AA1902_Digital Issue

Tyres won’t be the only thing slick on the mountain this year.

FERRARI TRADITION AT RISK

F1 REGULATIONS which conflict with the desire to do as many miles in a Ferrari prior to the availability of the teams’ allnew 2025 car mean that Lewis Hamilton’s first serious laps in red may not be at Ferrari’s in-house test track, Fiorano.

Teams are allowed to run up to four offseason days (1000km in total, most likely a pair of 500km days) using two-year-old cars to keep drivers ‘sharp’ and it was

initially expected that – as has been the case with Ferrari debutants for decades – Hamilton’s first full-on laps would be at the revered Ferrari home.

However, Fiorano has its limitations –in particular a lack of truly high-speed corners – and so, as Auto Action’s F1 guru Luis Vasconcelas suggests (see F1 News, page 24 for details), Mugello or Barcelona may well each host a day

of serious laps by the seven-time world champion in the lead-up to the debut of Ferrari’s all-new car.

Teams are, however, allowed ‘filming sessions (often used as a shakedown for new cars), and it might be that Ferrari, conscious of tradition and PR value, may be allowed to give Hamilton – who turns 40 today (Tuesday) – a literal handful of modest speed laps at

Fiorano first-up.

Certainly, the numbers of tifosi already hanging around outside the Maranello HQ are hoping for that at least …

In the meantime, news has emerged that the new Ferrari will have its cockpit positioned slightly further back than originally planned – following on from Hamilton’s issues with the cockpit in the 2024 Mercedes.

THREE-TENTHS WILL DO!

HEMUT MARKO LAYS DOWN HIS EXPECTATIONS FOR LIAM LAWSON ...

RED BULL Racing’s young talent manager (and resident HR spokesman), Helmut Marko, has set performance targets for new signing Liam Lawson, whose spot alongside Max Verstappen was finally confirmed the week before Christmas.

Indeed, Marko has advised the young kiwi to not even attempt to match world champion Max Verstappen, commenting to European TV network RTL that “you have to accept that he is the best and see how far you can get. But you can’t go in there thinking ‘I am going to beat him’. That is what went wrong with all his team-mates.”

Whether that’s already a hint as to how the new pairing will be handled by the team, or a genuine piece of advice to remove pressure from the new Red Bull

driver remains to be seen.

“Keeping in mind that, within the team, he is racing against what is currently the best Formula 1 driver. He should avoid what many other team-mates of Max have done, where they tried find remedies in the technology, with some absurd set-ups and strategic plays,” Marko said

Marko suggests that kicking off the campaign within three-tenths of Verstappen would be an acceptable starting point:

“He should be within three-tenths of Max in both qualifying and the race. That should be enough to get points for the Constructors’ Championship. He should also steadily increase his performance, if possible.”

For his part, Lawson has laid pretty low

since the announcement – he’s currently back in NZ with family but is scheduled for

an appearance on the final day of the big Taupo Historic GP event, this Sunday.

How it used to be ... Brakes glow as Michael Schumacher tests at Fiorano ... the track’s limitations are likely to see Lewis Hamilton’s debut moving to Barcelona or Mugello. Image: LAT

Marko (right) has laid out his expectations for the young Kiwi. Image: MOTORSPORT IMAGES

FEENEY A POTENTIAL LATE ENTRY FOR NZ GRAND PRIX

BROC FEENEY is trying to line up a tilt at the New Zealand Grand Prix after a seat became available with the Toyota Racing Series team MTEC Motorsport team run by Supercars stalwart Bruin Beasley. Feeney has confirmed to Auto Action that he trying to put together a deal to run the race, but that nothing is confirmed.

If Feeney lines up, he will race against Triple Eight teammate Will Brown who is running in three of the five rounds, including the NZGP, of the Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Championship (CTFROA) which starts at Taupo this weekend and concludes with the Grand Prix at Highland Motorsport Park on the first weekend of February.

Beasley would not confirm anything with regards to Feeney, but did confirm that American driver Josh Pierson who is running the rest of the series will not be available for the NZGP because he needs to head back to the States for Indy NXT testing.

The five-car MTEC Motorsport team for the series has Pierson, Pat Heuzenroeder (Australia), Shawn Rashid (USA), Zack Scoular (NZ) and Nick Monteiro (Brazil).

Beasley said if Feeney does race for him, he’ll be dropping into the middle of a pretty hot field as the TRS is starting to recover from the COVID lockdowns that took it off the international radar.

“I think this to be fair, pre-COVID it was

the place to be,” he said of the CTFROA. “At the moment there’s six drivers on the F1 grid that have done the series. More recently it is Yuki Tsunoda, and its had Liam Lawson and Lando Norris pre-COVID.

“But the series is getting a bit of traction again and the bigger European teams are putting some focus back into it, I think the tide’s turning a bit. We’ve got a relevant tyre with Pirelli and the cars are pretty much identical in spec to FRECA car that used to be Formula Renault, but obviously with a Toyota engine.

“All of a sudden I think they have realised that the importance of the series as it was pre-COVID, and now the dust has settled they can look at Superlicence points and the 3000 kilometres are running at a budget that is better than some of the other series you have at the moment.”

He also said the fact that it runs in the European and US winter helps too, meaning it doesn’t get in the way of a regular championship program for aspiring F1 drivers.

Beasley who has been a regular figure in Australian with teams like Walkinshaw Andretti United, Team 18 and Erebus and has been running MTEC Motorsport for a number of years now, with a focus on the Formula Regional NZ (formerly TRS) series.

Having Triple Eight drivers taking part

in NZ’s big race won’t be a complete first – Shane van Gisbergen won the all-Kiwi COVID-affected 2021 race, at Hampton Downs, in spectacular fashion with a lastto-first drive, having started from pit lane following urgent work on his car after its fire extinguisher went off in the pits pre-race …

Andrew Clarke

ICKX RETURNING TO THE MOUNTAIN

FORTY-EIGHT years on from winning the 1977 Great Race with Allan Moffat, Jacky Ickx will return to Mount Panorama for the first time, at the Meguiar’s Bathurst 12 Hour.

Not only will Ickx be at the international endurance race from January 31-February 2, he will be also behind the wheel.

The six-time Le Mans 24 Hours winner and eight-time F1 Grand Prix winner will drive a Genesis X Gran Berlinetta Concept in its global racetrack debut.

Ickx has not been at Bathurst since his famous 1-2 victory in 1977.

“I have always admired Genesis for its cultured elegance and design aesthetics and sincerely believe in a relationship that is

founded on authenticity and admiration for each other,” Ickx said.

“I have also long admired Mount Panorama at Bathurst as one of the world’s great motor racing venues, and I can’t wait to put the incredible Genesis X Gran Berlinetta through its paces, for all the world to see.

“What I loved the first time was the atmosphere of Bathurst – it’s very special.

“The people are really passionate for motor racing. The success of the event is created by the public and the spectators and that was what was so nice about Bathurst.”

Thomas Miles

SVG leads the 2021 NZGP (above) – the podium (below) had a familar look – Heimgartner, SVG, Payne ...

NZGP hopeful – Broc Feeney. Image: MARK HORSBURGH

SPECIAL SWITCH FOR PREMIAIR

SIMON HODGE will return to PremiAir Racing to become James Golding’s engineer for the start of 2025 for a good reason.

Romy Mayer was Golding’s main engineer last year, but will miss the start of the new season – on maternity leave.

Hodge will step up, having returned to the squad on a full-time basis, having last been there in 2023 where he engineered Golding in the final three rounds where they had a best result of sixth.

In between times at PremiAir he has also spent time at Triple Eight managing its GT and Super2 programs.

But 2024 was a season of massive growth for PremiAir and Hodge can’t wait to be a part of it, having ‘clicked’ with Golding previously.

“I have to say that the team has progressed massively over the ‘24 season. Hodge said.

“They’re definitely on the rise and I’m pumped to be a part of it.

“I loved working with Jimmy for the enduros in 2023, and I feel we clicked.

“The team has been working really hard over the last year and I’m confident we have

a great 2025 season ahead of us”

Golding is looking forward to working with Hodge again.

“It’s great to be working with Simon once again,” he said.

“Obviously, Romy is going to be absent to

have her second child, so I wish her all the best with that.

“We achieved some great things together last year, so it will be nice to have her back onboard when she is ready.

“Simon and I had some very strong

showings the last time we worked together (Bathurst, Gold Coast and Adelaide in 2023).

“Now 12 months down the track we have both learnt a lot and we will be putting that into practice for the 2025 season.

“Simon is a young driven individual like myself and I believe his commitment and skills are more than capable of winning in Supercars.

“I am the most excited I have been heading into a new season. The team’s progression has had a major influence on this. Bring on Sydney.”

“Everyone at PremiAir Racing is very excited for Romy and her family and can’t wait to meet the new arrival,” PremiAir Racing Team Manager, Stephen Robertson, said.

“At the same time, we are so pleased that Simon will be returning to our team and helping us continue forward with the work we have been doing over the past 12 months as the new season gets under way.

“Simon and Jimmy have a great relationship, as does Simon and our entire team, and we are set to hit the ground running for 2025!”

Thomas Miles

SECOND SUPERCARS ROUND FOR NZ IN 2026 … BUT WHERE?

SUPERCARS APPEARS well down the path towards adding a second round of the Supercars Championship Series to the calendar in 2026, although the preferred venue may not be as expected, with a bidding war opening up between Euromarque Motorsport Park in Christchurch (formerly Ruapuna Park, run by the Canterbury Car Club) and the Tony Quinn-owned Highlands Motorsport Park, located in Cromwell, just over 50km east of Queenstown.

The preferred date for any race is either the weekend before or after the Taupo race, and the bigger population of Christchurch (NZ’s second-largest city) has left Quinn with a bit of work to remain in the front running slot.

A media release from Supercars on 19 December acknowledged a meeting of New Zealand’s Central Otago District Council to discuss a Supercars round at Highlands and carried the following statement.

“Supercars is constantly pursuing and evaluating opportunities to expand the sport’s reach, both in Australia and abroad,”

the statement read.

“New Zealand is home to an avid motorsport fan base, as evidenced by the sell-out success of the inaugural ITM Taupō Super400 this past April, and no less than five Kiwi drivers on the current Supercars grid.

“There has been great interest among our stakeholders and supporters in a second Supercars event in the land of the long white cloud, which we will continue to explore alongside our ongoing efforts to sustain and grow the success of our event in Taupō.”

At Taupō last year, Supercars chairman Barclay Nettlefold indicated that New Zealand scoring a second round would depend a lot on the appetite of Tony Quinn.

“I think you can see here we don’t have a lot of capacity, so I am not worried about whether we can get the support to make both successful,” Nettlefold told Auto Action at the time.

“We would need to explore rolling the trucks on and off ships and the appetite for the New Zealand governments and

Quinny to put on a second round. Quinn at the time said he had the appetite and immediately targeted Highlands for 2026 because the North Island’s infrastructure will be too tight. He said Taupō was already using all of the North Island’s temporary

grandstands, toilets and the like. However, the introduction of the Canterbury Car Club circuit – with its population centre advantage, may throw the final decision open … Andrew Clarke

The Auto Action motorsport podcast

The team that’s not trying to make friends or look after sponsors!

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.

NEW EPISODES OUT EVERY WEDNESDAY

Simon Hodge returns to PremiAir to again engineer James Golding.

The scenic Highlands track has hosted Toyota’s Formula Regional series NZGP round already, and is in the frame for he second NZ Supercars round ... although Christchurch’s Euromarque Motorsport Park (formerly Ruapuna Park) has also put up its hand ...

VAN GISBERGEN AND McLAUGHLIN TEAM UP FOR DAYTONA

FORMER SUPERCARS rivals and now American stars Shane van Gisbergen and Scott McLaughlin have joined forces to spearhead a Trackhouse Corvette at the Daytona 24.

The Kiwis will share the #91 Trackhouse by TF Sport Corvette entry in the 63rd annual Rolex 24 at Daytona on January 25-26.

Joining them are Trackhouse NASCAR driver Connor Zilisch and sports car racer Ben Keating.

Van Gisbergen has previously taken part in five Daytona 24 events, from 2014-2020, highlighted by a second GTD finish in 2025 in a Porsche.

It will be a special reunion with McLaughlin, who paved the way for a (recent) Kiwi Supercars star to America by switching to IndyCar in 2021.

The drive is McLaughlin’s third at the Daytona event having taken part in the last two for Tower Motorsports in LMP2 with a best finish of 18th.

“This is a dream come true to get to drive alongside Scotty, Connor and Ben,”

van Gisbergen said.

“I love the 24 Hours of Daytona and it’s awesome to do this with this team.

Justin, Chevrolet and TF Sport have done

“I am confident we have a real chance of winning a Rolex with this team. Shane and I have so much history racing against each other, including some time

who’s going to be around for a long time, and Ben has won Le Mans and a World Championship in a Corvette. We’re going to have some fun.”

TCR CHASING NEW PROMOTER

FOR THE first time since arriving in 2019, TCR Australia is chasing a new promoter ahead of 2025.

The Australian Racing Group has promoted the series since 2019, but both ARG and TCR’s owner and rule maker, WSC, have agreed to look for another company.

The 2025 season will be one of change for TCR, which will race at three Supercars events for the first time, plus two TCR World Tour events following the abolishment of the SpeedSeries.

ARG’s Barry Rogers felt the time was right.

“We have been communicating with WSC in recent times regarding our position as the TCR category owner and promoter in Australia and we have jointly made the decision that for the future wellbeing and growth of the category it would be best if we move aside,” Rogers said.

“We are a race team that has been in operation for more than 60-years with Garry still being incredibly active within the business.

“With the recent homologation of the new

Peugeot 308 P51 TCR car through our Garry Rogers Motorsport business we felt that it was now time to focus on our racing and car building and allow the TCR business to flourish under a new promoter.”

WSC president Marcello Lotti said Rogers and ARG made a big impact on TCR.

“We thank Barry Rogers and ARG for the outstanding work they have done during these years in promoting TCR competition in Australia,” he said.

“We fully understand and support their decision to step aside as the series promoter that proves their sportsmanship and the will to ensure transparency in the running of the championship.

“We are also confident that Liam Curkpatrick and Lisa Totani will be up to the task in continuing working for the championship with the same dedication and professionalism as in previous years.”

TCR Australia’s Liam Curkpatrick says some “further positive changes” will be on the way.

Thomas Miles

OJEDA GETS DREAM MERCEDES DRIVE

AUSTRALIAN YOUNGSTER Jayden Ojeda has landed a factory GT drive with iconic German brand Mercedes-AMG.

Ojeda, 25, has been announced as one of two new additions to a 10-driver roster of Mercedes-AMG factory 2025 program.

Le Mans class winner and former BMW driver Maxime Martin is the other new driver, joining Ralf Aron (Estonia) Philip Ellis (Switzerland) Maro Engel (Germany) Maximilian Gotz (Germany) Jules Gounon (Andorra) Mikaël Grenier (Canada) Fabian Schiller (Germany) and Luca Stolz (Germany).

It completes a special rise for Ojeda, who has made a name for himself in the endurance racing world in addition to making an impact on the Supercars scene.

“I’m beyond excited to be joining the Mercedes-AMG family as a Junior Driver,” said Ojeda, who is rumoured to also be driving for WAU this year.

“It’s was a whirlwind 2024 and to be recognised by Mercedes-AMG for my

performance is hugely gratifying.

“Since I first drove a GT3 car in May 2023 this relationship with Mercedes-AMG was something I always dreamed of, so for it to come to fruition is truly amazing and I am so grateful for everyone who has supported me along this journey every step of the way.

“Mercedes-AMG Motorsport has been at the top of GT3 racing since its inception in 2010 and to be aligned with such a prestigious brand that’s had so much success is an honour.

“It was incredible racing at the Bathurst 12 Hour and Indianapolis 8 Hour for the first time.

“I learned a lot in those two races alone and proved to myself that I can compete at the top level of GT3 racing.

“I feel like I achieved a lot personally. Next season, it’s all about trophy hunting.

“I have thoroughly enjoyed my time with Mercedes-AMG and I am really excited by what the future holds.”

Thomas Miles

Image: TRACKHOUSE

Image: GRUPPE C PHOTOGRAPHY

LATEST EREBUS YOUNG GUNS READY

ONCE AGAIN Erebus Motorsport has turned to youth with Super2 drivers Jobe Stewart (right) and Jarrod Hughes being called up to drive the enduros.

With Todd Hazelwood off to DJR and Jayden Ojeda driving GTs for Mercedes, Erebus will field an all new enduro pairing in 2025 at The Bend and Bathurst and has turned to its academy.

Both Hughes and Stewart are fresh from their rookie season of Super2 with Image Racing where they impressed to be fourth and fifth in the standings respectively, while they have also felt comfortable with their first experiences in the Gen3 Camaro.

It is unclear which car the rookies will be steering, but it has shades of 2020 when Erebus fielded Brodie Kostecki and Will Brown as co-drivers, who then went on to race full time.

Getting an insight behind the scenes that year was Stewart, who is from Mount Gambier, where the team was based ahead of the Great Race campaign.

At the time Stewart was racing Toyotas, but has since won at both Super3 and Super2 with Image Racing.

He has been an Erebus Academy member since karting in 2017 and hopes to repay the loyalty.

“It is not going to sink in until we are at Tailem Bend or Bathurst sitting in the car, but it is pretty cool to know I am locked in,” Stewart told Auto Action

“Instead of putting pressure on myself to try and gain a co-drive, Barry (Ryan) and Betty (Klimenko) have put the faith in me so I can focus on Super2 and then the enduros.

“Barry has been one of my main supporters ever since my first day of gokarts.

“I remember first doing business back in the workshop when they were one of the smaller teams and now they have got all of these results over the years and kept their faith in me.

“They have guided me through my career, so to make my Supercars debut with them is extremely special.

“There have been a lot of doubters lately, but I think based off previous results and how Erebus can bounce back I have a lot of faith confidence that we can be at the front.”

What makes the drive extra special for Stewart is the fact his Supercars debut will be at the track closet to home, The Bend.

“I know a few people from Adelaide way as well and many from Mount Gambier will be interested, so that would be pretty cool,” he said.

“It is a bit disappointing we are not doing it at Sandown but it would be cool to try a new challenge.”

For Hughes it is a rapid rise as, 12

months ago, he had never even raced in Super2 before.

In 2023 he claimed rookie of the year honours with an ultra-consistent campaign, while he also did a lot of racing away from the Dunlop Series.

Hughes is also ecstatic by the opportunity.

“To think we have only done one year of Super2 to be in this position is amazing,” he told Auto Action.

“To have the faith of Barry, Betty and Daniel after just one year is a privilege.

“But a lot of hard work has gone into it, especially from the family.

“The coolest part is knowing we have something to show for all of the sacrifices and effort we have put in.

“2025 will be a massive year but ready to grab it by the horns.”

However, he knows it will be a step up, but it is one he believes he will be ready for.

“The work starts now as it will be a big step up,” he said. “We know these cars can win and are fast. I am not going into a team that is towards the back so there is a bit of pressure on that side of things, but I am just excited.

“I got to drive the Gen3 a couple of times this year and every time I hopped in I really enjoyed it and felt as comfortable as I did in the Super2 car.

“It will be a big eye-opener but will make sure I am ready to hit the ground running.”

Thomas Miles

NEW CAR FOR BJR SPEARHEAD

BJR’S ANDRE Heimgartner will take on the 2025 Supercars Championship with a new chassis.

BJR has prepared its fifth Gen3 chassis (BJR-018) over the summer and it will be ready for the Sydney opener in February.

The chassis the Kiwi steered in 2024, BJR016, will be handed over to Jaxon Evans for the start of 2025.

Evans’ 2024 car, BJR-015, is currently being repaired from its heavy Adelaide 500 qualifying crash and will either return to racing later or become a spare.

BJR will conduct a shakedown at Winton at a to-be-confirmed date.

“We have the opportunity now to introduce the new car and it all stacks up

for a few reasons. It will be good for the team to have a fresh car in the mix,” Jones said.

“With the extensive repairs needed to restore Car 12 into perfect condition it made sense to introduce Chassis-018 for the 2025 season.

“The team have been quietly building this car up over 2024 and will have it comfortably completed in time for a shakedown before Round 1.”

The new chassis is the first to be added to the BJR fleet since the roll out of Gen3 in 2023.

The 2025 Supercars season starts at Sydney on February 21-23.

Thomas Miles

BATES LEADS EXPANDED EGGLESTON ASSAULT

ZACH BATES will defend his Super2 crown in new colours in 2025, having made the switch from WAU to Eggleston Motorsport, which has expanded to five cars.

Bates won the 2024 championship in a thrilling three-way showdown at Adelaide where one of his arch rivals was Eggleston Motorsport spearhead Kai Allen.

But after two years of racing against the Melbourne based powerhouse, he will join forces with it.

The drive is perfect preparation for his Supercars debut with the #888 wildcard as Eggleston Motorsport run Triple Eight built ZB Commodores.

It means he continues to follow in the footsteps of Cooper Murray, who also raced Super2 at the same team in addition to his Triple Eight drive.

Bates said the move made complete sense for what will be a big 2025.

“Obviously making the switch from WAU where I had a great two years and they did an incredible job developing me as a driver,” Bates told Auto Action

“Now, moving on with the Triple Eight wildcard it would not be a great fit racing for another main game team in Super2, so Eggleston Motorsport is a great fit.

“I have had a lot of help from Will Brown and a couple of others to seal the deal.

“Ben and Rachel (Eggleston) have been great to deal with and are good people, so I am very excited for what is to come.”

Bates said he felt he needed to do Super2 throughout 2025 to ensure he will be in tip-top shape for his Supercars debut.

“The reason why I am doing Super2 is to keep sharp for the Triple Eight wildcard,” he said.

“Three rounds in a year is not enough, especially for a young guy who is trying to learn a lot.

“There is a Triple Eight connection at Egglestons, which is great.

“They have always had quick cars.

There was always an Eggleston Commodore I was racing.”

Bates will lead a refreshed Eggleston Motorsport driver line up in 2025 that also includes Super3 champion Cody Burcher, Toyota 86 driver Bradi Owen and Elliott Cleary, who finished 14th in last year’s Super2 with BJR.

Whilst Bates has already visited the Eggleston headquarters and familiarised himself with the team, he is still to decide whether he will race the #1 or not.

Thomas Miles

STEWART CHASING TITLE

AFTER A solid rookie seasoned securing a Supercars co-drive, Jobe Stewart has his sights set on the Super2 title in 2025.

Amid the news of being one of two rookies alongside Jarrod Hughes to codrive for Erebus, Stewart will also confirmed he will suit up for a second season in the series with Image Racing.

The Mount Gambier teenager finished fifth in his rookie season after standing on the podium in four races, with the clear highlight a maiden win at Mount Panorama.

If it was not for two costly rounds not quite nailing the set-up at Wanneroo and Townsville, more could have been possible.

But the quiet Stewart is now determined to make a further mark on the track and rise from being fast to a title contender.

“The goal going into 2025 is 100 percent to try and win the Super2 championship,” he told Auto Action

“This year was to do as well as we could but it was a bit of an up and down year and I learnt a hell of a lot.

“Next year will be a bit more difficult because there will be a few tracks I have not been to before, but with six rounds under my belt now in pretty much the same car.

“I can build on my confidence from the get-go and get after it.”

Thomas Miles

HILLYER STEPS UP TO SUPER2

ACADEMY DRIVER Matt Hillyer will be the latest to drive for Walkinshaw Andretti United in Super2 in 2025.

Hillyer has been named as the replacement for reigning champion Zach Bates, who is off to Eggleston Motorsport.

The 20-year-old will be steering the #25 alongside retained incumbent Campbell Logan.

Hillyer is a Walkinshaw Andretti United Foundation Academy member and has been promoted after a year of racing in the Toyota TGR 86 Series.

In his latest campaign he took six wins, seven podiums and five pole positions, having clean swept both the Sydney and Sandown rounds.

It was his second Toyota 86 Series season, having made his debut in 2023 and taking one podium in 13 starts.

The step up to Toyotas arrived after he won the prestigious Formula Ford Australia title in 2023 when he recorded 13 wins from 21 starts.

Hillyer’s promotion within the WAU ranks to Super2 follows a recent evaluation day at Winton Raceway in Supercar machinery where WAU Team

Principal Carl Faux said he “impressed.”

“It’s awesome to have the opportunity

to step up into Super2 with WAU, it’s been something we’ve all been working towards, so it’s a bit surreal to be honest that we will be on the grid in Sydney – but there’s a lot of hard work to do before then,” Hillyer said.

“There will be a lot to learn no doubt, it will be by far the highest horsepowered car I’ve raced, but hopefully I can take a lot of learnings from this year, and soak in as much as I possibly can from the team to get up to speed as quickly as possible.

