Motorsport eNews Issue 18 - August 21-27, 2007 by V8 Sleuth

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HANDS OFF!

Issue No. 018 21 – 27 August 2007

INGALL/ MORRIS Filling in the gaps

V8 Supercars Olympic holiday

New Star holdsworth a long-term GRM investment

Hamilton/ALONSO Peace bid falters

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. 018 | 21 – 27 August 2007

Production Graphic Design & Web: Jayne Uthmeyer design@mnews.com.au

Advertising National Sales Manager: Calvin Wood cwood@mnews.com.au P 03 9596 5555 F 03 9596 5030 M 0439 566 265

news 6 Hold On Tight 9 FC and PC 13 It’s war ... still 17 Go Go Gizza

Administration 357 Nepean Highway, Brighton East, VIC, 3187 (PO Box 7072, Brighton, VIC, 3186) P 03 9596 5555 F 03 9596 5030 admin@mnews.com.au

MD / Publisher Chris Lambden publisher@mnews.com.au

chat 18 5 minutes with ... opinion 20 Lambden 21 J Richards 49 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

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) 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

race 24 Victory Virgin 34 Still Stoner 38 Six of the best

Lee’s a GRM boy! Fabian headed to PCR Fern and Ham still fighting V8 rookie shines in the wet OP winner Lee Holdsworth Young bloke’s done good Not-So-Safety Car Take the grip away Lee’s first time Casey wins again Seb & Germany (again)

trade 46 Trade and Industry / Raceshop 48 Classifieds

welcome Stinking of champagne is a problem, but a nice one, according to Lee Holdsworth Check out the latest eNews supplements via http://www.mnews.com.au

Dirk Klynsmith

Stick together #2: Castrol and SCA together with Ellery, above. Ingll with Castrol, below.

Dirk Klynsmith

Marshall Cass

Stick together #1: A Supercheap, Castrol and Russell Ingall deal makes a lot of sense.

Ingall/Morris/Castrol/Supercheap? V8 SUPERCARS RUSSELL Ingall may not only be reuniting with Holden next season, but may well race a Commodore in the familiar colours of Castrol. That fascinating scenario is a possibility, according to well-placed industry insiders, who are linking the Ingall/Paul Morris Motorsport deal with a new sponsorship deal involving Castrol and possibly Super Cheap Autos. Motorsport eNews understands that the national retail chain, which is the biggest retailer of Castrol products in Australia and New Zealand, has been ‘shopping’ and has had discussions with a number of teams about sponsorship of a single-car entry next season.

But subsequent to Ingall’s agreement to move to PMM (as exclusively reported in last week’s eNews), we hear that a two-car deal is now a possibility, mixing liveries for the Ingall and Morris entries. While such an idea may seem unlikely at first glance, it is entirely consistent with recent events. When Ingall joined Stone Brothers Racing at the start of the 2003 season, he not only parted with Holden on good terms but also parted company with Castrol, with whom he has always remained on good terms (despite his links with current sponsor Caltex). Furthermore, Castrol has proven that long-term, even interrupted, relationships can work, having reconstituted deals with drivers such as Tony Longhurst and Steven

Richards despite both driving for teams with other branding in the interim. Longhurst raced a Castrol-branded Ford for much of the 1990s, alongside Castrol’s ongoing ‘Commodore’ deal with Larry Perkins, so that both V8 Supercar brands were represented in the familiar white, red and green Castrol colours. An Ingall/ PMM/Castrol/SCA deal would revive that scenario. Any such deal would be completely separate from Castrol’s current sponsorship of Ford Performance Racing. eNews understands that both parties are very happy with their new-for-2007 deal, which runs until the end of next season at the very least. Indeed, we hear that they are already discussing the long-term future.

V8s Olympic Holiday V8 SUPERCARS STAND by for a sizeable hole in the middle of the 2008 V8 Supercar calendar when it is announced – possibly over the Sandown 500 weekend. The Beijing Olympics will, as expected, have its effect on the V8 schedule (Seven is Australia’s Olympic

broadcaster) with eNews sources suggesting a six-week break around the August 8-24 event. That further compresses the races either side of the Olympics, with suggestions that the WA round might well be scheduled between the Clipsal 500 (Feb 21-24) and the F1 Grand Prix event (March

13-16) if logistics allow, or late March. Hamilton (NZ) is already confirmed as April 18-20. With the GP event returning to the calendar, it is considered likely that either Eastern Creek or Winton will be the venues to miss out on a 2008 race. Neither reported contact with V8SA when contacted this week, although eNews hears

that Winton could get the nod. After three years in Victoria, at Phillip Island, there is some suggestion the Grand Final will revert to NSW – logic suggesting Oran Park. Could Oran Park, 2008, therefore be the four-day closing spectacular that owner Tony Perich is hoping for (see separate story)?

news

Peter Bury

General Lee is mine! Scaling Up

Latest V8 winner Holdsworth is Garry’s man ... for now V8 SUPERCARS

For more with Lethal Lee, turn to page 22.

Dirk Klynsmith

GARRY Rogers has reconfirmed that Oran Park V8 winner Lee Holdsworth is signed to an extended contract – currently in the second year of a reported fiveyear deal. In the face of pit-lane rumour that the young star is being targetted as a future driver at other leading Holden teams – particularly the Clayton ones – both Holdsworth and Rogers have confirmed that the young star is committed to GRM: “Lee is locked into a contract,” was all that Rogers would say when eNews spoke to him on Monday.. “I have an ongoing deal

with Garry and I want to stay there,” the round winner said. The Holdsworth story is a similar one to that of former GRM driver Garth Tander. The West Aussie signed with GRM on a longterm deal after debuting with the team in 1998 and, despite keen interest from elsewhere, honoured that contract until the end of 2004 before moving to the Toll HSV Dealer Team. Regardless, Holdsworth’s stock rose considerably at Oran Park, having taken GRM’s first round win since Cameron McConville’s surprise win at Winton in 2004. – GRANT ROWLEY

GARRY Rogers Motorsport is moving house. Having occupied workshops behind Garry Rogers’ Nissan dealership in the Melbourne suburb of Glen Waverley since its creation, the team is moving to Dandenong. The move comes following the sale of Rogers’ Nissan dealerships and the acquisition of the former Gibson Motorsport premises (leased until recently to Mitsubishi’s Ralliart operation). “It’s a really good setup out there,” Garry told eNews, “which will enable us to step everything up another notch.” The move is expected to be completed in the next few weeks.

BRIEFLY... n Supercheap Auto Racing is mixing up its endurance racing combinations. Regular drivers Cameron McConville and Paul Dumbrell will be split, placing Carrera Cup star David Reynolds with McConville, and Paul Weel with Dumbrell. n Crowd figures at Oran Park were good – until the rain arrived – Friday (4550), Saturday (16,440) and Sunday (18,270). n Just Cars Insurance has been announced as the naming-rights sponsor of the Sandown 500. n V8 Supercars Australia has secured a record television rights deal in New Zealand. TV3 in New Zealand has won the rights to the V8 Supercar Championship Series for the next five years in a deal second only to rugby union in New Zealand. TV3 takes over from TVNZ as the New Zealand host broadcaster of the V8 Supercar Championship Series. n Gold, gold, gold at the Masters Games! Motorsport will have an official presence at the forthcoming Australasian Masters (over 30) Games – via hillclimbing (as well as karting). The event, on the October 1314 weekend of the games, will be at the SA Collingwood circuit, north of Adelaide.

Independence Day? V8 SUPERCARS A MERGED V8 Supercars Australia/TEGA organisation appears likely to appoint an allnew Chairman. The four individuals making up the current TEGA Board – Larry Perkins, Roland Dane, Ross Stone and Kees Weel – issued a statement to the ‘V8 Supercar Community’ last week to clarify what they described as ‘some of the misinformation that has circulated in recent days concerning TEGA and V8 Supercars Australia”. This is believed to be a reference to reports in some media outlets regarding recent changes to the makeup of TEGA office bearers, which proved to be unfounded.

The statement said, in part; “The rapid and successful amalgamation of the operations of TEGA and V8 Supercars into a single seamless organisation with the aim of achieving greater efficiency and for the overall betterment of the Sport is an absolute priority for us in our capacity as directors of TEGA and, in the case of Roland Dane and Kees Weel, also as directors of V8SA. “Tony Cochrane, in his capacity as Chairman of V8SA, continues to have our full and unequivocal support. “We totally support the notion that, upon completion of the successful merger of the operations of the two organisations and the

subsequent control of the Sport through one Board, an Independent Chairperson should be appointed to the V8SA Board and that this appointee should be mutually agreed upon by both shareholders in V8SA – namely TEGA and SEL.” That last statement appears to leave the way open for a V8SA Chairman who is new to the body and who does not currently hold a position within either TEGA or V8SA. If that is the case, it may be that Cochrane will maintain his role as a stakeholder in SEL, but not as Chairman of V8SA, and that TEGA Chairman Dr John Hewson may not have an ongoing role with V8’s merged organisation.

