Motorsport eNews Issue 95 - March 10-16, 2009 by V8 Sleuth

LAst Chance: go to the AGP in style

Issue No. 095 10 – 16 March 2009

SHUNT MARS V8 TEST

... as FActory Falcons go fastest

T8 & HRT Enduro Drivers Set ?

Fresh licks of paint NEW SCHEMES GET FIRST HIT-OUT at Winton

LAS

NC A H C

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

Australasian

The ‘A’ Team

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Contributing Writers F1: Will Buxton, Mark Glendenning, Paolo Filisetti Europe: Quentin Spurring, David Addison US: Martin D. Clark, Phil Morris Speedway: Greg Boscato, Geoff Rounds, Darren Sutton, Tony Millard (UK) Drag Racing: Dave Ostaszewski (USA), Ken Ferguson, John Bosher, Luke Nieuwhof National: Lachlan Mansell, Mark Jones, Aaron Shaw.

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, Paris Charles, Neil Hammond, Joel Strickland, Ash Budd, Mike Patrick (UK) Motorsport eNews is published by Australasian Motorsport News ABN 55 125 120 702 Publisher: C Lambden

Issue No. 095 | 10-16 March 2009

news 4 Home and Away 6 Start your engines! 8 Gold ‘n Oldie 11 Brawn Cocktail 15 Can Kiwis fly? 18 Oh! Dani, Boy!

chat 22 5 minutes with ... opinion 24 Branagan

HRT goes local, T8 doesn’t V8’s Winton hit-out DJR splits its colours Ross’s Racing Team! More NZers for FFord Pedrosa comes a cropper Marcus Marshall

25 Rowley

Why BrawnGP will work Heidfeld, be a hero ...

30 NASCAR 34 Globetrotter 36 Speedway

It wasn’t the car Busch wins! But wait ... Meeke at his peak Reed this report

race 26 ARC

trade 38 Classifieds

Why does this look familiar? Oh that’s right, the livery was revealed on the back page of last week’s eNews. Funny that ...

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

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

T8: Thompson and Simonsen TeamVodafone grabs Euro specialists for Phillip Island and Bathurst V8 SUPERCARS TEAMVODAFONE will once again run an international driver pairing in the endurance races, with Allan Simonsen and James Thompson set to race at Phillip Island and Bathurst. The team is due to test the two internationals later this week at Queensland Raceway, where both drivers will sample the latest Triple Eight Falcon FGs for the first time. For Thompson, 34, it will be

the first appearance in a V8 Supercar. The two-time British Touring CVar Champion has long voiced ambitions to race in the cars, but date clashes have usually ensured that testing and races down under have been out of the question. Most recently, Thompson has raced in the World Touring Car Championship with the Italian N.Technology team, finishing third in 2007 in an Alfa Romeo and winning one race in a Honda Accord in 2008. He is expected to return to the British

series this season, driving for the Halfords Honda team. International and Australian GT regular Simonsen will race for the team for the second year, after an eventful 2007 campaign. The Dane was one of the standouts of the Bathurst 1000 that year, finishing the race in fifth place and driving virtually as fast as his more experienced rivals. During the course of the weekend, Simonsen completely overshadowed highly-rated Irishman Richard

Lyons in the #88 entry. Simonsen did not race in the 2008 endurance races due to date clashes with his GT commitments, which included a GT1 assault with Aston Martin. Even with no V8 Supercars drive, Simonsen managed to compete in various categories on 26 weekends of the year. The two are expected to share the team’s #88 entry, while Craig Lowndes and V8 Champion Jamie Whincup share the #1 entry.

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Owen bags HRT Endurance Drive ‘Super Steve’ tests #22 at Winton – locks in prime enduro seat with factory team V8 SUPERCARS

Dirk Klynsmith

STEVE Owen will be the Holden Racing Team’s fourth driver for 2009. The current Fujitsu V8 Supercar Champion tested with the Reds at Winton yesterday [Monday] and, subject to signing a contract, looks set to join Craig Baird as an endurance driver in the L&H 500 at Phillip Island and the Bathurst 1000 in October. The news comes after Owen, 34, missed out on a full-time seat with any of the remaining V8 teams. Dale Wood and Tim Slade filled the final two seats, at Kelly Racing and Supercheap Autos Racing respectively. Owen, who raced a Paul Morris Motorsport Commodore to the FV8 title last season, has had some success in endurance races, qualifying fifth at Phillip Island and finishing second in his ‘qualifying race’ behind Rick Kelly. Owen’s appearance with the team is consistent with owner Tom Walkinshaw’s new policy in its endurance pairings. Rather than the previous practice of running both regular drivers together in an ‘A’ entry and the once-a-year drivers in a ‘B’ entry, Walkinshaw has stated that he wants to keep his regulars in their own cars and pair them with endurance drivers. If this stays in place, look for Owen to partner Will Davison, while Garth Tander looks set to be joined by Craig Baird. The latter pair has already raced together, finishing fourth at Sandown in 2007.

FG on top as V8s are Go! V8 SUPERCARS FORD Performance Racing has enjoyed a stunning first hitout with the new-for-2009 FG Falcon topping the testing times at Winton yesterday (Monday). Steven Richards set the pace from Mark Winterbottom, the pair separated by just over 0.1s at the top of the sheets. They were the only two Falcons at the test – the rest will appear at Test Two, at Queensland Raceway, on Wednesday. Behind them was a gaggle of Commodores, among which there were some surprises – Michael Caruso was not only the fastest of the Garry Rogers Motorsport entries, but the fastest Holden of all, ending the session a tenth slower than Winterbottom. Behind him was Rick Kelly, impressive on debut for the Kelly Racing Team, who out-paced his former team-mate Paul Dumbrell. Dumbrell led the Walkinshaw Racing foursome, from Garth Tander (who set the pace in the morning’s session) and Will Davison. Interestingly, this pair was separated by less than a tenth … Struggling for pace were the two Sprint Gas Racing cars (Greg Murphy a second off the pace, Jason Bargwanna 1.2s off ), while the remaining KRT entries filled three of the bottom four spots within the 17-car showing. But, just to add weight to the ‘testing means little’ theory, Richo’s fastest time was 1.4s slower than Frosty’s pole time at the Winton round of last year’s championship ...

Factory Fords dominate V8 Supercars’ opening test day at Winton Raceway; Zukanovic injured in big shunt

2009 V8 Supercar Official Test Day - Victoria 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17

6 5 34 15 10 2 22 33 8 24 55 14 51 7 3 11 16

Steven Richards FPR Ford Falcon FG 1:24.3410* Mark Winterbottom FPR Ford Falcon FG 1:24.4560 Michael Caruso GRM Holden Commodore VE 1:24.4624 Rick Kelly KR Holden Commodore VE 1:24.5969 Paul Dumbrell WR Holden Commodore VE 1:24.6734 Garth Tander HRT Holden Commodore VE 1:24.7162 Will Davison HRT Holden Commodore VE 1:24.7312 Lee Holdsworth GRM Holden Commodore VE 1:24.7367 Jason Richards BJR Holden Commodore VE 1:24.9857 David Reynolds WR Holden Commodore VE 1:25.0288 Tony D’Alberto RNR Holden Commodore VE 1:25.1246 Cameron McConville BJR Holden Commodore VE 1:25.2927 Greg Murphy Tasman Holden Commodore VE 1:25.4234 Todd Kelly KR Holden Commodore VE 1:25.5163 Jason Bargwanna Tasman Holden Commodore VE 1:25.5427 Jack Perkins KR Holden Commodore VE 1:25.5884 Dale Wood KR Holden Commodore VE 1:25.7279

–

Brad Lowe

MWR

Ford Falcon BF

1:25.3689

0:00.1150 0:00.1214 0:00.2559 0:00.3324 0:00.3752 0:00.3902 0:00.3957 0:00.6447 0:00.6878 0:00.7836 0:00.9517 0:01.0824 0:01.1753 0:01.2017 0:01.2474 0:01.3869

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All images – Dirk Klynsmith

The runner-up: Mark Winterbottom completed a Ford 1-2 on the Ford FG’s debut.

Nasty shunt mars test V8 SUPERCARS

Holden’s young guns: Michael Caruso, above, was fastest of the VEs, while Dale Wood, below, debuted his Kelly Racing car.

MARCUS Zukanovic has survived a massive testing shunt at Winton Motor Raceway. The Fujitsu V8 Series regular was testing during the V8SA test day when his ex Holden Racing Team Commodore VZ suffered apparent brake failure, sending him through the sandtrap at the end of the back straight (opposite pit lane) and careering into the concrete barrier side-on.

