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REMEMBERING

SENNA 25 YEARS ON: AYRTON’S LEGACY AND LEGEND

HOW THE SUPERSTAR’S DEATH CHANGED F1 FOREVER BY THOSE WHO WERE THERE

DAMON HILL ON F1’S DARKEST DAYS

ALONSO’S BATHURST BID

WHINCUP AGONY All-time champ on his struggles

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LATEST NEWS

WHINCUP CALLS OUT DANE ON SLUMP Holden hero tells BRUCE NEWTON that limiting linear spring issue could have been resolved sooner with more resources JAMIE WHINCUP has dismissed team boss Roland Dane’s public criticism of him and his side of the Red Bull Holden Racing Team garage as a “cheap shot�.

And Whincup has fired up himself, saying the factory squad has been under-resourced to solve the linear spring set-up issue that has dropped RBHRT behind other Holden teams as well as the all-conquering DJR Team Penske Ford Mustangs.

Whincup, who is ninth in the championship and enduring one of the biggest slumps of his career, told Auto Action that earlier comments he made in private had prompted Dane to go public after the Phillip Island SuperSprint.

On the Sunday evening after the meeting, during which Whincup failed to post a top 10 finish and had a wheel fall off after a flawed pit stop, Dane said to AA that Whincup “knows full well that he needs to do a better job, as well as the people around him�.

Dane also told media that Whincup’s side of the garage “needs a long hard look at itself�.

The Phillip Island fusillade followed an equally disappointing Symmons Plains outing for Whincup, who salvaged a fifth on the Sunday after finishing 25th and last on the Saturday.

But Whincup said Dane was revved

Jamie Whincup tries to fathom the mysteries of linear springs with engineer David Cauchi (left). Image: Ross Gibb. up at Phillip Island by an earlier conversation between them. “I had a bit of a crack at him behind the scenes and he returned serve, which he likes to do,� the record seventime Supercars champion said. “So it was a bit of cheap shot at us with a bit of humour attached as well, so that’s what is going on there. “We don’t divide the team into sides.

Certainly, all the engineers – and the drivers – are all hands-on-deck to improve the speed of the cars. “It was a bit of a cheap shot at us.�

But despite the to-and-fro, Whincup denied the public commentary had triggered any angst inside the team. “No, no, no, we have been doing this long enough and we are like family,� he said. “So we can have a bit of a go – and rightly so – and not get offended.�

Whincup has driven for Dane since 2006, winning seven drivers’ titles and four Bathurst 1000s. He is now a coowner of Triple Eight Race Engineering, the parent of RBHRT. Lying a mammoth 371 points off the pace and ninth in the Supercars championship heading into this weekend’s Perth SuperNight, Whincup maintained that the mandating of the linear spring was at the core of RBHRT’s pace issue.

What is surprising is his pubic

assertion it should have been fixed sooner and his explanation for why it wasn’t. “The change from the twin spring has snowballed to many other areas (of the car) and left us in a position where we are not quick enough,� Whincup revealed. “Our car was certainly set up and designed around twin springs, and it has rocked the boat. “We probably don’t have the resources to have been able to claw our way out of it quicker than we have now.

We should have jumped on it earlier, but shoulda, coulda, woulda. It is what it is.�

Asked how one of the two best funded teams in pit lane could lack resources, Whincup replied: “That’s one of the better questions. The game keeps evolving, it keeps growing in all different areas and getting bigger. “We potentially haven’t grown in some areas as much as we should have. “If there are 12 areas that are important to run a successful racing team, 10 of those are as high as they have ever been and as good as any other team. But there are a few areas where we need to step up on, where we have been a bit low in the resources and that’s cost us with car pace at the start of this year.�

While he declined to be specific about where the team was lacking, Whincup

did agree that simulation was an area where it could “do a better job�.

DJRTP has invested heavily in simulation in recent years under the direction of tech guru Nick Hughes.

Whincup insists he has complete faith in the team to get on top of the linear spring and achieve race-winning pace, but he is less certain an eighth championship will still be in reach this season by the time it happens. “The mountain is still climbable, for sure,� he said. “But I am a realist. Is clawing back 300 points achievable?

Yes, it is, but it’s further away than I would like to be at this stage of the year “Can we turn it around in a matter of months? I’m not sure. It might take longer than that, but I can assure you we will get back on top again, I am just not sure how long it will take.�

Whincup has scored three podiums from 10 starts so far this year, but has yet to score any wins. However, it took him until the 14th race of 2017 to score a victory and he went on to take the most memorable championship of his career.

But it’s with 2015 that Whincup is drawing parallels. Then he dropped way off the pace of the new Ford Falcon FG X in his Holden Commodore VFII in the first half of the year and only recovered to finish fifth in the title race.

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MUSTANG AERO: MORE CHANGES ARE POSSIBLE

BRUCE NEWTON reveals that Supercars has rejected Ford’s call for specification to be “unchanged” for rest of season WHILE FORD regards the aero parity issue as done and dusted, Supercars has made it clear it reserves the right to make further changes to the aerodynamic balance of the Ford Mustang if necessary.

Citing an imbalance in technical parity with the Holden Commodore ZB and Nissan Altima, Supercars last week announced the front undertray and rear wing gurney flap of the Mustang were to be trimmed and the endplates reduced in size ahead of this weekend’s Perth Supernight.

Auto Action has discovered the undertray has been cut by 13mm from its rear edge and the gurney shortened from 13mm to 9.5mm. The endplate is reduced in size by 22 per cent.

The endplate is still the biggest of the three cars by more than 10 per cent while the undertray is longer than the ZB’s but shorter than the Nissan’s. The gurney height is the same as the Nissan and the old Falcon FG/X. Speaking on the condition of anonymity, an aero expert contacted

by AA estimated the Mustang would

be about 2-3 per cent less efficient.

Because it runs less wing angle the impact the gurney reduction will have is debatable. The smaller endplates should reduce air turbulence behind the car.

The changes are designed to deliver less downforce (grip) to the Mustang, which has displayed superior cornering speed to its rivals, but may also have the side effect of reducing drag. That will help the Mustang’s speed later in the year at tracks like Bathurst.

The aero chop follows on from Centre of Gravity changes introduced after the Formula One Australian Grand Prix to equalize the weight disparity between the first coupe introduced to the championship and its rivals.

In a press release last week Ford global motorsport boss Mark Rushbrook said the company expected the Mustang “to run the rest of the season on track unchanged from this specification”.

But Supercars’ head of motorsport Adrian Burgess made it clear that expectation may result in

disappointment.

“It’s not up to them (Ford),” Burgess told AA. “Like all of these things, we work closely with all of them and we are not trying to rock the boat.

“This is a Supercars decision.

Unfortunately, for all the teams, we are the guys trying to uphold the rulebook and trying to keep the integrity of the sport where it is, and trying to keep the sport equitable for all the partners.

“So, if we need to do anything, then clearly we would sit down and talk to them as we did in the first instance.”

Burgess also moved to quash complaints from fans that the aero cutback was a move designed to rein in DJR Team Penske’s Scott McLaughlin, who has taken his Shell V-Power Mustang to six poles and seven race wins from 10 starts.

All up, Mustangs have claimed nine of 10 race wins this season, with McLaughlin’s teammate Fabian Coulthard and Tickford Racing’s Chaz Mostert claiming the other two.

Ford’s reaction also touched on this topic, referencing the “sporting

performance of the teams that race the car” as being a different issue to technical parity.

Supercars does not impose sporting parity, which would penalise individual cars and drivers to equalise competition.

“The drivers and the teams don’t come into this,” Burgess declared.

“This is based on numbers, data and physics.

“It is not based on personalities, whether teams are doing a good job with a widget or a bad job with a widget. It’s 100 per cent not sporting parity. This is a change to the car.

“It is based off measurements of the car in CFD (computational flow dynamics) and real, hard physical measurements. It’s got nothing to do with the driver whatsoever, or whether a team is doing a good job with the car or a bad job with the car.

“These changes will go across the board with the Mustang and I am sure Scotty (McLaughlin) will still be doing a better job than the other guys. At the moment, you have to acknowledge he is doing a fantastic job and he is at the peak of his

A picture is worth a thousand words. At left is the original Mustang Supercar rear wing endplate. On the right is the newly reduced rear wing endplate, which is 22 per cent smaller than before. Nonetheless it remains the largest of the three endplates by more than 10 per cent.` Images: Ross Gibb and supplied

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Scott McLaughlin’s Ford Mustang out front, leading teammate Fabian Coulthard.

The two, plus Chaz Mostert, have won all but one of the Supercar races this season.

Images: LAT

powers.

“I don’t see any reason why that would change. We are not trying to change that; we are not trying to get him to drive with one hand or one leg.

This is about technical parity.”

Burgess confirmed the changes to the Mustang were made on the basis of on-going analysis of the Mustang’s performance by Supercars and its American engineering partner D2H. There was also some good old-fashioned horse-trading on concessions between Supercars and DJRTP, the Mustang homologation team.

“It went both ways,” Burgess confirmed. “They offered me something up and I didn’t agree with it, so I asked them for more and they came back with more.

“But in all these negotiations, we were doing our homework, we were checking what they are telling us in our CFD and with our contracting partners we use.

“We haven’t just gone and bought an old turkey. They have given us something real and factual, and we have done our due diligence on that before we said yes or no.”

SUPERCARS AND TCR SHOULD UNITE Cross-code team backs both categories on same bill

BY BRUCE NEWTON KELLY RACING has urged Supercars to reconsider its stance and add TCR to the support race program in the future.

The former Nissan factory team owned by the Kelly family runs four Altimas in the Supercars championship and has recently announced expansion into the new TCR Australia Series, with two Subaru WRX STis and a pair of Opel Astras.

When first announced, the hope of local TCR promoter Australian Racing Group had been to join the Supercars undercard.

But Supercars rejected that proposition and ARG has instead linked TCR Australia with the Shannons Nationals for its inaugural seven-round season, kicking off at Sydney Motorsport Park from May 17-19.

“Hopefully, they (Supercars and TCR) converge,” Kelly Racing general manager Nick Ryan told AA. “I think there is a lot of value it will add to Supercars at a point in time when they do

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converge.

“I think it could and should happen because it (TCR) represents the opportunities of bringing in a younger demographic of race fans to events, the opportunity to involve more manufacturers which leads into activation, which adds value to TV deals.”

Supercars is a uniquely Australian category for five-litre V8 rear-wheel drive racers, while TCR is global and features front-wheel drive small cars with turbocharged engines up to two litres.

Supercars has manufacturer involvement from just Ford and Holden after Nissan withdrew at the end of last year. TCR claims cars from 13 manufacturers race in various national and

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regional series, plus l the th FIA Touring T i Car C World W ld Cup. C “TCR’s certainly been very successful overseas, but there’s no guarantee that will happen locally,” Ryan conceded. “But there is a lot to suggest it will be very successful.”

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FORD HEAVIES HEAD FOR PERTH

TWO OF the most powerful people in global Ford motorsport will be in Perth this weekend to watch the aerodynamically modified Mustangs race for the first time.

But both DJR Team Penske owner Roger Penske and the blue oval’s global motorsport boss Mark Rushbrook are making long-scheduled trips to Barbagallo, rather than rushed responses to protest the slowing of their car.

Having said that, no doubt technical parity

discussions with Supercars will probably be on the agenda of both men…

Penske is a regular visitor to the WA Supercars round because of his significant business interests in the state.

However, it will be Rushbrook’s first visit to the track, although it his second time viewing Supercars action in 2019 after attending the Adelaide 500 season opener.

“All through the year members of the Ford

Performance team have come and will continue to come to as many races as possible,” Ford Australia’s Damion Smy told Auto Action.

“They obviously have a passion for this category as they are dedicated racers.

“It is not a reaction to what’s going on off-track.

They are planned visits. They have to fit in with other programs such as WRC, IMSA, WEC and NASCAR as well. So, wherever they can fit it into their schedule they will head on over.” BN

RED BULL TO MAKE PIT CHANGES People and processes under review ahead of Barbagallo

By BRUCE NEWTON RED BULL Holden Racing Team is planning changes at this weekend’s Perth SuperNight to get its pit stops back in order.

A combination of both technical issues and human error have seen the team normally regarded as the best in pit lane botch a series of stops late in 2018 and on into this year’s championship.

“We are still locking down exactly what we do, but we won’t be doing nothing,” RBHRT team manager Mark Dutton told Auto Action.

Both Shane van Gisbergen and Jamie Whincup have lost wheels for different reasons this year during races – the former at the Australian Grand Prix and the latter at Phillip Island.

“We’re still confirming exactly that (potential pit lane changes),” Dutton said late last week. “We need to do a bit more work at base, so we’re looking at it strongly.

“There is a fair chance we will tune them up a little bit, but we just need

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to confirm that (before the event) and then put our best foot forward at Perth.”

By “tune them up”, Dutton confirmed he meant potential changes to systems and communications in stops, as well as personnel moves.

“It’s a multi-pronged attack,” he said.

“We’re going ‘OK, do we need to change a few things or is it a singular thing like a personnel change?’.”

Dutton was careful how he spoke about potential crew changes, conscious of just how seriously each member of the team applies themselves to their job and how tough a demotion would be.

“Like in footy sometimes, you do have to bench someone,” he explained. “It’s really hard because in any sport, people do take that personally. If they didn’t care, they shouldn’t be on the team in the first place.”

Dutton, who bears ultimate responsibility for the team’s pit lane performance, admitted he was

“hating” the current rough patch.

“We have made more mistakes than we should and more mistakes than we deserve to with the quality of people we have,” he said. “But all the same, we have made them and we have to swallow the hard pills and chew them up.”

He acknowledged mistakes made by the RBHRT crew are often amplified more than for other teams, because virtually every stop is covered live.

“The fact we are so closely

scrutinised is a compliment,” Dutton acknowledged. “It’s because we’ve been so successful. The microscope is on you, but would you rather it not be on you because that means you are not successful and have not been successful in the past?

“I would rather the scrutiny of myself and the whole team because that means we do lots of things right.

Occasionally, when we do something wrong, it’s not fun, but it helps motivate you not to make that mistake again.”

ALONSO BATHURST BID How Fernando will be enticed to the Mountain

By MARK FOGARTY MOTIVATED BY F1 superstar Fernando Alonso’s interest in the Bathurst 1000, Supercars is looking at reducing testing restrictions on big-name foreign drivers to make it easier for them to contest The Great Race as wild cards.

Auto Action has learned that moves are underway to remove test time and tyre allocation limits on internationals who sign-up to race in the annual October classic.

Walkinshaw Andretti United co-owner Ryan Walkinshaw has re-confirmed that Alonso, who has ties to the team through coowner and McLaren racing boss Zak Brown, is keen to contest the Bathurst 1000 from next year.

However, in the final instalment of an extended interview (see ‘Up Front With Foges’ on pages 20-23), Walkinshaw makes it clear that Alonso will only undertake a wild card with sufficient backing and testing.

“He’s definitely interested,” Walkinshaw declared. “That’s a real potential opportunity, pending the business case making sense. Just like all these things, it’s going to come down to us making sure that everyone’s happy and that we have the support from sponsors and the category.

“But the interest is definitely there. Zak has spoken to Fernando many times about it and it’s definitely something we’d like to do.”

As well as Alonso, through its Andretti Autosport coownership, WAU would be interested in running wild card entries for the likes of IndyCar stars Alex Rossi, Ryan HunterReay and Marco Andretti.

But, again, it would need to stack up financially and also with sufficient testing to allow the visitors to adapt to the quirks of

Supercars, which have humbled many accomplished internationals due to lack of practice.

Along with WAU, DJR Team Penske has also been campaigning behind-the-scenes for testing restrictions on highprofile drivers from overseas series to be lifted.

Team Penske’s Aussie IndyCar star Will Power and teammates Simon Pagenaud and Joseph Newgarden, plus Acura IMSA sports car aces Helio Castroneves and Juan Pablo Montoya, are all keen to try the Bathurst 1000.

Top teams want extra test days and tyre allocations for at least rookie internationals on top of the three official test days and limited rookie running allowed under the current rules.

More test days and additional tyres will allow international stars like Alonso and Power to get familiar with driving a Supercar before being thrown into the Bathurst 1000.

Walkinshaw hinted that testing and tyre concessions were being considered by the Supercars Commission, especially since Alonso’s interest was confirmed.

“I’m sure they would be keen,” he said. “Allow[ing] top drivers, that would definitely add value, [with] the opportunity to have enough testing and so on so they wouldn’t embarrass themselves.

“Time in the car is obviously going to be critical to attracting

people like Fernando, but we’ll work that out eventually and, hopefully, it’ll make sense. If it doesn’t, then that’s part of the business case stacking up.

“But I have full confidence that we have the right people around Supercars and in our team to try to make it make sense if it can.”

According to Walkinshaw, WAU would only be looking to run Alonso in the Bathurst 1000 and hadn’t considered whether he’d be partnered with one of the team’s regular drivers – whoever they may be next year – or another international star.

Supercars chief executive Sean Seamer was non-committal about freeing up testing opportunities for overseas aces.

“We obviously want to encourage as many drivers as possible to come and compete at Bathurst, or any landmark event for that matter,” Seamer told AA. “If the Commission needs to consider revised testing parameters to encourage that, I’m sure they will.”

SUPERCARS BENCHES ‘ASIAN INVASION’ RACES IN south-east Asia are off Supercars’ agenda until the local calendar is sorted.

Despite interest in Malaysia and Singapore, Supercars supremo Sean Seamer is committed to refining the Australia/New Zealand schedule before pursuing out-of-region opportunities.

Sepang International Circuit boss Razlan Razali has revealed that Supercars was pushing for a deal in 2017, allied to an appearance at the F1 Singapore Grand Prix or an event in Thailand.

Former Supercars CEO James Warburton pushed hard to get Supercars on the Singapore GP support race program, twinned with another event in the region.

According to Razali, Warburton pitched Malaysia’s former F1 track for a Supercars round.

While Sepang is still interested, Supercars supremo Sean Seamer has confirmed that the series’ ambitions of an ‘Asian invasion’ are on indefinite hold.

“Our focus is getting Australia and New Zealand right,” Seamer told Auto Action. “Racing at the right time for fans, with the right turn-around times for teams.

“Of course, we would look at any opportunities if they make sense from a championship and calendar perspective, as long as they are viable, long-term propositions and add value to the sport, our teams and our fans.”

Seamer confirmed that talks with the Singapore GP organisers had stalled.

“There have been no further discussions on Singapore,” Seamer said.

According to SIC’s Razali, Supercars under Warburton was keen to race at Kuala Lumpur’s former F1 venue, which gave up the Malaysian GP after 2017 because it had become too expensive amid declining attendance and falling TV audiences.

He started talking with Warburton in 2016, but SIC’s board of directors put the discussions on hold pending a survey of fans’ interest in international series outside F1 and MotoGP. “We negotiated with him, we discussed with him and we got a package from him,” Razali told AA during a recent visit to Melbourne. “At that time, it

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was supposed to be a back-to-back with Singapore or back-to-back with Buriram (Thailand).

“So I got the proposal and I presented it to the board, but the board was being very cautious and hence I told James we had to KIV (Keep In View) this and wait for the result of the poll. So we said ‘OK, let’s try again in the future’.

“The moment we announced the exit of F1, people came knocking on our door, including Supercars.

James (Warburton) was very aggressive to knock on our door. I was very keen about V8s, but then the board said we have to be cautious and do a survey.”

In the fan poll, Supercars ranked fifth out of seven series, behind the top-ranked motorcycle Endurance World Championship, WTCR, Japanese Super GT and WSBK, and ahead of DTM and WEC. Razali revealed that Warburton proposed a deal whereby Supercars would guarantee a minimum number of Australian visitors, which was also his pitch to the Singapore GP organisers to join the F1 night race’s support program.

“He came up with, I wouldn’t say ambitious, I think it was an acceptable assumption of the number of tourists because they were committed to buy X number of hospitality packages and things like that,” Razali said. “He was talking about 40005000 Australians. It was quite good numbers.”

Warburton also agreed that Supercars would use a shortened track layout rather than the full 5.5 km F1 course.

“On the main circuit, they would be lost,” Razali explained. “In fact, one of the reasons I liked James’s proposal was that he was open to do it half-track rather than the full track. He was willing to do that.”

The SIC track boss hasn’t heard from Supercars since Warburton left at the end of 2017, but he remains open to hosting the series in the future as part of a double- or triple-bill international event like the WTCR/EWC co-finale it is staging in midDecember.

“On its own, it would be difficult,” Razali said. “It has to be packaged on a weekend with something else. Then it makes sense.” MF

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TCR INVASION BEGINS THE TCR Australia grid is starting to take shape ahead of the inaugural round of the series at Sydney Motorsport Park on May 17-19.

Already the series has had its fair share of big names join the grid including Bathurst 1000 winner Jason Bright, Penske codriver Tony D’Alberto and former WEC driver John Martin.

Super2 driver Will Brown is the latest to be confirmed on the grid after being announced as the second HMO Customer Racing driver, joining former Eggleston Motorsport teammate Nathan Morcom in one of two Hyundai i30 N TCRs. These join the two similar cars being run out of Garth Walden Racing, though drivers are yet to be confirmed.

Garry Rogers Motorsport has finalised the line-up of its two Renault Megane TCRs with former driver James Moffat reuniting with the team, joining reigning Super2 winner Chris Pither. The former Supercars race winner has set modest goals ahead of the opening round “The TCR Series has been something I’ve been keeping a close eye on and I’m really pleased to have got the deal across the line to race the Renault with Garry Rogers Motorsport,” said Moffat.

“In terms of results, I’m keeping an open mind, but working with a team that has plenty of experience should play into our hands. We’ll all be learning on the run, but I’ve got a good experienced team-mate in Chris [Pither], so between the two of us and the team, we should be competitive and fighting at the

front of the field.”

Preparations at Kelly Racing are in full swing after Todd Kelly went on a fact-finding tour to the latest round of the ADAC German TCR Series at Oschersleben as a guest of Opel

technical partner Lubner Motorsport. The team that has recently taken over the development and construction of the Opel Astra TCR, invited Kelly over to Germany to experience TCR racing and discuss the technical and sporting regulations.

With the countdown to the opening round well and truly underway, the arrival of nine TCR cars onto Australian soil has started with Kelly Racing’s two Subaru Impreza WRX STIs and two Opel Astra TCRs, being joined by Garry Rogers Motorsport’s pair of Renault Meganes and Alfa Romeo Giuliettas, while the second Honda Civic Type-R TCR destined for Wall Racing has also arrived.

TCR has rescheduled a category test day at Winton Motor Raceway to be held on May 6.

The next issue of Auto Action will have a full preview of the 2019 Australian TCR Series.

NISSAN PACE PROMISE

Altima could still feature in Kelly Racing’s plans beyond 2019

By BRUCE NEWTON ANDRE HEIMGARTNER’S Phillip Island podium has bolstered Kelly Racing’s belief its quest to make the aerodynamically repackaged Nissan Altima consistently competitive is progressing.

And it comes at a time when the former Nissan factory team is looking more likley to extend the Altima’s life into 2020, rather than pension it off at the end of 2019 as had originally been planned.

Heimgartner qualified the Plus Fitness Racing Altima fourth and finished third on Saturday at Phillip Island, while team-mate Rick Kelly qualified sixth and finished seventh, before backing it up with eighth (from 11th on the grid) on Sunday.

Heimgartner went 13-13 on Sunday, while Simona De Silvestro and rookie Garry Jacobson couldn’t crack the top 15 in either qualifying session or race.

The Altima has been retrimmed to shift its aero balance forward for 2019 and also had its level of drag reduced. But until Phillip Island, the team had battled to find the car’s new set-up sweet spot.

“We knew what we had last year and we had the historical

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data to go on with it to show it wasn’t good enough to be a championship winner,” revealed Kelly Racing team manager Scott Sinclair.

“We know that and now we have more front downforce relative to the rear and that’s what we needed. We have less drag and that’s what we needed.

“We need to improve the package, but at the same time With the recent changes to the aero package and the single spring introduction, Kelly Racing have a limited amount of I am comfortable that when worthwhile data available as they head to Perth for the night races. Image: LAT we do get it, it will be more competitive than last year.”

Michael Caruso at The Bend last Sinclair told AA the changes to a lot we would take from the past Mustang or Holden Commodore ZB. the Altima were so significant there and the set-up is quite significantly August.

“We are just waiting for a couple was little that could be drawn in different.”

“This is a little tick and a little of other things to exhaust over the set-up terms from previous visits The changes mean the Nissans positive, but we don’t want to be next couple of months and then we to Phillip Island, even though the will also go to Barbagallo Raceway known as the team that scored a need to make a really firm decision seaside circuit had traditionally this weekend without past set-ups podium at Phillip Island back in round by mid-year in what we are going to been one of its strongest. providing much value. four we want to be a competitive do,” Kelly Racing general manager “Compared to how different we “The historical data is almost team constantly and we still have a Nick Ryan said. are to when we have been here out the window,” Sinclair said. way to go to achieve that,” Sinclair Ryan confirmed a new batch of historically, I would say there is not “Because we are uncharted waters said. cylinder heads could be obtained for a lot of correlation at all,” Sinclair it’s slow going because we don’t Meanwhile, as the prospects of the VK56DE engine extending its life. said. know where we have got to get finding a new manufacturer dim for A facelift or rebody for the Altima “The balance has shifted a to.”

2020, Kelly Racing is looking more was also a possibility. Although Heimgartner’s first podium was significant amount towards likely to continue with the refurbished it is no longer sold in Australia, a also the first for the team since new generation Altima has been the front which has completely Altima, rather than go through the launched overseas. a double podium for Kelly and changed it. So, I’d say there is not expense of swapping to the Ford

MUSTANG MARKETING SUCCESS Never mind the politics, Ford’s return to Supercars has a big upside

By BRUCE NEWTON IT HAS concerns about Supercars’ pit lane politics, but Ford Australia is giving its comeback with the Mustang the thumbs up as a marketing move.

Local Blue Oval boss Kay Hart told Auto Action exclusively that the brand, its fledgling Ford Performance division and the Mustang had all benefited from the decision to return to racing.

“There are a couple of things we look for,” Hart said. “One is sentiment on brand and I think that has definitely been one positive for us at the moment.

“We have also had a lot more enquiry about the brand, so a lot more people coming on to our websites, a lot more people are coming into our social media, following us on social. That’s definitely increased since we started racing.

“I see [racing] as a positive for us as a marketing tool for Mustang and for Ford Performance.

“Racing is something in our DNA, so that’s why it was important for us with Mustang and Ford Performance. What we are bringing to the track, I see it as a benefit for us at Ford, especially with that Mustang and Ford Performance tie-up.”

The arrival of Mustang to replace the Falcon and the return of Ford’s factory

backing in Supercars for the first time since 2015 have also prompted a spike in television ratings and consumption of other media by race fans.

Of course, part of that has been due to the controversy over technical parity, with centre of gravity and aerodynamic changes made to rein in the runaway Ford Australia boss Kay Hart says the Mustangs return to racing in Australia has had a positive effect on the Ford Mustangs. brand, Ford Performance division and the Mustang product. Image: supplied As reported last issue, Hart – the president and CEO of Ford in levels we are getting at the moment,” Hart on the back of its Supercars involvement, Australia and New Zealand – made it clear said. but there’s no detail being confirmed about that the level of lobbying and politics in She added that marketing effort focused that plan at the moment.

Supercars was a disappointment to the on the Ford Performance road car range So how about Scott McLaughlin or Chaz company and that she felt they were not in – Ranger Raptor, some Mustangs and the Mostert special editions? That might be the best interests of the sport. forthcoming Fiesta and Focus STs – would going a bit far, it seems.

But she is also adamant that the benefits be unveiled as the year went on.

