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FOUR TIMES THE FUN NSW fans set to overdose on a wide range of motorsports

By PAUL GOVER

THE FOUR-weekend Supercars stampede at Sydney Motorsport Park will provide something for almost everyone.

The only thing missing from the schedule is a two-driver enduro to serve as the curtain-raiser to the Bathurst 1000 in December.

But there will be twin 250-kilometre contests under lights, with tyre changes and refuelling, to cap the competition at SMP. Bathurst co-drivers will also get track laps in their own dedicated Friday practice session at the final meeting.

There will be a total of 11 races at SMP with four under lights, and a mix of formats and tyre allocations.

Supercars is aiming for a different look and feel for each meeting, although – despite hints about different track layouts – all will be run on the traditional ‘Gardner’ circuit.

“We know we won’t get the same result, week-in and week-out,” says the CEO of Supercars, Sean Seamer in a media conference which included Auto Action.

“It was not an easy decision to have four rounds in the same facility, but it gives us plenty of opportunity to innovate. And it is in a major metropolitan area.

“It’s not been a particularly easy

couple of months. But it’s good to have some certainty and a plan we can execute on.”

Super2 and Super3 racing is already confirmed, as well as S5000 singleseaters (for the final weekend), with other high-profile categories including Carrera Cup and Toyota 86 to slot into the program.

But Supercars is still working through the full program for the four meetings, as well as arrangements for spectators.

“We’re working on the basis that there are no bad ideas at this point in time.

We need to be entertaining off and on-track,” says Seamer.

“The team’s working through a range of different options. I know the team is in discussion with all sorts of support categories – drags, drifting, time attack.

“We’re looking at absolutely everything. I think if we can get Superbikes there it would be great. The track lends itself to those.”

There will be no Covid confusion, with Sydney Motorsport Park itself mandating that anyone over the age of 16 entering the circuit must be fully-vaccinated.

One of the earlier plans for end-ofseason meetings, after the loss of Winton and Phillip Island, was to visit Queensland Raceway before sweeping through Sydney on the way to Bathurst.

“We had to abort the plans for Queensland and focus on what we knew was achievable. We wanted the maximum opportunity to re-connect with fans,” he says.

“There is a lot of pent-up demand.

We saw a lot of that earlier in the year.

We hope the fans in NSW and Sydney come out. It’s clear air. There is little or no sport. It is a pretty good run home to Bathurst.”

While the focus is on the end-ofseason races, Supercars has already confirmed that the 2022 season will open on the streets of Newcastle from March 4-6 (see separate story).

The rest of the calendar is still being finalised.

“I think the way we will finalise the 2022 calendar is minimising our exposure to states that might not be at 80 per cent of the vaccination target.

That means a cautious approach to WA and New Zealand,” says Seamer.

Supercars is also working on returning teams to their home bases after Bathurst.

“We anticipate the Victorian teams won’t have any issues. We’ve still got to work through the return to Queensland protocols.

“That means getting people home and making sure they will be home for Christmas.”

SYDNEY MOTORSPORT PARK RACE FORMATS AND HIGHLIGHTS WEEKEND 1 - October 29-31 Sydney SuperNight 3 x 125-kilometre sprints Friday night practice Saturday Top 10 Shootout Saturday night race Soft Dunlop tyres only

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WEEKEND 3 - November 13-14 Two-day event 3 x 125-kilometre sprints SuperSoft Dunlop tyres only - 5 sets

WEEKEND 4 - November 19-21 Beaurepairs Sydney SuperNight 2 x 250-kilometre races Friday co-driver practice Two Top-10 Shootouts One night race Refuelling, tyre changes Mixed Dunlop tyres - 7 sets hard, 2 sets super soft (for race only)

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TWO WEEKS AND COUNTING

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Finalisation of the sale of Supercars is close – and likely to be completed before racing recommences THE SALE of Supercars to the TLA-ARG consortium could be completed within a fortnight.

The winning bid is all-but confirmed with the consortium going through the final processes of the takeover, and with a sale price still estimated at $93 million.

Final details of the outcome of the sale by Archer Capital are now being completed, including details of the expected windfall for Supercars teams.

Each of the existing owners of a Racing Entitlements Contract will be bought out of their current REC, with the payment in the form of a guaranteed income for five years.

The minimum payout for each REC is strongly rumoured to be $650,000 a year over the five-year period.

This will result in the teams no longer having shares in the Supercars business, with the buyout consortium taking total control of both the Archer Capital shares (65%) and the team owned RECs (approximately 30%), with the balance being owned by some smaller shareholders, mainly previous management of Supercars, likely to include prior key personnel and previous Supercars CEOs Matt Braid and James Warburton.

There is no news on who, if anyone, might replace Sean Seamer as CEO

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Motorsport Images of Supercars under the new Supercars ownership structure.

However, insiders are telling Auto Action that there is a view that Seamer deserves to be given a decent go at the job, given what has happened during his time to date as CEO. “He has had to deal with a lot of pretty

challenging issues over his time in the top job,” our source told us.

“He has been served up what is pretty much a shit sandwich, but has kept the show on the road while having to deal with all the Instability around the multiple bids and drawn out sale processes, the introduction of the Gen

3 program, new broadcast deals, not to mention the fact that he has steered the whole Supercars ship through the COVID disaster. He deserves to be given a good clear shot at it for a while.”

Sale negotiations have been ongoing for months but one insider has told Auto Action that the in-principle deal is done and now it’s down to the details.

“It’s likely to become binding around the seond or third week in October,” they say.

“The teams all had the new Racing Charter, replacing the old Racing Entitlements Contract as it was known, presented to them last Wednesday.”

It’s this work on the replacement for the REC which has taken much of the work in recent weeks, with one key Supercars team boss heavily involved in drafting the new contract.

The new Racing Charter will still control the number of cars in the Supercars field, as well as the operational requirements needed by the new-look Supercars ownership and teams, which will ensure that the new ‘Charters’ will remain a saleable commodity, to protect the interests of existing teams despite their loss of the current ownership stake in the business.

Bruce Williams

Pye locked down, now for Frosty HAVING SECURED Scott Pye for another two seasons, Team 18 owner Charlie Schwerkolt has now turned his mind to extending the deal of his other driver, Mark Winterbottom.

Pye’s new two-year deal was announced two weeks ago and takes the DeWalt Holden Commodore driver’s contract out to the end of 2023.

Winterbottom’s two-year extension was announced at Bathurst in 2020 and takes him out to the end of the 2022 season.

Back then a key component of Frosty’s deal was the contribution the Bathurst and championship winner could make to the introduction of Gen3 in 2022.

But Gen3 now looks unlikely to arrive before 2023, after 40-year old Winterbottom’s current deal is done.

“If Mark is competitive he won’t be going anywhere,” Schwerkolt said.

“Mark brings more than racing success to Team 18, he is a fantastic person but he is also popular with sponsors and everyone.

“If he wants to continue on beyond 2022, which I am sure he will – maybe for only one year maybe for two – and he’s competitive then I am sure he will.

“I don’t see any issue with that at all. His knowledge of setting up cars and this new Gen3 [means] he will want to be part of that for sure.”

Schwerkolt told Auto Action that he renewed Pye because of his potential to join the elite driving ranks in Supercars and deliver consistent wins for the team.

A young veteran at 31, South Australian Pye joined the championship in 2013 and has since claimed one race win, one pole position and a best finish of seventh in the championship.

“I think Scott has got it – I really think he has got it,” said Schwerkolt. “We know he has got the skill and he can drive, we just have to build him and build him and make him better.

“I love continuity, I didn’t want to start all over again and Scotty is seriously the real deal.

“I think if we can harness all that then I truly think he is a race winner.”

Schwerkolt said the team had to build the right conditions around Pye for him to deliver his best.

One example of that was the ongoing relationship with engineer Phil Keed.

“I think it’s the first time Scotty’s had an engineer for more than one year so they will be learning each other better.

“We have to be more consistent by far,” Schwerkolt added. “Some of our qualifying sessions haven’t been up there.

“When we go to Gen3 that will even the field out a little bit and that will help too.”

Team 18 will head to the Sydney Motorsport Park month-long resumption of action that starts October 29, with two completely rebuilt Holden Commodores and intent on building on the results it achieved there in 2020 across two weekends of racing.

Then, Winterbottom managed two top 10 qualifying spots and four top 10 finishes in the Irwin Commodore, while Pye qualified and finished in the top 10 once.

“We need top fives and at worst top 10s in all four races. We need to be punching up there pretty hard and I really think we can,” said Schwerkolt.

Winterbottom enters the championship resumption in seventh place while Pye is 13th. Bruce Newton

NEWCASTLE TO LAUNCH 2022 SUPERCARS SEASON NEWCASTLE IS back! It’s official, the 2022 Supercars Championship will commence on the streets of Newcastle from March 4-6.

The championship kick-off will mark the return of the seaside circuit which has not held a Supercars round since it concluded the 2019 campaign, before the COVID-19 pandemic swept across the nation.

It is the first time that the New South Wales city will play host to the season opener, having previously hosted the finale from 2017-2019.

Supercars CEO Sean Seamer is delighted to see the Newcastle Street Circuit track return to the calendar and looks forward to seeing the season begin at such a picturesque venue.

“We’re thrilled to have locked in our 2022 Championship opener as a return to the stunning Newcastle Street Circuit,” Seamer said.

“The spectacular shots of Supercars racing on the CBD street circuit have become images that are embedded into the minds of tens of millions of motor racing fans around the world.

“Newcastle has established itself as one of the most popular stops on the Supercars calendar with both fans and drivers and we look forward to seeing as many familiar faces as possible trackside in March.”

Newcastle will be the third venue to hold the season opener in as many

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Motorsport Images years, as Bathurst held the first round in 2020 after the South Australian government axed the traditional season opener, the Adelaide 500.

The Newcastle event scheduled for the first weekend in March is the first round to be officially announced for 2022, with the rest of the calendar expected to be revealed in coming weeks.

The NSW Minister for Jobs, Investment and Tourism, Stuart Ayres believes that motorsport is an important

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part of New South Wales’ sporting culture.

“The NSW Government is thrilled to support the 2022 Championship season opener in Newcastle, reconnecting event goers with the stunning Newcastle coastline and the high-octane action on track, while ensuring local businesses benefit from the economic boost that comes with staging this major event,” Minister Ayres said.

“Newcastle provides a unique

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backdrop for the event with some of the best beaches in Australia, as well as warm hospitality and a great variety of restaurants, bars and accommodation, making it the place to be next March.”

Broadcast details, ticketing information, event support categories and off and on track entertainment will be announced over time.

The City of Newcastle Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said the event date provides certainty to local residents and businesses.––– “Newcastle and the Hunter enjoy a huge racing supporter base and I’m confident they will love the promotion to the season opener and will continue to pour into the city for the three days in massive numbers,” Nelmes said.

“This is a welcome announcement for our residents and businesses which confirms that the Christmas and January holidays will be unaffected by work on the circuit.

“This timing ensures residents will have no issue accessing our pristine beaches and parks throughout November, December and all of January.

“Businesses can now prepare for the busy period of trading over the summer holidays through to February, with another boost in the first week of March when more than 150,000 racing fans flood the east end and Foreshore.”

Dan McCarthy

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SUPERCARS STILL TARGETING GEN3 REVEAL BEFORE BATHURST SUPERCARS CEO Sean Seamer believes that despite the COVID-19 outbreaks in New South Wales and Victoria, the plan to reveal both Gen3 models publicly before the Bathurst 1000 is still on schedule.

For the second straight year, the Bathurst 1000 will conclude the Supercars Championship – however this time the Great Race will take place in December as the major drawcard within a six-day motorsport extravaganza.

For many months Seamer indicated that he wanted the new era Gen3 machines to be publicly revealed in October, for the original Bathurst 1000 date.

However, despite the COVID-19 pandemic

continuing to cause parts shipping issues, Seamer is confident that the Gen3 Dick Johnson Racing Mustang and Triple Eight Race Engineering Chevrolet Camaro will be ready for their first public appearance before or during the rescheduled Bathurst 1000 weekend.

“The changes to the calendar last week were important for the (homologation) team to go away and digest,” Seamer said in a media call which included Auto Action.

“We’re still keen to get those Gen3 cars out there as soon as possible and have them at Bathurst.”

Seamer was asked if the revised Supercars calendar will affect the Gen3 schedule, as there will be five Supercars Championship rounds in six

weeks to end the season.

He explained that Supercars Head of Motorsport Adrian Burgess is spending a lot of his time at the DJR and Triple Eight headquarters.

“Not just Adrian, but also the homologation team (is flat out) as well,” Seamer explained.

“Adrian has been with both of the homologation teams today (Tuesday), I think he’s at Triple Eight right now after being at DJR all of this morning – he’s looking at the prototype progress right now.

“We announced the calendar last Saturday, so all of the work that needs to domino off the back of it is now being done as it relates to updating Gen3 prototypes, timelines and testing, etc.”

Dan McCarthy

ADDERTON TO ‘WAIT AND SEE’ ON SPONSORSHIP BOOST MOBILE Founder Peter Adderton has said that the company will take a ‘wait and see’ approach to the Supercars sposnsorship after its ownership changes hands.

The ‘Adderton’ consortium is now out of the race for Supercars ownership, which appears to have been won by the TLA Worldwide and Australian Racing Group (ARG) bid.

The Boost Director told Greg Murphy on ‘The Garage New Zealand’ podcast that his brand would assess the new direction of the sport before committing to future involvement.

“From our perspective of what we’re going to do in Supercars, it’s going to be a wait and see approach,” Adderton said.

“What we’re doing at Boost is we’re going to sit back and we’re going to wait for the new owners to come and present to us.

“Is it 12 rounds, is it 14 rounds? Where’s the calendar going to go? What do you do on the digital side?

“What I want to see is what the new owners are going to do, and I give them the benefit of the doubt.

“If I’d bought it, I’d expect everybody to say ‘Okay Adderton, what are you going to do with it, before we invest millions of dollars into your ideas.”

Currently, Boost Mobile signage can be found on James Courtney’s Tickford Racing Mustang as well as Brodie Kostecki’s Erebus Commodore.

However for the Bathurst 1000, Adderton has stepped up his support to sponsor an Erebus Wildcard with four-time Bathurst 1000 winner Greg Murphy and former Sandown 500 winner Richie Stanaway at the wheel.

Adderton is open to continuing his support through Boost Mobile if the new owners’ future plans are attractive.

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“If they can present to us a plan that excites us then obviously Boost will be there,” Adderton added.

“But if we look at it and go ‘hang on this is not going to work,’ then you have to sit back and take a more wait-and-see approach.”

Despite the unsuccessful nature of the Adderton consortium bid, the businessman was glad his financial model was likely to be utilised.

“I looked at buying a bunch of teams and none of them made any money,” Adderton claimed.

“I thought if we could guarantee their revenue, that’s a big win for them and in return, they give up their shares.

“The good news is that they (the other bidders) did take our idea, and they did use it, which I think is good for the teams which is basically all we wanted to do.”

Furthermore, the prominent motorsport figure revealed his ambitions for Boost to eventually be seen in Formula 1, after significant involvement in several categories over the brand’s history.

“I do have a dream, to see the Boost brand on an F1 car one day,” Adderton told Murphy.

“We’ll keep driving towards that. That’s the pinnacle of what we want to do ... that would be the crowning moment for me.

“To see what Red Bull has done with an F1 car ... we hope to launch Boost throughout Europe soon and some of those other markets which would then open that opportunity up to us in Asia.

“But you know, Formula 1 is big in Australia and America but you cannot justify doing it unless you’ve got a global brand.” Josh Nevett

Will he stay or will he go?

Motorsport Images

By Paul Gover THE CHANCE of Scott McLaughlin racing at the Repco Bathurst 1000 appears to be fading.

Although he has a clearance from Team Penske, the complications of travel and potential clashes with his American commitments mean the likelihood of a return to Mount Panorama is fading every day.

The Shell V-Power team is still working to finalise a plan, which is most likely to have Will and Alex Davison in the #17 Ford Mustang with Anton De Pasquale

and Tony D’Alberto in the sister #11.

The drama for McLaughlin is the amount of time that would be required to return to Australia, including compulsory quarantine.

It could punch close to a month in his calendar, at a time when Team Penske will be working on everything from sponsor events and simulator time to track testing for season 2022.

The president of Team Penske, Tim Cindric, told Auto Action he is not against a Bathurst comeback for McLaughlin, but there are hurdles.

“We don’t have any problem with Scott doing Bathurst with DJR,” Tim Cindric said.

“As long as it doesn’t conflict with any obligations over here. We are still sorting through these, while the various protocols seem to be moving targets.”

McLaughlin is hopeful but not confident, and gave his perspective during the run-up to the IndyCar grand final at Long Beach.

“It just depends on quarantines and stuff,” McLaughlin said.

“We’ve spoken about it a number of

times with (DJR co-owner) Ryan (Story) and I am grateful to them for giving me basically up until D-Day when they need to know by.

“But right now I can’t sacrifice being away for more than a month. It’s a long time away from home, a long time away from the sport that is meant to be my job now.

“I’m going to miss Bathurst and miss the people, miss the team and I’m forever grateful for the loyalty they are showing me …. but at this stage I am pretty sure it won’t happen.”

Waters has team support for Sprintcar challenge

By Paul Gover TICKFORD RACING trump, Tim Edwards, is a massive fan of Cam Waters’ Sprintcar racing and backing his return run on Australian clay-ways at the end of the Supercars season.

While other team bosses object to any racing outside Supercars, Edwards believes the high-powered ‘things with wings’ will make Waters into a better and more-rounded racer.

He also believes it will keep his young star sharp during the off-season.

“The reality is that you don’t do enough racing or testing in a Supercar. Just to do something that’s beyond Supercars, that’s similar in performance, will put Cam in a better position,” Edwards told Auto Action.

“In some ways, driving a competitive racecar that’s not trying to be a Supercar is not a

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bad thing.”

Edwards’ approach to Waters’ extra-curricular racing continues an approach that began with earlier generations of Supercars stars at the Melbourne team.

“I’ve always supported all of my drivers doing stuff outside Supercars,” says Edwards.

“You’ve seen Frosty (Mark Winterbottom) driving Brazilian stock cars. Chaz (Mostert) drove everything from Production Cars in the 6-Hour to GTs in a few races.”

“There is always an element of risk. But you do the risk-versus-reward analysis and what they potentially gain as drivers outweighs any risk of injury.”

Edwards also believes that real-world racing can be more relevant than the current reliance on simulator time.

“Driving a simulator is not real. Some people almost adapt to suit the simulator and

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you can do yourself some harm when you drop into a real car on a circuit.”

Waters is planning to lift his commitment to Sprintcars in the coming summer season and, for Edwards, that is no problem.

He has already seen Waters in action and believes he is

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learning fast about speedway racing.

“I went and watched him once down at Avalon (between Melbourne and Geelong) earlier this year. It was probably only his third meeting and it was attended by a lot of the big names, like James McFadden, and it would be fair

to say he looked and felt like a duck out of water.

“But he made some big inroads in subsequent events.

He’s been learning all the time.”

One of the key things for Sprintcar success, that carries over into Supercars, is learning to adapt to changing track conditions and the car.

“In a 30-lap sprintcar final, the track you start on is completely different to the finish. But you cannot pull off after five laps to change the springs, or the tyre pressures, or the wings.

“In a Supercar you don’t have the extremes of a Sprintcar, but you do have varying tyre life and fuel load and track condition.

“You have to learn to adapt as a driver.

“So Cam is learning to adapt his driving style and that will be a benefit when he gets back into a Supercar.”

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PIASTRI’S 2022 PLANS TO BE DECIDED DURING BREAK

IT IS expected that after the 2021 Supercars Championship concludes at Bathurst, Queensland based teams will be required to undertake two weeks of quarantine. Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has openly said that the Sunshine State will not open at the same COVID-19 rate as New South Wales and Victoria, meaning that Queensland-based teams Triple Eight Race Engineering, Dick Johnson Racing and Matt Stone Racing will be forced to undertake quarantine. DM Piastri has already tested a (2020) Alpine F1 car ...

Supercars CEO Sean Seamer has officially confirmed that all teams and drivers must be vaccinated to attend the ARDC owned Sydney Motorsport Park venue. As well as this, Seamer explained that, as of now, fans will not be required to get vaccinated to attend the Bathurst 1000 due to the announcement made by the New South Wales Government yesterday.

Seamer expressed that should any Supercars Championship drivers or team members not get vaccinated they will be unlikely to receive acceptance into New South Wales. DM

THE GROVE Group’s junior driver development program now has a name and is open to applications. The newly titled ‘Grove Junior Team’ will welcome a further two members to join Porsche Carrera Cup driver Matthew Payne.

Once accepted into the Grove Junior Team ranks, inductees will be offered driver and engineering training, sports psychology, as well as business mentoring and financial literacy. Applications are open throughout the month of October. JN

SUPERCARS CHAMPIONSHIP Top 10 Shootout procedures have been amended after Shane van Gisbergen’s compromised qualifying in Townsville. The new regulations stipulate that if red flags are displayed during a shootout, all cars are to return to pit lane. Teams will then be provided with a period of time determined by the Race Director to plug in a jump battery, adjust tyre pressures, change tyres, add fuel and complete other works. JN BRODIE KOSTECKI won the Supercars eSeries All Stars championship after finishing third in the final race of the season at Watkins Glen. The Erebus Motorsport driver navigated a carnageladen 32-car race to secure the title ahead of Kiwi Richie Stanaway, who finished fourth on the night. Dayne Warren returned to winning ways in the Pro Series, taking out the championship title to secure his second consecutive eSeries crown and the $10,000 major prize. JN

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THE WORLD is watching our Aussie, Oscar Piastri, after he took the Feature race victory and extended his FIA Formula 2 Championship lead in Russia.

However with a big break before the next round, he intends to use the time to sort out his future.

For the Prema Racing driver it was his third straight pole position but, more importantly, second successive Feature race victory.

Despite the momentum, the next round of the championship does not take place until the first week in December, a good time Piastri feels to lock in his 2022 plans.

“I think it’s definitely the time to try and sort something out for next year,” Piastri told Auto Action.

“Waiting until Christmas doesn’t help anybody. I expect these next few weeks in particular to be pretty busy in terms of contract negotiations.

“I think everybody in F2 and F3 has the same plan now because F3 has obviously finished. I think most people in F2 are also trying to sort out their plans for the following year, so it’s definitely the time to sort out the plans for the future.”

In the last issue of AA Piastri discussed his intentions of becoming the Alpine team’s F1 test driver, and feels his results have warranted the position.

“I think my results have deserved that. That’s what we’re working towards,” he said.

“We’re talking at the moment about next year and the year after, but I don’t really know much of the specifics of what the plan is for next year.

“I just know that we are talking to Alpine about a plan ... so we’ll see what they come back with.”

The Formula 2 champion is unable to defend his crown and so Piastri was asked whether, if he wins the title, he would be interested in racing in something like the highly regarded Super Formula open-wheel Series in Japan.

“No, not really,” Piastri said. “Firstly, getting into Japan at the moment is extremely difficult, and secondly, I think spending a full year in Japan wouldn’t be the way to go.

“It is just out of sight for all the F1 teams really, so I think the most realistic and logical plan for next year is to try and stay in the F1 paddock as the reserve driver at Alpine.

“It would be nice to do some kind of racing if I won the championship, but I think the main priority is still going to be having my face in front of the F1 paddock.”

Piastri has been linked to the sole remaining vacant F1 seat at Alfa Romeo alongside Valtteri Bottas, however the Aussie extinguished the possibility.

“I certainly haven’t engaged in any discussions with them,” he said.

“I don’t know whether they would want me or need me to leave Alpine or whether they’d still be okay with that support.

“I think that’s one of the big reasons why getting that Alfa seat is still so unlikely because it has potential to be quite a messy and painful contract negotiation I guess.”

Piastri is incredibly unlikely to leave the Alpine Academy, particularly after receiving major praise from Alpine Racing CEO Laurent Rossi in recent weeks who indicated that Piastri has a future with the F1 team.

“F1 behold: the future generations of champions are rising,” Rossi wrote on Instagram. Dan McCarthy

TOUGHEST RACE OF PIASTRI’S CAREER OSCAR PIASTRI is in the form of his life. After converting pole in Sochi, he was pushed all the way in the Feature race, describing it as the toughest of his career.

The Feature race was an intense affair with the Australian and his former FIA Formula 3 Championship rival Theo Pourchaire exchanging the fastest lap of the race lap after lap.

Although not a wheelto-wheel duel, it was a nail-biting race with the pair pulling out a margin of over 12s to the chasing pack.

The pace was relentless, with the Australian holding on to the win by 1.2s.

“It was certainly very challenging for quite a few

Image: Motorsport Images reasons,” Piastri recalled to AA. “We obviously had no Safety Cars, one virtual Safety Car on lap 1, but besides that we were pretty much flat out the whole way.

“I had Pourchaire between one and two seconds

behind me the whole 28 laps and he was super quick as well.

“We were both pushing flat out pretty much the whole way – there wasn’t really any breaks in the in the pressure.

“I was constantly having him there in the mirrors, pushing me the whole way ... so it was pretty tricky trying to make zero mistakes for the whole 28 laps.”

His closest title rival Guanyu Zhou spun out before the opening race had even commenced and could only finish sixth in the second and final race, allowing Piastri to pull out a margin in the championship.

“It was a good weekend for a lot of reasons, but extending the championship lead was certainly a big positive – 36 points going into the last two rounds, is a very nice spot to be in,” he concluded.

Dan McCarthy

DOOHAN HAS MULTIPLE F2 OFFERS FOR 2022 JACK DOOHAN finished second in the 2021 FIA Formula 3 Championship after securing a victory in the final race of the season at the Sochi Autodrom and spoke openly about his 2022 prospects with several F2 offers on the table.

The Australian’s victory in Russia was his fourth race win of the season, the same total as champion Dennis Hauger.

Doohan now has his eyes fixed on 2022 and was asked if he has any Formula 2 Championship offers on the table.

“Luckily with a good season like we had it helps a lot and puts you in a pretty good position to see what the options are for next year,” Doohan said to Auto Action.

“At the moment we’re just seeing what those [options] are – I’m trying to try to finalise the right decision before we go forward and lock anything in.

“We’ll just try and see what our best options are for next year and try and get into a position like we were this year – to win races, get poles and fight for the title.”

In 2020, his debut season in Formula 3, Doohan raced for HWA Racelab but was unable to collect a point and was dropped from the Red Bull Racing programme. However, he has remained a Red Bull supported driver throughout this season with visible sponsorship on his helmet.

Motorsport Images However, after finishing second in the championship with Trident, the Queenslander is hopeful that he can return to the junior squad.

“Hopefully this season has done me well and we can get back into the [Red Bull] programme

completely, being in a good position in the field so that we can have a good amount of support going into next year. It’s going to be so important to repeat the job next year.”

Doohan was the first driver in several seasons to take the fight to Prema Racing drivers, only falling 26 points short of becoming champion.

“Definitely happy with the year’s results,” Doohan continued. “But you can’t not look back and think of everywhere that you could have got 26 more points to win the title.

“Zandvoort I was really quite sick and really not there in my head, I wasn’t focused at all. Going into qualifying I thought I might have COVID but the test came through negative.

“I had an off at Zandvoort on the last lap of the race which was quite silly on my side of things.”

Finishing second in such a competitive category is a great achievement and Doohan is proud to accomplish the feat.

“Definitely feels good to be able to do that,” he said. “In the end we were the best qualifiers of the season and also scored the most amount of points in the Feature races all year.

“In the end it was just the sprint races which let us down, but it is good to know that in a situation which doesn’t have reverse grid races, like Formula 1, that we would have been on top.” Dan McCarthy

YOU WANT WHAT! HEADING INTO the final race of the season Trident looked set to secure its maiden FIA Formula 3 Teams Championship – however controversy reared its head, with the team coming on the radio and asking Aussie Jack Doohan to step aside and relinquish the lead.

The Australian allowed his teammate Clement Novalak through before immediately retaking the lead. Doohan held onto the lead for the remainder of the race, while Novalak fell to third position.

Despite the drama Trident still earned its maiden Team’s Championship – however the ‘team orders’ left a bitter taste in the mouth and fans divided. Did the team have a right to ask the faster driver to let Novalak through, or did Doohan have a right to retain the lead against the teams permission?

“I knew they wouldn’t want us to fight, but for me I don’t know why [they made the request],” Doohan told Auto Action. “They said he’s faster than me and that he’d make a move in DRS. “There are two DRS points in Sochi that give you up to 1.2 seconds a lap.

“There were points in the race where, especially in the first half of the race, I was lifting in the last sector to keep him [Novalak] in my DRS for the team so we could pull away for a one-two.

“It was quite weird – I remember the first time he tried to come past I was just keeping him in my DRS. I thought ‘what’s going on here?’

“I’m only doing this for the team and then he’s trying to come past. I thought it was quite weird. In the end I’m racing my own race, and I’m never going to give away a Feature race or another race win ...”

Doohan briefly lost the lead twice at Turn 2 before reclaiming the top spot seconds later.

It is extremely rare for team orders to be used in a junior category and caught everyone by surprise.

“When it happened the second time I was able to get back past and then just blocked out everything on the radio and pushed,” he said.

“I’d had enough of playing team bollocks and just decided that I could pull away.

“At the end of the day, any Formula 1 teams

Image: Motorsport Images next year who weren’t watching that race would see one less win.

“Nobody would remember that I was going to win that race but I had to let my teammate past ... everyone just sees the stat.”

Doohan agreed with speculation that Trident wanted another driver other than him to win a race in order to further boost its prospects of attracting a world class drivers to the team for 2022.

“One-hundred percent what you just said,” he said. “I want to keep the relationship amazing with them, because they’re an awesome bunch.

“But yeah, it’s a bit strange what happened on Sunday to say the least. The reasons

around it I don’t completely know ... the speculation is there. To be honest I just want to try and put it behind us.

“Clement could have fallen to sixth with me winning the race and they still would have won the teams title ...”

Doohan explained that their was no debrief after the race as he and Novalak spent a fair bit of time talking to media.

“I can understand a little bit from there [Trident’s] side, their first ever teams title,” he said.

“It just seems a bit weird why, at the end of the race, he was a kind of hero of Trident and they were weird with me.”

Dan McCarthy tyj ytj tj tyj tyj tyj tyj tyj tyj tyj ytj tyj tj y j

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MOTORSPORT AUSTRALIA has confirmed the third and final round of the 2021 Motorsport Australia Rally Championship will be held in New South Wales in December. The newly scheduled event is planned for December 11, coinciding with organiser Canberra Light Car Club’s existing event, the Kosciuszko Automotive Monaro Stages Rally. ARC entrants can expect a rally of 150km or more, including a Power Stage that presents bonus Championship points to contest. JN

THERE COULD be an opportunity for another Australian to experience the Hyundai Motorsport Customer Racing Junior Driver initiative, according to Customer Racing Operations Leader, Andrew Johns. The program provides support from Hyundai’s Customer Racing engineers, mentorship from its WTCR drivers and media training for up-and-coming Hyundai touring car drivers. JN

GARRY ROGERS Motorsport TCR Australia Series driver Dylan O’Keeffe has no doubts about completing double touring car duties at the Bathurst 1000 event in December this year.

O’Keeffe will drive his Renault Megane R.S. TCR in the TCR Bathurst 400, while also teaming up with Garry Jacobson for Team Sydney in the Bathurst 1000. The 23-year-old Victorian has never combined commitments before but is not daunted by the prospect. “Doing two at once is definitely good, so I’m excited for that,” O’Keeffe said. JN

TWO VICTORIAN GT World Challenge Australia teams have returned to the track this week, conducting testing at Winton Motor Raceway.

