Motorsport eNews Issue 75 - October 7-13, 2008

BATHURST 1000: UNIQUE PREVIEW INSIDE

Issue No. 075 7 – 13 October 2008

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S G N I W S T E RICK G

“There’s No rift at DJR”

JOHNSONs SET THE RECORD STRAIGHT

Editorial Editor: Grant Rowley grant@mnews.com.au Deputy Editor: Andrew van Leeuwen andrew@mnews.com.au Staff Journalist: Phillip Mahoney philm@mnews.com.au Executive Editor: Phil Branagan editor@mnews.com.au

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Contributing Writers F1: Will Buxton, 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)

Issue No. 075 | 07 – 13 Oct 2008

news 4 Rick Bull

Rick’s got new wings?

6 DJR latest Johnson denies family rift 8 Anniversary Special Holden livery 12 IRL or S ...

Big news Stateside 16 Percat Coaching in England 19 Drewer Champion ... What about the future?

chat 22 5 minutes with ... opinion 23 Branagan 24 Bathurst

race 32 ARC 36 NASCAR 40 A1GP 44 Superbikes

Russell Ingall Dear Roger ...

We get the views ...

Bates does the Tarmac dance Crashing at Talladega Finally underway, sort of Bayliss crowned Champion

trade 50 Classifieds

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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

We know we don’t cover MotoGP in eNews anymore (GPWeek takes care of that), but we couldn’t ignore the fact that Casey smoked everyone, at home, at the Island ...

! l l u B d e R ? l l u No B , while 9 0 0 2 in t r o p p Red Bull su e r o c s o t d Supercar e 8 t u V o e t h t n e s a ld e o H iv r d d Rick an ds into over a e h n o s a e S ly ear ... y e h t f o e next year’s Sil c a r t s r its bigge o f s e r a p e r p s u circ

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V8 SUPERCARS

wings?

Will Rick have at a of wh t impression is rt a s s’ ew eN modore VE Red Bull Com ly el K k ic R e in 2009 ... factory could look lik

RED Bull is reportedly heading to V8 Supercars in 2009 – in a big way.

That’s the news, albeit unconfirmed, circulating around the V8 grapevine as the V8 teams and drivers prepare for the 2008 Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 this weekend.

According to reliable eNews sources, Red Bull – the popular Austrian energy drink – is in the frame to back the Holden Commodore VE piloted by Rick Kelly in the 2009 season.

Kelly, the 2006 V8 Supercar Champion, has enjoyed personal support from Red Bull for the past three years and, if the chat proves to be correct, the sponsorship is set to be upped from helmet sponsor to naming-rights sponsor of his car.

To this point, Red Bull has only offered personal sponsorship deals to a limited group of Australian racing drivers, including Kelly, two-time V8 champ Marcos Ambrose and twotime Fujitsu Series champion Dean Canto.

And in further industry speculation, there’s no guarantee Kelly’s Red Bull deal will adorn an HSV team car.

Stories continue to circulate concerning the make-up, and ownership of the current HSV team in 2009, and its relationship with HRT. It is being suggested that ownership of the HSV team (the licences are currently held by John and Margaret Kelly, Rick’s parents) could be up for grabs – indeed there are several suggestions concerning likely owners.

Under these circumstances, the story goes, Rick will move across to HRT to pair with former team-mate Garth Tander, with Mark Skaife in a third, Holden-backed, ‘Greening the Supply Chain’ Commodore, as revealed some weeks back in eNews.

Regardless of whether this scenario plays out, or there’s a status quo at HSV, it seems as though Red Bull will feature prominently in Rick Kelly’s 2009 plans.

Red Bull, owned by Austrian entrepreneur Dietrich Mateschitz, has supported just about every major motorsport category all around the world, including two teams in Formula 1 (owning both), Citroen’s World Rally program, Audi’s DTM team, SEAT’s World Touring Cars, Toyota’s NASCAR entries, plus other earlier entries in IndyCars and Champ Cars, as well as a heavy involvement in motocross and other extreme sports.

Red Bull also runs its own Junior Team. The program identifies future racing stars in open wheel racing. Australian success-story Daniel Ricciardo is a part of the 2008 program, and he, along with a number of other rising stars, receives financial support from Red Bull to compete in the lower racing formulae.

Red Bull is one of the big business success stories of the past 20 years.

In 2006, more than three billion cans of the energy drink were sold in 130 different countries. And, if the V8 grapevine is correct, it is poised to take on a higher profile in Australia’s number one motorsport category.

– GRANT ROWLEY

“Not me” says Dumbrell V8 SUPERCARS AUTOBARN CEO Garry Dumbrell has emphatically denied industry speculation that he is poised to take on ownership of the current HSV V8 race team.

Dumbrell’s son Paul drives for the team, under Autobarn’s colours, and Garry (who briefly dabbled in team ownership during the Gibson/Wynns

era, when Greg Murphy and Steve Richards won Bathurst) has been touted as a potential buyer for the team.

“No, categorically not,” he told us on Monday, confirming that both the Autobarn budget, and Paul D, are expected to remain with the HSV team next year: “The plan is for things to remain much the same in 2009.”

n h Jo n e v te S FPR: Courtney won’t be here V8 SUPERCARS FOLLOWING our exclusive news last week concerning James Courtney’s reported deal with DJR, both Ford Performance Racing and Jim Morton (Ford rising Stars Racing) have formally confirmed that Courtney, who will leave Stone Brothers Racing at the end of the year, won’t be driving for the FPR organisation.

Negotiations were, we understand, at a very advanced stage, and the late move by Courtney’s UK-based

Johnson Junior hits out at family feud

manager Alan Gow has come as an unsettling development for the Melbourne-based Ford team.

No-one at DJR will comment on the development, but it does seem as though one of the team’s current drivers will need a new home for 2009.

While Johnson is looking at options, it is uncertain whether Will Davison (considered 95 percent likely to stay just weeks ago) has formally signed and/or whether his management is reconsidering his options in light of this past week’s events.

Faces and names: DJR’s Adrian Burgess, James Courtney and Alan Gow back during the F3 days in 2001.

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A million a day for V8SA SOME V8 teams may be feeling the pinch, but team’s organisation V8 Supercars Australia is far from it – set to announce “$30 million in new deals over the next 30 days.”

The impressive number comes in a V8 Supercar press release today (Monday), which maintains that “six new ‘super deals’ have been negotiated and agreed in recent months.” $21 million of that total will

Marshall Cass

John Morris/Mpix

come from renewed long-term contracts with a number of the permanent circuits visited by the V8s, while $9 million will be new sponsorship deals, according to V8SA. Chairman Tony Cochrane says, in part, that: “We are virtually debt-free with a strong financial future in long term contracts which enables V8 Supercars Australia to plan our future with great confidence.”

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nson: No family rift V8 SUPERCARS STEVEN Johnson has hit out at media reports of a rift within Dick Johnson Racing, and within his family since our report last week of James Courtney’s signing by DJR. The Jim Beam-backed driver, who is racing in this weekend’s Bathurst 1000 with co-driver Will Davison, said that newspaper reports of a rift between him and his father Dick are well wide of the mark.

“There is absolutely no feuding going on between Dad and I,” he said on Monday.

“That is far from the truth. We are a close family, always have been and always will be and we always talk about what is the best for me, and the best for the team. No matter what, whether it is talking about the next five years or the next day, we stick together through thick and thin.

“We are leaving home at 4am to drive to Bathurst together. In that regard, things have never been better. We will probably talk about everything and anything but motor racing!

“I want to concentrate on this weekend. There are no issues within the team.”

Johnson insists that he is continuing to discuss his future with the team but has taken on a manager for the first time in his 14-year career. Dale Rodgers, formerly of Revolution Racegear, has stepped into that role and is currently examining options for 2009.

“In this day and age, it is extremely hard to take everything in,” says Johnson.

“I have managed to do whatever needed to be done up to this point – but first-year AFL players have a manager these days.

“I like to do things myself but I have high standards, and I wanted someone that I can trust, who I know will do the right thing by sponsors and by me.

Dale is all of those things, and more.

“There are options on the table for 2009 and beyond and he is working hard on that.

“DJR is one of the teams we want to talk to.

“In an ideal situation, we only want to look at options as good as what we have already. DJR has more performance to come, and I estimate that the team will be in the top three or four teams in 2009. There is more to think about than performance.”

Johnson says that he is also looking outside Australia and is in no rush to settle things.

“I haven’t got a timetable of a deadline for these things. Dale is advising me and there are lots of things to look at. There are options and we are looking outside Australia as well as inside.”

“Whatever else is going on, I am totally focused on this weekend. I am not despondent or frustrated about anything. I have a really good feeling about Bathurst. Will and I are good mates and we are really excited about what is going to happen.”

Amid all the controvery, Johnson last week announced a new personal sponsor for the balance of the 2008 season, in the form of Queensland’s Nanda Pasta.

Dirk Klynsmith

d reports, takes on a manager, and makes plans for ‘09

Dick hits back V8 SUPERCARS

DICK Johnson has struck back at suggestions that he will reduce his stake in his eponymous team.

The legendary team owner posted a statement on the team’s website late on Monday that confirmed his ongoing involvement in the team.

Johnson took on Melbourne businessman Charlie Schwerkolt as a partner in the team in February this year.

The statement said, in part: “In this sort of business, you quickly realise not to believe everything that you read and recent media focus on DJR supports this.

“Firstly, I still own 50 percent of Dick Johnson Racing and have no intention of becoming a minority shareholder.

“The question of drivers for 2009 is one the team is working on and all options are being considered. We have two excellent drivers in Steven and Will, and no decisions will be taken lightly by me or anyone else at DJR. “Whilst I have naturally had a huge interest in Steven’s career, we have stuck by each other through good and bad times. Recent reports of a rift in our family are way off the mark. Steven and I have always been very close and we both want the best for his long term V8 Supercar future and the long term future of the team. It only makes the Johnson family more determined to succeed.”

Dick’s statement does not comment on or rule out our exclusive report last week that James Courtney will drive for the team next season.

Neither would comment specifically on that topic.