“The guys do a great job, we have some of the involvement with Mustang are so far “You’ll see a lot more now that we have a really strong drivers out there with really outweighing any negative publicity, as well lot more of our Ford Performance products strong social media followings as well, as acknowledging that media interest in out there,” Hart revealed. “So, you will start which is great,” Hart deflected. “So, I Supercars racing had increased since the to see us as advertising Ford Performance, think we do a lot of work with them in our two-door coupe’s entry. especially with the Raptor going so well. And dealerships with our customers because “I believe we’ve had really good [coverage so, the Ford Performance brand is a really they are so great with our customers as from] Supercars this year, which is fantastic important tie-in for us with Supercars.” well. to see and something we as a brand watch Ford is expected to roll out some high“We will continue to utilise them and drive closely, and we are really pleased to see the performance road car versions of Mustang that brand connection.”

As AA closed for press Jack Le Brocq was on the entry list for this weekend’s Perth SuperNight to drive the Tekno Autosports Holden Commodore and was also expected by Supercars to be performing PR duties in WA in the lead-up to the event All that would seem to dull speculation about his future in the car at least temporarily. As reported in AA 1759, serious disputes had emerged between Le Brocq and team owner Jonathon Webb and the two parties were a loggerheads.

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TIM BLANCHARD will return to the Supercars grid as a Wildcard for the Perth SuperSprint. The 31 year old stepped back from full time driving duties at the end of 2018 to focus on his role as a team owner. Blanchard will drive the same BJR Commodore that Jack Smith raced in at the Tasmania SuperSprint last month, and the Victorian is also expected pair up with Nick Percat for the Pirtek Enduro Cup later in the year.

NETWORK TEN has confirmed that it will broadcast both Supercars races at the Perth SuperNight live. “We are thrilled to be presenting prime-time Supercars on 10 Sport,” said Network Ten Head of Sport Matt White on Ten’s show RPM. See page 32-33 for further broadcasting information.

REIGNING GT Endurance Champion Max Twigg has announced he will be racing at the next round of the GT Championship in Perth, despite only planning to commit in the Endurance Championship this season. After a successful opening round at Albert Park Twigg leads the championship, the Scott Taylor Motorsport driver moving his schedule around top make the trip west.

TWO TIME Dakar winner Toby Price has confirmed that he will make his first race appearance in the SuperUtes at the third round at the Winton SuperSprint.

Price was set to contest four of the eight rounds this season in a Mitsubishi Triton, but had to miss the Adelaide round due injury. The Triton that Price will drive was driven by team owner Craig Dontas in Adelaide but is not expected to be run in Perth.

TONY BATES will contest the remaining rounds of the Asian Audi Sport R8 LMS Cup, joining Absolute Racing for his assault. “I’m proud of what I’ve achieved here in Australia, but I’m always looking for ways to keep learning and improving,” Bates said. “The Audi R8 LMS Cup is a very professionally-operated category and puts me in an environment where I’m testing my skills against some of Asia’s best semi-pro drivers in identical machinery.” The next round of the series is to be held at Zhuhai on May 3-4.

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TCR AIDS D’ALBERTO’S BATHURST BID CONSCIOUS he has a great shot at winning the Bathurst 1000 in 2019, Tony D’Alberto is using the fledgling TCR Australia Series to ensure he arrives at Mount Panorama in October race-fit and firing.

D’Alberto is joining David Wall Racing for the seven-event TCR Series, which kicks off at Sydney Motorsport Park on May 17-19.

He is shaping up as one of the stars of the series along with other former Supercars regulars including James Moffat, Jason Bright and Chris Pither.

But the 33-year old admits his thoughts are already turning to the Bathurst 1000, where he and Fabian Coulthard will front as one of the race favourites in the so-far all-conquering DJR Team Penske

Ford Mustang.

“I have definitely got an amazing opportunity this year, that is why I am pushing so hard to be prepped and ready to go,” D’Alberto told Auto Action.

“Watching the (Mustang’s success) success from the sidelines at the moment, Fabian won at Phillip Island, it was really exciting to see him get his confidence back as well. Scott (McLaughlin) has had many poles and wins this year and has been quite dominant, but just to have both cars fighting for that one-two position shows the team is doing a great job.”

While the front-wheel drive 2.0-litre turbocharged Honda will drive very differently to a 5.0-litre V8 rear-wheel drive

Supercar, D’Alberto says there will be important benefits for his endurance racing stints.

“It’s driving a car on the limit, it’s trying to find the last few tenths in qualifying, it’s engineering a car and understanding what a car needs.

“But that race-craft is more the crucial part of it. I want to do the best job I can for Shell V-Power … the more miles you are doing, it doesn’t really matter what sort of car it is, it’s got to keep you sharp.”

D’Alberto is particularly conscious that Bathurst is the opening endurance race of 2019, rather than the traditional ‘warmup’ at Sandown.

“It’s keeping my miles up, keeping me sharp and keeping my

race-craft up, because when you are sitting on the sideline you can’t be as sharp as what you would be actually racing,” he said.

Contesting TCR means D’Alberto, who also drives for Scott Taylor Motorsport in GT, will not share a car for the first time since he stepped out of full-time Supercars racing at the end of the 2013 season. The 2007 Development Series champion raced in the championship full-time for five years.

“Having a car to myself I will be able to have a play and get the car where I want it more often than not.” D’Alberto explained. “But in saying that if I get it wrong there’s no-one to blame but myself, so I am a lone ranger in that regard.”

BN

FROSTY EXPECTS HOT WA FORM

By BRUCE NEWTON

MARK WINTERBOTTOM is expecting the yo-yoing Irwin Racing performance curve to head upward again in Western Australia this weekend.

The former Ford hero claimed a pole position and raced confidently in the top six at Symmons Plains, but then struggled into the top 20 at Phillip Island the following weekend in his Triple Eight-built Holden Commodore ZB. As a result of all that he lies a more than respectable 10th in the driver’s championship, although he was as high as seventh after Tassie.

“We exceeded expectations at Symmons Plains and then probably under-performed at Phillip Island,” Winterbottom told Auto Action. “So, we have had two weekends that couldn’t be more opposite.

“But it brings you back to earth and you just work hard and I think Perth will be good for us.”

Winterbottom is basing that expectation on the nature of the WA circuit, which is more of a bullring than fast and flowing Phillip Island.

“The long corners at Phillip Island were killing us,” Winterbottom revealed. “We could be quick at four and 10, but we couldn’t be strong at two, we couldn’t be strong at 11 and they don’t have those long corners there [in WA].

“Kolb is the longest corner but it’s in and out. It’s still a lot of braking and a lot of go.

“Our weaknesses from Phillip Island shouldn’t carry over but our strength from Tassie should.”

Put logic to one side and there’s also some omens involving team technical director Phil Keed pointing toward a good result for Charlie Schwerkolt’s reconstituted team in WA. Last time Barbagallo Raceway was resurfaced in 2004, Keed was engineering Jason Bright and the pair scored two wins for PWR Racing.

In 2011 Keed and Bright were combined again at Brad Jones Racing and scored that team’s first Supercars championship race win. Again, at Barbagallo.

“He’s got form on that track,” joked Winterbottom.

“There are a few things going in our favour but you are never too confident because motorsport beats that out of you pretty quick,” Winterbottom added.

“We’ll see how we go.”

Winterbottom told AA his change to Schwerkolt’s one-car team from Tickford Racing has fired up his enthusiasm.

“I am enjoying it again,” he said.

“What I love is that with guys like Phil in your corner they just don’t give up. Every day is a new day and they are continually dissecting the car and trying to get the most out of it.”

FUEL FOR PARC FERME?

By BRUCE NEWTON

FUEL IS more likely than tyres to be added to the hands-off list the next time qualifying parc ferme rules are trialled at Queensland Raceway in July.

That means teams would have to start each race with the amount of fuel in the tank they qualified with and not top-up until the first round of pit stops.

That would be in addition to to not changing suspension set-ups, which was trialled during the first parc ferme outing at Symmons Plains in April.

Supercars head of motorsport Adrian Burgess confirmed a review of the Symmons Plains parc ferme was due to happen at this week’s Supercars Commission meeting.

“Nothing has been agreed at the moment, so if we agree to any changes I’d suggest we’d be looking more at schedules more than can we adjust one widget or another,” said Burgess.

“Things like whether we give the teams more

time between practice and qualifying and less time between qualifying and the race and do we bring fuel into the equation.”

The objective of stopping refuelling after qualifying would be to add another variable into race strategy, Burgess explained.

“Does it make the race more interesting? Does

it open up more strategies for the teams to think about? They are the questions and discussions we will have.” Burgess revealed.

He was more downbeat about the possibility of not allowing cars to change tyres between qualifying and the race.

“I don’t think that’s really going to do much for

the show to be honest,” Burgess said. “It’s not as if it’s Formula One and you are qualifying on different compounds.

“If you ask them or tell them to race on the tyre they qualified on, I don’t think it’s going to change anything. It wouldn’t change anything in my opinion.”

TIME-CERTAIN FINISHES UNDER REVIEW SUPERCARS IS pressing ahead with plans to get rid of timecertain race finishes at more events following a trial at the Australian Grand Prix.

Following clarification that the move was a one-off at Albert Park, more flexibility to extend races following delays is being investigated.

To the annoyance of fans, races have time-certain finishes that supersede the nominated distance to ensure they’re completed within the broadcasting schedule, especially those events shown live on the 10 network.

Supercars chief executive Sean Seamer has confirmed that ways to ensure delayed or interrupted races run their full distance, subject to weather and daylight,

are being discussed with the series’ broadcast partners and event organisers.

“Our ambition is to make sure that we are completing as many races at the full length as possible, for both fans at the track and at home,” Seamer told Auto Action. “The Motorsport Operations team, in conjunction with the media (TV) team, are assessing what we can do to maximise race completion throughout the year.

“We have limitations on light, so it can’t be entirely open-ended, but once that work is completed, we will take it to our media partners for feedback.”

Seamer added that race time extensions at the Adelaide 500 and Melbourne 400 proved that

schedules could be flexible.

“We extended the race time at the Grand Prix, we extended the race time in Adelaide, and we will continue to extend race times as much as possible while we work through time-certain discussions

with broadcast and event partners,” he said.

While Fox Sports’ telecasts are not so time-sensitive, 10 needs its coverage to be over before the 6 pm weekend evening news bulletins.

Seamer has proposed to 10 that live races that over-run would be switched from the main channel to 10 Boss for their completion, while Fox Sports’ coverage would continue uninterrupted.

Mark Fogarty

THE CUTTING EDGE OF MOTORSPORT BRAKE DEVELOPMENT AND MANUFACTURING

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STOFFEL VANDOORNE will replace Jenson Button in the #11 SMP car at the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps and the Le Mans 24 Hour.

The 2009 Formula One World Champion has opted not to drive to spend more time with his pregnant fiancé. It was expected that Brendon Hartley would replace Button after he stepped in for the Briton at the 1000 Miles of Sebring, but Hartley is expected to be announced as the Toyota Gazoo Racing reserve driver. The Kiwi is also the likely replacement for Fernando Alonso if the double F1 World Champion chooses to leave the series at the end of the season.

THE DAKAR Rally is set to move from South Africa to the Middle East in 2020, to Saudi Arabia.

Rally director David Castera said: “I’ve always considered that this rally like no other carried a concept of discovery, a voyage into the unknown.

By going to Saudi Arabia, it is of course that aspect that fascinates me.” More details on the rally will be revealed in coming weeks.

EOIS LODGED FOR FIFTH BATHURST EVENT SUPERCARS AND the Australian Racing Group are among six organisations to have lodged an Expression of Interest (EOI) to potentially hold a fifth event at the Mount Panorama circuit.

The EOIs were lodged in response to the Bathurst Regional Council identifying an opportunity for a fifth event, with the Mount Panorama Motor Racing Act 1989 permitting up to five full track closures for motor sport events per year.

After the completion of the circuit’s second event of the year, the Bathurst 6 Hour, which was won by Beric Lynton and Tim Leahey driving a BMW M3, the Bathurst Regional Council confirmed that interest in holding a fifth event at

the legendary circuit was high.

“It is heartening to see such a strong response to the EOI process and the level of excitement and interest that the Mount Panorama circuit continues to generate among the motor racing fraternity,” Cr Graeme Hanger said.

“Council will now undertake assessment of the EOIs and is unable to make any further comment until this process is complete.”

Supercars already hold two events at Mount Panorama in the form of the Bathurst 12 Hour and October’s Bathurst 1000, while the Australian Racing Group along with CAMS have also entered an EOI ahead of the opening round of the burgeoning TCR Australia Series, due to

take place next month, a class that has the ability to cater for a variety of endurance race lengths.

Global interest has come from Creventic International, which organises 24H series events including the 24 hours of Dubai.

Iain Sherrin is behind Ontic Sports and the Australian Production Car Series, with many of its competitors competing during last weekend’s Bathurst 6 Hour. Its ECI comes with the series moving towards holding standalone events.

Targa event organisers Mountain Motor Sports and 24 Hours of Lemons Australia are the other two interested parties.

Bathurst Regional Council is expected to discuss ideas with the six organisations.

McLAREN HAS signed a multi-year deal which will see a McLaren 720s GT3 car run by Compass Racing in the IMSA Weathertech Sportscar Championship. The 720s will be driven by Paul Horton and Matt Plumb, and will make its debut at the first sprint round of the season in Mid-Ohio on May 5. “The popularity of GT3 racing in North America has dramatically grown over recent seasons and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship is one of the most competitive GT series in the world,” said Dan Walmsley, motorsport director at McLaren Automotive.

WORLD RALLY Championship runner up Thierry Neuville and World Touring Car Cup Champion Gabriele Tarquini are just two of the big names confirmed for guest appearances in the ADAC TCR Germany Series this season. The guest driver at each round will race a Hyundai i30 N TCR car, but it is unknown at this stage when Neuville and Tarquini will drive.

PIETRO FITTIPALDI, grandson of Emerson Fittipaldi, has signed for Audi customer team WRT for this year’s DTM championship. The Haas reserve driver hopes to put a tough 2018 behind him when he suffered a leg breaking accident in qualifying for the WEC 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps. The accident saw him sit out most of the 2018 season in both WEC and IndyCar. “We are now fully geared to take up the challenge of our maiden season in a fantastic series such as the DTM,” said WRT team boss Vincent Vosse.

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RALLY AUSTRALIA NOT IN DANGER ORGANISERS OF Rally Australia and the WRC promoter have both rebuffed speculation about the future of the Coffs Harbour event after this season.

Questions were asked about the event’s future after various news outlets, including Autosport, which quoted a source stating, “Australia needs to find a new home for its WRC round, we know that. New Zealand is looking like a sensible option for next year.”

It comes after there was continued displeasure about the location of the rally at Coffs Harbour due to low crowd numbers, despite improving by more than 20,000 spectators in 2018.

Rally New Zealand organisers are still hoping to attract the WRC back after not staging an event since 2012. Prior to that, the two countries alternated the event each year, but New Zealand withdrew

from the arrangement meaning that Rally Australia has been run continuously since 2013.

A Rally Australia spokesman provided a statement on the matter: “Rally Australia’s negotiations with WRC Promoter over future events are continuing, with the full commitment of our major supporter, Destination New South Wales. We look forward to the announcement of a provisional calendar in due course, but

meanwhile there has been no suggestion from WRC Promoter about being anywhere else but the Coffs Coast.”

This was further reinforced by comment from the WRC promoter: “These stories are speculative and not based on fact, and it is not the championship’s policy to comment on speculation.”

This year’s season ending Rally Australia at Coffs Harbour will take place on November 14-17.

RANDLE EYES ENDURO SEAT TICKFORD RACING’S sole Super2 driver Thomas Randle has his eye on the team’s only remaining Pirtek Enduro Cup seat alongside Lee Holdsworth, after a strong comeback drive in Adelaide.

After returning from overseas last season to contest his debut Super2 campaign, Randle currently sits 11th in the points after a Race 1 incident in Adelaide forced him to retire. But this led to a resilient drive to ninth in the second race and third in the finale, proving that car speed wasn’t an issue.

“We had really good pace, didn’t quite get it together in qualifying, but our race pace was really good, especially in the last race,” Randle told Auto Action.

“The first race always seems to be bad luck for me, I either don’t start it or don’t finish it and that really sets up your weekend. Because Adelaide is the only weekend, we do the three-race structure, also the progressive grid. The two races

you don’t want to DNF is Adelaide Race 1 and Bathurst, unfortunately we ticked one of those off the list.”

Barbagallo was a happy hunting ground for Randle in 2018 where he scored a season high second in Race 2, with this year’s round coming at an important time when Tickford Racing are yet to announce a driver to partner Lee Holdsworth in the Bottle-O Ford Mustang.

Randle was coy when asked by Auto Action about the possibility, after sampling the Mustang at both the Supercars test day in February and at the additional driver session in Tasmania.

“We’ll see,” he said. “I’m working towards it and nothing is guaranteed. Nothing is set in stone at the moment, the outing in Tassie was just purely to log laps. I’d love to partner with Lee [Holdsworth], but at the end of the day it isn’t my decision.”

Heath McAlpine

THE ISLAND HOSTS SECOND ROUND BIG ENTRIES from the Hyundai Excels, Improved Production and Sports Sedans headline a packed second round of the Victorian State Circuit Racing Championships at Phillip Island.

A record 261 cars will line-up across the weekend, which encompasses 58 Hyundai Excel entries including Queensland invader Cameron Wilson, former champion Nathan Blight, Kaide Lehmann, Michael Clemente, Marcus Fraser, Ben Grice and Jordan Caruso.

Improved Production has 40 entries headed by reigning champion Luke Grech-Cumbo in his HSV Senator, taking on Rob Braune in his ultra-quick BMW E30 and a variety of V8 Holdens including

the Monaro of Ian McLennan and the VF Commodore SS of Mark Defanis.

A variety of cars will take to the Sports Sedan grid including the Chas Talbot Chevrolet Camaro, the Mazda RX8 GT driven by Bruce Henley and Graeme Gilliland’s Mazda RX7.

Other categories that will contest the weekend include the MG and British Sports Cars, Formula Ford, Formula Vee, HQ Holdens, Porsche 944s, Saloon Cars, BMW E30s and 21 Historic Touring Cars.

The on-track action commences at 9.00am Saturday until 5.00 pm daily.

Adults weekend passes are a family friendly $30.00, with kids under 16 admitted free.

PODIUM FOR CAMPBELL IN AMERICA PRO-AM MATT CAMPBELL raced in America at the Virginia International Raceway last weekend, taking part in two 90 minute races.

In Race 1 a mechanical issue forced Campbell and co-driver Anthony Imperato to retire at the end of the first lap. Sunday for the Wright Motorsports pairing was a lot better as they finished in eighth position, getting a podium for finishing third in the Pro-Am class.

Aidan Read had a mixed weekend in the ADAC GT Masters championship in Germany.

His co-driver Marvin Dienst drove brilliantly in qualifying and put the pairs Mercedes AMG GT3 on pole position. Dienst then drove well at the start of the race and handed the car over to Read in the lead of the race, the pair going on to lead a large portion of the race.

However, in the closing stages of the race rain began to fall and Read dropped back to finish fifth, and third in the Pirelli Junior class.

In the second race the pair qualified down in 18th position, the Schutz Motorsport pair finishing the race in 15th.

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AUSSIE ALLEN DOMINATES

AUSTRALIAN JAMES Allen took victory in the opening round of the European Le Mans Series, the 4 Hours of Le Castellet at the Paul Ricard Circuit in France.

Allen teamed up with Ben Hanley and Henrik Hedman, and together the trio gave DragonSpeed their first ELMS victory since 2016. They crossed the line 16s ahead of Paul-Loup Chatin, Paul Lafargue and Memo Rojas in the IDEC Sport Oreca. Richard Bradley, Nico Jamin and Pierre Ragues rounded out the

podium in their Duqueine Engineering Oreca 07.

The race ran cleanly with no full course yellows at any stage of the four hour race, which allowed race strategies to play out.

Allen drove well in the opening laps, making many well executed passes, before taking the lead off Roman Rusinov at the penultimate turn 15 minutes into the race. Allen remained in the lead for the remainder of his first stint.

“I managed to get a good start,

managed to get passed one into Turn 1 and then we had really good straight line speed, so passing on the Mistral Straight was quite easy,” Allen explained.

“I made moves and capitalised on the mistakes from the front two to get into the lead, and was

cruising after that.”

Hedman took over from Allen and lost the lead in the second hour of the race, dropping to sixth, but strong double stints from both Allen and Hanley put them back into contention. With 25 minutes remaining leader

Richard Bradley, running on a different strategy, pitted for a splash and dash from the lead.

That handed Hanley the lead which he never relinquished.

The 4 Hours of Monza is the second round of the ELMS and takes place on May 12.

SOLID START FOR CAR JOSHUA CAR got his U.S. F4 Championship off to a great start at Road Atlanta, coming out of the opening weekend with three top four finishes.

A strong 25 car field entered the weekend, in which Car claimed a race victory now sits second in the Championship standings.

Qualifying was cancelled due to flash flooding and meant Car, who was fastest in practice, started from pole position for the first round.

The Australian got away well and led the early stages before a red flag was called as Oliver Clarke’s car went up in flames; fortunately he escaped unhurt.

On the restart Teddy Wilson took the lead, the Aussie and the Briton battling for the remainder of the race and allowing Christian Brooks and Francisco “Kiko” Porto to catch up.

On the final lap Car tried a move on the outside but ran out of room, eventually finishing fourth but was promoted to third after Brooks was disqualified due to illegal fuel.

In Round 2 Porto claimed his first victory in single

seaters, while Car stayed out of trouble and finished in fourth position.

Although Car started the third round from seventh position it didn’t take him long to make his way to the front, picking off a car every lap. Once in the lead the Crosslink/Kiwi Motorsport driver kept his head and brought the car home to take the win.

“It was awesome to make great overtakes and fight hard for the win. I believe we were the quickest all week, but just didn’t have a clean enough weekend to take more points. I’ll adjust and adapt for our next event,” Car said.

The next round is a couple of months away, taking place from June 21-23 at the Pittsburgh International Race Complex.

Targa Tasmania gets underway as this issue of Auto Action goes to press with locals and reigning champions Jason and John White hoping to snare an eighth crown and equal the record held by Jim Richards and Barry Oliver. Look for a review of the event in Auto Action 1761, on sale May 16.

TESTING OPENER FOR AUSSIES AUSSIES JACK Doohan and Calan Williams had a difficult weekends at the opening round of the Euroformula season at the Paul Ricard circuit, while Kiwi and former Australian Formula 4 driver Liam Lawson took one of the two race victories and leads the championship.

Liam Lawson drove maturely in Race 1. Pole sitter Yuki Tsunoda got a poor start and the New Zealander pounced, taking second into Turn 1.

The Safety Car was then called for a crash between Cameron Das and Artem Petrov, and on the restart Lawson was able to pull off a move into Turn 1 to take the lead off Lukas Dunner.

After this Lawson came under pressure from teammate Tsunoda and Dunner but defended well to keep them behind and take the victory.

Tsunoda finished second from Dunner.

14 AutoAction

Red Bull junior Doohan finished the race in ninth and earned two points ahead of Briton Billy Monger, while Williams finished twelfth.

In Race 2 Lawson made a poor start from pole before clashing with Motopark teammate Tsunoda, costing him places. Once he got back into second though he was unable to hunt down Marino Sato who took victory.

Lawson finished second but received a three second post-race penalty for the clash with his teammate, demoting him to fourth.

Queenslander Doohan picked up points in Race 2, once again finishing in ninth position.

While Williams had a great tussle with Fortec Motorsports teammate Das eventually finishing the race behind him in 16th position.

The next round of the Euroformula championship also takes place in France at the famous Pau street circuit on May 18-19.

AA’s passionate pundit reflects on the tragedy 25 years ago that changed the sport and also had a profound affect on his career IT IS a sad irony of motor racing that the death of a legend is good for business. Formula 1 was never more popular than in the wake of Ayrton Senna’s fatal crash 25 years ago, just as interest in NASCAR soared to new heights after Dale Earnhardt Snr died in a race accident in early 2001.

Those ghoulish gains have diminished alarmingly in recent years, leaving both F1 and NASCAR struggling to reclaim their motor sport hegemony. The reality is that danger and death are irresistible drawcards.

Thankfully, the live-on-TV horrors of Senna’s and Earnhardt’s demises made motor racing a much safer endeavour at all levels. Fallen heroes was the price racing paid for its emancipation from the constant spectre of mortality.

Motor sport is still dangerous, but the risks are now so low that fatalities are extraordinarily rare.

But Alex Zanardi and Billy Munger are living, inspirational examples of the enduring threat of being maimed.

While it is a very good thing that F1’s death toll has gone from routine in the 1960s and ’70s to rare – and unacceptable – in the early 21st century, the harsh truth is that the extreme safety of modern cars and circuits has cost the sport its daredevil, gladiatorial appeal.

The last true danger zone is IndyCar racing on short ovals.

That is knife-edge, hold-yourbreath action. Its safety has been improved dramatically in recent years following horrendous accidents, but open-wheel oval

encounters remain intrinsically perilous.

And therein lies the dilemma.

Too safe to excite or too dangerous to exist in this cosseted world?

The fact is, on May 1, 1994, F1 lost its biggest star by far.

The memory of Ayrton Senna da Silva – for that was his full family name – still resonates and permeates. Millennials revere and respect his legend and legacy.

Michael Schumacher, himself in seclusion following his crippling skiing accident more than five years ago, was statistically greater, but nowhere near as loved.

Senna was passionate, flamboyant, ruthless, stubborn and deeply intellectual. He was far from perfect – in fact, in many ways, he set a very bad example for the generation to follow, including Schumacher – but he appealed because he was driven by his heart.

I knew Ayrton – and yet I didn’t know him. We jousted regularly in press conferences and interviews during the peak of his career, which coincided with my period as a fulltime F1 reporter.

He loved being challenged and considered his answers deeply. It wasn’t unusual that there would be dead silence for 20 seconds or more between a question and his answer.

Doesn’t sound like a long time, but when you’re the interrogator, it seems like an eternity. But it was always worth the wait because his reply would be carefully considered.

I could take you back to that star-crossed weekend at Imola, but it is conflicted with good and bad memories. I won a Porsche – long story, to be retold at a later date – and lost one of the most fascinating subjects of my sporting journalism career.

In F1, there wasn’t much depth to the superstars of the late 1980s and early ’90s. Senna was insightful, introspective and, when you got him in the right environment, disarmingly honest.

I would compare him with the self-analytical openness of John McEnroe, Martina Navratilova and Jack Nicklaus, tennis and golfing greats I covered as an international sports broadcaster in an earlier life.

We were inexorably linked by the moving documentary Senna, in which I am heard asking him possibly the most innocuous question ever. But it delivered an

unexpected reply that bookends the film.

I am unashamedly proud of that and regard that audio cameo as one of the highlights of my career.

I wish I could reflect on Senna better in hindsight than I did in these pages a quarter of a century ago. But I can’t. The raw emotion back then, and talking to him amid his crisis of confidence in the lead-up to that fateful day, can’t be recaptured.

Perhaps we will reprint them on the 30th anniversary of his death in 2024, along with the extraordinarily confronting interview with Bernie Ecclestone in the wake of F1’s greatest tragedy.

It’s chilling for me to reread them. And yet, it was a professional highpoint in that I was called upon as an expert to explain it all on British TV and international radio. Plus, of

course, winning the Porsche on the same weekend.

Never has Charles Dicken’s opening line of A Tale Of Two Cities been more appropriate.

Truly, it was the best of times, it was the worst of times.

F1 – and motor racing – changed forever on that weekend. Whether it did for better or worse, competionwise, is still up for debate.

As you will read on page 28, Damon Hill is still conflicted to this day about the effect the deaths of Roland Ratzenberger – who must never be forgotten in this context – and Senna, his then deified teammate, have had on F1.

Modern sensibilities were starting to creep into life back in ’94, but we are still looking back from a very different perspective.

Ayrton Senna may be motor racing’s last great hero.

