V8X Issue 95

TH

T INNE

LLO T O TE ISSUE#95 V8X.COM.AU I N C O R P O R AT I N G

THE NEW ORDER OF MANUFACTURER POWER

THE FADING LIGHT OF WALKINSHAW RACING’S HRT HH M McNAMARA V8s VERSUS V6s: THE FUTURE OF THE ENGINE FORMULA INTO GEN2: MANUFACTURERS VERSUS PRIVATEERS

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ISSUE 95 NOV 2016

FEATURES

22 ▲ HOLDING ON The future of Supercars through manufacturers and teams.

30 FRATERNISING WITH FOGES: THE LION KING Foges goes one-on-one with Holden’s Simon McNamara.

36 V8 VERSUS V6 Where Supercars is headed with its engine formula.

42 ALL ABOARD THE SPONSORSHIP WAGON How sponsorships are evolving with the pay TV deal and rotating liveries.

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REGULARS 46 TRIBAL COLOURS The importance of merchandise and memberships.

50 CATERING FOR SPONSORS How teams cater to sponsors at events.

54 TRUCKIN’ ON The inside story of the team transporters.

60 ▲ SUPER PUSH Why Supercars is investing so heavily in female drivers.

64 ▲ WHINCUP’S CENTURY The best races and numbers of Jamie Whincup’s 100 wins.

70 PITHER: ALL HEART Chris Pither on his second coming in Supercars.

74 ▼ EURO TRIP A look back at those that raced in Europe 30 years ago.

6 ANALYSIS: NEWCASTLE OVER SYDNEY Why Newcastle will work where Sydney Olympic Park didn’t.

8 ANALYSIS: AUSSIE RULES IN 2017 How the 2017 Supercars schedule shapes up.

10 A A MM Making sense of the future of the Commodore.

12 A A A M The battle customer teams face in the current era.

14 A The latest headlines from Speedcafe.com 16 MA B M M Frosty on Sydney Olympic Park and Newcastle.

18 A M Lowndes on Holden and the future of Supercars.

20 A M Rogers on the fight to keep his Volvos.

82 THE SHOOTOUT The most memorable moments at Sydney Olympic Park.

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V8X.com.au SUP E RCA R M AGA Z IN E

EDITOR

Adrian Musolino Email: editor@v8x.com.au PUBLISHER

Allan Edwards Published by Raamen Pty Ltd PO Box 225, Keilor, Victoria, 3036 SUB EDITOR

Cameron McGavin ART DIRECTOR

Craig Fryers CONTRIBUTING JOURNALISTS

Mark Fogarty, Stefan Bartholomaeus, Andrew Clarke, John Bannon, Cameron McGavin, Mark Winterbottom, Craig Lowndes, Garry Rogers PHOTOGRAPHERS

Peter Norton, Autopics.com.au, Glenis Lindley, James Baker, inetpics.com, Mark Horsburgh, P1 Images, Paul Nathan, Scott Wensley, Daniel Kalisz ADVERTISING

Brendon Sheridan Mobile: 1300 551 735 Email: brendon@v8x.com.au EDITORIAL ENQUIRIES

Phone: (03) 9372 9125 Fax: (03) 8080 6473 Email: office@v8x.com.au ACCOUNTS

Kylie Marion Email: accounts@v8x.com.au MERCHANDISE

Phone: (03) 9372 9125 Email: office@v8x.com.au V8X Supercar Magazine is printed in Australia by Webstar.

Material in V8X is protected by copyright laws and may not be reproduced in full or in part in any format. V8X will consider unsolicited articles and pictures; however, no responsibility will be taken for their return. While all efforts are taken to verify information in V8X is factual, no responsibility will be taken for any material which is later found to be false or misleading. The opinions of the contributors are not always those of the publishers.

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Welcome WHERE ARE WE AT?

R

egular readers of V8X Supercar Magazine would have noticed a theme throughout our 2016 editions.

Earlier in the year in issue #92, we focused on the key role that Holden and Ford and later the Commodore and Falcon played in the history of Australian touring cars.

In issue #93, we looked at the rise of V8 Supercars and pondered whether GT3 now poses a threat to the rebranded Supercars heading into Gen2.

In issue #94, our special Bathurst 1000 edition, we reflected on the importance of Mount Panorama and Peter Brock to the Australian sporting landscape.

And now in issue #95, we examine the current landscape.

Assuming Supercars is to remain as a touring-car formula, what role will manufacturers play given Holden and Nissan’s recent commitment in contrast to Ford and Volvo’s lack of support? We round-up our series on the state of Supercars with

a special examination into the manufacturers and teams as things stand heading into 2017.

We speak to Holden’s Simon McNamara and Nissan’s Richard Emery about their company’s involvement and Rod Nash and Brad Jones for a teams’ perspective.

This includes a look at how the engine formula will change into Gen2 with V6 turbos mixing it with V8s in the coming seasons.

In this brave new world, we take a look at the inner workings of Supercars, from sponsorship, merchandise and membership to corporate hospitality, logistics and the increased focus on female participation.

Also, we farewell Sydney Olympic Park and look into the 2017 schedule; celebrate Jamie Whincup’s 100 wins milestone and compare him to his teammate Craig Lowndes; profile Super Black Racing’s Chris Pither; and look back at the time Peter Brock, Allan Moffat, Allan Grice and John Harvey took on Europe’s best.

Remember, V8X Supercar Magazine is also available in digital form in the official V8X app (in the App Store and Google Play), online at DigitalEdition.V8XMagazine.com.au and in the Magzter app store.

And keep up to date with all things Supercars and interact with us on our social media channels, @V8X_Magazine on Twitter and at facebook.com/ V8XMagazine on Facebook.

Enjoy!

– Adrian

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STRENGTH TO SUCCEED

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WHY NEWCASTLE WILL WOR The Virgin Australia Supercars Championship will take to the Sydney Olympic Park street circuit for the last time in December. As the series farewells Sydney, it welcomes Newcastle for 2017 and beyond.

T

he Sydney 500 on the streets of Sydney Olympic Park started as a dream and soon turned into a nightmare for Supercars.

James Warburton says it “was always a dud”, a “poor choice of venue” that “worked the first year but it was dodgy from the start; crowd figures were bullshit, it never made money, it was such a blind obsession”.

At the time of its launch in 2009, former chairman Tony Cochrane hailed the event as the key to the series’ growth in the key Sydney market.

But crowd figures tumbled, political machinations made running the event increasingly difficult and finding a suitable date a source of frustration for Supercars.

Supercars will move on to Newcastle in 2017 with a street circuit in the harbor town on a five-year deal with an option to extend.

These are the reasons why Newcastle will work where Sydney failed:

LOCATION

Sydney Olympic Park delivered plenty of action over the course of eight years, but the sparse nature of the facility meant it was hard to replicate the atmosphere generated in Adelaide, Townsville and Gold Coast.

In the first few seasons of the Sydney 500 there was plenty of activity in the pavilions and stadiums of Sydney Olympic Park, but it soon faded away over the following years as the costs of sustaining the event mounted.

With the event doing away with concerts and side attractions to cut costs, this left little in the way of atmosphere.

Fans were also put off by poor vantage points around the Sydney Olympic Park precinct and limited visibility of the concrete-lined circuit.

Newcastle’s circuit will take place in the east end of town along Nobbys Beach and Fort Scratchley, with the beachfront and town centre providing the backdrop.

The Newcastle layout takes its cues from the Adelaide Parklands Circuit by surrounding the town’s parklands in addition to its Gold Coast-like waterfront location, which should open up better viewing options for fans.

And in a more contained space, the atmosphere generated will

NEWCASTLE STREET CIRCUIT

also prove a better spectacle for fans than Sydney Olympic Park.

DATE

The date for the Sydney 500 became a constant source of frustration for Supercars.

Conflicting major events being held in the Sydney Olympic Park precinct, such as the music festival Stereosonic, forced Supercars to push back the season finale later than preferred.

This elongated the season and meant the series would lose traction in the immediate aftermath of the endurance events in September and October, while the later December date caused problems with heat and humidity in summer.

The move to Newcastle will allow Supercars to lock in a preferred date in November without the risk of too many conflicting events in the region.

MARKETS

Sydney is often described as the most fickle market in Australia, as Supercars found in its bid to attract crowds to both Sydney Olympic Park and Sydney Motorsport Park.

Despite the biggest population base in Australia, Sydney has traditionally failed to attract significant and sustainable crowds to its sporting events.

For example, the NRL’s crowds in Sydney pale in comparison to the AFL’s in Melbourne. The highest crowd average for a Sydney-based NRL team in the 2016 season was the West Tigers with 15,390.

In comparison, the Melbourne Storm averaged 18,079 in a city in which rugby league plays 6

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WORK WHERE SYDNEY FAILED second fiddle to the AFL. The lowest average attendance for a Melbourne-based AFL team was North Melbourne with 28,171.

The Greater Western Sydney (GWS) Giants averaged just 12,333 despite their best season in the AFL. Transportation difficulties, the distance between stadiums, the number of competing events and erratic weather are factors often blamed for this poor turnout.

But Western Sydney is also the most competitive sporting landscape in Australia, with the AFL and A-League’s recent intrusion with the GWS Giants and Western Sydney Wanderers respectively going up against the NRL’s established teams in the region.

With families tightening their budgets in uncertain economic times, there is less disposable income to attend sporting events. And ball sports that generate weekly mainstream attention with strong connections to the grassroots of rugby league, football, etc will win out over an annual Supercars event.

While Supercars is a new and exciting prospect for Newcastle, Sydneysiders showed a distinct lack of loyalty to its events, perhaps with good reason considering the loss over the years of iconic circuits in the region such as Warwick Farm, Catalina Park, Amaroo Park and Oran Park, victims of Sydney’s suburban sprawl.

Also, the diehard Supercars fan in Sydney will inevitably make the trek to Mount Panorama for the Bathurst 1000 in October, a far more popular event and favoured destination than Sydney Olympic Park could ever be.

Throw Sydney Motorsport Park into the equation and the

Sydney market was already catered for even without Sydney Olympic Park.

In contrast, major regional centres such as Newcastle and Townsville are starved of major events. The success of Townsville inspired Supercars to look to places such as Newcastle, which only has two professional sporting teams – Newcastle Knights in the NRL and Newcastle Jets in the A-League.

With a population double the size of Townsville, Newcastle also has the benefit of a wide catchment area for regional New South Wales fans, from Central Coast and Wollongong in the south, plus Sydney.

But those attempts were blocked, highlighting the bureaucratic red tape around the precinct, with a number of different stakeholders – the Olympic Park Authority, Royal Agricultural Society, Acer Arena and ANZ Stadium – involved in the decision-making process.

Also, with Supercars and Sydney Motorsport Park organisers lobbying for funding in order to light the permanent facility for a night event, continuing to push for funding for Sydney Olympic Park was

always going to be difficult.

The Sydney Olympic Park event came under heavy political pressure when an Auditor-General report in 2010 determined that the government at the time failed to adequately estimate the costs of the event, with less benefits than expected.

For the New South Wales government and Destination NSW, switching its support to a regional centre like Newcastle appears a win-win. And the same appears to be the case for Supercars.

SYDNEY

POLITICS

Attempts to revitalise the Sydney Olympic Park event centered around shortening the track to not only overhaul the layout but also condense the precinct to produce better atmosphere.

NEWCASTLE

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Supercars expansion into Asia has been held off until 2018. Rather, the 2017 Virgin Australia Supercars Championship schedule will focus on Australasia.

T

he 2017 Virgin Australia Supercars Championship calendar is relatively unchanged from the 2016 version, with Newcastle replacing Sydney Olympic Park the only change of event.

The change of venue for the season finale allows Supercars to condense its schedule of events, with Newcastle set to host in November compared to Sydney in December.

However, the dates for the non-championship Australian Grand Prix and Newcastle events remained unconfirmed at the time of printing, in order to wait for the FIA to lock in dates for the grand prix and Rally Australia, hosted in the vicinity of Newcastle at Coffs Harbour.

“We have brought the final event in Newcastle forward to November in what we expect will be a massive grand finale to the season,” says Virgin Australia Supercars Championship CEO James Warburton.

“As we did this year, we have condensed our calendar to deliver consistent and regular events throughout the season.

This will help build momentum but still provide adequate breaks for our teams.

“Once again in 2017 we will travel to every state and territory in Australia, with the exception of only the ACT, and host some of Australia’s biggest sporting events including the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 from 5-8 October.”

Supercars has held off on its mooted expansion into Asia following the cancellation of a street-circuit event in Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia scheduled

ABOVE: The Supercars season once again

gets underway with the Clipsal 500 Adelaide in South Australia.

for August 2016, despite speculation of events in Thailand and Indonesia.

“Owing to these legal issues we have not included Malaysia in the 2017 calendar but we remain committed to exploring new events in Asia,” says Warburton.

“There is very strong interest in the region and we believe these will be great opportunities for the sport and our fans from 2018.”

The second-tier Dunlop Development Series will make its first ever visit to Symmons Plains in Tasmania and return to Sydney Motorsport Park, while the 250km Bathurst support race will be a nonchampionship event in a bid to attract more wildcards into the main-series Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 event (see page 14).

2017 VIRGIN AUSTRALIA SUPERCARS CHAMPIONSHIP Mar 2-5 Mar 23-26* Apr 7-9 Apr 21-23 May 5-7 May 19-21 Jun 16-18 Jul 7-9 Jul 28-30 Aug 18-20 Sep 15-17 Oct 5-8 Oct 20-22 Nov 3-5 Nov 17-19*

Clipsal 500 Adelaide Adelaide Street Circuit, SA Formula 1 Rolex Australian Grand Prix† Albert Park, Vic Tyrepower Tasmania SuperSprint Symmons Plains Raceway, Tas WD-40 Phillip Island SuperSprint Phillip Island Circuit, Vic Perth SuperSprint Barbagallo Raceway, WA Winton SuperSprint Winton Motor Raceway, Vic CrownBet Darwin Triple Crown Hidden Valley Raceway, NT Townsville 400 Reid Park, Qld Coates Hire Ipswich SuperSprint Queensland Raceway, Qld Red Rooster Sydney SuperSprint Sydney Motorsport Park, NSW Wilson Security Sandown 500 Sandown Raceway, Vic Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 Mount Panorama, NSW Gold Coast 600 Surfers Paradise, Qld ITM Auckland SuperSprint Pukekohe Park Raceway, NZ Coates Hire Newcastle 500 Newcastle, NSW

2017 DUNLOP DEVELOPMENT SERIES Mar 2-5 Apr 7-9 Apr 21-23 Jul 7-9 Aug 18-20 Sep 15-17 Oct 5-8 Nov 17-19*

Clipsal 500 Adelaide Tyrepower Tasmania SuperSprint WD-40 Phillip Island SuperSprint Townsville 400 Red Rooster Sydney SuperSprint Wilson Security Sandown 500 Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000† Coates Hire Newcastle 500

Adelaide Street Circuit, SA Symmons Plains Raceway, Tas Phillip Island Circuit, Vic Reid Park, Qld Sydney Motorsport Park, NSW Sandown Raceway, Vic Mount Panorama, NSW Newcastle, NSW

* Provisional date dependent on FIA release. † Non-championship event.

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NEW-GEN COMMODORE

COMING SOON

Holden’s next-generation Commodore racer is at an advanced stage of development that could see it ready for testing before the middle of next year.

Mark Fogarty takes a look at its development.

D

ue to take over from the VF at the 2018 seasonopening Clipsal 500 Adelaide, the newlook Commodore will be the first of its name not powered by a V8 in Australian Touring Car Championship/Supercars history.

Holden is set to be the first manufacturer to take advantage of the Gen2 Supercars rules, which from next year will allow engine configurations other than V8s.

In an exclusive interview with V8X Supercar Magazine, Holden motorsport manager Simon McNamara revealed that designers had been working on the body shape since early this year and that the new engine had been chosen following a near two-year evaluation.

According to McNamara, the target for first Triple Eight-built car to begin testing is around April-May next year to fully develop the new Supercars Commodore to be competitive – and widely available to other

Holden teams – at the start of the 2018 season.

As part of Holden’s threeyear Supercars renewal from 2017, Triple Eight will develop the new Commodore racer and supply cars to all other Holden teams, as well as taking over the Holden Racing Team mantle from Walkinshaw Racing.

Engine supply will also be centralised to provide customer Holden teams with what McNamara forecast would be significant cost savings overall.

He confirmed that the Supercars version of the next Commodore road car will use a turbocharged engine although he declined to disclose whether it will be a twin-turbo V6, as widely expected, or the less likely alternative of a big-turbo four-cylinder – the two Gen2 options to the existing normally aspirated five-litre V8 formula.

He only admitted that the motor would be a variation of an existing production-based turbocharged powerplant from GM Racing in the USA. The most likely candidate is the 3.6-litre LF4.R twin-turbo V6 as used in the Cadillac ATSV.R racer.

The Gen2 rules allow for twin-turbo V6s of up to 3.85 litres, with parity measures used to equalise performance with the existing V8s.

A twin-turbo V6 is set to replace Holden’s Chevroletbased five-litre V8 for

marketing reasons as well as performance and availability.

Following the end of local Commodore production late next year, the nameplate will transfer to an imported model that will be a rebadged version of the latest Opel Insignia sedan to be sold here from 2018.

There will be no V8 engine or rear-wheel-drive models in the range, with the new Commodore SS expected to be four-wheel-drive and powered by the latest twin-turbo version of the 3.6-litre HF V6.

It is understood the base front-wheel-drive models of the as-yet-undesignated German-built Commodores will only come with four-cylinder engines.

The look of the new Commodore racer will be based on the appearance of the next-gen SS, with McNamara promising it will have an imposing presence that will make it a worthy successor to the muscular VE and VF Supercars.

For the full interview with Simon McNamara on Holden’s future in Supercars, turn to page 30.

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SURVIVAL MODE A

Erebus Motorsport and Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport have been playing a game of cat and mouse on and off the track in 2016, chasing results to survive and hopefully prosper. t the mercy of suppliers and sponsors, Erebus Motorsport and Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport represent the challenges facing customer teams in the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship.

There’s been significant movement of personnel and sponsors between the two teams who run customer Holden VF Commodores, Walkinshaw Racing cars for Erebus Motorsport and Triple Eight cars for Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport.

Their rate of improvement into 2017 depends heavily on their customer and sponsorship arrangements.

Veteran engineer Campbell Little, who has worked with both teams in recent seasons and is currently overseeing the Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport operation, questions the ultimate success of the current Supercars model for customer teams in the Car of the Future era.

“The intention was to make it so we all had a common build and a common buy, but the whole thing has been twisted off into space,” he says.

“If you don’t carry your own spares, you’re at the behest of whoever you bought your car from.”

Campbell says the “horse has bolted” on the model for the smaller teams.

“What was on the table was a common car,” he adds on the Car of the Future model.

“It should have been more rigidly set in place then. Unfortunately, there were all these excuses about wanting to carry over suspensions and to do this and that to save money and they did it in the first year. But then they didn’t in the second, third year and now it’s getting worse.

“It was to bolster a couple of the stronger team owners in their model because they sell their cars down to the Development Series and supply the parts.”

While Campbell admits the bigger teams are helpful and he appreciates their support, he does pose the question: unless you are in a Prodrive or Triple Eight car, where are you? And there are fears of what’s to come with Triple Eight charged with developing the nextgeneration Commodore.

“The whole championship is built around a business model of supplying parts to smaller teams when they feel like it,” says Campbell.

