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EDITORIAL By Richard Craill NO MATTER what happens between then and the day I die, October 22, 23 and 24 2010 at Sandown Raceway will forever remain with me as the most memorable race meeting of my life. It started, as many race meetings good, bad or indifferent do, with a drink and ended in the same way, but it was what happened in the intervening 80-odd hours that changed the world. On the Thursday night I arrived in Melbourne and stayed with a mate in the inner city suburbs, where the weather was warm, the view good and the rum even better. Suffice to say, the next morning we were both less than healthy and only barely made alive to McDonald’s Springvale in order to inhale some grease and coffee that would at least give us a chance at maintaining some form of professional image throughout the day. Because Friday practice was unofficial, after a few hours of photography and writing we decided a healthy lunch at the Sandown Park hotel would be in order (for recovery’s sake, you know), so we drove over to the pub where my co-conspirator (who will remain nameless) promptly selected the only car park in the entire place surrounded by other vehicles. He then promptly had a very minor accident by driving gently into a parked car. “Dude...” I said. “You just crashed into that car.” “Did I?” he replied, not even slightly joking. “Here you go,” he added, throwing me the keys to his car. “You’re driving the rest of the day.” Like I was any better equipped to drive.. Friday passed uneventfully and Saturday dawned bright and sunny, right up to the point the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge hit the circuit for their qualifying session. In the commentary box I was ensconced in the timing monitor, tracking lap times and following who was going quickly. I was in the middle of thinking about something else when my co-commentator (who continues to remain nameless) urgently interjected: “Rich, Matt Kinglsey has just broken the Armco sound barrier!’ “He sure has,” I replied, ignoring the word ‘Armco’ and instead thinking that a particularly excellent use of a speed-related metaphor had been used to describe Matt’s thus-far excellent lap. “He’s lighting up the timing monitor!” “No Rich,” my co-commentator replied, rather shortly and with urgency: “He’s literally crashed through the Armco Sound Barrier at Dandenong Road.” Unsighted by me, Kingsley had come off the road in a big way and put a large hole in the fence on the run down the hill from the old Rothmans Rise. He was OK, but his was car totalled and his championship over. It was a huge shunt and I missed it completely. Later that afternoon, the first Formula 3 race was held that would help set up the most incredible title battle I’ve yet called,
between Ben Barker, Mitch Evans and Tom Tweedie — but more on that later. Sunday then produced a series of on and offtrack events that to this day remain a surreal snapshot of pictures and words in my head. It started when Porsche driver Ivan Klasan crashed on the exit of turn four during the second GT3 Cup Challenge race. With broken steering, he tried to re-join the circuit and continue with somewhat inevitable results.
IN THIS ISSUE
“Ivan Klasan has damage there,” I remember saying as it all played out.
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Speed Shot
“..Oh no.. He’s going TO CRASH AGAIN <pause> and HE HAS!”
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Pitlane Whiteboard
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Main Feature TEN OF THE BEST: PART ONE
Klasan promptly smacked the wall for a second time, just meters from where he first hit it. You had to feel sorry for Ivan, but at the same time it was an utterly hilarious, roll-your-eyes moment. Soon after, the second F3 race of the weekend was then red-flagged after a massive crash at turn one, setting up a 20-minute interlude featuring teams madly thrashing to repair cars so their championship-contending drivers could get back in the fight. Ben Barker — who ended with another Dallara parked on his head during the crash — will forever thank that red flag for keeping him in the championship. It was all extremely dramatic. The race restated and progressed smoothly until Graeme Holmes had the mother of all backflips after hitting the kerb at the turn five Kink. I believe at some point we described it as “Mark Webber at Valencia, times a million” and in between races we scrambled to secure footage and thrashed to get it out to TV networks for the evening news. Holmsey was OK and had never had that much media before or after.
16 Feature COLIN’S BACK 18 Feature COLLINS VS. CAPO 21 Program 22 Schedule 24 Entries 28 Round 6 Recap 30 Television Coverage Lap Records
Then, in the final Porsche race, there was an officialling blunder that will remain with me for ever... but now isn’t the time and place to go into that. There’s simply not enough space! Still shaking, up next came the final F3 race, where Ben Barker won the championship by one point thanks entirely because he got a bonus point for setting the fastest lap. We dubbed our call ‘The ragged edge of commentary’ after the most intense, pressure filled 15 laps of sport I’ve ever lived through. At the end of the day, once we’d thrashed to get reports out and websites updated, we went to the end of year Formula 3 presentation and watched Mark Webber lose the World Championship by crashing out of the Korean Grand Prix, though none of us realised at the time how significant that shunt would be. We then ended the day sitting on the balcony of a teams’ hotel room, getting quite drunk and trying to work out what the bloody hell happened through it all. Five years later, almost exactly to the weekend, we are still trying to do exactly that.
Publisher
The CAMS National Racing Championships Pty Ltd
Editor
Richard Craill
Art Director
Sarah Anesbury – 121 Creative Hilton
Writers
Richard Craill, Amanda Jackson & Garry O’Brien
Chief Photographer: Nathan Wong Production
Kwik Kopy Printing Hilton
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CHAMPION’S MOMENT THIS GREAT Nathan Wong photo captures a hairy moment for double Super Six touring Car champion Simon Tabinor, who found the track limits on the exit of Phillip Island’s turn 12 during September’s round. The hot pace of the best Super 6 field in years drove some of the very best to the very edge at the Island, Tabinor included. Meanwhile, Ben Grice and Gavin Ross headed the pack on their way to victory and a final-round title showdown. IMAGE: Nathan Wong
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PITLANE WHITEBOARD THE WHITEBOARD has turned his attention to sponsorship this week and with times tough, his somewhat radical (no, not the cars) ideas might change the way people go about funding their motor racing. Just remember, if you use any of the ideas below we’re taking 20%… For those who are in this wonderful sport, if you ask them the biggest challenge, it’s not what you’d think. Keeping it flat through that long corner? Nope. Making sure Maldonado doesn’t take you out. Not that either. Having your ear-plugs fall out and suffering industrial deafness from Fernando Alonso’s moaning about the poor performance of his engine? No way. Getting a free double mocha choca carmel soydecaf latte from the GT3 Cup guys when you’re not a member of the Porsche paddock? Sorry, you’ve had more guesses Ken Block does at an apex. It’s sponsorship. Long gone are the days when you could just whack a sticker on your car and have it on the tele then watch the wads of cash roll in. You now have to deliver value. You have to demonstrate you have synergies. But there’s one problem with that. Synergies are hard to get unless you know Justin Cotter’s phone number. How do you demonstrate all the products we have to advertise on the track? It’s about time we freed up the rules, and fixed this so we can maximise the benefits.
