Motorsport eNews Issue 88 - January 20-27, 2009 by V8 Sleuth

Aussie coup: power joins briscoe at penske

Issue No. 088 20 – 27 January 2009

12 hour news

CARs & Stars Confirmed for february’s Mountain marathon

Kelly’s set to up the ante ...

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

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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) 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.

Australasian

The ‘A’ Team

Issue No. 088 | 20 – 26 Jan 2009

news 5 Kelly complete?

Four cars likely at KR 7 Aussie, Aussie, Penske Oi, Oi, Oi. Power joins Ryan 8 Looky Likey F1 launches 10 Farewell Team Principle steps down ... 14 A1 problems Cancellations and delays 17 Putting on the skids Utes assess brakes

chat 22 5 minutes with ... opinion 24 van Leeuwen 25 Lambden

race 26 Dakar 30 Drag Racing 34 Speedway 38 New Zealand

Felipe Massa Rallying support Campbell’s Town Volkswagen walkover Densham and Lamattina win World Series wrap up Sitting in the Booth

trade 40 Classifieds Bernie for MotoGP? Probably not, but he tried the new Ducati on for size at Ferrari’s Wrooom ski event

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

John Morris/Mpix

Mount Panorama’s ‘other’ race is starting to take shape ...

Quality 12 Hour confirmations BATHURST 12 HOUR

Dirk Klynsmith

THE WPS Bathurst 12 Hour will be the most competitive on record, judging by the recent confirmed entrants for the 2009 edition. A host of hot Mitsubishi Evo entries have been submitted, including a huge five-car team from Bob Pearson’s Pro-Duct squad. Drivers involved in the squad include Neil Crompton, Brad Jones and Glenn Seton who will team up in one of the cars. Other drivers involved in the team are Jason Bargwanna, Mark King, Steve Knight, Bruce Stewart and Bob Pearson himself. The five Mitsubishis include three Evo Xs and two Evo VIIIs. Crompton says that the opportunity to drive in the 12 Hour is the closest he gets to competition on the Mountain. “The 12-Hour race is always a good event and with it being held around such a brilliant race track you never knock back an opportunity to compete,” said Crompton. “With my television commitments these days there is no possibility of me competing in the 1000km race during October, so this Event

the next best thing and what better group of blokes to be doing it with. “We’ve all known each other for a many, many years so to be able to enjoy such a race as the WPS 12 Hour together will be great.” Besides the horde of Pearson Evos, there are two other notable Mitsubishi entries. Reigning Champs Damien White and Rod Salmon have added strength to their chances of winning back-toback crowns with the addition of two-time Bathurst 1000 winner Tony Longhurst to their Evo team. Also in a competitive Evo is Grant Denyer, who will make his racing comeback at the 12 Hour with Tony and Klark Quinn in an Evo 9. The trio finished second in the 2008 race. With so many competitive Evos, it seems impossible that one of them won’t win. The manufacturer most likely to take it up to Mitsubishi masses will be Subaru. Regular Production Car entrants the Wilson Brothers have locked in Craig Baird, Rodney Forbes and Lee Castle in its lead car WRX Sti entry.

Hours of power: Holden will return to the 12 Hour with its Sportswagon for Russell Ingall, Nathan Pretty and Andrew Jones. The team is fielding a three-car line-up with the other drivers set to be named soon. If Baird and co can’t do the business for Subaru, then it might be John Bowe. Bowe has been confirmed to be driving one of the three Jim Hunter Motorsport cars alongside Biante Touring Car Masters Champion Gavin Bullas and Hunter himself. The team’s other cars will be Subaru RSs, entered in the Class D ‘baby class.’ One of those entries is an all-female squad, including Heather Spurle, Christina Orr and Molly Taylor. The second crew is an all-Bathurst entry of Matthew Windsor, Steven Shiels and Paul Newman.

One car that failed to make a huge impression last year was the Holden Sportwagon, but it is back for 2009 with hopes of a better result. Taking the reigns will be Russell Ingall, Nathan Pretty and Andrew Jones. The car was crashed in the first stint by Pretty last year after qualifying outside of the top 10. Another interesting entry is the Nissan 350Z to be driven by Paul Stokell, Josh Hunt and Jonathon Webb. The car was recently tested at Winton and could be one of the darkhorses for the race. The WPS Bathurst 12 Hour is set to be held on February 20-22. – GRANT ROWLEY

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Kelly Racing look to four cars The Kelly Brothers set to be joined by Perkins and Webb in ambitious new team V8 SUPERCARS THE new-for-2009 Kelly Racing is likely to confirm within the next two weeks that it will enter four cars in this year’s V8 Supercar Championship Series. The new outfit is currently working away on ensuring it is prepared for the Clipsal 500 in late March – and with its new shop nearing completion, the team is getting busy before the season starts. Part of the team’s preparations is locking in its driver line-up for the 2009 season. Kelly brothers Todd and Rick Kelly are confirmed as the team leaders, while yetto-be-confirmed (although highly likely) is that the Kelly boys will be joined by 2008 Fujitsu V8 racers Jack Perkins and Jonathon Webb. Perkins is set to be part of the new team, using one of the two licences owned by his famous father Larry Perkins. The second Perkins licence is likely to be campaigned by Webb, who has been keen to graduate to the Main V8 Series for some time. Webb recently visited the Kelly’s Braeside (Victoria) workshop. The Kelly family team will use four Perkins Engineering-built Commodore VE chassis. The first two of the chassis are currently at the paintshop, awaiting final fit-out. Todd and Rick will compete under the John Kelly-owned licences, and are believed to have secured Jack Daniels as the lead sponsor for both of their cars. Sponsors and the make-up of the team are all to be confirmed, although eNews can reveal the KR team logo, pictured centre. Most of Kelly’s staff has been sourced from Perkins’ race team, while other members include a number of Walkinshaw Performance and Britek Motorsport. An official team launch is expected to be held at the team’s new factory before the first V8 Supercar test on March 9. – GRANT ROWLEY

in: Locked LLY KE TODD

Likely: JACK PERKINS

in: Locked LY L RICK KE

Likely: JONO WEBB

NEXT WEEK’S ISSUE OF MOTORSPORT eNEWS Due to the Australia Day national holiday next Monday (January 26), the next issue of Motorsport eNews will publish 6pm Tuesday January 27

n Sprint Gas Racing has a new engineer. Mike Henry, formerly of the Clayton Holden teams, has come onboard, but his role within the Tasman Motorsport crew is yet to be determined. n It has been a big month for motor racing’s new generation. Paul Marinelli, late of V8 Supercars’s track commentary box, welcomed a son, James, to the team earlier this month, while Tony Mee, who keeps Sprint Gas Racing a spin-free zone, also has a new son, Liam, to teach the finer points of team communication. Congrats to both. n Arnold Glass has passed away. The famed car dealer-turned racer, who was the man who brought the Datsun brand to Australia for the first time through his Capital Motors, raced all manner of cars from Maserati 250Fs to McLaren F1 cars, and remained an enthusiast of the sport for many years. n Jeff Senior has been made a life member of the Australian Formula Ford Association. The New South Welshman received the award as thanks for his “contribution to the Association since 1992 as a member of the National Committee, and for his untiring efforts and enthusiasm for the NSW State championship.” n Entrants in a new seven-day Outback Trial for classic rally vehicles will race over some of the same stages as the World Rally Championship competitors in this year’s Repco Rally Australia. The Classic Outback Trial (Aug 30-Sept 5 is as a support event to the north-eastern NSW WRC round.

Dirk Klynsmith

BRIEFLY...

