Issue 5 • 2011
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Hardware • Verandahs • Roofing • Fencing • Sheds • Carports
Take The lead wiTh Bisley.
e d itor’s notes
W
ow. That’s probably the best word I can find to describe the current status of motorsport around the plant. Why such an enormous amount of exclamation from such a tiny word? Because it seems every code and category I watch, I can’t predict the outcome – and that’s been a long time in the waiting. I must declare that even though I am in awe this season, I still have a circle of friends that just don’t get it. “They’re just cars” is one I hear a bit, along with “Oh, there was a Formula race yesterday?” Yeah I know, find new friends, the problem is I actually enjoying the debates I have with them as we compare sports. One of the discussions I love to go over with them is the debate about Nascar and Indycar. You know the argument as well due to the fact that they only turn right a few times in a season. What my wonderful companions fail to come to grips with, is that any piece of machinery, travelling at warp speed only a hair width away from another piece of machinery at an equally quick pace all controlled by a humans reflexes...... well, nothing else matches that in my mind. I don’t care if they are circulating a mile oval in an endless anticlockwise direction, or cresting the Belgian tarmac of the stunning Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, motorsport is a fix that I can’t get enough of. All of these different codes however they arrange themselves are giving me a serious rush this year and I am so glad that I get to be a part of it – even if it is just as a spectator. But hey, it’s all about us on the sidelines anyway isn’t it? There was another wow factor for me this year, but I know that I am not alone with this one - Senna. We all have our favourite drivers, current and past, but for me it was the driving genius from Brazil. When my son was born ten years ago my wife had no say in one particular matter – he was to be named Ayrton. No doubt there are others around the world that have done the same thing as I, and they too must now be rejoicing after having watched the recently released movie about the man. You could list out many terms to describe the feelings emotions that you get while watching a movie like that, but again, I can only reiterate the one that currently works for me – wow. Remember – Motor Racing is sport. Everything else is just a game. See you by the barriers.....
the team editor in chief Ned Dawson Project Manager Cathy Horton Editor Craig Lord Deputy Editor Jacki Warnock Sub Editors Leigh Neil F1 Editor David Tremayne INDY CARS Jeremy Shaw CONTRIBUTING editor Elysia Pratt CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Paul Carruthers Mark Horsborough Columnists Mitch Evans Alex Tagliani Earl Bamber Alastair Wootten Proofreading Barbara McIntosh Graphic Design Dot Design Digital Edition Zinio Web Design Fuel Design
Sooty
EDITORIAL Kia Kaha Media PO Box 37 978, Parnell, Auckland, New Zealand PHONE +64 21 757 747 • FAX +64 9 528 3172 EMAIL info@kiakahamedia.com
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contents 16 The Tough School
Some say you go to school not to learn the topics at hand, but to learn how to learn. It seems as though this is also true for motorsport, in particular, categories such as Formula Ford.
32 Exotica or Erotica?
With beautiful lines and gorgeous shapes, they force you to stare, and wherever in the world the exotic cars race they turn heads.
48 Making Ground
With an abundance of open wheel categories, Formula 3 in Australia is stepping up to the plate.
64 A TALE OF TWO HALVES
Italian Mirko Bortolotti maybe leading the way at the midway point in the 2011 FIA Formula Two Championship but, as Tom Phillips reports, it’s still anyone’s title.
84 Rules must be obeyed
Over recent years Formula 1 has had a multitude of rule changes and more are in the pipeline for coming seasons, but for now we need to come to grips with the ones that happen in the middle of a season.
regulars 9 fresh with GP3
11 Behind the visor 13
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Written by David Tremayne Foreword by Sir Jackie Stewart This investigation of Rindt’s mercurial career paints the portrait of a man taken long before he reached his true potential and puts an underwritten character into his real perspective, as one of the greatest Grand Prix drivers of all time.
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Fresh with GP3 Mitch Evans is one of the fresher faces in the GP3 scene. He brings us his thoughts as he battles for motorsport glory.
A
fter round one of the GP3 Series in Turkey I came away 8th in the championship, feeling good and was looking forward to the rest of the series. We then headed to Barcelona for round 2 of the championship which I was really looking towards because we had tested well during Pre-Season testing there so I wanted to make the most of my track experience and knowledge from the test for the race. The weekend started off strong being second quickest during practice, which gave me great confidence to attack qualifying. We made set-up changes to try and improve the car from practice and right when qualifying started we were challenging for pole every lap. I managed to pull a lap together good enough for pole by only 0.001 of a second! Crazy, but I’ll take it that’s for sure! This was a huge turning point for myself and for the team also because this was both the teams and my first GP3 Pole position. Obviously the pressure was on for the race and especially the start. There was a problem with my clutch at the start that meant I had a slow getaway but I managed to get out of turn one in the lead. I did what I always do and that is put my head down and I pulled a nice gap during the first part of the race and then control it. I was feeling really comfortable throughout the whole race and was so pleased to see the checkered flag. The moment I crossed the line was life changing, the feeling of success in this new chapter of my career and for it to come so early was just absolutely incredible. But I can’t thank the people that have given me this opportunity and have made it happen for me enough. The team deserved this win; the amount of hard work that has gone in from all the boys has just been huge. Working with MW Arden has really improved me in my driving and especially with the preparation side of it; they are a great bunch of lads to work with and this was a great reward for them. Race 2 in Barcelona I started 8th and moved up to 5th, which again was a good result for points which moved me into 3rd in the championship. Round 3 were held in Spain again but we took to the streets in Valencia. I love street circuits because there is no room for error! We were strong in practice and I was feeling really good for qualifying. On my first lap of qualifying I had this warning light come up on my dash saying there was a turbo error, the team told me to push on if it wasn’t affecting me. I did 2 laps but then it started to miss when I got to full throttle. I spent the remainder of the session in the pits while the team tried to fix the issue but we had no luck. My lap was good enough for 4th, which I was really surprised about. My turbo was changed for race 1 and was hoping that was the end of that. Race 1 we had
good speed and finished 3rd which was good enough for me to take the lead in the championship! Race 2 I started 6th but lost a few positions at the start and then had to pull out some formula ford maneuvers I learnt back in the day and shuffled my way up to 4th and extended my lead to 4 points. We then headed to my, I guess, ‘home race’ as I could stay at my home in England for the Silverstone Grand Prix. Pre season testing here didn’t go to bad for me but it’s definitely one of those circuits you need some experience at to be competitive. Practice was up and down in changeable weather but I was definitely hoping for a dry qualifying because I struggled a bit in the wet during practice. I gave it all I had in qualifying but we could only manage 4th but I was actually pleased with this as it gave me a good position for hopefully decent points. Race 1 was an absolute gamble, it started to rain on our warm up lap when 19 drivers including me were on slicks and 11 were on wets, so the drivers on slicks pitted for wets. I came out in 15th because of this so I pushed on to try and get in the points. I had to use old wet tyres because there was an issue with my new wet tyres. I picked up a few positions every few laps but my tyres went off mid way through the race because they were so old. The track started to dry out and then my pace picked up because my tyres were hard, and finished 10th with 3rd fastest lap. I was gutted because if I finished 8th I would be off 1st for race 2 and 8th place was only a few seconds a head of me. Race 2 was thankfully dry and I got an absolute mega start and I was up to 5th by the end of the first sector and had passed my closest championship rival. Half way around sector two on lap 1 my engine cut out and that was the end of my race. A sensor on the car had shorted and put the engine into safety mode and then cut out completely. This was a huge disappointment as I was in a great position for good points and a possible podium. Sometimes things can’t always go your way, and it can be brutal when they don’t but you just need to make the most of success! I am now 2nd in the championship only 3 points off the lead at the half way point in the championship. I’m ready to take on the challenge, I’m feeling good in the car and the team is doing a great job. A massive thanks to all my sponsors – Giltrap Group, Banklink, Mako Networks, Gen-i, James Rosenberg Racing and all the Club 5000 members.