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Coulthard @ Glenfords? FABIAN Coulthard has emerged as the new lead contender for the Glenfords Racing V8 Supercar seat next year. The Kiwi, who has a longterm driving contract with his current team Paul Morris Motorsport, looks to be moved sideways next year as PMM makes space for new recruit Russell Ingall (as reported eNews #17). With Coulthard on the market, eNews understands that Coulthard’s management has approached Paul

Cruickshank Racing and is trying to sort a deal for the 2005 Carrera Cup champion to replace the retiring John Bowe next year. eNews reported back in May that Alex Davison was the ‘man most likely’ to get the Glenford’s drive, but it seems that the Ingall/PMM deal and its fall-out has emerged as a threat to Davison’s ride. The Coulthard/PCR link makes sense, given that the team is angling itself towards a greater level of promotion in New Zealand, in particular the South Island. The majority of the team’s crew are from

John Morris?Mpix

V8 SUPERCARS

the South Island and the team is keen to explore the commercial opportunities of

being the ‘South Island’s’ V8 Supercar representative. – GRANT ROWLEY

Walden close to 32nd licence deal V8 SUPERCARS WALDEN Motorsport has been awarded the brand-new 32nd V8 Supercar licence – pending the completion of final payment procedure. eNews understands that the Sydney-based team has a deadline of August 31 to complete the paperwork to ensure its spot on the 2008 V8 grid. “All the Indians are lined up – we are just finalising the paperwork in the next couple

of weeks,” team owner Brian Walden told us on Monday. The Sydney-based team applied for a V8 Supercar licence last year, artwork pictured right, but was rejected by TEGA. Its current application has, however, found favour with the teams’ organisation. In terms of chassis and equipment, there are a number of options for the Waldens, most of which revolve around

a customer deal with main series Holden teams. Ideally, the team is looking at running a two-car program, one in the main series and one in the Fujitsu V8 Series.

Expect to see the main series car compete with the #21 – a number that Brian Walden competed with himself back in his V8 racing days. – GRANT ROWLEY

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ORAN PARK NAMES THE DATE CIRCUIT NEWS ORAN Park Raceway will host motor racing events until 2009. The popular Sydney metropolitan circuit confirmed it will host a V8 Supercar race in 2008, and probably 2009, before it succumbs to urban sprawl. But regardless of whether the last V8 race is in 2008 or 2009, Oran Park

managing director Tony Perich told media representitives last weekend that the final V8 meeting will be a major fourday farewell bonanza. “We intend to hold the biggest motor racing event Sydney has ever seen to farewell the track,” he said. “We envisage holding a four-day event. We recognise this will take significant time to plan an event of this magnitude and we look forward to the challenge.”

As reported by eNews in May, the historic circuit will turn into a residential estate – appropriately called Oran Park. While the race track will inevitably disappear, the history of the circuit will remain. A museum will be erected, and part of the final corner (including the hill) will survive. Also, the street names of the new suburb will honour the past stars of racing at the circuit. – GRANT ROWLEY

John Morris/Mpix

1000 Reasons to go to Bathurst V8 SUPERCARS

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Hang on – this isn’t a Sierra!!

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THE 45th edition of The Great Race, the 2007 Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000, promises to be the best yet, after a glittering launch in Sydney yesterday [Monday]. A record number of past winners of the race gathered for the launch at Star City Casino, with the oldest living winner of the race, Harry Firth, a special guest. Firth was joined by his fellow retired Bathurst Champions Dick Johnson, Larry Perkins, Colin Bond, Allan Grice, Kevin Bartlett, Fred Gibson, Bob Morris and John Goss. Representing the current breed of winners, Mark Skaife, Craig Lowndes, Russell Ingall, Garth Tander, Greg Murphy, Steven Richards and John Bowe were also present at the lunch.

AND, just to prove that friendship overcomes team rivalries comes this ‘photo op’ of Dick Johnson getting a lift off John Bowe. JB piloted his old team owner and mate around on his final visit to Oran Park as a V8 Supercar driver. Maybe Bowe will be after a lift next season ...?

BRIEFLY...

Campos leads bidding for Super Aguri V8 SUPERCARS THE Super Aguri F1 team is looking for financial partners to help keep the team alive – and former F1 driver Adrian

Campos appears to be at the head of the queue. This follows rumours that Honda has taken the decision to discontinue further direct involvement with Super Aguri, preferring to concentrate all of its efforts on getting its own team’s act together, rather than trying to run two teams, in 2008. The good news for Super Aguri is that it has managed to collect four points this year and is eighth in the Constructors' Championship and thus, with a new Concorde Agreement, should have better funding next year. However, it will still need more money to be able to compete without help from Honda. The team already admits that money is tight and is saving money where it can. There have been discussions with a number of potential partners in recent weeks, including former Minardi F1

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n Jean Redele, the founder of Automobiles Alpines, has died at the age of 85. Redele played a key role in convincing Renault to return to competition activities in the 1950s, after nearly half a century when the firm had avoided motorsport. This ultimately resulted in the company’s victory at Le Mans in 1978 and in the successes that followed in Formula 1 in the 1980s and 1990s. – JOE SAWARD

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n Testing of the FIA’s standard Electronic Control Unit, which will be used in F1 next year, has already begun, with Ferrari, BMW, Renault and Honda all trying out the devices, which have been developed for the FIA by McLaren Electronics and Microsoft. The initial tests showed up some glitches – which are to be expected – but development is ongoing and the FIA says that the implementation of the standard ECU will go ahead as planned.

driver Adrian Campos and his partner in the Campos Grand Prix GP2 team Alejandro Agag. The Spaniards have F1 ambitions, which were underlined at the end of last year when they changed the name of their team from Campos Racing to Campos Grand Prix. Campos comes from Valencia - home of a new Grand Prix in 2008 - and has been sponsored by local industries for much of his career. It is being suggested that Campos will take a minority shareholding in Super Aguri. – JOE SAWARD

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THE FIA International Court of Appeal will hear Britain’s Motor Sport Association’s appeal on behalf of McLaren against the loss of Constructors points at the Hungarian GP at a hearing on September 19. The team will argue that it should have the 15 points won by Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso in Hungary. – JOE SAWARD

No Peace Deal Alonso refuses mediation deal to settle Hamilton feud

COMING THIS WEEK

Australia

FORMULA 1 sutton-im ages.com

A MEDIATION bid by McLaren shareholder Mansour Ojjeh to resolve the tense situation between Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton has come to naught – the World Champion declining to turn up. Ojjeh, right with Ron Dennis, had invited both drivers for a brief break on his 70m superyacht Kogo (complete with crew of 21!) during the mid-season break, with a view to resolving any differences after their Hungarian spat. Alonso, however, politely declined. It remains to be seen how the two drivers will get on when they get down to business this week in Turkey. Hamilton is now seven points clear of Alonso in the Drivers’ Championship and both are well ahead of the Ferrari drivers so the focus will clearly be on them once again. It is going to be tough for the team to manage the two men as there is no doubt that Alonso is irked by Hamilton’s unexpected success this year. He has already blamed the team on several occasions in the Spanish press, accusing McLaren of favouring Lewis. McLaren has denied that this is the case and that has generally been accepted as being the reality. Alonso has not integrated into the team as much as had been hoped but, according to team members, this is as much to do with the way he is used to operating as it is to do with

FIA sets appeal date: 190907

AMRS –Winton

International

F1 –Turkey NASCAR – Bristol Champcar – Zolder (Belgium) Indycar – Sonoma,CA WTCC – Oschersleben

NexT Week(SEPT 1-2) the team’s attitudes. It is not the first time that there has been such trouble at McLaren. The team managed to operate for almost an entire season without Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost talking to one another. That began at Imola in 1989, when Senna overtook Prost after a restart. The Frenchman felt that the move violated a previous agreement they had had about not overtaking on the first lap. At the end of the year Prost drove into Senna at Suzuka in order to win the World Championship. At the end of that year, however, Prost signed for Ferrari and departed. The current situation is rather different as both drivers have ongoing contracts and McLaren is not about to let either race for rival teams in 2008. If either were to seek to leave, he would probably have to spend a year on the sidelines … – JOE SAWARD

Australia

CAMS Series Symmons Plains Drags East Coast NationalWSID

International

WRC – New Zealand MotoGP – San Marino (Misano) IndyCar – Detroit WTCC – Oschersleben

NEED A CAR? CLICK HERE

Coming soon to a track near you MINI CHALLENGE AUSTRALIAN race fans are likely to get their first glimpse of the new Mini Cooper S hardtop – the car which will be raced in the inaugural Mini Challenge Series next year – at the Lexmark Indy 300 this year. The first demonstration Mini is likely to arrive in Australia

mid-October, and category organisers are hoping to have it ready to ‘show and tell’ at Indy. Potential drivers for the category can get an early opportunity to ‘try before you buy’ in the ‘Targa-spec’ Minis, which are similar to the onemake racers that will be in action next year. Drivers will be able to

sample the cars over the next couple of months, with driver days at Queensland Raceway and possibly other circuits. The 2008 Mini Challenge Series is soon set to lock in its calendar, which is likely to mainly take place on the V8 Supercar support bill. The only race likely be run outside of a V8 meeting is a planned one at the Australian Grand Prix.