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Let’s start with Sports Sedans. Kerrick are awesome, and Gordon Murray isn’t doing much at the moment, let’s get some of those Kerrick vacuum cleaners into the cars Brabham BT46 fan car style. Not only will they take 5 seconds off the lap time, but also it’ll save the marshals having to clean the track before the next session. We could add value to Super 6 touring cars by getting Gavin Ross’ mates from Carpet Shed to bring back the glory days of American motor racing by making part of the circuit out of floorboards. You can see the commentary now, Craillsy screaming on the public address that he “nailed it out of there…” Formula 3 is a no brainer with a team sponsored by McDonald’s. Everybody gets a drive through penalty. Post race quote from Jon Collins “I was going well coming into the Drive Thru, but then some wanker in a Porsche GT3 in front of me ordered a double mocha choca carmel soy-decaf latte and cost us time.” And how good would AmChamps be if there pole shootout that involved hiring an actual Pole Borer from Iain and Grant Sherrin? I have no idea what lap time it’d do, but I’m sure if you dug deep you could get something out of it, though your lap time might be impacted by the part where you have to dial Mark Primmer first before you dig. And what about our other partners? For example, we could get SBS on side by allowing a bloke
hanging out the side of the Safety Car to do running repairs on a car as it’s going around the track. It’s perfectly safe in the Tour De France, shouldn’t be a problem here at all. And beforehand Gabriel Gate could show us how to cook a Chicken Parma just like the local pub in Goulburn does it. SBS even have a TV series called Bosch, which involves a LAPD detective who presumably investigates incidents of foul play against innocent spark plugs. Surely there’s something we can do with that to give them an extra, er, plug. There’s plenty of opportunities there everybody, we’ve just got to find a way.
Follow the Pit lane Whiteboard on Twitter: @pitlaneWB * It goes without saying (but I’ve had an eraser held at my throat until I finish writing this bit, so I’ll say it anyway) that the views expressed in this column are most certainly, totally, absolutely and wholly 100% those of the whiteboard and NOT this publication or its associated entities.
HONOURABLE MENTIONS TEN OF THE BEST: PART ONE GENERALLY, the criteria to judge ‘greatness’ are very broad. It could be a nomination for a hall of fame. It could be a record-setting list of accomplishments. Or it could be as simple as one person’s opinion weighed in amongst what everyone else has to say. There are, of course, people in the sport who by default are considered ‘greats’. Sir Jack Brabham. Peter Brock. Dick Johnson. Jim Richards. Alan Jones. Their histories, their accomplishments and their varying degrees of humanity — or should that be relatability — make them icons. Which is why I think a few people groaned inwardly when we determined that the final two issues of this magazine would, at the end of the 10th season of Shannons Nationals competition, try to find the 10 greatest drivers from the past decade. It was never going to be easy, and it certainly wasn’t. But as Brock used to say: ‘Bite off more than you can chew... and chew like hell!’. What you will start reading here, and hopefully finish in our next issue this November, is a list of drivers we’ve determined, via a specified process, are the top 10 to have raced in a Shannons Nationals event over the last decade. Firstly, there was some criteria to meet: drivers needed to have completed either one season with
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‘significant’ results, or ideally multiple seasons of racing primarily at a Shannons Nationals level. We didn’t want this to be about one-year wonders or already famous or influential drivers rung in for a cameo from other walks of life. Secondly, the 40 drivers nominated needed to have achieved what most would call ‘successes’ in their chosen category or categories. Be it championship victories, or ‘merely’ sustained high levels of performance against their competitors.
IT WAS DIFFICULT to cull more than 1,100 drivers down to 40 for our short list. Getting that 40 down to a final top ten list was even more difficult. Here’s a few that didn’t quite make the shootout. WORDS: Richard Craill IMAGES: Nathan Wong
GEOFF EMERY
ADAM BEECHEY
VICTORIAN EMERY is the best of the best when it comes to Commodore Cup, winning five championships when the category was at its absolute peak and, arguably, the most competitive one-make series Australia has ever seen. He ran at the front in the V8 Supercars Development Series and this year made a welcome return to the Shannons Nationals landscape via the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge where, as you may have guessed, he continues to run right at the front.
IT MAY SEEM harsh that a three-time Commodore Cup champion misses out (in the same way a five-timer above does) but Beechey remained one of the very best in Commodore Cup right to the series’ end. Whilst he was good in the sprint racing formats, perhaps his biggest strength came in the two-driver, Ashley Cooper Memorial trophy races, where with Tassie co-driving mate Dean Croswell, he was nearly unbeatable.
TERRY WHYOON
LEANNE TANDER
TERRY WHYOON was there from the beginning of the Kumho V8 Touring Cars series and supported it through its challenging early season path before it grew and matured in its third and fourth seasons. It’s telling that Terry was runner-up in the series in 2009 and 10 but won it in 2011, clearly its strongest season to that point. A hugely capable driver with speed and experience, he’s also seen the development of Image Racing as a key team in both the Kumho and V8 Development series over the years.
ACROSS THREE incredible seasons Leanne Tander re-set the mould for women in Motorsport in Australia, fighting for the Gold Star in two of Australia Formula 3’s strongest ever seasons where eight or nine regular race winners featured. Highlights are numerous but standing out was the pressure-relief that was her first ever win, at Phillip Island, a storming drive from 8th to second in the rain at Mallala after being carted off the road on the opening lap and an emphatic, dominant win in the Tasmanian SuperPrix in 2008.
MARCUS ZUKANOVIC
KRIS WALTON
THE PASSION for the sport shown by Marcus and his dad, Mick, is outstanding and it’s been backed up by some mighty fine performances over the years, notably in the Commodore Cup where Zukanovic was champion in 2006. That same year he won the V8 Ute series — which included rounds on the Nationals program — and he’d of course later go on to race V8 Supercars competitively.
HE’S NOW known as ‘Killa’ in the V8 Utes, but Kris Walton’s star burst on the scene in Saloon Car racing in the late 2000s where, racing an AU Ford Falcon, he was always one to beat when the category was at its absolute peak. There are many memories of Walton at his peak, but for some reason Phillip Island seems to surface as the scene of most of them. Exciting, fast and brilliant, Walton is a worthy vote-getter here.
Finally, we took our shortlist to a judging group of 10 influential members of the motorsport community who have a strong working knowledge of the Shannons Nationals, its categories and those drivers within them. The panel, who will remain anonymous, includes administrators, current and former media personnel and working journalists with a history of covering the series plus the odd official or two. Each panel member was asked to provide their personal top ten, in order from one to ten, with their selections allocated a points score. With a fan vote run via Shannons Nationals social media included in the count as one ‘judge’, the votes were counted and we generated our order. This time we list positions six through ten, with the ‘final five’ to be hailed at the Grand Finale’ this November.
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BRUCE HEINRICH
IN THE BEGINNING, there was Bruce. The undisputed king of HQ racing, Bruce Heinrich made the switch to Saloon Car racing in 1999 and was just as competitive in that category as in the one where he made his name. The Adelaide-based performance car tuner was one of the most dominant drivers in the early years of the Shannons Nationals, sweeping to the fourth and fifth of his five national Saloon Car titles in the first two seasons of the Nationals — 2006 and 2007, respectively. In 2006 he was especially dominant, winning nine of 21 races and finishing on the podium in 18 of them — ensuring his consistency was every bit as good as his speed. But what was perhaps more impressive than the fact he’d just won his fourth national title, was the level of competitors he beat along the way. Second, and more than 85 points behind, was Kris Walton. Third was Shawn Jaimeson and fourth the ever-speedy West Australian, Clint Harvey. The top-10 that year — arguably the strongest Saloon Car racing has ever seen — was completed by Paul Fiore, Matt Lovell, Peter Dane, Jake Camilleri and Scott Nicholas. Not a bad group of drivers and yet there was Bruce: Out in front and dominant. His third straight — and fifth overall — title came the following season in completely different circumstances. This time, Heinrich had to out muscle Kris Walton in a year-long battle of the Blue Oval drivers and it produced some of the best racing the category has yet seen. Both drivers won 10 times each, dominating 20 of the 24 races between the pair. Outside of their personal battle for the title only Clint
Harvey (2 wins), John Goodacre (1) and Jake Camilleri (1) were able to trouble the scorers. Consistency again helped Heinrich to the crown, though it ended in dramatic circumstances with a DNF in the final race. Walton won it, but the points margin was still too much for the fast Queenslander to overcome and as such he fell short by six points in a thriller. 2007 would mark the final of five Saloon Car championships for Heinrich, as his attention turned towards Fords with more power and two more cylinders in the Kumho V8 Series and then ultimately back to where it all started in the HQs. Yet his time at the top of Saloon Car racing came during its absolute peak level of competition as a category. His final two titles also came in the only two years it held national championship status with CAMS — meaning it’s only his name that can be recognised as a true ‘championship’ winner in the class by the governing body. All of that aside, there remains none that has demonstrated their ability to be a better exponent of six-cylinder touring car racing in Australia, be they HQs or the category designed to replace them. He may only be an occasional competitor at a national level these days, but it’s good to know that people remember their history. The peak of Bruce Heinrich’s time at the Shannons Nationals may have come in years one and two, but it’s clear for all to see that the intervening eight seasons have done nothing to dull his accomplishments as Australia’s undisputed king of Saloon Car racing. It will be a reign that lasts a very long time.
