Motorsport eNews Issue 99 - April 7-14, 2009

The world of MOtorsport Directly to your desktop

Issue No. 099 7 – 14 April 2009

IS LESS MORE?

80 litre Tanks promise shake up, But teams aren’t Happy

Briscoe’s Perfect PETE START

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

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

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

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

MD / Publisher

Chris Lambden publisher@mnews.com.au

Contributing Writers F1: Will Buxton, Mark Glendenning, Paolo Filisetti Europe: Quentin Spurring, David Addison US: Martin D. Clark, Phil Morris Speedway: Greg Boscato, Geoff Rounds, Darren Sutton, Tony Millard (UK) 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)

Issue No. 099 | 7–13 April 2009

news 4 Fuel for thought 6 Qualifying sorted 8 Sticky rubber 15 Mount Homebush 17 Harris for BTCC! 18 Sprintcars calendar

chat 20 5 minutes with ... opinion 22 Whincup 23 Johnson

race 24 Kart Nats preview 28 ARC 32 NASCAR 36 IndyCar 40 World Superbikes

trade 52 Classifieds

V8 teams not happy ...

JW; Watch for sob stories!

Sprint tyres are go Two new rounds for AGT Utes star has big plans WSS lock in dates Ryan Briscoe Qualifying good #1 Qualifying good #2 A lap of Sun Gold Raymo runs riot Round and round and round Briscoe’s great start Haga lookin’ good

Sarah Biggin

Motorsport eNews is published by Australasian Motorsport News ABN 55 125 120 702 Publisher: C Lambden Copyright: Material published in Motorsport eNews is copyright and may not be reproduced in full or in part without the written permission of the publisher.

Freelance contributions are welcome, and while all care will be taken, Motorsport eNews does not accept responsibility for damage or loss of material submitted.

Opinions expressed in Motorsport eNews are not necessarily those of Australasian Motorsport News or its staff.

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

Push Sue, PUSH! We can not confirm reports that while Sue Evans was pushing, Simon was standing out of shot and on the phone to the TAB placing a bet on the Golden Slipper!

Team bosses slam new fuel capacity regs V8 SUPERCARS IMMINENT changes to the fuel systems of V8 Supercars have not met with universal praise from team owners.

The changes, which will see the maximum fuel capacity at all ‘non-endurance’ races in the series cut from 120 litres to 80 litres in fuel capacity, has been criticised on the basis of cost.

The new limit, which was approved by the V8 Supercars Australia board last Friday, will come into effect from the Winton round of the V8 Supercar Championship Series.

To this point, cars have had a maximum fuel capacity of 120 litres at all events.

Teams will now face the choice of what to do in order to accommodate the new ruling, with some choosing to fit a new, purpose-built, smaller 80-litre tank into the rear compartment, and others fitting one or more inserts into the original larger-capacity tank, thereby reducing the fuel capacity by 40 litres.

Wilson Security Racing boss Paul Cruickshank, who will fit new tanks to the cars of Fabian Coulthard and Michael Patrizi, questions whether it is a wise move: “We will have to go whichever way Triple 8 goes, and fit new tanks – we want our cars to be the same spec as theirs. I don’t think that there will be much change from $6000 per car,” he said.

“It is disappointing that we need to spend this sort of money now. I think that everybody needs to understand that it is getting harder and harder in the current climate

to keep spending money like this. I think we need to batten down the hatches and stop spending for a couple of years.

“I can’t see why things cannot be sorted out at the start of the year. Changing the specification of the car before Round 3 does not show clear vision.”

BJR owner Kim Jones says that he is also “disappointed” with the change.

“I understand that this process is being put in place to force us to have pitstops, but I am very disappointed with the cost element. So far, I have seen very little that has produced a cost-savings from the teams’ point of view.

“With longer lead-time and more process in the decisionmaking area, some of these these rule changes can be made much more cost-efficient.”

The capacity change will mean that the 100km races will be right on the limit of the fuel range of the cars.

According to teams we asked, a 2009 model V8 Supercar travels approximately 1.2 kilometres per litre of E85, though this can vary from track to track.

As an example, Jason Richards started both races at Adelaide with a full 120 litre tank, and his BOC Gases Commodore made its first fuel stop after 143km. That’s equivalent to 96 kms from 80 litres!

In theory this should lead to some nail-biting conclusions to 100km races, with the possibility of a driver short-shifting to save fuel being hunted down by a rival with, literally, fuel to burn – and, possibly,’ Sprint’ tyres …

And they’ll have to pack light ...

V8 SUPERCARS V8 TEAMS will ned to space-save over the next few days as they pack their bags for the Hamilton 400 street race.

Space will be at a premium in the purpose-built containers because, for the first time, the teams will also have to pack their new-for-2009 ‘control’ refueling tanks, and rigging.

For the first time, the two flyaway races in New Zealand and Bahrain include fuel stops, made necessary

by the change to E85 fuel this season.

Previously, the teams only faced those races with no fueling requirements, just Compulsory Pit Stops for tyre changes.

Enquiries made by eNews indicated that the teams believed that promoters of the two events were supplying the tanks and stands and that teams were only required to bring refueling hoses and the appropriate fittings.

However, team now face the prospect of packing the tanks

and as well as all the fittings into their ‘flyaway’ containers, and the challenge is to make sure that everything fits.

“It should not be too difficult,” FPR’s Tim Edwards explained.

“The tanks are fairly light, so they can be packed high in the containers, where there is usually a bit of space.

It will take some planning ... but all these things always take planning.”

The weight of the tanks is fairly low, but they will require about 1.5 cubic metres space inside the containers.

FOR FORMULA 1, MOTOGP AND WRC NEWS, OPINION AND ANALYSIS CLICK HERE TO ACCES

Peter Bury

SS GPWEEK – THE WORLD’S FIRST ‘VIRTUAL’ MOTORSPORT MAGAZINE ...

news

HAPPY EASTER!

Due to the national Easter Monday holiday, next week’s Motorsport eNews will publish 24 hours later than normal – at 9pm on Tuesday (Apr il 14)

New 20 minute qualifying session for Sundays ...

... but Whincup still predicts tears V8 SUPERCARS THE controversial grid allocation at V8 Supercar meetings, where the single qualifying session determined the grid for both races, has been scrapped, with an additional 20 minute ‘all in’ session on Sunday to sort the grid for that day’s race.