The Mini Challenge only has ‘series’ status and is not a CAMS championship, which means it will be eligible to compete for series points at Albert Park. A number of deposits from potential competitors have been received, with more expected in the coming months. – GRANT ROWLEY

On the Up CARRERA CUP

Dirk Klynsmith

CARRERA Cup race winner Dean Fiore has set his sights on the 2008 Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series. Fiore took his maiden tin-top race and round win at last weekend’s fifth round of the Carrera Cup Championship, and says it’ll be time to move on at the end of his second year in a Porsche. “I’m definitely looking at the Fujitsu Series, that’s really where it’s at,” he told eNews. But while he’s firm on what he wants to do in 2008, how and where are still far from sorted. “Of course I’m talking to some people, I have been for a while, but there’s certainly nothing in place,” he said. “I’d love to stay with Sonic, but whether or not that’ll be an option still isn’t clear. So I guess we’ll keep looking around and see what happens.” – ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN

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Ford Focussed on BMF

Blue Oval looks to diesel Focus for 2008 Bathurst 12-Hour BATHURST 12-HOUR FORD Racing is making moves to have a diesel-powered Focus eligible for next year’s WPS Bathurst 12 Hour. at Mount Panorama. The blue oval has secured eligibility for at least one of its cars in every class for the 12 Hour (thanks to its XR and FPV range), but currently doesn’t have

an entry in the diesel category, in which Holden runs a factory-backed turbo Astra. Ford Racing boss Ray Price told eNews that there has been interest from a lot of teams in running an official Ford factory team in the 12 Hour – including some V8 Supercar outfits. “I’ve had a lot of people come to me and express interest about running a

car,” Price told eNews. “We’ve got a number of teams who are interested, but we have a lot of work to do from a manufacturer point of view before it happens.” eNews understands that one of the Ford teams that has expressed interest in running a 12 Hour program is Triple 8 Race Engineering. – GRANT ROWLEY

30x the Performance

BMF TV! BMF

PERFORMANCE CARS

Marshall Cass

EXPECT to see as many as 30 Donut King Performance Cars in the next round of its national championship, at Bathurst. With the Australian Performance Cars recently securing eligibility for the Bathurst 12 Hour, drivers and cars are coming out of the woodwork to get vital laps on The Mountain before February’s ‘once-around-the-clock’ event. Category manager Craig Nayda told eNews that he’d be “disappointed” if there weren’t over 30 entries.

“I would expect it to be around the 30 mark,” he said. “We’ve had a lot of interest in it. We’ve even had a couple of people with production-type cars express interest as well.” Some of the non-regular Performance Car racers who are mooted to compete include

Gary MacDonald, Drew Russell, Ric Shaw, Denis Cribben, Andrew Fisher and Steve Cramp. The Bathurst round will feature three 20 minute races, with one being broadcast live on Channel Seven before the V8 Supercar Top 10 Shootout. – GRANT ROWLEY

THE second-running of the reborn Bathurst 12 Hour has secured a bolstered television deal for the 2008 event. V8 Supercar broadcaster Channel 7 will show delayed highlights coverage of the race. It is expected that the show will be three-hours in duration, broadcast a couple of weeks after the actual race. – GRANT ROWLEY

Golding closer to FBMW Euro FORMULA BMW

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YOUNG Australian karting star Jessica Golding is working on securing a budget to honour an offer made by Fortec Motorsport to compete in the 2008 Formula BMW Europe Championship next year. Golding is currently in the UK, having completed a two-day test with the champion team. Fortec has offered one of the team’s rookie seats to Golding, and her management is now

finding the budget to make her the first Aussie female on the grid of a major world singleseater championship Golding is staying in the UK for the next couple of weeks, taking in the Formula 3 round at Silverstone and FBMW UK round at Brands Hatch. She will then participate in one more test day before coming home. As from 2008, the inaugural FBMW Euro Championship will see the UK and German championships merge. Six of

the nine rounds will be run as support races for the Formula 1 World Championship. – GRANT ROWLEY

A Golding opportunity: Jessica Golding could drive for Fortec Motorsport, above, next year.

Ward to appeal charge is the most ludicrous thing that has ever happened,” said Ward. “Even if they’d fined me $25 I would be appealing, because they are just trying to prove to me who runs the sport.” Ward was also quick to point out that this isn’t the end of his driving career. “It won’t be the end, I still love having a burn,” he said. “But I don’t think I’ll do it as much anymore because the category is so good to watch. I always knew we had a good product. But standing on the hill with the spectators on the

Lee’s no dope

weekend I was awestruck with how good the racing was. My cheeks were sore from grinning!” – ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN

Marshall Cass

AUSSIE Racing Cars boss Phil Ward is to appeal a $30,000 fine imposed on him by CAMS after an alleged assault on an official at Oran Park last weekend. Ward was apparently involved in a ‘road rage’ incident in the Oran Park pits on Friday morning, during which he allegedly dragged an official into the window of his road car. After failing to attend the hearing Ward was handed the fine and excluded from the meeting. But Ward says the fine is “ludicrous,” and that he will definitely appeal. “I’ve always disliked CAMS, but this

LEE Holdsworth notched up three firsts at Oran Park last weekend. Not only did he win his first V8 race and first round, but for the first time in his career he was tested for drugs. Holdsworth was the subject of the sport’s official antidoping program at the Sydney circuit last weekend, which meant was forced to undergo a post-race drug test. And he was impressed to see measures been taken to keep professional motor racing clean. “I’ve been racing for 18 or 19 years now from go karts up, and I’ve never been tested, so this is the first,” he told eNews. “I think it’s a good thing. I mean, you need to keep on top of it. Every other sport has a close eye on drugs, so why not do it in this. It needs to be fair for everyone.” – ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN

news Dirk Klynsmith

Mega debut for The Giz at OP V8 SUPERCARS SHANE Van Gisbergen burst onto the V8 Supercar scene with a remarkable debut in trying conditions at Oran Park on the weekend. The 18-year-old was thrown in the deep end during his maiden outing for Team Kiwi Racing when the already tricky Sydney circuit became rainsoaked for Races 2 and 3. But Van Gisbergen proved

he was up to the challenge, finishing 13th in Race 2 and setting the fifth fastest lap of the race. “I didn’t know what to think [when it rained],” Van Gisbergen told eNews. “I’ve always liked the rain but I’ve never driven a saloon car in the wet. It took a while to get there and I was little slow at the start of the first race, but I figured it out and I started to fly.” Earlier in the weekend the

Kiwi had finished 15th in practice, setting a faster lap than both Craig Lowndes and Russell Ingall. “I like it out there,” he said. “I just seem to struggle a bit on new tyres in qualifying, so we’ll work on that. The car’s different to how a single seater would react with new tyres.” TKR boss David John was impressed with his debutant, and says he will be capable of a Top 10 finish this year.

“I don’t think we could have asked for a much better debut,” he said. “The guy’s got plenty of talent, he works well with the team and he’s very level headed. I think he’s capable of putting the car in the top 10 before the end of the season.” – ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN See the latest Motorsport News magazine (on sale August 29) for an inside look at Shane Van Gisbergen’s V8 Supercar debut.

Could Scott Speed be Juan II? NASCAR

Red Bull presents a NASCAR option to former Toro Rosso pilot Toyota Motorsports

IS Scott Speed set for a future in Stock Car racing? The former Toro Rosso Formula 1 driver was at Michigan Speedway over the weekend, talking with a management company about a possible future in NASCAR. Speed is also planning a meeting with Team Red Bull officials about a possible ride in a Toyota next season. It had been expected that the company would fund an openwheel seat for the outspoken 24-year-old. In related news, Ricky Rudd will not return to full-time Cup competition in 2008 leaving a spot open at the newly renamed Robert Yates Racing. – MARTIN D CLARK

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Victorian

Capirossi confirms Suzuki deal

KARTING

MOTOGP

Ducati Corse Press

AS expected, Loris Capirossi has confirmed that he will race for Suzuki next season. Capirossi, 34, has rejected an offer to stay with Ducati with the satellite d’Antin Ducati team. With full factory rides at both Suzuki and Kawasaki on offer, the Italian has opted to swap one Australian team-mate, Casey Stoner, for another in Chris Vermeulen. “It is like having a new toy and is really important for my motivation,” said the former 125 and 250 World champion. “I believe a lot in Suzuki. The bike is working really well this year. I will again be a factory rider and for sure this is the most important thing, because I can develop the bike.” Capirossi, who has struggled to come to grips with the 800cc Ducati GP7 this season, has signed a single-year deal with an option for 2009. He will remain on Bridgestone tyres, on which he has raced for the last five seasons.