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DES WALL
THE OUTPOURING of sincere emotion that flowed when Des Wall died following a brief battle with Cancer in November 2012 was a validation of the kind of human being he was. His easy inclusion in this list adds to that legacy by remembering his remarkable skill behind the wheel that saw him leading, and winning, championships in Australia’s fastest tin-tops right up to the point that the illness forced him from the driver’s seat. The legend of Sports Sedans dominated the New South Wales scene in his Toyota Supra during the 1990s but it was his emergence as a force in the national Kerrick Series in the second half of the 2000s that reminded people at a national level of his abilities. His defeat of Tony Ricciardello in the 2009 Kerrick Series is the stuff of legend, edging out the West Australian driver by just twelve points despite winning just three races that season to Ricciardello’s six. It was his consistency, however, that did the job — he finished every race and never finished one of them outside of the top five. To make things more interesting Darren Hossack finished third in the championship that year, just nine points further back behind his year-long Alfa rival. A partial campaign in 2010 saw Des complete just two rounds, though he still grabbed a race win at Wakefield Park in the season opener. He sat out the 2011 campaign however was back to his best in 2012, running third in the championship and well in contention following the first three rounds before he was forced to hang up the helmet. Sadly, he’d never race again. A statement issued by the Sports Sedan fraternity soon after his passing spoke 12 | THE RACING MAGAZINE
volumes for both his driving ability and character out of the car. “Whilst his performances on the track and his victories spoke volumes for his ability behind the wheel it was respect for his fairness, gentlemanly nature and dedication to his family that equally impressed the motorsport community.” Outside of Sports Sedan racing, Des Wall was fast in anything he d rove — leading the charge in Alan East’s Mitsubishi Lancer in Production Car racing in an enterprise that allowed him to race with his son, David. The pair, with Trevor Symonds, crossed the line first in the 2010 Bathurst 12 Hour however were later excluded due to a technical issue.
JAKE CAMILLERI
IN THE 1970s the term ‘Giant Killer’ was applied to the Holden Torana GTR XU-1 thanks to its consistent ability to get up and play with the big V8 Fords, despite its apparent six-cylinder handicap.
medium to promote their brands on the circuit. As such, ‘The Grand Prix Mazda 3..’ remains a common catchcry on the public address and TV coverage of AMChamp racing around Australia.
If there has to be only one modern representative of the tag, in a similar discipline of racing, the Brisbane Mazda dealer Jake Camilleri is clearly the most deserving.
Along with his friend and co-driver Scott Nicholas, Camilleri finished second outright in the 2008 AMChamp title and fourth the following year, despite the strong multiple-car efforts from teams like Mitsubishi Ralliart that was filled with ace drivers like Stuart Kostera.
His five (and as we go to press it could be six) class titles in Australian Production Car racing are a tribute to his performance and ability however it’s not his class success that we want to highlight here. No — it’s his ability to get up and boogy with cars that, at least on paper, should be miles quicker.
The Sports Sedans now have a marquee race each year called the “Des Wall Trophy”, while the family racing legacy is in the very safe hands of David, who along with being a factory Volvo V8 Supercars driver also manages the family racing firm and a fleet of historic cars — including Des’ old Supra and the iconic ex-Pete Geoghegan Mustang the pair bought before Des’ passed.
In his Mazda 3 MPS Jake has for years been the thorn in the side of Mitsubishi Lancer and BMW drivers in Australia’s top Production Car category. Out classed, outpowered and with the supposed handicap of front wheel drive, it has remained a staple of the sport for eight years now to see a little blue Mazda fending off a rear-drive BMW or a four-paw EVO.
There is no doubt that Des was a successful enough racer — in the last decade of Shannons Nationals competition alone — to be included in this list.
Coming from a racing family, Jake began racing aged 15 and quickly progressed through the ranks of Queensland state-level racing, winning the state title and finishing third in the national HQ Holden crown in 2000.
Did sentimentality play a role in Des Wall’s inclusion in this list? Almost certainly. And that, for us, makes his inclusion even more apt: In this fiercely competitive, corporate, cut-throat world we live in it’s nice that a bit of sentimentality can creep in every now and then.
Jake was an easy fit for our top 10, with more than half of our judges agreeing that he was worthy. ‘Everyone loves an underdog, but Jake and his team never played to that.. it was their belief that they could on occasion run with the bigger, faster cars that gave them the appeal,” one judge wrote. ‘Still not totally sure how he managed to keep tyres under the front of his car,’ wrote another. ‘No Mazda since the RX7 has gone that quick in production car racing,” agreed a third. There’s nothing more than Australian sports fans love than an underdog. That Jake and his little family team from Queensland are accepted as front runners regularly speaks volumes for their achievements.
He was second in the 2002 Australian Saloon Car Championship raced for several seasons in the six-cylinder Holden and Ford category, serving as one of the champions of the introduction of the VT Commodore to the category. His switch to Production Cars not only gave him a higher profile on the Nationals stage but gave the family business a handy THENATIONALS.COM.AU | 13
JAMES WINSLOW
FROM THE TOP of the Phillip Island control tower, Formula 3 cars look positively tiny as they exit MG corner and begin a flat out run due south on the run down to the Southern Loop, the next braking point on a lap of the epic Grand Prix circuit and some 32 seconds away. On this occasion, a pair of tiny Formula 3 Dallaras are obscured partly by spray and partly by the semi-fogged windows of the commentary box that casts a 360-degree vista of the second-most impressive bit of motor racing real estate in the country. One car, red and black and leading the motor race, covers a line entering the stop at MG as the other one faints a move on the outside, seeking better traction off the turn in these sodden conditions. As the pair of cars accelerates and enters turn twelve, pedals flat to the carbon bulkhead even in these conditions that Noah would find comfortable, the second car in the line — black and silver, this one, twitches with a push of understeer and a mid-corner slide. Nevertheless, it’s gripped up enough to remain close to the car in front, using the area of negative pressure the leader deposits in its wake to draw ever closer. Past the commentary box and the silver car, still second, is visibly excited with energy, bobbing and weaving with minute corrections behind the wheel as the tow takes the front downforce away and adds another 5 or 6 kays per hour. Then, as the pair of rain lights punch through the spray and with Bass straight in all her turbulence pictured behind them, one car goes left, the other goes right and all of a sudden they’re side by side entering the fastest corner these cars traverse anywhere in the land. And there, in the pouring rain at a track he adored and in a car with which he was at one, James Winslow sailed around the outside of Leanne Tander to lead another F3 race in season 2008. You’ll forgive the lengthy exposition but Phillip Island and wet weather perfectly sum up the immense capacities of James Winslow, a British driver to whom the term ‘Journeyman’ is perhaps apt and yet at the same time grossly unfair.