“They are very helpful to us; we go up there and say do you have one of them parts, two of them? But we can only get them on their schedule.”

The customer model is not the only challenge facing these teams. Sponsorship is also crucial, with the perception they rely too heavily on drivers bringing their own budgets.

“If you had a driver that you had to pay and he was good enough then someone else would pay him more,” says Campbell.

“If you can’t get the sponsorship, how are you going to pay for that to happen?”

Erebus Motorsport boss Betty Klimenko adds that the ‘pay driver’ is a reality and not necessarily a bad thing.

“Most drivers have to bring sponsors that pay for their own wages; gone are the days where sponsors were throwing money as sponsorship levels are not the same,” she says.

“But if you do it the right way you can hang onto your sponsors.”

Klimenko adds that having two cars enables her to promote young talent alongside her number-one driver, David Reynolds.

“I’d love that second car to be up there, but if I can use that car to promote a young driver, I will do that as well,” she says.

Continuity is key for the customer teams, but hard to achieve when they rely so heavily on their suppliers and sponsors.

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News Round-up

Scan the QR codes with your smartphone to link to the full article. QR-code reading apps are available from your preferred app retailer.

A look at some of the topics making news on Speedcafe.com

WILDCARD PUSH Supercars has made a major change to the Dunlop Series in a bid to attract more wildcard entries into next season’s Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000.

The second tier’s annual appearance at Bathurst will become a non-points paying event in order to encourage more Dunlop Series teams to field cars in the 1000.

Bathurst has hosted a points-scoring Dunlop Series round since 2005, with a single-race 250km format introduced in 2014.

Last year saw Wayne Russell’s Novocastrian Motorsport (pictured) run a wildcard in the Great Race, while also fielding its regular Dunlop Series entry at the event.

Assisted by Garry Rogers Motorsport (GRM), Russell’s effort and a joint Minda Motorsport/Kelly Racing collaboration in 2012 are the only Dunlop Series wildcards seen at Bathurst in the last five years.

“What we did last year running two cars on the one weekend was really, really tough, so I think this is a smart move from Supercars,” Russell told Speedcafe.com.

“For teams running the next-gen cars in the Dunlop Series, this will give them a great opportunity to give their drivers and sponsors a taste of the main game without having to find another car.

“I think you’ll probably have five or six teams that end up wanting to run. I think it’s very clever.

“The lure of Bathurst should still see a full grid for the Dunlop Series races as well, even if a couple of teams elect to do the 1000 instead.”

The change for Bathurst is thought to be the first step in a longer-term plan to encourage Dunlop Series teams to run wildcards at other Supercars championship events.

Such a prospect has been met with a mixed reaction from the main-series squads who are required to turn up to all events as part of their Racing Entitlement Contracts.

“We need to be careful of taking the focus off the 26 cars that make the whole show run week in, week out,” GRM’s Barry Rogers told Speedcafe.com.

“The teams that drag their cars to Winton, to Barbagallo, to Symmons Plains, with the gold at the end of the rainbow being that the sponsors get a good run at the big events like Bathurst need to be looked after.”

Making Bathurst a nonpoints event for the Dunlop Series could also see more main-series teams that run cars in both series fielding wildcards.

Scan to read the full article.

DUNLOP ROLLS ON

Dunlop will introduce a new tyre into Supercars next season as part of a fresh agreement with the championship.

The tyre supplier announced a twoyear extension to its control supply deal, taking it through until the end of the 2019 season.

It will also debut a new construction tyre from next year that promises to shake-up the championship.

Although the existing compounds will remain, the new construction is understood to have proven over a second a lap faster than its predecessor during testing earlier this year at Queensland Raceway, Ipswich.

Supercars CEO James Warburton commended Dunlop for its efforts since taking over the control supply contract from Bridgestone in 2002.

“The Dunlop soft tyre used this year has made for some of the closest racing ever seen in our championship,” he said “Dunlop’s continued advancements in developing an even better tyre will spice racing up even further in 2017.”

Scan to read the full article.

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Expert Insight

BEYOND THE WHEEL Column by Mark Winterbottom

FAREWELL, OLYMPIC PARK

I

t’s with mixed emotions that we head to Sydney Olympic Park this season, knowing it will be the final time we race on the street circuit.

When Sydney first appeared on the calendar, it was one of those events that helped take the series to the next level.

It’s a shame it’ll be the last event this season, but I feel it’s served its purpose and had a positive impact for Supercars over a number of years.

Street circuits are obviously limited by the pieces of road going through the venue. And when you looked at the facility on paper, there weren’t many options to make a really good track.

But the camber of the corners and the walls made it one of the toughest street circuits on the schedule.

To build the track each year, let alone getting approval in that precinct, was an impressive achievement in itself.

It was arguably the toughest street circuit on the calendar, so it was a fitting place to decide the championship each season since 2009.

In terms of street circuits, Adelaide is obviously special given the heritage, atmosphere and track.

Turn 8 makes it such a phenomenal track to drive and the most special street circuit on the schedule.

Coupled with the atmosphere and fact it’s the season opener, with all the excitement of a new racing year, it’s probably the one we enjoy most.

I have a big soft spot for

Sydney as my home event, but as the season finale it has a different vibe.

If you’re in the championship battle, it’s very intense and you can hardly enjoy the finale as the emotions tend to vary.

The circuit will always have special memories for us as the scene of the championship win last season. To win it in my hometown surrounded by friends and family is something I’ll never forget.

We’ll still have Sydney Motorsport Park on the calendar going forward, so for me personally there will be a home event and for Supercars a presence in Sydney.

When one door closes, another door opens. And

“The circuit will always have special memories as the scene of our championship win last season. To win it in my hometown surrounded by friends and family is something I’ll never forget.” it’s exciting to look ahead to another street-circuit event in Newcastle. The track looks great and it’ll be a fantastic addition.

We do a fair bit of promotions around the country and spend quite a bit of time in the regional areas.

There’s no doubting the popularity of Supercars in places like Newcastle and in areas that don’t get too many major events.

The problem with Sydney is the crowd interest wanes given the competition of other events.

Newcastle has the marina and the bay so it will be a beautiful backdrop.

Also, it’s just two hours from Sydney, with everything from Coffs Harbour in the north to Wollongong in the south as a catchment area to attract fans to the event.

– Frosty

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Expert Insight

RIGHT ON TRACK

Column by Craig Lowndes

RACING ON WITH HOLDEN

T

he announcement that Holden has recommitted to Supercars is a great win for the category and not just Triple Eight.

Roland Dane called us into the workshop to announce something without us realising what it was about. He told us the team would become the official factory outfit and that Holden would race on for a further three years at a minimum.

That decision has proven to be a catalyst for other manufacturers, with Nissan following Holden’s example. It would be great if other manufacturers did the same, as the uncertainty around them racing in the series is always a worry.

The strength of Holden is it hasn’t wavered with its support of the series, through the good times and the bad, and it provides a foundation for the category and the teams.

Going forward, we know we will have a Holden Commodore to race into the next generation of the category with a strong

outlook for what is provided back to Holden.

Although we had a short stint with Ford, we are very proud to be representing the Holden brand. It’s also a just reward for the team given its success since moving over in 2010.

It was a team decision to switch from Ford to Holden, which was great for me to take me back to Holden given my long connection with the brand.

It’s a credit to Roland for building up the team in Australia and winning with both Ford and

Holden over the last decade.

In recent seasons the team has added the likes of Red Bull, Caltex and Holden, which is an impressive feat in itself.

For me personally, it was a big change to have the team running a third car given Roland’s previous comments that he wouldn’t expand. He would only do so with the proper backing as he doesn’t do things by halves.

Caltex stepped up as naming rights sponsor, having been one of the longest-serving sponsors with us, so it was a great fit.

Moving forward, we are in for interesting times.

I started racing when it was only V8s, though I remember watching the era of the turbocharged Ford Sierras and Nissan Skylines.

I’m in two minds about the future direction. On the one hand, I’m excited by the change as we drivers like the challenge of working with something new and different. But on the other hand, it’ll be interesting to see how fans react to non-V8 engines racing around.

It was interesting to follow Formula 1’s engine change in recent seasons. And the loss of the excitement of engine noise was a big factor for fans.

Crucially, we need the racing to be close and exciting. Right now, a tenth of a second in qualifying is the difference between a few rows and we’ve seen such variety in race winners.

It’s a credit to the category for creating that sort of parity and let’s hope that it’s maintained going forward.

– Craig

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Expert Insight

GARRY THE GURU Column by Garry Rogers

KEEPING OUR VOLVOS

I

t’s no secret that we instigated court action against Volvo to try to reach a fair and equitable outcome and to resolve the situation they have put us in.

We took action against Volvo over the way that the matter was dealt with. According to the advice that we have had, we believed that we had a strong case to get Volvo to negotiate a fair outcome.

We are not litigious people; we are not really that interested in going to court. We prefer to do our talking on the track than in the courts, but we believe we had to take action because Volvo did not appear to be prepared to sit down and sensibly discuss a way to resolve this issue, so we really had no option.

Based on the discussions that I had with Volvo in Sweden and with management in Australia, we were of the understanding that Volvo were planning to extend our agreement by potentially three years.

We based our business plans going forward around those discussions and then we got a phone call telling us that they weren’t extending anything.

We entered the discussions with Volvo in Sweden in good faith on the basis that they had indicated that they were keen on a renewal. Then for reasons that no one seems to be able to explain, they had a complete change of heart.

There has obviously been a lot of manoeuvring that has gone on behind the scenes that we weren’t aware of that has seen them change their mind.

What really surprises me

is that the powers-that-be in Sweden can’t see that the compromise deal that we put on the table of extending the partnership for one more season is a fair and reasonable outcome for everybody involved, including Volvo.

It makes it very difficult to plan for 2017 when there is some doubt over what cars we would be racing.

It’s no secret that we had discussions with Garth Tander. But it doesn’t matter whether it’s discussions with Garth or any other driver, those negotiations have an extra layer of complexity when you don’t have a clear picture of what car the team will be racing.

The fact of the matter is that before any driver can make a decision on whether or not you

“We prefer to do our talking on the track than in the courts, but we believe we had to take action because Volvo did not appear to be prepared to sit down and sensibly discuss a way to resolve the issue...” are the right team for them, they really need to have an idea of what car they are going to be driving.

I also have a responsibility to my staff and their families to make sure that we can keep pushing ahead with the business plans that we had put in place for 2017.

A lot of those people have been with me for a long time and we are not going to just cut them off at the knees.

It’s human nature that in an

uncertain environment people can get nervous about their futures, but I’m fortunate that most of my people have been with me for a long time and we have that real nucleus of good, loyal people.

They have been with us for the journey and they know that we have the runs on the board and that every time we have had a setback in the past, we have been able to come out the other side.

This time will be no different.

– Garry

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MANUFACTURERS

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The Virgin Australia Supercars Championship is back to having two manufacturers providing factory funding in 2017, five years into the Car of the Future era and in the first year of Gen2. So what’s the future of manufacturers in the series? In this in-depth examination, following the phasing out of Walkinshaw Racing’s Holden Racing Team, we delve into the past, present and future of global and Australian trends and speak to series, team and manufacturer representatives to make sense of the landscape.

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t the Crown Casino in Melbourne in March 2010, a car-cover emblazoned with a question mark sat atop a V8 Supercar at an historic announcement for Australian motorsport.

It symbolised the uncertain future facing what was then known as V8 Supercars.

The Ford versus Holden exclusive V8 battle would be no longer and V8 Supercars would ‘open the shop front’ to other manufacturers. With Ford and Holden ending their local manufacturing in the coming years, V8 Supercars would have to adapt to a changing landscape.

“We want to open the door to production four-door sedans which will be configured as V8 rear-wheel drive race cars under strict parity arrangements to compete equally against Falcons and Commodores,” said architect of the blueprint, Mark Skaife.

“Any V8 engine can potentially be used where a manufacturer can modify one of its family V8 powerplants or utilise an existing category V8 Supercar engine. Who knows, this may open the door to teams fielding Nissans, Toyotas, Hyundais, Mazdas... whatever!”

Seven years on from that announcement and into the second-generation of that open-door policy (Gen2), which moves away from the V8 and four-door requirement, two factory-backed teams consisting of six cars in total will line-up for the start of the 2017 Virgin Australia Supercars Championship. They are the two Holden-backed Red Bull Racing Australia entries of

Triple Eight Race Engineering, now with the Holden Racing Team name, and four Nissan Motorsport entries.

It leaves Supercars with fewer factory-backed teams than in the final season of the Ford and Holden duopoly in 2012. The door did indeed open to manufacturers, but what’s happened since that 2010 announcement highlights the fickle nature of car manufacturers and their commitment to motorsport.

Ford pulled funding and factory status from Ford Performance Racing at the end of 2015. Even a brand that was one of two pillars of the V8 era with a long and storied history in the series and committed fanbase didn’t want to justify the spend of supporting a team.

AMG Mercedes-Benz never supported Erebus Motorsport’s E63s and the privately-developed Mercs only lasted three seasons to the end of 2015. Even an owner from one of the richest families in Australia in Betty Klimenko couldn’t successfully run cars without a manufacturer’s support, leaving the Mercs parked.

Volvo came in with bluster and enjoyed immediate success. Yet that enthusiasm and positive results turned into a sudden exit and legal wrangling over the ownership of the cars and engines into 2017. It highlighted how manufacturer politics can curtail a manufacturer’s involvement, even with success.

So where does that leave Supercars moving forward into the Gen2 era?

The global motorsport market is contracting. In the post-global financial crisis market, manufacturers are increasingly frugal with their budgets.

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ABO E The Red Bull Racing

Australia entries and Nissan Motorsport will be the only factory-backed teams in 2017.

BE OW Nissan Australia CEO Richard Emery insists motorsport is still worthwhile for car brands.

As a result, few motorsport categories have experienced genuine growth in recent years. Formula E, the open-wheeled electric series, is defying the trend, with manufacturers such as Renault, Audi, Jaguar, BMW and more using the innovative series to accelerate its electricpowered technology. GT racing is also enjoying a growth spurt, with 21 manufacturers having a car homologated to compete in GT3 classes around the world. With a relatively open rulebook , GT3 cars are based on production road-car models in mass production.

Formula E and GT3 each lay claim to core reasons why manufacturers have traditionally gone racing, the former for its role in technical development and the latter for its direct link to what’s on sale in showrooms.

Supercars, one could argue, has lost those aspects.

There’s very little technology in Supercars that manufacturers can use in their road cars. And Supercars, with their control chassis’, are more removed from their road-going versions than GT3s.

Adding to the challenge for Supercars is the change in the Australian automotive industry, with the end of local manufacturing reshaping a market that represents just one per cent of the global landscape. With manufacturers looking to electric powerplants and driverless cars now a reality, traditional forms of motorsport are suffering.

Richard Emery works with this challenging new-look automotive landscape as CEO of Nissan Australia.

“Australia is so competitive with so many brands competing for what is a relatively small market on a global scale,” he says.

“It’s difficult for investment with small volumes, specific requirements such as right-hand drive and high expectations of fuel economy and efficiency. That makes it hard to justify model offerings and big investments.

“It’s rapidly changing quicker than people expect. The market is getting used to the fact that we aren’t a carmanufacturing country anymore.”

The Falcon versus Commodore V8 era played such an important part in the growth of Australian touring cars that it’s now hard for Supercars to shake the perception that the death of car manufacturing spells the end of the series. The series has been forced to change, dropping the ‘V8’ tag for the impending non-V8 engines.

“When you go somewhere and mention V8 Supercars, people know what you’re talking about,” says team boss Brad Jones. “It’d be a sad day when we don’t have any V8s in our field.”

After all, the popularity of the series can be attributed to the success of the V8 era. The series is now grappling with not just a rebrand but also a whole new formula.

“There’s a whole heap of unknowns going forward on how the engines will work, so that’s something we’ve all got to be careful of,” adds fellow team boss Rod Nash.

“We know by way of noise it could cause a huge rift amongst the punters. We’re always testing the waters by having our finger on the pulse, but we need to make sure that we don’t move away from what we know.”

Nash knows only too well how fleeting manufacturer involvement can be. The successful businessman started out as a privateer driver before running his entry at a variety of Holden and Ford teams. His entry eventually

“AUSTRALIA IS SO COMPETITIVE WITH SO MANY BRANDS COMPETING FOR WHAT IS A RELATIVELY SMALL MARKET ON A GLOBAL SCALE.” – R AR EMER 24

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found a home at Ford Performance Racing, the Ford factory-backed team that he and Rusty French purchased in 2013 before Ford Australia pulled its funding.

“If you look over the years, Holden’s been in and out, Ford’s been in and out and the story goes on... at times, it’s like a revolving door,” says Nash.

“These days we’re all a lot more strategic with our marketing dollars and spend accordingly in the right place. Manufacturers are working out where to best spend their money and we’re one pillar of the marketing outlet to promote their brand.

“There’s a big change going on, but we’re still active and we still have a level of support from Ford. It’s not where it was, when we were factory team and heavily funded by them – that’s gone by the wayside – but it’s just like any business, you adjust to accommodate.”

The justification for manufacturers to go racing is harder, particularly in a market as small as Australia and in a series so associated with Ford and Holden. The likes of Toyota enjoyed growth in the Australian market without V8s, using the AFL, NRL and other mainstream success stories to leverage their brand without the risk and costs of a domestic touring-car program.

“The deals with the manufacturers will be fundamentally different to what they’ve been in the past,” says Supercars CEO James Warburton.

“Our platform and what we offer is no different to a standard media buy; why are people involved in The Voice or The Bachelor or any other mainstream media?

“When you look at what we are now delivering as a platform, we’ll see more manufacturers step back in the fullness of time.”

So if Supercars is no different to reality television for manufacturers, the ultimate decider in whether they go racing, as Warburton suggests, is the strength of the series’ numbers. And, in a time of great change, not allowing the perception that the series will crumble without V8-powered Falcons and Commodores is, therefore, vital in selling the idea to new manufacturers.

Holden’s decision to stay in the series but realign its commitment represents the changing mindset guiding manufacturers. As it gears up for its change from local manufacturer to importer, it’s taken a long hard look at its image. This has involved ‘realigning’ the brand to appeal to a broader range of buyers, ‘de-bogan’ its image and appeal to a ‘modern Australia’.

Did Supercars perpetuate this ‘bogan’ image? The decision to switch the Holden Racing Team name, owned by Holden and essentially leased to Walkinshaw Racing since 1990, to the Red Bull-backed Triple Eight can be seen as part of this marketing realignment.

Sure, Walkinshaw Racing has struggled to match it with Triple Eight since the latter switched to Holdens in 2010.

The Holden Racing Team at Walkinshaw Racing has not won a championship since 2002, while Triple Eight has won six. But the chance to team up with a brand with a dynamic reputation such as Red Bull seems in keeping with this attempt to revive the Holden brand.

“The mindset of the sponsor that’s doing business with you is very different to the person who comes to the events,” says Jones following Holden’s announcement.

“The sponsors want to get to the people who want to watch it, so it’s all linked, but Holden and Ford don’t

ABOVE: Sensationalist and

at times incorrect reporting in the mainstream media has done little to help educate the wider public about the changes in Supercars.

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MANUFACTURERS

have market share in Australia that they once did because times are changing at a different level, so the series is going through an inevitable change. But it’ll be a sad day if they didn’t have that connection because there are a lot of people who do feel very tribal about their brands.”

The recent move to the pay-TV model has added to the winds of changes, raising fears the reduction in free-to-air live events will take the series out of the mainstream.

