Auto Action #1787

PENSKE PLEDGE WE’RE HERE TO STAY SINCE 1971

..COM.AU COM C OM.A A AU

GRILLED & CHILLED FOGES VS F1 RACE BOSS Issue #1787 June 4 to June 17 2020 $8.95 INC GST

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CUT-PRICE SUPERCARS

GEN3 PLAN REVEALED

PROJECT BLUEPRINT WHEN COMMODORES RULED THE MOUNTAIN

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TP182CC AS CAST AND TP223 VALVE LIFT INTAKE EXHAUST

100 63.5 50.7

200 124.6 110.4

300 179.6 151.2

400 229.7 175.1

500 249.9 177.8

550 253.8 177.8

TP182cc Hi-Port Flow Figures - As Cast with CNC Chambers Flowed @ 28� - 2.080� intake 1.600� exhaust valve with a 4� bore VALVE LIFT INTAKE EXHAUST

100 65.8 56.7

200 131.8 109.3

300 190.1 155.8

400 233.7 178.0

500 262.3 181.0

550 270.9 181.8

TP223cc Mid-Port Flow Figures - Fully CNC Ported Flowed @ 28� - 2.080� intake 1.600� exhaust valve with a 4.030�

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HIGH-QUAL IT AL Y IN

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400 248.5 186.6

500 289.9 217.4

550 298.5 222.9

600 307.4 226.2

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Intake Port Volume 196.4cc Exhaust Port Volume67.6cc Chamber Volume 55cc

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Intake Port Volume 196.4cc Exhaust Port Volume67.6cc Chamber Volume 55cc

650 313.8 228.2

700 315.5 230.4

750 800 317.9 317.9 232.0 232.5

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100KM SPRINTS FOR SUPERCARS RETURN

Image: LAT

Pits stops retained and reverse grids rejected as new format finalised

By BRUCE NEWTON SUPERCARS IS expected to soon announce a three-race format as the basis for the remainder of this season’s sprint events.

After a significant amount of debate, Auto Action understands the decision has been made to go with three 100km-120km races per event with one compulsory pit stop per race for a minimum of two tyres.

There will be one race on Saturday and two on Sunday, with the new format making its debut at Sydney Motorsport Park in late June.

The formats are understandably subject to potential change over the course of a season that currently extends to February

2021. The race distances at each round will be based on starting with a full tank of fuel.

At this stage, refuelling has been discarded, except for the Bathurst 1000 in October, which is the only confirmed two-driver enduro on the revised calendar issued two weeks ago.

That may change, with the Shahin-family owned The Bend making it clear it wants to be an enduro, as originally planned.

On the recommendation of the Supercars Commission, much of the data currently extracted from the cars has been canned for now.

Also, only two rattle guns – as opposed to the usual four – will be allowed for stops. That adds some tactical challenge to the scenario, as changing two tyres means about four seconds of

stationary time and four tyres more than seven.

At the moment only single compounds will be raced, but there is consideration of multiple compounds available in the future - potentially even mixing hard and soft compounds on a car during a race.

Auto Action understands compulsory stops won’t be allowed during safety car periods.

The grid for each race will be determined by a qualifying session run as close as practicable beforehand. AA expects qualifying formats to be different from Saturday to Sunday.

Before the COVID-19 lockdown forced a postponement of the season, most sprint rounds in 2020 were to comprise 2 x 200km races,

with both refuelling and tyre changes.

But the potential health issues and financial crunch triggered by the pandemic has forced Supercars to seek savings wherever possible.

Most races - including SMP – will be held over two days. In Sydney, a maximum 11 crew plus drivers will be permitted to attend the circuit. No spectators, team owners, Supercars management or media will be permitted entry.

There will be no support categories on the program either.

Reducing the amount of data available to teams is designed to discourage them from having engineers working remotely ‘on the couch’ on car set-up.

AA understands a variety of other format proposals were knocked on the head, but not

until after a significant amount of debate and lobbying. A Supercars Commission meeting last Thursday, in which all teams were represented, is understood to have been pivotal.

Those proposals included scrapping pit stops altogether, having a reverse grid race based on the results of the first race, and conducting all three races on Sunday.

However the majority judgement was that pit stops help enliven Supercars sprint racing, which can be pretty dull without them.

Reverse grid racing was ruled out on the basis that the potential for serious damage and cost was too high.

Limiting racing to Sunday didn’t appeal to telecaster Fox Sports, which was keen for Saturday action as well.

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PENSKE PULL-OUT RUMOUR REJECTED DJRTP boss says Supercars team is focussed on the “here and now”

By BRUCE NEWTON MOTOR RACING mogul Roger Penske has given no signal to his Australian Supercars team that he is considering an exit.

Rumours of a Penske withdrawal from DJR Team Penske have been circulating in the Supercars pitlane for months and are understood to have also reached Ford Australia, which is a key partner of the 2019 Bathurst and championship winning team.

While DJRTP managing director and minority owner Ryan Story told Auto Action he was aware of the rumours, he insisted there had been no discussions along those lines with the US. “No, our focus is clearly how we get back to racing.”

He said there was no attention being paid to the rumours internally.

“Of course there are rumours, I hear all sorts of rumours,” he said. “If you talk to someone like (Team Penske Racing president) Tim Cindric, he’ll tell you having worked for Roger and run his racing operations since the 2000s, he’s heard every rumour there is under the sun.

“I don’t speak for Roger Penske and at the end of the day rumours are what

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drives website clicks and all the rest of it. The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about.”

There have been a number of potential reasons cited for a possible pull-out by 83-year old Penske from Australian racing: His global automotive investments are being hammered by the coronavirustriggered economic turndown.

He’s said to have outlaid up to USD 300 million (AUD 450 million) to buy the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the IndyCar championship, only for the Indy 500 to be postponed because of COVID-19 And he’s been less than impressed by the homologation dramas surrounding the 2019 Ford Mustang Supercar, the Bathurst 1000 safety car drama that took a lot of gloss off the win, and the subsequent qualifying engine penalty that stripped star driver Scott McLaughlin of the Mount Panorama pole position weeks after the event.

“Our focus is on getting back to racing and trying to defend our drivers and teams championships. That is all our focus is on at the moment,” Story said.

“The world of motorsport has been rocked by this (COVID-19), you’ve

seen Formula 1 teams lay off staff and we have done everything we can to protect our workforce, as has a lot of other teams.

“It is a changing landscape but our focus is on the here and now.”

Penske bought into Dick Johnson Racing in 2014 as a promotional vehicle for his investment in the Australian automotive (primarily trucking) industries.

The team won the 2017 teams’ championship, the 2018 driver’s championship and swept both along with Bathurst in 2019.

Along the way Penske has become a huge fan of McLaughlin and has made it clear he wants to groom him for a career in IndyCar racing.

The Kiwi’s planned debut on the Indy road course in May was scuppered by the coronavirus lockdown. As yet, a revised date for McLaughlin’s US debut has not been set.

The suspicion had been that Penske would take McLaughlin to America fulltime in 2021, and depart Supercars at the same time.

DJRTP has a contract with McLaughlin to race Supercars next year, but Penske obviously can personally over-ride that arrangement if he wishes to. .

Channel 7 is in the running to replace Network 10 for the free-to-air broadcast rights to Supercars from 2021. Image: LAT

Image: LAT

Ricciardo and Norris linked to Supercars street races

7 AND SUPERCARS? CHANNEL 7 is emerging as the front-runner to be Fox Sports’ free to air partner in a new broadcast deal for Supercars.

Current FTA partner Network 10 is said to be uninterested in continuing on into a new deal because of its financial challenges.

Despite its own economic issues, Seven is understood to have moved to the forefront ahead of the Nine Network.

Supercars CEO Sean Seamer is deeply enmeshed in the negotiations for the new deal, which is due to kick off from 2021. Subscription channel Fox is understood to already be fundamentally onboard to continue.

Ironically if 7 does sign up, Seamer will have done the deal with his predecessor James Warburton, who now leads 7 and negotiated the six-year $241 million Fox/10 contract that started in 2015.

The new deal is not expected

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to reap the same financial gains because of the economic damage inflicted by the coronavirus.

Seven Network already has a deal with the Australian Racing Group to telecast TCR and other categories.

Warburton is an ARG board member and shareholder and also a shareholder in Supercars.

According to Auto Action sources, the Nine Network had a real interest in Supercars before it signed an extension of its deal with the National Rugby League (NRL).

That interest is now said to have subsided but not disappeared. A Nine spokesperson declined to comment when contacted by AA. In the modern Supercars era, 7 and 10 have alternated as telecaster of the category. Under the current deal, the 10 Network only telecasts key events live during the season.

One thing is certain for Supercars and that is an FTA partner will be required for the telecast of the Bathurst 1000 due to antisyphoning laws. BN .

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FUTURE MCLAREN F1 team-mates Daniel Ricciardo and Lando Norris are possibles to race as wildcards in high-profile Supercars events other than the Bathurst 1000.

Walkinshaw Andretti United coowner and McLaren CEO Zak Brown has enthusiastically endorsed the prospect of the pair co-driving at Mount Panorama, after Ricciardo joins the team in 2021.

But WAU co-owner Ryan Walkinshaw has gone further, suggesting outings for either or both of the two F1 stars could happen at other key events, either together or as solo entries.

“Obviously everyone wants to race at Bathurst and that’s the priority, but there are some other really, really good events such as Newcastle, Adelaide or the Gold Coast, where it would be pretty awesome seeing two superstars from Formula 1 running around our race tracks.

“We’ll be looking at all the different options and see how it pans out.”

Walkinshaw confirmed both Ricciardo – who joins McLaren from Renault in 2021 – and Englishman Norris – who has been a frequent Supercars Eseries competitor during the COVID-19 lockdown - had both already talked about the prospect of racing Australian tin-tops.

“If the time comes, if we can get the calendars to work, there is no doubt in my mind Zak will give it every shot possible,” said Walkinshaw.

“I know Zak has already had a discussion with Daniel and he has previously had a discussion with Lando as well. I don’t think there will be any lack of intent from the drivers or myself, Michael (Andretti – the third WAU partner) and Zak to make it happen.”

WAU ran a wildcard for IndyCar drivers Alexander Rossi and James Hinchcliffe at Bathurst in 2019.

Former McLaren F1 driver and two-time world champion Fernando Alonso has also been mooted as a potential Bathurst wildcard for WAU. “Zak can pay for that,” laughed Walkinshaw. BN .

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CUT-PRICE GEN3 PLAN

New initiatives to drive down cost of Supercars

By MARK FOGARTY THE COST target for the next-generation Supercars racer has been slashed by a quarter as the push for cheaper racing ramps up amid the coronavirus lockdown.

Supercars is now aiming for the Gen3 rules, due in 2022, to reduce the total build price per car to under half the current bill.

Rumours that Triple Eight supremo Roland Dane is planning his own cut-price design have been dismissed.

Auto Action has learned that the Gen3 target is now $300,000 a car, down from $400K – a 25 per cent cut.

A current Supercars racer costs between $650,000 and $700K to make.

Latest Gen3 planning is also to slash annual running costs, with a low-maintenance control V8 under consideration, along with more standardised mechanical components and heavily restricted data acquisition.

Engine savings alone are targeted at up to half, with the much cheaper motors lasting all season without a rebuild as well.

AA has also learned that Triple Eight Race Engineering has designed a new control chassis for Gen3, while DJR Team Penske has explored sweeping operational cost cuts.

Both teams are working on Gen3 under the direction of Supercars head of motorsport Adrian Burgess, who is in turn overseeing engine constraints.

As revealed last issue, Supercars is considering a control engine, with the Ford Coyote V8 a prime candidate.

It is understood the proposition of adopting a version of the Blue Oval’s five-litre race motor has been put to Ford Australia.

It’s also come to light that Supercars has acquired Ford Coyote and GM Racing ‘crate’ V8s to evaluate their suitability as potential Gen3 control engines.

Supercars senior executive John Casey, who heads the Gen3 working group, confirmed the accelerated and more cost-driven resumption of the project during the COVID-19 pandemic, which has brought racing to a halt since the

Image: Kelly Racing

mid-March Australian Grand Prix.

Triple Eight and DJRTP, the respective Holden and Ford homologation teams, were drafted to directly assist because they had excess capacity due to the lockdown.

Gen3 will adopt a new control chassis adaptable to a wide variety of body shapes, allowing small and large two-door coupes that – unlike the current Mustang – retain a close association with the look of the donor road car.

Reduced aero downforce, equalised air drag and more control components, including standardised front suspension uprights, are high on the agenda.

On-board electronics, especially real-time data-acquisition sensors, are also on the Gen3 hit list.

Triple Eight’s Dane confirmed his operation had conducted computer design work for Gen3 on behalf of Supercars.

“We’re not doing it off our own bat,” Dane told AA. “We’re giving Supercars some design input on the Gen3 car.

“We’re doing various tasks on the design for them so it (Gen3) didn’t come to a grinding halt.

“It’s all been on paper. We’ve done a whole lot of (computer) design work, both conceptual and practical.”

Dane also affirmed that the aim was to come up with a much less expensive control chassis design.

“Gen3 has always been about being cheaper,” he said. “The only reason you’d change is to take cost out of it.”

He warned that Supercars had to become leaner and more cost-efficient to survive the long-term economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The sport is not going to be at the same scale going forward,” Dane declared. “If you think that, you’re kidding yourself, whether it’s F1 or us.

“The fundamental approach to racing has to change.”

He referred further comment on Triple Eight’s Gen3 design role to Supercars’ Casey, who is leading the project.

Dane has been widely rumoured to have commissioned the design and construction of a low-cost MARC Cars-style silhouette V8 racer as a Gen3 proposal.

According to the speculation, his plan is for Triple Eight to produce a $300,000 car powered by a fixed-spec Coyote V8 and sheathed in road car-replica composite body panels, adaptable to a wide range of models.

Part of Gen3’s mandate has always been to facilitate two-door coupe body shapes such as the reborn Toyota Supra and forthcoming new BMW M4, as well as Mustang and Chevrolet Camaro.

However, Casey dismissed suggestions that Dane had gone ‘rogue’ with his own Gen3 design as “a conspiracy theory”.

GEN3 BOSS ON COST CUT PLAN GEN3 ARCHITECT John Casey has revealed that the coronavirus lockdown has unexpectedly accelerated planning for the next generation of Supercars.

According to Casey, who heads the Gen3 working group, the past several weeks have seen major progress, including much more aggressive cost reduction targets.

“We originally intended to suspend the planning program during COVID-19, but both homologation teams offered to help as they have engineering and operational staff available,” Casey told Auto Action.

“We’ve been busy on Gen3. We’re making more progress than we envisaged.”

Gen3 is aimed at securing the future of Supercars until late this decade.

Casey is working on Gen3 with

Supercars head of motorsport Adrian Burgess, and homologation team chiefs Ryan Story (Ford) and Roland Dane (Holden).

He confirmed that for several weeks, three streams of work had been going on under the direction of Burgess, whose duties include the category’s technical direction.

Triple Eight was given responsibility for a proposed design for “a new control chassis with lower cost base”, with the price target reduced from $400,000 to $300K per car.

DJR Team Penske has been investigating “other operational costs that we can take out of the system”.

Burgess and long-time Supercars engine consultant Craig Haystead are examining Ford Coyote and GM Racing V8s, examples of which

Supercars has obtained for testing as potential control motors.

“We haven’t come to a point of view,” Casey said. “For sure, they’re candidates.”

He emphasised that major acrossthe-board cost reductions now predicated the planned switch to Gen3 in 2022 “We’re doubling down on costs – from acquisition to operating,” he said.

Casey also explained that as well as making cars much cheaper to build and run with stricter controls on hardware, operational excesses had also been targeted.

“What are the things that have been introduced into the system that add to the cost, but not to the show?” he said, citing engine and chassis sensors as examples of superfluous technology.

“You need engineers to interpret

the data,” he noted. “No sensor, no engineer. Instant saving without affecting the show.”

Casey explained that as well as Ford and GM ‘crate’ motors, offthe-shelf V8 racing engines from Mopar (Chrysler), TRD (Toyota) and Mercedes AMG were also being considered.

Gen3’s aim for powerplants was “lower cost, longer service intervals, but don’t lose the character of Supercars racing – loud V8s”.

A control engine or heavily controlled engine specifications are in the mix of discussion for Gen3.

Casey revealed the aim was an engine cost of $50,000-70,000 (down from much more than $100K now), with motors producing 550-615 horsepower and lasting 8000-10,000 km or a full season before needing a major rebuild. MF.

NO F1 FEE FOR AXED AGP THE COST of the cancelled Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix will take months to calculate as race organisers work through all sorts of rebates, refunds and reparations.

The final bill will be revealed in the Australian Grand Prix Corporation’s annual report, normally released in late August or early September.

Recent annual losses of around $60 million could be offset by insurance coverage and the waiving of F1’s race sanction fee.

The Victoria government has confirmed that the hefty charge, believed to be more than $20 million, doesn’t have to be paid because of the event’s cancellation due to the coronavirus crisis.

AGPC still has to pay for setting up and dismantling the Albert Park circuit, which costs around $30 million, and refund ticket holders.

Sponsorship agreements and support race deals, including Supercars’ championship round, have to be adjusted.

Along with the scrapping of the F1 charge, which is formally known as a Formula 1 promoter’s fee, AGPC will get big money back from its insurance.

AGPC won’t reveal the exact terms of the indemnity, but the policy

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is believed to at least cover event cancellation.

Whether the terms include a pandemic is unknown, although Tennis Australia recently revealed that its insurance for the Australian Open included protection for such an event, which may be actioned if the 2021 tournament can’t go ahead because of continued COVID-19 international travel restrictions.

AGPC is refunding all 2020 ticket-holders – a disbursement of up to $40 million.

Last year’s AGP accounts listed ticket revenue as $38.6 million, with overall receipts – including sponsorships and corporate hospitality – amounting to $55 million.

That was offset by expenditure totalling $115.1 million, resulting in a ‘government investment’ of $60.1 million.

This year’s ticket revenue may have suffered because of the lack of walk-up sales on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

The final cost will be dictated by fixed expenditure versus refunds, minus the F1 rebate and insurance payout.

Image: LAT

AGPC has also clarified the terms of refunds to ticket-holders.

For four-day passes, the refund will be pro-rata for those who attended on the Thursday, when there was a full day of support racing track action.

The refunds will include booking and credit card fees.

F1 ‘Paddock Club’ and trackside corporate hospitality suite rebates are being negotiated separately. Mark Fogarty

STRICT SAFETY MEASURES FOR F1 RETURN

By MARK FOGARTY ALL FORMULA 1 team personnel and race officials will regularly tested for the coronavirus when racing resumes next month, with immediate off-site isolation for anyone who registers a positive Image: LAT result.

Auto Action has learned that team since the cancellation of the Australian Grand members, support staff, FIA and track officials, F1 Prix, is among the senior FIA officials who have workers and media will be subject to COVID-19 developed the requirements for the resumption. tests every 48 hours at each event.

AA’s European sources have confirmed that F1’s The checks will be linked to their electronic return will be subject to stringent testing and social passes, which will be turned off – barring access to distancing. the track – until testing is confirmed and a negative All personnel will have to be tested and cleared result returned. three days before travelling to a race.

As well, all F1 personnel will have to be cleared of At the event, they will be checked every 48 hours, the virus three days before their planned arrivals in with the FIA and F1 employing a rapid-result accordance with government requirements.

Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test.

The strict health protocols will also be enforced for Specially equipped ‘drop-in’ containers, like those F2, F3 and Porsche Supercup staff and participants used as temporary corporate hospitality facilities at when there are support races at European F1 sports events, will be used as medical centres. events.

The PCR tests will be policed by F1’s electronic F1 is set to resume with back-to-back events early pass system, which governs access to the next month at the Red Bull Ring in Austria, followed paddock. by similar formats at Hockenheim in Germany and Passes will be turned off, barring access, until the the Hungaroring outside Budapest. holders are verified as having taken – and passed – F1 is looking at cramming as many as 16-18 races the mandated checks. into the second half of the year, with the proposed Anyone who fails will be put in isolation, along season stretching into December. with those with whom they have been in immediate The FIA has developed a return to race plan for F1 contact. that emphasises strict health safety protocols.

The FIA and F1 are taking a tough line to protect F1’s Australian race director Michael Masi, who the integrity of F1 when it returns, making sure all has spent the pandemic lockdown in Melbourne precautions have been taken.

It is understood F1 teams and officials will be grouped in separated clusters at events, similar to a family group concept.

Each team will be allowed a maximum of 80 staff on site. All personnel are to be distanced, with no interaction between the teams.

It will be up to teams to manage their numbers and deployment if anyone is detected with COVID-19.

AA has also learned that a dedicated testing company has been engaged to limit the impact on the local area medical services and COVID 19 reactivity in the country.

It is understood that the FIA, F1 and the teams will choose to split into smaller groups (sub-clusters) to guard against a positive coronavirus test crippling their operations and minimising the possibility of a repeat of what occurred in Melbourne.

With a number of European countries slowly relaxing their mass gathering regulations, it is possible that limited crowds at a number of the events may be allowed sooner than first anticipated.

If spectators are allowed, the FIA and F1 will have to adjust, with distinct entry and exit points to maintain separation.

WILDCARD WILLIE? WILL DAVISON is being linked with at least two different Supercars championship wildcard bids as well as a co-drive in the Bathurst 1000 with Tickford Racing.

Davison lost his full-time Supercars drive in mid-May when Phil Munday’s 23Red Racing closed its doors because of the economic downturn triggered by the COVD-19 pandemic.

His drive in the Tickford Racing Ford Mustang was taken by James Courtney and sponsor Boost Mobile.

Davison has a group of his own sponsors including Doric and WD40 that could assist him in funding a wildcard entry into some of the sprint rounds in the re-scheduled calendar announced last month.

Tom Arciuli, the sponsorship boss of Doric parent the Alchin Long Group, said it would examine any proposal

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Davison came up with.

“Will has been our guy for 10 years and we want to support him through the crisis,” said Arciuli. “We will just work with Will and do whatever we can.”

In addition to the Tickford Racing codrive, Davison has also been sounded out to join at least one other team’s regular entry for the October classic at Bathurst.

Contacted by Auto Action, Davison advised he would speak publicly when his plans became firmer.

Meanwhile, Tickford continues to work toward 2019 Bathurst winner Alex Premat joining the team from his Las Vegas base for Bathurst, even though the Frenchman would have to undergo two weeks quarantine when he first arrived here.

Combine that with the test and the race and he would be in Australia for five weeks. BN

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SHANE VAN Gisbergen is back in Australia and undergoing 14 days quarantine at his Gold Coast home after spending the COVID-19 lockdown with his family in Auckland. The Red Bull Holden Racing Team star’s return to Australia ahead of the resumption of Supercars action was facilitated with the assistance of Queensland’s Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young, the Queensland Health Department and Supercars. BN

RICHO LOOKS OUTSIDE RACING Bathurst winner considers career after Team 18

By BRUCE NEWTON

TICKFORD RACING has been forced into an engineering adjustment because of the limit on personnel numbers attending race meetings in the COVID-19 era. Chief engineer Brad Wischusen, who took up that post in 2019 to oversee all four team entries, will be back on the tools looking after Jack Le Brocq in the Super Cheap Autos Ford Mustang when racing resumes at Sydney Motorsport Park in late June. He takes over from Tim White (pictured), who was only appointed to engineer the #55 this year. BN

TOYOTA HAS extended support of its 86 Racing Series down under for a further two years until the end of the 2022 season. Since 2016 the one-make series has been a popular Supercars Championship support, carrying a prize pool of $150,000, including $50,000 for first place. Next year the category will be known as the Toyota Gazoo Racing Australia 86 Series and will remain on the Dunlop rubber. Will Brown, Aaron Seton and this issue’s Young Gun Jimmy Vernon are among the drivers who have made a name in the series.

NETWORK 10 has dropped long-time Supercars reporter and commentator Matt White, who was also the head of sport for the network. White rejoined the 10 team in 2014 after previously working for the network in the early ‘90s, before becoming a Supercars commentator for Channel 7. Since returning to 10 White has led the broadcast team through the Melbourne Cup and the Rugby World Cup, and in recent months was the co-commentator alongside Neil Crompton in the Supercars All Stars Eseries.

MOTORSPORT AUSTRALIA has announced a partnership that will see a branch of the Ferrari Driver Academy based out of Sydney Motorsport Park. The Motorsport Australia Centre of Excellence is due to be completed at the Sydney venue in coming months and will become the Asia Pacific/Oceania base for Scuderia Ferrari’s global driver development program.

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FOUR-TIME Bathurst 1000 winner Steven Richards has admitted his future career may lie outside motor racing after losing his role with Supercars team owner Charlie Schwerkolt only months into a three-year contract.

Richards retired from Supercars racing after co-driving the Irwin Racing Holden Commodore ZB with Mark Winterbottom in the 2019 Pirtek Enduro Cup, to take up the role as Relationships Manager at Schwerkolt’s expanded two-car Team 18.

But Schwerkolt was forced to quietly sever ties with Richards about one month ago because of the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Richards has declared himself available if anyone is interested in a co-driver for the 2020 endurance season, which for now only definitely includes Bathurst.

“I’m no less current than any other driver because none of us have been doing any driving,” Richards told Auto Action.

“It’s more just to say I’d rather do that than be sitting on the couch.”

But with his own racing team wound down because of the Team 18 opportunity, the 47-year old says his professional life may require a new start outside racing.

“I think motorsport is looking to have a reset especially at the higher levels,” Richards said.

Image: LAT

“Ten or 15 years ago it was a really good, sustainable career. In light of all this I don’t know where all that sits any more.

“I gave up a lot this year to fulfil this (Team 18) role because I saw it as my future and all of a sudden my future doesn’t exist.

“So maybe I have to look at a future outside the sport.”

Richards is credited with 451 starts in his Supercars career, 12 wins and six pole positions.

The son of motorsport legend Jim Richards, he won the 1994 Formula Ford champion, contested the Australian Super Touring Championship and tested in the British Touring Car Championship.

Since ending his full-time Supercars career at the end of 2012, he has raced in the Carrera Cup and Australian GT with Porsche and BMW. Richards thinks the all-round experiences he has gained in the challenging motorsport

environment could help him in other roles.

“I’d like to use my expertise and knowledge and that crosses over to lots of things,” Richards said.

“Motor racing is such a magnified, competitive and detailed industry, that without even knowing it, over time you develop some pretty good processes and pretty good knowledge.

“There are lots of skills that could be applied in a lot of different industries.

“I am not sure at the moment. I am trying to take a bit of time at the moment to explore what those potential avenues maybe.

“But maybe I can apply all the things I’ve learned to a different industry.”

Richards has been filling in time since leaving Team 18 working for friends. Currently, he’s at a sanitising business.

His 20-year old son Clay is set to carry on the family racing tradition in a Formula Ford.

2020 SUPER2 RETURN FOR MSR?

By BRUCE NEWTON FORMER Super2 champion Matt Stone Racing is set to re-enter the Dunlop-backed development series.

The move comes as MSR ramps up its return to racing in late June in the Supercars championship at Sydney Motorsport Park.

MSR won the Super2 championship with Todd Hazelwood in 2017 before stepping up to the main game in 2018.

It withdrew from Super 2 this year to focus on its expansion to two cars in the championship.

But the COVID-19 pandemic has now played a role in MSR’s change of mind.

With an 11-staff cap for two-car teams at races when the championship resumes, some MSR personnel have shifted to the revival of the Super2 program.

The team’s two Triple Eight-built Holden Commodore VFs have also been refurbished in the pandemic-enforced Image: LAT break.

The pandemic also means a revised Super2 calendar in 2020 that will reduce the budgets required to get involved, potentially making it more attractive for drivers. in racing this year.” said Stone speaking before the calendar’s “I don’t know if we will get it done for this year, but we will publication last week. definitely look at jumping into Super2 as soon as we can with the The return of MSR would be a welcome boost for Super2, which cars that we have got and the staff that we have got,” confirmed opened in Adelaide with just 14 cars on the grid. team boss Matt Stone.

MSR owns a VF driven by Shane van Gisbergen in the “We have got our cars and equipment tuned up and ready to championship and another run by Tekno Autosports. The team also go and while it’s a bit hard without knowing the calendar, it is my owns an ex DJR Team Penske Ford Falcon FG X but that is unlikely intention to start reaching out to anyone who might be interested to appear.

COURTNEY:

ADDERTON IS NOT A “PUNCHING BAG” ENOUGH IS enough, it’s time to stop bagging Peter Adderton!

That’s the heartfelt plea from his friend James Courtney, who will step into a Tickford Racing Ford Mustang with sponsorship from outspoken Adderton’s Boost Mobile, when Supercars resumes at Sydney Motorsport Park in late June.

The livery of the car was revealed on the cover of the last issue of Auto Action.

“I think everyone needs to wind off spraying him a little and actually thank him, or see him for who he is, and not just a punching bag,” Courtney told AA. Adderton has been a friend, adviser and supporter of Courtney’s dating back to the days when he emerged from Karts as a junior world champion and wanted to go car racing.

At the start of 2020, he stepped in to back Courtney at the Webb family’s Team Sydney project.

But that deal only lasted through the Adelaide 500 before driver and sponsor elected to split with the team.

A plan to run a Boost-backed wildcard Holden Commodore ZB out of Erebus Motorsport then got scuppered by the COVID-19 pandemic.

But the pandemic also then forced 23Red Racing and naming rights sponsor Milwaukee Tool Australia out of the Supercars championship, allowing Courtney and Boost to step in and take over the seat previously occupied by Will Davison.

“A lot of people have sprayed Peter pretty hard over the years he has been involved in the championship and he is quite

outspoken,” said Courtney.

“But when you are successful, you can be.

“I think his belief in the sport and love for the sport can’t be questioned now.

“When other companies and people are pulling back and away from the sport he is putting his money where his mouth is and coming in.

“So he’s not only helping me with my decisions and the future of Tickford, but also saving … close to 15 jobs there.”

Adderton has generated plenty of controversy through the years.

He was a backer of the Australian Super Touring championship in the late 1990s with Alan Gow, Courtney’s long-time manager.

Adderton bullishly predicted the demise of Supercars at the time.

Now based in California, he’s been consistently linked in recent years with Supercars team ownership. However, he’s shied away and been critical of the multimillion dollar budgets involved.

At Bathurst in 2019, while Boost was naming rights sponsor of Garry Rogers Motorsport, he threatened to pull-out of the category if a control front upright was not made mandatory for 2020.