Special scheme for HRT V8 SUPERCARS THE Holden Racing Team will head to Bathurst with a new paint scheme this year.

Garth Tander and Mark Skaife, who together won the L&H 500 at Phillip Island last round, will lead the team with the special 60th anniversary colours.

The Commodore VE will feature a ‘60’ on the bonnet, as well as a more prominent lion logo on the rear door.

The car will also have more black on the

car than usual. Why do we mention this?

Factory Holdens haven’t had a great deal of success at The Mountain with black on it (re: the team’s shocker in 2004 and 2006’s black bonnet – where the car didn’t get past the first lap).

But Tander says that colours mean nothing.

“It doesn’t matter what colour you paint the car – you could paint it pink with purple poker dots – if you’re the fastest car and the best team, you’re going to win the race,” he said.

“I think the car looks fantastic. It will stand out, and that’s what we wanted to do at Holden. We want the car to be seen and to promote the company’s 60th anniversary. It certainly does that, and it looks different to what we’ve had throughout the year.”

The factory Holden team will not keep the colour scheme for the remainder of the 2008 season, reverting back to the teams usual colours from Indy’s Gold Coast street event onwards.

– GRANT ROWLEY

FG has birthday, new track test V8 SUPERCARS

Dirk Klynsmith

FORD’S FG Falcon race car has had a birthday, and has had its first track hit-out since its aerodynamics testing in July.

The FG, build by Ford Performance Racing for Ford, has been installed with current-specification engine and gearbox and was driven at Winton last Monday by team drivers Steven Richards, Mark Winterbottom and Dean Canto.

The car was fitted with aerodynamic-disabling devices, including an aluminium ‘gurney’ strip over the rear wing to negate any aero testing.

The track day was used to take around Ford employees who were instrumental in the creation of the new car – from technical people to the product development team, livery design and more.

Channel 7’s Melbourne sports reporter Tom Rehn was also on hand for a ride around the rural circuit.

The first FG racecar has a V8 Supercar log book and is likely to be used as one of the first proper FG cars to be prepared for competition at the start of the 2009 season.

– GRANT ROWLEY

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Queensland holiday for JDR, PWR crews Perkins and Weel draw short straw for QLD/Bahrain trip

John Morris/Mpix

V8 SUPERCARS JACK Daniel’s Racing and PWR Racing will be the ‘Melbourne’ teams that will travel to Bahrain from Queensland.

As part of V8 Supercars Australia’s rotational system, the three Holden Commodores will fly with the Queensland-based teams on one of the two Jumbo Jet freighters to take the 29 cars to the Middle East for the series’ third appearance at the Bahrain International Circuit.

The cars will return the same way and, therefore, face a road trip and a quick turnaround before the penultimate round of the series at Symmons Plains in Tasmania.

“We’re staying until the Wednesday after Indy,” confirmed JDR team manager Barry Ryan.

“Paul Morris Motorsport has been kind enough to let us use part of it’s workshop, so we’ll prepare the cars out of there.”

But while it means longer away from home for the JDR and PWR boys, Ryan doesn’t see it as a disadvantage.

“Not at all,” he added.

“We’ve got enough bits in the truck to build a full spare car, so whatever happens, happens. We just drew the short straw, in that we are staying up there. And it’s actually not too bad, because we have more time than the Melbourne teams. They have to drive home, where we can get straight into it on the Monday after Indy.”

PWR Racing, meanwhile, will prepare its single car from PWR’s manufacturing workshop at Yatala. They ran a similar program after the Darwin round earlier this year, going straight to Queensland from the top end to prepare for the Ipswich meeting.

“They’ve got a car-lift and everything there, so it makes life very easy on the guys,” said the team’s driver Andrew

Thompson, who, being Queensland-based himself, will have a rare opportunity to work with the team between races.

“I’ve done a few trips down to Melbourne this year, but it will

be nice to only have to spend 20 minutes in the car to get to the factory. It’s always good to see the guys and car between races, so yeah, I’m looking forward to it.”

– ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN

In this issue of GPWEEK By And

Advantage, Sebastien Loeb CITROEN and Sebastien Loeb have a hand each on the World Rally Championships for both drivers and constructors after a dominating performance on the asphalt of Spain last weekend.

The only positive for Ford all weekend was that, with tarmac specialist Francois Duval in a factory car, they could ask him to move over

on the last day, gifting third place to Mikko Hirvonen and keeping him within 12 points of the championship lead.

Out front, Loeb was, as expected, too good.

And he was ably aided by Sordo, who cruised along for second place.

Chris Atkinson finished seventh, two places behind Subaru team-mate Petter Solberg.

Toro Rosso bound?

Iss

WHILE this week’s GPWeek confirms that Nico Rosberg and Kazuki Nakajima will stay with Williams for 2009, there is still no concrete understanding as to where Fernando Alonso will drive next year.

The latest paddock whispers link the Singapore Grand

10

Prix winner with former backmarkers, and fellow recent race winners, Toro Rosso. If this were the case, as unlikely as it is, it would be based on a Ferrari deal, and moving the Spaniard into red in the near future.

Nelson Piquet has also been linked to STR, with Lucas di

Grassi rumoured to be vying for his Renault seat should the Brazilian indeed be dumped after his first year.

And then there is Honda.

Confirmation of their line-up is due this week, and should it not come, then the Alonso rumours will surely fire back up.

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drew van leeuwen

Stoner’s Island Waltz THE 2008 championship might have slipped through Casey Stoner’s (injured) fingers, but at Phillip Island last weekend, he wasn’t going to lose a home race win as well.

Stoner was sublime at Phillip Island, proving to be the class of the field at his home track by a country mile. He was fastest in every session except the wet second practice, where Nicky Hayden set the pace. But when the track was dry, which it was for 95 percent of the weekend, Stoner was untouchable.

“Knowing the record of this track, there’s normally a big battle, so I tried to get away from the start,” said Stoner.

“I was setting some good lap times, but Nicky (Hayden, who started second) chased me for a while. Then I started to pull clear, and I just tried to stay fast and consistent.”

He had a good reason to stay fast and consistent – Valentino Rossi. The new World Champ suffered a nasty fall in qualifying, which left him 12th for the start of the race. But in true Rossi fashion,

he fought his way through the pack, first finding stiff competition from a handylooking James Toseland for third, and then breezing past Hayden on the final lap for second. Luckily Stoner was too far up the road to be worried by the Italian.

Chris Vermeulen’s home race didn’t exactly go to plan, the Suzuki rider running wide at Southern Loop on lap 1 and eventually finishing last of the point scorers. Ant West didn’t have a bad run, holding off team-mate John Hopkins for 12th.

w e neo sue #31 onlCin lick h re

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More Indy TV in 2009 INDYCARS

Barrett drops Stock Cars INDYCARS INDY 500 entrant and car owner, Greg Beck, announced the formation of Team 3G for the 2009 IndyCar season.

Stanton Barrett, 35, has been named at the driver of the No.98 Curb/Agajanian/Team 3G entry. Barrett is the godson of the late Paul Newman.

“I am thrilled to be joining Team 3G and the IndyCar Series in 2009,” said Barrett, who has competed in NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide series for the past 15 years, to the Indianapolis Star, “I feel the time is right to move to the IndyCar Series.

They have a lot of momentum, and I think they will continue to grow in popularity with fans and corporate marketers.”

– MARY MENDEZ

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Tracy sues Forsythe over $2.3m debt INDYCARS PAUL Tracy is suing his former team boss Gerald Forsythe.

According to a law suit filed last week in U.S. District Court in Chicago, which is where Forsythe’s Indeck energy business is based, Tracy claims he hasn’t been paid more than US$2.3 million at the time Forsythe Racing ceased operation in the former Champ Car series.

The suit states that per the Canadian’s driving contract, a clause provided for a $1m termination fee should Champ Car be dissolved and that his 2008 season compensation, before bonuses, was $2.25m.

– MARY MENDEZ

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VERSUS, the new IndyCar cable television partner committed for 10 years, will kick off the 2009 season, televising the first three races.

ABC, a free-to-air network, begins its five-race coverage with the Indy 500 on May 24, followed by its broadcasts of Milwaukee, Iowa, Watkins Glen, and Toronto.

VERSUS, producing at least 13 races (a14th if the 2009 Nikon Indy 300 in Australia is signed), will expand the usual two-hour race broadcast to a three-hour show with a preceding day hour preview show for each event. The entire 2009 IndyCar Series television package will be available in high-definition (HD) television.

– MARY MENDEZ

PT heads to Court

Happier Days: Tracy suits up for battle in the Forsythe PanozCosworth in 2007. Now he will be taking on his former boss in court.

HASLAM FOR SBK WORLD SUPERBIKES

THE British attack on the 2009 World Superbike Championship has gained another warrior, with Leon Haslam announcing that he will race with the Stiggy Honda team.

Haslam, 25, will race one of Johan Stigefelt’s two Honda CBR1000RRs in the series, alongside a TBA. Aussie Josh Brookes, who races in the World Supersport series for the team, looks to be the rider best-placed to join the son of former 500 favourite, Ron Haslam.

Following our story last week, new British Champion Shakey Byrne has been confirmed as one of the riders to race with the Sterilgarda Ducati team next season. That, and Haslam’s news, brings the British contingent in the series to five. Tom Sykes (Yamaha Italia), Jonathan Rea (Ten Kate Honda) and Tommy Hill (Althea Honda) are the others.

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CASTRONEVES CHARGED

IndyCar star arrested over tax evasion: Penske will need Sub for Indy INDYCARS

sutton-images.com

TEAM Penske is looking for a driver to join Ryan Briscoe in the Nikon Indy 300 after Helio Castroneves was ruled out of the race over a legal issue.

Castroneves, 33, will miss the race after being charged with conspiracy and six counts of income tax evasion by the USA’s Internal Revenue Service. He appeared in court last week in handcuffs and leg chains to plead not guilty to the felony charges that he used offshore accounts to evade paying taxes on more than US$5million.

He was released on $10million bail and traveled to Road Atlanta for the ALMS Petit Le Mans event where he and Briscoe won the LMP2 class in the Penske Porsche.

