Auto Action #1722

SYDNEY SUPERTEAM COURTNEY LIFELINE CONFIRMED .COM.AU

SINCE 1971

CROWN HIM NOW

SCOTTY CAN’T LOSE SUPERCARS TITLE

!

N O I P M CHA LLING IT A C E ’R E W , IN W T S R U H T AFTER BA

LEWIS

UNMASKED HAMILTON SPEAKS OUT

RUBENS IS RACIN’ BARRICHELLO ON LIFE AFTER FERRARI

Issue #1772

October 17 to October 30

$7.95 NZ $8.50

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PLUS

BATHURST

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Outline Indicative Only

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Auction Friday 22 November 10:30am Level 17, 135 King St, Sydney Louise Ireland 0428 643 586 Pat Bird 0438 361 109 Agent Declares Interest

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*approx.

LATEST NEWS

SCOTTY IS BETTER THAN LEWIS! Image: Ross Gibb

BRUCE NEWTON reveals extraordinary praise for McLaughlin as Penske promises American drive in “near future�

NEW KING of the Mountain Scott McLaughlin is a better driver than fivetime Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton.

That’s the incredible assessment of McLaughlin by his co-driver, Alex Premat, the first Frenchman to win The Great Race.

Premat even outdid DJR Team Penske team owner Roger Penske, who heaped praise on the 26-year-old New Zealander and – not for the first time – compared him with IndyCar legend Rick Mears.

Penske also made it clear that the time for McLaughlin to start racing in America was coming “in the near future�.

But it’s Premat’s comments in the wake of McLaughlin’s last lap heroics to hold off fellow Kiwi Shane van Gisbergen at Mount Panorama that are truly gob-smacking. “Honestly, Scotty is top level,� Premat told Auto Action. “He is at the same level as (Lewis) Hamilton or maybe even better. “I am sure if you put Scotty in Formula 1, he would beat Lewis Hamilton.�

Premat has a solid basis on which to make that comparison as he raced against Hamilton in Formula Renault, Formula 3 and was his teammate in GP2 in 2006.

Since then Hamilton has raced for the McLaren and Mercedes F1 teams, won five drivers’ world titles and is on track to

win his sixth. He has won 82 F1 grand prix races. “When I drove with him, he was an amazing guy,� Premat said. “What he does right now – five times world champion in F1 – he is the best driver in the world because of what he does. “It’s hard to say Scotty is better, but he is at the same point as Lewis Hamilton.�

Premat ventured that there was no doubt McLaughlin would be successful when he does head overseas. “Whatever he goes in, he will be fantastic, he will be a champion,� he said.

That long-speculated move for McLaughlin to America and NASCAR is inevitably coming closer, based on Penske’s post-race comments at Bathurst. “We want him to come over and he’ll have to start like we did here (from the beginning),� Penske said. “But he’s got a good future and you’ll see him in America, I’m sure, in the near future.�

He added that the Bathurst win would not accelerate McLaughlin’s transition to North American racing. “No, I think it’s just part of the plan,�

Penske said. “I think that along with (Team Penske president) Tim Cindric and the rest of the team, we just have to decide what’s the best path that he’s able to join and move forward in his career.�

Asked what would make McLaughlin a good NASCAR driver, the motor sport mogul deflected a little in his reply, perhaps suggesting he has other potential roles in mind, as Team Penske contests IndyCar and sportscar racing in the USA, as well as stock cars. “Well, let’s call him a racing driver,� he said. “He’s a guy who knows how to win, knows how to go fast and he has a great commercial savvy, which is so important to us in today’s world.�

Penske heaped praise on McLaughlin for his performance at Bathurst last weekend and also his role within DJRTP since he joined in 2017 and subsequently won the Supercars drivers’ championship last year.

While doing that, he again compared him with Mears, the four-time Indy 500 champion who remains one of Penske’s favourite drivers. “He could always dig deeper and get it for us, and I knew that today (McLaughlin would dig deep),� Penske said. “Since we saw Scotty running the Volvo (S60 for GRM), we knew if we could get him on our team, it would make a big difference. I think we have grown together. “The one thing I would have to say is he has got the momentum within the team and lifted the whole place, and I think that helps lift him to the next level.�

FRENCH TOAST

ALEX PREMAT didn’t stop at praising his co-driver after the Bathurst 1000. He also rated it as his own greatest win. “It means a lot, for sure,� the 37-year-old Frenchman declared. “For sure, it is the biggest victory in my career. “I won the Le Mans Series (with Audi in 2008), the Pirtek Enduro Cup with Shane (van Gisbergen in 2016) and some races in GP2 and DTM and things like this. “But, I mean, Bathurst is Bathurst, especially when I see how much effort it is taking to win that race.�

Premat became the first French winner of the Mount Panorama classic and one of only a handful of internationals to triumph since the marathon first started as the Armstrong 500 at Phillip Island in 1960.

Now based in Las Vegas, he took special delight in scoring his Bathurst success in the same year compatriot Simon Pagenaud won the Indianapolis 500 for Penske.

His win was being quickly recognised by racing friends around the world last Sunday night, including F1 driver Romain Grosjean, who texted him after the Japanese GP. BN

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COURTNEY THROWN LIFELINE BY NEW HARBOUR CITY SQUAD SQUAD

SYDNEY ‘SUPERTEAM’ IS GO Having broken the story, MARK FOGARTY expands on how JC’s return to ‘westie’ roots will work BATHURST ALMOST-HERO James Courtney will lead a new Sydney-based two-car Supercars team from next year.

Courtney’s V8 lifeline was confirmed at Bathurst last week after being exclusively revealed by Auto Action on our web site.

The scoop story revealed more details about the new Sydney team and its backing than the official announcement, which followed several hours later.

It was a controlled response to quell speculation on the eve of Supercars track action starting at Mount Panorama last Thursday.

Courtney finished a fighting third in the Bathurst 1000 after being on course for a stunning second before the final safety car negated his late fuel advantage.

In a timely redemption, he and co-driver Jack Perkins recovered from an early drama when Courtney brushed a wall in the lasthour scramble.

It was a reminder that the 39-year-old V8 veteran, the oldest regular driver, can still contend when he gets the chance.

The result maintained Walkinshaw Andretti United’s record of form-defying podium placings at Bathurst since 2017, and fourth in five years.

Courtney will front a start-up squad owned by disaffected GT entrant Rod Salmon in an alliance with Tekno Autosports, which will supply one of the RECs for the two-car Commodore team.

Tekno owner Jonathon Webb was presented as the front man of the first Supercars team to be based in Sydney since 2003, but multiple sources have confirmed that wealthy Sydney-based

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Supercars’ Sean Seamer, Tekno’s Jonathon Webb and driver James Courtney businessman/racer Salmon is underwriting the enterprise.

The project to establish a team in Sydney has support from Supercars and the NSW government, with the latter providing the multi-million dollar funding for a state-of-theart factory at Sydney Motorsport Park.

Sydney-born US-based Boost Mobile chief Peter Adderton has been widely linked with Courtney and a Harbour City team, but as revealed by AA, his upstart telco won’t necessarily be the primary sponsor.

At Bathurst, Adderton declared that, while he might continue personal backing of Courtney out of “loyalty”, he was weighing Boost sponsorship opportunities elsewhere.

But as he provocatively declared, staying with GRM, returning to WAU or backing the Sydney team were all dependent on Supercars instituting a control upright from next year (see page 8).

NO SUPERCARS FUNDING

SUPERCARS CHIEF Sean Seamer says the organisation is not offering financial or other incentives to the new Sydney team.

“Our involvement in it is not commercial at all,” Seamer said. “It’s purely around working with all the different parties and making introductions to different people that might be interested in moving to Sydney.

“There’s no commercial input from us.”

Drivers linked with the second seat include GRM’s Richie Stanaway and Super2 young gun Jack Smith, although the latter seems destined for a drive with his current team, Brad Jones Racing, which is expected to expand to four cars next year to accommodate him.

According to designated team ‘face’ Webb, there are plenty of options.

“It’s trying to weigh up all the options on drivers and see how it comes together,” Webb said. “There are still a handful of names on the table.

“There are probably guys under consideration from 17 through to 30-something, with all different knowledge and backgrounds. Just trying to work out the best fit.”

AA understands that the Sydney team will run under the banner of One World Racing, which is a title linked with Salmon.

The new team will be based in temporary facilities at Sydney Motorsport Park in 2020, before moving into a new building that is part of the NSW government’s $33 million investment in permanent track lighting and a motor sport centre of excellence at the venue.

The move to interim premises in western Sydney could start as soon as the Sunday

night of this year’s last championship round, the Newcastle 500.

While Salmon is keeping a low profile, he has been actively involved in planning, with former V8 Utes racer and Supercars administrator Damien White doing his groundwork to co-ordinate the ‘merger’ with Tekno.

White has been mentioned as a potential team boss, as has former Holden Motorsport manager Simon McNamara, who is the merchandising manager at the Western Bulldogs AFL team.

TRIPLE EIGHT COMMODORES

THE SYDNEY team will run a pair of Triple Eight-built ZB Commodores, upgraded to the latest specification.

It will take advantage of a multi-year, multi-million-dollar scheme to establish a Supercars squad in the Harbour City’s outer western suburbs.

Courtney is looking to revive his Supercars career after nine largely fruitless years with what is now Walkinshaw Andretti United, formerly the Holden Racing Team.

Sydney-based businessman-racer Salmon, who has been a prominent competitor in GT3 Audi R8 LMSs for many years, has been absent from the Australian GT Championship for the past two seasons

TEKNO SYDNEY REBUILD

Backmarker squad owner tells BRUCE NEWTON that it’s time to return to the front

Images: Supplied/LAT

as part of a dispute between leading teams and category organisers.

He co-promotes and competes in the GT-1 Australia series, which is run under the auspices of the Australian Auto Sport Alliance as part of the Australian Motor Racing Series.

His disenchantment with mainstream GT racing in Australia and the opportunity to establish a team in Sydney are behind his decision to switch his support to Supercars with his own team.

It will be the first V8 team based in Sydney since Lansvale Racing, whose entry was sold at the end of 2003.

Effectively, One World Racing – if that’s what it is to be called – is absorbing Tekno’s REC, which is worth little in the current licence-flush market.

Up to six – or eight if you include the handed-in pair held by Supercars – are available at little or no cost.

The fall-out of the REC trades will become clearer when entries for next year’s Supercars championship close this Friday (October 18).

COURTNEY SYDNEY LIFELINE

COURTNEY, THE 2010 Supercars champion, has been at the centre of

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speculation about leading a Sydneybased team since he announced he would be leaving Walkinshaw Andretti United at the end of this season.

In nine years at Clayton under the guises of HRT, Walkinshaw Racing and WAU, Courtney has won just seven races – with his last being in 2016.

An undeniable talent, internationally honed Courtney has been unable to live up to his potential since his highpriced defection to HRT in 2011 after winning the title with Dick Johnson Racing the year before.

His time at Clayton has coincided with the Walkinshaw squad’s demise as a front-running force, and he finally decided to leave without waiting to see if he would be re-signed for 2020.

AA is reliably informed that Courtney no longer believes WAU will rebound, despite promises of an engineering overhaul, and questions Chaz Mostert’s decision to defect from Ford to Holden in a big money multi-year deal to switch from Tickford Racing to WAU next year.

Courtney is convinced he can revive his Supercars career with the new Sydney-based team – although the reality is that he had little other choice.

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Despite his youthful image and charming personality, Courtney’s age counts against Boost Mobile switching its backing entirely from poorperforming Garry Rogers Motorsport.

Boost is also believed to be talking with Walkinshaw Andretti United about a return, especially if Adderton favourite Richie Stanaway can be slotted in alongside Mostert.

Erebus Motorsport protege Will Brown is a contender for both the Sydney team and to replace Scott Pye at WAU, but his TCR title also opens up opportunities overseas in WTCR. Right up until it was confirmed that Courtney was on board, the view persisted among other Supercars teams that the Sydney team scenario wasn’t viable and that Courtney would join Tickford Racing to replace Mostert in the Supercheap Mustang.

However, to AA’s almost certain knowledge, Tickford’s four-car line-up is locked in, with Jack Le Brocq taking over from Mostert alongside multi-year renewal Cam Waters. Lee Holdsworth looks set to keep his Bottle-O Mustang drive following his recent revival, while Will Davison is locked in at customer 23Red Racing.

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A BURNING desire to return Tekno Autosports to the front of the grid was integral to team owner Jonathan Webb’s decision to move the operation from the Gold Coast to Sydney from next year.

The team, which won the Bathurst 1000 in 2016 and finished championship runner-up in 2014, has plummeted to the back of the grid in a fractious 2019, marred by a contractual dispute between Webb and driver Jack Le Brocq.

“We’ve been wobbling around at the back for two years,” Webb told Auto Action at Bathurst. “I’ve no interest in being involved in Supercars or motor sport if that is the case.

“We’ve been quick before, we know as a group that we can win races and have got very close to winning championships. We know we can do it, it’s just rebuild, rethink and go into it again in 2020 like we were back in the beginning.”

As revealed exclusively by autoaction.com.au leading into Bathurst, the Sydneybased team will expand to two Triple Eight Holden Commodore ZBs, led by James Courtney.

Tekno’s REC will underpin Courtney’s entry, while Sydney businessman and racer Rod Salmon will fund the second car using a REC secured from Kelly Racing, as well as bring a key ownership role.

Former Holden Motorsport boss Simon McNamara has also been linked with the new team.

However, former Supercars exec Damien White, who helped his friend Webb with the logistics of setting up the deal, will not be involved.

Webb revealed there had been a desire for some years shared between himself and his father, Steve (owner of the Tekno REC) to set up a Supercars operation in Sydney.

The discussions accelerated in recent times with the NSW government’s

commitment to invest at ARDC-run SMP, funding permanent track lighting, a motor sport industry hub and a CAMS centre of excellence.

“It’s been a culmination of government, Australian Racing Drivers Club, CAMS, Supercars and interest from our side, being the Webb family, to do something,” Webb explained.

“It was only when all the parties got together to work out when and how that we decided 2020 was it.”

Expanding to two cars wasn’t essential but made sense, according to Webb.

“It wouldn’t have been the end of the world if we kept one, but two just worked,” he said. “Over the months it took to pull the whole deal together, two became a viable option, so that’s the way we went.”

Webb has to recruit staff, which poses a challenge, as Melbourne and the Gold Coast/Brisbane are the two Australian centres for Supercars teams.

“There are plenty of people saying I should be concerned about moving to Sydney and staff, but that’s the least of my problems,” he said. “I can’t see it being a problem.”

Webb is unlikely to run the Sydney team day-to-day, as he has done with Tekno.

“I want to take a step back and work on the more managerial side of how the business runs as a whole, but how that plays out will depend on what staff we have around to handle what roles,” he said. “I’ll fill in where I’m needed.”

In AA #1770, it was reported that Supercars CEO Sean Seamer had ruled out a Sydney team until 2021. Seamer clarified at Bathurst that he believed at the time of his comments that the team would be in existence, but initially based in Melbourne or on the Gold Coast in 2020 before moving to Sydney.

His original assertion did not make this distinction clear.

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Image: LAT

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MCLAUGHLIN CLOSES ON TITLE Ford Mustang driver on track to clinch second championship on Gold Coast

By BRUCE NEWTON SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN’S first Bathurst 1000 win has set him up to claim his second consecutive Supercars championship at next week’s Gold Coast 600.

The DJR Team Penske Shell V-Power Ford Mustang driver leads the championship by 622 points over Red Bull Holden Racing Team’s Shane van Gisbergen.

There are a maximum 900 drivers’ points left to claim over the final three Supercars events of the season – the Gold Coast 600, Sandown 500 and Newcastle 600.

McLaughlin needs to lead the championship by 600 points or better at the close of action on the Gold Coast street circuit to collect the title and join Norm Beechey, Glenn Seton and Marcos Ambrose as a two-time champ.

But McLaughlin isn’t counting his chickens before they are hatched, adopting a softlysoftly approach to the championship chase.

“The plan is to stay in front of Shane,” he told Auto Action.

“We just have to be solid and continue to execute and we’ll be right.

“We’ll just go about our business the same, try and get a great spot in qualifying and then just a smooth race.

“We know that everything can happen at the

Gold Coast, but I think we just have to beat Shane and we can half wrap it up, which is obviously going to be our goal.

“Even if we don’t do it at the Gold Coast, get some good points and then hopefully wrap it up at Sandown before Newcastle.”

McLaughlin’s cool and calculated attitude to the championship contrasted vividly with his first Bathurst win, which he celebrated enthusiastically, several times climbing on the roof of his Mustang – with and without codriver Alex Premat – to the raptuous cheers of the crowd.

“It’s the dream, it’s what I’ve dreamed about a million times,” he said.

“It’s the final checklist of my career really and I just want more.

“I’m so damned proud of everyone. We made a bloody good car. I’ve dreamt about this, standing on that roof.”

McLaughlin had to work hard for his win, first fighting back in to the lead group when Premat lost time with a flat-spot, and then

leading a final one-lap sprint ahead of archrival van Gisbergen when the eighth and final safety car period of the day ended.

“When we lost that time with the flat-spot I thought ‘far out’ and I had to get in the car at the next stint and absolutely blaze,” said McLaughlin.

“I went really hard and took some risks and got us back in track position with everyone.

From that point on I was really confident with our fuel numbers and what we were hitting and how fast we were.

“And then the safety car came out and we had that one-lap dash. I had Shane behind me and I thought, ‘Out of everyone, it has to be that guy!’

“It was just full commitment across the top,” he said. “It was one of the coolest laps to be honest. Low fuel and low tyre grip and just really sliding it around, it was unreal.”

McLaughlin’s fuel level had been a point of conjecture in the closing stages of the race, but the late safety car triggered by Nissan

KELLYS GO MUSTANG!

driver Andre Heimgartner’s crash helped ensure the #17 Mustang didn’t run dry.

“It sounds like we would have (made it),” said McLaughlin. “I was only just doing the (fuel economy) numbers that Richard (Harris) my engineer was telling me and the boys.

“I trust their judgement more than anyone, so I was just doing what I was told like a schoolboy.”

McLaughlin’s season has been unprecedented in its success. He has already broken Craig Lowndes’ record of 16 race wins in a season, with 18 wins so far.

He should also smash his own pole position record of 16 in a season set in 2016. So far in 2019 he has 15 poles.

“I’ve got more to achieve here and I just want to keep winning and doing the best job for my team and our sponsors, partners and supporters,” McLaughlin said.

“I will enjoy this one, but in a couple of weeks it’s back to business.”

Image: Ross Gibb

Former Nissan team will race two Fords in 2020

By BRUCE NEWTON

BY THE time you read this Kelly Racing is expected to have confirmed it is racing two Ford Mustangs in the 2020 Supercars championship.

Rick Kelly and Andre Heimgartner are expected to be named as the drivers, and Simona de Silvestro and rookie Garry Jacobson confirmed to be leaving the team.

Auto Action understands Kelly Racing will not only race Mustangs but also conduct its own Ford V8 engine development program.

AA understands that Ford Australia and Ford Performance, the blue oval’s global motorsport homeroom, are supportive of Kelly Racing’s swap to Mustangs.

The Nissan Altimas developed by the team and raced since 2013 will be retired from the championship at the end of this season, leaving it a traditional Ford v Holden contest.

But it has been confirmed Kelly Racing it will continue to race two Altimas in the Dunlop Super2 series.

No Kelly Racing execs were confirming or commenting on the Mustang, its 2020 driver line-up or who will be backing its entries as we closed for press on Monday evening, but it did issue a statement announcing its new two-car Supercars championship structure: “Kelly Racing confirms it will consolidate its Supercar operations to two cars for the 2020 Virgin

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Australia Supercar Season, following the sale of two of the Team’s Racing Entitlement Contracts (RECs). The team continues to own its other two RECs.” Team principal Todd Kelly said: “We have operated with four Supercars since we opened the doors almost 11 years ago and introduced the first new manufacturer to the sport with Nissan under the Car of the Future regulations.

“However, in this competitive environment it has necessitated a reconsideration of our structure to create the optimal model for the future.

“This has resulted in our consolidation and focus on two Supercars for the 2020 season and our intention includes running two Dunlop Super2 entries from next year.”

The buyers of the two RECs have not been disclosed, but there are multiple potential new owners in the market, as Tekno is confirmed to be expanding to two cars and Team 18 and Matt Stone Racing have both confirmed they are investigating that structure also.

If the Supercars grid stays at 24, there should be 16 ZB Commodores on the grid and eight Mustangs, meaning two more of each.

All that means 2020 will be the first time since it was established in 2008 that Kelly Racing has not run a four-car squad of either Nissans or Holden Commodores in the Supercars championship.

The Mustang was always going to be the preferred option for the Kellys over the Holden because parts supply of the latter is centralised through homologation team Triple Eight Race Engineering.

While the transition from Altima to Mustang bodyshape is achievable and affordable as all Supercars are based on a common chassis and share many common components, it has been the engine that has proved the biggest issue to resolve.

The Kellys have spent millions of dollars on a 5.0-litre version of the VK56DE Nissan

multi-cam V8 engine for the Altima. It is now to the point where the team feels its engine is fundamentally competitive with the Chev and Ford V8 pushrods.

The Kelly engine was one reason Kelly Racing explored the option of updating the now-superseded Altima to new Nissan bodywork.

However, Nissan is globally focussed on Formula E racing and its Australian arm no longer sells an Altima or any relevant large car, turning that plan from a long-shot to a no-go.

SPLITDRIVERS DECISION IS DIVIDED

By MARK FOGARTY SUPERCARS IS close to formally approving split-driver entries, including double-ups in the endurance races.

While on the cards for some months, allowing teams to run different drivers during a season is set to be approved by the Supercars Commission.

There is division among the teams, with the main sticking points whether it be restricted to two drivers and, more importantly, whether they can then combine in the enduros.

In reality, teams can change drivers at will for a variety of reasons, but shrinking budgets mean smaller teams are keen to facilitate running young drivers in split seasons.

The hard-ups are looking for official sanction to run multiple drivers, but there is resistance to more than two per season and allowing them to combine for the Enduro Cup two-driver races.

“It’s gone out to the teams for consultation as part of the process-driven rule change process, and we are waiting for feedback,” Supercars chief Sean Seamer said. “I know that some are for, some are against, just like every change.

Let’s wait and see what we get formally back from the teams next week.

“It’s a commission decision, but the commission is going through a process of

Image: Ross Gibb

consultation. And, obviously, we’ve got to talk to the Super2 teams as well.”

According to Seamer, the driver splitseason issue is part of a comprehensive review of the rule book for next year.

“The whole rule book’s gone out for consultation and draft. The teams are reviewing that in detail, and once we’ve got the feedback, we’ll go from there.”

Seamer also revealed that the distribution

of RECs – subject to much speculation about teams expanding and contracting – will be largely decided when entries for the 2020 Supercars championship close at 5pm AEDT this Friday (October 18).

“We’re not going to know where it’s at until one minute past five on 18th October, which is the entry deadline. Until you see the paperwork, there’s always going to be a lot of talk and speculation. We’re

PENSKE OVERHEATING CLAIM IS “NONSENSE”

By BRUCE NEWTON FACTORY HOLDEN team boss Roland Dane has lashed as “nonsense” DJR Team Penske’s claim it put Fabian Coulthard on a go-slow to preserve his Ford Mustang’s overheating engine in Sunday’s Bathurst 1000.

That was the explanation rolled out by DJRTP for backing Coulthard up 47 seconds behind teammate and Bathurst race leader Scott McLaughlin during a safety car period on lap 135.

DJRTP’s rationale has also not been accepted by CAMS stewards, who have charged the team with a breach of Rule D24.1 that “prohibits Team Orders and provides that an instruction to a Driver or Team member, either verbal or otherwise the effect of which may interfere with a race result is a Team Order”.

A hearing into the matter will be held before the Gold Coast 600. A substantial teams’ championship points penalty and/or monetary fine is the most likely punishment if DJRTP is found guilty.

It is understood there is little likelihood of McLaughlin and Alex Premat losing their race win, although results remain provisional.

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While Dane is upset DJRTP’s tactic cost his driver Shane van Gisbergen all-important track position in the race on lap 135 of 161, he says the issue goes deeper than that.

“It was nothing to do with a technical issue of the car,” said Dane. “They were talking about the car running hot on the radio for a few laps, but you wouldn’t slow right down because there is one thing a Supercar doesn’t like is no air.

“That’s nonsense.

“It was strategic and I suppose what sticks in everyone’s throats is they are prepared to throw the other car (Coulthard) under the bus to that extent.

“The reality is that sort of tactical behaviour doesn’t sit well with most of pitlane.”

Dane said his team’s plan was to keep van Gisbergen on track. But then Coulthard slowed down so dramatically, allowing McLaughlin and RBHRT’s other driver Jamie Whincup to escape up the road and pit without being passed.

“There was a camera shot looking up toward Forrest Elbow with the whole of Conrod Straight with no cars on it. Jamie and

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Scotty were in and out of the pits before anyone else came round.

“They (DJRTP) just didn’t want Shane – who was better on fuel corrected – to either be able to jump them in the pits or jump them on the track and then be able to drive away.

“The call (for van Gisbergen) to come in was only made because we were being backed up. So at that point he would have stayed out, got track position and driven away.

“It depends who did what, it depends what Coulthard did, but yes he (van Gisbergen) would have been ahead of Scotty and Jamie.”

Typically, van Gisbergen himself tried to avoid getting embroiled in the controversy post-race, but still made some telling comments.

“I don’t want to say anything, but it’s pretty obvious what happened,” he said in the press conference.

“Probably still we would have had to fight it out with Jamie (Whincup) and Scotty, which would have been awesome, and we would have had to (have) been closer.

“We were stuck behind so many more cars, so much more traffic,

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obviously buoyed by an increased interest around RECs versus this time a year ago.”

Seamer also spoke about technical rule changes for next year, the Gen3 outlook, the new broadcast deal from 2021 and Supercars’ failure to win the bid for the fifth annual event at Mount Panorama.

For more news on the latest administrative developments in Supercars, go to autoaction.com.au

Roland Dane says ordering Coulthard go-slow was wrong

Image: LAT

but it is what it is.

“That car’s (Coulthard) been a sacrificial lamb all year, so deal with it.”

Coulthard, sharing with Tony D’Alberto, was able to avoid double-stacking behind McLaughlin but still lost time in his pit stop as water was added to his engine. He then copped a drive-through for the back-up and ended up sixth.

He was no happier with the situation post-race, as he was copping the brunt of fan criticism.

“There needs to be an explanation from the team because I did what I was told,” he told Auto Action.

In public and at a CAMS stewards hearing into the matter on Sunday night, DJRTP made explicitly clear Coulthard was acting under instruction and not unilaterally.

“He slowed it up,” confirmed DJRTP boss Ryan Story. “But there was no question we were struggling with a technical issue at the time.”

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GRM ON THE EDGE Adderton upright demand puts family team’s Supercars future in doubt THE FUTURE of Garry Rogers Motorsport in Supercars was due to be decided by the time this issue of Auto Action goes on-sale.

Naming rights sponsor Peter Adderton’s shock declaration at Bathurst on Saturday that he would pull Boost Mobile’s multi-million dollar funding from the championship if a control front upright was not introduced in 2020 has left GRM bosses Garry and son Barry Rogers in an almost impossible situation.

GRM, which has contested the Supercars category since 1996, is in the first year of a two-year deal with Boost to back the team’s two Holden Commodore ZBs driven by James Golding and Richie Stanaway.

Entries for the 2020 championship are due to be lodged by this Friday (October 18) and there is no chance Supercars will accede to Adderton’s upright demand.

“A control upright is on the agenda, and will come in 2022 when we do the new front end as part of Gen3. If that doesn’t suit some people, then so be it,” Supercars CEO Sean Seamer said in a statement issued to AA. There is a performance clause in the Boost-GRM deal, which Adderton could exercise to take his money out of the team. Complicating the situation further, it is still possible for GRM to satisfy that clause even though it has had a disappointing year.

Image: Insyde Media

If Adderton sticks to his guns and pulls his telco money, the Rogers must decide if they will enter the 2020 Supercars championship without guaranteed naming rights sponsorship.

Do so and not find a primary backer and the Rogers will have to come up with the millions of dollars to run the team or pay the fines for entering and not showing up to race.

“From a GRM perspective, we are a family business and we scrimp and scrap to make it all happen,” Barry Rogers told AA at Bathurst.

“But without a major backer it’s impossible.

“We have got to next Friday to either go and find someone or back ourselves in and put our RECs (Racing Entitlement Contracts) in and hope we get someone.

“But as soon as you put your RECs in and you don’t

compete, the fines are that big you are damned if you do and damned if you don’t.”

Rogers said he and his father would share the drive home to Melbourne on Sunday night and Monday, when they would mull over the situation and what their next step would be.

“I think we’ll wait till later in the week (before we make a decision),” said Rogers.

“It’s amazing how things unfold. The weather could change real quick and we might get a tail-wind all of a sudden, but at this point if Boost aren’t there and if we don’t have someone with a reasonable amount of backing as a naming rights partner we would really struggle to get it together to do next year.”

GRM has a developing TCR business racing Renault Meganes and Alfa Romeo Giulias. It is also the exclusive car constructor for the new S5000 V8 openwheeler

WHINCUP BATHURST MISSES CONTINUE IT WON’T stack up with some of his epic Bathurst 1000 misadventures of the recent past, but there’s no doubt fourth place in the 2019 classic was another missed opportunity for Jamie Whincup.

While the four-time Bathurst winner was playing down the issue post-race, other members of the Red Bull Holden Racing Team were admitting that not changing tyres at his final splash and dash potentially cost him a shot at victory.

“My tyres were rooted,” said Whincup, who was sharing a car at Bathurst with Craig Lowndes for the first time since 2009.

