Motorsport eNews Issue 82 - November 25-December 1, 2008 by V8 Sleuth

The world of motorsport direct to your desktop

Issue No. 082 25 November – 1 December 2008

D E M R I F CON

New v8 team

WEBBER

s t or p p p u AGP S

MAssive new line-up

THE FAST TRACK BACK

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

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

Advertising National Sales Manager: Oriana Kennedy oriana@mnews.com.au P 03 9596 5555 F 03 9596 5030

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

MD / Publisher

Chris Lambden publisher@mnews.com.au

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)

Australasian

The ‘A’ Team

Issue No. 082 | 24 Nov – 01 Dec 2008

news 4 Marshall Eight

7 Entertainment ... 9 Back in no time 13 Senna and F1? 16 F1 meets Sandown 21 Star studded

chat 22 5 minutes with ... opinion 24 van Leeuwen

Marcus confirms future Burnouts are back! Webber’s actual condition It has a nice ring to it ... Capelli tests Maserati Kart enduro field Marcus Marshall

25 Branagan

Motorsport for the masses De-badged and de-branded

30 V8 Supercars 36 V8 Supports 42 Aged to perfection

Shannons Preview A champ almost crowned Looser than loose Classic Adelaide

race 26 Exotic showdown trade 50 Classifieds

Ah, winter testing. There’s something so crisp about testing photos so we grabbed this beauty to share ith you.

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

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

Dirk Klynsmith

Marshall confirms own team

Former Champ Car driver reveals plans for his new Gold Coast-based team V8 SUPERCARS

Marshall Cass

MARCUS Marshall has confirmed plans to compete in his own team – IntaRacing – in next year’s V8 Supercar Championship Series. As first revealed by eNews (Issue #078), Marshall has established his own V8 team, set to be based in Southport, Queensland. Marshall has secured sponsorship from Intabill, an Australian-based e-Commerce company. The team will be known as IntaRacing and plans to have a major presence at V8 Supercar meetings with an interesting and unique marketing strategy, based around the team’s racing program. Marshall has formalised a deal with Triple Eight Race

Engineering to supply chassis and engines, as well as ongoing technical support. The Gold Coast-based driver will start the season with a current T8 Falcon BF, before receiving an FG mid-2009. It is expected that Marshall will get the first TeamVodafone ‘hand-me-down’ Falcon chassis. Former WPS Racing employee Keith Evers has been secured as IntaRacing’s first team manager. The experienced Evers will be in charge of securing further staff for the debutant team. Marshall told eNews that results won’t be important as getting the team to “gel” together. “I think that the aim for the first six months will be to finish races,” he said. “Obviously, I expect to go

well, but I just want to finish races and get the team going forward. “There’s nothing better than going to Adelaide and completing all the laps, go through all scenarios without damage and then you grow as a team, especially in the way you work over a whole weekend.” It is still unclear which license Marshall will use next season. Both Walkinshaw Racing and Marshall have claimed that they have a ‘done deal’ with Kees Weel for his PWR Racing entry. If Marshall is unsuccessful in securing the PWR license, then there are other options that have emerged, including at least one of Larry Perkins’, a Britek licence and the Walden entry. – GRANT ROWLEY

news

F5000 close to AGP debut

Popular historic class likely to head massive Albert Park supports bill AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX THE increasingly-popular Formula 5000 category is close to locking away a slot on the Formula 1 ING Australian Grand Prix support bill. F5000 has been mooted as an AGP support class for a number of years, but eNews understands the historic class is finally on the verge of inclusion as a support event to the Albert Park F1 street event. F5000 is the V8-based open-wheel class that competed in different series in various regions around the world from 1968 to 1982. Locally, New Zealand has a large and competitive field of cars, which would make up the majority of the field. The inclusion of F5000 may also present an opportunity for a few of the sports F5000 legends to make one-off appearances .... F5000 will be just one element of an expanded support bill, with five categories likely to support the AGP – and they will all play their own ‘themed’ role. The lead support act will again be V8

Supercars, which will compete in the second Manufacturer’s Challenge. Australian Carrera Cup and Australian GT have also been confirmed on the bill, while the other two classes are not totally signed off yet. Formula Ford and F5000 are the two categories in line, and as Grand Prix CEO Drew Ward explains, they will all fill their own roles on the March 26-29 schedule: “We are always striving to provide the best possible line up for the Australian Grand Prix, both on and off the track,” Ward said. “We have planned for the 2009 event to have a number of classes to complement what I consider to be the best open-wheel category – Formula 1 – and the best touring car category in the world – V8 Supercars. “The theme that we developed and agreed upon is recognition of the highperformance brands, and we’ve achieved that through Carrera Cup and the Australian GT Championship. “The other theme that we wanted to run with was a recognition of the history of the sport and of the evolution of Formula 1. We are still working on confirming that

class, but we’ll have an announcement soon. “And the third theme was to provide a platform, or an opportunity for up and coming talent in Australia to put on a show in front of the motorsport world.” The Australian Grand Prix will also adopt a new time format in 2009. With the F1 sessions not running until later in the day (Sunday’s main race won’t start until 5pm), support classes will not hit the track until midday. “We’ll get things kicked-off on the track at lunchtime and go all the way through until sunset on all four days,” Ward said. “The reason we are doing that is that it suits our spectators’ behavior. It’s a leisurely start for people who want to have a big weekend in Melbourne and enjoy themselves. It’s a big party weekend for people, as we know, and a lot of people come from interstate and overseas and we want them to get out and about and enjoy themselves. “We want to construct the entertainment at a time that suits them and let it flow into the late afternoon.” – GRANT ROWLEY

Dirk Klynsmith

A massive mix: The 2009 AGP will have Carrera Cup, above, and is close to locking in the spectacular and popular F5000 category, below.

James Smith

BRIEFLY... n Despite recent suggestions of a possible alliance with Kelly Racing, confirmation is shortly expected that Paul Dumbrell's Autobarn Commodore will be run out of Clayton, as part of the 'replacement' team for the HSV Dealer Team. n Triple Eight’s two Falcons raised awareness for ‘Movember’ at Symmons Plains by running moustaches on the bonnets, while the Holden Racing Team is also raising cash for the popular charity. The factory Holden team is auctioning the one and only spare 60th anniversary bonnet that the team used at Bathurst this year. Bids for the bonnet can be made via ebay.com, with all proceeds going to Movember. The auction closes on November 29.

V8 SUPERCARS JASON Bargwanna has joined the swelling group of drivers talking to Paul Cruickshank Racing about a second car for 2009. Bargs, who co-drove impressively with Tony D’Alberto at Bathurst this year, has been in discussion with team owner Paul Cruickshank for a short time, and reportedly has a degree of sponsorship backing to support him. “He has a good pedigree and it’s worth having a good look at him with what we want to achieve,” Cruickshank told eNews on Monday. “We’re at the final stages of our deals so we’re just exploring it all.” eNews understands that Bargwanna is one of three drivers vying for the potential

seat. All three are believed to have a range of talent, age and experience. Cruickshank is yet to lock in a second licence to compete with an extra car alongside Fabian Coluthard’s entry, but with a number of licences on the market, finding one should be a formality, rather than an issue. ‘Bargs’ drove the PCR Falcon at Eastern Creek earlier this year during the 30 minute endurance driver test session, and since then, Bargwanna and Cruickshank have stayed in touch about a future partnership. Cruickshank’s team will take delivery of a new FG Falcon from Triple Eight for the start of the year. It will be used by Coulthard and, if it secures the second entry, it will start the year with its current BF chassis. – GRANT ROWLEY

Ambrose pops in NASCAR MARCOS Ambrose was a star guest at last weekend’s V8 Supercar round at his home state’s circuit, Symmons Plains. Ambrose was at the track on Saturday, fronting a press conference before catching up with friends at Stone Brothers Racing and Paul Morris Motorsport. Ambrose is looking forward to a break from the heavy Sprint Cup and

Nationwide Series work-load over the Australian summer. “I’m looking forward to the break and spending some time at home,” he said. “But I’m really looking forward to going back and getting into it again next year.” Ambrose finished 10th in the Nationwide Series this year, winning the Watkins Glen round in August. Dirk Klynsmith

n NZ’s Toyota Racing Series will kick off this weekend at Ruapuna Park, for the Wigram Cup. Australia will be represented by CAMS Rising Star Scott Pye.

Is Jason Bargwanna PCR’s second man for 2009?

Dirk Klynsmith

n Tickets sales close this Friday for the 2008 CAMS Australian Motor Sport Awards Dinner. The night, which this year features a more streamlined awards format to make for a more entertaining evening, will be held at the Sofitel on Collins Street in Melbourne CBD on Friday December 12. Network Ten’s Bill Woods will host the evening, with a live band and entertainment joining the host of Australian champions present on the night. Tickets are $150 per head. Call Sara Lettieri at CAMS for tickets. Ph: 03 9593 7777 during office hours.

Bargs joins PCR list

news

Pre-race burn-outs are back! New technical changes confirmed for 2009 V8 Supercar Championship V8 SUPERCARS V8 Supercar drivers will again be able to warm their rear tyres properly in the run up to the start-line, following the reversal of a rule implemented two years ago, banning the practice. The move – which sees grid marshals removed from the grid – is one of several sporting/technical regs discussed recently by V8SA and set to be introduced in 2009. Other race reg changes includes a limit of six on numbers of personnel allowed across the pit wall during stops, a limit of seven personnel able to physically work on cars during a race meeting, and a re-

Dirk Klynsmith

think on Safety Car restarts, which will allow ‘overlapping’ but not passing when the Safety Car disappears (easier to police, via the cars’ timing sensor). On the technical front, the series (Motec) ecu is to be up-dated, the new MoTeC M800 also replacing the TEGA data logger. At the same time, V8SA is to implement a full accident data-recording system. Proposals to implement control camshafts, wheels and seats have been deferred, as has any decision on the introduction of a Detroit Locker rear end. Possibly set for change is the use

of fuel towers for refuelling, with V8SA considering returning to the oldfashioned churns, as both a safety and cost gain. A decision is due by January 1. A list of standard/control fuel system items – pumps, filters, and lines – to cope with the new E85 fuel has also been agreed. Development series Fords will be able to use D3 cylinder heads in ’09, while the series will also allow the use of composite glass guards on all cars, as used in the main series.

