Motorsport eNews Issue 40 - February 5-11, 2008

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Issue No. 040 5 – 11 February 2008

WAR PAINT!

W8 HINot!Lap

a V the GP. at age 8 See P

2007 contenders unveil 2008 Challengers young GUN

Editorial Editor: Grant Rowley grant@mnews.com.au National Editor: Andrew van Leeuwen andrew@mnews.com.au Staff Journalist: Bill Riddell bill@mnews.com.au Executive Editor: Phil Branagan editor@mnews.com.au

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

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MD / Publisher

Chris Lambden publisher@mnews.com.au

Contributing Writers F1: Mark Glendenning, 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, Geoff Gracie, Ash Budd, Paris Charles, 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

Australasian

The ‘A’ Team

Issue No. 040 | 05 – 11 February 2008

news 5 Stickers and Stripes

Triple 8/HSV get unclothed 7 And the sponsor is ... Van Giz has new paint too 9 I’m goin’ fast!

Red Bull show testing pace 13 Wanted: Aussie Who will drive in Mexico 15 Pacifically speaking Herridge opts for overseas 16 Owen for Bathurst Steve gets B12H gig 19 Stoner Flying Casey fastest at PI

chat 20 5 minutes with ... opinion 22 Lambden 23 Jani

race 24 A1GP 28 Formula 3 32 Top Fuel

Karl Reindler AGPs and Bernie Champcars and A1s SA win! No, not South Oz WA win! Yes, West Oz Lamattina’s great return

trade 38 Trade and Industry / Raceshop / Classifieds

welcome Todd walks the line!

No wait, let me try that again. Todd’s the man in black! Much better ...

D’Alberto/Nash alignment confirmed for 2008 V8 SUPERCARS THIS is the first look of Tony D’Alberto’s ride for the 2008 V8 Supercar Championship season.

The reigning Fujitsu Series Champion has confirmed he will run a Tony D’Alberto Racing/Rod Nash Racing entry, using a Walkinshaw Performance-supplied VE Commodore.

The car will feature primary sponsor from ‘The Bottle-O,’ which steps up after being a secondary sponsor on RNR’s Autobarn entry from last year.

According to D’Alberto, having his program sorted is a relief.

“It’s been a long process, that’s for sure,” he told eNews on Monday.

“So it’s nice to be able to just look forward to Clipsal and

giving it my best shot.

“At this point we don’t want to set too many goals. The main thing for the first round is to finish both races, and after that I guess we’ll be looking at top 15s as a solid weekend.

And as the season wears on, who knows, especially in the enduros. But we don’t want to make any predictions yet.”

The breaking news of Marcus

Zukanovic named as Dumbrell’s mate V8 SUPERCARS MARCUS Zukanovic will be Paul Dumbrell’s partner for the endurance races at Phillip Island and Bathurst.

Zukanovic completes the HSV Dealer Team’s driver lineup for season 2008, with Paul Radisich already confirmed to partner Rick Kelly.

“I’m over the moon,” Zukanovic told eNews.

“There’s a few nerves already because I really want to excel and help out what is the reigning championship team.

But I’m ecstatic about the opportunity and I’m ready to give it everything I’ve got.”

The deal comes thanks to Zukanovic’s existing links with Clayton (Zukanovic’s ride in the Fujitsu Series is an exGarth Tander VZ Commodore), and his association with stockbroking company Opes Prime, which will sponsor Kelly’s HSV entry as well as Zukanovic’s FV8 entry.

Zukanovic was set to have his first taste of the HSVDT VE at Winton today (Monday).

– ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN

Zukanovic’s enduro gig with the HSV Dealer Team leaves David Reynolds the prime candidate to partner D’Alberto in the enduros, especially given he will race for TDR in the FV8 series.

“There’s certainly no confirmation yet,” said D’Alberto, “but we’ll definitely look at David because by then he’ll have a strong relationship

with our team. I’d be more than happy to have David, but we’re honestly still not sure yet.”

In other RNR news, the Wills/ Longhurst license dispute heads to the High Court on Friday, which has threatened Nash’s entry for this season, but eNews believes that the license will remain in the hands of RNR. – ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN

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Title Contenders Unveiled!

V8 SUPERCARS IT has been a big week for unveiling V8 Supercar liveries, with last year’s two title contenders, Triple 8 and the HSV Dealer Team, both showing off new warpaint for season 2008.

After Team BOC and the Holden Racing Team showed their 2008 colours last week – shown first in updates to last week’s Motorsport eNews – Jack Daniel’s Racing showed off its black-andwhite look at Albert Park on Thursday, and introduced Todd Kelly in black for the first time.

The HSV Dealer Team wheeled out Rick Kelly’s car at Clayton last Friday, with dazzling new paintwork and sponsorship from Toll, Opes Prime and No Fear.

Britek followed suit on Friday, sending out images of the team’s two cars. The team will continue the split livery theme with the Fujitsu and IRWIN entries, although this year the cars look even

more different, with Bright’s Falcon featuring more white and the IRWIN entry less black.

On Saturday, it was the turn of Supercheap Auto Racing, with Russell Ingall and Paul Morris unveiling their VE at the Brisbane Motor Show.

On Monday, it was a two-city assault, TeamVodafone showing its 2008 colours. Apart from the strong ‘family’ resemblance to the 2007 look, it was the first time that new sponsors Nokia and Komatsu broke cover with the Bathurst winners.

At the same time, HSV was having its first on-track appearance of the season with a corporate ride day at Winton Motor Raceway, and this was the first chance to look at the colours to be carried this year by new recruit, Paul Dumbrell.

Turn the page to see the Jack Daniels Racing, Supercheap Auto Racing and Britek cars with their new paint.

BRIEFLY... n Changes are afoot at V8 Supercars Australia, with Michael Masi moving to a new role with CAMS. The former Fujitsu Series Operations Manager will take up the position in March, and will be a Project Manager with the ASN. Russell Delaney, who has specialised in communications and technical matters, has also left V8SA but will maintain a link with the sport, taking a similar role with the organisers of the Hamilton street race in New Zealand.

Britek

n According to eNews sources Tasman Motorsport signed an agreement with a title sponsor last week, however it isn’t energy drink brand Rockstar, as expected.

Further developments will be published in next week’s eNews. n Could Tim Blanchard be an A1 Team Australia driver soon?

The current Formula Ford Champ was on hand in the Team Oz garage on Saturday, and may be invited to test with the team when pre-season work for the 2008/09 season starts in September.

Also seen in the garage over the weekend were Nathan Antunes and Daniel Ricciardo, but we are fairly sure that one other bloke in the pit, Dick Johnson, was just looking, and there to present a trophy … n The CAMS Board has appointed Bob Cracknell as the new Chairman of the CAMS Historic Commission for 2008.

The appointment follows a lengthy period of consultation and consideration by the Board and takes immediate effect.

JDR

SCAR

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Check back here at 10:30am Tuesday to see Van Giz’s ride V8 SUPERCARS STONE Brothers racing is scheduled to unveil its #9 Falcon on Tuesday morning, confirming sponsorship of the car at the same time.

This followed last week’s confirmation

that the car would be driven by up-andcoming Kiwi driver Shane van Gisbergen.

SBR’s announcement was one of the last scheduled before the official V8 Supercar 2008 season launch, in Melbourne, on Wednesday evening.

While the car was expected to retain

SBR

some Autobarn backing, after the auto aftermarket group made a late switch to the HSV Dealer Team, the primary signage was expected to be new [image above embargoed to 10:30am Tuesday].

On the ball reader? See Letters, page 23

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Don’t Laugh. It seems to Work FORMULA 1

RED Bull appeared to have taken a solid step forward at last week’s Barcelona tests after unveiling an aero upgrade which included a distinctive-looking engine cover.

