Auto Action #1904

THE MASTER JAMES McFADDEN WINS BIG

BMW’S BIG BASH BROS

HAVING ALREADY won the Bathurst 12 hour in 2018, everyone knew Team WRT’s pedigree, but they turned heads when they came with a pair of BMW M4s five years later.

It was a case of third time lucky as the team nailed all the strategy calls to record a crushing 1-2 in the 2025 Meguiar’s Bathurst 12 Hour, led by brothers Kelvin and Sheldon van der Linde, plus buzzing Brazilian veteran Augusto Farfus – backed up by a second car driven by MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi, Charlie Werts and Raffaele Marciello.

Starting fourth, Team WRT’s lead car pulled all the right reigns with smart strategy, well timed stops during early cautions to gain track position before excellent fuel economy created a crushing win.

The #32 utterly dominated the second half of the race, leading 165 of the final 187 laps. It was planned to perfection, with Kelvin van der Linde only just having enough in the tank to cross the line and he was elated to finally win on his sixth attempt and first not in an Audi:

“I have been coming here for so many years and always had a shot at winning, but had the heart broken at the last minute,” he said.

“Usually this is driving balls to the wall for 12 hours but today was a very different race on saving fuel numbers basically. The last stint was pretty tricky, having a (lap time) number in my ear otherwise we would not have made it to the finish.

“I had to fuel-save my way to the podium ceremony – it was very tight.

“There are a crazy amount of emotions being my first race back with WRT – and it is massively special to do it with my brother.”

Two brothers conquer the mountain together is indeed a rare feat, given the only previous instance was David and Geoff Brabham, also driving a BMW, taking the SuperTourers Great Race in 1997.

Sheldon van der Linde is the only member of the winning group to have driven the M4 in all three of its trips to Bathurst.

He said that the team’s efficiency on and off the track was the difference between threatening the podium in recent years, to dominating.

“Execution was key. We did not make a mistake,” Sheldon van der Linde said.

“The pace was not really there to win the race outright with other cars, but I’m very happy.

“I was saying to Augusto that this time last year the car was very different.

“I think we have made a huge step on the car in each of the three years.

“We had pole last year but our race pace was not strong enough.

“It is more based on set-up where we have made the improvements – the team goes testing a lot which makes a huge difference.

“We started strongly this year and it is just credit to BMW. They are constantly developing the car and running the Hypercar and new Evo at the same time.

“There is a lot going on in the workshop and it can be hard to manage everything that is going on but they do a great job.”

Farfus, who has been a BMW veteran for the best part of two decades, simply believed the Mountain decided it was Team WRT’s time, but the fuel strategy was far from luck.

“We executed the perfect race,” Farfus said with a smile.

“To put my name on the history of Bathurst with BMW is awesome.

“We have been practicing fuel saving from Practice 1 and working out stint lengths on tyres because we thought the race would end up like this. I think this helped and we mastered it.

“In the last 30 minutes if a Safety Car would have come, I think we would have been gone ...

“At a certain point I thought ‘it has to be us today’ and I felt we were chosen to be the winners and thanks to WRT at the end.”

Team WRT had the tools to conquer the mountain and it just needed the right opportunity to do so.

Completing the job in such emphatic fashion was the cherry on top and what the success meant to the team was clear by the huge celebrations beneath the podium.

Thomas Miles

TRIPLE EIGHT JUMPS SHIP TO FORD FOR 2026

FORD HAS DROPPED A BOMBSHELL ON SUPERCARS ON THE EVE OF THE 2025 SEASON, ANNOUNCING IT HAS STOLEN TRIPLE EIGHT RACE ENGINEERING FROM GENERAL MOTORS. ANDREW CLARKE REPORTS …

FORD’S ANNOUNCEMENT last Friday that it has agreed terms for Australia’s most successful racing team, Triple Eight, to come back into the fold in 2026, after what will be 16 years, has rocked the Supercars world.

Chevrolet and its teams have expressed various emotions, from disappointment to anger.

In contrast, the Ford teams are buoyant about the benefits of having Triple Eight as the company’s homologation team, albeit a move that technically has yet to be ratified.

Toyota will enter the sport next year, and it will look very different from the outside and under the skin. Walkinshaw Andretti United and another team will run Toyota, and GM must either find a new homologation team within its ranks or recruit from Ford.

Dick Johnson Racing is probably the biggest loser in the arrangement, losing its role as Ford’s homologation team as well as the production and development of the engines for the blue oval. DJR declined to comment on the happenings.

Word started to leak a week ago,

and by the time AA knew it had legs, Ford was ready to lock down the media coverage, having learnt from Toyota’s announcement and locking us down along with the two other main specialist motorsport outlets.

The recruitment of Triple Eight will do more than just bring the sport’s most successful team back into its fold. Since leaving Ford in 2010, Triple Eight has dominated the sport and spanked Ford often as it piled on Championship and Bathurst wins.

Jamie Whincup says in AA’s exclusive interview, ‘Whincup: Ford Return was Logical, Not Emotional’ – see page 6 –that the entire shift for the team came in a matter of weeks, not months and was completed easily.

For his part, Ford’s Global Director of Ford Performance, Mark Rushbrook, said in announcing the coup: “We’ve always admired Triple Eight’s unwavering commitment to excellence. Their engineering prowess and tireless pursuit of victory are almost incomparable.

“But more than that, there’s a shared history, a bond forged in the

fires of competition, that makes this partnership feel so right.

“This is about looking forward, about building a future together, and conquering new challenges.”

Andrew Birkic, President and CEO of Ford Australia, added, “This partnership is about delivering an unforgettable experience for our fans, and is a statement of our commitment to Australian motorsport. This is also a demonstration of Ford’s motorsport ambition, which is stronger than ever.”

For Whincup and Triple Eight, this represents a full circle. From its September 2003 origins, the team operated as a Ford team until 2010, when it switched manufacturers.

Whincup didn’t want to be drawn into the romance of a return to the Blue Oval; instead, he wanted to paint the decision as a forward-looking move that locks down his team’s future.

“It is big news. It’s a huge, huge thing for Triple Eight,” he said from the States.

“We assessed our manufacturer choice towards the middle of last year and then started to do a bit of due diligence on what was the best way forward.

“Not so much for now, but more for three, four, five years down the track. It opened up the conversation with Ford Performance. The more we spoke about it, the more it made complete sense to form a partnership. That’s exactly what we did.”

What the ramifications are for the sport is not yet clear, but it is sure to shake up the landscape in 2026 as much as the arrival of Toyota.

FORD AND TRIPLE EIGHT HAVE HISTORY!

TRIPLE EIGHT’S journey to Supercars domination started with the Blue Oval in 2003 before switching to Holden in 2010. Now,, 16 years later, Triple Eight will go back to the future, returning to the brand where it won its first two championships, three Bathurst 1000s and racked up 53 wins.

Despite Triple Eight leaving Ford in heated circumstances at the end of 2009, Mark Rushbrook,

Ford’s global launch was a casual but big-news affair, with Ford and Triple Eight representatives gathered at Ford’s Broadmeadows HQ to watch the US show live.

THE GENERAL RESPONDS TO TRIPLE EIGHT DEFECTION

By Andrew Clarke

A SHELLSHOCKED General Motors has responded to Triple Eight’s defection to Ford by issuing an eyes-forward statement.

“GM has had a long and highly successful partnership with Triple Eight Race Engineering,” said Jess Bala, Managing Director, General Motors Australia and New Zealand.

“We share the disappointment with fans about Triple Eight’s decision, and the news that they will be moving to Ford in 2026.

“Eyes forward on the 2025 Supercars season –we look forward to extending our full support to all the Chevrolet Racing Camaro teams, for another year of on-track success.”

With Triple Eight, General Motors first with Holden, and for the past two years with Chevrolet, has dominated Supercar racing in Australia. In 15 seasons to date, Triple Eight has won nine Drivers’ Championships, 11 Teams Championships and seven Bathurst 1000s, while GM won 12 Manufacturers Championships.

For 2025, there will be six teams running Chevrolet Camaros, with Erebus Motorsport, Matt Stone Racing, Brad Jones Racing, Team 18, PremiAir Racing and Triple Eight Race Engineering.

With a rich history racing the GM brand, Triple Eight Managing Director Jamie Whincup wishes Chevrolet well despite an unclear future over the Camaro.

“We certainly hope so,” Whincup replied when asked if the Camaro has a future in Supercars.

“We want them to stay in the category in some way, shape, or form.

“We will help them in the transition to make sure the GM brand continues in Supercars.

“The more brands in the sport the better.”

Global Director of Ford Performance, explained that Ford has always admired the most successful Supercars team in history and looks forward to adding a new chapter:

“We’ve always admired Triple Eight’s unwavering commitment to excellence,” he said.

“Their engineering prowess and tireless pursuit of victory are almost incomparable. But more than that, there’s a shared history, a bond forged in the fires of competition, that makes this partnership feel so right.

“This is about looking forward, about building a future together, and conquering new challenges.”

When Triple Eight races Mustangs in 2026, it will be the third manufacturer deal in the team’s proud history.

From the very start, multiple manufacturers showed interest in Roland Dane’s team.

Roland Dane arrived in Supercars at the 2003 Sandown 500 when he took over mid-pack battlers Briggs Motorsport.

Despite Dane taking over a Ford team, Triple Eight was running GMbacked Vauxhalls in the British Touring Car Championship at the time, and Holden immediately showed interest.

However, Dane said there was no drama:

“He (Vauxhall Australia boss Kevin Wale) said it is not a problem. Vauxhall has said it is not a problem, and they are not concerned about it,” Dane told AA at the time at Sandown.

“If Holden here wants to put the pressure on us, then they should talk to us and not other people.

“The discussions we have had (with Ford) are along the lines of long term, not too dissimilar to Stone Brothers Racing and that would see them through the BA and possibly the next race car.”

In less than one and a half years, Triple Eight grew to become one of the leading teams on the Supercars grid.

After lifting the Briggs team that struggled to get into the top 10 into two podium finishes in 2004, Triple Eight did enough to convince megastar Craig Lowndes to jump from Ford Performance Racing.

Almost immediately, the gamble paid off as Dane’s men showed they had the tools and skills to beat the best, getting a maiden race and round win in their fourth round together at Eastern Creek.

The foundation for the Triple Eight

juggernaut was clear with Campbell Little, Ludo Lacroix and Mark Dutton behind the scenes – and it just kept growing.

In 2006, Whincup arrived with a bang, winning on team debut at Adelaide, while he and Lowndes scored an emotional Bathurst 1000 victory immediately after Peter Brock’s death, giving Ford a first Great Race victory in eight years.

After coming so close to the title in 2006 and 2007, Triple Eight was ready to dominate by 2008 and did just that with Whincup.

The Whincup era had well and truly begun as he charged to the title, while he and Lowndes completed a rare Bathurst 1000 hat-trick.

By 2009 Triple Eight was the undisputed top team on the grid and won the first four races with the new FG Falcon it helped design and develop with Ford.

However, the team’s frustrations with the brand were clear with no Ford branding anywhere on its Team Vodafone Falcons.

The frustrations were stemmed from Ford’s decision to limit factory support to just FPR and SBR, but not Triple Eight.

As a result, Holden wasted no time in opening talks and a deal was done for the 2010 season and it was an extremely hot talking point – dividing fans and angering Ford.

“We spent a considerable amount of money sponsoring Triple Eight for a number of years. We honoured every single aspect of our sponsorship arrangement with them and in return we asked for one thing - that they respect our brand by painting their cars blue,” said Ford Australia President at the time, Marin Burela.

“This was not just a simple request –

it was written into their contracts every year and Triple Eight chose to defy that contractual obligation and painted their cars red.

“Make no mistake, Triple Eight was given every opportunity to live up to the arrangements they agreed to and eventually we said ‘enough’.”

Fans were also furious and, at the time, Whincup admitted it was not easy to deal with.

“It has been tough dealing with unhappy Ford fans and I have copped a lot of abuse I don’t think I deserve,” Whincup said.

“You have no idea the lengths I went to at least get them to recognise I had just won a championship in a Ford product.

“There is only so much you can take until you decide you have to move on.”

Since then, Triple Eight has taken its dominance to new heights, winning 211 races, nine championships and five Bathurst 1000s.

Triple Eight’s partnership with GM became so strong that in 2017 it took over factory support from the famous Holden Racing Team and led the homologation for the Gen3 Chevrolet Camaro.

“We’re proud of our history and our past. That’s been 15 years with GM Holden and it was two championships and a Bathurst three-peat with Ford,” Whincup said.

“Now we’re going to start a new journey. We’re going to finish off this journey in ’25, but then start a new one in 2026 with Ford. So, it’s really exciting.”

Many thought Triple Eight and Ford could never reunite after the bitterness of 2009. But like other unlikely reunions, such as Peter Brock and the flagship Holden team, time has rebuilt bridges, and more history will be forged …

NO ROMANCE IN FORD RETURN

JAMIE WHINCUP SAYS THERE WAS NO COUP, AND CERTAINLY THERE WAS NO ROMANCE. IT WAS JUST A LOGICAL PROGRESSION WHICH CAUSED TRIPLE EIGHT TO SWITCH BACK TO THE BLUE OVAL AFTER WHAT WILL BE 16 YEARS WITH GENERAL MOTORS. ANDREW CLARKE REPORTS ...

JAMIE WHINCUP is fully aware of the magnitude of the decision for Triple 8 Race Engineering, AKA Red Bull Ampol Racing, to switch back to its Ford roots for 2026 and beyond, but insists that there was nothing sinister at play.

There were no late-night clandestine meetings; just a few weeks of conversations earned Ford Performance the prize scalp of Australian motorsport.

Triple Eight has been the most successful team in Australian Motorsport. A massive percentage of its wins in Supercars and at Bathurst have come since it began its involvement with Holden and General Motors.

Any time the biggest team in any sport makes a change of this magnitude it’s bound to have a massive impact, and Triple Eight’s managing director is acutely aware of that. In our chat with the seven-time Supercars champion, he was keen to emphasise that his role is to do the best thing for Triple Eight, and he believes this is the right decision at the right time.

“It’s a huge, huge thing for Triple Eight,” he said from the States prior to the official announcement. “We assessed our manufacturer choice towards the middle of last year and

then started to do a bit of due diligence on what was the best way forward.

“Not so much for now, but more for three, four, five years down the track. It opened up the conversation with Ford Performance. The more we spoke about it, the more it made complete sense to form a partnership. That’s exactly what we did.”

He explained that neither party took a direct approach; it apparently evolved from the regular conversations between Whincup and Ford Performance’s Mark Rushbrook.

The first few months of Gen3 were interesting for Whincup and Rushbrook, and much was said in the heat of battle. However, Whincup says there was no need to hand out olive branches or the like. It was a case of understanding where the two parties were at, the competitive nature of the people inside both organisations, and the desire to just get parity right.

Triple Eight did all the design work on the shared mechanical package with Supercars and the unique parts of the Camaro – the bodywork, aero and engines – with General Motors. When it was evident at the start of 2023 that the Camaro had an advantage, plenty was said attacking and defending the packages, the process and the players.

“We’ve all had the same objective the whole time, and that is to help Supercars find parity. There’s been a process in that, but we’re very proud that we’ve both played a straight bat and worked with Supercars to get it right. I think we all agree now it’s as close as it’s ever been, and it’s very, very good.”

The two elephants in the room are Toyota and the lack of direction from GM on the future of a suitable two-door car for Supercars racing, although GM reps have said all along that won’t be a problem.

“It certainly ramped it up,” he said of Toyota’s arrival, “but it was already on the cards and our agenda. Toyota is coming into the sport, and we know they can be very, very aggressive, so we needed to make sure that we had a partner who was equally as committed as anybody else would be.

“We feel we’ve found the right partner. “It wasn’t so much the lack of a Camaro road car; I think racing whatever Mum and Dad drive the kids to school in, we’ll modify it and hot it up and race it. I think every brand will have a product for a long time to come.

“It was more of a fact that Ford sold over 100,000 cars in Australia in 2024 and has the most popular model car in the Ranger. They’re a

powerhouse; they’re loved; the brand is loved by Aussies.

“They’re all positives and that’s a big part of the reason why we chose to make the switch, or we will make the switch in 26.”

When Triple Eight first came to Australia in 2003, it bought Briggs Motor Sport and raced Fords. It won three Bathursts in a row with Craig Lowndes and Whincup between 2006 and 2008, the Drivers’ Championship with Whincup in 2008 and 2009 and the Team’s Championship in 2008.

Then Ford withdrew its commercial support from some of its teams and Triple Eight jumped ship and joined Holden, with which it has won nine of 14 Drivers’ Championships, 11 Teams’ titles and seven Bathurst 1000s. It also became the homologation team for the General and developed the VF and ZB Commodores and the Gen3 Camaro.

Whincup set his path towards immortality in Fords with the three Bathurst wins and two titles, but he says he doesn’t feel any romantic connection for the return to Ford.

“We’ve represented the Holden/ GM brand for 15 years. We’ve always aligned ourselves with the best commercial partners, ones that share

Triple Eight first evolved its reputation with Ford, winning Bathurst in 2006, 2007 and 2008 ... Right: Anton de Pasquale, in the DJR Mustang, heads Triple Eight’s Broc Feeney – T8 will take over responsibility for Ford homologation from DJR. Images: MARK HORSBURGH/MOTORSPORT IMAGES/LAT

the same values and ones that create the story together.

“The main attraction to Ford Performance is they’re very aggressive and their commitment to motorsport, not just in Australia but worldwide, is exceptional. They’re committed to a product on the road that has a soul and a purpose. Then to showcase that through their racing departments is really impressive and it’s something we’ve chosen to be involved in from next year onwards.

“For me, it’s more looking forward. For the last change, I was a driver; this change, I’m managing director, so it’s a very different scenario for me.

“We’re going to finish off this journey in ’25, but then start a new one in 2026 with Ford. So, it’s really exciting.

“Of course, our primary focus is going to be on the Mustang Gen 3 Supercar and making sure that it’s got the same parity as any other model in the sport. But then, we really need to see where we take it from there.”

Last year’s ownership change for Triple Eight played no role in the

Whincup with Ford Performance CEO Mark Rushbrook .

decision for either party, with the negotiations for the switch coming well after both Jess Dane and Roland Dane severed ties with the organisation they helped build.

Jessica works for General Motors in the US, running its Corvette racing program. Roland is now fully retired.

“All that conversation was after that,” he said of Jess selling out. “Same with RD – he resigned as chairman at the end of last year. This has all been pulled together very, very quickly. It’s only happened in the space of weeks, which is fantastic. It was one of the easiest deals I’ve ever done.

“We both share the same vision, and we both want the same result. It became apparent very quickly that this partnership was a good one and was going to be one that I’m sure we’re both going to enjoy for a long period to come. So, it was a no-brainer.

“We’re not commenting on how many years, but it’s certainly a longterm deal.”

Part of the deal is for Triple Eight to bring the engines with it too, as

Kenny McNamara, KRE Engines – potentially building Ford and GM engines?

Ford Performance cuts its ties with Dick Johnson Racing as both the homologation team and through Motorsport Powertrains as the engine supplier and developer. That means it is likely that KRE Race Engines will build and develop both the Ford and GM engines going forward, although whether GM will stick with KRE is not clear at the moment since this decision was dropped on them like a bombshell only late last week.

Whincup says it is a “brilliant way” to get parity between the engines by having one engine builder doing both, but he also understands there may be reasons why that doesn’t happen.

“It makes a lot of sense to have one supplier for all three engines”, he said, pointing to Toyota’s arrival in the sport in 2026.

The last thing to ponder is the fan reaction, since Triple Eight has been the dominant team for Holden and Chev in its time with GM. Whincup feels the sport has moved on a little from the ‘bleed blue and red’ of the first iterations of Supercars, moving more towards teams and drivers since the demise of Holden.

“Times have changed quite a bit since we made the change in 2010. Back then, the fan base was predominantly blue

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and red, whereas now we’re seeing that switch to following drivers and teams more so than brands.

“It’s still alive, but the rivalry is much less intense. No doubt there’ll be some hardcore Chevy fans that’ll choose to support other teams, but no doubt there’ll be some Ford fans that enjoyed those victories back in ‘08-’09 and ‘06’07-’08 when we won Bathurst three years in a row, that’ll welcome us back.

“I’d like to think we’ll retain every Red Bull Ampol racing fan and every fan supporting Broc and Will. But for the manufacturer fans, I’m sure we’ll lose some and gain some.”

Craig Lowndes’ contract with Triple Eight ends after this coming season, meaning he is free to retain his strong links with GM and AC Delco – or he could continue with Triple Eight and Ford.

“We’re working through that at the moment,” he said of the relationship with Lowndes. “Lowndes is part of the wallpaper at Triple Eight. He’s contracted till the end of this year to do the wildcard program, and we want to make sure that we retain Craig for the wildcard program for years to come.

“But that wildcard program will change over to the Ford brand. We certainly want to keep him, and hopefully, he comes with us along with the change.”

All the major non-GM-based commercial partners for Triple Eight are on board. Red Bull is keen to explore the meaning of the move with its association in Formula One for Ford Performance, which will officially start next year, too, through Red Bull Racing.

REUNITED: FORD BACK IN LOVE WITH TRIPLE EIGHT

WHEN FORD DUMPED TRIPLE EIGHT FROM ITS SPONSORSHIP ROSTER IN 2009, IT DID NOT KNOW HOW MUCH DAMAGE THAT TEAM WOULD DO WHEN RACING FOR THE OTHER SIDE. NOW, THE BLUE OVAL HAS ITS RIVAL TEAM BACK IN ITS COLOURS. BRUCE WILLIAMS SPOKE WITH THE KEY MANAGEMENT DRIVERS AT FORD AUSTRALIA ...

A LITTLE more than 15 years ago, Ford made the crazy decision not to fund Triple Eight Race Engineering, its most successful team at the time. To use the proverbial, it bit Ford in the arse when that team went on to dominate the sport in rival products. Now, the world has done a complete u-turn, and T8 will soon be back in the Ford fold.

For Ford Australia President and CEO Andrew Birkic, there is a sense of relief and optimism:

“It’s a huge day for us. We’re very proud of our motorsport program, and we’re looking forward to this alliance for 2026,” Birkic said from the Ford Performance 2025 season launch.

“There’s some pretty rich history there with Triple Eight and Jamie, so this is another chapter, and we love the history, we love the past, but we can’t keep looking in the rearview mirror all the time. We’ve got to look forward. And that’s what we’ve done here; clearly, they’re a very successful team. They’ve got amazing drivers and very strong engineering capability.

“We believe it’s a really important strategic fit and motorsport is important to us – it’s not only in our DNA, but there are strong connections whether it be Mustang or Raptors, about what people drive and what excites them. We’re an emotional brand.”

On a practical scale, he loves the idea of going head-to-head with Toyota on both the track and showroom, with the Ranger now the top-selling car in Australia, from the Hilux.

“It’s going to be another rivalry. We have rivalry today with Ranger up against Hilux and Prado versus Everest, so it’s a different type of

rivalry, but we think that’s good for the category. Fans want to see competition. We want to see great racing, competitive racing, and that’s what they’ll also bring.

“We sell a lot of Mustangs so there’s definitely a connection there too. But the biggest market that we play in is Ranger and Everest. The data shows us very clearly that those owners watch motorsport.”

Birkic didn’t want to discuss the contractual arrangements for Triple Eight or any of its teams, but Auto Action believes Ford is putting some extra folding stuff into the mix.

“The plan is to maintain the line-up, obviously aside from Walkinshaw Andretti United who have already made their announcements.

“What does it do for the sport? Well, I certainly know what it does for us and that’s my primary concern – it’s the impact on Ford Motor Company and its customers and dealers. I think it’s a big story, I think it’s big news –

as Jamie said, ‘they’re back’.

“If you look at the bigger picture with what Ford’s doing globally with Red Bull Racing, there’s lots of synergies and connective tissue there, so this is another chapter to that story.”

For now, though, Ford needs to navigate 2025 with its five teams and a car that has been slightly tweaked.

Brendan McGinniskin is the Engineering Lead for Ford Performance in Australia and, at many races in the past two years, he has worn his frowny face. That face was replaced at the announcement of the Triple Eight deal, which includes plans for the Brisbanebased squad to replace Dick Johnson Racing as its homologation team in 2026.

“It’s definitely exciting, that’s for sure,” McGinniskin said from the Campbellfield launch. “It’s a massive announcement for Ford to make; it’s strengthening the brand and

strengthening our already excellent team lineup.

“It’s not in effect till 2026, and we’ve got a lot of work to do this year. But looking forward to ‘26, it’s going to be an awesome partnership, and I’m looking forward to seeing what it does beyond just the Supercar stuff once we get to that point.

“I honestly think it’ll raise all our teams up. Clearly, at the moment they’re, as last year showed, the benchmark team in our competitor’s brand.”

He said the homologation team would run exactly as it does now, with Ford IP shared among all the teams, and T8 IP kept within its ranks.

“Things like engine map or as in engine performance, engine torque output, aero map, all of the stuff that’s effectively homologated is shared across all of our teams.

“My expectation is that that continues irrespective of who the HT (homologation team) is.”

Image: PACE IMAGES

Andrew Birkic, Ford Australia President and CEO was present at the US launch of Ford’s latest motorsport plans.

FORD OPTIMISTIC ABOUT 2025

WHILE 2026 WILL SEE A SEISMIC SHIFT ON THE FORD LANDSCAPE, FIRST IT HAS TO GET THROUGH 2025 AND HOPEFULLY CAST ASIDE A FEW OF ITS ALLEGED HOMOLOGATION DEFICIENCIES. BRUCE WILLIAMS SPOKE WITH FORD PERFORMANCE’S BRENDAN Mc GINNISKIN ABOUT THE SEASON AHEAD.

THE PAST two seasons have seen Ford close the gap to Chevrolet, but it appears that, on certain tracks, there may be a slight disadvantage to the Mustang, which is not explained by sporting performance.

Bathurst last year was a glaring example, highlighted by the Ford teams and denied by those on the other side … one of which will be jumping the fence next year, which could be interesting.

But the work to get homologation right continues, as it likely will every season Supercars runs to the current philosophy of technical parity. This past weekend at the Bathurst 12-Hour, Supercars was playing around with a Gen3 Mustang and a Camaro in an attempt to further understand the two cars.

If there are changes, rather than a bit of egg on the face of those who declared the issue a pile of rubbish, including next year’s Ford flag bearers at Red Bull Ampol Racing, the sport will improve.

Ford Performance’s Engineering Lead in Australia, Brendan McGinniskin, is looking forward to the start of the season.

“It’s going to be great,” he says. “Night racing will be a bit of a different spin on the start of the year.

“Hopefully, it’s a strong start for us. I know we performed pretty well at SMP last year, so we’re looking forward to it.

“Obviously, a new tyre this year is going to throw a bit of a cat amongst the pigeons, and it’ll be down to who can get on top of that the quickest.”

One of the big excitements for him this year is the arrival of 2023 series

champion Brodie Kostecki and his championship engineer George Commins.

“I truly believe that you’ve got to look at Brodie as a driver in isolation as far as his capability. I’ve not worked with him directly, but people who have speak very highly of his technical capability.

“There’s not the learning period for him of a new engineer, so they bring that straight in, plug it in and, theoretically, if the cars are as equal as they’re purported to be, then there’d be no reason that he shouldn’t step up straight away.”

Which opens up the parity debate.

“Obviously, the one that all our teams want to win is Bathurst. We believe we’re close, but maybe not quite there.

“I know right now Supercars is at the 12-hour doing testing and finalising the spec that we’ll go and run this season. We took a few small tweaks out of Bathurst last year from a bodywork perspective that is being implemented. The expectation is that that tidies up that last little bit we believe is missing.

“While the engine is largely locked in and controlled, there are still things that we’re trying to learn –with the advent of torque sensors and the testing the Supercars did last year, they’ve now basically taken the exact same package from sea level to altitude.

“The hope is that they’ve got a better understanding of whether there is a discrepancy that we weren’t seeing before.

And then, if there is, how do we solve that problem is a secondary part, but at least getting the data and understanding what is real or not?”

He discussed the differences between wind tunnel testing and the real world. He said the tunnel couldn’t quite run at the top speeds hit at Bathurst and was done with the panel gaps taped over – both variations that needed to be considered when deciding on the changes for 2025.

With the extra testing from Bathurst, he is optimistic that the season will provide a competitive Mustang in both qualifying and racing at all the tracks on the calendar, including Bathurst and not just some, as appears to have been the case to date.

Image: PACE IMAGES

Brendan McGinniskin, Ford Performance’s Engineering Lead in Australia, keeping an eye on the data at the Australian on-track debut of the GT4 Mustang.

FORD TO GROW LE MANS LEGACY

THERE ARE some brands that have built a Le Mans legend more than others and one of them is Ford, which has announced it will chase outright victory again for the first time in over 40 years.

On the same day as the Triple Eight news, Ford announced it will enter the FIA World Endurance Championship Hypercar class in 2027.

Ford will make its own LMDh prototype and chase a first victory at the famous French enduro since the famous four-peat with the GT40 from 1966-1969.