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s w e n e n O Formula

THE THOR CHARLES LECLERC was in charge of his own destiny when it came to the thorny question of Ferrari team orders in Azerbaijan. Scuderia boss Mattia Binotto declared earlier in the year that the more experienced Vettel would be given priority over Leclerc.

But team orders don’t work if Leclerc disappears into the distance like he did in Bahrain. It was different in China where Leclerc and Vettel were running in tandem and the former had to let the latter go ahead.

Leclerc looked set to be in front of Vettel in Azerbaijan. He was fastest all through practice and right up until the second qualifying session, when he made a mistake and crashed. That put Leclerc eighth on the grid and a long way behind Vettel who started third.

When chatting with reporters in the Baku paddock prior to practice, Leclerc was asked if he thought he could beat Vettel if he was permitted.

“I don’t know,” Leclerc mused. “It’s very early in the season still. It’s a tricky question.”

WILLIAMS’ WOES IF THERE is one Formula 1 team that really didn’t need to have two wrecked cars on a race weekend, it was the struggling on-its-backfoot Williams.

During Friday morning’s practice in Baku George Russell ran over a loose manhole cover that ripped up his Williams and cracked the chassis. During qualifying the next day Robert Kubica made a mistake and rammed his Williams into the barriers.

“Ahead of this weekend I was kind of feeling there was a bit of light at the end of the tunnel and then this happens,” said deputy team principal Claire Williams.

Now money, time and resources that were designated for upgrades on the car need to be diverted to repairing and replacing what got damaged.

“We haven’t had the best year, clearly everybody has seen that,” Williams said. “It started with not

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getting our chassis to testing, and we’ve had to really play catch up off the back of that. So we are now in a position where we have all our race quantities (of parts), and now we’re looking to bring the upgrades that have literally been sitting on a shelf as we’ve cleared the backlog out of manufacturing.”

Williams said the return of team cofounder and technical genius Patrick Head is benefitting the team.

However the body language between the two – when they ignored each other in the pit garage at the previous race in China – was interesting to observe.

“Patrick is acting as a guide for our team of engineers at the moment, just making sure that they’re doing everything that they should be doing,” Williams said.

The Williams FW42 car, which arrived late for preseason testing in Spain, has been pretty much unchanged.

“From the moment we put the car down in Barcelona we knew we’d be having this car for the next four races or so,” Russell said.

There still is a major problem of the car being inconsistent and unpredictable.

“We have to get on top of this issue and until now we were not able to,” Kubica said after the race in Baku. “First of all we have to understand it. In this area in China I was surprisingly happy, in Bahrain I

wasn’t. George was happy in Bahrain and I wasn’t.

Friday here I had some bigger problems and some smaller problems. I was never 100 per cent in the situation to drive and think about driving.

“There are many things that are quite positive and probably some of them are hidden by general performance, but also still a lot of things to improve.

My driving and the pace are much better than it looks.”

Williams will have a few updates for the next race in Spain.

“They will give us a good indication of how the rest of the season will pan out,” Russell said. “A number of different things varying from aerodynamics to brakes. It is not a full update but it will give is a clear direction of where we need to focus. Based on those results it will help us understand if we have any hope for the remainder of the season or not.”

NY QUESTION He then paused for a long time during which the Ferrari press officer interjected: “Say yes.”

“I believe there is the potential to do so,” Leclerc continued. “But then from the potential to actually doing it, I need to do a lot of work and put all the things together. But, yeah, we’ll see.”

Leclerc has a strategy to deal with team orders and politics.

“I work on the driving side as much as I can,” he said. “And like I always did to be in the best shape possible in the key moment of the weekend. Then I accept the decisions, but I’m trying to do the best job possible in the car.”

He did a great job in Baku right up until Q2. What upset him was that there was no real reason to be pushing the car to the limits in that session, as he would have comfortably transferred to the final Q3 session for the top 10 drivers.

While he did manage to lead

part of the race in Baku, Leclerc was, because of his accident and starting eighth, out of synch with the strategy of the leaders and he finished fifth.

“The fifth place obviously when I’m looking at FP1, FP2, FP3 and quali is not very representative,” Leclerc said. “I am disappointed because I felt great in the car. I think in the car there was definitely the potential to do pole position, and I threw all our chances away by touching the wall yesterday, it is my mistake.

“It was entirely my fault, and I’ll do everything to never make it again, to learn from this mistake and come back stronger. I’ll never forget the mistake, because it hurts, but it will make me stronger for the next race.”

And a stronger Leclerc might be able to qualify and race ahead of teammate Vettel. Leclerc is in charge of his own destiny.

RENAULT NEEDS TO REGROUP AFTER A sloppy start in the first four races of the season, the Renault team desperately needs a reset and regroup when the Formula 1 circus reconvenes in Spain for the first race in Europe.

Aussie Daniel Ricciardo has failed to finish three times, and he and teammate Nico Hülkenberg have nothing more than a pair of seventh places between them so far.

Both Hülkenberg and Ricciardo lacked confidence in the car’s braking, grip and handling throughout the weekend in Azerbaijan. And those are crucial ingredients for lapping quickly around the wall-lined Baku street circuit. Finally, in the race, Ricciardo managed to get into the flow. He was heading to a finish in the points when he literally backed his car into the Toro Rosso of his former teammate Daniil Kvyat.

“Very clearly it’s been a bad weekend,” Renault team principal Cyril Abiteboul said. “From FP1 onwards we never found our pace despite big changes to the car overnight. We finally managed to recover an acceptable competitiveness level during the race for Daniel but it would never be the case for Nico.

“Overall, the first stint of the season has been disappointing, but if we manage to get all things in order, we can have a decent competitiveness level as demonstrated on several occasions. We must absolutely see the start of the European season as an opportunity to reset.”

Ricciardo and Hülkenberg really hope that Renault’s regression in form in Baku is a

one-off track-specific dip in performance.

Just two weeks after Ricciardo finished seventh in the Chinese Grand Prix – and thus being the best of the midfield behind the top three teams – he started 10th in Baku with two McLarens, a Racing Point and a Toro Rosso lined up on the grid in front of him.

Hülkenberg lined up 15th and finished 14th.

“I didn’t really feel at home or happy in the car at any point during the weekend,” Hülkenberg said. “I didn’t feel the love or the harmony between the car and myself.”

Ricciardo was also not happy.

“All weekend we haven’t really been on it,” he said. “That is why getting into the points would have been a fairly good recovery for us, and that’s why I’m gutted not to pull that off. Relative, it looked like we had pretty good pace on the medium. On the soft compound tyre we struggled at the beginning. If we’d finished the race, we’d actually be quite upbeat about it. But not much more to say. I feel pretty small at the moment.”

Officials punished Ricciardo for causing the accident with Kvyat by giving him a three-place grid penalty for the next race.

Spain’s Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya is used as a F1 test track because it exposes weaknesses in the cars. Like all the teams, Renault will have a number of upgrades for its car at the upcoming Spanish Grand Prix. It will be a telling test if Renault has managed to reset and get its season back on course.

WINNING AT ALL AYRTON SENNA introduced a new ruthless attacking driving style to Formula 1, something that could have resulted in injury or death in previous eras when the cars and circuits were not as safe.

Michael Schumacher refined those tactics to new lows. Thankfully, Lewis Hamilton – his hero is Senna – has not continued the trend.

Senna became upset with Jackie Stewart during a famous TV interview during the 1990 Australian Grand Prix weekend. Stewart said that Senna had been involved in more accidents and contact with other cars than all the other world champions combined.

The circumstances leading up to all of this were the two clashes between Senna and Alain Prost in the Japanese Grand Prix. In 1989, when they were McLaren teammates, Prost refused to yield, they collided, and as a result Prost became champion. A

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year later Senna won the title after he deliberately rammed Prost, now driving for Ferrari, off the track.

Senna told Stewart that he had every right to go for the gap trying to pass Prost.

“If you no longer go for a gap that exists, you are no longer a racing driver because we are competing to win,” Senna insisted.

The reality was far different. It was revenge.

“We all have weaknesses,” Senna’s former McLaren boss Ron Dennis recalled on the 10th anniversary of Senna’s death, “and Ayrton might well have read the section in his own particular guide manual that said an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. He was basically following the path of balance, and he was trying to find a way to justify the behavior that he wasn’t particularly comfortable with, but with which he felt was a way of balancing the books.”

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What did Dennis do after Senna walked back to the pits following the first lap accident in 1990?

“What you do in that circumstance is that you immediately evaluate the repercussion that could immediately spring from it,” Dennis said. “You professionally guide him, which I did, to avoid it becoming an issue. So you basically have to support the situation in order that you don’t get

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embroiled in the post-event politics. I wasn’t supportive of it, but I enjoyed the benefit of it (by winning the championship). You think was that a just outcome, was that the way it should be?”

Not on the day of the accident but later on, Dennis told Senna that McLaren does not win at all costs.

“I don’t think that he was particularly proud of that particular judgment,” Dennis said. “It was not one his finest moments, and he wasn’t proud of it. I don’t think that in the end that even he could justify it on the basis of the outcome. He would have preferred to have won the world championship without that particular event.”

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F1 INSIDER

with Dan Knutson

SENNA’S ‘JAMES DEAN’ LEGACY AYRTON SENNA’S death 25 years ago changed the way he is remembered – just as fleeting film star James Dean’s premature demise enhanced his legend. Both were immortalised by their deaths.

There is something of a James Dean factor about Senna – a “What could have been had he lived?” factor. We’ll never know, but both attract cult-like followings as a result of their careers being cut short.

Dean is a cultural and Hollywood icon. Yet he had made just three films – most famously, Rebel Without A Cause – and was only 24 when he died after his Porsche 550 Spyder collided with a Ford sedan at the junction of two rural highways in California.

What would have become of Dean had he lived? Would he have gone on to be in countless films like his contemporaries Paul Newman and Clint Eastwood (more than 130 between them)?

Or would his career have fizzled after fewer than 20 films, forcing him to television acting like another

contemporary, George The A-Team Peppard?

It was different for Senna, of course, because his Formula 1 career lasted 10 years and yielded three world championships, 65 poles and 41 race wins. He was already a superstar of his era.

But there could have been much, much more.

Combine Senna’s prodigious talent as a racing driver and how good the Williams-Renaults were from 1992-97, and following his switch from McLaren at the end of ’93, he could very well have won the world championship with Williams from ’94-97. There would have been some titanic battles with Benetton phenom Michael Schumacher, who in ’94 was just coming into his prime.

No offense to Williams drivers

Damon Hill and David Coulthard in ’94-95, when Schumacher won the titles, but Senna had more talent than they did to take on Schuey.

Such was Senna’s charisma that 25 years after he his fatal accident, he still draws the adulation of many fans. Young race drivers admired him, too, but subsequent generations had Schumacher and now Lewis Hamilton as their role models.

Consider that Senna’s contemporary, teammate and bitter rival Alain Prost racked up four F1 championships, 33 poles and 51 wins. Even so, Prost just doesn’t command the idolisation that Senna still does after all these years.

Senna would now be 59 had he survived. Most probably, unlike Renault advisor Prost, he would

not have remained involved in F1.

He almost certainly would have returned to his beloved Brazil – something he did as often as possible, even when he was racing – to be with his family and friends, to work with the various charities he had set up, plus his business interests, which included the Audi distribution rights for the entire country.

“His stature in Brazil would make it very easy to access government and get government support for those sorts of ventures,” his former McLaren boss Ron Dennis said.

“He would have been a superb businessman. He didn’t particularly like the environment of grand prix racing.

“He would most certainly politically used his influence and his fame to help the underdogs

of Brazil, those people who were living in the favelas (slums), particularly the children, and he was a very compassionate human being and very much of the belief that Brazil’s future was in the hands of quite a few people, and he wanted to contribute to Brazil having a better future.”

While Senna still had that intense desire to win, I sensed his intensity had softened a little bit in his last years in F1. He was a little mellower and more tolerant of views that were not his own, which in the past he thought were always right.

The same thing happened to Michael Schumacher. Just how long Senna would have continued in F1 is uncertain. Would he have hung around driving for an uncompetitive team with no chance at victory? He was not designed, he said, to finish third, fourth, fifth or sixth. But what he really hated was the political infighting that was so common in F1 then and is now.

“If he had chosen to stop motor racing at any stage, it would have always been because of the political situation, not his ability to receive satisfaction and motivation from driving a car,” Dennis said. “It was the politics that used to drive him crazy.”

Flawed and famous, a genius, fast, friendly and distant, Ayrton Senna became an icon and has had his legend increase since his death. Just like James Dean.

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OPINION EVOLUTION OF SAFETY THE BIGGEST PROGRESSION

BY HEATH McALPINE Deputy Editor MOTORSPORT CONTINUES to evolve through technology, engineering capabilities and as a result, most importantly safety.

This edition of your favourite magazine is dedicated to what was a tragic weekend of motorsport, when two lives were lost and another driver sustained serious injuries, a weekend that changed the sport forever.

So to talk about the evolution of safety in the sport seems apt and opportune.

Safety has been a key area of progression in race car development over the last 25 years – especially in the world of Formula 1.

After that devastating weekend at Imola in 1994, the FIA announced the creation of the Expert Advisory Safety Committee headed by legendary Formula 1 doctor Sid Watkins.

The goal of the group was to research and find solutions to major safety issues in the sport, and 1996 saw the EASC make its first impact with the implementation of a new high energy absorbing head rest.

The EASC then moved to a new anti-penetration testing protocol, which led to stronger chassis used in Formula 1, but one of the most critical changes also came around this time with the introduction of the HANS device. The Head and Neck Support (HANS) device has been a game changer, not only in Formula 1 but in just about all forms of four-wheel motorsports.

Development started on the

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Bruce Williams 0418 349 555 Associate Publisher Mike Imrie Editor-At-Large Deputy Editor

Mark Fogarty Heath McAlpine

Creative Director/ Production Jason Crowe Special Contributor Bruce Newton Staff Journalist Dan McCarthy National Editor Garry O’Brien Online Editor Rhys Vandersyde

Contributing Writers Australia Garry O’Brien, Mark Fogarty, Bruce Newton, David Hassall, Bob Watson F1 Dan Knutson Speedway Geoff Rounds Photographers Australia Ross Gibb, Rebecca Hind, Mick Oliver, David Batchelor, Randall Kilner, Rhys Vandersyde International LAT Images

HANS device in the 1980s after a number of deaths were attributed to basilar skull fractures, including that of Roland Ratzenberger.

Formula 1’s interest in the product grew after the events of Imola 1994, but initially there was no desire from racing safety companies or categories to implement the product.

National Hot Rod Association competitors started using the device in 1996, but it took another five years for America’s leading race car category NASCAR to make the HANS device mandatory, after four basilar skull fracture deaths in a year, including that of Dale Earnhardt.

Other categories soon followed, including Formula 1.

The FIA soon founded a similar version of the EASC dedicated to rallying, which has resulted in no deaths at a top tier World Rally

Championship event since 2006.

The current WRC cars are just as quick as the prototype Group B cars from 30 years ago but the build and safety systems they contain are a long way from the machine that Henri Toivonen and co-driver Sergio Cresta lost their lives in.

During the same period in the 1980s deaths were on the decline in Formula 1, in fact between 1982 and 1994 there were no deaths at events, although Elio De Angelis did lose his life at a test in France.

It then took another 22 years after Ayrton Senna’s death for grief to return to the Formula 1 paddock.

Jules Bianchi’s unfortunate accident in Japan 2014, after hitting a recovery vehicle, was the most recent fatality and subsequent investigations have resulted in an altered the start time for grand prix events and changes

to the way cars are recovered, a demonstration that changes aren’t just being made to safety of the cars themselves.

The latest change, the largely unpopular ‘Halo’, is a device that has already demonstrated its worth having contributed to saving Charles Leclerc from injury at last year’s Belgian Grand Prix.

The Halo has allowed Formula 1 cockpits to remain open but still protect the driver from cars or debris flying over or into the driver compartment.

The ‘Halo’ has since been implemented on most leading pathway categories such as Formula Renault Eurocup and Formulas 2 and 3.

The Halo has been the single biggest visible change to Formula 1 since Senna and Ratzenberger’s deaths all those years ago, but the pursuit of greater safety continues.

We take a look back at what was making news 10, 20, 30, 40 years ago 1979: THE AUSTRALIAN Touring Car

11999: GARTH TANDER, the next big

Championship was becoming a tug of war between Peter Brock and Bob Morris. After the fifth round of the title at Wanneroo, Morris held a slender three-point advantage heading to Surfers Paradise. The controversial Chevrolet Corvair was also winning, this time at Oran Park in the hands of Allan Grice, while Ross Dunkerton moved closer to the ARC title.

tthing? It appeared so after his hot start tto the 1999 season where he finished tthe opening round at Eastern Creek in third among established runners S Skaife, Seton, Ingall and Lowndes.

M Mark Webber thrilled the AA team d driving a couple of lucky scribes in the C CLK GTR.

1989: ANDREW MIEDECKE was on

aero was in the news after it was discovered Triple Eight had been using spring-loaded splitters with fellow competitors crying foul. The issue had no rendering on the team’s unbeaten run up to that point. It was also revealed that Dean Fiore had acquired Team Kiwi’s REC.

the comeback trail after his horrendous Lakeside accident, sponsors Kenwood and Yokohama providing a combined $100,000 leaving the Port Macquarie native to find another $50,000 to get back into competition. A wet Wanneroo Park was won by John Bowe after team leader Dick Johnson pitted for wets.

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A WALK IN THE PARK

After a full tour of the Walkinshaw Automotive Group’s new headquarters, Ryan Walkinshaw outlined his racing revival plan and, in this final instalment, how Fernando Alonso and the Chevrolet Camaro figure in that future

L

ONG GONE are the pierced eyebrow and indiscriminate social media posts. Ryan Walkinshaw in 2019 is a far cry from the callow heir of eight years ago.

When he first arrived to take over the Australian outpost of his famous father Tom’s automotive and racing empire, Ryan was unprepared and ill-equipped. He was 23 and engrossed as a DJ in Spain’s decadent southern hotspots.

With his canny mother Martine in the background, he took over running HSV and what was then the Holden Racing Team following Tom’s death at the end of 2010.

The early years weren’t pretty. Ryan was young, impetuous and inexperienced. And cocky. While there was the strength and depth in HSV to counsel him, HRT was adrift and, despite his efforts to install stable day-to-day management, the team declined. Right choices – Steve Hallam and Adrian Burgess – at the wrong time.

Fast forward to 2017 and the dyed blond hair, eyebrow ring and random posts were gone. The automotive business, including the acquisition of New Age caravans, was booming. Martine’s and HSV boss Tim Jackson’s sound advice kept the continent-flitting heir grounded.

A much more mature Ryan brokered an international partnership with Indycar legend Michael Andretti and McLaren F1 boss Zak Brown to form Walkinshaw Andretti United.

Now 31, Monaco-based Walkinshaw is the future of Supercars team ownership. His peers are in their 50s or even 60s. He now spends We’re told that Fernando Alonso is interested in doing the Bathurst 1000. Really?

Yeah, he’s definitely interested, yep.

How real is that possibility?

That’s a real potential opportunity, pending the business case making sense. Just like all these things, it’s going to come down to us making sure that everyone’s happy and that we have the support from sponsors and the category to make sure that, firstly, he’ll be in a competitive car, and secondly, that we’ll be able to provide him with the engineering resource (mechanics and engineers) to be able to support

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the program, which comes back to being able to give him a car he can perform in, and then the cost.

It’s expensive to do a wildcard. It’s not a cheap program. We have the cars there, so that’s one cost which we don’t have to worry about too much. But even when you’re looking at flights, accommodation, driver fees, getting them out here three or four times to do practice and to work with the team and so on, it all adds up very, very quickly. So you’d like to think that if we were to get someone with a brand like Alonso, there’d be lots of engagement and attraction from potential partners to support the program and leverage that asset with their marketing campaigns, but we’re a long way

much more time in Australia to oversee his interests WAU and is invested in restoring his father’s legacy. legacy interests, including WAU, We talked to him at Walkinshaw Park, the high-tech headquarters of everything except WAU, which remains at the old HSV site. In the final instalment, Walkinshaw is expansive about the prospect of the WAU partnership attracting former F1 star Fernando Alonso to Bathurst and moves to change the rules to allow the Camaro to take on the Mustang.

Walkinshaw also addresses the bigger issue of attracting new makes to Supercars and asserts that WAU is open to support from manufacturers outside the GM family. from that yet. But the interest is definitely there. Zak has spoken to Fernando many times about it and it’s definitely something we’d like to do.

And this would be for next year?

It’s definitely not for this year, no.

Absolutely not.

You talked about getting support.

You’d think Supercars would be very keen to facilitate Fernando Alonso racing the Bathurst 1000, wouldn’t you?

I’m sure they would be keen. Of course, at the end of the day, Supercars wouldn’t want to be

seen to be giving favouritism and support for one particular team.

That’s something they obviously wouldn’t do, so we’d have to build the business case based on the merit of the business case in itself without having special support from the category. We’ll have to try to make that work and anything else would be a bonus on top.

It would be the perfect opportunity to change the practice and testing rules so that a big name international like Fernando could prepare properly for the Bathurst 1000.

You said it, not me. If I were looking at this as someone not involved with

Walkinshaw is campaigning hard behind the scenes for a rule change that will clear the Camaro to take on the Mustang as soon as 2020.

Supercars, you would look at the advantage of opening up some of that in order to allow top drivers that would definitely add value by coming over and participating in our category the opportunity to have enough testing and so on, so they wouldn’t embarrass themselves. These aren’t easy cars to drive. We’ve seen plenty of international drivers who are very competent, experienced and skilled

who’ve jumped into Supercars and struggled. And so time in the car is obviously going to be critical to attracting people like Fernando, but we’ll work that out eventually and hopefully it’ll make sense. If it doesn’t, then that’s part of the business case stacking up. But I have full confidence that we have the right people around Supercars and in our team to try to make it make sense if it can.

Would it be just for Bathurst or would you look at running him in the whole Enduro Cup? Business case. I think Bathurst would be the priority, but if we find more support and Fernando would be interested, then potentially we’d be open to that. We’re open to all sorts of things. There are lots of things we’d like to do (like Super2),

we’re open to most things, but it all comes down, fundamentally, to analysing the business case. Does this make sense? We’re not going to do something and lose money. That wouldn’t be good business.

What would your thinking be as far as a co-driver? Partner him with one of your regular championship drivers or an experienced local part-timer?

We haven’t got that far.

Moving on. The Mustang’s still the big topic of conversation…

[Sighs] Yep, it is. Everyone’s talking about it. …and the Holden teams are clearly upset.

Lots of conversations.

So where do you stand? Does something more need to be done to rein in the Mustangs?

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Like I’ve said, we’re not currently the fastest Holden team, and we’re going to be looking internally and focusing on the things that are in our

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“I still fundamentally think that we are a V8 engine-driven category and we should remain so. That’s what the fans want, that’s what I want and that’s what people love.” ability to change first and foremost.

So until we’re the fastest Holdens out there, we’re not making a big song and dance about parity or anything like that. We’re going to focus on ourselves, and there are other people that can go and have those battles if they think there are battles that need to be fought. But from our perspective, we have confidence that if there are any parity issues, Supercars will, for everyone’s best interests, address those. We have full confidence in the technical team and the executive team at Supercars to do the right thing and work through any issues in a balanced and evidencebased manner.

going to go into a discussion on why I think there are issues. We have our own things I want to focus on, and I want our team and myself focused on ourselves and let Supercars deal with their responsibilities on that – and the homologation teams (DJR Team Penske, Triple Eight and Kelly Racing).

[Since the interview, Supercars has trimmed the Mustang’s rear wing and front undertray in an attempt to restore aerodynamic parity with the Commodore and Altima.]

Let’s get an update on the Camaro.

It sparked a lot of interest, but it doesn’t fit the current rules…

It doesn’t.

But there are aero concerns to be investigated, aren’t there?

I’m not going to get into it. As I said, we have our own things to focus on. There are plenty of discussions going on, and I’m sure if you stood on the Holden side of the fence, it’s obvious and clear, and if you sit on the Ford side of the fence, it’s just Supercars trying to pull back the Mustangs because apparently there’s a conspiracy against Ford.

It’s the same argument that we have every time a new car comes out. It takes a few rounds for everyone to really understand what’s going on and then it’s up to the powers that be to do what they do. But I’m not

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My understanding, though, is that there’s been a shift in thinking and at the very least, the Next Generation evolution now targeted for 2021 will accommodate low-line coupes like the Camaro.

I don’t think I’m talking out of school – at least I hope I’m not – in saying that there’s definitely a big shift in a lot of the teams and a lot of people in Supercars that there’s a realisation that going forward, it’s going to become harder and harder to attract manufacturers into a category which is fundamentally a manufacturerdriven category by trying to forced them to race products that they have

no desire to market as performance products. Four-door sedans are a dying market and have been for a long time – it’s not new news – and the car companies that are still pushing four-door sedans are fundamentally pushing them in their marketing strategies as safe, reliable, good-fuel economy family cars, not performance cars with V8 engines. And because of that, they’re just going to be pushing down their engine platforms even further down the litreage (capacity) and moving further away from what we’re racing in Supercars. I still fundamentally think that we are a V8 enginedriven category and we should remain so. That’s what the fans want, that’s what I want and that’s what people love. You don’t want to become Formula E and you probably don’t want to become hybrid – certainly not in the short- to medium-term. Doesn’t mean you can’t have elements of those things supporting it, but being driven by a V8 powertrain is, in my opinion, fundamental to the unique selling point of this category and should remain so. Going forward, we need to change – in my opinion and now a lot of other opinions – the roll cage height so that we don’t end up having to spend fortunes creating cars that don’t look anything like the road cars.

We’ve seen it with the Mustang. I

mean, it’s bloody quick, but it’s oh-sobloody-ugly – strategically so, I’m sure, but it’s a big disappointment, I think, for a lot of Ford Mustang fans because they wanted it to look like the road car. I wanted it to look like the road car. If you’re going to be going down that route, convincing other manufacturers is going to be very difficult, if not impossible. And as I said, there’s no interest any more in racing four-door sedans. In some of the manufacturer discussions that we’ve had recently, when you go and speak to them, they’ll say “No, we don’t want to race a four-door version of our car, but we have this over here” – which might be a two-door coupe

WAU partner Zak Brown (far left) is adamant that Fernando Alonso has the Bathurst 1000 on his To Do list. Walkinshaw kept out of the Mustang parity row because Clayton’s ZBs weren’t close to the quickest Commodores.

Images: LAT and WAU supplied

of something like – “and we’d love to race that”. And we have to say “We’re sorry, it doesn’t fit on our chassis”, to which they reply “Well, change the chassis”. We say “We can’t” and they say “OK, well, we’re not going to get involved in Supercars”.

Changing the roll cage rules doesn’t necessarily correlate into a new influx of manufacturers coming in because there are more parts to this equation, but fundamentally at the moment, there’s a simple thing that we can change which at least opens the door to the conversation. At the moment, the conversation is pretty much closed.

So if that rule is relaxed and more and different two-door models are accommodated, when do you need to know by and what would then need to happen to seriously look at racing the Camaro? I assume you still want to do that?

Ideally, but, hey, Mark, if we speak to another manufacturer and they say to us “Here’s a pot of money, go and develop a new car and you become our new factory team”, of course we’ll look at that. But I want to race the Camaro because I bring the Camaro into Australia, and we convert it at HSV and we sell it through the Holden dealer network. It makes sense for us to do it. But Michael and Zak, in their

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eyes, whether it’s a Camaro, whether it’s an F-Type Jaguar, whether it’s a Nissan GT-R, whether it’s a whole range of other cars that would make sense to be brought in if we changed the chassis regulations very slightly, yeah, they’re going to look for the best deal. It’s a business. We’re not going to let emotion stand in the way of that. At the moment, we’ve done the business case and the CFD work and everything else around that and the CAD work around what a Camaro Supercar would look like, and currently that simply does not make sense under the current regulations. If those are opened up, it’s a relatively easy discussion for us to look at doing the Camaro. We can do it in a cost-effective manner.