“There’s a lot of knowledge and experience within these walls, so it’s the perfect place to be.

“The team has put a lot of faith in me and have been awesome with everything I’ve done so far, so I can’t wait to reward them hopefully, and see what we can do together.

“A huge thank you to all my partners, the WAU Foundation Academy, and my family as well, who have made this possible, and have been along for the ride – I can’t thank them enough.”

Thomas Miles

Image: PETER NORTON

Image: RACE PROJECT

Image: PETER NORTON

MOSTERT AND BROWN JOIN FORCES

SUPERCARS RIVALS Will Brown and Chaz Mostert have joined forces to front Ferrari’s assault on the Meguiar’s Bathurst 12 Hour.

Mostert and Brown will race the Pro class Ferrari 296 GT3 Arise Racing entry alongside factory “prancing horse” driver Daniel Serra.

The trio shapes up as one of the leading Bathurst 12 Hour combinations as they

hope to push the famous Italian brand to a third victory at the event.

It is a change of scenery for Brown and Mostert, who have spent 2024 racing against each other for titles.

Mostert is familiar with an Arise Racing Ferrari having driven it to GT World Challenge Australia glory with Liam Talbot. Brown was also in action, steering an Audi, but he had the last laugh, taking a

maiden Supercars Championship crown for Triple Eight as Mostert settled for third in a WAU Mustang.

Now they will race alongside each other chasing a Bathurst 12 Hour victory.

“I am really excited to join Arise racing GT at the Bathurst 12 hour,” Brown said.

“After Chaz and Liam beat me in the championship this year, I thought If you can’t beat them then you need to join them!

ASTON MARTIN VULCAN ON TRACK AT MOUNT PANORAMA

A VERY rare piece of Aston Martin’s performance and motorsport history will be on show and on track during the 2025 Meguiar’s Bathurst 12 Hour event.

The Aston Martin Vulcan, owned by entrepreneur and motorsport enthusiast Tony Quinn, is an ultra-low-run, track-only Supercar developed by the iconic English brand in 2015 and will be on show at the 2025 event in February.

Launched as a tribute to the famous Le Mans 24 Hour race, which Aston Martin has competed successfully at, only 24 Vulcans were ever made. Powered by an 800hp, 7-litre V12 engine, the car had a top speed of well over 330km/hr.

Quinn’s car was purchased in 2016 and is the only one in the Southern Hemisphere.

Normally based at Highlands Motorsport Park in Cromwell, Quinn’s Vulcan is seldom used and rarely seen outside of New Zealand, making its 12-Hour appearance even more special.

“I’ve had the pleasure of seeing – and hearing – the Vulcan run once before and it’s an incredible thing, the noise is phenomenal, and it looks awesome,” Shane Rudzis, Event Director, Meguiar’s Bathurst 12 Hour, said.

“It’s really going to add something special to our demonstration sessions this year, which will once again have some truly unique, exciting and superb cars and drivers

involved for the entertainment of our fans at the event.”

The Vulcan’s addition to the event comes as Quinn launches the updated and expanded edition of his 2016 autobiography, Zero to 60

“One of the gifts I was born with was the gift of the gab and I’ve always said that the most important thing you can leave behind is your story,” he said.

The book, which retails for $39.95, will be available to purchase at the Meguiar’s Bathurst 12 Hour, with Quinn to be on hand to sign copies at the event – in between steering the Vulcan.

Bruce Williams

“I have watched Arise throughout the year and have noticed how professional and committed they are to winning which is something that excited me.

“I can’t wait to get the mountain and to have a crack in the Ferrari.”

In a further boost for Mostert, he will be reuniting with longtime engineer Adam DeBorre.

“I’m excited to be back with Arise Racing GT, we had an awesome year in GT Australia and it will be great to be teaming up with Will and Daniel as they’re both fantastic drivers,” Mostert said.

“Also looking forward to teaming back up with my long-time friend and engineer Adam DeBorre.

“Pumped to keep the momentum going for Arise GT!”

Brazilian factory Ferrari driver Serra may not be well known, but he is a twotime class winner at Le Mans, and IMSA Endurance Cup Champion in 2022.

He won two races in this year’s IMSA Sports Car Championship, led by the Daytona 24.

“I’m excited to return to Bathurst,” he said.

“The team had an incredible season in GT Australia, and they know the car and the track very well!

“It will be great to have two fast and experienced drivers at Bathurst! I think we have all the ingredients to have a strong race!”

Thomas Miles

ONCE AGAIN the Meguiar’s Bathurst 12 Hour field will be bolstered by a pair of BMWs, in the form of Team WRT.

The team racing factory backed M4 GT3s cars will return for a third attempt at Mount Panorama with the famous German manufacturer.

Whilst driver line ups have not been fionalised, it is likely to feature MotoGP legend turned GT racer Valentino Rossi.

Rossi has been the star of both Team WRT BMW Bathurst campaigns with his signature #46 and has already said he “will be” at the summer classic.

Team WRT hopes to build on a strong 2024 race where it scored the Allan Simonsen Pole Award for the first time before ultimately finished fifth outright after running third within the final half-hour of the race.

The Belgian-based squad has represented BMW for several seasons and in 2024 clinched the overall Sprint and Endurance teams championship in the GT World Challenge finale’ in Jeddah.

Driver Charles Weerts was also crowned drivers’ champion in the Intercontinental GT Challenge after victory in the Indianapolis 8 Hour.

In the production car era, BMW has won the Bathurst 12 Hour two times in 2007 and 2010, but is yet to record a podium in the GT3 chapter.

The 2025 Meguiar’s Bathurst 12 Hour will be on January 31-February 2. Thomas Miles

Image: PETER NORTON

BMW BACK TO BATHURST

Image: MARK HORSBURGH

SHAKEN UP SPORTS SEDANS CALENDAR

THE FIGHT for the Precision National Sports Sedan Series title will be contested by the fire-breathing beasts across five rounds in 2025.

The Sports Sedans will go racing at driver-favourite permanent circuits across four different states.

Precision National Sports Sedan Series Director Michael Robinson said he is happy with how the calendar has come together after consultation with the competitor group.

“I think the selection of tracks has worked out really well in the sense that not only are we in at least three different states, but we have good events at good tracks,” he told Auto Action.

“We have been wanting to go back to Phillip Island and an improved Queensland Raceway. Sydney Motorsport Park is a good track we like to go to.

“The 50K Plate at the Island Magic is also something we have wanted to go back to after a number of years.

“We have five great circuits which are always very good to attend, so I’m very happy.”

Over the last two years the Precision

National Sports Sedan Series has been able to race on the Supercars stage at Sydney Motorsport Park and even Bathurst and the Gold Coast.

Whilst 2025 will not see any Supercars support events, in its place steps up the newly created Trophy Series from Motorsport Australia where Sports Sedans will be the main event.

The Sydney Motorsport Park opener, Winton round, Bend Classic and Island Magic rounds are all on the Trophy Series card, with event management

TRANS AM TO BRING THE ROAR BACK TO MALLALA

THANKS TO Trans Am, national level racing will return to Mallala and it is part of a plan to bring the “best days” back to the historic South Australian circuit.

The penultimate round of the 2025 Trans Am season will be a twilight affair at Mallala, run alongside the Hi Tech Oils Super Series and TA2 on November 21-22.

It will see a return of national championship racing to the 2.6km circuit which, like The Bend, is owned by the Shahin family.

In a “letter to motorsport fans” the Bend confirmed the news and pledged its goal to not only revive Mallala, but take it to new heights.

“63 years ago, out of an abandoned airfield in Mallala, South Australia, rose a circuit that for generations of drivers and fans would be considered home,” it read.

“You’d be forgiven for thinking Motorsport had forgotten about Mallala too.

“But we never did.

“That’s why, on November 21-22, 2025, together with Trico Trans Am, we’re bringing National competition and the rumble of V8’s back, under lights for the Hi-Tec Oils Mallala Homecoming.

“This is more than a race. It’s a reminder of why motorsport matters.

“A celebration of a place and the people behind it – drivers who give it their all, who make the impossible possible, and you –the fans, who fuel our love for this sport.

“We’ve always known that motorsport has the power to inspire, unite, and entertain, and we are committed to ensuring that the next chapter of this great venue is even better than what came before it.

“We believe Mallala’s best days are ahead of us.

“After all, for so many this is still South Australia’s Home of Motorsport.”

Thomas Miles

shared with either State series or ARG.

The only exception is Queensland Raceway, which will be a new SRO meeting.

“Supercars have changed their race formats to have more track time for their series so less for support categories,” Robinson explained.

“This year we have gone down a different path and it is more track related. It is a different program, but it has worked out well.

“That is another major factor is

that MA has moved away from the SpeedSeries and set up this Trophy Series linked with State events.

“There is generally only one to two national categories at those events so we may become one of the highlights.

“The Bend Classic is a strong example where it is a fantastic event with big crowds and even a rodeo on the Friday night where we will be a feature category.”

After a total of 47 drivers led by champion Peter Ingram took part in the 2024 Precision National Sports Sedan Series, Robinson suggested more new cars and names could be coming this year.

Thomas Miles

2025 PRECISION NATIONAL SPORTS SEDAN SERIES CALENDAR

ROUND 1: Sydney Motorsport Park

March 21-23 Trophy Series with NSW ROUND 2: Queensland Raceway

May 30-June 1 SRO Speed Series

ROUND 3: Winton Motor Raceway

August 22-24 Trophy Series ARG

ROUND 4: Bend Classic October 25-26 Trophy Series

AMBROSE BACKS NEW FORMULA FORD SERIES

AMBROSE has thrown his support behind a new Formula Ford series run by the Australian Auto-Sport Alliance alongside the Hi-Tec Oils Super Series.

The series is named Formula Ford Stars and Renegades Series, and will be held across 10 rounds, featuring five doubleheaders at circuits such as Winton, Sydney Motorsport Park, Queensland Raceway and Mallala.

The Formula Ford Stars class is for Duratec powered machines, while the Renegades category is for the older and lower-powered Kent engine cars. Every round will be shown live and free on SBS, as well as Fox Sports Australia, Kayo, Sky New Zealand, and globally on the Hi-Tec Oils Super Series YouTube channel.

Formula Ford Stars and Renegades Series will see competitors fighting for over $50k in prizes, those to be announced in due course.

The AASA-run Formula Ford national series has two big names behind it in Ambrose and former HRT leader Jeff Grech.

“This series is exciting for young drivers making their way up the motorsport ladder, as well as those who continue to

support Formula Ford and open-wheel racing in Australia,” Ambrose said.

“The quality prize pool gives meaning and purpose for the drivers competing, and the TV package provides them a real shot to get noticed.

“Formula Ford remains one of the best cars in which to learn your motorsport trade, it teaches both race craft and how to set up a racing car.

“I competed in Formula Ford back in the day and have fond memories – I know how this category shapes a driver.

“That is why next year I’ll be running two cars in this series, including one for my daughter Tabitha.

“It is a great initiative by AASA to bring the Formula Ford Stars and Renegades Series to life and the supporting sponsors who have made it work, I look forward to being involved in the series from 2025.”

Thomas Miles

MARCOS

Trans Ams will headline a resurgent Malla in November.

Image: MPIX

BIG YEAR FOR AUSTRALIAN PROTOTYPE SERIES

WITH A bigger and better calendar locked in, the Australian Prototype Series targets plenty of growth in season 2025.

After staging four rounds on three tracks in 2024, the Australian Prototype Series heads to five of the biggest circuits around the country in 2025.

Australian Prototype Series Director Matt Baragwanath believes it is one of the most exciting seasons in recent memory.

“I think 2025 is one of the best calendars the category has seen for a lot of years,” he told Auto Action

“It has been a lot of work in the background with conversations and follow-ups with how the calendar can and can’t look for 2025.

“Like all national categories we were very concerned around the withdrawal of support from Motorsport Australia

around the SpeedSeries and who would have a home and who would not.

“It was very clear there was never going to be space on the SRO program, so we had to do some digging and find some good options.

“Then along came the meetings with ARG and that has become a really good collaboration and grateful for the support.

“We are super-excited about our collaboration with ARG, the highlight of the season will definitely be Easter at Bathurst, as support to the Hi-Tec Oils 6 Hour Production Car Race, where our competitors will enjoy plenty of track time.”

With more rounds and tracks on offer, Baragwanath made it clear he hopes 2025 will be a boosting season, having worked with the competitors to

construct the calendar.

“The goal is to have a year of growth for the category and cement it,” he said.

“The drivers were after more speed and flowing tracks because the cars are so rich with aero.

“Places like The Bend, Phillip Island and Sydney Motorsport Park really suit those cars.

“We have done a lot of consultation with the competitor group about what tracks they want.”

Thomas Miles

AUSTRALIAN PROTOTYPE SERIES 2025 CALENDAR

Round 1: Symmons Plains March 21-23

Round 2: Mount Panorama, Bathurst April 18-20

Round 3: Sydney Motorsport Park June 20-21

Round 4: The Bend August 22-24

Round 5: Phillip Island October 3-5

FIRST FORMULA REGIONAL AUSTRALIA CALENDAR REVEALED

THE FIRST Formula Regional Australia series will be held over six rounds at a variety of circuits in 2025.

The maiden season will see the new category featuring the Tatuus T-318 Formula Regional cars powered by Toyota and Alfa Romeo from New Zealand’s January/ February series race in Australia at a variety of events promoted by the new Motorsport Australia Trophy Tour, Victorian State Series, SRO and Australian Racing Group.

The first round will be held at Phillip Island in May before taking on the recently revamped One Raceway in Goulburn a month later.

Formula Regional Australia then races on the SRO Australia platform at Sandown before heading to an Australian Racing Group event at Winton.

The penultimate round of the year will take place at The Bend Motorsport Park in late September.

The sixth and final round is yet to be announced, but the Formula Regional Australia press release states it is “promised to be an exciting way to end its inaugural year.”

“We’re really excited to finally get our calendar out to the public with a great mixture of events and provides our drivers with a diverse array of tracks,” said promoter Tim Macrow.

“The overall package is coming together nicely, with the cars, television and event formats, so it’s full steam ahead into 2025.”

The cars seen in Formula Regional Australia are the same that will take part in the upcoming Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Championship in New Zealand.

Fans can watch the six rounds across a mixture of online live streaming, free-to-air and subscription TV.

Thomas Miles

2025 FORMULA REGIONAL AUSTRALIA CALENDAR

Round 1: Phillip Island May 16-18

Round 2: One Raceway June 28-29

Round 3: Sandown Raceway July 25-27

Round 4: Winton Raceway August 22-24

Round 5: Bend Motorsport Park September 20-22

Round 6: TBC

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HAZELWOOD TO DEFEND TRANS AM TITLE

TODD HAZELWOOD will race with the #1 and defend his Trans Am title in 2025 with TFH Racing.

Hazelwood and TFH Racing made history by being crowned champions in their rookie season in the category.

With negotiations out of the way, Hazelwood has confirmed his title defence by commenting on a TFH Racing post on social media and will race with the #1 on the door of his Mustang.

“Thanks for an incredible year TFH Racing,” Hazelwood wrote. “Our results simply wouldn’t be possible without all the hard work, research and desire to win as a team.

The 2025 Trans Am season begins at Symmons Plains on March 22-23.

IT IS with much sadness that we acknowledge the passing of Dorothy Tate, lifelong partner and wife of motorsport icon and long serving Victorian Historic Racing Register President, Ian Tate.

Dorothy’s contribution to motorsport, particularly historic motor racing in this country should not be underestimated as she made a massive contribution to the VHRR as well as behind-the-scenes support for Ian.

Her own contribution to the VHRR in general and at countless historic events over the last 30 years should also be acknowledged. Dorothy was a woman of high integrity and standards, qualities she passed on to her family. Dorothy passed away just prior to Christmas after a short fight with illness.

The Auto Action family offers sincere and warm wishes to Ian, Paul, Steve and Michael, and immediate family and friends.

Above (l to r): Dorothy, Margaret Brabham and Ian Tate at the opening of the new VHRR Club Rooms in 2023..

VIC HILLCLIMB SEASON REVEALED

THE 2025 Victorian Hillclimb Championship season is ready to go and starts as early as next weekend.

The opening round is at Rob Roy on January 19 to kick the season off in style. A trip to Bryant Park follows a month later on February 22 before the first two-day meeting at Mt Leura on March 22-23.

A return to Bryant Park awaits on April 27, while the second journey to Rob Roy will be the penultimate round on June 29. The season wraps up with a blast around One Tree Hill on the weekend of August 9-10.

VALE WAYNE RUSSELL

AUSTRALIA MOTORSPORT

industry stalwart Wayne Russell tragically passed away on Boxing Day, aged 62 after losing a short battle with cancer.

Whilst being born in New Zealand, he has been based in Newcastle and was a regular Holden driver in the 1990s under the Novacastrian Motorsport banner.

Russell made his ATCC debut in 1994 at Sandown and made 42 starts before his final appearance at Mallala 1998.

He also took on the Bathurst 1000 four times, with the first in 1994 alongside Bernie Gillon.

After a debut DNF, Russell and Ric Shaw finished in the top 15 in the dramatic 1995 Great Race where 18 cars failed to finish.

In addition to his own dream, Wayne also helped his sons Aaren and Drew take on the Great Race by assembling a Novacastrian Motorsport wildcard in 2015 where they ended a wet race on the lead lap in 15th.

Wayne and his sons have driven together at Bathurst and won the 6 Hour together two times in a row in 2022 and 2023.

As recently as December last year, they went to America together and shocked on World Racing League debut by finishing fourth and second in the two 8 Hour races at

the Circuit of the Americas.

The father and son trio drove a Mercedes GT4 they purchased in America in association with local team DD Autosports and were so surprised by their performance the team even shaved their heads!

Wayne Russell spoke to Auto Action in the aftermath of the result.

“We went across thinking if we finished just the first race it would be a success,” he said.

“Then we thought if we end up in the top 20 that would be cool looking at the depth of massive competition over there.

“We deliberately only did the Bathurst 6 hour and saved our money to do this. None of us had driven since April so we came in

cold.

“So to do as well as we did we keep looking at each other thinking

‘did that really just happen?’

“People were coming up to us saying ‘where did you guys come from? No one comes to this category and does so well straight away’.

“It was surreal and we had so much fun.

“The big one is that we are doing it as a family.

“We are enjoying racing more than we ever have and can’t stop smiling, so doing well is just a bonus.”

Auto Action offers its condolences to the Russell family and friends.

Thomas Miles

SMASHING SYDNEY DOUBLEHEADER

FANS WILL enjoy a double dose of motorsport in Sydney in March when the drag racing and speedway worlds collide.

The ‘Chaos At The Creek’ event will see Professional Drag Racing and Sprintcars feature on the same program for the first time on March 22.

At the Sydney Dragway, the National Drag Racing Championship comes to town where the Pro Drag Racing Championship headlines with Pro Alcohol, Pro Mod, Pro Stock, Pro Bike and Pro Import, while sportsman’s racers will run in the 2025 NSW Track Championship.

Over on the clay, the eighth round of the Sydney International Speedway season will take place.

More than 40 of the nation’s leading Sprintcar drivers are anticipated with Wingless Sprints, Late Models and V8 Dirt modifieds also on the bill.

Just like in Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia, Sydney International Speedway is fresh from hosting its own busy and bumper speedweek.

Importantly for fans, a single ticket will give them the chance to watch both speedway and drag racing on the single Saturday night.

‘Chaos at the Creek’ is the brainchild of PDRC owner Jason Hedges.

“The proximity of the venues to each other in the Sydney Motorsport Precinct absolutely lends itself to this style of event,” he said.

“I’d like to extend my thanks to the

operators of both Sydney International Speedway and Sydney Dragway for their willingness to work together towards what I believe will be one of the biggest motorsport events in Sydney for years.

“This is going to be huge! Two Events, One ticket – Drag Racing and Speedway - what more can you ask for?”

Both Sydney Dragway and Sydney International Speedway representatives are excited by the prospect of a doubleheader.

“This will be a big step forward for cross sport collaboration,” Sydney Dragway Board Member Rob Marjan said.

“Having the Speedway and Dragway effectively on the same property creates opportunities that we have not even considered yet.

“This will be the first of hopefully many events working side-by-side.”

“This is without a doubt one of the biggest announcements for Speedway and Drag Racing in the last 10 years in this city,” said SIS Operator Garry Wilmington.

“There is so much crossover of fan interest between our two motorsports and I genuinely hope that the fans take advantage of this awesome event!”

Thomas Miles

Wayne Russell and sons ... recent US success! Image: MTR IMAGES

Image: CACKLING PIPES PHOTOGRAPHY

BIG NAMES READY FOR CLASSIC

THE STAGE is set for another big battle for the prestigious Grand Annual Classic at Warrnambool in 2025, from January 24-26, where fans can enjoy a week’s worth of Sprintcar festivities.

Being the biggest race of the year, the biggest names are coming to Premier Speedway. A total of 42 cars have already nominated for the race, but there may be a new winner with last year’s winner Aaron Reutzel not named yet.

But there will be no shortage of quality with Australian champion and Brandt Sprintcar Speedweek winner Lockie McHugh leading the way alongside the man he stole the crown off, Jock Goodyer.

Many who are currently doing battle in Western Australia will also be making the long journey over.

Current Maddington Toyota Sprintcar Series title rivals Dayne Kingshott and Callum Williamson will be determined to show they can take it up to the best on the eastern side of the country.

James McFadden has one Grand Annual Classic title under his belt and will be hoping to add to that.

Jamie Veal won the Speedweek race at Premier Speedway and hopes to carry that on, while Americans to commit so far are Chase Randall, Riley Goodno and Corey Eliason.

Whilst all eyes will be looking towards the on track action on January 24-26, there

are many off track activations fans can look forward to.

It all starts a week earlier on Sunday, January 19 when the ARB Warrnambool

International Sprintcar Carnival will take place.

This will be a family-friendly event where Sprintcars will go racing in what will be a key warm up for drivers so close to the classic.

To make things even more sought after, there will be $15,000 on the line for the

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winner with a total of $50,000 prize money up for grabs.

There will be three hours of racing on the night kicking off at 18.30 and wrapping up by 21.30, which is just some of the new initiatives floated.

Just one night later fans can get up close to Sprintcars at the free ‘Thrill On The Hill’ event. It will kick off with a cannon fire start at coastal tourist attraction Flagstaff Hill, where a sprintcar parade will take place through

the village. Drivers will be on hand doing interviews on stage at the Civic Green, whilst live music will also be on hand.

On Tuesday night, sprintcars will take on MX riders in the MCM Mono Machine Challenge.

Racing will take place at Avalon and Borderline Speedway on Wednesday and Thursday night respectively before the Grand Annual Classic is on the line that weekend.

Made in UK

Image: RICHARD HATHAWAY PHOTOGRAPHY

NEW VHRR CUP

HISTORIC COMPETITORS driving J K and L cars have a special new national championship to look forward to thanks to the Victorian Historic Racing Register.

The Victorian Historic Racing Register has announced the new Stan Jones Championship, where drivers will get to enjoy some of the nation’s top tracks.

Across six meetings, the Stan Jones Championship will head to Phillip Island, Mallala, Winton, One Raceway, Baskerville and Sandown.

With the main ambition being to get cars out of the sheds and on track, entrants do not need to take on the full tour and are encouraged to select the ones they want to take part in. Trophies will be up for grabs in all categories with the outright winner taking home the perpetual Stan Jones Championship trophy.

“The VHRR is delighted to announce the inaugural running of the Stan Jones Championship in 2025, with the full support of other major car clubs around the country,” a VHRR statement read.

“This series will take place over six race meetings throughout the year with entrants able to choose their best three weekends to count for points.

“Or just run at three meetings – or two! The goal is to get cars out of the sheds and onto the tracks.

“There will points awarded in J, K & L in both Under and Over 1500cc, with trophies for all the categories as well as the magnificent perpetual trophy for the outright winner of the Stan Jones Championship.

“There will be social events at each meeting, cars garaged together, and a dinner at the final weekend at Sandown.

“This is a fabulous opportunity to get J, K & L back to where it should be with plenty of cars on track and the camaraderie that can only come with historic motorsport.”

MORE ADELAIDE ATTRACTIONS

AS THE event draws closer, more announcements are exciting fans for the upcoming Adelaide Motorsport Festival.

Steven Richards will get a taste of what his father Jim experienced winning the 1990 ATCC title at the Adelaide Motorsport Festival.

Richards will drive the same Nissan Skyline HR31 GTS-R Jim drove in the first six rounds of the 1990 season.

A quarter of a century later Jim’s son Steven will make his Adelaide Motorsport Festival debut in the most special way by driving the same car.

Fans will get a taste of what Formula 1 was like in the seventies with the 1979 Arrows A1B Cosworth V8 returning.