That was rejected by Supercars and Adderton ended his deal with GRM, which did not enter the category in 2020.

When the Tickford tie-up was announced, Adderton talked about his commitment to racing.

“These are very uncertain time’s for sports in general and motorsport in particular,” he said.

“In a sport traditionally funded by sponsors, it is more important than ever for brands to step up if they are able, not just for the future of the Supercars championship but the teams and the people behind them.

“I have been involved and supporting motorsport in Australia for over 20 years and to this day remain one of its biggest fans.”

Tickford Racing CEO Tim Edwards, a

key architect of the deal with Courtney and Boost, said the team was aware of Adderton’s strong views.

“He’s passionate – that’s probably a good way of describing him – and you’ve got to respect what he’s achieved in his life.

“I’m sure I’ll be having some robust conversations with him at some point, but hopefully not too often. If we perform maybe he’ll be less confrontational than he was last year.” BN

SUPER2 ANNOUNCE REVISED CALENDAR A RESUMPTION date and revised calendar has been confirmed for the second-tier Super2 Series, which will contest four further rounds in 2020.

Following on from Supercars’ confirmation a fortnight ago of its 11-event calendar kicking off at Sydney Motorsport Park in June, Super2 will play the undercard at four of those events starting at Winton on July 18-19.

A two-month gap follows before supporting The Bend Supercars round on September 19-20, then the Bathurst 1000 on October 8-11. Sandown hosts the final round on December 12-13, but the inclusion of these events is dependant on Supercars being compliant with the appropriate State and Federal government regulations.

Supercars chief operating officer Shane Howard explained that discussions continue to take place between government stakeholders, Super2 teams and commercial partners, to enable the season to be continued.

“The Dunlop Super2 Series is a very important member of the Supercars family and has been for 20 years,” Howard said.

“Further confirmation and information regarding the return of Dunlop Super2 will be made in the coming weeks.”

Super2 this year celebrates 20 years since its inaugural season, with Eggleston Motorsport’s Brodie Kostecki leading the series after Adelaide’s opening round, while Jayden Ojeda is ahead in the rookie standings. HM

2020 Super2 Calendar

• Truck Assist Winton • OTR The Bend • Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 • Penrite Oil Sandown

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18-19 July 19-20 September 8-11 October 12-13 December

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Image: Insyde Media

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A REVISED NSW Rally Championship calendar has been revealed with six events scheduled to take place in the back half of 2020. Rally of the Bay will kick off proceedings on July 4 at Batemans Bay, before travelling to the Narooma Forest Rally on August 1 and then Oberon will host the Caves Classic on September 5. Round 4 will see the series compete as a support to the Australian Rally Championship at the National Capital Rally in Canberra on September 26-27. The penultimate round will take place at Bombala on October 31st before the season concludes on November 28 at a venue yet to be determined.

Image: LAT FORMER AUSTRALIAN Carrera Cup Series winners Matt Campbell and Kiwi Jaxon Evans will team up to take part in the Virtual 24 Hours of Le Mans. The housemates will be joined by sim racers Mack Bakkum and Jeremy Bouteloup in the #92 Porsche 911 RSR car, in a field of 50 cars.

The virtual event will take place on June 13-14 when the real life Le Mans race was scheduled before it was pushed back to September 19-20 due to the global pandemic. Famous names taking part in the virtual Le Mans include Charles Leclerc, Max Verstappen, Lando Norris and Fernando Alonso.

THE VICTORIAN Off Road Racing Association (VORRA) has announced the cancellation of the Rainbow Desert Enduro 560 for 2020, due to the ongoing pandemic restrictions. The event was scheduled to be the penultimate round of the series with more than 70 competitors and crews expected from around the country. This is the second event of the AORC that has been cancelled after the Tatts Finke Desert Race.

THE INDYCAR Series has announced a revised calendar. Road America has been rescheduled as a doubleheader on July 11-12, forming the third round of the series. Two events have been cancelled, the Richmond Indy 300 on June 27 and Indy Toronto, which has been replaced by Road America. The traditional season-opener at St Petersburg will now be the IndyCar finale on October 25 after being postponed in March.

Racing gets underway on the June 6 at the Texas Motor Speedway.

THE SECOND running of the Suzuka 10 Hour has been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Japanese event was scheduled take place on August 20 as the second round of the Intercontinental GT Challenge (IGTC) following on from the opening round the Bathurst 12 Hour.

Promoters of the IGTC, SRO Motorsports Group are looking at a replacement event in Asia with a decision expected to be made by the end of June.

The next scheduled round is the Indianapolis 8 Hour on October 2-4 as support to the IndyCar Series.

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BATHURST INTERNATIONAL DETAILS REVEALED A NUMBER of announcements have been made in regards to the Bathurst International scheduled to take place in November, including a prospective format for the four-day event.

As previously reported, the Bathurst 6 Hour production car event will join the schedule at the International to be held on November 12-15.

Australian Racing Group CEO Matt Braid revealed plans to hold the 6 Hour event on Saturday, leaving Sunday free for the previously announced categories to compete.

“The Bathurst Regional Council has kindly agreed to extend it to a four-day event which will be fantastic, it will be absolutely loaded with categories, the 6 Hour race and various support categories,” said Australian Racing Group CEO Matt Braid.

“The schedule is being finalised but we do anticipate that we will run the 6 Hour production race on the Saturday and have the Bathurst International focus categories on the Sunday of the event.”

These focus categories include the S5000 Australian Drivers’ Championship, Touring Car Masters, Trans Am Series and TCR Australia Series.

Originally the TCR Series was set to run a nonseries endurance event at the legendary Mount Panorama circuit during the event, but now it has

morphed into a TCR Australia Series sprint round.

“The intention was to make it an enduro, but on the basis of condensing two events into one weekend, that was made difficult,” Braid said.

“The attractiveness of an enduro particularly when you have got international teams and drivers coming is one thing, (but) we weren’t able to offer that this year so on that basis given the costs involved, we decided to make it a sprint round of the series.

Intentions are to run the event in future with the TCR endurance race as one of the leading components of the meeting.

“A TCR endurance event at Bathurst is a fantastic feather in the cap for any series, we are going to make sure it is going to be a big event this year,” Braid explained.

“With the current situation the international and endurance components are not possible but certainly in 2021 and beyond it will be a cornerstone of the event.

“In saying that we are talking to some international drivers for a couple of categories and certainly some of the NZ TCR teams about whether they would be able to come and make that event.”

Although travel restrictions still remain for international teams and drivers, Braid hasn’t ruled out the possibility of overseas competitors joining

the November event if regulations are eased.

S5000 is another category that is affected by the current situation. Four international drivers had been aiming to join the championship, but in a positive step, Braid confirmed the class has received the all-clear to race at The Mountain.

“S5000 will be running at Bathurst, we have got confirmation from Motorsport Australia and that has been in place for some time now,” he confirmed.

“We have got 14 cars available, from our point of view we are probably looking at twelve cars, that will be the logical number if we take out the two wildcards that are probably not going to eventuate.

“It could be as high as 14 if we get some other local entrants that want to participate but realistically, I think 12 cars will be the likely number.”

At this stage it is still unknown whether crowds will be able to attend the event, which Braid promised will go on with or without spectators.

“The Bathurst International event will be big, the crowd issue is still to be determined but even if there is no crowd, we will definitely be running at Bathurst that weekend,” he said.

“We’ll be putting on a show with all the categories we have in our arsenal, plus others.”

Dan McCarthy

TASSIE DOUBLE-HEADER FOR ARG THE AUSTRALIAN Racing Group (ARG) has announced a radical new six-round calendar, which has its categories returning to racing on August 15, before concluding at the end of January 2021.

The calendar contains a mixture of ARG run events and selected rounds of the Shannons Motorsport Australia Championships, with all six events to be televised live and free on the Seven Network.

“It’s been an unprecedented crisis and its effect on motorsport all around the world has been huge,” said ARG CEO Matt Braid.

“Through it all, we are really pleased that we are able to confirm a condensed, dynamic racing schedule combining fresh new events along with racing at some of Australia’s best circuits, all to be delivered into every Australian home via our broadcast partner, the Seven Network.”

The first three events on the calendar are run as part of the Motorsport Australia Championships, with the season kicking off at Sydney Motorsport Park. This two-day event in the middle of August will be followed by a trip down south to Sandown in September and Phillip Island in October.

The inaugural ARG run Bathurst International will play host to Round 4 from November 12-15 at the legendary Mount Panorama Circuit.

The event has been extended to four days to accommodate the re-scheduled Bathurst 6 Hour, which was to have taken place on the Easter long weekend.

It has been confirmed that the event will also play host to sprint rounds of the TCR Australia Series and S5000 Australian Drivers’ Championship, as well as new trophy races for the Touring Car Masters and National Trans Am Series.

The series will conclude with two consecutive rounds in Tasmania at Symmons Plains and Baskerville Raceway, over two consecutive weeks.

This will be the first time that Tasmania has hosted national motorsport in consecutive weeks in over 40 years and will include the maiden appearance of TCR Australia, S5000 and Trans Am on The Apple Isle.

“We are very pleased that Garry Rogers, with his extensive network and business relationships in Tasmania, has been instrumental

in leading negotiations with local representatives to secure two new back-to-back events in Tasmania,” Braid said.

“This is a significant opportunity for ARG and our teams, drivers and sponsors. The roar of world class V8 powered open wheeler racing coupled with TCR and Trans Am, all debuting in Tasmania at Symmons Plains and Baskerville, will be a fantastic spectacle.

“We’d like to thank our categories and their teams, drivers and sponsors for their support during this trying period. I am sure it’s been both challenging and frustrating at times but I think from this has evolved a truly outstanding calendar and suite of events for 2020.”

Symmons Plains will host a unique three-day event that begins on Sunday the January 24 and concludes on Australia Day on the Tuesday.

Four days later the TCR Australia Series will close out its series at the historic Baskerville Raceway, north of Hobart, the first time that a top-level touring car category has raced at the venue since 1984. DM

2020/21 Australian Racing Group Calendar • August 15-16, SMP • September 12-13, Sandown • October TBA, Phillip Island • November 12-15, Bathurst • January 24-26, Symmons Plains • January 30-31, Baskerville

Image: Insyde Media

CONDENSED CHAMPIONSHIPS CALENDAR REVEALED Image: Angryman

STATE OF ORIGIN FOR BASKERVILLE

THE AUSTRALIAN Racing Group’s ‘Festival of Motorsport’ destined to hit Tasmanian shores in January 2021 will conclude with a State of Origin event as part of its Baskerville finale.

The new concept will pit some of Tasmania’s best against their mainland counterparts chosen from within ARG’s suite of categories, capping off back-to-back weekends’ racing on the Apple Isle.

“Heading to Baskerville, we’re taking the TCR cars down there, the S5000s will do some display laps, but the big event apart from being the TCR series finale, (is) we’re going to have State of Origin motorsport,” TCR and S5000 team director Barry Rogers said.

Rogers also highlighted the dedication of motorsport fans in Tasmania as a major reason for running back-to-back events, kicking off at Symmons Plains on the Australian Day long weekend.

“When we raced our Supercars down there at Symmons Plains, the passion and support

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is strong, you just find the enthusiasm and love of motorsport is a real passion that they have,” Rogers added.

“To bring the S5000s, the TCRs and Trans Ams to Symmons Plains, and having a key marquee event finalised on Australia Day, will be very special for that area.”

Interest in the concept is high from a competitor point of view, according to Garry Rogers Motorsport team owner Garry Rogers, but he stopped short of revealing drivers.

“We’ve spoken to a whole lot of people and there’s enormous interest in this,” he said. “We don’t want to cherry-pick too many people.

“In fairness to everyone that has inquired, we want to make it fair to everybody and over the next month or two it will become well known as to who will be coming.”

ARG CEO Matt Braid confirmed that Trans Am cars will be utilised, but the format is still being finalised. Heath McAlpine

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A REVISED four-round Motorsport Australia Championships calendar has been revealed by the sport’s governing body, kicking off in August.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Motorsport Australia Championship was forced to postpone its schedule of events, but has now revealed a four-event calendar that could expand further if interest from categories is high.

Sydney Motorsport Park will maintain its opening round on August 15-16, while Sandown stays on the same weekend it was originally scheduled, September 12-13.

The Bend Motorsport Park then follows on October 17-18, the same weekend as the Australian Rally Championship’s South Australian round. A special stage of the rally will feature on the Saturday night program of the nationals meeting.

Phillip Island concludes the season on an undisclosed late-October weekend. The season could then be extended with additional rounds in November and December, if category and competitor interest demand is high.

Motorsport Australia Championships Director Michael Smith revealed the revised calendar, after holding discussions with category and circuit managers.

“We are really pleased to be able to announce the initial four rounds of the 2020 Shannons Motorsport Australia Championships,” Smith said.

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“It’s understandably been a very difficult year for everyone, but with plenty of light at the end of the tunnel, we feel now is the right time to announce our calendar, with four rounds and possibly more to take place in the second half of 2020.

“Together with our various categories, we’ll make sure that all local government restrictions are met and events run according to our detailed Return To Race strategy, and follow any advice regarding social distancing and so on.

“We’d like to thank all the categories and circuit managers for their co-operation and hard work to ensure we could get these events up and running and we can’t wait to get back on track with the Shannons Motorsport Australia Championships this year.”

All rounds will initially be non-spectator events until government restrictions are eased.

New additions planned for 2020 at Bathurst and Morgan Park, plus Winton and the undisclosed fifth round have all been cancelled.

HM

2020 Shannons Motorsport Australia Championships

• August 15-16, Sydney Motorsport Park • September 12-13, Sandown • October 17-18, The Bend Motorsport Park • October TBA, Phillip Island

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Image: LAT MCLAREN GROUP, the parent company of the McLaren Formula 1 team, is set to make 1200 employees redundant across its automotive and racing business as part of a significant restructure.

The Woking-based F1 team is expected to be letting 70 staff members go, not only as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic, but also the new budget cap to be introducted to F1 in 2021.

Image: LAT A SIX event WTCR season has been announced, with all events to take place in Europe. The hot hatch series will start on September 12-13 at the Red Bull Ring in Austria, followed a fortnight later by the Nurburgring Nordschleife round in Germany.

October will feature back-to-back rounds with the Slovakiaring on October 10-11 and Hungaroring a week later. Spain will host the penultimate round at Motorland Aragon, with the season finale on November 14-15 at Adria. A total of 16 races will be conducted, with the first two events featuring two races, and the remaining rounds hosting three races.

ARC SETS RESUMPTION DATE A PROVISIONAL four-round Australian Rally Championship calendar has been revealed by Motorsport Australia.

Opening the revised season is the National Capital Rally in Canberra on September 26-27, which is then followed by the Adelaide Hills Rally on October 17-18.

Competitors then head south for Rally Tasmania on November 7-8, before the final round is to be held at a yet to be disclosed location in New South Wales on November 28-29.

The compact schedule is without two events, the Western Australian Forest Rally and the Victorian Eureka Rush in Ballarat.

Motorsport Australia staff and event organisers have worked

together to produce the new calendar. Eugene Arocca, CEO Motorsport Australia explained that a variety of factors including logistics and the late start in September will allow changes to be made if restrictions determine the events cannot occur.

“While there is still some uncertainty about the lifting of restrictions in Australia, we know there are further changes coming and things are looking positive for the second half of the year,” Arocca said.

“This four round calendar will give competitors a chance to compete in a number of events and will mean the Championship will not be overly compromised, despite the delayed start to the year.

“We are also mindful of the logistics around travel and the closeness of events compared to what we see in a ‘normal’ year.

Given this, rallies may be shorter in time and distance than in previous years to enable competitors, teams, officials, suppliers and organisers to attend.

“Most importantly for those volunteering their time as officials to make these events happen, we want to make sure they can get back to work as soon as possible.

“We know a September start date is realistic at the current time, however if for whatever reason the COVID-19 situation changes or restrictions do not allow us to compete, we are obviously prepared to make further changes

should they be needed to ensure everyone’s safety.”

Arocca added that it is still too early to say whether spectators will be allowed to attend these events.

The announcement comes as grassroots events start to kick-off, the first being in Western Australia on the weekend. HM

Motorsport Australia Australian Rally Championship - Revised Calendar Round 1: Netier National Capital Rally – 26-27 September Round 2: Adelaide Hills Rally – 17-18 October Round 3: Rally Tasmania – 7-8 November Round 4: NSW event TBA – 28-29 November

Image: LAT ASTON MARTIN has announced the dismissal of CEO Andy Palmer, who will replaced by current Mercedes-AMG chairman Tobias Moers. Moers will take his position on August 1 as part of a restructure of the company led by executive chairman and shareholder Lawrence Stroll. In October 2018 a share in Aston Martin was worth AUD$35.41, but now it’s worth just 65c, and in the first quarter of 2020 the iconic British brand recorded a loss of AUD$240 million, hence the change at the top. Vice-president Keith Stanton has been appointed as temporary CEO.

Image: LAT HYUNDAI MOTORSPORT has announced Irishman Craig Breen will drive a third car for the Korean brand in the Finnish round of the FIA World Rally Championship. Breen and co-driver Paul Nagle will join regulars Ott Tanak and Thierry Neuville in a strong line-up at the first WRC return event in August. The 30-year-old made his debut for the team at the event last year and has driven for the team twice since.

THE MONACO Grand Prix and Indy 500 will not clash in 2021 after the Automobile Club de Monaco (ACM) confirmed plans to race on May 23. The Indy 500 is scheduled to take place the following week on May 30, and as a result two of the biggest motorsport events globally will not clash for the first time since 2010.

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Image: Riccardo Benvenuti

RACING RETURNS AT STATE LEVEL STATE LEVEL racing is schedule to restart in at least two states, and as early as the weekend after next.

The Motor Racing Australia Series has its return to the race track set down for a one-day meeting at Sydney Motorsport Park on June 13.

There is a Cheap Car Challenge endurance in the works for the Pheasant Wood Circuit on June 21, while the WA Sporting Car Club has a meeting planned for Wanneroo on the same day.

MRA has big entries for their categories, kicking off with a one-hour race for Series X3 NSW Hyundais. The Australian Pulsar Racing Association will also complete in a 60 minute race, before over 20 entries take part in two 30min Super TTs that will run back to back.

Finishing off the event will be another pair of back-to-back half hour races for a combined field of Mazda MX5 and Mazda RX8 Cup cars.

Throughout the day the Improved Production Racing Association NSW will also race with 40 under and over 2.0-litre combined in a series of races.

Much of the racing will be livestreamed on Blendline TV. Obviously there will be restrictions in place as the organisers working closely with the categories, competitors, the venue and the Australian Autosport Alliance (AASA).

A week later there will be strict social distancing rules in place for the PWC meeting, although some restrictions may be eased by that stage. The long race will run as per normal regulations, apart from the compulsory pitstops which have been extended to four minutes.

At the stops the outgoing driver will also have to sanitise the car before the co-driver steps aboard. That will include the wiping down of controls, seat belt clips, steering wheel, gear lever, hand brake and door handle. There will be no sharing of helmets or any type of clothing, race suits, goggles, gloves, or footwear.

The WASCC meeting on June 21 will be preceded by a tuning day on June 19.

The event will be conducted in compliance with all Government requirements and the Motorsport Australia ‘Return to Race’ guidelines.

Entrants will require their WASCC membership smartcard to gain entry to the Wanneroo Raceway facility and will be temperature checked at the gate. At this stage access will be limited to the entrant (driver) and one pit crew, designated officials and essential staff/contractors.

There will be no access for spectators, non-competing WASCC members or nonparticipating officials. GOB

TRANS AM FEATURE RACE FOR BATHURST THE NATIONAL Trans Am Series will have a 100km feature race at the Bathurst International in November.

For what is its inaugural trip to The Mountain, National Trans Am will compete in two sprint races and a 100km finale lasting 16-laps.

It will be the first-time Trans Am cars will compete as its own class at Mt Panorama, after having participated in the Combined Sedans support event at the Bathurst 12 Hour.

Australian Racing Group CEO Matt Braid is excited by the prospect of a strong field of Trans Am entries contesting what he hopes turns into a prestigious event.

“Some circuits around Australia try and promote ‘hero’ events, but no place can do it quite like Mount Panorama,” said Braid.

“The Trans Am 100 at Bathurst will be the jewel in the crown of local and international Trans Am competition and will be a big feature of the inaugural Bathurst International.

“ARG understands that the current situation around the world will prohibit elements of any event, which we feel will make the inaugural Trans Am 100 a great opportunity for local entrants to maximise their time around the best race track in the country.

“Having these iconic American muscle car brands really speaks to the ‘International’ component of the event, and we can’t wait to see these big cars tackle the mountain.”

A perpetual trophy is currently being developed for the Trans Am 100. HM

with Oscar Piastri

Image: Bruce Williams

NEW TCM CHALLENGER EMERGES

By BRUCE WILLIAMS

FATHER-SON team Mick and Marcus Zukanovic have begun the build of a new contender in Touring Car Masters, that promises to shake up the regular frontrunners.

The Zukanovics will introduce the 1979 ‘Foxbody’ Mustang GT to the TCM grid next year, after receiving the bodyshell earlier this week.

Although the model wasn’t Mick’s first choice, a suitable shell emerged and as the model conformed to TCM regulations, it was too good of an opportunity to pass up.

“It just came by chance,” Zukanovic explained to Auto Action.

“I was looking around for another project and seeing what cars were eligible. I had a Mark III Zephyr as a kid, so I rang the powers that be and asked if we could run one, but they said no, because it didn’t run with a V8.

“From there, I received a lead that a Foxbody Mustang could be eligible. I checked, (and) low and behold it was manufactured in 1979. When I researched its racing history, it was a Group A car in Europe and Dick Johnson bought two cars over here from Zakspeed in Germany.”

Through manufacturing advances, the Mustang Zukanovic’s son Marcus is destined to drive will be a totally different beast compared to the one Johnson raced in the mid-1980s.

However, Zukanovic believes one trait will carry over, which will be the Mustang’s agile handling.

“It should make for a very good TCM race car package, it’s similar in size to a Torana with a little more power and it has a great suspension package, with McPherson struts on the front and a four link coil spring rear suspension package, so in that regard its similar to the VB Commodore now racing in the series,” Zukanovic said.

“I reckon being such a nimble motor car it will be nibbling at a few heels on the track when we get it out.”

The team will build its engine in-house at its Melbourne workshop with a Ford 302ci Windsor power plant being utilised.

“We will build our own engines and are confident that the 302 Ford engine should make north of 625hp and turn to around 8000rpm,” Zukanovic enthused.

“I’ve got a lot of good contacts for engine components and we have already sourced some s. We are still to decide on what cylinder heads to use, but it’s likely to be a DART or Brodex package.”

The goal is to have the Mustang completed in four months to then complete a test program before the opening round of next year’s series.

“It’s a great package to build a race car program around, and these cars are a very popular race car around the world. We can order lots of great race orientated components out of the Ford Performance catalogue.

“I think it will be very competitive, it will surprise a few people.” said Zukanovic. With Heath McAlpine

RENAULT MEGANE EVO TCR READY FOR GRM THE NEW Vukovic Motorsport-developed Renault Megane RS Evo has been revealed ahead of Balance of Performance testing.

The new Evo specification includes a new engine, which promises to deliver increased reliability and durability compared to its predecessor, a lighter weight and an improved aerodynamic package.

The Swiss-based operation headed by Milenko Vukovic worked in close collaboration with former Supercars team Garry Rogers Motorsport chief engineer Richard Hollway on the update, explained GRM’s Barry Rogers “We were quite involved in the development of the Evo, particularly from an engineering point of view,” Rogers told Auto Action.

“Richard Hollway has had quite a significant amount of input into the engineering work with Milenko on it.

“The focus for Milenko and Richard was to get weight out of the car, so re-engineering certain parts of the car that may have been heavy. There was a fair focus on getting the car down to that minimum weight, because it is important thing to be able to do.”

GRM also investigated the potential of a new axle but gains were minimal and one of a similar design to the previous generation is utilised.

“We went through a bit of a project on the front-axle, the potential re-design of that and after testing a few things, we reverted to a very similar axle to what was on the existing car,” Rogers said.

“A lot of work and effort went into designing a new axle, but it didn’t really give us the gains that potentially we thought.”

An improvement that has made a significant difference is the position of the rear-wing, which has been moved further back to make the rear “a bit steadier” according to Rogers.

The delay in the TCR Balance of Performance testing has

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allowed Vukovic to refine the engine, which was tested by GRM prior to the pandemic. The new 1.8-litre engine is the same as that which powers the road-going Megane RS and replaces the bored out 1.6-litre Clio unit that proved quick but unreliable during its maiden TCR Australia season.

“He’s [Vukovic] spent a considerable time on the dyno getting the engine maps right, so we’re looking forward to putting it in the new car and seeing what it’s like,” Rogers said. “Reliability and getting the required power out of it, it does it easier.

“The incentives in the TCR car are finding reliability and durability. Speed is important but there’s no point building a rocketship, because of the BoP.” GRM will receive an air freighted engine next week ahead of a test day on June 11.

Rogers confirmed that James Moffat and Dylan O’Keeffe will line-up in two Evo-specification Meganes when TCR Australia returns, which will occur after Balance of Performance testing is complete.

“We’ve got a new engine that Milenko is packaging up for us,” Rogers said. “The plan is to have those new-spec engines in the cars.”

Moffat was supposed to have partaken in the BoP tests carried out by TCR promoters WSC, however the pandemic stifled those plans. Heath McAlpine

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MORE THAN two months after arriving home in Melbourne on a quick oneweek visit for the Australian Grand Prix in early March, I am now finally back in England!

Having been called back to the UK by Renault Sport Academy and Prema Racing to prepare for the next month’s likely kick-off for the 2020 FIA Formula 3 Championship in Austria, I jumped onto one of the flying kangaroo’s Dreamliners last week to make the 17,500km journey via Perth to London.

While restrictions at home are easing somewhat, understandably international travel is not so straight-forward, and I needed to apply to the Department of Home Affairs for an exemption to leave the country.

Having been a resident of the UK the past five years, it was an easy process for me with the approval coming through within just a couple of days.

I was happy to get the green light to head back to Europe, but it was difficult saying “goodbye” to my family.

The 10 weeks with my parents and sisters was the longest we’d spent together in five years, and I enjoyed it, and we all made the most of the opportunity.

It didn’t take much to settle back in, enjoy the comforts, and get used to being at home again, but now it’s time to get back to racing.

I’ve made plenty of flights between the UK and Australia over the past five-six years. Still, this one was a little strange, from Melbourne’s almostdeserted airport to a near-empty plane, having to wear a face mask, being given a biohazard waste bag, and no inflight entertainment for the 21hour trip.

A lot worse things are going on in the world at the moment than a lack of movies on a plane, so it wasn’t anything to sook about, and the trip went by pretty quickly.

A side-benefit of the current situation was my A-Level exams having to be cancelled, so I’ve now officially finished school.

As a result, the first task I had when I landed was to pack my things up from Haileybury, the school at which I’ve been boarding for the past five years, and move into a new flat.

I’m sharing the unit with Caio Collet from Brazil, who was my team-mate at R-ace GP in last year’s Formula Renault Eurocup Series and is also a member of the Renault Sport Academy.

We’re halfway between Oxford and Enstone, where the Renault DP World F1 Team is located, and not too far from Silverstone, so for us, it’s all about location, location, location!

Renault installed a new simulator last week, and I’ve already been practising on the Baku circuit as it looks like I’ll be contesting the F1 Virtual Grand Prix on June 7, which is exciting.

Sim racing has filled the gap during the pandemic, and I enjoyed taking part in ARG’s eSeries recently, but everyone is itching to get back to real racing again.

We haven’t raced for probably six months now so, hopefully, there won’t be too much pre-season rust or carnage from the anticipation.

It looks like back-to-back weekends in Austria, but after that, we’re not sure yet, so I’ll take it one race at a time and hopefully have an excellent start to the year.

Oscar’s next column will appear in Auto Action’s issue on sale July 2.

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TRIPLE EIGHT AND HOLDEN REACH SETTLEMENT TRIPLE EIGHT Race Engineering has reached a settlement with Holden following General Motors decision to withdraw from the right-hand drive market.

The Queensland-based squad had signed a contract to represent the manufacturer as the official factory team that was branded as the Red Bull Holden Racing Team in 2017.

That contract was due to expire at the end of the 2021 Virgin Australia Supercars Championship season.

In a statement released by the team today, it was confirmed that an agreement has now been reached to bring that forward to the end of the currently elongated 2020/2021 season that will conclude at Bathurst next year.

Read the full statement below: GM Holden and Triple Eight Race Engineering have reached an amicable agreement in the wake of Holden’s announcement that the manufacturer will be closing later this year.

The settlement, the details of which are commercially confidential, will see the Red Bull Holden Racing Team remain on the grid in its present guise until the end of the current Virgin Australia Supercars Championship season. The existing contract had been due to expire at the end of 2021.

The two powerhouses of Australian motor racing joined forces in 2010, winning on debut in Abu Dhabi and going on to claim a one-two finish in the Bathurst 1000 in the same year.

In total, Holden and Triple Eight together have claimed eight

teams’ championships, six drivers’ titles and four Bathurst 1000 victories.

The future branding of Triple Eight’s Supercars team is yet to be determined, with the current contract between co-title partner Red Bull and Triple Eight in place until at least the end of the 2021 season.

The whole team at Triple Eight extends their heartfelt thanks to Holden, all Holden employees past and present with whom we’ve interacted, and the dealer network for their incredible support and friendship over the past decade. The team is totally committed to delivering the best possible results, both on and off the track, for the remainder of the season.

Holden also released a statement: Holden is pleased to have reached an amicable contract settlement with Triple Eight Race Engineering, and we along with everyone else are looking forward to seeing race cars on the track again soon.

Motorsport has made an enormous contribution to the Holden brand and we are very proud of those on track achievements that can never be erased.

Holden and Triple Eight have achieved a lot together since 2010 and that is something that we sincerely hope continues for the rest of this season. We are seriously excited about the opportunity to make some more history.

The Red Bull Holden Racing Team started the year with a win in Adelaide, and we were incredibly grateful to Jamie Whincup and the entire RBHRT for dedicating that victory to the staff of Holden and its dealers.

Holden is thankful to all the Commodore teams for their commitment and support, but particularly Triple Eight who have been fantastic partners.

We all want to see the winning continue and what better way than a victory at Bathurst and a Supercars championship to send the Holden brand off in style. Rhys Vandersyde .