The new system will be implemented immediately at next weekend’s second round of the series, at Hamilton, New Zealand.

Saturday’s knock-out style qualifying system remains the same, with that determining the grid for Saturday’s race.

The new 20 minute session will be run only a short time before Sunday’s race, leaving team’s little chance to adopt a specific ‘qualifying’ set-up.

“Qualifying will be close to the race, so the intention is that teams will qualify the cars for Sunday’s race in close to race trim,” V8 Supercar’s Motorsport Manager Kurt Sakzewski told us.

“A lot of people were concerned that they’d have to change the car too many times over the weekend.

That’s certainly not our intention. This simply won’t allow them to make wholesale changes.”

V8 Supercars CEO Cameron Levick says that winning races remains the intent of the new session: “The board decided that in order to further focus on two races of equal standing that a stand-alone qualifying session would make for a more distinct separation,” Levick said.

“The emphasis is on the great achievement of winning a race which is always the intent.”

Championship leader Jamie Whincup is one of many in favour of the additional qualifying session, but reckons that there are likely to be tears: “There’s going to be some sob stories out there!” he said.

“There’s going to be carnage and some hard luck stories where people just don’t get a time in. That’s the way its goes, but there’s going to be winners and losers, but its an equal opportunity for everybody.”

– GRANT ROWLEY

There’s going to be some hard luck stories, but its an equal opportunity for everyone Jamie WHINCUP

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s

NOT everyone thought that the single qualifying system introduced this year was a dud – I saw it as something of a swings-and-roundabouts innovation – but it seems that most people did not like it, so it is gone.

Expect an avalanche of criticism of V8 Supercars Australia for getting it wrong in the first place, none of which will be coming from this publication.

Changes are made with

opinion Phil Branagan Executive Editor the best of intention by all concerned, but in this case there is not a lot to be critical about for the hands going up at World HQ and a new course being plotted.

Not everyone will approve of such changes on the run, but the alternative is almost a full year of griping and

whining. Having a second shot at things is a good idea, particularly so in this case.

On the other hand, the new rule means that there is not going to be a lot of ‘fix-it’ time between the new Sunday qualifying session and race, so I cannot imagine that it will take long before some pitlane boss downloads to Mark Larkham about how unfair it all is.

If some of the resident superstars insist on leaning

Marshall Cass

The importance of knowing when to fold

on the concrete walls in search of that extra tenth, there are going to be yelling, tears and toys hurled out of conveyances. All of which are good for ratings and headlines.

So, the highlights again; a tick to V8SA for the about-face, and a warning to the heroes to behave themselves.

If only every SNAFU in motor racing could be dealt with as quickly.

Now, about this loony mostwins-takes title idea in F1 …

Each V8 team allocated four ‘Sprint’ t

Yellow bands John Morris/Mpix

V8 SUPERCARS SPORTING regulations have been set in stone for the introduction of the soft option V8 Supercar tyre.

Dunlop’s SP Sport Maxx Sprint tyre will be known to the public as the ‘Sprint,’ easily identified by a distinctive yellow marking on the wall of the tyre.

Teams will have to use all four tyres at the same time in one of the two races on each of those weekends.

The soft tread compound has been adapted to the same casing as the current SP Sport Maxx Control tyre.

The tyre will be used in six rounds this year at Winton (Vic), Symmons Plains (Tas), Hidden Valley (NT), Ipswich (Qld), Sandown (Vic) and Barbagallo (WA).

At Winton, teams will receive an extra set of the Sprint rubber to test before its race

debut that weekend.

V8 Supercars CEO Cameron Levick says that the tyres will spice up the racing.

“This is designed to mix up races, have faster cars, slower cars and improve the spectacle,” Levick said.

“The more passing, strategy and excitement we have in our racing the better.”

Dunlop Brand Manager Melissa Tilley added; “As requested by V8 Supercars, the new ‘Sprint’ tyre’s performance deteriorates with time, coming back to the lap times of the current ‘Control’ tyre after approximately 20 laps. It is approximately 1.5 to 2 seconds quicker per 60 second lap, and will last around 80 km” she said.

“Therefore, strategies each team employs as to when they fit the “Sprint” tyres will play a very important role and result in much more action both on track and in pit lane.”

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tyres for six rounds

of Stickyness Dunlop secures naming-rights for Townsville 400 DRAG RACING

Dirk Klynsmith

THE sixth round of the V8 Supercars Championship Series at the inaugural Townsville street race will carry major sponsorship from Dunlop.

Dunlop Brand Manager Melissa Tilley said that the Dunlop Townsville 400 is shaping-up as an iconic event in Australia’s motorsport calendar.

“Dunlop has been at the forefront of motor racing from more than 120 years and we

are delighted to have secured the naming rights to the inaugural Dunlop Townsville 400,” Tilley said.

“We see this new race as one of the marquee events on the calendar and are just as excited about it as fans are.

As the official tyre supplier to the V8 Supercars since 2002, this year is a milestone year for Dunlop with the Townsville sponsorship as well as the introduction of the new ‘SP Sport Maxx Sprint’ soft option tyre at selected championship rounds.”

ANDRA unveils big 10

New landmark television deal for Australian Group 1 drag racing – and DRAG RACING

A

three-year TV contract with One HD and confirmation of two major 2009/10 sponsors made last Friday a big one for drag racing in Australia.

A crowded launch saw ANDRA and One HD (Network Ten) confirm a schedule which will see 32 one-hour programmes

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each season (increasing to 40 over the next three years), plus mid-week replays, of all ANDRA Championship categories, including rounds of the Rocket Allstars Drag Racing Series.

At the same time, drag racing’s governing body announced two significant sponsor signings.

ANDRA Championship Drag Racing will now be ‘presented by’ Auto One and ENZED, with

both companies substantially increasing their investment into Australian drag racing.

The historic sponsorship announcement comes after a successful commercial push over the last 12 months by ANDRA which has seen the likes of Shannons Insurance, HarleyDavidson, Rare Spares, Karcher, Fuchs and Snap-on join the ranks. The investment made

by Auto One and ENZED is the

news

10HD, double sponsor deals

d the Rocket All-stars competition most significant drag racing has seen since the glory days of tobacco sponsorship over 20 years ago.