Mitch To follow Mitch’s journey join his Facebook or Twitter pages and check mitchevans.com
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Teamwork, Precision, Performance. Bowers & WIlkins congratulate Sam Schmidt and the entire team for having put IZOD Indycar series driver Alex Tagliani on the pole at the the 100th anniversary of the Indianapolis 500.
Photography provided by INDYCAR / Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Listen and You’ll See
Alex Tagliani is an IZOD IndyCarÂŽ Series driver Indianapolis 500 and IndyCar are registered trademarks of Brickyard Trademarks, Inc., used with permission. IZOD is a registered trademark of Phillips-Van Heusen Corporation, used with permission.
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For more information and availability about Bowers & Wilkins products please contact B&W Group Ltd. Dale Road Worthing, West Sussex BN11 England info@bwgroup.com www.bowers-wilkins.com
By Alex Tagliani
Behind the Visor
I
t’s now past the mid-season point for the Indycar series and I’m back to give you all another look into my world and behind the visor. This year has brought about many trials, some good races and some even greater moments. As we all know, in racing there are highlights and there are lowlights. When you are not in the spotlight, you are nose to the grind working your ass off to get a better set up, to get less drag and more grip, to find that last fraction of a second each lap; to keep your team happy and your sponsors happier. If you have been watching the Indycar series, then you’ll know that on many days it’s only milliseconds that separate the lap times of the top 10 cars in the field. In my world it is fierce competition! So, let’s chat about the highlights of the 2011 Season to this point. For me, the best thing about the year so far has been winning the Pole position at the Centennial running of the Indianapolis 500. This is for sure an accomplishment that I will remember forever and an experience that is going to be hard to top. There is something so special about just making it into “the show” at the Indy 500. Being given the chance to be behind the wheel of one of the 33 starting cars at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on that glorious day in May. The pole at Indy was the first of the 2 poles I’ve had in Indycar so far this year. Another highlight and second pole was at Texas Motor speedway back to back with Indy. The month of May was the 2nd year at Indy for our team and I really feel like we were even more successful there and we were able to show that we are a team to beat for the future. Enjoying the pole for a whole week leading into the race is a special thing about Indy and it was great for the sponsors and the team. The achievement just shows that what we have been building since 2009 is all worth it! Pole day itself was also a pretty big highlight for me with a record crowd on that day. We were seen as the underdog and knocking the big boys off the top spot was a treat for sure. In the Top 9 pole shoot out, the #77 was the last car on track after a rain delay and we still did it on the last lap by a hair
over Dixie. That was a drama filled day but the end result and reward was sweet. Of course I will always feel that there are possible improvements to make on any given day at any given track. Although we seem to be more consistent overall than last year, our luck seems to be terrible! Take for example in Toronto where the car was good enough to finish on the podium, yet didn’t. In Iowa we also had a good car and we didn’t’ finish where we should have. I think if we can get back on a roll, especially after the 6th place in Mid-Ohio, we can jump back up in the points and finish out the season strong. In our sport, emotions run hot after every race it’s just the players that differ. There are the usual suspects to look out for and of course some drivers have reputations for being dirty on track (I won’t mention names here) but as a fan of the sport you can draw your own conclusions as to who I’m referring to. I have already been called a “Wanker” this year, which I’m sure you all already heard about. I took it as a term of endearment and not too long after the incident we had hugged and made up. It’s a good thing too as our wives are great friends and it would have made staying over at their house in NC a little uncomfortable to say the least. Of the remaining tracks on the schedule, Sonoma should be a very good race weekend for the team. Baltimore could also be a good street course. I have good feelings and faith that we could be really strong in the upcoming races and with Motegi, Japan now being run as the road course, we should show good form there as well. I think it will be a tough stretch to the final showdown in Vegas, but in my eyes the team can do well. Of special interest if you didn’t know it, I am looking forward to racing in Montreal in both the Nascar Nationwide and Canadian Tire Series. Both races will give me some valuable seat time back in the sedan cars before we head to Australia and the Gold Coast or “Goldie” as my wife calls it. Again I’ll be with my pals from the Kelly gang and no doubt we’ll be getting into some trouble on the streets of Surfer’s Paradise at the end of October. It’s always great to get back to Australia and see our friends and family and Surfer’s has always been one of my favorite tracks over the years. Next you hear from me I’ll more than likely be roughing fenders with some local boys down under, and loving it too! P1
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速
PERFORMANCE COOLANTS
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TM
By Earl Bamber
Superleague
T
he ultimate test of man a machine, Superleague Formula is bring back and racing where the driver still makes the difference, where the cars and monstrous in size and sound and combining that with a format like no other. What is Superleague? Superleague Formula is the world’s most entertaining motor racing experience and a new, unique way of engaging motorsport fans on a global scale. It puts 16 identical V12 750HP single seater race cars and 16 professional drivers representing some of the world’s most iconic football clubs and now in 2011 country’s against each other to compete for more than €3,000,000 in prize money. I have been lucky enough to drive three times in Superleague as a commentator turn driver. When I drove each time it was last minute and one time had to borrow other driver’s kit because I didn’t have mine with me but two and out three times managed to take home the win. When you say it like that it sounds easy, but from my experience it’s one of the most gluing events in motorsport. When you leave the garage on Sunday and are strapped in the car for over 2 and half hours, Equal time to doing a marathon and one hour longer than a formula one race. This marathon event comprises of 3 races, the first a 40min race with a pit stop, second a 40min reverse grid race only ten minutes after the first and finally the super final the top eight after the first two races dash for cash and the weekend win. This format is my favorite type of racing a racers race and one that you have to take on a never say die attitude. The first race is flat out going for the win but the hard part is when you
have to turn straight around and start last. From the high of winning a race to the near impossible task of starting last and trying to battle your way through the field to take another podium. Its high stress and high motion. Towards the end of the race myself personally I have struggled with no tyres left while the team is yelling you have to take the car in front the make the super final. This is the same for all the drivers and more than likely you see last lap clashes for the final places. If all that wasn’t enough it’s now time to turn around for a 5 lap dash for the win and cash €100,000 is up for grabs if you cross the line first! As a driver you just go for it and charge and go for it. As a commentator you have so much going on you don’t know where to look and can’t talk fast enough. After the super final the winner for the weekend is crowned. If you manage to win you know you have been the best driver on the day as most of the time it’s the driver that has passed the most cars that wins the weekend making it a driver’s race and a format that you’re never out till the fat lady sings. Australia’s John Martin currently leads the championship going into the second round of the championship. At the top of the table it is tighter than ever with each weekend proving near impossible to pick a winner. This week I am off to the second round of Superleague Formula for 2011 in Zolder. I will be bring you updates and in gossip and action from the championship round by round. Stay tuned and catch you all next month.