MATT KINGSLEY
Winslow first appeared on the Australian F3 scene in 2006, winning a race at the Australian Grand Prix, and returned for the first of several full seasons the following season with the Piccola Scuderia outfit, and later Team BRM.
THE MATT KINGSLEY story alternates rapidly between a series of enormous crashes, many of which were pure bad luck, to searing speed and dominant form that made him uncatchable in a Porsche 996 GT3 Cup Car.
He finished fourth in 2007 and then won the 2008 season by four points after a dogged yearlong fight with the other driver detailed in that epic Phillip Island duel — Leanne Tander.
But there’s no doubt of his absolutely worthy inclusion in our top ten list because on his day he’s probably the fastest driver one-make Porsche racing in Australia has seen across the last decade.
He missed 2009 and 2010 but returned in 2011 to finish second with R-Tek Motorsport despite missing a round of the championship due to an overseas clash. He still won the most races (8) that season and promptly returned the following season to re-set the record books with his second championship triumph. In winning the 2012 championship, Winslow set the record for most wins in a year (13) and became the first driver to win two Gold Star titles since the early 2000s. It was only this year that Tim Macrow — who has more starts to his credit — eclipsed the flying Briton for the most number of victories in the championships’ long history. James enjoyment at driving a well-sorted and hooked up Formula 3 car was matched only by his ability to work hard to find the drives and the funding to get in one in the first place. Astonishing in the rain, mighty on cold tyres and smooth as you like out of the car when dealing with media and sponsors, James Winslow is easily one of the top five — and there is a case to be answered that he should be higher — open wheel drivers this country has had the pleasure of watching in the last decade. His place on this particular list, as such, is well earned.
The Gold Coasters’ name fell firmly in the spotlight following an enormous crash at the Clipsal 500 Adelaide in 2008 while racing in the V8 Ute Series. Then 23, Kinglsey, Craig Dontas and Colin Corkery collided at turn three on the daunting Adelaide street circuit and were all three taken to Hospital. Of them, Kingsley was the most seriously injured and would spend seven weeks in the Royal Adelaide, and then Gold Coast hospitals before being released. His racing recuperation came via a switch to the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge in 2009 and it was there he showed his remarkable speed and race craft. He won nine races in a row in his debut Porsche season and cruised to the championship in what was the series’ strongest year to that point. However it was his wet weather ability that was perhaps the most stunning aspect of his season. At Phillip Island, in conditions that ranged from sopping to torrential, there’s very few descriptive words to emphasise just how comprehensively he smoked the field in the big wet. In an 11-lap sprint he won by nearly 50 seconds, pulling away from the field at more than five seconds per lap before buttoning off in the final 4.46 kilometres on the run to the flag. In the 24-lap feature he’d led by more than a minute before a Safety Car was called leaving a two lap dash to the flag at the end. He still won by more than ten seconds. It wouldn’t be the last time that the GT3 Cup Challenge field would see the rear end of a blue, black and Orange Porsche disappearing into the spray in the wet, either.
Cup Cars, he dominated the 2010 season and looked a cert for a second crown, before crashing heavily at Dandenong road in qualifying for the final round at Sandown. The written-off car ensured he was forced out of the round. However, Matt’s laconic nature and appeal amongst his rivals was such that every driver in the field — including closest title rival Roger Lago — signed a document supporting a move to teammate Terry Knight’s car for Saturday’s first race. As it often does, however, Officialdom prevented the move and denied a remarkable story. Lago won the first of his two GT3CC titles as a result. His GT3 Cup Career would end with just the one title, though his pace deserved more. In 2011 he was an innocent victim again in another Adelaide-based crash, when an out of control car speared across the northern hairpin and into his path during a Saturday evening race. Kingsley again went to hospital but escaped with a limp and some crutches. Brief forays into Carrera Cup again showed his speed however it was perhaps a remarkable Bathurst 12 Hour campaign in 2013 that again proved how underrated the tyre dealer from Southport really was and still is. When car owner Tony Quinn was beaten up in an early-race crash in his Aston Martin, Kinglsey was subbed in to co-drive the VIP Petfoods Porsche GT3 R alongside Klark Quinn and Shave van Gisbergen after the first hour of the race. The car led at times and ran second in the final hour before dropping to third in the final hour, however Kingsley didn’t put a foot wrong the entire day — despite never having driven the car. Few have been better behind the wheel of a Porsche and few have bounced back so many times from what others might consider careerending moments. With his big grin, sunglasses on and a practical joke at hand, Matt Kinglsey’s position inside the top 10 greatest to see a Shannons Nationals round in the last ten years is well assured.
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COLIN’S BACK He’s the most experienced driver in the Australian Manufacturers Championship — and after six months on the sidelines, he’s also now back on the track. We catch up with Mr. Production Car: Colin Osborne. WORDS: Amanda Jackson IMAGES: Nathan Wong After a lengthy time out of the seat, Colin Osborne is back with a pair of brand-new Renault Megane race cars in the Australian Manufacturers Championship. In previous years, the Osborne Motorsport outfit contested a pair of Mazda 3MPSs, but when disaster struck in July last year a change in manufacturer was put in motion. “Last year we had one of our cars unfortunately lost with Brock Giblin’s unfortunate accident at (Sydney Motorsport Park). We have always run a two car team, so we needed to replace one car and there wasn’t a lot of point in building another Mazda 3 because you would have been building something that was brand new yet seven years old, and by the time you spent a lot of money and finished it, it would be worth half of what you spent,” said Osborne. “We realised that we really needed to look around and see what else was available. I initially didn’t consider the Renaults as I have never been a fan, but every time we looked at things objectively in terms of what was manageable for our team they kept coming up top or second on the list, so I had to change my stance. “As it turned out there were two cars available — one that had a pretty good pedigree and a lot of appropriate Renault Sport componentry in it, and another that was a road car that hadn’t been adulterated in any shape or form, so we were able to clone that into the second car – leaving us with two cars that are as identical as possible which is what you want in a two car team.”
“Given that we didn’t have a chance to test the cars before we got here, we are (looked at the first event) as an enormous test session. “It has been pointed out that it’s a pretty expensive way to test, but the series needs support from competitors and it needs the cars and we had a few airfare credits and accommodation credits that we had to use because they were going to expire anyway. “Really our objective for the weekend was to put two cars back in the truck that aren’t beaten and broken and go home with a lot of knowledge. And not too long a list of things to look at next time.” Now that he is back in the seat, Osborne is keen to keep going at the wheel for the rest of the 2015 Amchamp season. “We’re looking forward to getting back into the swing of things. My guys have shifted heaven and earth to build these things and they deserve a lot of recognition for what they’ve done,” said Osborne.
“My guys have shifted heaven and earth to build these things and they deserve a lot of recognition for what they’ve done.”
“We’ve been pretty buoyed by the fact that everybody that’s walked passed the garages have come in and said ‘Wow, they look great.’ We’ve spent a bit of time making sure the engineering detail isn’t just sound from an engineering perspective but also sound and good from an aesthetic and presentation perspective. There’s no doubt that these are the best race cars our teams ever built — so we are proud and it is really a credit to the boys.”