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As a result, Mark Webber shaded the McLarens and BMWs on the final day of the test – although the margin back to team-mate David Coulthard on that day suggests that the Aussie’s time may have been with the benefit of less fuel.

Putting test times into perspective, Toro Rosso pair.

Sebastien Vettel and Sebastian Bourdais took the top spots for the week. Running an update on STR’s 2007 machine, the duo set their times in qualifying trim to edge Lewis Hamilton’s best lap of the three

days into third place.

With no Ferrari at the test, McLaren led the way for much of the running. From the testing times it is clear that McLaren has got straight back up to speed, while Renault’s

new R28 also shows increasing signs of promise.

BMW seems to have overcome the instability problems that necessitated its aggressive aero update that saw horns on its nosecones,

and the team’s drivers were consistently challenging for the top positions.

But by far the biggest talking points of the test were Honda and Williams. The RA108 Honda failed to shine; bottom of the pile on Day 1, second from bottom on Day 2 and bottom again on Day 3. The team and drivers will have been hugely frustrated.

Not quite as frustrated as Williams though. The British squad’s FW30 is fast, but it is also fragile. The bumpy Barcelona track dislodged the front wing mountings of Kazumi Nakajima’s car on the first day of the test, launching him into a huge accident at the first corner. Despite taking to the track on the second day, the team eventually pulled out of the test as it was unhappy that the wing problem had been suitably resolved.

Brawn expects much from Honda HONDA’S new Team Principal Ross Brawn has outlined the thinking behind the team’s latest Formula 1 challenger at the official launch of the RA108.

Following a hugely disappointing 2007 season, Brawn’s appointment was one of the single greatest statements of intent of the winter period. And his influence is already starting to tell.

The RA108 has come from an entirely new concept, and was nowhere near the aerodynamic configuration that will appear in Melbourne in early March.

“The RA108 car is a wholly different concept to its predecessors, in terms of its aerodynamic layout and mechanical structure,” confirmed the Englishman.

“The design philosophy has been developed to allow greater scope for aerodynamic packaging and exploitation, particularly to facilitate the introduction of performance upgrades through the season.”

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FORMULA 1

Honda seemed to have lost its way early on in 2007, with an incorrectly calibrated new wind tunnel costing the squad dearly.

Quite simply, the car just never handled all that well, and this is something the team has been keen to resolve.

“The focus has been on attaining a high level of aerodynamic efficiency with stability and this is reflected in the way that the chassis has been revised to interact with the different aerodynamic features and the suspension,” Brawn continued.

“This approach should allow more potential for further developments to take place, the first of which will be for Melbourne, when we will introduce a substantially revised aerodynamic package compared with the car we have launched today.”

Sources close to the team suggested that the initial run-out of the car had seen the realisation of the desired performance increase over the 2007 car. However with their rivals also making steps forward, Honda’s overall pace had remained far off the sharp end.

With this in mind, the team is believed to be hoping that the aerodynamic upgrades promised by Brawn at the launch will bring as much as 1.2s by Albert Park time ...

BRIEFLY... n Like the race itself, the practice and qualifying sessions for the inaugural SingTel Singapore Grand Prix will be run in the dark, the FIA has confirmed. The city-state will stage the first floodlit Formula 1 race on a street circuit in September, starting at 8pm (1pm Central European Time).

The Friday and Saturday practice sessions will begin at 4pm and 8pm local. The timetables for all the 2008 Grands Prix are now on the FIA’s website [www.fia.com] n The BMW Sauber Formula 1 team has appointed Austrian former Jaguar and Red Bull racer Christian Klien as its official test and reserve driver, under race drivers Nick Heidfeld and Robert Kubica.

The team has also hired as a ‘junior’ test driver Estonian Marko Asmer, the 2007 British Formula 3 title winner. n Former Formula 1 drivers Alex Wurz and Ricardo Zonta have tested a Peugeot 908 Hdi LM-P1 sports-prototype at Paul Ricard, and are expected to join the French factory team for this year’s Le Mans 24 Hours.

– QUENTIN SPURRING

Aguri Deal Off? Driver preference threatens Indian buyout FORMULA 1

A

POTENTIAL Indian buyout of the Super Aguri F1 team is in the balance after the team’s engine supplier effectively vetoed the investors’ preferred driver line-up.

Over the past seven days, the CEO of the Indian ‘Spice Group’ was rumoured to have tabled a bid for the popular squad. The story continued to unfold as sources in India told eNews that a deal was believed to have been agreed between Super Aguri and Spice which would see the investors place former Jordan F1 driver Narain Karthikeyan in one of the race berths, with Takuma Sato remaining as team leader.

At the launch of the Honda RA108 however, Honda F1 Chief Executive Nick Fry told Reuters that Karthikeyan was an unacceptable choice in race driver, siding instead with Briton Anthony Davidson, who impressed in his debut F1 season with Super Aguri.

“I would not personally be convinced that the driver you mentioned (Karthikeyan) would be of an acceptable standard for us.

“We were instrumental in requiring Super Aguri to have drivers of an appropriate standard,” he continued. “To ensure that the engineering feedback is consistent, you have got to have people who are of a standard. Anthony is definitely one of the people who is of that standard.”

Super Aguri Managing Director Daniele Audetto insisted that he would like to see both 2007 drivers remain at the team in 2008, although he admitted that the team might ultimately have to take a driver nominated by an investor.

“At the moment we would like to stay with the same drivers. Takuma is the reason this team exists and Davidson is Honda’s preferred driver,” he told Reuters.

“But we are also looking for a

strong partner. If they bring a lot of money and they want a driver from wherever, then he has to be good and accepted by the FIA.” Our sources in India meanwhile went on to suggest that should the Spice group and Super Aguri reach an agreement, the day to day operation of the team would be handed to Honda Racing’s Otmar Szafnauer, in essence making Super Aguri an official Honda B team, for 2008 at least.

This would seem to fly in the face of Fry’s insinuation at the RA108 launch that Super Aguri was proving to be something of a thorn in Honda’s side.

“The intent for 2008 is that Aguri will be on the grid but clearly what [new team boss] Ross [Brawn] and I need to do, and are doing, is ensure that doesn’t detract from our primary job,” he said.

“At this stage, the intent is that they will be on the grid with Honda engines and

Ecclestone: Support AGP or we FORMULA 1

A SINGLE brief interview with a State reporter at a News Ltd paper has been enough for Bernie Ecclestone to re-ignite the debate over the future of Australia’s Formula 1 race.

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Two years before Melbourne’s current contract expires, Ecclestone chose the moment to plant seeds aimed at strengthening his negotiating position – throwing in sufficient

firecrackers to, predictably, fire up the local media.

“Maybe we don’t want to be in Australia,” Bernie told News Ltd’s Peter Rolfe.

“Our costs are very high in Australia and we get a lot less money. It’s bloody bad for us.

We’ve got quite a few places on the list which would like to have Formula One and as it seems your guy (Mr Brumby) down there doesn’t want Formula One.

“We can make him happy.”

Ecclestone went on to say that a night race was the “only way” the race could stay in Australia, even outlandishly suggesting that teams, carmakers and sponsors supported quitting Melbourne.

While admitting that contract renewal had not yet been discussed with Australian GP Corporation Chairman Ron Walker, Ecclestone said that his mind would be made up

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support. Exactly how much of that support comes from here is being worked on at the moment.”

It would therefore seem that 2008 will see the team maintain its support from Honda. With the Concorde Agreement thought to contain a clause making the use of customer cars legal for 2008 alone, Honda could make good use of Super Aguri.