“It really has been a massive few months for ANDRA Championship Drag Racing. Not only have we secured a substantial new TV arrangement with One HD but to have Auto One and ENZED up their stakes to become the first platform sponsors of the

championship is very pleasing,” said National Sponsorship Manager, Dale Brittain “Both Auto One and Enzed put their toes in the water this season, which clearly has been successful for them.

“It’s no coincidence that the announcement of the One HD TV arrangements coincides with Auto One and ENZED declaring their increased stakes. Both sponsors will have a greater

presence on Network Ten and One HD over the coming 12 months.”

Marketing Manager for Parker Hannifin (incorporating ENZED), Kevin Spiteri said: “Having mainstream television presence is important. Our involvement with ANDRA allows the opportunity to be branded on a national level in both regional and metropolitan areas. For us that’s very exciting”.

Peter Henry, Auto One General Manager said: “Auto One is very happy with what we have achieved through our association with the ANDRA Championship Series. The move to One completes our goals to increase our national marketing to all metropolitan cities and continue to support the series as we believe strongly that the sport will continue to emerge, as will Auto One.”

Lamattina, Bray go small for Tin Top Titles DRAG RACING AUSTRALIAN drag racing drivers Phil Lamattina and Ben Bray will add a twist to their Castrol EDGE Winternationals preparations next month – swapping their high-powered machines for pintsized Junior Dragsters as part of the Cosmic Enterprises Junior Dragster Challenge at Willowbank Raceway on May 30.

Current Top Fuel Championship leader Lamattina and Top Doorslammer stand-

out Bray will be faced with a squeeze come race day, with their adopted racers normally piloted by those still in school uniform.

Lamattina and Bray will take the wheel of Cody Grohn’s Wallace Bishop Jeweller’s Junior Jem and a Donnelly Blasting Services machine respectively, for the special match race in support of the class for eight to 16 year olds, which is regularly referred to as the future of Australian drag racing.

“It’s all about the kids,” said Lamattina.

“Those junior racers are the future of our sport and when I was asked to be part of the Junior Challenge there was no way I could say no.”

In contrast to Lamattina’s experience, Bray is no stranger to the Junior category, and is looking forward to getting back to his drag racing roots after starting his long career in the class.

“My time in Juniors was incredible fun and taught me a lot about racing along with winning and losing which are all part of the game,” said Bray.

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ROGER HAS A PROB

Does Power’s stron make Helio the od INDYCAR

Honda Racing

WILL Power finished sixth in the opening round of the IndyCar Series at St Petersburg, but, while that result is not dazzling, it may lead to team boss Roger Penske having a significant problem.

With the next race at Long Beach – the same track where he won in dominant fashion last April – Power may well be leading the series by the time there is a decision in the Helio Castroneves taxation case.

Even if Castroneves prevails in court, Penske will have a tough decision to make. The team is standing behind Castroneves but it would be very hard to park a winner. Penske never reveals his cards until ready so he could be working on a third car, which will take a minimum of several million dollars in sponsorship – in an economy that isn’t in great shape.

“It’s a difficult situation,” said Power, hoping he’ll remain at Team Penske for the entire season and

Just what we need – more va INDYCAR

ANOTHER strategy element will be added to the IndyCar series with the use of alternate tyres at its seven road and street course events.

Firestone will supply both primary and alternate tyres (known as “reds” with a very visible red ringed sidewalls) at the races, and drivers must complete at least two race laps on both tyres. For the weekend, each driver will receive six primary sets and three alternates, which are made of the same construction.

The alternates use softer compounds for laps times at least a second faster but with less longevity. Teams must decide whether to use two sets of alternates for a better grid position

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in the three-tier, knock-out qualifying or save the second red set for the race.

The first time Firestone (under its parent company name of Bridgestone) offered alternate tyres was at the 2004 Champ Car Long Beach event, giving the transitioning Champ Car teams and drivers an added advantage over the regular IndyCar teams. Teams must announced their decision on which tyre they will start the race within one hour after completion of qualifying. But the top three drivers who must attend a post-qualifying press conference may not have time to strategise with their team to which the IndyCar Series responded that it might help those cars starting behind.

– MARY MENDEZ

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IndyCar makes 22 BLEM

RHR stars, Manning get seats. But what happened to Duno?

ng Penske debut dd man out?

INDYCAR SEVERAL teams made last minute announcements to get the grid for the opening round of the IndyCar Series to 22 at St. Petersburg, Florida.

Alex Tagliani is driving

Honda Racing

for Conquest Racing thanks to sponsorship from the Northlands, the promoter of the Edmonton race. Darren Manning, who drove for A.J. Foyt Racing last year, is in a second Dreyer & Reinbold car with hopes of continuing if

more money is found.

Ryan Hunter Reay is driving the second Vision Racing car for Tony George’s team.

But Milka Duno had some sponsorship issues and missed the season opener.

– MARY MENDEZ Aprilia Racing

ariables

Honda Racing

fight team-mate Ryan Briscoe for the championship.

“I never even gave anything else a second thought when the opportunity to drive for Penske happened. I’ve been really focusing on just being ready to race. When they put me in the car I am ready to go. Nothing has been said to me so far about a third car.

It’s wait and see what happens.”

“The more I do with these guys the more comfortable I get. We are working well together. I expect good results. These guys work really hard. They are a great group of guys. They have fun. It looks very serious from the outside and it is serious. But they also really enjoy what they do a lot. Team Penske is everything you want in a team.

“Ryan [Briscoe] and I have very similar driving styles. We really work well together. He is very quick and I enjoy working with him. We basically make the same changes every session.”

– MARY MENDEZ

Nakano in doubt for Assen WORLD SUPERBIKES

Honda Racing

THE clock is ticking against Shinya Nakano making it to the fourth round of the World Superbike Championship at Assen on April 24-26.

The Japanese ace was thrown off his Aprilia RSV4 when it suffered a mechanical breakage in qualifying at Valencia at the weekend and took no further part in the race weekend. He

has had a broken left collarbone pinned and is working hard to be fit for the next race in three weeks.

Should he not recover, Aprilia has an able and experience substitute in test rider Alex Hofmann waiting in the wings.

Team-mate Max Biaggi topped Friday qualifying and Saturday free practice, but struggled in the races after qualifying only 18th in Superpole.

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John Morris/Mpix

Guess what JB wants?

Here is a hint: It stars with ‘X’ and ends with ‘A Coupe’ ...

