wonderful event and a very rewarding experience.”
A big feature on One Raceway will appear in the next issue of Auto Action Thomas Miles
FOR THE first time, the Race of Champions event will be coming to Australia with Sydney hosting the 2025 event.
On March 7-8 2025, Sydney’s Accor stadium, with a capacity of 83,500 in Sydney Olympic Park, will host some of the biggest names in global motorsport go head -to-head in identical cars.
The most successful Supercars driver ever in Jamie Whincup has already been confirmed to participate in the event that will attack stars from Formula 1, INDYCAR, Le Mans, World Rally and more.
With a history dating back to 1988, the Race Of Champions has been held at some of the world’s greatest venues –including Beijing’s Bird’s Nest Olympic Stadium, Stade de France in Paris, London’s Olympic Stadium and Wembley Stadium, Mexico City’s Foro Sol plus a wide range of exotic locations all over the Globe from Bangkok, Barbados, Miami, Riyadh, Mexico City and the Arctic Circle in Sweden.
Sydney’s Olympic stadium will join that list next year with a figure eight parallel track set to be constructed on the venue.
The event is well-timed, being just a week before the Australian Grand Prix begins the 2025 Formula 1 season.
Race Of Champions President and CoFounder Fredrik Johnsson believes Accor Stadium and Australia deserved the global event.
“We are incredibly excited to bring the Race Of Champions to Australia for the first time ever,” he said.
“ROC has always been about pushing drivers to their limits in unique conditions.
Australia has a rich motorsport heritage.
“We’re looking forward to celebrating that by pitting some of the best Australian drivers against some of the world’s most legendary racing stars in a spectacular showdown in the middle of Accor Stadium.”
Whincup already has experience of the Race of Champions and cannot wait to see it on home turf.
“I had a great time competing at the Race Of Champions World Finals in Bangkok and Barbados,” he said.
“I’m thrilled to be part of the ROC driver line-up again in 2025, especially with the event being hosted in Sydney.
“Competing alongside some of the best drivers in the world from so many different racing series is always an incredible challenge and representing Australian motorsport on home soil now that ROC
comes to Australia for the first time makes it even more special.
“I can’t wait to get out there and give it everything for the Aussie fans.”
Thomas Miles
THE STAGE is set for a big GR86 Championship in New Zealand this summer with Bridgestone returning as the title sponsor.
The 2024/25 Bridgestone GR86 Championship will begin at Taupo at the end of November and also wrap up at the same circuit when the Supercars arrive in April.
Thanks to the deal, both the GR86 and the forthcoming Toyota 86 Trophy series will run on the Potenza RE-71RS semi-slick tyre.
It will be the first season with the new generation car and TGRNZ Motorsport Manager Nicolas Caillol is looking forward to an exciting season.
“The RE-71RS has performed exceptionally well during the testing programme for the new GR86 and will bring out the best in the car, which is quicker and more focussed on track performance than the old car,” he said. “The Toyota 86 Championship had a rich history of producing great racing and great talent and this will continue with the Bridgestone GR86 Championship.
“Having a common tyre in both the GR86 Championship and the Toyota 86 Trophy Series will also provide valuable continuity for
developing drivers looking to step from the TR86 to the new GR86.”
Bridgestone Director of New Zealand Business, John Staples, believes the GR86 Championship will be a great platform for the brand.
“We’re excited to be the title partner of the Bridgestone GR86 Championship because motorsport is deeply embedded in our company’s heritage,” Staples said.
“The series has a highly engaged fanbase and plays such a pivotal role in launching the careers of Kiwi racers.
“We’re looking forward to sharing the passion with the teams and drivers, and also using the undeniable synergy between Bridgestone and TOYOTA GAZOO Racing New Zealand to showcase our Potenza range of performance tyres, and in particular, the Potenza RE-71RS semi slick the championship will utilise.”
The championship will take some of the sport’s biggest rising stars in New Zealand all around the country from the north to the south island.
In addition to the trips to Taupo, Hampton Downs also hosts two rounds.
A trip to Teretonga Park arrives in February, whilst it will be part of the support program for the 69th New Zealand Grand Prix at Highlands a week later.
2024/25 GR86 CHAMPIONSHIP
ROUND 1: 22-24 November 2024, Taupo International Motorsport Park
ROUND 2: 17-19 January 2025, Hampton Downs Motorsport Park (International Layout)
ROUND 3: 31 Jan – 2 February 2025, Teretonga Park, Invercargill
ROUND 4: 7 – 9 February 2025, Highlands Motorsport Park, 69th New Zealand Grand Prix
ROUND 5: 21-23 March 2025, Hampton Downs Motorsport Park (National Layout) ROUND 6: 11-13 April 2025, Taupo International Motorsport Park - Supercars
TOYOTA’S SEAN HANLEY IS BUZZING AFTER THE ‘HIGH’ OF THE BATHURST RELEASE OF THE TOYOTA GR SUPRA RACING CAR, SO MUCH SO THAT HE WISHES THE NUMBER WAS 2025, NOT 2026. BUT HE DOES HAVE TO WAIT, AS DOES THE SERIES, FOR TOYOTA’S DEBUT, BECAUSE THERE IS STILL A MOUNTAIN OF WORK TO BE COMPLETED. ANDREW CLARKE SPOKE TO HANLEY AND NIC HOGIOS ABOUT THE PROJECT ...
THE GR Supra’s launch, at Bathurst, revealed a full-scale clay model of the early design concept of the first race car, designed by Toyota in Australia for racing in Australia. As befitting the biggest automotive manufacturer in the world, it splashed out with a fascinating launch that had the design team headed by Nic Hogios continuing to work on the car in Garage 19 of the Bathurst pitlane
For those involved in this project from the start, Bathurst is the next critical point in the process. It’s not that there was ever any chance of a backflip – but now there is no going back, and it is full steam ahead getting ready to release its work to the homologation team to start the testing process that will involve wind tunnels and transient dynos. Hanley, one of Toyota’s top executives and
the man in charge of, amongst other things, the brand’s marketing spend, was like a kid in the candy store. A Brisbane Lions devotee who was out on the ground at the MCG when the Lions held the AFL Premiership Cup, he’s had a big month. And after 18 months of toiling away in secret, he’s was now able to show his new toy to the world on the same weekend Toyota announced a return to F1.
“It’s a fantastic feeling; it’s one of those days where you’re not working. It’s one of those days where you’re just loving what you’re doing and representing the Toyota GAZOO Racing Australia team – and indeed the team of people at Toyota in Australia – that have done all the design work. Many of them are here today. Many of them aren’t here today to see the fruits of their labour,” he said.
“For all those people, to see it finally
happen is possibly the most exciting part for me because it’s the culmination of a lot of people doing a lot of things. There’s been a lot of key players – Neil Crompton being one of them, Vin Naidoo being another ... a lot of key players, but they were supported well. It’s been such a team effort. It’s been a secret little passion that I’ve had at Toyota for about 20-plus years.”
Which beggars the question – why now?
“Every time I talked about it, it felt like we should be there, but we could never make it happen. I don’t see that as a failing though –on behalf of anyone involved in the decisionmaking, because they were decisions that I was part of, and I supported – it just wasn’t right time.
“But today, it feels right. It feels like, ‘yes, we can make it happen’ whereas in the times before we wanted to make it happen (it wasn’t).”
From the outside now, it feels like the project is so well advanced you wonder why it is not next year! But there is a large body of work left to complete. The design of the car, for instance, is simply that as we’ll get to complete it later. The engine has been chosen, but there’s a lot to go there too.
“I just said before that I wished the car already had wheels and an engine, but that’s good because that just testifies to the excitement that we’re all feeling. I’m not a motorsport expert – I don’t want to profess to be that – but I wonder whether the excitement of today is overtaking the reality of the challenge we’re really facing. So, there’s that element tucked away in the darkness.”
because they have what they believe is the right car in the GR Supra – and don’t believe the rumours of its demise as a road car in 2026 because he says that may not be the case; and it’s the right platform for it to happen. Gen3 is coupe based and, with a little bit of stretching here and there, the Supra fits the dimensions required without losing its road car links and looks.
“All the rule changes over the last years are a big reason as to why we’re here today. We really didn’t have the types of cars that we could have put in 20 years
couldn’t keep up with the demand. And that car looked great, sounded great, and I thought, ‘well, maybe’, but we couldn’t make it work.
“But it gave us a taste, a real, genuine taste of Supercars at that point. That was many years ago.”
The key to it all was the arrival of the GR brand as serious part of the Toyota line-up in Australia. GR is to Toyota like AMG is to Mercedes, or M to BMW – Sportier variants of normal cars that excite – and there is now a stream of them from the Yaris up to the Supra.
Added to all this, Toyota’s connection to the internal combustion engine (ICE) is also a key. Hanley wants the noise and excitement of Supercars, which he points out runs on largely biofuels, and that it is horses-for -ourses. Toyota has reaffirmed its position on decarbonization recently, and ICE remains a part of that.
“When we committed to this series, it was never under any condition that they would move to hybrid, or they would move to electric, or they would move to whatever. We’re happy to participate, to learn, and to reduce the carbon footprint in the future and it aligns very well with our multi-pathway strategy.
“That is, we believe there will be ICE engines in the future, but ICE engines may be hydrogen converted, they may be hybrid electric vehicles or plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. They may be running via synthetic
“This gives people options, and this doesn’t leave anyone behind. And, from a motorsport perspective, there’s a sweet spot in all of that that keeps those big, thunderous V8s rolling around this wonderful racetrack!”
While the noise is one part of the picture, the look is the other and the design team in Altona has been working hard to make the Supra race car. It is longer and wider and sits on a longer wheelbase than the current car. All Nic Hogios and his team had to do was stretch and pull the body work around the dimensions of the Gen3 chassis and keep it a Supra. No-one ever wants to see something like the Gen2 Mustang again ...
“We had a good base to start from with a Gen3 Supercars package,” Hogios explains.
“That is the starting point and then we had to do all that with the Supra design cues. And we started with the sketching process, and then developed the digital data around the Gen 3 package.
“And although there’s very little that is identical to the road car, we had to make it instantly recognisable as it’s quite an iconic design, an unmistakable design. We had to
the front wheel. So, everything’s slightly tuned and massaged.
“But we relished that challenge. We’re not starting with a sheet metal car, so that’s why design studios can get involved in this category now. We can use a clay model and things like that rather than a sheet metal car, so we loved it, actually.”
All the initial work is done on the computer, then the clay modelling starts with a scale model. Little machines shape the clay into the car and then the sculptors smooth it out and start refining the surfaces. Getting up close is fascinating.
“You have the data of the Gen3 chassis, the data of the Supra, and you can start to push and pull. But ultimately, when it comes to it, it’s the creative minds of the designers, and then the modelers, digital or clay, who have to put it all together, and it becomes a visual exercise.
“You can’t just cut a section and enlarge it, everything has to go with it and then it just becomes a design
process like any other. But again, we were very lucky that Calty Design in America (Toyota’s US design studio) had the FT1 concept, which was originally larger than the road car and is much more like this. They’re actually rapt to see this.
“That gave us a bit of a guide and we used that as a bit of inspiration. We had the road car next to this at all times to make sure that we’re absolutely on the money in terms of its brand DNA.
“It’s a bit of everything but, with the rear wing, front splitter, the wheels on top of a wider Supra, which is already pretty dynamic, it’s very exciting. As I said, the studio was energised, really energised.”
He says there is still a lot of the process to come – hence the start date of 2026. After the design study is completed, the aerodynamics people and Walkinshaw Andretti United come into the game, working on drag and downforce figures and matching the data for the Mustang and Camaro from the Windshear tunnel in the States, which is where the data will eventually be confirmed.
The engines, we are hearing, may be transient dynoed somewhere other than AVL, with Germany being mentioned. But that is just a rumour at this stage.
With computers, they’ll get close to the aero numbers, but then they’ll massage it all to get it right.
“The first stage was to visualise what it could look like. We were going all the way through to creating computer generated animations and VR sessions where you could see it on the track, and that was very important.
“This is basically a styling proportional model. The technical details and
Watch the development of the model here.
Many of Toyota’s design/concept crew were at Bathurst with the fill-size model, including (top right) Johan Andrieu (Senior Modelling Coordinator, Clay). Right: Yvonne Terrill (Senior Clay & Digital Modeller).
aerodynamics, inevitably, will not come out the way you think. Some things you think might be a problem are actually okay, and vice versa. It’s a bit of a black art. So, we’ll work with Walkinshaw Andretti United on that and with Supercars moving forward. They’ll take the lead from here and we’ll support them in any way we can.”
The curvy Supra will look quite different to the bulkier pony cars from Ford and GM on-track, with all the little curves, cuts and bulges being massages using CFD after the clay is turned back into the virtual world. Things like how to fit the radiator into that swoopy nose are yet to be confronted.
“I don’t know how it’s going to come up in the CFD analysis. Time will tell, but there’s various ways to skin a cat. You can change angles, you can remove little pieces, add little pieces. People think that aerodynamics is all about how round something is but, actually, it’s not necessarily the case.
“A lot of the details include where the air leaves the car, but we are certainly not the experts. We are designers and our job is to make it look good. It looks like a Supra. So now you work with the aerodynamicists.”
The hidden value to Toyota is what this has meant to its staff. The buzz that was rolling through Garage 19 as the fans looked at the car and engaged with the design team only amplified what it means. But this is not the entire crew, it is just some of them.
“I sit at my desk, and I can’t concentrate. I’m peering over the monitor, just staring at things, and everyone’s got a sore neck from looking around. It’s a transformed the studio, in a sense. But now, to be able to talk about to people like you is really gratifying because, normally, it’s all skunk works.
“It could be a year, up to 2 years, before we can talk about some things. A lot of the times it’s old news for us when it hits the public, but right now we are literally, as you can see, developing a design in front of the public. For us, this is a big deal because we’re quite often hidden away, and the control of personnel and data systems is entirely locked down.
“They’ve let us out; we get sunlight. It’s great!”
Having the clay model shaping in front of the public was a masterstroke. Rather than a bunch of computer screens or animations for people to look at, they can see something real. A bit like a print magazine versus digital – there is something inherently real about the physical world.
“The cars are very technically complex and there’s a lot of regulations; there’s a lot of technical things that you just can’t capture. The clay now has become a really exciting way to the start of the process, rather than the refinement side of it, to really flesh out a design. We can take a sketch and they can take that and, before you know it’s there, we’re talking the human to humanity interaction – and, in the world of AI, that is still super important.
“A modern design studio uses both the artisan type disciplines and high technology and digitalisation to speed up the process, to make it more efficient. We can get really deep into this design. We can get it three-quarters of the way there just by data and putting on VR headsets, things like that. But once you machine that onto a real model and you’re seeing it with your eyes and feeling it with your hands, and the scale is real world.
“If it works, it works pretty well. There’s still a lot of work to do. It never comes out perfect and then you hand-work it.”
For Hogios and his team, like Hanley and the people controlling the money, this is just the next step in what has already taken 18 months. It is the halfway point, and soon the baton gets handed over to the WAU crew who will take the concept to reality.
“We can’t wait to see it on the track that is 30 or 40 metres away from us. I just want it over there now, in anger, screaming its head off. We’re all visual animals, and the amount of comments we’ve seen today, just while we’re working on the car is, ‘wow!’. For the general public, it is the surface of the car and the sound – you’ve got to please all the senses.
“Somebody else can worry about the sound, and I’m sure it’s going to sound fantastic. Even the standard road car engine is magnificent. So it can only get better from there. We’ll just make sure it looks good!”
IT’S THE calm before the storm as we gear up for the tripleheader in the United States, Mexico and Brazil.
They are always a cool set of races and the fans never fail to turn up in large numbers, which is awesome.
It’s been nice to have a few weeks off following the Singapore Grand Prix to rest up ahead of three back-to-back race weekends.
I did enjoy a few days of recovery but I’ve well and truly got the bug back to get back in the car and get racing again.
I’ve been on the simulator –that rightly has pride of place in my living room – a fair amount, trying to fill the racing break. It was also nice to pop back to the factory in Woking and spend some days with the team, which isn’t always possible with all the travel.
Head
I am highly motivated to round off the season in strong form.
I am happy with my driving and the momentum that I’ve had with my results over the European season and at the start of the flyaway races but it is really important to me to keep that up.
As a team, we want to win the Constructors’ Championship, and I want to finish as high as I can in the Drivers’ standings and take that momentum into 2025.
I’ve really enjoyed my second season in F1, which has been full of learning and development, and
the remaining six races will be no different.
Winning trophies and fighting at the sharp end is infectious and all you want to be doing as a racing driver.
Luckily, the team have done an incredible job in giving us the tools to go out and perform. The car feels awesome to drive and is a pleasure to be at the wheel of.
Before last season I’d never visited tracks like Mexico or Brazil so it was my first time at those tracks. It will obviously only be my
second time this year so there is still plenty to build on and I’ll be trying to apply those learnings.
Track knowledge is something that you only build up across multiple visits and even the experienced drivers are still honing their driving style.
I’ll actually have a special helmet design for Austin that I’ll be wearing in Texas but also again in Las Vegas in November. It’s a cool US look, that I’ve been wanting to do for a while. Keep an eye out for it on my social channels – I’m excited to see what you guys think.
One person that is not due to be in Austin is Daniel and I would like to mention him.
He’s been great with me since we first got to know each other several years ago and is a really nice guy. I’ve really enjoyed spending more time with him away from the track, especially
these past two years, even if he was too good for me at padel. He has flown the flag for Australia in F1 for many years and I remember watching many of his races as a kid back in Victoria. Congratulations to him on everything that he has achieved up to this point and I wish him all the best for the future whatever it holds.
Thanks for all the messages of support that you guys continue to send me and enjoy the racing Take care.
OSCAR IS PROUDLY SUPPORTED BY
AUSSIE BATTLER Daniel Sanders has enjoyed a perfect start to life in KTM colours by winning 2024 Rallye du Maroc.
Sanders overcame 2468km of arduous riding through the Moroccan sand in tough conditions to emerge on top by 11 minutes.
It was an impressive effort considering the Aussie had not competed in the event since 2021 and he broke his femur only last year.
Looking to make an impression back in KTM colours, Sanders was third in the prologue before finishing the opening
He carried on his consistent speed through Stage 2 to consolidate second before making his move.
Sanders stormed to victories in both Stages 3 and 4, with the back-to-back wins underpinning his triumph.
His Stage 3 success was to the tune of 2m17s over Tosha Schareina, while Stage 4 was even more convincing, taking it out by five and a half minutes.
Suddenly Sanders found himself with a convincing 21m17s lead heading into the final stage and a steady 13th was enough.
For Sanders it was an emotional
rally has gone, especially taking the win of course,” Sanders said.
“But it’s definitely a massive accomplishment for myself and the whole team since Dakar and the last race in Argentina – it really demonstrates the hard work everyone has put in over these last few months.
“I’m happy to be back on the top step, it’s been a year and a half since I broke my femur, so I’m super-pumped to be back on form and showing some good speed ahead of Dakar.”
It provides Sanders a massive boost as attention starts to turn to Dakar on
HUNTER McELREA has ended his 2024 IMSA Sportscar Championship the best way possible by winning his class in Petit Le Mans.
McElrea teamed up with Mikkel Jensen and Steven Thomas to push the #11 TDS Racing Oreca 07-Gibson crew to a commanding LMP2 class win in the IMSA season finale.
The trio dominated the majority of the 10-hour race at Road Atlanta, which ended up becoming a 35-minute sprint to the end after a late Safety Car.
But Jensen powered away from his rivals to collect a 17s triumph over #74 Riley Oreca 07-Gibson of Josh Burdon, Gar Robinson, and Felipe Fraga.
Their biggest threat came from #2 United Autosports Oreca 07-Gibson led by Ben Keating.
Keating led early by around 10s until he collided with Dennis Andersen at Turn 6.
It is McElrea’s second IMSA success in as many starts, fresh from his first that arrived at Indianapolis the race before.
Being a newcomer to endurance racing, McElrea was buzzing despite admitting to some mistakes.
“It was insane. A lot of people told me I’m still new to endurance racing and this is the craziest race of the year, and it definitely
RISING AUSSIE star Alex Ninovic has finished a highly successful British F4 Championship campaign on a high at Brands Hatch.
Ninovic secured second in the championship by taking a fifth win of the season and further third and fourth place finishes.
This pushed the Rodin Motorsport driver’s podium tally to 19, four more than when Oscar Piastri also finished second in the British F4 Championship in 2017. Runaway leader Deagen Fairclough won the title comfortably for Hitech with 583 points, 223 more than Ninovic.
However, the Aussie quickly cemented himself in second place, matching Piastri’s result seven years earlier.
Ninovic has been on form all year and finished strong.
An opening race retirement after dropping a wheel in the wet grass did not deter the Rodin Motorsport driver. Despite starting from outside the first two rows in all three of the following races, Ninovic impressed commentators with his fast starts and brave lines.
This came to the fore in Races 2 and 3 where Ninovic pushed himself into a winning positions, even though some luck was required.
In Race 2 he flew to third and returned to the podium, but reached even further heights in Race 3.
He flew up to third from eighth and was all over the back of Ella Lloyd in a fierce fight for second.
After an intense few laps of combat, Ninovic made the decisive move for second, which would end up securing the win.
was,” he said.
“It had a little bit of everything. I had some not so good moments in my first stint, but luckily we were fast somehow with a spin and a drive-through, we were still in the top three.
“I knew if we could just survive (because) our pace has probably been our strongest asset as a team, but in IMSA you can’t win on just pace. You have to have strategy and no mistakes.
“Petit Le Mans is a race that I’ve always watched, and I think it’s a race that everyone wants to do.
“So to win it and to also win an IMSA Endurance Championship in my first year of racing in IMSA is super cool, super special to me.
“Its awesome to do it with these two guys next to me who I’ve become super close with this year. Very, very happy.”
Thomas Miles
Leader Jack Sherwood was 3s up the road, but a suspected rear puncture sent his car off on The Loop before digging into the grass and rolling over a barrier.
Fortunately Sherwood was able to walk away as the incident brought the reds out and ended the race early.
It all happened moments before Ninovic’s pass, presenting the Australian with victory.
The final race of the year took place in sketchy conditions with many cars going off and racwes being interrupted by red flags.
Despite an off at Surtees, Ninovic flew past Seewooruthun to get third on the road.
However, a one-place penalty for a Safety Car infringement demoted him back to fourth.
But it did not dampen what had been an extremely successful season for the rising teenager.
Thomas Miles
CREDIT WHERE it’s due:
Supercars has had a great couple of weeks. The first 18 months of Gen-3 has had its issues … but the announcement of Toyota’s 2026 entry, along with the discussion surrounding the planned ‘Finals’ system next year, certainly put some justified pep in the step at Supercars HQ.
And then there was Bathurst. It’s fashionable to bag Supercars, especially on social media, and they’ve deserved some of it over these last 18 months. The postSandown Ford engine dramas loomed as potential disaster, however the emergency rebuilds proved entirely successful … And the 2024 Bathurst 1000 race was a purist’s classic – a single Safety Car and a race-long duel between clearly the two best teams on the weekend.
I spent race day ‘on the couch’ with a couple of mates who I’d describe as fringe fans – interested but not fanatical. The race buildup, and the info flow over the early laps of the race hit the spot with my ‘casual-fan’ mates: “Really? Didn’t know that … wow,” and so on. Neither of them left before race end. The TV commentary often gets a working over and, yes, there are occasional ‘misses’ of perception but, overall, it was pretty inciteful – again, especially for my novice mates. Graphics have gone to the next level … Larko almost having a sexual ‘event’ as he interpreted Kostecki’s live throttle trace over the later laps was a highlight! …
Pre-race was short and to-thepoint, now with an F1-style driver intro – the use of Ten Tenors for the anthem a big step up, in sound and class, from the usual country and western, guitar-playin’ hopefuls! Tick.
The race itself was riveting – not the crash-fest that appeals to some, but a copybook example of a team, and drivers, well-prepared and right ‘on it’ all day. The lead Erebus car had pace, took pole with a cracker from Kostecki, got the vital start (just) and controlled the race for 161 laps. It was total control.
Really? Yes. Car #1, regardless of who was at the wheel, was comfortable to drop a little time bringing in the tyres each time that little bit more considerately – the payoff came later in each stint when the driver could press harder if needed. The Feeney/ Whincup car got closer, dropped away a little, got closer again … and then the final 27 laps provided the tensest of duels but, as long as Kostecki didn’t err, it was going to be tough for the persistent Feeney to get within that vital half a second, never mind pass. But it was riveting, tense stuff. Two top
jockeys at their very best. No room for the slightest mistake. Quality. You can’t please everyone –there were those on social media describing the race as boring.