“From a manufacturer base, we take note of the TV audience but it’s not critical; we make our numbers with how we activate our involvement,” says Emery.

For Nissan Australia, having four Nissan Altimas racing in Supercars isn’t necessarily about selling Altimas but rather pushing the wider Nissan brand.

“It’s not about selling Altimas in isolation; it’s about using motorsport to help Nissan’s brand,” says Emery.

“It’s about presenting ourselves with our motorsport heritage and excitement in our products. The knock-on effect is to the consumers and they react very well to our motorsport programs compared to other platforms.”

Nissan entered Supercars at the first opportunity in the first year of the Car of the Future regulations in 2013, building on a five-decade involvement in Australian motorsport. Yet the brand can’t necessarily quantify the impact of its return.

“It’s difficult to say we sold this amount of cars because we went motor racing,” says Emery.

“What we can say is there are consumers who chose a Nissan and we think our involvement in motorsport has made an influence on their purchase decision. In our research we’ve found customers have increased their rating of a Nissan as exciting to drive, which we believe is connected to our motorsport involvement. And we want to increase those levels so there’s an emotional attachment between our drivers and the brand.”

In contrast, Toyota has invested in the Toyota 86 series, following a global trend of manufacturers setting up their own one-make categories to suit their needs.

So did Supercars leave it too late to ‘open the shop front’? While it can be argued that the Commodore versus Falcon V8 era helped revitalise Australian touring cars following the much-maligned Group A era, did it hold on for too long with Ford and Holden exclusivity?

After all, the writing was on the wall for some time that car buyers were moving away from Falcon and Commodore V8s. Small cars and SUVs were in vogue, while imported brands increased their market share.

“Maybe it was a couple of years too late,” admits Jones on opening up the series to other brands.

Nissan is one of the few still trying to tap into this tribal support, more in keeping with the attitude of car manufacturers of yesteryear which saw motorsport as a vital part of its marketing.

“When you sponsor a logo on a football team, there’s going to be a big bunch of people who don’t like you on a given weekend because your team is playing against them,” says Emery.

“Also, it’s not connected to your brand; your brand is stuck on someone else’s shirt. With motorsport, people are out there cheering for Nissan, rather than a football team. That’s why we changed to a Nissan-branded car

“WHEN YOU GO SOMEWHERE AND MENTION V8 SUPERCARS, PEOPLE KNOW WHAT YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT.” – BRA JONES

Brad Jones Racing proves teams can succeed in Supercars without factory-backed funding.

The loss of the Holden Racing Team name is a bitter blow to Walkinshaw Racing.

Red Bull and Holden will combine for a formidable factory-backed entry in 2017.

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[the #23 entry], so people have a Nissan car to cheer on.

“The impact on merchandise sales shows there’s more connection than with another brand. For example, we’ve promoted Nissan Navara on the #23 as we know the demographic that would buy that car are watching Supercars, so it’s an extension of our marketing for it.”

Emery says Nissan Australia’s motorsport spend is “relatively small, smaller than people would think”. Yet even so, despite a reported budget of $2 million for a manufacturer to support a factory-backed team, Supercars isn’t being inundated with different brands.

Car of the Future was meant to usher in a new era of manufacturer battles, but teams are instead focussing on cutting costs and making do without factory backing.

Jones has been on both sides of the fence, having run the factory-backed Audi team in Super Touring and now as a privately run Holden entrant in Supercars. His team has constructed its own Commodores since the beginning of the Car of the Future era. Together with Prodrive Racing Australia, it represents the template for how noncustomer independent teams will operate in an era of diminishing manufacturer support. Both are competitive, though there is still some liasing that needs to be done with the manufacturers.

“We’re approved to liaise with them and if we want to make a shirt and put Ford on it, or do something with the branding, we must seek their approval,” says Nash.

“As long as we aren’t trying to go too far the other way, putting this huge Ford branding on a shirt and then nothing else, they’re more than happy to be part of it as long as we’re using the logo in the correct form, they’re just playing policeman in how it’s being used.”

Moving forward into Gen2, any new manufacturer would need to give its blessing for a team to apply its body shell and engine to a Supercar. But while it has drawn criticisms, Car of the Future is still regarded as the best platform for the sustainability of Supercars.

The cost of turning a road-going car into a Supercar without the control chassis – harking back to the improved production, Group C and Group A days – is seemingly unfeasible in terms of costs, safety and parity.

“With the advancement in parity and safety, you can’t keep putting bars inside cars like we used to,” says Nash.

“The Car of the Future set the platform for the series to move forward. But one good thing we have is that the cars are based off cars that you could walk into the showroom floor of the manufacturer and purchase it.

“Our rules keep that together and the teams work very hard at supporting that, so we make sure that we sustain the look and feel of the car, like something you can go and buy. That gives strength to what we do.”

But as expressed already, manufacturer involvement in Supercars is no longer about the direct link between race and road cars but rather brand awareness.

“I’ve been in to a number of different manufacturers and not one of them has said whether we would run an independent rear end, etc… would the marketing department or CEO know that? It’s a branding exercise,” argues Jones.

There has been more variety in terms of race winners in the Car of the Future era, though there’s growing concern that the pool of constructors is diminishing with

Triple Eight charged with building the next Commodore and an increasing amount of teams relying on customer cars.

“It definitely helps to drive down costs and the fact is that more people are capable of manufacturing than before,” insists Jones, whose team has won more races with Car of the Future than the Holden Racing Team.

“The driver is as close to the middle of the car as we can get him for safety, the competition is close and we’ve had many different winners, so it’s great that you turn up to a circuit and you don’t know who’s going to win.”

Future-proofing the series is now the name of the game. According to Warburton, Holden and Nissan would not have committed to a V8-only formula, which would have left the series with no factory-backed teams.

“That’s where Gen2 is a good offer to any manufacturer, because the body will inherently still look very similar to what you can buy on the road with an engine in keeping with what’s in the road car,” says Nash.

“I see it as a positive because if manufacturers want to pursue it at least we’ve got the garage door open to be able to accommodate them. If they don’t, well, then I still believe that teams will be well structured to still make their own decisions on which way we should continue to go forward and make the right decisions.”

But as Gen2 edges closer to GT3, does Supercars run into the problem of making it harder for makes to justify a separate package than its GT offering?

This is particular a concern given the strength of the GT racing model, in which manufacturers sell and service the cars to customers who take them racing. It’s a lowcost revenue stream for manufacturers with a direct link to the road cars. In that sense, it’s a throwback to what touring cars used to be but has now lost as manufacturers’ performance cars evolved into GT-spec and the industry moved away from high-powered sedans that formed the basis for Australian touring cars.

Erebus Motorsport’s Barry Ryan believes Supercars’ only hope of attracting manufacturer interest is moving to GT3, saying: “If manufacturers are what we want and need, then eventually we are going to have to go GT3.”

Nissan has Skyline GT-Rs ready and waiting to be raced in GT events around the world. And over the course of the next year the manufacturer will weigh up its future direction in Supercars, at a time it’s still optimising its current Altima package.

ABO E Holden-fan loyalty

will be tested with the switch of factory status to Triple Eight.

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MANUFACTURERS

“They aren’t cheap processes to switch to a new platform, so we will continue with what we have and look quite quickly at what comes next after that,” says Emery.

“From a global perspective, head office will wonder why we don’t just grab what they have off the shelf and adapt that to the rules. Ultimately, there is that diehard V8 Supercar fan and you have to transition carefully. NISMO may say we should go to the global platform as soon as we can, but that may be a step too far. It’s a delicate balance that will keep a number of stakeholders up in the air for a further period.

“We need to make sure Gen2 has enough life to reap the rewards. We’ve spent a lot of money on our current package and just about got it right, so do we really want to throw that in the bin and start again? There needs to be enough time to see if it’s worthwhile. But if Supercars heads closer to the global platform, then I’d say Nissan would still be in Supercars in the years to come.”

Supercars teams have increased their involvement in GTs in recent times, either running their own entries with manufacturers (Walkinshaw Racing with Porsche and Tekno Autosports with McLaren) or by providing technical assistance (Triple Eight with Maranello Motorsport). Nissan has a foot in both camps.

“I think there’s a role for both, as they are very different categories in terms of how they go to the market and the structure of the series,” says Emery.

But while GT racing is on the rise, it still has a way to go to reach Supercars. A parallel can be drawn between the Australian GT Championship and the pre-V8 Supercars era of the Australian Touring Car Championship. While the marquee event (the Bathurst 12 Hour) has cemented its place on the motorsport calendar, the rest of the championship doesn’t have wider mainstream attention and it piggybacks off Supercars events.

“If GT3 were the equal class to Supercars in Australia, then I would have had a very different discussion with Japan,” says Emery.

“That’s not the case in terms of marketing opportunities and everything else attached to Supercars. It’s on a different level in Australia.

R

“WE’VE GOT A BIG JOB TO IMPROVE IN WEANING OFF BEING THE FACTORY TEAM AND BEING OUR OWN ENTITY, BUT THAT’S WHAT WE ARE THESE DAYS.” – RO NAS

T History is repeating with Holden and Ford dealers stepping ack in to fill the void le y the manufacturers BE OW Tekno and rodrive have diversified with a ermarket tunin divisions

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“They are years away from being equal. Therefore, there’s quite a bit of life in Supercars for years to come.”

So assuming Supercars retains its current touring-car control-chassis platform, can it sustain itself without manufacturer backing?

“We’ve got a big job to improve in weaning off being the factory team and being our own entity, but that’s what we are these days and life goes on,” says Nash.

“It’s adjusting the sails and working with people in their markets with what they’re trying to achieve. It doesn’t matter whether it’s Bottle-O trying to sell a bottle of wine or Castrol trying to selling a tub of oil; it’s all how you leverage it.”

This could increasingly involve teams seeking financial support from dealer networks. Holden and Ford dealers stepped up their support of teams when the manufacturers came and went in the 1970s, while Ford and Volvo dealers were said to be unhappy at head office’s decision to withdraw its support from Supercars.

“Dealer networks are about selling cars,” says Nash, with multi-franchised Ford dealer Bayford increasing its support of Prodrive in the wake of Ford’s withdrawal.

“We’ve always had good relations with the Ford network and we’ll just continue to have those relationships with those businesses.

“They might be franchisees selling on the behalf of Ford, individual businesses in their own right, so they find ways of looking after their customers in different ways and if we can work with them, then that just varies our business as well.”

Prodrive is also varying its business with the relaunch of Tickford, which will offer performance packages for a variety of Ford models, initially the Ranger and Mustang.

Tekno Autosports has a similar operation with Tekno Performance, tapping into the aftermarket sector to adapt to the new-look import-only automotive sector.

Teams are diversifying like never before to counter a more cautious economy in a changing Australian automotive landscape.

“The sponsorship market is as tough as it’s ever been – and it doesn’t matter who you speak to, whether they’re at an AFL football team or if you talk to someone in television, ratings in all sport on television, ratings are dropping, so it’s a tough sell,” says Jones.

But the concern amongst fans is the lack of diversity. With Commodore numbers dominating the grid and Triple Eight only strengthened by its new deal with Holden, Supercars more than ever needs genuine opposition from the likes of Nissan Motorsport, Prodrive Racing Australia, DJR Team Penske or other manufacturers.

“There needs to be variety and diversity, so what this sport needs is other teams to emerge otherwise it was going to get monotonous,” says Emery.

“You need more than manufacturers, but in saying that you don’t need 10. As we’ve found, though, it’s not easy for a manufacturer to just come in and succeed.

“We wanted to make sure we do the right thing for ourselves and the series. If the series grows and we are attached to it, then there’s a gain for us as well.”

Ultimately, Supercars faces a question that all motorsport categories are grappling with; is it more important to be relevant to the automotive industry or better to focus on providing competitive entertainment?

“We must keep it competitive and exciting,” argues Nash. “The body shapes are one thing, but the engine is going to be a whole other story about whether we ready to go away from V8s just yet. The next few years will show us what that means.”

The next few years will also show once and for all whether manufacturers are at all interested in Supercars.

ABO E BE OW Nissan

will have factory-backed entries in both Supercars and the Australian GT Championship in 2017.

But its long-term future in Supercars depends on whether it moves to a Nissan global platform under the Gen2 rules.

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Fraternising with Foges IN T ERV IE W BY M A RK FOG A R T Y

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Mark Fogarty is Fairfax Media’s award-winning motorsport writer.

Foges also enlivens the Inside Supercars TV show every so often.

SIMON McNAMARA

THE LION KING A new-look Commodore racer, the first without a V8, will hit the tracks in 2018. But as Holden’s head of motorsport Simon McNamara outlines to Mark Fogarty, keeping the Lion in Supercars was a tough sell. olden is staying in Supercars for at least another three years but not as you know it. From next year there will be a new Holden Racing Team (HRT) and from 2018 an allnew Commodore racer. For the first time in 26 years the HRT banner won’t be carried by a team run out of Clayton, while the next Commodore won’t have a V8.

Holden’s renewed commitment to Supercars from 2017-19 maintains the Lion brand’s involvement since the late 1960s. It also means that the Commodore nameplate, which has been racing since 1980, will continue despite local manufacturing ending late next year. But it will be the end of factory backing of a Walkinshaw-run HRT, with the iconic brand switching to Triple Eight as the only factory-funded Holden team.

Given HRT’s serial under-achievement in recent years, it is no surprise that Walkinshaw Racing is losing Holden’s support. The creation of the Red Bull Holden Racing Team, though, was unexpected.

As well as rebranding the Commodores of Jamie Whincup and Shane van Gisbergen, the deal includes Triple Eight developing the next-generation racer with Holden and becoming the sole source of the Gen2-spec machine from 2018. The new Commodore racer will adopt the look of the imported road-going replacement – a rebadged version of the latest Opel Insignia – and almost certainly be powered by a 3.85-litre twin turbocharged V6.

The man who orchestrated these seismic changes is Holden’s sponsorship and motorsport manager Simon McNamara, a 22-year veteran with the company.

McNamara, 46, has overseen Holden’s dominance in Supercars for nearly a decade, since the introduction of the VE racer in 2007, while managing an increasingly declining budget for motorsport as Commodore sales deteriorated with the dramatic market shift to SUVs.

Never, though, has he had to fight so hard to keep Holden in Supercars as he did to convince a management that was ambivalent, at best, about the benefits for the brand.

Why did it take so long for Holden to recommit?

Our business has changed significantly over the last 18 months and we needed to have a much closer look at it, given what we were doing with Commodore, where that brand was going to be, what the next-generation car was going to be and how Supercars fitted in with where we wanted to take the brand.

So there was a lot more work that needed to happen behind the scenes to work out whether we felt it fits as part of the mix to go forward, if it serves a purpose in the bigger picture of everything and stacks up in terms of the business case.

The fact that local production of the Commodore is ceasing, did that have a bearing?

No, we’ve dealt with that and we’ve moved on to the next phase of what our business operation’s going to be. It was more about the next-generation car and the audience of Supercars, as well as Supercars itself.

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Fraternising with Foges

ABOVE: Triple Eight has

consistently outperformed Walkinshaw Racing’s Holden Racing Team since switching to Commodores in 2010.

We had a lot of dialogue with those guys about what they’re doing with the sport, where they were taking it and if it fit where we wanted to be. So there was a lot of stuff that needed to be worked through. It wasn’t as simple as it had been in the past. We’ve always had the approach that we won’t race what we don’t sell, so we’re going to have a very different car. We needed to make sure it all fitted in with what Supercars’ plans were going forward.

So the fact that there’ll be no V8 Commodore road cars didn’t have a significant bearing on the decision-making process?

Well, it was just one of the factors that we needed to establish. So there were a whole number of touchpoints that we had to work through to get a better understanding of what it was all going to mean for us. Did it fit for our next Commodore? Does this platform fit for our next Commodore and where we want to position the car?

So there was a lot that we had to go through and a lot more stakeholders involved. In the past, it was just a couple of us that would work through it. This time, there was a much broader stakeholder base to go through once we’d evaluated all the work. So there’s a lot of science behind it from our point of view.

We don’t just make a decision based on whether we do or don’t like car racing ourselves. It’s based on the science of the data and what it tells us, the number it spits out at the end, effectively, whether it works for us or it doesn’t.

They’ve been in dialogue with us and our GMIO office (to which Holden now reports), but it all comes back to what we want to do and whether it stands up. They know that we understand our business and our customer base.

We engaged everybody that needed to be involved and everybody understood in the end that this is where we should be, certainly for the new car.

Was there a chance Holden might have pulled out?

Oh, yeah, for sure. You need to understand that the world is a very different place now. Okay, this is the Supercar category and it talks to a specific part of Australia. We are now working with Supercars to try to expand that base.

So it’s great that Nissan is continuing to be involved, it’s great that we’ve committed to it and we’re hoping that some others on the fringe are looking at it. We know there are a couple looking at it. The new engines make it better for people like Nissan, Toyota, Hyundai, Kia and Mazda.

We wanted to make sure that it’s viable as a business; that our teams and the other teams are viable and that it makes sense for us to do it. I mean, we’ve all known that racing is part of the GM DNA. North America has a massive racing program and the best part of our relationship with them is that they’re very supportive of us. It helps us.

What does the science tell you?

It tells us that it works for our brand. We are evolving our brand to talk to new audiences, but we also have a very strong heritage and an engaged and passionate audience that follows us from a Holden traditional-base point of view. So we don’t want to forget those people. We have new products and avenues to talk to the new audiences that we want to get to, but we also want to talk to our core fan base and this (Supercars) is the perfect platform.

Did Ford Australia’s withdrawal make it more difficult to sell staying in to Holden management?

No. There are some areas of our management that look at that, but the bigger picture we all understand is that whatever other brands are doing doesn’t really reflect on what we’re doing. We need to make sure it’s right for us.

So the fact that Ford decided it wasn’t for them, for whatever reason, doesn’t have any bearing on us. Same as if Nissan had decided it wasn’t for them.

It doesn’t help in the bigger picture but at the end of the day, the program stands up for itself with us, what our audience wants and where we want to take the next generation car to.

Was this the most difficult renewal process?

Probably. We engaged all areas of our business. We had GMIO (General Motors International Operations) in discussions, GM’s head of motorsport in North America Jim Campbell and his team and (GM North America president and ex-Holden boss) Mark Reuss and those guys.

The decision to drop Walkinshaw Racing and take away the HRT brand after 26 years. Was that difficult or did it actually make itself?

It was extremely difficult, to be quite honest. Although you try not to have an emotional link in business, that’s a very emotional thing.

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So it was very difficult, especially from my point of view, given the amount of time and effort we put into that organisation and that brand, the assistance we’ve given them over the journey and the close relationship we had with the Walkinshaw family.

It was a very, very difficult decision and a very difficult thing to call Ryan (Walkinshaw) and tell him. But, to his credit, he understands that business is business. The world is a different place from a business point of view and I can’t physically do what we used to do in the racing and try to be everybody’s friend.

We help everybody as much as we can and we’ll continue to help them and we are working through programs now to help them as they go forward. But, yes, it was a very, very difficult thing to do.

There are a lot of dedicated and clever people in there that have been working their backsides off to turn it around. But for whatever reason their efforts just haven’t been able to bear fruit. We can lead them on a certain path, but we can’t control it all. It’s their own destiny.

We have worked closely with them, but I’m not sure some of the things that have gone on were ideal for the team in terms of changes. They didn’t quite get their heads around what they needed to do from an engineering point of view with Car of the Future as quickly as some others and it’s hurt them in the long run.