The only logical explanation for Fry insisting that the team runs two drivers that Honda have approved, would be for HRF1 to be able to use their feedback in the furtherance of their development plans for the RA108, which in turn would have one believe that Super Aguri will, at some point, either run parts from or entire RA108s in 2008.

Fernando Keeps it Real

Having come so close to the embarrassment of being beaten in the Constructors’ championship by the F1 minnows in 2007, there is no other reasonable explanation for Honda insisting on a strong driver line-up over a cash-rich one at Super Aguri.

But with no long-term investment, and the suggestions that customer cars will again be outside the regulations in 2009, the question is not of where this leaves Super Aguri in 2008, but of how the team can ensure its survival into 2009.

FORMULA 1 DOUBLE F1 World champion Fernando Alonso’s return to Renault will not single-handedly turn the team back into race winners.

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e’re off

by money, television coverage and sponsors.

“Why wouldn’t we take it somewhere else?” he said.

“Unfortunately, we would have to consider the financial aspect for a start.”

For his part, Walker’s initial response was “It’s just Bernie being Bernie …” which probably sums up the entire episode best.

For more – see Opinion, page 22

This is the opinion of the Spaniard himself, who believes that despite making gains with its new R28, Renault is still almost a second off the ultimate pace of Ferrari and McLaren.

“At the moment, we need to close the gap to the top teams because we are a little bit too far behind them,” Alonso told reporters during the R28 launch in Paris.

“There is not any possibility to fight for podiums or wins, or things like that, so that is the first priority of these winter tests and the first race.”

Alonso admitted that the team could find a few tenths of a second, but that the gap between Renault and the big two was, at present, too great to be marginalised instantly.

The Spaniard is mindful that the team endured a tough

2007, but remains confident that the same attitude that brought him his two titles at the team in 2005 and 2006, will reap rewards in 2008.

“Renault last year was not competitive enough and that is the thing that we must change for this year. The team is very focused on changing this and they work very hard on this new car to sort out the problems they had last year, and I am here to help and to give my experience to them.”

He got off to a great start in Barcelona later in the week.

Second fastest behind only his 2007 team-mate Lewis Hamilton on the first day, both Alonso and Piquet went on to set respectable times throughout the three-day test.

“We need to be clever and we need to do the right things to the car to improve it. That is the target for this February’s testing,” the Spaniard had said at the launch.

Thus far, that target is looking ever more achievable.

A Dinner Invitation. Towelling Hats Optional TICKETS are selling well for the Australian Motorsport Foundation’s Frank Gardner Celebration Dinner.

The dinner, to honour one of the legends, and characters, of Australian motorsport, is on the Thursday evening of Grand Prix week in Melbourne and will be headlined by the man himself, along with a number of motorsport names, including past and present F1 drivers.

Gardner had an impressive and varied resume in motorsport – F1, F5000 (European

champion), European touring cars (three-times champ), and, until the last couple of years, retained the role of Medical Car driver at the AGP, chauffering (at high speed) good friend, F1 Medical Chief Prof Watkins when needed.

Throughout, and today, a laconic sense of humour has been Gardner’s badge.

His input is likely to make the AMSF’s dinner worth the price of admission alone.

Check out the advertisement elsewhere in this issue and lock in the date …

sutton-im ages.com

Where’s Willy?

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CHAMP CAR TESTING STARTS WITHOUT POWER: TEAM AUSTRALIA DENIES PROBLEM CHAMP CAR WORLD SERIES TEAM Australia is pressing ahead with its plans to compete in the Champ Car World Series, despite missing the opening three-day test of the season.

The Indianapolis-based team skipped the Sebring session in favour of a shaker rig test of its Panoz DP1. The team confirmed to Motorsport eNews that Will Power will race in the series this season and that negotiations continue regarding the second entry.

“We opted not to go [to Sebring], we just

got back from a shaker rig test,” said team spokeswoman Elizabeth Cannon.

“We are definitely running one entry and we are talking to drivers about the second entry.”

Rumours suggesting that Power was out of contract with the team were dismissed, with Cannon confirming that the Queenslander’s option was picked up by team co-owner Craig Gore last October. There was also a suggestion that the team’s absence from Sebring may have been linked to IndyCar’s offer of free

chassis and engine leases to any CCWS teams that ‘defect’, with team co-owner Derrick Walker being a long-time advocate of merging the two series.

Cannon stopped short of a full commitment to the CCWS, when asked whether the team would definitely run in the series.

“Right now, that is the plan,” she said.

The next test session is the two-day Spring Training at Laguna Seca on March 13-14.

Needed: Talent, and Passport

Formula 3 opener may rule out John Martin for Mexico, so Team Australia looks for a new pilot A1 GRAND PRIX A1 TEAM Australia could bring out a new name for the Mexico City round of the series, with a potential date clash possibly sidelining John Martin.

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The possible clash is caused by the fact that the Mexico race, set for March 16, is only a week before the opening round of the British Formula 3 Championship at Oulton Park.

While no-one in the Aussie team would elaborate, Team

Penske IndyCar star Ryan Briscoe would be a likely candidate for the team, for which he has already raced five times in the 2006-07 season, left. He scored one of the team’s best results, a podium finish, in China in 2006.

But Briscoe’s IndyCar season starts the weekend after Mexico and team management may be unlikely to allow their new signing to race in south of the border just seven days prior.

Martin is currently the

team’s sole driver, and the opening round of the IndyCar championship is a week after the Mexico race.

Seat holder Alan Jones would not comment on possible options.

“We have possibilities, with Nathan Antunes walking around here, and Daniel Ricciardo, but he has a list of commitments with Red Bull.

But maybe, there will be a big surprise …”

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Nations Cup at Indy?

A1 Grand Prix considers options – including Gold Coast Indy A1 GRAND PRIX

Creek,” said Clare, above. “But for some reason, there is a problem getting people out of Sydney. The Gold Coast is very much dependent on what happens with Champ Car. “Our biggest challenge is, we have five new teams wanting to come in from Asia-Pacific.

The question for us is, not so much what venues we go to in Australia, but where do we go in the region?”

A1 Grand Prix has five rounds

CHAMP CARS JUSTIN Wilson has secured a seat with Champ Car powerhouse Newman/Haas/ Lanigan Racing.

The rangy Brit had an ongoing deal with the nowdefunct RuSPORT team but that has now been cleared, allowing Wilson to join Graham Rahal in the team, starting at Sebring’s test.

Wilson, 29, has raced in the series since 2005, and has won five times in 55 starts. sutton-images.com

Representatives of the World Cup of Motorsport, which has raced at Eastern Creek on a year-to-year contract, are believed to have already had discussions about taking part in the event, which has been run on the Queensland streets since 1991.

But A1 Grand Prix’s CEO, AsiaPacific, David Clare, was noncommittal when Motorsport eNews spoke to him.

“We have worked hard here [Sydney], and spent a lot of money developing Eastern

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A1 GRAND Prix may be in line become the open-wheeler event on the Gold Coast.

in the Asia-Pacific this season, but may expand that to seven in coming years.

Team Australia seat holder Alan Jones sees many positives in a possible move to the Gold Coast.

“As a seat holder, I think that the Gold Coast would be a better venue. It has great beaches, it is a great weekend and to be a part of that would be fabulous.”

He also sees the possibility that the race could become A1’s marquee event.

“Durban is a great venue, being so close to the beaches, but it [the Gold Coast] would be a great showcase for A1 Grand Prix.”

Justin Time

Full FV8 campaign for Taz FUJITSU V8s

John Morris/Mpix

TAZ Douglas will run a full Fujitsu V8 Supercar campaign in 2008.

The young Victorian ran a privately-entered Formula Ford in last year’s national championship, finishing eighth in his Hitachi Mygale.