If found guilty, Castroneves, along with fellow indictees, his sister, Katiucia (who acted as his business manager) and then attorney Alan Miller, faces repaying the tax with penalty and interest and up to 35 years in prison.

Having to surrender his passport, Castroneves can continue to work in the US but is currently unable to leave the country, preventing him from competing in the Indy 300. Team Penske is yet to announce a replacement driver.

Miller’s attorney, Michael Tein, told Fox

News that prosecutors acted “recklessly” in bringing the charges, stating, “Miller acted at all times completely lawfully. This case is pure harassment by the government in order to try to indict a famous person and get press.”

The IRS issued its own press release about Castroneves’ indictment. IRS Commissioner, Doug Shulman, said “Using offshore corporations to evade taxes is a crime. This case sends a clear message that the IRS is committed to vigorously enforcing the tax laws and stopping offshore tax evasion.”

Attorney Miller has represented a long, long list of race car drivers including Danica Patrick and two-time NASCAR Champion Jimmie Johnson. This IRS case could be just the beginning ...

– MARY MENDEZ

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NASCAR SPRINT CUP

MARCOS Ambrose may be turning out to be his own worst enemy – and it is all in the numbers.

JTG Daugherty Racing and Michael Waltrip Racing confirmed our story of last week and made their relationship official last Wednesday. Ambrose will drive a full Cup season in Toyotas prepared at the MWR facility, with engineering help from MWR and TRD, next season.

What remains to be seen is whether

the #47 Camry start the year with points earned this year at JTGD, or will points be switched from a MWR car? With that team losing its UPS backing, David Reutimann, who will move from the #44 car to the #00, will have sponsorship from Aaron’s for 18 events and TBA for the other races.

Waltrip will continue in the #55 NAPA car, but what is not known is if Michael McDowell will return. So points could effectively be switched from the 00 or 44 car to Ambrose.

The irony in the whole situation is

that, while Ambrose qualified for the Kansas race, McDowell did not – and that knocked him from the all-important top 35 in owners’ points.

Depending on whether the Toyota is entered by JTGD or MWR in which events, with the top 35 cars in owners’ points guaranteed a start in the season-opening races – including the Daytona 500 – it is possible that Ambrose may have just tipped himself out of a start in the biggest race of the season …

– MARTIN D CLARK

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Menard blue NASCAR SPRINT CUP

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AJ gets Red Bullet NASCAR SPRINT CUP NASCAR Media

PAUL Menard will become a Ford driver next season.

Menard, who finished second at Talladega, will depart the four-car Dale Earnhardt Inc team and join a three-car team at Yates next year, with support from his family’s Menard’s home improvement retail chain.

Martin Truex Jr re-signed with DEI and sponsor Bass Pro Shops recently and is currently the only one of the four DEI drivers with full backing for 2009. With those four cars currently in the top 35 points standings, DEI has some value,

Ford Media

Double Digit Deflation?

but that value could be in car numbers and owner points to other teams if sponsorship is not found for the three other entries.

DEI is becoming a struggling commerical operation off-track, but one that remains strong on-track.

– MARTIN D CLARK

AS predicted, A.J. Allmendinger was released from Red Bull Racing last week and replaced by veteran Truck Series driver Mike Skinner at Talladega.

Skinner will drive the car again at Charlotte this Saturday while Scott Speed will also be entered, in a third Red Bull Toyota. The drivers will share the car for the remainder of the year, with

Speed scheduled to take the reins full-time in 2009.

Although he cut a tyre and wrecked, Speed clinched the 2008 ARCA Remax title on Friday at Talladega in a race marred with cut tyre dramas with the Hoosier tyres.

While he has no full-time ‘09 deal, expect Allmendinger to be in a car for Charlotte this week. A ride in a Petty or Ganassi Dodge would not be out of the question.

– MARTIN D CLARK

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Percat’s Preparation Formula Ford contender to get pre-Festival testing FORMULA FORD

No Cup Car V8 UTES

Dirk Klynsmith

AUSSIE Formula Forder Nick Percat will spend this Friday with famed driver coach Rob Wilson in the UK. Percat, who is headed to England for the Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch, will test a Joe Tandy Racing Mygale for the first time on Thursday at Donington Park, before spending Friday with Wilson at the same track.

Wilson has spent time with Aussie drivers before, such as Paul Dumbrell, and most recently tutored WRC up-and-comer Matthew Wilson ahead of the two tarmac rallies in Spain and Corsica.

“I’m really keen to get over there and get into it,” Percat told eNews.

“I know the racing is a lot harder over there, so a day of coaching should help me a lot.”

But what does the overseas jaunt mean for Percat’s career? While the Festival trip has been a poorly kept secret for months, there was a chance that the Walkinshaw-backed junior would test a Formula 3 car while in the UK, with a view of potentially spending a year in the British F3 series in 2009. But those talks have seemingly stalled, meaning a test is unlikely, and Percat’s future is likely to be in Australia.

“I’m pretty sure that’s the way it will go, but I really want to get something out of this trip as well. We will still be talking to people about F3 while we are over there.”

– ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN

GEORGE Miedecke’s plans of competing in Carrera Cup this weekend at Bathurst have fallen over, despite his best efforts to get on the track.

Miedecke, the son of former Bathurst 1000 stalwart Andrew, was set to make his Carrera Cup debut after purchasing an ex-Sherrin Motorsport Porsche.

However, Miedecke has run out of time in making sure he’ll be 100 percent ready for his debut, and has elected to sit Bathurst out and concentrate on making sure he is

New Speedway safety initative SPEEDWAY

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Dirk Klynsmith

THE National Association of Speedway Racing (NASR) has announced a new safety and risk management initiative.

NASR is offering $15,000 in grants for Australian speedway venues to improve track and facility safety.

The QBE Risk Management Grant Scheme, (in conjunction with the NASR Public Liability Insurance Scheme) is giving five NASR insured tracks the chance to receive a financial grant worth a total of $3,000 each.

QBE Insurance has a long-standing

commitment to assisting NASR and the sport of speedway to improve the standard of venues around the country.

And this is an opportunity for clubs and track promoters to improve the safety and risk management standards of its venue.

Consideration will be given to track improvements such as enhancing safety fences, improving the safety of spectator areas, safety signage, flood lighting, installation of racing lights and upgrading fire safety equipment.

Submissions by circuits need to be lodged by October 13.

news

James Smith

Dirk Klynsmith

r, but sponsor inked Old car, new story “Carrera Cup is the second most competitive category after V8 Supercars, so you have to be on your game.

“And the Carrera Cup cars are a total different kettle of fish.

“We’ve shown we’ve been able to build a very competitive Ute, but we don’t have a huge budget so we’ll run the Porsche ourselves and see where we end up.”

Country Energy is a leading Australian energy provider, managing Australia’s largest energy supply network across 95 per cent of New South Wales.

– GRANT ROWLEY

FUJITSU V8s

MARK McNally will race an old (but new) Commodore at Bathurst this weekend in the Fujitsu V8 Series.

The West Aussie will bench his regular Commodore VZ and will race the exMark Skaife/Todd Kelly Commodore that won The Great Race in 2005.

McNally’s sponsor bought the car back in late-2006, and has since used the vehicle as a ride car.

Dirk Klynsmith

right on the money for 2009.

And also, he’ll want to be as focused as possible for this weekend at Bathurst, as he has a new sponsor for his V8 Ute. Country Energy has joined Miedecke as a subsidiary sponsor for the Mount Panorama round, and while he would have loved to compete in Carrera Cup, is happy to be heading to The Mountain with his total focus on the V8 Utes.

“I don’t want to go to any race meeting unprepared,” he said.

“I want to have a test and that’s something that I haven’t be able to do in the car yet.

International flavour for R-Tek at Indy FORMULA 3 SOUTH Australian Formula 3 team R-Tek Motorsport Services will run Colombian driver Carlos Huertas at the Nikon Indy 300 on October 23-26.

The 19-year-old has been racing Formula BMW in Europe for Raikkonen Roberston Racing, which is co-owned by Kimmi Raikkonen.

“The Indy F3 Challenge is a non-championship round, and

Anthony (Boyo) Hieatt, the Team Manager for Raikkonen Robertson Racing rang me to see if I could run this very promising Colombian driver at Indy”, R-Tek Motorsport owner Ian Richards said.

“Anthony (Hieatt) told me that he considers that Carlos (Huertas) has a very bright future and that he wanted to expose him to the Indycar teams and the huge 300,000 plus crowd that the Gold Coast race attracts.”

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Dirk Klynsmith

Shannons 10/10 New circuits confirmed for Nationals SHANNONS NATIONALS

New drivers for MINI MINI CHALLENGE THE MINI Challenge ranks will swell with three international drivers at Bathurst this week.

Supercheap Auto Racing endurance drivers Boris Said and Matt Neal will drive the MINIs, but they be up against another experienced international in Brent Collins – New Zealand’s reigning MINI Challenge Champion.

Said, who is a regular driver in NASCAR, will steer the Uber Star MINI, while Neal will attack The Mountain in a Motorline MINI Garage machine.

Other new drivers set to tackle the class include Ryan

McLeod (Racer Industries) and former Bathurst 1000 regular Tim Leahey (Kings Way MINI Garage).

But while there is some new driver interest in the series, the battle for the inaugural MINI Challenge title will be red-hot. With series leader Grant Denyer out of action with his broken back, Neil McFadyen will assume the series lead as he is just six points behind Denyer.

The man who will try and wrestle the lead from McFadyen is Nathan Geier.

Geier will drive Denyer’s championship leading car, making this the third different car he has driven this year.

THE Shannons Nationals Motor Racing Championships has confirmed its calendar for 2009.

As exclusively revealed in eNews (Issue #075), the Shannons Nationals will enjoy 10 rounds at 10 different circuits – a first for the second-level racing series.

The 2009 Shannons Nationals will be the fourth year of the series, and will visit every state except Western Australia.

The new calendar includes rounds at AASA-aligned circuits (Queensland Raceway, Winton and Wakefield Park). In fact, 2009 will mark the first time that the Shannons Nationals has visited Winton.

“After three years of steady growth, we’re looking forward to the fourth season of the Shannons Nationals,” series director Rob Curkpatrick said.