Boring? Sorry, I thought it was a classic, quality contest, ultimately between two very top teams, and drivers, at their best. Not the crash/ Safety Car-fest that some seem to prefer, but a top-drawer man-onman contest that went on all day. In the end, the Erebus team and drivers simply out-TripleEighted Triple Eight. The team that inevitably gets to the front in long-distance races, whose cars look after their tyres better than anyone else, can recover from minor problems, met its match at the biggest race of the year. But it was literally a matter of tenths of seconds; of each team keeping the car in the ‘window’ –Triple Eight’s front bar tweak with two stints to go was a resounding success; Erebus’ front-end tweak at the last stop recovered the balance and enabled Kostecki to fend off Feeney – but only by delivering 27 laps of line-andlength, close to perfection, despite massive pressure from the young Triple Eight challenger.
It was a complete team win and made compulsive viewing.
Among the rest, there were some great examples of the ‘coming’ youngsters – Matt Payne is already a race winner (despite his laterace mistake); Cooper Murray will be. Great to see James Golding lifting PremiAir into the top six and Jayden Ojeda mixing it with the stars. Indeed, it was the, shall-wesay, ‘veteran’ co-drivers who were among those diverting temporarily down the escape roads from time to time. Maybe, in a Safety Car-free, no-rest Bathurst 1000, there’s something to be said for the fresher young minds and bodies!
But the main accolades must be reserved for the winners – after all, that’s what the top teams all insist they are there for.
There’s no escaping the fact that it was a rocky start to the year for the Erebus team, with the awkward situation that saw Kostecki miss the first couple of races before things were resolved. It was equally tough for Todd Hazelwood, who deputised, then stood aside for Brodie’s return. With the parties agreeing, legally, to not comment on the whole thing, speculation – a lot of it uninformed – has swirled around parts of social media for months.
That the team has managed to focus and press on, evolving what became a Bathurst-winning technical set-up, with two drivers delivering the max, is some sort of achievement.
Not bad for a team that the
social media ‘experts’ have been writing off …
Allied with a fast car, Kostecki is back to his late-2023 form –mentor Paul Morris reportedly played an ongoing behind-thescenes role in restoring the Kostecki we knew.
Particularly worthy was the contribution of Todd Hazelwood, who delivered almost perfect codriver stints – matching multiple champ Whincup in the first, and only conceding a handful of seconds to a fired-up Feeney in the second, all risk-free. Todd is a terrific guy who arrived at this point in his career after a number of challenges, and via teams that, at the time, weren’t winners. He is one well-deserved and popular Bathurst winner.
Throw in the rest, from team owner Betty Klimenko to the sometimes-criticised Barry Ryan, engineer George Commins and ex-chief mechanic/team principal Brad Tremain and you have the ingredients that not only won Bathurst 2024 but beat the greatest team in modern Supercars fair and square to do it. I only know Barry Ryan relatively casually, but I see the same focussed, bullshit-free, get-it-done, frank approach that I observed of his early employer, Larry Perkins. Not for everyone, but hey, it worked for LP … and now it’s worked for Erebus on the biggest stage.
Well done Erebus, and hats off to Supercars’ management – you’ve had a good few weeks …
AFTER HAVING a crack at F3, Australia’s Tommy Smith will take on his next challenge in America, competing in Indy NXT.
Smith will race in the IndyCar feeder series for HMD Motorsports and begin testing at the famous Indianapolis Motorsport Speedway this Friday.
The 22-year-old joins the team, which won the 2022 and 2023 Indy NXT titles and fielded 12 drivers this season including Kiwi Callum Hedge, who finished fourth.
Smith already has experience with the team, watching the Nashville finale, and will race alongside Josh Pierson and Ciao Collet.
After taking on the European scene, Smith is excited to go racing in America and drive on ovals for the first time.
“I am excited to compete in America and am up for the challenge,” explained Smith.
“It was a great opportunity to watch the final Indy NXT race in Nashville with HMD.
“The series is competitive, and racing on ovals will be a new experience for me, but I’m excited to get behind the wheel for post-season testing later this month and start working with the team as we prepare for the 2025 season together.”
Smith comes to America after two full seasons in the FIA Formula 3 World Championship for Van Amersfoort Racing.
In his sophomore season this year, Smith finished 20th, seven places up from his rookie campaign after getting his one and only F3 top 10 finish in impressive
style at Silverstone where he finished a dramatic Feature Race in fourth.
Before F3 Smith competed in GB3 and took a win at Spa, plus the Formula Regional European Championship in 2021 since he last raced in Australia in S5000 in 2021.
The 22-year-old only started his racing career in 2017 in the New Zealand
Formula Ford and Australian Formula 4 Championship.
And in March 2025 he will be alongside the likes of Scott McLaughlin and Will Power in racing on the streets of St Petersburg.
“It is great to announce Tommy to the HMD Motorsports program finally,” said Team President Mike Maurini.
“We are excited to have him aboard, and he is ready to work.
“I had the opportunity to work with his management team over the past few months and with Tommy directly in Nashville, and they are all a great group of people.
“They will be a welcomed addition to HMD Motorsports.”
THE 2024 Supercars Championship will be the last determined traditionally before Finals arrive, but what happened if the new structure was introduced this year?
Not only did the Bathurst 1000 determine the winner of the Peter Brock Trophy in the biggest race of the year, it will also be the last chance to secure tickets to the Finals and remain in championship contention.
The current championship contenders of Will Brown, Broc Feeney, Chaz Mostert and Cameron Waters would of course carry on their season-long fight for the crown.
As he is currently with a 224-point
advantage, Brown would enter the Finals as the number #1 seed.
The Triple Eight driver won the Sprint Cup after compiling the most points across the first eight rounds from the Bathurst 500 to Tasmania SuperSprint, being 81 clear of Mostert.
In addition to the Sprint Cup, Brown just added the Enduro Cup to his trophy cabinet alongside Scott Pye.
Victory at the Sandown 500 backed up by a third place at the Great Race was just enough to edge out his teammate Feeney and boss
Jamie Whincup.
The #87 compiled 558 points across the two iconic enduros, just six more than Feeney and Whincup.
PremiAir’s James Golding further grew his momentum by snatching fifth in the championship from Matt Payne, who despite the DNF, was always safe of qualification, while Nick Percat was locked in seventh.
But it is further down the order things get interesting and if the finals were in play this year, Erebus Motorsport might had wondered what could have been despite the Great Race success.
Entering the enduros the heat would have been on to secure finals berths with just 203 points covering positions 8-12 in the standings after Symmons Plains. Post Bathurst, that figure closed to only 135 points, meaning the squeeze would have been on.
Thomas Randle’s climb from 19th to 11th was enough to ensure he was safe in eighth in the championship.
There would also be a lot of relief in the Dick Johnson Racing garage.
Anton De Pasquale’s seventh place saw him move from being on the bubble in 10th to ninth in the standings.
However, the all-night repair on the #17 only became more paramount as Will Davison needed a strong finish to stay in the game.
If the car was ruled out of the weekend or Davison retired, Le Brocq’s ninth place would have been enough to snatch the critical 10th
place in the championship.
But even if Davison finished 12th, Le Brocq was on track to give DJR a big fright.
The #9 sat fourth before the final round of stops during the solitary Safety Car where Erebus decided to leave it out to give pit priority to the winning Brodie Kostecki and Todd Hazelwood entry.
However, it would have been interesting to see if Erebus would have committed to such a move given it ended up costing Le Brocq and the team a shot at a Finals spot.
If Le Brocq and Jayden Ojeda had retained fourth, it could have challenged and passed Brown and Feeney off the restart to score enough points to overhaul Davison.
Only adding to the pain for Le Brocq and Erebus would have been the loss of a top four finish at Sandown where the #9 was spun by Payne and lost a further 150 points.
But due to dropping to eighth and Davison climbing four spots to 12th, the 10 drivers contending the opening round of the 2024 Supercars Finals would be the following.
Will Brown
Broc Feeney
Chaz Mostert
Cameron Waters
James Golding
Matt Payne
Thomas Randle
Anton De Pasquale
Will Davison
THE COLOURS Oscar Piastri steered to his first F1 top five will return to McLaren for this weekend’s United States Grand Prix.
McLaren has brought back the chrome and reapplied within the 2024 livery on the MCL38 for the 19th race of the season at Austin.
Last year chrome made a celebrated return after nine years to McLaren at the British Grand Prix where Piastri scored a breakthrough P4 driving the slightly upgraded MCL60 for the first time.
As it returns to Austin, McLaren has impressively carried its rise from being hopeful to podiums to expecting wins as it enjoys a 41-point lead in the constructors championship.
The 2024 chrome livery sees the shiny silver run across the entire sidepod and engine cover between the two papua slashes after it was only applied to the engine cover with smaller slashes on on the nose and side pod.
McLaren is not the only team to run special liveries for the US Grand Prix with both Alpine and Haas doing the same.
The French team has turned orange to promote the return of Indiana Jones, but a video game, rather than a movie.
The car livery features an ancient map and red travel routes as showcased in the iconic film series.
Haas has celebrated its home race with additional red, white and blue designs including stars and eagles.
AUSTRALIA’S JAMES McFadden has called time on his full-time American racing career and announcing the news in true Aussie style.
After four years of racing full time in the US, McFadden revealed his 2024 campaign in the High Limit Racing series will be the last.
In 2024 he took on the new High Limit Racing Series and finished seventh in the standings racing against the likes of Brad Sweet and Rico Abreu with three victories and 35 top 10s.
“I have had an unbelievable time. but it is not the end for sure. I might come back a few times and send Brad (Sweet) a couple of times just to make sure it is good.
“I think High Limit has been the best part of my career over here so far being a part of it.
The 2024 United States Grand Prix is held this weekend with the race being held at 6.00 AEDT Monday morning.
The Aussie superstar first took on America’s best in 2012 when he made his World of Outlaws debut, but it was not until 2021 he ventured for a first full campaign.
After three wins across his first two years, his 2023 season was a highly successful one, taking six victories.
McFadden used the end of season presentations as the stage to announce he will step back from full time racing in America.
The ROTH Motorsport driver was on the verge of tears announcing the news.
“It is not 100% public knowledge but I am not coming back next year,” he said.
“We have may more important things to do in life.
“The vision and what is going on here and in Australia and I hope I am a big part of that.
“Three wins and I am pretty happy with that.”
McFadden saluted the High Limit Racing community in trademark Australian style with a Shoey.
VOLANTE ROSSO young gun Alex Gardner will miss the final two rounds of the 2024 GT World Challenge Australia season, but for an understandable reason.
Gardner has withdrawn with immediate effect to focus on his schooling with the final set of his Queensland Certificate of Education exams approaching and clashing the Bathurst International.
The 2023 Radical Cup Australia champion has been driving the Volante Rosso Motorsport Aston Martin Vantage GT3 alongside Jamie Day.
It was a mutual decision between both Gardner and Volante Rosso Motorsport.
Gardner will be replaced by Filipino Andre Canard for this weekend’s round at Sydney Motorsport Park where he will race with Day.
Gardner admitted it was a “tough decision” but is expected to return to the team in 2025.
“While I would love to be on track racing with everyone again, unfortunately, the next two races clash with my final Year 12 exams here in Queensland,” said Gardner.
”It’s been a tough decision and quite difficult trying to arrange
to do both. As I’ve only got one opportunity to graduate, I need to focus on that and give it my all.
“I’ve thoroughly enjoyed racing in the category so far
and have learnt a lot. After I graduate, it’s full steam ahead preparing for the 2025 racing season, and I can’t wait.
“I’ve thoroughly enjoyed representing Aston Martin Racing here in Australia and am looking forward to continuing this next year.”
Volente Rosso Motorsport Director Josh Hunt was impressed with Gardner’s “maturity.”
“This is obviously a very difficult call for Alex and his family to have made, but it’s a decision I commend him for,” said Hunt.
“It’s obviously not an easy decision to make and it requires a lot of maturity. There are a lot of young drivers out there who wouldn’t do something like this, so for Alex to recognise the importance of his education is quite remarkable.
“We have been super impressed with Alex this year and he has done a fantastic job in the car and with the team.
“With this said, he has our full support and we are looking forward to having him back for 2025 and building on what we started.
“He is part of the family and I have no doubt this relationship will continue to thrive as we help him reach his dream of driving in Le Mans and being a factory driver.”
MOTOGP IS coming back to Phillip Island this weekend with a wide field expected to battle for Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix victory.
Not only is the fast-flowing and unpredictable Phillip Island anticipated to produce another exciting MotoGP tussle, but there is a championship going down to the wire.
After some dramatic recent rounds where the tables have turned dramatically race to race, just 10 points separate Jorge Martin and Francesco Bagnaia.
The pair have started the last two races with Bagnaia doing the Sprint and Grand Prix double last start in Japan to reduce the deficit.
Neither have won down under, but Martin came very close last year, leading the final lap, only to run out of luck with his tyre gamble and fall to fifth.
With just four races left, the sequel of the 2023 tussle could go either way.
Whilst all eyes will be on the factory and Pramac Ducati heavyweights, Channel 10 MotoGP expert and former 500cc Grand Prix winner Darryl Beattie believes those who are not in contention could have just as much of an impact.
In the last five races Marc Márquez and Enea Bastianini have also been regulars in victory lane, while rookie sensation Pedro Acosta was on pole in Motegi.
“There are other protagonists involved as well that makes it quite difficult,” the threetime winner said.
“We talk about two title contenders but that does not mean on Saturday or Sunday everyone sits back and lets them fight.
“That is what becomes difficult as a championship contender. All of a sudden you have maybe Aleix Espargaro or Pedro Acosta or Jack Miller wanting to win a Grand Prix.
“Marc will play a big part in the championship because there is no pressure on him and then you have (Maverick)
Vinales and Bastianini, there are so many which has been so good about MotoGP this year.
“Now we are getting towards the pointy end of the championship, it is when things get a bit more difficult. They have dealt with it all year long and just adds the pressure.
“You do not want someone making a silly
mistake in the run into turn 4 or the Lukey Heights early in a lap and taking out one of the contenders.
“If the two of them go to battle, it will be great to see them up front fighting.
“Phillip Island is a high average speed and the track lends itself to racing and never disappoints, so we are in for something special this weekend.”
The weather is always a variable at Phillip Island, as highlighted last year when the Grand Prix was moved to Saturday and Sunday’s historic sprint was called off due to high winds.
However, the biggest factor this year could be the impact of the new track surface.
The famous 4.448km of tarmac has been completely resurfaced since the last time MotoGP raced in Australia.
“The weather makes it as well. It was frustrating as a rider but now I don’t have to put a helmet on I think it really makes it
The other thing you have to remember is the new surface. That sort of throws a few balls in the air on tyre ware,” Beattie said.
“It will be a real tester for the tyre and will be interesting to see how the tyre lasts compared to the main race.
“There will be a lot of people worrying about it and will they get enough dry running in the lead up to Saturday and Sunday to evaluate that?
“That is all to unfold.”
TEAM 18 drivers Mark Winterbottom and David Reynolds have turned their helmets pink to raise awareness for Breast Cancer. Both of Winterbottom’s and Reynolds’ helmets are designed by Trent Rodgers and they will be auctioned off by Lloyds Auctions. The auction has already begun online and will conclude at 17.000 AEST on Monday, October 28, with all proceeds going towards breast cancer research and supporting NBCF’s mission of Zero Deaths from breast cancer.
Supporting such a cause is especially close to Winterbottom.
“Wearing a pink helmet for the Gold Coast 500 is very close to my heart,” Winterbottom said.
“My mum passed away from breast cancer, so I know first hand how devastating this disease can be.
“That’s why supporting the National Breast Cancer Foundation means so much to me, and I’ll be proud to wear this helmet as a tribute to her and everyone else who’s been
affected.”
Reynolds is returning to the scene of his drought-breaking win last year and is hopeful the helmet makes an impact off the track.
“This initiative that JAX Tyres & Auto has put together in support of the National Breast Cancer Foundation is incredibly important, and this year it’s even more special because I get to promote the cause with my teammate,” Reynolds said.
“This year’s helmet design really stands out with some fun Gold Coast elements, like palm trees, and I think it’s going to turn a few heads.
“More importantly, I hope it raises a lot of money for such an important cause.”
The 2024 Gold Coast 500 is on October 25-27.
Bids can be placed HERE
AFTER SECURING the 2024 Super3 crown at Bathurst, Cody Burcher is already aiming for higher honours in the near future.
In what was effectively a two-car tussle throughout the season with Thomas Maxwell, Burcher emerged on top with a big enough advantage in hand to lock it in the penultimate round.
The MW Motorsport driver was dominant, getting eight wins from a possible 10 races, including both Bathurst sprints.
It was fitting the success arrived at Mount Panorama as well, given Burcher hails from Orange, which is only 56km away.
Whilst the 2024 Super3 season has not been as competitive as recent years, Burcher was still delighted to join the likes of Broc Feeney, Nash Morris, Brad Vaughan and Jobe Stewart.
“It feels good. It has been a tough year in terms of numbers, but from the get-go we have just focused on ourselves,” he said.
“Thomas has been an awesome benchmark with plenty of experience in
a number of series and good results in Super2.
“From the get-go he was tough to beat and learnt a lot from it about what the cars could do and I could do.
“This year was a massive learning curve and having the car at 10 tenths all the time helped. I had to push the limits quite hard.”
Championship success was not on Burcher’s mind after a heavy Thursday crash, but he bounced back and went on to win both races after battles with Maxwell and rookie Bailey Sweeny.
“Thursday was quite tough. Obviously to do that in practice I was kicking myself,” he recalled.
“But all I could do from there was learn from it and not make the same mistake again.
“We got the car back out there and still have pretty solid car pace, so I am proud of the team to put it behind us and push forward for the rest of the weekend.”
Going forward Burcher is eyeing the natural jump to Super2, whilst he is a big advocate for Super3 despite the uncertain future and small numbers.
TODAY
“That (progression to Super2) is the goal for sure,” he said.
“I am looking forward to next year a lot.
Grabbing the championship helps.
“We have ticked a lot of boxes, but still a lot to go.
Hundreds of teams have purchased cars valued at less than $1500 to take on the 2,345.7km journey they hope to complete over the next eight days with all funds raised for the Cancer Council.
Last year’s rally raised over $2 million for the Cancer Council, and incredibly that amount has already been surpassed in 2024, with $2,084,708 raised so far.
One of the teams is led by Peter Bonvino, a JAX Tyres & Auto Gosford franchisee owner,.
He and brother in law Nathan Metcalfe will be teaming up for a second time in their team named Sons of AnaCamry.
The event is one that is close to Bonvino’s heart.
“Everyone has had someone in their life affected by cancer; I lost my mother-inlaw,” he said.
“By participating in the Shitbox Rally, we can make a difference and support those who are struggling.
“Our goal is to cross the finish line while raising as much money as possible and
“I think it is a fantastic category for people to jump in and find their feet in a Supercar,” he said of Super3.
“You need to have high numbers in categories in general but there certainly should be a place for it.”
enjoying the event as a team.
“I am especially looking forward to the dress-up days, so be sure to follow along and check out what we get up to and how much money we raise.”Bonvino is usually joined by fellow JAX Tyres & Auto franchise owner Craig Daniel, who has also usually competed in the Shitbox Rally.
Although he is not competing this year, he has sponsored a car instead.
“As a new franchisee owner, I’ve had a personal interest in the Shitbox Rally for a while,” he said.
“Seeing other franchisee owners get involved motivated me to join in. Although I can’t participate directly, we decided to get involved by becoming a sponsor.
“The whole JAX Fairy Meadow team is fully behind it, and we look forward to seeing our branded car in the Spring Shitbox Rally.”
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FOR YEARS I’ve thought that Supercars has been floundering, but suddenly they’re kicking some goals.
Although I’m writing before Bathurst, so I hope they don’t tread on their d…. at the mountain!
Getting Toyota to come into the series is a huge coup, so kudos on that one.
I had been thinking for ages that, to spice up the category, the rounds with the shorter races should be one championship and the events with the endurance races should be another championship, especially as that would give enduring recognition to the co-drivers.
The Bathurst 1000 should never have been incorporated into the championship back in the days when the sport was just called touring car racing, or soon after the name Supercars was adopted.
Lo and behold, now we hear that not only are Supercars going to split the sprint and long-distance races into separate ‘cups’, but that there’s going to be a finals series postBathurst.
Sounds as though this has been a concept of Tim Edwards.
Great work, Tim. It’s terrific to see some fresh thinking come into Supercars at the decision-making level.
Perhaps there have been others who deserve congratulations, especially on enticing Toyota into the game, but all-round it should make Supercars racing more appealing next year – and hopefully for many years to come.
Alan Howell Wagga Wagga, NSW
BATHURST, YOU can’t beat it. What a track.
Haven’t been to the mountain for years and am watching on my big screen on my Pat Malone up here this year.
One thing I’d like to see thoughmore cars.
How about they allow the TCR cars to run at Bathurst so that we get a proper field again like we
used to have?
I know there’ll be resistance from the Supercars teams about potential problems that come with speed differentials.
But what about the fans?
As it is, the race can quickly become a bit of a snorefest now soon after the start. I’ve already had a nap (after four Fourexes).
By the way, the start today was sensational. Good, clean racing but full-on. A thundering herd.
Just want a bigger, and hence better, field. Thanks.
Geoff McCann Rockhampton, Queensland
MY PARTNER is ropeable about the Grand Prix ticket fiasco and wanted me to write to AA about it.
Whoever is responsible may be going to kill the golden goose at Albert Park that Drive to Survive created.
Not only my Dave, but so many people spent so much time online only to find there was a major problem and they had to try again the next day, only to miss out altogether.
Supposedly there had been some kind of ‘global outage’ the first day, but we heard that people in New Zealand were able to buy tickets when Australians in Australia were shut out.
Friends who eventually got tickets were stung by the ‘dynamic pricing’ and had to pay through the nose.
How come there was no announcement of that rort in advance?
Now they’re trying to con people into going Thursday or Friday, but there’s no F1 on the Thursday and Dave says Friday is “just a training run”.
We’re now resigned to watching the GP on TV and, quite frankly, after being packed in like sardines this year I think that’s probably the best thing.
We’ll be able to see it all in the comfort of our lounge room, or even the boudoir, and save our shekels for a nice trip somewhere else next year.
Wendy Bowles Traralgon, Victoria
BATHURST 1000 2024
WANDERING WENDY and I sat and watched from stand 10 on the main straight for all 161 laps on Sunday.
Weather was great, but racing was probably a little follow the leader like.
For most of the race it came down to driving to a number and staying out of trouble.
Even during the telecast Mark and Neil were looking for a safety car or a native animal intervention
Congratulations to Brodie in what was a great drive all day.
After such a shaky start to the year Brodie and Erebus have achieved the ultimate.
And Brodie who was strong from the get-go
It was like Chev made a statement early in the week, ‘Pony’s catch me if you can’.
It seemed as if the Fords had a sign on the back window ‘Overtake running in new crankshaft’.
The Ford drivers and teams did everything they could on the day, but once again came up short as Chev filled all three spots on podium.
In the last 10 years Ford have only won one Bathurst (2019) Nomadic Phil Bathurst NSW
ANOTHER Bathurst has been run, with yet another win by a GM product. And what a dominant win it was. Congrats to Brodie and Todd, you were by far the best driver combo in the fastest car.
However, as a long time Ford supporter, I am sick and tired of either going to Bathurst or watching it on TV, knowing that Ford doesn’t have an equal chance of success. Yes, there is the occasional win when the other teams have issues, but rarely are the Fords the “cars to have” at Bathurst. In fact, in the last 30 years, GM products have won 23 times, and 9 of the last 10.
As much as Supercars state that the current Gen 3 cars are as equal as they can get, even blind Freddie could see that the Camaros had a huge speed advantage at Bathurst. As boring as it was with no safety cars for the first 130 odd laps, it did finally show the speed
difference between the makes on tracks with long straights. Safety cars mask the true difference in speed. It’s convenient to say that the racing is so close when the field is artificially compacted by Safety Cars. If this year’s Bathurst race went entirely green, that trifecta of Camaros would have nearly lapped the entire field. This was much the same at Sandown which also has a long straight where the Camaros are able to use their straight line speed advantage. How are Ford Australia and the Ford teams going to deal with this ongoing disadvantage. Hopefully they will speak up and demand some changes from Supercars, because the Ford faithful have had enough. I know I have.
All we want is to have an equal chance of success, particularly at the most important races of the year where we have been disadvantaged for so long. Time to speak up people.
Paul Loxton
SA
Our most prolific ideas man has a way of embracing innovation while maintaining tradition.