One weekend, two rounds? V8 SUPERCARS TWO V8 Supercar round winners at one weekend in 2009? That’s one of the likely possibilities for race formats for this season. eNews understands that a major change is coming for the V8 Championship Series, as predicted in these pages (Issue #086). With the exception of the Clipsal 500, L&H 500 (Phillip

Island) and the Supercheap Auto 1000 (Bathurst), each race of the V8 Supercar Series could be worth a round victory, making both Saturday and Sunday races worth equal points – and equal pride. eNews calculations suggest that there could be as many as 25 rounds of the V8 Series in 2009 ... It is believed that a V8SA board meeting on February 5 will decide the format of the 2009 season.

Also mentioned in Issue #086 of eNews was the possibility of separate qualifying sessions for each race/round. This concept seems to be gaining momentum and will be one of the items on the agenda at the board meeting. Race distances are also up for discussion and debate, with the majority of the ‘non-endurance races’ likely to be contested over 150-200km. – GRANT ROWLEY

Little’s big new V8 job V8 SUPERCARS CAMPBELL Little is joining V8 Supercars Australia as the new Category Technical Director. Little will take the position at the end of the month, moving on from his current role as Chief Race Engineer at Triple Eight Race Engineering. His job will encompass all technical aspects of the category, allowing Motorsport Manager Kurt Sakzewski to focus the Motorsport Operations Team on the events themselves. “It’s a very big challenge,” said Little on Monday. “I think that the whole thing is in the state of transition, with [V8SA CEO] Cameron [Levick] coming on and the way that things are done. It has been reactive rather than proactive, and the rules are a bit open ended at the moment. Some of the thing you look at are a little bit blank at the moment.” The move largely mirrors what has happened in other arenas of the sport, with former crew chief Gary Nelson running the technical side of NASCAR and Charlie Whiting in charge of Formula 1’s Technical Department. According to Little, moving someone with recent team experience into the V8SA role is a plus. “We have not really had someone who has technical experience with the race cars. Steve [Brow] stepped up to the role from another position and there have had people stepping in and not necessarily being connected to V8 Supercars.”

Little says that one of his tasks will be to smooth the lines of communication. “The team owners are the shareholders but there does not seem to be a clear path [of communication]. People have not had the time to say, these are the good points and the bad ponts and here is what we need to investigate. The process was a little vague. “As an homologation team, I saw something of it. How do we create a vehicle? What rules do we need to look at? Every decision was scrutinised by the board and that made the decision process a very long one.” But there is no timetable for Little to start changing things. “I am not rushing into anything, that would not be clever. We go racing in six or seven weeks and to go in and stamp on them [the teams] straight away is not a good thing. Cost containment will be high on the agenda, and that is something that is happening right across the world at the moment.”

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Dirk Klynsmith

Power sees a red and white future Will Power joins Ryan Briscoe at Penske INDYCARS IT’S official – Roger Penske is an Aussie. Okay, we made that up. The Captain is American; when he was born in Shaker Heights, a suburb of Cleveland Ohio, Paul Newman was a 12-year-old who lived a few streets away. But Penkse might just get to chant, ‘Aussie, Aussie, Aussie’ this season after signing Will Power to drive for his famous team. As first reported last Tuesday in an exclusive News Flash to eNews subscribers, the 27year-old from Queensland has been named as a team driver and will test for the team in the opening two official IndyCar tests of the season. His further role with the squad will depend on the outcome of the federal trial involving Helio Castroneves, who faces tax evasion charges and whose trial starts on March 2. Power was introduced to the world as a Penske man last Tuesday, US time, at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

“This is a big deal,” Power told eNews. “Penske is the team that everbody in the IndyCar Series wants to drive for. I am no different. I know that there were a handful of drivers that were being looked at, and I am just really glad that they gave me the shot. It is an interesting situation with Helio, so I am just going to be giving 100 percent effort in whatever I have to do, and see what comes.” “What comes” could be a drive for the rest of the season. The team is, obviously, covering its bases should the Brazilian go to jail, but even if he is found not guilty, there is the chance that Power could conceivably drive a third Penske entry in selected races, most notably the Indianapolis 500. Should Power race, he will do so alongside Ryan Briscoe. This will not be the first time that Penske has field an ‘All Foreign’ team, as Castroneves and Gil de Ferran made an all-Brazilian lineup in 2000-2003.

McLaren

Toyota TF109 Toyota F1

Ferrari F60

Ferrari

McLaren

Toyota F1

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McLaren MP4-24

Formula 1’s brand new era Ferrari, Toyota and McLaren all have new cars, and they might look different to what you’re used to, but they don’t look different to each other FORMULA 1 YOU could almost say it is the same but different … Formula 1, that is, and the new-for2009 technical regulations. The cars are certainly different, appearance-wise, to the F1 of 2008, but the three new cars to be officially unveiled do all look strikingly similar. Ferrari was the first to tear off the covers, unveiling its F60 (a tribute to 60 years in the sport) to the world last week. The reigning World Champions did so with

an open test at Mugello, but it wasn’t a trouble-free run, the car spending plenty of its first test in the garage. Aesthetically speaking, the F60 is very in keeping with the style that was hinted at when some of the teams ran updated bodywork in post-season testing. The front wing is wide and flat, the rear wing high and narrow, and the engine cover contouring tightly over the engine (and KERS unit) in a very traditional ‘Coke bottle’ shape. Toyota was next to unveil its car, the TF109 looking a lot like the F60. The

biggest difference between the F60 and TF109, in looks at least, is the way the nose and the wing join together. While the front wing itself looks a lot like Ferrari’s, the tip of the nose on the TF109 is very high, giving the car a different profile when viewed from the side. The same goes for the McLaren MP424, which is the most recent car to be unveiled. A more bulbous tip to the nose gives the front of a car an even more different look than the Ferrari, however the rear of the car looks very much like both the other cars.

Webber confirms Feb return FORMULA 1

MARK Webber has confirmed that he will be back behind the wheel of a Formula 1 car in early February. As exclusively reported by eNews (Issue #084), Webber is planning on being fit for Red Bull Racing’s first test of 2009 on February 11, which comes two days after the launch of its new car on Feb 9. “I’m looking forward to driving the car in three weeks,” Webber told BBC Radio Five Live in the UK.

“I’m going to have a crack at driving the car on 11 February, and then we’ll see how that goes. “If it goes really well, I’ll be back in on 13 February. Then I’ve got three more tests – Jerez, Valencia and then our last test in Barcelona, with all the teams together – before we go off to Australia.” Webber sustained a broken leg when he collided with a Nissan Patrol while on a pushbike during last year’s Mark Webber Challenge in Tasmania.

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Dennis steps down as McLaren team principal FORMULA 1 THE launch of McLaren’s 2009 challenger last Friday was overshadowed by an even bigger news event – the announcement by Ron Dennis that he will step down as McLaren team principal. Dennis, 61, isn’t leaving the team, but instead focussing on other areas of the company. He will not, however, attend every race of the 2009 season. Martin Whitmarsh will take over the role. “I stress, nothing to get too excited about, but it is absolutely time for Martin to take over the job as team

principal and as of March 1, Martin will adopt that responsibility,” Dennis told the media. “I will still go to races, not all of them, because I am passionate about Formula 1. “But I intend to work harder and will take on greater responsibility in certain key areas in the group. I will be full executive chairman. I still have many other responsibilities. “It is time and I have to say it is absolutely 100 percent my decision. It is what I want to do, but I do intend to work much harder. Don’t see it in any shape or form as some sort of retirement, it is very much

opposite. I want to work harder in other areas and having to plan those tasks around the Grand Prix calendar is sometimes disruptive to the process. “So it is a job that Martin will really embrace and enjoy. It is a job that in practice for years we have shared anyway, but now it is going to be his decision that determines the outcome of certain things that take place at a Grand Prix circuit, and other issues that relate to the operation of the Grand Prix team.” Dennis has been at McLaren for almost 30 years, first taking over the team principal role back in 1981.