The Arrows A1B Cosworth V8 was driven by future grand prix winner Riccardo Patrese with a best result of fifth in Belgium.

In a further treat, 1996 world champion

Damon Hill will jump back into the 1992 Brabham BT60B Judd he made his debut in.

Hill started his career with eight starts with Brabham in 1992, but only two finishes, with a best result of 11th in Hungary – the team folded before the season finale.

It will be a special moment for Hill, who has not driven on the Adelaide street circuit since

winning the last Australian Grand Prix it last hosted back in 1995.

A popular new addition to the event will be the new category for Le Mans Sportscars.

With a Mazda 767B, Leyton House Porsche 962C and Nissan R88C all confirmed and more announcements expected, a standalone category will see some famous sports cars take on the South Australian capital.

Recently retired Supercars star Tim Slade will e drive the Kremer Racing Porsche 962C that featured at Le Mans in the 1980s.

There will also be something on offer for two-wheel fans.

One-time Australian MotoGP race winner

Chris Vermeulen will be on show, riding a former premier class Aprilia.

He will be seen on the Aprilia ART GP13 Aleix Espargarò used to take part in the 2013 season where he recorded eight top 10s. Vermeulen stood on the MotoGP podium seven times, led by his 2007 French Grand Prix win in the rain.

Two-time World Superbike Championship winner Troy Corser will come to Adelaide for the first time. Corser was crowned WSBK champion in 1996 and 2005 for Ducati and Suzuki respectively.

He will be riding a 1992 Team Roberts Yamaha YZR 500cc 0WE0 at the March 8-9 event. Thomas Miles

Richo Jn r – having a run in the Old Man’s fire-breathing Nissan HR-31 ... Image: NEIL HAMMOND

Image: PETER KNIGHT - FAST LANE MEDIA

Peter Brennan’s ex-Patrese Arrows joins the Adelaide F1 line-up ...

AMERICAN ICONS COMING TO THE ISLAND

THE 2025 Phillip Island Classic will see plenty of motoring variety and some of the highlights are coming from as far as America.

One of the prime examples will be the Porsche 917/30, chassis 005 (pictured right), which has just arrived.

The Porsche 917s dominated Can-Am races in 1973 with Mark Donohue driving chassis 003 to title glory with Penske by winning six of the eight races.

The 5374 cc flat 12 cylinder air-cooled turbocharged 917/30 Chassis 005 will be participating for the first time at Phillip Island.

Ernie and Elaine Nagamatsu are coming all the way from the USA to be at the Festival of Motorsport in March and will bring their special replica (below) to Australia for the first time.

They have produced a car that is a tribute to the original 00 Corvette Special raced by notable sports car racer Dave MacDonald.

It will be a special occasion for both fans and the owners as it will be the car’s first ‘launch’ race having been at demos including the 70th Anniversary for Corvette at Monterey.

The original #00 was made as MacDonald wanted to race modified class races against the best Factory Team Sports Cars from Europe.

The new, orange, light weight Corvette was fast instantly winning three of its first four SCCA, USAC races.

The last race for the #00 Corvette Special was at the 1962 Pacific Northwest USAC International Grand Prix with MacDonald behind the wheel.

The #00 was then sent back to the owner in Hawaii and then was lost forever.

The replica has been made based on large black and white photographs and drawings, but has had an extensive inspection by an Official FIA Inspector and been granted International FIA recognition and validation.

The Nagamatsu duo are no strangers to Australia having previously been seen at a variety of tracks including the Australian Grand Prix with their collection of cars that include a 1959 Old Yeller II Buick Special, 1964 Shelby Cobra CSX 2203 and Kilpatrick 1958 Speedster.

Ernie Nagamatsu will also be accompanied by a friend who will bring a 1971 Datsun 510.

The car should arrive in Australia this month before it joins around 400 others at Phillip Island on March 8-9.

Thomas Miles

MUSTANG GT4 COMBO STICKS TOGETHER

RYLAN GRAY will carry on racing a Ford GT4 Mustang with George Miedecke and the pair want to go all the way in 2025.

Miedecke and Gray achieved a lot in 2024, securing the Ford Mustang GT4’s first global pole and victory in an FIA-sanctioned event at their first meeting in Phillip Island.

Despite taking five further wins, they just fell short in the fight for the Silver Cup after a battle with Method Motorsport McLaren pair Marcos Flack and Tom Hayman.

But the pair are determined to go all the way in 2025.

“It’s been great with the Miedeckes,” said Gray.

“It’s been awesome to drive with them and I’m super glad to be joining them once again next year.

“We had a lot of wins, a lot of poles and a lot of podiums, so it’s good to come home with some silverware at the end of the year.

“We’ll hopefully go one better in Silver Cup in 2025, which is the main goal. I think we’ll have a good shot at it, with me and George as a strong driver pairing. We’re hoping to wrap it up next year.

“Representing the Ford brand this year has brought some talks of going over and doing some simulator time in the US.

“It’s good to have Ford Performance provide those opportunities to young drivers. It’s been great to build the relationship with Ford Performance and we hope to build on this next year.”

Miedecke was impressed by how the teenager stepped up.

“Rylan was able to adapt really quickly,” said Miedecke.

“His feedback and racing brain are very strong. I couldn’t be prouder of the progression through the year, he’s coming out of his shell and showing he’s having a bit more fun with it.

“Really, any other driver for us was Plan B for next year, so we’re very pleased he’s coming back.”

GT4 begins at Phillip Island on April 4-6.

TOLMER’S NEXT GOAL

AFTER SUCCESSFULLY bringing Sprintcars back to Bordertown after six decades at the revamped Tolmer Speedway, bigger events are hoped for.

One of the highlights of the 2024/25 Brandt Sprintcar Speedweek was the second round where the speedway world flooded the courtly South Australian town with a population of 7000.

With the revamped oval replicating the I55 Speedway in Missouri producing thrilling racing and plenty of sideways action, fans were raving.

Going forward, Tolmer Speedway would love a lot more than just one standalone night of hosting Sprinter’s best.

“We are hoping to have a two-day Sprintcar race down here at our track in the near future,” Tolmer Speedway Secretary Lauren Nelson told Auto Action’s Andrew Clarke.

“That would be a big goal. Obviously, being part of Sprintcar Speedweek is a big, major one.

“There are a lot of opportunities between the classic and stuff like that.

“I think our biggest goal between the Tatiara Karting Club, which is next door to us, is that we can provide junior development programs, so we can provide a segue from gokart racing into speedways.

“Racing in the future, we see a lot of young people drop out of

go-karts because there is not an easy segue into speedway, so that’s something we are big on.”

Nelson said council and government support have played a big part in making it happen, but also remarkably support from the locals.

“The council is actually really supportive. Getting funding was also challenging,” she said.

“We heavily relied on donations from farmers and local people for the time and also the diesel to keep the machines running, to get it started.

“The community has been overwhelming. We have had a lot of young people, young kids that have just dedicated afterschool holidays, before school, and the excitement in the whole town in our region has been overwhelming.

“That’s what a lot of people comment on and just can’t believe how this community has banded together to get this track built.

“Without it, we really would not have a track.”

Thomas Miles

Thomas Miles

TAUPO’S MEETING HAS

JUST ABOUT everyone who is anyone in NZ motorsport will be at NZ’s Taupo circuit this weekend for the huge Sixt Rent-a-Car Taupo Historic GP event which combines a major Formula Atlantic Historic festival with the opening round of NZ’s Castrol Toyota

FORMULA 5000 BACK TO PROVIDE THE THUNDER

AUSTRALASIA’S FAVOURITE historic category, Formula 5000, will grid up at the Taupo Historic GP for the second round of its six-round SAS Autoparts MSC NZ F5000 Tasman Cup Revival Series.

An array of Lola T332s, McRae GM1s and other iconic cars will contest the Taupo event, with series leader Kevin Ingram (Lola T332) facing a challenge from new-generation pilot Michael Hey (McRae GM1) and category veterans Steve Ross and Russell Greer.

Formula Regional Oceania championship (formerly Toyota Racing Series).

While the internationally-based Formula Regional series has a healthy entry (see page 4), a Formula Atlantic historic field full to the brim with interesting cars and big names is likely to steal some of the thunder.

Fourteen Australian based Atlantic cars have crossed the Tasman to take on 14 NZbased cars.

At the wheel will be an assortment of well-

known drivers, including Steven Richards (Reynard 93D), Greg Murphy (Ralt RT40), Kiwi legend Ken Smith driving his NZGPwinning Swift DB4, along with Australians including Andrew Miedecke (March).

Familiar names are also heading to Taupo (pronounced as it is written, by the way –Tau-po) to demonstrate all sorts of interesting historic cars. David Brabham and former Australian (Atlantic) GP winner Roberto Moreno are among the ex-F1 stars expected,

while The Enforcer, Russell Ingall, is scheduled to turn laps in the recently-restored 2005 Stone Brothers Racing BA Falcon, with Ross and Jimmy Stone in attendance.

A 33-car Heritage Touring Car field will also attract attention, with a collection of Ford Sierras and other 1990s cars.

Indeed, the entire event is very much Ford focussed, with a range of cars from ‘The Blue Oval’ on show – including a P34 Tyrrell-Ford F1 car!

BOUTSEN TO DRIVE WINNING BENETTON

THIERRY BOUTSEN will return to the scene of one of his three Formula 1 Grand Prix victories, in Adelaide, in March.

The winner of the 1989 Australian Grand Prix will drive the car that won the 1990 Australian Grand Prix the following year at the 2025 Adelaide Motorsport Festival.

Belgian Boutsen was a veteran of 163 Formula 1 Grands Prix from 1983 to 1993. His debut was on home soil with Arrows ,where he spent the first four years of his career, with the highlight being finishing second at San Marino.

In 1987 he made the move to Benetton where he became a regular podium contender which led to the opportunity to race with Williams in 1989.

He only took six races to get the breakthrough victory, in Canada, which primed him for the season finale at Adelaide. With everyones attention on the settled championship fight between McLaren teammates Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna following their clash at Suzuka, Boutsen snuck under the radar, qualifying fifth, 1.1s off pole man Senna, but shone in wet conditions.

Once Senna clashed with Martin Brundle, Boutsen found himself in the lead and did not make a mistake for the twohour, 70-lap marathon, winning by 28.8s as only eight of the 26 cars finished.

One year later it was Benetton’s time to conquer the streets of Adelaide.

Once again trouble struck Senna, this time a gear box failure whilst leading on Lap 61.

On this occasion it was Nelson Piquet, who put the foot down

and held off Nigel Mansell by just 3s in a tense finish. Piquet had started seventh, but made strong ground throughout the race and had to “drive like hell” to get it done. That winning Benetton B190, designed by Rory Byrne, will be the car Boutsen will drive on the same streets a quarter of a century later.

Boutsen raced against Piquet in that race and finished fifth. It is just one of the many F1 attractions at the 2025 Adelaide Motorsport Festival, on March 8-9. Thomas Miles

Former kiwi S5000 contender Kaleb Ngatoa will campaign a two-time NZGP-winning Swift B83 Formula Atlantic car in a huge 28-car field. Image: GEOFF RIDDER

The 1989 Adelaide GP-winning car (above) will be driven by 1990 AGP ace winner Thierry Boutsen (right).

TAYLOR ON THE PACE IN PERTH

THE FIRST National Drag Racing Championship event of 2025, headlining Top Doorslammers, went to Russell Taylor at Perth Motorplex on January 4.

On a night that delivered plenty of 5-second/400kph+ passes it was Taylor who prevailed.

He did so with a 5.678 second 410.13kph run over runner-up Matt Abel’s 5.910 second 358.03kph effort on Saturday night. Coming into the finals, Taylor was the only driver in the field to claim two wins during the first two rounds, winning over Maurice Brennan in Round 1 (5.698s/407.54kph over 6.210s/263.01kph) and Frank Taylor in Round 2 (5.679s/410.94kph over 7.126s/234.69kph) to lock himself into the A-Final.

“It was a good weekend, and doing it while we’re home is good. We’re just trying to repeat and build consistency,” he said.

“This is drag racing, which can change at the next run, so anything can happen, and you’ve got to have a bit of luck to a degree. We’re just trying to keep our maintenance program the same every time, and it seems to be working, so we’ll stick to it.” Taylor said.

“There was a bit of driver error in the first qualifier with not getting completely out of reverse, and it sort of locked up. If we’d had a good run during the first qualifier, we might not have done the second run. We were fortunate to get through and get a run in.

“There’s more in the car; we just went A to B, but it is to the point now where we’re getting some reliability out of it with the base tune, and we can go from there. It is still tricky, don’t get me wrong, and that’s all down to Stu Rowlands and Steven Ham in

the background on the blower using the data we have to make it happen.

“In the final, we just wanted to go A to B, we could have thrown more at it, but the car is consistently quick, and we’re in the right realm of our tune at the moment.”

Whilst he was second best, Abel was still pleased to walk away with his first NDRC Christmas Tree.

While Steve Aldridge got the better of Abel in round one, Abel bounced back to take the win in round two over Mark Chapman to earn his place in the A-Final.

In the B-Final, Daniel Gregorini overcame niggling gremlins to take the win with a 5.727 second 403.48kph effort over Goldenstates runner-up Brodie Zappia who had been on song all weekend before start line issues during the final run meant he didn’t make it off the line.

After a shutoff in the first qualifying session, Gregorini stormed through to the second qualifying position with a 5.783 second 401.42kph effort before trouble struck again during his first round of racing against Mark Chapman.

Round 2 then saw a return to form with a 5.738 second 403.54kph win over Aldridge’s

8.616 second 168.33kph effort.

Zappia did drop into the fives on a solo run in the opening round before narrowly missing out in Round 2.

There were twice the reasons to celebrate in the Gregorini camp, with Lisa Gregorini also claiming the C-Final victory (6.903s/235.43kph) over 11-time champ John Zappia – her second victory of the evening against the veteran, who red-lit on the tree in the final run.

Maurice Brennan worked hard to take the D-Final with a 5.814 second 377.56kph holeshot pass over Aldridge.

The pair went side-by-side down the lane, with Brennan also clinching a new personal best to sweeten the deal.

Brennan had lined up against eventual A-Final winner and Top Qualifier Taylor in the first All Run match up, delivering a 6.210 second 263.01kph effort before his chutes popped early, handing the win to Taylor.

In the second round, Brennan got the better (5.837s/384.33kph) of young gun Brodie Zappia in a side-by-side run for the round win.

Top Doorslammer will next be on track as part of the NDRC at the 52nd annual Westernationals at the Perth Motorplex across March 1-2, alongside Top Fuel, Top Fuel Motorcycle and the Aeroflow National Sportsman Championship.

Before then, however, the NDRC returns at at Willowbank Raceway this weekend for the New Year Nitro where Top Fuel, XPRO Nitro Funny Car and Aeroflow National Sportsman Championship are all on show. Thomas Miles

Russell Taylor took out the win with a mid-5s pass. In family news, Daniel (below) and Lisa Gregorini (bottom) both had strong runs ... Images: HIGH OCTANE PHOTOS

JANUARY 19-26, 2025

THE 2025 FLYING HORSE GRAND ANNUAL SPRINTCAR CLASSIC

JANUARY 24-26, 2025

NOMINATIONS INCLUDE:

AUSSIE STARS: Lachlan McHugh, Jock Goodyer,

will take on some of the USA

INTERNATIONAL SPRINTCAR CARNIVAL THIS WEEKEND

The ARB Warrnambool International Sprintcar Carnival is an exciting new event to debut at Sungold Stadium Premier Speedway on Sunday January 19th and will be a family-friendly event with a carnival atmosphere around the venue.

SUNDAY JANUARY 19

MONDAY JANUARY 20

FLAGSTAFF HILL, WARRNAMBOOL • FROM 5PM

• FORMAL ‘CLASSIC’ OPENING

• SPRINTCAR PARADE

• FOUR-WIDE LIVE SHOW

• LIVE MUSIC

SCAN THE QR CODE FOR MORE INFORMATION

FREE TICKETED EVENT

James McFadden, Brock Hallett, Kerry Madsen, Jamie Veal, Grant Anderson and Callum Williamson

racers including: Chase Randall, Riley Goodno, Corey Eliason, Garet Williamson and Cole Macedo

HAMILTON KEEN TO ‘EMBRACE THE CHANGE’

IN HIS 18-year F1 career Lewis Hamilton has spoken for the first time as a Ferrari driver and hopes for a “season to remember.”

The 2025 season will witness the most successful F1 driver in history, Hamilton, race for the most successful team.

He made the move after a 12-year union with Mercedes many fought would never come to an end.

Despite breakthrough wins at Silverstone and Spa, Hamilton finished 2024 in seventh, his worst championship finish ever.

He is expected to be a refreshed figure

as he takes on the biggest change of his career, moving to Maranello.

Not only will it be a change of colours from silver to red, but the Brit will find himself in a completely different culture.

Hamilton has made his first public comment as a Ferrari driver on LinkedIn and made it clear he wants 2025 to be a year “to remember.”

“I could not be more excited for the year ahead,” Hamilton wrote.

“Moving to Scuderia Ferrari, there’s a lot to reflect on.

“To anyone considering their next move in

2025: embrace the change.

“Whether you’re switching industries, learning a new skill, or even just taking on new challenges, remember that reinvention is powerful.

“Your next opportunity is always within reach.

“Here’s to 2025 – a year of embracing new opportunities, staying hungry, and driving forward with purpose.

“Let’s make it one to remember. Andiamo.”

Australia will be the scene of his first race for Ferrari on March 14-16.

Thomas Miles

AUDI TRIO BREAK 12 HOUR STARTS RECORD

A FAMILIAR trio will drive the Meguiar’s Bathurst 12 Hour together for a record time in an Audi this year.

Marc Cini, Lee Holdsworth and Dean Fiore will take on the endurance race for an eighth time, which makes them the longest-serving driving partnership in 12-Hour history.

They will be easy to spot again driving a Melbourne Performance Centre Audi R8 LMS.

Cini will also be the first driver to bring up 13 starts in Bathurst 12 Hour history, having made his debut in 2011.

The only race he missed was in 2012 with five top 10s the highlight.

The trio finished 13th outright last year and fourth in Pro Am, but their best result is sixth in 2022.

He will be racing alongside two Supercars veterans in Holdsworth and Fiore, who have 37 Great Race starts between them.

They also have plenty of Bathurst 12 Hour experience with Holdsworth making his

CASTROL EXTENDS PARTNERSHIP WITH TICKFORD RACING

CASTROL HAS announced the extension of its long-standing partnership with Tickford Racing. This new multi-year deal ensures that Castrol will continue as a naming rights partner of Tickford Racing into 2025 and beyond, marking one of the longest-running sponsorships in the Repco Supercars Championship.

Castrol’s association with Tickford Racing dates back to 2003, when the team was known as Ford Performance Racing (FPR). Over the years, this partnership has remained unbroken, and the 2025 season will celebrate their 23rd year together.

It will continue as the naming right partner for Thomas Randle and will also remain on Cam Waters’ Monster Energy Mustang.

Jotika Prasad, Marketing Director of Castrol Australia and New Zealand, expressed immense pride in continuing this partnership.

“Castrol is immensely proud to continue its long-standing partnership with Tickford Racing,” said Prasad. “In such a competitive environment like the Supercars Championship, Tickford Racing has always been up for the challenge and the team’s performance in 2024 demonstrated just that”.

The 2024 Supercars Championship was a breakthrough year for Thomas Randle, who achieved a career-best fifth place in the Championship. His season included several firsts, such as his maiden pole position at Symmons Plains and podium finishes in back-to-back events to close out the season. Randle will continue to drive the #55 Castrol Racing Mustang in 2025, marking his fourth year as a primary driver with Tickford Racing.

Simon Brookhouse, CEO of Tickford Racing, highlighted the importance of Castrol’s support.

“We’re proud to extend our partnership with Castrol, a brand that’s been integral to Tickford Racing for so many seasons,” said Brookhouse. “Their ongoing support has played a key role in our success, and we’re excited to continue building on that foundation into 2025 and beyond”.

Thomas Randle also shared his excitement about the continued partnership: “It is really exciting that Castrol will continue as a major partner of Tickford Racing in 2025 and beyond.

“This is a partnership that stretches back to 2003, and for me, I’m proud to have represented Castrol since I first joined the Supercars Championship. We enjoyed some strong results in 2024. We can’t wait for 2025 to roll around, and to be doing it again with Castrol is already a dream result”.

STAGE SET FOR NEW YEAR NITRO

THE TOP Fuel and Funny Car action will resume this weekend for their first National Drag Racing Championship meeting of 2025.

They will go racing at the New Year Nitro event at Queensland’s Willowbank Raceway this Friday and Saturday. this will be the first trip to Willowbank for Top Fuel and XPRO Nitro Funny Car since June of 2024, where they competed on the newly resurfaced track surface.

For Justin Walshe, that event was a true stand-out, seeing the Gold Coast racer take out not only the prestigious Winternationals event win, but also the inaugural NDRC XPRO Nitro Funny Car title.

With a home track advantage also on his side, Walshe now heads into New Year Nitro looking to build on that momentum.

“At the Winternationals we won the race meeting itself and we sealed the championship for the season, but there’s no pressure,” Walshe grinned.

“I am always excited to go to Willowbank because it is technically our home track. I am very excited to get back there and see if we can have the same performance and take home some gold, so to speak.”

Walshe also feels the heat will play a big factor in the hunt for speed.

“Upping the ante for the racers will be the fact that the track conditions are expected to be very different to those experienced at ‘the Winters,’ explains Walshe.

“The heat will make it tricky to tune the race cars as it will be the hottest time of year, so we will be working hard to make sure we have them performing for the crowd.

“You are going from June, where it is absolutely perfect conditions for racing these styles of cars, to summer and

January, where it is very hot, but we will be throwing everything we have at it to make sure the fans get the show they expect!

“As drivers, we all have the utmost trust in the guys tuning the cars and you have to be ready to drive it to the best of your ability, no matter the conditions.

“I just have to trust in the decisions made by our in-house tuning team, Graeme Frawley and David Mullins, and be ready for whatever the track and conditions throw at me.

“We might even see a first time winner at Willowbank – if I had to make a prediction that isn’t me, I would say Adam Murrihy – a fellow local – is one to watch.”

Walshe will be one of the drivers to beat having won five of the six events last season.

But he is smarting after not being at his best at The Bend due to mechanical issues.

“We didn’t have a great event at The Bend as we had a few mechanical and tune-up issues come our way, but during the last run of that meeting, we think we found a good baseline and starting point

for the next race meeting,” he explains.

“I am feeling quietly confident that we have a good tune-up coming into New Year Nitro and we’ll finesse it from there.

“As we get ready to get into action this weekend.”

In the Top Fuel, Peter Xiberras is primed to start his 2024/25 National Drag Racing Championship campaign after a test session.

In December Xiberras staged a “successful” test at Willowbank Raceway, which is the same venue the next Top Fuel round.

The PremiAir Racing driver is a two-time Top Fuel champion, but could not quite go all the way last season despite scoring back to back A Final wins.

Xiberras admitted it was an up and down campaign as he hunted gains with the car, but feels some changes made during the recent test could pay dividends.

“Across the 2023/2024 season we were working through changes to our supercharger and engine programs and chasing gains in the clutch,” Xiberras said.

“That saw us have a bit of an up and down season, but things were definitely on the improve in the latter stages, as is shown in our results.

“Having said that, there is a lot we still want to achieve, which we feel will have us back in championship-winning form if we can get it right.

“As part of that, we have been taking every opportunity to test in the second half of 2024 as we get ready to relaunch our campaign in the Top Fuel title chase at Willowbank.

“With the assistance of Dom Lagana from 142 Speed Shop, we have made some big changes and we are looking forward to seeing those yielding race winning results soon.

“If how our test days have gone so far – especially this one just completed on December 7 – are any indication, then we are certainly moving in the right direction.”

The next Top Fuel event, New Year Nitro, is at the same Willowbank venue where Xiberras feels very comfortable putting the foot down.

“We certainly love racing at Willowbank Raceway, it is a favourite for our team and has seen us celebrate plenty of exciting times in the past,” Xiberras said.

“Before the Winternationals earlier this year, the last time we had competed there saw us bring home the event win, the Top Fuel title, and set the quickest pass in Australian drag racing history over the 1000ft – a record which stood until earlier this year.

“We know we can taste success like that again, and we will be doing all we can to make that happen and open the New Year of 2025 in the best possible way over January 10-11.”

Thomas Miles

Images: CACKLING PIPES PHOTOGRAPHY/PREMIAIR

MADSEN BEST IN BUNBURY AS KINGSHOTT EXTENDS LEAD

KERRY MADSEN held off Brad Sweet to claim round 12 of the Maddington Toyota Sprintcar Series at Bunbury Speedway on Saturday night as Dayne Kingshott strengthened his overall lead.