Earl
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By Alastair Wootten
Designed to be Fit strength and conditioning in Motorsport
G
rowing up as a young aspiring racer and carrying a few more extra kilo’s than I should have been made things a little challenging, especially when it came to trying to reach an elite level in motorsport. Even having got an early start in quarter midgets at Western Springs Speedway at age 8, moving forward to bigger and better things was always going to be a challenge. After 4 seasons on the speedway ovals I made the transition to karting. For those of you who don’t know much of karting, it definitely favors the slimmer figured types. So at only 12 years of age I was already 12kg over the minimum weight for my class, which made things a little challenging to say the least! With no fitness, no agility, no incredibly fancy equipment it was always a struggle to run at or near the front. However by the time I was able to move through through the senior classes, Open and KZ2 as it is known now, the weights balanced out a bit better. My fitness was increasing; I was growing and become stronger and also
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learning a lot more about racing with the ‘big boys’. But it wasn’t until I won the ‘NZ Speedsport ‘Search for a Star’ Scholarship in 2006 that I knew that I was going to be in for one hell of a ride! Having studied a Diploma in Fitness Training at Auckland University of Technology I really started to see more of the physical and psychological reasons behind why people go to the gym, how exercise prescription can aid athletes in competition and by doing these can what incredible results can be achieved. For most, going to the gym is a daily ritual. For those who don’t, I’m sure you have considered it on several occasions and whether it be for health reasons or maybe just to get back into that pair of jeans which you haven’t been able to get into since Christmas last year. Generally, working within a sport and recreation facility this is the usual perception we get, with the breakdown
of training consisting of 2-3 days of cardiovascular training per week and 1-2 days of strength training per week. So what is the reason for having the balance between these two forms of training? Cardiovascular training, usually called aerobic training, is exercise of relatively low intensity and long duration, which depends primarily on the aerobic energy system. Aerobic means to use with oxygen and refers to the use of oxygen in the body’s metabolic or ‘energy’ generating process. Many types of exercise are aerobic, and by definition are performed at moderate levels of intensity for extended periods of time. However, there are forms of acute cardiovascular training that can push the body beyond this aerobics phase making the body become anaerobic. But we will save this for the next issue. When we talk about ‘strength training’ we don’t necessarily mean turning into bodybuilders or world strongmen or women. This form of training involves the use of some form of resistance to increase the individual’s strength, anaerobic endurance and general bone structure and density. There are many different ways of performing ‘strength training’. If you don’t have the benefit of using gym machine weights or dumbbells you can use things such as gravity, elastic bands, tires, balls or sledge hammers to perform similar movements that allow the muscle to contract in a functional manner. So, by knowing a little more about the detail of what both cardiovascular and strength training consists of you can now see how ‘gym based training’ is a means of aiding not just any athlete, but more importantly a driver? Motorsport is known world wide as being one of, if not the most, physically demanding sports on the planet. Why
you ask? Heat stress, dehydration, fatigue, concentration, endurance, and pressure. This is what a race driver is faced with every time the race event approaches. Their preparation, psychological state, nutrition and hydration, all peaking for the event. Things that an outsider looking in will never see. Ayton Senna was one of the first to follow a strict training regime with the nutritional value to support this level of acute exercise. While on the other hand, the late, great Jim Clark relied on his feed of steak and chips on the night before the big race to get him through. Of course knowing what we know now, Senna was well ahead of his time both on and off the track and at 176cm tall weighed in at only 70kg, what is now considered to be the optimum weight for a racer thanks to the cardiovascular exercise, strength training and nutrition. This all goes to show that today’s racecar driver is a finely tuned athlete. Whether you are a weekend racer or an international professional in a single seater or V8 touring car, fitness, strength and nutrition will be the cheapest form of performance gain a driver will ever be able to find. One training program and 4 weeks training could potentially find you the same amount of time or speed that a $10,000 suspension upgrade would. So as we move forward from here we will start to break down different the aspects of training, which will allow you to see or become what every racer needs and wants…… results. Until next time, Train hard!
Alastair
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Some say you go to school not to learn the topics at hand, but to learn how to learn. It seems as though this is also true for motorsport, in particular, categories such as Formula Ford. story by Chris Jewell photos by ned dawson
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fter the pre season testing everyone was eager to get on the track for real and see how the drivers, old and new, would go, what the racing would be like and if it would continue to be a strong support to its ‘big brother’ category, the GP2 Series. If the first round in Istanbul, Turkey is anything to go by, we are in for an exciting and action packed year. This year’s V8 Supercar field boasts in excess of 20 drivers who have used the wildly competitive Formula Ford Championship to springboard a professional career in motorsport. Among this distinguished group are seven former Australian Formula Ford champions, two New Zealand title winners and one winner of the British Formula Ford crown. The Australian title-winners list consist of Russell Ingall, Craig Lowndes, Jason Bright, Garth Tander, Jamie Whincup, Will Davison and David Reynolds, from New Zealand we have Fabian Coulthard and Shane Van Gisbergen, while reigning V8 Supercar champ James Courtney scored his Formula Ford crown in the UK, winning the British FF Championship and launching his overseas career in the process. Right across the world Formula Ford has acted as the perfect breeding ground for future stardom and while some countries
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The end result of what was a wild weekend of racing saw karting graduate and second-year National title competitor, Tom Williamson, leave the streets of Adelaide at the head of the pointscore, with his younger Borland Racing Developments team mate Jesse Fenech hot on his heels.
championships have waned, or gone missing altogether; in Australia, this exciting open wheel championship is still seen as one of the most competitive held anywhere in the world. The eight-round 2011 championship trail kicked off at the Clipsal 500 V8 Supercar event in March. The end result of what was a wild weekend of racing saw karting graduate and second-year National title competitor, Tom Williamson, leave the streets of Adelaide at the head of the pointscore, with his younger Borland Racing Developments team mate Jesse Fenech hot on his heels. Both drivers drove their factory-built Spectrums maturely throughout, taking advantage of the mistakes of others to outclass the field over the combined twin race format. The weekend witnessed a number of big crashes and all sessions and races were impacted by Red Flags and Safety Car interruptions, leaving many drivers frustrated at the lack of competitive running. In some ways, the carnage that prevailed around the concrete-lined former F1 venue was expected, with just one driver in the 27-car field having previous experience of the challenging street course. Regardless, nobody could deny Williamson his first round win, but behind him there were plenty of drivers licking their wounds and assessing the issue 5
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The weekend witnessed a number of big crashes and all sessions and races were impacted by Red Flags and Safety Car interruptions, leaving many drivers frustrated at the lack of competitive running.
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Chaos reigned throughout the second event with Elliot Barbour having the most frightening of crashes at the notoriously fast Turn 8.