KV want INDYCAR

NASCAR BOBBY Labonte has found a home with Hall of Fame Racing. After shutting its doors and ending a partnership with Joe Gibbs Racing, and selling the assets associated with its Sprint Cup team, HOF has merged with Yates Racing. The 2000 Winston Cup

champion, who was released from his contract with the nowclosed Petty Enterprises team, will race a Ford this year. What was the #96 Toyota for the past two years will now be a Fusion, run alongside three other Yates entries – although this could shrink to two, as David Gilliland may lose his ride should sponsorship not materialise for the fourth team.

NASCAR Media

Bobby plays Fame Game

Labonte will race with sponsorship from ask.com and DLP. The team will continue to be owned by Tom Garfinkel and Jeff Moorad, much like the partnership reached at the end of last year between Michael Waltrip and JTG Motorsports, which will field a car owned by JTG out of MWR for Marcos Ambrose. – MARTIN D CLARK

Smith in Hot Seat NASCAR

NASCAR Media

REGAN Smith has been named to drive for Furniture Row Racing. Smith, who hit the headlines last year when he beat Tony Stewart to in a close finish to win at Talladega, only for NASCAR to take a away his first victory in a controversial ruling, will pilot the #78 Chevrolet in a minimum of 12 races this season from the team’s base which is, unusually, in Colorado.

The 25-year-old New Yorker, right, replaces Joe Nemechek, who is attempting to resurrect Nemco Motorsports Cup from his own racing facility. ‘Front Row Joe’, who fielded Burger King-sponsored Cup cars in the early 90s and Nationwide Series cars before and after that, is said to have a sponsor very close to signing. He is planning on running the Daytona 500 with or without funding. – MARTIN D CLARK

WILL Power’s Penske deal may, indirectly, lead to the return of crowd favourite Paul Tracy to IndyCar. KV Racing Technology, which last week announced the signing of former Dale Coyne Racing driver, Brazilian Mario Moraes, has a vacant seat and team Jimmy Vasser, who co-owns KV with Australian Kevin Kalkhoven, wants his old pal and former adversary to fill it. Vasser thinks Paul Tracy would be right for the second car and is helping him seek sponsorship in both America and Canada. “I definitely think that PT has a few good years left in him,” Vasser, the 1996 CART champion, told Sun Media. “I know he has some sponsors that he is working on. I just thought it would be a good idea if we worked together.” “I think the [IndyCar] series needs him. If we can get a certain percentage done for PT ourselves, we could maybe take it to [the IRL] to see if they can help.” Veteran Tracy, now 40, was shut out of competing last season, except for a Forsythe Racing drive at the Grand Prix of Long Beach in the final Champ Car event and a oneoff for Tony George’s Vision Racing team in the Grand Prix of Edmonton. The 2003 Champ Car champion demonstrated he still has what it takes to be competitive when he finished fourth from a starting grid position of 15th at the Edmonton race last July, pic opposite. The Canadian had not been in an open wheel car for three months (since April) and shamelessly out-drove his

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ts to bring back the Big Guy Vasser pushing for Tracy return to IndyCar: all it needs is $$$

Indy Honda Racing

Vision Racing team-mates, Ed Carpenter and A.J. Foyt IV. “I want to drive IndyCars,” said Tracy to SpeedTV.com, although just in case, he is also talking to truck teams in NASCAR. “I want to run Indy again and I think I showed I can still get the job done. I appreciate Jimmy’s help and we’re going to try our best to find some money.”

Tracy and Vasser hope to find several million dollars in sponsorship but Vasser is also working to find sponsorship for Oriol Servia, who finished ninth overall in 2008 for the team, the highest ranking of the Champ Car transitioning drivers. Vasser indicated to Sun Media the team would go with the first deal that is done. “I don’t have to tell you it’s tough out

there right now (economy),” said Vasser to SpeedTV. “But in PT’s case it seems like we could find four companies to give us $1 million each or eight to give us $500,000. If I could get close, then I’d go to the IRL and ask for some help because they need a guy with his stature.” – MARY MENDEZ

Tough times for A1GP A1GP THE A1GP Series has been struck by all manner of dramas in the last week, the most notable of which is the cancellation of the Indonesian round. The fifth round of the 200809 series has been axed, after the race organisers and promoters failed to meet a deadline on track construction for the Lippo Village street circuit. The FIA was not able to issue the track with the appropriate licence to host the event, which was set for February 6-8. As a result, the series will now move from this weekend’s New Zealand round at Taupo to South Africa, with the republic set to host the World Cup of Motorsport at Gauteng on February 20-22. The other calendar change is a shift in the Mexico round. The racing will be moved back a week to the March 2022 weekend. The Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez circuit in Mexico City is part of a multi-use sports precinct, and the Foro Sol baseball groundcum-concert arena is located entirely within the track. The 50,000-seat complex has been booked out for concerts on the Saturday and Sunday night of the original race weekend, the headline act being UK rock band Radiohead. In other A1GP news, both Team Germany and Team Pakistan have delayed their first appearance in the current season. The German team, which is now owned by German businessman Rolf Beisswanger, will feature former Jaguar F1 steerer Andre Lotterer this season. Both teams will debut in their current guises in South Africa.

Indonesian round cancel and Pakistan further del

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lled while Germany lay season debuts

Atko’s new ride! WORLD RALLYING CHRIS Atkinson has had his first taste of Citroen power ahead of his first World Rally in a car other than a Subaru. Atkinson spent last Monday in the north of France, testing his new C4 mount on roads similar to those he will face in Ireland when the WRC kicks off there in a little under two weeks time. “The C4 is a car you can really get a lot more out of the harder you drive it,” explained Atkinson.

“It’s amazing how aggressively you can attack corners, yet it all stays very balanced and straight. I was able to work with team to find a suitable set-up for Ireland, so now the focus is on training and preparing for the event to put ourselves in the best possible position to perform.” Atkinson covered 180km during the test, including four passes of Citroen’s 2.1km test road in the dark as preparation for the two night stages at Rally Ireland. Interestingly, Atkinson’s fastest pass of the test was during one of his night runs.

To watch footage of Atkinson testing the Citroen, click here!

Kwakka tests at Creek MOTOGP

sutton-images.com

KAWASAKI’S factory team might have withdrawn from MotoGP racing, but it hasn’t stopped a brand new Green Machine testing at Sydney’s Eastern Creek. Kawasaki factory testers Olivier Jacque and Tamaki Serizawa were in action at the former Aussie Grand Prix track on the weekend, cutting development laps aboard the 2009 ZX-RR, the latest version of the Japanese bike maker’s MotoGP machine. Jacque, who once finished on the podium at Eastern Creek on a 250, was impressed with

the new bike. “I only had a quick first run but the first impression with the bike is quite positive,” he told motogp.com “Overall it seems lighter and more agile, so the work done over the winter has definitely been positive. Now we have to rack up some miles to have a better idea of the bike´s potential.” While Kawasaki won’t have a factory team in the World Championship this year, the ongoing development of the new bike does indicate that a private team entry is still on the cards.