Madsen crossed the line just nine tenths ahead of American duo Sweet and Cory Eliason at the Onsite Rentals Battle of Bunbury.

Madsen started on the front row and controlled the first 12 laps before Brock Zearfoss made a significant challenge.

Zearfoss took the lead and looked strong, but with only a couple of laps left he rotated at Turn 1, in what proved to be a racechanging mistake.

This meant Zearfoss had to settle for 12th, but up front Madsen found himself in a pressure-packed dash to the flag with only a handful of laps left and hungry Americans behind him.

In the end he did enough to fend off Sweet and Eliason as Taylor Milling snared fourth from Brad Maiolo.

However, there was big movement in the fight for the Maddington Toyota Sprintcar Series crown with trouble sticking Callum Williamson.

Heading into round 12, Kingshott, the defending series champion, had just eight points up his sleeve ahead of Williamson.

Before lights went out Williamson appeared destined to at least regain ground as he started fourth, 14 places ahead of Kingshott.

However, having stripped gears meant Williamson’s W3 never made the start.

With Kingshott fighting his way up to ninth, Williamson lost more ground and the points

gap grew to a significant 90 points.

Whilst there are still 10 rounds of the Maddington Toyota Sprintcar Series to go, the WA Speedweek battle is livening up.

Despite his spin, Zearfoss remains in the lead of the Speedweek points being just 12 ahead of Kingshott.

The final two rounds of the WA Speedweek are at Perth Motorplex this weekend.

A Main results: 1st Kerry Madsen, 2nd

Brad Sweet, 3rd Cory Eliason, 4th Taylor Milling, 5th Brad Maiolo, 6th Jock Goodyer, 7th Cole Macedo,  8th Luke Oldfield, 9th

Dayne Kingshott, 10th Matt Egel, 11th

Justin Whittall, 12th Brock Zearfoss, 13th

Michael Keen, 14th Jamie Maiolo, 15th Ryan Lancaster, 16th Jack Williamson, 17th Kris Coyle, 18th Kaiden Manders, 19th Jason Kendrick, 20th Matt Juhl, 21st Andrew Priolo, 22nd Jason Pryde, 23rd Aaron Chircop, 24th

Davis.

Callum Williamson.

Toyota

Series points after 12 rounds of 22: Dayne Kingshott 1816, Callum Williamson 1726, Taylor Milling 1676, Kaiden Manders 1666, Andrew Priolo 1572

Speedweek points after 7 of 9 rounds: Brock Zearfoss 952, Dayne Kingshott 940, Matt Egel 910, James McFadden 880, Jock Goodyer 878, Thomas Miles

A LIFE OF MODELS, MOTORING AND PUPPETS

MANY ARE familiar with the ever-popular model car, but 90-year-old Bernie Ehmer added his own personal touch to the hobby in a life full of passion.

Whilst most in the modern world purchase their own model cars from one of the many familiar makers, Ehmer has been doing it his own way since as early as the 1940s.

After being in awe of his first taste of speedway at the Brisbane Exhibition Speedway just after World War II, he created his own speedway and hand carved around 20 midget models simply from memory.

Over the following decades the process became more developed and he also made larger models of Porsches, Lotus’, Maseratis, plus much more of around 70-90cm in length. Ehmer made his most recent model as recently as 10 years ago in his eighties.

Models is just one part of Ehmer’s motoring life full of passion, having been a competitor himself in rallies and hill climbs.

He did all this amid a highly successful career as a puppeteer, where Ehmer and wife Eileen made around 3000 puppets and performed on television and events such as the World Expo in 1988.

Despite now being in his nineties, Ehmer is as sharp as ever and is extremely passionate about his models.

“They are fairly elaborate,” he told Auto Action.

“When I made a Bugatti for example, I got a side view and measured it off a book and then I decided to build it twice the size.

“I then developed all my bits and pieces with a lot of making moulds, fibreglassing it, getting it together.

“We cut out where the wheel axle goes and put the motor in.

“There are so many finite things to do this work.”

Ehmer will “never forget” his first trip to the speedway watching solo motorbikes go racing and joining the crowd in using newspapers to shield their eyes from the dirt.

He particular enjoyed the arrivals of

Americans Perry Grimm, Cal Niday and Frank Brewer.

He still attends events and “will not let go” from continuing to do so whilst he can.

Ehmer said making models was far from the only part of his motoring life.

He has been a Marshall, rally driver and hill climb competitor, whilst himself and a fried drove all the way down to Melbourne in an Austin A30 to watch the British legend Stirling Moss win the 1956 Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park in a Maserati.

The race just happened to be in the Victorian capital at the same time as the XVI Olympics with over 120,000 people in

attendance – what a time to be alive.

“Myself and my wide Eileen were puppeteers and did 58 years of it around Australia, making about 3000 of them, but I also had a great desire for the motoring industry and had a lot of involvement,” he said.

“I also went to places like Leyburn for road racing and joined the motor club to be a flag marshal, so I have done almost everything you could possibly do.

“My mate Brian Savic and I went into rallying and everything we could put our bodies into.

“But I have always been a mad supporter of speedway.

“I went every Saturday night and especially loved it when the first Americans came out with their Offenhausers.

“The world of motoring is a lot different now, but still very interesting.

“Between puppetry as a performer and motoring, I have had a wonderful life.

“You could not have brought the luck I have had with it.

“Whatever you do, enjoy it and push as hard as you can.”

Ehmer’s puppets and models are currently stored in a shed, but he would love to see them eventually in a museum one day.

Thomas Miles

Todd

DNF:

Maddington

Sprintcar

Image: RICHARD HATHAWAY

WHAT SUPERCARS GOT OUT OF FINAL TEST

SUPERCARS STAGED its final test of 2024 with Team 18 and Tickford on show.

David Reynolds and a Tickford Mustang staged category testing as Supercars took the opportunity to carry on tyre testing in preparation for the roll out of a new control tyre in 2025.

A new control steering rack was also testing, while engine drivability calibration and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) correlation work also took place.

Supercars General Manager of Motorsport Tim Edwards said it was a success.

“It was the last test for the year, it was a good day,” he said.

“We did some tyre testing, some steering rack testing, some engine calibration testing, some CFD correlation work.

“We just had a lot of little things that we

wanted to tick off.”

Alongside Reynolds was not new recruit Anton De Pasquale or Mark Winterbottom.

Instead it was two time Porsche Carrera Cup Australia champion Harri Jones, who finally enjoyed a long-awaited chance to drive a Supercar with Team 18.

Jones will drive the #18 Team 18 Camaro at Sydney Motorsport Park during an evaluation test.

Whilst being a star in Porsches, Jones admitted the Supercars drive is a dream come true.

“Having been a fan of the Supercars series for as long as I can remember, today is a pretty special day getting my first taste behind the wheel,” he said.

“I’m very grateful for the opportunity Charlie [Schwerkolt], Adrian and the entire crew at Team 18 has provided and excited

for what the future may hold.

“There will be a lot to learn today, and I’ll be using every bit of my experience in the sport to get up to speed as quickly as possible.

“I’ve spent countless hours on the sim preparing and I’m confident it will be a productive day.”

Jones is just one of two drivers to win multiple Porsche Carrera Cup Australia crowns having won in 2022 and 2024.

Between the title successes, the 25-yearold took on the top level Porsche Super Cup in Europe for the prolific BWT Lechner Racing Team.

He finished ninth in the championship, but fell just one point short in the Rookie Championship.

He returned to Australia and took his domination to a new level, cruising to the

title in the penultimate round with 13 wins.

In addition to one-make Porsche racing

Jones has also won the 2018 Australian Formula 3 Championship.

Team 18 Team Principal Adrian Burgess is looking forward to seeing what the experienced Jones thinks of Supercars.

“We’re excited to have Harri join us for this evaluation test,” Burgess said.

“He’s demonstrated immense talent in multiple categories and has a proven track record of success here and in Europe.

“This is a fantastic opportunity to see how his talents translate to the Gen-3 Supercar, and we’re looking forward to seeing what he can do behind the wheel of the DEWALT Camaro.

“Harri has great potential, and we’re eager to explore how he might fit into the future of Team 18.”

D’ALBERTO STAYS AT DJR

TONY D’ALBERTO will celebrate 10 Great Race attempts at Dick Johnson Racing by partnering up with Will Davison for the first time.

With Anton De Pasquale’s replacement Brodie Kostecki being partnered by Todd Hazelwood, D’Alberto has moved across to the other side of the garage and steer the #17 again.

The move was widely expected, but has been confirmed.

The Super2 and TCR Australia champion has been an annual co-driver since his last full-time season in 2013 and Davison will be his 12th different partner since 2005. After driving alongside Tim Slade at Walkinshaw Racing for two years,

D’Alberto arrived at DJR in 2016 to partner Scott Pye.

It netted immediate results as D’Alberto enjoyed his best Bathurst result in his first DJR drive with a fifth place.

He went even better the following year by scoring a maiden Great Race podium with Fabian Coulthard after the pair survived a wet race to be third.

In 2023 D’Alberto repeated that effort by helping De Pasquale be the leading Mustang at Mount Panorama. Now in 2025 D’Alberto will take on a 10th endurance campaign with DJR and second in the #17.

During this time he has been consistent, finishing in the top 10 seven

SANDERS STORMS AHEAD, SAINZ OUT

DANIEL SANDERS continues to take the 2025 Dakar Rally by storm, surviving the mammoth two-day Chrono stage and taking a hat-trick of wins.

Sanders carried on his perfect start to the 47th Dakar Rally by winning the 992km, 11 hour Stage 2.

Having entered the epic journey with 2m4s up his sleeve, he pushed that to an imposing 12m36s.

The KTM rider perfectly navigated his way through the challenges of the two-day journey to lead the way after 11h12m13s on the seat.

He comfortably claimed the stage by 7m37s over American Skyler Howes, who narrowly edged out Honda teammate Tosha Schareina.

Adrien van Beveren actually set the second fastest time, but received a two minute penalty which dropped him to fourth.

Sanders’ nearest rival in the fight for the overall lead, Ross Branch, could only manage fifth, which allowed the Australian to pull away 10 minutes.

Despite fighting the bike on the dunes, Sanders promisingly said he “does not feel tired at all.”

“It wasn’t too bad, pretty hard in the soft dunes, it was very tough for a lot of us,”

Sanders said.

“When opening, you didn’t know if it was going to be a soft dune or a hard dune. It was pretty tough. The dust kind of ruined it a lot.

“It would have been cool to have a bit of a wetter area, compared to last year in the dunes where it was pretty even.

“But everyone was bunched up fighting in the dust for the opening bonuses.

“It was a bit tough on that side, but overall the body feels good and I don’t feel tired at

all, I just saved a lot of energy ready for next week..

“The rest of the guys will be starting back and I’ll have to open the next stage, so it’s just how it’s worked these first few days.

“It was good to get the stage win, but it was on me to decide whether I wanted today or not, but I’m committed and ready to take on the challenge tomorrow.”

Fellow Aussie Toby Hederics stayed safe to round out the top 30, while Andrew Houlihan had a tough time and was hit with a 17 hour penalty.

It was also a great stage for Australia’s fourwheel hope, Toby Price.

Price is participating his first Dakar Rally in a car and not a bike, but this challenge is not stopping him from performing once again.

Having entered the epic 48-hour stage 12th, Price shot up to fourth having survived a wild journey.

The Australian now sits just 11m44s away from leader Henk Lategan.

Yazeed Al-Rajhi initially topped the stage despite a two-minute speed violation, but Rokas Baciuska inherited the victory.

Baciuska was sixth for the stage, but was given back around 12 minutes after an issue during refuelling.

Despite Ford initially being hopeful of carrying on, reigning champion Carlos Sainz is an early victim of the event.

Sainz suffered a roll over on the opening part of the two-day stage and carried on to the stop over.

However, FIA conducted checks on his car later in the evening and decided he could not continue due to a damaged roll cage.

A technical 327km stage from Bisha to Al Henakiyah awaits today.

SVG’S PROJECT 91 SUCCESSOR REVEALED

THE SUCCESSOR of Shane van Gisbergen in the Trackhouse Project 91 NASCAR program is none other than Indy 500 winner Hélio Castroneves.

Castroneves will drive the #91 Trackhouse Racing Camaro at the 2025 Daytona 500, the iconic race that kicks off the new NASCAR Cup Series season on February 16.

The four-time Indianapolis 500 winner will be the first to drive the car since van Gisbergen made history in 2023.

The Kiwi famously debuted the car at the Chicago Street Race and drove it to victory before returning at Indianapolis road course. Having made cameo appearances in 2024 for Kaulig Racing, van Gisbergen will return to the Trackhouse stable and race the Cup Series full time in 2025.

The 2001, 2002, 2009 and 2021 Indy 500 winner will also race in Wendys colours, the same sponsor SVG had last year.

“Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would enter a NASCAR race and certainly not the Daytona 500 with a team like Trackhouse

Racing,” said Castroneves.

“This is an opportunity that nobody in their right mind could ever turn down.

“I am so thankful to Wendy’s for allowing me to wear their uniform and drive their car, (Trackhouse owner) Justin Marks and

everyone that made this happen. I wish the race were tomorrow!”

Whilst van gisbergen made history, Castroneves admitted he feels its unrealistic to expect to follow in the Kiwi’s footsteps.

“I know how much of a challenge this is

going to be, but I also know the type of people and team Trackhouse Racing will bring to the effort,” said Castroneves.

“I can’t wait to get to the Trackhouse race shop in North Carolina to meet everyone and prepare for Daytona.

“There is so much I must learn and I’m ready to get started.”

In addition to van Gisbergen, Kimi Räikkönen also drove the Project 91 car at Watkins Glen and Circuit of the Americas in 2022.

“Hélio is one of the greatest drivers of all time and exactly the type of driver we want to bring to NASCAR,” said Trackhouse owner Justin Marks.

“I think race fans around the world will be excited to see Hélio in NASCAR’s most prestigious race.

“It also exposes our sport to a global audience and allows them to see just how great of a series we have in NASCAR.”

PUBLISHER Bruce Williams

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Email: editor@autoaction.com.au

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McLAREN’S REBIRTH HAS PIASTRI IN THE RIGHT PLACE AT RIGHT TIME

WHO WOULD have thought

McLaren could climb all the way back to the top of Formula 1 and win the Constructors’ championship? It’s unbelievable, but fantastic.

McLaren looked for so long to be heading the way of Williams, towards the back of the grid.

Mark Webber certainly saw something happening within McLaren before it became clear.

Getting Oscar Piastri into a seat there, instead of Alpine, was a masterstroke.

There were doubts about Zak Brown as McLaren boss after the departure of Ron Dennis, but Brown has pulled it off by getting all the right people in place, particularly the design team, who remain largely faceless, and Andrea Stella as team principal.

Now it’s time for Oscar to really exert himself in the team and win the Drivers’ championship. Let’s hope he can do it this year.

There will be massive support for him when the season starts in Melbourne, his hometown.

Lando Norris is a damn fine team-mate but has been a bit frail in the clinches competing against Max Verstappen.

While Oscar is a rather reserved and understated

character, he has the steel to match it with Verstappen, who may not be the force this year that he has been in previous years with Red Bull perhaps on the slide.

Ferrari may be where the main opposition is going to come from for McLaren, and perhaps more from Charles Leclerc than Lewis Hamilton.

That will be a strange dynamic at Ferrari, bringing in a great but ageing champion alongside a guy coming into his prime.

Let’s all get behind Oscar as he strives to reach the pinnacle of F1.

We can’t help him with the driving on the track and many Australians who follow him so avidly won’t even get into Albert Park because of the ticketing charade, but all the same it’s important that he knows the extent of our support for him to do what only Jack Brabham and Alan Jones have done for Australia in F1 and win the  world title.

Tim Harrison Kew, Victoria

SPRINTCARS LURE BACK BIG FAN AND FAMILY

HI AUTO ACTION, I wanted to drop you a line to say that I have been listening to your podcast and you guys banging on about the Sprintcar racing so I thought I would follow it up

and check it out.

I used to go to watch speedway at Parramatta many years ago when I lived in Sydney but I moved to WA a couple of decades ago and had sort of forgotten about it all until you guys made me think I should go and see some racing again.

There was a big series on over here in Perth at the Motorplex last week with Kyle Larson the NASCAR driver racing against a heap of locals.

I went on the second night and took my two young boys.

They had never been before and thought it was really great.

What a great facility to watch the racing and get close to the action.

Larson is a dead-set superstar with heaps of people queued up to get his autograph.

But the highlight was just how good the racing was.

In one short six-lap race for the starting positions for the final the lead swapped five or six times between Larson and local gun James McFadden.

It was amazing to watch.

And the final was pretty full-on as well. I thought Larson would win the final because he had a good lead but managed to find the concrete and that let McFadden win for the second night in a row.

Anyway, the point of all this is to say thanks for reminding me how good Sprintcars are and

that I’m back and hooked again. Looks like they have a new fan family!

Alan Sutherland Perth, WA

RED LETTER DAY –NOW LET’S CROSS OUR FINGERS FOR LIAM FINALLY, RED Bull Racing is rid of Sergio Perez.

You were right in your Publisher’s note to my most recent letter pre-Christmas that he had to go (AA # 1901, PEREZ SIMPLY HAS TO BE GIVEN THE RED BULLET).

You obviously get the inside word on things before they’re actually announced.

Perez’s performance in the second half of last season was an absolute joke.

He cost Red Bull the Constructors’ championship. I can’t see that team again being what it was now that Adrian Newey has gone (to Aston Martin) as chief designer.

Max Verstappen is a generational driver and now he’s got the kid from across the ditch, Liam Lawson, as his team-mate.

I just hope that he (Lawson) gets a good crack at it, but I fear he’ll get chewed up.

Yuki Tsunoda really deserved that seat, but I can understand he didn’t get it with Honda departing at the end of this year. Patrick Johnstone Chelmer, Queensland

The presence of NASCAR superstar Kyle Larson in Perth, headlining the High Limit series, has got reader Alan Sutherland interested! Image: RICHARD HATHAWAY PHOTOGRAPHY

ADD DYNAMITE AND STAND BACK …

AS I sit here watching the fifth Australkia vs India cricket test, I’m one of the big audience who’s enjoyed the headline-making debut of 19 year-old Sam Konstas.

The young opener was selected for the fourth match, given a licence to go for it, and that’s what he did. He ‘ramped’ (modern cricket term – if you don’t know, Google it!) the best pace bowler in the world in his second over and went on to score 60 for Australia in quick time.

Brought the house down.

He hasn’t matched that since, in score terms, but his confidence and assured cockiness certainly got into the head of the collective Indian team and – after a ‘hipand-shoulder’ from the great Virat Kohli – no doubt played its part in Australia’s two final wins that sealed the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. And the fans loved it.

Why am I talking cricket in the pages of AA?

Clearly, the addition of a brash, confident, flamboyant youngster, throwing established technique to the wind, not prepared to be intimidated by legends of the Indian team started me thinking. Is that something that’s missing from the Australian Supercars scene – a real, tell-it-like-it-is, no backward step rebel? Is there a driving style that could be described as ‘different’ which would work in Supercars – or F1 for that matter. The latter, probably not – science and data tend to suggest an ultimate approach.

with Chris Lambden CL ON CALL

But, thinking back, the last Supercars driver who really didn’t care too much about the niceties or political correctness was probably Russell Ingall – and he carried it on beyond racing into a brief media role with an online video chat show!

‘The Enforcer’ – the name said it all. Who can forget the clash between him and Mark Skaife at SMP … The fans either loved or hated him – and he was quite happy to whip it up. In a non-PC sort of way, it boosted his sponsors’ visibility …

Is there any chance that any one of the hungry young racers coming through into Supercars now could turn out to be a Konstas on wheels?

The next Enforcer?

Possibly not. Even if they’re a bit on the confident side, the modern ‘media-training’ of most sportspeople sees to that. They’re trained to distrust media (and to be fair, with the appalling clickbait dealt out these days in the general media space by news.com.au and the like, it’s not hard to see why), so most interaction is on the bland, grey side … which is a shame. Even young Konstas, quizzed at the end of the day, simply went with “what happens out on the ground stays out on the ground” – but he certainly stood up out on the arena, and the TV cameras and mikes caught it.

It’s a fine line, but it’d be nice

to see a bit of quirky personality lighting up the Supercars – and F1 – show. But when F1 champion Max Verstappen finds himself doing ‘community service’ (sortof) after swearing during a press conference, the odds aren’t great, are they!

Modern professional sport sometimes doesn’t make it easy for fans to believe they’re viewing a life-or-death contest – IPL, BBL and other big-dollar ‘franchise’ cricket means, for example, that the Australian and Indian players are, more often than not, high-earning team-mates. And we’re meant to accept that Max and Lando are buddies, sharing a private jet from Monaco to the races, yet fighting tooth and nail for championship glory. (Though, to be honest, I reckon Verstappen had his English ‘mate’ psyched out for most of last year …).

However, it was quite refreshing to see George Russell at least having a (verbal) go at the Dutchman recently, claiming he’d said he would put him in the wall at Turn 1 in Abu Dhabi as payment for dobbing him in for qualifying blocking (which cost him pole) … Great stuff. It’s been a while since Michael Schumacher or Ayrton Senna stormed down pit lane to remonstrate with someone who had ‘done them wrong’ – these days the PR manager would get to them first …

With what looks like being a closely contested F1 season coming up, we can but hope that it

brings a bit of genuine competitive tension back to the contest – a bit like Verstappen vs Hamilton, 2021, maybe … Liberty Media have turned F1 into an entertainment business so let’s ramp it up.

Back here in Australia, most interest in the sport will surround how the all-new ‘Finals’ system affects the Supercars competition and how it is received by fans.

The fact is that it changes just about everything. In search of the performance to be a pacemaker when push comes to shove over the title-deciding last three events of the year, teams and drivers can literally afford to throw away points over the first half of the season without penalty.

Will this encourage any of our young stars to express their personality more ‘flamboyantly’ on-track as the series progresses through the early, not-so-crucial ‘Sprint’ format events?

It could be quite spectacular. Certainly, apart from the hugestatus Daytona 500, which kicks off the season proper in February, you’d have to say there are NASCAR drivers, now used to their ‘Finals’ system, who do approach the first half of their season with a certain level of gay abandon …

If cricket, and the Australian cricket establishment, can cope with Sam Konstas, then an emerging Sam-on-Wheels might just add some additional spark to Supercars.

Guess we’ll see …

Nothing like a bit of one-on-one aggro to add to the show! The combatitive relationship between Russell Ingall and Mark Skaife added spice to the contest ... and (below) things are revving up between George and Max ... Is there a Sam Konstas on the current Supercars grid? Images: MOTORSPORT IMAGES, LAT

HORNER COULD LET YUKI GO

CHRISTIAN HORNER has finally admitted that Red Bull could let Yuki Tsunoda go at the end of 2025 if a promotion of the Japanese driver to the company’s main team isn’t secured for the following year.

For the last two years, aware that his chances of being promoted to the Milton Keynes-based team weren’t great, Tsunoda has been trying to get a release from his contract with Red Bull but his requests have been always denied by the team’s management.

Alpine, Audi and Haas all opened negotiations with Tsunoda’s management early in the 2024 season, offering longterm contracts to the Japanese driver, but with his path forward blocked by Horner and Helmut Marko, the youngster had to remain for an extra year with Racing Bulls.

Next year will be his fifth with the Faenza-based team, making Tsunoda the longest standing driver in the team’s history, since it was purchased by Dietrich Mateschitz almost 20 years ago.

Speaking during the announcement of Liam Lawson’s promotion to Red Bull Racing, Christian Horner admitted that “we’re acutely aware that if we’re not able to provide an opportunity for Yuki this year, does it make sense to keep him?

You can’t have a driver in the support team for five years. You can’t always be the bridesmaid. You’ve either got to let them go at that point or look at something different.”

During his meeting with British media, Horner explained he had “talked to Yuki”,

adding that, “he said he was enjoying having some wagyu beef while he was on his time out, but his motivation was to demonstrate that he warrants that opportunity. I think he’s very determined. He knows that things change very quickly. Who would’ve thought nine months ago

we’d be sitting here talking about Liam Lawson being our driver for 2025?”

In conclusion, Horner insisted that “things change quickly in this industry and he’s aware of that and knows that he needs to be the one demonstrating that he’s the one knocking on the door.”

NEW BIDDER ENTERS SOUTH AFRICAN GP RACE

REACTING QUICKLY to the Rwandan president’s announcement that his country has now made a formal bid to host a Formula 1 Grand Prix in the near future, the South African government has put together a new committee that will

evaluate all the potential bids to become the home of their own Grand Prix, before putting its full backing behind the best one.