We’d look at aligning ourselves with other teams to share in some

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of that cost, but it would also be sharing the benefits and rewards.

We wouldn’t necessarily do a similar model to what Roland did with the ZB (exclusive supplier of body kit to all Holden teams). We’d look at a more co-operative strategy there so that everyone wins.

If the rules are changed, does WAU have the engineering capacity to design and develop a Supercars Camaro without manufacturer involvement?

Yeah, with Andretti and us, absolutely.

Ideally, would you like to have GM Racing involved?

Depends what the deal looks like.

That’s a different variable. They may

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want to be involved, they may not want to be involved. At the end of the day, we’d still need to get permission (from GM/Holden) and there’s argument for saying maybe they wouldn’t want two GM products racing in the same category, especially when they’re pushing one locally (Commodore) and we’re pushing another one (Camaro).

Now, you’d have to hope that you’d be able to work around that in a way that everyone would be happy, but fundamentally that would be another key part of the strategy going forward and we can’t have that discussion until we know that there’s any point in having the discussion. So until Supercars change the rules, we’re not going to go and ask for permission or even ask if it’s worth asking for permission. It’s a battle not worth having until we actually know it’s worth having the battle.

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Remembering Senna 25 years on

THE DAYS THAT CHANGED

FORMULA 1 EIGHTY-THREE spectators died and nearly 180 were injured when Pierre Levegh’s Mercedes was launched into a berm during the 1955 Le Mans 24 Hours and large chunks of debris from his car were flung into the grandstand. In the aftermath, France, Spain, Germany, Switzerland and other countries immediately banned circuit racing, but only the Swiss maintained the prohibition (finally lifted for Formula E in downtown Zurich last year).

An official French government inquiry into the Le Mans carnage – by far the worst in motor sport history – eventually ruled that no specific driver caused the crash and the spectator fatalities were the result of poor track safety standards.

Such a muted reaction to a racing death toll on that scale would have been unacceptable to governments, the public and the racing fraternity in 1994 – and even more so today.

But just a decade after the slaughter of World War 2, mass death was still tolerated. Nearly 40 years later, sensibilities were very different.

Then FIA president Max Mosley recognised this fact immediately after Roland Ratzenberger and Ayrton Senna were killed during the ’94 San Marino Grand Prix weekend. Furthermore, Rubens Barrichello was injured, as were nine people in the grandstands in separate accidents.

It is believed that a front wing failure caused Ratzenberger’s fatal crash.

Things are not so clear for Senna’s accident. The Italian Supreme Court ruled it was caused by the failure of a modified steering column.

But Adrian Newey, who had designed Senna’s Williams FW16, maintains that “No one will ever know exactly what happened”. Newey addresses the conjecture in his autobiography How To Build A Car: “What I feel the most guilt about, though, is not the possibility that steering column failure may have caused the accident, because I don’t think it did, but the fact that I screwed up the aerodynamics of the car,” he wrote.

“I messed up the transition from active suspension (in 1993)

back to passive and designed a car that was aerodynamically unstable, in which Ayrton attempted to do things the car was not capable of doing.

“Whether he did or didn’t get a puncture, his taking the inside, fasterbut-bumpier line in a car that was aerodynamically unstable would have made the car difficult to control, even for him.”

Italian prosecutor Maurizio Passarini filed manslaughter charges against key members of the Williams team including Newey.

“I will always feel a degree of responsibility for Ayrton’s death, but not culpability” Newey noted. “The fact that the Ratzenberger case had been so easily swept under the carper left me suspicious that Passarini’s principal motivation might be personal glory and notoriety.”

IMMEDIATE ACTION

MOSELY TOOK immediate and very public action to improve safety

DAN KNUTSON looks back at the tragic events of the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix and how they reshaped F1 forever

standards to show that Formulaa 1 was getting its own house in order and didn’t require any interference from the outside.

It is sad but true to say that if only Ratzenberger had died that weekend, there would not have been the public outcry that was triggered by the death of Senna, a worldfamous figure.

The fact that no driver died in an F1 accident for the 22 years since is proof positive that huge strides have been made in safety. The only F1 driver fatality since 1994 was in the rain-drenched 2014 Japanese Grand Prix, in which Jules Bianchi suffered grievous head injuries when he slid into a mobile crane off the Suzuka circuit.

Bianchi was kept in a coma after fter his accident and was taken off life support on July 17, 2015.

Byy 1994, the whole F1 show wh was wa far, far safer than tha it had been during the deadly du 1960s and 19 1970s.

Yet some 19 complacency had co crept in. The last cr

F1 drivers to have been killed h b kill d on championship h i hi grand prix weekends were Gillies Villeneuve and Riccardo Paletti in 1982.

Alain Prost was critical shortly after the fateful Imola weekend that the FIA was not listening to drivers’ safety concerns.

“I would never refuse to take a phone call from a driver,” Mosley retorted.

“I would never refuse to see one. But the only driver who has taken the trouble to come and see me in the last

Im track marshalls pay tribute to Roland Ratzenberger and Aryton Imola SSenna 10 years on (left) and below, the Austrian at the launch of the SSimtek F1 program with teammate David Brabham in the car.

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Remembering Senna 25 years on

Rubens Barrichello (left) was injured at Imola in a separate accident. Below, Aryton Senna leads Roland Ratzenberger early in the San Marino Grand Prix weekend.

three months and talk about safety is Gerhard Berger.

“After his retirement (at the end of 1993), Alain Prost said FIA President Max Mosley took we must talk about immediate action to improve safety. I said anytime. Formula 1 safety after the Imola weekend.

I’ve even rung him, but he’s never rung back.

“The fact is, it’s not fun and it doesn’t make money. So, most of the time, they don’t want to do it. In the past, we’ve had a drivers’ safety commission. When you have the first meeting, you have everybody there; second meeting, half; and third and fourth meetings, they just don’t bother.

“It’s more fun to go and do a promotion, go skiing, swimming or something. One can understand it. In the end, the driver’s job is to drive. It’s our job to see they drive safely. But if it was a question of a driver using a car which is more dangerous, but five seconds a lap faster than a slower one, they would all opt for the quicker one.”

During a drivers’ meeting following Ratzenberger’s death, Senna proposed that the defunct Grand Prix

The scene of Aryton Senna’s accident, watched live with horror around the world.

Drivers Association be reformed. A month later, Gerhard Berger and Niki Lauda did just that.

The drivers had now realised that they had to take a part in their own destiny. Later that year, the GPDA requested that chicanes be installed at Spa and Monza.

Meanwhile, Mosely and the FIA came up with a range of changes to be implemented throughout the year and into the next to improve the safety of the cars, circuits and drivers. Mosely also set up a new safety commission, a variation of which exists to this day.

“What we did in 1994,” Mosely later recalled, “we had a whole lot of changes made after Senna, and we did that with a fairly simple manoeuvre – we said to the teams: ‘We want these things changed and if you don’t do it, we are not going to organise a World Championship in 1995.’

“Then, anyway, everybody began to see the sense and people agreed, but it was done by unanimous agreement, with the little threat of not running a championship.”

BICKERING

ACTUALLY, THE teams’ tactics were “agree now” and “negotiate and bicker later”.

The FIA mandated to reduce cornering speed by cutting downforce by about 15 percent and reducing horsepower just two weeks after the cursed San Marino GP. Two weeks later, cockpit lateral driver protection had to be increased, and the front suspension had to be strengthened to reduce the chance of wheels or suspension pieces flying off during an

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SAD REFLECTIONS

Our veteran F1 correspondent’s personal memories of F1’s most gut-wrenching weekend

accident, as had happened with Senna’s car.

His helmet had been struck by both a tyre and a suspension piece.

More changes were proposed for the rest of the season, including making pump petrol mandatory and a ‘stepped bottom’ floor to reduce downforce.

For 1995, horsepower would be reduced from 750 to 600.

All of this was a typical tactic Mosely used to effect change, making some outrageous proposals so that the teams would then be happy to compromise and agree on something they would not have accepted in the first place.

Still, some teams protested vehemently, saying that the FIA’s kneejerk changes actually made the cars more dangerous. Mosely told the teams they could skip a race if they needed more time to modify their cars.

The squabbling – some of it very bitter – continued throughout 1994 and beyond, and it continues to this today.

Max Mosley was very much the person to drive this safety campaign very strongly forward to not let this happen as much as it is possible in the world to have a safe sport.

“If you see what safety level we have in these days, then it is a tremendous success.”

That was as true in 2004 as it is in 2019. Jean Todt replaced Mosley as FIA president in 2009 and continued the safety quest along with the late Charlie Whiting, whose roles included that of FIA safety delegate. And, for now, Aussie Michael Masi has taken over Whiting’s duties.

The bottom line is that safety standards have improved drastically since the terrible weekend of April 30-May 1, 1994 that changed F1 forever. Sadly, we have the deaths of Ratzenberger and, mainly, Senna to bitterly thank for those life-saving reforms.

THE HORRIBLE events of that tragic San Marino Grand Prix weekend at Imola started 17 minutes into Friday afternoon’s practice session.

Brazil’s Rubens Barrichello lost control of his Jordan at 225 km/h just before the pit entrance of the Autodromo Dino e Enzo Ferrari. He was knocked unconscious as the car somersaulted.

When he woke up in the track’s medical centre, the first thing he saw was compatriot Ayrton Senna, tears in his eyes, standing over him.

Little did any of us at the track that weekend realise at the time that this was just a precursor to what was to come – and worse.

The next day Roland Ratzenberger lost his life when he crashed his Simtek at 280 km/h into a concrete wall. I remember watching the TV monitors in the media centre and seeing Senna standing on the track at the accident scene (he had commandeered a course car to get out there).

I wondered if he was having thoughts of his own mortality after believing he was invincible for so many years.

I recall the subdued atmosphere in the paddock on Sunday morning. I got glimpses of a downcast and somber Senna – either in person or on TV – as he quietly talked to Williams team members at their motorhome or in the pit garage.

Just to make things worse, there was a start line accident when Pedro Lamy’s Lotus rammed JJ Lehto’s stalled Benetton. We found out later that nine people had been injured by debris flying into the grandstand. It was another nasty chapter in that awful weekend.

This was not the first time I had been at a race track where a driver or marshal died, but it was the first time for me on an F1 weekend. I was dismayed about Ratzenberger, but because he was a newcomer, his death did not affect me like Senna’s death in the early laps of the race the next day.

Senna was a legend. I started covering F1 fulltime in 1984, the same year Senna started in F1. So I had ‘known’” him for 10 years.

We in the media centre and the paddock had to wait hours for any information on Senna’s condition. Deadlines were looming. Our editors were calling us on landlines in the media centre asking for updates. We had none. Every now and then, an unconfirmed rumor would swirl around.

This was, of course, long before the days of social media. Can you imagine the storm of speculation that would have been flying around in today’s information age?

Finally, just before 7 pm, the doctor at the nearby Bologna hospital confirmed that the legendary Senna was dead. I was stunned, as were some of the other younger journalists, when the news finally reached us at the track.

Some of the old hacks who had been around in the 1960s and ’70s, when racing deaths were common, told us to stop being so distraught.

Sad and shocked as we were, there was lots of work to be done and we stayed late into the night in the media centre. A test session had been scheduled at the track in the days after the race, and I had planned to stay for the that.

Fortunately, the test was canceled. On the Monday morning I drove my rental car north, out of Imola and onto the Autostrada up through Milan and on to Lake Como.

I went to a little hotel where I always stayed for the Italian Grand Prix. I spent several days there among the mountains and the lake, contemplating the tumultuous Imola weekend.

How I felt could be summed up in one word: Numb. DK

CHANGED FOREVER

MICHAEL SCHUMACHER summed things up well on the 10th anniversary of 1994 San Marino Grand Prix weekend.

“Unfortunately, we only think about one driver,” Schumacher intoned. “I like to remember both drivers who died in the same weekend. Roland Ratzenberger and Ayrton died, and everyone was obviously shocked about this. From my point of view, it was the first experience with death in the sport I most love.

“The only positive I can take out of this one, and at least that is important, is that we have seen a lot of action in terms of safety happening since that day.

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Remembering Senna 25 years on

“GOD TOOK HIS HAND OFF F1”

THE SPORT’S DARKEST TIME FROM THE INSIDE Former world champion Damon Hill bares his soul to MARK FOGARTY about being in the middle of the worst weekend of the worst year F1 has ever experienced

U

NDERSTUDY to Nigel Mansell and junior teammate to Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna. Rarely, if ever, has a driver had such a star-studded F1 apprenticeship as Damon Hill.

The son of glamourous 1960s double world champion Graham Hill, you’d be forgiven for thinking that Damon had a gilded path into F1. In fact, it was difficult and took a long time, as well as being aided in the end by being in the right place at the right time for the wrong reasons.

His famous father died in a light plane crash in 1975, leaving the family in dire straits. Damon didn’t decide to become a racing driver until well into his 20s and it was only his family name – along with what became his famously dogged determination – that got him a late-life F1 opportunity.

Hill Jnr was 31 when he made his F1 racing debut in 1992 with Brabham, which by then was a doomed shadow of its former glory. What saved his F1 career was that he was Williams’ test driver, helping refine the computer-controlled FW14B in which Mansell was rampant that year.

When Mansell left with his world title in a fit of pique, replaced by Prost in ’93, Hill was promoted to the second seat. He retained the drive alongside Senna in ’94, expecting to learn at the feet of another master.

And then everything changed on May 1.

Senna perished and Hill was thrust into team leadership. Two-and-a-half years later, he was F1 world champion, the first second-generation driver to emulate his father’s feat.

It was that fateful day that tragically transformed Hill into the respected F1 elder statesman he is today. Now 58, he has re-emerged in F1 in recent years as the insightful analyst on British broadcaster Sky Sport’s comprehensive coverage, which is seen here on Fox Sports.

Deep-thinking Damon Hill is bestpositioned and best-qualified to recount the events and emotions of that horrendous weekend at Imola in Italy, and also among the most lucid of those who directly experienced the death of a sporting legend.

On the 25th anniversary of Senna’s death, he was the most natural person to reflect

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Aryton Senna leads Michael Schumacher early in the San Marino Grand Prix at Imola.

on the epochal events and its ramifications.

In an expansive conversation by phone from his home in southwest London, Hill opened up about the weekend and the day that changed his life and F1 forever.

“Sounds, really, really, really odd – 25 years ago,” Hill began. “It still seems like yesterday. Twenty-five years is a big time scale, but for the people who were affected by that and are still around – and there are lots of people in F1 who were there – emotions were and still are very strong about the whole experience.

“It’s not difficult for me to talk about it, but I’m conscious that some people are still suffering from that experience.”

Hill has no doubts about the long-term effect of the deaths of Roland Ratzenberger and Senna. “There are watershed moments in our sport and that was one of them, where something about the sport was changed by those events,” he said. “It was like F1 was caught with its pants down just at the wrong moment, wasn’t it?

“It was also the end, I think, of people accepting that tragedy would be part of the normal course of the sport. Niki Lauda’s quote is the best one, I think, where he said that God had had his hand on F1 for a long

time and He just took it off.

“We’d been lucky to have got to 10 years without a fatality, albeit even that was in testing (actually, it was eight years since Elio de Angelis died in a test crash at Paul Ricard on May 15, 1986), and there was a new wave of people and a new wave of F1 drivers who had not had this experience before.

“So it shocked them to the core. There were, of course, a lot of people who’d been around a long time, like Bernie (Ecclestone) and Max (Mosley) and Frank (Williams), and they remembered the bad old days when fatalities were commonplace, and so to them it was not so amazing.

“It was always there as a possibility.”

Hill remembers the Imola weekend as star-crossed from start to finish. “The way it all happened was really stunning because it brewed up, didn’t it, the whole weekend long,” he recalled. “It was just one long catalogue of things threatening to happen and then they did happen – and they happened twice on the trot.

“If it were just Rubens’s accident, that would have been enough to have alerted everybody that there were hazards that

perhaps needed addressing. You know, there was very nearly a car in the crowd with Rubens’s accident and that alone was enough to alarm Ayrton because he went to see him in the medical centre.

“Rubens said that when he came to, Ayrton was by his bed crying. He was shocked even on the Friday, so it was a big test for everybody that weekend and you certainly wouldn’t want to repeat it.”

Hill remembers that there was a lot of pressure on Senna – and the whole Williams team – to get on top of the recalcitrant FW16 and halt Michael Schumacher’s charge in the lithe BenettonFord B194. Senna was agitated and distracted.

“On the cover of that week’s Autosport was a big picture of Ayrton and the headline ‘Senna: Can he take the heat?’ because the season had got off to such a bad start – he’d got no points,” he said.

“He wasn’t happy with the car. He’s at a new team and wondering if he’d made the right decision, I think.

“We hadn’t got the set-up right on the car, so it wasn’t going well. They’d banned active suspension, so suddenly Williams had to go back to passive suspension and

The struggle is clear to see on Senna’s face as he continued to extract more than what was possible out of the Williams FW16. Images: LAT

they were unlearning everything they’d learned. There was a lot of pressure.

“We were definitely a bit lost on the setup and I think that that perplexed Ayrton, and I think also me and everyone in the team. They were trying to work out what to do and also they were being beaten by Benetton.”

Allegedly, Senna was convinced that Schumacher – an upstart with whom he’d previously clashed – was benefitting from Benetton’s sly retention of traction control.

Hill was only aware of that concern secondhand.

“I never heard him say that,” he said. “I heard that people who’d worked with him had said that he was suspicious of the noises that he’d heard coming from the car, but someone else has put forward the idea that actually that was because Michael did left-foot braking and it could’ve been that that he heard.

“But let’s not beat around the bush. You know, they (Benetton) were caught with hidden software in their on-board computer (the infamous ‘Option 13’) and I don’t think there’s any doubt that they were doing what they could to gain an advantage somewhere.”

According to Hill, the suspicions only incited the righteousness of Senna, who’d railed against the FIA during his bitter feud with Prost at McLaren in 1989 and into ’90 when the Frenchman had switched to Ferrari.

“I think there was enough obfuscation and doubt about it to be able to say for certain that they (Benetton) were doing what they were doing, but they were a competitive team,” Hill commented. “They were a competitive race team and they were out to win, and I think that Ayrton was someone who was very strong on being correct. He had his own battles with the sport’s authorities after he believed that they had favoured Alain.

“He picked a lot of fights and he did actually create a lot of pressure for himself as a competitor because he was a campaigner, if you like. He saw himself, I think, as fighting for what was right and if he thought that people weren’t doing it properly and the governing body weren’t investigating it enough, then that’s all he needed to feel that he was going to do something about it.”

Despite Ratzenberger’s death on the Saturday and all the ill omens, Hill maintains he had no sense of foreboding about the race.

“There was a bad mood after Roland died,” he said. “There wasn’t a lot of

celebration, but there was also the kind of default mode in racing that you get back to the job in hand as quickly as possible and focus on that. So there wasn’t any uneasiness going into the race, I don’t think, at all.

“There was tension, for sure, but as I said in my book, my conclusion was that Ayrton was going out to win that race. He was going to go out and he was going to beat Michael (Schumacher) come what may – and he was going to give it everything he absolutely had. That was the default Ayrton Senna, wasn’t it? The default Ayrton Senna was flat-out and win.

“So, no, I don’t think anybody went into the race thinking ‘Oh God, something awful’s going to happen’.”

Hill’s reaction to Senna’s crash was disbelief. “I couldn’t believe that something else had happened,” he recalled. “Clearly, I’d seen Ayrton go off, but people had gone off there (Tamburello) before and they got away with it. It’s not a good place to go off, but at no point did I think that that would’ve been a fatal accident.

“You don’t think a lot as a racing driver

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Remembering Senna 25 years on because you’re in a race, so you’re thinking pretty much ‘Right, the race is now under a safety car – again’ or they’re going to stop it. So we get back to the grid and then we sit on the grid and you could tell that there were people who knew more than we did.

“And then eventually (Williams press officer) Ann Bradshaw said – she didn’t tell me what she absolutely knew – but she said it’s not good. That was all she said and from that I inferred that this has got very serious and very heavy again, to another level.

“I didn’t find out Ayrton had died until after the race. I was told after the race by (Williams chief mechanic) Dickie Stanford, who came to me because I was in the recovery room. I was exhausted after the race because as a precaution, they got me to turn off the power steering.

“They weren’t sure what had happened.

They had no time to go through the data. So I’d driven the car without power steering, which it wasn’t designed for, so I was in the recovery room and that’s when I got told.

“It was a really ghastly weekend. We lost two great guys – and the sport changed from that point onwards because they decided they could not be beaming fatal accidents into people’s homes on a Sunday afternoon.”

Of the aftermath at Williams, Hill recounts: “I think when anything like that happens, you’re too stunned and shocked to be able to take things in at the time, and it takes a while for you to readjust to the reality of it. So the weeks afterwards were a case of ‘Well, what do we do now? We have to

Senna was never comfortable in the Williams once the active suspension had been removed, here he observes practice for the Pacific Grand Prix held at Ti Aida Japan alongside Ian Harrison.

pick ourselves up off the floor and try to go forward’.

“And at the same time, there were all sorts of accusations being thrown around and incriminations and investigations as to what happened and why it happened. So it was a fairly ugly time.”

Hill remains adamant that Senna’s death didn’t shake his confidence and he still wonders to this day whether F1 overreacted to the very public death of the sport’s superstar.

“I was never under any illusion that motor racing was safe,” he said. “I’d experienced it growing up and seeing my dad and his reaction when things had gone wrong. I was very conscious that it’s dangerous.

“And I did motorcycle racing, which was even more dangerous. So you go into these things with your eyes open and you just hope for the best. Now, it’s all very well

saying that, but emotionally, of course, it affects you.

“I think what happened at the next race (Monaco GP) was more of a jolt. Karl Wendlinger piled into a barrier (in practice) and it was like we were under attack. That spooked me probably more than anything.

“You thought you’d got over one thing and then suddenly it was piling in on you again. Something was happening and we didn’t understand it. We didn’t understand what it was and why it was happening, but it was happening. That was kind of unnerving.

“Everybody went to work to try to see how you could go about racing without incurring an unacceptable level of risk.

Because it was unacceptable. At that rate, we wouldn’t have anyone left before the end of the year.

“It was shocking – it really was shocking

– and, of course, the first thing that happened was that we over-reacted. We did daft things like putting in tight chicanes, but I think it was the right thing to do at the time until people understood exactly what the nature of the problem was.

“So Max (Mosley, FIA president) has to be commended for pushing forward with immediate safety reforms. When I look back now, I think we over-reacted, but I think it was an understandable over-reaction. We have what we have and the sport is a lot safer, but I know that the challenge of driving is somehow diminished and I sometimes ask myself whether Roland or Ayrton, if they could see it today, whether they would be saying ‘Well, you need to have less run-off, not more’. I don’t know. You can’t ask them.

That’s the thing we’ll never be able to answer.

“The thing is, Imola was such an amazing track to drive on. It was so much fun, and I know that Roland and Ayrton loved racing on that track. I don’t think anyone complained about the track; we all loved it.

It was difficult and dangerous, which was the challenge of the sport.

“What we’ve done is we’ve neutered a lot of race tracks now and we just don’t know whether we’ve done the right thing or not.

But I certainly wouldn’t want to go through another experience like that.

“You definitely wouldn’t want it to be like Imola ever again.”

Although he was Senna’s teammate for only a very short time, Hill remains slightly in awe of the brilliant Brazilian’s aura. “I just thought he was completely professional and completely committed to his job,” he

THE YEAR OF LIVING DANGEROUSLY THE 1994 Formula 1 season was dogged by controversy and tragedy from startto-finish. Two deaths, three near misses, on-going allegations of cheating and a high-profile ban, plus the world title decided by a crash in the last race, made it F1’s ultimate annus horribilus.

Other seasons had seen more deaths, but none

30 AutoAction

before or since was so consistently calamitous. Heartbreak combined with constant rancour that nearly broke F1, which has never been the same since.

And in the centre of it all was Damon Hill, who was thrust into the limelight – and the firing line – by the death of his superstar Williams teammate Ayrton Senna. Hill took up the mantle despite his inexperience and was th thrown into a pitched battle with M Michael Schumacher.

Twenty-five years ago this week, th the nadir of F1 began. Rubens B Barrichello escaped an horrendous ccrash in practice for the San Marino Grand Prix at Imola, then M llikeable Austrian rookie Roland Ratzenberger was killed in R qualifying the next day. q But the worst was far from over.

A start line crash sent car bits and wheels flying, injuring mechanics in w the pit lane and spectators on the other side of the safety fence.

The race was restarted behind the puny Opel Vectra safety car on lap six. Next lap, Senna speared off and smashed into the wall on the outside of the fast Tamburello left-hander.

It wasn’t until hours later that the world learned that Senna had died. F1 would never be the same again.

The season had begun with Sennaa struggling in his switch to the previously all-conquering WilliamsRenault. He was convinced new wunderkind Schumacher and Benetton-Ford were using illegal traction control, outlawed in the purge of all computer-controlled driver aids.

Senna was desperate and onthe-edge at Imola, the third race of a so-far scoreless campaign for him.

In the wake of Ratzenberger’s and Senna’s deaths, then FIA president Max Mosley imposed immediate circuit and car safety measures. Then Karl Wendlinger suffered serious head injuries in a crash during practice for the following Monaco GP. F1 was just recovering from the shock of Imola and then this. More outcry, more o recriminations. Not long after, Pedro Lamy miraculously survived a ferocious testing accident at Silverstone. His Lotus flew out of the circuit confines and landed in a spectator access tunnel.

Amid these jitters, Hill was trying to take the title fight to Schumacher in a slowly improving Williams. The ramifications and accusations were still casting a pall over the team, but the accidental new team leader – accelerated from test driver

in 1992 to Alain Prost’s teammate in ’93 following Nigel Mansell’s acrimonious departure and then Senna’s very-much-No 2 in ’94 – rose to the unequal challenge.

It was a contentious fight all the way.

Benetton escaped sanction for modifying its fuel flow system, implicated in Jos Verstappen’s German GP pit stop immolation, and for the infamous ‘Option 13’ hidden launch control software.

AUSTRALIA’S LARGEST SUPPLIER OF HIGH PERFORMANCE ENGINE PARTS! said. “He didn’t allow himself much time to have a laugh about anything. He wasn’t that kind of person.

“He was intense and he was diligent, and he was thorough and he was motivated, and he was thoughtful, but he didn’t let you know what he was thinking.”

However, Hill cautions against over-eulogising Senna, who was as flawed as he was fabulous.

“We mustn’t raise him up to perfection because I think that he was, in some senses, his own worst enemy,” he noted. “His anger got the better of him on a few occasions in his driving and he did some things when he raced against Alain (Prost) which were pretty much unforgivable.

“He could get a little bit hot-headed, but I think he was a crusader. I now see him as someone who was angry at the world and how it was, and I think he thought that he wanted to show that he would put the world right through his driving, in a way, by becoming a victor.

“But he was a well-meaning guy, a very passionate person. I think he felt very strongly about justice and sportsmanship, oddly enough.

I think sometimes he was a bit blind to his own approach to sportsmanship, but, yeah, an amazing guy.

“It was a tragic thing that happened and an episode in everyone’s life, really. People who were around then remember it like it was yesterday and people who weren’t around are amazed.

“When they made the film Senna, I was at the premier and there were people in the audience who didn’t know the story, they didn’t know how it ended, and they were in tears at the end of the bloody film.

“You had to tell them this really happened, it wasn’t a Hollywood movie, this actually really happened.”

Schumacher was, after much legal wrangling, excluded from the British GP for ignoring a black flag and banned for two races. His success in the Belgian GP was also nullified because his car’s wooden underplate – introduced to limit downforce – had been worn below the minimum depth.