WHAT HOLDEN’S DEAL REALLY MEANS IT IS no surprise that Holden’s backing of Triple Eight will come to an early conclusion at the end of this delayed Supercars season.

Once the demise of Holden was announced, the final year of the existing agreement in 2021 became redundant.

Continuing as the Holden Racing Team served no purpose.

So it was also inevitable that a deal would be struck whereby Triple Eight was compensated – in effect, the contract paid out ahead of time.

Known as the Red Bull Holden Racing Team since 2017, it will lose the famed HRT title next year.

That will also mark the end of a glorious half-century of Holden in racing.

Confirmation that the Brisbanebased super squad has reached “an amicable agreement” with GM Holden to part after next February’s Bathurst season finale was the expected and logical outcome.

The terms of the settlement are, of course, “commercially confidential”, but almost certainly Triple Eight will still receive the agreed funding from Holden for next year – believed to be around $2 million.

Roland Dane would have every

right to hold Holden to the contract – and most believe he would.

Unless there were a specific clause covering Holden’s withdrawal from the market, it would be out of character for Dane not to press his legitimate claim.

When companies decide to end sponsorship agreements early because of changed circumstances, it is not unusual – in fact, it is routine – that they just pay out the contract.

For General Motors, the race team continuing with Holden branding next year would just highlight its embarrassing exit.

It was tenuous enough when the Commodore was killed. The death of the iconic Australian car brand sealed it. No Holden, no point.

The payout, even if it is reduced, will rightly help Triple Eight Race Engineering transition to a new model under Gen3 in 2022.

Like all the Holden teams, it will continue with the ZB in ’21.

After then, who knows? Although Gen3 will accommodate it, the Chevrolet Camaro is looking increasingly unlikely.

HSV is no longer importing Camaros for right-hand drive

conversion and the future of GM’s Mustang-rivalling coupe is doubtful.

Triple Eight will almost certainly revert to Red Bull Racing next year, the last of its existing deal for primary backing by the energy drink giant.

Since 2017, when it took over the Holden Racing Team mantle from the Walkinshaw Automotive Group, Triple Eight has been the Lion’s sole

factory-backed squad.

The end of Holden’s identification on the Red Bull Commodores will close 50 years of Fishermans Bend’s direct involvement in racing.

Although diminished since the switch from Clayton, the HRT brand has 30 years of heritage behind it.

That legacy is underpinned by its predecessor, the Holden Dealer Team, from 1969-86.

It goes back even further if you include the 1964 EH S4, developed specifically for the Bathurst 500, and the ’68 Monaro GTS327, run under the Holden Dealer Racing Team banner.

When the RBHRT Commodores race at Mount Panorama next February, it will be the end of an epochal era in Australian motorsport. MF

BATHURST V8 FINALE WILL ‘BE DIFFERENT’ WITH OR without the Bathurst 12 Hour, the final round of Supercars’ extended season will be run at Mount Panorama.

The series will return to Bathurst for its delayed finale from February 5-7, which is the proposed date of the Supercars-run 12 Hour.

As first revealed by Auto Action early this week, the 12 Hour international GT3 race is in doubt because it is unlikely international travel restrictions into Australia will be lifted by then.

The 12 Hour relies on overseas entries for a full field and also to sustain its status as one of the world’s leading GT endurance races.

Supercars plans to run its final round of an extended 2020/21 season in league with the 12 Hour.

It will be the first time a sprint race round of the ATCC/Supercars championship has been held at Mount Panorama since 1996.

Supercars supremo Sean Seamer admitted the 12 Hour’s immediate future hinged on international travel restrictions.

“Yes,” Seamer said. “This isn’t to suggest there won’t be a GT event of some sort over that weekend.

“We’ll work with SRO (global GT3 organiser) and the competitors to get a

better understanding of what a field might look like as we get closer to the date.”

Seamer admitted the February event at Mount Panorama could go ahead as a Supercars-headlined meeting.

“If it has to be, it will be,” he declared.

In any event, the Bathurst Supercars finale will be very different to the October

1000 km classic.

“You certainly wouldn’t want to try to replicate the Bathurst 1000,” Seamer said. “There’s tremendous opportunity going to Bathurst a second time, but tremendous risk as well, so we’re going to have to be innovative, make sure it’s different.” MF

said. “But we can obviously confirm that Bathurst will still be (a 161-lap enduro).”

As for The Bend being a long-distance race Bathurst prelim, Seamer said: “It would be too early to speculate the final details on that. We’ll move forward on

the specifics around the formats over the coming weeks.

“We’re all having to think outside of the box. I think you can expect us to try some new ideas under these opportunities that are being presented to us, so stay tuned.” MF

SUPERCARS ENDURO CUP UNDECIDED SUPERCARS’ ENDURO Cup is up in the air amid the reshuffle of the remaining rounds.

Racing resumes at the end of next month at Sydney Motorsport Park, the first of 11 rounds extending into early 2021.

All revised rounds apart from the October 8-11 Bathurst 1000 are listed as two-day events, with a variety of sprint race formats likely.

The OTR The Bend event was originally scheduled as the opening round of the Enduro Cup, with a 500 km warm-up to Bathurst.

The third leg was supposed to be the Gold Coast 600, which has been cancelled for this year.

While The Bend event has retained its immediate pre-Bathurst slot of September 19-20, there is no indication it will be an endurance race.

The Bathurst 1000 will be followed by events in Perth, Tasmania and Sandown.

The latter could be restored to an endurance race, although sprint races in between would be awkward.

Supercars supremo Sean Seamer confirmed a two-driver Enduro Cup subseries was still planned.

“We still have work to do on all of the formats from here and we’ll work with the teams and the commercial partners over the coming weeks to lock down those,” he

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FACTORY ITALIAN squad Ducati Corse has signed Aussie Jack Miller on a one-year deal to ride for the team in the 2021 MotoGP World Championship with an option to extend the contract into 2022.

The confirmation of Miller’s move means that he will become the third Australian rider to compete in the team’s legendary red leathers after Troy Bayliss and Casey Stoner.

The 25-year-old feels privileged to join the team and is thankful to satellite squad Pramac Ducati for the opportunity he was given.

“First of all I want to thank warmly Paolo Campinoti, Francesco Guidotti and all the Pramac Racing Team for the great support I have received from them in the two and a half years spent together,” Miller said.

“It is an honour for me to be able to continue my MotoGP career with the Borgo Panigale manufacturer and I would like to thank all the Ducati management, Claudio, Gigi, Paolo and Davide, for having trusted me and given me this incredible opportunity.

“I look forward to starting riding

again this year, and I am ready to fully commit to the responsibility of being an official Ducati rider in 2021.”

The 2016 Dutch TT winner aims to emulate Stoner, who won the MotoGP title with the Bologna manufacturer in 2007.

Ducati Motor Holding CEO Claudio Domenicali believes that Miller is one of the best riders on the grid.

“Since he arrived in the Pramac Racing Team, Jack has grown steadily, proving himself one of the fastest and most talented riders in the championship,” Domenicali explained.

“We are happy that he has agreed to ride the official Desmosedici GP bike of the Ducati Team next year.

We are convinced that Jack has all the right skills to fight continuously for the positions that matter, in every race, starting already this season with the Desmosedici GP20 of the Pramac Racing Team, and taking a further step forward next year thanks to the support of the Ducati Team.”

Miller made his debut in the top-tier in 2015 before moving to Pramac at the start of 2018. Last year the

Queenslander scored five podiums on the way to a career high eighth place in the title.

It is currently unknown who will be joining the Aussie next year. Talks between Ducati and leading rider Andrea Dovizioso have stalled due to financial disagreements, while Danilo Petrucci has been linked to a move with Ducati into the World Superbike Championship.

Dan McCarthy

WILLIAMS COULD SELL MOTOGP DOWN UNDER CANCELLED THE AUSTRALIAN Grand Prix (AGPC) in conjunction with Dorna Sports the commercial rights holder of MotoGP have announced the cancellation of the 2020 Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix due to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic.

The race was set to be held at the iconic Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit south of Melbourne from October 23-25, Australian Grand Prix Corporation Chairman Paul Little was disappointed to make the announcement, but promised it would return in 2021.

“We’re very disappointed that MotoGP fans throughout Victoria, Australia and internationally won’t get the chance to make the pilgrimage to see the world’s best riders compete on one of the best circuits anywhere in the world, but the right decision has been made,” he confirmed.

“The Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix puts Phillip Island on the global stage and it’ll be back better than ever in 2021.”

Dorna Sports CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta echoed the remarks saying that fans will likely miss the close action that the circuit produces.

“We’re saddened to have to announce the cancellation of this iconic event after finding no way through the logistical and operational issues resulting from the pandemic and rearranged calendar,” Ezpeleta said.

“Phillip Island is always one of the most thrilling

race weekends of the season, never failing in its promise to deliver some of the closest racing in our Championship.

“On behalf of Dorna, I would like to once again extend my thanks to the fans for their understanding and patience as we wait for the situation to improve. We look forward to returning to Phillip Island next year for more incredible battles.”

The Australian round of the championship has been a constant fixture since 1989 and has visited the Island venue since 1997. Full refunds will be provided to all spectators who have previously purchased tickets.

Recently signed Ducati Corse rider Jack Miller is disappointed not to be racing at his home Grand Prix this year but hopes to replicate his podium at the circuit when he returns as a factory rider in 2021.

“It’s a massive shame to not be able to race at home this year, but I completely understand that in these uncertain and difficult times tough decisions have to be made,” Miller said.

“Phillip Island is always one of the highlights of the year for all of us riders because of the amazing fans and how much we all love the track. We’ll all be excited to get back there for 2021 and I’ll be doing everything I can to get back on that podium again.”

Dan McCarthy

THE WILLIAMS Grand Prix Engineering Formula 1 team has been offered up for sale by its parent company following a downturn in revenue and the termination of its title sponsor agreement with ROKiT. Following the release of its 2019 financial results, Williams Grand Prix Holdings has appointed joint financial advisors to assist in options to raise capital for the business which include the sale of minority stakes, majority stakes or even the full sale of the company.

“Whilst no decisions have been made regarding the optimal outcome yet, to facilitate discussions with interested parties, the company announces the commencement of a “formal sale process.” read a statement from the team.

“While the company has faced a number of challenges, Williams currently remains funded and ready to resume racing when the calendar allows in 2020.”

“The WGPH (Williams Grand Prix Holding) board believes that the strategic review and formal sale process is the right and prudent thing to do in order to take time to consider a full range of options and put the Formula 1 team in the best possible position for the future.”

Williams indicated that a decline in sponsorship income, as a result of poor on-track performance in recent years has been a contributing factor.

“The financial results for 2019 reflect the recent

decline in competitiveness of the F1 operation and the consequent reduction in commercial rights income,” said chief executive officer Mike O’Driscoll.

“After four years of very solid performances in the FIA F1 Constructors’ Championship during which we claimed two third and two fifth-place finishes, we endured a couple of very difficult seasons.”

“We have implemented a significant restructuring over the last nine months and have strengthened the technical leadership team.”

“The 2020 Formula 1 season has, of course, been disrupted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and this will have an impact on our commercial rights income this year.”

The team has also confirmed it has now terminated its relationship with title partner ROKiT and sponsor ROK Drinks.

“In common with many other businesses, we have taken extensive action to mitigate, including a prolonged furlough period for much of our staff,” O’Driscoll continued.

“As this awful global crisis recedes, everyone at Williams is looking forward to the start of the new season.”

The Formula 1 season is now scheduled to get underway in early July with back-to-back races at the Red Bull Ring in Austria.

Rhys Vandersyde

F1 DRIVERS SPEAK OUT AFTER LEWIS Hamilton criticised the Formula 1 community for not speaking out after police killed black man George Floyd in the U.S. city of Minneapolis, some of the other F1 drivers are now talking on social media about the situation.

“I see those of you who are staying silent, some of you the biggest of stars yet you stay silent in the midst of injustice,” Hamilton said on Instagram. “Not a sign from anybody in my industry which of course is a white dominated sport. I’m one of the only people of colour there yet I stand alone. I would have thought by now you would see why this happens and say something about it but you can’t stand alongside us. Just know I know who you…are and I see you.”

“I do not stand with those looting and burning buildings but those who are protesting peacefully,” Hamilton added.

“There can be no peace until our so called

leaders make change.”

Australia’s Daniel Ricciardo called Floyd’s death “a disgrace.”

“Seeing the news the last few days has left me saddened, what happened to George Floyd and what continues to happen in today’s society is a disgrace,” he posted on Instagram. “Now more than ever we need to stand together, unified together. Racism is toxic and needs to be addressed not with violence or silence but with unity and action.

We need to stand up, we need to be a WE.

Let’s be better people. It’s 2020 ffs. Black lives matter.”

Charles Leclerc commented: “To be completely honest, I felt out of place and uncomfortable sharing my thoughts on social media about the whole situation and this is why I haven’t express myself earlier than today. And I was completely wrong. I still struggle to find the words to describe the atrocity of some videos I’ve seen on the internet. Racism needs to be met with actions, not silence. Please be actively

participating, engaging and encouraging others to spread awareness. It is our responsibility to speak out against injustice.

Don’t be silent. I stand #BlackLivesMatters” George Russell posted: “We all have a voice to speak up for what’s right and until now I didn’t know how to use mine in this situation. To echo Charles Leclerc’s words, I just felt out of place sharing my thoughts on these atrocities publicly. I struggle to comprehend what I’m seeing in the news and on social media right now – and honestly, I still can’t find the words to express how it makes me feel.

“But ultimately, no matter how uncomfortable it may be to speak out, silence achieves nothing. It’s time we all stand together and kick racism out of our societies for good. Use your voice, spread awareness as far as you can. We’re all responsible for ending the injustice.”

Lando Norris, who will be Ricciardo’s teammate at McLaren next year, said: “I have fans and followers. Support and love. And I have power through this to lead and inspire so many. But we also stand for what’s right.

This time I ask you to do something and take action.” Dan Knutson

and I am optimistic that we can deliver another great Asian Le Mans Series season.”

As a result of the changes all ALMS races will take place in January of 2021, beginning the season in Thailand on Saturday January 9 at the Chang International Circuit, the second round will take place two days later at the same venue.

The LMP2, LMP3 and GTE machines will

then be shipped to Malaysia for the final two rounds, the third event will take place at the Sepang International Circuit on January 23 before the season concludes on January 26.

This means that the series will not make its much anticipated first visit to the legendary Suzuka Circuit in Japan or return to the Shanghai International Circuit in China.

Dan McCarthy

ALMS ANNOUNCE SHORTENED SEASON A REVISED Asian Le Mans Series (ALMS) schedule has been released in the wake of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

As previously reported by Auto Action a number of weeks ago the Asian based series is not returning to Australia or The Bend Motorsport Park when initial the calendar was revealed.

The original schedule has been radically altered due to the travel restrictions around the world with ALMS organisers announcing the decision to condense the season length to just three weeks. In that time, two races will be held at both the Chang International Circuit in Thailand and the Sepang Circuit in Malaysia.

Teams and event organisers have held discussions on the best way forward since the 2019/20 season concluded in February. The new calendar has taken into consideration travel restrictions, cost implications due to the Coronavirus and the

time it takes to ship vehicles rather than using airfreight. In the end the decision was made to alter the calendar.

The managing director of the Asian Le Mans Series Cyrille Taesch Wahlen explained that it was not possible to remain with the previously released schedule.

“Whilst it was our ambition to keep our 2020/2021 calendar as close to what we have done previously, it is becoming increasingly apparent that this may not be possible,” he said.

“Instead, rather than delaying any further, we have formulated a plan to deliver a series that offers exciting and enjoyable racing in a cost effective manner, without compromising the quality of our organisation.

“This is particularly important for those teams who are struggling at the moment due to the shutdown. The new condensed season has received resounding support,

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THE SECOND-TIER of IndyCar racing, the Indy Lights series has been deferred until 2021 following a meeting. The reason given is due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent calendar changes rendering the 2020 season unviable. A number of American sources have claimed the statement is false and that the cancellation of the season was due to low numbers entered for the 2020 campaign.

This may be the case as both the third-tier Indy Pro 2000 and fourth-tier USF2000 categories released their revised schedules on the same day. Both Kiwi Hunter McElrea and Aussie Cameron Shields will begin their campaigns on July 9 at Road America.

THE BRITISH Touring Car Championship has announced a couple format changes and rule tweaks before the start of the 2020 season. The two events at Brands Hatch one on the short ‘Indy’ layout and the other on the Grand Prix Circuit have been switched. This will means that races 4-6 of the season will be held on the Grand Prix Circuit, while the shorter layout will host the season finale from November 14-15. During a recent teams’ meeting it was also agreed to not run the Goodyear option tyre in 2020.

FORMULA 1 star Charles Leclerc became a movie star driving a Ferrari SF90 Stradale around the Monaco Street Circuit the day that the F1 race was scheduled to take place. Leclerc completed a lap of the track reaching speeds of 240kp/h, but was not the only celebrity to make an appearance. HRH Prince Albert II of Monaco, Ferrari chairman John Elkann, the Princes Andrea Casiraghi and Pierre Casiraghi with his wife. The film is titled Le Grand Rendez-vous and will premiere on June 13.

THE LMP3 Australia Cup has revealed a proposed four round calendar. In recent weeks Australia took the first shipment of an LMP3 machine with Revere Motorsport’s ADESS 03 landing on Australia shores. Pending the final approval of the Motorsport Australia Championships and enough entries the five round season will begin at Sydney Motorsport Park on August 15-16, before traveling to Sandown on September 12-13, Phillip Island and The Bend Motorsport Park in mid-October before concluding the inaugural season at the Bathurst International.

EREBUS MOTORSPORT has announced an automotive repair and servicing business ‘Erebus Garage,’ run parallel to Erebus Motorsport. The team is looking to broaden its horizons in this difficult time feels this is a natural progression.

Erebus will not only service everyday vehicles they will also perform car customisation services, vehicle builds and restorations.

PIARC WAIVE FEES AS A result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Phillip Island Auto Racing Club will waive membership fees for all existing members for the 2020/2021 season.

Having long since been a developer of Australia’s top officials, PIARC facilitates access to many venues throughout Victoria, including Phillip Island. President Warren Reid wanted to assure members that their place within the club was safe, regardless of the situation they may have found themselves in during the COVID-19 crisis.

“The Phillip Island Auto Racing Club provides access to motorsport for its members and right now many of them are suffering financial hardship due to the Coronavirus pandemic,” Reid said.

“Extraordinary times call for extraordinary actions and this is one way we can show our members we are there supporting them. Family looks after family,” he continued.

The recent ease of restrictions announced by the State and Federal Governments, backed by Motorsport Australia’s Return To Race strategy, will mean motorsport activity will kickstart again

within the coming months.

PIARC organisers are planning events for the remainder of 2020, the first of which will be the Victorian Supersprint Championship and PIARC Sprint on June 27-28.

“Throughout this period of shut down the PIARC committee has been busy working on plans to get our members back racing and officiating again and we are excited to be able to welcome everyone back to Phillip Island in a safe way soon,” Reid said.

“Motorsport Australia has a detailed operational plan in place to allow motorsport to return and we are working through the necessary changes to our processes and facilities now,” he continued.

“Anyone that has any questions about how we are safely going to return to racing can either contact us or reach out to Motorsport Australia for further information.”

Members need not reapply and should expect their new card in the mail. HM

ABT DROPPED

BY AUDI FORMULA E driver Daniel Abt has been dropped by Audi Sport after the German got a professional sim racer to compete for him in a round of the Formula E Race at Home Challenge.

Abt has been a factory Audi driver for a number of years, most recently in Formula E since the very first race of the all-electric racing series in 2014.

However in the fifth round of the e-Series in Berlin, Abt installed Audi sim driver Lorenz Hoerzing to take his place. Abt went from being unable to score a point in the opening four rounds of the season to fighting for the victory and this set off alarm bells with a number of his fellow competitors, both Stoffel Vandoorne and reigning champion Jean-Eric Vergne accusing Abt of cheating.

“Really not happy here because that was not Daniel driving the car himself, and he messed up everything. That was ridiculous,” Vandoorne said during his Twitch stream.

Hoerzing finished the race in third Abt was scheduled to take part in a post-race interview but producers were unable to get through to him, further suspicions were raised due to Abt’s camera being obscured.

A short investigation took place before Abt came out and admitted he was not driving.

Hoerzing has been banned from competing in Formula E’s professional sim racing series, while Abt was disqualified from the race and fined over $16,000 AUD,.

The two-time Formula E race winner apologised for the incident saying he did not take the series seriously enough.

“I did not take it as seriously as I should have,” he said. “I am especially sorry about this because I know how much work has gone into this project on the part of the Formula E organisation.

“I am aware that my offence has a bitter aftertaste, but it was never meant with any bad intention. Of course, I accept my disqualification from the race.”

Audi released a statement suspending the 27-year-old from its real life racing programme indefinitely.

“Daniel Abt did not drive his car in qualifying and the race at the fifth event of the Race at Home Challenge on May 23rd himself, but let a professional sim-racer do so,” it read.

“He directly apologised for this on the following day and accepted the disqualification.

“Integrity, transparency and consistent compliance with applicable rules are top priorities for Audi – this applies to all activities the brand is involved in without exception.

“For this reason, Audi Sport has decided to suspend Daniel Abt with immediate effect.”

Abt took to social media after to inform his fans of the news and was visibly devastated.

“This has real consequences for me, because today I was informed in a conversation with Audi, that our ways will split from now on,” Abt said.

“We won’t be racing together in Formula E anymore, and the cooperation has ended. It is a pain, which I have never felt in this way in my life.”

Abt is the second driver to lose his real seat due to a gaming incident after Kyle Larson used offensive language during a NASCAR Cup Series e-sports race that was broadcast via twitch to thousands of viewers. Dan McCarthy

SUPERCARS CHAMPIONS JOIN ARG ESERIES GRID REIGNING SUPERCARS champion Scott McLaughlin and 2016 series winner Shane van Gisbergen are among the star drivers that have already been announced for the final round of the ARG eSports Cup at Bathurst.

The concluding event will see regular ARG eSport Cup competitors compete in a twohour long endurance race driving identical Audi RS3 LMS TCR cars alongside their chosen co-driver.

The DJR Team Penske driver will pair up with Australia Racing Group’s events co-ordinator Ben McMellan, while van

Gisbergen will share his ride with his real life Triple Eight Race Engineering co-driver Garth Tander.

These two are not the only Supercars Championship regulars joining for the final event, DJR Team Penske driver Fabian Coulthard will also join his co-driver Tony D’Alberto, Chaz Mostert partners Nathan Morcom and Kelly Racing pilot Andre Heimgartner will partner Jaden Ransley, who currently sits second in the series standings.

Sim racer Fawzan El-Nabi competed in the last round of the Supercars All Stars Eseries and will have yet more eyes on him as he

competes alongside series leader Harley Haber.

Renowned sim racer and GRM representative Luca Giacomin, who has competed in a number of ARG eSport Cup events will pair with Aaron Cameron. Cody Burcher, a wildcard race winner will drive alongside Nathan Herne in the Gulf Western Oil entry.

Drivers are competing from all national series’ as recent wildcard race winner and Toyota 86 driver Luke King will drive alongside Jordan Cox and reigning Aussie Racing Cars Series winner Justin Ruggier

will drive with Trans Am racer Peter Herd.

Many pro-sim racers are also flocking to the grid, with Beau Albert, Jake Blackhall and Jackson Souslin Harlow pair up with George Miedecke, Ash Sutton and Dylan O’Keeffe respectively.

Double points will be awarded in the twohour season finale, currently Haber leads the series from Kiwi Ransley and TCR Australia driver O’Keeffe.

The 40-plus car grid takes to the Mount Panorama Circuit on Thursday June 4 and will be broadcast live on the TCR Australia Facebook and YouTube channels. DM

VIC RALLY PLANNING RESTART POST COVID-19 THE VICTORIAN Rally Panel (VRP) has announced a provisional draft calendar for the 2020 Victorian Rally Championship, which at this stage contains three rounds.

Last week the Victorian Rally Championship directors and representatives met up with VCRS representatives to discuss a provisional calendar if the Covid-19 restrictions continue to lift.

Victorians are still limited to a maximum outdoor gathering of 20 people, while in other states such as Western Australia people will be allowed to run an outdoor event of up to 300 people from June 6.

The group of directors and representatives understood this and the fact that the health and wellbeing of competitors and organisers is of upper most importance.

The VRP got in contact with the NSWRP to discuss its plans to go back rallying on July 4 and the Rally of the Bay event organisers kindly shared its documentation and logistical requirements in order to get its event up and going.

Taking this advice on board and the fact that restrictions in the state are slowly being lifted a draft calendar was created based on the fact that by September it may be possible to hold a rally event.

At this stage three rounds are scheduled, however, the ideal scenario is to run four events.

The opening event, the Western Victoria Crane Trucks Valley Stages event is pencilled in for September 20 start date, this would be followed by a round at Akademos on October 18 and the Bagshot Rallysprint six days later on October 24.

It is planned that another event will conclude the series in November or early December. Dan McCarthy

with Dan Knutson

FERRARI TALKED TO RICCIARDO

DANIEL RICCIARDO might have become the first Australian to drive for the Ferrari Formula 1 team after all, before the Scuderia opted to sign Carlos Sainz to replace Sebastian Vettel in 2021.

Rumours during recent years have linked Ricciardo to the famous Scuderia, and now he has officially confirmed those rumours to be true.

“There have been discussions already from a few years back, and that continued all the way through to now,” Ricciardo told CNN. “I won’t deny that, but obviously it’s never really come to fruition.

“I’ve never really chose to dive too deep into it,” added the Australian with Italian roots. “Everyone says it would be a good fit, obviously, with my name and all the background stuff, but I try not to get emotionally caught up in any kind of situation.”

Sainz was also in negotiations with Ferrari during the off-season. The talks continued well into this year because it was only on May 12 that Ferrari officially announced that Vettel will not stay on as Charles Leclerc’s teammate next year.

Ferrari searched for its best option and Ricciardo was on its short list. Afterall, Ricciardo soundly defeated Vettel when they were Red Bull teammates in 2014.

Ricciardo is not bitter that Ferrari chose Sainz, however.

“I see how Carlos as a fit for the team,” he said. “So I don’t really look at it like ‘Why not me? Carlos had a very

Image: LAT

strong 2019. He’s a bit of hot property right now, and I guess it’s a good fit for where they are at.”

Ricciardo also revealed that he didn’t just make a snap decision to switch from Renault to McLaren next year.

“There wasn’t any moment, which was like a light bulb and said: ‘Yes, that’s what I need to do’,” Ricciardo said.

“Equally, there wasn’t something I saw in McLaren, which created that or there wasn’t something in Renault which created the moment of ‘I have to move on.’ The discussions with McLaren go back to even before 2018, and I guess continued over time.

“Obviously it’s not an overnight decision. I guess to compare as well the two (teams), I don’t think that’s fair.”

Things can change quickly in F1, as proved by the midMay announcements that Vettel would leave Ferrari; Sainz would jump from McLaren to Ferrari; and Ricciardo would go from Renault to McLaren.

And it could change again as Vettel is now the wildcard.

He has been linked to Mercedes, as it would be good marketing to have a German driver in a German team, as well as a shock move to Racing Point.

Or perhaps he will take a sabbatical or decide to retire.

A RAFT OF RULE REFORMS

Image: LAT

14 AutoAction

AT THIS time last year there is no way that all 10 Formula 1 team would have unanimously agreed to the raft of regulation changes that will introduced from now through 2025.

But the harsh reality of the COVID-19 crises rammed home the fact that F1 could not continue down its path of massive spending; favouring the big teams financially; near unfettered technical advancement; and a bias against the smaller teams.

And that is why, on May 27, the World Motor Sport Council rubberstamped the rule reforms that had been hammered out by the FIA, Liberty Media/Formula 1 and the 10 teams.

“A major step forward for F1 and motor sport’s sustainability,” noted FIA president Jean Todt.

Formula 1 has been around since 1950 and Grand Prix racing has been around since 1906. They survived the World Wars, the Great Depression and other disasters.

So while F1 could continue at an almost club racing level if it had to in the future, these rules are aimed at keeping it at an elite but sensible level.

Introducing F1’s first ever budget cap for 2021 and then lowering it in subsequent years, is a vital step.

Technical regulation changes include the freezing a large list of components between 2020 and 2021, including the chassis, gearbox, a number of mechanical

components and impact structures.

A token system has been devised to permit a very limited number of modifications in accordance to the competitors’ specific needs.

Power unit upgrades will also be limited in 2020.

These stipulations will prevent the big teams from spending masses of money developing their 2020 cars during this shortened season, and it means that both the big and small teams will save money by not having to create cars for 2021.

Further savings for 2020 include reducing aerodynamic testing – wind tunnels and CFD (computational fluid dynamics) – and power unit bench testing.

Starting in 2021, the amount of aerodynamic testing teams will be allowed to do, will be doled out on a sliding scale.

The team that finished first in the 2020 constructors’ championship will get the least amount of time, and the team that finished 10th will get the most amount of time. Things get reset based on the team’s positions halfway through the season.

It is F1’s first handicap system!

Special exemptions have been put into the 2020 sporting regulations for “closed” and “open” events and the relevant regulatory structure for each (e.g. personnel at the paddock), depending on whether such events permit spectators.

All in all, F1 will never be the same again, while at the same time remaining true to the DNA spirit of F1.

A CLEAR & UNCLEAR SCHEDULE FORMULA 1 is planning to stage eight races in Europe this year, starting in Austria on July 5 and ending in Italy on September 6.

Meanwhile, the situation for the races outside of Europe in the last three months of the year is far from clear. It all depends, of course, on the latest restrictions and regulations imposed by the various governments.

Austria and Britain will both hold two races on consecutive weekends. Austria’s dates are July 5 and 12. Next is the Hungarian Grand Prix on July 19, which was the original date of the British Grand Prix. But the Hungarian race is dependent on Britain’s quarantine rules.

The Silverstone circuit has been booked by F1 for the August 2 and 9 weekends. If there is no race in Hungary, it would give team personnel the chance to do a 14-day quarantine, returning to Britain from Austria if the British government does not give them an exemption to the quarantine requirements.

The Spanish Grand Prix, originally May 17, is now August 16.

Then the final two races in Europe would be in Belgium and Italy on their original dates of August 30 and September 6.

Germany’s Hockenheim circuit will be the reserve event, in case one of the other tracks is not able to stage its race.

Most of the races will be held without fans – at least those in Austria, Hungary and Britain.