Calder Makeover

Victorian circuit undergoes changes to improve safety and help spectators

CIRCUIT NEWS CALDER Park Raceway is undergoing a major makeover. Over the past six months, the drag strip at the Melbourne venue has received a major upgrade, with the main straight being widened by five metres, giving the drag racing strip its own lanes. Other changes include the resurfacing of the original pit area and spectator mounds have been made larger. Circuit Chairman Bob Jane said upgrading the drag strip to a standalone track will make both drag and circuit racing safer.

“Calder is in a transitional stage, our number one priority was to make the drag strip a stand-alone track. Progressively we will widen the racetrack by about five metres and that will start later this year,” Jane said. Changes to the now full stand-alone quarter-mile drag strip include moving the concrete trackside safety walls to the drag strip edge, the installation of a 65-metre concrete launch pad and extending the breaking/run-off area. The drag race control building has also been relocated and reconstructed to provide race officials with a better view of all the activities on the drag strip.

Jane said there are plans to resurface the drag strip with special bitumen compound in the first half of this year. The first major event at the new-look Calder Park Raceway will be the True Blue Drag Racing Championships on Sunday, January 25. Eight of Australia’s leading Top Doorslammer racers will compete at the event, which for the first time in Australia, will see Top Doorslammers race over an eighth- mile (201metres) instead of the traditional quartermile and for $30,000, the largest prize money ever posted for an eight-car Doorslammer field.

Sponsors left, right and centre GT3 CUP

THE Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge seems immune to the current economic climate, having recently signed three new sponsors for the upcoming season. In a big signing for the category, McDonald’s has come on board as for the season as the major sponsor. McDonald’s will feature heavily on the entire GT3 Cup Challenge field, as well as continuing to sponsor individual driver Terry Night. As part of the arrangement, the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge will also initiate several fundraising efforts throughout the season to raise funds for the Ronald

McDonald House Charities. “What attracted me to the series was its focus on fun and entertaining racing, and not the win at all costs attitude that is seen in other categories,” said Queensland McDonald’s, Licensee Mark Ward. “It’s an attitude that is shared with McDonald’s which is what makes this relationship so appealing. We are bringing two blue-riband brands like McDonald’s and Porsche together which is very exciting and a great fit. The focus on promoting and raising funds for Ronald McDonald House Charities is also a key part of this relationship, along with the exposure benefits we gain by being part of the Porsche GT3

Cup Challenge” In an added boost for the category Race Industries has also come on board as the preferred supplier of racing gear and parts. The on-stop motorsport shop will provide a package of on-track support, prizes and wards to the competitors

throughout the year. Michelin will also return to the series as the official tyre supplier and for 2009 as series sponsor. As part of the tyre and wheel package, The Mag Wheel Centre, supplier of BBS Racing wheels, will become an official series supporter.

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New FFord Chairman of the Board FFORD

V8 UTES

THE V8 Utes Series is making steps towards finalising the brake package to be used during the 2009 season. The test, conducted today (Monday), at Calder Park will determine the control pad arrangements to be used for the next three years. The brake pads tested were Ferodo (the supplier for the past three years) and Bendix with results expected within the coming days.

“We’ve had a three-year association with Ferodo as the control brake pad for V8 Utes and DBA Rotors,” said Category Administrator Craig Denyer. “Ferodo is cutting back its worldwide motorsport investment so it was an opportunity to see who else was out there to get involved in a marketing program with the V8 Utes. “At Calder we did an evaluation of the Bendix pad and the Ferodo pad back-toback to assess the different

James Smith

V8 Utes talking brakes ...

characteristics and out of that a decision will be made to continue on with the Ferodo pad or adopt the Bendix pad. “At this stage, the DBA Rotors will remain the control rotor for the category.” Luke Youlden was the independent test driver using Kim Jane’s Commodore and WPR Racing’s Ford, which was driven in 2008 by Colin Corkery, and the Category Technical Director Alan Pitt oversaw the test. – PHILLIP MAHONEY

Team Goddard tests ahead of debut FORMULA 3

ASIAN Formula 3 Champions, Team Goddard, has had its first test on Australian soil ahead of its debut in the Gold Star this year. Japanese driver Sho Hanawa tested the leased Team BRM Dallara F307 Mercedes-Benz chassis at Mallala late last week posting some competitive times recording an unofficial low 1m04s lap at the 2.6km circuit in Adelaide. Team Goddard, which is based in the Philippines, recently confirmed its intention to run a two-car team in this year’s Australian Championship. It will be the first time the team has run in Australia since the non-championship support races at the 2007 Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix. “It’s great to be here, we have been looking forward to coming back to race in Australia since Melbourne (2007) which was a very good experience – we’ve been working on ways to come back ever since,” team owner Mark Goddard said. “As the reigning Asian Champions, we hope to be quick and add the Australian title to our trophy cabinet. “But we’re under no illusions that it will be an

A NEW Chairman of the Board of Management has been selected for the Australian Formula Ford Championship. Ford Performance Vehicles General Manager Rod Barrett has been appointed in the position and will take over from Roland Dane, who vacates the position to concentrate on his Triple Eight V8 Supercar team. Barrett has previously competed in Formula Ford in the UK, while his father, Jim Barrett, raced in the first Australian Formula Ford series in 1970. “I’m extremely honoured to be offered this position in Australia’s premier open-wheeler category,” Barrett said. “Formula Ford has always been close to my heart so to make a return in this capacity is really exciting. “When you consider that Formula Ford is where the champions of tomorrow cut their teeth, it feels pretty good to know you’re part of their development.”

easy year. The Australian championship is very competitive and we are looking forward to the challenge.” Goddard was also impressed with Hanawa’s speed in some testing conditions. “Sho did a very good job today,” he said. “We were told that if he could get into the (1m) 04s it would be a good start. He got there quite quickly so we are now looking to go quicker than that during the remainder of our time here. “It bodes well for the championship, should Sho decide to race with us. We know it will be competitive but based on today, there is no reason why we can’t be towards the front of the grid and be a championship contender.”

John Bosher

Summer Changes WSID’s Summernationals reduced to a two-day event DRAG RACING

John Morris/Mpix

ANDRA was advised earlier this week that changes would be made to the scheduling for the 2009 Wynns Spitfire Summernationals at Western Sydney International Dragway. Originally a three day event, the 2009 Summernationals will now be staged over two days – Friday and Saturday, February 13-14. This flagship ANDRA Championship race will now showcase Top Fuel, Top Alcohol, Top Doorslammer, Top Bike, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle in two qualifying sessions on the Friday night, with three sessions for the 11 ‘Sportsman’ categories contesting Round 4 of the Rocket Allstars Racing Series. Saturday will see all brackets from Top Fuel to Junior

Dragster, racing for the coveted ANDRA ‘Gold Christmas Tree’ trophies and points towards their Australian Championship laurels. WSID Managing Director, Tony Beuk said a local review of the season layout had been planned for some time but recent developments, mostly outside their control, had moved that forward.

