Auto Action #1901

M c LAREN SEWS UP TEAM TITLE DOOHAN’S LAST-MINUTE DEBUT VERSTAPPEN AND RUSSELL AT WAR

JACK DOOHAN: ON CALL

ESTEBAN OCON’S DEPARTURE FROM THE ALPINE TEAM WITH A RACE TO GO OPENED THE DOOR FOR JACK DOOHAN TO GET AN EARLY TASTE OF A FULL F1 WEEKEND. AA’S LOCAL F1 GURU REESE MAUTONE KEPT AN EYE ON JACK’S DEBUT …

STEPPING OUT of the paddock shadows and into the racing spotlight ahead of schedule, Jack Doohan traded his Reserve Driver overalls for a full-time race suit at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Sunday, fulfilling a childhood dream many years in the making. With a smooth and measured approach, Doohan navigated his debut weekend with composure, using every session to adapt, learn, and embrace the challenges of Formula 1 at the highest level on just a few days’ notice.

Doohan, who previously served as Alpine’s Reserve Driver and participated in rookie sessions, had been set for a 2025 debut, however, a mutual decision between Alpine and Esteban Ocon to part ways following the Qatar Grand Prix brought Doohan’s debut forward:

“[I found out at the] same time to be honest, Sunday night,” the 21-year-old said.

“And to be honest, I would have been doing FP1 this weekend, so now FP2, FP3 is new territory for me.

“But I’m actually quite happy. If there was any nerves for FP1, there’s less that I’m doing the full race weekend, because I now know I have more time to build into it and just to take it step by step.

“So, I’ve really enjoyed this week, mentally as well, leading up to it. So, I’m excited.” Doohan eased into the weekend starting

with FP1, an environment familiar to him, before the challenge intensified in FP2 where he began to push the car’s limits.

This marked his first opportunity to dive deeper into the A524’s capabilities outside of a mandated rookie session, ending the first day of running with a time of 1:24.961s.

“New territory in FP2 so it started to feel real when I was driving in the session that I haven’t done before,” Doohan said.

“But yeah, great day – just progression throughout the whole day. Taking steps forward, just getting closer and closer, just really happy and thankful to the whole team for today’s work.”

His maiden Qualifying session proved to be a steep learning curve, with Doohan’s first flying lap in Q1 “solid” but still placing him at the bottom of the time sheets.

Sitting six-tenths off the benchmark, misfortune struck during his second run when a congested pitlane delayed his exit, leaving him sprinting to the line with cold tyres for his final shaky attempt.

“Unfortunately, it’s very hard to ask the car to perform as you want when you’re well down on tyre temperatures and having the car in the window. It’s just unfortunate,”

Doohan said ending the session as the overall slowest.

“I’m definitely disappointed with the end result but it’s not the last time that that will

happen so I’m grateful for the experience now.

“I’m just looking forward to enjoying my first race.”

His excitement completely outweighed the narrative of his Abu Dhabi outing, as Doohan’s measured approach left him a steady but unthreatening presence at the back of the field.

Capitalising on some of his new-found peers’ grid penalties, Doohan was promoted to 17th, surrounded by Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc as he launched off the line.

He gained one position while avoiding the carnage at Turns 1 and 6, going on to have his fair share of battles with those who had rejoined behind after their pit stops.

On Lap 22, Doohan completed his first-ever F1 pitstop, rejoining in P18 before he soon found himself circulating in P13 – and from there, he kicked into defensive gear.

Losing out to Oscar Piastri, the #61 had

Lance Stroll for company, with the Aston Martin driver working overtime to pass him after Doohan put up a fight through Turn 9, nearly holding his ground.

Zhou Guanyu spent the final few laps of his time as a Sauber driver attacking the Australian, gradually closing the gap to within DRS range.

Positioned well on the run to Turn 9, the Sauber driver found Doohan an easy target around the sweeping corner, resulting in Jack finishing his challenging yet valuable debut Formula 1 race in 15th place.

“It feels great, you know … definitely, it was tough. You think you’re ready and, you know, that comes … I’m just super happy with the whole experience.”

“I was learning every lap … just so much valuable experience that I’ll be able to take into next season.

“I tried to do as best as possible to assist the team. We got P6 [in the Constructors’ championship] which is amazing. Pierre did a great race, finished P10 in the Drivers’ [championship] which is awesome.

“Just very thankful for the whole team for the early opportunity.”

The Australian will now turn his focus to the post-season test with Alpine, holding out for the 2025 season-opener and the most significant moment yet: his home Grand Prix at Albert Park in just over 90 days.

At short notice, Jack Doohan’s F1 career kicked off early ... Below: It even meant appearing in F1’s ‘end-of-term’ driver photo session ... Images: MOTORSPORT IMAGES

McLAREN BACK ON TOP

THE

FORMULA 1 WORLD CONSTRUCTORS’ CHAMPIONSHIP WENT DOWN TO THE WIRE AT ABU DHABI, WITH McLAREN EMERGING ON TOP. ANDREW CLARKE REPORTS ...

McLAREN HAS won the Formula 1 World Constructors’ Championship for the first time since 1998, earning itself a financial windfall in the process believed to be in the region of US$150m. It is only the third time this century the Constructors’ Championship has not been won by the team that won the Drivers’ Championship as well.

The fight for the title went down to the wire after Max Verstappen turned Oscar Piastri in Turn 1, sending the Australian to the back of the field and leaving team-mate Lando Norris out front to fight the Ferraris on his own.

All McLaren needed was one of its drivers to win to make it mathematically impossible for Ferrari to overhaul it, and that is exactly what Norris did while Piastri fought back to finish 10th and just hold off Carlos Sainz for fourth in the Drivers’ Championship.

It is McLaren’s ninth Constructors’ Championship, drawing it level with Williams and trailing only Ferrari (with 16).

The return to the top for McLaren has been stellar (or should that be ‘Stella’), rising from ninth out of 11 teams in 2017 – Zak Brown’s second as CEO of the team – to first this year after unlocking the full potential of the MCL38 just before the mid-point of the season.

After the 12th round of the season at Silverstone, McLaren trailed Red Bull Racing by 112 points and sat third in the title.

McLaren then won five of the remaining 12 Grands Prix and collected a series of podiums to take the crown.

Team principal Andrea Stella joined the team in 2015, and has ridden all the bumps on the way to leading the team out of the wilderness when he was appointed as its head in 2023 – when it started the season with the slowest car.

“The time I joined McLaren to now, end of the season, celebrating a championship, means that we’ve gone through a circle,” Andrea Stella said to select media after the title win.

“I often mention to the team the fact that the first race in 2015 in Australia, [the gap] between our lap in Q1 and pole position was five seconds.

“We have gone all the way thanks to great resilience, thanks to great belief and I would like to thank in particular Zak Brown [CEO], Paul Walsh [executive chairman of the McLaren Group], all our shareholders for their faith in the change that gradually they have implemented and that has put McLaren in a solid position.

“When you are solid from a management point of view, you are trusted. When you start to deliver on the investment that was necessary, then you can compete at the top.

“I think the final bit of this circle came through the people. Unlocking the people which is something that I’ve said several times.

“I’m not sure if it’s something that (anyone) who listens can actually appreciate what it means, if you are not part of seeing such a rapid progress of 1000 people.

“But that’s what has happened because you cannot achieve these standards, this performance, these operations, this reliability without every one of the 1000 people operating at very high level.

“That’s what we have gone through in these 10 years at McLaren but hopefully this is not an end point; this is just a starting point for more to come in the future.”

Stella also spoke about ‘refusing the poisoned biscuit’ to remain at the top, with planning for the 2025 season already well underway as the team from Woking targets both the Constructors’ and Drivers’ titles.

Who leads the team on the track will be one of the fascinating battles of 2025. Lando Norris finished second in this year’s title fight after taking his first Grand Prix win earlier in the season and he has already expressed that he feels he can go one better next year.

On the other side of the garage, Piastri continues to grow as a grand prix driver, having won multiple races in his second season and becoming only the fourth driver in history to finish every racing lap of the season – joining Michael Schumacher, Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen.

With the F1 Drivers title done and won, all eyes turned to the battle for the F1 Constructors Championship which has been an entertaining aspect of the 2024 season. The battle

though the field for the massive rewards and benefits went right down to the last races – with the battle for the lead in the ‘Minors’ division ultimately take by Alpine, who in the space of a few races rocketed from eighth to six and earned an extra US$20 million ...

FORMULA 1 WORLD CONSTRUCTORS’ CHAMPIONS

Constructor Titles Seasons

Ferrari 16 1961, 1964, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1982, 1983, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2008

McLaren 9 1974, 1984, 1985, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1998, 2024

Williams 9 1980, 1981, 1986, 1987, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997

Mercedes 8 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021

Lotus 7 1963, 1965, 1968, 1970, 1972, 1973, 1978

Red Bull 6 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2022, 2023

Cooper 2 1959, 1960

Brabham 2 1966, 1967

Renault 2 2005, 2006

Vanwall 1 1958

BRM 1 1962

Matra 1 1969

Tyrrell 1 1971

Benetton 1 1995

Brawn 1 2009

THE CLIMB BACK TO THE TOP UNDER ZAK BROWN

2016 McLaren-Honda MP4-31 6th

2017 McLaren-Honda MCL32 9th

2018 McLaren-Renault MCL33 6th

2019 McLaren-Renault MCL34 4th

2020 McLaren-Renault MCL35 3rd

2021 McLaren-Mercedes MCL35M 4th

2022 McLaren-Mercedes MCL36 5th

2023 McLaren-Mercedes MCL60 4th

2024 McLaren-Mercedes MCL38 1st

2024 F1 WORLD CONSTRUCTORS’ CHAMPIONSHIP

Pos Team Pts

1 McLaren Mercedes 666

2 Ferrari 652

3 Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT 589

4 Mercedes 468

5 Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes 94

6 Alpine Renault 65

7 Haas Ferrari 58

8 RB Honda RBPT 46

9 Williams Mercedes 17

10 Kick Sauber Ferrari 4

The Papayas were nearly outnumbered by media as they celebrated ... Below: Andrea Stella (with Zak Brown) – has headed the team since 2023 and is credited with getting the most out of every McLaren employee ... Images: MOTORSPORT IMAGES

OSCAR: LOOKING FORWARD TO 2025 WITH CONFIDENCE

DESPITE A miserable finale to his year at Yas Marina, Oscar Piastri is satisfied with his 2024 season, especially McLaren’s Constructors’ win, and goes into 2025 knowing what is needed to challenge for the Drivers’ championship.

The Turn 1 incident on Sunday, with the 2024 champion was a big disappointment which, fortunately, didn’t cost the team in terms of Constructors’ title outcome, as he explained post-race:

“For me, there was no overlap into the corner,” Oscar summed up.

“Max came to apologise and the penalty speaks for itself so it is what it is. Just very happy for the whole team – that is definitely the big thing today …

“The first few laps were pretty miserable. Turn 1 was what it was and, on the VSC restart with Franco (I need to look at it back) I thinkI just misjudged where everyone was going to brake. There were a lot of moves going on towards the braking zone and I just got it wrong.

“So yep, that set me up for a pretty tough race but, in the grand scheme of things, that doesn’t really matter at the moment – just very proud of the whole team and what we have been able to achieve this year.

“I am sure it will take a little bit to sink in, as my own personal victories often take time to sink in – sometimes days or weeks

Only the fourth F1 driver of all time to complete every racing lap in a season – and that in a record 24-race season. The others? Schumacher, Hamilton, Verstappen – all with something in common ... Image: MOTORSPORT IMAGES

later. I am sure this is going to be a similar thing.

“My ribs are healed up now, but I might stay away from Zak in case he hugs me pretty tight! But I am sure once I go back and see everybody, it will start to sink in; once we see everybody in the factory and see the smiles on everyone’s faces …

“As drivers, obviously we have our eyes firmly set on becoming Drivers’ world champions but it is also very clear how much the Constructors’ championship

means and when we get to celebrate that with the hundreds and thousands of people back at McLaren together with Mercedes HPP, that’s when it will really sink in and the sense of pride will be there.”

Oscar is aware that any 2025 Drivers’ championship challenge requires a flying start to the year:

“It will be important. This season I feel like I made good steps forward, but there is still room to go.

“The biggest one has been leaving a

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM THE TEAM AT AUTO ACTION

IT IS time for us to sign off for another year, a monumental year for motorsport both here and abroad, and recharge for the new year.

We’d like to say it has been an easy year, but for the team here at Oakleigh, it’s had its challenges – as it has been for manyout there, whatever part of Australia, New Zealand or the world you live in.

But rather than wallow, we enjoy the challenge of trying to bring you the best and broadest coverage of motorsport, right from its grass-roots levels up to the highest, across tarmac and dirt, road courses, oval and drag tracks, and two or four wheels.

Our team needs a break, and that means our website coverage will slow down over the break, but we’ll still be there … you just won’t get 20 stories a day.

On that score, there are hundreds of people who contribute to Auto Action each year, but the core team of Caroline and Thomas, with a lot of input from Reese and Timothy, Euro F1 guru Luis and columnist CL, work with us to make this happen and without them and all the other contributors, you would not have a magazine to read. We cannot thank

everyone who contributes ideas, words, pictures and designs enough.

We are still a little old-school and love the fact that we still print a magazine, and when you see the excited face of people who embrace a hard copy with their story or picture, it feels well worth the effort each fortnight.

But we are more than that now. We are digital and multimedia and will continue to explore ways of staying on the cutting edge of the media.

There’s a good chance you’ll see us at a speedway somewhere too over the next weeks, so pull us up for a chat if you see one of us wandering around in an Auto Action shirt.

Lastly, you may notice an increase in the cover price this issue. We have held off as long as possible with this, but with the costs of production and of getting the stories rising so much of late, we can’t any longer.

So, in closing off for the year, we wish you and your family a restful and happy Christmas and we look forward to reacquainting ourselves with you in the New Year when we have some exciting innovations coming. AA will return on January 7 (digital), in shops from Jan 9 (print).

Bruce, Andrew, and Betty.

few too many positions on the table in qualifying. I don’t think I’ve ever really made life easy on myself in the races in that aspect. So that’s the big focus of the off-season, trying to get those last hundredths, last tenths, in qualifying.

“I feel like in all the other areas, I have been able to show what I’m capable of and also show that I have improved.

“So now it is just a case of putting everything together because the gaps now are very small, or non-existent – if I can get it all together, then I will be on my way.

“The big thing for me is there have not been many occasions where it has been hard for me to understand where the time has gone. After qualifying yesterday, I pretty much knew immediately where I had gone wrong.

“It’s not a case of really needing to find that extra step; it’s being able to be on top of my game every time.

“I feel like when I have been on it, I have been good enough – that’s not to say there’s not still room to grow on top of that, but the encouraging thing is the potential has been there.

“So the next step is realising that potential and realising it every weekend and I think if I can do that, we are in for a fun season …”

Luis Vasconcelas

SHAHINS PHILLIP ISLAND RUMOURS RE-EMERGE

THE SHAHIN family is apparently again back in the market to buy the Phillip Island circuit, after moves to ‘shift’ the famous race track last year failed to materialise.

The Shahin family’s Peregrine Corporation already owns Shell V-Power Motorsport Park (aka The Bend) and Mallala Motor Sport Park.

It is believed that Linfox Property Group has been reviewing its ownership of the track since the Victorian State Government announced its intention to build a new international motor racing circuit via a PublicPrivate Partnership (PPP) on Linfox owned land at Avalon.

Linfox is believed to be one part of the PPP and would need to stump up considerable cash to the make the deal happen.

Whether the resurgence of rumours of a sale to Peregrine indicate any further progress on Avalon is not clear, but with the Victorian government in considerable debt and desperately short of cash at the moment it seems unlikely the Avalon track is anything more than a dream.

Regardless, since the seed was planted the Shahins are believed to have been looking at how to make it happen and have now, seemingly, walked back to the table.

Linfox bought Phillip Island in 2004 and immediately flagged its intention to build an 18-hole Greg Norman-designed golf course and a five-star hotel, but all its plans to do have been scuppered by authorities.

Sam Shahin declined to comment when approached by Auto Action.

DANE STEPS BACK

IT IS the end of an era at Triple Eight as the 2024 season was Roland Dane’s last in an official role.

Dane has penned an open letter to everyone at Triple Eight to announce he will step down from his role as non-executive chairman at the end of this month.

He will be replaced by Rex Devantier, having held the role since the start of 2022 when he handed the managing director and team principal duties to Jamie Whincup.

It is a significant moment in the history of the team with Dane steering it into the Supercars history books.

Since arriving from BTCC to Supercars in 2003 after taking over Briggs Motorsport, Dane turned Triple Eight into the most prolific Supercars team of all time with 11 Driver and 12 Team titles.

“At the end of 2021, as I stepped aside from the role of Managing Director and Team Principal, I agreed with the shareholders of Triple Eight that I would carry on as non- executive Chairman of the company for at least 12 months,”

Dane wrote.

“Now, three years later, I feel that it is time for me to move on from this truly incredible chapter of my life, and stand down from that position at the end of this year.

“Over the last two decades, Triple Eight Race Engineering has established itself as the best and most successful professional race team in Australian motorsport history.

“That’s for one reason, and one reason alone; specifically, the unbelievable group of high calibre folks who have worked for, and with, T8 during those 20 plus years.

“Great people, and great commercial partners, have come, and sometimes gone, throughout that period, and others have been there all through the journey to this day.

“Top performing sports teams are built on a blend of culture, passion, and single minded drive. Triple Eight remains the epitome of that today and I am truly as proud of the business now as I ever have been.

“I therefore thank, from the bottom of my heart, all those who have worked alongside me over the years and helped create the biggest shelf of trophies the sport has ever seen in this country.

“No-one at T8 has ever really worked for me, but hundreds have worked with me and comeout of the trenches

alongside me.

“The success over the years has been yours as much as it’s been mine and you’ve all made me look better than I really am.

“I can only say that it’s been an honour and a privilege to be a part of this almost implausible ride, and the memories will remain with me so long as I’m the right side of the turf. Thank you all.”

Whilst Dane was “incredibly indebted to a huge number of people” he chose to highlight three “stars”.

The first was KRE Race Engines Ken

McNamara, who he described as the “unsung hero of Australian motorsport.”

He also shone the spotlight on the “mother” of the Triple Eight team since 2005, Nuri Paterson, who is the Chief Financial Officer.

The third was Craig Lowndes, who took a risk heading to Triple Eight from FPR and became the team’s “first race winner and a Bathurst superstar.”

After snatching the Drivers championship record from DJR in 2024, Dane leaves Triple Eight in as strong a place as ever.

Thomas Miles

GRAND PRIX BILL TOPS $100 MILLION DESPITE BUMPER CROWDS

MELBOURNE’S FORMULA 1 Grand Prix cost Victorian taxpayers more than $100 million this year, despite the record attendance of more than 450,000.

The latest Australian Grand Prix Corporation annual report shows the Victorian government had to inject $102.313 million into the event following its subsidy last year of $100.649 million.

News reports by the Nine media empire comprising television, newspapers, radio and internet outlets claimed the cost this year was even higher, at $130 million.

The four-day attendance at Albert Park in March was announced as 452,055, while the AGPC said the number of hospitality guests at the event was a record too, up seven per cent on 2023.

Martin Pakula, Victoria’s former tourism, sport and major events minister, previously a union leader who is now the GP chairman, said the AGPC had “continued on a path of growth, innovation and success” in the 202324 financial year.

“AGPC’s events (F1 in Melbourne and MotoGP at Phillip Island) make substantial contributions to Victoria’s visitor economy, boosting tourism, hotel occupancy and

visitor spend,” Pakula said.

Sam Groth, the former tennis star who is now the Victorian opposition’s sports shadow minister, told Nine’s 3AW there were plans for a $300 million renovation of Albert Park’s pit building.

Groth urged greater scrutiny of spending on the GP, saying the event needed to run in “a sustainable way”.

$100m+ loss ... Australia’s F1 race. Image: MOTORSPORT IMAGES

The AGPC’s annual report showed that more than $1 million had already been spent on a feasibility study for the pit building redevelopment.

Event management and staging costs for this year’s race were $115.153 million.

Administration costs were up 36 per cent and staffing costs up 20 per cent.

New chief executive Travis Auld, who joined

the GP from the AFL in mid-August 2023, was paid between $680,000 and $690,000 – 33.3 per cent more than his predecessor Andrew Westacott.

Since the end of last financial year, the AGPC was ordered by the Victorian Supreme Court to pay $2.84 million over the cancellation of a Robbie Williams concert on March 14, 2020, just as the Covid pandemic arrived.

The court ruled that the AGPC misrepresented to World Touring Melbourne messages sent by Victoria’s former chief health officer Brett Sutton.

The AGPC has said it is reviewing the court’s decision.

Its annual report showed that the Victorian government had to inject $26.094 million into the 2023 MotoGP, almost twice the event’s revenue of $13.533 million.

The AGPC has two new board members – former Victorian governor Linda Dessau, who immediately became deputy chair, and Dr Gillian Sparkes.

The board already includes retired motorsport greats Mark Webber and Mick Doohan, father of the Alpine F1 team’s new driver Jack Doohan. Bruce Williams

Teacher and student – Dane and Whincup.

Image: PETER NORTON

PERRY ANSWERS TARGA QUESTIONS

WITH TARGA Tasmania on the comeback trail, CEO Mark Perry (above) has opened up on some of the key issues, including changes to the safety requirements.

After a three-year lay off, the iconic Tasmania tarmac rally will recommence in November 16-21, 2025, while competitors can prepare for it with the Targa Academy to take place at Mount Buller on April 10-11.

Perry confirmed it will be “business as usual” for the 130km/h speed-limited competitions with no planned changes, including to roll cage requirements, which will retain a half cage minimum requirement as in previous years. The only exception is TSD Trophy which will retain a no roll cage requirement.

However, Perry highlighted the differences for the new 160km/h speed limited competitions.

“These new competitions will mirror the full competition in every way in terms of safety (full roll cage, seats, belts etc) and technical regulations to ensure easy transition from one to the other,” he said.

As anticipation grows, Perry said the itinerary for the return of Targa Tasmania can be expected around March with lots still to arrange.

“The Targa Tasmania course for next year will be released in late March, due to the extensive work needed to be carried out to ensure that all of the new criteria for course design are met,” he said.

“There is much work to be done and as a long-term competitor said to me last week, ‘it must feel like 1992 all over again’ and, in a way, it does feel like we are starting again, but the great part of that is the once-in-30years opportunity to have a detailed look at everything.

“This, along with great enthusiasm for change from the key stakeholders in Tasmania, will ensure that we will see a brand-new Targa Tasmania next year, an event that will retain all of the key elements of the past combined with some exciting new innovations.

“We are looking forward to welcoming our old friends back, along with new friends, who will enjoy the Ultimate Tarmac Rally for many years to come.” Thomas Miles

TCR HEADS TO NEW ZEALAND, TRANS AM GROWS

A BUMPER 2025 TCR Australia season will start in New Zealand for the first time, joining the Supercars at Taupo, while the Trans Am calendar will feature a return to the historic Mallala circuit on the northern edge of Adelaide.

With the SpeedSeries no more, the 2025 TCR Australia and Trans Am seasons will be held across six and seven rounds respectively with Supercars events a regular part of the fixture.

Whilst the calendars are not yet official, teams were notified of the dates and locations this week, with the exception of a lock-down date for Malalla.

Although the TCR season has been reduced by a round, the season should be seen on a bigger profile with two World Tour rounds, including Macau, and three Supercars support acts with only The Bend being retained from 2024.

The TCR Australia season kicks off with a bang at the annual Supercars trip across the ditch at Taupo.

After racing in Aotearoa for the first time, the TCRs are expected to next race on the other side of Australia at Wanneroo, which is anticipated to be Supercars’ last round

staged at the circuit.

A return to Winton after a year away marks the halfway mark of the season at an Australian Racing Group run event.

The first of two TCR World Tour events at The Bend in support of the Supercars endurance race there, as has been previously confirmed.

The penultimate round of the season is still a TBA before an international finale held on the famous streets of Macau where the Australian drivers will again race alongside the World Tour stars.

Most of the 2025 Trans Am calendar was locked in November, but two puzzle pieces remained.

The third and sixth rounds were both TBA, but the circuits that will stage those events can now be confirmed as two fan favourites.

For the first time the Trans Am Australia category will go racing at Hidden Valley Raceway, supporting the Darwin Triple Crown.

The penultimate round of the year will see a return of national championship racing to Mallala, which like The Bend is owned by the Shahin family.

It will be the first national level event at Mallala in a number of years, having recently held state events.

Thomas Miles

2025 TCR AUSTRALIA CALENDAR - TBC

Round 1: Taupo Supercars April 10-13

Round 2: Wanneroo Supercars June 5-8

Round 3: Winton ARG August 22-24

Round 4: Tailem Bend Supercars/TCR World Tour September 11-14

Round 5: TBA

Round 6: Macau TCR World Tour November

2025 TRANS AM CALENDAR - TBC

Round 1: Race Tasmania Symmons Plains March 22-23

Round 2: Bathurst 6 Hour ARG April 18-20

Round 3: Hidden Valley Supercars June 19-22

Round 4: Winton ARG August 22-24

Round 5: Tailem Bend Supercars September 11-14

Round 6: Mallala

Round 7: Adelaide Supercars November 26-30

The Auto Action motorsport podcast

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

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

The 2.6km circuit situated 55km north of Adelaide last hosted Supercars in 1998 and held the 1961 Australian Grand Prix won by Lex Davison.

DJR DREAM COMES TRUE FOR HAZELWOOD

TODD HAZELWOOD grew up dreaming of racing for Dick Johnson Racing at Bathurst and in 2025 he will be doing just that.

Hazelwood will follow driver Brodie Kostecki and engineer George Commins, whom he won the 2024 Bathurst 1000 with, from Erebus to DJR.

Whilst the continuity of the combination that became the first entry to win the Great Race under six hours with Erebus Motorsport was a big factor, there was another sentimental reason weighing on Hazelwood’s mind.

“For me it is a really special opportunity to join DJR and it was a boyhood dream to drive for them,” Hazelwood told Auto Action

“They are arguably the most iconic team in Australian motorsport.

“Dick and Steven Johnson were the guys on my bedroom wall as a kid. I had all of their posters.

“I was a one-eyed Ford supporter growing up and the dream was to drive for DJR.

“My first race-suit was a Shell Helix suit when I was seven years old, which paints a picture how special it is.

“My first memories of watching Bathurst as a four year old was 1999 when Paul Radisich was leading and got a flat tyre which damaged the front splitter, and overgeated the engine, which stopped.

“I remember being devastated as a oneeyed Ford supporter.

“The first time I got to see and touch a Supercar for the first time was at the Adelaide 500.

“We knew the family that was heavily involved with the merchandise program at DJR and they invited us to see the back of the pits.

“That was the first time I was in a Supercars pit lane and got to meet Steven and get up close in the garage.

“It was a day I would never forget.

“You only get one crack in life to do the things you really want to do, so when the opportunity came it was very exciting.”

Whilst the DJR drive will be a pinchyourself moment for Hazelwood, it was far from a simple decision.

He admitted it was a tough balancing act weighing up whether he should stick with the team or driver he won Bathurst with.

“But at the same time, it was a very tough conversation to have with Erebus,” Hazelwood said.

“As a team they have been fantastic to me. They brought me under their wing and gave me an opportunity to be a main driver at the start of the year and then share the car with Brodie.

“Winning Bathurst together is something I will always look back on fondly and I cannot thank them enough

#1 City of Melbourne Titles

#1 Australasian Kart Titles

for the opportunity they created.

“It was not an easy decision on that behalf – do you be loyal to the team or driver that helped you win Bathurst?

“It was the first time in my career I had more than two options at competitive teams that want your services.

“I felt like I was being poked and pulled from both directions, but the clarity for me of working with Brodie and George at a team I always wanted to drive for was

#3 Victorian Kart Championship

Fastest Qualifier at Round 3 of the Australian Kart Championship

Multiple Heat Winner at the Australian Kart Championships

Thanks everyone – Mathew Basso

what swayed my decision.”

Whilst Hazelwood had found a happy place, after six solo seasons as a Bathurst winning co-driver and championship winning Trans Am driver, he admits the full-time itch is still well and truly there.

“For me, the first time being a co-driver having stepped away from being full-time was an adjustment,” he said.

“I still have the fire in the belly to want to be on the full-time grid for sure.

“Even being at the Adelaide 500 racing with the Trans Am, a big part of me wanted to be part of the main show at such a big and special event.

“That is still what I want to do, but at the same time I always remind myself you need to do things properly otherwise it is not worth doing at all.

“I have been able to prove that if I get the right equipment I can do the job against the best.

“I am glad I have validated myself in the industry and we will see what happens.”

Thomas Miles

DJR 2001-style – Paul Radisich and Steve Johnson with a young and impressionable Todd Hazelwood posing for a photo with his hero’s. Below: 23 years later, winning Bathurst ... Images: PETER NORTON EPIC SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHY/HAZELWOOD FAMILY

HERNE CHASING SUPERCARS DREAM

FOUR YEARS after seeing his debut hoopes dashed, Nathan Herne is working hard to make a dream maiden Supercars race finally happened.

Herne recently steered a Gen3 Chevrolet Camaro Supercar for the first time at a ride day with PremiAir at Queensland Raceway.

But there could be more on offer in the future for the ‘Lismore Bullet’ who, after spending just under two hours behind the wheel, is now in the frame for a long awaited Supercars debut.

The two-time Trans Am Australia champion is being discussed as an option for a wildcard or co-drive with PremiAir, which has one enduro slot left, alongside Richie Stanaway, with David Russell continuing to partner James Golding.

If that comes to fruition, it will be five years in the making after Herne’s Supercars dream debut with GRM at Bathurst in 2020 was controversially snatched from him due to the MA Superlicence system.

Whilst a return to America is also on the cards, Herne admitted the Supercars dream burns bright as he considers his 2025 options.

“That (Supercars debut) is the goal,”

Herne told Auto Action

“I am still working on things in America too which could happen as well.

“I have always wanted to race Supercars and it is a good shot to do it now.

“This whole project is still very early days and there is still a lot of work to do to get it across the line.

“As I learnt in 2020, you can get to right before the event and it can all fall over. It won’t be real until I am sitting on the grid with the red lights on.

“I have three options (for 2025) – I can go down and all three I am more than happy to do (any of them). Just need to wait and see how they pan out and hopefully have it all locked in over coming weeks.”

The chance to drive a Gen3 Supercar for the first time came straight from Herne’s effort himself.

The youngster called PremiAir owner Peter Xiberras himself after the Bathurst 1000, which paved the way for the opportunity to appear.

Despite having to right-foot brake for the first time since 2019, Herne loved his time behind the wheel of the Camaro and was actually surprised by the similarities it shared with the Trans Am.

“It was great because I have always wanted to get up close and personal with one of them and it blew me away how similar they are in a few ways,” he recalled.

“Obviously the Australian Trans Am has a live axle rear end while a Supercar is trans-axle.

“There is independent suspension on the Gen3 car but a lot of the base philosophies were the same between the two cars.

“There was more mechanical grip in the Supercar, but actually less aero which threw me into a spin to be honest.

“Through Turns 1 and 2 they were a bit similar, but you could tell the Supercar was making its time through mechanical

grip and the Trans Am was relying a bit more on the aero side of things to assist with it.

“It was a really nice car to drive and actually reminded me of the stuff I did on the dirt track in terms of having to keep the car loaded with the pedals.

“I really enjoyed the whole day. The team was unreal to work with and the engineer Andrew Gilliam was fantastic to talk to running through everything.”

The Supercars drive is the clear sign of how Herne is finishing 2024 in a much better position than when he started it.

He left a first full-time crack at America on disappointing terms and had nothing on the table before forming his own Trans Am privateer team where he later turned a Dodge into a Mustang and was victorious.

Now he enters 2025 with a lot more possibilities and he is proud to have given himself “a kick up the backside to make sure I am doing more than anyone else.”

Thomas Miles

Nathan had a strong podium run at Bathurst with his Trans Am Mustang – and found the PremiAir Gen-3 Chev remarkably similar.

STOP / GO

BATES STORY ERROR

AUTO ACTION and writer Thomas Miles would like to sincerely apologise for a ‘brain-fade’ mistake in issue #1900. The opening line of the Zach Bates Super2 champion feature on page 28 stated Zach’s father was Neal Bates. This is of course incorrect – the father of the new Super2 champion is of course Rick Bates, Neal’s twin brother. Rick is a highly successful rally driver in his own right and also has eight Bathurst 1000 starts under his belt. The sentence should have read: “Between Zach’s father Rick, uncle Neal and nephews Lewis and Harry, the Bates family have won nine Australian Rally Championship titles.” Apologies all round.

NEW FORMULA FORD SEASON SET

THE 2025 Australian Formula Ford Series championship calendar has been set, with six rounds scheduled.

It is a slight reduction from the 2024 season with Mount Panorama and Symmons Plains dropping off.

It starts with a Victorian double header at Winton in April before heading to Phillip Island. Queensland’s Morgan Park Raceway hosts the halfway mark of the season in June ahead of SMP and Sandown.

It will be decided with a finale at the Bend Motorsport Park where a new champion will be crowned.

All six rounds will be staged at State rounds, including the NSW, Victorian, Queensland and South Australian championships.

NEW EVENT TO KICK OFF CLASSIC WEEK

A NEW public event called Thrill On The Hill will spark celebrations for the 2025 Flying Horse Grand Annual Sprintcar Classic.

An event will be held at Flagstaff Hill where Sprintcars will be seen in the middle of the town on Monday, January 20 along with various other activities.

The event will kick off at 17.00 with a cannon firing before a Sprintcar parade takes place through the village.

Drivers will also be in attendance and interviews as part of a live show hosted by Gavin White.

Entry is free, but attendees will need to register online.

OFF THE WALL: ANDREW MIEDECKE’S MARCH 76B FORMULA PACIFIC CAR

ANDREW MIEDECKE has removed his March 76B Ford BDA from his Port Macquarie dealership wall, restored it and will contest the Taupo Historic Grand Prix, in NZ, in January.

Chancing his hand in England, he responded to an ad in Motoring News and bought the largely complete March 763/14 F3 car in bits in early 1977, then assembled it with Bruce Cary and contested two British F3 Championship events. Other Aussies running in F3 that year were Geoff Brabham, Paul Bernasconi and Chris Farrell.

Bruce Allison, John Bowe and Andrew Miedecke quickly placed orders for new ground-effect Ralt RT4s, “which made the March largely unsaleable.

“It was put into storage at the dealership and eventually we tided it up and mounted it on the dealership wall where it has created a lot of attention!”

“With no money and Formula Atlantic on the rise, I did a deal with Rothmans, removing the Toyota 2TG Novamotor F3 motor and bolting in the Ford BDA engine mandated for the class,” says Andy.

Success was immediate with the Miedecke March taking third in the 1977 Macau Grand Prix behind the Chevrons of F1 ace Ricardo Patrese, and Kiwi Steve Millen.

GP drivers Larry Perkins, Bobby Rahal and Danny Sullivan, Andrew bagged a pair of fourths at Baypark and Teretonga and was eighth overall. He failed to finish at Macau in ’78, then broke both legs in a bad crash aboard the Galloway HG1 Ford BDA during practice for the ’79 New Zealand GP at Pukekohe. Miedecke then bounced back to take a fantastic win in the Selangor Grand Prix at Shah Alam that September aboard the March, from Ken Smith and Albert Poon.

In May 1981 CAMS finally announced – after lots of argy-bargy from both sides – that Formula Pacific would replace F5000 as Australia’s Gold Star/AGP category.

‘Mal Oastler – exReynard designer and current hillclimb/historic racer – is a mate. He’s been racing the ex-John Smith Ralt RT1 Pacific and suggested that I restore the March to have a run in historics. Mike Borland (Spectrum Cars) did a complete chassis rebuild and Jamie Larner did the engine. They did a fantastic job.”

The Taupo event will have a grid of about 25 Ralts, Swifts, Reynard, March and Chevrons with ‘Mad Andy’ Miedecke – the title was bequeathed to him by Steve Millen – sure to give his fellow competitors a run for their money on his return to Formula Pacific competition in New Zealand.