While for many years it was believed Kyalami, in the outskirts of Johannesburg,

was the only serious bidder to host the future South African Grand Prix, plans to have the race close to Cape Town have now been resurrected and there is now talk of a brand new circuit being build north of that city, with a new company

making its own formal announcement last week.

The Langa Lethu South African Grand Prix Bid Group has stated that is has acquired “a significant site on the West Coast,” and is preparing to make a formal announcement of its plans “shortly after the New Year.”

The statement was very short on detail but the Langa Lethu Group has revealed that, it will construct a Grade 1 FIA spec, state-of-the-art Grand Prix racetrack with the Table Mountain and Robben Island as a backdrop.

According to sources from South Africa, such details indicate the circuit will be built a few kilometres north of Cape Town, close to Milnerton, in the vicinity to an industrial park. That will have the advantage, compared to Kyalami, of being located close to the Cape Town International Airport and fed by main roads and public transport for easy access for the expected daily 100,000+ spectators.

The group, however, has not yet announced who the individuals or companies are behind this project, as well as who will design and build the circuit. All the statement added was that, “its team has proven expertise and wherewithal in promoting and running Grand Prix motor races.”

In a few days, it should be possible to know how many bids the South African government is accepting for this tender, as there’s a new sense of urgency at the top level, given that Rwanda seems to have the money and clearly has the political will to get its own Grand Prix into the calendar as soon as possible.

Legendary F1 World Champion Jim Clark (Lotus 49) won his last F1 Grand Prix at Kyalami, early in 1968. It has always seemed the likley option for a return to South Africa,

Both early-2024 RB drivers were overlooked for the main 2025 Red Bull drive, with suggestions Tsunoda could move on at the end of this year. Images: MOTORSPORT IMAGES

TIME TO SHAKE THE ESTABLISHMENT

EXACTLY ONE year ago, Formula 1 was living an historic moment as the same 20 drivers that had raced in the 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix were set to drive for exactly the same teams in the 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix.

That conservative approach didn’t seem to work for most of the teams and that’s why, going into this year, only McLaren and Aston Martin have kept exactly the same line up from the previous season, in the biggest upheaval the drivers’ market has had in decades.

Half the field has managed to keep their seats from 2024 to this year, while from the other half, five drivers have changed team and there will be five rookies on the grid in Bahrain – although two of them have already made their Formula 1 debuts – meaning a quarter of the field will be made up of brand-new faces for the fans to get used to.

The changes made also mean that only three elder statemen remain in Formula 1 – Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton and Nico Hullkenberg are way older than every other driver, the gap being so big that Carlos Sainz, who only turned 30 four months ago, is already the fourth oldest driver in the field! And seven drivers,

INSIDER

more than one third of the field, were born after Fernando Alonso made his Grand Prix debut back in March of 2001 in Melbourne!

What is remarkable is that all five rookies who will be on the grid this year have made it purely on talent, as they’ve all won plenty of races and a few titles on their way up to Formula 1.

At the top of everyone’s expectations is, of course, Kimi Antonelli, who will be the first rookie to be handed a winning car for his initial Grand Prix season since Lewis Hamilton got a

chance with McLaren in 2007.

Although the Italian is just 18 years old, he’s so highly rated by almost everyone, that there’s little doubt he’ll be up there fighting with the best any time Mercedes have a trully competitive car.

However, with the experienced and highly political George Russell as his team-mate, the young prodigy will have a tough benchmark to hit in 2025. His former team mate in Formula 2, Oliver Bearman, starts with a slight advantage over his rivals, as he deputised for ill or suspended

drivers on three occasions in 2024 and did rather well, scoring points on two occasions. He also knows Haas a bit better than new team mate Esteban Ocon and has Team Principal Ayao Komatsu as a big fan. But the Frenchman is a daunting team mate, not only because of his talent and speed but because of his mentality of seeing the driver on the other side of his garage as the only guy he really has to beat at all costs.

As for Gabriel Bortoleto, the Brazilian comes into Formula 1 with a CV that very few can match, repeating the feats of Charles Leclerc, George Russell and Oscar Piastri, as he won the Formula 3 and the Formula 2 titles in consecutive years. The Brazilian has stunned everyone with his speed and maturity during his only Formula 2 season and earned his place in Grand Prix racing without the need of any financial support.

Against the highly experienced Nico Hulkenberg, Bortoleto will have a solid benchmark that will allow everyone to measure his real talent and potential and, being Mattia Binotto’s own choice (while the German was picked up by Sauber’s previous management), may quickly become the team’s favored driver as there’s no love lost

between Hulkenberg and his new boss.

Then, of course, there is Australian new talent Jack Doohan, who had a sniff of what he’s about to experience as he made an early start with Alpine in Abu Dhabi. Unlike his peers, Doohan sat out racing in 2024 and may be a little bit race-rusty at he start of the season, but he knows Alpine extremely well and, in Pierre Gasly, will have a quick and experienced team-mate that has traditionally got on well with his younger partners, so much so that Yuki Tsunoda is still one of the Frenchman’s closest friends.

Finally, we’ll have Isack Hadjar in the second of the newly re-named Racing Bulls team and the quick Frenchman will have to deal with the pressure cooker that the Red Bull system is for any youngster. How he performs against the now experienced Yuki Tsunoda and deals with the extreme and not always rational pressure that the Austrian company puts on its drivers will determine his future.

But if he succeeds, then he may even be with Red Bull in 2026 ... so there’s a big prize at the end of the stick, while on the other end of that stick there’s an early Formula 1 exit – so, yes, that’s pressure for you!

with Luis Vasconcelos

Much is expected from Bearman (left) and Mercedes’ youngster Antonelli (right) –despite the latter’s short-lived debut, in the Monza P1 session ...

Left: Jack Doohan (left) got a head start, partnering Gasly in Abu Dhabi. Right: Gabriel Bortoleto was new Sauber/Audi team boss Binotto’s choice.

RICCIARDO SHUTS DOWN CADILLAC SEAT RUMOR

DANIEL RICCIARDO has quickly shut down all the rumors that were linking him with a return to Formula 1 in 2026 with the new Cadillac team, the Australian making it clear that his time as a Grand Prix driver came to an end in Singapore and that he may be entirely done with motor racing in general. In a social media exchange with his fans, Ricciardo was asked if there was any possibility he would join the new American team in 2026. The former drivers smiled and just said “nah, I’m done!” making it clear that he’s not considering a return to Formula 1. That is very much in line with what had already said in Singapore, when he raced knowing he was about to be replaced by Liam Lawson but couldn’t confirm it officially.

Three months ago, at the end of what was his last Grand Prix drive, Ricciardo admitted that “I came back and joined VCARB because I wanted to prove to myself and to Red Bull that I would be the best possible team mate for Max in 2025 and beyond.

“But that didn’t quite work out and that’s how it goes. I showed the speed is still there – you could see it in Miami, you could see it in Montreal, for example – but I wasn’t as

consistent as I wanted to be and as I needed to be.”

The Australian made it clear that, “I’ve got no interest in being in Formula 1 just to be in Formula 1. I’m a fiercely competitive person; I want to be in the game to win it and that’s only going to happen if you’re driving for one of the four top teams. And it’s pretty clear I didn’t show enough for Red Bull or any other top team to come calling, right?

“So, do I want to stick around and try to find a seat with a smaller team just to stay around and hope things will get better? I don’t think I do, because I gave my all this year and it was clearly not enough, so it’s time to accept that and move on.”

In fairness to Ricciardo, it was social media and then some small websites that hyped up his chances of returning to Formula 1 with Cadillac, as the Australian remains a fan’s favorite and his love of all things American made people believe he’d be a shoe-in for the new team.

Although General Motors and appointed Team Principal Graeme Lowdon have said little or nothing about the line-up they’re chasing for 2026, it seems clear one of their

of a

drivers will be American, with Colton Herta being the hot favorite for the job, while the other driver is expected to be an experienced Formula 1 driver.

Being managed by Lowdon, Zhou Guanyu is a strong candidate for the job, with former team mate Valtteri Bottas being also high on the list and already being quite

open about his interest in joining this new project.

Kevin Magnussen, on the other hand, seems to be done with Formula 1 as he embarks on a new career in Sports Cars, but Franco Colapinto could be also in the frame if Williams remains unable to find him a race seat for 2026.

WHY BOTTAS FEELS BETRAYED BY AUDI

VALTTERI BOTTAS has never been known for venting his anger or problems in public – the former Sauber driver being a typical Finn, who keeps himself to himself, even if his wicked sense of humor has progressively come to the surface since he left Mercedes and felt free to express himself in his own, unique, way.

However, with the conclusion of his three years with Sauber and the certainty he won’t be at on the grid in next year’s Australian Grand Prix, Bottas decided it was time to settle a couple of scores.

The Finn wanted to explain why, being the most experienced driver on the grid, after Williams opted to take Carlos Sainz to partner Alex Albon in the next couple of years, he ended up without a seat, with newcomers Antonelli, Doohan, Bortoleto and Bearman and Hadjar all getting permanent drives in 2025.

One of Bottas’ statements that made the headlines was his admission that “signing with Sauber three years ago was a mistake.”

The statement upset the fans of the Swiss team, but it makes complete sense when you get the Finn’s explanation for it. After all, when he left Mercedes at the end of 2021, he accepted the contract offered by his old GP3 boss Frédéric Vasseur and had full confidence the Frenchman was the right man to bring Sauber back to the front of the midfield.

That much he explained when he pointed out that “Fred was a big part of me signing with the team, as I used to work with him before. There was a

clear plan and target for the three years I signed for and how to get there, but those plans went into the bin when he left.”

As the Frenchman’s deal to join Ferrari

came very late in December of 2022, Bottas admitted that, “I did have an option that if Fred goes, I can go, but by then it was too late to find another seat.”

Nevertheless, Bottas doesn’t blame

his former boss for moving to Ferrari, “because, as a Team Principal or a driver, if you get the chance to go to Ferrari, everyone is going to take it and Fred did what was right for him – and is showing what he can do with a top team too.”

What really upset Bottas, though, was that he was given false promises by Andreas Seidl, first, and Mattia Binotto, later, as he explained:

“Once Audi confirmed they’re joining, I was always told that I’d be the pillar for the project, and that didn’t happen.”

The Finn had previously explained that “until the end of April, Andreas was in contact with me, assuring me that I would be getting a long term contract with Audi but from the moment he signed Hulkenberg – and I was only told Nico was coming about 30 minutes before the announcement – he suddenly almost stopped all contact.”

Then, with Seidl fired and Binotto replacing the German, “we reopened negotiations, as Sainz had opted to go to Williams and, again, I was told he wanted me but the Board of Directors needed to be convinced they shouldn’t put a young driver in the car for 2025 and 2026, as they needed as much experience as they could possibly get to make quick progress. But we all know how that ended too…”

That’s why the Finn concluded that “knowing what I know now, I wouldn’t have signed with Sauber back then – but no one could guess Fred was going to leave 12 months later and that his entire vision for transforming the team would have gone straight into the bin …”

Valtteri is getting over his disappointment – already in Adelaide, enjoying the Aussie Summer. Image: VB FB

Rumours

Danny Ric GM option were social media-driven according to the man himself. Images: MOTORSPORT IMAGES

2025 RULES TO CHANGE HAMILTON’S TEST PROGRAM

LEWIS HAMILTON is now officially a Ferrari driver and has already started his preparation for his debut in red.

While there are still 10 weeks to go before the start of the 2025 Formula 1 World Championship, with the opening Grand Prix in Melbourne set for the March 16 weekend, the British driver will make do without his usual lengthy and exotic winter holidays, as his focus is very much centered on getting a running start to his career as a Scuderia driver.

With Ferrari being one of the teams that believes that running with two-year old cars before the start of a season allows its drivers to get up to speed quicker, Hamilton is set to discover his new working environment with a couple of days of testing at the wheel of a two-year old SF-23 (the same model Charles Leclerc is likely to do one day of running with at Fiorano) before the launch of the new car, scheduled for February 19. However, a change in the Sporting Regulations has now limited to 1000km the amount of running any official driver can have under the TPC (testing of previous cars) regulations, meaning that, at best, Hamilton will end up covering a maximum of two days of running before sampling the 2025 Ferrari, six weeks from now.

The seven-time World Champion had talked about his wish to have his first test as a Ferrari driver at the team’s private circuit in Fiorano, “as all the great drivers did before me,” following on a tradition that was started

New Ferrari drivers, and cars, have traditionally debuted at Ferrari’s Fiorano test track – here, Gilles Villeneuve and Jody Scheckter introduce the 1980 Ferrari 312 T5. Other than a possible ‘photo-shoot,’ Lewis Hamilton’s first serious Ferrari laps look like being elsewhere.

just over 50 years ago.

However, with Fiorano lacking high-speed corners, that plan seems to have been shelved in favour of a one-day test in the Mugello and another one in Barcelona – two circuits that are more relevant for a driver to get to know the basic characteristics of a family of cars – being on the cards.

For now, Hamilton’s first task is to get familiarised with the team, the people, the procedures and the routines of the race

team, meaning that the only man that has won more than 100 Grands Prix will be doing quite a bit of simulator work – a task he’s not too fond of – as well as working on his seating position, the layout of the steering wheel he’ll be using this season and even the definition of the vocabulary he’ll be using with his new race engineer, as Pete Bonington decided to stay with Mercedes rather than following his driver to Maranello.

Details of Hamilton’s testing program should be defined in the next week or so but, just in case the British driver does make a brief outing in Fiorano before he properly kicks off his preparations, there’s already a group of fans at the edge of the private circuit every morning, to check what cars and with what drivers Ferrari is running on that small circuit, such are the high expectations the tifosi have for this new association.

CADILLAC’S AERO TESTING FREEDOM ENDS NOW

AS THE current Formula 1 teams returned to work on January 2, after the mandatory winter break, the new table determining how many hours of wind tunnel testing and of CFD capacity usage starts to apply, based on the team’s final classification in the 2024 Constructors’ World Championship.

Having won the title for the first time since 1998, McLaren will be the team with the least time and capacity available while, at the other end of the scale, Sauber will get more wind tunnel time and more CFD capacity available than any other team – a consequence of the Swiss team finishing deal last in last year’s competition. There is, however, an 11th team that now has to abide by the same rules as the current 10 teams, as Cadillac has been accepted by Formula 1 as a competitor from the start of 2026 and, therefore, the limitations on wind tunnel hours and CFD capacity are also applying to the American team from the start of this year.

As Cadillac has yet to compete in Formula 1, the Sporting Regulations state that any new team will be awarded exactly the same aerodynamic testing restrictions as the last placed in the previous season. It means that the American team will be on equal footing with Sauber for the first six months of this year and with

whatever team is last in the Constructors’ Championship table by the end of June – when there’s a reshuffle of these

Note: F1’s new team, GM, is allocated the same hours as Sauber (1380). Artwork: CAROLINE

restrictions to reflect the classification after the first six months of every year. The only difference between Cadillac

and Sauber is that the Swiss team will still spend some wind tunnel time and CGD capacity in the design and development of its 2025 competitor, while the team originally put together by Michael Andretti will be fully emerged in the design and development of next year’s brand-new chassis.

Given the final Technical Regulations were published on December 12, Cadillac’s theoretical advantage over its rivals is dwarfed by the fact the American team still has a comparatively small amount of staff ready to work at both its Silverstone base as well as back in Indiana and still needs to get its wind tunnel and CFD programs up to the standards of the current teams.

The team is actively looking for more personnel to work from both sides of the Atlantic, offering attractive salaries to those with some experience in Formula 1, together with more senior positions than the ones they currently fill in their teams.

The amount of people working from Silverstone is expected to double in the next six months, as there’s a significant gap between the number of staff currently contracted by Cadillac and even smaller teams like Williams or Racing Bulls and, therefore, there’s quite a bit of catching up for Graeme Lowdon and his staff to do in the next 12 months.

RANDLE’S COMING OF AGE

IT FEELS LIKE THOMAS RANDLE HAS BEEN AROUND FOREVER, BUT HE IS LESS THAN 100 RACES INTO HIS SUPERCARS CAREER AND IS SHAPING UP AS A CONTENDER IN 2025. ANDREW CLARKE SPOKE WITH THE DRIVER OF THE #55 CASTROL MUSTANG ...

2024 FELT like a coming of age for Thomas Randle. The Tickford Racing youngster appeared to profit from the squad’s drop from four cars to two, and he gelled with his new engineer, Chris Stuckey. He didn’t get the breakthrough win that is surely coming, but he did manage to regularly feature at the front of the field and claimed fifth in the series.

This season, he hopes to take a further step up the ladder and, maybe, even fully embrace the new finals system on the way to a title, adding to an impressive brace of titles that includes Australian Formula Ford, Toyota Racing Series (against the likes of internationals Macau Grand Prix winner Richard Verschoor and IndyCar driver Marcus Armstrong) and Super2.

He is fan-friendly and sponsor charming –but can he take the next step and move into the ranks of genuine contender?

AUTO ACTION: So, 2024, fifth place in the championship, pole position, podiums ... you had everything but a win. Does it feel like a breakthrough year for you?

AA: We’ve spoken about this a little bit in our pages, but the switch from four cars to two cars for Tickford, just seemed to sharpen up the whole operation. We started getting consistency from people like you as the second driver. Did it feel like it made a huge difference?

TR: I think we probably underestimated what was required to run smoothly as a two-car team. On paper you just say, ‘oh, you’re just cutting the workload in half’, but it’s not really like that. We’ve still got quite a lot of staff and yes there were some staff that departed the team, but we probably thought, as a team, that we’d roll out of the blocks, no dramas if you like.

You look back at the end of the year and you think there’s probably no way we would have achieved that result if we were still running four cars. I think it made us realise as a team that this is what we need to get more

consistent results and it has helped Cam and I push each other, and helped the engineering department push each other, and just the vibe of the team was strong as well.

There were obviously some results that we didn’t want throughout the year as a team as well. And I think we’ve used those as good learning tools for the second half of the season and even going back to certain tracks next year, where I think we can improve as well. So, there’s been a lot of learning.

There were so many weekends where, at the start of the races, Cam and I were leading as a one-two for a portion, which was pretty cool. I think we had three front-row lockouts and that

one-two at Gold Coast was pretty special.

AA: Did you get a lot of confidence because you were always going to be that second driver or was it not as clear cut for you?

TR: Look, there was a point there where I was a little bit nervous about what was going to be happening moving forward. And then we had that awesome weekend at The Bend where we got the straight podiums, and pretty much from that point it was, ‘okay, we’re looking pretty good here for 2024’. And we’ve obviously got some great

Look, there was a point there where I was a little bit nervous about what was going to be happening moving forward ... “ ”

THOMAS RANDLE: That’s a good question. I guess that, from a championship position point of view, you could say yes. I look back on the year and I’m slightly disappointed in myself that I didn’t get that breakthrough first win up. I felt there was certainly some opportunities to do it and it just didn’t end up happening, and I’m obviously partially to blame for that since I’m the one behind the wheel.

But look, I think we had 12 top 10 finishes and 10 of those were top fives. In terms of racing at the front a lot more consistently, that was a step forward, as was qualifying and not having a DNF – that was such an important part of getting top five in the championship and helping get the team finish second in the teams’ championship.

But you are as aware as everyone else that there’s so many elements that make up getting results like that. There’s a lot of hard work involved and it’s nice that we’ve kept building on the last couple of years and, yes, part of me feels it would’ve been nice if the year we've had this last year had happened two years ago, but I guess that’s just the way it goes.

partners as well that back me and back the team. And then we had that double podium at Adelaide (2023) to round out the season, which was good.

Cam and I’ve had a strong relationship for a long time, which helps. We bounce off each other on the weekends and I think that helps to drive the team forward. We have a lot of fun, but we take it seriously, and we still want the best results.

AA: The Bend 2023 – if we go back to that for a little bit, that was the moment where it felt like you were making a statement. Did you feel, going into it, that you needed that kind of performance to keep the drive, or did you feel like you just needed that performance for Thomas Randle?

TR: Probably both. I think going into it, there were so many rumours going around about what was and wasn’t happening, not only inside our team, but there was just a lot of chatter. I thought, ‘you know what, listening to any of that is not going to help the situation. I just need to work on Thomas Randle, and do what I can do to be faster and best prepare myself’.

I wouldn’t say I knew, but going into that weekend, I felt like I’d had quite good speed there in the past and just wanted to focus on the job at hand and that’s driving the car as fast as I could We rolled out pretty strong straight away and I think we qualified second, then we got a pole and three podiums for the weekend. It was quite a breakthrough weekend and that set us up for the rest of the year, but also 2024 too. I think it was after The Bend that my engineer at the time, Raymond Lau, announced his departure from the team. We just did the enduros together and then from Gold Coast onwards I had the man, the myth and the legend, Mr Chris Stuckey. And we’ve done the whole 2024 season together. And it’s been a lot of fun.

AA: How important was having Chris Stuckey on board for your development?

TR: I did three wildcards in 2021 with Ray, and then 2022 and 90% of 2023 was with him too.

When Ray said he was heading to Blanchards, I was told that I’d be teaming up with Stuckey. He’d been running Declan that whole year, and I felt like we sort-of hit it off at the Gold Coast. We’re kind-of very similar people, we get along really well, and we talk nearly every day, which is great.

He trusts me, he trusts my feedback – which I feel is important – and it’s the same the other way as well with me to him. He tends to be level-headed, although sometimes I’ll rev him up when I see him on the replays throwing some hands around, which is pretty funny, but it’s been a good year for both of us.

AA: There’s a great sense of fun at Tickford. You do some pretty cool stuff with Cam on YouTube and all that ... is that important to you in terms of getting the best out of you as a

The Gold Coast 500 was a landmark weekend for the Tickford team. Above: flirting with 'kerb-strike. Opposite: A Saturday 1-2 ... Below left: Ready to go ... Below right: With engineer Chris Stuckey – another driver/engineer relationship that contributes to the results. Bottom: Leading into Turn 1 at The Bend (2023).

Images: MARK HORSBURGH, LAT, RACE PROJECT, PETER NORTON, MOTORSPORT IMAGES, MPIX

driver that you can have a bit of fun about it all, or should it be just deadly serious all the time?

TR: I think it’s important for the fans and our supporters to see our personalities. We are humans at the end of the day – we have other things in our lives. It’s important to show that, and that’s why we do the videos like we do. We are ourselves, and pretty much what you see in those videos is pretty much what Cam and I are like to each other.

We have a lot of fun and obviously it helps the bonding, and we get the crew involved in certain videos. We get the engineers involved when we can. And I guess we don’t want people to think that we don’t take it seriously, but if you’re not enjoying it and if you’re not having some fun along the way, then what’s the point?

AA: How do you find the fan reaction to it? Has it changed over the years?

TR: Everyone loves it. We work with our videographer Tom Rattenbury as a collective to come up with ideas and, when we’re filming, we might change it on the fly. When he puts a draft together, we’ll go, ‘yes that’s good’ or we’ll play around a little. And sometimes it’s a bit of a 50/50 ... either people are going to love it or they’re going to absolutely hate it. And 95% of the time it’s been the latter – people have loved it. I think the important thing is that we take the piss out of ourselves. And there are so many social media haters out there, as you’re well aware, and there’s no point pandering to the minority. The people that aren’t commenting

I had a lot of doubts after I went through my treatment about whether I’d ever be as good as I was ... “ ”

AA: Do you still play piano? Your April Fool’s joke, where you announced you were leaving the sport to join the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra was pretty good, I thought.

TR: Yes, that wasn’t too bad. We had just filmed the F1 piano theme song not too long before that, which was a lot of fun collaborating with F1 and Jess Yates, Nathan Prendergast, the Fox Supercars team, and F1.

That was really cool. And then, it was literally the week later, I think that we came up with the April Fool’s joke. We were in Bathurst for the six-hour and there was a piano down at the Oxford and we went over and got a few photos and yes, did the interview and Rod was there with his son, Charlie, who was racing Excel.

Tenayah, who does the videos for Castrol, interviewed him and he actually came out really well. I was surprised by the number of people that it fooled. It was quite a lighthearted which was good.

AA: How often do you play piano these days?

TR: Probably a couple of times a week. Just for a bit of fun. I don’t do lessons or anything any more, but yes, just when I feel like it. We just had the piano tuned last week, so it’s good to go. So looking forward to getting on there soon and tickling the ivories, as they say.

people remember who wins championships. I’ve been fortunate enough to win three car racing championships, one of them being an international series – I think that’s just so cool having that on the CV.

And then, 2020 and 2021 were the years we were trying to get into Supercars and that ultimately didn’t happen, and 2020 was the year that I was diagnosed with testicular cancer. That’s something you don’t plan for.