Both Grove Racing and GT Trophy team Bespoke Motor Cars were able to complete laps of the circuit under allowances for professional athletes and support staff during the current COVID-19 lockdown. Grove father-son pair of Brenton and Stephen experimented with set-up changes to their new Porsche 991 GT3R, and GT Trophy competitor Mike Bailey took his pair of Aston Martin V12 Vantages to test. JN THE MOTORSPORT Australia Targa Championship has pushed back both Targa High Country and Targa Tasmania. Targa High Country was scheduled to take place midway through next month in Victoria, however current COVID-19 restrictions in the state have seen that event postponed until February 2022. Targa Tasmania has also been shuffled back from its originally scheduled date in March to the event’s traditional timeslot in April. JN

10 AutoAction

Diffey: Scott is a future champ

By Paul Gover THE VOICE of IndyCar, Leigh Diffey, says Scott McLaughlin is a dead-set future champion in the USA. He will be an Indianapolis 500 winner, too, according to the Brisbane boy who has become the motorsports anchor for the NBC Network.

How does Diffey rate McLaughlin, overall, after graduation year in IndyCar, where he took overall Rookie of the Year honours as well as the parallel award at the Indy 500?

“Very good,” is the simple reply.

Breaking down the challenge, Diffey says he knows at least some of what McLaughlin has faced through 2021 despite having his American wife, Karly, to help.

“As someone who has worked and lived on three continents, I know it’s very difficult to move your life let alone race in a completely different motorsport series and car.”

How is his driving?

Motorsport Images “His reactionary flexibility is outstanding!”

But is it fair to compare the Supercars graduate with grand prix refugee Romain Grosjean, who was the quicker of the pair and scored the better results on road and street circuits.

“It is fair to compare him, because Scott is a world class driver. He showed that this year,” Diffey says.

So, then, could he be as good, in time, as fellow New Zealander Scott Dixon, who has won six IndyCar titles and the 2008 running of the Indy 500.

“Is anybody as good as Dixon,” is Diffey’s reply.

Digging into the season just past, Diffey is reluctant to identify a low point

for McLaughlin.

“That’s a harsh question, but probably Detroit.”

So what about McLaughlin’s best efforts in the #3 for Team Penske?

“Naturally, people would say Texas where he scored his first podium (and on an oval),” says Diffey.

“But I would say one of his lower finishing positions where he really had to grind it out.

“The examples are the second Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course event or the Portland race. He didn’t finish on the podium in either case but the race that he executed showed tremendous intelligence and maturity.”

INDYCAR SILLY SEASON IS GO

THE HECTIC IndyCar silly season is in full swing with a number of high-profile moves for drivers including former Formula 1 driver Romain Grosjean and IndyCar champion Simon Pagenaud.

At the final round of the season on the famous Long Beach streets it was officially confirmed that 10-time Formula 1 podium finisher Grosjean would move to Andretti Autosport to replace the departed Hunter-Reay.

In his rookie season Grosjean scored three podiums with Dale Coyne Racing and just missed out on the Rookie of the Year honours despite missing three oval races early in the season, the Frenchman is very much looking forward to joining the front-running team.

“I’m delighted to be joining Andretti Autosport and driving the #28 DHL Honda for next season,” said Grosjean.

“I’m super happy and proud to be racing with the team. I’m also very proud to be representing with DHL. I’ve known the DHL colour on racing cars for a very long time. I couldn’t be more proud to represent such a great company in IndyCar. “I’m hoping that we are going to be very successful together, which is our aim on every side.

“I would like also to thank Dale Coyne Racing for giving me the opportunity to join IndyCar. “I’ve enjoyed the racing so much and it’s given me the change today to be racing with one of the most competitive and best teams in the world.”

Grosjean joins IndyCar frontrunners Alexander Rossi and rising star Colton Herta at Andretti Autosport.

Hunter-Reay is confident that his IndyCar career is not at an end, hinting at Long Beach that he will be back in 2022.

In 2021 Team Penske expanded to run four Chevrolet powered IndyCars to compensate for the arrival of reigning Supercars champion Scott McLaughlin.

However, for 2022 the team will revert back to three, leaving 2016 champion winner and 2019 Indy 500 winner Simon Pagenaud without a drive.

However the Frenchman has already secured a drive with the expanding Indy 500 winning team Meyer Shank Racing, alongside his former Team Penske teammate Helio Castroneves.

The experienced duo are both over the age of 35 but bring a lot of experience and knowledge to the blossoming young outfit.

“This is such an exciting time in my career,” said Pagenaud.

“MSR has proven it is a high-quality organisation when they won the Indianapolis 500 and pairing Helio and me together will help our team in 2022 and beyond.

Former Champ Car champion Sebastien Bourdais will remain with A.J. Foyt Racing, however will take a step back contesting a partical campaign as he puts his focus into the IMSA Sportscar Series.

Elsewhere Ferrari Academy driver Callum Ilott has locked in to race full-time in the IndyCar Series with Juncos Hollinger Racing after racing for the team in the final three races of 2021.

After winning his maiden IndyCar race earlier in the season, Dutchman Rinus Veekay has re-signed with Ed Carpenter Racing. Dan McCarthy

Motorsport Images

PALOU WANTS MORE TITLES TWO YEARS ago, few people in Australia had heard of a young Spaniard called Alex Palou – however just 16 months after making his IndyCar Series debut with Dale Coyne Racing he is now a champion. The level-headed smooth driving 24-year-old showed experience well beyond his years to take the title with Chip Ganassi Racing.

To take the title he beat his much more well-known teammates six-time IndyCar Series winner Scott Dixon, former Formula 1 driver Marcus Ericsson and NASCAR legend Jimmie Johnson.

As well as this, Palou took on legendary outfits Team Penske and Arrow McLaren and won in what was one of the most competitive IndyCar Series in history. In total there were nine winners over the 16-race season – Palou won three and took eight podiums.

An emotional Palou was ecstatic to take the title and admits that hewants to do it all again and successfully defend his crown.

“What a season,” Palou said after the race. “I cannot really believe it, I’m super happy. We worked so, so hard. Getting into the season finale, this place, didn’t know the track, but the guys gave me a really good car. They gave me good strategies.

“Today we went from p10 to p4, just amazing, super happy. I think all the season we were super consistent. Feels amazing to be a champion.

“Dream completed, let’s get another one now.”

Team boss Chip Ganassi feels this title is the start of something special and admitted he was surprised by the Spaniard when he joined the team.

“Ladies and gentlemen, you’re seeing a young man that’s going to set a lot of records in this business, and he’s already starting, what a great year we’ve had” he said.

By taking the title, Palou became the youngest champion since Dixon in 2003, “I knew it was going to be hard especially not knowing so many tracks this year, but we made it through.” Dan McCarthy

Scott: Aiming for Indy 500 win

By Paul Gover SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN is aiming for victory in the Indianapolis 500 as he prepares for his second season of IndyCar racing in the USA. He was 20th at the Brickyard in 2021 after a pitstop mishap and says he now knows exactly what it takes to win.

Despite his lacklustre finish, McLaughlin turned fast laps in all conditions, ran strongly and received the Rookie of the Year award.

“I’m going next year to Indy with the idea of winning,” says McLaughlin.

“I’m going to be in a car that can win the race. I know I’m quick there. I know I’m quick on ovals.

“I feel like I’ve got a handle on it, it’s just a matter of having a good month, building up to it. … Not speeding in pit lane.”

McLaughlin is also the Rookie of the Year for the 2021 IndyCar season, an award which he received at the Victory Lap Celebration at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum.

He is the first driver at Team Penske to claim the Rookie title, after five Top-10 finishes including second at Texas Motor Speedway in his first oval race.

McLaughlin attended the prize-giving with his American wife, Karly, on a night when Alex Palou was also hailed as the 2021 season champion for Chip Ganassi.

But he is already focussed on season 2022 and knows that Firestone tyres are the key to his sophomore year in IndyCar. “Trying to get the tyre to come on at the very perfect right time is very difficult and very hard to understand or explain. That will certainly be what I work on in the offseason, trying to understand,” says McLaughlin.

After battling to get the best from qualifying, where

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drivers use the softer-compound ‘red’ Firestone rubber, he says the approach to qualifying is very different from Supercars. “(In Supercars) you only had one lap to do it, basically. The peak of the tire you learn quite quickly.

“Here … trying to get the tire to come on at the very perfect right time is very difficult and very hard to understand or explain. That will certainly be what I work on in the offseason, trying to understand.”

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Looking back at his first year, McLaughlin’s focus returns to the Indy 500.

“I feel like this whole rookie thing could have been sealed a lot (sooner) if I could have finished where I was going to finish at the Indy 500,” he said. “I was infatuated with the Bathurst 1000 before I won it.

“Now, I’m infatuated with the Indy 500. I just will be infatuated with it until I go good there and get a result.”

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FORMULA 1 feeder series FIA Formula 2 and FIA Formula 3 will revert back to the combined event formats in 2022. After separating the two series over different race weekends for the current season, promoters and the FIA have announced that the two series will return to running on the same weekends. Both F2 and F3 will run similar race programs featuring a single practice session, one qualifying session and two races with the second to be a longer feature race for more points. RV

PROMOTERS OF the NTT IndyCar Series, Penske Entertainment Corp, will take over the role of sanctioning and promoting the Indy Lights series following the 2021 season.

The second tier American open-wheel series is the final step on the successful Road to Indy ladder system and has developed a number of drivers who have graduated to IndyCar. Andersen Promotions will continue stewardship of Indy Pro 2000 and USF2000, as well as helming the new entry level USF Juniors series. JN

TOYOTA GAZOO Racing has announced it will enter four all-new Toyota Hilux’s in the 2022 edition of the Dakar Rally set to commence in January. Under the bonnet, the car is now powered by a 3.5 litre twin-turbo powered petrol V6 engine, sourced from the new Toyota Land Cruiser 300. The 2022 Dakar Rally will occur in Saudi Arabia in 2022 with the Toyota Gazoo Racing squad once again fielding a mixture of youth and experience. DM

TOCA, ORGANISER of the British Touring Car Championship, has announced that all cars will run an onboard visual signalling system from next season. BTCC Race Control will be able to immediately inform all drivers via their in-car dashboards of yellow flag zones, red flag stoppages, Safety Car periods and black or black/white flag notifications. JN BRABHAM AUTOMOTIVE has announced that High Class Racing will run the Brabham BT63 GT2 Concept in its debut race at Circuit Paul Ricard. David Brabham, Sporting Director of Brabham Automotive, will take the wheel of the BT63 GT2 Concept during the GT2 Championship season finale from October 1-3, alongside Dennis Andersen from High Class Racing. JN

12 AutoAction

TCM ANNOUNCES CLASS CHANGES FOR 2022

ARG/Daniel Kalisz

TOURING CAR Masters organisers have announced plans to alter the category class structure in a bid to increase entry numbers going forwards.

In recent weeks TCM category management has gone through an internal review of both the sporting and technical regulations.

After conversations with the current competitor group in recent Zoom meetings, the management has released planned changes intended to grow the category in coming years.

“We haven’t been sitting on our hands despite the fact there has been no racing since May,” said TCM Category Manager Liam Curkpatrick.

“The category has implemented several team forums where we seek the feedback from the competitor group and also workshop ideas we have about how to improve things moving forward.

“It’s been a very worthwhile process and has resulted in what we think are going to be positive changes heading into next year.”

In the last three years the TCM grid numbers have dropped as Touring Car Masters machines up the front of the grid have become faster and run more professionally.

The main aspect of the plan is a revision of the TCM class structure, it is hoped that these changes will encourage older TCM machines to return to the grid.

The ProMaster, ProAm and ProSports

classes will remain as is – however a more definitive seeding system will be enforced.

The seeding system will be performance based and will ensure a clearer definition of who is eligible for each class.

Class changes can be made mid-season with the possibility of ProAm drivers being promoted to ProMasters should they achieve significant race results that would warrant a reclassification.

ProsSports will distance itself from the existing structure – the lowest tiered category will become the home for old TCM cars not raced in anger for some time.

As always, the ProSports class will run on the same grid as the main TCM field. However, from 2022, it is likely that they would be forced to start behind the ProMaster and ProAm categories regardless of qualifying or previous race finishing positions.

TCM organisers are working with Motorsport Australia to refine and cement the technical regulations of the revised ProSport class.

“The feedback we’ve received is that the advancement of the cars currently competing at the front of the TCM pack has seen several existing car owners elect to park their cars for fears of being uncompetitive, which is understandable” Curkpatrick explained.

“The revised ProSports structure will be designed to allow those cars to compete for their own class honours within the broader TCM field.

“While it is tagged an ‘invitational’ class, ProSports would be first designed to bring existing TCM machinery back to the track rather than, for example, attracting Group N competitors and vehicles.

“That is not our goal and this exercise has not been about filling the grid for the sake of it.

“It’s about making a serious effort to cater to the people who have existing cars sitting in garages, and then looking at people who are interested in joining the category and have appropriate machinery to do so.

“We have also had several inquiries from people with cars that are very close to TCM specification already.

“The cars invited competing in ProSport will be approved by the category before competing and will run as close to our rules as possible, including running the control Hoosier tyre.

It has also been announced that the ‘two-litre TCM’ category will return in selected events from 2022. The class will run if three or more cars are entered for one of the nominated three rounds.Previous cars in this class include the Alfa Romeo GTA-M once driven by TCM stalwart Tony Karanfilovski, Phil Showers’ Ford Escort RS and Cam Mason’s Datsun 510.

The Australian Racing Group owned category is continuing to work on its regulations with the final version expected to be approved by Motorsport Australia in coming weeks.

Dan McCarthy

RICHARDS DECLARES INDYCAR DREAM FORMULA FORD and Toyota 86 Series driver Clay Richards has revealed his dream to race in America in the IndyCar Series.

The third-generation driver is the son of Steven Richards, and grandson of Jim, both of whom are renowned Supercars figures.

However, the young driver is looking to the premier US open-wheel category as a long-term goal.

“If the opportunity comes, I’d love to go overseas to America and race IndyCar, that’s the big dream,” Richards told Auto Action.

The strong Supercars influence has rubbed off on Richards though.

“Supercars is definitely on the radar as well,” Richards said.

“At the moment, I’m not really thinking too much on that stuff. I’m just enjoying

my racing for what it is and doing the best I can on track.

“I guess we have to be grateful for any events we get at the moment.”

This year Richards has entered in both Formula Ford and the Toyota Gazoo Racing Australia 86 Series, but thus far has been restricted to five rounds of racing between them.

The Victorian Formula Ford

Championship has provided encouragement, Richards finishing on the podium in every race including a maiden victory at Phillip Island.

The third-generation racer is looking to compete in both Formula Ford and the 86 Series again next year, after an interrupted 2021.

“For the moment I will continue on with Formula Ford and 86,” Richards revealed.

“I want to try and do the full Australian Championship in Formula Ford, we haven’t really done that in the past, we haven’t done a full season yet.

“We started our Formula Ford campaign this year at Round 2 at Winton, so to do a full season is definitely on the cards, as well as Toyota 86 as well.

“I’m very lucky to have a lot of support behind me, especially this year. And that’s coming from my dad knowing a lot of people and them willing to help out a young kid like me.”

Auto Action understands that the Toyota 86 Series will close out its 2021 season with at least one Sydney Motorsport Park round, followed by a finale during the six-day Bathurst 1000 event.

Josh Nevett

SOUTH AUSTRALIANS PAYING FOR ADELAIDE 500 AXING

TASMAN SERIES RAMPING UP

SOUTH AUSTRALIANS are paying for the cancelation of the Adelaide THE REVISED Tasmanby Series, 500 it has been revealed the set to commence next month, is taking enraged Labor opposition leader shape with the opening round now Peter Malinauskas after the SA budget locked in at Sydney Motorsport Park. estimates were revealed.

In the last issue of Auto Action, Late last year, the South Australianit was confirmed that the two-round, Liberal leader, Premier Steven Marshall seven-race 2021 Tasman Series would made the shock announcement that conclude at the legendary Mount they had decided to axe the Adelaide Panorama at Bathurst.

500 effective Circuit immediately.

However, since then, However, in recent dayscategory it has come have announced to managers light that Adelaide taxpayersthat are S5000 willpaying feature onthe theSupercars Supercars essentially out Championship support billearly at SMP . contract, which came to an end.

Ahead of the Bathurst 1000, “One of the things that’s most Supercarsthat’s will run a quadruple concerning coming out of header at SMP , with S5000 securing estimates today of course is that we’ve a spot on the November 19-21 been able to confirm that Steven Sydneyhas SuperNight programme, Marshall used taxpayer’s dollars the to last of the quartet of SMP rounds. pay Supercars a fee for not having the Category Chris Lambden event here in founder our state,” Malinauskas is delighted that S5000 will join the revealed.

Supercars programme.

“The cost of cancelling the Adelaide verybeing nice that there’s been 500“It’s is now borne by the South this level of cooperation between Australian taxpayer.

Supercars and the Australian Racing “To put it simply, Steven Marshall Group, as everyone’s striving decided to break a contract withto get some events happening later in the year,” Lambden told Auto Action.

“Everyone’s waiting for the States to fully indicate where they’re going in terms of interstate travel, but I’m hopeful, and it’ll be a great event to be part of.”

The Tasman Series will be made up of seven races, three at SMP and four at the six-day Bathurst extravaganza.

When asked if there were any other format tweaks Lambden revealed that two of the Bathurst races will be partial grid inversions.

“There’s an extra race in there and that’ll be another partial grid reverse, just to buildtoup all thethe excitement,” he Supercars, cancel Adelaide 500 said.

– the cost of cancelling that contract “By thebeen time borne we getby to taxpayers. the Feature has now Race, the people who’ve “Taxpayer’s dollars beingbeen used to pay performing the weekend Supercars forover an Adelaide 500 will event earn the places and it’ll belike a we’re not right evengrid holding.

That seems cracker.” a real waste of money.

Lambden admits the COVID situation “It was a crazy decision

by Steven in Australia, which is still likely Marshall to cancel the Adelaideto500 some of that quarantine, has –include it’s even moreform crazy he’s now put some internationals off. paying for that event, even though “At one point hosting we wereittalking to four we’re not even ...” or five internationals but, let’s be frank, the COVID situation here is still unpre-

money,” Malinauskas continued.

“Stephen Marshall admitted today that he has compensated Supercars for cancelling the Adelaide 500, but he’s refusing to tell South Australians just how much.

“So, not only had he decided to cancel the Adelaide 500, which is a cost to tourism, which costs jobs in our state, which has cost us a place on the national sporting map ...”

There are also some reports that thousands of dollars’ worth of Adelaide 500 merchandise has also gone missing.

“The question is what’s happened to that merchandise? Malinauskas said. “I What Marshall didn’t reveal in his sincerely hope that it hasn’t just been budget estimates was how much is being paid, however again Malinauskas destroyed or thrown in the bin.

ARG/Daniel saying Kalisz he understands “That merchandise has a value, there elaborated are a lot of Adelaide 500 fans out there that Marshall is also making taxpayers dictable and itparties scaredthat a few people “The biggest barrier having an on pay off other relied on the that would like to gettotheir hands off,” Lambden said.

OS presence in the Tasman Series such material. event.

“It’s great also that there is overseas is actually of flightsMarshall to “I reallyavailability hope that Steven “There’s the prospect he’s had interest and people even looking at Australia early in November. hasn’t dumped it for his own political to compensate other service providers coming here for the national series “We have ajust couple potential purposes, as heofsold off the that were locked into contracts fornext the year, so we certainly seem to be getting entries working hard to see what they delivery of the Adelaide 500 services, infrastructure. overseas and interest, but canDan do … but we’ll know how that’s this is justexposure a total waste of taxpayers’ McCarthy the momentum we’ve had has certainly going in another week or two’s time.” been interrupted by COVID. Dan McCarthy

LE BROCQ UK DASH FOILED

GRM LOCKS IN GOLDING AND HERNE FOR S5000 Struggling Tickford driver planned session with driver coach

THE TASMAN Series beginning shape “I’m so keen! It’s been so long since I’ve been in a Waters’ wingmen, Le Brocq runs A PLAN to exploit the grid longisgap in the to take with Garry Rogers Motorsport announcing that frontcar,” Herne said. calendar created by COVID and fly Jack 18th in the championship with a 15.3 runners James Golding and Nathan Herne have “I didn’t finish the championship on a high in qualifying average and 14.4 finishing Le Brocq to the UK for a refresher with re-signed.

Sydney: I over-pressured myself and under-drove average. guru driving coach Rob Wilson has Both Golding and Herne raced for GRM in the car so I’ve had time to go back and reflect and Le Brocq first visited New Zealander been foiled by COVID. the inaugural S5000 Championship and will be do some study with the guys at GRM to improve.

Wilson for tuition in 2018 ahead of Tickford Racing was able to get the sponsored once again by Valvoline in the 2021 “It’s going to be good going straight back to his first full-time season with Tekno Truck Assist Ford Mustang pilot onto Tasman Series.

Sydney.

Autosport. He went back in the 2019a flight to the UK, but getting him Golding finished fourth in theofinaugural season, “It’s a track I know really well now and will be great 20 off-season ahead of his debut with home before the resumption the collecting three race wins as well as a round win at to put into action everything I have to doing anything to learned improvestraight his He also revealed Le Brocq could Tickford. championship at Winton on October the final round of the season. away. performance.He’s not happy where he Tickford Racing boss Tim Edwards attend some sessions with a sports 02-03 could not be guaranteed.

The Supercars driver to the Le Brocq-Wilson plan: Series is an exciting thing and the Sometimes it’s qualifying, sometimes psychiatrist, something many “The top- Tasman is.

The former Tickford brains trust andisLelooking forward confirmed contesting the two-round Tasman Series at SMP and fact there’s $30,000 up for grabs to win it is a good it’s braking, sometimes it’s starts, it’s line drivers already include in their “We actually toyed with it but we have Brocq agreed on the trip as they seek Bathurst. incentive to work harder. noteven one thing.” preparation. been unable to get him back. to boost his results in the Supercars “It’s awesome to have some races coming up and “Racing at Bathurst is going beBrocq incredible and it While Le Brocq politely declined What may helptoLe stay onboard championship.

“We can get him to the UK, we just toFor jump back into the S5000,” Golding said. will be cool to be part of history in the making when at Tickford is its expansion out to four to be interviewed about his form can’t get him home. The earliest Le Brocq it’s also a fight for his “It’s a fun car as to he drive andoftocontract drive it at twoflight awesome S5000 races there. going to be crazy.” cars It’s for 2022. and future at the recent Townsville we can get him back is end of driving future, is out tracks will be unreal.

It’s great to be back with “We chose to try a few things with the car at the Team owner Barry Rogers also confirmed Waters is staying, Courtney that would like September and that is probably running SuperSprint, Edwards said he was with Tickford at the end of this season.

Valvoline and GRM – I’ve been hanging out to get final round, knowing we weren’t attacking the title, discussions are underway to retain services of to stay and the team the is waiting to hear the gauntlet for Winton.” fully engaged internally in sorting the In his second year full-time with the back in the seat. to chase some speed out of the car heading into the the teams third driver Luis Leeds, a former Australian from his backer Boost on that. Highlyissues he was experiencing.

Edwards said a whole range of other squad and fourth full-time year in “The 2021overall, seasonthe was an up old andfrom down season 2022 and it paid off.” “Jack’s not shying away from Formula who pipped to will fifthbe in the rated rookie ThomasHerne Randle it I can4 champion, measures were nowseason being considered Supercars 29-year for us.

It was a short championship, and a lot of Herne finished sixth in the inaugural standings standings in the final race. domestically during the break before tell you. He might not want to be talking added to the line-up.

Melbourne is not delivering the results things didn’t go our way with some DNFs and someincluding afterlocal he claimed six podium finishes, and is looking “We are working with Luis and his people to try to and about it publicly because it is difficult That leaves Le Brocq five events Tickford expected.

Winton, driver training incidents, but we finished it strongly at Sydney Motorforward to getting back behind the wheel after a get a deal over the line to see him return as well,” he subject to talk about, but he is receptive impress and keep his seat. BN coaches.

Rather than being team leader Cam sport Park and that gives us a lot of confidence. disappointing end to the season. said. Dan McCarthy

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SUPER2 AND SUPER3 ANNOUNCE REVISED CALENDAR

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FORMER RACER FACES TRAFFICKING CHARGES FORMER V8 Supercar driver Wayne Wakefield has been charged with drug trafficking offences according to a report by The Courier Mail.

Wakefield, now 51, was allegedly charged with trafficking 106kg of cocaine in 2019 but was freed on bail.

However, since then, Wakefield has been found to have offended twice more, most recently in May of this year when he was arrested for drug possession.

According to the report in The Courier Mail, Wakefield could spend up to four years in prison, with his next court appearance scheduled for October 8.

Wakefield is a former Development Series (now known as Super2) frontrunner and regular in the now defunct V8 Ute Series.

In the inaugural Super2 Series (known then as Konica Lites) Wakefield finished third behind Dean Canto and Matthew White.

Wakefield won the series’ very first race at Eastern Creek in the year 2000 and went on to win a further two at Phillip Island that year.

Most notably Wakefield made his Bathurst 1000 debut in 2001 (pictured) alongside a young Marcos Ambrose at Stone Brothers Racing.

Wakefield was drafted in at the last minute to replace Greg Crick and

despite a promising start, the race did not go as planned.

Ambrose qualified the AU Falcon on pole position, but the pair retired 42 laps into the race with engine issues.

Wakefield drove in Supercars sporadically for Paul Morris Motorsport, Team Dynamic and Mike Imrie Motorsport until 2003, but continuing to race in Super2 until 2007.

More recently, in 2013 and 2014, Wakefield returned to motorsport to race in the popular V8 Utes, in which he scored a notable victory in Adelaide.

Dan McCarthy

PAYNE FELT COMFORTABLE IN SUPERCARS TEST GROVE RACING Junior, New Zealander Matthew Payne completed his maiden Supercars test at Winton Motor Raceway last week, and explained that he felt quite natural behind the wheel.

Driving a Kelly Grove Racing Nissan Altima Super2 machine at the country Victorian venue, the 18-year completed a total of 80 laps.

Payne, the hot favourite to replace Andre Heimgartner at the Braeside operation, was greeted by perfect conditions at Winton.

Throughout the day Payne was mentored by current Kelly Grove Racing driver David Reynolds and team-coowner and former Super2 Series driver Brenton Grove.

“I just drove a Supercar for the first time and it’s pretty cool,” said Payne.

“Obviously, there’s a bit going on inside of the car, it’s very entertaining and pretty difficult to tame but I loved it.

“It’s a bit different to the Porsche, you don’t have to take your hands off the wheel in the Cup Car, but it all seems to have come naturally and I’ve really enjoyed it.

“It was great to not only drive the car, but work with the team.

14 AutoAction

“They’re an awesome bunch of guys passionate about their job and I can tell already they want success.

“Getting to tour the factory was a cool opportunity and to see the facilities firsthand was awesome.

“I think we’re starting to work really well with each other and we’re building a good base.”

Payne currently sits sixth in his maiden Carrera Cup Australia season.

“From now, my focus is on finishing Carrera Cup as best as I can. We’ll see where the next rounds are and get prepared to push as hard as we can.”

Payne is the inaugural member of the Grove Junior Team, and his evaluation test is part of the New Zealander’s role in the junior squad.

“Matt has fitted in well with the team so far and his ability to pick up the car has been quite impressive,” said Grove.

“It’s really nothing we didn’t expect, hence why he’s in the Grove Junior Team program.

“The way he has been able to fit in with the team, make the most of every run and improve quite significantly is really encouraging for the future.”

Dan McCarthy

THE FURTHER revised Super2 and Super3 Series calendar has been revealed with a round at Sydney Motorsport Park before the planned visit to Bathurst.

Both of the Supercars feeder categories had been confirmed for the Bathurst 1000 and now the Super2 and Super3 Series’ have locked in the penultimate round at Sydney Motorsport Park.

It was announced last week that the Supercars Championship would run four rounds at Sydney Motorsport Park before heading west and concluding the season at with a six-day Bathurst 1000.

The Super2 and 3 Series round at SMP will be the final Sydney SuperNight event from November 19-21. It will be a quick turnaround as just nine days later Super2 and Super3 will travel west to the Mount Panorama Circuit at Bathurst.

Supercars Chief Operating Officer Shane Howard thanked all Super2 and Super3 teams and drivers for there efforts in what was another COVID-19 disrupted season.

“As was the case in 2020, drivers and teams have had a season filled with disruption caused by COVID-19 and we thank them all for persevering through these challenges,” Howard said.

“Over the opening three rounds of 2021, this combined category has delivered memorable door-to-door racing and unearthed some genuine stars of the future.

“We will now begin planning on formats and scheduling for these events and look forward to crowning new Champions at Mount Panorama in December.”

Motorsport Australia Director of Motorsport & Commercial Operations Michael Smith confirmed that, as five (of six scheduled) rounds will have occurred when the season concludes, he will have no issue crowning a series winner is both classes.

“For both 2020 and 2021, we’ve all had to be flexible and adaptable in our approach to every single Championship and Series and in this case, we are very comfortable in awarding both a Super2 and Super3 Series winner in 2021,” Smith said.

“Full credit must go to the team at Supercars as well as the competitors and teams for committing to make this season happen. Of course, none of it would be possible without the dedicated volunteer Officials who will play a key role in delivering events for the remainder of this year.”

Currently, future Triple Eight Race Engineering Supercars Championship driver Broc Feeney leads the Super2 standings – he has a 51-point Series lead over Tickford’s Zak Best.

Dan McCarthy REMAINING SUPER2 AND SUPER3 CALENDAR - SYDNEY SUPERSPRINT, 19-21 November - BATHURST 1000, 30 November-5 December

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WINTON TO HOST PORSCHE FESTIVAL IN 2022 WINTON MOTOR Raceway will host a brand-new three-day Porsche Festival in January next year, titled ‘Stutt’Fest’.

The Victorian venue will welcome Porsche’s of all eras and varieties from January 14-16, in a weekend of on-track competition and off-track entertainment.

Stutt’Fest is named after the German founding city of Porsche, Stuttgart, and has been created by long-time Porsche enthusiasts and competitors Sven Burchartz and Steve Kepper.

A long-term partnership with the Benalla Auto Club will see the Winton Motor Raceway team manage the on-track component of the event.

Event founder Buchartz explained the origins and philosophy behind the event.

“This started as bit of a lockdown dream but as is always the case, has spiralled into something much bigger,” Burchartz said.

“What began as a concept to get some people together, hire the track and have some fun turned into something much more substantial.

“Winton are on board to run the motorsport side of things on track, and we couldn’t think of a better place to run it.

“The facilities are perfect for what we want to achieve and the local region in the north of Victoria is crying out for an event like this that can attract people from Australia-wide.

Competitive categories will include two grids of GT3 Cup cars, one for pre-991 generation cars and one for the more recent models including those featuring in Porsche Sprint Challenge Australia and Porsche Carrera Cup competition.

Furthermore, the event will run a Porsche 944 Challenge, IROC Challenge, a category for Classic/Historic Porsches and an open Sports Car category.

Benalla Auto Club CEO Chris Lewis-Williams was looking forward to turning Buchartz’s concept into reality.

“Winton Motor Raceway can’t wait to host Stutt’Fest 2022 in January next year,” Lewis-Williams said.

“We can’t think of a better way to dust ourselves off from the endless cycle of lockdowns and Covid stress by putting on a three-day festival for all things Porsche.

“With the Northeast Victoria food, wine, craft beer and experiences all around Winton, we can see Stutt’Fest becoming an annual must do event for all Porsche enthusiasts.”

A Porsche ‘Show n’ Shine’/concours competition and off-track entertainment will complement the racing.