“We tried hard but we didn’t get there.”

Whincup said he had no particular feelings about the 2019 result, apart from it being a missed opportunity.

“It’s just another year we didn’t win, just another year we had an opportunity to win and we didn’t win,” he said. “It’s no different to the rest of them really.

“It’s adding to the moments where we didn’t get the results we thought we deserved.

“We had track position and that’s what everyone wants with 26 laps to go.”

While Whincup emerged from his final stop with no fuel economy issues, he lacked the grip to propel himself forward past James Courtney in the Walkinshaw Andretti United Holden Commodore ZB into third and then latch on to teammate Shane van Gisbergen and DJR Team Penske’s Scotty McLaughlin, who were battling for the lead.

Whincup’s tyres were spent because the team had decided to abandon fuel saving and go for broke in the lead in a bid to build up a buffer so he could make his splash and dash.

The team elected not to make a tyre change at that stop because it was adding only about five seconds worth of fuel, which is about the same time it takes for an error-free four-tyre change.

Team owner Roland Dane put his hand up post-race as being responsible for the safety-first call on tyres.

“It was as much my call as anyone’s,” he told Auto

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Image: LAT

Action. “We were only doing a fuel stop and the tyres had taken longer for whatever reason there was a chance Rick Kelly was going to be ahead of us.

“The Rick Kelly car (Nissan Altima) is notoriously difficult to pass … and the last thing we wanted to do was be stuck behind him.

“The other thing was Jamie was comfortably doing (2m) 05s laps before and we only added a little bit of fuel.

“We thought he’d be able to maintain the pace afterwards, but what happened was the other cars ahead of him all stepped up their pace on a shit-or-bust strategy.

“So if the (Heimgartner) Nissan hadn’t crashed at Forrest Elbow it would have had a very different ending.

“In hindsight, because Rick Kelly didn’t end up being an issue, we could have put some less used tyres on and possibly got past Courtney then.”

Since he last won the race in 2012 with Paul Dumbrell, Whincup’s Bathurst history has been littered with bizarre mishaps and missed opportunities.

In 2014 he ran out of fuel on the last lap, allowing Chaz Mostert through for an epic last-to-first win. In 2015 he copped a drive-through for a safety car infraction. In 2016 he crossed the line first but was penalised 15 seconds for his part in a massive crash at the chase with Scott McLaughlin and Gath Tander. In 2017 a serious engine issue relegated him to 20th. In 2018 a wheel fell off his Commodore while Dumbrell was driving. BN

category. It could also run a Super2 program, dependant on budgets.

Barry Rogers said he and his father sympathised with Adderton’s view on a control front upright. He confirmed they had no idea he would reveal his ultimatum until he informed them on Saturday at Bathurst.

Currently, front upright development is one of the few true technical freedoms left to Supercars teams.

“Our belief is it should have been introduced with Car of the Future (in 2013),” said Rogers. “We haven’t been vocal with it publicly, but our push has certainly been that that should be what happens.

“His idea and what he believes, we support the idea.

But is it something a sponsor should hold a gun to the head of the sport with? I don’t know, they’ve got to decide that.” BN

ADDERTON CONSIDERS TRUCKS, TCR

BY BRUCE NEWTON CONTROVERSIAL SUPERCARS sponsor Peter Adderton says he will invest his sponsorship funds in Stadium Super Trucks and the TCR touring car category if he isn’t involved in Supercars in 2020.

Adderton has declared he will pull his multi-million dollar backing of Garry Rogers Motorsport if a control front upright isn’t mandated by Supercars for 2020.

He delivered that ultimatum to Supercars CEO Sean Seamer on Saturday at Bathurst before advising GRM bosses Garry Rogers and son Barry of his stance.

Subsequently, on Monday, he updated his stance, offering to fund the development of an upright for all non-factory Supercars on the condition it was introduced in 2020.

Supercars has rejected Adderton’s demand, saying a control front upright is scheduled for introduction with Gen3 in 2022.

Adderton, no stranger to big declarations and controversy, says Boost will stay in motorsport sponsorship if it moves on from Supercars.

“I think you’d see us in Stadium Super Trucks.

I like them and I think that makes more sense for us to do.

“I would probably look at TCR because that’s more controlled. We might look at dabbling in that.”

Adderton has revealed up to five Supercars teams had been in contact with Boost Mobile about potential sponsorship in 2020.

“I made it clear to all the teams that are talking to us and also to Sean (Seamer) that unless they get a control upright we are not here next year,” said Adderton.

“Any sponsor other than Red Bull or Shell up the end there (sponsoring Triple Eight and DJR Team Penske respectively) that stays in this sport

Image: Ross Gibb

without a control upright … is in my opinion stupid.”

The upright is one of the last true technical freedoms in Supercars, with the rear suspension and brake packages among key items already controlled, and dampers set to join them in 2020.

As reported separately, Adderton’s decision has placed GRM’s Supercars future in grave doubt.

It has also stirred up plenty of passion in pitlane. Supercars team owner, board and commission member Brad Jones was seen having a rather robust conversation with Adderton about the issue.

Jones declined to speak about the matter when approached by Auto Action.

Adderton said Boost would continue to back Richie Stanaway in his career. The Kiwi replaced Garth Tander at GRM in 2019 at the sponsor’s insistence.

“I think Richie is a very good driver. I think he is very skilful. I think he has a unique personality where he’ll say what he feels. I think people love to hate him and as a brand that’s good for us.

“I don’t want the carbon copy, I don’t want predictable and boring in our team. We will stick

by Richie.”

BEACHED WATERS

TICKFORD TARGETS SURFBOARDS

The best way to make up for Bathurst disaster is Gold Coast wins

By BRUCE NEWTON TICKFORD RACING has vowed to lick its wounds and aim for surfboard trophies at the Gold Coast 600 after a potential Bathurst 1000 win was destroyed by a Chaz Mostert brain fade.

The star driver, in one of his last outings for the team before his move to Walkinshaw Andretti United in 2020, tripped over teammate Cam Waters in the chase and dumped both of them in the sand trap and out of contention on lap 123 of the 161-lap race.

The two Ford Mustangs had been in fuel-saving mode at the time in third and fourth places.

“Everyone is disappointed,” said team boss Tim Edwards.

“But we’ll pick ourselves up during the week, we’ll have our normal debrief on Wednesday and then by Thursday we’ll be planning how to get some surfboards in two weeks’ time, because that’s what we do as a sport.

“No point labouring on it.”

Mostert refused to talk to the media post-race, but in a team statement issued Sunday night he took full responsibility for

Image: Peter Bury

the accident. “Obviously I’m shattered,” Mostert said.

“You know, it’s the biggest race of the year, the event we look forward to most, and the race we want to win most. It was so tight up the front all day, we were just setting up for the last stint, had a good run on Cam, and just got crossed up and we hit. I didn’t need to pass him, shouldn’t have tried, and it ruined both our races, which is the worst part.

“I’m really sorry to Cam and the whole team, we should be celebrating a podium or two right now, but we’re empty-handed.”

Edwards wasn’t even attempting to put a brave face on the incident, which left him so stunned he refused a live Fox interview in its immediate aftermath.

“If you came here with cars that were good for 10th or 15th you probably didn’t expect to be on the top step or even on the podium, but we came here with four fast cars,” he told media after the race.

“Despite that, we couldn’t come away with a podium. That’s gut-wrenching.”

Edwards said Mostert admitted guilt and apologised immediately after the race, negating the need for a review of the incident, as happened after the Pukekohe clash, where responsibility was shared.

“What do you do when someone admits they f----- up? You can’t chastise them,” said Edwards.

“If there was some debate about who was right or wrong then you sit people down and agree on a position. But if someone

just makes a mistake then it’s a mistake isn’t it. You can’t put processes in place as such for that, it was just a mistake and unfortunately it took two of our cars out.”

A fundamental question in the whole deal was just why Mostert was actually making a passing move when the two cars were driving for economy.

“Chaz just got overaggressive,” said Edwards. “When you are in that fuelsave mode you are lifting off X number of metres before. So do they all do it at exactly the same point? No. “He just kept his boot into it for two, five or 10 metres – whatever the extra distance was – and all of a sudden he’s found himself banzai-ing down too hard on Cam.”

A SHATTERED Cam Waters was left to rue what might have been after Chaz Mostert piled him into the sand at Bathurst last Sunday.

Waters, whose new multi-year deal with Tickford Racing was confirmed in the days leading up to the event, was set to score his first podium at the Mount Panorama classic.

Instead, he found himself in the familiar position of making contact with his teammate.

“I’m a little baffled by it,” Waters said of the crash.

“We were both meant to be fuel-saving and ended up racing each other, which at that stage of the race wasn’t the right thing to do.

“We don’t sit under the same boom, so we shouldn’t have been racing each other.”

Waters confirmed Mostert had apologised: “At least he was man enough to come see me,” he said.

Waters said there was no question he and co-driver Michael Caruso were on for a podium finish.

“It’s disappointing, it’s the Bathurst 1000, shit happens.” BN

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BROWN AND ANDRETTI BACK WAU

GARAGE1’S TCR Cupra has arrived in Australia and is ready for its debut in the TCR Australia series. This will make Cupra the tenth different marque to enter the local TCR series, with Peugeot also set to join the ranks at the final round of the season at The Bend in November. Cupra is the performance subsidiary of Spanish car brand SEAT, whose cars were the original basis for all TCR cars back in 2014.

FACTORY MERCEDES team Craft-Bamboo has announced it will return to contest the Bathurst 12 Hour in 2020. Earlier this year the team was fighting up the front when a technical issue ruled them out of contention. That race marked the team’s debut with Mercedes after previously being aligned with Aston Martin and Porsche. At this stage the team has not confirmed its driver line up for the race, but expect it to comprise factory Mercedes-AMG drivers.

VALE WARREN GRACIE – Born in 1936, Warren Gracie was one of the country’s top CAMS stewards. He was involved in the sport for more than 50 years, starting with the NSW Austin Seven Club, of which he later became a president. He rose through the officials ranks quickly, but remained a racer at heart and entered Bathurst a number of times, finishing as high as 14th in 1969. AA’s condolences go out to his family and friends.

VALE PETER MOLLOY - Noted car preparer and engine builder Peter Molloy passed away after a battle with cancer.

Molloy was the engine mastermind behind Allan Moffat’s famous Bathurst 1-2 in 1977 and was also heavily involved in F5000.

Molloy also helped Wayne Gardner in the early stages of his bike career. AA sends its condolences to the Molloy family

ANOTHER TCR brand will be represented in the Australian and New Zealand markets with the appointment of Choice Performance Ltd as the official agent for STARD (Stohl Advanced Research and Development), the manufacturer of the Kia Cee’d TCR. The Pukekohe-based team will import cars with the intent of running both in New Zealand and Australia.

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INTERNATIONALS ZAK BROWN and Michael Andretti have reaffirmed their commitment to the Supercars team they part-own, despite its poor form in 2019.

And speaking before James Courtney and Jack Perkins scored a fine third in Sunday’s 1000km classic, Andretti not only spoke about driver line-up changes at Walkinshaw Andretti United in 2020, but also potential engineering and management changes.

“This year has been a little disappointing, but we sorta had an idea going in that we were going to have some challenge for one reason or another,” admitted Andretti, who bought into the Walkinshaw family owned team along with Brown’s United Autosports in 2017.

“We are really focussed on next year. I think we have a lot of exciting things we are working on within the team and you’ll probably see some big changes within the team and I think it is also going to be very positive, “We are really looking forward to the future.

“Possibly with engineering, possibly with management (there are going to be changes),

there are all sorts of things we are working on right now to make the team better than what it is.

“Wait and you’ll see.”

After nine seasons, Courtney has already been confirmed as leaving the team for the new Sydney-based Tekno Autosports operation.

Teammate Scott Pye’s future at WAU is uncertain.

As previously reported there are at least three drivers in the mix for the other seat, including Todd Hazelwood and British touring car ace Ash Sutton.

But possible engineering and management changes haven’t previously been so clearly pointed to.

Currently, Mathew Nilsson is the team coprincipal in charge of racing activities, while Bruce Stewart is co-principal and leader on commercial matters.

Nilsson also shares the engineering of Pye’s Commodore with Walkinshaw group veteran Robbie Starr, while WAU technical director Carl Faux works with Terry Kerr on Courtney’s car.

So far in 2019 Pye has managed to qualify three times in the top 10 and finish there eight times. Courtney has qualified in the 10 eight times and finished in the 10 eight times.

While Brown runs the McLaren Formula One team and Andretti has his IndyCar operation, they both devote plenty of time to the Supercar team, Andretti said.

“We are very committed, we are on this thing all the time,” he said. “We have calls weekly, we know everything that is going on within the team.

“We have a great relationship.

“There has been some talk that maybe we are not that involved, but I can assure you that all of us are very committed to this and this is not a short-term program.

“This is something that we are going to be making sure that we make successful.”

Added Brown: “You’ve got to finish what you started and we’ve come to try and compete at the front and win races and win championships.

“It’s a great series and we are just getting started.” BN

INDYCAR STARS IMPRESSED

BY THE MOUNTAIN INDYCAR RACE winners Alexander Rossi and James Hinchcliffe were both very happy they made the trip to Australia to debut in the Bathurst 1000 and would like to return to race at Bathurst in the future.

Both drivers had never previously visited Mount Panorama and were in awe of the track and the event.

“It is a great event, it is everything people said and more, and it is by far one of the most challenging tracks that we can come to,” Rossi told Auto Action.

Hinchcliffe agreed, saying that the track was more of a challenge than he expected it to be.

“Learning just how difficult this racetrack is was the eyeopening experience. We heard a

lot about it and we were ready for that, and it was all of that for sure,” Hinchcliffe said.

Throughout the weekend both drivers kept the car clean, the only noticeable rub of the wall being when Hinchcliffe clipped the outside of The Cutting and knocked the rear wing loose during practice.

In the race the pair ran smoothly, consistently and were able to keep with the Supercar field. The only race hiccup was when Rossi got himself bunkered in the Murrays Corner gravel trap on lap 135, but no damage was caused and they finished the race in 19th position, two laps down.

When asked by AA whether they were satisfied with the result, Hinchcliffe said: “The winner is the only happy guy

in the field, but I think we did a respectable job and we can be proud of what we did.

“We set a couple of goals before the day started and I think we checked most of them off,” the Canadian said.

“The team did a great job of getting us prepared as best they could, but ultimately laps is what you need and we finished 99 per cent of them, so I think we can say we did a good job today and hopefully apply that knowledge again.”

Asked if they would like to return, Hinchcliffe was uick to reply.

“We’d come back next week if you’d have us.”

2016 Indianapolis 500 winner Rossi would also like to do it again in the future.

“We’ll see what comes obviously. This was a one-off event, but I’ve been driving for Andretti Autosport back in the States for a long time, so we will see what comes of it.”

Dan McCarthy

PEDAL DOWN. PERFORMANCE UP.

Power outage at Bathurst AUSSIE INDYCAR star Will Power’s bid to race at the Bathurst 1000 in the Walkinshaw Andretti United wildcard Holden Commodore ZB was shut down by Roger Penske.

And ‘The Captain’ has also ruled out his own team running a wildcard in the Bathurst 1000 any time soon.

Power, who races for Penske in the US and finished fifth in the 2019 IndyCar title chase, contacted WAU co-owner, IndyCar rival and wildcard organiser Michael Andretti, about driving the NAPA Holden.

Andretti in turn approached Penske to allow Power to run.

But after consideration that included consultation with the DJR Team Penske locally, Penske declined the request.

“What took place is Michael wanted to run the wildcard car here and he

said, ‘Look, let’s get Will Power to run with Rossi’ and I said to him, ‘Look, I’d love to have these guys run, my problem is if I let Will run then (Penske IndyCar driver Josef) Newgarden and everyone else will want to do it,” Penske told Auto Action.

“He understood that and then they put Hinchcliffe in and it was all over.”

Andretti revealed he had twice contacted Penske about using Power in the team.

“Will really wanted to do it and he came and asked me and I asked Roger and he said no straight away,” Andretti told AA. “Then I went back to Roger and asked him to think about it. And he thought about it but in the end he said if he did it for him then he’d have to do it for all the other drivers and it

would create a real problem for him.

“I know Will was really bummed out about it.”

American Alex Rossi and Canadian James Hinchcliffe ended up sharing the WAU wildcard, which qualified 25th and finished 19th in the Great Race.

Penske said a wildcard at Bathurst would detract too much from DJR Team Penske’s attack on the great race.

“With all the racing we are doing and knowing how competitive it is, to take any focus off this race, I think we are better off running the two cars.

“It’s always something in the future … maybe in another event we might do that but I don’t see it in the future at the moment.

“The competition is too tight and there is too much at stake.” BN

SLADE MSR MOVE LIKELY IT IS looking more likely that struggling South Australian Tim Slade will move to Matt Stone Racing after Matt Stone himself suggested he is looking for a reasonably priced but experienced driver.

Two-time Supercars race winner Slade certainly has the experience as this is his 11th year in the category, and the 34-year-old will not come at great expense to the team.

“A lot has got to be taken into consideration obviously. We will look at budget and what drivers might be available. We did a year last year with a rookie driver and as a single-car team it was very difficult, so we are not looking at that avenue again,” Stone said.

“Although we have historically often run young drivers in and around that market, in terms of the drivers we are considering it is probably safe to say, if we only run one car we won’t be running a rookie in that.”

Slade has previous history working with Stone when he drove a third Stone Brothers Racing Falcon between 2010 and 2012.

“I’ve worked with Tim before, I know him personally and have for a long time, I think he’s a great driver and I’d love to run him, but

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as far as speculation goes there is nothing I can really say one way or the other.”

Brad Jones Racing has been the home for Slade since 2016 but is having a tough run, failing to finish in the top 10 since the Phillip Island round in April.

Team principal Brad Jones has said that if it will help Slade’s career then he has no objection to him leaving.

“If that is the right way for Timmy to go and that helps him to get himself sorted out, then I don’t have a problem with that, but right now he is with me until the end of the year,” Jones said.

In terms of a possible second driver for 2020, the talk of split drivers has certainly interested Stone.

“Whether 2020 is too soon to be looking that way is still yet to be determined, but in the future of Matt Stone Racing there is definitely ambition of being a two-car team,” Stone said.

“I’d like to say we can do it next year, certainly we are looking at the option, but by no means are we locked into anything.

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“I think for a team like us to go to a second car, if you were to run a whole entry with two drivers I think it gives them a stepping stone.”

Zane Goddard drives for MW Motorsport up the pointy end of the Super2 Series and, when asked by Auto Action if a splitdriver season is something he is considering, he said it could be a good option.

“I’m super happy with where I am now in Super2, but if the opportunity arises to do something like that, if we do Super2 we’d want a really good co-drive and if we don’t then that could be a good option,” Goddard Dan McCarthy said.

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AUSTRALIAN GT TO STAY WITH TROFEO FORMER F1 driver Marcus Ericsson will move IndyCar team from Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports to an expanding Chip Ganassi Racing squad. The Swede will join existing fivetime champion Scott Dixon and 2018 Rookie of the Year Felix Rosenqvist.

FIA WORLD Rally Championship driver Dani Sordo has signed a one year deal to remain with the Hyundai team in a seven-round deal.

It is expected the Spaniard will share the third i20 with nine-time world champion Sebastien Loeb, who in his second year with the Korean squad is likely to compete in six rounds.

THE JAGUAR Formula E team has confirmed that Briton James Calado will drive the second car throughout the 2019/20 season.

The 30-year-old brings a lot of experience to the team, winning the World Endurance Championship LMGTE-Pro class in 2017 with Ferrari as well as finishing third in the GP2 series. The Venturi team has announced that it will switch to a Mercedes powertrain for this season and has retained its driver line up of Felipe Massa and Edoardo Mortara.

FOLLOWING A meeting of the FIA World Motor Sport Council, the Hong Kong Formula E round has been replaced by Marrakesh, Morocco for the upcoming 2019/20 season. Hong Kong had hosted a round in each season since 2016/17 but will be replaced due to civil unrest in the Special Administrative Region of China.

That round is expected to return in 2020/21.

A round in China and Jakarta have been also been confirmed on the 14 race calendar.

THE FIA has extended the current LMP2 regulations by one year through until the end of the 2021/2022 season in the World Endurance Championship. The class performance will be reduced slightly in 2020 due to the introduction of the ‘Hypercar’ regulations in the top-tier LMP1 category and are targeting a 3m 30s lap time at Le Mans.

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AUSTRALIAN GT category manager David Vervaart has refuted claims made that Supercars will take over the struggling category, but has revealed there will be further involvement by the management heading into 2020.

Announcing its 2020 calendar, which features four trips to Bathurst and a predominately Supercars-based calendar, Vervaart hosed down a potential Supercars takeover, explaining to Auto Action the structure AGT and Supercars have in place will have minimal change.

“It’s not a takeover by Supercars, it’s not a sale of the CMA to Supercars, it’s far from it,” Vervaart told us. “We have a customer supplier relationship

with Supercars, we’re a customer of theirs when it comes to them providing to us the race meetings.

They are also a customer of ours when it comes to supporting them at the 12 Hour.

“We hire them certain equipment, we support them with technical and management advice. That will continue and that has been going on for years, so the relationship won’t change.”

Vervaart confirmed a competitor survey had been sent out a month ago and the 2020 calendar, which kicks off at Easter as part of the Australian Racing Group-run Bathurst 6 Hour event, reflected the desires of the competitors, including a focus towards running at Supercars events.

“Fantastic reaction – we sent

out our survey a month ago and the clear response for the sprint championship is it needed to involve a big part of Supercars, which we’ve managed to do,” Vervaart said.

“It’s the same for the enduros; the competitors came back and wanted four-hour races.”

AGT management has negotiated to run two one-hour events at each Supercars meeting and for the first time will run its own event at Phillip Island, which Vervaart hopes to turn into a GT festival incorporating the road cars of marques represented in AGT. “It is our own event, it’s the first time we’ve done it and we’ll build it into something,” enthused Vervaart.

“Phillip Island is equal number one in terms of tracks for a competitor’s point of view. We want to embrace the automotive industry and market for the marques and importers we represent, and make it into something that’s not like your ordinary race meeting.”

A major boost for the category will be the debut of Tony Quinn’s Aston Martin Vantage GT3 on the Gold Coast, while another has also been ordered ahead of next year’s championship.

There have also been enquiries made about the updated Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo and a second McLaren 720s GT3 is believed to be also on its way for a major assault on the Bathurst 12 Hour. HM

CAMS RENAMED MOTORSPORT AUSTRALIA THE CONFEDERATION of Australian Motor Sport (CAMS) has announced that it will be known as Motorsport Australia from 2020.

The announcement was made at the Mount Panorama Circuit in Bathurst and will see CAMS officially change its name on 1 January next year.

The government recognised the sporting organisation’s role as the National Sporting Authority for the Federation Internationale de’l Automobile (FIA) has been in existence since 1953 and will continue despite the name change.

Aside from the name, very little will change.

Motorsport Australia’s responsibilities, structure and constitution will not differ in 2020.

CAMS President Andrew Papadopoulos feels the change will assist the organisation to better represent motor sport at all levels in Australia.

“There are many reasons for this name change and we feel that the sporting, government, participation and commercial benefits are certainly among the key reasons

the Board voted to make this historic change,” Papadopoulos said.

“Motor sport in this country is in a strong position, we’re proud of the recent growth across all areas of our sport, including having a record number of events, officials and active licence holders.

“Just because we are seeing that growth doesn’t mean we can rest on our laurels. We need to make sure we are doing what is best for the sport now and into the future.”

Papadopoulos said that although other names were considered, the change to Motorsport Australia was the best fit.

“The change to Motorsport Australia is the most obvious fit and brings us in line with

what many other sports have already done, including the Australian Government’s own agency, Sport Australia.”

CAMS CEO Eugene Arocca said the change had been a long time in the planning and included conversations with many industry stakeholders, members, licence holders and the government.

“We sought feedback from many of those already dealing with us on a regular basis and the message was clear, the change made sense but not at the expense of CAMS’ storied history,” Arocca said.

“That history dates back many decades to 1953. We can assure everybody in the sport that this history will not be forgotten in everything we do in the future as Motorsport Australia.

“What this new name does do is provide us with an opportunity to take motor sport in Australia to another level through better relationships with government and commercial partners across our various championships, series and events.” DM

LOOSE WHEEL ROBS GOLDING OF PODIUM ONE OF the biggest heartbreaks in the 2019 edition of the Bathurst 1000 was the late unscheduled stop for James Golding and Richard Muscat, robbing them of a realistic podium or victory chance.

While other cars were saving fuel, Golding was charging through the field at a rapid rate and looked set to be the underdog performer of the race until a loose front-right wheel forced them to make an extra stop.

“The right-front wheel, something to do with the brake hat caused it to come loose,” Golding told Auto Action.

“Not 100 per cent sure, we are going to have to have a look at that but I just felt it coming loose.

“It wasn’t that the wheel wasn’t done up or anything like that, otherwise it would have happened straight away. We were a bit of a way into the stint and it started to loosen off.”

Golding explained how this affected the car as the laps ticked by and the problem got worse.

“I got brake knock-off and I mentioned it to the guys on the radio.

“I kept going because it did loosen off a bit and then it stayed and I thought it might just hold on and keep going like that,” he said.

“It held for about a lap and then it started to get worse and I knew we had to come in and fix it.”

Had the strategy call have paid off, it would have likely been the 23-year-old’s debut trip to a Supercars podium and was understandably gutted after the race.

“Disappointing, we had really good speed and the boys were faultless all day so you can’t ask for much more than that.”

When asked by AA if his crew were ever tempted to leave him out and play the fuel conservation game, he said they were always going to pit.

“It was up to the team. We were committed to pitting. When we pitted and got back out we were pretty fast and it was looking pretty good there,” Golding said.

“A lot of people can make estimations, but we know we would have been up the front there come the end of the race.” Dan McCarthy

Image: Ross Gibb

STARS AND CARS AT WORLD TIME ATTACK THE ANNUAL race against the clock at Sydney Motorsport Park takes place this weekend with the globe’s fastest cars taking on World Time Attack.

Crazy aerodynamic aids are a highlight of the outright Pro Class, but these aren’t the only machines that will feature across the weekend, as drifting and drags are also represented in the weekend scheduling.

Headlining the Pro Class is the defending winner of the event, Barton Mawer, in the updated PR Technology Porsche RP968, which features a wild spoiler set-up that helped the car produce a 1m 19.8250s.

The car that finished runner up, the MCA Suspension ‘Hammerhead’ Nissan Silvia S13 in the hands of Warren Luff, has also been updated and will have a new pilot behind the wheel in the form of Nissan standout Andre Heimgartner.

Hyundai has also taken up the challenge and built up its recently released i30 N Fastback into a Time Attack machine, incorporating a range of development parts that potentially could feature in the N line catalogue.

Representatives from the US, Sweden and Japan make the outright class truly international, with Cole Powelson sharing his LYFE Motorsport Nissan GT-R with Rob ‘Chairslayer’ Parsons, Swede Alx Danielsson in another Porsche 968 GT1 built by Revline Racing, and Scorch Racing’s Nissan S15 Silvia with Under Suzuki behind the wheel.

Supercars star Shane van Gisbergen will once again challenge some of the top drifters from Japan, China and Europe in the International Drifting Cup. Driving the MCA Suspension Nissan 370Z, van Gisbergen will be challenged by Japanese pair Naoki Nakamura and Masashi Yokoi, Scot Andy Gray, fellow Kiwis Ben

and Troy Jenkins, Chinese pair Ken Wenqian and Jerry Zhu, and locals Beau Yates, Jake Jones and Josh Boettcher.

The Flying 500 will also be hotly contested featuring an array of Japanese machinery. Behind the pits stalls and a car show will keep spectators busy in between sessions. HM

HARVEY CELEBRATED AT HISTORIC SANDOWN AUSTRALIAN MOTOR racing legend John Harvey is the patron for the upcoming Historic Sandown event, which has moved to a new weekend, October 25-27.

Harvey was a multiple Australian Speedcar Champion in the 1960s before transitioning to circuit racing, where he finished runner-up in the prestigious Australian Drivers Championship for the Gold Star.

He joined Bob Jane’s race team the following year and went on to win the Australian Sports Car Championship driving the legendary McLaren M6B Repco V8 in 1971 and 1972, before moving into Touring Cars and Sports

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Sedans, taking victory in the Toby Lee Series and Marlboro Series piloting the legendary Holden Torana Repco V8.

From there he joined the Holden Dealer Team, being Peter Brock’s loyal lieutenant when he took over the team from John Sheppard in 1980 until he resigned amid the release of the Director in 1987.

Harvey continued to work with Holden and in 2018 was inducted into the Australian Motor Sport Hall of Fame.

Also celebrated is the 50th anniversary of Formula Ford, with 40 cars set to contest the weekend, highlighted by the pair of Van Diemen RF89s of Jon Miles and Andrew McInnes.

A big field of Group N and S

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machinery add to the variety of the event, as do the Sports Sedans, which concludes its National Series at Historic Sandown with multiple champion Tony Ricciardello in the box seat to seal another title, though young Jordan Caruso in John Gourley’s Audi A4 will push the veteran all the way.

After his record was broken

by John Martin last month in S5000, Tom Tweedie is eager to regain the record driving his family’s Chevron B24/28 in what will be a competitive historic Formula 5000 field.

More than 600 cars and living legends Harvey, Kevin Bartlett, John French, Murray Carter and Brian Sampson will provide the entertainment off track. HM

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Image: Auto Action archives

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LATEST NEWS

THE 3 HOURS of Barcelona at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya was the final round of both the Blancpain GT World Challenge Europe and Endurance Series, and four Aussies took part. Nick Foster teamed up with Valentin Hasse Clot and Clemens Schmid to finish tenth. Shae Davies with Alex MacDowall and Sean Walkinshaw finished 24th, not too far ahead of Australian Martin Berry and his co-drivers Pierre Ehret and Rory Penttinen.