But, in the same year, I beat cancer and won the Super2 series which is pretty damn cool. Then in 2021, we were trying to get a full-time seat and couldn’t get the REC, so that couldn’t happen. There are so many elements to try and get on the grid full-time.

But we’re here now and I looking back I’ve been fortunate enough to have achieved a lot, but I still feel like there’s more growing to be done and more things that I’d like to achieve in my career, but all this wouldn’t be possible without my family, for starters.

AA: Let’s quickly talk about cancer. It’s something that’s never easy to deal with, is it? But you got through it without seeming to lose too much. Do you think you gained a bit of strength dealing with that?

end of the day, we’ve had no real complaints, and we take the piss out of ourselves, then how can

AA: You’re 28, which seems old-ish for being so young in the sport these days. It’s been an interesting path for you with Europe and then the cancer fight and all of those kinds of things. Do you feel like it’s taken you a bit longer than you wanted to get to where you are or you’re comfortable?

TR: I look back at my career and my original goal was to try and make it to Formula 1, which was more of a definite dream than a potential reality. But the opportunities that I was given, the experiences that I’ve got over those years racing in Europe and the UK, I wouldn’t change that at all. That’s helped me be the driver I am today and the person I am today. It would have been nice to only do two years of Super2 rather than three, but I guess Dad and I were always of the belief that people remember who wins championships – it’s all good winning a race here and there, but

TR: Aside from being bloody scary, it’s certainly made me a lot more resilient. It’s funny, I look back on that and I think it’s something that I wouldn’t change. It’s something that I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy, but I had a lot of support from my family my friends, and a lot of my supporters in racing as well, through that period.

It was one of those things where I went public at the start just to raise awareness, and then pretty much throughout the whole battle, I didn’t really say much until I was told I was in remission, then I tried to close the chapter. But yes; a lot of needles, a bit of chemotherapy, a

Top: The Tickford duo get on very well ... Congratulations from Cam on pole in Tasmania. Top left: Getting 'in the zone ..." Above: Thomas has continued to make occasional Sports Sedan appearances. Opposite top: The 2022 startline 'carstall' shunt at The Bend – on pole – was a blow ... Below: Duking it out with Will Brown at Symmons Plains, last year. Below left: The breakthrough podium came at The Bend in 2023.

few operations, a lot of challenges, a lot of complications ... but to be honest it probably wasn’t better-timed with the year that it was, I didn’t really miss out on too much racing.

Our first race back was at Tassie in the S5000 and I was still pretty unfit and still quite crook, but we managed to win the final, which was pretty special.

I had a lot of doubts after I went through my treatment about whether I’d ever be as good as I was – not that I’m not trying to say that I was the best – but I guess if I ever thought I’d get back to the level of competitiveness that I was at. That’s probably a better way to phrase it. I felt that win in the S5000, really shut anyone up that thought I would not be as good when I came back.

AA: You look like a real athlete, when you’re standing there, you look like you’re ready to go out and play football or do some other sport. Not all of our Supercars athletes look like that. How hard do you work on that part of your

life, the fitness part, or do you think you’re just lucky in a sense?

TR: I work hard at it. After my chemo, my fitness level was basically back to zero, but we’ve got a good team performance coach – AK, Anthony Klarica – and I work pretty closely with him. I’ve got my own trainer as well, Heath Meldrum, that I do training with too.

It’s quite important to be fit. And now with this new 2025 tyre, I think it’s going to be important to be even fitter because it sounds like the tyres don’t degrade much so we’ll be pushing pretty hard, I reckon.

AA: Which brings us on to the next point, which is this year. It’s not just the tyre – the whole system’s different, isn’t it? Does it play into your hands a little bit?

TR: Obviously, I want to get into the finals because I want to win the championship. So, yes, I’ve got to be in the top 10 after Bathurst,

THOMAS AND THE GREAT APRIL FOOLS PIANO JOKE!

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IN THE BLOOD – CHRIS STUCKEY’S JOURNEY IN MOTORSPORT

AS THE son of Russell Stuckey, Chris S tuckey comes from Australian motor racing royalty. Stuckey has been a constant on the Australian motorsport scene with Stuckey’s Tyres business, for decades.

So, Stuckey’s journey to engineer of the #55 Castrol Mustang at Tickford Racing, has been interesting – he could so easily have just followed an easy path with the family business, which has been supplying racing tyres since 1972 – one year less than AA has existed – and was at one stage running the Dunlop program in the Australian Touring Car Championship.

Father Russell is probably worth a feature story in himself, and it would have been easy just to keep heading down the linear succession path and work the tyres.

“I’ve always enjoyed going to the track,’ Stuckey says. “Dad used to take me to the track – the earliest memories I have are riding my bike around Winton when I was in primary school.”

It means Stuckey grew up in and around motor racing, and he worked the tyres for a while but had a hankering to make his own way as an engineer and has found a rewarding home at Tickford with Randle as his driver.

“The first round we did together was 2023 Gold Coast,” Stuckey says his first race with Randle.

“I remember we had a little power steering drama for the first session, but in practice two he hit the track proper.

“As I recall, I think he was P1 on the beach chicane straight out of the gate. I thought that was quite interesting because normally, it’s somewhere where you need a bit of a run-up, but he just hit the track and was quick there.

“It was a good sign that he was going to be quick.”

Linking with a driver part way through a season is ‘interesting’ says Stuckey.

“Thankfully at that point, the car was genuinely pretty good, so it was pretty easy because we had quick cars at the Gold Coast and Adelaide. I didn’t really have to overthink it. It was a little bit unusual, starting to work together with someone at that point of the year, but thankfully quite straightforward.

“Things just worked pretty well and we were able to figure each other out and still achieve reasonably good results.”

Under Stuckey’s guidance, Randle has emerged as a genuine contender who probably just needs that first win to unlock the full potential – a bit like Brodie Kostecki early in 2023. The engineer thinks Randle has the pace, but as a pair they need to work on a couple of things.

“I think the pace has generally been quite good, but it’s probably more the race runs that have made the difference. If you look at Cam’s racing against ours, generally we’ve been a match for one lap pace – Cam got the pole award, so I say that with that in mind!

“But generally, one lap pace, we’ve been thereabouts. We’ve had a few events that weren’t at that level, but I think one lap pace has been good.

"But race runs ... I think that’s the next level.

"At Eastern Creek our race pace was good and capable of winning, but there were a couple of things we didn’t do that well. I think that was potentially our best opportunity for a win.

Symmons Plains, also – I think we probably had the race pace to win that Sunday race.

“We’re probably just not matching it over the longest stints. It doesn’t take much, but I think generally Cam, for instance, has still got a bit of tyre left in the back end of some of those stints which really shows up.

That’s when, if you can hang out long and you’re still doing quite good times, obviously it sets you up for a good result.”

Stuckey acknowledges that with less than 100 races to his name, Randle is still young in his Supercars career:

“He’s relatively new to the category but some of the experience that he’s got overseas is really good. I think anything is possible, really. Basically, he has been getting stronger and stronger each season. Which is a good sign.

“He’s got a lot more consistent, and I think he dealt with some of the setbacks through the year really well. Symmons Plains I thought might have been a bit of a drama, as in a setback, and mentally it was going to be hard to recover, but the next event, it was effectively like it didn’t happen … water off a duck’s back.

“He bounced back well and we just got back in the groove – he was strong again and it never really seemed to show up as an issue after that.”

On being a contender, Stuckey is a typical engineer and hoses down expectations.:

“I’m always a bit cautious because there’s so many people that can win. You don’t want to rule it out, and potentially, if we can do a good job with the car and he rocks up the same way he did for the start of last year and we build on what we’ve learnt ... I think lots of factors are in play, but I think if we can do a better job with the car from the outset, we’ll be right in amongst it.”

and then top seven after Gold Coast, top four after Sandown, and then see where we’re at. I really like the concept of the finals.

At first everyone was a bit unsure of the idea, because it wasn’t how we’ve gone about racing for the last 50, 60, 70 or 80 years. But you look at Cam, for example, he had a few dramas at the start of the year, but you’d say he’s a championship contender, right? But by that time, he’s 400 points behind, and it’s impossible to get it back.

I think the system is good in that it’s like the AFL. You could win every game but one, and you’re not the premiers. It proves that you need to be strong on the day and that’s what it will reward. It’ll reward consistency to a point, and then it’s going to be about how good you can be on the day.

It’s certainly going to be a different mindset from every driver during that period, and everyone’s going to want to win the race to get through to the next stage or be in that top seven or top four. So, I think you’ll see a bit more action next year.

AA: Is this your year coming up? Is this the year Thomas Randle wins a race, wins a championship?

TR: That’s a loaded question!

AA: Do you feel like you’re ready for that jump?

TR: I feel like I’m ready for some wins. I felt like that this year, but you just can’t underestimate the competition – it is so competitive. It is all well and good saying “yes, I’m going to go out and win every race,” but that’s just not how it goes.

As long as I can be as prepared as possible, and same with Tickford, and the cars are fast, I’d like to say “yes, I am and ...”

Yes, I’d love to win races this season. We’ve been working on this for the past three years of my main game career that led up to this point. It’s not something that just happens overnight. We’ll just put our best foot forward and try and minimise mistakes, and that’s all we can really do.

AA: Now the chance for a shameless plug before we do a proper story on it. But how important is your simulator setup for what you’re doing?

TR: I find it very important. I spend a lot of time in the sim, especially before

each round preparing for each event. I think that just helps me being able to be 'on it' straight away and to try different techniques, whether it be different lines or different styles for different corners. I think that all just helps the prep leading into the event because our testing is so limited and this year it’s going to be limited even more with only two test days.

Tickford to the fore – Randle leads Waters and Matt Payne into Turn 1, Race 1, Adelaide, last November ...

Perth: Randle leads eventual champion Will Brown. Below: Open-wheeler pathway – 2016 BRDC F3 series Brands Hatch. Below right: British F3 winner – Rockingham (UK). Bottom: Randle was an S5000 winner – and overcame any doubts about his fitness after his cancer scare by winning at his first race back – the Tasmanian S5000 finale.

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TAKING ON THE WORLD

AWAY FROM THE SPOTLIGHT, THERE IS A COUNTLESS AMOUNT OF AUSSIES CLIMBING THE STAIRWAY TO F1 ALL OVER THE WORLD. THOMAS MILES LOOKS AT SOME OF THE CONTENDERS AHEAD OF A BIG 2025 …

CHRISTIAN MANSELL – F2

OUTSIDE OF F1, the highest Australian youngster on the F1 ladder is Novocastrian Christian Mansell.

The 2025 season will be the biggest yet for Mansell, as he braces himself for his first full FIA Formula 2 campaign.

He will be the only Australian racing F2 as he sits just one step away from following Oscar Piastri and Jack Doohan into F1.

Mansell will chase that dream with Rodin Motorsport, but is no newcomer to the second tier category.

He got a taste of what is to come by taking part in the final three rounds of the 2024 FIA F2 season, with Trident.

From six races across Baku, Lusail and Yas Marina, Mansell impressed by finishing in the top 10 and scoring points in half of those races.

Whilst he emerged from Abu Dhabi with a pair of 16th place finishes, he was thrilled to show pace and promise in the entree, ahead of the main event this year.

It completed a big 2024 for Mansell after he finished a strong fifth in FIA Formula 3, where he collected five podiums with ART.

“It’s been a great season for me personally,” the diabetic driver said.

“To be a title contender in Formula 3 and then instantly a points scorer in Formula 2 was exactly what we wanted to prove, so it gives us ammunition to go into 2025 with a lot to be excited about.

“The final round all really stemmed back to qualifying. It didn’t go the way we wanted unfortunately, and again it wasn’t helped by the timing of red flags.

“That meant it left us with a lot of work to do in the races, and the Sprint race proved that it’s not easy to overtake around that circuit.

“On Sunday it was a bit more of a strategy game, and we didn’t think the softer tyres would last for us at the end of the race.

“Some made it work, others didn’t, but we made more ground through what we did and the first lap was really key for us.

“It’s a case of thanks so much to the Trident and ART teams that supported me all season, and I’m already looking forward to a new chapter this year in F2.”

Mansell will take on FIA F2 with Rodin Motorsport, which finished eighth in the teams championship, one place behind

his F3 squad, ART.

However, the Kiwi outfit started the 2024 season on a high note thanks to back to back wins by Barbadian driver Zane Maloney.

But this year, sharing the garage with the Aussie will be Irish driver Alex Duane, who finished 14th in last year’s F3 season.

Rodin and Mansell are very familiar with each other with the 19-year-old haviung already represented David Dicker’s squad at British F4 level.

The then 15-year-old impressed with a seventh place finish in the F4 British Championship where he took five podiums and one win.

Rodin cannot wait to welcome back Mansell, who has raced at GB3, Euroformula Open and F3 level since.

“We are pleased to welcome Christian back to the team here at Rodin Motorsport,” Benn Huntingford, Formula 2 Team Manager said.

“We’ve been impressed watching his step up to the Formula 2 championship and know how great he is to work with from our previous seasons together. I’m looking forward to seeing him get behind

the wheel and getting our season underway.”

Mansell and Rodin got reacquainted with themselves during a post-season test at Yas Marina Circuit.

On the third and final day of running, Mansell set the fourth fastest time in the Rodin Motorsport machine.

His 1:35.871 was less than a tenth off the pace of leader Victor Martins, who is driving for Mansell’s former team ART, in the morning session,.

The Aussie held position in the afternoon session by posting a 1:37.606 in the evening.

It is a promising step forward for the Novocastrian after being 14th, 13th, 13th and seventh across the previous four sessions.

“I am thrilled to be returning to Rodin Motorsport for the 2025 season,” Mansell said.

“The team has always been supportive, and I am excited to build on our past successes together.

“I look forward to the challenges ahead and am ready to give my best on the track.”

Each year Mansell has taken solid strides forward and big things could be in store if he continues the progression in 2025, in his biggest season yet.

JAMES WHARTON – F3

JAMES WHARTON is set to 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

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 – 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 – securing a strong fifth in the championship.

until now to put us in this 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.”

winner of the Ferrari Driver Academy’s Scouting World Finals he joined the Italian giant in 2021.

After rising through the ranks with the backing of Prema and Ferrari and growing up in Maranello, Wharton decided to go his own way at the start of this year and the big move has paid dividends.

However, he will forever be thankful to the Prancing Horse.

“It was a big thing having a team like Ferrari backing you,” Wharton recalled.

“But for me at that time it was the best decision for me as a person as well. I felt it was time to move on to a new team and opportunity.

“But I cannot thank them enough for what they did for me.

“I spent so long there – they grew me from karting into a race car driver.

“I had to learn a lot of life things there as well, living on my own at 13 in Maranello, which is a step not many have taken.

“But this year I felt it was time. I have made a big step this year performancewise on the track, so I do not think it has affected me at all.

“At the moment I am in the best spot I have ever been and would not be here without them.”

As he creeps closer to his dream of racing in F1, Wharton also knows his family have played a massive part ahead of an extra step up in 2025.

“I was never meant really to race and meant to just have some fun,” Wharton recalls of his early days.

“Then very quickly I became a driver that I felt able to make the sacrifices to get to F1.

“After a couple of years it got a bit out of control ... and we moved to Europe when I was nine years old. It went really quickly, from just driving around a couple of laps a day to living by myself in Europe, racing.

Having been karting teammates together, Mansell has been helping the latest F3 Aussie to 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, with all-new 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 this year with a brand new car coming along,” he said.

“If it was 2024 I would believe we would be in a very good position but at this stage we do not know who is going to be fast and which car is going to be the best.

“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.

“I feel like I have progressed a lot this season and I have been able to become a championship-contending driver.

“After such a good end to the season last year I feel like that (F3 title) is a realistic goal.

“We have a three day test to really get the car right and may need some magic to get it perfect, but I am sure we will find some.”

The rise to F3 is a significant one considering it comes a year after Wharton decided to leave the Ferrari Driver Academy.

Having been the first

“It was a massive step and I think the earliest you could do it, before junior karting.

“I saw the effort I was putting in alongside the sacrifices the family was making, who believed in me.

“When you start, no-one else is there to help you apart from your parents and 99% of people don’t know who you are.

“I am extremely proud and grateful for the sacrifices my parents made.”

ALEX NINOVIC – GB3

ALEX NINOVIC is the latest Australian youngster to watch out for on the road to Formula 1.

Next year Ninovic will take his next step on the pathway by taking on the GB3 Championship for the first time, with Rodin Motorsport.

The Sydney-based 17-year-old has plenty of momentum behind him, having been a prolific podium finisher in last

James Wharton (red race suit) – testing F3 in Spain.

Images: DPA, MOTORSPORT IMAGES

Ninovic not only hopes to follow in the footsteps of Piastri to F1, but also young Kiwi Louis Sharp, who used the same Rodin GB3 team to win the 2024 title and progress to FIA F3.

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

However, this 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 that everyone knows – like it will have a bit more power, the DRS and a better floor with more downforce.

“I tested 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.”

Ninovic arrived in Britain after a steady 2023 Spanish F4 campaign where he finished 10th, with one podium.

The Aussie said the biggest adjustment from the Spanish to British championships was mastering the tyres and cooler temperatures.

“From the Spanish to the British F4 the

biggest thing I had to work on was the driving style on the Pirelli compared to the Hancook tyre,” he reflected.

“The Pirelli it was slightly softer so you could push the braking more and combine the grip with your steering.

“The weather in the UK is a lot cooler so you need to force it to get temperature in the tyres and focus on how you treat the rubber to keep them in a better condition.

“Coming into the year after being in the top 10 of the Spanish championship I thought being at the front of the British would be really cool.

“I knew it would not be easy because everyone was saying the British championship would be very tough.

“But then to top qualifying in the first round exceeded my expectations and to keep getting wins and podium was great.

“I exceeded my expectations, but my dream was to win the championship ... but still very happy with second.”

Whilst Ninovic is stepping up a level, the familiarly of staying at David Dicker’s Rodin Motorsport is a massive boost as he feels at home within the set-up.

“I have been at the team for two years and I know everyone – they do an amazing job,” he said.

“Being supported by Rodin means a lot.

“The team have been super helpful and I am looking forward to carrying that on.

“I am just looking forward to it and have been training even harder to get stronger and fitter.

“Every year hopefully I can keep making steps up.”

But the support of Rodin carries extra meaning for Ninovic as it offered him an opportunity out of the blue when he feared his fledgling racing career was slowing suddenly.

His racing career started at the age of seven when he showed immediate pace in a rental kart before being gifted his own when he broke a lap record.

But after winning the Senior KA3 National title in 2022, nothing appeared

on offer when Ninovic looked to step up until Rodin arrived and he is determined to repay the faith.

“After doing karting for around nine years we did not know what we wanted to do next,” he recalled.

“There was not much interest from anyone to support us to continue into cars and we did not know what we were going to do but then, luckily, after speaking with Rodin they came on board.

“Basically (former Formula Ford driver and Alex’s mentor) Garry Jones reached out to David and introduced me to Rodin and from there I went to the track in NZ and they tested me out.

“They sent me to a driver performance place here in Sydney to look at the other aspects.

“We then did a few tests here in the UK in the F4 car which was a great experience – but the weather was not great in February.

“I did not have much to show in those cool conditions and went home but got the news from Rodin I would race in the Spanish championship.

“It was a big few months of training and discussing things, but it was worth it and I cannot thank Rodin enough.”

The 2025 GB3 Championship is starting at Silverstone on April 26-27.

PATRICK HEUZENROEDER

FRESH FROM first year in Europe, Patrick Heuzenroeder is not looking too far ahead in 2025.

After taking on a full GB3 Championship for

the first time, Heuzenroeder only has the upcoming Castrol FR Oceania Championship locked in at the time of writing, but is expected to return to Europe.

In New Zealand, he will make his

many building blocks and experience to learn off them.

“It was a pretty big move at the end of 2022, leaving all my friends behind, but something that had to be done. You cannot die wondering ...”

THERE WILL be a number of Aussie youngsters looking to leave their mark on the international stage.

Boosted by an Australian record second place in the 2024 Italian Formula 4 Championship, Jack Beeton is aiming

Beeton has secured a plum drive in the Formula Regional European Championship with Prema Racing.

The 16-year-old from the Gold Coast effectively replaces Wharton and cannot wait for the big opportunity.

“I am really looking forward to next year. Prema is a really professional team with great history and I cannot wait to see what we can achieve together,” Beeton

Joining both Ninovic and Mansell within the Rodin Motorsport stable is Gianmarco Pradel

Pradel will take on the GB3 Championship in 2025, having previously competed in the Italian F4 Championship, Euro 4 Championship and Formula Winter Series.

The GB3 Championship will be shaken up in 2025 by a new generation of car that, as Ninovic explains, promises to possess more power and downforce.

“I am super-excited for this new opportunity with Rodin Motorsport. It’s a big step in my career and it will be amazing to drive for a team that has been so successful in this category,” he said.

“I look forward to racing on some challenging circuits in the new GB3 car, and I am ready to give everything to make the season successful.”

Liam Loiacono will make the brave

He will race for Jay Howard Driver Development in America.

One driver who had been racing in both America and Japan in 2024 was Jesse Lacey.

Lacey took part in the 2024 Formula Regional Japan Championship and missed out on third in the standings by an agonising 0.03s in the final race at Fuji. He took one win, at Okayama, plus three other podiums.

Lacey is currently looking at his 2025 options and trying to attract sponsors to raise enough funds to go racing with the aim a drive in the USF Pro 2000 Championship.

As usual there are a number of AGi Sport drivers to watch out for.

Having dominated F4 in Australia and raced up the front in the UAE recently, Jimmy Piszcyk is looking to take the next step.

Piszcyk hopes his stunning charge to the Australian title could put his name up in lights as he chases drives in Europe.

Two drivers that dominated abroad, but are yet to reveal their full plans are Daniel Quimby and Nicolas Stati. The pair finished one-two in the 2024 Formula 4 United States Championship with Quimby emerging champion thanks to five wins. Stati, who finished just 4.5 points shy, has got a drive however. He will represent AGi Sport in the 2025 UAE F4 Championship which begins on January 17.

Other Aussies competing are fellow AGI Sport team-mates Peter Bouzinelos and Beeton, while Kamal Mrad is also taking part.

Fast female Joanne Ciconte is looking to make an impact in Europe having impressed in the worldwide FIA Girls on Track Rising Stars program and starting six Spanish F4 races with a best result of 20th.

Other Aussies who had a crack at Spanish F4 were Griffin Peebles and Bouzinelos, but it is unclear what is next for the driver who collected four podiums last year.

At just 16 Dante Vinci has just started life out of karts and Italy is his destination of choice.

After a small taste of three races with a best result of 19th, Vinci will be taking on a full Italian F4 campaign in 2025 with Van Amersfoort Racing.

As highlighted in the previous issue of AA, Lochie Hughes and Tommy Smith are moving into Indy NXT – the last stop before IndyCar.

If we have missed any, please get in contact at team@autoaction.com.au as we continue to cover Aussies racing all over the world in 2025.

Opposite (top): Alex Ninovic celebrates an F4 win. Bottom of page: Ninovic (#12 Rodin) shows the way, en route to second in the prestigious British F4 Championship. Below: Celebrating ...

Above: Patrick Heuzenroeder. Above right: the all-new GB3 car undergoing testing.

Below (centre): Joanne Ciconte.

Below right: Gianmarco Pradel (left) and Jack Beeton.

Images: MOTORSPORT IMAGES, JAKOB EBREY PHOTOGRAPHY, SUPPLIED

ACTION MART

SPEEDWAY

MARVELLOUS McHUGH

AS USUAL THE SUMMER ERUPTED WITH SPEEDWAY ACTION ACROSS THE FIVE-NIGHT BRANDT SPRINTCAR SPEEDWEEK, WHERE LOCKIE McHUGH PROVED WHY HE IS THE AUSTRALIAN CHAMPION. THOMAS MILES REPORTS …

THE BRANDT Sprintcar Speedweek saw some of the biggest names in both Australia and America entertain crowds across South Australia and Victoria, including Bordertown’s impressive new Tolmer Speedway.

Whilst many had speed, no one had the pace and consistency as McHugh.

The #A1 was in P1 for the first two races in Murray Bridge and Bordertown, providing the perfect platform.

Whilst his rivals got caught up in the Avalon chaos, McHugh steered clear and ensured he finished all five races in the top five to be the clear champion.

The impressive consistency saw the Australian champion collect 1090 points and emerge a convincing 200 clear of Ryan Jones.

“The boys have had the car fast all week and we have managed to be consistently fast in the top five which is what you need to do to get these series wins,” McHugh said.

NIGHT 1 – MURRAY BRIDGE

THE FIVE-NIGHT thrill ride sparked at Murray Bridge where McHugh and Brock Hallett put on a brilliant Boxing Day battle.

McHugh and Hallett exchanged the lead three times before the #A1 made the decisive blow with five laps to go.