The Osborne Renaults made their debut at the last round of the AMChamps, held at Queensland Raceway in August, with the team not even having had time for testing prior to the event. “Queensland Raceway was their first run apart from being driven on the road. They went better than I did! I haven’t been in a car since October of last year and the Renault is a very different car to drive (to the Mazda),” said Osborne. “(The first) session was really to go out and see if nothing fell off and fortunately nothing did! It was really just a bit of a shakedown. The car has a lot of capacity, there is more in it, and I think there is a lot more in me — I am going to have to really learn how to drive the cars differently to how (I have driven) the Mazdas and Toyotas.
16 | THE RACING MAGAZINE
THENATIONALS.COM.AU | 17
COLLINS VS. CAPO JON COLLINS
SEASONED SYDNEYSIDER Jon Collins is in his second full season of Australian F3 competition, having finished third in a competitive National Class fight against Arrie Maree and Todd Hazelwood in the 2013 season. Then, after a slow start to the year, the second-generation racer (his Mum, Sue, races Radicals and has a long history in the sport) dominated the second half of the year and actually out-scored the championship winner across the final three rounds. This year a move to McDonald’s Gilmour Racing has provided a stable home for the quietly spoken driver, a sign writer by trade. Utilising a now welldeveloped F311 Dallara chassis raced last year by Ben Gersekowski, the car has been consistently quick all year and his consistent run of points scoring finishes has allowed Collins to etch out a handy, if not massive, lead over year-long rival Capo ahead of the season finale’.
SEASON COLLINS opening round of the year was a mixed bag — he qualified on pole (his first) but got jumped by Capo in race one and finished second. He failed to finish race two and then stormed through to third in the finale’.
There have been a few but the Sydney Motorsport Park feature race victory — where he withered race-long pressure from Capo for the full 14-laps — was perhaps the best of the year so far, if not the most exciting. Needing to win to re-take the championship lead, he drove smartly and consistently and never opened the door to his rival.
LOWLIGHT Sandown’s feature race: Collins led early however in an unfamiliar car with a different cockpit layout to his norm he hit the kill switch exiting Dandenong road on lap six, handing Capo the lead, the win and the points.
HOW TO WIN It’s simple: finish in front of Capo in every race and he wins the crown. Collins also might have a potential — if unspoken — ally in Roland Legge. The young Queenslander’s end of year form has him a real chance of a Wakefield Park victory and as such is likely to take points away from the pair of title contenders.
Since then, however, it’s been a much more solid performance from car 17. At Phillip Island he showed his one-lap potential with pole by 0.5 seconds and then exercised his race craft with two astonishing battles with Capo in the first two races: edging his rival out by 0.1s in the first and by just over 1.5s in the second.
If Collins must do one thing at Wakefield, it’s finish. The tight confines of the Goulburn circuit make overtaking — and coming through the field — very tough indeed.
Comfortable victories at Winton helped get him to the lead of the championship and a tense fight with Capo in Sydney showed that he was solid under pressure after Capo had won the opening race — and re-taken the points lead in the process — earlier in the weekend.
The Errol Gilmour-led team Collins drives for has experience in a close championship battle: Chris Gilmour edged James Winslow by just eight points for the 2011 championship — the team’s only outright crown to date.
With the points lead in hand, the way he dealt with the searing pace of ring-in Roland Legge at Queensland Raceway and Tim Macrow at Phillip Island showed that he has the brains to back up the brawn and that his year is all about the end goal.
18 | THE RACING MAGAZINE
HIGHLIGHT
FUN FACT
THE BATTLE for this year’s Australian Formula 3 Championship will be waged between two young drivers both seeking their maiden circuit racing title. RICHARD CRAILL profiles each and determines who is best placed to win the prestigious crown.
RICKY CAPO
AT THE CLIPSAL 500 last year it was a case of ‘Ricky Who?’ when the relative unknown from Melbourne stormed to a front row qualifying start on his Formula 3 — and car racing — debut in 2014. Since then the teenage University student — he’s a rising star in the visual FX world, apparently — has rapidly shown his hugely impressive pace on more than one occasion in his two seasons of Australian F3.
SEASON If last year was a learning year this year marked a more concerted push towards a championship victory for Capo and it began with a trip to Europe and some testing with British teams — a valuable experience to help counter the experienced Collins, who brought several seasons of F3, Radical and Formula Ford racing to the fight this year. Capo also brought a new car, an F311 Dallara with Mugen Honda power and perhaps the biggest question was would the new car — and the development needed to make it go quickly, consistently — be a help or hindrance? Certainly at Sandown it seemed not. Capo qualified second by just 0.1s at his home venue but raced brilliantly in the opening race to take a thrilling win with a last-lap pass on Collins at 220km/hr over the top of the old Rothman’s Rise. He won both of Sunday’s races, too, to take a commanding points lead. Phillip Island continued his strong form: Despite missing pole by a reasonable margin his strong starts and race pace saw him battle furiously with Collins in the two sprint races — missing out by the smallest of margins in the first race before spending much of the penultimate lap of race two side-by-side with his rival in a breathtaking display that’s since done the YouTube rounds. His first pole of the year at Winton (by 0.05s) was another check in the box however Collins’ start saw Capo second in race one. The disappointment continued in the second race when Capo crossed the line first, only to be pinged five seconds for rolling at the start — handing the victory to Collins. Pole and a fighting race one victory
at Sydney Motorsport Park was a welcome confidence booster after the Winton dramas, whilst Queensland was a case of following Collins home where he could to avoid Roland Legge stripping too many points away.
HIGHLIGHT UNQUESTIONABLY his performance in qualifying and the first race at Sydney Motorsport Park. Just a few weeks after the rough Winton experience, Capo’s blinding pole lap (the third closest pole position margin in Aussie F3 history) and a storming win in race one handed him the championship lead that he’d lost at the Victorian venue a few weeks prior. A confidence booster and a reminder of his raw speed.
LOWLIGHT Winton was a weekend of pace but one where unforced errors cost him valuable points. There wasn’t much he could do about Collins’ sublime race one start, but the race two start line penalty and race three spin hurt his early season points advantage.
HOW TO WIN RICKY has to win at Wakefield. Though the margin isn’t large, and there’s plenty of points up for grabs across four races, he simply must finish in front of Collins in all four races — assuming Collins will continue his relentless consistency we’ve seen all year long. As with Collins, Roland Legge could be the wildcard to either help (by finishing between them) or hinder (by winning) Ricky’s title chances.
FUN FACT IT HAS BEEN a long time since a ‘Dad and Lad’ F3 team has won a Formula 3 title — in fact, and somewhat ironically, the Gilmour’s success in 2011 was probably the last time what could be considered a ‘family’ team tasted success in Australia’s top wings and slicks category. To be contending this year is a testament to Ricky, Frank and their little team.
THENATIONALS.COM.AU | 19
ROUND 7 WAKEFIELD PARK, NSW
SHANNONS AUSTRALIAN MOTOR RACING NATIONALS ROUND 7, WAKEFIELD PARK • OCTOBER 16–18, 2015 promoters Wakefield Park Motor Sport Pty Ltd 4770 Braidwood Road, Tirrannaville NSW 2580 Phone: (02) 4822 2811
AUTHORITY The meeting is conducted under the International Sporting Code of the FIA, the National Competition Rules of the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport and the Standing and General Supplementary Regulations issued by the Wakefield Park Motor Sport Pty. Ltd. and authorised under CAMS Permit No. 815/1810/01.
MOTOR SPORT IS DANGEROUS You are present at this meeting entirely at your own risk and it is a condition of admission that all persons having any connection with the promotion and organisation and/or conduct of the meeting, including owners of the vehicles and passengers in the vehicles, are absolved from all liability in respect of personal injury (whether fatal or otherwise) to you or damage to your property however caused.