V8SA to take on Sandown V8 SUPERCRRS

Marshall Cass

V8 SUPERCARS Australia will take on responsibility for promotion of the Sandown V8 race, following the withdrawal of IMG as promoter. Shane Howard, General Manager of V8 Supercar Events, confirmed the change on Monday. The addition of the Sandown race to the V8SA portfolio brings to six the number of events to be staged by V8 Supercars itself in 2009 – including the all-new Townsville and Sydney street races. While Townsville and Sydney have required the employment of additional ‘on the ground’ staff, Sandown will be less demanding on V8SA resources. Previous promoter of racing at Sandown, Jon Davison, had told eNews that he would not interested in returning to the role of Sandown promoter, “at least not under the same commercial conditions as before.”

Ash Budd

Love to have a beer with Jack: Sir Jack Brabham and Vern Schuppan enjoy a cold one at The Stag Hotel in Adelaide. Sir Jack has recently become a patron for Kidney Health Australia, having revealed he is himself on dialysis three days a week.

news

On yer bike: While flipping a Mercedes at Le Mans and tearing all four wheels off a Jaguar F1 car in Brazil left MW without a scratch, his faithful treadly bit him hard on Sunday ...

Webber set for fast comeback FORMULA 1

MARK Webber expects to be back in an F1 car in plenty of time to be race fit for the Australian Grand Prix, on March 29. The Aussie Red Bull driver broke his right leg at the weekend, colliding with an oncoming 4WD while riding a mountain bike in the Mark Webber Pure Tasmanian Challenge. Initial media reports of “career-ending multiple injuries” have proved substantially wide of the mark. Attended initially by Challenge team-mate Daniel McPherson and Challenge medical staff, Webber was airlifted to Hobart, where he underwent surgery, with a titanium rod inserted in his leg. He is expected to return to Europe after a few more days in hospital, to begin intensive rehab, quite possibly at a high-tech facility in Austria. Partner Ann Neal flew in to Tasmania from the UK on Monday afternoon and, after consulting with Webber’s doctors, told us that “his leg is a lot better than I expected. The breaks (tibia and fibula) are clean and there’s no reason why he shouldn’t recover strongly. “Luck sometimes isn’t on his side, but on this occasion – both in terms of the injury, and when it’s happened, in the off-season – he’s been lucky. “Christian Horner and the team at Red Bull will take over responsibility for his re-hab program – they have access to some pretty advanced sports rehab facilities, so there’s no reason to think he won’t be back well before the season starts. “The problem they’ll have is holding him back …”

BRIEFLY...

Ugly Duckling: BMW.Sauber was one of the teams to run 2009-spec aero during testing at Barcelona, and it wasn’t too pretty. Let’s hope some refining gets done before next March ...

n Sebastian Vettel topped the time sheets when testing came to an end at Barcelona last week, but both he and the Red Bull team were first to play down the significance of the result. Teams are running with various spec combinations as they simulate 2009 regs, making times meaningless.

n Ecclestone has other

n Bridgestone is still assessing data before deciding on its tyre options for 2009, when F1 will return to slicks. The company is, however, determined to provide a far greater performance difference between the two compounds it will take to each race. All teams ran on development slicks at last week’s Barcelona test. n Martin Brundle has confirmed that he will be part of the commentary team when the BBC takes over from ITV as the primary English broadcaster of F1. Network Ten is expected to source its race commentary from the Beeb.

No Electric Feel MOTOGP MOTOGP is set to look at controlling the use of electronics – in particular traction control – although any change is unlikely for 2009. Impetus for the discussion is coming from the riders, who believe that electronics are reducing the spectacle of MotoGP racing, and making the bikes easier to ride. Dorna chief Carmelo Ezpeleta has confirmed that the subject is the next thing on the agenda: “We need to get down to discuss it, as it’s been done in every motor racing series,” he told Motosprint. “I’ve asked the manufacturers to look for a solution, to start talking, but we won’t see anything in 2009. We’ll need more time. “However, regulating electronics will be the next step.”

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pressing financial matters on his mind; wife Slavica last week confirmed that she had split with Mr E and would be seeking a divorce. Complicating the matter, is the fact that many of Ecclestone’s assets are in his wife’s name.

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n The French Grand Prix is unlikely to return to the F1 calendar before the 2011 season, according to Bernie Ecclestone. With a 2009 race being scrapped because of funding problems, the race suffered another setback last week when Euro Disney and the Lagardere Sports group withdrew a joint bid to host the event at the Val d’Europe circuit on the outskirts of Paris.

Champs show F1 speed FORMULA 1

BOTH 2008 MotoGP and WRC champions have tested F1 cars in the past week – Valentino Rossi at Ferrari and Sebastien Loeb with Red Bull. And unsurprisingly, both did an impressive job. It was Rossi’s second test in a Ferrari and left the bike star convinced that – had he chosen a switch to four wheels earlier – he might have made it as an F1 driver, as he explained to the attending media: “I have nothing to prove, neither to myself nor others. “I only had a big curiosity to know. Well, I’m more and more convinced that with a bit of time I could have become a good F1 driver. It only remains to be seen how good, whether good enough to win or not. “So I have no regrets, and never had them. I did the right thing staying in MotoGP, where I win and I hope to carry on winning for a long time.” For his part, Loeb impressed the Red Bull team, posting consistent times in an RB4 car, on slicks, with approximate 2009 downforce. The rally star wasn’t at all intimidated by the F1 car, but conceded that, at 34, he was probably too old to make it in F1! “If I was going to do that, it’s something that I should have thought about doing a few years ago. This only came about because it was an opportunity offered to me by Red Bull,” he said.

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Senna makes F1 debut FORMULA 1

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THE Senna name has returned to the cockpit of an F1 car for the first time since Ayrton Senna’s death, with nephew Bruno testing for the first time, with Honda, at Catalunya last week. There has been some suggestion that Senna, or Lucas di Grassi, might replace Rubens Barrichello in the Honda team in 2009. “Today has been a really good day and I’m very pleased. I’ve become a lot more

comfortable and confident in the car and I think that showed in the lap times, both in the actual times and also the consistency,” Senna reported. “We found some good setups and we were able to make a lot of progress through the day. Whether what I did today is good enough is for the team to decide now is up to them and I respect that,” said the Brazilian. “For me personally, for my first time in a Formula 1 car, I have to be happy with what I achieved today.”

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Look back to go forward opinion Chris Lambden mNews Publisher

When the music stops F1 considers another qualifying tweak FORMULA 1

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FORMULA 1 qualifying procedure is back on the agenda, with the new teams’ association, FOTA, planning a review when it next meets. Up for discussion is a bizarre concept based on ‘Devil Take the Hindmost’ cycle races – where all cars would start on equal fuel, the slowest car being eliminated each lap until six are left; a quick stop for fresh rubber and a six-car shoot-out. The format would do away with the current qualifying concept, where cars do the final, crucial, run on differing amounts of race fuel. Format aside, there is also a discussion coming on whether to allocate a championship point for pole position. FOTA is due to meet in December.

THE more they tamper with tradition, the more F1 becomes a circus. I’ve got a great idea for qualifying. How about a 30 minute session Friday, then another 30 minute session Saturday. All in, light fuel. Fastest man gets pole. Sound familiar? Bit oldfashioned I guess, but anyone who can recall the sizzling final 10 minutes of F1 qualifying in the 80s and 90s, where picking your moment, dealing with traffic, lastminute show-stoppers were all part of F1 qualifying, would agree there has been nothing to match. Chop it down to 30 minutes (instead of an hour) and let’s sort the men from the pretenders. Forget the contrived stuff – F1 needs to go back in time to take a step forward …

INDYCAR FACES CUTBA INDYCAR

JUST six months after USA open-wheel racing gained momentum with all the stars and teams competing together in the IndyCar Series, the teams are facing their toughest economic times. “With all of those events creating positive momentum,

it’s just amazing the bad timing that we have to be facing the world economic situation,” said Brian Barnhart, the IRL’s President, Competition and Operations, in an Indianapolis radio interview on 1070 The Fan. “That’s going to affect not just the smaller teams, but the bigger teams. While we’re getting a sense from KV,

Newman/Haas and everyone who contested this season of how badly they want to continue in 2009, we have a full understanding that everyone is facing some significant economic challenges. “I don’t know that we could come back and run 26 [cars] full-time, just based on the economics we’re seeing

worldwide,” said Barnhart. “I would expect some sort of reduction. Something in the 2224 range, I’d be tickled with. “Cutting private testing completely away could have a different effect on our series than it does in [NASCAR Sprint] Cup,” Barnhart continued. “We’re trying to balance sustainability of our existing

... WITHOUT A TITLE SPONSOR FOR 2009 INDYCAR THE IndyCar Series looks likely to race without a title sponsor for the 2009 season. According to reports, Subway, Kodak, William Rast clothier and two technology companies expressed genuine interest. But

by summer’s end, two serious candidates remained, needing additional time to review the new TV package splitting broadcasts between networks ABC/ESPN and VERSUS. “Unless a miracle falls out of the sky, I don’t think we’re going to sign a title sponsorship deal for 2009,” Zak Brown, President of Just

Marketing International (the company hired by the IRL to land a title sponsor) told the Indianapolis Business Journal. “We’re still hammering away at it. We’re not going to stop working just because of the economy. But marketers are being very cautious with their budgets.” – MARY MENDEZ

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Keep Walking

Walker Racing set set for 2009

Honda Racing Media

INDYCAR

Honda Racing Media

ACKS

A1GP THE classic Indy 300 on the Gold Coast is no more. While there has been some debate as to whether or not the event would retain the ‘Indy’ moniker despite the absence of an American openwheel series, it seems that the question has been answered. A statement has been released to the media calling the event the ‘Gold Coast 300,’ which will be a joint headliner for A1GP and V8 Supercars.

Matt stays NASCAR

Ford Racing Media

owners with attracting new owners and new drivers. If a new team or a rookie driver is trying to come to your series and isn’t allowed to test, there’s not much likelihood that they’re going to join your series. When you’re sitting on 43-plus cars, like Cup is, that’s probably not a situation they’re too worried about, so a ban on testing may work for them.” Team owners met privately in Las Vegas a few weeks ago with series founder, Tony George, to express their concerns about the future. Absent was Barnhart and Terry Angstadt, President, Commercial Division. Currently, IndyCar drivers looking for rides while their teams look for sponsors include Will Power, Oriol Servia, Justin Wilson, Ryan Hunter Reay and Buddy Rice. – MARY MENDEZ

DERRICK Walker is closing in on a deal to run in IndyCar next season. The former Team Australia team partner, who ran Paul Tracy at Edmonton, above, has formed a partnership with Charlie Patterson and Peter Olach, owners of NexGen MTD, a company seeking to help young drivers advance in open wheel racing in North America. The company has offices in Indianapolis and Hickory, NC.