Zukanovic was attended to by St Johns Ambulance staff before being transported directly to Wangaratta Hospital. Doctors there diagnosed a broken tibula/fibula (leg), collarbone, shoulder and rib. Assessment was being made as to whether he was fit enough to be moved to Royal Melbourne Hospital. The incident is a major blow to Zukanovic’s Fujitsu V8 Series bid. He finished 11th in last year’s FV8 Series. – GRANT ROWLEY

BRIEFLY... n USF1 is kaput! No, the American Dream is not over, it is just renamed. To avoid any potential clash with ‘F1’, the team will now be known as USGPE (United States Grand Prix Engineering). n The Belgian Grand Prix lost US$4.7m ($7.35m) last year. The raceday attendance was down by about 10,000 on the 2007 race, and drew about 52,000 spectators. n The Biante Touring Car Masters has welcomed Shannons Insurance as a series sponsor for the 2009 season. The new agreement sees Shannons involved as an associate sponsor, enjoying a category-wide presence within the series while continuing to offer individual support to Jim Richards and his Falcon Sprint. Existing series sponsor Rare Spares has also increased its commitment to the category.

Something Old Something New [sorry Steve, you know what we mean]

n If you didn’t make it to the WPS Bathurst 12 Hour, then you can relive all the action from the race on the box this weekend. Channel 7 will broadcast a threehour highlights package of the race this Saturday, with commentary brought to you by Aaron Noonan and special guest Garth Tander. n Tech 3 Yamaha has attracted Monster Energy Drink as a major sponsor. Monster previously backed the Kawasaki MotoGP team, but its colours will now be carried b y Colin Edwards and James Toseland – who, according to reports, are now hardly talking to each other ...

V8 SUPERCARS AS this edition of Motorsport eNews went live, Jim Beam Racing was about to launch its newlook team at Dreamworld on the Gold Coast. James Courtney and Steven Johnson were set to show off the team’s new Triple Eight-spec Falcons, which have slightly different liveries. Johnson will carry red accents on his #17 entry

while Courtney goes gold in the #18 car. New lad Courtney has bulked up in the offseason and is pleased to be with the iconic team. “Everything Jim Beam Racing has done preparing for the 2009 season has impressed me and I couldn’t be happier joining a team with such great Australian history,” he said. The team is expected to run its new FGs at Queensland Raceway on Wednesday.

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! t r e l Red A

V8 SUPERCARS

I Declare this season Launched! V8 SUPERCARS

We’ve got some potential sponsors who are very interested in what we’re doing and being a part of it all. It’s definitely the future for us – if not next year then the year after.” Marshall will have his first hitout in the IntaRacing Falcon at Queensland Raceway during the open test this Thursday. – GRANT ROWLEY For more, see ‘5 Minutes with Marcus Marshall’, page 22

THE 2009 V8 Supercar Championship Season is officially under way after a public launch at Federation Square in Melbourne last Wednesday night. The launch included all 29 of the confirmed drivers for this year’s series, as well as a public address from V8 Supercar Chairman Tony Cochrane, and the filming of an episode of V8 Extra (which was aired on Sunday). Retired Holden Racing Team driver Mark Skaife was also on hand for confirmation of his role with V8 Supercars Television and Channel Seven for 2009 (as exclusively revealed in eNews). The new Nissan GT-R Safety Car was also on display in Fed Square.

Sara Biggin

MARCUS Marshall has unveiled his brand-new team – IntaRacing. The new Gold Coast-based team will be represented in a striking red and black colour scheme, using Craig Lowndes’ ex-TeamVodafone Ford Falcon BF from last year. While Marshall’s recent focus has been on building his new workshop and putting his eight-man team together, he is

already thinking of the future. The former Champ Car driver is keen to turn his team into a two-car outfit, possible as early as next year. “We’re geared up for two cars and that’s always been our mission,” he told eNews. “Our first priority was to start off with one car and perfect that model – get us up and running, get the ball rolling. “Our workshop is more than capable of running two cars and that’s the future for us.

ll Marcus Marshs a shows off hi ex-T8 Falcon

Testing Trend: No Trends

FORMULA 1 FORMULA 1’s winter testing season makes its penultimate stop in Barcelona tonight, Australian time, and the form looks to be as confusing as ever. BMW topped the last day of the most recent test, the German leading Ferrari and McLaren at Jerez last week in a test in which the World Champion Lewis Hamilton had his running cut short by a low-speed crash. The interesting thing is that Nick Heidfeld, above, was as much as a quarter of a second faster than the Kimi Raikkonen

Ferrari, top right, and that both teams had a relatively trouble-free day, both drivers completing more than 110 laps. Hamilton did half that distance, while Mark Webber had 47 laps in the Red Bull, with some minor new-car bothers limiting distance. Timo Glock topped the times on two days, the Toyota showing consistent speed in both wet and dry conditions; Fernando Alonso topped Day 4, top left; and Sebastian Vettel led the opening day. All this leads to the conclusion that anything may happen this week, when running in race trim and debugging KERS systems are likely to be at a premium.

The testing trends were further blurred by the fact that a number of drivers spent time with Bridgestone’s new prototype tyres, which are intended for use in 2010. Because of the in-season testing bans, the tyre maker has brought its development testing forward before settling on a specification for the tyre, which will not be used this year. Force India ran its new car for the first time last week, above, while fellow Mercedes Benz customer Brawn GP and Scuderia Toro Rosso’s new Ferrari-powered car are both due to test their 2009 cars from today.

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Button and Barrichello to test today as Honda F1 takes on ...

The Brawn Identity FORMULA 1 THE drawn-out saga of Honda Racing is over – for now, at least – and Brawn GP has made it to Formula 1. Former Honda team principal Ross Brawn completed the necessary matters last week and took over the Brackley, UK-based team – and the team’s Mercedes Benz-powered car was shaken down at Silverstone on Friday. Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello are due to start testing in earnest at Barcelona today (Monday). The experienced pair are due to complete that an next week’s Jerez test before the team jets south for the Australian F1 Grand Prix on March 29. “The past few months have been extremely challenging for the team but the announcement is a very pleasing conclusion to the strenuous efforts that have been made to secure its future,” said Brawn “Firstly, it is a great shame that having worked with Honda Motor Company for so long we can no longer continue together. “I would like to thank Honda for the fantastic co-operation

and support we have received throughout this process – particularly those members of the senior management who were closely involved with concluding our agreement – and for the faith they have demonstrated in myself and our team. “I would also like to take this opportunity to pay due credit to our staff at Brackley. The levels of motivation and commitment that I have witnessed at the factory deserve the highest praise.” But while the team is, for now, out of the woods, questions remain. The team does not appear to have sponsors, though it will ‘inherit’ the share of revenue that Honda would otherwise have received, and there during the team’s first appearance, there has been no sign of former managing director Nick Fry. The Englishman has maintained a low profile during the team’s transition, and with many of the 700strong workforce expected to lose their jobs in the team’s downsizing, it may well be that Fry’s tenure in F1 has for now, at least, come to a conclusion.

Ride beside Bezzy V8 SUPERCARS

DAVID Besnard’s gesture to organise a Ride Car day at Queensland Raceway is turning into one of the major events at the track. The Stone Brothers Racing endurance driver has taken the opportunity to raise runds for the victims of the Victorian bushfires and North Queensland floods, and there will be plenty to see and do at the track on April26. Bezzy has acquired SBR’s ride car and will be joined on the day by Craig Lowndes, James

Courtney, Steven Johnson, Shane van Gisbergen, Alex Davison and Craig Baird. Up to 400 rides will be sold for $795, with the proceeds going to the victims of the disasters. “It started with me trying to buy the car from Ross [Stone], and the Bushfires started to happen,” said Besnard. “We thought that if we could fast-track the deal ,we could raise some money. It is a good launch for us, and it will help everyone. Stones have been very helpful and this will be the car’s big first appearance.” Even for those who are

not taking rides on the day, there is much to see, with Dick Johnson’s famous Greens Tuff and Tru-Blu Falcons and Bo Seton’s Ford Capri, Baird’s Porsche and Robbie Boulger’s 1000hp Monaro Drift car, a speed comparison between

a V8 Supercar, and roadgoing Falcon XR8 and a Yamaha R1 Superbike, and displays of classic cars, motorcycles and stunt shows. Admission on the day is $10 and further donations will be welcome.