cost of a damaging weekend of racing - and nobody more so than 2011 championship favourite Cameron Waters. The 16-year-old went into the weekend as the favourite for this year’s title, justifying that mantle by claiming pole position and taking a dominant first race win in his Sonic Motor Racing Services Mygale. Disaster struck in the second race when he ran wide in the opening laps while trying to put distance between himself and the snarling pack. Contact was made with the outside of Turn 4 and after ripping off the left-hand-side front suspension Waters cannoned back across the circuit and into his two team mates, Nick Foster and Garry Jacobson. Waters and Foster were out on the spot, but Jacobson managed to continue in his wounded machine, going on to finish in sixth place at the chequered flag. Chaos reigned throughout the second event with Elliot Barbour having the most frightening of crashes at the notoriously fast Turn 8. Barbour’s car riding up over the back of the slowing Samantha Reid machine, then having an IndyCar-like crash before shedding wheels and suspension while skidding all the way down the back straight at undiminished speed. The car finally came to rest in the tyre barrier at the Turn 9 hairpin, issue 5
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9100-77 LIMITED EDITION IndyCar Driver Alex Tagliani Signature Chronograph
Available at Fine Jewelry Stores www.jorggray.com
JORG GRAYŠ is a registered trademark 28 p1 magazine
with a shaken Barbour getting out of his battered Mygale unhurt, after one of the most frightening Formula Ford crashes seen for some time. The carnage continued all the way to the last corner of the last lap of the final race, with Jack LeBrocq making contact with New Zealand youngster Andre Heimgartner. Andre had shown great form all weekend and could consider himself rather unlucky not to leave with more points than the solitary one he scored from his tenth place finish in the first race. The 15-year-old reigning New Zealand Formula Ford champion was very impressive in qualifying, having never before seen the circuit and rocked the establishment with a stunning second fastest time. Of course, it’s nothing new having a 15-year old New Zealander doing well on foreign soil, just as International export Mitch Evans did back in 2009, when at the same age, he took the challenge right up to eventual Australia title-winner Nick Percat. Nick Cassidy kept young Andre good company all weekend, the fellow Kiwi doing a great job to score a podium finish after a pair of hectic races. Waters survived in fourth position in the points after his good early form, with Jacobson claiming fifth overall ahead of Trent Harrison’s CAMS Rising Stars Mygale entry. Fosters’ lone second place saw him placed seventh in the title chase ahead of Pete Major in the new Australian-built Stealth, while Tom Goess and LeBrocq rounded out the top ten. The 2011 Formula Ford Championship is largely an Australia versus France affair, with the locally built Spectrum and Stealth chassis’ up against the international Mygales. More than a dozen Mygales contested the opening round, with the Melbourne-built Spectrum chassis numbering slightly less, while just two of the newly-built Western Australian Stealth cars were in evidence. The field lessened in number for the second round at Winton in Victoria’s North-East, but one driver joining the fray had a point to prove and came with a famous motor racing
Championship Points 1. Cameron Waters
71
2. Matthew Brabham
51
3. Garry Jacobson
45
4. Nick Foster
44
5. Tom Williamson
42
6. Trent Harrison
33
7. Jack LeBrocq
31
8. Jesse Fenech
29
9. Liam Sager
24
10. Nick Cassidy
22
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Ca l e n da r 1. Clipsal 500 Event, SA (March 17-20) 2. Winton Motor Raceway, VIC (May 20-22) 3. Eastern Creek, NSW (July 15-17) 4. Sucrogen 400 Event, QLD (Aug 19-21) 5. Sandown Raceway, VIC (Sep 9-11) 6. L&H 500 Event, Phillip Island, VIC (Sep 16-18) 7. Armor All 600 Event, Gold Coast, QLD (Oct 21-23) 8. Falken Challenge Event, Symmons Plains, TAS (Nov 11-13)
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name to help his on-track exploits. Matthew Brabham is the Grandson of three-time Formula 1 World Champion, Sir Jack Brabham and Matt’s father Geoff was no slouch either, winning numerous open wheel and sports car titles in a stellar career in both the United Kingdom and America. Matt’s program for the year includes limited outings in the National Formula Ford Championship, which he is contesting in addition to the Victorian FF Title and he was on form from the outset. The 17-year-old taking pole position ahead of his more-fancied Sonic team mates, as the Michael Ritter led team dominated qualifying by locking up the first four grid spots in a show of dominance. The best of the Spectrum drivers was Synergy Motorsport’s Liam Sager in fifth spot with his team mates Mathew Hart and Shae Davies making it just two different teams in the top seven. Championship leader Williamson was a distraught 17th, with his younger team mate somewhat better off in 11th place, but neither could hold a candle to the top order and were both left wondering where their opening event form had gone. The Winton weekend saw the standard three race format back in evidence, with the final race of the weekend held in torrential rain, but nobody could deny Brabham his first career round win. The Queenslander took out victory in races one and three and in the process, rocketed to second spot in the championship, despite missing the opening round. Second for the weekend, having claimed the race two win, was Waters - who drove consistently all weekend to leave the Winton circuit at the head of the championship points ahead of his team mate Jacobson, who again showed great speed. Foster lies fourth at the completion of two of the eight rounds and survived a big scare with a wild excursion in the final, wet encounter while pre-Winton points leader, Tom Williamson, has now slipped to fifth outright in the points. Williamson had failed to score a point until the rains arrived but after a clever drive scored a handful from his sixth place finish. The CAMS Rising Stars combination of LeBrocq and Harrison also enjoyed a spirited weekend of competition with LeBrocq scoring his first ever podium finish. This pair is also well-placed in the title chase in sixth and seventh positions ahead of Fenech, who slipped from second to eighth, Sager and Cassidy - the latter, sadly a non-arrival at Winton due to budget constraints. The average age of the top ten point scorers to date is just over 18-years and with just two drivers over twenty fending off eight youngsters aged from 16-19, this year’s Formula Ford Championship is well poised to be one of the best yet, although those looking to mount a challenge will now have to with until mid-July for the next round of this coveted and vitally important series. P1 issue 5
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With beautiful lines and gorgeous shapes, they force you to stare, and wherever in the world the exotic cars race they turn heads. photos by Ned Dawson & Craig Lord
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ustralian motorsport fans are spoilt for choice when it comes down to attending their favourite form of motor racing. The country has held a Formula One event since 1985 and the Moto GP circus has been heading ‘down-under’ for almost as long. World Superbikes and a round of the World Rally Championship are also in evidence and while the IndyCars no longer visit the streets of the Gold Coast, there exists a diverse range of motoring and motorsport related activity to give all manner of enthusiasts their racing fix. From a domestic perspective the V8 Supercars are the biggest show in town and many categories vie for inclusion
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at their major races, held throughout Australia across the March to December period. Formula Ford, the Australian V8 Utes, Porsche Carrera Cup and the Australian GT Championship provide more than adequate supporting acts during the course of the season. The exotic GT cars provide the most variety from a manufacturer’s perspective and also give seasoned fans the opportunity to witness up close and personal, some of Europe’s most-famous marques ... and then there’s the noise, with some oh sweet sounds emanating from the differing power-plants powering these expensive exoticars. This year’s Vodka O Australian
GT Championship consists of seven rounds and the first of those kicked off in conjunction with the V8 Supercars first Australian foray at the high-profile Clipsal 500 event in South Australia. Queenslander Klark Quinn was the man to beat from the outset and the son of Tony did a great job all weekend to claim pole position and victory in both races. Driving his sinister-looking Mosler MT900, the youngster claimed victory in both the Friday, one-hour twilight event - before also taking the chequered flag in Sunday’s 12-lap sprint. A strong 22-car field contested the opening round, which also witnessed a number of teams utilising the services
of co-drivers for the hour-long Friday race. Dane Allan Simonsen joined Nick O’Halloran in the Maranello Motorsport Ferrari F430 GT3, while Kiwi Jason Richards was also Ferrari F430 mounted, lining up alongside Peter Edwards. Incredibly, neither of the two big name codrivers actually raced, with both Ferrari’s retiring early in the event. Coming home right behind Quinn in race one were three different makes of machine, with Mark Eddy’s gorgeous Audi R8 LMS claiming second spot hot on the Mosler’s heels, ahead of the brutal and boisterous Dodge Viper of former Australian Sports Sedan Champion, Greg Crick. A Porsche was next home with
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From a domestic perspective the V8 Supercars are the biggest show in town and many categories vie for inclusion at their major races, held throughout Australia across the March to December period.