Meanwhile, the Dutch Grand Prix, which was due to be

Image: LAT

staged for the first time since 1985, has been officially canceled. The event was a sellout because of local hero Max Verstappen, and the organisers did not want to rob the fans the chance to be part of it all.

Monaco and France have also officially cancelled their races.

The street races face major problems because of all the logistical problems of building up the tracks in the middle of a metropolitan area.

There is a virtually no chance that the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, which was scheduled to run on the streets of Baku on June 7, will be rescheduled. That’s because it takes 12 weeks to construct the Baku facility

Canada’s June 14 event, which takes place on an island park, faces a similar predicament. And the organisers of the Singapore Grand Prix (originally set for September 20) have stated that there is no way that they can stage a race in the streets with no fans allowed to attend.

This year’s United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas might be cancelled now that government officials have said that no large public events may be held in the state this year.

Questions also hang over the Mexican Grand Prix, set for November 1, one week after Austin, because the circuit facilities have been converted to a temporary hospital for coronavirus patients.

CAPPING COSTS IT IS insane that the big three Formula 1 teams – Ferrari, Mercedes and Red Bull – need to spend over US$300 million a year just to race two cars 21 times.

In one way or another, all three were against any sort of budget capping but they did eventually agree to a US$175 million cap in 2021.

But now, with the worldwide financial woes, all 10 teams have agreed to reduce that to US$145 million in 2021, US$140 million for 2022 and US$135 for 2023-2025.

That is based on a 21-race season and it will be reduced or increased by one million, depending if there are 20 or 22 races.

“Formula 1 wins today,” McLaren Racing’s CEO Zak Brown said of all the rule changes, including the reduced budget cap.

“This is a crucially important moment for our sport. F1 has been financially unsustainable for some time, and inaction would have risked the future of F1 and its participants, who are to be commended for resolving this issue collectively and determinedly.

“A uniform budget cap, in concert with more even distribution of revenue among the teams, will ensure greater competition and more people wanting to watch live and on TV, driving more sustained revenues to underpin the longterm financial health of the teams and the sport. Ultimately the fans win, and if the fans win, the whole sport wins too.”

All this does not mean sudden parity between the big teams and the midfield teams, but the latter know how to be small,

Image: LAT

lean and efficient, and they know how to operate a team and get results without having to throw money at it.

Just how tough things are financially was brought home by the news that the McLaren Group has had to lay off 1200 people – which is 25 per cent of its workforce. Included in that number are about 70 people from McLaren’s F1 team which numbers 800. Most of the 1200 are involved in the production of the McLaren super cars; sales have slumped since the virus struck the world.

But still, McLaren is going to have cut its own F1 budget to

get down to US$145 million next year.

“It has been clear to everyone for some time that a budget cap would be applied,” said McLaren Racing team principal Andreas Seidl, “and we pushed for a lower limit to support a financially sustainable sport. It is a big challenge ahead of us. Adjusting the way we work and right-sizing the team to this new cap over the next months is a massive and painful task and, highlighted by our news earlier this week, will sadly mean losing team members. But our aim is to be the bestsized and most efficient team in the future.”

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

with Dan Knutson

Bruce Williams

Editor-At-Large

Mark Fogarty

Deputy Editor

NO CROWDS, BUT AT LEAST WE’RE RACING

Heath McAlpine

Production

Jason Crowe

Special Contributor

Bruce Newton

Staff Journalist

Dan McCarthy

National Editor

Garry O’Brien

Online Editor

F1 INSIDER

Rhys Vandersyde

Contributing Writers Australia Garry O’Brien, Mark Fogarty, Bruce Newton, David Hassall, Bob Watson, Bruce Moxon, Garry Hill, Craig O’Brien, Mick Oliver, Martin Agatyn.

Formula 1 Dan Knutson, Photographers Australia Ross Gibb, Rebecca Hind, Mick Oliver, David Batchelor, Randall Kilner, Rhys Vandersyd, Richard Hathaway, MTR Images, Bruce Moxon International LAT Images Advertising Manager Bruce Williams All Advertising inquiries bruce@overdrivemedia.com.au (0418) 349 555 Editorial contributions may be sent to Auto Action. No responsibility will be accepted for their safety. If you require the return of any sent item or items, please attach a separate, stamped and fully addressed envelope

Published by Action Media Partners ABN number 62976094459 Suite 4/156 Drummond Street Oakleigh Victoria 3166 Phone: 03 9563 2107 The trademark Auto Action is the sole property of Action Media Partners The website www.autoaction.com.au and associated social media platforms are wholly owned by Action Media Partners All rights reserved No part of this magazine’s content may be reproduced, retransmitted or rebroadcast without the express written permission of the Publisher and Action Media Partners.

Printed by Fairfax Media Distributed by Ovato Retail Distribution Australia

Cover images: an1images.com Graeme Neander/LAT/AA staff

16 AutoAction

Image: LAT WATCHING RACING taking place with no fans at the track is better than not having any racing at all. But it has sure been weird and downright eerie to watch NASCAR racing taking place in front of empty grandstands.

I’ve been TV binge watching NASCAR’s premiere Cup Series, whose interrupted 2020 season restarted on May 17 at the Darlington Raceway. Another race was staged the same oval track on Wednesday, May 20. Then it was on to the Charlotte Motor Speedway for NASCAR’s longest race (600 miles/966km) on May 24, and that was followed by another race (this one a mere 500 miles/805km) at the same track on May 28.

Next on the schedule are the famous Bristol bullring on May 31 and then the Michigan Speedway on June 7. I’m writing this column before those latter two races occurred, so I don’t yet know how they panned out.

But after watching the first four rounds I wonder if Formula Image; LATother major 1, Supercars and racing series can learn about running fan-less races during

all the restrictions created by the COVID-19 crises.

The answer is both yes and no.

The NASCAR teams and drivers are used to racing every weekend, so they could cope with four races in 12 days. All four races were scheduled as one-day events. Darlington, South Carolina is just a twohour drive from Charlotte, North Carolina, where most of the teams are based, so the drivers and teams could drive from home to the track and home again on the same day and a bit.

And for the Charlotte race they had an easy commute to the track.

That’s not going to be the same for the F1 teams who will have to travel first around Europe and then around the world.

And the Supercar teams can’t drive their transporters halfway across Australia and back to their bases in the same day.

All the NASCAR races were on oval tracks, which is an environment easier to control and contain than a sprawling road circuit. Three of the first four NASCAR races were

WHAT’S IN THE NEXT ISSUE ON SALE JUNE 18

scheduled at night under the lights, so the empty grandstands were not so obvious.

On the other hand, race one had a one-hour rain delay, and the night start of race four was delayed by rain until the next day and daylight. Rain delays on road circuits, of course, are rare.

In addition to the four Cup races, NASCAR also staged two races of its Xfinity series and two of its Truck series at the same two tracks, but on four different days.

That way the number of people at the track could be limited for each race.

Formula 1 hopes to have its usual support events – Formula 2, Formula 3 and even Porsche Supercup – on the same threeday weekends.

Things will get crowded when people are supposed to be social distancing. There was only one TV crew in the paddock at Darlington – one pit reporter and one TV cameraman – and they were always wearing masks and stayed two metres away from the drivers – who were also wearing masks – during

interviews. The three race announcers were back at the studio in three separate rooms.

But how is Formula 1 going to handle multiple pit reporters from different countries?

Only four print/internet journalists were permitted to enter the Darlington track; they were all confined to a separate building and not allowed to enter the paddock. As of now, Auto Action and other F1 outlets will not be allowed to attend the first F1 races.

Everybody arriving at the NASCAR track gates had their temperature taken, and they had already read a 30-page booklet on what they should and shouldn’t do.

One thing NASCAR has been doing is changing things on the fly – like how to set the grid when there was no practice or qualifying. NASCAR holds a meeting after each race to decide what to do at the next races. And that would never fly in the rigid-on-its-rules world of F1.

But NASCAR has got its season going by playing by its own rules. And F1, Supercars and other series can learn from that.

Up Front With Foges; Holden Motorsport History - Car of The Future; Alan Jones 1980 Championship Spanish Grand Prix; Great Drives - Giovanni Bracco; Privateers; Short Circuit - Collie Motoplex; Young Guns and much more

THE FOGES FILE

with Mark Fogarty

AA’s proud pundit ruminates on Australia’s influence at the highest levels of car racing around the world AUSTRALIA HAS some heavy hitters in international motor sport administration.

For a country with a small population, we have a big say in the running of racing around the world.

Our most senior official is Brisbane businessman Garry Connelly, who is Motorsport Australia’s long-time delegate to the FIA. Connelly is an established member of the decision-making World Motor Sport Council and chairman of the Formula 1 stewards panel.

Director of the pioneering Rally Australia in its Perth heyday, he has also been active in the FIA’s on-going efforts to improve car and track safety.

Melbourne-born Alan Gow, the enduring boss of the BTCC, has for many years been the president of the FIA Touring Car Commission. London-based Gow is also a trustee of the FIA Foundation and FIA Institute.

Australia has a rich history of influence at the FIA. Former CAMS presidents John Roxburgh and John Large were vicepresidents of the world governing body Our race and rally administrators and officials are held in high regard internationally. For a new F1 race, Aussies are invariably brought in to train and oversee the local track marshalls and officials.

One of those advisors was Michael Masi, who is now F1’s race director – the most powerful official at a grand prix. Over the page, you can read a full-length interview with Masi, who has been in lockdown in Melbourne since the 11th hour cancellation of the Australian Grand Prix.

He was elevated to the onerous position at last year’s AGP following the shock death of long-serving F1 race boss Charlie Whiting. Masi had been appointed as a Whiting understudy as a candidate to

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Image: LAT eventually take over.

He was thrown in at the deep end and subsequently was appointed full time as F1 race director after proving his capability in the first half of the 2019 season.

Big shoes to fill, but anyone who had dealt with Masi over the past decade or more knew he would be up to the job.

I’ve known Michael since I returned from overseas in 2003. He began his apprenticeship under Super Touringturned-TEGA chief executive Kelvin O’Reilly – more recently the transformative head of Karting Australia – and learned well.

Over the years, Masi’s intelligence, humour and management skills have served him well. He is a people person whose charm belies an inner steel that enables him to deal with – and diffuse – strong characters.

Masi grew up in Fairfield in Sydney’s western suburbs, his interest in racing fostered by his family.

“I’ve had a long-term passion for the sport,” he said. “I’ve been lucky to work with a lot of amazing people who’ve become friends over the years.”

The toughest test of Masi’s first year as race director was at the Belgian GP, where French rising star Anthoine Hubert was killed in an horrific F2 crash.

“Unfortunately, it wasn’t the first fatality I’d dealt with,” Masi lamented. He was operations manager of the Fujitsu Series (now Dunlop Super2) when Mark Porter died at Bathurst in 2006 and also when

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Ashley Cooper was killed at the Adelaide 500 in ’08.

Masi oversees the F1, F2 and F3 support series, and the Spa tragedy was tragic confirmation of his leadership in a crisis.

“Spa was hugely mentally challenging,” he said. “The big part was supporting the (FIA) team around me to get through the weekend.

“The big thing for me was trying to lead the team as best I could in the face of adversity and trying to keep everyone working together on the rest of the event (F1 and F3).

“Dealing with that was very difficult.

Thankfully, we don’t see it very often these days.

“I remember (Supercars race director and early 1970s F1 driver) Tim Schenken telling me that when he was racing, the likelihood of one of your friends being killed was very real.

“Safety at all levels has vastly improved.

Unfortunately, there is still an element of danger. Tragedies bring together a lot of people for the common good.”

Masi’s role with the FIA is less allencompassing than Whiting’s purview across all sporting and technical aspects of F1, plus circuit safety – but not by much.

“It’s not as expansive,” he said. “Charlie was effectively director of the FIA singleseater department – all except Formula E – plus safety delegate and race director, rules and regs.

“My role is that I am the head of all

sporting matters for the single-seater department as well as F1 race director and safety delegate, plus I’m on the circuits commission and do track inspections.”

His work on the sporting and operational side supports single-seater commission president Stefano Domenicali, the former Ferrari F1 team boss who now runs Lamborghini.

During the coronavirus pandemic, co-operation between the FIA and F1’s commercial rights-holder has never been closer. But according to Masi, the alignment has been characteristic of the post-Bernie Ecclestone era.

“I would say it started with the original 2021 regulations (now delayed to ’22), which was very much a collaborative effort between the two organisations,” he said. “Under the ownership structure since Liberty took over F1, there have been regular meetings and it’s very much a partnership with the FIA. “It’s both of us working together and bringing our various strengths to the party for the common good. And some of the elements that we are learning are filtering down, be it with Formula E, WTCR, world rally championship – all of it.

“There are different nuances in each of the respective disciplines, but the core principles remain the same and flow all the way across.”

When he returns to Europe at the end of the month, Masi expects to live ‘on the road’ for the rest of the F1 season before re-locating to London next year.

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n i g n i t a r e p O

N O I T A L O IS

Although stranded here by the pandemic, Australian Formula 1 race director Michael Masi has been flat out helping to prepare for next month’s return to racing

SINCE THE Australian Grand Prix was cancelled and the nation went into coronavirus lockdown, Michael Masi has been in isolation in Melbourne.

However, it’s been far from a break, much less a holiday, from the F1 grind.

By now, Masi should have been several races into his second season as F1 race director. Instead, he’s been working all hours of the day and night for more than two months as part of the FIA’s F1 task force.

He is part of the team plotting F1’s return with back-to-back races at Austria’s Red Bull Ring in early July – a complicated puzzle of logistics and strict health compliance. It has involved daytime preparation and video conferencing with his international colleagues into the wee small hours.

No wonder he looks tired and drawn when we catch up after an easing of Victoria’s social restrictions. But the youthful 40-year-old’s enthusiasm is undulled.

Sydney born Masi took over as F1 race director in sad circumstances at last year’s Australian GP. Long-time race boss Charlie Whiting unexpectedly died at his hotel on the eve of the event.

18 AutoAction

Masi overcame grief and stepped up from his planned apprenticeship as deputy race director to secure the position permanently later in the season, having impressed with his calm, level-headed approach.

His equanimity and authority would come as no surprise to anyone who has dealt with him in Australian racing over more than two decades.

Although relatively young for a senior international motor sport official, whose responsibilities extend beyond running race control at F1 events, he is vastly experienced.

Masi honed his skills as an administrator, official, manager and diplomat in increasingly senior and diverse roles in Super Touring and Supercars, and at CAMS, Rally Australia and the FIA. He earned his race direction stripes running Super2 events and as deputy race director in Supercars, catching the eye of Whiting, who was uniformly respected and admired in F1.

Masi joined the FIA race control team in 2018, sharing F1 deputy race director duties as part of the long-term succession plan that was tragically cut short.

Masi (far left) was in the midst of the AGP cancellation, but when it came to the announcement, he stood by and let AGPC’s Westacott and Little and F1’s Chase Carey (left to right) take the heat. (national governing bodies like Motorsport Australia) to get back up and running. But then there’s the other element of working with our partners at Formula 1 and it’s going to be a very, very different world of risk mitigation, effectively, to go racing in a COVID-19 pandemic environment.

Can you explain how this so-called ‘biosphere’ is going to work in F1?

Images: LAT/AA Staff What – and how much – is happening to get F1 going again?

There’s a huge amount going on, Mark.

I think a number of us within the industry can say it’s probably the busiest time that we’ve ever had. I’m fortunate enough that, by circumstance, I’m here at home in Australia, but spending most nights in video conferences during the European day. Then I spend the day here catching up on all the work that mounts up. So there’s a lot going on, particularly with the return to racing being the huge focus at the moment, with the FIA and F1 working together on getting the F1 championship back up and running and aiming for the first weekend in July in Austria.

How exactly are you involved?

So, from an FIA perspective, I’m very much involved. We have a small return to racing working group internally that’s been established for six weeks now. It meets daily and that’s from a broader perspective of getting all FIA motor sport back up and running. There’s myself in an operational capacity and the medical side is led by Professor Gérard Saillant, who’s the president of the FIA medical commission, plus members of the FIA safety department and a couple of other relevant departments.

So there’s the broader perspective of all FIA motor sport and how we assist the ASNs

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The FIA’s been working very closely with the World Health Organisation and we’ve had consultants that have been involved with the International Olympic Committee, which dealt with the Zika virus (during the 2016 Rio Olympic Games) – so how to deal effectively with that type of epidemic on your doorstep and how to manage it.

It’s about risk management and it’s not going to be easy. We’ll be operating in what Ross Brawn has called a biosphere, but the terminology we’re more used to is the hub or cluster philosophy. So there’ll be, effectively, a broad bubble over the event venue and then within that there’ll be a number of sub-clusters. Each team will operate like a family unit, with protocols for social distancing, use of personal protective equipment and changing the way that we go about regular interaction.

As you’ll recognise, you might answer five questions, but then you have another 100 that come out of those five. So it’s certainly been a good mental challenge.

The other part of it is that knowledge of the virus is changing daily - how to test for it, the impacts that it has. We’re just trying to be as mobile and a dynamic as we can in dealing with it. It’s certainly been challenging, but a good mental challenge.

Will there be an impact on your role as race director in this new environment?

Will it change the way you operate and what you do?

I think in running the actual race, no. There will be variances to a number of sort of

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back-of-house operational elements and a part of that is the (virus) testing regime that will be implemented for our team, and the marshals and volunteers that are out there.

There’ll be changes to what you might call your standard operating procedures – for example, when teams bring their cars up to be weighed or driver weighing. New protocols will be observed for everyone’s safety and we’re still working through those in more specific detail with the FIA F1 team on how that can be rolled out. But as far as running the race, no big changes.

You’ll probably see some minor procedural changes. The main difference, of course, is that for the foreseeable future, there won’t be any crowd. Also, the teams have agreed to reduce the number of personnel that they bring to the track overall, but the number of people working on the car will remain the same. All the ancillary services have been trimmed quite radically.

Will any of your team of officials – for example, the stewards – be working remotely?

Stewards will continue to be on-site, but the way that they do some of their work will change slightly. We’ll obviously have to take into account also having contingency plans if someone at an event is found to be positive for the coronavirus, putting in place operational steps as a ‘What if?’ scenario.

That’s a challenge in its own right. And then you have to take into account all of the various national borders that we need to cross to make a championship happen.

So it has its challenges, but I love a good challenge.

Speaking of challenges, you were obviously right in the middle of all the discussions that led to the cancellation of the Australian Grand Prix. You were front and centre when the announcement was made, but you said nothing.

That’s very true.

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Why didn’t you at least present the FIA’s point of view?

From a joint F1 and FIA perspective, it had been a very, very long night and what Chase (Carey) delivered from a Formula 1 view was effectively that of the FIA as well. I was there in case there were any specific sporting or FIA related queries, but there weren’t, so if I had spoken, all I would have done was repeat what had already been said by Chase and Paul Little and Andrew Westacott from the Australian Grand Prix Corporation.

We’d all worked closely from when we all found out the night before (about a McLaren team member testing positive).

Chase had only arrived from Vietnam that norming, but there was a number of us that literally had a sleepless night.

What brought the whole thing underdone? Did they panic?

From my end, if you look at it in perspective, at the time in Australia the level of what COVID-19 was hadn’t really come out. Looking back now on the way it rolled out, effectively the cancellation of the AGP was the first major sporting event to be called off and the catalyst for what happened over the next seven days. It led the world and 10 days later here, we were all pretty much in lockdown. So the testing of the positive case with the McLaren team member exacerbated the existing concerns among the Italian participants (Ferrari, AlphaTauri and Pirelli), who were concerned logistically about getting home. I think there was a little less true understanding among the UK teams.

But once the McLaren case came to light, everything changed. The Premier of Victoria announced earlier on the Friday morning that no crowds would be allowed at the event and a number of the teams became concerned about the welfare of their own staff.

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So it wasn’t just one factor. There was a range of issues and a huge number of discussions before the decision was made.

There was a small group of us sitting in Ross Brawn’s hotel room until about 5.50 am with various calls and discussions going on into the evening in Europe. I went back to my hotel and had a quick shower, and then back to the circuit.

Still no doubt that it was the right decision?

Absolutely, 100 per cent it was the right decision. I don’t think there are any regrets at all. It was a learning experience for all of us.

There were a number of permutations that no one had ever considered, be it contractually or anything else, that we had to take into acco account.t It was only as o l the area of those agreements or regulations that you don’t ever normally see that were suddenly coming up. So from my perspective, I don’t think there is any regret. Hindsight, for me, tell us that it was absolutely the right decision. A large number of people looked at it at the time, saying you should have just gone ahead, but in this case the benefit of hindsight works to our advantage. I completely supported the decision at the time. Getting everyone home safely was a huge priority.

Did you expect to have to stay here for so long?

When it first transpired, I spoke with both the secretary-general and the president of the FIA, and I told them that I was just going to sit tight here for a couple of weeks, just to see what happened.

And then within those 14 days, the world became a very, very different place. I’ve been very fortunate that I’ve been able to stay here and at least be in the same time as family and friends, and that’s certainly helped. A bit sleep-deprived, but it’s been a small price to pay. It’s been good to be in my home country during these difficult times. I don’t think we realise how fortunate we’ve been here in the overall scheme of what’s happening in other parts of the world. We are very, very fortunate with the way we as a country have dealt with this and managed this. I feel very comfortable, put it that way.

Masi took over as F1 race director at 2019 AGP following untimely death of legendary team manager turned policeman Charlie Whiting. Foges and Masi (left) practised social distancing during the interview.

from what I learned over lea ed previously p e io sl iin my various a io s roles oles o e a number of years with different people.

It was a tragic weekend, without a doubt.

Who would have ever thought, standing downstairs in the hotel waiting for Charlie to go to the track with him, that something like that would happen? It was surreal.

During that whole weekend in Melbourne, it was like he was somewhere else, not what had occurred. He was a friend and a mentor. The true grieving process for a number of people didn’t actually start until post-event or even until his memorial. All of us grieve in different ways and at different times. It was hugely challenging, but I was supported by an amazing team of people at the FIA who had worked with Charlie for many, many years. So having their support was huge. What I also experienced was the camaraderie of F1 – the way the whole community pulled together. Everyone could not have been more supportive in helping me get through that weekend.

Subsequently, you were appointed permanently. How did you establish your authority in an environment full of such strong characters?

I was wa open and honest from the start sta in saying to them “You don’t know kno what you don’t know”. I wasn’t was aware of the background and history of the way certain decisions, processes and protocols dec had come about, so my way of managing and dealing with that is man effectively taking a step back and effec with people, be it one-oneengaging ga one or as a group, and being quite open and transparent with them. I trialled a number of things, but I certainly didn’t try to put myself out there on a limb at first. I very much worked with all of them to get to the point of gaining their confidence.

And you’re right, you have to draw a line in the sand. Unlike a normal transition, though, I didn’t have a point of reference to bounce off, so I had to go about it in other ways to get an understanding. I used the period up until the European summer break (in August 2019) to get as much of that background knowledge and understanding as I could. For me, it was very much a case of trying to work with them all and get their views, which I don’t think had really happened that much.

You certainly seemed to take a much more relaxed approach to driving incidents. Did you make a conscious decision to let the drivers race more aggressively?

As part of the whole “Let them race” philosophy, we sought the views

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Was the turning point the battle between Verstappen and Leclerc at the Austrian GP? I think it was one of a few. It was certainly in the mix. There was also the incident between Sebastien and Lewis in Montreal (where Vettel was penalised for holding off Hamilton by cutting a corner after making a mistake, with the time penalty costing the German his on-the-road victory).

Another was Charles and Max, again, at Silverstone. They were all part of it, as well as a number of other little incidents behind the scenes that all added to our revised view later in the season.

You have to deal with a lot of big personalities in F1, many of whom can be intimidating. In the main, how have you found them?

Let’s go back 14 months, when you took over as F1 race director in very unfortunate circumstances. How daunting was that?

At the time, it was just instinct and reaction, dealing with things the best that I could

individually of drivers, team principals and sporting directors. Everyone has a slightly different perspective, especially if they are directly involved in an incident, so for me it was a matter weighing up all those opinions. Also, a number of things I had learned during my years in the sport helped inform me. The big one was the reintroduction of the use of the bad sportsmanship flag – the black and white flag – which was something that had been done previously, but in a different way. For me, it was more about the public acknowledgement of where it sat. The other critical part in all of this is that the stewards, of which the ex-driver stewards are an important element, had to be involved in the process. But everyone had to be on board, so it was the teams, it was F1, it was the FIA, it was our stewards – they all needed to be on board with this idea of accepting more robust racing. I think last year, particularly with the support of all 20 drivers, we found where that balance between acceptable and unacceptable moves sat.

Max vs Charles: Under Masi’s race direction, F1 drivers are allowed to bang wheels.

In the main, they’re actually great. With elite athletes or top business people, you have the public face and the private face.

So when they’re in a group environment, the way they deal with things can be very

different to the way they go about things one-on-one. You have to take that into account, but overall, I find the drivers and team bosses are reasonable individuals.

Don’t get me wrong, you have your disagreements with them – and they can be quite feisty disagreements at times – but having said that, they’re always respectful discussions. You can agree to disagree, but then move on. It’s not as if there are grudges or anything like that. It’s like “That happened, we’ve discussed it out, move on to the next point”. All of them, in the main, have been great to deal with.

Between drivers’ briefings, team principal discussions and meetings with the team managers or sporting directors, you have all these various individuals that you have to bring together and try to get them on the same page of a collective journey that we’re all working on. The aim is to produce, and ensure that we continue to have, the best FIA Formula 1 world championship for many years to come. A big part of that is you should never forget history and where you’ve come from, but learn from it. Like my previous life in Supercars, I see that when it comes down to incidents, people refer to things that have happened in the past as if the circumstances were the same. But the rules or the manner in which they’re applied have very much changed throughout that period. When I started, there were two penalties for a driving infringement – either a pit lane drive-through penalty or exclusion from the event. Now we have different levels to take into account what we’re all trying to achieve overall and it’s not a one-size-fits-all.

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Masi isn’t intimated by powerful figures like Red Bull Racing boss Christian Danner, asserting that F1 is more respectful than Supercars.

Consensus is desirable, but there must be occasions when you have to assert yourself?

Oh, 100 per cent. Some of the team principals, for example, can be pretty forceful and that’s what I was alluding to when I said that you have to be able to agree to disagree. They have their view and they’re worried about their team – and rightly so. That’s what they’re there to do. Part of my role at the events, and in a wider capacity, is that we need to take a broader approach to what the championship looks like. So, yes, there’s the consensus element, but I don’t see it so much as consensus as more working with them. To get the best outcome, you

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need to know what people are thinking and what their expectations are. And to get that out of people, generally, can be quite challenging at times, be it in a group or an individual environment.

Obviously, Australian motor sport was a great training ground.

It’s been a brilliant training ground. I’ve always had a passion for the sport. I started working with a Super Touring team on a voluntary basis, then joined TOCA Australia, which was owned by Alan Gow, Peter Adderton and Terry Morris, and run by Kelvin O’Reilly. The opportunity they gave me and working with Kelvin led to my role with TEGA

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and from there to Supercars. I gained further valuable experience working with Mark Skaife and what is now Motorsport Australia across many areas. I’ve had an amazing level of exposure to different disciplines, from sports administration to management. I learned a great deal from Kelvin O’Reilly, as well as from dealing with the hardnosed-ness of Alan Gow. Sitting in TEGA board meetings with the likes of Larry Perkins, Mark Skaife and the Stone brothers or V8 Supercars board meetings with Tony Cochrane and Wayne Cattach was invaluable. So many people have taught me so much. While I was at CAMS, I also worked on helping to set up the Singapore, Korean and Russian GPs, and the race operation guidance under Tim Schenken was brilliant. Working with the stewards here has been yet another important lesson, particularly through Australia’s FIA delegate (and F1 stewards chairman) Garry Connelly and (former CAMS chief steward) Steve Chopping. You just learn so much about how different people operate. I’ve been the race director of the Super2 series and I’ve even been fortunate enough – and I do mean fortunate – to have been CEO of the first Rally Australia at Coffs Harbour in 2011. All those experiences have made me what I am, so I’ve been very fortunate to have so many great opportunities. Equally, there’s been no shortage or work and sacrifices along the way. But the people I’ve worked with and the mentors I’ve have had, have been a huge influence on the way I go about things.

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Celebrating the 30th anniversary of the R32 Nissan Skyline GT-R’s local racing debut, three principal players tell MARK FOGARTY why ‘Godzilla’ had to fight for supremacy

IMAGES: AA Archive/AN1Images.com

IT REMAINS the most sophisticated production-based touring car racer ever. The ultimate homologation special had computercontrolled four-wheel drive, a lusty twin-turbo straight six and a host of other racing-oriented enhancements.

The legendary R32 Nissan Skyline GT-R was the ultimate expression of the international Group A rules that reigned in the 1980s and very early ’90s. It was also the car that killed the category.

It was so technically advanced that even before it raced in earnest, the R32 GT-R was forecast as a devourer. In 1989, Wheels magazine famously christened it ‘Godzilla’ after the Japanese movie monster.

The tag stuck and, in today’s parlance, went viral, becoming infamous worldwide. Nowhere was ‘Godzilla’ a more appropriate nickname than in Australian touring car racing in 1991/92, which the R32 dominated completely.

Its supremacy was so overwhelming that local racing interests – led by broadcaster Seven – instigated a return to traditional Ford Falcon versus Holden Commodore V8 competition from ’93.

What eventually became V8 Supercars is due to, and a product of, the GT-R’s smothering superiority. Despite weight and performance handicaps, the factory backed Nissan GT-Rs of Jim Richards and Mark Skaife rendered the Ford Sierra Cosworth RS500s and BMW M3 Evos, not to mention the Holden Commodore VN SS Group As, redundant.

The R32 also killed Group A worldwide, with BMW and Ford – among other manufacturers – unwilling to develop hightech, four-wheel drive road racers.

‘Godzilla’ was at its most fierce in Australia, with the R32 racer developed locally to a peak by Gibson Motorsport,

At the height of its powers in 1992, a third R32 GT-R joined the touring car field, run privately by Bob Forbes in GIO insurance colours (above at Oran Park) for his driver Mark Gibbs with considerable factory team support.

backed by Nissan Australia. Ford legend Fred Gibson was drafted by Broadmeadows-turned-Nissan racing chief Howard Marsden to take over the Japanese manufacturer’s local team in the early 1980s.

It was 30 years ago this week that ‘Godzilla’ made its ATCC debut at Mallala, north of Adelaide, in the hands of Skaife, then very much still the junior to teamleader Richards.