Taupo International Motorsport Park will hold the Taupo Historic GP over the 11th - 12th January 2025. Mark Bisset For info visit www.taupomp.co.nz/ events/taupo-historic-gp-2025

FERRARI BACK AT 12 HOUR

FOR THE first time in five years, Ferrari will be taking on the Meguiar’s Bathurst 12 Hour thanks to the next chapter for Arise Racing.

After winning the GT World Challenge Australia title with Chaz Mostert and Liam Talbot in its first season, Arise Racing has set its sights on the 12Hr.

The team will field its two Ferrari 296 GT3s for the first time in the international enduro with one in Pro and another in Pro Am.

Whilst the drivers who will steer the ‘Prancing Horses’ around the Mountain are yet to be revealed, Arise Racing GT Team Principal Jordan Oon cannot wait for the team’s new challenge.

“The 2025 Bathurst 12 Hr has been the ultimate goal of the Arise Racing GT program from the very start and, given Ferrari’s previous 12 Hour success, we feel like we have massive shoes to fill,” said Jordan Oon, Arise Racing GT Team Principal. The car performed brilliantly at the final GTWCA round which is a credit to Ferrari and Oreca for producing such a great package in the 296, and we cannot wait to push it to its limits in one of the most demanding endurance events in the world.

Ferrari has a proud history in the Bathurst 12 Hour with its 296 GT3 the fourth generation of the brand’s GT3 car to take on the event with highlights victories in 2014 and 2017.

IN OTHER 12 Hour news, Craig Lowndes and Tickford rivals Cameron Waters and Thomas Randle will again join forces at the race.

The trio will once again run a Ashley Seward Motorsport-prepared Scott Taylor Motorsport Mercedes-AMG GT3. Last year the Triple Eight and Tickford drivers partnered up for the first time and led 11 laps en route to seventh place, but less than 8s away from the winners.

The car will retain the familiar green and black livery carrying support for the Prostate Cancer Foundation, which is now the event’s official charity partner.

Thomas Miles

Image: RACE PROJECT

Rebuilt and ready to go ...

McLAREN M6B LIFTS CAN-AM CELEBRATIONS

THE CAN-AM demonstration at the 2025 Adelaide Motorsport Festival will be boosted by the appearance of a McLaren M6B owned by Aussie ex-pat George Vidovic

The flamboyant Vidovic, who now resides much of the time in the USA, is a racer of note, having won Victorian Sport Car titles in the past, racing in his own Python-built sports cars.

The McLaren M6B series of sportscars were built by Trojan Cars, the customer arm of Bruce McLaren Motor Racing. They were copies of McLaren’s dominant 1967 M6A, winner of the Can-Am Challenge that year, and were offered to customers for the 1968 season.

The M6B was a successful car in the hands of many driver and team combinations … and made waves in Australia.

Bob Jane imported a trick, schmick M6B built for him by Bruce McLaren Motor Racing to suit a 5-litre Repco Brabham 740 series V8 engine; the big brother of Repco’s 3-litre F1 World Championship winner. Jane and McLaren became friends on Bruce’s annual visits home to Australasia to contest the Tasman Series.

John Harvey steered the machine to back-to-back Australian Sports Car Championships in 1971 and 1972.

The 1971 season was held over four rounds and, despite missing the first, Harvey went

on a sweep at Warwick Farm, Wanneroo and Mallala.

With the car at a fine pitch, engineered by touring car ace engineer-mechanic, John Sheppard, Harvey and the M6B won five of the six 1972 rounds at Phillip Island, Adelaide International Raceway, Warwick Farm, Surfers Paradise and Symmons Plains.

The M6B6 heading to Adelaide was used to build the prototype road-going M6 GT coupe by McLaren for Bruce’s daily use.

It believed that this car was displayed at the Geneva motor show before being converted back to a Can-Am car.

It will be driven by Vidovic who found the car and restored it and now races it in

historic US events.

The Can-Am Challenge was an incredibly popular, spectacular ‘anything goes’ Group 7 category of brutally fast sports cars that blew the minds of a generation of North American race-fans in the 1960s and early 1970s.

The MB6 will share the track with a trio of sinister, black Shadow Can-Am cars coming from England – the MKI Mosport, MKI Prototype and MKIII – which make their Australian debut in Adelaide after starring at the 2024 Goodwood Festival of Speed.

The 2025 Adelaide Motorsport Festival is on March 8-9 – visit adelaidemotorsportfestival.com.au

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HIGH EXPECTATIONS FOR HIGH LIMIT INTERNATIONAL

THE WORLD will be coming to Western Australia this summer for the first ever High Limit International and, from personal experience, James McFadden knows it will be big.

From December 28-30, Americas best will take on the locals in pursuit of a huge A$100,000 winner’s purse.

In addition to the annual USA v WA roadshow, the stars of the new High Limit series in America will be coming down under.

Once again Brad Sweet will be chasing more success after winning three races from five starts last summer.

However, he will also bring fellow High Limit co-owner and racing sensation Kyle Larson, who is a Sprintcar star in addition to his NASCAR Cup Series and IndyCar exploits.

Larson has never raced out west, while the likes of Rico Abreu, Cory Eliason and Parker Price Miller will also lead the American charge.

An Australian who also will be looking to use his High Limit experience to good use is James McFadden.

McFadden has already enjoyed success in sandgroper land, having recently won back-to-back WA Sprintcar titles. The Australian star cannot wait to drive in the big show.

“I am just happy Australia gets an event that pays $100,000. You have

to support that and we are excited to have a crack at it,” McFadden told Auto Action

“It will be very tough with a lot of Americans coming.

“Perth do a great job and have raised the bar in our sport to the point where every track in Australia needs to be at that point.

“It will be great to be there and I am honoured to represent Australia and hopefully we can win $100,000.”

McFadden knows better than most what the new High Limit series will bring, having participated in the entire 2024 season after previously competing in World of Outlaws.

The Alice Sprints driver finished the huge 50plus race season in seventh place with three wins.

McFadden enjoyed his time at High Limit so much he felt it was the perfect way to finish his full-time USA career.

“That is the funnest year I have had racing in America,” he said.

“I feel like it was an enjoyable place to be and loved the atmosphere and vibe.

“I feel like they have built a lot of momentum and have a great bunch of people working there.

“There are also a lot of great drivers and I felt like that was the hardest I had to race in a long time in America.

“They have done a phenomenal job to get to the position of where they are at.

“It will be an interesting couple of years over there to see what they are going to do and hopefully it swings in the right direction for them. They have interest in Australia and the more interest they get the better it will be for us.”

Thomas Miles 2024

AMERICAN INVASION

THE BEST from Australia and America will do battle on some of the biggest speedways in the country in the 2024/25 USA Vs Australia Brandt Sprintcar Speedweek.

They will race hard across five nights from Murray Bridge to Warrnambool’s Premier Speedway at the end of the year.

Hoping to defend national pride is reigning Australian champion Lachie McHugh, plus the likes of Marcus Dumesny, Jy Corbet, Tate Frost, Daniel Pestka and more.

The American challengers include Chase Randall and Garet Williamson, with more on their way.

One young American to watch out for will be Riley Goodno.

After making his Australian debut last summer and competing in around 80 shows in the US, 21-year-old Goodno is back to make a bigger impression with the #45 Camden Signs and Building Services J&J / Maxwill Engines entry run by Victorian car owner and businessman David Challons.

The partnership between the likeable Knoxville leadfoot and Challons started in Iowa, being fellow J&J agents.

“Just prior to the ‘Runny Nose Cafe’ (COVID) I started watching him in Iowa and could see some potential,” Challons recalled to Auto Action

“So we brought him to Australia and it was a huge learning curve on and off the track because he had hardly seen the ocean before.

“He stayed with us and we took him fishing and racing and we had a lot of fun.

“I was very impressed with how he handled the big change because it is so different racing in Australia compared to America.

“He is very good on the smaller tracks and is very nimble.

“This season we have a brand-new Maxwill motor.

We both want to win, but it will be tough out there and we will take it night by night.

““The Speedweek has been a bit of a non-event since World Series decided to retract, but this is a whole new deal, so we are looking forward to five

races.”

In addition to the Brandt Sprintcar Speedweek, Goodno will remain in Australia to compete in the Grand Annual Sprintcar Classic plus other races.

Thomas Miles

2024/25 USA V AUS BRANDT SPRINTCAR SPEEDWEEK

Round 1 - Murray Bridge Speedway - December 26

Round 2 - Tolmer Speedway - December 27

Round 3 - Borderline Speedway - December 28

Round 4 - Avalon Raceway - December 30

Round 5 - Premier Speedway - January 1

big

James McFadden – has enjoyed success in WA already. Image: MATT CHRISTIE/ NETWORK R

American Chase Randall competed in Adelaide. Image: RGP

Riley Goodno will run the #45 Camden J&J

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THE LAST WORD FROM A TOWERING FIGURE

THE MAN MUCH LOVED AS “MOTOR MOUTH” AT AUSTRALIAN RACETRACKS WAS FIRST HANDED A MICROPHONE WHEN THE REGULAR COMMENTATOR NEEDED A TOILET BREAK. 44 YEARS LATER BARRY OLIVER HAS HAD ENOUGH. ALMOST. WE THINK.

By GEOFFREY HARRIS

BARRY OLIVER is on the cool-down lap. Officially he’s finished … but perhaps not quite.

Having retired in 2018 from competition, which included navigating Jim Richards to a record eight Targa Tasmania victories, the “chequered flag” was waved on Oliver’s 44-year commentary career when the Tasmanian Circuit Racing Championship concluded on Sunday, December 1, at Symmons Plains, 30km south of Launceston.

Fittingly, that is precisely where commentary all began for him all those years ago.

Oliver turned 80 in September, so the man who has delighted in being known as “Motor Mouth” (the nickname even forms the bulk of his email address) is entitled to put his feet up at his Launceston home and relax.

Which he will do, although this motorsport “junkie” may still be back at the microphone for a “special guest appearance” at his beloved Baskerville Historics in Hobart next November.

And there’s the new event planned for Northern Tasmania on March 2, the

Symmons Plains Historic Speed Trials. There won’t be any keeping him away from that, even if the climb to the commentary tower for 172cm Oliver is just to fill more of a support role.

Oliver has called virtually every form of motorsport – from Supercars and Formula 1 to drag racing, speedway and karts, while his roots were in rallying – and he’s loved almost every moment of it.

But these days the exhaustion from a weekend at the track has got a bit much.

Oliver caught the racing bug in 1955 at 11, when his father took him to the Longford road circuit about 20km south-west of Launceston that was to become famous worldwide during the Tasman Series of the 1960s.

He didn’t miss the annual international meeting there until Longford folded in 1968, by which time Baskerville and Symmons Plains were well established, albeit not of the same stature.

Oliver trained as a fitter and turner and then as an engineering draughtsman. He also worked variously as a union official (for the Australasian Society of Engineers), an assistant telecoms technician, a council administration officer (which involved

radio reports on roadworks – his first ‘commentary’) and ran a defensive driving school for 15 years, also doing a dozen corporate drive days a year around the country with Jim Richards.

While racing had become his great passion and he’s always loved driving, Oliver says he did “bugger all” competition driving. He was more the volunteer official and, after getting a surprise call up to the control tower at Symmons Plains in March 1980, a commentator.

“Angus Richard, who was the main commentator, handed me the microphone, said ‘You’re on your own’, and went for a leak,” Oliver recalled.

“I was thrown in at the deep end. It was the Tasmanian round of the Australian Touring Car Championship!

“After that I was invited to Baskerville to commentate and it rolled on from there.”

Later came gigs on the mainland and, in December 1991, a call from CAMS – at the urging of Shell’s sponsorship man Tom Smith – to commentate every round of the ATCC, which in 1997 morphed into Supercars.

Oliver filled that position until the end of 2007, having overcome quadruple bypass

Barry Oliver says goodbye and thanks to the officials at the end of the recent Symmons Plains race meeting.

UNIVERSAL PLAUDITS FOR ‘MOTOR MOUTH’

THE ACCOLADES have flowed for Barry Oliver from drivers, team bosses, event promoters, officials and fellow commentators, past, present and emerging. A compilation of recorded tributes was played over the public address system at Symmons Plains on the day the man who has delighted in the nickname “Motor Mouth” downed the microphone.

Craig Lowndes recalled meeting Oliver in his Formula Ford days. “You’ve been the voice of motor racing and you’ve been brilliant in the way you’ve delivered it,” Lowndes told Oliver.

John Bowe rejoiced in having shared so much of his journey with Oliver. “It’s been a pleasure knowing you all this time, listening to you, being interviewed by you, and you generally being a mate,” Bowe said. Oliver’s favourite driver and best friend, the intensely-private Jim Richards, didn’t record his tribute publicly for the compilation but rang Oliver the next day to congratulate him on his stellar career, including his integral part in their tarmac rally successes (the pair are pictured above).

Garth Tander also subsequently messaged Oliver, saying “the soundtrack of Supercar events in the early part of my career was your voice … your passion and enthusiasm were seriously inspiring”.

Roland Dane, Dick Johnson and Brad Jones were among others to acclaim Oliver. Dane ribbed “Baz” about having been “utterly biased” towards Tasmanian racers.

Tasmanian event promoters Peter Killick (circuit racing) and Mark Perry (Targa Tasmania) also weighed in with testimonials. Killick praised Oliver for his “humility, honesty, integrity and the way you’ve carried yourself … you’re an absolute icon”. Perry said Oliver was not only a legend of Targa Tasmania but had been particularly supportive through recent “tough times” and concluded with “we love you”.

From retirement in Queensland, Angus Richard, who virtually tricked Oliver into commentary at Symmons Plains in 1980, said he had been “a natural … who turned out to be the best motor mouth Australia’s had”.

Supercars commentator Neil Crompton called him “a great friend of motorsport” known for the “energy, effort, passion, and skill that you infused in the sport”.

Fellow Tasmanian David Rose, who has been the other half of a “Yin and Yang” combination with Oliver, primarily at Symmons Plains and Baskerville but also on “the big island”, said their more than four decades together in commentary boxes had been “a blast”.

“Nobody in motorsport prepares or researches or delivers as well … you’re the benchmark,” Rose said.

“We’ve laughed together and we’ve cried together … you’re a magnificent man … the very epitome of the quintessential, passionate motorsportsman – the package.”

From Highlands in New Zealand, Greg Rust thanked Oliver for his “kindness, passion and engagement” towards him as a young caller, and for not being egotistical in the commentary box.

Andrew Stride, the “junior” in the box at Symmons Plains and Baskerville the past 10 years, said it had been “a privilege to stand beside” Oliver.

A raft of other younger commentators from around Australia also paid their tributes and respect to “Motor Mouth” as the champagne flowed to mark a champagne career.

Barry Oliver was the voice of Supercars nationally for 15 years, but altogether he’s called races for 44 years – firstly and, perhaps, lastly at Tasmania’s Symmons Plains.

heart surgery in late ’93.

Renowned for his fastidious preparation and ‘Baz’s Bible’ of facts and figures, Oliver is “proud of what I did” on air for all those years.

“People say, ‘You set the standard’,” he says.

While accepting that times change and things move on, he laments that spectators at Supercar events no longer get dedicated track commentary but rather the audio of the TV telecasts.

Oliver had been due to navigate fellow Tasmanian Greg Crick in the first Targa Tasmania in ’92 when the ATCC commentary offer came.

Dates clashed, but Crick appreciated the importance of the commentary role to Oliver and encouraged him to take it on. Greg Preece stepped in beside Crick and they won the first two Targa Tassies in a Honda NSX.

For 1993 touring car legend Jim Richards invited Oliver, even though he had no experience at it, to navigate for him in Targa Tas.

Oliver brought “a good memory for roads and numbers” to the role.

It was the start of a mega-successful and enduring “marriage” in tarmac rallying. In 26 outings in Targa Tas up until 2018, in

Porsches in all but one year (they were in a Nissan in 1994) , the pair won it eight times (between ’96 and ’06).

Altogether they did 78 tarmac rallies in Australia and New Zealand for a total of 21 wins and 43 podiums.

“To have the opportunity to sit beside Jim for all those years was a great privilege and honour,” Oliver says.

“Jim just went about his job. There were no histrionics.

“They were wonderful, wonderful times.”

Oliver regards Richards as his best mate and they still talk on the phone weekly.

Richards also figures in Oliver’s proudest moment in commentary – spotting from a tower up on Mt Panorama the extent of the damage to the Nissan GT-R the expatriate Kiwi crashed in the mayhem as rain pelted down on lap 144 of the 1992 Bathurst 1000. Controversially, and much to the dismay of Ford pair Dick Johnson and John Bowe and their fans, victory was awarded to Richards and Mark Skaife as they had led the previous lap.

“I saw lots of funny things up on Skyline,” Oliver recalls.

Over the years he copped barbs that he was biased towards Tassie stars Bowe and Marcos Ambrose. He says their successes truly told their stories, but he makes no

apology for being “a very proud Tasmanian – and letting people know that”.

Among the tin-top talents and personalities, Craig Lowndes is “right up there” in Oliver’s eyes. “Craig just never changed, it didn’t matter when you saw him,” he says.

Many of Oliver’s fondest memories are from his early days. “I was at Newry Corner at Longford every Friday. Seeing Jim Clark in a Lotus and Jackie Stewart in a BRM come off Long Bridge towards Newry was just mind-blowing,” he says.

“I cut short my honeymoon in 1968 to come back to Longford!”

He’s still very happily married to Pauline, with four children and six grandchildren. Oliver’s favourite race cars? “The Ferrari 250LM raced at Longford by Spencer Martin, the front-engined Maserati 250F of Stan Jones, the Aston Martin DBR4, C and D-Type Jaguars, the Bob Jane Jaguar Mk 2, Ian Geoghegan’s Mustang …”

Oliver is an official Targa Tasmania Legend and is in the Tasmanian Motorsport Hall of Fame, of which he’s chairman.

And, despite being on his cool-down lap, that’s one role he isn’t giving up just yet.

Oliver was presented with a framed image of the Baskerville Historics pieced together by AA photographer Jarrod Leonard (Angryman Photography) and was he delighted!

RACING… BUT NOT RACING

BRUCE MORRISON HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN MOTORSPORT ALMOST SINCE THE MINUTE HE STARTED IMPORTING THE MEGUIAR’S RANGE INTO AUSTRALIA. NOW, 34 YEARS LATER, HE’S DOING LAPS IN A CAYMAN GT4 AND SPONSORING THE BATHURST 12-HOUR RACE. ANDREW CLARKE SAT WITH HIM AND HIS SON ALEX ...

THE STORY goes, he liked the race so much he took out the naming rights … or so the story of Bruce Morrison goes with regards to the Meguiar’s Bathurst 12-Hour. But having been involved in motorsport for the 34 years he has been bringing Meguiar’s products into Australia, it needs to do more than indulge a passion – it needs to make business sense too.

While Morrison thinks he is too old to be too serious about racing himself, it doesn’t stop him getting involved sponsorships – he’s got a full roster, so maybe don’t send him a prop – and track days in his Porsche Cayman GT4 with his son, Alex, and the UpTo11 group that gets him to the best tracks.

He’s living the dream.

“It’s interesting for motorsport because I’m here on the western suburbs of Sydney, I’m a petrol-head from way back,” he says.

“I grew up in the Peter Brock era and so forth, so it’s an easy transition into motorsport sponsorship for me because I already really like it.

“It’s quite interesting because you never know if you’re doing it because it works or

doing it because you really like it. When you sponsor, it often takes years for it to work, so you hope you’re on the right track.

“It’s been easy to be involved, but when you’re running a business it’s a lot harder. It takes you a lot longer to figure out what really works and does something for your brand versus just, it’s a great thing to waste your money on. It takes a long time for that, but we also stick in it because we look at our main customers which are Supercheap Auto Repco, Autobahn-type people and they’re all in motorsport.

“Sometimes you look at what’s best for your brand and you look at who are your main customers and where are they shopping. And if the place they are shopping are in it, it’s usually working for them too and then it makes sense for me.”

For Morrison in 2025, what makes sense is GT Racing – having been involved in many other classes through time, including his first sponsorship with Fred Seery in a NASCAR at the Calder Park Thunderdome, and then into Liqui Moly – a brand his MotorActive business is no longer attached to – for the 12-

Hour in 2013. He was also on the ‘Lap of the Gods’ car – let’s assume Kmart was selling Meguiar’s – with Greg Murphy

“We’ve tried lots of dabbling in different categories of motorsport and I learned over that time, dabbling with bits in motorsport doesn’t really work. It helps you, but it doesn’t. It’s a lot of slow burn and doesn’t necessarily raise your profile enough.

“I found out getting into a motorsport that’s still exciting, like GT racing, is good. It’s a global motorsport which really suits an international brand and not everyone is there yet, which is good because you stand out more.

“We really did stumble across it. We hadn’t really sought out GT and, back then (2013), there was very little following for GT racing in Australia. We looked at it as an event to get involved with instead of sponsoring cars.

“It wasn’t really until then we developed a real liking for it, you get up close to it and there are some really cool cars in GT. A lot of those cars I like, and I buy some of them, not race cars, but the road-going versions.

“I thought it fitted us well.”

Back in 2013 when he first sponsored the race, the 12-Hour race was at war with Supercars. They organised test days, for instance, to make sure the stars of the main show in Australia couldn’t run with the upstarts.

Supercars, of course, now owns the 12-Hour and it is a different and growing proposition. Only last week, it was announced that Craig Lowndes, Cam Waters and Thomas Randle will once again run the race in an Ashley Seward

Bruce Morrison (right) with the Bathurst 12 Hour Event Director, Shane Rudzis, announcing Meguiar’s as naming rights sponsor for the 12-Hour race from 2025. Above: Morrison’s Porsche Cayman GT4 in action at a recent Phillip Island drive day

Motorsport-prepared Scott Taylor Motorsport Mercedes-AMG GT3, and the field will be littered with Supercars drivers.

The race is growing, and, after a short hiatus, Morrison is back as the naming rights sponsor.

“GT Racing has a great future here, it’s very exciting. There are a lot of cars coming through in GT3 but also GT4s, which I have a real passion for and I own one. Between the two classes you’ve got a lot of good coverage.

“You’ve got proper gentleman racing, based on production of cars, but at two completely different levels. Between the two, I think there’s a huge future for it.

“Stickers on cars do not help you sell product at all. You’ve got to have activation, and most people look at the cost of motorsport sponsorship and whatever money they had, they spend it all on the sponsorship and none on the activation and that makes it a waste of money.

“And these days, Alex is the same on this, we are using the drivers themselves a lot more. It used to always be about the cars and the team, but that has changed. I think Formula 1 has taught us, and Drive to Survive hammered that home ... it’s actually about the drivers and the other personalities in the background.

“So, sponsorship only works well when you’re bringing personalities into it. If it’s just branding on cars or teams and the stickers with the logo in the background, it does not change anybody’s buying habits.”

Which bring us to the second part of this passion story – the Cayman GT4, which he shares with his son Alex, which just adds to the fun.

Alex worked in the family business for a little more than 15 years, but now he has gone out on his own with The Chemical Brothers. Which means the track days with GT4 car are even more important and special. They race each other on the timesheets.

“Alex and I do a lot of track days, so we are kind of friendly ‘racing’ with each other.

“We spend a lot of time looking at the data these days out of the car and trying to improve where we’re at with the benchmark and to race against yourself all the time. It’s great though – it’s fantastic.

NEWS EXTRA

“We’re in a driving group called UpTo11. I think that means on a scale of 10 you go into 11, so you’ve got to push past your comfort zone of 10. That’s what we work on.

“You think you’re at 10 tenths and you realise you’re not and the car’s way more capable.”

On the track there are plenty of faster and slower cars than his, but the real battle is with Alex.

“In those years working with Dad I developed the same kind of love and passion for motorsport,” Alex says. “When I had the opportunity as well, I kind of found myself delving into those same areas. We – the Chemical Guys – have a sponsorship deal with WAU last year, which is very exciting having branding on a V8 Supercar.

“We have a personal sponsorship with Chaz as well. We use him for a lot of our content and do some weird and wonderful snippets for our brand building program with him and that team. So that’s been really good fun.

“And then on the GT side of things, we also went into the 12 Hour in that hiatus period that MotorActive wasn’t in there. The 12 Hour, as a whole, is an event I really enjoy.

“Everyone wonders how you can sit there and watch cars drive around for 12 hours. You always have the intention of getting up nice and early, watching the start and maybe going for a nap.

“But it seems like every lap, something’s happening. It’s like a 12-hour sprint race, so you never really get to have that nap. By the end of the weekend you’re pretty smashed.

“We wouldn’t do it if it wasn’t a legitimate passion of ours. But also love getting behind the wheel as well. Dad lets me drive his Porsche every now and then. I just show him how to make it go fast.

“It was a bit of an interesting dynamic when, for most of my adult life, Dad was my boss. Starting my own thing has changed the dynamic a little bit, I guess.”

At the track, perhaps as in business, there is a healthy rivalry that Bruce really enjoys.

“It’s a good father-son thing because you get to work on things together to figure out what’s going on. He has his own M2, that’s very track-tuned as well.”

“I’ve gone down a very deep rabbit hole,” Alex grins.

“What’s interesting is the data,” Bruce continues. “We spend time to get that out of the car and we then look at the data and do overlays and so forth about who’s been driving the car. You can figure out exactly which corners you’ve got to improve on and exactly what you’ve got to do better.

“I think that is a lot more fun when there’s two of you. The fact there’s two of us looking at the data is quite interesting, so that’s how you go faster now, it is not someone jumping in the car with you and taking you for lots of driving lessons. It is the data analysis that makes you go faster.”

They are under no illusions about where they are at as race drivers, and to be sure they stuck Mostert in the car. They weren’t much off his pace, but it was enough, and they think it would have been more if he had more laps.

“Young guys are just willing to push it harder in certain places, it’s a young man’s game. It’s about how hard you want to push it and how well you read the car.

“We do have a really good sim set up in the office too, a full motion sim.

“These things are so realistic and the times you get on the simulator are quite accurate to the real car on the same track. We were just talking about this yesterday. We did a session on it last night just to remember the track because we haven’t been to Phillip Island for two years ...”

For Bruce, these track days with his son are enough. Alex thinks it would be cool to do some proper racing – just not in Dad’s car.

In the meantime, it will be track days and the Bathurst 12-Hour to satisfy his urges.

Above: Comparing data at Phillip Island with son Alex. Below: Last year’s Bathurst 12-Hour was another classic, and it is the non-stop action and the quality of GT Racing that has encouraged Morrison to take out naming right’s sponsorship of the event again.

NEW DAKAR CHALLENGES

AUSTRALIAN STARS Toby Price and Daniel Sanders will be back at the Dakar Rally in 2025, chasing history, but in different ways.

Two-time winner Price will be starting a new chapter, switching to four wheels after 10 successful years on a bike.

He made the call after losing his ride at the factory KTM squad and will drive a Toyota Hilux prepared by Overdrive alongside former British team-mate and another Dakar winner Sam Sunderland.

The pair hope to join Hubert Auriol, Stephane Peterhansel and Nani Roma as the only competitors to win the Dakar in both a car and bike.

“KTM decided not to renew my contract, so the Dakar 2024 was my last event with

them,” Price said.

“I felt I was still on top form and fighting for victory, especially on the Dakar, so it’s a shame not to have that opportunity in 2025. I’m genuinely grateful for the support they’ve given me during my career.

“I’m super excited that we will be on the starting line of the 2025 Dakar Rally in a car.

“Teaming up with Overdrive Racing in a T1+ car is a dream come true, and it’s an opportunity for which I’m so grateful and intend to maximise.

“It’s taken a lot of work since March to get everything in place, and it’s surreal that it’s finally coming to fruition.”

With Price on four wheels, the nation’s big bike hope is Daniel Sanders, who

effectively replaces his compatriot at KTM.

‘Chucky’ is as tough as they come and finished eighth last year still recovering from a broken femur sustained when training.

Sanders is in strong form after winning Rallye du Maroc in October and he is full confidence ahead of the big one.

“The 2024 Dakar was a considerable effort; we went there with two weeks of preparation and new updates to the bike after seven months off since my femur fracture and the complications of healing. I wasn’t even sure I could participate in the 2024 Dakar. It was a massive risk to race, but I always give my best when I’m on the bike,” he said.

“Returning with KTM is exciting, and I want to do justice to their hard work.

“I’m pretty happy with how the Rallye du Maroc went, especially the victory.

“I’m thrilled to be back on form and showing good speed ahead of the Dakar.”

The 47th Dakar Rally will be held from January 3-17.

Thomas Miles

PISZCYK PODIUMS IN UAE OPENER

A HOST of Australians are taking on the UAE Formula Trophy Series and leading the charge is James Piszcyk (pictured).

The first two rounds of racing were held at the Dubai Autodrome and Yas Marina Circuit. At Yas Marina the series raced alongside the Formula 1 stars.

Piszcyk impressed for AGI Sport, emerging third in the championship after collecting two podiums across the three-race opener at Dubai Autodrome.

He was one of three Australians on the grid alongside AGI teammate Nicolas Stati and Seth Gilmore, who was driving for another Aussie team, Evans GP.

After being muscled out of third and having to

settle for fifth in Race 1, Piszcyk was on it in the second sprint.

The top eight was flipped for Race 2 where Piszcyk enjoyed another fast start, settling into the top three instantly.

This set up a race-long battle with Kabir Anurgag and the AGI Sport driver finished a close second, being 0.9s adrift at the chequered flag.

However, a post-race penalty dropped Piszcyk from second to third behind Al Dhaheri, who was less than a tenth behind at the finish.

Piszcyk was again in the lead group in the finale, sprinting hard with Al Dhaheri and Gustav Jonsson.

The trio charged 10s ahead of the rest of the

pack and Piszcyk ended up a solid third, just less than 2s away from the lead.

Amongst the other Aussies, Stati made an incredible comeback from a stalled start, making some early moves to rise into the top 10 to a soar to eighth, while Gilmore also made ground to be 13th.

In Race 2 Stati held firm to be sixth as Gilmore secured a best result of the weekend with 12th. The duo finished the final race seventh and 15th respectively.

The same pace was not quite there for AGI Sport as Piszcyk and Stati followed each other home just outside the top six, while Gilmore was 20th.

Stati led the way in Race 2, matching a PB

MANSELL COMPLETES F2 CAMEO

AUSTRALIA’S CHRISTIAN Mansell is ready for 2025 after completing a three-round cameo in the FIA Formula 2 Championship.

To prepare for a full-time attempt next year, Mansell jumped into the Trident #23 as a replacement for Roman Stanek.

The cameo finished at Abu Dhabi where the Aussie battled and recorded a pair of 16th place finishes.

But the highlight was his drive in Qatar where he soared to an impressive sixth place finish in the Feature.

To make the feat more impressive, he started down in 20th on the grid after a snap of oversteer proved costly in qualifying.

He avoided early clashes to pit early, which helped him get into the top 15.

Having raced his way past Amaury Cordeel, John Bennett and Rito Miyata, the Trident driver sat eighth, which became sixth when Ollie Bearman and Josh Durksen finally boxed. Mansell was pleasantly surprised to walk away with a career-best F2 result.

“What a crazy end to the weekend!” Mansell said on Qatar.

“Frustration was definitely the kindest word I could find about qualifying.

“Then on Sunday we called the early pit stop perfectly just before the Safety Cars came into play.

“We chipped away and got the results at the end of it.” Thomas Miles

being just eight-tenths away from the top five.

Gilmore recorded a solid 14th as Piszcyk found trouble and was 20th.

The season finishes this weekend with another dash around Yas Marina. Thomas Miles

Price and Sunderland will contest the Dakar on four wheels.

Right: Daniel Sanders. Images: RED BULL CONTENT POOL

Image: DUTCH PHOTO AGENCY

sixth

It’s a mammoth month of Speedway action at Premier Speedway Warrnambool

With Sprintcar stars from all over Australia and the USA all fighting for the win!

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JANUARY 19

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McLEOD GETS LATEST GLOBAL GIG

CAMERON MCLEOD will continue his international endurance racing career through the summer and beyond.

McLeod will end a big 2024 where he made his Supercars and Super2 debuts by competing in both the Michelin 24H Series Middle East and the Michelin 24H Series Europe.

The 19-year-old Gold Coast driver is part of a four-driver program to race a Porsche 922 GT car for Ajith Kumar Racing.

He will share the car with Indian actor and driver Ajith Kumar, plus experienced GT drivers Mathieu Detry and Fabian Duffieux.

McLeod is no stranger to international endurance racing having twice competed in the Dubai 24 Hours.

McLeod is already preparing for the drive having been testing at Circuit de Catalunya last week, while official track days are in Dubai on December 17.

“I’ve competed in Gt4 and 992 cars in the Middle East events for the past two years now,” McLeod said.

“Last year I was lucky enough to race for Simpson Motorsport, and it was there that I drove alongside Fabian.

“I was fortunate enough for Fabian to recommend me to become part of the Ajith Kumar Racing team from the formation.

“I’m in a very fortunate position to be able to pursue my domestic Supercar program whilst continuing to increase both my experience and connections in the GT endurance scene internationally. It’s happy days at the moment.

“Thanks to PremiAir Nulon Racing for letting me ’skip out’ on the team’s ride day at Queensland Raceway on Tuesday, so I could make the trek to Barcelona for the first test.

“It’s great to meet Ajith, Mathieu and the Bas Koeten Team, and of course drive this cool car at this cool track in preparation for the 24 hour race in the new year.”

The Michelin 24H Series Middle East begins with the Dubai 24H on January 10-12, while the first part of the European leg is at Mugello on March 21-23.

Thomas Miles

RISING TO THE OCCASION

JAMES WHARTON will become the latest Australian to take on FIA Formula 3 in 2025 and feels the time is right to take on the big challenge.

Wharton, 18, will make his full-time F3 debut with ART Grand Prix in 2025 as effectively Christian Mansell’s replacement.

The latest Aussie to race in the third tier has made waves in his short single-seater career, never finishing lower than sixth in any full season he has competed in.

Wharton hails from Melbourne, but has been living on his own in Europe since he was just 13.

He has already had a taste of Formula 3, being a sub for Hi-Tech at Silverstone.

The boy from Bundoora will be stepping up to F3 on a high after soaring to second in the Formula Regional European Championship.

Having taken four wins and outscored everyone in the second half of the season with seven podiums in the last eight races, Wharton feels he is moving up to F3 in career-best form.

“I feel now is the time I am ready to make the step and have done everything until now to put us in position,” Wharton told Auto Action.

“I have never finished outside the top six in any car. I am on an upward trajectory and to have that coming into F3 is perfect.

“The confidence that I have built will only help me and I believe I can keep the momentum going.”

Another reason to feel confident is that not only does Wharton have previous experience of the category, but also his team having recently competed in the

Macau Grand Prix with ART.

“Macau was all about learning the new team and getting comfortable with my engineers at ART,” he said.

“It was an important learning weekend on and off the track and it is vital to be comfortable within your team, especially being my first season in F3 considering there will be so many new things.

“It is a great head start before my first race in Melbourne, so very lucky to have a race already under my belt.”

Wharton is effectively following in the footsteps of fellow Aussie Mansell, who impressed at ART this year so much he secured a strong fifth in the championship.

Having been karting teammates together, Mansell has been helping out the latest F3 Aussie settle in.

However, there is only so much advice the now F2 driver will be able to give as Formula 3 enters a new era of cars in 2025.

As a result, Wharton is unwilling to establish any goals for 2025 at this stage, but is not short of confidence.

“It is hard to say where we will be sitting next year with a brand new car coming along,” he said.

“It is very hard to predict, but I know if I have the car underneath me and have all the right things we could fight for the championship.”

LE MANS DOOR OPENS FOR LEITCH

Motorsport at Sepang, whilst there is a quiet air of confidence that the team could do well and book themselves a ticket to France and take part in the iconic Le Mans 24 Hours.

knows Earl’s history with Le Mans and I know he would love to have a team of his own compete in the race.

“Next year will mark 10 years since he won on debut with Porsche, so it would be super special if we can make it happen.

“I know how hard it is to win the series. Last season showed you have to win but also be consistently at the front end of the field.

“Marco’s pedigree speaks for itself with so much sports car experience at the very highest level and with Anderson we have a strong line-up.”

It is a special chance for Leitch, who will drive a current-spec Aston Martin for the first time.