SOLUTIONS FOR THE LONG RUN
IT IS great that Sandown looks set to continue as a motorsport and horse racing venue for years to come, but on the downside Supercars Australia has decided not to have the traditional Sandown 500 in September 2025.
Like the Bathurst 1000, the Sandown 500 has been a great annual Supercars event a month before Bathurst and has attracted more than 60,000 people over three days. It should remain that way, especially after all the effort that has been made to save the iconic venue.
I am all for The Bend hosting an annual Supercars endurance race, but it should not come at the expense of the Sandown 500. Why not have a 500km, or even a 1000km, Supercars race at The Bend in April/May –and on the 7.7km GT circuit configuration?
A 1000km race at The Bend could be run in a similar way to the Bathurst 1000 – over four days, with similar support events, displays and merchandise for the fans.
The Bend 1000 could attract more than 200,000 people over four days and it would be watched by millions on TV despite being during the AFL and NRL seasons.
The Seven Network could still show the event live – on either 7two or 7mate.
The Bend 1000 could become a new annual and traditional Supercars event.
For the 2025 Supercars season, let’s have a rethink and have three Supercars enduros – The Bend 500 or 1000 in April/May, the Sandown 500 in September and the Bathurst 1000 in October.
Malcolm Webster Boronia, Victoria
THE BIGGEST and boldest change in the history of Supercars is finally happening.
It’s taken way too long, and there has not been enough sharing along the way, but now the pieces are falling into place.
The championship will have a totally new look and feel for season 2025 – there will be a new contest to crown the champion, a new event with new formats – and then Toyota.
No-one was happier than Supercars’ CEO Shane Howard, and not just because he was strapped in alongside Mark Winterbottom for the ride of his life on Saturday morning.
He could finally talk about all the work and planning and meetings over the past 18 months.
But talk is one thing, and actions always speak louder.
Nothing was louder than the cheering for the unveiling of the Toyota GR Supra that will join the Supercars’ grid at the start of 2026, and there was a constant stream of interested fans visiting the 1:1 scale model in garage 19 at Mount Panorama.
Brand T will not be racing its GR Supra until 2026, but the car will
be on the track and testing next year and Toyota is already working on a stairway to success that will start with its Toyota 86 and eventually boost a youngster into the main game.
Does it get much better?
It will take time to know the answer, but these are the most positive developments in the recent history of Supercars.
Probably, actually, since the very beginning in 1996.
There have been other changes to the calendar and point-scoring system, other new venues and new formats, as well as the arrival of Nissan, Volvo and MercedesBenz.
But those three carmakers fled without making any real difference. The scoring system has become stale, and overseas experiments all failed.
What’s different in 2024?
It’s all about momentum.
The ball is rolling, after a lot of effort to get it moving even a millimetre, and things should get easier from here.
Splitting the series three ways for coming years – Sprint Cup, Enduro Cup and The Finals at the end –will keep people more interested for longer.
It also ensures a four-way shootout for the title at the grand final in Adelaide.
Combine The Finals with the arrival of Toyota and it’s clear that some big things are happening.
Queensland Raceway will also be back, a reflection of Tony Quinn’s commitment and spending at the track, and there will be racing on Fridays to create more interest.
Even so, the financials at RACE –the owners of Supercars – are still not great, and the critical search
for a broadcast deal beyond the current package is nowhere near close to a resolution.
Still …
There is optimism everywhere, and it was reflected in the number of happy people at Mount Panorama for the big dance on October 13.
There were happy people in Supercars HQ, on the broadcast crew, in the garages and – most important of all – out in the spectator areas.
On that front, ‘The Show’ at Bathurst was better again than it has been in recent years.
There was a kiddie zone, dedicated spectator areas including a barbecue area at The Chase, lots of displays and ‘activations’ and giveaways, a motorcycle stunt show and all sorts of skids-and-smoke events on the track.
Best for many people were the sessions for the Historic Touring cars. The cars were varied and original – including the VK Commodore driven by PremiAir boss Peter Xiberras – and they really fired up the crowd.
Godzilla was back; Greg Murphy and John Bowe were driving
Commodores, and there were also Corollas and an Escort and, and, and . . .
The main race was another snooze fest until well past lunchtime, as they have become in recent years with restrictions on strategies and Gen3 cars which are closer than ever.
One answer to spice the action is a bigger field, something suggested by more and more people - including Auto Action’s publisher, Bruce Williams.
There could easily be 10 Super2 cars to boost the field, without destroying the event or creating the potential for carnage.
The key would be ensuring the cars were quick enough, through some sort of qualifying system, and with the right back-up. The cars themselves would need some finessing, since they are inherently quicker than Gen3 cars, but that will automatically be adjusted once Gen3 cars are allowed into Super2.
It’s definitely worth thinking about, and working on, to ensure Bathurst continues at the apex of Supercars once the new championship format is in effect.
HELMUT MARKO has sent out the strongest possible sign that Sérgio Pérez’s seat at Red Bull Racing isn’t secure for next year.
The Mexican driver has repeatedly rubbished stories regarding his possible sacking from Red Bull at the end of the year, insisting that “I’ve just sign a new two-year deal, so it’s pretty clearly I’m not going anywhere.” But there are doubts up and down the paddock that his place is as safe as he claims it is.
In one of his almost daily interviews to Austrian and German media, Helmut Marko said to the state-owned ORF TV channel that “I’m hoping that next year we’ll have a Red Bull Academy driver alongside Max at Red Bull,” a clear sign that Pérez’s contract may not be as rock solid as the Mexican insists it is.
This almost casual remark by the octogenarian Austrian has given new strength to the theory that Liam Lawson’s six Grand Prix stint with VCARB is not the beginning of a longer relationship with the Italian team, but much more an audition for the Kiwi to demonstrate to Marko and Horner that he deserves to be promoted to Red Bull Racing next year.
It was widely noticed that when Lawson’s return to the grid was announced by VCARB, that the Italian team confirmed only that “Liam Lawson will be driving for the Team for the remainder of the 2024 FIA Formula One World Championship season”, with no mention of what he’ll be doing next year.
Given Pérez had a new contract announced, for 2025 and 2026, fairly
early in the year, the phrasing of Lawson’s announcement was odd and could have even been seen as a way to put pressure on the New Zealander to perform against Yuki Tsunoda in the final part of the season, or risk being replaced by the highly promising Isack Hadjar, who is doing so well in his second Formula 2 season.
Now, Marko’s words bring a completely
different light to the wording used by VCARB to announce Lawson’s return to Grand Prix racing with them – it seems that what is effectively happening is that the Kiwi is vying for the second seat at Red Bull. That can only be a realistic possibility if Pérez hasn’t been able to fulfill the performance clauses that are included in his contract and, given the Mexican’s appalling
2024 season, that’s quite a likely scenario. While Verstappen leads the championship with 331 points and has won seven Grands Prix, Pérez is down in P8 with just 144 points and hasn’t been on a podium since the Chinese Grand Prix so, even if what was contractually expected from him was not too demanding, he’s likely to have fallen below that threshold.
FORMER FORCE India and Renault Team
Principal Otmar Szafnauer has finally told his side of the story regarding the French team’s inability to keep Oscar Piastri under contract, more than two years after being forced to front the failure.
According to the American, the top management in France simply left him out to dry,
Even though he has had no active job in Formula 1 since last year’s Belgian Grand Prix, when he was sacked mid-weekend and replaced by Bruno Famin, Szafnauer has been a regular presence in the paddock, as he continues to promote his group travel app – EventR – and get all the teams, Formula 1 and the FIA to use it. At the same time, he’s been helping Andretti Global in its negotiations with the commercial rights holder.
In order to gather more visibility for his app and to keep himself in the news, the Romanian-born US citizen gave a long interview to the High Performance videocast led by former Formula 1 presenter Jake Humphrey, in which he decided to give his side of the stories on some of the controversies that have developed during his more than 20 years in the sport.
One issue that clearly still irks Szafnauer is that he was made to look like the man who had allowed the highly talented
Oscar Piastri slip through Alpine’s fingers and join McLaren, when there was a perfectly valid contract just waiting to be signed at Enstone.
The American businessman explained that “I had absolutely nothing to do with not signing Oscar Piastri correctly.
That was a mistake that was made in November, and I only started in March!
In November, the Piastri contract was meant to be signed, but was never signed.
“I signed in March and I had no idea they hadn’t submitted the CRB (Contract Recognition Board) documents correctly, and never signed a contract with him!”
Going through the process, Szafnauer reminded us that “Oscar was an Academy
driver for Alpine and, once he finished his Formula 2 season, there was an option on the team’s side to put him under contract as a Formula 1 driver for Alpine. And that contract was never executed in November. There was a two-week window where it could have been done and it wasn’t!”
While the mistake was made before he joined the team, Szafnaeur was made to look like he was responsible in the way the team communicated the situation, as he recalls:
“Come the CRB decision, which Alpine lost, because the filings had been incorrectly done, we put out a press release that had my image on it. Number one, I wasn’t even there – it wasn’t anything to do with me. Number two, the communications’ department, which didn’t report to me, thought it was a good idea to deflect the incompetence of those that were at Alpine at the time by putting my picture on the release.
And when I called the head of the department, Lucy Genon who – had already worked for me at Force India –she had to tell me there had been clear orders from above to do so … And that just showed me, at the time, that there were some people at top level in Alpine that were untrustworthy and that were out to get me! …”
AFTER AN unusually long break, Formula 1 will be back on track next weekend, with the US Grand Prix kicking off a gruellin triple-header that will also take us to Mexico and Brazil.
As far as variety goes, you would struggle to find a wider range of tracks than COTA, the Autódromo Hermanos Rodriguez and the Autódromo José Carlos Pace.
And that, of course, will make it very difficult for any team to have the fastest car around all three tracks, in a season where we’ve seen Red Bull, McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes alternate as pace-setters. Which is, of course, great news for us Formula 1 fans, but a nervewrecking experience for the four teams and eight drivers involved in the fight at the front.
There is no doubt that since Miami the only constant we’ve had this year is seeing McLaren being competitive on all sorts of tracks, in all kind of conditions, regardless of downforce levels, tyre degradation characteristics or track temperatures at play. The other three teams have taken turns as pace setters, not
always able to maximise their results when they have the quicker car, which explains why McLaren came from so far back to be now leading the Constructors’ Championship from Red Bull by 41 points.
What has made the difference?
A few things, for sure, but what has been very clear is that McLaren has been the only top team that has made all the upgrades it has introduced, big or small, work exactly as they were meant to, exactly how the designers had planned and how the work done in the simulator showed they would.
Red Bull, Mercedes and Ferrari have all had their breakthroughs this year but, as Frédéric Vasseur explains in AA’s exclusive interview (see pages 28-31), for them it seems more a case of hit and miss.
The Frenchman admits that, “we have arrived at a stage in the evolution of our cars where it has become increasingly difficult to find more downforce without touching some other criticial areas of the performance.
“And that’s why, sometimes, when we get to the tracks we find out that what we’ve lost on some other critical areas of the performance with the upgrades is bigger than what we’ve gained with the new parts, with the extra downforce.
“That’s why we have to make some adjustments; that’s why sometimes we need one or two races to find the new sweet spot for the set-up.”
But even McLaren is weary of this situation and that’s why a new floor, believed to add a considerable
amount of downforce to the MCL38, has been ready for more than a month now but was not seen – not even flown to – either the Azerbaijan or the Singapore Grands Prix.
The concern for Andrea Stella’s team was that, on those two street circuits, the team wouldn’t get a perfect read of the real effect the new floor would have on other areas of performance, as track evolution could mask the results and drive the team down the wrong road.
Given Piastri won in Baku and Norris in Singapore, it’s clear that the conservative approach paid off, but now it’s time to throw caution to the wind and go for it.
Of course, the Constructors’ Championship is very important for McLaren – the team hasnt won it since 1998 – and by having two quick and consistent drivers, against Red Bull’s one, Zak Brown’s squad is in a strong position to achieve an historic win.
But while the financial benefits are all linked to the Constructors’ title, the real big prize is the Drivers’ title – and to bridge the 52-points
gap to Verstappen, Lando Norris needs everything McLaren can give him, as a few one-two finishes, with Piastri behind the Brit, will give him a fighting chance of being champion. Ferrari has made it more or less clear they’ll take a big new aerodynamic package to Austin, as the Singapore disappointment put the Scuderia in the position of needing to take all the risks to have a small chance of winning the Constructors’ title. However, with the US Grand Prix being a Sprint event and track evolution being quite big during the weekend, there is a relatively big risk in introducing a new floor, on a resurfaced track and with just one practice session available for evaluation.
Stella and his team have a crucial decision to make and it’s one that could have a direct influence in the result of the Drivers’ championship. That’s why the Italian and his technical group have a very high stakes game of risk versus reward to play in the next few of days, before deciding in what configuration the red cars will start the coming weekend, in Austin.
ANDRETTI GLOBAL’S bid to enter the Formula 1 World Championship as soon as possible looks set to get a boost following Michael Andretti’s announcement he has stepped down from his role of CEO of the company and has also transferred his stake in it to new owner Dan Towriss.
There’s been no word of what, if any, Mario Andretti’s role in the company will be, but with his son out of the picture it’s likely the 1978 Formula 1 World Championship has also cut ties with Andretti Global as well.
The antagonism generated by the Andretti family among the movers-and-shakers in Formula 1 was noticeable from day one of their bid to enter Grand Prix racing and seen as the greatest obstacle to their plan to ever reach success.
Taking away Zak Brown, who has been a partner with Michael Andretti in several categories of racing over the last decade, all other Team Principals were very critical of the American’s intentions to get a World Championship entry. The same can be said of Stefano Domenicali and the entire Liberty Media management, with only the FIA standing as Andretti’s allies.
From Formula 1’s point of view, the Andretti’s first and capital sin was that, once they decided to go ahead with their
bid to enter Formula 1, they traveled to London to meet with Bernie Ecclestone and ask for his blessing for the project. By then, though, Ecclestone was out of the picture and Chase Carey was the sport’s CEO, while the former Formula 1 mastermind had already become ‘persona non grata’ in Grand Prix racing.
Then, to make matters worse for their case, Ecclestone told Mario and Michael Andretti to seek then-FIA president Jean Todt’s help, rather than send them over to Carey. This at a time when Formula 1 was openly trying to make the Federation less relevant in the running of Grand Prix racing.
As the Andrettis never corrected their course and deferred to Stefano Domenicali, the Italian and his bosses have made it clear they didn’t want them in Formula 1 and then got nine teams on their side, as everyone bar Brown took an instant dislike to the attitude of the American family.
As one Team Principal told us early in 2022:
“They came in demanding the commercial deals were completely rewritten to suit them, which is like you trying to rent a room in a house but demanding the owner makes very expensive changes to the whole house before you pay your first
rent – not
to go around the
with a single page letter demanding his team’s entry to be accepted and trying to get all 10 team principals to sign it on the spot was seen as blatantly arrogant and rude by all …
SINGAPOREAN PROPERTY tycoon Ong Beng Sang has now been formally accused with abetting a public servant in obtaining gifts and with abetting the obstruction of justice.
The 78-years old, who brought Formula 1 to Singapore for the first time back in 2008 and is still running the company than runs the event, has been charged in the first corruption trial of a government minister in 50 years.
Former transport Minister S. Iswaran, was sentenced to 12 months’ jail in recent days for, among other things, accepting a number of valuable items from Ong.
Less than 24 hours after the judge passed sentence on Iswaran, Ong was brought to court to face his charges but it’s not yet known when the case will proceed to a trial.
According to court documents, Ong allegedly instigated Iswaran to obtain a valuable item in December 2022 by offering the then-minister a trip from Singapore to Doha. The flight on Ong’s private plane was valued at US$7,700. Ong also arranged a one-night stay in Four Seasons Hotel Doha with a value of US$4,737.63 and a business class flight from Doha to Singapore, valued at US$5,700, for Iswaran.
For this, Ong was charged with one count of abetment, which makes it an offence for a public servant to accept anything of value from any person with whom he is involved in an official capacity without payment or with inadequate payment.
Further court documents on Iswaran’s case show that Ong had alerted the then-minister that the CPIB had seized the flight manifest for the December 2022 trip, prompting Iswaran to ask the tycoon to bill him for the flight to avoid investigations. For this, Ong was charged with the abetment of obstruction of justice.
Ong first came to the attention of Singapore’s legal system when the investigation into Iswaran’s alleged corruption case was at its height and the tycoon made a first court appearance in July 2023, after being arrested in his offices. After being heard, Ong subsequently posted bail of US$100,000 and was also allowed to travel to Bali.
Given Singapore has an almost unblemished record of zero
corruption in public office, and even though his benefits were relatively modest for the income he received as a Minister, Iswaran has decided against appealing the ruling and walked into Changi prison on Monday, issuing a statement in which he said that “I accept that as a minister what I did was wrong under Section 165. I accept full responsibility for my actions and apologise unreservedly to all Singaporeans.”
The potential arrest of Ong would be a severe blow for the Grand Prix promoter as a conviction of the property tycoon would link Formula 1 to corruption in the public eye and this could quickly lead the government, which is tremendously keen on keeping the country’s image as it is, to drop the race as soon as the current contract is finished.
For now, Singapore has a contract to run a Grand Prix until the end of 2028 – but there has already been chat in the country of this being the final contract. Firstly, costs continue to rise, including the promoters’ fees, while the number of foreigners attending has gradually been reduced as, with 24 Grands Prix worldwide, there’s more choice for the fans. And, finally, local opposition to roads being closed in a crucial part of the year has not been erased over the last 16 years. Ong’s potential conviction could be the last straw for the government and, with Thailand very keen to get into the Formula 1 calendar, Stefano Domenicali would get a direct replacement in the same geographical area and in a city as iconic, although quite different, as Singapore.
LEWIS HAMILTON will have to wait for the start of 2025 to make his first direct contact with Ferrari, after Mercedes have refused Frédéric Vasseur’s request for an early release.
The Scuderia Team Principal asked his good friend and rival Toto Wolff to allow the seven-times World Champion to test for Ferrari in the post-season day of testing in Abu Dhabi, but that requested was turned down.
From Mercedes’ point of view, Hamilton’s contractual obligations will run until December 31 and includes his participation in the traditional postseason Christmas party in the factory in Brackley, as well as his attendance in a number of sponsor functions, including his usual post-season trip to Petronas’ headquarters in Kuala Lumpur.
Without wishing to go into the reasons he believes led to Mercedes’ refusal of his request, Vasseur told us that “if Lewis won’t be testing for us in Abu Dhabi, it’s not because I didn’t ask … if you know what I mean,” with a smile. In other words, Vasseur did request this courtesy but was denied by Wolff, the Austrian still clearly irked by the loss of his star driver to a rival team and unwilling to make any concessions that would help Hamilton’s quicker integration in his future team. With Hamilton unavailable for that day of testing, Ferrari will have Charles Leclerc running for the whole day at Yas Marina on the Tuesday after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
However, Vasseur also told us that Carlos Sainz will be in action at the track – but driving for his 2025 team, Williams. The Ferrari team principal explained
that “there was no reason, from our point of view, to deny Williams and Carlos their request. We are splitting on excellent terms with Carlos; he’s being the consummate professional … he’s always been that way, even knowing this is his last season with us, so we accepted his request to be released for a one-day test with Williams. Carlos will still come to the Christmas party in Maranello, for sure, as
everyone in the team wishes him well for the future, but we’ll let him do whatever Williams has prepared for him in Abu Dhabi.”
That has been quite the norm when drivers move teams – as when Fernando Alonso tested for Aston Martin two days after his last race with Alpine in 2022; or Valtteri Bottas moved out of Mercedes and tested for Alfa Romeo Sauber one
year earlier. What is unusual is a team denying a driver that has given so many good years and results to the company the courtesy of having a first test with a new team. So it seems clear to everyone Mercedes has not yet digested Hamilton’s decision to move to pastures new, putting and end to a relationship that will be terminated after 12 largely successful years.
FERRARI LOOKS sets to be the manufacturer that will benefit the most from Renault’s decision to shut down its own Power Unit Formula 1 department and transform the Viry-Chatillon factory into a centre for other projects, such as hydrogenpowered road cars and racing programs like the Alpine WEC team or the Dakar Rally program that is going ahead under the Dacia brand.
Renault Group CEO Luca di Meo, speaking to French newspaper L’Équipe explained that “we don’t want to fire anyone, but if there are people attracted by the idea of designing an engine for Formula 1 they will have no problem relocating.” The Italian manager went on to state that “Fred Vasseur asked us if he could take some of our engineers and if we could spare them the gardening period,” assuring us that “we will not imprison our guys.”
The fact that his plan included the forced departure of around 170 of the 550 people that currently work in Viry-Chatillon
is probably not irrelevant to di Meo’s generosity towards the staff that want to move to Maranello as, if the engineers and technicians leave the company out of their own free will, they won’t be entitled to receive any compensation …
team (while running under the Renault banner) in 2016, before falling out with Cyril Abiteboul and the rest of the company’s top management.
When the announcement of the termination of the Alpine Power Unit program was first announced, at the end of July, the Frenchman had no hesitation in saying “this is bad news for Formula 1, as we introduced new Power Unit regulations for 2026 to attract more manufacturers … and now we’re losing one.”
Vasseur made a point of stating that “I know the company very well; I spent years with them. I started my career in 1992 with Renault and so I am deeply attached to Renault. And I think it’s a shame.”
Now, with Ferrari losing a few of his Power Unit engineers to Red Bull Power Unit – but not nearly as many as Mercedes did – the Frenchman has the possibility of easily recruiting replacements from a group he knows well and admitted recently that “I have dozens and dozens of CVs arriving at my desk from ViryChatillon, so it’s clear we’ll have a good look at them and then make offers to the people that could fit well immediately within our structure.”
FRÉDÉRIC VASSEUR IS COMING TO THE END OF HIS SECOND YEAR IN CHARGE AT FERRARI AND THE SCUDERIA IS, ONCE AGAIN, IN THE MIX AT THE FRONT OF F1, WITH MORE CHANGES – INCLUDING LEWIS HAMILTON – TO COME. AUTO ACTION’S MAN-ON-THE-SPOT LUIS VASCONCELAS SAT DOWN FOR AN EXCLUSIVE ONE-ON-ONE CHAT WITH ONE OF THE CHARACTERS OF THE SPORT …
AA: You’ve now been at Maranello for 21 months – the team has changed quite a lot and results are coming. How close is Ferrari to being the team you want it to be; how much more change is still required to be made?
FV: There are always changes that have to be made – that’s very much in the DNA of our sport. You always want to do better, you always want to make progress and there are always things where you can improve. We’ve seen this in these last few weeks – we haven’t had a perfect one recently, one where we didn’t make any mistakes. Personally, I always have plenty of ideas of where and what to improve, plenty of recruiting to be done and that’s the approach, the motivation I always want to keep, because that’s the key to achieve better performance.
AA: You’ve been in motor racing for a long time so you kind-of knew what to expect once you joined Ferrari. Nevertheless, more than the sporting effect, has the impact that being Ferrari’s Team Principal had on your personal life, on the way people recognize you in Italy and elsewhere, surprised you a little bit?
FV: Yes and no because, as you said, I was expecting it. What has surprised me is that this effect was described to me as an enormous pressure, but what I see it as is as a tremendous amount of enthusiasm around me, around us. I find people are are very positive, very supportive … not in the mad fan sense of the word but in the real sense of wanting to support us, to help us. They always have kind words for us and,
for example, when it was time to go to Monza, some even came and handed us flowers, which I found quite touching. For me, in any case, it’s a great source of motivation, not of undue pressure.
AA: How do you cope with the lack of privacy and anonymity that comes with it?
FV: Yes, that comes with it but, honestly, it’s not like I have the possibility to spend a lot of time at home, so it doesn’t really affects me much (laughs).
AA: Looking at the team’s structure: you always say that every year there’s 100 people that leave and another 100 that join as this is a very dynamic sport. Among the bigger names, Enrico Cardille has moved to Aston Martin, Loic Serra has just joined from Mercedes and you’ve
made a large number of internal promotions and established a new technical structure. Is this kind of structure, not necessarily the people at the top of it, something you want to keep for years to come?
FV: For years to come? No-one can say that because we’re
always looking for ways to make progress. When we fix something, we always have to go and fix something else – that’s the dynamic we have in the team.
But I think we now have a very good group, very united, very well-balanced. That, however, doesn’t mean at all that we’re doing everything right and that we’ll be doing everything right from now on. But what is certain is that the level of mutual
confidence is very high and that’s very important – I’d say it’s crucial in order to be successful in this industry.