“There is little doubt that the NexGen MTD and Walker Racing relationship has its work cut out for it in these tough economic times,” said an enthusiastic Walker, working to finalise the deal. “But the interest and progress that has been made thus far is very encouraging. Our first program is to compete in the Firestone Indy Lights Series with a long term program for 19-year-old Philippine gal, Michele Bumgarner.” – MARY MENDEZ

It’s the Ind of an Era

ROUSH Fenway Racing has moved to secure Matt Kenseth’s services for the future. Kenseth, the 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup champion, has joined team-mates Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards in pledging their immediate futures to Ford’s gun team. The 36-year-old from Wisconsin has been with the Roush team since 1998, and has scored 16 Sprint Cup Series and 24 Nationwide Series wins. “It’s been a great 11 years at Roush Fenway Racing,” said Kenseth in a statement from the team. “I appreciate everything Jack [Roush, team co-owner] and DeWalt have done for me over the years. We’ve had a lot of success together including a championship and I’m really proud of that. I’m looking forward to the next few years and winning another championship with Roush Fenway.”

Percat’s Plan CARRERA CUP

FORMULA Ford front-runner Nick Percat is eyeing a future in Australian Carrera Cup. In the past, the South Australian had spoken about heading over to the British Formula 3 championship, but it seems that his future will be local, and Carrera Cup is likely to be his first choice. “I’ve got nothing sorted at this stage,” he said. “I could do another season of Formula Ford or likely a year in Carrera Cup before doing V8s in the future.” Percat sits second in this year’s Formula Ford title, driving for Sonic Motor Racing Services. The Mick Ritter-run operation is also a leading

FORMULA 3 TOM Tweedie will graduate from state Formula Ford to the Australian Formula 3 Championship in 2009. Tweedie has purchased the ex-Chris Alajajian Dallara F304, and will team up with Ralt Australia in an effort to win the National Class next season. The plan is then to tackle the Gold Star in 2010. “I am thrilled to be running Formula 3 in 2009,” he said. “Formula 3 is without doubt one of the highest levels of motorsport internationally and the last few years the Australian F3 championship has really grown into a competitive challenge.” Tweedie, 20, finished second in this year’s New South Wales Formula Ford 1600 title. In other F3 news, the 2009 schedule has been released, with the Gold Star set to kick off at the Clipsal 500 in Adelaide. Wakefield Park and Winton rejoin the calendar, while Sandown will host the season finale next November.

FFord/AGP start FORMULA FORD THE 2009 Australian Formula Ford Championship will bookended by two street races. For the first time in the history of the championship, the Formula Ford season will kick off at the Albert Park street circuit in Melbourne as a support category to the Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix (first mooted by eNews Issue #072), before concluding on the Surfers Paradise streets

Marshall Cass

Tom’s new car

Carrera Cup team and would be the ideal home for Percat to start his tintop career. “Sonic is an awesome team to be with. They’re one of the best in the paddock, and they’ve really taught me a lot this year,” he said. “I would like to do Carrera Cup to learn how tin tops behave, how they roll around and move. Sonic has won the Porsche championship before so I think I’d have a good shot.” Percat has never driven a Carrera Cup car before, but may get a test before the end of the year. However, his 2009 plans remain somewhat out of his control. Percat is a Walkinshaw Racing contracted driver and will seek advice from the group before making any decision on his racing future. – GRANT ROWLEY

on the Gold Coast. For the first time, no national Formula Ford round will be run in New South Wales, as the Formula Fords can not compete at Homebush because the track won’t be approved for open wheelers. The official calendar will be announced this week. – GRANT ROWLEY

Island magic for Aussies AUSSIE RACING CARS THE Aussie Racing Car Series will visit Phillip Island for the first time next year. The popular pint-sized category confirmed that its first race meeting at the circuit will see the cars use the downforceproducing rear wing and front splitter, making the cars more stable at high speeds. “It should make for really good racing,” category manager Phil Ward told eNews. “I can see the cars coming into the front

straight, side-by-side and then fan out four-wide. “I reckon once they’re half-way down the straight, the aero on the cars will start to work. It will be wild.” The Aussie Cars will use its restrictor number four at the Island track, which is otherwise only used at Bathurst. Restrictors are changed in the class at each circuit, knocking off top speed to create better racing. – GRANT ROWLEY

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FPR’s Fujitsu future FUJITSU V8s FORD Performance Racing is considering preparing and entering a Fujitsu V8 Series car next year. The factory Ford team has investigated the possibility of grooming a young driver in the development series, but team boss Tim Edwards told eNews that it will only commit if a the right driver can be found. “If the right driver came along, yes we’d definitely consider it,” he said.

“It’s a good way to foster new talent in the category but its got to be the right driver that we believe that we can win the championship. If we’re going to put our name to it, we want someone for the future. “If you’re taking a young guy who has never raced these cars before, then it’s hard to expect him to win the championship. As long as you put in a strong performance, you can’t ask for much more, and who knows, it

might be enough to have a crack at the championship. It depends what the competition is like.” FPR hasn’t entered a car in the Fujitsu V8 Series before and its desire to be involved now has partly come about due to the change to the latest-model FG Falcons. With some of its current BFs on the sidelines, the Campbellfield-based team has the hardware and resources to compete next season. – GRANT ROWLEY

Dirk Klynsmith Dirk Klynsmith

Tin tops for Timmy FUJITSU V8s

Marshall Cass

EXPECT to see Tim Blanchard race in the Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series in 2009. The 21-year-old AMSF International Rising Star has abandoned his British Formula 3 plans after finishing second in this British Formula Ford Championship. Since returning to Australia, Blanchard has been on the hunt for a top-line Fujitsu V8 drive. “When the Australian dollar collapsed, that pretty much ended my chance to race in British Formula 3,” the 2007 Australian Formula Ford Champ said.

“Plan B was V8 Supercars and that’s where we’re heading.” Blanchard tested an F3 car during his maiden international season and was confident that he could have achieved in the tough championship. “The Formula 3 test went pretty well and after that I felt I could do well in it,” he said. “I’m a bit disappointed that I would be able to have a good crack at it because I think the potential was there to get some good results. “For now, my future is going to be V8 Supercars and I’m starting to prepare for that. “But doing Formula Ford in the UK wasn’t a waste. My season in

England has prepared me very well, I feel,” he said. “Ideally, I want to be running top five (in the Fujitsu V8s), and my goal is to run in the top three in the championship, if not win it.” – GRANT ROWLEY

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F1 driver headlines Aussie GT Ivan Capelli to race a Trofeo Motorsport Maserati at Sandown this weekend SHANNONS NATS FORMER Ferrari F1 driver Ivan Capelli will line up at this weekend’s final round of the Australian GT Championship, at Sandown. Capelli will share one of

three Trofeo Motorsport/ Pirelli Maseratis entered in the twin one-hour races. The drive was organised during a visit to Australia earlier in the year. Capelli was on hand yesterday (Monday) when

the Trofeo team shook down all three cars at Winton Raceway. The GT Classic will also see the debut of the very latest Dodge Viper GT3, in the hands of Ross Lilley and the semi-retired Greg Crick.

Saturday and Sunday will each feature one of the onehour races. For a full preview of the weekend’s Shannons Nationals decider, turn to page 26.

Price secures Sandown V8 Touring drive V8 TOURING CARS FORMER Jack Daniel’s Racing V8 Supercar driver Shane Price is gearing up to race at this weekend’s Shannons Nationals at Sandown International Raceway. Price will pilot the VX Commodore run by Power Plus 98 Racing for the final round of the V8 Touring Car Championship, which is in its first season, and is excited about the opportunity. “It’ll be a bit of fun, I’m looking forward to it,” Price told eNews. “The team just gave me a call and asked me if I could drive it and I figured, I’m not driving anything and I may as well keep my

bum in anything and everything I’m offered to drive.” It will be Price’s first competitive drive since parting ways with Jack Daniel’s prior to Surfers Paradise. “I think it will be reasonably similar to the V8 Supercar,” said Price. “It’s a slightly older car, but I went and had

a look at it’s in good condition. “It should be reasonably similar to drive. Sure it’s not quite at the level of a main game car, but it will be good to just get out there and have a steer.” Despite the slightly older cars, Price is impressed with the series in just its first year. “The series itself has the right idea. “All the V8 teams have cars that they need to sell and this series provides the Fujitsu Series teams the option to sell their cars when it comes time to upgrade. “It’s perfect for Australia’s number one category to be able to keep the cars running and make other categories.” – PHILLIP MAHONEY

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T R A T S T BRIGH hy w ls a e v re s w e N t r o p December’s Motors 2009 in R B S to g in v o m is t h Jason Brig

ON SALE FROM WEDNESDAY at newsagents BRIGHT: Why he’s going back to SBR VAN GIZ: Up close with the young Ford star SKAIFE: From left-field with the retiring ace DIXON: How the Kiwi ‘made it’ in the US HAMILTON: The pitfalls of being F1 champ PLUS: All the opinion, analysis and comment across the motorsport spectrum – from F1 to Formula Ford; V8s to Aussie Racers; Drags to Sprintcars … something for everyone

check to d e e n u o y , s w e n e d th For all the news behinf Motorsport News out the latest issue o CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE

(Subscriptions to Motorsport News include FREE access to Motorsport17eNews

A new view on drag racing Brijeski’s Camaro captured on film, rolling at 200kmh DRAG RACING TOP Doorslammer driver Deno Brijeski had a completely different perspective on drag racing at Perth Motorplex at The Goldenstate Titles. Up against Victor Bray in the second qualifying round, the Sydneysider’s Camaro ended up on its roof at over 200kmh. The only injuries were to Brijeski’s pride and wallet and with the car now back in his Penrith workshop, the rebuilding process is now underway for his next event –

the ENZED Nightfire New Year Series at Willowbank Raceway in January. “The front timing cover seal let go and sprayed oil all over the left rear tyre,” he explained. “I started out in the right lane but with the right rear tyre the only one with any grip, I ended up in Victor’s lane pretty much straight away.” “I held onto it as hard as I could until I saw Victor go past, the last thing we both needed was for him to run into me. As soon as I relaxed the steering, the left wheel just slid into the

right lane until the car was horizontal between the lanes. It then just flipped onto its roof at about the 330 foot mark.” An official on the scene told eNews that he a calm and collected Brijeski took all the necessary precautions when sparks come from the upturned car. “We could see that Deno had turn off the fuel supply and shut the engine down and that was all we could ask from someone that was hanging upside down in that that sort of situation,” he said.