VICTORIANS Ryan Sanderson and Toby Pope will represent Australia at the ToyotaYamaha SL Kart Challenge at the Tsumagoi circuit in October. The duo earned their fully sponsored slots in the Japanese final by winning Clubman Light and Yamaha SEC (TaG) respectively at the City of Melbourne Titles at VACC Park on the weekend. Starting fourth, Sanderson (Arrow) was soon into the lead, but came under immense pressure for the entire race, first from National Champion James Sera, then Dean Foster. “It was the longest time I’ve ever been in the lead of a race!” Sanderson said. The 22-yearold put in a mistake-free run

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AUSCAR/NASCAR

Thunderpics

In 2008, will we be returning to the

THUNDERDOME?

ns Victorious to lead pre-final winner Foster (Phoenix) and Sera (Monaco) over the line with the rapid Leigh Nicolaou fourth. Pope’s win was a little more straightforward. In a class restricted to C-licence holders, the local won both heats and the pre-final. Townsville’s Dave Price (Arrow) led the early laps before a spin dropped him down the order. The class of the field, Pope

(Arrow) won by a massive 12 seconds ahead of Ben Lowerson and Alicia Whelan. Scott McLaughlin won the Frank Cesnik Memorial for Junior Clubman with a last lap pass on Kayne Hughes. Simon Salvatico wrapped up the Titan Formula 100 series but had to be content with second in the final to Phoenix’s Matthew Hayes. – MARK WICKS

ARE NASCARs and AUSCARs heading back to Calder Park’s Thunderdome? Australian Motor Racing Series organisers are investigating the possibility of resurrecting racing on the oval, as well as circuit racing for a Speedway Car category for the many AUSCARs and NASCARs in the country. Calder and Adelaide circuit owner and promoter Bob Jane revealed that the new Speedway Car category will be introduced to the AMRS in 2008, subject to competitor interest. A preparatory AUSCAR and NASCAR Thunderdome event is planned for late 2007, ahead of a proposed 10-event AMRS sanctioned category in 2008. The AMRS has confirmed an eight-round AMRS calendar in 2008, with two events each at Adelaide International Raceway, Queensland Raceway, Winton and Wakefield Park.

Phil Branagan

A whole world of Elfins

Coopers Photographic

AUSTRALIA’S famed Elfin marque has a new ‘home’ with the opening of the Elfin Heritage Museum in Melbourne. The Museum, which showcases three decades of cars from the famous Adelaide-based maker, was opened last Thursday, with a plaque unveiled by Lorraine Cooper, widow of Elfin founder Garrie Cooper. Two dozen cars were on display on opening night, from Formula Vees and Clubmans to the Elfin 400 Repco Brabham, in which Bevan Gibson fatally crashed at Bathurst in 1969. The Museum will become a meeting place for fans of the marque and is located at 29 Capella Cres, Moorabbin.

Giz, Bang! “IT’S changed the way team owners will look to find their drivers from here on.” That’s how one team owner summed Chris Lambden mNews Publisher up the impressive first-day debut of Kiwi Shane Van Gisbergen at Oran Park on Friday. got the experience?’ line is wearing “It doesn’t matter how his weekend thin as an increasing stream of gifted goes from here, to slot straight in youngsters, many with years of racing and come up mid-field on Day 1 is behind them, in karts or the likes of impressive. I reckon a few of our more Formula Ford, are given an opportunity senior drivers ought to be concerned … … and then grab it. “Some of those guys will spend all Although the final results don’t afternoon gazing at a laptop trying necessarily show it, Van Gisbergen had to get the squiggly lines (speed trace a pretty good Sunday to add to his data) right when, frankly, it’s still as impressive Friday. I recall Mark Skaife much to do with what’s between reminiscing how he lined up next to the ears and how big the balls are as The Great Man, Peter Brock, at his own anything …” touring car debut – also at Oran Park. A slight exaggeration in these highWell, I don’t know how many would tech times, maybe, but you can see have noticed it, but Shane Van G will be what he meant. Once JB quits at the able to tell his kids that, on his debut end of the year, it’s highly unlikely race weekend, in a wet and miserable there’ll ever be another V8 driver over Race 3, he went past Mark Skaife at one the age of 50. In fact, it’s likely that point like he was tied to a tree … many of the current crop may not get There’ll be ups and big downs much past 40 – if they get that far. from here on, but the signs are that It is becoming an increasingly young the Stones have unearthed another man’s sport and the old ‘but has he good’un.

opinion

Dirk Klynsmith

Letters

Have your say, email us at mail@mnews.com.au. Keep letters to the point. No Lee-way? I know the deal says we have to go to the Footy at 3pm at some races, but I have to say I felt sorry for Lee Holdsworth yesterday (Sunday). There he was, having won his first V8 race and round, and the TV audience had to leave the track as he parked the car, and before even a chance for a quick TV interview. I am aware that V8s agreed to run as late as five minutes before cut-off after the NZ

fiasco, but it still left a big hole in the post-race appreciation of a young man’s first big win. It’s hard to please everyone, but couldn’t the Footy have waited for two or three more minutes? Anyway, ace job Lee. Greg Batten Sandringham, VIC OK is Okay Sure Lee Holdsworth did a fantastic job at Oran Park on the weekend, but I’m sure

some of my fellow attendees will agree that Owen Kelly’s efforts in the development series races were the highlight of the weekend. I didn’t even see him on the track during the first race, then as soon as it started to rain the bloke came from nowhere (he started from pit-lane I was told) to pass everyone and win! I know he’s signed to drive with one of the FPR boys in the endurance races, but surely and effort like last weekend’s is

worthy of a full time drive. Ian Thompson Camden, NSW Just Add Water I know it’s been said over and over again, but a bit of water does wonders for V8 Supercar racing. Even for a die-hard fan like myself, Saturday’s race was bloody boring. But throw in some rain, two crackers! Jerry Anderson Armadale, WA

opinion

Safety Car ain’t always safe IN my opinion, the practice of putting a Safety Car out virtually as soon as a car leaves the circuit needs to be looked at. Surely we can wait a minute to see if a car can get out of its predicament under its own steam? Clearly Jason Bright was able to get out of the sand trap in Race 3 at Oran Park. So what was the Safety Car for? I saw him go in pretty slowly and bounce off the tyres. The

hardest bit for him was to get out of the sand trap – which he was able to do. So you would reckon it would be sensible for officials to check if a car can be removed safely without putting a Safety Car out. In this case, that first Safety Car eventually generated two others, thanks to the diabolical conditions and the carnage that followed. Going into turn one en masse, you couldn’t see a thing and it generated a lot of damage. It ruined my race and that of a lot of others. It would have been preferrable to let the race run

its course. I’m pretty confident that if we hadn’t had that unnecessary Safety Car period, there wouldn’t have been any more. Once we had one, they just kept coming and coming and coming … You had a lack of visibility, mud on the track, cars that were trying to pass each other, cars which were a lap down, some cars obeying blue flags and others trying to take advantage. You even had guys who were a lap down drilling the guys who were on the lead lap. It was a mess and, in my view, it could have been avoided.

opinion Jason Richards V8 Supercar driver

Peter Bury

eLETTER OF DIRTY DOG THE WEEK Don’t gamble, officiate ... I was interested in reading the letter from Adrian Jones in last week’s eNews describing how placing a small wager on the outcome of races enhances

his enjoyment of the sport. Another way of gaining enjoyment from the sport is to put some time in and work as an official. By doing so you gain a sense of being an actual

part of the action and not ‘just’ a spectator, and it also allows you to put something back in to the sport you enjoy. There are many officiating clubs around the country – your state CAMS office can point you in the right direction. Contrary to what many believe, it is not a difficult activity to get involved with as training is provided, and you do NOT need previous motor sport experience. When you go to Bathurst,

have a chat to some of the many people working there (I’m one of them, and looking forward to it) – I’m sure they will be glad to have a chat with you. Andrew Robinson, Brahama Lodge, SA ED: Not sure whether to send you the sunnies or an advertising invoice, Andrew, but given your obvious enthusiasm for our sport and the necessity for officials, we’ll opt for the Dirty Dogs.