Furthermore, as you said, recruitment never stops. There are more good people coming in soon, people that have a lot of racing experience, people that will fit in very well with what we already have because they have the kind of profile I’m looking for. That’s why I’m quite confident, relaxed in a way, about the cohesion of the group – but I’m not saying we have the best of the best in all areas.
On top of that, we still need to look for improvements, because the goal posts move – the technical parameters are changing with the introduction of the new Technical Regulations in 2026 and that will change the relative importance of the aerodynamics, of the Power Units, so we’ll need to move people around inside the team according to the new needs. But that’s the daily life of a racing team and the most important part is to have a clear direction of where we want to go.
Here at Ferrari I believe we are very well aligned; we have a clear trajectory to follow.
Above: Fred and Lewis Hamilton have worked together before – here heading towards the 2006 GP2 championship with the ART team, a year after winning F3 Euroseries with the ASM team – which Vasseur also co-formed ... Right: With then-FIA chief Jean Todt, during the (2016) 'Renault' period – the pair makes up the only (two) Frenchmen to lead Ferrari. Middle: Monaco 1-3, with a young Aussie in the sandwich ... Bottom: With Ferrari Chairman John Elkann, who is funding Fred's big plans. Images: MOTORSPORT IMAGES
The most important part is to have a clear direction of where we want to go …
AA: We cannot speak about the changes in the technical department without mentioning Adrian Newey. You had talks with him in view of bringing him in to Ferrari but he opted to go to Aston Martin. Of course, from Aston Martin, he got things he couldn’t get from Ferrari – like shares in the team or the company, complete technical independence and so on. Can we say that what he was looking for, was something you were not in a position to offer him at Ferrari?
FV: What I can tell you is that what you’ve just mentioned is not the project we offered to him.After that, everyone makes their own choices and I’m sure he had some very good reasons to join Aston Martin – I understand that. We have our own project, our own direction, our own vision and, the way I see it, it’s not the team that has to fit into someone’s individual project, it’s the individual that has to become part of the team’s project.
AA: Let’s take a look at the 2024 season, one that has been very difficult to read from the outside. Red Bull dominated, then Ferrari had the faster car, Mercedes returned to winning and, for quite a while now, it’s McLaren that has had the upper hand. From your point of view, why has it become so difficult even for the top teams to find the maximum performance of their cars at all tracks?
FV: First of all, because things are extremely tight between the four top teams. Look at the Monza qualifying with all four teams within 0.1s or 0.15s in Q3 – and that wasn’t the only time we saw that this year.
For me the weekend that is the best representation of what this season has been was the Belgian Grand Prix: Red Bull was quickest on Friday morning, McLaren fastest in the afternoon, we got pole position and Mercedes won the race! This has happened quite often this year – even in Singapore, Norris apart, we were all very tight until we made crucial mistakes in qualifying. This means that when you have a car that is particularly suited to a track, to the track conditions and temperature, with the near perfect set-up, that puts you in a position to get a good result and to move, let’s say, from P6 to P1 by making a small gain. That gives people the feeling that teams are very inconsistent but that’s not the case – what in reality happens is that the gaps are so, so small, that one tenth gain or loss can mean a gain or loss of four or five places on the grid. Personally, I believe that’s great for you, the media; it’s great for the fans, for our partners … it’s also very exciting for us. It’s great to get to the grid before the race and have no certainties about what the final
result of the race is going to be. Obviously I’d much rather prefer to win all the races by 20s (laughs) but I find that for the sport, this is a great situation to be in.
I think this what is making this season great, really exceptional. As far as I can remember, in the 25 years-plus that I’ve been involved in motor racing, we haven’t had anything like it.
AA: We’ve also seen top teams struggling to make upgrades for their cars work. It first happened to you, with the Barcelona package, then to Mercedes and more recently with Red Bull. In fact, only McLaren seems to make every new part or upgrade, even the more flexible ones, work as intended. Why has it become so difficult to extract everything out of new upgrades now?
FV: Ah, that’s three questions into one! I think it’s true for everybody that we have arrived at a stage in the evolution of our cars where it has become increasingly difficult to find more downforce without touching some other criticial areas of the performance.
And that’s why, sometimes, when we get to the track we find out that what we’ve lost on some other critical areas of the performance with the upgrades is bigger than what we’ve gained with the new parts, with the extra downforce. That’s why we have to make some adjustments; that’s why sometimes we need one or two races to find the new sweet spot for the set-up.
On top of that, as usual, we’ve all introduced some risky developments in our cars. As you can see throughout Formula 1’s history, and this year much more than in recent years, when you get such close battles like the one I mentioned in Monza, four cars within 0.02s on the grid, no matter how small a detail is, it’s going to make a big difference on your starting position.
At least it’s far more exciting for everyone than what we had last year, when Red Bull could do whatever they wanted and they’d still be 0.6s in front of everybody …
AA: Let’s move on to the drivers now, starting with Charles Leclerc. His speed has always been obvious but this year we’ve seen a calmer, more mature Charles. No one in Ferrari or in Formula 1 knows him better than you – as you had him with you in junior formulae – so how far do you think this Charles Leclerc can go? Is there much more to expect from him? FV: As you said, Charles is talent in its most
pure state. He’s exceptionally quick and he shows that every time conditions are a bit more extreme, in street circuits, wherever we go.
I think he has a natural ability to adapt to the car, to adapt his driving style and to get the most out of any car. But let’s not forget he’s a bit young – he’s part of this new generation of talents we have in Formula 1. Therefore, he still needs to gain more experience, the kind of experience you can only get by winning races and championships.
I think he’s on the right way; the development process is going the right way and, if he continues to follow Ferrari’s own evolution, he’ll continue to progress.
I believe we are right now in a very positive trajectory to continue to evolve and he also plays a key role in what the team is doing, because he’s been an actor in the last two or three phases the team has gone through since he arrived – so sometimes it’s him that helps me make the right choices, explaining how things were done before I got the job. And that’s quite nice too.
AA: Speaking of experience, few drivers are more experienced than Lewis Hamilton, who’s joining you next year. On top of his speed and technical know-how, what is he already bringing in making Ferrari a more appealing team for engineers and in motivating your staff even more?
FV: Motivation, I can assure you, is one of the things we are certainly not lacking in Maranello. I would say than more than injecting further motivation in the team, Lewis will bring his level of excellence, his level of demanding the absolute maximum from everybody.
AA: For Lewis to come in you had to let Carlos Sainz go and that’s a driver you had previously tried to hire for other teams, like Renault. Once this season ends, what is Ferrari going to miss the most from Carlos?
FV: That’s true; that Carlos and I missed working with each other – but not on several occasions. It happened in the junior formulae, it happened at Renault and also at Sauber, so as he wasn’t coming to me – I joined Ferrari and came to him! (laughs).
I know very well what he has brought to the team in the two seasons I’ve been here; I can see it clearly. Let’s not forget than last year it was Carlos who set pole position in Monza, it was him who won in Singapore and it was him that put the pressure on Charles to raise his game and get the results he got in the last part of the season.
Carlos is an extremely stable person and driver in his approach, in his mental strength. Look at the amazing mental strenght he showed after undergoing surgery in Jeddah, to come back and win in Melbourne!
That’s one of the many reasons why I regard him so highly and it’s also someone I get on extremely well with.
I also get on extremely well with his Dad and have tremendous admiration for him as a great champion.
Lewis is tremendously demanding with himself and, therefore, he’s also tremendously demanding towards his team, the people that work with him. I think that’s the message I’m trying to convey now because, in all cases, the drivers are always the biggest catalysts in any team, much more than the Team Principal. It’s the driver that is the key – that’s the role I expect him to play and we’ve already talked about it, Lewis knows what is expected from him.
I’m certainly counting on him and, even for Charles, I believe that are certain areas where he will be able to lean on Lewis’ massive experience to continue to make progress.
So, considering all this, we had to make a choice and it wasn’t an easy one. We have two very, very good drivers right now, very close in terms of outright performance but we had to make a choice and it was a difficult one.
I have to say it was one of the toughest phone calls I had to make in my life when I had to call Carlos to tell him what had been decided, but I also found his reaction to the news to be extremely professional.
Of course the news was difficult for him to digest but, one hour later, he was already telling me that we still have one full season ahead of us, we have to give it our absolute best, we have to achieve the results we want, and we’ll push until the last corner of the last lap of the last race.
And that’s the mentality he’s been displaying all season and I find it exceptional.
AA: I guess another difficult call was the one to Toto Wolff, a good friend of yours, telling him you’d just nicked his star driver … FV: I felt way more sorry for Carlos! (laughs) … but it’s true that calling Toto was not easy
either. You know my relationship with Toto, so it was never going to be an easy conversation. But Toto and I we know very well how to separate our personal relationship from our professional one. We know that at the circuits we are fighting each other; we won’t hesitate in asking the other’s team to get a penalty for this or that, we will do everything we can to beat each other. But it’s never a battle between Toto and Fred; it’s a battle between companies, between brands, between Mercedes and Ferrari. We represent the brand, our employees, our sponsors; we’re here to do the best for them, not to have a lot of fun and be best mates on track.
But we can do all that while keeping a very good personal relationship and, yes, it’s true that making that phone call was not easy at all.
AA: Both Toto and you have invested a lot, and so have your current teams, in young talent. Now we have Bearman, Doohan, Lawson, Antonelli, Colapinto and so on landing in Formula 1 and showing instant speed. Are the team’s academies finally doing the job they were designed for? What has been the catalyst for this sudden burst of
That’s a bit difficult to analyse but I think there are a couple of main reasons for what you’re
These days, Formula 2 is very close to Formula 1 in terms of the level the teams operate at; the way the Formula 2 drivers can prepare. They’ve increased the number of events of the championship to 14, which means they go to almost all the tracks we race at.
That’s the first factor, I think, but, in parallel, what we now have in
the simulators is an instrument that is closer and closer to reality and that means that the academy drivers (who are often the Formula 1 teams’ reserve drivers) are getting a level of preparation no-one was getting some 10 or 15 years ago. Back then they had nine events, there were no simulators, and so they arrived in Formula 1 without knowing the large majority of the tracks.
These days, all those drivers you’ve mentioned – and a few others – are extremely quick as soon as they get into a Formula 1 car. But we have to be wary that the real performance cannot be judged by one sample – it has to be analysed throughout a season, by their consistency.
As I was telling Oliver (Bearman) after he drove for Haas in Baku, when he got
between the two programs. And, necessarily, the results of the first bunch of 2025 races will determine how we proceed from then on. Clearly, if you realise quite quickly that there’s not much to gain or to lose next year then you put all your efforts into the 2026 project. But if you are in the battle for the titles, then you’ll still have to spend quite a few hours per week on the development of the 2025 car.
AA: To bring this chat to an end, let’s get out of Ferrari and motor racing in general. Outside of Ferrari, outside the circuits and the offices, who’s Frédéric Vasseur?
FV: (long pause) Oh my, that’s a tough one … I think it would be better if you’d ask that to the others!
The drivers are always the biggest catalysts in any team, much more than the Team Principal … “ ”
the chance with us in Jeddah no-one was expecting much from him … and he scored points. Then he got the chance in Baku; expectations were low and he scored a point.
So what’s going to happen when he starts his first full Formula 1 season, next March in Melbourne, is that expectations will be very high because everyone will be saying that “well, that’s the driver who scored points in his first two Grands Prix, so he’ll have to score points here too!”
And that’s when the going gets tough. You saw that with de Vries, quite recently, who scored points on his debut in Monza and then things became a bit more complicated for him once he got a full contract. I think it’s important to keep ourselves grounded and not expect everything too quickly.
AA: Speaking of 2025, how much of a balancing act is it going to be for the teams to push with the development of next year’s car with putting as many resources as possible into the design and development of the completely new cars we’re going to have the year after?
FV: I think right from the start of 2025 we’re going to have to split our time and resources
As you know, I find it hard to simply disconnect from what I do for a living because – and this is true for all of us here – this is more than a job. Being Ferrari Team Principal means it’s very hard for me to unplug myself and forget, even for a few hours, what I’m trying to achieve here. Still, I try to make the most of the very little time I have available away from this sport to spend time with my familiy and my friends. You know, I’ve been able to keep a group of old-time mates intact and being with them it’s really the best way to forget racing for a bit.
If people ask me to go and race karts for fun with them, you can be sure that’s something I don’t want to do!
I try to enjoy what little private life I can have but I also know time passes superquick and, for all of us that work here, that are in the paddock all the time … more than a Frédéric Vasseur, for the mechanics, for example … this is a highly energy-consuming job, that makes it very difficult for any of us to have a proper life outside. That’s why I believe that when we are able to get a tiny bit of time off, we really have to disconnect and enjoy it to the fullest.
THE START OF THE 2025 SUPERCARS SEASON WILL SEE SOME OF THE BIGGEST SHAKEUPS TO THE WAY THE SPORT HAS BEEN RUN IN DECADES ... AND FINALLY FINISH WITH A BANG. ANDREW CLARKE AND THOMAS MILES INVESTIGATE WHAT IT
WE’VE BEEN banging on about more rounds and more racing and a finals series for more than a year, and that is exactly what has been delivered with the 2025 Repco Supercars Championship Series.
So long as they’ve gotten ridden of the absurdity of time certain races, there will be 1200 extra racing kilometres next year and not just because there is an extra round, which in itself only adds 440km.
Tim Edwards and his team put a brush through the whole series and nothing was treated as sacred, except perhaps Bathurst.
The criticism of this year’s SuperSprint format, which was forced on the series by the racing kilometres limit in the Team Racing Charter, was no doubt stinging in Edwards’ ears as much as it was in all at Supercars. Part of getting change, was in convincing the team owners to accept it. If you are going to make then race more, what is the payoff?
The extra round was obvious with a mandated $60k per car that stopped a 14th round being added while the teams weren’t conceding ground. The racing kilometres was a little easier since there were trade-offs that could
be enacted, such as cutting team test days and slashing the number of practice sessions.
For 2025, there is a day pre-season test at Sydney Motorsport Park and a similar event at Queensland Raceway in the lead-up to the endurance races, and that is it.
The complex calendar had many versions that we saw, some with 14 rounds, some with eight week breaks, before the final iteration was launched last week. Starting in February, there are plenty of one, two and three week breaks in the series, and one four-week layoff leading into the endurance races.
Outside of the obvious, the biggest change is the introduction of Friday racing at the nonendurance 500s and the Adelaide Grand Final which is now up to 600km.
The pointscore is yet to be revealed, but we believe the shorter races may not carry the same points as the longer races – but there is no confirmation of that as yet … meaning we still have more to learn.
1 – SPRINT CUP: 8 ROUNDS, 25 RACES
THE INITIAL phase of the season consists of eight rounds and 25 races, introducing
a new weekend racing format. Sydney and Townsville will stand out, offering racing action across all three days of the event. Following these eight rounds, the top-performing driver will be awarded the Sprint Cup, securing an automatic place in the Finals Series.
Dunlop’s Super Soft tyre will be used for the Friday sprints, and the new compound tyre will be used for the following days, as with most of the rest of the rounds, with some of this yet to be confirmed.
2 – ENDURO CUP: THE BEND 500 AND REPCO BATHURST 1000
RETURNING FOR the firstb time since 2019, the Enduro Cup features The Bend 500 and the Repco Bathurst 1000. After Bathurst, the Enduro Cup champion will be crowned, based on the results of the two races and will earn automatic entry to the finals, similar to the Sprint Cup winner.
Drivers in the Top 10 of Championship Standings move on to the new Finals series. If the Sprint and Enduro champions are in the top 10, only eight more spots are open for the Finals.
3 – THE FINALS: GOLD COAST, SANDOWN, ADELAIDE
...
THE FINALS will decide the 2025 Repco Supercars Champion and introduce a new elimination-style format. The top point earners from the initial 27 races, as well as the winners of the Sprint Cup and Enduro Cup, will gain automatic qualification.
Points will reset between rounds in the Finals, making every race crucial. Nonfinalists continue racing for individual wins while top drivers vie for the title.
GOLD COAST 500
THE FINALS begin with Round 11 at the Gold Coast, where the Championship points for all 10 finalists will reset to 3000, plus extra bonus points awarded based on their regular season performance. Any driver among the 10 finalists who wins a race at the Gold Coast event will secure a spot at the Sandown event. Following the Gold Coast event, the lowest three drivers will be eliminated from the title race, leaving seven drivers to move forward.
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11 24-26 October Boost Mobile Gold Coast 500 Surfers Paradise Finals RACING: Sat – 1 x 250km | Qual Format 3 + Shootout • Sun – 1 x 250km | Qual Format 3 + Shootout
12 14-16 November Penrite Oil Sandown 500 Sandown Raceway Finals
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PENRITE OIL SANDOWN 500
DURING ROUND 12 at Sandown, the points for the remaining seven drivers will be reset to 4000. Any driver among these finalists who wins a race at the Sandown event will secure a spot at the Adelaide Grand Final event. Bonus points will be awarded after the event, and the bottom three drivers will be eliminated, leaving the top four to compete in the final round.
VAILO ADELAIDE GRAND FINAL
THE SEASON’S climax will be the Grand Final in Adelaide, where the top four finalists’ points reset to 5000. The champion will be decided over three races: a 100km race on Friday, 50km on Saturday, and a final 250km contest on Sunday – the latter two the traditional Adelaide 500 races – with bonus points from prior results. The highest scorer at weekend’s end will win the 2025 Repco Supercars Championship.
QUALIFYING HAS also been rejigged, with three formats, or four if you count the different versions of Format 1, and there will be at least one Top 10 Shootout at every round. As Tim Edwards said to Auto Action, "why doesn’t Tasmania deserve a Shootout?" Well, now it has one.
FORMAT 1: Fastest secures pole • NOTE: Enduro Cup events will utilise Format 1 for provisional pole, followed by a Top 10 Shootout to determine the Pole Position.
FORMAT 2: TWO-PART
• Part 1 – 24 cars – 10 mins
(14 slowest are eliminated before Part 2)
Part 3 – Top 10 Shootout.
AUTO ACTION’S HARDEST WORKER, THOMAS MILES, TAKES A DEEP DIVE INTO THE NEWLY-ANNOUNCED SUPERCARS FINALS SERIES, GETS SOME FEEDBACK FROM THE DRIVERS AND TRIES TO EXPLAIN HOW IT WILL ALL WORK ...
THE 2025 Supercars Championship will be one like no other, as arguably the biggest shake-up ever in the 64-year history of the sport spices up the title race.
Ever since 1960, the champion has been the highest point scorer across a season or single race, but next year it will all come
down to a three-event finals series at the Gold Coast, Sandown and Adelaide.
Only 10 of the 24 drivers will earn Finals berths with places secured by winning either the new Sprint Cup or reintroduced Enduro Cup, or being in the top 10 (or eight if both neither Cup winner is not in the top 10, which
is unlikely for the Sprint Cup champion, but possible for the Endurance) in the championship standings across the first 10 rounds.
The last chance to secure a ticket to the Finals will be Bathurst, meaning the Great Race carries even more significance.
The Finals kick off on the Gold Coast where the 10 gets trimmed to seven for Sandown where only the final four will survive for an all-in title showdown at the three-race Adelaide Grand Final.
To get through to the next stage, you either need to win a race or not be in the drop zone
(bottom three of the finalists) for points Points will reset at each event, but bonus points will be applied, rewarding past performance.
Supercars has followed in the footsteps of NASCAR, which has used the Chase/ Playoffs for the last 20 years but, importantly, the Australian championship has created its own system where winning and consistency are critical.
With only two of the last 10 Supercars title fights legitimately going down to the final race, the spectacle has been missing grandstand finishes with the famous Newcastle deciders of 2017 and 2018 the exceptions.
It is the biggest shake up to the Supercars/Australian Touring Car Championship since the move from a standalone event to multi-race season in 1969.
But drivers are not daunted at all and are embracing the seismic change.
“I think the finals concept is going to be great,” Tickford star Cameron Waters told Auto Action.
“It's Something very different to what Supercars have done in the past.
“But I think going into the grand final in Adelaide and having four people going for the title is pretty cool and it is going to be pretty wild.
“I like change. I like Supercars having a crack and trying something different.”
Waters is one driver, who would benefit the most from a Finals Series.
His talent is undoubted, being one of the fastest on the grid but, for a variety of reasons - mainly freak bad luck such as fires, loose wheels or even illness as with this year – he has struggled to stay in the hunt for a title.
This year he has been on the back foot ever since a shocker at the Bathurst 500 opener, but has battled hard to stay in touch with the top three.
However, last year is the perfect example with his attempts at victory early in the season thwarted by dramas – but he won and scored the most points in the seasonending Adelaide 500.
Waters believes it is good for everyone to see drivers in it for longer and not get ruled out because of a bad round. In fact, he likes it so much he would have preferred to see it installed this year!
“If you have a bad round, it doesn’t mean your year’s toast,” he said.
“At the moment, you would have to say the top four are probably the only guys that have a chance of really winning the championship.
“But even then, I’m struggling to stay in contention, so I think it’s a really good thing for the sport.
“There’s going to be so many different storylines, and just through the finals part of the calendar, it’s going to be on for young and old.
“The grand final in Adelaide is going to be pretty spectacular.
“I would like it (this year), but it is what it is.”
Having raced in Supercars since 2004 and possessing a rich family history in the sport, Dick Johnson Racing veteran Will Davison is one of the most experienced in the paddock.
But even the ‘purist’ in Davison believes it will bring fascinating new elements across the entire season.
“I honestly think it is good. I am a purist as well and change is sometimes daunting, but I think it is an exciting new initiative that will spice it up,” he explained to Auto Action.
“I think it puts a fascinating spin on the year, which can be talked about throughout.
“It’ll be a bit strategic. There’ll be elements of, for example, while Brodie Kostecki won in 2023, he’s not in the 10 this year, which is unusual for the champion. But if he was the Enduro Champion, he could get himself back in the Playoffs and salvage it.
“So, there’s a few extreme outcomes that can still create a big storyline.”
While some traditionalists may struggle to come around to it, Davison feels the exciting, high-pressure environment the football-like finals provide, ensures Supercars is keeping up.
“I think we’ve got to move with the times and, ultimately, when it all unfolds, people will settle into it,” he said.
“It’ll become the new normal and we’re creating our own spin as well. We’re not just copying everyone – it’s different.
“At the end of the day, I think times change and entertainment requirements are different.
“I applaud Supercars for having a crack and trying something vastly different and being brave.”
Whilst the Finals will be a rich source of storylines for fans to enjoy, Davison already anticipates more high-stress moments inside the car, especially for those on the bubble when the cut-offs occur at Bathurst, Gold Coast and Sandown.
“I’m not scared of anything, especially if it creates entertainment and brings it down to the wire,” he said.
“People would be on the bubble at certain points in the top seven, where people are getting knocked out ... they will be racing for different things and there will be talking points all through the field.
“It’ll be painful and stressful if you’re on the hunt, I tell you what!
“There’ll be people that will hate it for a bit, but it’s going to be new rules that everyone will adapt to.”
Davison entered Supercars during the early 2000s when many believed the category was at unmatched heights with big crowds, fields, TV numbers and drivers.
However, with the arrival of Toyota, improvement of the parity situation, expected growth of the calendar and introduction of Finals, he believes the future path for Supercars is an exciting one.
“We needed some positive talking points and I now think the future’s looking really bright,” he said.
“There are still things I’ll always aspire to do better, and listen to fans, which we’re doing now and you know tweak it if need be on the fly.
“I know in the sport now the level of intensity and competitiveness is just insane.
“There’s obviously been disruptions in last year, but I think we’re nearly through the end of that. There’s still a few hiccups here and there.
“But with next year, Toyota coming, the depth of talent and these formats, I honestly think it’s a pretty epic time for the sport in the next five years.”
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THE OPENING round of the Queensland Speedway Spares Ultimate Sprintcar Championship was held at Toowoomba’s Hi-Tec-Oils Speedway on October 5.
Lachlan McHugh and Cody O’Connell led the field from the green flag with McHugh securing the lead.
Meanwhile, Michael Pickens soon drove underneath O’Connell to secure second.
McHugh immediately began opening a handsome lead while O’Connell got back underneath Pickens.
Soon Stewart closed in on Pickens and the pair argued over second.
Stewart slid perfectly underneath Pickens as they came through turn four, only for Pickens to immediately return the gesture as they raced down the straight to regain the position.
Stewart continued to chase, while behind them Luke Oldfield was on the move coming from position 10.
He had made impressive progress and was quickly closing in on the battle for the final two podium positions and within 15 laps he had made it to second.
Oldfield slid underneath Stewart, only for Stewart to quickly regain.