“The ANDRA Championship television programme and interest from the public and commercial partners have all been growing and a collective approach will help us clear most of the hurdles everyone is facing right now,” he said. Revised schedules and other details for the 2009 Wynns Spitfire Summernationals are available at www.wsid.com.au

news

Ken Ferguson

Morgan’s Massive Comeback DRAG RACING COMEBACK racer Darren Morgan and his brand new Rocket Industries/Wicked Quick dragster proved the amazing commitment of the DMR team by making the final for the Top Fuel ENZED International Nightfire New Year Series title. Morgan’s presence at Willowbank Raceway was an achievement in itself with he and his team building a

brand new Rocket Industries/ Wicked Quick dragster from scratch in less than three weeks after a race incident at Sydney Dragway on Boxing Day saw his racer completely destroyed. Both Morgan and adversary Phil Lamattina, also of Mildura, left the line hard, with Morgan holding the faster ‘mile per hour’ at the half-track before spinning the tyres and needing to pedal it to the line. The Fuchs

dragster of Lamattina took advantage to take the win and extend his championship lead with a 4.83 second pass at 308.86mph (approx 494.17km/ h) over Morgan’s 5.03 second run at 281.94mph (approx 451.10km/h). “To make it to the Finals, especially against a fellow Mildura resident, was great with a brand new car. The incremental times (of the run) were good, and if we hadn’t shaken the tyres we may have

got him,” said Morgan. “The crew have done a great job to get the car here, this is the first time in the brand new car, and the support of my wife Natalie, my partners, my team, Ben Patterson, and the whole Mildura district, has just been amazing. “As a privateer team we really rely on that support and without them we wouldn’t have been here. So I really just want to thank them for everything.”

Picture Perfect DRAG RACING BUDDING drag racing snappers can now focus on the Wynns Spitfire Summernationals for the next opportunity to enter the Wallace Bishop Jewellers National Photographic Competition. With the massive Sydney event set to host every single ANDRA Championship Group 1 bracket as well as all of the categories from the Rocket All Stars Racing Series, there is no end to the potential photographic subjects set to present themselves. The annual competition, which sees more than $20,000 in cash and

prizes on offer thanks to Wallace Bishop Jewellers, Willowbank Raceway, Castrol and Stuart Bishop Racing, will end with the Tin Top Titles also at Willowbank Raceway on April 18 and 19, with entries closing Friday April 24. Entries can be shot at any drag

racing venue across the country, and must have been taken between the 2008 Castrol EDGE Winternationals and the 2009 Tin Tops Event. Photographs can be submitted online at www.stuartbishopracing. com.au

news

Opportunity + Preparation = 11th DAKAR PATIENCE and preparation appeared to be the keys for Bruce Garland’s success on the 2009 Dakar. At the end of the opening stage of the event, which was moved to Argentina and Chile after the cancellation of the 2008 race because of security concerns in Africa, Garland and co-driver Harry Suzuki were 51st out of the 177 cars

that left Buenos Aires. Teammates Pelle Wallentheim and Olle Ohlsson were further back in 67th, the eclectic mix of Aussies and Swedes slowed by blinding dust. Just under two weeks later, over terrain so severe that several stages were shortened – and one cancelled altogether – Garland was 11th and Wallentheim 44th. Both Sydney-built Isuzu D-Maxes were fit and ready to go

again, as Garland proved by motoring to ninth fastest time on the final stage, as cars and drivers around them faltered in the gruelling conditions. And the result could have been even better. On the 12th stage of the event, which Garland completed, so many drivers were stuck in sand dunes that non-finishers were given a ‘derived’ time, based on what the organisers thought was best to do in the

Chance of a Lifetime MINI CHALLENGE

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AUSTRALIAN race driver Renato Loberto is heading to the UK with the intention of securing a drive in the MINI Challenge UK. Loberto is one of a number of MINI hopefuls, entering the highly-competitive RaceStar scholarship, where the winner receives a fully-funded 2009 season in MINI Challenge UK. Loberto is the only non-UK entrant competing in the scholarship opportunity. RaceStar consists of four days of competition encompassing timed lap

sessions, motorkhanas, motorsport specific exams, kart racing, TV and Radio interviews and fitness tests; with the goal of finding a driver who is the 'complete package.’ "I've been told I'm the only entry outside of the UK,” Loberto says. “This scholarship provides such a fantastic opportunity I can't believe more people from around the world don't take part.” The scholarship is backed by Clio Cup Championship team Double Six Racing. As a bonus to the RaceStar winner to help the

circumstances. Had that not happened, Garland would have made it into the top 10. The 2009 event will go down as the most brutal in the three-decade history of the event. Many fancied teams failed to get to the finish, Mitsubishi in particular failing spectacularly as three of its four Lancers failed to make it out of Argentina in Week 1.

driver advance through his racing career, Double Six offers a part-funded drive in 2010. Round 1 of the scholarship starts on January 22 at Teeside Autodrome, Middlesbrough.

5 Minutes with ...

FELIPE MASSA

After a short break, the Brazilian was back to work, the first man to drive Ferrari’s new F60

It seems that these cars are much more difficult to drive, because they need to be controlled much more (KERS, front wing flap, slicks). Can you confirm that? That’s true. It’s a car with many changes and driving it will be different. You can feel it much more now, but once you know the car and the new rules it’s

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QUESTION: Felipe, what are your first impressions of the new Ferrari F60? FELIPE MASSA: This car is completely different from the one we had last year. Many rules have changed and they are all visible, the impact of the rules, such as the introduction of the KERS, the changed aerodynamics; all these things make it very different for us all to drive. For the first day there weren’t planned 100 laps or particular lap times, because when the rules change in such an important way the shakedown becomes more difficult and delicate. We resolved some minor problems today and I’m glad that I went 100 kilometres using the KERS, which was the part that worried us most. We started to use it just a bit in the beginning and then we raised its performance level. In the upcoming tests we’ll have the possibility to try out all its different aspects. We used this first day to check the general functioning of the engine, the gearbox, the suspension and the KERS; it was positive, because everything worked just fine. We wanted to do 100 laps, but in reality we tested more than we had actually expected to.

automatic; we’ve seen that over the last years. The 2009 season was mainly characterised by insecurities concerning all aspects of Formula 1. How do you feel on a personal level and also within the team? The people inside the Team share the same motivation and the same work approach; I have to say that they’re all quite similar to how they were the years before; obviously when there are major changes from one year to the next, the way we work changes in certain areas. The atmosphere I sense is very good and everybody is pushing hard inside the Team, from the President, to Stefano and the technical department. I’m happy that I can be part of the team and I hope that we continue to improve every week, just like we did in our good years. It’s true, it’s the start of a new cycle, a

different one for Formula 1, but we’re convinced that we can fight in a very competitive Championship. The new rules have made the car much uglier than in previous years. Do you like it? While I came over from Brazil I thought: I’ve seen several things in the wind tunnel, but the complete car is different. Over the last years we’ve always seen a much nicer car year after year. I didn’t expect a beautiful car, but I have to say it is very beautiful, despite all the rules, which make the cars uglier. Let’s hope it’s fast. I’d prefer an ugly car that’s fast over a beautiful car that’s slow. Did you have fun today or was it just technical work? It’s much more fun when there are other cars, when you can compare your lap times. So today was less fun in this respect, but we were here to

run the car, which was the main goal. I had fun doing that. I hope that next week in Portugal I’ll have a car I can drive the whole day. Have you spoken to Lewis Hamilton since the end of the season and how do you view last season in hindsight? I’ve met him at the FIA presentation of the prizes at the end of the year. I said hello and congratulated him, because I think that’s correct. During the holidays I’ve been thinking a lot, as usual, about what happened and now I’m more eager to win than ever. We didn’t win, it’s not because we didn’t merit it, but because it had to be like that. I’m eager to fight in this year’s Championship. I don’t want to look back, I want to look forward. There are bad days, but the nice days are worth much more to learn for the future.