But this year he will step up to the Fujitsu Series, contesting the entire season with Terry Whyoon’s Image Racing AU Falcon.

“This is a good opportunity for me to get some V8 Supercar laps without too much pressure,” said Douglas.

“I know the car won’t be a winner because of its age, but this season will be about learning to race a Touring Car, so that next year I can have more of a tilt at the title.”

Douglas has made one Fujitsu Series start before, running last year’s Wakefield Park round with Sydney Star Racing.

L&H, Auslec support keeps on coming ...

V8 SUPERCARS LAWRENCE & Hanson and Auslec have joined the V8 Supercar Championship Series as a major sponsor.

The electrical wholesaler has signed a two-year deal to be a series sponsor, and will be the naming rights sponsor of the newly-announced L&H 500 at Phillip Island. It will also back the 2009 Townsville V8 race.

The company has already

been involved with the sport, and will feature on the Ford Performance Racing Falcons.

MINI driver headed O/S MINI CHALLENGE ONE competitor in the newfor-2008 MINIChallenge is in for a big bonus.

We hear that the series management is close to announcing a young talentstyled award, which will see a suitable competitor heading to the Nurburgring in June to take part in

a round of the German Championship.

Confirmed entries for the series have hit 15, with the promoters confident that a capacity 21-car grid will be achieved.

In the meantime, the first of the initial batch of Mini Cooper R56s are on their way to Australia for delivery to competitors.

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Dean is a Cus(co) word COMING ASIA-PACIFIC RALLY LEADING Australian rally privateer Dean Herridge has announced ambitious plans for the year ahead, heading overseas instead of running the Australian Rally Championship.

As eNews closed for press, Herridge had just returned from Japan to announce a major deal with parts manufacturer Caresser to contest the newly-formed Pacific Cup component of the Asia-Pacific Rally Championship.

“It’s an amazing opportunity

to drive with one of the leading teams in the APRC,” said Herridge who will compete in a Group N Subaru Impreza WRX alongside regular Cusco team driver Hiroshi Yanagisawa.

“I will drive for the Cusco team at three Rounds of the APRC, those three Rounds making up the new Pacific Cup. Those events will be New Caledonia, New Zealand and the Rally of Canberra.”

In addition, Herridge will bolster his APRC outings with a full compliment of events in the Chinese National Rally Championship, with

McRae in for Targa TARGA TASMANIA

FORMER WRC star Alister McRae will join Mazda’s resident driver Rick Bates in a two-car challenge for the new Showroom category on April’s Targa Tasmania.

McRae, who contested over 75 WRC events, recently moved to Perth and teams up with Bates, who took a nearstandard Mazda3 MPS to 10th outright in last year’s Targa.

“Competing in an endurance

event is completely new for me,” said McRae. “But having driven in more than 30 tarmac events, it will be a case of driving as usual and keeping in mind that it’s not a flat-out sprint.”

Mazda Motorsport boss Allan Horsley is confident: “Last year’s 10th outright is the goal I think we can beat, and I am also confident that both Rick and Alister will earn themselves a place on the Showroom podium.”

Subaru Rally Team China so impressed with the West Australian’s form in 2007 they were eager to resign for the year ahead.

“We were brought into the Chinese Championship at very short notice last year, and with very little preparation and testing we were able to perform above and beyond the team’s expectations. I did some end-of-season testing with the Subaru team at the end of last year and at that stage they signaled their intentions to re-sign me for 2008.”

– RYAN LAHIFF

THIS WEEK

InternationAl WRC –Sweden

Australia

Bathurst Motor Festival incl WPS 12-Hour

NexT Week (Feb 16-17) International NASCAR - Budweiser Shootout, Gatorade Duel - Daytona

Australia

Aust Sprint Nats - Speedway City

NEED A CAR?

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BRIEFLY...

Dirk Klynsmith

n TanderSport has a new deal with Mercedes Benz trucks.

The Melbourne-based team travelled to last weekend’s Formula 3 opener at Eastern Creek with a new Mercedes Benz Actros Prime Mover and matching pantech. Hubby Garth may be a Holden man, but Leanne Tander’s new Dallara 307 is powered by a 2-litre Mercedes Benz engine.

n Tony Cotman has a new job – with IndyCar. The New Zealander quit his role as Champ Car’s Executive Vice President last month after clashes with the series’ coowners, and will now be VP in charge of competition in the ‘other’ series. n Ant West and John Hopkins may experience some monsterism this year. American sports drink Monster Energy, which already backs Kawasaki’s AMA Supercross team, has extended its deal to included Team Green’s MotoGP squad.

The 12-Hour is ready to roll, and Steve Owen and Grant Denyer are in!

BATHURST 12-HOUR STEVE Owen and Grant Denyer are the latest drivers of note to be confirmed as starters in this weekend’s WPS Bathurst 12-Hour at Mount Panorama.

Owen will partner Barrie Morcom and James Moffat in Morcom’s BMW 335i, the sister car the last year’s 12Hour winner.

According to Morcom, Owen’s inclusion in the squad is a step towards competing with the 2007 winner, which will again be driven by car-owner Garry Holt, Craig Baird and all-

rounder Paul Morris.

“I’m definitely excited to have Steve on board, I know he’ll do a good job,” said Morcom.

“I’ve seen what he can do in a V8 Supercar and I think he’ll help a lot, not just to beat Garry [Holt’s] car, but beat a few of the other quick entries as well.

“The factory Holden entry will be quick based on the calibre of drivers alone, while there are some quick Mitsubishis, like the Mark King/Mark Brame/Michael Trimble car, and the Michael Brock/Gary Young/Jack Elsegood car. And the Quinns

entry will be quick as well.”

The Tony and Klark Quinn Mitsubishi is where Denyer fits in, the TV star/part-time racer joining the former Carrera Cup drivers in a VIP Petfoods-backed Evo VIII. Open-wheeler specialists Andy Knight and James Winslow are also late inclusions, sharing a Subaru with Daniel Shulz.

In other 12-Hour news, a minute-by-minute live timing service will be operational through the event’s website www. bathurstmotorfestival.com. au throughout the race.

– ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN

Bryce out, but plenty more in AUSTRALIAN GT THE shock last-minute withdrawal of former champion Bryce Washington from the Australian GT Championship has been softened by news of a new wave of cars on their way.

Days before the opening round at Eastern Creek Washington announced he would focus his attention on claiming the Carrera Cup title.

It seems as many as three Lamborghini Gallarado are set to join the series, with three already in the country. The exJohn Bowe Gallardo was driven on the weekend by new owner Ross Lilley, Ian Palmer’s car could return and the existing Washington Lambo has been

John Morris/Mpix

n A1 Team GBR race engineer James Goodfield took a souvenir of Australia home with him. During routine pitstop practice on Friday, the wheel nut gun pipe from the nearby A1 Team Portugal pit blew off and struck him in the leg.

Goodfield suffered a fracture and spent the rest of the weekend on crutches, while data engineer Albert Lau stepped up to engineer the car.

Back to BMF ...

sold with a new owner set to be announced.

“There two Lambos coming, and talk of a third,” said championship manager Terry Little.

“Ted Huglin definitely has one on the way and Washington’s have one set to arrive in 10 days. Gary hasn’t ruled out that Bryce may do some rounds or get someone else to drive.

“There are also some Ferraris on the way. Mark Coffey Racing has a new one coming.

The car Allan Simonsen has been driving has been sold to Nick O’Halloran who will race it.”

With another Aston Martin also expected to arrive, Little is confident of having six new FIA GT3 cars on the grid within two months.

– BILL RIDDELL

DODGE

NHRA Acquisition Cancelled

After a season with Ford NASCAR – again – with a

DRAG RACING

NASCAR SPRINT CUP

THE proposed acquisition of the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) by HD Partners Acquisition Corporation has been rejected by HD’s shareholders, who instead voted to liquidate the Californian company and recover its remaining cash.