BIANTE SERIES

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Ford Racing

FORMER Australian Touring Car champion John Bowe has outlined his intention to get behind the wheel of a Ford Falcon XA Coupe in the Biante Touring Car Masters Series.

Bowe, a regular in the popular Biante Series, has told eNews that he is interested in competing in one of the famous XAs – if he can find someone out there with the desire to purchase and/or build the car.

“I’d love to get an XA Falcon, but I just need help,” Bowe said.

“My thinking, long-term is that it would be great to get an XA Coupe in the category. It’s an iconic Aussie car. I think it would suit the field and the racing perfectly, so now I’m just looking for some help.”

Bowe wants it be let known that he is keen to make this project happen, as long as he can get some help from any fellow Falcon XA lovers.

“Anyone out there who wants to own an XA Coupe to race, I’m happy to help execute it,” he said.

“I know how to execute this project. I’m a great ideas man – all I need is the money or someone to build one!

“I think the category would benefit from it a lot, and I think it would be a really interesting project. You could build a pretty good XA Coupe that would run with the front guys.

“The weight distribution isn’t quite as good as the Mustang – that’s why everyone runs them – but I don’t think it matters too much, we’d work it out.”

Bowe currently races a Chevrolet Camaro in Biante TCM but says there’s something about the XA that appeals to him.

“I think it would be an interesting car to add into the mix. Everybody gets misty eyed about those old two-door Falcons, but an XA in the mix would be great.

We’ve got the Tilley’s in the XYs, a few Monaros, I think it would be nice to have an XA Coupe.

“And there are some people out there who would get more of a kick out of it if I was racing a Ford – not that I’m aligned to any manufacturer.

XA Coupes were run in Australia between 1973 and 1974. The car took Allan Moffat to a Bathurst win in 1973, followed by more success for the car with John Goss and Kevin Bartlett in 1974.

– GRANT ROWLEY

news

Marshall Cass

No Place like Home ... bush AUSTRALIAN GT CHAMPIONSHIP THE Australian GT Championship has had a calendar shake-up after accepting spots on the Bathurst 1000 and Homebush street race support bills.

The booming Sportscar series was initially meant to contest just six rounds of its series, but will drop its place on the Shannons Nationals bill at Symmons Plains in September and take on the October and December V8 dates ¬ boosting the series to a seven round contest.

GT Championship leader David Wall will be in a unique position at both Bathurst and Homebush. At Bathurst, Wall will drive his Porsche as well as competing in the Supercheap Auto 1000 with Wilson Security Racing.

“To be able to be on the track in two

different cars that weekend is really going to help me,” Wall said.

“I’ve done three years around there in Carrera Cup, a GT meeting there a few years ago and two 12 Hours. I’ve done plenty of miles around there, so hopefully that pays dividends at the track.”

While Wall has many miles under his belt at Bathurst, he doesn’t have experience jumping between a Sportscar and a V8 Supercar.

“It’s going to be a little difficult in that respect – being able to switch my mind off from one car to the other. The only saving grace is that they’re totally different cars.

You sit on a different side and there’s a lot of other things to get in the right frame of mind.”

The Homebush event will become the final round of the AGT title, and Wall

couldn’t be happier, considering that his major sponsor – Payce property Group – is based at Homebush itself!

“My main sponsor is actually based right in Homebush, so to have a race meeting there is fantastic,” Wall said.

“We had a fantastic grid at Adelaide and Albert Park, and I’m sure we’re going to get something similar for Homebush. It’s going to be a big meeting and should be fantastic for the class and my sponsors.”

The next round of the GT Championship will be held at Phillip Island (Shannons Nationals), featuring two one-hour races, compulsory timed stops and the option of using a co-driver.

Phillip Island will be followed by a sprint round at Eastern Creek (Shannons), Bathurst, Sandown GT Classic and Homebush.

– GRANT ROWLEY

Changes at Brock – and Collingwood AFL footballer Heath Shaw (son PETER Brock was at the Albert of Brock’s close friend and Park Grand Prix circuit in spirit magpie legend Ray Shaw), married V8 racing duo Leanne when ambassadors were and Garth Tander and former announced to help promote Holden Dealer Team manager fundraising and sponsorship John Sheppard. avenues for his Peter Brock Now in its 13th year, the Foundation.

Foundation is dedicated The ambassadors include, to the ‘energy of caring’ in L to R, long-time racing rival allocating funds and support Allan Moffat, V8 Supercar for disadvantaged individuals driver Jack Perkins – who also and community groups. represents Youth Diabetes

BROCK FOUNDATION

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Mexico to host A1GP finale A1GP

THE final round of the 2008-09 A1GP series will be in Mexico City on May 24.

The round, originally set for March, was moved because of a clashing Radiohead concert at the same Hermanos Rodriguez venue. The series was originally planned to end at the Brands Hatch round in England.

“It is very important for the series to go back to Mexico City, especially as it won the award for being the best run event of season three,” said A1GP CEO Pete da Silva.

“The fans have always given us a warm welcome and it will be great to let them witness the finale of what has been a very exciting first season for the Powered-by-Ferrari cars.”

The Mexican race is still no certainty, however, as changes to the track, including modifying a chicane before the final Peraltada corner, are yet to be completed and approved by the local ASN.

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Harker’s on an NHRA roll ...

DRAG RACING AUSTRALIAN expat Funny Car racer Steve Harker scored his third NHRA National event victory recently, stopping Marty Nothstein in the final round of the 22nd annual O’Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals presented by Pennzoil at Houston Raceway Park.

Harker clocked a winning 5.63s at a

slowing 227 mph after Nothstein redlighted at the start.

The top qualifier at 5.55s, Harker disposed of Ro Yale in Round 1, setting the low ET of the meet at 5.526s at a career best speed of 260.56 mph. A second round 5.58/258 stopped Kebin Kinsley, and a 5.56/260 defeated Jay Payne, sending Harker into the final round.

Harker backed up his Houston result in the Division 4 Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series at the Texas Motorplex in Dallas a week later. After qualifying on top at 5.62s, Harker stopped Yale and Burl Brown, before closing the doors on Kinsley for the second straight week, 5.58/256 to 5.76/250.

– DAVE OSTASZEWSKI

Dave Ostaszrewski

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t u b e d 8 V r o f Harris set

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V8 UTES

Marshall Cass

sutton-images.com

Ute rookies vie for V8 test V8 UTES

Dirk Klynsmith

GARY Carson, Paul Williams or Jason Gomersall will get a test drive in a Paul Morris Motorsport Supercheap Auto V8 Supercar this year.