All the suspicions that Benetton was bending the rules were heightened by the well-earned reputation of the team’s engineering director Tom Walkinshaw for finding loopholes and pushing envelopes. Benetton and Schumacher were handicapped by dissent and dispute all season.

An heroic drive by Hill in the rain-drenched Japanese GP at Suzuka hauled him to within one point of Schumacher going into the final round in Adelaide. Almost predictably, the drivers’ championship was decided in uproar after Schumacher crashed into Hill while they were battling for the lead.

Both were eliminated in the awkward shunt and the imperious German clinched the title amid raging controversy. Hill remained Schuey’s unlikely nemesis for the next three years, finally claiming the crown in an all-together superior Williams in ’96 after Schumacher moved to Ferrari.

The pair couldn’t have been more dissimilar. The fair-minded Englishman, to whom sportsmanship was paramount, was an accidental star, thrown into the spotlight by circumstance rather than possessing irresistible speed.

He stepped up to the challenge, but was never quite as gifted and certainly nowhere

Xxxx Xxxx Xxxx Xxxx

near as ruthless as Schumacher, whose drive, commitment and confidence exceeded even Senna’s merciless approach.

According to Hill, Senna was “the fastest” F1 star against whom he raced. He draws an interesting comparison between the fallen legend and his arch-rival.

“Ayrton was pretty much a one-off,” Hill reflects.

“Michael’s approach was to win a lot. I didn’t see that Michael was a fearsome, aggressive competitor in the same way that Ayrton was.

“He seemed to have different motivations and it was all for the greater glory of Michael, whereas Ayrton at least seemed to be doing it for some other higher purpose. Whether it was or not, I don’t know.

“They’re all different, these world champions.

You can’t really make a rule about them other than the fact that they’re very, very competitive, hate losing and want to win everything. And they’re fast.”

Typically self-deprecating, Damon is disarmingly and unusually realistic about his place in the pantheon of F1 world champions.

“I managed to slip through, I think, between all these real great drivers and got one in,” he admitted. “But I can tell you for certain that these boys push the envelope in every direction. They’re very motivated people.

“I realised that it could be a very destructive thing as well. Being that competitive and that motivated has a price to it, and I think I was always dubious about whether that price was worth it.

“You know, I think you lose something along the way if you’re not careful.” Mark Fogarty

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31

Cam Waters will be one of the six Mustang drivers keen to understand the affect of the parity changes forced on the fast Fords.

SUPERNIGHT HEADS WEST

After its success at Sydney Motorsport Park last year, Supercars’ SuperNight format moves west to the freshly re-surfaced Barbagallo Raceway, which is sure to be a record-breaking weekend as HEATH McALPINE and BRUCE NEWTON discovered.

C

ROWDS FLOCKED to last year’s inaugural SuperNight event at Sydney Motorsport Park, an event that had previously struggled for crowd attendance. More than 22,000 spectators flocked to the circuit for SuperNight, which not only beat the attendance for both Sydney NRL games contested that night, but was also an increase of 8000 over the equivalent day-time Supercars meeting at the event in 2017.

The difference between Sydney Motorsport Park and Barbagallo is that the Western Australian event has always attracted high crowd numbers regularly, so will a change to the night time format change this? It seems highly doubtful.

The SuperNight show that Supercars Will the latest parity changes to the Mustang level the playing field for the Commodores?

32 AutoAction

put on last year, with driver entrances and fireworks and the like (taken straight from the NASCAR textbook) should again provide a great spectacle for the crowds over that side of the country.

Another change that is sure to throw the cat amongst the pigeons is Barbagallo’s new surface, which proved to be a big success at a recent statelevel meeting, according to WA Sporting Car Club general manager Andrew Stachewicz.

“During the first race meet, Tony Ricciardello in his Alfa GTV Sports Sedan – the lap record holder for a tin top at a 54.8 – ran a 53.1,” enthused Stachewicz. “Most other categories had records fall and they’ve been falling since. I think the Supercars will be going incredibly fast.”

The new surface is an Australian first for a race circuit.

SMA or Stone Mastic Asphalt has been used for circuits including the Indianapolis oval, and is an asphalt known for its superior durability and rut resistance properties.

“We went through the process of ‘Okay, what are we going to do exactly?’ because the pavement, this asphalt is a bit of a black art, it’s a question of traction, texture, longevity, cost and all other sorts of business,” explained Stachewicz.

“We did a fair bit of research and we put together a sub-committee to oversee it. Not to oversee the project but to oversee the gathering of information, so decisions could be made. It came down to two different kinds of asphalt types; one was the standard DGA [Dense Graded Asphalt], the other one was SMA, which no other track in the country has. The signs came out very firmly on the side of the SMA, even though that was slightly more costly.”

The consensus is that the new SMA surface is a winner for the competitors as well as for Barbagallo long-term.

It also means that the traditionally abrasive Western Australian circuit surface has now been transformed into quite the opposite and will remain that way for many years to come.

“The smoothness is extremely good, the traction is very good, even the drivers are saying it feels fantastic,” Stachewicz elaborated. “The DGA feels like a baby’s bum when it first goes

Supercars’ SuperNight format was a huge success at Sydney Motorsport Park last year. Will that be repeated at Barbagallo Raceway this weekend?

down, but the filings on top all get ripped out and the stones get exposed.

“Initially the SMA due to it having a higher stone content seems to be more textured, but it is actually still extremely smooth and will stay that smooth for another 10 years.”

When it comes to the new surface for Supercars, it’s a matter of gambling on set-up according to Red Bull Holden Racing Team’s Mark Dutton.

“If the deg is what other categories have been saying and showing – very low to nil during the day let alone at night,” Dutton told Auto Action. “How do you have a car looking after its tyres better than another one? You don’t. So, it’s one of those ones where you have to go for ultimate pace.

“The resurface means you are less likely to blow tyres if you ran the old set-up, but the problem is the resurface means you should be able to be more aggressive

SUPERCARS SUPERNIGHT

SCHEDULE THURSDAY

Practice 1: 8:40pm - 9:10pm

FRIDAY

Practice 2: 2:50pm - 3:20pm Qualifying Part 1: 5:55pm - 6:05pm Qualifying Part 2: 6:10pm - 6:20pm Qualifying Part 3: 6:25pm - 6:35pm Race 11: 8:45pm - 9:40pm

SATURDAY

Practice 3: 3:05pm - 3:35pm Qualifying Part 1: 4:50pm - 5:00pm Qualifying Part 2: 5:05pm - 5:15pm Qualifying Part 3: 5:20pm - 5:30pm Race 12: 8:45pm - 10:15pm TV TIMES Fox Sports 506 and Kayo THURSDAY: 2:30pm - 9:30pm FRIDAY: 2:15pm - 10:45pm SATURDAY: 1:55pm - 11:20pm TEN FRIDAY: 8:30pm - 10:00pm 10 BOLD SATURDAY: 8:30pm - 10:00pm Network 10 All times are AEDT

with negative camber. The problem is if you wind on too much, you will overheat your inside edge and that can cause a failure.”

The differences between running at night in Sydney compared to Barbagallo aren’t just restricted to the different geography, because the latter runs regular night meetings and has permanent lighting.

However, its lighting system doesn’t take into account television coverage, which has required Supercars to invest in further lighting using the lessons learned from last year to improve the experience for both spectators and television viewers alike.

The more compact Barbagallo layout only requires 41 light towers compared to the 47 used at Sydney Motorsport Park last year, while five floodlights transported from the east coast will help illuminate the circuit.

Placement of lights will also be an Mark Dutton says you will have to chase pace not tyre life on the new surface.

Barbagallo Raceway has been completely resurfaced and looks set to be much faster and more tyre friendly than ever before. Images: LAT

issue due to the vast nature of the Barbagallo infield and the distances between the crowd and the track.

The teams have been told to go hard when it comes to neon lighting, promising a spectacular display from the Supercars grid.

Parity of course continues to plague

Supercars and the Mustang has been further hit with a reduction of its rear end-wing plates, a lower rear gurney flap and a reduction of the front undertray extension.

Will this have the desired effect? We’ll find out at Barbagallo this weekend.

AutoAction

33

Since officially becoming the third tier of Supercars racing late last year, Super3 has firmed as a must-do category for young drivers heading towards the top of the sport. DAN McCARTHY discovered why it has become a key stepping stone towards a Supercars career

SUPER PATHWAY

S

UPER3 BEGAN its life as the V8 Touring Car Series with a modest four-car field at Mallala in 2008. Along the way it has launched a number of careers but in 2019 interest in the category has exploded, and it now shapes up as a crucial pathway towards becoming a professional Supercar driver.

Running with the Shannons Nationals program at the time, Rob Curkpatrick had initial conversations with Les Morrall about establishing a series for 10-year-old Supercars that had been decommissioned from the Development Series.

34 AutoAction

“It started off as a bit of a go racing gentleman’s category, but it has evolved into a stepping stone,” said Curkpatrick. “We’ve always had younger or less experienced drivers, but it seems to be the balance is stepping a bit that way (toward young drivers) now.”

The inaugural V8 Touring Car champion was ex-Supercars privateer Chris Smerdon, who took eight wins on the way to the title and has since witnessed first-hand the category’s growth.

“What we were trying to do was get these old cars that were in people’s sheds, out and about, and the series just gradually gathered momentum from there and it ran

Josh Fife made his car racing debut driving for Brad Jones Racing at Phillip Island. Original Kumho Cup competitor Chris Smerdon alongside Hamish Ribarits in the Professional Class (below).

for probably four years with a lot of people just enjoying a race weekend away, not taking things too seriously,” Smerdon said.

“Then we started to see some of the other more competitive teams come in with better prepared cars and the whole series started to move up a level.”

An influx of professional teams began to identify the series as a key stepping stone for young drivers in 2016, with leading Super2 team MW Motorsport and Supercars squad Brad Jones Racing entering.

MW Motorsport has fostered many young drivers over the past four seasons and believes that the experience in Super3 greatly enhances the chances of success in Super2.

“For us it just creates opportunity for guys to have a run and see what Supercars are like and to get some skills in them before they move to Super2, because Super2 is so competitive you just can’t step in there as a rookie or you’ll get cleaned up,” said MW Motorsport boss Matt White.

Team owner Brad Jones added that Super3 has made the leap to Super2 a much easier one.

Formula 4 graduate Jayden Ojeda also made his Supercar debut at Phillip Island (above).

The big field of Super3 cars entering the Southern Loop (top) on the opening lap. Images: Ross Gibb and Insyde Media “It’s really the opportunity to get into a sedan, go racing and get a feel for what it’s like to race a sedan, whereas in years gone by people came out of F4 or Formula Ford and then went from that into Super2. It’s a really big step so I think it (Super3) has filled a bit of a hole in the market,” said Jones.

Eight teenagers are racing in the Super3 Series this year and had strong weekends at Phillip Island, including Jayden Ojeda and Broc Feeney. Ojeda is last year’s Formula 4 champion and is

confident that he has chosen the right pathway.

“It’s good they have expanded on what they had in Super2 and created a Super3, I think it’s a really good pathway,” Ojeda said.

“If you look at the pathway you’ve got Super3, Super2 and then eventually, hopefully, the main game.”

At age 16, Feeney is the youngest driver in the category this season and had a successful opening weekend, scoring pole and winning the first race of the season.

“I raced the Toyota 86 Racing Series last year and it’s the next move. Obviously the goal is to make it to Supercars and Toyota 86 was a great starting platform,” Feeney explained.

“Super3 is basically the best costeffective step to move up. It just makes that next step forward a lot easier, Super3, Super2 and then obviously Supercars.”

Jones is the only team owner to run entries in each of the three tiers, and he feels that while Super3 is not essential, it’s nonetheless a great step.

“To jump straight in Super2, it’s a pretty big step, so I think that it’s a good step,” Jones told Auto Action.

“If you start in Super3, spend a season there and then you’ve got the opportunity to move into Super2 and then the main championship.”

Jones has recruited two rookies in the form of karters Madeline Stewart and Josh Fife, with both making their tin-top debuts at Phillip Island.

“A lot of young people are looking to get into Supercar racing and I know these two through Tom Williamson. They drove for him

AutoAction

35

Jon McCorkindale finished third in the 2018 Series running his own team (above). MW Motorsport drivers Zak Best and Hamish Ribarits raced at the front all weekend. (below).

in go karts and are both well credentialed accomplished drivers,” Jones continued.

Image Racing team owner Terry Wyhoon was rival to Smerdon in the early seasons, but has now transitioned fully into a team ownership role where he oversees both the squad’s Super2 and Super3 programs. The appeal of Super3 is quite high if you want to be noticed, according to Wyhoon.

“There are some advantages being in Super3. There’s unlimited testing, you are running there in front of all the main game teams, all the sponsors that are here, all the corporates,” Wyhoon said.

“It’s good now that Super3 is recognised by Supercars, because we run in Super2 as well. We are also now aligned with Erebus Motorsport, we’re Erebus Academy so we are trying to bring through the young talent.”

Jon McCorkindale is an experienced hand in the category, finishing third in last year’s series

36 AutoAction

and although his aspirations aren’t to make it to Supercars, he wants to race competitively in a competitive yet affordable series.

“We joined initially because it seemed to be one of those classes in terms of race budgets that we could be in front of Foxtel, in front of Supercars but not have to have the budget of a Super2 program or a Carrera Cup program. It was a nice in between of say a Toyota 86 and a Carrera Cup car,” McCorkindale said.

He feels that although the quality of the series and the budgets have grown, he is still able to have a go and compete against them competitively.

“With that name change, a lot of good people have come on board, the category has grown, we’ve got 25 cars, probably 10-12 of them could be fairly competitive at least in the top 5,” McCorkindale enthused.

“It’s one of those things, I think every year it is going to progress,

hopefully the budgets don’t blow out to Super2 standard.”

Another to jump on board is Paul Morris, who has fostered young talent through Super2 with Anton de Pasquale the best example of this. At the end of last season, Morris withdrew from Super2 and started an academy for young drivers, encompassing a number of Toyota 86s and a Super3 program for Feeney. Morris told Auto Action that the class will help speed up the pathway towards Supercars, while remaining accessible.

“With some good testing you probably need $300,000 so it is half of what Super2 would be and the good part about this is there is no limit on testing and you can buy tyres,” he said. “You are going to spend one year here instead of three, so you can really accelerate the learning curve.

“You look at the budgets here to doing anything else, if you’re aspirations to Supercars, this is where you need to be.”

Smerdon runs his own team and was shocked at the money that Morris was spending.

“If I spent more than half of that I’d be concerned, is it going to spoil the sport? I don’t think so, all in all I think the budgets here are under control still for most,” Smerdon said.

There are three classes within Super3 including the Kumho Cup, which Smerdon competes in and is aimed at the original customer base that the category was born from. Although he is unable to fight at the pointy end of the field these days, he still enjoys the racing in the category.

“It (Kumho Cup) is a way of us older guys and the people who

don’t have the budget, to stay in our group and compete against each other in that second pack,” he said.

“I’m still competitive at times, not at every race meeting, but I can still get into that top 10.

“Is it frustrating for me? No, I just have to accept that these guys are better, they are fitter, they are in the cars a lot more often, it’s their career.”

The Professional Class is the domain for the likes of Ojeda and Feeney, with their competition coming from Formula Ford runner up Hamish Ribarits, Toyota 86 race winner Nic Carroll, Aussie Racing Cars frontrunner Kyle Enesby and Aussie Driver Search victor Matt Powers.

“Depth has increased a lot. In past years it has slowly started to increase but this year it has taken a big turn up, which is amazing for the category,” said Ojeda.

“To have a bunch of young quick guys up the front really bringing professionalism to the category makes it look really good.”

The series has had Kumho as the sole-tyre supplier since its inception, creating an unusual situation as both Supercars and Super2 run on Dunlops, though the performance differences are negligible between the brands according to Wyhoon.

“The (Kumho) construction is totally different, they run the sidewalls totally different, (they are) built way different to the Dunlops. However lap times aren’t that much different, they are very similar to the hard Dunlop,” Wyhoon explained.

The competitiveness of Super3 has taken a big step up for the 2019 season, where at the first round there were three different race winners, all potentially representing the future stars of the sport.

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Formula One

Round 4 Baku

MERCEDES MOMENTUM

Mercedes overcomes Ferrari’s superior pace to score another one-two reports Dan Knutson FERRARI WAS fast in the streets of Baku except when it counted – in the third qualifying session and the race. The Mercedes momentum continued, therefore, as Valtteri Bottas won the Azerbaijan Grand Prix ahead of teammate Lewis Hamilton, giving the Silver Arrows team its fourth consecutive one-two finish of the season.

Mercedes already has a 74-point lead over Ferrari in the constructors’ championship.

It was a race of redemption for Bottas who had lost the lead on those same streets a year ago with a tyre blowout on the penultimate lap. It all went well for Bottas this time around. The Finn started from the pole for the eighth time and scored his fifth career F1 victory.

“Ferrari had a very good car this weekend,” Hamilton said when he met with reporters in the Mercedes hospitality unit after the race.

“I think they struggled a little bit more in the race pace than us with tyres. But qualifying pace and their form all weekend was very strong.”

It started to go wrong for Ferrari in qualifying. Charles Leclerc, quickest in every session through the weekend, made a silly

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McLaren was back on competitive form in Baku, best of the Renaultpowered cars.

mistake and crunched his Ferrari into a barrier during Q2. That effectively ruined his chances of winning the race. Then Sebastian Vettel, who had also been fast, couldn’t catch a slipstream tow off another car in the final Q3 session and therefore qualified third.

So it was a Mercedes front row lockout.

Leclerc lined up in eighth place.

Unlike the previous race in China where ere Bottas had the pole but lost the lead at the start, he stayed ahead of Hamilton in Baku. They raced side-by-side on lap one.

“I could have done a better job at the start,” Bottas said. “I was a Ferrai shoulda, woulda, coulda ... didn’t ... again.

little bit on the cautious side. I didn’t want to get the wheelspin started, so I was rather smooth on getting on power, not to kind of mess it up. But Lewis had a good start, so that’s why he was on the inside and we were pretty much side-by-side actually through Turn 1, so I was just carrying the speed on the outside, and same thing in Turn 2, leaving

enough space. It was nice and fair.”

Leclerc started on the medium compound Pirelli tyres. That permitted him to run longer than the front runners who were on the soft compound, and he led from lap 13 to lap 34 in the 51-lap race. Had there been a convenient safety car Ferrari might have been able to

Now a familiar post-race sight, another Mercedes 1-2, this time Valtteri Bottas in front (above). Max Verstappen was strong again but not quite quick enough to make the podium (below left). Danill Kyyat’s Red Bull-Honda is retired (below right), after being backed into by Dan Ricciardo’s Renault, with whom he was battling (bottom right). Images: LAT

use a strategy to aid Leclerc. But the safety car never had to make an appearance, and Leclerc finished fifth behind Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.

Vettel, who would finish third, struggled for pace on the opening stint on Pirelli’s soft compound tyres. The Ferrari worked better during his second stint on the medium compound slicks but he could not catch the Mercedes duo.

Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto downplayed his team’s superior speed in practice. He also said not being in front compromised Ferrari’s tyre usage.

“When you have got fresh or clean air certainly it is a lot easier,” he said. “I think that our pace today has been affected by our position on the grid. But not only that — certainly the others are very strong and we are facing very strong competition.”

There were no team orders at Mercedes at any time during the race.

“We were allowed to fight to the end,” Hamilton said.

FFerrari, meanwhile, never had the circumstances cir to consider using them.

Daniel D Ricciardo’s race ended with a bizarre bi accident. After struggling to come to grips with his Renault in practice, the Aussie A could have finished in the top 10 in the race. He attempted to pass Daniil K Kvyat’s Toro Rosso but slid down the eescape road at Turn 3. Ricciardo, not rrealizing that Kvyat had come to a halt b behind him, reversed into the Toro Rosso.

“I don’t feel good about what happened,” Ricciardo said. “As soon as I went down the escape road it was just a sense of urgency and a bit of panic – just trying to minimize damage and lose as little time as possible. So I found reverse and started going and to be honest I had no idea he was there. I guess the urgency stopped me from looking.

“When I went long (down the escape road) I just thought he’d have cut back and stayed on track. I was just trying to minimize the mistake I made which turned into another mistake. So kind of crappy on my part. I certainly feel bad for the team and for Dani. The positive was the pace, but it is not the way I wanted it to end up.”

Ricciardi apologized to Kvyat who shrugged off the accident, saying: “These things happen, that is racing. There was potential for a point or two today, but now what can you do about it?”

The stewards gave Ricciardo a three-place grid penalty at the next race in Spain. That will put him a little bit on the back foot, but he will be looking to bounce back.

Ferrari had the fastest car during pre-season testing at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya and now, when it returns to same track for the Spanish Grand Prix, the Scuderia needs to stop the Mercedes momentum.

“Mercedes is very strong at the moment,” Binotto said.

“I’m pretty sure they will be very strong as well in Barcelona. But more important I think is being focused on ourselves. We need to look at our weaknesses and try to address them.”

RESULTS ROUND 4: BAKU GRAND PRIX Pos 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 -

Driver Valtteri Bottas Lewis Hamilton Sebastian Vettel Max Verstappen Charles Leclerc Sergio Perez Carlos Sainz Jr. Lando Norris Lance Stroll Kimi Raikkonen Alexander Albon Antonio Giovinazzi Kevin Magnussen Nico Hulkenberg George Russell Robert Kubica Pierre Gasly Romain Grosjean Daniil Kvyat Daniel Ricciardo

Car Mercedes Mercedes Ferrari Red Bull/Honda Ferrari Racing Point/Mercedes McLaren/Renault McLaren/Renault Racing Point/Mercedes Alfa Romeo/Ferrari Toro Rosso/Honda Alfa Romeo/Ferrari Haas/Ferrari Renault Williams/Mercedes Williams/Mercedes Red Bull/Honda Haas/Ferrari Toro Rosso/Honda Renault

Laps 51 51 51 51 51 51 51 51 51 50 50 50 50 50 49 49 38 38 33 31

Gap 1h31m52.942s 1.524s 11.739s 17.493s 1m09.107s 1m16.416s 1m23.826s 1m40.268s 1m43.816s 1 Lap 1 Lap 1 Lap 1 Lap 1 Lap 2 Laps 2 Laps Gearbox Brakes Accident Accident

Points: Bottas 87, Hamilton 86, Vettel 52, Verstappen 51, Leclerc 47, Perez 13, Gasly 13, Raikkonen 13, Norris 12, Magnussen 8, Hulkenberg 6, Sainz 6, Ricciardo 6, Stroll 4, Albon 3, Kvyat 1.

Constructors’: Mercedes 173, Ferrari 99, Red Bull-Honda 64, McLaren-Renault 18, Racing Point-Mercedes 17, Alfa Romeo-Ferrari 13, Renault 12, Haas-Ferrari 8, Toro Rosso-Honda 4.

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RACE REPORT

Bathurst Six Hour

6 HOUR REDEMPTION FOR LYNTON/LEAHEY Report: Garry O’Brien Photos: Insyde Media

LEADING EVERY lap, Beric Lynton and Tim Leahey dominated this year’s fourth running of the 2019 Bathurst 6 Hour on Easter Sunday.

In their BMW M3, the duo overcame a pre-race additional Balance of Performance adjustment – an added compulsory pit stop – to win by more than a lap.

It was also retribution for last year where, despite power steering failure, they were leading the event when a wheel departed the car.

“We didn’t think we could lead every lap, given the good competition out there,” said Lynton.

“It is an awesome result . . . and a relief. We had very limited brake pads left in the end.”

Second went to last year’s winners Iain and Grant Sherrin in their BMW M4 making it a one-two result for the German marque in Class A1 for Extreme Performance, Forced Induction vehicles.

The Sherrins also had a prerace penalty to overcome as the duo were stripped of third fastest qualifying time for being over-boost.

The brothers were forced to start at the rear of the 44-car grid before charging through the field to take their third outright podium placing in the four years.

“We went a bit conservative with the

Beric Lynton and Tim Leahey made up for last year’s disappointment by winning the Bathurst 6 Hour (above). The duo led from start-tofinish fighting off challengers from Japan and Australia (right). stops and threw four tyres at it only to have the safety car come out on my out lap and that basically put us a lap down straight away,” said Iain Sherrin.

Third place went to Nathan Callaghan, Chris Lillis and Matthew Holt in their HSV R8 Clubsport, also taking out the Extreme Performance, Naturally Aspirated Class A2.

The trio had a tyre vibration to manage early in the event, and an issue with refueling later. During the closing stages of the race, Callaghan was able to chase down and pass David Russell, who was sharing with his dad Geoff in a BMW 135i.

“Otherwise the car was brilliant. It was great to drive flat out rather than

try and stop the car from breaking,” Callaghan said.

The Russell BMW 135i was struggling somewhat with a limp mode issue, yet still took out Class B High Performance.

Both finished two laps behind the leaders. Also on the same lap were Paul Loiacono and Dieter Holzl Graeme and Jordan Cox were set for a podium, but a turbo failed in the Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X they shared with Daniel Smith.

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(Mitsubishi EVO X) who were third in Class A1. One lap further behind were Hadrian Morrall and Brad Woods (A1 BMW 1M).

Simon Hodges, Ian Salteri and Jayden Ojeda (BMW M135i) finished seventh after early damage and a pit lane penalty. The trio finished ahead of a great fightback from Anthony Gilbertson and Andrew Mill (Class A2 BMW M3), which had to be towed off the track at the start and later spent two laps bunkered at Turn 1.

Scott Gore and Keith Bensley (135i) were second in Class B and ninth overall, while rounding out the top 10 were Graeme Muir and Jamie Hodgson (Class A2 HSV Clubsport).

No doubt the unluckiest combination were Daniel Smith, Jordan and Graeme Cox, who were comfortably third outright and even a chance for second, when the turbo blew on their Mitsubishi Lancer EVO X. The attrition rate in A1 was high with only seven cars classified finishers.

Dimitri Agathos, Matt Boylan and Graeme Heath overcame brake problems for 17th overall. Earlier in the weekend during the opening practice session, Agathos had a tyre blowout entering the Chase, fortunately without hitting anything but the tyre did cause some panel damage.

An engine was replaced in the Laclan Mineeff and Tom Sargeant Toyota 86 during the race while Jake Camilleri sharing with Charlie and Alfie Senese took the honours for Hyundai in Class C. Any final hope of an Aussie muscle car challenge went when the Joe Krinelos, Tony Virag and John Bowe HSV GTS tagged a concrete wall and suffered rear damage, followed by clutch failure, before finishing 29th. Meanwhile the FPV Ford GT-F of Jeremy Gray, George and Andrew Miedecke was hindered by tyre issues before the diff failed.

A driveshaft failure put the Anthony Soole/Andrew Fisher M4 out very early into the race, before another

leading contender in the form of the Garth Walden, Ben and Michael Kavich EVO X suffered an engine failure. Turbo issues spelt the end for the EVO 9 of Dylan Thomas and Kyle Austin, and the similar car of Jack Winter and Zac Raddatz was also a retirement after it was in the top 10 early.

The first of three safety cars was deployed when the Stephen Thompson/Ed Kreamer/Michael King EVO X crashed at Forrest Elbow.

The second came when the Richard Bloomfield/Michael Auld/Brian Walden Mercedes-Benz A45 AMG crashed on top of the mountain and the third when the Brad Schumacher/ Mark Griffith/Brad Shiels Subaru Impreza WRX STi clashed with the Class D-leading Honda Integra.

Only half the A2 cars finished.

Robert Coulthard and Trevor Symonds were well inside the top 10 on several occasions, getting as high as fourth before the diff

pump failed on their CSV Monaro – a problem that also affected the Daniel Flanagan/Merrick Malouf HSV Clubsport. The Daniel Clift/Ashley Heffernan/Wayne Clift Clubsport was also performing well in the outright stakes, in 10th when its timing chain broke.