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GT Championship Points
gt challenge points
Klark Quinn
220
Tim Poulton
204
Mark Eddy
208
Damien Flack
114
Dean Grant
197
Lindsay Yelland
114
Greg Crick
196
Adrian Flack
106
Ash Samadi
186
New Zealand charger Daniel Gaunt codriving Dean Grant’s Porsche 997 GT3 Cup machine to fourth place. Two divisions exist within the GT Championship with the GT Challenge class bolstering the field and regularly challenging some of the bigger names in their GT Championship cars, and Damien Flack did a stellar job to win his class, scoring sixth outright in the process. The sprint race may have seen Quinn score back to back victories but there was a mixed order evident behind him, with Crick improving to take second spot ahead of Eddy and Tony Quinn, who drove his sexy Aston Martin DBRS9 to fourth spot, having started from the rear of the field after crashing out of Friday’s race on the opening lap. Ash Samadi made it two Mosler’s in the top five spots, coming home just ahead of Peter ‘hollywood’ Hackett in his Lamborghini Gallardo. Flack again took victory in the GT Challenge class, although this time could do no better than ninth outright. The scene for the second round of
the championship could not have been more different to the challenging streets of Adelaide, with rural Victoria’s Winton Motor Raceway playing host to a smaller 16-car field. The low-speed, 12-turn complex was expected to mix things up and that certainly looked to be the case when Eddy claimed a stunning pole with the fastest ever GT time during Saturday’s qualifying session. Tony Quinn’s shrieking Aston Martin pipped the younger Quinn’s Mosler for second with Grant’s Porsche making it four different makes in the top four grid spots. The best of the GT Challenge cars was Mark O’Connor’s Lotus Exige S in 12th. Saturday’s first race was a 30-minute affair that saw Eddy claiming his first win of the year and a new Winton GT lap record in the process. The glorious sounding Audi finishing ahead of Klark Quinn and Grant with the Ben Eggleston driven Aston Martin coming home in a very commendable fourth place at the completion of 21 laps. Sunday’s race was a one hour event
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that included a number of big name co-drivers. Gaunt was back with Grant, while Craig Baird team up with Mark Cini in the red and black Hallmarc Porsche GT3 997. Jason Richards was back with O’Halloran in the Ferrari and was joined by namesake Steven who lined up alongside Tim Poulton in the nimble little Lotus Exige S. Former Aussie international
Barton Mawer was also Lotus mounted, though his machine was contesting the GT Championship class. The race was a cracking affair, with a mid-race Safety Car closing the field up after the mandatory pit-stops, and a long clean up period to attend to a racing surface made slippery by Eggleston’s exploding Aston Martin.
At the re-start Klark Quinn sprinted clear - his father Tony watching from the sidelines having failed to start the race - but behind him a battle was raging between Eddy, Crick, Baird and Gaunt, with the latter passing his way through to second before commencing his pursuit of Quinn. Gaunt eventually caught the Mosler
Ca l e n da r 1. Clipsal 500 Event, South Australia (March 17-20) 2. Winton Motor Raceway, Victoria (May 21-22) 3. Eastern Creek, New South Wales (May 28-29)
This year’s Vodka O Australian GT Championship consists of seven rounds and the first of those kicked
4. Sucrogen 400 Event, Queensland (July 8-10)
off in conjunction with
5. Phillip Island, Victoria (Sep 16-18)
the V8 Supercars first
6. Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 Event, New South Wales (Oct 6-9) 7. Norton 360 Challenge Sandown Event, Victoria (Nov 18-20)
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Australian foray at the high-profile Clipsal 500 event in South Australia.
and found a way by into the lead, going on to win by a comfortable seven seconds. Quinn was then pounced on by the charging Baird who, try as he might, could not find a way by into second. Baird also had his mirrors full of
Eddy, who had set yet another lap record in his quest for a podium spot, but was denied by the wily Baird. Behind this group, Crick was doing all he could to muscle the huge Viper around the sinuous Winton circuit but had to be content with
fifth at the fall of the chequered flag. At the completion of the Winton weekend and the four races held thus far, Klark Quinn holds sway in the championship points with Eddy placed second ahead of Grant and Crick. P1
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James Winslow leading eventual winner Kristian Lindbom in the City of Darwin Cup Race at Hidden Valley.
With an abundance of open wheel categories, Formula 3 in Australia is stepping up to the plate. story by Chris Jewell photos by Ned Dawson & F3/Dirk Klynsmith
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ow in its thirteenth year of running, the Formula 3 Australian Drivers’ Championship has long wanted to race alongside Australia’s premier form of motorsport; V8 Supercars. This year Australia’s fastest form of motor racing joins the V8 tin-tops on three occasions, and if the on-track action making up the first two rounds is anything to go by, the 2011 season could put the category well and truly back on the map. Despite relatively small numbers for the opening pair of races, held at Winton Motor Raceway in Victoria and Darwin’s Hidden Valley circuit, the racing
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has been intense, with newer names taking on the more established stars in the fight for the coveted CAMS Gold Star. 2008 title winner James Winslow has returned to Australia, intent on scoring his second championship win and after the five races contested thus far the British driver leads the championship by a scant four points, having won three of the five races. Winslow is this year also contesting the United States Indy Lights Series with Andretti Autosports and is the driver everyone wants to beat.
Kristian Lindbom was a one-round wonder at Hidden Valley, coming from literally nowhere to win the round and the biggest F3 event of the year.
His form at the opening Winton round was exceptional and if not for a rain-cancelled final event Winslow could well be leading the championship by an extended margin, which is not to say he has things all his own way. Driving his R-Tek Dallara F307 Mercedes, the likable ‘pom’ has had to contend with a host of spirited performers, none less so than Bryce Moore. Moore has been a revelation this year and has driven the second of the R-Tek machines with great verve to sit in second place in the title chase. Moore’s performance at Hidden Valley was
particularly noteworthy and he left the Northern Territory venue with the F3 lap record, together with a career-best finish of second, recorded in the second of three races making up the Darwin Superprix weekend. The racing at Hidden Valley was some of the best we have seen in Formula 3 with just 0.2s covering the top five in qualifying. During a weekend that saw a return to the fold of 2007 F3 champion, Tim Macrow – John Magro and Kristian Lindbom also recorded a race win each, with the latter claiming the overall win despite arriving
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Queenslander Roman Krumins exemplifies the great mix between young drivers and amateurs in the sport for the enjoyment of the sport.
After several years of partial campaigns, John Magro has put together a full-season attack with Team BRM in 2011 and was rewarded with a race win in Darwin.
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Ben Gersekowski leading Steel Guiliana – two drivers challenging for the $50,000 to win Forpark Scholarship this year.
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For the first time in ten years, Wings and Slicks racers returned to Hidden Valley and put on a show under the Darwin sun. And based on the reaction, they’ll be back for a while yet.
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Former champion James Winslow – the Briton is back to go around again and achieve the rare feat of multiple Gold Star awards.
at the circuit not knowing he would be driving. A quick pre-practice rally around conjured up sufficient funding for Lindbom to spend the weekend with his backside strapped into a BRM Dallara, and he never looked back. Lindbom’s drive in the final was fast, accurate and consistent and if he can find the backing to continue will give the title a real crack. Others in the mix included John Magro, in the second BRM entry, with Magro also claiming a weekend race win to back up the pole position he scored at the Winton opener. Despite possessing enough speed to challenge at the front, a pair of sixth places book-ended his weekend and the youngster had to be content with fourth overall behind the returning Macrow. Macrow was always going to be up against it in his outdated - but fast in a straight line - F304 and despite driving the wheels off his Italian-built, Renault powered car he just couldn’t extract enough from his mount to do better than third overall, which in itself was a remarkable achievement. The on-track action was as hot as the ambient temperature in Darwin and numerous incidents and
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Tim Macrow, the former champion and most successful driver in Australian F3 history, battling with John Magro. Macrow remains a major supporter of F3 and perhaps it’s most vocal former champion – now a car owner himself.
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POINTS (after 2 of 7 rounds) Australian Drivers’ Championship
National Class
James Winslow
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Steel Guiliana
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Bryce Moore
44
Ben Gersekowski
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Chris Gilmour
38
Tim Macrow
47
Kristian Lindbom
37
Josh Burdon
42
John Magro
34
Roman Krumins
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Queenslander Chris Gilmour notched up his 100th F3 race start at round one this year and has returned to the peak of his powers, that saw him go to within two points of beating Karl Reindler for the 2004 championship.
James Winslow in his R-Tek Motorsport, Mercedes powered Dallara.