Blanchard: Three of four Fujitsus FForder looks at limited FV8 program FUJITSU V8s

“Dad and I are working pretty hard on it at the moment. I want to do my home round at FORMER Australian Formula Winton, but the plan is to do Ford champion Tim a few rounds this year to keep Blanchard will compete in my eye in so I can have a good selected Fujitsu V8 Supercar crack at it next year with a bit Series races this year. of experience under my belt.” The 21 year-old is yet to “MWR is definitely one of confirm which team he the options, although there will drive with, although are a lot of cars out there at preliminary talks have been the moment. There’s a lot of held with a number of teams people who could be offering with available cars, including cheaper drives after Clipsal. Melbourne-based Matthew “But at the moment, I’m White Racing. Blanchard not racing, so it’s just about tested with MWR recently at keeping the fitness up, hit Winton. the gym hard so when the Blanchard told eNews that opportunity comes up, I’m he wants to race at Winton’s ready to go.” Fujitsu round in front of his Blanchard has tested V8 home crowd, as well as other events, simply to keep his race Supercars before, driving a Triple 8 Race Engineering miles high. Falcon, a Larry Perkins “I won’t be at Clipsal, but Commodore and the MWR the aim is to do three or four meetings throughout the year,” Falcon. – GRANT ROWLEY he said.

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FV8s: Wide open spaces

John Bosher

With two weeks until kick-off, the Fujitsu grid is smaller, but hard to predict FUJITSU V8s

James Smith

THE 2009 Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series is shaping up as one of the smallest – yet hardest to predict – since the series’ inception in 2000. As eNews went live, 20 cars had been confirmed for the opening round at Adelaide in two weeks, although that number is sure to drop to 19 after Marcus Zukanovic’s Winton accident (see page 7). Heading the list of potential front-runners is Howard Racing’s David Russell. The former Carrera Cup driver locked in his return to the Fujitsu V8 Series many months ago and is focused on hitting the ground running at the Clipsal circuit. His Falcon, pictured above, is the car that Karl Reindler used last year. Another Ford expected to threaten for outright wins will be Dick Johnson Racing’s entry for Grant Denyer. Despite his severe back injury late last

year, Denyer appears to be one of the pre-season favourites, driving one of DJR’s ageing yet fast Falcon BFs. Other pair of quick if unproven Fords will be those of Sonic Motor Racing Services. The champion Formula Ford and Carrera Cup team will enter James Moffat and Bryce Washington in its ex-Triple Eight Falcons. While the team has never run V8 Supercars before, its knack of getting the most out of race cars will certainly place them towards the top half of the field. On the red side of the ledger, the Jay Motorsports team will be Holden’s go-to team in 2009. Shane Price and Chris Alajajian are confirmed for the opening round, although their continued presence in the series will rely on further funding. Greg Murphy Racing is committed to running one, and possibly two, cars. Sam Walter is locked in for Adelaide, while

Returning duo: Shane Price and Chris Alajajian will drive for Jay Motorsports in the FV8 Series. reigning Formula 3 champion James Winslow is working hard on securing the second seat, replacing Main Series-bound Dale Wood. Another new Commodore in the mix is former V8 Utes competitor Rhal Harris, driving an ex-Paul Morris Motorsport Commodore (last run by Taz Douglas). Douglas himself will run his self-prepared exPerkins Commodore VZ. Other confirmed entries for

the Adelaide event include Brett Hobson, driving the Peters Motorsport Falcon (last campaigned by Luke Youlden at Oran Park), while Brad Lowe and Damien Assaillit will suit up for Matthew White Racing. Other entries include Mark McNally’s Commodore, Daniel Gaunt (McElrea Motorsport), Drew Russell (Race Image), Geoff Emery (TAG Motorsport) and Ben Egglestone in his exTeam Dynamic Commodore.

Sandown’s full circle ... V8 SUPERCARS

Marshall Cass

LOOK for big changes for the Sandown round of the V8 Supercar Championship Series on August 1 and 2. The race, which will be called the Norton 360 Sandown Challenge, is set for a major shakeup as part of V8 Supercars Events’ growing portfolio of events. The Melbourne race will be run by V8SE for the first time, after a long association with Jon Davison and then IMG. “Our aim this year is to restore some of the prestige to Sandown as an iconic innercity race venue,” said V8SE Chief Executive Officer Cameron Levick in Melbourne last week. “The Norton 360 sponsorship gives the Sandown race a strong platform for future growth and will allow us to provide a better experience for racegoers.” Symantec, the parent company of the Norton range of computer antivirus and anti-spyware software, is backing the event as part of its heavily expanded commitment to the sport, which is for an amount “well into seven figures”, according to a well-placed source. Symantec’s Matthew Drake said that its previous involvement with V8s, which started in 2007 with a personal sponsorship deal with Craig Lowdnes, resulted in the company’s market share gaining 12 points to 75 percent in a year, cementing its position as the #1 product of its type in the marketplace.

New sponsor aims to restore Sandown as a classic V8 meeting

Norton will also, as we revealed last week, back the TeamVodafone entries of Jamie Whincup and Lowndes, and market team-specific products through the course of the season. Symantec is expected to sell Norton 360 software from TeamVodafone’s merchandising facilities at the tracks, and engage the

team and drivers in a number of other promotions throughout the season. Armor All has also ramped up its involvement in the category. The brand will continue as the Official Car Care products of the V8SCS, and has attained naming rights of the Pole Position and Qualifying sessions.

One HD = One hot channel! FROM THE COUCH LIVE Formula 1 Grands Prix, including a one-hour lead-in programme, NASCAR, MotoGP ARC, and … the Le Mans 24 Hour race – those are the motorsport highlights on the cards when Network Ten’s 24 Hour sports channel, One HD, kicks of in just over two weeks. One HD’s plans were unveiled in Melbourne last week, with AFL, swimming, netball, IPL cricket, golf, and US baseball and basketball signe dup to complete a sports package expected to

grow over time. Everything on One HD will, obviously, be in High Definition, although it will all be available on Channel 12 in normal def for those without the prerequisite flat screen or set-top box (available for as little as $50 these days). While F1 races will now be live, contractual problems (Foxtel has the deal) mean that remains a problem for MotoGP. One HD’s F1 lead-in sho will be hosted

by Greg Rust, with regular comments man Cam McConville, and on-the ground man (soon to be F1 team owner) Peter Windsor. The Australian F1 GP (March 26-29) will be the highlight of One HD’s opening weekend, with 22 hours of action in HD.

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Aust. FFord Championship – Entry List (R1)

Massive grid for FFord opener Driver Nick Percat Mitchell Geoff Uhrhane Luke Ellery Martin Short Nicholas Simmons Jesse Dixon Nicholas Foster Nicholas Tanti Chaz Mostert Ryan Simpson Scott Pye Richie Stanaway Ben Small Jordan Skinner James Crozier Ben Walter Trent Harrison Jon Mills Roger I’Anson Andrew Beams Andrew Waite Martin Swindells Nathan Morcom Nicholas McBride Andre Borell Jake Chapman

Team/Chassis Sonic Mygale SJ07A Sonic Mygale SJ07A Sonic Mygale SJ09A CAMS Rising Star Spectrum 011c TSR Racing Mygale SJ07A Simmons Civic Spectrum 011c Minda Motorsport Spectrum 011b bf Racing Mygale SJ08A AAM Spirit WL06 DIY Pool Fencing Spectrum 011b Parramatta Smash Repairs Spectrum 011c CAMS Rising Star Spectrum 011d Team BRM Mygale SJ09A Team BRM Mygale SJ09A Team BRM MygaleSJ09A Minda Motorsport Van Diemen RF06 Minda Motorsport Spectrum 011c Monza Motors Mygale SJ08A National Surgical Van Diemen RF04 Berklee Aust Van Diemen RF06 Mygale Australia Mygale SJ08A Minda Motorsport Spectrum 011 Refrigerated Rentals & Sales Spectrum 011c CAMS Rising Star Spectrum 011d Minda Motorsport Spectrum 011b Master Electricians Racing Van Diemen RF06 J. Chapman Spectrum 011b

FORMULA 3

Dirk Klynsmith

MATTHEW Radisich has made a last-minute switch to Team BRM for the 2009 F3 Australian Driver’s Championship. Radisich spent last season in a TanderSport-run Dallara F304, showing blinding pace at the seasonending round in Tasmania where he was on pole and led the first race. This year, he will upgrade to the latest available technology – an F307 – which will be run by the team that took James Winslow to the title last season. “From our point of view, it’s great to