The surprise of Holden’s recommitment wasn’t that you cut back to one team, but that you’re transferring the HRT to Triple Eight.

Well, we haven’t said we’re transferring the brand. What we’ve said is that they’ll be Red Bull Holden Racing Team.

What the machinations of that are we’re yet to reveal and fully get our heads around, as well. But the brand itself, as in that lion/helmet logo, we’re putting on the shelf.

I wouldn’t have thought that a lion and a bull would go together and we know how passionate and restrictive Red Bull are around their branding… we’re the same.

But Peter Hughes does an amazing job – and has done an amazing job over a number of years – with the HRT liveries and for most of the other Holden teams. He’s doing some stuff for us at the moment to work out where we go with it all.

We’ve been through all of GM’s architectures to see what might fit for us, so we’ve whittled it down.

As for the body, Peter Hughes and the design guys have been working on the packaging for probably the last six months, with the backing of (GM global design chief) Mike Simcoe, who’s a big supporter and big follower of what we’re doing.

So Mike’s been great and given Pete the resources internally to do a lot of the surface work (designing and shaping the racing body kit). So there’s a lot of work going on and the plan is to roll out in 2018.

ABOVE: Holden will be

merging the Holden Racing Team and Red Bull brands into one in 2017.

BELOW: Long-time Holden Racing Team driver Garth Tander lost his drive with Walkinshaw Racing as part of the Holden reshu e Scott Pye will join James Courtney at Walkinshaw Racing in 2017.

It won’t have a V8 engine, right? You reiterated that you won’t race an engine configuration that you don’t sell, so it’s going to be a twin-turbo V6 or a four-cylinder engine.

Yeah, it’ll be one of those. It won’t be a V8 engine.

It’s a change of recent attitude for Holden in as far as allowing the HRT brand to be associated with a team title sponsor. Why the change? Was it a necessary compromise to get the deal done?

That’s part of it. When we went through the evaluation process, we looked at all of that and asked the questions, did we need a standalone Holden Racing Team or did we need to have reasonably good commercial partners?

Red Bull is a brand we want to partner with. They talk to a different audience than we do and we want to be able to tap into their audience. So it all works from a pure commercial sense for us as we go forward.

Is the plan in 2018 to switch to the new Commodore body shape and a new engine?

Yes. We’re working through the engine program. The engine we’ve been looking at for nearly two years.

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Fraternising with Foges The fact that Triple Eight will be building the new Commodore race cars makes economic sense, but there are concerns about this approach giving Roland Dane even more power. Was that ever a consideration?

The welfare of the sport is always a consideration. But what we plan to do with our program from a business point of view with the car and the engine will only help the teams that are underfunded and struggling a bit.

The engine program alone will save them a significant amount of money. And they all want a Triple Eight car, anyway. Now they can put their own bits in it, no drama. But the externals will be common. And it will be at a proper price; it won’t be exorbitant.

We want to make sure that everyone that wants to run a new Commodore is able to. Ideally, we’d turn up in Adelaide in 2018 and we’d have all of our current Holden teams running new Commodores. Whether they all want to do that is a different story. I know that most of them do, but some of them probably won’t. But the ones that do will be very happy with what they have.

So you’re confident that by centralising the car and engine supply the cars will be cheaper for the teams?

Yes. They will have a significant cost-saving on their engine. Significant. And they’ll have a cost-saving of some description, once we work out all the numbers completely, with the car. They’ll be in a better position financially by having the car and engine package of the next-generation car.

What support will you provide to other teams?

We’ll continue to do what we’ve done for the past several years, which is marketing support, technical support and commercial support in terms of other sponsors and partners that we’ve brought into the fold for different teams and assisted along the way.

We’ll continue along those lines and we’ll do as much

as we can for them – other than just going, “Here’s a cheque”, which sometimes works and sometimes doesn’t work. You can give someone a lot of money and it doesn’t work all the time.

We want to make sure we help as much as we can.

Things like assistance on parts, which is significant when some of these cars that aren’t running at the front of the field tend to suffer damage. The parts are expensive. And we provide engine support where we can, so there is a whole range of things that we do to try to help.

ABOVE: Roland Dane and

McNamara will be working even closer when Triple Eight becomes the sole factory-backed Holden team next season.

You mentioned Nissan and its two-year renewal.

That’s obviously good for the sport, but is it important for Holden to have at least one other manufacturer involved?

We just want to race against the best, so we’d love for more to take up the challenge. We race for the challenge.

The Ford guys through Prodrive have been very competitive and pushing us on. The Nissans are showing some good signs of speed and Garry Rogers’ Volvos have been fast. We love the competition, so the more the merrier.

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But I think it is great for the sport in the bigger picture that Nissan has committed to another two years.

Do you think that Gen2 will attract any new manufacturers after 2017?

I’d like to hope so. As we’ve said, the cars need to have market relevance and our current car is market relevant because you can buy a V8 Commodore and, as we go forward, our new car will have market relevance because you’ll be able to buy an iteration of what we race.

The engine program for Gen2 makes it much more appealing to the likes of the Nissans and the Mazdas and the Toyotas and the rest of them because they have engines sitting in cars around the world they can just plonk in without having to do masses of development.

I mean, they’ll have to do some development, obviously, and there’s a lot of work that needs to happen, but the basis is there and it’s relevant.

You pointed out that the car market is changing and Holden is changing. The automotive industry will be a lot different again in 2019, so are you expecting it to be another struggle to keep Holden in Supercars beyond then?

I couldn’t tell you because our business changes all the time in terms of who’s there, so I don’t know what will happen at that point. But I would like to think that the

next-generation Commodore and the success it will hopefully have on track would warrant us continuing because it will have done what it needs to do.

The program has done what we wanted it to do for our brand to this point. Moving forward, we’ve evaluated the whole thing, understood what it’s going to be, understood what our next-generation car is going to be and who it’s going to speak to and who the audience for that car is.

So if we get to the end of all that and it’s ticked every box we wanted to tick, then it should continue. I can’t predict what the world will be like in 2019… it’s changed a lot in the past 12 months.

We do want to talk to new audiences, so we’re hoping this new car will bring in new audiences with its difference and innovation.

ABOVE: Holden has invested

heavily in Supercars in the V8 era and will continue to do so into Gen2.

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ENGINES

The New Engine Formula WORDS Stefan Bartholomaeus IMAGES Nissan Motorsport, Peter Norton, Autopics.com.au, inetpics.com

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Supercars has dropped the V8 tag as it prepares to open up the series to new engine platforms. Speedcafe.com editor Stefan Bartholomaeus takes a look at where the engine formula is heading in 2018 and beyond. earing two years since Supercars’ grand announcement of its Gen2 concept, the time to deliver is fast approaching.

From next season, two-door body shapes and engines outside the beloved five-litre V8s will be eligible for the championship, marking the biggest technical regulation change in almost 25 years.

While no new architecture will be raced until 2018, the next 12 months is expected to see at least one manufacturer, namely Holden, developing a V6 turbo for the following season.

As big a move as it was, the Car of the Future regulations introduced for 2013 were only ever destined to provide a stepping stone to further rule changes.

It allowed new manufacturers to take on Ford and Holden, but continuing to

stipulate the use of five-litre V8s built within a tight framework of regulations has only appealed to Nissan and, briefly, Volvo.

Forcing manufacturers to spend millions of dollars developing bespoke V8 Supercar engines has proven a high barrier to entry, as well as a difficult marketing sell in an era where downsizing and efficiency are the order of the day.

But while the benefits of opening the rules further and embracing the large variety of engine architecture already being raced in other markets are obvious, introducing new fruit onto a finely balanced apple cart has the potential for trouble.

For many fans, the prospect of mixing turbocharged four and six-cylinder engines with

the existing V8s immediately evokes dark memories of imported Ford Sierra and Nissan Skyline turbos destroying their Group A V8 competition in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Supercars’ Gen2 rules are, however, much tighter than that of Group A, which saw manufacturers produce limited numbers of hot production-based cars in order to exploit a simple formula based around tyre width, engine size and weight.

Conversely, it should also be noted that Supercars is not aiming for Gen2 to achieve total sporting parity between the different cars, such as the ‘Balance of Performance’ (BOP) system used worldwide in GT3.

ABOVE & RIGHT: New additions to the

upercars field such as issan were forced to race V8s that weren’t sold with the cars represented, but this could change into the Gen2 era.

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ENGINES

Nissan turbo versus Holden V8 at Bathurst in 1983. The tables could turn in 2018 with Holden moving away from V8s and Nissan undecided.

While GT3’s BOP aims to have all cars homologated to achieve the same lap time, Supercars focuses on equalising total downforce, aero balance, drag, engine power and fuel consumption individually, before letting the teams maximise the remaining regulations to the best of their abilities.

It’s a concept referred to as technical parity that, going by the incredibly close nature of the field at present, appears to have been fairly well achieved with the current batch of five-litre engines and fourdoor sedan body shapes under the Car of the Future regulations.

Supercars’ sporting and technical manager David Stuart is confident the building blocks that have been put in place to achieve engine parity in recent years will provide a solid platform for the introduction of new architecture.

Most notably, the output of all current Supercars engines must fit underneath what are referred to as the Accumulative Engine Power (AEP) and Engine Power Weighted Average (EPWA) figures.

The AEP is the sum of the horsepower reading at 50rpm increments from 5800rpm to 7450rpm, which must not exceed 20,654hp.

A formula based around the percentage of time spent in each part of that rev range (obtained from previous qualifying data at various tracks) is then applied to determine the EPWA, which cannot break 618.81hp.

Every component of each team’s engine, which must also conform to the basic technical regulations in the operations manual, is homologated and recorded via an Engine Specification Document, restricting development and, therefore, costs.

Supercars issued a Gen2 guidelines booklet to its teams in mid-2015 that stressed the continuation of its technical parity platform, including the requirement of new engines to meet the current outputs. It also outlined basic requirements for turbocharged fourcylinder and six-cylinder engines alongside the parameters that will remain for V8s.

“I FEEL CONFIDENT THAT WE’LL BE ABLE TO PROVIDE A LEVEL OF PARITY IN COMPETITION ON TWO DIFFERENT ENGINE ARCHITECTURES.” DAVID STUART

With six-cylinder turbos widely expected to be the weapon of choice for manufacturers looking to join the category or update, Supercars has placed the majority of its focus in that direction.

The guidelines stipulate a maximum capacity of 3850cc for V6s fitted a maximum of two turbochargers. Revs cannot exceed the existing 7500rpm, while compression is set at 9.0:1.

A host of component weights are among other items set as Supercars bids to balance up inertia and acceleration rates between the different engines.

The balance Supercars has played in this area is between mandating enough rules to make parity achievable while leaving enough freedoms to allow manufacturers to adapt existing race engines, such as that seen in GT3, with limited expense.

“There are a lot of engines that can fit the criteria, which is key to the philosophy of Gen2,” explains Stuart.

“We have our performance envelope in terms of outputs and with the minimum component masses and total centre-ofgravity constraint, we feel we have a good level of control.

“So really for us now it’s about fine-tuning the turbo-boost curve and understanding details of that technology.”

In order to do that, Supercars has built up its own 3.5-litre V6 turbo, based off a General Motors-derived block and cylinder head.

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The work, undertaken between Supercars’ small technical team, engine partner Cragsted and external suppliers, will provide critical knowledge before the final regulations are set.

More than 12 months into the build due to a series of delays, the engine is expected to have commenced dyno running by the time you read this.

Track testing inside Supercars’ Car of the Future prototype Holden, which was originally slated to begin in September last year, is now scheduled to be undertaken before year’s end.

“We would have liked to have completed our engine six months earlier, but we’re not set up to manufacturer components like race teams are, so we’ve had to work to deadlines of outside suppliers,” explains Stuart.

“Having it up and running will allow us to start playing around with various methods of turbo control and tuning, both for performance and compliance as we develop the rules.”

Turbos and intercoolers were originally earmarked as control components, but Supercars’ eagerness to lower the barriers to entry for new engines will allow manufacturers to homologate their own.

The Motec Engine Control Unit and software will, however, remain controlled, ensuring an electronics war does not break out within the category.

Making sure the turbos are matched to the V8s across a range of atmospheric conditions will be a major task for Supercars, but one Stuart insists can be done.

“Like we view any issue or problem, we approach it with a scientific method,” says Stuart when asked if it’s realistic to think parity adjustments won’t be required inseason to balance the competition.

“Go back into the mid-’60s and everybody said, ‘Is it really realistic to fly somebody to the moon?’

“We’re not talking about the same difficulty, but it is realistic. All you’ve got to do is approach the problem in a sensible manner.

“I feel confident that we’ll be able to provide a level of parity in competition on two different engine architectures.

“We’ve all been looking forward to the challenge and we know that by the time we are on track we’ll have a really good handle on it.”

Packaging will be one of the key constraints for any manufacturer and team looking to introduce an existing V6 turbo, which must fit within the confines of the current engine bay.

While the V6s will have smaller capacities and fewer cylinders than the current engines, the fit of the turbos and their associated cooling requirements will also have an impact on performance.

“From our experiences to date, we’re

not expecting that the size of the current engine bay will be a major issue in terms of fitting different engines in,” says Stuart.

“The current engine that we’re working on fits quite nicely into the chassis and we’ve had the ability to look at how other types of engines fit also.

“There might be some ancillary brackets that might need to be changed, but that’s different between the current engines anyway.”

Although the Group A era saw turbocharged cars often prove fast but fragile, Stuart does not expect reliability to be a major challenge for teams running turbos under Gen2.

It is a view shared by long-time Supercars engineering guru Campbell Little, who was part of Frank Gardner’s Group A Ford Sierra effort for its Bathurst 1000 win in 1988.

“Boost control has come a long way since those days, but when you look back at it we had a lot of things going against us in terms of reliability with the Sierras,” explains Little.

“We had a homologated turbocharger, exhaust body and turbo wheel and a control Group A cylinder head with tiny ports, which you weren’t allowed to change.

“But you could throw whatever camshaft you wanted into it and crank up the boost to make the power. So we just put as much in as we could.

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ENGINES

“We blew a few turbos, but half of those failures were blowing head gaskets and pistons out the side of the block.

“We’d be running three bar of boost through an engine that wasn’t designed for a turbo. With the GT3 engines you won’t even need one bar to make the horsepower.”

While Supercars will be testing its own General Motors-based V6 turbo, Holden is committed to developing a Supercars version of its new-generation imported Commodore with a new non-V8 engine package.

Holden Motorsport manager Simon McNamara has long stated the manufacturer will not race a V8 engine in a car not sold with such a powerplant, a stance that has played a key role in Supercars’ decision to introduce Gen2.

McNamara also hints a single-supplier model will be used for any new engine, to be developed in close consultation with General Motors’ motorsport division in North America.

Such a centralised model is thought to be the way of the future for the category as part of the move to engines that are, at the very least, derived from those in competition use elsewhere.

Nissan, meanwhile, has committed to continuing with its five-litre V8 for next year, but will work with NISMO in Japan to evaluate a replacement for 2019.

Head office has had little involvement in the development of Nissan’s current engine, which has proven a long and costly process since work started in 2012.

Nissan’s current 3.8-litre V6 twin-turbo seen in its GT3 GT-R has also been adapted

Nissan will work with NISMO in Japan to determine its engine choice moving forward.

for use in IMSA prototypes in the United States and Europe’s Renault RS01 onemake series.

It looms as a logical fit for Supercars’ new rules and can, potentially, play a key role in efforts to better integrate Nissan Australia’s motorsport efforts with Japan.

“I’ve said publicly that I don’t want to be a pioneer again,” says Nissan Australia CEO Richard Emery on the prospect of moving to a V6 turbo.

“We were a pioneer (with the V8) in the sense that we didn’t have as much support from NISMO on the engine front early on because they were busy with LMP1 and other things in those first years.

“But we think NISMO have an engine that probably works (for Gen2). We’ll need V8 branding played a vital role in the rise of V8 Supercars, so the Gen2 engine regulations represent a huge change.

to spend some time and money developing, but NISMO are prepared to do that.

“For them it is a very different motivation than starting on an engine from scratch.”

While it is hoped that utilising globallyraced engines will help drive down costs within Supercars, any change will initially cost money.

Emery also stresses that Nissan will be seeking further clarity on Supercars’ mooted ‘Gen3’ plans before any commitment is made to developing a new engine.

After such a long period of relative stability with Ford Falcon and Holden Commodore V8s, the prospect of another major Supercars generation change being around the corner has raised plenty of eyebrows.

“We’ve always said that this chassis will run until the end of 2021, but we haven’t made any reference to powerplants at this stage,” says Stuart of Gen3 “Over the next two years we’ll have a look at what’s happening in motorsport worldwide and vehicles manufacturing worldwide, especially into the focus on electric and other technologies.

“Really, Gen3 is starting a conversation.

What will the Supercars category look like in the future? How will we transition to that?”

In the meantime, the lack of immediate uptake for Gen2 will provide Supercars with another year to hone its knowledge of turbos.

But with Holden and Triple Eight expected to lead the charge of the turbos in 2018, the category’s ability to balance the new and old technology will be under the spotlight soon enough.

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SPONSORSHIP

ALL ABOARD THE SPO WORDS Andrew Clarke IMAGES DJR Team Penske (SSMedia), Peter Norton

The chase for sponsorship has never been so fierce. Triple Eight Race Engineering and DJR Team Penske took different approaches to funding their racing operations in 2016.

They talk us through their different styles in the evolving world of sponsorships. he motorsport world is both equally cursed and blessed by sponsorship.

Since the time Lotus’ Colin Chapman first started down the tobacco route with Gold Leaf in Formula 1 in the late 1960s, motorsport has grown from either being a testing bed for car and related companies or a hobby for the rich to a serious business in its own right.

It all started out as a sticker here and there, then it grew to include corporate

entertainment, access to drivers and the team and much more.

That is the blessing… money, exposure and image. The curse is you need sponsors with deep pockets and commitment… and they aren’t easy to find in a challenging economy. Speed costs and if you want to play at the pointy end with two cars you will need at least $5 million a season.

Sponsors by their very nature are corporate beasts and even someone like Tony Quinn at VIP Petfoods/Darrell Lea with his love of motorsport has to get a return on his investment.

For others, you will see them in and out of the series, raising and lowering their investment and sometimes swapping between teams as they look for that return.

It is a cut-throat world.

The motor industry has fed the beast for many years, with car manufacturers and oil companies dominating the landscape.

Tobacco companies were legislated out of the game in the mid-1990s, which saw more diversity in the sponsorship market.

This comes at a time when manufacturers are spending less in direct backing for teams, with Ford pulling its support and

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PONSORSHIP WAGON Holden channelling its funding model into the one team, Triple Eight.

How you get the money to go racing is now as varied as which social media outlet you use to talk with your mates. You can travel down the ‘traditional’ route of one naming-rights sponsor and limiting the support sponsors, or you can chase down a different sponsor for each meeting and then anything in between.

Triple Eight represents the more traditional model, with one major naming rights sponsor and a limit of minor sponsors on the cars. DJR Team Penske is at the other end and led the charge for the ‘alternative’ model with a constant rotation of backers, before settling on title sponsorship from Shell from 2017 in a challenging marketplace.

“It’s certainly tight,” says Triple Eight’s marketing guru Peter Jamieson.

“Australia’s a relatively small pond. So there isn’t a major marketing and dollar spend relative to the United States or Europe.

“There’s sponsors out there who want to do things and activate strongly and in different cycles there’s different industries.

We’ve seen the communications industry go through their cycle and that’s eased back now. There seems to be a growing trend on sports betting and those agencies, but that could end up in tears if legislated out.