Former Le Mans 24 Hours GTE-Am class winner Matt Campbell and teammates Dirk Werner and Dennis Olsen were caught up in an accident mid-race and had to retire.

AMAC MOTORSPORT ASIAN WINNERS OPTING NOT to race in the domestic GT competitions on a full-time basis and instead concentrate on the Blancpain GT World Challenge was the correct path for Amac Motorsport as they became the Am Champions for 2019.

Andrew Macpherson and Ben Porter were in their second year of competing in the gentlemen’s class and relished the entire Asian GT racing experience in their Lamborghini Huracan GT3 – second last year, and one better in 2019.

“Our first place in class in this challenging series is extremely gratifying,” Macpherson enthused. “The entire team committed to the many kilometres travelled and matched the professionalism of some of the best teams in the world.

“Making the decision to compete in a single overseas event is one thing, but to commit to a season of racing in Asia is a massive economic and logistical undertaking,” he said, adding that he has not ruled out another fulltime assault in 2020.

REIGNING CARRERA Cup Australia Series winner Jaxon Evans had a very successful final two rounds in the German Series. Joey Mawson joined Kiwi Evans on the grid for the penultimate round at Hockenheim but had dramas in both races. Evans, who finished sixth in the opening race, qualified on pole for Race 2 but made a poor start and lost the lead. He pressured Julien Andlauer throughout the race, finishing just 0.297s back, though second place was enough to clinch the Rookie of the Year title. In the final round at the Sachsenring, Evans finished fifth in the opening race and sixth in the final race, which resulted in the Kiwi finishing sixth outright in the standings.

IN THE final round of Blancpain GT World Challenge Asia at the Shanghai International Circuit, Australians Andrew Macpherson and William Ben Porter wrapped up the Am Cup title with second place in class and 18th overall. Fellow Aussie Josh Burdon, driving with Adderly Fong, finished ninth, and Shane van Gisbergen and Prince Abdul Rahman Ibrahim finished 12th. In Race 2, Macpherson and Ben Porter capped off a superb season with another second in Am, finishing 5.6s ahead of the Triple Eight car of van Gisbergen and Prince Ibrahim, who received a drivethrough for missing the pit window, while Burdon and Fong failed to finish.

JACK DOOHAN, Jackson Walls and Tommy Smith competed in the final round of the Asian F3 Championship. Doohan closed the points margin in the final round with first, second and third-place finishes, but it wasn’t enough to take the title from his teammate, Ukyo Sasahara. Walls also had a good round, finishing the season with a podium spot for third, along with two other top-5 finishes.

Smith retired from the opening race but bounced back to score two top-10 results.

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Each round consisted of two races and the team’s season started on a high with a class win and 12th outright in race one at Suzuka in Japan. They followed up the April success with another class win in the opener to round four at Fuji in July and double victories at the ensuing round five in Korea on the first weekend of August.

What also helped was the accumulation of points at every round that ultimately made them the class winners by 51 points, more than what any single round was worth. GOB

PIASTRI STAYS OUT OF TROUBLE

A PAIR of second place finishes for Oscar Piastri in the penultimate round of Formula Renault Eurocup at Hockenheim resulted in the Australian slightly extending his championship lead over Victor Martins to 13.5 points Martins took pole for Race 1 but off the line Piastri made the better start and took the led into Turn 1. The Frenchman fought straight back into Turn 2, and mid-corner the two made contact and both ran off the road, allowing Ugo de Wilde into the lead.

The trio then engaged in heated battle, and on lap 5 things Martins overtook both Piastri and de Wilde in one swift manoeuvre.

Martins quickly broke away before Piastri

eventually overtook de Wilde on lap 9, and the R-ace GP driver then set about closing the gap to the leader but was unable to do so.

Torrential rain greeted drivers on Sunday.

The first two laps were completed behind the safety car before the green flags were waved, Martins out front while Piastri started fifth.

On lap 4 Piastri moved up a spot when Lorenzo Colombo was caught out by the conditions.

A brief safety car was called to retrieve a number of vehicles around the circuit.

On the restart Alexander Smolyar took the lead and pulled away before another safety car was called.

HORSTEN FINISHES TOP FIVE AUSTRALIAN BART Horsten has capped off his maiden British Formula 4 Championship season with a podium in the final round held on the Brands Hatch GP circuit.

The Arden Motorsport driver kicked off the round with fifth in Race 1, being held off by rookie teammate Alex Connor.

He turned the tables in Race 2, where he finished originally runner-up to title contender Sebastian Alvarez. Horsten started on pole, but Alvarez overtook at Paddock Hill Bend to take the lead, but was deemed to have made a false start and given a 10s penalty, one that was later rescinded post-race. Horsten finished 3.506s behind the Mexican.

Another top five finish for Horsten in the final event of the year left him a comfortable fifth in the points, while Zane Maloney from Barbados took the crown, joining previous champions Lando Norris and Max Fewtrell on the honour board. HM

The race resumed on lap 10, and Smolyar once again broke away, while the battle for second intensified. n the penultimate lap Martins and Caio Collet came together, Piastri took advantage and grabbed second while Martins came home fifth.

“I knew the duel between Victor and Caio had the potential to be aggressive, but I didn’t expect it to end the way it did,” Piastri said.

“This shows that anything can happen in a race and I was rather pleased to inherit second place.”

The final round of the series takes place at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi from October 25-26. DM

AA’s passionate pundit thinks it’s time to upgrade public facilities at Mount Panorama YET AGAIN, Bathurst didn’t disappoint. Another great finish full of drama, suspense, disappointment and, of course, controversy.

It wasn’t as clean-cut or as decisive as he would have liked, but Scott McLaughlin won the race he really wanted.

The victory also gives him an insurmountable lead in the championship.

With more than two rounds in hand, if he doesn’t keep his title at the Gold Coast, he will wrap up his successful defence at Sandown. Take that to the bank.

It was a typically suspenseful Bathurst 1000. For about the first 100 laps, nothing much happened. Then it all broke loose and kept on giving until the very last.

Still, we were robbed of an even more nail-biting finish because, as usual, a couple of numpties crashed. Seriously, those who cause a safety car near the end of any Supercars race, much less the Bathurst 1000, should be seriously sanctioned.

McLaughlin had the thing taped from the start. He had the pace to walk it, but a wobble from Alex Prémat put the #17 on the back foot.

Strategy and fuel-saving elements aside, it was always Scotty’s race. Practice and qualifying records confirmed he had the sheer pace. But would he have the luck?

In the end, he did, although, all things being equal – which they never are in the Bathurst 1000 – he should have romped it. He didn’t, but had just

enough in reserve to win the late shoot-out.

Winning in front of Roger Penske won’t hurt his American aspirations.

McLaughlin’s victory was soured by Fabian Coulthard’s safety car shenanigans.

Backing up the field in that crucial pause was blatant.

Still, we had an exciting last half-hour full of will-he-won’t-hemake-it conjecture. McLaughlin hung on, but it was too close for comfort.

Anyway, Roger’s happy and so is Ford Australia. Another cliffhanger that justified the Blue Oval’s return.

The dramatic win was witnessed by Ford Australia and New Zealand president Kay Hart, a strong supporter of the renewed racing program.

Unlike Holden, supposedly celebrating 50 years of factory-backed involvement, Broadmeadows was all-in at Bathurst.

Red Bull Holden Racing Team ran attractive 1971-esque liveries, but Holden’s presence was otherwise muted.

Meanwhile, Ford was promoting the Mustang with on-track demonstrations. It was Dick Johnson in the new supercharged R-Spec model – locally fettled by DJR superfan Rob Herrod – against Will Davison in a stock Mustang GT V8 and Cam Waters in an EcoBoost four-cylinder version.

Not very exciting, but Ford was there in force and dominated the drivers’ parade with various Blue Oval luminaries behind the wheels of Mustangs.

So, as usual, the Bathurst 1000 was enthralling. But it struck me that, apart from the more than decade-old pit straight complex, Mount Panorama looks tired.

It doesn’t have a proper, big-capacity grandstand. The surrounding facilities are rustic, to put it politely.

The place needs a serious upgrade, including the camping areas. And the support race compounds are very rudimentary.

What Mount Panorama requires is some gloss away from the pit complex.

That could have been achieved if Supercars’ proposal for a Mount Panorama Festival Of Speed had been accepted.

It was beaten by ARG’s proposal for a TCR enduro and supports including S5000 (!).

Having reported and now seen Supercars’ presentation, I wonder why.

Supercars proposed a Festival Of Speed, inspired by the annual fest at Goodwood

in the UK.It was to be exactly as we exclusively reported last month. A cavalcade of racing, displays, and lifestyle activities, local food and wine mixed with legendary drivers and cars, plus a test session for international drivers and a Supercars hillclimb.

To see what was proposed, go to www.autoaction.com.au to see Supercars’ presentation video.

The format has life at another venue in the future, according to Supercars boss Sean Seamer.

“We felt like the Mountain doesn’t need just another race, that it needed something different,” Seamer said.

“It would’ve been a lot of fun, I think. It would have been good for motor sport in Australia, but they chose a different direction.

“I thought it was pretty cool.”

While it failed to convince the Bathurst Regional Council, the custodian of Mount Panorama, Seamer is convinced the Festival Of Speed concept will get up at another circuit.

“Absolutely, it could be somewhere else,” he said.

“I feel like Australian motor sport needs something like [the Goodwood Festival Of Speed]. Given all the resources that we have at Supercars, whether there’s a Supercars component or not, we feel like we can make that happen.”

There’s a strong likelihood that off-tracks elements like accentuating local food and wine will be incorporated in the 12 Hour weekend.

The Supercars extravaganza would have been held in early September as a prelude to the Bathurst 1000.

I don’t demean ARG’s winning bid, which is centred on a 500km TCR race from December 2020, but Supercars’ proposal was so much more exciting.

We’ll have to wait and see what ARG has planned for what it pitched as an event to end the global motor sport season in December.

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s w e n e n O Formula SEAN BRATCHES, one of three men in charge of the management of Formula 1, is set to leave his role as managing director of commercial operations at the end of the year. Bratches came into the sport with Liberty Media when it took over the sport at the start of 2017 and was tasked with growing the sport’s social media presence and negotiating broadcasting deals, and is the man behind the global fan festivals.

MCLAREN CEO Zak Brown has said his team never considered approaching Italian manufacturer Ferrari about a Formula 1 power unit tie-up because it would represent a clear brand clash. The British team announced a few weeks ago it would rejoin Mercedes at the conclusion of its deal with Renault at the end of 2020.

FORMULA 2 driver Juan Manuel Correa, who was involved in the accident that claimed the life of Anthoine Hubert, is recovering after successful flap surgery procedure to his right leg. During the 17-hour surgery, doctors were forced to remove more bone than they anticipated and solve several blood vessel issues, but say the main objective of the surgery was achieved. They believe that, after a smaller surgery, the American will be able to leave the London Hospital in a month.

ALTHOUGH RENAULT is having a rollercoaster season – strong in some races, struggling in others, and failing to show its true potential in some – Aussie Daniel Ricciardo is confident that the building blocks are in place to create an improved and more competitive car for 2020.

“Since the (August) break we understood a lot more with the car,” Ricciardo said when he met with F1 news outlets including Auto Action during the Japanese Grand Prix weekend. “So whatever ends up happening in this year’s points championship, I feel like we’ve got a strong direction on next year.

“Then the question is, can we produce the car? I think we’ve got a pretty good understanding of what we need for next year, and some target areas. So I am definitely optimistic we can nail a few of those for the 2020 car.”

Ricciardo and his engineers have now melded, and they have a very good idea what sort of set-up the car will need even before they arrive for the race weekend, so they don’t have to make many changes to the car during Friday’s practice sessions.

“I know what I want now a bit more,” Ricciardo said, “so with our combined understanding it seems like we get on the front foot a bit earlier in practice.

The last few Friday nights we haven’t changed much on the car – little bits and pieces – but we haven’t really turned the car upside down.

“So it is a combination of the team understanding this car more and me getting comfortable with the car and the team. I’m confident that we can be pretty competitive now on all the circuits.”

After spending 2014 through 2018 at Red Bull, Ricciardo had to adjust to Renault.

“I look back at the first few races and it was still new to me,” he recalled. “I’d think back to Red Bull and say that this worked there, but is it actually working here? Do I have to forget all that? So a bit of trial and error got us to this point.”

Still, while Renault has improved the car, its weak points are still high-downforce circuits and riding the kerbs. That is something the team needs to address on the 2020 car.

Ricciardo is still confident that Renault can snatch fourth place from McLaren in the 2019 constructors’ championship. He gives the Italian Grand Prix – where he finished fourth and teammate Nico Hulkenberg placed fifth – as an example of the team’s potential to garner plenty of points. But the Perth native is also taking a long-term view.

“It is easy for us to look at the McLaren fight,” he said, “but ultimately we want to be looking at the top three teams. And we are still, especially on those high-downforce circuits, quite a long way off of them.”

RENAULT ROLLERCO

CLOSE TO CONFIRMATION

RUSSIAN CIRCUIT Igora Drive north of St Petersburg is denying it has put in a bid to replace Sochi as the venue for the country’s Grand Prix. This comes just a couple of weeks after the German DTM series announced it will visit the venue in 2020, but the track is not Grade 1 standard, as required to host Formula 1.

F1 STAKEHOLDERS are disputing what direction the sport should go with power units after 2024. The hybrid V6 regs were introduced in 2014, will be slightly tweaked for 2021 and are expected to be replaced in 2025 or 2026. Mercedes is keen to stick with the current engine formula, whereas Renault is pushing for electrification.

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AFTER A long, shaky season – he didn’t earn his first F1 point until round 14 in Italy – Antonio Giovinazzi looks set to retain his seat with Alfa Romeo in 2020.

“We will take the decision quite soon,” Alfa Romeo team principal Frederic Vasseur said when asked by Auto Action when the team would take up its option on the Italian driver.

“If you have a look at the last events, I think that Antonio is doing a very strong job; he was matching Kimi in the last six or seven qualifyings in a row.

He was in front in Sochi. Okay, the first lap was not a good one for us, but he’s doing the job, and he’s improving step by step. I’m very confident with Antonio.”

Raikkonen has another year in his contract with Alfa, and we can state that stories circulating that the Iceman plans to retire at the end of this season have no validity.

This means there is no hope of Renault refugee Nico Hulkenberg racing for Alfa in 2020.

Meanwhile, paddock sources confirmed to us that Red Bull racing chief Helmut Marko called Hulkenberg at the end of May to see if he could immediately leave Renault and replace Pierre Gasly at Red Bull. That never came to fruition, and at the end of August Red Bull promoted Toro Rosso driver Alex Albon to take Gasly’s place.

“There’s no news,” Hülkenberg said in Japan of his racing plans for next year, “so it’s a little bit more of a patience game.”

Unless he takes a reserve/test role with a team, Hulkenberg’s F1 days seem to be over.

This leaves only one remaining seat open in 2020 – Williams – and that will be filled by Nicolas Latifi pending his earning enough points to qualify for a superlicence.

As for Giovinazzi, he has some strong allies,

including Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto.

“I often speak to Mattia,” Giovinazzi said, “and I have a really good relationship with him. In Singapore he said that Ferrari would support me, and that is really great. But I always had this support from them, and from the beginning of this season as well. Alfa supports me as well. For a driver it is really important to have that support and that feeling. Now it is my turn to do the job right and the best I can so that I can stay here next year.”

But Giovinazzi also remains realistic.

“Every driver has pressure in F1,” he said. “Things can change really fast, from race to race, and in one race you are a hero and one race you are shit. But in every category it was the same.”

ASTER TWENTY-TWO MANY

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HOW MANY races are too many? The FIA World Motor Sport Council has ratified a record 22-race calendar for 2020, which kicks off with the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne on March 15. Critics claim that is too many because it will dilute F1’s exclusivity allure, but proponents believe it will present the F1 show to a wider audience and expand its fan base.

All this year’s races remain, except for Germany, and new events in Vietnam and Holland have been added, though there remain question marks over both.

Hanoi track designer Hermann Tilke says the project is right on the limit to be completed in time, while the Zandvoort circuit in Holland needs extensive renovating and is facing increasing resistance and legal action from environmental and other local groups. There is a chance, therefore, that one or both races will not take place next year.

Meanwhile, the proposal for shorter race weekends continues to be bandied about.

It received fresh impetus in Japan after Typhoon Hagibis forced all of Saturday’s track activities to be cancelled, which effectively became a two-day (Friday/ Sunday) weekend.

“You can get enough done in two days and shorter weekends,” Daniel Ricciardo said. “Instead of being at a track for five days, arriving Wednesday and leaving Sunday or Monday, to shorten it by a

day would be nice. It would make the 22 races more doable. In F1 we do too much practice. I don’t think we need four hours.

A lot of the time we are limited by tyres anyway. I’d be happy to have a bit less track time and squeeze it in to two days.”

Race promoters the world over, however, remain vehemently opposed to any such plans as they need the revenue generated

by Friday’s spectator attendance.

2020 F1 CALENDAR: 15 March – Australia – Melbourne 22 March – Bahrain – Sakhir 5 April – Vietnam – Hanoi 19 April – China – Shanghai 3 May – Netherlands – Zandvoort 10 May – Spain – Barcelona 24 May – Monaco – Monaco 7 June – Azerbaijan – Baku 14 June – Canada – Montreal 28 June – France – Le Castellet 5 July – Austria – Spielberg 19 July – Great Britain – Silverstone 2 August – Hungary – Budapest 30 August – Belgium – Spa 6 September – Italy – Monza 20 September – Singapore – Singapore 27 September – Russia – Sochi 11 October – Japan – Suzuka 25 October – United States – Austin 1 November – Mexico – Mexico City 15 November – Brazil – Sao Paulo 29 November – Abu Dhabi – Abu Dhabi

BEEN THERE DONE THAT THOSE WHO do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. Having qualifying on Sunday morning just a few hours before this year’s Japanese Grand Prix added a sense of urgency and unpredictability to the session and the day overall. Yes, the Ferraris ended up on the front row of the grid and the Mercedes on the second, so no upsets there, but there was a feeling of everything being on edge throughout the three qualifying segments.

So is staging qualifying on the morning of the race a good idea?

Absolutely not!

Typhoon Hagibis created the situation this time, as the organisers shut the track down completely on Saturday due to the expected driving rain and high winds in the Suzuka area.

Back in 2004 another typhoon closed the Suzuka track on Saturday, and thus qualifying was on Sunday morning. There was a real buzz about that Sunday as well. Michael Schumacher earned the pole and won the race in his Ferrari, so no real surprise there. But there had been an aura of randomness to the day.

It was therefore decided for 2005 to have two qualifying sessions, one on Saturday and the other on Sunday morning, and the grid would be determined by the drivers’ aggregate lap times. It was a flop.

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Saturday became a nothing day that lacked drama.

There was no chance for the media and the fans to have major talking points because there was no final grid set for the race. And after the pole and grid were determined on Sunday morning, there was little time available to use that information to create hype for the race.

After just six race weekends of that nonsense, the team bosses and the FIA agreed to return to a single, one-lap qualifying run on Saturday. That system wasn’t brilliant either, but at least the pole was determined on Saturday.

So those who were there in 2004 need to remember and recount that Sunday qualifying is in fact a very bad idea indeed.

The present three-part knockout qualifying system has been in place since 2010 and it works very well, with the exception of 2016 when the failed ‘shootout elimination’ modification to the system was introduced.

Now the latest proposal – which will require unanimous agreement from the teams – is to experiment with reverse grid races during the

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French, Belgian and Russian GP weekends next year. There would be a mini race on the Saturday, with its grid set in reverse order of drivers’ championship points. The results of this race would determine the grid order for the main grand prix on Sunday.

The concept certainly has created controversy. But only by experimenting can it be determined if it is a good format or, like Sunday morning qualifying, a bad format.

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F1 INSIDER

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with Dan Knutson

CLEARING UP MISUNDERSTANDINGS WHEN COMMUNICATIONS and understandings within race teams break down it can lead to nasty consequences.

So I thought it was fitting that Ferrari drivers Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc declared in Japan that their team orders controversy during the Russian Grand Prix had been cleared up. After all, it was here at this very same Suzuka that relations between bitter rivals Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna really imploded.

As McLaren teammates, they collided at the final chicane during the 1989 Japanese Grand Prix after Prost refused to yield to Senna, and as a result Prost clinched the championship. A year later, with Prost now at Ferrari, Senna won the title after deliberately spearing Prost off in Turn 1 after the start.

Those incidents rank up there among the most dramatic and memorable out of the nearly 600 F1 races I’ve attended.

The plan in Russia was for polesitter Leclerc to give Vettel a slipstream tow at the start of the race so that Vettel could pass Lewis Hamilton. Vettel was then supposed to hand the lead back to Leclerc, but when told to do so Vettel said he was pulling away from Leclerc. The latter was not pleased, and the former didn’t think he’d done anything wrong.

They met separately with team principal Mattia Binotto at Ferrari’s headquarters in Maranello before heading to Japan. The two drivers also talked the matter over.

“We spoke about it obviously, more than once,” Vettel said when he met with F1 reporters in the Suzuka paddock.

“We speak with each other.

Maybe different to what some people think. But I think it’s pretty clear.”

So now, after all those talks is everything perfectly understood? Are the rules now written in stone?

“We didn’t write anything in stone,” Vettel said. “I don’t think it’s necessary. Probably there are certain things that we could’ve done better looking back. But, in the end, we look forward.”

So has Ferrari now made it clear how its drivers have to behave in those situations in the future? Do the drivers now have to obey team orders, as didn’t happen in Russia?

“Yes,” Leclerc said. “I think that’s clear from the beginning of the season: we need to obey team orders.

“What is clear is that the situation wasn’t clear for both of the drivers starting the race (in Russia). I think that’s the most important (thing). So we spoke about it, and we’ll make sure that this situation doesn’t happen again.”

But will misunderstandings happen again in the future?

Is Leclerc’s form putting any influence on Vettel’s decision not to obey team orders?

“No, not at all,” Vettel declared. “Obviously I’m not happy if I am slower, but that has been the same not just this year but the years before as well.”

Vettel has struggled at times this season with a car that does not permit him to wring the best out of it, and he believes that this would have been no different no matter who was in the sister car.

Is Leclerc the toughest teammate Vettel has ever had?

“Certainly he’s young, he’s very quick,” Vettel said. “I don’t think there is anyone who doubts it.

“Ultimately, you can’t compare. You need to put (former teammates) Mark (Webber), Daniel (Ricciardo), Kimi (Raikkonen), Tonio (Liuzzi)

and (Sebastien) Bourdais – did I miss anyone? – in the same car in the same time. So it’s not fair.

“Certainly, in terms of raw speed, he’s very quick, but it’s very early for him, only his second season in F1, different to Kimi and Mark, who had a lot more experience.

“I don’t look at it that way.

It’s good he’s a real reference.

Especially in the times where I struggled to get the most out of myself and the car. It’s good to have that, as it can also help you and as a team. It’s good to have two drivers fighting for the same ground on track.”

The Senna/Prost feud was sparked by the very fast and bold youngster audaciously challenging the established star. McLaren boss Ron Dennis was unable to manage the escalating tensions between his two drivers back then, but it appears that, at least for now, Ferrari has quashed any friction between rising star Leclerc and four-time world champion Vettel. What’s not clear is just how long the peace will last, especially if, as Hamilton maintains, Ferrari is ramping up Leclerc to be its new number one driver.

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An Auto Action subscription comes in either print or our newly launched digital format.

An Auto Action yearly print subscription includes 25 issues featuring the latest news, previews, analysis, features and results across international, national and state competitions. The improved mailing service means the magazine is well protected from the elements straight to your doorstep for $199.00AUD, a saving of more than $30.

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OPINION NOT EVERYTHING SHOULD BE FOR FREE

BY Heath McAlpine Deputy Editor WITH THE internet these days, news has never been more accessible or as rapid.

It’s not like the old days of waiting for Auto Action to lob every fortnight to find out the latest in everything motor sport, just as people don’t wait for the Six O’clock News bulletin or morning newspaper. News is instant, and mainly it’s free.

It was with much sadness that I read reports that motor sport bible Autosport was set for closure at the end of the year. These turned out to be false, but instead the magazine’s owner, Motorsport Network, upped the price of the British weekly magazine from £3.99 ($7.43) to £10.99 ($20.48) effective immediately.

I bet you think Auto Action is great value now!

This seems a clear move to phase the title out and, although it will live on through its website, it’s just not the same. I’m old school (as you may know after reading my previous opinion pieces) and I like the idea of holding a magazine.

Don’t get me wrong, I read a lot on the web and on my phone, but there is nothing like sitting down and reading a good article in print.

Though for how long this will last is unknown, and I feel it’s an incredibly sad future.

It’s no secret print media is struggling, and not just in the motor sport sector. The advent of the internet is like nothing seen before – the

Publisher

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

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Heath McAlpine

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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

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access to fresh, up-to-date news is extremely easy; just log into Facebook and there are stories a plenty. And free, no less.

Now don’t get me wrong, Auto Action has a website and social media channels, but our main dedication is to the magazine, for which we have a loyal band of readers and subscribers who continue to support us every fortnight. We’re thankful for the support and if you can spread the word please do, but witnessing a title like Autosport hit trouble only demonstrates that even the titles of a high pedigree are

not immune to the perils of a shifting medium.

The changing media landscape is also reflected through the number of journalists featured in press rooms around the country, ranging from Shannons Nationals to Supercars and one-off events like the Grand Prix. It’s of a declining nature, which is disappointing.

PR people and even photographers outnumber journalists in the media centres these days. Gone are the days of multiple titles such as Motorsport News, Australian Motor Racing and Chequered Flag all fighting

alongside Auto Action to break the biggest news.

This magazine turns 50 in two years’ time, a remarkable achievement since the title was thought to be dead and buried three years ago.

Having tagged along for the journey since the making of issue 1789, the magazine we produce now is far superior to those from back then, and it’s not due to the change of staff so much as development and finesse.

It’s a matter of you don’t know what you have until it’s gone, and the phasing out of Autosport is clear proof of that.

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We take a look back at what was making news 10, 20, 30, 40 years ago 1979: DATSUN DOMINATION! The Japanese manufacturer took a clean-sweep of the results in Australia’s premier rally, the Southern Cross International Rally. However, that wasn’t the story of the rally because World Rally Champion Bjorn Waldegaard asserted himself in the factory Ford Escort early, but by the end George Fury led teammates Ross Dunkerton and guest driver Rauno Aaltonen. Allan Grice finished off the touring car season with a win after both Holden Dealer Team Holden A9X Toranas retired in Adelaide.

1989: A FORD FALCON NASCAR? That’s right. A push to Australianise the local NASCAR category and the growing popularity of AUSCAR led to the development of both Ford Falcon and Holden Commodore-bodied machines.

There was a renewed push to revive the World Touring Car Championship for 1991, in which the category was to support eight Formula 1 races around Europe. The plan was for it to be a purely manufacturer-based series.

1999: LOWNDES TO INDY. Holden Racing 1 Team boss John Crennan planned to help T reigning Australian Touring Car Champion re Craig Lowndes get the $2 million required C to contest a season of Indy Racing League – including the prestigious Indy 500 – as well w as the New Zealand summer series of Fo Formula Holden. The new generation of V8 Supercars Su broke cover, while Paul Morris took too out a wet Bathurst 500 in his privateer BM BMW 320i.

2 2009: IT WAS all about the Holden Racing TTeam and its success at The Mountain after Garth Tander and Will Davison brought the G Peter Brock Trophy ‘home’ to the factory P Holden team after Triple Eight Engineering’s H hhat-trick of victories. T8’s Craig Lowndes aand Jamie Whincup suffered misfortune aat Mount Panorama, as did the Steve Richards and Mark Winterbottom FPR R FFalcon, which caught fire in pit lane.

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Former F1 star Rubens Barrichello opens up on how S5000 made him feel young again, why he doesn’t regret playing second fiddle at Ferrari, and coping with close-to-home tragedies

I

T’S YOU again!” Rubens Barrichello exclaimed. It was an amusing moment in the media conference after the very first S5000 race at Sandown last month. His eyes went wide in recognition as I started to ask the first question.

Barrichello and I go back to my days in Formula 1. All these years later, he remembered that I asked curly questions in F1 briefings.

“It was funny,” he said when we met later in the weekend for this interview. “I recognised you straight away.”

As well as stroking my ego, the incident highlighted Barrichello’s casual charm. He always was just about the friendliest driver

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in F1 – and, god knows, he was there long enough...

Longer than any driver ever and a record 322 starts. His closest rival for F1 longevity is Kimi Raikkonen, who will be in his 20th season if he continues next year and will also amass the most starts if he finishes the year.

From 1993-2011, Barrichello was an F1 institution. Most famously – or notoriously – he partnered Michael Schumacher in Ferrari’s most recent glory years from 2000 to 2006. It was the era when Schumacher was undisputed team No.1, with Barrichello forced into a support role, even when he was quicker.

He won 11 races and 14 pole positions,

and was runner-up to Schuey in the F1 world championship in 2002 and ’04.

Now 47 and still winning in Brazil’s V8 Stock Cars series (of which he was champion in 2014), he was the star of S5000’s debut at Sandown last month. He finished second to James Golding in the crash-shortened Sunday feature race and would almost certainly have contended for victory if the race had gone full distance.

The breezy Brazilian is a good chance to be back for S5000’s AGP support races and harbours a strong desire to race at Bathurst in either the 12 Hour, next year’s proposed S5000 December appearance or his main aim, the annual Supercars classic.

After several years in sedans, did you ever think you’d return to racing a serious open-wheeler?

I never really thought about it. My whole career was like that. I was always open-minded. I stayed 19 years in Formula 1 because I was always pursuing my objectives and I put so much love into it – and I still do.