Proceeds from the event will be donated to a local mental health charity.

Stutt’Fest is not officially sponsored by Porsche Cars Australia. Josh Nevett

16 AutoAction

WILLIAMS SET FOR F2 TESTING AUSTRALIAN FIA FORMULA 3 driver Calan Williams has revealed he is preparing for Formula 2 Championship testing in December, after finishing the F3 season in 19th position.

The West Australian scored 15 points for Jenzer Motorsport throughout the 2021 season, including a podium finish with third at Circuit Paul Ricard in June.

Williams’ sights are Motorsport Images now set on the F2 testing opportunity, which is set to take place in Abu Dhabi at the end of the year.

“At the moment our focus is on getting prepared for some Formula 2 testing in Abu Dhabi in December,” Williams told Auto Action.

“That’s the next step, so all my preparation is for that.”

Williams was asked if he would be looking to secure a drive for next season but gave little away.

“It is just one step at a time, so we are just locked into the testing at the moment.”

Despite results falling away towards the back end of the F3 season, Williams was satisfied with the personal development he had experienced behind the scenes.

“We had some great race pace throughout the year, and I think my improvement in race pace is down to not only my development as a race driver, but also the extra steps I’ve taken with my physical and mental fitness,” Williams said.

“I think all the work I’ve been doing with Formula Medicine this year has massively increased my endurance.

“Throughout a 40-minute race, coming to the end of the race I still feel like I could do another 30 laps, that’s definitely a good thing.

“I think that’s really helped with being consistent in the races and fighting as hard as I possibly can, all the way to the end.

“It was frustrating not have the best qualifying results, but I still think the way that I handled that and fought through the races was really positive and really strong.

“The race pace throughout the race from start to end was always really strong, so that’s definitely a huge positive to show that that we have some mega race pace.”

Williams indicated that reasons outside his control impacted on his scoreless results in the final rounds of the season.

“It’s tough to point at one thing in particular. Sometimes the cards fall your way and sometimes they don’t,” Williams reflected.

“It’s a combination of a lot of things that are mostly out of my control.

“You can’t let things out of your control effect what is in your control so it’s about maximising everything that you can do and things you can’t control, you just have to accept.

“I think everyone’s improved as they have learned more about the car, this was only the cars third season with this series coming out in 2019.”

Williams managed to outperform both his teammates, Johnathan Hoggard and Filip Ugran over the course of the season.

Dan McCarthy and Josh Nevett

Vale Bruce Hodgson Bruce Hodgson, ‘Hoddo’, one of Australia’s top long distance rally drivers passed away in Warwick hospital on September 30, age 89.

His quirky sense of humour and good nature made him popular amongst the rally fraternity and his loyalty to the Ford marque was rewarded with many factory drives.

Hodgson’s rally career started in a Ford Escort sponsored by De Bortolis Wines. Bruce was a personal friend of the wine company’s founder Deen De Bortoli, both men living in Griffith in NSW. Bruce and co driver Doug Rutherford finished sixth in the 1968 London to Sydney marathon in a Ford Falcon, helping the Ford Australia Falcon team win the teams’ prize. In 1971 he took a Ford Escort to New Zealand and won the International Heatway Rally with co driver Mike Mitchell. They were the first non Kiwis to win the event.

Hodgson was the only driver

Revved Photography

Historic Sandown Is On! to drive the fabled Ford Falcon GTHO Phase Four (of which only four were ever built) in competition, contesting the Alpine Rally in 1973.

In later years Bruce Hodgson suffered a number of debilitating illnesses andn diastrous house fire where he lost everything he owned.

But despite leading an uncomfortable life, he retained his wicked sense of humour until the end. A tough, likeable man who will be sorely missed by his many friends in the rally world.

Bob Watson

It’s all still full-speed-ahead for historic racing’s favourite, classic annual meeting on November 5-7.

The VHRR have races for Group J, K, L & invited Sa, Formula Ford, M & O Sports and Racing & Formula Vee, P Q & R Racing & Q & R sports to 2000 cc, Formula 5000, Group C & A Touring cars, Group Sa, Sb & Sc Historic Touring Cars, MG & Invited British Cars, HQ Holden, and Regularity.

“We should have over 200 cars by the time entries close. We are desperate to run the event for those who support us – competitors. So they should enter if they can being confident it will be on,” VHRR President, Ian Tate told Auto Action.

All being well, Victoria’s planned escape from lockdown is on or about October 26. “As previously advised, the meeting will have no spectators. That administrative challenge is vast, insurmountable.”

All the usual Covid caveats apply, and all attendees – driver and crew – will require proof of being fully double-vaxxed as a condition of entry.

Mark Bisset

PRAGA TO RACE GROUP2A FRESH OFF the announcement that Praga will be distributing its highly successful R1 race car down under, Australia/New Zealand director Rick Campbell has revealed more details about the machine’s category eligibility and local demand.

Now that the ANZ branch of Praga’s global network has been confirmed, the manufacturer aims to have its car entered in Australian racing by early 2022.

Campbell hasMcElrea said thathas the finished R1 will initially KIWI HUNTER third infitthe into Motorsport Australia Group 2A category, Indy Pro 2000 Championship after a title race comprising of ‘Sports Cars,round. open and closed’. that went down to the final “At this stage we’re looking the Motorsport The Gold Coast local had hisatbest round of Australia 2A category,” Campbell AA. the season recently at New Jerseytold Motorsports “Hopefully, we’re hearing some noises that Park, taking a victory in Race 3 after a pair of there may eventually be a new prototype second place finishes, but ultimately could not categorythis thatform will include LMP-type cars, replicate in the finale. obviously the Radicals, andPragas.

McElrea finished seventh and sixth at “But that’s a bit of ahis To spot Be Advised, morePetrov just Mid-Ohio, protecting from Artem noises we heard at this stage. while watching Christian Rasmussen coast to Astitle it stands at the moment the 2A category is the in his rookie year. where we’d sit.”

After eclipsing the field in Race 1, Rasmussen Theneeded Praga R1 has performed welltoinadd its initial only to start the final race a Indy stints in the UK, USA, and Europe, recording Pro 2000 championship to the USF2000 title he overin302020. wins and podiums as well as winning won the 2020 Endurance Championship.

RefusingBritcar to back off the throttle, the The design features a lightweight (643kg), 21-year-old Dane completed his season in style composite monocoque powered by a 272kW with a podium finish for the Jay Howard Driver four-cylinder engine.

Development team.

Campbell believed demand for the Rasmussen finishedthat 38 points clear of R1 would come from both competitive racing American Braden Eves in the standings, who outfits amateur was 29 and points aheadenthusiasts. of McElrea.

“We have an expectation and a hope and a

th Luke West iith wit

drive and desire that this will not only become involved in competitions, but we also see a bigger market in terms of a track day warrior,” Campbell said.

“As long as people can get on track, we believe that the car will generate a significant amount of interest and take off from there.”

The Praga R1 is set to be offered for $400,000 on Australian shores and has generated strong interest beyond its initial two-car distribution.

“We would, based on ourrace projections, McElrea recorded three victories expect over the that we can sell initially somewhere in the course of the 2021 season, while also recording vicinity offour eightpodium to 10 cars,” Campbell predicted. a further finishes.

“We are on the verge of signing an officiallate The possibility of a title charge emerged distribution agreement through a very in the season as the 21-year-old graced the significant player the Australian auto podium five timescurrently in a row,inbookended by wins market to represent us in different states as at Mid-Ohio and New Jersey. well.

Those hopes faded, however, when he “A massive around is people’s qualified 10thcaveat for Race 1 at that Mid-Ohio. access to the track because this is ahard trackcharger only McElrea showed spirit to earn the car, not like a Porsche GT3 RS or something and fastest lap awards but was effectively out that you canheading track and road.” of the race in to Race 2 after finishing As for the future, Campbell suggested that seventh.

Praga may look to expand their Third place is an improvementproduct for the range New if their on-track success continues.

Zealander, who was fifth in his first Indy Pro “Discussions have already beenRacing. had,” 2000 season, in 2020, for Pabst Campbell said.

Prior to that, McElrea produced a strong “This is obviously their flagshipsecond product, so first season in the US finishing in the IUSF2000 would surmise it’s a case of walk before you Championship, after graduating from run. the Australian Formula Ford Series with top “Once that’s happened, we’ll be looking to honours in 2018. extend with additional products which will be Josh Nevett very much focused on the race car models they offer.” Josh Nevett

MCELREA THIRD IN INDY PRO 2000

COUNCIL COMMITTED TO PAKENHAM TRACK PROJECT THE PROSPECT of a new FIA grade circuit in suburban Melbourne remains alive, as Cardinia Shire Council prepares to welcome expressions of interest in the Cardinia Motorsports Education and Recreation Park project.

The proposal suffered a significant setback earlier in the year when circuit developers Podium 1 pulled out of the undertaking, withdrawing their $200 million funding.

However, Cardinia Shire Mayor Cr Brett Owen has confirmed that the Council is planning to undertake a tender process shortly with the hope of reigniting the popular project.

“Council remains committed to facilitating the development of the Cardinia Motorsports Education and Recreation Park,” Owen said.

“Council is planning to undertake a tender process to determine the level of interest in the project to guide and inform the future decisions of Council.

Permits were approved in August 2020 for Stage 1 of the project, which included a 3.6km track with FIA Grade 2 approval.

The proposed circuit had the flexibility of multiple layouts, with the ability to host categories from karting through to the Supercars Championship.

Further, the development featured world class off-track facilities including pit buildings with 33 garages, a viewing deck and hospitality facilities.

Mayor Owen was bullish about the future of Cardinia Motorsports Education and Recreation Park.

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“We know how excited the Cardinia Shire and broader motorsport community is for this project to get up and running,” Owen added.

“We’re working hard behind the scenes to ensure we find the right partner to deliver this world-class motor sport precinct in our area.

“The land has the necessary planning permissions, so we’ll be commencing a tender process shortly to get this project revving for motorsport fans right around the state.”

Previously in 2019, Owen told Auto Action that the Council was not in the business of delaying progress.

“Once the approval is given, the council is really keen for this to progress, we don’t want it just sitting there,” Owen said.

“We want them to start very quickly and finish very quickly.”

Planning suggested that the circuit could host between five and ten motorsport events each year and facilitate up to 60,000 people around the venue. Josh Nevett

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AA’s columnist IS considers the importance of AA’S COLUMNIST FRUSTRATED THAT events at Le Mans SUPERCARS’ SMP QUARTET LACKS VARIETY LAST WEEKEND’S 24 Hours of by Le Supercars’ Mans won’t go down as ANYONE ELSE totally underwhelmed same-old, the one offormats the classics, yetconsecutive it was a hugely same-old for the four Sydneysignificant Motorsport event Park nonetheless. weekends? What a letdown of an announcement last week!

The 89th running of the 24 Heures du Mans marked the start That quartet of upcoming Eastern Creek events – the first three of a new era for the French classic – the Hypercar age. There weekends featuring nine consecutive 125km sprints – are going to was also a game-changing announcement regarding the cars all blend together.

Talkthe about missed opportunity which will contest GT aclasses from 2024.to mix things up, garner attention and entertain.

In the very least, the fourth weekend for These were developments with substantial ramifications should have been a traditional two-driver, 500km enduro leading motor sport’s premier divisions and races globally, with into a rub-off effect forsoAustralia.

Letbuilds me explain…

Bathurst momentum to the season-finale. Instead, all but The firstdedicated Hypercar-flavoured Le of Mans somewhat the most of fans are at risk losingwas interest with such a underwhelming the track with its fourth lacklustre series ofon events planned.

So Toyota much forscoring Sean Seamer’s prior consecutive win at Le Sarthe, against some pretty flimsy proclamation that “we need to differentiate these events and put on a opposition in the new top division. really good show.”

Toyota’s GR010 Hybrids finished 1-2, leading home a This decision shows thatAlpine the team owners Commission areall‘grandfathered’ LMP1 entry andon thetheonly other two the category’s realthe powerbrokers and need new Hypercars, Glickenhaus 007s.saving from themselves.

ItGood makeson Seamer’s leadership appear weak.

Supercars’ change of the the American minnow for having a crack against ownership can’t come soon enough.

Japanese powerhouse. It will be fascinating to see how the tiny manufacturer fares when other bigbadly gunsthearrive. let me tell The uninspiring formats point to how teams And are hurting you, they’re in numbers. financially duecoming to the pandemic shutdown. I get that teams want to Peugeotspending joins the Hypercar fun in– and 2022, minimise through November thespecialist chances of racing sustaining team ByKolles too. Then Ferrari in 2023. Meantime, Le Mans crash damage – yet that should not come at the expense of the show.

Hypercars will be joined on track by marques competing in It’s obvious now these SMP events are purely an exercise in collecting America’s LMDh class in IMSA. LHDh, an awkward moniker TV rights income withDaytona scant regard to thehas wider consequences. denoting Le Mans hybrid, already attracted Supercars are from blowing a chance to capture the attention of sporting commitments Acura, Audi, BMW and Porsche.

Others will fans when there’ll be precious little other top-level domestic sportatonLe follow, lured by the prospect of competing in IMSA and television. There’s a huge window of opportunity between the NRL/ Mans.

Excitingly willThe operate a AFL seasonsfor andAntipodeans, the start of the Team summerPenske of cricket. first men’s pair Porsche prototypes IMSA andistwo more for in the World cricket test, Australia versusin Afghanistan, scheduled the weekend Endurance Championship. means Penske’sand IndyCar off between SMP’s quartet and This Bathurst.

The A-League NBL stars Will Power and Scott McLaughlin will be well-placed to fill out seasons begin on the same weekend as the final SMP round (19-21 the line-ups at the blue ribbon 12- and 24-hour events.

November), meaning Supercars’ only real rival for sports fans’ eyeball The convergence of sportscar rules globally – previously the for and the three preceding weekends is WBBL. The Ashes until US European scenes have done their own don’t thingbegin – means December. we are entering a golden era. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it Thus,sportscar instead of wooing new big fansthing otherwise struggling to again, racingpotential is the next in world motorsport.

There’s likely to be a significant of up manufacturer money find sporting entertainment, Supercarsdrain will dish a product where away from Formula in the ahead. Surely Mercedes-Benz the commentators bang1 on aboutyears tyre degradation.

This is not the time will be luredracing. to LeHigh Mans andprocessions Daytona. ain’t There’s for ho-hum speed gonnaonly cut itsoin much the credibility to be gained from beating an energy drink company post-COVID world, no matter how excited television commentators in F1, despite the self-importance of Red Bull. get about “pressure motorsport” and “drivers operating at very high F1 snobs should know there was a time, admittedly 50-odd levels.”ago, when sportscar racing and single-seaters shared the years Here’sashow I would have top organised billing motor sport’s dogs.things.

History might just be about to Weekend 1: Run the format as announced – ie three 125km sprint repeat. races on the regular Gardner layout.

It will that just be to have Endurance racing3.9km provides many things aregood important toracing automotive asformat the world heads towards back. Butmanufacturers one event with this is sufficient. hybridisation and125km electrification – reliability and longest range layout, among Weekend 2: Three sprint races on the venue’s them.

Funds currently invested elsewhere willonsoon be diverted the 4.5km Brabham circuit.

Fans want to see racing this layout. to sportscar racing.

Sadly, this is a pipedream as Supercars won’t use SMP’s extension Hopefully Australia will gain a WEC round. The Bend’s January due to the cost of additional TV cameras, operators and cabling.

2020 hosting of the Asian Le Mans Series was surely an Plus teamsof believe that section of trackintentions. is too tough on mechanicals, indication the venue’s ultimate especially adding to costs.

Perhapstransaxles, of more significance locally was the Le Mans Weekend 3: Three 125km sprintthat races on cars the Gardner circuit with organisers’ announcement GT3 will replace GTEat least one reverse race that begins with aGT rolling start. from To minimise machines in thegrid event’s ultra-popular classes 2024.

This followsofthe development GT3could carsbewill be the only the chances early race carnage,that the field spaced further machines used Hell, in IMSA’s GT classes from next year. if GT3 apart than usual. a single-file start could be employed to As appease wasn’t already a juggernaut. teams. If ever there was a circuit that lends itself to hosting reverse Potential new manufacturers will be able to develop cars that grid races, it’s SMP. Yet, while Supercars has dabbled with inverting are eligible to race at Le Mans – and just about everywhere else. grids yonks ago, it’s been a foreign concept out at its most logic venue, Chevrolet is now odds-on to build a GT3-spec Corvette. As Eastern Creek.

I’ve noted before, Ford may even follow suit re its Mustang, with Weekend 4: The traditional two-driver, 500km Bathurst curtain-raising motor sport chief Mark Rushmore making positive noises in that enduro.

It’s an opportunity to switch the focus from tyre strategy to regard. Now stop and consider the implications of an annual Ford vs GM battle Bathurst each February in the 12 Hour? personalities.

Nothingatwould provide a bigger boost than getting Craig What effect have on the Lowndes, themight sport’sthat biggest name, onto1000? the grid.

Luke LukeWest Westisisaalong-time long-timeAuto AutoAction Actioncolumnist columnistand andauthor authorofofThe The Immortals ImmortalsofofAustralian AustralianMotor MotorRacing: Racing:the theLocal LocalHeroes.

Heroes.

AutoAction 17 AutoAction 15

LATEST NEWS

F1 PLANNING SEVEN SPRINT RACES IN 2022 FORMULA 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali revealed that the 2022 calendar is set to feature a record 23 races, but also intends to run a Sprint in a third of these events.

Speaking with Sky Sports, Domenicali explained that the Saturday Sprints which took place in Silverstone and Monza were both incredibly well received and therefore the concept will remain next year.

The Italian has the desire to run the Sprint to determine Sunday’s starting grid in seven or eight races next year.

“We said at the beginning of the year there would be three tests this year to make sure we have the right plan for the future,” Domenicali recalled to Sky Sports.

“The vast majority of the comments we received were super positive.

Promoters are super happy because there is something new and important on Friday and Saturday and Sunday.

“We are receiving this positive feedback therefore we need to know next year we have a great plan where we will also consider the points highlighted by people who did not like this format.

“Generally speaking, it has been an incredible success. I can say we will not go everywhere with the Sprint format.”

At the trialled Sprint rounds the usual three segment knockout qualifying is moved to Friday and determines the

grid for the Sprint on Saturday “It is something we want to keep for one third of the races more or less and to connect with a certain different way of giving rewards and points and to connect with specific circuits that as you know would make the difference,” he said.

As well as this, it is planned that the F1 calendar will further expand to run a record 23 races next year plus the additional Sprints.

“I can anticipate that, for sure, the calendar will be done with 23 races,” Domenicali said.

“Of course, we will be very respectful towards the Covid regulations issued around the world from the different governments. But that is our aim that

F1 can give this sign of hope and to go to normal things to enjoy.”

“The idea is to make sure there is the right rhythm to the calendar. There are of course considerations related to periods to make sure logistically the flow has to be right.

“One thing I can tell you, without revealing too many things is that next year the season will start in the middle of March and will finish in the middle of November.”

The entire 2022 calendar is expected to be revealed later this month, notably containing the planned Miami Street Circuit race which has already been locked in for May 6-8.

DM

INDYCAR ROOKIES GROSJEAN AND JOHNSON PREPARE FOR INDY 500 DEBUT FAMED INDYCAR rookies, Romain Grosjean and Jimmie Johnson will get a jump start on their preparations for next season by taking part in the Indianapolis 500 Rookie Orientation Program this week.

Neither driver took part in this year’s running of the iconic race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway while they got up to speed with the IndyCar Series competition.

Former Formula 1 driver, Grosjean initially opted out of the oval races this year, but a late change saw him take part in the final oval race of the year at Gateway’s World Wide Technology Raceway.

For the Frenchman, he will have the added bonus of being able to get acquainted with his new team for 2022, Andretti Autosport, after completing his debut year in the series with Dale Coyne Racing.

Grosjean has also confirmed that he will take part in all races next year following his switch to the powerhouse American squad which will include him making his Indy 500 debut.

As for the Seven-time NASCAR champion Johnson, he is no stranger to oval-style racing from his 23 years of NASCAR competition where he notched up four Brickyard 400 wins

at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

However, Johnson has only once run an IndyCar at an oval completing a single test at Texas Motor Speedway earlier this year.

The Chip Ganassi Racing driver will use the Indianapolis 500 Rookie Orientation day as an evaluation before making a decision on competing in the 106th running Indianapolis 500.

The Rookie Orientation Program is a prerequisite for all rookie drivers before they can take part in the Indy 500 with the 2022 running of the race scheduled for May 29th.

RV

LATEST NEWS

KIWI LAWSON TO GET F1 TEST ALPHATAURI FORMULA 1 team principal Franz Tost has confirmed that New Zealander Liam Lawson will join the Italian outfit as part of the end-of-season F1 test in Abu Dhabi.

For Lawson, the F1 test with AlphaTauri is part of his F1 Young Driver Test program as a Red Bull junior driver.

This year 19-year-old Kiwi is competing in the FIA Formula 2 Championship as well as the German Touring Car series DTM. In F2 Lawson races for Hitech Grand Prix alongside fellow Red Bull junior Yuri Vips, with Tost confirming both drivers will compete in the test.

“Liam Lawson and Juri Vips will contest the Young Driver Test in Abu Dhabi,” Tost said when speaking to Sport1. “Lawson with us [AlphaTauri].”

The last New Zealander to race in Formula 1 was multiple-time Le Mans 24 Hours winner Brendon Hartley who raced for AlphaTauri when it was known as Toro Rosso.

Although a Kiwi, Lawson spent a

portion of his career in Australia, contesting the now-defunct Australian Formula 4 Championship in 2017.

That year racing for South Australian squad Team BRM Lawson finished as the series runner-up to Nick Rowe before moving overseas.

After finishing as the runner-up in the German F4 Championship Lawson won the Toyota Racing Series in New Zealand, before moving up to the FIA Formula 3 Championship.

As a rookie he finished 11th in 2019, taking three wins and finishing fifth in 2020.

This year he has moved up to the Formula 2 Championship, he sits eighth in the standings after a bad run of luck.

Things are faring better for the Kiwi in DTM, driving a Red Bull backed Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo 2020 Lawson has recorded three wins and a further six podiums, he heads into the final round of the season as the championship leader.

DM

ALPINE LOCK IN WEC HYPERCAR FUTURE ALPINE WILL enter the FIA World Endurance Championship’s Hypercar category from 2024, joining several manufacturers who have committed to the new formula.

The manufacturer intends to commit to the WEC’s Hypercar category for four years, taking them through to the end of the 2027 season.

Alpine has confirmed a two-car entry for the top tier Hypercar category, designed around an Oreca chassis with an Alpine engine developed in Viry-Chatillon, France.

The engine, chassis and body package will benefit from the contribution of Signatech and Alpine Formula 1 experts.

Alpine CEO Laurent Rossi believed the commitment was a signal of intent by his marque.

“The Alpine Endurance program underlines the brand’s dedication and ambition in motorsport,” Rossi said.

“By competing in both Formula 1 and endurance, Alpine will be one of the rare brands to be present in the two key disciplines of motorsport.

“We will make the most of Formula 1 and endurance through technical and technological synergies to gain the advantage over prestigious opponents.”

Alpine have chalked up titles in the European Le Mans Series (ELMS) in 2013 and 2014 and FIA WEC ​​ LMP2 in 2016 and 2019 since returning to endurance racing.

Furthermore, the manufacturer has achieved three victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the LMP2 category in 2016, 2018 and 2019, as well as a podium in the Hypercar

category at Le Mans this year.

Signatech Alpine Team Principal Phillipe Sinault was looking forward to continuing the partnership with Alpine into the LMDh era.

“It is a great pride for Signatech to have been chosen by Alpine for its arrival in LMDh,” Sinault said.

“This represents the culmination of a common project that began eight years ago.

“More than ever, we have great ambitions, and are happy to take our collaboration to another dimension.

“After 32 years of career in motorsport, I can’t wait to challenge the most prestigious manufacturers on the planet, with Alpine, a brand that conveys passion and lives only for victory.”

FIA WEC CEO Frederic Lequien was excited about

the ongoing involvement of Alpine.

“The confirmation of Alpine’s involvement in Hypercar is excellent news that will take our championship far beyond the boundaries of endurance racing,” Lequien said.

“Alpine and Signatech have a glorious history in FIA WEC and, with the technical expertise and knowhow of the entire Alpine team, I am confident that the team will fight for the world crown.

“It is an honour that Alpine continues to accompany us in this exciting new era of our sport.”

Along with partner Signatech, Alpine plan to remain in the WEC until the new LMDh car is rolled out in 2024 but have not confirmed in what capacity.

Alpine currently have a talented list of drivers at its disposal.

Experienced veteran Fernando Alonso and Frenchman Sebastian Ocon currently occupy the F1 seats, sitting 10th and 11th in the championship respectively.

In terms of youth, Oscar Piastri, Guanyu Zhou, Christian Lundgaard, Victor Martins and Caio Collet currently represent the Alpine Academy.

Piastri and Zhou are locked in a title battle in Formula 2, while Lundgaard is placed 11th.

In the Formula 3 Championship, both Martins and Collet finished in the top 10.

Josh Nevett

LATEST NEWS

DJR CONFIRM MCLAUGHLIN TO MISS BATHURST 1000

REIGNING SUPERCARS champion Scott McLaughlin will not race in the 2021 edition of the Bathurst 1000 as Dick Johnson Racing announces its co-drivers for the Great Race.

The legendary Queensland operation has announced that Tony D’Alberto will race in the #11 machine alongside Anton de Pasquale, while as expected Alex Davison will join his brother Will in the #17 Mustang.

Due to the current government restrictions and quarantine requirements for international travellers nationwide due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, three-time Supercars champion Scott McLaughlin will not return for the race.

McLaughlin has been racing in the American open-wheel IndyCar Series where he won the Rookie of the Year

prize for Team Penske.

The 2019 Bathurst 1000 winner is sad to miss the Bathurst 1000 and not to be travelling home to see his family, friends, and supporters.

“It is disappointing to not be able to travel home and take part in the biggest race on the Australian motorsport calendar – it’s something I was looking forward to, but with the prolonged quarantine requirements and Australian COVID-19 restrictions, the timing just hasn’t worked out.

“I was also looking forward to seeing the team, the Supercars supporters, and my family and friends – who I haven’t seen in over 18 months – and putting on a great show at Mount Panorama. Hopefully we can see what 2022 brings.

“I know Alex will do a great job in my

place. I’ll certainly be watching from the US and wish the team the best of luck for the season finale,” said McLaughlin.

Alex Davison was announced as the team’s reserve co-driver back in May and has now been confirmed to take part in the final race of the Supercars’ season in December.

Executive Chairman of Dick Johnson Racing Ryan Story expressed that while the team was disappointed that McLaughlin could not travel from the US for the event, the team’s new lineup is extremely strong.

“We knew from the beginning of the season that Scott’s availability to race with us this year would rest on a number of factors, including the ever-evolving COVID-19 pandemic along with the IndyCar schedule,” Story said.

“Unfortunately, the timing just hasn’t aligned how we’d hoped.

“Alex is a quality driver who has a history with this team, and of course pairing him with his brother makes them a terrific combination for this year’s Great Race.

“He has been spending a lot of time with us here at the workshop, getting to know the cars and the team and learning how we operate.

“Tony has been with the team for a number of years now and has proven himself a fast, reliable and solid codriver. He brings vast experience and will form a great combination with Anton,” said Story.

The 2021 Bathurst 1000 will be a sixday event motorsport extravaganza taking place from November 30 – December 5.

DM

WALLACE MAKES NASCAR HISTORY BUBBA WALLACE has become the second Black driver ever to win a NASCAR Cup Series race in the latest round at Talladega Superspeedway.

The #23 Toyota driver held the lead on lap 118 of 188 before a downpour required cars to retreat to pit lane before NASCAR called the race and declared Wallace the winner.

Wallace is the first Black driver to win a race in NASCAR’s premier series since Hall of Famer Wendell Scott triumphed at Speedway Park in Jacksonville on December 1, 1963.

“Man, I’m just so proud of everyone at 23XI,” Wallace said.

“New team coming in and getting a win late in the season. I know a lot of history was made today, I believe,

which is really cool, but it’s about our guys, about our team, about what was done.

“I appreciate Michael Jordan, I appreciate Denny for believing in me and giving me the opportunity. … It’s pretty fitting that it comes here at Talladega.”

Wallace was emotional when asked about the historic significance of his achievement.

“I never think about those things, and when you say it like that, it obviously brings a lot of emotions, a lot of joy to my family, fans, friends.

“You’ve got to stay true to your path and not let the nonsense get to you and stay strong, stay humble, stay hungry.

“There’ve been plenty of times when I wanted to give up. You surround yourself with the right people,

and moments like this that you appreciate.”

It was the first victory for 23XI Racing, a team that debuted this year with driver Denny Hamlin and Basketball Hall of Famer Michael Jordan as co-owners.

Team Penske drivers Brad

Keselowski and Joey Logano improved their chances of qualifying for the Round of 8 in the Playoffs with second and third-place finishes.

Kurt Busch was fourth, followed by Christopher Bell, Chris Buescher, Hamlin and Kevin Harvick.

Josh Nevett

TWO AUSSIES SELECTED FOR FERRARI DRIVER ACADEMY FINALS

TWO AUSTRALIAN’S have been selected to represent the Asia Pacific and Oceania region at the Ferrari Driver Academy Scouting World Finals in Italy.

After an extensive process, the Ferrari Driver Academy and Motorsport Australia selected Jesse Lacey (Moorabbin, Victoria) and Costa Toparis (Goulburn, New South Wales) as the two drivers who will get the opportunity to head to finals of the young driver program which will take place at the iconic Ferrari facility in Fiorano.

Since debuting as a nine-year-old in 2016, Lacey has enjoyed a stellar career in Karting.

The Victorian boasts an impressive record and has stood on a podium 85 times out of the 115 races he contested during his first four years,

as well as having won multiple races at state, national and international level.

“I feel over the moon to have been selected. Words can’t describe how I feel, but I suppose it hasn’t really sunk it yet,” Lacey said.

“It was a bit of a surprise to be honest. I was obviously confident in myself and I thought I could at least make it to the interview stage, but to be chosen to go to the next stage is amazing.

“I had tears of happiness when I found out because it means I am heading in the right direction and now have the opportunity to prove myself to Ferrari in the Scouting World Finals.

“I’ve done karting in Italy before and I loved it, but this is a totally different experience and I am going to give it

my all. I won’t leave anything on the table.

“I would like to thank Motorsport Australia and Ferrari for this opportunity. I just hope I can do Australia proud and go even further.”

Toparis on the other hand has had a hugely impressive run of form having won 50 races this year alone.

Since 2016, he is often regarded as one of the quickest on track having amassed a number of state titles, as well as enjoying plenty of success on a national and international scale. Toparis believes the extremely competitive Australian drivers have been a force in refining his driving skills.

“I am devastated that I won’t be able to attend but I wish Jesse all the best and believe he can bring it home for team Australia,” Toparis added.

“If motor racing has taught me anything, it’s that after a hard hit, you have to get back up and go again.”

Motorsport Australia Director of Motorsport and Commercial Operations Michael Smith was pleased for both drivers in being selected for the Scouting World Finals.

“A big congratulations must go out to Jesse and Costa for being selected to go represent the Asia Pacific and Oceania region at the FDA Scouting World Finals,” Smith said.

“Jesse and Costa have quite impressive racing records and they obviously presented very well during their interviews, so it’s great they get

this opportunity to showcase their skills against the best young drivers in the world.

“It’s unfortunate Costa decided not to attend the FDA World Finals, but these are difficult times and we understand his position in this particular moment.