Oldfield then took an opportunity again on the bottom making his way ahead of Stewart and Pickens in quick succession.
McHugh was in a league of his own ahead of Oldfield, as the battle for the final podium position was on in earnest between Pickens, Stewart, Menz and Sauer.
They raced side-by-side through Turn 2 but Menz dropped out after riding the turn four wall with five laps left.
Sauer shot ahead of Stewart on the restart before the former faded with a mechanical drama, gifting third to Stewart.
Whilst dominated McHugh Stewart joined a select few drivers that have podiumed on the same night in both Sprintcar and Speedcar with George Tatnall the first to do it.
It was a busy night for Stewart and Menz doing double duties in Speedcar where the Ian Boettcher Race Parts Danny Davidson Memorial was on the line.
From the green Menz went to the high line with Whittaker in pursuit, but Farmer dropped to the bottom and into the race lead ahead of Casey O’Connell.
Meanwhile Stewart was making a lane for himself driving the middle line and made it three wide with O’Connell and Farmer.
This move sent O’Connell into the lead but just as the race was getting exciting Scott Doyle rolled to a stop in turn three.
From the restart it was O’Connell, Farmer and Menz, but Stewart drops to the bottom and again they are three wide.
Farmer slides up under O’Connell and couldn’t make it work falling a car length short.
Next time round with eight to run Farmer tries again and it worked.
Menz tried to slide under O’Connell and Stewart with just a handful of laps remaining but this time making contact leaving O’Connell stranded up against the turn one wall.
From the restart Menz slid up underneath Stewart and into second and that’s where he finished. Scott Farmer was first to the
checkered flag and a hard-charging Harry Stewart in third.
The final event of the night saw the Field the Dress Label Pro Sprints 360LS Sprintcars feature which doubled as the Alan Morrison Earthmovers Club Championship Series.
Luke Manttan and Kye Jensen led them all into Turn 1.
Manttan got the better start but Jensen hit back on the high line and the pair raced side-by-side until Jensen secured the lead. Meanwhile Dan Murray and Ryley Smith negotiated over third.
Part way through the race Smith got the better of Kye Jensen momentarily leaving Jensen to defend second from a determined Luke Manttan.
Jensen soon charged his line for the better, slipping back underneath Smith to regain control of the race.
Smith and Jensen traded sliders for a number of laps before another caution paused the race. Jensen led the restart, with Smith again throwing all he could at Jensen which had the race fans wanting more.
At race’s end it was Jensen took the win ahead of Smith and Manttan.
The Compact Speedcars also a crowd pleaser on an all open wheel night Dion Wilson first to the checkered flag from Darren Baldwin and Andrew Parkes third.
Speedway returns to the highbanks on on October 19 featuring V8 Dirt Modifieds ,Modified Sedans AMCA Cars and Lightning Sprints.
David Budden
THE MURRAY Maching and Sheds Murray Bridge Speedway has launched into the 2024/25 summer season with a Double Header over the Labour Day long weekend.
The opening night saw the new VAILO LED track lighting switched on for the traditional running of the Bill Wigzell Battle of the Bridge with 29 Sprintcars coming from all parts of the nation to chase the lucrative $10,000 winners purse.
With only a single heat format, time trials played a major role in shaping the nights fortunes and Brock Hallett set the bar, stopping the clocks with a slick 11.255 with Luke Dillon and Marcus Dumesny all within 0.077s.
The only car not to run was local racer and the defending race winner Ryan Jones who was forced to park his ride after magneto gremlins forced him out at the beginning of the night.
Kaiden Manders, Matt Egel and Tate Frost claimed the three heat races before a passing shower cancelled the top six.
Daniel Harding claimed the B-Main and transferring to the main event with him was Victorian Jordyn Charge driving for the Downing Brothers Team.
At the other end of the grid Hallett got the best of the start to use his momentum around the top side of Dillon to take command of the 25-lap finale.
On the 10th lap, Dillon triggered the only red light stoppage of the race, smacking the Turn 3 wall and rolling upside down.
With 15 laps remaining Hallett led from Dumesny and Matt Egel.
From fifth position Frost found a fast groove as he raced his way to the runner-
up position with Egel taking the final step on the podium after a solid battle with Dumesny, who dropped from second with a lap and a half remaining to fourth.
Charge and Josh Buckingham retired to the infield, joining Dillon on the DNF list. Also featuring on the program was the annual running of the Formula 500s King of the Bridge.
A field of 15 competitors from SA and Victoria battled for the coveted crown.
While Dylan Willsher qualified on pole for the 25-lap final, fellow Victorian Max Owen got the jump to lead the entire journey, reigning Victorian champion, Dale Sinclair advanced from sixth to second.
Corey Jones the first of the South Aussies in third as Willsher dropped to fourth ahead of Brad Turnball.
The single supporting class on the night was the Junior Formula 500s, dubbed ‘The Prince of the Bridge’.
A field of just six competitors all venturing from Victoria took to the track. Roc Hughes claimed the opening heat and feature win over Cody Malley who took the remainder of the two qualifying heats. Toby Cook took the final step of the podium in third.
Paris Charles
SPRINTCARS RETURNED to Hi-Tec Oils Speedway at Toowoomba on September 27 where Luke Oldfield enjoyed his time in the sun.
Oldfield shared the front row with Brock Hallett, who wasted no time taking the top qualifying spot with 11.483s.
But Oldfield quickly secured the lead from the green flag as Hallett dropped to the bottom and slid underneath as they came through the second turn.
Bu the race was quickly brought under caution when a number of mid-field cars came together on the back straight.
A full restart followed and the race running green to the chequered flag from there.
Oldfield secured the lead when the race resumed, with Hallett settling into second.
Tate Frost found a way underneath Jock Goodyer as they argued over the top four positions, only for Goodyer to quickly regain and drive away, while Brodie Davis had a quick but unsuccessful look underneath them both.
Frost and Davis swapped places a number of times, while Oldfield continued to lead comfortably from Hallett and Lachlan McHugh.
With 22 laps still to run, lapped traffic came into play, allowing McHugh to close in on Hallett and the pair edged a fraction closer to Oldfield as he weaved his way through heavy traffic.
Oldfield made it look easy as he drove through lapped cars.
Hallett and McHugh were left to battle the traffic and each other as they negotiated over second.
McHugh eventually taking over second spot and relegating Hallett to third after a wheel to wheel battle that lasted numerous laps Oldfield continued to extend his lead
to some 2s at race end. Towards the end McHugh and Hallett closed slightly on Oldfield while continuing their own battle over second, but Oldfield went on to take the win, his first for the year.
The Super Sedan feature race turned out to be a cracker for Round 1 of the Toowoomba Couriers and Transport Ultimate Super Sedan Championship.
The field was stacked with current and former National and State Title holders.
Mitchell Gee got a great start as Darren Kane drove through the middle and levelled up and took the lead two laps in, as Trent Wilson started making moves and going forward fast.
JJ Hamilton was in the mix and started to make his presence felt. He would later receive the hard charger award coming from 22nd to finish 10th in the feature.
The first caution came when Michael Hally spun on the back straight.
From the restart Darren Kane again set the pace with seven laps to go, while Trent Wilson had a big look under Mitchell Gee.
Enter Jye O’Brien having a brilliant drive in second, racing it out with Gee who at that point couldn’t make it work to his advantage.
Deep in mid pack the racing was frantic and the third stoppage came when Mick Nicola Jr and Justin Randall spun down the back straight.
From the restart Mitchall Gee had a big look at Jye O’Brien who was running the high line, while Trent Wilson was sitting back ready to pounce trying to find himself a place on the podium with two laps remaining.
Kane took a solid win over a very determined Gee and O’Brien.
The lightning sprints once again produced some entertaining racing with Wayne Iacono first to the finish from Tyler Stralow and Darren Baldwin
It was initially scheduled to be a two night show, but continued rain saw the event run only on Friday night.
David Budden
THE RIVERLAND Classic will turn back the hands of time with the sights, sounds and smells of yesteryear on Saturday October 19, with the running of the Classic Show.
The Renmark-based event is shaping up to be the biggest and best yet with strong
interest coming from two, three and fourwheeled competitors.
The Bikes and Sidecars are a welcomed addition to the various classic sedans and open-wheeled machines which will see a couple of iconic cars making a popular return after 30 years away from the dirt
ovals. These include Graham Mason SA1 and Grant Bakers SA88 Hotrods. There will be a wide variety of four wheeled sections on the day and will include Speedcars / Mini Sprints, Formula 500s / TQs, Super Modifieds, Sprintcars, Stockcars / Stockrods / Hotrods / Sportsman, Saloons / Street
Stocks, Super Sedans and Classic Modified Sedans.
The club will change gears with the addition of the Riverland Burnouts event on Saturday November 30 as the season is later headlined by four Speedway shows.
Paris Charles
Matt Egel, Australian Sprintcar Stampede winner. Image: PARIS CHARLES
LIKE ANTS to the honey pot, the Speedway community returned to the Murray Machining and Sheds Murray Bridge Speedway for the second night of the Clearview presented Ultimate Double Header, headlined by the Australian Sprintcar Stampede.
Again the compact Time Trials and single heat formula and last-chance B-Main would be used to find the top 20 from 29 competitors to qualify for the A-Main event and a crack at the $10,000 winner’s purse.
The previous night’s podium –Brock Hallett, Tate Frost and Matt Egel – would head the Time Trial section and the top 27 would be separated by seven-tenths.
Jordyn Charge, Marcus Dumesny and Jy Corbett claimed maximum points in the heat races. The above six competitors would also square up for the Top Six Dash which was won by Hallett followed by Frost to lock away the front row for the 40-lap final.
At the other end of the grid, Parker Scott and Lachlan McDonough would transfer as the final two from the last chance B-Main.
At the drop of the green Hallett got the better of the field, using the high line to lead for the first three
laps before third-placed Dumensy brought on the red lights after rolling in Turn 4. When the race resumed Hallett checked out from Frost, Charge and Co.
Two laps down the road the cautions would shine for the Scott entry after tagging the Turn 4 wall.
Yellows again for a third Turn 4 incident and the field reset in Indian file for the restart with Hallett still leading. However the well-prepared surface provided plenty of action further back with multiple positional changes throughout the field.
The biggest mover and shaker was Jock Goodyer, having moved from 19th to fifth by half race distance and the leaders were slicing through slower traffic.
With a third of the race to travel, thing heated up at the pointy end as the top three were nose-to-tail.
Egel relegated Frost to third as he dialled in on the Q5 tail tank of Hallett.
With nine laps to run, Egel swooped in traffic to take the lead and with momentum held steady ground to greet the chequered flag, with Hallett and Goodyer on the final podium step.
Corbett was next, followed by local racer Brendan Quinn as Frost
dropped back to fifth.
Joining Dumensy and Scott on the infield was the luckless Luke Dillon, for the second night straight.
THE OPENING round of the 2024/25 Blackjack Series for Speedcars proved to be a night of survival.
From a field of 10 Speedcars, just two competitors would see the chequered flag at the completion of the 25-lap final. Victorian Nick Parker claimed the win over Robert Heard who competed the previous night in the Sprintcar ranks.
Kaleb Currie, Zoe Pearce, Jack McCarthy, Caleb Mills, Brendan Zadow, Kelvin Burns and Daniel Griffiths all failed to travel the journey. The heat wins were shared by Hardwyer Murphy Motorsport team mates, New Zealand gun Kaleb Currie and second-generation local racer Jack McCarthy. The night concluded with the fan popular Bash and Crash U-Pull It Demolition Derby.
After some solid hits, both given and taken, Simon Gibbs was the last car running to take the win over well travelled New South Welshman veteran wrecker Rob Kemp. Paris Charles
THE 2024/25 Premier Speedway season is officially green after a launch event was held on Saturday, October 12.
The Premier Speedway Club kicked it off with an event at at Warrnambool’s Civic Green where a number of drivers and personalities were in attendance.
Host Gavin White staged a number of interviews with drivers, who shared their thoughts and ambitions on the upcoming season.
Other activities included free giveaways, face painted, chequered flags and a sausage sizzle.
The event builds anticipation for the season opener on November 2 where Total Tools Warrnambool Sprintcar Track Championship and Distinct ICT Open Sprintcar Series. Wingless Sprints headline the action.
The 2026 Speedway Sedans Australia National title dates have also been announced.
For the first time since 2020 the SSA National Junior Sedan Title will return to Western Australia on February 7, while the SSA National Street Stock Title is coming to Murray Bridge on January 8-10 having previously hosted it in 2008.
Sungold Stadium Premier Speedway will stage the 54th SSA National Super Sedan Title in February 22 2026.
FOR THE second time in 2024, the Victorian Motor Racing Championship ventured out to Melbourne’s historic Calder Park Raceway.
The Australian Drivers Championship featuring Hyper Racer X1s returned with Damon Sterling emerging on top with a strong weekend.
Sterling was the class of the field, winning all-but one of the races, having started on pole by a commanding six-tenths.
He then cruised to a 4s win in the opener over Dean Crooke, but Race 2 was a different story.
Sterling led early, but could not stop Hayden Crossland from sneaking past at the midpoint.
The pair battled to the end with Crossland holding on by a second.
But the rest of the weekend was all about Sterling as he was on the money, winning the final two races including an attritional finale.
A Toyota Corolla KE was the class of the 2L Sports Sedans and APRA field.
Steve Howard was dominant, winning all four races by a big margin.
But the fight for second was much closer as it was a squabble of Nissans.
The Bluebird of James Harris had to fend off a pair of Pulsars in Timothy Maynard and Matthew Butters and did it – just.
A pair of second places bookending the weekend was enough for Harris to be the runner-up.
The contest for Stock Cars Australia was a competitive Ford v Chevrolet battle.
Scott Nind’s Mustang held the high ground early, taking the first two races.
of the weekend.
White in the Monte Carlo secured second in Race 2 before rising even further to victory lane in the finale.
However, a runner-up finish for Nind was enough to take the round by a slender six points.
It was all one-way traffic in Victorian Super TT as Nathan Lebrocque swept all before him in his Commodore, leaving Declan Kirkham to settle for second.
There was a double dose of Hyundai Excel racing with both the Victorian Masters and Trophy Series on track.
The first to take on Calder was the Masters category where Daniel Webster
Webster led the whole way and got his nose half a second ahead when it mattered.
After many were wiped out on lap two, the top six were much more bunched in Race 2, but Webster again stayed ahead.
However, there was massive drama in Race 3 with Webster disqualified from the nine-lap affair.
Musgrave led the first eight laps, only to retire on the last one and all of this handed the victory to Karl Neilson.
The challenge of charging from the back of the field did not deter Musgrave, who did it by a second.
The Trophy races were initially controlled by Ryan Phillips as he led every lap of the first three sprints despite a challenge from
Ashton Cattach with only two-tenths the difference in Race 2.
Phillips led the first two laps, but dropped to third in pursuit of a clean sweep.
Instead Jarrd Farrell was victorious as a second covered the top four.
The stage is set for the final round of the Victorian Motor Racing Championship at Winton Motor Raceway on November 1-3. Thomas Miles
VICTORIAN DARREN Visser, driving a 750cc Kawasaki 3-cylinder-powered Bates Cyclo in the Air Cooled category, has taken out this year’s Barossa Vintage Collingrove Hillclimb, at the South Australian location on October 6. However, it was his recreation of the famous Ford Double V8, originally built in 1948 by Eldred Norman, which drew all of the attention.
The car had been built by the legendary South Australian inventor in 1948 from a discarded World War II Dodge weapons carrier chassis, axles and wheels found in New Guinea and fitted with a pair of Canadian side-valve Ford V8 engines. Modified with a sleeker aluminium body in 1949, this is the configuration that Visser had built the car to.
Visser built the recreation during Victoria’s Covid lockdown, using period photographs. Having built a snow tunnel for snowboarders and a speed record-holding Chamberlain tractor amongst other things, Visser seems to be a man in the Eldred Norman mould! This year’s hillclimb attracted 50 car entries and 14 motorcycles.
Although the day started out very windy
with light rain, times improved through the day as the weather cleared up.
Visser’s winning time of 34.11s came on his third run, to finish .91s ahead of the ASP Clubman of last year’s winner Angus Mitchell, in turn 1.10s up on the Cooper Mk 6 of Peter Fagan, followed by Derek Foster in the same Cooper .72s in arrears. The Ford A Special of Michael Shearer was back after a couple of year’s absence to finish fifth with 37.02s, the first of the Vintage cars.
Group K went to Michael Shearer, ahead of Chris Frost (Hartwig Fargo) by 1.29 seconds, in turn 1.79s ahead of Ty Jarman (Dodge Special).
Pre War Invited had Ian Osborne’s Dodge Special with 43.06s, 2.74s ahead of Fred Nitschke’s Ford Model B, followed by Michael Rust in the same Ford on 51.51s.
Peter Stanley’s Austin Healey Sprite Mk II was the only competitor in Marque Sports, finishing 13th outright with 40.18s.
Post War Invited up to 1500cc went to Mitchell’s ASP, 5.05s up on Daniel Jeffries’ Elfin Streamliner with Frank Chessell’s Stag Formula Vee .59s further back.
Post War Invited saw Fred Nitschke’s Kurtis Midget’s 37.03s .31s better than Greg Snape’s Eldred Norman Zephyr Special, with Graham Jarrett’s MG-powered Elfin Streamliner .26s in arrears.
Post War Invited over 5001 saw Gary Brock’s Oldsmobile on 41.83s and Darren Visser in the Ford Double V8 with 50.59s.
Dale Harte’s Jaguar Kougar Roadster took Come and Run with 38.96s, well ahead of Dennis Dawson’s Locost Clubman on 48.79s, ahead of Douglass Potts in the HRG W138 with 51.61s.
Story & Images – John Lemm
THE RETURN of John Bowe to the RX8 Cup victory lane headlined the sixth NSW Motor Race Championship round at Sydney Motorsport Park.
Bowe returned to the RX8 Cup Series for the first time since 2022 and did it in style by winning the round.
However, Robert Scott started the round on the front foot by taking pole with a 1:48.0, just 0.084s ahead of Bowe.
Championship leader Michael Hazelton flew from the second row and led Race 1 before engine issues struck, allowing Scott to take the win.
Hazelton could not start Race 2, slowing Scott to the the championship lead, but he lost the race after a thrilling last-lap pass by Bowe in the three-lap sprint.
The two-time Bathurst 1000 winner had a fight on his hands in Race 3 but used his trademark defensive skills to keep Bailey Scott at bay before he lost out to Robert Scott and Jared Pyke as Hazelton returned and rose from last to sixth.
Bowe saved his best race for last as he dominated, charging up the road and holding on despite a 5s time penalty for a start infringement.
The NSW Supersports were competitive
chequered flag, consigning Pires to second once again.
and Luke Harrison to fight for second best.
One of the main attractions was the Production Cars, with a big one-hour enduro – but before then there were two single driver sprints.
The Driver A affair was a BMW 1-2 with Simon Hodges leading Dean Campbell by 3s with the Matthew Holt HSV next best.
The Driver B Sprint was a thriller with just three-tenths splitting the runaway leading BMWs.
In the end Campbell led the whole way and won by three-tenths over Hayden Auld.
This set the stage for the Enduro where drivers fought across 34 laps and it was a tense battle of the BMWs.
Hodges led the first six laps but, after the second round of stops, the #118 took control. Whilst Hodges/Grech kept up the pressure, Campbell stayed 4s up the road to take an impressive win.
The Production cars, Sports Sedans and MARC cars also raced together.
The Production car race was full of Porsches with Jake Donaldson dominant, winning all three races.
Brad Shiels’ Fiat 124 Coupe flew out of the blocks taking two big wins, but could not complete the clean sweep.
He was denied by Daniel Nolan’s Mazda RX7 by 2s in the finale.
Geoffrey Taunton was in a league of his own in MARC cars, sweeping proceedings.
The NSW Formula Fords put on a show with Cody Maynes-Rutty fending off Eddie Beswick and Jack Bussey in an intense opener.
Race 2 was even closer with Beswick emerging ahead of Maynes-Rutty with just 0.04s the difference.
The third instalment of the three-car battle was another cracker as there were four lead changes across 11 laps and just half a second covered the top three.
Maynes-Rutty emerged half a tenth ahead of Beswick, while Bussey was half a second further back, while Tabitha Ambrose was fourth.
The Superkarts only raced on Sunday with Jock Dos Santos winning the opener before Laurie Fooks dominated the final two races. Thomas Miles
TIM SLADE (right) prepared for his last Bathurst 1000 as a main driver by smashing a five-year lap record at the historic Wanneroo Raceway.
The recently retired PremiAir Nulon Racing driver headed west to the International Festival of Speed event at Perth a week before the Great Race.
There Slade stole the show, propelling his Nissan Skyline R32 to a closed car lap record at the iconic circuit that has been in operation since 1969.
He stopped the clock at 51.574s, smashing the previous record of 53.168s set by Tony Ricciardello in 2019.
The all-time lap record of 50.5769s was set by Gary West in a F3000 Lola T87/50 in 2007.
Slade’s time was more than 2s faster than the Supercars lap record of 53.7293 set by James Courtney under lights in 2019.
The beast Slade steered was powered by an engine that produces more than 1000 horsepower thanks to the work of Brad Sherriff, who once clocked 320km/h at Bathurst.
The two-time Supercars race winner is no stranger to these types of events having also competed at the World Time Attack Challenge recently at Sydney Motorsport Park.
A total of 24,517 fans attended the event across the two days that were full of action with the likes of Dick Ward, ‘Mad’ Mike Whiddett and much more on show.
Thomas Miles
DEAN AMOS (above) was back on top in the Mount Cotton Hillclimb Series after winning Round 5 on September 28-29.
Amos only needed three runs in his Gould GR55B to take top honours with an impressive 36.91s time on his last attempt. It was enough to snatch it from David Tighe, who was the previous leader with a 37.68s.
Many of the outright Formula Libre contenders did not hit the track in the early runs held under overcast skies.
The first to show their hand was Tighe in his Empire Wraith, posting a 39.57s on the first attempt before dipping into the 37s on his next run with a 37.81s.
This set a high bar but he suffered the blow of a DNF on his next attempt.
However, Tighe bounced back well, posting a personal best 37.68 on the very next run.
At this stage he was the only driver to break the 37s barrier until Warwick Hutchinson recorded a 37.84 on his fourth attempt.
They appeared to be battling for victory until Amos blew them away when he turned up the intensity.
Amos’ second run came in the 16th of the weekend and he went straight to the top with a 37.36s time.
Having already taken two spots by three-tenths, Amos further cemented his dominance by nailing a 36.91 on his last run.
Tighe also had cracks on the final two runs but could only manage 42.43 and 37.88.
Formula Libre up to 1300cc class winner Luke Weiks was fourth after beating Edward McCane by the best part of a second.
The only non-open wheeler in the top 10 was James Heymer who drove a Farrell L to ninth with a 45.23.
Elsewhere Gregory Schildt took Group N in a Ford Cortina, Harry Dolling (Toyota Celica) and Phillip Rowen (Renault RS 250) won the Road Registered Sedan Cars classes.
Sean Wade dominated modified Production Sedan Cars with a Nissan Pulsar, as did Jeffrey Graham in Sports Cars 2001cc and over in a Mazda MX-5.
Sports Sedans 2001cc and over was a close battle with Richard Marten edging out Michael Bird with a Peugeot.
Single car class winners were Dennis Cotton (Porsche 914) Christopher Beahan (Phoenix Formula Vee) Jeff Watson (Honda Civic Type R) Adrian Purcell (Subaru WRX) David Sidery (Volkswagen Beetle) and Barry Campbell (Bolwell Mark 7).
Thomas Miles
THE WORKING Dog Rally attracted some big names to the Bonalbo event including Australian Dakar legend Toby Price, but it was Clayton Hoy and Alan Stean victorious.
Hoy and Stean were mighty in their Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI, winning by the commanding margin of 2m46s.
Next best was Mal Keough, who teamed up with Pip Bennett in an Audi Quattro Sport E2 replica to beat Dakar competitor Glenn Brinkman, who steered a Martini coloured Escort with Jacklyn Hughes.
Two-time Dakar Rally winner Price started the Working Dog Rally hoping to gain further four-wheel experience in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX alongside Holly Kilbride in his gravel rally debut.
Things started well for Price as he finished second in the opening stage and secured top five results in the next two to sit a strong second overall.
However, unfortunately things literally fell into a hole on Stage 4.
Price “got the entry wrong” on a lefthanded gravel sweeper approaching a
bridge and missed it all together, with the Lancer getting stuck in a creek.
Price and Kilbride were the first of 13 retirements from the rally and the Baja 500 champion vowed to return after the costly mistake.