Judd’s record breaker DRAG RACING

Brain White Media

PERTH drag racer Robin Judd rewrote the Australian Top Doorslammer record books at last weekend’s 37th annual Goldenstates at Perth Motorplex, Kwinana Beach. Already Australia’s quickestever Top Doorslammer drag racer, Judd became the first Australian Doorslammer racer to run into the 5.8s zone and in doing so lowered his previous Australia’s quickestever 5.907s time to 5.868s. Prior to the Motorplex event, Judd had recorded five-second passes at Queensland’s Willowbank Raceway, Ipswich (two) and at Western Sydney International Dragway (WSID) (also two), but he had not run the Top

Doorslammer milestone at his home track (Perth Motorplex). “The plan was to first get comfortably in the field then go after a couple of quick times,” said Judd. “However, the track conditions were different and we couldn’t get the car to hook-up.” In Saturday’s first round elimination race, Judd stunned the large Motorplex crowd and fellow competitors when he reeled off the 5.8s at

245.90mph, which was also his fastest-ever pass. While Judd thought the pass was quick, he did not know just how quick until he pulled-up at the end of the braking area. “It was not until I came around the corner in the braking area and saw Ben Bray and his crew jumping up and down that I realised the run must have been really quick.”

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NHRA

If there’s a Will, there’s a way Hillary Will to race at WSID in Shannons USA Top Fuel Showdown DRAG RACING

NHRA

THE world’s fastest female will be racing this Boxing Day in Sydney with American star Hillary Will set to take on Australia’s best Top Fuel racers at Western Sydney International Dragway. The 2008 Shannons USA Top Fuel Showdown will host some of the best nitro-breathing Top Fuel action on December 26/27. But how strong ‘Will’ Hillary be? Try these facts on for size… After the final NHRA Top Fuel round in Pomona, California last weekend, Will, from Fortuna, California, finished the 2008 POWERade Drag Racing Series in the highest points position of her threeyear career – an awesome fourth. And that is after coming into the final round nestled in second place behind six-time Champion Tony Schumacher.

Will also became the second person in formal NHRA 1000-feet competition to run a 3.7s pass for the distance this past season. Will is officially the world’s fastest female and will be keen to show Australian fans that and more come the battle for the Scott Kalitta Memorial trophy this Boxing Day. Will became the fastest woman in the history of NHRA drag racing when she posted a 334.65mph lap down the quarter-mile race track at the first of event of the 2008 season in Pomona, and she also became the fastest female in the NHRA’s new 1000-ft. era by crossing the track timers at 315.49mph at an event in Richmond, Virginia. With the full support of the Kalitta Motorsport consortium and renowned tuner Jim Oberhofer at the helm in USAimported machinery for the event, the results are sure to be record-breaking.

More for Mighty Quinns EVERYTHING!

Marshall Cass

THE Quinn family will have their biggest involvement in motorsport yet in 2009, with Tony Quinn and his two sons Klark and Kent set to contest a host of categories around the country and the world. While seeing the Quinn family at racetracks is hardly a new thing, the amount of involvement the family will have in the sport next season is staggering. Tony’s return to circuit racing through the GT3 Cup Challenge was reported in eNews last week, but it goes so much further; he will also campaign an Aston Martin in the Australian GT Championship, as well as tackling the major historic meetings in a Ralt RT4 Formula Atlantic car. Then there is the rally involvement; Tony will do the Australasian Safari and the Condo 750 in his Mitsubishi Pajero next year, and according

to Klark he is also “likely to squeeze another [off road event] in.” All three of the Quinns will do most of the major tarmac rallies in 2009, with Tony in his Nissan Skyline GTR, Klark in a GT3 Porsche and Kent in a Mitsubishi Evolution IX. To cap it all off, Tony and Klark will once again contest

the Dubai and Nurburgring 24 Hour events. But wait, there’s more; At the recent Coffs Harbour round of the ARC there were some rumours about Klark and gravel rallying, and while nothing is confirmed, Klark likes the sound of it. “Keep the rumours going!” he joked with eNews.

“I’ve always said I would like to do some gravel rallying, but there’s nothing decided for next year. But with the World Rally Championship event coming to northern New South Wales, well, Dad and I have both said that it would be nice to compete against those guys, even if you only do it once.” – ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN

Grosvenor killed in air crash SPEEDWAY

Paris Charles

DARWIN-based Sprintcar racer Mark Grosvenor has been killed in an air crash. Grosvenor, 39, and his workmate Campbell Brown were tragically killed in a crash near the Jindare Station Airstrip in the Northern Territory on Friday November 21. Grosvenor was flying a RV7 two-seater, single-engine fixed low wing plane that he had constructed himself. Mark made the headlines on the Australian Speedway scene when he was airlifted to hospital after a serious crash, barreling head-on into the fence at an estimated 160kmh at Bacchus Marsh last January. It was at that point of time the Australian Motorsport fraternity really

became aware of who he was. However those in the Territory were long singing the praises of ‘MG’ and it was at the time of the crash he had really started to make an impact on the southern scene as a hard charging front runner. Mark is a man who will always be remembered by his infectious smile and his nickname ‘The Wild Man’. He worked hard as a gifted and very skilled pilot and raced hard, but in a relaxed environment, he was a thoughtful and conscientious family man, father and friend to many. Mark is survived by his wife Belinda and his one-year-old daughter Madeline and many friends, and we offer them all our most sincere condolences. – PARIS CHARLES

news

Can Bob build it? Yes he can!

MORE STARS THAN HOLLYWOOD

BIANTE SERIES

Ash Budd

KARTING THE end of season karting race at VACC Park has secured a major sponsor and a starstudded line-up – with more drivers to come. This year’s race – the Mojo Enduro – has been extended to four-and-a-half hours and will be for Rotax-powered karts only, and the line-up for the December 13 invitationonly race is a who’s who of Australian motor racing. IndyCar driver Will Power will

make the start (as revealed by eNews #080), along with Jason Richards, Steve Owen, Alex Davison, Michael Caruso, Lee Holdsworth, Leanne Tander, Darren Hossack, Dale Wood, James Small, Alan Gurr, Shane Price, Taz Douglas and more. Other possible entries include Mark Winterbottom, Rick Kelly and Steven Richards. But don’t think that this is an event just for circuit racers. Australia’s best karters are pairing up to try and take victory in the popular race.

David Sera, James Sera, William Yarwood, Kel Treseder, Hayden McBride, Matt Wall, Bart Price, Jason Pringle and Rick Pringle are just a handful of leading contenders pledging to challenge for the Mojo Enduro trophy. And look out for the Motorsport News entry, featuring eNews editor Grant Rowley and staff journo Phillip Mahoney. The VACC Park meeting will also feature a 90-minute enduro for Junior National Pro.

Wild Weather hits events SPEEDWAY

Phil Williams

THE best way to break a drought in certain regions of Australia at the moment is, so it seems, to hold a speedway meeting. Heavy rain, a hail storm and low temperatures forced the management of Warrnambool’s Premier Speedway to cancel round three of the Eureka Garages and Sheds Super Sprint Series. With inclement weather sweeping Australia last Saturday, racing at Geelong’s Avalon Raceway, Latrobe Speedway in Tasmania and Warrnambool were also abandoned. Premier Speedway General Manager David Mills said the club may look at rescheduling the meeting in the near future. “I would like to apologise to all those teams, drivers, crews and race fans that had planned their weekends around joining us at Sungold

Stadium, but unfortunately there is not a thing we can do about the weather. “The Club would also like to advise that a rescheduled date (if any) is yet to be decided upon with more news to follow in the coming days.” The Sprintcar Racing Association of Victoria has had no luck this season, with the previous round of their Super Sprint Series at Heartland Raceway, Moama, also cancelled due to wet weather. The next scheduled round is at Avalon on December 6. Further south, Latrobe’s Bendigo Bank Arena called off its meeting as rain during Saturday afternoon forced the promotion’s hand. The next Tasmanian Speedway meeting is next weekend at Cranes Combined Carrick Speedway, with Sprintcars the headline act. – GEOFF ROUNDS

BOB Middleton is no stranger to racing big heavy machines, and in 2009 he will add another brutish category to his repertoire; the Biante Touring Car Masters. The four-time Australian SuperTruck Champ is currently finishing the build of a 1969 Chevrolet Camaro racecar, which has been constructed from a road car he purchased from Alabama, USA. It will be ready for action at the first round of the 2009 series at the Clipsal 500. “I’ve done a bit of road racing, I actually did a couple of years in NASCAR and 15 years racing a Sports Sedan,” he told eNews. “John Bowe has been in my ear about the Biante Series, so I thought I’d give it a go. It will be different, because there are some tracks like Darwin and Eastern Creek that I’ve never been to, but that’s the point; I wanted to try something different.” Middleton is also a twotime winner of the New Zealand truck racing series. – ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN

5 Minutes with ...

MARCUS MARSHALL

The IRWIN Tools driver won’t just be the spacer behind the steering wheel next GRANT ROWLEY year – he’ll be in control of his own destiny as an owner/driver

The license. A hot topic! After Indy, eNews reported that you’d locked away the PWR Racing license. What’s happening? I did a deal with Kees (Weel, PWR license owner), put a deposit on it, our solicitors have changed paperwork and the deal is done as far as my sponsor is concerned. Obviously Walkinshaw Racing is involved in purchasing the licenses as well, so it’s a problem that Kees’ lawyers and our lawyers are sorting out. You get to hold your own destiny now – from picking your suppliers, your team members, even the livery

Dirk Klynsmith

MOTORSPORT NEWS: What was the thought process behind setting up your own team? MARCUS MARSHALL: It just happened by chance. A friend of mine loves cars and is very interested in motor racing. I got him around a couple of V8 races, took him for a ride, showed him around – he’s obviously been watching the sport for a while. He was interested in becoming a sponsor, and we talked for a little while about that and a few weeks later, the conversation switched to him buying a team. I said that we were going to be better off starting our own team, buying our own licenses and car and we’ll set it up and be a customer to Triple Eight. So here we are – we’ve bought a license, car, an engine deal and I’m looking forward to 2009.

of the car. It’s a bigger responsibility than you’ve had in the past … Yeah, it’s huge. I’ve employed Keith Evers as our team manager and he’s highly experienced in all aspects of running a team. From my point of view, the next couple of months are going to be very busy. Once Oran Park is over, I won’t have much to do from a driving perspective, so I’m looking forward to the next couple of months to get the team up and running. It’s not as if we are setting up an engineering business, we’re setting up a race team where we’re a full customer to Triple Eight where they’ll service our gear and we go to the race track from there. It’s going to make life a whole lot easier from our team’s perspective. We’ll be able to concentrate on our race team and that’s always been my idea and business model. I think this is the future of the sport as well. It’s very hard to engineer your own cars and be your own entity, unless you are prepared to put millions and millions of dollars into it.