Ryan Jones actually led the first nine laps starting from position four in his heat (after timing fastest in his group from qualifying, winning that heat and thereby scoring pole position in the Dash.

The Murray Bridge local hero sped to the win in the Dash where he began the A-Main from pole position alongside Hallett with McHugh and Luke Dillon on the second row. Jones was as fast out of the gates as Sam Konstas and led early and looked to have the consistency and speed to get the job done in

the 35-lap A-Main but Hallett and McHugh closed in as the lead trio encountered dense lapped traffic.

After Hallett and McHugh picked off Jones in consecutive laps, the wrestled for the lead.

Hallett led laps 10-16 before McHugh made his first move, while Jones also picked off the #Q5, demoting it to third.

But on Lap 25 Hallett was back on the pace, passing Jones before making a challenge on McHugh.

A thrilling fight evolved in the final five laps as Hallett passed McHugh, only for the Australian champion to respond immediately.

McHugh did enough to not only defend the lead, but pull away for the remainder of the race to open his account with a 2s success.

Behind Jones Luke Dillon and Chad Ely rounding out the top five.

Trailing home Ely – who did a stout job ‘in the family car’ – in sixth was Daniel Pestka, American Garet Williamson in seventh, Rusty Hickman (who won the B-Main and stormed forward from 21st) eighth, Texan Chase

Randall ninth and Queenslander Randy Morgan rounding out the 10.

Marcus Dumesny was speedy until a flat left rear tyre took him out, Brendan Quinn suffered front end damage that plagued him after an incident involving Steven Caruso on lap two, Parker Scott rolled on to his side in Turn 3-4 and mechanical issues sidelined Joel Heinrich.

NIGHT 2 – BORDERTOWN

A SPECIAL crowd witnessed a special occasion in Bordertown, which welcomed Sprintcars for the first time in six decades.

The small South Australian town came alive thanks to the new American style Tolmer Speedway and the drivers put on a show.

However, it was again McHugh, who found the banked bends, replicating the I55 Speedway in Missouri, most to his liking in the slide job bonanza.

The Dash event in particular was stellar with Jamie Veal and McHugh trading monster slide jobs and the A-Main delivered

a similar situation, while Keke Falland and Chase Randall won the C and B Mains respectively.

With the 35-lap main event being a mostlygreen affair and Corey McCullagh the only DNF, the 24-car field was able to put the foot down.

For much of the race, Dumesny appeared destined for victory.

Having won the Dash, Dumesny blasted away from pole, making good use of the low line initially before going upstairs.

Veal settled into second ahead of Hallett and McHugh, who fought off an angry pack for the minor places.

The top three charged away as the mid pack was busy racing the numerous lines the new and wide track offered.

The first yellow arrived on lap seven when Jy Corbet came to a stop.

Veal retained his lead at the restart, while Veal fired an aggressive slide job on Hallett to sensationally snare second.

McHugh then tried to do the same, but his first attempt was unsuccessful with Rusty Hickman also racing hard up front.

Eight laps later the Australian champion seized his moment by diving down the inside. He only needed another two laps to take the attack to Veal and he flew past the #V35 by skating down the inside at Turn 1.

As the final 10 laps arrived Dumesny’s grip on the race was slipping with McHugh starting to pile on the pressure as tyre smoke appeared on the #N47.

McHugh had his first look at the end of of lap 33, but this only proved to be a launching pad for the main assault as he performed a slide job with success.

Fans were thrilled as the leading pair skated through Turns 1 and 2 side by side where McHugh prevailed and denied

The roll-up lap at Warrnambool – an impressive finale for a superb five-round series. Above: Brock Hallett ended McHugh’s run with a Round 3 Borderline win

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your information, images and contact

He ended up pulling a 1.231s margin of victory to extend his lead to 90 points as Dumesny had to settle for second after leading 33 of the 35 laps with Veal rounding out the podium.

Much of the race was full of slide jobs with Hallett fourth and Rusty Hickman fifth.

Rounding out the top 10 were Grant Anderson, Jordan Rae, Glen Sutherland, Garet Williamson and Ryan Jones.

NIGHT 3 – MOUNT GAMBIER

THE NEXT Speedweek stop was Mount Gambier’s Borderline Speedway and all eyes were on McHugh to see if he could pull off a hat-trick.

However, he was finally beaten by nearest rival Brock Hallett.

Hallett’s fast restarts in a significantly interrupted affair at Mount Gambier proved critical in his pursuit of victory in Round 3. Despite some tense moments negotiating lapped traffic in the final laps, the #Q5 held on by just three tenths as McHugh retained his 80-point series lead.

Jamie Veal had red-hot pace, charging from 10th to third, while pole sitter Brendan Guerin was fourth.

Marcus Dumesny retained third in the standings after making his way into the top five, while Supercars star Cameron Waters was fighting for a podium before slipping to

seventh in a solid performance as six failed to finish.

Off the pole, Guerin got a flyer down low to shoot into the lead as Waters fought hard, but could not stop Hallett from also snatching second before an instant yellow due to a spun Garet Williamson. This time it was Hallett, who made good use of the inside line to snatch the lead at the restart.

Again only one lap was possible due to the #7 coming to a stop.

Once again there was a positional change at the restart with Waters shooting to second before Frost rotated after contact in Turn 3. It was fourth time lucky as there was

finally a solid period of green flag racing and Waters was swamped.

After Anderson slipped by on the inside, the #V6 was demoted to fifth by McHugh, who started to fly up high.

The Australian champion then performed the switch-back to soar into second by picking off both Rae and Anderson with ease.

The green flag run was shut by a red flag with 12 to go due to local Glen Sutherland having an unfortunate end to his home race.

The ‘Glen 20’ ran wide and careered hard into the Turn 1 wall, sending it into a roll right in front of the leaders.

Hallett and McHugh wrestled hard for the lead side-by-side for three laps at the restart,

but the #Q5 sent it hard to cling on up high. Guerin and Rae were also wheel-to-wheel for third before the latter’s race came to a heart breaking end with eight to go.

This saw the #7 drop out of contention, moments after Frost also found the Turn 3 fence.

Being under pressure from the Aussie champ, Hallett sensed his moment and nailed the critical restart to build an advantage.

Behind him Guerin lost third to Rae by running wide and bouncing through Turn 2 with just four to go.

Inside the final two laps Hallett had some nervous moments in traffic, but held on.

McHugh laid down the base at Murray Bridge for an impressive series win. Below left: It was Ryan Jones’ turn to win at Avalon. Below: Luke Dillon’s consistency earned him fourth outright in the series. Bottom: Cam Waters led for much of the Avalon finale, but had to settle for second. Images: RAY RITTER

SPEEDWAY

NIGHT 4 – AVALON

THE PENULTIMATE race featured non-stop drama with Ryan Jones producing a mighty drive to rise from 13th to victory lane.

As only half of the 24-car field made the finish, Jones progressively made his way up the order with some special moves before setting his sights on leader Cam Waters.

On lap 25 he made his move and snatched the lead from the Chief Racing driver and the Wright Motorsport #S63 flew to a 3s triumph despite some nervous late restarts.

Having survived an eventful race, Grant Stansfield also flew from 15th to third.

Waters’ hopes of a stunning maiden Sprintcar win started strong as the Supercars star led the field from pole on the inside from Jamie Veal.

A moment getting stuck up high at Turn 4 for Veal allowed Daniel Pestka to swoop on second as well.

Veal battled with a high car and quickly drifted outside the top five.

By lap 10, lapped traffic became a massive factor and Waters lost all of his lead.

Pestka applied the pressure and had a look on the inside, but the #V6 held on.

A red arrived on lap 16 when Brett Milburn hit the outside wall and took a tumble at Turn 3.

Despite looking dominant there was a scare for Waters during the stoppage, but this did not stop him from resuming control when racing resumed.

Only two laps were possible before the next interruption and it had a massive impact on the race.

Veal was looking to fight back and made a challenge on Brock Hallett in fourth.

Coming out of Turn 4, Veal got a run on the inside, but the pair made side by side contact, which sent Veal into a barrel roll.

As Hallett spun into the outside wall, his left front wheel flew off into the catch fence.

Both drivers were okay and had words to each other afterwards.

After the second red disappeared, there was contact between Pestka and Dillon, which allowed Jordyn Charge to swoop to second.

There was only one more lap before chaos unfolded again.

Charge carried on his momentum and went for a run around the outside of Waters, but right rear to left front contact took the #V60 out of the picture.

At the same time a massive incident took place on the back straight where Tate Frost spun around and was collected by other cars, while Grant Anderson also took a tumble and had an intense conversation with an official in the aftermath.

It wiped out a lot of drivers and left only 12 on track for the final 18 laps.

At the restart Jones was fourth and shot out of the gate.

He eased past Dillon before performing an impressive slide job on Pestka to snare second.

The four-lap green flag run was ended by a huge crash for Jy Corbet, who tagged the wall coming out of the final corner and suffered a vicious roll.

At the restart with 14 to go Waters ran wide and was lucky to stay in the lead.

But he only needed two more laps to make the decisive move at Turn 2.

All eyes were now on Pestka and McHugh, who were fighting for third and it got aggressive as well.

The pair made contact at Turn 3, which almost sent the Australian champion into a spin, but he saved it.

Impressively Pestka redressed, seeing

finished fifth, one place ahead, as the #A1 rose from 22nd.

It also allowed Stansfield to complete a special drive to the podium.

NIGHT 5 – WARRNAMBOOL

ALTHOUGH MCHUGH had effectively one hand on the title, there was still plenty on the line as a big crowd greeted the sprintcars at Warrnambool’s Premier Speedway on New Year’s Day.

It was another attritional night with 10 of the 25 cars failing to finish the 35-lap affair, but Jamie Veal was dominant, leading the final 27 laps ahead of Jordan Rae and Garet Williamson.

A fourth place finish was more than enough for McHugh to wrap up the overall Brandt Sprintcar Speedweek.

Jack Lee and Rae were on the front row when the lights went out and Rae put the foot down on the high line as the pole sitter also slipped to fifth behind Jamie Veal, Garet Williamson and Luke Dillon.

After seven laps it was clear Veal had the best pace of the top five as he chased down Rae.

At the end of lap seven, he saw his opportunity and pounced with Rae getting trapped on the apron by lapped traffic.

As Rae crawled on the bottom, Veal swooped by up high as Williamson

performed a slide job to demote Rae to third at the same corner.

After around 10 laps of shadowing, Williamson used the wall on the exit of Turn 2 as a slingshot to propel him past Veal and into the lead on lap 20.

However, Veal hit back as the pair traded the lead three times before Veal made the decisive move at Turn 4.

Their battle was disrupted with 12 to go when Rusty Hickman spun, which sparked a chain of cautions.

Veal won the restart up high as positions remained the same, while McHugh and Dillon had a fierce side-byside tussle for fifth which the Australian champion won.

Dillon’s assault was later ended by tripping over the Turn 2 wall.

Another lightning restart allowed Veal to retain his lead, while McHugh railed the top to fly past Rae for fourth and also challenge Dumesny, only for Rae to pass them both on the inside.

Moments before the next yellow, with four to go, McHugh finally won a long side-byside stoush with Dumesny at the top.

The caution was for Jackson Delamont, who only had three wheels on his wagon.

As Veal again drove into the distance, the best battle was for second between Williamson and Rae.

The pair were wheel-to-wheel for the final five laps with Rae holding on by the skin of his teeth on the inside.

A shock driveline failure put Hallett on the back foot but he stormed to fifth in the B-Main, but critically this was just not enough to make it to the main event.

BRANDT SPRINTCAR SPEEDWEEK POINTS

1. Lockie McHugh 1090

2. Ryan Jones 890

3. Brock Hallett 839

4. Luke Dillon 770

5. Marcus Dumesny 766

6. Jamie Veal 742

7. Garet Williamson 695

8. Cam Waters 680

9. Rusty Hickman 658

10. Daniel Pestka 655

11. Glen Sutherland 603

McHugh

Sprintcar racing returned to Bordertown and its impressive Tolmer Speedway. Left: Local star Jamie Veal was unbeatable at Warrnambool.

Above: The Brandt Series podium (l to r): Jones, McHugh, Hallett.

PESTKA WINS ‘HERO’S RACE’

SOUTH AUSTRALIA’S Daniel Pestka has taken out one of his biggest Sprintcar career race wins, the 2024 edition of the ‘Max’s Race’ at Premier Speedway Warrnambool.

The event is a tribute to the local racer

Max Dumsney who dominated Australian Sprintcar racing for many years.

Dumsney’s wins included three Australian Sprintcar Championships, and seven World Series Sprintcar series titles.

Pestka was delighted to take the big win in front of a quality field.

“Max was my hero growing up as a young kid, and to win his race and to have him here to congratulate me was unreal and pretty cool” Pestka told Auto Action

“It’s certainly one of my biggest wins given the quality of the field we were up against.

“The team and my sponsors really wanted to take a win at Warrnambool, so to do it last night was pretty special.

“The Stark family have taken me on, and have given me great support over the past few seasons, and now with John Bellato from ABSS backing the team as our major sponsor we have a good package, so it’s a great result for the whole team.”

It was a star-studded 50-car field which assembled for the annual event, which included current Australian Sprintcar Champion Lockie McHugh, Brock Hallett and former champions James McFadden, Jamie Veal, Marcus Dumesny and Jock Goodyer, all in hot form.

Pestka moved forward from a solid

qualifying result, which saw him win his heat over fellow front row starter and local hotshot Jamie Veal.

With ‘The Dash’ cancelled, Pestka moved

directly to the front row alongside Veal for the start of the 30-lap A-Main.

At the start Pestka hung tough on the outside line for the first lap, before taking the lead and quickly opening up a solid lead. Run on a fast and juiced-up track, the A-Main went green for the entire 30-lap race and Pestka was never headed.

At the flag fall it was Pestka, ahead of McHugh and the T62 of Tate Frost.

“The track was hooked up and a bit rough, it tested my fitness, but it went pretty well really,” Pestka recalled.

The win is a huge confidence booster for

Pestka and his team as they head into the highpoint of the Australian sprintcar season. Pestka whose day job is as a pastry cook at the family run bakery in Strathalbyn, 60km southeast of Adelaide, is in his 15th year of Sprintcar racing.

Having raced in his own family run team, Pestka has shown plenty of potential over the years, but this win is no doubt a major highlight for the South Australian.

He has shown some good race form in recent events but has battled poor results in qualifying which he says he is working on fixing. Bruce Williams

SPRINTING IN SYDNEY

SYDNEY INTERNATIONAL Speedway was buzzing over the New Year’s period as it staged the Summer of Speed.

Across four nights, Sprintcars drivers did battle at the modern speedway stadium and fans were treated to plenty of action.

It kicked off on Boxing Day where Daniel Sayre and Matthew Dumesny were fast out of the gates.

The pair were the only drivers to post 13s times in the 23-car field in the opening 25-lap affair.

Sayre led from pole as Dumesny got a fast start and snatched second from Lachlan Caunt.

The top three then enjoyed a gap over the battling pack, settling into those positions for the entirety of the race.

Caunt appeared safe in third until he retired just two laps from home.

But all eyes were on the leading pair. Dumesny maintained his momentum from the early laps to hit the lead on the sixth tour.

But Sayre had the last laugh, to retake control on lap 19 and hold on from there, taking a hard-fought 1.5s win, while Michael Stewart joined them on the podium.

The lap count was dialled up to 30 for the second night of action, which was run at a hot pace as only four of the 21 cars could finish on the lead lap.

Things were looking good for Ben Atkinson Jr as he got a fast start and hit the lead off the line.

He controlled the race until Lap 16 when pole sitter Jessie Attard launched a counterattack.

Suddenly Atkinson Jr’s race fell apart as he slumped down to fifth in the pace of six laps.

From there Attard was unstoppable, completing an impressive drive and winning by 2.1s.

Jordyn Brazier was second for a period, but retired within sight of the chequered flag.

The late drama saw Stewart secure second place, while Atkinson Jr fought back to third. The joy for the Attard family was even

sweeter the following night as Alex Attard finally had his moment in the sun.

It was the dream scenario as Alex led brother Jesse in a family 1-2 finish.

Alex Attard struggled to contain his emotions as he released the chequered flag in the air after his first 410 Sprintcar feature win and $10,000 for his events.

“Honestly I have no words, I still can’t believe I’d won a feature,” he said.

“With what’s happened to us this year losing my Grandmother and losing just about everything in the trailer fire it was the

lowest of lows in life, but we put our heads down worked hard and rebuilt and I guess it’s paid off.”

The fourth and final race of the Sydney Speedweek, on New Year’s Day was well and truly worth the wait due to a wild finish.

Stewart appeared destined for glory in the Bohud Racing machine, only for his right rear tyre to explode on the back straight with eight laps left.

A lap later there was a huge crash at the front of the field with Brody Appleby going over at Turn 3.

Caunt maintained the lead and took the white flag, but had Atkinson Jr hunting him down.

With a lapped car splitting them on approach to Turn 3, Atkinson Jr eyed an opportunity.

With Caunt going up high, Atkinson Jr went low to not only navigate past the back marker, but also perform a stunning slide job on Caunt and snatch the win at the final turn. However, he completed the pass by going on the infield, which saw him relegated two spots, promoting Caunt to victory lane and Jessie Attard to second.

“I’m cool about because we drove this from 12th to first and it was our win,” Atkinson Jr said.

“That was our win and this car was bad arse. First is $10,000 and third is $2,000 so a bit of a kick in the teeth.”

Thomas Miles

Image: COREY GIBSON PHOTOGRAPHY

Max’s Race provided a big win for Pestka and the ABSS team.

Images: GAVIN SKENE

Matt Dumesny, Alex Attard and Jesse Attard filled the podium on night three. Image: GARRY REID

SPEEDWAY

HIGH RISK, HIGH REWARD

PERTH WAS alive as the locals took on America in the High Limit International and it put on a great spectacle.

Across three nights big crowds watched big names go racing and in the end it was fitting that Australia’s richest Sprintcar race was taken out by one of the best to race in this county, Kyle Larson.

The High Limit International was one of the biggest speedway meetings to ever take place in Australia.

Larson and Brad Sweet brought their High Limit show outside of America for the first time and put up a huge $100,000 prize for the winner of the final-night feature.

With so much on the line, drivers gave it their all but, not for the first time, the versatility of Larson proved too good.

Whilst all the attention was on the Americans, it was Australia’s own High Limit racing star, McFadden, who stole the early headlines as he dominated the first two preliminary races.

Williamson started on pole after winning the Dash, which was backed up by an earlier heat win.But he was beaten to the first corner by American Cole Macedo, who sailed into the lead when the lights went out.

Williamson settled into second as McFadden and Newton wrestled hard for third before Sweet soon joined the contest.

McFadden was the winner and by lap 10 he set his sights on Williamson and swooped past to snare the position.

He carried on closing the gap to Macedo, who started to battle with lapped traffic.

On Lap 16 McFadden chose his moment and made a big dive for the lead on the inside and made it stick.

Macedo tried to perform the switchback up the back straight, but could only get as close as McFadden’s back wheel.

Meanwhile, by lap 12, Williamson had fallen to fourth with Sweet also getting by.

But Williamson quickly recovered to not only retain third, but put the pressure on Macedo.

By lap 19, he was fighting the American, and won with a clean move at Turn 2.

The reds arrived with nine to go with Ryan Newton rolling over.

The race came alive at the restart as Williamson challenged McFadden for the lead.

The pair even made contact coming out of Turn 2 before McFadden used the high line to retain the lead.

McFadden enjoyed the final three laps unchallenged as he cruised to victory on a historic night of racing at Perth Motorplex, leading home Williamson and Sweet.

All eyes turned to the battle for fourth as Larson edged out Dayne Kingshott on the last lap.

But ,remarkably, Kingshott clipped the wall and took the chequered flag in fifth – on three wheels.

Despite going back to back, McFadden’s victory appeared far more unlikely on the second night as Larson showed pace.

From pole Larson held firm on the high line, but before he could even

When it counted – the $100k race – Kyle Larson delivered ...

Callum Williamson – running the highline – took third in the big race.

complete the back straight, the reds were out.

Andrew Priolo had a heavy roll and ended up on his side at Turn 1.

At the second time of asking, Larson again put the foot down and immediately gapped the field as McFadden held off Egel for third.

Larson had looked in complete control for the first eight laps, maintaining his advantage.

This all occurred before another Turn 2 incident involving multiple cars with 10 to go.

Taylor Milling crashed on his own up high, leaving Kingshott and Justin Whittall with nowhere to go when they arrived on the scene.

Having stalked McFadden for a number of laps, Larson seized his moment on lap 28 and once clear of lapped traffic, pulled away to a special win.

McFadden and Williamson had to settle for podium spots, while Sweet and Kingshott completed the top five.

It was a sweet win after the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion had crashed whilst leading just 24 hours earlier.

“I was pretty confident, even after the main event on the first night and then I got the wall last night, but I felt good about things today,’’ Larson said. “I am happy to get the win and repay these guys for my mistake last night and all the hard work they had to do.

“I just felt I needed to pace him (McFadden) and hopefully catch him in lapped traffic – and then anything  can happen once the pace slows down.

“He was doing a really good job in traffic and I wasn’t quite sure if I would have enough time, but he started really searching for different lines and I thought hopefully that was going to break his momentum up a little bit –and it did – and it helped me build some runs.

But the crowd were shocked when on Lap 9, the unthinkable happened – the NASCAR Cup Series champion crashed.

Larson ran wide in Turn 1 and could not stop himself from careering into the outside wall.

The American returned to the service area – and impressively pushed his way back into the top 10!

This left the race wide open and McFadden stormed into the lead at the restart as Egel was swamped by Macedo, while Williamson dropped out of the top five.

However, the local #3 fought back to challenge fourth-placed Brad Sweet with Dayne Kingshott also in the frame.

It all came to a head on lap 12 at Turn 2 where Kingshott misjudged his slide and spun from sixth. The #2 spun through 180 degrees on corner exit and was stranded, creating another caution.

Turn 2 was becoming a hot spot as Egel became the latest victim, whacking the outside wall in attempt of holding off Sweet as the pair fought hard for third.

The #S52 was able to carry on, but only after losing the podium place to the American champion and fourth to Williamson.

But, a lap later, Egel fought back brilliantly to slide past Williamson, who also lost out to Goodyer.

At the restart Egel was the big mover, launching an attack on Sweet, while Williamson suffered a costly scrape with the wall and fell from the top five to 10th.

The final 10 laps were all green, allowing McFadden to reassert his dominance to take yet another win.

Macedo was best of the rest with Egel securing a hard-earned third ahead of Sweet and Goodyer.

However, these sprints only set the scene for the winner-take-all $100,000 High Limit International finale.

McFadden and Williamson controlled the field from the front row when the lights went out, with the former, who was on a high from back-to-back wins leading from the outside.

Brad Sweet settled into third, while Larson fell to as low as sixth.

The race was only five laps old when a big crash on the back straight saw Daniel Harding limp from the cockpit of the W18.

There was another red light stoppage not long after which saw Ryan Lancaster and Kaiden Manders out of the contest.

But Larson was on the charge when there was racing and flew to second by lap nine.

However, having swept both previous High Limit International races, McFadden appeared set to complete a hat-trick.

But Larson was flying and hunted him down.

“Honestly I have wanted to come here for a couple of years – it just hasn’t worked out for me – but it was neat to have High Limit be a part of this event and me being able to come here for the first time.

“I thought it was a great event, a great atmosphere, the crowd was bigger than I thought it was going to be too!’

Thomas Miles

HIGH LIMIT INTERNATIONAL RESULTS

1st Kyle Larson, 2nd James McFadden, 3rd Callum Williamson, 4th Brad Sweet, 5th Dayne Kingshott, 6th Brock Zearfoss, 7th Jock Goodyer, 8th Cole Macedo, 9th Matt Egel, 10th Ryan Newton

Images: RICHARD HATHAWAY PHOTOGRAPHY

Above – from top down: James McFadden was ‘on it’ from the start, taking the first two finals, only bowing to Larson in the big one; The $100,000 podium; Big tangle – Taylor, Milling, Miles and Bolger in a heap; A huge crowd attended – here watching on as Larson and Manders head the line-up. Right: US visitor Brad Sweet did well to take fifth. Below: Doing the business – the legend that is Kyle Larson ...

STARS SHINE IN WA

THE HIGH LIMIT International might have been finished in 2024, but the racing carried on as fierce as ever in 2025 in WA.

The Maddington Toyota Sprintcar Series carried on, with Rounds 10 and 11 being held, where some the best from both sides of the Pacific showed their class.

James McFadden continued his strong form and won Round 10 at Bunbury, his fourth win of the season, with Brady Motorsport.