“Costa is undoubtedly a hugely talented driver and we’re hopeful he will be selected for next year when the world situation has hopefully improved and the current restrictions will be eased.

“As for Jesse, we wish him all the best for his time in Italy.”

Karting Australia CEO Kelvin O’Reilly echoed Smith’s comments.

“They have both shown plenty of maturity coming through the karting system and we’re delighted for both of them as they now get this oncein-a-lifetime opportunity,” O’Reilly added.

“This is just the start of their journey and even if they’re not successful in winning a position in the academy next year, they can still be content with what they have achieved thus far.

“We couldn’t be prouder that two Australians have done enough to be selected for the Ferrari Driver Academy World Finals, and it just goes to show that Australia has a fantastic development program for young kids aspiring to have motorsport careers.

“Costa is a terrific driver and one with lots of promise and it’s a shame that he was unable to go but I am sure he will grow from this and use it to motivate himself in the future.”

RV

PRO-AM FORMULA INTRODUCED FOR 2022 BATHURST 6 HOUR THE UPCOMING 2022 Bathurst 6 Hour will utilise a driver ranking system, after updates were made to the event regulations.

Drivers entered into the Bathurst 6 Hour will now be allocated a Professional or Amateur categorisation, and only one ‘Pro’ driver will be allowed per entry regardless of whether they are fielding two or three drivers.

Many other global endurance races implement this system, which is designed to ensure the race remains accessible for drivers outside the professional scene.

The categorisation changes are the only substantial update to existing event supplementary regulations, released this week to coincide with entries opening for the 2022 race.

Looking back the winning 2021 entry contained what would now be one ‘Pro’ driver (Shane van Gisbergen) and two ‘Am’ drivers (Shane Smollen and Rob Rubis).

Competitor feedback was influential in the decision to alter regulations.

Driver categorisation will be determined by Event Director Ken Collier, who is a member of the FIA’s Driver Classification committee, Motorsport Australia officials and Bathurst 6 Hour event stewards.

“The rationale behind the addition of the driver categorisation rule is to protect what the Bathurst 6 Hour currently is,” Collier explained.

“The race is designed to be as accessible to as many drivers of all experience levels as possible and we didn’t want to go down a road where factory teams filled with professional drivers begin to dominate the entry list, potentially restricting the chances of others achieving a great result.

“If you look through the last few years of the race there are very few combinations that stand out as potentially having two ‘Pro’ drivers, so it’s not something we see as a massive issue moving forward - it’s just about ensuring that the race retains its accessibility as it is.

“We are 100% focused on keeping this as a race based around ‘Am’

drivers while still allowing for teams to run the superstar, professional drivers that make it so exciting and add lots to the event.”

Competitors will be relieved to hear that the bulk of the 2022 Sporting and Technical regulations are unchanged, allowing them to enter

with previously eligible cars.

More than a dozen 2022 Bathurst 6 Hour entry forms have already been officially lodged, within three days of entries being open.

The event will take place from April 15-17, 2022.

Josh Nevett

with Dan Knutson

AS HAD been widely speculated, the American-owned HAAS outfit will retain both Nikita Mazepin and Mick Schumacher for a second consecutive year and the team’s seventh season in the sport. Secondgeneration racer, Schumacher, is looking forward to another season to develop with the team and sees the new technical regulations for next year as a fresh opportunity. RV

THE TRACK FACTOR LANDO NORRIS cut a devastated figure after losing the lead late in the Russian Grand Prix, finishing seventh as heavy rain scuppered his hopes of a maiden Formula 1 victory. “I could have won the race and I didn’t, I’m never going to be happy like this,” Norris said. “That’s the way it is, that’s the way it went, I made the decisions that I made, and they were obviously wrong at the end of the day.” JN

GEORGE RUSSELL may not be fulfilling his Formula 1 driving potential at Williams Racing currently, but championship leader Max Verstappen believes the Williams car is better than many assume. Commenting on Russell’s performances, Verstappen was measured in his praise. “George for sure he’s a very, very good driver,” Verstappen said. “But when you can do these kinds of things, it also shows that the car isn’t that bad as people think.” JN

AUSSIE DAN Ricciardo was satisfied with fourth in Russia but wants to dig into the data to find out why he could not maintain a consistently competitive pace throughout the race. “There were times when I felt good, but the lap times were still not good, so I want to investigate” Ricciardo said. “Points today are good but with the pace there is still some stuff missing so we will try to figure that out.” JN

DESPITE HIS pre-race comments suggesting optimism around a podium finish, Williams driver George Russell said that P10 was the best possible result post-race. “I don’t think we could have expected much more to be honest. We know the pace of the car. The likes of Mercedes are two seconds a lap faster than us, and everyone else probably a second of a lap faster.” JN

18 AutoAction

THINGS ARE closely matched between both drivers – Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton – and the teams – Red Bull and Mercedes – in the battle for the Drivers’ and Constructors’ world championships. The tracks hosting the seven remaining races, therefore, may play a factor in the final outcome. And then again, maybe not.

“Seven races to go, and it’s all to play for,” Red Bull boss Christian Horner said.

Of those seven tracks remaining on the schedule, which will favour Red Bull and which will favour Mercedes?

“I don’t think there are any circuits that stand out as strongly for Mercedes as Russia and Monza,” Horner said. “But for sure Mercedes will be strong. They won in Turkey

last year, so they’ll be strong there.”

The Turkish Grand Prix is next on the schedule. Hamilton clinched his seventh world championship with a victory in last year’s race in Turkey – round 14 of 17.

“But then we go to Austin where we should be there or thereabouts.”

Horner said, referring to the United States Grand Prix. “In Brazil and Mexico we’ve always been strong.

“We don’t know anything about Qatar. We don’t know anything about Jeddah, and then we go to Abu Dhabi.”

Verstappen won in Abu Dhabi last year.

“You could say it’s 50-50 in what’s left on the table in what favours slightly one team more than the other,” Horner said.

But what Mercedes and Red Bull

cannot control are the wildcard teams, especially McLaren – the team finished one-two in Italy with Aussie Daniel Ricciardo and Lando Norris, and Norris nearly won in Russia.

“I think McLaren has obviously made great progress this year,” Horner said. “At certain circuits they seem to perform well and others are more challenging for them. Lando deserved to win the race in Russia.

But I’m sure there’ll be some circuits between now and the end of the year that they will fare well at.”

Ferrari would need a bit of luck, but the famed Scuderia could sneak in a win this year. But even without a win, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz can grab valuable points from the Red Bull and Mercedes drivers.

NO VELVET GLOVES LEWIS HAMILTON and Max Verstappen finished first and second in the Russian Grand Prix. But with Hamilton starting fourth and Verstappen 20th, they were never in close proximity during the race. Thus there was no chance of them tangling like they did in Britain and Italy.

But with just seven races remaining, and with Hamilton leading Verstappen by a scant two points, further clashes are almost inevitable.

“These two are racing for a drivers’ championship and you can’t expect them to have velvet gloves on,” said Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff.

“That’s why we are going to see harsh moments.”

But Wolff also believes that sometimes it is worth living to fight another day, or in this case another lap.

“Sometimes you just need to bail out,” he said.

That’s exactly what Hamilton did on the opening lap in both the Italian and Emilia Romagna Grands Prix, thus avoiding a collision with Verstappen.

“They pretty much know what they do,” Wolff said. “If both wanted to avoid collisions, we would have less

collisions. If they don’t avoid collisions because they feel it’s right to not bail out or not give room then we will have more.”

Red Bull’s sporting director Christian Horner agrees.

“They’re racers,” Horner said.

“They’re going to race. I doubt Toto has that control over Lewis and we don’t over Max. It’s down to them in their car, racing for the biggest trophy in motor racing. Obviously, we want it to be a really competitive, clean run-in to the end of the season.

“Inevitably when the drivers are starting next to each other so often, and they’re racing at venues that are very, very tight, Max is a no-quarter kind of guy; Lewis has demonstrated that he doesn’t want to give anything either. When you get two racers of that

mentality, you get incidents.”

The easiest way to avoid an incident is for one of the drivers to be far enough ahead up the road. But the two teams have been separated by merely a tenth of a second on average over the season to date.

It could very well be that in one of the final races of this season that an accident between the two drivers, which results in one retiring and the other continuing on to score points, could tip the championship in favour of the latter. That would be unfortunate.

While they will fight fiercely, there is no way either of them would deliberately and maliciously win the title, as was the case with Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill in Adelaide in 1994, and Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost in Japan in 1990.

WHERE COULD IT ALL END?

LEWIS HAMILTON winning 100 world championship Formula 1 races is an amazing achievement.

How many more victories will the British driver get before he finally retires?

He has a Mercedes contract through to the end of 2023. There are seven races remaining this season. In 2022 there should be 23 races, and there might be even more races in 2023.

So Hamilton has at least 53 races remaining in his F1 career, and even more if he continues in 2024. How many of those can he win?

Ross Brawn, F1’s motor sport director, believes Hamilton will rack up another 20 victories because he is still very competitive and motivated.

But who knows what is going to happen? The technical regulations change radically in 2022. Will Mercedes still have a very competitive car next year?

Younger and talented drivers like Lando Norris, 21, and George Russell,

23, will certainly be winning races. In fact, as Hamilton’s Mercedes teammate next year, Russell may win some races by beating him.

Max Verstappen, who just turned 24, is already winning; he has seven victories this year compared to five for Hamilton.

Hamilton, 36. insists that he is up for the challenge.

“Honestly, I’m not scared of that,” Hamilton told Sky Italia. “Looking ahead to next year, the performance of the cars is likely to be closer together.

“The races will be more intense, so driving skills can carry a lot of weight.

And that’s why I want to stay in F1, because it will really be an opportunity to show my skills.

“And I believe my spirit can help the team make progress, because I know what I need from the car and where performance needs to go.

“I hope to be important in this regard and to be part of the growth of Russell, who will be next to me. He is already

very fast, but he will surely learn from me because I have been in F1 for the longest time.

“And I will also be able to learn from him. I have no qualms about learning from someone younger. I have no fear, I just want to win.”

For all his motivation and speed, Hamilton admitted that he has seriously considered retirement at various times during the past four or five years. Had that happened, then the mighty Michael Schumacher would still be the record holder with his astounding 91 victories.

Next in the winner’s record book are: Sebastian Vettel (53), Alain Prost (51), Ayrton Senna (41) and Fernando Alonso (32).

Of course, it is not really possible to compare and contrast drivers from different eras. But Hamilton’s 100 victories in 281 starts – a winning rate of 35.59 per cent – is an astounding achievement.

It will be fascinating to see how many more races he wins.

NEW RACES GALORE

FORMULA 1 will be raking in plenty of cash now that there will be no fewer than four races in the Middle East, plus the new addition of the venue in Miami.

The first F1 race at the Bahrain International Circuit took place on 4 April 2004, making history as the first F1 round to be held in the Middle East, and it was given the award for the “Best Organised Grand Prix” by the FIA. Abu Dhabi joined the schedule in 2008.

Saudi Arabia will host its first ever F1 race this year.

Qatar has long wanted to join the F1 club but, until now, Abu Dhabi and Bahrain have been able to veto that move. But, no longer, as the Losail International Circuit in Qatar will be the latest addition to the 2021 FIA Formula 1 World Championship, from 19 to 21 November, with Ooredoo, the international communications company as the title sponsor. Qatar will join the F1 calendar under a 10-year deal from 2023.

“We are very grateful to The Qatar Motor & Motorcycle Federation (QMMF) and the Qatari Authorities for their enthusiasm and support in hosting a race this season, at short notice,” F1 said in a statement. “We are also very appreciative of their efforts to ensure the race can take place in November at the Losail International Circuit situated just outside the Qatari capital of Doha.

There was a strong will from Qatar to be helpful to F1, and in the course of this process, the vision for a longer partnership was discussed and agreed for 10 years. The step from the gesture to be helpful to F1 in 2021 to a long term strategy was short and simple and the vision for F1 to be the showcase for Qatar after the FIFA World Cup in 2022 was the driving force behind this long term agreement.”

Each of the four Middle East venues will fork over more than 40 million euros (A$64m) for the privilege of hosting a race, the money being split between Formula 1 and the teams.

The inaugural Miami Grand Prix will be staged over the 6-8 May weekend next year.

This marks a major coup for Formula 1’s commercial owners Liberty Media who want F1 to be in “destination cities” as well as a second race in the United States.

Miami has a 10-year contract.

Construction of the Miami International Autodrome within the Hard Rock Stadium campus has continued since the laying of super-smooth racing asphalt was completed.

AutoAction

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Publisher Bruce Williams bruce@autoaction.com.au 0418 349 555 Editorial Director Bruce Williams Deputy Editor

Dan McCarthy

Staff Journalist

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Printed by ive Group Distributed by Ovato Retail Distribution Australia NEIL CROMPTON LIFE IS LIKE A QUALIFYING

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O LETS GNG! RACI

FOUR WEEKS OF SUPERCAR ACTION

LEWIS MAKES HIS TON

LANDO NORRIS HIT FOR SIX

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CLAY RICHARDS TARGETING HIS OWN FUTURE

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THE MAGIC FORMULA THINGS HAVE been magical at McLaren recently.

Aussie Daniel Ricciardo won the Italian Grand Prix. His teammate Lando Norris earned his first ever pole position in Russia and came within just a couple of laps of winning the race. That adds up to the team’s first victory, and pole, since 2012.

But that success is no sleight of hand, but instead the result of years of hard work.

Back in 2012 the F1 team, founded by Kiwi Bruce McLaren in 1966, racked up eight pole positions, seven wins and finished third in the Constructors’ championship.

Then the decline began.

McLaren finished ninth in the 2017 constructors’ championship. That was the year that Norris joined the team as a test driver.

“A few years ago we got to a point when there were so many things to focus on that it was hard to choose what was the best and where to start making progress,” Norris recalled.

“Where should the main focus be?”

Zak Brown was appointed as CEO of McLaren Racing in 2018. Andreas Seidl joined as team principal in January 2019 as the restructuring continued. That included signing Ricciardo to a threeyear contract.

“The whole team is in a much, much better state,” said Norris who now has four podium finishes this season.

“When you start putting the whole puzzle together, the small things are adding up. It is not as if you suddenly have a really fast car or just get lucky.”

“We have not changed our approach,” Norris added, “but there are always little things we change in the background because there’s always room for improvement.

Success has not changed us just because we had a good weekend. We change every weekend because we’re trying to find improvements in every area, and there are always improvements to make.

WHAT’S IN THE NEXT ISSUE, ON SALE OCTOBER 21

“We had the success, we enjoyed it, we celebrated, and returned back to normal: working hard and trying to improve each other.”

The team is sensible enough to know that Mercedes and Red Bull are usually out of reach, and its battle is with Ferrari for third place in the constructors’ championship.

“When we see the lap time gap in average over the course of the season in qualifying and the races to Mercedes and Red Bull, there is still quite a bit missing,” Seidl said. “But the good thing is if I compare to the year before we have nearly halved that gap, and it shows we are heading in the right direction, and that the team is doing a sensational job back home on the development side.

“In Austria or Monza or Russia we actually had a good chance in the race to go to a podium simply down to our own performance. That’s what I like. We need to make the steps, but at the same time we have a realistic picture of where we are overall.”

A real benefit is that Ricciardo and Norris have similar views on how to improve the car.

“Lando and I are on the same page,” Ricciardo said. “We are asking for the same things in the car. We feel the same strengths and weaknesses.

This is giving the team a clear direction on where to go and where to improve, and what to work on and what to focus their energies and attention on.

“It is really important that we are both aligned. Drivers have different styles and it does not always work like this, but what we feel in the car is pretty similar. So that is helping as well with the progress.”

McLaren’s aim is to carry this momentum into next year when the radical changes to the technical regulations kick in.

“One of the things we are most excited about is next year,” Norris said, “and having this platform, having this base, with the team within the new regulations, and going into it like that, which is definitely the strongest we have been for many years.”

Formula 1 – Turkish Grand Prix; the historic Elfin Clisby; Timeline – Tyrrell to Mercedes; all the latest news and views as we approach Supercars lift-off!

with Paul Gover

PG’S PERSPECTIVE

Image: Motorsport Images

Dodgy weather can boost F1, but if it’s regular spectacle you want, IndyCar is hard to beat ...

Bernie Ecclestone was right when he suggested that all grand prix tracks should be fitted with sprinklers.

Water always works for Formula One, adding the unpredictable element that is usually missing from modern Grand Prix racing.

Instead of a predictable ’Noah’s Ark’ line-up with drivers side-by-side in team order, thanks to a category where car speed now easily overpowers driver talent, a splash or a sprinkle or a downpour injects some much-needed uncertainty into a grand prix.

That’s exactly what happened in Russia, as two days of rain triggered one of the best races in recent memory with an epic ending.

The finishing order in Sochi suggests another Lewis Hamilton-Max Verstappen stalemate and snooze fest, but nothing is further from the truth.

Lando Norris first took a stunning pole position for McLaren and then looked, until his youthful enthusiasm over-ruled the older and wiser heads in the pitlane, like a first-time GP winner.

There was plenty of action, up and down the field. There were drivers on the right tyres at the right time, others on wrong tyres at the wrong time, and plenty who were just trying to stay out of the wall.

Amid the mayhem, my favourite move

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came from Fernando Alonso, who is still a racer’s racer who looks for every chance to move forward.

On the pre-race run to the grid, as drivers tried to snatch an extra lap to settle their tyre choice, he ran wide at Turn 2 after apparently out-braking himself. But did he?

My personal Alonso radar went to Defcon 3 and I was watching what the feisty Spaniard would do at the race start.

Sure enough, he deliberately took the ‘wide line’ through Turn 2, flying through the artificial chicane to return to the track.

He was safe from the carnage in the battling pack and moved from sixth on the grid to third. Brilliant …

The excitement at Sochi was great, and unusual for a grand prix, as I switched the Foxtel focus to IndyCar at Long Beach.

This time around there was more uncertainty and excitement as Alex Palou looked to claim his first IndyCar crown while Colton Herta starred at the front.

There was action up and down the field, with Scott McLaughlin looking to claim Rookie of the Year honours while trailing well behind any wheel-towheel contest with Romain Grosjean for the honour.

And that’s the difference between F1 and IndyCar.

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There is always action and uncertainty in IndyCar racing.

It starts with cars which are all-butequal, a driver mix that stirs eager youngsters in with older hard heads, and a format that means tactics and real racing are what produces results.

Nine drivers won an IndyCar race this year, including 40-something veteran Helio Castroneves – dumped by Team Penske – who claimed the biggest prize of all at the Indianapolis 500.

In Formula One, there have been more upset winners than usual – with Esteban Ocon scoring his first and Daniel Ricciardo returning to the top at Monza – but the total is still only five.

In a normal year in F1, the only winners will be driving a Mercedes-AMG or a Red Bull racer. This year is different because of the weather, but also because the cars have become much, much closer during the final year of the current technical regulations.

Just watch them spread out again in 2022 . . .

The IndyCar field might be split on engines, either Chevrolet or Honda, but the cars are all-but identical with a standard Dallara technical package.

Even better, they can bump and survive without shredding carbon fibre and downforce and competitiveness like a modern F1 car. The cars are

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simple and robust, powerful and stripped back on electronics, which makes them hard to drive but tough enough for a calendar that includes Superspeedways and street tracks and road courses.

All the discussion and arguments about ’track limits’ in F1, where there are giant bitumen run-offs at most tracks, is irrelevant in IndyCar. A concrete wall often sets the track limit and the old-school road circuits – apart from spectator-friendly rise-and-fall – have slippery grass on the entry and exit from most corners It was my great mate Wayne Webster who convinced me to spend more time watching IndyCar racing in 2021 and the job got easier – despite the nasty time difference to the USA – thanks to Scott McLaughlin.

He is only an adopted Aussie, like fellow Kiwi Russell Crowe, but Supercars fans wanted to know how he was going. It will be the same in 2022, when Scotty Mac is aiming for race wins and a Top 10 season result.

Now that IndyCar is done for the year, I’ll be back to a regular – and often stodgy – diet of Formula One until the end of the year.

But I cannot wait for the return of IndyCar competition, even if they don’t race in the rain.

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MAN OF MANY (MORE) PARTS Motorsport’s COVID dramas aside, the face of Supercars on TV has had quite a year – a book, a brush with his own mortality, and now a chat with AA’s PAUL GOVER – and it turns out there’s more to Neil Crompton than most motorsport fans would imagine ...

FOR NEIL Crompton, life is like a qualifying lap.

The voice of Supercars is a former racer, a businessman, a husband and father, a loyal friend and one of the most influential people in Australian motorsport.

His phone has the speed-dial numbers for anyone who is anyone in motorsport, from Sean Seamer and Jamie Whincup right up to Roger Penske.

Crompton delights in cramming two tonnes of stuff into a one-tonne bag and getting everything precision perfect.

But 2021 has been one of the toughest years of his life thanks to a cancer scare that knocked him out of the Supercars broadcast team and wondering if he might die.

“It’s a genuinely challenging question to contemplate. It would be arrogant and churlish to say a flat no,” Crompton reveals to Auto Action.

“So, yes, I did think about it. But I didn’t get into a massive flat spiral about that.

“You don’t actually know. It’s not until they get inside you, like a bloke diving into a cylinder head or an engine block, to confirm what you need to know. Then you need to do the oil filter analysis to see if there is anything you missed.

“It all ended up being okay. With the benefit of 20:20 hindsight you can brush it off, but it crosses your mind.”

So, as he begins the preparation work for the Repco Bathurst 1000 and the four-way sweep through Sydney Motorsport Park that will build to the grand final for season 2021, it’s a good time to catch up with Crompton.

There are plenty of things he cannot – or will not – talk about, because he is the ultimate insider. Those topics include the Supercars sale and the change to Gen3 race cars, as he brushes things aside to dive into his personal history.

So, with the health scare in the rear-vision mirror, an autobiography on the shelf, and everything running at full-pace towards the resumption of Supercars racing with Crompton on pole with the commentary team, what gets him up in the morning?

“It’s definitely not a money thing, by any stretch of the imagination,” says Crompton.

“I like the challenge. I like projects. I like to execute them as close to 100 per cent as I can.

“Every day for me is the start of another lap and I want it to be better than the one before. Sometimes you lock-up and stuff up, but sometimes I look at the number and it’s good.”

Crompton is good at inserting a motorsport reference into his chat, something that comes easily and naturally, and his friendships mean he can also drop names – like Roger Penske – without sounding like he is being a big-head.

“Roger talks about having goals, and a template.

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One of Crompton’s earliest touring car gigs was with the Holden Racing Team, under the management of Brit Win Percy at the time.

And making sure there is a bit of risk in your life to make it worthwhile,” Crompton says.

“Look at what he’s achieved. He is a massive pin-up for me. He is up there with the biggest, the best, the most influential people in our motorsport world and motoring in general.

“He’s an Enzo Ferrari or Henry Ford that I can call up and talk to. Those other blokes are a little bit hard to catch . . . ” Surprisingly, Crompton has never spoken to one of his idols, Bernie Ecclestone.

“He is my hero. Just think about what he did. He took a bunch of racing cars and Ford Transit vans, and a loose collection of grubby mechanics, onto a world stage and created a multi-billion-dollar product.

“The way he managed the whole thing, the growth of it, and played the teams. It was five-star brilliance.

“I always wanted to meet Bernie, and Mark (Webber) was going to arrange it. The closest I got was at Spa in 2008, but he was deep in conversation. It never happened … “ So, how does he describe himself?

“I don’t know what I am. There’s a bit of an intersection of weirdness here. It’s quite true. There is always plenty going on.”

For Crompton, “plenty” means an incredible spread of different businesses.

“I’m a commentator and a host, contracted through

my own company to Supercars,” he begins.

“That’s a reasonable chunk of a typical week. The bit you see on the television screen is the result of all the work in the backrooms and it’s the production and the production ideas. It’s a daily engagement.

“It’s not like you bob up at Sandown and then swan away drinking pretty drinks with umbrellas in them. I work very closely on that with Nathan Prendergast at Supercars Television.

“I’m very heavily connected in what we do and how we do it. And it is a contribution, because no one man or woman drives that.”

But that’s just the start.

“I’m the interim chair-person for the Supercars commission, which is effectively technical and sporting regulations board.

“It’s a teams’ representation, effectively, back to the business. Every year there are 8-10 meetings. That group discusses and debates, sometimes vigorously, all sorts of things. There is a democratic process that decides that and what pops out the end.”

But who knew that Crompton, a long-term private pilot, has an ‘aviation division’ in his portfolio?

“He’s an Enzo Ferrari or Henry Ford that I can call up and talk to. Those other blokes are a little bit hard to catch . . . ”

Image: Ross Gibb Full circle. Crompton recently turned some laps at Sandown (top) in one of WAU’s Commodores.

Crompton is as well-known for his behind-the-mike work (above) as Lowndes for his behind the wheel ...

Image: Insyde Media

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“I run a hanger and part-own a charter operation,” he says.

He also leads the organisation that stages the Toyota Gazoo Racing Australia 86 Series, a name that - so typically – he is careful to get precisely correct.

“We have a long-term contract to handle that for Toyota Australia.”

His staff roster is normally five people, with another three full-time contractors, although that can easily grow to nearly 20 people at a major event such as Bathurst.

“The business is broken up into four parts. There is talent service, content production, ambassador roles (he spruiks for Toyota, Hino, Pirtek, Pedders and Mobil1) and events,” he says.

Then there is the family, wife Sarah

and daughters Emma (with his first wife Sally) and Sienna.

Crompton is now 61, something reflected in the growing grey on his head, but he shows no signs of slowing down.

“It’s seven days a week, although sometimes I’ll take one of them off. I’m generally in the office by eight, but the eyes tend to flick open about 5.30 and that’s when the emails start. I typically get home at 7.30 or 8pm.”

He is a very serious and focussed bloke, but there are things that make him smile.

“I like a gag. Serious as the business can be at times, I do see the funny side of what we do. If you take a deep breath and stand back it is crazy “I have a great time. And the industry generally is great. I’m very proud of

the relationships I have with the drivers and the team owners and the industry generally. You value those relationships and you look after them.

“I try to make sure I’m a fair and reasonable person. I like having fun with that group. Bradly Jones makes me smile, the dickhead.”

When one of those contacts, Bruce Stewart at Walkinshaw Andretti United, offered him some track laps at the start of the year he decided it was something he wanted to do.

“My standing answer in recent years has been to say no. I’ve done all that stuff, and I didn’t feel the need.

“But there is a point in time where you won’t get the invite, or be incapable, or both. So it I took the opportunity.”

Running those laps at Sandown during the open test was a double

Above: Neil spent three years, from 1994, as part of Wayne Gardner’s Coke team.

In his role as race driver/TV commentator, you get to know some well-known people on a first-name basis – Peter Brock (left) and Mark Webber (below) ...

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deal for Crompton. It allowed him to recalibrate for commentary, but the CAMS medical test to re-activate his license was how he discovered his prostate cancer.

So, how was the track time?

“Slow. Even though I enjoyed it very much,” says Crompton.

“There is an impatience in that you want to be as close to 100 per cent as possible. But these days, although I can still write those cheques, they are hard to cash.

“I didn’t want to do something wrong, managing the asset. But I didn’t want to look like a prawn head. I was competent in it.

“The bits that matter, the functioning of it, was fine. You wouldn’t want to get too wound-up in the lap time.”

Apart from his driving, how was the car?

“They haven’t changed. They’ve just got a little bit nicer.

“Everything gets a bit better, just as your hair gets longer and your belly gets a bit bigger. It’s not like I stepped out of a tiger month and into a space shuttle.”

Talking about Sandown shifts the focus to his driving career, which began in Touring Car racing through Peter Brock and culminated in professional drives with the Holden Racing Team, Wayne Gardner and Glenn Seton. He did lots and lots of other stuff, including winning a 12-Hour at Bathurst with Gregg Hansford at Bathurst.

“I look back with great pride. When you take the wider view, as you get older, it’s pretty cool,” Crompton says.

“I had some great cars, drove for some great teams, had great

, interviews and For review copies n please contact: further informatio It hasn’t all been about touring cars.

Crompton spent three seasons in Formula Holden with the distinctive Dulux-liveried Ralt.

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“And just to be a part of all that is chemistry make-up. I’m trying to find the “Jim Richards. Best touring car driver. a racing No hesitation. in ry st du bloody cool.” least-flawed geniuses. in t or n motorsp Australia“Both the result of one ht the l finished “I think that, at the peak of his powers, But Crompton never Michael 0Schumacher liggot g in ad le starts, Neiand a as 10 lf st se ur th Ba ed himhe craved, although he s.

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undervalued in Australia.

“Alan Jones is a fantastic story. Jonesy is awesome. This is a bloke who literally climbed out of nowhere and conquered the world at a time when we were so immature as a nation “To get through the slime and brain them all, he’s a big pin-up for me. He was a very, very hard, but fair, racer. He used to say constantly that he was here for a good time, not a long time.

“What was cool about Jonesy is that he fitted the perfect mould of a racing driver. He was fast, he didn’t give a shit if he upset anyone, and then partied like a madman.”

As he gets deeper into his sixties, is Crompton giving any thought to life beyond motorsport and perhaps his retirement?

“Never. Too much to do,” he says.

Even so, given the year he has had, perhaps he has had a think about what he would like on the headstone when he’s gone?

“Not really. But it’s probably something a bit Brock-esque.

“I’m thinking ‘Always look on the bright side of life’,” he finishes.

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Warwick Brown

FLYING HIGH WARWICK BROWN PART TWO

In the conclusion of our latest reminiscence with a racing great, ’70s star Warwick Brown gives MARK FOGARTY the inside story about his transition from F5000 and F1 to aviation IMAGES: Autopics.com.au/John

AH, THE 1970s. Freedom and fun. Never in human history had young people had so much opportunity.

There was almost no constraint.

It was a time when a motel could be called ‘The Pink Poodle’ without irony, much less judgement.

Political correctness wasn’t even a concept.

Life was still risky in the ’70s on every level, but nobody cared. In motor racing, safety became an issue, if reluctantly.

Amid this tumultuous period of change, feisty red-head Warwick Brown emerged as a firebrand in Formula 5000 in Australasia and the USA. It was a loose, desperate and dangerous period.

Brown survived two horrendous crashes before retiring at his peak after just a decade.

Symbolic of his unruly era was that when he raced at the long-defunct Surfers Paradise International Raceway, he and his team stayed and caroused at the Pink Poodle Motel on the Gold Coast. You couldn’t make it up…

Sydney based Brown, 71, rocketed to F5000

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Lemm/Auto Action archives/Warwick Brown Collection/AA Archives

stardom in the early ’70s, won the final Tasman Cup championship in ’75 and contended in American F5000/Can-Am from ’76-79.

He also contested a Formula 1 race in ’76 – an ill-fated attempt in an uncompetitive machine.

Brown effectively retired early in ’79 – almost certainly prematurely after just a decade in racing – but contested the Bathurst 1000 twice before he quit completely.

“I promised myself that if I ever got a shot at F1, I’d only do it if it was in a reasonable car”

He went on to a long and successful career in aviation, flying private jets until 2019.

Following his Tasman Cup success in ’75, Brown committed to racing in the States in F5000 and then the revived Can-Am, which was a full-bodied variation of the V8 single-seaters.

He graduated to the crack Team VDS, owned by Belgian beer baron Count Rudi Van Der Straten.

His efforts in the States earned an invitation to replace injured NZ ace Chris Amon at the dysfunctional Wolf-Williams F1 team for the ’76 USA Grand Prix at Watkins Glen in upstate New York.

It was a debacle Brown admits he should have foreseen.

“Worst decision I ever made,” he lamented. “Having said that, 45 years later, am I glad I did it? Yeah, I am.

