Motorsport eNews Issue 15 - July 31-August 6, 2007 by V8 Sleuth

The world of motorsport every week – directly to your desktop

Issue No. 015 31 July – 6 August 2007

CHANGES AT BRITEK in 2008

RALLY: NEW CAR FOR CHAMP?

V8: 13 ROund F1: McLAren DANCING! sERIES FOR GETS off the v8’s NEXT 2008 hook HOTSHOE

THIS ISSUE OF MOTORSPORT eNEWS BOUGHT TO BY THE ALL-NEW HONDA

Editorial Editor: Grant Rowley grant@mnews.com.au Deputy Editor: Aaron Noonan noonz@mnews.com.au National Editor: Andrew van Leeuwen andrew@mnews.com.au Executive Editor: Phil Branagan editor@mnews.com.au

Australasian

The ‘A’ Team

Issue No. 015 | 31 July – 6 August 2007

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news 4 Brite Stuff 6 Guilty thoughts 8 Tour de France 12 Mergermania

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chat 20 5 minutes with ... opinion 22 Branagan 23 van Leeuwen 35 The Punter

Contributing Writers F1: Joe Saward, Mark Glendenning, Adam Cooper, Paolo Filisetti Europe: Quentin Spurring, David Addison US: Martin D. Clark, Phil Morris Speedway: Greg Boscato, Geoff Rounds, Darren Sutton, Tony Millard (UK) Rally: Ryan Lahiff Drag Racing: Dave Ostaszewski (USA), Ken Ferguson, John Bosher National: Mark Wicks, Mark Jones, Aaron Shaw, Daniel Powell

race 24 Minardiness 30 Enduranceness

Motorsport eNews is published by Australasian Motorsport News ABN 55 125 120 702 Publisher: C Lambden Copyright: Material published in Motorsport eNews is copyright and may not be reproduced in full or in part without the written permission of the publisher. Freelance contributions are welcome, and while all care will be taken, Motorsport eNews does not accept responsibility for damage or loss of material submitted. Opinions expressed in Motorsport eNews are not necessarily those of Australasian Motorsport News or its staff.

International photos supplied by Sutton Images, www.sutton-images.com – click here to check out their exclusive poster deals

Toll HSV’s Paul Radisich A great idea for AGP V8s ... or more Endurance The Need for Greed (not) Doorknobs wins San Jose Bundaberg and Suzuka

trade 32 Trade and Industry / Raceshop 34 Classifieds

Photographers Sutton Motorsport Images, Dirk Klynsmith, Marshall Cass, John Morris/Mpix, AF1 Images, James Smith, Peter Bury, Neil Blackbourn, Chris Carter, Coopers Photography, Paris Charles, Bob Potts, Neil Hammond, Joel Strickland, Mike Patrick (UK)

Changes for Fujitsu team McLaren escapes penalty Back on the F1 calendar Two owners is not enough

welcome This guy plays in dirt and drives himself ‘round (and ‘round) in circles. His name is Brooke Tatnell ... Check out the latest eNews supplements via http://www.mnews.com.au

A little bit of evolution ...

Courtney, to the dance floor V8 SUPERCARS

Grant Rowley Editor eNews

JAMES Courtney is set to be V8 Supercars next contestant on Network 7's top-rating television show Dancing with the Stars. Courtney, 26, is poised to be confirmed as one of the 10 dancing celebrities in the highly-successful reality program. Current Fujitsu V8 Supercar driver and Network Seven personality Grant Denyer won the fourth series, which helped him cement his place as a network regular. Hosted by Daryl Somers and co-host Sonia Kruger, the show is telecast live every week and has become one of the network's most successful products. Having a full-time V8 Supercar driver involved is a major boon for the sport. The seventh Dancing with the Stars series is set to air in the coming weeks. – GRANT ROWLEY

YOU may have noticed a tidy little evolution of the software that you are now viewing eNews with. The main changes provide nicer page turn tabs and, more importantly, an archive ‘click-through’ (see Toolbar below), enabling easy reference back to previous issues. We hope you agree it makes your eNews experience just that bit more user-friendly. And judging by the response to eNews over the past 15 weeks, it seems you do agree. According to our IT geeks (who talk a language that may as well be Swahili to me) our e-audience has now doubled since Issue 001 – including the number of people who have registered for our regular weekly eprompt reminder. Have you registered yet (see www. mnews.com.au)? A surprising number of you, especially those yet to experience the joys of Broadband, are also downloading eNews in pdf form, for printing out. That process should also be accessible directly from the eNews lead page – if not now, then very shortly. Our thanks to everyone who has got in touch to say they are enjoying eNews – and even offering ideas. The ‘clincher’ if you like is the fact that my dad has embraced the eNews technology (he still recites stories about his first camera – the Box Brownie!). Father Rowley has never been noted for keeping up with technology, so if he understands eNews, I’m sure the majority of the world has no problem clicking through! The bottom line is that eNews has hit the mark (err, Mark is my dad’s name!). eNews is growing. And we’ll continue to provide the best in motorsport journalism from home and abroad – weekly, digital, and free ...

V8s back to 13 plus one V8 SUPERCARS THE 2008 V8 Supercar calendar is taking shape – and it will be a 13-round championship next year. The confirmation that the Clipsal 500 Adelaide is to be held from February 21-24, along with the recent confirmation that the V8s will return to the Australian F1 Grand Prix three weeks later, means that there

is going to be a very busy few weeks at the beginning of the 2008 season. At the same time, team owners have indicated that, with the GP returning the calendar, they do not wish to do any extra races next year because of budgetary constraints. While there is no date allocated to the WA race, eNews sources suggest that there

are two alternatives being examined, the first with the Barbagallo event slotting in between the Adelaide and Albert Park races. This would place the race on the weekend of February 29-March 2, which would require an old-style road trip from Adelaide to Perth, but which would also allow teams to return to their bases prior to traveling to Melbourne for the AGP.

The other alternative date being for Perth is mid-April, which would allow teams time to travel and make the necessary maintenance of their cars. However, with the date of the first Hamilton street race penciled in for April, and with no date yet confirmed, it may place a strain on the teams to race at the easternmost and westernmost venues in Australiasia in successive rounds.

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More or less at Britek Motorsport? New cars, new drivers and a different sponsorship scene mooted for Britek in 2008 V8 SUPERCARS THE make-up of Britek Motorsport is set to change in 2008. The Melbourne-based team will find out next week from potential backers if there will be funding to compete competitively with two cars next season. If funding is secured, the team’s endurance drivers Adam Macrow and Warren Luff are the men in line to make a full-time return to the main V8 Supercar Series. If funding isn’t found, the team could continue to run a customer car/pay driver in the main series or sublease the Level 2 licence, putting them back to a single car V8 entry. Britek commercial director Chris Jewell confirmed to eNews that the coming week will be telling one for the

young team. “We will know in the next week if we are running two cars next year,” Jewell said. “I’m 70 percent confident that we’ll be running two cars, fully funded. “The contingency behind that is that we run a customer car for somebody else, or sublease the licence. “Hopefully we’ll be able to say within the week that we aren’t subleasing and that we’ve got the right budget to go racing. “We are not interested in running a car without a competitive driver. (Alan) Gurr might not be starring but I’d still call him competitive. “We have considered other plans. I’d only consider subleasing the licence with the least amount of vulnerability placed on Britek’s doorstep. For example, if the team didn’t

show to a race, we’d cop the fine. You have to eliminate that.” While downsizing to one car is a last-option, it appears that if the correct funding is there, the most likely drivers will be reigning Development Series Champ Macrow and former V8 Utes star Luff. “From a driving point of view, we’d like to have our sponsors input, but they’ve all said it’s up to us, so from that, I’d like to see how Adam and Warren go through testing next month, and where we come out of the endurance races before we make a definitive decision about drivers next year.” The Fujitsu-supported team announced last week that the electronics giant had re-signed with them until the end of 2009. It has been rumoured that both current sponsors CAT and Irwin Tools are looking

at extending, and possibly increasing its backing for 2008 and beyond. After a tough season due to a high level of accidents, the Dandenong team currently has both of its current Falcon chassis for sale and will build two new cars for 2008, with one of them likely to debut in the final two rounds of this year’s championship at Symmons Plains and Phillip Island. Both chassis will be based around Beehag shells and are already under construction. “We don’t want to practice building a new car with the brand-new Orion,” team manager Adam Laws told eNews. “Ideally we’ll have the car ready for Tasmania and Phillip Island. We don’t want to debut a new car at Clipsal.” – GRANT ROWLEY