Just go and ask Roland Dane (Triple Eight) or Walkinshaw Racing how much money they’ve spent on getting the cars to where they are. For a team like myself, it’s just not worth doing it. If you can buy their parts and tap into their IP, why not? You can see a few people who have gone with a full customer program this year and it has made the whole field a lot more competitive. There are some very fast cars out there now. It’s the future, and commercial and economies of scale, it’s the way to go. Results-wise in Year 1, what is the expectation? I think that the first six months will be to finish races. Obviously, I expect to go well, but I just want to finish races and get the team going forward. There’s nothing better than going to Adelaide and completing all the laps, go through all scenarios without damage and I think then you grow as a team, especially just the way you work over a whole weekend. It also takes time for people to gel together. And to get

results, it’s not just the driver, it’s everyone involved in the team. They have to be enthusiastic and work as a team. Your last few years have been full of change – racing in Britain in 2004, America in 2005, then back to Australia, racing with a different team each year. This will give you stability. Is this your future? This is it. At the start of this year, I said I wanted to spend the next five years in V8 Supercars and this is the next step. I went to Champ Cars with a five-year plan but it was tough times in a tough environment. That only lasted 12 months. You have to be in these cars a minimum of five years to get the maximum from them. You see that all up and down pit lane – Whincup, Davison, a few others. And that’s what it takes to build a championship as well. Obviously, for everyone involved, the sponsors and the team to get the best value possible, it’s a five-year deal and that should create value for the brand and be able to get the most out of that.

chat

Dirk Klynsmith

Motorsport for Dummies ... opinion Andrew van Leeuwen FOR the ‘purist’ motorsport fans, the move from IndyCar to A1GP for the Gold Coast street race will seem like a real step backwards. And, truth be known, it is. The standard of driver certainly isn’t as good in the World Cup of Motorsport, they are having all sorts of dramas with the new Ferrari-based technical package, and the level of support, from hardcore motor racing fans, isn’t as deep or passionate as it is for America’s top open-wheel series. But here’s the thing; the Indy 300, or Gold Coast 300 as it will now be known, has never been for the hardcore

motor racing fans. They go and sit on top of a freezing hill 300km west of Sydney to watch V8 Supercars drone around in October. The people that head to Surfers Paradise for the Indy race a couple of weeks later like the sun, the surf, the girls and the booze. The fact that there are some racing cars driving around is a bit of a bonus. Actually, it’s more of an excuse to overdose on the first four vices I mentioned. So will the event be poorer for having A1GP instead of IndyCar? No. In fact, A1GP probably suits it better, because it is motor racing for dummies. There will be a Team Australia car for the masses to support, just like there has been for the last few years.

Sure, John Martin isn’t as good a driver as Will Power, but will anyone notice? No. And let’s not discount the fact that a big name Aussie driver might take the opportunity to show off in front of the local crowd and jump in the hot seat. If the Queensland government issmart, they’ll be writing a letter that starts with the words ‘Dear Mr Webber’ as we speak. It’s a long shot, but he’s going to have a couple of weeks to sort through his mail, so they might as well try. And for those with an ethnic background, pick the car painted in the colours that most resemble your nation’s flag and barrack your hardest. It’s too easy. A1 Team Italy; A1 Team China; A1 Team Lebanon; A1 Team New Zealand; these are all teams

that are far more likely to be supported, and passionately supported, than the likes of Panther Racing and Pacific Coast Motorsport. Case in point is that in the days and weeks leading into this year’s Indy 300, no one in Queensland seemed to know that Ryan Briscoe was Australian. They knew Will Power was, because he drives a green and gold car with Australia written all over it; just like our A1GP car. This has the potential to be a huge boost for the event, so let’s stop moping around like someone has died because the IndyCar heroes aren’t coming back, and get ready for the World Cup to kick off. After all, we now owe both Italy and New Zealand some World Cup revenge …

opinion

Turbulent Times opinion

Phil Branagan Executive Editor WATCHING from close up (well, from New York City) as the leaders of the Big Three auto makers made their pleas for a bailout from the US Government in Washington last week was fascinating. You have to give GM’s Rick Wagoner, Ford’s Alan Mulally and Robert Nardelli of Chrysler LLC points for being stoic, brave even, in the face of a grilling from first a Senate committee and then the Congress. But you cannot help but wonder what reception the trio may have got had they not seemed set on playing PR Russian Roulette. Mullaly’s C-grade PR stunt of arriving on Day 2 in a Ford Hybrid was blown

away by the folly of all three flying to the capital in separate company jets. Detroit-to-DC is about the same distance as Melbourne to Sydney. Did no media adviser think that a road trip, with some orchestrated photo ops along the way, might work better than a bunch of millionaires flying in aboard Citations, with their hands out? Neither house of US government gave the three companies a positive reception; President George W. Bush is a lame duck and no decision will be made until next month at the earliest. And while Detroit struggles, there are complicated circumstances that negate whatever shreds of Buy-American sentiment the Big Three still may have. Senator Richard Shelby of Alabama is leading the assault, as he is keen to protect and possibly expand the car jobs

created in his state by Honda, Hyundai, Mercedes-Benz and Toyota, all of which manufacture vehicles in the heart of Dixie. We don’t usually report on industry matters in these pages, but this is the elephant in the room. The US car companies are around US$100m in debt; all three could be out of business by Australia Day. Should that happen, there will be a bunch of Cars of Tomorrow running around NASCAR tracks with no branding on them – as there will be in V8 Supercars next season. What happens to a handful of Aussie V8 teams is not going to be anywhere near a priority when potentially the biggest power shift in the 112-year history of the automobile may be only weeks away. Tyres, downforce and Championship points don’t seem nearly as important as they were a month ago.

Showroom Showdown

The final round of the Shannons Nationals is on at Sandown this weekend and it looks like being a mega weekend of motorsport

preview

Dirk Klynsmith

HE final round of the 2008 Shannons Nationals kicks off this weekend and is shaping up as a thrilling finale, with six championships still up for grabs. As was the case last year, the Sandown round of the Shannons Nationals will be headlined by the Sandown GT Classic will see exotic cars from around the world battling for victory. With the championship going down to the wire between Mark Eddy and John Kaias and the addition of many new drivers and cars, this year’s enduro format looks to be the best yet. Drivers will compete in two, one-hour races around the Sandown Racecourse and will feature a host of exotic cars, including Ross Lilley’s brand new Dodge Viper GT3. After dominating the GT Championship last year and early this year, Allan Simonsen will make his return to the series

after a successful stint racing overseas in the FIA GT championship. Simonsen will partner Nick O’Halloran in a Ferrari F340 and will be joined by other stars on the grid in John Bowe and former Formula 1 driver Ivan Capelli. Bowe will drive with Ted Huglin in the Lamborghini Gallardo in which he won all three races at Phillip Island, while Capelli will campaign one of three Trofeo Motorsport Maseratis. International actor Eric Bana will also be competing in a Porsche, adding to his increasing role on the Australian motorsport scene. Although the GT Classic is undoubtedly the star attraction at the event, no less than five other categories will crown champions in a packed weekend of racing. The Australian Manufacturers Championship is set for an exciting finish, with Colin Osborne and George Miedecke fighting for the title.

There will be a strong field at Sandown and racers prepare for next years Bathurst 12 Hour and racing will see two, one-hour enduro races just like the GT Classic. Hyundai looks set to take the inaugural manufacturers title with a healthy lead over Toyota heading into the final round. Andrew Miedecke will drive with Brit Charlie Hollings in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo, while JB will double up in a Falcon just for the event. Darren Hossack is in a prime position to win his second title of the year, after taking out the Superkarts at Mallala. He leads Tony Ricciardello in the Sports Sedans going into the final round by eight points. Hossack and his new Audi have been pace setters all year, but a DNF at Oran Park has let Ricciardello close right up. Commodore Cup will crown a new champion with past champions Marcus Zukanovic and Geoff Emery out of contention. Michael Trancredi leads Adam

preview

Robert Lang

Showdown: The GT Championship will be the headline act at Sandown with Allan Simonsen, left, coming back, Ross Lilley, above, debuting a new car and the championship going to the wire between John Kaias, below, and Mark Eddy. There will also be a host of other categories at the event, incluing Sports Sedans, right, and Saloon Cars, bottom, to keep the crowds entertained.

Dirk Klynsmith

Lloyd by 47 points and barring disaster, will take the title. As ever the Saloon cars will se plenty of action with 25 entries and Steve Kwiatkowski has the title all but wrapped up with a 69-point lead over Matt Lovell. The inaugural V8 Touring Car championship will conclude at Sandown after a successful season. Former Jack Daniel’s Racing V8 driver Shane Price will boost the field at Sandown driving a VX Commodore for Power Plus 98 Racing in a one-off appearance. In the championship battle Chris Smerdon will wrap up the title by just turning up. Racing will kick off at 3:00pm on Saturday ahead of a jam-packed day of arcing on Sunday. Tickets cost $15 for Saturday, $25 for Sunday, or a weekend pass can be purchased for $30. Children under 14 will receive free entry and grandstand seating.