I called my engineer at nine o’clock last night to tell him that there was something that I was thinking about to improve the car. I think what people like about having Rubens drive for them is that he’s no different to when I was 20 years old. I still have the same enthusiasm and passion. I just love what I do. It was only a month between now and when they called for the first time, asking me if I wanted to come here. It was a nice thing. My only concern at the time was that my son (US F2000 racer Eduardo) would be racing at Laguna Seca on the same weekend. He doesn’t know it, but I got so lucky with the flights home that I can get the same flight from San Francisco to Florida as him. He doesn’t know that I’m going to meet him at the airport, so that’s going to be cool.

It didn’t take you long to say yes to doing this, did it?

Two minutes.

So it was obviously an exciting prospect for you?

Yes, absolutely. We’re all getting old and we reflect on what we used to do. You saw me racing (in F1) and I’ve still got it in the way that I develop my speed from my happiness. I still come alive inside a race car and

that’s my life. The stock cars are so competitive, so it keeps me fit and it keeps me sharp in terms of racing. It still comes naturally to me. When I drove the S5000 for the first time at Phillip Island, the top speed was almost 300km/h, but that was OK. It didn’t feel strange. When I did Le Mans a couple of years ago, it was 340km/h, so the speed of the S5000 isn’t a big deal. One day it will be, but not yet.

Is it like putting on an old pair of shoes?

Yes, it is. Obviously, there were somee small issues with the seating position – I was sitting very high in the car.

In closed-door cars, you don’t think about that so much because they don’t have so much g-force through the turns. In the S5000 at Phillip Island, in some corners it was almost 3g. Big tyres, and the wind is back blowing on your face. It’s good fun to drive this car.

How does the S5000 compare with, say, an IndyCar? It’s very powerful – almost 600 horsepower – and the driveability is nice, so it’s not a difficult thing to drive.

The steering is a little heavy – actually very similar to an IndyCar because it also doesn’t have power steering.

The car loses some speed because it is a touch too heavy, weighing 900-and-something kilos. An IndyCar is 700-and-something. So the S5000’s acceleration is a little lazier, but still fast. It’s very drivable and enjoyable to race. I think they’re going to have fun at other tracks. Sandown is good, but it’s a bit bumpy for this car. With some

more development, they will be very good. I think they’ve done a good job.

Do you think S5000 could have some appeal in other parts of the world?

I think it will. I’m always very openminded and I enjoy anything new. It feels a little heavy to me, but for a boy who’s only done F3, he’s going to feel the extra power and speed a lot. It’s a positive step and, as long as the series does a good job, I’m pretty sure there will be some interest from overseas.

How has it been being the guy the young drivers want to beat – in effect, to have a target on your back?

It is interesting to me. Also the fact that it enables me to see if I am still capable of doing a good job in terms of speed.

A couple of the guys helped develop the car and they know it much better than me. But every day I’m catching up. I’m getting closer and closer. I

don’t look at it like, ‘Oh, Rubens has done 19 years of F1, so he should win.’ You have to remember that I’m not a young guy anymore. I’m 47. I don’t look 47, but… [his face breaks into a big grin] Of course not. As you say, 19 years in F1. That’s…

Amazing.

It is. Not only in terms of longevity and the record number of races, but it was remarkable for the high level at which you operated all the way through. It makes me wonder, did you leave F1 reluctantly?

Honestly, we had a verbal agreement (with Williams) for me to do 2012 too, but then Sir Frank Williams called me to say that, unfortunately, they had decided to replace me with someone who had a budget [Pastor Maldonado]. So it was a bit of a surprise. I wish I had done one more year because the 2012 Williams was

Two minutes was all it took for Barrichello to agree to race an S5000.

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really good (Maldonado won the Spanish GP), so it was a shame not to be racing at that time. But you know F1 very well; it became a sport where unproven drivers will pay $15 million to be there. How can you compete against that?

Your time at Ferrari was obviously a highlight. But in some ways, it could be viewed as a frustrating time because you were No.2 to Michael Schumacher.

Not for me. For me, it was positive. I learned a helluva lot. The only thing I regret about that six-year period is that I wasn’t able

to show my full potential. I was trying to make them understand that if they gave me freedom, I could do a lot more. They gave me freedom up to a certain point, but then no more. It was Michael’s team. It was like his family, and at the end of the day the intention was to make Michael the clear No.1 driver. But I was always motivated to show them how capable I was. That race in Hockenheim (2000 German GP in his first season with Ferrari), I won because I told Ross (Brawn, then technical director) that I wasn’t coming into the pits. He wanted to know why because everyone else was stopping for new tyres, but I didn’t

need to. Ross told me I was crazy, but I insisted that I knew what I was doing and my decision was right. I won the race because of that. It was an example of what went on behind the scenes so many times. That time I stuck to my guns, but in so many other cases I had to follow the team’s direction. After six years, I decided it was enough. I had one more year to go, but I decided, “OK, they’re not giving me anymore room, I want to try something else.’

But until then you accepted that you were driving in Michael’s shadow?

His Formula 1 career started at Jordan where he experienced the highs and lows, as at Imola, above. Barrichello is still winning races in the Brazilian Stock Car Series for Chevrolet.

I never accepted it. I always fought.

Always. But on top of everything was still the fact that Michael was so good. After six years, I knew I had to leave Ferrari.

They wouldn’t give me the chance I knew I deserved, so I decided to try somewhere else [as Jenson Button’s teammate at Honda].

You tested yourself against the best driver…

That really doesn’t matter because what people remember of you is not what you remember of you. What really matters is your happiness within yourself.

Mostly, I was very happy at Ferrari and my time there will always be among my best memories. I take pride in the fact that I started in go-karts with no money and still made it to F1. I had the longest career in F1 that anyone has ever had. I should have won championships. I had the capability of doing that, but I was in the right place at the wrong time. The reception I get from the fans gives me some comfort.

People come to me and say, ‘In my heart, you should have been world champion at least once.’ I’ve always felt that my great achievement was that I tried hard to win all the time; I never accepted that I couldn’t.

When it became clear that I couldn’t win the world championship with Ferrari, I left.

At Hungary in 2010, I proved that, with no team orders, the wall was no limitation to me fighting with Michael [who tried to run him into the pit lane wall as they battled, with Rubens refusing to back down]. So do I sleep well? I do, my friend.

And it was a good test.

I think it’s a shame you’re remembered for having to play second fiddle to Michael at Ferrari.

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Working so closely with Michael, you saw the other side of him, didn’t you?

Away from the track with a glass of wine

in his hand, he was a happy chap and we had a great time together. Just like Ayrton. Behind the scenes, Ayrton [which he pronounces ‘Eye-air-ton’] was also a happy chap. Michael and I had a lot of fun together. At those crazy karaoke nights at the Log Cabin at Suzuka, when anyone was singing We Are The Champions, he was searching for me to hug me and sing it with me. He was a lot of fun when he wasn’t racing.

You mentioned Ayrton Senna, who was such an important figure in your early F1 career, and I always felt that his death put a huge burden of expectation on you to become the next Brazilian world champion.

I think you could be right in the way that, if he were still alive, I would have had chances to move up. Let’s say he stays at Willliams and I might have gone to McLaren. He would have helped me get into a top team sooner. I drove four years for Jordan and three years for Stewart before I joined Ferrari. They were great times – Eddie Jordan and Jackie Stewart were two very different personalities, but amazing characters in their own right. They gave me some good cars at times, but not like Ferrari, where I had great cars all the time. It took me seven years to win my first race, but I’m pretty sure that if Ayrton were alive he would have helped me get there sooner. It took me a longer time to get into a potentially winning car. As you say, his death put a heavy burden on me from Brazil. I couldn’t promise wins with Jordan, although I came close so many times. The expectation was higher than the possibility for me to deliver. That taught me a lot.

It must be distressing for you that both were involved in such tragedies.

It’s very, very, very sad. Ayrton died in a race car, but Michael was incapacitated in a skiing accident. When I asked my family to pray for Michael, my son said to me, ‘Why are we praying for him? Because he was not good to you, Dad.’ I told him that doesn’t have anything to do with the fact that we wish people well. I never felt bad towards Michael about what happened to me at Ferrari. I think of Michael all the time

u and I pray for him to get well. You hear so many things that you don’t know if they’re true or not.

So you don’t think that Michael was bad to you at Ferrari?

No. But that was the perception.

I told my son, ‘He wasn’t bad to me, it was just the set-up of the team at the time.’ And even if people are bad to you, we shouldn’t wish anything against them. I continue to pray for Michael to be well again. It was a good education for me and my son.

After F1, you went to IndyCar. Now, I would’ve thought that if anyone were Barrichello was mentored early in his Formula 1 career by Ayrton Senna, above, then became teammate to Michael Schumacher during a dominant era for the Prancing Horse and the German.

for Penske or Ganassi, I think it would have been a different story. I didn’t have a lot of fun just because I had to learn everything.

And after one year they wanted money for me to continue and Stock Cars in Brazil was already on my mind. It was the right decision because I’ve been so happy since. The Stock Car series is really good.

Tell us about Stock Cars Brazil. How difficult was it to switch from openwheelers to sedans?

made for IndyCar, it was you because of the versatility it requires. But it didn’t go well, did it?

No. The problem was the deal came in so late. I wanted to run in the same team [KV Racing Technology, part-owned by Australian Kevin Kalkhoven] as my good friend Tony Kanaan, but they didn’t have the right resources to run me properly. It wasn’t good. There was no harmony on my side of the garage. I needed to learn the series and go through the whole process

again. It is so different to F1 that I had to relearn everything. I think I did really well on the ovals and I should have won at Milwaukee if the strategy had worked. I had a couple of fourths on the ovals, but I needed another season to get really comfortable in IndyCar. If I’d been with Penske or Ganassi, and had done a lot of pre-season testing, it would have been a lot different. But because I was told only early in 2012 that I wasn’t driving for Williams, it was too late to organise a top drive in IndyCar. If I’d had the chance to drive

I got my hands around it much sooner than I did with the IndyCar. As you said, the IndyCar was probably made for me, but I wasn’t with the right team, and the Stock Car just worked out much better. I had the chance to drive for a good team. It was also appealing because it was a chance for me to race in Brazil to thank all the people there who supported me during my 19 years in F1. I make myself available to the fans and I love it. My racing number, 111, has become famous. I’m enjoying racing with a lot less pressure.

It’s serious racing against serious drivers, isn’t it?

Very serious. It’s extremely competitive.

Just half a second covered 20 cars in the last race, which I won. I’m proud to say I’m still very competitive and I’m having a good time. I’m still living the dream.

So now that you’ve tasted S5000, are you keen to come back for the support races at the Australian Grand Prix?

It depends on me being invited, and then we’ll see how it fits in with my schedule. But I would definitely come back to Australia again. As I’ve said already, Bathurst is on my bucket list to do. We’ll see how it goes.

Have you had any interest for the Bathurst 1000?

After his Formula 1 career wound down, Barrichello raced in IndyCars.

I went to Tickford yesterday at the invitation of (fellow Sandown S5000 competitor) Thomas Randle. It was very interesting. Tim Edwards used to be my No.1 mechanic at Jordan. Some people have been talking about getting me a drive at Bathurst, so let’s see what develops.

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S D R A W O T G N I IMB THE PEAK As Lewis Hamilton races toward a sixth world title, he reflects with F1 correspondent DAN KNUTSON and contributor LUIS VASCONCELOS on a tough season, creeping up to Michael Schumacher’s records, and dealing with the next generation

Images: LAT

Winning titles doesn’t doesn’t appear tough for Hamilton, but the loss of mentors has made it difficult. As has the emergence of Charles Leclerc.

ONE YEAR ago, when Lewis Hamilton was 20 races shy of matching Michael Schumacher’s incredible record of 91 Formula 1 wins, he said Schumacher’s record was “the Everest”. With his recent victory in Russia – his ninth of the season – Hamilton had amassed 82 trips to the top step of the podium. Can he see the peak of the mountain now?

“This year has been such a long year that I don’t think I can see it yet,” Hamilton says.

“Right now, I’m fortunate to be fighting for this title too. I feel very, very privileged to have another year where I’m able to fight. You never er know what the years following will be e like. So this could be it. I just cherish the moment right now, and I’m not really looking that far ahead.”

Hamilton is closing in on his sixth drivers’ championship, so seven titles – which would match Schumacher’s record – isn’t that far anymore, is it?

“Currently it feels like a lifetime away, but I hope it’s not!” Hamilton responds with a laugh.

DRIVER WAVES

NEXT YEAR half the drivers on the grid will be 24 years old or younger.

Is this the best new generation of F1 drivers for a long time?

“Often yyou g get a wave of two or

three solid drivers in a generation,” 34-yearold Hamilton notes. “For me, in my generation, there was a young kid called (Alvaro) Parente, there was Nico Rosberg, and Robert Kubica, who’s undoubtedly one of the best drivers I’ve driven against. He had such great potential to succeed in this sport; it is just some unfortunate things that didn’t pan out for him.

“But then there’s a dry wave and then another wave comes through; you had Seb (Vettel) come through, you had Daniel (Ricciardo) come through. Then you had a dry spot, and now you’ve got (Max) Verstappen, Lando (Norris), (Charles) Leclerc. Maybe there will be another dry patch and then another wave comes through.

“Also, there will probably be more “A good drivers becoming ready.

But unfortunately other drivers keep their positions for whatever reason, not necessarily because they have done the job and they deserve it, but that’s sometimes how the business goes.”

Hamilton fought for the title in his ffirst F1 season in 2007 and won the championship in 2008. And now c yyoungsters like Verstappen and Leclerc are winning races. Does this L mean that if you have the talent you m ca can win straight away in F1? ““I think ultimately that the cream alw always rises to the top,” Hamilton sa says, “and the best drivers will ge generally rise to the top. People often

The Mercedes W10 has been the dominant car of the season, but a power shift towards Ferrari has become apparent in recent months.

talk up the teams more than they do the drivers, but the fact is you still need a damn good driver to do the job.

“There is a big difference between a good driver – most of these drivers (in F1) are good drivers – and exceptional drivers. It’s a big gap. I don’t think there’s enough emphasis put on that big gap. People say you are in the car; these guys do the pit stop; these guys deliver weekend in and weekend out, so it’s a team sport.”

“The catalyst is the driver, and the driver is like the spark plug. How big a blow they can give. And the bigger the blow, the more speed. That’s what you see with drivers.”

EQUAL TREATMENT

THE VETERAN Vettel, 32, has often been outpaced this year by his Ferrari teammate Leclerc, 21, who is only in his second F1 season. What does Hamilton think of the plight of his long-time rival?

“Everyone’s judging and everyone’s making their own assumptions,” Hamilton says. “I don’t really have the facts to give you except for what you’re seeing and obviously he’s having a difficult time. You can assume that he’s uncomfortable with the team; you can assume that the energy seems to have swayed to the other side.

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Hamilton insists he doesn’t get any preferential treatment compared to teammate Valtteri Bottas, but he leads the way in victories this season and holds a significant championship margin over the Finn.

“Ferrari always had the philosophy of choosing one driver and backing that driver. I don’t think that’s a good philosophy to have.

“Here at Mercedes we don’t have the number-one, number-two philosophy.

When I joined the team, I said I don’t want to be number one. I could have asked for it, and they would have given it to me. I said I just want equal treatment, an equal chance. If I work hard and make the better job then I’ll win. If they (the other driver) do the better job, they win.

“I remember telling that to

(then Mercedes team principal) Ross Brawn on the phone. And that’s still my philosophy today.”

DEATH AND DANGER

IT’S BEEN a difficult year for Hamilton and the F1 circus with both FIA race director Charlie Whiting and Mercedes team advisor Niki Lauda passing away. Then Anthoine Herbert was killed and Juan Manuel Correa was badly injured in the F2 accident during the Belgian Grand Prix weekend.

How has Hamilton

handled all of this, and how long does it take to overcome it all?

“I can’t remember how long it takes,” Hamilton says. “It’s definitely not been easy, but the world continues doesn’t it? That’s the sad thing about it.

“Life is so precious, but the world keeps moving. We had a young boy dying in Spa, but the next day everyone continued racing. The world just moves on to the next thing, which is so sad. But it’s the same when I die, the same when you die. The closest people around you, who know you best, best will remember you, miss you dearly. dear And that’s how it’s been for me.

“I miss m my conversations with Niki. I miss my conversations with Charlie.

It’s hard to think that we’ve lost so many ma great fellows in this sport this year. yea And it’s been probably the year that tha I’ve lost the most people that I’ve known, so it’s been probably the most mo impactful year for me.”

Hubert’s death was a wake-up call H for fo the young generation of drivers, and an motor racing as a whole. But motor racing is dangerous. Where’s m the th balance between motor racing still s being a very difficult challenge and a being safe enough to be socially acceptable? Have tracks s gone too far with the tarmac rung off o areas so that the young drivers lose respect for the danger?

“It’s not necessarily just the danger because remember there’s also the skill factor,” Hamilton reflects.

“If you look at the time when Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost were racing, and even probably the early 2000s, the run-off areas were important in certain areas. But that limit, knowing that beyond that curve or beyond that white line is grass and it’s slippery, was there.

“Now it’s much, much easier.

When I talk about it being easier for youngsters to come in today, you can have a new F2 driver coming in and go wide at a corner. He knows he’s gone beyond the limit by one hundred per cent, but he’ll come back to the track and he’s not paying any consequences.”

Things were a lot different when Hamilton raced in Formula 3 in the early 2000s. There often wasn’t much run-off area, so an ‘off’ could destroy the car.

“That damage was a big knock and a blow psychologically to a driver back then,” Hamilton recalls. “So it was much, much harder to be closer to the limit back then.

“It’s got easier in that respect, to go get close to limit, building up to it. Now you can shoot past it, but before you had to build up to it; you couldn’t go past it, because you’d crash. You had to build up to it and just tap it.”

T deaths of Niki Lauda (left), Charlie Whiting and Anthoine Herbert have all contributed to The Hamilton regarding this year as his most impactful.

H

26 AAutoAction t A ti

NO TO FERRARI

Hamilton and Kimi Raikkonen are the oldest two drivers on the grid, but at 34 the reigning world champion says he feels the best he ever has. It’s an ominous sign to the rest of the Formula 1 field.

NO MOTIVATION NEEDED

HAMILTON HAS enjoyed so much success, so what now motivates him the most? Getting more wins and titles or beating the new generation?

“I don’t need to be more motivated,” Hamilton says. “I’m as motivated as I can be.

“This is the way the sport is – every weekend is different. Yes, we’ve been to a track before, but the car is different, the tyres are different, you’ve got new layers of tarmac, and the car is never the same.

Sometimes she’s cool, sometimes she’s sweet and smooth, and then other times she’s making it so hard for you.

“This has been the best year up until now, but it hasn’t been perfect. It’s never perfect; there are always areas where you can improve. I really love working with my team. I love working with the guys; I like being with them in the room, all pushing each other more, leaning on each other.

Sometimes one is down, so we lift him up and vice versa.”

Kimi Raikkonen turns 40 this month. At 34, Hamilton is the second-oldest driver in F1. But as long as Kimi is racing in F1, does that make Hamilton feel young?

“Even if Kimi is not here, I still feel young,” Hamilton says. “I still feel vigilant and strong mentally. I feel the best I’ve ever felt. I wouldn’t expect that 10 years later. But if I knew then what I know now, if I prepared myself in a way I know now, I would probably have won more championships – 2007 and 2011 were probably the two years I could have been better – but I am happy with what I have achieved.”

A sixth world championship is likely in 2019, but even if Hamilton wins all the remaining races this year he won’t reach 91 victories. But that record Everest summit is getting ever closer for the British driver.

GIVEN ITS full focus on rising star Charles Leclerc, Ferrari is unlikely to come calling on Lewis Hamilton, whose contract with Mercedes expires at the end of 2020. But is driving for Ferrari the last goal of Hamilton’s career?

“No,” he responds immediately. “Would it be cool to drive a Ferrari? It could be cool.

“I’ve been with Mercedes since I was 13, so because of what I’ve helped build, and that I have been a part of the history of Mercedes, I love it here. I love the relationship I have with the board and with Mercedes as a whole. It would be very, very hard to walk away from them because we have done so much together.

You can never say never, but I think (going to Ferrari) probably not.”

Would it be a challenge or more a concern that drivers like Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel have been there and failed to win the title? Does that make him want to race for Ferrari more or less?

“Firstly, I’m not the same as those drivers,” Hamilton points out. “I operate differently. I have no doubts that I could change things for the better. It’s not really my

goal right now. What I have here has taken seven years to set up. How everything runs with this team, with me and (team boss) Toto Wolff, we’ve managed to set up something that just works really well.

“I know that wherever you go it’s going to take time to create that same atmosphere, that same love and the same push and drive for everyone going in the right direction.

It’s not easy to get a large group of people to go in the same direction. Because it’s a bunch of men, there are egos and all these different things and different philosophies they have. But that’s a side effect we don’t have here because we are winning and I want to stay here.

“I moved from a team [McLaren at the end of 2012] that was the second-best team from that time, always close to winning the world championship, and it had the potential to win more championships, at least from history. I moved to a team with fewer people, which had no success for quite a bit of time, apart from 2009 (as Brawn), which was a fortunate year for them. I wanted to be a part of something growing, so being part of something growing moving forward.”

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27

CHAMPIONSHIP

DEFINER

TThe he G Gold olld Coast Coastt hhas as thrown up many situations during the t last few visits, but as it moves to a central position within the Pirtek Enduro Cup, who is favourite to conquer the concrete jungle? HEATH McALPINE dissects enduro number two

THE PIRTEK Enduro Cup normally ends on the streets of the Gold Coast, but with the revised calendar for this season, the GC 600 signals the mid-point of the three-event portion of the Supercars Championship.

Bathurst may be the biggest, toughest and most prestigious event, but of late the Gold Coast event has been a defining event of the season where momentum towards the closing rounds of the championship either begins or peters out. This hasn’t been helped by the unpredictable conditions the event has experienced over the past few years, which included Sunday’s race last year being cancelled.

Moving the event a week back may help a little with the weather, but, although the track has been altered and shortened for 10 years now, it is still as tough and unpredictable as it has ever been.

That last point is underlined when you consider that title leader and recent Bathurst winner Scott McLaughlin doesn’t have the best history on the Gold Coast, taking only one victory here, back in 2017. Though, if he can carry his form from The Mountain to the Gold Coast, watch out!

On the other side of the form ledger are Red Bull Holden Racing Team and Tickford Racing, which are crucially the two teams still with drivers in championship contention. Since this event went to an endurance format, it is these two teams

28 AutoAction

It w was a wild event last year, above. In 2017, Andre He Heimgartner starred and was in a full-time seat the next year., left. ne tthat have basically held a monopoly at the venue, with 112 wins between the squads in various incarnations over tthe years.

Jamie Whincup is the winningest driver with five, tthough his title charge last season ended on the Gold Coast with lowly results. Shane van Gisbergen also failed to stand on the podium last year, interrupting a strong run of top-five finishes to complete his eventual failed title charge. Both RBHRT drivers have top-class co-drivers c in the form of Craig Lowndes and Garth Tander, and they will be hard to beat.

However, favourites for the event have to be Tickford Racing pairing Chaz Mostert and James Moffat, who last year – in what was a disastrous season for the C Campbellfield-based squad – took victory in Saturday’s oopening race. Mostert cherishes great memories on the G Gold Coast because last season’s victory replicated the oone he took at the corresponding event in 2017, when hhe and Steve Owen sealed the Pirtek Endurance Cup. And don’t rule out the other Tickford Racing crews.

Th The Mustang has rejuvenated the squad, and Cam W Waters with Michael Caruso appear the next challenger to Mostert and Moffat, while the Davison brothers will su surely be among it as well. Or McLaughlin either with he an and Alex Premat determined to reverse the Kiwis fortunes

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Supercars Championship points: McLaughlin 3308, van Gisbergen 2686, Coulthard 2521, Mostert 2441, Whincup 2380, Reynolds 2306, Waters 2059, Percat 2014, Davison 1955, Holdsworth 1860

Chaz Mostert and Tickford Racing enjoy a great past on the Gold Coast, including wins in the past two years. at the venue.

Brad Jones Racing driver Nick Percat has experienced a consistent year so far and the team has had good times on the Gold Coast, including a podium for Tim Slade and rainmaster Andre Heimgartner in 2017. Percat, partnered this year with Tim Blanchard, is very much a chance of putting the cat among the pigeons.

What about Erebus Motorsport? It hasn’t been a happy hunting ground for Betty’s team, particularly for young guns Anton De Pasquale and Will Brown, the latter having had a frightening accident through the course’s famous opening chicane, severely damaging his Commodore against the concrete.

David Reynolds bounced back from last year’s Bathurst dehydration to finish fourth, and he has a great affinity with the Gold Coast, having taken his first win in 2013 and famously dropped flower pots off the podium

in celebration.

Kelly Racing hasn’t had a great season to date, but the highlight has been the aforementioned Heimgartner, who has saved face for the Nissan operation. He scored his first podium on the Gold Coast streets two years ago with an impressive display in what were extremely inclement conditions. Heimgartner will be one to watch and will be aided by the Nissan’s new aerodynamic update and quick co-driver Bryce Fullwood.

Although Bathurst has been run and won, the Gold Coast has proven many times it is a stern challenge.

The combination of close concrete walls and monsoonal weather has often thrown the championship race wide open, although this year Scott McLaughlin looks secure.

With two endurance events before the season finale at Newcastle, there is still plenty to play for in the Pirtek Enduro Cup.

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Formula One

Round 17 Japanese GP

FERRARI FLINCHES AND MERCEDES POUNCES Ferrari had the faster car in Japan, but mistakes by both its drivers allowed Mercedes to sneak by to win RACE REPORT: DAN KNUTSON IMAGES: LAT

THERE IS a delicate performance balance between Mercedes and Ferrari, and it doesn’t take much to tip things one way or the other.

Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel qualified on the pole for the 57th time, but he fumbled off the start line and that’s all it took for Valtteri Bottas to sweep his Mercedes from third on the grid into the lead of the Japanese Grand Prix.

From then on, Bottas was uncatchable, and he went on to win for the sixth time in his F1 career. Mercedes also clinched its sixth consecutive constructors’ championship.

The F1 world might think of itself as high and mighty, but it was no match for Mother Nature and Typhoon Hagibis, which shut the track on Saturday and moved qualifying to a sunny Sunday morning.

And then came the start of the race.

“I had a poor start, so I lost quite a lot of momentum when the lights went off,” said Vettel, who wound up finishing second. “A mistake on my side. I had it in my hands, literally, to perform a good start – normally starts are really strong –

32 AutoAction

but obviously today we didn’t get it right.”

Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc didn’t get it right either, as he knocked Max Verstappen’s Red Bull off the track. It was a clash of futures past, as these two rising stars have collided before, and will do so again in the future as they fight to establish their supremacy. The incident took away any chance Leclerc had to win this particular race.

Lewis Hamilton wound up third, and he was disappointed that Mercedes had not deployed a better strategy to give the team a 1-2 finish.

So, again, the balance between Ferrari

and Mercedes was tipped back and forth

by Leclerc’s clash and Hamilton’s pit stops.

Ferrari’s three consecutive victories have now been countered by Mercedes winning the most recent two races.

Hamilton could clinch his sixth world drivers’ championship at the upcoming Mexican Grand Prix, but he believes that the pendulum will swing back in Ferrari’s favour.

“For me it’s never been a case of always wanting to rush things,” Hamilton said of securing the title.

“Valtteri’s driven well all year long, he’s

Bottas made a fast getaway to head the slow-starting Vettel into Turn 1, where Leclerc and Verstappen are set to come together, ruining both their races – to Daniel Ricciardo’s ultimate benefit.

Sebastian Vettel, above, went from elation with pole position to depression for letting another win slip through his hands only a few hours later. Alex Albon, centre, scored his best F1 result to date with fourth, while Ricciardo charged through the field to score an amazing sixth after Leclerc was penalised post-race. Carlos Sainz, right, took home another points haul for McLaren. done a great job today, and he will most likely do a very, very solid job these next races. The fight continues.

“Mexico is generally our worst race of the year because of the way our car is set up, and it’s going to be a tough one for us. The last few (in Mexico) have been pretty shocking, even though we’ve won the title there.

“I’m hoping for a better weekend, but I think it’s going to be very hard to beat the Ferraris with those long straights.

“The McLarens are picking up some serious speeds on the straights, so are the Red Bulls, so I think it will be a tricky one. I don’t anticipate it (clinching the championship) will be Mexico. I think we will be battling for a good few races.”

Bottas is the only driver left who has a mathematical chance of wresting the crown from Hamilton.

“I don’t really give up on anything as long as there’s a theoretical chance,” Bottas said after winning in Japan.

“Today was a good example on the track where it’s difficult to overtake. You start third, two Ferraris ahead, it’s a difficult case to win, but it’s possible.

“I will need to be very lucky, that’s a fact, to win all the rest of the races. It is my bad, mostly, that I’ve been behind this much in the points compared to Lewis. It’s my fault, which I will try to fix for the future.”

Renault’s seesaw season continued in Japan, where after two disappointing races

Daniel Ricciardo and the team bounced back.

A suspension problem in qualifying meant the Aussie started 16th, but he carved his way up to finish seventh.

Just after the race AA asked him if this was just the sort of good medicine he needed after the last few races.

“Certainly,” he replied. “This morning (after qualifying) I was thinking, same kind of crap, we can’t get a break. But a few hours later I feel that we finally got a result that we deserve.

“We have back-to-back races coming up – some fun ones – hopefully we get strong points finishes. The team… I feel like we get there and then we drop. So just for everyone’s sake (we are) trying to keep some positive feeling before the year is out.”