I was the ninth Australian ever to run in an F1 race. It’s a pretty rare club.”

Recent Italian GP winner Daniel Ricciardo is just the 14th Australian to start an F1 race.

The Wolf-Williams alliance was incompatible

Left: WB in the Lola T430 Chev ‘Flying Bracket’ at Torana Corner, Sandown in 1977. DNS after boofing the car on the warm up lap.

Right: What have I done!? WB in Harvey Postlethwaite’s Hesketh 308C nee Williams FW05 Ford, Postlethwaite’s only real dog in a stellar design career. US GP 1976.

and unsuccessful, aggravated by a flawed chassis designed by later F1 technical genius Harvey Postlethwaite, complete with rubber suspension.

Brown remembers that he broke his cardinal rule to get his F1 chance.

“I promised myself that if I ever got a shot at F1, I’d only do it if it was in a reasonable car,” he recalled.

“So what happened was that Chris Amon, who’d been a teammate of mine on and off with Talon (in US F5000) for a year or two, got hurt in a road accident – broke a toe – and recommended me to Frank to replace him at Watkins Glen.

“Did I adhere to my original principle? Not in a heartbeat. I said I’d do it, straight away. I thought ‘Oh, I can make up for this’.”

It didn’t go well from the start.

“I’d been to The Glen about two months before and the time that I did in my T332 would have put me right

up the front of the grid for the F1 race,” he said. “So I turn up to drive this bloody Wolf thing.

“It felt gutless compared with the Chevy in my Lola.

It was just an unstable car. Every time I put my foot on the brake it was all over the shop.”

Despite changes, it didn’t get better. He qualified

22nd and finished 14th “It was absolutely terrible,” he said, noting he was way slower than he had been at The Glen a couple of months before in his F5000 Lola T332.

“I would have loved to

AGP, Oran Park 1977. Left to right Goss, Matich A51/3 Holden, Bartlett, Lola T332 Chev, Gethin, Chevron B37 Chev and WB, Lola T430 Chev. Alan Jones has gone – jumped start! Brown won after the one-minute penalty was applied .

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“I just thought they didn’t have a clue what they were doing. They were just guessing and the car was a piece of crap.

I don’t think anybody could have impressed in that car. It was a dog ...” have my Lola instead,” Brown regretted. “As it was, I got them their second-best finish for the year, but I felt miserable. I got into the car and thought ‘I’ll be lucky to live through this because this thing’s trying to kill me’.

“But I gave it my best shot and I ended up finishing with no brakes on the front and only about three gears left. It was just a joke. It was a miserable thing.

I hated it.

“It is a regret. I should’ve stuck to my original principal.”

Enormous talent that he was, Brown’s F1 aspirations were limited. Talks with Walter Wolf and Frank Williams, who split for ’77, were half-hearted.

There was a discussion about contesting the subsequently famous title decider at Fuji in Japan and possibly the ’77 F1 season, but Brown wisely chose to stay with his American deal.

“We had some discussions, but I was in a competitive car in the States and earning good money,” he said. “What was I going to go and drive this shitbox for? Anyway, they weren’t really interested in me and I wasn’t interested in them. I didn’t need it, so that was it.”

He is scathing of the Wolf Williams team: “I just thought they didn’t have a clue what they were doing.

They were just guessing, and the car was a piece of

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crap. I don’t think anybody could have impressed in that car. It was a dog.”

By that time, Brown had established himself as an F5000 star with Team VDS, joining ex-F1 race winner and 1974 Tasman Cup champion Peter Gethin.

He won the ’77 and ’78 Rothmans International Series. Highlights included finally capturing the Australian GP at Oran Park in ’77 Park “which we

perhaps shouldn’t have won” after future F1 world champion Alan Jones jumped the start and was penalised a minute.

“Everyone wants to win their home grand prix,” Brown reflected.

He also swept the ’78 Rothmans series, winning all four races under the management of later leading CART team owner Steve Horne. It was a prelude to

Keeping good company (opposite, top), Mosport dais 1975.

Brown third and Mario Andretti, the victor.

Aussies abroad (left). Brown in the VDS Lola T430 heads Vern Schuppan’s Dan Gurney/All American Racers Lola T332 Chev at Riverside in 1976.

Brown at Watkins Glen (opposite, bottom) during the ‘76 US GP. James Hunt’s McLaren M23 won, WB persevered and brought the Williams home 14th.

Successful again at Oran Park in 1978 (above). WB, Lola T333/2 Chev from John McCormack’s McLaren M23 Leyland.

Below: Aboard the Bay Racing Enterprises Lola T332C in 1976 (W Brown).Below right: WB at left, with Peter Gethin and Alan Jones at Riverside in 1976.

a battle with Jones for the revived Can-Am title that year.

Jones was driving for Carl Haas as Brown took leadership of Team VDS. “They were one of the best teams,” Brown said. “They had lots of good gear and pretty good drivers. The old man (Count Rudi VDS) was funny. Lovely old bloke, very honourable ... used to pay well.”

He admitted Jones was faster over the course of the series, winning more races, but his consistency kept him in contention until the deciding final round at the old Riverside track in southern California.

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It was also the year of Brown’s other big crash when his Lola T333CS – a full-bodied F5000 T332 – suddenly got airborne and flipped on the main straight at Laguna Seca, hit by another car on landing. He was hospitalised, but quickly recovered.”

In those days, if you weren’t having a crash a year, you weren’t trying hard enough,” he said. “That’s how we figured out where the limit was and I definitely had my share of those.”

His Can-Am title battle with Jones was good natured and they remain close friends to this day.

“AJ was a a great driver and a good bloke,” he said.

“We got on like a house on fire. No issues at all.”

He finished second to Jones at the finale and the series, but his relationship with VDS was soured by his team’s decision to give the spare car to guest driver Geoff Lees rather than prioritise Brown’s title tilt.

The resentment persisted through the ’79 Rothmans series back in Australia. Brown finished third in F5000’s final serious appearance Down Under, winning the final race at Oran Park.

He returned to the States, but fell out with Team VDS irrevocably while deciding it was time to retire, just 10 years after he started racing. He came home despite opportunities to continue in America.

Brown was just 30, ultimately deciding that having cheated death twice was a signal.

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“I quit early because I’d experienced two real earth-shattering accidents and I wasn’t really confident that if I had a third one that I’d remain normal,” he said. “One of the tricks in life is to figure out when to stop doing something and I had this feeling that my time had come.”

Looking back four decades later, Brown questions – briefly – his decision.

“I wondered myself whether I stopped too early,” he admitted. “Maybe I could have kept going for a few more years. I had options, but I always thought one of the tricks in life was to know when to stop doing something.

“I thought it was time to do something else in life, which I did.”

While his full-time international career was over, it wasn’t quite the end of Brown’s racing. Having co-driven veteran John French in a Dick Johnson-prepared Falcon XC Hardtop in the Bathurst 1000 in 1978, he returned with racing mate Garry Cooke in Holdens in ’78 and ’79.

He was competitive in each start at Mount Panorama, but failed to finish due to mechanical failures.

Brown understood the frailties of touring cars in those days and maintains that he was never a ‘sedan snob’. The Bathurst enduro was fundamental to his

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Among modern racers, he rates Scott McLaughlin as “an absolute star” and is in awe of Shane van Gisbergen’s versatility.

“He’s good enough to win in anything,” Brown judged. “He’s inspirational.”

Warwick’s post-motorsport career has been in the aviation world – piloting private jets, for clients as well as Medecins sans Frontiers emergency international pick-ups. In 1990, he dropped a familiar face into Adelaide for the AGP ...

early interest in racing.

“Of course it was,” he vouched. “I was a regular spectator when I was a teenager.

“I was never a touring car snob. I respected all those guys. Back then, you had to drive a touring car with a lot of mechanical sympathy. For example, you had to look after the brakes. I could make the brakes run out in five laps and yet you had to make the car last seven hours.

“It was an exercise in restraint. I had great respect for Brock and Johnson and all those guys – and still do for the modern generation of leading Supercars drivers.”

Following his retirement from racing, Brown carved a 40-year career in aviation as a pilot. “I just fell into it,” he shrugs, dismissing the dedication, time and money it took to earn his rating as a commercial jet pilot.

He specialised in private jet flights for celebrities and sports stars in the 1980s and ’90s.

F1 stars Ayrton Senna and Nigel Mansell were regular clients. He formed a lasting friendship with Mansell, a fellow pilot who had his own private jet in Europe at his peak.

Brown hasn’t flown since 2019 and doubts that following the pandemic,

Below: John French and WB, Ford Falcon XC GS500, Bathurst 1978 – DNF after 57 laps.

Right: Symbiotic relationship – WB with long-time friend/ neighbour/sponsor Pat Burke at left, and mentor/mechanic/ engineer, the late, great Peter Molloy in recent times.

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which grounded so many commercial pilots, he will be recalled at his advanced age when demand rebounds.

Alert, physically active and still a great story teller, he reluctantly describes himself as ‘semi-retired’.

“I’ll never retire as such,” he declared. “I’ve always found ways of making money out of things I enjoy.

I’ve just had a great time.”

Brown is a connoisseur of modern motor sport, declaring “I love all forms of racing”.

He is also an afficionado, with an opinion on every racing great from Juan Manuel Fangio to Lewis Hamilton, whom he regards as “the greatest ever”.

Brown rates Aussie F1 star Daniel Ricciardo as the “master overtaker”, but despite his recent Italian GP victory, questions his career course.

All time, he rates Jim Richards – briefly competitive in F5000 – as the best all-rounder.

“The most outstanding guy I ever saw was Jimmy Richards,” he admired. “He could drive

anything. He was an absolute technician, but he was also very adaptable and versatile.”

Among modern racers, he rates Scott McLaughlin as “an absolute star” and is in awe of Shane van Gisbergen’s versatility.

“He’s good enough to win in anything,” Brown judged. “He’s inspirational.”

Happily married to his early love Suzy since 1990, he is an exceptionally insightful student of racing and performance car enthusiast, driving a hotted-up late-model BMW M3.

He is an unabashed fan of S5000 and the revival of the Tasman Cup – modern day versions of F5000’s heydays in the 1970s.

“Fantastic, wonderful!” Brown rejoiced. “I’m so impressed. (V8 open-wheeler revivalist) Chris Lambden deserves a medal. I’m a big supporter.

“I think it has the potential to rebirth open-wheel motor racing in Australia. The cars are exciting and they’re sensible economically, and they have all the attributes of creating close racing.

“It’s down to driver talent and team management.

To me, that’s pure motor racing.”

Brown is especially proud that the winner of the S5000 finale at Sydney Motorsport Park was awarded the Warwick Brown Cup. “Just as long as it wasn’t the Warwick Brown Memorial award,” he quipped.

Looking back to his era, Brown rhetorically pondered who was the best he’d ever raced against in F5000.

Without hesitation, he nominated British sports car ace Brian Redman, who excelled in American F5000 in the mid-’70s against all-star opposition including Mario Andretti.

“Andretti was more flamboyant,” Brown determined.

“When his car was right, he’d just disappear into the distance and Brian would run second.

“When Brian was having a good day, he could win a race, but when he was having a bad day, he’d still run second or third and that’s how you win series.

And he was a great thinker.

“He was an animal in the car, which you had to be to drive those things, yet he was the most mild-mannered, polite gentleman I’ve ever met. I really struggled to equate those two sides.”

Forty-five years later, Warwick Brown hasn’t forgotten a thing. It’s like it all happened yesterday.

His acuity is remarkable, as was his brief time at the top.

Top: S5000 ‘tribute’ render based on the iconic ‘75 Tasman Cup winning Lola T332 livery (Image: S5000/ssMedia).

Centre: Warwick contested The Great Race numerous times, here in The Dipper aboard the Holden Torana A9X he shared with Gary Cooke in 1978, – DNF after 57 laps.

Right: Winning WB – Watkins Glen pitlane in 1978. 5-litre central-seat Can-Am Lola T333CS Chev.

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FORD’S ONE HIT WONDER

Bo Seton dives into The Dipper and, below, after a long day in the office (left), Midge Bosworth on right.

Harry Firth’s 1965 Ford Cortina GT 500 was the first Bathurst Special to win The Great Race.

Mark Bisset talks to some of the key people and recalls its birth, triumph, and speedy disappearance.

Images: Autopics.com.au/australianmusclecarsales.com.au Henry Ford II’s 1960s Total Performance ethos ensured Going Ford Is The Going Thing within a decade. In an amazing demonstration of corporate power and focus, FoMoCo won Grands’ Prix, at Le Mans and Indy, on the ‘strips, Trans Am, in the forests and at Bathurst.

By 1965 Melbourne racer/engineer/ mechanic Harry Firth was already established as The Bathurst Whisperer, having won three 500s for Ford on the trot from 1962-4 as driver/preparer. A bigger challenge faced the Blue Oval Boys in 1965.

The nascent Bathurst 500 already formed a key element of car-makers marketing plans. In ’65 there was an outright victor for the first time – until then there were class-winners only – so the first car home kudos took on greater importance.

Design Deliberations British Motor Corporation’s Australian outpost commenced building (215 in 1965) the 1275cc Morris Cooper S at its Zetland, Sydney plant, instantly creating the race favourite.

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The Cortina GT wasn’t going to cut-the-mustard again. Ford’s Cooper S trump was the Lotus Cortina, but there were only a handful in Australia, far less than the 250 required to be sold in Oz to make them Bathurst eligible.

Firth’s Cortina GT500 pitch to Ford Competition Manager, Les Powell, was a two-door body with a smidge more power, a close-ratio gearset, and huge fuel-tanks. The engines had been trialled on Harry’s ’64 Bathurst GT, tested on Ford’s dynos and proven in the ’64 Alpine Trial.

First Bathurst Special honours go to the half-arsed 1963 Holden EH S4. In contrast, the GT500 was the goods, with just enough of everything to win.

Ford Oz ordered 122 two-door CKD (completely knocked down) shells from Dagenham, Firth was contracted to modify and complete 110 cars by August 1965.

Soon six complete cars at a time were delivered from Ford’s Broadmeadows production line to the H & N Firth Motors, 37 Queens Avenue, Auburn workshop between February and July 1965. Harry’s team comprised

his brother Norman, Ian Tate, Frank Lowndes, and Ian Thomas with additional help from Alan Smith (fuel tank fitter) and one of Firth’s bikie mates who modified the carbs.

Modifications and Specifications The standard Cortina GT 122E cast iron 1498cc, five bearing, two-pushrod OHV engines were removed from the cars

and fettled by Tate to produce 98bhp @ 6000rpm, a useful increase over the standard GT’s 78bhp @ 5200rpm.

Torque increased from 91ft/lbs @ 3600rpm to an estimated 125ft/lbs.

The cylinder head face was machined 30 thou, chambers re-profiled and inlet and exhaust ports cleaned up. The single Weber 28/36 DCD twin-choke downdraught carb’s

chokes and jets were increased in size to suit a George Wade 113-grind camshaft. “I recall doing three to four cylinder heads a day, Harry pitched in too,” Ian Tate told Auto Action.

Other changes included stronger valve springs, matched inlet manifold and ports, free-flow front resonator, higher quality main, big end bearings, conrod bolts (locked), lightened/ balanced flywheel assembly, a spacer fitted to the oil-pump relief valve spring increased oil pressure from 30-35psi to 40-45psi, and a modified, smaller machined steel crankshaft pulley to slow the generator and water pump, to prevent cavitation.

Ford’s single-rail gearbox was the slickest-shifter of its era. Firth reviewed Ford/Lotus parts manuals and chose (standard GT in brackets) a set of close ratios; 2.5:1 (3.54), 1.64:1 (2.4) and 1.23:1 (1.41) – the 1:1 top gear and 3.9:1 final drive ratio was standard GT. “Frank Lowndes looked after rebuilding the gearboxes at the rate of two to three a day and did the general mechanical work.”

Chassis changes included suspension lowered by two inches, fitment of firmer coil springs to the front McPherson struts, and firmer leaves to the rear live-axle.

9.5-inch disc/9-inch drums were standard GT issue but used firmer pads and shoes, while the front rotor backing plates were removed. The discs were cooled by beautiful, long ducts from under the nose fabricated by Sydney’s aluminium-artiste, Allan Standfield. They were identical to those produced by John Sheppard and Standfield for Pete Geoghegan’s ’64 ATCC winning Cortina GT, not that Harry publicised that fact…

Standfield also made a supplementary, boot-mounted aluminium sheet fuel tank which increased total capacity to 17 gallons (77 litres). Twin snap-lock competition tank fillers either side of the car aft of the rear window are a quick way to spot a 500.

The completed GT500s were initially returned to Ford on low-loaders but were later driven back on trade-plates to protect the clutches. Harry’s box was a fantastic faux-five-speeder, but the super-tall first gear (good for 45 mph!) was a clutch-rooter. The lumpier cam was partially the culprit, the clutch had to be slipped on major inclines – including car transporters – to get your 500 underway.

Bathurst 500 The ’65 Bathurst classic was run on October 3; 55 starters were split into four, price-based classes, the Top Gun Cooper S and GT500 (priced at £1495 pounds) were in class C and D respectively.

Of 10 GT500s entered, the stronger crews were reigning-champions Bob Jane/George Reynolds, Pete and Leo Geoghegan, Bo Seton/Midge Bosworth, Bruce McPhee/Barry Mulholland, Bob Beasley/Ron Hodgson and future Team Lotus F1 driver Dave

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Walker partnered with Carl Kennedy.

The best prepared GT500 was that raced by RedeX Trial veterans Bill McLachlan and Gelignite Jack Murray. Firth built this car for his own use until Ford objected to him racing his customers and pointed him to a Class A Cortina 220 instead. Firth sold the schmick car to Murray; it was the fastest Cortina down Conrod at 118mph.

BMC were similarly represented; four Coopers and nine Cooper S including one driven by international rally aces Paddy Hopkirk/Timo Makinen. Other fancied exponents were Brian Foley/ Peter Manton, John French/John Harvey, Bob Holden/Greg Cusack and Phil Barnes/Doug Chivas.

“After we’d finished Harry’s car on Saturday night, we did the final tune on Gelignite Jack’s. We helped John Sawyer with a few things on Bob’s (Jane) car too,” Tate recalled.

Warren Weldon’s bellowing Studebaker Lark V8 was quickly into a big lead he relinquished at the first of many pitstops on lap 17.

“I felt a bit weak without a decent breakfast! I had a sandwich and cuppa then jumped back in – Midge was losing 1.5 seconds a lap over my times, and we needed to keep the pressure on.”

Jane then led, with Foley chasing hard, Geoghegan third and Makinen fourth. Pete Geoghegan brought his car in, then Leo went out and came straight back, two laps were lost while John Sheppard changed plugs.

“They were complaining about a fuel problem, but I changed the plugs and it then went like a dream,” Sheppard recalled to AA. Then, within two minutes, the Jane and Beasley GT500s broke rod bolts. Bo Seton and Midge Bosworth Cortina took the lead

Future Lotus F1 driver David Walker’s GT500 shared with Carl Kennedy, 40th in a troubled run

Bob Jane (middle) and Harry Firth during their victorious ‘63 Bathurst weekend - Cortina GT. Harry used all his race and rally knowledge with the Cortina to build the almost perfect mousetrap.

Bob Jane’s works GT500 exiting Hell Corner en route to a broken rod-bolt after 58 laps.

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– pursued hard by the brothers Geoghegan. They won without raising their bonnet or changing tyres.

“Harry told Bob and others, to use second gear out of The Cutting. It bogged down a bit, so Bob took no notice and used first. The car jumped out of the corner better, but the big-revs broke a rod and ventilated the block.” The Hodgson/Beasley car suffered a similar fate, albeit the rod popped through the sump rather than the block…

That big tank required only one fill; the victors completed 130 laps in seven hours 16 minutes 45 seconds – knocking 25 minutes off the winning GT’s ’64 time.

Bo Seton spoke fondly about that long ago win to Auto Action, “It was

a really good little jigger for the day, Ford’s first Supercar of course. Fairfield Motors gave us a GT the year before – we were second in that. In ’65 our new GT500 was never below sixth place all day. I was hanging onto Pete when Ken Lindsay’s Cooper S understeered off at Forrest’s Elbow, then bounced back onto the track off the fence. He hit my door. Luckily, the damage was superficial, but we had to use the passenger side door for the rest of the day.

“I got out mid-race, I felt a bit weak without a decent breakfast! I had a sandwich and cuppa then jumped back in – Midge was losing 1.5-seconds a lap over my times, and we needed to keep the pressure on.”

The McPhee/Mulholland GT 500 was second, with the Geoghegans

GT500 key elements; two-door body, modded 1.5-litre GT engine, disc air-scoops and twin-tanks. Superbly restored car available via Rod Kearns see www.australianmusclecars.com.au for more info.

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third, a place they relinquished when their appeal against disqualification for refuelling with the engine running was rejected.

“The CAMS observer asked Pete to turn the engine off, but he didn’t.

Questioned at the Stewards hearing after the race, Pete said, ‘He didn’t t-t-t-tell me when to t-t-t-t-turn it off!’, a response that didn’t do the trick,” Sheppo said with a chuckle.

Two of the fastest blokes out there, Brian Foley and Peter Manton (winners of Class C) placed third with the Lindsay Little/Stan Pomroy Cooper S fourth. Both Coopers were a lap adrift.

The quickest Minis were faster down Conrod – and nearly a second a lap quicker – than the best GT500s, Foley’s 3:13.7 was the fastest lap.

Seven of the 10 GT500s, and nine of the 13 Coopers finished, Ford’s winning advantage was its fuel tanks which ensured fewer stops than the Minis.

In a great day for Ford, almost a clean sweep, the Firth/John Raeburn Cortina 220 won Class A and Max Volkers/Glyn Scott Cortina 240 Class B. Road GT500s Post Bathurst there were grumblings within the sport about “so-called stock standard production sedans” – nothing subsequently changed – but Ford insisted the cars were built in accordance with the rules.

Some marque enthusiasts debate the number of GT500s built, but the factory number is 110.

H & N Firth Motors built “another 85 for private owners in varying states of tune,” – that is, they modified cars to the owners’ specific requirements, not necessarily as they modified them for Ford. In addition, with an influx of interest post-Bathurst, Ford dealers also modified cars to a customer’s requirements.

GT500 owner, Norm Smith recalls, “I tried to buy a new GT500 in mid-1966 but couldn’t order one. I considered a new Lotus Cortina but changed tack when the dealer quoted price increased from £1600-1800. Then I found a demo ’65 GT500 with 3,000 miles on the clock at Metropolitan Motors, Brisbane.

I bought it; in fact, I still own it after all these years!”

“Over the years I’ve seen many of the cars and met previous owners, but I’ve never seen or heard of a GT500 other than early build cars.”

Apart from the tricky clutch on steep one-in-five hills, the 500 was a long-legged, country tourer. A Wheels October 1965 road-test described “Ford’s Fantastic 500” as a “little rough around the edges, awkward to drive in traffic, and it oversteers in the wet, but it goes like a blur and will demolish cars costing three times as much.”

“It was, and still is a fantastic car, I

Gidday mate! is the mutual look. The Firth prepped Murray/ McLachlan GT500 on The Mountain (118mph down Conrod) and Cooper S.

drove it day to day in Sydney when it was new without a problem at all. The close ratio ‘box is great to use, I fitted my Lotus Elan Plus 2 with the same gearset.

“Perfect world additional changes to Harry’s design would have been stronger Ford 125E conrods, lightweight Lotus Cortina wheels instead of Ford’s horrible four-inch spindly things, and a decent clutch – diaphragm, rather than springs,” said Smith.

1966 Beckons GT500s competed in Series Production racing for years but were persona-non-grata at Bathurst in 1966; 250 examples of a model had to be registered to be eligible to race that year.

Firth did of course have plans for a 1966 model. “Harry told me at Calder in 2006 that he built a prototype GT500 Mk2 fitted with twin-Webers for 1966 Bathurst evaluation purposes.

When the idea was canned by Ford, because of required production numbers, he rallied it instead,” Cooper historian Stephen Dalton recalled.

1.5-litre pushrod Fords then gave an easy 120bhp fitted with twin-40DCOE Webers and Cosworth parts, the car would have been quite a weapon.

But Ford had bigger fish-to-fry. Harry was enmeshed with product planners developing a 289cid Falcon V8 for Victoria Police which morphed into the rather handy XR Falcon GT. So, in ’66 Firth raced a Cooper S shared with Ern Abbott to sixth place in BMC’s Cooper S first to ninth place Bathurst rout, an unbeaten record a half-century later.

Pub Ammo THE FIRST batch of 122 UK pressed CKD cars were heavy jiggers built for wet climates using heavier gauge metal than Oz built Cortinas. With left, and right-hand drive bulkhead tags, these are referred to as ‘Canadian-bodies’ according to marque enthusiast Peter Walker.

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Quickest Mountain Mini driven by the two Oz Brick-Aces of the day, Brian Foley and Peter Manton. Murray/McLachlan GT500 behind.

GT500S HAD the #122E (two door GT) number stamped into the drivers-side McPherson strut tower, together with the engine number, which is also cast/etched into the block near the right engine mount. The Ford ID Plate, complete with 27134 type number, is located on the top of the driver’s side inner guard panel. The body number is stamped on the bonnet closure panel.

BUYERS HAD a choice of six exterior colours, including four metallics, and two interior trims.

GEORGE WADE was one of many Repco Research graduates who impacted Oz racing so much.

Wade’s 113 cam-grind was a popular hot-Holden and Zephyr fitment well before they went under GT500 bonnets.

FOMOCO’S GT500 Parts List has 56 items which differentiate its specifications from standard GTs. ‘THOSE’ CLUTCHES, using a Rootes Group pressure plate, were built by BGT Brake and Clutch, close by to Harry in Auburn.

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GT500S COULD be a bit puffy on start-up; two valve springs didn’t leave space for valve-stem seals so a bit of oil escaped into the combustion chambers.

H & N FIRTH Motors GT500 project fee was £110 per car, including a £10 design fee.

FORD’S KENT family of pushrod OHV engines (built in Dagenham, Essex – go figure) reigned supreme for 44 years from the ’59 Anglia to ’02 Fiesta. Apart from roadies, Kents provided the basis for some incredibly successful race engines; Formula Ford, Lotus-Ford twin-cam, Ford Cosworth FVA F2, and the Cosworth BDA family of engines powered thousands of drivers to thousands of race wins – they still are!

“WE HAVE 40 GT500s on the register and I know of a few more, a pretty good survival rate after a half-century,” observes Randall Langdon, Registrar.

“Quite a few of the original 110 were lost in battle, some were converted

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to Lotus Cortinas, the ravages of time and road accidents probably account for the rest.”

THE FORD Cortina GT500 came, saw, and conquered. It was the most efficient Australian race program ever, so successful that Bathurst eligibility rules were changed to effectively to ban it. Not that it would be the last Bathurst homologation special – far from it…

Postscript: GT500 owners should get in touch with Peter Walker about proposed annual Bathurst gatherings – email him on cortinagt500club@gmail.com The Ford GT500 Registrar contact is Randall Langdon, get in touch if you have an original or replica on west235@bigpond.net.au Reference credits: GT500 owner/historians Peter Walker, Randall Langdon and Norm Smith, The Nostalgia Forum, Stephen Dalton Collection

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UNDER THE SKIN

THE POSSIBLE FUTURE OF ONE-MAKE PORSCHE RACING

MISSION R

Porsche has revealed the Mission R, a concept machine that the German brand has indicated may well be its future Cup Car as DAN McCARTHY explains PORSCHE HAS revealed an electric powered racing concept vehicle which it believes will drive its automotive racing future.

The Porsche Mission R, as the car is known, is all about innovation, utilising state-of-the-art and futuristic technology, materials and even the design.

The Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen designed machine is the concept one-make Porsche racing make look like in the future.

“Porsche is the brand for people who fulfil their dreams – this is also true in motorsports” said Oliver Blume, Chairman of the Executive Board of Porsche AG. “We experience our innovative strength on the racetrack, demonstrate courage in pursuing new avenues and delight car owners with sporting performance.

“In addition to our involvement in the Formula E World Championship, we are now taking the next big step forward in electric mobility.

“The concept study is our vision of all-electric customer motorsports. The Mission R embodies everything that makes Porsche strong: performance, design and sustainability.”

One-make Porsche competition has been around for over three decades when Deutschland Carrera Cup was first created.

Since then, the German brand has bult over 4,400 Cup cars in Weissach for 30 different one-make Porsche racing categories around the globe including Australia.

The latest version one-make machine, the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (Type 992) made its race debut at the start of this year and was raced in Porsche Supercup.

This latest generation machine will make its debut Downunder next year in the Porsche Carrera Cup Series.

However, the Porsche Mission R looks further into the future of the brand, indicating what an all-electric one-make Porsche Series could look like.

Unlike current Porsche 992 generation 911 machines, the Mission R is all-wheel drive and, in qualifying mode, can deliver up 1088 BHP, which equates to exactly 800kW. A total of 320 kW to the front axle, while 480 kW is delivered to the rear accelerating the car from 0-100 km/h in less than 2.5 seconds and all the way to a top speed of over 300 km/h.

Porsche claim that, on track, the Mission R will achieve the same lap time as the current Porsche

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Supercup machine, thanks to newly designed electric motors and battery cells.

In race trim the car can provide a constant power output of 500 kW (680BHP) at any rpm as de-rating has been eliminated.

Two-time FIA World Endurance champion and two-time Le Mans 24 Hours winner Timo Bernhard believes that the only faster Porsche is the legendary 919 with which he won Le Mans.

“It’s indescribable, the immediate surge of power from the two electric motors is something you simply have to experience for yourself,” said Bernhard.

“The only time I’ve ever experienced such an amazingly powerful boost was in the Le Mans-winning Porsche 919 Hybrid car.”

Like many modern high-performance Supercar or Hypercar, the Mission R also features a Drag Reduction System (DRS), but not just one, but two, one on the nose section and the other on the rear wing as seen in Formula 1.

The cars length is similar to a Porsche 718 Cayman but notably wider and lower than the petrol powered sportscar.

Mission R measures 4,326mm

in length, 1,990mm in width and is 1,190mm in height.

The wheelbase is 2,560 millimetres.

The car has a narrowly shaped cabin which reduces the frontal area of the racing car which contributes to aerodynamic performance and battery life due to its lower air resistance.

The Mission R safety structure is made of carbon fibre composite material combines, as it is light but also safe.

Porsche engineers and designers have named the carbon roof structure the ‘exoskeleton’ as it combines both

the safety cage and roof skin.

The protective structure forms the roof section and is visible from the outside of the car, it provides a framework around six transparent segments made of polycarbonate.

Porsche claim that this improves driver space, meaning that they do not feel cramped or claustrophobic behind the wheel.

The body also includes a removable escape hatch for the driver, which is based on the FIA requirements for racing vehicles used in international competitions.

The Mission R was revealed in Munich, Germany, (top) – you can see the aerodynamic Porsche body shape designed for efficiency.

Above left: the ‘exoskeleton’ is a model of safety. Above: the high-tech and modern dashboard. On the left, just some of the hightech Porsche systems powering the 88kW machine. The futuristic racing cockpit is designed to make the driver feel comfortable (top left). The Porsche is an electric beast designed to be as fast as the current petrol powered Porsche Cup car (far left).

Michael Mauer, the Head of Style at Porsche, explained that many elements of the racing car hint at a possible road going version, with many features that would benefit the on road experience of driving.

“Every Porsche has to be clearly recognisable as a Porsche,” he said.

“Many elements that we envisage in studies find their way later into production cars. This also applies to motorsports.

“Moreover, our customer sports vehicles are always based on production sports cars.

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“What this means in the case of the Mission R is that the car is packed to the gills with signs that hint of a future production model, and that, of course, means: pure racing!”