Ford Racing

Under the terms of the deal, which had been blessed by NHRA founder Wally Parks four months before his death in October, HD would have assumed ownership of the NHRA’s office in Pomona, the rights to the POWERade Drag Racing Series and other assets, while the non-profit NHRA organisation used the US$121 million proceeds to fund grassroots drag racing nationwide.

“We are very disappointed with today’s vote, given our collective enthusiasm for NHRA and the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series,” said HD’s CEO, Eddy Hartenstein.

“Unfortunately, in the time since we first announced this transaction in May of 2007, we have witnessed a dramatic shift in both the financial markets and the perceived strength of the US economy, which we believe adversely impacted the final outcome of this transaction.”

The NHRA will continue to operate as in the past and says it has no current plans to pursue a similar opportunity.

Its president, Tom Compton, noted: “The NHRA is in the best financial position in its history and prospects for future growth are at an all-time high.”

ROBBY Gordon has shocked the NASCAR world by changing manufacturers – again – and moving to Dodge for this season’s Sprint Cup.

Gordon, who switched to Ford last season after year of racing Chevrolets, has

Forcing a Way Back DRAG RACING

– QUENTIN SPURRING

JOHN Force jumped to the head of the field of the National Time Trials last weekend at Phoenix with the quickest and fastest Funny Car pass of the four-day test session.

Ford Racing

Force clocked a 4.782 at 327 mph in his Castrol GTX Mustang on his second pass since climbing back into the seat after his nasty crash in Dallas last October.

Ron Capps was close behind at 4.785 at 322 mph in his new Napa Auto Parts Dodge Charger.

Jim Head was third at 4.84/313, while Tony Pedregon managed 4.86 at 278 mph in his Q Racing Chevrolet Impala. Gary Scelzi was next with a 4.87 at 318 mph in his Mopar/Oakley Dodge Charger R/T, while Cruz Pedregon (4.95), Tim Wilkerson (4.96) and Jerry Toliver (4.99) also dipped below five seconds during the weekend.

Rod Fuller and his Caterpillar dragster clocked a 4.46 at 331 mph to lead all of the Top Fuel testing.

Tony Schumacher had to settle for fastest pass of the weekend with 4.48/333mph in his U.S. Army dragster.

Hillary Will clocked two 4.5-second passes, the best at 4.52 at 293 mph placed her third. Top Fuel newcomer Antron Brown looked good with two runs, including a 4.54 at 327 mph. Doug Kalitta (4.54), Morgan Lucas (4.54), J.R. Todd (4.55), Brandon Bernstein (4.55), and Larry Dixon (4.58) also had recorded 4.5-second runs. Cory McClenathan (4.64), and Rob Vandergriff (4.65) both dipped into the 4.6-second range.

Filling in for Doug Herbert, crew chief Kevin Poynter drove the SnaponFranchise.com dragster to a 4.72 at 262 mph.

– DAVE OSTASZEWSKI

news

E CITY Stone the Crows!

d, Robby Gordon shocks a switch to Dodge

MOTOGP CASEY Stoner has recorded the fastest-ever motorcycle lap of Phillip Island in testing.

After the second of three days’ testing was all but washed out, the World Champion broke into the 1m28s on Bridgestone’s 2007 qualifying tyre.

Stoner looked to be fully

recovered from his recent shoulder injury and was delighted with the form of Ducati’s GP8.

“The new version of the engine has a better delivery, especially at the bottom end, and that has allowed me to set fast times more consistently, as well as increasing tyre life,” he said.

“The shoulder feels okay, it is

Top Gear, Iron Chef, World Superbikes

Ducati Corse

– MARTIN D CLARK

Casey blitzes PI test

Ducati Corse

announced that his own team will form a technical, manufacturing and marketing services agreement with Gillett Evernham Motorsports.

“Ford has been very good to me, and this move is not a reflection on our relationship at all,” said the controversial owner-driver.

“Ford was planning on supporting me, and even increasing its engineering support for my program in 2008. However, I felt that I needed to make this move to help put my team in a more stable financial situation in terms of marketing and sponsorship help.”

Apparently the sudden cancellation of last month’s Dakar Rally, in which the longtime desert racer was to drive a Hummer, put financial strain on Gordon’s team and aided his decision.

Gordon’s team will use Dodge engines supplied by GEMS, which also supplies the other Dodge operations of BAM Racing and Petty Enterprises. But Gordon will receive more technical help than just drivetrain components received by the other teams.

The move comes at a time when the GEMS team is undergoing some political upheaval. Team co-owner Ray Evernham’s position with the organisation changes from week to week – the latest decision seems to be he will act as a consultant to the organisation now owned in the majority by George Gillett.

MICHAEL Fabrizio is a happy man – and not just because he gets to ride the Xerox Ducati in World Superbikes.

He has just learned that, apart from Speedweek every Sunday and the World Rally Championship coverage, which started yesterday [Sunday], SBS Television will broadcast the 2008 World Superbike Championship. Highlights of each round will be shown from 12:30pm-1pm on Sundays, starting on March 2.

The WRC coverage will feature Chris Atkinson, the Queenslander shooting special links for the start and end of each broadcast.

just a little bit weak and sore because I haven't been able to work on it as much as I would have wanted, but now we can do that.”

Nicky Hayden continued to show good qualifying speed, though Honda’s latest pneumatic-valve engine is still suffering growing pains. On the Yamaha side, both James Toseland and Colin Edwards flew the flag well on the Michelin-shod Tech 3 machines, while the factory Fiat team stayed at home.

John Hopkins joined the growing injury list after a huge fall on Thursday, suffering a torn abductor (groin) muscle when he highsided off at Turn 1. He is due to have a medical assessment in San Francisco today (Monday).

Dani Pedrosa missed the test as he recovers from his wrist injury in Barcelona.

PHILLIP ISLAND MOTOGP TEST 1 Stoner 2 Hayden 3 Toseland 4 Dovizioso 5 Edwards 6 Vermeulen 7 De Angelis 8 Nakano 9 Elias 10 De Puniet 11 Guintoli 12 Melandri 13 Capirossi 14 West 15 Hopkins

Ducati B Honda M Yamaha M Honda M Yamaha M Suzuki B Honda B Honda B Ducati B Honda M Ducati B Ducati B Suzuki B Kawasaki B Kawasaki B

1.28.777 1.29.734 1.29.754 1.29.780 1.29.795 1.30.216 1.30.438 1.30.728 1.30.966 1.30.978 1.30.983 1.31.377 1.31.508 1.31.957 1.42.130

5 Minutes with ...

KARL REINDLER

Karl Reindler is coming home to drive a Howard Racing V8 Supercar

When you did the deal did you know that Dean Canto was going to be your

sutton-images.com

Well you’ve driven for some professional teams overseas.

How does Howard Racing stack up?

They’ve really impressed me.

They’re very professional, but at the same time its like a big family.

Everyone’s known each other for a long time and they get on really well, so it doesn’t seem too business-like, which is a nice way for a team to be.

Everyone works well together and everyone knows where they need to be, and the system works. It’s as professional as any team I’ve been with.

Marshall Cass

MOTORSPORT NEWS: After a couple of years racing overseas you’ve decided to come home and concentrate on running V8 Supercars.

Are you excited about that opportunity?

KARL REINDLER: Yeah, I’m really excited with how it’s worked out in the off-season.

We were still tossing up options for this year. I tested in Japan late last year with ambitions of doing Nippon or Super GT and I’ve just come back from the US, and then I tested for DJR last year as well.

So we were pursuing those three options for a long time.