Whilst the brand has been chasing class victories, first, in 2016 with the Ford GT in LMGTE PRO and more recently with the Ford Mustang in LMGT3, the announcement is something many have been waiting for, for a long time.

Ford’s last full factory chase at the Le Mans 24 Hours was back in 1982 when the C100 was in action.

The addition of the American giant continues the rapid growth of Hypercars, with 10 manufacturers to chase Le Mans glory in 2027.

Ford executive chair Bill Ford said the brand’s significant heritage with the race remains as cherished as ever, which is why it is coming back.

“We are entering a new era for performance and racing at Ford,” he said.

“You can see it from what we’re doing on-road and off-road.

“When we race, we race to win. And there is no track or race that means more to our history than Le Mans.

“It is where we took on Ferrari and won in the 1960s.

“It is where we returned 50 years later and shocked the world and beat Ferrari again.

T8 TIES HELP

FORD WAS disappointed not to be represented at the Meguiar’s Bathurst 12 Hour, but the Triple Eight partnership should ensure there will be no repeat.

Over the last 12 months, Ford has expanded its GT program, producing GT3 and GT4 versions of its Mustang that have raced and won both in Australia in GT4 and around the world in IMSA.

Ford Performance Global Director Mark Rushbrook has voiced his disappointment at the Blue Oval’s absence from the Mountain last weekend, but it has the perfect new partner to make that happen.

Triple Eight might have also missed the 2025 race, but has a number of 12 Hour wins under its belt and led a GT

“I am thrilled that we’re going back to Le Mans and competing at the highest level of endurance racing. We are ready to once again challenge the world, and ‘go like hell!’”

Details of the Hypercar itself were scarce, aside from the fact that it will be a full factory effort from Ford Performance.

“We are excited to announce the LMPH program tonight so people know that it is coming,” Mark Rushbrook said.

“There are more announcements to come about chassis contractor, team, engine and so on.

“If you look at what we have in the Mustang and many other products, we love our V8s.

“They sound fantastic and perform great. More details to come.”

Come 2027 Ford will be everywhere, powering Red Bull in F1, Triple Eight in Supercars, M-Sport in WRC and now WEC.

Thomas Miles

FORD’S 12 HOUR DREAM

program racing Mercedes throughout Australia and Asia recently.

Triple Eight Managing Director Jamie Whincup said taking a Mustang to the 12 Hour is high on the priorities list.

“We are an engineering business and love going racing and that is a lot wider than just Supercars.

“We have done a lot of GT racing in the last four or five years and we would like to continue that.

“Absolutely ... after we get past this announcement and crack on to the 2026 Supercars season we will start discussions about GT racing.

“We would love to do that as a business and will make that happen.”

Rushbrook further backed that up, stating he wants Ford on the Bathurst 12 Hour grid in 2026.

“For us, when we have a great partner we want to do as much as possible,” he said.

“We are very excited about what we have already established on the Supercars side of things which is the first step.

“With what they have at Triple Eight Race Engineering, we can do more.

We have the GT3, GT4 cars and there might be some projects behind that.

“With the partnership, we desperately want a Mustang GT3 racing at the Bathurst 12 Hour.

“We are sad we are not there this year but we will find a way to get there next year.”

Thomas Miles

Ford’s 1966 Le Mans win, dethroning Ferrari created history – and a recent movie ...

The GT3 Mustang already exists and won the GTD PRO class at the recent Daytona 24 Hours .

ROSSI THRILLED WITH PODIUM AND WILL BE BACK

VALENTINO ROSSI has an extraordinary list of achievements in Australia with five MotoGP wins at Phillip Island, but now he can add some Bathurst silverware to that.

On his third attempt, Rossi finished the 2025 Meguiar’s Bathurst 12 Hour in second place with Charles Weerts and Raffaele Marciello in a memorable Team WRT 1-2.

It is the ‘Doctor’s first inspection of the Mount Panorama podium having finished fifth last year and sixth on debut.

Now a full-time GT driver, Rossi believed hopes of a podium had disappeared when he overtook the #24 Method Motorsport McLaren under yellows and the #46 was hit with a drive through.

This pushed them from second to eighth, but it did put them on the out-of-sync fuel strategy which helped the podium become possible, along with an epic move on the SunEnergy1 Mercedes at The Chase from Marciello.

“It is a fantastic way to start the season, with a podium,” Rossi said.

“The whole weekend was really strong and competitive

“The race was good and competitive. We could fight with the #32 but unfortunately I made a

mistake and we did a drive through.

“From that moment I thought the fight for the podium was over, but we fought back with great pace.

“I am very happy. A podium was always the target and it is a great feeling to do it here at a great track.”

Rossi also already confirmed his intent of returning to the Mountain again to make more Aussie memories in 2026.

“I want to come back next year,” he said. “For me it is good to come one time a year to Australia because l love this place so much and it is the perfect way to start the season because the track is fantastic but also very difficult

“I hope that in the next year more factory drivers and more factory cars can come, but I think that I will come back here.”

Thomas Miles

APOLOGISES FOR GROVE CLASH

KENNY HABUL stated he will visit a hospitalised Stephen Grove and apologised for their clash in the Esses during the 2025 Meguiar’s Bathurst 12 Hour.

During the third hour, the two Mercedes tripped over each other as they crossed the crest at Skyline. Grove was on the outside of the opening right hander, letting the faster Habul past, but contact on the way through sent the #4 careering into the inside wall and almost over it momentarily.

Thankfully Grove walked away, albeit gingerly, and watched the remainder of the race whilst visiting hospitals in both Orange and Sydney where it became apparent he has suffered damage to his back.

Having taken a gutsy podium from as low as 12th, Habul had reason to celebrate, maintaining SunEnergy1 Racing’s strong Bathurst 12 Hour record, but he was more concerned about Grove.

“First thing I just want to say, my thoughts are with Stephen Grove,” Habul said straight away.

“He is a super guy and I am completely shocked with what happened.

“He pulled over and braked really early.

“I went down the inside and I could not see his car when we touched.

“I would not mean that for anybody with a dramatic race with and going over the fence.

“I am going to go and see him and try and help him out a little bit.

“I feel really sorry for the whole team and feel really bad for him.”

Thomas Miles

Image: FOX SPORTS HABUL

Image: MARK HORSBURGH

SCHUMACHER IN DREAMLAND

SIMPLY DRIVING a Ferrari around Bathurst was the stuff of dreams for Brad Schumacher, let alone winning the Pro Am class at the 12 Hour.

Local boy Schumacher could not wipe the smile off his face after teaming up with Jaxon Evans, Elliott Schutte, and Ferrari factory driver Alessio Rovera to take a class victory for Arise Racing GT.

For Schumacher, who has been chipping away on the GT scene for the last six years, nothing can top what he has just achieved at the Mountain.

“This is for sure the biggest win of my career so far. It just means everything to me,” a smiling Schumacher told Auto Action

“It is my home town and circuit and I work so hard on my racing even though I am not full-time.

“To get the opportunity to drive for Ferrari and Arise Racing and have it all come together has left me lost for words.

“I grew up watching the races and still live just a stone throw away from the circuit, but did not start my career until I was 30.

“I have been putting my heart and soul into racing and it’s what

I love, so this is justification for all the time and effort.

“I will never forget this.”

Being cheered on by a local crowd, Schumacher was tasked with the daunting job of starting in the darkness before doing an important double stint in the middle part of the race.

Having recently been an Audi man, it was a big shift to get used to the more modern 296.

“To be honest they are

completely different cars and there are no similarities,” Schumacher said.

“I had to rewire my brain to get a lap time out of the Ferrari but over the course of the weekend I kept chipping away and felt on the money come the race.

“The Ferrari is a brilliant platform as you expect from anything that has the Prancing Horse ...

“With the Audi it is a car you can bomb the corner entry and it has

great aero so you can maximise your mid-corner speed.

“But in the Ferrari you need to be patient on entry and maximise your exits. It has great torque down low and mid-range so a different approach to corners, but it was mega across the top.

The mechanical grip and aero it generates from under the floor is just something else compared to anything else I have driven.”

Thomas Miles

ANDREWS IMPRESSED BY 12 HOUR’S GROWTH

FOR THE first time in nine years, Australian international Scott Andrews was back on home soil and completing a ‘bucket list’ return to the Meguiar’s Bathurst 12 Hour. IMSA star Andrews made his first 12 Hour start since 2016 and impressed by putting the #44 Valmont Racing/Tigani Motorsport Audi R8 LMS EVO II into the top 10 Pole Battle.

Whilst bad luck got in the combination’s way at Skyline, they still fought hard to finish and stand on the Pro Am podium.

Andrews has done a lot in the nine years away from the event, but even though he has been winning in America, returning to Mount Panorama was one of the top objectives he wanted to

complete in his career.

Having now taken on the Mountain in the unfamiliar Audi, Andrews was particularly impressed by how high the standards were in the international enduro.

“I am just privileged to be here and do my home race,” Andrews told Auto Action.

“This is a bucket list event for me and to do it whilst its still big is actually a bit surreal in a way.

“The big thing is just the professionalism.

“I was here at the Bathurst International for GT World Challenge and was pretty impressed with the level.

“I am hoping that’s good for Australia and people can make some careers because, for me, Supercars

is amazing and always been a goal of mine since I was three – but career paths don’t always align and you could take the GT route.

“This is basically a GT World Challenge Europe event because the best of the best are here.

“Amazing cars and teams and it is really nice to stack up against them.” There is no time to rest for Andrews as he heads straight to Sebring for a two-day test ahead of the upcoming 12 hour.

Thomas Miles

Image: GT WORLD CHALLENGE

Brad Schumacher (left) – living the Bathurst dream ...

Image: GT WORLD CHALLENGE

D’ALBERTO FIRMING FOR GT

AFTER A successful time at Bathurst, Wall Racing and Tony A’Dalberto are looking set for a crack at GT World Challenge.

D’Alberto was part of a four-driver combination also featuring experienced Kiwi Brendon Leitch, Adrian Deitz and the evergreen Grant Denyer that took Silver class honours at the Meguiar’s Bathurst 12 Hour in the Lamborghini Huracan.

D’Alberto’s 2025 plans are not clear after Wall Racing and Honda announced they would not be returning to TCR Australia after 2024.

The experienced Supercars podium finisher at the time flagged his intent on having an extended crack at GTs.

D’Alberto said Wall Racing would consider a campaign depending on how well things go at Mount Panorama and, after a class win, things are looking positive.

“How we did this weekend determined if we were going to do more GTs this year,” he said.

“Considering the car is straight and everyone is excited to get a couple of trophies is a good sign.

“Adrian (Deitz) has the ambition to do as many rounds as he can. I don’t think he could do all of them due to work commitments, but that is the plan.”

D’Alberto said seeing a global GT regular in Leitch at close quarters was a fascinating insight.

“We really wanted to get Brendon this year because of his experience in the Lambos around the world and he is such a smart GT driver

“I wanted to put myself and the car to the test hoping he would give us some pointers and I learnt quite a lot actually, so that has been really good.

“He was great to work with and happy to help.” Thomas Miles

DE PASQUALE POSITIVE AFTER FIRST TEAM 18 LAPS

ANTON DE Pasquale is ready for his first Team 18 season after an earlier than anticipated on-track debut, at Bathurst (right).

De Pasquale enjoyed his maiden Chevrolet Camaro laps at the Meguiar’s Bathurst 12 Hour, where four 30-minute Supercars category test sessions were held.

The new recruit steered a silver #20 Camaro, testing out 2025 spec tyres alongside Cameron Waters, who ironically steered the Mustang and livery of Tickford team-mate Thomas Randle.

Whilst the laps were in a controlled environment, they were timely for De Pasquale as it was his first taste of the Gen3 Camaro after four seasons at DJR.

“It has been a really enjoyable transition and everyone at the team is very welcoming It helps having a couple of days at the track although it is not proper running – it just helps me get more comfortable within the four walls of the team.

“Doing laps in the car was important as well because they are slightly different, but there are so many variables with Supercars testing and the tyre is so different, so its hard to put it back-to-back.

“Didn’t get to try anything or learn anything, which makes it fair, but doing these laps

won’t hurt at all, dusting off the cobwebs.

“The car ran really smooth all weekend.”

Whilst De Pasquale has only recorded the one win in the Gen3 era, DJR’s solitary success at Townsville, he still feels he arrives at Team 18 at a high level.

“Gen3 has not been great for myself or DJR, but we still won a race, got a podium at Bathurst and got the JR Trophy,” he said.

“There were still a few milestone achievements considering all the things that happened in the last two years – it did not all go to plan and everyone has different opinions as to why.

“But it is a time for change and I have found myself a good home here and can’t wait to get stuck into it properly.”

If there is a track where De Pasquale would enjoy making his Team 18 debut, it would be Sydney Motorsport Park where he has claimed five of his nine Supercars wins.

“It is a good track where I have previously gone well at,” he said.

“It will be interesting to see how different the car is team to team and all of those things and hopefully we hit the ground running and build on that for the rest of the year.”

Words and pic Thomas Miles

McFADDEN’S NEW DREAM TEAM

JAMES MCFADDEN is back to his best and there was no doubting that as he drove Brady Motorsport to Grand Annual Sprintcar Classic glory.

McFadden scored a third Classic crown after overhauling Jamie Veal and Jock Goodyer in a special battle in the 52nd edition of the famous annual race at Warrnambool’s Premier Speedway. It puts the NT legend in special company as his legacy continues to grow.

The 2024/25 season has been something of a renaissance for McFadden, having taken seven wins across the board led by success out west.

McFadden joined the returning Brady Motorsport this season.

Despite having achieved everything in speedway, McFadden said the joy of winning the classic will never diminish, especially after having to unlock pace from the opening night.

“It is pretty special. It is our Bathurst. The race in Australia you grow up wanting to be a part of and the one you want to win,” McFadden told Auto Action.

“Just to be a champion once is special, but three times is just crazy and to do it with a great team and car with Sheldon (Brady) was icing on the cake.

“We qualified really bad in 12th and had to pass a lot of cars in the heat races to get us in contention. I did not feel we were that great on the first night.

“I could imagine it was pretty cool to watch for a fan and in the driver’s seat it was one of the funnest races I have had in a while.

“It was treacherous, the track had some character-building holes and things in it.

“It got really technical at times and the lines moved a lot during

McFadden

does a wing-high shoey ... while (below) the team that made it possible shares the limelight.

Images: RICHARD HATHAWAY

the race, so you always had to be thinking and be as smart as you could, but still drive it to the limit because we were pounding it for the whole 40 laps.”

To be in this position was simply the stuff of dreams for team owner Sheldon Brady.

“Twelve months ago we had nothing. I was out doing the gardening and I had the Classic on the laptop and I told the missus ‘we are going to win this’,” former racer Brady told Auto Action as his team members performed shoeys.

“She said ‘you don’t even have a

race car’ but I said ‘we are going racing again’ ... and she was a bit hesitant.

“But we had the drive and knew what we wanted to achieve with good people.

“He (McFadden) flew over just before he went to America and we showed him what we were going to do in one of my workshops but he looked at me a bit strange.

“But I said ‘this is what we are going to do’ and when he came back it was all done and he saw the vision.

“To be successful you need the right people in the right positions making the right decisions and that is what we have done.

“The selling point was family first. We put all the things in the right place and we are enjoying our time together.

“That is a testament to what we do and we are making sure everything we are doing is enjoyable as James builds his legacy as one of Australia’s finest ever.”

As Brady paid tribute to McFadden’s calmness behind the wheel, so McFadden has been ultra impressed by the squad’s professionalism.

“It is a cool story,” he said.

“Sheldon approached me a couple of weeks after the Classic.

“I knew what he had done with how professional his team was and then Buzzy and I have always said wherever he goes I go.

“For me it was a no brainer because Buzzy builds probably the nicest race car in the world and everything Sheldon said he would do, he has done 100 percent.

“It all fit into place really well and it has been a great journey so far.

“He wants to build a team with a legendary legacy and he has built that in six months.”

Thomas Miles

Image: PACE IMAGES

JOHNSON GETS TOP FORD HONOUR

TO MANY, Dick Johnson has always been the face of Ford in Australia, but last week he was recognised with the prestigious Spirit of Ford award.

Johnson received the Spirit of Ford award for 2025, being recognised for taking his own team to the top of motorsport in Australia with the Blue Oval part of it the entire time over the best part of 50 years.

Johnson joins some of the greatest names in motorsport as a Spirit of Ford award winner, that has been won by the likes of NASCAR’s ‘King’ Richard Petty and F1 legends Sir Jackie Stewart, Stirling Moss, Phil Hill and Jim Clark.

Former Ford vice president and board member Edsel B. Ford II penned the following special

statement about Johnson.

“As someone who has been around the Ford racing program for almost 60 years, I have always said that it’s the people that make this sport so special.

“Dick Johnson is one of those special people, and he is this year’s Spirit of Ford award honoree. It’s the highest honor Ford Motor Company gives to people in racing who have made a significant contribution to the sport, on and off the racetrack.

“Dick Johnson means a great deal to me. When I worked for Ford Australia in 1980, we were in the midst of trying to improve our Australian Touring Car racing program.

“In 1980, the same year he started Dick Johnson Racing, Johnson started second in his

Falcon at the famous Bathurst 1000. But he was knocked out of the race early by a large, errant rock that had been kicked onto the track by some fans.

“We at Ford saw an opportunity to help this popular racer and pledged that Ford would match what the fans raised. The $144,000 raised between fans and Ford was enough for Johnson to get a new Falcon for the 1981 season and the rest, as they say, is history.

“Today, Dick Johnson is a Supercars and racing legend. He spent 22 seasons driving Ford vehicles, including winning five championships. He even had seven NASCAR Cup starts.

“Dick himself has been a loyal, talented, witty, and intense

competitor on the track as a driver, with the media and fans, and now as a team owner. Just as important, he is a treasured friend of mine and all of us at Ford.”

TATE GETS NATIONAL HONOUR

AFTER MORE than six decades in the motor racing industry, Ian Tate is touched by being a deserving winner of the Australian Performance Automotive Council Australian of the Year award.

Tate received the award after decades as a mechanic working for the likes of Harry Firth, Peter Brock and Peter Janson through the 60s and 70s, plus his tireless efforts for the Victorian Historic Racing Association over the last 40 years.

It is a special award, recognising outstanding achievements and sacrifices made by an individual in the industry across a lifetime.

Last year, Ron Harrop was the Australian of 2024, following the likes of Larry Perkins, Kees Weel, Paul Gover and Rob Herrod.

Tate was honoured in a special event at the VHRR clubrooms and was taken by complete surprise.

“It is a great honour,” Tate told Auto Action hours after being honoured.

“There has been a very elite group of people who have had this awarded to them like Rod Harrop, Rob Herrod, Larry Perkins ... icons of the sport. To be part of that is incredible.

“I had no idea at all and everyone kept it very quiet!

“I am extremely privileged to be thought of in this way.”

Fittingly the presentation was conducted by CEO of Cooldrive and the Blanchard Racing Team, John Blanchard, who has a close lifelong association with Tate, while the likes of Penrite’s Marg Dymond, Harrop and Herrod were in attendance.

Australian Performance Automotive Council co chairman Graeme Rutgers said it was a special occasion to honour Tate.

“Ian walked it in and fitted all the criteria. He is just so good with the youngsters and has done so much,” he told Auto Action

“Ian had a great day and we were proud to put it on, but it is not about us, it was about representing the entire motor industry community.

“It was a celebration of his life and achievements. The award pays homage to someone who has given their life to the industry and still does.

“He still works on the event at Phillip Island and is still very sharp.”

Tate has loved cars his entire life and his motor racing journey started at just 14 when his curiosity and interest saw him invited into Harry Firth’s Ford workshop.

From there he went on to work on the Fords, including the XR Falcon GT that won the 1967 Bathurst 500 with Firth and Fred Gibson.

He followed Firth to the Holden Dealer Team where he worked as the chief mechanic from 1969-1976 with Peter Brock, highlighted by the King’s first Great Race glory in 1972.

Tate also worked with Peter Janson and Larry Perkins but, by the late 70s his main focus was his own business.

In 1976 it was Tate-Phillip Automotive before it became Tate-Phillip-Dew Automotive and eventually Tate Engines.

Despite being happily retired, Tate has not slowed down at all, being an integral part of the Victorian Historic Racing Register where he was president for an extraordinary 24 years.

Having only recently stepped down, Tate still spearheads the planning for the significant annual Phillip Island Classic event held each March.

The award was also timely after Tate lost his wife Dorothy recently.

With the pair being such a strong union for almost the entirety of Tate’s life in motorsport, he dedicated the award to her.

“We lost Dorothy just before Christmas and I just wish she had been there to see it, but I have been very lucky to have her support,” Tate said.

“When it is your job, life and passion, motor racing can be very selfish because she brought the three kids up and the boys love it now as well.

“They race and restore cars so I am lucky to have a family supporting my habit.

“If I had not had Dorothy I would not have been able to do what I did.

“It is an award for all of us and she was always extremely supportive.”

Thomas Miles

Ian Tate and John Blanchard.

VHRR PREPPING FOR MEMORABLE PHILLIP ISLAND CLASSIC

AFTER A memorable 2024, the VHRR (Victorian Historic Racing Registry) returns with a bang in ’25 via the Phillip Island Classic on March 7-9.

The offering at the Island is set to include over 350 machines, with entries still open through to next week. The categories include J, K&L, two big fields of Group S, as well as M&O Sportscars, Group N tourers, C&O, Q&R Racing and Q&R Sportscars, Regularity, and the late model based 5L and Invited Touring Cars.

On top of that, there’s also some very, very special historic machines

and owners making their way to the Island, providing fans and history buffs with some true firsts.

For the 2025 event lead VHRR organiser Mike Hurley is at the helm, joined by long time Island Classic event organiser Ian Tate in support.

Hurley chatted with Auto Action about the health of classic events showing no signs of slowing down for the foreseeable future.

“Without a doubt, even with the current economic environment, it appears that historic motorsport is well and truly alive and strong,” Hurley said.

“We expect big grids across all our key events, including the Sandown and Winton Historic’s … it’s a testament to the dedicated volunteers who maintain a high level of consistency for VHRR.”

In terms of the highlights, the more remarkable machines include the 1973 Porsche 917/30, a 5.3-litre, 12-cylinder air-cooled turbocharged monster, making its Aussie debut and driven by Peter Harburg (a personal friend of Jack Brabham and well known Sydney to Hobart competitors). The Penske machine is renowned for being one of the most

difficult machines to ever drive to its limit. Another overseas driver is Ernie Nagamatsu from the US, bringing the ‘Old Yella’ 1959 Corvette that raced in the Pacific Northwest USAC International GP, and a ’Group N 71 Datsun 510.

There’s also the original prototype Lola, and an actual class-winning Le Mans Morgan with a Triumph TR3, driven respectively by Keith Ahlers and Billy Bellinger. With plenty more category news to come, you can also visit VHRR.com.au for ticket and event details.

TW Neal

ISLAND CLASSIC TO PROVIDE 5L TOURERS PLATFORM

ANOTHER BOON for the Phillip Island Classic in March is the field of the 5.0 L Touring Cars and Invited category, which provides a muchneeded platform for the owners of some of the later model touring and ex-Supercars out of sheds and onto the race track.

The demonstration-only platform, which is spearheaded by Steve Tate and Andrew Cooke, has managed to get a healthy 30-plus machines for Phillip Island, as well as also getting some extra entries for the Adelaide Motorsport Festival on the same weekend.

“The importance of running the 5.0 L and Invited category, is that it’s a place that some people, with later model cars can have a run.

“Most of these later model touring

cars are not yet eligible for specific historic racing classes, and they don’t really have a place to run unless it’s in Sports Sedans” Tate told Auto Action.

“Getting these later cars together is an important way to keep the owners getting out and demonstrating them in front of large crowds and other like-minded owners at one of the best

events in the country.”

With two demonstration sessions a day, with no limits as to how they’re run on track, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday will see the Island track awash with later model 5L beasts of yesteryear.

Some of the numbers at Phillip Island include young Formula Ford driver

Bailey Collin’s driving his Grandfather’s Jack Daniels VE Supercar on debut, looked after by Terry Wyhoon, whose son Ryan will also pilot an ex-Tim Slade Supercar.

The Eggleston’s are also bringing four Supercars, whilst the VF Commodore that Tekno Autosports won the 2016 Bathurst 1000 will also be appearing, owned and driven by Brad Host.

There’s the Paul Morris Supercheap Auto VE, Cooke with his BA, Peter Xiberras with two machines – an ex-HRT for the 5L and a Class A for the C&A category – plus many, many more.

Keep an eye on Auto Action’s digital news platform in the lead up for more information.

TW Neal

Porsche’s monster 917/30 could steal the show ...

Early Supercars are able to put on demonstrations ...

HISTORIC TCM SEASON TO SHAKE UP 2025

IT’S JUST under one month now until the 2025 Touring Car Masters season begins, with a stellar Supercar-only calendar that kicks off on February 21-23 at SMP.

The six-round season that will include viewing on live Fox Sport coverage, as well as three rounds with live Channel 7 coverage, will be front and centre for race fans as the category continues to reinvent itself and return to its proper mantle as a ‘fan favourite’ category.

The other change on the cards for the upcoming season is that the former MA Technical Delegate for TCM – Dean Bryant – has now stepped up as category and series manager.

Bryant spoke with Auto Action about the upcoming year, and what fans can expect on the track, with the incoming series manager not hiding the fact that he thinks TCM is well and truly back and, in its healthiest state in years.

“I feel we are on the cusp of something pretty special to be honest,” Bryant began.

“Towards the latter part of this year we’re looking at great grid numbers to go with a very healthy one to start the year.

“The other thing is that there’s a lot of stability in the rules – they haven’t changed for a few years now and this season we’ve further massaged the revs and RPM register which will bring the field a bit closer together.

“Supercars have shown faith, and not only have they given us the six rounds, but it’s six of the best! That obviously includes Bathurst and the Triple

Crown also, which for my money, is the best event in the country.”

And with Duggan Family Hotels again in a joint sponsorship arrangement for a couple of key events which, this year, will include a Duggan sponsor tent where the trophies will be presented – positive news for fans around what is already the best garage/tent set up in the land.

And in terms of the machinery, there’s also some new cars joining the grid, which is a further and much needed injection of future strength.

It includes a second Torana for Danny Buzadzic’s General Western Bodyworks team. Another VC Commodore should be added to the field later in the season via the hands of the well-respected and

credentialed engineer Derek van Zelm, and a new addition from Dean Lillie, who enjoyed his time in the Hancock Brut 33 Mustang in 2024.

Lillie has announced a new Boss 302 Fastback Mustang for mid-year debut, which promises to be a potential giant killer with an intriguing rev and weight advantage that has made regulation.

With 8000 revs and a five-litre motor, the addition is certainly a positive one.

“It looks like Sydney will have somewhere between 16 and 20 cars on the grid, which is a strong number considering the early start date and that it’s far stronger than the previous three years,” Bryant added.

TW Neal

Image: PACE IMAGES

TARGA TASMANIA

FOCUS DELAYS NEW BULLER EVENT

WITH THE exciting new spring-time return of the iconic TARGA Tasmania on November 16-21 this year, all focus is being directed towards the event’s successful return.

Unfortunately, that also means that April’s planned Park to Peak Mt. Buller has been delayed until 2026, with the newly formed TARGA Academy and competitive Buller run having to take a back seat until next year.

The new format four-day event that was going to see several runs starting from Mirimbah Park to the village square, which would also having included a full day of classroom learning and on-course driver training as part of the new Targa Academy, will now be part of a bigger 2026 when other events can also return.

TARGA CEO Mark Perry says that the delay for any events in 2025 is a vital move in order for the team to fully focus on the return of the Tassie classic.

“With a new team in place, we have met on several occasions over the last week, including a full planning day. In getting stuck into the details, we all agreed that in proceeding with this event in April we were ultimately delaying work on Targa Tasmania and therefore detrimentally impacting what it will look like on its return in November,” Perry said.

“We must remain completely focused on the successful return of Targa Tasmania in 2025 and everything else can return from 2026.

“Whilst we had well-intentioned aspirations to provide a Targa Academy and competition opportunity at Mt. Buller in April, we need to ensure that this could be achieved without any detrimental impact on Targa Tasmania.”

TW Neal

2025 ADELAIDE MOTORSPORT FESTIVAL BRINGS EVEN MORE

WITH THE motorsport new year starting to warm up across the globe, the Adelaide Motorsport Festival –set for March 8-9 – has delivered plenty of big additions to its lineup during January.

Some of the more recent news includes the confirmation of Vern Schuppan, Damon Hill, and Valtteri Bottas getting behind some pretty exciting steering wheels, the addition of some stellar machines, and some brand-new categories, with an on-track NASCAR display that joins the previously announced Can-Am, Hypercar, and Le Mans ones.

With non-stop action – including three Formula 1 sessions a day, Group A and V8 Supercar touring cars on track together, as well as a ‘10 of the Best Shootout’ that sees a selection of Sportscars and Hypercars on track together – this year’s AMF is building as a big one.