FORMULA FORD The Genuine Ford Parts Australian Formula Ford Championship has bucked the financial trend by confirming a 27-car grid for its opening round at the Australian Grand Prix in just over two weeks. Sonic Motor Racing Services has an almost new line-up for 2009, with Nick Percat the only driver from last season to stay on (although he’ll have a new livery, above). He’ll be joined by Queenslander Geoff Uhrhane, and exciting Kiwi youngster Mitch Evans, who have both signed for the whole season. Evans, 14, will be the first driver at national level to take advantage of the new minimum

age for CAMS licensing. “We tested him prior to Christmas in the hope of signing him, and we were able to put that together,” confirmed Sonic boss Mick Ritter. “He’s shown really good pace. To be honest, his age shouldn’t be a problem. It’s early days, but he seems very mature for his age. We just treat him like we would any other driver.” The Auckland-based driver is son of Owen Evans, who is a New Zealand land speed record holder, and started the Le Mans 24 Hour race back in 1996. Evans Jr only debuted in cars last year, winning races in Formula First, and won his first three Formula Ford races in New Zealand this year. – ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN

Rat Jr’s big plans Radisich signs for BRM, but what’s next?

have him on board,” said Team BRM’s Mark Rundle. “We saw him get some experience in the National Class with the Tanders last year, and we tested him towards the end of the year and he did really well. Given his experience now and the fact he’ll be in a later model car, he’ll certainly be one of the guys to watch.” But for how long Radisich will be with the South Australian squad is unknown. The young Kiwi is currently working on a deal to race in this year’s F3 Euroseries, which may limit his local program to only the Clipsal 500. A deal is in place, with only the

funding standing between the 19year-old and his European dream … Radisich isn’t Team BRM’s only exciting signing. Also joining the team is Brit Joey Foster, who, like Ben Clucas and James Winslow before him, is headed down under to try his luck. Foster, 26, has spent the last couple of seasons recovering from a broken back he sustained in a horror F3 crash in Germany back in 2006. His recovery met an important milestone last year when he started the Le Mans 24 Hour race with Embassy Racing in the LMP2 class. – ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN

Sons and Guns sign up for Form Names of Old in new Series FORMULA 2

ARROW + WIN = sutton-images.com

THE grid for the new-for2009 Formula 2 series is complete, and despite the early scepticism about the category’s viability, it looks pretty good … A full 24-car grid has been easily filled, with some quality pedallers choosing the costfriendly alternative to GP2 and World Series by Renault. The drivers include Julien Jousse (‘08 WSR runner-up), Jason Moore (’08 Palmer Audi Champ), German Sanchez (’08 Spanish F3 Champ), Mirko Bortolotti (’08 Italian F3 Champ) and Andy Soucek (regular GP2 front-runner). Some of the other noteworthy names include the sons of three former F1 drivers – Henry Surtees (right, son of World champion John

Surtees) Alex Brundle (son of Martin) and Joylon Palmer (son of Jonathon). The Williams JPH1 Formula 2, right, was officially unveiled at Brands Hacth last Monday, with test driver Steven Kane conducting the first exploratory laps in the car. “For me, the car has exceeded expectations straight out of the box,” Kane said. “I’ve driven in Formula Renault 3.5, and tested GP2 and F1, and I can say that the quality of the F2 car is second to none.” As the name suggests, the car has been designed and built by the Williams Grand Prix team, and is powered by a 400 horsepower Audi engine, with a 50 horsepower overboost. The season kicks off at Valencia, Spain, at the end of May.

FORMULA FORD

YES, the man with the Dolmio grin is Paul Morris! ‘The Dude’ may have stepped back from fulltime V8 Supercar racing, but will take to the clay during the Queensland Sprintcar winter season, racing in the colours of Supercheap Autos. Pretty sharp, huh?

AUSTRALIA’S leading kart manufacturer Arrow Karts has partnered with Formula Ford constructor Mygale Australia to offer its customers a once-in-alifetime opportunity. Arrow drivers who win an Australian karting championship this year will get the chance to test a Mygale Duratec Formula Ford – as well as the use of an Arrow chassis for the year. Mygale Australia and its championship teams such as Sonic

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Sera dashes to USA

mula 2

KARTING

sutton-images.com

= MYGALE TEST

AUSTRALIAN karter David Sera has received a late call up to compete in the final round of the Rotax Florida Winter Tour at Ocala Gran Prix circuit in Florida, USA this weekend. Sera, who was the dominant driver in the opening two rounds of the Tour in January, but missed the previous weekend of the tour due to a clash with his Australian commitments, will join with American Arrow importer BTK Motorsport team for the event. “Considering I missed the second weekend, I hadn’t planned on going back over

this year but I got a phone call over the weekend while I was on holidays on the Gold Coast and I jumped at the opportunity to race in America again,” said Sera.

“While I can’t win the overall tour, I’m very excited with the chance to compete overseas again to further my experience. “I’m hoping that if I can put in a good performance during this trip that it may lead to more opportunities in America.” Sera will jet out of Melbourne on Tuesday before taking to the circuit for the first time on Thursday. The following weekend Sera will compete in a TaG Event as a part of the final Formula Kart Weekend at the same venue before returning to Australia to begin his preparations for next month’s National Championships in Townsville.

8 Reasons

Dirk Klynsmith

Motor Racing Services and Team BRM will supply cars for the event. “This is an opportunity for these young drivers to show their driving skills, as well as their maturity in a race car,” said Mygale Australia boss, Greg Woodrow. “I have a long association with DPE and Arrow, and feel this is a great partnership for both companies. “We are really looking forward to meeting the karters, and will attend a number of kart meetings throughout 2009.” – GRANT ROWLEY

TARGA TASMANIA MAZDA has proven how serious it is taking its 2009 Targa Tasmania campaign by signing the reigning event winner Steve Glenney. Glenney and co-driver Bernie Webb will pilot a turbocharged RX-8 SP in a bid for outright honours, and the South Australian pair believe it is possible. “The RX-8 [is] a great-looking car,” said Glenney. “The rotary engine is synonymous with Mazda’s motorsport history in Australia, and

I’m confident of getting a top result for Mazda. The RX-8’s perfect 50/50 weight balance will give it a huge dynamic advantage on Tasmania’s twisting roads. That, combined with its torquey turbocharged engine, will make the RX-8 SP a standout at this year’s Targa.” But Glenney isn’t the only rated rally driver making up Mazda’s driving squad. There will be two Mazda3 MPS cars in action, with Ric Bates in one, and Brendan Reeves in the other. Targa Tasmania kicks off on the Apple Isle at the end of next month.

news

Dani replays 2008 MOTOGP

Honda Proimages

DANI Pedrosa faces an interrupted start to the MotoGP season for the second year in a row after a major fall in testing at Qatar. The Spaniard is expected to miss the final pre-season test at Jerez while his injured leg recovers. Pedrosa damaged his knee when he crashed heavily at turn 10 and was struck by his tumbling Honda, severely cutting on his left knee. That is the same knee he injured in a testing crash at the 2008

Australian GP at Phillip Island. Pedrosa also suffered a fractured radius (forearm) bone in his left arm. The break was operated on in Barcelona on Wednesday, doctors inserting a screw to hold the break together. He has endured an injury-plagued year, with his 2008 season starting badly with a broken bone in his right hand, and a similar injury to his left hand after crashing out of the lead of the German GP at the Sachsenring.

Casey Back on Top

That new Black Magic MOTOGP

Ducati Corse

MOTOGP

MotoGP test times – Qatar 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

Casey Stoner Ducati Corse Jorge Lorenzo Fiat Yamaha Valentino Rossi Fiat Yamaha Chris Vermeulen Suzuki Nicky Hayden Ducati Corse Loris Capirossi Suzuki Randy De Puniet LCR Honda Andrea Dovizioso Repsol Honda Colin Edwards Yamaha Tech3 Alex De Angelis Gresini Honda Toni Elias Gresini Honda Mika Kallio Pramac Ducati Niccolo Canepa Pramac Ducati Yuki Takahashi Scot Honda James Toseland Yamaha Tech3 Marco Melandri Hayate Kawasaki

1’55.744s 1’56.733s 1’56.972s 1’57.224s 1’57.225s 1’57.253s 1’57.401s 1’57.449s 1’57.515s 1’57.591s 1’57.804s 1’57.938s 1’57.946s 1’58.412s 1’58.786s 1’58.851s

Ducati Corse

THE news was almost all good for Ducati at Qatar’s MotoGP test-under-lights last week. After the opening night was washed out, Casey Stoner got to work and left the Middle East with a staggering gap over his rivals. The 2007 world champion was all but 1s clear of Jorge Lorenzo, and the Aussie seemed not to be affected by his wrist injury, completing some reasonably long runs without difficulty. “I’m obviously very happy with the lap time and the rhythm we put together today although I would have liked to have been able to get a few more laps in and test some more stuff,” he said. “The wrist has responded quite well – it’s not as painful as it was at Sepang even though the mobility still hasn’t improved much. We’ll have to see how at feels at circuits with harder braking and more left-hand corners, which is where I struggle the most.” Stoner was on of several riders to fall during the test, but was not injured.