“We’re pleased with how the calendar has come together and excited to be going back to Wakefield Park and Queensland Raceway, and visiting Winton for the first time.”

Mount Panorama, NSW, 20-21 February Wakefield Park, NSW, 25-26 April Phillip Island, VIC, 16-17 May Mallala, SA, 6-7 June Winton, VIC, 27-28 June Eastern Creek, NSW, 18-19 July Queensland Raceway, QLD, 8-9 August Oran Park, NSW, 29-30 August Symmons Plains, Tas, 17-18 October Sandown, Victoria, 28-29 November

Porsche to lead new GT entries GT3 997 Cup S makes testing debut at Eastern Creek AUSTRALIAN GT PORSCHE looks set to make the leap into the Australian GT Championship following the successful test of a GT3 997 Cup S at Eastern Creek.

The Porsche would run right at the front of the GT Championship battling the likes of the Lamborghini Gallardo GT3, the Aston Martin DBRS9 and the Ferrari 430 GT3, which have proven to be the form cars of this years championship.

The GT3 997 Cup S is one of only 15 produced and has been imported into the country by Mark Coffey of Maranello Motorsport and has been sold

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to PR Technology Racing to be entered into the final round of this years championship at Sandown on November 28-29.

David Wall tested the car at Eastern Creek, but the owner of the car will campaign it in the championship come Sandown.

The car will campaign in the whole of the 2009 championship, which kicks off in Adelaide on March 19-22.

In other GT Championship news, South Australian Andrew Taplin has purchased Ian Palmer’s Lamborguini Gallardo and will compete in the entire 2009 season.

news

0 Drewer wins title AUSSIES OVERSEAS

Dirk Klynsmith

SOUTH Australian Tom Drewer has taken out the 2008 IMSA Lites L2 Championship with yet another clean sweep at Petit Le Mans, Road Atlanta.

Drewer, who moved to the US to further his international racing career this year, has dominated the championship in his Daily Planet racing WEST. In only his first year racing internationally, Drewer scored wins at Sebring, Miller Motorsport Park, Lime Rock, Mosport and Petit Le Mans on his way to securing the championship with one round to go.

“Leading into this weekend we knew we should be able to clinch the title but its motor racing and anything can happen,” said Drewer.

“My Daily Planet WEST has been fantastic all year and I want to thank everyone at WEST Race Cars, especially

my engineer Jake Randels.

“I’m just looking forward to driving Laguna Seca now, and I hope that my performance and consistency this year can lead onto bigger and better things next season. We have already had some exciting offers and testing opportunities present themselves and I’m hoping we can get the backing for the right option to race in America again next year.”

Drewer has been invited to test for Indy Lites team Andersen-Rahal in late October following his success this season.

“Dan Andersen contacted me a couple of days ago about participating in a two day test for both Indy Lights and Star Mazda and it’s a great opportunity,” Drewer said.

“Andersen Rahal is a gun outfit as the official junior team to Rahal Letterman Racing so the invite to test with them is very special.”

The prize is a steel take 2!

CREATIVE JUICES

IF you’ve ever glanced at the paintwork on a V8 Supercar and thought ‘I could do better than that,’ then here is your chance!

Orrcon Racing is offering someone the chance to design the new livery for its V8 Superschool car. All you have to do is download the template and logo from www.orrconracing.com.au, and get creative.

The winning entrant will get a free ride at the V8 Superschool on the Gold Coast, including flights, accommodation and meals. Entries close on October 20 at 5pm.

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5 Minutes with ...

RUSSELL INGALL

Is Russell Ingall crystal balling a third Bathurst victory? He says ‘yes!’

If you’d asked me that in January, I would have said “no.”

But asking me now, I’d say definitely “yes.”

The beginning of the year was always going to be our toughest gig. By the time our deal was done and the team was building two new cars, you know, bolting the cars together in the pit garage at Adelaide is never really a good start! You’re pretty assured that your first couple of rounds are going to be tough.

But now, we’re consistently a top five runner – and a genuine top five runner, if not higher. We’ve probably missed out on two or three other podiums this year. It’s not been so much the speed of the car that’s stopped us getting those podiums – it has been outside forces.

But definitely, we’re a chance at winning this thing.

Is the Supercheap Auto team ready to win Bathurst this year?

You’re team-mate is Paul Morris for The Great Race, and he’s probably in career-

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Joel Strinckland

MOTORSPORT NEWS: ONE of the unique things about yourself at Bathurst this year is that you have recent experience in both current-spec Falcons and Commodores. In your opinion, what are going to be the advantages and disadvantages?

RUSSELL INGALL: Well, the last five years, Stone Brothers Racing never really had a good shot to win Bathurst in the Falcon.

For some reason, by there own admittance, never really had a good car around there.

We went through some tough years – we couldn’t even get through the 2003 race without blowing front tyres. I was with Marcos (Ambrose) that year and I think we made five or six pit stops because the front tyres were blowing.

Towards the end of my time with the team, we were more competitive, but the car was never a winner.

Any time I’ve gone to Bathurst, I’ve always felt more comfortable in a Holden. We were always in a winning position in Commodores. And now that I’ve driven both makes, the Commodores definitely suit me better.

Whether that’s a personal thing or not, or the car suits me a bit better. Saying that, Falcons have won there the past two years, but it’s been more the drivers than anything. They can hang the thing on the edge and (Craig) Lowndes is pretty good up there.

GRANT ROWLEY

ANY TIME i’ve gone to bathurst, i’ve always felt more comfortable in a holden russell ingall best form at the moment – both behind the wheel and behind a microphone! Have you noticed any changes with him? He seems more focused on his driving and consistency …

I think he’s enjoying being in a team that is structured properly. Our team has good management, good engineers, the mechanic staff has been sorted out. I made sure that when we put this deal together, we had the right guys in the right areas.

It’s worked well from both our parts, I think. Paul had good contacts and was able to bring James Small to us, and James brought good people with him, then with my contacts, I brought a crew with me and we have combined it together, and I think he’s enjoying the cars that we’ve developed. He trusts me to set the cars up, and remember, we’re from a very similar background. We go back to the late-80s, early-90s in Formula

Ford, racing against each other in Formula Ford.

And the good thing about Paul is that he doesn’t have an ego at all. He doesn’t have anything to prove to anyone, he just enjoys driving. He says to me “you set the car up, and give me a yell when you want me to drive it,” and it works well. He says “yeah, fantastic, I love it, I’m off to make a coffee, give me a yell when you want me back in!”

So, fortune telling. Tell us about your lady friend …

Yeah, a lady fan told me that she predicted the two Bathurst wins that I had with Larry (Perkins), and she predicted that I’d win the championship (in 2005), and now she’s had a dream the other night that I won Bathurst.

Either she has a nip before she goes to bed at night and has some pretty good dreams, or she’s spot on the money! Being the philosopher and guru that I am, I think I’ll go with her …

chat

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Letters

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

Courtney Swap Courtney to DJR? Well that is a turn up for the books. I really didn’t see that one coming at all.

It will be interesting to see if it turns out to be the right decision or not.

Frankly, I’m not sure it is the right move. Surely moving to the factory Ford team would be the smartest move and give Courtney the best chance to win some more races and a

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possible championship.

DJR have just lost their Ford backing which could be a bit daunting for next year especially if Courtney doesn’t take a sponsor to the team.

But, if it works Will Davo and Courtney could be a formidable combination.

Greg Stanton Brighton, SA Oh what a feeling!

Wow what a great signing

for Ambrose.

Based on what has happened this season a Toyota powerplant under the hood certainly seems like the thing to have.

Ambrose is really starting to cement himself in the NASCAR racing culture in America and has done a great job this year against some stiff opposition.

You have to remember even in Nationwide Marcos is up against some of the best guys

in cup, week in, week out and he hasn’t embarrassed himself one bit.

Obviously, Ambrose is one of the best guys when it comes to racing on the circuits but it will be interesting to see how he goes next year on the ovals with a good team and support in Waltrip behind him.

I reckon we might see a few more Ambrose wins yet.

James Stuart Dandenong, Vic

opinion

Dear Roger, Funny season, 2008. Started out great, with Ryan Newman winning the Daytona 500, and kinda went lumpy from there.

Anyway, I reckon I have a good idea to bring things to a good conclusion. I reckon you should hire Paul Tracy. The news about Helio Castroneves is not great, and I don’t want to get into what may or may not have happened with him. But the upshot is, no Helio on the grid at Surfers this year.

So, hire PT. He joined your team 17 years ago and did everything but win the title, and thereafter there were ups and downs. But the guy was always fast and, from a media point of view, always worth a quote.

My reasons for this are not selfish. Look, the two Aussies drivers are going to hog the local media, and the papers here will swoon over Danica

opinion Phil Branagan Executive Editor and that Mexican sheila (let’s not tell them Ms Duno is from Venezuela). Whoever drives the second Penske car is not going to get a whole lot of ink, unless he plants it on pole – or in a wall.

But Tracy will. When the CART series meant something, he was a star; when Champ Car came in and screwed everything up, he was still a star.

When you and the real teams left for IndyCar, and a bunch of no-name C-graders from Europe and South America showed up with their wallets, Tracy was the only star.

And, he deserves it. He has one at Surfers, and raced their 16 times, so he knows his way around the place. He has had

one drive in the IndyCar series this year, at Edmonton, and finished fourth – after starting 15th and after about an hour’s practice in the car. He may spend more time on the couch than in the cockpit these days but, even with 40 candles to blow out in December, he still has talent.

But here is my main reason; the fans deserve it. Tracy has always been popular here, and has been one of the mainstays of the race. The link between Australians and Canadians has always been strong and Tracy has made a contribution to that.

So, please Roger, bring Paul Tracy to Australia in a few weeks’ time. Win lose or draw, he will put on a show for your team and we would like a chance to see him drive here one more time, say thank you and, maybe, goodbye.

sutton-images.com

Kindest regards, Phil

eLETTER OF THE WEEK Parity This letter is for the Holden-biased Lionel Davis. Side-by-side comparison has already been done. In 2006, along the Woomera testing site runway.