chat

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To catch a thief! opinion Chris Lambden Publisher THAT’S the old saying – it takes one to catch one. And on that basis alone, the appointment of Campbell Little as V8 Supercar Technical Director is a smart move. No-one is suggesting that Campbell is an expert at relieving people of their wallets, but having spent the last umpteen years successfully engineering race-winning race cars, it’s fair to say that he has a grasp of just how creatively and advantageously the technical rules and regulations can be interpreted in the quest for the tiny advantage that can make all the difference. He’s seen the smart guys try it on and, on occasion, wondered why they haven’t been sprung, when in his view interpretations have ‘crossed the line’. He also has direct experience of the frustrations

that can drive teams crazy – for example, rules that are badly drafted and which are then open to confusing interpretation, and which thus end up costing teams unnecessary money. It is that area in particular – creating intelligent technical rules and cost-cutting measures – which the ex-SBR, ex-Triple Eight engineer will bring most to. As he told us, it is so much more preferable to get it right from the start, rather than to have to whip up Rules-On-The-Run to cover loopholes … The best training ground for that is the cauldron itself, so over a decade of direct racewinning experience should allow the latest acquirer of a V8SA shirt to bring reality to this aspect of the category’s operation. It follows on from last year’s appointment of Tomas Mezera as Driving Standards Observer. Tomas has a brand of ‘common sense’ judgement, borne of years of laid-back pragmatism – on and offtrack – allowing a degree of

‘intelligent niggle’ between drivers, which produced a 2008 season where there was relatively little off-track aggro and complaint among the nuts behind the V8 wheels. Interestingly, the pair worked together – briefly – back in 1988, when Tomas, fresh back from Europe, was drafted in to partner Tony Longhurst for Sandown and Bathurst in the latter’s B&H Sierra, above. Little was a young engineer, and they were all under the command of that most pragmatic and

KISS merchant of them all, Frank Gardner. And they won Bathurst (above). It takes a degree of that laidback approach, in my view, for pragmatic ex-racers and exrace persons, to adapt to the occasionally hyper-political world of sports administration. If Campbell Little can sift through the bullshit, as Mezera has, then it will be another tick in the V8SA box and there may, at least, be some real progress in the to-date hit-and-miss task of (cost) saving V8 teams from themselves!

Letters

Have your say, email us at mail@mnews.com.au. Keep letters to the point! TK Fanboy To the Motorsport eNews Team. I do hope 2009 is rewarding to you all for health, happiness, laughter and of course wealth if that’s on the horizon as well. The above also applies to your families, friends and any other interlopers whose company you enjoy.

Anyway, I’m a Todd Kelly fan, so I hope the Kelly Racing Team gives it to HRT and the rest of the V8 Supercar teams in season 2009 and in the future. I just don’t like big Tom Walkinshaw anymore. I firmly believe there are still unsavoury undertones with the whole HRT driver changes over the past two years.

Firstly, with Todd Kelly although thankfully he did get into a good team with Jack Daniel’s Racing, and now Skaifey’s unfortunate retirement. It would have been interesting to see how Skaife’s driving would have gone had he not had the whole ownership issue hanging over his head.

I would have thought Skaifey would have been worth $3.6million to the Holden brand since his initial appointment to the team in 1998 – 2008! Maybe it’s no longer about loyalty and just business. Well let’s see as what happens as 2009 rolls on. Peter Manning Via email

opinion

A tale of two cities SOMETHING strange is going to happen next weekend. For the first time since 1996, the Monte Carlo Rally won’t be a round of the World Rally Championship. In fact, it will be only the second time since 1973 that the world’s longest running rally event hasn’t featured on the calendar, and when you consider that up until as recently as 1991 competitors were able to nominate their own starting point ‘old skool’ style, it becomes pretty obvious that this is an event that takes tradition pretty seriously … But that’s not to say the event isn’t happening. This weekend the Automobile Club de Monaco will host the 77th Monte Carlo Rally, except it will be for the fast-growing Intercontinental Rally Challenge, not the WRC. That’s bad news for the Monte, right? Wrong. It’s actually bad news for the WRC. The roads that form the Monte are some of the most spectacular used for any motorsport event in the world, and that won’t change whether the cars have turbos or not. Factor in that the IRC has 64 cars ready to rock and roll, while the WRC is licking its PR wounds from the Subaru and Suzuki withdrawals over the summer, and it all looks pretty good for those headed to the principality. Just a few days after the Monte finishes, the WRC will kick off in Ireland. I remember Ireland’s first foray into WRC competition a couple of seasons back, and the roads weren’t spectacular. They were narrow and muddy. I doubt they’ve changed.

So, as the IRC and WRC go head-to-head over the space of a week, the winner board is likely to look like this; in first place, the IRC (a major coup for a growing championship). A close second will be the ACM (a solid field to keep the longstanding tradition of Monaco going rallying in January well alive). And last but not least will be the WRC, which might just not look so crash hot in comparison. Actually, I want to revoke my time sheet there. The real winner will be rally fans, who get to see two world-class championships kick off in two weekends. If there is a benefit out of this, it might be that, should Monte be a huge success and Ireland the opposite, it becomes more obvious just how expensive and irrelevant to manufactures the WRC has become. And Dakar has just spent two weeks highlighting that. But the WRC is set to be based on Super 2000-regulations next year, the very same that have made the IRC such a success. Smart people would use this situation to help shape a solid future for the WRC … So who is the biggest loser out of this whole situation? That has to be me. I’m taking a couple of weeks off starting tonight for a bit of an overseas break, and I’m going to be in the United Kingdom when the rally cars are in France (sort of), and France when the rally cars are in the United Kingdom (sort of). If only the heavyweights behind the WRC and IRC consulted with me over my holidays plans before they released the schedules. It’s so selfish.

opinion Andrew van Leeuwen National Editor

eLETTER OF THE WEEK Gotta love pre-season It’s that time of year again, where all the teams unveil their new liveries, sponsors and drivers. Unfortunately, the money spent on these previews is largely wasted, as there is little publicity generated for the teams, their sponsors or the V8 Series. I’d like to see V8 Supercars Australia stage an all-in series launch at Homebush (a tidy bookend, and centrally located). Shown on Channel 7 in prime

time, with a full contingent of media representatives, each of the teams could enjoy the benefits of a showcase spectacular. Teams can provide maximum impact for their sponsors live, and across various media streams. Fans can pay a nominal price for a great night’s entertainment. After the various formalities and presentation of the support categories, series and platform sponsors, would be the main event.

Each team, in ascending order, would enter Homebush stadium. The cars, the drivers and team representatives would do a lap – ala Olympic opening ceremony style – and then assemble in the centre of the field. The last team out would be the previous years’ Champions. After the fireworks, fans and sponsors could have a meet and greet with the teams. Matt Treacy matttreacy@bigpond.com.au

Send your creative letters to mail@mnews.com.au, or Motorsport News PO Box 7072, Brighton, Vic 3186 25

RALLY RAID DAKAR 2009

Catching the 3:05 Volkswagen broke through for a 1-2 finish in South America, while a Hummer, a Pole and an Aussie Ute all conquered the Everest of motorsport

5 to Buenos Aires

Volkswagen Motorsport

to do if they are to threaten to dominate the event in the future. Only two of the BMWs finished, in eighth and ninth, so it was open for some of the entries less-fancied prior to the event to take placings. Robby Gordon scored a stunning third, his Hummer H3 failing to win a stage but going places that a RWD Corvette-engined American car should never go against opposition costing, literally, millions of dollars more. If that was a shock, so was the fourth-fifth finish of the Nissan Navaras of Ivar Erik Tollefsen/Quin Evans and Krzysztof Holowczyc/Jean-Marc Fortin. The Overdrive team also had an African link – all four of its entries were built in South Africa – and the 290hp cars ran faultlessly through the race, even if they were never supposed to threaten the factory teams. And the presence of Holowczyc – whose day job is representing his country in the European Parliament – ensured that the event was a ratings winner in Poland and throughout much of eastern Europe. Special mention to Bruce

Now, that’s a trophy: de Villiers and Von Zitzewitz got to smile after two weeks of hard slog in South America. The Dakar was a nightmare for Mitsubishi, with sole finisher Coma having problems of his own on the way to a lowly 10th-place finish.