Marshall Cass

McLaren gu

Reindler’s run V8 SUPERCARS

FORMULA 1 sutton-images.com

The 22-year-old West Aussie will be joined by his 18-year-old younger brother Chris to take part in a Driver Evaluation Day test for Jim Beam Racing. Reindler, who represented Australia in A1 Grand Prix and finished on the podium in Beijing, has most recently driven in Formula V6 Asia and will have his first drive of a V8 Supercar. His brother Chris is competing in state Formula Ford in Western Australia. Team boss Dick Johnson

sutton-images.com

FORMER Australian Formula 3 Champion Karl Reindler will have his first taste of a V8 Supercar at Queensland Raceway this Wednesday (August 1).

and regular drivers Steven Johnson and Will Davison will be on-hand to assist the brothers with the Jim Beam Falcon.

THE FIA World Motor Sport Council has ruled that McLaren is guilty of having been in possession of confidential Ferrari information, but decided that there was sufficient mitigation not to punish the team, as it was clear from the evidence presented that the team had been the victim of a rogue employee.

The FIA said that there was “insufficient evidence that this information was used in such a

way as to interfere improperly with the FIA Formula 1 World Championship.” The World Council did, however, add that if further evidence emerges the decision might be reconsidered. McLaren boss Ron Dennis emerged from the six hour hearing, saying that “the punishment fits the crime” but Ferrari boss Jean Todt complained loudly that McLaren was guilty and that

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uilty – but no penalty FERRARI says it will continue with the legal actions in Italy and England and it has the option of taking civil or even criminal action against McLaren.

If there is not enough evidence to convince the World Motor Sport Council, then it is hard to imagine that there is enough evidence to convince the High Court to issue another search warrant in a civil action as these are very difficult to get without compelling evidence – which was exactly what was missing in the FIA hearing. Getting a search warrant in a criminal action would be easier but McLaren would have some very strong arguments about why it was “incomprehensible that violating the fundamental principle of sporting honesty does not have, as a logical and inevitable consequence, the application of a sanction.” Todt added that the decision “legitimises dishonest behaviour in Formula 1 and sets a very serious precedent” and that it was “highly prejudicial to the credibility of the sport.” The FIA has not responded to Ferrari's complaints. The

decision of the World Council was unanimous, despite the fact that the FIA-CIK President Luigi Macaluso, an Italian, later told pressmen that he was opposed to the decision, presumably trying to stay on the right side of all parties, not surprising given that his watch company produced watches for Ferrari between 1994-2004. Ferrari company director Marco Piccinini, who normally sits on the World Council, stood

OPINION Joe Saward Formula 1 Correspondent the end of each year, the Ferrari should not be allowed to see the contents of results of that season cannot be challenged. its computers. The FIA says that it wants One should perhaps add Coughlan and Nigel Stepney – that if Ferrari is right (and everyone else is wrong) about named by Todt as the source of the Ferrari information the ethics of McLaren, what that was given to Coughlan chance is there that there – to justify themselves to would be any incriminating the World Council or face a evidence left in McLaren's lifetime ban from the sport. computers, a month after the It is, when all is said and story broke? done, a very messy business And, anyway, the legal but one in which McLaren's process is slow and any case good reputation has served would be unlikely to come to it well. court for many months. The FIA regulations state that after down for this meeting, to avoid a clash of interest. McLaren has suffered considerable negative publicity in the run up to the meeting of the World Council, primarily in the Italian press, where there were widespread stories relating to the contents of McLaren chief designer Mike Coughlan's affidavit. McLaren expressed concern before the World Council meeting that all the “erroneous

speculation” about the supposedly confidential affidavit had been “prejudicial to a fair interpretation of these matters.” Ferrari denied leaking the contents of the affidavit to the Italian media but there are many in F1 circles that believe that the team was leaking the information to maximise the damage to McLaren.

BRIEFLY...

n As expected, Yamaha has announced that 250cc Champion Jorge Lorenzo will move up to MotoGP next season. The Spaniard has signed a two-year deal but the announcement was deliberately vague as to where he would line up next season. In the meantime, Colin Edwards has said that he has no more information as to where he would he racing than he had two months ago …

Le Switcharound! FORMULA 1 THE Grand Prix de France, the world's oldest surviving motor race, is going to take place in 2008, despite announcements by the Federation Francaise du Sport Automobile (FFSA) and the Formula One Group that there would be no event next year.

The decision was taken after a meeting between Bernie

Ecclestone and the French Prime Minister Francois Fillon at the Hotel de Matignon, the Prime Minister's office. Ecclestone agreed “in principle” to keep the race at Magny-Cours in 2008 and in 2009 if necessary. The FFSA says that it will host the race if local and regional authorities provide more money to help

the event break even. The intention remains to move the race nearer to Paris and, according to the Prime Minister's office, there are three sites being studied in the Paris region: Disneyland Paris, Versailles and Evry. – JOE SAWARD

Spyker cashes up for rest of year IF there was any doubt that Spyker F1 needs money it has been swept away with the news that the team has signed Japan's Sakon Yamamoto to drive the team's second car for the rest of the season.

The 25-year-old Japanese driver has been racing this year in GP2 with the BCN Competicion outfit but has done no better than ninth in any of the races. “We wanted a driver both with experience and that could bring some finance to the team,” said Mike Gascoyne. “Sakon was able to do both of those. I think one of the key important factors in the decision was the fact that he’s raced on all the circuits that we have left in the season, so that was absolutely essential to the decision.” – JOE SAWARD

sutton-images.com

n Rob Arnott has signed as A1 Team Australia’s Chief Engineer for the 2007/08 A1GP World Cup of Motorsport. Arnott has worked with a number of successful F1 teams and most recently, was with A1 Team China.

sutton-images.com

n Mexican Mario Dominguez has become the new ‘Super Sub’ of the Champ Car World Series, filling in for Ryan Dalziel in the Pacific Coast Motorsports car on the weekend at San Jose after the Scotsman broke his collarbone in a bicycle crash. It came a week after Dominguez filled in for Tristan Gommendy at Edmonton when the Frenchman had injured his back and wasn’t cleared. Dalziel remains touch and go whether he will be fit to drive at Road America on August 12.

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Melbourne gets F1 pole Albert Park gets 2008 Formula 1 season opener in 18-round calendar sutton-images.com

FORMULA 1 THE FIA World Council has confirmed the Formula 1 World Championship calendar for 2008.

This will feature 18 races with new events in Valencia and Singapore but the disappearance of the United States GP means that there is some doubt as to whether the Canadian Grand Prix can find the money it needs to pay the cost of freight, a sum that was previously shared with the Indianapolis event in the USA. The only major change to the schedule is that the Turkish Grand Prix, now under the control of Bernie Ecclestone, moves from its date in August to May, making way for the new races. Australia will be the first race of the season again with a gap of just one week before the second event in Kuala Lumpur. There will then be a two-week break before Bahrain, which is a lot more practical than the schedule in 2007. The calendar is then relatively conventional with Barcelona, Turkey and Monaco before the planned race in Canada and then the traditional

midsummer European races in Britain, France, Germany and Hungary. There is the usual three-week break after Budapest before the F1 circus reconvenes in Valencia. This will be followed by races in Italy and Belgium. Singapore will be part of a second Asian swing at the end of the year with a two-week gap between the new race and the back-to-back events in China and Japan. The season will end as usual in Brazil, although this will be on November 2, a fortnight later than is normal.