This can be seen in the car with many features, clearly, that would be useful on the road.

Everything about this car is designed to be as efficient as possible – the same goes for charging.

Charging is an electric car fundamental, the Mission R thanks to 900-volt technology can charge from five percent to 80 percent in just 15 minutes.

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Not only would this be useful on the road with an ultra fast charging time, but it would also be possible for a future one-make Porsche series to host quick-fire back-to-back races with no delay.

It is not just the electric powertrain that is modern, the body of the car itself is designed to reduce the affects of CO2, compared with a normal bodyshell.

The body is largely made of natural fibre reinforced plastic from fibres produced in farming. This material can be found sporadically around the car on the spoiler lip, diffuser and side skirts.

However, a majority of the interior is made from the flax fibres including the seats, interior door panels and the rear bulkhead.

The interior is certainly futuristic – as

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well as a rev counter and speedometer the car also displays relevant race data.

Similar to modern-day trucks, a screen in the middle of the dash displays images from the left and right mirrors as well as a rear-view camera in order to avoid blind spots and potential collisions.

Just to the right of the drivers seat, the driver can select to see his or her biometric data, while the car can also livestream transmissions.

The sim racing world has been steadily getting closer to real life, and this car provides the next big step.

One of the most impressive things is that the car, when stationary, can be used as a racing simulator, as a training tool off the track. Yes, without alteration, the monocoque doubles as an esports simulator ...

The Mission R is the latest Porsche concept following the Mission E (2015) and Mission E Cross Turismo (2018), the Porsche Taycan sports saloon (2019) and the Taycan Cross Turismo cross-utility vehicle (2021).

The Mission R, was presented at the IAA Mobility in Munich, Germany from September 7-12.

Porsche remains invested in its one make championships around the globe and it will be interesting to see how similar the real thing gets to the Mission R concept.

AutoAction

37

CLAY

RICHARDS

BORN IDENTITY Clay Richards has motorsport running through his veins, but is taking a path that is very much his own. Richards chatted to JOSH NEVETT about growing up among greats and making progress during a pandemic

THE RICHARDS name is synonymous with Australian motorsport, and it is no different when it comes to third generation racer Clay Richards.

Clay is the son of Steven, and grandson of Jim – no doubt you know who they are.

The legendary Kiwi pair have amassed 12 Bathurst 1000 victories between them, while Jim also has four Australian Touring Car Championship titles to his name.

This is undoubtedly where the most junior Richards inherited his passion for motorsport from, but the prospect of becoming a driver himself emerged later down the line.

“As far as I can remember the passion has always been there,” Richards told Auto Action.

“Growing up around racing with dad and grandpa, I’ve always had a passion for it, but I never really got bitten by the bug as they say, until I was about 13.

“I remember I was watching the Sandown 500 and it just clicked, I thought I really, really want to do this. Not long after that I did my first go kart race.”

Karting was an ideal entry point for the raw racer, who treasured spending valuable time with dad.

“I loved karting, especially with dad,” Richards expressed.

“It was just dad and I by ourselves – we had our little trailer and basically did as many kart meetings as we could.

“I started out in juniors, and we just did some club level events for the first couple of years. We slowly made our way to state level racing and then soon nationals.”

Richards has since graduated to the Toyota Gazoo Racing Australia 86 Series and Formula Ford.

However, it has been far from a linear journey of progression for the Coldstream local.

Richards stepped out of karts into Victorian

38 AutoAction

Formula Ford in 2019, getting his first taste of competitive action in the back end of the year.

“We only did two races in the Formula Ford in 2019,” Richards remembers.

“I was really lucky to get the help from Brett Lupton from Fastlane Racing, who basically gave us a car for free as long as we looked after it.”

As soon as Richards circuit career began the COVID-19 pandemic set in, restricting him to just 16 races in all categories over the course of his first three years in motorsport proper.

Emerging out of a year devoid of competition, the son of a gun has been intent on making up for lost time by competing in two categories.

Formula Ford has provided success on the state scene, Richards finishing on the podium in every race including a breakthrough victory at Phillip Island.

It was a day that Richards remembers fondly.

“It just felt like a massive weight off the shoulders,” Richards said.

“It was a reminder I can compete with these guys.

“I remember we qualified sixth on the Saturday and I was all stoked with that because we were right in the mix of it.

“Then we got a third in Race 3 and I was even more elated with that, and a second in Race 2.

“It was a big weekend of highs, which obviously doesn’t happen often in motorsport.”

The Toyota 86 Series has been discernibly more challenging.

Richards finished 20th, 24th and 23rd in his debut at Mount Panorama in February, and disappointingly was unclassified across the Townsville round in July due to an error in Race 1 followed by a blown head gasket in the second encounter.

Despite the mixed results, he has still taken valuable lessons and memories from the experience.

“It’s been a difficult start obviously but there are also some high points as well,” Richards reflected.

“Jumping straight into the deep end at Bathurst in Round 1 was definitely something I had to get my head around.

“Just to drive at Bathurst is awesome, it definitely lives up to its expectations.

“Even in Townsville, I qualified 11th which I was

As with most young racers these days, racing began in karts ... is that Lewis Hamilton’s racing number?

The current Clay Richards programme is a mix of Toyota 86 and Formula Ford (below) – though the mass cancellations of race events in 2021 has been frustrating.

really happy about, first time at the track – that was pretty cool as well.”

A tight-knit team of mentors has helped Richards remain cool while navigating mixed fortunes on the track, namely the senior Richards’ and 2007 Supercars Champion and reigning Bathurst 1000 winner Garth Tander.

“My dad and grandpa have obviously been mentors but also Garth Tander,” Richards said.

“He has been a big help to me as well, especially in the early days of first getting into Formula Ford and testing.

“He allowed me to go out in one of his cars and I learned a lot from him in terms of data, and in terms of braking points and lines as well.”

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AutoActionMagazine

Richards may have the weight of a decorated family history sitting on his young shoulders, but he is intent on channelling the spirit of fun to write his own chapter in the story.

“I’m out there to go out and race for fun for the moment and see where we go from there, but there’s no pressure at all,” Richards explained.

“Every now and then the history is in the back of your head obviously, but overall, I’m not fussed.”

In terms of what is to come, the remaining state Formula Ford rounds have been abandoned, denying Richards the chance to extend his podium streak.

Therefore, improvement in tin top events is now the central aim.

“Hopefully we can get some more racing in the 86 this year, I feel like I’ve got a lot more to prove.

“Top 10 race results would be great, but also just to finish each race.”

Outside of his motorsport pursuits, Richards doesn’t stray too far from performance machines, working intimately with Porsche products in Melbourne.

“I’m an apprentice automotive mechanic at a Porsche dealership in Doncaster in Melbourne,” Richards said with enthusiasm.

“I’ve been there since December 2018. I’m in my third year and I’m really enjoying it.

“Really cool cars come in and Porsche is my favourite brand as well, so it’s almost like a dream job.”

Now that Richards is firmly entrenched in the business of speed, he could not help but dare to dream when pressed on his ambitions.

“If the opportunity comes, I’d love to go overseas to America and race IndyCar – that’s the big dream.

“Supercars is definitely on the radar as well.

“At the moment, I’m not really thinking too much on that stuff. I’m just enjoying my racing for what it is and doing the best I can on track.

“I guess we have to be grateful for any events we get at the moment.”

Gratitude and enjoyment are the cornerstones of Richards’ approach to motorsport so far, garnering him strong support from within the industry.

One can only assume that once normality returns, Clay Richards will be climbing the ranks with a smile on his face.

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39

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Formula 1

Round 15 Russian Grand Prix

HAMILTON’S CENTURY Report: Dan Knutson Images: Motorsport Images

Lando Norris slides and Lewis Hamilton wins in slippery conditions

IN THE end, the rain helped Lewis Hamilton do what he had not been able to accomplish: overtake Lando Norris and win the Russian Grand Prix.

Hamilton took the lead with just over two laps remaining when Norris, on slicks, slid off the rain-slicked track.

It was Hamilton’s first win since the British Grand Prix on 18 July and so, finally, he has racked up an amazing 100 Formula 1 victories.

“Wow 100!” the Mercedes driver said.

“It’s taken a long time and I wasn’t even sure the 100th would come!”

Norris, meanwhile, came excruciatingly close to winning his first F1 race – following his first F1 pole position. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) qualified on the front row for the first time in his F1 career.

George Russell (Williams) lined up third. Hamilton, who made some uncharacteristic mistakes in qualifying, started fourth. Norris’ Aussie teammate Daniel Ricciardo lined up fifth. Max Verstappen, meanwhile, was last on the grid after penalties for having a new power unit fitted to his Red Bull.

All of them except Russell would be involved in the outcome for the top spots in the 53 lap race.

Sainz led the first dozen laps.

“We made a perfect start from the dirty side, braking late into Turn 2 and risking it on the outside of Lando to get into the lead,” Sainz said after finishing third. “Unfortunately we suffered from

Lewis Hamilton (above and left) re-ignited the G.O.A.T. debate by taking his 100th Grand Prix win.

graining and couldn’t hold P1 for much longer and had to pit early.”

Norris then took over and stayed in control, only losing the lead for eight laps to Red Bull’s Sergio Pérez during the initial round of pit stops.

On lap 39 Norris led Hamilton by 1.9 seconds. Could the 21-year-old Brit hold the 36-year-old Brit at bay?

Well, Norris did just that in Italy, and Ricciardo did the same earlier in the Russian race. So he did.

And then the rain, which started around lap 45, changed everything.

The problem was that part of the track was wet and part was dry.

The question was to pit or not to pit for Pirelli’s intermediate rain tyre? The inter would provide good traction on

the slick track but get shredded on the dry portion.

Verstappen, Sainz and Ricciardo pitted at the end of lap 48. Mercedes asked Hamilton to do the same but he declined, so he was then ordered to pit at the end of lap 49. That was the move that locked in Hamilton’s century.

Norris, meanwhile, was emphatic that he could stay out. That was the move that robbed him of his first F1 win.

On his inters, Hamilton quickly closed in on Norris, and then took the lead when the latter slid off the track on lap 51. Norris crept back to the pits for inters and would finish seventh.

“Right at the end when the rain started, we made the call not to box and that cost us everything,” Norris

said. “We made the decision that was right at the time for the conditions at the time. It was my call, along with the information from the team, and together we need to review what we could’ve done better.”

Verstappen was seventh when he pitted and second at the end of the race.

“It was a crucial call to change to the inters,” he said. “It was really slippery on track and we made a great decision with the timing and took the right lap to pit. The race itself was not very easy – it was difficult to pass other cars and once you got stuck it was easy to damage your tyres but luckily in the end the rain helped us make the last jump in positions.”

Sainz (left) made the start he needed to take the early (tyresmoking) lead, and converted it into a podium finish. Norris (above) looked set to keep Hamilton at bay – until it started spitting with rain ...

42 AutoAction

2021 RUSSIAN GRAND PRIX 53 LAPS Pos Driver 1 Lewis Hamilton 2 Max Verstappen 3 Carlos Sainz 4 Daniel Ricciardo 5 Valtteri Bottas 6 Fernando Alonso 7 Lando Norris 8 Kimi Raikkonen 9 Sergio Perez 10 George Russell 11 Lance Stroll 12 Sebastian Vettel 13 Pierre Gasly 14 Esteban Ocon 15 Charles Leclerc 16 Antonio Giovinazzi 17 Yuki Tsunoda 18 Nikita Mazepin DNF Nicholas Latifi DNF Mick Schumacher

Team Mercedes Red Bull Racing Ferrari McLaren Mercedes Alpine McLaren Alfa Romeo Racing Red Bull Racing Williams Aston Martin Aston Martin AlphaTauri Alpine Ferrari Alfa Romeo Racing AlphaTauri Haas Williams Haas

Laps Margin 53 53 +53.271s 53 +62.475s 53 +65.607s 53 +67.533s 53 +81.321s 53 +87.224s 53 +88.955s 53 +90.076s 53 +100.551s 53 +106.198s 52 +1 lap 52 +1 lap 52 +1 lap 52 +1 lap 52 +1 lap 52 +1 lap 51 +2 laps 47 +6 laps retirement 32 +21 laps retirement

Drivers’ Standings: Hamilton 246.5, Verstappen 244.5, Bottas 151, Norris 139, Perez 120, Sainz 112.5, Leclerc 104, Ricciardo 95, Gasly 66, Alonso 58, Ocon 45, Vettel 35, Stroll 24, Tsunoda 18, George Russell 16, Latifi 7, Raikkonen 6, Antonio Giovinazzi 1 Constructors’ Standings: Mercedes 397.5, Red Bull Racing 364.5, McLaren 234, Ferrari 216.5, Alpine 103, AlphaTauri 84, Aston Martin Racing 59, Williams 23, Alfa Romeo Racing 7, Haas 0 Like Red Bull and unlike McLaren, Mercedes predicted that the rain would increase.

“Today was tough,” winner Hamilton said, “I lost a lot of ground at the start, just trying to stay out of trouble. I was patient and, at the end, when the rain came, I didn’t want to let Lando go by pitting. Of course I didn’t know what the rain was doing, it was just my feeling, but I’m incredibly grateful to the strategy team for the job they did today.”

After his win in Italy, Ricciardo’s fourth in Russia was his next best result this season.

“A pretty eventful race,” said the Perth native who ran as high as second. “I think my start was kind of too good! I had to pull out and then pull back in, so we lost a few positions there, but then

made a few back over the first lap. So, there were some good moments.

“I defended pretty well in the first stint, then in the second stint made a few good passes, but then struggled towards the end of that hard tyre.

“Then the rain came, and that’s when it all turned on its head. On the inters I could see Carlos (Sainz) ahead.

The last couple of laps I felt like I was bringing him in a bit, but it was a little too late. I just missed the podium, but P4 is a solid result. Good points for those tricky conditions, it’s always nice just to get out with your nose clean.

There are definitely some positives and personally still a few things to work on, so we’ll keep our heads down.”

The next round is the Turkish Grand Prix…where it rained during last year’s race.

Carlos Sainz joined the two title combatants on the podium after an impressive drive.

The right tyre call when the rain came presented Verstappen with a second place, that surprised even him.

Another strong run, albeit some way behind Norris for most of the day, netted Ricciardo a fine fourth.

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F2 REPORT

PIASTRI PARTS THE SEA IN SOCHI Report: JOSH NEVETT Images: MOTORSPORT IMAGES AUSSIE OSCAR Piastri clinched Feature Race victory to extend his title lead in a shortened Formula 2 Championship round at Sochi Autodrom.

The Prema Racing frontrunner recovered from missing out on points in (reverse grid) Sprint Race 1 to triumph in the main event, building his gap on rival Guanyu Zhou who failed to make an impact in Russia.

Zhou did not make the starting grid for UNI-Virtuosi Racing to begin the weekend and finished sixth in the second and final race.

Dan Ticktum was the beneficiary of Piastri and Zhou’s faltering in Sprint Race 1, winning his second race of the season.

A deluge prevented F2 from running its usual three-race schedule, restricting the round to two contests.

Piastri took his third consecutive pole position to begin proceedings, setting a perfect foundation for the 20-year-old to extend his points lead.

The championship leader surged to the front in his final lap of the session, clocking a 1m 47.465s.

Carlin driver Jehan Daruvala book a spot alongside Piastri on the front row, qualifying just 0.188s slower.

Englishman Ticktum prevailed in a wet first race as Piastri finished just outside of the points in ninth.

Red Bull Junior driver Juri Vips made a strong start and sat in a lonely second throughout, he was at times the fastest man on track but was unable to really threaten Ticktum out front.

Hometown hero Robert Shwartzman had a couple of off-track excursions, he briefly fell to fourth, but recovered

Dan Ticktum had an uncharacteristically noncontroversial weekend to nett a reverse grid win and fifth in the Feature, moving him up to fourth in the points tally.

44 AutoAction

A sensible run in the reverse grid race, followed by a strong win in the Feature has extended Piastri’s championship lead to 36 points.

to finish in third place.

Piastri’s main championship rival Zhou spun on the formation lap in a disastrous out lap for the UniVirtuosi team, as teammate Felipe Drugovich crashed heavily on the exit of Turn 11 and neither driver could start the race.

The race got underway with a rolling start and during the opening few laps, despite multiple Virtual Safety Car deployments, Ticktum pulled out a considerable margin on the rest of the field.

Englishman Jake Hughes scored his career best F2 result, coming across the line in fourth.

ART Grand Prix youngster Theo Pourchaire rounded out the top five ahead of Ralph Boschung, Christian Lundgaard and Richard Verschoor.

Piastri was ninth ahead of Lirim Zendeli.

New Zealander Liam Lawson sat in third until he ran wide and hit the wall at Turn 14, forcing him to join fellow unclassified drivers Zhou,

Drugovich and Bent Viscaal.

Piastri made the Sunday his own, taking a significant step towards securing the Formula 2 Championship with a Feature Race victory from pole position.

Pourchaire and Jehan Daruvala completed the podium for ART Grand Prix team and Carlin,

respectively.

Starting in pole alongside Daruvala, Piastri made a strong before a Safety intervened 1 after spun

start virtual Car on lap Viscaal was around.

After the resumption Piastri held his lead, while Vips was forced to retire early in the race with a mechanical issue.

Piastri led up till his pit stop, while fellow frontrunner Pourchaire elected to stay out on track to attempt an overcut, which ultimately failed.

The Victorian began to make his way through the field after his pit stop, positioned well as the net leader, before returning to the overall lead on lap 18 with Pourchaire on his tail.

Boschung and Daruvala battled for third until the former locked up during braking on lap 22, allowing the Indian driver through.

The day only got worse for Boschung, who then suffered a tyre puncture on lap 26, eliminating him from the race.

Piastri’s final winning margin over Pourchaire was nearly 2s, while Daruvala was a further 10s behind.

Shwartzman did his championship hopes a favour by finishing fourth, ahead of Sprint Race winner Ticktum.

Zhou was sixth, which was enough for him to hold second spot in the standings.

Lawson was seventh, and the top 10 was competed by Verschoor, Lundgaard and David Beckmann.

Kiwi Marcus Armstrong was 11th, beating out Enzo Fittipaldi and Guillherme Samaia.

Marino Sato and Roy Nissany followed in 14th and 15th.

There are two rounds left for the F2 season, set to be held in Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi.

Points: Piastri 178, Zhou 142, Shwartzman 135, Ticktum 129, Pourchaire 120

F3 REPORT

DOOHAN CONFIRMS P2 IN F3 WITH A WIN

With the F3 season moved to finish at Sochi, Jack Doohan was able to lock in second in the championship, ending with a Feature race win.

Report: Josh Nevett Images: Motorsport Images AUSSIE JACK Doohan was unable to prevent Prema Racing’s Dennis Hauger from being crowned 2021 Formula 3 Champion, despite closing out the season with a Feature Race victory in Russia.

After achieving P2 in Race 1 and watching torrential rain wash away the second fixture, Hauger had etched his name in the F3 history books.

Doohan finished the championship a clear second ahead of Trident teammate Clement Novalak, who closed out the season strongly at Sochi Autodrom.

Entering the weekend with a theoretical, if difficult, chance at stealing the championship, Doohan qualified second fastest, beaten by Novalak, who claimed his first pole position.

Doohan was just 0.029s slower than the French driver, who clocked a 1m 54.648s.

Locked in a two-horse race for the championship, title leader Dennis Hauger could only manage seventh spot on the grid.

However, qualifying turned out to be a blip on the radar for Hauger, who secured the title in the opening race.

Second place was enough for the Prema Racing driver to build an insurmountable points lead over Doohan, who finished 15th.

Doohan lost several positions in a first lap melee and was not able to secure enough points to keep the title fight alive for the remainder of the weekend.

Logan Sargeant went on to take the win after taking advantage of a front-row start to lead the entire race.

Reverse-polesitter Victor Martins rounded out the Race 1 podium.

Novalak pulled off a late move to get by Caio Collet, who completed the top five.

Lorenzo Colombo, Arthur Leclerc, Frederik Vesti, Juan Manuel Correa and Ayumu Iwasa rounded out the top 10 runners.

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The race was very briefly interrupted when Tijmen Van der Helm’s MP Motorsport entry went up in smoke with five laps to go, triggering a Virtual Safety Car. The other Aussie in the field, Calan Williams, ended the day in 19th.

After the disappointment of Saturday’s events, Doohan sealed second place in the championship, completing the season with a Feature Race victory.

The 18-year-old came out on top after an uncompromising battle with Trident teammate Novalak, who finished third behind Vesti from ART Grand Prix team.

Two spots on the podium also confirmed Trident as the Teams' championship victor.

Doohan started well, hanging on to the lead after sitting on pole.

Freshly crowned F3 Champion Hauger spun on lap 7, after copping right rear tyre contact from Oliver Rasmussen.

The Prema Racing man dropped back to last but remained in the race, getting his car moving after sitting stationary briefly.

Novalak attempted a move on Doohan on lap 9, overshooting the corner and emerging in front after taking the long way round.

The move was deemed invalid however, as Novalak then gave the place back.

Trident team orders given to both drivers discouraged them from fighting for the race victory, but the pair went wheel to wheel on lap 17 despite the risk of losing team honours.

Vesti ended up splitting the two Trident cars, passing Novalak on lap 18 and ensuring a spot on the podium as the frontrunners began to lose grip.

With Novalak out of the picture, Doohan was able to cross the line first for his fourth race victory of the season.

Outside the podium places, Sargeant finished a lonely fourth.

Jak Crawford was next home in fifth, ahead of Johnathon Hoggard and Leclerc.

MP Motorsports driver Martins, Iwasa and Olli Caldwell rounded out the top 10.

Correa just missed out on a top 10 spot, while Doohan’s Aussie compatriot Williams had his best finish since the Austrian round, managing 12th for Jenzer Motorsport.

Carlin Buzz Racing teammate Kaylen Frederick and Jonny Edgar were 13th and 14th, beating David Schumacher to the line.

Points: Hauger 205, Doohan 179, Novalak 147, Vesti 138, Martins 131

Dennis Hauger had locked in the championship before Sunday's Feature race.

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Motorsport Images

INTERNATIONAL

GTWC TITLES DECIDED IN VALENCIA MERCEDES-AMG TEAM Toksport WRT achieved a sweep of overall victories to complete its GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup season on a high at Circuit Ricardo Tormo Valencia.

The pairing of Luca Stolz and Maro Engel won both encounters to finish third in the final standings, behind champions Dries Vanthoor and Charles Weerts who sealed the result last round for Team WRT. The Silver Cup and Pro-Am titles were also decided in the final race of 2021.

Alex Fontana and Emil Frey Racing claimed the Silver Cup title, while Barwell Motorsport and its pairing of Miguel Ramos and Henrique Chaves took home the Pro-Am crown.

In the first race of the weekend Stolz and Engel were victorious in their #6 Mercedes-AMG GT3, with a margin of 8.840s to Leo Roussel and Christopher Haase who finished second for Sainteloc Racing in their Audi R8 LMS GT3.

Raffaele Marciello rounded out the podium for AKKA ASP team in a Mercedes-AMG GT3.

Fourth overall went to Silver Cup victors Dennis Marshall and Alex Aka, who celebrated their first Silver Cup win of the season in the #99 Attempto Racing Audi.

The next Silver Cup team came home ninth overall, Konsta Lappalainen and Arthur Rougier getting a spot on the class podium for Emil Frey Racing in a Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo. Louis Machiels and Andrea Bertolini topped the Pro-Am results in the #52 AF Corse Ferrari 488 GT3, defeating the Barwell Motorsport Lamborghini driven by Miguel Ramos and Henrique Chaves in an enthralling battle.

In Race 2, Stolz and Engel completed a flawless weekend with a second victory on the trot.

Stolz crossed the line 15.3s ahead of Petru Razvan Umbrarescu and Jules Gounon from AKKA ASP, who finished second.

Norbert Siedler and Albert Costa completed the podium for Emil Frey Racing in the #163 Lamborghini.

The newly crowned champion #32 Audi crew was unclassified, completing a weekend to forget for the team.

Konstantin Tereschenko and Jim Pla were best in Silver Cup, leading a trio of Mercedes-AMG cars.

Emil Frey Racing drivers Ricardo Feller and Alex Fontana finished fourth, all but guaranteeing the season title.

In Pro-Am, the #77 Lamborghini only needed to finish to clinch the crown, which Henrique Chaves and Miguel Ramos made sure of for Barwell Motorsport.

They finished the race third in class behind winners Valentin Pierburg and Dominik Baumann. Josh Nevett

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LATE RUN SETS UP THRILLING FINALE FELIPE NASR and Pipo Derani have continued their dominant late season run to claim a third IMSA SportsCar Championship Daytona Prototype international (DPi) victory in four starts at Long Beach.

Nasr and Derani led all but five laps over the 100-minute ‘sprint’ race in their #31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R to win by 10.952s over the Chip Ganassi Racing Cadillac driven by Kevin Magnussen and Renger van der Zande.

Loic Duval and Tristan Vautier completed the podium in third place

in the #5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac.

Trailing DPi championship leaders Ricky Taylor and Filipe Albuquerque in the standings, the Brazilian pair cut the overall points deficit from 98 points to 19 heading into the season finale at Road Atlanta on November 13.

In GT Le Mans (GTLM), Tommy Milner and Nick Tandy were supreme in the #4 Corvette Racing C8.R for their second straight win of the 2021 season.

Jordan Taylor and Antonio Garcia attempted a last gasp overtake in the #3 Corvette but could not complete the move and finished second for the

third consecutive race.

Despite coming up short, the pair still hold a comfortable 160-point lead over Milner and Tandy in the standings and are within reach of their second GTLM championship in a row.

Rounding out the action, Madison Snow and Bryan Sellers were best in class in GTD in the #1 Paul Miller Racing Lamborghini Huracán GT3.

Zacharie Robichon and Laurens Vanthoor finished second in the #9 Pfaff Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3R and took over the GTD championship lead. Josh Nevett

BUTCHER BANKS BTCC DOUBLE Report: Josh Nevett Images: Motorsport Images

RORY BUTCHER clinched two race victories on the trot before Jake Hill came to the party in the British Touring Car Championship event at Silverstone Circuit.

Championship frontrunners Ashley Sutton and Tom Ingram also recorded consistent results, both featuring on the podium and rarely outside the top 10 over the three races.

Butcher began the weekend with a bang for Toyota Gazoo Racing UK, surging to victory after taking the lead on lap 3.

Ingram was Butcher’s main challenger early but could do little to prevent the 34-year-old from coasting to a 3.262s win.

Vauxhall Astra driver Daniel Lloyd earned a spot on the podium for the first time since 2018, holding Ingram accountable throughout the encounter.

Aiden Moffat rode his wave of confidence from the previous event at Croft Circuit to finish fourth.

The next three drivers came home in tight succession, BTC Racing’s Josh Cook, Team BMW’s Colin Turkington and Laser Tools Racing’s Ash Sutton tussling to fifth, sixth and seventh respectively.

Daniel Rowbottom, Stephen Jelley and Jason Plato completed the top 10 results.

Butcher’s white-hot weekend continued into Race 2 when he claimed his second successive victory at Silverstone.

The Scotsman led from lights to flag, beating out Ingram and Colin Turkington.

Cook applied significant pressure to the leader throughout the final lap but was denied any reward after he was disqualified for a technical infringement when his car failed a post-race ride height check.

The disqualification allowed Ingram to inherit second, while Turkington resisted competition from Laser Tools Racing teammates Sutton and Moffat to complete the podium.

The Infiniti Q50 pair had to settle for fourth and fifth.

Rowbottom, Chris Smiley and Jelley were sixth, seventh and eighth respectively.

Hill provided a glimpse of what was to come, weaving his way from 21st to capture ninth place for MB Motorsport.

Plato was tenth in his Adrian Flux with Power Maxed Racing Ford Focus.

Four drivers were forced to retire, including championship top 10 runner Senna Proctor.

Hill channelled his previous race heroics to triumph in Race 3, completing a weekend of mixed results for the driver.

Lloyd and Sutton also claimed podium honours, the former trailing Hill by just 0.698s.

The top two finishers went door-to-door on multiple occasions throughout the Silverstone finale, before Hill finally made his race-defining pass through Copse corner at the halfway mark.

EXCELR8 Motorsport driver Smiley finished fourth in his Hyundai, ahead of Team BMW’s Jelley and Plato.

Moffat was seventh, ahead of four-time champion Colin Turkington and the Team Dynamics Honda of Rowbottom.

Ollie Jackson rounded out the top ten.

Points: Sutton 285, Ingram 249, Hill 247, Turkington 245, Cook 222

PALOU TAKES TITLE, MCLAUGHLIN ROOKIE HONOURS Report: Dan McCarthy Images: Motorsport Images IN HIS second season of IndyCar competition, 24-year-old Alex Palou claimed his maiden title on the infamous streets of Long Beach.

By finishing fourth in the final round, Palou did enough to become the first Spaniard to win the IndyCar Series.

In his first season with Chip Ganassi Racing, Palou delivered the team its 14th title and second in succession after New Zealander Scott Dixon won last year.

After winning on debut with the team at Barber Motorsport Park to start the season, Palou went on to score a further two victories. During the course of the season, he bagged eight podiums over the 16-race duration.

Palou had to stay out of trouble to take the title – however, as ever, he moved up the pack to finish fourth.

“What a race, what a year, what a season,” Palou said. “This team is amazing. I’m super proud to be a part of Chip Ganassi Racing, and all our partners. I’m super proud to be a champion and for the opportunity these guys gave me.

“Dream completed. Let’s get another one now.”

There was also success for reigning Supercars Series winner Scott McLaughlin who clinched the Rookie of the Year award.

His life was made easier when former Formula 1 driver Romain Grosjean was forced to pit for repairs after he clouted

Rookie of the Year, up against Romain Grosjean, was a great achievement for McLaughlin.

the wall at Turn 8 early in the race.

“I’m really proud of everyone with the PPG Chevy,” McLaughlin said.

“The car’s been awesome, and I finally got it to my liking the last six or seven races.

“I’m really excited for next year. This year was a foundation year, all about building, and I feel like I’ve done that.”

While Palou and McLaughlin won titles, Andretti Autosport driver Colton Herta dominated the weekend at Long Beach.

The 21-year-old Herta topped all three practice sessions however hit the wall in the first segment of qualifying and therefore started the race from 14th.

Despite this, in the race he was in a different league, the Californian marched through the field to take the victory and was even able to hold at bay two-time champion Josef Newgarden in the closing laps.

In the end Herta took the win by

0.5883s from the Team Penske driver and became the first and only driver all season to take back-to-back wins.

“It feels amazing,” Herta said. “This has been on the bucket list for so long.

Super happy.

“We had a great car, reds or blacks, we seemed to have the pace. I just can’t believe it.”

Herta went aggressive early with two stints on the softer compound.

Newgarden sat out front in the first portion of the race before Herta came charging through on the softer tyres, and impressively built up an 8.8s lead by the time the final round of stops began.

As both compounds must be used, Herta was forced to run the harder compound in the final stint, while Newgarden switched to the soft tyres.

Despite the softer compound advantage, Newgarden was unable to pass Herta and was forced to settle for second, still enough to secure his

second straight runner-up finish in the IndyCar Series.

Defending series winner Dixon finished the race in third, 1.3368s ahead Palou, while 2016 series champion Simon Pagenaud rounded out the top five in what was his final race for Team Penske.

McLaren Arrow SP driver Pato O’Ward was Palou’s greatest threat coming into the final round.

The Mexican entered the race 35 points behind the Spaniard, however his race came unstuck almost immediately.

On the opening lap at the hairpin O’Ward was tapped into a spin by Ed Jones, which saw the McLaren driver drop to the back of the field.