It was a prescient, if unsuccessful, debut, with Skaife retiring with a front hub failure after dominating in the all-paw GT-R. Richards closed out the title in the GT-R, clinching it with a win at the final round at Oran Park, after anchoring his third ATCC title with the Skyline HR31 GTS-R. In ’91, Richards and Skaife were all-conquering. The transplanted New Zealander won the ATCC again and they combined to easily take the Bathurst 1000.

It was Skaife’s title turn in ’92, finally besting mentor Richards, and they scored possibly the most controversial win ever in the rain-shortened Bathurst 1000.

Richards crashed out in the streaming conditions, which were so bad the race was declared and the result decided by the order on the previous lap. That resulted in the famously adverse fan reaction during the podium ceremony, with Richards declaring that they were “a pack of arseholes”.

If for no other reason, the R32 ‘Godzilla’ GT-R has lived in infamy ever since.

However, three decades since its local debut, history looks more kindly on its divisiveness.

Already the reigning champion, Jim Richards (seen here at Sandown) used the R32 GT-R to devastating effect, taking the title again in 1991.

The best team running the best car, driven by the best combination of drivers.

An established ace (Richards) supported by an emerging star (Skaife).

MONSTER MASH

The opposition was eaten alive by Godzilla. But contrary to contemporary reports, the GT-R racer was a monster to drive, requiring a huge amount of local development to fulfill its potential.

To recount the ‘Godzilla’ race tale, we spoke with Gibson, Skaife and former Nissan Oz product planning, design and Special Vehicles boss Paul Beranger.

On sale here from mid-1991, it was then a Skyline GT-R. The Skyline sedan had

been Nissan Australia’s locally made sixcylinder Commodore/Falcon fighter until 1988.

Apart from the Skyline label, the R32 GT-R was unrelated. But the more closely aligned DR30 Skyline RS and HR31 Skyline GTS-R – both two-door variants not sold here – had carried the Nissan flag in Australian Group A from 1986-90.

Under Beranger, Nissan Australia had set up an HSV-style Special Vehicles division in league with Gibson’s factory team, which developed a sporty version of the locally made Skyline sedan.

Importing a limited number (100) of localised R32 road cars justified the link to racing the Group A version, which on

paper set a new standard for homologation specials.

The racing R32 was developed by Nissan Motorsport (NISMO) in Japan. As sophisticated and optimised for Group A as it was, the Melbourne-based Gibson squad had to undertake a lot of changes to make it competitive locally and contain costs despite factory backing.

“You have to remember that our touring car category in Australia was very competitive and the thing is, a Japanesespec race car wouldn’t win here,” Gibson said. “It wouldn’t be quick enough against the Ford Sierras and Holden Commodores.

So we had to homologate the parts on it that we wanted on the car with the

The GT-R dominated everywhere, hhere er heading the field for a heat of the AMSCAR series at Amaroo Park in 11992.

FIA through CAMS (now Motorsport Australia) to make the race car a better car and that took a lot of work.”

Added Beranger: “NISMO in Japan wasn’t too impressed when we told them we needed to change their pride and joy.”

However, NISMO quickly came on board to help the upstart Aussies get the best out of the Godzilla racer.

“It was a very complex car and the Japanese offered us support to do it, and from the very beginning we had Japanese engineers in Australia,” Beranger said.

“And, clearly, their job was not only to help, but to report back. And, therefore, I believe they were continually explaining to Japan what we were doing.

“Japan wasn’t negative about it – they were offering suggestions – but I think at the same time they became aware and realistic that what we were doing was probably in advance of what they were doing.

“Part of the problem was that in Japan, they didn’t really have to develop the car because they controlled the (local Group A) formula. The more they developed, the more they had to spend, whereas we had to keep developing and at every race the car changed.

“The Japanese were aware of that and I think in many ways they were sending information back to Japan about what we were doing.”

COMPREHENSIVE CHANGES The Aussie overhaul of the R32 racer was comprehensive, as Gibson explained: “Suspension, wheels, gearbox, clutch, engine. Like cylinder blocks. We put an engine on the dyno and cracked the block because of the extra power we were trying to get out of it with a different engine management system.

“So they had to make special blocks for us. They were good at doing that, but it took time – and money. A lot of money. A part of going local was to save money because the Japanese parts were just silly money.

“A competition water pump from Japan was about $15,000 and all they did was change the impeller on it, which we could

do here and use the normal water pump. A dog box gearbox was $60,000.

“NISMO were there to make money, whether we were Nissan or not. They still charged an arm and a leg. So we went away from using NISMO stuff.

“The wheels, the suspension, the gearbox were all local. They made the cylinder blocks, but the Electromotive engine management system was done for us in America.

“We did it all ourselves, which was still very expensive, but not as expensive as getting all the bits from Japan.

“Our budget wasn’t huge. We were very fortunate to have good sponsors as well as Nissan Australia.”

By 1992, even Nissan Australia was baulking at the cost and Winfield came on board as sponsor, boosting the factory’s $1 million contribution to a $4 million annual budget. More than a quarter of a century later, it’s a figure most Supercars teams would envy.

“We were struggling when we first did GT-R because we didn’t have enough money to do the job properly,” Gibson revealed. “We were lucky to have cigarette money come along because it was a very expensive car to run.”

Initially, Gibson was enthused by the Group A R32’s specifications.

“When Paul (Beranger) first told me we were going to have a twin turbo six-cylinder Skyline, I thought ‘Wow, that’s going to be great’. I expected it to be a V6 twin turbo.

“So when it lobbed with a straight six twin turbo, it was pretty rare. One of the problems was that the engine was long and hung out over the front subframe, so it was front-heavy. If it had been a compact V6, it would have been a rocket ship.”

Heavy to begin with, Godzilla’s racing weight was increased from 1350 to 1500 kg as CAMS tried – unsuccessfully – to rein in the ATCCdevouring monster. Following intensive development and refinement, the red rockets were producing 650 horsepower in race trim – later reduced to 620 – and with the boost wound up, 700 bhp for qualifying, with drive to the four wheels controlled by then sophisticated computer management.

In full flight, both Gibson and Skaife remember that the 2.6-litre twin-turbo straight six “bellowed”.

GT-R BENCHMARK “It was already a heavy car, but they (CAMS) just kept putting weight on it,” Gibson said, still clearly bitter.

“We were handicapped because we built a better mousetrap within the regulations. We did our homologation properly – and that took time and money.

“We became the benchmark for GT-R in the world.”

So much so that when Gibson received offers to compete in the Fuji 500 in Japan and the Macau Grand Prix’s Guia touring car race, NISMO vetoed the idea for fear of being upstaged.

Despite the historical myth that the R32 GT-R was unbeatable from the outset, Gibson is adamant it took a lot of intensive local work to capitalise on the car’s inherent advantages.

“It was very unreliable at the start,” he said, shaking his head. “It was a nightmare.

A lot of work had to go into the car and we had to develop it. We used a lot of Australian suppliers to help us get it right.”

Godzilla became so dominant that Beranger revealed that even rival teams

expre expressed interest in switching to the fourfour-wheel drive monster.

“Wh people realised the GT-R “When g was going to be the gun car, they knock on our door and wanted to knocked GT run GT-Rs – until we told them the budg bu dgee he recalled. “Two things budget,” t (customer cars) – one was killed that bu the budget required and the second th they would have to deal was that through Fred, because NISMO didn’t want to deal with independent teams in Australia.

They said they were happy to supply through Gibson Motorsport.

“And motor sport being what it is, those people always believed they’d get secondrate service because Fred would be the works team and the rest would get handme-downs.

“Fred was successful, of course, with the GIO car which ran under him, but the rest of the people – and I mean oil company sponsored teams – actually knocked on my door and asked us if they could be part of GT-R and ultimately they walked away from it because of the cost of doing it, even compared with a Sierra Cosworth RS500.”

The only customer GT-R was run by Bob Forbes’s GIO Insurance-backed team, driven by Mark Gibbs and also Rohan Onslow.

According to Skaife, while the R32 GT-R racer was the class of the field, it still wasn’t easy for he or Richo to extract its full performance once it was fully sorted.

“It was the most technically advanced touring car of the day by a long margin,” Skaife said. “But it was hard to drive.

Its outright pace was similar to today’s Supercar, but with a smaller tyre and no aero. I mean, it would’ve had lift.

“And when it was finally handicapped to 1500 kilograms, it was a big heavy car with small tyres and no aero. It was a real handful. In the slow stuff, the car was obviously great, but in the fast stuff, it was wild.

“Its big advantage was in the wet, especially at places like Mallala, Amaroo Park and Winton (tight, twisty tracks). When it rained, the thing was just a weapon.”

Unimpressed by the heckling of fans after their controversial win on countback at Bathurst in 1992, Jim Richards delivered his infamous “arseholes” comments to the crowd below the victory rostrum. He’s flanked by co-driver Mark Skaife and broadcaster Garry Wilkinson.

BATHURST 92 AND THE CROWD BOOS But even in the wet, the GT-R couldn’t defy the laws of physics.

Richards was on slicks when he crashed while leading Bathurst in ’92, running out of grip in the flooding downpour and triggering the red flag that stopped the race.

In those days, the result was decided by the positions on the lap before the cancellation, handing victory to Richards and Skaife in a controversial finish that enraged the fans – who’d been incited by Dick Johnson’s claim that he and John

Bow Bowe should’ve won in their secondplac placed Sierra because they were still run running when the race was declared.

More M than a quarter of a century lat later, Gibson remains defiant, ma maintaining the race was in the bag re regardless.

“Didn’t matter,” he scoffed. “We were going to win anyway. We had w tthe best drivers and the best team, aand the car was a good car. Simple as that. But the car was a good car because it was developed within the beca regulations regulatio to be a good car ...”

Gibson rates the R32 GT-R’s success as the highlight of his team management/ ownership career.

“Oh, for sure,” he said. “Having the people that engineered the car, designed some of the equipment for the car, was very satisfying. We had to do so much in-house ourselves – the engines and the whole thing. The only thing we didn’t do was the (Australian) Holinger gearbox.

“The rest we did ourselves. We got new things cast and I still have all the old drawings for that. All those things we got

Despite crashing twice on the race’s final lap, the Richards/Skaife R32 GT-R was awarded victory at Bathurst in 1992 under the prevailing regulations which saw results declared on the race order the lap before the red flag.

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done to make it a better car were done because we had good people. The people made the difference.”

Amazingly, the all-conquering Aussie GT-R racers were built from stripped road cars rather than imported bare body shells.

“We nearly cried when we got the first three cars,” Gibson winced. “They were complete new road cars, and we had to pull them all apart and build them into race cars.

“All the stuff we had to throw away! We ripped them apart for the bodyshells.”

Gibson, Skaife and Beranger all bury their heads in their hands when they consider how much all those discarded parts would be worth now.

Four of the five Aussie R32 race cars – including the privateer version – survive with collectors in period liveries.

Godzilla may have been reviled at the time, but it is now revered as one of the all-time great Australian touring car racers.

Its dominance also triggered the return of Ford versus Holden V8 racing, which has sustained the sport for more than 25 years.

For that, at least, the GT-R should be thanked.

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IMAGES: AA Archive/autopics.com.au

Gibson Motorsport became renowned across the world for building the ultimate racing version of the Nissan Skyline R-32 GT-R. The Australianised Godzillas remain an engineering marvel, as team manager Alan Heaphy told HEATH McALPINE. THE DOMINANT Gibson Motorsport GT-Rs put the final nail in the coffin for Group A in Australia.

Alan Heaphy was completing his stint as team manager of Nissan’s UK-based Group C sports car contender and on the direction of Nissan Motorsport Europe boss Howard Marsden he was sent back to Australia to review Gibson Motorsport’s operation during the 1990 Bathurst 1000.

GT-R had debuted at Mallala five months earlier, but it proved to be fragile after a hub failed on debut. At Bathurst, Gibson Motorsport’s fortunes failed to improve when problems arose with the race car forcing the team to shift all the componentry, including the Channel 7 racecam into the sister car entry.

A promising debut for the GT-R ended when a CV joint failed, but the pace it demonstrated sent a shudder through the opposition heading

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into 1991.

“Howard asked what I thought and I said, ‘I am sure I could help with some of the systems and methods I have learnt in Europe that would improve with how the Team functions’,” Heaphy recalled to Auto Action.

“So, I came out and did that.”

The team at Gibson’s had already begun Australianising its GT-R when Heaphy arrived.

“When I arrived here I think at the end of November, I went straight to New Zealand where the team was racing at the Wellington street race and it was a good opportunity to see some of the problems the car had. The car was suffering badly with brake issues, not so much the handling, and there were other components that were just underdone,” explained Heaphy.

“They were running a number of the Australian made components at that stage. They had their own front and rear uprights that were

Development of the R32 GT-R was continuous. This is 1991 at Sandown and the car is wearing wheel fans, later discarded after analysis.

locally made, wishbones and a number of other components that were made in house. They also had the Holinger gearbox that replaced the Nismo gearbox as they found it to be unreliable.

“During the Group C Prototype program I had spent quite a bit of time with the PI data logging system. We had developed this system during

the prototype program and I bought one of those back with me. The Engineer at that time was Ross Holder, he and the guys fitted the PI unit and sensors into chassis number 002.”

Work was at fever pitch during the off-season as the team continued to develop on GT-R #002, while building the third chassis after the

first had been written off during qualifying at the 1990 Adelaide Australian Grand Prix support races.

Gains were being made continuously by the team as the PI system provided critical insight, which advanced the GT-R dramatically.

“With the PI system in the car and the data we got from turbo speeds, brake temperatures and other items, we could basically say ‘change this, check that and do that’,” Heaphy explained.

“We spent almost everyday bar Christmas Day modifying bit and pieces in the workshop to get the car up and running to go testing. Then we were out at Calder, I don’t know how many days we spent out there, but testing brakes, testing oil coolers and that sort of thing.

“The team were running cooling fans on the wheels which was to help with the brake cooling. I was concerned the fans weren’t doing what they were supposed to do and believed that they were only covering up the open face of the wheel.

“I remember when we fitted the infrared sensor near the disc, you could see the temperature go up and with the wheel fan on you could see the temperature come down a little bit, but with the wheel fan off you could see it come down more rapidly. It showed that the brakes ran cooler with

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Nissan team boss Fred Gibson (right) keeps an eye on his GT-R squad at Bathurst in 1991, including the privateer Bob Forbes entry for Mark Gibss/Rohan Onslow.

no fans and fans were never used again.

“The development was just a vertical line, it really was. I mean over the period of lateDecember-early-January, the changes to the car and the data information that we got was invaluable.”

The first two GT-R race cars were built from road cars that come out of Nissan’s engineering department. The first car built used a majority of NISMO Group A components, while the second featured an array of all Australian made components. This included items like spindles, hubs and uprights, wishbones and a multitude of engine components. These same items continued through to the production process of a further three GT-Rs. The Australian company Cast Alloy headed by Kevin Drage played a major role in the GT-R era by casting and providing wheels and uprights.

“There were a number of different versions of the wheels because I think we were the first team to run a hollow spoke, a hollow centre as well,” Heaphy recalled. “The early development

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wheels were an issue, with some cracking and keeping them tight, we used to have to torque them up to 800 800tight foot pound of torque to stop then from coming undone..

“Kevin was constantly making changes to try and make them stronger and lighter.”

What really impressed the Japanese was Gibson Motorsport’s in-house built turbochargers. A trip was made to NISMO headquarters in Omori in a quest to discuss and try and find a fix for a cylinder block cracking problem.

“The team built their own turbochargers inhouse,” Heaphy said.

“Myself and two other team guys went to Japan to talk to them about the cylinder block because at that stage we were splitting cylinder blocks which we believed were twisting when

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the torque was applied. applied “We took one of our turbochargers with us and they had an engineering guy from Garrett Engineer at NISMO at the time we were there.

He looked at that turbocharger, pulled it apart and reckoned our guys were two years in front of them with development work.

“We had a 360 thrust bearing turbo and we had a balancing machine that used to suck the air out of everything and the guys could run and balance them up to about to 120-130,000rpm.”

At its peak, the GT-R produced 650hp at 1.31.4 bar of boost and 500-foot pounds of torque, but it had to move a hefty mass at 1650kg thanks mainly due to the heavy ATTESA E-TS all-wheel-drive system.

While twisting of the cylinder block was

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cured by a redesign of the bracing inside the block itself, the engine run with a Group A specification nodular steel crank, beefier rods, titanium valves and retainers, plus the addition of Cosworth pistons.

Before I left the UK Howard said ‘your brief is to help the Team win Bathurst’ as Nissan wanted to be the first Japanese manufacturer to win Bathurst. So, everything we did during that year was to try componentry for 1000km or more. We put an engine in Jim’s car and left it in there to see how far it would go.

“At Oran Park, the final round, Jimmy blew an engine up and that engine had done 2600km. It had broken a big end bolt so we knew that was the weak link.”

Another bugbear was keeping oil in the sump, but an intricate solution was developed.

“It was very complicated,” Heaphy explained.

“It had a breather out the top of the engine that went into a separator tank and back into the sump. It even got to the point where the finial catch tank also had a pump that put the oil back into the sump.”

The HR31 Skyline had a Holinger 5-speed gearbox and the Team got Holinger to design and build a 6-speed gearbox for the GT-R to replace the NISMO example. This was much cheaper and superior to the Japanese dogbox.

The HS6 became the flagship product for Holinger, it was adapted for many motor sport categories globally including V8 Supercars where it was a staple until 2008.

“The Holinger box was about $18,000 back then and the NISMO box was $33,000,” Heaphy related.

“The GTR produced so much torque that it could destroy the Nissan box with little effort!

“The car didn’t really need a 6-speed, it had plenty of torque you could have got away with less and it still would have won races.

“The same 6-speed was a good thing for other Teams particularly those with the normally aspirated engines. Teams like Perkins Engineering, HRT and many others used this gearbox.”

Having first experimented with triple plate

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The Nissan squad had trick Brembo brakes at Bathurst in 1991 and went to some trouble to keep them away from the eyes of the opposition in pitlane.

carbon clutches in 1988 as part of Nissan’s European Touring Car Championship campaign with the HR31 it was then adapted to suit the the Group C Prototypes, before developing a triple-plate carbon version for the GT-R. Only a few Nissan parts remained in the Gibson GT-Rs, these included the front driveshafts and diff. The rear diff contained a spool which was joined by decent shafts and CV joints ensured those components were strong.

“It took a while to convince the team that a diff spool would be a performance advantage,” Heaphy explained. “Nobody wanted to do it because they were running a Nissan clutch type LSD which had been reliable. To keep them that way we were pulling them out after every event and diff oil temps with the clutch type diff were very high.

“After Oran Park 1991, there was the usual Bathurst test day and we set up a diff with a spool in it, we just pulled one diff out and put another in.

“Skaife was in the car, he was around a second and a half faster. He said it just improved the car in all areas, braking, improved the power down and there wasn’t a real big complaint about push.

The groundwork for the engine ECU was laid by Bo Seton when the Nissan team were introducing the DR30 for Group A. The work was completed at Electromotive’s in Los Angeles headquarters. This company also played a role in the success of Nissan’s IMSA program, proving superior to any other similar product on the market.

“The Electromotive system, even today is still a better unit than what the Motec M800 is,” emphasised Heaphy.

“It had the ability to tune each cylinder and there were other things that it had that the M800 doesn’t have. The disadvantage was when you wanted to make a change to the tuning you had to burn an Eprom which was a lot of messing around.”

When restrictions were placed on the GT-Rs Plenty to celebrate, Jim Richards (left) closed out the 1990 Australian Touring Car Championship title in the R32 GT-R and then won it again in 1991. Protege Mark Skaife then got the upper hand, winning the title in 1992. Richards leads Skaife at Ameroo Park (below).

for 1992, the system demonstrated its worth.

“When we had to run the boost pop-off valve, everything was back to 1.3 bar of boost maximum which meant we went back to about 580hp and left us wondering what to do next to get the power back.

“We had a guy who worked for us called Steve Curtis who, with Ross Holder and Eric Schlifelner, got together and put a few sensors onto the engine. One Porsche sensor picked up the flywheel teeth and put a pressure transducer under each spark plug that measured cylinder pressure. They then tuned each individual cylinder at 250rpm increments from 1000rpm up to 8500rpm and the efficiency from the engine by doing that got us back to 640hp.”

Where the PI system really shone was in the brake development area. A flap within the brake ducting that cooled the brakes and the oil coolers could be alternated between the two

‘Godzilla’ was originally its own worst enemy

The privateer GT-R of Gibbs/Onslow on its way to third at Bathurst in 1991. Alan Heaphy with the restored car today (below).

1990 One ATCC round victory Richards one (Oran Park) 1991 Seven ATCC round victories Richards four (Sandown, Symmons Plains, Lakeside, Winton) Skaife three (Wanneroo, Mallala, Oran Park) ATCC title 1st Richards, 2nd Skaife Sandown 500 1st Gibbs/Onslow Bathurst 1000 1st Skaife/Richards 3rd Gibbs/Onslow Pukekohe 500 1st Skaife/Richards 1992 Four ATCC round victories Skaife four (Amaroo Park, Winton, Mallala, Oran Park) ATCC title 1st Skaife 2nd Richards Bathurst 1000 1st Skaife/Richards 3rd Olofsson/Crompton

depending on what the circuit demands were.

For Bathurst Heaphy had acquired some specially made Alcon calipers that were used by the NISMO team at the Spa 24-Hour in 1991 to replace the APs that had been used during the ATCC. “What we had was kept very quiet, no other team knew about them. If you see any footage of the pit stops at Bathurst, particularly in practice, you’ll find that there were a lot of blokes around the front wheels,” Heaphy said. These calipers gave us the ability to do 90 laps before a pad change whereas we would only get 30 using the AP. The disadvantage was each pad cost $800.00 each and had to be specially made.”

The build up to Bathurst 1991 was huge with complete crossmember assemblies, engine, gearbox, driveshafts and uprights for the front

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and the rear having to be bedded in at Calder Park prior to the Bathurst event. These were dropped out again for practice and qualifying before being re-installed on Saturday at Bathurst.

“It was a major, major effort, but the time that we saved with the guys not having to work all night preparing cars was a big advantage,” Heaphy reflected. “I can clearly remember Fred being concerned that the team was sitting around having dinner on the Saturday night at around 7:30pm and him saying that in all his years at Bathurst we seemed a bit to organised.”

Of course, the result was very pleasing for Nissan. Skaife took pole setting a blistering lap time of 2m 12.630s before dually converting it to victory the next day partnering Jim Richards.

Alongside it on the front-row was the privateer Bob Forbes Racing GT-R driven by Mark Gibbs

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and Rohan Onslow, which was prepared to the same specification to the factory versions and went on to finish third.

Heaphy had achieved his brief to win Bathurst, but stayed on for the beginning of 1992 before heading back to England as part of Nissan’s super touring program run by Janspeed.

Reflecting on that time, Heaphy concluded the team that he worked with during that period were extremely focused and driven to win.

“The outstanding part out of all that was the group of blokes that were there in the engine, machining and fabrication shops were just exceptional,” Heaphy lauded.

“They were all very capable blokes, who understood the basics of what we were trying to do. Around the lunchroom table it was all about making the car better.”

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MARK SKAIFE gave the GT-R its Australian racing debut at Mallala, outside Adelaide, in the sixth round of the 1990 Australian touring car championship on June 10.

Despite what he remembers as “qualifying dramas” with the brand-new machine, Skaife started third on the grid behind the Sierras of pole-winner Peter Brock and Tony Longhurst – and way ahead of Jim Richards, languishing in 11th in the Skyline GTS-R. Skaife, then just 23, stalked Brock, Longhurst and Dick Johnson in the early stages before hitting the front. On the compact 2.6 km Mallala layout, the GT-R was in its element, utilising its four-wheel drive traction to rocket out of the tight turns.

He led easily until outed by a failure before half-distance.

“We rounded up the Sierras and took an early lead, but then the Japanese-spec front hub broke and fired me off at the end of the main straight,” Skaife recalled. “It certainly showed all the right signs, but it needed a lot of developing.”

It was an eventful race, with Colin Bond scoring his second straight win in his Sierra. They were his first ATCC outright race victories since his single round success in 1978 – and the last of the Sydneysider’s illustrious career.

Richards fought his way through to third in the well-proven, if off-the-pace, HR31 to maintain his title points lead.

Initially, the GT-R’s inherent speed was accompanied by unreliability and peaky performance.

“It was a pretty raw beast,” Skaife said.

“Crude to begin with, lots of things broke and it wasn’t very driveable at the start.

“It was amazingly fast. You could tell it had plenty of potential. We knew there was so much more to come.

“It all came right in ’91, but we had to spend a huge amount of money on it.”

Richards switched to the GT-R at the next event at Wanneroo Park, finishing fourth, and then clinched his third ATCC crown by winning the Grand Finale at Oran Park outside Sydney.

“It was a bit of a weird season for us,” said Skaife, referring to the transition to the GT-R. “But it was good enough to win the last round with Jimmy for him to win the championship.

“From that point on, it became Godzilla.

It took on a life of its own.”

Richards and Skaife dominated in 1991 in their GT-Rs – still in the red, white and blue Nissan Motorsport livery – with the then 43-year-old taking his fourth and final ATCC title.

They combined to score Nissan’s first Bathurst 1000 in a crushing practice to podium performance anchored by Skaife, signalling the changing of the guard and the start of his rise to later join Richo as a touring car legend. Mark Fogarty

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FAREWELL HOLDEN MOTORSPORT 1948-2020 - PART SEVEN Project Blueprint combatants Mark Skaife and Marcos Ambrose do battle for the lead at Darwin’s Hidden Valley (left).

At right, Greg Murphy is on his way to a sensational pole position at Bathurst in 2003, smashing all records. It was dubbed ‘Lap of the Gods’. Bottom right, Skaife and ‘Birthday Boy’ Todd Kelly on their way to victory at Bathurst in 2005 for HRT.

A LEVEL PLAYING FIELD

Project Blueprint arrived in 2003 and lasted through to 2012. The significant changes to the regulations were designed to even up the competition between Holden and Ford. However it came at a turbulent time for the sport as HEATH McALPINE details a changing of the guard at the front of the field.

IMAGES: LAT/AA Archives

THE START of the 2000s couldn’t have been more perfect for the red army, in particular the Holden Racing Team.

An envious budget matched by its dominant success on-track made the organisation a world class outfit, but soon it was turned upside down.

Scot Tom Walkinshaw’s aim to enter Formula 1 was achieved in 1997 when he took over ownership of the Arrows team, after previously filling the Engineering Director role at Benetton, which was then followed by an aborted attempt to purchase Ligier.

But by 2002 the bubble burst, Arrows was ailing with it owing creditors £48m. Walkinshaw had lead Holden’s touring car interests since 1989, but that came to end as the dominos began to fall.

This led to a sequence of events that initially had Holden take ownership of both the Holden Racing Team and its sister Kmart Racing operation, but under AVESCO rules manufacturers were not allowed to own teams, so private owners were sought.

Ray Borrett had recently been employed in a new position as Holden’s Director of Performance Products and Racing.

“Peter Hanenberger invited me into his office one day telling me he was going to create this new role; he wanted somebody to be the new

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Ja Jason Bright leads the field in 2004 in his PW Commodore. The team and its Kmart PWR riv rival

Director of Performance Products and Racing,” Borrett told Auto Action.

“This looked after HSV, Holden By Design, all the racing and rallying, and he wanted me to run that.”

The offer came after Borrett had previously been earmarked to manage an engine plant, something that he didn’t want to do.

A long-term and much respected figure within the Holden company, Borrett was thrust into the role of cleaning up the collapse of TWR, by initially setting up Holden’s purchase of the team’s, then its subsequent sale.

“It was around that time when Walkinshaw Engineering in the UK went broke and Holden Motorsport ended up taking over HRT and the three licences that it had, which were Kmart,

HRT and Holden Young Lions,” Borrett explained.

As a result, Kees Weel purchased licences, HRT’s lead driver Mark Skaife took ownership of his team, and John Kelly emerged as Kmart’s saviour.

“It was a pretty messy time,” recalled Borrett.

“I had a lot of meetings with AVESCO over that because we were trying to save the teams from going broke and AVESCO thought we were going to try pull some swifty fiddle to own all the teams when a manufacturer couldn’t.

“It ended up working okay at the end of the day, but it literally cost Holden millions because the price of organising all that and the lawyers involved transferring licences and that sort of thing.”

TThe problem with the boardroom battle was the impact it had on-track.

TThis, combined with the introduction of Pr Project Blueprint, allowed Ford to capitalise and se seal its first championship in six years through St Stone Brothers Racing‘s emerging star Marcos Am Ambrose.

It was quickly clear the new structure wasn’t wo working, HRT was a shadow of its former self as Skaife combined his driving duties with team ownership, affecting his on-track performance ow according to Borrett.

“If you look at it realistically, Mark tried to run the team, look after sponsors, budgets and drive. You just can’t do that, that’s proven over and over again, and history backs that up,” Borrett said.

“That didn’t work well so it was a distraction for Mark, the team lost a bit of direction and momentum.”

At that stage, Team Brock under Weel’s ownership and Kmart Racing, played a support to HRT, though success was mixed much like the lead operation “For the Kelly team, it was a whole new ball game to them,” Borrett explained. “Without strong leadership you just struggle. Roland

Dane is an example; he is a great leader and motivator of people, as well as the budget.

“It was a disruptive time, no doubt about it.”

The whole situation also had a hand in Jason Bright making the move to Team Brock in 2003, partnering Paul Weel. His place at HRT was taken by Todd Kelly, who was replaced at the sister Kmart operation by younger brother Rick.

In fact, Bright in the older specification VX Commodore was a thorn in the side of Ambrose for the majority of the season, until a disastrous endurance season dropped him out of contention.

Holden’s run of championships may have ended in 2003, but Bathurst was another story when Greg Murphy achieved the ‘Lap of the Gods’ in the Top Ten Shootout at Bathurst, which was dually converted into victory the next day.

In that same race, a loose door ended Skaife and Kelly’s charge, but HRT’s leader had a shot at the title when the V8s arrived for the final round at Eastern Creek.

So had Murphy.

It proved a weekend to forget, however, as the Bathurst champ was forced to pull out of Sunday’s proceedings after injuring himself in the VB Challenge.

On the other hand, Skaife remained a chance until the celebrated collision with Russell Ingall put him out of the title fight.

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HRT, Triple Eight and HSV do battle for supremacy at Oran Park (above) while below Greg Murphy discusses the action with Holden’s Director of Performance Products & Racing, Ray Borrett.