V8 SUPERCARS CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES ROUND 13 – SYMMONS PLAINS

Caution to the Wind Jamie Whincup is one step closer to the V8 title after another dominant weekend. GRANT ROWLEY braved the mixed conditions

race

ARTH Tander can’t, Mark Winterbottom won’t, and Jamie Whincup will win the 2008 V8 Supercar Championship Series after the Triple Eight driver won two of the three races at the penultimate round of the series at Symmons Plains last weekend. While Winterbottom remains a chance for the title, Tander ain’t, and you can blame mathematics for that. There simply aren’t enough points left for the Holden driver to score this year – the championship will be won by a Ford driver – and Whincup will head to the final round at Oran Park with a comfortable 233 point lead. Yes, Winterbottom can mathematically win, but judging by Whincup’s recent form, the series title is heading north. It was the TeamVodafone driver’s fourth round win in a row, and he didn’t make one

mistake over the weekend (except, perhaps, lightly crashing during his post-meeting burnouts!). He finished ahead of a resurgent Todd Kelly (who won Saturday’s wet Race 1) and his team-mate Craig Lowndes. Despite a tyre delimitation at the end of Race 2, Whincup threw caution to the wind, dominating the meeting and stamping his claim on the series. “The car, in fact both (Triple Eight) cars were simply fantastic,” he said. “This weekend was very important for us and it is great to see the team put in a huge effort to put us in a great position going into the final round. “The championship is a lot closer and while it is not over until it’s over, we are feeling confident and we will be looking to finish the year in the best possible way.” Jack Daniel’s racer Todd Kelly kept his

strong form of late alive, winning Race 1 and challenging in Sunday’s races. After his lean season, Kelly compared the first race win to his Bathurst success of 2005 at the Holden Racing Team. “It was a pretty special win and anyone who knows what it’s taken to get to this point would understand,” he said. “I’ve been fulltime at the race team giving it everything to make it happen, and the amount of work the team has put in as well has been absolutely outstanding, so it’s great to give them the result. “This is the best result I’ve had in a while and feels probably only second to winning Bathurst.” When Whincup had his tyre problem in Race 2, Kelly sniffed a wounded bull and tried to desperately to get in front, but his keenness allowed Lowndes to nip past.

race

James Smith

Race winner: Todd Kelly, above, took his first race win for Perkins Engineering and the Jack Daniel’s Racing team.

V8 Supercar | ROUND 13, SYMMONS PLAINS, TAS Pos# Driver

Dirk Klynsmith

Lowndes played the perfect back-up role for Whincup, finishing behind in Race 2 and 3, including a traditional 1-2 at the completion of Race 3. Winterbottom was never far from the front, finishing inside the top four in each race. He actually didn’t have a bad car over the course of the weekend, but on the hard-to-pass nature of the Symmons Plains circuit, Winterbottom was generally forced to hold station. Jim Beam Racing finished fifth and sixth for the round, with Will Davison and Steven Johnson helping the Dick Johnson team move up to third in the team’s championship, leapfrogging the Holden Racing Team. Lee Holdsworth, Garth Tander, Fabian Coulthard and Rick Kelly rounded out the top 10. So, we head to Oran Park for the final round (and the final time). Whincup only needs to turn up, and Winterbottom needs a repeat of the Hamilton street race – but even that won’t guarantee him the crown.

Team/Car

1 88 Jamie Whincup Team Vodafone Falcon BF 2 7 Todd Kelly Jack Daniel’s Commodore VE 3 888 Craig Lowndes Team Vodafone Ford Falcon BF 4 5 Mark Winterbottom FPR Falcon BF 5 18 Will Davison Jim Beam Ford Falcon BF 6 17 Steven Johnson Jim Beam Ford Falcon BF 7 33 Lee Holdsworth GRM Commodore VE 8 1 Garth Tander Toll HRT Commodore VE 9 111 Fabian Coulthard Glenfords Racing Falcon BF 10 15 Rick Kelly HSVDT Commodore VE 11 3 Jason Richards Sprint Gas Commodore VE 12 51 Greg Murphy Sprint Gas Commodore VE 13 25 Jason Bright Fujitsu Falcon BF 14 67 Paul Morris Supercheap Auto Commodore VE 15 34 Michael Caruso GRM Commodore VE 16 39 Russell Ingall Supercheap Auto Commodore VE 17 16 Paul Dumbrell Autobarn Commodore VE 18 777 Michael Patrizi Ausdrill Falcon BF 19 26 Marcus Marshall IRWIN Falcon BF 20 4 James Courtney Jeld-Wen Falcon BF 21 12 Andrew Jones Team BOC Commodore VE 22 2 Mark Skaife Toll HRT Commodore VE 23 14 Cameron McConville Team WOW Commodore VE 24 9 Shane Van Gisbergen SP Tools Falcon BF 25 50 Andrew Thompson PWR Commodore VE 26 021 Daniel Gaunt TKR Falcon BF 27 55 Tony D’Alberto Rod Nash Racing Commodore VE 28 11 Jack Perkins Jack Daniel’s Commodore VE 29 6 Steven Richards FPR Falcon BF

Q R1 R2 R3 2 10 9 3 18 5 4 1 26 7 17 20 12 15 19 14 11 25 27 6 24 21 13 16 28 29 22 23 8

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

1 1 292 3 3 272 2 2 252 4 4 246 5 6 222 6 7 192 7 9 172 8 5 164 10 11 156 9 8 148 18 12 128 12 14 126 11 dnf 112 14 13 110 16 18 108 25 16 102 13 20 102 21 26 92 19 23 90 17 10 88 20 21 84 24 15 82 15 dnf 82 dnf exc 74 dnf 22 66 23 24 64 dnf 19 54 22 25 46 dnf 17 36

Points Whincup 3208, Winterbottom 2975, Tander 2788, Lowndes 2619, Davison 2375, Courtney 2224, S Richards 2214, R Kelly 2194, Johnson 2029, Ingall 2010, Holdsworth 1931, T Kelly 1929, Coulthard 1677, Skaife 1598, Murphy 1508, Van Gisbergen 1496, J Richards 1434, Morris 1296, Dumbrell 1284, Caruso 1279, Bright 1266, McConville 1264, Jones 1041, Marshall 1035, D’Alberto 858, Price 843, Patrizi 800, Thomspon 707, Perkins 554.

Tassie’s Big One

John Morris/Mpix

I HAVE been to every single Touring Car race at Symmons Plains, starting back when I was a young boy – yes, I was young once! – and I have commentated in every round since 1978. So this is 20 years since I first started commentating down here. The only time I didn’t do it was when Symmons Plains missed out on 1999-2002. If you look at the crowd numbers, this is the biggest sporting event in Tasmania. It is a vitally important event to this state, it is a major sporting event and it just happens to be a motor race. Tasmania is only a little state, not yet half a million people, but per-capita, you can’t beat it. 30,000 plus people at Symmons Plains on Sunday would equate to 100,000 people in a NSW or Victoria race, and they don’t get crowds

WHEN I turned on the telecast from Symmons Plains and saw that it was only eight degrees before the start of the first race, I realised what a great weekend it was to be doing the ‘From the couch’ column. So it was from the warmth of the lounge room, and with the cricket never more than a remote click away, that I identified a couple of my key

FROM THE COUCH

Andrew van

points from the weekend. The first was Shane van Gisbergen; we know he is fast in the wet, and when the conditions were at their

toughest in the first race, he was clearly the fastest car on the track. No huge surprise there, it’s something we’ve come to expect from the kid in his first season. But to see him running right with Craig Lowndes in the second race, in completely dry conditions, was relieving. It doesn’t have to be wet for him to be on front-running pace.

David Rose Tasmanian commentator like that there, so this is a biggy. But Tasmanians have always supported motor racing. You used to look along the straight many years ago and see people for miles. Today, that hasn’t changed, but back then you didn’t have all of the corporate facilities, the paddock club and the people in the merchandise alley. The facilities here now are fantastic. We used to have little old time sheds in the middle of the track, but this infrastructure that the government has tipped in to have this event is fantastic. It’s used more or less all year round for driver training and events.

Marshall Cass

Picking the key points

opinion

Now he needs to stop hitting people … Speaking of Lowndes, his tussle at the end of the second outing with Todd Kelly was another televisual highlight. TK wasn’t giving Lowndes much to work with tarmac-wise on that last lap, but the T8 driver held his nerve and did what his teammate needed him to do. He’s still got it, The Kid …

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It’s not over until it’s over ... THINGS do happen, but we’re going to need Jamie Whincup to have Mark some bad luck to win it Winterbottom from here. You never do know, though, anything can happen. We’re going to Oran Park with the intent of winning the round and racing at the front – we’ve got nothing to lose. Garth Tander now can’t win the title, but he can still pass me for second. I’d like to make sure I get second, but while there’s a chance to win, I’ll try and win the round and see what happens. It’s not realistic, but we’ll see. If it was a fifty point gap, I’d have a great chance, even 100 points would be a chance, but 230-odd is a tough ask. He can wrap it up in Race 1. But we’ll have to see. Jamie has done a very good job this year. If you look at it, we had a good chance at winning it. We were leading the series at Winton, and we’ve been in the fight all the way, so a big pat on the back for the FPR boys. There’s a lot of positives that we can draw out of it, but things change. Triple Eight has fund a hot streak and their cars are going well. You can tell that because Craig Lowndes is also going really well. When you look at the year, we were in it, and with one round to go, we still are, but it’s going to be damn hard from here …

opinion

John Morris/Mpix

... but wait, forget it, title over NEXT year, TeamVodafone will have a #888 Falcon and a #1 Falcon. When you start talking about people having ‘mathematical chances,’ you aren’t in good shape. Something monumental will need to happen for Jamie Whincup to lose the V8 title to Mark Winterbottom – he’ll need to have a life-threatening illness or his GPS won’t have Oran Park on the map. And I wouldn’t even need to be writing this if he had put some points on the board in Hamilton. He crashed out heavily, massive accident, massive damage, zero points, so really, he’s going to win this championship by only completing 13 of the 14 rounds. Yes, Winterbottom still has a chance of winning, and if you go into the Ford Performance Racing garage, all the guys in there are still saying “we’re still a chance, we can still win.” And that’s fine, they should do that, but realistically, it’s over. Being a race engineer or a team boss in

opinion Daniel Gibson V8 Television commentator this game is almost being like a parent for their kids who want to go on Australian Idol but can’t sing. “No, you’re really good darling, you sound great.” They only do it to keep their hopes up. Realistically, they’ve got no chance of being Australia’s next John Farnham, and realistically, Jamie Whincup has this championship sown up. One of the key factors for his championship has been his luck. Don’t take anything away from Triple Eight, but if you look at Bathurst, the contact that Craig Lowndes had with Greg Murphy on the first lap should have seen the tyre deflate. There’s no way that thing should have held together for 34 laps. Then there was the tyre that came off his car last weekend in Tasmania that shouldn’t have done another lap. If

Race 2 was a lap longer, we would have seen a completely different result. Again, complete luck, but to win championships, you need that. But there have been some big weekends for him as well, particularly of late. He’s had pole positions, clean sweeps and big point hauls. And the team’s pit stops are unbelievably good. We focus a lot on Jamie as a driver and how well he’s progressed, but for me in the bunkers during the race, Triple Eight has contributed to his championship, just through the outstanding pit stops. Jamie had his head screwed on right all year, he’s an extremely focussed individual and TeamVodafone aren’t the sport of team that don’t take things to chance – they are very thorough. With the points lead that he’s got and the form that he’s shown in the back half of this season, he won’t be beaten from here and I think he’ll be a fantastic champion for the sport.