OFFICIALS OF THE MEETING Organising Committee
Wayne Williams Rob Curkpatrick Wayne Giles Daryl McHugh
Clerk of the Course
Daryl McHugh
Deputy Clerk of the Course
Jessica Nicholson
Assistant Clerks of the Course
Nick Goring Bruce Robertson
Secretary of the Event
Wayne Giles
Deputy Secretary of the Event
Louise Hallam
Series Director
Rob Curkpatrick
Series Steward
Bradley Tubb
Stewards
Trisha Davidson Peter Lambie
Chief Scrutineer
Lance Smith
Chief Timekeeper
Lisa Drayton (Eldee Timing)
Race Director (AMChamp)
Paul Overell
Judges of Fact
Lisa Drayton Daryl McHugh Nick Goring
Recovery
Chris Lenihan and Southern Cross Motorsport Fire and Rescue
Flag Marshalls
Wakefield Park Flag Team
Pit Lane Marshalls
Michelle Luke and Team
Chief Medical Officer
Dr. Alexe Matte
The organisers regret that announcements to assist spectators cannot be made over the public address system except in cases of genuine emergency.
Track Preparation
Sam Gill Will Corby
parking
Commentary
Darren Smith
Media Liaison
Richard Craill
Acknowledgment is also made to the many officials who will be assisting at the meeting but whose names were not available when this programme was printed
entries The organisers accept entries and drivers’ nominations in good faith. Every effort is made to adhere to the printed programme of competitors, but the promoters cannot accept responsibility for the failure of any driver to appear. Although every endeavour is made to avoid inaccuracies in the description of competing cars, the organisers accept no responsibility for any that may occur. The organisers reserve the right to postpone, abandon or cancel the meeting or any part thereof.
prohibited areas The Organising Committee of today’s races has made every effort to ensure the safety of spectators at this meeting. In the interest of public safety, all areas other than the official spectator areas are PROHIBITED. The spectator areas are plainly defined and spectators are requested to keep behind the safety fence at all times. In the event of an accident on the circuit, the public MUST remain behind the safety fence as their entry to the track may cause further accidents and hinder officials. No person under the age of 16 years is permitted into competition areas including pit lane and marshalling.
pets and animals In the interests of safety, dogs and other pets or domesticated animals are NOT permitted at the raceway.
messages
Vehicles are permitted to enter and park on condition that the promoters and circuit owners are not under any liability whether in contract or in tort and whether for negligence as an occupier, or on any other basis or for any cause for action, for loss or damage to the vehicle or its contents no matter how or whether such may be caused.
appreciation and thanks • Benalla Auto Club • Competitors and Category Managers • Medical Team • All Officials of the Meeting • Shannons • Hi-Tec Oils
copyright All material in this magazine/program is copyright and must not be used without permission of the publishers. The opinions of the contributors are not necessarily those held by the publishers or race organisers.
safety The fencing erected around the circuit is there for your protection. It is forbidden to sit, stand or climb on it.
THENATIONALS.COM.AU | 21
ROUND 7 WAKEFIELD PARK, NSW
22 | THE RACING MAGAZINE
ROUND 7 WAKEFIELD PARK, NSW
ROUND 7 SCHEDULE
ROUND 7 SCHEDULE
FRIDAY 16 OCTOBER
SATURDAY 17 OCTOBER
0700
Gates Open
0700
Gates Open
0905
Practice 1
Aust. Formula Ford Series
20 min
0910
Practice 1
Aust. Formula Ford Series
20 min
0930
Practice 1
Kerrick Sports Sedan Series
20 min
0935
Qualifying 1
Kerrick Sports Sedan Series
20 min
0955
Practice 1
Australian Manufacturers Champ.
20 min
1000
Practice 1
Australian Manuf. Championship
20 min
1020
Practice 1
DBYD Aust Super 6 Touring Car Series
20 min
1025
Qualifying 1
DBYD Aust Super 6 Touring Car Series
20 min
1045
Practice 1
Aust Formula 3 Championship
20 min
1050
Qualifying 1
Aust Formula 3 Championship
20 min
1110
Practice 2
Aust. Formula Ford Series
20 min
1115
Qualifying 1
Aust. Formula Ford Series
20 min
1135
Practice 2
Kerrick Sports Sedan Series
20 min
1140
Qualifying 1
Australian Manuf. Championship
20 min
1200
Practice 2
Australian Manufacturers Champ.
20 min
1205
Qualifying 2
Kerrick Sports Sedan Series
20 min
1220
Lunch Break
30 min
1230
Qualifying 2
DBYD Aust Super 6 Touring Car Series
20 min
1250
Practice 2
DBYD Aust Super 6 Touring Car Series
20 min
1255
Qualifying 2
Australian Manuf. Championship
20 min
1315
Practice 2
Aust Formula 3 Championship
20 min
1320
Race 1
Aust. Formula Ford Series
15 laps
1340
Practice 3
Aust. Formula Ford Series
20 min
1345
Race 1
DBYD Aust Super 6 Touring Car Series
14 laps
1405
Practice 3
Kerrick Sports Sedan Series
20 min
1415
Race 1
Aust Formula 3 Championship
14 laps
1430
Practice 3
Australian Manufacturers Champ.