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spins punctuated three very entertaining races, with the most talked about being the clash being between Chris Gilmour and James Winslow in race two. Gilmour made everyone sit up and take notice when he qualified second fastest position in the newest car in the field. A strong fourth in race one was backed up by a stunning start to the second affair, where after a long battle with the charging Winslow the pair came together in a big way entering the Turn 5 right hander. Both were out on the spot, but Gilmour bounced back in style in the final event, charging through the field to claim second spot to Lindbom on the run to the flag. While the bigger names, driving the newer cars battle it out up front, there also exists a race within a race for the Forpark Australian Scholarship National Class, where drivers with less experience, or an older chassis, do battle – and the racing in no less intense. After five races the battle for the National Class
championship lead is separated by a solitary point, with ex-BMW Asia driver Steel Guiliana leading young Ben Gersekowski, with Macrow vaulting into third place despite having only contested the Hidden Valley event. The 2011 season comprises a seven round schedule and the racing and reliability of the cars has been second to none. The year’s final event will be held alongside the V8 Supercars at Symmons Plains in Tasmania in November, with the field will likely grow in numbers as the year progresses. There are also plans afoot to see the F1-inspired chassis’ contesting races at the Holy Grail of Australian Motorsport, Mount Panorama. That in itself should result in one of the biggest and most competitive Australian Formula 3 fields ever seen. These are exciting times indeed for Australian Formula 3. P1
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Young Tasmanian Josh Burdon made his debut in 2010, and this year is fighting for the Forpark Scholarship, driving for R-Tek motorsport.
2 0 1 1 Fo rm ula 3 Aust ral ian D ri v ers ’ C h a m p i o n s h i p 1. Winton Motor Raceway V8 Supercar, Victoria (May 21-22) 2. Hidden Valley Raceway V8 Supercar , Northern Territory (June 17-19) 3. Eastern Creek Raceway, New South Wales (July 14-17) 4. Morgan Park, Queensland (Aug 12-14) 5. Sandown Park Raceway, Victoria (Sep 9-11) 6. Phillip Island, Victoria (Nov 4-6) 7. Symmons Plains Raceway V8 Supercar, Tasmania (Nov 11-13)
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Bryce Moore smokes up the Kumho’s after a spin at Winton. The young West Aussie has plenty of pace and many wins look likely this season.
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WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF JOINING CLUB 5000 in 2011? • You have an invitation to join Mitch at all the GP3 Championship rounds in Europe, hosted by Owen. • You will catch up with Mitch and his MW Arden team and more than likely get to meet Mark Webber, his manager, and current Red Bull F1 driver. • And you’ll probably be wearing your Club 5000 Mitch Evans supporters gear, designed by leading manufacturer Huffer, so everyone knows where your allegiances lie. • Even if you don’t make it to all the rounds, you won’t be far from the action. Mitch will email, Twitter or Facebook you with race and progress reports. • And when the season is complete you will be at the debrief with Mitch where you will have the chance to meet with the other Club members, find out for yourself what its like to do a lap in a GP3 car and chat through the ins and outs of a busy season in Europe. • Signed photo of Mitch and his GP3 car
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• Opportunity for corporate members to use Mitch or Owen as a speaker at their AGM, awards night or company function. p1 magazine
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he 2011 GP3 Championship is held over 8 rounds at selected European Formula 1 Championship races starting in Istanbul and finishing at
Monza in Italy so maximum exposure to Formula 1 teams is assured. Mitch’s efforts over the last 2 seasons have enabled him to transfer the outstanding support of the Giltrap Group to his European campaign and add to this a significant contribution from current Red Bull F1 driver, Mark Webber, who is also part owner of the MW Arden GP3 team for which Mitch will drive. But the budget for a GP3 campaign goes hand in hand with the opportunity. With the added costs of insurance, travel and living expenses and series cost, Mitch needs still more funds to ensure a successful season and he is requesting new and existing Club 5000 members to come along for the ride as their assistance is instrumental in getting it right.
It probably won’t be possible for me to reach my Formula One goal by myself, but together, and as a team, we can make this happen.
Mitch Evans
for MORE information Contact: Owen Evans 353 Church Street, Penrose Auckland 1061, New Zealand Mobile Business Fax Email
+64 275 900779 +64 9 636 5004 +64 9 634 7228 owen@evans-euro.co.nz issue 5
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Italian Mirko Bortolotti maybe leading the way at the midway point in the 2011 FIA Formula Two Championship but, as Tom Phillips reports, it’s still anyone’s title. photos by James Bearne/Formula Two
Austro-Italian driver Mirko Bortolotti kicking things off in winning style at Silverstone earlier this year
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M
otor racing, like most sports, remains incredibly difficult to predict. Take last year’s Formula One World Championship for example. Eventual winner Sebastian Vettel had never led the drivers’ championship until the final race in Abu Dhabi and was certainly not the bookies favourite pre-season. Likewise, F1’s top feeder series remain just as unpredictable and this year’s FIA Formula Two Championship looks unlikely to upset the trend. Now in its third season since it was re-launched by the highly successful MotorSport Vision Group – run by former F1 driver Jonathan Palmer – the one-make, one-team championship continues to deliver high drama and close racing throughout, making prophesying over the likely title contender a highly precarious matter. That said, there are always those who like to put forward likely protagonists preseason with returning drivers making up the bulk of that with the likes of German Tobias Hegewald, Mihai Marinescu, Will Bratt, Mirko Bortolotti and Alex Brundle, son of former Grand Prix racer and BBC commentator Martin.
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In pre-season testing, which this year took place at Silverstone and the all-new Snetterton 300 circuit, it was Brit Brundle who seemed to impress the most but, as drivers always comment, ‘testing is one thing, racing is another’. This year’s crop of F2 drivers would also have to adapt to several new international circuits for 2011, three of them never before visited by F2 including Magny-Cours, the Nürburgring and Austria’s brand new Red Bull Ring. Indeed the 2011 F2 calendar made for impressive reading with all the venues either being current or past F1 favourites, made possible due to the series electing to move away from its previous support package on the World Touring Car Championship and instead becoming the ‘headline’ act at each of its eight rounds. As well as a new calendar, a few tweaks were also made to the prize pot ahead of the season opener with the overall champion still retaining the coveted prize of a full Williams F1 test but with the second and third placed drivers now enjoying GP2 tests. Clearly then all the ingredients were in place for a great season and as the
Start-line action from Magny-Cours – one of three new circuits visited in 2011.
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(Clockwise from left). Alex Brundle, Christopher Zanella and action from the former French Grand Prix track.
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championship reaches its midway point, that’s exactly what the packed F2 field has delivered to date.
Rounds 1 & 2 – Silverstone, UK... The home of the British GP was the venue to take the wraps off the 2011 F2 season and a capacity 24-car field. First blood went to 21-year-old Mirko Bortolotti with a lightsto-flag victory in round one after just edging out Spaniard Miki Monras – a 19-year-old newcomer to F2 – for the P1 spot. Bortolotti, half Italian, half Austrian and fluent in several languages, was instantly on the pace in F2 – making his return to the series after competing in the inaugural season in 2009 and on the back of a mixed season in GP3 last year. Monras, meanwhile, took the honours for the second race at the Northamptonshire venue, converting his maiden pole position into 25 championship points, yet surprisingly this would prove to be his last visit to the podium to date. While Bortolotti and Monras shared the Silverstone spoils, there was less luck being dished out to the other title hopefuls. After a slow puncture in race one, Brundle then had the misfortune of stalling from P3 on the grid in race two as the rest of the field miraculously avoided colliding with him. The 20-year-old would therefore come away 72
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Indian racers Armaan Ebrahim
Parthiva Sureshwaren
Johannes Theoblad leads the mid-field pack
from his home event empty handed and, what would prove to be the start of more bad luck to come. Fellow Brit Will Bratt had his second podium of the weekend denied after being disqualified for ignoring his drive-through penalty, instead handing it to a relatively unknown driver by the name of Christopher Zanella. The 21-year-old, a former Formula 3 Euroseries racer, started that race 10th but tore his way through the field to cross the line fourth before being promoted to third and his maiden podium – the first of what would be many, many more.