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 21

5 Minutes with ...

LEE HOLDSWORTH

How does it feel to win your first V8 Supercar round? Pretty good ...

GRANT ROWLEY

John Morris/Mpix

MN: Did you ever think you’d win a V8 Supercar round in your second year as a V8 driver? LH: I didn’t think a win was possible this weekend. I knew a podium was possible, but not this. At the start of the weekend, the car was quick straight out of the box. We were in the top 10 from the word go and then ... to qualify fourth, I was over the moon with that. I guess I didn’t expect to be so high up. Yeah, we had a bit of luck on our side with our tyre strategy and the way the weather played out, but there is often a bit of luck involved for the winner of one of these races. The boys gave me a great car to work with, though, and I’m glad to bring this one [the winner’s trophy] home. You say there was a bit of luck, but this was still a genuine win, wasn’t it?

Yes, I consider it a fairly genuine win. I had the pace in the race. It’s not like I came from nowhere and a few blokes fell off in front of me.

Yeah. He showed confidence in my ability when I was ringing around all the teams. Garry was the one who put his hand up and its great to repay him

hard to tell, but we had good dry pace anyway. Before the race, we knew there was a possibility of rain so we really softened the car off.

IT’S NOT LIKE I CAME FROM NOWHERE AND A FEW BLOKES FELL OFF IN FRONT OF ME YEP, HOLDSWORTH WON THE RACE ON MERIT ... I led every lap of Race 3 and I think I controlled it. The car was quick all race, I was the fastest out there, I kept my cool. We went with a safe option with the wet tyres for the last race. I knew I had to pull a gap as soon as I could because there was a chance that the track was going to dry. As it turned out, it stayed wet. [Team owner] Garry [Rogers] gave you a chance at the end of 2005. Does this go some way to repaying him?

like this and bring home the number one trophy. The team hasn’t done it since 2004. Garry puts his whole heart and soul into it, I hope it goes someway to paying back his faith. This is the second round for the new VE Commodore – how much did that play a part in this result? I think that, in the rain, it all comes down to how your car is set up. Some would have had their car set up for the dry, so its

The television viewers would have been watching you take some pretty wild racing lines in the wet conditions … There was a massive difference in grip levels out there. On a dry circuit, you look for where the rubber is, on a wet circuit you look for where the rubber isn’t. I was driving around the outside of most turns and it seemed to be the fastest way. You could see the water sitting on top of the rubber and I saw some drivers slip on it. You had to be really awake to that.

chat

John Morris/Mpix

V8 SUPERCAR CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES ROUND 8 – ORAN PARK

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Hold The Front Page A Commodore won at Oran Park – but it was not from Clayton. Lee Holdsworth kept his head while, seemingly, all around him lost theirs, to take a classy maiden victory By GRANT ROWLEY

John Morris

The GRM Reaper

Team – in the wet conditions. Compared to the pace of their close rivals, the championship leaders could not come to terms with the conditions, with all four drivers admitting that there was some work to do with their cars in wet conditions. Taking advantage of 2007’s first round without a Clayton car on the podium was Steven Richards, who took second overall. The Ford Performance Racing star recruit used consistency (fifth, sixth and fifth) to bag his first podium with the factory Ford outfit. From the outside, it may not have looked like a great weekend for TeamVodafone, but the signs are that they’ll be hard to beat in the endurance races. Craig Lowndes finished third overall, while Jamie Whincup, struck down by a “South-east Queensland flu,” was fifth. The reason the Lowndes/ Whincup combination will be tough to beat in the longer races is that their cars appear to get faster and faster as a race wears on. If a red Ford is near the front late in the 1000km, look out … The only worry for the leading Ford team is the lack of qualifying speed from Lowndes. While Whincup was ninth, Lowndes failed to make it past the first qualifying session, bumped out in 23rd. But in typical fashion, he stormed through to finish seventhin Race 1. He won Race 2 but was caught out on slicks at the start of Race 3, finishing 14th. Whincup had his challenge thwarted by a broken steering rack in Race 2 while effectively leading the race. A clash with Jason Richards was to blame. High on the hard-done-by

Dirk Klynsmith

EW round winners in V8 Supercar competition are a pretty scarce breed. At Oran Park Raceway last weekend, Lee Holdsworth added his name to the Australian Touring Car history books with his first round win, and also cemented himself as a future star of the sport. Holdsworth qualified fourth and finished every race in the top 10, but it was Race 3 that could one day make the Holdsworth name a household one. “It’s a great feeling,” he said. “I knew this was going to be one of our best rounds for the year. We knew we could be on the podium, but I didn’t think it would come so soon.” The Sydney circuit is a happy hunting ground for Holdsworth, whose best result prior to last weekend was sixth at OP 12 months ago. But having a new round winner was only half of the story. Dry conditions greeted the teams on Saturday, which was in stark contrast to a wet and miserable Sunday. The damp-to-soaking surface made the event a lottery, with strategy and aggressive driving playing their part in the results. Race 3 saw just 13 cars take the starters orders. Most cars ventured out for the warm-up lap on slick tyres, but rain and ominious clouds arrived as the cars were about to line up. Some of those 13, including eventual third place getter Craig Lowndes, started with slicks. He went down a lap early, as did many others, but the rain certainly delivered two quality V8 Supercar races. Quality was not a word that could be associated with the Clayton Commodores – Toll HSV and the Holden Racing

Turning to Leeward: Holdsworth starred while Clayton has problems, Rick Kelly not getting part T1, R2, right. list was pole-sitter Todd Kelly, who probably should have won the opening race but overshot the entry to pit lane early in Race 1 while leading. Team-mate Mark Skaife slipped by him and they both pitted at the same time the next lap. Skaife went on to win, Todd was buried in eighth. Fourth overall meant he was highest Clayton Commodore.

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John Morris/Duckpix

John Morris/Mpix

Chaos and Carnage: There were cars all over the place in the final race, which was held in weather better suited to ducks. Jamie Whincup may have taken the weekend if not for this ‘off’, below.

V8 Supercar | Round 8 ORAN PARK

17 Pos 17# Steven Johnson Driver

Marshall Cass Dirk Klynsmith

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

JimTeam/Car Beam Racing Falcon BF

15 Q 11 r1 22 r2dnf r3

33 Lee Holdsworth Valvoline Cummins Commodore VE 4 6 Steven Richards FPR Falcon BF 12 888 Craig Lowndes Team Vodafone Falcon BF 23 22 Todd Kelly HRT Commodore VE 1 88 Jamie Whincup Team Vodafone Falcon BF 9 5 Mark Winterbottom FPR Falcon BF 6 3 Jason Richards Tasman Commodore VE 7 9 Russell Ingall Caltex Racing Falcon BF 14 1 Rick Kelly Toll HSV Commodore VE 5 2 Mark Skaife HRT Commodore VE 3 18 Will Davison Jim Beam Racing Falcon BF 11 16 Garth Tander Toll HSV Commodore VE 2 8 Max Wilson WPS Racing Falcon BF 19 17 Steven Johnson Jim Beam Racing Falcon BF 17 12 Andrew Jones Team BOC Falcon BF 28 4 James Courtney Jeld-Wen Motorsport Falcon BF 22 55 Steve Owen Autobarn Commodore VZ 15 51 Greg Murphy Tasman Commodore VE 16 20 Paul Dumbrell SCAR Commodore VE 18 14 Simon Wills Team BOC Falcon BF 27 10 Jason Bargwanna WPS Racing Falcon BF 21 39 Fabian Coulthard Team Sirromet Commodore VZ 26 25 Jason Bright Fujitsu Racing Falcon BF 25 021 Shane van Gisbergen Team Kiwi Racing Falcon BF 29 11 Jack Perkins Jack Daniel’s Commodore VE 24 111 John Bowe Glenfords Racing Falcon BF 30 7 Shane Price Jack Daniel’s Commodore VE 25 67 Paul Morris Team Sirromet Commodore VE 20 20 50 Cameron McConville SCAR Commodore VE 26 Alan Gurr IRWIN Racing Falcon BF 31 34 Dean Canto Valvoline Cummins Commodore VE 13

10 4 1 5 6 5 7 1 14 8 2 10 3 DNF 4 4 3 24 11 5 6 DNF 9 3 2 15 15 1 20 DNF 6 8 16 DNF 19 2 16 11 9 13 12 12 DNF 17 7 19 7 DNF DNF 21 8 9 DNF 22 25 25 10 24 10 17 15 27 13 14 14 DNF 12 16 DNF 20 13 23 21 26 18 23 24 19 DNF 18 20 DNF DNF 21 17 22 DNF 22 28 DNF 18 23 DNF

James Smith

Points: Tander 389, R Kelly 383, Whincup 317, Lowndes 301, T Kelly 297, Skaife 273, Winterbottom 204, Davison 194, S Richards 187, Ingall 181, Courtney 168, Johnson 156, Holdsworth 128, Murphy 122, J Richards 99, Bright 55, Morris/Wilson 54, Owen 45, Radisich 36, Canto/Bargwanna 34, A Jones 19, Bowe 17, Price/ McConville 16,Dumbrell/Wills/Coulthard 8, Perkins 6, van Gisbergen 4, Gurr 2.