AUSTRALIAN FORMULA FORD CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND 7 – SYMMONS PLAINS

The tension, the drama, the b Championship contenders Paul Laskazeski and Nick Percat both had their scares at Symmons Plains, but when all was said and done, they still finished 12 for the round.

ICK Percat won the penultimate round of the Genuine Ford Parts Australian Formula Ford Championship at Symmons Plains, but Paul Laskazeski has a placed one paw on the championship trophy, despite a Saturday scare. Percat, driving for Sonic Motor Racing and the only title threat to Laskazeski, finished third in the first race and won the next two. Laskazeski didn’t have things quite as easy. After qualifying on pole, he was unintentionally taken out by Scott Pye at turn 7 in Race 1. Pye was docked 15 points for the incident, and Laskazeski was slapped with a $10,000 suspended fine for a physically encounter after the pair had jumped out of their stricken Spectrums. The incident had the potential to ruin Laskazeski’s huge series lead, but two calculated drives in Sunday’s races saw him take second both times. The New South Welshman heads to Oran Park in two weeks with the title all but won. At best, he can take the championship in Race 1 if he finishes third or better. Percat had a slow start to the weekend, qualifying down in eighth but a crucial setup change put his Mygale in contention,

keeping his slim championship hopes alive. “We were lost for speed in qualifying,” he said. “We went the complete wrong way in qualifying, but in Race 1, we had a wild guess to something pretty much unknown and we worked on it from there. “Laska is going to have to break his leg for me to win the title. He’s pretty much got it wrapped up. He’s done a good job this year, so good on him.” Laskazeski respected the officials decision to fine him for his Race 1 misdemeanor and was glad to be heading to his home track with the championship within his grasp. “I’ve just got to finish the first race in the top three, but I really want to win the last race at Oran Park,” the Synergy Motorsports driver said. “I also want to break the lap record! I can’t wait to get there and finish it off.” Kristian Lindbom finished third overall, after finishing fourth, fourth and sixth in the three races. The Sonic driver didn’t have the outright pace of the leading contenders but kept his nose clean and was rewarded with an overall podium. Series returnee Glen Wood was equal

fourth overall with CAMS Rising Star Daniel Erickson. Wood was the early pace-setter, jumping from fourth on the grid to take the Race 1 win – the first national victory for Minda Motorsport. But Sunday didn’t prove to be as successful. Wood was caught out by a late-braking move from Jake Chapman, who spun in front of Wood, sending him off and delaying Erickson. Erickson was equal fourth for the round with Wood, despite zero points in Race 2. Erickson was the fastest Tasmanian Ben Walter had his best round of the year, although the final results may not tell that tale. Walter finished sixth in Race 1 and crossed the fourth, only to be docked 25 seconds for passing under yellow flags in Race 2. In the debutant department, Ryan Simpson and Nathan Morcom impressed. Simpson, driving for Synergy, scored points in his first race before taking third in Race 2. Only an incident in Race 3 cost him a chance of a podium. Morcom was sixth overall, improving in every race. – GRANT ROWLEY Points: Paul Laskazeski 305, Nick Percat 252, Kristian Lindbom 196, Daniel Erickson 162, Ben Morley 151.

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buzz

Marshall Cass

Dirk Klynsmith Dirk Klynsmith

Tasmanian Tiger: Glen Wood made a great comeback to Aussie FFord, taking Minda’s first race win, left. Ryan Simpson was equally impressive on his national debut, below, while Daniel Erickson looked on for a great weekend early, but fell away, above.

John Morris/Mpix

AUSSIE RACING CARS ROUND 7 – SYMMONS PLAINS

Adam’s Apple Isle 38

There’s nothi Tasmanian A

ASMANIAN Adam Gowans was unstoppable in his clean sweep of Round 6 of the 2008 Aussie Racing Cars Super Series last weekend. Qualifying on pole, and taking out each of the races, Gowans was justifiably happy with his weekend in his home state. “I’ve got a lot of supporters down here this weekend,” the local said. “It is great to be able to put on a show for them. To win on home soil in front of friends and family makes the victory extra special.” Despite a relatively problem-free weekend, the Aussie field made great attempts at upsetting the local driver’s race plan. Race 1 was a tough win for Gowan. He had to fend off a mid-race challenge from championship contender David Lawrence. Wet weather wreaked havoc with the championship contenders in Race 2 after a collision between Lawrence and Nick Simmons relegated the drivers to seventh and 15th respectively. The incident ensuring Gowans was able to skip away to a comfortable win over Paul Morris and McCashney. Race 3 saw another dominant performance from Gowans, though challenged at different stages by the likes of Morris, McCashney, Kyle Clews and Paul Kemal. McCashney got the jump off the line in Race 4, but Gowans set about reclaiming the lead through some impressive moves at the hairpin. He eventually took the final race win ahead of Lawrence and Clews, completing his flawless round. Championship leader Paul Kemal had a disappointing weekend after qualifying third and only able to manage top six results in the weekend’s races, relinquishing some of his championship buffer but retaining the overall lead. Lawrence finished second for the round, narrowing the series gap to Kemal, while McCashney was third overall. In the Masters Cup, Tom Vecicivic took the round over Shane Wolki and Mark Duckworth. Vecicivic started his assault on the round with a three-point buffer over Duckworth, and continued his strong run, qualifying first ahead of Glen McNamara and Wolki. Despite finishing second behind Duckworth in Race 1, Vecicivic battled through mechanical issues to take the Race 2 victory ahead of Wolki and McNamara. It was the same top three in Race 3, but it was a charge from Duckworth in the final that elevated him to third place on the podium, taking out the race from Vecicivic and Wolki. – REBECCA WYATT

Marshall Cass

ing like a bit of home ground advantage, and Adam Gowans made full use of it at Symmons Plains

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Points: Kemal 292, Lawrence 288, Gowans 280, Clews 269, McCashney 264, Simmons 262, Lowe 254, Phillips 252, B Ward 230, Vecicivic 223.

John Morris/Mpix

Bullas goes, Bowe Blows TOURING CAR MASTERS GAVIN Bullas might have taken a convincing win in the Biante Touring Car Masters at Symmons Plains, but there was a bit of good fortune present. Bullas and Tassie local John Bowe had gone hammer-and-tongs in the first race, Bowe taking the win by just three tenths of a second after an exciting dice for the lead. But in the second, Bowe’s weekend was derailed by an engine failure, leaving him well and truly out of the hunt.

It also left Bullas clear to take the remaining two race wins, wrapping up round honours for the weekend. Bowe’s engine failure was actually the second mechanical gremlin to affect a front-runner, with Drew Marget not even making qualifying when his Mustang had engine trouble. Newcomer Dean Lillee, below, was very impressive in his Ford XY GTHO, inheriting second in Race 2 and going on to finish fourth in the final. Steve Mason and Alastair McLean were also in contention for podium places throughout the weekend.

James Smith

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MINI CHALLENGE

“Well, I just went to warm up the tyres, and next thing you know it got away from me and over it went,” he said. The battle for series honours wraps up at Oran Park in two weeks with Neil McFadyen holding an advantage. – REBECCA WYATT

Dirk Klynsmith

TASMANIAN-turned-Queenslander Paul Stokell had a triumphant return to his home state with a convincing victory in Round 7 of the MINI Challenge at Symmons Plains. Stokell was rarely challenged, taking out all three races in front of a parochial home crowd after narrowly missing qualifying on pole position. That honour went to Todd Fiore who secured pole position over Stokell and Paul Fiore, but it was Stokell who drew first blood, victorious over Todd Fiore and series leader Neil McFadyen in Race 1. Race 2 saw Stokell engaged in a number of tight battles early in the race, but emerged victorious ahead of Jason Bargwanna and McFadyen. Race 3 was a similar story, with another impressive start from Stokell. However, disaster struck twice on lap one. McFadyen encountered trouble at turn one, relegating him to sixth position and out of podium contention for the round. A

Safety Car period for a beached T Fiore at the hairpin settled the field before Stokell broke away at the restart, never to be challenged for the lead and taking out his first round win of the inaugural 2008 MINI Challenge ahead of Jason Bargwanna and Gary Young. The special guest stars of the weekend had mixed results. Stuart Appleby, left, took up the challenge of switching from rally to circuit racing, finishing the weekend with his fellow UBER-Star in his rear vision mirrors. “I have fond memories of competing in Tasmania through the Targa event, so to return with MINI Challenge is an absolute thrill,” the Australian golfer said. Western Bulldogs AFL star Jason Akermanis, right, was not quite as glowing in his weekend wrap-up after a variation on his signature handstand caused him the most expensive warm-up lap of his short racing career prior to Race 1. Akermanis’s usual confident and flamboyant style was replaced with embarrassment after he rolled his MINI whilst warming his tyres.

Dirk Klynsmith

Stoke-ll the home fires ...

CLASSIC ADELAIDE ADELAIDE, SOUTH AUSTRALIA

Another Classic event The 2008 Classic Adelaide was one of the most exciting yet, with a host of exotic machinery and a controversial finish

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N an extraordinary end to the 2008 Classic Adelaide Rally, Bill Pye has won the outright Late Classic category on the final day of competiotion. After trailing 2007 winner Kevin Weeks for the entire rally, Pye inherited the lead after an act of sportsmanship cost Weeks an almost certain victory. During the second-last stage of the event, Weeks followed rally protocol when he stopped on stage to help another competitor who had run off track. Rally rules provide a formula to calculate a derived time bases on the driver’s performance when the situation occurs. Weeks was only awarded enough time

to place him in second position overall. He protested the decision but ultimately the stewards stuck to their initial decision. Jim Richards and Barry Oliver finished in third place overall, almost two minutes behind Pye and Grant Geelan. In the Classic category, the SA duo of Cameron Wearing and Ben Fitzsimons were involved in an intense rally-long battle with Rick Bates and co-driver Jenny Brittain, with Wearing coming out on top. “That was a good fight – we drove hard and it was a legitimate win this time after Rick and Jenny crashed last year,” Wearing said. “After Rick won the first two days, we decided to drop the hammer yesterday and,

quite frankly, went for it.” Peter Ulrich was third in class in his 1963 Jensen CV8, more than six minutes down, while in the Historic category John Lawson/Andrew Lawson (1938 Alfa Romeo) beat home Bernie O’Shannessy and Tony Borbridge (1929 Chrysler Roadster). As ever, celebrity drivers turned out in force with three-time Formula 1 world champion Jack Brabham and 500cc motorbike champion Mick Doohan on hand to thrill the crowds. This year’s event attracted more than 220 cars, including Ferraris, Porsches and Mercedes Benzes, from Europe, Hong Kong and all parts of Australia.