The World Council has declared that the event in Valencia will be the European Grand Prix but it will be interesting to see what happens in 2009 as the Nurburgring will be back and, with the current situation, it cannot be the German GP because the Automobilklub von Deutschland (AvD) owns the rights to the title ‘Grosser Preis von Deutschland’. It does not want its rival Allgemeiner Deutscher Automobil-Club (ADAC), which sanctions the race at the Nurburgring, to take over that

right. The full list of 2008 race is as follows: Australia (March 16), Malaysia (March 23), Bahrain (April 6), Barcelona (April 27), Turkey (May 11), Monaco (May 25), Canada (June 8), France (June 22), Britain (July 6), Germany (July 20), Hungary (August 3), Valencia (August 24), Italy (September 7), Belgium (September 14), Singapore (September 28), China (October 12), Japan (October 19) and Brazil (November 2). – JOE SAWARD

Chad R88d? Dirk Klynsmith Dirk Klynsmith

Kiwi for Kiwi V8 SUPERCARS

V8 SUPERCARS

Euan Cameron

KIWI Johnny McIntyre has firmed as the man most-likely to score Team Kiwi Racing’s endurance drive in the reborn team. McIntyre, the reigning New Zealand Touring Car Champion, looks set to partner young V8 rookie Shane van Gisbergen in the Stone Brothers Racingprepared Falcon entry. McIntyre drove for Prodigy Motorsports in the last round of the Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series at Queensland Raceway, hoping to show the TKR team that his lack of V8 Supercar experience shouldn’t be a factor when considering him for selection. As it turned out, McIntyre impressed at QR, finishing 10th overall. McIntyre’s only other V8

Supercar experience has been one Sandown and Bathurst start with WPS Racing in 2004, which was followed by a oneoff race at Surfers Paradise. He has not been in a Supercar since. – GRANT ROWLEY

CHAD Reed will have a taste of V8 Supercar racing when he joins Formula Ford stars Tim Blanchard and James Moffat at Queensland Raceway next month. The Supercross star will suit up for TeamVodafone at an official Driver Evaluation session on August 13. It will be the second time he has driven a V8, after having briefly tasted a Paul Morris Motorsport Commodore last year. Blanchard and Moffat have both tested a Perkins Commodore in the past. “I am extremely grateful to both Roland Dane and

TeamVodafone for giving me the opportunity to participate in a fully sanctioned driver evaluation day,” said Reed. “It has been almost 12 months since we first spoke to Roland about a test and this is sure to be the highlight of my year.” TV enduro driver Richard Lyons will also be permitted to drive during the session in preparation for Sandown and Bathurst, as he has not competed in any V8 Supercar sprint events. All drivers involved in the test will be able to seek the advice of team regulars, Craig Lowndes and Jamie Whincup.

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To switch or not to switch Does ARC Champ’s Super 2000 test point to an early adoption of new-spec Toyota Corolla? AUSTRALIAN RALLYING SIMON Evans has completed his first proper test in a Super 2000-spec Toyota Corolla, fuelling speculation that he will switch to the non-turbo formula before the end of the 2007 Australian Rally Championship. The reigning Australian Champion is currently undefeated for season 2007, having run the opening three rounds in a Group N(P) Corolla. But while the Toyota Racing Developments team has earmarked the season-ending NGK Rally of Melbourne as the earliest debut for Evans in an S2000, the latest test has sparked rumours he will run

one at the New South Wales round in September. Another factor that may affect the debut date of the Victorian’s S2000 program is the possible absence of Dean Herridge from the Melbourne round. Herridge, who has been Evans’ closest non-Toyota competitor for the season, may be forced to miss the event thanks to commitments with Subaru Rally Team China. But while Evans is unsure when he will race a S2000 car for the first time, he says “the sooner the better.” “I’m a big supporter [of S2000],” Evans told eNews. “It’s the future of the sport. “And the car is unreal to drive. It’s so rewarding in terms of

driver input and corner speed.” Evans’ team-mate Neal Bates has been running an S2000spec Corolla since the start of the season, and is currently

second in the NEC ARC, 71 points adrift of Evans. Herridge is third, a further 10 points behind Bates. – ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN

Verdnik and a VE V8 SUPERCARS

Dirk Klynsmith

UNSURPRISINGLY, Jay Verdnik has been confirmed as Tasman Motorsport’s fourth drive for the endurance races at Sandown and Bathurst. The Fujitsu V8 Supercar driver has been long mooted to drive with Mark Noske, but wasn’t confirmed until his test with the team at Winton yesterday (Monday). It was his second test with the team, having completed laps with them back in April. – GRANT ROWLEY

Assaillit looks to BA for FV8 V8 SUPERCARS

John Morris/Mpix

DAMIEN Assaillit is in line for a drive with Prodigy Motorsport for the remainder of the 2007 Fujitsu V8 Supercar season. The 17-year-old has been running an ex-Ellery AU Falcon for Bruce Partington’s RacePrep team, but is looking to step up to a BA Falcon, most likely with Prodigy, for Oran Park, Bathurst and Phillip Island. “We’re convinced that Damien has got the ability to run further up the field,”

Partington told eNews. “And if he can prove that in a newer car then that’ll help get the funds together from his backers for next year.”

According to Partington the Prodigy deal is dependent on a new driver coming on board for the AU. “It’s all very positive. We’ve

been talking to Prodigy and there’s been a deal structured, and all we need is a driver for Oran Park to run the AU.” – ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN

BMF date changes ... again BATHURST 12-HOUR

Dirk Klynsmith

THE Bathurst Motor Festival has undergone another date change, moving a week ahead of its scheduled February date to avoid clashing with the Clipsal 500. The event will now be held on February 8-10. “When the new date for the Clipsal 500 was announced, we decided to move the WPS Bathurst Motor Festival a week ahead so we could ensure potential competitors who wished to be a part of both events were still able to do so,” said Event

Director James O’Brien. “The new date still positions us as the first major national event on the calendar, while keeping a buffer of two weeks between us and the first V8 Supercar round of the season.” A draft vehicle eligibility structure for the Bathurst 12-Hour, which is the featured race of the Festival, has also been released. New additions to the list include V8 Utes, which may include the first run for the new VE model, tarmac rally cars (which will have to comply to 3E regulations), as well as Australian Performance Cars.

Rat heads home V8 SUPERCARS

Neil Blackbourn

PAUL Radisich will join the NZV8s Championship this summer in his homeland. The Kiwi will join Tracer Motorsport and drive a Ford Falcon in the eight-round series, which kicks off at Pukekohe on November 2-4. Free of a full-time V8 Supercar commitment, ‘The Rat’ will spend some testing time with the team prior to the season-opener. “In recent years, my racing and business commitments haven’t allowed for me to compete for an entire NZV8 series,” said Radisich. “So while I’ve been having discussions with (team boss) Simon Cressey for some time, it is only now I can fully commit and support the national series.”

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Tracking Away V8 SUPERCARS THE threat of a V8 Supercar street race at Townsville just won’t go away, with the release of this diagram of the proposed circuit. The track, based just over 1km from Townsville’s CBD, will include only one of two streets used by general public, while the rest of the circuit will be made up by permanent facilities. V8 Supercar Australia was at Townsville last weekend, campaigning again for $10 million federal funding for the street race to go ahead. It would seem though that if Townsville were to get the green light for Federal funding, it would not host its first race until at least 2009 or 2010. The Townville street map was unveiled as part of the V8 Supercar Fan Day at Jupiters Townsville, which also coincided with the end of the FPR Queensland Roadtrip. The track (to be run in a clockwise direction) is based on a similar model to Adelaide’s successful street track, which is situated close to the city but causes little disturbance to the main town’s traffic flow.