McFadden started the 30-lap final third and took 17 laps to haul in Kerry Madsen and was unchallenged from there.

It was an eventful night, with American star Brad Sweet flipping at Turns 1-2 on lap 10.

For Madsen it was a case of ‘so near yet so far’ after looking solid in the Diamond Bay Motorsport W26 for the first 17 laps. He was third in his qualifying group and

took full advantage of a front row start in his heat race to claim a win.

Having started the A-Main on the front row with Keen, Madsen dominated the early stages, but lost ground as the race went on.

Not only did he lose the lead to McFadden, he was also overhauled by Ryan Newton, who flew from eighth to second in the dying stages on the penultimate tour.

Newton was unstoppable rising from fifth to second in the finale three laps.

Joining Sweet on the sidelines was Daniel Harding, who tagged the fence, plus poleman Michael Keen after clashing with Andrew Priolo on the final corner of the final lap.

American legend Sweet bounced back the following night, getting his first win on Australian soil this summer at Perth in Round 11.

He started third in the 30-lap final and only needed six laps to hit the lead.

However, the race was far from over as both local stars Callum Williamson and Dayne Kingshott threw in assaults, but were unable to make them stick.

Kingshott won the battle for the lead on the first lap having starved off fellow front row starter Brock Zearfoss.

The race only lasted six laps before the first caution, when Kerry Madsen and Ryan Lancaster came together.

From there it was a drag race until the closing stages and this is where Sweet made the difference.

As Zearfoss fell from second to seventh, Sweet surged to second also ahead of James McFadden.

The American then hit the lead by passing Kingshott and controlling the rest of the race.

The battle for minors was interesting with Williamson making early moves sixth to second, a position he held until lap 24 when Kingshott regained the place.

James McFadden slotted into fourth after jumping Jock Goodyer, who fell from fourth to sixth in the closing stages.

The caution lights returned with a handful of laps left when Matt Egel was pushed to the outfield.

Shortly after, the red lights were activated after Taylor Milling crashed in Turns 1-2 and was collected by Jason Kendrick who was unable to stop in time.

This left a late burst to the flag where Sweet held on by a tenth over Kingshott and Williamson, who was also less than half a second away.

Teams had a night off before returning for Round 12 at Bunbury on the Saturday night!

Thomas Miles

STEWART GOES LAST TO FIRST

THE GOOD times kept on rolling for Michael Stewart and Bohud Racing (pictured) after another 410 Sprintcar feature race victory at Sydney International Speedway.

There were plenty of twists and turns in delivering the Bohud Racing’s third feature race victory in a row at Sydney International Speedway for the 2024/25 season.

He started on the front row, but his race nearly ended early after he collected early leader Michael Saller, who spun on main straight.

The incident sent Stewart to the back of the 24-car field – but he put the foot down over the next 26 laps.

By the second half of the race he hit the top five and a stoppage with five laps to go played into Stewart’s hands.

Utilising the high line, Stewart picked off the cars ahead of him, one by one, and he made

his final pass within sight of the chequered flag on long-time leader Ian Madsen.

He claimed it was also without question one of the toughest and hard-fought victories of his career.

“I certainly had to work the hardest I ever have to get a victory, and to be able to overcome the challenges that I did during the feature race by being involved in an early incident and then working my way back through the field was something pretty special,” explained a happy Stewart.

“With the whole field running on the bottom of the track in those closing laps trying to conserve their tyres, I just ran the top of the track, and once I moved into second with two laps to go, I knew that I could win and threw everything at it, and it paid off.”

Thomas Miles

McFadden was among the winners – again ... Image: RICHARD HATHAWAY PHOTOGRAPHY

Image: TONY LOXLEY

WATTS BECOMES KING

ARGUABLY THE biggest Street Stocks race in Victoria, the $2000 King of the Mountain went to Steven Watts (pictured) in a thrilling finish at Redline Raceway.

Almost 40 cars greeted the event and it all went down to a reduced 30-lap final following a serious accident.

Watts assumed the lead instantly with both Blomeleys in tow, while Matt Nelson charged from 15th to eighth in five laps.

Hutchinson was the first to suffer mechanical issues, at the 10-minute mark, which put Nelson in fourth.

Jayden Blomeley hit the lead on lap 14 in a three-way battle with Watts and Nelson, but no-one could stop the latter’s stunning drive to the lead by lap 24.

Watts settled into second and set up a grandstand finish.

Coming off Turn 4 on the last lap with Nelson choosing his line and Watts on his outside closest to the concrete wall, contact between the two drivers saw the latter drag along the concrete wall briefly with Nelson greeting the chequered flag by the smallest of margins.

Steward’s deliberated and came to a conclusion that this was a crash and the primary cause was Nelson, so Watts was awarded the win.

The Extreme Sports Sedan Series held nine qualifiers prior to their feature event and Dave Donegan assumed the race lead from the drop of the green flag.

Brendan Miller settled into second as Dale Smith made early moves.

With five laps to go Chris Rieck had moved to second behind Donegan with Miller third. Donegan maintained his track line above the rubbered down portion of the track and went on to claim the win.

Junior Sedan Promotional Association Junior Sedan competitors competed in either the experienced Top Stars or the Developing New Stars categories.

Sadly, competitors got eight laps into the 15-lap race before a series crash with Tamika Simpson flipping over numerous times before bouncing off the catch fence bringing the race to a stop.

Track crash crews and paramedics were able to bring Tamika out of her car and into care before she was transferred to the state paramedics.

The morning after, Simpson was in good spirits and with no serious injuries.

Peacock, who was in the lead, was awarded the win from Jake Bradley.

In the New Star Juniors Luke Morrison sprinted away to an 8s win over Darcy Dannatt.

Redline Raceway’s next event is on February 8.

Dean Thompson/DMT Speedway Media

PACKED HOUSE ENJOYS WAHGUNYAH

WAHGUNYAH SPEEDWAY greeted a big crowd for a big night of Sports Sedans, Ladies Sports Sedans and Production Sedans.

The Sports Sedan Grand Slam event saw a number of drivers on show.

Ian Thomsen (right) took three of the heats and eventually a clean sweep, although Bradin Claridge handed the victory to him.

He washed high up the track whilst seemingly having the race in the bag before Thomsen claimed the sweep securing win.

Thomsen got off to a great start in the feature but on lap 12, two of the top drivers in Collins and Balins saw their races end.

The race was shortened due to stoppages and on lap 15 Thomsen held off Service by 0.2s.

Ladies Sports Sedans were competing for the prestigious Queen of the Murray prize.

Katie Meyer began from pole position but Tay Barnard led the opening lap.

Meyer was the first of the favourites to exit the running when she moved infield on lap five as Kellie Latham hit the lead.

Starting outside of the top six, Zoey Salau moved into the lead on lap seven and was untroubled from there.

The Noel McGrath Memorial doubled as a round of the Speedway Sedans Victoria Northern series for Production Sedans.

Rhys Lansdown started from pole position for the final but Stephen Laidlaw went from fourth to first on lap one.

Andrew Cunningham then hit the lead on lap two before Laidlaw moved back to the front on lap four.

Over the 15 laps Laidlaw gradually increased his lead to as high as 26s to

ensure there was no late challenge.

Many Corowa locals competed in the Goulburn Ovens Sedan category, and they competed in the first of two rounds in the Colin Young Memorial.

Ben Schmetzer started from pole but could not stop Nathan Shortis from hitting the front on lap three.

However, Schmetzer hit back on the very next lap as Tommy Schmetzer moved into third.

When the chequered flag unfurled it was Ben Schmetzer who claimed victory.

In her own words, Jaimi Barber had done a Steven Bradbury when she claimed the win in the final of the Standard Saloons.

Trevor Evans race leader and Dean Spring

from South Gippsland had first and second in the bag until a last lap, last turn calamity handed victory to Barber.

Evans and Spring crept up on traffic and Spring went high and Evans low, Spring rode a wheel and almost sent himself into orbit whilst Evans’ motor, that had been held together all night by araldite, eggs and pepper, finally let go, handing a unimpeded view to the chequered flag for Barber.

Prior to that Micheal Fleming-Robertson dropped out of the race whilst leading on lap five.

Racing returns to Wahgunyah on January 18. By Dean Thompson/DMT Sports Media

BLACK MAKES IT TWO ON THE TROT

GAVIN BLACK has done it again, taking out back-to-back Clive Pollett Memorial titles when the NSW Grand Prix Midgets Super Series returned to Goulburn Speedway. After three heats, it was time for drivers to tighten their belts and do battle for the honour of becoming the Clive Pollett Memorial winner. Riley Bowyer based on lowest points started in pole position with Jay Hall and Adam Buckley behind.

There was early pain for Wally Kermond as he unfortunately had to park his car at the trailer as a precautionary measure, not happy

with how the injection system was operating and his car being down on power.

When racing began it was a clean start with Bowyer taking advantage of his starting position to race into the lead. Behind, Black got a great start to move in front of Hall for second.

All five Grand Prix Midgets set a frenetic pace on a track surface that had deteriorated as the night went on, making car handling challenging.

The first seven laps passed without incident, as Bowyer Snr passed Buckley into fourth

place before the latter had a moment in Turn 1, spinning and bringing out the yellow light caution for the field with two laps in the race remaining.

This was the only invitation that Black needed, as on the single file restart he went for it.

He got up alongside Bowyer Jnr and the pair raced side-by-side through not only the first two turns, but then also down the back straight.

By the time they arrived at Turns 3 and 4, Black nudged ahead into first, with Bowyer Jnr chasing hard on his tail.

Meanwhile, Hall and Bowyer Snr were also having their own battle for third and fourth and with the white flag out, Bowyer Snr made a pass on Hall to take the final podium position.

The final lap passed by with all five drivers going hard and fast, however it was Black who held firm, taking his second feature win of the season and back-to-back Clive Pollett Memorial triumphs.

He beat an unlucky Bowyer Jnr who prior to the yellow light, held a commanding lead.

Bowyer Snr filled the third spot of the podium ahead of Hall and Buckley.

Thomas Miles

Image: VERN PARKER PHOTOGRAPHY

Image: DEAN MILLER PHOTOGRAPHY

Riley Bowyer heads a tight GP Midget field ...

NATIONALS WRAP

BENNETT TAKES AUSSIE MOTORKHANA TITLE

THE 2024 Motorsport Australia Motorkhana Championship title, held at Wanneroo, went to Scott Bennett (right).

The 51st running of the Motorsport Australia Motorkhana Championship was held by the Mini Car Club of WA at the state’s famous race track.

A total of 12 tests were faced the competitors as a tight fight took place for the overall win.

But eventually it was a familiar face on top with Bennett holding on for a seventh national title.

His total of 273.64 was just enough to hold off Aaron Wuillemin’s 275.81.

“It is usually a very tight competition, and this year was no different,” Bennett said.

“Quite a few of us were trading fastest times all day with five new Australian record times set by four different competitors.”

In addition to the overall victory, Bennett also claimed Class F honours – and he was also not the only member of his family to

stand on the podium.

The eldest son of the victorious Scott, Will Bennett secured outright third.

The podium place backed up Will Bennett’s victory in the 2024 Western Australia Motorkhana Championship.

The Bennett family was a regular sight in the field, taking up no less than five spots on the entry list.

Scott’s father Ross was also in action, plus his other son James and daughter Amy.

To complete the incredibly successful family affair, Amy won the Lady Outright competition, while James was second in the Juniors.

Away from the Bennetts, there were still a number of drivers that performed.

Class A was taken out by Simon Ridgewell, while Jurgen Lunsmann dominated the chase for Class B.

His performance forced Patrick and Michael Dufty to place second and third respectively.

Peter Marsh was the Class C victor after a

HOME TOWN DEFENCE

AFTER SEEING Canterbury University win last year, the Formula SAE title stayed on Australian soil in 2024 thanks to Monash University and RMIT University.

In the electric car stakes, Monash University overcame University of Auckland and Curtin University in the fight for overall honours at Calder Park.

The majority of universities created electric vehicles, but there were still some that took part in the Internal Combustion category that was dominated by RMIT University.

Formula SAE sees thousands of students from not just Australia and New Zealand, but all over the world to showcase their engineering skills.

Teams construct a car from scratch before its put through its paces across a variety of tests at the famous old Victorian circuit Calder Park.

The beauty about the event is its not just about which car is fastest, but the entire project is under the microscope from business presentation, design, cost and efficiency.

Monash Motorsport ended up with a total score of 862.56 points, well clear of nearest rival University of Auckland with 794.54.

Victory at the Formula SAE Australian event caps off a big 2024 for Monash Motorsport and its latest creation, the M24.

The M24 featured an independent fourwheel drive powertrain, featuring torque vectoring, traction control and a fullyintegrated competition-ready Autonomous

solid day’s work.

The Class D and 3 honours went to Ian Towart and Tristan Pierre respectively.

In the Ladies Production category, Eloise Meehan claimed the top spot whilst also finding herself in second for

system, which was an Australian first.

Thanks to this they were also awarded the Caterpillar Automated Vehicle Drive Award.

A team of almost 80 students banded together to create the M24 and bring it to competition not only in Australia, but also overseas.

In the competitions not topped by Monash University, University of Queensland was revealed as the most cost effective team, while it also topped the Endurance test.

The reigning winner University of Auckland had the greatest acceleration, whilst fellow New Zealand based team University of Canterbury was the most efficient team.

RMIT University dominated the Internal Combustion class, leading the Engineering Design, Business Presentation, Skid Pad, Autocross, Endurance and Efficiency tests.

Australian National University was the only team able to topple the winners in Cost and Acceleration tests.

As a result, Australian National University won the MA Inspiring Motorsport Award.

The best use of simulation was demonstrated by the University of New South Wales, while University of Canterbury received the prestigious Harry Watson Award.

The National Taipei University of Technology were rewarded for their big journey by receiving the Technical Inspection Award, while Saudi Arabia’s Alfaisal University claimed the Special Commendation Award.

Thomas Miles

CHASING KEY WINS

SOME SPECIAL trophies were on the line at Winton in December with drivers chasing the Ken Leigh HQ Four Hour and David Lowe Memorial in Excels.

The HQs went racing on Saturday in what was a two-driver test of endurance, but one car dominated the weekend.

The #86 entry of Brett Osborn and John Baxter were untouchable, not only topping both qualifying sessions, but controlling the 125-lap affair.

They won by the huge margin of 1m38s over Darren Jenkins and Darryl Crouch.

Off the line Osborn/Baxter took control as the #1 of Ryan Woods and Magilton.

Despite the #1 trying to perform the undercut, the #86 held on the lead and would never be seriously challenged throughout the race.

Osborn and Baxter led all-but 27 laps with the only times they were not in charge due to the pit cycles.

Whilst the battle for victory was onesided, the skirmish for second was anything but.

The contest went down to the very last lap where Jenkins and Crouch snatched the place from Rod Raatjes and Andrew McLeod.

Impressively, only two of the 19 cars failed to finish.

The Excels enjoyed two races around Winton Motor Raceway.

The #11 of Jack Carpenter and Kobi Williams raced out of the blocks to cruise to victory in the 49-lap opener. They were 20s ahead of Brendan and Will Sala, who were only 6s clear of Blake Tracey and Alice Buckley.

However, the second race was an engrossing affair with only 2s the difference at the chequered flag.

The Tracey/Buckley entry had good early speed, leading 21 of the first 24 laps.

However, their pursuit of victory came to a sudden stop when they had to box with issues on Lap 25.

The battle for victory was an enthralling one with Carpenter/Williams fending off Burton/Jones all the way until the chequered flag. Thomas Miles

Junior Production.

Amongst the Junior categories, Hamish East-Wuillemin topped the competition, and Cameron Matthews took the win in Junior Production.

Thomas Miles

Image: FRED GOH

The victorious Monash squad – quite a team!

The Carpenter/Williams Excel heads Sala Bros! Below: HQ Dominators Osborn/Baxter Images: NEIL HAMMOND

BACK HOME

THE NSW Race Championship returned to the regional town of Goulburn for a much-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 third. 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.

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 second and Warwick Morris third.

IMPROVED PRODUCTION

A LARGE field of cars braved the conditions in Race 1, with Ben Sheedy coming home first from Steven Engel and Jason Walsh. Matthew Giuntini was the first Under 2L car home in fourth. Ben Algie won Race 2 from Walsh and Giuntini. Algie continued his great form winning the final race – Giuntini finished second 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 MaynesRutty, Eddie Beswick and Imogen Radburn, Maynes-Rutty winning two of the three races and Beswick winning the other. Radburn capped it off with three podiums.

PRODUCTION TOURING

MINI ENDURO’S were held for the Production Touring class, with a healthy field of 31 cars entered. The field navigated through a wet track for Race 1, where 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.

SUPERKARTS

LAURIE FOOKS was on the way to take a clean sweep by winning the first two 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 Pulsars. Images: RICCARDO BENVENUTI

Cody Maynes-Rutty took out two of the Formula Ford races. Below left: Steven Lacey takes his turn in the lead in the Sports Sedan/Production Sports contest. Right: The Osmond/Columbrita BMW took out the second Production enduro.

SENSATIONAL SANDERS INTERNATIONAL

THE 47TH Dakar Rally has begun and the Aussies spearheaded by Daniel Sanders are taking it to the best in the daunting dunes of Saudi Arabia.

Four Australians are taking on the iconic rally-raid event, with Andrew Houlihan and Toby Hederics also competing in bikes, whilst Toby Price is on four wheels for the first time.

Only one Australian has won the Dakar Rally before, and whilst its extremely early, Sanders is putting his hand up to join that list.

After one and a half stages, the KTM rider leads the bikes category following a nearperfect campaign.

Sanders made his intentions clear in the Prologue, which unlike the cars, counts towards the overall standings in the bikes.

“Chucky” was the only bike competitor to complete the 79km Prologue inside 17 minutes.

Sanders’ 16m51s time was 12s clear of both Ross Branch and Edgar Canet.

In the opening 413km stage in Bisha, Sanders then stepped it up a notch.

He backed up his Prologue success by convincingly winning Stage 1.

Sanders perfectly navigated the “tough” stage that was a mix of sand and dirt tracks.

His time of 4h41m27s was 2m04s clear of

he could not rely on the vital road

“That was pretty tough!”

American Ricky Brabec. What made the KTM rider’s extension of his lead even more impressive is the fact

book for a key time.

Sanders said.

“I had to ignore the roadbook for a while and just focus on my speed and standing my ground.”

But the challenges will only get bigger for Sanders and he ticked the next box on his list, maintaining his lead and staying out of trouble in the opening leg of the mammoth 1058km Stage 2 that is spread across two days.

Sanders sits first overall after 7h41m56s of riding through the sand.

Critically that meant nearest rival Ricky

Brabec remains more than 4m off the pace. Fellow Australians Hederics and Houlihan have also kept their noses clean to be 32nd and 95th respectively.

Thanks to his Baja success, Price has shown no signs struggling with the transition from bikes to cars at Dakar. Amazingly he rose from 12th to sixth on the opening leg of Stage 2, to ensure the four-wheel Dakar rookie sits just 9m05s away from overall leader Yazeed Al-Rajhi. Nasser Al-Attiyah and Henk Lategan are Al-Rajhi’s nearest rivals, but one of them is not defending winner Carlos Sainz.

Sainz flipped his new M-Sport Ford Raptor on Stage 2 and lost the best part of an hour as his co-driver had to hold the passenger door shut for the remainder of the journey.

Despite the drama, Ford is still confident the 62-year-old can push for victory with the iconic rally only just getting started and around 7000km still to go.

Thomas Miles

DAKAR LEADERBOARD BIKES

1: Daniel Sanders 12h37m17s

2: Ricky Brabec +4m2s

3: Ross Branch +4m59s

4: T Scharmeina +7m17s

5: S Howes +14m28s

CARS

1: Yazeed Al-Rajhi 11h45m24s

2: Nasser Al-Attiyah +1m19s

3: Henk Lategan +2m12s

4: Mattias Ekstrom +3m44s

5: Guy Botterill +8m07s

2005 - HOLDEN BLOCKS

HSV DEALER TEAM, WEBBER WANTS TO WIN

HOLDEN IS opposing moves to rebrand the Kmart Racing Team as HSV Racing following the discount department store’s withdrawal of its sponsorship.

According to AA sources, HSV owner and new Holden Motor Sport chief Tom Walkinshaw wants to take the opportunity to align the back-to-back Bathurst winning squad more closely with HSV.

But Holden is against the idea because it fears that the HSV Racing label would undermine HRT’s official factory team status and diminish its long-time link with HSV road cars.

“We won’t go down that path, I don’t think,” said Ray Borrett, Holden’s director of performance products and racing.

“HRT’s the factory team with major Holden sponsorship. I don’t think it’d be smart to confuse the public with a pseudo factory team. I don’t think we’ll see HSV Racing.

“We as Holden wouldn’t be supportive of that.”

Despite Holden’s opposition, AA understands that Walkinshaw’s local lieutenants are continuing to lobby for top-level support of the HSV Racing concept at Fishermens Bend.

1975

WARWICK BROWN won the 1975 New Zealand Grand Prix in docile conditions at Levin, north of Wellington.

Brown overcame his rivals and the wet conditions in his Lola T 332 to be a full lap ahead of Jim Murdoch and Graeme Lawrence.

The weekend also marked the world debut of the Lola T400, driven by Kevin Bartlett.

Allan Moffat announced he would be off to Sports Sedans having received a new Ford Cologne Capri RS 3100.

He received the Capri direct from Kyalami, South Africa where it had finished fifth in a 6 Hour World Endurance Championship race with Jochen Mass and Toine Hezemans.

It is suspected that HSV managing director John Crennan, who ran HRT and Kmart Racing before the collapse of Walkinshaw’s TWR empire, is assisting team owner John Kelly to find a bigname sponsor to replace Kmart.

According to a HSV associate, there is a belief that rebranding the Kelly Racing Team as HSV Racing will increase its appeal to a major backer.

“Holden don’t like the idea of HSV Racing,” the insider said.

“They don’t want to dull the HRT star. But it [KRT] has got to have a good label attached to it to attract a good sponsor.

The most likely scenario is that the KRT Commodores of Rick Kelly and new signing Garth Tander will start the season with prominent HSV signage until a new title sponsor is secured later in the season.

MARK WEBBER has revealed that the BMW-Williams team expects him to be winning this vear - and that’s fine by him.

“I guess we’re going to find out how fast I really am,” Webber said.

“Patrick Head has already said to me that he wants wins and that one or two

1985

DESPITE INITIALLY stating the two Rover Vitesse 3500s were going straight back to the UK, Jaguar backflipped, with the cars staying in Australia.

Ron Dickson set up his own privateer team to keep the Rovers in Australia after an impressive factory operation at the 1984 Bathurst 1000.

One car would compete in the Australian Touring Car Championship, while races in New Zealand such as Wellington and Pukekohe were also planned.

Dick Johnson’s preparation to defend his ATCC crown received a hiccup after the Group A Ford Mustang was refused a homologation update.

won’t be enough, so there’s pressure there - but it’s good pressure.”

In theory, it’s a big call both for the team and the 28 year-old Australian. Webber’s personal best-ever result is still the fairytale fifth which he scored on his F1 debut with Minardi in Melbourne in 2002, while Williams scraped just one win in 2004.

1995

PETER BROCK was raving after his first drive of his new-for-1995 HRT VR Commodore. “I loved it - it was definitely better than the VP,” Brock said after 2000km of testing.

Meanwhile, Glenn Seton was not as convinced by his new EF Falcon, stating there was “bugger all in it between the EB and EF,.”

Over in New Zealand, a young Greg Murphy tried to prove Kiwis really can fly after escaping uninjured from a scary 180km/h crash. At the New Zealand Grand Prix, Murphy’s Formula Reynard Brabham bounced off a safety bank and launched three metres high, hurtling through a billboard until finally being wedged against a pine tree.

Murphy had led by 15s and emerged unscathed, but “winded.”

“If you only set yourself small tasks or goals it’s not very challenging,’ said Webber. “I know that at the Williams team, I’m going to have days when I think, ‘Jeez, I’m really under the pump here.

“But when you get your breath you think, ‘Yeah, this is why I’m here – to consistently test myself against the best.”

2015

SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN started 2015 by claiming he, GRM and Volvo were ready to win the Supercars title and challenge Triple Eight.

“We had a top five finish last year and can only build on that so its championship or nothing for us,” McLaughlin, then 21, said. “We have got a very competitive package and think we are continually making it better. Im just going to drive it and win as many races as I can.”

Unfortunately for the young Kiwi, 2015 was the only year the Volvo S60 was winless.

Interestingly, McLaughlin’s then team owner, Garry Rogers, actually believed a different Kiwi would win the title. He tipped Shane van Gisbergen would be crowned champion in his last year at Tekno.

This prediction came true a year later at Triple Eight.

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