“I’ve driven a lot of GT3 cars – including the Audi, Porsche, and Lamborghini – but I’ve not raced a turbocharged car before,” Leitch explained.

“It sounds and feels completely different to any of the naturally-aspirated cars but I’m comfortable already.

and Indonesian Anderson Tanoto.

They will share an Aston Martin Vantage GT3 and compete in four-hour races at Sepang, Dubai, and Abu Dhabi. The drive follows a test with Earl Bamber

Leitch said the opportunity is there having recently won the Lamborghini Super Trofeo World Finals in the Pro-Am class with Anthony McIntosh in Jerez.

“I’m super excited to be back competing in the Asian Le Mans Series and super grateful for Earl’s support,” said Leitch.

“Every motorsport fan in New Zealand

“Funnily enough, it’s a bit of a full circle moment for me. My first GT3 race was in an Aston Martin almost exactly 10 years ago. That was in a DBRS9 with 007 on the doors, which was pretty cool. That car has a V12 in it that screamed, whereas this car has a turbocharged V8.”

Thomas Miles

KIWI BRENDON Leitch has secured an Asian Le Mans drive which could lead to an opportunity at the famous French race. Leitch will take on the three-round series with Earl Bamber Motorsport alongside threetime FIA World Endurance Championship winner Marco Sorensen

NINOVIC TAKES LATEST STEP TO GB3

RISING AUSTRALIAN star Alex Ninovic

will continue his progression in 2025 when he takes the step up to the GB3 Championship with Rodin.

Ninovic will compete in the 2025 GB3 Championship in familiar colours as David Dicker’s Rodin Motorsport continues to support the teenager.

The 17-year-old from Sydney has momentum on his side after an impressive 2024 British F4 Championship campaign.

Also driving for Rodin, Ninovic was an ever present on the rostrum, taking five race victories and 18 podiums to secure second in the championship.

He made the move from Sydney to Europe in 2023 after winning the KA3 Senior Australian Karting Championship title the previous year.

Ninovic has already been busy testing GB3 machinery at iconic European circuits such as Silverstone, Monza and Spa in recent weeks.

But next year the field will be racing with the new generation Tatuus MSV GB3-025 car and Ninovic cannot wait for the next step up with the team which won the GB3 title with Kiwi Louis Sharp.

“I am super excited for 2025,” Ninovic told Auto Action.

“It will be a new car and new challenge on a lot of new international tracks in Europe.

“After Louis having such a good season this year and knowing all the tracks, it shows what Rodin can do and I am targeting the championship.

“2025 will bring on a new challenge which is GB3 but I know that as a team we can achieve anything. As I always say: effort equals results.”

In terms of getting to grips with the new

car, Ninovic does not know too much yet, but has a small idea of what to expect.

“I do not have much inside information on what the car is going to be,” he said.

“But there is the general information of that everyone knows like it will have a bit more power, the DRS and a better floor with more downforce.

“Testing the old GB3 car and adapted to it pretty well from the first session.

“We did about nine days of testing and really got to grips with it and really enjoyed the higher downforce faster car.

“It matched what I feel like I want from the car a bit more.”

GB3 Championship Team Manager Ricky Taylor welcomed Ninovic to the category.

“We are incredibly excited to see Alex continue his racing journey with Rodin Motorsport’s GB3 team,” he said.

“He’s well regarded by the team from the past couple of seasons with us and has always been a driver who adapts well to a new car.

“This has been evidenced through his

AUSSIE HEUZENROEDER TO RACE IN NZ

INTERNATIONAL AUSSIE Patrick

Heuzenroeder will take another step by making his his Formula Regional debut in New Zealand this summer.

Heuzenroeder will take on the 2025 Castrol FR Oceania Championship, which is a popular winter series for many aspiring European drivers on the F1 journey.

Last year then Australian FIA Formula 3 drivers Christian Mansell and Tommy Smith took part, while the likes of Lance Stroll, Lando Norris, Thomas Randle, Robert Shwartzman, Liam Lawson and Matt Payne are previous champions.

Heuzenroeder is chasing the F1 dream and in 2024 took on GB3, Britain’s top single seater series, for the first time and finished 12th in the championship highlighted by a podium at Zandvoort. With another big year in Europe on the horizon in 2025, he is excited to race in New Zealand’s unforgiving tracks for the first time.

“I’m really looking forward to racing over the summer throughout New Zealand in the Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Championship with the experienced MTEC

team,” he said.

“Coming off the back of my maiden GB3 season in the UK with a strong performance in a competitive field I am excited to drive a new car, race on new tracks and put myself up against some of the best drivers in the world.

“With five race weekends back-to-back, it will be a great challenge and fantastic opportunity to prepare for my 2025 campaign in Europe.”

Just like his GB3 campaign, Heuzenroeder will have former F1 driver David Brabham by his side.

He will race for MTEC, which is helmed by Bruin Beasley.

“Having fellow Aussie Patrick as part of our 2025 CTFROC team is fantastic, his pace is well documented and with some high level people in his corner the expectations are high,” he explained.

“We are really looking forward to working with him, it’s been exciting to see his progression over the last few years, and I’m sure he will be very competitive come January.”

Thomas Miles

testing programme with us so far.

“I’m looking forward to seeing what he can do with the new car in the new year.

“Watching him race last year in particular in the British F4 Championship was fantastic – his race craft was really strong and I have absolutely no doubt he’ll be at the front end of the grid again this year.”

Ninovic is one of just three confirmed drivers for the 2025 GB3 Championship, which begins at Silverstone on April 26-27. Thomas Miles

2025 CASTROL TOYOTA FORMULA REGIONAL

OCEANIA CHAMPIONSHIP

Round 1: 10 – 12 January 2025, Taupo International Motorsport Park

Round 2: 17 – 19 January 2025, Hampton Downs International Motorsport Park

Round 3: 24 – 26 January 2025, Manfeild, Circuit Chris Amon

Round 4: 31 January – 2 February 2025, Teretonga Park, Invercargill

Round 5: 7 – 9 February 2025, Highlands Motorsport Park, 69th New Zealand Grand Prix

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HOW WAU AIMS TO TAKE THE NEXT STEP

IT WAS once again a story of not close enough for Walkinshaw Andretti United in 2024, but according to the team, it only makes them more determined for 2025.

WAU has not won or seriously challenged for a Supercars drivers or teams title since it won the latter with Garth Tander and Will Davison in 2009.

However, 2024 was possibly its best shot in the 15 years since then, with Chaz Mostert being best of the rest behind the Triple Eight teammates.

Mostert’s three wins at Wanneroo and Sydney Motorsport Park propelled him into title contention, but those dreams faded fast across the enduros and a luckless Gold Coast weekend.

With rookie Ryan Wood also performing, the team finished third in the teams championship, its best since 2016.

Mostert could have finished 2024 with another win at Adelaide, but clashed with Broc Feeney.

WAU Team Principal Bruce Stewart admitted there was some frustration about being forced to settle for second in a crazy finale.

“There is no doubt we had a fair bit of speed in the last few races, but I would be lying if I did not say I would be frustrated at the ending,” he said.

“Chaz did an epic job, particularly defending Thomas (Randle) and Will (Davison). Ryan did a great job as well.

“It is good to have pace and speed and

now we have our eyes focused on 2025.

“We have a little bit of momentum we will build across the summer and come out blazing.”

Stewart said he hopes the team can turn that frustration into motivation as it hopes to take the step up to finally mount a serious championship challenge having not won the drivers title since Mark Skaife in 2002 with HRT, while the Walkinshaw owned HSV Dealer team went back to

back in 2006 and 2007.

“It has just been a long season,” he said.

“At Bathurst we got everything we could out of the cars and had a couple of things on the Gold Coast that really hurt.

“We certainly had great speed at various and different tracks, but we also made some mistakes.

“To be a great team we need to be a lot more consistent. I certainly think we have had the right cattle in the car and crew.

“We have a special group of people, so we just have to learn from every aspect where we fell off a bit.

“We need to accept that not everything goes your way like Saturday on the Gold Coast and forge forward.

“It is a bit of what could have been so in that respect all it does is just light your fire for 2025 and that is a good thing, so we are going to use it.”

Thomas Miles

JONES, MURPHY LED AMF ARRIVALS

Both Jones and Murphy are the latest announcements to feature at the March

Murphy will start a new chapter in the South Australian capital by driving a Kmart Holden Commodore at the

Murphy has never driven at the event, but will make his debut in style in 2025,

he raced in 2000.

It was the last Gibson Motorsport-built Commodore V8 Supercar, marking an end of an era for the team that dominated in the Group A scene with Skylines. However, it also marked the beginning of a new chapter for Murphy, who after impressing in 1999 raced in the iconic Kmart colours for the first time in 2000.

Murphy finished sixth in the championship that year and finished eighth and fifth in a very wet Adelaide 500.

The highlight was the enduros campaign where the Kiwi teamed up with Steven Richards to finish third in both the Queensland 500 and Bathurst 1000.

Murphy will drive the Kmart Commodore in addition to appearing on stage in the Adelaide Marriott Grand Marquee over the course of the event.

The car is currently owned by Ben Stack.

Australia’s last Formula 1 world champion, Alan Jones, will celebrate a special anniversary with a special car at the 2025 Adelaide Motorsport Festival.

Forty years on from the first Adelaide Formula 1 Grand Prix, Jones will drive the same F1 car on the same streets.

On Thursday October 31 1985, Jones kicked off the Australian Grand Prix by driving the first lap of the Adelaide street circuit in a Haas Lola THL1.

The 1980 champion carried on for the rest of the weekend and qualified the car 19th, 4.5s off the pace of pole man Ayrton Senna.

Jones completed 20 laps before he became the fourth retirement of the day with electrical dramas.

To mark the anniversary, both Jones and Haas Lola THL1 will both be present at the event.

There will also be some stunning machinery as one of the most infamous and radical cars ever seen in Formula 1, the six-wheeled Tyrrell P34 will be present.

The car took part in 30 races from 1976 to 1977 and collected 14 podiums headlined by a notable win to Jody Schectker at Spain in its third start.

Recently retired Supercars driver Tim Slade has also landed a drive by being behind the wheel of a Le Mans sportscar and Formula 1 car.

The two-time Supercars winner will drive the Leyton House Porsche 962C in Adelaide.

The Kremer Racing Porsche 962C raced at the Le Mans 24 Hours and various other sportscar events in the Leyton House livery in the latter half of the 1980s.

The 962 C was powered by a Porsche Type 935 KKK threelitre twin-turbo six-cylinder engine producing 750 horsepower.

Slade will also drive the Arrows A10B Formula 1 car that was raced by Eddie Cheever during the season.

Thomas Miles

SOME BIG names will be coming to the 2025 Adelaide Motorsport Festival and there are not many greater than Alan Jones and Greg Murphy.

8-9 event.

Adelaide Motorsport Festival.

steering the VT Commodore

Image: PETER NORTON

HEARTBREAK FOR WATERS ON SEASON DEBUT

CAMERON WATERS showed pace, but his 2024/25 summer of speedway debut ended early at the SA 410 title race won by Rusty Hickman in Mildura.

The Tickford Supercars star is back at Chief Racing and the 410 South Australian title was the first of 11 races he will take part in across the 2024/25 season, highlighted by the Brandt Sprintcar Speedweek and the Flying Horse Grand Annual Sprintcar Classic.

Things started brilliantly for Waters as he emerged as the fastest qualifier and appeared to be a contender.

However, the #V6 was one of many big names caught in some opening lap carnage.

Waters was the first victim going upside down at Turn 2 before Jamie Veal did the same when racing resumed at Turn 3.

The third attempt at racing was not lucky either as Australian champion Lochie McHugh and Matt Egel wiped each other out.

A clash at Turn 1 saw McHugh have a number of wild tumbles as Egel also rolled. After all the drama, the race was all about Hickman.

Hickman controlled the stop-start affair and led most of the 30 laps to victory.

He won by half a second ahead of Luke Dillon and Brock Hallett.

Todd Moule appeared to be Hickman’s nearest challenger, sitting second for the first four laps before drifting to fifth.

Dillon also led briefly before Hickman used the bottom groove best to snatch it back instantly and drive to glory.

“We are just a small ‘Family Team’ out here and we are beating the big teams,” he said.

“I can’t thank my Mum and Dad enough, my sponsors and the Timmis Speedway.

“I have always considered this to be my home track so to win here in the 410 is amazing”

Despite the race ending in disappointment, Waters thought it was a positive start to his 2024/25 campaign.

“It was awesome to be back in the car,”

Waters said.

“First night of the season started really good and I felt comfortable in the car.

“Went from fourth to third in the heat and in the Dash did not get the start as good as I would like, but still ended up third.

“The final just tried to go for second and ended up on pole and then tipped her over.

“That is part of the sport we play in and part of the fun. A lot of positives to take out of tonight.”

For Waters his next event is Max’s Race at Premier Speedway this Saturday night.

He will then take part in the final four nights of the USA v Aus Speedweek at

BIG NAMES FOR MAX’S RACE

MANY BIG names want to get a taste of Warrnambool’s Premier Speedway this weekend at Max’s Race.

The December 14 sprintcar race has attracted a huge 53 nominations led by big names in Australia and around the world for round 2 the Total Tools Warrnambool Sprintcar Track Championship.

Three Americans will aim to take the fight to the locals led by World Of Outlaws star Carson Macedo and the returning Texan Chase Randall.

Coming down under for the first time is Knoxville Raceway feature winner Garet Williamson, who will race for the Tim Van Ginneken and the Anderson Bobcat Service team.

Aussie champion Lockie McHugh will be racing at Sungold Stadium for the first time with the #A1 on his wing.

But looking to make a statement will also be former champions James McFadden, Jamie Veal, Marcus Dumesny and Jock Goodyer.

Last year’s Max’s Race winner Grant Anderson hopes to go back to back.

Another former Grand Annual Classic champion returning to the venue is Brock Hallett and has shown strong pace recently, as has Matt Egel.

Ryan Newton has made the journey from WA and Jy Corbett hopes to reclaim the pace he showed last season, while Jordyn Charge hopes to carry on his momentum from Darwin.

Tolmer, Borderline, Avalon and Premier Speedway.

Across the remainder of January the #V6 will take on further races at Simpson, Premier, Avalon and borderline.

These events are all preparation for the Grand Annual Classic on January 24-26, while the final confirmed event is at Timmis Speedway on February 22. Thomas Miles

Supercars star Cameron Waters leads a host of Victorians also including Corey McCullagh, Brett Milburn and recently crowned South Australian champion Rusty Hickman. Also on show will be V8 Dirt Modifieds and Junior Formula 500.

with on-track action commencing from 5.15pm.

Thomas Miles

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SENNA GOES TO HOLLYWOOD

THE LATEST SENNA MOVIE – THIS TIME A SIX-PART DOCU-SERIES, WAS RELEASED LAST WEEKEND. AS HE, IN ANOTHER LIFE, KNEW THE MAIN CHARACTER – AND INDEED SOME OF THE BIT-PART PLAYERS – IT SEEMED LOGICAL TO ASK AA COLUMNIST CHRIS LAMBDEN TO REVIEW NETFLIX’S LATEST F1 PRODUCTION …

F1 FANS, both long-term and the recent ‘Drive to Survive’ recruits have been waiting with anticipation for the latest ‘Senna’ TV series (Netflix) to drop – and opinion on it may well be divided into those two camps.

If you saw the original 2010 Senna docco – which most long-term fans have, many times – you’re not going to learn anything particularly new. What you will see are much the same key events in Ayrton’s life, with a tiny bit more of his personal/family life thrown in – but presented in a superb mix of old footage and re-creations which results in a highquality, believable, atmospheric docuseries – all six episodes of it.

That effective blend of real and re-creation in action scenes is doable because the producers went to extraordinary lengths to create exact replicas, or borrow original cars, and re-create specific engine sounds, to successfully create a blur of believable action.

Yes, the nerds will, for example, pick that the early Formula Ford/F3 scenes aren’t (as the subtitle says) filmed at that flat, desolate, cold, miserable place in England known as Snetterton (apparently all done at a circuit in Argentina, surrounded by scenic hills!) but that doesn’t detract from the effort to present action scenes that, for the greater audience, are convincing and pretty much tell the main story.

But a clan of bare-chested howling Poms screaming through the fence at

Ayrton at the peak of the Senna/Brundle F3 war is, well, a bit over the top! …

There are exaggerations and little tweaks in the interest of drama – it’s a movie after all – and the fact that the Senna family has played a significant role in assisting the production results in the tale being, to a degree, based on their interpretation of situations and Ayrton’s character.

Indeed, the series doesn’t delve as deeply into the innermost character of the main players as some might like but, hey, this is Hollywood.

It’s a peek into the life and lifestyle that young racers around the world dream of

– other than the ending, which remains the same.

Like the docco, it’s a bit strange taking it all in knowing that the final scenes are based around the tragic weekend at Imola in 1994.

In this case, the focus is as much on the family and the people back in Brazil as the F1 fraternity, with little of the religious tone that was increasingly part of Ayrton’s later life.

The cast is an interesting mix. Brazilian actor Gabriel Leone does look a lot like Senna and has pretty much nailed his mannerisms and accent, to be very convincing.

Both Ayrton’s Brazilian TV-host girlfriend of some years (Xuxa) and sister Viviane could almost be the real people. Others less so (a couple of them are long-time friends: Keith Sutton – F1 photographer for Australian Motorsport News for a long time and Senna’s manager/PR man over his first three years in cars – and karting legend Terry Fullerton both have early and pop-in roles later in the series and it’s kinda funny to see how they’re portrayed …).

There’s one completely fictional character – a female motorsport journalist – who appears throughout. Maybe she represents ‘the media’ as a whole – certainly some of her work does get under Ayrton’s skin … Much of the race commentary comes from an increasingly ‘lubricated’ James Hunt lookalike, while a curly-haired ‘Alain Prost’ is still the villain, though this time, there is a genuine effort to bring it to a close with the reconciliation that happened in the last weeks of Ayrton’s life.

So yes, for the life-long nerds, who lived and were there through the era, there’s a fascination about the way the series is put together, and an appreciation of the lengths the producers went to in order to be as believable, technically, and life-like, more so than any preceding motorsport movie.

In that, they succeeded completely and it’s a fun watch. It’s Hollywood.

Gen Y/Z – the ‘Drive to Survive’ audience? They will love it …

STEVEN LACEY – 30 YEARS OF MOTORSPORT

STEVEN LACEY has concuded the 2024 season by taking out the NSW Sports Sedans Championship, marking a successful 30 years of motorsport for the New South Welshman.

And he is not slowing down as his latest campaign was his busiest and most successful ever with 12 race meetings.

In wrapping up his fifth NSW Sports Sedan Championship last weekend at the recently re-opened One Raceway in Goulburn, Lacey can now claim a GOAT title for NSW Sports Sedans, having won the Championship five times in just the last ten attempts, not a bad average!

This year Lacey competed in a spaceframe Camaro Sports Sedan owned by Steven Vigurs for the first three rounds of the NSW Sports Sedans, and then moved to his recent ride, a PACE/IRC GT SS owned and prepared by Marc Cars Australia’s Geoff Taunton.

He impressed by finishing third outright for 2024 and in a standalone meeting, he took out the coveted Ramada Resort 50K Plate Sports Sedan race at the Island Magic meeting at Phillip Island.

Lacey started competing in Supersprints, Regularity and Hillclimbs in 1994 in his road registered SS Torana Hatchback, which he still owns.

Whilst he won the occasional class trophy at Club level events run by NSW Road Racing Club, it would be some 14 years later before he would win three consecutive CAMS NSW State Supersprint Championship titles for his class.

By then he was competing against Improved Production racecars in his still fully trimmed Torana, which in its earlier days he drove to and from the track.

Lacey joined the aforementioned Club in 1993 at the age of 25 and went on to become an active committee member, the

sat on the NSW Supersprint committee and went on, together with his wife Bronwyn, to establish a Regularity class at the Bathurst Motor Festival, held on the Easter Weekend.

The event saw race and road cars competing alongside each other and against the clock on the Mountain.

That tradition of running a category at Mount Panorama every year in some form continues for the duo up until today, where they are currently preparing for the inaugural Duggan Family Hotels combined Sports and Sedan Car races to be run as a support category to the Meguiar’s Bathurst 12 hour.

Lacey’s racing career didn’t really start till 2012, when he purchased his VK Commodore Sports Sedan, winning the NSW Sports Sedan Club Championship during the same year.

By 2014 he had made another step up and was running running the Vigurs owned Camaro in Division 1.

Motorsport Australia NSW State Sports Sedan Championships in 2015, 2018, 2019 and 2022.

This feat saw him equal the most Championship wins in the 50-year history of NSW Sports Sedans with Chris Jackson. In 2019, Lacey also won the Motorsport Australia Kevin Bartlett Award, for NSW’s most outstanding circuit driver of the year.

Lacey has also worked hard off the track, being the President of NSW Sports Sedans since 2017.

He has been actively involved in the shaping of the current Sports Sedans regulations as part of a national committee for the past decade and he is keen to see the category grow with several new cars to be introduced in 2025.

“It’s a privilege to be part of a category with such a rich history, that enjoys continuous innovation, Lacey said.

BACK HOME

THE NSW Race Championship returned to the regional town of Goulburn for an anticipated finale.

The newly named One Raceway provided challenges to the competitors with torrential rain during Saturday and picture perfect conditions on Sunday

SPORTS SEDANS & PRODUCTION SPORTS

The combined field of two categories provided a great mix of competitive racing. Geoff Taunton and Steven Lacey duelled all weekend, with the two cars never separated by more than a second.

Race 1 was held in very wet conditions, with cars aquaplaning at the end of the main straight. Nevertheless, Lacey controlled the situation edging out Taunton for the win.

Daniel Nolan finished 3rd. Race 2 was held in dry sunny conditions and the roles were reversed, Taunton 1st from Lacey and Mark Boudib.

With the NSW State Championship on the line, Lacey made the perfect start and kept his rival behind. Lacey had more horsepower wile Taunton had the grip advantage. Lacey was able to hold out and claim the win and his fifth title.

Taunton was a close second and Boudib third.

IMPROVED PRODUCTION

A large field of cars braved the condition in race 1, with Ben Sheedy coming home first from Steven Engel and Jason Walsh. Matthew Giuntini was the first Under 2 L car home in fourth.

Ben Algie won race 2 from Walsh and Giuntini. Algie continued his great form winning the final race, Giuntini finished 2nd and won the U2L class.

Ryan Jagger recovered from a previous race mishap to come home in third place.

FORMULA FORD

In the Formula Ford races there was a three-way fight for the honours between, Cody Maynes – Rutty, Eddie Beswick and Imogen Radburn. Maynes-Rutty winning two of the three races and Beswick winning the other. Radburn capped it off with 3 podiums.

PRODUCTION TOURING

Minii enduro’s were held for the Production Touring class, with a healthy field of 31 cars entered. The large field navigated through a wet track for race 1, Dean Campbell was able to hold off challengers winning from Matthew Holt and Tony Virag. The weather conditions caught out a few drivers with four DNFs.

The second race was a class reverse grid race, the Osmond/ Colombrita BMW won from Adam Gosling and Daniel Daquino.

SUPERSPORTS AND FORMULA CARS

Another combined event for the meet with Mark Brame taking out first place in race 1, closely followed by Terry Knowles and Simon Copping.

Race 2 started not long after a torrential downpour.

Conditions were terrible and multiple cars spun off into the muddy outfield, causing a safety car period.

Aaron Lee was able to keep it on the black stuff and won from Brame and Craig McLatchey.

In the third race Brame came out on top winning the round, Lee was 2nd and Warwick Morris third.

SUPERKARTS

Laurie Fooks was on the way to take a clean sweep by winning the first 2 races when his Kart let him down during the third race.

Aaron Cogger capitalised by winning the remaining final races and taking out the round. Mark Vickers and Jock Dos Santos scrapped for the remaining podium positions.

Riccardo Benvenuti

Josh and Jamie Craig lead the wet start in the Pulsars. Cody Maynes-Rutty (below right) lead the way in Formula Ford. Images: RICCARDO BENVENUTI

BROWN TO RETURN TO OPEN WHEELERS

WILL BROWN will prepare for his Supercars title defence by racing single seaters in New Zealand this summer.

Brown is a big name signing for the Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Championship where he will drive a Red Bull backed Toyota FT60 in three of the seven rounds.

The current Triple Eight champion will drive at the Historic GP in Taupo on January 10-12 before returning a week later at Hampton Downs.

His third and final meeting will be the 69th New Zealand Grand Prix at Highlands on February 7-9.

Whilst Brown has made his name in touring cars, having just been crowned the latest Supercars champion, he also has single-seater experience.

The versatile racer last raced an open wheeler in 2019 when he made six S5000 starts and took one podium.

He also finished second in the 2016 Formula Ford Australia season with nine wins from 15 starts and was crowned Australian Formula 4 champion in that same year with six wins and 13 podiums from 18 starts.

Having initially turned to single seaters out of karting, Brown is looking forward to jumping back in time.

“Single seaters are a bit of an itch I want to scratch, and there’s no better place to do it than in this championship,” he said.

“I was watching Formula 2 and Formula 3 races earlier this year and

BRITS TAKE SILVER FERN RALLY

BRITS JAMES Ford and Neil Shanks have taken back to back wins in the Silver Fern Rally.

After 90 cars took on 52 special stages and over 3000km of remote gravel tracks resembling race tracks and mountain passes with giddying views, the same duo emerged on top.

Ford and Shanks were fast in their distinctively orange Ford Escort from the get-go, building a good lead.

It was not a smooth journey however as a first off created gearbox and TCA damage, while a second off ripped the axle out of the car.

These incidents saw them lose the lead to Kiwi Marcus van Klink, but they eventually blew New Zealand hopes of a national win out of their exhaust pipes by over four minutes.

“We couldn’t have done it without the lads, it was a massive team effort to keep us going,” Ford said.

“Although the engine was an issue as well as we had to top up the water for each stage.

“I think the event was a lot harder than 2022, longer stages and road sections, we didn’t even have time to eat in the evening, apart from the odd takeaway, but it was an incredible event!”

escort Mexico by a good margin.

Tony Jardine and experienced Australian co-driver Duncan Jordan were second in the Toyota Corolla AE 86 after a couple of offs.

Big names that took on the Silver Fern Rally included double European Champion co driver Dave Kennard teaming up with Hayden Paddon.

Phil Mills is a former World Rally Champion who co drove Petter Solberg to the World Championship glory in 2003, was running two cars for Viking Motorsports.

Co-driving for his team was three times British Rally Champion Matt Edwards, who mentored Bonamy Grimes to a top 10 finish.

thought it would be great to race in a competitive field of single-seaters once again.

“Hopefully, I’ll be able to get some testing in a single seater at some stage, but I know Taupo well from Supercars.

“I’ve done some laps at Hampton Downs in a Toyota 86, and I’ve done a few laps at Highlands as well, so the tracks will not be new to me.”

Brown admitted he has been eyeing the Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Championship for the last seven years, but it has only finally come to fruition.

“When Tony’s [Quinn’s] organisation took over the promotion of the major New Zealand championships, the desire to have another go started to look like a much more realistic possibility,” he said.

“I’m delighted to be part of those three weekends and am looking forward to some excellent racing.

“I’m not coming to take part; I’m coming to New Zealand to win.

“It’s no different to why I have wanted to try NASCAR and TCR.

“As a racing driver, I want to test myself against the best, and I know this championship has a fantastic record of helping produce some world-class drivers.”

Brown will be hoping to follow in the footsteps the man he replaced at Triple Eight, Shane van Gisbergen, who won the New Zealand Grand Prix in 2021.

Thomas Miles

The Kiwi honour was held by Robbie and Amy Stokes, who were pleasantly surprised to finish second in their RS1800 Escort.

Third was a great brattle between former UK Historic champion Roger Chilman and Robert Gough.

Gough eventually prevailed over Chilean.

New Zealander Jeff Judd showed early speed to sit second world-renowned WRC co-driver Belgian Stephane Prevot, but they fell off the road and eventually finished 10th.

The 2024 Silver Fern Rally produced more British winners in the 1600 cc historic category, as well with David and Douglas Young topping in their 1972

To compound the UK success on Silver Fern 2024, Richard Spink and Nigel Hutchinson were 14th overall in their Mk 2 Escort having forgiven a recovering Tony Jardine for holding them up in his dust after a puncture.

With Brandon James and the legendary co driver Dale Furniss 15th overall in their Wales Motorsport Escort, the invading UK army success was complete.

With stunning and challenging roads completing the route, some were unfortunately caught out.

William Midgley in a historic Midgley Toyota Corolla 1600 GT rolled a long way down a bank wedged between trees.

But after hauling it out and a day of body hammers, they were back into the rally finishing 34th overall, a brave effort.

The Silver Fern Rally will return in 2026.

Images: GEOFF RIDDER/PETER WHITTEN

BIGGER CALENDAR FOR TA2 SERIES

A NEW era of the TA2 Muscle Car Series will kick off with an expanded sevenround calendar in 2025 and a union with Trans Am.

Six of the rounds will be following the Hi-Tec Oils Super Series as usual with the season being bookended by trips to Winton.

The category will also head to Sydney, Queensland Raceway, Mallala and Mount Panorama.

The trip to Bathurst will be a major highlight, not only seeing drivers take on the legendary circuit at the 6 Hour event, but share the track with the National Trans Am series.

It will be the first time the separate

categories racing with similar V8 machinery race together in a combined grid.

The two championships could converge again at classic South Australian circuit Mallala.

TA2 has confirmed it will head to the track for the first time, while it is believed Trans Am will also stage its penultimate round at the 2.6km circuit.

The TA2 Muscle Car Series will be sharing the spotlight at a South Australian state series meeting.

The trip to the “Paperclip” in Ipswich will be the annual two-driver meeting having previously been held at Hidden Valley and Tailem Bend.

The enduro will be the first of two trips to Queensland Raceway with the second headlining the 2 Days of Thunder meeting.

Each round will be broadcast with at least 8 hours live on SBS Speedweek from each Hi-Tec Super Series round, simulcast on Fox Sports and Kayo, plus coverage on the Seven Network for the Bathurst 6 Hour event.

The TA2 Muscle Car Series was recently brought out by new owners, who believe the new calendar only builds the excitement for 2025.

“We have been working very hard to finalise a calendar which offers the right balance on some of the great tracks in

Australia, plus adding new events such as Mallala and the Bathurst 6 Hour,” said Mark Crutcher, Series Co-Owner and driver.

“Joining Trans Am at Mount Panorama will deliver a fantastic field and a great spectacle, plus supporting George Gambino’s Hi-Tec Oils Super Series as the headline act for all other rounds gives our teams a great platform to benefit from live free to air media coverage.”

“This calendar represents what our drivers, new owners and corporate partners want, which was a combination of fast flowing circuits plus some shorter, more technical venues and a Free To Air Television package, and I think we’ve delivered that,” Matt MacKelden, Category Manager said.

“Like all racing categories, television is very important so a combination of both Hi-Tech Oil Super Series, plus the Bathurst 6 Hour with Trans Am will provide great value to our drivers, their sponsors and our corporate partners.”

Thomas Miles

2025 TA2 MUSCLE CAR SERIES CALENDAR

ROUND 1: Winton February 28-March 2

ROUND 2: Mount Panorama Bathurst April 18-20

ROUND 3: Sydney Motorsport Park May 30-June 1

ROUND 4: Queensland Raceway June 27-29

ROUND 5: Queensland Raceway August 15-17

ROUND 6: Mallala Raceway September 26-28

ROUND 7: Winton October 31 - November 2

RADICAL EDITION TO SRO PROGRAM

THE RADICAL Cup Australia Series is the latest edition to the new SRO Motorsports Australia program in 2025.

The entire 2025 Radical Cup Australia Series will run on the SRO platform, joining the likes of GT World Challenge Australia, GT4 Australia, Porsche Sprint Challenge and Ferrari Challenge.

The season will start in April at Phillip Island before heading to Sydney Motorsport Park and Queensland Raceway in May.

The penultimate round of the season is at historic Victorian circuit Sandown in July, while the title chase wraps up at The Bend Motorsport Park in early September.

Five rounds were also held in 2024 but some changes have been made with Queensland Raceway returning after a year away and Sandown not seeing the category since 2018.

Radical Cup Australia Series Category Manager Charise Bristow hopes to build momentum after a record-setting 2024 where over 20 cars were averaged at each event.

“It made a lot of sense for us to work with SRO and secure a place on their events for 2025,” Bristow said.

“It’s going to be a great product with really high-quality categories, great events and broadcast so it’s another step in us continuing to grow one-make Radical competition in Australia further

“Bringing GT and Sports Car racing together on the same program will be really appealing to fans coming to the track and watching on TV – it will be great to be part of that.

“There are a lot of crossovers between Radical Cup Australia and GT racing in Australia, with teams and drivers often doing double duties, so there’s some economies of scale for them as a bonus.

“After such a strong year we are in the right place to continue

our growth into a great 2025 season.”

SRO Motorsports Australia CEO Ben McMellan welcomed the one-make series.

“We are delighted to have the Radical Cup Australia locked in for all five Australian rounds of SRO Motorsports Australia’s new platform next year,” said McMellan.

“With a number of our regular drivers having also raced in Radicals, including the likes of Alex Gardner and Elliot Schutte, the category has proved a solid breeding ground for driver talent and can act as a stepping stone into the top level of GT racing, which makes it a fantastic support category.

“Having a category like Radicals that attracts big numbers at every event and offers competitive, entertaining racing is a brilliant result for the overall series and we are excited for what next season will bring.” Thomas Miles

2025 RADICAL CUP AUSTRALIA SERIES CALENDAR

ROUND

A PROUD MOMENT FOR ALL AT McLAREN

IT WAS really pleasing to be able to clinch this year’s Constructors’ Championship and the first team honours for McLaren since 1998 at the weekend.

Ferrari and Red Bull pushed us close but it meant a lot to be able to secure the title after a 26-year wait. It’s been a long time since McLaren had both cars fighting at the front and it’s nice to round off another successful season with a trophy.

This year has been a positive step forward in my development too. It was great to record my first grand prix wins in Formula 1 and I’ve been happy with the consistency of podiums throughout the season.

The obvious highlights were Budapest and Baku, but my drives in Monaco, Monza and Spa come close behind. The middle part of the season

FORMULA 1 WORLD

was really strong for me and those results give me a lot of confidence.

I feel my driving is in a good place. After two seasons in F1, there is plenty more to come and I’m really excited for the future.

I want to express a huge thanks to all the team. They have worked incredibly hard throughout a very long season and all the achievements from this year are collective successes. Us drivers get the glory, but it is the result of a lot of hard graft from the travelling staff to everyone back at base

in Woking.

The car was a pleasure to drive and I will certainly look back fondly on the MCL38. The team did a great job with it and it was great fun to compete in it.

I also couldn’t be more thankful for all the support I’ve received from McLaren fans. There has been a lot of papaya in the stands everywhere that we travel to, and a lot of people take a lot of time to write some really supportive and encouraging messages. All that effort is very much appreciated and makes a real difference.

In particular, I know a lot of people back in Australia wake up at some pretty unsociable hours to cheer me on, no matter what – it’s a super special feeling to hear of that dedication and passion.

It won’t be long before we are building up to the seasonopener in Melbourne in 2025, which I can’t wait for, and I’m sure that my home city is going to put on another great event, as it always does.

I’m more than a little biased but it’s my favourite GP of the year and the one I always look out for on the calendar so I’m excited that I don’t have long to wait for it.

In the meantime, it’s time for a bit of a rest and some downtime away from motorsport.

I don’t have too much planned other than catching up with friends and family but I’m looking forward to recharging

the batteries and taking in some of the Australian summer.

I can’t imagine that it’ll be too long before the motorsport itch is back but I’ll be keeping an eye on the Australia vs India cricket series and the tennis when it reaches Melbourne in January.

There are another 24 races next year so I hope all of you are able to catch a breather in December and January and enjoy a wonderful festive period before it all gets back under way early in 2025. Take care.

OSCAR IS PROUDLY SUPPORTED BY

Oscar Piastri’s

Despite Oscar’s Turn 1 fracas with Max Verstappen, there was a very happy bunch of Papaya People post-race in Abu Dhabi. Champions! Image: MOTORSPORT IMAGES

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Email: editor@autoaction.com.au

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

SCOTT ANDREWS A GREAT STORY

I REALLY enjoyed your big article on Scott Andrews (GRABBING A BULL BY THE HORNS, AA #1900).