One of the main advantages of its location is that it sits right next to a major train stop, giving punters immediate access to the track. FPR driver Steven Richards helped design the track and has encouraged the Federal government to dig dep. “About 18 months ago I was asked to come up and have a look at the proposed layout of the circuit and fundamentally it was quite good but I advised of some slight changes which will hopefully help with more passing opportunities and more entertaining racing,” said Richards. “I think they’ve come up with a good race track and an event which should create a lot of interest from not only in the North Queensland region but all across Australia.” – GRANT ROWLEY

Drag racing stand-off looms DRAG RACING ISSUES over the promotion of top-level Australian drag racing have come to a head. DRAG Ltd, a joint venture between ANDRA and the three major Australian tracks – Kwinana (Perth), WSID (Sydney) and Willowbank (Brisbane) – recently issued a press release, stating that it had secured the largest television deal in Australian drag racing history. However, it seems that this statement was somewhat premature, with Willowbank Raceway last week responding, saying it was not fully behind the deal due to concerns it had over a potential legal challenge to ANDRA’s Drag Racing Development Fund –

which was to fund the new TV package. Its statement also confirmed its board had voted unanimously to enter into agreement with Shane Gore’s Straight Line Events, which launched its proposal to take over category management of the professional Group 1 categories back in May. Willowbank’s announcement looks to have played into the hands of Gore, however his proposal cannot get off the ground unless it reaches agreement with ANDRA, which presently owns the categories along with each of the country’s major drag racing facilities. It appears as though professional drag racing is headed for a major standoff in Australia and the next few weeks will be a telling time for the sport.

Newman/Haas join Yates Champ Car powerhouse buys into one of Ford's top NASCAR teams Ford Racing Media

NASCAR VETERAN NASCAR team Robert Yates Racing and Champ/Indy Car powerhouse Newman/Haas/ Lanigan Racing announced a partnership on July 27 for NASCAR’s Nextel Cup and Busch Series.

The new team will be named Yates/Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing effective immediately. “This is a wonderful partnership,” said Robert Yates, founder of the team which was established in 1988. “This gives us a clear vision how to get to the top. It is our goal to continue to build so this team will be better positioned to contend for the championship.” Current Nextel Cup drivers Ricky Rudd and David Gilliland drive a pair of Fords for Yates sponsored by Mars M&M’s, with a contract that apparently is up

for negotiation, so bringing in the new partner will hopefully add some value to current and future sponsors. The agreement also includes Yates’s Busch Series program with

driver Stephen Leicht. “We have always been an engineering driven team,” said Haas’ partner Newman. “We think we have something special to add to the benefit of

both. This in no way lessens our commitment to open wheel racing we want to broaden our horizons.” – MARTIN D CLARK

DEI expands to four Ginn joins Chev team with veteran Mark Martin NASCAR

By merging the two organisations, Menard will use points from Ginn’s former #14 car and that assures him a starting spot while he stays in the top 35 in owner points. Recent Ginn hiring, rookie Aric Almirola, will share duties

NASCAR Media

THE financially strapped Ginn Motorsports merged its operation with Dale Earnhardt Inc last week, bringing veteran driver Mark Martin under the DEI banner and making him instant team-mates with Dale Earnhardt Jr, Martin Truex Jr and Paul Menard.

with Martin in the Army #01 Chev through next season. Ginn closed the Joe Nemechek team and laid off veteran Sterling Marlin a fortnight ago and Regan Smith was scheduled to drive the #14 car in place of Marlin for the remainder of the year and into 2008. However, the Ginn/DEI merger left Smith piloting a Morgan Dollar-owned Truck at Indianapolis Raceway Park with an uncertain future. Ginn used engines from Hendrick Motorsports for the last time on Sunday at the

Changes, changes: Martin will now share the #01 with rookie Aric Almirola after Ginn Motorsports merged with DEI.

Brickyard 400. DEI-RCR engines will be used from here on in, while the DEI Cup teams will apparently move to the vast Ginn facility and the Busch

team will move to the current DEI premises. – MARTIN D CLARK

T A W O N E L A S ON NEWSAGENTS

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THE INFO ‘GOLDMINE’ ISSUE 362 AUGUST 2007 • WILL DAVISON – on DJR, the ‘Darwin’ incident, and the future • GIBSON COLLECTION – Fred’s Supercars • FUJITSU V8s – Where to for the V8 driver development series • JOE SAWARD – on F1’s Espionage scandal • SAVING PRIVATE RYAN– How Penske reinvented Briscoe • ROGER’s HOUSE – Inside Penske’s massive race HQ • NICO ROSBERG – Son of a Gun plus All the inside coverage and opinion on V8s, F1, Goodwood Historics, Speedway, Drags and National racing

PLUS FREE:

‘Trackside’ Victorian State Racing supplement in VIC, SA and TAS copies ... and plenty more

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Aussies for Knoxville IT'S the biggest Sprintcar event in the world.

The Knoxville Nationals attracts Sprintcar drivers from throughout the USA, Australia, Canada and New Zealand and on August 8 the action starts and on August 11 the winner will be decided. Australia will be represented this year by regulars Brooke Tatnell, Skip Jackson and Kerry Madsen, while Sammy Walsh and Bruce White will be debuting at the Nationals. Donny Schatz is this year's defending champion and will be the driver to again beat after a solid victory in the lead-up event, the

Kings Royal at Eldora Speedway. A town of about 7500 becomes 'Race USA Town' for four days and includes parking lots full of souvenirs, food, gimmicks and gadgets and Sprintcar punters from all over the world flocking to the classic event. This year around 100 drivers all want a share for of the total purse, just over US$909,000, with $150,000 to the winner and the 24th (last) finisher getting $7000. The total A Feature purse is US$472,500 and the total Saturday purse is $582,270. – GEOFF ROUNDS

Geoff Gracie

NASR looks to combine

Brooke warms up SPEEDWAY AUSSIE Outlaw Brooke Tatnell has taken ‘time out’ to prepare for the Knoxville Nationals.

His Volcano Joe’s Coffee team have been racing weekly races at Knoxville to prepare for the World Championship of Sprintcar racing in mid-August and have been having a great deal of success. In their first outing, Tatnell took victory – one which he rated as more important than his five Outlaw wins for the defunct Rush Racing during 2006 – and this past weekend, came home third, with fellow Sydneysiders – Lynton Jeffrey fifth and Skip Jackson seventh.

Baron Media

THE National Association of Speedway Racing is working with a number of divisions in an effort to bring about a national class combining three very similar classes.

Litre Sprintcars (raced in New South Wales and Queensland), Mini Sprints (Victoria and Tasmania) and V6 Sprints (South Australia) all have similar engine and chassis rules and have approached NASR to facilitate talks with a view to introducing a nationally recognised class in 2008/2009. They use older Speedcar style chassis. Compact Speedcars were not in the initial talks, but NASR have stated that if Compacts did wish to become party to discussions, they would be welcome.

Oz Speedway bike dates locked in THE dates for the 2008 Australian Speedway Motorcycle Championships have been released, with a five round series being retained. It will begin at Mildura's Olympic Park Speedway on December 29 and conclude on January 11 at the Sydney Showground in Homebush Bay.

Major sponsor from the 2007 Series, Linddales Labour Hire has been confirmed as the major supporter once more. The full calendar is December 29, Mildura,

January 2 – Gillman (Adelaide), January 5 – Mount Gambier, January 9 – Newcastle Showground, January 11 – Sydney Showground. It is tipped that several Grand Prix stars may make the trip to Australia for the Series, with rumours suggesting that up to three SGP winners from 2007 have already expressed interest.

news

WSS locks in its 21st And a new 410 engine up for grabs for the 07/08 winning team!