I met up with Mark Howard toward the end of last year and we sat down and had a meal and I got to know the guy. We were talking to a few teams and we were really happy with how professional Mark’s outfit was.

ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN

Racing round the clock: Reindler did the midnight shift at the recent Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona.

team-mate?

I had no idea, that’s only happened very recently.

But I’m very pleased about it.

He’s a very experienced driver Dean, and he’s a quick driver, so from my point of view I think it’s a strong line-up.

If there’s one thing I’ve learnt over the last few seasons in Europe is how important it is to have a quick, strong teammate, just to be competitive with and push you along. You push each other along and push the boundaries, and that’s really important.

What are your goals for this year?

Clipsal will be a little bit daunting. It’s a track I know, but there’s always a lot of casualties. So the first round I just want to stay out of trouble.

I’ll still be getting used to the car because testing is so restricted, so compared to some of the guys out there I’ve just got no experience in these cars.

And they’re such a unique car to drive compared to the open-wheelers, or compared to anything for that matter. So it’ll take a bit of time to adapt, but I’ve got good guidance here from the team.

From Wakefield Park onwards, I guess I’ll be pushing for top 10 finishes, but the real guide for me will be how the [official] test goes on February 14, before that its too early to be making too many claims.

Tell us about racing in the Daytona 24-Hour race …

Daytona was the most awesome experience I’ve ever had in motor racing.

The weekend started off exceptionally well. We qualified fourth out of 45 in class, and we had a quick car. Diego Alessi started off the race and we were running in third place early on, but at the end of the first stint the steering upright snapped and we lost 24 laps straight up in the garage.

I couldn’t believe it. After

qualifying I was really optimistic because the car was quick and the engine was bulletproof. And it’s a comfortable car to drive, its quite soft, so for a two and a half hour stint you can drive it consistently.

But the upright was the first of the problems. The bonnet pins snapped and the bonnet flicked up, and then the alternator belt came off and the driveshaft broke, Then the other upright snapped and the suspension collapsed. And we had two punctures.

So we spent about a quarter of the race in the garage.

But the whole event was an experience. My first stint was the 11pm to 1am so there I was having my first run in a GT car and it was dark and wet and I was on slick tyres. I learnt so much!

And I was lucky enough to drive it across the finish line and see the chequered flag, and to do that was the most awesome feeling.

chat

Dirk Klynsmith

sutton-images.com

Aussie GP: Will the answer come from the Feds? opinion Chris Lambden eNews Publisher IT must be fun being Bernie.

Imagine the scene, at Mr E’s London office: “What are you doing this weekend, Mr Ecclestone?”

“Dunno … Oh, I know, I’ll wind up the Aussies!”

And so it goes. It must be fun knowing you can get such a reaction. And what’s more, you can throw in one-liners that are absolutely outrageous, and nobody bats an eyelid.

This time, hidden among the ‘if you don’t want to pay, someone else will’ theme came suggestions that the teams and sponsors were tired of Melbourne and want to move on anyway.

Now that is outrageous.

Melbourne remains one of, if not the, most popular Formula 1 races among its participants.

They whinge a little about the long flight but, they say, it’s worth it. They love coming here!

Mr E? Well, he doesn’t come that often and, it comes as no surprise, is totally motivated

by the bottom line. He says so himself. That’s why classic and challenging circuits such as Imola and Spa find themselves moved aside, temporarily or permanently, in favour of such ‘motorsport powerhouses’ as China, and soon Russia and India. It’s about cash, and it will be when the Australian contract comes up for renewal.

The Victorian Government is legitimately faced with a dilemma, balancing cost against economic benefit.

There is a point at which Victoria simply can’t afford to carry on. Is there a solution?

Melbourne, Australia.

City and country (above) get the signage kudos – should the country help pay the bill?

F1 now deals with nations.

Races happen with national backing. Is there a case to suggest that Australia as a whole shares the benefits, tourism or otherwise, of the Australian Grand Prix and that the Federal government could thus legitimately chip in? The Feds did, after all, tip in when Bathurst was rebuilt. There is a precedent.

That’s the sort of outcome that may be needed if F1 is to continue to visit Australia after 2010. And I’m sure it’s something that has crossed the mind of Mr E ...

Letters

Have your say, email us at mail@mnews.com.au. Keep letters to the point.

Let the axe fall where it may Re: Axe Looms on GP – Sunday Herald Sun 3/2/08 Apparently Mr. Ecclestone is, once again, threatening to take the Formula 1 circus away from Melbourne unless we pander to his demands for a night race and accept a substantial increase in licensing fees.

Its about time Mr. Ecclestone

was cut loose. As an entertainment and sporting spectacle, Formula 1 has, in recent years, failed to live up to its lofty reputation as the pinnacle of motorsport. How many overtaking manoeuvres for the race lead were successfully executed during the entire season last year?

Bugger all.

Until Mr. Ecclestone actually

starts to fix his circus, the entire show will continue to lose value as an entertainment spectacle.

One can only trade on past reputation for so long.

I propose, instead, a Festival of Australian Motorsport to showcase the very best of Australian driving and engineering talent.

The weekend’s under card

would feature most of the premier Australian racing categories: Porsche Cup, Aussie Racers, V8 Utes, Masters etc. This would provide a magnificent backdrop to the premier event – a 1000km, non-championship, winner takes all V8 Supercar race, with a prize purse of $1 million.

Matt Treacy matttreacy@bigpond.com

opinion

CCWS / A1GP – either would work at Surfers opinion Neel Jani A1 Team Switzerland

Young Talent Time Hi there, just thought I’d write a quick note to say how impressed I was after watching the A1 GP coverage on Sunday, with South Africa’s Adrian Zaugg and Australia’s own John Martin.

Both of these drivers showed amazing skill and talent in the probably the worst conditions that could be thrown at them.

It is drivers like these guys that deserve a ride in either F1 or Champ Car. I think we will be hearing a lot more of them in the not too distant future.

Bec Walker bessyboomatilda@yahoo.com.au

Dirk Klynsmith

I WAS in Surfers last October with Champ Car, and so people ask me for comparisons between those cars and my A1 Team Switzerland car.

The A1 is more ‘European’ in driving style. You can attack the corners a lot more. That is like it is in a Formula 1 or a GP2 car. You brake later into the corner in one of these cars.

It is unfortunate that the Champ Car World Series is not going well – it is a good series, with good cars and very close racing. But when there are not the sponsors or the money around, it is difficult to make it grow.

I have to say that Surfers is an event that carried itself. It is a big party, the people will come

anyway – no matter what sort of racing there is, just so long as the V8s are there! I think that any open-wheel series would work there.

I think that the Gold Coast Indy was the biggest and greatest event I have ever been at. It is so impressive, and the crowds and the atmosphere are fantastic.

Champ Car has a great championship but it is a struggle at the moment. As a driver, I have the option to go with A1 Team Switzerland or I could still do Champ Car. There are clashing dates, but I am fighting for the championship in A1 GP, so why should I leave this series now?

I can see that A1 Grand Prix is the future for me. As most drivers in Europe, my aim is still to get into Formula 1, sooner or later.

A1 GP is a very good series to drive in, if you do not get into Formula 1, because there are

no feeder series just for this – it stands alone. You can spend your career here, if you want to.

That is a good thing.

T

here has been talk about traction control in racing, especially now it is to be removed from Formula 1.

Sebastian Bourdais said after Toronto last year that no European series would race on that track because it would be seen as being too dangerous.

eLETTER OF THE WEEK Eyes Wide Open Great read every week!

I think the new SBR #9 Falcon sponsor will be SP Tools.

I was at SBR HQ recently when decals were being placed on their transporter and their office door.The SP Racing logo is the same size

as the Jeldwen logo and on their office door SP Racing and Jeldwen logos take pride of place.