Dirk Klynsmith

Oran Park Notepad

Peter Bury

Look! Up in the Air! James Courtney was in the wars on the track, above, and was not even safe in the pits, inset. Steven Richards was as calm as always to slide home second in the Castrol Falcon, right, while Craig Lowndes put a qualifying nightmare behind him to take Race 2, and then charged forwards in the final race, below.

Dirk Klynsmith

n Qualifying wasn’t much better for Jason Bright. Prerace, the team were talking up their chances of a pole position, but it all came to naught when Bright broke the gear shifter in his Fujitsu Ford. In Race 1, he was involved in some on-track aggro, but managed to finish 12th. Bright had a heavy Race 3 incident that brought out the race’s first Safety Car.

John Morris/Mpix

n Glenfords Racing had a nightmare qualifying session. The team sent the blue Ford out with a loose wheel nut, thanks to a wheel gun failure. Anther zero points round meant an awful Sydney V8 farewell for JB. The highlight perhaps came when the veteran took former team boss Dick Johnson for a spin during Friday’s ride session.

smith Dirk Klyn

n When it comes to qualifying, Autobarn Racing has a mortgage on the middle of the field. Oran Park was no different – Steve Owen took 15th place. But any chance that he had of improving from there was taken away after a myriad of problems hampered the team before Race 1. During qualifying, Owen reported that the Commodore felt like it was running on “seven and a half cylinders.” The Autobarners barely had enough time to complete an engine change prior to the first race. They completed the task (just), but the car’s starter motor failed as they were about to leave the pits. Again, they fixed the problem, only for the clutch to go bang after a couple of laps. Race 3 gave the team eighth place.

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Lee Earns the Headlines But what was going on further back isn’t what you’d expect from the top 31 ...

ARRY Rogers Motorsport has been through a fair bit of pain this year, in terms of car rebuilds and so on, so it was really great to see Lee Holdsworth earn his first win in such conclusive style. Rain is one of those random elements which can, out of the blue, give someone new the track position to do something spectacular and, in this case, Lee grabbed the opportunity with both hands. While he ran at the front throughout that third race, there was a great deal of

ANALYSIS Neil Crompton Driver/Commentator pressure on in terms of restarts and so on, and he came through it all comprehensively. Behind him there was a degree of chaos and car damage that I’m a bit uncomfortable with. It’s a personal view, but in the face of some suggestion from areas of the general media that the racing is ‘boring’ the relaxation of the driving rules has, I believe, gone way

SOME OF WHAT WENT ON DURING SOME OF THOSE RESTART LAPS WAS OVER THE TOP too far the other way. There’s now too much random ‘hip and shouldering’ going on, too much damage being done. Some of what went on during some of those restart laps, which was unchecked, was over the top. What we’re seeing is not what I believe we should expect from what are promoted as the best 31 drivers in Australia. But a blind-

eye is being turned. ‘Better racing’ for me involves rethinking the technical rules of the sport to encourage more genuine passing, real racing. Simply backing off on standards required of drivers isn’t the way. It’s costing tens hundreds of thousands of dollars and is, in my view, dumb. And someone will get hurt if it continues.

THE SEQUEL: THE EMPIRE STRIKES OUT

Marshall Cass

LET’S wind the clock back one year. Oran Park in 2006 was the meeting that Garth Tander’s championship hopes started to go up in smoke. Leading the championship at the time, Tander had a power steering failure, taking him out of the first race. He never led the championship again in 2006. Fast forward to the present day. Tander went into Oran Park leading the series, and like last year, he finished the first race in the pit garage with a right front

suspension failure, above. “If you look at this year and last year, you couldn’t have scripted it any better,” he said sarcastically. “But it’s a long championship – one weekend is not going to change things. “We are a bit further in front this time around which has given us a bit of an extra buffer. As it turned out the points gap really hasn’t changed too much. “We need to learn what happened this weekend and we need to make sure it

never happens again.” Tander salvaged something from a bad weekend with second place in the last race, but – just as Skaife commented on his HRT car – was bemused at the lack of speed that his Toll HSV car had in the wet. “We had good pace in the dry, but we didn’t have pace in the wet and I don’t know why,” he said. “It could have been worse, but all four of us had a bad weekend.” – GRANT ROWLEY

FUJITSU V8 SUPERCAR SERIES ROUND 5 – ORAN PARK

He’s OK with wet weather Owen Kelly’s planned return to the Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series in Queensland was a disaster. When he did finally get on track, at Oran Park, it was anything but ...

Dirk Klynsmith

John Morris/Mpix

WEN Kelly made a remarkable return to the Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series, winning a rain-soaked Round 5 at Oran Park last weekend. Things didn’t look to be going the FPRcontracted driver’s way after the first race, failing to finish after contact in the opening handful of laps. And Race 2 didn’t start much better. An alternator problem on the grid meant Kelly had to start from pit-lane to demonstrate to Stewards that his BA Falcon was capable of starting by itself. As a result his engine was literally switched off when the race started. What followed was an amazing showing in the greasy conditions. Kelly surged his way through the field fast enough to grab the lead from Damien White at the start of the final lap, and held on for the win. Starting sixth in the final made it a breeze for Kelly, again passing Damien White for the lead and taking his second

race win and round honours. But it was the Race 2 win that had everyone scratching their head. How did he get from pit-lane to Victory Lane? “Well that’s a good question, and I don’t know the answer!” said Kelly. “At the start we couldn’t get enough charge to get to the pit-lane, I thought ‘Oh great, this is a good start.’ “It’s pretty cool. Someone told me it’s the first V8 win ever starting from pit-lane, so that’s a nice stat to have. A couple of years ago Nathan Pretty and I started out of pit-lane at Bathurst and finished sixth, so maybe it’s an omen.” The result was a far cry from Kelly’s original debut for Terry Wyhoon’s Image Racing at Queensland last month, which was cut short when the car was impounded by police after the first practice session. Second for the round was White, who, like Kelly, hit his straps when the rain started to fall. An eighth place finish in the opener gave him a good grid spot for Race

2, a race he probably would have won if it wasn’t for Kelly’s charge. In the final he held out Jonathon Webb to take second for the round, while Webb secured third and another healthy dose of points. Championship leader Tony D’Alberto further proved he is having a golden season by extending his championship lead, despite not troubling the scorers in Race 2 and only taking a couple of points away from the final. He did, however, turn heads with his start in the dry Race 1, where he jumped from sixth on the grid to the lead by Turn 2. He won the race from Dale Wood, who had his best finish of the year with second. Wood might have played a bigger part in the final round results had it not been for a contentious jump-start call in Race 2. Points: D’Alberto 260, Michael Caruso 195, Kayne Scott 174, Webb 169, D White 125, Andrew Thompson 117, Luke Youlden 106, Tim Slade 104, Jose Fernandez 102, Wood 93.

Dirk Klynsmith

Cloud Nine: Ice White was bettered only by Kelly in the greasy conditions at Oran Park, securing his best ever FV8 finish with second.

Marshall Cass

5-4-3-2-1-GO! Tony D’Alberto made the start of the season in race 1, jumping from sixth to first in a flash, left. Dale Wood, below left, had his best meeting of the year, and may have challenged for the Race 1 win had it not been for a flat-spotted tyre. Meanwhile, Jose Fernandez had a close look at the wall, below. Marshall Cass

James Smith

MOTO GP ROUND 12 – BRNO

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Mister Majestczyk Okay, we admit that is a wierd headline. But we are running out of superlatives to describe Casey Stoner GP victories ...

Ducati Corse

Rizla Suzuki Racing

Exclusive Images: We thought we should run this podium image, above, because it is the only time that John Hopkins (or anyone else) got in front of Casey Stoner all weekend at Brno. The American is not far, surely, from his first GP win after another polished performance on his mono-wheeling Suzuki, left.