“We’ve certainly seen the development of the good, solid platform we’ve got with energy drinks and that seems to be something in our category that’s proving successful and is working well for us.”

For Jamieson and his team inside Triple Eight, it’s about staying at the front of the wave rather than chasing it. While he is committed to his major sponsors at present, he is always out in the market.

“You never stop looking; there’s a pipe that has to be fed and you’re always looking for the next Red Bull or Holden,” he says.

“Nothing is static and you’ve got to keep evolving with the market. We’re talking to people who might be two years down the track before they even consider bringing a guest along to a round, but it’s a matter of educating and sowing the seed.”

Vodafone was in many ways a best case study for involvement. The telecommunications carrier came into the sport and was serious about building its brand and image with many activation tricks.

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SPONSORSHIP

LEFT & ABOVE: Triple Eight and DJR Team Penske

represent the different sponsorship models in Supercars. While Triple Eight hands over naming rights to the likes of Red Bull, Caltex and Holden, DJR Team Penske retains its own branding and has a rotation of sponsors throughout the season.

“Vodafone was a good conversation; that was originally a three-year deal that we rolled over at the end of the second year and continued on,” says Jamieson.

“But the original plan from John Casey, who was the marketing director at the time, was that a naming rights should go between five and six years as a minimum to get the cut-through and awareness.

“We were up against a series sponsor, being Telstra, so we had to be clever on how we did things and how we approached different activations.

“Red Bull’s a little bit different because they are a partner of the series, so it gives us some flexibility at a race meeting to do some sampling or do the good exposures around the track. We’re not sure how long Red Bull will be with us; it looks like it’s definitely going to be six or seven years rolling forward and they’re comfortable with the position that they’re in.”

On the other end of the operational spectrum but still playing with big money is DJR Team Penske. The DJR and Penske merger changed the model for Doctor Ryan Story, who headed the team both before and after the merger.

Like Triple Eight, DJR had always tried for title sponsors with Shell, Jim Beam etc. But Penske brought a new dynamic to the table.

Billionaire Roger Penske has been building businesses off the back of motorsport for decades and when he decided to open shop in Australia, that connection was logical.

Now the changing face of the cars is centred on that leverage in what is essentially a business-to-business package.

“We’ve been quite open about that being our model to have Penske enter the series,” says Story.

“Roger didn’t come into Supercars on a whim; it’s all about growing his local

business interests here in Australia and in New Zealand and it started off with the acquisition of the Western Star MAN and a single distributorship in 2013.

“His whole motivation for going racing is to market his business interests and that’s precisely what’s been the case here. Right now he’s got about 1000 staff between Penske Truck Rental, Penske Power Systems and Penske Commercial Vehicles and as that continues to grow and as awareness for those brands continues to grow, that might see our model evolve.

“But certainly it was a conscious strategy to introduce the name to the Australian and New Zealand landscape.

“Our model’s been evolving over the course of the past 18 months. It’s all about the aspirations of the local businesses and as that awareness grows we will obviously be more open to other levels of participation from our sponsorship group.

“Most of the sponsors that we have within the team have a business-to-business connection and access back to Penske businesses. Pirtek’s a great example of that, so is Shell. So I think that those relationships are just as paramount as is our intent to grow the name, ID and awareness of brands that Roger owns locally as well as giving a return to the individual sponsors.”

So, in terms of success, they are two extremes and both work. A few years ago, the DJR Team Penske model would have been nigh on impossible to manage, but now the reskinning of a car is a simple task.

“We had this intention when we started to treat it as a start-up with a one-car model for our first year and that we would have a rolling-sponsorship model, which we at the time coined internally our ‘NASCAR model’,” says Story.

“This style of sponsorship is quite

prevalent in NASCAR, with multiple sponsors on the cars and regular changes. We set up our panel facilities and sign shop to accommodate that from day one. Stepping up from doing that with one car to two cars has been challenging and we’ve had to accommodate accordingly from a staffing side, but it was always the intent to have that and it’s been planned from very early on in the piece.”

We in the pitlane and stands can get confused by the chameleon nature of the team and its cars, but Story says they even planned for that with consistent lines and visual cues in the liveries.

“The lines on the livery are always the same, it’s usually the colours that change and the core associate branding positions are very consistent,” he says.

“There’s significant elements of continuity despite the fact you see some colours and the major stickers change.

“Again, that’s a conscious effort as we spent a lot of time at the start of the year working through how those liveries look and I think that the chap who does our livery designs worked a lot of overtime putting that all together for us at the start of the year and making it all fit!

“It’s just a different way of operating but again we’ve got a wealth of experience with Team Penske and their commercial staff in the United States as best practice. And that’s really what it’s about; it’s a best practice game and making sure that we’re over-delivering on the opportunities for both internal sponsors and external sponsors.

“Without having that core backbone and the experience of these people with this model, I think it would have been a lot more challenging.”

Both Story and Jamieson talk about the tough market and also about the concern

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with the shift to a pay-TV model, but both say that has settled in favour of the sport and the numbers are good.

That brings us to the core of it all… numbers with dollar signs, years, sponsor counts per car and QI values (number of exposures, duration of time on screen, exposure length average, exposure size screen location and more).

“Ideally you’d try and find a naming-rights partner for a minimum of three years so that you can get the returns back to them,” says Jamieson.

“We made a call, though, to only have six brands on our cars to make sure that we got a good clarity of message. We identified the areas on the car that would give people different tiers and the level of exposure that warranted them investing.

“So, for example, if you’re out in the marketplace selling something that’s getting a return of between 10 and 12 times your QI value, that means, for the sake of the argument, $250,000 on the cars may be giving you a return of $1.25 to $2 million… and that’s money well spent.

“That’s the sort of clarity and cut-through we’re getting as a sport compared to the others that we’ve been up and against, being the AFL and the NRL. “We had to basically ‘real estate’ the car according to the values proportionately.

So the bonnet is the highest proportion exposure piece of real estate. The front of car tends to be strong, so you’ve got your

SPONSORSHIPS

BY THE NUMBERS The following are estimated averages of sponsorship packages on a midfield two-car team.

Naming rights Windscreen Rear wing Front bar Guards Headlights Mirrors In-car Helmet

$1-2 million $200,000-$400,000 $75,000-$100,000 $100,000-$150,000 $50,000-$75,000 $50,000-$75,000 $50,000-$75,000 $25,000-$50,000 $100,000-$150,000

front splitter, headlights, front guards and windscreen header all as valuable properties.

If you look at them, they’re in different locations. So if someone is on the windscreen we’d need to balance at the back, so they’ll end up with the numberplate area.

“The naming rights partner needs a general awareness, the sides tend to be the strongest spot for them because of the billboard nature of our cars. And then you’ve got the lower level guys, for example, headlights, they usually take something at the front and then something at the back or something down the side that is smaller.

“It’s a balance on what they can afford to pay. But the other thing is we’re very conscious that whatever they pay on our cars, we want them to use the same amount outside that. So it’s one-to-one and in some cases it’s higher than that to activate their support with us.

“There’s no point putting all their marketing spend in being on the side of the car when they can’t actually do anything with it.

And that’s very important.”

The media reports can give detailed breakdown on which part of the cars are getting what on TV. Running at the front and having good battles is critical to that; you can just imagine the numbers around for Triple Eight with the Jamie Whincup, Shane van Gisbergen and Craig Lowndes battling at the front… they will be raking in the numbers and that helps when Jamieson goes to the market.

“We’ve got budgets; we know what we’ve got to run to and some years we hit those, sometimes we don’t but right now we’re out there looking for 2018 partners and making sure that we’ve got the right mix,” says Jamieson.

For Jamieson and Story, they are miles down the path of working into the next era of the sport. It’s not a black art or science as such, the commercial side of the sport is just about grunt work and numbers. Understanding the trends and, better still, guiding those trends. It was the only way both teams could expand in 2016.

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MERCHANDISE WORDS Adrian Musolino IMAGES Prodrive Racing Australia, Peter Norton

Merchandise has become big business in Supercars. It is an important revenue stream for teams, a key branding exercise for sponsors and a chance to display tribal passion for fans.

Prodrive Racing Australia gives us the lowdown on its merchandise strategies.

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rivers and team members wear their gear throughout the season and fans deck themselves out in their favourite teams’ colours, but we don’t often think about the strategies and importance of the branding that’s associated with merchandise.

On the one hand, it’s an important part of fandom, enabling your passionate supporters a chance to show off their tribal allegiances, while on the other hand it’s a vital component of the sponsorship model that keeps Supercars on the road.

For Prodrive Racing Australia, team merchandise and membership strategies are so important it recently brought the

departments in-house rather than outsourcing to a contractor.

The Bathurst and championship-winning team is the leading Ford team, recently underwent a rebranding from Ford Performance Racing to Prodrive Racing Australia and has three title sponsors in the BottleO, Supercheap Auto and Monster Energy, so it has one of the biggest merchandise presences in Supercars and most complex models in the series.

“It’s very important from the commercial side of things, as in the partner sponsor and partner group,” says team co-owner Rod Nash.

“A big reason sponsors infuse money into the team is to market and leverage their

brands. Putting stickers on race cars and doing general events with teams and drivers is one way of promoting a brand, but another part of it is when you’re a reasonably ‘out there’ sort of a team.

“We move 100,000 items or so a year in the marketplace. It’s good to get sponsor branding out there and that’s a big part of why we do it and it gives us a good commerciality of retail sales; an important part of our budget as well.”

The Prodrive Racing Australia merchandise store features everything from shirts, hoodies, singlets, jackets, hats, watches, stubby holders, backpacks, badges, flags, thongs, mugs and drink bottles, bottle openers, car and helmet models, umbrellas and even a toy bear!

Teagan Lloyd is the merchandise manager for Prodrive Racing Australia, working on everything from the design of the team gear to the coordination of merchandise sales at events.

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Part of that role is the allocation of merchandise across the title sponsors and the generic team branding.

“Essentially, we have four brands, so we’ve got Bottle-O, Monster, Supercheap Auto and our Prodrive Racing Australia brand,” says Lloyd.

“Bottle-O is our strongest seller and that shows the importance of championship success and the #1 and then Supercheap, Prodrive Racing Australia, Monster are all very similar.

“Whatever we make goes straight back into our team.”

But just getting the range of merchandise for a new season is a race in itself. Designs need to be signed off in October to allow time for overseas manufacturing and shipping back to Australia in time for the new season.

Crucially, the merchandise needs to be ready to sell at the Clipsal 500 Adelaide, not only the season-opening event but also the biggest in terms of attendance and, therefore, potential customers.

“The challenge we all have is the time it takes to design and produce… and to get it there for the Clipsal 500 is always very full on,” says Lloyd.

“With sponsorship deals and the like it does make it tricky as things do change, so it’s not often set in stone at the time we need it.

“The challenge is also to try and make the look different and unique each season. When you have sponsors that have been with other teams, we’ve got to take it away from that and give it a bit of Prodrive Racing Australia flair.”

Team merchandise is increasingly going beyond the stock-standard clothing. Teams are diversifying their business strategies like never before to counter

challenging economic conditions. And the same is happening to the range of products on offer to fans.

For Prodrive Racing Australia, this includes a special championship range designed and manufactured straight after Mark Winterbottom’s title win last season.

“We’ve got some really passionate fans so people are asking for something different, something unique, limited edition, that they can collect,” says Lloyd.

“We are bringing out items like that, that are a bit different that are a keepsake, that are unique to our team.”

One potential growth area for teams and the series itself is in memberships.

Popular in the footy codes for fans to

“JUST GETTING THE RANGE OF MERCH FOR A NEW SEASON IS A RACE IN ITSELF. DESIGNS NEED TO BE SIGNED OFF IN OCTOBER...”

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MERCHANDISE

secure their seats at matches, the Supercars membership model is obviously different considering its calendar of events is spread across Australia.

Prodrive Racing Australia has invested a lot of time and effort into various membership tiers, everything from packages that include pit and factory tours, hot laps and corporate hospitality invites to kids’ memberships.

“I definitely think it will be a big growth area for everyone as people want to get closer to the action,” says Lloyd.

“Even on the television coverage, the way they’re doing it these days, they’re showing you a lot of different angles, so people don’t want to just sit behind the barrier and have a look anymore. We’re giving them a way to get in with the team and, in a way, become part of the team.”

Nash is working with Supercars to streamline membership packages between teams and Supercars, which could benefit the fans.

“I don’t think any of us have got the membership strategy right,” he admits.

“The teams go off and run their own membership profiles and then Supercars are running one themselves. It’s something that I’d like to pursue a little bit deeper, laying out on the table what we’re all trying to achieve here.

“Perhaps like a collective membership, where the membership might be with Supercars and then a particular team and you pick the events for whichever state you live in or want to attend.

“Then we would collectively grow our memberships because it’s not necessarily something that people would just take up the Supercar membership in isolation, so I think it needs a bit of work there, although we actively promote our own membership.”

Ultimately, merchandise and membership strategies are about strengthening the bond between the team and its fans which, at the end of the day, helps put the money in the team that will get results on the track.

“At the end of the day, it’s the fans that keep us all in the job,” says Lloyd.

“So we need to keep them happy and wanting to come to the track and be a part of it, otherwise we’ll all be struggling.

“One thing you always know when you’re at the track is someone will come buy a shirt from you and they’ll talk about the team using words like ‘you’ or ‘them’.

“Then they’ll come back later after the race and it’s like, ‘Oh, that was awesome!

We just won!’

“They change from being external to being a part of the team. It’s really cool to see them say, ‘Yeah, we just did that!’”

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s d e i f

i ss

a l C

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OCTANE EVENTS WORDS Adrian Musolino IMAGES Peter Norton, Soundos Hanna

CATERING FOR SPONSORS

Putting stickers on Supercars and releasing merchandise is not end of the sponsorship game. Activation is increasingly a vital component of keeping sponsors happy. And at events, that takes the form of corporate hospitality with the likes of Octane Events.

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vent by name, event by nature…

Virgin Australia Supercars Championship events are exactly that, an event to showcase the series to fans and sponsors alike.

For teams and their sponsors, showcasing Supercars takes the form of corporate hospitality… the facilities in the prime spectating areas where the decision makers, backers and their guests are entertained on race weekends.

Far from just an excuse to be wined and dined, the corporate facilities are crucial to sponsorship activation and, therefore, the very existence of the series given the importance of sponsorship dollars.

Octane Events is the leading event-service

provider in the Supercars as the corporate host for four of the biggest teams in the series, Triple Eight Race Engineering, Prodrive Racing Australia, DJR Team Penske and Walkinshaw Racing (Holden Racing Team).

Soundos Hanna ran the corporate services for Ford Australia before going her own way and teaming up with Triple Eight Race Engineering from 2008, when Ford pulled its funding of the team and Vodafone raised the bar for sponsorship activation.

“Triple Eight were the first to approach us as they knew they needed to activate with their sponsors on track,” says Hanna.

“When Triple Eight changed from a Ford team, they came to realise that they needed

to make it about the team experience and work with the likes of Vodafone to grow the support for the team itself.”

The Triple Eight-Vodafone combination set a new standard for what a team and sponsors can achieve. And the growth of the corporate hospitality sector saw Octane Events expand its client base with the addition of Stone Brothers Racing, Ford Performance Racing (Prodrive Racing Australia), Dick Johnson Racing (DJR Team Penske) and Walkinshaw Racing (Holden Racing Team) in the coming seasons.

“Corporate hospitality plays a key role in the commercial aspects of Triple Eight Race Engineering,” says team owner Roland Dane.

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“Together with Octane Events, with whom we enjoy a long-standing and solid relationship, we can give team partners and their guests a unique opportunity to experience what we do from the comfort of a suite.

“With pit-garage tours and exclusive meet and greets with the drivers included at every event, corporate hospitality also gives prospective team partners a taster of what we offer and is undoubtedly a valuable to addition to our on-track facilities.

“The atmosphere in the Octane suite is always excellent and it continues to evolve to remain at the forefront of hospitality within pitlane.”

Hanna adds: “In Supercars, we provide the premium hospitality experience, basically everything the corporate guest sees as soon as they enter through the door of the suite to what’s inside and all the services provided.

“We’ve created an environment where the teams, their sponsors and affiliates can come into the suite over a race weekend and network within the team family.

“Without the support of sponsors, there would be no teams and no series. So it’s really important those sponsors are catered for and looked after, in order that they continue to support it going forward.”

The marquee events are crucial to the sponsors. The season-opening Clipsal 500 Adelaide is the biggest event of the season, with 120 guests each for Triple Eight and DJR Team Penske, 80 guests at Prodrive Racing Australia and 60 at the Holden Racing Team.

At Bathurst, there are more than 180 guests in the Octane Events suites split between the four teams.

The numbers vary based on which market is more important to the team/ sponsor. For example, Red Bull hosts 150 guests at the Gold Coast for the party event of the season, while DJR Team Penske has an increasing presence at Pukekohe Park Raceway given Penske’s expanding business interests in New Zealand. Not forgetting the Clipsal 500.

“We try and hit a target in each region… from Adelaide, Perth, Darwin, Townsville to the metropolitan events at Sydney Motorsport Park and Sandown,” says Hanna.

“In some cases its the team’s decision to go out to team partners and sponsors and working out the numbers.

“What we are finding is the numbers are increasing and remain consistent across the whole season.”

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OCTANE EVENTS

Each team’s hospitality suite is personalised with its own branding, as opposed to one uniform look or facility.

Enter the DJR Team Penske, Prodrive, Holden Racing Team or Triple Eight suite and you wouldn’t know the same company ran it.

“Without individual teams’ corporate hospitality, a syndicated one for all teams and sponsors wouldn’t provide the same sort of experience,” says Hanna.

“It enables the likes of Red Bull to bring their products and lifestyle messages to life at events. It’s a premium brand, so people want to be a part of it.”

Over the course of a Supercars race weekend, there’s constant activity within the suite, from driver/teammember visits, pit tours, grid walks, course rides and merchandise gifts around morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea and a full bar for what Hanna describes as “a money-can’t-buy experiences” that is included within all the suites but also differ from one event to another.

“You can’t expect a sponsor to come and stand in the garage for the whole day and enjoy the Supercars event in the same way,” says Hanna.

“This is about giving them a place of their own where the team members come to them throughout the day and the guests can network.”

There are a variety of guests in the suites over the course of a race weekend, mainly invited guests of sponsors in addition to the heavyweights who ultimately decide where a company’s marketing budget is allocated.

This sort of sponsorship activation is vitally important to Supercars in such an incredibly competitive

“YOU CAN SHOWCASE WHAT THE TEAM AND THE SPORT HAS TO OFFER SO MUCH BETTER TO SPONSORS.” SOUNDOS HANNA OF OCTANE EVENTS

Australian sporting marketplace.

“With all due respect to the football codes like the AFL, how awesome is it that you can invite a guest and spend eight hours with them in a suite over a weekend with such great access to the teams and drivers,” says Hanna.

“You can showcase what the team and the sport has to offer so much better to sponsors ” It’s therefore an often overlooked but nevertheless important aspect of Supercars sponsorship for the teams which work with the likes of Octane Events and the series itself.

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TRANSPORTATION WORDS Adrian Musolino IMAGES Brad Jones Racing, Peter Norton, Autopics.com.au, Glenis Lindley

The trucks that transport Supercars across the country are so much more than mobile storage devices. We go inside Brad Jones Racing’s Stax transporter with its driver Paul Eddy and take a look at its movements across the 2016 season to appreciate the importance of these huge machines. eet Paul Eddy and his truck Stax. On race weekends you’ll find Eddy operating the spike during Tim Slade’s pitstops in addition to fitting and organising tyres for the #14 Freightliner Racing entry.