Exactly the same test used for the VE v FG homologation test done earlier this year. This test ensures that the two models are as even as possible in aerodynamics and is the most cost effective.

Since those tests were conducted,

no modifications have been allowed for either model since. In 2007, the VE Commodore won every race until Winton, yet Ford did not lodge any type of request for a parity review.

Tander even said himself on V8 Extra a couple of weeks back that the VE and VZ have the same lap times around Bathurst, except the VE is slower down the straights.

HRT seem to have no answer to FPR and 888's current speed and are

clutching at straws.

If HRT didn't cannibalise HSVDT in an effort to be the Holden team again, maybe Rick would be fighting for race wins as well rather than Tander fighting the lone battle. At the moment the top 4 drivers are Frosty, Whincup, Tander and Davison. Only one of them drives a Holden and HRT aren't real happy about it.

Glen Sansom Via email

Send your creative letters to mail@mnews.com.au, or Motorsport News PO Box 7072, Brighton, Vic 3186 23

V8 SUPERCAR CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES PREVIEW – SUPERCHEAP AUTO BATHURST 1000

1000 Thoughts On the eve of The 2008 Great Race, MOTORSPORT NEWS grabbed the opinions and inside goss from the people who know The Mountain ...

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race preview

Dirk Klynsmith

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Unpredictabilty the nam THE Seven team heads to Bathurst for what I reckon is the Australian motorsport Soap Opera of the year.

Our technical back-up has been well-refined over the years, and there’s nothing big and new this time – just the desire that I have to tell the story as clearly and informatively as we can, to what is a very diverse audience.

There’ll be 315 people up there with Seven shirts on, 122 cameras (including 37 in-car) all aiming to convey just what the Great Race is all about.

For motor racing tragics, it’s important that we try and keep on top of what is playing out in strategy terms – that can make or break anyone’s race – and we have Ron Harrop’s CAD/CAM images and a pile of technical stuff in the pit bunker to illustrate what’s going on mechanically.

opinion Neil Crompton Commentator At the end of the day, it’s important not to lose sight of the basics – what controls the shape of the race. The modern cars have a fuel efficiency of 32-33 laps and with a dozen or so cars potentially playing a part in the podium contest, there’s a lot to keep an eye on just at that end of the field.

There are a couple of things which I see as maybe having an unexpected effect on this year’s race. The teams have no experience with the newspec Dunlop up there; it could differ from last year and may benefit some more than others The weather forecast is suggesting a hot day. At the speeds now being achieved, and the intensity involved,

that could raise mechanical reliability issues for the first time in a while, as well as possible driver error when the going gets tough.

One thing’s for sure. It definitely is our Soap Opera.

That’s why two-and-half times the regular V8 audience tunes in. It’s unpredictable: anything can happen.

Having said that (and being pushed by the Editor for my ‘tip’), the Triple 8 team does seem to have a car which looks after its tyres better than most for that vital last third of a stint. And they have two drivers either of whom can do the business at the end.

But, there’s oil, there’s weather, there’s all sorts of things which can bring even the best undone. And the great thing about the race is that all that stuff can, and often does, happen. That’s what Soap Opera is!

The Hemi holds the key

Dirk Klynsmith

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A MID-afternoon Safety Car looms as perhaps the most decisive factor in this weekend’s Supercheap Bathurst 1000.

Without an incident mid-afternoon to bring out the garish Chrysler, just two cars look to have every box ticked in terms of form for a race unaffected by incident and/or weather. The odds of sucb a race (the last Safety Car-free race was way back in 1991 when Mark Skaife and Jim Richards’ race record was set in the Nissan!) are slim, but that’s how form must be assessed – the rest is up to the unpredictability that characterises Bathurst.

The two standouts are obvious – the Winterbottom/Richards FPR Falcon and the similar brand Whincup/Lowndes car at Triple Eight. All boxes – car speed, driver pairing etc – are clearly ticked.

The one grey zone could be at FPR – the team’s tactical call at Phillip Island was badly wrong; they can’t afford another …

The Tander/Skaife HRT Commodore would normally turn the above duo into a trio, but the Island raised a question over Skaife’s pace. The insider info suggests

race preview

me of the game Dirk Klynsmith

Races within the race THERE are all sorts of things to watch at Phil Branagan Bathurst in Executive Editor any given year and two of those are the battles-within-the-battles and the subtexts.

There are plenty of those this year. F’rinstance, the all-red battle. No, not the Tander-Skaife v Lowndes-Whincup fight up front (I will be watching that), but keep an eye on the contest between the team’s second cars. Fabrizio Giovanardi and Marc Hynes quietly got on with doing a pretty good job at Phillip Island, and Glenn Seton and Craig Baird have mountains of Mountain experience to call on in the second HRT car.

While everyone was getting excited about Lowndes and The Wiz winning the race last year, T8’s second car made the most of things by finishing fifth, only 8s from the winner. Pretty solid effort that, and well worth watching out for again.

While putting this preview together, the MN office was having a debate about what Rick Kelly would do at the end of the race. One view aired was that Ricko is a tad too conservative when it comes to sticking his beak into gaps late in the race and using his elbows when he has to.

I am less sure of that. In the Young Lions car in 2002, Ricko was right there with the leaders at the end; in the years he won, Greg Murphy was in the car in the final sprint; last year, the car was out of brakes early and other times, there have been title issues to consider.

Kelly has few of those boxes ticked this time around and I think that a 1000 win is the priority this time. It might seem funny to label a double race winner and former champion a Smokey but I reckon car #15 might just have a role to play when the tough get going.

opinion

Dirk Klynsmith

opinion Chris Lambden mNews Publisher the five-time winner simply struggled to come to terms with a car set-up to Tander’s requirements (after years and years of the shoe being on the other foot).

Bathurst will be less critical in this respect and if the set-up suits both, HRT will join the two Fords as outright favourites. The long runs in practice will be revealing ...

Just about every other likely contender could need the get-out-of-jail Safety Car card to be in the frame when it matters – at around 4pm Sunday – though there are a couple of quite interesting possibles at the head of that chase queue.

HRT’s ‘sister’ lead car at HSV – Kelly and Radisich – has the ingredients to be in the mix, the only question mark could come if the final sprint turned into something physical – there are some hard nuts around in other cars … In its favour though, is the fact that all three favourites still have a stake in the championship and

need to think accordingly.

This could be Paul Morris’ best chance at Bathurst for some time. The driver who gets under the skin of his opposition most performs more consistently in long races and has built a deceptively strong squad around him. The PMM team has made great strides technically and, of course, the reborn Russell Ingall, as lead driver, is driving with confidence. The Supercheap Commodore could just be the real dark horse.

If the past week’s unsettling team developments doesn’t affect its drivers’ concentration, the lead DJR (Johnson/ Davison) Falcon is another ‘there or thereabout’s possibility, while Island form suggests that several cars will need a bit of help from circumstances – weather, Safety Car – to be part of the final 30-lap sprint: both SBR Falcons (with part-time’ co-drivers), the lead Tasman Commodore and the McConville/Jones BJR car loom as cars that ‘could if they’re there when it matters’.

As usual, it’s a fascinating prospect … and it’s just six sleeps away …

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Wednesday Practice opinion

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Three will be huge

Phill Williams

SOME might find this a little odd, but Andrew van Leeuwen my favourite eNews Deputy Editor day of the Bathurst ‘weekend’ is the Wednesday before the race.

It stems back to my first visit to Mount Panorama back in 2006, my first year at MNews.

On Wednesday October 4, I arrived at our HQ in Melbourne at 4am to do an interview with NASCAR driver Kasey Kahne. I then had a coffee, waited for Rowley and Branagan to arrive, flew to Sydney and drove to Bathurst.

When we arrived, we cut a couple of laps of the track in the hire car. At one point we stopped at the Peter Brock tribute at Skyline, pictured below, and I thought ‘wow, today I’ve spoken to a NASCAR superstar and driven around one of the world’s great circuits. It’s been a good day.’

That memory will live with me forever, and it’s why I love Wednesday. When you arrive at the circuit early Wednesday evening and wander down pitlane, you can’t help but be overwhelmed by just how exciting, and important, the next few days will be.

It’s like the first day of summer holidays when you’re a kid – so much potential for fun and mischief.

And then there is the first visit to a Bathurst establishment on Wednesday night, but the boss will probably read this, so we’ll leave it there …

opinion Paul Radisich HSV Dealer Team driver THE Bathurst 1000 is a special event, and many a driver has had problems there!

In my case, there have been some heartbreaking moments with unreliability in cars, and it’s a place that can hurt, when things go wrong.

I clearly remember lying on the floor of the TKR car when I had the accident there in 2006 – it would be one of the things I never want to experience again in my career.

I have had a couple of second places and to win the race would wrap up the nine years that I have had racing in Australia. It would mean a lot to me. For the amount of work that I have put into racing in Australia, it would be nice to win the event.

Then, I might have to think about what comes next!

I believe that we have a good chance. We have the car speed with the HSV Dealer Team Commodore, and we have a terrific driver in Rick Kelly. It makes this is the best chance I have had for some time to put a Bathurst win under my belt ...

He

race preview

opinion Allan Moffat Bathurst Legend race, and I never thought about what the oppositon was doing. We never thought, ‘we have these Holden guys by the throat’. In ‘71, we had a gap on the field and that was a nice feeling to take to bed on Saturday night, but that was all it was.

Craig Lowndes and Jamie Whincup and their team have done a great job in the last two years. Three in a row is possible. Craig is aware of how significant that can be and I have no advice for Triple Eight, other than pairing Craig and Jamie together is the best move they could make. It’s a nicely oiled team and they have the capacity to do it.

Peter Bury

eartbreak Hill

For the love of the race

Dirk Klynsmith

WINNING the Bathurst 1000 two years in a row was a momentous thing – three in a row is bigger again.

I won in 1970 and followed it up in 1971. From a positive point of view, it was the justification that the first one was not a fluke.

We concentrated on what could go wrong, on the things we could control – no fumbles, no Felipe Massa manoeuvres in the pits and no tearing down fuel towers! It was not my responsibility to fix those things, I was a driver in the Ford team in those years. But we were all aware, all of us, that the smallest thing could go wrong.