In exciting driver news, SA legend Vern Schuppan will pilot a McLaren M24B IndyCar – the ‘Ol’Hound’ –around the track. The M24B has been

The former F1 driver and Indy500 rookie of the year in 1976 is a huge addition, alongside former F1 world champion Damon Hill, who was also recently confirmed.

Hill will drive the parklands for the first time since he won the Australian Grand Prix in Adelaide in 1995.

Piloting a 1992 Brabham BT60B Judd -–the last ever Brabham grand prix car -–Hill will reacquaint himself with the BT60B that he entered eight F1 races with in ’92 before he switched to Williams the following year.

Sticking with the F1 theme, honorary Aussie Valtteri Bottas will also return to the festival, driving a DTM racewinning Mercedes 190E. You could say it’s likely his first time back on track in a Mercedes of sorts since he rejoined the Silver Arrows F1 team as a third driver at the conclusion of the ’24 F1 season.

In terms of some new machinery announcements, Allan Moffat’s 1980 Australian Sportscar Championship-

Porsche 934 Turbo RSR will be on the track In its distinct Federation Insurance red livery.

In the Hypercar category, the Pagani Huayra R – one of only 30 made by Italian sportscar manufacturer Pagani – will make its on-track Australian debut With a V12 engine that runs up to 9000rpm, it joins the Brabham BT62, as well as another new addition in the form of the mouth-watering Aston Martin Vulcan.

The limited addition all-carbon fibre track-only beast was one of only 24 made, with its naturally-aspirated seven-litre V12 engine capable of a top speed of more than 320km/h and a 0-100km/h time of three seconds.

And whilst only the NAPA-backed Chevrolet SS NASCAR has been added to the exciting new Stockcar category, there’s more big additions to come over February, with organisers going all out to better 2024’s fantastic offering.

TW Neal

restored by Mark Rundle’s Adelaidebased Team BRM.

winning

Australian legend Vern Schuppan will demo the last McLaren M24 Indycar built – which went from the back row to a sensational second place in the 1980 Indy 500 in the hands of Tom Sneva ...

CLEAN, MEAN AND READY TO RACE

Autoglym, proudly supporting STM in the Bathurst 12-hour, and the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia’s #GetChecked cause.

A grid of fierce Sports Sedans line up for a Sandown rolling start. Image: MPIX

SPORTS SEDANS BUILDING UP TO SMP OPENER

2025 WILL see the National Sports Sedans continue its growth both on-and-off the track, with new sponsors, new machines (including a legendary Wall classic), and a strong calendar of suitable events and tracks, making for positive news all-round.

After last season saw a shake-up in the natural order of things, with Peter Ingram claiming the title in his debut season in his Mazda RX7, fans of the series can expect more of the same in ’25.

And although there’s no Supercar events on the table for this year, the country’s most bespoke and dedicated ‘labour of love’ race car builders and racers are in a sense more suited to being a standalone series with their own spotlight.

“There’s positives and negatives – we’ve moved away from it but the other events are more suitable and cost effective for us,”

said category manager Michael Robinson told Auto Action

“No doubt there’s positives for being with Supercars, but the tracks are important for us

and what states we go to. Long distance events are a negative for us in terms of transport, and with visits to The Bend, QR, and Phillip Island, we’re very happy to be going to those tracks for those particular events.

This year could also see up to six new machines (five newbuilds) coming after Round 1, with a further injection of healthy variety on the way, and some very interesting takes on some staple race machines.

The brand new John Gourlay Audi which will be piloted by 17-year old Cadel Ambrose (no relation) is of course one of the big comers, but there’s also SA’s Matthew Longhurst with a purpose-built Nissan Skyline, the Frank Capo purpose-built full space frame Sports Sedan with a Toyota 86 influenced shape, Brad Sherriff’s new build Skyline, Robinson’s own state-of-the-art Riverside Racing Mustang (built by Liam Hill), and Hill’s own V8 Hyundai, an Excel shaped machine, and Michael Rowell’s

APC MAKES BIG SWITCH

THE 2025 season will herald a new chapter for Australian Production Cars as it switches from Motorsport Australia run events to the AASA.

The 10th season of the Australian Production Car Series will be the first run on the Hi-Tec Oils Super Series platform.

As a result, the five-round season will be broadcast on Foxtel, Kayo and SBS and begin in the last weekend of February.

The season is bookended by rounds at Winton, but is also encompassing Sydney Motorsport Park, Queensland Raceway and Mallala.

Previously, Australian Production Cars was run by Motorsport Australia and often ran at the SpeedSeries behind GT World Challenge and GT4 Australia.

Mustang shaped IRC (joining the Lacey and Taunton’s GT SS’s), and finally, Tassie driver Tim Barwick is planning a full series in his own Skyline.

With numbers expected between 20-25 for the first round, where the series will kick off with its perpetual Des Wall Cup at SMP, there’s also the addition of Des’ 2009 title winning Corvette Sports Sedan, rebuilt by his son David Wall. That will provide yet another nice family touch for one of the series’ most coveted trophies.

The other major change is that the usual sponsor Precision has come to the end of its four year contract, with what was a good and fruitful relationship set to move on after the company changed hands.

Robinson said that, whilst there are several conversations going on, a new major sponsor is yet to be finalised.

The first national-state combined round (also the Des Wall Cup) kicks off at SMP on March 21-23 TW Neal

Australian Production Cars representative Troy Williams believes it is the right path for the category.

“This is fantastic news for the Australian Production Cars and a change that myself and the competitors are really looking forward to,” said Williams.

“Reducing the entry fees, improving the broadcast package and having more assurance around track time is something our competitors are continually asking for, so we are delighted with the prospects for 2025.

“This marks a new era for Production Car racing in Australia and we have no doubt that we have put our category in the best position to prosper and succeed this year and beyond.”

Thomas Miles

2025 AUSTRALIAN PRODUCTION SERIES CALENDAR

ROUND 1: Winton Motor Raceway

– Feb 28-March 2

ROUND 2: Sydney Motorsport Park – May 30-June 1

ROUND 3: Queensland Raceway – August 15-17

ROUND 4: Mallala Motorsport Park – September 26-28

ROUND 5: Winton Motor Raceway

Image: PACE IMAGES

GILL NEARING SECOND WRC SEASON

THE ALL-Aussie Junior WRC pairing of Taylor Gill and Dan Brkic are nearing their vital ‘makeor-break’ second season with the FIA Rally Star sponsored program.

With the FIA World Rally Championship having already kicked off at Rally Monte Carlo, the second round also sees the junior season kick off at Rally Sweden on February 13-16 in the ice and snow – a hugely challenging event with studded tyres and extremely fast conditions and slingshot snow banks.

Last year saw Gill and Brkic steer their Ford Fiesta Rally3 to eighth in Sweden on debut after leading the rally early, before some costly overshoots and some hard fought lessons about the studded tyre were had.

Gill will again base himself in Finland for the ’25 season, as he prepares for a sudden and defining year in his career.

“The environment is getting more comfortable every year, but it’s no means to relax, we have to keep working hard to achieve the results,” Gill said.

“Effectively its do or die with this being our last year with the Rally Star opportunity unless we win the championship.

The competition will be stronger than ever,

It’s a do-or-die year for Gill as he and co-driver Brkic attack the FIA Junior World Rally Championship.

but hopefully we’ll be right for the challenge.”

Last year saw Gill head into the cut-throat, double-points, last round in second place after a memorable win in Finland and a second place in Croatia.

But it was also a tough year mechanically for the Newcastle-born driver, with plenty of promising results sent sideways owing to issues with the Fiesta, which saw him finish outside the top-five for the other three events.

This season, Gill and Brkic will visit Sweden, Portugal, Greece, Finland, and then the tri-county Central European Rally for the double point finale. You can support the Aussie hopefuls by contributing to the Supporters Club, which will net you some merchandise and media packages via a $150 dollar contribution that will greatly assist towards the pair in getting more vital test days. Visit www.taylorgillmotorsport.com/supporters for more info. TW Neal

HELPING YOUNG DRIVERS’ DESTINY

DUNLOP MOTORSPORT and Circuit Excel Racing Association have joined forces to help accelerate the development of the brightest young stars in the sport.

On January 22 the Dunlop Destiny Evaluation Day was held where Bradley James, Ashton Cattach, Tyler Collins, Ethan Grigg-Gault and Rio Campbell were given a deep insight into all facets of racing on and off the track at Norwell Motorplex.

To make the experience that much more memorable, current Supercars stars Brodie Kostecki and Broc Feeney were on hand, plus Bathurst winner Paul Morris and experienced son Nash, plus Ironman champion Guy Andrews.

Through the program the teenagers not only completed track sessions and shootouts; Andrews put their fitness to the test, replicating the strain bodies go through in the car by completing courses that include running 400m or 40 push-ups or carrying tyres.

To provide an insight into the level of detail involved, participants were not only asked to stack the tyres, but make sure the Dunlop logo was upright and facing the right way!

In the end Collins was awarded the winner’s prize which is a fully-funded

drive in the Toyota 86 Scholarship Series round at The Bend.

But, as CERA President John Broadbent explained, the program was far from deciding a winner, but making all five youngsters better drivers to be ready for the future through their elite coaching, mentoring and assessment at Norwell.

“It was everything we dreamed of to be brutally honest. The winner was not necessarily going to be the person who set the fastest lap in the Shootout, but the one who was engaged and learned throughout the day,” Broadbent told Auto Action.

“It was not about the driving element, but it is the total package

of being a driver outside the car from the way you treat officials, competitors and spectators.

“It could have been any one of the five and it was just the subtle things Paul, Broc or Brodie had noticed.

“Credit has got to go to Dunlop Motorsport distributor Bill McKenna and Paul at Norwell for wanting to do this and putting it all together. Paul sees the value in grassroots motorsport and fostering young kids.

Broadbent said the program next year will be eligible to drivers from all five states and the end goal is to not only create a pathway from karts to Excels, 86s, Super2 and eventually Supercars, but make motorsport a realistic and economic goal for all.

“We will change the format slightly. It won’t be as much focused on the three Dunlop Destiny rounds and instead we will choose a competitor from every state.

“It will go back to if the competitor does the right thing at their local state round, and they will put their names forward at the end of the year.

“We are broadening it out a bit, so it targets all of the competitors and provides more opportunities.

“There will also be wildcards where the state may be struggling to pick one or a driver does well in the nationals in August.

“Three quarters of the Toyota 86 field have all come from Excels so it’s the foundation of motorsport in this country and provides the opportunities to mum and dad who we are trying to target.

“At the end of the day if there are not these young competitors coming through categories like Excel, there is no future in motorsport.”

Thomas Miles

Pick the stars! Current racers mixing with ambitious youngsters at the Dunlop Destiny Day.

BEETON BUILDING FORM

IT IS a big year for Jack Beeton (above) and he has started it strongly by scoring a podium in the Formula Regional Middle East Championship.

After a tough first round at Yas Marina, Beeton bounced back in the recent return round to stand on the podium in Race 2 with a strong third place.

The 17-year-old from the Gold Coast is using the campaign with Mumbai Falcons Racing Limited as preparation in the unfamiliar Formula Regional for the main event later this year.

Beeton will debut for Prema Racing in the Formula Regional European Championship as he aims to rise up the single seater ladder.

With an eighth place, he emerged from the round as the leading rookie, a big turnaround after only being as high as 14th in the opening round.

“The podium was a great result,” he told Auto Action

“It is a new car and championship so I needed to adapt to the higher downforce and power and it took a bit longer than I would have liked

“It is so different to F4, which you can throw around and is so light. This is a lot heavier and you need to point it in and tell the car what to do and has a lot more power.

“I don’t want to use to as an excuse but I got very sick before the first round and had a tough qualifying which set the tone for the rest of the weekend.

“But I bounced back quite well.

“After five rounds here we will reflect on everything and, hopefully, we are in a good spot for the European season.”

The season resumes at Dubai Autodrome this weekend before a return to Yas Marina and the finale at Lusail alongside the FIA World Endurance Championship. Thomas Miles

USF EXCITEMENT BUILDING FOR YOUNG AUSSIE CONTINGENT

WITH THE 2025 Indycar season building up to its St Petersburg, Florida opener, so too is the USF Road to Indy series that will provide a further launching pad for a few Aussie youngsters.

In the last few years, Australian race fans have followed the progress of Lauchie Hughes, who took out last years USF Pro 2000 Championship, thus advancing to the INDY NXT program with Andretti Global for this season, who is also joined by former FIA F3 racer Tommy Smith (HMD Motorsports).

Hughes’ prior US F4 and

USF2000 team, Jay Howard Driver Development, will be sporting two young Aussies, Brad Majman in USF2000, and Liam Loiacono in the USF Juniors.

Majman is a 15-year-old Melbournian and KA2 Karter who drove in the Ligier JS F4 Series and won three races last season. He’ll debut on the big stage at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.

Joining him at JHDD is former Formula Ford competitor Loiacono, who at 16 years of age, will make his Junior debut at NOLA, and he’ll see action at Barber Motorsports Park, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course,

Road America, and Portland International Raceway.

Another promising Aussie talent is Australian Formula Ford champion Eddie Beswick, who debuted at Toronto in a one-off last season. Beswick will take up a USF2000 seat for Established Australian racing outfit Synergy Motorsport for a full campaign, and will also take on the Florida streets in support of the IndyCar opener.

The ST. Pete GP will take place on March 2, with NOLA round on April 10-13.

TW Neal

Australian Formula Ford champion Eddie Beswick will contest USF2000 with Synergy Motorsport.

PUBLISHER Bruce Williams

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Andrew Clarke

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Caroline Garde

NATIONAL EDITOR Thomas Miles

HISTORICS EDITOR Mark Bisset

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For more of the latest motorsport news, reviews and features, PLUS additional breaking news. Go to autoaction.com.au or scan below

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Email: editor@autoaction.com.au

Postal: Suite 4/156 Drummond Street. Oakleigh Victoria 3166

TREASURED MEMORIES AND STILL ALONG FOR THE DIGITAL RIDE

YES, THAT was big news in your edition #1903 about going totally digital.

For someone who first purchased Auto Action #68 dated September 14, 1973, the demise of the fortnightly printed edition is sad news.

That first one cost the then princely sum of 30 cents and I still have it, along with most of the others I’ve bought in the half-century since.

I would religiously purchase AA every second Thursday (or Wednesday) and sit reading it in a cafe or lunchroom. All my colleagues would know not to bother talking to me because any answers I gave would be short and abrupt.

We are building a library in our house to hold all our books and magazines and there will be a special display section for the magazines so we can finally show off these long-hoarded treasures. Being an accountant, I understand the economics of your decision but, as with books, I feel the tide will eventually turn and printed editions will make a comeback.

What I would like going forward is features with more detail. News articles never provide enough, especially those cut and pasted from team PR releases.

I look forward to what comes next with AA. Best wishes with the new business model.

Peter Brewer Abbotsford, NSW

Publisher’s note: Thanks, Peter, for taking the time to give us your feedback. Changes to the distribution model beyond our control meant that we would be looking at a future Friday deadline, which meant no coverage of previous weekend’s events etc, and this would have been totally unacceptable to us and you, the readers. The good news is we are going to continue with the fortnightly digital magazine, and we will introduce a new monthly glossy magazine - ‘Auto Action Premium’ a quality publication with a focus on the long read and full of features you enjoy as well as behind the scenes news etc. Again, thanks for your support and feedback.

WEBSTER’S WARBLE

He’s back! Our most inveterate correspondent and ideas man has cast his eyes far and wide and found a European model to bring Supercars to Victoria’s second-largest city.

NORISRING AN IDEAL

TEMPLATE FOR GEELONG

GEELONG HAS been strongly touted for a round of the Supercars Championship for many years.

Townsville has had a round of the series for many years now.

Geelong and the people of Victoria’s second-largest city certainly deserve to have a round too.

888 BACK TO FORD MAKES SUPERCARS SO MUCH BETTER

WOW, 888 back to the Blue Oval in 2026 – what amazing news for Ford fans!

I was excited about 2025 with Brodie Kostecki joining DJR.

How excited do you think I am now for 2026?

It could mean 10 Ponies, 10 Chevs and four Toyotas battling it out for the championship next year. Isn’t following V8 Supercars just the best thing in the world? Luv it.

As a Ford fanatic, the return of 888 is like putting a doublepumper Holly on my Clevo with a slight cam.

Chev supporters will feel like a conrod went through the block!

For Jamie Whincup there’s a saying around the traps: ‘You never forget your first (championship).’

I have always said that Red Bull is the best team in pit lane.

There are so many scenarios to play out in 2025, so get your backside trackside and enjoy this year’s racing. Then next year will be even better!

Nomadic Phil (accompanied by Wandering Wendy)

There have been suggestions to build a part-permanent/part-temporary motorsport venue like Townsville, but Victoria has record debt and the state’s government may not be keen to co-fund a hybrid street circuit like Townsville.

A more cost-effective alternative may be to build a part-permanent/parttemporary street circuit like the Norisring in Nuremburg, Germany.

Norisring is a 2.3km street circuit that has been used for motorsport events since 1947 and it has an annual round of the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM).

Norisring has some concrete barriers but mostly it has steel barriers, which could be a lot cheaper to build and install at Geelong and, in turn, be a lot more cost-effective.

Why not leave many of the barriers, both steel and concrete, in place permanently?

A Norisring-style street circuit could be an ideal way for Geelong to host a Geelong 400 or 500 Supercar round.

It could become a reality as a co-operation between the federal and Victorian governments, perhaps with support from corporate Victoria.

A Supercar round would become the largest sporting event in Geelong and attract thousands of visitors to the city.

It would be a great way to promote Geelong interstate and internationally. Although there are plans for a new Avalon Motorsport Park, which would most likely host a round of the Supercars, Geelong is a fast-growing city and Melbourne’s west is one of the fastest-growing regions in Australia, so the area could even have two rounds of the Supercars Championship. Malcolm Webster Boronia, Victoria

Publisher’s note: You’re right, Malcolm, there has been talk for years about the possibility of a street circuit in Geelong and a permanent facility beside the nearby Avalon airport. Can’t see any great signs of progress on either, but the district certainly deserves at least one or the other.

The Geelong Revival Motorsport Festival has been that city’s prime motorsport event for a long time. Reader Webster suggests the city deserves a Supercar race ... Image: Geelong Revival Motoring Festival

OF GARDENING LEAVE AND BUDGET CAPS

YET AGAIN, as Roy and HG used to say, a week when too much news was barely enough. Certainly the news that Triple Eight and Ford – who were married once before – have kissed and made up, and that T8 will walk out on its current relationship with GM to get back with its ex from Detroit has made waves …

The awkward thing is that, unlike US basketball, the ‘transfer’ isn’t immediate.

T8 is going to see out 2025 with its soon-to-be ex (GM), then move in almost immediately with the old flame, Ford.

It’s going to be tricky.

In the competitive world of motorsport, it’s even more problematic, because the team, Triple Eight, is the current GM ‘homologation’ team – ie handles everything to do with the tech spec, development and parity of the Camaro – and has been offered the same role with Ford, which means that the manufacturer’s current ‘homologation’ team, DJR is getting dropped – after completing this year’s season.

It’s almost MAFS, Farmer Wants a Wife, The Bachelor and Love Island all rolled into one, on wheels (and no, I don’t watch any of them ...).

Supercars rules do require the teams to agree to a change of homologation team for the respective brands, and I suspect that this discussion – which will take place pretty soon – may not be the formality it might have been if it wasn’t for T8’s jump from one homologation gig to the next.

Is it really to be the case that one day, at the end of the year, GM’s homologation team will shut up shop and

CL ON CALL

open up the next day with Ford signage on the door?

I don’t think so – not in motorsport!

When key technical staff leave a Supercars team, there’s usually a ‘gardening leave’ requirement, before they can start work for an opposition team. It’s often six months. The same applies in Formula 1 – often more than six months depending on the significance of the departing person’s role.

This is going to need to be somewhat similar in its effect, you’d think.

If I was one of the teams who has cast my lot in with GM, I’d be wanting that change of technical leadership to happen asap, not at year’s

end. The concept of T8 running the GM tech show until the day they leave, while at the same time developing their Mustang car and set-up will send shivers down GM spines …

It’s a case of watch this space, but I’d be stunned if there wasn’t agreement for a change of GM homologation team sooner rather than later …

IN A related vein, there’s another issue that Formula 1 has dealt with over recent times that should perhaps be on Supercars’ agenda.

F1 introduced a budget cap in 2021 for very good reasons – the massive difference from one end of their grid to

the other in funding. Megarich teams such as Ferrari, Mercedes and Red Bull had almost unlimited resources to pour into achieving success. Lesser teams were running at often significant losses to try and keep up.

It’s a fact – success in motorsport is usually directly proportional to dollar input..

The F1 budget cap has worked. In the case of the big teams, it’s forced them to be more efficient and, in several cases, turned them from loss-leaders into normal, profitable businesses, while allowing the more modestly budgeted equipes to become more competitive.

So … is this the time for Supercars to take a leaf out of that book and impose a budget cap for its teams? Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull were very ‘anti’ at first – but ask them now and they’re more than happy about where it has led them,

in a business sense.

Triple Eight’s success has built on itself – and is the reason Ford has come calling again. Can’t blame either of them for that. Look at the range of high-worth brand stickers on the T8 Camaros – success builds on itself for sure. I don’t know the latest numbers, but there isn’t a team in pit lane that comes close in sponsorship revenue.

Would a Supercars budget cap deliver, at last, the cost savings across the grid that Gen-3 was supposed to, with all the common parts across both car brands (soon to be three – unless GM ‘cracks it’ and decides to go and concentrate on its upcoming massive F1 project!)?

Would it increase the competitiveness further down the grid and stabilise the smaller teams? The F1 experience says yes. Something for R-A-C-E to think about?

with Chris Lambden

Triple Eight Race Engineering –success breeds more success ... and sponsors ...

WHO’S A NAUGHTY BOY THEN … FIA RAMPS UP FINES

It all started with the ‘f’ word back at the Singapore GP ... Images: MOTORSPORT IMAGES

THE FIA has decided to take an even harder line against the use of bad language during motor racing events and the new International Sporting Code, published at the end of January, includes the first set of fixed rules regarding the matter.

That FIA has revealed that the fines will range from 10,000 to 30000 Euros (A$16,500 - 50,000) and are cumulative, meaning a driver who repeats the same offence on three

occasions will be incurring fines that could reach a total of 60,000 Euros (A$100,000). On top of that, any driver who reaches his third offence will be automatically suspended for one year and will be also deducted points, making the penalty system simply draconian.

It’s quite clear this new inclusion in the drivers’ Code of Conduct is a consequence of the events at last year’s Singapore Grand Prix, with Max

Verstappen taking centre stage. In the pre-event official press conference, on Thursday, the World Champion used a swear word to qualify the handling of his Red Bull RB20 in a previous event and, consequently, was penalised by the Stewards to do community service for the FIA (which was completed in Rwanda, the day before the Fédération’s Award Ceremony).

Verstappen received unanimous support from his rivals on this occasion

but it’s clear FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem is determined to keep a tight control over their actions and the new Code of Conduct and its wide range of penalties are likely to become a tremendously contentious affair in the next few weeks.

The penalties, that can be accumulated over two years, are divided into five categories – as per the chart, taken from the official communication on the new rules.

FIA STRUGGLING TO FIND VOLUNTEERS FOR F1 STEWARDS

JOHNNY HERBERT’S departure from the panel of Formula 1 Driver Stewards has left the FIA short of volunteers available to fulfill the role in the 2025 World Championship and may have been the necessary trigger to get things changed and make the position a paid one, as the drivers have been requesting for quite a long time.

Herbert was one of four former Formula 1 drivers volunteering to attend the 24 Grands Prix, the other three being Derek Warwick, Vitantonio Liuzzi and Enrique Bernoldi.

The agreement with those four former Grand Prix drivers was that they would each attend six events per year but that was not what happened in 2024. Bernoldi became increasingly busier with his own affairs in Brazil and skipped three raced towards the end of the year, Herbert replacing him in two of them and Liuzzi in the other one. That’s why the three-times Grand Prix winner ended up working as a Driver Steward in eight races last year, Liuzzi in seven, Warwick six and Bernoldi just three. With the Brazilian likely to be unavailable in

The FIA boss has deemed Johnny Herbert’s media world too much of a conflict with his Steward volunteering ...

2025 and Herbert now moving to a role with Lola, neither Warwick nor Liuzzi are willing to attend 12 races even if they are paid to do it. The Englishman has his own business interests to look after in the Isle of Jersey, while the Italian runs his four restaurants in Milan – meaning both are not in a position to fulfill the role of Driver

Stewards that often.

The fact that the FIA hasn’t yet opted to make the role of Stewards a paid one, led to the departure of an experienced official, like Herbert, meaning that only wealthy former Grand Prix drivers can easily accept this non-paid work. That certainly reduces the talent pool the FIA can work with and that is the reason the teams and the drivers keep pushing for professional Driver Stewards to be put in place as quickly as possible.

As it has been the case in other areas, Ben Sulayem insists the FIA doesn’t have the budget to pay for Stewards, insisting Formula 1, the teams and the drivers should pay for it.

Given we’re not talking about millions of dollars to be spent on four permanent and professional Stewards, a consensus shouldn’t be difficult to reach, but until now there’s no change on the status quo for 2026 and Herbert’s sudden departure from the scene indicates there’s no immediate solution for the problem on the horizon.

PROFESSIONAL STEWARDS IN F1: JUST PAY FOR IT!

JOHNNY HERBERT’S departure from the panel of four Driver Stewards that join the FIA official at Grands Prix seems to have been the biggest story of the last week.

And while that shows there’s very little to report in our little world of Formula 1, as private tests don’t lend themselves to professional and accurate reports, the reactions to Herbert’s move brought back a public discussion that has been going on forever.

Interestingly, everyone directly involved in Grand Prix racing seems to agree that the Stewards should be paid professionals rather than unpaid volunteers.

The FIA president wants them, the drivers have been extremely vocal about their desire to see this change, and the teams are now starting to agree this is the way to go.

Trouble is, everyone wants them, but nobody wants to pay for them – how much

with Luis Vasconcelos F1 INSIDER

more of a ‘Formula 1-style’ problem can this be?

One of President Ben Sulayem’s main campaigns has been to get more funding for the Fédération and he cites lack of money to pay for this extra expense.

Yes, it’s the FIA’s duty to provide officials for Grand Prix racing, but there are two elements that have to be taken into consideration:

Firstly, the sport’s regulator has been forced to more than double its Formula 1 structure to deal with the extremely complicated regulations the teams have agreed on – more checks in many more areas–with complicated and costly systems being put in place.

And, with the need to fly dozens of people around the

world to attend 24 Grands Prix, the costs have skyrocketed for the people in Paris. Ben Sulayem inherited a structure that was losing 20 million Euros (A$33m) per year under the previous leadership and has been forced to make painful cuts, as well as looking for new sources of revenue.

Having paid for my own travel to Grands Prix for over 35 years, I’m reasonably aware of what the FIA spends with the Stewards’ travelling costs – but at least those would remain stable if they were to be made professional. The extra budget would only be required to pay a salary to the Stewards – and I believe we’re not talking of anything over a million Euros

(A$1.7m) per year in total. Given the sport’s revenues exceed two billion Euros (A$3.4b) per year, we’re really talking about peanuts, aren’t we?

Maybe the FIA is already over-stretched and so maybe each team can put 100,000 Euros into a fund to pay the Stewards; or maybe Formula 1 could foot the bill – it doesn’t really matter. But the bottom line is that the Stewards need to be paid enough to prevent them having to find other sources of income that may clash with their duties as FIA officials.

Yes, being a paid media pundit is incompatible with being a Formula 1 Steward, but, when faced with having to make the choice, Herbert didn’t hesitate and left the FIA, now adding a role as Brand Ambassador for Lola to his media duties. A man has got to make a living and comparatively few former

Formula 1 drivers can afford to sit at home and count their money.

With the new season just five weeks away, it’s high time the FIA, Formula 1 and the teams dug into their deep pockets and pooled together enough money to guarantee that whoever takes a paid role within the organisation doesn’t have to get a side job to make ends meet.

Then the problem will be to find former drivers that are willing to split in half or one third the 24 Grand Prix weekends, even if paid decently.

And, of course, they have to have no vested interests in teams, driver managements and so on.

It’s not an easy task, as the pool of possible candidates for the job shrinks considerably when you go through all the filters, I grant you, but the sooner there’s a new, professionally paid panel in place, the better.

Johnny Herbert walks the AGP track with former Event Director Tim Schenken. Herbert has walked away from his (unpaid) Steward role, while Schenken has stepped aside to allow the next generation to take primary control.

Image: MOTORSPORT IMAGES

NEW SPANISH GP DOUBTS

THE SPANISH Grand Prix is due to change home next year, with Madrid raking it away from Barcelona, but the project to have a semi-permanent circuit in the IFEMA ground remains in doubt, as there are many unanswered questions about the funding of the project and its viability.

A delegation of the Grand Prix promoters, led by the very experienced Richard Cregan, who is acting as a consulting for the event, was in Qatar during the first couple of days of the Grand Prix, presenting their project to Formula 1, the FIA and the teams, and their presence attempted to reassure everyone in the paddock about the viability of Madrid hosting the Spanish Grand Prix from next year.