Lorenzo was a couple of tenths faster than team-mate Valentino Rossi, while Chris Vermeulen and Nicky Hayden were fourth and fifth. The American said he was pleased with his progress, though that gap to his team-mate was a Melandri-sized 1.5s.

DUCATI is raising the bar with its GP9 racer, which tested with a carbon fibre swing arm in Qatar. Casey Stoner and Nicky Hayden both tested the new unit at the Losail track with, reportedly, positive feedback to the team. The other GP9s at the track tested with the conventional aluminium swing arm. “We confirmed the good feeling I had yesterday [Monday] with the new swingarm, although we still need more time to work on it and that's what we'll be doing at Jerez,” said Stoner. Testing of the unit is expected to continue at Jerez’s final pre-season test on March 28-29.

Allstars Strengthen DRAG RACING The 2008/2009 Rocket Allstars Racing Series moved to Western Australia last weekend with the running of the 38th Westernationals at Perth Motorplex. ANDRA racers from all over Australia made the trip to strengthen their position in the chase for Australian Championships. The Perth round carries 50 percent bonus points, so that Western Australian teams can have a reasonable chance at their championships without making multiple trips to the eastern seaboard. This has made the event attractive to interstate teams, so the entry list is now nationally significant. North Queensland Altered racer and defending Champion Phil Otto, pictured, leads the RARS Competition after a win at the 2008 Spring Top Fuel Championships and a second round finish at the Sunstate Nationals. After a win at last weekend’s Westernationals in Perth, Tony Begley is tied with Victorian Wayne Cartledge and Queensland’s Tony Buckley in second place, but the bonus from the Perth event will take Begley’s total to 150, 10 ahead of Otto, if he contests another round. Perth runner up George Separovich will move to 120 points with a trip to the east coast, so the fight for the Australian Competition Champion is well and truly alive. Melbourne’s Nino Cavallo, made it to the semi finals in RARS Super Stock in Perth to maintain his points lead, but a Westernationals win from Sydney-based Ralph Perri moved him right into contention, 20 points behind in second place. Perth driver Graeme Simms, who has contested every Rocket Allstars round this season, holds

Image courtesy Rocket Industries

third place, ahead of rising Queensland driver Scott Karandrews in fourth. RARS Super Compact was not contested in Perth, so positions remain unchanged since the Spring Top Fuel Championships. New Zealand based Rod Harvey shares first place with Brisbane’s Damien McKern on 100 points, ahead of Toowoomba’s Tony Wedlock on 80. Toowoomba’s David Rundmann carries a 50 point lead in RARS Competition Bike, but Neil Anderson has moved him into second spot, ahead of Blair Pennington. Matt Watts was an early exit at the Westernationals but he still holds a 20 point lead over Queensland’s Christine Steffens in RARS Supercharged Outlaws, and third-placed Nathan Peirano from Rockhampton. Perth driver Greg James took the win at home, so if he travels east before the season end his tally moves to 150, putting him right in the thick of things. Mark Eadie is doing well in defence of his 2007/08 title. Despite a second round exit at the Westernationals, he still leads RARS Modified on 180 points, 40 ahead of Brendon Luke who made the trip from western Sydney. Westernationals winner Brenton Baxter won at home, and carries a potential 150 points if he activates the travel bonus.

Newcastle racer Steven Fowler has reached his prefinal limit of 200 points in RARS Super Sedan after a win at the Westernationals. Steven’s father Greg is in second, 80 points away. Ashley Wanchip, Earl McCallum and Steve Somer share third spot on 100 each, but Colin Mortimore can still parlay his Runner Up finish last weekend into 120 points. Jason Hammelswang made his trip to Perth worthwhile with a win in RARS Modified Bike. He’s on the maximum of 200 now, ahead of second placed Alexey Tukaukin by 60 points. RARS Super Street is still led by Tony Wallace after finals finishes in Brisbane and Mackay. Paul Dilley and Ian Neilsen are tied in second place on 120 points but a win by Peter Giles at the Westernationals gives him a potential of 150 points. Eight South Queensland teams made the long trip to the Westernationals for RARS Junior Dragster. Runner-ups place gave Jake Donnelly his best points result, delivering a solid lead of 40 points over Blaze Hansen. Zane Radford holds third place on 100 points alongside Westernationals winner Ethan Hort, but with the bonus, Hort could move to 150 points. The next round of the 2008/2009 Rocket Allstars Racing Series will be part of the 2009 Nitro Champs event at WSID on May 1-3.

news

Tin Top Countdown DRAG RACING

Ken Feguson

Morgan’s Show Stopper Dragster offers Motor Show patrons a close look at Top Fuel DRAG RACING The Melbourne International Motor Show is a chance for the world’s major car manufacturers to showcase the latest in auto technology, but it has been Darren Morgan’s Rocket Industries Wicked Quick Top Fuel Dragster that has been turning the most heads at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. The Mildura-based former Top Fuel national Champion acknowledged the help of Force Tools and the Victorian Automobile Chamber of Commerce. “Derek Hermann from Force Tools organised the deal along with the VACC to help us get here, to give them a bit of zip, to act as a drawcard,” he said. A drawcard it certainly has been with huge crowds tussling for the best photo opportunities. “The main comments we’ve heard are from people who want a track here. Thousands of people have come through asking when we will have a track in Melbourne, and telling

us how much they miss having drag racing in Victoria,” explains Morgan. The Victorian public have not been able to get up close and personal with a Top Fuel race car for a number of years. Morgan enjoyed chatting with the race fans about how far the sport has come. “A lot of people have been saying how pretty the cars look now compared to how rough they use to look, back when they remember them. “Also they have been stunned with how quick the cars go now, how many spares you’ve got to have and how professional it has got.” Adding to these comments, Morgan has been thrilled with the amount of people who have seen him racing on television as part of ANDRA Championship Drag Racing’s national coverage this season. “I’ve been amazed with how many people have seen us on TV,” explains Morgan. “Around 90 percent of the people that have come up and spoken to me have told us they they have been watching us

or that they saw our accident from Western Sydney Dragway on the news! It’s very unusual for someone to say they haven’t seen us on television “I don’t know what we are doing right on TV but everyone seems to love us. People have come from everywhere to see the car and to get photos. “I think that because we are from Victoria, everyone is proud of what it is.” Stealthily sitting in dark colours, contrasted by the bright lights of the Toyota stand next door, The Rocket Industries Wicked Quick Dragster sits amongst a number of Force Tools kits and is flanked by a large plasma screen pumping out footage of Morgan on track – together with a Holden Racing Team V8 Supercar, which Morgan quips, “Nobody seems to take a lot of notice of,” much publicity has been found for the VACC. “The VACC is involved with apprentices as am I”, says Morgan. “They have put a group apprentices scheme together, where they look after the kids.”

AS the countdown to April’s Tin Top Titles at Willowbank Raceway continues, the quarter mile at Ipswich has been a buzz of activity. Willowbank Raceway Managing Director Steve Bettes said he was pleased to see the countdown to the Saturday April 18 and Sunday April 19 Tin Top Event punctuated by continuous action at the track. “There is plenty of other action happening at Willowbank Raceway in the lead up to the Tin Tops, including Havoc Print and Sign Test and Tune events every Wednesday and some Saturdays, Bracket Events and the Havoc Print and Sign Street Series Events.” The weekend’s Nostalgia event saw the sons of recently passed away Nostalgia legend Roly Leahy, Peter and Greg, attempting to break the 200mph bracket aboard their father’s car in a tribute to the popular racer. While they were unsuccessful, they came close – upping the car’s previous fastest record to 197mph to gain cheers from the emotional crowd. Radell Mohr took home the inaugural Roly Leahy tribute trophy in the Junior Fuel category – the category in which Roly competed while Steve Baker was runnerup. Also taking wins at the weekend were Tim Caswell in Nostalgia Outlaw, Glen Teale in Slingshot, Kerry Siebhur in Gas, Warren Bradford in Vintage Gas Peter Bausch in Hot Rod, Rod Mellor in American Muscle, Ron Holz in Aussie Muscle and Deano Webb in the Classic Bike category.