Behind the two 135is and third in Class B were Justin Elliott, Shaun Varney and Mark Caine in a Holden Commodore SSV Redline, having overcome suspension dramas,

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RACE REPORT

Bathurst Six Hour

a broken wheel and tyre delaminations.

Behind them were James Keene, Matt Thewlis and Richard Luff in their Volkswagen Golf R, which was delayed when it sheared a wheel stud and then ran out of brakes. The only class non-finisher was the Subaru Impreza of Chris Gleeson and Kurt Macready, which was plagued with issues throughout the weekend.

Eleventh and first in Class C was Jake Camilleri joining Charlie and Alfie Senese in their Hyundai i30N, which grabbed the Class C Performance lead from Rod Stait and Jake Williams (BMW M3 E36) with less than seven minutes to go.

The Hyundai team had to rebuild their car after crashing in the opening practice session, and then before the race itself, Camilleri was involved in rollover crash in the Production Sports Car race. Third went to the team’s second car piloted by Frank Mammarella, Kaden Olsen and Scott Green, only one lap behind.

Next was the Peter Lacey/Robin Lacey/Matilda Mravicic Volkswagen Scirocco. Chris Manly and Lea Medhurst were fifth in class, their run interrupted when a clash with one of the i30Ns and wall contact damaged the right front wheel and tyre. The BMW 130i then ended up in the sand trap at pit lane entry before being pulled out under a local yellow flag.

After starting from pit lane, James Goldsbrough, Gavin Driscoll and Jake White pitted at the end of lap one to attend to a radiator leak and then soldiered on to take their 130i to sixth in class and 19th overall. The Mazda RX8 of Ric Shaw, Lachlan O’Hara and Englishman David Cox blew its gearbox around 35 laps in.

They replaced it and went onto to 27th overall.

It was a battle of attrition for many in Class D Production, except for winners Aaron Cameron, Kyle Gurton and Cooper Murray (Toyota 86) with 13th outright ahead of the similarly mounted Michael James, Troy Rolley and Andrew Wilton in 16th.

The class was led

by David Baker and Brian Callaghan (Honda Integra Type R) through qualifying and the race until they tangled with a Class A1 runner with 40 per cent of the race distance covered. Apart from the Honda the class was filled with Toyotas, Murray and Graeme Dowsett, along with Davide Rizzo taking third.

Jimmy Vernon and Harrison Gray had their gearbox let go early on, and the race’s youngest pairing, Lachlan Mineeff and Tom Sargent suffered an engine detonation.

Remarkably both crews effected replacements and rejoined the race, finishing 28th and 30th respectively.

All three Class E Compact cars made it to the finish where first across the line were the pacesetters, David Worrell, David Noble and Andrew McMaster (Mazda 3 SP25).

But post-race they were docked five laps for not taking their last compulsory pit stop within the pit window.

That handed the class victory to Michael Hopp and Steve Pittman in their Suzuki Swift with a threelap advantage. Third in class were Alan Turner, Chris Holdt and Ross Donaldson in a massive effort to even make the race. They had just qualified fastest in class before the engine in their Mazda blew. They had to source a donor car out of Newcastle and perform an engine change overnight.

With the race going 131 laps, it was the longest covered so far at 813.9km. That translated to 507.7 miles, roughly the distance of the annual Bathurst touring car race through to 1973.

A late entry, the Mercedes A45 AMG run by GWR brought out one of the race’s three Safety Cars (above left). The Suzuki Swift won the tiddler class with Michael Hopp and Steve Pittmann behind the wheel.

The Anthony Gilbertson and Andrew Mills’ BMW M3 recovered from this trip into the sand to finish eighth (above) and runner up in Class A2 to the third placed HSV VF Clubsport R8 of Nathan Callaghan, Chris Lillis and Matt Holt (below).

Results 2019 Bathurst 6 Hour 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Beric Lynton/Tim Leahey Grant Sherrin/Iain Sherrin Chris Lillis/Nathan Callaghan/Matt Holt David Russell/Geoff Russell Paul Loiacono/Dieter Holzl Brad Woods/Hadrian Morall Simon Hodges/Jayden Ojeda/Iain Slateri Anthony Gilbertson/Andrew Mill Scott Gore/Keith Bensley Graeme Muir/Jamie Hodgson

CLASS WINNERS

A1 A2 B C D E

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Beric Lynton/Tim Leahey Chris Lillis/Nathan Callaghan/Matt Holt David Russell/Geoff Russell Charlie Senese/Alfie Senese/Jake Camilleri Aaron Cameron/Kyle Gurton/Cooper Murray Michael Hopp/Steve Pittman

A1 A1 A2 B A1 A1 A1 A2 B A2

BMW M3 F80 LCI Competition BMW M4 F82 HSV VF Clubsport R8 BMW 135i Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X BMW 1M Coupe BMW M135i Hatch F20 BMW M3 E92 BMW 135i HSV VE GTS

BMW M3 F80 LCI Competition HSV VF Clubsport R8 BMW 135i Hyundai i30N Toyota 86 GT Suzuki Swift Sport

131 130 128 128 128 127 126 123 122 122

Supports Bathurst

BATHURST PRODUCTION SPORTS TO SHAHIN TWO SOLID results gave Yasser Shahin the overall win in round two of the CUE Production Sports Enduro Series at Bathurst over the Easter meeting. A first-up second and later victory for the Audi R8 LMS driver also garnered him the opening round points in the GT-1 Australia Series.

Before qualifying, Graham Lusty was an early casualty with his Mosler catching fire.

Some qualifying times were then excluded as they were under the pre-determined minimum lap times, a proviso that did not apply for the races.

A late driver change for Gary Higgon with Luke Youlden joining him, helped them to a very handy 26.1 second victory in their Audi R8 LMS, in the first of the two one-hour races. Second went to Shahin with Dean Grant (BMW

result. Next were Steve Voight and Aaron Tebb (Porsche GT3-R), and Sam Fillmore (Porsche 991) survived a 5s start penalty to hold onto sixth, but by just 0.07s over Adam Hargraves (MARC II V8) and Danny Stutterd (991).

The second race was plagued with crashes and long safety car periods. The race went to Shahin over Grant and Fillmore. The Audi of Higgon and Youlden was the first victim, hitting the concrete over Skyline.

Fifteen minutes was lost behind the safety car and then a couple of laps later Craig Burgess received a helping hand into the tyre barrier at Forrest Elbow. While he managed to extract the Ginetta, there was a reappearance of the safety car.

With a queue heading to the pits there was a bizarre incident with Glenn Townsend (Lotus Exige) and Jake Camilleri coming together entering the lane, the latter’s new MARC Mazda rolling.

Then at the resumption, Rod Salmon (Audi) had contact with Anthony Skinner (Porsche) in the Cutting, forcing a third safety car.

The race ended that way with, behind Shahin, Grant second ahead of Fillmore, Stutterd, Kassulke, Voight/Tebb and the first of the MARC car drivers, John Goodacre. Garry O’Brien

Roadways) and Anthony Sawford (ex-Allan Grice) in their Holden Torana A9Xs. The safety car was also used in race three after Cutler found the wall in the Cutting on the opening lap. Towe snuck into second off the start and held that spot while after

a poor start, Webb came through for third.

Behind Taylor and Trembath came Craig Neilson (ex-Scotty Taylor Mitsubishi Starion) ahead of a three-scrap where Shaun Tunny (ex-Bob Forbes A9X) won out over Michael Logiudice (ex-Graeme

Crosby Commodore) and Lindsay Woollard (ex-Recar Commodore).

Among the smaller capacity cars – all former Bob Holden - David Patterson (Toyota Sprinter) was the first-up victor before seconds to Craig Foster (Toyota Corolla) in the other races. GOB

Images: Insyde Media M6) third ahead of Keith Kassulke (MARC II V8).

Higgon pitted when the safety car was called for the stranded Sergio Pires Porsche, as did Grant. Shahin and Kassulke stayed out and suffered as a

TERRY’S LAW IN HISTORIC TOURING CARS OVER THREE races on the Bathurst 6 Hour support program, Terry Lawlor was never headed in his ex-DJR Ford Sierra RS500.

Lawlor qualified fastest ahead of Tony Karanfilovski (ex-Glenn Seton Sierra), who would be non-starter having detonated the engine. Steve Webb (ex-Colin Bond Sierra) also qualified well but had to forego his fourth starting position to start rear of field, having stalled on the dummy grid.

Lawlor led from the outset, ahead of Bill Cutler (ex-Schnitzer BMW M3) with Greg Keam third until he lost a wheel at Murrays Corner

on the opening lap. After a safety car period to retrieve the stranded Group A ex-Laurie Nelson Ford Mustang, Lawlor covered Cutler for a narrow win.

Behind the BMW came the Holden Commodores driven by Jeff Trembath (ex-Warren Cullen), Mark Taylor (ex-Paul Trevethan), Milton Seferis (ex-Peter Janson) and David Towe in the former JPS M3.

In the next outing, Webb worked his way to second while Cutler and Trembath fell to fifth and sixth behind Taylor and Towe. The race was cut short following an incident involving Stephen Perrott (ex-

JOHNSTON ALL THE WAY

CHERRY ON TOP

NOBODY HAD the goods to knock off Asher Johnston in the Hyundai Excels at Bathurst, where he led all the way in each of the three races, finishing the event with a perfect score ahead of Michael Clemente and Cameron Bartholomew.

In a shortened opening race for the popular one-make category in their second visit to Mt Panorama, Johnston was able to ward off the challengers of Jordan Caruso and Clemente. Caruso tried to run around the outside of Johnston into Murrays Corner on the fourth lap but ran wide on the exit which allowed Clemente to sneak into second.

Just after they completed the lap, the race was red flagged with the result rounded back a lap. Leo Bondarenko and John Markwich had made contact at Forrest Elbow and not far away Brad Smith had a small fuel fire.

Johnston was the winner ahead of Caruso and Clemente. Cam Wilson was next ahead of Seiton Connor-Young, Bartholomew, Liam Gretrix, Matt Wells, Brett Parrish and Nathan Blight.

It was almost dark by the time they hit the track for the second race where Johnston was

WEST AUSTRALIAN Matt Cherry was the overall winner of the Midas Bathurst Improved Production Challenge Cup at Bathurst over Easter.

The Holden Monaro driver won the opening two races ahead of Chris Brown (Toyota AE86) and Adam Poole (Monaro), before finishing second to Ray Hislop (Ford Falcon BF) in the last.

Tasmanian Hislop was the fastest qualifier but was a non-starter for race one due to a CDI unit failure.

Cherry was beaten away by Jordan Cox (Datsun Turbo), but it didn’t take long for Cherry to go ahead. Cox was a retirement after two laps with an oil breather issue. In a tight battle for fourth, Damien Milano (Commodore) held out Leigh Forrest (Toyota Celica Turbo), Troy Marinelli (Nissan Silvia), Michael King and Andrew Sarandis in their Mitsubishi EVOs. The U2L honours went to Jason Hendy over Kurt Macready, both in Nissans.

Hislop started rear of field for race two and stormed through to fourth, finishing in front of Milano, who was penalised 5s for a starting infringement which dropped him to sixth behind

the leader from the start, ahead of Caruso and Clemente, who passed Wilson at the start of the second lap.

Shortened to three laps due to fading light, Johnston took the win while Clemente passed Caruso for second. Fourth was Wilson ahead of Bartholomew, Connor-Young, Parrish, Wells and Blight.

Caruso didn’t start race three, leaving Clemente to challenge Johnston after Brock Giblin was turned around at Hell Corner, forcing a safety car. Further back it was tight for third between Blight and Bartholomew, as several of the usual frontrunners were involved in incidents.

Gretrix and Parrish clashed, climbing out of the Cutting and on the last lap there was comingtogether between Wilson and Conner-Young at the last corner, leaving Wells a lonely fifth. GOB

Forrest and ahead of Sarandis, Kyle OrganMoore (Commodore), King and Steven Jukes (BMW M3).

Marinelli crashed out on the first lap as Crech Cumbo finished 12th behind Justin Wade (BMW 135i). Cox worked his way into the top 10 before oil problems re-emerged. Macready turned the tables on Hendy be first of the U2Ls. Just before the start of race three Poole pulled out with a broken exhaust. Brown hit the concrete pit wall at the start after contact with Cherry who led initially before Hislop passed after a two-lap safety car period. Milano was third as Forrest fought off the challenges from King and Sarandis.

Next were Organ-Moore, Grech Cumbo, Wade, Jukes and Marinelli from the back. Stephen Zourkas (ex-Cox Honda Civic) led U2Ls until the gearbox blew, leaving Macready ahead of Hendy. GOB

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INTERNATIONAL NEWS

NEUVILLE WINS TWO IN A ROW

THIERRY NEUVILLE claimed victory on the rocky roads of Argentina for Round 5 of the World Rally Championship, taking his second consecutive victory of the season leading home a Hyundai 1-2, ahead of Andreas Mikkelsen.

Toyota dominated the opening day of Rally Argentina and at one stage held the top three positions on the road. By the end of the day the Japanese cars had fallen down the order. Ulsterman Kris Meeke lost third gear and Jari-Matti Latvala suffered a puncture.

The other Toyota of Ott Tanak led entering the final stage of the day, but a driveshaft failure caused him to spin and as a result the Estonian dropped from first to third.

The Toyotas weren’t the only ones to face issues with Esapakka Lappi crashing his Citroen C3.

Neuville led reigning champion Sebastien Ogier by 11.9s at the close of the opening day with Tanak 1.5 seconds back.

Saturday in Argentina was a dramatic day for the championship contenders as both Tanak and Ogier facing problems.

Tanak started Saturday strongly, making short work in demoting Ogier back to third. The Frenchman’s day failed to improve when he hit the pillar on a stone gate and broke his power steering, losing a minute to Neuville, plummeting down the order to sixth.

Tanak meanwhile was taking

WRC chunks out of Neuville’s lead, until the Estonian was struck with more mechanical issues, this time a failed alternator was to blame resulting in him coming to a stop.

Welshman Elfyn Evans had stayed within reaching distance of the leaders and sat a respectable sixth until he spun and slid into a boulder destroying his Ford Fiesta.

This left Neuville comfortably out front, ending the day with a 45.7s lead over

BIG CRASHES AT TALLADEGA CHASE ELLIOTT claimed his fourth NASCAR Cup Series victory and his first of the season at Talladega after the race ended with a massive crash involving Kyle Larson on the final lap.

In the opening 10 laps the lead changed hands multiple times before the first caution was called after Bubba Wallace lost the rear and speared into the pack.

Many Cup Series contenders including Kevin Harvick, Clint Bowyer, Denny Hamlin and Michael McDowell were involved. Under caution conditions Blaney, Elliott and Kyle Busch were all caught speeding in pit lane and had to take the restart from the rear of the grid.

Once again after the restart, the lead changed hands many times, but with 15 laps remaining in the stage many drivers were told that they were going to run out of fuel. Ty Dillon gambled and as a result he won the stage from Alex Bowman and Austin Dillon.

As with Stage 1, the second stage featured many overtakes for the lead due to the slipstreaming on the Talladega Superspeedway.

The stage remained green meaning green flag pit stops began on lap 84 with all stops completed within nine laps. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. led Keselowski and Elliott, but it only took Elliott two laps to make it to the lead of the race. He

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held on to win the stage from teammate Bowman and William Byron.

In the break between stages all cars on the lead lap elected to pit, Elliott led coming out of the pits to head the restart. Stage 3 remained green for 15 laps before a caution was called for debris on the circuit.

Once again all the cars on the lead lap elected to pit with Erik Jones exiting the lane first. On the restart many drivers teamed up in pairs bump drafting each other to the front of the field.

The final stops were completed between laps 155 and 165, with Stenhouse, Logano and Busch

battling hard for the lead. A red flag was called on lap 182 after Matt DiBenedetto, Chris Buescher, Martin Truex Jr. and Justin Haley were involved in an incident. This was caused

by Buescher hitting the wall on the back straight and firing back into the path of the field.

The race resumed with four laps remaining Logano leading Kyle Busch, Stenhouse, Kurt Busch and Elliott. Elliott flew by taking the lead within two laps and from there he was able to hold the field at bay until the final lap. A caution was flown when Larson, Jeffrey Earnhardt and David Ragan crashed in which the former hit the wall and rolled multiple times on the back straight.

Alex Bowman finished second from Ryan Preece, Daniel Hemric and Joey Logano, the highest non-Chevrolet in fifth.

POINTS: Kyle Busch 430, Logano 415, Hamlin 367, Harvick 350, Keselowski 337, Truex 328, Elliott 324, Kurt Busch 323, Blaney 306, Bowyer 288

teammate Mikkelsen. Meeke finished the day a further 17.5s behind, to head a recovering Ogier.

On the final day Neuville cruised home, only pushing on the power stage in which the Belgian finished third to take three bonus points.

“I’m feeling great and we can be proud of what we’ve done. We had a fantastic car all weekend and I felt very comfortable,” he said. “The entire team is working hard and we can see the

NASCAR Chase Elliott avoided the chaos to win at Talladega (right), while Ricky Stenhouse Jr didn’t have a fun time of it (left).

BTCC THE 2017 British Touring Car Champion Ash Sutton has emerged in the lead of the title after a chaotic second meeting of the year at Donington Park.

The opening race required the introduction of the Safety Car almost immediately after an incident between six cars at the Old Hairpin. The most clearly involved were Andrew Jordan (BMW 3-Series) and Adam Morgan (Mercedes A-Class), both of their cars sustaining big damage.

Jordan’s teammate Colin Turkington took the win in Race 1 ahead of Sutton and the third BMW 3-Series of Tom Oliphant.

In another incident-filled race, Turkington again replicated his domination of Race 1 to lead home veteran Matt Neal by 2s in the second event. Sutton rounded out the podium ahead of Tom Chilton and Rory Butcher.

The final race of the weekend was won by Tom Ingram, giving the new Toyota Corolla its debut victory ahead of Rob Collard and former championship leader Josh Cook, who had issues in Race 1.

A three-point margin splits Sutton and Cook heading to the third meeting of the season at Thruxton on May 18-19.

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progress. The result is good for the championship but upcoming events could be tougher.”

Mikkelsen stayed out of trouble to record his first podium since Sweden in 2018.

The battle for third was the highlight of the final day, Toyota driver Meeke led Ogier until he received a 10s penalty for taking a wrong route, he fell back to fifth but fought back strongly to sit third heading into the final stage.

But, the luckless Toyota recruit suffered a front left puncture allowing Ogier to claim the final step on the podium ahead of Meeke. Latvala overtook Sordo on the final day to claim fifth, while Tanak returned on Sunday and finished eighth.

Drivers: Neuville 110, Ogier 100, Tanak 82, Meeke 54, Evans 43, Mikkelsen 30, Latvala 29, Lappi 26, Sordo 26, Loeb 22.

NESTOR GIROLAMI claimed two out of three WTCR races at the Hungaroring to jump into the championship lead ahead of teammate Esteban Guerrieri.

Girolami, driving a Munnich Motorsport Honda Civic Type R took pole position and converted it into victory after getting fighting off Yvan Muller into Turn 1. Despite the Frenchman sticking to the tail of Girolami, the Argentine was never challenged and took the victory from Muller and Guerrieri. The trio separated by less than a second.

Girolami took the flag in a wet Race 2 despite starting sixth. The rain made for a very exciting

and chaotic opening lap in which the Argentine made his way up to second by Turn 4. Daniel Haglof led early but was quickly demoted to third behind Girolami and Jean-Karl Verney. Verney closed the gap to Girolami, but it wasn’t enough to take the win.

Reigning WTCR Champion Gabriele Tarquini was victorious in a Safety Car interrupted Race 3 ahead of teammate Norbert Michelisz. Guerrieri made a great start and led the early stages but a poor exit at Turn 5 allowed both Hyundai drivers through. On lap 12, Guerrieri hit the barrier at the final turn, this allowed Yann Ehrlacher to finish third in the Link & Co.

EIGHT FROM EIGHT DUTCHMAN ROBIN Frijns won a chaotic and attritional Paris ePrix to become the eighth different winner in as many Formula E races.

It was also the first race to feature rain in Formula E history and as a result chaos ensued.

Both Mahindra drivers, championship leader Jerome d’Ambrosio and Pascal Wehrlein were disqualified from qualifying for illegal tyre pressures.

Due to damp conditions on the right hand side of the pit straight the race started behind the Safety Car. This left the Nissan e-dams drivers Oliver Rowland and Sebastien Buemi starting line astern at the head of the pack as the race began.

Rowland made a great start on the opening lap, but at Turn 10 he locked up and hit the barrier. Rowland continued in last position, handing the lead over to Buemi who was coming under increased pressure from Frijns.

On lap 6 the pair made contact when Buemi ran wide and cut across the nose of the Envision Virgin. Frijns front wing took a knock but not enough for him to pit for repairs.

Frijns took advantage of a mistake from Buemi with 33 minutes to go, which allowed Frijns into the lead, but worse was to come for the Season 2 champion.

Buemi picked up a puncture on the same lap and had to pit for a new tyre.

This allowed Felipe Massa to move into a podium position before Daniel Abt took it away from the Brazilian, dummying to the outside before diving to the inside.

With just under half an hour remaining the rain and hail arrived making track conditions almost undriveable.

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FORMULA E The first big incident was when championship contenders d’Ambrosio and Sam Bird collided, the latter ending up in the wall. He was joined by Alexander Sims, who suffered heavy damage after contact with Rowland, who lost his front wing, forcing a Virtual Safety Car was deployed.

As the race went back to green Massa was sitting fourth, but spun and lost many positions.

Eleven minutes were all that remained when Edoardo Mortara and Alex Lynn touched. As a result, Lynn clouted the wall heavily and Mortara was wedged underneath Lynn’s stricken chassis at Turn 13.

On the following restart, d’Ambrosio suffering from front wing damage found himself understeering helplessly into the wall and was then drilled by Jose Maria Lopez, putting an end to his race.

Frijns crossed the line to take his maiden Formula E victory and with it the championship lead, while second place for Lotterer means he trails in the standings by a solitary point. Abt rounded out the podium to leap into title calculations.

Standings: Frijns 81, Lotterer 80, da Costa 70, di Grassi 70, d’Ambrosio 65, Vergne 62, Evans 61, Abt 59, Bird 54, Mortara 52.

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s w e n Y A SPEEDW FARR WINS QLD USC

Image: Geoff Rounds

MICHAEL TANCREDI continued his recent good form, winning the annual Diggers Cup in honour of the ANZACS at Avalon Raceway from a fast Brayden Parr and Matthew Reed, while Chris Campbell raced from 16th grid position to pass Mark Carlin late for fourth place. The 25-lap race doubled as the third and final round of the 2019 Indy Race Parts SRA 360 Triple Crown Series, also won by Tancredi on 1227 points from Reed (1208), Brett Milburn (965), Chris Solomon (883) and Eddie Lumbar (751).

Image: Geoff Rounds

Image: Art of Speedway

THE VICTORIAN Speedcar season finished perfectly for Travis Mills with victory in the annual GTown Rumble.

It was his seventh feature win for the 2018-19 season.

He dominated the 20-lap final and defeated Mitch Whiting and Adam Wallis. In Western Australia, Travis White won the final feature of the season, while Rob Golding took out the Speedcar Track Championship on a countback. White led home Alfonso Guadagnino and Lee Redmond in the 20-lap final and courtesy of the night’s results, Golding and Glen Mears were tied on points for the overall track title. Golding was given the nod on a countback with Beau Doyle rounding out an incredible rookie season to come home third overall.

A THIRD place finish was enough for Michael Holmes to clinch the 2018-19 Late Model Pro Dirt Series.

Coming into the final round Holmes had taken over the tournament series lead from Marc Giancola, who had a final night to forget. Warren Oldfield was never headed and raced to his 19th feature win at the Perth Motorplex, the eighth year in a row that he has claimed a major win at the venue. Vosbergen was a strong second while Holmes held on for third, which was also enough to clinch the Perth Motorplex Track Championship. Brad Blake moved into second place overall in the Series while Jay Cardy also worked his way into third after the demise of Giancola.

SHAUN WALSH hopped out of Easter with victory in the annual Super Rod Cup and topped the inaugural Easter Trail aggregate points, after three nights of racing. He won the final night’s action and placed in the other two nights to win from Michael Coad and Ewan McKenzie. Walsh amassed 242 points to lead home night two winner Neville Gange (219), McKenzie (186) and Coad on 170.

Image: Geoff Rounds

BAIRNSDALE SPEEDWAY played host to four major feature races during the Easter period, with Travis Millar winning the Gary Bowden Memorial Cup for Wingless Sprints and Glen Pendlebury too good in the Easter Classic for Standard Saloons. Alistair Bastian was sensational on his way to a LS Sprintcar feature event win and Tim McKenzie won the Limited Sportsman final.

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ROBBIE FARR closed out his best-ever season of racing with victory in the Queensland Ultimate Sprintcar Championship at Toowoomba Speedway.

During the season Farr and his immaculate East Coast Pipeline Racing Team gabbed seven feature wins and 20 podiums, including wins in the Grand Annual Sprintcar Classic, Australian Sprintcar Title Preliminary, South Australian and Queensland USC, second NSW USC and the 60-lapper at Murray Bridge Speedway.

Farr finished his stunning season with victory on the opening night of the Easter Triple Challenge and Lachlan McHugh won the final night, both at Toowoomba Speedway, however night two at Archerfield was a washout.

The final Qld USC aggregate had Farr winning by 22 points from McHugh and current Australian Sprintcar champion Andrew Scheuerle.

“Thanks to all of our fans and sponsors for their continued support throughout the season, as another successful campaign for the ECP Sprintcar team concluded at Hi-Tec Oils Speedway, Toowoomba,” Farr said.

“We also ran triple duty at Murray Bridge resulting in a second in a Sprintcar, second in a Speedcar and fourth in the Late Model, and we wrote ourselves into the history books by becoming the second highest featurerace winner of all time at Sydney Speedway.

“Personally I couldn’t do this without my crew chief Nick Speed, Neil Kelly, Barry and Felicity Waldron, Jarrod Hodgins, Steve Melville and Chris Ferrall.”

Final USC Qld Standings: Farr 972, McHugh 950, Scheuerle 918, Lack 838, Kratzmann 790, Saller 781, Reidy 780, Ellis 670, Black 632, Titman 631.

BUCKINGHAM CROWNED AUST CHAMP NE NEWLY EWL WLY Y CROWNED CROW CROW CR OWNE WNE NED D Australian Aust Au stra tra ralililian an Formula 500 champion Josh Buckingham is hoping his biggest career win may lead him into racing Sprintcars.

The 22-year-old Geelong wall and floor tiler cemented his name into the rich history of the popular class, to lead all 30 laps from pole position at Goulburn Speedway and win from Jack Bell, James Kennedy and Brad Stell.

Fifth home was four-time national winner Liam Williams, who drove a superb feature race from the rear of the field. Then followed Tim Rankin, Kaydon Iverson, Steph Munn, Ash Sinclair and Dale Sinclair rounding out the top 10.

The prestigious title race, worth $5000 to the winner, belonged to Buckingham who carried solid form into the event with a recent victory in the South Australian title.

“This is well and truly the biggest win for me, it tops anything I’ve done by far,” Buckingham told Auto Action.

“I never backed myself fully to be Australia One. I feel like we’ve put in a lot of hard work and this is the end

Image: Geoff Rounds

result. I drove pretty well I thought. I sometimes fly under the radar, but I feel I have been ready for this (win) for sometime.”

Buckingham, who is in his sixth season of the F500 class after graduating from the Junior Sedans,

is now is eyeing either a drive in Sprintcars or Speedcars.

“I’d love to be someone to maybe have the opportunities to drive a Sprintcar or Speedcar. I think with the season I’ve had people might look and I maybe might get a chance.”

Image: Art of Speedway

WALSH FENDS OFF FARR FOR USC

Image: 44Photography

PASCOE WINS THIRD AUST TITLE MATT PASCOE dedicated his third Australian Super Sedan Championship to his late parents, after a non-stop 40-lap race at Heartland Raceway, Moama.