I have never seen the SP Tools Racing logo before – it must just be the thing you make up when you become an A-grade sponsor. Who

In Champ Cars, you have 750 horsepower, no tyre warmers, real hard tyres and a track with three different surfaces – different types of asphalt and concrete. It is the toughest track to drive in the rain and it still worked out okay!

You just have to get back your driving skills a little bit.

I think that Formula 1 should not be too easy. It is Formula 1, the top of the sport, and this [losing traction control] is a good step.

knows, it may have been around for a while in other countries or motorsports.

I may be wrong, we’ll have to wait and see. SBR is going to unveil at 10am on Tuesday.

Take the plunge eNews, get the jump on SBR and go to print with SP Racing!

Remember, where there’s smoke there’s tyres!!

Kustom (name/address provided) ED: Guess you’ll know very, very soon – see news pages.

Horspwr Clothing is giving away a t-shirt each week for the most creative letter. Send yours to mail@mnews.com.au, or Motorsport News PO Box 7072, Brighton, Vic 3186

A1GP ROUND 6 – EASTERN CREEK

The South shall rise ... from the Damp

Adrian Zaugg and Team South Africa mastered the wet at Eastern Creek.

PHIL BRANAGAN reports

race

.

Dirk Klynsmith

John Morris/Mpix

I

T would be easy to think that Adrian Zaugg’s win in the A1 Grand Prix Feature race was down to strategy and the misfortune of others.

Not much could be further from the truth. Yes, New Zealand was forced to start from pitlane after a warm-up lap problem; yes, Loic Duval fell over himself, stalling on the formation lap, clouting Team USA out of the race and then parking after his second stop with a dud clutch.

But that is understating the South African’s wet track speed. Once he made his first pitstop, he streaked away from the field; on the lap when he was the first into the1:39s, he was 2s faster than his closest pursuers, Neel Jani and Robbie Kerr.

“It was so difficult to see at the start,” said

Zaugg, “I could not see my pit board until there were six laps to go!”

With Switzerland and GB filling the Feature podium, the other talking point of the race was Team Australia. John Martin started back in 15th but steadily picked off places and, aided by a swift second pitstop, snatched fifth from Germany, to score the home team’s best result of the season – even if he did scare everyone with an off with 1.5 laps remaining.

“I felt the pressure a little in qualifying and choked when it mattered,” he said.

“But I don’t mind driving in the rain, I had some fun and the car was good. I got two awesome pitstops.”

The Sprint race was a walkover, with Duval spearing away from the rolling start

and disappearing into the distance to win by 9s. Jonny Reid and Jani had a spirited battle for second, the Swiss blotting the copybook with a late-race spin that dropped him all the way to 10th.

The star of that race was Rob Wickens.

His Team Canada entry was 15th on the grid, but the car show Wayne Gretzkylike poise on the slippery track, which prompted Kerr to remove Team Britain from the top five to swap to wet tyres. He never made any ground on the leaders after that but Wickens did, taking a brilliant third at the flag.

The dream result sends Zaugg home for the next round full of momentum, but the series leaders are going to stage an all-out war for the third World Cup of Motorsport.

race

Marshall Cass

Wet and wild: Adrian Zaugg, left, impressed with a storming drive to claim the Feature while Canada’s Rob Wickens, above, was the standout in the Sprint carving his way through to third place John Martin secured Team Australia’s best result on home soil, right. Loic Duval, below right, claimed the Sprint for Team France while Pakistan’s Adam Khan speared into the wall, below.

James Smith

JPM

A1GP | TEAMS’ points Marshall Cass

New Zealand 96, France 96, Switzerland 93, South Africa 79, Germany 77, Great Britian 58, Netherlands 55, Ireland 50, Brazil 38, (Australia 15).

AUSTRALIAN F3 ROUND 1 – EASTERN CREEK

race

Western Warrior Having spent last season racing in the United Kingdom must have helped Nathan Caratti’s wet weather driving, because when the heavens opened in Syndey, the West Aussie was just too good

Dirk Klynsmith

N

Dirk Klynsmith

ATHAN Caratti has taken the early ascendency in the 2008 Australian Formula 3 Championship after winning the one and only race at Eastern Creek last weekend.

Having qualified second, Caratti made a great start to the opening race of the season and took the lead from Leanne Tander and James Winslow, with Winslow quickly fighting his way up to second place. The top three places were static for the remainder of the race.

The top four cars then exchanged fastest lap times, with Bamber lapping particularly impressively to keep Tander under pressure. On the fringe of the topfive, Neil McFadyen and Mathew Sofi staged an intense battle, with McFadyen eventually setting the fastest lap of the race.

Irishman Lee Farrell capped off a great weekend for Team BRM, by winning the National Class after a battle with Chris Gilmour and Chris Reindler.

“I got a good start which put us into the lead straight away,” Caratti said.

“After that it was all about controlling the race and I was able to settle into a comfortable groove. I’m really happy to take my first win and with it being the first round of the season, it’s a perfect start for us. There were a couple of moments through traffic when I saw that James (Winslow) was catching up but I never really felt that threatened.

“It was about keeping the car on track and not making any mistakes.”

The scheduled second race was declared a non-event due to heavy rain that made track conditions too dangerous for racing. Only four laps were completed behind the Safety Car – not enough for any points to be awarded.

In qualifying, Tander took pole position for the opening race, ahead of the Opes Prime Team BRM cars of Caratti, Bamber, and Winslow. Lap times deteriorated by well over two seconds for the second qualifying session due to poor chemistry between the Kumho F3 tyres and those used for the other categories. Team BRM best adapted to the changing conditions, allowing Caratti to take pole position for the second race from Bamber, Winslow and Tander.

– LACHLAN MANSELL Points: Caratti 21, Winslow 15, Tander 13, Bamber 10, McFadyen 9.

race

ALLAN Simonsen started his Australian GT Championship defence in perfect fashion in the A1GP support races, taking three victories and maximum points away from Eastern Creek.

In the opening race, Simonsen quickly established a comfortable margin over the Ferrari 360GT of Craig Baird, with John Kaias in the Aston Martin DBR9S finishing third after a slow start.

Baird managed to pull ahead of Simonsen at the start of Race 2, but

Dirk Klynsmith

Way ahead of you, mate ...

could only hold the lead for three laps before being overhauled by Simonsen’s superior car speed. Baird then defended second place from Kaias, who eventually took the position with a spectacular move around the outside into Turn 1.

The main drama occurred when Anthony Kosseris (Porsche GT3) made heavy contact with John Teulan (Ferrari 430) at Turn 2, with Kosseris briefly becoming airborne. Both cars retired

from the race.

Heavy rain in race three allowed noted webfoot Simonsen to take an even more commanding victory. Baird used his wet-weather experience to overtake Kaias early in the race, and beat the Aston Martin driver for second place overall, while Ross Lilley in the ex-John Bowe Lamborghini Gallardo finished fourth ahead of the Lotus Sport Elise of Peter Lucas.

– LACHLAN MANSELL

Ty–won–ease

Marshall Cass

TY HANGER took two dominant race victories from two races in the Historic Sport and Racing Car A1GP support events at Eastern Creek last weekend.

The Formula 4000 regular qualified his Ralt RT4 on pole position by more than 3s before taking victory in a Safety Carinterrupted Race 1 from Vivian King and Sean Whelan.

In the second race, Hanger exploited the full potential of his machine, taking a 25s win from Whelan and Chris Farrell, with King slotting back to fourth after a poor start.

Unfortunately, the scheduled third race was cancelled due to program delays caused by the wet weather.

– LACHLAN MANSELL

TOP FUEL ROUND 5 – KWINANA MOTORPLEX

He’s back, folks ...