5 Minutes with ...

MARCUS MARSHALL

New team, new sponsor, better results? Marcus Marshall is heading into the GRANT ROWLEY unknown in the 2009 V8 Supercar Championship Series MOTORSPORT NEWS: So, will the popular saying ‘Red cars go faster’ be true this year? MARCUS MARSHALL: I hope so! That’s what the sponsor wanted. We’re really happy with it, and if it goes as fast as it looks then I’ll be even happier. You’ve set up your own team for 2009. There’s no doubt been some hurdles along then way. What’s been the biggest challenge? The workload that goes into making the whole exercise come together. It’s the amount of time and effort to get it off the ground. It’s fairly unique in that we’ve started from a clean slate, not just from a team and workshop point of view, but from the sponsor and their product as well. That’s all new – colours, designs etc. There’s not one thing, though, that’s been the hardest. It’s just a combination of everything. How many people have you got working for you? We’ve got eight all-up. There will be seven coming with us to the races and one administration girl who is full-time at the workshop. So you’re one of the smaller Main Series teams – how do you make that work to your advantage? It was always my idea with our business model to have less people and concentrate just on racing. At the moment, it’s all been about getting to the first test and then head to Adelaide. We’ve got no manufacturing to do – not that it can drag the team down – but we can just concentrate on pit stops and all the little bits and pieces that make up a race team. Having seven staff and being a tight-knit group is also pretty important. The team has been together for just over a month now, and you can see that everyone’s starting to get closer.

As a team owner, you have to pick an endurance driver now. Do you have a short-list? One of the things that has happened is that the silly season has ended now, so it’s cleared up who is available for 2009. We’ll just wait until everything settles down. We’ve definitely got a shortlist and we’ll go through that over the next few weeks. We’re pretty right. There’s a lot of guys out there with good experience. Now that you’re seeing everything come together, how do you think it will translate to the track in the early part of the season? It’s always hard to know. My goal each year is turn move up. At Adelaide, we started last year with a 12th and 14th place, so if we can come away from there this year with a couple of top 10 places, it would be an exceptional start for us. That’s my goal – to start the

year with at least one top 10 finish. It’s one of those races where anything can happen. But for the rest of the season, I’d be really disappointed if I didn’t knock on the door of a podium. It’s probably going to be the hardest year to do it. Without doubt, you’ve got the best young and old racers in the field. Everyone’s got good equipment so there’s no excuses now … And what about the future. Can you see your team expanding? Yeah definitely. We’re geared up for two cars and that’s always been our mission. Our first priority was to start off with one car and perfect that model – get it up and running, getting the ball rolling. Our workshop is more than capable of running two cars and that’s the future for us. We’ve got some potential sponsors who are very interested in what we’re doing and being a part of it all. It’s definitely the future for us, if not next year then the year after.

chat

Brawn has the brains

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A LONG winter ends for a Grand Prix team. Doubts Phil Branagan about the longExecutive Editor term future of the team persist but, for now, it survives. The team shakes down the car, tests unconvincingly (because everything was late) and it makes it to the opening race – perhaps two. No sponsors are evident. A recipe for disaster. It all sounds so familiar. But I reckon that Brawn GP is none of these things. I think it is way, way better than that. I reckon it might just have a real future. Ross Brawn is no shiny-shoed billionaire who decided to do … America’s Cup racing – no, let’s do Formula 1 instead. Nor is he someone like Aguri Suzuki, who went into F1 because … look, I don’t now why Aguri Suzuki went into F1. Does anyone? Brawn has experience. He has smarts. He is realistic. He has a lot of work to do, and it appears that the team will need to be downsized, so job one will be to let a bunch of people go. But a lot of good can come from that – like sacking the team’s entire commercial department for a start. Honda tested its KERS systems mid-last year. Whatever is in the car was planned a long time ago, and the regulations mean that the architecture of GP cars is similar enough to mean that planting a Mercedes Benz engine in a car designed for a similar-but-different Honda engine is, while not ideal, far from not a big drama. And what has the team missed? Toro Rosso’s new car has not appeared as this is written, and have the Force Indians been tearing up the track? Would you rather have a Jenson or a Sebastien, or Rubens than Sutil? Wins might be out of the question, but points may not. And if the Brawns can take some scalps – imagine what would happen if they beat a Toyota – that would be a good result. Go get ‘em, Brawn. Getting to Albert Park is a win, and everything from here on will be a bonus.

opinion

Letters

Have your say – email us at mail@mnews.com.au. Wishing upon The Stars Just wanted to say how good the mag looks in its everevolving electronic and print format. I have been a MN subbie for what seems forever and as an ex-publisher and lifetime print man (Australian Aviation)

it is interesting to see how you have handled the everchanging modern era. An idea. I appreciate that probably I am alone on this but I always reckoned that one of the best thing on the V8SCA board was the old V8 Superstars circus.

Why? Because to me, and maybe I am not alone, it showed a group of the drivers (and sometimes team owners) as humans clowning it up and carrying on like a bunch of guys at the pub. After all, isn’t this the bottom line reason Top Gear is so successful?

I admit that a tighter leash on the players could have at times produced a better result in sensible debate about current issues but this could easily be achieved if a part of the segment was treated with perhaps more seriousness than the overall lighter side.

opinion

Don’t bet your house on it ... MOTORSPORT News is a family magazine, so in no way do we condone betting, gambling or the throwing of apples through school windows. I’ve been guilty of all of the above, so it is with much interest that I note the 2009 Formula 1 championship odds. Last year, I was involved in a F1 tipping competition where I eventually finished one point away from the top step of the podium. If you saw the Felipe Massa tears on the podium in Brazil, they hardly compared with the floods in my house when the final results came through. Very disappointing. If you don’t mind a little flutter, there are some very interesting (and tempting) odds being offered this year.

opinion Grant Rowley Editor eNews Lewis Hamilton, predictably, is the early favourite, from Kimi Raikkonen, Massa and Fernando Alonso. But the real interest (and potential cash in my view) lies below them … If the Red Bull is as good as some say, then Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber (listed at $21 and $67 respectively) might be a very handy wager. Sure, they probably won’t win the championship, but with such a massive shift in technical regulations, there are sure to be some different results this year. You never know, they could be your ticket to beating the Global Financial Crisis ...

Another team that may be in the same boast as Red Bull is Toyota, and its drivers’ odds are even more tempting. Jarno Trulli and Timo Glock are no duds – but Toyota’s past chassis have been. Again, could tech changes lead to a change of competitiveness for the red and whites? But for me, the best value for money is Nick Heidfeld. On his day, the German is as fast as his highly-rated team-mate Robert Kubica. Given, everytime Nick gets in the car, he’s not lightning fast, but seeing as this is probably his last chance in a potential championship-winning car, we might just see Heidfeld grow an extra leg – and my wallet grow an extra few centimetres …

Odds and Sods Lewis Hamilton 3.00 Kimi Raikkonen 4.50 Felipe Massa 5.50 Fernando Alonso 6.00 Robert Kubica 7.00 Heikki Kovalainen 21.00 Sebastian Vettel 21.00 Nick Heidfeld 26.00 Mark Webber 67.00 Jenson Button 81.00

Odds courtesy sportsbet.com.au

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I think the Superstars show gave life to drivers we otherwise only see either mouthing off at or about each other or looking glum after a bad day at the office. Not much to relate to there in a positive manner and even less to get the younger kids onboard the V8SA bandwagon. Can anybody tell me why this show was such a bad idea, as communication is the key to success in any field and this show opened up a who spectrum of insight into the various personalities and

Nico Rosberg 101.00 Jarno Trulli 101.00 Timo Glock 126.00 Rubens Barrichello 126.00 Nelsinho Piquet 126.00 Sebastien Bourdais 251.00 Sebastien Buemi 251.00 Kazuki Nakajima 351.00 G. Fisichella 501.00 Adrian Sutil 501.00

events behind the scenes. Anyway, keep up the good work and maybe Mark [Webber] will get his deserved podiums this year! Jim Thorn email address supplied Staff cuts at FPR ... On March 5, FPR completed building their two new race cars. Friday March 6, six employees were given their marching orders. Workers worked the last three weeks, six days a week to 7pm every

night with no paid overtime. What great timing – cars finished then workers sacked. I know this as one of my best friends was one of the people given their marching orders. I understand that we are in recession, but to wait until the cars are finished is just wrong. I follow Holden and attend as many meetings as I can. I had a soft spot for FPR as my friends worked there. Not any more; they can get stuffed. Daniel Vella email address supplied

ED: We asked FPR to comment on this, and this is what we got: “Ford Performance Racing regrets the necessity of making six team members redundant. “The decision arose from the closure of its customer programme; it was made only after exhaustive efforts to maintain the same level of operation, including a development series opportunity that was still a possibility until recently.”