It’s nice to read about an Australian doing well overseas when they don’t get the exposure that guys like Oscar Piastri do through being in Formula 1.

It also shows that Australian race drivers with talent can carve out careers elsewhere and that Supercars aren’t the be-all and end-all.

Hope to see more on some of the lesser-known Aussies abroad in AA in future.

Tony Smeaton Brisbane, Queensland

BIG THANKS TO FROSTY, KING OF THE KIDS

CONGRATULATIONS TO Mark Winterbottom on his wonderful career in Supercars.

He won lots of races, a championship and Bathurst and has always represented himself and the sport so well.

In particular, he treats children wanting an autograph very well and makes them feel 10 metres tall.

Thank you for everything, Mark. You’re called ‘Frosty’ but you have a very warm heart. We will be cheering for you

in the long-distance races next year and it will be nice to see you back with Ford and Tickford.

Sally Webb, Katoomba, NSW

VICTORIA SHOULD BE RED-FACED OVER GP RED INK

HEARD THAT the Grand Prix in Melbourne lost another $100 million this year.

How can this be?

They claimed record crowds. When the race was here in Adelaide there weren’t any reports of it losing heaps of money like this.

Where does all the money go?

What has Victoria done to end up with this situation?

Can’t they negotiate a decent deal for themselves?

They were very cocky when they stole the race from Adelaide, but they’ve obviously made a complete mess of it in a financial sense.

How embarrassing. We’re having the last laugh in SA. Graeme Hunter, Norwood, South Australia

Publisher’s note: Yes, Graeme, latest Australian Grand Prix Corporation annual report shows the Victorian government had to tip in $102,313 million this year after $100,649 million last year, and there’s not a lot of evidence of where it went.

WEBSTER’S WARBLE

AA’s most indomitable correspondent reckons that, if it’s good enough to have a new American team on the Grand Prix grid, it’s time to resurrect a great Australian name on motorsport’s biggest world stage too.

LET’S GET BRABHAM BACK INTO FORMULA 1

THE RECENT announcement that there will be a new American Formula One team, Cadillac, will add spice to the 2026 world championship.

It would also be great to see an Australian F1 team – and with strong support from Corporate Australia and from the Brabham Group.

Yes, let’s revive Brabham F1.

The Brabham brand is an Australian motor racing name synonymous on the international motorsport stage. That could be very attractive for corporate sponsorship, with Australian and international companies wanting to sponsor an F1 team and promote their businesses on a world scale.

Having the Brabham name on a new Australian F1 team could help make it a lot more attractive for an international car manufacturer to supply engines to the team.

PEREZ SIMPLY HAS TO BE GIVEN THE RED BULLET

NO, NO, no, no.

I’ve just read on motorsport. com that Sergio Perez reckons he will be driving for Red Bull again next year.

That he’s got a contract for 2025 and that he’s sticking to it.

I’ve written to you before and I’ll keep saying it, until Perez is gone from F1. He is no good.

Certainly not good enough for a seat in a team like Red Bull.

They should have ditched him mid-year.

Daniel Ricciardo would have done a much better job and Red Bull could have retained the Constructors’ championship.

Instead, it’s McLaren and Ferrari fighting it out.

A guy wouldn’t stay on an NRL roster if all he brought to the team was money. Or a basketball or soccer team, or AFL or cricket. So how does it happen in F1?

Surely it’s the team’s call, not Perez’s? Hasn’t Red Bull got the balls to flick him?

I might not even watch the Oz GP on TV next year if this bloke is still in that seat.

No chance of getting tickets to go anyway. Another joke. Patrick Johnstone, Chelmer, Queensland

Publisher’s note: Rumours suggest change this week, Pat ...

Like most of the F1 teams, a new Brabham team would have to be based in England, but it could still be Australian-owned and have a lot of Australians working for it.

When the late Sir Jack Brabham raced F1 cars bearing his name it was a great look for Australia on the international scene and provided Australians with opportunities to work in F1.

If the Brabham name could be brought back to the sport with the support of the Brabham Group and strong support from Corporate Australia it would be great for Australia and Australians again.

If Brabham Automotive can be revived and produce Brabham Supercars in Australia again, and a Brabham team be resurrected and race again on the world’s circuits in F1, it would further polish the Brabham brand name and make sponsorship more attractive for corporations.

Malcolm Webster Boronia, Victoria

Publisher’s note: Malcolm, AA would like nothing more than to see Brabhams back in F1, but we fear the Christmas spirit may have taken hold of you on this one. Just for starters, there’s the fee to get into the F1 ‘club,’ reported to be somewhere between US$200 million and US$600 million now, and Australian companies don’t have a history of committing massive amounts to F1 sponsorships and marketing. Anyway, thanks for your always thought-provoking contributions and compliments of the season to you.

Scott Andrews’ story hit the mark with reader Tony Smeaton.

THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE FUGLY ...

THE ABU DHABI Grand Prix brings motorsport for 2024 to its conclusion and, by and large, there can be few complaints about the spectacle of F1 this year – especially once the pack caught up with Red Bull – and the races became genuine contests again.

Whether that was due to three teams, McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes, taking a step forward or Red Bull ‘dropping the ball’ for whatever reason – Newey’s departure perhaps or ‘rule clarification’ – is interesting but the effect was quite spectacular. It bodes well for a competitive 2025 before the whole tech set-up gets thrown out and we start again with wildly different rules and cars and, likely, one dominant team again in 2026.

The new world champion’s year finished, as it had been for most of the second half, controversially – this time taking out Australia’s young star at the first corner. As is usual, his first reaction was to blame everyone else, firstly Oscar, then calling the stewards “stupid idiots” before calming down and apologising to Oscar Piastri after the race. Verstappen’s approach reminds me of Martin Brundle’s assessment of Ayrton Senna’s style after their heated contests back then, in F3 and beyond. Brundle reckoned the Brazilian’s approach was to dive down the inside and leave the decision as to whether you were both going to crash to you – ie give way and we both survive.

with Chris Lambden CL ON CALL

There’s a similarity there.

To date, Verstappen’s opposition has mostly chosen to take the ‘survival’ route – Norris, for example, allowing himself to be driven off the track a couple of times – but I sense that things are changing.

There’s no way Oscar could have seen the late lunge coming on Sunday until it was too late. Verstappen was nowhere near alongside, simply failed to make the corner, and hit the McLaren. It was a lazy, careless, almost amateur move, which he now has a couple of months to reflect on. He even apologised.

Having earned two more, the world champion now has eight penalty points (12 and you’re suspended for a race) which remain ‘alive’ until mid-2025, so he really can’t afford, in a fresh new title chase, more of the same.

His key opposition are tiring of the Max ‘way’ – the verbal stoush last week between he and George Russell highlighting that – so I’m looking forward to next year already …

Oscar’s self-control continues to impress. Having rotated through 360 degrees courtesy of Verstappen his calm “great champion’s move” quip

sums him up. Imagine if it had been Yuki Tsunoda being turned around –the decibel meter would have broken

…

It’s that mental capacity that, I think, will allow Oscar to step up and go for it next year. The contest between himself and team-mate Norris – with them both being allowed to race it out early on – could be pivotal if the McLaren stays at or near the top of the performance tree. Throw in the presence of Jack Doohan, after a steady opener, and hopefully Liam Lawson at Red Bull (Perez’s departure is now just about money, apparently) and there’s plenty for Australasian F1 fans to look forward to on-track.

OFF-TRACK, there’s work to do. The imposition of petty penalties, some of them with massive effect on the recipient and the race, is getting out of control and ruining the F1 show. That two ‘track limits’ transgressions (of three) given out during F1 qualifying, judged from a video screen, should then be reversed under team protest is farcical.

I hate the words ‘track limits.’ Given the millions and billions

of dollars floating around in F1, it should be a matter of simple planning to compel the use of (temporary if necessary) gravel ‘strips’ of the kind that transformed Austria, to make the whole track limits thing self-policing. The more that is decided by the combatants themselves, on-track, the better … There’s other regulatory stuff that frustrates. Nico Hulkenberg’s three grid-spot penalty (having earned a stunning grid four) for overtaking a couple of deliberately dawdling cars in the pit exit tunnel … Really? Yes, there’s a new line in the Stewards notes … so what. A fine maybe? … How about a minimum speed for pit lane? Might fix the problem? Have a look back at some F1 footage from 10-15 years ago. Stewards hardly get a mention. That’s the way it really ought to be – in F1 ...

ONE CHANGE unlikely to ever appear in F1 is the NASCAR-style season-ending ‘Finals’ process,

about to be trialled in Supercars. I’m guessing that Verstappen’s approach might (might!) have been different under that regime, but based on Sunday’s outcome, Lando Norris would have been 2024 world champion. Hmmm …

The system will, however, provide some focus as it is introduced here for the Supercars Championship and the reaction, when crunch time comes late in the year, will be fascinating.

As it was in NASCAR this year, it’s possible for someone to literally come from the clouds late in the year and scoop the pool –something that’s never been in the Australian racing psyche.

On the other hand, it will allow late starters, drivers in new teams and so on, to get it together and have something to chase at the key part of the season.

One way or the other, both Supercars and F1 are promising an interesting 2025. Bring it on …

How did someone not hit Max Verstappen’s spinning Red Bull at Turn 1 (with Oscar Piastri well off the road)? Another ‘incident’ involving the 2024 world champion saw stewards apportion clear blame.

Images: MOTORSPORT IMAGES

‘Track limits’ can be a self-policing non-issue if circuits use the gravel strip – as experienced by Oscar in Austria. It works ...

VERSTAPPEN DOUBLES DOWN ON RUSSELL “LYING”…

THE FEUD between Max Verstappen and George Russell escalated very quickly after the two had a serious disagreement at the end of Q3 in Qatar and then offered completely different versions of the events when meeting the Stewards.

A brief chat in the Drivers’ Parade didn’t

do anything to clear the air between the two drivers. Things continued to escalate after the Qatar Grand Prix when Verstappen called Russell “a liar” and a few days later, now in Abu Dhabi, the affair became quite personal between the two.

After offering a lengthy explanation as to

why he did slow down on his prep lap at the end of Q3 in Qatar and was surprised to see Russell suddenly fly past and then accuse him of blocking, Verstappen insisted that what really infuriated him was the British driver’s stance in the meeting with the Stewards.

Verstappen insisted that “when I got called to the stewards, it was a big surprise to me, because I didn’t really impede anyone. I think on a slow lap we all drive on our normal lines, because we’re all trying not to pick up dirt anyway. I felt straight away, when I was in there, it was not going to go anywhere. It was very weird.”

Then, turning his attention to the way Russell acted inside the meeting, the World Champion added that “I just never expected someone to really try and actively get someone a penalty that badly, and lying about why I was doing what I was doing … but clearly it had an influence to them. It was just really not nice and actually very shocking what was going on there.”

The Dutchman admitted he was even more surprised because the two drivers had enjoyed, until last weekend, a friendly relationship, explaining that “we all have a lot of respect for each other; we even play sports together, we travel together – and, of course, you have moments where you get together, you crash or whatever, you’re not happy.” He then concluded saying that, “in my whole career, I’ve never experienced what I have experienced in the stewards room in Qatar and, for me, that was really unacceptable. I meant everything I said and it’s still the same.

If I had to do it again, maybe I would have said even more knowing the outcome of the race results. I still can’t believe that someone can be like that in the stewards room. For me, that was so unacceptable because we’re all racing drivers.”

… AND IS ACCUSED OF “GOING TOO FAR!”

IT WAS inevitable George Russell was going to be confronted with Verstappen’s accusations and would respond, but the way the Mercedes driver went about it was quite hard.

With Toto Wolff by his side, the British driver started off gently, saying, “I find it all quite ironic, considering Saturday night, he

said he’s going to purposely go out of his way to crash into me and, quote, ‘put me on my fucking head in the wall’... so, to question somebody’s integrity as a person, while saying comments like that the day before, I find very ironic, and I’m not going to sit here and accept it.”

Russell then explained that, from his point of view, “people have been bullied by Max for years now. You can’t question his driving abilities but he cannot deal with adversity whenever anything has gone against him: Jeddah ’21, Brazil ’21 – he lashes out.

“Budapest this year, the very first race the car wasn’t dominant, crashing into Lewis, slamming his team…”

Then, returning to their personal feud, Russell made it clear that, “for me, those comments on Saturday night and Sunday were totally disrespectful and unnecessary, because what happens on track … we fight hard, it’s part of racing.

“What happens in the stewards room? You fight hard, but it’s never personal. But he’s taking it too far now.”

Russell then made it clear he won’t be seeking to clear the waters with Verstappen, explaining that “I am not interested in talking to him about it, because I don’t have an interest in making amends. I think it’s his problem to deal with, and I’m not going to lose any sleep over  it.”

Then, making a comparison that will surely upset Verstappen, Russell stated that “Lewis is a World Champion who I aspire to be like, and I think he is the gold standard of a role model that younger kids should be looking up to. And the way Lewis dealt with that championship fight in 2021 – he was hard, he was aggressive, he was always respectful, and he never went beyond the line. You can go beyond the line in making a slight misjudgment, but going out of your way to say you will

purposefully crash into somebody and put them on their head, is beyond the line.”

Explaining why only now he decided to speak his mind, Russell continued, “I’ve known Max for a long time and I know his attitude and I think people within the paddock know his attitude, but it’s not my position to throw him under the bus. I almost joked with him on the driver’s parade about this with Carlos and Checo. I came around, put my arm around him, and laughed like, ‘how you doing today?’ And I said to Carlos, jokingly, ‘listen to what this guy said to me yesterday,’ but I could see it in his eyes that he meant it!”´

He then added that “he did the same on Sunday and there’s nothing wrong with that. Lando kept it flat through the yellow flag and he raises it on the radio. It’s not personal. That’s just part of racing. And if you see a competitor not following the rules, you’re going to raise it.”

Explaining his own accusations, Russell assured that he only spoke out “because he’s come out in the media. I feel he has disrespected me as a driver. I’ve known him for 12 years. We’ve had respect with one another beforehand. We’ve never had any collisions.

“In the junior categories, Max was a year older than me, so we only crossed paths once, 2011, but we never really had any sort of coming-together.

“But we’ve got a guy who’s on the top of this sport, who feels he’s above the law, and I don’t think that’s right. I admire his on track battles, and when he is hard and aggressive – but what we saw in the end of the season in 2021 or what we saw in Mexico with Lando, they weren’t hard, aggressive manoeuvres. They were do-or-die ‘I’m willing to take this guy out’ moves, which I don’t think is the way we should go racing.”

Verstappen – not happy with Russell ... Images: MOTORSPORT IMAGES

Russell – even less happy with Verstappen ...

2025 CAN’T START SOON ENOUGH!

THE 2024 Formula 1 World Championship has just finished, with the best driver and the best team winning their titles, but such is the competitive nature of this sport that everyone’s attention is already focused on next season!

Yes, drivers, engineer, mechanics, everyone involved in Grand Prix will be looking forward to getting some time off – from the nearly two weeks the factory-based personnel will get from December 20 to the more than one month the majority of the drivers will be able to take off – but we’ll all be also wondering what next year will bring.

This is relatively normal at the end of any season, but not so much when there’s a dominant team and a dominant driver.

In the Schumacher, Vettel and Hamilton eras, everyone left the last race relieved the season had finished and dreading a repetition of their domination the year after, and the same happened at the end of 2022 and 2023, such was Red Bull’s and Verstappen’s superiority.

Now, though, we’ve finished

INSIDER

a season where, for the last 18 races, four different teams were able to win on merit, seven drivers won at least two Grands Prix each and we’ve had midfield teams, like Haas and, more recently, Alpine, mixing it with the big boys. Given the technical regulations remain stable for next year and that the team’s declared priority is to put all their efforts into the brandnew 2026 cars and Power Units, we’re unlikely to see cars changing concept much from Abu Dhabi/2025 to Melbourne/2026 – and this means the unpredictability that has marked the second half of this season will remain at the start of next year – and we can only look forward to that!

Verstappen is the rightful World Champion but his Red Bull RB20 was shown to have a lot more limitations than its

predecessors, so the team needs to find a way to make next year’s car more of an allrounder. Whether the second driver remains Pérez or will become Lawson, the team will have a weaker line-up than McLaren or Ferrari – and that can be costly, as we’ve seen this year.

Then there’s the big question mark over how Lewis Hamilton will integrate into Ferrari; how will he adapt to a completely new environment after 12 seasons with Mercedes, moving to what will be, astonishingly, only his third team in 19 Formula 1 seasons. And how will his replacement, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, take to Formula 1 at the tender age of 18? Will he be as impressive as Hamilton himself was at the start of 2007? Or will we see more signs of immaturity as the one

displayed on his first official Formula 1 session, crashing out within five minutes of starting his first run at Monza?

In the middle of all this, McLaren is the only top team that will head into 2025 with the same driver line-up that competed in Abu Dhabi and going into their third season together, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have already found a good balance that makes them a formidable force. With the technical department firing on all cylinders – the MCL38 was the only top car that didn’t have a single botched upgrade this year –and under the clear, direct but serene leadership of Andrea Stella, McLaren has the best

baseline to start 2025 from, in terms of the chassis concept, drivers’ stability and even momentum.

But, as we saw this year, Formula 1 has become more unpredictable than ever and there are no guarantees for anyone, at any track or at any particular part of a Grand Prix weekend.

Yes, McLaren looks to head into 2025 with a theoretical advantage, but as former Grand Prix winner David Coulthard likes to say, “on paper they look the favorites, but we don’t race on paper, we race on tarmac…”

Looking forward to 2025 ... and thanks 2024 for the great memories.

with Luis Vasconcelos F1

Class photo: This was the line-up which kicked off F1 this year. There have been changes throughout the year– and there’s some big ones coming when the teams assemble to get 2025 under way ... Below: All change – Lewis is departing and grabbing Carlos’ red Ferrari suit, while George is taking over, at Merc and, well, Carlos is going to Williams ... It’s going to be interesting ...

Images: MOTORSPORT IMAGES

PÉREZ’S DEMANDS COMPLICATE RED BULL EXIT

SÉRGIO PÉREZ looks set to leave Red Bull racing at the end of this season, the Mexican’s poor performances costing his team any chance of fighting for the Constructors’ title.

Since the Miami Grand Prix – with the exception of Azerbaijan, where a late clash with Sainz robbed him of a podium finish –Pérez has never been a factor in the battle at the front of the field, leaving Max Verstappen to fight alone against two McLarens, two Ferraris and two Mercedes.

It’s been pretty clear in the last couple of months that neither Christian Horner or Helmut Marko have any faith the situation could improve for next year and that’s why Liam Lawson, Yuki Tsunoda, Alex Albon and Franco Colapinto have all been considered as possible alternatives for the Mexican.

The Kiwi, however, seems to be the team’s favored choice, as Tsunoda is still seen as a Honda driver with no future within the Austrian company and both Williamscontracted drivers would cost too much to

be bought out of their contracts.

Pérez himself is aware that he’s lost the trust of the team and seems able to accept his Formula 1 career is coming to an abrupt end but having signed a new two-years deal earlier this season, is believed to be demanding in excess of A$18million to vacate his seat and leave it open for another driver.

In fact, the financial compensation seems to be the main sticking factor in the negotiations between the two parties, after

the Mexican turned down an offer to remain part of the Red Bull family but only as a reserve driver.

In the meantime, perhaps to help his compo case, he tells anyone who asks that he has a contract for 2025 and will race …

Last week, Horne said that “Checo has had a very tough year,” pointing out that,“the points are what they are.”

The English manager then vowed to “be very much focused on supporting him to the chequered flag in Abu Dhabi,” admitting that “it’s not an enjoyable situation for Checo, being in this position with speculation every week.”

Then, Horner stated that “he’s old enough and wise enough to know what the situation is, and let’s see where we are after Abu Dhabi.” Horner was clearly shocked with his driver’s decision to let Colapinto through at the start of the Sprint Race, explaining that, “we sent him to the end of the pit lane seven minutes ahead of Colapinto for a reason ...”

Asked if the decision was entirely on Pérez’s hands, Horner sidestepped the issue, saying that, “I’m going to let Checo come to his own conclusions – nobody’s forcing him one way or another, but it’s not a nice situation for him to be in.”

As the final race of the season assembled, the Mexican insisted that, “nothing has changed since before in terms of what I’ve said for the entire year. I’ve got a contract for next year and I will be driving for Red Bull next year. Nothing further to add.”

Things may have even taken another step as AA goes to press …

ROTATION PLAN LEADS TO DUTCH GP AXE

THE ANNOUNCEMENT that he 2026 Dutch Grand Prix will last one held in Zandvoort is another sign that the time when private companies and circuits could afford to sign contracts with Formula 1 is a thing of the past. These days, Stefano Domenicali and Liberty Media insist on dealing with governments or regional authorities only, as their financial demands have become too high for private investors … so it’s no wonder the promoters of the Dutch Grand Prix decided to jump ship after agreeing a one-year extension to keep their race in the calendar for 2026, ending their latest foray into the World Championship with a Sprint event weekend.

Director of the Dutch Grand Prix, Robert van Overdijk, reminded everyone, on his official statement, that “The Dutch Grand Prix is the result of a unique collaboration between SportVibes, TIG Sports, and Circuit Zandvoort.” He then clearly pointed out that “we are a privately owned and operated business, and we must balance the opportunities presented by continuing to host the event, against other risks and responsibilities,” before concluding that “we have decided to go out on a high with two more incredible Dutch Grands Prix, in 2025 and 2026.”

Zandvoort, as has been mentioned in recent months, is part of the list of circuits that Formula 1 intends to use every other year as Stefano Domenicali’s plan to start ‘rotating’ Grands Prix in Europe starts to take shape and should be in effect by 2027 at the latest.

Spa-Francorchamps, Barcelona and Imola are the only three circuits that are on that shortlist but with the Dutch preferring to jump ship, there’s a door open for either France or Germany to make a bid to return to the Formula 1 calendar, provided the promoters accept hosting their race once every two years.

The investment required to host a Grand Prix every year in Zandvoort is quite high, because the promoter doesn’t own the circuit. The track doesn’t have good enough permanent facilities to host a Grand Prix but, because the contract with Formula 1 was an annual one and kept getting extended, some provisional structures remained in place the whole year. However, if the race would only be held in alternate years, then Zandvoort would want to have those provisional structures removed after each Grand Prix and brought back two years later, increasing the costs for the promoters. A new tax on events that

is to be applied in the Netherlands from the start of 2025 has also made it more difficult for the event to be profitable and was also an important element that led to this decision. At the same time, the local authorities and the tourism industry is not thrilled to lose their now regular source of income, even every other year, and has started to look for alternative but regular big events that could bring in excess of 100.000 people to the area. That, combined with the increasing cost of the promoters’ fee, made the risks of signing another contract too high for the private promoters and that led them to decide it was time to stop hosting a Grand Prix.

This announcement is however tremendously good news for SpaFrancorchamps and the Belgian Grand Prix promoters, as their race will become the closest Max Verstappen will have to a home race and the grandstands in this historic circuit will surely be filled by tens of thousands of adoring Verstappen fans in the future.

As for Formula 1, it’s now time to find circuits and promoters in Europe that will be willing to be part of the future rotation system, with Hockenheim at the top of the list with both the Paul Ricard and the city of Nice vying for the return of the French Grand Prix.

“It’s like this ...” Christian Horner lets Helmut Marko explain the situation to Sergio ... Images: MOTORSPORT IMAGES

Retaining all the ‘temporary’ structures for two years between races is one of the problems ...

LOWDON CONFIRMED AS CADILLAC TEAM PRINCIPAL …

FORMER MARUSSIA Team Principal

Graeme Lowdon has been appointed to the same role with the team General Motors will put on track from the start of 2026.

The British manager’s name had been already linked with the team when Michael Andretti was still leading the project but, since GM took full control of the operation, things moved rather quickly. First came the announcement Formula 1 had finally accepted Cadillac’s entry already from 2026 and now the confirmation Lowdon will be the man leading their efforts on track. The man who also manages Zhou Guanyu’s career was obviously delighted by this announcement, saying that:

I’m truly honored to be appointed as the Team Principal of this exciting new team and I would like to thank everyone involved for placing their trust in me.”

Praising his new partners, Lowdon added that “this is a team with a real love for, and desire to go, racing, and we have the experience and expertise to do just that. Racing is at the very heart of everything that we do. This is what I want to see in a team, and I really want to be part of it.”

Nevertheless, having had a painful experience with Marussia, the British manager made it clear that “I don’t underestimate the task ahead and I have the utmost respect for the competition. I look forward to the challenge of racing. In the meantime, our work continues at pace.”

From his perspective, Don Towriss, the man who took over the operation following Andretti’s departure, recognised that “Graeme has been advising our team for the last two years as we have built up our operations; his experience on both the technical and managerial sides of Formula 1 and other motorsports ventures will

serve him well as he builds the Cadillac Formula 1 team.”

In fact, it had been pretty clear since the end of 2022 that Lowdon was advising Andretti and his partners, while also managing Zhou’s career, and Towriss explained that “Graeme has been a pleasure to work with over the past two years and we’re excited he will lead our journey to the 2026 Formula 1 grid as Team Principal. He has great racing expertise, he knows how to assemble a high-performing team and he embodies the values the Cadillac Formula 1 Team will represent in all its endeavors, on or off the track.”

Lowdon’s good links with Ferrari, (he’s part of Lewis Hamilton’s management as well), will help pave the way for the Scuderia to be the powertrain supplier for the American team from 2026, until GM’s own Power Unit is ready to go racing, something that will not happen before the start of 2028.

… AS ANDRETTI TARGETS FERRARI DEAL FOR 2026

FORMER FORMULA 1 World Champion

Mário Andretti has made it clear that the GMbacked Cadillac team is targeting an engine deal with Ferrari for its debut in Grand Prix racing as it will take a few years before the American manufacturer will be able to have its own Power Units race-ready,

The main surprise from the announcement was not that General Motors had taken full control of what had been Andretti Global’s Formula 1 entry bid, but that the senior Andretti had remained an important part of the project as a member of the Board of Directors.

That has led some observers to believe that the new team could still use the Andretti name until the Cadillac Power Unit is ready to be raced, as the need to buy engines from a different manufacturer would make it awkward for the American company to be directly associated with it.

The Andretti name may thus be kept until Cadillac can race its own engines – and it’s quite clear than an Andretti-Ferrari entry would be tremendously enticing for fans on both sides of the Atlantic.

The veteran American driver – born in Italy in 1940 but moving to the USA shortly after of World War II – has admitted that doing a deal with Ferrari is the team’s preference, cautioning that the deal “is not definite yet, but that’s the objective, that’s the preference.”

Given the way the regulations for Power Unit suppliers are written, both Ferrari and Honda would be forced to supply their engines to the new team if officially asked to do so. From the manufacturers that will be still involved in Formula 1 in 2026, after Renault retires, Mercedes has its quota of three teams filled, with McLaren and Williams joining the works team, but Ferrari will be down to supplying only Haas, on top of its own team, as Sauber

will become Audi and will use its own Power Units.

Being a new entrant, Audi is exempted from having to supply other teams, as is Red Bull, who’ll be running their own Power Units in its two teams. Honda, on the other hand, is not considered a new entrant, as the Japanese company is still supplying its Power Units to Red Bull and VCARB until the end of next year, which is why it wouldn’t be able to refuse a request from Andretti and GM if one was forthcoming.

While a deal with Ferrari always looked the most likely scenario, Mário Andretti’s words are confirmation of everyone’s expectation and the Italian manufacturer won’t have any issues supplying its Power Units to a team carrying the name of one of its most charismatic former Grand Prix and Sports Car drivers.

After all, Mário Andretti scored his first Grand Prix win with Ferrari, in the 1971 South African

Grand Prix – and 11 years later finished his Formula 1 career doing his last two Grands Prix with the Scuderia, as a super-sub for the injured Didier Pironi, scoring an amazing pole position in Monza on his return before finishing in third place the next day.

Graeme Lowdon – has been advising the Andretti organisation for some time.

Mario – old Ferrari contacts helping the new team ...

WHAT AND WHO MATTERED IN 2024

AS ANOTHER MOTORSPORT YEAR WINDS DOWN, THE AUTO ACTION CREW HAS DUG THROUGH THE MEMORY BANKS TO WORK OUT OUR ‘BEST OF’ LIST FOR 2024 ...

EVERY SEASON brings new faces and a series of changes that redefines our sport. From the people who intrigue us and the drivers that inspire to the events and moments that gave our scribes inspiration and many frustrations, some key members of our team have sat down to compile lists.

Our panel includes our man in F1, Luis Vasconcelos who we think is the best in the business. A no-nonsense newshound with a encyclopaedic knowledge of the sport.

His insight is as good as you will get anywhere.

Locally we have Bruce Williams, our fearless leader and never one to shy away from a hard conversation, but also the first to jump up and support and promote young talent as he casts his eyes over every part of motorsport in a way no-one else does in this country. It is why team owners in all classes seek his counsel.

Columnist Chris Lambden has been there and done most of it in Australian motorsport – in competiton, the media,

and category development sides of the fence. He has a keen set of contacts and plenty of time to reflect on matters of the moment.

Then there is Thomas Miles, our writing machine with a finger on every pulse of motorsport with a particular focus on junior categories and the talent emerging. Finally there is Andrew Clarke, our man in Supercars and more than three decades into his career. He is cynical and a little more subtle than Williams, but equally as sharp with a growing focus on the States.

The brief was simple – tell us about the Most Interesting people in world and Australian motorsport, the people who make the sport tick and grow.

Then there are the Best Drivers of the year and the Rookies we expect to keep on growing.

Motorsport thrives on the racing, so what are the Best Races they saw during the year, and then round it all out with the Most Significant Moments of the year. We’ll have missed heaps, so jump on our socials and make this a discussion

MOST INTERESTING PEOPLE: WHO STOOD OUT IN THE INDUSTRY THIS YEAR?

LUIS VASCONCELAS (F1)

Andrea Stella is a breath of fresh air in Formula 1. A calm, methodical and logic-driven Italian, he’s transformed McLaren, as well as become a paddock favourite with his lengthy and complete explanations. Has turned the team around in 20 months and has clearly more to show in the future.

Fred Vasseur has proved all his critics wrong and demonstrated Ferrari can operate at a very high level without mistakes once emotions are taken away from the decisionmaking processes. Promoted the right people and let go those who succumbed to pressure and has been able to maintain harmony between Leclerc and Sainz, leading by example and working tirelessly but away from the headlines.

BRUCE WILLIAMS

LOCALLY: Tim Edwards is an interesting person. I have to admit I like him, and he has stepped into his new role at Supercars with method and calmness. Of course, there isn’t much he doesn’t know about the Supercars world, so it was a great appointment by Barclay Nettlefold (mentioned elsewhere).

What’s interesting is that Tim is hardly to be seen or heard of and, along with his Supercars Motorsport department team, they just seem to be getting on with things, while in the

Interesting ... Andrea Stella had to juggle two competitive drivers as, briefly, the Drivers’ Championship seemed a possible. Image: MOTORSPORT IMAGES.

Interesting ... Tim Edwards –several challenges in his new Supercars role ... I mage: PETER NORTON

background making some seismic changes to the sport. The technical changes have been carefully thought-out and, apart from a few outliers, it seems that parity as a debate is over. He has seen the welcoming of Toyota to Supercars and has been a big part of the planning for the shake-up of the series with the announcement of the ‘Supercar Finals’ starting in 2025.

FORMULA 1: Andrea Stella is a person that intrigues and impresses me the most. He is incredibly calm and considered in what he says to

the media and the way he talks warmly about his people – including the drivers. From what I can see he is a very decent person.

To his credit, Zac Brown made the choice at the end of 2022 to appoint Stella to the role of team principal at McLaren and along with Brown they have completely reorganised the structure of the team and the way it operates.

The pair made the organisation a very inclusive place to be, and this has paid huge dividends, and from the middle of the 2024 sees McLaren assume the role as the team to beat at most Grands Prix.

Ferrari’s Fred Vasseur is also a great motorsport character, and it seems that he has made some tough calls and is slowly turning F1’s most famous team around. Like Stella, he is interesting, with lots of humour at times, but a serious side when he has to be.

CHRIS LAMBDEN

LOCALLY: Supercars General Manager Motorsport Tim Edwards inherited a (surprising) number of Gen-3 technical challenges and has set about fixing them in a methodical way. Todd Hazelwood: Shows that, after years in ‘B’ teams, there can be some light at the end of the tunnel, even if it’s not as a lead driver – Bathurst winner, Trans Am champion …

FORMULA 1: Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur, a real character – but will swapping Hamilton in for Sainz prove to be a good thing or not, other than for Ferrari’s share price?

ANDREW CLARKE

THE MOST interesting person I spoke with all year for a one-on-one interview was Andrea Stella, the Italian who has played a large role in bringing McLaren from the back of the field to the F1 Constructors’ Championship. He is measured in every

response but has a fascinating approach to the sport and a calmness in the way he talks (very much like Andrew Edwards at Triple Eight who is also worthy of mention here).

On home soil, it is Barclay Nettlefold, who we could call a rookie series owner. ‘Barcs’ stepped in from a world of other sports and outdoor signs and, in a couple of seasons has progressively replaced who and what he needed to replace, opened up his ears and given his team the faith to go and do what it needs to do.

There is an entrepreneurial heart beating inside Supercars again, and while it still has some rebuilding to do, it is finally headed in a new and positive direction.

My final interesting person is Justin Marks from Trackhouse Racing. Marks does NASCAR differently to everyone else; it was his Project91 car that ripped Shane van Gisbergen from our shores and then he built a pathway for him to get into the NASCAR Cup Series next year. Then he bought a MotoGP team, and started to learn about racing on two wheels.

What stands him out is the way he looks at racing, and he’s the kind of team owner that encourages changes. He was a big supporter of the Chicago Street Race and when others asked why, he was telling them. For him, it is not about history, it is about the future.

THOMAS MILES

Chaz Mostert’s personality always shines through. Despite another ‘not-quite’ title challenge, he still joked with Mark and Neil in each TV interview, smiled with fans and saluted the media at Adelaide.

Brad Jones opened the sport up with his popular video series, while Tickford drivers Cameron Waters and Thomas Randle should be applauded for having fun with their viral social media videos, while it has been a delight to see Shane van Gisbergen fully embrace America.

BEST DRIVERS: THE DRIVERS WHO IMPRESSED YOU THE MOST WITH THEIR SKILLS AND PERFORMANCES?

LUIS VASCONCELAS (F1)

Max Verstappen – self-explanatory, really, winning the championship with the second (sometimes third)-quickest car and excelling when conditions were more challenging. Did all this while in a battle with his own Team Principal, showing how mentally tough he is.

BRUCE WILLIAMS

LOCALLY: It’s pretty easy to pic a Supercar driver, they are the ones in the spotlight. Will Brown was impressive as was his T8 teammate Brock Feeney. But there have been other great drivers across many other categories including Speedway which sees young stars like Jock Goodyer, Lockie McHugh and others entertain fans around the nation. I have said it before, Speedway is the sleeping giant of the sport.

FORMULA 1: It’s hard to ignore the talent of the man who wears the wooden shoes … Max Verstappen took his fourth world title and joins an elite list of F1 drivers that have claimed four titles. And to his credit he did it in a Red Bull car that has lost its total dominance over the field. Of course, it would be unreasonable not to give our own columnist Oscar Piastri a huge round of applause – at the time of this being written, with a round to go, Oscar had taken two Grand Prix wins, multiple podiums and had finished fourth in the championship fight, a fantastic achievement.

CHRIS LAMBDEN

LOCALLY: Apart from the obvious (the two top drivers in the top team), Chaz Mostert (overcame several ‘in-race’ issues to get results); Thomas Randle (matched his more experienced team leader on many occasions); James Golding (flew the flag up front on several occasions for a new team still finding its way); and Matt Payne (Piastristyle calmness – confirmed the talent that won Adelaide 12 months ago – another year and he’ll be a regular winner). But on top, the Kostecki/Hazelwood combo – delivered on THE big day, when it mattered.

race a week after he was born, then started racing Outlaw karts at the age of seven, before growing into Sprintcars and then the rest of the US-based motorsport world.