The three Yokohama V8 Ute drivers are the only V8 Ute drivers eligible for this year’s Racer Industries Rookie of the Year Award.

Racer Industries’ Ryan McLeod believes that the V8 Ute Series is an ideal feeder category for the V8 Supercar Series and that this incentive is an opportunity for young drivers to get the chance to progress.

“The Utes are a great category and have seen many drivers move up to the V8’s over the years,” McLeod said.

“We have a history of helping young drivers and think it’s an important stepping stone to the next level in their career.”

Both the 2009 V8 Ute Rookie of the Year and the overall Championship winner will receive test drives at the end of the season with Supercheap Auto Racing.

Glenn McNally took out the award last year and will have his test drive next month.

After one round of the V8 Utes Series at the Clipsal 500, Williams, 25, currently leads Carson, 27, and Gomersall, 37.

RYAL Harris is honing in on a debut in the Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series.

Harris, currently second in the Yokohama V8 Utes Series, is working away at securing funds to compete in V8’s development series after a number of years in the V8 Utes field.

While Harris is committed to completing the rest of the Utes series, he has a strong intention to secure a drive in the Fujitsu class.

Harris has been in regular discussions with Paul Morris about using on of his Commodore VZs and, according to Harris, he’s keen to take Morris up on an offer that’s on the table.

“Paul has said that he’ll look after me with the engineering, set-up and car,” he said.

“I definitely want to be there.

I’d need to get a couple of tests in beforehand. I’ve done a few laps with DJR in the past when I was involved in their team in their Junior Development program. I also drove an unregistered car last year, but I haven’t had much experience in them.”

While Harris is beavering away on securing the right funds to run in the Fujitsu class, he says that his career intention is to run in any Touring Car series around the world.

“Any Touring Car category in the world is what I want to do,” he says.

“V8 Supercars isn’t necessarily what I want to do, but it would obviously be a great start. To be honest, I’d love to race in the British Touring Car Championship. That would be the ultimate. I like that sort of racing – it looks a bit rougher!”

“V8s are obviously quiet unique to drive, but I think if I get a whole day in one, I think I’ll be right.”

– GRANT ROWLEY

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Ash Budd

Early World Series calendar

NASR releases 09/10 WSS calendar, while WSS Management Group and Sprintcars Racing still in talks about future ...

DRAG RACING THE National Association of Speedway Racing has released its World Series Sprintcars schedule for the 2009/10 Season, despite there being no final resolution between the WSS Management Group and new organisation Sprintcars Racing Pty Ltd. While the two groups have remained in constant discussions over the past weeks regarding the category management role, the calendar announcement points towards a resolution in the coming days.

If Sprintcars Racing Pty Ltd gets involved, it will mean a different-looking WSS management group compared to that which has overseen the series in the past.

SR CEO Rodgers told eNews that he is confident of a resolution soon and the announcement of the calendar was no great concern.

“To be honest with you, we haven’t spoken

too much about the calendar,” said Rodgers.

“A lot of people see the calendar as the beall and end-all. We see it a long way down our list. We haven’t discussed it within our board as good, bad or indifferent.

“The status at the moment is that we’ve been invited to come back to NASR with a proposal, which we’ve done, and that would see a structure similar to what they’ve proposed and give us a fairly major stake in the running of World Series. NASR is currently considering that.”

NASR’s planned calendar appears to be an improvement from past years, with less rounds and better geographic flow.

World Series Sprintcars is Australia’s premier Sprintcar championships. The 2009/10 season is set to be the 23rd anniversary of the popular title.

NASR has also issued calls for expressions of interest to secure contracted drivers for the new season.

Coast to Coast karting KARTING WITH the Australian National Sprint Kart Championships being held this weekend in Townsville, the Australian Karting Association has confirmed the next three venues for the prestigious national crowns.

Next year, the titles will be held at Victoria’s Puckapunyal circuit, hosted by the Eastern Lions Kart Club.

In 2011, Western Australia will get the titles back on the west coast for the first time

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since 2005. The race meeting will be held at Cockburn, hosted by the Tiger Kart Club.

And for the first time, the Northern Territory will host the nationals, with the Darwin Kart Club running the 2012 event at Hidden Valley.

The national titles are traditionally run on the Easter long weekend.

– GRANT ROWLEY For a full preview of this weekend’s championships, go to page 24.

2009/10 World Series Sprintcars Schedule 1 2 3 4

Brisbane Toowoomba Parramatta TBC

November 21 November 28 December 5 December 12

SPEEDWEEK 5 Speedway City 6 Murray Bridge 7 Mt Gambier 8 Avalon 9 Warrnambool

December 26 December 27 December 28 December 30 January 1

10 11 12 13 14

January 8/9 January 10 January 15/16 February 3 February 5/6

Brisbane Toowoomba Parramatta TBC Kwinana

5 Minutes with ...

RYAN BRISCOE Penske’s ace driver is feeling pretty happy after a series-opening win at St Petersburg Q: Ryan, tell us about your day ...

RYAN BRISCOE: I think it really started off for me when Roger [Penske] called me in for that first pit stop.

We short-pitted just because I was starting to get held up by [Dario] Franchitti. He really slowed up on that first set of tyres, and we dropped off at least a second and a half. We were just getting held up. We short-pitted, came out of the pits, and there was a full course caution. So that put me to the front.

Up until Justin [Wilson] came out of the pits in front of me, I was sort of commanding the race, and the car was great. My car was a little bit better on the harder tyre. But as far as consistency goes, it was hard to say which was better.

I think maybe the red tyre, the softer one, was a little more consistent.

At the end of the race, it was just all about the restarts and trying to keep heat in the tyres, getting traction off the last corner and making sure you could brake well into Turn 1.

How gratifying was it to cross this place off the list after it’s been the scene of some bad circumstances for you in the past?

It’s much like Milwaukee last year. Certainly coming into it this year, we knew we could run well. I’ve led laps each other time I’ve raced here, but we’ve just never gotten the job done.

Really the key today, the main goal, was to get the car to the finish line, and I wasn’t going to do anything

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desperate with Justin at the end there. I knew there were important points.

I think as we get to the ovals, Justin with Coyne is probably going to struggle a little bit more than we will. And second place today was going to be a great finish, but I saw the opportunity, and went for the win.