A new Premier at Premier Geoff Gracie

SPEEDWAY FORMER track commentator David Mills has been appointed as the new general manager of Premier Speedway.

He takes over the role left vacant by the departure of Rob Harris earlier this year to join the Speedway Promotions Australia consortium. Mills, 31, who will commence his role on August 20 after returning from the Knoxville Nationals, has had a long involvement with speedway. He has been commentating the speedway action at Premier Speedway for the last five years and said “he jumped at the chance” to apply when the position became available. “I see it as an exciting time and a club with a lot of heritage and tradition and if we sit on our heels and think we can ride on the Classic and World Series then we’re kidding ourselves,” he said. – GEOFF ROUNDS

Coming through! World Series Sprintcars turns 21 this season with the title starting on November 9 in WA.

WORLD SERIES THE 21st year of World Series Sprintcars will feature in every state of Australia, commencing in Western Australia this November.

And an added incentive is a brand-new race-prepared 410ci engine that awaits the winning contracted team in this year’s 2007-08 championship. Through the generosity of Bill Mann and his Performance Wholesale team this is sure to be a fantastic incentive to get the teams on the road for the coming season. The 14-round tournament fires up with the first two rounds at the Perth Motorplex on November 9 and 10 with the third round heading to the WA Goldfields at the Kalgoorlie International Speedway on

November 14. Adelaide’s Speedway City hosts the fourth round on November 17 and then the teams will head up to Queensland for round five at Brisbane International Speedway on November 24. Parramatta City Raceway is back on the WSS agenda for round six on December 1 circus heads to Tasmania for two rounds at Hobart on December 8 and Latrobe Speedway on December 15. There’s an 11-day break for teams and fans until December 26, when the Speedweek blasts into life once more, with $10,000 per night to each WSS round winner up for grabs. A short trip to Murray Bridge the following night follows on December 27, then a rest night on December 28

before the journey to Mount Gambier’s Borderline for racing on December 29 will get Speedweek really firing. Avalon International Raceway hosts WSS on Sunday, December 30, while the traditional round on New Year’s Day at Premier Speedway will conclude Speedweek. A short break to allow the WSS-contracted teams the opportunity of competing at one of Australian Speedway’s hallmark events ‘The $50,000’ at Tyrepower Parramatta City Raceway on Friday 4th and Saturday 5th before the final of World Series Sprintcars – The Titan Garages $20,000 To Win Australian Sprintcar Open at Brisbane International Speedway on January 11/12. – GEOFF ROUNDS

Dave Ostaszewski

HARKER GOES OVER IN USA DRAG RACING KATE Harker has suffered a blowover in her race car at Sonoma in California.

Harker, daughter of Alcohol Funny Car driver Steve Harker, crashed heavily in her Tom Conway A/Fuel Dragster she had been driving on the NHRA trail this season. About 200 feet downtrack, the front end on Harker’s car went skyward. It seemed that she caught it in time, but the car continued its climb. The car went straight up and down, did a pirouette on the rear tyres, and landed upright on the ground. The car backed into the the wall in the opposite lane, did another barrel roll along the wall, again landing upright. She continued to roll slowly down track and drifted back across the track into the wall in her lane. The safety personnel cut the roll cage from the car and Harker was transported to the local hospital via helicopter. Other than having a sore ankle, early reports show no broken bones, and a dismissal from the hospital as early as Monday. – DAVID OSTASZEWSKI

Jess’s Golden Opportunity FORMULA BMW JESSICA Golding is preparing to race in the new Formula BMW Europe Championship next year.

If the deal comes off, the Gold Coaster, right with Champ Car driver Katherine Legge, will become the first Australian female to launch an international single seat racing career. Golding completed two successful test days with the Motoworld team at Pembery, South Wales, in May and is preparing to return there this week to drive with Fortec, with a view to doing a deal with the champion team. Golding was one of the drivers selected to drive in the Asian Formula BMW test, but elected to miss that test and head to the UK. The new championship will combine both FBMW UK and Germany. Six of the nine rounds will be a supporting category to Formula 1 events. – GRANT ROWLEY

A Long Load of Todd Road KARTING TODD Road looks set to host a high-profile endurance karting event in November this year.

On the back of another successful KKP Leopard 3 Hour at Bundaberg, Queensland last weekend, multiple Australian karting champion Matt Wall

is planning a similar event for Melbourne competitors, to be held at VACC Park, on the outskirts Melboure’s CBD. It is expected that both Leopard and Rotax engines will be allowed to compete in the race, and to ensure parity, Rotax-engined karts will run 15kg lighter.

Todd Road has a grid density of between 36 and 40 (depending what track configuration is used), and the organisers hope that the inaugural race will be not only oversubscribed, but brim full of Australia’s best karting talent.

– GRANT ROWLEY

news

Spies Like US (or Europe?) Suzuki to test American Superbike star

MOTOGP

cing Suzuki Ra

MOTOGP’S Silly Season is in fast-forward, with the news that Suzuki is planning to test Ben Spies.

Suzuki Racing

Frequent Flier: Ben Spies, #1 above, is fast and talented – but he hates flying. Will he move to MotoGP?

It’s the Monster’s MASHER MONSTER STUFF WE ran short of room for this last week but we could not let the opportunity pass two weeks in a row …

Nobuhiro Tajima – known

as ‘Monster’ to everyone – has set a new track record at the daunting Pikes Peak Hillclimb in Colorado. Tajima stormed up the hill in 10 minutes and one second to beat New Zealander Rod Millen to the 2007 crown,

and set a new benchmark time. Monster, whose efforts will be recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records, will return to Pikes Peak next year and attempt to break the 10minute mark.

Suzuki Sport

We’re good to go: One Suzuki Vitara, 4WD, 1000hp, a wing the size of a Corolla and one Monster ...

The defending AMA Superbike Champion has been mentioned as a possible replacement for John Hopkins, who leaves for Kawasaki at season’s end, but with a contract with American Suzuki through 2008, it was thought that Loris Capirrosi may join the team for one year. However, the recent Laguna Seca round, where AMA Superbike regular Roger Lee Hayden adapted to a MotoGP machine without problem, may change Suzuki’s plans. Should Suzuki sign Capirrosi for one season, it is likely that Spies might do some wildcard events in 2008. “I’d like to do one wild card this year and I’d love to do both American rounds next year and Valencia,” he recently told UK’s Motorcycle News. “I’m kind of itching to get on it. If I don’t get to race the thing next year they want me on it as much as possible. They seem really open and really interested. They want to kind of work me into it.” Elsewhere, Carlos Checa has been offered the test and development ride with Ducati in 2008. The Spanish veteran, who is having a miserable season on LCR’s Honda, is expected to replace Shinichi Itoh. Andrea Dovizioso had been mentioned as a possible replacement but it now appears that his wage demands were too high for LCR boss Lucio Cecchinello. Randy de Puniet, believed to be on the way out at Kawsaki, looks a likely candidate.

5 Minutes with ...

PAUL RADISICH

Out of Team Kiwi, into Toll HSV ... and with a foot operation to boot!