This year he won more NASCAR Cup Series races than any other driver, raced at the Indy 500 and a heap of speedway events, and will soon race in Perth which is almost enough to get me on a plane to spend NYE in the west.

Staying in the States, it is hard to go past Spaniard Alex Palou who has just gone backto-back with IndyCar titles, giving him three titles in the world’s most competitive top level openwheeler series. Three wins in a 17-race season doesn’t sound like dominance, but there were only six races across the season he didn’t get a point for leading a lap and he only finished out of the top five four times.

And then there was Max Verstappen. To me, he is still a flawed race driver when the pressure is on, but no-one is faster. And when the chips were down, he was able to pull out something special (Brazil) to crush the threat. Four titles in a row in the best car is okay, but look at the way he crushed his teammate.

Eight, being the most prolific podium finisher in 40 years.

In F1, nothing could match the pressure of 2021, but 2024 was equally as impressive from Verstappen as overcame significant internal and external obstacles and still won the title with ease.

Todd Hazelwood pushed himself from the crossroads to pole position by winning Bathurst with Kostecki and Trans Am.

There is a good reason why Chaz Mostert swept the Supercars Gala Awards as best of the rest behind Triple Eight.

FORMULA 1: Can’t argue with Verstappen statistically. Of the rest? Obviously, Oscar Piastri’s potential has people talking –everyone now knows that the calmness belies a tough racer in only his second year … From the opposite perspective, you can’t go on for ever, and while it’s obviously desperately hard to (voluntarily) quit the life-style/excitement ‘bubble’ that is F1, there’s a handful of longerterm pilots who need to step back in favour of the influx of well-rounded rookies …

ANDREW CLARKE

Pound-for-pound and with diversity in mind, my best racer for the year was Kyle Larson

The 32-year-old from California can race anything with four wheels and be competitive. The story goes that he attended his first car

On home soil, for me, it was Chaz Mostert and Cam Waters with Will Brown doing what he had to do with the best team Australian motorsport has even seen.

THOMAS MILES

Will Brown and Max Verstappen are champions for a

Australian superstar Oscar Piastri continued to mature before our eyes. In America it was great to see Will Power back to his best after his first winless IndyCar season and Scott McLaughlin appears on the verge of being a title contender himself.

The resurgence of the careers of journeymen Nick Percat and superstar Marc Marquez also stood out.

F1 Best – has to include Max ... Image: MOTORSPORT IMAGES

Speedway produces some aces – Jock Goodyer is one of them ... Image: NETWORK R

Right: A collection of talented stars from NASCAR, Supercar, and more NASCAR/Xfinity captured our attention (left to right) – Larson, Brown, van Gisbergen. Images: MOTORSPORT IMAGES, MARK HORSBURGH

BEST ROOKIES: LET’S SHINE A LIGHT ON THE NEWCOMERS WHO MADE WAVES

LUIS VASCONCELAS (F1)

Gabriele Bortoleto (F2) looks set to join Charles Leclerc, George Russell and Oscar Piastri by winning the F3 and F2 championships in consecutive years, so he’s clearly in very good company. Fought back after a difficult start to his campaign, with a good number of superb weekends and very few mistakes.

BRUCE WILLIAMS

LOCALLY: In Supercars we had a couple of full-time rookies start the season. Jaxon Evans in the SCT Logistics/BJR run Camaro and Ryan Wood in the WAU Mustang.

Evans has heaps of local and international experience in. Porsches and other categories where he has been competitive and won Championships in most … Spool axles don’t help your cause if you haven’t grown up with them.

Ryan Wood came straight out of Toyota 86s in New Zealand and then did a year in WAU’s Super2 program where he was a front runner. Out of the two Wood was a standout performer and looks the goods.

Cooper Murray showed what he has when he jumped into the T8 wildcard Camaro in Darwin, then at Bathurst he shone, before given the chance to step into the Erebus car

he will race next year. A standout kid who will shake up the series in 2025.

A special mention must go to Image Racing/Erebus junior driver Jarrod Hughes in Super2, from his first outing at the Bathurst

sprint he has never been far from the front of the field – even took a pole at Sandown.

Great kid and will go far with the right support around him.

FORMULA 1: Strangely the 2024 F1 season started with the same driver lineup as it was at the end of 2023, so we shouldn’t really be able to talk about F1 rookies. But during the season we saw Daniel Ricciardo terminated to be replaced by Liam Lawson, and Logan Sargent fired from Williams to be replaced by the young Argentinian Franco Colapinto Lawson looked good in his first few races and managed to score some points but struggled against a rising Yuki Tsunoda. Colapinto was a revelation as he stormed into Williams for the final eight races of the season and scored points in his first few races. It was all going well and then he had a series of massive shunts. These crashes may have soured his chances for 2025, but he has great speed and race craft so let’s hope he gets over the crashing and gets a seat.

The other stand out Rookie performer in F1 has been young British F2 driver Oliver Bearman. When Carlos Sainz got appendicitis at the Saudi GP. Bearman subbed and finished in an amazing seventh and scored points. This and a couple of other ‘subs’ were dress rehearsals for his seat alongside Esteban Ocon at Haas. He was impressive and one of the only drivers to score points in his first two F1 starts.

STANDOUT: Another gun rookie was without a doubt Shane van Gisbergen

Rookie seasons in both NASCAR Cup and the XFINITY Series were outstanding. If he didn’t win on the road courses, he was in the mix and fighting for the win and he is gaining more experience with every oval race he runs. He will be great to watch in 2025.

CHRIS LAMBDEN

LOCALLY: Cooper Murray. Startlingly quick in the Bathurst wildcard car; thrown in the deep end at short notice at Adelaide and qualified mid-field straight up – got involved in the melees that the midfield brings, but watch out next year. In time, Erebus may have another winner on its hands.

OVERSEAS: Lawson, Bearman, Colapinto … straight into the F1 action in all cases –though one of them has crashed a little too much and may have dulled his initial ‘sparkle.’

Honorable mention to Aussie Lochie Hughes, who took out the USF PRO2000 series and, thanks to the scholarship loot, will move up to Indy NXT.

ANDREW CLARKE

Yes, Ollie Bearman and Franco Colapinto were impressive, but others will talk about them so I’ll move on.

Three wins in his first Xfinity Series makes Shane van Gisbergen a great rookie. Yes, they were all on road courses, but with each oval you could see him improving, and he did enough for Trackhouse to hunt out an extra charter and slot him for a season with the

at Indy NXT next year. Five wins, four pole positions and 11 podiums from 18 races doesn’t quite tell the story, but the championship trajectory after a rough three-race second-round in Louisiana was staggering, coming from nowhere to win the title.

THOMAS MILES

At the start of 2024, not a single person would have thought Franco Colapinto would become hot property in F1, but he has taken his chance with both hands and ran with it emphatically.

Tech3 rising star Pedro Acosta showed why he has been described as the next big thing in MotoGP with his raw speed enough to take it to the best.

The Image Racing teammates Jobe Stewart and Jarrod Hughes quietly went about their business impressively in Super2. In Supercars, Ryan Wood comfortably won the rookie trophy, but Cooper Murray also showed significant potential in just three starts.

BEST RACES: WHAT RACES CAPTURED YOUR ATTENTION AND EXCITEMENT?

LUIS VASCONCELAS (F1)

British and Brazilian Grands Prix shone as, when there are changing conditions, the best drivers rise to the top. Interlagos turned into a demo run for Verstappen and overtaking without DRS proved challenging, but Max’s drive was the standout of the year. Silverstone provided us with a few changes of conditions, McLaren dropped the ball on strategy and Hamilton drove a tremendous race to win it on merit.

BRUCE WILLIAMS

LOCALLY: The 2024 Bathurst 1000 really was a great race. While it may have been

an uneventful race from the point of view of action and crashes etc it was a real battle of two heavy wight teams. Lap after lap the lead drivers, then the co-drivers, in the Erebus and Triple Eight Camaros traded lap times and were never really separated by more than a few seconds over the final stints. . Boring for some but a great nail-bitting race to the end.

Will Brown’s drive in the final Supercars race of 2024, Adelaide, reinforced why he is the worthy champion of 2024. Having wrapped up the title in Saturday’s race, he got turned around early and was almost last. He did he give up? Not for one second. He drove like he had nothing to lose and, in the end, took

a dominate win, perhaps pointing to the fact that just about anything could happen in next year’s Supercars ‘Grand Final’.

FORMULA 1: While Oscar Piastri had already taken his first win in Hungary a few weeks before, his battle for the win with Charles Leclerc for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix is my standout race. From the start he hunted Leclerc and in a move that no one saw coming he dived under the stunned Ferrari driver to take the lead. And for over an hour he defended from Leclerc like his life depended on it.

Special mention must go to Max Verstappen’s drive in the wet Brazilian race, from near rear of the grid he sailed past the whole field to take an incredibly satisfying win, guaranteeing his forth world title.

CHRIS LAMBDEN

LOCALLY: Gold Coast – full-on head-to-head fight for the Supercars lead … with no ‘artificial’ (ie officials/ kerb-strike/penalty) interventions. Bathurst – wasn’t the crashfest/Safety Car show that some like, but a tense, full-on, startto-finish showdown between two top teams.

Honourable mention: Trans Am – several full-on, go-for-it races … great category.

OVERSEAS: Azerbaijan (Oscar’s overtake and defence was superb …). Maybe Brazil –illustrating Verstappen’s brilliance, although the red flag stoppage/regs distorted the result

(rule change required – no tyre changes during red flag stoppages).

ANDREW CLARKE

The final race of the Adelaide 500 weekend wins this for me, with recency bias leaving it fresh in my memory, but it had all the bits of the great 500s of the past. There was action up and down the field, the constant threat of Turn 8, and a drive from the back of the field that proved Will Brown was a worthy champion. Watch the titles fall from here on ... Overall, though, Supercars racing didn’t give us too many crackers in 2024, and that remains the challenge for the sport – the cars need to be more raceable, and the judiciary needs to encourage the ‘rubbin’ is racing’ philosophy.

I got my racing fix by turning my attention to other parts of the world.

THOMAS MILES

IT MIGHT have been short, but it was so much fun. The final Supercars sprint at Albert Park had everything from controversy, crashes, leaders taking each other out, fightback drives and eventually an underdog winner in Percat fending off a charging Brown in a nail biter.

Taupo’s Supercars debut [Note to Sky Sports commentary team – it’s spoken as spelt ... ie Tau-po, not Tor-purr or Tor-poor, or whatever] could not have been much better with battling home hero Andre Heimgartner

Baku, Oscar – that is all! ... Opposite: Bathurst provided a cliff-hanger, with Brodie and Todd taking down Triple Eight. And the rain in Brazil provided a Verstappen classic. Images: MOTORSPORT IMAGES, PETER NORTON

surviving a wet and wild opener before the Triple Eight teammates tussled for the lead. The Adelaide finale was a stunning end to the season. Baku will go down in the annals as a Piastri highlight having outsmarted Ferrari’s main man Leclerc in an all-time battle and Verstappen’s drive in Sao Paulo was the stuff of legend.

Witnessing the Moto2 race at Phillip Island will always be memorable with local Senna Agius producing a stunning ride to a dream podium, while the fight for victory was not decided until the last corner. The drama of the NASCAR Martinsville Playoff races was full on to say the least ...

MOST SIGNIFICANT MOMENTS: WERE THERE PIVOTAL EVENTS THAT SHAPED THE YEAR?

LUIS VASCONCELAS (F1)

The GPDA stance against the FIA president may be the watershed moment the sport needs. Since 1982, we hadn’t seen all drivers united against the way the FIA runs the sport and being so vocal about it. As Ben Sulayem had already alienated all support from the teams and the commercial rights’ owner, the FIA president is now a completely isolated man in the F1 paddock.

GM getting the nod to join F1 in 2026 was a big win for Stefano Domenicali and Liberty Media over the FIA and will bring a sixth OEM into Grand Prix racing before the end of the decade. By dumping Michael Andretti and bypassing the FIA in its bid, GM did exactly what Formula 1 wanted and quickly got the Commercial Rights Holder’s approval, before submitting its entry to the Federation. Cadillac joining Ford, Audi, Mercedes, Honda and Ferrari is a big win for the sport but does expose Formula 1 to the uncertainties of the car industry, creating the potential for a mass and costly OEM exodus as Grand Prix racing saw in 2008 and 2009.

BRUCE WILLIAMS

LOCALLY: As far as Supercars is concerned it must be the announcement that Toyota would be joining Supercars with the Supra from the start of the 2026 Championship season. This is a seismic moment for the sport and will have huge implications for many reasons – not least that Toyota’s marketing spend will be massive which will highlight the sport, and this in turn

ball technically almost overnight (or was it a ‘rule clarification?) and suddenly McLaren Ferrari and even Mercedes found themselves racing Verstappen – Perez, of course, was further back down the road ...

Most recently, Qatar – a race ruined and defined by … a mirror! F1 has become massively over-regulated (not helped by a flood of departing/replacement of FIA officials either). But, under a VSC maybe, there was acres of time for an official to simply jump out and grab the offending reflector.

Drivers ‘snitching’ on each other; Norris’ ludicrous penalty; “driving too slowly”; track limits (pet hate) … where is it all going?

And then Max and George got into a huge barney in the lead up to Abu Dhabi ...

ANDREW CLARKE

You can’t start this without mentioning the Brodie Kostecki saga. The reigning champ, for reasons that remain his to talk about, missed the opening rounds of the season before returning to the seat behind the eight ball. With Erebus, he worked his way back to the top and dominated Bathurst and was back to his stunning best in the run home.

will help with the negotiations for the TV and streaming rights.

Supercars Final Series is something that we have been banging on about for nearly two years and finally Supercars will have a final series that will go down to that final lap on the streets of Adelaide … can’t wait!

It’s also hard to ignore all the drama and fallout from the Brodie Kostecki drama, his return to Erebus and the team’s Bathurst win – all wrapped up in some disgusting social media commentary.

The reopening of Wakefield Park as a new and reborn One Raceway. Steve Shelly, his family and team must be applauded for not only reshaping the venue into an amazing place to race, but also his hard work with the local community who have welcomed the return of the revitalised venue.

FORMULA 1: An easy one straight off the bat is Oscar Piastri’s first Grand Prix wins. Enough said – including McLaren’s amazing turnaround From ‘P Nowhere’ to the Constructors Champions in just two seasons.

The news that GM, via their Cadillac brand, will be allowed to make up the 11th Formula 1 team is massive news for the sport and for F1 in the USA. As is Adrian Newey joining Aston Martin … But they will need to look at a new driver lineup to exploit his amazing skills.

Jack Doohan’s F1 debut1 with Alpine sees another young Aussie join Oscar on the grid, the Aussie pair joining fellow Antipodean Liam Lawson ...

CHRIS LAMBDEN

LOCALLY: The Toyota announcement – a big ‘plus’ and a potential saviour for Supercars’ TV contract discussions.

On track, a team that, according to the social media commentariate, is in disarray beats the established numero uno team fair and square to win the biggest race of the year – Bathurst –is significant …

FORMULA 1: When Red Bull dropped the

For me though, the bit that will remain with me for a long time was the passing of my good friend Campbell Little. The engineer who had done it all, had been a mate of mine for three decades ... I miss my chats with him and the mischievous mind that was able to play havoc with the nufties looking at us sharing family and dog pictures like we were trading data ... which we did too!

In terms of events to rock the sport, the Ford engine dramas at Sandown was right up there. The challenge faced by DJR Powertrains and Ford was monumental when a crank deficiency threatened the blue oval’s Bathurst plans. That there was no failure at the 1000km race and weekend was phenomenal.

THOMAS MILES

Cannot ignore the Erebus and Brodie Kostecki story. From missing the first two rounds before reuniting and then crushing all comers at the Great Race.

Then there’s Miami and the arrival of McLaren, proving that Red Bull finally does not have everything its own way, pushing the famous British team to its first Constructors’ title of the 21st century.

Any thought of Lewis Hamilton in a Ferrari won’t become clear until it finally happens –one of the biggest driver changes ever.

For Australian fans, 2024 was the last piece of proof needed that the Ricciardo era is, sadly, over and the Piastri chapter is at full speed.

The announcement of Toyota’s entry and bringing ‘Finals’ to Supercars will hopefully kickstart further growth for the category in the professional sporting landscape.

In F1, Ollie Bearman (below) impressed on debut. Image: MOTORSPORT IMAGES

Locally, Ryan Wood (lower centre) ticked some boxes, while Cooper Murray (lower left) promises much for next year ... Images: PETER NORTON

On track, locally, the Bathurst win by the Erebus duo, especially given the team’s early challenges, defined ‘significant.’ Image: PETER NORTON. Off track (below) no doubt it was the Toyota announcement.

GM in 2026 (left) and Jack Doohan right now! Images: MOTORSPORT IMAGES

THE KINGS OF WINGS

THE 2024-25 AUSTRALIAN SPEEDWAY SEASON IS WELL AND TRULY UNDER WAY, AND IT IS THE WINGED WARRIORS OF SPRINTCARS THAT WILL HIGHLIGHT THE SEASON. ANDREW CLARKE SPOKE WITH THREE OF THE LEADING LOCAL CONTENDERS THIS SUMMER – JOCK GOODYER, BROCK HALLETT AND LOCKIE McHUGH –ABOUT THE SEASON AHEAD AND THE BULGING CALENDAR FULL OF OPTIONS ...

CUE THE cliches around heat, summer and wings, because they are all valid as we get ready for the post-Christmas speedway rush highlighted by enough Sprintcar action to keep us entertained for weeks, if not months.

And our winged warriors are itching to go after a couple of warm-up events, including the stunning debut of speedway racing on the temporary circuit at the VAILO Adelaide 500 last month. Speedway and Sprintcar racing feels like it is preparing for its next golden era post the demise of the World Series that once seemed to give it all some glue and resonance.

What we will get this year are all the stars at the big events like the Sprintcar Speedweek that runs through South Australia and Victoria over the new year’s break; plus a similar event at the same time in Perth which will divide the fields; the Grand Annual Sprintcar Classic at Warrnambool – which is described as the Bathurst of Sprintcars, and is the largest Sprintcar race in the world by the number of competitors; and the Australian Championships, this year at Murray Bridge.

There are hundreds of racers picking the

eyes out of the myriad of events, crisscrossing the country chasing the biggest purses and eyeing off the best tracks.

“We want to race at the good tracks obviously and we want to race at the bigpaying events, the crown jewels if you want to call it, but enough of them so that we sortof keep our schedule pretty flexible so we’re

It’s a shame we can’t travel around and showcase what we do to all the little towns that maybe don’t get to see Sprintcars very often, or at all ... “ ”

pretty relaxed, and I think we’ll be doing that, but we haven’t fully committed yet.

“Speedweek probably doesn’t have as much hype as it used to when it was the World Series. It’s definitely lost a bit of its zing, but it’s starting to come back. Hopefully, going forward, it can build into, maybe not a national series, but at least the East Coast series.”

With all that said, Hallett feels like the sport is on the edge of breaking out again. The Adelaide 500 show brought the sport to a

The big deal for Sprintcars in 2024 was their arrival at the VAILO Adelaide 5000 – typical Sprintcar action from Callum Wliiamson, running the outside line, and Jordyn Charge. Image: MATT CHRISTIE / NETWORK R

With a 'Classic' under his belt, Brock Hallett is one of a number of regular Aussie Sprintcar stars ... Image: RICHARD HATHAWAY

Tolmer Speedway is a high-banked oval, something a little unique in this country.

“The introduction of Bordertown is pretty exciting – it is definitely really cool to have an American-style racetrack not that far from Adelaide. It has good people running it, people who know what they’re doing, and it definitely is really, really positive. Hopefully they can get the track sorted and we can have really good racing there.”

Speedway is a fascinating arm of the motorsport world. It primarily evolved from the fairgrounds of the USA at the same time as Grand Prix racing was starting in Europe, although the first accepted purpose-built speedway was at Brooklands in the UK. It was the ability to pack a crowd into a small space and charge entry that fired the sport into life.

A gladiatorial contest on a short track in front of the eyes of thousands at a time. And humanity, as was its wont, was chasing speed and glory.

Sprintcars evolved as the greatest of the breed, growing into the winged monsters we see today with power outputs exceeding 670kW (900hp) from 6.7L (410 cubic inch) engines. They can reach speeds of up to 260km/h, which is staggering when you see the space in which they race. Strangely, the wings which make them so much faster, also aid safety by giving extra traction as well as something to dissipate energy in a rollover … which does happen.

In fact Jock Goodyer, who we also spoke to, says crashing was part of his

learning. He had to go past the limit to work Encyclopaedia motorcycle speedway racing which we haven’t touched on here, began first in Australia in the 1920s ... so we have our own little part of speedway hundreds of speedways in the country towns of Australia have been a part of the fabric of those communities for

(To find a speedway near you, just https://www. speedwayaustralia.

With the growing again in Australia, Hallett says there are now half a dozen fully professional teams that do

nothing but race and prepare for racing. Then there are another half dozen or more that operate at the same level, just not across the 12 months of a year.

“It’s a shame we can’t travel around and showcase what we do to all the little towns that maybe don’t get to see Sprintcars very often, or at all. I miss going to the little country towns where there might be a Sprintcar race on, and they have all these people that have never seen them before. It’s pretty exciting when they start up and they hear them.

“We got that in Adelaide. Obviously that opens it up to a completely new audience and it was so enjoyable to be able to race in the Adelaide City. It’s really bloody cool for the sport and hopefully it can continue to grow when that event becomes bigger and better.

“I think it exceeded everyone’s expectations, and it’s definitely opened a lot of people’s eyes on how good it can be.

“I think the competition is as good as it’s ever been. There’s a lot of fresh blood coming through; a lot of people that are in their second or third year with huge potential. You’ve got the Jocks (Goodyer)

Jock Goodyer – another new Sprintcar 'name' – in the midst of the action in Adelaide (Image: Image: MATT CHRISTIE/NETWORK R) and (below right) with the winner's goodies in WA. Below: Brock Hallett, Classic winner ... Image: RAY RITTER

and the Lockies (McHugh) that are at the top of their game who spend a lot of time in America anyway.

“There’s half a dozen to a dozen really good guys that can all win big races. I think it’s changed a little bit over time because everyone used to follow World Series and all the good guys would be there. But now, you’ve got so many good guys in Queensland and New South Wales that it doesn’t matter where you go, it’s hard to win a race.

“Even if you turn up at a club show somewhere there’s generally good cars.

“I think, definitely the level at the top is a bit tough. There’s a lot of good guys with really good equipment and good personnel behind them – and at the end of the day that’s what you need to win races. You can have all the money in the world but if you don’t have the right person making the decisions and buying the right stuff it goes to waste.”

Hallett feels like he is primed for a big season after racing in the States over our winter in preparation for what he thinks will be 48 or 49 races this summer. He ran about 20 races through Ohio and the Midwest in an eight-week spell, so he expects to hit this season firing.

“We were pretty happy with how it went. We felt like by the end of the tour, we started working it out. Going forward I’d love to go back and start fresh with what we know now, hopefully we’re able to do that. We’re still undecided.

“The main focus now is obviously leading

up to this season and, obviously, doing all these races and trying to win and finished up front in as many as we can.”

Two of the events he is locked in for are Warrnambool’s Grand Annual Classic and the Australian Championship. He has a Classic, but not a Championship, and this year he wants to do the double.

“I’ve won a Classic, so that’s a bucket list item ticked off. I’d love to win an Aussie title, but if you had to pick, I think the Classic’s probably the one you want to win ... more people probably remember the Classic.

really good. You get to work on your package a lot, and I’m really looking forward to it.”

Like Hallett, Goodyer went to the States for a part of that series just a few months ago. His short spell has him primed to add to a bulging trophy cabinet that includes the 2023 Australian Sprintcar Championship.

“We went to America for about six or seven weeks, which was nice, and then we came back to the real world for a bit and we work leading up to Christmas. But as soon as we hit Christmas it’s bang – and pretty full-on for two months.

about the 15 years of age.

“Now look at me ... I’m addicted.”

Goodyer is choosing to race in Perth just after Christmas rather than SA-Vic Speedweek to have another crack at Kyle Larson, who he raced against in the States and who will no doubt bring huge crowds through the gates as one of the best racers in the world. Maybe, it’ll be like another Adelaide where non-speedway aficionados embraced the sport.

There’s a lot of heat races and inverted grid races and stuff, especially those big events. ... “ ”

“At the end of the day, you want to try and win every race you can. It’d be cool to do the double, but any of those big paying races you want to win. You’re only as good as your last race, no one remembers what happened last week. You just live for next week.”

Jock Goodyer is a rising star in the sport from Tasmania, and battling the logistics of living on that Island like many racers before him. He runs a screen printing business by day that is almost big enough to run on its own staff … which is what it will need to do for the next three months at any rate.

“It’s been a really good start to the year, and summer’s coming up,” Goodyer says. “There’s a lot of racing on consecutive nights, which is

“You’re away from home for about that whole two-month period, which is sometimes pretty gruelling, but it’s good at the same time.”

Goodyer comes from a speedway family, and after starting his racing career about eight years ago he has climbed to the top. Football, the southern states type, and basketball had nothing on the speedway, and a couple of years into his racing career he was into a Sprintcar.

“We’ve always been dirt track, because Dad’s always had Sprintcars. He’s fielded cars for plenty of people too, so we’ve always been involved in it, but my interests were never really there at a young age, until I got to

“The Adelaide event was a huge success. There was obviously the regular Speedway fans there, but there were so many people you could tell were not Speedway fans. You were just rolling down the hill from the pits, and they’re fist-pumping, and you’re like,

‘Yeah, yeah, yeah’.

“I think it brought a lot of eyes to our sport, and I think it’s a little bit more thrilling. I think short, sharp racing can keep your eyes peeled. It was a really cool opportunity to showcase it, and I think it couldn’t have really gone any better for the sport – and the crowds really showed it, and everyone was up and about.”

As a driver, he is full-time for a quarter of the year, and then the rest of the year he is blending some racing in the USA with his work. He craves more, and hopes the sport grows enough to support that.

“You can do your three, four months or five months here, but as a full-time job you need to go to America like James (McFadden) just did.”

The Adelaide 500 show brought a new audiencxe top Sprintcars ... Chase Randall leads. Image: PETER NORTON

He’d love to have a serious crack, and we’d love to see what he could do.

“You’re always learning in these cars. If it’s not learning racecraft, it’s learning what your car does to set-ups. There’s always learning curves between drivers. What the car is doing when you’re changing the car; learning what cars are doing around you; trying to read traffic.

“The more racing the better.”

The High Limit race at the Perth

Motorplex is paying $100,000, so that is one of his big targets for the season, before aligning with Hallett on the Classic and the Championship.

Lockie McHugh is the reigning Australian Sprintcar Champion and the winner of the 2022 Grand Annual Sprintcar Classic, and the final driver we spoke with. Like Hallett and Goodyer, he is a superstar of the sport, and he is primed to go.

“The boys have pretty much rebuilt all the cars and got everything ready for the racing,” he says of the past few months. “For me it is just getting a fair bit of fitness and structure in the off season, and that’s about it really.

“We’ve got a pretty busy season – we’re doing Speed Week starting Boxing Day, and then we’ll come up to Queensland for the Red Hot Summer Shootout at Toowoomba, and then we’ll go back down and do the Classic week in Victoria, and then we’ve got the Australian title the week after that at Murray Bridge.

“The Classic is kind-of like Bathurst, I guess, and the Australian Championship are the two big ones for the year. We won the Australian Championship last

year so we’re defending our title this year ... so yes we’re keen to do that at Murray Bridge.”

The structure of a Sprintcar race weekend means a little bit of luck is needed in addition to having the car right, which McHugh says is part of the excitement.

“There’s a lot of heat races and inverted grid races and stuff, especially those big events. You need a bit of luck going your way in those heat races that sets off your whole weekend. You’ve got to hopefully get through them clean and hope no one crashes in front of you and stuff like that.”

Like the others, McHugh says the choices today are numerous. You can chase money, prestige or the track you want to race on. Which he says is good in the absence of a big-ticket national series, but money generally talks.

“People can choose where they race, so you don’t always have the quality of fields you could get if there was a national series But it’s opened up the opportunity for a lot of different tracks to put on big-paying races, so that’s been good and everyone ends up at those races anyway because they’re paying the most money.

“Generally, most of the good guys end up at the same tracks.”

This season he is going to focus on the east coast races, avoiding the drive across the Nullarbor. But that doesn’t diminish what is happening over there just after Christmas. Any race meeting with Kyle Larson is significant.

“There’s no series or anything, so you’re just trying to win every time you hit the track – you’re not really racing for points or anything. But everything’s a lead-up to those big events in January, just trying to get your car and your package in the best possible spot for when January rolls around.”

And from Christmas on, it is pretty full on for six weeks with plenty of choice for the Winged Warriors of motorsport.

Australian Champion Lockie McHugh at speed and (above) with the trophy. ... Images: RAY RITTER

It was all go at Adelaide: Brendon Quinn (#14) at speed; Left, top to bottom: Madson (#97) runs outside Williamson (#3); James McFadden (#5) was there too ... Images: MATT CHRISTIE/NETWORK R. And (lower left) waiting for them all in Perth is US star Kyle Larson ...

INDY THE N(E)XT STOP

MORE YOUNG AUSTRALIANS WITH AMBITION ARE CURRENTLY CHOOSING TO HEAD TO THE STATES INSTEAD OF EUROPE – AND THEIR LOGIC MAKES SENSE. AFTER LAST ISSUE’S CHAT WITH SPORTS CAR RACER SCOTT ANDREWS, AA SPOKE WITH TWO MORE YOUNGSTERS CROSSING THE PACIFIC, TO CONTEST INDY NXT, THE FINAL STEP BEFORE INDYCAR ITSELF …

Story: BRUCE WILLIAMS/STAFF

WITH OSCAR Piastri making waves in Formula 1, Jack Doohan debuting, and Christian Mansell embarking on F2, Australia has a strong representation at the top end of the world motorsport chain, with a new group of youngsters targeting British/European F4 as their starting point.

But, as we discovered with young Aussie sports car racer Scott Andrews last issue, there’s a growing band of Aussies foregoing the Euro-path and heading to the US, for a number of good reasons. In his case, he’s made a career in sports cars. In the case of mates Lochie Hughes and Tommy Smith, it’ll be Indy NXT in 2025, America’s open-wheeler equivalent of Super2 in many ways – the last stop before IndyCar itself, or the growing IMSA sports car world.

The most recent Aussie to follow the US path is a ‘sort-of’ Aussie! Hunter McElrea is officially a kiwi – his father Andy is part of the ‘Ashburton Boys,’ (from south of Christchurch), a bunch of school-mates who all ended up in Australia and involved in motorsport one way or the other. So, after somehow timing things to be born in Los Angeles, Hunter is one of

It was a great experience. It’s very competitive, you have to do the hard yards and, to be honest ... “ ”

those annoying people who can get into just about any country in the world.

But with his father’s race team business thriving, he was also going to be a racer.

After winning the 2018 Formula Ford series it was off to the States in 2019, with modest

backing from family and friends. His path has followed exactly what the Road to Indy offers: US F2000 (second), then Indy Pro 2000 (fifth and third in consecutive years), Indy Lights in 2022 (fourth), which became Indy NXT last year. Hunter finished a strong second, with a

couple of wins and a string of podiums. This year, he’s tested with Dale Coyne Racing, and

Indy NXT (below – Iowa Speedway) is the last step on the US Road to Indy pathway before IndyCars itself. Image: JOE SKIBINSKI. Lochie Hughes and former F4 team-mate Tommy Smith (right) are headed there in 2025. Both have already tested – Tommy (above) on the Indy road course.

pathway and Europe – success in the US earns financial support. In Europe, F3 and F2, it’s user-pays, and pays plenty, a trophy at the end of the year and – if you’ve been in the right team and able to adapt to the whambam limited laps format resulting from being a supporting event at F1 races – some FIA Superlicence points.

It’s fair to say that Smith has struggled with what F3 offers over the past two seasons and, next year, will join his former team-mate as the two of them join the Indy NXT grid – albeit in competing teams.

The duo was hanging out together at the recent VAILO Adelaide 500 and Tommy, later joined by Lochie, sat down for a chat with AA’s BRUCE WILLIAMS:

AA: So Tommy … two years in FIA F3, by the sound of it an interesting experience, if challenging … TS: It was a great experience. It’s very competitive, you have to do the hard yards and, to be honest, I’m not quite satisfied with how it went –some of it within

but some outside of my control. It’s pretty cut-throat. Under their format, it’s all about qualifying; you only get one lap really and, with any little mistake, you end up towards the back. You also get very little practice. So I wouldn’t say it’s a ‘learning’ category –it’s a category to show your skill, because you just don’t get that many laps.

AA: And I guess there’s competition for the seats in the better—performed teams?

TS: The amount of money people have over there is insane. If you’re not in one of the really good teams, it’s hard to get results … and everyone over there has the money. So, there’s no point in saying ‘I’ll bring more money’ because everyone has the money! Getting into one of the really good teams is hard.

AA: So the European adventure has ended and you’ve still got the motivation to go racing again; you’re going to America and IndyNXT – what’s the motivation and why have you gone down that path?

TS: We looked at the options. I’m disappointed to be off the European pathway, because getting to F2 was my goal. But it’s hard over there – so much politics … So we looked at the options – even thought about coming home – but

America is a good option. IndyCar’s second to F1, but I’ve always loved watching that racing and I have the feeling I’m going to enjoy it a lot more.

AA: Similar culture; similar people … TS: Exactly. Less bullshit and, when you get in the car, you’ve got 10 laps, not one. It’s a real driver’s car too – no power steering … I spoke to (Lochie) about it a little while back – he’s been over there for a while and really recommended it – Indy NXT.

AA: And of course the Americans tend to build and run cars that are physically a bit bigger … TS: In F3 they weigh all the 30 drivers at the start of the year and take an average to set the weight minimum – there’s a few really small/ short drivers that brings that average down … this year it was 74kgs, with your suit/helmet etc. So it was super-difficult for me to make that. I asked the team in the States what weight they need me to be – they said “below 85kg would be good!”

I’ve done a couple of days in a (Indy NXT) car already – the cars are certainly made for bigger people and, without power steering, they’re quite physical.

AA: Tell us your impressions of the car –chassis a bit like S5000 we hear?

TS: Yes, very similar – the Firestone tyre is quite similar to the S5000 Hoosier. It really bis a driver’s car – you’ve got to almost ‘rag’ it to get the temperature in the tyres, so there’s none of the ‘cool-down’ laps like in F3.

So, lots more laps – and to be honest the steering is quite heavy, and I’ve got to get used to doing lots more laps in a row, so I’ll be working on my strength over Christmas …

AA: Which team are you with and where will you be based?

TS: I’m with H&D Motorsport. They have a lot of cars – this year they had 10 out of the 22 cars. They’re in Indianapolis. I’ve got to find somewhere to stay over there for the season – it’s too far to go backwards and forwards – and as the team doesn’t do simulator work or anything between races – it doesn’t have to be Indianapolis. Somewhere central to the races maybe.

Lochie Hughes comes to Indy NXT thanks to an eye-watering scholarship prize for winning the USF PRO2000 series this year.

AA: And the series follows most of the IndyCar series?

TS: We do 14 races at 12 events – we miss Canada, some ovals (we do three) …

AA: Ovals are something new – are you looking forward to it, or is it a bit daunting?

I’m optimistic; excited … Some people adapt really well, some don’t … It’s going to be interesting. Probably a bit daunting to start with – I’m going to have to do some simulator work, and we’ll see …

AA: Lochie’s joined us … So, Lochie, you two are mates; known each other for a while – karts and F4. You’ve been following the US path for three years now, and very successfully – You are the USF Pro 2000 Champion! You know the ropes over there ….

So are you gonna help him (Tommy)?

LH: As much as I can – would be better if we were in the same team. Being in different ones is a bit different, but NXT is new to both of us, but I’ll help where I can.

AA: Like which hamburgers to eat, which to avoid …

LH: Yeah – the simple stuff, like life in the US, getting around, where to live … all that stuff makes a difference.