Some people would have it that the important thing is to watch the opposition, but I never thought about the opposition. I only thought about what we had to do to win the

FOR me, Bathurst is the race. Locally or Grant Rowley internationally, Editor eNews there is nothing like it, and as long as Mount Panorama stands upright, it will be the only touring car race that matters.

When I was a young tacker, my Dad owned many racing videos and books, one of which was a Bathurst tape that highlighted four years of the race (between 1978-81).

And weren’t they classic years? Brock and Richards winning three in a row, Dick hitting a rock, Dick winning his first Great Race, a blocked track at the top of the mountain. As Bruce McAvaney would say today – “Special.”

I credit this exact video with my life-long fascination with The Great Race.

I loved that video, and still today, I fire up my old VCR, get a box of Tiny Teddies from the kitchen cupboard and put it on.

I’ve watched that video so many times that, embarrassingly, I can recite the whole damn thing!

In fact, I was a little too obsessed with that particular video. One day, mum wasn’t happy with me – obviously I hadn’t fed the dog or I’d knocked over a pot plant – either way, I was in trouble. And my punishment? She took the Bathurst video away from me.

Being able to remember that moment in my life is probably a bad thing, but even worse is that I remember offering her a dollar to get it back!

What can I say, I loved the video, and thanks to it, I love The Great Race.

opinion

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Bathur

HRT hasn’t won Bathu John Morris/Mpix

No Rookie Nerves

Karl Reindler is confident ahead of his Main Series debut

I’VE been asked a lot lately if I’m nervous about debuting at Bathurst, and to be honest, there are not many nerves at all.

I’m going into this race weekend with no expectations.

I feel like there is no pressure, it is just another race. I was called up pretty late, so I haven’t had a great deal of time to prepare or even let it sink in that I’m racing in the Bathurst 1000, so maybe that is helping the nerves too.

I’ve done some big races before. The Daytona 24 Hour race in January was a pretty big event, and I was racing against Juan Pablo Montoya and all of

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opinion Karl Reindler V8 Supercar Rookie the NASCAR drivers, so it was big. But at the same time, it was a pretty relaxed event.

I’ve driven on some pretty famous tracks too, like Spa Francorchamps. One of my favourite circuits is Macau, and I consider that to be on a par with Bathurst, in terms of how you approach the circuit. It has a lot of history like Bathurst, and the F3 race there was like a world championship, so it was seriously competitive, like Bathurst. I went in to that race

with a team that was on the front-running pace, but, like this weekend, my approach was all about making the most of every lap and keeping it off the walls.

I am almost sick of watching on-board video footage from Bathurst. I’ve pretty much done a race distance on the DVD player, and I’ve watched everyone who I’ll be racing against to see how they tackle it. As far as preparation goes, I’ve honestly done as much as I can do without actually turning a lap around the place.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that preparation is so important …

opinion Garth Tander Toll HRT driver THIS is the biggest race for V8 Supercars, and probably the biggest touring car race in the world and when you start thinking about that, you start thinking about the history involved and how you want to be part of that history.

I’ve been fortunate enough to win the Great Race in the past and obviously, I want to be a part of it more in the future.

We’ve got as good a chance as anyone else this year. I don’t know if we are any more favourite than any other team out there, but I think ourselves, HSV Dealer Team, Triple Eight, Ford Performance Racing, and probably DJR should be considered equal favourites. But I don’t believe that we have anything more to offer than they do.

Our one big advantage is that we have a huge amount of Bathurst history. Between Mark (Skaife),

race preview

rst: The Champion’s View

urst since 2005, but GT hopes the team’s experience will get them a 1000km win myself and team manager Rob Crawford, we’ve each had a lot of success at Bathurst. There are lots of other teams who have similar experience, but as a unit, we have one of the most experienced teams.

There are probably a few key elements and parts of teams that have Bathurst experience, but I don’t think, as a core, anyone has got what we’ve got. Whether that’s an advantage or not is debatable and hard to gauge because everyone in the series is very professional and they know what they’re doing. But like they say, you can’t beat Bathurst experience ...

I think this season, we’ve struggled a bit for consistency from weekend to weekend, but that doesn’t come into play as much as Bathurst. The track is such a unique circuit as far as setup goes and the way the track changes over the weekend as it rubbers in.

It’s very unique as far as the

way you go about setting the car up over the whole weekend.

So, while we haven’t, as I said, had quite the consistency of previous years, I’m confident we’ll be in the mix when the pressure goes on, mid-afternoon Sunday.

Championship on the line John Morris/Mpix

THIS is the first time that I head to Bathurst with a V8 Supercar Championship to consider, so it’s a bit hard to know exactly how to approach the race.

I feel, to win the championship, you have to come out of Bathurst with a finish, regardless, because a win is worth 300, and if you come out with zero points, it can hurt. But you also want to win the biggest race of the year, so it’s a bit of a hard one to juggle.

Team-wise, Ford Performance Racing is going there with a safe mechanical package. We’ve taken a bit of caution,

opinion Mark Winterbottom FPR driver but driver-wise, we’re there to win it.

It’s a bit hard sometime to tell exactly how to approach it, but one thing for sure is that we want victory there.

Bathurst is where the championship really starts to take off. At the end of Bathurst, you know the real contenders and who is a definite chance. And the rounds are going to go by quickly. One

moment you could be leading the thing, and two weeks later, you can be out of contention. This is the most important time of the year. We’ve done all our test days for the year now, that’s all out of the way, so we can focus on the end of season rush.

Last year at Bathurst for us was a bit disappointing. We’d like to go back there and fix up the wrongdoings – but that place doesn’t owe you anything.

You go there wanting to turn it around and make sure you don’t make the same mistakes and hopefully, we’ll be in the same position to have a good crack at it.

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AUSTRALIAN RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND 5 – TASMANIA

Tarmac Rally Domin Neal Bates is ever-so close to another Australian Rally Championship after victory in the ARC’s first Tarmac rally. RYAN LAHIFF reports 32

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nators

Joel Strickland

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A

limited field made the trek across Bass Strait for the debut of sealed surfaces into the Australian Rally Championship, the Tasmanian Tarmac Challenge, last weekend in and around the township of Burnie.

With many regulars opting to avoid the associated cost of converting their gravel specification rally cars to the demands of tarmac, a heavilyreduced entry list tackled the twisting roads of Hellyer Gorge and Savage River made slick from regular passing showers.

And immediately the field was shown just how quickly wet tarmac can bite when Mitsubishi frontrunner Justin Dowel spun on the shakedown stage, slamming backwards into a tree on his very first

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run, prematurely ending his weekend.

With an air of trepidation prevailing on the opening stages, it was little surprise to see Toyota Racing Developments driver Neal Bates leap to an instant advantage, and eventually the winner of the ARC round. His victory also put him in almost an unassailable position in the championship with one round to go.

Bates was chased hard in the first heat by privateers Spencer Lowndes and Brenton Kaitler, while reigning Australian Champion Simon Evans struggled with confidence.

“I felt like the car was sitting on top of the road, not in it,” Evans said.

“It was very hard to generate tyre temperature and grip,” he

explained at the midday service as his team swapped his cut intermediate tyres for full wets.

At the end of the opening day, Bates had maintained his advantage of over half a minute over Lowndes’s Mitsubishi while Evans improved to third after adjusting tyre and setup options on his Super 2000 Corolla.

“We thought we’d struggle on the tarmac, but we’ve had a really good day and second is a great result. We’ve certainly been surprised with our speed,” Lowndes said.

The second day dawned even wetter and colder than the previous, with low ambient temperatures not allowing drivers to draw warmth into their tyres and brakes.

With Bates under pressure from Lowndes, and Evans again

struggling to find his rhythm on the wet tar, the action took drivers back over Heat 1’s stages.

Lowndes pushed hard early and briefly held the lead before Bates reclaimed his position.

The pace ultimately proved too hot for Lowndes who crashed heavily on the final stage, handing Bates the win.

Bates paid tribute to Lowndes, admitting the Mitsubishi driver had pushed him far harder than he’d expected.

“We had good speed, but Spencer (Lowndes) did a great job and was very impressive,” Bates said.

“I’m sorry he didn’t get to the finish, but that’s the way rallying goes sometimes.”

Lowndes’ downfall allowed Evans to improve from fifth to second to join his Toyota team mate on the podium while Glen

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Joel Strickland

Joel Strickland

A weekend on the hard stuff: Spencer Lowndes, left, chased the lead Toyota all the way, but a shunt on the last stage cost him. Above, Sunday’s podium of Bates, Evans and Raymond. Below, Raymond came home with a podium place.

Joel Strickland

Raymond powered his privateer Corolla into third for the weekend.

Guest continued to struggle throughout the day, his gearbox issues from the day before making way for centre differential drama which caused his Pirtek Subaru to under steer in the wet conditions.

The Australian Rally Championship heads towards the final round of the year at the coastal gravel roads of the Coffs Harbour region.

A former favourite with the drivers, the event marks a welcome return and with only a handful of points standing between him and his fourth title, Toyota’s Neal Bates will be hoping to put past victories in Coffs to solid use.

In the Outright class – the Tasmanian Tarmac Challenge – Jamie Vandenberg was too strong in Heat 1, while Tony Longhurst took victory on the second day.

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NASCAR SPRINT CUP ROUND 30 – AMP ENERGY 500, TALLADEGA, AL

There were plenty of incidents to watch on a long day at Talladega, with Tony Stewart ending his drought in controversial fashion.

By MARTIN D CLARK

Talladega Fights 36

NASCAR Media

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NASCAR Media

TALLADEGA is never boring, and Sunday’s race at the 2.6-mile Superspeedway was no different.

Tony Stewart ended a 43-race winless streak with his first win of the year (and first-ever at the track) in a race in which nine of the 12 Chase contenders were involved in skirmishes at some point in the 188 laps and four hour-plus marathon.

The finish was just as controversial.

Regan Smith crossed the line first after he dived under Stewart approaching the finish line. Stewart blocked Smith’s move and forced him below the ‘out of bounds’ yellow line, but the rookie passed Stewart for the lead.