AUSTRALIAN RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP RALLY OF CANBERRA

race

Eat My Dust! In rallying, being first on the road is usually a disadvantage. But in dusty ol’ Canberra, it was the key to Simon Evans’ comeback win ...

Neil Blackbourn

IMON Evans has now won a round of the Australian Rally Championship in three different makes of car; Subaru, Toyota, and after last weekend’s Rally of Canberra, Mitsubishi. A late change to a former APRC-winning Lancer Evo IX was all it took for Evans to get back that winning feeling, the two-time ARC champ setting the pace for entirety of the rally to claim his first win since Queensland last season. And he did so in style, taking the first heat by a whopping 40.8s, and the second by 24.1s, both times from former team-mate Neal Bates. Things were looking different in Canberra for Bates as well, who abandoned the familiar Toyota livery for his Neal Bates Motorsport Corolla S2000. Unfortunately for Bates, any chance of realistically challenging Evans for the win was thwarted by the dusty conditions, which heavily favoured fist car on the road. But while Bates rued the dust, and losing his championship lead, second outright was enough to have now-privateer talking about the next round in Western Australia, and back-to-back titles … “The conditions were a lot better [in Heat 2], but the dust still made visibility tough on a few occasion,” the reigning Champ said. “The dry conditions really tested everyone this weekend and although we finished second, we can be happy with our efforts. I also have to say a big thank you to the entire team who worked tirelessly all weekend. This might have been our first event running as an independent team, but we are in discussion with a number of potential sponsors and along with our strong results at the first two rallies, we are confident we can contest for this year’s title.” Eli Evans, who started second on the road and was expected to challenge his brother, had more than the dust to worry about. On just the second stage of the event, he misunderstood a note from co-driver Chris Murphy, which resulted in a high-speed shunt over a crest. “We were in top gear flat out, I got the crests mixed up somehow and just over the crest the road went left,” he said. “I changed back a gear and turned the car in and I thought we had saved it but we just dug in on the dust at the edge of the road and over we went.” The early retirement of Evans Jr left the door open for someone outside the three front-runners to grab a podium finish, and, as is starting to become a trend, it was Glen Raymond in the privateer Group N (P) Corolla. ‘Raymo’ was third in the first heat, and might have been third in the second heat as well had it not been for a broken driveshaft. A spirited comeback drive left him fourth for the heat and third for the round, with Victorian Justin Dowel claiming his first heat podium with third at Raymond’s expense. With the ARC now set to head to Western Australia, Evans takes a slender lead over Bates, with Raymond third, 48 points behind the leader. Points: S Evans 152, Bates 146, Raymond 104, Dowel 86, E Evans 60, Brendan Reeves 45.

race

Neil Blackbourn Joel Strickland

Corolling along: There might not have been a factory Toyota presence, but there were still Corolla near the front thanks to Neal Bates, top, and Glen Raymond, above. Meanwhile, Justin Dowel made it Mitsubishi bread for the Toyota sandwhich with fourth, below.

Joel Strickland

NASCAR SPRINT CUP ROUND 4 – KOBALT TOOLS 500, ATLANTA, GA

The Atlanta Games

Kurt Busch didn’t just end a dry spell at Atlanta. He simply slaughtered the opposition. By MARTIN D CLARK

Toyota Motorsport

KURT Busch dominated at the Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sunday. In fact, he led 234 laps from the outside pole for the win – more than he led in all of last season. “This was incredible,” said Busch after his first win in 22 races. “All things come to those who wait. We’ve worked real hard on getting our mile and half (track) program up to speed and today we had to beat some tough competitors to do it. Our Dodge Charger was unbelievable. From the get go of the race, I knew we had something special, it was up to me to protect it. We were sliding around the mid part of the race, I just had to get back to the old school – race the race track, don’t race the competition.” Carl Edwards did his best to upset the Dodge man, taking on two tyres at the final caution while the other leading drivers grabbed four. Edwards was first off pit road followed by Busch, Jeff Gordon and Martin Truex Jr but in the two-lap dash to the flag, Busch hurtled around Edwards on the backstretch and in no time, Gordon followed him through for second place in the race that ran five extra laps. “We took two tyres and we did our best,” commented Edwards. “We had a bad pit stall between the #24 [Gordon] and the #88 [Dale Earnhardt Jr] and

were going to get blocked in, so we took two [tyres].” Busch dominated the first 200 laps, holding a seven-plus second lead at early points in the race before Gordon wrested the lead for the first time under Busch on lap 204. Brian Vickers in his Red Bull Toyota was mounting a challenge in the final laps after some strong runs of late, but the final debris caution and a slow final pit stop put paid to any chances of a first win for the team. Jimmie Johnson and Edwards were the only other notables to lead laps in a day headed by Busch’s Penske team and the new Dodge R6 engine. Penske is the only Dodge team using the new powerplant which is still under development – Richard Petty Motorsports continues to run the older Evernham built engine. Marcos Ambrose dropped from the race with a blown engine on lap 147, airing the sixth caution of the race and ending his day 38th. Prior to that one of his crew members brought out yellow flag number three on lap 67 when he ran out halfway onto the front stretch grass to collect an errant wheel during green flag pit stops. The caution left just six drivers on the lead lap; eight cautions after that point gave seven drivers the free pass, with 12 drivers ending up on the lead lap.

Gears for Fears Toyota Motorsports

TRUCKS

Chasers: Jeff Gordon and Carl Edwards fought out the minor placing, above. Mark Martin took pole but had this mid-race spin, below left, but it would have taken an F16 to stop Kurt Busch, below right.

NASCAR | KOBALT TOOLS 500, ATLANTA, GA 1 2 2 24 3 99 4 29 5 83 6 33 7 9 8 14 9 48 10 1 20 47

Kurt Busch Jeff Gordon Carl Edwards Kevin Harvick Brian Vickers Clint Bowyer Kasey Kahne Tony Stewart Jimmie Johnson Martin Truex Jr Marcos Ambrose

Dodge Chev Ford Ford Toyota Chevy Dodge Chevy Chevy Chevy Toyota

Penske/Miller Lite 2 Hendrick/National Guard 16 Roush Fenway/Aflac 29 Roush Fenway/Reese’s 10 Red Bull Racing 17 Childress/BB&T 21 Richard Petty/Budweiser 15 Stewart Haas/Old Spice 11 Hendrick/Lowe’s 7 Earnhardt Ganassi/Tracker Boats 23 JTG Daugherty/Kingsford 34

KYLE Busch blew a gearbox in Atlanta’s Truck race. With only first and fourth gear to play with, he was a sitting duck at the last restart, as Truck after Truck passed him. But, of course, Busch being Busch, he still won. “We fell back, I don't know how far,” he said, “but it had to be eighth or 10th or something like that, but it

felt like an eternity to get this thing up to speed and going. “Once we got there I didn't lift in those final 12 laps – I just stayed in the gas wide open, ran the middle groove and it prevailed.” And it was not like he was racing against rookies. With no Nationwide race in Atlanta, Kevin Harvick, #2 above, raced his Chevy to second place, from Todd Bodine and Mike Skinner.

NASCAR SPRINT CUP | pointS Gordon 634, Bowyer 591, Kurt Busch 588, Edwards 547, Kenseth 546, Kyle Busch 514, Harvick 511, Stewart 521, Biffle 480, Vickers 477, Reutimann 475, Johnson 457, etc

Peugeot Media

Irish Rally Challenge Ireland’s Kris Meeke scorched to a convincing IRC win in Brazil IRC Peugeot UK driver Kris Meeke scored victory in Round 2 of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge at the all-gravel Curitiba Rally in Brazil last weekend. The Irishman claimed all seven stages on the opening day and controlled his advantage on the second day to end up with a 26.2s margin over second-placed Peugeot Belgium’s Nicolas Vouilloz.

Vouilloz overhauled Abarth driver Giandomenico Basso, who eventually finished third. The pair had been locked in a tight battle for the runnerup spot throughout the two days of the rally, with Vouilloz initially claiming an advantage before Basso passed him on the final stage of Day 1. This meant that the duo headed into the last day of the rally separated by just 0.3 seconds. Basso stalled on the opening stage of the final afternoon and lost about 10

seconds, handing Vouilloz and advantage that he defended to the end. Peugeot Belgium’s Freddy Loix was fourth, to move into the championship lead by three points. He had the handicap of running first on the road throughout the opening day of the rally, which cost him a lot of time as he swept up loose gravel. Loix now leads the championship on a total of 13 points, ahead of Meeke, Sebastien Ogier and Basso –

who are all tied for second on 10 points. Vouilloz is third in the standings with eight points. In fifth place was Argentinean driver Alejandro Cancio, who put in a strong performance at the wheel of his Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9. Cancio was consistently in the top-five stage times. He beat local driver Rafael Tulio, who finished sixth overall and was also the top two-wheel drive runner in his Peugeot 206 S1600.