AA: So, while Europe may have been the traditional thing, the American opportunity does look to be increasingly great – if you succeed, you can make a fantastic living over there …

LH: Yes, America is sensational. I think IndyCar is the best drivers’ championship in the world, because of how equal it is, how equal the cars are. You have road courses, street circuits, ovals … the drivers love it. It’s so competitive – not like F1 where it’s so political and it matters what team you’re in, and all that stuff … IndyCar has got the biggest race in the world in the Indy 500.

But I mainly went to the US because I could never go to Europe – I never had that level of budget. The US system has prize money in place, so you can start at the bottom, go all in, and bank on winning a scholarship to move up. Not many other ladders around the world have that …

TS: It’s the best alternative now. You’re starting to see a lot of drivers coming across from Europe, because the F1 path is so political and expensive now. You’ll see a lot more coming across now.

TS:

AA: The IndyCar world and its pathway certainly does look very cosmopolitan. So realistically, this is your career path now; where you ultimately want to be?

LH: For me, IndyCar is exactly where I want to be. I love watching it; the drivers love it … It’s a tough category as well; there’s no power steering either – it’s a proper race car. And they’re proper race tracks. If you make a mistake you end up in the fence or gravel … That’s how it should be. You look at some of the F1 circuits today … some of them look very much the same, a bit boring …

AA So, Lochie, tell me about the Pro 2000 series – which you’ve won. What relationship does that bring with IndyCar (and Indy NXT)? Are IndyCar teams taking an interest? You’re with Andretti in NXT next year – is that an entrée to them down the track?

LH: You never know … at the end of th day, every team is looking at what you do in Indy NXT. So, I have to perform – I have to win. Obviously, it’s great having won the US F categories along the way before Indy NXT – it gives you a name already – but it’s now in Indy NXT that it matters. It’s the same as here (Australia) – you can win all the categories coming up, but you have to perform when you get to Super2 if you want to have a chance to go on to Supercars.

AA: So, with the Pro 2000, how many of the tracks that you’ve raced on will you race on next year?

LH: Most of them. All our races are with IndyCar, it’s just that Indy NXT goes to more of them. So, I haven’t done any of the ovals; there’s a few street circuits, like Detroit, I haven’t done. Haven’t been to Laguna yet … so there’s a few new ones. I’m excited to see what those tracks are like. The street circuits over there are proper street circuits – bumps and stuff … pretty full-on.

AA: Have you done anything at all yet with ovals – testing etc?

LH: Yeah. In USF we do Lucas Oil oval, which is a small oval, 20-30 minutes from the Indianapolis Speedway. It’s small, but a good introduction … compared to Nashville, where we’ll be racing next year. Average speed there is 185mph (300kmh) – we weren’t quite doing that at Lucas Oil!

So the big ovals are going to be very different, and with the big cars, more can go wrong.

AA: They’re not small. I was saying to Tommy earlier that they look similar to S5000 in many ways. Nowhere near as big as current F1 cars, but still quite big …

LH: They’re quite long – coming from what I’ve done previously, it’s quite a big step. They say the jump from USF Pro to Indy NXT is bigger than the jump from NXT to IndyCar itself. The Indy NXT car is quite similar to IndyCar, just a bit slower. Same tyre … so a good introduction to IndyCar.

AA: It’s a big change, Tommy, but looks like something you’ll enjoy.

TS: I’m pretty sure I’ll like it more than Europe. I didn’t really enjoy F3 this year, to be honest … In Indy NXT, we’ll get more than 40 minutes practice that’s interrupted by three red flags, as it often is in F3! I’m looking forward to it.

AA: Is there a big testing regime – or are there restrictions?

LH: There’s massive testing restrictions. The only test days you can do are official category ones. So the amount of laps I’ll get in the NXT car is the same as Tommy; same as anyone, which is a good thing.

AA: You’ve done some testing already?

LH: We tested at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and then Barbara Motorsports Park. Barbara is pretty crazy – a lot of undulations … you can’t see the apexes of some of the corners as we’re seated so low. The physicality of the place is pretty insane, especially with no power steering. First up, it took a bit of getting through the whole day!

2000 makes a significant difference?

LH: It’s about US$700,000 – close to A$1million …

AA: Is that close to the Indy NXT budget?

LH: It covers the majority of it – certainly, my family and I are pretty much out.

AA: You’ve put in everything already to get this far.

LH: Yeah … I don’t know how we’ve done it, but we’ve done it on scholarships and teams giving me very good deals. It’s be nice to have some support from home, from Australia … it’s been lacking, which is disappointing. One of those things … I don’t think too many people get support when they race overseas , and it’s funny, everyone automatically thinks of Europe instead of America. But, bloody hell, we’ve had a stunning run as far as IndyCar drivers goes for the last 25 years.

AA: Yes. With Will … and I guess we can claim Scott McLaughlin … and Scott Dixon was born in Brisbane …

LH: But yeah, I think America has ‘slipped on’ by Australia a bit. It’d be nice if IndyCar came back to the Gold Coast, to make that

here. Even then, some drivers are bringing money and sponsorship, so they’re not really getting paid.

But the sports car stuff isn’t something I want to do as a career. IndyCar is where I want to be. Daytona and stuff would be good to do – the miles helps you get ready for the season as well. But I don’t want to be paying for any of that racing; but if a team gives me an opportunity …

AA: So your team (Lochie) is based in Indianapolis … and you’re living there. It’s cold there in winter! …

LH: That’s why I’m here (Adelaide)! But yes, I’ve lived there for the past few years – all the teams are there, the drivers are there.

It’s a good little community … I really like it now. There’s not much time form social stuff during the season, but there’s a bit on at the moment – NFL and College football have started, which is fun to get around. It’s a different way of life over there, which is fun at the moment because it’s different.

But there’s nothing better than coming home and enjoying an Aussie summer, watching cricket, and everything …

AA: So Tommy, perhaps you need to follow

Indy is pretty cool … I’ve driven there before in the Road to Indy stuff, but Barbara was new … it was insane!

TS: Yeah, crazy. It took a while to get used to where the track actually goes. I’ve driven on some crazy tracks – Macau even – but Barbara is right up there! In the end, it was really enjoyable … a favourite probably.

AA: Is there much simulator work/ preparation?

LH: Andrettis have a sim, but I don’t know … I’m one of the few drivers these days that doesn’t like the sim. I just get bored on them …

AA: No consequences …

LH/TS: Agree!

AA: But there’s presumably some good upsides with being with Andretti (Lochie)?

LH: Yeah, pretty exciting. I can go and stand with the IndyCar boys during their races, and be part of it. Kick-starting the season at St Pete’s is always fun. Tampa’s exciting – almost as much as when you’re driving!

AA: So the prizemoney from winning Pro

connection. Regardless, I think you’ll see a lot more Aussies starting to go to the US rather than Europe – it’s almost impossible nowadays.

TS: And IndyCar has just signed a new deal with Fox for the television. I hope Fox here gets behind it – they show F3 on TV back here – it’s be great for us if they did the same with Indy NXT.

AA: Over and above Indy NXT, do openings start to crop up in other things, like sports cars, GTs?

LH: A few Indy NXT drivers do try to do some of that, depending upon their FIA rating. Obviously, you want to be ‘Silver’, as you get more opportunity then to do the Daytona 24 Hours, Sebring 12 Hours, and so on. I haven’t spoken to anyone to be honest because I’ve just been focused on getting Indy NXT sorted. But I know a few drivers who do … and it’d be nice to get paid to do something!

AA: So, I’m guessing NXT isn’t a ‘paid’ thing?

LH: No … I don’t think any series driver gets paid until it’s IndyCar, or F1 … or Supercars

Lochie’s lead and end up in Indianapolis – if you can put up with the cold?

TS: He’s selling the dream. I wasn’t sure, but yes, that could be a good decision … Certainly the American environment is a bit nicer.

AA: So you guys can bring a bit of Aussie ‘swagger’ to the scene …

TS: We’ll try …

LH: Got to be careful what we say, but they are stuck in some of their ways … with food and everything. So you try to add some Aussie flavour, which they find a bit challenging sometimes! The good thing is that the IndyCar paddock is so international – there’s more international drivers than American; close to that in NXT. So it’s a good mix …

AA: Thanks guys. We’re really excited for both of you for next year and, as you say, there’s a lot to be said for the American/IndyCar pathway.

Here at Auto Action we reckon you will see more Aussies heading that way …

Lochie (left) and Tommy aren't missing the Indianapolis winter, enjoying a bit of time 'at home' and in Adelaide. Far left: Tommy did F3 with Van Amersfoort Racing this year (#19), but has already tested at Indy with his new Indy NXT team (top left).

Top of page: Racing mates – Lochie, Emerson Harvey, and Tommy at the 2019 Australian F1 GP ...

Above: A very young Tommy grabbed a few podium finishes during a year in GB3 in the UK

WHEN MONSTERS ROAMED THE MOUNTAINS

EIGHT CYLINDERS RULED THE ROOST ON THE AUSTRALIAN HILLS IN THE 1970s . SAME-SAME? IT WAS ANYTHING BUT. AUTO ACTION’S INTERNATIONAL MAN OF HISTORY MARK BISSET TELLS US THE STORY OF BRAVE MEN DRIVING THESE MONSTERS ON NARROW RIBBONS OF MOSTLY SECOND-RATE ASPHALT ...

THE EERIE, still, morning mist over Mount Tarrengower, Maldon, Victoria was interrupted by the harsh, exotic sound of a Repco 4.4-litre 620 V8 as Peter Holinger blipped the throttle of his Holinger Repco before popping the clutch at high revs. You could hear the engine note rise and fall in the distance as Holinger played with the laws of physics, balancing the throttle and grip of his cold tyres as he made his way up this open hill, blasting past our marshalling point at warp-speed …

There is nothing like the mix of a bucolic environment and high-tech in motorsport that’s provided by hillclimbing.

In the 1950s and 1960s, even into the 1970s, huge crowds attended hillclimbs, which were sometimes televised. The cars were the best-of-the-best touring cars, sportscars and open-wheelers of the time.

Beechey, Bond, Brock, Firth, Jane, Manton, even The Captain Peter Janson in his A9X Torana very late into the 70s, thrilled the crowds at close quarters with their car control.

Gradually, as circuit numbers and racemeetings grew, attendance on the hills slipped away, but the excitement and spectacle is still there if you take the time to seek it out.

The 70s was a Hillclimbing Golden Era. Between 1970 and 1979, eight cylinders dominated the Australian Hillclimb

driver, winning AHCs in 1976 and 1978-79 at Bathurst, Collingrove and Mount Cotton respectively.

England and Holinger lived nearby each other in Melbourne’s leafy outer-eastern fringe and both oh-so-talented-engineers and elite level drivers did their time at Repco; Repco Research in Brunswick for Paul, and the Engine Division and Repco Brabham Engines in Richmond for Peter.

England’s ‘homer’ – built after hours at ‘Research – was the Ausca Repco-Holden Hi-power, an exotic sports car that proved the pace of Repco’s new Charlie Dean/Phil Irving designed Hi-power crossflow head, putting many single-seaters to shame.

England then did a spot of racing in Europe in an F2 Cooper T41 Climax, including the

Championship (AHC) – only the Flat Six fitted to Alan Hamilton’s Porsche 906 sportsprototype at Collingrove in 1971 bucked the trend.

I’m playing with words a bit … because the Ausca VW built and raced by gun-engineer and proprietor of Paul England Engineering in Melbourne, Paul England, used two VW flat-fours, the rear of which was supercharged with the mixture being fed to the combustion chambers of both the front 1.6-litre, and rear two-litre mounted engines.

The original thinking within the SWB spaceframe chassis, extended to four-wheeldrive. Each engine had its own two-speed gearbox – ‘fast and faster’ as Paul always put it – which drove a pair of wheels at each end. The body, when he ran it, was a modified Geneer Formula Vee fibreglass panel.

This ingenious device won at Mount Cotton in 1970 as well as the much more demanding four-round-titles held on a variety of courses in 1973 and 1974.

Peter Holinger was the other dominant 70s

Paul England’s Ausca VW, twin engined, four-wheel-drive-with body on ... a championship winner. Image: MIKE JACOBSON

MONSTERS

Mk4

Oldsmobile 3.5 is another bespoke hillclimber … to the extent that Brian Shead’s spaceframe design was primarily built as an F3/F2 machine, for 1.3 and 1.6-litre engines.

Built to Don Biggar’s order originally, Judd, a Camperdown local, bought it and raced it very successfully for years, winning the 1977 AHC with it.

It gave away grunt to some other outright contenders, but everything came together on the tight, technical Morwell layout that year.

An aluminium pushrod, two-OHV design, Judd’s engine was fed by four downdraught Webers. Repco historians will know that the block of this F85 Oldsmobile V8 design provided the ‘bottom half’, much modified, of the Repco Brabham Engines range of 2.5, 3.0 and 4.4-litre Tasman, F1, and sportscar V8s.

Many older racing cars have had their competitive lives extended when they ventured from the circuits into the hills.

Examples are the Stan Keen Elfin MR5 Ford F5000, Murray Bingham Bingham Cobra aka Porsche 904 Ford, Erol Richardson’s Wortmeyer SCV aka Mildren Chev, Jim Abbott’s Brabham BT23D Oldsmobile, Werner Rodkin’s Dolphin/Brabham BT36 BMW and Barrie Garner’s Bowin P6 Leyland P76 V8.

Keen’s Elfin MR5 won the 1975 four-round AHC. While by then it was a Gold Star alsoran, the ex-John Walker chassis proved very quick in the hills peddled by the capable South Australian best known for his pace in sportscars.

Murray Bingham’s Bingham Cobra started life as a works-Porsche Spyder before Alan Hamilton brought it home, fitted it with a two-litre Porsche flat-six and raced it in sports car events. It was then purchased by Melbourne motorsport man-about-town, Jim Abbott of Auto Sportsman, the Melbourne Racing Car Show and Lakeland fame. He fitted a Ford 289 V8, then Australian Racing Legend, Tom Sulman ran it for a while in NSW.

It got wilder when Bingham bought it – he evolved the engine to over 400bhp and fitted it with a very aerodynamic, constantly

evolving body with lots of downforce. Then he dropped an ex-Frank Gardner Chev injected 510bhp F5000 engine into it, the cars spaceframe chassis trembled with fear at the sight of that lump approaching … Bingham won the AHC with it, Ford powered, in 1972.

Abbott progressed from the Porsche Cobra, as he called it, to the ex-Alec Mildren Racing Brabham BT23D that won a Gold Star for Kevin Bartlett powered by Alfa Romeo Tipo 33 2.5-litre V8s in 1968.

Jim used it as a star ‘F5000’ attraction at his Racing Car Show in 1969, then went hillclimbing, winning the Victorian Hillclimb Championship in 1972, fitted with an Oldsmobile V8 and much modified body. Proving how dangerous the sport is,

engine E1, the very first RBE V8 ever built. Peter machined and assembled the parts for the then 2.5-litre V8 under the watchful eye of its designer Phil Irving who, like him, lived in Warrandyte. They fired it up for the first time on March 19, 1965. Three F1 drivers and manufacturers championships followed … Of course, the Holinger name and legacy lives on, with Holinger Engineering being one of the worlds most highly regarded racing transmission manufacturers.

The Holinger chassis is a copy of the Brabham BT31-1 Repco, Jack Brabham’s 1969 Tasman mount. When Rodway Wolfe bought BT31 from Repco, his good mate Holinger stored it for a while.

The quid-pro-quo was Rod’s agreement to allow Peter to copy the car as the basis of a machine to succeed the Holinger Vincent Peter had campaigned since Its engine was trick in that the cams were grinds which provided bulk-torque rather than a more-peaky top-end. For a while it raced with a single-BRM-like transmissionmounted brake rotor and caliper sourced from a Renault R8. Ian

Judd’s Cheetah

Top: Wild ... Stan Keen’s Elfin MR5 (top) – at the famous Collingrove hillclimb venue in South Australia, which is still challenging drivers. Image: JOHN GRAHAM

Above: Murray Bingham’s Cobra typified the wild range of cars contesting hillclimbs in the early 1970s. Image: GRAHAME LOGG

Below: Jim Abbott – Squire of Lakeland – heads for victory in the 1972 Victorian championship in his Brabham BT23D-Olds. Image: AUTO ACTION ARCHIVES

Below left: Ian Judd’s Cheetah Mk4 – yet another ‘Olds-powered’ car, at the Mount Leura ‘climb.’ Image: GREG STANSFIELD

Above: Peter Holinger’s ‘Brabham-copy’ car typified the powerful ‘open-wheeler’ hillclimb specials of the 70s – with a 4.4 litre version of the famous Repco V8s of the era ... Image: C BROWN. In the 70s, Hillclimbing was front cover AA news (above)!

V8s were far from dead in subsequent decades of Australian Hillclimb Championship competition ... “ ”

subsequent owner, the much-respected Chris Murphy died in it at One Tree Hill, Ararat in 1979.

He was awarded the Victorian Hillclimb Championship posthumously thanks to the extraordinary generosity of Werner Rodkin, who would otherwise have won, by convincing the authorities to drop the results of that round in their entirety.

A perennial and very quick competitor, Rodkin, winner of three Victorian state titles, died in a borrowed Cheetah Mk 6 F2 car during a practice run at Mount Tarrengower in 1988. Rodkin’s own car was a Don Baker built Dolphin/Brabham BT36 BMW 2-litre which he raced and ‘climbed.

Another ex-Alec Mildren Racing machine that won an AHC was the Len Baileydesigned Mildren Chev raced by Kevin Bartlett during early 1971.

When Mildren disbanded his team shortly thereafter, Jack Wortmeyer bought the car which was ‘climbed and raced by Errol Richardson as the Wortmeyer SC5 Chev. Jack later had phenomenal success with his Peter Gumley-driven Wortmeyer SCV which

won 10 AHCs from 1998-2010!

Bruce Allison loathed his variable-ratesuspension 1973 Bowin P6 Hart-Ford 1.6-litre F2, then a late season accident handily allowed him to switch to a Birrana 274 for ’74, a machine he did rather well with. F5000 followed.

Barrie Garner had an altogether happier experience with his Holden-engined Bowin P3, so he bought the P6 wreck and engaged Ron Hay to rebuild it as an outright contender.

Hay repaired and modified the ‘Bowin Hay’ inclusive of fitment of a 4.4-litre Leyland P76 aluminium V8 fitted with plenty of trick internals. Garner and succeeding drivers won many events, while Garry McFadyen won the 1990 AHC at Collingrove with it and four NSW state titles.

V8s were far from dead in subsequent decades of Australian Hillclimb Championship competition, but it was in the 70s that ‘eights’ ruled the roost.

In a Disneyesque happy ending to this story, all of the cars featured in this article live on, despite many having fraught times during their competition heydays

…

Above left: The Peter Holinger-built and driven Holinger-Repco blasts up the Lakeland climb (1973) complete with Toyota signage! Image: AUTO ACTION ARCHIVES.

Top: Barry Garner (Bowin, with P76 Leyland power ...) in 1976. Image: MAL WILKINSON

Above: Errol Richardson’s Wortmeyer (nee Mildren)-Chev, 1973 ... Image: AUTO ACTION ARCHIVES

Left: Werner Rodkin hangs it out in 1979 in the Brabham-Dolphin BT36, at Lakeland. Image: RUSSELL MARTIN

Paul England blasts the Ausca-VW S/C, twin supercharged VW engined-four-wheel-drive monster to Australian Championship victory in 1973 at Lakeland ... Image: AUTO ACTION ARCHIVES

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SPEEDWAY

MIGHTY McFADDEN

JAMES MCFADDEN has once again taken Perth by storm, recording back to back victories in the WA Sprintcar Championships.

After successfully subbing for Callum Williamson last year, McFadden did it again in 2024 at Perth Motorplex with new team Brady Motorsport.

The international racing star dominated the majority of the 40-lap A Main and led home Dayne Kingshott by 3.8s.

Whilst he missed out on the state crown, Kingshott importantly extended his lead in the fight for the 2024-25 Maddington Toyota Sprintcar Series Championship.

Having risen from eighth to second, and Williamson’s 11th – after crashing whilst second and starting from pole position – has increased the margin to 22 points.

In qualifying, Williamson showcased his pace early by posting a 13.323s time with McFadden sixth.

The #W3 carried on its speed by winning the opening heat as the sprints were also taken out by Jason Kendrick, McFadden, Kris Coyle, Daniel Harding and Bradley Maiolo.

This left just five cars to fight it out in the B-Main where Ryan Newton cruised to a commanding eight-lap triumph.

The stage was set for the state final across 40 laps under lights.

Despite going on to win, McFadden did not get off to the greatest start, slipping to third, but he stormed to the lead by lap five.

In the meantime, Williamson settled into second as Aaron Chirop got a rocket start, rising from fifth to first before falling to third and soon to 12th.

Williams was battling hard to stay in touch

with leader McFadden before a clash with Brooke Newson on lap 21, saw him fall back to be the last car on the lead lap at the restart, clawing back some points with an 11th.

Following the mid-race caution, there was a fierce fight for second and that was initially held by the charging Kerry Madsen.

Having started 11th Madsen showed a lot of pace up high on the track when others were unable to make it stick.

However, Madsen lost grip of second inside the final five laps as Pryde and Kingshott surged ahead and then battled amongst themselves.

The pair traded places for second at the death with Kingshott emerging on top to be best of the rest behind the dominant McFadden.

It was a relatively clean race with Brooke Newson, Jason Kendrick and Myles Bolger the only DNFs.

There was plenty of other racing for fans to enjoy wth the Jolly John Day Speedcar Classic also on show.

This was a wild race with only 11 of the 19 competitors completing the 30 laps.

The biggest drama initially was Kaiden Manders and Daniel Harding taking each other out when fighting for the lead on lap eight.

The fate of the winner’s trophy was not decided until the 29th lap as Nicholas Rowe snatched it from longtime leader Michael Pickens in a thriller.

There were fight changes for the lead in the John Day XLI Late Model Classic.

Jamie Oldfield and Brent Vosbergen took turns in first throughout the opening half of the race before Warren Oldfield made the knockout blow and was not challenged again from Lap 20.

Blake Iwanow showed why he has the #W1 by cruising to Wingless Sprints success. He dominated the race and won by a second as Matt Iwanow won a tight battle for second with Tom Britton as they pair swapped spots for four successive laps. There is now a break in the 2024-25 Maddington Toyota Sprintcar Series before the next round at the Perth Motorplex on Boxing Day, which is also the first event of the nine-night Speedweek series and the High Limit International.

Thomas Miles

WILLIAMSON STEALS THE WIN

CALLUM WILLIAMSON opened his account for the 2024-25 Maddington Toyota Sprintcar Series in thrilling fashion in Round 4 at Bunbury Speedway.

Williamson (right) claimed his first feature race win of the season when he picked the pocket of Kaiden Manders on the last lap in a Saturday night thriller with the difference just 0.786s, while Queenslander Ryan Newton was third.

Williamson’s win seemed unlikely for much of the race.

He started from third but dropped back to sixth early on, before gradually clawing his way back into contention and was in third by mid-race distance

The W3 slipped under Dayne Kinghsott to take second with three laps remaining, but Manders was still in control.

However, as the cars bunched up in heavy lapped traffic, he pounced on Manders for the win in the dying seconds.

The victory came after Williamson was second-quickest in his qualifying group and also raced from third to victory in his heat race.

The third round had to use a modified format after challenging track conditions meant the race surface had to be reworked,

forcing a late start to the show.

While it was his first podium of the season, following a pair of fourths and a DNF, seeing victory slip was a disappointing outcome for Manders.

He had started on the front row with Kingshott and was second until he also

snatched the lead with a handful of laps remaining.

At the start of the show he was secondquickest in his qualifying group and took a heat race win after starting from third.

Newton, who has contested all four shows of the series so far, two in his own Q66 and

the last two in the Monte Motorsport W17, continued his good early-season form with the third - on the back of a win, a second and a DNF so far.

He started from 12th in the final and by mid-race distance was eighth before settling into fifth with about eight laps remaining.

Newton finished very strong, gaining two more spots in the last few laps.

Kerry Madsen, in his first race with Diamond Bay Motorsport for the season, was fourth, after starting from seventh.

Kingshott, who led for led for about 25 laps, held on for fifth, ahead of Brad Maiolo, Jamie Maiolo and Taylor Milling.

The race was only seconds old when Jack Williamson and Daniel Harding were both facing the wrong way on the edge of the infield.

The red lights came on a couple of laps later after Harding and Joel Ettridge crashed hard in pits bend, putting them both out of action.

Another caution arrived with 17 laps remaining when Andrew Priolo spun from ninth, while Jaydee Dack did the same shortly after.

Thomas Miles

McFadden holds the pole line as he holds Williamson at bay early on. Image: RICHARD HATHAWAY PHOTOGRAPHY

Image: RICHARD HATHAWAY PHOTOGRAPHY

McHUGH’S PAIN, HALLETT’S GAIN

THE SPRINTCAR Super 8’s doubleheader at Murray Bridge on November 29-30 was all about two drivers, Brock Hallett and Lachie McHugh.

The pair were the class of the competition, taking the two feature races.

McHugh put in a charging drive to steal the opener off from Ryan Jones as Hallett also made some late moves to settle into second.

The #A1 appeared primed to go back to back, winning a ding-dong battle with Matt Egel to be in complete control with just eight laps to go in the Friday night finale.

McHugh was cruising until his right rear tyre went down on the exit of Turn 2.

Suddenly the race-long leader was out of the equation and Hallett picked up the pieces.

The #Q5 completed a special drive from seventh on the grid to drive a second beyond Egel and take the race and overall Super 8’s victory, which included a $8,888 winner’s cheque.

Hallett admitted McHugh’s misfortune played a big role.

“We got lucky there when Lockie (McHugh) cut his tyre there,” he said.

“I feel bad that I just got into him and spun him out, but it could have been a lot worse.

“I could feel that I knocked the front wing around a bit, but the car was that good it didn’t really hurt our speed too much.

“That’s the last time we will be here before the Australian Title, and we have been pretty good here this year, so

BACK AT BORDERLINE

SPEEDWAY ACTION roared back into town on Saturday, November 26 as the Borderline Speedway hosted its first meeting of the 2024/25 season.

It was a jampacked night with a host of motorsport action including sprintcars, stampedes and sedans racing.

Organisers kept a close eye on the sky given inclement weather threatening, leaving racing questionable, however the predicted rains did not arrive which made for a great night of racing action.

Speedway organiser Cary Jennings was thrilled the weather held off and was pleased with the night.

we have a good baseline to work from when we come back.”

To the thrill of the home crowd, a pair of South Aussies in Brendan Quinn and Jones took up the front row positions at the start, and the latter took the early lead.

Only two laps were possible before the first caution with Glen Sutherland flipping at Turn 4.

But a big run of green flag racing followed where Jones skipped away, while Quinn’s grip on second was broken by Egel and Hallett.

McHugh was also picking off his rivals and rose to the top three, kicking Egel out by the mid-race distance.

Whilst the racing carried on, the war of attrition continued with Quinn retiring on lap 16 and joining the likes of Chad Ely and Steven Loader who had also retired.

Around the same moment Corbett brought the yellows back by colliding with the wall.

This created a stop-start affair as crashes to Marcus Dumesny and Jy Corbet created a dash to the flag.

Jones still held the lead as racing resumed, but had both Hallett and McHugh breathing down his neck.

McHugh put the foot down and produced a series of special moves to rise from third to first with three laps left. It was well timed as Egel got too high and crashed on the back straight, setting up a late sprint to the finish.

McHugh retained his lead as Hallett swooped underneath Jones and the pair carried on fighting for second.

But the decisive moment was a tap with the fence for Jones, who dropped

from second to fifth.

This not only promoted Hallett, but also Jamie Veal and Parker Scott.

After a dramatic opener, the scene was set for the second and deciding part of the Super 8 event on Saturday night.

McHugh looked ominous, setting the fastest time of the 26 drivers in Time Trials with a 11.515s effort.

The heat winners were Jordy Rae, Veal and Steven Caruso. Matt Egel won the Top 6 Dash and Hayden Pitt and Aussie Racing Cars champion and Touring Car Masters competitor Joel Heinrich were the two drivers who transferred from the B-Main.

But when the A-Main began, it was initially all about Egel, who controlled the first 20 laps.

However, there was no shortage of drama behind him.

Veal was collected by Glen Sutherland, while Ryan Jones had an engine failure.

Parker Scott and Quinn also rolled in separate accidents, while Steven Caruso tagged the Turn 2 wall from fourth.

At Lap 20, McHugh and Egel started wrestling for the lead in an exciting three-lap exchange.

The #A1 prevailed and appeared destined to sweep the Super Eights, only to suffer a flat tyre on lap 30 and return from the lead.

Hallett had progressively risen from seventh on the grid and already disposed of Egel to ensure he would snare the victory.

Murray Bridge’s next event os the opening round of the Sprintcars Speedweek on Boxing Day.

Thomas Miles

“We had a really good night of racing and the patrons with the weather getting warm and sticky and so it turned out to be a real nice night,” he said.

“We did not think we were going to get it done early on but in the end we got the show done and it turned out to be a perfect night of racing for everyone.”

The main event of the night was the Distinct ICT Open Sprintcar Series with Borderline hosting round three of the series.

Taking out first place was Tim Hutchins with Rusty Hickman and Grant Stansfield closing out the podium.

The other senior class competing on the night was the Owen Built Homes/ Owen Portable Homes Stampede Series which was also round three.

Tim Rankin raced well to secure the chequered flag, with Dale Sinclair in second and Jack Bell third.

The night also featured several junior races in the stampede and sedan classes.

In the Koch Fert Australia Junior Stampede Series Cody Malley finished first while Cruz Farrell came in second and Rusty Ponting finished third.

In the Sedan class there were two different categories with the two being Top Stars and New Stars.

In the Top Stars Violet Thorne took home first place with Jayden Garner claiming second and Jackson Warrener picking up third.

Demi Jennings came out on top in the New Stars, followed home by Cody Gartner in second and Rylan Hartman third.

Borderline Speedway’s next meeting will feature the Wingless Sprint Triple Crown, Southern Street Stock Series and Junior Sedan and Classic Super Modifieds.

The SE Voice

Brock Hallett took a comprehensive win after Lachie McHugh’s flat ... Image: COREY GIBSON PHOTOGRAPHY

Glen Sutherland. Image: HIGHLAND MAGAZINE

SPEEDWAY

STORER PRIMED FOR CHILI BOWL

LUKE STORER was originally going over as a spectator for the upcoming 2025 Chili Bowl Nationals in America, but he will now be in the thick of the action, racing the iconic event.

After only two seasons in Speedcars in Australia, Storer won last season’s ACT Title and will now take on the biggest Speedcar race.

He will team up with the Texasbased 2nd Opinion Auto Centre Racing team aboard their #2W SR11powered Spike car.

Over 250 drivers from around the world descend on Tulsa to take on the famous race, which will be held very soon, on January 12-18.

Storer is thrilled to be part of the 39th running and explained how the opportunity sprung up.

“I’ve got to know Dan and Patricia Harris from the 2nd Opinion Auto Center Racing team through my good mate and car owner Tim Fisher, and recently an opening for a driver came up within their team for the Chili Bowl Nationals and it was offered to me –so I was able to quickly organise a few things at my end, and I got back to him with a ‘yes’ to his offer,” explained the 27-year-old from Portland in Victoria.

“2nd Opinion Auto Center Racing is an established team, and I’m going to be one of four drivers tackling the Chili Bowl Nationals with them (see their four cars, lined up above) – it’s a good thing for me to make my debut with a team like this.

“I’m very excited about tackling the Chili Bowl Nationals for the first time, but there’s a lot to learn and it’s certainly going to be a massive challenge.

“When it comes to my Chili Bowl Nationals goals, I’m just hoping to get through the whole event by moving forward during my qualifying events and seeing where I end up from there.”

Storer will prepare for the drive by taking on the Pro Speedcar Week, which runs over four consecutive nights between January 2 and 5 at Portland’s Southern 500 Speedway (Vic), Mount Gambier’s Borderline Speedway (SA), Simpson Speedway (Vic) and Warrnambool’s Premier Speedway (Vic).

Thomas Miles

KIWI GRABS SA WIN

An NZ-ER won the 74th running of the South Australian Speedcar Championship with Travis Buckley taking a historic success at Murray Bridge, but it was not without incident.

Buckley utilised the high line like an expert, to surge from sixth to first, holding on by eight-tenths over Nick Parker and Robert Heard.

It was an underdog win as both Kaiden Brown and Tom Payet were fast throughout the two-night event, but both retired when it mattered.

However, Buckley did not mind at all and produced even more thrills after the chequered flag was waved.

Whilst attempting to perform the customary doughnuts, he got unsettled in the rear and and ‘rolled in celebration,’ ending up on his roof!

To further entertain the fans, the youngster flipped over the front of his speedcar.

Buckley joined the late, great Barry Butterworth by becoming only the second New Zealand driver to win the SASA South Australian State Speedcar Title.

But with Butterworth doing it back in 196465, it ended a 60-year drought and he was thrilled.

“Not bad for a Kiwi bloke!” Buckley said post race.

“Feels good to come on Aussie turf and take one back for the boys.

“I would like to thank Les. I would not be here without him.

“My team and Andrew and Thomas, who have come along and been living the dream. We are just a few boys trying to chase it.”

Brown showed early speed by winning the opening A Main.

The #V97 dominated, leading all 20 laps to cruise to the chequered flag.

A further 2s back was Nick Parker, while Caleb Currie won a tight battle for third with Tom Payet and Travis Buckley right behind.

However, the main SA title was on the Saturday night.

Payet managed to beat Brown in the first heat as Mitch Saunderson won the second sprint.

Brown hit back in Heat 3 before Payet went back to back in an attritional Heat 4 where three failed to finish.

The Pole Shuffle then followed where Brown was the only driver to record a 26s time, being four tenths faster than the rest.

Brown looked ominous early, leading the

first four laps.

He got a great start and immediately built a formidable gap over Sanderson as Caleb Currie, Payet and Buckley wrestled side by side for third.

The Kiwi tried to make the high line work and snatched third before soaring past Saunderson.

This became a battle for the lead suddenly as sensationally leader Brown started slowing coming out of Turn 4.

The TFH-backed driver crawled to a halt after four laps with mechanical dramas, robbing him of a chance of victory.

Buckley and Saunderson were still sideby-side and not giving each other an inch.

Eventually the high line paid dividends for Buckey as he established a lead by lap six and did not look back.

Currie soon snatched second from Saunderson, but the #S6 soon joined the sidelines with Payet and Brown.

With a number of big names out it became a fight for survival with Parker, who started seventh, hunting down the Kiwi in the closing laps.

But Buckley held on to get the state crown – and he celebrated in style.

Thomas Miles

RAIN WASHES RACING AWAY

A BIG weekend of racing was in store, but sadly inclement weather washed the excitement away.

Sprintcars were supposed to go racing at Redline Raceway, Toowoomba Speedway and Sydney International Speedway, but all were washed-out on November 30.

Round 3 of the Queensland Speedway Spares Ultimate Sprintcar Championship was scheduled for Toowoomba.

After victory in the previous round, Ryley Smith held a narrow two-point lead and

hoped to extend it. However, forecast wet weather saw officials cancel the event that also featured Super Sedans and Speedcars in the morning.

A big weekend of racing was also in store at the growing Sydney International Speedway.

A total of 26 Sprintcars were lined up to compete in Round 3 of the American Tire and Racing Services Track Championship, while Late Models, Speedcars and Fender Benders were also scheduled.

Racing at both Sydney and Toowoomba did however resume the following weekend (with reports to feature in AA’s next issue).

A total of 21 360/LS Sprintcars were nominated for a Showdown but they will not return to Ballarat until April 12, while the next event is Street Stocks King of Mountain on December 14.

But excitement is only building with some massive races coming over the New Year period.

Thomas Miles

Kiwi steals SA title! Travis Buckley celebrates – after a post-race rollover! Image: COREY GIBSON PHOTOGRAPHY

FOWLER WINS VICTORIAN TITLE

IN SEARING heat, Chris Fowler (pictured) rose to the occasion to win the Victorian Grand Prix Midget Racing Association state title for the first time, at Rushworth Speedway in the Goulburn Valley, with temperatures of up to 35 degrees.