“I was told if you get forced down there on the last lap, then you’re the winner of the race,” said Smith. “I should be down there doing burnouts. Second sucks.”

“We tried to be careful the first part of the day,” said Stewart, who had finished second in Alabama six times.

“I got a gap there off of (turn) four and I just had to protect my line. You hate to have to do that, but to win here at Talladega, I’d just about wreck the whole field to win.”

A blown tyre on Jamie McMurray’s car saw an overtime three-lap dash to the chequers, with Stewart leading the DEI pairing of Smith and Paul Menard on the restart.

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With 19 laps remaining, Carl Edwards bump drafted his Roush Fenway teammate Greg Biffle in turn four and caused a huge wreck involving 10 cars, including fellow Chase contenders Dale Earnhardt Jr, Matt Kenseth and Kevin Harvick and unfurling the second red flag of the race.

This incident came after David Ragan bump drafted Kevin Harvick into a spin, airing the eighth caution with 24 laps to run.

Tyres were the big story of the day, with several cut tyres causing wrecks. David Reutimann was the first casualty on lap 54, taking out Jeff Gordon and Jon Wood in the melee. Just 15 laps on, Brian Vickers was running in the lead pack when his right front tyre exploded, igniting a violent nine-car wreck in the inevitable restrictor plate ‘big one’.

Then while leading, Denny Hamlin cut a tyre in his Joe Gibbs Toyota and shot into the wall at full noise, necessitating a trip to the hospital. He was later released.

Earnhardt had a rough Friday, blowing an engine in his Hendrick Chev just three laps into the first practice session then blowing a right rear tyre in the second, wiping out the cars of David Gilliland, Clint Bowyer and David Reutimann in the process. Kasey Kahne and Stewart stayed in their primary cars after substantial repairs were undertaken.

NASCAR Media

Green flag, take a seat: Ryder Cup golf star Boo Weekley got what turned out to be a marathon race underway, far left. There were plenty of crashes to keep the fans entertained, like this one involving Greg Biffle, #16, bottom. Martin Truex Jr got to feel the heat after a tap from Brain Vickers, below, but at the end of the day, it was Tony Stewart and the Gibbs crew who got to celebrate, left. It was Stewart’s first win in more than a full season and, maybe, his last with Toyota before his 2009 return to Chevrolet.

NASCAR Media

NASCAR | AMP ENERGY 500, TALLADEGA, AL 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

20 15 6 31 07 43 66 7 48 19

Tony Stewart Paul Menard David Ragan Jeff Burton Clint Bowyer Bobby Labonte Scott Riggs Robby Gordon Jimmie Johnson Elliot Sadler

Toyota Chevy Ford Chevy Chevy Dodge Chevy Dodge Chevy Dodge

Gibbs/Subway/Home Depot Q34 DEI/Menard’s 5 Roush Fenway/AAA 16 Childress/AT&T 17 Childress/Jack Daniel’s 35 Petty Enterprises/Cheerios 32 Haas CNC/Hunt Bros Pizza 11 Gordon Motorsports/MAPEI 42 Hendrick/Lowe’s 20 GEM/Monopoly at McDonalds 40

NASCAR Media

THE CHASE FOR THE SPRINT CUP | points Johnson 5718, Edwards 5646, Biffle 5641, Burton 5619, Bowyer 5566, Harvick 5547, Stewart 5515, Gordon 5486, Kenseth 5473.

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A1GP ROUND 1 – ZANDVOORT

Singing in the Rain

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A1GP Free A1GP Free

A1GP THE 2008/09 A1GP World Cup of Motorsport finally got underway at Zandvoort with Team France securing the first Feature Race win of the year.

Loic Duval stormed to victory in a rain-soaked race ahead of Sprint Race winner Team Malaysia and Earl Bamber for Team New Zealand.

“The weekend was really difficult,” said Duval.

“We received the car yesterday morning and we were in the car for the first time during qualifying, so everything was brand new and today it was a really, really tough race. It was hard with

A1GP Free

Raining cats and dogs: Team France, main, took out the first feature race of the year while Team Malaysia, right, surprised a few people by winning the 10-lap Sprint Race in similar conditions.

It was a good start for Team Australia, above, with John Martin finishing fourth. the Safety Car but at the end everything went well and the mechanics did a great job.”

Due to the heavy rain, the Feature Race was started from behind the Safety Car and after treading cautiously to begin with Duval made his way past both Fairuz Fauzy and Bamber to take the lead.

The weather caused plenty of incidents as drivers struggled to come to grips with the new A1GP cars, with only five cars finishing on the lead lap.

Team Australia started the season well with a strong fourth place in the Feature Race. John Martin drove a sensible race and managed to

stay out of trouble to finish just of the podium.

In the Sprint Race Malaysia was too good and led home Bamber and Duval after coming from fourth on the grid in torrential conditions.

Martin didn’t fair as well in the Sprint format, finishing down in 11th place, but still on the lead lap.

France and Malaysia lie equal on points at the top of the table as the series heads to China on November 7-9.

Points: Malaysia 22, France 22, New Zealand 18, Netherlands 11, Australia 8, Monaco 5, Switzerland 4, Korea 4, South Africa 3, USA 3.

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Clash of the titans DTM

sutton-images.com

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MATTIAS Ekstrom eventually won a rain-affected race in the latest round of the DTM series at Le Mans last weekend.

The race started on a drying track and was predominantly dry until a late shower caused chaos, forcing everyone to pit for wets.

Ekstrom led all day after starting on dry tyres and had a big enough lead over those behind him to make the late unscheduled pit stop for wets.

The race looked to be over early for Paul di Resta after he started on wet tyres but the late shower helped him move back into contention, as he had not yet made his mandatory stop.

He rejoined in fourth, but battled his way up to second to keep the championship alive, after Timo Scheider finished down in sixth position.

The championship moves to Hockenheim for the next round, with Scheider now only two points clear at the top of the standings.

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Audi goes nine in a row ALMS

Controversy reigns

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AUDI scored its ninth consecutive Petit Le Mans win with Allan McNish, Rinaldo Capello and Emanuele Pirro taking victory in the 1000km race.

The race didn’t start all that well for the number one Audi after McNish spun off the track on the parade lap, forcing them to start from pitlane.

“I’m very proud of everybody within the team,” said McNish. “Rebuilding the car after the crash on the warm-up lap into perfect condition for Emanuele (Pirro), Dindo and I to drive it back to the front made this race very

special. This has been definitely the hardest victory, but also the sweetest.”

The incident forced the team to start over three minutes behind the main field, due to the damage sustained in the spin.

After taking pole position, the Peugeot of Nicolas Minassian, Stephane Sarrazin and Christain Klien just missed out on victory, finishing just 4.5s behind after 394 laps and 10 hours.

Ryan Briscoe and Helio Castroneves took out LMP2 in their Porsche RS Spyder, while GT1 went to Johnny O’Connell, Jan Magnussen and Ron Fellows, with Mika Salo and Jaime Melo taking out GT2.

WTCC

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IT was a controversial weekend for the World Touring Car Championship at Monza, with a host of penalties being dished out for mid-race offences.

In the end, Gabriele Tarquini completed a clean-sweep for SEAT in Race 2 after stable-mate Yvan Muller won Race 1.

Championship leader Muller extended his points lead slightly in Race 1, leading home Tarquini and Rickard Rydell, who was later excluded after being penalised for crossing the chicane.

Tarquini was lucky not to suffer a similar fate in Race 2 after also being found guilty for gaining an advantage. But unlike Rydell, Tarquini was only penalised five grid spots at the next round.

Muller finished down in fourth place in Race 2 while another SEAT driver, Jordi Gene, finished second.

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WORLD SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND 13 – MAGNY COURS, FRANCE

Simple Arithmetic

Ducati Corse

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THREE was the number that was on Troy Bayliss’s mind when he went to France for his 150th World Superbike round.

As it turned out, third was good enough to seal the title in the opening race, with the Aussie watching Noriyuki Haga blast off into the ether, and allowing Fonsi Nieto to ease past with a few laps to go.

But Race 2 was completely different. Bayliss led early, Haga took over but the Aussie was in the mood for a fight and took his 50th win in the series by just under a second.

“From half-way through the season we became more confident and so there was a lot of pressure,” said a thrilled Bayliss after the race, “but I’ve done what I set out to do, I really wanted to win on the three different Ducati Superbikes.

“It’s just a fantastic feeling.

Now I have secured the title,

WSBK

RIDER’S points

Bayliss 410, Haga 325, Corser 316, Neukirchner 298, Checa 284, Biaggi 235, Nieto 234, Fabrizio 203.

Yamah Racing

Troy Bayliss was keen to make sure that he sealed his third title, and third in Race 1 was enough to do that. Then he celebrated by winning Race 2

I’m looking forward to enjoying the last round at the brand new track of Portimao, where I’m hoping I can finish the season on a high!”

Haga was red-hot in the opening race and took his third straight win, while Maxed Biaggi and Neukirchner led home Troy Corser. In Race 2, Corser followed home Haga, while Carlos Checa bested Ruben Xaus and Biaggi.

With one round left, the battle for second will now be well and truly on, with the two Yamaha Italia riders locked in battle before they depart for greener pastures next season.

Neukirchner, Checa are also in with a mathematical shot at finishing second to Bayliss.

It’s the ‘plus’: Nori Haga took Race 1, abov e, but Troy Bayliss fought back to take the second outing. Note the cheeky ‘+’ sign on the front of the Ducati, indicating that the title was locked away ...

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Wet and Wild FRENAULT WEST EURO CUP

DANIEL Ricciardo has continued his winning ways in the latest round of the Formula Renault West European Cup at Spa-Francorchamps.

Ricciardo shared the race wins with Roberto Merhi over the course of the weekend in some trying conditions.

Race 1 saw some dry running after wet practice however the rain returned for Race 2, drenching the track and causing a significant loss in visibility. So much so that many drivers were left wondering why the race had not been called off early.

Felllow Australian driver Ash Walsh experienced a difficult weekend in Belgium with finishes of 17th an18th in the two races.