But there are now fresh doubts about the project, with the Madrid Mayor announcing further delays as the tender processes are behind schedule. There are also doubts about the funding for the circuit.

The race in Madrid is scheduled for September 2026, but if the first groundwork is not going to start until the end of May, things will already be behind schedule.

Of course Spain will always have a Grand Prix next year, as Barcelona’s contract to host a Formula 1 race runs until the end of 2026 – but the Catalans remain hopeful the Madrid project will collapse, allowing them to sign a new deal with Stefano Domenicali and keep their race until the end of the decade.

RWANDA NOW UNLIKELY TOO

RWANDA’S AMBITIONS to host big international sporting events has also been put in doubt after the country recently became seriously involved in a civil war that is devastating the Democratic Republic of Congo.

A stand-off is developing between the DRC and Rwanda, with an estimated 4,000 Rwandan soldiers in the DRC.

With a serious armed conflict raging just 160km away from Rwanda’s capital, Kigali, Formula 1 (and planned UCI World Cycling Championships scheduled for this year) is likely to reconsider plans to host a race there.

WHY McLAREN SIGNED ALUNNI BRAVI

McLAREN’S HIRING of Alessandro Alunni Bravi seems to have caught many in Formula 1 by surprise, but the reality is that the Italian lawyer and Zak Brown had been in close talks since the 2024 mid-season break, when it became clear Mattia Binotto had no intention of keeping his fellow Italian at Sauber.

Alunni Bravi’s move to McLaren is a return to the two things he does best and was doing for Sauber during the years in which the Swiss team was led by Fred Vasseur – running the young drivers’ program and working on sponsor acquisition.

Having his own drivers’ management company, Trusted Management, the Italian brings a very wide experience of working with young talent. But a little known talent of his lays in sponsorship acquisition, for he was responsible for bringing more than 20 sponsors and partners to Sauber in the last three years, since he took over the commercial department of the Swiss team.

2025 RESERVES SETTLED – BOTTAS

THE ‘MAN FOR ALL TEAMS’

THE LACK of quick, reliable and experienced drivers who could be available to drive in FP1 and act as reserve Grand Prix driver at very short notice has been a concern for most Formula 1 teams, with Ferrari at the top of the list.

With Antonio Giovinazzi and Oliver Bearman heading its group of reserve drivers, Ferrari is preparing Swedish sensation Dino Beganovic to run in the (now) four FP1 sessions that will have to be handed to rookies – and that’s why the Formula 2 driver joined Antonio Giovinazzi in the Scuderia’s last day of running in Barcelona, last Thursday.

Other teams are also scrambling for options, as their main reserve drivers have busy schedules outside Formula 1 and may not be available at very short notice. McLaren is a good point in case as it’s nominated reserve driver is Mexico’s Pato O’Ward, who also races for the British team in IndyCar.

The American season ends early, in August, but has nine clashes

with F1 Grands Prix. That’s why Zak Brown intends to keep the ongoing agreement with Mercedes that allows his team to use the German team’s reserve driver in case of emergency – which means Valtteri Bottas will also be on stand-by for McLaren until the Dutch Grand Prix.

The Finn is also on the reserve list for Williams, as Luke Browning, their biggest hope to make it into F1 in the next two years, hasn’t yet secured enough points to earn a Super Licence. The same applies to Zak O’Sullivan, who’s moved to Japan to race in Super Formula, so Bottas, who has a good relationship with Team Principal James Vowles, is the ideal option should Alex Albon or Carlos Sainz become suddenly unavailable. Fredrik Vesti could also be called, as he’s previously tested with McLaren.

Red Bull has Ayumi Iwasa as reserve driver for its two teams, but there are three clashes between his commitments in that series and Grand Prix. Swedish sensation Arvid

Lindblad is the company’s new biggest hope – but he doesn’t have the necessary Superlicence points and the same applies to Pepe Marti, who heads into his second Formula 1 season this year. To add to this, Lindblad only turns 18 in August, so only after that can he enter a Grand Prix. Therefore, unless another driver joins the team, Red Bull and Racing Bulls will be without reserve drivers in Jeddah, Imola and Las Vegas. Things are more straightforward for Aston Martin, Alpine and Haas, with Felipe Drugovich, Franco Colapinto and Kevin Magnussen as their respective reserve drivers, the first two attending all the races –although Stoffel Vandoorne is likely to be with Aston Martin in three or four races as their stand-by man –while the Dane will only show up at a Grand Prix if his services are required.

As for Sauber, for now there’s no one appointed for the role, but an announcement is expected before the start of the season.

‘Aussie’ Valtteri – reserve for three teams this year ...

WING DEFLECTION TESTS TO BECOME TOUGHER

Fingers were pointed at apparent extra-flexibility of McLaren’s rear wing after Oscar Piastri’s superb Baku win last year – though no Stewards/Scrutineering action was taken.

THE 10 Formula 1 teams have been forced to redesign their 2025 cars’ rear wings, as the FIA has issued an update to its regulations, warning that stricter deflection tests will be conducted before the start of the season, in Melbourne, along with additional front wing deflection tests at the start of June.

This marks a remarkable turn around for the FIA as, at the end of last season, Technical Director

Nicolas Tombazis, had made it clear the regulators were completely happy with the tests that were in place and didn’t foresee any need to make them stricter.

“We are pretty happy with what we’ve seen, and I hasten to say that it’s not a question always of being happy or not; it’s also a question of whether you feel that a meaningful test can be made.”

But last week, in a 180-degree

turnaround communication with the teams, it was announced that “following further analysis carried out by the FIA Single Seater Department after the conclusion of the 2024 season, we are committed to ensure that bodywork flexibility is no longer a point of contention for the 2025 season.”

The teams were then told that “as part of this effort, we will be increasing the scope of rear wing

tests from the start of the 2025 season and additional front wing tests will be introduced from the Spanish Grand Prix.”

According to sources from the Fédération, this decision was taken after the post-season analysis of all the data from 2024 revealed that the existing tests weren’t as effective as earlier thought … but it was decided to give the teams four months to redesign and recalculate the materials used in their cars’ front wings, as those elements are the most important and demanding aerodynamic wings of the cars, as the airflow to the rest of the car is determined by their shape and deflection.

According to the same sources, in-depth analysis of the onboard footage from the last few races of the 2024 championship revealed that a few teams had been able to make their car pass the mandatory static deflection tests, while still get more dynamic deflection than what the FIA had defined as the maximum allowed.

IS HAMILTON’S TEST CRASH A GOOD OMEN?

CRASHING DURING testing is never a good thing, so it’s no wonder Lewis Hamilton’s off in what was his final day of running with Ferrari in the Circuit of Catalunya-Barcelona got a lot of attention.

However, with Italians being notoriously superstitious, it didn’t take long for many tifosi to see the incident as a good omen, based on what happened the first time Hamilton tested the 2007 McLaren and the 2013 Mercedes.

Hamilton’s preparations for his rookie Grand Prix season, with McLaren, saw him crash at the end of the pit straight in Valencia on his first outing with the MP4/22. A mechanical failure sent the then very young British driver straight into the wall, fortunately without suffering any injuries – but the chassis was destroyed and he missed the

following week’s test session. The same thing happened again when Hamilton moved to Mercedes at the start of 2013, the British driver crashing in his first morning of running with the W04 in Jerez – this time at much lower speed than in his 2007 shunt. Once again, it was a mechanical issue – a brake failure – that sent him off the track, but the damage to the car was limited and Hamilton was soon able to resume his running.

Now, again, Hamilton has crashed –on his third day of testing for Ferrari, at Barcelona, and while it’s unlikely this time there was a mechanical failure involved – after all, the SF-23 is a well-tested car – it’s still curious the Brit’s first tests with all his new teams included an off track excursion the year before he won a title.

With Ferrari providing no details of the incident, it has emerged that Hamilton went off as he accelerated

out of Turn 12 – a constant radius right hander that leads into the last two, fast corners of the Catalan track – and was caught out by a bit of understeer as soon as he got on the power. As the Tec-pro barrier is close to the circuit, Hamilton’s off caused quite a bit of damage to the left front of the SF-23 and put an end to his run.

With just the test crew on site, it took was longer than in a Grand Prix weekend for the mechanics to repair the chassis but then it was poor visibility, not lack of time, that prevented Charles Leclerc from completing his allocation of laps at the end of the afternoon.

The next day, Antonio Giovinazzi and Dino Beganovic ran with the same car to complete the Scuderia’s week, proving there was no structural damage to the SF-23.

Hamilton’s Mercedes debut didn’t get off to an ideal start either, in 2013 ...

NEVER SAY NO… AARON CAMERON’S STRATEGY CALL

NOT

EVERY PATH TO SUPERCARS FOR A DRIVER IS PAVED WITH GOLD. SOME TOIL AWAY, HONING THEIR CRAFT AND TAKING SMALL STEPS TO THE TOP. SOME DRIVERS WITH IMMENSE TALENT NEVER GET THERE AND PAUSE THEIR CAREERS BEFORE THEY PEAK.

AARON CAMERON has mapped a path to Supercars, and his ‘never say no’ philosophy lives at its core. “Do you want to come and race in the 2025 Formula Regional Middle East Championship for Evans GP?”

“Sure, send me the flight details.”

“What about this kart race?” “Yes.”

“Do you want to do the endurance races for Blanchard Racing Team again?” “Yes, sign me up.”

It has seen him develop into a versatile driver on the edge of a fulltime main game drive and we think he is a pretty good shot at the next vacancy on the grid, whenever that may be.

He sat down with Auto Action’s ANDREW CLARKE for a chat between Formula Regional races in

AUTO ACTION Good to see you back in Australia – how did you go in the Gulf States?

AARON CAMERON The first two rounds were inAbu Dhabi. It was a ... how do I say it diplomatically? It was a fun experience. I’ve never seen so much bitumen off-track as an extended track in my life. The racing is intense, and there’s the racing between the white lines, then there’s the racing that goes on outside of the white lines – and it is something to understand what’s allowed and what’s not allowed.

I think for me trying to understand a proper aero formula car was critical.

The S5000 is an aero formula car, but the aero doesn’t really get to work that hard. In the Formula Regional car, the aero is critical. We showed some good

it didn’t quite make sense why we weren’t get getting it all together.

AA That’s all part of the learning, though, isn’t it?

AARON Yeah, exactly. It’s all about diversity and doing something different and going as good as we can. I don’t expect to go over there and win. There are some exceptional talents in the series. Guys like Freddie Slater and Ugo Ugochukwa who are full McLaren F1-backed drivers. There’s a lot of other kids in there too that are up for the fight, and they fight like it’s the World Championship, no matter if it’s Turn 1 or P15.

It’s an incredible experience in that racecraft aspect. I’m just trying to get as much as

look at how many new tyres they put on in-practice, and then also the practice they do.

We did a couple days before the race meeting, but some guys had already been there a week prior to that and then there was also an end-of-year test in December. We were always fighting against it in terms of miles in the car, but the experience is just great. Having the support of everyone in the Evans GP team, having a lot of Aussies in the team (so we can all understand each other) is nice – the other international stuff I’ve done you don’t really understand what each other’s saying!

Does stuff like this change your theory about what you want to do as a race driver? I mean, do you want to do open-wheelers instead of tin-tops?

AARON No, not in that aspect. For me, tin-tops is the way I want to go. This just happened to come up at the right time and it works well with the Australian calendar. It’s good racing miles. The car doesn’t have power steering, so it’s a real challenge to drive. I know when my power steering went in the Super2 car at Bathurst, I could barely turn the thing. Not having power steering for a whole race means really working on those muscles, especially with the aero. Some of the turns, they’re flat out at over 200km/h and you’re just trying to hold on for dear life. It’s really fun, but for me, it’s still a tin-top-focused career. Also, this series overlaps with the sportscar series. I was there at Round 1. The next two rounds overlap with Asian Le Mans, and the last round is a support to the FIA World Endurance Championship at Qatar. When you’re in Australia, you don’t get to meet

I’ve never seen so much bitumen off-track as an extended track in my life … “ ”

these big teams, but because we’re going to be over there, we can then meet some people and hopefully have some good results – and then you just never know where that can take you.

I don’t want to limit my career just to an Australian-based sort of thing. I think Jayden Ojeda has done a great job of keeping his options open and now he’s a Mercedes factory driver. You never know where this stuff can go.

AA It sounds to me like you’re not coming from an incredibly wealthy family, so is this really about grabbing every opportunity that appears in front of you. Is that a fair way to look at it?

AARON Yeah, that’s exactly right. I always go with the ‘never say no’ attitude and I’ll race anything. I know there’s other drivers out there that have a certain career path and they’ll only stick to that.

If you look at what’s coming ahead for 2025, for me, there wasn’t a whole lot of racing to be had because I don’t have the budget to do anything at the moment. When this came up it was, like, “well, I might as well have a crack and try something different.” I wanted to ride the open-wheeler path when I was younger – every kid has a dream of going to F1 – so at least I can say I’ve been on part of that stepping stone and I’ve raced against some of the best kids in the world.

When you receive the Supercars Rookie of the Year Award after your first season in Super 2 (left), it’s a sign that people are noticing ...

Top right: The opportunity to contest the Middle East Formula Regional series came out of the blue.

Right: Cameron’s first real opportunity came in TCR, with Garry Rogers Motorsport.

Images: PETER NORTON, DANIEL KALISZ, DUTCH PHOTO AGENCY

I think there’s a couple here in the current field that I’m in that will be very close to F1 or IndyCar. It’s cool to see. I raced against Oscar Piastri when I was in karts and it was cool to see his progression. It’ll be the same thing just watching these kids and see where they go.

AA Did it feel like it was much harder for you than everybody else around you? Are you scratching around thinking ‘how do I get a set of new tyres for my kart’ or is it not that bad?

AARON No, it’s not that bad. In terms of karts, I think my family did an incredible job with what we could with my career. I’ve had it better than others and there’s certainly some guys that you could say had a bit more funding to go places, but it doesn’t worry me at all what they do, you just do the best with what you’ve got. I think most of the time I’ve had good enough equipment to do it. I certainly would have liked to start my Super2 career earlier.

I was 23 – in my first full-time season I was 24. Most kids will get into that at 18 or 19, so, I’m certainly a bit behind. But if you look at my season last year, being a bit more experienced and a bit older, you can see stuff happening in front of you – I avoided a lot of crashes and saved a lot of money on crash damage. Whereas if I was younger, I probably would have driven full throttle into the crashes.

AA Do you think you’re ready for that next step now? If somebody picked up the phone tomorrow and said, “Hey, I’ve got a full-time Supercar drive for you,” are you ready for it?

AARON I won’t say no to it – I’ll have a crack at anything. But I don’t think anyone’s fully ready to take that that step up from a Super2 to a Supercar.

Actually, I have a plan to race the Australian Kart Championship in the TAG 125 class … “ ”

AA Let me reword that. You’ve obviously done lots of things and you’ve piled away the experience and the knowledge, and you’re ready to grasp that next one?

AARON I’m keen to have a crack at it, and it’d be interesting to see where I can take it. And you’ve got to have the right team around you. I think I had that in Super2. There’s a few key people in that Kelly Racing team that If I ever did get a Supercar drive, I’d really want them around to help me make sure I get the most out of it.

AA How important was it to have someone like Todd Kelly who’s been there and done that?

AARON You’ve got to learn off guys like Todd because he’s ‘been there; done that’ – as a driver, as a team owner. Then the rest of the Kelly family, and the group within that.

All the mechanics that we had last year, most of them had all been working

for Kelly Racing previously or other Supercar teams more recently. You never know when these guys can help you out in the future as well. Motorsport is a very small world so we’re just trying to meet as many people as we can.

AA You’ve had some important people in your career who have helped, but is it possible to make it to the top without bucket loads of cash?

AARON Yes, it just takes time and patience – you never know who the next person will be to get you a little bit further. Brett Peters, David Schramm and the Schramm Group have been incredible in the last couple of years. There’s no way I’d do Super2 without them and if I don’t do Super2 I don’t get into Supercars, so I’m incredibly grateful for that. Everything we set out as a plan, midway through 2023 has come to fruition.

Obviously, there’s still more to go to that plan and the same with the Blanchard Racing Team. Everything that Tim and John have said they’d do, they’ve done. So, it’s cool to have such a good group of people around me to support me as far as we can take this.

AA How do you find someone like

the Schramms? Is it just like knocking on as many doors as you can or does somebody point you towards him?

AARON Again, it’s about meeting as many people as I can; being nice to everyone.

This came about through Brett Peters. Everyone says SuperUtes was such a terrible thing back in the day. But not for me – without the SuperUtes I don’t meet Brett Peters. Without Brett Peters I don’t meet David Schramm. Without David Schramm, I don’t do Super2.

The SuperUtes was a critical part in my career. Especially, Brett – he’s been a long-time supporter of what I do.

Just keep chipping away and you just never know when these people are going to come about. The Schramm Group got me that little bit further to get into Super2 and Supercars. But to get to that point it was the help from Valvoline and GRM that got me noticed in front of a whole range of different people, racing TCR and the S5000 cars. Those categories taught me to be versatile and ready to jump into whatever the next car was.  What some people don’t know is that I had to call Garry for the drive which, for any young guy, is very nerve-racking – the first time he invited me in and told me there wasn’t a spot for me in 2019 TCR. I spoke to him again at the end of the 2019 season, went into his office and agreed on a deal for the 2020 season ... which didn’t go ahead because of COVID ... and then the rest is history.

You just got to keep chipping away and keep your fingers crossed that someone could come along and help you out to get you that last little nudge.

Schramm was another chance meeting for Aaron

attention-getting success was S5000,

AA Is motorsport all you do for a living?

AARON I run a kart race team business with Cooper Johnston. We run a little Victorian-based kart team and it’s a lot of fun.

We started that up last year and that keeps me busy.

I need something that’s flexible enough, and the karts is very flexible. Everyone in the team understands that I have stuff that comes up and I’ve got to go – like this Middle East thing – it just came out of nowhere and I missed the first big race of the year.

AA Now the Blanchards. You ran with them at Bathurst last year. Are you doing that again this year?

AARON That’s the plan, in my mind. It was my first Enduro campaign; it was a lot of fun. I probably didn’t take it seriously enough, but I was just living the dream last year – doing all the parade laps or whatever, sitting on the back of the cars. All that’s new to me and it was so much fun.

But I love endurance racing. I get a lot more out of endurance racing than I do a

30-minute sprint race. I’m pretty keen to continue with them and their progression of the group. I believe in the program that they’ve got for the future.

AA After this Formula Regional series, what have you got next?

AARON Nothing. I’ve got the Supercars enduros.

AA Wow! You better find some way to fill in your time!

AARON Actually, I have a plan to race the Australian Kart Championship in the TAG 125 class. I knew late last year that I didn’t really have much going on in terms of Super2 and other categories, so I’ll drive the truck and do all the rounds and it’ll be good racing miles.

Then we’ll see what if anything else comes up. I know I’ve got Supercars enduros and there’s plenty of guys that just do enduros each year – starting off with five races in the Middle East is a good way to start the year. Hopefully, some other stuff comes up along the way, but you never know ...

AA Can you earn a living out of just doing enduros, though?

AARON I think you can earn

a little bit out of it, but that’s also that’s why I do the karts on the side and a few other bits and pieces with personal sponsors. You can make a little career out of it. I’m not going to say I’m making crazy amounts of money and that I’ll be able to do this for the rest of my life, but at the moment it’s enough to keep me going and keep the dream of a highly-paid main-game seat alive, even though I don’t know if that’s exactly possible with Supercars.

AA People like Scott Andrews are earning a decent living now on an alternative strategy. Everybody wants to do Supercars, but he’s ended up driving GT3s and he’s earning decent money. You’re obviously not averse to that concept either.

AARON Yeah, I think the whole point of going over and doing these Middle East races is to try and create some opportunities in that realm of what Scott does and what Jayden Ojeda does. That area certainly does have an interest to me. As I’ve already said about my diversity in my career, I’ll race anything. If I get paid, I will literally race anything. You just never know. So, we’ll see what who I can meet in the coming weeks, and hopefully, do some stuff later in the year in that space.

AA Thanks for your time, I have a sneaky feeling we may see a little more of you this year.

David

Cameron – and it led to Super 2 ... Below and left: Cameron’s other

winning both the championship and the one-off Tasman Cup for GRM. Bottom: At this point, the Supercars endurance races, with CoolDrive Racing is the only Australian gig confirmed for 2025 ...

GROWING THE LEGEND

THE GEOGHEGAN FAMILY REMAINS ONE OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL IN AUSTRALIAN MOTORSPORT AND THE LATEST, TEENAGER MAX, IS INTENT ON STRENGTHENING THE LEGACY – BUT IN HIS OWN AND UNIQUE WAY. THOMAS MILES

MAX GEOGHEGAN enters Super2 with plenty of pedigree and success in his blood.

His grandfather Ian ‘Pete’ Geoghegan won five Australian Touring Car Championship titles from 1964-1969, a feat only beaten by Jamie Whincup in the five and a half decades since.

His brother, Leo Geoghegan, was also a successful racer in his own right with one Bathurst 1000

SPEAKS TO THE LATEST YOUNG GUN ...

podium in 1973 and wins in the Australian Formula 2, Drivers and GT Championships.

Now, 50 years on from when the original Geoghegans won silverware, the name is back at the forefront of Australian motorsport.

Ian’s grandson Max is now on the scene and will step up to Super2 in 2025 with Image Racing as his dream of growing the family’s Supercars legend builds.

Whilst many will see the DNA and believe he was destined to go racing, his journey to the edge of Supercars is not what anyone might have expected.

Whilst being a motorsport mad kid, Geoghegan did not enter a single car race until he was 19, just two and a half years ago.

Since a magic start to racing at Queensland Raceway, he has not looked back and two Toyota titles in

the one year has thrust him under the Erebus microscope.

A lot has happened in a short space of time. Geoghegan admits he has to pinch himself at times about how he has flown up the ladder so quickly.

But the 22-year-old has no doubts about his ambition, dreaming of not only racing Supercars, but also writing a third successful chapter of the Geoghegan legend.

“To be able to have my name next

MAX GEOGHEGAN

It’s been a while since the Geoghegan name has been at the front of an Australian motor race ... In 2024 it was again, at Bathurst (above, right, below), resulting in both Toyota 86 titles (left).

Images: JACK MARTIN PHOTOGRAPHY, SUPPLIED

to Grandad’s is something that is very important to me,” Max said.

“A big motivation for me is to have my name on the championship trophy next to his.

“He (Ian) passed away when I was only one so I don’t have any real recollections but there are photos of us together.

“I was the only grandchild he got to meet so I have a little bit more, I guess, understanding and connection in that way.

“My aspiration has always been Supercars.

“It has been a very short journey and I have been very lucky.

“I basically fell into it and have to remind myself sometimes I have only done this for two years.”

The reason why Geoghegan is pinching himself is because for so long he thought racing

would be a distant dream as he watched Supercars from the stands at Sydney Motorsport Park or Homebush each year.

Despite being in a motorsport-rich family, his first opportunity to race was not until he was an adult –where he had the chance to put the hours of sim and video game racing to good use and turn fantasy into a reality.

“I never did karting. We always wanted to do it and dad (Chris) had some businesses but we did not have much direction or know where to go so we never got into it,” Geoghegan recalls.

“But when I got older I did not want to die wondering and took it into my own hands.

“I was lucky enough to save up some money and brought a Hyundai Excel and it just went from there.”

When Geoghegan finally went racing, it was worth the wait as, with the help of close family friend Broc Feeney cheering from the pit wall, he won.

After qualifying in the top five and improving from sixth to third across the next two races, the teenager stormed to victory in the fourth

the biggest smile on my face,” Geoghegan reminisced.

“I remember going into the pits and I was not sure how I went and Paul Feeney said I was just a couple of tenths off a frontrunner. Then I was like ‘oh shit, I better go and try even harder.’

I basically fell into it and have to remind myself sometimes I have only done this for two years … “ ”

and final race of his maiden race weekend.

The Excel Cup meeting, around the ‘Paperclip’ in May 2022, remains the happiest memory of his growing racing career, marking a turning point in so many ways.

“I loved it straight away! As soon as I rolled out of pit lane I had

“After I won the final race I just thought ‘this is the coolest thing ever and I have just won the Formula 1 world championship!’

“I was just over the moon and might be the happiest I have ever been.”

As joyful as racing for the first time was, Geoghegan has not looked back since.

Hungry for more, he has been on a relentless pursuit for improvement and this mindset has helped him rapidly accelerate up the ladder.

In addition to having Feeney in his corner, he has also worked closely with Paul Morris and become the latest of the growing pool of talent nurtured at the Norwell Motorplex.

Geoghegan has credited his near daily drives as a massive reason behind his sudden rise.

“The Freeneys have always been family friends but there have been

plenty of other helpers along the way like Paul Morris, Christian D’Agostin and Barry Ryan since joining Erebus,” he said.

“Mum and dad have helped make it happen and also all of my sponsors who have supported me the whole way.

“Working at Norwell has helped

that a lot – just being in a car for most days of the week at a race track.

“I am always, always learning whenever I am in the car.

“I am discovering not only what I can do, but how to handle if there is someone next to me, who may not be as fast as me, but drives a bit differently. Then I can use that to see if I can develop it and make my driving better.”

But most of all it is Geoghegan’s relentless mindset, never being satisfied, which was most notably evident in 2024 when he won both the TGRA 86 Scholarship Series and the Toyota Gazoo Racing Australia GR Cup titles.

After getting a feel for the championships in 2023, he was ultra consistent in 2024 with 11 podiums from 15 starts in the top tier.

Just trying to tick all the boxes so when I get in the car I don’t have anything to worry about … “ ”

“I am so critical of myself. At Bathurst, when I won two or three races in row, I was not too happy with myself and when I was getting podiums I felt I should have been doing better,” he said.

“Everything I had done before motorsport, like swimming, I pushed myself so hard and analysed a lot behind the scenes to see where I could do better.

“I had a fair bit of luck go my way but we also had some hard times.

“Having that hardship sometimes has made me analyse myself a lot more and not worry about the problem, but find the solution to come out on top.

“You don’t have to win every race but if you have the right head at the right time, you can build on that.”

Now that progression continues in Super2 where the leading youngsters are all trying to make an impression with all the Supercars teams watching on.

Geoghegan is yet to drive the ZB,

But with learning on the fly a key reason why he finds himself here, Max is confident he can prepare himself well enough to perform in the most aerodynamic car he would have ever driven, with the support of Erebus to lean on.

“The car performance thing will just come down to how I adapt and can get my head around it –and the team will obviously help me out there, no doubt,” he said.

“I am doing everything I can to get myself physically and mentally

fit and prepared for the year ahead.

“Just trying to tick all the boxes so when I get in the car I don’t have anything to worry about, being fully focused on it, with the best mindset to tackle it head on.

“It is just having that support network and being able to communicate with one another.

“We are all working together as Super2 drivers and having that network is really, really good to push each other.

“Barry said all three of you (Jobe Stewart, Jarrod Hughes and Geoghegan) should be working

together until one is winning.”

Geoghegan does already have some clear goals set in place, but is simply excited to take another step on the unexpected journey he dreamed of.

“My biggest goal for Super2 is just to learn something and better myself after each drive,” he said.

“That could be learning at a test, or getting more comfortable in the car or understanding the set-up or looking after the tyres more.

“Then once we race a few rounds it is being in the top 10 each session and not leaving anything on the plate.

“(But) I just cannot wait to get started. It is so exciting and I just want to get into the thing and get going!

“It has been a pretty short journey to Super2. I loved Toyotas but now that I am here I just want to take on the next challenge.

“Lets go!”

Two-wheeling at the Gold Coast (left) as (top left and above) Geoghegan heads for a double championship win. Above and right: mixing with the Supercars establishment – Craig Lowndes and Neil Crompton.

WHO CAN PUSH PAST PENSKE?

WITH SHANE VAN GISBERGEN GOING ALL-IN FOR THE FIRST TIME, THE 2025 NASCAR CUP SERIES COULD BE THE MOST WATCHED IN AUSTRALIA EVER – BUT THERE IS ONE TEAM EVERYONE MUST BEAT … THOMAS MILES PREVIEWS ANOTHER BIG YEAR ...

FOR THOSE who will be watching NASCAR for the first time, to follow van Gisbergen’s exploits, simply expect the unexpected.

With 36 races, more than 40 drivers, a wide variety of oval, road and street layouts, plus Playoffs and a new inseason tournament, there are endless amount of opportunities to become a hero in America’s iconic stock car series.

In last year alone, there were incredibly three races decided by less than 0.01s.

But one team has been in a class of its own lately – Team Penske, which is aiming for a rare four-peat of titles.

For Australian and New Zealand fans, all eyes will be on van Gisbergen as he takes on his first full NASCAR Cup Series season with the team it all started with so beautifully, Trackhouse Racing.

In his way will be another big field

where countless big names and teams will be chasing history at all the famous ovals across the country, from Daytona super speedway on the east to the ‘Lady in Black’ at Darlington, in the west.