The feature race was reduced to a 15-lap title race with wet weather in Victoria on its way and also due to the condition of the track after the beating it had already taken after the heat of the day and the non-stop racing.

As the flag marshal and Steward sent the field on its way Fowler positioned himself on the racing line leaving the field behind him needing to force a mistake, wait for him to make one, or make a bold move to get past.

Robotham, Myers, Perry, and Shawn Ward

settled into the top five in the early race stages with Luke Ward out of the race on lap two and Kamolins out of the race on lap three, whilst Myers passed Robotham into second spot on the same lap.

Eight laps into the race and at the halfway mark, Fowler still led Myers.

Florrimell was behind Shawn Ward with Rouse tailing the field as Meredith pulled out of the race with drive-shaft bearing damage.

On lap 14 Florrimell suffered undiagnosed issues in the engine bay, possibly fuel Injection, and his race ended with a spin on the final lap.

Perry dropped in behind Ward in fifth position as Fowler claimed the Victorian title victory ahead of Myers, Robotham, Shawn Ward. Perry and Rouse.

“First thing I want to say is that I dedicate the victory tonight to the late Ross Stainer who built the HMJ Chassis’ cars that Locky and I drive,” Fowler said.

“Also, a huge thank you to my father John Fowler who preps the car each week and maintains everything, I just zip up and drive, this win is a team effort, I am the driver he is the man who makes this team what it is.

“It is as much his win as it is mine. I want to thank the Goulburn Valley Auto Club for their efforts in difficult weather and for bringing the fans into the pits to have a look around, we need to do these things to find new racers, well done to them.

“Congratulations to the other drivers who achieved podiums and their best possible results tonight.”

Dean Thompson

HEALEY MAKES LATE MODEL DEBUT

DESPITE BEING thrown into the deep end, youngster Kaiden Healey (above) fought hard in his Late Model debut during the NSW Title at Dubbo Speedway.

The 19-year-old from Portland in NSW made his debut with the Croker Family Motorsport team in the #15 and finished fifth.

“I can’t thank the Croker family enough for the opportunity to drive one of their cars to make my Late Model debut, as it was a dream come true for me and my family,” Healey expressed.

“The Croker family and I have been friends for a few years when Jacob and I raced Junior Sedans against one another, and Jacob and I have been good mates since.

“When Jacob moved into Late Models last season, I’ve been helping on his pit crew when it wouldn’t clash with my own racing commitments, and a few weeks ago, the Croker family asked if I wanted to drive their second Late Model, and it was a question that I didn’t have to be asked twice.”

“My goal heading into my Late Model debut was to just stay out of the trouble and get laps, so it was wonderful to exceed my own expectations and bring home a top five result in the NSW Title.”

Healey’s team-mate on the night, Jacob Croker, was unlucky to not win the NSW Title.

Starting the NSW Title decider from pole position, he was a front-running contender for 33 of the 40-lap distance, before an error saw him drift wide and into the fence and come to a stop.

He managed to restart at the rear of the field and went on to finish in seventh.

It was certainly a case of what might have been for Croker when it came to his NSW Title hopes.

Daniel Powell

MITCHELL AND TAYLOR WIN BAIRNSDALE SPEEDWAY MAIN EVENTS

FOR THE second year in succession the Bairnsdale Speedway Association played host to the Victorian Speedway Council

Junior 1200cc Sedan state title with Andrew Mitchell coming out on top.

The day started with weather in the high 30s and after the green flag waved the field away, Hutchinson dropped down to fifth on lap one as he got a little wide at Turn 4, opening the door for others right behind to drive underneath and pace him. Doherty led the race until the lap five rollover of Ryder Taylor, just in front of his little brother Cruz Taylor as Ryder and others made passing moves around the backmarkers.

At the restart Doherty continued out in front of the field before another racing incident with Max Murdoch and Xander Baxter crashing into the back straight concrete wall after they collided as Baxter tried to pass.

Baxter became the first of the big favourites to exit the race.

On lap 11 Hutchinson pulled infield with engine concerns as his car went up in smoke under the hood.

Doherty at this point led Mitchell who had

started back in eighth, with Riley Taylor in third, Dayne Murdoch and Knight the top five on lap 12.

On lap 14 Mitchell hit the front of the race whilst a couple of laps later Riley Taylor spun himself out of a podium place down the back straight.

After 25 gruelling laps Mitchell crossed the finish line just under two seconds ahead of Doherty, Murdoch, Ella Sheedy and Knight rounding out the top five.

Warrick Taylor (pictured above) – competing on race day in Unlimited Sedans whilst supporting his two sons and his nephew and

niece all competing in the Junior title – won two of the three heat races whilst Anthony McKean won the other.

In the 15-lap final, Taylor set a race distance track record, while Corey McDonald raced to second place with McKean third the Troy Hutchison and Daryl Nicolson rounding out the top five.

In Open Standard Saloons, Justin Smith’s great night went backwards early as he dropped down to 13th in the field and after five laps Yeomans led Argoon. But Ingram surged ahead of Argoon on lap seven.

In the closing stages Blake Smith pulled

infield and Yeomans finished off the race just over three seconds ahead of Ingram and Argoon.

Nathan Miles won all three of his heats in Junior Standard Saloons. He raced out to a big lead early and stretched it lap after lap to claim a feature race win over 10 laps distance with Ella Sheedy second after having just finished fourth in the Junior 1200cc Sedan title minutes earlier. Cooper Irons finished in third place with Aliyah Westwood and Toby Greaves rounding out the top five.

Fraser Crittenden and Troy Wilson had some great battles for the lead in the Division 2 Hot Rods with their closest margin being .343 of a second. Crittenden won all three qualifiers before winning the final ahead of Troy Wilson.

Bree Walker won one and Caroline Allen two heats on the way to the final for the Ladies Standard Saloon final. Allen then led the way in the final to defeat Walker, Tasharni Murray, Michelle George and Sharni Stuchbery.

Bairnsdale Speedway Association is back in action on Boxing Day.

Dean Thompson

Image: MICHAELA EADE PHOTOGRAPHY

Image: LONE WOLF PHOTOGRAPHY

NATIONALS WRAP

READING JOINS TAS RALLY ELITE

TASMANIAN CHAMPION rally driver

Bodie Reading (above) has joined an elite list by winning his fourth Tasmanian Rally Championship.

Reading won his first state title in 2018 with Alex Malcolm in a Subaru Impreza WRX Sti, and has now claimed his fourth title by winning the Buckby Motors Rally Tasmania on the North-West Coast near Burnie and Wynyard on November 23 and 24.

The championship was Young’s third and the pair’s third championship together in four seasons.

Reading becomes only the fourth driver to win more than three titles since the championship started in 1964, joining Tasmanian rally legends Ray Long, Lin Gigney and Andrew Murfet.

The final two rounds of this year’s championship piggy-backed on the final round of the Australian Rally Championship, with two heats on the Saturday and two on the Sunday.

The Tasmanian Rally Championship was originally scheduled for five rounds, but

Round 2, the Mountain Stages Rally, was cancelled when the organising Motor Sports Club of Tasmania was unable to deliver the event.

The third round, Rallye Natone, was also cancelled after a severe weather storm the day before the rally, made the event unsafe to continue due to numerous fallen trees and dangerous conditions.

With contenders only taking a bare minimum of points from Round 1 into the season finale, the points were heavily weighted towards the back of the season.

Reading and Young (Subaru Impreza WRX Sti) won the first round, so were they were looking to capitalise on their points lead at Rally Tasmania.

Second generation rally driver Aiden Peterson and co-driver Mitch Newton, also in a Subaru, finished second in Round 1 and started the first heat in Rally Tasmania with plenty of promise, winning from the defending champions by just 1.7 secs in a tight affair.

Crichton Lewis and Anthony Carr (also in

a Subaru), finished third, a further 54.9 secs away.

Reading and Young bounced back in the afternoon heat, increasing the pace to win the heat from Peterson and Newton by 20.7 secs, to split the points for the round, with each crew recording a win and a second.

Ben Newman (Subaru) also found some extra pace in the afternoon heat to finish third, with the top five placings filled with Subarus.

With hostilities resuming on the Sunday morning for Round 3, heat one, it was Reading and Young who were the pacesetters again, winning the heat by 20.7 secs from Peterson and Newton, repeating the effort in the final afternoon heat – this time winning by 39.7 secs over Peterson and Newton.

Not surprisingly, it was Peterson and Newton who also finished second outright for the championship.

Current Tasmanian 2WD champions Jacob Walsh and his father Adrian Walsh stepped up into a Subaru this year as well and managed to clinch third outright in the

championship with some consistent results. Following a fifth place in Round 1, they racked up two more fifth placings in Round 3 and a sixth and eighth in the final round, with a number of more fancied rivals falling by the wayside with DNFs.

Meanwhile, veteran David Thompson and co-driver Matthew Sanders (Ford Capri Perana V8), took advantage of the back end points loading for the championship, winning three of the four heats in the two-wheeldrive category, to take out an unexpected championship, despite not running in the first round in April.

The only minor blemish was in the first heat on the Saturday morning, when they were bettered by husband and wife team Ben and Reubecca Sheldrick.

Unfortunately the weekend for the pair ended prematurely later that evening when they rolled their Commodore during the super special stage in Burnie.

The win was Thompson’s first state title despite decades involved in the sport.

Martin Agatyn

PERFECT PATTERSON

GARNET PATTERSON (pictured) pushed man and machine to the limit and only just fell short of the elusive sub-two-minute lap at Mount Panorama’s Challenge Bathurst.. Patterson came close by producing a scorching 2:00.9860 to dominate the event, which even attracted an ex-F1 star.

The rapid time came in the 17th session of the weekend and last of his class.

The fastest Challenge Bathurst lap ever was an elusive sub-two-minute time set by Christopher Mies in a an unrestricted Audi R8 LMS in 2018.

GT driver Patterson steered a Jam Motorsport Wolf Mistral F1 that is usually run by John-Paul Drake.

But Drake was still behind the wheel and impressed, setting the second fastest time of the weekend, ensuring a Jam Motorsport 1-2. Drake was the best part of 5s adrift with his 2:05.7880.

In Group A, Patterson was a huge eight seconds clear of nearest rival Jake Santalucia, who won a much tighter battle for second.

The outright Supersprint Group A drivers got five sessions to take on Mount Panorama and Patterson saved his best for the last.

Whilst Patterson flew into the distance, going faster than many have dreamed around Mount Panorama, it was on for ‘best of the rest.’

Whilst they were in a different postcode, the battle for second was enthralling as three

cars were split by less than a second. Ending up on top as the only member with a 2m8s time was Santalucia in his Porsche 911.2 GT3 Cup car.

His time was set in the penultimate run as Geoffrey Emery held off a sea of Porsches for third.

As a result Conor Somers and the visiting ex-Jordan F1 driver Tiago Monteiro had to

round out the top five in a big 37-car field.

The heavyweight contenders were in Group A, which was one of four groups on show in the event where amateur drivers get to realise the dream of driving around the iconic 6.213km circuit.

Group B was again dominated by Jam Motorsport with Drake being a huge 10.8s over Myles Davidson.

Davidson was also in a Porsche and was even tenths ahead of VE Commodore driver Matthew Sims.

Kiwi Francois Beziac overcame the locals to top Group C in a McLaren 570S GT4. His 2:18.4780 was a comfortable 4s clear of Alex and Brice Morrison.

By far the most competitive battle was bar far Group D, which was a thriller.

Nothing could split Trent Gurbel and Santalucia all weekend and when the times stopped, just 0.0160s was the difference.

In the end Grubel emerged on top in his Subaru Impreza WRX S with a 2:11.2070. Thomas Miles

Image: DMAC PHOTOGRAPHY

Image: INSYDE MEDIA/CHALLENGE BATHURST

TASSIE CHAMPIONS CROWNED

TASMANIA’S CHAMPION circuit racers were crowned at the sixth and final round of the 2024 Tasmanian Circuit Racing Championship at Symmons Plains on November 30 and December 1.

A few champions had already been decided, but others were still mathematical chances in seven classes.

The titles which were beyond doubt were in historic touring cars (won by John Talbot, Ford Mustang), Under 3-litre Historic Touring Cars (Roger Hurd, BMW 2002 TC), and Sports Sedans (Steve Gangell, Holden VL Commodore).

HOLDEN HQ

NEVILLE RATTRAY also had a commanding lead in the HQ Holden championship and only three HQs were entered for the final round, being the top three contenders.

Rattray only had to finish a few races to build up an unbeatable lead, and given the worst he could do was third in every race, the title was wrapped up fairly early in the weekend.

HYUNDAI EXCEL

THE SAME couldn’t be said about the Hyundai Excel championship.

Although only three drivers had realistic chances of winning, the order was far from sorted out.

Defending champion Jeremy Bennett was in the box seat, leading the title and managed to finish the weekend with four seconds and a third in the double points final to take out back to back championships.

Jackson Shaw was second in the championship and did all he could, top qualifying and winning every race, to fall short of the title by just 28 points.

However, the racing, as it has been all season, was exceptional, with Bennett and Shaw trading blows all weekend, with a gaggle of drivers battling for the minors.

Shaw’s clean sweep for the round was the only one for the season, underlining just how hard fought the battle has been all year

SPORTS GTA

THE CLOSEST title fight for the year came down to less than one race win – just 23 points (25 for a win) in Sports GTA – and, it didn’t come without dramas either.

Andrew Reader (Mazda RX-7) led the series

by 34 points heading into the final round, but he had to fight hard to keep his lead.

Tony Warren (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 7) dominated the weekend, top qualifying and winning every race in what was his final race meeting, announcing his retirement (again). Reader qualified second ahead of championship rival Troy Johnson (Porsche 911 GT3), but Johnson was quicker in the first three heats, finishing second in all behind Warren.

However, Reader damaged the rear wing on his Mazda and was forced to back off considerably in the two remaining outings as he circulated in a bid to salvage as many points as possible to keep his title alive. Fortunately, even though he wasn’t able to pressure Johnson, he still managed to finish a distant third in both races to win the title.

SPORTS GTB/C

FURTHER BACK in the field Dennis Howard (Nissan 350Z) and Dirk Joiner-Stewart (Nissan Skyline) were battling it out for Sports GTB honours.

Championship leader Mike Hamilton (Subaru Liberty) had a healthy points gap and did not enter for the final round.

Hamilton was within reach for JoinerStewart, but Howard, who was third on points had one of his best weekends of the season, finishing no worse than third.

Joiner-Stewart’s fourth and fifth placings were not enough to snatch the title, but just enough to stay ahead of Howard.

The battle for the Sports GTC championship was also a close one, with Michael Symons (BMW 125i) and Steve Olive (Ford Falcon) the main protagonists.

Symons took a 32 point lead into the final weekend and was able to clean sweep the round, beating Olive at every outing, to extend his title-winning gap to 51 points.

FORMULA VEE

MICHAEL VAUGHAN (Spectre) already had one hand on the Formula Vee championship trophy heading into the final round and drove conservatively to finish third for the round, running between third and sixth over the course of the weekend.

The battle for second in the title was well and truly alive, with third-placed Noel Clark (Elfin NG2) winning all but the third race, to win the round.

However, while his numerous battles with Richard Gray (Bee Cee Jabiru) and to a lesser extent Vaughan, saw them trading blows

and placings most of the weekend, it was ultimately Clark’s second placing in Race 3 which cost him second in the championship.

That race saw Clark, Gray and Vaughan all leading at various times, with Gray pinching the lead from Clark on the final lap, in what was also the fastest lap of the race.

Had Clark won the race, he would have finished second in the title by one point –instead he finished third by two points.

IMPROVED PRODUCTION

THE BATTLE for the minors in the Improved Production category was even closer.

Jason House (BMW E92 M3) dominated the weekend and won every race by massive margins, some in excess of 20 secs.

Series leader Ayrton Richardson (Toyota Corolla) didn’t front up for the final round, with House easily surpassing the required points to win the championship – deservedly so, having missed the first round, but then winning every race (25 in a row) for the rest of the season.

Michael Symons (BMW 125) finished second in the championship despite running midfield for most of the final round, scoring enough points to dead-heat with Richardson for second overall in the title.

Further back in the pack, veteran Leon Duggan (Ford Escort) did enough to protect his championship lead in the Under 2-litre Improved Production Sedan championship.

Mary White (Mitsubishi Mirage Cyborg) was more consistent than Kyle Smith (Datsun 1200) over the weekend to leap-frog him into second in the championship.

SPORTS AND RACING

MATTHEW ROBERTS (Dallara) had a 54-point lead over Daniel Hoult (Radical SR3) in the Sports and Racing Car Championship, but Hoult didn’t enter the final round.

This effectively handed Roberts the title, as he had an unbeatable lead over third-placed Scott Blee (Reynard 923).

Roberts finished his season in style winning every race convincingly.

Noel Clark (Cheetah Mk8) was a distant second in every race, while a mix of a fourth, three fifths and a sixth placing, was enough for Blee to wrap-up second in the championship.

Martin Agatyn

It’s Jackson Shaw vs Jeremy Bennett at the front of a tight Excel contest! Top: Andrew Reader heads Sports GTA champion Dirk Joiner-Stewart. Above left: Noel Clark and Richard Gray fought out what would be the championship runner-up spot in Vees. Above right: It was like this in Improved Production – Jason House ... then space ... Images: ANGRYMAN PHOTOGRAPHY

NATIONALS WRAP

777/EXCEL ENDUROS HEADLINE SA FINALE

THE FINAL round of the South Australian Motor Racing Championship combined the Brakes and More Enduro for Circuit Excel and the 777 Endurance Crown with sprint races for Sports Prototype, Combined Sedans and a cameo appearance by Touring Car Masters at Shell V-Power Motorsport Park on November 22-24. Auto Action’s DAVID BATCHELOR was on hand to cover the action and snap the images ....

ENDURANCE CROWN

Dale Carpenter, Joel Stafford and Troy Gleeson (Holden Commodore VF) took a narrow win in the four hour 777 Endurance Crown just over a minute ahead of Robert Zoanetti, Shayne Nowickyj and Mitch McGarry (Honda Integra Type R).

Brian Smith, Kim Anderson and Brodi Dominic (BMW 135i) qualified P1 but were quickly outgunned by Jack, Jed and Adam Wallis (BMW) who led the most laps but had a fuel problem at about the three hour mark – the car stopped out on the track gifting the 135i the last step on the podium.

The Wallis’ continued on once the car had been retrieved to finish two laps down in fourth. Lucy Sidwell joined Jake Carpenter and Kobi Williams in their Hyundai Excel and took fifth only two laps behind the winner.

Lucy had also made a strong comeback in her own Excel the day before, running as high as ninth in Race 2 before suffering clutch failure.

The battle of the Pulsars was won by Ben Moore and Steven Scukovic who were next across the line with Declan Kirkham and Robert Pepper just over 20 seconds further back.

Four laps further back and it was Jordan Johnston, Adrian Gallyer, David Zollo and Issac Sparks (Hyundai Excel) one lap up on last finisher Kwok Wai Chung, Chung Chan and Jason Weng (Subaru BRZ) who

had failed to finish the half hour qualifying session the day before.

After a troubled race one on Saturday the Totani Racing Excel of Lisa Totani, Emily Duggan and Maisie Place didn’t go the distance with the engine letting go less than 10 minutes from the finish.

Timothy Maynard and Dan Smith (Nissan Pulsar) barely made a lap in qualifying and retired after two and a half hours on Sunday.

EXCEL ENDURO’S

William Sala and Ethan Grigg-Gault proved consistency was the key to success with top five finishes in both one hour races for Circuit Excel.

Third in Race 2 clinched the Brakes and More winners trophy for the pair.

Race 2 winners Jack Carpenter and Kobi Williams had done enough in Race 1 to secure second outright.

Andrew Hobby and Nick Scaife kept out of trouble and were close enough to the front to grab P3 overall.

Mason Harvey had top qualified the #25 Excel but after the dust had settled he and Jackson Callo claimed fourth.

Thomas Randle was riding shotgun for Charlie Nash and they rounded out the top five.

Bradley Vaughan and Jacob Currie took top spot in Race one but they were well

down the order in Race 2 leaving them sixth on combined score.

Fortunately there were no big crashes this year but the Safety Car did get to do a few laps in both races.

COMBINED SEDANS

The big field of Combined Sedans was a mixed bag of mostly Sports Sedan and Improved Production and everything in between.

Michael Bartsch (Toyota 86/Chev) had an off in qualifying but made it look easy once the racing started, taking a comfortable win from Jason Palmer (BMW E30) with Steven Campbell (BMW E36) a close third.

Matt Longhurst (Honda Integra) had been Bartsch’s closest competition but a DNF in Race 3 left Longhurst in P6 overall.

Matt Wildy (Mazda RX7) was also a top three contender who failed to finish Race 3.

AUSTRALIAN PROTOTYPE SERIES

Miles Lacey (Praga R1) took a very narrow win in the Australian Prototype Series taking two wins to second placed John-Paul Drake (Wolf F1) with one.

Phil Hughes (Radical SR8) was a little off the pace of the leaders but was a safe third. John Makris (Wolf F1) was the fastest qualifier but a poor result in race one left him back in fourth.

Mark Lauke (Wolf Tornado) was unusually off the pace and rounded out the top five. Paul Trengrove (West WR1000) was the only person to finish all three races in the South Australian Prototype Series winning by a big margin.

Philip Andrawos (Wolf Thunder) was the best of the rest. Ian Eldridge (Stohr WF1) was fast but failed to finish the first two races, but he still picked up third.

Mark Short (Prince LSR) was equally unlucky winning Race o1ne only to DNF the next two.

Michael Bartsch dominated Combined Sedans despite a qualifyinf ‘off’. Top: Miles Lacey (Praga R1) took a pair of Prototype wins. Above left: Carpenter/Stafford/Gleeson snared the 777 Enduro by a minute.

Above right: From Supercars to Excels ... Thomas Randle had a laid-back weekend ...

HIGHS AND LOWS AT THE ISLAND

IT WAS another big edition of the Island Magic with close to 200 cars on show around the famous Phillip Island circuit on November 23/24.

SPORTS SEDANS

THERE WAS a versatile field of Sports Sedans and Steven Lacey raced out of the gates to take pole by 1.8s.

However, it was much closer when lights went out as Lacey won the opener by just three-tenths over Geoff Taunton.

But he did not have the pace to keep up with Ray Hislop, who powered to a 6s win.

The 50K Plate was a one-sided affair, however, with Lacey flying when it mattered and winning by a huge 38s.

The race was the most prestigious prize on offer and Lacey dominated in his IRC GT SS.

Hislop also enjoyed a comfortable drive to second in the ex-SBR Ford FG Falcon, 20s ahead of Adam Poole, who rounded out the podium steering a VZ Commodore.

AUSTRALIAN FORMULA OPEN

AUSTRALIAN FORMULA Open saw a national title decided.

Heading into the finale, Ryan MacMillan already enjoyed a formidable points lead and wrapped it up with a hard fought round win. Whilst MacMillan remained on top, he had to fight for it on this occasion.

The narrow margins all weekend were never better documented than in qualifying when incredibly both MacMillan and Miles Bromley set a 1:27.3032.

But MacMillian was awarded pole having recorded it on his fifth lap, while Bromley did not do it until his eighth.

However, when the lights went out Bromley was finally on top with a fast start propelling him to a lights to flag success.

MacMillian could only cross the line in third

after Thomas Gallagher also jumped him.

But when the PIARC Vic Road Racing Champ John Roxborough for Formula Open title was on the line, MacMillian rose to the occasion.

He dominated the 15-lap feature and cruised to a 4s win over Bromley as Kyle Evans joined them on the podium. It was a convincing way to end a convincing season.

FORMULA FORD

ALTHOUGH THE national championship has been and gone, many of those were back at Phillip Island, including Edison Beswick, who celebrated driving the #1 by taking pole. He could not convert it however, as Lachlan Evennett pipped him by a single tenth.

The stage was set for for the Formula Ford Trophy Race and it delivered.

There was an epic five-car fight for victory, but Beswick showed why he has the #1 as he held on over Evennett as just six-tenths covered the top five.

The Kent class was also hard fought with Todd Vince winning the opener before Tomas Chapman took the feature by threetenths in a Van Dieman RF01.

PORSCHE 944

THE OPENING Porsche 944 race was taken out by James Westaway as pole sitter Cameron Beller fell to fifth.

But Beller hit back by stealing the second race from Westaway by 2s.

The main event, a 10-lap feature lived up to its billing as just half a second separated the top three.

The tug of war continued as Westaway held on to victory by just two-tenths over Brewer, while Beller was also right behind as they took the chequered flag.

FORMULA VEE

MICHAEL KINSELLA was fast out of the blocks in Formula Vee taking pole by eight -tenths.

Kinsella then controlled the opening race as Curtis Porter won a fierce fight for second.

The second Formula Vee race was a thriller with just two-tenths as Reef McCarty held off Andre Curin.

But the grandstand finish was saved for the feature race where incredibly the top five were covered by less than three-tenths.

There was a different leader at the end of eight of the 10 laps, but in the end Michael Kinsella kept them all at bay.

VICTORIAN SPORTS CARS

A TOTAL of 19 cars took part in Victorian Sports Cars and Michael Kokkinos was initially untouchable having claimed pole by almost 3s.

With Courtney Prince by his side for the race, the #8 Audi R8 crushed the field in both the sprint and the 35-lap Tourist Trophy.

Best of the rest was Grant Donaldson 47s adrift in a MARC Mustang.

IMPROVED PRODUCTION

THE WEEKEND started tragically, with IPRA driver Andrew Rhodes-Anderson passing away on the Saturday of the event after suffering a medical episode during the opening race. On lap four, RhodesAnderson’s car stopped in the run towards Doohan Corner and the driver was attended by emergency crews.

Sadly he passed away at the scene, and all remaining track activity for the day was postponed.

The event resumed on Sunday with a special tribute being made to RhodesAnderson with his #96 VN Commodore leading the IMPA field on the sighting lap and a minute’s silence ahead of the Matt Flinders Plate.

For the record, Jarrod Tonks controlled the 11-lap Matthew Flinders Plate finale.

He led Andrew Butcher by 2s with the latter winning a tight battle for second.

The place was initially held by Luke GrechCumbo and Kaide Lehmann, but they both retired before Butcher made it his own with six laps left and drove away.

Tonks started the weekend with victory, but his feature race win was no sure thing as Lehmann was also victorious in his VE Commodore. Thomas Miles

Steven Lacey dominated the Sports Sedan contest in the MARC Cars SS. Right: Cameron Beller took 944 pole, but struggled in the races. Lower right: Kokkinos/Prince dominated the Sports Car races. Images: REBECCA HIND/REVVED PHOTOGRAPHY

Ryan McMillan took out the feature, to lock up the Australian Formula Open title.

NATIONALS WRAP

ANOTHER DAY, ANOTHER WILLUNGA WIN

DRIVING HIS Subaru STi C-spec,

Dan Day (pictured) won the Ampl Auto Willunga Hillclimb, on December 8, for the seventh time.

On aggregate, Day finished 14.12 ahead of last year’s winner Douglas Johnson (Subaru WRX) who was 12.11 ahead of surprise third placed Andrew Campbell (Nissan S14), the first two wheel drive.

There were a couple of changes this year – the capacity field of 130 was seeded from fastest to slowest, a reversal on previously, and a Top 10 shootout took place after the completion of the usual five runs.

After two wet years, the weather was perfect – 25 degrees and sunny skies for most of the day. A timing glitch during the day created a 4.24 second discrepancy, consistent across the event. This was rectified for the Top 10 shootout.

Day grabbed the lead from the first run, his 1:22.45s was 1.52s better than Johnson with Nick Streckeisen (Nissan R35 GTR) on 1:26.67s, 0.8 up on Julian Newton (Mitsubishi EVO 9 RS).

A 1:21.18s on the next saw Day start to pull away, Johnson on 1:23.84s, 2.81s ahead of Streckeisen with Campbell 0.71 away.

With Day quicker again on the next run with 2:20.71s, Campbell was next best 1.08s in arrears, Johnson 2.58s away with Newton 3 seconds further back.

Day set his fastest time on the penultimate run, 1:20.22s, 2.15s up on Johnson, a full 3.88s ahead of Campbell, in turn 0.94s ahead of Streckeisen.

Slightly slower at 1:20.53s, Day’s final run was 4.13s ahead of Johnson, in turn 1.66s ahead of Campbell, with Streckeisen 0.61s in arrears.

Day’s winning time was 6:45.09s, Johnson 6:59.21s, Campbell 7:10.32s, Streckeisen

7:15.01s with Newton fifth on 7:17.76s. The next 2WD was Matt Frith’s Nissan S13 in 12th outright.

Most did their fastest times in the shootout, some stunning times set, Day with 1:14.74s, Johnson 1:16.95s and Campbell 1:20.74s. Streckeisen was fourth from Newton with Damien Brand (Subaru STi) sixth.

Story and Image: John Lemm

FLYING DOWN THE QUARTER MILE

THE GEELONG Revival Motoring Festival brought over 1000 cars and motorbikes to the Geelong waterfront for a weekend of entertainment and action.

Entrants competed over Saturday and Sunday racing in class divisions to be quickest down the quarter mile.

The fastest car down the straight was the Ford Territory driven by Nicholas De Jong. In the second heat on Saturday he managed a time of 9.64s, the only car to break into the single digits on the waterfront. Second fastest over the weekend went to

Peter Chapman in the Jeep Trackhawk with a 10.51.

Rounding out the top three was the #156 Indycar of Scott Innes with a time of 10.66s down the quarter mile.

History was repeated in 2024 as the fastest and only car to break the 10 second barrier the previous year was also a Ford Territory Turbo with a time of 9.80s.

Attention was then turned to the motorbikes where the times were difficult to split.

The fastest bike down Ritchie Boulevard

GURNEY DRIVES TO GREATNESS

ALANA GURNEY made history in the final day of Karting Australia’s GoPro Summer Series by being the first female driver to win a Gold Medal.

The Victorian claimed victory in the Cadet 12 Feature Race, which she controlled from start to finish to beat Rossi Yau and Casper Anderson by 2.2s.

Henry Johnstone turned the tables on Jay Coul and dominated KZ2 Gearbox, forcing the latter to have wrestle for second with Jack Webster.

Toby Dvorak produced a late charge to sneak past Webster on the final lap.

After being third on Saturday, Jye Flynn pushed forward to win a three-way battle when it mattered against Ky Burke and Braxton Regan as they were separated by 1.8s.

was David Fenollar in the ZXR10RR 2012 with a time of 10.58s in Heat 4 on Sunday.

Second was the M1000R of Steven Delaney with a time of 10.90s.

Close behind with the third fastest time was Vincent Glynn riding the ZX10R 2023 with a time of 10.92s.

The scoresheet was so close between the bikes that multiple pairs of competitors within the top 10 received the same time.

The final event of the festival was the Top 10 Shootout, a chance for the quickest cars and bikes to compete together for the award of fastest over the weekend.

The results for the shootout saw a familiar face at the top of the times, Nicholas De Jong took home the coveted top spot in the Ford Territory.

He was just shy of falling below the 10 second mark with a time of 10.03s.

It was just clear of David Fenollar in the ZXR10RR 2012 with a time of 10.65s.

Rounding out the top three was another Ford Territory, driven by Tony Marakis with a time of 10.83s.

Marakis did not receive a time on Saturday but managed to secure his shootout spot on Sunday.

The results of the cars and bikes were evenly split for the shootout, all completing the quarter mile within 12 seconds.

It was a weekend of questionable weather in Geelong, but the action on display did not disappoint.

Ava Stone

South Australian Noah Enright overcame the 54-driver field to be the leader in KA3 Junior.

Enright dominated his class as Corey Carson was the peak in the second half of the field.

The class winners then went head-to-head in the feature race and Carson led early before Enright surged ahead and pulled away.

Geelong’s Zach Findlay was the class of the field in KA3 Senior, winning the sprints and feature. This forced Zac Heard to settle for second ahead of Christian Sasso.

Local driver Amos Orr gave the crowd something to cheer about by winning the TaG 125 category. After showing promise in the Sprints, he seized his moment in the feature ahead of Mika Lemasurier and Jackson SouslinHarlow, who overcame multiple bent components and chassis after a Turn 1, lap one collision that saw him fight back to claim the Bronze.

Attention now turns to the 2025 SP Tools Australian Kart Championship on March 28-30 2025.

Thomas Miles

Noah Enright took KA3 Junior. Image: PACE IMAGES

Fastest – a hot Ford Territory!

ENDING WITH A BANG

SYDNEY MOTORSPORT Park saw the last big historic meeting for the year on November 30-December 1, the Historic Sports and Racing Car Association of NSW Festival. Mixed weather kept the competitors on their toes, with steady rain on Saturday and very high temperatures on Sunday. BRUCE MOXON might have sought shelter but still managed to bring us the action.

GROUPS L, M, O, P RACING AND SPORTS SOME YEARS ago Groups M and O fought out the Tasman Cup, revived at this meeting. These days it’s a bit low key, but still entertaining with a great variety of cars. Travis Clark (above) might only have qualified his Rennmax-Ford ourth, but he put in four great drives, winning all his races including the prestigious Dawson-Damer Trophy. Laurie Bennett took all four second places in his Elfin, with three 3rds going to

GROUPS Q AND R RACING AND SPORTS IT WAS RALT country in the slicks-and-wings group. Will Lowing put his RT4 on pole, from Mal Oastler’s RT1 and Peter Lucas’s RT4. Oastler took the wet first two races from Lowing, who faded to 4th in the third race and didn’t start the final.

Tom Tweedie had struggled a bit in the wet in his Elfin MS7, the V8 wheel-spinning to excess. But the dry track suited the big car much better, winning race three and leading the final handily before stopping with brake issues. This left Lucas (below) in front. Lucas had taken second in the earlier race and was keeping Tweedie honest in the final. Andy Cantrell (Kaditcha) took second in the final, with Peter Thompson’s Tiga S2000 car next.

FORMULA VEE

VETERAN DAVID Cutts (Spectre) and relative newcomer Matt Pearce (Rennmax) battled hard for Vee honours. The four races saw these two swapping the lead several times per lap. Cutts won the first race from Pearce, with Dean Briggs (Spectre) next. Pearce spun away a good finish in the next race, ending up fourth behind Cutts, Briggs and Pearce and Cutts resumed battle in Race 3, before Cutts had an oil line fail, ending his

run. Pearce took the win from Dean and Glynn Briggs (Spectre).

Cutts raced from the rear of grid in the final, getting into second place before the first lap was over. From then, he and Pearce resumed battle, with Pearce winning by just over a tenth of a second. Behind them, it was Dean Briggs from Steve Normoyle.

FORMULA FORD

1983 FORMULA Ford national champion

Bruce Connolly drove his Elwyn to first in the first and last races. Tom Tweedie and Ben McNamara took the minor places in their Van Diemens. Race 2 went to Tweedie from Connolly and Garry Watson’s Mawer. Connolly made some setup changes and took the fight to Tweedie in Race 3, but they both had to give best to Watson, who took the flag from Tweedie and Connolly, with the three cars separated by about 0.3 seconds! Connolly took the last race by the comparatively comfortable margin of twotenths, with Sean Whelan (Van Dieman) next.

GROUP S

THE TRADITIONAL annual mini-enduro headlined the production sports cars’ weekend. 22 laps on Sunday morning with a compulsory pit stop (and optional driver change.)

Wayne Seabrook (Porsche 911) had a perfect meeting, winning all four races and leading

every lap but one in the enduro. This is not to suggest he had no competition. Brett Smith (Datsun 280Z) kept Seabrook honest in the first two races before retiring late in the enduro.

Doug Barbour took his 911 to econd in the enduro, with Simon and Damian Meyer sharing an MG Midget to third. The last race went to Seabrook, from a recovering Brett Smith and Barbour.

GROUP N

THE TOURING Cars were dominated by Fords, with Peter O’Brien (Falcon) taking the first two races from David Noakes (Escort) and Mark Johnson’s Mustang. Johnson took Race 3 from O’Brien and Noakes. Johnson also took the last race, as O’Brien had parked up. Spencer Rice (Alfa 2000) put in a storming drive from rear-ofgrid to be second, from Noakes.