On a day like today where a lot of the key players were a little bit further back, certainly those extra 10 points are very valuable.

It’s a great feeling to get the win here in St. Pete. Certainly another sort of relieving win as I crossed the finish line.

With Helio’s status still up in the air, Roger Penske said this weekend that you’re the guy on this team now. Does it feel good to be able to sort of justify that the first time out and get the victory and assure yourself of that status at Penske? And does it feel good also that the two guys who finished up there on the podium with you, Justin and Ryan, also are under‑the‑radar guys and you guys are the story of the season opener now?

It’s certainly been tough not having Helio, but no matter who my team-mate was going into this year, my approach was the same. I wanted to come in carrying off the experience I gained last year and try to kick the season off gaining points and trying to go for this championship.

I do feel as though I’ve probably taken on slightly more of a leadership role with Team Penske with Will (Power)

coming on board, just letting him feel comfortable and showing him the ropes.

Like Homestead I was doing some laps in his car just to make sure it was all right. But Will is doing a great job. He’s a great asset to the team, and he’s extremely fast. I think we’re going to see big things from him.

With Justin and Ryan, they both won races last year, and they’re great drivers.. Racing with them at the end there in those tricky conditions, it was extremely clean racing and it was hard‑fought, but they were extremely fair, both when I was passing Justin and when I was trying to hold off Hunter‑Reay.

So it was good fun racing with those guys today.

What’s your take on what happened on the first lap, and why do you think there were so many mistakes and misadventures today?

I haven’t really seen what happened on the first corner.

I just know I was coming down, staying as close to Tony (Kanaan) as I could. I wasn’t being super‑aggressive, I just wanted to defend my position.

And then I saw, I think, Dario got on the inside of Tony, and Tony was getting pushed out into me, so I was just looking everywhere except straight ahead of me going into Turn 1.

And I saw Tony got hit, I think, and he was coming out sort of between ‑‑ into my side, and so I had to go wide.

I think I had someone on the outside of me, and really I was just trying to avoid contact from the inside, just going as wide as I could to

avoid getting caught up in the accident. Luckily I was able to get through without having touched anyone.

That was the goal going into the start.

You never know on this track, but I was pretty happy to come out third even though Dario came from pretty far back to get in front of me. But it was a good start for me. I haven’t seen it, though.

I wanted to ask you, from your perspective, being with Penske, do you welcome this new competition with Dale Coyne coming in, and Vision Racing, and some of these guys that in the past, or teams in the past that weren’t necessarily considered in the same realm? Do you welcome that and see that as being a very positive thing for the league?

I think it just proves the competitiveness of this championship. You don’t have to be with the biggest team or the team with the most experience to win races here.

I don’t know how many years we’ve been on the same car, this Dallara. It’s a great chassis, but it’s been so long that it’s really given everyone the chance to know all the secrets, know what set-ups to put on – there’s not really much you can invent right now to go faster.

Where bigger teams with newer equipment may be able to make that slightly bigger difference, with this car right now I think anyone who goes out looking for the information can find it and make a competitive car.

chat

IndyCar Media

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opinion Jame Whincup V8 Supercar Champion THE new qualifying session on Sunday, for me, means more track time, and that’s a bonus.

It means we get to drive the cars more, and I’m in massive favour of that. I love my motorsport and to drive a car as fast as I can, and it’s very tough with only four test days each year. You simply don’t get a lot of miles in the cars outside of a race weekend, Any extra opportunity I get to drive a V8 Supercar is a good thing, and an extra 20 minutes is great.

In a regulation change like this, there’s going to be winners and losers. It’s the same for everyone.

I understand that the new 20 minute session is going to be run just before the race, but I don’t think that will affect us too much. At TeamVodafone, all we’d change is a few basic things – tyre pressures, ride heights. I guess it would change from team to team.

We wouldn’t be changing springs or geometry. It’s just the basic stuff to get the car from qualifying to race trim.

But there’s going to be some sob stories out there!

There’s going to be carnage and some hard-luck stories where people just don’t get a time in. That’s the way its goes. As I said before, there’s going to be winners and losers, but its an equal opportunity for everybody.

I was quite vocal about the one qualifying session rule. I wasn’t in favour of that. To be honest, I didn’t expect something as crazy as this, but it does put a smile on my face. The extra track time is great and, man, it’s gonna be tough! I reckon it will be really good.

It’s also good that V8 Supercars have listened to the drivers comments. I know that drivers aren’t supposed to make rules, and we don’t want to be involved in that, it looks like V8SA has taken in the drivers’ and teams’ thoughts and made a call to make it better for everyone.

So from here, we go to Hamilton, and I’m hoping that I’ll get a much cleaner run this time!

Mo

Letters

Have your say – email us at mail@mnews.com.au.

Qualifying Solution I was really ticked off a couple of weeks ago when I went to the Clipsal 500 and saw what a real mess V8SA made of the qualifying system. I was glad to read somewhere recently that they are looking at changing back to the old

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system, with some luck it will be in time for the next round.

Don’t get me wrong; the way they do it is great, and to see the top 10 shoot out back was a real buzz. But if they want to make qualifying interesting why not look at bringing back the real

meaning behind it, I mean really qualify. If they release the extra licences that disappeared recently they could make the field larger, say around 32-34 cars and keep the grid to 30 cars.

Sure it would seem unfair on the back markers but think of

this: at Adelaide, Dale Wood crashed before qualifying and Cam McConville crashed during it. Those two would be sidelined and there would still be a full grid. It could also work in the case of too many engine changes, major rule breech, and maybe ownership issues.

opinion

opinion Steven Johnson Jim Beam Racing

WooHoo! More Track Time!

Phil Williams

Also if someone has a severe crash on Saturday and can’t make it to the grid for Sunday they could use one of the guys on the bench and still have a full grid.

Imagine a race where there is 30 cars on the track and Garth Tander or Craig Lowndes are in the shed and some other up-and-comer is racing and he qualified 32nd.

OK I know it wouldn’t work at all circuits and the overseas events would be right out of

the question but these guys could still make a larger grid at the enduros. And I’m sure it wouldn’t always be the same blokes missing out each race too.

Just a thought, and it would make that first session so much more important.

Go Jamie, back to back crowns!!!!!!

Keep up the good work boys.