After a major crash on Friday Walsh was focused on bringing the car home in one piece in both races.

The series now moves to Magny Cours this weekend for the penultimate round of the championship.

Hulkenberg Champion Davo wins GT2 F3 EURO SERIES

FIA GT AUSTRALIAN Alex Davison has had his first race in the FIA GT series, racing in the GT2 category in the latest round at Nogaro, France.

Davison and co-driver Richard Westbrook took victory in their Porsche 997 GT3 RSR ahead of the Ferrari of Tim Mullen and

Andrea Piccini and 2008 GT2 Champions Toni Villander and Gianmaria Bruni.

In GT1, Miguel Ramos and Alexandre Negrao claimed their first win of the season in their Vitaphone Maserati ahead of the Pheonix Carsport Corvettes.

The result closes up the title race in the GT1 category with only two rounds remaining.

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NICO Hulkenberg has been crowned the 2008 F3 Euro Series Champion, despite finishing down in 24th position at Le Mans.

Hulkenberg stalled at the start and drove around almost one lap down to win the title.

His rival Edoardo Mortara had to finish seventh or better to keep the title alive, but he failed to do so, handing the title to the German.

“Winning the title by finishing 24th is a little bit strange indeed, but that is the way it is,” said Hulkenberg.

“I need a little bit of time to realise that I am actually Champion in the Formula 3 Euro Series. Being the first German to win the world’s strongest junior race series is great.”

Frenchman Jules Bianchi won his second Euro Series race in Race 1, while Race 2 went to Robert Wickens in a wet race ahead of Dani Cos and JeanKarl Vernay.

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Brilliant Brazier

The Australian Championships finally finished at Parramatta last weekend and it was Garry Brazier who stayed patient to take the win

I

SPRINTCARS

T finally happened last Saturday night as Sydney’s Garry Brazier was crowned the 2008 Australian Sprintcar Championship at Parramatta City Raceway.

Brazier, racing the family’s #21 Maxim, had to hold out a last lap challenge from Robbie Farr to claim his fifth Aussie title equaling speedway legend Dick Briton in the rescheduled 2008 title shoot out meeting.

Third across the line was another Sydney star Ian Loudoun, with fellow Parramatta racers Grant Tunks, Ian Madsen and Mitchell Dumesny completing the top six finishers.

Rain again played havoc with the meeting as storms lashed Sydney during the day. But fortunately the track was brought back into racing condition and the Championship was finally concluded Brazier was locked into A Main on highest points and shared the front row John Morris/ Mpix

Greg Boscato

with WA star Ken Sartori. the 2008 title, with defending champ The 40-lap final was simply superb and Brooke Tatnell and former champ and title saw many incidents. Having major crashes hopeful Kerry Madsen still racing in the were Adrian Maher, Sartori, Kelly Linigen, USA all the other leading contenders were Ben Atkinson (NT), Andrew Wright, Nathan present.

Smee and Dave Lambert.

There were only 10 survivors of the Brazier won the start from Sartori and a grueling 40 lap final. Former Australian determined Farr charged into third but an champ Max Dumesny was fairly quiet incident with Sartori in turn 2 sent the WA before his retirement with his young son star crashing out of the race on lap 4. The Mitchell leading the Valvoline star for lead changed a number of times as first many laps.

Brazier, then Farr and Maher took turns The Australian Sprintcar division can leading before Brazier took control. finally move on with the rain-marred Farr caught Brazier over the final laps 2008 championship decided, all eyes and ran wheel to wheel with him as they are on the 2009 shootout scheduled for exited the final corner but Brazier had Kwinina WA early next year where Garry enough speed to hold Farr out to claim his Brazier will attempt to defend his 2008 fifth Australian Title. crown.

“It was one of those races everyone – GREG BOSCATO drove as hard as they could,” Brazier told eNews.

“I was pretty confident over the last few laps. It wasn’t probably my best seven or eight laps I’ve done. I think I tried to throw it away. We made a couple of mistakes, gave him (Farr) the opportunity but I got the win!”

Just over 35 Carnage: The rescheduled Australian Championships saw plenty of drivers made action with only 10 cars making the finish. their way back Adrian Mahar was just one driver to have a wreck, above, while Garry to Parramatta for Brazier stayed out of trouble to win for the fifth time. the final night of

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Pre-Bathurst warm-up for the Rat NZ V8s PAUL Radisich has won the season opener in the New Zealand BNT V8s Championship in Taupo.

‘The Rat’ managed one race win over the weekend but proved consistent in Race 1 and the 20-lap reverse grid Race 3 to take the round.

“We’ve had a very pleasing weekend,” said Radisich.

“I think we’re about a second off the outright pace we can achieve and you have to be mechanically sympathetic to these cars compared to a V8 Supercar, but it’s good and we’re in the right place at the top of the points’ table.”

Former V8s champions

Kayne Scott took out Race 1, while Angus Fogg won the action-packed 20-lap reverse grid race only to be excluded following a post race for a technical irregularity promoting Paul Pedersen to first place.

Changing weather made car set-up difficult over the weekend and Race 2 saw some

wet conditions.

With Bathurst only a week away, a few of the endurance co-drivers took time out to get some extra seat time ahead of the event SBR enduro driver David Besnard and HRT driver Craig Baird also raced and recorded best finishes of fifth and fourth respectivly.

Down to the wire Mark Jones

QLD STATE A HUGE field of 29 Sportscars was the feature of the final round of the Queensland Motor Racing Championships at Morgan Park Raceway over the October 4/5 weekend.

Stephen Morcombe (Chiron LMP03) won both races, overhauling the Mazda MX5 turbo of Brendan Whitaker to claim the Sportscar Championship, while a clean sweep from Terry Knight (Porsche GT3 Cup) claimed the Production Sportscar Championship.

Historic Touring Cars saw the Escorts of Errol Stratford and Jason Black but Bob

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Sudall (Mazda RX-2) did enough to retain his championship.

Formula Vee went to the final corner of the year with Paul Mantiet (Rapier) fighting past Tim Hamilton (Jacer) then holding him out to win the race and the championship.

James Mann (Van Diemen RF04) claimed the Formula Ford title, and in the absense of series leader Barclay Holden, the Racing Car title as well, taking a win, second and third behind Bill Norman (Reynard 92D).

Michael Dawes tied the point score with the absent Ashley Jarvis in Geminis title chase with Jarvis winning on a countback.

Justin Keys (Mazda RX-3) wrapped up the Improved Production title, with Justin

Wade (BMW M3) picking up the final win of the year.

Carlo Chermaz (PVP) claimed the Superkart title with a clean sweep, although he was pushed hard by Vince Livaditis (Stockman-Honda).

Troy Hoey (AU Falcon) secured the Saloon Car title in the first race with Scott Nicholas and Paul Leaver taking the race wins.

Bob McLoughlin (Commodore-Chev) won his third Sports Sedan title with Shane Bradford (Falcon EB) winning the last race.

Jamie Furness and Dion Cidoni each won a HQ race over the weekend.

– MARK JONES

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Third Generation

KARTING NSW THE Brabham name has continued its winning ways, with third-generation driver Matthew Brabham winning the Junior National Light category at the New South Wales Karting Championships at Port Macquarie.

The 14-year-old passed Jordan Lloyd on the last lap and held on to claim his fourth state title.

“When I crossed the finish line, it was more of a relief that I was still there than it was happiness about winning,” said

Brabham after the race.

“It was a pretty tough race with everyone fighting for the lead. I knew that I had to lead the last lap because this track is pretty easy to block the guys behind you.

“I covered the first three corners on the last lap and then had a look to see that I had a small gap which was enough to give me confidence over the final half a lap.”

Brabham went on to finish fifth in Junior Clubman category behind winner James Kovacic.

Tony Kart pilot Grant Smith took out

the Leopard Light Category ahead of the favoured James Sera and Adam Mercer.

Jason Hryniuk was too good in Clubman Heavy finishing in front of Brendan Nelson, but couldn’t quite do the double, finishing second in Rotax Light behind David Whitmore.

Other winners over the weekend included Nathan Sinclair (Senior National Heavy), Matthew Bailey (Clubman Super Heavy), Rick Pringle (Rotax Heavy), James Kovacic (Junior National Heavy), Andreas Chronis (Rookies), David Sera (Clubman Light) and Daniel Baker (Leopard Heavy).

Locals rule the roost KARTING WA

THE Western Australian Karting Championships have been run and won at Wundowie Raceway last weekend.

Local drivers dominated the races, with BD Soutar-Dawson grabbing the coverted Clubman Light category in front of Brye Moore.

The defending Champion doubled up for the weekend and also took out the Leopard Light category ahead of Brad Fitch.

Fellow West Aussie Lewis Sutherland also tasted victory in both the Junior National Heavy and Junior Clubman categories.

In Junior National Heavy, he led home Blake Stanton and Brendon Hope after a racelong duel, while in Junior Clubman he was able to keep out Adam Morjoram Jake Dudley.

Other winners included, Joshua Buggy (Midgets), Jesse Elliott (Rookies), Adam Marjoram (Junior National Light), Rhys watt (Senior

Natioanl Light), Shannon Pearce (Senior National Heavy, Lloyd Billick (Sportsman 100 Heavy), Jarrod Wilson (Clubman Super Heavy), Greg

Dicker (Over 40s), Nathan Davis (Rotax Light), Simon Gwilliam (Rotax Heavy), Jared Bishop (Leopard Heavy) and Jayme Light (Open).

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rear of grid

1

When things go wrong ...

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FOR all the latest MotoGP news and to find out what happened on the Island you should really head to mag. gpweek.com.

But when one of our national photographers by the name of John Morris decided to head down and check out the action we weren’t surprised at all to get a cracking shot of someone or something mid-flight.

Here Alex DeBon pushes a little too hard.

These guys are crazy. Believe it.

Odd Spot

Blow up Brock Who said Brock was full of hot air?

Here is a picture of a merchandise tent for everything Brock-related. You will find it at Bathurst this weekend in the merchandise area.

The blow up structure is made of the same material as a jumping castle, however, you won’t be able to jump around too much inside this one – unless, of course, you get yourself a nice discount.

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