SUPERSPRINT

A SERIES of five-lap sprints with some fascinating Group U Sports Sedans in attendance. While the Bryan Thomson Mercedes-Chev and VW-Chev got all the attention, it was Chris Thomas who was fastest in his LJ Torana, before breaking a gearbox. Simon Pfitzner was fastest in the third and fourth runs in the Bryan Thomson Mercedes (pictured far left).

Bruce Moxon

Malcolm Oastler (Ex John Smith Ralt RT1) was in the Q/R Racing contest – until the fourth (last) race. Images: BRUCE MOXON

Peter Lucas, Ralt RT4.

Travis Clark – Renmax-Ford ...

David Cutts shows Matt Pearce the way.

Bruce Connolly heads th FFord pack.

DRAG RACING

GOLDEN NDRC ACTION

THE 50TH annual Goldenstates saw NDRC Top Doorslammer and NDRC Top Fuel Motorcycle competitors take on the Perth Motorplex.

When all was said and done, it was Russell Taylor (Top Doorslammer) and Wayne McGuinness (Top Fuel Motorcycle) who claimed the A-Final victories over runnersup Brodie Zappia and Benny Stevens respectively.

In the A Final, defending Top Doorslammer Goldenstates champion Russell Taylor went back-to-back, taking the win over 19-yearold national level debutant Brodie Zappia with a blistering 5.645 second 409.26kph run over Zappia’s equally as impressive 5.849 second 389.48kph effort.

Making his runner-up result even more head turning is the fact the younger Zappia was only recently licensed in the elite level bracket around a month ago, with the Goldenstates weekend marking not only his national debut but also only his second competitive outing in the bracket, following a championship-winning Junior Dragster career.

Running in the fives throughout the weekend’s action, Taylor got the party started on Friday night, top qualifying with a 5.680 second/408.13kph pass.

He then set the scene early on Saturday with a solo 5.728 second/409.43kph in Round 1 before lining up against Frank Taylor in Round 2. Frank, who had been struggling with blower belt alignment all weekend, had a wobbly start off the line, while Russell Taylor blazed down the track to the tune of 5.650s/412.30kph, over Frank’s 7.270s/220.89kph effort.

Brodie Zappia meanwhile made it to the A-Final after also running fives in both of his previous All Run rounds, with a 5.941s/384.60kph effort over Matt Abel in Round 1 and a 5.902s/384.96kph run over Maurice Brennan in Round 2.

The A-Final victory at home in Perth marks an excellent comeback for reigning NDRC

title-winner Taylor, who didn’t achieve the results he had hoped for at the start of the season.

“It is a good feeling (to get the win) – it is good to be back in Perth and get one under the belt again, after Adelaide’s season opener it was a bit of a Debbie Downer, so I am very happy to be here,” Taylor said.

“We can’t wait for the next round of NDRC – it is a great series.

“Thank you to all the officials and the crowd and all of the NDRC crew – without you guys we can’t do this.”

In the B-Final, Andrew Cole took the win over John Zappia with a solid 6.020 second/365.79kph run over the elder Zappia (6.341s/275.66kph) after breaking into the fives for the very first time in Round 1 (5.988s/389.61kph) over Peter Kapiris, before again going quicker in Round 2 (5.951s/389.86kph) on a solo run to make his way to the B-Final.

Unfortunately for Cole, despite taking the B-Final victory, the night didn’t end in celebrations as expected when his Corvette made contact with the wall after the chutes were pulled, rolling onto its roof and sliding down the road before coming to a stop next to the safety crews. Thankfully, Cole got himself out of the car immediately before speaking with first safety officers and then the big screen presenters soon after.

To claim victory in the C-Final, Lisa Gregorini first took a holeshot win (5.785s/400.33kph) in Round 1 with a brilliant launch and a .091 time at the tree over husband Daniel (5.760s/393.20kph).

The season-opener-winning Gregorini then got a good launch off the line in Round 2 to take the win over Peter Kapiris, who struggled at the start and had to be pushed back from the line. She was seeded to run against Shane Catalano in the C-Final, who took his first Top Doorslammer victory earlier in the evening – however, suspected conrod damage prevented the Mik Waters

Fabrication Charger from making it back out for the rest of the night.

In the D-Final, Matt Abel had a drive job on his hands to take the win with a 8.101 second/175.38kph solo pass. It was also a successful event for Steve Aldridge, who ran one of the fastest passes of the second All Run session with a 5.842 second/385.45kph pass to secure his Top Doorslammer licence.

In the Top Fuel Motorcycle A Final, last year’s Goldenstates winner Wayne McGuinness joined Russell Taylor in making it two-for-two, taking the win over Benny Stevens after two rounds of All Run racing on Saturday night. McGuinness got the job done with a 7.867 second/47.03kph pass over the defending Top Fuel Motorcycle champion’s 9.169 second/195.27kph effort, with Stevens having struggled with bike issues all weekend.

McGuinness had earlier enjoyed a solo first run after top qualifier Ian Ashelford, who ran a 8.479s pass at 194.07kph to claim those honours, was unable to make it out for racing. Meanwhile, Stevens lined up against Kevin Gummow, who made it off the line but ultimately went nowhere, giving the win to Stevens.

In Round 2, McGuinness delivered another impressive run despite struggling with clutch issues to take the win, running a 7.492 second/250.29kph over Stevens’ 9.626 second/74.14kph effort. Kevin Gummow was seeded to run in the B-Final, however, an explosion in the engine during the second All Run round ruled the Puma rider out of the finals.

After missing the second round of qualifying, taking the win was extra special for McGuinness this weekend.

“This win did not come without a lot of dramas, I will give you the tip!” grinned McGuinness.

“It was a typical Goldenstates for us with dramas all weekend, but we overcame them, and we got the win.

“It is always good racing Benny, and we tried to put on a good show and keep it interesting!

“We will be back for the next one – thank you to my crew and Resources Club for keeping me running all weekend.”

Also on-track at the Goldenstates was a full complement of Sportsman racers, with their competition as part of the ANDRA Regional Sportsman Championship also earning them points in the NDRC’s Aeroflow National Sportsman Championship.

Taking out the wins in the Sportsman ranks were Daniel Natalotto (Lectron Australia Competition Bike), Doina Day (Huntsman Racing Supercharged Outlaws), Alby Bakranich (Top Sportsman Competitors Top Sportsman), Michelle Morrison (Modified), John Szabo (Super Sedan Competitors Super Sedan), Paul McNamara (Ballistic Performance Parts Modified Bike), Craig Caton (Goodyear Racing Super Street), Tahlia Martin (Langtree’s Machinery Services Junior Dragster), Rob Gaikhorst (Jackie Watt ConsultancyFardella and Watt Racing Super Stock), and Jon Ferguson (Competition Eliminator) who took out the prestigious Gold ANDRA Christmas Tree trophies. Thomas Miles

Russell Taylor took out Top Doorslammer from sensational young debutant Brodie Zappia (top right), while Wayne McGuinness blew them away in Top Fuel Motorcycle.

Images: HIGH OCTANE PHOTOS

DREAM TO REALITY – BORTOLETO GOES BACK-TO-BACK

AFTER 14 rounds of wheel-to-wheel action and high-octane drama, the chequered flag in Abu Dhabi marked the end of yet another thrilling Formula 2 Championship for the ages, with the championship fight ending just metres after the lights went out on Sunday.

Fans of the feeder series were treated to a swinging title fight that went right down to the wire when the final two rounds picked back up after a nearly three-month-long hiatus, with the title only capable of landing in the hands of the then-leader Gabriel Bortoleto or Isack Hadjar, with Paul Aron a mathematical outside chance in Qatar.

The 2024 Formula 2 Championship season’s long-awaited conclusion began with the high-speed challenge of the Lusail International Circuit.

Of the three contenders, Aron shone early during the opening practice and, crucially, the opening stages of Qualifying to secure pole position for the Feature Race, dominating over Bortoleto by a mighty 0.335-second interval.

Having qualified ninth, Hadjar set himself up well to close the gap to the incoming Sauber driver, earning himself a front-row start for the reversed-grid Sprint.

Hadjar controlled most of the 23-lap dash, stealing first place from Oliver Bearman on the second lap and keeping the lead position with 3.5s of leeway until the Bearman forged a late attack.

Circulating in Hadjar’s DRS range, lap 21 marked the moment Bearman utilised the slipstream advantage to fly past into Turn 1,

with the Frenchman’s troubles worsening when he spun at Turn 4, dropping to fourth.

Meanwhile, Bortoleto climbed to P5, but despite retaining the championship, his lead fell to 2.5 points.

In the main event, Bortoleto was comfortable starting from the front row, getting the best of Aron as they started the Feature Race.

Aron stuck to the Invicta Racing driver’s gearbox for the bulk of the race, taking the chequered flag in second place before he inherited his maiden Formula 2 victory from the penalised Brazilian who was dealt a fivesecond penalty for failing to follow the Race Director’s instructions.

That also played into the hands of Hadjar who originally finished third, before inheriting P2, shrinking the gap to just 0.5 points heading to Yas Marina.

“99 percent of the job is done, we’ve nearly completed all the targets, but I still need to bring the title home,” said Hadjar in the leadup to the finale.

“It won’t decide the future for me, I’ve shown what I could show, now it’s this final one and it’s not for fun, but this one is for the team and for myself, whether I win the title or not. It’s like a bonus.”

Aiming to extend the margin, Bortoleto said a back-to-back championship “would be the dream scenario”.

“[Winning is] everything I’ve worked towards in my entire life. If I go to F1 having won the F3 and F2 titles back-to-back, both years as a rookie, it’s a dream.”

Of the two rivals, the Brazilian came out

on top in Qualifying, however, no one was able to match the pace of Victor Martins who flew to pole position for the Feature Race, 35 milliseconds ahead of Bortoleto while Hadjar inherited the final place in the top three.

From start to finish, the Sprint was dominated by Josep María Martí who claimed his maiden Formula 2 victory against Bortoleto’s calculated attack, while Aron finished in third but was disqualified from Sprint and Qualifying results after the FIA Technical Delegate’s post-race report indicated that his DRS actuator had been modified.

Hadjar’s Sprint was marred by first-corner contact that damaged his front wing, dropping him to P11 before he crawled back to sixth by the chequered flag, increasing the margin to 5.5 points ahead of what would soon become a nightmare Feature Race for Car #20.

As the lights went out, pole-sitter Martins was slow to get away. However, Hadjar’s start was even more unfortunate, stalling his car on the grid, and forcing him to watch his rival speed off into the lead as he was wheeled into the pitlane.

The Red Bull Junior rejoined the race three laps down on Car #10, whose focus shifted to tyres.

The Brazilian came in for his pitstop on lap eight, rejoining in the effective lead before two costly lock-ups on his out-lap allowed Paraguay’s Joshua Duerksen to overtake him at Turn 9.

Duerksen went on to claim his second victory of the season – however, his

celebrations were overshadowed by the back-to-back championship-winning party that formed on the grid.

The Brazilian was emotional upon arrival, with the victory not quite sinking in for the rookie who will be on-track again on Tuesday for post-season testing with his future Sauber Formula 1 team.

“It’s the best feeling in the world. I cannot explain what I’m feeling right now – it’s just so much adrenaline, so much happiness,” Bortoleto said.

“The whole [of] Brazil is watching us today. [Waking] up at 6 AM in the morning there and I gave them back happiness on Sunday morning. It’s a dream for me to win F2 in a row after F3, as a rookie, it’s just amazing and … I’m not thinking right now, I’m on another planet!”

Reese Mautone

Bortoleto leads the F2 field into Turn 1, while his championship rival is left, forlornly, back on the grid ... Below: F3, and now F2 champion! Images: MOTORSPORT IMAGES

FURY FUELS VERSTAPPEN

Report: LUIS VASCONCELAS

Images: MOTORSPORT IMAGES

MAX VERSTAPPEN’S motivation is never in question but, in Lusail, the Dutchman was particularly fired up, seeking revenge for the unusual one-place grid penalty he had been handed after qualifying.

Verstappen had remained on the racing line during a preparation lap, knowing those behind him were also doing more than just one out lap before trying to set a time at the end of Q3. For some reason, George Russell decided to speed up, and passed the Red Bull driver, immediately claiming “that was dangerous from Max” and continued to argue his case once the Stewards became involved.

The meeting was a particularly hot one, Verstappen later claiming that “I’ve never seen someone trying to screw another driver so hard,” and made his feelings clear to the Mercedes driver during the Drivers’ Parade.

He was a man on a mission from the moment he sat on his RB20 to start the race and it was clear he was going to get ahead of pole sitter Russell, one way or another.

The Mercedes driver looked psyched out as the race started, dropping two places and making Verstappen’s first task easy, but with Lando Norris glued to the back of his car for two-thirds of the race, the Dutchman couldn’t put one wheel wrong. Their pace was so similar that between laps 8 and 29 the gap remained stable between 1.6s and 1.9s as they traded fastest laps while trying to extend the first stint for as long as they could.

Behind them, Russell was quickly losing ground and struggling to keep Piastri behind, with the two Ferrari not too far behind.

Hoping his pace would be better on the Hard tyres, Russell was the first to pit, on lap 24, but a botched right-rear change put him in

traffic, behind Magnussen, Gasly and Alonso, cost him valuable time and a couple of places, to Piastri and Leclerc.

The battle for the win was down to just two but a wing mirror and a lapse of concentration from Norris put an end to the battle, leaving Verstappen to cruise to his ninth win of the season, and feeding Ferrari’s hopes for the Constructors’ title, as the gap to McLaren was cut down to 21 points with 44 points still on the table.

After being unable to get past Hulkenberg in the Sprint Race the previous day, a delighted Verstappen praised the team’s work, admitting things had been evenly matched between Norris and himself:

“Most of the first stint, I felt quite good in the first two sectors, but in the final sector, I think Lando already started pushing a bit more from the beginning of the race. And I was managing probably a little bit more. But then at one point, he tried to close the gap, and I had to push harder in the last sector.

“But I think still he was being very quick also in the last corner, which has been a little bit of a weakness for us, even in qualifying. We were even out around the lap, almost every single lap but it was nice – I enjoyed it, just making sure that you don’t make any mistakes.”

For the Dutchman, “the team did a great job from the Sprint to Qualifying. It’s probably been one of the biggest ones ever, where

you’re fighting a Haas in the Sprint and then go fighting for the win in the main race. It’s been quite a big swing in performance.”

Once again the World Champion was a lone ranger in his camp, Pérez again unable to take the fight to the front runners before spinning out of contention at the end of a Safety Car period (?), in another poor display.

NORRIS’ ASTONISHING MISTAKE

ALTHOUGH HE was unable to get within DRS race for the first 29 laps, Norris was easily inside undercut range midway through the race when a lapse in concentration doomed his chances of success.

At the start of lap 29 ,the right-wing mirror

Despite being on the dirty side of the road, Verstappen nailed the start and was never headed. Above: Leclerc maximised his situation for a superb

place. Opposite (left): Team unity – Norris returned the favour to Piastri and gifted him the Sprint win. Opposite (right): Relations between George and Max hit a big

Verstappen dealt with Norris being within DRS range and, once the McLaren driver was penalised, it was a cruise.

Piastri was a bit unlucky with the Safety Car – it probably cost him second place in his battle with Leclerc. ...

from Albon’s Williams broke off and landed, off the racing line after the pit exit.

Yellow lights flashed as the two leaders entered that mini-sector with the same happening in their cars’ displays but, while Verstappen lifted briefly, Norris continued to accelerate with the Dutchman immediately telling his team to check it.

The Stewards did that too, eventually, but theirs and the Race Director’s attention was soon focused on clearing the track from debris, after a lapped Bottas ran over the lost mirror, spreading debris all over the pit straight. After two drivers suffered punctures, a Safety Car was finally called to clear the scene.

As the race was about to resume, Pérez and Hulkenberg both spun off on cold tyres, so it was only at the start of lap 43 the field was released.

One lap later came the harsh 10s stopgo penalty for Norris, the McLaren driver recovering only to P10 and fully accepting his silly mistake.

The Brit put up his hand, accepting the blame, saying that “I let the team down after the team gave me a great car today. Easily the quickest out there and I f*cked it up.

“I don’t know what I did wrong. I’m not an idiot, if there’s a yellow flag, I know I need to slow down. That’s rule number one – don’t go past people. For some reason I didn’t do that today, because I’ve not seen it or I’ve missed it or something.

“I have to take it on the chin. If they think I’ve done something wrong, I must have done

something wrong. I can only apologise for the rest of the year to the team …”

It was then down to Piastri to keep McLaren’s lead in the championship and, with Russell on the back foot, the youngster looked set to beat both Ferraris and get to the podium. But, expecting a VSC at any moment for debris to be removed, McLaren pitted Piastri just a few seconds before a full Safety Car period started, costing him a position to Leclerc.

Norris’ penalty still allowed Piastri to end up on the podium, but a slightly downcast Melburnian wasn’t too happy with his pace for most of the weekend:

“I think the pace was decent, just not quite strong enough in the right places on the track, which made trying to get close pretty tough. I think once I had some clean air the pace was strong. Fighting for the win, given where I started and how the first part of the race panned out, was always going to be a challenge, but I’m pretty happy to end up on the podium.”

LECLERC GIVES FERRARI

NEW HOPE

THE SF-24’S pace in Free Practice gave Ferrari hope that Leclerc and Sainz could be in the fight at the front but, as soon as the serious stuff started, it was clear the Scuderia was only the fourth quickest team in Lusail. With Hamilton having an off weekend for reasons him and the team couldn’t explain and Pérez in his usual midfield position, that was only good enough for P5 and P6 and that’s where Leclerc and Sainz spent most of their time.

The Monegasque managed to keep the pressure on Russell and Piastri before overcutting both and then did enough to keep the McLaren driver behind after inheriting P2 thanks to Norris’ penalty.

Sainz was one of two drivers who got left front tyre punctures when he went over a

piece of the mirror debris at the end of the straight – the other one being Hamilton. His recovery to P6 helped the Scuderia gain three points on McLaren and that was the main consolation for the drivers at the end of a difficult weekend.

Russell never had the pace to fight and his gamble to pit early backfired, as he spent too much time in traffic and was no match for Leclerc and Piastri in the final stint, the Mercedes driver admitting that “with the pace I had, this has to be considered a good result…”

MASTERFUL GASLY SAVES ALPINE’S SEASON

IN THE all-important battle for P6 in the Constructors’ Championship, Alpine made a giant leap thanks to a masterful drive from Pierre Gasly, who beat his direct opposition and made the most of the issues four front runners had in the race.

Finishing fifth, after resisting Sainz’s attacks for the last 15 laps, the Frenchman scored 10 valuable points that have left his team five points ahead of Haas and 13 ahead of VCARB with just one race to go.

A delighted Gasly admitted that “it doesn’t really go together, fighting and racing a Ferrari while being told to do a lot of lift and coast, but I tried to manage it the best way I could and, at the end, I’m really happy to get that P5 for the team. I know how important the points are in the championship …”

Fernando Alonso recovered to P7 after losing positions after every re-start, complaining that “all season we’ve had this issue, as the PU seems to think we’re still behind the Safety Car at the restarts and we don’t have enough power, so that cost us a lot of time again today.

For Sauber, Zhou Guanyu’s eighth place was just reward for the hard work the Swiss team continues to do, bringing new parts for almost every race. While the four points he scored won’t change the fact Sauber will finish last in the championship, at least the team avoided the ignominy of finishing the year on zero points – and the fact the Chinese pilot beat Magnussen, Albon and both VCARBs on pure pace shows things are starting to improve for the Hinwil-based team.

AN UNUSUAL CATALOGUE OF MISTAKES

EXPLAINING WHY he’s skipping the postseason Pirelli test in Abu Dhabi, Fernando Alonso admitted that “I’m tired, and it’s not a secret that I’ve been struggling physically for four races now,” then adding that “I think I need to stop and take care of myself a little bit now.”

As with Verstappen, Fernando’s complaint had more to do with the demands of consecutive night races. The Dutch champion explained that “with Vegas and now Qatar, I’m kind of living in the dark all the time. It’s a bit … I wouldn’t say depressing, but I do need a bit of sunlihght sometimes. I walk in the dark like a bat all the time!”

Given Alonso and Verstappen are the two Grand Prix drivers who try to fit as much racing and practising as possible into their daily lives, their words should send the alarm bells ringing for those who are in a position to decide the Grand Prix schedules and the season calendar.

It’s worth reminding that one year ago, when the Las Vegas race was immediately followed by the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, five drivers were ill enough for their teams to have reserve drivers on standby, with Russell, for example, contracting pneumonia and needing the entire winter break to recover. Now, with Qatar being unnusualy cold, the main issue for everyone was the time difference between the two events – the drivers seemed to suffer as much as anyone else, such was the amount of mistakes we saw on race night.

Nico Hulkenberg, one of the safest drivers in the field, spun in the first corner and took Ocon and Colapinto instantly out of the race, before spinning again and retiring at the end of the last Safety Car period; Pérez too, spun at the end of the final Safety Car period, while Lewis Hamilton jumped the start and later forgot to press the speed limiter when entering the pits behind the Safety Car.

Lance Stroll understeered into Albon in Turn 4 immediately after the start; Albon drove erracticaly whenever in traffic, three times pushng other cars off the track while trying to defend into Turn 1; Lawson spun and hit Bottas at the first re-start; and, of course, Norris didn’t react to yellow flags and earned a penalty that cost him the race.

Clearly, the drivers were not ‘on it’ in Qatar and it’s reasonable to believe this had more to do with the tiredness that has spread across the paddock than with the particular challenges of this very quick track.

After all, last year, with virtually the same drivers, there were way fewer incidents, even if the race was held in much more extreme weather conditions. This is something worth a serious analysis both by the FIA and Formula 1.

Drive of the day saw Zhou Guanyu score his and Sauber’s first valuable points of the year.

Gasly – superb again – fifth for Alpine ...

Alonso – feeling the strain ...

NORRIS WINS TO HAND McLAREN THE TITLE

Report: LUIS VASCONCELAS

Images: MOTORSPORT IMAGES

McLAREN SURVIVED a massive scare right after the start of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix to secure its first Constructors’ Championship since 1998!

With Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri locking out the front row ahead of Carlos Sainz and with Charles Leclerc down in P19 on the grid, Ferrari’s goal of scoring 21 points more than the British team on Sunday evening looked like little more than a dream. However, just one lap into the Yas Marina event, that had become a reasonably realistic possibility.

While Norris stormed off the pole position to keep the lead, Oscar Piastri dutifully followed his team-mate into Turn 1, the braking area being minimal as there’s just a short run from the start/finish line. Max Verstappen, however, wanted to finish the season with a flourish, got ahead of Sainz in the first few metres and then dived late to try and catch Piastri by surprise. He achieved that – but in a bad way – as by going over the inside kerb the World Champion was launched into the side of the McLaren, both spinning around in front of the other 17 cars!

Miraculously everyone managed to avoid them but, while Norris kept the lead, Piastri was now down in P19 and it was clear he wasn’t not going to be in a position to contribute with a lot of points to his team’s tally. At the same time, Leclerc had avoided the first corner chaos and then passed another three cars (really!) going into the chicane, so from 19th on the grid the Monegasque had already climbed all the way to P8 and, with the

pace he was known to have, anything looked possible.

The heart rates rose again in the McLaren camp when, shortly after the inevitable VSC period came to an end, Piastri misjudged how early the mid-field would brake for the chicane, ran into the back of Colapinto’s Williams and duly received a 10s penalty!

With Leclerc flying through the field, McLaren now had to fully rely on Norris to keep Sainz at bay and secure the title, something the British driver did in style, as the Spaniard never had a sniff of the lead and the gap between the two grew slowly but gradually, especially once they both swapped for the Hard compound tyres.

A delighted Norris admitted at the end of the race that “when I saw Charles was P8 after lap one, I was a little bit nervous, as I knew Oscar had been taken out in Turn 1. So, for a minute, my heart was like ‘Oh God, it’s not looking as likely’…”

Knowing McLaren’s success was now resting on his shoulders, Norris explained that “I just kept my head down and kept focused – I knew I could deliver and do what I got to do.”

He then admitted that “the bigger picture is us winning a championship for the first time in 26 years – you wouldn’t have thought that when you say the name McLaren. It feels wrong to say that they’ve not won a championship in 26 years, but for me to be part of that, for Oscar to be part of it, is something we’re incredibly proud of. And delivering that for the team has put the biggest smile possible on everyone’s face.”

Acknowledging the work of the people behind the success, Norris added that “this is the biggest reward you can give back to everyone who designs the car, builds the car, gets the partners. Everyone has played such a big part, I’m just so proud. Proud is my biggest thing. Of course, I’m happy I finished the season this way, but I’m way more happy for the team than I am for myself.”

driver also knew this was going to be his last realistic chance of winning a Grand Prix for at least a couple of years and, starting from third on the grid, had vowed to “go aggressive at the start to at least get ahead of one of the McLarens.”

SAINZ GIVES IT ALL FOR CARLOS Sainz this was always going to be an emotional weekend. Saying goodbye to Ferrari after four seasons together, the Spanish

After the race, Sainz admitted “I actually went too aggressive – I got too much wheelspin and Max got past me, but then he went in too late on Oscar, hit him and, having avoided Russell, I found myself in second place, so the chance to win was still there.”

With the front-runners hoping to be able to get through the race with just one stop, Norris and Sainz had no trouble opening a gap to the surprising Gasly or, later, to Russell, but the gap between the two slowly grew, at around 0.1s per lap, reaching four seconds on lap 24. Ferrari then decided try and undercut its rivals, and a great out lap from Sainz got him really close to Norris at the start of lap 27. But McLaren wouldn’t make even a tiny mistake in the pits, so there was still 2s between the two friends at the front.

On the Hard tyre the performance difference between McLaren and Ferrari was bigger

Despite losing his’wingman’ Norris led all the way. Below: Leclerc’s drive from the back of the grid to third was brilliant, while (bottom of page), Sainz maintained a solid second throughout. Above: Gasly (top) was superb again, and sealed sixth in th Constructors for Alpine, just ahead of The Hulk’s Haas..

than on the Mediums, so Norris extended his lead to over 7.5s, before easing up in the final lap to savour his third win of the season and McLaren’s first Constructors’ title in 26 years.

Monegasque, George Russell lost P3 to his rival but when told by his team that the plan was to go to the end without further stops, Leclerc radioed in that “it’s optimistic …”

AMAZING RECOVERIES

CHARLES LECLERC joined his team-mate on the podium after an amazing recovery that saw him pass 11 cars in the first lap and another five before the end of the race. Going for an aggressive strategy, Leclerc started on the Medium tyres to be able to attack and, with the first corner chaos helping, ended up way further up the order than even he dared to dream of before the start of the race.

The key to his amazing recovery was the ability to go through traffic early on in the race, in dirty air, without destroying the Medium tyres, as he managed to extend the first stint until lap 20. Stopping six laps later than the

Having not only been able to keep the Mercedes driver at bay, but even extending the gap in the final 12 laps, Leclerc admitted that “I was worried George might just be saving his tyres to attack in the final laps and that’s why I wasn’t convinced trying to go to the end was the best strategy. But it was. His Hard tyres gave up before mine, so I’m, in a way, happy I did all I could today, but I’m bitterly disappointed we lost the championship –because I really felt we had a shot at it and I really wanted to give that joy to everyone that has helped us have such a competitive car this

The only man to start the race on the Hard tyre, Lewis Hamilton also drove a storming race, from 16th on the grid to pass team-mate Russell for P4 with just seven corners left to the end of the race! Bitterly disappointed to be out in Q1 – not only he was sent out into traffic, but a loose bollard also got stuck under his car with four corners to go to the end of the lap – the veteran drove a masterful 58 laps, overtaking 12 rivals and only losing a position to future team mate Charles Leclerc.

That put a smile on his face at the end of a very emotional weekend for him and Mercedes.

FINISHING ON A LOW NOTE

MAX VERSTAPPEN’S result was compromised by his mistake in Turn 1, as

he misjudged the move on Piastri “and immediately realised he didn’t know I was there.”

Recovering faster than the Australian from their spins, Verstappen made slower progress than Leclerc but only really managed to get up the order as the team delayed his only tyre change, to better cope with the 10s penalty he had incurred.

On the Hard tyre his pace was, as he stated, “pretty mediocre,” and the Dutchman had no answer for his direct rivals and continued to lose ground, a meagre P6 being his final result in what was, otherwise, a remarkable season for the now four-times World Champion.

As for Pérez, his race was over after contact with Bottas in the first lap, on what looks increasingly likely to have been the last outing for the Mexican in Formula 1 or, at the very least, as a Red Bull driver.

ALPINE BEATS HAAS FOR P6

BEHIND VERSTAPPEN, there was a heated battle between Pierre Gasly and Nico Hulkenberg, the Frenchman killing two birds with one stone and beating the German on two accounts.

In their personal battle for 10th place in the championship, Gasly overcame the one point deficit he went into the weekend with and managed to get into the season’s top 10. But, more importantly for Alpine, his seventh place secured the team’s position in the Constructors’ Championship –having started the season with clearly the slowest car in the field, the French team made a remarkable recovery that puts it in good stead for the start of the next championship.

For Haas this was a bitter pill to swallow but, in any case, the team has made a clear step forward under Ayao Komatsu’s leadership and has now a much more promising future than what could have been foreseen 12 months ago.

PIASTRI UNDONE BY VERSTAPPEN’S MISTAKE

OSCAR PIASTRI went into the final race of the season knowing that avoiding risks was crucial for him to help McLaren secure the title.

That’s why he didn’t take any chances going into Turn 1 but was the victim of a rare Verstappen mistake and found himself facing the wrong way on the exit of the corner…

To make matters worse, he then ran into the back of Colapinto’s Williams at the restart, admitting later that, “it was a pretty miserable first lap …”

His take on the first incident was very clear, explaining that “it sucked!” Asked if he felt there was enough room for the Red Bull driver on the inside, the McLaren driver explained that “there was no overlap into the corner. Max came to apologise and the penalty speaks for itself, so it is what it is …”

As for the incident with Colapinto, the Aussie accepted that “I need to look at it back, but think I just misjudged where everyone was going to brake. There were a lot of moves going on towards the braking zone and I just got it wrong.”

Nevertheless, even if P10 was nothing to write home about, the moment was one to celebrate and the young Australian driver couldn’t have been more proud to have contributed to McLaren’s biggest success of the century.

However, as he explained, “I am sure it will take a little bit to sink in, as my own personal victories often take time to sink in, sometimes days or weeks later. I am sure this is going to be a similar thing.” Jokingly, Piastri added that “my ribs are healed up now, but I might stay away from Zak, in case he hugs me pretty tight!”

Like Norris, Piastri made a point of paying tribute to the very hard work everyone in the team had done through he whole season, pointing out that “as drivers, obviously we have our eyes firmly set on becoming World Champions. But it is also very clear how much the Constructors’ Championship means and when we get to celebrate that with the hundreds and thousands of people back at McLaren together with Mercedes HPP, that’s when it will really sink in and the sense of pride will be there.”

dramas, Lewis did a farewell Mercedes burnout at the end of the race.

The podium.

ONCE

2014: FORD OUT OF V8s

MOST FORD fans probably don’t know the name Bob Tasca. But they should.

Tasca, who died in January 2010, aged 83, mixed a passion for drag racing with his business of selling Ford cars through his dealership in the US, which he opened in 1953. While an accomplished drag racer, it’s Tasca’s marketing nous for which he has been immortalised.

Simply, he lived by one principle when it came to selling new Fords and he even came up with a mantra for that principle: “Win on Sunday, sell on Monday!”

And that mantra helped turn Tasca’s Rhode Island dealership into one of the largest Ford dealerships in the US in the 1960s.

“Win on Sunday, sell on Monday!”

In 2014, according to Ford Australia’s marketing boss, David Katic, that aphorism no longer rang true.

When Ford officially launched the new –and what would be last Falcon XR8 – Katic was asked if the sales of the new car hinged on the Blue Oval’s ongoing involvement in V8 Supercars.

“ don’t think so,” he said.

“The consumers that have said ‘I’m really interested in XR8’ have not said so because they saw it on V8 Supercars. They want to be part of what the XR8 delivers.

“I think that philosophy changed many years ago.

“Someone who has gone out and bought a Fiesta ST hasn’t done so because they saw it racing around on a Sunday.”

1974

HOLDEN COMPLETED a hat-trick of national championships by wrapping up the Australian Rally Championship.

A second place finish in the Alpine Rally was enough for Colin Bond and George Shepherd to clinch the title for the Malboro Holden Dealer Team.

It followed Peter Brock’s ATCC title and the Australian Manufacturers Championship crown.

In the fight for rally honours, Stewart McLeod snatched it from Bond at the death.

At Lakeside, Leo Geoghegan ended his racing career by winning the Van Heusen Formula 2 Championship.

“My wife Del has been ill for much of the year and this has been particularly difficult the last couple of months and it is far easier to make the call now,” he said.

It’s that short-sighted thinking, according to AA, that saw Ford confirm its withdrawal from the sport as at the end of 2015.

Hardly a shock, but a slap in the face to the Blue Oval’s loval fans.

Interestingly, Ford’s attitude to motorsport flew in the face of V8 Supercars’ newest player, Volvo, which that year directly attributed an increase in sales to its involvement in the sport.

Holden, for its part, acknowledged that the days of Tasca’s mantra ringing true are probably over, but The General also acknowledged that motorsport is about more than just shifting a few units off the showroom floor.

“It’s true the Win on Sunday, Sell on Monday mantra doesn’t really apply nowadays, but the strength of demand for our V8 and sports models and the runaway success of the recent Craig Lowndes Limited Edition Commodore demonstrate the influence our motorsport program has,”

Holden Motorsport’s Simon McNamara told AA

“What works for Holden might not necessarily work for others, so it is very hard to compare.

“For Holden, motor racing is in our blood. It’s part of our heritage; it inspires passion for our brand, and is an important and successful part of our business model.”

It’s exactly that passion that was seen to lacking at the Blue Oval in 2014.

Ford has an enviable record in Australian motorsport and, while Tasca’s original

1984

A NEW look Sandown Raceway played host to the first World Endurance Championship round held down under.

The Sandown 1000 saw the biggest names in sportscar racing come to Australia and the Rothmans Porsche of Derek Bell and Stefan Bellof was the class of the field.

Bellof led from the second lap aside from a brief period during a pit stop cycle.

It was a Porsche 1-2 with Jochen Mass and Jacky Ickx recovering from a first-lap spin.

Thiery Boutsen was an ealry contender but suffered an ignition failure which saw Jonathan Palmer and Jan Lammers finish third despite suffering an unbelievable 11 tyre punctures.

A small crowd witnessed what was described as a successful Australian WEC debut with International observes rating the show and organisation.

mantra may have lost some of its impact, AA believed it still rang true. It was labelled ‘obvious’ that Ford’s withdrawal from V8 Supercars was a clear indication that the passion had gone and the heritage consigned to the spare parts bins. Which was described as a shame: “heritage and passion are two fundamental concepts that underpin motorsport, not just

1994

THE MOST controversial and sophisticated Holden Commodore had finally arrived.

The 1995 VR Commodore broke cover just before Christmas after yet another meeting between CAMS and TEGA gave it the green light.

Ex British aerospace aerodynamicist Mike Simcoe was part of the wind tunnel testing that included a 30 percent model and updated Lowndes/Jones Bathurst Commodore.

The goal for Holden Motorsport boss John Lindell was to create a “more balanced, tuneable car” to cut the gap to the Falcons.

for car companies, but for all fans of motorsport. It’s why we watch motorsport and it’s why car companies go racing.

“And it’s why the Blue Oval’s hordes of loyal fans are now in mourning for the ‘team’ they once adored. Bob Tasca would be turning in his grave.”

2004

MARCOS AMBROSE wrapped up a back-to-back V8 Supercars title in style by dominating the Sydney finale.

Not only did Ambrose sweep the entire weekend and win the final race by 27s, teammate Russell Ingall snuck past Bright and Murphy to make it an SBR 1-2. Despite the crushing closing chapter, Ambrose felt it was much harder being the hunted with the #1 on the door.

“Ten times harder (than 2003),” he said.

“Winning it for the first time was really special, but I knew from the very beginning this year what I needed to do and worked very hard and it is more satisfying because of that.

“It is a concerted effort from the whole team, not just me.”