“I stuffed this one up,” Price admitted on social media.
“Second accident I’ve had in cars and you learn more in a mistake then just getting laps in.
“Was going great till it wasn’t, and I stuffed up and all on me.
“I got the entry wrong and was either going to go two wheels onto the bridge/ creek or steer out and try pull the car up.
“But it didn’t work and we slowly went in the creek.
“All bumpers were still on and attached but not so much after recovery and bottom lower left arm twisted so nothing major.
“Glad Holly and myself were safe and very small car damage.
“Big thanks to On the Brink Motorsport for this chance and he’s said I’ll be back in the seat for another chance which I’m
going to be stoked about.
“Not letting this get the better of me, but man rally is cut throat and the biggest thrill you can have. I’m ready for more.”
Whilst Price had looked fast early on, no one was in the same postcode as Hoy.
He won the first five stages to build more than a minute and a half on the rest of the field.
It took until Stage 6 for Hoy to be toppled by just 1.2s thanks to Keough’s big effort in Stage 6.
But by Stage 7 Hoy was back to winning ways to extend his advantage to beyond two minutes.
He dominated the final three stages to complete a near-perfect performance.
Keough’s runner-up finish was enough to take the East Coast Classic honours, while Neil Woolley’s Magna claimed 2WD success.
Subaru dominated the Queensland Clubman Rally Series with Luke Sid leading the way while unfortunately there were no finishes in either the Junior of Novice series.
Thomas Miles
TOM HAYNES further strengthened his position at the top of the TA2 Muscle Car Series standings in the penultimate round at Winton.
Whilst Brad Gartner stormed to round victory, Haynes extended his lead over nearest rival Graham Cheney to 82 points as just one round remains, at the reborn One Raceway.
He looked ominous with a perfect Saturday where he took pole and a Race 1 win.
Despite Gardner coming close in the closing stages, Haynes remained in control and won by 0.61s with Josh Thomas a distant third.
Aaron Prosser was in the mix, but made a costly mistake at Turn 3, while former speedway star Robbie Farr finished 10th on tarmac debut.
On a soggy Sunday Gartner turned the tables and fired an ominous warning shot by taking victory.
In wet conditions Gartner needed three laps before displacing Haynes at Turn 1, while Hayden Jackson wowed flying from 17th to third as Cheney dropped to ninth and Thomas spun.
Race 3 proved to be a thriller as Gartner and Haynes went at it in a titanic dual.
Haynes held the high ground early thanks to flying around the outside at Turn 10, only for Gartner to blast back past with just two laps to go. Mark Bailey took a maiden podium.
Haynes tried to produce another fight in the finale, but it was to no avail as he had to settle for second 1.5s in arrears.
THE LEGEND Cars Australia battle was a beauty with the top four covered by just nine points.
Robert Hogan raced out of the blocks by sweeping Saturday’s two races, but his hopes of round victory were hit by a tough Race 3 where he battled in the wet
conditions and slumped to 14th.
Performing in the rain was Ben Goodridge, who took a commanding 4.2s victory over Shane Tate and Brendon Hourigan.
After finishing fourth, Ryan Pring threw his hat into the ring by beating Goodridge by 3.2s as Hogan put in an important drive rising from 14th to third.
This put Hogan in a position to once again challenge for victory in the finale and he did it in style.
He claimed a third win of the weekend, but it was not enough for the round win.
Being just behind in second, consistency saw Pring rise to the top.
THE CONTEST for Australian Super TT was a nail-biter with a number of drivers putting their hands up for victory.
Matt Sims looked dangerous early on, running away with a crushing opening race win.
He flew to a commanding 22s triumph
over Glen Postlethwaite and Cory Gillett.
Race 2 was much closer with Ryan Bell leading all the way until he final lap until he suddenly dropped to third.
Postlethwaite and Sims got by and wrestled for victory until the chequered flag with only 0.4s splitting the pair.
However, things were even closer in Race 3 as Gillett edged out Sims by a miniscule 0.013s.
It was a runaway two-horse race with Bell next best 25s away.
Determined to fight back from close calls, Sims crushed the field in Race 4 and led home Gillett by 9s to also take the round.
AFTER SWEEPING the previous two rounds, Brock Paine carried on his momentum by winning the opening Winton race.
Geoff Connell was the closest challenger and finished 1.8s adrift, but Sunday was much more competitive with three wins in as many races.
Paine’s domination ended in Race 2 where Ben Boaden was victorious in the wet, while Thomas Derwent claimed the reverse grid affair.
Paine returned to the top step in the finale by beating Vantagiato by 2.5s.
ONLY A 10-car field chased Australian Excel Series honours, but the intensity was as high as ever.
Matt Boylett took pole by just 0.0790s before less than half a second was the difference at the chequered flag in the opener.
Boylett had to settle for second after being squeezed out by Blake Tracey.
Things did not settle on Sunday as all three races were split by less than a second.
Tracey went back to back by hand a second against Queensland rival Caleb Paterson.
However, Paterson was the next to taste success, albeit by just 0.3s over Tracey and Boylett.
Tracey fought back to take the race and the run by a meagre six tenths in the biggest margin of the day.
THERE WAS no shortage of karting action with three groups enjoying four races each. The opener in Rotax Max was a thriller as Russ Occhipinti beat Tyler Edney by 0.038s.
The heavy class was also close as Colin McIntyre pipped Johnathon Twigden by two tenths.
The second race saw the 125cc Gearbox karts hit the track and just half a second covered Bradley Tremain and Lee Vella. Then the 250cc National karts showed their speed with Nicholas Schembri prevailing. On Sunday Kiwi Tyler Edney claimed the first two 125cc Rotax Max Light races before Occhipinti hit back in the final.
It was a similar story in the heavy races as Twigden went back to back before Shannon Noble stormed ahead.
But it was terrific Tremain in the 125cc Gearbox taking a clean sweep.
Schembri remained fast in 250cc International before a last-race retirement allowed Ilya Harpas to score a win.
Thomas Miles
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EDDIE BESWICK (right) has joined some of the biggest names in motorsport by winning the 2024 Australian Formula Ford Championship title at Phillip Island.
Despite finishing ninth in the Phillip Island round, Beswick did enough to hold on ahead of round winner Kobi Williams and Jack Bussey.
Having entered the round with a 38-point advantage and with only 61 on the table, he needed to finish seventh or better among the national competitors in Race 2 and eighth on the road, but seventh in class was enough to seal the title.
In addition to joining famous names ranging from Chaz Mostert to Craig Lowndes on the national Formula Ford champions list, Beswick will receive a Supercars test with Dick Johnson Racing.
Beswick was a model of consistency all year with just three wins – at Mount Panorama, Sydney Motorsport Park and Symmons Plains.
“To win a national championship with only three race wins was so difficult and kept me on my toes all year,” he said.
“I’d like to thank my family and Justin; I wasn’t much of a go-karter, so everything is a result of his teaching and I’m looking forward to continuing that in the future.”
Liam Loiacono started from pole after being the only driver in the 1m36s window
in qualifying.But heavy rain soaked the track for the opening race, which started under the control of the Safety Car.
With six minutes on the clock the green flag was finally waved and Cody MaynesRutty surged to second, only to run wide and allow Williams through.
Williams was a man on a mission and charged to the lead on the penultimate lap, denying Loiacono as Evennett rounded out the podium.
It was a tough race for Beswick as he dropped a wheel in the grass, which saw him fall from 10th to 14th.
As a result, he needed to soar to seventh or better among the national racers to wrap up the crown in the penultimate race.
In changeable conditions Beswick made up six spots within four laps to climb to eighth and critically he held it.
With State cars further ahead, it was enough for Beswick to become national champion.
Up front Williams and Maynes-Rutty put on a grand show for victory with the former leading every lap, but only winning by 0.0705s.
The dead rubber Race 3 was another
thriller as Bussey, Williams, Loiacono and Maynes-Rutty went at it.
The decisive moment was when they started the fourth lap four wide with Bussey emerging ahead.
Before the battle could enrage further, the Safety Car ended the race after Evennett and Joe Fawcett tangled.
The Formula Ford Kent class was also a tight affair with veteran Richard Davison fending off Andrew Torti and Peter Fitzgerald as just two points covered the trio.
Thomas Miles
PHILLIP ISLAND threw a number of curveballs to Victorian State Race Series competitors from sunny skies to heavy rain.
Jaylyn Robotham used the Hyundai Excels category to prepare for his Great Race drive the following weekend.
He started in grand style, winning a tight opening race by a tenth over Cisco Morales. But there was high drama in Race 2 as Robotham retired on lap two and Morales was disqualified, leaving Oliver Wickham as victor over Ashton Cattach.
Despite falling a tenth short of victory in a thrilling finale, Wickham won the round as Tyce Hodge took Race 3.
The holden versus Ford rivalry was back in vogue in Saloon Cars where VY Commodores battled against AU Falcons.
Despite Kevin Stoopman leading an all-Ford front row in qualifying, Adam Lowndes pushed his Holden ahead with a grand start. Lowndes took the opener in commanding style over Jacob Prestipino in an all-Holden podium as neither Stoopman and McSwain started the race.
Stoopman was back for Race 2 and flew all the way to second, edging ahead of Daniel Johnson’s #1 by just four tenths.
However, Lowndes retained P1 by 6s. His hopes of a clean sweep were denied in an intense final race.
Stoopman was an early retirement after just two laps, but Lowndes had new fighters in Kane Baxter-Smith and Jacob Prestipino. Baxter-Smith controlled all nine laps as Prestipino won a tight battle for second as they were separated by 3s.
There were more Holden and Ford favourites in the Victorian V8s field but none could keep up with Brian Finn.
Finn was unstoppable in his Commodore. After taking pole by 2s, he secured a strong clean sweep.
But right behind him in Race 1 was Mark Kakouri in a VH. Race 2 was a simpler affair as Finn enjoyed a 11s buffer over David Hender’s XY Falcon. He had a similar buffer in hand in the finale over Gregory Lynch.
The tight fight for second was secured by Kakouri.
They raced side-by-side with the Sports Sedans class where Dean Camm’s Chevrolet Corvette was dominant.
It was a relatively steady weekend as Camm led Brett Dickie (Honda Prelude) and Francois Habib (VZ Commodore) in all three races.
After James Westaway and Cameron Beller shared the first two races each, just two points separated the pair ahead of the finale. It initially delivered as they pair took turns in the lead throughout the intense nine-lap affair.
Beller led the first three laps before Westaway responded to control the next three.
However, Beller fought back to snatch P1 on lap seven and Westaway ended up retiring on the penultimate lap, giving Beller round honours in dramatic style.
There was a solid field making up the MG and Invited British category and Phillip Chester announced himself by taking pole by 4s.
But the battle for race victory was much closer with Damien Meyer posting record-
setting pace, but still fell 4s short of Chester. However, Meyer’s moment arrived in Race 2 where he hit the lead off the line and did not look back, prevailing by a second.
Meyer sat second in Race 3 before he retired after five laps, allowing Chester to take a comfortable victory.
The Historic Touring Cars turned into a Camaro carnival with Brent Trengrove leading the way.
The podium places were a Camaro sweep and on each occasion Trengrove was in charge, followed by Domenic Leo and Geoff Munday.
The best of the rest was a Valiant Charger driven by Glenn Miles.
The one-make BMW Drivers Cup was also all about one driver in Royce Lyne.
Lyne headed the 14-car field of BMW E30Rs on all three occasions, completing a perfect weekend.
Not only that, his smallest win was 9s as Alex Jory managed to overcome Ashley Rogers in the fight for second.
All eyes now look forward to Calder Park Raceway for the Victorian State Race Series finale on October 26-27.
Thomas Miles
A LATE twist brought the Bathurst round of the Porsche Carrera Cup Australia to life.
Harri Jones appeared to be dominating at Mount Panorama until things took a turn in the final race.
He tripped up on debris, but still carried on to third, which was vital as it ensured he held onto the round win by a single point over final race winner David Russell.
Jones picked up from where from where he left off, winning a tight fight for pole position.
His 2:05.1652s was just 0.0499s clear of Dale Wood with David Russell and Jackson Walls making up the minors. Adrian Flack was well clear of Sam Shahin in Pro Am. Jones retained control of the field instantly in what was an eventful 40-minute opener.
Behind him, Russell snatched second from Wood, but the Safety Car was required almost instantly as Harrison Goodman had a big shunt at Reid Park.
A second attempt at racing was not overly successful after Sam Shahin and Adrian Flack came together at Griffins Bend.
Although Shahin could escape, Flack was stranded on the kerb and the Safety Car returned.
A third and final Safety Car arrived when Marcos Flack was spun into pit wall on the exit of Murrays.
It was a tangle between Sonic teammates, with Angelo Mouzouris involved.
This meant the race was decided by a one-lap sprint to the flag where Jones took another win over Russell and Wood.
Bailey Hall was fourth, but fifth place was enough for Walls to secure the Junior title.
In Pro Am, Rodney Jane avoided the drama to take a first win since the season opener. Under sunny skies in Race 2 ,Jones again
got a great leap to beat Russell into Turn 1.
But there was drama further back as Matt Slavin and Stephen Grove tangled on the exit of Hell Corner.
Grove was the major loser, being forced to retire due to the sustained damage from the trip to the infield.
Mouzouris bowled a wide at The Chase after a massive lockup, going airborne over the gravel.
With Jones in complete control ahead of Russell, all eyes were on the fights for third and seventh.
Wood had Walls up his trumpet as they battled to have the final spot on the podium,
while Nash Morris led a five-car train. Morris cracked when he found the dirt at Skyline, which opened the door for a thrilling fight when they arrived at Mountain Straight. Morris, O’Keeffe and David Wall went three-wide up the blast to Griffins Bend and O’Keeffe appeared to win the battle on the outside.
However, Morris went deep into Griffins Bend and the masterful move on the inside ensured he somehow retained seventh place.
Wall managed to jump O’Keeffe amid the squabbling. Wood also held onto third being three-tenths clear of Walls. But there were no scares for Jones as he
cruised to a 1.8s triumph.
However, his domination came to an end in a dramatic final race.
Jones appeared to be sailing to another win, but hit debris on the opening lap and tore his front splitter, resulting in him going off at The Chase.
Keen to make up ground, Walls launched an attack on Wood at Murrays Corner, but spun around, handing Jones the critical third.
Pro Am was also dramatic as Flack returned to the top and Jane saw a round win slip away and Sam Shahin crashed at The Dipper. The Carrera Cup returns to the Gold Coast on October 25-27. Thomas Miles
THE V8 TYREPOWER SUPERUTES SERIES TOOK TO THE TRACK FOR FOUR RACES AT THE BATHURST 1000 WEEKEND.
THE SERIES saw two race winners for the weekend: Aaron Borg picked up the trifecta for the first three races while Jayden Wanzek picked up the first win of his career in the SuperUtes in Race 4.
The V8 Utes were out early on Thursday morning for practice at 7:30am, the no.18 car of Cody Brewczynski fastest around the circuit with a time of 2:28.942. He was followed by Adam Marjoram of Team Motion Racing, the leader of the series heading into Bathurst weekend.
Qualifying was under way at 10:55am, Aaron Borg taking the top spot with a time of 2:28.042s, nine-tenths fasters than Brewczynski’s practice benchmark.
The 20-year-old from Adelaide, Waznek, finished third, while Marjoram closed out the top five.
At 9:00am on Friday morning the SuperUtes were back on track for Race 1. Borg drove a great race and could not be caught, picking up his eighth career victory at the mountain.
The start of the race was chaotic with Craig Woods spinning on track, an overcorrection error while building speed into Hell Corner.
Ryal Harris had a rough qualifying, and the race took a turn for the worst, crashing his BT-50 into the wall.
The Safety Car neutralised the grid, and the restart was a hard-fought contest, but Borg held on to secure the first win of the weekend.
Races 2 and 3 took place on Saturday, where Borg was unstoppable.
The results for the top 10 in Race 1 were reversed, Queenslander Holly Espray starting on pole. The battle began as the flag was waved where Ryan Walsh got the better start, gaining two car lengths on Espray into Hell corner.
Borg was gaining, jumping from 10th to second, charging his way through the pack. A crash occurred and the Safety Car was deployed, but Borg managed to get the move done to take over the lead of the race.
Race 3’s grid was in the results of Race 2, Borg back on the front row.
With the field down to 22, Harris started from dead last, making his way up the pack but trouble struck again as he received a 30 second time penalty.
The Toyota Hilux of Brewczynski was challenging Borg all the way to the line, but Borg crossed the line to win Race 3.
Race 4 was the curtain opener for the Sunday, and was looking to be another Borg masterclass, but in such a tight competition anything was possible.
Rookie Jayden Waznek secured his maiden win in the Tyrepower SuperUte series in Race 4 at Mount Panorama.
The Mitsubishi Triton of Waznek was flying, closing the gap on the now championship leader Borg, and he was forced to settle for second. Marjoram moved up the order into 13th position, now second in championship proving he would be back to challenge. The series will continue on the sunny streets of the Gold Coast at the Boost
JAMES LODGE took his first race win in the Toyota GR86 series, and what better place for him and his team at Ashley Steward Motorsport to do it than the Mountain.
Max Geoghegan was having a successful weekend, winning the first two races of the round and starting from pole for Race 3.
The no.2 of Matthew Hillyer lost his lead in the championship after a disastrous weekend, and he’d start the race from 33rd on the grid.
Lodge had a quick start to the race, taking the lead from Geoghegan around the first turn.
The snake of 35 cars made its way around the first lap of the race.
The Erebus Junior Academy driver Geoghegan had a go at passing Lodge, but an error allowed Hume to slip into second.
Geoghegan was able to get to past at the apex of the turn in the battle for first, but the car didn’t have enough momentum to complete the move.
Further down the pack, Jett Murray spun into the dirt, accumulating some damage but able to make his way back on track.
In the second lap of the race things went from bad to worse for series leader Hillyer, who hit the fence big-time – not for the first time this weekend.
The car slid, clipping the outside wall with the right rear of the car, before spinning all the way across the track, smacking the front right side of the car with high impact, and ending with a front-on collision back across the track.
A heavy impact crash ... but Hillyer emerged from the car, a little ginger but okay.
Just before the Safety Car came in, the #35 car of Ben Gomersall showed signs of an issue, he pulled off into pit lane as the green flag was waved.
Lodge held his gap on the last lap of the race, winning on Sunday morning at the Bathurst 1000 weekend of racing.
At Murray’s corner Hume fell from second to fourth, late on the braks and allowing both Geoghegan and Lachlan Gibbons through for places on the podium.
The last round of the series will kick off on the streets of the Gold Coast for the Boost Mobile Gold Coast 500 on October 25. Ava Stone
THE HERITAGE Revival gave fans a massive hit of nostalgia with a massive 50-plus field seeing some iconic cars and colours return to the Mountain.
The popular support category had everything from Peter Brock HRT Commodores, the return of the 1992 Great Race winning ‘Godzilla,’ Super Tourers and a massive selection of Group A and C favourites from Toranas, Bluebirds, Falcons and much more.
There were also some big names with Greg Murphy suiting up again to drive the Pro-Duct VN Commodore that was raced at the 1991 Great Race by Bob Pearson.
Another Bathurst legend, John Bowe, was behind the wheel, steering the beautifully presented Allan Grice STP VH Commodore.
James Brock made a return to the Mountain driving a car he raced nearly 25 years ago, steering the ex-Bruce Williams Holden Commodore that Brock himself drove to a victory at a Bathurst Junior Touring race.
PremiAir owner Peter Xiberras also took time away from being a team principal to have some fun, having a crack in a Group A BK Commodore that was raced by Denny Hulme, restored in Graeme Crosby colours.
Eggleston dominated all four races, recording a crushing clean sweep as the famous white and blue 1995 HRT colours headed the field all weekend.
The first race was the hardest fought as Eggleston took Chris Stillwell.
Stillwell took pole in the #47 Caltex Ford Sierra Colin Bond and Alan Jones drove to third in the 1988 Bathurst 1000.
Whilst Eggleston led out of the Hell Corner, the Sierra flew past down Conrod Straight and led the opening lap.
However, this time the VH Commodore was the benefit of mechanical gremlins as Stillwell had to resort to the pits, giving Eggleston a comfortable win.
Tony Alford in the 1992 Nissan GT-R won a tense arm wrestle with Murphy for second. The Kiwi made a move at Forrests Elbow, only for the Nissan to blast past down the straight.
It was rinse and repeat in race 2, while Eggleston completed a clean sweep in an incident filled finale.
The track was jammed briefly at The Cutting after Martin Wagg gave his Peter Brock VR Commodore its latest bit of history at the corner.
The Holden running a 1996 HRT scheme was the one that the #05 crashed at The Cutting in the ’95 Shootout.
With so many famous cars racing around the Mountain again, the Heritage Revival captured the imagination of fans each time they hit the track.
But one car and driver were a cut above
Dunlop Series team owner Ben Eggleston steered the #015 HRT VR Commodore that Craig Lowndes took pole position for the 1995 Bathurst 1000.
Famously Lowndes and co-driver Greg Murphy were denied any hope of chasing Great Race glory that year due to engine
However, almost three decades on, Eggleston was able to complete the Commodore’s journey to victory.
But now in 2024 more drama arrived at the tight left hander, being at the end pile up that started when Trevor Sheumack spun his BMW Super Tourer.
Thankfully there was not too much damage and they carried on, whilst there was another close call on the final lap.
Lindsay Woollard dropped two wheels in the grass down Conrod when trying to avoid a slower car, which sent his Re-Car VC Commodore spinning into the inside fence.
He appeared destined to collide with the parked Ford Capri of Carl Muller, but thankfully just came to rest in time.
Thomas Miles
THE MOUNTAIN has shaken up the fight for the 2024 Super2 Championship with Zach Bates now on top after a shocker for Kai Allen.
Allen entered the round with a 126-point advantage, but that has been wiped out after a weekend from hell.
Whilst the likes of Rylan Gray, Jobe Stewart and Aaron Cameron enjoyed breakthrough successes, it came at the expense of the Eggleston Motorsport star.
It all started with a heavy qualifying crash under the tree on Friday, which saw the Eggleston Motorsport team perform a miracle to repair the #1 ZB Commodore to ensure it started the opener.
But with no anti-rollbar, Allen crawled a wounded car to 17th to collect some vital points.
However, there was more pain coming on Saturday where a power steering failure fired the Coke Commodore hard into the fence in the Esses.
For the first time in 2024, Allen does not lead the Super2 standings with both Zach Bates and Cameron clearing him.
RACE 1 FRIDAY
ON FRIDAY Brad Vaughan shot the lights out by taking pole with a blistering 2:04.7537.
But the Tickford driver could not convert it and found himself in a crazy five-wide fight with fellow Mustang drivers Cameron, Vidau, Gray and Dalton.
Cameron was the big winner, sending it down the inside and shooting from fifth to second, while Dalton was the loser, falling to 12th after finding the grass at Hell Corner. Ahead of the fighting Fords was Stewart, who blazed ahead of the field and cruised to a sublime maiden Super2 success.
It was an emotional one for Stewart, being Image Racing’s first since the tragic passing of Dana Wyhoon – and he did it in style to the tune of a huge 12s margin.
Whilst the race was surprisingly clean, there was still plenty of drama.
Cameron was the only driver to keep up with Stewart and looked safe to secure an important second place.
However, less than five minutes from home a power steering failure saw the Kelly Racing Mustang drop to 16th in a cloud of smoke.
The dramatic turn of events promoted Vidau to second, who has been battling sickness all weekend, while Gray also took a PB with third.
After starting down in 14th, Bates charged his way into the top five, clawing back vital points.
Determined to make up for Saturday’s disappointment, Cameron flew to pole, breaking Vaughan’s record that did not even last a single day.
A 2:04.7010s denied Vaughan back-to-back poles by 0.05s as Gray completed an all Ford top three.
After being robbed of second place on Saturday, nothing would stop Cameron from charging to victory.
He took his maiden win in style, driving into the distance and winning by 5s over Tickford
teammates Vaughan and Gray.
It was sweet redemption for Kelly Racing, which had not only endured Cameron’s misfortune, but the agony of parking Mason Kelly as early as Thursday after he had a big crash at the top of the Mountain.
“It feels bloody good,” a delighted Cameron told Auto Action post-race.
“It is validation for what we have been doing all year. The purpose at the start was to have a proper crack at Super2.
“Saturday was an interesting one, but we made some changes and it made our car so much faster and was a blessing in disguise.
“Its been a long time coming.”
Off the line, Hughes did a burnout and slumped from fourth to ninth.
Allen looked dangerous, flying from 19th to 13th on the opening lap until it all fell apart in heartbreaking fashion in the Esses.