The news got even better for Ricciardo when officials gave Leclerc a time penalty for colliding with Verstappen, and that elevated the Aussie up to sixth.

But Ricciardo, teammate Nico Hulkenberg and Renault may have been dealt yet another blow in Japan because the Racing Point team filed a protest for an alleged breach of the FIA Formula One Sporting and Technical Regulations against their cars’ “pre-set lap distance-dependent brake bias adjustment system”.

The protest, which involves a lot of complex technical details, will be processed in time.

The F1 circus – and its seesaw teams – now head to the Americas for the back-to-back races in Mexico and the US.

RESULTS ROUND 17: JAPANESE GRAND PRIX Pos 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 -

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

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

Laps 52 52 52 52 52 51 51 51 51 51 51 51 51 51 51 51 51 50 50 14

Gap 1h21m46.755s 13.343s 13.858s 59.537s 1m09.101s 1 Lap 1 Lap 1 Lap 1 Lap 1 Lap 1 Lap 1 Lap 1 Lap 1 Lap 1 Lap 1 Lap 1 Lap Not running 2 Laps Accident damage

Drivers: Hamilton 338, Bottas 274, Leclerc 221, Verstappen 212, Vettel 212, Sainz 76, Gasly 73, Albon 64, Ricciardo 42, Hulkenberg 35, Perez 35, Norris 35, Kvyat 33, Raikkonen 31, Magnussen 20, Stroll 19, Grosjean 8, Giovinazzi 4, Kubica 1 Constructors: Mercedes 612, Ferrari 433, Red Bull-Honda 323, McLaren-Renault 111, Renault 77, Toro Rosso-Honda 59, Racing Point-Mercedes 54, Alfa Romeo-Ferrari 35, Haas-Ferrari 28, Williams-Mercedes 1.

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33

Ott Tanak (right) and Martin Jarveoja can seal the world title in Spain.

WRC

TITLE WITHIN SIGHT FOR TANAK THE BATTLE for this year’s World Rally Championship has widened after Estonian Ott Tanak took victory in Wales Rally GB. Toyota’s lead contender fended off both title rivals, Thierry Neuville and Sebastien Ogier, to win the event by 10.9s after a battle against the usual wet and frosty conditions.

“It was a long weekend with long days and short nights and a lot of pressure. I guess the gap was never bigger than 10s and every stage I was on the limit,” Tanak admitted.

“It was a hard one, but it feels good at the moment. We still have two more rallies to go and we have seen plenty of drama in the past, so we need to keep focused.”

A Toyota led early in the form of Ulsterman Kris Meeke, despite not winning a stage, but it was a last-gasp effort from teammate Tanak that delivered him a 3.4s advantage after the opening day. Ogier was 0.2s behind the Toyota pair, but Hyundai’s Neuville made

the wrong tyre choice at the mid-leg service, which dropped him time over the course of the afternoon, and he completed the day a dissatisfied fourth.

Toyota’s day wasn’t perfect, however, as Jari-Matti Latvala crashed out, as did Ogier’s Citroen teammate, Esapekka Lappi, both retiring from the event.

Dubbed ‘Super Saturday’, Day 2 was where Tanak increased his lead to 11s, the first time the margin had been double figures for the entire event. Consistency rather than fastest stage times built the slender advantage for Tanak as he managed just one stage victory.

The big mover for the day was Neuville, the Belgian climbing to second ahead of Ogier after the Frenchman hit a bank during the morning leg, caused by a pace note mix up.

Meeke endured further struggles and couldn’t keep pace with the leaders, finishing the day 26.5s behind Tanak.

Ogier is now the closest challenger to Tanak, some 28 points behind.

Images: Red Bull Content Pool

WEC TOYOTA UNFAZED

The winning Toyota crew join their teammates at the top of the WEC standings.

34 AutoAction

IT WAS another dominant display from Toyota Gazoo Racing in the Japanese round of the FIA World Endurance Championship, claiming a 1-2 victory in the 6 Hours of Fuji.

Drivers had to stay on their toes, as conditions changed throughout the race, with brief isolated showers wetting parts of the circuit and resulting in numerous costly spins.

Defending series champions Sebastien Buemi and Kazuki Nakajima, with new teammate Brendon Hartley, controlled the race from pole position.

Despite a drive-through penalty for speeding in the pits, they beat the sister car of Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and Jose Maria Lopez by 33.955s.

The win gave the Japanese marque its seventh home-track victory since the championship’s inception in 2012.

All six Toyota drivers are now locked at the top of the standings on 44 points each.

The sole Rebellion Racing entry driven by Bruno Senna, Gustavo Menezes and Norman Nato put up a good fight with the #7 Toyota in the first 30 minutes of the race, but finished two laps down in third.

TCR

A 17-CAR field took the start of the inaugural TCR Spa 500, with the Red Camel-Jordans Cupra Leon TCR taking a six-lap victory.

Drivers Pepe Oriola, Tom Coronel, Rik Breukers and Ivo Breukers were aided by the Cupra’s superior fuel economy to lead throughout and completed 454 laps.

The DG Sport Competition Peugeot 308 TCR of factory driver Aurelien Comte, Julien Briche and Teddy Clairet tried in vain to close the gap early in the race, but finished a clear second, five laps ahead of the TOPCAR Sports with Bas

Koeten Racing Cupra Leon TCR shared by Julien Apotheloz, Mikel Azcona, Fabian Danz, Antti Buri and Kari-Pekka Laaksonen.

The race finished after 23 hours as 11 entries took the chequered flag.

Australian team GDL Team Australia, consisting of Brett Niall, Malcolm Niall, Clint Harvey, Darryl Clarke and Finnish driver Rory Penttinen, were leading the Am Class, but a turbo change for the Audi RS3 LMS TCR dropped them to 11th, completing 356 laps.

The next Spa 500 will be held on May 1-3.

DTM

Hyundai driver Craig Breen had been placed sixth, but had a spectacular roll during the morning leg and lost five minutes to be ninth.

The final day of competition promised a close contest, but Tanak was able to manage the lead.

Neuville pushed hard to achieve his first victory since April, but it was to no avail, as he was unable to make inroads and there are now 41 points separating the duo in the title race.

Ogier completed the podium a further 12.9s back. He is now Tanak’s closest challenger, but remains 28 points behind heading to the final two rounds of the title.

Rounding out the top five were Meeke, 2017 event winner Elfyn Evans and Hyundai driver Andreas Mikkelsen, but all eyes were on the back end of the top 10, where former WRC champion Petter Solberg ended his career with WRC2 victory and a points finish.

If Tanak takes victory in Spain on October 24-27, the Estonian will break the French dominance of the past decade and take the crown.

Points: Tanak 240, Ogier 212, Neuville 199, Mikkelsen 102, Meeke 98, Evans 90, Latvala 84, Lappi 83, Sunninen 83, Sordo 72

IT WAS business as usual in the final round of DTM, with Audi drivers Rene Rast and Nico Muller collecting more silverware.

Fir the finale at Hockenheimring, three Super GT cars joined the gird – a Nissan, a Lexus and a Honda in the hands of former F1 world champion Jenson Button.

Race 1 was an exciting affair, with recently crowned champion Rast and Marco Wittmann duking it out for the victory.

Rast took the race by 1.6s from Wittmann and 10.6s ahead of Mike Rockenfeller.

Paul di Resta finished seventh for Aston Martin, while Button was highest of the Super GT drivers in ninth.

In extremely wet conditions, Muller bounced back from not scoring on Saturday to win his third race of the season on Sunday, which was

IN MIXED CONDITIONS Both of the Ginettas hit trouble, suffering from technical teething issues, but the #5 and the #6 cars made it to the finish.

In LMP2, Racing Team Nederland took a hard-fought maiden class victory, the #29 car driven by the all Dutch trio of Frits van Eerd, Giedo van der Garde and 2019 FIA F2 Champion Nyck de Vries jumping to the top of the LMP2 standings.

The #38 JOTA car driven by Anthony Davidson, Antonio Felix Da Costa and Roberto Gonzalez finished second on the road in LMP2, 25.8s behind the Dutch team, but were later disqualified because the outside neutral switch was unable to disconnect the transmission.

This promoted the #37 Oreca driven by Ho-Pin Tung, Gabriel Aubry and Will Stevens to second, ahead of the United Autosports car of Filipe Albuquerque, Philip Hanson and Oliver Jarvis.

The High Class Racing car driven by Kenta Yamashita, Mark Patterson and Anders Fjordbach was in contention for the class win, but a spin mid-race followed by a lengthy pit stop resulted in the team being classified fourth.

It was a superb day for British brand Aston Martin, which won both the LMGTE Pro and

Aston Martin dominated the GT classes, while Nyck de Vries, below, impressed in LMP2. Images: LAT

enough to claim the runner-up spot in this year’s championship.

“That was the season finale that we wanted,” Muller said. “My team and Audi did a great job of making the car competitive for the rain overnight. We just had the car we needed in these conditions.”

The rain caused havoc in the early stages of the race, resulting in many position changes, a safety car period and even a red flag stoppage.

When the race restarted, Muller was able to convert pole position into race victory, leading home Rockenfeller by 3.8s, with Rast rounding out the podium.

Jake Dennis recorded another points finish for Aston Martin with eighth place, but the Super GT cars struggled in the wet conditions, Button being the best placed in 16th.

Am categories. In LMGTE Pro, the Danish pair of Marco Sorensen and Nicki Thiim in the #95 car took a commanding race victory, beating the pair of Michael Christensen and Kevin Estre in the #92 Porsche by over a lap.

Finishing third, 24.6s behind the Porsche, was the sister #97 Aston Martin of Alex Lynn and Maxime Martin. The #51 Ferrari came home next, ahead of its sister #71 car and the #91 Porsche.

The new TF Sport Aston Martin Vantage started from pole position and dominated the race for Am honours.

After finishing fourth in the WEC four times, the team broke through to take its first win in the capable hands of Salih Yoluc, Charlie Eastwood and Jonny Adam.

The trio finished a lap ahead of the #83 AF Corse Ferrari 488 GTE and the #57 Porsche 911 RSR. Australian Matt Campbell and teammates Riccardo Pera and Christian Ried recorded their second consecutive fifth-place finish in a Porsche.

The next round of the WEC takes place in China, for the 4 Hours of Shanghai on November 10.

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NASCAR

Kyle Larson ended a two year race winning drought with his win at Dover

LARSON ENDS TWO YEAR DROUGHT KYLE LARSON celebrated his first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory in over two years at Dover International Speedway.

Larson led 154 laps of the race, crossing the line 1.578s seconds before Martin Truex Jr. to take his sixth career win and first playoff victory.

After starting alongside Denny Hamlin on the front row Larson, took the race lead after a fast pit stop during the Stage 2 break, soon after the restart Larson then out a 6s advantage on the field.

“After the first stage, I kind of changed my driving style up and I felt like I made the car better at the same time, and it really benefited our long runs,” said Larson.

Larson has been consistently good at Dover throughout his six-year Cup career, earning a pair of runner-up finishes previously.

Truex won Stage 2 and led 15 laps, but a slight pit-stop issue put the 2017 Cup champion out of the pits in sixth.

Alex Bowman came home third ahead of Kevin Harvick and Denny Hamlin who led a race-high 218 laps.

Regular-season champion Kyle Busch started lowest on the grid of the 12 playoff drivers in 18th, but overcame an early race pit lane penalty to finish sixth ahead of the best non-playoff driver Matt DiBenedetto in seventh.

Jimmie Johnson, Kurt Busch and Clint Bowyer rounded out the top 10 with Brad Keselowski in eleventh, Paul Menard 12th and in 13th was William Byron.

It was a tough day for several other playoff drivers, Ryan Blaney ran in the top 10 for most of the day when he stopped on lap 298 complaining of a brake issue. The Team Penske crew took his #12 Ford to the garage for repairs, he finished inished 35th.

Reigning Cup champion Joey Logano missed the start as his #22 Team Penske Ford was in the garage as the team tried to repair an axle problem, he returned to the track 24 laps down and finished 34th.

Defending Dover race winner and previous week’s

BTCC COLIN TURKINGTON has drawn level with legendary touring car ace Andy Rouse after winning his fourth British Touring Car Championship at Brands Hatch on October 12-13.

Turkington had to fight off Honda driver Dan Cammish, who took the opening race of the weekend in mixed conditions.

It was a storming drive by Cammish after starting outside the top 10 he clawed his way through the field to overtake Rory Butcher around the outside of Paddock Hill Bend.

Turkington was a victim of driver’s changing to wets as a potential podium slipped away, finishing fifth. Cammish’s teammate Matt Neal fitted wets and completed a Honda 1-2 ahead of Ford driver Tom Chilton.

There was controversy in Race 2 when Neal and Turkington clashed dropping the

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latter to the back of the field and consigned to a non-point’s finish, while Cammish took third behind Subaru’s Ash Sutton and BMW’s Andrew Jordan.

Turkington now trailed in the standings by eight-points, but a mistake from Cammish in the final race meant he ended it in the tyres and lost the title. Turkington charged from 25th on the grid to seal the title with sixth.

Veteran Jason Plato ended the season with a win ahead of Independent’s champion Butcher and Sutton.

Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval winner Chase Elliott, only lasted eight laps when his #9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet suffered an early engine failure, he was officially scored as last .

Due to the one day postponement of the Talladega Superspeedway event to October 14 when the race had finished Auto Action issue #1772 had gone to print.

Images: LAT

MONTOYA AND CAMERON HOLD ON THE #31 Whelen Engineering Racing Cadillac DPi driven trio of Felipe Nasr, Eric Curran and Pipo Derani did everything they could at Road Atlanta to try give the #31 car back to back titles in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship alongside but fell just shy.

The #31 couldn’t quite catch the #6 Acura Team Penske Acura DPi of Dane Cameron and Juan Pablo Montoya who won the 2019 DPi title by just 5 points after finishing fourth in the final race along with third driver Simon Pagenaud, they also sealed the team title in the Acura Team Penske program’s second season.

The 10 Hour race was covered a record 465 laps, 22 more than the previous record set last year.

It came down to a 25 minute dash to the finish following the last of four safety car periods, the final restart saw the #5 Mustang Sampling Racing Cadillac DPi take the green flag in the lead with Filipe Albuquerque at the wheel. Pipo Derani was in the saddle of the second-placed #31 car and had to win to have any chance of taking the title.

IMSA

Derani hounded Albuquerque until the #5 suddenly ran off track at Turn 10 as the victim of a badly damaged left front brake rotor with just under 20 minutes remaining.

From there, the #31 car held on by just 0.996s from the Minolta Cadillac DPiV.R. shared by Renger van der Zende, Jordan Taylor and Matthieu Vaxiviere.

“I’ve been trying to win this race for the last three years,” Derani said.

“I finished second on my first time here in 2016, and last year I was close for the overall win and it slipped away in the last few minutes on both occasions. To finally have it this year is fantastic.”

In the GTLM class James Calado, Alessandro Pier Guidi and Daniel Serra dominated the 10 race combining to lead over one-third of the laps, 157 of the 434, to secure Risi Competizione’s first victory in exactly three years.

In second, 7.8s back was the #67 Ford GT in the program’s final race and was driven by Ryan Briscoe, Richard Westbrook and Scott

Dixon for the Ford Chip Ganassi Racing team, capping it off by taking the driver, team and manufacturer honours in the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup as well.

In third place was Connor De Phillippi, Tom Blomqvist and Colton Herta in the #25 BMW Team RLL BMW M8 GTE. In the GTD category the race went down to the final lap, the #96 Turner Motorsport BMW M6 GT3 driven by Bill Auberlen had been hunting the leader Felipe Fraga in the #33 Riley Motorsports-Team AMG Mercedes-AMG GT3.

Following a restart with 25 minutes

remaining, Fraga impressively kept Auberlen at bay. But on the final lap, Fraga suddenly drove off the track and Auberlen was able to take the lead and earn himself a record equalling 60th victory with help from Robby Foley and Dillon Machavern.

Sadly Fraga who pitted seven minutes sooner than Auberlen at the final round of stops ran out of fuel.

The #29 Audi R8 LMS GT3 of Christopher Mies, Daniel Morad and Ricky Feller finished second ahead of the #9 Pfaff Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R of Zach Robichon, Scott Hargrove and Lars Kern.

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THE CREAM RISES TO THE TOP This year’s Bathurst 1000 was just as dramatic as in previous years, but it was Scott McLaughlin that led at the end of everyday, including when it counted on Sunday to bring DJR Team Penske its first victory in 25 years

Whincup did well to avoid the stricken Stanaway Commodore, but still bit the concrete.

CONTENDERS CRASH, CHAMPION CHARGES Report: Heath McAlpine Images: LAT/Dirk Klynsmith/ Ross Gibb/Insyde Media

PERFECT CONDITIONS greeted competitors for the marquee race of the season.

Discussions leading into the event mainly surrounded championship leader Scott McLaughlin and the envisioned battle with the pair of Red Bull Holden Racing Team Holden ZB Commodores that featured high-powered line-ups.

Not to be forgotten were the Tickford Racing quartet and Erebus Motorsport, and the latter set the tone early with David Reynolds (pictured) setting a 2m05.7525s.

Teammate Anton De Pasquale bettered it marginally before McLaughlin made his first play to edge both of them.

Then there was an interruption. It didn’t take long for The Mountain to bite and the first victim was Macauley Jones. The young driver, who was in contention to win the 250km Super2 race last year before a late race tangle, locked his brakes heading into The Cutting, which spun the rear of his Brad Jones Racing Commodore into the wall.

The impact was mainly cosmetic, including the roof, which popped out, requiring a new one to be flown in from Queensland. The car was repaired for the following day’s two practice sessions.

Once the opening session restarted, there were many 2m05s lap times set, but the first to eclipse that number was Lee Holdsworth, achieving a 2m04.8648s, then Jamie Whincup joined the Tickford Racing Mustang at the top.

Reynolds had a gearshift issue that needed to be resolved, while IndyCar stars Alexander Rossi and James Hinchcliffe eased themselves in, with the Indy 500 winner setting a 2m 09.5737s.

The second session of the weekend was a co-driver session, but this was where the early drama beset 2017 Bathurst winners Reynolds andf Luke Youlden.

Continuing his long-standing partnership

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with Fabian Coulthard, Tony D’Alb D’Alberto set a mark of 2m0 2m07.0987s, then fellow Mustang drive James Moffat lowered driver wi a 2m06.9326s, before it with Gar Tander put the session in Garth RB RBHRT’s advantage by lapping in a time of 2m06.6812s.

T Then the session was redfla flagged.

After the gearshift pr problems from the first session ha been resolved, Youlden had wa charging over the top of was the mountain, but ran wide at The Grate and hit the unforgiving outside concrete wall hard.

A lot of work had to be done overnight to make sure the Commodore hit the track for practice on Saturday.

When the session resumed, it was Alex Premat who first dropped into the 2m05s, finishing with a 2m05.6885s, but Moffat returned to take the honours, slightly lowering the fastest time to a 2m05.6619s.

However, the session ended when race debutant Jake Kostecki did his best to replicate Youlden’s earlier incident, but damage was only light compared to the Erebus machine, though both failed to appear for the afternoon session.

A superb job from BJR allowed Jones and co-driver Dean Canto to take part in the final session of the day, but up front the pace was hot. Will Davison and De Pasquale were in the 2m04s, the speed proving too much for James Courtney, who toured the gravel at The Chase, but then the pace got much quicker.

McLaughlin, Shane van Gisbergen, Chaz Mostert and Holdsworth all dipped into the 2m04s, but proving a surprise were the Nissans. Both Rick Kelly and Andre Heimgartner joined the leaders in among the 2m04s, the aerodynamic revisions made prior to the weekend lifting the competitiveness of the Altimas.

Then it was the champion’s time to shine, with McLaughlin setting a stunning 2m03.7728s on old rubber.

He was joined at the top by Whincup, Cam Waters and Davison to round off a swift Thursday.

PREDICTABLE, UNPREDICTABILITY THE MOUNTAIN’S infamous weather mixed the field up considerably on Friday, but at the front it wasn’t too different.

The action began with a co-driver session on a drying track, and it was a fraught time for the Kosteckis on debut. A team member failed to remove a steering-rack stop, so when Jake Kostecki went to steer the KBR Commodore at Griffin’s Bend it went straight on. luckily with only light contact.

An all-nighter enabled Youlden to make the session in the Erebus Commodore and he finished 12th-fastest.

Thomas Randle put in an impressive display before a trip into the Forrests Elbow tyres, but he recovered brilliantly to clock the fifth-fastest time, just ahead of Super2 rival Bryce Fullwood, who joined him in the 2m05s to head more experienced names such as Alex Premat, Craig Lowndes, James Moffat and Steve Richards.

Michael Caruso was second-fastest in the Monster Energy Mustang before being delayed by electrical gremlins that also appeared later in the day.

Brown kept the youngsters on top by setting a 2m04.9817s for Erebus, just 0.2004s faster than Garth Tander.

In the final practice session before qualifying, McLaughlin set a 2m03.7957s, then Reynolds showed the potential of his repaired ZB with a 2m04.1919s.

The Nissans continued to surprise. First Rick Kelly set a 2m 03.4813s, then Andre Heimgartner posted a 2m03.9853s.

It wasn’t enough to beat McLaughlin, as DJR Team Penske bolted some new rubber on and the champion lowered the mark to a

record 2m03.4813s, anyway.

2m03 4813s unofficially anyway For arch-rivals Red Bull Holden Racing Team it was a mixed session. Shane van Gisbergen placed sixth, but the team had a repair to do after Jamie Whincup encountered a stricken Richie Stanaway at The Esses and slapped the fence avoiding the GRM ZB Commodore.

Eager eyes kept watch on the sky as the weather threatened for qualifying and, sure enough, the heavens opened.

Drama occurred early as Cam Waters failed to leave pit lane until very late when a crank sensor failed, but he adapted to the conditions, leaping to seventh.

In what was a frantic session, Whincup, Mark Winterbottom, Heimgartner and Reynolds were all in trouble halfway through the session. Whincup and Winterbottom made last-gasp attempts that sealed their places in the Top 10 Shootout, but Heimgartner, Reynolds, Kelly, Richie Stanaway and Lee Holdsworth all missed.

Stanaway and teammate James Golding looked set to make it, but were also bumped out in the final flurry.

McLaughlin was comfortable and led throughout, finishing with a 2m27.6467s to head Chaz Mostert, van Gisbergen (who went off track three times), Will Davison, Tim Slade, Nick Percat, Whincup, Waters, Winterbottom and Anton De Pasquale.

Slade and Percat took over from the Nissans as the surprise packets, proving they Time had both Bathurst and wet2m27.6467s weather pace.

2m28.0484s There were mixed feelings 2m29.1880s in the Erebus garage, with De 2m29.2431s Pasquale making his second 2m29.3889s Shootout, but Reynolds was 2m29.4619s way back in 22nd. The wet 2m29.6973s set-up was not working, and 2m29.7038s Reynolds declared that “it 2m29.8025s scared me shitless”.

2m29.8288s

TOP 10 QUALIFIERS Pos 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Driver SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN CHAZ MOSTERT SHANE VAN GISBERGEN WILL DAVISON TIM SLADE NICK PERCAT JAMIE WHINCUP CAMERON WATERS MARK WINTERBOTTOM ANTON DE PASQUALE

A STUNNING 2.03.378S, NOTHING MORE TO SAY MUSTANG SATURDAY

IT WAS a Mustang clean-sweep for the whole of Saturday.

Tickford Racing took plenty of confidence into the Top 10 Shootout off the back of topping the two final practice sessions, though it was McLaughlin who again set the Mountain alight to take pole.

Will Davison took the honours in the 23Red Racing Ford Mustang by topping the timesheets with a 2m04.754s in the first session, but Tickford was still chasing the electrical issues that almost jeopardised Waters’ Shootout chances. This time a stuck throttle affected the Mustang in the penultimate session.

Hinchcliffe learnt how hard the Mountain bites when he hit the wall heavily at The Cutting, though it was purely cosmetic and the IndyCar wildcard entries were back out for the final session.

Fabian Coulthard fell 0.05s short of Davison’s time, while Tim Slade returned to form with third ahead of his

appearance in the Shootout.

The final session further emphasised Tickford Racing’s pace when Mostert joined the 2m03s club and was joined

by Waters, the Tickford crew finally having sorted his electrical problems.

De Pasquale also dipped into the 2m03s before McLaughlin went fastest with a 2m03.6965s, but Mostert further lowered the mark to a 2m03.5089s late in the session.

However, those times didn’t matter when it came to the all important Top 10 Shootout.

First cab off the rank was De Pasquale. Running wide at Hell Corner cost him crucial time, but the rest of his lap was clean and quick. The benchmark was set, a 2m04.383s.

Veteran Mark Winterbottom struggled with the rear of his car, which forced him wide at The Cutting and at Forrest’s Elbow leaving him half a second back with a 2m04.980s.

The form line had been set earlier in practice and Waters didn’t disappoint, 0.159s up in the first sector, nearly

grazing the wall at the Grate, 0.404s up at the second split. A 2m03.917s lap time lifted the bar considerably.

Whincup was next. A slide into Griffin’s Bend didn’t seem to hamper his run, but the lap fell away towards the end to just miss out with a 2m03.9505s.

Next were Nick Percat, Slade and Davison, who were all unable to topple Waters due to varying degrees of grip and balance issues, before van Gisbergen entered the circuit.

The Kiwi started his lap early and slid a little exiting the Cutting, which cost him the 0.201s difference

TOP 10 SHOOTOUT Pos 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Driver SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN CHAZ MOSTERT CAMERON WATERS JAMIE WHINCUP SHANE VAN GISBERGEN WILL DAVISON ANTON DE PASQUALE NICK PERCAT TIM SLADE MARK WINTERBOTTOM

between he and Waters at the first sector. A pinched brake at the Dipper and running wide at the Chase left van Gisbergen disappointed with a 2m04.113s. “I could have been a bit braver,” he said.

The man who had pipped the championship leader in practice planned to do the same in the Shootout, though Mostert had a little work to do after the first sector and running wide at McPhillamy. But he was the fastest heading down the Mountain and set a new marker of 2m03.789s.

Then it was the turn of 2017 polesitter McLaughlin. He may have struggled exiting the Cutting, but it didn’t Time show – 0.332s up at the 2m03.3783s first sector, 0.339s up 2m03.7897s on the second – and a 2m03.9178s stunning 2m03.378s was 2m03.9505s 2m04.1136s the result.

2m04.3295s It was McLaughlin’s 2m04.3830s day.

2m04.6705s “I was hanging on for 2m04.8395s dear life,” he remarked 2m04.9800s afterwards.

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RACE REPORT

Bathurst 1000 Race 25

McLAUGHLIN TICKS OFF THE MOUNTAIN Report: Heath McAlpine Photos: LAT/Dirk Klynsmith/Ross Gibb/Insyde Media

BATHURST CONJURED up its usual controversy, drama and cruel luck, where gambling and taking risks are either rewarded or penalised. DJR Team Penske put it all on the line and was rewarded with victory, some 25 years after the team took its last with founder Dick Johnson at the wheel with John Bowe.

Scott McLaughlin and Alex Premat resisted the challenge from regular rival Red Bull Holden Racing Team to snag a dramatic race, which had a disappointing end when a safety car was called with five laps to go.

That spoilt the opportunity to see whether the DJR Team Penske Mustang could make it on fuel and whether RBHRT had made the right call to bring Jamie Whincup in for a top up. But that’s the Mountain, so very unpredictable.

And that’s how the race started. It was quite unbelievable that a car could stop with issues on the warm-up lap, but sure enough it happened. Brodie Kostecki, driving the Kostecki Brothers Racing wildcard, gently guided the team’s converted ZB Commodore to a stop just on the exit of Forrests Elbow after the cool suit hose had been installed wrongly, leaving him with carbon monoxide poisoning from his helmet fan.

The race was delayed by nearly 30 minutes, with cousin Jake Kostecki taking the wheel and starting from pit lane, while Brodie was checked over in the medical centre. He was cleared to race, after the team had sought dispensation to run Kurt Kostecki if his cousin was unfit.

McLaughlin, after a record-breaking lap in the Top 10 Shootout, was on pole and made use of it by starting millimetre perfect in his grid box for the aborted start. There was concern he was too close and that a slight slip of the clutch could earn the championship leader a penalty. No risks were taken on the second start, as he was placed comfortably within his box.

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He needn’t have worried; it was a perfect start. Though alongside, Chaz Mostert failed to emulate his fellow front-row starter and dropped behind teammate Michael Caruso, sharing Cam Waters’ Tickford Racing Ford Mustang, heading up Mountain Straight for the first time.

As McLaughlin made a break, it came to nil, as a safety car was called not even halfway through the first lap. Tim Slade had hit the wall and was out.

A clash with Scott Pye after the Walkinshaw Andretti United driver just touched the kerb exiting the Cutting was enough to push him wide and into Slade, and heavy contact with the outside concrete was the result. Day done.

Early progress was key for David Reynolds after qualifying only 22nd and he was charging, climbing five positions in just two laps of green running. Teammate Anton De Pasquale, however, was struggling with his engine and the youngster started what was to be frustrating second tilt on the 1000.

The first team strategy came into effect on lap 7, when Mostert passed Caruso easily at Hell Corner.

But by this stage McLaughlin had already checked out. He was 2.7s clear of the Tickford duo and setting record-setting laps, with a best of 2m05.4520s.

Nick Percat had qualified in the top 10 and made solid progress to be sitting just outside the top five, but he was forced to pit early due to a slow puncture, as did Sydney-bound James Courtney, both stops taken under green conditions.

Caruso was holding his own, having held onto third, but had fallen away from Mostert to the tune of 2s, while McLaughlin still held a stable 3.7s lead as the first of the scheduled pit stops were made on lap 14.

Reynolds first handed over to Luke Youlden, James Golding was swapped for Richard Muscat, and Super2 points leader Bryce Fullwood left his seat for Andre Heimgartner.