20 min
1445
Race 1
Kerrick Sports Sedan Series
15 laps
1455
Practice 3
DBYD Aust Super 6 Touring Car Series
20 min
1515
Race 1
Australian Manuf. Championship CPS
200km/90 laps
1520
Practice 3
Aust Formula 3 Championship
20 min
1545
Sponsor Rides
AMChamp/Super 6 TC
30 min
SUNDAY 18 OCTOBER 0700
Gates Open
0915
Race 2
Aust. Formula Ford Series
15 laps
0945
Race 2
Aust Formula 3 Championship
14 laps
1010
Warm up
Australian Manuf. Championship
1035
Race 2
Kerrick Sports Sedan Series
15 laps
1105
Race 2
DBYD Aust Super 6 Touring Car Series
14 laps
1135
Race 3
Aust Formula 3 Championship
22 laps
1215
Race 2
Australian Manuf. Championship CPS
200km/90 laps
1415
Race 3
Aust. Formula Ford Series
15 laps
1445
Race 3
Kerrick Sports Sedan Series
18 laps
1515
Race 3
DBYD Aust Super 6 Touring Car Series
14 laps
1545
Race 4
Aust Formula 3 Championship
22 laps
15 min
THENATIONALS.COM.AU | 23
ROUND 7 WAKEFIELD PARK, NSW
ROUND 7 WAKEFIELD PARK, NSW
AUSTRALIAN MANUFACTURERS CHAMPIONSHIP
DIAL BEFORE YOU DIG AUSTRALIAN SUPER SIX TOURING CAR SERIES
ON THE WEB: WWW.AMCHAMP.COM.AU
ON THE WEB: WWW.SUPER6TOURINGCARS.COM.AU
Car
SPONSOR
DRIVER
state
VEHICLE
Car
SPONSOR
DRIVER
state
VEHICLE
2
Network Clothing/Dentbuster
Mark Eddy
VIC
Audi TT RS
1
Blackwell Race Engines
Gavin Ross
VIC
VT Comm
13
Osborne Motorsport
Colin Osborne
NSW
Renault Megane RS275
6
GAG/Hinde Transport
Ben Grice
QLD
VT Comm
18
Sherrin Rentals
Grant Sherrin
QLD
BMW 135i
8
ry.com.au
Brad Carr
QLD
AU Falcon
Iain Sherrin
QLD
9
Silkgate Group
Ian Chivas
NSW
BA Falcon
Michael Sherrin
QLD
18
DPS Enterprises
Brent Edwards
VIC
AU Falcon
David Ayres
QLD
22
Lighthouse Electrical
Ashley Jarvis
QLD
AU Falcon
19
Sherrin Rentals
BMW 135i
23
Alphera Financial Services
Beric Lynton
QLD
BMW 1M
32
Lighthouse Electrical
Dion Jarvis
QLD
AU Falcon
28
GWS Personnel/Hunter Kitchen King
Peter Foote
NSW
BMW 335i
41
Dial Before You Dig
Mark Primmer
NSW
AU Falcon
William Gauchi
NSW
42
Dial Before You Dig
NSW
AU Falcon
Mitsubishi Evo 10
67
Scott's Rods Exhausts
Linsay Kearns
QLD
AU Falcon
NSW
Renault Megane RS275
95
Glen Postlethwaite
Glen Postlethwaite
VIC
VT Comm
98
All Vehicle Services Taree
Sam Lee
NSW
AU Falcon
30
Castrol/Turbosmart/DBA/Bilstein
Rick Bates
31
Osborne Motorsport
33
Castrol/Turbosmart/DBA/Bilstein
Bob Pearson
NSW
Mitsubishi Evo 10
34
AAW Australian Auto Wreckers
George Karadimas
VIC
Ford Falcon XR6T
Geoff Russell
NSW
36
Grand Prix Mazda
Jake Camilleri
QLD
Mazda 3 MPS
54
Donut King
Tony Alford
QLD
BMW 1M
62
Roadchill Express
Luke Searle
NSW
BMW M135i
Barry Graham
NSW
Grant Phillips
VIC
Andrew Turpie
VIC
Francois Jouy
NSW
86
88
Pedders/Weldcorp Racing
Network Clothing/Dentbuster
For more entry information, visit www.thenationals.com.au 24 | THE RACING MAGAZINE
Toyota 86 GTS
Renault Megane RS265
KERRICK SPORTS SEDAN SERIES ON THE WEB: WWW.SPORTSSEDANS.COM.AU
Car
SPONSOR
DRIVER
state
VEHICLE
1
B&M Ricciardello Motors
Tony Ricciardello
WA
Alfa Romeo GTV
4
Auto Union Deutsche
Jack Perkins
VIC
Audi A4
9
Domain Prestige Homes
Steven Tamasi
VIC
Holden Calibra
12
Moonbi Oil Traders
Phil Crompton
QLD
Ford Mustang
16
Landells Signs
Shane Woodman
VIC
BMW M3
32
Bell Real Estate
Michael Robinson
VIC
Holden Monaro
43
Stawell Cartage
Bruce Henley
VIC
Mazda RX8 GT
44
MR Automotive
Colin Smith
QLD
Holden Monaro
50
Slick 50
Ryan McLeod
QLD
Mazda RX7
56
BJ Banks Electrical
Bruce Banks
TAS
Mazda RX7
93
Kerrick/CKAS
Thomas Randle
VIC
SAAB
For more entry information, visit www.thenationals.com.au THENATIONALS.COM.AU | 25
ROUND 7 WAKEFIELD PARK, NSW
ROUND 7 WAKEFIELD PARK, NSW
AUSTRALIAN FORMULA FORD SERIES
AUSTRALIAN FORMULA 3 CHAMPIONSHIP
ON THE WEB: WWW.FORMULAFORD.ORG.AU
ON THE WEB: WWW.FORMULA3.COM.AU
Car
SPONSOR
DRIVER
STATE
VEHICLE
Car
SPONSOR
DRIVER
state
VEHICLE
2
Sonic/Bosch Car Service
Thomas Maxwell
VIC
Mygale SJ13
7
R-Tek Motorsport
Nathan Kumar
NSW
Dallara F307-Opel Spiess
3
Sonic/BrookeEvansCharteredAccountants
Benjamin Reichstein
VIC
Mygale SJ15A-001
8
R-Tek Motorsport
Roland Legge
QLD
Dallara/Merc
4
Sonic/CalistaPropertyGroup
Christian Morina
VIC
Mygale SJ12
9
R-Tek Motorsport
6
E-Steel (Aust)
Paul Zsidy
VIC
Spectrum 012
13
Wiltec Industries
Shane Wilson
QLD
Dallara/Spiess
8
Shockwave Signs Motorsport
Jimmy Vernon
NSW
Mygale SJ12A
14
Quicksilver Shirvington Racing
Trent Shirvington
NSW
Mygale M11-Mercedes
11
Colin Hill Engineering/Inflighter
Cameron Hill
ACT
Mygale SJ10a
17
McDonalds Gilmour Racing
Chris Gilmour
NSW
Dallara F311-Mercedes
12
Synergy Motorsport
Andrew Kahl
NSW
Spectrum 012
23
bestjet.com/Gilmour Racing
Luke Spalding
QLD
Dallara/Merc
20
Synergy Motorsport
Caitlin Wood
NSW
Spectrum 014
46
Cetnaj Harvest Motorsport
Shane Ryding
VIC
Mygale M11-Mercedes
23
Cars Galore/Race Academy
William Brown
QLD
Mygale SJ12A
81
Ross McAlpine
Ross McAlpine
NSW
Dallara F304-Renault Sodemo
26
Dream Motorsport
Luis Leeds
VIC
Mygale SJ13a
88
AIE/Brookes/Alpine Motorsport
Dennie Rumble
VIC
Dallara F307-Mercedes
Spectrum 014
89
GP Racegear Australia
Paul Scott
QLD
Dallara F304-Renault Sodemo
31
Jayden Ojeda
Dallara F304-Opel Spiess
38
VHT/TecFit/219 Design
Mitch Martin
VIC
Spectrum 014
91
AWM
Andrew Wlodek
ACT
Dallara
41
AngloAustralianMotorsport
Daniel Holihan
NSW
Mygale SJ08
92
Jani-King Ricky Capo Racing
Ricky Capo
VIC
Dallara F311-Mugen Honda
42
Fleetcare
Leanne Tander
VIC
Mygale SJ10A
95
Melcon/Parkinson Grp
Adrian Lazzaro
VIC
Spectrum 011
96
JohnWhiteEng/BrownsEng/NorthsideFast
Jimmy Bailey
QLD
Spectrum 06B
For more entry information, visit www.thenationals.com.au 26 | THE RACING MAGAZINE
For more entry information, visit www.thenationals.com.au THENATIONALS.COM.AU | 27
ROUND 6 RECAP
Dylan O’Keefe finished second overall and stormed from fourth to second in the title standings, while James Abela finished third in the Pro Class. Geoff Emery headed David Ryan and John Goodcare in the Elite division while the compelling Class B fight between Aaron Seton and Jaxon Evans continued to flow — Evans getting the upper hand by sealing the round victory.
AUSTRALIAN SUPERKART CHAMPIONSHIP Russell Jaimeson won the Australian Superkart Championship by finishing second in the final race of the weekend. Gary Pegoraro won the race, however wasn’t enough to retain the title he won last year. Today’s triumph is Jaimeson’s second 250 international Australian Superkart Championship, following his success in the category in 2013. Anton Stevens finished third, dropping behind Pegoraro in the points standings following the final race. Jordan Ford won the 250 National title having gone through the season undefeated and 125 National was won by Mark Robin in a wild three-abreast sprint to the line.