The recent win adds to his national victories in 2013 and 2015 and was his seventh feature race win of the 2018-19 season.

Pascoe has had to endure a particularly tough 12 months personally with the passing of his mother and father.

Pascoe, 41, of Willowbank in

Queensland contested his 11the title and it’s the seventh time he’s finished in the top four at a national title.

He proved the best of the 46 entries and after a tense battle near the front, took the lead on lap 25 and got home ahead of front row starters Ryan Alexander and defending champion Callum Harper.

Early on it was Harper taking the lead but did not get away from Bergmeier or Pascoe, in a battle that lasted for the opening 15 laps.

Harper, who won the Victorian title

just a week prior at the same venue and came into the second night of racing undefeated and topped the points, was again superb. He came into lapped traffic and was eventually caught by Pascoe and Alexander, as the three fought all at once for the lead into one corner.

It was Pascoe grabbing the lead midrace and went onto win, with Alexander a highly credible second, then followed Harper, Darren Kane and Peter Nicola, who stormed home in the concluding stages to finish fifth from Bergmeier.

IN HARM’S WAY

JOSH HARM won the biggest event of his career with a hard-fought victory in the Queensland Production Sedan Title at Maryborough Speedway.

Josh Arthur and Jim Cowley occupied the front row for the 40-lap decider, with Harm and Brett Barron starting on row two, while defending Champion Chris Pagel would start on the third row.

Cowley led early with Harm moving immediately to second and made his move for the lead and Pagel followed soon after. Brody Fraser, who started on the fourth row, found himself in third place after eight laps as the race found a rhythm.

Harm though, remained at the front and won, leading Fraser home by five car lengths just ahead of Australian champion Joel Berkley, who finished third after coming from the B-Main.

REIGNING NATIONAL Street Stock champion Anthony Beare has won the MJS Street Stock Grand Final at Murray Bridge Speedway, with a convincing win in the 30-lap A-Main. Beare set the fastest lap of the race on the opening tour and won his seventh feature of the season in dominant fashion from Sam Brumfield and Justin Brumfield.

Image: 44Photography

Street Stock Series for the 2018/2019 season, despite only winning two feature races for the season. His consistency saw him win the series by 359 points from Dale Riley Jnr, who won six races, while Steven Harvey finished close behind in third place.

COREY BAULD wrapped up the 12-round Tasmanian

IT WAS an emotional win for Brendan Miller in the 24-lap Robert Bickham Memorial for Sports Sedans at Nyora Speedway.

It was Miller’s first win in the event from his brother Damien, Jamie Paull, Leigh Bourke and Simon Bent.

Also on the same night the Grand Prix Midgets ran their South Gippsland Shootout and Jason Crawford emerged the winner from Danny Stainer, Mark Blackeby, Travis Florrimell and Sean Denning the top five finishers.

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ON THE same day champion racehorse Winx won her 34th and final race, just an hour away Sam Walsh denied his rivals and won the 2018-19 NSW Ultimate Sprintcar Championship at Valvoline Raceway in Parramatta.

Walsh held off a fast-finishing Robbie Farr, who was chasing consecutive wins in the popular tournament. Both drivers entered the night’s racing tied on points, with Walsh finishing second and Farr third in the 14th and final round behind race winner Jamie Veal.

The podium placings were a duplicate of the first round of the series back in September 2018.

The 30-lap race produced a late race red flag, with just two laps remaining, with the order of Veal, Walsh and Farr. It was Walsh who fought off all of Farr’s challenges to remain second and win his first USC tile.

Walsh rated the win the biggest in his Sprintcar racing career and he and legendary father John are now eyeing a potential American tour.

“I’m very proud. We had to beat one of the best teams in the country to do it,” Walsh told Auto Action.

“Dad’s pretty happy and already thinking about next season. Really, I think he just wants to go and race in America. Most of our racing conversations generally end up leading down that path, deep down that’s where we would like to be.

“I made the decision not to go over this year, as it’s hard on my family being away for extended periods of time.

“The opportunity was there to go back and do the same sort of schedule with the VanDyke Motorsports team, which I appreciated. It would have to be a pretty major opportunity for me to get me over this year.” am m Final Standings NSW USC: Sam Walsh 1814, Robbie Farr 1812, Matt Dumesny 1780, Jackson Delamont 1684, Marcus Dumesny 1670, Danny Reidy 1614, Mick Saller 1594, Jessie Attard 1588, Daniel Sayre 1582, Jordyn Brazier 1546.

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SPEEDWAY

VEAL’S HISTORIC EASTER SWEEP SINCE 1980 the Easter Sprintcar Trail has been hotly contested but no driver has swept all three nights of racing until this year.

While some of the greatest names in Australian speedway have gone close to the perfect score in winning the lucrative Trail, only one driver has now done so.

Jamie Veal won all three A-Mains on consecutive nights at Avalon, Borderline and Premier Speedways, each with comprehensive wins, and thereby pocketed a $10,000 bonus for clean-sweeping the three nights.

Along with winning the trifecta, Veal also grabbed both track championships at Avalon and Warrnambool, picking up another $30,000 in prizemoney.

“That was very good fun.

It’s a good way to end the season. It’s just good to win three in a row, no one’s ever done it (before),” Veal said.

Starting from pole position at Warrnambool for the 30-lap A-main, Veal was passed by Darren Mollenoyux on the opening lap and had to bide his time until a risky move on the eighth lap.

Mollenoyux would hit the wall as a result of the pass and with six laps to go he would force a yellow flag, as he retired from the race.

With race-leader Mollenoyux out with driveline damage, Veal sped away at the restart to claim the chequered flag and set up an Easter Trail first.

“It was great fun, I grew up around Molly (Mollenoyux) and it was good to have a good race with him,” Veal said.

“We were throwing it pretty deep there (and) unfortunately he got a little bit tied up there (on the wall).

“Bit unfortunate he had to pull in but can’t thank the guys enough for a super weekend

Matt Dumsney took a heavy landing in the A Main on the last night of the trail.

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Jamie Veal won all three nights of the Easter Trail, for the first time since the series started.

Mike Van Bremen took pole for the 30 lap A Main on night one at Avalon, here ahead of fan favourite Max Dumsney.

Images Geoff Rounds cruising to an easy win from turned back the clock and claimed and a good way to end the pole position for the 30-lap feature. season and roll into next year.”

David Murcott, John Vogels It would be Veal, though, who For the second year in a row, Luke and Brock Hallett. GR raced from seventh and eventually Walker of Timboon filled the round three Easter podium with Bendigo’s grabbed victory passing leader Top 10 Easter Trail points were McCullagh with 10 to go to set up Rusty Hickman finishing third.

Veal (660points), Corey McCullagh his string of wins with Walker in third 595, John Vogels, Rusty Hickman Earlier in the Trail at Avalon and Van Bremen home in fourth.

Raceway on Good Friday, 580, Luke Walker 565, Dennis The following night at Mount McCullagh set the fastest time trial Jones 490, Jock Goodyer 425, Gambier Veal and McCullagh both overall with a lap of 11.91 seconds Brock Hallett 400, Mike Van came from the front row with Veal while veteran Mike Van Bremen Bremen, Daniel Pestka 355.

p ra w S L NATIONA

AUSSIES MINT IN U.S.A OFF ROAD SEVERAL AUSTRALIANS took on the USA’s biggest off road racing event on March 9-10, two of them tasting success with a prized class victory.

Brett Comiskey and Daniel Mckenzie took out the UTV Unlimited Class in the Saturday’s 400 and then backed up in their other Lone Star Racing Can-Am Rotax to contest the Pro Turbo Class in Sunday’s 400. But like fellow Aussies Tanner James, Billy Geddes, Corey Howell and Alan Cornick, they were not nearly as successful.

The event has a long history. It started in 1968 when executives of the Las Vegas Mint Hotel created the Mint 400 Del Webb Desert Rally with over 100 entries, promoting it using motor racing icons Mel Larson and Parnelli Jones.

The following year Mickey Thompson, Bobby and Al Unser, and actors Steve McQueen and Lee Majors were part of the event.

By 1970, the Mint had grown to over 300 entries and for the next 20 years it thrived.

But in 1988 the Mint Hotel was sold and the race organisers disbanded. As a result the event slipped into anonymity.

Almost 20 years on, the race

came back to life and has grown in entry numbers and significance.

This year there were 543 entries and for the first time since 1976 motorcycles returned, competing in multiple classes over an 129km course.

The Mint 400 has been owned by the Martelli Brothers – Matt and Joshua – since 2011. The pair worked closely with the late Casey Folks and the Best in the Desert Racing Association to find a new home for the event.

It is run by the Best in the Desert Racing Association and for off road cars, buggies, trucks etc. It consists of two 643km races on the weekend over rough and fast tracks in the Nevada Desert.

Crowds flock to the event for the start, along the course and at scrutineering, which is held on Fremont Street, Las Vegas where numerous displays and vendors make for a carnival-like spectacle.

With their class win, Comiskey and Mckenzie were not far off outright in their second attempt at the event. Comiskey drove the first 242.5km and before McKenzie took over.

“We also have to say a huge thanks to our navigators Matt Shrive and Jerod Blizer, they played a huge role in our success,” said Mckenzie.

They were the only Aussie crew to race the Saturday part and then back up for the second race with only five hours sleep.

Comiskey started the race from 54th and pushed to 22nd with a minor belt issue. After Mckenzie took over, the main drive shaft failed, leaving them with two-wheel drive to finish 16th out of 75.

Tanner James described the course as the rockiest, most square edged race track he had ever driven on. He was driving his Class 10 Jamesprint AlumiCraft/ GM Ecotec solo with American

Josh Benke navigating.

“The race started out good for us. We managed to jump the other Class 10 AlumiCraft off the line and had clean air until we started catching the second car on the road,” said James.

They held that gap until a puncture at about the 160km mark.

“From there we had to play catch up, but eventually we broke the fly-by-wire throttle at the pedal, so we were out.”

The other two Aussies were in V8 Trick Trucks. In a Impact Racing TSCO/Dougans Ford, Billy Gettes teamed up with South Side Racing and Americans Robert Johnston, Carl Fitts and Joe Nuzzo, but had the torque convertor fail.

Corey Howell and Alan Cornick

competed in a Geiser Bros Trophy Truck/Chev but that also ended in retirement – their issue was a broken gearbox.

To take on such an event from outside the country is commendable enough but in the case of Comiskey and McKenzie, getting a class win is an extraordinary feat. The duo are no means done yet in the Americas and have targeted the famed Dakar for 2020.

“It is a different type of event as it has competitive stages with transport stages, while The Mint is just continuous,” Mckenzie said.

Aussies competing overseas and performing well always tickles the patriotic nerve, but winning is something special.

PATTON SHOWS A CLEAN PAIR OF HEELS THE START of the second round for the WDSCC A series Super Sprints took place on April 13, with cooler weather welcoming competitors.

The lower track temperatures meant there were lap records to break on the circuit’s D layout.

The weekend ran smoothly with a total of seven timed runs, each consisting of four laps. Everyone was finished early on Sunday and there was even enough time for a few practice sessions for those who wanted it.

Vikki Paxton was once again the fastest of the weekend with her V8 Dallara, retaining her lead in the championship points with Ashley Bright only one-point behind, closely followed by Super2 driver Bryce Fullwood.

As usual, there was a great display of cars on track with a large number of Cobras, Zed cars and a selection of open-wheelers. There were also a number of Sprites, as well as cars driven to and from the track.

The B series is next for its second round

Records tumbled on the D circuit thanks to the cool conditions. There was action aplenty among the open wheelers, Sprites and Z cars. Images: Trapnell Creations for 2019, which will be held on the May 11-12 followed by Round 2 of the C series on the June 1-2, when the weather is expected to be much cooler.

Spectator entry for all the super sprints is free of charge and offers a fantastic action packed weekend with a large variety of different cars competing.

For more information and for what events are coming up, visit www.morganparkraceway.com.au

CHAMPIONSHIP TABLE Vikki Paxton 84 Ashley Bright 83 Bryce Fullwood 81 Peter Hancock 79 Beau Hatton 75 Tony Hatton 72 John White 71 Bill Norton 70 Jon Siddins 63 Dan McCarthy 62

Proudly presented by Warwick District Sporting Car Club Inc for more information visit www.morganparkraceway.com.au

Next Round: 11-12 May AutoAction

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NATIONALS wrap n compiled by garry o’brie

BARBAGALLO’S APRIL RACING FESTIVAL AUTUMN ARRIVED at Barbagallo Raceway for several categories running round three of their State Championships on April 13.

SPORTS SEDAN/STREET SEDANS/SPORTS CARS

FORMULA FORD

THE RETURNING Peter Major (Stealth) took race one just in front of Simon Ridgewell (Van Diemen) and Braedyn Bowra (Stealth). Ridgewell led race two but Major soon took over, while Ridgewell held off Bowra for second.

On lap seven Clay Richards (Stealth), Dan Gate (Stealth) and Nathan Biddle (Stealth) came off in turn 6, and the race ended under a local yellow. Joshua Mathews (Stealth) joined the front runners, but Major took the laurels from Bowra and Mathews.

FORMULA VEE

THE FIRST race started well for Danny Cerro (Sabre) and he led the 1600s, but the red flag followed shortly after. At the restart Mark Horan (Stinger) led Rod Lisson (Sabre), who ultimately lost out to Jeff Cadman (Jacer) and David Campbell (Jacer).

Horan led Lisson in race two until the latter retired, leaving Cadman second from Lachlan Beresford (Stinger). Horan made it three wins with victory in the last, heading

Former Falcon Supercars went head to head at Barbagallo, here Grant Hill edges ahead of Darren Boland.

Cadman, Lisson and Beresford, until David Campbell (Jacer) came through for second from Lisson.

The first race incident came among the 1200s, involving Jack Scoble (Williams), April Welsh (Jacer) and Chris Parmenter (Argus). Brett Scarey (CD-Vee) and Franz Esterbauer (Ribuck) duked it out at the restart, which the former won while

Mackenzie Mathews (Gerbert) placed third.

Trailing Scarey initially in race two, Esterbauer hit the front mid-race for a narrow victory with Mathews third.

Esterbauer followed up with a race three victory, leaving a four-car battle for second with Andrew Lockett (Ajay) just in front Mathews, Lisson and Scarey.

Todd Herring leads the way in SuperTT, while (bottom) James Dick headed the Clubmans.

Images: Russell Windebank

THE OPENING race was between the former Supercar Ford Falcons where Grant Hill held out Darren Boland, while Ryan Humfrey was third in his Falcon/ Chev. In the reverse grid race, Hill came through for victory, ahead of Ron Moller (Chev Camaro) and Boland. Hill also took the third race but a 5s penalty relegated him to second behind Moller and ahead of Humfrey.

In the Street Sedans, Andrew Stevens (Nissan 180SX) was a first-up winner ahead of the Nissan Skylines piloted by Denver Parker and Andrew Souvertjis.

Leading early, Stevens retired from race two, leaving Parker the winner ahead of Craig Maloney (Subaru Impreza WRX) and Philip Crouse (VW Polo) – a result repeated in the last.

Richard Bloomfield (Porsche 997 GT3) was unbeaten among the Sports Cars.

Chris McKenzie (Mazda RX7) and Neville Stewart (997) passed a slowing John Roderick (Lotus Exige) for the race one minors. The latter bounced back in the reverse grid for second ahead of Stewart, who was second in last ahead of Walter Epple (Porsche).

TOYOTA P THE FEATURE event at the Ipswich Festival of Speed on April 13-14 might have had a disappointing roll-up, but the support program at Queensland Raceway was spiced with entertainment aplenty.

MRA HEADS NORTH SYDNEY MOTORSPORT Park was again the venue for the April 13 second round of the Motor Racing Australia Series, this time on the north circuit.

SUPER TT

AFTER TAKING pole Dennis Walker (Nissan Skyline) was swamped at the start of race one. Todd Herring (Mazda MX5) edged away from Ashley Slavkovic (Nissan Silva) for a narrow win. Walker finished eighth behind John Ford (Skyline), Benny Tran (Honda Civic), Keven Stoopman (Mitsubishi EVO 7), Dori Saade (BMW M3) and Greg Boyle (Silvia).

Herring and Slavkoiv again battled it out in race two with Herring taking the win from Slakvoic, Tran, Ford and Stoopman. Slakvoic got the jump in race three and finished 9s ahead of Herring and Mark Stinson (Silvia).

Slakvoic was handed a 30s penalty postrace which dropped him down to fourth and handed a clean sweep to Herring. Behind Slakvoic were Stoopman and Saade.

CLUBMANS

IT WAS a James Dick (PRB Widebody) clean sweep where he beat Josh Versluis (Birken S3) three times. Third place however, wasn’t so easy to decide. Jos Kroon (PRB) scored

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narrowly in race one over David Thirlwall (Westfield) and Ben Jensen (PRB Composite).

Behind them was Warwick Williams who was third in the next two races, barely ahead of Kroon and then Thirlwall, after the three swapped positions and finished less than half a second apart.

ALFA VELOCE

THE COMPLETED races were both won by Daniel Gatton (GTV6) over Frank Carigliano (GTV6) and Darren Harris (GTV), despite a 5s penalty in race two. John Carigliano (147 GTA) was fourth in the latter two races. The first race was red flagged after the opening lap.

PULSARS

EVEN THOUGH Josh Craig was the top qualifier, Harry Inwood was a tearaway winner of the opening race where Daniel Smith narrowly took second ahead of Matthew Boylan and Craig.

Inwood dominated race two as well, as Smith held off Michael Osmond as they battled for

WILLOWBANK 300 the minors. Tim Colombrita edged out Thomas Petrovich and Boylan for fourth. In race three Inwood and Osmond swapped the lead in race three with Inwood taking the win again, but only just. Six tenths covered the top three as Colombrita took third ahead of Boylan.

HISTORIC TOURING CARS/ MAZDA MX5S

WITH THE job ahead after taking pole, John Harrison (Ford Mustang) held off a quartet of MX5s in the hands of Ian Caldwell, Curran Brennan, Jackson Coperman and Therry Johnson to take out the opening encounter.

They were followed by Cameron Worner (Ford Falcon GT) and John Burke (Valiant Charger).

Harrison pulled out of race two where Caldwell was a convincing winner ahead of Copeman and Johnson. David Stone (Mustang) led the Group N charge in fourth, showing the way to Stuart McFadden (MX5) and Warner.

The third race won by Caldwell, comfortably from Stone, Johnson and McFadyen.

Russell Windebank

ONLY 10 teams took on the sixth edition of the 300km enduro that this year went 2.5 hours over 96 laps. It was won by Trent Laves and Dylan Cothill in a Toyota 86. Second went to Scott McLennan and Cameron McLean (Mitsubishi Mirage) ahead of Bruce Forsyth and Gerry Murphy (Subaru BRZ).

The Callam Sayers/Michael James HSV Commodore was the pacesetter, lapping the field in 27 laps. Then a couple of right front punctures and diff damages ruined their day. That allowed Warwick Douglas and Andrew Knight to take the lead in their BMW E30. After the mandatory stops, it was a close second until stopping after turn 2 in the dipper.

The John Sheridan/Jayden Faulkner Ford Fiesta XR4 was the first retiree with a split radiator, before the Daniel Ross/Josh Coote Toyota Altezza had an diff breather line leak. Rounding out the finishers were Noel Otto/Dan Saunders (Hyundai Elantra) ahead of the Hyundai Excels of James Van Roon/ John Young/Daniel Ford and Nigel Statham/ Matthew Ross.

AUSTRALIAN TRANS-AM

THE OPENING round of Australian TransAm brought about an outright victory for John English (Pontiac Firebird) after two out of four race wins. First up he headed

SUCCESS SALOON CARS

IN THE opening race Brad Boley was able to split Grant Johnson and Matt Martin in a Holden Commodore VT trifecta result.

Boley worked on Johnson in the second, ultimately getting through to head the team pair. Johnson and Martin led the last race and after Boley again split them, there was no passing Johnson this time.

In the older class, regular HQ driver Marc Watkins (Ford Falcon EA) placed a close second in race one to Nick Hanlon (EA), with Warren Ellis (Commodore VN) third.

Hanlon won the second from Watkins. Brock Ralph (VP) came through for third and then led Kurt Kostecki (VN) in race three initially.

But Hanlon passed Kostecki and later took the lead. Kostecki faded and Watkins snared third.

HISTORIC RACING & SPORTS RACING CARS

THERE WERE two wins for Michael Henderson (Ralt RT4) and it would have been three but for a 30s penalty in race two.

That handed Simon Alderson (Van Diemen FF2000) victory to go with his two seconds, ahead of a distant Andrew Nielson (ArgoToms TRD) twice and Harvey Leys (Chevron R19) in the last.

As ever the Formula Vees turned on plenty of action throughout their three races, with plenty of place swapping right through the field. Images: Mick Oliver

F1000

STOHR DRIVERS led the way with Jordon Oon never headed in race one, as BD SoutarDawson made the move on Adam Lisle to secure second. Soutar-Dawson jumped ahead in race three to win as Stuart Kostera came through to take second ahead of Lisle and Oon. Kostera and Lisle come together in the last race, which was red flagged. Soutar-

Dawson led the way at the resumption ahead of Oon and Kyle Gurton. Aaron Love was the best of the Radicals with three class wins.

HQ HOLDENS

MIDWAY THROUGH race one, the battling Marc Watkins and Michael Howlett made a break with Watkins taking the win. Third place was also close with Mick Woodbridge

edging out Rory Sharp and Stuart Kenny. In the reverse grid race Howlett grabbed the lead on lap six, only to lose it to Watkins on the last lap as Woolbridge progressed to third. The third race was tight between Watkins, Howlett, Woolbridge and Sharp. Midway Watkins overtook Howlett and led to the finish. Howlett faded later for Sharp and Woolbridge to get by.

Mick Oliver

PILOTS TAKE DEPLETED 300 ENDURO Russell Wright in Anthony Tenkate’s Ford Mustang and Ian Palmer (Firebird). Lindsay Kearns retired Palmer’s Plymouth AAR Cuda with a puncture after qualifying second.

Then when the 5.0-litre cars were given a 30s head start in race two, Sean Evans and Patricia Chant (Mustangs) finished ahead of English. Palmer speared off at turn 6 when the throttle stuck open.

English took out race three while Palmer worked his way from sixth to second, and Wright was third ahead of Chris LaRosa (Mustang). Kearns got to third but stopped off track out of turn 3. Fifth placed Sean English (Mustang) was the best of the 5.0-litres. In the last it was Palmer first ahead of John English, Wright and Sean English.

LEGEND CARS AUSTRALIA

CONTINUING ON from his impressive winning form of 2018, James Burge won all four races that constituted rounds one and two of this year’s series.

Each outing win was a very tight result

over Ben Jagger and that included the reverse grid race. On numerous occasions over the four races they swapped places, with the biggest gap at the end being 0.28s and the narrowest 0.007s.

Reagan Angel finished third in every race, having to get beat Rick Christy in race one and three, and Brendon Hourigan in races two and four. Angel’s protagonists squared the ledger for equal fourth overall.

QR SPORTS & SEDANS, PRODUCTION UTES

FROM FOURTH starting race one, Adam Hargraves (MARC II V8) chased down and won ahead of Jono Beikoff (ex-Supercar Ford Falcon AU). In the meantime, Grant Elliott (V8 BMW E36 M3) did the same to Steve Hay (Holden Commodore VK) but a 30s penalty relegated him to fourth.

Hargraves led all the way in the second as Elliott got by Beikoff early to take second narrowly while Hay was lonely fourth. In

race three Elliott challenged but garaged before the first lap was completed, leaving Hargraves to win clear of Beikoff and Hay. The last outing became a non-event. Maria Mare (Dodge OzTruck) slid off at turn 3 with a blown engine and on the restart Elliott went into the back of Hay. In Production Utes, two firsts and two seconds gave Daniel Ford (Falcon) overall

TJohn English leads the Trans-Am field (above) while Adam Hargraves won a hat trick (top). Images: MTR Images

honours over Commodore drivers John Young and Stephen Cook. Young was first in race two before Scott Tamati (Falcon) won the last.

TRACK ATTACK EXCEL CUP

HAVING QUALIFIED quickest Darren Currie was embroiled in a three-way battle for the opening race victory with Darren Whittington and Scott Green. On lap 6 the latter was leading when he had a spin, putting Currie out and delaying Whittington. Ian Harvey won ahead of Holly Espray.

Green took out race two ahead of Whittington with a good gap to Espray, before Whittington came back in race three for a narrow victory over Green. Steve Pilkington was third ahead of Michael Smith and Espray. In the last Green was the winner. But Whittington’s close second ensured he was the round winner. Smith was a distant third ahead of Chris Board, with Currie coming back to edge out Espray for fifth. GOB

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NATIONALS wrap n compiled by garry o’brie

RALLY RETRO HISTORIC RALLYING is alive and flourishing in Australia. The successful Rally Retro display organised by the Historic Rally Association on Sunday April 7 at the Geelong Motor Sport complex at Avalon Airport in Victoria, showcased the cream of Australia’s historic rally cars.

Genuine ex factory cars, faithful replicas and examples of cars that have had international rally success, made for a brilliant exhibition.

Cars ranged from a Peugeot 203, the car that won the first Redex Trial in 1953, to examples of the fearsome Audi Quattro driven by legends Stig Blomquist and Michelle Mouton, Ford BDA Escorts made famous by Roger Clark and Timo Makinen, East African Safari winning Datsun 1600s, 240Zs and a Peugeot 504 V6 coupe.

Jeremy Browne also brought his beautiful factory Lancia Fulvia HF across from South Australia.

A special highlight was the gathering together of

Legendary London-Sydney Marathon Falcon KAG-001 was present (top), together with Rod Martin’s Torana XU-1 and a lovely Saab 96 from Doug Fernie. the three Ford Falcons that performed so well in the 1968 London to Sydney marathon. Registered KAG 001, 002 and 003, the cars were driven in the marathon by Harry Firth, Ian Vaughan and Bruce Hodgson, finishing eighth, third and fifth respectively. It is the first time all three cars have been in one place since the marathon. Another genuine marathon car was Tim Kennon’s Morris 1800 BMC factory car, driven in the marathon by Tony Fall.

Cliff Glover, the current owner of KAG003 drove the 50 year old Falcon from Alice Springs to Melbourne via the Oodnadatta track to appear at Very rare in Australia is this Mitsubishi Galant GTO, in full factory colours. Images: Bob Watson & Ian Smith.

54 AutoAction

the Retro, just to prove that it could still handle the dirt.

Australia’s own was represented by the 48/215 Holden owned by Gary Poole. It was built as a replica of the car that Tony Gaze, Stan Jones and Lex Davison drove in the 1953 Monte Carlo rally. Gary’s car was driven in the 2013 Historic Monte Carlo event by Craig Lowndes and Richard Davison. A notable omission from the exhibits was Peter Brock’s Repco Reliability Trial Commodore, despite the fact that there are numerous replicas of the car around. However Brock’s winning Repco co-driver Matt Philip was in attendance. Holden honours on the track were taken by Rod Martin’s sweet sounding Bathurst spec Torana XU-1.

The lack of Brock’s Repco car was compensated for by the appearance of Gary Williamson’s ex Colin Bond Repco Ford Cortina.

Although unsuccessful on the Repco event, the Cortinas were clearly the fastest cars and it was lack of preparation time that cost them a possible win.

Action on the track produced music to the enthusiast – the 9000rpm scream of the Escort BDAs, the bellow of big V8s, the throaty roar of the Southern Cross rally winning Datsun Stanza of George Fury, Neil Taylor’s twin cam Nissan P710, and the silky howl of the Datsun 240Z. Cars doing demonstration laps on the rather

dusty but challenging Geelong track were flagged off by none other than the merry madcap of motor sport, Captain Peter Janson, who was responsible for bringing Renault into rallying in the 1970s. Most spectacular on the track were Michael Arundel’s ex Ken Harper Ford Mustang and the very quick Peugeot 504 V6 coupe of Bill Hamilton.