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Follow the Leaders David Ostaszewski

Phoenix Suns NHRA

WTCC

WTCC SEAT Sport has made its World Touring Car Championship rivals look average in the first round of the FIA-sanctioned series. Reigning Champion Yvan Muller began the new season in the best way, dominating the opening race in Brazil, before his team-mate Gabriele Tarquini won Race 2. The SEAT team finished one-two-three-four in both races. In Race 1, Muller led from lights to flag, followed by his trio of teammates – Jordi Gené, Rickard Rydell and Tarquini. Nicola Larini crossed the line fifth and scored the first points for the new Chevrolet Cruze, while Augusto Farfus and Sergio Hernández were the best of the BMW men. They were classified sixth and seventh, ahead

of Tiago Monteiro who claimed pole position for Race 2. SEAT encored in Race 2, placing four drivers in the top four positions again. The race started behind the Safety Car on a track flooded by a violent thunderstorm. In the early stages, the BMW drivers – Porteiro, Andy Priaulx, Sergio Hernández and Augusto Farfus – set the pace, but soon the SEAT tide became unstoppable. Tarquini, Rydell, Gené and Muller jumped the BMW queue, finishing in that order. Félix Porteiro won the Independents’ class in both races after resisting pressure from Tom Coronel in the opening event. He scored overall championship points as well, giving him something extra to smile about after being dumped from the BMW team last year.

Antron Brown, Ron Capps, and Jeg Coughlin raced to victories as the NHRA Full Throttle tour concluded their second event of the ’09 season under sunny Arizona skies at Phoenix International Raceway two weeks ago. In collecting the Top Fuel victory at the silver anniversary Lucas Oil Slick Mist Nationals, Brown picked up his third-career victory with a final round win over Brandon Bernstein, 3.84/310 to a tyre-smoking 5.17/143. The Pomona-low qualifier piloted the Mark Oswald/Brian Corradituned Matco Tools dragster past rookie, Del Cox, Morgan Lucas, and defending series champion Tony Schumacher in the early rounds. Capps has come out of the box swinging, as the Napa Auto Parts Dodge remains perfect in the first two events of ’09. Capps wheeled to a 4.04/306 single in the final when opponent Mike Neff was unable to get back to the starting line following his burnout. Capps and tuner Ed McCulloch top qualified at 4.02-seconds and defeated Jeff Arend, Matt Hagen, and Del Worsham to reach the final. Coughlin scored the Pro Stock win, driving the Jegs.com Chevrolet Cobalt to a 6.64/208 to 664/208 win over Kurt Johnson. Coughlin had earlier defeated Steve Speiss, Jason Line, and Ron Krisher. The next event on the NHRA Full Throttle tour is the 40th annual AC Delco NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville, Florida, March 12-15. – David Ostaszewski

SRA SPRINTCAR CHAMPS GREAT SOUTHERN SHOWDOWN

Blowing them to the Reeds .. Matty Reed was too good at both Avalon and Simpson on the weekend. GEOFF ROUNDS reports

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.. Geoff Gracie

ATTHEW Reed had to wait until the early hours of Monday morning before finally claiming his sixth SRA Eureka Garages and Sheds Sprintcar Championship at Simpson Speedway. Reed finished the series with three consecutive feature race victories, including a solid win at Avalon Raceway the previous night, and helping himself win the Great Southern Showdown staged between the two venues and pocketing $5000 for his efforts. Reed, who was fourth highest on points, set the fastest lap in time trials prior to the 30-lap feature, and came from pole with Brett Milburn next to him, while Mike Van Bremen and Rod Matthews occupied the second row, with hard chargers Darren Mollenoyux and Tim Rankin rounding out the top six. The main talking point to come out of the 30-lap final was Milburn’s incident with three laps remaining, when he looked unbeatable until breaking a steering stop and hitting the wall. That made it all easy going then for Reed, who was gifted the win from Van Bremen and Rod Matthews. “I’d like to say bad luck to Brett (Milburn), I think I was unlikely to run him down in the latter stages in clear air, he was unlucky not to win,” Reed said. “It’s a pretty huge achievement. At the start of the year I wasn’t going to run the whole series, but halfway through the year we realised we should stick around. “We (the drivers) really appreciated the support of Eureka Garages and Sheds this season as well as all the other sponsors, obviously it has paid a lot more this season. “Even this weekend is a great pay weekend for Victorian Sprintcar racing. Ian [Vale] and the committee (Sprintcar Racing Association of Victoria) and all the sponsors and tracks have done a great job, us drivers really appreciate that. Joining the Simpson place-getters on the podium was Mollenoyux, who finished fourth in the final, but more importantly second in the overall Eureka Series. “We look back at the Hamilton round now and that really cost us a position of giving Matty (Reed) a better shake this weekend, but that’s the way racing goes and second is still good, we’re happy,” Mollenoyux said. Van Bremen, who finished second on the night and third overall in the Eureka Series, was happy to finish the Eureka season standing on the podium. “It was hard luck for Brett (Milburn) who was running a good race. We’ve had a solid season, I’d rate it 7 or 8 out of 10, we’ve been pretty competitive but we have also dropped the ball on a couple of nights,” Van Bremen said.

Qld kicks off state series The Queensland state racing season got under way at Morgan Park Raceway with the MG Car Club of Queensland hosting their tradition season opener. Largest field of the weekend was the Historic Touring Cars with an influx of rapid Mazda RX-2s, but Toranas won the races with Ethan Lind and Bruce Dummett sharing the wins. Sportscars also had a large grid mainly of Porsche 911 and Mazda MX-5 Production Sports but the Supersports Chiron-Toyota of Steve Morcombe took the wins despite some novel attempts to handicap himself. Steve Murray (PVPHonda) won both of the championship Superkart races. Vince Livaditis won the only race he finished in his new PVP-PVP with heat exhaustion removing him from Race 1. John Hay (Sodi-TM) was second for the day from Phil Silcock (Stockman-Honda). In Formula Vee, Shane Hart took three wins in his new Jacer F2K8. Paul Mantiet (Rapier) and Mike Smith

(Gebert) shared the second places. Ben Tomlin won the Geminis, taking two race victories. John L’Estrange and Melissa Thompson took the second places, Thompson recovering from a mechanical disqualification in the last race, with Tracey Whale second for the round. Kris Walton was too fast for the Saloon Car field with Tony Shanks and Troy Hoey each taking a second – all AU Falcon drivers. Colin Smith (Rover-Chev) and Bob McLoughlin (Commodore-Chev) each took a win in Sport Sedans with Robert Coutts (Mazda RX-7) chasing them home for thirds. Dion Cidoni and Jamie Furness each took the wins in the HQ Holdens. Bill Norman (ReynardHolden) took two wins in a thin field of Racing Cars with Roman Krumins (Van Diemen-Duratec) winning the first race. Stephen Wilson (Van Diemen RF96), Brendan Nelson (Van Diemen RF04) and Phil Kay (Van Diemen RF04) each took a Formula Ford win. – MARK JONES

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Crash makes Lewis’ dai LUCKY fella, that Lewis Hamilton. No, not the part where he joined McLaren Mercedes. No, not the part where he started dating Nicole Sherzinger of the Pussycat Dolls. No, not the part where he lost the 2008 World Championship – then seized

Odd Spot

it back ON THE FINAL CORNER OF THE FINAL LAP OF THE FINAL RACE OF THE SEASON. It’s this. When testing at Jerez last week, Hamilton had a bingle. The Maccer was damaged badly enough to force the session to be stopped. Hamilton was not hurt, so he hopped in

the nearest car – which happened to be a Hyundai i30. There is no reaction recorded from Lewis about the car but Branagan – who makes noises like his own i30 in the office – is having this Sutton Images image tattooed. No, it is better if you don’t ask where … THE Evanses are glass-halffull kind of people. For instance, when Simon and Sue lost their factory ride with Toyota, they dusted themselves off, grabbed a speedy Mitsubishi, and won in Canberra (after which they probably had to dust themselves off again). They even found a positive in the situation; no more annoying obligation to wear team shirts. Instead, they made their own shirts. Ricky Bobby Shirts. But don’t get too cocky guys. We’re quite sure that when he reads this, Neal Bates will tap his fingers together and say “I em cooming fur you, Simon Evans …”