PHIL BRANAGAN

MOTORSPORT NEWS: You’ve just had an operation. What has been done? PAUL RADISICH: In my ankle joint, there was a bone fragment that had broken away and was tending to lock up. So, they had to operate on it and clean away all the broken fragments of bone in there. Now, I have a clear path and better movement. Was that something that you were going to have to have done anyway, at the end of the season? Yes, it was, that was the plan. But it was, possibly, going to have to have been done earlier than that. The way that I was going inside the car was starting to create some problems. I probably needed to have it done earlier. So, would you have lost some time and missed races through the season? I think that there was a reasonable gap there in the season when I could have just about squeezed it in. But it did not work out that way. It is done now, and recovering well. This is a best-case scenario, getting a drive with the Toll team, isn’t it? I would say so! You could not ask for a greater opportunity, could you? With the Team Kiwi process going on, I could not wait around to see whether David [John] could resurrect things or not. I was privy to the whole thing and knew where things were and were not heading. I had to cut myself off from that and say, ‘There could be

an opportunity now to get something for the endurance races’. It clearly worked out that way. To be able to get, probably, the best endurance ride, this late in proceedings, was just brilliant. Did it all come from left field? It had been looking as though Toll was settled on its combos. I think that, with David Reynolds not having been to Bathurst in a V8 Supercar and with both cars still in championship contention, first and second, it put David in a position where he was a little nervous about the whole situation. So, when my name came on the scene, so long as he was able to get another ride, he was quite happy to stand aside for this year. To make the whole thing happen, he was able to give Rob Crawford and the whole team the flexibility

to pair the [regular] drivers up, or not. What was your impression of the Toll HSV team before this all came up? My impression was that this is a top team, a top organisation and very, very professional. When I went there, I realised that it is only a small little shop there but it is perfectly adequate. The engines and so on are, obviously, done outside of there, so they basically turn the cars around there. But yes, very professional, not only on the track but off it, as well. Sounds like you are going to have a busy summer, as well? Yes! I thought that it has been a long time since I have done any kind of championship in New Zealand – over a decade. The kids are growing up and with grandparents and all that, I thought that it would be a

great time to do it. I am not a great spectator, I thought that this would be a great way to get me out of the house for the weekend and keep my race mileage up. I want to have fun and that it the reason I wanted to take it down that path. Yes, I know that I will turn it into World War III but, there you go! With what has happened to me over the last 12 months, I wanted to do this. I am involved in business now, and there are other things that I do, but this is what I want to do. I am very passionate about racing and cars, and that it where I get my passion for everything. This is an opportunity to recover. This will be with the Tracer team, the team for which David Besnard drove last year, so I drive the Hydraulink car. David won quite a few races there last year and they are a good, wellorganised team.

TO BE ABLE TO GET, PROBABLY, THE BEST ENDURANCE RIDE, THIS LATE IN PROCEEDINGS, IS JUST BRILLIANT THE RAT IS COUNTING HIS BLESSINGS

chat

Grant Rowley

Dash for Cash ...

THE news that V8 Supercars will return to the Australian Grand Prix in March is good news for most (though not everyone in pitlane is positive about it) but I reckon that there is a great opportunity to be had here. The fact that the cars are back is one thing. But there is also the fact that, unlike this year, there is to be a nonpoints race for the Fords and Holdens, and that presents an interesting question; what will the V8s do in their races? In the immortal words of Blackadder’s Baldrick, I have a cunning plan. I think that the V8 have been given a chance to do something different – not necessarily original, but certainly something that has not happened before in V8 Supercar racing. If we assumed that all 32 licences will be in operation by the start of the season, qualifying and the races on the days up to and including Saturday

Fussin’ and fuedin’ Given all of the fuss about the V8 Supercars returning to Albert Park, methinks it prudent that V8SA consider providing the teams with sufficient turn around time prior to, and following the AGP. Having beaten one’s chest, and proclaimed one’s greatness, there will be zero excuses for anything less than a major spectacle. To aid that endeavour, it may also be worth considering putting up a substantial ‘winner takes all’ reward for the top placed driver/team on the weekend. If, as everyone seems to assert, this is THE showcase gig, then it should

opinion Phil Branagan Executive Editor will be as normal. On Sunday, what I propose is that all 32 cars start the final race, the cars lined up according to the accumulated results for the first two races. But here is the wrinkle – after three flying laps, the Safety Car is despatched and waits for the leader at the exit of Turn 1. From there, the last six cars are sent to the pits, the SC pulls off and we go racing again for another three laps. Same again with the Safety Car; the last six cars are culled, leaving 20 cars. Three more laps of racing and the field is culled to 15; then once more, leaving 10 cars. Those 10, the fastest in the field, obviously, then line up for a four-lap dash for the flag. And the winner of the race receives $50,000; second much less and

be afforded the appropriate resources and level of commitment to attest to that claim. Matt Treacy matthewtreacy@bigpond.com Brett Rates Reed I am a Holden man through and through but credit where it’s due, and what a great initiative from Roland Dane and TeamVodafone giving the world champion Aussie Supercross star Chad Reed a guernsey at their driver evaluation day. Reed is not only hugely marketable but from all reports can actually steer pretty well too. He has great

so on, down to 10th. Total prize pool is $100 grand. This means that there will be great racing, up and down the field, during the Sunday race (which is the one that most people will see). At the front of the pack, no driver will want to give up track position and at the back, the dicing to get off that ‘bubble’ will be frantic. And the prizemoney is large enough to ensure that everyone will be having a red-hot go – not to mention the fact that adding a ‘One hundred thousand’ to the name of the event (with the sponsor’s name) has a decent ring to it. Speedway has run races like this for donkey’s years and I think that the concept will play well at Albert Park, in front of what is bound to be a full house. Playing safe, and holding ‘just’ another V8 Supercar race, is wasting a golden opportunity. Let’s give the fans something different, and leave them wanting more.

media and corporate skills, and would be a huge drawcard to our sport, especially to the younger (Xtreme sport) population. I hope he has a good showing on the day, and would love to see him steering a big Aussie V8 in the near future. Maybe he could do a reverse James Courtney and get poached into a Holden when the contracts come out. Then I’d be rapt! Brett Chapman duck050@bigpond.net South Oz ain’t happy Again we get another substandard V8 broadcast here in SA.

The editing was so bad that Skaife goes from the lead to 23rd in one advert break, Rick Kelly gets a drive-through, and no explanation for either. Just two of the mysteries you had to work out during the telecast. Three hours edited to one and a half – and a trained chimp could do better. If this is what it is going to be like in the first year with Seven, what is it going to like in the later years? Guess we will get an hour’s lunch break at Bathurst this year, just like the old days! (Seven’s got to fit a quick footy match in …) Bruce Smith e-mail withheld

... or enduro #3?

Dirk Klynsmith

But NZ sure are … I just wanted to say that for the first time, we are getting absolutely fantastic coverage of the V8 Supercars in New Zealand. TVNZ has launched its Freeview channel dedicated to V8 Supercar coverage, with qualifying and every race live and no TV commercials. It seems we are now getting a much better deal than a lot of the Australian viewers. And, being from Hamilton, we are looking forward to our street race here next year. It’s also great getting eNews. It means we are getting up to date information without waiting for the boat to bring Motorsport News to us. Bevan Dale bevan@bluechipwai.co.nz

OKAY, here’s another idea to add some spice to the V8 Supercars return to the Australian Grand Prix – an endurance race. Let’s start with the reasons why it could and should happen. For starters, there’s the ‘twilight’ start to the F1 race itself. That leaves a massive gap in the timetable on Sunday morning, which means it’s totally feasible to run a three or even four hour V8 Supercar race as a precursor to the main show. Ideally, the race would be a codriver race, just like Sandown and Bathurst. That’ll give the public a look at some different drivers than the usual starting 32, and will allow teams to test potential enduro steerers in a noncompetitive (ie non-championship) race environment. Speaking of Sandown, Bathurst and championships, a GP enduro may, in some parallel universe, work

opinion Andrew van Leeuwen mNews National Editor towards the traditional structure of the two current enduros not forming part of the series. Put the championship on hold, and run a three-race ‘Endurance Series.’ Sure it sounds a bit wacky, but stranger things have happened … There’s the issue of pit-lane, which, thanks to all the F1 team gear, has always been ‘necessities only’ zone for the V8 guys. That’s something that would have to change if you threw fullblown pit-stops and driver changes into the equation, but is by no means an insurmountable problem. This isn’t a flawless plan, but, as Branagan says in his opinion on the adjoining page, let’s make the most of this opportunity.

eLETTER OF DIRTY DOG THE WEEK Dear Punter, I like your weekly last page little blurb, and I just finished working my way through another great eNews and saw your comment under the Safety Car pic. “Why is the Safety Car out? The Punter reckons you’d know why ...” Well Punter, you thunk wrong buddy, and that’s ‘cause I live in Adelaide. Not only did we see

another round telecast cut to pieces, but it left many unanswered questions. After another advert enduro, Channel 7 picked up the telecast after some unknown incident with the field rolling around behind the Safety Car – NO replay; NO update; NO mention of what transpired. Again and again this happens in SA. Why did Todd’s front end look like junk?