But for more than a third of the year Eddy is hauling Brad Jones Racing’s Freightliner truck, nicknamed Stax, around Australia to and from Supercars events.

“I class myself as a truck driver; I’ve done that for 12

years before I arrived at the team, irrespective of what I do with the tyres and during pitstops,” says Eddy.

“It’s the driving of the truck that gives me the most satisfaction in my job.”

The truck is a 2014 Argosy 110 mid-roof model with a 51-inch sleeper bunk. It runs the latest generation Detroit DD15 15-litre turbodiesel six-cylinder with 560hp and an 18-speed manual.

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The Albury-based Brad Jones Racing has three also houses the team of engineers, drivers and marketFreightliner Argosy transporters at its disposal. Stax is ing/media staff. the only one to have an A and B trailer, carrying the The two trailers are each split into two compartments.

Freightliner Racing and Team BOC cars. Stax and the Trailer A is used for carrying the heavy equipment when Team CoolDrive (for the team’s third car) transporters on the move and transforms into the engineers’ briefgo to all Supercars events, while the third transporter ing room and office when parked up for race meetings. is called into action for the Dunlop Development Series Trailer B’s front section is used as the drivers’ area and Kumho Series events. where they can store their helmets, driving suits and For Dunlop Series and Virgin Australia race gear. The mid-section is the workshop Supercars Championship events, such area and includes a lathe, vice and work as the recent Sandown and Bathurst benches, while the two race cars travel enduros, the three trucks carry six nose-to-tail on ramps above this ready-to-go Supercars. area when on the move.

Plus there are 66 wheels, 24 The underbelly of trailer B “WE’VE GOT EVERY bumpers, 12 complete doors, also features 16 lockers loaded THING WE NEED TO 12 bonnets, 30 front-brake with the spare gearboxes, sets, 18 rear-brake sets, 48 diffs, jack stands, setup REPAIR A CRASHED CAR suspension dampers, 15 equipment and consumables.

IN THE TRUCKS… AND sets of door mirrors, 10 It takes the team a full AT THE TRACK, IT GIVES sets of headlights, six tail day to unload the trucks and shafts, three steering racks, set up the garages, which US SOMEWHERE four gearboxes and four spare includes its pre-race checks, TO DEBRIEF…” engines. track walk with the drivers and PAUL EDDY Then there’s the gear to run the pitstop practices. However, when cars, including 12 fully decked-out it comes to pack up, the team can GearWrench toolboxes, the engineers’ have everything loaded into the truck data stations and telemetry items such as in two hours. televisions and computers.

“We’ve got everything we need to repair a Furthermore, the team needs to take everything to crashed car in the trucks… and at the track, it gives us deck out the garage and catering area, including the somewhere to debrief in private and offices for Brad tiles, sponsor walling, fridges, tables, chairs, ovens and and Kim [Jones] to hold meetings with sponsors and even a kitchen sink! the like,” says Eddy.

“We take so much pride in its presentation, from the With 60 people needing breakfast, lunch and dinner at Bathurst, for example, the team’s caterers will pre- outside and inside, as at events it’s the most obvious pare more than 1000 meals over the course of the event. representation for the team.

“I take a lot of pride in the way it looks and give the On race weekends Stax turns into Brad Jones Racing’s home away from home. Not only does it contain all the boys a hard time if they are doing something to it that spares that could be required in the event of a crash, it I think they shouldn’t be doing.”

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TRANSPORTATION

7. DARWIN TRIPLE CROWN JUN 11 Depart for Darwin JUN 14 Arrive in Darwin JUN 20 Depart Darwin JUN 23 Return to Albury

5. PERTH SUPERSPRINT

2016 TRAVEL SCHEDULE

Not including test days or promotional activities.

APR 30 Depart for Perth MAY 3 Arrive in Perth MAY 9 Depart Perth MAY 12 Return to Albury

13. GOLD COAST 600

8. TOWNSVILLE 400

OCT 17 Depart for Gold Coast OCT 18 Arrive in Gold Coast OCT 24 Depart Gold Coast OCT 25 Return to Albury

JUL 2 Depart for Townsville JUL 5 Arrive in Townsville JUL 11 Depart Townsville JUL 13 Return to Albury

15. SYDNEY 500 9. IPSWICH SUPERSPRINT

JUL 18 Depart for Ipswich JUL 20 Arrive in Ipswich JUL 25 Depart Ipswich JUL 26 Return to Albury

6. WINTON SUPERSPRINT

MAY 19 Depart for Winton MAY 19 Arrive in Winton MAY 22 Depart Winton MAY 22 Return to Albury

12. BATHURST 1000 OCT 3 Depart for Bathurst OCT 3 Arrive in Bathurst OCT 10 Depart Bathurst OCT 10 Return to Albury

1. CLIPSAL 500

FEB 29 Depart for Adelaide MAR 1 Arrive in Adelaide MAR 7 Depart Adelaide MAR 8 Return to Albury

Stax will typically travel around 50,000km per year for approximately 100-plus days on the road with a running cost of about $100,000.

“People turn up during the race weekends and see all the trucks lined up, nice and shiny in the paddock, but they don’t really see what goes into getting them to and from the rounds,” says Eddy.

“The big drives are really good; being in the truck for three or four days and making an adventure out of it to the likes of Perth, Darwin, Townsville, Adelaide and Queensland.

“It’s great to get out in the middle of nowhere in my own world. In contrast, the drive to Winton is so short the truck hardly warms up!”

Some events are a greater challenge than others. And there are logistical difficulties in street circuits, international events and tight turnarounds between events.

“The Gold Coast is pretty hard as we go into pitlane for an hour and half to unload everything and then the truck gets moved a fair distance away from the paddock compared to other rounds,” says Eddy.

“That makes it hard as if we get in dramas we need quick access to parts, but obviously we can’t unload everything in a tight and temporary paddock area.

“Then there’s the back-up from the Gold Coast to New Zealand, getting back from Queensland, preparing the car and parts for freight across the Tasman.”

NOV 29 Depart for Sydney NOV 29 Arrive in Sydney DEC 5 Depart for Sydney DEC 5 Return to Albury

10. SYDNEY SUPERSPRINT

AUG 24 Depart for Sydney AUG 24 Arrive in Sydney AUG 29 Depart Sydney AUG 30 Return to Albury

2. AUSTRALIAN GP MAR 14 Depart for Melbourne MAR 14 Arrive in Melbourne MAR 20 Depart Melbourne MAR 21 Return to Albury

14. AUCKLAND SUPERSPRINT

OCT 30 Depart for Avalon OCT 30 Arrive in Avalon NOV 8 Depart Avalon NOV 8 Return to Albury

11. SANDOWN 500 SEP 13 Depart for Melbourne SEP 13 Arrive in Melbourne SEP 19 Depart Melbourne SEP 20 Return to Albury

4. PHILLIP ISLAND SUPERSPRINT

APR 12 Depart for Phillip Island APR 12 Arrive in Phillip Island APR 18 Depart Phillip Island APR 18 Return to Albury

3. TASMANIA SUPERSPRINT

MAR 28 Depart for Launceston MAR 29 Arrive in Launceston APR 4 Depart Launceston APR 5 Return to Albury

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SPECIFICATIONS ENGINE

Detroit Diesel DD15 15L POWER

560hp (418kW) @1850lb-ft DRIVELINE

Eaton 18-speed manual CLUTCH

Eaton 15.5” twin-ceramic disc CAB

110” mid-roof sleeper cab SEATS

EzyRIder II high back air suspension TRA NSPORTER WEIGHT

57.5 tonnes FUEL TANKS

4 x 400L-square fuel tanks SUSPENSION

Freightliner AirLIner 46K, airbag, 106 tonne BRAKES

Meritor S cam brakes with auto slack adjusters, traction control & Wabco ABS WHEELS ABOVE: The transporter acts as

teams’ home away from home at Supercars events, as both workshop and o ce space

8.25 x 22.5” Alcoa disc 10-stud 285mm PCD STEER TYRES

Michelin XZE2+ 295/80 R22.5 DRIVE TYRES

Michelin XDE2+ 11 R22.5 RIGHT: The plans

for Brad Jones Racing’s pit garage at Bathurst. Each of these panels is transported by Stax.

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TRANSPORTATION

EVOLUTION OF THE TRANSPORTER

1964 NEPTUNE RACING TEAM

1974 ALLAN MOFFAT RACING

2002 MIKE PERO RACING

1966 TOTAL TEAM

1976 SIDCHROME

2007 FORD PERFORMANCE RACING 1969 BRYAN THOMSON MOTORS

1984 HOLDEN DEALER TEAM

1971 ALLAN MOFFAT RACING

1996 VOLVO DEALER RACING

2011 HOLDEN RACING TEAM

2016 BRAD JONES RACING

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For international events such as the trek to Pukekohe in New Zealand, three containers with all the contents of the trucks are picked up from Albury by the freight company, while Stax is driven to Avalon Airport to deliver the cars to the cargo flights. The truck remains there for the weekend in anticipation for the their return.

But does Eddy feel the pressure of his precious cargo?

“To be honest, you don’t really think about it... you get in the zone and don’t think of the two race cars, engines, gearboxes, pit infrastructure that’s down back,” he says.

“Obviously when you park up there’s a lot of consideration in terms of locking up what’s inside, but on the road there’s a freedom and enjoyment from the driving.”

Eddy takes such enjoyment that he documents his travels on dedicated Stax social media pages, @stax_ freightliner on Instagram, @BJR_transporter on Twitter and Stax Freightliner on Facebook.

“The idea of the pages was to show how we get to the rounds and the realities of how a team operates,” he says.

“There’s nothing better than coming back from a race weekend and seeing fans post their pictures with the truck onto our social media pages.

“Considering how much time I end up talking to people about the team and Supercars, I think a lot of my job nowadays is public relations!”

And it’s on the road where Stax and Eddy act as ambassadors for Brad Jones Racing, Freightliner, BOC, the other team sponsors and also the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship.

“It doesn’t matter where you go, people want to talk to you about the truck and what’s inside,” he says.

“Pulling up at a truck stop, you get fellow truckers and families coming up and talking to you… that’s pretty cool and something pretty unique in the trucking industry.

“From where we are based in Albury, we go some different routes compared to other teams, so often we are the only truck some areas will see drive on by.

“So there are times when it’s the first time people have seen a Supercars truck. And even though you may lose some time here and there, talking to those people is a great way to engage about our sport.”

In that sense, Stax and co are more than just trucks used to transport Supercars.

ABOVE & BELOW: Stax’s role is to get Brad Jones Racing’s Freightliner Racing and Team BOC’s Holden

VF Commodores on the grid at each and every Virgin Australia Supercars Championship event.

FALCON XA 1973 BATHURST WINNER AND FALCON XY SANDOWN 1972 BOTH SIGNED BY ALLAN MOFFAT, JOHN FRENCH & FRED GIBSON

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Hurry, order now at Autopics.com.au Or call David on 0407 869 680 or email info@autopics.com.au

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SUPERGIRLS WORDS Andrew Clarke IMAGES Nissan Motorsport, Autopics.com.au, inetpics.com

Supercars’ signing of Simona de Silvestro to a three-year deal is a landmark for the category in the push to have regular female drivers on the grid. imona de Silvestro’s deal to race for three years in Supercars after two wildcard appearances at Bathurst is big news for women in motorsport, and the most important driver signing in two decades of the series.

It comes at a time when things are changing, and fast. The AFL initially targeted a start date of around 2020 for its new women’s league, but then it tested the water with some demonstration games and found the appetite was so great it made it happen for next year. Netball is ramping up with new teams and a bigger competition.

But in motorsport women compete on the same stage as men at all ages. We do not need a women’s only competition and de Silvestro will go head-to-head with the biggest names in our sport because she can. Now one of Bathurst’s Supergirls can just be one of the drivers.

“I think the introduction of the Supergirls at Bathurst

was met with a bit of controversy for numerous reasons,” says Women in Australian Motorsport’s Samantha Reid.

“Some people objected to the title of ‘Supergirls’. I guess one of the things that we certainly went through with Women of Australian Motorsport was that sometimes just getting women out there, no matter what the reason, can be a benefit nonetheless.

“Supercars going out and making the statement that they’re going to support a female going forward in the series caused a lot of criticism about, ‘Hey, why aren’t you supporting the full pathway to get them there?’

“Simona is a fantastic role model for women in motorsport around the world. She’s been involved in the commission and her results have been fantastic.

The way she presents, she stands for all the things that female athletes do around the country, whether they’re in motorsport or other sports. I think she’s a really good addition. What that’s done is now put a spotlight on women in the sport.

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“We’ve increased the coverage ... Chelsea Angelo in the Dunlop Series is getting more talk and conversation than ever before. There’s talk about some of the women in karting doing well. Beck Connell just won the New South Wales Karting Championship and at a state level like that we probably wouldn’t have got a lot of coverage, but people are starting to talk more about women in the sport. I think that’s the real positive message that’s come out of the Supergirls’ activity.”

That has driven this push by Supercars with the backing of Harvey Norman. Supercars boss James Warburton speaks in those terms and with obvious pride.

“As a sport we believed we were obligated to secure a full-time female driver on the grid,” he says.

“But we also wanted it to be on merit. In Simona we have secured not only a female but also a world-class driver. We think she will create a lot of interest not just because she is a woman but because of what she can do on the track. It’s an exciting development for Supercars.

“The truth is without the sport leading this initiative it would not have happened. All we have done is brokered the opportunity for it to be achieved and secured Simona from other series chasing her services. It’s an important move for the series but there has been a lot of interest

“LIKE ALL OUR DRIVERS, SIMONA WILL BE MEASURED

BY HOW SHE PERFORMS ON THE TRACK.” – JAMES WARBURTON from teams in Simona because they know she is quality driver and will deliver a lot of value on and off the track.

“Like all our drivers, Simona will be measured by how she performs on the track. No one, including Simona, underestimates the challenge nor the time it will take to be competitive. This is the closest, most competitive and tough championship in the world.

“A three-year term was crucial for Simona to get up to speed and to give her time to get to a comfortable level.

Bathurst showed what a true professional she is and her talent. She was seriously impressive across the weekend.

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SUPERGIRLS

“The interest off track has already been huge; Simona has a wonderful sense of humour, speaks well and is extremely relatable to our fans, but when the game face comes on she is a true racer.”

When the Supergirls’ entry was announced as a wildcard entry for Bathurst, the response was mostly positive.

Learning to drive a Supercar at one of the toughest tracks in the world was never going to be easy for de Silvestro, who headed the entry with Renee Gracie.

Nissan boss Richard Emery wanted to get involved. He understands the importance of women in the car-buying process, so from a business point of view it made sense to go after De Silvestro for the Supergirls wildcard entry in 2016.

“Motorsport is a unique situation where people cheer for your brand, which doesn’t happen when you sponsor or get involved in other sports,” he says.

“It’s also one of the very few sports where males and females basically compete against each other on equal terms. So it’s a really unique environment. It’s good for how we present ourselves in the marketplace. If it encourages more females to watch and be interested, not just in motorsport but also in cars in general, then that is great.

I have a strong view that we’re going to reignite people’s excitement in cars again.

“Anything we can do to encourage more people to get involved irrespective of being male or female in the sport/ motor industry in general is a great thing. So we’re all right behind that idea.”

Betty Klimenko set the Supercars world on its feet when she bought into the sport a few years back. She bounced into the series and commanded attention.

Clearly intelligent and used to breaking stereotypes, she

took on the male guard of the sport. She has employed women in various roles and has a number of female staff. But she does struggle with the concept of quotas and tokenism.

“I have a problem with them saying, ‘We need a woman driver’. No, we need good drivers,” she says.

“I don’t know if it’s the right time for women to be in a sport that is continually active for so many weeks in a season.

“Men can have children and keep doing their sport. The minute a woman decides to have a family, that’s the end of her career. It’s not like they’re going to hold a job for her when she comes back. Her body changes, everything changes and until there can be some kind of way that a woman can go off and have her children and be given the chance to get her seat back after she’s had the child, then I don’t think they should enter it if they want to have a family.

“I know there is a physical issue but there are ways to compensate for that and I’m not saying let anyone drive when they’re pregnant because that’s absolutely stupid.

But there are other things you can do in between.”

Klimenko is a fan of de Silvestro but she’s not sure of the benefits others see: “I don’t think it will make a difference. The women who love the sport, love the sport, I think it will be hard for them, they’ll show admiration and they’ll show absolute respect to her because she deserves it. But I don’t know if a lot of women will actually follow her because it’s a very funny world. It all depends on her and the fact that she’s not Australian and she doesn’t have the same mentality as the females that are in the paddock, so to speak. But I think she’ll do well.”

Whether de Silvestro performs on the track or not, the Leanne Tander

FEMALE ENTRANTS IN THE GREAT RACE Christine Cole/Gibson 1968, 1969, 1970, 1972, 1973, 1976, 1981, 1983, 1984 Melinda Price 1994, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000 Sue Ransom 1973, 1975, 1977, 1978, 1980 Caroline O’Shanesy 1973, 1975, 1976 Pat Peck 1971, 1972, 1973 Alexandra Surplice 1980, 1981, 1984 Marie-Claude Beaumont 1975, 1976 Sandra Bennett 1969, 1970 Kerryn Brewer 1997, 1998 Carole Corness 1969, 1970 Simona De Silvestro 2015, 2016 Renee Gracie 2015, 2016 Lorraine Hill 1963, 1964 Jan Holland 1971, 1972 Lynne Keefe 1969, 1970 Leanne Tander/Ferrier 2001, 2009 Jenni Thompson 1997, 1998 Midge Whiteman 1967, 1968 Anne Bennett 1962 Diane Dickson 1969 Paula Elstrek 1998 Tania Gulson 1993 Janet Guthrie 1977 Robyn Hamilton 1978 Diane Leighton 1962 Annette Meeuvissen 1987 Pam Murison 1962 Heidi O’Neil 1998 Nicole Pretty 1998 Jan Richardson 1967 Heather Spurle 1990 Mercedes Stermitz 1987 Gloria Taylor 1970 Ann Thomson 1969

NUMBERS SUMMARY

Christine Gibson

1960s .................................15 1970s .................................24 1980s ...................................9 1990s .................................13 2000s ...................................7

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attention has already been enough to put the cause for women racers on the front foot. It will help stem the tide where young female racers are not transitioning from gokarts to other racing.

“Over the past 10 years, when you look at the number of girls participating in karting, we’ve gone through a series of peaks and troughs,” says Reid.

“We’ve been through these peaks and troughs, we’ve just been through a trough and there’s no real explanation as to why. But in the last 12 months, we’ve seen a few more participate again.

“What we’ve always known to be true is that when they get to the 14-16 age group there is a massive disconnect between transitioning from karting and moving into the circuit racing side of things.

“Part of that, we’ve always thought, is to do with the fact there’s a lack of female mentors out there, someone to aspire and relate to.

“Leanne Tander has always been absolutely fantastic in the sport for doing that, but the last time Leanne competed in the series is more than 10 years ago.

“We need more than just Leanne and we need more than just the women overseas.

“Having someone like Simona close to home in the series, hopefully running with a team where she can win races in terms of car performance, will be really inspirational. And that has got to help.”

Harvey Norman is playing a big role in the female push in Supercars.