The contact led to a broken driveshaft on lap 19 and saw O’Ward’s season come to an abrupt and disappointing end. He finished the year third in the standings.

“It’s not the first time he has hit us and not the first time he has done something stupid all season,” O’Ward said.

“I just wish he would use his head a bit more – at least respect the guys who are fighting for the championship.

“I think we’ve had a great season. I’m proud of the team; I’m proud of myself.”

Australian Will Power finished his disappointing season with a 10th place finish, just ahead of his Team Penske teammate McLaughlin.

Final Standings: Palou 549, Newgarden 511, O’Ward 487, Dixon 481, Herta 455 Power P9 357, McLaughlin P14 305

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INTERNATIONAL

LAWSON LEADS FOUR-MAN TITLE RACE Report: Josh Nevett

HEAVEN FOR EVANS Report: Josh Nevett ELFYN EVANS produced a commanding performance to triumph in the World Rally Championship Rally Finland, claiming his fifth WRC event victory.

The Welshman accumulated a final margin of 14.1s in his Toyota Yaris, diminishing teammate Sebastien Ogier’s championship lead to 24 points with two rounds remaining.

“This one feels good in the way we managed to do it,” Evans said.

“We struggled a lot [on the fast roads] in Estonia and we made some changes to the car in the test and found some confidence early on.

“I always said from the outset the aim was to do the best on each rally we have left. We have to just focus on doing our best in [the next round] in Spain and worry about the rest later.”

Hyundai i20 teammates Ott Tanak and Craig Breen completed the podium, with Tanak finishing 28.1s clear of the Irish driver.

Breen now has a streak of three consecutive podiums.

After the first morning consisting of three stages, Tanak held just a 1.7s lead over Breen, who was back at the wheel for Hyundai for the first time since Rally Belgium.

Esapekka Lappi was a further 3.7s back in third after 10 months out of action, ahead of Evans and birthday boy Kalle Rovapera, who was competing in his first WRC home rally.

Breen would end the day on top however, as he defied rallying odds to set a rapid stage time as the light faded away at the close of the day.

Tanak was sat 2.8s back in second after the opening day, with Evans rounding out the top three.

Finn’s Lappi and Rovanpera were not far behind, and Thierry Neuville was sixth.

Takamoto Katsuta suffered a cruel fate on the first stage of Day 2, running off the road just 400m from the finish line.

Hometown hero Rovanpera also ground to a halt after losing control and ploughing into a roadside pile of gravel, knocking him out of contention.

Evans was the standout of the second morning, charging to the top of the leader board in his Toyota machine, ahead of Breen and Tanak.

Approaching the climax of the rally,

Neuville suffered a mechanical issue whilst pushing for places on Stage 14, forced to pull into an access road and forfeit his position to championship leader Sebastian Ogier.

It was all Evans at the head of the field though, extending his lead to over 12s after the morning of Day 3 before powering home to victory.

Lappi finished within 1m of the frontrunners in fourth despite his lack of competitive rallying, falling back from an initial podium battle in his privately entered Toyota Yaris.

Ogier maintained his grip on the title with a fifth-place finish but had a disappointing round in isolation.

The Belgian was not a threat to the frontrunners, especially after copping a 60s penalty for not fastening his crash helmet strap correctly.

Points: Ogier 190, Evans 166, Neuville 130, Rovanpera 129, Tanak 128

A PODIUM finish in the final race of the weekend at Hockenheim ensured that Kiwi Liam Lawson will enter the final Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters round at the top of the standings.

The Red Bull AF Corse driver followed up a fourth-place result in Race 1 with second in Race 2 to hold off the pressing Kelvin van der Linde, who won his first race in three rounds.

Lucas Auer was the other race victor at the Hockenheimring, following up his triumph in Assen for Mercedes-AMG Team Winward.

In Race 1, South African van der Linde converted his pole position into a dominant race win.

Williams Formula 1 signing Alex Albon finished second in the AlphaTauri Ferrari, while his teammate Lawson just missed out on a podium spot to a charging Mike Rockenfeller.

HRT Mercedes-AMG driver Maximilian Gotz finished fifth.

Daniel Juncadella and Philip Ellis were sixth and seventh, while Esteban Muth, Vincent Abril and Timo Glock rounded out the top 10.

Championship contender Marco Wittman was forced to retire, failing to register points.

Four drivers were still in contention for the title after Race 2, which was won by Austrian Auer who saluted for the second time this season.

Lawson finished second to secure his points lead, ahead of Gotz.

Ellis and Juncadella were fourth and fifth, while Albon finished sixth.

Marvin Dienst, Arjun Maini, Abril and van der Linde rounded out the top 10, a disappointing result for the title hopeful.

Wittman finished 12th, dimming his hopes of a late championship charge.

Points: Lawson 206, van der Linde 192a, Gotz 180, Wittman 165, Albon 13

HAMLIN VICTORIOUS IN VEGAS Report: Josh Nevett DENNY HAMLIN has earned automatic qualification for the next round of the NASCAR playoffs after victory at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

The 40-year-old led for 137 of the 267 laps to take his first win in 20 appearances, sealing his pot in the Round of 8.

It was a tight finish, Hamlin pipping Chase Elliot by just 0.442s in his #11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.

Elliot narrowed the margin over the course of the final 10 laps but could not bridge the gap to overtake Hamlin.

Kyle Busch completed the podium for Joe Gibbs Racing after a spell of

48 AutoAction

mixed results.

Kyle Larson was the race leader early on, holding front spot for 95 laps.

However, a failed pit stop strategy relegated the driver back down the order.

Cue Hamlin, who pounced on the opportunity to win Stage 2 and take the lead for good with 39 laps remaining.

Hamlin’s Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Martin Truex Jr. finished just outside the top three in fourth, while Ryan Blaney completed a playoff driver only top five.

Tyler Reddick finished sixth after his devastating playoffs elimination in the Round of 12.

Brad Keselowski, Kurt Busch, Kevin Harvick and regular-season champion Kyle Larson rounded out the top 10.

Consequently, Larson still leads the championship standings by 22 points over Kyle Busch.

Hendrick Motorsports’ William Byron finished 18th and is now four points

below the playoffs elimination line.

Christopher Bell finished 25th for Joe Gibbs Racing and is now 25 points out of the qualifying positions.

When Auto Action went to print the Talladega Superspeedway round had been postponed to Tuesday October 4.

FLACK AND MCLEOD ON BRITISH F4 PODIUM Report: JOSH NEVETT Images: Motorsport Images MARCOS FLACK had one of his best weekends of the season as another Aussie joined the field in the latest British F4 Championship event at Silverstone Circuit.

Flack was a staple of the top 10 throughout the weekend, finishing sixth and ninth before breaking through for a second placed finish to end the event.

New to the grid for the 2021 season, Cam McLeod adapted to the category like a duck to water following a slow start with second and eighth place results.

Matias Zagazeta was the standout performer in Race 1, overcoming tussles with teammate Aiden Neate and Matthew Rees to win the opening encounter.

The Peruvian championship leader led his British rival’s home, crossing the line 0.989s before Rees and 2.340s before Neate.

Flack contributed to a strong showing for team Argenti in sixth, surviving a scare through the gravel on the opening lap to finish just outside the top five.

McLeod could only manage 14th as he adjusted to British F4 competition.

The teenager’s form shifted in Race 2 though, as he finished only behind Arden

Marcos Flack (top) on the way to his first podium in the British F4 Championship. In his debut event in the category, fellow Australian Cameron McLeod scored a second place finish (above).

Motorsport teammate Georgi Dimitrov to stand on the podium.

For Dimitrov it was a second victory of the season, while Kai Askey completed the podium.

McLeod started on reverse-grid pole but lost his lead on the opening lap.

The Formula Ford driver continued to battle for the lead but finished 1.476s behind Dimitrov after two disruptive safety car periods.

Flack finished ninth, ahead of teammates Neate and Zagazeta.

The final race of the weekend saw Flack in a winning position, leading the pack

after title leaders faltered.

It was not to be for the Aussie however, as potential glory was denied by JHR Developments’ Joseph Loake.

Loake finished 0.360s clear of Flack, who was second in front of Askey.

McLeod rounded out his successful debut weekend with an eighth-place finish.

Five of the top seven cars were forced to retire due to collisions, reducing the final finishing field to 11 cars.

With two rounds remaining in the championship, Flack is up to 13th place, while Zagazeta tops the points table.

CAR DENIES SIMPSON EARLY CELEBRATION

Report: JOSH NEVETT

AUSSIE JOSHUA Car had mixed results in the Formula Regional Americas Championship round at Virginia International Raceway but retained a strong grip on second spot with just the season finale remaining.

The 21-year-old did not make it to the finish line in Race 1 but recovered to record back-to-back fourth place finishes after his best round of the season in Minnesota.

As a result, Car still has a mathematical yet extremely remote chance of clinching the title, although Kryffin Simpson still sits in the box seat 65 points ahead.

Car opened the weekend with supreme speed, qualifying on pole with a 1m 44.273s.

The 2019 F4 US Champion faltered in the opening race, though, completing just 10 of the 17 laps before his #9 Crosslink Coatings sponsored Ligier JS F3 was forced into retirement.

Jordan Missig, who qualified alongside Car on the front row,

took advantage of the Australian’s misfortune to claim a convincing victory in the #48.

Car’s fellow Crosslink Coatings backed driver, Dylan Tavella, came home second, 5.709s in arrears.

Rookie Kiwi Ryan Yardley completed the podium in his first appearance of the season, after previously racing in his home country and down under.

In Race 2, both Yardley and Car produced strong performances, finishing second and fourth respectively.

The gap separating the top four was just 1.961s as Ernie Francis Jr chalked

up his second victory of the season.

Joining Francis Jr and Yardley on the podium was Missig, who continued his charge up the standings.

Despite starting on pole for the final race of the weekend, Car was forced to settle for fourth again in Race 3 as Francis Jr capped off a productive weekend with a second straight triumph.

The double dose of maximum points promoted the American to third in the standings, while Car solidified himself as the like runner-up.

Championship leader Simpson finished second in the final outing, just 0.464s off the race winner.

Varun Choksey was a lonely third, 16.38s off Simpson and just under 5s clear of Car. Missig fell from grace to finish unclassified, seeing him drop out of the top three in the points.

The final round of the Formula Regional Americas Championship is set to be held at Circuit of the Americas in Austin from November 5-7.

MOLLY TAYLOR has had a strong return to the World Rally Championship in Finland, finishing 20th overall among a mass of WRC and WRC2 cars. Taylor was the lone Rally3 competitor in her Fiesta ST Rally3, removing the class equation, but outperformed 17 other entrants come the end of proceedings.

Alongside co-driver Sebastian Marshall, Taylor completed the rally in 2hr 51m 25.2s.

Commenting on Facebook post-event, Taylor was overwhelmingly positive about the experience. “Feels good to have a great weekend of rallying after what feels like a long time coming,” Taylor posted. “Of course, being in Finland makes it extra special. We managed to bring the Rally3 car home in 20th overall and had a lot of fun along the way!

Thank you @sebmarshall for jumping back in and picking up straight from where we left off 7 years ago. Let’s see what adventure is next.” JN

CHRISTIAN MANSELL returned for his second Euroformula Open Championship round of the season, achieving a podium finish in Race 1. The full-time GB3 Championship driver crossed the line second to open the weekend before finishing sixth and fourth in the remaining races. American Cameron Das was the event standout, extending his championship lead with two victories. Mansell sits third in GB3 with one round remaining, 115 points off leader Zak O’Sullivan. JN

HUGH BARTER’S title hopes took a dent in the French F4 Championship round at Monza Circuit in Italy. Barter was forced to retire after a mechanical issue on the opening lap in Race 1 before returning to finish fifth in the second outing. Sitting third in the overall standings, Barter fell further behind Maceo Capietto who won both races at Monza, and Esteban Masson. The French pair are tied for first and Barter is 25 points behind with two rounds remaining. JN

KIWI BILLY Frazer has finished 12th in the USF2000 Championship after two top 10 race results to close out the season. The Exclusive Autosport driver finished eighth in Race 1 and ninth in Race 2 to complete the season on 192 points, 55 clear of the nearest competitor. Brazilian Kiko Porto was crowned Champion after a dominant year, while Frazer’s fellow Kiwi Peter Vodanovich finished 20th despite not starting the final round. JN

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BIKES

DEAN BERTA Vinales sadly lost his life after a tragic accident in the opening race of the FIM World Supersport 300 Championship at the Jerez Circuit in Spain. The 15-year-old Spaniard was the cousin of current MotoGP rider Maverick Vinales and was racing for Vinales’ father’s team when he lost his life. Vinales elected to skip last weekend’s American Grand Prix due to the tragedy, while the WSBK paddock elected to pay their condolences with a minute’s silence. DM

MANY MOTOGP riders expressed their concerns over the incredibly bumpy track surface at the Circuit of the Americas in Texas. A few of riders described the track as unsafe, including championship leader Fabio Quartararo with some, including Aleix Espargaro, calling it very dangerous.

Pole sitter Fransesco Bagnaia went as far to say that he would not return to race at the venue in April unless the track surface is fixed. DM

SCOTT REDDING has expressed his dissatisfaction with the aggression between World Superbike Championship rivals Toprak Razgatlioglu and Jonathan Rea. The British rider said that he is not able to commit to fully to a corner when the two ahead are lunging up the inside of one another. “I think there should be a bit of talking, because soon there will be a big accident,” Redding said. The title fight took a turn in Portugal when Rea crashed out of the first two races. DM

ARGENTINA HAS secured a deal with Dorna Sports which will see the country continue to host MotoGP action until the end of 2025. The current deal is set to expire next year, however the South American country has already put pen to paper and extend the contract by a further three years. The popular Autódromo Termas de Rio Hondo has been locked in as the as the venue. DM

SATELLITE WORLD Superbike outfit Bonovo BMW has announced that its season is over and that it will not fly to the remaining two rounds in Argentina and Indonesia. The team joined the championship last year with several Wildcard entries with Yamaha before stepping up as the full-time BMW satellite team in 2021. It has also been announced that former MotoGP rider Jonas Folger has departed the team. DM

50 AutoAction

MARQUEZ MAKES IT SEVEN AT COTA

Report: Josh Nevett Images: Red Bull Content Pool MARC MARQUEZ added to his imperious record at the Circuit of Americas in the most recent MotoGP World Championship round, claiming his seventh victory in eight races at the venue on Sunday.

It was the Spanish rider's second win of a rollercoaster 2021 season, achieving a handsome final margin of 4.679s for the Repsol Honda team.

Fabio Quartararo extended his World Championship lead, riding his Yamaha machine to a lonely second place finish.

Ducati rider Francesco Bagnaia

could not capitalise on his third consecutive pole for a hat-trick of victories, rounding out the podium to ensure that three different marques were represented.

Aussie Jack Miller started from 10th on the grid and worked himself all the way up to fourth.

A charge for the ages was not to be, however, as Miller faded late before contact between the Aussie's Ducati and Joan Mir’s Suzuki on the final lap relegated the former to eighth across the line and ignited verbal conflict between the pair post-race.

Mir was seventh, but the pair had their results switch when the reigning champion was dealt a one place

penalty post-race for the collision Marquez began the weekend strongly in practice, pipping Miller for the fastest time.

The six-time champion rider secured himself a spot in Q2 with the fastest time of 2m 04.164s, just 0.015s ahead of the Australian in a flurry of fast times at the end of the session.

The tables turned in qualifying, however, as Bagnaia surged to the front of the running and secured pole position for the third tie in a row.

The Italian set a 2m 02.781s to be the first Ducati rider to sit on pole since Casey Stoner in 2008.

Miller, who had been one of the fastest all through practice, had to settle for tenth.

Quartararo ended the day second fastest to ensure that the two title rivals would start alongside each other in the race.

Marquez fell short of securing a fabled eighth pole position in the US but did manage his first front-row start in 441 days by setting the third fastest time.

That effort, to achieve a front-row start, paid dividends come race time, as Marquez leapt off the line and led from the first corner to the finish.

RAZGATLIOGLU FENDS OFF BRITISH CHALLENGE TOPRAK RAZGOTLIOGLU earned himself some much needed breathing room at the top of the Superbike World Championship standings after victories in both races at Circuito de Jerez.

The Turkish rider extended his lead to 20 points over six-time champion Jonathan Rea, who finished second in Race 1 but failed to grace the podium in the final encounter.

Both feature races were moved to the Sunday after tragedy struck the Spanish event on the Saturday. Dean Berta Vinales, cousin of MotoGP rider Maverick, died in a multi-rider crash in the Supersport 300 World Championship race.

When competition resumed a day later, Razgatlioglu overcame Rea in a fierce battle for Race 1 honours.

It was the Yamaha rider's ninth win and 23rd podium of the season, denting the hopes of Rea for a seventh title.

The Brit finished second, 1.225s behind, followed by Scott Redding who completed the podium on his Ducati machine.

Italian Andrea Locatelli just missed a podium spot, while Alvaro Bautista claimed another top five finish for Honda.

Loris Baz was sixth, replacing the recovering Chaz Davies for Team GoEleven.

Michael van der Mark finished seventh, and rookie Axel Bassani was eighth.

Alex Lowes and Garrett Gerloff rounded out the top 10.

Aussie rider Lachlan Epis finished 19th.

Razgatlioglu repeated the dose in Race 2, repelling similarly a similarly persistent challenge from a different rider in Redding.

The third realistic title challenger pulled out all the stops to claim a much-needed victory but fell just short,

finishing second in front of Bautista.

Locatelli finished fourth, leading Rea to the line.

Axel Bassani was sixth for Motorcorsa Racing, ahead of Ducati rider Michael Ruben Rinaldi. Van der Mark, Baz and Gerloff completed the top 10.

Epis was the last of the classified riders in 18th, while Loris Cresson, Christophe Ponsson and Kohta Nozane failed to finish the race. Josh Nevett Points: Razgatlioglu 449, Rea 429, Redding 375, Rinaldi 227, Locatelli 227

Motorsport Images

Motorsport Images

LAST MAN STANDING IN PORTGUAL

Motorsport Images Title challengers Quartararo and Bagnaia were therefore forced to battle it out for the other two podium sports.

It was the Frenchman who fared best, slotting in behind the leader and holding sway throughout to bolster his secure points lead.

Bagnaia had a start to forget, sliding back into the pack from pole where he had to scrap for third.

The 24-year-old fell to sixth but salvaged third after a 'team first' move from Miller and a mistake from Pramac Ducati rider Jorge Martin, to remain in the championship conversation.

Suzuki rider Alex Rins was fourth after Martin served a long lap penalty for shortcutting the circuit through Turn 4 and Turn 5, dropping him to fifth.

Mir’s failed move on Miller on the final lap left the door open for Rookie Enea Bastianini to secure sixth place.

After the reclassified Miller and Mir came Brad Binder, who was the best of the KTM riders in ninth, ahead of Honda’s Pol Espargaro who rounded out the top 10.

The results were not so positive for other contenders, as two prominent members of the championship top 10 failed to finish the race.

Pramac Ducati rider Johann Zarco crashed out on Lap 5, while Aprilia rider Aleix Espargaro also retired.

Quartararo still holds a lead of 52 points over Bagnaia with just three rounds remaining.

MotoGP will return to Misano in two weeks for the next round of the championship.

Points: Quartararo 254, Bagnaia 202, Mir 175, Miller 149, Zarco 141, Binder 131, M Marquez 117, A Espargaro 104, Vinales 98, Oliveira 92

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MOTO2 TAKES A TURN Report: Rhys Vandersyde RAUL FERNANDEZ has clawed back Remy Gardner’s championship points margin by winning the Moto2 race at the Circuit of The Americas after the Australian crashed out.

The two Red Bull KTM Ajo riders looked to continue their dominance in the second-tier series, with Fernandez well out in front from the start.

Gardner on the other hand had to hold off challengers for second place for the first couple of laps, with Fabio Di Giannantonio (Gresini), Marco Bezzecchi (VR46), and Cameron Beaubier (American Racing) all in the mix early.

The Australian rider had finally secured second place on Lap 6 and was pushing to chase down his title rival and teammate, when he dropped the front-end of his bike at Turn 15.

While Gardner immediately jumped straight back on his bike, he

GARDNER’S MOTOGP TEST AUSSIE REMY Gardner had his first ride of a MotoGP machine, describing the experience on the KTM as mind-blowing.

The Moto2 Championship leader has secured a move up to the premier class in 2022 with the satellite Tech3 KTM outfit.

Gardner and his current Moto2 teammate Raul Fernandez will step up into Tech3 together and were both given the opportunity to turn their first ever laps on MotoGP machinery at the mid-season MotoGP test at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli.

“It was incredible honestly,” an elated Gardner said at the end of the day.

“Obviously we expect the power and the brakes and everything, but until you really try it, you don’t understand.

“You’re just putting gears like there’s no tomorrow, it’s just endless.

“Still even the last laps (of the day) it was

mind blowing how fast those bikes are, but I had a great day. I had a lot of fun and can’t wait to start (next year).”

Gardner believes the test at Misano will be beneficial as he will not be a complete rookie when testing for the 2022 MotoGP season commences at the end of the year.

“It’s good to just try the bike and get an understanding of what it’s all about,” he explained.

“We didn’t do too many laps in the end, but just to get an understanding and feel the power and I guess it was kind of like a little treat for us from KTM, so I was nice to ride the bike.

“I’m not sure what to change too much (set up wise) for next year, but it was a nice little

was unable to get it to fire back up and retired from the race.

The mistake left the Spaniard with an extremely comfortable margin out in front and was able to cruise home to the win.

Italians Giannantonio and Bezzecchi did their best to chase down Fernandez in the closing laps, but would ultimately be left to round out the podium.

Augusto Fernandez (Marc VDS) secured fourth ahead of the American entry of Beaubier who put in a standout performance on home soil to cross the line fifth. A slight mistake early in the race taking the Californian out of podium contention earlier in the race.

Tony Arbolino (Intact GP), Ai Ogura (Idemitsu Honda), Xavi Vierge (Sprinta), Marcos Ramirez (American Racing), and Jake Dixon (Sprinta) rounded out the top ten.

Gardner’s championship margin over Fernandez is now just 9 points with three Moto2 rounds remaining.

treat, and definitely I had a lot of fun, so I can’t complain!”

On the final day of the two-day test, Gardner and Fernandez replaced the 2021 Tech3 riders Danilo Petrucci and Iker Lecuona.

Gardner finished both the morning and afternoon sessions on the bottom of the table, however he was only a couple of tenths off the time of Aprilia test rider Lorenzo Savadori.

Gardner completed a total of 47 laps, suffering only one small off during the day.

“It was a bit of a stupid crash,” Gardner recalled. “Just with the new rear tyre the thing hooked up a bit more than expected.

“It was wheelieing and as I got to Turn 10, I was way offline and going a lot faster than we are on the Moto2 bikes, so when I went for the brakes I was offline and started going wide and trying to stop the bike before the dirt, and just fell over just before the dirt.

“Stupid little crash, but anyway, now I’ve got the first one out of the way, hopefully we keep it to a minimum.” Dan McCarthy

TOPRAK RAZGATLIOGLU retained his hold on the FIM Superbike World Championship lead despite a round littered with retirements and drama at Algarve International Circuit in Portugal.

The Turkish rider and his title rival Jonathan Rea shared three retirements and two victories between them, but ultimately Razgatlioglu emerged with a 24-point ascendency.

Early honours went to the Yamaha man, before Michael van der Mark registered his first victory of the season in Sprint Race 2.

Off the back of consecutive retirements, six-time champion Rea redeemed himself with a crucial win in the final race of the weekend, setting up a bumper final two rounds.

Razgatlioglu’s opening race triumph was his first in WorldSBK at Portimao and his 11th of the year, and it was made all the more important when Rea crashed out from the lead of the race at Turn 15.

Scott Redding had to settle for second after leading the way until Razgatlioglu reclaimed the lead at Turn 1 with just less than four laps to go.

Loris Baz began his second appearance for 2021 by completing the podium.

Michael Ruben Rinaldi was fourth, while Leon Haslam returned to the top five after a lean run of results.

Garrett Gerloff and Axel Bassani were sixth and seventh, ahead of Leandro Denis Mercado, Eugene Laverty and Christophe Ponsson who rounded out the top 10.

Aussie Lachlan Epis was unclassified.

The Sprint Race produced an unanticipated result, van der Mark claiming BMW’s first MotoGP victory since 2013.

The Dutch rider took advantage of tricky conditions and faltering frontrunners to achieve the breakthrough result ahead of Redding. Baz came home in third again on his Ducati.

Rea held the lead early but lost the front of his machine at Turn 13 and had to retire in a repeat of Race 1.

Italian pair Locatelli and Bassani were fourth and fifth ahead of Razgatlioglu, who struggled throughout the encounter.

Tom Sykes, Gerloff, Laverty and Isaac Vinales Mares made up the remainder of the top 10.

Epis completed the race in 17th.

The roles of Razgatlioglu and Rea were reversed in Race 2, the former crashing out while his rival achieved victory.

Redding completed a hattrick of second place finishes, while Baz did the same by coming home third yet again.

Locatelli, Gerloff and van der Mark placed from fourth to sixth to complete solid returns.

Rinaldi, Haslam, Bassani and Laverty rounded out the top 10.

Epis was forced to retire for a second time.

Alex Lowes was forced to sit out the whole weekend of racing due to a fractured hand. Josh Nevett Points: Razgatlioglu 478, Rea 454, Redding 424, Rinaldi 249, Locatelli 246

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p ra w S L A N NATIO

Image: Elgee

ONE AND A BIT BY THE LAKE ROUND SEVEN of the QR Drivers Championship at Lakeside Park on September 19 gave each category group four races. It was a tight program, and two groups actually qualified the afternoon before.

The session for QR Sports and Sedans was not good for Scott McLennan who shunted the armco on the exit of the last corner and wrote off his quick Mitsubishi Mirage. He emerged shaken but otherwise okay.

QR SPORTS AND SEDANS

TA2 MUSTANGS dominated the combined categories with Nash Morris in particular. He led all four races from start to finish ahead of his teammate Chris Pappas. They were both in the Sports group as was Grant Elliott who was third in his LS-powered BMW E36 M3.

It was a different story in Sedans with three different winners. Three second places for Brett Ryan (Subaru Impreza WRX) saw him the points victor ahead of Dan Ross (Toyota Altezza RS200) and Rex Scoles (Holden Commodore VE).

Tony Saint (Sports Mazda RX7) was outright fourth ahead of Steven Marek (Sports Nissan Skyline GTR) and Sam Collins (Nissan Silvia) in Race 1 but was a DNF in the second. The Nissan duo fought over the spot for the rest of the day with Collins winning two-to-one.

Ross was the initial winner in Sedans from Ryan and Brian Smallwood (Toyota 86). Ryan accounted for Meiers and Ross in the second before Meiers headed them home in the last two.

PRODUCTION UTES/HOT HATCHES/ITALIAN

IN THE mix of categories Scott Tamati in his Ford Falcon FG 5.0-litre V8 went four from four which included a rear of grid start in the last. He also took the Production Ute honours, ahead of Brendan Exner (six cylinder Falcon BA) and John Young (Holden Commodore six).

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Nash Morris heads the QR Sports & Sedans series (top). Above: Weir and Nicholas head the Superkart field. Mark Jackson (Alfetta) heads a Hot Hatch group. Images: MTR Images.

Weier led every lap of the four outings and won each comfortably. His most immediate rival Brock Nicholas (250cc International PVP) was second early in the opener before a third place finish behind Amiss, and just ahead of Greg Hack (125cc Stockman). Russell Jamieson (125cc Anderson) failed to finish the first, came through to second in Race 2 ahead of Amiss, Nicholas and Hack.

The 125s of Jamieson, Amiss and Hack ran second, third and fourth for all bar the last lap of race three where Nicholas displaced Hack for fourth by 0.02s. Nicholas dropped to seventh on the first lap of the last before he came back to fourth behind Jamieson and Amiss. Paul Davis (125cc Stockman) was fifth ahead of Liam Hoy (125cc Ricardo).

FORMULA VEE Unbeaten all day, Hot Hatch laurels went with Holly Espray (Excel) over fellow Hyundai pilots Mick McCloud (Excel) and Trent Laves (Getz) while Dylan Cothill (Mazda 2) was fourth and had some thrilling races with the Getz. Rob Robson took out the Italian Challenge in his Alfa Romeo GTV6 ahead of Mark Jackson (Alfetta).

Troy Montgomerie (Falcon six) edged out Exner for second outright in race one before Robson was second in race two ahead of Montgomerie. Robson also scored seconds in the remaining races, ahead of Exner with Jackson and Young fourth respectively in each.

GROUP N

WHILE HE didn’t have it all his own way, overall honours after the four races went to Grant Wilson (Chev Camaro) over Grahame Wrobel (Ford Mustang) and Gary Edwards (Holden Torana XU-1).

Wilson kicked off with an all-the-way race one victory where he crossed the finish line marginally (0.13s) ahead of Wrobel with Edwards in their shadows.

Graham Street (Torana) was a distant fourth ahead of James Anderson (Alfa Romeo GTV). Wilson led Edwards in Race 2 until lap four when the Torana driver grabbed the lead and won comfortably. Wilson held off Wrobel for second while Anderson was fourth.

Edwards looked to have Race 3 in his keeping until lap seven where drama dropped him to third and allowed Wilson to win ahead of Wrobel.

Anderson and Streat were fourth and fifth. Wrobel grabbed the early lead in the last to score a victory. Wilson held second until passed by Edwards on the final lap. Anderson notched up another fourth clear of Shane McJannett (Ford Anglia Super).

SUPERKARTS

OUTRIGHT ROUND five victory went to Tim Weier (250 Nationals Anderson) who also took out Group A 250s while Doug Amiss (Anderson) was the best of the Group B 125cc Gearbox entries, and Peter Nuske (Intrepid) continued his dominance in the Light and Heavy Rotax Group C classes.

SEVERAL TOOK him on, but nobody could stop Alex Macdonald (Jacer) from victory in the four races. He won the round ahead of Rapier drivers Tim Alder and Alex Hedemann who were tied on points.

Macdonald and Hedemann swapped the Race 1 lead several times before the former won. On the last lap, Alder split the duo for second. Gerrit Van De Pol (Sabre) was a distant fourth in front of Luke Turner (Stinger).

Alder led Race 2 initially before Macdonald took over. Hedemann hit the front on the penultimate lap but was pipped in the end by 0.01s. Van De Pol was third from Turner and Alder who dropped four places on the last lap.

Alder was back in the mix for the lead in Race 3, leading for several laps but Macdonald edged him out at the flag.

Hedemann was third with the three covered by 0.11s.

Van De Pol was next as Scott Andrew (Rapier) took fifth off Turner. The three front runners had a similar result in the last while Van De Pol and Turner trailed in their wake.

Garry O’Brien

Lee Smith shows the way in HQs while (below) Mark Rosser’s Porsche 991 was dominant in Sports Cars.

Images: David Batchelor

STATE CHAMPS MAKE IT BACK

THE SOUTH AUSTRALIAN Motor Racing Championship revved back into life at The Bend Motorsport Park on September 1819 after missing the last round at Mallala due to the various lockdown restrictions.

CIRCUIT EXCELS

THE CATEGORY stole the show with lots of drama, action and a huge field. Jayden Wanzek broke through for his first round win as he never finished out of the top two. Andrew Hobby was next best with some good pace in a very competitive lead pack.

Tim Slade made another guest appearance and comfortably kept pace with the leaders. He finished a close third for the weekend. Asher Johnston was pinged in Race 2 for being just outside the required camber measurement and lost the win and would have to start Race 3 from the rear of field. Wanzek (with two), Hobby (one) and Johnston (two) were the race winners while Lee Stibbs had been king in qualifying.