Rounds 3 & 4 – Magny-Cours, France… Undoubtedly F2’s first ever visit to the former F1 favourite belonged to Christopher Zanella. Those who thought his maiden podium at Silverstone was nothing more than a fluke got to eat their words as the Swiss driver dominated in both wet and dry conditions. After losing ground from P2 in race one, he once again worked his way through the field to record his maiden win and then stuck his 500bhp F2 car on pole for race two before converting that into his second win. Zanella now had the attention of the F2 paddock commenting quietly afterwards, “I like this track a lot and I’m very happy to be leading the championship.”
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Johannes Theobald and Brit Alex Brundle make contact during race two at the Nurburgring causing the German to barrel roll.
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There were better fortunes for Brundle this time out with two podiums (third and second) but this would be the last time the youngster would feature in the top three. Podiums also came for Bortolotti, who endured a relatively quiet weekend in France, and Hegewald who shot from 12th to second in race one as he made light work of a very damp Magny-Cours track.
Rounds 5 & 6 – Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium… The world-famous Belgian circuit has long delivered unpredictable racing and, with a little help from its own micro-climate, it delivered just that when F2 visited the circuit in late June. As Kimi Räikkönen discovered during the Belgian GP in 2009, the first corner at Spa, La Source, is often where a race can be won or lost. The same was the case for Will Bratt during race one who took a similar wide line on the opening lap to power into second from fifth on the grid before a mistake by Ramon Pineiro promoted him to first where he stayed for the remainder of the race. Bratt featured again on the podium in race two finishing third despite securing his maiden podium leaving Bortolotti to take the honours. Aside from his win, the Italian will probably be best remembered for his stunning wet pole lap which, although was taken away from
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Thiemo Storz
Russian driver Max Snegirev
Johannes Theobald Kelvin Snoeks
2011 FIA Formula Two Championship r em aining r o u n ds Brands Hatch, 22-24 July Red Bull Ring 26-28 August Monza, 30 September – 2 October Barcelona 28-30 October
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Miki Monras
Mikkel Mac
Thiemo Storz
Parthiva Sureshwaren
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Will Bratt Miki Monras
Sunghak Mun
Jose Luis Abadin
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Johannes Theobald in action from earlier this year. The 24-year-old German races alongside his older brother Julian in 2011 with two having shown good pace since the start of the season.
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Parthiva Sureshwaren
James Cole
2011 F IA Fo r m ula Two Championship Current Championship Standings – after 8 rounds
Alex Brundle
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1. Mirko Bortolotti
159pts
2. Christopher Zanella
137pts
3. Miki Monras
94pts
4. Wil Bratt
92pts
5. Tobias Hegewald
66pts
6. Alex Brundle
59pts
7. Mihai Marinescu
46pts
8. Jack Clarke
42pts
9. Ramon Pineiro
29pts
10. Kelvin Snoeks
16pts
Will Bratt, Mirko Bortolotti and Miki Monras on the podium at Silverstone
him for being set under waved yellow flags, showed his true class with a lap almost 1.4s quicker than his nearest rival. Like clockwork, Zanella again featured twice on the podium keeping up his superb consistency while the likes of Brundle, Monras, Hegewald and Marinescu all looked quick yet struggled to creep into the top three.
Rounds 7 & 8 – Nürburgring, Germany… If Magny-Cours belonged to Zanella, the Nürburgring was all Bortolotti’s. Despite having never even stepped foot on the German F1 favourite he took a clean sweep of the honours with two poles, two wins and two fastest laps. The Italian was quite simply untouchable. “It’s been a really fantastic weekend and I’m very happy,” said Bortolotti afterwards. Whilst Bortolotti provided plenty of thrills, there were also plenty of spills during the weekend, most notably Johannes Theobald’s dramatic barrel roll after contact with Brundle going into the final chicane. Brundle was again involved in a racing incident in race one, this time with Bratt on the exit to Turn 16, ending a difficult weekend for Alex who must perform well at Brands Hatch (22-24 July) if he is to reignite his championship hopes, “I’m trying to remain as upbeat as possible but I have to accept the leaders are now going to be difficult to beat,” admitted Brundle afrerwards. The weekend also saw podiums for Will Bratt, Jack Clarke – his first of 2011 – and unsurprisingly Zanella who despite starting seventh for both races secured two podiums meaning he has only once failed to collect the champagne honours. So as the F2 series enters its second half, there’s very little separating the top drivers with everything still to play for. Bortolotti currently enjoys a narrow 22-point advantage over Zanella with Monras, Bratt and Hegewald not far behind them. Anything can still happen in the 2011 F2 season with 200 points still up for grabs and a host of drivers hungry to take them and secure that Williams F1 test and move one-step closer to F1 stardom and the likes of Sebastian Vettel. P1
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Over recent years Formula 1 has had a multitude of rule changes and more are in the pipeline for coming seasons, but for now we need to come to grips with the ones that happen in the middle of a season. story by david tremaYne photos Courtesy Red Bull Racing, Force India, Ferrari, AT&T Williams, Vodafone McLaren & Lotus Renault
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2
010 brought one of the closest-fought seasons of Formula One in decades, but if there was one area of disappointment it was that overtaking was still difficult. KERS was gone, temporarily, and the adjustable front wing which was designed to increase downforce on a following car to enable it to get close enough to one ahead in order to overtake, had been a failure. “I never use it. Not even in qualifying,” Fernando Alonso declared roundly. “It’s actually a great way to spin,” the Spaniard’s Ferrari teammate Felipe Massa said. “You put on more downforce and that can cut the understeer you get following another car but it can also unsettle the rear end and make that light, so you can spin under braking…” The Overtaking Working Group had another little think and moved its attention to the back of the car. And thus was born the Drag Reducing System rear wing. This replaced the McLarencreated F duct, which was not universally popular because the driver often had to block a duct in the cockpit with one elbow and was thus deemed to create potential safety issues. The new system works by enabling a following driver to feather his rear wing via an onboard control – by opening up the
gap between the upper and lower wing planes. This reduces drag and boosts straightline speed. The driver of the car in front cannot do that, thus conferring a temporary advantage on his pursuer. The system is entirely controlled by the FIA, who decide where to position the zone or zones in which the DRS may be activated, and when. Teams are allowed to use it everywhere in practice and qualifying, but only in the specified zone during the race. And DRS is not usually activated by the governing body until two laps have been run. Some purists hate DRS, others, myself included, like it. The critics suggest that DRS bypasses rather than confronts the fundamental problem, which is the way in which downforce dictates everything. They suggest that F1 will soon become like a NASCAR race, in which the last place you want to be is leading on the last lap. Yet some of these critics at the same time champion the old days when drivers raced without chicanes at Monza in the Seventies, and the very same thing applied there too, as it did so often in F3 and F2 slipstreamers at places such as Monza, Chimay, Osterreichring and Enna in the pre-downforce days. DRS is a contrivance, for sure, but don’t blame the FIA and the OWG. If you need to blame somebody, blame design geniuses
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The Overtaking Working Group had another little think and moved its attention to the back of the car. And thus was born the Drag Reducing System rear wing. This replaced the McLarencreated F duct, which was not universally popular because the driver often had to block a duct in the cockpit with one elbow and was thus deemed to create potential safety issues.