Mitsubishi

Volkswagen Motorsport

AKAR’S new era started, appropriately, with a number of firsts – and quite a few ironies. Giniel de Villiers and codriver Dirk Von Zitzewitz won for Volkswagen, and that was not a first (Freddy Kottulinsky won in 1980 in a VW Iltis). But it was the first for a dieselpowered car and – here is the irony – the first for an African driver, in the first Dakar to not lay a wheel track on the Dark Continent. It was not only a Volkswagen triumph, it was a 1-2. Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford were second, but it should have been a 1-2-3. With three stages remaining, Carlos Sainz looked to have one hand on the trophy but he missed a note and his Touareg tumbled roof-first into a ravine. Worse was almost to come as Nani Roma stopped short of joining them by barely a metre. Sainz was understandably upset, until he realised that his co-driver Michel Perin was hurt. Volkswagen dominated the event, taking out 10 of the 13 stages in an event that could well be described as brutal, even by the high standards set by previous Dakar challenges. “Even though I’ve now ended up winning precisely the ‘Dakar’ that was not staged in Africa, which is home to me: It was definitely a genuine Dakar Rally, and the toughest edition I’ve ever contested,” said an elated de Villiers after the win. The challenges of Mitsubishi and BMW all but perished in the harsh South American conditions. Only one of the new-generation Lancers went the distance and that was Roma’s, the Spaniard driving like a tourist over the last three days and dropping to 10th overall. With all three of his team-mates falling by the wayside in the first week of the event – supposedly the easier stretch – it is clear that the Japanese have much work

Garland. To the uninitiated, 11th outright is nothing to write home about but, with nearly 500 entries, the effort of the Aussies and the Swedes, and the performance of the team’s Isuzu D-Maxes, was staggering. “We’ve done it and it’s a huge achievement,” said Garland, tired but elated after a year’s solid effort. “I think less than 10 per cent of the cars did the entire course and ours was one of them, so we are really, really proud of that. It just did not miss a beat.

We put a year’s worth of work into the event, so to get both the cars home, with just a few problems for Pelle, that is pretty special.” Josef Machacek goes down in history as the winner of the first Quad category (the machines were scored separate to the Bikes for the first time) while, in the Truck category, Kamaz dominated and Firdaus Kabirov/Aydar Belyaev and Andrey Mokeev won the battle, a flat tyre on the final stage deciding the war in the closest of the four classes.

Willy Weyens

Aussie + Ute + Beers = Happy: Bruce Garland and Harry Suzuki were brilliant and brought their Isuzu D-Max home in 11th outright.

KTM rules on two wheels

KTM Images

JUST as VW dominated on four wheels, KTM dominated on two. Marc Coma was in a class of his own in South America, the Spaniard too fast for the opposition and his Repsol team too slick for the other two works-backed teams running the Austrian bikes. Jordi Viladoms played the backup role to perfection, ensuring Coma’s second win in the event. Defending winner Cyril Despres led three Frenchman home but the surprise was the speed of third placegetter, David Fretigne taking a Yamaha 450 to results not expected from a bike so overwhelmed for speed by the bigger-engined bikes. David Schwarz was the best of the Aussies in 36th, while special mention should go to one Dutch finisher. Jurgen Van Den Goorbergh used to make his living racing Grand Prix motorcycles, starting 165 times in the 250, 500 and MotoGP and probably found the going slightly different on his Honda 450. On his Dakar debut, he finished in an impressive 17th place.

ENZED International Nightfire New Year Series WILLOWBANK RACEWAY, QUEENSLAND

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Tour: Complete USA legend Gary Densham finished his Australian New Year tour in style, winning the final round of the Nightfire Series. KEN FERGUSON reports from Willowbank

Ken Ferguson

DRAG RACING US FUNNY car legend Gary Densham completed his Aussie tour in style with a lucky, but very well-deserved win in the Nitro Funny car category at Willowbank Raceway’s second and final round of the Enzed International Nightfire New Year Series on Saturday night. An event which also marked the first time this millennium that both Top Fuel and Nitro Funny Car shared top billing, Densham and his team were unable to replicate their record-breaking performances in their Racebricks Chev Monte Carlo from a fortnight earlier, overpowering the track on nearly every occasion. He did record the only four second pass by the nitro floppers, a 4.99s at 303mph on his second qualifier on Friday night. Mark Sheehan was the best of the Aussies in his Speed

Torque Mustang and was unlucky not to have taken his second victory in as many weeks, clipping the finish line, centre timer blocks, handing the victory to Densham through disqualification. Sheehan was once again on the verge of the four second zone with his 5.05s at 257mph. Rookie Damien Harris, at the wheel of Paul Shackleton’s BTP Chev Monte Carlo, continues to record mid-fives despite suffering from tyre shake quite regularly. The Bailey Bros. contingent of Ricky Steffens and Ashley Bailey had mixed weekends with Steffens out after his first qualifier (broken diff ) and Bailey suffering dropped cylinders consistently. In Top Fuel, there was a feelgood story unfolding. Just three weeks after his horrific crash at WSID, Darren Morgan returned with his brand-new Wicked Quick/Rocket Ind. dragster with one goal in mind

– to win the Top Fuel class. After several big pedal jobs in his qualifiers and eliminations, Morgan made his way to the final at the expense of both Jim Read Racing dragsters, Phil Read in the first round and Martin Stamatis in the second. Morgan faced hot favourite and ex-teammate Phil Lamattina in his Fuchs dragster in the final. Lamattina had recorded nothing but four second, 300-plus mph passes throughout eliminations, and continued his form producing another, a 4.83s at 308mph, to defeat Morgan’s pedaling 5.03s at 281mph. Lamattina’s win extended his series lead. Athol Williams went from strength to strength the further the night went on in the Top Bike class. While Jay Upton struggled to keep the power down for the entire quarter mile, but with very quick early incremental times, Williams charged to

lower and lower 6s times on each and every pass on his Stud Welding entry. Following his amazing top speed of 231.13mph on his 6.47s pass in the third round of qualifying, he progressively got quicker and quicker throughout eliminations, with a 6.44s at 223mph, a 6.37s at 216mph, and a 6.32s at 222mph in the final to defeat Kim Stevens on his nitro Harley in the final. In other racing, victory went to Ross Lemberg in Custom Central Competition Bike, Colin Lloyd (Lifestyle Floorcoverings Super Stock), Tim Caswell (Crossroads Freightlines Supercharged Outlaws), Andrew Pinkstone (Modified), Allan Grimsey (Super Sedan), Adam Hackett (Ipswich and District Welding Super Street), Rick Rogers (Californian Image Modified Bike), Zane Radford (Queensland Diesel Spares Junior Dragster) and David Gauldie (Super Gas).

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Ken Ferguson Ken Ferguson

Ken Ferguson

Give me fuel, give me fire: Top, Phil Lamattina won Top Fuel, extending his points lead. Above, Athol Williams was too good in Top Bike, while Mike Sheehan, left, went close to beating Gary Densham in Nitro Funny Car.