“I had a great start. The car felt okay, not
flash, and then the power steering failed at The Dipper and straight into the wall,” Allen recalled.
“It was not for us this weekend so we just need to do a good job and bounce back in Adelaide.”
Stewart went from high to low with tyre failures forcing him to tour The Chase run off not once, but twice. His first trip was terrifying as the #99 Commodore flew back across the track right in front of Dalton’s nose.
Two corners later the Tickford driver found himself in another moment, spinning at Murrays.
Bates had the lights on in fourth, but could not snare third from Gray with a pair of P3s enough for the 17-year-old to take a maiden Super2 round win.
But Bates still did enough to snatch the Super2 points lead for the first time as a thrilling finale awaits with Bates, Cameron and Allen, all covered by just 42 points. There was plenty of action in Super3 with little separating Cody Burcher, Thomas Maxwell and rookie Bailey Sweeny.
Sweeny was not afraid to get his elbows out at the Elbow to take the lead momentarily in Race 2, but faded towards the end.
With Maxwell missing the opener, Burcher used his race smarts to not only win the round, but also secure the Super3 crown for 2024.
However, there will be a sensational Super2 showdown on the streets of Adelaide on November 14-17.
Thomas Miles
DUNLOP SERIES POINTS
AFTER ROUND 5
1: Zach Bates 1137 points
2: Aaron Cameron 1098
3: Kai Allen 1095
4: Max Vidau 987
5: Jarrod Hughes 927
With the best motorsport action and spectacular entertainment, we'll see you in Adelaide.
14-17 NOV 2024
BRODIE KOSTECKI AND EREBUS MOTORSPORT HAVE BEEN THROUGH THE RINGER IN 2024, BUT NONE OF THAT MATTERS ANY MORE AFTER THEY SCORED SWEET REDEMPTION WITH TODD HAZELWOOD IN THE FASTEST EVER GREAT RACE … THOMAS MILES LOOKS AT EREBUS’ SECOND BUT SWEETEST MARCH AT MOUNT PANORAMA ...
EREBUS ARRIVED at Mount Panorama one year ago expected to go all the way and it was all looking good.
Kostecki put it on pole, but could not keep up with Shane van Gisbergen as he romped to farewell Bathurst success.
Whilst many did not believe it, Erebus was confident it was in an even better position to chase the Peter Brock Trophy this year than its championship-winning season.
There were many things stacked against them, both on and off-track, with neither Kostecki or the team finding their best since infamoulsy missing the first two rounds.
Despite all the drama, both he and Erebus were pouring all their attention on the race that mattered most and it paid off.
Kostecki and Hazelwood dominated, leading
157 of the 161 laps and not even a spirited challenge from regular Bathurst dominators Triple Eight spearheaded by Broc Feeney/ Jamie Whincup could stop them.
The race became an arm wrestle between Chevrolet’s leading teams, with the #1 and #88 blazing away from the pack in a flat-out sprint for the ages.
For the second time in the Gen3 Bathurst era, Ford struggled to contend having entered the weekend suffering engine dramas, while its teams made, small but costly errors.
After three days full of incidents in the lead up with drivers pushing the boundaries trying to stand out in the insanely competitive search for speed, a dramatic Great Race was anticipated on the hard tyres and slippery surface.
But this did not eventuate as the race broke records for a lack of Safety Cars – almost incident-free. And at 05:58:03.0649s, it was the first Great Race to finish within six hours.
Whilst at times it was a high-pressure slow burn, the sprint to the flag at the end still produced a stunning spectacle for the 193,219 spectators that made the annual pilgrimage.
THURSDAY – FEEL THE BATHURST BITE
THE MOUNTAIN can bite and this was evident from the opening day in both familiar and unfamiliar ways.
Glorious skies greeted drivers for the opening day of the 64th Bathurst 1000, but initially most of the attention was off the track rather than on it.
Following the post Sandown 500 failures, all Ford teams received engines fitted with a new GT3 crankshaft during the opening day.
The leading teams received theirs ahead of Practice 1, whilst those towards the end of pit lane had to wait until later in the day.
It was a big relief ahead of the biggest race of the year, but it was also a mighty effort with team members flying all over the world to ensure they arrived on time.
It was led by homologation team Dick Johnson Racing, which runs Motorsport Powertrains, but all Ford squads chipped in.
“I think hopefully the stories of the Herculean effort that’s gone on in the background right now get told,” Will Davison said at the Track to Town. “The human effort is actually absolutely something that people won’t know what’s gone
on. It’s unheard of to be doing this. “So, I just pray we can have a good clean weekend and all the Fords can have a good Sunday and the story can be told one day.”
Fortunately for Ford, the hard work paid off straight away as Matt Payne led a Mustang 1-2 in opening practice. The track gripped up quickly as the times almost instantly slid into the 2m07s window.
Andre Heimgartner’s #8 BJR Camaro was the most nervous, with a number of wild off-track moments due to a power steering failure.
The Cams, Waters and Hill, took turns in P1 for most of the qualifying-like session before Payne made the haymaker with a 2:07.2941s. It was a big boost for Ford, which was not in the race at either of the last two trips to Mount Panorama.
Chevrolet dominated the Great Race in 2023, whilst Ford did not top a single session at the season-opening Bathurst 500.
However, it was not all smiles for Ford as the #17 suffered overheating dramas, while in Practice 2 the #25 spent lots of time in the garage with an exhaust issue.
The co-drivers-only Practice 2 was a dramatic one despite being delayed for the newest Aussie animal to invade the famous Bathurst tarmac.
Once Conrod Straight was cleaned up Oil post-Historic Tourers), an angry looking brown snake found a home on the exit of Forrest’s Elbow. But once a brave marshal caught him, the session finally started 21 minutes late.
“What a crazy session – oil, brown snakes. I didn’t think we were going to get out!
Thank god for that marshal/snake wrangler,” Whincup said.
When the session finally slithered into action, Triple Eight showed hot pace with Whincup leading the way and wildcard rookie Cooper Murray slotting into third.
But it was a tough day for the #87 with Scott Pye sending the championship-leading Camaro into the Cutting wall.
Pye, who was 10th-fastest at the time, lost the rear under braking and slide into the outside wall, leaving the team with significant right rear damage to repair on Thursday night.
The experienced driver put his hand up straight away.
“The ego is a bit hurt,” Pye admitted.
“I just made a mistake. The Cutting is tricky.
“I don’t know. I don’t think I was offline much,
but I just lost the rear and that was it, game over.”
He was not as lucky as Warren Luff, who had a wild 360 degree spin at the Dipper and somehow escaped with just a small scratch on his rear wing endplate.
With the Mountain and a snake showing some bite, the tone was set for a dramatic weekend.
WARMER CONDITIONS arrived on Friday morning and the Mountain kept claiming victims.
Practice 3 saw a number of drivers get caught out with three reds being waved and two of them were caused by Matt Stone Racing.
Rookie Cameron Crick got it wrong in the run down the mountain approaching Forrests Elbow.
Crick clipped the inside wall at Turn 17 before crunching the concrete on the other side.
To provide more pain for MSR, Dylan O’Keeffe spun the sister #10 at Griffins Bend and found the tyres.
This left MSR in a race against the clock to make it for the next session but, thanks to everyone getting on the tools, they impressively got both cars repaired.
More victims of the session were Jaxon Evans (off at Hell Corner) and Cooper Murray (mechanical).
But to give the Chevrolet fans something to smile about, Feeney put the #88 on top ahead of a sea of Mustangs.
The final session prior to qualifying saw the times drop as attention turned to one-lap pace.
Critically drivers were able to stay out of trouble with Kostecki showing some intent, leading the field as only he and Waters could record a low 2m06s.
THE HEAT was as high as ever with drivers pushing the limits and going over them amid the insanely intense chase to get into the Top 10 Shootout.
With hard tyres on a track that had been notoriously slippery all weekend, finding the maximum time and that proved to be the case.
Two former Bathurst 1000 winners, Reynolds and Davison, were bitten hard by the Mountain, crashing hard in the Esses.
These moments split the session in half with Kostecki throwing down the gauntlet early and few could match him initially in the ‘sixes.’
It was not until the 20-minute mark that the Chiko Camaro was knocked off by Waters, who lowered the benchmark to a 2:06.0204s.
It was well-timed as the lap arrived moments before the Reynolds smash.
The Team 18 driver was fourth and backed that lap up with a PB first sector, only to lose the rear as he climbed the left-handed kerb of the Esses.
With the #20 unsettled and crossed up, Reynolds could not arrest the car from careering into the outside concrete head on.
It was a case of lightning striking twice with the TRADIE backed car crashing in Friday qualifying for the second year in a row.
“I am fine. I am just really angry that happened,” Reynolds said.
“We were pushing the limits and every now and then this happens. My car was getting better. I probably should not have stayed up on the second lap because the tyres start to go away and it gets way more skatey.
“I was probably pushing too hard for the conditions and got bitten bad.”
The incident committed the Team 18 mechanics to pull off an all nighter to ensure the #20 Camaro would roll out first thing Saturday morning.
“We went in at 6am this (Saturday) morning,
had a shower and then came back,” Team 18 Team Principal Adrian Burgess said.
“There is a new front clip – that was well unstraight. It took a few hours to get the chassis where it needed to be, all the critical points.
“A couple of the legs had moved up to an inch so it was not a small task, but the boys have done an amazing job. They are the stars.”
It proved costly as Reynolds saw a potential Shootout berth slip and he started all the way down in 21st.
This left the Esses section slightly dirty from the clean up, but this did not stop Feeney from bringing the session into a new phase with 15 minutes left.
The Triple Eight driver was the first in the
‘fives’ as the intensity stepped up in the final five minutes where the top 13 were covered by just six-tenths.
Waters and then immediately Payne went faster with just 0.0600s covering the top two as the Penrite Racing youngster topped the charts with a 2:05.6452s.
Critically, Brown was in the drop zone down in 13th, but the championship leader delivered under pressure to rise to fifth, while the likes of Heimgartner and Mostert also progressed into the Shootout.
Davison tried to do something similar from 14th, but found the oil and clean-up material left by the Reynolds shunt and suffered a sickening impact at The Dipper. He whacked the inside wall hard with the
Feeney almost – almost – got the Triple Eight car down the inside at
spent the
of the
left rear corner taking the brunt of the blow head-on, which left the veteran a touch shaken as Percat arrived on the scene and decided to pull up alongside and check on the DJR driver.
Thankfully Davo was okay and the pair embraced out of the car.
The incident ensured the session finished under red flag conditions.
Stanaway just scraped in as Golding and Hill missed out on the coveted one-lap dash by half a tenth.
Initially DJR was concerned it may even struggle to repair the car ahead of Sunday’s race. However, an epic rebuild well into Saturday morning ensured the #17 returned to the track in the very next session.
After some big crashes and the Grove Racing youngster on top, Payne was certainly the word of the day on Friday evening.
SATURDAY
TRIPLE EIGHT showed strong speed ahead of the Shootout, topping the final two practice sessions on Saturday, with action the continual theme.
Wildcard Murray made his mark in the codrivers-only session, which had a surprise final five minutes where the leaderboard lit up. Of all the experienced names, it was the rookie, who emerged on top with not one, but
HAVING STEADILY built progress throughout the weekend, Kostecki and Erebus announced themselves in stunning style, once again, in the Shootout.
Kostecki flew to pole for the second time in as many years with another pulsating lap of the Mountain.
two push laps enough to be fastest.
In a confidence-boosting session for the young man, his 2:07.0951s was four-tenths clear of Moffat to carry on the up-anddown roller-coater for the #888 that would continue all weekend.
The incident-packed build-up continued as Ojeda had an eventful session in the #9. Although he would end up in third, the Erebus driver did meet the Hell Corner tyres head on after outbraking himself.
Ojeda was not the first or last to do that across the weekend.
In the following session and final practice of the weekend, not one, but three drivers did the same thing as D’Alberto, Lowndes and Evans all found the sand.
However, the biggest victim was Love when he had his latest run in with The Cutting. After crashing there twice on his rookie weekend at the Bathurst 500, Love “missed a gear” and rear ended the #3 Mustang into the outside wall.
“Very frustrating and sorry to the team. A bit of a silly mistake. I locked the rears and missed the down-change,” Love said.
This created a 10-minute dash and a mini Shootout simulation for those who would enjoy the one-lap dash later.
It was Feeney, who fired a warning shot by posting a 2:06.1274s, three-tenths better than next best Stanaway and Le Brocq.
What made Kostecki’s feat even more impressive was the fact that he was battling with sickness and vibrations and, unlike last year, did not expect to be starting from the front.
“It is probably a little bit more unexpected to be honest this year.” Kostecki said.
“We have spent a lot of time working on the race car and there were a few nerves going into the Shootout, not knowing how the car was going to react.
“I have been feeling a little bit off. There is a bit of a bug going around. I am feeling better today but did not have the best time yesterday, so glad to be on the mend.
His 2:05.5119 was a tenth too much for Waters and Feeney.
Kostecki was the first driver since Garth Tander in 2008-09 to take back-to-back Great Race poles.
Stanaway was the first to take on the Mountain and had a proper crack, laying down a tough benchmark.
Even though he clipped the grass coming through Hell Corner, his 2:05.9286s saw him ultimately rise from 10th to fourth.
The Shootout was a special moment for Heimgartner, who was “over the moon” ahead of his first Great Race one-lap dash in his 11th attempt.
However, the Kiwi went deep into Hell Corner and it was too much, locking up and sliding into the gravel.
The #8 was lucky to avoid the barrier and carried on for the rest of the lap.
Heimgartner lost nine seconds from the mistake and was shattered.
“That is what you get. I just over-stepped it. Stuff up on my part,” he said.
Kostecki was the seventh car out and nailed the final two sectors to fly to pole.
The likes of Feeney and Waters tried hard, but could not match it afterwards.
Payne was the last out, but got it all wrong at Forrests Elbow, whacking the wall on exit and falling to seventh.
“When we put new ones on it felt like I was in a salt shaker. It was pretty hard to see at 270km/h and going into the kink at The Chase was a bit interesting.”
Having learned the lessons of last year, all eyes were on Kostecki and Erebus to see if they could complete the job in 2024.
TRIPLE EIGHT fired an ominous warning shot of its race day pace as Brown led team-mate Whincup in the morning warmup.
Brown was the only driver to dip into the ‘sixes’ with a 2:06.6553s, well clear of Whincup and Will Davison.
But that was not the big headline from the session as things started to unravel for Payne.
The Kiwi created a session-ending red flag by suffering a wild moment through The Chase.
Payne locked up, surfed through the sand,
getting airborne before coming to rest.
“It was pretty scary actually. Just pinched the right front and went through the sand, but good to get it out of the system now rather than the race,” Payne said.
“iI will be a tough, long race, but we have a fast car and feeling good so far.”
There were also headaches for fellow Ford team BRT, which needed to perform a gearbox change on the #7 leaving James Courtney and Jack Perkins in the garage.
An Echidna also made an appearance, but this time it was no good omen for WAU,
WITH THE man who had won three of the last four Great Races in America, the 64th edition of the Bathurst 1000 was anticipated to be one of the most open in years.
Sunny skies greeted teams on Bathurst Day and, for the first time since 1981, the field was stopped in front of the crowd at Skyline.
But this time it was expected as all 26 cars saluted the crowd on their way to the grid.
Once festivities were over and the lights went out, the second row launched much better than the leaders with Feeney diving down the inside to steal second from Waters and challenge Kostecki for the lead.
The Erebus and Triple Eight Camaros produced the thrilling sight of running the length of Mountain Straight side-by-side and crucially, Kostecki prevailed on the inside, while Stanaway smartly placed his Mustang to snatch second.
By the time they arrived at The Chase, Stanaway even had a look at challenging for the lead before backing out. The lead pair only needed a handful of laps to skip a second away from the pack.
Waters was the loser, falling to fourth ahead of Brown, De Pasquale and Golding, who made the most ground on a relatively clean opening lap, rising four spots to seventh as Payne ended up second-best after a thrilling fight for ninth with Mostert where they ran side-by-side through The Chase.
It was already apparent that Reynolds and Luff were in for a very long day.
Reynolds drifted to last with a rear flat spot, but decided to carry on until the first sensible time for a first stop.
The #20 never found pace all day and the pair ended up two laps down in a distant 24th at the chequered flag.
“It was probably one of the worst races I’ve ever partaken in this great race,” Reynolds said.
“That (flat) happened lap one so then I was scared shitless driving my car with the vibrations because you don’t know if it is going to let go or hold on.
“From there was I cruising around to get it to lap 15. At no point did we have any pace and it was probably due to me crashing on the track on Friday, in qualifying, that sort-of set our weekend in a bad stead.”
By Lap 10 it was clear Kostecki and Feeney were the fastest cars on track. The Erebus leader had already pulled over a second ahead of Stanaway and the Triple Eight driver easily snatched second from the Kiwi at Griffins Bend.
The #1 and #88 were never really challenged for track position again as they ran first and second for effectively the rest of the race.
As early as Lap 14 it was also apparent Matt Chahda was struggling in the #118 wildcard.
He rotated on his own at The Chase before finding the sand at Hell Corner just two laps later.
Once rookie Brad Vaughan jumped into the hot seat for his first Great Race stint, more trouble followed the car.
Mostert had a peak at trying to lap the #118 at Forrests Elbow, but tagged the Camaro and sent it into a spin.
Whilst Mostert carried on in sixth with no visible steering damage, Vaughan lost his front bumper and had to box for repairs.
Race officials decided to let the race carry on instead of bringing out a yellow to collect the bumper off the edge of the track.
However, they probably did not anticipate that opportunity would not arrive for well over 100 laps.
The fight for third livened up as Waters had a dive at Stanaway at the same corner.
The pair also made contact, which saw the two Mustangs run side-by-side down Conrod – Waters winning the drag race thanks to a NASCAR style bump draft from Brown.
As a result Stanaway slipped from third to fifth in a flash.
However, Waters threw away significant track position by locking up and going down the escape road at Hell Corner.
The Tickford star’s “stupid mistake” dropped him from third to 10th.
The first round of stops for the leaders arrived after around an hour, and 28 laps of racing.
A marginally shorter fuel stop allowed Hazelwood to gain 4s on Whincup, but Pye lost even more time in the lane as the left front was slow going on.
As the fight for fifth became fierce, Tander became the latest driver to throw away track position with a strange mistake.
Tander locked up at Murrays and took a tour of the run off area, seeing the #19 fall out of the top 10.
Ojeda and D’Alberto then both toured the
fifth place.
Fraser had hoped to be in this contest for longer, but his first stint only lasted a handful of laps after a fuel block during the initial lap 27 stop saw the #8 required to return to the lane to get the remaining juice.
“Disappointing day. Our car speed was good (but) that fuel issue at the start of the race really screwed us,” Heimgartner said.
Ryan Wood’s first trip to the pits in a race at Mount Panorama did not go to plan, whacking the tyre barrier on entry to the lane, which led to the #2’s door needing to be patched up.
“I just overcooked it coming into the pits. It was a bit of a rookie mistake so sorry to the team. Pretty gutted about that. The car is pretty speedy and was fine after that,’ Wood said.
Murray had the most pace to burn after taking over from Lowndes, whom had gained several spots, and set the second hour alight, pushing the Triple Eight wildcard from 18th to as high as fifth.
The leaders returned to the lane on Lap 56, but this is where their strategies switched as Kostecki jumped into the Chiko Camaro and Whincup stayed in the #88.
Kostecki took the opportunity to leave his mark on the race, building the gap to well beyond 10s. Further back there was some interesting driving by the back markers.
Chahda, who was running 14 laps down, put himself into the bad books of Moffat and Holdsworth.
The wildcard received a bad sportsmanship
what was an “absolute disgrace” according to the Tickford driver.
Holdsworth then found himself alongside the #118 and purposely nudged it off at the left hander to send a message.
Later on, Slade would also hold up the lapping Le Brocq for a number of laps, which led to Barry Ryan wandering down to the PremiAir garage to seek some co-operation ....
As De Pasquale surged into the top five ahead of Lowndes, Davison tried to follow his team-mate and had a big lunge on Dale Wood for seventh at The Chase.
But the pair clashed, forcing the #26 Grove Racing driver off. The DJR driver received a 5s penalty as a result. “I just ran out of brakes. The tyres are so hot and that was my one spot to pass,” Davison said. “I thought Dale would not make it too difficult, but he went very, very deep and I had already committed to the move.
“The brakes were on their limit and I squeezed a left-front and unfortunately touched him, which was not the plan. It just got a bit awkward.”
Whilst Kostecki had built a formidable lead, Feeney took his opportunity when he began his triple stint home on Lap 86. The Triple Eight driver was a man on a mission and slashed the deficit from 20s to just 4s.
To bring the #88 further into play, the Safety Car finally arrived after 132 laps of racing at what appeared to be the perfect time.
The cause of the one and only stoppage for the day was Payne, who threw away a top
10 result by crashing in The Cutting. The Kiwi “just missed a downshift” and could not stop the #19 from careering into the outside wall.
Following a mistake by Lowndes at Murrays Corner, Murray picked up the wildcard outside the top 10, but the youngster showed impressive speed to force back up to seventh.
However, a speeding infringement during the FCY period saw Murray serve a drive-through penalty, settling for 13th, wondering if another wildcard record had slipped by.
Another one to lose track position during the period was Le Brocq, who dropped from fourth to eighth due to Erebus sacrificing the #9 to give the #1 pit priority in the only SC.
But all eyes were on the front of the field, with Feeney on Kostecki’s tail and the race suddenly alive after the long green flag run.
Although the #1 struggled for understeer in the previous stint, a key sway bar change at the final stop brought it back to its best.
A thrilling 27-lap dash to the flag was in prospect and Kostecki and Feeney delivered.
The pair charged away from the field in a pulsating chase for Great Race glory, trading fastest laps.
Eventually Feeney was the first to crack after
11 foot-to-the-floor laps as Kostecki pushed his advantage to beyond a second and held it from there. They left Brown for dust as the championship leader secured a safe third to enjoy his first Bathurst podium.
Behind them Waters and Mostert raced hard to lead the Mustang brigade with fighting fourth and fifth places. Stanaway appeared destined to be sixth, but lost fuel on the final lap and crawled to ninth ahead of the two Camerons, who have MSR a top 10 on a tough day where Nick Percat’s door would not close.
But after one of the most dominant Bathurst 1000 victories of the 21st century, all the celebrations were at Erebus.
After winning the title in 2023 and battling since, Kostecki and Erebus further cemented their legacy by conquering the Mountain, while Hazelwood was finally on the top step in his 194th Supercars race. Under the radar, Brown cemented himself into a strong position in the title race.
He now enjoys a 204-point advantage over teammate Feeney, who retook second from Mostert ahead of the penultimate round at the concrete canyon of the Gold Coast on October 25-27.
BRODIE KOSTECKI/TODD HAZLEWOOD
BROC FEENEY/JAMIE WHINCUP
A brilliant start from Feeney almost saw the #88 snatch what would have been a race-changing lead. However, it became a day of pursuit, with somewhere between a couple of seconds to 16 seconds gap. A second-to-last stop front bar tweak reinvigorated the car and Feeney put Kostecki under immense pressure for 27 laps, never quite getting closer than 0.5s or able to risk a big dive …
WILL BROWN/SCOTT PYE
The second Triple Eight Camaro didn’t quite have the pace of the #88. It slotted into a confident third place after bump-drafting itself (Brown) and Waters past the fast-starting Stanaway but never really threatened the top two all day. With a championship lead to defend, and grow, this was a championship-winning drive.
Ava Stone/Auto Action unpack everything that happened to the 26 cars racing to be ‘King of the Mountain’.
CAM WATERS/JAMES MOFFAT
5TH 1
KOSTECKI TOOK to the track searching for a maiden win at the Bathurst 1000 which, from pole, hasn’t been done for a while. Co-driver Todd Hazelwood was simply looking for his first Supercar win ... The early lead was critical as it allowed Brodie, and his stint-alternating codriver (who matched multi-winner Whincup) to set the agenda, to look after the tyres early on and build a modest gap. For 27 laps after the lap 131 Safety Car, Brodie shared fastest laps with the pursuing Feeney, a top-shelf, mistake-free drive delivering a well-earned win. 88 87
Not the best start ever – from front row to fourth, but it was the lap 23 trip up the Turn 1 escape road that set the Tickford team’s run back. Like many, prayers for a Safety Car went unanswered until 30 to go, but Waters proved to be the best of the Fords, just, after a late race scrap with Mostert.