Rizla Suzuki Racing

THE planets were aligned at Brno. Heck, they appear to be aligned most places Casey Stoner races at. Eleven times this year, the MotoGP circus has assembled to see who has the best bike, best tyres and best skills. On seven of those 11 occasions, Stoner has been the man who has gone home smiling. In the Czech Republic, he was perfect. After qualifying on pole position, he opened up a seven-tenths lead on the opening lap and that was the end of the race. John Hopkins chased for a while but even he admitted that, after 10 laps, he was concentrating on keeping second and not doing anything stupid (like, trying to beat Stoner). “At the start, I was right on the limit with John behind me chasing me down,” said the Aussie later. “I was very surprised and a bit worried that he could catch me. We just kept our pace until around eight or ten laps to go when I was able to pull out a bit of an advantage.” Almost sounds like he believes that, doesn’t it? Hopkins is becoming the best of the Americans, an hoonour taken by Nicky Hayden last year. The World Champ was third after putting his #1 Honda on the front row for the first time all season and had much the better of

Dani Pedrosa, who went the opposite way on tyre choice and who was fairly ropable after the race (as is usually the case when he does not win). What happened next was fascinating. Chris Vermeulen was fifth, the Suzuki getting stronger as the race progressed and the Aussie getting the better of the battle of the race. He was clear of Loris Capirossi,

who spent much of the 22 laps trying to battle countryman Valentino Rossi. Many commented that they had never seen such a lacklustre weekend from the seven-time World champion who, as has been documented, is involved in a tax dispute with Italian authorities. In response to predictable interest in that from the Italian media (ie,

constant hysteria) Rossi was not available for comment over the weekend and such a disruption to his routine may have been to blame for his lack of speed. Officially, the team blamed a lack of grip, while Colin Edwards compounded the weekend with a rare crash. Randy de Puniet was eighth from Alex Barros, Anthony West chased home Toni Elias for 12th. What happens next largely depends on Rossi and Yamaha. Misano beckons, the whole country will be looking for a win from The Doctor and he does respond to his home crowd like few racers in history. But with the speed of the Ducatis, the developing Hondas and the weight of the world on his shoulders – not to mention the fact that Stoner has the luxury of a huge points lead – the demands of his home fans may be too much even for the Superhero of MotoGP to bear.

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Honda Pro Images

Hay, that’s much better. Nicky Hayden was the best of the others (Honda, Michelin), taking another podium finish. Valentino Rossi found himself battling Loris Capirossi, below, and then in another battle with Aussie Chris Vermeulen, bottom.

When 60 percent is not enough BOTH of Fausto Gresini’s riders were passed fit to race last weekend but only Toni Elias did. The Spaniard described himself as 60 percent fit after shaking down his body on a 600cc road bike the week before the race, but in the end, it was Marco Melandri who failed to greet the starter. The Italian, above right, who carried a broken ankle to third at Laguna Seca, was suffering from what appeared to be a pinched nerve but which turned out to be a hernia between his C5 and C6 vertabrae. Having injured riders miss

races is nothing new; Alex Hofmann was replaced for the weekend by Ivan Silva, who raced for the Pramac d’Antin team at Brno for the second year in a row. But, Melandri’s absence puts a question mark over the wisdom in thinking that 60 percent is fit enough to race a 200hp motorcycle at its limit for 45 minutes. Gresini may have had a lack of options. A fit Melandri may be a factor in front of his home fans at Misano in two weeks, and the following race is at Estoril, where Elias won last year. Expectations will be high, 60 percent fit or not.

Ducati Corse

Lorenzo goes to 7-11

Rizla Suzuki Racing

IN the smaller classes, Jorge Lorenzo (Aprilia) won his seventh 250cc race from 11 starts this season. Andrea Dovizioso (Scot Honda RS250RW) was second and Mika Kallio (KTM) third. It was an easy win for Lorenzo despite the best efforts of a determined Dovizioso.

Producing exciting, unpredictable V8 Supercar racing is as simple as adding MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP | RIDer’s points water ... By GRANT ROWLEY

Points: Stoner 246, Rossi 186, Pedrosa 168, Vermeulen and Hopkins 124, Melandri 113, Edwards 93, Hayden 89, Capirossi 87, Barros 83.

Points: Lorenzo 216, Dovizioso 186, De Angelis 176, Bautista 127, Barbera 103, Kallio 94, Aoyama

88, Luthi 72, etc.

A stunning 125cc GP saw Hector Faubel win the race and retake the lead in the championship. A late-race crash from Serdio Gadea closed up the pack and Mattia Pasini took second place, ahead of local hero Lukas Pesek. Points: Faubel 179, Talmasci 169, Pesek 129, Koyama 129, Corsi 119, Gadea 105, Pasini 86, etc.

WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND 10 – GERMANY

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Doppelter Huttrick That means ‘double hat-trick’ in German (or something to that effect), which is exactly what Sebastien Loeb has after winning the Rally Deutschland for the sixth consecutive time

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EBASTIEN Loeb is still the only driver to have won the ADAC Rally Deutschland after taking his sixth consecutive victory on the German tarmac last weekend. Loeb and Citreon may have spent the last three rounds of the World Rally Championship chasing Marcus Gronholm and Ford, but this time it was different. Citroen dominated proceedings from start to finish, finishing one-two after a stunning display from the reigning World Champion. It’s always nice to win this event, [because] it is based close to my home region of Alsace and it’s the event that gave me my first WRC win in 2002,” said Loeb. “So it is something very special. I am delighted to have won again.” But it wasn’t Citroen’s second factory driver Dani Sordo who followed Loeb home. Instead, WRC returnee (and former Rally Oz) winner Francois Duval turned heads with his pace, even leading the rally at the end of the first leg for Kronos. It was Duval’s effort on the final day that was most impressive, the young Belgian pressuring second-placed Gronholm into a mistake, dropping him to fourth and elevating Duval to second for the rally. Duval was ecstatic with the result, but championship leader Gronholm wasn’t, blaming some bovine intervention for the damage to his Focus. We were warned there was a cow near the road,” he recalled. “The marshal waved us through and I drove round it with no problem but it put me off and I lost concentration. I wasn’t listening to [the] pace notes properly and 100m later I slid wide on a left corner. The right rear of the car hit a wall and it spun round.” Gronholm’s team-mate Mikko Hirvonen was third.

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fter a brilliant fourth in Finland a fortnight ago, Chris Atkinson failed to trouble the scorers in Germany. It was in the first leg that things went bad for ‘Atko,’ an off-road excursion dropping him to tenth. He was fast enough to record stage wins throughout the second leg, but a crash in the final leg sealed the deal. “Yesterday was a great day and it meant a lot to me and the team to win those stages, so we went out today looking for more wins,” he said. “But unfortunately today I just pushed a little too hard. When you’re in ninth place as we were, it’s maybe better to take these risks and show what Subaru can do rather than settle into a steady pace.”

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Aero and camber: Marcus Gronholm’s Focus had some funky set-up going after contact with a wall on the last day.

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Red Hot Returnee: Francois Duval, above left, looked the goods on his comeback with Citroen, finishing second and almost giving Loeb a scare on the last day. Jan Kopecky, above right, was another stand-out performer, finishing fifth for Skoda. He even beat Subaru’s Petter Solberg, left who was sixth.

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WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP | Driver’s points Gronholm 80, Loeb 72, Hirvonen 63, P Solberg 29, Sordo 28, H Solberg 28, Atkinson 20, Jari-Matti Latvala 13, Toni Gardemeister 10.

AUSSIE RACING CARS

JAMES Ward slipped and slid his way to victory in Round 5 of the Aussie Racing Cars at Sydney’s Oran Park Raceway last weekend. The racing was frenetic and exciting as Ward clinched his second round win of the season, battling the inclement weather.

However, Ward didn’t have it all his own way. He struggled to surmount the likes of hardcharger and current series champion Paul Kemal, and V8 Supercar driver Paul Morris. Ward took the round win following his brilliant win in Race 1, making few errors from third on the grid and capitalising on the mistakes of others.

He backed up the win with three consecutive second places. Although Kemal and Morris both won races, they failed to have the consistency of Ward. The following three races demanded adept car control as drivers adjusted to slippery conditions. Ward is now only one point behind his brother Brad Ward,

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Ward’s Wet and Wild

who leads the championship on 234 points, with Kemal in third and nipping at their heels on 225 points. Melbourne’s Sandown Raceway hosts the next round of the Aussie Racing Cars on September 14-16. – DAVID MCLAUGHLIN Points: B Ward 234, J Ward 233, Kemal 225, Ben McCashney 217, Kyle Clews 214.

Young and the Rest, Less GARY Young put in a faultless performance in his Mitsubishi to take outright honours at Round 4 of the 2007 Donut King Australian Performance Car Championship at Oran Park last weekend. Young proved he is a worthy title contender by taking two wins and a second place from three starts. He qualified on pole position and won both heats on Saturday, with the second race concluding in near darkness. Although pushed hard by the Mitsubishi avalanche of Mark King and Graham Alexander, Young was rarely challenged for the lead.