NEW SUPERCARS STAR

FOR THE first time in over a decade, Australian and New Zealand Supercars fans will have one of their own to cheer for in every race with Shane van Gisbergen, who takes his American journey into top gear.

After getting three NASCAR Xfinity Series wins and 14 cameo Cup Series starts, SVG is already doing his rookie season at the top level, just a year after he made the big move.

In contrast, Marcos Ambrose had to wait three years to graduate to the Cup Series full time in 2009 and got his first breakthrough win in 2011.

Of course van Gisbergen arrived at victory lane at the earliest possible opportunity, but 2025 will be a tidal wave compared to one-off cameos. SVG will be easily recognisable racing the famous #88 of Dale Earnhardt Jr with the blessing of the two-time Daytona 500 winner.

In a sign of how big of an impact the Kiwi has already made, he will race with Red Bull supporting him for five races.

As he prepares for arguably the biggest year of his career, van Gisbergen admitted he has no goals – with growing his oval skills the main objective.

“I don’t go racing with goals,” van Gisbergen told Fox Sports.

“For a while I’ve been like that – just doing my best every week and having the same approach every week.

“I know I can do the job ... it’s just time. I know I can get there. It’s just how long it’s going to take on the oval side.

“I guess it is another learning year again because the cars are so different.

“Of course, the results are going to

Penske’s Joey Logano is the defending champion. Images: MOTORSPORT IMAGES

Byron was one of five drivers to take three wins with Denny Hamlin, Christopher Bell, Tyler Reddick and Blaney.

One of them was not Kyle Busch who, for the first time in 19 seasons, did not take a single win last year and will be determined to remedy that, especially at Daytona.

Leading the Toyota charge is still Joe Gibbs Racing with veteran Hamlin and rising star Bell at the helm.

But the Michael Jordan-owned 23XI Racing became a new player with Tyler Reddick pushing it all the way to the final four.

Due to the volatile format and style of racing, contenders could come from all teams and makes.

have to start coming and improving, especially on the oval side.”

THE CONTENDERS

THE BIG question going into the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season will be whether anyone can match the methodically calm Team Penske when it comes to the crunch moments.

Despite the cut-throat nature of Playoffs where a whole season is decided by one race, Team Penske has won the last three titles.

Joey Logano has won two of them, including last year, having led 107 of the 312 laps of the Phoenix decider.

To further strengthen Penske’s dominance, Logano’s nearest rival was teammate Ryan Blaney, who was pushing to become the first back-toback champion since Jimmie Johnson in 2010.

In the space of six years, Logano has turned himself from a ‘nearly’ man and regular winner to being one of the most successful drivers ever with only Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt, Johnson and Jeff Gordon winning more.

The team that appears best equipped to take the fight to Penske is Chevrolet’s supergiant, Hendrick Motorsports.

Rick Hendrick’s squad is the only one still going with more than 10 titles, with its last won by Kyle Larson in 2021.

Despite not making the Championship Four, Larson was driving as well as ever in 2024, being the winningest driver, with six wins –two more than Logano.

Team-mate Will Byron also showed he is thriving on the pressure of steering the famous #24, taking the Daytona 500 and being one of the top contenders for much of the year.

With Chase Elliott and Alex Bowman also appearing in victory lane, Hendrick Motorsports was the only team to notch up more than 10 wins across the 2024 season, showing the juggernaught will not stop slowing down.

Since 1995, Hendrick Motorsports has not gone for more than four seasons without a Cup title and, if it doesn’t beat Penske this year, it will reach that record.

DRIVER SHUFFLES

VAN GISBERGEN is far from the only change to the NASCAR Cup Series entry list.

The highest profile change is the absence of 2017 champion Martin Truex Jr, who debuted all the way back in 2005.

Filling the big hole left at Joe Gibbs Racing will be Chase Briscoe, who is a two-time race winner with four seasons under his belt at StewartHaas Racing.

The famous Stewart-Haas Racing name will be missing from the grid for the first time since 2002 after the team closed at the end of last season.

Whilst remnants of it will still be seen through the small one-car Haas Factory Team, with driver Cole Custer, it is the end of an era, after two titles to Kevin Harvick and Tony Stewart.

Noah Gragson, Josh Berry and Ryan Preece have all also picked up new drives.

The charters left behind have been taken up by 23xi Racing, Front Row Motorsports and Trackhouse, which have all expanded by one car each.

Van Gisbergen’s Xfinity Series teammate in 2024, AJ Allmendinger, will follow the Kiwi into a full Cup Series drive.

Allmendinger will be at Kaulig Racing, but this is far from his first rodeo having had 446 starts over 17 years.

In other changes, Michael McDowell has started a new multi-year deal with Spire Motorsports and is being replaced by Zane Smith at Front Row. Cody Ware is reuniting with his father’s Rick Ware Racing, while Ty

SVG goes in with a famous number on his door ... Below right: The Daytona 500 is an early-season classic. Below – top to bottom:

Recent Aussie visitor Kyle Larson is a former champ and race winner; Phoenix – another packed crowd; Logano (22) vs Lawson – a building duel; William Byron and Christopher Bell – two other serious contenders ...

Dillon is at Kaulig where he will team up with Andrew Dickenson as crew chief, the Aussie having spent many years at Richard Childress Racing. He is one of almost 20 teams that change crew chief combinations.

The only other rookie van Gisbergen will be fighting with is Riley Herbst who, after finishing the 2024 Xfinity Series in seventh, will join 23XI Racing.

SCHEDULE AND FORMATS

BEING HELD across 36 races, 21 ovals, four road courses and one street layout, plus being split into six separate phases, the NASCAR Cup Series season is the most diverse going around.

Once the non-championship Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium and Daytona Duels are out of the way, it all kicks off with the big one, the 67th Daytona 500 in front of over 100,000 people on February 16.

This is the hightlight of the regular season, which also concludes at Daytona at the Coke Zero 400 in August, where the aim of the game is to win at least one race and book a ticket into the Playoffs.

Within that regular season, however, is a new in-season tournament that has been introduced for 2025.

A short five-race run, featuring a wide variety of circuits from the ovals of Atlanta, Dover and Indianapolis, plus the streets of Chicago and twists of Sonoma, will be held.

The new elimination format will take place within the regular season where drivers will be seeded based on their best finish in the three preceding races at Michigan, Mexico City and Pocono. Across the five race run, drivers will go head-to-head with the highest placed driver in each match-up progressing until there are just two left, at Indianapolis, with the winner receiving $1 million.

When Darlington arrives at the end of August, things get serious, with the Playoffs.

The high-pressure format starts with 16 before four drivers are eliminated across two more three-race rounds until only four are left for the winner-takes-all

showdown at Phoenix in November.

Whilst finals are a new addition to Supercars, Playoffs have been crowing NASCAR Cup Series champions across a variety of guises since 2004.

RULE CHANGES

ONE OF the most controversial moments in recent NASCAR Cup Series history was the penultimate race of 2024 and changes have been made to ensure it won’t happen again.

Being the last chance to secure a spot in the Championship Four, multiple drivers were accused of “race manipulation” at Martinsville.

Chevrolet’s Ross Chastain and Austin Dillon appeared to assist Will Byron, while most notably Bubba Wallace was accused of gifting a place to fellow Toyota driver Christopher Bell, who was disallowed as a result.

In 2025, NASCAR will hold manufacturers responsible for drivers assisting fellow brandbacked drivers and if found guilty they would lose manufacturer championship points, approved wind tunnel hours and Reduced Cost Facility Development runs.

If Larson decides to again take on the ‘500-600 Double’ on the same day, a new rule could make his championship assault slightly more difficult.

Last year he attempted to do the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte on the same day, but weather forced him to miss the latter.

It did not matter as NASCAR gave him a waiver to stay eligible for the Playoffs.

But if weather is again a factor in

Shane van Gisbergen – in the big-time after only one full US season ... Above: AJ Almendinger will drive for Kaulig Racing, here with crew chief, Aussie Andrew Dickenson.

2025 NASCAR CUP SERIES SCHEDULE

REGULAR SEASON

Feb 16: Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway

Feb 23: Ambetter Health 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway

Mar 2: EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix at Circuit of The Americas

Mar 9: Shriners Children’s 500 at Phoenix Raceway

Mar 16: Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway

Mar 23: Straight Talk Wireless 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway

Mar 30: NASCAR Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway

Apr 6: Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway

Apr 13: Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway

Apr 27: Jack Link’s 500 at Talladega Superspeedway

May 4: Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400 at Texas Motor Speedway

May 11: AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway

May 18: NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway

May 25: Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway

June 1: NASCAR Cup Series Race at Nashville Superspeedway

June 8: Firekeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway

June 15: NASCAR Cup Series Race at Mexico City at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez

June 22: NASCAR Cup Series Race at Pocono Raceway

IN SEASON TOURNAMENT

June 28: Quaker State 400 Available at Walmart at Atlanta Motor Speedway

July 6: Grant Park 165 at the Chicago street circuit

July 13: Toyota / Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway

July 20: NASCAR Cup Series Race at Dover Motor Speedway

July 27: Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Aug 3: Iowa Corn 350 Powered by Ethanol at Iowa Speedway

Aug 10: NASCAR Cup Series Race at Watkins Glen International

Aug 16: NASCAR Cup Series Race at Richmond Raceway

Aug 23: Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway

PLAYOFFS ROUND OF 16

Aug 31: Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway

Sep 7: Enjoy Illinois 300 at World Wide Technology Raceway

Sep 13: Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway

PLAYOFFS ROUND OF 12

Sep 21: NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Race at New Hampshire Speedway

Sept 28: Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway

Oct 5: Bank of America ROVAL at the Charlotte road course

PLAYOFFS ROUND OF 8

Oct 12: South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway

Oct 19: NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Race at Talladega

Oct 26: NASCAR Cup Series Race at Martinsville

PLAYOFFS CHAMPIONSHIP 4

Nov 2: NASCAR Cup Series Championship at Phoenix Raceway

2025, he will face a new rule that significantly impacts a driver’s Playoff hopes for missing a race that is not due to illness, injury or family.

If a waiver is not granted, the driver would start the Playoffs with only the baseline of 2000 points having lost all Playoff points already accumulated and being unable to compile any for the rest of the regular season.

Following the success and impact of Trackhouse Racing’s Project 91

Camaro in which van Gisbergen won in Chicago, a new ‘Open Exemption Provisional’ rule has been introduced in the hope of attracting more worldclass drivers.

Although they will not earn championship or Playoff points, they will retain wins, trophies and All-Star eligibility.

NASCAR hopes this rule could see 2025 be the first season in a decade to have more than 40 cars.

McFADDEN DOES THE DOUBLE

JAMES McFADDEN and Brady

Motorsport are the undisputed dominators of speedway having added the Australian Sprintcar Title to their prolific season.

Just one week after winning a third Grand Annual Sprintcar Classic, McFadden was at it again, dominating the 2024/25 Australian Sprintcar Championship at Murray Bridge Speedway.

The Brady Motorsport #23X led all 40 laps to take a crushing 0.7s win over defending champion Lockie

McHugh, who won a thrilling wheelto-wheel fight with Kerry Madsen.

McFadden is the first driver to achieve the feat in 35 years since Garry Rush sealed the deal for a third time in 1990.

It was a stop-start night full of incidents but once again the combination of McFadden and crew chief Kim ‘Buzzy’ Buzzwell reigned supreme.

This time McFadden performed the ‘Shoey’ on the the wing without any dramas.

For McFadden it was a third title, but he was more emotional about giving Buzzwell a first.

“Holy shit the #1 is going to look good on this thing,” McFadden said on Clay-Per-View.

“That was brutal and one of the hardest races I have raced.

“I did not know where to go and thought it was going to rubber at some point, and hit the fence and bouncing off it ...

“It was not that fun in the car and hopefully we made up for what we

did last night and put a show on for everyone.

“The harder I pushed the worst I felt, so I had to be calculated from the kick off and make sure I could get good runs so no one could slide me.

“We got to the back markers and gauged myself off them.

“To get Buzzy’s first Australian title is so special. He is going go down as one of the best crew chiefs and to achieve the things we have this year is pretty special.

“What a feeling this is – being a kid

McFadden was dominant and virtually unchallenged despite several restarts. Above: Dumesny finished fifth in a tight contest. Images: RICHARD HATHAWAY PHOTOGRAPHY

McHugh gave it everything and second was a deserved outcome. Below right: The podium ...

watching Brooke Tatnell and Garry Rush with the #1 and now to be a three time champion is amazing.”

The fight for the Australian title suffered a grim start on a shortened opening night full of incidents that was labelled as embarrassing.

In hot conditions the track was abrasive and things took a turn when Dylan Menz suffered a scary crash which even caused damage to the Turn 2 catch fence. That led to a 90 minute break when an emergency driver meeting was held before yet another meeting where an even driver vote led to the B-Main being held.

However, numerous incidents saw that race cut short and as a result preliminary points were limited.

Heading into the deciding night, Grant Anderson led on

accumulated points with 59, one more than Anderson and McFadden.

After the heats were completed, the long awaited fight for victory finally arrived.

Starting from pole, McFadden got a grand start and opened a huge lead on the back straight, but was unable to enjoy the fruits of it due to Luke Dillon spinning at the first turn.

Fortunately the second attempt was an instant replay, leaving Anderson in second and McHugh third after a fierce fight with Dumesny.

Newton completed the top five as the race settled down across the first 10 laps.

As the second quarter of the race began, Newton was looking racy and picked off both McHugh and Charge to rocket into the top three.

The reigning Australian champion tried to fight back but could not keep up with the #Q66 which was flying.

during the red, the race returned and McHugh even thought about challenging McFadden for the lead before the latter put the foot down the back straight.

Newton had picked up some damage from the airborne Anderson and found himself swamped at the restart.

Kingshott went by before Marcus Dumesny also slid down the inside for fourth.

However, the intense battle pack behind the top two was interrupted by Will Carroll whacking the Turn 4 wall.

It did not take long for the battle to resume, however, as Dumesny snatched third from Kingshott.

With McHugh keeping up with McFadden, fans were gearing up for a grandstand finish, only for the reds to return.

Chad Ely, Matt Egel and Jordyn Charge all came together down the main straight.

All three retired on the spot with Ely suffering the most damage, taking a number of tumbles.

Racing resumed with 14 to go and McFadden immediately gapped McHugh by going up high, while Kingshott made the latest move in his back-and-forth for third with Dumesny.

In a handful of laps Newton set his sights on Anderson, who proved to be harder to catch in second.

By lap 16, Newton was suddenly on the back foot and McHugh flew around the outside to wrestle back third seconds before the second caution, caused by Inglis and Michael Stewart spinning together.

Yet again, McFadden shot away from the pack, leaving Anderson and McHugh to wrestle for second.

The pair made contact at Turn 3 before the #A1 made it stick, allowing Newton to also make a move.

He and Anderson were going sideby-side at the exit of Turn 2 until the latter appeared to be squeezed up too high and tragedy.

Following contact with Newton and the outside wall, Anderson fired into the air before going into a series of frightening barrel rolls.

After the track was cleared

The #W2 was pushing very hard and even went up as high as possible to get a run on McHugh.

But a lap later Kingshott found himself surrounded by Dumesny and Madsen as contact with the fence popped the #W2’s right rear tyre.

Madsen had no such dramas, flying past Dumesny up high to charge from fifth to third.

If that was not enough he then went on the attack at McHugh and the pair ran wheel-to-wheel for two and a half thrilling laps.

Eventually McHugh prevailed down low to retain second best behind the dominant McFadden.

Thomas Miles

2025 AUSTRALIAN SPRINTCAR CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS

1: J. McFadden 40 laps

2: L. McHugh +0.7s

3: Kerry Madsen +1.5s

4: R. Newton +2.4s

5: M. Dumesny +3.0s

J-MAC MAKES IT THREE

THE 52ND GRAND ANNUAL SPRINTCAR CLASSIC WAS A THRILLING AFFAIR WITH A GREAT RACE IN FRONT OF A GREAT CROWD, BUT AGAIN IT WAS JAMES McFADDEN, WHO SHOWED HIS BRILLIANCE TO BE ON TOP … THOMAS MILES REFLECTS ON THE THREE-NIGHT EXTRAVAGANZA ...

JAMES McFADDEN further entrenched himself into Australian speedway folklore by overcoming plenty of challenges in an entertaining decider of the 2025 Flying Horse Grand Annual Sprintcar Classic.

In front of a sold-out crowd at Warrnambool’s Premier Speedway, McFadden pulled all the right reins to edge out Jamie Veal and Jock Goodyer as they raced hard for the majority of the 40-lap affair.

The NT star, who now resides in Warrnambool, added a third win to his 2017 and 2020 successes, while it was a first for Brady Motorsport, which has already enjoyed a prolific 2024/25 season.

For the record, Cory Eliason made some late moves to snare second, while Jamie Veal held off a last corner move from Brock Hallett to stay third, but the battles McFadden had with Veal and fifth-placed Jock Goodyer will live long in the memory.

NIGHT 1 – VEAL FAST OUT OF THE GATES

THE STAGE was set for a big Grand Annual Sprintcar Classic with Premier Speedway producing a bigger build up than ever before.

A week earlier, the first ever ARB Warrnambool International Sprintcar Carnival was held in hot conditions

where the track punished tyres. Fortunately those concerns did not arrive when all eyes were on it on Classic weekend with multiple lines on show.

Between meetings, live fan events were also staged to build the excitement before the first of the 84 cars kick-started the 52nd classic, the first on the new orange clay.

Having enjoyed success during Speedweek, Veal was always going to be a contender and he proved why on

an epic opening night where the fight for victory was not determined until the final lap.

With the aim of the game to finish in the top four to enjoy a direct ticket to the big dance, Lockie McHugh won a tight launch off the line with Veal.

Three laps were possible before the first yellow when Jack Lee and Andrew Priolo tripped over each other, while Brett Milburn rotated soon after.

After 10 laps Veal’s lead was impacted by lapped traffic and

McHugh went on the attack. He had his first look at Turn 3 but could not quite get close enough. Their battle ignited at the same moment when one of their nearest

Image: PACE IMAGES

Veal and Egel show the way on the Warrnambool clay.

James McFadden and a hard-earned Classic trophy. Below: Things got a bit hot during the heats for Chad Gardner ... Images: RICHARD HATHAWAY PHOTOGRAPHY

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rival’s race ended – fourth placed Macedo crawled to the outfield due to right rear heim joint failure and axle damage.

This saw Waters and Moule fight for fourth, only for Hallett to fly past them both.

As the final 10 laps approached, Veal and McHugh were going at it for the lead.

A key moment arrived with eight laps left when they arrived at a battling pack of four lapped cars and the decision to go to the bottom created some breathing space for the #V35.

A caution provided further drama with six laps left when Moule dropped out of the race for the top four with front right axle damage.

Another strong restart reconsolidated Veal’s lead but two laps later the fight for the lead erupted as McHugh caught Veal.

The #A1 snatched the lead at Turn 2 of the penultimate lap, only for Veal to immediately regain it.

This turned the race into a one-lap shootout and Veal went aggressive, sliding up to the top and right in front of McHugh’s nose at the opening corner.

It proved to be a smart move as it shut down any further attempt from McHugh and got the win as Madsen and Charge held on.

NIGHT 2 – SHOCK JOCK

TASMANIAN SUPERSTAR Jock

Goodyer put in a storming drive on night two to emphatically enhance his case of a maiden Classic success.

Goodyer led all 30 laps to win the Saturday night feature by a comfortable 2.6s over McFadden.

The performance was so dominant, he accumulated the most preliminary points to be awarded pole position

for the big one.

It was a frantic start as Goodyer and Callum Williamson had an even getaway in the fight for first which shifted a gear as early as the opening corner.

Goodyer pushed high to squeeze out the threat of Williamson and it worked with the #W3 dropping to fifth.

However, it also opened the track up for Dumesny to slide on through down the bottom, but Goodyer had the legs down the back straight.

As a result, all eyes were on the fierce fight for second as Marcus Dumesny, Eliason, McFadden and Williamson thought about going four wide into Turn 3.

Eliason ended up winning the battle over McFadden by flying across the high line.

These scuffles allowed Goodyer to build a big lead, but it was soon to be wiped out.

Matt Dumesny spun around at Turn 2 and was collected by Brendan Guerin and Bobby Daly.

Goodyer reconsolidated his advantage at the restart and the first battle was between Callum Williamson and Anderson, who made wheel-to-wheel contact before the #V37 snared fourth.

Despite setting a strong pace, the #T22 hit the wall on Lap 5 which brought Eliason

The #USA17 looked threatening, but Goodyer had him covered.

At the halfway mark Morgan had the foot down and attacked Callum Williamson with success, to wrestle back fifth.

However, neither of the pair had anything up their sleeve to handle American Garet Williamson and Anderson, who flew past to knock them both out of the top five.

With five laps to go, the arm wrestle to be best of the rest reached top gear.

With Goodyer up the road, Eliason had his work cut out keeping McFadden and Garet Williamson behind.

Eliason and McFadden took turns in second on lap 26 until the latter performed a successful slide job at Turn 1.

Only one lap later, Williamson did the same, but was forced to work harder and had to go to the top to complete the move and his stunning charge to the podium.

This proved to be the final chapter of a fast and clean second feature of the Classic.

NIGHT THREE – McFADDEN MAGIC

A SOLD-OUT crowd of around 8000 packed into Premier Speedway for the deciding day on Australia Day.

Following the opening two nights, the only drivers locked onto the grid for the Classic were Jamie Veal, Jamie McFadden, Kerry Madsen, Callum Williamson, Cory Eliason, Jordyn Charge, Brock Hallett and Garet Williamson.

The rest of the 84-car field had to fight for the remaining spots in the three preliminary races held right before the main event.

Matt Dumesny controlled the allimportant B Main 2 as Wright, Inglis and Dillon joined him in the big one.

After the fireworks were done and the driver presentations on Mount Max took place, all was in readiness to crown the 2025 Classic champion.

Chasing a maiden win, Goodyer started on pole and got a great jump. He enjoyed a clean run through the opening clean laps as Veal and McFadden wrestled for next-best with the former prevailing on the high line.

At the end of lap three, McFadden had a look down the bottom and jumped to second after a side-by-side run with Veal, but the tables turned quickly as the #V35 responded a lap later.

McFadden was now suddenly on the back foot as he dropped to fourth below McHugh, who flew around the outside.

Veal carried on his momentum by attacking Goodyer around the eight lap mark.

The #V35 was fast on the bottom with the Tasmanian staying high and the assault paid off with the first of numerous lead changes taking place

McHugh was on a charge in the Main until a power steering hose failed.

Dumesny took out the B-Main.

Cam Waters slugged it out for 12th

After dominating on the second night, Goodyer finished fifth in the big one.

SPEEDWAY

on lap nine.

Right behind them, McFadden also made a move on McHugh to retake third at Turn 3.

The Brady Motorsport driver carried on that momentum down the back straight to steal second just two corners later.

Chase Randall was the first causality of the race and was soon joined by Callum Williamson.

However, more sensationally, contender McHugh also dropped out of the top four in sudden fashion.

“I think a hose must have blown off or something. There is a big pool of fluid in the seat and when I came into Turn 1 I could barely turn the wheel,” McHugh recalled.

But in more drama, just as McHugh was crawling off track, McFadden also found himself in trouble.

As he tried to challenge Veal for the race lead, he found the lapped James Inglis in his path at Turn 2.

Front-left to right-rear contact saw both spin, but critically McFadden was reinstated in second place and escaped with minimal damage.

“I followed him in and thought he was going to slide to the middle of the track with the angle he was at,” McFadden recalled.

“Whether he got the hole or whatever he just kind-of slid down a lot more than I anticipated and ended up on my line and got into the side of him.

“It bent the radius rod and a couple of little things, but nothing too major. At the end of the day you need some luck sometimes to win these races and we were able to capitalise after that.”

There was more pain for McFadden initially, as Goodyer went up high when racing resumed and snatched second.

He continued to use that momentum to challenge Veal for the lead but, just when he looked to steal it, the yellows returned for Grant Anderson, who suffered mechanical dramas.

As they regained lapped traffic, the race for the lead erupted around lap 23 with the top three all at close quarters.

McFadden appeared to be on the back foot in third, but pulled off a superb slide job to rise to second ahead of Goodyer

He tried to do the same to steal the lead, but that attempt was blocked by the lapped Kobi Wright.

But a second crack, at Turns 3-4 a lap later, was successful, but only just as the top three ran side-by-side through Turn 2 for a brief moment.

McFadden came out of it ahead of Goodyer and Veal and, just when things were getting extremely tasty, Matt Egel spun at Turn 2.

In what proved to be the key moment of the race, McFadden got a mighty restart and immediately pulled two car lengths on Veal, who was worrying about Goodyer up high.

Goodyer tried for three laps to make the high line work, but he crept too far up the track and clipped the Turn 2 wall with 10 laps left.

This saw the Tasmanian drop down to fourth with Eliason also slipping past.

The moment sparked Veal’s late-race charge and the American charged to second.

Meanwhile, Goodyer was suffering some wheelspin and fell out of top five behind Hallett, who was also on the move.

Having been as low as seventh on lap 29, just 12 laps later Hallett soared to fourth and was fighting for the podium.

He tried to continue his charge on the final corner of the final lap, where he attempted to go around the outside of Veal and steal third.

However, Veal was privy to the move and shut the door by sliding up the track in the nick of time on corner exit.

Ahead of them McFadden had already taken the chequered flag to complete a brilliant drive with Eliason less than second behind.

It was certainly a show the sold out crowd would not forget.

2025 FLYING HORSE GRAND ANNUAL CLASSIC A MAIN RESULTS

1: James McFadden

2: Cory Eliason +0.709

3: Jamie Veal +2.042

4: Brock Hallett +2.669

5: Jock Goodyer +3.104

Eliason vs Dillon. The US #17 finished eighth. Things went less well for Dayne Kingshott (left).

NEWTON TAKES AVALON DASH

AFTER SEEING victory slip in “devastating” fashion last year, Ryan Newton (above) drove to Presidents Cup glory at Avalon in 2025.

In a rapid, all-green 30-lap dash that lasted just under seven minutes, Newton took a comfortable 1.8s win over Jamie Veal and Brock Hallett.

However, the race appeared destined to go to Lachlan McHugh as the Australian champion dominated the first 19 laps, only for a flat left rear to stop his charge to victory.

McHugh was hoping to get an elusive Presidents Cup and was doing everything right being first in Qualifying, the Heat and Gold Shootout.

He was the only retirement as James McFadden flew from second-last to fourth ahead of Callum Williamson.

It was an all-star front row with Hallett and McHugh wheel-towheel and it was the Australian

Thomas Miles Want

champion running the #V2 who bolted clear on the bottom.

Hallett settled into second ahead of Newton and Veal, who held off Dumesny as Williamson drifted to eighth.

It was a hot pace at the front with the first 10 laps flying by as the leaders picked off lapped traffic by utilising the high line.

But, on lap 14, Newton went low and it paid off handsomely as he eased past Hallett and stole second through Turns 3 and 4.

After four minutes of fast green flag running, McHugh looked unbeatable, enjoying the best part of a 3s lead with only 11 laps remaining.

But just when he looked destined for glory, disaster struck.

His car suffered a flat left rear which saw him drift to the infield and out of action.

This threw Newton into the lead and the race was alive, with Hallett and Veal right on his tail.

Two laps later Veal sensed his moment and sent a dive-bomb down the inside of Hallett at Turn 3, but could not make it stick.

Hallett performed the switchback at the following corner, but they were not done as Veal swooped back past two turns later.

The thrilling fight gave Newton some breathing space and he needed it because Veal was flying on the low line.

Further back, McFadden was flying as usual and completed his charge to the top five, one spot behind Williamson, who also completed a mid-race fightback. They started going side-byside with three to go and there was a squeeze at Turn 1 where McFadden tried to sneak past.

The dive paid off as the #WX23 finally overcame the #W3 after multiple corners of wheel-towheel action.

Veal tried hard but could not get

close enough as Newton pressed on and took a hard fought victory.

“I did not see him (McHugh) and to be honest I was just focusing on myself wanting to get a finish,” Newton told Clay Per View.

“The car was amazing. I was able to move around and sneak by before finding the grip down the bottom.

“The car was amazing down there so I was able to roll around. I got stuck behind two lapped cars for a bit, but managed to just get past them.

“Just a massive thank you to the boys – they worked their butts off and to finally get a win feels good.”

Earlier Parker Scott beat Kobi Wright and McFadden in the B-Main, while Jordan Charge took a comfortable C-Main.

Also racing were Street Stocks where Michael Clark edged out David Barrie.

Image: PACE IMAGES

Image: RICHARD HATHAWAY PHOTOGRAPHY

SPEEDWAY McFADDEN IS KING

JAMES MCFADDEN returned to the throne by winning the 31st Kings Challenge at Mount Gambier’s Borderline Speedway on January 23.

Despite starting on the second row, McFadden was in a league of his own, pulling away at every opportunity and eventually winning by 2.2s.

This left Luke Dillon and Callum Williamson to settle for the smaller steps on the podium after 30 laps of hard racing.

These positions should have included Lachlan McHugh and Jock Goodyer, who were side-by-side fighting for second when they were left with nowhere to go by Peter Doukas at Turn 3.