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such as Adrian Newey who habitually find ways past the myriad rule changes aimed at reducing and controlling downforce. A ban on wings, diffusers et al is unworkable, on the basis that you can’t disinvent downforce and these days the whole car is an aerodynamic device. So we needed to be more cunning than that. The FIA and the OWG tried the movable front wing. When it didn’t work, they came up with DRS, which didn’t work in the Mickey Mouse confines of Albert Park but did in Sepang and Shanghai, though it’s interesting to note that Lewis Hamilton did a lot of his passing in China outside the DRS zone. To the criticism that DRS gives something only to the pursuing cars, those in favour of it respond that that was also the case when slipstream was an effective overtaking tool in the days before cars wore wings or generated under-chassis downforce, and before things such as diffusers created the aerodynamic turbulence that for years has militated against overtaking because it so disturbs airflow over the following car’s front wing. The driver in front in those far-flung days had a disadvantage because he was the guy making the big hole in the air while his pursuers tucked in behind him to their own benefit. In the era of disinventable downforce, DRS puts everyone in the same boat, and if you’re the one who gets passed at the end of a long straight, you have the chance to reverse that next time around… But just how successful has DRS been? Mercedes-Benz recently released some statistics intended to provide insight into which factors have had the biggest influence.
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According to the German manufacturer, there were 623 overtaking moves in the first nine races of the season, though that figure doesn’t take account of moves on the opening lap or because of cars passing those which have been damaged, though it does include slower cars being lapped. If you forget about those lapping moves, DRS has increased overtaking by almost 30 percent. In particular, DRS moves outnumbered straightforward passes in four races: Shanghai, Istanbul, Barcelona and Valencia. Not surprisingly, the impact of DRS has varied in direct correlation with each circuit’s individual characteristics to circuit, and the positioning of the zone. In Albert Park DRS did not facilitate any real passing. In Monaco, where some action was sorely needed, the pit straight was way too short to make a difference. And at Silverstone the same problem pertained on the Wellington Straight; in Monaco and Silverstone there were only eight moves. DRS came into its own at Sepang and Shanghai, but the big success came at Istanbul Park. Before 2011 overtaking there was notably difficult, but with the DRS zone located as cars flowed on to the long back straight on the run down to Turn 12 – where the Red Bull drivers collided last year – that situation was successfully overturned. There were 50 passes during the Turkish GP as a result, way more than any other race or circuit. Mercedes’ statistics suggest that DRS has materially helped to promote overtaking, but to too much. It’s worth noting that while there were only six DRS moves at Silverstone, for example, the British GP was still a gripping race. Yet with its record figure, Turkey was far from boring too. So that’s good news: DRS has not been the sole reason for the spectacular racing that has been such a welcome feature of 2011. Other major rule changes tossed things back into the melting pot. Besides the F duct and the adjustable front wing, gone were the double diffusers that were such a key element of Jenson Button and Brawn GP’s success in the 2009 World Championship. And besides DRS, in came KERS again, making a comeback after a year’s hiatus, fancy exhaust systems which blew either hot or cold air over the diffuser, and a new tyre supplier in the form of Pirelli, who replaced Bridgestone. At one stage there was talk of the kinetic energy recovery systems being allowed to harness up to 160 bhp for up to 6.6s a lap before being released to boost torque and thus engine power, but in the end the FIA elected to stay with the 80 bhp boost level from 2009. With the majority of teams using KERS, however, the impact of the system has necessarily been less than it was back in 2009 when only McLaren, Ferrari, BMW and Renault used it. The forward-facing exhaust system that Renault introduced this year on the R31 was potentially very significant and led to many other teams hastily developing blown diffusers. By routing exhaust gases over the diffuser, teams could enhance airflow and thus aero efficiency. And soon there were subtle variations on the theme. Clever designers started to divert exhaust gases ahead of the rear wheels last year so that high-speed hot air flows over
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the aerodynamic diffuser at the back of the car. As the airflow is speeded up, all-important downforce is increased. Then they soon started using special engine maps to create exhaust gases even when the driver lifts off the throttle and cuts the ignition and fuel supply, thus maintaining crucial airflow over the diffuser even in slow corners. Then there was the ‘cold blowing’ system when the exhaust still blows over the diffuser, but without ignition or fuel, and the ‘hot blowing’ where fuel is still injected through the engine’s valves even when the driver lifts off the throttle, thus creating a mini afterburner effect as the fuel is ignited by the hot exhaust to maintain hot and fast airflow and thus keep downforce consistent. In Valencia teams were obliged by the FIA to use the same engine maps in qualifying and the race, but the attempt to ban the off-throttle blown diffuser at Silverstone was such a debacle that from Germany onwards it was reinstated and won’t be banned until the end of the season. It’s much harder to assess the effect of blown diffusers, but it is believed to be a key element of the Red Bull and its early-season dominance. Besides DRS, the other most significant contribution to overtaking has come from Pirelli. The Italian manufacturer fully embraces the FIA’s requirement for tyres that are much less durable than Bridgestone’s. Its tyres degrade quite quickly, especially the supersofts and softs, making for multiple pit stops and the need for drivers to look after their rubber. Analysis of the tyre situation shows that some 54 percent of overtaking has been done when the tyre ages had a difference of less than five laps – with or without the use of DRS. On high-wear circuits such as Barcelona, the figure is slightly skewed as ‘old’ tyres – with more than five laps difference – accounted for 69 percent of passing moves. In Montreal and Silverstone however, tyre wear was less significant. Mercedes’ statistics suggest that while DRS and the Pirelli rubber gas certainly contributed to overtaking, they have not become too influential and that there has been a fair bit of normal passing too. That’s healthy. Perhaps the biggest – and least surprising – result of all this is that circuit design remains crucial. Tight, silly little tracks such as Valencia don’t make for good racing, nor does Albert Park. Canada has always been pretty good in that respect, while Turkey got a belated (and now redundant boost), while Malaysia and China benefited too. So, Hermann Tilke, quit creating your boring point and squirt tracks, and let the cars breathe through some fast, flowing corners. Shortly before the Turkish GP Mark Webber suggested that overtaking had become too easy, that you probably had to take more risks in the past to pass. But Felipe Massa and Lewis Hamilton disagree. “It depends on the situation,” the Brazilian says. “For sure, when you go out of the garage and you have new tyres and you find cars with old tyres in front of you, it’s definitely very easy but it’s because of the tyres, it’s because of the high degradation. I think when you are in a similar situation it’s not so easy,
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but the wing helps, you know? I don’t think it’s just the wing which makes overtaking possible, easier or not easier, it’s everything, together with the tyre degradation and everything: how the cars use the tyres; how the strategy works as well. I think it’s better for you guys. “How many years have I heard people saying ‘The good thing was the past, when Senna, Piquet, Mansell… it was really fun to see all these drivers race. They knew how to do it: Villeneuve, Arnoux.’ It’s true. It was also different cars as well and I even heard some things like after China: ‘Ah, now Formula One is back to how it was before’. It’s important to see you guys happy as well, and I think for the fans it’s what we care about. If they are happy and the drivers are happy as well, we will carry on like that.” “I don’t personally feel it’s too easy to overtake,” Hamilton says. “I’ve had some great battles with people this year and it’s definitely just as hard, but obviously when you have the opportunity to use the rear wing it makes it a little bit easy, but it allows you to get closer and really remain in close proximity to be able to attack in places. It aids overtaking, but personally I don’t think that it makes it too easy.” P1
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ToyotaRacingSeries
2012
Five Rounds, Five circuits, 2,500 km’s includes testing and 15 FIA Sanctioned Races Round 1
12-15 Jan 2012
Round 2
19-22 Jan 2012
Round 3
26-29 Jan 2012
Round 4
2-5 Feb 2012
Round 5
9-12 Feb 2012
New Zealand’s Premier Single-Seater Category
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