The leader’s first pit stop was two laps later, McLaughlin handing over to Frenchman Premat, leaving Mostert with a 6.8s advantage over Caruso. DJR Team Penske rivals RBHRT had played a different strategy card by starting both co-drivers, although Garth Tander and Craig Lowndes are both regarded as the best two in the field.

There was a heart in the

McLaughlin takes the chequered flag for his first Bathurst win after a long battle with Red Bull duo Whincup, right, and van Gisbergen. Courtney, far right, scored an excellent third for WAU mouth moment for seven-time Bathurst winner Lowndes when the autostart kicked in when leaving pit lane, but it cost him minimal time.

Mostert was next to pit, swapping with James Moffat, who came out 2s behind Premat. Caruso soon followed, handing over to Waters in a lower position after Lowndes jumped them during the sequence.

Bathurst champion two years ago, Youlden was having one hell of a stint.

First, he nudged the wall at Reid Park, then he locked up at Hell Corner, the team dropped a lap with its compulsory brake rotor change and then a further lock-up at the Chase close to the end of his double

stint topped off a challenging weekend.

The other side of the garage wasn’t fairing much better. Will Brown also locked up at the Chase and spun while challenging Alex Davison, then he had communication issues throughout his stint.

DJR Team Penske were having an eachway bet, with McLaughlin being the hare and Fabian Coulthard conserving fuel. The #12 was the last to pit on lap 24, giving teams an early indication of fuel economy.

It may have been Penske, Tickford and RBHRT at the front, but a dark horse was emerging in the form of Nissan’s Andre Heimgartner, who was lighting up the track and moving into contention.

Premat maintained a 2.7s lead ahead of Moffat until the second round of stops, which proved crucial, as the majority of the regular season drivers were now on the track. The exception was McLaughlin, as DJR Team Penske entrusted his French co-driver to hold his own against the likes of Whincup, Mostert and Waters.

What followed was a thrilling tug of war, as not only did Premat fight hard and hold position, but Waters, Mostert and Whincup battled among themselves, allowing the former full-time driver to establish a gap, which lasted only a few laps before he was caught up again.

While the battle at the front played out,

Tander handed over to van Gisbergen, but there was drama for the Kiwi when the door failed to close. It led to him manhandling the door along Mountain Straight, across the top and then down Conrod Straight to try and get it to latch, which he managed to do.

It had been a mixed weekend for Great Race debutant Thomas Randle. He crashed his Super2 FGX Falcon in practice, then Lee Holdsworth’s Tickford Racing Mustang not long after, but winning the Super2 race after Bryce Fullwood’s penalty (see page 46) boded well for Sunday. He was in the lead, although out of sequence and holding up Premat, before pitting and being delayed with another airbox fire.

Waters was making a big play at Premat, just as the race reached quarter distance.

The DJR Team Penske Mustang appeared to be vulnerable at Forrests Elbow and that’s where the newly re-signed Tickford driver made his move, but it failed to pay off as a slow exit now left him defending from Mostert.

Waters made another attempt to overhaul the Frenchman at the Chase, but that also failed and at Murrays Corner Mostert took over as Whincup followed his past Premat at Hell Corner.

Mostert had the eyes on across the top, but it was a mistake at the Chase that brought Premat undone. A severe lock-up

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RACE REPORT

Bathurst 1000 Race 25

GRM was set for a strong finish, left, before a loose wheel intervened, while David Reynolds rescued fifth for Erebus-Penrite.

not only dropped him to third, but significantly damaged a tyre, so his pace dropped away and, with seven laps to go before his stop, he was left running on a tyre that was down to its belts.

Although both Mostert and Whincup passed the re-joining DJR Team Penske Mustang, Waters failed to do so and lost 4s in the process.

Behind, van Gisbergen had company, and probably the least likely of company. Heimgartner continued his impressive year, keeping pace with his Kiwi comrade, and both had Premat in their sights, the front now starting to compress.

Lap 57 saw Premat pit to hand over to McLaughlin and for the compulsory brake rotor change, and the championship leader set about catching the lead pair.

Whincup and Waters were next to pit, then Mostert to hand over to Moffat, who emerged in the lead.

Much like Premat did for McLaughlin, Moffat held his own against the regulars, but was caught by both Whincup and McLaughlin before another round of stops led by DJR Team Penske, with Premat re-entering the race.

Moffat pitted a lap later, but stalled, which was the only opportunity Premat needed to retake the lead.

It didn’t last long, however, with

Heimgartner ran strongly in his Nissan Altima for most of the day, but crashed after clipping the wall at Forrests Elbow with little more than three laps remaining.

Lowndes emerging in front after his stop.

It wasn’t as simple as that, though, because Whincup missed his marks in his approach to the pit boom, then Lowndes got away sluggishly, which placed him under pressure when he returned to the circuit. This proved crucial, as the veteran made a mistake at Murrays Corner to allow the Frenchman back through.

A further mistake was made when Lowndes hit the wall hard at Reid Park, but miraculously nothing was damaged.

Premat pitted on lap 95 to hand Tim Slade’s race failed to last half a lap after contact with Scott Pye.

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back to McLaughlin for the final time, with green tyres bolted on.

Lowndes also pitted, Whincup jumped in to pursue his title rival, but then it was time for the safety car to make its second appearance.

Todd Hazelwood hadn’t had a good lead-in after being frustrated on missing the Top 10 Shootout, but it got worse at Reid Park on lap 101 when he ran wide and hit the wall with force. He managed to emerge from his stricken ZB Commodore under his own steam, but the race was done for he and debutant Jack Smith.

The safety car returned to pit lane five laps later, with McLaughlin leading Whincup, Coulthard, Waters and Heimgartner. All bar McLaughlin set their fastest laps of the day on lap 108, but the race was only really beginning.

McLaughlin repelled the challenge a lap later by clocking a 2m05.2946s, clearly not hampered by a flapping bumper.

Fastest laps continued to be achieved until another safety car for an accident again at Reid Park, when the Kosteckis’ luck ran out. The ZB Commodore sat in a perilous position across the track Alex Premat held his nerve during the middle stint to keep the #17 within touching distance

spewing its fluid near the racing line after hitting three walls.

DJR Team Penske aborted a plan to change the brakes again during its next stop, but still lost track position to Whincup.

Van Gisbergen was on a charge, forcing Heimgartner wide at the Chase, and the Nissan driver also lost position to Coulthard.

Then another safety car interrupted proceedings, the third in 20 laps and one that Tickford Racing will reflect was where it lost the race.

Waters and Mostert have history, having clashed in a number of Todd Hazelwood bought out the next safety car on lap 101, which started a run.

incidents – Bathurst last year, then recently at Pukekohe – but this was the most catastrophic.

Both were conserving fuel when Mostert made an unexpected late braking move at the Chase. It was ill-timed move and he darted to the inside, then the outside, locking the brakes in the direction change, which sent him into the side of Waters. Two potential race winners were out.

Whincup headed McLaughlin at the restart with teammate Coulthard as tail-gunner ahead of Heimgartner and Golding, who was the surprise of the race, emerging from nowhere to be in contention.

Green running was shortlived as another safety car was deployed after a jammed throttle ended the day for De Pasquale at Reid Park, hitting the wall heavily just before the overhead sign.

This was just a short interlude to the growing battle between Whincup and McLaughlin, though his tail-gunner was in trouble, the DJRTP Mustang overheating and in desperate need of water.

Coulthard wasn’t the only driver in need of another yellow, as Courtney, who had also emerged as a contender, hit the wall at Sulman Park, buckling a wheel.

Whincup and McLaughlin had to balance their good car speed with fuel consumption, which was aided by another safety car, this time for

international Alexander Rossi. It had been a fraught weekend for he and IndyCar teammate James Hinchcliffe, which continued when the 2016 Indy 500 winner put the WAU wildcard Commodore in the Murrays Corner sand trap.

This safety car proved to be the most controversial of the race. As Whincup and McLaughlin headed towards the pits, Coulthard held the train up through the second half of the lap, ruining a number of strategies as he opened up a gap of 30s to minimise the effect of double-stacking.

In the pits, Whincup managed to keep the lead, as McLaughlin stalled, which also dropped him behind two lapped cars.

But without extended safety car periods, all teams seemingly needed to make another stop.

Golding now sat third and was making a real play for the race ahead of van Gisbergen, whose challenge just wouldn’t disappear.

There was a mixture of fuel preservation and outright speed strategies playing out, and first to blink was Garry Rogers Motorsport as it brought in Golding for a topup and green tyres on lap 139.

The pressure up front was immense as Whincup sustained the McLaughlin pressure, then RBHRT engineer David Cauchi told Whincup “it’s go time” and the seven-time Supercars champion The Tickford duo were on for a strong result until they collided at The Chase.

started to sprint away.

There were numerous races playing out; the drivers who could make it, ones who were conserving and others who were sprinting in the hope of yet another safety car.

Golding led the drivers that could make it, beating his best lap over and over. It came to naught; a vibration was worsening and Golding was forced to stop and fix the issue, a loose wheel.

This elevated Reynolds to ‘first’ if fuel remained an issue for the frontrunners.

Whincup had checked out, leaving the conserving McLaughlin behind, but then a safety car.

Playing dodgem cars along the pit straight, Stanaway and Jacobson finished up in the Hell Corner sand trap to bring a late race yellow and ease fuel fears for the leaders. Whincup pitted for fuel anyway, but didn’t take tyres.

McLaughlin stayed out, leaving van Gisbergen as the main challenger.

It was an even restart, but a mistake at ‘the tree’ from van Gisbergen gave McLaughlin breathing space before yet another safety car was deployed.

After running strongly all day, Heimgartner ended the day in the Forrests Elbow tyre barrier after just clipping the inside wall.

The stage was set for a grandstand finish, a one-lap dash, Kiwi versus Kiwi.

Another even restart kicked off the final lap, but there was just enough of a gap to prevent any last-lap heroics from van Gisbergen.

McLaughlin held on by 0.680s to take he and Premat’s first win, Penske’s maiden mountain triumph and the fourth for DJR. A disappointed van Gisbergen and Tander were second, heading home Courtney and Perkins, which was an amazing result

The gamble to pit failed to garner the race win. Changing tyres may have just been the difference.

in front of team co-owners Zac Brown and Michael Andretti.

Whincup and Lowndes were off the podium in fourth after the tyres fell away during the final stint, while Reynolds and Youlden finished an eventful day for Erebus Motorsport fifth.

In championship terms, if it was hard to beat McLaughlin prior to Bathurst, the mountain is now that much tougher to climb with only three more rounds remaining.

RESULTS RACE 25 SUPERCARS CHAMPIONSHIP 161 LAPS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 NC NC NC NC NC

Scott McLaughlin/Alex Premat Shane van Gisbergen/Garth Tander James Courtney/Jack Perkins Jamie Whincup/Craig Lowndes David Reynolds/Luke Youlden Fabian Coulthard/Tony D’Alberto Mark Winterbottom/Steve Richards Scott Pye/Warren Luff Rick Kelly/Dale Wood Lee Holdsworth/Thomas Randle Will Davison/Alex Davison James Golding/Richard Muscat Richie Stanaway/Chris Pither Simona De Silvestro/Alex Rullo Nick Percat/Tim Blanchard Chaz Mostert/James Moffat Macauley Jones/Dean Canto Jack Le Brocq/Jonathon Webb Alexander Rossi/James Hinchcliffe Garry Jacobson/Dean Fiore Cameron Waters/Michael Caruso Andre Heimgartner/Bryce Fullwood Anton De Pasquale/Will Brown Brodie Kostecki/Jake Kostecki Todd Hazelwood/Jack Smith Tim Slade/Ash Walsh

161 laps +0.680s +1.877s +2.670s +3.643s +4.068s +5.623s +6.609s +6.673s +6.984s +7.703s +7.856s +11.262s 160 laps 160 laps 160 laps 160 laps 160 laps 159 laps 159 laps 148 laps 157 laps 125 laps 111 laps 98 laps 0 laps

0 ▲3 ▲ 15 0 ▲ 17 ▲ 10 ▲3 ▲6 ▲2 ▲ 10 ▼5 ▲7 ▼1 ▲3 ▼7 ▼ 14 ▲6 ▲8 ▲6 ▲6 ▼ 18 ▼9 ▼ 16 0 ▼ 10 0

FASTEST LAP Chaz Mostert 2m 04.7602s

McLaughlin and Premat enjoy the spoils of victory, 25 years since DJ did it with JB.

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SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN/ALEX PREMAT

Starting from pole position, the #17 Ford Mustang looked like the car to beat from early in the race when McLaughlin skipped away in the lead. When Premat took over, he often found himself racing against the series regulars but was able to hold his own, making only a couple of small mistakes under intense pressure. It looked like their race could have been undone when the rear bumper started to peel just after the 100-lap mark, but the situation did not worsen and repairs were soon made at a scheduled stop.

On the final two safety car restarts, McLaughlin did not falter under the attack of Shane van Gisbergen.

2nd

SHANE VAN GISBERGEN/GARTH TANDER The experienced pairing of van Gisbergen and Tander were bound to be somewhere near the pointy end at the finish and this proved to be the case. The only real issue they had was the driver’s door, which flapped around for the best part of a lap before Gizzy fixed it on the move. The duo sat just outside the top five throughout most of the first half of the race but played themselves in through strategy during the safety car periods to find themselves fighting for victory.

3rd

5th

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7th

8th

9th

MARK WINTERBOTTOM/STEVEN RICHARDS The 2013 Bathurst-winning combination was reunited this year, and Winterbottom and Richards performed well. Both drivers stayed out of trouble all day, and for the majority of the race the pair ran unnoticed, but in the closing stages found themselves comfortably inside the top 10. Winterbottom held his own in the closing laps under the pressure of the many safety car periods to bring the car home in a solid seventh position.

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1

JAMES COURTNEY/JACK PERKINS Fuel mileage was a big factor in WAU’s strategy, as both cars could do 25-lap stints. Perkins started the race and pitted on lap 12 for Courtney, who was forced to come in five laps later with a slow-leaking tyre. He then ran to lap 42 before Perkins jumped in for a double stint. Back behind the wheel, Courtney worked his way from 12th on lap 135 to a podium finish, despite smacking the wall at the grate and giving the team heart palpitations.

4th

JAMIE WHINCUP/CRAIG LOWNDES Lowndes was one of the few co-drivers at the front of the field to start the race and more than held his own against the full-timers. Around the halfway stage, just after Lowndes jumped back in the car, he hit the wall at Sulman Park but no major damage was done. In the closing stages the #888 car was out front, while other cars were fuel-saving. Whincup was on the attack, but this proved to be the wrong strategy and forced him to make a late extra stop.

st

DAVID REYNOLDS/LUKE YOULDEN Reynolds ran to lap 14 to hand over to Youlden, picking up six places. Youlden stayed in the car through the next stop before handing back to Reynolds on lap 57. They struggled for pace in the first half as the car wasn’t good in traffic but was fast in clean air. They came into podium contention in the second half of the race and felt a podium was on with an early commitment to a fuel top-up, but the two late safety cars worked against that.

SCOTT PYE/WARREN LUFF Pye started the race and had a slight touch on the first lap at Reid Park with Slade, who crashed out. Pye pitted a lap 21 for Luff to double-stint until lap 59. They pitted three laps in a row under the third safety car. The steering was way out in the second half of the race and the team suspected that something was broken in the front end. They had to persist with it for the remainder of the race.

FABIAN COULTHARD/TONY D’ALBERTO With D’Alberto starting, car #12 ran 24 laps before the first stop, and he remained in the car to lap 41. They were third at this stage despite managing an overheating issue.

Coulthard continued the forward move with his two stints and hovered in third place. Was double-stacked at the third safety car stop, and lost a podium place when controversially ordered to back up field at the sixth safety car.

RICK KELLY/DALE WOOD It was a day of ups and downs for Rick Kelly and Dale Wood, they stuck to a strategy early on pitting every 20 or 21 laps early in the race, however a stop on lap 94 and again on lap 100 when a safety car was deployed shuffled them down the pack.

Another safety car came out for the crashed Kostecki wildcard entry and the #15 car pitted three laps consecutively, putting them towards the rear of the lead lap cars.

10th

11th

12th

13th

14th

15th

16th

17th

18th

LEE HOLDSWORTH/TOM RANDLE Holdsworth’s first-lap pit stop for fuel gave them a one-stop advantage. On lap 24 Holdsworth handed off to Randle, who completed a similar number of laps. Both drivers had cool-suit failures in their stints and opted to do the rest of the race without them. Gained track position until an airbox fire and trouble with a window net delayed them at two stops. Lost five places when most of the field was backed up by the #12.

RICHIE STANAWAY/CHRIS PITHER Starting from 12th, Stanaway stood firm early in the race, both he and his experienced co-driver Pither staying largely out of trouble. Pither had a slight moment on lap 108, running through the Chase, but the pair found themselves in the top 10 in the closing stages of the race. On lap 143 Stanaway came in for fuel while others were fuel-saving around him, but coming back through the field the Kiwi tanged with Jacobson, costing him more time.

CHAZ MOSTER/JAMES MOFFAT Mostert started and dropped a spot, but they worked to the lead on lap 50 through strategy and outright car and driver speed. A stall in the pits on lap 80 for Moffat cost crucial time and track position, and after the continual safety car periods Mostert found himself behind teammate Cam Waters and attempted to overtake, the two made contact, firing them both into the gravel trap. Mostert went down a lap before he recovered and finished the race.

WILL DAVISON/ALEX DAVISON After setting blistering times throughout practice and qualifying, the Davison brothers had no pace and no luck. The pair struggled most of the day with braking issues, but their experience shone through, circulating until the end of the race. Alex avoided a collision with Will Brown early in the race before crucial time was lost in a pit stop. The Davisons were lucky to continue after making significant contact with Scott Pye late on in the race.

SIMONA DE SILVESTRO/ALEX RULLO Double-stinted from the outset, with De Silvestro first, then Rullo. Single stints from laps 100 on. Felt that from the first pitstop they would be hard-pressed to maintain position and should have pitted earlier for track position. The other stops dropped them in traffic and ultimately forced them a lap down. At the last safety car, they did a drive-through as per the Supp Regs regarding lapped traffic.

MACAULEY JONES/DEAN CANTO Jones started and took advantage of the first-lap safety car for a fuel top-up. In again on lap 17 and stayed aboard. Pitted on lap 39 with right front guard mostly gone and handed over to Canto, with no recollection of contact with anyone. Lost the other front guard later from a hit in congested traffic. After third safety car, would have stayed on lead lap if leading #5 had pitted. Did late drive-through near the end as per the rules.

JAMES GOLDING/RICHARD MUSCAT Shortish first stint (14 laps) by Golding put them on an alternate strategy. He handed over to Muscat for a double stint and they did single stints from there. They moved up to third on merit, and opting to pit at lap 140 put them at the head of the cars that didn’t require another stop. Genuine chance to win the race, but a couple of laps later slowed with a loose wheel. Lost nine places as a result of the unscheduled stop.

NICK PERCAT/TIM BLANCHARD Percat and Blanchard started on the back foot after making an unscheduled pit stop on lap 9 due to a slow puncture on the left rear. The pair remained out of trouble but also out of sequence for the majority of the race, falling one lap down. It is required in the final 10 laps that lapped cars must pit on a safety car restart to avoid getting in the leaders’ way, but this was not done and the duo received a 31s post-race penalty, dropping them from 13th to 15th.

JACK LE BROCQ/JONATHON WEBB Le Brocq started and pitted for a top-up at the lap-one safety car. He ran through to lap 44 in a double stint before Webb also did double duties and Le Brocq jumped back in at lap 86. Team struggled to stay on the lead lap but otherwise had no dramas. Team were penalised the equivalent of a drive-through for not pulling to the lane when surrounded by the leading cars on race resumption late in the event when placed 15th.

ALEXANDER ROSSI/JAMES HINCHCLIFFE The international wildcard entry, with Canadian Hinchcliffe at the helm, pitted on the first-lap safety car for a fuel top-up. Pitted again on lap 22 for American Indycar teammate Rossi to take over. He went through to lap 45 and stayed in the car. They were down a lap by their fifth stop at lap 89. Triggered the sixth safety car when Rossi slid off the road and was stuck in the gravel trap at Murrays.

GARRY JACOBSON/DEAN FIORE Started with Fiore at the wheel and pitted for the first driver change on lap 15. He did another 16 laps before Jacobson jumped in for 20-lap run. He double-stinted to lap 73, where on coming in he sideswiped the tyre wall at pit entry. Damage was cosmetic only and Fiore was able to continue, and the duo looked likely to lock in a top ten result until a clash at Hell Corner with Stanaway dumped them in the gravel trap and triggered the seventh safety car.

20th

21st

22nd

23rd

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Safety Car

19th

ANDRE HEIMGARTNER/BRYCE FULLWOOD Super2 series leader Fullwood started the #7 Altima and showed his talent, matching the regular Supercars drivers around him. The pair soon found themselves seventh and in the closing laps were as high as third. However Heimgartner was forced to make a stop for fuel on lap 147 and he was buried in the top 10. The Kiwi clearly had the pace to come marching through the field but hit the wall at Forrests Elbow trying to overtake Mark Winterbottom.

25th

TODD HAZELWOOD/JACK SMITH Hazelwood started and was 13th in the early laps and getting as high as seventh before pitting on lap 20. Smith went through to lap 41 and Hazelwood jumped in after another 21 laps. Smith took over again and went through to lap 84. The next stop came at lap 97, just three before Hazelwood crashed on top of the mountain, triggering the second safety car.

ANTON DE PASQUALE/WILL BROWN A day to forget. On lap 23 Brown spun at the Chase and dropped down to 16th position, and things were made more difficult as the team could not hear Brown. On lap 99 he entered the lane and the car stopped; it restarted, but as de Pasquale went to leave the lane the car died again. These stoppages put the pair a lap down, where they remained until de Pasquale hit the wall hard just before ‘the tree’ due to a stuck throttle.

TIM SLADE/ASHLEY WALSH It was a very short day for the #14 Brad Jones Racing crew of Slade and Walsh. The team elected for Slade to start the race, but on the opening lap on the approach to Sulman Park, contact with Scott Pye threw the car hard into the wall, and that was the end of their race before Walsh even had the chance to turn a wheel.

CAMERON WATERS/MICHAEL CARUSO Caruso was the highest-placed co-driver in the field to start and lost little ground to the series regulars. On lap 49 Waters attempted a move for the lead and was shuffled down to fourth behind the #55 car in the process. However, as the pit stops played out Waters found himself ahead of his Tickford teammate and they came to blows on lap 123.

Waters suffered damage and finished the race 13 laps down.

BRODIE KOSTECKI/JAKE KOSTECKI A wayward coolbox line caused Brodie to ingest carbon monoxide on the formation lap.

It meant a delay to the start, where Jake began the race from pitlane. Brodie recovered to take over after Jake double-stinted and ran faultlessly for the in-house built car by a small team. Just missed out on staying on the lead lap after one of its five stops and crashed on lap 112 at Sulman Park.

Although it got off to a good start and led the field before the race even got underway properly, this Ford Mustang remained in the pits for close to 100 laps before it finally emerged. It was constantly seen impeding the leader from lap 101 right to the penultimate lap, where it again pulled into the pits.

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Super 2 Bathurst Round 5

RANDLE ACCEPTS A GIFT

Race Report: Heath McAlpine Images: Insyde Media/Ross Gibb

BRYCE FULLWOOD has dominated Super2 this year, but a last-lap run at the category lap record cost him victory at B athurst, handing Thomas Randle his second round win.

Although Fullwood ticked off the only statistic missing from his season so far by snatching pole position ahead of young teammate Tyler Everingham, a yellow flag at the Chase ended up in a commanding 13.3s victory turning into a 1.7s deficit after Fullwood was handed a 15s penalty post-race.

Another to have a disappointing day was Will Brown. The recently crowned TCR Australia Series winner had made a great start to jump Ash Walsh for third, but an issue with the passenger door opening forced him to bring the Eggleston Motorsport Holden Commodore in early. However, during that pit stop – which was completed by the Tickford Racing crew – the fuel coupling failed to stay flush, allowing petrol to spill and delaying a clearly furious Brown.

Further adding to Eggleston Motorsport’s poor day, Justin Ruggier failed to get off the line and was left stranded on the grid.

Fullwood and Everingham had held sway

at the start, though the 18-year-old in second was under heavy pressure from Brown, which proved too much when first he ran wide exiting Forrest’s Elbow, then went too deep into The Chase. Everingham paid the price and toured the grass, dropping to sixth.

Fullwood was 2.5s clear and extending it further when Brown took his stop on lap 5 to rectify his flailing door.

But another unknown was the weather; rain

Fullwood dominated the weekend in his MW Motorsport Nissan Altima, but lost the victory when he passed a yellow flag too fast while going for a lap record on the last lap.

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appeared to be on its way, though at this stage stayed away.

The Super2 Series leader continued to build his margin to 13.7s by lap 18. Chasing was Ash Walsh, who had Randle for close company, though this changed when a late pit call forced the Matt Stone Racing driver into the lane too hot and a trip through the gravel trap to re-join the race followed.

This gave Randle and Kurt Kostecki the advantage heading into their stops, but the former also had trouble entering the lane and locked up, just managing to keep to the 40km/h speed limit. His stop was further delayed when the crew struggled with the wheel nuts, though he still retained second thanks to Walsh stalling.

Next time around, Fullwood pitted and was slightly delayed by a slow wheel change, but the margin he had in hand was greater than the time lost in pit lane.

The fuel issues weren’t fixed for Eggleston Motorsport, with Ruggier suffering the same issues, and Triple Eight Race Engineering also had the same issues with Kostecki.

Brown was only 1.5s behind Fullwood after the stops, but he had another stop to make, so a safety car would be highly desirable for him. No 250km Super2 event at Bathurst

had gone without one and this one was no different. Adam Marjoram had a huge engine failure at Griffin’s Bend, leaving plenty of fluid on the circuit, which required a clean-up.

Brown pitted, fitting new tyres, though he lost more time due to the fuel issue, but now he was able to move onto the rear of the train and attack, which he did at the restart by taking three positions quickly.

Fullwood took off at the restart, but just as Brown was making his charge, he made a mistake and put his Commodore into the fence at the Cutting, severely damaging the right-hand front.

Fullwood was unchallenged to the line and emphasised the point by setting a new record on the final lap, but the yellow had come out after Walsh and Jordan Boys clashed at the Chase, leaving the BJR enduro driver in the gravel with broken suspension.

Randle inherited the win, with Fullwood still second ahead of Triple Eight duo Kostecki and Grove, while Dylan O’Keeffe took his best result of the year in fifth.

It was a great win for Randle after a hefty accident in practice, but wasn’t how he wanted to win.

“It doesn’t feel amazing because of the circumstances, but, hey, we’ve been in exactly the same position as Bryce,” Randle said. “I won convincingly up at Townsville, just like you could say Bryce won convincingly here, and got stripped of that.

“I didn’t even think I was going to be in the race. When I got out of the car I saw the damage and I knew it was a big hit into the wall, because the walls here don’t move and I thought either we’re going to be starting at the back or we won’t be starting at all.”

Fullwood can still seal the title at Sandown after teammate Zane Goddard had an even worse run at Bathurst, finishing only 10th.

SUPER2 POINTS Fullwood 1414, Randle 1057, Kostecki 1022, Goddard 1011, O’Keeffe 833.

Bathurst Round 7 Carrera Cup

LOVE WINS AND TAKES SERIES LEAD Race Report: Dan McCarthy Images: Insyde Media/Ross Gibb

IN WHAT was a typically exciting Carrera Cup Australia round, Jordan Love swept the Bathurst 1000 weekend, taking the three wins and catapulting himself into the series lead.

Cooper Murray and David Wall completed the round podium, while in Pro Am Adrian Flack took the honours ahead of Liam Talbot and Stephen Grove.

The top of the Mountain was wet in places for the first 15-lapper, with Love starting from fourth on the grid behind Wall, Murray and Nick McBride.

At the start, McBride jumped from the second row to take the lead into Turn 1, but Love fired around the outside at the following turn to claim first.

McBride was hesitant over the top in the tricky conditions and was overtaken by Wall on the opening lap and then

by Murray. He came under more pressure from Cameron Hill before the latter came to rest at the Cutting with broken steering, bringing out the safety car.

Racing resumed on lap 7 and with a handful of laps to go Love made a big mistake at the Esses, which allowed Wall and Murray to close right up to the rear bumper of his #777 Sonic Motor Racing car. Wall had a look into the Chase but thought better of it.

As they started the final lap, Wall was hot on Love’s

Adrian Flack took Pro Am honours for the weekend

heels, forcing the young West Australian to defend into Turn 2. However Love held his nerve and took the opening race by 0.8s from Wall, Murray, McBride and Dale Wood.

In Pro Am, Talbot led throughout until the final corner, when Flack fired a successful move up the inside. Talbot tried the cutback but spun his Porsche and crossed the line without losing any places.

At the start of Race 2, the top three remained in the same order with Love leading, but at the end of the opening lap Murray made a move on Wall and took second.

Further back, series leader Wood made a terrible start and dropped from fifth, completing the opening lap down in 14th position.

On lap 6 Wall started to apply heavy pressure to Murray, giving him a number of taps on the rear bumper.

A couple of laps later Murray locked up and ran wide at Turn 1 but held on to second spot into Griffins.

That was the way it remained, with Love taking victory ahead of Murray, Wall and McBride.

Wood could only recover to ninth, behind Pro Am winner Flack and Talbot.

In the final race, 2017 series winner Wall again lost ground early, this time losing third to McBride.

On lap 2, race leader Love locked up and ran wide at

Jordan Love heads for a clean sweep, while Cooper Murray, below, had to settle for second place.

Turn 1, allowing Murray to draw level on the outside into the second turn, but Love held on, while further back

Wall got through on McBride.