Marcus Dumesny and Goodyer shared the front row with McFadden right behind them and they went three-wide through the first two turns.

It was Dumesny who fired to the front up high, while McFadden snatched second from Goodyer by the

time they arrived at Turn 3.

Completing the top five were Luke Dillon and Callum Williamson once the field settled down amid the early laps.

After eight laps, lapped traffic became a factor and McFadden was hot on the heels on Dumesny.

He sent it deep down the inside of Turn 3, which gave the fans on the hill a massive treat as the leaders went wheel-to-wheel.

But as Dumesny wrestled to straighten the car on corner exit, McFadden surged into the lead and did not look back.

A lap later Goodyer performed the same move and demoted the #N47 down to fourth.

The fight for the front running positions did not stop however, with McHugh getting in on the act and charging past Dillon to third thanks to the high line.

Things finally settled down before it all livened up again at the halfway stage.

The current Australian champion launched a counterattack on the previous title winner at Turn 1.

The slide job appeared successful, only for Goodyer to strike back when they flew down the back straight.

All eyes were on Goodyer and McHugh as they continued their battle side-by-side into Turn 3.

But in their way was the out-ofshape Peter Doukas, who was trying to save himself from spinning up high.

However, he was directly in the path of Goodyer as he aimed to complete the finishing touches on passing McHugh and defending second.

But, unfortunately, instead of their battle carrying on, both stars were stranded in Turn 3 after heavy contact and out of action.

Dillon almost joined them and somehow missed them all to restart second, but he did not hold the position for long as Williamson slid past just before a stopped Scott Endrel brought out another yellow.

On the second attempt at racing, it was Williamson on the back foot as Dumesny stole third from the WA star.

Meanwhile, McFadden was flying and already had a full straightaway on the field.

This was wiped out when Ben Morris rotated at Turn 3, spinning

in front of the field and was very lucky to not get collected on the way through.

Racing resumed with eight laps left and it was all about McFadden as he cruised home by almost 3s.

Dillon, Williamson, Hallett and Anderson rounded out the top five as no position changes took place in the late dash.

Despite appearing untouchable, McFadden revealed he felt vulnerable in the closing stages.

“It was a really tough race. I was waiting for the rubber to come and, with about five to go, the lapped cars were starting to beat me on the exit of four,” he told Clay Per View post race.

“Turn 2 was super tricky and those guys fought over the top and gave me a free lane at the bottom at the start.

“Lapped traffic was really tough and my guys did a great job.

“We have finally time trialled good and hopefully that leads into the Classic.”

Also racing were Street Stocks where Steve Gartner took an easy 3s win over Carey Weston.

Thomas Miles

Image: RICHARD HATHAWAY PHOTOGRAPHY

AWESOME ANDERSON

BORDERTOWN’S TOLMER

Speedway is building an impressive reputation after producing another epic, this time with Grant Anderson being victorious in the JBS Sprintcar Jamboree.

Few could take their eyes off the action in the mid-week meeting on January 29 as Anderson kept the aggressive Cory Eliason, Matt Egel, James McFadden and Ryan Newton all at bay.

Newton struggled to get going off the front row and he was swamped as Eliason hit the lead, Egel and Anderson also slipping on by.

Anderson got a stunning run up the back straight to burst from fourth to first between Turns 2 and 3.

Fans were treated to some exciting racing up the front as the lead changed hands with a number of slide jobs before Jason Pryde and Jordyn Charge spun on the cushion.

Anderson utilised the grip down low to retain the lead at the restart as Eliason, Egel and Newtown wrestled for best of the rest. Despite a number of close calls

going into Turn 1, the battling lead pack managed to escape drama in an entertaining scrap.

Eventually Newton wrestled back some momentum to lock down second with Egel going to the top to defeat Eliason.

These squabbles allowed Anderson to build a formidable lead across the first 10 laps while, further back, McHugh had gained 11 spots to surge into the top 10.

There were battles everywhere by the 21-lap mark and Anderson’s lead had been wiped out by Newton as the #Q66 went on the attack.

But a look at Turn 1 proved detrimental as he lost ground and fell into the clutches of Eliason, who had since overcome Egel with the #S52 battling to stay ahead of Madsen.

However, as things were building a caution arrived for a tumbling car.

Anderson went early at the restart with 17 laps to go, leaving Newton and Eliason to bang wheels.

Unfortunately only two corners were possible before a big wreck

saw Jackson Delamont go over and over and over again in front of the pack at Turn 1.

After around eight laps of hard racing, where McFadden joined the battle pack, McHugh suffered even more cruel luck.

Three days after mechanical gremlins ending his Classic, McHugh again found himself heading to the infield with 12 to go.

As the #A1 headed out, all eyes were on the battle for third as Egel pulled off a stunning slide job on both Newton and McFadden, who were already wheel-to-wheel.

As good as the move was, it did not last long with McFadden going high to snatch third straight back. Their battle carried on for a number of laps, including one moment where McFadden also went low at three to shut the door in Egel’s face.

It took two laps for the Brady Motorsport driver to hunt down Eliason, who had looked safe in second and now suddenly had two cars all over his wing.

The exciting racing almost ended

in tears as McFadden almost struck Engel’s front-left on the exit of the final corner with six to go.

As all of this unfolded, Anderson appeared destined for victory, but all of his hard work went to waste when he got trapped behind a slow moving back marker at Turn 1.

This not only allowed Eliason to close the gap, but fly around the outside and steal the lead with four to go.

In the space of two corners, Anderson found the perfect response, not only picking off Pryde, but regaining the lead.

The battle for victory went down to the final lap as Anderson stayed low and Eliason stuck it out high.

Eventually the inside paid off and Anderson completed a special win, while Egel and McFadden still had no love lost and their bitter battle went to the very end with the #S52 getting the nose ahead.

It was a sensational way to conclude a sensational summer of sprintcars for Tolmer Speedway.

Thomas Miles

Anderson runs the inside line, Newton the high line.

Image: RICHARD HATHAWAY PHOTOGRAPHY

SPEEDWAY

MILLER AND BASSETT BIG

BRENDAN MILLER and Marty Bassett (pictured) were the big winners in the recent night of racing at Wahgunyah Speedway.

In the Sports Sedans feature Donegan did not take his place with a smoky engine dinting his series chances a little having come into the night with a sizeable lead.

The green flag waved the field off with Miller leading Reid and Lucas Conder.

Miller led through the first five laps before Tommy McDonald entered the fray and moved into second. Conder’s race came to and end on lap 16 and McDonald, who had moved into second, was passed by Thomsen with three laps to go.

Miller went on to claim the win from Thomsen and Dale Smith.

Many local Corowa racers compete in the Goulburn Ovens

Sedans Association events.

Leading the initial stages of the feature event was Shortis from Bassett until lap four when positions changed.

Justin Ewert was the first of the favoured drivers to drop out of the race and Ross MacLean moved into third spot before Watts moved back ahead of him.

MORRIS TO RETURN TO SPEEDWAY

PAUL MORRIS (right) will contest the 2025 Queensland V8 Dirt Modified Title at Toowoomba’s Hi-Tec-Oils Speedway. Although no stranger to Speedway he has raced a Sprintcar competitively, his son Nash driving a Sprintcar this season.

“It was Phill Roberts who introduced me to V8 Dirt Modifieds” Morris said.

“I liked it so I bought my own.

“I really enjoyed driving the car and the V8 Dirt Modified community are a good bunch of racers so I thought I would dive in and buy one.

“There are some good people in Speedway and it’s fun to be a part of it.”

When asked what he liked about driving a V8 Dirt Modified he replied: ”the power – it’s good enough to get you thinking but won’t frighten you like a Sprintcar does.”

The excitement begins to build over the next week as Darling Downs Fabricating presents the Qld V8 Dirt Modified Title and as drivers and teams begin their preparation for the 2025 Australian Championship to be held at Premier Speedway Warrnambool

on February 21 and 22.  Given this it’s sure to bring huge numbers and a quality field as they look towards their National Championship two weeks later.

Leading the field is the defending Queensland Champion David Clark who also is the current NSW and Victorian State Champion. The two-time and current Australian Champion is under no illusion as to just how hard Saturday night is going to be with the depth of talent travelling to Toowoomba.

Late Models, Production Sedans, Street Stocks, Formula 500s and Juniors are also in action.

David Budden

Bassett steadied over the first 20 laps but he started suffering mechanical issues with smoke billowing out from underneath the panels leaving the Bassett team with some work to do before racing again.

Katie Meyer won all three qualifying races in Ladies Sports Sedans before she went on to clean

sweep her night, winning the final from Samantha Gray, Kimberley Smith, Chloe Creek and Jasmine Kettels.

Meyer set a new class 12-lap record time in the final with the Ladies having never competed across 12 laps for a final at Wahgunyah.

In Junior Sedans Cooper Lack won two of the three qualifiers with Taijan Ussher winning the other before Ussher won the final from Cooper and Ryder Lack.

Corowa’s Micheal FlemingRobertson clean-swept the Standard Saloon action winning all three qualifiers and then the final. In the first heat race FlemingRobertson came from the rear of the line-up to the lead in just two turns running the top.

Dean Thompson

PERRY PERFECT

TREVOR PERRY was the big winner of the Compact Speedcars final at Bairnsdale Speedway recently.

The Victorian Compact Speedcar Club were competing for club aggregate points accumulated across the season and Perry led every lap in the 15-lap.

Meanwhile Duane Cordina found his car up into the concrete wall in turn three during the race.

Booker, Bowen Donkers, Hallett, and Glen Wiles completed the rest of the field.

Bree Walker with one and Caroline Allen with two wins were the standouts in the Ladies Standard Saloon heat races.

Allen then led the 12-lap final all the way under pressure from Walker in a green to chequered flag race.

In third place was Michelle George holding back Kath George and Breanna Lee in the battle for third to fifth.

Trent Wlson led every lap in the 12lap Division 2 Hot Rods final despite pressure from Josh Thomas.

During the 15-lap final for Open Standard Saloon Jay Miles held second for the first third of the race before Blake Smith moved past him.

Yeomans in the back half of the race moved forward quickly and assumed second spot whilst Vuillermin had led all the way and held that position until the end.

Darren Adams won the first of three Limited Sportsman heat races with Mal Seily winning the next two. The two veterans of the class put on great racing during the heats heaping plenty of pressure on each other and that continued into the final.

Adams led all 12 laps in the final with Seily claiming second place (see image below) and Chris Woeltjes terrific in third place ahead of rookie race Sean Axnick.

Bairnsdale’s next event will be on February 22.

Dean Thompson

Image: VERN PARKER Image:

NATIONALS WRAP

NEW FERRARI ERA IS AWAY

A NEW player to the Australian national racing scene arrived at the Meguiar’s Bathurst 12 Hour – the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli Australasia.

It was a successful debut with 14 Ferraris flying around Mount Panorama, but there was one driver who was head and shoulders above the rest – Antoine Gittany.

Gittany took the chequered flag first in both races at Bathurst that marked the start of a new era.

His speed in the #22 Zagame Autosport 296 Challenge was obvious from the start as he took pole position by six-tenths with a 2:08.0680.

His Austrian teammate Ernst Kirchmayr was the only other driver to record a time within 2s.

The first race was held on Friday afternoon in warm conditions with the field split into three classes.

In the overall Trofeo Pirelli, quick reactions from Kirchmayr saw the Austrian jump pole-sitter Gittany to take an early lead from second on the grid.

The two competitors raced noseto-tail for the opening sequence of the race before Gittany finally hit back on lap 6 when Kirchmayr cracked under pressure. He ran wide at the Cutting, opening the door, which proved to be the decisive moment as he was

TERRIFIC TAUNTON

THE COMBINED

Sedans were a special part of the Bathurst 12 Hour with a great mix of Sports Sedans and GT cars returning to the Mountain.

The addition of old GT3 cars was a popular addition and fitting, giving the roots of the event, providing the opportunity for GT3 Porsches, Lamborghinis and BMWs to appear alongside the fanfavourite Sports Sedans.

The end result was a big 35-car field, but a MARC was still the car to have with Geoff Taunton topping almost every session.

There was no playing around as the field jumped straight into qualifying without practice and Taunton was on pole, before he led every lap of all three races.

The first was to the tune of 34s while it was a MARC procession

with the make filling out the top four.

Race 2 was a slightly closer affair, but it had the same result with again Daniel Studderd, Michael Rowell and Steve Lacey completing the top four.

However, in the finale Mark Duggan was able to throw his Aston Martin Sports Sedan into the thick of the MARC fights.

Duggan was able to win a fierce fight for second, creeping twotenths clear of Lacey and Studderd. But the real highlight was the rich variety of cars on offer in a perfect compliment to the latest spec GT3 stars of the 12 Hour.

Thomas Miles

out of business and brought out the Safety Car.

Cameron Campbell was third on the road through a stirring drive, but was relegated to 13th due to a 45s penalty, promoting Jim Pollicina to the podium.

The two quickest qualifiers in Coppa Shell were separated by just 0.005 seconds at the end of the qualifying session, and they still could not be separated when it came to Race 1.

David Trewern ended up prevailing after a battle with Enzo Cheng, while James Ferrari lived up to his name by rising from third to first in Trofeo Pirelli 488.

Come Saturday, Gittany hit new heights and stopped the clock at 2:07.595s, within 5s of the GT3 stars at the 12 Hour.

In the race, Pollicina got a grand start and jumped from fourth to second, but Gittany remained untouchable and won by 7s.

Kirchmayr started last but still made his way up to fourth in class.

Cheng (Ferrari Sydney) qualified on pole within the Coppa Shell category and held firm against David Trewen as Jarrod Ferrari did the double in Trofeo Pirelli 488.

The next time the Ferrari championship will be on show will be at Phillip Island on April 4-6.

Thomas Miles

WELCOME BACK MALLALA

AFTER THE cancellation of Round 1 due to lack of entries, the Tracksport Summers series concluded at Mallala on January 31 featuring Circuit Excels and a track day experience with cars ranging from road cars to Future Cars.

The random draw and reverse order grids for the Excel heats made for entertaining racing with Aaron Semmler leading Heat 1 until a coming together with Robert Zoanetti which saw Semmler eventually retire with rear suspension damage. Fletcher Lewis went on to win.

Lewis overcame another mid field start and fierce opposition from Shayne Nowickyj to win Heat 2.

Nowickyj and Lewis started from the front in the all-important final and pulled a healthy gap on the rest of the field by the time the flag fell.

Lewis completed the hat trick narrowly defeating Nowickyj with Jackson Sullivan overcoming a strong attack from Jack Wallis for third.

Elliot Redwood was having his first run in an Excel with the only hiccup to his night a DNF in Heat 2.

Braiden Colwell made the jump from dirt karts and impressed with a best of fourth in Heat 2 and fifth in the final.

Young Jett Zerk’s learning curve continued with some hard-fought mid-field finishes.

David Batchelor

Ferrari Challenge mader its debut at Bathurst with a solid grid.

DRAG RACING

HARRIS AND McMILLIN OFF NEW YEAR IN STYLE

AFTER TWO big days at Willowbank Raceway, Damien Harris and Morice McMillin were victorious in the headline categories of the New Year Nitro.

The 2024/25 National Drag Racing Championships resumed with a big event led by Top Fuel and Funny Cars on Australia Day weekend.

In Top Fuel, it was a Winternationals rematch with Rapisarda Autosport International pilots Harris and Wayne Newby again facing off for the A-Final victory.

This time it was the defending champ who took the win over his team-mate courtesy of an impressive holeshot, which saw Harris’ 3.806/519.26kph pass beat Newby’s 3.784/522.37kph to the line in a side-by-side battle that had the fans roaring.

While Newby was forced to settle for the runner-up trophy, he also claimed the Low ET and Top Speed points of the meeting.

He would have happily taken second considering how his weekend had started out, with a fireball causing a large amount of damage to his canopy

car the day before.

It wasn’t the first time that day that the pair had lined up and delivered three second/500+kph passes either – with round two bringing a win for Harris (3.818/513.84kph) over Newby (3.880/502.67kph) while the fans stood on their feet.

In Round 1, Harris had taken an early shut off solo victory courtesy of his Top Qualifier status (5.712/185.01kph) while Newby defeated Peter Xiberras in what was his first pass following the intensive overnight repairs, laying down a 4.035/430.73kph effort.

In the B-Final, Phil Read and Xiberras also turned on an impressive run for the fans following earlier struggles in the day, with Read (3.932/449.24kph) taking the victory over Xiberras (4.212/349.62kph) despite the PremiAir Racing driver looking strong up to the mid-track.

Earlier in the day Xiberras endured a red light and electrical issues for a pair of nine second ETs, while Phil Read had taken on Steve Read in round one, with ‘The Pom’ (4.331/406.47kph) pulling off an upset victory over the pedalling Spring Nationals winner

(4.495/389.97kph) before being forced to sit out the rest of the meeting due to damage incurred from a fire after the finish line. Jim Read Racing’s Phil Read then enjoyed a solo Round 2 win with a 4.11 second pass at 349.11kph.

“Thank you to the Rapisarda family for all of the support; thank you to Atlantic Oil and Suzanne for all her help, and thank you to Wayne – seven months ago we were here with different colours (trophies), so life is good!” Harris grinned while hoisting his Gold Christmas Tree.

“That was a killer race man!”

Newby enthused while clutching his Sliver Christmas Tree. “I could hear him and everything! I couldn’t be happier for Santo and the team – thanks guys and let’s go to the next one!”

In XPRO Nitro Funny Car, the Aeroflow/Rocket Industries teammates of former champ McMillin and rookie Josh Leahy were truly

rival, Chris Stipanovich, suffered clutch issues which saw him trundle down the track after his burnout before pulling his chutes and coming to a stop in the braking area.

It was a heated racing incident, and an animated Justin Walshe verbally expressed his frustration to the Stipanovich crew after being pushed back to the starting area.

Stipanovich was openly apologetic when interviewed in the deep end as to how the situation played out.

Walshe ran his B-Final as a solo after the Top Fuel A Final, burning down the track before getting off it early when losing a belt to throw 4.26/393.37kph up on the boards.

Morice McMillin fires off the line to XPRO Nitro Funny Car victory. Top: Damien Harris makes a super holeshot to snare the Top Fuel Christmas tree ... Right: Lillian Hagan took out Junior Drag Bike. Images: CACKLING PIPES PHOTOGRAPHY

KICK

(5.148/244.18kph) before getting off it with a fuel leak.

In Round 2 Morice (4.107/445.38kph) and Leahey (4.091/446.74kph) both ran solo passes, while Stipanovich and Walshe were no shows following their round one issues.

“I didn’t see nothing!” grinned McMillin.

“The thing was moving around and I was driving the crap out of it. Then I saw Josh come past me in the braking area, and I had no idea who had won it at all. He was flying, and I was just trying to get to the end.

“We have the best team in drag racing, there is no two ways about it, and I am so happy to represent

the brand, Rocket and Aeroflow and everyone – thank you so much to everyone. This is a team victory, that is for sure.

“It is unreal to do this beside my mate, and it is so cool we are out here doing this as a team – we keep saying it, but we really mean it: one team,

one dream! I can’t thank everyone enough,” Leahy added. Taking out the event-winning NDRC Christmas Tree trophies in their respective Aeroflow National Sportsman Championship brackets at the close of Sunday’s racing were Josh Fletcher over

Troy Hutton (Super Street), Lillian Hagan over James Lowday (Junior Drag Bike), Zayne Condello over Carlos Harvey (Junior Dragster), Wayne Heit over Matthew Barron (Super Sedan), Sean Ricketts over Phil White (Modified Bike), Lucas Holz over Liezel Gouws (Modified), Neil Maxwell over Craig Chapman (Top Sportsman), Walter Hosta over Aaveen Autar (Performance Bike), Bill Fletcher over Peter Leahy (Supercharged Outlaws) and Warren Allen over Nicholas Galea (SuperComp).

The next major event on the NDRC major calendar is on March 1-2 as Perth Motorplex hosts the Westernationals featuring Top Fuel, Top Doorslammer, Top Fuel Motorcycle and Aeroflow National Sportsman Championship. Thomas Miles

NEW ZEALAND MOTORSPORT SCENE

LINDBLAD STAYS ON TOP, AUSSIES PERFORM

FAST BRIT Arvid Lindblad carried on his control of feature races in the third round of the 2025 Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Championship at a wet Manfield where an Aussie also performed.

Lindblad made it a hat-trick of feature race wins by winning a treacherous fight for the Dan Higgins Trophy at Circuit Chris Amon.

Having carried a 25-point lead into the round, the M2 Competition driver left it in an even better position with that advantage rising to 40.

He started the weekend strongly by taking pole by over a tenth from Nikita Johnson, while Aussie Tommy Smith impressed by getting fourth.

The Lindblad dominance only continued when racing began as he controlled every aspect of the opening sprint.

He led from start to finish, having delivered a series of qualifying laps to beat Johnson by 5.5s. This left the rest to pick up the

crumbs and Smith got a flying start, shooting to second behind the winner.

But the IndyNXT racer had not quite made it stick as Johnson and Josh Pierson went on the attack in the following sequence of corners.

A squeeze at the hairpin saw Smith get pushed wide and onto the grass, dropping to fifth.

The skirmish saw Pierson get penalised by 5s for the push, which proved critical as he fell from third to fifth.

This promoted Australia’s Patrick Heuzenroeder to a first podium in the championship, while Smith secured a solid fourth.

Wet conditions spiced up proceedings in a lively reverse grid second race of the weekend.

A 50-50 call between wets and slicks saw drivers gamble and the call for wets by Scoular paid off, but not without some nervous moments. Initially it appeared that those on

slicks made the right call for the first two to three laps with Lindblad in control, but soon the Kiwi was on the move. At one stage he was lapping two seconds quicker than everyone else and by lap 11 – the halfway mark – he had built up a hugely impressive lead of 12 seconds.

A quick burst of heavy rain was the deciding factor however, especially when M2 Competition did not pit Lindblad for wets during the Lap 14 Safety Car after a clash between Alex Crosbie and Sebastian Manson.

At the restart, Scoular shot clear of Johnson and Pierson and to a special win, which slashed Lindblad’s championship lead from 44 to 26 due to the latter being down in 14th.

Australians Smith and Heuzenroeder stayed in the top 10 with seventh and eighth respectively.

The feature race for the Dan Higgins Trophy was a disrupted affair, starting under Safety Car and being reduced to 27 laps in the rain.

After six laps behind the Safety Car,, racing finally arrived and Lindblad enjoyed the perfect getaway and did not look back, leading Johnson.

Behind them Sebastian Manson was third, but had Heuzenroeder up his trumpet.

After a lap 14 Safety Car, the Aussie sensed his moment and went on the attack at Turn 1.

He made it stick on corner exit to soar to an impressive third as Smith managed seventh.

Heuzenroeder was thrilled with a successful weekend.

“Its obviously great to be on the podium this weekend and with two third places I feel like I’m really in the hunt now,” he said.

“It was a great track and I love to race in the rain, the car felt good and I was really happy with my racing, particularly the recovery drive in Race 2 to make up seven spots that quickly.”

Thomas Miles

Aussie Patrick Heuzenroeder had his best weekend to date, scoring a main race podium. The winner (above) ... was the same – Arvid Lindblad. Images: BRUCE JENKINS

SENDING IT...

ONE SPECIAL move helped Arvid Lindblad carry on his perfect record in feature races in the 2025 Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Championship at Teretonga Park.

Lindblad continued his streak by winning the finale at Teretonga Park to claim the Spirit of a Nation Cup.

But, unlike previous rounds, the victory was no certainty, the M2 Competition driver had to pull off a special move to get there.

At the start he found himself sideby-side with teammate and pole sitter Matias Zagazeta.

Unable to get the jump on Zagazeta, Lindblad found himself on the outside as they approached the long, opening left hander.

The Red Bull F1 Junior told TV on the grid before the start he intended to ‘send it’ and send it he did.

Lindblad threw it into the opening corner and hung tough around the outside all way around the sweeper and pulled off a breath-taking pass to take the lead.

Despite it being a stop-start affair, Lindblad was never challenged on his way to yet another win.

“I really wanted to win today,” he said.

“The weekend has been decent but not to the standard of the previous weekends and I really wanted to win this race.

“The start was always going to be crucial and I made a decent one

but not a mega one.

“I knew I had to send it and make it stick. A lot depended on Matias but he gave me the room.”

Lindblad started on top and was untouchable in qualifying, being the only driver to record a sub 54s lap.

However, his dominance ended in the opening race when Matias Zagazeta upstaged the championship leader.

The 21-year-old rising Peruvian star made a perfect getaway to lead the Red Bull F1 Junior into the first turn by a few car lengths and he never looked back, keeping his rival in his mirrors.

The 25-lap race only had 19 completed due to Michael Shin getting stuck in the gravel after a flat.

“It was a fantastic race and we made a great start. The pace was super strong compared to everyone else apart from Arvid who was staying quite close

behind,” Zagazeta said.

“So really it was a question of not making any mistakes. It was unfortunate it finished under the Safety Car but we’re still very happy to win again.”

Whilst Nitkia Johnson had a lonely drive to third, Australia’s Patrick Heuzenroeder moved to fourth in the championship points after another strong drive to the same finishing place in the race.

He was the best of the rest after M2 Competitions 1-2-3 result.

Heuzenroeder then found himself in the thick of the fight for victory in Race 2.

In the reverse grid format the Aussie made some early moves to surge to third place right behind Kiwis Sebastian Manson and Zack Scoular.

This all happened amid lots of drama with more Aussies, Tommy Smith and Nicholas Stati, having a scuffle.

The pair were side-by-side with

M2’s Michael Shin and the end result saw Stati get forced into the gravel.

After the restart, Heuzenroeder was right on the back of Manson and Scoular but the Kiwis stayed in front with the #69 car getting a nice win.

“I needed to keep calm and just make sure I restarted well and followed all the rules,” Manson said in the winner’s circle.

“I was aware of the pressure but just focussed on not overheating the rear tyre and looking after the front tyre.”

This set the scene for the feature that was defined by Lindblad’s stunning move around the outside of Zagazeta.

The race was then stopped after just two laps when Jett Bowling fired off at Turn 1.

From the restart, Heuzenroeder gave it everything to return to the podium.

He caught Shin and Zagazeta ahead, but ultimately had to be happy with fourth after not quite getting close enough.

Smith had a small moment but still held on to a top 10 place in ninth, while Stati also pushed hard with 12th.

The field will be boosted by the arrivals of Triple Eight stars Will Brown and Broc Feeney at the 69th New Zealand Grand Prix, this weekend at Highlands.

Thomas Miles

It was all ‘sorted’ at the first corner as Lindblad hung tough outside his team-mate ... Above: Teretonga proved a good venue for Aussie Pat Heuzenroeder, who jumped onto the podium in the reverse-grid race, then fourth in the finale.. Images: BRUCE JENKINS

NEW ZEALAND MOTORSPORT SCENE

INGRAM WINS BERT HAWTHORNE CUP

VICTORY IN the final race saw Kevin Ingram secure the prestigious Bert Hawthorne Cup in the SAS Autoparts MSC NZ F5000 Tasman Cup Revival Series.

Held at Christchurch’s Euromarque Motorsport Park as part of the SKOPE Classic last weekend, weather created an extra layer of challenge for the historic high-horsepower cars. But Ingram mastered the slippery circuit to dominate the 12lap finale in his Lola T332, leading Michael Collins by 18.6s.

The success further builds Ingram’s championship lead to 18 points over Tony Galbraith.

“I’m rapt. I’m really, really pleased with the result,” he said.

“I was lucky it rained—otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to win, as I don’t have the fastest car.

“While I don’t mind the wet, I almost came unstuck once or twice.”

The weekend started with Michael Hey being dominant, topping the timesheets in qualifying before securing victory in the opening race under summer skies.

The battle for pole was a thriller with just 0.07s separating Hey from fellow McRae GM1 driver Steve Ross.

Hey controlled the opener, beating Collins by 5s as Ross suffered a a gear selection failure on the run to Turn 1 that saw him struggle for two laps before retiring to save the car for another day.

“I’ve never had a pole position before, so managing the start and getting a few good laps in was my first focus,” Hey said.

“As the race went on, the rear tyres started getting a bit slippery, and I could see myself slowing down. I knew I had to keep the pace up without pushing too hard—I just had

to maintain my position.”

Cloudy conditions greeted the field for the Sunday morning Handicap race.

Hitting 280km/h heading into Turn 1, the field was steady at the start and Hey hoped to make inroads but was forced to retire on lap six with a broken half-shaft.

At the front, Ross (McRae GM1) built a healthy lead, while Tony Galbraith (Lola T332) won a close battle for second, holding off Kevin Ingram (Lola T332).

In the A Category, Tony Roberts once again edged out Frank Karl, finishing eighth and ninth respectively.

This set the stage for Ingram to steal the show in the finale.

Hey and Collins initially battle for the lead, but by the end of the lap, Ingram had already flown by.

THE ACTION at Christchurch was preceded by a round at Hampton Downs.

Competing in the NZIGP Legends of Speed event, which celebrated former champion David Oxton, Codie Banks started strongly.

Banks set the tone early in the 1974 #1 chassis Talon MR1 by taking pole before controlling the first race.