What happened to Skaife, one minute dicing for P1, next a dozen spots down? This stuff that went missing from our telecast was crucial to the round. In fact, you could take it one further, and say it was championship-changing stuff. And we didn’t see it! In comparison, I’m enjoying Marcos Ambrose’s racing in the Busch Series where I can see the whole damn thing, streamed free over the internet, from the other side of the globe … Aaron Kuilman aaronpat@picknowl.com.au

For a chance to win yourself a pair of Dirty Dog sunglasses, send your opinions to mail@mnews.com. au, or via snail mail Motorsport News PO Box 7072, Brighton, Vic 3186 23

CHAMP CAR WORLD SERIES ROUND 9 – SAN JOSE

race

All the way in San Jose

Robert Doornbos ain’t about to concede the Champ Car title to Sebastien Bourdais just yet, and he proved that on the streets of California

Champ Car Media

OBERT Doornbos took his second win in the Champ Car World Series in San Jose on the weekend, the Minardi Team USA driver doing it tough after a first corner collision. The Dutchman, who rode the rear of Jan Heylen and lost his front wing at the tight hairpin on the insanely tight street circuit, was forced to fight his way back through the pack after a pit stop for a replacement. Some timely yellow flag caution periods and quick pace on clear road helped him time gain back, but he made a move on Neel Jani after a late race restart and

Champ Car Media

stormed to victory, 6.5s clear of the Swiss PKV Racing driver. “What a race!” beamed Doornbos as he leapt from his car to ‘crew surf’ with his team. The win moves Doornbos to within 10 points of series leader Sebastien Bourdais. The Frenchman finished fifth at San Jose, trailing home Team Australia’s Will Power, who qualified poorly but managed to work his way forward to take fourth and he now sits 24 points off Bourdais in the title chase. “We had a pretty good start again and I was able to get some cars in the first

corner and then I passed Sebastien on track,” said Power. “From then on we saved heaps of fuel and went a couple of laps extra laps longer than a couple of people in front and gained some positions that way as well and then we ended up with fourth. “I’m very happy when you look at the points. We didn’t lose any, we actually gained some points back on Sebastien.” Oriol Servia was strong for Forsythe Racing to take third place, but a miscommunication saw team-mate Paul Tracy run out of fuel and finish a delayed 11th.

race

Champ Car Media

Jetstream: Neel Jani looked in with a shot at San Jose ... before Doornbos took control.

Champ Car Media

Eyes On: Will Power, left, put in a determined drive to finish fourth. Oriol Servia, above, did likewise to finish third, putting team-mate Paul Tracy in the shade. Sebastien Bourdais was only fifth, losing a chunk of his series lead, below.

Champ Car Media

CHAMP CAR WORLD SERIES | Driver’s points Points: Bourdais 216, Doornbos 206, Power 192, Wilson 175, Jani 156, Pagenaud 154.

GLOBE TROTTER BRITISH F3 JONATHON Kennard took his maiden British F3 win at SpaFrancorchamps last weekend. Kennard won Race 2 while Sam Bird won the opener. Aussie John Martin finished 20th and 18th respectively.

F3 EURO

FORMULA RENAULT UK DUNCAN Tappy has done the Formula Renault double at Snetterton. Nathan Caratti had a less fortunate weekend, finishing 16th in the first race and failing to finish the second.

FORMULA BMW UK

SPEEDWAY GP

a happy Tomzcyk. “Great thanks to Alexandre Premat who let me pass at the end, allowing me to score important points in the battle for the title.” Timo Scheider also did his

bit for the Audi team, letting Ekstrom through for third on the final lap. Bruno Spengler was the first Merc home in fifth. Points: Ekstrom 38, Tomczyk 30, Spengler 26, Spengler 25.5, Mika Hakkinen 22.

#1 for Tom BTCC TOM Onslow-Cole took his maiden BTCC race win at Snetterton last weekend. The Team RAC driver’s win came in the third race, after Fabrizio Gionvanardi won Race 2. The opening race of the weekend had been won by Colin Turkington, but he was disqualified for being underweight, handing the win to Gordon Shedden. Points: Giovanardi 195, Matt Neal 154, Shedden 139, Turkington 113, Matt Jackson 111.

Chevrolet dominate WTCC WTCC CHEVROLET had a big weekend in the WTCC at Anderstop, winning both races. The opening encounter went the way of Rob Huff, who dived past pole-man Tiago Monteiro at the first corner. A gamble on slicks in the wet conditions helped Rickard Rydell to the Race 2 win, passing his Chevy teammates Nicola Larini and Alain Menu to take victory. Points: Jorg Muller 58, Augusto Farfus 57, Andy Priaulx 56, Larini 48, Menu 45.

sutton-images.com

AUSTRALIA’S top two speedway riders, Jason Crump and Leigh Adams, were both eliminated at the semi-final stage of the Czech Grand Prix. Neither really hit form, although Adams scraped into the semis with four second places and a last while Crump left it late, with two late victories seeing him through. They were both in the same semi -final but Crump finished third and Adams last. Meanwhile, Nicki Pedersen put in a faultless display, taking his third GP win of the year. – TONY MILLARD

IT was ‘Team-Orders Central’ at Zandvoort’s DTM round last weekend with Audi drivers Alex Premat and Martin Tomczyk trading places on the last lap of the race. Premat and Tomczyk found themselves leading the pack late in the race after early leader Mattias Esktrom struggled with a slow pit-stop. But just when it looked as though Premat was on course for his maiden DTM win, he slowed at the final corner to hand the victory, and maximum points, to Tomzcyk. “A great car, a great strategy and good teamwork, that was the key to success today,” said

sutton-images.com

MEANWHILE, Sam Abay had a better time of things at Snetterton, finishing eighth and fifth in the two Formula BMW UK races. Marcus Erricson and Josef Fral shared the wins.

DTM

sutton-images.com

ROMAIN Grosjean and A1GP star Nico Hulkenberg shared the F3 Euroseries honours at Zandvoort last weekend. Michael Patrizi had a weekend best of 11th in the first race before finishing 21st in the second.

Audi Pardner!

Smokin’ 400 NASCAR

NASCAR Media

TONY Stewart made it look easy on Sunday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, capturing the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard over Juan Pablo Montoya, Jeff Gordon, Kyle Busch and Reed Sorenson. “We had a good day,” said Stewart, who headed 65 of the 160 laps for his second Brickyard win. “Once we got up front, we never got passed by anyone other than [Kevin] Harvick. I got a little worried at the end though, it took little longer that I was hoping it would take to get back out front, but I figured if I got two clean corners after we got by we’d be OK.” And he was. Harvick took the lead from Stewart on the final restart with 18 laps remaining, but four laps later Stewart pilled the pressure on him. Then, with 10 to go, Stewart made the winning pass under Harvick, with slight contact. With four to run, rookie Montoya – the first driver to compete in Formula 1, IndyCar and NASCAR at the Brickyard – made a move and came home second. At 21, Sorenson became the youngest pole-sitter in Indianapolis history with Montoya alongside for the first-ever Ganassi front row. With 25 laps remaining, fifth-placed Dale Earnhardt Jr suffered a blown engine, unfurling the yellow flag for the ninth time. There were some hard wrecks, one involving last year’s winner Jimmie Johnson, who cut a tyre after repairs for a wreck and hit the wall in a ball of flame. Kasey Kahne, Elliott Sadler, Jamie McMurray, Carl Edwards and Casey Mears were some of those 18 cars involved in accidents. – MARTIN D CLARK Points: Gordon 3076, Denny Hamlin 2705, Matt Kenseth 2699, Jeff Burton 2633, Stewart 2624.