With three laps remaining, Murray again honed onto the back of Love and looked up

the inside at The Chase.

From this point on, Love defended at every turn, feeling he was vulnerable to the hard-charging Murray.

Love held on brilliantly to not only take the race victory but the championship lead off teammate Wood. Murray came home second ahead of Wall and McBride, while Talbot overtook Flack late on to win Race 3 in Pro Am.

CARRERA CUP POINTS

Love 931, Wood 929, Wall 837, McBride 780, Murray 725.

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TCM Bathurst Round 6

KIWIS BEAT AUSSIES IN TCM Race Report: Dan McCarthy Images: Insyde Media/Ross Gibb

NEW ZEALANDER Angus Fogg won the penultimate round of the 2019 Touring Car Masters series as the Kiwis joined the Aussies at the Mount Panorama Circuit.

Steven Johnson was the only Australian to take a race victory from Fogg and as a result finished second for the round, with Adam Bressington third. Aaron Seton finished just off the podium but won the Pro Am class.

Johnson took pole position on the final lap of qualifying by a whopping 1.25s from Seton and Fogg.

Off the start, Ryal Harris from fourth on the grid threaded the needle through the front row pair to take the lead. Further around the lap, Harris and Johnson ran side by side around Reid Park and McPhillamy Park, with Johnson retaking the lead on the approach to Skyline.

Kiwi visitor Hugh Gardiner (Chev Camaro) completed the first lap in fourth, but on lap 2 he breezed by both Seton and Harris before suffering a mechanical issue on lap 3.

As one Kiwi fell another rose as Fogg took fourth off Bressington on lap 4 before catching the battling pair of Harris and Seton.

Johnson took the victory by 0.4s from Fogg, who in the closing laps had overtaken Harris and Seton.

The second race took place in treacherous wet conditions, and Fogg from second on the grid quickly took the lead up Mountain Straight while Johnson slotted into second.

Camaro driver Harris and Falcon driver Marcus Zukanovic had a great battle for third position that eventually went the way of Zukanovic after Harris ran wide at turn 1 on lap 4, dropping him to seventh. This left Fogg leading from Johnson, Zukanovic, Bressington and Seton.

On the final lap of the shortened race, Bressington found a way through on Zukanovic Aaron Seton was the top-placed Aussie in the feature race, but was no match for the powerful Kiwi cars.

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Start of the final race for the Trans-Tasman Trophy sees Johnson and Seton leading the Aussies on the inside, with Fogg and Gardiner leading the Kiwis on the outside.

to take third but finished 13.6s behind winner Fogg and 11.5s behind Mustang Sally.

Zukanovic still finished the race fourth ahead of two-time Bathurst 1000 winner John Bowe.

At the start of Race 3, Fogg led away, while on the approach to Turn 2 Johnson lost positions to Bressington and Zukanovic.

While Johnson fell back on the opening lap, Harris made his way forward, firstly demoting Johnson another place on Conrod Straight, then Zukanovic at the final turn and Bressington on lap 2 to take second.

After the conclusion of the first two laps, Fogg led from Harris, Bressington, Zukanovic and Johnson.

The XD Ford Falcon driven by Zukanovic was having its best run since making its debut in the series at the Sandown 500 last year, but he

was firstly demoted to fifth by Johnson, before running wide at Turn 1 and dropping further down the field.

Late in the race, Harris closed in on leader Fogg and very briefly took the lead at Forrest’s Elbow before the much more powerful Mustang shot back through down Conrod Straight.

Fogg was unchallenged on the last lap and took the race victory from Harris and Johnson.

Bressington finished fourth on the road but received a five-second post-race penalty for overlapping during the rolling start and was demoted to sixth behind Bowe and Seton.

The third race was replaced for this weekend with the Trans-Tasman Trophy, in which all Australians started on the inside of the grid with all the Kiwis on the outside. Points were only awarded for starting and finishing the race.

Johnson started from pole and was overhauled by Fogg’s potent Mustang going up Mountain Straight and dropped outside the top five.

On lap 2 Australia’s big hope, Harris, hit the concrete wall heavily at Griffins Bend, which let the New Zealanders off the leash.

Fogg and Gardiner had a great scrap for the lead on the final lap, with Fogg coming out on top by 0.2s. Andrew Anderson came home third ahead of the first Aussie, Seton.

TCM POINTS Johnson 1009, Harris 936, Bowe 906, Bressington 872, Pollicina 719

Bathurst Toyota 86/ Superutes

BORG BEST AT BATHURST

Aaron Borg was in great form all weekend, winning two of the three races to take round honours.

Race Report: Garry O’Brien Images: Insyde Media

WITH HARD-FOUGHT victories in races seven and nine, the overall Toyota 86 honours at Bathurst’s round three went to Aaron Borg.

Luke King won the other race and finished second in the points overall, ahead of Luke van Herwaarde.

After qualifying fastest, Borg led all the way in the opening race, with King, Luke van Herwaarde and Lachlan Gibbons line astern.

King was fourth on lap 1, making the pass on two cars at Murrays Corner on the second lap.

Ben Grice, Tim Brook, John Iafolla and Declan Fraser battled for fifth, which went the way of series leader Brook after Iafolla and Grice came to grief at Forrests Elbow on the penultimate lap. Fraser took sixth just in front of Dylan Thomas, with a gap to Jaden Ransley, Peter Vodanovich and Jarrod Whitty completing the top ten.

Jaylyn Robotham had been disqualified from qualifying, started at the rear of the 34-car grid and finished 15th, while Liam McAdam was a casualty, running as high as tenth until fencing at the Elbow.

Race 2 was initially led by Borg, but King threw out the challenge on lap five, starting at Hell Corner before finally completing it permanently at Murrays Corner almost a full lap later.

The last manoeuvre also saw a shuffle for the minors, where Fraser had second ahead of Gibbons, Borg, Thomas, van Herwaarde and Vodanovich. Brook was already out of contention, having crashed at Forrests Elbow.

On the final lap, Gibbons had wall contact that involved Fraser and damaged the rear suspension and allowed Borg through to second. Then Vodanovich had a massive rollover at the Chase.

Van Herwaarde finished third in front of Thomas, Ransley, Jaylyn Robotham, Whitty, George Gutierrez and Zach Loscialpo.

Fraser was relegated with a 10s penalty that put him 11th behind Kane Baxter-Smith.

King and Grice battle, above, while the remains of Vodanovich’s wrecked car are dragged away.

In the final outing, Borg led until passed by King at Murrays Corner on lap 4. Borg rallied to regain the front running at Griffins Bend on the following lap. Shortly after, Grice, who charged to 12th in race eight and was sixth early, bought into the lead duel and split the leading duo on the final lap.

Behind Borg, Grice and King, it was Thomas from Robotham and Zane Morse, who had crashed in qualifying, finished nowhere in the first race and 14th in the second outing. He

came home ahead of van Herwaarde, Ransley and Iafolla.

Toyota guest driver Glenn Seton finished inside the top 20 in the three races, while fellow guest Jason Bright had gearbox issues in the first, finished 15th in the next, then had a driveshaft failure in the last.

T86 POINTS Brook 698, Fraser 650,

Thomas 660, Borg 686, King 620, Vanna 594

PRETTY GOOD IN UTE DEBUT Race Report: Garry O’Brien Image: Insyde Media

MAKING HIS debut in SuperUtes, Nathan Pretty came away with victory in the sixth round.

Ben Walsh took second and third went to Tom Alexander, who now has a handy points advantage because his major rivals fell by the wayside.

It didn’t start well for Pretty (Holden Colorado), who had a massive tank-slapper at Turn 1 on the opening lap of the first race and was collected

by Alexander (Isuzu D-MAX), while several others scattered.

Walsh (Toyota Hilux) grabbed the lead from the

front-row Mitsubishi Tritons of teammates Elliot Barbour and Cameron Crick as they ran three-wide through Hell Corner the first time.

Walsh led until a small error later at the Chase allowed Crick through, while Barbour retired with a broken piston.

Ryal Harris (Mazda BT50) and Josh Anderson (Hilux) were third and fourth before Pretty came back and passed them both.

Next was Alexander from Craig Woods (Hilux), who edged out Graham Edwards (Triton) on the line.

The reverse-grid second race saw Alexander take a

sizeable victory over Woods and Pretty.

Harris went out with terminal engine issues before Edwards had big drama on Conrod Straight after an inadvertent touch from Pretty.

Crick and Walsh touched in the Chase, with the former spinning, and were hit by Bayley Hall (Ford Ranger).

Walsh led the third race before Pretty went on to win.

Walsh ultimately finished fourth, succumbing to Crick and Alexander. Anderson

was fifth from Woods, Craig Thompson (Hilux), Christopher Formosa (Ranger) and Matt Spratt (Colorado), who had crashed in qualifying.

Former Bathurst 24 Hour winner Nathan Pretty scored a ute win on debut

SUPERUTES POINTS

Alexander 857, Crick 818, Walsh 776, Harris 764, Woods 580

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compiled by garry o’brien

KELLY TAKES GT-1, MAGRO EQUALS F3 RECORD

Nick Kelly led an Audi 1-2-3 at Sydney Motorsport Park, above, while James Burge and Brett Mitchell topped the Oztrucks, below.

AFTER CANCELLING out of their last outing, there was a further round of GT-1 at the fourth round of the Australian Motor Racing Series on September 28-29, alongside TA2, RX8, F3 and others.

GT-1 AUSTRALIA

IT WAS an Audi R8 LMS one-two-three chasing outright honours in round three for GT-1, with Nick Kelly winning from Matt Stoupas and Vince Muriti.

MARC 1 honours went to John Goodacre

over Bayley Hall and Tony Groves.

The first 50-minute enduro was won

by Muriti over Adam Hargraves (MARC II) with Kelly third and early pacesetter Stoupas fourth after having the longest pitstop. Best of the MARC 1s was Jake Camilleri, who finished fifth ahead of John Morriss (Porsche GT3-R).

With less pit time in race two, Kelly, who led before the stops, was able to resume in front towards the end to beat Geoff Taunton (MARC II). Morriss looked

QUICK KIWI HEADS RX8S

NEW ZEALANDER Aaron Prosser wrestled away the lead in the Mazda RX8 Cup with three solid wins in round four at Sydney Motorsport Park, where the one-make category had a best-ever 27 entries.

Lachlan O’Hara was second overall for the weekend and Daniel Reynolds third.

Race three of the four scheduled carried no points or a result after it was red-flagged.

While Prosser was fastest qualifier, it was Brad Harris who was best away in race one, leading from Terry Lewis and Prosser.

Prosser passed Lewis on the fourth of seven laps and then assumed the lead when Harris saved what could have been a major off on oil at turn 1. Lewis also slipped past to finish second, while Harris held on to third ahead of O’Hara and Jake Lougher, who was relegated to 11th with a 10s penalty. Reynolds finished fifth ahead of Paul GrantMitchell, Matt Chick and Justin Barnes.

Will Harris came into the round heading the points, but engine issues in the lead-up meant he could only

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manage 21st in qualifying and 11th in the race.

In the second outing, Lewis was again second, while Chick was able to get by O’Hara. Harris had a fuse blow on the last lap, the result of contact with O’Hara, and coasted to the line seventh behind Reynolds and Lougher. Brad Harris slowed up and finished behind Ben Silvestro to alleviate some of the points damage to his brother.

The third race was stopped around half distance due to Lewis crashing. Prosser was leading and

Lewis had just lost second to Chick when he speared into the wall at turn 1. It followed a high-speed spin there earlier by Reynolds, and contact between Barnes and Grant-Mitchell at turn 2.

In the last race, Prosser had to see off a big challenge from Chick, who sustained a puncture at turn 5. That left O’Hara second from Will Harris, Lougher, Reynolds, Ben Silvestro, Shannon Mclaine, Nick Dunkley and Brad Harris after his 5s penalty for a start infringement. GOB

to have enough to hold off Stoupas, but a track rod failure at the final corner saw Stoupas through to third and the Porsche limp across the line fourth.

Behind fifth-placed Muriti, Jason Busk was the best of the MARC 1s, having missed race one due to a qualifying accident near turn 1 following a tyre blowout.

There was more strife in qualifying when Camilleri and Hadrian Morrall had contact at turn 8. The legacy would mean suspension damage for Morrall, failing to finish either race.

FORMULA 3

WITH THREE wins from the three races, John Magro continued his unbeaten run and equalled Ben Clucas’s 2006 record

of 12 in a row. In each outing he easily accounted for Josh Buchan, while thirdplace laurels were split between Gerrit Ruff, Rielly Brook and Shane Wilson.

Brook had a lucky escape in race one when Ryan Astley speared out of control at turn 7 and nearly took him out at the hairpin. Brook was a non-finisher in race three due to front wing damage after contact with Ruff, who had to pit with a punctured tyre.

EAST COAST MINIS

A PAIR of race wins and a couple of useful minor placings gave John Walker (Mini Clubman) overall victory among the East Coast Mini Challenge.

Walker won the weekend overall ahead of Iain McDougall (Cooper S JCW) and

Toyota 86 regular Jaiden Maggs led home teammate Glenn Hancox in the combined category. Images: Insyde Media

the similarly mounted Jim Campbell.

Linda Devlin (JCW) posted two victories, but contact with McDougall in race one relegated her down the order before recovering for third. A fuel issue forced her out of race three.

STOCK CARS

OZTRUCKS DOMINATED, with James Burge (Chev Silverado) beating Brett Mitchell in his custom Commodore truck in all four races. Third place went to David Hender ahead of Corey Gurney, both Pontiac Grand Prix-mounted, while Danny Burgess and Robert Marchese vied for fifth in their Silverados, splitting the results with two each.

SUPER SIXES/UTES/ PRODUCTION

WITH TWO race wins, Jaiden Maggs took overall honours ahead of Commodore Ute teammate Glenn Hancox.

Jason Walsh (Production Kia Proceed) ran as high as second in the opener before a fuel issue dropped him to sixth.

Peter Dane (Ford Falcon XR6) won the first race before VCT issues ruled him out, and Brent Edwards (XR6) won race three after his bonnet smashed the windscreen at the start of race one, and he was turned around in the last, leaving Ian Chivas (XR6) to take Super Six laurels. GOB

John Magro equalled records, below, while Linda Devlin took two victories in the East Coast Minis, above.

SYDNEY MOTORSPORT Park on September 28-29 could not have gone better for Aaron Seton. The 21-year-old Ford Mustang driver won all of the TA2 Muscle Cars races, the first to do so in the category’s shortish history, and extended his series lead.

Apart from a couple of instances of his nearest rival getting a bumper ahead after the rolling starts, Seton led the 29-strong field all weekend.

Second overall for the fifth round was Nathan Herne (Dodge Challenger), with George Miedecke (Mustang) third.

This trio quickly established a handy break in race one, while Ashley Jarvis (Chev Camaro) was fourth from Andrew Miedecke (Challenger) and Mustang driver Russell Wright, who was passed by Hugh McAlister (Mustang) before the safety car. Mark Crutcher (Challenger) spun on his own

SETON SUPERB IN SYDNEY

expired radiator fluid at turn 5 and the race finished under those conditions.

In race two, Herne snuck under Miedecke at turn 1 and maintained second throughout.

Jarvis was third but eventually lost out to McAlister, while Matt MacKelden (Mustang) got the better of Michael Coulter (Mustang) after he had passed Andrew Miedecke.

Herne was second away in race three until George Miedecke passed him between turns 4 and 5 on the first lap. Herne came back later to retake Miedecke and finish second. Fourth went to Jarvis, who just held out McAlister.

McAlister had to see off a challenge from teammate MacKelden, who fended

off Andrew Miedecke. The latter claimed sixth when contact between the two sent MacKelden into a spin at turn 8.

Next were Murray Kent (Camaro) and Coulter, who exchanged positions several times, just in front of Michael Kulig (Camaro).

With Herne again ahead of

George Miedecke in race four, there was an early safety car due to Shaun Richardson (Mustang) going off at turn 1 and starting a grass fire.

Just after the race resumed, Chris Formosa (Challenger) and Craig Vandersteldt (Camaro) spun together out of turn 11 but

were able to recover.

Locked in fourth gear, George Miedecke fell down the order as McAlister consolidated third ahead of Coulter and Jarvis, with Kent following. Kulig and MacKelden were next, as Miedecke survived for ninth, thanks to his dad slowing up. GOB

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PINES WIN CHAMPIONSHIP WINNING THE Teagle Excavations ARB Pines Enduro was the surest way for Aaron and Liz Haby to clinch the ARB Australian Off Road Racing Championship, and that is exactly what they did on September 21-22. They took their Unlimited Class Element Off Road Prodigy/Toyota V6 Twin Turbo to a clear 13min 23.77s victory in the third and final round.

Greg Gartner and Jamie Jennings (Class 4 Ford F150 Trophy Truck) were second, a minute clear of Talbot Cox and Craig King (Unlimited Racer Engineering Carbon/Toyota V8).

The Habys won the prologue, but only just (0.14s) over Gartner/Jenner, with Aaron and Tanner James (Alumi Craft/Ford Ecoboost V6 TT) third.

Then the 84 competing teams lined up for four laps of the Millicent short course, the track sodden from heavy overnight rain and intermittent showers during the day.

Despite only leading the opening lap, Haby finished 1min 2s ahead of Gartner, with Cox third in front of Brent Martin and Andrew De Simone (Unlimited Jimoc Aussie Special/Nissan V6 TT), Clayton and Amy Chapman (Razorback/Toyota Turbo), James and Phil Lovett and Michael Fraser (Can-Am Maverick VTwin Turbo) in the first of the Class 6s.

An early casualty was Kiwi Richard Crabb, who rolled his single-seater Unlimited Racer Engineering/Chev V8 on the first lap.

Six laps of the long course ensued on Sunday.

Cox headed the first two laps, but after that it was all Haby.

Coming from 12th overnight, Andrew Murdock and Ben Rickaby (Unlimited Element Off Road Prodigy Chev) finished fourth, ahead of Class 1 winners Jason and Kristy Richards

(Chenowth Millennium/Nissan) and Tanner.

Martin dropped to 12th, the Chapmans had the engine go on lap one, and Lovett finished 19th after a miscalculation on fuel.

Class 6 was won by Glenn Pike

VIPER’S SPRINT STRIKE THE 2019/2020 AASA Australian Tarmac Rally Championship opened with John Ireland and Janet Binns winning the Snowy River Sprint on September 21-22.

The Modern 2WD Dodge Viper ACR pilots either won or were second over the 19 competitive stages, on the way to winning by 9min 9.8s victory over Barrie Smith and Dale Moscatt (Modern 4WD Audi TT RS), with a further 51.1s to Steve Bowen and Cheryl Dominguez (Early Modern Mitsubishi EVO II).

The event was based at Lakes Entrance and the multi-stage rally included two long 38km stages, with a total competitive distance of 320km.

Ireland won seven stages on day one, three more than Danny Traverso and Jason Page (EVO 9), who were otherwise second in the stages, until the last stage of the day. A gear linkage issue could have sidelined them there and then, but they hung on to be 23rd on the stage and still second overall and just over 2min behind the Viper.

The next day, Ireland won the opening stage ahead of Traverso, who took out the next stage and was second through

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the following two, to stay in contention.

Then on stage 18 the EVO suffered a brake rotor failure and any chance of a Traverso/Page win, or even a back-toback second place, were gone.

Fourth at the end of day one, Smith picked up a couple of spots with seconds on the last two stages to relegate Bowen to third. Fourth went to Greg and Rhonda Burrows (BMW M2 Competition) ahead of Dean Coutts and Anthony Carr (Subaru Impreza WRX STi).

Sixth outright and first in Classic Competition were Mark Clair and Ray Farrell (Porsche 911 RS) just under 40s ahead of class rivals Peter Gluskie and Samantha Winter (BMW 325e), with Michael Nordsvan and Marty Holden (Mazda S4 RX7) around the same time away in eighth.

Just a few days before te event, electrical problems forced Paul Nudd and Peter Hellwig to abandon their Mazda MX-5 tarmac rally car for another MX-5 with a half cage. They finished 15th and won the speed-limited Super Sports category from Jeffrey Wilson and Paul Gibney (WRX). GOB

and Marcus Chilton (Can-Am), Class 2 was taken by Murray and Jake England (SS Race Frames Murco/Suzuki Cultus), and Class 5 went to the Chris Pickert/Bryan Brown/Geoff Pickett (Holden V8powered Mitsubishi Triton).

Sandy Bowman, Ben Thompson and Mechelle Salau-Fostes (Nissan Patrol) netted Class 7 and Class 10 went to the Jakob Douglass, Sarah Douglass and Aaron Heemskerk in their Razorback/Honda. GOB

ROUND WIN BRINGS POINTS HAUL

BY WINNING the Prestige Freight Lines Three Springs 360 on September 28-29, Darren Agrela, together with co-driver Ryan Barton, is back in contention for the Western Australian Off Road Championship with a round to go.

Run out of the Three Springs sporting complex 300km north of Perth, the duo in their Pro Buggy Jimco/Nissan V6 Twin Turbo were near faultless in round five. They took out all three 120km sections and finished almost 14min ahead.

Second went to Jared Percival and Amber Laycock (ProLite SS Racetech/Toyota V6) a further 3min 31s clear of Mark and Sam Cramer (Pro Buggy SS Racetech/Chev), who were actually fastest than Percival through the final section.

Stephen Ketteridge-Hall (ProLite Bullet Racing Frame/Nissan V6) won the prologue and the fight for pole position, but his race ended before completing the first lap.

Agrela then took over the lead and was never headed.

Almost another 5min away in fourth spot were the SXS Turbo winners, Colin Bevan and Robert Grundy (Can-Am Maverick Turbo), who edged out Malcolm Yeardley and Alexander Cowan (ProLite Bat/ Nissan) in the final section.

Sixth place went to series points leader Matthew Birnie and Rochelle Funneman (SXS Turbo Can-Am) ahead of Jason Galea and Kiera Piercy, who won SXS Sports in their Yamaha YXZ1000R. Completing the top ten were Sportslite victors Peter Barrett/Craig Carson (Bullet/Honda), Ben Hodge/ Trent Slatter (Polaris) and David Rowett/Derrick De Bruyn (DDR/ Mitsubishi V6).

Other class winners were Aaron and Felicia Griffiths (Toyota Prado) in Production 4WD and Daniel Fahey/ Sean Beck (Mitsubishi/Toyota 22R) in Performance 2WD class. GOB

TYLER’S ROUND, ADMIRAAL’S TITLE BACK FROM a two-year break, Guy Tyler made a remarkable return with Mike Dale to the South Australian Rally Championship by winning the final round, the Adelaide Hills Rally, on September 21-22.

In their Mitsubishi EVO 7, they were locked in a battle with Zayne Admiraal, who eventually finished second with Matt Heywood (Subaru Impreza WRX STi), and that was enough for Admiraal to secure his first SA Rally Championship.

Third went to Matt Selley and Hamish McKenderick in their 2WD Ford Escort MkII. Aaron Bowering was in championship contention but he suffered a racing injury a week out from the rally and couldn’t compete. That left Jamie Pohlner, with Adam Branford, as the only mathematical chance to deny Admiraal the title.

Although setting the quickest time on stage one, Admiraal was not going to have the rally all his own way, as Tyler hit back on the following stage. The battle went back and forth throughout the day, with both ending up with five stage wins each.

Darling win to Oxley and Wood

The difference at the end of the day was the 30km Monarto stage, where Tyler managed to pull out 30s on Admiraal both times it was run.

Admiraal was impressive on the night stage at The Bend Motorsport Park, where he showed up most of the AP4 and R5 cars on the 1.67km layout.

Not in championship contention, Tyler could really push from the start of day two, allowing him to secure wins in seven of the eight stages and win heat two.

Admiraal still pushed on, trying to take a few stages away from Tyler, and almost saw his whole championship come unstuck

as he hit a tree on the short and fast stage 13. The damage was superficial and he pushed on, even taking the penultimate stage from Tyler.

On the same stage 13, his only championship rival, Pohlner, who finished the first day fourth, hit a tree and his WRX was out.

Stuart Daddow

PERFECT TEN TEN STAGE victories in the Western Victorian Crane Trucks Valley Stages enabled Arron Windus and Daniel Brick to dominate the sixth round of the Victorian Rally Championship on September 22-23.

The Subaru Impreza WRX STi pairing proved too strong for the 70 other crews over the 135 competitive kilometres, recording a clean sweep of stages to take a commanding lead going into the championship’s final round.

Windus and Brick started with an 8s win in the first stage and extended their eventual first heat lead to almost 2min over second-placed Brendan Reeves and Ben Searcy (Ford Escort MkII).

The rally leaders didn’t let up in the second heat, winning the next five stages comfortably and extending their advantage to three and half minutes, ending a perfect weekend.

Reeves and Searcy finished in second place, 3min 32s away and more than one minute ahead of eventual thirdplaced Chris Higgs and Daymon Nicoli (Mitsubishi EVO 6).

The latter pair battled with Justin Walker and Blaise McNamara (Escort), who finished ahead in the second heat.

Rounding out the top five in the event were Warren Lee and David Lethlean in their EVO 9, allowing Lee to stay in touch with Walker for second outright in the

Victorian drivers’ title chase.

JJ Hatton and Nathan Long (Hyundai i20) were fourth at the end of day one, but didn’t make it through the first stage on the second day.

They joined the other highly seeded crew, Darren Windus and Joe Brick (Subaru GC8), on the sidelines after they retired much earlier with a driveshaft failure.

Also part of the event was the Victorian Rally Clubman Series over 65 competitive kilometres, where Cody Richards and Matthew Dillon (Escort) took out top honours over Daryl and Paul King (Toyota Corolla) and Brian Newton and Ryan Price (Honda EG6). GOB

THE PENULTIMATE round of the West Australian Rally Championship, the Darling 200, was won by Steve Oxley and Michael Wood on September 14.

In their Subaru Impreza WRX STi, they won ahead of first-time rally competitor Peter Major, who had Kim Screaigh co-driving a Mitsubishi EVO 7, and thirdplaced Barry McGuinnes and Stephen Wade (WRX).

While the championship had already been won, the battle was on for runner-up, with Ben Searcy and Craig Rando tied coming into this blind rally.

The 26 crews were issued with a road book – a recce ws not permitted, which meant no pace notes for the 115km event run out of Jarrahdale.

Champion John O’Dowd opted to skip the event due to also competing in the ARC with his Skoda R5.

Setting the pace was John Macara in his first rally for the year, with Ross Burton co-driving their EVO 7.

Macara was delayed 40min with an electrical fault on the third stage, given a late time, and went on to win stage four. He was later forced into retirement with a radiator issue.

Oxley took over the lead, which he maintained to the finish.

Searcy and Marquet (EVO 9) finished fourth in their EVO 9, scoring enough points to place second in the championship on their own.

Rivals Rando and Matt Scafidi lost 20min on stage three when they overshot a corner and beached their WRX. In 2WD, first-year competitor Glenn Alcorn took his first win, despite he and Shaun McMacken having trouble with second gear in their Ford Escort and later enduring leaking coolant and a slow puncture.

Second were Razvan and Iaona Vlad (Ford Fiesta ST), who went to the top of the 2WD series points, while Alex and Lisa White (Nissan Silvia S13) were third and are now second in the title hunt.

Clubman Cup was contested over the first three stages and went to rookie Anthony Chudleigh and Tim Wright (Ford Fiesta ST150) ahead of Steve Vass and Ashely Burton (Datsun 1600) and Dermy O’Donovan and Jonathan Charlesson (Mitsubishi Mirage).

In Clubman Masters, also over the shortened format, Lance Stringer and Chris Parish (Nissan Silvia) took the win, also taking the class for the year. GOB

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Image: Radical Cup Australia

Image: Brian Shanahan

HIGHLAND PARK BRINGS PERINI A RADICAL WIN

Image: Swan Racing

MOZZIE SWATS KHANACROSS DRIVING HIS nearly 30-year-old Mozzie special buggy, Chris Granger won the 2019 CAMS M.I.D Support Australian Khanacross Championship following his overall effort at the two-venue, 14-test event on September 21-22.

Class F (for Group 4H specials) rival Bill Brown, driving an Arthur Jackson special buggy, finished second.

Brad Clarke driving a Subaru Impreza WRX took third and was the first of the Class G Production 4WDs. Brown was leading at the end of the first day after blitzing the other competitors on the tarmac surface at Ringwood Motorsport Park.

However, mechanical issues on Sunday paved the way for Granger to claw back the 20s needed to gain the win at the gravel-surfaced Awabawac Park.

Fourth outright and second of the 4WDs was Evan Vale (Subaru Forester) ahead of Stephen Turner (Mitsubishi Mirage), who won Class D for 2.0-3.0-litre 2WDs. Next was Richard Hunter (WRX) from Josh Leask, the Class E O3.0L winner.

Subarus took the next three places to complete the top ten of the 39 entries, with Aaron Wuillemin ahead of Aron Elliott and William Swan. Eleventh spot went to top junior Heath Barry (Class B 1.3-1.6L Nissan Micra), while Stephanie Brown (Jackson Special) was the Ladies’ victor. GOB

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THE FINAL round of the Radical Australia Cup at New Zealand’s Highland Park was a two-way battle between teammates, and it was Chris Perini who emerged the series winner over three-time champion Peter Paddon.

Before the weekend of September 28-29, former motorcycle racer Perini had an eight-point advantage over his Garth Walden Racing teammate, who won the first 50-minute race and reduced that margin to just three points heading into the final race of the sixth round.

Kostinken Pohorukov finished in third spot ahead of Paul Braico, Peter Clare and Brad Neilson.

Several safety car periods helped those who recorded longer compulsory pitstops, but not Stephen Champion, who

instigated one of the the periods when he crashed.

The result set up an intriguing finale, as Perini needed to finish ahead of Paddon to take the title.