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MILESTONE

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WORDS Adrian Musolino IMAGES Peter Norton, inetpics.com

Jamie Whincup joined long-time Triple Eight Race Engineering teammate Craig Lowndes in the centurion club, notching up his 100th Supercars win at Sydney Motorsport Park. Here we examine how he achieved the feat, the best of his wins, the records and how the teammates compare.

CO-DRIVER ASSISTED WINS Craig Lowndes Paul Dumbrell SĂŠbastien Bourdais Steve Owen

4 4 2 1

WINS PER TEAM Triple Eight

100

WINS PER MAKE Holden Ford

67 33

WINS PER CAR VF Commodore VE Commodore BF Falcon FG Falcon BA Falcon

36 31 20 11 2

WINS PER TRACK Symmons Plains 11 Adelaide 10 Townsville 8 Gold Coast 7 Abu Dhabi 6 Hidden Valley 6 Sandown 6 Bahrain 5 Barbagallo 5 Phillip Island 5 Sydney Olympic Park 5 Hamilton 4 Mount Panorama 4 Queensland Raceway 4 Winton 4 Austin 3 Pukekohe Park 3 Sydney Motorsport Park 3 Oran Park 1

2006 Adelaide 2006 Mount Panorama 2007 Winton 2007 Sandown 2007 Mount Panorama 2007 Symmons Plains 2007 Symmons Plains 2008 Adelaide 2008 Adelaide 2008 Sandown 2008 Sandown 2008 Winton 2008 Mount Panorama 2008 Gold Coast 2008 Gold Coast 2008 Gold Coast 2008 Bahrain 2008 Bahrain 2008 Bahrain 2008 Symmons Plains 2008 Symmons Plains 2008 Oran Park 2009 Adelaide 2009 Adelaide 2009 Hamilton 2009 Hamilton 2009 Symmons Plains 2009 Hidden Valley 2009 Townsville 2009 Queensland Raceway 2009 Phillip Island 2009 Phillip Island 2009 Barbagallo 2010 Abu Dhabi 2010 Abu Dhabi 2010 Bahrain 2010 Bahrain 2010 Hamilton 2010 Hamilton 2010 Hidden Valley 2010 Townsville 2010 Gold Coast 2011 Abu Dhabi 2011 Adelaide 2011 Barbagallo

Round 1 Race 2 Round 9 (w/ C Lowndes) Round 4 Race 1 Round 9 (w/ C Lowndes) Round 10 (w/ C Lowndes) Round 13 Race 2 Round 13 Race 3 Round 1 Race 1 Round 1 Race 2 Round 5 Race 1 Round 5 Race 3 Round 8 Race 1 Round 10 (w/ C Lowndes) Round 11 Race 1 Round 11 Race 2 Round 11 Race 3 Round 12 Race 1 Round 12 Race 2 Round 12 Race 3 Round 13 Race 2 Round 13 Race 3 Round 14 Race 1 Race 1 Race 2 Race 3 Race 4 Race 8 Race 9 Race 11 Race 15 Race 21 Race 22 Race 23 Race 1 Race 2 Race 3 Race 4 Race 7 Race 8 Race 14 Race 15 Race 20 (w/ S Owen) Race 1 Race 4 Race 7

Ford BA Falcon Ford BA Falcon Ford BF Falcon Ford BF Falcon Ford BF Falcon Ford BF Falcon Ford BF Falcon Ford BF Falcon Ford BF Falcon Ford BF Falcon Ford BF Falcon Ford BF Falcon Ford BF Falcon Ford BF Falcon Ford BF Falcon Ford BF Falcon Ford BF Falcon Ford BF Falcon Ford BF Falcon Ford BF Falcon Ford BF Falcon Ford BF Falcon Ford FG Falcon Ford FG Falcon Ford FG Falcon Ford FG Falcon Ford FG Falcon Ford FG Falcon Ford FG Falcon Ford FG Falcon Ford FG Falcon Ford FG Falcon Ford FG Falcon Holden VE Commodore Holden VE Commodore Holden VE Commodore Holden VE Commodore Holden VE Commodore Holden VE Commodore Holden VE Commodore Holden VE Commodore Holden VE Commodore Holden VE Commodore Holden VE Commodore Holden VE Commodore

2011 Barbagallo Race 9 2011 Winton Race 10 2011 Townsville Race 15 2011 Gold Coast Race 21 (w/ S Bourdais) 2011 Symmons Plains Race 23 2011 Symmons Plains Race 24 2011 Sandown Race 26 2012 Adelaide Race 1 2012 Symmons Plains Race 4 2012 Hidden Valley Race 12 2012 Townsville Race 14 2012 Townsville Race 15 2012 Sydney Motorsport Park Race 19 2012 Mount Panorama Race 21 (w/ P Dumbrell) 2012 Gold Coast Race 22 (w/ S Bourdais) 2012 Abu Dhabi Race 24 2012 Abu Dhabi Race 25 2012 Abu Dhabi Race 26 2012 Winton Race 27 2013 Pukekohe Park Race 7 2013 Barbagallo Race 11 2013 Barbagallo Race 12 2013 Austin Race 13 2013 Austin Race 14 2013 Austin Race 16 2013 Hidden Valley Race 17 2013 Queensland Raceway Race 22 2013 Sandown Race 28 (w/ P Dumbrell) 2013 Phillip Island Race 34 2013 Sydney Olympic Park Race 35 2014 Adelaide Race 1 2014 Symmons Plains Race 4 2014 Symmons Plains Race 5 2014 Hidden Valley Race 17 2014 Hidden Valley Race 18 2014 Townsville Race 20 2014 Townsville Race 22 2014 Queensland Raceway Race 23 2014 Queensland Raceway Race 24 2014 Sandown Race 29 (w/ P Dumbrell) 2014 Gold Coast Race 32 (w/ P Dumbrell) 2014 Phillip Island Race 34 2014 Sydney Olympic Park Race 36 2014 Sydney Olympic Park Race 37 2015 Adelaide Race 1 2015 Symmons Plains Race 6 2015 Sydney Motorsport Park Race 22 2015 Pukekohe Park Race 28 2015 Pukekohe Park Race 30 2015 Phillip Island Race 32 2015 Sydney Olympic Park Race 34 2015 Sydney Olympic Park Race 35 2016 Adelaide Race 1 2016 Townsville Race 14 2016 Sydney Motorsport Park Race 19

Holden VE Commodore Holden VE Commodore Holden VE Commodore Holden VE Commodore Holden VE Commodore Holden VE Commodore Holden VE Commodore Holden VE Commodore Holden VE Commodore Holden VE Commodore Holden VE Commodore Holden VE Commodore Holden VE Commodore Holden VE Commodore Holden VE Commodore Holden VE Commodore Holden VE Commodore Holden VE Commodore Holden VE Commodore Holden VF Commodore Holden VF Commodore Holden VF Commodore Holden VF Commodore Holden VF Commodore Holden VF Commodore Holden VF Commodore Holden VF Commodore Holden VF Commodore Holden VF Commodore Holden VF Commodore Holden VF Commodore Holden VF Commodore Holden VF Commodore Holden VF Commodore Holden VF Commodore Holden VF Commodore Holden VF Commodore Holden VF Commodore Holden VF Commodore Holden VF Commodore Holden VF Commodore Holden VF Commodore Holden VF Commodore Holden VF Commodore Holden VF Commodore Holden VF Commodore Holden VF Commodore Holden VF Commodore Holden VF Commodore Holden VF Commodore Holden VF Commodore Holden VF Commodore Holden VF Commodore Holden VF Commodore Holden VF Commodore 65

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MILESTONE 2006 BATHURST 1000

Whincup partnered with Craig Lowndes for the Bathurst 1000 in the wake of Peter Brock’s tragic passing, in what Whincup later described as “the most emotional race weekend for the sport”. While the focus was on Brock’s protégé in Lowndes, Whincup did his part as co-driver to take his first Bathurst win.

▼ 2008 ORAN PARK

ove him or loathe him, there can be no denying Jamie Whincup’s place amongst the greats of Australian touring cars, possibly the greatest of all time (G.O.A.T).

It took Whincup 161 fewer races to reach 100 wins compared to Craig Lowndes, with a remarkable winning ratio of 25 per cent – all of his wins achieved with Triple Eight Race Engineering.

“It wasn’t a matter of if he could do it, it was a matter of when,” says Lowndes of Whincup’s century.

“I think that he’s had a stellar career and an amazing run since he’s been with Triple Eight.

“I think that there’s no doubt that he’s had great support around him and he’s maintained his focus around his championships.

“It’s quite easy to get a couple of championships and then sort of stray off into the wilderness but Jamie hasn’t done that.

“There’s no doubt he’s maintained his focus. He’s still as intense as he’s ever been on the data.

“I think Jamie has been quoted saying that I was the G.O.A.T, but he’s not far off it.”

Some will argue Whincup already holds that title, judging by his achievements: record for most championship wins (six) and most pole positions, while he and Lowndes continue to battle for the record of most wins and podiums.

“I’m very proud to be a part of this sport for so many years and to join Lowndesy on the ton,” says Whincup.

“He’s a good mate and a good teammate.

We’ve been working together for well over 10 years now.

“I’m not trying to tick any particular

boxes. I’m just out there for the fun of racing. We like racing hard and going round in circles as quick as we can and getting to the finish line first.

“The feeling of winning never gets old, it definitely drives me.”

How many more wins can he achieve?

Based on how quickly he’s achieved the century, who knows?

These are the best of his wins so far…

▲ 2006 CLIPSAL 500

Triple Eight took a chance on Jamie Whincup after an impressive comeback season with Tasman Motorsport in 2005.

Whincup repaid that faith immediately with victory in the second race of the season-opening Clipsal 500 Adelaide. “I was very proud to be a part of the family and knew then it was the start of something special,” he said.

Whincup just missed out on the 2007 championship to Garth Tander. His bid for 2008 looked to have derailed when he crashed in qualifying at Hamilton and had to sit out the round. But he went on to win 15 races, the most in one season of his career, including victory in the first race of the season finale at Oran Park to wrap up his first title. “We battled our way back through all year, so it was an unbelievable feeling to cross the line in that first race on Saturday,” he said.

2010 ABU DHABI

Triple Eight switched from Ford to Holden leading into the 2010 season. And it didn’t take the team long to adjust with Whincup claiming a crushing double win at the seasonopening event at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi. “To roll out two brand new VE Commodores at the world’s richest track under lights… it was an amazing feeling crossing the line ahead of the pack that day,” he said. “I’ve never seen the crew so amped.”

2010 GOLD COAST

Whincup held off Stone Brothers Racing’s Shane van Gisbergen in one of the closest

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2013 SYDNEY

saw Whincup continue his domination of international events with three wins from the four races. “To win the first race in Austin, that’s a big achievement in my books,” he said.

and hard-fought final laps in the history of the championship to win the first Gold Coast 600 in his adopted hometown.

2012 ADELAIDE

Whincup describes this win as the most emotional race weekend of his career.

A week after the passing of his father, Whincup takes to the streets of Adelaide and claims the first win of the season over close friend Will Davison. “The man that was there for every lap of my career wasn’t there anymore; it was just me on my own this time chasing down my good mate Davo,” said Whincup. “His car coughed on the last lap which gave me and Dad my greatest victory.”

Whincup’s poor record at Sydney Olympic Park loomed large over the championshipdeciding event in 2013. Yet he shook off those doubts with a commanding win to take charge of the championship.

2013 SANDOWN

Whincup and Dumbrell debuted a new car at Sandown. But a drive-through for spinning rear wheels while up on jacks at a pitstop left them down in 25th. Yet Whincup stormed through the field for one of his greatest wins. “We went to the race, qualified well and then got a drive-through penalty, which dropped us to almost last,” said Whincup. “We stormed through and won, which remains with me as one of the best I’ve been involved in.”

2012 BATHURST u

2014 TOWNSVILLE Fighting back against the odds, Whincup won two of the three races in Townsville in 2014. In the opening race, he fought back from 10th on the grid to take victory. In the final race, he ran an alternative strategy compared to the leaders and moved through on Garth Tander in the final stint for the victory.

Whincup’s first Bathurst win as the lead driver away from Craig Lowndes. He and good friend Paul Dumbrell held off the Rod Nash Racing entry of David Reynolds and Dean Canto to win the event that marked 50 years of the Bathurst 500/1000 at Mount Panorama. “Fifty years of the Great Race, 15 years of friendship with my good mate Paul Dumbrell...” said Whincup. “It was an absolute honour to be a part of his first Bathurst 1000.”

2015 PUKEKOHE The 2015 season proved uncharacteristic for Whincup, dropping out of championship contention with a challenging first half of the year. He did, though, end the season on high, including winning the Jason Richards Trophy named in honour of his former Tasman Motorsport teammate at Pukekohe Park. “JR was a good mate of mine, a teammate,” he said. “So to win the Sunday race and have my name on the Jason Richards Trophy is very special.

Knowing it’s going to be there forever is a huge deal.”

2013 AUSTIN, USA

V8 Supercars’ first and so far only trip to the Circuit of the Americas in Texas WHI NCUP’ S CA RE ER T RE ND L INE

CHAMPIONSHIP RESU LTS & R AC E WIN S

1st

2

1

1

2

1

1

1

1 5

10

10th 16

20th 27

30th

40th

50th+

50

63

2002

2003

2004

2005

NO WINS

NO WINS

NO WINS

NO WINS

Garry Rogers Motorsport

2006 2 WINS

Perkins Engineering

2007 5 WINS

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

15 WINS

11 WINS

9 WINS

10 WINS

12 WINS

11 WINS

Tasman Motorsport

Triple Eight

2014 14 WINS

2015 8 WINS

2016 3* WINS

* Wins counted as of his 100th at Sydney Motorsport Park.

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MILESTONE

THE RACE TO 100 RACES WINNING RATIO POLE POSITIONS PODIUMS CHAMPIONSHIPS CIRCUITS CO-DRIVER ASSISTED WINS

LOWNDES 559 17.89% 40 238 3 19 11

TALE OF THE TAPE 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

THE BEST OF THEIR CENTURIES

WHINCUP 398 25.12% 69 161 6 19 11

LOWNDES 16 (1996) 49 (Holden Racing Team) 75 (Holden) 12 (Triple Eight BA Falcon) 15 (Barbagallo) 23 (VT Commodore) 4 (M Skaife & J Whincup) 8 (1996)

MOST WINS IN A SEASON MOST WINS FOR A TEAM MOST WINS FOR A MAKE MOST WINS FOR A CHASSIS MOST WINS AT A CIRCUIT MOST WINS FOR A CAR MODEL MOST WINS WITH A CO-DRIVER MOST WINS IN SUCCESSION

WHINCUP 15 (2008) 100 (Triple Eight) 67 (Holden) 28 (Triple Eight VE Commodore) 11 (Symmons Plains) 36 (VF Commodore) 4 (P Dumbrell & C Lowndes) 7 (2008)

Qualifying WHINCUP

Qualifying LOWNDES

Race WHINCUP

Race LOWNDES

Poles WHINCUP

Poles LOWNDES

Podiums WHINCUP

Podiums LOWNDES

Wins WHINCUP

Wins LOWNDES

C’ship WHINCUP

C’ship LOWNDES

4 9 8 18 20 20 19 26 23 23 14

7 3 4 5 6 7 9 10 14 14 6

5 21 26 16 16 16 20 21 24 18 12

27 13 9 10 9 12 10 15 14 18 8

0 3 14† 7 9 9 7 13 10 6 1

3 2 2† 2 0 6 5 1 5 4 0

5* 20* 23* 15* 14 19 24 21 21 15 11

15* 12* 13* 8* 9 14 14 15 15 16 7

2* 5* 15* 11 9 10 12 11 14 8 3

5* 6* 2* 3 3 5 7 5 3 6 2

10th 2nd 1st 1st 2nd 1st 1st 1st 1st 5th TBA

2nd 3rd 4th 4th 4th 2nd 2nd 2nd 4th 2nd TBA

2016 stats up to and including Sandown 500. *Shared win and podiums at the endurance events. † Shared pole position at Phillip Island 500.

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licensedsportsmemorabilia.com.au V8X95 p69 ad-Ultimate Sports.indd 69

29/09/2016 2:12 pm

CHRIS PITHER

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WORDS John Bannon IMAGES Peter Norton

One of the surprises of the 2016 season was Chris Pither’s pole position for Super Black Racing at Queensland Raceway. It was the culmination of a dream for the team and driver, the latter having fought back to get a second chance in Supercars.

I

n what can be a brutal motorsport environment, where competition for race seats is hotly contested, helping others make their mark is not everybody’s inclination. But not everyone has had a journey like Chris Pither.

At the end of 2011, after two years racing V8 Utes with his own career very much at the crossroads, the Palmerston North native decided to turn his attention towards helping young guns in the sport who needed a kickstart.

The proud Kiwi had won the competitive Australian V8 Utes. Appreciating how tough it can be to make it in motorsport, especially with the costs involved, he convinced loyal supporter Ice Break to run a scholarship program to support those who were a bit short on resources.

Pither selected four drivers for the program; Jesse Dixon, Jack Le Brocq, Andy Waite and Tom Williamson. Dixon went on to race in the Bathurst 1000, while Le Brocq is now one of the shining lights in the Dunlop Development Series.

“I wanted to try and get them in the championship-winning ute and give them a bit of a boost,” he says.

“It was really cool to see Jesse go on to win the Shannons Supercar Showdown. It was quite rewarding. It gave me an appreciation of the other side, too. I managed the team and coached the guys where I could.

I was going back to my roots, I guess. I was driving the truck and all the rest of it.”

Fast-forward four years and after enduro drives with Brad Jones Racing and Garry Rogers Motorsport, Pither was rewarded with a prized full-time seat in the main game with Super Black Racing for 2016.

The team’s faith was rewarded when Pither scored a breakthrough pole position at Queensland Raceway. The achievement was the culmination of a long journey, which started when the now 29-year-old first came to Australia in 2005.

“When I came to Australia, I didn’t think

ABOVE: Pole position at Queensland Raceway highlighted Pither’s potential and proved an emotional milestone for

the ti ht knit uper Black acin outfit iven the passin of team owner ony entino

it was going to take me quite this long to get into the main series,” says Pither.

“It was a passion and a dream of mine from a very young age to race V8 Supercars.

It wasn’t something that I was going to give up on. There have been plenty of times over the last few years that have been tough. It would have been easy to throw in the towel, but I’m just so grateful now and thankful for the opportunity from Super Black Racing, Ice Break and all of my partners throughout my career.”

After doing an apprenticeship that has included Formula First, Formula Ford, Toyota Racing Series, HQ Holdens, V8 Utes, the Development Series and some Supercars starts with Team Kiwi, to finally see that number #1 on top of the timing screens in Australia’s premier category was a truly special moment.

“I said at the time I had to pinch myself driving into pitlane when my engineer Dilan [Talabani] told me we were P1,” he says.

“I was still expecting half the field to come around to complete their laps, but I obviously held on. I was absolutely blown away. I was just so pumped.”

After a slightly disappointing start to the year, which included heavy accidents in Adelaide and Symmons Plains, he’s proud of how the team has managed to turn things around.

“I was confident that we could do it if we got it all right,” he says.

“To get that pole was a real boost for me, for my confidence and awesome for our little team. We’re a pretty tight-knit team and it showed that when we get all the ingredients right we can be at the front.

“It wasn’t going to be an easy task but it’s absolutely ridiculous once you are out there competing you are splitting hairs to find hundredths of a second. I’m happy to be out there living the dream and making progress. The main thing is we’re moving forward, whether making big steps or baby steps, as long as we’re moving forward.”