First Busch win for Toyota BUSCH SERIES

Points: Carl Edwards 3394, Reutimann 2542, Leffler 2447, David Ragan 2380, Kevin Harvick 2358, (Ambrose 2115).

NASCAR Media

JASON Leffler helped Toyota to its first NASCAR Busch Series win with a last-gasp move on Greg Biffle at O’Reilly Raceway Park last weekend. A lap 191 caution helped Leffler close up to Biffle in the 200-lap race, before the Toyota Camry driver slipped past with two to run. “This is a lot more exciting to come to the end like that, beating and banging and doing those slide jobs,” said Leffler, the win his first since 2004. It was a strong run for Toyota,

with David Reutimann finishing third. “We’ve all been running good,” Leffler said. “When we all run good, we all run good together. I knew it was going to be close who was going to do it, but I knew it was going to come soon.” Chances of a Top 15 finish for Marcos Ambrose were thwarted at the quarterdistance of the race when his Ford Fusion suffered a driveline problem.

Three hours of power LEOPARD 3 HOUR

Kerry Petersen

Clinton Marcon and Peter Lawler, ahead of Richard Litzow and Marcus Ashley. A number of V8 Supercar stars put their karting skills to the test. Glenn Seton, David Besnard, Tony D’Alberto and Steven Ellery all tried their hand, but were never in the Gripping up: Pringle, above, took second. Team hunt. Rowley, below, took 18th, while Aaron Seton, bottom, Current Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series leader won the Midget enduro spoils. D’Alberto paired with Ben Walter (brother of fellow FV8 driver Sam). The pair were the best of the V8 drivers, qualifing third, but a myriad of engine-related issues saw them lose more than 30 minutes in pit lane. Race orgainser, Bundaberg karting President and birthday boy Kel Treseder (along with fellow local Ryan Fulther) finished ninth, despite a sprocket exploding mid-race. Motorsport News representative Grant Rowley and team-mate John Rowley (unrelated) took 18th place on 207 laps. The support race to the main 3 Hour event was a 50 minute enduro for Midget karts. Aaron Seton, son of V8 Supercar legend Glenn, claimed a convincing win ahead of a competitive pack. – GRANT ROWLEY Kerry Petersen

ASON Hynuick and Guy Barbera won the Kel’s Karts and Parts Leopard 3 Hour at Bundaberg last Saturday. Now in its third year, the 3 Hour is regarded as Australia’s premier endurance karting event, and the stars of the sport converged on the Queensland track to try and steal this country’s ultimate longdistance prize. Pole-sitters Hynuick and Barbara had next to no problems on their way to first place (completing 236 laps), beating home former Australian champ Jason Pringle and Robbie Barbera by three laps. Pringle and Barbera’s only issue during the race was when they dropped a chain in the last minute of the race and weren’t able to return to the track. Third place went to the consistent pair of Greg Ewart and Stephen Page. The #3 ‘Kermit’ kart qualified 21st, but stayed out of trouble, completed the minimum three compulsory pitstops and took a commendable podium place. Fourth went to second-fastest qualifier

Kerry Petersen

Top Kart’s Hynuick and Barbera took the Bundaberg spoils

Kerry Petersen

Behind the Eight Ball SUZUKA 8 HOUR

Yoshimura Suzuki spoils Honda’s anniversary party in the 30th Suzuka 8

EVERYTHING was perfect for a Honda win in the 30th Suzuka 8 Hour.

Suzuki Ra cing

Suzuki Racing

Yosh Sir! The Yoshimura Suzuki of Kagayama and Akiyoshi, above, topped the Carlos Checa/Tady Okada Honda, left, by nearly a lap after eight hours. Honda Pro Images Honda Pro Images

Honda Pro Images

The HRC bike of Carlos Checa/Tadyuki Okada was on pole, the star pairing of James Toseland and Ryuichi Kiyonari (carrying the almost-sacred #11) was second and Honda President Takeo Fukui was there to see Honda take its 10th consecutive victory. And then, the race started – and it all turned to poo. Okada jumped the start and was given a stop-go penalty. Kiyonari – who had crashed in the warm-up – took up the chase but, as soon as he handed over to Toseland, the Brit threw the bike down the road and was out. So, Honda lost. And to make matters worse, Suzuki won. Yukio Kagayama and Kosuke Akiyoshi on their Suzuki Yoshimura dominated and, pretty well, led all the way to beat the chasing Okada/Checa entry by two minutes. “My strategy for my first stint was to pull away and I achieved this,” smiled Kagayama after Suzuki’s first win in the classic since 1983. “My partner Akiyoshi is my long time friend and I know his potential very well.” The race did not go well for the Aussie riders. Jamie Stauffer and Norick Abe were running a strong fifth until their Yamaha started to leak oil in the final hour, dropping them to ninth. And, at the very end of the race-long drama, after the Honda of Russell Holland and Chojun Kameya moved up to sixth in the final laps, the Aussie ran dry on the very last lap. Because he entered the pitlane and did not pass the chequered flag, the bike was classified a non-finisher.

Dramas: Toseland, left, was favourite for the race – until he got on the bike and dropped it. Holland, above, ran hard until he ran dry.

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rear of grid

Greed and speed don't mix

Odd Spot

punter@mnews.com.au Dirk Klynsmith

REED is good. I know that, because I saw it on a DVD a few months back. I have been given greed a bit of thought recently, and not just because Mrs Punter’s family was over a week or two back and her cheap, no-good brother ate all the seafood and the Heineken, as he usually does. But a look at some of the major sporting events of the last few weeks might be worthwhile. All the drugs rubbish in the Tour de France is down to greed. Such is the fame and fortune for winning the race that it is little wonder that some of the leading riders have been hopping into the go-fast stuff. Why these cheats are not thrown out of the sport forever is beyond me. I followed the Socceroos fortunes in the Asian Cup (as far as it went) and I would have liked to have discussed the games with my mates (as you do). But none of then saw the games, because they do not have Foxtel and the Soccer authorities chose to take the Pay-TV money over the massive SBS audience. The tournament would have rated its brains out on the Soccer Network. Who remembers The Ashes in England? Last week, McLaren and Ferrari were throwing pot plants at each other after the FIA hearing, both showing the kind of win-at-all-costs over common sense mentality that has, unfortunately, landed Channel 7 with a massive legal bill. My point is this; motor racing in Australia is a good sport to watch. But, everyone should be careful of not getting too far ahead of themselves. Play hard but don’t get greedy. Before you know it, Michael Douglas in that movie [Ed: Wall Street] might be come back to haunt us all.

everyone should be careful of not getting too far ahead of themselves. Play hard but don't get greedy ...

Dick and JB ride again! DICK Johnson and John Bowe are set to reunite! Err, hang on. For those who have left their computers to go and pull out their old Shell Ultra-Hi Ford Sierra supporters flags, you’ve gone too early. And no, Dick isn’t making a comeback to drive with JB at Bathurst, but they are driving together at Oran Park … sort of. For a bit of harmless PR as part of Bowe’s farewell tour, the retiring V8 Supercar driver will take his former team boss for a spin around the Narellan circuit on Friday during the next round of the V8 Supercar Series. Dick Johnson Racing or John Bowe have done little of note in terms of results at Oran Park in the recent past, although the two did enjoy a solid period in the mid-90s when JB qualified on pole in 1992, 1994 and 1995. The last of those poles was the round that he wrapped up his one and only V8 title with the round victory.