At the end of 2003, AVESCO and its board must have been grinning, as its new Project Blueprint concept had worked beautifully. It has been triggered by strident discussions to employ standard parts across both manufacturers, to close the gap between the two given Holden’s dominance during 19982002 where Ford’s wins could be counted on one hand.

Project Blueprint changes centred around the suspension, engine and aerodynamics began to roll out in mid-2002 for a start the next season, when both Holden and Ford’s large sedans were set for an upgrade.

Changes to the suspension consisted of the Commodore entrants moving to what was perceived at the time as the superior double-wishbone suspension, consigning the MacPherson strut system synonymous with the Holden to the history books.

Also gone was the hat on the Commodore’s strut tower, it being replaced by a fixed mounting point, as well as the adaption of the double A-arm suspension. The Commodore retained its live-axle rear-suspension.

The engine for Holden competitors was also changed, now based on a Chevrolet production block, similar in dimensions to Ford’s SVO cast-iron example, and the head was changed to better match the Blue Oval’s product. The less-effective siamesedport 18-degree head was replaced by an existing component from within the Chevrolet parts catalogue, again this was close in appearance to the Ford product.

The changes to the aerodynamics mainly centred around the rear wing and front undertray on both models.

TEGA gave the specific shapes and dimensions of the front spoilers and rear wings, plus downforce figures, which ensured parity between the two manufacturers.

The only differences was that the Commodore included a larger gurney flap

on the wing and trailing edge, as well as a centre post mount.

Borrett was at the centre of this new evolution and understood that the category needed to change, but of course his view was not to the detriment of Holden’s success.

“We had meetings with AVESCO and Tony Cochrane was running the show then.

There were all sorts of discussions with the technical committee and the Board, some understood what we were getting at, others didn’t, but that was just the way it was,” Borrett said.

“We certainly had to push back, I guess the bottom line was the sport had to be entertaining, the racing had to be competitive, but we didn’t really want to lose the advantage that we had either.

“I mean, HRT was a standout performer, a bit like Triple Eight became, where it was winning pretty much everything and the other Holden teams weren’t quite there. So, that was always a concern.

“But on the other side of it was the budget and John Crennan had done a fantastic job alongside Tom Walkinshaw in getting the sponsor dollars there. Holden likes to win so it put in its share of money and all the other teams had lesser budgets.

“HRT of course wasn’t going to give away its tricks and things to the other Holden teams, but under Project Blueprint some of that had to become available.”

The work was extensive between both Ford and Holden to develop Project Blueprint, led on the HRT side by Jeff Grech, while Borrett had just taken on his position when announcements were beginning to be made.

“I think I had recently taken over at that time, so Holden Motorsport had to do a lot of development work with HRT,” Borrett Garth Tander celebrates his 2007 title win for Holden and the HSV team at Phillip Island.

Garth Tander and HRT new boy Will Davison teamed up to win the 2009 Bathurst.

recalled.

“Jeff was running the show at HRT under John Crennan. A whole lot had to be done under Project Blueprint, particularly in the engine development, because they probably had the most work to do.

“There was also a lot of aero work we had to do at Avalon where V8 Supercars took the cars down there and ran at 200km/h before putting it in neutral and timing the coast down, which led onto the drag factor. The suspension movement was tested so the downforce element could be worked out.

“It wasn’t very scientific, but it was the best that could be done without a full-sized wind tunnel.

“I know Ford were trying hard to get the best aero package, as were we. There were little tweaks that all the teams did at that time

like fitting brake calipers that didn’t drag or loosening ball bearings and all those sorts of things.”

Although the aim for parity was achieved, the results were costly and pushed many smaller privateer teams out of the top level, notably John Faulkner and Lansvale, which lived on as Tasman Motorsport. This period signalled the start of a fully-professional era of V8 Supercar racing.

“A lot of the smaller budget teams couldn’t afford it and had to do it progressively as they wore out the bits and pieces that they had; those teams could update with the later generation of parts,” Borrett explained.

“That’s no different to today.”

“Forcing changes on teams was expensive because they had to scrap a whole lot of stuff that they had in order to

update for the new stuff. That’s when the development series became very important, so components could be handed down, because it was always a generation behind the Supercars.”

Larry Perkins had been the biggest exponent of parts support, particularly to privateers, but the new Project Blueprint era encouraged a number of top teams to enter this business, including HRT. “I think in real terms, that’s when the bigger teams started sharing and selling components,” Borrett said.

“HRT had a sponsorship deal with Mazak, which was a CNC machining company, and it started churning out parts that it could sell to the other teams. That was an evolutionary process in motor sport and now there obviously are the Triple Eights and so on

supplying a lot of components to the teams.”

The fall of the once mighty HRT occurred quicker than one might imagine.

While Ambrose and Stone Brothers celebrated back-to-back titles in 2004, plus a 1-2 championship position courtesy of Russell Ingall, Skaife languished back in 12th and teammate Kelly faired little better in seventh, beaten by his younger brother.

Yes, Bathurst proved kind to Kmart Racing as Murphy and the younger Kelly snared back-to-back successes, but there was no defeating the Blue Oval in the championship.

Behind the SBR 1-2, the consistent Jason Bright provided a glimmer of hope for Holden fans by finishing third, but he defected to Ford Performance Racing the next year.

The teams that had led the Holden challenge into the new millennium were

Rick Kelly celebrates his controversial win in the 2006 title after a last race clash with title rival Craig Lowndes. During the Project Bluebord era Rick’s Commodores carried several liveries including Kmart Racing in 2004, seen here on his way to another Bathurst 1000 win.

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Triple Eight made the switch to Holden in 2010, promptly won their first race and then went on to a resounding 1-2 at Bathurst. Here winners Lowndes and Skaife (at right) celebrate with teammate Steve Owen and Jamie Whincup. Prior to that success, the Ford-euipped Triple Eight had been the primary nemesis for the Holden teams (above).

struggling.

Gibson Motorsport was gone as it had moved to Ford, Perkins Engineering was just short of outright pace, and Garry Rogers Motorsport had struggled since Garth Tander had challenged for the crown in 2000.

Tander made a critical career move in 2005, joining what was formerly Kmart Racing but now rebranded as the HSV Dealer Team alongside Rick.

Murphy replaced Bright at Paul Weel Racing, which now featured major sponsorship from Super Cheap Auto.

The most influential move made during the off-season was former Holden hero Craig Lowndes, who made an inspired move to the Roland Dane-led Triple Eight Race Engineering for 2005.

That transition proved the right one and he further bolstered the Ford attack, as did the emergence of Ford Performance

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Racing, which culminated in Sandown 500 victory for Bright and new teammate Mark Winterbottom.

A return to form for HRT came as Tom Walkinshaw began to rebuild his Australian empire, taking a 50 per cent stake in the company by the close for the year. A memorable victory for Skaife and Kelly on the latter’s birthday led to HRT returning to its previous position as Holden’s leading team, but it wasn’t enough to stop Ford as it took a 1-2-3 in the title chase.

Ingall broke the bridesmaid tag to win the 2005 title ahead of Lowndes and the NASCAR-bound Ambrose.

The departure of the ‘Devil Racer’ opened the door for Holden, but that didn’t come without a tough fight and a controversial finish.

Known as the sister operation, it was the HSV Dealer Team which broke Holden’s

Championship drought and as it was Triple Eight whichdid the same for Ford at Bathurst, Lowndes winning an emotional victory after the death of Holden legend Peter Brock.

Holden was on the eve of launching a new revolutionary model coined the ‘Billion Dollar Baby’, the VE-model Commodore, during the 2006 season.

It was identified early that the race version’s dimensions needed to be altered to suit the VE when it hit the track in 2007.

“We were just starting that and we knew that the body had to be modified to fit within the envelope of the rules,” Borrett told Auto Action.

“We worked with Peter Hughes and Mike Simcoe in the design, who worked out that if the back doors on the VE were shortened by 100mm, the car would still look like a VE, but it would have a shorter wheelbase and slightly different profile. We had started that,

so when I left Peter Harker and his team were working on all the homologation stuff.”

The arrival of the VE coincided with the retirement of Borrett, who had wanted to depart the season before, but Walkinshaw told Holden he needed to stay on.

So, Borrett stayed until mid-year, then handed the position over to Peter Harker and Simon McNamara.

The title fight at the end of 2006 was intense to say the least. It came down to the final round at Phillip Island where two-time Bathurst winner Rick Kelly battled perennial favourite Lowndes for the title.

In the final race of the season, with everything to play for, a collision between the two resulted in Kelly taking the title a week later after an appeal.

This also signalled the increased competitiveness of Triple Eight outfit and a changing of the guard from Stone Bros within

the Ford ranks.

Despite the changeover to a new model Holden retained its title in 2007 thanks to Garth Tander and the HSV Dealer Team, but not without the constant threat of Triple Eight.

Now armed with Vodafone sponsorship, it had turned into a double act with Jamie Whincup eclipsing Lowndes in just his second year with the team. It was a partnership that had a part to play in the next 10 years of V8 Supercars.

HRT continued its inconsistent results, PWR had fallen off the radar as had Perkins Engineering with a young driver line-up.

GRM were a team on the march, but again inexperienced drivers failed to guarantee results on a regular basis.

Triple Eight went on to dominate the sport amid big support from Ford, as Whincup laid the foundations of his record seven titles.

FPR and SBR continued to bolster Ford’s attack, while further changes were afoot in the red camp.

The imminent retirement of Skaife came at the same time as Walkinshaw re-took HRT’s ownership.

Tander joined the factory team in 2008 and was joined by Will Davison a year later to replace the five-time ATCC champion.

The new duo took a Bathurst win, but were unable to halt the Whincup and Ford’s purple patch, even after the FG Falcon was introduced at the beginning of 2009.

But all was not well in the Ford camp.

A cut in funding the previous year left Triple Eight, Dick Johnson Racing and Britek with limited manufacturer support, forcing Ford’s leading contender to defect for the 2010 season.

“You don’t work for nothing and neither do

Jamie Whincup became the man to beat in V8 Supercars, seen here at Bathurst in 2012 driving Triple Eight Race Engineering most succesful chassis, which is number 88A-023 known as ‘Kate’ which he now owns. Whincup has accumulated a record seven titles, five in Holdens, all with Triple Eight.

I, but most of all it’s the challenge of doing something that hasn’t been done before and trying to do a good job of it,” Roland Dane told Foges back in 2009 about the switch to Holden.

“It’s also about having another proactive partner in our sponsorship roster because Holden are going to be very proactive with this program and work with Vodafone and the other sponsors.

“And that’s vital for us in terms of giving everyone involved as much

return as possible. That hasn’t always happened in the past and I’m looking forward to that in the future.”

The change of manufacturer didn’t halt the team’s momentum as it took a famous 1-2 at Bathurst, veteran pair Lowndes and Skaife adding another 1000 crown. The title eluded the team, however as DJR and James Courtney defeated Whincup for the championship in one of the more dramatic season finales in recent times.

It was more of the same for the rest of the era.

Whincup, Lowndes and Triple Eight became a dynasty, emulating the HRT successes earlier in the millenium. Whincup matched his two Ford titles with a pair for Holden

to close out the Project Blueprint phase in 2012.

Increased competition within the Holden brand continued to push Triple Eight after HRT signed Ford’s title hero Courtney to join Tander, GRM’s young gun combination of Lee Holdsworth and Michael Caruso were beginning to make waves, plus Kelly Racing and Ford convert Brad Jones Racing left The Lion in a healthy position.

Bathurst continued to be a particularly happy hunting ground for The Lion, with Tander and debutant Nick Percat taking the win in 2011, while Whincup and Paul Dumbrell backed up the next year, to make sure Holden entered the new Car of The Future era as the manufacturer to beat.

Triple Eight staged a 1-2 finish to win Bathurst in 2010 (below) while HRT’s successes were mixed during this era, despite being the official Holden factory team (left). Here Will Davison leads the field out of turn one at Adelaide.

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BUZZING VEES

Formula Vee is celebrating its 55th anniversary in Australia and to this day remains one of the most affordable and competitive categories. Still a great training ground for young drivers. DAN McCARTHY investigates on the costs to compete.

Images: Rebecca Hind/Riccardo Benvenuti/supplied

THE FORMULA Vee championship has remained a staple of national racing and state racing since the mid-60s.

With its basis built around reliable and cheap Volkswagen componentry, Formula Vee quickly became a popular budget-priced series and has remained so to this day.

The category has also been a first stepping stone to more professional racing such as the Australian Touring Car Championship and internationally, even Formula 1.

Larry Perkins, John Bowe and Jason Bargwanna all started racing in Vees and it also been a stepping stone to Formula Ford, the more widely aknowledged driver development class, as demonstrated by Cameron Waters and Jack Le Brocq.

In the last two decades the vast majority

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of state Vee series’ have made the switch from the original 1200cc to the larger 1600cc engine, though the smaller capacity cars now form a sub-class in the overall category.

Formula Vee was created to benefit good drivers rather wallet size and this means that anyone with talent will find themselves up the pointy end of the field.

The Victorian Formula Vee association president Nicholas Kerr spoke with Auto Action about the cost of racing in the category.

According to Kerr the newest and most high tech Vee is the Sabre 02 which has become very popular with competitors nationally.

However, Kerr says you don’t need to fork out big bucks as most drivers purchase second hand cars.

“A new Vee will go for $35,000-$50,000 but you can get yourself into a budget Formula Vee for around $7,500. And for something that is relatively competitive

and reliable, you are looking at the $15,000-$20,000,” Kerr said.

By contrast, Victorian state front-runner Jake Rowe was able to purchase his Sabre 02 chassis new thanks to a contra deal with the chassis manufacturer.

“We bought our chassis brand new, we spent probably 12-18 months putting the car together, everything in that car was brand new when we started,” Rowe explained to Auto Action.

“We were lucky enough to do a bit of a contra deal with the chassis manufacturer, Sabre, because we did all of its Formula Ford wiring. The Sabre 02 was $50,000-$55,000 brand new but we did ours for $30,000-35,000.”

Francois Habib also competes in the Victorian state series series and like the majority of his competitors, he has purchased a second hand car. Habib’s machine cost $15,000 and was previously converted from a 1200cc car.

“Mine is pretty old but it has a lot of

history. It is an Elliott MkII that has won five national titles and is a 1992 model, it came with spares including h-beams, rotors, pads, trailing arms,” Habib told AA. Habib feels that a good way to dip your toe in the water is by borrowing a car for a round or two, it’s how he began racing in the series.

“For me that was a cheap way of getting into motorsport and without putting up the big investment of buying one,” Habib continued.

“I lease my own Formula Vee now.

To lease a Formula Vee is $1000 for a weekend, if you add practice on Friday (it’s) $1200-1500. That provides a car in working condition with tyres sitting there, that is what I do. Some drivers lease cars for $3000 with a mechanic.”

Being an entry level category, cars do not run with telemetry and radios are also banned, while judicial cameras are optional.

Even after more than 50 years, Formula Vee still provides some of the sport’s closest and certainly most affordable racing.

If you have not raced previously you will need to purchase a race suit, gloves, boots, helmet and a HANS or similar device which in total costs around $3,000.

Then all you need to do is pour yourself a seat which will cost less than a yellow note ($50) and you are ready to go.

The 1600cc Volkswagen engine which propels the Vees produces up to 51kW and with a minimum car weight (including driver) of 500kg it certainly moves.

Kerr explained that competitors never buy new engines they simply rebuild their own instead.

“Most people would do a top end rebuild at the end of every season at around $1200-$1500,” he explained.

“For a full engine rebuild you are looking at $2000-$2500 and you would do that every two or three seasons.”

“Some of the older cars have run the same bottom end for six or seven years, so when they take a piston out they will have a look at the crank and big end bearings and if it looks good they won’t worry about doing it.”

Rowe confirmed Kerr’s comments saying that since he started racing in the

class, he has only used the one engine.

“I’m on year six with the same engine.

At the start of last year I replaced the heads, but the cylinder head is still the original I’ve had for six years. If you look after them they will serve you well and you can keep run them for ages,” Rowe explained.

Rowe also addresses air filters, oil filters, fuel filters, brake fluid and clutch fluids at the end of a racing year.

Generally a number of services need to be performed to keep a race car at its peak performance and the Vee is no different. Generally an oil change needs to be made during the season and is recommended to be done when the top end is being rebuilt.

“The top guys may change it every meeting, but others may not change it all season. If you allow for one or two oil changes per season, that is probably ample,” Kerr said.

At one end of the spectrum Rowe performs a service every three meetings while Habib does not service his car and simply asks his mates for advice, to make sure everything is running as it should.

“I’d made friends there and now they look after the car on a race weekend for me.

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Big fields and all shapes and sizes make up a typical Formula Vee entry. The 1600cc and 1200cc cars usually race together.

I’d like them to do the servicing, setup and tuning etc on those, I’m more about getting in and driving,” Habib explained.

Before racing, begins the carburettor is restricted and sealed and the engine itself is also sealed in two spots. Another vital part of the car is of course the gearbox, and like the bottom end is serviced around once a year.

“The gearbox is around the $1200-1500 mark to get one rebuilt. You typically wouldn’t rebuild one unless you had to, you’d probably get two or three seasons from a gearbox, (while) clutches and diffs last forever in Formula Vee cars.”

Rowe removes the gearbox around every four meetings to check that it is working as it should, before servicing it at the end of each year.

“A gearbox service isn’t very much, most of the time it is just a gasket kit and some oil, so $200-$300,” he said.

Incredibly, he is still competing with the same gearbox he used when he first starting racing the pocket rocket category six years ago.

The suspension is one of the most complex parts of the vehicle but is still very affordable compared with most other racing categories.

“In the front end you have to run a Volkswagen H-beam, that is part of the control suspension. In terms of the shock absorbers you can run whatever you want on the front and on the back,” Kerr detailed to AA. “Some run a Monoshock, some race with a spring over the top which is adjustable and others with a leaf spring that goes across the whole back end. A Sabre 02 has a Monoshock rear end while the earlier cars have leaf springs.

“The front end H-Beams break quite easily if you crash into a wall, so some people carry spares but a fully reconditioned H-beam around $500.”

Rowe runs Penske shockers simply because it is what the car came with and was designed around.

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“I run Penskes that were supplied with the car. I get them serviced once a year by Les Small. Basically these shocks were made for these vehicles, so I’m not going to change a good thing,” Rowe said.

Across the nation in 2020 the Vees changed tyre brand from Yokahama to Dunlop. While the Yokahamas lasted a full season, it is expected that you will need to purchase two or three sets of the Dunlop tyres for a five-six round season.

A set of tyres costs $960 and Rowe, who previously drove on the same rubber six years ago, believes the front runners will buy a new set each meeting.

“Realistically if you are not gunning for a championship you could do three rounds on a set before they are gone. But there is quite a big advantage on a new set, anywhere between 0.2s-0.5s a lap,” Rowe explained.

Although the original Vees are over 50 years old, only the historic cars run drum brakes, whereas the modern cars run discs on the front and rear.

“You can do a season on a set of callipers, (in fact) you could probably do several. I change pads every half a year because I’m quite heavy on the brakes. I also change discs once a year but don’t have to,” Rowe continued.

A bingle in a Vee is a rare occurrence, but if you were to have a crash and damage the bodywork, the majority of the time you would mend it.

“The bodywork you typically repair yourself, you wouldn’t typically go and buy a new body,” Kerr began. “Typically a fibreglass repair kit would be the cost, if you really smashed the nose you would just go and find yourself a second hand one online for between $200 and $400, I’ve never seen anyone buy a new one.”

The exhausts are also pretty indestructible with drivers running the same one for many years without needing to change, the only expense in that zone being the muffler which can often break in a slipstreaming duel.

“The four into one collector is pretty

Engines need rebuilding only once per season and minimal servicing in between. Gearboxes are even more robust, and will generally go two-three seasons between rebuilds.

Although all based on the control Volkswagen design, the suspension set-up for Formula Vee does vary in the area of shock absorbers. Some of the front running cars use Penske units.

CO$T$ GUIDE ENTRY LEVEL SECOND-HAND F-VEE $7500-$15,000

COMPETITIVE SECOND-HAND F-VEE $15,000-$35,000 NEW 1600 F-VEE $35,000-$55,000 ENGINE REBUILD TOP $1200-$1500 (every season) ENGINE REBUILD BOTTOM $2000-$2500 (every two or three years) GEARBOX REBUILD $1200-$1500 GEARBOX SERVICE $200-$300 (every season)

A Formula Vee’s primary exhaust system rarely needs any work, however the mufflers do get damaged a bit because of the Category’s close competition where contact is inevitable. Repairs are simple and inexpensive, the fundamental charactertisic of the category as a whole.

indestructible,” Kerr said. “The mufflers do get damaged a bit because the racing is so close. A lot of time you can repair them but if you break one off then you have to buy a new one for $220-$240.”

In the lead up to an event generally three to four hours preparation would be ample time to get yourself ready for the race weekend.

“The preparation is quite time consuming, making sure the car is charged up, fuelled, tyres are on and pumped, tools on the trailer and GoPros charged,” Habib explained.

The fuel required is simply any unleaded pump fuel or E10, Vee competitors are split almost 50/50 on which is better.

“Some people use E10 and swear by it and some people run 98 and swear by that. 98 is a lot more convenient especially down at Phillip Island,” Kerr explained.

Habib also runs a Hyundai Excel which is required to run on 98 and for that reason to make life a bit simpler he

runs the same in the Vee. Rowe runs E10 because he believes it gives a performance advantage as well as being cheaper to buy.

“I run E10 because it burns hotter so I can make about two more horsepower on E10 if my jetting is right,” Rowe detailed.

“Once the event is done and the car is sitting around, you get it out because it is not great for it, whereas 98 you can have sitting around for ages.”

Due to the small engine and the fact it is so light, you will struggle to find a more fuel efficient racing car.

“They don’t use a lot of fuel, they will typically use about 1-1.5 litres per lap, (so) you would use 40-50 litres over a weekend including Friday practice,” Kerr estimated.

Getting to the track is no cash burner either. For a few hundred dollars you can purchase a lightweight trailer that can be towed by an average sized road car.

Each state racing series consists of around five to six rounds, with the cost to

enter an event around $400-$450, though including the optional Friday practice it is around $550.

A race weekend generally consists of a qualifying session and one race on the Saturday, followed by two races on Sunday.

A pit garage can also be purchased for extra comfort from anywhere between $200-$500 depending on the venue and the location of the garage itself.

All up for a two day race weekend on average you are looking at spending a minimum of $800-$1000 not including accommodation, which can affect the cost dramatically depending on the location and comfort you desire.

Every third meeting you will more than likely need to spend around $1250 on a new set of tyres and servicing.

It is no wonder that after 55 years this affordable open-wheel category continues to attract good numbers in both in state and national competitions.

TINY 1200S - OLD SCHOOL, STILL COOL FOR MUCH of its 55 year history in Australia, the Formula Vee category was powered by a 1200cc motor.

It wasn’t until 2004 that the move was made to the bigger 1.6 litre engine.

Although it caused a bit of controversy at the time, the decision has since proved successful and created a subclass for the historic 1200cc cars to stay relevant.

The 1200cc machines still compete

in most Formula Vee races, sharing the track with the newer generation cars but competing for their own championship.

In some states 1200cc Vee numbers are dwindling but as National Formula Vee President Dylan Thomas explained, in Tasmania at least the class is still strong.

“Tasmania only run 1200s. They brought in 1600s but the cost of the 1600 is greater than the 1200 and you use a few more tyres and wear components

slightly more, but not massively,” he explained to AA. “I ran a 1200 when I first came into the category and (then) I moved into 1600s, the running costs are pretty damn low (either way).

“You can pick up a 1200cc Vee second hand for $6000-$8000 but it might be a little bit of work, you could pick up a competitive front running 1200 for under $10,000. DM

MUFFLER $220-$240 H-BEAM $500 ENTRY FEES $400-$450 (State level round)

VEE NATIONALS

THIS EVER-POPULAR open-wheel category doesn’t just run state series’, there’s an annual national Formula Vee event held every year as well as a national Formula Vee series.

The Formula Vee Nationals is a oneoff event that attracts competitors from around Australia with anywhere between 30-55 cars taking part.

The venue rotates each year, with Queensland Raceway hosting the event last year. Phillip Island was scheduled to run it this year but it will now not go ahead due to the COVID-19 situation.

Due to the large numbers at the national event, the 1600cc and 1200cc machines take part in separate races. The format for the national weekend is also unique.

“The event features a heat system.

Generally the field is split into four groups A,B,C,D and each driver will compete in three heats which determines grid for the main,” National Formula Vee President Dylan Thomas explained.

The national event generally costs around $600 but this includes a Dinner invitation and some extra track time.

The cost to compete in the Australian national series costs the same as state events, as these run in conjunction with state rounds.

“The way it works is we run off the back of the state series for a number of reasons. One is that it saves money for the competitors, so instead of paying $600 you pay the state fee, but you are also supporting the state series,” he told AA. “If we go to Sandown in Victoria, for example, we are supporting the Vic State series by them having an extra 20 odd cars on the grid.”

The national series is usually run over four rounds with the worst round result dropped at the end of the season. DM

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Part II

AN INSIDE VIEW

After providing an introduction to the role legal advice plays in motor sport today in part one of this far ranging discussion, competitor and lawyer Sven Burchartz explains to BRUCE WILLIAMS and HEATH McALPINE some of the finer points of contracts, sponsorship agreements and commerciality.

Images: TCM hub/AA staff/supplied IN THE first instalment of our discussion with noted motor sport lawyer, competitor and Supercar team co-owner, Sven Burchartz told us about the role law plays in the sport.

Here, Sven shares his experiences with the sport’s judicial system, what business owners who sponsor their own racing need to look out for, the type of agreements teams and drivers have around personal sponsorship and much more.

When it comes to dealing with legal issues and its application in the motor sport world, is there an advantage in being a competitor?

I’ve dealt with the various judicial levels of the sport that involve the competitors. I may or may not have even spent some quality time in the steward’s room myself!

All jokes aside, it’s important to say that I’ve been in the steward’s room and argued with the Clerk of the Course about something, because inevitably

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someone will come to you in that situation, then go through an appeals process. To be able to understand it, have empathy, and give them a bit of guidance about how it is actually going to go, gives you the ability to do a whole lot of good for them.

What are the things that from a legal standpoint should be considered before you hit the track?

To start, what you want to understand is why you’re there (at the track). At an amateur level you won’t need very much at all, but if you have people helping you out on the day, you need to consider whether or not they should sign something. The reality is, if it is a Motorsport Australia-sanctioned event, you are covered with that insurance, but there’s more to consider.

If you are a competitor and you’re starting to get a bit more serious, and you get sponsors for instance – it doesn’t matter what level of sponsorship it is – there are couple of things to think about, particularly if you’re looking to set your racing structure up as a business.

From an accounting and tax point of view, there are some pretty detailed positions being taken by the ATO in relation to that, particularly with business owners who are using their business that they do five days a week to sponsor their other activities.

It’s perfectly acceptable to do that, but there can be some pitfalls, so you do need to make sure you get your arrangements right, otherwise you might find yourself in a little bit of hot water from an accounting point of view, if nothing else.

Is it necessary to have some sort of business structure to protect yourself, your team members and sponsors if you go racing?

It’s not the main reason you’d set up a structure and some people don’t, but another thing to understand as a competitor is when you’re signing up to an agreement, what rights you’re letting go of. This includes a lot of safety nets that normally apply in a competitor landscape, including protections if you hurt yourself.

Motorsport Australia does have a very good insurance policy and product that protects everyone.

As far as structures are concerned, it depends on how sophisticated your operation is. If you have a sponsor, you should have a sponsorship agreement.

It sets out the deliverables, what the sponsor will and will not receive. We deal with intellectual property in terms of brand management, reputation, logo use and trademark issues associated with that, to make sure you’re not inadvertently infringing on trademarks by failing to get the permissions you need.

It’s the same with mates or thirdparty sponsors. As the magnitude of an investment by a team, car owner, competitor or sponsor increases, so too does the complexity of the commercial and legal issues.

With sponsorship being paid to competitors, is it important to document expectations on both sides?

Absolutely. The sponsor needs to set out what its deliverables are. If you’re relying on income, make sure that there is an

agreement that quite clearly sets out that this person is liable to pay you, when and how.

The document should say, if they are properly drawn up, that this is the entire agreement. So, anything said beforehand, any promises made, unless they’re in the agreement, are not enforceable.

Now, that still means people have the ability to argue. There’s legislation, which says that you can’t contract out of some things. The reality is, the agreements can be short and straight forward. I’ve seen some very effective agreements for a lot of money on just three-pages.

But you don’t want to leave anything to chance. Trust is important, but if you do need to go and chase money on either side of the agreement, whether it is as a supplier, sponsor or anything like that, proper documents save the day. It’s t’s an investment up front, but I also call it an insurance policy.

With drivers who bring support to a team, is that another thing that is important in terms of deliverables being clearly laid out?

The answer is clearly yes.

Approaching it from the driver’s perspective, especially if they’re bringing sponsor money with them, that driver will want to know how it works because that sponsorship will be a key element in how the driver is retained by the team.

The sponsorship and driver agreements are very important for the driver, because they also need to set out performance expectations. Now performance isn’t just about how you drive the car and in fact in the modern commercial world, driver performance in the car is just one element. The reality is, as we’ve seen in Supercars, a driver’s performance outside of the car is just as important as what they do inside the car. The driver needs to understand and agree with the team what the boundaries are, what the consequences are of crossing those boundaries, and what the team is entitled to do.

And such expectations need to feature in a contract?

Absolutely, because essentially the driver is one of the keys of the team and product image. Particularly at a multi-national or national level, what that driver does and how they do it is very fundamental to the sponsor.

But also the driver needs to understand what they need to do when they are confronted with these things.

It’s not just younger drivers either.

There are drivers who have been in the competition for 15-20 years who still struggle with understanding some of the performance expectations.

It is important to attend sponsor signing sessions because they maintain the underlying relationship, so the driver’s behaviour outside of the car is as fundamental as it is inside the car. In fact, more so because teams and drivers understand there’s a lot that must go on in the car that isn’t controlled. It’s a

Burchartz says that defining the parameters around personal sponsorships for drivers and teams is critical at the professional end of the sport.

Then there are the basics of p payment - who’s a party to it, w when it’s paid, how it’s paid. A lot of agreements have Performance Bo Bonuses.