Cars dear to my own heart were Steve Cavanagh’s Renault Alpine A110, Russell McKenzie’s Renault R8 Gordini and a brace of R12 Gordinis, all in beautiful condition.

An ex factory Mini Cooper S which was brought to Australia by BMC for Paddy Hopkirk to drive in the 1967 Southern Cross rally and now owned by Graeme Urch, was given an award for best restoration, along with the fabulous 1959 Austin Healey 3000 built as a full works rally car

by Simon Young, and Neil Taylor’s superb Datsun 710 SSS. The ex David Officer Mitsubshi Starion that contested the Himalayan Rally and superbly restored by Brian Shand was also rewarded.

A special mention should be made of HRA member Doug Fernie, who provided several great exhibits – the 1951 Peugeot 203, the Stig Blomquist Audi Quattro and the 1967 SAAB 96, all works of art.

Great exhibition, great day. Well done Historic Rally Association. Rally Retro is sure to become an annual event. Bob Watson

RAYMOND RULES RALLY OVERCOMING HIS dislike of blind rallies, Glenn Raymond together with Kate Catford won a dusty and dry Singleton Automotive Caves Classic on April 13. They triumphed in the second round of the MTA NSW Rally Championship by 42s over Richard Shimmon and Jim Gleeson.

Tom Clarke and Ryan Preston (Mitsubishi EVO 9) made a great start and led by 12s after two stages before striking ignition dramas. That caused their retirement from the first heat, but they did come back to win the second heat.

Reigning Champions, Glenn Brinkman and Harvey Smith (EVO 9) had problems from the start with a hydraulic handbrake that jammed on in the first stage, costing them two minutes in the opening stage while they stopped and fixed it. They continued to lose time on every stage, not having a handbrake, and finally finished fourth.

Glenn Raymond won outright (top) while Tom Dermondy won Classics.

Images: Bruce Moxon.

FIATS AROUND THE BEND THE 2019 GATHERING of Fiat lovers was held at the The Bend Motorsport Park in South Australia on April 12-14.

This year’s event was hosted by the Victorian club, with the Sprint on the Friday on a shortened 3km version of the main layout. The Motorkhana utilised a 200m by 50m skidpan directly in front of the hotel on the Saturday, before Sunday’s Show & Shine.

The Sprint was won by Queenslander Richard Shinkfield (Fiat X1/9) from NSW’s Iain Shannon (Fiat 695) and Gorden Mitchell from West Australia in another X1/9.

Shinfield also took out Class A of the Motorkhana in a 124 Abarth with Class B going to Ian Maud (X1/9), Class C went to Mike Ruckert (First Grande Punto Special) and Stephen Vos (Fiat 500) headed Class D. Martin Gallard and Glenn Smith were victorious in the Specials and Rails respectively.

The Nationals originated in late 1963 when

Raymond and Catford (EVO 9) took only two stage wins but were never worse than fourth either. So while not being blazingly fast, they were consistently quick enough.

Shimmon and Gleeson (EVO 7) were always in contention, winning three stages and should be a factor in future events.

Third went to Tristan Kent and Robert Males (EVO 7) who were also very quick all day, apart from a delay of about 30s on the fourth stage, nearly rolling at the spectator point.

In the East Coast Classic series, Tom Dermody and Eoin Moynihan were the victors in their BDA Ford Escort ahead of the similar car crewed by fellow Irishmen Michael O’Hagon and Patrick Skelton. Third were Nathan Quinn and Ray Winwood-Smith in their Mazda RX2.

Bruce Moxon

OASTLER’S THREE IN A ROW the Fiat Car Club of Victoria proposed to the Fiat Club of NSW that a Motorkhana be held to foster competition between the clubs. Wagga Wagga was chosen as the venue as it was approximately halfway between the two clubs and was large enough to offer suitable amenities and accommodation.

The first Interstate event was held on the Australia Day long weekend in 1964. Later it moved to 20km south of Dubbo at the Toongi Reserve to facilitate Queenslanders. Fiat Australia offered generous assistance and Fiat of Italy supplied a trophy, the Fiat of Italy Cup. Attendance steadily grew and in 1972 there were 84 competitors. By 1975 Queensland was fielding a substantial team of 23, and it was decided to move the weekend to a more central location. It was also mandated that New South Wales, Queensland, and Victoria would take turns at organising the event each year. GOB

CONTINUING HIS unbeaten 2019 season, Malcolm Oastler won the third round of the Mantic Clutch NSW Hillclimb Championship at Fairbairn Park in the ACT on April 7. There were several interruptions during the day when kangaroos visited occasionally.

Once the fog cleared, Oastler only needed two official runs in his turbocharged Hayabusa-powered OMS 28 to post the FTD of 36.24s to win ahead Dean Tighe (Dallara/Judd V8) by 1.75s.

Third overall of the 59 entrants was Ron Hay (Synergy Dallara) ahead of Zac Le Lievre (Group 2A Open/Closed Sports Westfield Megabusa) and the quickest of the tin tops, Phil Heafey in his Time Attack AWD Mitsubishi EVO. The latter was challenged for his

spot by Neville Shears (Nissan Skyline R35) but fell short by 0.59s. They were followed by James Pearson (2B Sports over 1.6-litre, Mazda RX7), David Issacs (Improved Production EVO 9 RS), Daryl Small (Sports Sedan Holden Commodore VL) and Harry Katsanevas in his non-championship Ford Focus.

The fastest junior was Riley MacQueen (Commodore) and Karen Wilson was quickest of the ladies in the Focus she shared with Theo Poteris.

A 25-year-old class record went by the wayside in Historic Group Q, broken by Steve Purdy in his Nota.

Pearson set a new benchmark in his class, and Le Lievre equalled the best previously put down in the Sports class. James Pearson

AutoAction

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NATIONALS wrap n compiled by garry o’brie

CAN-AM CREW STREAK LOVEDAY

Images: David Batchelor

THE 2019 South Australian Off Road season kicked off with Toby Whateley and Simon Hermann (Can-Am Maverick) setting a blistering pace on their home track to win the Loveday 250 on April 13-14.

New Zealander Richard Crabb (Racer/Chev) wasn’t far off Whateley’s lap times and finished a fighting second, despite the thick dust.

Nick Jackson and Lauren Johnson (Can-Am Maverick) showed some pace to head off a lot of more powerful machinery in grabbing the last podium spot.

Losing time on Saturday, Daryl Nissen and Andrew Harness (SORE/Nissan) came back into contention on Sunday, coming home

fourth. Garry and Amanda Simpson (Alumi Craft/Nissan) were next home being overtaken by the flying Nissen in the final laps.

Mark Alvino and Jason Hannig (Southern Cross/Mitsubishi) had a solid run into sixth just clear of Sam and Steven Vanstone and Larissa Jeffery (RIDS Joker/Toyota) although the engine had gone off song towards the end.

There was a big gap to Mark and Ryder Taylor (Cobra/Mazda) with Jason Kane and Shaun Heibers (Yamaha YXZ1000) hot on their heels. Matthew Witmitz and Danny Judge (Land Rover Discovery) were the last finisher

in a new look as a ute.

Chris and Colin Johnson (Custom/Nissan) were headed for a top five finish but broke the rear suspension on the final lap. SAORRA champion Ian Barkla had an uncharacteristic DNF with the Ford Maverick failing to make the last section start.

John and Blake Smith went hard in the Class 4 Nissan Patrol when it was running but had problems both days. Former SAORRA champion Nev Day (Mantiss/Mitsubishi) was out early with a broken gearbox.

The cancelation of Mildura boosted interstate numbers and class wins went to Crabb (Pro Buggy), Nissen/Harness (ProLite), the Vanstones/Jeffery (Super 1650), Whateley, Hermann and Keely Pompling (Class 6), Witmitz/Judge (Extreme 4WD), Kane/Heibers (Class 66) and Alvino/Hannig (Class 10).

David Batchelor

STALKING GOES ONE BETTER MICHAEL STALKER took it to the next level with an outright victory in the opening round of the Tasmanian Off Road Series at Symmons Plains on April 13.

Stalker (Yamaha YXZ SXS) won last year’s Tasmanian UTV class and when all the dust had settled, he was a clear outright winner by 8mins 30s ahead of Andrew Giffard and Wayne Campbell.

This was the first opportunity for competitors to test out the new-look 3.5km short course circuit which included two high-speed straights, additional jumps and a new section joining the motocross track to the top paddock, improving the original layout for both drivers and spectators.

SXS turbo driver Luke Morris was fastest in

the prologue ahead of Chris Branch (V6 Nissan ProLite) and Stalker. Branch struck problems in the first 12-lap heat and dropped down the field as Morris went on to win from Stalker and Super 1650 pilot Giffard (Rivmasta Toyota 1600).

Morris led the second heat for the first 10 laps.

Stalker slipped to third behind Chris “Tiny” Boon (Suzuki/Hyabusa ProLite) in the early stages until Boon retired after six laps and Morris stopped later, allowing Stalker to take the lead for the final two laps, to his first heat win.

Branch started fifth after his first-heat dramas, and recovered with Boon and Morris’ demise to inherit third spot. With attrition starting to take a toll, Stalker stayed consistent in the remaining two laps to cruise to an easy victory in both.

Branch struck problems again on the fifth lap of

Image: Off Road Racing Tasmania

the third heat, completing 10 laps, while Giffard and Campbell (Holden V6 Pro Buggy) filled the podium as the only others to complete the whole 12-lap distance. Stalker’s domination continued

in the final heat, winning by more than a lap from Giffard, with Kateland Marshall (Southern Cross Super 1650) third, a further lap down.

Martin Agatyn

“Coming up at the nation’s action and spectator tracks” Wakefield Park

www.wakefieldpark.com.au

May 3 Test & Tune Only May 4-5 The Astor Wakefield Park Motor Race Series RD 1 INC Super Trucks & Wakefield 300 May 8 Speed Off The Street/Test & Tune May 10-11 Hi-Tec Drift May 12 WPM Trackschool Track Day May 13 Speed Off The Streets/Test & Tune

56 AutoAction

Winton

www.wintonraceway.com.au

May 3 Test & Tune – Cars & Open Wheelers May 4 Mod Box Track Day – Private Hire May 5 MSCA May 9 Tafe Trade Day May 10 Test & Tune – Cars & Open Wheelers May 12 Officials / Volunteers Training Day May 14 Performance Test Day

HICKS TOO QUICK LEADING ALL the way, Greg Hicks won the Alice Springs Off Road Race Club’s Simpson 6 Hour at Mt Ooraminna on April 13.

The ProLite Sollitt/Subaru driver was the only one to complete eight laps of the course and finished one ahead of class rival Alex Heinzel (Southern Cross/Nissan) and SXS front runner Jason Wilson (Yamaha YXZ1000).

Running in the SXS Turbo class, Zac Gunston was second at the start, dropped to eighth before finishing fourth, also completing seven laps. A lap further down were Jack Weir (Super 1650 Holeshot/Toyota) and Aaron McArthur who won Extreme 2WD. Wayne Foley was next and runner-up in Super 1650.

Bruce Muir (Extreme Performance Holden Commodore Ute) worked his way to second and completed seven laps but was classified a DNF. Before that Harry Weckert rolled his Yamaha, and Shannon Lander (Ford Ranger/Chev) retired after four laps, the latter a late starter after finding a cooling system leak but did manage to get as high as third.

David Fellows (Geiser Bros Trophy Truck/Nissan Twin Turbo) also moved up the order before becoming a race casualty. One lap earlier (Pro Buggy Jimco/Nissan Twin Turbo) went out, joining Jacob Booth, Tim Button, Angus McKay and Peter Baulch on the sidelines. The Chev Trophy Truck of David Bird didn’t get through the first lap. GOB

Brought to you by:

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Images: Alice Springs Off Road Racing Club

BY GEORGE, BEER CONDO CELEBRATION

EVEN THOUGH they weren’t first across the line on either day, Dean George and Lucas Beer had the best overall time to win the auto section of this year’s D’Aquino Liquor Condo 750 on April 5-7.

In their Class A5 (for Unlimited and Extreme 4WDs) they took the classic off road rally 1min 20s ahead of class rivals William Dunn and Gareth Edwards (Nissan Patrol). Geoff and Todd Smith (Patrol) were a mere 7s further away in third position.

Condobolin, 450km west of Sydney, is home to the two-day cross country navigational rally and this year marked the 31st year of its running, beginning in 1988. It is open to both cars and bikes and is sanctioned by CAMS and MA respectively.

Image: Chris Ace Williams Photography

The event, which attracts competitors from all over Australia, is high-speed and technical, with rocky mountain trails and a good variety of terrain. The cars and bikes run on two different courses – on day one the bikes will do one course and the cars

the other and then they swap for day two, for a total distance of 750lms.

Dunn and Edwards were the day one victors, ahead of George/Beer before the Smiths took out day two, again ahead of the overall winners.

Ian Wilson and Erin Slarke

(Mitsubishi Pajero) finished behind the Smiths and Dunn/Edwards on each day respectively and the two fourths put them just off the top three podium.

Fifth went to the first of the Class 4 Buggies, Graham and Aaron Colbran in their Can Am Maverick, ahead of Mason Turner and Joel Curr (Yamaha YXZ1000), who won Class 6 for Superlites.

Jason O’Brien and Richard Swane (Can Am) were next ahead of Guy and Heidi Shoemark (Patrol). Former winner, as a driver and navigator, Bruce Garland with Stephen Green directing their Isuzu D-Max, were ninth in front of Luke Olholm and Gordon Trigg (Mitsubishi Pajero).

GOB

PLANT DUSTS OFF THE OPPOSITION IN A new Class 1/10 Jimco Robert Plant and Ryan Burt won the second round of the Victorian Off Road Club Shield at Mellool on April 6-7.

The dusty conditions meant a change of race format which was broken up into shorter sections to allow the field to regroup. The first-lap dash gave the faster cars some clear air up, and Plant made the most of it, holding the front running all day after finishing first in the prologue.

On his family property, Nathan Monk also had a new Unlimited Class Jimco under him. Navigated by his brother Daniel initially, and then their cousin Damien became the guide for the second half of the ninelap event. They finished second outright, 4mins 16.8s in arrears, despite an electrical misfire.

Meanwhile Tanner James went solo in

Targa Tasmania, Australian Targa Championships Rd2, Launceston/Hobart TAS, Apr 29-May 04 Pirtek Perth Super Night, Supercars Championships Races 11 & 12, Australian GT Championship Rd2, Super 2 Series Rd2, SuperUtes Rd2, Barbagallo WA, May 02-04 Super Trucks Rd1, Wakefield Park NSW, Wakefield 301 Wakefield Park NSW, May 04-05 Marysville Stages, State Rally Championships Rd3, State Rally Series Rd2, Marysville VIC, May 04-05 State Circuit Racing Championships Rd2, Phillip Island VIC, May 04-05 Australian Superkarts Rd1, The Bend Motorsport Park SA, May 04-05 QR Drivers Championship Rd2, Formula Ford Series Rd2, Queensland Raceway QLD, May 04-05 Autumn Historics Morgan Park QLD, May 04-05 NSW Hillclimb Championships Rd4, Mt Cooperbung Kempsey NSW, May 04-05 Richard Bennett Memorial Enduro, State Off Road Series Rd2, Parilla SA, May 04-05 Club Autocross, BORMSA Motorplex VIC, May 04-05 Southern Cross Rally Series Rd2, Orange NSW, May 04 Club Khanacross, Sydney Road Hazelvale Station NSW, May 04 State Supersprint Championship Rd3, Winton Motor Raceway, May 04 Rally Whitsunday, State Rally Championships Rd1, Airlie Beach QLD, May 04 Multi Club Khanacross, Gympie Road Tinana QLD, May 04-06 Multi Club Motorkhana, The Quarry College Road Bathurst NSW, May 05 Multi Club Khanacross, Bryant Park VIC, May 05 Multi Club Supersprint, Sandown Raceway VIC, May 05 Multi Club Khanacross, Yawalpa Road QLD, May 05 Club Khanacross, Pipeline Park Eastern Creek NSW, May 05 Multi Club Khanacross, Tonker Park Whitsundays QLD, May 05 Multi Club VHRR Hillclimb, Rob Roy VIC, May 05 Club Khanacross, Midvale Speed Dome WA, May 05 Club Hillclimb, Fairbairn Park ACT, May 05 Peter Hall Memorial 6 Hour Modern Regularity, Mallala Motorsport Park, May 05 Multi Club Motorkhana, Boisdale Hillclimb Track VIC, May 05 Club Autocross, Ballarat Airport VIC, May 05 Multi Club Motorkhana, Geelong Motor Sports Complex Avalon VIC, May 06 Karri Rally, State Rally Championship Rd2, Manjimup WA, May 11 Natcap Rally, Australian Rally Championship Rd2, State Rally Championship Rd3, Canberra ACT, May 11 State Off Road Club Shield Rd4, Geelong VIC, May 11 Rich River Revival, Multi Club Road Rally, Cohuna, Koondrook, Pyrmid Hill VIC, May 11 Multi Club Motorkhana, Symmons Plains TAS, May 11 Multi Club Motorkhana, Newstead Racecourse VIC, May 11 eV Challenge Club Motorkhana, Gemma Road Henderson WA, May 11 Multi Club Motorkhana, Sydney Motorsport Park NSW, May 11 John Dale Rallysprint, Awabawac Park NSW, May 11 Brookton King of the Hill Off Road Short Course, Brookton WA, May 11-12 NAMSC Pointscore Rd2, Hidden Valley NT, May 11-12 Multi Motorkhana, Puma Cluden QLD, May 12 Multi Club Supersprint, Sydney Motorsport Park NSW, May 12 Multi Club Motorkhana, Mount Gambier Salesyards SA, May 12 Multi Club Supersprint, Barbagallo Raceway WA, May 12

Image: JS Motorsport Photography

his Alumi Craft/Ford Ecoboost to finish in third place ahead of Glenn and Courtney Wilkinson (Payne/Nissan) and Andrew Glover (Southern Cross/Toyota), also attacking the event singlehandedly.

Brad Chasemore was competitive early and until the clutch went on his Jimco/ Nissan SR20 Turbo, so too Darren Wells until his lost a wheel off his Tatum. Brett Plant was in his first outing in the Southern

Cross along with Melinda and Tom Plant and was in the top five until a flat tyre on lap four. They ultimately finished 12th.

In the classes, the winners were father and son Chris and Zac Martin (Can-Am) in Class 6/66, Craig and Adam Button (CBR/ Holden V8) in Class 4/5 and Dean and Ballie Bennett took Class 7/8, recovering after putting their Nissan Patrol on its side.

GOB

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ASTON DTM RAC RACER BREAKS COVER FORD’S Mustang supercar isn’t the only racer to undergo severe cosmetic surgery before entering its first race. Pictured is what apparently is an Aston Martin Vantage, which is set to debut in the 2019 DTM championship.

The road-going Aston Martin Vantage is a stunning looking car, but this Aston Martin racer is far from original. With the bonnet a lot lower down, it has shrunk the nose of the car including the front grille. This has resulted in the roof looking a lot taller so, like the Mustang’s roof, it looks disproportionate.

The massive DTM style rear wing and aerodynamic pieces around the front of the car, around the rear wheel arches and around the back of the car, are further

Replacing Mercedes Benz as a DTM manufacturer, the new Aston Martin Vantage looked strangely disproportionate when it finally hit the track for the first time.

examples of this Aston Martin’s rebellious look.

But these major aerodynamic changes are, like the Supercars Mustang, there to create parody between the

three manufacturers of Audi, BMW and Aston Martin.

Like in Supercars, if the Aston Martin comes out and dominates then there will no doubt be parity complaints in the DTM paddock but in a category where everything is meant to be equal, that is to be

expected.

DTM has a tight technical rule book that they must adhere to, to make sure everything is evenly balanced between the manufacturers.

Hopefully the DTM’s book doesn’t have a hole in it, like the Supercars one does. Dan McCarthy

From any angle the Ford Mutang looks dumpy and too tall, especially compared to the iconic road car it’s based on. Images: LAT

CROSSWORD QUIZ Across 1. How many Australian Grand Prix victories did Senna claim?

4. In which country did Ayrton Senna suffer his fatal crash in 1994? 5. In what city was Ayrton Senna born?

7. Who did Senna replace at McLaren for the start of the 1988 season? (surname only) 8. Who was Senna’s teammate in 1990? (surname only) 11. In which country did Senna win his first Formula 1 race?

12. For 1985 Senna moved to which team?

13. What is the nationality of Senna’s long time rival Alain Prost? 14. Who replaced Senna’s teammate Michael Andretti mid-way through the 1993 F1 season? (surname only)

58 AutoAction

To commemorate the passing of Ayrton Senna Auto Action has created a Senna themed crossword

15. In what position did Ayrton Senna finish the Monaco Grand Prix in 1984?

Down 2. For 1994 Senna moved to which team?

3. How many Monaco Grand Prix wins did Senna take?

6. In which country did Senna claim his final race victory?

9. Who beat Ayrton Senna to second in the 1992 World Championship? (surname only) 10. For which team did Ayrton Senna make his Formula 1 debut?

Answers #1759 1- Down - Fourth 2- Across - Jones 3- Down – Italian 3 4- Across – Fourteenth 4 4- Down – Fisichella 4 5- Down – Nico Rosberg 6- Down - Belgium 7- Across – Swedish 8- Down – Canadian 9- Across - Moss 10- Down – Adelaide 11- Across - Germany 12- Down – Massa 13- Across – Force India 14- Across - Leclerc

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u ction.com.a www.autoa Issue #1759

Apr 18 to May

1, 2019

.50

$7.95 NZ $8

e ‘centuries’ F1 through th

UTE! TRU’VIEB E I EVER SEEN N N O ST-RATED CARTOON YO

PLUS

For our Kiwi friends, we can offer 26 issues of the printed magazine subscription at just AUD$237.50 and internationally for AUD$275.00.

For more information on subscriptions, please contact Heath on (03) 9563 2107 or heath@autoaction.com.au and he will guide you through the subscription process.

Auto Action has also recently released its new digital issue on issuu.com/me8674 with subscriptions priced at AUD$112.50 for 26 issues or AUD$5 per issue

THE R

Next Edition of Auto Action is on sale May 16, 2019

20mm drill capacity 2MT spindle 12 spindle speeds Swivel & tilt table 1hp, 240V motor Includes light

PD-360 Pedestal Drill

• 20mm drill capacity • 2MT spindle • 12 spindle speeds • Swivel & tilt table • 1hp, 240V motor • Includes light

Order Code: D594

419

SAVE $32

• • • • •

454kg lift capacity 190 - 800 lift height Foot & air operated hydraulic lift Adjustable front wheel guide 4 x tie down points

MLR-454 Motorcycle Lifter • • • • •

Order Code: D598

454kg lift capacity 220 - 760mm lift height Foot operated hydraulic lift Wheel locking vice 1800 x 570mm platform Order Code: A349

809

$

594

$

Order Code: A3492

539

$

SAVE $49

IAN AL TR

SAVE $55 TR

• Clear front window on bins Bins open at 40° angle • Oil & impact resistant bins: 16 x (58.4 x 54.9 x 63.5mm) 12 x (80.8 x 72.2 x 79.8mm) 10 x (103 x 87.3 x 99.3mm) 8 x (128.9 x 122.6 x 132.1mm) • 4 x swivel castors

MSS-60F Mobile Storage Bin Systems • Clear front window on bins • Bins open at 40° angle • 60 x Oil & impact resistant bins • Bin size: 80.8 x 72.2 x 79.8mm • 4 x swivel castors

495

GREAT VALUE!

$

495

$

• • • • • •

Order Code: B005

902

HPM-30 - Heavy Duty Workshop Hydraulic & Pneumatic Press • 30 Tonne • 155mm ram stroke • 200mm horizontally sliding ram • Adjust. ram position Order Code: P130M

1,100

$

539

$

944

DB-32 Electric Tube Bender

• 15.87, 19.05, 22.22, 25.4 & 31.75mm OD round tube formers • Digital angle display 0 - 180º • 2.0mm m/s wall thickness • 1.7kW / 2.3hp, 240V

Order Code: T070

1,892

$

SAVE $187

1,188

TU-2506V-16M Lathe & Mill Drill Combination Package Deal

SAVE $83.50

SB-375 Sandblasting Cabinet • Heavy-duty steel cabinet • 940 x 600 x 340-580mm blast area • Includes vacuum system, LED light, tempered glass screen, gloves, gun & ceramic nozzle

SUPER 16 Air Compressor • • • •

Order Code: S300

453l/min. W-triple pump 125 litre tank 120psi pressure 3hp, 240V

Order Code: C345

979

2,794

$

SAVE $66

TU-2506V Bench Lathe: • 250 x 550mm capacity • 26mm spindle bore • Variable speeds: 150-2500rpm • 1.6hp 240V motor BF-16AV Mill Head • Variable speeds: 100-3000rpm • 2-speed gearbox • Head tilts ±90º • 0.66hp, 240V motor Order Code: K146

1,397

$

SAVE $55

I

SAVE $79

30 - 200 amps Smart Pre-Set Synergic programs Latest 40KHz IGBT inverter technology VRD (Voltage Reduction Device) 240V / 15 amp Includes mig wire, mig plier, square, tips, nozzles, auto helmet & torch rest

$

AC R KIN G C AP

Order Code: K088

Order Code: K017D

SAVE $77

WO

1 tonne load capacity 2500-3600mm height 2300mm width inside frame Swivel wheels with brake Includes mobile girder rail, 1T x 3M chain block & 1T girder trolley

SAVE $158.40

RAZOR DIGITAL PULSE AC/DC 200 AC/DC Inverter TIG/ARC Welder Package Deal

Compact design, only 38kg 170 x 170mm (W x H) cap.

Variable speed 30-80mpm Swivel head to 60º 2.2hp, 240V

$

• • • • •

GREAT VALUE!

BS-6V Portable Swivel Head Metal Cutting Band Saw • • • • •

40 x Assorted bucket sizes: 24 x 105 x 140 x 75mm 12 x 140 x 220 x 125mm 4 x 140 x 270 x 125mm 4 x swivel castors Order Code: K210

Order Code: K204

E

MGT-1TGT Mobile Girder Rail Package Deal

MSS-40B - Mobile Storage Bucket Systems Package Deal • • • • •

Order Code: K200

$

R

SAVE $55 U

MSS-46MF Mobile Storage Bin Systems

TESTED &

ED AT

$

MLN-454 - Hydraulic & Pneumatic Motorcycle Lifter

TY

• • • • • •

AU S

BD-360 Bench Drill

$

SAVE $33

SAVE $99

NOW AVAILABLE - CEYLAN

Staff Member

MSS-14F Foot Operated Shrinker Stretcher • 1.6mm mild steel • 177mm throat depth • Set of 4 magnetic jaws for shrinking & stretching

EW-30 English Wheel • 1.9mm mild steel • 762mm throat • Includes 8 anvil sets

Order Code: B8850

$

UNIQUE PROMO CODE

AA1760

6,809

Order Code: B8870

$

10,769

BR-16E-36 Motorised Bead Roller • • • •

1.6mm Mild Steel Capacity 914mm throat depth Variable-speed pedal Includes 1/4" (6.35mm) round bead die set and 3/64" (1.27mm) art roll set Order Code: B8790

$

11,704

RDB-050 Manual Pipe & Tube Rotary Draw Bender • • • • •

Ø19.05 - Ø63.5mm round tube capacity Bends up to 200° in one shot Anti-springback mechanism Quick-release hook arm 3 bending speeds

Order Code: B8000

1,969

$

SEE THE FULL RANGE AT WWW.MACHINERYHOUSE.COM.AU

Specifications & Prices are subject to change without notification. All prices include GST and valid until 31-05-19

04_AA_#1760_020519

ONLINE OR INSTORE!