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A true Classic: In an incredible end to the 2008 Classic Adelaide Rally, Bill Pye, left, claimed victory after a sportsman-like act from rally leader and 2007 winner Kevin Weeks, above. As ever there were plenty of classic cars on display, below, tearing around the Adelaide Hills, while Stars were on hand to spice things up. Mick Doohan, right, got plenty of air.

A1GP ROUND 3 – SEPANG

A Walk in the Park It was all A1GP Team Ireland at Sepang, dominating the Feauture Race to take the championship lead

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A1GP Free A1GP Free

A1GP

A1GP Free

A1GP Team Ireland dominated the Feature Race in Sepang and in doing so, took the lead in the championship heading into the Christmas break. In an eventful race, Adam Carroll was in a class of his own getting the jump from pole, keeping him out of trouble in a first lap full of incidents. Netherlands and India collided on lap one which allowed a fast starting Portugal through into third position from fifth on the grid. “We were starting from pole position and I just concentrated on getting a good start, which allowed me to control the race from there,” said Carroll. “It’s all team work though, it doesn’t just come down to one person as everybody works extremely hard. It’s been hard

for the guys to be out here since Tuesday at the circuit in this heat and humidity, but they practiced pit stops every night to make sure they did a good job. “We planned to come here and try and come away leading the championship and we have. Winning the race is just a good bonus and I’m going to fight hard to keep it.” Portugal’s Filipe Albuquerque made his way through to second by races end in a great result, just ahead of Team USA’s Marco Andretti. “I achieved our goals. Actually, I went better than what we were expecting,” said Albuquerque. “We wanted to go to the first pit stop in third, but it was even better as we were in second. I was doing whatever I could to keep the pace, but it all needs to be perfect, and

Two from three: Team Ireland was the form team at Sepang and dominated the Feature race ahead of Team Portugal. A1GP Team Australia was on the imporve all weekend and came home in fourth place in the Feature after a solid eighth in the Sprint Race.

Ireland did a good pit stop and we didn’t. “In the end it was good to just take the points. You cannot win every time and they were just perfect and I’m really happy with the second place. “ John Martin was impressive backing up from his eighth place in the Sprint Race to take a well-deserved fourth in the Feature. The Sprint Race was won by Switzerland after the race was delayed and restarted following a big crash at the start involving the USA, Brazil and India. With the series heading into the Christmas break, the next round of the championship will be in New Zealand on January 23-25. Points: Ireland 43, Portugal 35, France 31, New Zealand 31, Malaysia 29, Switzerland 28, Netherlands 26, Australia 22, Great Britain 16, USA 16)

GLOBE TROTTER

Magic happens VICTORIA

Paris Charles

Fly’in Ryan LOCAL gun Ryan Jones successfully defended his South Australian 360ci Sprintcar Title last Saturday night at the Moore Engineering Murray Bridge Speedway. Jones led the entire distance of the main event aboard his Pizza Supremo/ PM Race Engines powered XXX machine to retain the Number 1 mantle over the in-form Mark Caruso and Darryl Wright, who turned in a great result driving with an injured hand, to round out the podium placings. Michael Burford, Chad Ely, Jamie Hendry and Victorian David Cook were next and rounding out the finishers in the caution-plagued event were Craig Vanderstelt and Shane Hendry. – PARIS CHARLES

THE annual Island Magic motorsport festival at Phillip Island was run last weekend in typically changeable conditions that saw plenty of action. The main event of the weekend was the 1 Hour Victorian Tourist Trophy for Sports Cars with Ross Lilley debuting his brand new Dodge Viper GT3.

Lilley was the class of the field and finished well ahead of his closest rival, Paul Whitmarsh, in a Porsche 993 GT2. Fraser Kirchner was third in a GT3 Cup Car. It was a good warm-up for Lilley ahead of this weekend’s Shannons Nationals GT enduro. Tony Westaway won the Endeavour Cup Porsche 994 Challenge just head of Steve Courtis, with the two battling

hard all race long. In the Phillip Island Formula Ford Trophy Craig Brogan took the honours from WA duo Bryce Moore and Bruce McNally. Other winners on a wet and wild weekend were Andrew McLaughlin (Formula Vee), Darren Collins (Historic Touring Cars), Michael Robinson (Sports Sedans), Graham Francis (HQ Holdens) and Leigh Forrest (Improved Production).

Radical thinking ADRC

THE success of the Radical in its first race outing on Australian soil should send shivers down the spine of Porsche owners and others across the country. The British-built, super-light, motor-cycle engine-powered sports-cars claimed first, second and fifth places and set the fastest lap in the ARDC six-hour relay race at Eastern Creek on November 16, beating home a swathe of GT3 and one GT2 Porsches. The Maximum Radical team of Ed Singleton, Glyn Ednis, Paul Serra and Phil Anseline won from the Extreme Radical team of Peter Opie, Chris Medland, Trevor Gerber and Phil Anseline. They were followed home by Hibbard Motorsport’s GT2 and two GT3s driven by Hibbard/ Bolinowsky/Wakefield, the PR Tech Racing GT3s of Burke/Kimber/Firth and the Totally Radical team of Smith/Mondello/Brunsdon. The winners set a new record of 204 laps for the event, beating the old mark by five laps. The

leading Porsche team completed 202 laps, and Singleton’s fastest lap of 1:35.6675 was a second quicker than the fastest Porsche lap. Three safety cars interrupted the race, run under cloudy skies following a 10am start. While the Porsches were quicker down the main straight, the Radicals appeared to have the edge everywhere else, despite only being powered by either 1300 or 1500 four-cylinder Suzuki motor-cycle engines.

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All a bit of a shock ... FIA GT

sutton-images.com

IT was a crazy end to the FIA GT Championship last weekend, with PK Saleen duo Bert Longin and Anthony Kumpen taking a shock win in Argentina. It was an unexpected result for the team after a miserable year in the GT1 class, but it had no affect on the overall title, which went down to the wire. Fabrizio Gollin and Mike Hezemans finished second in their Phoenix Corvette, but it wasn’t enough to secure the title. The Vitaphone Maserati of Michael Bartels and Andrea Bertolini claimed the

title for the second-consecutive year with fifth place in the final race of the season. While, the second Corvette duo of Maxime Soulet and Christian Lesesma came through from the back of the grid to take the last spot on the podium for the SRT Corvette team. In the GT2 category, Matias Russo and Luis Perez Companc took a popular home-town win in their Advanced Engineering Ferrari. GT2 Champions Gianmaria Bruni and Toni Vilander appeared to be cruising to victory until their AF Corse Ferrari slowed

dramatically in the closing laps, ruining a prefect end to the season. Points: Bertolini/Bartels 70, Gollin/Hezemans 66, Ramos/Negrao 52.5, Fassler 48.5, Deletraz 45.5.

Tatnell shows his hand WORLD SERIES

ROUNDS 3 and 4 of the Wanless World Series Sprintcars were taken out by Brooke Tatnell at the Perth Motorplex last weekend. Tatnell showed why he is

such a long-race specialist by biding his time until his car came to him and then carving his way through traffic to take the win. “We always seem to have good pace in the heats but we don’t time trial as well as

Darren Sutton

we could, once we got to the front it was a case of finding the best part of the track and staying there, on night one it was around the middle and the second night the line was higher,” said Tatnell. Ryan Farrells’ second place on Night One was a strong drive ahead of third-placed Max Dumesney, who held out Coyle as they crossed the line. By Night 2 and the track conditions had dried considerably by the main event, which played into the hands of the visiting drivers. Ian Louden did a fantastic job to finish second behind Tatnell after leading the event with American Driver Brian Brown rounding out the top three.

Both Louden and Brown both were driving local WA cars. Though Tatnell won both nights of competition, it was the locals who scored top points leading into the A mains. Daryl Clayden qualified on pole position on night one and 18-year-old sensation Kris Coyle took it to the top ranking drivers on night two. Unfortunately for Clayden, he ended his night crashing heavily into the wall, while Coyle finished a credible third on night one and was heading for a top five on the second night but was taken out of the race when Ken Satori clipped a front wheel and turned Coyle into the wall. – DARREN SUTTON

rear of grid

JAMIE Whincup might be about to win his first V8 Supercar title, but the hot shots on the Drift Australia circuit aren’t exactly shaking in their Sparcos … For those of you who didn’t see the telecast from Symmons Plains, here’s what happened; while celebrating on the postrace parade lap, Whincup was asked by Channel 7’s Matt White to do a burn-out for the crowd, which he proceeded to do. Problem is, he spun the #88 Falcon into a ditch in the process.

“I was trying to do a good snakey and I spun out!” explained Whinners. “Matty White was on the radio to me egging me on, saying ‘come on, give us a burnout!’ I thought to myself ‘aw, the track’s a bit narrow here,’ but peer pressure got the better of me. “I dropped the clutch, spun the wheels up and it kicked out. I was on the rack stops, full-lock, and it wasn’t coming back. I knew I was in trouble then, and she went into the ditch, but it was all good,

Dirk Klynsmith

When good celebrations turn bad

just a bit of fun” Obviously a couple of team 1-2s is good for the sense of humour, because Whinners didn’t cop any heat from the boss when he got back to the pits. “Nah, Roland thought it was funny,” he added. “It goes to show I’m not a hoon on the road, or maybe I’m out of practice.” It will be interesting to see how JW goes at Oran Park when he’s really got something to celebrate … – ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN

Morris rises to more than MINI Challenge Odd Spot Dirk Klynsmith Marshall Cass

night in a Sprintcar at the local speedway, he accepted. It was a shame that the speedway meeting was cancelled due to the wet weather, but still, he nearly drove five different race cars over the weekend. We are sure that Morris is feeling a little tender today ... Oh, and by the way, we hear that one Supercheap team member has laid down a challenge to Morris for next year’s Bathurst – compete in every support class – including the 1000km race. Can it be done? Should it be done? Anything is possible in the World of Morris.

Dirk Klynsmith

PAUL Morris is either bored, likes being busy or is just simply crazy. The Supercheap Auto Racing driver competed in three racing classes at Symmons Plains last weekend – V8 Supercars, MINI Challenge and Aussie Racing Cars. He didn’t win any of them, but he didn’t care. To fill in time between races, Morris also got loose in the yellow Commodore Drift car that was used as ‘between race’ entertainment. And when the opportunity presented itself for Morris to turn some laps on Saturday