AUSTRALIAN FORMULA 3 CHAMPIONSHIP TIM MACROW is now officially the most successful driver in Australian Formula 3 history following a clean-sweep of victories at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit. RYAN SIMPSON sealed the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge crown and Russell Jaimeson the Australian Superkart Championship on a weekend of big winners at Round 6 of the 2015 Shannons Nationals. Ben Grice, Liam McAdam and Tim Macrow completed sweeps of the Super 6, V8 Touring Car and Formula 3 rounds, respectively, while Greg Keene (IROC), Mark Laucke (Sports Racer) and Tim Macrow / Robert Baird (Radicals) also tasted success across the bumper race program. Round sixes’ racing was held in perfect springtime conditions at the iconic Phillip Island circuit.
PORSCHE GT3 CUP CHALLENGE PRESENTED BY PIRELLI RYAN SIMPSON sealed the 2015 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Australia presented by Pirelli with another clean-sweep of race victories at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit. Simpson was in stunning form throughout Sunday’s two races and after leading from lights-to-flag in race two, battled early leader Dylan O’Keefe for the lead in race three before pulling away to win. His sweep of wins seals his position at the top of the leader board with an insurmountable margin with one round — at Sydney Motorsport Park in November — to go. The Porsche title comes in his first season in the category and follows two seasons of runner-up results in the V8 Touring Cars series where he raced a Ford Falcon. It was also the second GT3 Cup Challenge title for Sonic Motor Racing following their success in the inaugural season of the championship — in 2008 — with Sven Burchartz.
28 | THE RACING MAGAZINE
Macrow stormed to the 30th and 31st victories of his illustrious career, eclipsing fellow double champion James Winslow at the top of the all-time winners list across more than fifteen years of Australian F3 competition. Macrow raced his way to the top in race two on Sunday morning, having started fourth on the reverse top-four grid. In three laps of thrilling racing he cut his way through title contenders Jon Collins and Ricky Capo and early leader Roland Legge to grab the win. His race three drive was more straightforward despite points’ leader Collins taking an early race lead. Collins trio of second-placed efforts at Phillip Island built his still-narrow title lead over year-long rival Ricky Capo to 19 points ahead of the final round at Wakefield Park in October. 69 points are on offer in the final round at the Goulburn circuit across the four races on the program. Paul Scott won the National Class after early leader Nathan Kumar crashed out of the final race at turn one on the opening lap.
KUMHO V8 TOURING CARS LIAM McADAM has extended his margin at the top of the Kumho V8 Touring Cars series following a clean sweep of victories for the Eggleston Motorsport Holden driver at Phillip Island. The 18-year-old now holds a 52-point margin over Alex Rullo in the tile race after the Ford driver struck dramas on a challenging Sunday. Rullo ran off the road at high speed in race two, finishing 14th as McAdam led home Tony Evangelou and Steven Devjak to victory. The West Australian teenager rebounded to second in the finale’ however with McAdam out front still lost ground in the series standings. McAdam now sits just one round away from giving Eggleston Motorsport back-to-back Kumho
series crowns following Justin Ruggier’s victory in the class last year. Series veteran Tony Evangelou finished second overall in his ex-FPR Falcon with Rullo completing the podium. Devjak finished fourth overall and first in the privateer class.
DIAL BEFORE YOU DIG SUPER SIX TOURING CARS DESPITE FACING the strongest field the Dial Before You Dig Australian Super 6 Touring Car Series has fronted in years, Ben Grice continued his winning ways to take his streak to nine straight race — and three round — victories this season. Grice beat home Gavin Ross and Travis Lindorff at Phillip Island to continue his remarkable turnaround in form this year after disastrous rounds of the championship at Sandown and Winton earlier this year.
RADICAL AUSTRALIA CUP Robert Baird and Tim Macrow combined to win the 40-minute Radical Australia Cup enduro at Phillip Island on Sunday morning. The pair finished second on the road to Neale Muston in the enduro race, however a post-race penalty for the multiple Radical Champion dropped him behind the winning pair following the race. Nick Kelly finished third and Greg Smith fourth while Peter Paddon completed the top five and won the SR3 class battle. Baird and Macrow won the round ahead of Muston and Smith, while Paddon headed home Oliver Smith and Kim Burke in SR3.
Defending champion Ross retains a strong lead in the Super 6 title race however with double points on offer in the final round at Wakefield Park the title is far from decided. On his return to the category, Travis Lindorff finished third for the round with Wayne King and Garry Hills completing the top five. A massive 27-car field competed in the Holdenv-Ford category at Phillip Island, their biggest field of the year.
IROC CHALLENGE / 944s AUSTRALIA’S NEW series for Classic Porsche’s continued to entertain with Sven Burchartz and Greg Keene putting on a show as they battled for round honours. Race 1 winner Burchartz won race two on Sunday morning however the tables were turned in the afternoon when Keene led the duration — though not before Burchartz launched a concerted attack on the experienced Adelaide driver.
“The racing at Round 6 was held in perfect springtime conditions at the iconic Phillip Island circuit.”
The pair spent much of the fourth and most of the fifth lap side-by-side however Keene was able to hold on and grab the race win — though Burchartz won the round. Rob Black finished third in IROC Challenge while Adam Mills scored two wins and a second to snare the Porsche 944 honours this weekend. Mills won races one and two however had to cede the lead to Cameron Beller in the finale’ amongst the 14-car 944 group. Chris Lewis-Williams finished third in the 944 class.
AUSTRALIAN SPORTS RACER SERIES After a difficult day at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit on Saturday, Australian Sports Racer Series racer Mark Laucke has secured a pair of hard-fought race wins to claim the top step of the podium on Sunday. The victory comes after he was served a drivethrough penalty in race one on Saturday for passing under the yellow flag in an attempt to redress, and sees him reclaim the championship lead. Meanwhile, consistent efforts all weekend long saw Terry Peovitis and Sue Hughes complete the podium. F1000 racer Peovitis claimed not only second outright for the round, but also the SR2 Championship and F1000 Championship trophies to see his hands very full on the podium, while Hughes — Radical racer and mother of F3 racer Jon Collins — was ecstatic to take third overall for the weekend.
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ROUND 7 WAKEFIELD PARK, NSW
TELEVISION COVERAGE SHANNONS NATIONALS TV Speedweek on Sunday at 2pm on SBS1
Round 7 wakefield, 16–18 october Show 1
1st November Australian Manufacturers Championship Kerrick Sports Sedans
Show 2
8th November Aust Super 6 Touring Cars Aust Formula 3 Championship Formula Ford National Series
All Speedweek episodes are now broadcast free to air on SBS HD & SBS One simultaneously.
‘SHANNONS NATIONALS’ ON FOX SPORTS Visit www.thenationals.com.au for complete TV schedule
LIVE INTERNET TV FROM 9AM ON SUNDAY via www.thenationals.com.au
LAP RECORDS
WAKEFIELD PARK
CATEGORY
DRIVER
VEHICLE
LAP TIME
DATE
Outright
Ben Crighton
Dallara F307
0:54.5633
6/03/10
Formula Ford Sports Sedan Production Cars Super 6 Touring Car Formula 3
Paul Laskazeski Terry Wyhoon Aaron Seton Shawn Jamieson Ben Crighton
Spectrum 011 Ford BA Falcon Mitsubishi Lancer Evo Holden VT Commodore Dallara Mercedes
1:00.1986 1:00.3279 1:04.8226 1:08.1801 0:54.5633
6/04/08 3/04/11 20/09/14 3/04/11 6/11/10
30 | THE RACING MAGAZINE