His drive left Grant Martin to finish 3s back in a Talon MR1 1-2 with Ingram third.

Sadly that was the only racing that was staged that weekend as heavy rain saw Sunday’s running cancelled.

The series now takes a break until mid-March, when the cars return to the North Island for NZIGP Thunder at the Downs, held at Hampton Downs from 14-16 March.

Thomas Miles

Image: PACE IMAGES

Lola, Lola, McRae ... as Ingram leads in Christchurch. Below: The ground shakes as the field pours into Turn 1 at Hampton Downs. Images: EUAN CAMERON

BRILLIANT BARNES

ANOTHER AUSTRALIAN has been victorious in the Bridgestone GR86 Championship, which returned at Teretonga Park International, the world’s southernmost FIArecognised circuit last weekend.

Australian Cooper Barnes made it eight different winners from eight outings in Sunday’s first race. Third place for Bakkerus saw him take the lead of the championship after Allen was classified 12th.

Although the top 10 of the grid was reversed from Saturday’s race won by Chris White, Barnes still had to fight very hard.

Caleb Byers led early from Barnes as second on the grid Harry Townshend got swamped.

But on lap three Byers slowed momentarily allowing first Barnes through into the lead and then Murphy through to second place.

The race was then disrupted by a big crash for young Kiwi Cameron Hill and the reds were waved.

Barns then faced the challenge of

Thomas Miles Want

fourth in the finale.

resuming control but did it well.

However, Byers soon launched a big attack at Turn 1, but Barnes kept

GILTRAP ON TOP

PORSCHE REIGNED supreme in the Summerset GT New Zealand Championship at Teretonga, with Marco Giltrap fending off a fierce challenge from Joel Giddy’s Mercedes-AMG GT2 to win the opening race.

Giltrap backed up his performance with another victory in Race 2, leading home Rick Armstrong for a Porsche one-two, while Luke Manson completed a perfect weekend for the marque by winning the one-hour feature race in a Porsche podium sweep.

It was a fitting birthday celebration for Manson, whose son, Sebastian, had earlier claimed a race victory in CTFROC.

In GT4, William Exton drove a McLaren Artura to class spoils in all three races, winning from the Toyota Supra GT4 EVO of Kaleb Ngatoa in the opener.

In the second race, another Toyota

Supra GT4 EVO was second in the form of Ayrton Hodson.

The feature race was the most exciting as Giltrap had to survive an unscheduled late-race stop in the feature to beat Hodson and Mark Mallard, who shared the Supra.

The Nexen Tyre NZ Mazda Racing Series national title battle began at the Teretonga Park International.

Despite being in the far south, the meeting had a strong contingent from the North Island to the far south to battle it out with the South Island’s best.

Mac Templeton won the opener from North Island Series leader Rex Edwards and South Islands Series leader Will Kitching before Kitching struck back to take honours in Race 2 ahead of Callum Pratt and Stuart Lawton.

Edward’s national title hopes, however, took a knock, a mid-

his nerve, and the inside line, to get the breakthrough win.

“The car was excellent and I was very aware of Caleb’s speed, particularly through turn one where he was very fast,” said Barnes. “I had to work hard for it but it’s great to take that first win.”

On a high, Barnes let the good times roll by also finishing a strong

Boosted by a breakthrough win at the previous round, Lachlan Evennett had another strong weekend, being a regular on the podium.

He got a third place in Race 1 having started from as low as eighth and backed that up with second in the 20 lap Feature.

The only downside of the weekend was the reverse top 10 Race 2 where he got turned at the last corner on lap three and dropped to rear of field and had to settle for 14th.

Evennett then came just twotenths away from another victory after he was denied by Justin Allen, who became the only driver to clock up a second victory this season in the finale, ahead of Evennett with Bakkerus third, the latter entering next weekend’s round at Highlands Motorsport Park in the championship lead with just one round to go this weekend.

race incident forcing him from proceedings.

Kitching went on to win the finale from Templeton and Lawton, leaving Round 1 of the national series in the lead and boosting his stranglehold on the South Island series leaderboard.

Brian Scott and Daniel Angus drove Porsche 991.2s to first and

That podium was replicated in Race 2.

Sunday’s finale was won by the Porsche 997.1 Cup of Nick Cutfield from McCrostie and Scott. Thomas Miles

second in the Pirelli Porsche Race Series opener. Duncan McCrostie completed the podium in a Porsche 997.2 Cup.

Manson and Giltrap lead the GT field away. Image: TAYLER BURKE (SHOTS BY TAYB)

Aussie Cooper Barnes – winner! Below: Allen heads the pack. Images: BRUCE JENKINS

BATHURST 12 HOUR REVIEW

BMW’S BATHURST BLITZ

BMW IS BACK ON TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN AFTER VETERAN AUGUSTO FARFUS AND BROTHERS KELVIN AND SHELDON VAN DER LINDE SPEARHEADED A CRUSHING TEAM WRT 1-2. THOMAS MILES REFLECTS ON

A CALCULATED AND DOMINANT DISPLAY IN THE 2025 MEGUIAR’S BATHURST 12 HOUR …

FOR THE first time in 15 years, BMW has blitzed Bathurst and it was worth the wait as Team WRT scored a famous 1-2 finish.

They may not have been the fastest combination, but Kelvin van der Linde, Sheldon van der Linde and Augusto Farfus were the cleanest, smartest and most consistent to score what ended up being a crushing win.

In front of a near record crowd of 51,372, the #32 started fourth, but

expert strategy under Safety Cars in the early periods put the trio in position to control the race.

Once in front they did not look back, leading 165 of the final 187 laps to complete a dominant drive.

For Team WRT and BMW it was a breakthrough, having arrived at Bathurst as a fierce combination in 2023, but things just didn’t go their way.

But it was a case of third time lucky

and the celebrations were mega, with the sister #42 entry spearheaded by Valentino Rossi, Charles Weerts and Raffaele Marciello right behind them, completing a dream 1-2.

It is the fourth occasion BMW has conquered the Mountain.

The first was when the only other brothers to win at Mount Panorama together, Geoff and David Brabham, won the 1997 AMP Bathurst 1000 held for SuperTourers.

But more recently, the German brand won the 12 hour with Craig Baird/ Garry Holt/Paul Morris in 2007 and John Bowe/Garry Holt/Paul Morris in 2010.

FRIDAY - BMW SKIPS CLEAR

IT WAS clear from the outset BMW was going to be fast as Team WRT skipped clear of the field.

The field of the 2025 Meguiar’s Bathurst 12 Hour was reduced to just

A fuel-efficient strategy, perfectly executed, earned BMW a decisive 1-2. Above right: The two BMW crews were ... ecstatic!

Above (top to bottom): 5.30 am and it’s all go; Merc-Merc-Porsche-Ferrari ... that’s the way it goes at the B12 – but none could match BMW in the end; D’Alberto hustles the Silver classwinning Lambo ...

Images: MARK HORSBURGH SUPERCARS/GT WORLD CHALLENGE AUSTRALIA

BLITZ

22 cars after 111 Racing pulled out at the last minute.

Darren Currie, Axle Donaldson and a to-be-named driver were going to step up from Invitational to Bronze by driving a Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO. But their dream disappeared after an unfortunate situation where the lastminute failure of promised sponsorship left it short of the funds required to take on the Mount Panorama classic. As a result only 22 cars arrived at the

Mountain for the 2025 edition of the 12 Hour where they were greeted by warm, but pleasant conditions.

In addition to chasing speed and set-up, a big part of the early sessions was managing the allocation of 12 sets of fresh Pirelli tyres for the entire weekend.

Team WRT was fast out of the gates with Augusto Farfus leading the charge, diving straight into the 2m2s window.

The Brazilian only needed 15 minutes to set the scorching pace with his 2:02.9000s not only being unbeaten for the rest of the session, but also the rest of the day.

After the bronze drivers competed in Practice 2, the big boys were back for Practice 3, but it was not a car that made the headlines.

Instead, the local wildlife made the biggest impact, with a kangaroo skipping across the track on the exit of Forests Elbow, sending the internationals into a frenzy.

Earlier, Engel had put the foot down in the #888 Team GMR Mercedes, but his time was almost a second off what van der Linde had done earlier.

The session was again clean, but ‘Skippy’ saved his appearance for the final minutes, denying teams the chance to practice late flying laps.

SATURDAY - RAPID WATERS

AS ANTICIPATION built towards qualifying, Waters was flying in the

He was a man possessed in the #222, topping both pre-qualifying practice sessions in fierce style.

Importantly there was only one incident of note across the six practice sessions.

Method Motorsport driver Paul Buccini went slightly over the limit going over the rise at McPhillamy Park, grazing the concrete.

The clash saw the right front rub and he could not stop the McLaren from skating straight into the Skyline sand and getting beached, but without major damage.

With the Practice 6 results to determine which qualifying segment drivers would feature in, there was a lot on the line in the final hour-long session.

The fastest half of the field would appear in the less disrupted Q2, while the slower half were to be the first to hit the track, in Q1.

Once again, Farfus flew out of the blocks, diving straight into the 2m4s threshold as the rest were still in the 2m6s, while soon it was Rossi who was the first to get close, making it a Team WRT 1-2.

Gotz and Heinrich were the first drivers to overcome Farfus, with the latter setting a scorching pace in the Porsche.

He was the first to fly into the 2m03s window of the session and his 2:03.0870s time was the clear

benchmark for the majority of the session.

It was not until the final five minutes where Heinrich was finally knocked off, with Day in the Aston Martin diving into the 2m02s threshold.

It was clear Waters had pace in the closing stages, but was not being given the opportunity to use it with lapped traffic continuously getting in the way.

Eventually the #222 Scott Taylor Motorsport Mercedes finally found some clear track and Waters fired a 2:02.700 to head into qualifying on top.

The fight to get into the top 11 got intense with Tony D’Alberto impressing to get a Silver Audi up to fourth and Guven squeezing the #911 Porsche in just 0.04s ahead of Andrews, while the car that would eventually take pole would only get 14th.

QUALIFYING – ONE GOAL, ONE LAP

LUCAS AUER only needed one lap, but that was enough for him to take the prestigious Allan Simonsen Pole Award.

On his only flying lap in the 15-minute Pole Battle, Auer produced a scorching 2:01.2760s in the #77 Craft Bamboo Mercedes that was too good for the rest of the field, no matter how many opportunities they had.

After negotiating his way through Qualifying 1, the 30-year-old Austrian excelled in the pressurepacked chase for pole.

Scott Taylor Motorsport Mercedes.

BATHURST 12 HOUR REVIEW

Auer, who was experiencing Mount Panorama for the first time, said the track was to his liking, which was a massive help.

“It was really a great lap and the car was amazing. It was just one of those laps that I am very happy with,” he said post-pole.

“With these temperatures we know we have huge tyre deg so that is how it goes. It was only enough for one lap so that was fortunate.

“I have found a new favourite track. It really is incredible, especially Sector 2.

“I have never seen something like that before and it is just wonderful to drive a fast car like that.”

There was a new format deciding the Allan Simonsen Pole Award with the field split in half after Practice 6.

The fastest 10 cars from those two sessions then booked tickets to the Pole Battle and it went down to the wire.

There were some big names on show in the early session and the pace was hotter than what many had expected.

The man who ended up taking pole, Auer, topped the group with a 2:02.1280s, which was just enough to hold off Mostert’s last-gasp effort.

The likes of Holdsworth and Andrews were also less than a tenth and half away, but they all faced a nervous wait as the remaining 11 cars then had their turn to take on the Mountain and it was not clear until after the chequered flag.

Although van der Linde went into the 2m01s area, with the sun out many battled to go faster than the Q1 runners.

Eventually the top five found enough pace and put on a thrilling fight for

provisional pole, being separated by just 0.09s with Feller eventually coming out on top.

But all eyes were on the bubble with Andrews sitting in 10th with a 2:02.2750s the time to beat.

With engine issues ruling out the 12th placed #46 BMW of Marciello, attention turned to Campbell.

The Aussie posted a personal best second sector and looked on, only for a mistake at The Chase to prove extremely costly.

Not only could Campbell not beat Andrews, but he backed out and settled for 11th on the grid.

Whilst it was disappointment for Campbell, it was joy for another Aussie – IMSA export in Andrews – who was at the Mountain for the first time in 11 years and first in an Audi.

With 10 cars left, a 15-minute blast for pole lay ahead.

Even though Supercars veterans Waters and Holdsworth wrestled early, it was not until the final five minutes when the contest got serious.

Feller was the first to post a 2m01s time, quickly followed by Heinrich.

But with three minutes to go, Auer crossed the line to start the lap that left his rivals in the dust.

The Craft Bamboo Mercedes straight line speed proved to be the difference and having thrown down the gauntlet, he spent the rest of the session in the pits.

Many kept trying until the chequered flag but only Feller and Engel could come within three-tenths.

With two in the top three and five in the top 10, Mercedes appeared to be the car to have heading into the big day.

KEEPING UP WITH THE PRANCING HORSE

THE ANNUAL tradition of starting the 12 Hour in the dark at Bathurst never gets old, but the 2025 edition was extra-memorable.

If fans were still wiping the sleep out of their eyes when the lights went out at 5.45, they were wide awake as the leaders sensationally went three-wide up Mountain Straight.

From pole, Maximilian Gotz controlled the rolling start, but understeered wide at Hell Corner, which allowed Ricardo Feller and Maro Engel to go on the attack.

This produced the stunning sight of the top three flying over the crest side-by-side and banging doors up Mountain Straight.

Eventually the Craft Bamboo Mercedes prevailed to retain the lead on the inside line, but it was those sitting in the wake of the three-wide battle who were the winners.

Both Farfus and Mostert capitalised on the opportunity to shoot up to second and third respectively, while Feller was the big loser, falling from second to fifth.

“It was not how I wanted to start this race and the Merc on pole braked very, very late and came wide. I was actually planning to stay on his right and had go on his inside and there was suddenly another Merc next to me,” Feller explained.

“I could not do anything and the car was a bit damaged on the right side.”

After the wild start, Gotz opened around 2s on the field, but he was not the fastest.

Mostert had his prancing horse sprinting with the #26 Ferrari 296 being the only car to lap in the 2m02s.

Having picked off Farfus with ease, Mostert set his sights on Gotz and slashed his lead in a heartbeat.

By the time Mostert caught Gotz, the Craft Bamboo Mercedes had nothing as the Ferrari flashed past at The Chase.

At the end of the first stint, Mostert had pulled 9s before the round of stops where the race was about to take its first turn towards BMW.

LET THE

CHAOS UNFOLD

THE FIELD managed to escape the dark and survive a clean first hour, but the rising sun above Mount Panorama, marked the start for the chaos to unfold.

Although Mostert had started so strongly in the Arise Racing GT machine, Will Brown battled.

In a heartbeat their lead was wiped out and by the end of the out lap, Gotz sensed an opportunity and tried to have a look around the outside of Murrays Corner.

But it did not have the desired result as contact was made, with the Mercedes spinning into the gravel. No penalty was given from the Stewards. With Gotz stuck in the sand, the first Safety Car was called at the 70-minute mark, providing a gift for Team WRT and #888.

Both BMWs got a free pit stop, allowing Farfus to lead Rossi at the restart, ahead of Martin, who took over the #888 from Engel.

“A bit disappointing to drop a few positions and had a bit of a collision, but luckily it did not do too much damage,” Brown said.

“We were on cold tyres and held my line and braked ... not sure what happened there.

Previous winner Kenny Habul dragged the old girl out of retirement and while not quite on lead pace, the Merc had an action-packed day on the way to ‘best-of-the-rest’ – on the podium behind the two BMWs.

“I think I was just on my line and we collided.”

Once racing resumed, Craig Lowndes became the first victim of the race, with a clash with the concrete at The Dipper forcing the #222 Scott Taylor Motorsport Mercedes to crawl to a halt just before pit entry.

“I got caught out. It was really slippery, and I just probably turned in a bit early before the dip,” Lowndes said.

“The car just clipped that inside right wall, which then ricocheted me across the track. I thought I’d caught it, but it just tagged the left rear.

“It’s actually bent the rear or broken the bottom rear left wishbone. And then it pulled the driveshaft out. I limped it all the way down to The Chase but it stopped.”

It was a tough blow for the STM crew with Randle and Waters showing strong speed across the weekend and shaping up to be contenders in the top 10.

There was further drama across the next 15 minutes and it all centred around Kenny Habul.

James was sent spinning from the top five to 12th after a hit from Habul at The Chase.

The SunEnergy1 Mercedes also made contact with Liam Talbot in the contending #183 Audi at Griffins Bend despite having indicated he would wave him through.

Talbot suddenly started slowing at the top of the Mountain with a left rear puncture, which dropped him from sixth to 15th. Habul was adjudged a 15s penalty.

Then, at the 90 minute mark, a second Safety Car was required for another race-changing clash taking out both the GT4 and Pro Am leaders. GT4 leader Ryan Sorensen lost it on the exit kerb coming out of McPhillamy Park and speared head on into the inside wall.

The McLaren then came back across the track and straight into the path of the helpless Pro Am leader Marcel Zalloua.

The contact was enough to destroy the right rear of the Audi and a blow to their promising day.

Having put the car in the Pro Am lead in his first stint, Zalloua’s co-driver Scott Andrews was devastated, but still clinging hope of a podium if they could repair the Audi.

“We will try to get it back out there,” he said.

“They deserve this because we were in the wrong spot at the wrong time. A bloke dropped it in front of us and what do you do. It just sucks.”

Fortunately, the Tigani Motorsport crew were eventually able to repair the car and they crawled their way to a Pro Am podium as the last finisher, 64 laps off the pace.

Despite the stint only going for around 11 laps, the leaders took the chance to take an early stop and the shake up saw Rossi lead the race for a brief period.

This was not the only Skyline smash with an even scarier episode taking place just 20 minutes later.

Stephen Grove had Habul charging up behind him and went to get out of the way as they approached the drop through the Esses – but the pair converged as they crossed the crest.

The contact between the Mercedes saw Grove spear towards in the outside wall, even climbing the concrete in terrifying fashion before finally coming to rest.

Not only did the Mercedes suffer significant front end damage, but Grove was extremely shaken and took some time to regain his composure after getting out of the car.

He was eventually transferred to Orange and Sydney hospitals where he reported back damage, while a horrified Habul apologised – though Stewards classified it as a racing incident ....

Despite the Safety Car being out, there were some messy close calls as GT4 leader Levitt completed the wave by and even made contact with Ojeda at Forrests Elbow.

The officials made their stance clear with the #24 McLaren receiving a 5m stop go penalty in addition to a drive through.

During the pit cycle, the #911 Absolute Racing Porsche snuck under the radar to emerge ahead of the BMWs and in the lead with Alessio Picariello.

SETTLING IN

FOLLOWING A wild opening three hours, the race finally settled down and Feeney made the most of it.

Following the flat tyre, Feeney put in a mighty drive in the #183 Audi to get it back on the lead lap and in contention.

In addition to catching the lead group, he picked off Ojeda, Daniel Serra in the lead Ferrari and the #888 of Martin to surge up to fourth.

By the stint end he had caught the BMWs as Picariello was the first of the

leaders to pit on Lap 87.

Team WRT elected to stay out and it proved to be a smart call as a fourth Safety Car arrived in timely fashion.

It arrived due to debris at Sulman Park following contact between the Luke Youlden Mercedes and Adrian Deitz Lamborghini.

Team WRT took full advantage, pitting both cars and snatching the lead, while Gounon returned to the lead lap in the SunEnergy1 Mercedes having served Habul’s penalties.

At the restart, Marciello took control, but had both Sheldon van der Linde and Auer hot on his tail with the top three separated by less than 2s across the fifth hour.

Talbot had restarted third but got swamped by the quicker drivers and dropped to ninth.

Another entry to lose significant ground in the lead group was the GruppeM Mercedes, which copped a drive-through for leaving an earthing cable connected during a stop, one of countless pit stop procedure penalties.

At the next cycle of stops, Team WRT again showcased its fuel economy by running four laps longer than the rest.

Rossi jumped into the #46, but could not retain the lead as the sister #32 performed the over-cut with van der Linde double stinting.

Having replaced Gounon, Stolz carried on the momentum of the #26, pushing it up to third before the yellows returned at halfway.

Just before the six hour mark James Koundouris beached the #47 Mercedes in he sand at Hell Corner.

The following seventh hour was the quietest of the race with the BMWs leading a train of Mercedes.

While Mostert and crew manhandled the Ferrari into the lead at one stage, fuel consumption and the extra stop kept them off the podium.

Finally! Victory at the third attempt ...

BATHURST 12 HOUR REVIEW

Despite the top six running in close quarters, especially when lapped traffic became a factor, no-one made a move.

But eventually the pace was about to become too much for some contenders.

MOUNTAIN HEARTBREAK

BROC FEENEY IS starting to question what the Mountain has against him as the latest chapter of ‘Broc’s Brutal Bathurst’ took place on lap 164.

The #183 Audi was running eighth with Feller at the wheel when a mechanical failure sent him spearing into the sand at the end of The Chase.

After going from a lap down to running eighth during the seventh hour, it was tough to take.

“This place keeps disappointing me, so I hope it’s not too long until we have a good one,” Feeney said.

“I’m not really sure what happened yet, so hopefully we can get the car back and have a look.

“We were really fast earlier in the day. We were one of the only cars that could actually pass the Ferraris and Mercedes and all that.

“I thought if we were up there at the end we could fight for it today, but as always, Bathurst seems to have something up its sleeve for me.”

Just six laps later, it was the #888 Mercedes’ turn to suffer pain at the same part of the track.

Sitting seventh, Martin got slightly too wide leaving the Chase which saw him spear across the track and crunch hard into the concrete on the exit of Turn 22.

The impact was so severe the car went airborne and was wiped out on the spot.

Despite having led the race more than any other international driver, Engel’s Bathurst 12 Hour drought continued for another year, but he was more worried about Martin.

“It was a pretty big impact into the concrete wall and it looks like he was not feeling great so I hope he is okay and that is the main thing,” Engel said.

“We were in the top four and Maxi was doing a great job. Looks like he just dropped a wheel in the sand but these things happen,” said co-driver Greiner.

Auer’s pole lap (here with co-drivers Gotz and Ojeda) was stunning – in the race they recovered from early dramas for a strong fifth place.

In the only significant blow for Team WRT, Rossi inadvertently lapped the #24 McLaren at Sulman Park when Safety Car boards were out.

This saw Weerts serve a pit lane penalty ahead of the restart and drop to eighth, but the timing of it saw the #46 lose minimal time.

As the stint progressed the top four, headed by Farfus, were covered by less than 2s, setting up a tense final third of the race.

FUELLING THE WIN

WITH THE last four and a half hours of the marathon going green to the very end, the race became a game of strategy.

Heading the field was the #32 Team WRT BMW and they were clearly the car in control and to beat as the van der Linde brothers slowly grew their advantage.

The Craft Bamboo Mercedes sat second, but soon it got stuck in an awkward position with its fuel strategy, that proved critical in the closing stages.

All eyes were on the fight for third as Brown in the Ferrari hunted down Picariello in the #911 Porsche.

After some close calls at The Chase, Murrays and Griffins Bend, eventually the pressure proved too much for Picariello. But just when the Absolute Racing 911 appeared to be out of the woods, the Belgian bowled a wide at Murrays, which was an open gift for Brown to snare third.

With just over two hours to go, the next cycle of stops shuffled the order again.

Stolz went long, staying out seven laps longer than the rest and the over-cut ensured he jumped both Serra in the Ferrari and Guven in the

Porsche to be third on the road.

Meanwhile, Rossi completed a clean final stint all the way until the very end when he clipped the wall on pit entry, but got away with it.

As the race entered the penultimate hour, Serra managed to regain third from the SunEnergy1 Mercedes, while Sheldon van der Linde increased his lead to beyond 7s.

At this stage, Craft Bamboo’s campaign faded, while the penultimate round of stops began around lap 238.

Another 30 laps later, the battling Ferrari and Porsche pitted at the same time, but this is where Team WRT’s fuel smarts were on full show.

The pair, plus Craft Bamboo still required another splash and dash, while the leading #32 stayed out all the way until lap 273, which proved to be its one and only stop in the final hour.

The 34-lap, 67m final stint home proved to be perfectly timed as Kelvin van der Linde hit the fuel number and guided BMW to glory (with the car running out on the run to the podium).

Three laps later, the #46 stopped as well and rejoined fourth in the queue, but most, aside from the sister Team WRT entry, still had to pit.

There was no doubt the Arise Racing Ferrari did with Mostert going flat out as he quickly caught leader van der Linde.

For three laps the BMW driver ignored the fuel numbers and got his elbows out in attempt to retain track position, but Mostert still somehow found a gap to throw the Ferrari down the inside and steal the lead with 36min left on the clock.

and built his advantage to 5s before pitting just 22m from home and being consigned to fourth.

The Craft Bamboo entry was second on the road, but pitted heartbreakingly just five laps from the finish.

This meant the fight for second was between Marciello in the #46 and Gounon in the #75 and it entertained.

Marciello got a run on Gounon down Conrod Straight and despite no room being offered on approach to The Chase, it did not matter.

The brave Swiss driver put two wheels in the dirt at the fastest corner of the track and did not back down, throwing the BMW around the outside before completing the move under braking to sensationally steal position.

The 280km/h pass in the grass occurred inside the final 10 minutes and was the perfect way to end a perfect day for Team WRT with a 1-2.

The Belgian did not give up, but the SunEnergy Mercedes could not get close enough to spoil Team WRT’s party as van der Linde cruised home.

PRO AM

WHILST THE lead Arise Racing GT car could not quite make the podium, the Pro Am entry ensured

Now in the lead and no need to conserve, Mostert was going for it

it still left its first Bathurst 12 Hour with silverware.

The Ferrari steered by Jaxon Evans, Elliott Schutte, Brad Schumacher and Ferrari factory driver Alessio Rovera claimed a hard fought class win.

The combination was in a race-long battle with the Manthey EMA #91 Porsche of Laurin Heinrich, Morris Schuring, Sam Shahin and Yasser Shahin.

The Ferrari started on the back foot with the #91 sixth and the #36 down in 18th.

But by the end of the first stint they were nose-to-tail which set up the battle and the turning point arrived on lap 200 where a five-lap undercut saw the Ferrari snatch the lead.

In what was the closest class battle outside of outright, Evans kept Heinrich at arm’s length to win by 25s.

“The temperature was quite hot but I was able to rope back in Yasser and Sam’s team during the double stint in the middle of the race and that put ourselves back onto the lead lap,” Schumacher recalled.

“That gave us the opportunity to strike and from there the story tells itself.”

BRONZE

Ross Gunn, Ian James and Zach Robichon, who put in an impressive performance in the Heart of Racing Mercedes.

They finished seventh overall, 14 laps and four spots ahead of nearest rivals Marc Cini/Dean Fiore/Lee Holdsworth.

The Heart of Racing crew was also on the back foot, being behind the Audi for the first eight laps before making the move as Gunn put in a fast opening stint.

With the #4 Mercedes going into the gravel and the #9 Audi in the garage briefly during the final hours, a faultless performance saw the #27 Mercedes clear winners.

SILVER

ANOTHER FINE performance saw the eye-catching Wall Racing Lamborghini go back-to-back in Silver class honours.

Boosted by the arrival of experienced Kiwi Brendon Leitch, the #93 Huracan also featuring Tony D’Alberto, Adrian Deitz and the evergreen Grant Denyer, and dominated, winning the class by 20 laps.

The only scare was when Deitz was accidentally hit by a faster class rival Youlden at Sulman Park.

“We are very satisfied with the result

we did not make any and the car did not really have a scratch on it. Wall Racing did a great job and that’s down to the preparation.

“We were really keen to get Brendon, being a benchmark Lamborghini driver, and I have learnt quite a bit off him.”

GT4/INVITATIONAL

THE BATTLE for GT4 was one of the most attritional with two of three entries getting to the finishing line –and only just.

It was a battle between Method Motorsport and Team Nineteen and

Mostert’s crew, led by the experienced Josh Buchan, got the job done.

The #25 actually led early, but Sorensen’s crash at Skyline ended their day on lap 36.

This put things in Team Nineteen’s favour – however, that entry was pushed into the garage around the halfway mark, seeing Buchan, Jake Santalucia and Anthony Levitt come out on top by 15 laps.

There was only one Invitational runner being the KTM of D.Crampton/T.Harrison/G.Wood – but importantly they made the finish.

MEGUIAR’S BATHURST 12 HOUR RESULTS

A.Picariello/A.Guven/M.Campbell

J.Evans/E.Schutte/B.Schumacher/A.Rovera

L.Heinrich/Y.Shahin/S.Shahin/M.Schuring

L.Holdsworth/D.Fiore/M.Cini

L.Youlden/D.Russell/T.Koundouris/J.Koundouris

J.Day/M.Villagomez/J.Robotham

A.Levitt/J.Buchan/J.Santalucia

15 D.Crampton/T.Harrison/G.Wood

16 M.Griffith/A.Christodoulou/D.Bilski

20 F.Schiller/B.Grove/S.Grove

21 R.Sorensen/T.Hayman/Buccini

22 C.Lowndes/T.Randle/C.

Sunrise at the B12 is an awesome spectacle. Above: Ferrari won Pro Am with the Evans/ Schutte/Schumacher/Rovera squad.