WANLESS WORLD SERIES GRAND FINALE – PARRAMATTA CITY RACEWAY

Seven is the lucky numb The 2008/09 Wanless World Series wrapped up at Parramatta last weekend with Brooke Tatnell winning his seventh title. GREG BOSCATO watched it unfold

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ber

John Morris/Mpix

HE 2008/9 World Series Sprintcars Series wrapped up last weekend at the Parramatta City Raceway with Aussie Outlaw star Kerry Madsen picking up the round victory. Fellow former Sydney resident Brooke Tatnell took out his seventh WSS title after finishing seventh the final A Main of the series. The 35-lap A Main final was a superb non-stop race with Kerry Madsen jumping to an immediate race lead and holding out Grant Anderson early, and then a very determined Mitchell Dumesny. Madsen eventually claimed his second Parramatta feature win of the summer, while the younger Dumesny took out second leaving Max in third. “It was awesome. I knew he (Mitch Dumesny) was there. He came at me good at one time but the track was great. I just

had to hold my line and make no mistakes,” said Madsen. “I’ve led a lot of the WSS races here and got robbed so finally it’s good to bring one home.” Going into the 15th and final round of the WSS, Tatnell looked to have already built up an unbeatable points lead over rival Robbie Farr with Max Dumesny running third. Tatnell started his weekend with a sixth in qualifying before finishing fourth on Friday nights preliminary A Main. Tatnell was impressive with a second in his second Dash and was up into second place behind Madsen early but a suspected split torsion arm forced the new WSS Champ to slow to finally finish back in seventh position. “I think we pretty much dominated it. I mean we raced hard but I don’t think has been a year that a team has been so

consistent. It’s been a tough year but this team has just been on top of it’s game,” said Brooke after his series win. In his final meeting at home before returning to the States Skip Jackson was fastest in qualifying. Friday heat wins went to Smith, Mitch Dumesny, Danny Reidy, Ricky Maiolo, Trevor Green, Max Dumesny, Darryl Campbell and Maher sharing wins while Wayne Skipper took out the C Main. While on Saturday night heats wins were shared by Skipper, Ian Burrows, Martin Lawes and Mitch Dumesny. Dean Thomas took out the C Main and Craig Brady defeated NT stars Ben Atkinson and Danny Reidy to win the B Main. The first dash featured Anderson taking out a brilliant victory over Tatnell and Farr while Kerry Madsen was too strong for Tatnell and Perovich to win Dash #2.

Finale finish Victor perfo Robbi in the

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John Morris/Mpix John Morris/Mpix

e fireworks: Brooke Tatnell, left, grabbed his seventh World Series title despite only hing seventh in the A Main. ry on the night went to Kerry Madsen, above and right, in an emphatic ormance ahead of the Dumesny’s, below, who battled all race long. ie Farr, bottom right, didn’t have the best night but did enough to secure second e series.

John Morris/Mpix

NZ vs UK vs Oz in TRS TRS

LOCAL youngster Mitch Cunningham might have come away from the third round of New Zealand’s Toyota Racing Series with an extended series lead, but he had to share the wins with a couple of internationals. Australian Nathan Antunes was the first driver to rack up a win at Teretonga, taking out Race 1 in bizarre circumstances. Antunes had been leading the race on Saturday when a torrential downpour forced it to be red-flagged. And it

wasn’t until Sunday morning that the race could be restarted, meaning Antunes had the unique honour of being able to sleep on the fact he was leading a race … The weekend’s second race was the feature for the meeting, the Spirit of a Nation Cup. And Cunningham made sure it was the spirit of the home nation that took victory, winning from Brit Will Stevens after Antunes was squeezed off the track, and out of the race, by Sam MacNeill. The final race of the weekend went the way of Brit William

Buller, making it three nations from three races on top of the podium. Aussie Scott Pye was unlucky to not get a win during the meeting after going fastest in the opening qualifying session. Recovering from a massive practice crash earlier in the

week, Pye was fast, but not fast enough in the races, finishing second for the round with three third places. Points: Cunningham 578, Pye 526, MacNeill 466, Daniel Jilesen 416, Antunes 391, Michael Burdett 390, John Welan 339, Buller 329, Keeley Pudney 320, Stevens 308.

race

B&B: Booth and Baird

Teretonga 1-2 keeps Andy and Bairdo in NZV8 title contention NZ V8s ANDY Booth might not have actually crossed the finish line first at any point during the fifth round of the BNT V8 series in New Zealand, but he still took round honours away from Teretonga. While he didn’t actually cross the line first in Race 1, Booth was eventually named the winner of the race. That honour had originally gone to reigning Champ John McIntyre, before he was penalised for an illegality regarding the rear track of his Falcon. Booth, as the

second-placegetter, was awarded the win, which would set up his round win. The second race of the weekend was won by Craig Baird, the Aussie-based Kiwi braving trying weather conditions to lead home Booth and Inky Tulloch. Angus Fogg became the third different winner from the three races in the reverse-grid final, a good recovery after alternator failure in Race 1 left him out of contention for the round. Ninth in the reverse-grid race was enough to secure the round win for Booth, while Baird’s 11th scored him

second for the weekend. Kayne Scott went into the round leading the series, but had his lead seriously dented after losing his power steering and water pump in the first race. He managed to hold on for 13th, building on that with an 11th in Race 2, and fourth in Race 3. He now has just a 32 point lead over McIntyre with two rounds remaining. Points: Scott 829, McIntyre 797, Booth 706, Baird 691, Paul Manuell 581, Fogg 570, Paul Pedersen 550, Eddie Bell 500, Andrew Anderson 487,

Let’s work as a team, Bairdo PORSCHE GT3 CUP CRAIG Baird and David Reynolds are no strangers when it comes to doing battle in a Porsche, but unlike their battle for Aussie Carrera Cup honours in 2007, the pair are now working as a team. That was certainly the case at Teretonga for Round 4 of the Battery Town Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge last weekend. The pair made their break in the first race thanks to the questionable weather conditions. While most of the

field started on wet tyres, Baird, who had just finished a V8 race, made the call for all of the Triple X Racing entries to start on slicks. And the foursome locked down the first four positions in the race, Baird winning from Reynolds, Daniel Gaunt and Rodney Forbes. It was a Baird/Reynolds show again in the second race, while Reynolds got his chance in the reverse-top six final, taking the win. Points: Baird 845, Reynolds 777, Gaunt 632, Jono Lester 568, Forbes 516.

Veteran Kenny Smith won his third Lady Wigram trophy race in NZ last weekend.

rear of grid

sutton-images.com

I got it, I got it, oh-oh FELIPE Massa’s guide to the perfect controlled slide. Step one; take a full-blown racing kart. Step two; drive it on some ice. Step three; mash the throttle, look where you want the kart to go, and let hand-eye coordination take care of the rest. Step four; brace for impact. Err … okay, maybe it wasn’t quite a perfect controlled slide. But Felipe, if it’s any consolation, it made for a great photo. An interesting side note to this photo is that annual ice karting race at the Vrooom F1 ski meeting in Italy was won by – drum roll please – Casey Stoner. That’s it, Case, show those four-wheeled pansies how you roll …

Odd Spot

RACING a kart on ice would be tough, but there’s every chance that racing 500-odd horsepower Formula 5000 in sheeting rain probably ain’t all that easy either. That was what New Zealand’s best F5000 pilots had to do if they wanted a chance of winning the famous Lady Wigram Trophy last weekend, which has reverted back to F5000 after being contested by the Toyota Racing Series for the last few years. Veteran (and now three-time Wigram winner) Kenny Smith was too good on the day, but a handy snapper captured the drenching moment perfectly with this photo, left.