25
CHAZ MOSTERT/LEE HOLDSWORTH
Never quite ‘in the window’ set-up-wise, the lead WAU car battled back manfully and aggressively all day from the grid nine start, ultimately crossing the line in the slipstream of the #6.
JAMES GOLDING/DAVID RUSSELL
James Golding and his well-credentialled co-driver drove a strong race in the ‘newteam-on-the-rise,’ after Golding’s superb start – seventh after the opening lap from the p11 grid spot. The car oscillated up and down the fringe of the top 10, allowing Golding to show his pace in the 27-lap sprint.
D’ALBERTO
From grid eight, the pair drove a solid race, getting the best out of the car, without major incident. Never really in the contest for top six, but a strong drive from the departing de Pasquale.
RICHIE STANAWAY/DALE WOOD
The departing Stanaway made the blinder at the start, running second to Kostecki for 10 laps before the quicker cars began to push past. An incident-free race promised a top six but the car ran low on fuel on the last lap …
CAMERON HILL/CAMERON CRICK
RYAN WOOD/FABIAN COULTHARD
Wood had realistically hoped for better (p14) in qualifying and the pair fought on all day without really making an impression on the front half of the field. Nevertheless, an educational first-up 1000 for WAU’s young charger.
The ‘what-if’ story of the race. Top 10 start was nullified by a fuelling rig disaster at the first stops – necessitating a second stop, from which the duo, without Safety Car help, never recovered. One day, Andre … 9TH 26
After the troubled practice crash start to the event, the team got it together – grid 12 start, only half a second from pole – and a solid race run saw Hill grab some late race spots for a top 10 result and carry on MSR’s solid Bathurst form.
THOMAS RANDLE/ TYLER EVERINGHAM
After a mysteriously ‘off’ qualifying (19th) Sunday was always going to be a slog –and without Safety Cars to help, the #55 had moved up seven places when the lap 131 Safety Car finally came. gaining a further single spot over the last 27. 55 11TH 4 10TH
WILL DAVISON/KAI ALLEN
Not a lot went right for the #17 Shell car. Davison’s huge crash heralded an allnighter from the crew and a grid 16 start. Went ‘off-synch’ with the rest of the field, pitting on lap 17. On this occasion, the strategy wasn’t the one to go for.
MACAULEY JONES/JORDAN BOYS
Best result for the four-car BJR squad after dropping a few spots in the early laps from the grid 17 start. Both drivers plugged on well from there, avoiding most of the drama, picking up places steadily.
CRAIG LOWNDES/COOPER MURRAY
ANDRE HEIMGARTNER/ DECLAN FRASER
NICK PERCAT/DYLAN O’KEEFE
Grid 13 was a good effort after the destructive practice shunt. Was holding a decent midfield spot but it all fell apart when, 92 laps into the race, the left side door flew open requiring an extra stop to shut the bloody thing. This dropped Percat down to 21st but the team came back to 17th over the later stages.
MARK WINTERBOTTOM/ MICHAEL CARUSO
An almost anonymous day from the Team 18 veterans. Simply struggled for pace in qualifying – 22nd and, although Frosty slugged away and made some gains early on, it was a disappointing outcome at the end of the day …
TIM SLADE/CAMERON MCLEOD
The team started the race from the back row of the grid, just not matching the pace of the other team car. Made up a handful of spots through a largely uneventful day. 7
JAMES COURTNEY/JACK PERKINS
A long day at the office for a duo capable of much higher pace and results. P23 on the grid was always going to be tough and the car was simply not on the pace throughout.
BRYCE FULLWOOD/ JAYLYN ROBOTHAM
Another disappointing qualifying (p24); never got a lot better through a long day. Early ‘moment’ with the struggling Reynolds Team 18 car set the tone for the day.
Strong effort from the second Erebus car after qualifying sixth – at one point looking a potential contender for fourth outright. However, it was sacrificed to prioritise Kostecki and lost ground during the SC but still a solid top 10 finish. 9 50 10 3 -
AARON LOVE/AARON CAMERON 20th in qualifying, with a lap time of 2:06.672s –1.3 seconds from pole … a tight competition for the entire grid. Race pace just wasn’t there and the duo, with debutant Cameron impressing, did their best.
DAVID REYNOLDS/WARREN LUFF
As can happen, the massive practice shunt and overnight rebuild heralded a weekend of frustration. The grid 21 start, an early flatspot and thus early off-sequence stop, and a lack of pace wasted the ability of both Reynolds and a superb co-driver.
The only non-finisher. Slightly disappointed with p7 in the Shootout, was in the frame early on. Garth had an overshoot and dropped places. Recovered, but Payne’s uncharacteristic error into the Cutting on lap 131 provides valuable experience for a future B1000 winner … 118 96 13TH 14TH 888 NC 19
MATT CHAHDA/BRAD VAUGHAN
When Wildcard entries go wrong, it goes wrong big-time. Very much a privateer squad, early driver errors and a fracas while being lapped by Mostert meant a lengthy repair pit time. Recovered to finish, albeit laps down.
MATTHEW PAYNE/GARTH TANDER
Roller-coaster. Slightly disappointing qualifying from Murray (18th) but Lowndes made early ground, with the pacey Murray then doing even better – fifth on lap 55! A brief ‘off’ from the legend cost time but by the time the Safety Car came, Murray was back in the top 10 and flying … but the Safety Car drive-through penalty ruined their day …
JAXON EVANS/DEAN FIORE
After some promising pace in practice from Jaxon (p5 in Prac 4), with Fiore a bit under the weather, grid 15 was probably a bit disappointing. Tough day, with a handful of ‘moments’ dropping the pair to the lower regions of the field.
THE STAGE is set for the MotoGP title fight to erupt at Phillip Island after Francesco Bagnaia gained ground in Japan.
Bagnaia enjoyed a near perfect weekend, winning both the Sprint and Grand Prix to slash Jorge Martin’s championship lead to just 10 points ahead of the trip down under. Martin was lucky to retain such an advantage after qualifying 11th, but he still charged his way back to second.
Rookie Pedro Acosta impressed with speed, taking a maiden pole and put himself in positions to score a famous maiden win, only to crash out on both days.
Acosta thrilled the paddock when he set a 1:43.018 to take a maiden career pole by twotenths over Bagnaia and Aprilia’s Maverick Vinales.
However, the emotions were about to change significantly later that day.
Bagnaia, Acosta and Bastianini went three wide into Turn 1 and the factory Ducatis took charge.
Bastianini went around the outside to soar to second, but ran wide at Turn 5 to gift it back to Acosta.
The Tech3 rookie then turned his attention to leader Bagnaia and reeled him in like a veteran.
By the start of lap three, Acosta was piling the pressure on Bagnaia and again chose Turn 5 as his launching pad.
This time there was no mistake from the factory Ducati rider as Acosta caught Bagnaia napping with a well-executed dive down the inside.
Acosta built a six-tenth lead over Bagnaia by lap nine and looked on course to take a famous success.
However, everyone’s head was in their hands, including Acosta’s, when the 20-year-old lost the front into Turn 7 and slid into the gravel.
It was a heartbreaking moment for the rookie, who pushed a touch too hard, but aimed to learn from it.
“It was a stupid mistake on my part,” said Acosta.
“I was a little bit off line … I came in a little more open and with a little more angle. Just a stupid mistake.
“This one hurts, but wrapped up in all the pain there are also positives.
“You have to see those positives as well as the negatives.
“I don’t make excuses; I look for solutions. So, we crashed but we were competitive. We have to take the positive.”
This was just one of a number of flashpoints during a busy Sprint.
Vinales slumped from the front row to 11th on the opening lap and Joan Mir had another crash on his Repsol Honda.
The LCR Honda riders took each other out with Johann Zarco leaning on the inside, but
nudging Takaaki Nakagami into retirement. Importantly Marc Marquez fought his way past Martin to take fourth on the road, which would become the final spot on the podium as Brad Binder was fighting in the top five before dropping out with mechanical dramas.
Despite appearing in control, Bagnaia was reeled in by the battling Bastianini and Marquez to set-up a thrilling final lap.
Bastianini and Marquez went at it in a thrilling exchange on the penultimate lap, whilst at the same time catching the back wheel of Bagnaia.
In the end the #1 stayed in P1 as threetenths covered the top three with Bastianini holding off Marquez to ensure a factory Ducati 1-2.
Australia’s Jack Miller rose from 14th to eighth as Yamaha wildcard Remy Gardner stayed out of trouble as the last finisher in 18th.
COME SUNDAY Bagnaia got a grand launch, but he was cut off by an aggressive Acosta on the outside of Turn 1.
However, as they arrived at the second part of the double opening right hander the #1 hit back with the switchback to snatch the lead.
Bagnaia controlled the remainder of the opening lap ahead of Acosta and Binder as
others behind stole the show.
Championship leader Martin made important ground, rising from 11th to fourth, while Miller flew on the KTM climbing from 14th to fifth as Vinales had another shocker dropping from the front row to out of the top 10.
Alex Marquez and Joan Mir did not make it after a strange accident at the penultimate Turn 13. Marquez ran into the rear of Mir and fell, but his Gresini Ducati got caught in the Repsol Honda, forcing Mir finish in the gravel.
The pace was hot at the front with Bagnaia and Acosta sprinting away from the pack, but the Tech3 rookie could not keep up. He had his second crash, this time from second, at the Victory Corner.
Having passed Binder, this completed Martin’s incredible rise to second.
The PRAMAC rider also tried to hunt down Bagnaia, but his tyre management was supreme and perfectly managed the gap to ensure no wheel to wheel action took place in the championship contenders.
Marc Marquez was safe in third as Miller battled late in the race and dropped to 10th, while Gardner again finished in 17th. Mir, Lorenzo Savadori, Augusto Fernandez and Vinales also retired.
All eyes head to Phillip Island as the Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix dawns on October 18-20.
Thomas Miles
MOTOGP CHAMPIONSHIP AFTER ROUND 16
1: Jorge Martin 392 points
2: Francesco Bagnaia 382
3: Enea Bastianini 313
4: Marc Marquez 311
5: Brad Binder 183
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THE 10-HOUR Petit Le Mans was not won until the final 15 minutes when Sebastian Bourdais, Scott Dixon and Renger van der Zande (above) snatched it from a long way back.
The #01 Cadillac Racing Cadillac V-Series.R had a remarkable journey to victory having been two laps off the pace on Saturday at Road Atlanta.
The Chip Ganassi Racing combination fell behind early due to a double dose of pit lane penalties, but battled back to the lead lap with four hours to go.
The #6 Porsche Penske Motorsport 963 of Kevin Estre, Marco Jaminet and Nick Tandy led all the way until the final 15 minutes.
Tandy was in control, but lost it when van der Zande made a bold dive for the lead at Turn 1 and “being the only move I could make” it paid off.
However, the late-race pass was not the last bit of drama as a major mechanical scare arrived for the leading Cadillac.
The headlights of the #1 began flickering on and off in the closing laps and if they disappeared completely, the team ran the risk of being ordered to the pit lane and seeing a stunning comeback win disappear.
But van der Zande was able to get one or both lights to stay on intermittently to take the chequered flag 2.948 seconds ahead of Tandy.
“Pretty scary,” van der Zande admitted about the late moment.
“I was like, ‘Oh my God.’ Now we have to go back to the pits and repair or something that would end the race. I would have finished the race without the lights, no doubt.”
However, the success was sweet redemption for the Cadillac squad after being on the other side of a late-race change for the lead last year.
“Im just super happy to finish on a high like this,” Bourdais said.
“It was a big frustration last year to lose it on the strategy call, which really we couldn’t do anything about. We covered just about everybody but the #60, and then they kind of stole it from us.
“Last year we won the race except the last, what, half hour. This year we lost it all race long, and then we won it for the last 30 minutes.
“We kind of put a race together in two years. We had a torque sensor issue in qualifying, at the end of qualifying. Lap three – there we go again.
“So I did 100 laps with a set of tyres and no power. That was very fun. Yeah, it was just what looked like a bit of a lost race, and the guys just managed to get the PPU back under control and give us a chance to be contenders at the end.”
Australia’s Matt Campbell finished third and, as a result, helped the #7 Porsche Penske Motorsport 963 also featuring Felipe Nasr and Dane Cameron win the IMSA GTP crown.
Porsche had controlled most of the race with the #7 of Campbell, Nasr and Cameron leading the opening half of the race before slotting into third.
With the trio only needing to finish ninth to clinch the title, they did it comfortably.
It feels pretty special,” Nasr said.
“As soon as we got Daytona, I feel like that dictated the pace of the season. I could see in everybody’s desire or in the fire to work harder and dedicate more and get the car better.
“The whole year has been incredible. Super consistent and we ticked all the boxes.”
The first 90 minutes of the Petit Le Mans were full of action as three full-course cautions interrupted proceedings.
The most significant affected the LMP2 pole-sitting #2 United Autosports USA ORECA LMP2 07 driven by Ben Keating.
Keating suffered substantial damage when getting caught in a collision with Tommy Milner’s Corvette and Dennis Andersen.
Despite the stop-start opening 90 minutes, only one caution arrived over the next six-plus hours.
The Porsche Penske teammates took control and held a firm grip on the race, being 1-2 across the first four hours. Nasr/Campbell/Cameron led by 6s over Estre at the four-hour mark, while this pushed out to 9s with two hours to go.
But the fifth and final caution of the race gave Cadillac exactly what it needed.
A Turn 5 crash in the Esses between Corey Lewis, Ricky Taylor and Jan Heylen turned the race on its head. Suddenly Tandy had van der Zande on his tail as Nasr ended up in third and the Cadillac could not be stopped. Australia’s Hunter McElrea took LMP2 glory alongside Steven Thomas and Mikel Jensen in the #11 TDS Racing Oreca 07-Gibson after a near faultless performance.
Jensen would not be challenged after the final restart and powered to a 17s triumph.
The No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 and codrivers Philip Ellis and Russell Ward locked up the GTD team and driver championships early on.
In GTD Pro Jordan Pepper pushed Lamborghini into victory lane, but the fight for the title was intense.
Aston Martin’s Ross Gunn was running in third, but needed to finish in second to secure the driver and team championships and was unable to get past Daniel Serra.
As a result Seb Priaux, Michael Christensen and Laurin Heinrich hung onto the GTD PRO title by a mere four points.
The 2025 IMSA season begins with testing on January 17-19 before the Rolex 24 At Daytona on January 25-26. Thomas Miles
KYLE LARSON (right) cruised to a comfortable NASCAR Cup Series victory at the Charlotte ROVAL on Sunday as polesitter Shane van Gisbergen had to settle for seventh.
Larson and van Gisbergen were fighting in the early stages, but the Kiwi’s hopes of victory were hurt when he was rotated by Carson Hocevar.
The Hendrick Motorsports star cruised home, leading Christopher Bell by 1.5s as they were well clear of the rest of the pack.
The attention was further back as the fight to make it into the Playoffs Round of Eight went down to the wire with Joey Logano and Tyler Reddick on the bubble.
Reddick made some late moves to get to 11th and make the cut as critically Logano slumped to eighth, knocking the Penske star out.
With Larson, Byron and Bell already advanced, the likes of Blaney, Elliott, Bowman, Hamlin and Reddick all booked tickets to the next phase of the Playoffs.
Van Gisbergen had taken charge from pole position as Larson snuck up second and Logano fell to fifth.
The opening segments were clean allowing the Kiwi to build a 2.5s advantage over Larson before pitting on Lap 22. Reddick stayed out to take Stage 1 honours. When racing resumed, Larson took charge from the outside lane and stayed there until the first cation arrived on Lap 36.
Playoff driver Chase Briscoe suffered a flat tyre and needed the pits, as did Reddick who had a spin.
At the Lap 39 restart Larson won a sideby-side battle with SVG, but Bell was on the move and also picked off the Kiwi to snare second.
As the field negotiated the hairpin, Brad Keselowski got spun right behind the #13 after going four wide. Briscoe was one of the cars stopping in the traffic jam and he also had a tangle with Chase Elliott. Reddick was another Playoff driver to have dramas after careering into the side of Hamilin.
On Lap 48 the leaders boxed just before the end of the stage, which meant SVG found himself down in 12th for the restart where Chastian and Nemecheck met faceto-face in the chicane.
After a painfully long caution for debris,
racing resumed with 50 to go and as van Gisberegn battled to return to the top 10, he found trouble.
He got nailed by #77, forcing the Kiwi into a 360 spin before smoking up the rears and carrying on, losing 10 spots. A few laps later van Gisbergen rotated Gilliland at the same corner.
Despite the dramas the #13 was on the charge and soared up to the top 10 just 10 laps later.
These misfortunes forced van Gisbergen to go long and climb as high as third behind leaders Larson and Bell before a
well-timed caution on lap 80 for Dillon’s loose wheel.
SVG pitted and dropped to 20th for the Lap 85 restart, but only needed 10 laps to charge to the top 10, while Larson took control.
The Hendrick Motorsports driver was never challenged by Bell and took a comfortable 2s win after an uncharacteristically quiet run to the chequered.
The Round of Eight begins at Las Vegas next weekend.
Thomas Miles
RICKY STENHOUSE Jr scored a shock win as a photo finish (pictured) ended a wild NASCAR Cup Series race at Talladega that contained a huge pile up.
A massive 23-car crash sent the YellaWood 500 into Overtime and down to the wire as the leaders went three -wide to the chequered flag.
Stenhouse Jr had Brad Keselowski and Will Byron either side of him, but the former managed to get his nose 0.006s in front to take the win. It was the equal events closest finish ever.
A fourth career victory was a sweet one for the JTG Daugherty Racing driver.
“It’s been an up-and-down season,” Stenhouse said.
“A lot of hard work this season just trying to find a little bit of speed. We knew that this track is one of ours to come get.”
The ‘big one’ was triggered at the front of the field when former Penske #2 Keselowski pushed current Penske #2 Austin Cindric. This caused Cindric to spin from the lead and cars to scatter everywhere with many big names being wiped out.
It all happened in front of Shane van Gisbergen who, despite a whack from Erik Jones, managed to carry on unscathed and score an impressive result.
The result was his second best NASCAR Cup Series result on an oval after a solid day
behind the wheel.
After qualifying a respectable 17th, he dropped to 27th in the opening stage, but only after a drama with the timing of pit stops.
This meant he started Stage 2 at the back but charged forward utilising the high line to
eventually soar to the lead.
The #16 Kaulig Racing Camaro led the race for nine laps before Byron eventually secured the Stage 2 win as the Kiwi settled for fourth.
The end of the stage was marred by a smash for Ryan Blaney, who was running alongside van Gisbergen when a push by Alex Bowman sent the #12 into a spin.
Blaney actually hit SVG on the inside before shooting head-on into the outside wall.
An early green pit stop sent van Gisbergen towards the back of the field for Stage 3, which proved to be a blessing in disguise as it helped him avoid the carnage at the front.
Van Gisbergen secured 15th despite not being able to find support through a push on the high line.
But most eyes were on the late major smash and the impact it had on the Playoff contenders.
It left Chase Elliott on the bubble, 13 points ahead of Joey Logano and Louis Suarez, while both Cindric and Chase Briscoe were more than 29 points ahead ahead of the Round of 12 elimination race at Charlotte.
Thomas Miles
TOYOTA WILL be in Supercars in 2026, but for so long it was a pipe dream – and back in 2004 AVESCO was seriously interested in welcoming the Japanese giant.
Following the 2004 Bathurst 1000, the story made page three news as V8 Supercars supremo Tony Cochrane made it public he thought Toyota would be wellsuited as the third manufacturer despite the Holden v Ford rivalry being as fierce as ever:
Japanese giant Toyota is taking seriously AVESCO’s interest in opening up V8 Supercars to a third manufacturer, promising to consider the unexpected invitation on its merits.
Toyota’s on-going evaluation of a bid to join market rivals Holden and Ford on the racetrack will be stepped up following V8 supremo Tony Cochrane’s surprise declaration at Mount Panorama that the time is right to consider an additional make.
“We’re encouraged by AVESCO’s statements and we’ll have discussions with them in the future,” Toyota Australia’s manager of motorsport development, Phil Galway, told Auto Action.
“We’ve certainly looked at all aspects of competing in V8 Supercars. It’s not a new issue and a number of studies have been done over the past few years.
“It’s definitely not off the table.”
Cochrane put the controversial issue of ending the Holden/Ford duopoly in V8 racing on the agenda during a wideranging address outlining AVESCO’s plans to increase the sport’s mainstream appeal.
“We think it’s time to consider a third manufacturer in the championship,” he declared.
1974
JOHN GOSS and Kevin Bartlett pushed their Ford Falcon to the “most popular win ever in the history of the Hardie Ferodo 1000.”
In a famously wet race, Goss and Bartlett prevailed as the likes of Peter Brock and Allan Moffat could not do the distance.
It was a sweet success after Goss and Bartlett came close, having started from pole, the year before. John Leffler “won everyone’s hearts” by taking out the Phillip Island round of the Australian Formula 2 Championship.
Matt Cowan and John Bryson claimed a third successive Southern Cross Rally success.
“We’re going to try to learn a bit from NASCAR (which has cleared a path for Toyota to join the Nextel Cup Series).
“The championship is at the point where it’s big enough to consider that.
“We have to embrace this change and I’d like to think 2007 is a reasonable time.
“It would still have to be an Australianmanufactured four-door car.”
Although he didn’t single out Toyota, Australia’s top-selling automotive brand is the only realistic contender as Mitsubishi –the smallest locally based manufacturer – is fighting for survival.
Mitsubishi Australia is seriously considered a V8 program in 2002, but the Japanese maker’s worldwide cash crisis and its precarious position in the local market rule out a racing project.
Cochrane’s announcement took V8-watchers by surprise as AVESCO had previously been lukewarm about the possibility of opening up the series to another manufacturer.
While it also caught Toyota unawares, the overture is not unwelcome.
“We haven’t had any recent conversations with them,” said Galway.
“But Toyota is definitely interested in Cochrane’s comments and we’ll look at them closely.
“We’re always looking for more opportunities and that’s one that’s been on the table for a long time and still is.
One of Galway’s tasks has been researching the development of a version of the nextgeneration Camry – due in 2006 – for V8 Supercars, which would require the use of a push-rod 5.0-litre V8 and rear-wheel drive.
“The main reason I’m here is to look at motorsport as a whole and look at the long-
1984
THE FIRST Formula 1 calendar with an Australia round confirmed was revealed, but that was not the only major surprise.
Australia’s first race at Adelaide was in, but the iconic Monaco Grand Prix was dropped.
Monaco’s exclusion came after a dispute between Automobile Club of Monaco and FISA over TV rights.
Despite not being on the original calendar, there was a conveniently vacant space left in May and the race ended up taking place.
The Australian Sports Car Championship was decided with Bap Romano dominating in Winton.
term strategy of what we should do,” he explained.
“We’re certainly considering all options and V8s is the category that’s the biggest and the most high-profile.”
The main stumbling block would be internal politics, which are divided over competing with a car configuration that doesn’t exist on the showroom floor.
“We’d love to be there,” said a senior Toyota insider.
“We’re doing everything we can to be there. The hurdles are internal politics and how we’d fit into the Holden versus Ford tribal environment.
Convincing Toyota Australia’s anti-V8
PETER BROCK was still searching for a reason for his crash in the 1994 Bathurst 1000 10 days after the big race.
Brock felt he was “driving as well as ever” prior to the incident at Sulman Park as HRT teammate and rookie Craig Lowndes stole the show by challenging John Bowe.
It was also revealed that a sprint race would take place at Mount Panorama in 1995 and drivers were quick to voice their concerns believing it would detract from the mystique of the Great Race.
chairman John Conomos it would be worth an initial investment of up to $20 million will also be a major factor.
According to Galway, the least of Toyota’s problems would be developing a car/ drivetrain package for V8 racing. It can tap into Toyota Racing Development’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series technology, using a version of its Tundra truck push-rod V8.
Cochrane’s decision to air AVESCO’s interest in a third make was made without prior consultation with Holden or Ford. The idea was met with robust resistance by the motorsport bosses of both manufacturers.
2014
POSSIBLY THE most bizarre Great Race ever took place a decade ago where Chaz Mostert and Paul Morris charged from last to first, stealing the win from Jamie Whincup on the last lap. It was a wild day full of incidents and even track repairs, creating a finish for the ages.
As fans in Australia gathered themselves from the stunning race, Sochi hosted its first ever Russian Grand Prix.
Lewis Hamilton took a comfortable win ahead of teammate Nico Rosberg, but many of the drivers were still thinking about Jules Bianchi, who had suffered his horrible accident at Suzuka a week earlier.
Kevin Harvick won an unpredictable race at Talladega where Brad Keselowski and Matt Kenseth had a fight.
32nd 32nd