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CHRIS PITHER

Pither labels the Ipswich pole position as “But going on from that it’s made me the highlight of his career to date, especially who I am today. I just keep coming back to knowing that team owner Tony Lentino that point, the tough days just make the was able to enjoy that moment before he good ones even sweeter. I’ve learnt from it, passed away shortly after the event.

I’ve moved on and that’s probably been the “Tony gave me the opportunity to live driving force behind me… I’m not out there my dream to race this year,” says Pither. to prove anyone wrong. I’m just out there “That meant the world to me. I was very to prove to myself that it can be done.” saddened by his loss. I’ll be doing everyThe incident led to a rebuilding phase of thing I can to keep his Super Black Racing his career, which included a year or so on dream alive. He was the driving force the sidelines before his return with chambehind Super Black Racing and he wanted pionship wins in the V8 Utes in Australia to give up and coming Kiwi drivers an and New Zealand and race wins in the opportunity and I’m very grateful for what Dunlop Development Series. he has done for me.”

“I felt like I started from scratch again, It’s been a long road for Pither to taste you know,” he says. this success. Like any motorsport story, “I was on the pushy [push bike] there have been lowlights. A major going to work just basically crash at Bathurst in 2008 with battling away and I thought Paul Weel was a tough the dream was over. I went experience. home, I was enjoying “At the end of the racing the ute over there, FAST day you are always but I didn’t lose the pasgoing to have tough sion for it and wanted FACTS times,” says Pither. to keep pushing on and “I’d be surprised trying to get back.”

Date of birth Dec 3, 1986 if anyone in But even now, after Birthplace Palmerston North, NZ motorsport had a Pither has done all he can Lives Sydney Height 184cm Weight 75kg dream run right to rebuild his career and Hobbies Classic cars, fitness, cycling through. So I think score that impressive pole Personal vehicle 1967 XR Fairmont it’s the tougher times position, some pundits Favourite circuit Bathurst that really form you, are still trying to cut down build the character you his achievements by labeling are and it’s the tough days him a ‘pay driver’ thanks to the that make you appreciate the sponsorship dollars he brings to his good days. team with backers like Ice Break.

“I got slammed fairly hard in regards to “At the end of the day it costs money to that incident. That is tough and people at run the cars and we all have great partners the time were making different comments on board which makes it happen,” he says. without having seen the in-car vision.

“It’s the same cake, just sliced differently.

ABOVE: Pither is mentoring speedway driver Jessica

assidy le

and unlop eries racer helsea An elo

“It doesn’t matter if you’ve managed to bring a partner on yourself, which has supported you for what you’ve done for them and want to ride the journey with you, or if you’re someone like Craig Lowndes, who obviously has a great brand and supporters behind him and the team can leverage that.

It’s no different at the end of the day, it’s paying the same bills.

“I think we’re starting to build momentum and showed we’ve got the speed to mix it at the pointy end. We’ll keep progressing and I’m looking forward to what the future holds… it’s going to be an interesting time but I think we can just press on as we are.”

As Pither continues building momentum, he’s also helping young drivers make the next step, mentoring Chelsea Angelo.

“I’m helping Chelsea with a range of things, wherever I can really... sponsorship management, fitness training, driver coaching,” he says.

“I want to give back by helping young talent through coaching and passing on some of the things I have learnt on and off the track during my career.”

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The three Aussie entries cross the line to claim the King’s Cup at Spa in 1986.

WORDS Cameron McGavin IMAGES Autopics.com.au, Graham Smith

TRIP

Thirty years ago, a bunch of cavalier souls took leave of their usual Australian Touring Car Championship duties so they could go and stick it to the Europeans. This is how it happened. t was ambitious, courageous and maybe just a bit crazy… some of our best racers, driving their own homegrown touring cars, taking on the might of the European establishment on their home soil for the first time.

It was a bit of revenge for the Euros stealing Bathurst in 1985 with their big, scary, running-on-dollars Jaguars and some preparation for the world championship that was coming in 1987.

An exercise this big, ballsy and expensive probably deserved a happy ending, but

our Aussie Davids didn’t go over to Euro Goliath’s big house, bash his big head in and take over the couch.

They did, though, give him the odd fright and lay the groundwork for a brief flash of success for Australians in international Group A competition.

Here are the key moments of that historic first European sortie:

1986 EUROPEAN TOURING CAR CHAMPIONSHIP (ETCC) Round 1 – Monza, Italy, March 23

The new-for-1986 VK Group A Commodore

had given a few visiting Europeans a good spanking in New Zealand’s Wellington and Pukekohe races over the southern-hemisphere summer.

But this challenge was on another level. In one corner, all the European big guns with their latest 1986-spec Group A machinery: Tom Walkinshaw and his TWR team’s factory-supported Rover Vitesses. Johnny Ceccoto, Thomas Lindstrom and other star factory Volvo drivers in their RAS Sport Volvo 240Ts, a pack of Schnitzer BMW 635CSis with big names like Dieter Quester and Roberto Ravaglia, Eggenberger Ford Sierras etc.

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P

axle after just six laps. Co-driver Allan Moffat never even got to turn a wheel in anger.

Grice, though, wasn’t finished. He passed the Lindstrom/Cecotto and Ulf Granberg/ Anders Olofsson factory Volvos to run second behind Schlesser by the end of the opening lap. Then on lap five he made his move on the Rover. A Holden Commodore was leading at Monza.

It didn’t last, though. After six laps at the front Grice was passed by Cecotto, then slowed by fuel-feed problems. Then co-driver Graeme Bailey buried it in a sandtrap.

But the Europeans had been forced to sit up and take notice of Australia’s fastest former pastry chef.

Former foes Brock and Moffat teamed up for the 1986 season.

In the other corner, two VK Group As and bunch of shivering Australians discovering just what European cold was all about. One VK was from Holden’s factory darling, Peter Brock and his Holden Dealer Team (HDT). The other, whiter than white and distinctly light on meaningful sponsorship, was pedaled by Allan Grice.

Grice took to Europe’s banzai-style qualifying sessions like a duck to water; fourth on the grid, just 0.3 seconds off the TWR Rover of Jean-Louis Schlesser.

In the race Brock, who started seventh, didn’t get a chance to show what he could do. He maintained seventh, then all went quiet when the HDT Commodore broke an

1986 ETCC

Round 2 – Donington, UK, April 6

Onto the UK and Grice was again right in the fight for pole, ending up third. Brock and Moffat were seventh again.

Diabolical UK weather (rain, sleet and even snow) didn’t make it easy for the visitors in the race. Wet conditions saw three TWR Rovers, led by head honcho 75

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Spa 24 Hours with them. The following year he would race in Europe for Nissan.

Running at the front straight up at Monza…

“We had no idea (how competitive we’d be). It shook the shit out of the Europeans, I can tell you. First of all, I think they’d never seen a car that had no signwriting on it, except for Yokohama! The other thing they found interesting was the sound. We had by far the most interested fans because of the sound of the car; it just sounded so different and so ballsy.”

ALLAN GRICE EURO HEAD-KICKER Grice originally envisioned his 1986 European assault with big sponsors and a roster of star drivers. That didn’t happen and he and long-time car-preparer Les Small had to cobble together a more modest attack with part-time racer/businessman Graeme Bailey, who kicked the tin with sponsorship from his successful Chickadee chicken concern. But Grice impressed the Europeans with his speed. In 1987 he would get a call from factory BMW outfit Schnitzer to contest the 1987

Walkinshaw, clear out while the Australians, Volvos and BMWs struggled to get heat into their tyres and fell back.

When the showers stopped, though, the Commodores became a big threat. First Grice then Brock closed in on Walkinshaw.

Then they both passed the TWR team boss.

That gave us the sight of Holden Commodores running first and second.

But then the rain came back. And went.

And came back. Grice, struggling with his tyres, fell back into second for a good chunk of the race. Then Bailey dropped the Commodore into a sandpit again. Game over.

Brock lost ground with tyre issues and wrong calls. But he kept going and Moffat, on a drying track, climbed back through the field in the last stint. He was fifth and closing on fourth when the laps ran out.

1986 ETCC

Round 3 – Hockenheim, Germany, April 13

Grice had a troubled weekend, colliding with a Toyota Corolla then having a front strut go.

The all-white Commodore started the race sans headlights and plastered with race tape.

But Grice again surprised the Europeans with his pace, holding pole until the Walkinshaw

best and where we ended up was where we ended up.”

Making the most of the situation…

“We realised pretty early on we were always going to be handicapped... the factory cars, the Benzes, BMWs, Rovers, Volvos, they had two first-grade drivers. We were never going to win a race, so all we could do was get in and do the best we could. It was good, though, to put the wind up them. We were certainly the boys from out of town with the arse out of our pants!”

Why he loved the European style of racing…

“There was this kind of understanding in Australia then where if you qualified somewhere in the latter part of the top 10 and you went around nice and gently and didn’t lock anything up or go across any kerbs and two cars blew up, another crashed and another went home because his mother rang up, you could inherit the lead and you were brilliant, your strategy was just wonderful.

That was not my way of going motor racing. I’d never entered a reliability trial. When I got to Europe with that attitude, well, I was justified. There you’d walk back in and tell the team manager it’s in the wall at turn five and they’d say, ‘Righto, we’ll get another one out!’”

The things that happen in a Spa 24 Hours…

“We had a broken seat. Les (Small), he went to Brock’s mob to borrow a seat and they did have a spare one but they said, ‘No, you can’t have it because we might need it’. Fair enough. So then we asked Walkinshaw because they had spare everything and they said no. So then one of our blokes got a set of Walkinshaw overalls and went into where the show car was on display and unbolted the seat and brought it back.

“Then, later, a HDT bloke came up to us when it was possible that we would win the King’s Cup, he came up to Les and said, ‘Do you want to borrow that seat now?’

Les said, ‘No, you can stick it up your big, fat arse!’”

The saviour of his 1986 plans, Graeme Bailey…

“Graeme was paying a lot of the bills. He went off the track at the first couple of races and bogged it in the sand but I was never upset with him or had a bad word to say about it because he was a businessman who was helping out. He didn’t want to go in the sand! I was never dark with him because he did his best; I did my

Winning the King’s Cup with arch-rivals HDT… “I still don’t place much value on finishing 23rd but the Europeans, for some reason, really regard it as a highlight. To win the race is number one but they had a lot of emphasis on the King’s Cup, on the team result.

It’s all about soldiering on, fixing the cars and just keeping on going on.”

and Schlesser TWR Rovers threw tyres at the problem and went faster in the dying minutes, bumping him back to the third. Brock and Moffat, content to let others steal the qualifying headlines, ended up 11th.

Grice was similarly feisty on race day. He and the Cecotto/Lindstrom and Granberg/ Olofsson Volvos disposed of the Rovers early on, by lap two he was in front. He then battled with Granberg for the lead for more than 20 laps while Cecotto shadowed.

But on lap 26 the leading trio came up to lap some battling class cars that were about to get into a spin. The Volvos zigged and made it through the malarkey. Grice zagged straight into a VW Golf. Out on the spot.

Brock got up to sixth by lap four and then passed a couple of TWR Rovers to run a strong third. But a run-in with another errant backmarker resulted in damage to HDT car’s sump. He and Moffat finished fifth, just 3.5 seconds behind fourth and seven seconds off third despite having to make unscheduled stops to top up the oil.

1986 SPA 24 HOURS

Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium, August 2-3

This was the big one and the Australians

didn’t mess around. The HDT outfit ran a 24-hour dress rehearsal at Calder and brought two team cars to the race, John Harvey joined his boss and Moffat in the lead car, while Lowe, Neal and fellow Kiwis Graeme Bowkett and Kent Baigent drove the second car.

Grice, meanwhile, having sharpened his claws in the eighth round of the series at the Nurburgring in Germany on July 13, arrived at Spa with a new race engine, a smattering of additional sponsorship and Belgians Michel Delcourt and Alex Guyaux on the driving roster.

Grice bagged seventh in qualifying, Brock 13th. The second HDT car, on a more steady-as-she-goes strategy, was 28th.

Any hope of an against-the-odds Australian win, however, went out the window early on. Grice made it up to a strong third in the opening hour then broke a wheel, forcing a slow trip back to pits and a long stop. Suspension and electrical issues, plus a broken driver’s seat, further blunted his charge.

Brock got up to a comfortable seventh nearing the end of the first hour, but then

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LEFT: Allan Moffat and John Harvey teamed up and won the Monza 500 in 1987, the first round of the inaugural World Touring Car Championship.

his lead HDT Commodore blew a head gasket. Three more would go before the 24 hours were up.

That left the second Kiwi-piloted HDT Commodore flying the flag, but in the dying hours, just when it looked like it might post a respectable result for the team, an ominous rattle from the engine flagged its impending demise.

The Aussies didn’t leave Spa emptyhanded, though. The lead HDT car and Grice’s car, while well down the field, were still going.

When they joined up with the 18thplaced second HDT car to cross the line 22nd and 23rd respectively – Lowe had parked up at La Source and waited out the dying stages of the race so he could roll it down the hill and post a result – they took home the Coupe de Roi, the King’s Cup, a reward for the team with the best finishing record.

Three Commodores had started and three had finished.

AUSSIE PRIDE Allan Moffat and John Harvey were Peter Brock’s partners during HDT’s 1986 Euro attack. That first trip didn’t deliver the hoped-for success but it did prove the potential of the Group A Commodore. When Brock and Holden split in 1987, the duo struck out on their own in a Rothmans-sponsored VL and walked away with a win at the opening round of the inaugural world championship at Monza plus a fourth in a wet Spa 24 Hours later in the year.

Moffat: “I got a call from Peter’s secretary asking if I was free for morning tea, so I went over. Morning tea resolved into a long lunch, then resolved into afternoon tea and by 4:30pm I was driving home in a new Commodore. I didn’t have to ask at all (about Europe), Peter just said he was thinking about doing it and I said, ‘When do we leave?’ And that was all there

was to it. It was a pleasure working with Peter. We just happened to be in different camps for two decades but when we got together in 1986, it was terrific!”

Harvey: “Right throughout the Spa weekend in 1986 we had this overheating problem and in the race we had it big time. We spent more time in the pits than just about anyone else. When it was all over and we got it back to Australia we found Holden had built a new cylinder head for the new model of the time. Apparently in the process of casting these new manifolds they ending up with some flashing. There were these little areas in the intake and water ports that had this flashing across the waterway. Some of it was pretty thin and broke off, some of it didn’t. It wasn’t a problem in the road car but it was for us.

“Neal Lowe was driving the second car. He thought we could get the King’s Cup if we could get both cars and Allan Grice home. So when it broke he parked it just up at La Source, three or four hours before the end. It was out of the way and nobody told him to move. So he sat in the car while the other one was wobbling around. At the end he just let the brakes off and coasted down towards the line. They caught up with him and went across one, two, three. So we won the team prize, even if it was a hollow victory in a way.

“Ten months or so later, Allan rang me and asked, ‘What are you doing next week?’ And I said, ‘I’m pretty free, why? He said, ‘We’re going to Europe’. I said, ‘I’m up for it!’ We went to Monza and won!”

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Car is a VH Commodore with a VK Group C kit fitted. Has a brand new LS3 engine built by Fataz Engines. Custom Murray Coote coil over suspension. 6 piston front calipers and 4 piston rear. Fabricated rear Watts link. Wheels are 16 x 11 3 piece.

Tilton pedal box. Cams log booked as Sports Sedan. To much to list.. Call for more info. Would swap for Improved Production or production touring car.

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This car has had $$$$$$ spent on it and is a real performer. Will suit club/ hillclimb/drift car. Here’s what she’s got: B&M Shifter, Monster tacho with shift light, electric performance water pump, coil over suspension, 3” exhaust with extractors, stabilizer bars, air brush paint, 20” wheels with new tyres, full bodykit, Pioneer sound system and sports seats and steering wheel.

Certified , autographed, open face, sealed in case Sir Jacks helmet as worn at the 1993 Gold Coast Indy!!

Fantastic Value at $5000aud.

FOR CONTACT DETAILS, MORE INFORMATION AND PICS:

www.my105.com/17046

www.my105.com/17507

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Car is a VH Commodore with a VK Group C kit fitted. Has a brand new LS3 engine built by Fataz Engines. Custom Murray Coote coil over suspension. 6 piston front calipers and 4 piston rear. Fabricated rear Watts link. Wheels are 16 x 11 3 piece.

Tilton pedal box. Cams log booked as Sports Sedan. To much to list.. Call for more info. Would swap for Improved Production or production touring car.

30/09/2016 12:19 pm

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SHOOTOUT

MEMORABLE MOMENTS AT SYDNEY OLYMPIC PARK scoring a hat-trick of pole positions over 2009 and 2010 and converting pole in the Sunday race in 2010 into a win when Shane van Gisbergen ran out of fuel on the final lap.

10 McLAUGHLIN DOUBLES UP ▲

Scott McLaughlin won the most competitive Dunlop Development Series championship in 2012. He was handed his Supercars solo debut hours later as a replacement for the ill Alexandre Prémat.

9 SVG’S MEDICAL MISHAP

The punishing street circuit produced its fair share of craziness over the years. Arguably none more so than an ailing Shane van Gisbergen’s tangling with the medical car in 2012, in what at the time was thought to be his final Supercars event.

6 LOWNDES GETS THE FIRST MULTI

Sydney delivered six different winners from six races over its first three years. Craig Lowndes broke the trend and became the first multiple winner at the circuit with consecutive Saturday wins in 2011 and 2012.

5 SVG & TEKNO AUTOSPORTS’ LAST DANCE

After the heartbreak of losing the race on the final lap in 2010 and his ‘farewell’ event in 2012, Shane van Gisbergen bounced back with victory in Sydney for Tekno in 2013 and repeated that win in 2014 in his final event for the team.

8 STONE BROTHERS’ FAREWELL POLE

Tim Slade scored his first career pole position at Sydney in 2012 in Stone Brothers Racing’s final event before morphing into Erebus Motorsport. Fittingly, two years later, Will Davison handed Erebus its first and only pole with the AMG Mercedes-Benz E63.

7 HOLDSWORTH PULLS OUT A HAT-TRICK

Lee Holdsworth proved to be the master of Sydney Olympic Park over the first two events,

3 WINTERBOTTOM FINALLY PREVAILS ▲

Mark Winterbottom finally broke through for his maiden championship win in 2015, overcoming the challenge from Craig Lowndes with a podium in the second race of the weekend to celebrate the title in his hometown.

2 WEBB WALKS ON WATER Jonathon Webb qualified in 21st place for the Saturday race in 2010. But with heavy rain causing chaos amongst the leading contenders, Webb sailed through the field for his and Tekno Autosports’ maiden win.

1 CHAMPIONSHIP CARNAGE ▼

James Courtney, Jamie Whincup and Mark Winterbottom were battling for the championship at the front of the field in the Saturday race in 2010 when they were caught out on slicks when the heavens opened. They followed each other into the wall in dramatic fashion, with the subsequent race to repair their cars and grab some valuable points undoubtedly resulting in the most dramatic moments we’ve seen in Sydney. Courtney eventually won out for an emotioncharged championship for Dick Johnson Racing.

4 J-DUB’S MASTERY ▲

Jamie Whincup had never scored a top five in Sydney heading into the finale in 2013 with Craig Lowndes and Mark Winterbottom biting at his heels. But Whincup overcame his hoodoo and all but secured the title with a dominant win from pole in the Saturday race.

82

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