Phil Lamattina’s return to Top Fuel drag racing coulnd’t have been more perfect, a round win and a 4.65s pass at the West’s Motorplex

race

V

ictorian Phil Lamattina made his comeback from an accident four months ago winning the Australian Top Fuel Championship round at Perth Motorplex on February 2.

Lamattina used a 4.65s/301mph run in the final to take the win, with his opponent Darren Morgan unable to start for the final when he had a supercharger problem.

It was a successful weekend for Lamattina's nitro dragster, with the Fuchs team also taking top qualifying spot following a 4.66s/309mph run

on Friday night, in a new car that is still being sorted.

“We didn't know if we were going to come back racing or not (after the accident) but it was the best decision we made to come back,” he said.

“It was good to run quick and put on a good show. The track was perfect.”

Fellow Victorian Morgan was disappointed not to be able to claim his first win with the Wicked Quick team, but was pleased with a new personal best 4.70s/312mph time in the semi finals.

“Sometimes its the last man standing, so good on the Lamattinas,” he said.

“Thanks to all those guys who made the effort to come over and next year, hang on, we'll be after the championship.”

West Australian Martin Stamatis had a mixed weekend in his first Top Fuel event at Perth Motorplex.

The Fastlane Software team thrashed overnight to rebuild a blown engine, which had been blown from the injector hat on top to the crank at the

bottom in a big explosion.

In the semi finals, he was up against Morgan but smoked the tyres at half-track and took a lose.

Stamatis' team-mate Phil Read had just as tricky a weekend, with a quickest time of ‘only’ 5.07s.

The Auto One dragster could not get down the track no matter what they tried, with tyre smoke and engine damage taking its toll.

TOP FUEL | DRIVER'S points Points: Phil Read 485, Darren Morgan 308, Phil Lamattina 303, Martin Stamatis 230, Allan Dobson, 220.

race

HPS Photography

Peth gets its Phil: series leader Phil Read, above, had a meeting he would rather foget, above, while Darren Morgan,

left, was the only one to challenge meeting winner Phil Lamattina. John Zappia, below, claimed the Top Doorslammer round to lead the championship.

John Morris?mpix Brian White

HPS Photography

John Morris?mpix Brian White

Brazier leads as rain delays SPEEDWAY

John Morris/Mpix

I can see clearly now the rain is gone: Garry Brazier, above, lead the points after heavy Sydney rain split the racing across two weeks. It’s not every day you see Max Dumesny and Robbie Farr colide, below.

got involved in a start line crash in Heat 7 and badly damaged his borrowed Sprintcar.

Eighty one sprintcars from across Australia arrived for the 2008 Title shoot out with heat wins going to Tunks, Danny Reidy, Ian Madsen, Adrian Maher, Stuart Williams, Matthew Thomas, Max Dumesny and James McFadden all from the night one.

Night two saw Ian Loudoun, Ken Sartori, Garry Brazier (2 wins), Kerry Madsen, Steven Lines, Bryan Mann and Skip Jackson all grab heat wins.

– GREG BOSCATO

John Morris/Mpix

FOUR time Australian Sprintcar Champ Garry Brazier holds a slender lead in the Australian Sprintcar Championship after rain delays.

Rain again forced organisers to postpone the final night to this Saturday (February 9).

After qualifying at Parramatta City Raceway on Thursday a huge thunderstorm hit the area. The remainer of the night and all of Friday was transferred to the Saturday night (February 2), completing nights one and two, but heavy rain again saw the final Sunday night transferred to this Saturday night.

After winning both his heat races, Brazier leads the points tally from West Aussie Ken Sartori and local Sydney hotshot Adrian Maher.

Local star Grant Tunks set quick time in qualifying from James Thomson and Ian Madsen. Interestingly both current title holder Brooke Tatnell and Max Dumesny were back in the field in 21st and 22nd positions, making it a tough battle to move back up the field.

Saturday night saw night two runners having their own qualifying with impressive Sammy Walsh setting quick time over Alan Woods and Robbie Farr.

With the regular preliminary night mains cancelled both nights one and two ran their respective rounds of heats before results were combined for the third and final night of competition.

There was only a couple of incidents, Mitchell Dumesny got caught up with Darryl Campbell fand lipping over in turn 4. NT star Danny Porter racing a third Bevelite Glass machine

race

Neil Hammond

Vic racing rebounds in twilight VMRS Round 1 of the newly-formed Victorian Motor Racing Series held at Calder Park last weekend provided plenty of action.

Formula Ford’s incident packed final was won by round winner Karl Seeberg, who is returning from almost a 10 year break. He qualified at the front of the field and raced well in the opening two races, overcoming a collision with Ben Small to finish fourth in Race 2 and steering clear of an incident between Leigh Nicolauo and

Luke Ellery in the final.

Ellery looked set to take out the round, but was hindered by a late braking Nicolauo, who climbed over Ellery’s front right entering turn one, ending Nicolauo’s race and dropping Ellery back who recovered to finish third. Ben Small capped off a consistent debut meeting with second overall.

In Saloon Cars, Corey Ludeman and Simon Tabinor fought extensively over the three races with Ludeman coming out on top. BMW E30 front runner Craig Munro

looked to have cemented round victory until mechanical problems arose in the final, a race won by Geoff Bowles after David Levy received a 15s penalty.

Despite a clutch problem Ken House, pictured, in a Ford Escort dominated the Super TT/Under 2-Litre field by winning all three races in front of Tyrone Smith.

Geoff Taylor and Gary Edwards shared race victories in Historic Touring Cars between them with Taylor in the Mustang winning the round with two race wins.

– AARON SHAW

A Smith and Hyde battle at Taupo TRANS TASMAN REVIAL

Fast Company/Alex Mitchell

Chris Hyde in a McRae GM1 triumphed at the fourth round of the Trans Tasman Revival Series at Taupo.

Hyde, pictured, took a clean sweep in all three races over Veteran Ken Smith in his Lola T430, who was on his tail at each finish.

Race 1 brought the crowd to its feet during several tense passing moves at the front.

Hyde leapt from the line but 66-year-old Smith caught and

then passed Hyde through the infield complex on lap two. Just two laps later Hyde returned the favour, passing under brakes onto the back straight and leading to the flag.

Sefton Gibb, third overall in his Lola T332, was unable to challenge Hyde and Smith but was clear of the mid-pack dominated by David Abbott aboard a LolaT430 The series will conclude at the Phillip Island Historic meeting March 7-9, with 18 cars expected on the grid.

rear of grid

Toyota lines up Usual Suspects RALLY stars Simon Evans and Rick Bates took on Speedway champ Brooke Tatnell on home turf.

Parramatta City Raceway was to host a speed comparison

similar to that previously seen at the Australian Formula1 GP. Toyota enlisted Evans in his championship winning Corolla and Bates in a soon to be relased TRD HiLux to take

on Toyota backed Tatnell in his Sprintcar.

The three cars were set to race in a handicap format during the Australian Spritcar Title however heavy rains

spoiled the fun and racing somewhat – an impresive lineup nonetheless.

The Punter is on Vacation

John Morris/Mpix

Stevens Kicks Butts

Angus Macmaster

t o p S Odd

Drag racer Brett Stevens was on hand at Willowbank recently to help 10-year-old Jesse Skinner get his junior dragster licence.

Skinner won a competition ran by KickButt Racing, an antismoking program targeting school kids through racing.

“It was really great, I was nervous at the start but then it was fun because I did a burnout – that’s the really fun part,” said Jesse.

“He is a very keen young guy and it is fantastic that he had the opportunity to get behind the wheel of a race car,” said Stevens.

For more info visit www.kickbuttracing.com.au