Ben Randall Adelaide

I HEARD about the revised qualifying rule this morning and I think that it is a fair call.

The system we have been using basically did not work. Each race is now a round by itself, so you were effectively qualifying for only half the races. It was a little bit like qualifying at Phillip Island and having the result of that sessioncount for that race and the Bathurst 1000!

Also, half the drivers will still be asleep on Sunday morning so it might work out alright for us early risers! But, if you manage to have a good session, like I did at Clipsal, that will be good.

I think that it is good to admit that there has been a mistake and to change it.

In the past, there have been decisions that have not been so good for the sport. And, even if no-one liked it, they have stayed.

There has been a fair bit of scrutiny over this one and it is the right decision to change it.

It is not going to cost anything, as we are not adding another 20 minutes on top of anything that we were already doing.

It costs just as much money to do a 20minute qualifying session as it does to do a 20 minute warmup session.

A lot of the guys, including me, do not put the car on the line in a warm-up session but now, you will see us having a really good crack at it on Sunday.

People who are good qualifiers will be advantaged a great deal, but that can go both ways.This could shake it up a fair bit.

If you screw up on Saturday, there’s still Sunday!

All good.

Ed: As you can see in the news pages, Randall, they have changed the Q system from Hamilton onwards. Not quite your solution, but different …

and could look up the race dates of the various categories of motorsport at a glance.

Gerry Jacobs Via email

Anybody want a Castrol Calendar?

I enjoy the magazine tremendously and look forward to Tuesdays.

May I ask why the calendar you produced in previous years has not appeared yet? I did have it pinned to my wall

Ed: We did publish the Castrol Motorsport Calendar, as usual, in the February (printed) issue of Motorsport News. It contained all the usual national/international categories. Back issues of that issue are available for $8.95, including postage.

23

AUSTRALIAN KARTING NATIONALS TOWNSVILLE, QUEENSLAND

sutton-images.com

Before a street race visits the town ...

National Champion 24

race preview

Ash Budd

Townsville is set for a big year of motor sport. There’s a new V8 Supercar street race there in July, but before that, the Sun City Raceway plays host to the 47th National Sprint Kart Championships this weekend ...

ns will be crowned 25

Local Phoenix driver Hayden Stephenson takes you for ...

A Hot Lap of Sun City

LOCAL Townsville driver Hayden Stephensen has spent 17 years of his life tearing up the Sun City track and was victorious in the State Championships when they were held at the venue in 2006.

Here, he gives you a detailed insight into the twists and turns that is Sun City Raceway.

Turn 1 & 2 Could easily be called two corners but generally referred to as a double right-hander.

The entry speeds are the highest of any part of the track and you’ll be looking for a tight entry into the first apex as you’ll be still wide open on the throttle before you tend to slightly drift off the line due to the high entry speeds. You should see a lot of over and under moves put on here. Once you are through the first section of the corner you’ll be looking for the brake pedal pretty quickly to slow the kart down and set up for the for a mid track entry to the second part of the corner. There are a couple of bumps on the exit so you have to be careful not to bounce of line as you’ll be looking for a tight exit off the corner so you can set up for the tightest left hand corner on the track.

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Turn 3 & 4 This is the slowest corner on the track. This is a great corner for late braking and opportunities.

Generally this corner brings first lap pile ups in big classes due to the tightness and one lane driving through it.

It’s the tightest of the track, some 150 degrees as it turns back onto itself. Exit out of this corner will be narrow as it is a quick left/right through turn four onto the highest point of the track - a short 25-metre straight into turn five.

Turn 5 Depending on your drive out of turns 3 and 4, this corner will allow for more passing opportunities.

You’ll be looking for a wide entry as you start your run back down the track. A slight touch of the brakes to get the kart settled and through you go it with a mid track exit, so that you can set up early for turn six.

Turn 6 This is corner should be taken in a very similar line to turn 5 with a quick touch of the brakes to settle the kart.

Perfect lines and exits are critical as it sets you up for the 90-metre long back straight.

Turns 7 & 8 These are two sweeping corners, a left immediately followed by a right which leads onto the 90-metre back straight.

The left is wide open and also the right, but can be a seat of your pants corner if your kart isn’t dialled in – you could very quickly find yourself with four wheels on the grass.

Turn 9 This corner is located at the end of the back straight and is another great corner for late braking and more passing opportunities.

This turn drops away from apex to exit and the outside of the track seems to come up very quickly as you try get the best run out of it. A lot of drivers will tend to drop a wheel off on the exit of the corner here.

Turn 10 This is the second-last corner on the track. Many titles have been won and lost here. You’ll be looking for a smooth run so that your kart doesn’t wash off any speed leaving you vulnerable as you enter the final turn.

It’s a fast corner with a slight

lift on the throttle for entry to allow you to point the kart at the apex then power through the turns to ensure that you have a good drive to the final turn. This corner also drops away and a lot of dropped wheels will be seen here on exit.

Turn 11 This is the final corner on the track. This is another corner where lots of titles have been won and lost. It will be the place to be watching from for the finals.

This corner is an up hill run from turn 10. You’ll be looking for the widest possible entry to this turn, as this is probably the most important corner on the track, as exit speeds sets up your run down the 160m long front straight.

Exit on this corner tightens up so be careful not to drop a wheel. Once you’ve got a clean exit you’ll be setting yourself for a defensive line down the straight and, hopefully, to a national title ...

race preview

Clubman Heavy: All or nothing KARTING

C

lubman Heavy has emerged as the ‘Class to win’ at this year’s National Sprint Kart Championships, sponsored by Yamaha, in Townsville.

No less than 10 current or former national champions are entered in the field, making CH the ‘must see’ races of the Nationals.

Those previous national title holders in the CH field include Matt Wall, Troy Hunt, Brad Fitch, Jason Hryniuk, Jason Pringle, Bart Price, Kel Treseder, Jason Varley, Remo Luciani and defending class Champ Shayne Piper.

The last six winners of the class are all entered.

But if consistency counts for anything, then count Luciani as a prime contender.

The 48-year-old karting businessman/ stalwart last won the competitive class in Dubbo back in 1995, but he has six national titles to his name, including six podiums over the last seven years!

Another exciting addition to the Clubman Heavy field is New Zealand driver Dale Verrall. The Kiwi is a four-time NZ champ and will be amongst the leading group if things fall his way.