Safety cars again played an important role.

Sitting second when the last appeared, a fast restart from Perini saw him get level with Paddon before going ahead when the latter slipped off the track.

Perini held on to take the race win ahead of Mitchell Neilson, while Paddon crossed the line third to secure second for both the round and the season.

Pohorukov placed fourth, which was enough for him to be third in the series, and gave GWR an overall one-two-three result. He was chased to the line by Clare and Brad Neilson. GOB

MOTORKHANA LAURELS TO WUILLEMIN AARON WUILLEMIN has won the 2019 Australian Motorkhana Championship.

Held in Bendigo on October 5, the event attracted a large field from as far afield as WA and Queensland.

Wuillemin, driving his Honda-powered W-OO3 special, faced stiff opposition from defending champion and sisterin-law Corinne East-Johnston (Honda Special). The two traded fastest times for the first half of the event before a flag penalty for East-Johnston allowed Wuillemin to get a small break. The final margin was just over 6s, five of those being for the flag.

Third went to multiple champion Scott Bennett from Perth. His own Turben Special struck trouble early on and he finished the day in a borrowed car.

Bennett was 10s behind second place and just 3s clear of Daniel Wuillemin, Aaron’s brother, sharing the same car.

Next was Mike Excell, Supercars

mechanic and builder of his own very clever (and light) Honda Special.

In production cars, Reece McIntosh upset the form guides by being fastest in a Class D car. The biggest, heaviest and least-manoeuvrable cars are in this class, so his top-10 outright finish would have surprised many.

Class A went to Matthew Webb from Greg Dobson, both in Minis; Class B was won by Wayne Casey from Paul Fraser, both in MX5s; Class C went to Brian Shanahan (Nissan Pulsar) from Stephen Turner (Mitsubishi Mirage); McIntosh won Class D with Terry Scharf (Skyline) next; and Jeff Salmon was the only entrant in Class E for AWD cars.

First lady driver was East-Johnston from Samantha Collier (Renault Special) while Bradley Harry (Starlet) led home Declan Webb (Mini) in Juniors.

Bruce Moxon

Image: Grahame Logg

HAY SHINES AT HUNTLEY ON A freshly laid bitumen surface at Huntley Hill, Ron Hay was fastest overall in the eighth and final round of the NSW Mantic Clutch Hillclimb Championships on September 21-22.

The victory sealed second in the series behind Malcolm Oastler, who had already taken the title and wasn’t competing.

In his Formula Libre Over 2.0-litre custom-built V8 Synergy Dallara, Hay put in a best run of 21.90s, which was 1.51s faster than the nearest of his 44 rivals.

Wayne Penrose was second overall and best of the tin tops in his repaired O3.0L Sports Sedan VW Beetle after its crash at round two.

Third went to Warren Bell (blown V8 Datsun Stanza), who set a new Time Attack benchmark. Next was Greg Thompson (Road Registered 4WD Nissan Skyline GTR) from James Pearson (Mazda RX7), who shaved 0.7s off his own Production Sports O1.6L class record.

Kendall O’Connor (Mazda MX-5) was quickest in Open/Closed Sports from Greg Jones (GSL Clubman), after a year-long battle with little between them. Production Sports was

won by Ron Gallagher (Toyota 86) from Barrie Coady (Toyota Celica).

Josh and Louise Hayes (Fiat X19) suffered engine issues in Sports Sedans U1.3L, but before the bottom end came knocking Louise won the class. Sports Sedans 1.3-2.0L went to Jo Bell from David Wrightson, both in Minis. Late Model Improved Production (excluding 4WD) saw Brandon Leggett (Commodore) come out on top of Geoff Brisby (HSV). The 4WD class was comfortably won by Tim Blake (Subaru Impreza WRX).

The Road Registered nonlogbooked U2.5L class had been a see-saw battle all year between Graham Orr (Honda CRX) and Garry Christopherson (Westfield), but Orr won the round and the season.

The O2.5L class belonged to top junior Riley MacQueen (Commodore) in 13th outright, ahead of David Deaves (HSV).

Of the non-registered competitors, U2.5L was won by Ben Ford (VW) and O2.5L went to Nathan Monkhouse (Commodore).

Historic Group U saw Daniel Pauperis (Porsche) take the honours.

James Pearson

Image: David Jowett

MARTIN CHALKS UP NUMBER FIVE THE FINAL round of the Trydel Up & Go Victorian Hillclimb Championship at Mt Leura on September 22-23 went to David Mahon, but the 2019 title was taken by Garry Martin, for the fifth time in a row.

The Ballarat Light Car Club hosted the seventh round with the cooperation of the local council, and this volcanic hill with its fabulous views of the surrounding countryside was closed to the public for the second time this year for a weekend of motorsport.

With the outright contenders separated by just one point, it was the most exciting finish to the championship in recent years.

Martin (Martin A16) was leading and, although everyone improved on the second day, held his lead with a penultimate run of 28.20s before Mahon (Dallara) came from behind on the final run with a 28.12s to claim FTD. Michael Bishop (Hayward 19)

completed the podium, while Mike Barker (Hayward 06), who had led the championship by one point, finished fourth, and was title runnerup ahead of Mahon.

With Kevin Mackrell making a rare appearance in his Chev-powered 4WD Datsun 260Z, it was a safe bet that he would be fastest tin-top, and he didn’t disappoint, with a best run of 30.66s.

The close battles for class championships continued, with Mark Baldwin (Honda Civic) taking Improved Production 1601-2000 ahead of Stephen Lambrick (Proton Satria). Darren Odgers (Mini Cooper S) clinched the Sports Sedan title ahead of David Cantwell (Civic).

In Improved Production up to 1600cc, Ian Grinter (Cooper S) took the title from Maurice Harper, who finished third on the day behind his wife Linda. Fastest Lady was South Australian Sarah Pfeiffer (Mallock U2) in 17th outright. Gary Hill

LAKESIDE ROARS AT LAST, after disputes over noise and neighbors, Lakeside Park again echoed to the sounds of cars racing at the Lakeside 300 on September 28-29.

HISTORIC TOURING CARS

HOLDEN TORANAS ruled, with five wins in as many races.

Peter Baguley won the opener in his XU-1, ahead of Graeme Wakefield (Ford Mustang) and Martin White (Ford Falcon Rallye Sprint), who just held off Simon Phillips (XU-1).

Aftyer that, though, it was Phillips who was the leading light, getting ahead of Baguley after a couple of laps of race two and from that point leading every sprint race on offer.

Baguley was a close second in races two, three and four, where White, Wakefield and David Streat (XU-1) notched up third places.

The last was a handicap, where David Waddington (Ford Cortina) led at the start before being passed by Jim Waugh (BMW).

The latter led up to lap seven, when Phillips assumed the lead. Baguley followed through a lap later, relegating Waugh to third ahead of Waddington.

QR SPORTS & SEDANS

ON HIS maiden venture to the daunting circuit, Lachlan Gardner (Tundra OzTruck) had

Image: MTR Images

TRACK ATTACK EXCEL CUP

a memorable weekend weekend, qualifying fastest and winning four of the five races. Only in race two, where rain fell while he was waiting slick-shod on the pre-grid, did it not work so successfully.

Gardner didn’t have the grip on the wet track to stay with race winner Sam Collins (Nissan Silva V8), who could only chase the OzTruck home to place second in the other encounters.

Scott McLennan (Mitsubishi Mirage Turbo) finished third overall as he and Jonathon Reynolds (Honda S2000) split thirds three to two.

In the Utes, Harrison Barker (Holden Commodore) came through for his first win and backed up later for another, but Scott Tamati (Ford Falcon) also had two wins and Brendan Exner (Falcon) netted one as well.

THE SEVENTH round was really between Broc Feeney, fastest qualifier Darren Whittington and Brett Parrish, who squabbled over first tthroughout the weekend. Each had their turns at leading races, with Feeney emerging the overall winner with three race wins.

Whittington and Parrish scored one each and ultimately tied on points for second overall.

Meanwhile, there was also plenty going on behind them. Points leader Scott Green finished fourth overall after carding three fourths, a third and a fifth, battling with the Oscar Comley, Michael Smith, Josh Richards and Holly Espray.

QUEENSLAND TOURING CARS THE FIFTH round started out with fastest qualifier Chris Brown (Holden Commodore) taking out race one ahead of Chris Sharples (Holden Monaro) and Piers Harrex (BMW E30). But after that, heading the field and the A1 class was Sharples.

MRA SEASON FINALE

After Pellicano dropped out of the final, Stewart took over second until an engine problem stopped him. Cogger recovered to be second, from David Fimeri (CKR).

CLUBMAN

THE FINAL round of Motor Racing Australia’s 2019 season was at Sydney Motorsport Park’s Druitt circuit on October 5.

JAMES DICK led race one early, being passed mid-way by Peter Gates, both driving PRBs. Dick won the second and third races. Graham Robertson (Janene) secured third in the opener. Jos Kroon (PRB) netted second in races two and three from Gates.

SERIES X3 EXCELS

WIL LONGMORE took pole and won all three races, but it wasn’t without having to work for it. He led the first race throughout, with Preston Bruest and Jackson Noakes in close attendance. In race two Paul Quinn took the fight to Longmore, heading the field at times but Longmore always managed to lead at the line, taking this win from Quinn and Bruest.

Race three was led early by Quinn. The race was stopped at the end of lap two, with a car in the wall. On the restart, Quinn led again for the first two laps, giving way to Longmore, who just won from Quinn and the battling pair of Bruest and Noakes.

Nathan Rourke and Tony Moit, below, were winners in the final Motor Racing Australia. Images: Bruce Moxon

SUPERKARTS

THE POLESITTER was John Pellicano (Avoig Elise), but Tony Moit (Anderson Maverick) snared four race wins from four starts.

Aaron Cogger (Avoig) and Pellicano battled hard all day, culminating in a coming-

They encountered a slippery surface for race two, which caught several out at Hungry and left Sharples a very clear winner over Brown, who just edged out Brett Kennedy (Commodore). Brown DNF’d on the opening lap of race three, where Harrex eclipsed Kennedy for second.

Harrex was a clear second in the last two races as Kennedy filled third ahead of the dicing Stuart Walker and Leonard Meiers in their Commodores in race four. The latter two made it a three-way scrap for third in the last as they took the fight up to Kennedy.

Of the A2s, Mitchell Wooller (BMW E36) was the best in race one, Matt Haak (Commodore) in the second outing, and Walker in the remaining races.

It was Ford domination in the B class. Alwyn Bishop (BA Falcon) won the opener ahead of Mark Giorgio and Steven Harper in XR8s.

Mark Hyde (Ford Escort) came to the fore in race two and carried the form through in the following three races. GOB

together in the final that saw Pellicano end up in the gravel.

In the first race, Cogger and Pellicano were second and third; in race two it WAS Cogger

and Adam Stewart (Anderson Mirage) as Pellicano dropped down the order with a suspension problem; race three it was Cogger and Pellicano again from Stewart.

HISTORIC/INVITED/BRITISH SPORTS CARS

AN ECLECTIC field provided some good racing, with Nathan Rourke (Ford Falcon AU) taking three wins.

Dave Masing (Mitsubishi Lancer) had a difficult day. No grip in the wet qualifying meant a low starting place, but he drove up to second in the opening race from Robert Vide (Holden Commodore).

In race two, Masing started at the back after a fuel pump issue meant he was late onto the dummy grid. A fine drive up to second came to nought as his turbocharger wastegate stuck, ending his day. Second went to Parry Anastakis (Peugeot 205) from Attila David (Mazda RX4), with the same result in the final race. Bruce Moxon

“Coming up at the nation’s action and spectator tracks” Wakefield Park

www.wakefieldpark.com.au October 17 Speed Off The Street/Test & Tune October 18-20 AMRS October 21 Anglo Motorsport – Formula Ford Experience October 24 Speed Off The Streets/Test & Tune October 25-27 24 Hours of Lemons

Winton

www.wintonraceway.com.au October 18 Test & Tune – Cars & Open Wheelers October 19-20 5 Litre & Saloon October 25 Test & Tune – Cars & Open Wheelers October 26 Fast Track October 27 Nugget Nationals

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NATIONALS wrap n compiled by garry o’brie

LYNTON WINS AT BIG KS EVENT ONE THOUSAND kilometres of scheduled racing was the catalyst for the Warwick 1000 naming of the Queensland Circuit Racing Championship’s third round at Morgan Park on September 28-29. Some of that distance was taken up with the second round of the Production Touring Cars endurance round.

PRODUCTION TOURING CARS

APART FROM a slow getaway, where the Wade Scott and Taylor Ter Horst Mitsubishi EVO 8 was the initial leaders, and the compulsory pitstops, the onehour race was all Beric Lynton in his A1 Class BMW M3.

Lynton covered 42 laps, one more than anyone else. Second went to Justin Anthony (A2 Mercedes AMG C63) by 2.7s over Brad Car (A2 BMW E92 M3).

Then followed Greg Symes (A1 EVO X), Robert Gooley and Maika Ter Horst (A1 EVO X) and Scott/Ter Horst.

One lap further away were seventhplaced Gerard Murphy in his Class B Holden Commodore SSV, while eighth went to David Homer and Lindsay Kearns in their Class D Ford Fiesta STi, finishing ahead of class rival Andrew Wilton (Toyota 86).

In the lead-up races, Lynton won Driver A ahead of Scott and Symes, and Drive B went to Anthony ahead of Lynton and Symes.

PRODUCTION SPORTS

WITH A sizeable points lead already, Wayne Hennig (Porsche 997 Cup Car) extended his margin with another round

victory and three race wins. He won the opener ahead of Steve McFadden (997) with Jeff Hume (Ginetta G50) just behind. Race two only went a couple of laps, red-flagged after a clash between Hume and race one fourth-placegetter Andrew Adams (Ginetta).

Hennig finished off with victories in the last two races over McFadden while Joe Barbagallo (Porsche GT3 Cup Car) recorded two thirds for the overall 2B Class win. Barbagallo had to work for them as he held off Chris Hatfield (RCR T70) in race three. Hatfield finished off with fifth behind Chris Ching and in front of Kevin Vedelago (997) in the last.

The 2F Class was taken out by points leader Shane Plohl (Mazda MX5) over Shane Freese (MX5).

CIRCUIT EXCELS

IT WAS a perfect round for Cam Wilson, who won the three races with relative ease and took overall honours ahead of Ian Harvey and David Wood.

The gap between Wilson and Harvey was 7.8s in race one, with Mark Goldspink filling third ahead of Cameron Bartholomew and Chris Donnelly. Kyle Evans was running as high as fourth until a moment at turn 10 dropped him to 22nd.

Wilson had a 3.5s advantage in race two over Harvey. Wood was third after Goldspink lost three places to finish behind Bartholomew and Donnelly.

Making up four spots, Seiton ConnorYoung was next. Behind Wilson in the third, Wood finished second, passing Harvey on the last lap. They

Beric Lynton dominated at Morgan Park.

Images: Trapnell Creations

were followed by Goldspink, Tyrone Gautier, Donnelly and Evans, who fought through from starting 17th.

Bartholomew failed to finish.

IMPROVED PRODUCTION

FOURTH ROUND honours with four wins from four races went to Zak Hudson (Mazda RX7). The series leader dominated over the BMWs driven by Jason Clements (E36) and Justin Wade (135i). Wade was second in race one ahead of Clements, who was runner-up in the next three.

Ashley Isarasena (RX7) started with a fourth and looked likely for a second in race two until a header broke, making it almost unbearable noise-wise, and finished third. He was fourth in the next and running competitively in the longer race until the tailshaft let go.

In under 2.0-litre it was Matt Dwyer (Toyota Celica) best overall ahead of Dale Riley and Greg Craig, both driving Toyota Corollas.

SPORTS SEDANS/TRANS AM/ INVITED

Cam Wilson three-wheeled to a clean-sweep.

HSRCA’S SPRING Meeting at Wakefield Park on September 28-29 saw smallish grids but plenty of good racing, and the bulk of the action came from the smallest field.

Just eight cars entered for Group N and certainly the four fastest raced hard all weekend.

David Stone put his Ford Mustang on pole from Wayne Rogerson (RX2), Dale Parry (Mustang) and Peter O’Brien (Ford Falcon GT), but made a poor start and stayed back, letting the others fight over the wins, not wanting to get involved.

Race one went to O’Brien from Parry, Stone and

PILOTING HIS Sports Sedan Mazda RX7, Shane Hart came out on top with two wins and two seconds, ahead Beau Hatton (BMW E30) and Adrian Blackwell (Holden Commodore). Hart finished in front of those two in all four races.

Phil Crompton had an ignition issue with his Ford Mustang and missed the first race. However, he went on to win

Rogerson. Race two to O’Brien over Parry, Rogerson and Stone. O’Brien crossed the line first in race three but was penalised for a jumped start.

Rogerson had been in a fierce battle with Parry all race, getting the Mazda’s nose ahead a couple of times and then getting a hit for his trouble. Parry was penalised 45s for the contact, so second went to Stone behind Rogerson, then O’Brien and Paul Tierney (Holden Torana XU-1).

The final two races had the same results: O’Brien from Parry, Rogerson and Stone.

David Stone also had trouble with his Sports 2000 March, retiring with a misfire early in the fourth race, after showing good speed.

Four of the five races in this group (Q and R Racing and Sports) went to Daniel Nolan (Nola Chev). Peter Warren (March 80A) took three second places and Malcolm Oastler Images: Bruce Moxon (Kaditcha) also scored a couple.

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the final two races ahead of the other Sports Sedans.

Shane Wilson (Ford Mustang) eclipsed Grant Wilson (Chev Camaro) for a first up fourth. The latter reversed the result in race two, before two fifths ahead of his Mustang rival.

HISTORIC TOURING CARS

MATT CLIFT posted four wins in four races, and problems for his opposition made it easier for the Mazda RX2 pilot.

Rod Cannon, who qualified second, was eliminated by gearbox issues in his Ford Falcon GT and fellow XY driver Russell McDowell was also beset with problems, fuel initially and then stuck in gear, yet still was second overall.

Phil Spence (Holden Monaro) was third ahead Warren Tegg (Holden Torana XU-1), while Kevin Heffernan (XU-1) didn’t finish race one, but struck back for a couple of seconds for fifth overall.

SUPERKARTS

FASTER THAN ever at round five, Tim Weier (250 International Anderson Maverick) qualified fastest and won all encounters ahead of John La Spina and his new Anderson.

Third went to Jonathan Bothamley (125cc Anderson/TM) after he was in the top three on two occasions. Doug Amiss (125cc Anderson) was third in races one and two but clutch failure stopped him finishing the third and a startline incident put him out of the last.

In the 85cc class it was Scott Jamieson (Tony Kart) from Drene Jamieson (Gladiator Yamaha) and Jack Westbury (Birel KZ).

RACING CARS/FORMULA FORDS/FORMULA VEES

THEY MAY have suffered a DNF each, but the racing cars were still the race winners. Chris Farrell (Swift 014) scored three victories while Blake Varney (Dallara F304) won one and was second in the other two.

Greg Fahey (Van Diemen) finished second twice but he also had a DNF that left him third of the Formula Fords behind Gary Goulding (Vector) and Geoff Karger (Reynard). Brian Pettit (Minetti SSV1 sports car) also finished ahead of him, in fourth outright. Best of the Vees was Garry Hook (Sabre).

GEMINIS/SALOON CARS/ HQ HOLDENS

SALOON CARS led the way, with Brock Mitchell (Ford Falcon AU) winning each outing from Jamie Manteufel (Holden Commodore VT). Ramon Connell (AU) bagged all the thirds ahead of Gary Bonwick (AU) and Cameron Klee (VT).

Brandon Madden scored a few sixth outrights and was the leading HQ ahead of Joe Andriske. Brad Schomberg netted a couple of thirds but also some DNFs. Mark Gray led the Geminis before Arren Heeley toppled him in the last.

GOB

QUANTITY DIDN’T COUNT Earlier, Racing and Sports Cars, Groups M and O, were all won by Elfin products – appropriate in the 60th year of the legendary Adelaide marque.

Paul Hamilton (600) netted the first, second and fourth races, Norm Falkiner (Mono) the other two.

Race four might have gone to Falkiner too, but he spun away his lead, allowing Hamilton past, but still held on for second. Les Wright’s enthusiastic punting of the front-engined Dalro Jaguar Special was a highlight of these races, the big car finishing well up.

Formula Ford was dominated by Tom Tweedie (Van Diemen RF86), winning five from five. Jamie Larner and Kieran McLaughlin (RF89s) battled hard over second place, sharing the places.

In Formula Vees, things were less certain, with three wins going to Nigel Jones (Rennmax) and two to Pete Iredale (Mako).

Group S had four races, three going to Wayne Seabrook (Porsche) and the other to Doug Barbour’s similar car. Bruce Moxon

Brought to you by:

racefuels.com.au

FIVE TITLES DECIDED FIVE CHAMPIONS were crowned at the fifth and penultimate round of the Tasmanian Circuit Racing Championships at Symmons Plains on October 6.

State Championship regulations don’t allow points to be allocated if a national category is on the same weekend. With both the Hyundai Excel and Improved Production Nationals scheduled on the same day as the final round at Baskerville next month, both classes had to be finalised a round early.

HYUNDAI EXCELS

THE VICTORY was sweet and hardearned for Josh Webster in his third year of racing. The 17-year-old led the title and only needed to finish fourth or better to clinch his first championship.

Reigning champion Peter Kemp and Webster battled hard, with Kemp winning all three heats. In the double-points final, Webster was more conservative and dropped off the pace with the championship in mind, claiming the title despite not winning a race in the final round.

IMPROVED PRODUCTION

FOR MATTHEW Grace, the championship was destined to be a shootout with former multiple champion Leigh Forrest, with only nine

Scott Cordwell lit up Symmons Plains on the way to title victory. Matthew Grace held off Leigh Forrest in Improved Production.

Images: Angryman Photography

points separating the pair at the start of the day.

Brad Chick (Holden Commodore) was the pacesetter while Grace (Nissan 200SX) finished in front of Forrest (Toyota Celica Turbo) in the first heat. Forrest was forced out with an engine fire in the second heat.

Grace had the state title in his keeping, which was just as well as he broke the gearbox in the final.

SPORTS GT

STEPHEN NOBLE (Nissan 350Z) only needed to turn up to win the Sports GTA title. Apart from lowering his colours to Liam Hooper (Subaru Impreza WRX Sti) on a damp track in the first heat, Noble was unchallenged for the rest of the day.

It was a battle royale for GTB honours, with series leader Adrian Martin (Toyota Supra), Honni Pitt (Lotus Exige) and David Wrigley (Ford Mustang) all within a handful of points of each other. The fast, open layout suited Wrigley’s Mustang best and he won all four races to take the equal series lead with Pitt, who had to settle for second placings. With two thirds and two fourths, Martin saw his previous lead slip to a 10-point deficit.

Scott Smith won last year’s GTA title, but this season ran a Porsche 964 in GTC. The switch proved a

successful one, clinching his second title in succession.

FORMULA VEES

REIGNING CHAMPION Nino Bocchino (Elfin Crusader) made one of his rare appearances and showed why he was last year’s champion, leading almost all day for a clean sweep of wins. The only time he looked challenged was in the early stages of the first heat on a damp track, where he had to come from behind to win.

Championship leader Justin Murphy (Polar) qualified on pole, but had to settle for third places, with youngster Callum Bishop (Gerbert) splitting he and Bocchino to slightly narrow the points gap.

HQ HOLDENS

THE IAN Beechey Perpetual Trophy

Handicap featured as part of the points mix and produced a thrilling end. Joe Rattray finished strongly to win by just 0.13s from rookie Alex Bird, who looked set for his first race win with 200 metres to go.

Backmarker Otis Cordwell was a close third in a blanket finish, 0.04s behind.

The other heats and final were tight, with Rattray and Andrew Toth scoring two wins each. Series leader Otis Cordwell was never far away and only a handful of points now cover this trio in the series standings.

HISTORIC TOURING CARS

SCOTT CORDWELL wrapped up the championship in his Holden Torana XU-1 with a solid string of second places behind the awesome Ford Mustang driven by John Talbot.

Martin Agatyn

HIDDEN VALLEY LIGHTS UP NIGHT RACING returned to Hidden Valley on September 28 after a four-year hiatus with the Top End Electrical Circuit meeting. It was typical Darwin weather, very muggy but likely to more comfortable out of the burning sun.

Commodore Cup numbers were up, but Brad Fullwood was still the driver to beat.

Fullwood took out the three contests, firstly ahead of David Ling, and then in front of Gavin Pocock, who finished second overall ahead of Geoff Cowie.

The last race was very close between Fullwood and Ling until the latter pulled out with dramas only a couple of laps from the end. Third-placed Cowie, Alan Langworthy and Ian Roots were split by just 0.17s.

With three wins, Marion ‘Scab’ Bujnowski was king of the HQ Holdens. He won the first race ahead of his son, Dylan, with Rossi Johnson third. Steven Ling was a non-finisher and out for the evening.

Image: Tim Nicol Johnson finished ahead of the younger Bujnowski in the next two outings for second overall.

Mazda 808 Turbo driver Tim Playford had no challengers in Improved Production as he took out all three encounters.

First up he won ahead of three Holden Commodores piloted by Barry Smith,

Tarmac Rallysprint Series Rd1, Sydney Dragway, Oct 17 World Time Attack, Sydney Motorsport Park NSW, Oct 18-19 Australian Motor Racing Series Rd5, Mazda RX8 Cup Rd5, GT-1 Australia Rd5, Formula 3 Series Rd5, Wakefield Park NSW, Oct 18-20 State Hillclimb Championship, Collingrove SA, Oct 18-20 Multi Club Khanacross, FNQ Rallysport Park Mareeba QLD, Oct 19 Club Khanacross, McIntyre Rd Whyalla SA, Oct 19 Multi Club Motorkhana, Boisdale Hillclimb VIC, Oct 19 State Rally Championship Rd6, Monaro Stages, Cooma NSW, Oct 19 State Clubman Rally Rd6, Monaro Stages, Cooma NSW, Oct 19 State Rally Championship Rd5, Rally North East TAS, Oct 19 Victorian Rally Championship Rd7, Akademos Rally, Alexandra VIC, Oct 19 State Off Road Championship Rd4, Nabiac NSW, Oct 19-20 70th Anniversary Autocross, Ballarat Light Car Club VIC, Oct 19-20 NT Titles Off Road Rd6, Mt Ooraminna NT, Oct 19-20 Multi Club One-Car Sprint, Reid Park Townsville QLD, Oct 19-20 Multi Club Supersprint, Morgan Park QLD, Oct 19-20 Alpine Classic Rally, Goulburn/Wagga NSW, Oct 19-20 Mt Tarrengower Historic Hillclimb, Butts Rd Maldon VIC, Oct 19-20 State Circuit Race Championships, Collie Motorplex WA, Oct 19-20 Radical Australia Cup Rd6, Highlands Motorsport Park NZ, Oct TBC State Supersprint Championship Rd6, Sydney Motorsport Park NSW, Oct 20 Multi Club Hillclimb, Upper Queens Domain Hobart TAS, Oct 20 Multi Club Khanacross, Mid Murray Motorplex SA, Oct 20 Club Motorkhana, The Quarry Bathurst NSW, Oct 20 Last Car Running, Multi Club Khanacross, Club Land Alcheringa Drive Buronga VIC, Oct 20 Multi Club Regularity Hillclimb, Ringwood Park NSW, Oct 20 Club Autocross, Rollinson Reserve Kyneton VIC, Oct 20 Club Motorkhana, Rob Roy Hillclimb VIC, Oct 20 Multi Club Khanacross, Millicent Saleyards SA, Oct 20 Multi Club Khanacross, Geelong Motor Sports Complex VIC, Oct 20 Lap Dash, Multi Club One-Car Sprint, Raleigh Raceway NSW, Oct 20 Multi Club Khanacross, Reef and Rainforest Track Whitsundays QLD, Oct 20 Vodafone Gold Coast 600, Supercars Championship Races 26 & 27, Porsche Carrera Cup Rd8, Australian GT Rd6, SuperUtes Rd7, Aussie Racing Cars Rd6, Gold Coast QLD, Oct 25-27 Multi Club Khanacross, Springmount Raceway Arriga QLD, Oct 26 SXS Championship Rd4, MV State Motorcycle Centre Broadford VIC, Oct 26 State Rally Championship Rd6, Experts Cup, Willington Dam WA, Oct 26 Multi Club Hillclimb, Collingrove SA, Oct 26

Ross Salmon and Jake Burgess. In the next, Salmon relegated Smith to third. Smith and Burgess were very close in race three while Salmon was fourth.

Craig Wright was the best of the under 2.0-litres in his Ford Escort. GOB

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BACK ON THE TOOLS? IT WAS literally all hands on deck down at Garry Rogers Motorsport after a Friday practice crash by Kiwi recruit Richie Stanaway threatened his chances of participating in qualifying later that day.

Here, Auto Action snapper Ross Gibb captures a bemused Rogers himself looking to have his hands full repairing the front end of the ZB, while crew chief Richard Hollway watches

to see what the colourful Supercars personality’s next move will be.

Rogers must have magic hands, as Stanaway did get out for the wet qualifying session and came oh-soclose to putting the #33 in the Top 10 Shootout.

Below is photographer Dirk Klynsmith’s sequence of the accident, which is a rarity in itself. Dirk getting a crash shot? No, never. HM

Answers to #1771 ‘Bathurst in the 70s’ crossword 1 across – Fitzpatrick 1 down – five hundred 2 across – five 3 across – Capri 4 down – Alan Hamilton 5 down – Brian Sampson 6 down – Allan Moffat 7 down – Jim Richards 8 down – Hardie Ferodo 9 across – Mazda 10 across – Peter Williamson 11 across – two 12 down – four 13 across – one 14 across – second

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