Sunday, however, brought the element of rain into the mix, and with it another victor in Mark King and his similar specification Mitsubishi Evolution 8. Young sits third overall in the outright standings behind Barrie Nesbitt in his Donut King HSV and Mark King in his Evolution eight. Jim Pollicina steered his HSV to lead home the Privateers Cup class and retains his lead in the championship standings. The battle resumes for the Australian Performance Car Championship at Mt Panorama in early October. – DAVID MCLAUGHLIN Points: Nesbitt 251, King 249, Young 243, Peter Floyd 206, Tim Poulton 197.

Dirk Klynsmith

PERFORMANCE CARS

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The Dean of Oran Park CARRERA CUP

James Smith

The Great Escape: David Reynolds, above, didn’t have a great weekend, but walked away with the points lead anyway. Paul Stokell, below, took his first Carrera Cup win in Race 2.

Points: Reynolds 756, Baird 711, Davison 679, Marcus Marshall 531, Fiore 508.

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DEAN Fiore has taken his maiden Carrera Cup round win at Oran Park after dominating the rain-affected final race last Sunday. The West Australian was only fourth during Saturday’s dry Race 1, finishing behind the usual suspects; David Reynolds, Alex Davison and Craig Baird. But when the rain started so did Fiore’s front-running form. Race 2 saw him finish second, his best ever finish since moving to Carrera Cup last year. Then in the final he simply drove away from the field, claiming a comfortable maiden win. “It’s just a big relief to finally show what I can do,” said Fiore. “And it’s even better to do it those conditions. It was slippery as hell, but in that last race I got comfortable early and could really push.” Race 2 changed the complexion of the 2007 Championship. With Reynolds having won the opener, he was in a position to challenge Davison’s slender points lead

by the end of the weekend. That prospect seemed unlikely at the start of the second race, Reynolds stalling and falling to the rear of the field. But that soon changed, with Davison coming together with a lapped car mid-race and spinning in the greasy conditions. Reynolds’ day was made even better when Baird retired with a lap to go with radiator problems, leaving Paul Stokell to take his first Carrera Cup race win from Fiore. Stokell joined the hard luck list early on in the final race, failing to get off the line and copping a hit from Ash Samadi while stranded. Both were out immediately. Davison’s weekend went from bad to worse in the final, the Victorian cementing the loss of the championship lead by spinning mid-race and failing to finish. Reynolds now leads the series by 45 points from Baird and Davison. – ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN

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Dirk Klynsmith

Aussie youngsters do battle at Brands sutton-images.com

AUSSIES OVERSEAS

NATHAN Caratti and Sam Abay were both in action at Brands Hatch over the weekend. Caratti, pictured right, was running Rounds 15 and 16 of the Formula Renault UK series and came away with a 15th place finish in race one before failing to finish the second. Duncan Tappy won both races. Abay had a better time of things in the Formula BMW UK races, finishing eighth and ninth in the two races. Rookie Marcus Erricson won both FBMW races.

Two out of three ain’t bad No Nationals! BTCC

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FABRIZIO Giovanardi was the star of the British Touring Car Championship show at Brands Hatch last weekend, winning two of the three races. The Vauxhell driver led home Jason Plato in the first two races of the weekend. He might have pulled off the hat-trick had it not been for contact with Mike Jordan at the start of the third race, which allowed Colin Turkington to sneak through for the win. The results leave the championship delicately poised with Plato leading Giovanardi by just four points. Points: Plato 239, Giovanardi 234, Gordon Shedden 161, Matt Neal 154, Turkington 142.

NHRA THE 23rd annual Toyo Tires NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway in Reading, Pennsylvania, were postponed until Monday after a light but steady rain halted the action midway through the first round of Funny Car eliminations. NHRA officials finally pulled the plug, with the action scheduled to resume Monday morning at 10am US local time (after eNews closed off ). A few things were decided during the first round of Top Fuel. The list of drivers fighting for the final spot in the Countdown to the Championship was culled from six to three, with Dave Grubnic, pictured above, Doug Herbert, and Cory McClenathan still alive. All three advanced to the second round, along with points leader Rod Fuller, J.R. Todd, Morgan Lucas, Doug Foley, and Clay Millican. In Funny Car, Ron Capps edged Kenny Bernstein, with John Force and Tim Wilkerson also advancing to the quarterfinals. – DAVID OSTASZEWSKI

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Denny Does Michigan BUSCH SERIES DENNY Hamlin’s weekend at Michigan may have started with a crunch in Friday practice, but it ended in Victory Lane after he won the Carfax 250 Busch Series race. Hamlin’s only challenge came from Matt Kenseth, but with 40 to go Hamlin turned up the wick, pulling away from Kenseth and making the race a one-horse show. Hamlin added his own excitement to a fairly mundane race by telling his crew that he was going to run out of fuel late in the race. “Hey, we’re running out of gas,’’ Hamlin told his crew chief over the radio, before adding “just kidding.’’ “We ran out [of gas] at Indy and it wasn’t so funny,” he later added. “This one we could have coasted if we had run out.’’ Kenseth finished second with Kevin Harvick third. Marcos Ambrose had a solid weekend, qualifying sixth for the 250. He then ran in the Top 15 for the majority of the race, only falling to his eventual 19th place finishing position when the car developed understeer in the closing laps. “This result may not look that great on paper but I am really pleased with how things have gone today,” said Ambrose. “We have made huge progress, come here with a brand new body and made a definite step forward in competitiveness.” The Nextel Cup race was rained out (Sunday) and rescheduled to run on Monday US time. Points: Carl Edwards 3613, Harvick 2913, David Reutimann 2883, Jason Leffler 2735, David Ragan 2691, (Ambrose 2501).

First corner carnage for Davo in Canada STAR MAZDA A FIRST corner crash is all that has stopped James Davison winning the famous Trois Rivieres Grand Prix in Canada. Davison, who has been one of the stand-outs in this year’s Star Mazda Series in the United States, looked good for a result after qualifying third. But a fivecar crash at the first corner damaged Davison’s left front suspension, forcing him to pit and drop six laps. Once back on track he set

the fastest lap of the race. “I am obviously disappointed the first corner accident precluded me from racing for the lead, but I walk away with the track record,” said Davison. “I would like the thank my Velocity team for doing such a fantastic job in every respect. I know I’m competitive so I am looking forward to Mosport next weekend where I aim to win.” Ron White won the race from Dane Cameron and Nick Haye.

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Less grip equals more action

HE weekend’s racing at Oran Park again provided the clearest guide in terms of the tyre debate in V8 Supercars. You know, should they have harder tyres, less grip, more grip? Just about any driver I’ve read an opinion on goes for the latter – to be expected I guess. But the evidence was there again at the weekend – less grip equals more action. And from where I was, soaked to the bone, out on the hill, most of my fellow punters would agree. Oran Park is a very challenging track for drivers but, nevertheless, it can produce races like Saturday’s first V8 race – pretty much a yawn-fest. People were heading for their cars five laps from the end – that’s a sure sign that you’ve got a procession on your hands. Sunday, a few drops of fluid, a slashing

Odd Spot

punter@mnews.com.au

Despite being a bit damp, no-one left early on sunday, believe me! A quick thumbs up to young Lee Holdsworth. I know he benefited from a great tyre call at the start of Race 3, but the guy drove like a champion, kept his head, and amidst all the carnage, yellows and lapped cars, brought the GRM car home not only at the front, but without (from what I could see) a scratch. Well done young fella.

Shirt Wars!

Queensland Raceway last month. Indeed, ‘message’ tees hirts were ‘de-rigeur’ last weekend. Paul Morris sported a nice little number, with the words ‘Dirty Dangerous Dude.’ It was in reference to a recent driver poll which labelled him the Most Dangerous Driver in V8 Supercar racing. The Dude appears to have taken the put-down in good spirits – all part of the new V8SA ‘tell-it-like-it-is’ deal, even if a bit low-rent on this occasion.

Dirk Klynsmith

IT would have been an expensive t-shirt if Jason Richards had paid $25,000, but as it says, he didn’t pay that much. eNews understands that JR did a contra deal, swapping some signage on his helmet and got the shirt for half the price ... Sweet deal, JR. In fact, the shirt was a bit of a dig at WPS boss Craig Gore, who was fined $25Gs for some ‘politically incorrect’ shirts that were on show at

of grip and, hey presto, you’ve got some action! Despite being a bit damp, no-one left early on Sunday, believe me! And no, team owners, I’m not talking about the physical carnage and the shunts, I’m talking about racecraft and passing, about tyres at clearly different states of wear and grip through the races. Most of the 31 drivers out there earned their cash, although some reputations got dented. So if the subject comes up for serious discussion at any time, there’s a big vote from the spectator banks for tyres with less grip in the dry. Make them harder, reduce the grip. It’d be like it was raining all the time – and as the weekend showed again, that’s a dead cert recipe for action.