How do you define what that KP is without it getting muddy and KPI ther then being an argument? there My view, simple is best. highly volatile environment They’re holding environment. on by the skin of their teeth, so it’s not that easy to spot when a driver is underperforming due to race results. Not everyone wins, not everyone comes top three or top five.

With the agreements that I work with, generally there are certain performance parameters around the driving and sometimes very obviously the driver is just not doing what they should be doing. There are some built in protections such as a strike system and what not and it’s important the driver understands that.

Most of the issues that arise around a driver actually happen outside the car. It’s an absolute minefield. It’s hard for a driver to be absolutely across all of their obligations that are in a contract because it’s such a fastpaced environment.

But that doesn’t mean they should not know what is expected and act accordingly. Social media could be someone filming them at a pizza shop, the driver can’t control that. But they can control how they (personally) behave and what they put out on social media.

The volatility happens outside of the car and sometimes it’s something that the team has done. If, for instance, a team deliberately breaks the rules, a driver should be in a position to say ‘What do I do about that? Am I entitled to leave this relationship if this team is starting to develop a reputation for bending the rules?’ Should a driver have the opportunity to exit a team, just as a team has the opportunity to exit a driver?

How does personal sponsorship work th team environment? in the That’s important because drivers over the years develop close relationships with their personal sponsors. One of the things that drivers are able to do is to say to a team “Those sponsors are mine, I may in my agreement direct that sponsor to make payments to you, but I still control the sponsor relationship”.

Also a driver is able to say, and often agreements provide, that a team mustn’t take a sponsor when the driver leaves the team.

What if a sponsor isn’t happy with a team’s performance?

I have found that sponsors are very sophisticated and have a very good understanding of the motorsport environment. This is a function of the team communicating with the sponsor on how the team works.

In my experience the reason a

sponsor might pull out early is because of some reputational issue or a fundamental failure on the part of a team to deliver even the basics of what has been agreed.

Sometimes it’s changing corporate objectives or the economic environment that means they can’t or don’t renew the agreement. Not every team sits in the top 5 or 10. That sponsor is not necessarily going to expect wins, but they will be wanting experiences for staff, suppliers and other key partners, with the ability to promote and leverage that in their own businesses. On the other hand, sponsors within those teams which are regularly in the top 10 will definitely have wins and high placings as a key expectation, and if the team isn’t meeting that for a period of time, there can be consequences.

It’s not just on track results either – certainly manufacturers are very conscious of that – but generally sponsors have a range of expectations which are driven by their objectives and on-track performance isn’t always a key one. That said, if the team doesn’t meet the agreed objectives, they can and should expect a difficult call from the sponsor.

Sven Burchartz is a Partner with Kalus Kenny Intelex who is an advertising partner with Auto Action.

Burchartz is a regular TCM competitor in this Porsche 911 RSR (right).

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MANN REUTE UP THE WIN SWEEPS

The tight title fight headed to Monaco for round six of the 1980 Formula 1 World Championship. DAN McCARTHY reflects on a race of attrition where victory again eluded Alan Jones.

FOUR WINNERS had emerged from the opening five rounds of the 1980 Formula 1 World Championship, and heading to Monaco four-points separated the quartet at the top of the points table.

Leading the title was Renault’s Rene Arnoux, but it was Australian Alan Jones who was in form after setting pole position at the last round in Belgium and finishing runner up to the fast Ligier of Didier Pironi. The remaining title contender was Nelson Piquet in the Brabham.

The Renault RE20 was at home on fast-flowing open circuits thanks to its turbo charged engine, however that was not the case in Monaco. The turbos were significantly hindered out of Monaco’s many slow corners, leaving championship leader Arnoux just aiming to limit the damage.

As the Monaco circuit was only 3.312km long, just 20 drivers were able to start Sunday’s race rather than the usual 24, which meant that seven drivers missed out on making Saturday’s qualifying session.

Still on a high from his first-ever win, Pironi took pole in his Ligier by 0.07s from the Williams of Carlos Reutemann. Jones trailed his teammate in third ahead of

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Piquet, Ligier’s Jacques Laffite and Ferrari’s Gilles Villeneuve.

The struggle was real for the Renaults, both lucky to make the grid with Arnoux qualifying in the final position, while teammate JeanPierre Jabouille was marginally better in 16th.

Notable absentees from the field, having failed to make the cut, were previous podium getter Keke Rosberg (Fittipaldi), McLaren driver John Watson and Piquet’s Brabham teammate Ricardo Zunino.

Monaco’s 76-lap event held on March 18 began under threatening skies, but as the lights went out the front three of Pironi, Reutemann and Jones leapt away from the field.

Laffite shot up to fourth past the slow starting Piquet while directly behind Villeneuve made an even worse start and lost multiple positions before Turn 1.

Further back in the pack on the approach to Sainte Devote, Derek Daly in his Candy Tyrrell left his braking too late and launched himself over the back of Bruno Giacomelli’s Alfa Romeo. While in the air Daly also ripped the rear wing off Alain Prost’s McLaren, before landing on the rear of his teammate Jean-Pierre Jarier.

The spectacular incident immediately eliminated the four

Incredibly Alan Jones was forced into retirement again (above) after running a strong second to race leader Didier Pironi (below) who led until crashing late-race after a rain shower.

Gilles Villeneuve (above) had a busy race, a tyre gamble not paying off early but he stormed back to finish fifth. Emerson Fittipaldi (below) was sixth, though teammate Keke Rosberg failed to qualify.

Nelson Piquet (right) finished third and secured the championship points lead for Brabham.

drivers from the race and caused a traffic jam further behind. Irishman Daly took full responsibility for the incident, “It was my fault. I hit Giacomelli up the back and started to fly,” he recalled.

Piquet just escaped the flying Tyrrell while Villeneuve’s bad start was made worse when he had to take to the escape road to avoid the incident.

In the midst of the congestion, Riccardo Patrese reversed into Jan Lammers, however both drivers were able to continue.

While the mayhem took place, Jones overtook Reutemann for second position.

At the end of lap 1 Pironi led Jones, Reutemann, Laffite, the Alfa Romeo of Patrick Depailler, Piquet, reigning champion Jody Scheckter who made his was up to seventh from 17th on the grid, Jabouille, Villeneuve and Jochen Mass.

In the opening laps the Williams pair were stuck in a Ligier sandwich but as the laps ticked

by Pironi and Jones began break away.

Villeneuve had taken a gamble and stuck on a set of softer tyres for the race, but the punt failed to pay off and by the end of lap 21 he had pitted for new rubber.

As one-third race distance approached, Pironi and Jones caught up to a number of back markers. The Australian lost a chunk of time navigating the traffic but sadly worse was to come when he retired due to a differential failure, his third DNF in four races.

1980 Monaco Grand Prix – Monte Carlo

Derek Daly got it all wrong at the first turn in his Tyrrell, triggering a multicar accident that caused chaos in the mid field.

This left Pironi with a sizable lead over Reutemann and Laffite, Depailler, Piquet, Lotus driver Elio de Angelis and Jochen Mass.

Villeneuve was beginning his fight back through the field after he fell to 14th.

On lap 35, he had overtaken championship leader Arnoux for 12th, as the two continued their race day struggles.

On lap 50, Depailler was robbed of a result when his engine gave up the ghost, coming to a halt just past the swimming pool.

Pironi held a 6.4s lead ahead of Reutemann and a 15.04s advantage from his French teammate Laffite, as light rain began to fall.

It didn’t take long for Arnoux to become unstuck, hitting the barrier.

So too did race leader Pironi at the Casino, severely wounding the left-front corner and ending

his chance of Grand Prix victory number two.

Reutemann then cruised to take victory 73s ahead of an ailing Laffite, while Piquet finished third despite eating into the Frenchman’s advantage during the closing stages.

Jochen Mass finished fourth for Arrows ahead of a recovering Villeneuve and Emerson Fittipaldi.

This was after both Lotus entries dropped back, Andretti finishing seventh and teammate de Angelis fell victim to the slippery conditions.

Riccardo Patrese was the last of the classified finishers in eighth, three laps down.

Third-place secured Piquet the title lead as Jones slipped to third due to his latest retirement.

Victory for Reutemann shot him into championship contention, moving him to within seven points of the lead heading to Jarama in Spain, where further drama was sure to ensue.

Pos 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 NC Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ

Driver Carlos Reutemann Jacques Laffite Nelson Piquet Jochen Mass Gilles Villeneuve Emerson Fittipaldi Mario Andretti Riccardo Patrese Elio de Angelis Jan Lammers Didier Pironi Rene Arnoux Patrick Depailler Jody Scheckter Jean-Pierre Jabouille Alan Jones Bruno Giacomelli Jean-Pierre Jarier Alain Prost Derek Daly John Watson Eddie Cheever Geoff Lees Keke Rosberg Ricardo Zunino Tiff Needell David Kennedy

Constructor Williams Ligier Brabham Arrows Ferrari Fittipaldi Lotus Arrows Lotus ATS Ligier Renault Alfa Romeo Ferrari Renault Williams-Ford Alfa Romeo Tyrrell-Ford McLaren-Ford Tyrrell-Ford McLaren-Ford Osella-Ford Shadow-Ford Fittipaldi-Ford Brabham-Ford Ensign-Ford Shadow-Ford

Drivers’ Standings 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10. =

Nelson Piquet Rene Arnoux Alan Jones Didier Pironi Carlos Reutemann Jacques Laffite Riccardo Patrese Elio De Angelis Emerson Fittipaldi Jochen Mass Keke Rosberg

Laps 76 76 76 75 75 74 73 73 68 64 54 53 50 27 25 24 0 0 0 0

Result 1h 55m 34.365s +1m 13.629s +1m 17.726s +1 Lap +1 Lap +2 Laps +3 Laps +3 Laps Accident Not Classified Accident Accident Engine Handling Gearbox Differential Collision Collision Collision Collision

Grid 2 5 4 15 6 18 19 11 14 13 1 20 7 17 16 3 8 9 10 12

Constructors’ Standings 22 21 19 17 15 12 7 6 5 4 4

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7. = 9. =

Williams Ligier Brabham Renault Arrows Fittipaldi McLaren Lotus Ferrari Tyrrell

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34 29 22 21 11 9 6 6 5 5

43

THE HUNGER FOR MORE From Toyota 86 Series, through Porsche GT3 Cup to TCR and Trans Am, Jimmy Vernon has performed in them all. DAN McCARTHY spoke with him about his rollercoaster career to date.

Images: Insyde Media THERE ARE very few 22-year-olds that can boast a driving resume quite like Jimmy Vernon’s.

From a national series title in the Toyota 86 Race Series to round wins in the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge and a maiden podium in Trans Am. Vernon’s Trans Am podium came on debut on the streets of Adelaide where a ninth, fifth and fourth gave him third for the round against the likes of fellow young drivers Nathan Herne and Aaron Seton, both highly experienced in these types of machines.

“We didn’t expect to be running third in the championship so early, we thought this year was just going to be about learning.

We had a lot of success and a lot of luck in Adelaide,” Vernon told Auto Action.

The transition to Trans Am came off the back of a turbulent half-season of racing an Alfa Romeo Giulietta Veloce TCR for Garry Rogers Motorsport, in the inaugural TCR Australia Series.

“When they first announced TCR Australia I was really interested in it because the racing overseas was so hard fought and the cars look really cool,” he recalled to AA.

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Vernon did half a season in a GRM TCR Alfa Romeo in its inaugural season but a tight budget and other issues ended the program early.

“We gave it a go with Garry Rogers Motorsport but the problem was it was a tight budget from the outset. There were a couple of factors that made my year come to an early end and it wasn’t just financial.

“The way it all went down was a bit nasty, so we decided to pull the pin on that halfway through because it wasn’t a happy place and it was best for us to go our separate ways.”

Vernon was keen to return to the TCR Australia Series this year, however a

budget shortfall left Trans Am as the better option and so far, that’s proven to be the case.

“We worked really hard between the split and the start of 2020 to get back into TCR, we had quite a few teams talking to us about getting into a car but we really struggled to get that commercial side,” he said.

“We thought TA2 was a great category (and) then they announced the national Trans Am Series, (so) we thought that the coverage we were going to receive out of

it was awesome, such as Adelaide.”

Dabbling in dirt bikes kicked off Vernon’s love of speed before he progressed to four-wheels at 12-years-old by going karting, before a run in Historic Formula Ford confirmed his desire to go racing.

“I was a 14-year-old kid. I was absolutely gob smacked going from a go kart to something that you have to change gears and really man handle around a track, it was unreal the adrenaline that you feel.

“When we started getting some results it ignited a fire within my belly, I just wanted to keep winning races.”

In 2014, Vernon finished second in the New South Wales Formula Ford

Vernon made the move to Andy McElrea’s team (above) for the GT3 Cup Challenge in 2018 with the intent of graduating to Carrera Cup but funding became an issue. For 2020 he went TransAm racing (left) and impressed on debut in Adelaide.

Championship and drove in selected rounds of the national series. A switch to participate in the inaugural Formula 4 Championship occurred the following year, which Vernon said was mainly due to the exposure that he and his sponsors would get in front of the Supercars show.

“Guys like Tom Randle and Zane Goddard who already had quite a lot of success joined, it was a great way to

benchmark myself,” Vernon said.

“As a driver I didn’t really know what to expect that year but I knew it was our first main shot at racing something in the limelight of Supercars.”

That year, against tough opposition, Vernon bagged an impressive six podiums, which was enough to score fifth in the standings.

Vernon was then offered a European Formula 3 test the following year but elected instead to head down the more affordable option of tin-tops.

The Historic Formula Ford was sold and a Toyota 86 bought to compete in the New South Wales championship. The natural step the following year was to compete in the Toyota 86 Racing Series Australia, which stands out as Vernon’s best season to date.

In 2017 he dominated the 86 Series, taking four race wins and finishing in the top three in all but the final ra race of the season, as well as finishing second in the state Production Car class.

“It was definitely a highlight highligh year for me. That was when I started to believe in myself a bit more and have belief that this is something I might be able to pull off and might be able to do,” he told AA.

Vernon’s Vern Ve rnoon’s rn on’ss most on mos ost successful su suc ucces cessf esssfu ull season sea e so son n came came in 2017 ca when hee d dominated wh heen nh omi omi mina nate ate ted the t e Toyota th Toyo To oyo yotta a 86 86 Series Seerriie in the S Bruce Br B ruc uce Williams uce Will Wi llia iam mss run run n entry. ent n ryy.

“We popped out of the first round at Phillip Island leading and it was the first national series I had ever led. I didn’t believe the success from that weekend was going to continue, but our performances far exceeded my expectations going into that year.

“We had wrapped up the series before we got to Newcastle, (so) to do that in a championship that has only five rounds is almost unheard of. I’m very grateful for the opportunity that Bruce Williams gave me.”

The next progression in his career was to join noted Porsche development team McElrea Racing in GT3 Cup Challenge, where he was among the leading contenders.

“Andy McElrea knew my position from the get go. It was a big financial step up from production car racing to proper GT3 racing,” he recalled.

“But he had faith in me and wanted to get me in his team, (so) we cut a deal to do the GT3 Cup Challenge and we were planning a three year deal similar to the likes of Matt Campbell and Jaxon Evans.

Cup Challenge for the first year and then stepping up to Carrera Cup for a two year plan.”

“Halfway through the first year the

sponsorship funds dried up and it was looking really scary for us. I briefly wasn’t racing the rest of the series but I was very lucky that Rob Woods, who was racing GT3 Cup Challenge at the time, came on board and helped me out for the remainder of the year.”

Vernon finished the year fourth in the standings, concluding the season with two race wins at Sydney Motorsport Park.

However, Vernon felt the best costeffective route forward would be to step away from Porsches and enter TCR Australia.

After a promising display in Adelaide, Vernon’s season – like everyone else’s – was halted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Although there is now a revised calendar to get back to racing, Vernon’s sponsors have been hit hard by the situation, although he remains optimistic he will still be on the grid in August.

“The pandemic started unravelling a lot of things for me and all of that was sponsorship funds got taken away and it has left me in a position that is quite difficult,” he told AA. “Post-Adelaide, we found so much that would make the car better for the next time we take it out.”

GLOBETR

During almost 60 years in the motor sport industry as a driver and promoter, Ron Dickson has been eclectic to say the least. As HEATH McALPINE discovered, he had plenty of tales to tell.

Images: autopic autopics.com.au/AA Archive THE NOW W iconi iconic Pioneer ‘earforce’ Ford Falcon XC forms just a small part of Ron Dickson’s 20-year 20-yea driving career.

Dickso is semi-retired after Now 73, Dickson divers driving career in Europe ending his diverse and then promoting promot of motor sport events across the globe globe, including the World Cham Touring Car Championship edition of the an bringing the Champ Bathurst 1000 and Australia Cars to Australia.

It was a neighbour neighb of Dickson’s, future Bathurst regular and FJ Sports Sedan Kenn driver Kevin Kennedy through mutual contact Brian Law Lawler, that gave Dickson his start at Amaroo P Park. practi and did very well they “I did the practice [officials] sa said,” Dickson explained. “I think I wa was on the first or second row in a big field of 25-30 cars.

I arriv arrived at the first corner and

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ended up last, which taught me my first lesson.

“It wasn’t one of my best days, but I thought ‘wow, I’ve got to get better at this’ and that’s how it started.”

His road-going EH Holden was the weapon of choice at the time and featured four-wheel disc brakes, a Waggott 12-port head and three Weber 45 Carburettors.

Dickson raced the EH as a Sports Sedan at both Amaroo Park and Oran Park, soon attracting the attention of Calder promoter Bob Jane.

“Bob Jane saw me race it at Oran Park and he invited me to run down at Calder in what was the EH Series,” Dickson recalled.

“I did the practice and they told me I was on the front row. The car was darn quick, but the guy that came over and looked at the car was Ron Harrop. He came over because I had a puncture and had Bridgestone slicks on the car, in those days

there weren’t any slicks around. A guy had a set from Bridgestone, he saw the car at Oran Park and gave me a set.

“It was just like wow; this thing is going round corners on rails!

“I took the right rear wheel off, Bob Jane told his guys to get it fixed, but Harrop saw it had disc brakes on the back and he said to Bob, ‘This car can’t run in the EH Series because it has four-wheel disc brakes.’”

Jane gave Dickson the prize money he would have won in the EHs before placing him in among the Sports Sedans, alongside Allan Moffat and Ian Geoghegan.

All eyes were on the EH in eighth, but by the end of the event Dickson was fifth amongst all the V8s.

Bathurst was another circuit Dickson demonstrated the giant killing abilities of the EH, the black rocket ship achieving 160mph down Conrod Straight. These efforts continued to garner the right

OTTER

attention, and for Dickson changed the course of his career.

“I was at Bathurst in the EH, we’d done so well and came fourth behind Moffat, Geoghegan and Thomson,” Dickson said.

“We were having a BBQ in the paddock area and a fellow came over wanting to chat to the driver of the EH. He was brought over to me and we exchanged pleasantries before he asked me where I got the car, I told him and he asked to have a look at it.

“I lifted the bonnet and he saw the big booster for the brakes, he said ‘The car belongs to a guy named John Willard’, which it did. ‘He bought the car off me, I’m Les Muir.’”

This led to major Sydney Holden dealer Muirs building up a Monaro 308ci four-door into a Group C touring car. Dickson holds fond memories of this car, but the choice was strange as the Torana GTR XU-1 was The General’s weapon of choice at the time, though an unbaffled sump was the reason behind choosing the Monaro.

This played its part when reliability won Dickson a heat of the South Pacific Touring Car Series at Oran Park.

“Bob Forbes, who is a great mate of mine, was in front of me at Oran Park,” Dickson retold. “He was darn quick and I couldn’t catch him around there because his XU-1 was nimbler, but I could catch him down the straight.

“Then I noticed he was slowing up and as I went around Energol onto the main straight, I noticed all the smoke coming out. I knew what it was!”

Nonetheless, the writing was on the wall when Holden released the Torana SLR/5000, then the L34, so Dickson conformed, and went on to race the Max

Wright Motors L34 alongside Bob Skelton in 1975.

The results were immediate, in fact he and Skello won Oran Park’s 50-lap Production marathon and then third place at Bathurst before backroom discussions led to the reinstatement of the lead Holden Dealer Team Torana. This officially dropped Dickson and Skelton to fourth, despite flipping off a fanbelt early in the race.

This was followed by an invite to race a recently imported Triumph Dolomite Sprint from colourful Sydney dealer Ron Hodgson. The 1500cc class was hotly contested against the BDA Escorts, but the Triumph punched above its weight at Bathurst where he was joined by Kiwi ace Graeme Lawrence.

“I was sitting next to Bo Seton in his Capri on the grid,” Dickson laughed. “He couldn’t believe it!”

As it transpired though, a cracked brake disc at the top of The Mountain sent the Dolomite into a guard rail, ending the pair’s event.

A return to the outright battle beckoned for 1977, with Dickson driving the best known entry of his career, the Pioneer XC Falcon Hardtop.

“I was introduced to the New South Wales sales manager and we had a meeting at the Brookvale office, they liked what they saw and said ‘we’re in’,” Dickson recalled.

“A week later, they got pressure from head office in Japan, that it couldn’t be seen to be aligned with one manufacturer, so a Holden ran with Warren Cullen in Melbourne.”

According to Dickson, it took four-days to airbrush the giant ears on as the Falcon.

In line with the new XC model, Ford filmed an advertisement demonstrating the improved handling of the car with Dickson a prominent participant.

“Allan Moffat was there and he was absolutely petrified he was going to get run over,” said Dickson “The only person I could trust was Gibbo!

Outstanding performances in his modified EH Holden led to an approach from Muirs Holden dealers and construction of this HQ Monaro four door, chosen as something different in the era of the Torana XU-1.

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“They put cardboard cut outs on the track first for a trial run to make sure the car could go through without hitting any of us.

So, we said to Gibbo whatever you do at the last-minute swerve and run over Moffat because he’s the last person. Gibson said he couldn’t do it, but we egged him on and he did it!

“Well, you should have seen Moffat’s face, I thought he was going to faint, his cardboard cut-out had been runover and he believed it was going to be him!”

Sharing the ‘earforce’ Falcon with Gibson, Dickson finished 10th at Bathurst, but the program has left a sour taste for Dickson as he thought the preparation was not up to standard.

John McCormack and ‘Pete’ Geoghegan both drove the Falcon in later appearances and shared the same opinion of ‘old smoky’.

A wharfies strike hampered Dickson’s preparation for Bathurst 1979 where he was set to debut the first of two new Camaros he had bought from the US, thanks to Bob Jane.

As Dickson’s business at the time was a target of the strike, the delay almost forced him to abandon his plans.

However, encouragement from friend Forbes and sponsors had an underdone Camaro starting at Bathurst 1979, lasting merely 20-laps.

Sporting impressive sponsorship from AVCO and Barbeques Galore, Dickson’s pair of Camaros failed to live up to the potential on paper over the course of two seasons, thanks primarily to the lack of rear-disc brakes.

Although as it turned out they were not ultimately competitive at the front of the field, the Bob Stevens-prepared Camaros had an impressive list of guest drivers, including the just retired Formula 1 World Champion Alan Jones, even if it was for just one meeting.

“Alan Jones had retired and he wanted to drive one of the Camaros, but I think he found it a bit too much,” was Dickson’s summation. “It was big and didn’t handle like a Formula 1 car.

“Years later he said ‘Dicko, you could see I was out of my depth in that thing’. It was just not his car.”

Dickson almost pulled off a major coup by almost attracting a Hollywood star to compete in the Bathurst 1000.

“What happened was Dick Barbour and Paul Newman were very good friends and drove together in a turbo Porsche at Le Mans, winning their class,” Dickson said.

“Sam Posey and I had met years before and he put me onto Dick.

“He was going to drive ione of my Camaros with Paul. It was all set up. But I found out years later, when we were talking about those years at Bathurst, he said, ‘Ron, I was going to come down, but I got this movie offer.”

Movie production during the Bathurst weekend preventing Newman from taking part, but Barbour and Posey both competed with mixed success.

“He was an absolute pro that guy,” Dickson said of Posey.

“He had an interview with Channel

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Seven and commentator Chris Economaki asked Sam to describe the circuit. He replied, ‘down the bottom your balls are like basketballs, but at the top they’re like peas!’”

After later running an RX-7 amid CAMS announcing the imminent arrival of Group A, Dickson went searching for a model that met the new regulations.

A chance meeting then led to new relationships being formed not only for himself, but later for one particular star driver.

“I was in a meeting with the Public Relations agency for Mobil Oil, which wasn’t in motor sport at the time,” Dickson said.

“Mobil said there are new regulations coming in and asked if I was getting something from overseas, I replied yes, but at that stage I didn’t know what.”

Although he was investigating an American option, a connection between Mobil and Jaguar Rover Australia led Dickson to Tom Walkinshaw.

After a quick discussion, Dickson was

Having parked the Monaro, Monaro Dickson went with the majority and fielded a Torana L34 with Bob Skelton, seen here pressing on at Bathurst in 1975. told the amount of money he needed to raise, with Walkinshaw adding that he was now earmarked to drive one.

The deal was completed with Mobil and soon Dickson was on a flight to London to test the TWR Rover V8s that already competed in Europe’s top touring car competitions.

“I flew into Heathrow, Tom picked me up from the airport and drove me out to Silverstone – I’d never been there before – and jumped in the car,” Dickson recalled.

“Steve Soper, Armin Hahne and Marc Duez were there. I drove the car there and it went very well.”

At Bathurst the two Rovers competed against a limited number of Group A marques, winning the class. Sadly, it wasn’t Dickson’s entry that won as it snapped a diff at Forrest Elbow, but nonetheless sponsors Mobil were overjoyed by the coverage.

“Mobil were absolutely rapped, over the

moon,” Dickson exclaimed.

“Because it was the new class that was coming in, Channel Seven made a big deal that year and gave it heaps of coverage. I had a meeting with them afterwards and they said ‘Ron, the amount of coverage we got from Bathurst was mind blowing, we never believed it’d be that good. It was absolutely terrific; we’re running with you all year next year. The deals done’.”

However, the deal wasn’t. The Rovers headed back to the UK after Jaguar decided against contesting the ETCC, leaving Walkinshaw short of Vitesses.

This led to an invitation of a lifetime. ”Jaguar didn’t want to run, so TWR mothballed the XJSs,” Dickson said. “He told me ‘We’re going to bring all those Rovers back to England and we’ll send the Jaguars down – without saying anything to anyone – for Bathurst next year. You come over and race for the whole year with us over here.”

Ever the showman, Dickson imported a pair of Chevrolet Camros to race in local Touring Car events. But a wharf strike and a lack of rear disc brakes ultimately handicapped the program.

After the disappointments of the Camaro campaign (left), Dickson became a early adopter of the new Group A regulations, racing a Rover at Bathurst (above). It brought Mobil into the sport and led to races in Europe, and ultimately the BrockMobil partnership.

Dickson had sorted his deal, but now there was Mobil. Enter Peter Brock.

“I rang Brocky and told him the Rovers were going back to England,” Dickson recalled. “He said, ‘You wouldn’t believe it, my haystack’s on fire, I’ve just lost Marlboro. They have to get out’. I said ‘Ring this guy Mobil Oil’.

“Brocky rang me the next day to say he’d done the deal.”

For the next two years, Dickson raced in Europe and was part of a three-pronged Jaguar entry that arrived at The Mountain in 1985.

www.autoaction.com.au

But the race was a disaster for Dickson and co-driver Jeff Allam, only lasting three laps, because a rock went through the engine intake.

It ended a hard week of politicking for Dickson, though teammates John Goss and Armin Hahne tasted the winner’s champagne.

As Brock and Grice ran their own Commodore programs in Europe in 1986 Dickson stayed with TWR, partnering Denny Hulme and Neville Crichton at a variety circuits including Spa, Anderstorp, Donington, Brno, Misano and Monza.

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Arguably the zenith of the Group A era, Dickson reflected on that season and the potent Rover Vitesse.

“Where the Rover got its rivals was stability, it just sat and glided round the corners. You could flick from fourth to fifth exiting the corner and you’d be on full power on the straight,” said Dickson. “That was the peak, the absolute peak for Rover and I think it was good choice for Austin Rover to run that season, then (after that) it mothballed them.”

As the Vitesse era ended, so did Dickson’s time as a driver, as family and business demands called for more of his attention.

“Trying to get two boys through high school, I’ve got a business, my wife is trying to run it and I’m off having a good time racing overseas,” he said. “My boys by this stage were 10 and 12, at that age where you need a dad, so I recognised that, especially when they’d ring me when I was overseas. It was terrible.”

Dickson’s next move was into motor sport event promotion, beginning with the World Touring Car Championship round at

Bathurst in 1987, before bringing IndyCars to the Gold Coast in 1991.

“I didn’t want to drive anymore because there were too many problems in terms of business, insurance and legal,” Dickson said.

“I still loved motor sport and I had looked at what was running globally, we as Australian’s could do it better. When I went and saw the IndyCars, I thought wow; I reckon we could do it better.

“That’s why we decided to have a go at it.

The Americans believed in us and away we went, (and) they were over the moon. They said ‘Best event outside of the Indianapolis 500.’”

With sons Jeremy and Heath alongside, Dickson then went on to promot street events in every part of the globe for Champ Car, A1GP and WTCC. Semi-retired now, we asked Dickson to reflect on his career highlight, and he pointed to the characters that he met along the way. It reads like a motor sport honour roll ... Stirling Moss, the Andrettis, Emerson Fittipaldi and Paul Newman, just to name a few.

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THE HILLS ARE ALIVE TO THE SOUND OF MOTOR SPORT Broadford State Motorcycle Complex does a lot more than just host two-wheeled events, as GARRY O’BRIEN discovers.

AS THE name suggests, the State Motorcycle Sports Complex in Victoria is primarily used for vehicles of the two-wheel variety ... but not exclusively so.

Cars, Superkarts, SXSs and even push bikes all conduct events at the Broadford complex.

These have included rounds of the Victorian Hillclimb Championship and the off road Australian SXS Championship, as well as many more minor events.

Situated 88 kilometres north of Melbourne, just off the Hume Freeway, the bitumen circuit centrepiece lies within a 96 hectare motor sport complex.

It regularly plays host to car testing and drive days, but is limited for actual racing competition.

Located on Strath Creek Road the circuit is one of eight tracks in the facility; it’s 2.16km long, 10 metres wide and features a mix of a dozen tight and open corners.