IMPROVED PRODUCTION

IT WAS a Scott Cook (Nissan S13) whitewash again with the real battle centred on who would be next best. Adam Allan (Nissan Bluebird) got the spot after some hard driving. Chris Brown (Toyota AE 86) edged out Carl Ward (Datsun Sunny) for third, and looked likely for second place but for a DNF in Race 2. Michael Reimann (Mazda 808) was on a charge in the last race, but it wasn’t enough to break into the top four for the weekend.

SPORTS CARS/SPORTS SEDANS

IN HIS Chev-powered Ford Falcon XE, Ryan Humfrey made the trip across the Nullabor worthwhile taking the Sports Sedan win. There was plenty of opposition, but luck wasn’t with them. Matt Wildy (Mazda RX7) collected second after a steady weekend and finished on the podium in the final race.

Matt Longhurst (Honda Integra) hung on for third but that could easily have been second had it not been for a DNF in Race 1. Josh Pickert had the Holden Monaro on song and won Race 2, but still the gremlins put him out of two races.

Murphy’s Law applied to Miles Bond with the Ford Escort sidelined with a number of ailments, despite plenty of speed. He ended the weekend in the gravel trap when a steering joint broke on the final turn whilst in the fight for the lead.

Mark Rosser (Audi R8) made it look easy on his way to the Sports Car win with Panayot Boyaci (Porsche 991) the next best and well clear of third placed Grant Perryman (Ferrari 430GT).

FORMULA THREE/FORMULA LIBRE/ AUSTRALIAN SPORTS CARS FORMULA THREE Dallaras showed the way,

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where John Magro (F307) was unbeatable. Blake Purdie took the fight right up to him in his older model F304. But like so many others over the weekend, luck deserted him and he could only manage third for the round behind Roman Krumins (F307).

Chris Slusarski (Tatuus FT50) was on top in Formula Libre well clear of fellow Tatuus FT50 racers Matthew Roesler and Matthew Woodland. Tim Cook (Wolf Thunder) took a lucky win in Australian Sports Cars after Mark Lauke (Wolf Tornado) was off the pace in Race 3 which dropped him to second outright.

Benjamin Cheney (West WX10) was best of the rest after Ian Eldridge had problems with his Stohr.

FORMULA VEES/FORMULA FORDS/ HISTORICS

WEST AUSSIE David Caisley (Jacer F2K8) showed the locals how it was done, but only just in Formula Vee 1600. Ben Forgan (Sabre 02) claimed victory in the final race locking him into second overall after a close tussle with Daniel Westcott (F2K5) who rounded out the podium.

Franz Esterbauer (Ribuck) made it a WA double standing on the top step in Vee’s 1200s. Matthew Bialek (Elfin NG) took one win on his way to second comfortably clear of Nathan Clifton (Spectre).

Alec Limmer (Spectrum 06) was the winner in a small but well matched field of Formula Fords. Sam Woodland (Van Dieman RF06) was next best with two wins to Limmer’s three while Hayden Jarrett (Swift SC94F) was third.

Keith Williamson (Farrell Clubman) ended up the Historic winner after Jim Doig (Motorlab Asp) and Mike Erwin (Norax RDF) came together which put the pair out in the final race.

Doig still claimed second well clear of Mark Goldsmith (Globe Elfin 400).

HQ HOLDENS/SALOON CARS

AMONG THE HQs Lee Smith just managed to edge Darren Jenkins out of the win after two days of bumper to bumper racing. Corey Bradley was never far behind as he claimed a comfortable third.

Shawn Jamieson (Holden Commodore VY) didn’t start the final race and still took the Saloon Car win but only just from James Jaeschke (Commodore VN) who was the only driver to finish all five races. Dave Lines (Commodore VT) was a lonely third after he missed two races but won the final.

David Batchelor

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NATIONALS wrap n compiled by garry o’brie

LOCALS ONLY AT LATE HISTORIC EVEN THOUGH restrictions meant that there were no interstaters, around one hundred locals contested the Historic Racing Car Club’s Historic Queensland – originally scheduled for July – at Morgan Park on September 18-19.

HISTORIC TOURING CARS

IT WAS the perfect day for Craig Allan in Ian Mewett’s Ford Mustang with victories in the Group N races as well as the over 2.0-litre Nc-only outings while Ken Nelson (Morris Mini Cooper S) took out both Nb and under 2.0-litre races.

In both the full field (Nb and Nc) races Allan led all-the-way. Graeme Wakefield (Mustang) chased him home for second while Mazda RX2 drivers finished third with Matt Clift firstly and Grant Schneider later.

Schneider chased Cliff in the first encounter and finished in front of Phil Spence (Holden Monaro HQ).

Spence was fourth in the second all-in race.

Behind Allan in the first of the over 2.0-litre races, Wakefield was 1.0s away and less than that in front of Clift. Schneider followed from Russell McDowell who suffered with starter motor and clutch issues and retired from the next outing. Wakefield was a DNF there, and Clift and Schneider filled the minors.

In the Nb and under 2.0-litre races, Nelson had to work his way past Cameron Hein (Ford Cortina GT) in both to get the win. In the meantime Claude Ciccotelli (Holden EH) finished third in both ahead of John Tupicoff (BMW 2002).

GROUPS S, T & INVITED SPORTS CARS

DRIVERS OF Invited cars in Chris Whittaker (Datsun 240Z) and Stan Adler (Porsche 911 Carrera) shared the outright honours with two wins each.

Whittaker led throughout Race 1 where Jon Siddins (Invited 240Z) came

Tony and Kyle Alford’s Nissan shows the way in Heritage Touring Cars (above), while Aaron Hodges did the same in Group U Sports Sedans. Bottom: Michael Meyer heads a queue of Formula Fords. Images: Trapnell Creations.

filled third in races one and two, behind Peter Jones (Group A ex-JPS BMW E30 M3) in Race 2 after Kyle Alford DNF’d. Jones was third in the remaining outings while Wayne Clift (Group A Holden Commodore VK0 scored a couple of fourths but Craig Neilson (Group A Mitsubishi Starion) mostly failed to finish. from fourth to finish second despite the loss of fifth gear. David Barram (Invited Mazda MX5) dropped to fourth early and eventually displaced Adler for third. The latter glimpsed the lead for a couple of laps in Race 2 before Whittaker snared the win, and later Barram also relegated Adler.

Adler won the third race with his son-in-law Chris Battista (MX5) second while it was a close 0.5s result between Trevor Bassett (Invited Ferrari Daytona) and Michael McKelliget (Group Nc 260Z) for third.

Whittaker had to make a pitstop to secure a bonnet pin while Barram’s weekend was over when he had a driveline failure. Adler held off Whittaker to take the last as Battista filled third ahead of McKelliget.

FORMULA FORDS

FOR TWO races at least, Tony Quinn was the winner in his Group Fc Reynard. In the first he overtook initial leader Kendal Barry-Cotter (Fb PRS 82F) early on and wasn’t troubled after that. Michael Meyer (Fc Van Diemen) was fourth after the start before surging to second by the flag fall. Meyer had the jump at the start of Race 2 before Quinn again got the upper hand.

Geoff Karger (Fc Reynard) held third throughout, ahead of Barry-Cotter.

There was no Quinn for Sunday’s races, which left Meyer to snatch a pair of wins. Race 3 was tight where he beat Barry-Cotter and Karger narrowly with the three covered by 1.3s. The following three earlier model Fa cars driven by George Fry (Birrana), Leonard Don (Bowin) and Neville Anderson (Hustler) finished line astern. It was a similar scenario in the last although Karger passed Barry-Cotter on the last lap, and Anderson headed Don for second in Fa.

HERITAGE TOURING CARS

IT WAS a Group A Nissan Skyline GTR shutout where Tony Alford (ex-GIO 1991 Sandow 500 winner) and his son Kyle (ex-Nissan Motorsport Bathurst 1000 winner) each with two wins. The difference was that Tony was second in two while Kyle had a DNF. Chris Bowden (Group C Mazda RX7)

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GROUPS K,L,M,O,P & FORMULA VEE

OF THE oldest collections of cars Bruce Ayers in his yellow submarine Group P Mildren/Waggott was in a class of his own when he netted four victories. Doug Angus (Group M Elfin WR375 Catalina) headed the rest where third spot on three occasions was Alan Don (Group Vb Stag Formula Vee).

With three fourths, Josh George (Group Q Lotus Seven) upstaged Don in race three for third and only trailed Angus by half a second in the end.

GROUPS Q & R SPORTS & RACING

IT WAS a small rollup where John Barram streeted them at each outing in his Group Q Racing Cheetah Mk5.

Kevin Gray (Group R Sport Tiga SC80) was second each time and only Ian Gray (Group R Lola T590) finished close to him – in Races 2 and 3. Third in the other two races was Chris Robertson (Tiga).

HISTORIC SPORTS SEDANS GROUP U & INVITED

THE GROUP ran a series of SuperSprints where Aarron Hodges in his Group U Ford Escort was the quickest each time, and that in included the Fred Sayers Trophy. Nick Jones (Ford Sierra Cosworth RS500) was the second fastest ahead of Jason Delaney in a Holden Commodore.

Garry O’Brien

TASMANIANS CELEBRATE AT HISTORICS THE BASKERVILLE Historics has become one of the biggest nationallysanctioned historic meetings in Australia. However, mainland COVID lockdowns and border closures meant the event returned to its roots as an allTasmanian event this year.

With no COVID in Tasmania and relative freedom, a crowd of up to 5000 was allowed, ensuring the event was still a huge success on September 18-19.

MUSCLE CAR CUP

THE MUSCLE CAR CUP was the main event on the two-day programme, with the best racing coming on the Saturday when Jared House (Holden Torana A9X) had his hands full as he tried to keep up with Adam Garwood (Ford Capri V8).

The two cars wouldn’t normally race against each other as they compete in different categories. Garwood won all three races on the Saturday and led the first Sunday race early, before fuel pressure issues, which put a big dent in his weekend. He was also racing the same car (with different tyres) in Sports Sedans. With Garwood sidelined, House dominated the Sunday racing, and easily won the three races.

The Muscle Car Cup was run in three classes. House claimed over 3.5-litre honours. Rye Dunsmuir (BMW E30) had a superb weekend and finished in the top three outright and as well as victory the 2.0-3.5-litre class. Further down the field, it was a mixed bag for under 2.0-litre cars, with most of the field experiencing at least one DNF. Greg Hayes (Ford Escort) was the most consistent, with two wins and three thirds from six races.

ALL MINIS

A REGULAR feature of the Baskerville Historics has been the Kitt Ellis Memorial All Minis Race and, although numbers were down this year, the racing at the pointy end was brilliant.

Regular Hyundai Excel racer Jeremy Bennett guest drove the Mini of the late Kitt Ellis and did its original owner proud, and proved it is indeed possible to get a Mini sideways. James Willson qualified on pole, but Bennett started better and couldn’t shake off a determined Willson in a thrilling and entertaining race.

Packs of Historic Sports and Racing Cars (above) and Sports Sedans (below) provided surprising all-Tassie diversity. Images: Angryman Photography

HISTORIC SPORTS & RACING

A NEW addition this year was the inaugural Michelle Fish Memorial Race, named in honour of Tasmanian Motorsport Hall of Fame inductee Michelle Fish, who passed away earlier this year.

Phil Sutton was on the pace for much of the weekend but suffered two DNFs on the Saturday after a win in the first race. Sunday was a different story, and he was absolutely thrilled to claim the inaugural memorial victory in his Ralt RT35 in the first race of the day.

Although he won the next two races as well, after some great battles with Mal Lee (PRB Clubman), Sutton had to settle for second for the weekend due to his DNFs. Lee was on course to win the meeting until he struck front end issues in the last race and DNF’d.

Despite not winning a race all weekend, Darryl Hurd (Cheetah Mk8) was super consistent to win the meeting.

GROUP N/GROUP S

THE COMBINE groups provided an entertaining battle between Scott

Cordwell (Holden Torana XU-1) and Milan Zizek (Ford Mustang) in an oldschool Ford v Holden battle.

The pair traded blows with the overall result coming down to the last race, won by Zizek. He finished the meeting with three wins and three seconds, while Cordwell recorded three wins, two seconds, and a third.

Back in the pack – and not too far back either – Phil Shepherd dominated the under 2.0-litre category in his ever reliable EH Holden with five wins and a second from six races.

HQ HOLDENS

STATE CHAMPION Phil Ashlin dominated with race victories in all six races. But he was made work hard for

each by Andrew Toth and Otis Cordwell at various stages. Toth was either second or third in every race, with Cordwell missing the final two races after feeling unwell. Veteran Neville Rattray had one of his best weekends for a while, finishing third overall.

SPORTS SEDANS

ALEX WILLIAMS was in a class of his own, blowing his opposition away to score very impressive victories in all six races. Brad Chick (Holden Commodore) was the best of the rest with three seconds, while Adam Garwood was also in the mix on the first day in his Capri until the fuel pressure problems struck.

Martin Agatyn

Milan Zizek’s Mustang heads the Scott Cordwell Torana and the rest of the combined Group N/S contest. Image: Angryman Photography

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NATIONALS wrap n compiled by garry o’brie

Rullo/Marquet dominated in their Lotus Exige, from (below) the Jones/ Caleb Nissan. Images: CMR Photographic.

TARGA WEST REPORT Report: JOSH NEVETT Images: CMR PHOTOGRAPHIC TROPHY CABINETS were added to in Targa West as Peter Rullo took out his second title alongside co-drive Jimmy Marquet.

The pair cruised home to a win in the Competition Modern category on the final day in their 2020 SSC Lotus Exige GT, 1m 45s ahead of Steve Jones and co-driver Caleb Ash in their 2008 Nissan R35 GTR. The first day of competition saw 64 entrants kick off the 2021 event with seven timed stages, topped by Rullo and Marquet who accrued a 5s lead over Jones and Ash. Brett Morse and Rodney Ng were a further 22s back in their 2019 BMW M2 Competition.

Reigning Competition Modern champion Mark Greenham was forced to retire on Stage 2 with a mechanical issue in his 2006 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9, ruling him out of the running.

On Day 2, Rullo and Marquest extended their ascendency to 35s over 76.56 competitive kilometres.

Jones and Ash maintained their

pursuit of the lead, while David Heaton rounded out the top three of the day in his new 2018 Porsche 911 GT2 RS with co-driver Steve Glenney.

Rullo/Marquet continued to extend the gap on the third and longest day of the rally, putting over 1m between themselves and Jones/Ash. The leaders won the first eight stages of the day, a total of nine for the day and finished the rest of the stages second fastest.

The only major change in the standings was achieved by Mark Cates and co-driver Anthony Carr, who jumped from fifth to fourth in their 2019 Porsche 911 GT3 RS. Day 4 represented the event finale and a celebration for Rullo and Marquet, who bounced back from retiring in 2020 to take victory by a comfortable margin.

It was another day of domination for the duo, who finished fastest in 21 of the 37 stages.

Rullo was in equal parts appreciative for the event and thrilled with the victory.

“This is what we love to do and there’s not too many places in Australia where you can enjoy this

type of event, so thanks to everyone who worked to make it happen,” Rullo said.

“We had an awesome lead up and Jimmy was faultless – you do need to listen to the co-driver! The whole event went exactly to plan.”

Jones/Ash finished second and Heaton/Glenney completed the podium in their new Porsche machine, finishing 2m 13s behind the victor.

Cates/Carr finished fourth and Morse/Ng rounded out the top five.

The Competition Classic category was headed by Simon Gunson, who completed a hattrick of triumphs in Competition Classic.

It was Gunson’s fifth title in total alongside co-drive Nigel Jones, who continued his streak of contesting all 17 Targa West rallies.

Gunson added the 2021 crown to Classic Drivers titles in 2014, 2016, 2019 and 2020.

The pair finished 2m 37s ahead of second-placed Tim Wolfe and Scott

ANOTHER TURN FOR TURNER WITH VICTORY in the Gold City Challenge 234, Robert Turner and Jordan Bensemann made it a back-to-back win in the Queensland Off Road Championship third round on September 25.

Held at the Milchester Motor Sports Complex outside of Charters Towers and run by the North Queensland Off Road Racing Association, it was also round three of the North Queensland Off Road Racing Super Series. It consisted of a prologue over a single lap of the 18km course and followed by six sections of two laps each.

After heading the prologue, Turner (right) and Bensemann won all sections of the event in their 5.7 litre Chev LS1-powered Desert Dynamics Pro Buggy. Their overall time was 3 hours 7 mins 14s, 21 mins 39s

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clear of class rivals Nick Glass and Waylon Jaggard aboard their 4.0-lt Lexus quad cam v8-powered Raceco.

Peter Nunns suffered a broken axle with his Sportslite Sollittco/Subaru on the first section before he bounced back with the second fastest times (5s off Turner on section two) over the following sections to finish third. Next were Kurt and Karl Edwards who missed section three whilst changing a rear hub on the Sports Turbo Can Am X3.

Tony Kritchly ran consistently through five sections when the fuel pump packed up in his Sportlite Sollittco, but Ron Turner and Logan McDonald were out after section one with persistent turbo boost dramas on their Can Am. Garry O’Brien

Image: NQORRA-Og Ogmore

Beckwith, who drove a 1974 Porsche 911.

In Targa 165 class, Jurgen and Helen Lunsmann were a class above in their Tesla Model 3 Performance+, topping 36 of the 37 stages in the 165km/h top speed restricted division.

The only blemish came when the duo elected to preserve charge in their EV during the lengthy third day.

Targa 130 produced close competition, rookies Aaron Williams and co-driver Rachel Ferrante came out on top in their 2002 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 7.

Chris Beerens and Alex Butler were runners-up, 11s behind in their 2011 Subaru WRX STI.

s w e n Y A W D SPEE

LACHLAN McHUGH THUNDERS TO VICTORY Words: Paris Charles Image: Declan Brownsey SPRINTCARS QUEENSLAND opened their new race season with the running of the Thunder on the Downs at HiTec Oils Toowoomba Speedway. The opening event was scheduled to be a two night extravaganza but due to COVID and border closures restricting interstate teams from venturing over the border 24 local competitors would front with the intention of kicking their season off with a victory but the man that would stand the tallest on the podium after 35 hard fought laps would be Lachlan McHugh, flanked by Callum Walker and Darwin gun Ben Atkinson who had fought his way through via winning the B Main event.

The feature would start with Cody Maroske and Karl Hoffmans sharing the front row with the two number 7 young chargers in McHugh and Aaron Kelly close behind. At the drop to the green the cars battled for position, and it was Jy Corbert looking to make early ground as he tried to slide up under Alan Woods, the two touched and flipped in unison hard up against the Turn 3 wall, ending their tilt at the victory.

At the complete restart it would be Maroske to lead the charge for the first 13 laps before Kelly upended his ride in the Turn 2 fence. As the cars rolled around under caution, disaster

struck the race leader as the right rear tyre on Maroske’s SRV Road Freight car started to deflate. Cody tried desperately to get some air back into the tyre by loading it up under pressure – sadly this did not come to fruition as he was left with no choice other than to retire to the infield.

With the two front runners out of contention McHugh (right) would be gifted the lead and from this point forward he was locked into a thrilling dog fight running the top while Walker ran the bottom. This kept the crowd on their feet until lap 19 when fourth placed Hoffmans hooked the Turn 1 wall and crashed out of the race.

McHugh and Walker continued to battle but as the real-estate unfurled, McHugh would get the better run as Walker was hindered by lapped traffic on the bottom. With four laps remaining the yellow lights would again be ablaze when Ryan McNamara spun the Titan Garages Q88 while holding down sixth position.

Sixth position would quickly become the bogey spot as Brent Kratzmann spun at the restart. McHugh would lead Walker to the finish line the fast finishing Atkinson picking off several spots from sixth to third in the final stanza in the D2 Aeroflow Maxim. Ryan Newton, Mark Pholi and Anthony Lambert rounded out the top half dozen. Dylan Menz would drop from third to seventh on the final circulation as he nursed home

a wounded car, followed by Nicholas Whell, Kristy Bonsey and Andrew Corbet the final car on the lead lap.

One rotation down was McNamara and James Matthews rounding out the dozen finishers. While Kratzmann, Tarhlea Apelt, Hoffmans, Scott Genrich, Maroske, Kelly, Woods and Corbert failed to travel the distance.

The six heat race victories were shared between Hoffmans, Maroske, Kelly, Pholi, Corbet and McHugh.

In the support events Sam Gollschewsky proved why he is the reigning Australian Modlite champion, parking the Aaron Prosser Contracting entry in Victory Lane in the opening

round of the Dondex Sheds Extreme Series feature, Terry Leerentveld and Nathan Politch would share the podium.

Jacob Lynd claimed the 10 lap Micro Sprints feature over Ben Le Pla and John Lawson. The sedan classes were also well supported with three classes on the night. The Production Sedans victory was claimed by Daniel Henshaw over Nathan Barbeler and the national champion Joel Berkley. Robert Trapp proved the best of the Street Stocks, flanking him on the podium was Ryan Kahler and Peter Thompson. The Junior Sedans podium consisted of Jayden Hancock, Brodie Hollyman and JJ Hamilton.

Brian Walsh splits the spinning cars of Gary Finglas and Andrew Sues in the John Deere NQ49, entry (left)

THE CAMEL TOWING SPRINTCAR CUP Words: Paris Charles Image: Gordon Greaves A TOTAL of 14 Sprintcars competed for the 2021 Camel Towing Cup, spanning across two consecutive weekends.

Night one was hosted by the Mareeba Speedway while the second and final night was staged at the Cairns International Speedway. The Cairns event was doubled up in conjunction with round four of the Northern Queensland Sprintcar Series.

As the chequered flag fell at the Mareeba track, Wes Jenkins started the night as he would finish it. Jenkins set the bar early by posting a new lap record, stopping the clock with a 14.846 in Hot Laps before going on to claim the feature race win in the NQ50 Triple S Earthmoving entry over Leigh Holman and Brett Sciban rounding out the top three.

Next to the finish line was Gary

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Finglas, Michael Lavis, New Zealander Richie Rob, and Steve Horton rounded out the last of the finishers from the 10 competitors on the night.

Jenkins and Josh Sinnot would share the two heat wins.

An additional four competitors joined for the Cairns leg. One of them was Brian Walsh, who proved again to the quickest aboard the Wholesale Paint Group NQ3 entry. From the outset, Walsh claimed fastest qualifier with a 12.617 lap, before backing that up with a win and a second from his two heat races to earn pole position alongside Cameron King.

From the drop of the green, Walsh trail blazed from the front to lead the entire 20lap journey. King held down second until retiring on the 11th circulation, elevating Mike Walsh into second, joining his son on the podium, with Gwesyn Dalliston joining them in third position. Wes Jenkins,

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Josh Sinnott, Andrew Sues and Steve Horton would round out the half dozen and in doing so be the final finisher in a race that saw several retirements.

The four heat races were shared with Brian Walsh, Cameron King, Leigh Holman and Richie Rob taking one win a piece.

At the conclusion of the two meetings, Brian Walsh was awarded the Camel Tow Cup Trophy and extend his domestic series points lead over Mike Walsh, Wes Jenkins, Cameron King, Richie Rob, Gwesyn Dalliston, Josh Sinnott, Leigh Holman, Mace Papworth, Brett Sciban, Andrew Sues, Steve Horton,

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Nathan Knight, Gary Finglas, Michael Lavis and Rob Wilkins.

Allan Woods found himself in a Howell family sandwich with Zack Howell Jr taking the Wingless Sprints feature win, Zack Snr in third and Brett Page close behind.

The Super Sedans made a welcomed return. Ross Mackenzie led the 15-lap journey over Stacey Lee and Brendan Chandler while Mick Phillips climbed to fourth. The Modified Sedan feature race top four were bookended by the Manly family with Steve claiming the victory and his Dad David claimed fourth.

Graham Klienhans and Scott

Vella were second and third.

The O’Brien family were the dominant force in the wingless Formula 400 division with Chae claiming victory over reigning Queensland champion Terry, trailed by Les Pollock and Just Gillibrand in the 10-lap journey.

Nicholas Gray, Darren Holmes, Calem Saxby and Owen Duffy would hold status quo in the 10-lap 125 NGB Dirt Karts final.

In the junior racing grades the Formula 500 spoils went to Brody Duncan from Summer Allen, Nate Campbell and Dylan Hedger in the 8-lap final.

Bailey Chandler would run flag to flag in the Junior Sedan final followed by Madison Elliot and Chloe Lebeter.

Lachlan Saxby proved the best amongst a strong field of Junior Karts; sharing the podium was Kobe Duncan, Leon Clauss and Maddison Elliot climbing from seventh to fourth.

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We take a look back at what was making news in Auto Action 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 years ago 1971: ALLAN MOFFAT won his second Hardie Ferodo 500 on-the-trot with no co-driver and credited the brake pads, specially imported by the Bathurst classic’s race-sponsor for the heavy Ford Falcon GTHO Phase 3s. At Mallala, John McCormack took his, and the Elfin MR5 Holden-Repco F5000’s first Gold Star victories.

Name:

Images: AA Archives

IndyCar Crossword

How much did you follow IndyCar this season? Test your knowledge 1

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1981: AFTER THE heartbreak of 1980, Dick Johnson and John French, aboard the Tru-Blu Ford Falcon XD 351, won the Bathurst 1000. The race was declared after the infamous lap 121 multicar McPhillamy Park pile-up. Reigning Formula 1 World champion Alan Jones made his Bathurst debut but only lasted a lap in Warren Cullen’s Holden Commodore VC. F1’s big news was the announcement of Niki Lauda’s F1 comeback with McLaren after a two-year sabbatical.

1991: BATHURST 1000, Jim Richards and Mark Skaife crushed the opposition in their Nissan Skyline R32 GT-R, the first Bathurst 1000 win for a Japanese manufacturer. In the west, Juha Kankkunen took a Rally Australia hat-trick of wins in their Lancia Delta Integrale 16V. In F1, Riccardo Patrese inherited the Portuguese Grand Prix victory when his Williams teammate Nigel Mansell suffered a pitstop bungle.

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2001: PRE-BATHURST coverage speculated on whether Holden Racing Team’s Bathurst bogey could be lifted, as Tony Longhurst was announced as Mark Skaife’s co-driver rather than full-time driver Jason Bright. On the Blue Oval side, Ford up-and-comer Marcos Ambrose re-signed with Pirtek as a sponsor.

Mika Hakkinen took his 20th F1 victory at Indianapolis in his McLaren Mercedes – the final race that the late Murray Walker called.

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Across

2011: COULD THE dream team Craig Lowndes and Mark Skaife go back-to-back in 2011?

Lowndes looked at his biggest threats in the lead up to the Great Race. Kelly Racing was denying reports that David Reynolds would be forced to sit on the sidelines having agreed a deal to race for Rod Nash racing in the Bottle-O Falcon in 2012.

Created using the Crossword Maker on TheTeachersCorner.net

Indy500? (abbreviation first letter of each word) 5. Brazilian Helio Castroneves took victory in the Indy500, what state of America did Scott McLaughlin record his 2. What is the nationality of IndyCar Series winner Alex Palou? podium finish in IndyCar this season? how many times has he now won the 500? um finish in IndyCar this season?

3. With what team did Castroneves take victory in the Indy500?

3.

What is the nationality of Arrow McLaren driver Pato 7. How many different drivers won at least one race in the hat is the nationality of Arrow McLaren driver Pato (abbreviation first letter of each word) O’Ward?

2021 IndyCar season? ard?

5. Brazilian Helio Castroneves took victory in the Indy500, how 4. With didwin Alexthe Palou win theSeries?

IndyCar Series?

8. Who turned around title contender Pato O’Ward in the ith what team didwhat Alexteam Palou IndyCar many times has he now won the 500? (abbreviation first letter of each word) opening lap at Long Beach? (surname) reviation first letter of each word) 7. How many different drivers won at least one race in the 2021 6. How many pole did Alex Palou score throughout IndyCar season?

9. Which driver announced since the conclusion of the 2021 ow many pole positions did positions Alex Palou score throughout ear?

8. Who turned around title contender Pato O’Ward in the season that he is leving Team Penske? the year?

Which driver thedriver annual 500 Rookie the of opening lap at Long Beach? (surname) 11.won Which wonIndianapolis the annual Indianapolis 500of Rookie 10. How many races did former Formula 1 driver Takuma Sato 9. Which driver announced since the conclusion of the 2021win in 2021? prize? (surname) the Year prize? (surname) Who was the driver in the championship to 13.highest Who wasplaced the highest placed driver in the championship to season that he has left Team Penske?

12. Who was the only driver to win back-to-back races this ecord a race victory? (surname) 10. How many races did former Formula 1 driver Takuma Sato not record a race victory? (surname) year? (full name) Who won the inaugural race on the streets of Nashville after in 2021?

18. Who won the inaugural race on the streets of Nashville win16-race season?

14. At what track was the final race of the season held? g through the air early in the race? (surname) 12. Who was the only driver to win back-to-back races this after flying through the air early in the race? (surname) 26. Who qualified on pole for the 2021 105th edition of the 15. At the end of the championship who was the highest Alex Palou became the youngest series winner since Scott year? (full name) 19.

Alex Palou became the youngest series winner since Indy500? (surname) placed American driver? (surname) n in 2003, how old is Palou?

14. At what track was the final race of the season held?

Scott Dixon in 2003, how old is Palou?

27.

Who took pole position for the opening race of the 16. In what position did Australian Will Power finish in the Palou won first race of the season, what track was it held 15. At the end of the championship who was the highest placed 20. Palou won first race of the season, what track was it held American season?driver? (surname) IndyCar Series? at?driver won the first Indianapolis Road Course moved in the off-season fromfinish Dale in the 17. Who finished second in the Rookie of the Year honours?

16.28.

In Alex whatPalou position didteams Australian Will Power Which Dutch 21. Which Dutch driver won the first Indianapolis Road CourseIndyCar CoyneSeries?

Racing – what was his best race result prior to 2021? (surname) in May? (surname) With what team Scott McLaughlin race with in the 2021 17. Who finished second in the Rookie of the Year honours?22. What was Scott McLaughlin’s highest race finishing race indid May? (surname) Car Series?23.(full (surname) Withname) what team did Scott McLaughlin race with in the Down position in IndyCar all season?

How many 2021 timesIndyCar did Palou finish the podium over the 22.2.What McLaughlin’s highest raceAlex finishing Series? (fullon name) What was is theScott nationality of IndyCar Series winner Palou?position 25. How many races did Alex Palou win on his way to the ace season? all season?

24. How many times did Palou finish on the podium over the in IndyCar 3. With what team did Castroneves take victory in the 2021 title?

Who qualified on pole for the 2021 105th edition of the 25. How many races did Alex Palou win on his way to the 2021 500? (surname) title?

1820 crossword answers: 1 across – Moss, 2 down – seven, 3 down – Neal, 4 down – Reynolds, 5 across – Scott, 6 down – Canada, 7 down – two, 8 down – KTM, 9 across – Patrese, Who took pole race of12 theacross season?

10position down – for four,the 11opening down – Gethin, – Monger, 13 down – Ogier, 14 down – Mass, 15 across – Lombardi, 16 across – Rossi, 17 down – Nico Rosberg, 18 down – Ickx, Dale Coyne Alex Palou moved teams in the off-season 19 across – Fittipaldi, 20 down –from Cameron, 21 across – Kalex, 22 across – Keke Rosberg, 23 across – Erebus, 24 down – John Cock, 25 down – Pironi, 26 across – Hamilton, ng, what was27his best race result prior to 2021? across – Will Brown, 28 across – Goss, 29 across – Tickford, 30 across - McNish.

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Down 1. In what state of America did Scott McLaughlin record his

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