Left (top): Engel vs Campbell at the end of Mountain Straight ... Left: Quck stop for the Rossi/Weerts/Marciello runners-up.

INTERNATIONAL

ELLIOTT DOMINATES THE MADHOUSE

THE CLASH AT BOWMAN GRAY WAS OLD-SCHOOL NASCAR RACING ON A FLAT QUARTER-MILE OVAL THAT HAS BEEN HOSTING NASCAR RACES FOR MORE THAN 76 YEARS. IT IS CALLED THE MADHOUSE, BUT WHAT DID IT DELIVER? ANDREW CLARKE WAS IN WINSTON-SALEM FOR THE FIRST NASCAR RACE OF THE SEASON ...

THE UNIQUE format of NASCAR’s Clash at Bowman Gray has produced a blinder. Two days of non-stop action going all the way to the wire after 200 green flag laps at a track known as ‘The Madhouse.’

Chase Elliott was the class of the field, and he ran to an easy win after a late race mistake by Ryan Blayney, who had pushed through from the last starting spot in the drive of the race. Unfortunately for both, there were no points to be claimed for the championship, with that battle starting in two weeks time at Daytona, which is perhaps the exact opposite of the historic half-mile oval.

Shane van Gisbergen was impressive on his full-time track series debut, claiming a top-10 finish

on the bullring after navigating the racing format.

Each driver had two eight-minute practice sessions before four minutes of qualifying that set the grid for four qualifying heats. The winner of heat 1 went to pole for the 23-driver final, Heat 2 to second and so forth. Five drivers from each heat went through, the remainder to a feisty 75 Green Lap Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ) race that was won by Kyle Larson, who was surprisingly off the pace on Saturday.

Josh Berry finished second in that race and was given the second grid slot. The final of 23 started with Ryan Blayney, who finished highest in last year’s regular season pointscore, the non-qualifier..

HEAT 1 TOP 5 – Chase Elliott, Brad Keselowski, Noah Gragson, Kyle Busch, and Ross Chastain

HEAT 2 TOP 5 – Chris Buescher, Chase Briscoe, Shane van Gisbergen, Bubba Wallace, and Daniel Suárez

HEAT 3 TOP 5 - Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano, William Byron, Carson Hocevar, and Alex Bowman

HEAT 4 TOP 5 - Tyler Reddick, Christopher Bell, Ryan Preece, Austin Cindric, and Todd Gilliland

LCQ TOP 2 – Kyle Larson, Josh Berry.

PROVISIONAL QUALIFIER – Ryan Blayney.

The start of the main race was straightforward, with Elliott charging

ahead of Buescher, followed by Reddick and Hamlin. The midpack, however, was congested, and eventually, Busch’s outside run saw him getting turned around by Gragson in Turn 3 on lap 20, just as SVG’s spotter warned them to stay low and watch the #8.

With Busch in the pits and Gragson dropping positions, van Gisbergen was now in seventh place at the restart.

Bump-and-run is allowed in NASCAR, and Keselowski used it to move into fifth with a solid nudge on Bell, who reclaimed the spot on the next lap. SVG had now moved up to seventh but soon faced pressure and dropped to ninth. He was having trouble with his brake cooling fans,

AA’s Andrew Clarke was on hand for the opening (non-championship) race of the NASCAR year – at the tiniest little oval ... and checking on SVG’s progress. Right (top to bottom): Chase Elliot took first 2025 blood; Race start; Images: GETTY IMAGES

chance of snagging the win after a tussle with Austin Cindric, while Chase Briscoe also spun further up the field following contact with van Gisbergen. A few laps later, Hocevar found himself in the wall after Bell made contact after being bumped into him by Logano.

The next yellow was only six laps later, when Hocevar and Larson bumped into each other. Larson ended up spinning with Byron.

“I was frustrated because I reached sixth at one point, but I think I still positioned myself poorly, which caused you to get hit,” he said after the race. “My speed was off, but I had a lot of fun.”

“This weekend was about helping us all get used to the team. They come from different organisations, so it’s great to learn how we operate at Trackhouse, and for me to pick it up along with everyone else. It seems to be a good fit, and we all get along.”

which were upsetting the balance of the car.

Maybe the only bloke finding it easy was Elliott who, by lap 50, was set to start lapping cars. Gilliland was his first target, but Gragson became his first victim. Gilliland, in his Ford, somehow managed to run in front of the leader, leaving Gragson as the first to be lapped. Elliott doubled his lead but lost it all when Byron got spun while running on the outside of Gilliland, right in front of Elliott.

The caution period bunched the field together again, reigniting the battle for the lead. On the restart, Hamlin stepped up to chase Elliott, while Reddick also passed Buescher. On lap 96, four laps before the compulsory break, Hamlin wrestled the lead away from Elliott, with Reddick moving into second place, and Hamlin, who had led the first 96 laps, went into the 15-minute break in third.

TOP 5 @ 100 LAPS – HAMLIN, REDDICK, ELLIOTT, BUESCHER, KESELOWSKI.

Up front, Elliott was on the move, passing Reddick for second, who then dropped a spot to Buescher as well. This was how the order stood during the next yellows, with Keselowski spinning out of second after making contact with Wallace. Bowman and Hocevar also spun while trying to avoid the incident in front of them.

That made it four cautions in 20 green laps.

On the restart, Elliott worked his way to the inside line on Hamlin and the pair ran a few laps side-by-side before the pole sitter took control, with Blayney now in third after starting last. Reddick was dropping like a stone in a pond, and soon Logano was doing the bump-and-run and running the low line for the pass.

Blayney worked his way inside Hamlin and, by lap 146, the provisional starter was now running second and beginning to chase down Elliott. The #12 appeared to be the fastest car on the track at this time, practically able to choose any line he liked and easily switch between the high and low lines. He closed in on Elliott as they approached some lapped traffic, starting with Suarez, who dropped off the lead lap on lap 160.

Logano eventually made his way past Wallace for fourth, the entertaining battle lasting 10 laps. Logano now set off after Hamlin.

On lap 189, while lapping Busch, Blayney ran wide in Turn 4, giving Elliott a big gap with not many laps left and, from there, Elliott pushed towards a win that seemed inevitable despite coughing up the lead at half distance.

Van Gisbergen came home in ninth, a fantastic job in his first fulltime NASCAR drive.

On the bump-and-run passes, which Bubba Wallace said after the race was the only way to get by, he said it was swing and roundabouts.

“It’s odd when you’re the one getting tapped … Austin Cindric hit me for 30 laps in a row, and it’s annoying, but it works. It wore my front tyres out, and then he got me. Then, I used it at the last corner for a spot.

“So, I’m still getting used to that.” While not quite his Cup Series debut, it was his first race as a fulltime Cup Series driver.

“The intros here were epic,” he said of the Bowman Gray experience, which had the fans only metres away from the drivers on the track, “It was a great overall weekend. I felt confident from the very first lap; the car felt a bit different from what last year’s cars felt, and I’ve just been adapting to everything. I can fine-tune the seat, and now I know a few things I need to change for next week. Plus, it’s not a month between Cup races like it was last year. I can focus on the little things now.”

There is a one-week break now before the opening race of the Championship season, the Daytona 500.

COOK OUT CLASH AT BOWMAN GRAY

• Chase Elliot

• Ryan Blayney

• Denny Hamlin

• Joey Logano

• Bubba Wallace

• Ross Chastain

• Austin Cindric

• Tyler Reddick

• Shane van Gisbergen

• Chris Buescher

Larson battles with Gibbs in the Clash.

THE FULL MONTE OGIER TAKES 10 TO THE CASINO

THE OPENING ROUND OF THE 2025 FIA WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP WITNESSED THE EVERGREEN SEBASTIEN OGIER CAPTURE A RECORD-EXTENDING TENTH RALLYE MONTE-CARLO, AS TOYOTA OPENED ITS YEAR WITH A STATEMENT DOUBLE. TIMOTHY W NEAL REPORTS …

WRC STANDINGS AFTER ROUND 1

Ogier/Landais 33

Evans/Martin 26

Fourmaux/Coria 20

Rovenpera/Halttunen 18

Tanak/Jarveoja 11

IN A new WRC season that promises something ‘same but different’ with the dumping of the Rally1 hybrid unit, there are some things that haven’t, and seemingly will never change.

At 41 years, French veteran and eight-time world champion Sebastien Ogier – the ‘Gaps Golden Son’ – made it a ‘denary’ of victories at the historic Rallye Monte Carlo.

Since his first win there in 2009 driving a Peugeot 207 S2000 –when it was then held under the Intercontinental Rally Challenge – the local man from the Alpine region of Gap itself has it written in his DNA to be a winner there. It was also his third in a Toyota machine, having previously competed and won in a Peugeot, Volkswagen, Citroen, and a Ford.

On the WRC scale of things, his

previous 12 starts have yielded eight wins, and four second places: a 66.6% win rate.

And to make this victory all the more imperious, if it wasn’t for dropping his rear tyre into a ditch on Thursday, he would likely have led the 343.80 km from start to finish.

For Toyota, it marks the beginning of a year in which it will seek to dominate a very good Hyundai i20N machine with a formidable five-driver line-up that also includes two-time champion Kalle Rovanpera’s return to a full-time seat.

But it was the WRC’s new perennial bridesmaid in Elfyn Evans that joined Ogier on the podium, taking second place 18.5 seconds in arrears, whilst Hyundai’s new third full-timer Adrien Fourmaux made a statement of his

own, a further 7.5 seconds back in third.

That technically leaves Evans as the de-facto series leader, with Ogier being an all-but-eligible part-timer (though that hasn’t stopped him threatening for the title in the previous few years).

It also wasn’t all bad news for Ford M-Sport, as surprise recruit, Irishman Josh McErlean (replacement for Fourmaux), also took seventh on his debut as the highest placed for the UK based team.

From Ogier adding to his story, the new Hankook tyre, the alterations to the Rally1 machine, and all the drama of the slippery winter roads where every driver rides his luck, here’s how Round 1 of the season unfolded …

SUNSET FOR THE GAP’S GOLDEN SON?

LIKE SOME of the greats that have come before him, such as Walter Rohrl – who liked to single out and handpick his events based on personal preference with a romantic grasp of the historical – Ogier has an innate love for Monte Carlo.

“This rally is the one that gave me the dream to be a rally driver, so if I could pick only one to win in a season, it would always be this one,” Ogier said.

In terms of how long he can go on, the local rally legend also indicated that it

Ogier (and below with the silverware) snared an unbelievable 10th win in one of the world’s toughest rallies. Elfyn Evan (left) completed a Toyota 1-2. Images: MOTORSPORT IMAGES

could’ve been his last victory lane trip down the Route Napoleon to the

“I think I have had my lucky star with me this weekend

I have no idea if it is my last Rallye Monte-Carlo [right] now … It would be a good place to stop.”

Time will tell for one of Rally’s most prolific performers.

HANKOOK STANDS THE TEST

THE UNIQUE demands on a WRC rally tyre with its alternating conditions – from asphalt, to snow, and gravel – is a challenge that Hankook has taken over from Pirelli. Having had plenty of experience in the ERC, the South Korean company underwent over 3800 km of testing prior to Monte Carlo, with its slick Winter tyre under the scope for the opener.

First indicators saw Toyota team principal Jari-Matti Latvala giving the thumbs up.

“The durability of the tyres has been really strong … there are some areas where the grip levels could be improved, but as a starting point I think they have done a good job.”

Punctures were few and far between – though much of that also comes through driver error and bad luck –though it was one of the criticisms of the old Pirelli tyre, with unexplained punctures drawing much criticism.

Though the consensus was that Hankook needs more time in the field, here’s what some of the drivers had

Ogier: “Well done Hankook, I think there was less tyre issues, very few punctures I believe and, that’s already a good point on my side because in the last season I was a bit unhappy to have many punctures – even if it improved a lot during the Pirelli time.”

Tanak: “Reliability wise I would say very good. Obviously Monte is normally quite harsh for the

tyre with the big cuts and sharp edges. I would say the slick also, not too bad, performing quite well. The winter tyre can be improved … but I think it’s all part of the process.”

Rovanpera: “I think overall it is pretty clear that maybe the driving style that I normally have doesn’t work with the slick,” he told Autosport. “To be honest the pace looks to be good on the snow and studded tyre but then as soon as we go on the slick tyre it seems to be more difficult. That is where we need to find the pace.”

FOURMAUX LOOKS THE REAL DEAL

HYUNDAI NEWCOMER Adrien Fourmaux came out of 2024 with five podiums for the underperforming M-Sport team, who operate with only half the manufacturer backing of their Rally1 rivals.

With a season-opening podium and an impressive Sunday charge, Fourmaux could very well wedge himself between some of the big names in the title fight this season.

The Frenchman hung around the calculations before muscling his way past Rovanpera and Tanak to hold third, and waxed second with Evans before falling to fourth, where a scintillating Day 4 saw him overcome his team-mate for the podium.

“There result shows that they (Tanak and Neuville) need to count on me. I am not just here to play behind and wait for something to happen … I can also play in front,” the man from Northern France proclaimed.

AS IT HAPPENED…

WITH UNPREDICTABLE grip throughout, Thursday’s opening three stages ended with the reigning champ on top by two seconds over Evans and Ogier.

Ogier took the opening two stages but a wild slip and a 20 second loss in SS3 saw Neuville as the overnight pace setter.

That didn’t last past SS4 on Friday however, with 107.34 kms and six stages to play out.

The eventual winner would head in with a 12.6sec lead on the treacherously icy roads, with Neuville suffering a damaged rear-left

suspension out of a downhill hairpin that put Evans in the lead, before a spin on an ice patch gave Ogier both the SS8 stage win and overall lead.

With Tanak also clipping a telegraph pole in SS6, he too would have to fight back from fifth at the day’s end, with Ogier, Evans, Fourmaux, and Rovanpera above him.

Then, with a flawless six stages west of Gap on the Saturday, Ogier stamped his authority with a 20.3sec overnight lead. And, despite warmer conditions abating the ice, strewn mud and rocks made it a tough day, with only 4.3sec separating Evans and Fourmaux throughout the day in an intriguing battle, whilst Tanak found his grip sweet spot to surge past Rovanpera.

With Neuville suffering power issues and Ford’s Gregoire Munster retiring, that set the stage for the impressive Irish debutant to make some opportunistic moves of his own for Sunday.

With the rally heading south and back down the mountains toward Monaco, with both Toyota’s of Sami Pajari and Takamoto Katsuta sliding off the road, with McErlean thriving and surviving for an overall P7 as the last of the Rally1’s in the top-10 - on debut.

With Fourmaux on a risky full-slick set up, he impressively and bravely ate plenty of time out of Ogier and Evans who went for the studded Hankook’s to negate the ice but, after capturing the days opening SS16 and the final Power Stage, there was no overcoming the natural order of things in the French Alps.

Rovanpera took fourth over Tanak in the end, with Neuville and McErlean in sixth and seventh, whilst the WRC2 winner in Yohan Rossel flew another French flag with a 1:13.9 sec victory in eighth overall in the Citroen C3, over the Fabia of Nikolay Gryazin, and Hyundai’s Eric Camilli.

The WRC next heads to the unique all-snow Scandinavian round, with Rally Sweden on February 14-17, which will also be the first round for the Junior WRC, where highly promising Aussie Taylor Gill and codriver Dan Brkic will set themselves for another title challenge.

Casino Square.

Hyundai’s new team member Adrien Fourmaux delivered the goods, with third outright.

PENSKE PLANTS THE FLAG

AN EPIC DAYTONA 24 HOURS HAS KICKED OFF THE 2025 IMSA SPORTSCAR CHAMPIONSHIP WITH PORSCHE PENSKE HOLDING ONTO ITS HYPERCAR MANTLE, WHILST A TRANS-TASMAN-HEAVY GRID ALMOST SWEPT THE CLASS PODIUMS. TIMOTHY W NEAL REPORTS …

THE PORSCHE Penske 963s spent 2023 threatening to get it together, and 2024 planting the flag. They’ve now started 2025 as they left off and appear to have the wares in order to kickstart another dominant sportscar era.

In yet another win for the new Hypercar epoch, the twice around the clock US classic came down to the wire as two yellow flags in

the final hours ensured a packed together field fought it out to the bitter end across all four classes.

And with 12 antipodean drivers across the GTP, LMP2, GTD Pro, and GTD fields, there was no shortage of Aussie and NZ representation on the steps by race end, with one Aussie being awarded with a post race LMP2 victory, whilst the Ford GT3 Mustang also broke through in the

top tier of the GTD Pro ranks.

All of Matthew Campbell, Scott Dixon, James Allen, Josh Burdon, and Tom Sargent visited the podium in their respective classes, as the top tier saw a Porsche one-three with the #60 Acura ARX-06 taking second with IndyCar legend Scott Dixon in his 22nd Daytona 24 – his seventh trip to the podium.

In the end, it was the #7 Porsche

piloted by Felipe Nasr/Nick Tandy/ Laurens Vanthoor that gave the manufacturer its 20th win at the Florida classic, first overcoming the Campbell-piloted sister machine with 22 minutes to run, with the #6 then run down by the #60 Acura with only 3.088 seconds separating the three machines at the end, one lap ahead of the next closest LMDh Hypercar.

Porsche’s 1-3 was a close-run thing – just three seconds covering the podium. Above right: Scott Dixon added to his amazing Daytona record ... Right: Aussie Matt Campbell’s #6 Porsche led late in the race but didn’t have the pace to hang on. Images: MOTORSPORT IMAGES

The LMP2 prototype battle saw Aussie James Allen finish second in the #22 United Autosports USA ORECA machine, but the technical regulation that requires the skid block to have no more than a 5mm of wear, meant the winning Tower Motorsport team was demoted to the rear of the field, meaning that compatriot Josh Burdon was also elevated into second place in the #74 Riley ORECA.

In the GTD classes, the sophomore Ford Mustang GT3 machine took its first global victory in the Pro class, whilst the #13 AWA Corvette Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R took out the GTD, with Aussie Tom

Sargent taking second place from team pole in his Daytona 24 debut. In all, it was an impressive day/ night/day out for the Antipodean squadron, with Auto Action taking a look at how the podium getters fared across the classes, as well a general run down of how the LMDh Hypercar battle played out at the 62nd Daytona 24…

CAMPBELL AND DIXON SCOOP LMDh PODIUMS

IN THE top tier, Campbell has resumed his North American IMSA career with Porsche after a year in the WEC, and in searching for backto-back Daytona wins, took third

place after both Penske’s sister car and the Acura ran him down as the clock wound under a half hour.

Campbell couldn’t match Nasr’s speed in the #7 in the straights, as its four fresh Michelins proved the difference, but it didn’t stop the Aussie battling hard, much to the chagrin of the winning team who admitted that the battle made them nervous.

“We had talked to the drivers about not racing each other, but obviously these guys are racers, and fortunately we didn’t get into trouble,” was the word from the garage.

For the Aussie, just one week ahead of another Bathurst 12 Hour, he left Florida having added another third placed podium to his record of two class wins. But losing second with only four minutes remaining will leave a bitter taste,

As for the ‘Ice Man,’ Dixon’s long history with the event saw his team almost deliver him a fifth win at Daytona, falling just 1.335 seconds short after 781 laps.

“It was a difficult race – it definitely wasn’t easy. There were lots of deg and speed issues, I think, through some of the double stints early on. I would say it also didn’t go without mistakes and a few mishaps,” Dixon said.

“It’s always tough when you finish second … you have a big dream coming here to win the race but Porsche brought a pretty big punch and they were definitely very fast.”

INTERNATIONAL

ALLEN GROWS HIS LMP2 24 HOUR TROPHY CABINET

AUSSIE JAMES Allen is becoming a 24 hour master, adding a second Daytona 24 victory (albeit awarded post-race) to his cabinet, which will look pretty good alongside his two Le Mans winning class trophies.

Racing for the United team for the first time on a big global scale, the eventual victory will soften a winless 2024 season.

“We always want to win on track, but honoured to win another 24 at Daytona with United Autosports,” Allen said.

“My heart goes out to all the guys at Tower Motorsports – everybody gives their all for this race. Hope to see them up there again soon. Congratulations to my team-mates and thank you to everyone at United for their unwavering hard work and dedication over the last two weeks.”

Allen was fighting for the win in the final hour, but a drive-through penalty for a pit lane infringement saw it drop 46 seconds behind by the chequer. The stricken winners lodged an appeal, but it was denied by IMSA.

Allen’s promotion to winner also meant that Burdon ended up with second after finishing third on the day, just 6.716 seconds off the United ORECA.

Burdon almost found himself as part of the IMSA title winning LMP2 team last season, and his continued association as a super ring-in for Riley continues to bear fruit.

The 32-year old from Hobart was competing in his fourth Daytona, and added a second straight third place on the day, with the record books to read one better. Although he’s still somewhat disappointed that he still has no Daytona timepiece.

“A pleasure sharing the car to another podium …T wo years and two podiums but no watch.

“Great effort from all involved. We’ll be back.”

SARGENT CONTINUES TO BUILD PROMISING CAREER IN THE US

COMPLETING THE Aussie machinery class flush, Sargent stepped up in the Wright Motorsports

#120 Porsche 911 GT3 R, taking second in his debut in the 24Hr classic, but it could have been so much more, as well as so much less.

Twenty-seventh overall, Sargent’s team was guided into second via a late Aston Martin pass courtesy of his team-mate Ayhancan Guven, finishing 1.454 seconds off a Corvette that was brought back into the game owing to the late yellow. In his last few seasons in the States, the Aussie from Young in NSW has finished second in the Porsche Carrera Cup North America championship, and has also taken a GT World Challenge America class win.

“It’s a tough one to take, after leading the majority of the race,” Sargent said.

“While sitting in P1 with one hour to go, an untimely Safety Car forced us

to take emergency service, putting us to the rear.”

“Ayhancan drove the wheels off it to bring it back to a one second gap over the line from the leader. That’s how racing goes, but super proud of Wright Motorsport for the effort to put us in this position.”

Sargent next gets back into the 911 for the Sebring 12 Hour on March 15.

THE FINAL HOURS AND PORSCHE’S TRIUMPH …

THE FINAL few hours of the Daytona 24 saw a GTP battle between Porsche, BMW, and Acura play out, with several yellows reigning Porsche in after a dominant spell in the night.

The Porsche 963 machines performed well in the colder conditions and into the morning,

keeping a distinct advantage until the Full Course Yellow in the 22nd hour.

That brought the #24 BMW M Hybrid V8 and the #60 Meyer Shank Acura into play, with the polegetting BMW looking a big threat as the fastest machine on the track. Aside from the pole, the Hybrid V8 set the fastest time in every sector throughout the event, as the Munich powerhouse still threatens to get it together.

And it looked like it may have been its time when Vanthoor took Turn 1 at the restart, but a subsequent iffy moment saw the Belgian driver lose that small advantage by Turn 4, with Nasr retaking the lead.

A pit stop with a full tyre allocation from the #7 put Campbell’s #6 into the lead from third – who opted to not change tyres – which then saw the #24 BMW have its second crack at the Porsche squad for the lead.

However, Vanthoor left it too deep

in braking through Turn 1, and a trip onto the grass ended its run, but it wouldn’t be his last dive.

A final yellow after a GT Lamborghini stopped on track left a 38 minute dash, with Nasr holding a distinct tyre advantage in the #7.

Vanthoor again harassed Campbell at the restart, but further contact meant a loose nose cone saw him drop off the lead lap into P4.

That allowed Tom Blomqvist in the #60 Acura into the frame from third, who had fought from a lap down during the night.

As Blomqvist closed on the #7, Nasr also closed the gap to Campbell, performing a gutsy move prior to the Tri-Oval section. And with that, Campbell’s fight was largely over for the victory. The Acura would also run him down in the final 10 minutes to deny Porsche a one-two.

After a 20-year absence from the top step at the Daytona 24 prior to

2024, Porsche has now gone backto-back to assert its dominance ahead of a GTP field that now needs to play catch-up at the Sebring 12 Hour.

After the race, Roger Penske indicated that there’s more to come from the powerful squad.

“Winning the championship last year was just the start of it,” said Penske.

“This Porsche car we have has just been amazing – and to think we did it two years in a row is a credit to all the people from Porsche in Germany and our team here. We’re truly one organisation.”

To add to the feat, Porsche Penske also entered the race battling hybrid power issues that endangered its tilt at the Florida classic, with as many as six changes made across both its 963s in the lead up, with a plethora of older components from last season’s energy storage system unit proving the factor in pushing

through the 24 hours.

After guiding the #7 with some brave moves enabled by a full confidence in the grip and a need to push, Nasr’s second straight Rolex timepiece is one to savour.

“It’s always hard to know what it’s going to end up like, but that’s what I love about the IMSA racing,” the Brazilian said.

“I felt like I had the pace to go forward, and that’s what I did. The clock was running, so I had to go for it. I could see that the Acura was coming quickly behind us, so we had to go. I made a clean pass on Campbell, and that was it.

“I wanted to win this race for sure, and I wanted to win for the team; on a personal level, doing it back-toback is incredible.”

Next up is the Sebring 12 Hour on march 15 as the IMSA show stays in Florida before then heading to Long Beach in California.

Aussie James Allen’s switch to United Autosports delivered LMP2 victory. Left top: Pit action for the LMP2 runner-up car, co-driven by Aussie Josh Burdon. Left: It was close, but yet another Aussie, Tom Sargent, had to settle for second in GT3 on his Daytona debut.

1975 - MOFFAT THE SPORTSMAN

ALLAN MOFFAT not only won the crowd’s admiration for his forceful driving at Surfers, but also for his sportsmanship.

The 8000 spectators applauded the Champion when he threw away victory to aid a crash victim during the 10 Lap Sports Sedan and Production Touring car race.

Local driver Danny Newland, running his six-cylinder Capri for the first time since he almost totalled the car two meetings back, shared the front row with Moffat in the Production Superbird.

Locked together, they continued through the Chute and up Castrol Straight with Newland winning the duel into Warwick Motors.

The superb driving by the Master and the Home Town Boy had the crowd on their toes as the pair raced down the back straight for the fifth time.

1985

AUSTRALIAN FORMULA 1 world champion Alan Jones announced he was returning to the pinnacle of motorsport in 1985.

With the announcement of the Beatrice Team, utilising Hart turbo engines and Goodyear tyres, Jones was hopeful, as he said at the announcement, of mounting an attack on the 1986 title.

With an Indycar team on the side, investors committed $80 million over five years.

Despite arriving too late for practice and starting at the back of the grid, Michel Delcourt and Robbie Francevic won the first ever Wellington 500 street race – an event where many found the wharf circuit’s concrete barriers.

Moffat lined up the Ford for an inside charge and moved into the lead but was passed back by Newland – through the Esses and up the hill through Calvins and down the back straight the battle for the lead continued.

Moffat left his braking, very late at 7HT and passed the Capri. on the inside to lead by half a length.

On the eighth lap the pair were only inches apart when disaster struck.

Newland tried a passing move on the outside.

The Capri left the track, through a wire fence, then slewed sideways for 100 metres in the adjoining paddock – it was a miracle that the car didn’t roll.

Moffat immediately slowed, completed a lap and stopped beside the crash scene to check on the condition of his young adversary – an act that won the applause of the crowd.

1995

THE 1995 Australian Touring Car Championship was already underway with Larry Perkins getting a drought-breaking round win at Sandown. Perkins did it by winning the opening race before finishing second behind John Bowe in the finale. But Bowe was seething and slammed Glenn Seton and Tony Longhurst after the stewards handed the DJR star a suspended $5000 fine.

Bowe punted Seton in the second heat at Sandown.

“I would feel that I was fitted up well and truly by the other two competitors, one (Longhurst) I have had a clash with since Winton 1992 and the other (Seton) has always seemed bitter towards us because we are the factory team,” Bowe said.

Newland was very shaken but otherwise unhurt. Moffat was very distressed over the incident –

2005

AHEAD OF his first season with Williams, Mark Webber, had slammed the new F1 regulations for 2005.

Whilst admitting something had to be done about car speeds Webber claimed the new tyres will make “Grand Prix racing like an economy run.”

“The cars are right where they are and the changes have come in at a good time but one set of tyres for a race? Its ridiculous.

“Its an economy run ... but it is what it is.

“To detune a car to the degree where a Formula Renault car would blow it away ... then we may as well pack up.”

as he commented later, he’d expected Danny to be seriously injured, but was thankful he was okay.

2015

NISSAN’S GODZILLA had conquered the Mountain once again with Katsumasa Chiyo, Wolfgang Reip and Florian Strauss taking a tight win in the 12 Hour.

The trio in a factory backed NISMO GT-R held off Marco Mapelli, Laurens Vanthoor and Markus Winkelhock.

This was held at the height of the 12 Hour vs Supercars stoush.

There was not a single full-time Supercars driver on show with the category staging a one-off Super Test at Sydney Motorsport Park on the same day. The pre-season test was the first live event on the new Fox Sports TV deal and concluded with a single lap shootout that was topped by Chaz Mostert.

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