Historic Touring Car racer Les Walmsley, who has piloted a Valiant Charger in recent times, has both tested and done Ride Days at the track, in Phil Morris’ Touring Car

Masters Ford Falcon XA GT. “It is probably not suitable to a full-on (car) race event, other than Aussie Racing Cars and the like. One-car supersprints would be ideal there,” Walmsley said.

“I would love to go there more often, it is a great place to test, do brakes, etc!

“Turns 1 and 2 are just under 200 metres from the start/finish line and uphill as you turn into the first part, otherwise they are very similar to Turns 11 and 12 at Winton,” he recalls.

“They are almost one single, flowing corner but not quite. Then it is a flat-out run to Turn 5. Out of Turn 2, it’s slightly downhill and rises to a Conrod Straight-like hump, before dipping down again.

“It certainly has undulation and Turns 3 and 4 are not (really) corners. The track then rises to a very hard braking stop at Turn 5, which is the worse corner on the circuit for a car but it is good through Turn 6 – a fast left kink.

“From Turn 7 to 9 it is slower in a car yet I would think it would be great on a bike. Turns

10 and 11 continue the decline and from there on, a good bit of road, it’s a lot tighter than 1 and 2. Turn 12 is the sweeper coming back on the front straight, which was easy to get a powerful car to drift out of.”

The Victorian Hillclimb Championship ran in the reverse direction, using all but the last two corners (Turns 1 and 2) and finishing on the back straight, more or less opposite the starting point.

For that discipline it was found to be ideal, very technical, with off camber and blind corners.

Boasting a track-grade hot mix surface, competitors found the hillclimb track to be of the best quality surface of any on its calendar.

David Mahon posted the fastest time at the last visit, a 40.34s run in his Ninja GA7.

Car racing generally isn’t allowed at Broadford due to planning restrictions and the lack of a track circuit licence.

However, there have been other four wheel activities which have included ride days, television and photographic assignments, and the like.

Broadford hosted a round of the Victorian Hillclimb Championship, competitors running the main bitumen circuit in reverse direction. It was universally praised by all who competed. Superkarts too are regulars at the venue, with state championship rounds held there. It’s also in regular use for testing or corporate and club days.

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Recent good news includes a resurfacing in March this year ahead of which was a two-week period where the oils from the new surface were able to dissipate.

During that time contractors were also able to work on new track edging and line markings.

Other tracks at the complex include a 400m motorcycle speedway track, a 120m junior speedway track, and a motocross (MX) layout.

Six years ago a section of unused land was lalso eased to Calibre Sports, a handgun target shooting club, who set up a new range.

The property was originally known as Reg Hunt Park when Motorcycling Victoria purchased it in the early ‘70s and renamed it.

The motocross track was the first built and was opened by the then Prime Minister, Sir Malcolm Fraser in 1975.

The Dirt Track was then opened in 1988 and the bitumen circuit a few years after that.

In 2017 and 2018, the concluding rounds of the SXS Championships were held there, using the MX track.

Ongoing development of the facility has been key to ensuring that Victoria’s motorcycling community has a first-class sporting complex to use for newcomers and a professional venue to train potential future champions.

The complex hosts numerous club, state and national-level motorcycle competitions as well as recreational events throughout the year, where participant and spectator numbers can exceed 4000 at any given event.

Each year the complex hosts the Broadford Bike Bonanza, a festival that celebrates

FAST FACTS

classic motorcycles and takes place over the Easter long weekend.

Off track, there are pit sheds with power and lighting, undercover garaging for vehicles, a shower amenity, media and conference rooms and a race control centre, along with a first aid room for medical assistance. There is also on-site catering, and camping is available in three separate areas as well.

For those not prepared to ‘rough’ it, accommodation and meal choices are many Just 2.1km long, the primary Broadford circuit is trickier than it looks with plenty of undulations. SXSs are regulars on the MX track (above).

nearby. Besides Broadford there are several towns located within a 35km or 25 minute radius, including Beveridge, Kilmore, Pylong, Seymour, Tallarook, Wallan and Wandong/ Heathcote Junction.

To assist with the raising revenue for on-going circuit and facility development, individually numbered Broadford Medallions can be purchased. Holders in turn receive free entry to Motorcycling Victoria-run events at the complex, with only the addition of a small insurance levy to pay.

Track length: 2.16 kilometres Track width: 10 metres Track corners: 12 Track elevation: 30 metres Track density: 32 bikes, 24 sidecars, limited for car racing Track licence: Licensed for National and State Level Motorcycle events: Level 2 Speed Motorsport Australia licence for sprint competition Nearest major town: Broadford, 3.3 kilometres to Post Office, 90 kilometres north of Melbourne Minimum race licence requirements: Level 2 Speed MA licence for sprint/hillclimb competition Biggest event held: World Motocross & SuperMoto Grand Prix events in 2000, 2001 and 2005 Track Operators: Motorcycling Victoria Circuit Hours: Weekdays 9 am to 4 pm, extended on the weekends General Manager: Robert Mestrom Email: info@motorcyclingvic.com.au Postal Address: PO Box 3, Broadford, Victoria, Australia,3658 Address: 260 Strath Creek Road, Broadford, Victoria Website: www.broadfordmotorcyclecomplex. com.au Phone: 03 5784 2827

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LATEST e-Series RACE COVERAGE

SVG TO THE FORE Report: Dan McCarthy Images: Supercars TRIPLE EIGHT driver Shane van Gisbergen has taken the lead in the Supercars All Stars Eseries after former series leader Scott McLaughlin struggled for luck.

In Rounds 7 and 8 van Gisbergen won five out of a possible six races and sits pretty at the top of the standings with just two rounds remaining.

The seventh round of the series had an American flavour with the first visit to an oval at the Charlotte Motor Speedway, followed by two races at the Daytona road course.

A number of key aspects to the series were altered for this round, one noticeable difference being the introduction of rolling starts in all three races and ‘damage’ switched off for the race at Charlotte.

The oval race was surprisingly clean with van Gisbergen taking the race victory by the narrowest of margins 0.017s ahead of Cameron Waters, Fabian Coulthard and Bryce Fullwood.

McLaughlin was involved in multiple incidents and finished the race in last, while Anton de Pasquale spun out of a top five position on the final lap and finished 15th.

In Race 2 at Daytona new series leader van Gisbergen won by another miniscule margin of just 0.1s over de Pasquale and Chaz Mostert.

On the opening lap McLaughlin briefly sat in third place however a mistake at the Bus Stop dropped him to 10th.

Out front de Pasquale successfully undercut van Gisbergen to take the lead of the race, but with fresher tyres the Kiwi stuck to the back of de Pasquale and regained the lead on the approach to the chicane on lap 7.

Using the slipstream on the banked section of the circuit to good effect, the 24-year-old was able to stay with van Gisbergen but it was not enough to reclaim the lead.

The grid for Race 3 was formed by the results of the previous race and meant that car #99 should have started alongside van Gisbergen, however de Pasquale was

54 AutoAction

The virtual Supercars were spectacular on the Charolette Motor Speedway oval (above) with the racing NASCAR-close. Interlagos (Brazil) was another new venue for the series (below).

unable to join the session in time and started from pit lane.

As a result, van Gisbergen would go on to take a dominant win from Mostert, Garry Jacobson, McLaughlin and the recovering de Pasquale, the quartet separated by just 0.4s at the line.

A return to the Phillip Island Grand Prix circuit and a visit to the popular Interlagos F1 venue in Brazil beckoned for Round 8 of the series.

For this round the field was joined by a number of Wildcards including professional sim racer Fawzan El-Nabi, who took pole for the opening race at ‘The Island.’

The pole sitter made a poor start and allowed van Gisbergen into the lead, the 2016 Supercars Champion holding off Mostert in the opening stint and withstood an attack from de Pasquale in the closing laps to take the win.

De Pasquale finished second with Mostert

third, while Lee Holdsworth and Cameron Waters made it two Tickford Racing cars in the top five.

El-Nabi spun McLaughlin at Honda hairpin on lap 8, but the #17 driver recovered to ninth while the Wildcard finished 16th.

The opening encounter in Brazil was won by pole sitter de Pasquale, El-Nabi came home second ahead of van Gisbergen.

On lap 1 approaching the first turn the trio made contact with but all managed to continue facing the right direction.

However, Van Gisbergen suffered some damage and pitted at the end of the lap.

The series leader impressively recovered to finish in third ahead of Waters and Fabian Coulthard.

McLaughlin’s unlucky streak continued, this time turned around by Mostert at the first turn for which the Walkinshaw Andretti United driver was handed a drive-through penalty. Mostert recovered to eighth with McLaughlin just behind in ninth.

The final race was a reverse grid at Interlagos and as always it was manic.

An opening lap tangle between Andre Heimgartner and e-Series returnee James Courtney triggered a multi-car crash and a safety car was called as a result.

After things eventually settled down the usual protagonists surfaced to the top of the order. On the penultimate lap van Gisbergen snatched the lead from McLaughlin after the pair ran side by side for five corners.

McLaughlin came home in second ahead of Mostert, Wildcard James Golding, Waters, de Pasquale and El-Nabi.

Supercars Standings 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

van Gisbergen McLaughlin Waters de Pasquale Mostert Heimgartner Davison Holdsworth Coulthard Jacobson

1949 1803 1689 1649 1547 1267 1240 1215 1186 1158

Brit Ash Sutton was at home on the Silverstone circuit, finishing second in the virtual Dallara F3 racer.

HABER EDGES FURTHER AHEAD Report: Dan McCarthy Images: ARG WITH JUST one round remaining in the ARG eSports Cup, Harley Haber remains out front after recording three top four finishes in the last four races.

In Round 8 drivers visited the home of the British Grand Prix, Silverstone in England, to get behind the wheel of the Dallara Formula 3 cars.

Race 1 featured a compulsory pit stop and many drivers opted to serve that stop on the first lap, after multi-car incidents at Turn 2 and Turn 4.

At the end of lap 2, Wildcard Cody Burcher held a 2s lead from the trio of Ash Sutton, Nathan Herne and guest driver Andre Heimgartner, as series leader Haber closed in on them.

When the pit stops had concluded Burcher was far in the distance, Herne had jumped former British Touring Car champion Sutton into second, and had Haber hot on his heels.

With two minutes to go Herne ran wide at Turn 2 and Sutton pulled alongside as they ran side by side around Village and into the tight fourth turn, The Loop.

The three drivers touched nose to tail with tHerne in the middle

Italy’s Imola track was the site of the ARG virtual series’ penultimate round.

flung into the air before crashing back down and into retirement.

Burcher came home first ahead of Sutton and Heimgartner, ahead of a wounded Haber.

A battle for seventh between Luke King and John Martin resulted in both drivers crossing the line backwards. Toyota 86 racer King was dealt a penalty, but this put him in a good position for the reverse grid race.

Wildcard King took that race win ahead of Ben Bargwanna, series contender Dylan O’Keeffe and Burcher. Haber finished ninth while Sutton and Herne were both involved in incidents and finished outside the top 10.

TCR Australia driver Michael Caruso looked set to score his first podium of the series but was spun out at Club by Tim Brook in the closing minutes, for which the former Toyota 86 Series winner was awarded a 30s penalty.

For Round 9 competitors visited the former home of the San Marino Grand Prix, Imola, for one race in the TCR Audi RS3 cars followed by a duel in the F3 machines.

Haber took the win from pole position in Race 1 beating Sutton by 6s, while S5000 driver James Golding held off Jaden

Ransley for third position.

A switch into Formula 3 machinery saw the regulars remain up front. This time Englishman Sutton got the better of Haber, beating the V8 Touring Car driver by 7.8s, while TCR Australia driver Jordan Cox was third with Ransley fourth.

The battle for fifth was fierce with Golding overtaking Bargwanna at the penultimate turn.

Burcher fought Sutton for the lead until contact at Turn 1 left Burcher with a puncture and a 12th placed finish. Herne looked to have turned his bad luck around sitting in third, until he was wiped out by a lapped car with three minutes remaining. He came home 19th.

The ARG eSeries Cup concludes with a two-hour TCR endurance race at Mount Panorama on June 4.

ARG Standings 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Haber Ransley Sutton O’Keeffe Cox Herne Golding Tander Brook Bargwanna

542 505 487 454 446 391 390 355 340 289

Xxx x x x Xxx x x x Xxx x x x Xxx x x x Xxx x x x Xxx x x x Xxx x x x Xxx x x x Xxx x x x x x x Xxx x x x Xxx x x x Xxx xxx

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55

NASCAR

FOUR IN A FORTNIGHT

Report: Dan McCarthy Images: LAT SINCE THE last Auto Action> went to print, four NASCAR Cup Series races have taken place, two won by Brad Keselowski, one each by Denny Hamlin and Chase Elliott.

Darlington Raceway held its second race in a week before two races were run at the Charlotte Motor Speedway, and then another at Bristol Motor Speedway, all within 12 days.

Reigning Daytona 500 winner Hamlin took victory in a rain shortened second race at Darlington. On old tyres Hamlin found himself leading the race but caught

by Elliott and Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch, however on lap 201 of 228 Busch controversially spun Elliott into the wall and out of the race.

A caution was thrown as a result but

The new norm: a masked Joey Logano and Chase Elliott discuss their late-race clash.

before the race would get back underway the rain arrived and the race was called.

Hamlin was awarded his 39th Cup Series win from Busch, Kevin Harvick, Keselowski and Erik Jones.

The NASCAR circus then moved to Charlotte for Rounds 7 and 8, with the first race won by Keselowski who pipped a rejuvenated Jimmie Johnson by 0.29s to score his first Coca-Cola 600 victory.

Chase Elliott has been a pace setter since NASCAR returned to the track for real, and was unlucky to score just one win so far.

Elliott looked on for the race win with two laps to go but a late race caution put a spanner in the works, and at the conclusion of the overtime period he finished in third position. Ryan Blaney was fourth, Busch fifth with Harvick in sixth.

Elliott’s fortunes turned around for the second race in Charlotte, holding off Hamlin to take a deserved first win of the season in his #9 Chevrolet and to claim his first oval win in over 12 months.

Hamlin finished 2.2s in arrears and just ahead of Blaney and Ricky Stenhouse Jr., with Kurt Busch fourth.

Bristol played host to the ninth round in which Team Penske driver Keselowski inherited the victory.

Out front Elliott and Joey Logano were locked in a fierce battle for the lead which ended at Turn 4 on the penultimate lap when the pair collided.

The duo did not spin out and as a result no caution was thrown, as Keselowski took the lead and race victory.

“We kind of got a Christmas present here in Bristol,” Keselowski said.

“We’ll take it. We were in position and able to strike when it counted with the Discount Tire Ford Mustang. Joey and Chase got together there. I don’t know what all caused it, but we were just in position to strike and here we are in Victory Lane.”

Logano finished in 21st with Elliott just behind in 22nd, the latter taking responsibility for the incident.

Clint Bowyer recorded his best result of the season in second place, Johnson was third, Kyle Busch fourth and Jones fifth.

The experienced Harvick remains at the top of the standings despite not winning any of the four races.

The 2014 Cup Series champion is yet to finish outside the top 11 after the first nine rounds of the season.

Despite colliding at Bristol, Logano sits second on the table with Elliott hot on his heels, while Keselowski sits fourth and Alex Bowman has slipped to fifth.

‘What’s In The Workshop’ showcases just that, what’s going on in race workshops around the country. If you have a new racing project you’d like to share, drop us a line at editor@autoaction.com.au Please attach images, contact details and a short explanation of the project.

SPREAD ACROSS a variety of categories, the enforced break has enabled Victorian-based operation Ravage Raceworks to focus on a variety of longterm projects, ranging from Touring Car Masters to tarmac rally.

Owner Dean Lillee has spent that time on further developing leading TCM competitor Jim Pollicina’s Holden Torana SLR/5000, one of two prepared by the team.

“I’ve built a new exhaust system on it and found a bit more power on the dyno,” Lillee said.

“The stuff that we’ve been doing to the Torana is what we wanted to do anyway, but didn’t have the time in between the rounds.”

The Blue Oval is also represented in the workshop, by an AU Falcon built by Lillie in 2006 and raced by Rick Newman to the Victorian Improved Production title the next year. It was then severely damaged in a tarmac rally crash three years ago.

The current layoff from on-track action has enabled the team at Ravage to repair and continue updating the Falcon to current specifications “Rick raced it for years until he tried a tarmac rally up at Lake Mountain three years ago and had an off that ruptured the fuel tank,” Lillee told Auto Action.

“That nearly burnt it to the ground. However, Rick loves it that much we actually fixed it and rebuilt it rather than throw it away.

“That’s coming back in a really good spec with a lot newer thinking then there was first time round, which promises to be a weapon.

“Before the crash, it raced in Sports Sedans, it did World Time Attack, it just evolved. Compared to when it was first

RAVAGE RACING constructed there is (now) an independent rear end, nine-inch diff centre, revised body kit, engine management, (the) wiring loom is all current spec instead of what we had in the mid-2000s.”

An older XE Falcon is a new build, too, which has multi-purpose use as an Improved Production and tarmac rally competitor. It features a 6-litre Ford motor, an in-house designed and built wiring loom, the latest in MoTeC electronics and achieves the goal of being constructed to the full extent of the regulations.

Other big builds include the full rebuild of an ex-production car Lotus after an accident during last year’s Targa Tasmania, where it was leading. This has required a new chassis and bodyshell, which is slowly being completed in the background.

Ravage also has two ex-Tasman Motorsport Holden Commodore VEs in its workshop, prepared for when the V8 Touring Cars get back on track, and a 15-year build of an AC Cobra replica is another currently receiving some work.

Ravage has never been busier, with all manner of work being completed during the enforced break from racing.

Lillee and his two workers have had plenty to do, which has kept the factory busy.

“We’ve been doing a lot of dyno tuning as well while this has been going,” Lillie explained.

“Normally we knock back a fair bit of work during the season because we can’t fit it in, but we’ve accepted a fair bit and that has kept the wheels turning as well.”

The team will also prepare and run six cars at the Snowy River Sprint in September. HM

TEAM BRM RENOWNED FOR its heritage in open-wheelers, having won multiple Australian Formula 3 titles, Team BRM now accommodates a very rare duo of racers at its Adelaide workshop.

Two Formula 1 thoroughbreds have had work completed during this off-time from racing, including a gearbox rebuild that required the reproduction of custom parts by local industry.

“We did a bit of work on a Larousse LC88 that we reprepped after it completed demonstration runs at the Adelaide 500,” said Team BRM’s Mark Rundle.

“We also did some work on a 1989 Dallara F189 with a Cosworth that pretty much had to have a gearbox rebuild, so that’s in the process of happening, while

we await gears for Pfitzner Performance Gears.”

Sourcing parts for the Dallara has proved extremely challenging due to the age of the machine and the unique components required to complete the reconstruction of the gearbox.

This COVID-19 enforced gap in racing has enabled the team to make large steps in returning the Dallara to the race track.

“The Dallara has been a longer-term project because the gearbox parts for that car were bespoke to suit it back in the day,” Rundle explained.

“That’s been a fair process trying to source parts, then also having to recreate and make things from scratch.

“We’ve been working with PPG as it is a local Adelaide company as well, to man-

Keeping it under wraps: Team BRM has its S5000s ready to go and has been doing prep work on some historic F1 cars. ufacture the parts we can’t buy and putting it all back together again.”

The team’s current fleet of S5000s remain garage-bound but the current climate has forced Rundle to rethink the driver line-up for a revised S5000 season, expected to be announced soon.

“All the S5000s are literally sitting there ready to go. We only did two sessions at the Grand Prix and each had a

full birthday during summer after the two events last year,” Rundle said.

“Our driver roster is going to be a little different as three of the five are internationals, who aren’t going to be able to run. So, we’ll see what pans out.”

Although The Bend has remained open pit crews haven’t been allowed.

“Up until now, we’ve been allowed to run at The Bend just without a pit crew, but

that’s changing in the next couple of weeks,” Rundle said.

“That will enable us to go testing, the only issue being with South Australia’s border closed, it will only be available for drivers based here.”

The small race team has also kept busy by completing the build of a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo rally car, various engine builds for rallying and the design of wheel alignment bars. HM

AutoAction

57

We take a look back at who or what was making news in the pages of Auto Action 10, 20, 30 & 40 years ago

Have you being paying attention?

1980: RX-7 REJECTED Again! Allan Moffat received no joy from CAMS just three weeks after it rescinded its earlier decision to allow the peripheral port Mazda to compete in the Australian Touring Car Championship. On top of that, Moffat had a forgettable experience racing in the Le Mans 24 Hour, when his turbo Porsche failed after 10 hours. Alan Jones was among many drivers suspended for participating in the Spanish Grand Prix.

1990: GODZILLA DEBUTS at Mallala and despite retiring with a hub failure, it demonstrated its potential immediately. At this stage only known as ‘The Weapon’, the R32 Skyline smashed the lap record at the rural South Australian circuit by more than 2s in qualifying. New Sydney facility Eastern Creek was primed to host a 500km touring car enduro, taking over from Phillip Island as the preferred venue.

ACROSS

3. Who took the first ATCC win in the Nissan Skyline R32 GT-R in 1990? (full name) 5. How many championships did Holden win in the Project Blueprint era?

6. Jamie Whincup won the final Bathurst 1000 in the Project Blueprint era. Who was his codriver? (surname only) 7. In the #2 Nissan Skyline Neil Crompton and Anders Olofsson finished in what position in the 1992 Bathurst 1000?

10. Garth Tander won the 2009 Bathurst 1000 with who? (full name) 11. How old is this issue’s Young Gun Jimmy Vernon?

13. What was Nissan’s major sponsor in 1992?

14. How many V8 Supercar championships did Mark Skaife win in the Project Blueprint era?

16. Who clean swept Round 7 of the Supercars All Stars Eseries? (full name) 19. Who finished on the podium in the customer GIO Racing Skyline R32 alongside Rohan Onslow? (surname only) 22. At which venue did the Nissan Skyline R32 GT-R ‘Godzilla’ make its debut in 1990?

24. Jimmy Vernon entered three rounds of the TCR

58 AutoAction

Australia Series last year, year in what brand of car did he compete?

25. Who crashed out of the lead of the Monaco Grand Prix in 1980? (surname only) 27. Who did Garth Tander pip to the 2007 V8 Supercar Championship? (surname only) 28. Which Candy Tyrrell driver flew through the air on the opening lap of the 1980 Monaco Grand Prix? (surname only) 29. Jamie Whincup won both the 2012 V8 Supercar Championship and Bathurst 1000, what did he name the car?

DOWN 1. Rick Kelly sealed the 2006 V8 Supercar championship at which venue?

2. Who won the ATCC championship in 1992 for Nissan? (surname only) 4. Jimmy Vernon claimed the 2017 Toyota 86 Series, but how many times did he finish inside the top three that season?

2000: MARK SKAIFE was eyeing his third Australian Touring Car title after a successful run in Canberra at the debut of the street circuit event in the nation’s capital. Rivals Glenn Seton and Garth Tander still held hope of denying Skaife, but their chances were slipping by the round. Steven Richards for Gibson Motorsport made history by being crowned the inaugural winner of the GMC 400.

2010: JAMES COURTNEY announced he was ready to topple Jamie Whincup, as he led Ford’s title chances heading into the back half of the season. The Dick Johnson Racing driver was aiming to deliver Ford a hattrick of crowns, but needed to defeat reigning champion Jamie Whincup, after Triple Eight Race Engineering’s defection to Holden during the off-season.

8. How many times did Godzilla win the Bathurst 1000?

9. In what position did Jimmy Vernon finish the t 2018 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge?

11. Who won the Bathurst 1000 on his birthday in 2005? (full name) b 12.

1 Who won the Bathurst 1000 on o debut in 2011? (full name) 15. Who led the 1980 Formula 1 World Championship before the Monaco Grand Prix? (full name) 17. Ron Dickson finished the 1975 Hardie-Ferodo 1000 in fourth but who was his co-driver? (surname only) 18. In 1977 Ron Dickson and Fred Gibson finished the Hardie-Ferodo 1000 in 10th driving what model of car?

20. In what state is the Collie Motorplex?

21. Bowe and Johnson finished second to Richards and Skaife in the 1992 Bathurst 1000, what car model did they drive?

23. Who finished second to Jamie Whincup in the 2012 V8 Supercars Championship? (surname

only) 26. Greg Murphy set the famous ‘Lap Of The Gods’ in the 2003 Bathurst 1000 Shootout, in what Model Commodore was this achieved?

#1786 Crossword Answers 1 down – twenty two 2 down – twelfth 3 down – Latifi 4 across – Wall Racing 5 down – Allan Moffat 6 down – Civic 7 across – eleventh 8 down – Longhurst 9 across – Jason Bright 10 down – zero 11 down – second 12 across – Bailey 13 across – Greg Murphy 14 across – two 14 down – third 15 down – Lando Norris

16 down – GRM 17 across – ART Grand Prix 18 across – Mazda 19 down – Brabham 20 across – Jon Crooke 21 across – Hyundai 22 across – Surtees 23 across – fourth 24 down – once 25 down – VR 26 across – three 26 down – ten 27 across – Mark Skaife 28 across - Durex

www.autoaction.com.au w.autoaction.com.au

AutoAction AutoActionMagazine Magazine z

INTERVIEW AutoAction

Auto_Action

55

Relive the golden era of Australian motor sport with these fantastic ’Bathurst Photographic History’ books These A4 landscape books are full of rare action images taken by some of Australia’s best motorsport photographers, which you won’t see published anywhere else. Start your own library or give as a gift.

BATHURST GROUP A COMMODORES 1985 TO 1992.

MOFFAT AT THE MOUNTAIN A PHOTOGRAPHIC HISTORY

With over 180 colour and black and white images this 192-page book capturers Allan Moffat’s stellar Bathurst 500/1000 career as both a driver and a team owner – from 1969 to 1996.

Or buy any 3 and pay only $99.00 plus $10 postage, saving $23.00

This 192-page book features imagery of every Group A Commodore that started in the 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991 and 1992 Bathurst 1000 races. The book has a Foreword by Graham Moore and has a great mix of black and white and colour images.

BATHURST 500 1963 - 1964 - 1965 - 1966 - 1967 192 page book features imagery of every car that started in the Bathurst 500 races from 1963 to 1967.

HARDIE FERODO 500 - 1970 A PHOTOGRAPHIC HISTORY 160 page book features imagery of every car that started in the 1970 event.

PHILLIP ISLAND TO BATHURST - THE TRADITIONAL YEARS RESULTS 160 page book features detailed information on every car that started in the original/traditional Phillip Island and Bathurst 500/1000 races from 1960 to 1999.

BATHURST XU-1 TORANAS A PHOTOGRAPHIC HISTORY OF THE GIANT KILLING XU-1s

This 176-page book features imagery of every XU-1 Torana that started in the 1970, 1971, 1972 and 1973 Hardie Ferodo Bathurst 500’s. Foreword by Colin Bond and a good mix of colour and black and white images.

BATHURST ROTARY MAZDAS A PHOTOGRAPHIC HISTORY This 176 page book features imagery of every Rotary Mazda that started in the Bathurst Hardie Ferodo and James Hardie races from 1969 to 1985. The book is foreworded by Don Holland.

BATHURST HARDTOP FALCONS A PHOTOGRAPHIC HISTORY This 192 page book features imagery of every Hardtop Falcon that started in the 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, and 1979 Bathurst Hardie Ferodo 1000 races.

The book is foreworded by Kevin Bartlett.

A mix of colour and black and white images.

BATHURST XD AND XE FALCONS This 160-page book features imagery of every XD and XE Falcon that started the 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983 and 1984 Bathurst 1000 races. Bob Morris and Garry Willmington have written the Forward to this colourful book with a great mix of colour and black and white images.

BATHURST A9X TORANAS BATHURST GT-HO FALCONS A PHOTOGRAPHIC HISTORY A PHOTOGRAPHIC HISTORY This 176-page book features imagery of every This 160 page book features imagery of A9X Torana that started in the 1977, 1978 and every GT-HO Falcon that started in the 1979 Hardie Ferodo Bathurst 1000 races.

1969, 1970, 1971 and 1972 Hardie Ferodo 500 races at Bathurst – with a good mix of With a Foreword by Bob Morris, it features an colour and black and white. The foreword interview withJim Richards who won Bathurst three years in a row with Peter Brock in the is by John Goss. mighty A9X Torana.

BATHURST GTS MONAROS This 144-page book features imagery of every Monaro that started in the 1968, 1969, 1970, 1973 and 1974 Bathurst Hardie Ferodo races.

The book has co-Forewords by Bruce McPhee and Colin Bond and has a good mix of colour and black and white images.

BATHURST CHARGERS AND PACERS This 160-page book features imagery of every Charger and Pacer that started in the 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972 and 1973 Hardie Ferodo Bathurst races. The book’s Forwarded is by Leo Geoghegan and has a good mix of colour and black and white images.

To place an order via email send to: bruce@autoaction.com.au or give us call at Auto Action HQ on 03 9563 2107

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A E Y AL I C AN N I FF O END • • • •

680kg hydraulic lift per jack 270mm max. tyre width

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Sold in pairs

• • • •

22 piece set Internal & external 2 or 3 leg design 10 tonne ram

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LTH-500 Hydraulic Lifter Trolley

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• • • •

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297

396

339

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1 tonne x 3 metre G80 load chain Ball bearing load wheel Swivel hook

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889

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1,969

VIPER TIG 180 AC/DC Inverter TIG/ARC Welder Package Deal

• • • •

• Heavy-duty steel cabinet • 1175 x 885 x 625-845mm blast area • Includes. vacuum system, LED light, tempered glass screen, gloves, gun & ceramic nozzle

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Order Code: S633

Order Code: P150

SBC-990 Sandblasting Cabinet

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MBR-610 Motorised Bead Roller

539

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979

• • • •

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HPF-20 Heavy Duty Workshop Hydraulic & Pneumatic Press

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• Heavy-duty steel cabinet

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• • • • •

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BS-6V Portable Swivel Head Metal Cutting Band Saw

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• • • •

119

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DB-32 Electric Tube Bender

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HS-S 1T3M Chain Block

Flat: 100 x 7mm Square: 20 x 20mm Round: Ă˜20mm dia.

Adjustable bending angle stop

539

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UB-100H Industrial Manual Bar Bender

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CM-760 3-in-1 Pressbrake, Guillotine & Rolls 760 x 1mm steel capacity Cast iron construction Segmented pressbrake blade Wiring groove rolls

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500kg load capacity 815 x 500mm table 280-900mm table height 2 fixed & 2 swivel wheels with brakes

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• • • •

ETT-1D Steel Gearbox & Engine Tear Down Table

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