While Clubman Heavy may be the pick of the 2009 bunch, there are nine other ‘green and gold’ plates up for grabs in the North Queensland town.

The championships have attracted the top drivers from every state and territory in the country with a total of 298 entries having been processed for the Easter event.

The other classes competing are Junior National Light, Junior National Heavy, Junior Clubman, Clubman Light, Clubman Super Heavy, Leopard Light, Leopard Heavy, Senior National Light and Senior National Heavy.

Will local track knowledge come into play? The North Queensland region will be well represented with many drivers looking forward to the opportunity to competing on the biggest stage in Australian karting.

Some of the drivers expected to fly the local Townsville flag high at the Championships include Hayden Stephensen, Corey James, Kaydon Iverson and Brad Belcher.

For Stephensen, above, this is his big shot at obtaining a title on ‘his’ track.

The 24-year-old’s father Brian has

spent hundreds of hours over the past few months preparing the venue for the event. Brian will be Hayden’s mechanic at the championships while his mother Wendy Smith will be working in an official capacity at the circuit.

Qualifying for the National Championships will be held on Friday April 10 with heat races to be contested on Saturday April 11 followed by the Championship Finals on Sunday April 12.

For full coverage of the Nationals, stay tuned to karting.net.au for daily updates. Also, log into to eNews next issue for next-day coverage – and if that’s not enough, grab the next edition of the Motorsport News monthly print magazine for our special supplement – ‘Kart Formula’ – focusing on the 2009 National Sprint Kart Championships.

27

AUSTRALIAN RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND 1 – FOREST RALLY

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race

Taking the last step The Raymond brothers Glen and Matt have been on the minor steps of the ARC podium very regularly in the last 12 months. In Western Australia last weekend, they finally took the top step

Joel Strickland

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I

T took a little bit of luck in the first heat, but last weekend Glen Raymond took his first Australian Rally Championship round win at the Forest Rally in Western Australia.

Raymond, who last season switched to a privately-run Group N(P) Toyota Corolla, has been on the verge of breaking his ARC duck since the latter part of 2008. And when title contenders (and former team-mates) Neal Bates both came unstuck on the very first proper stage of the weekend, Evans with a gearbox failure, Bates with a broken steering rack, it was Raymond’s time to shine.

He set the Heat win up with storming drive on SS8 (“on one stage we seemed to beat everyone really easily; I’m not sure how it happened, but we’ll take it!”), holding on to take top honours ahead of Eli Evans, who was in a spare Subaru after his big crash in Canberra, and Darren Windus, who was returning to the ARC in the second Neal Bates Motorsport entry.

Thanks to the misfortune of his competitors, Raymond didn’t need to win the second Heat to win the rally. That honour went to Bates, while third in Heat 2 was enough to seal the outright round win for Raymond and his brother Matt.

“To win the Heat yesterday for the first time and to come third today is fantastic,” said an elated Raymond.

“It’s what we have been working for since we

30

started rallying.”

Simon Evans was also a big mover and shaker in the second heat, his privateer team rebuilding the engine on their Mitsubishi Evo IV overnight to allow the former champ to finish second in the Heat and salvage fourth for the rally.

Bates was eventually classified third overall for the event, just behind Eli Evans, which was enough to elevate him into the championship lead after three rounds.

“We finished 10th yesterday and today’s win is the best I could do,” he said.

“The roads were really slippery but the Corolla was set-up to deal with that. Simon [Evans] not finishing yesterday has helped us out and we are now leading the championship.”

Windus failed to capitalise on his fast start in Heat 1, crashing heavily in Heat 2. His Super 2000 Corolla took a belting when it clipped a tree stump on SS16 – and then was hit by the next car on the road, the rally-winning Raymond entry!

“It was a left, and on the outside there was a stump and we hit it,” explained John Allen, Windus’ co-driver. “It was a side impact, basically the worst kind of accident you really want.”

Neither Windus nor Allen were injured in the crash. Justin Dowell also rolled during the second Heat, and will be in a spare Mitsubishi when the championship resumes in Queensland next month.

race

Joel Strickland

Joel Strickland

Third equals first: Neal Bates, above, and Simon Evans, below left, both had mechanical problems in the west, but Bates still left with the championship lead. Eli Evans bounced back from a last-round crash to finish a solid second, left, while Darren Windus’ return to rallying was marred by a crash of his own, bottom.

Joel Strickland

AUSTRALIAN RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP | points Bates 199, S Evans 186, Raymond 174, E Evans 116, Dowel 112.

Joel Strickland Joel Strickland

31

NASCAR SPRINT CUP ROUND 7 – SAMSUNG 500, TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY, TX

Hi Ho, Silver!

It took Jeff Gordon 17 attempts to win at Texas Motor Speedway. When he broke his drought, he did it in style.

By MARTIN D CLARK

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race

Toyota Motorspots

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NASCAR Media

J

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this guy come from?’”

A Gordon win looked doomed when Carl Edwards swept past him late in the race, but the pitstops decided the race.

Gordon was first out, Edwards 11th, and the writing was on the wall.

Johnson’s second place was a true test of a championship team as the Hendrick crew made a multitude of changes during the race, while Greg Biffle caught and passed Tony Stewart for third at the chequered flag.

Gordon headed the first seven laps from the outside front row before polesitter David Reutimann took over up front and headed the pack until lap 47 when Matt Kenseth took his Roush Fenway Racing Ford to the front.

Kenseth and his stablemate Greg Biffle lead the chunk of the laps until Jeff Gordon

Toyota Motorsports

EFF Gordon took his first Sprint Cup points win since October 2007 on Sunday at the Texas Motor Speedway with a win over his team-mate Jimmie Johnson.

It was the four-time Champion’s first win in 17 races at the track, leaving Homestead Miami Speedway as the only track on the tour that he has not celebrated in victory lane.

“It’s great to end this streak at Texas,” said Gordon after win number 82, and his first victory in 48 races.

“This place has eluded us for so long. This was an incredible team effort, we never had a great car like this at Texas before.

We were fast at the beginning then it got really loose. We went too far and over adjusted, but we tuned it back up and the pit stop were just amazing. My team-mate just [Johnson] won’t go away, I was like ‘where did

elected not to pit during the third caution and headed the way through caution five, when Dale Earnhardt Jr and Brian Vickers pitted for two tyres, sandwiching Gordon.

During the same caution Kenseth’s team left a lug nut loose and dropped him from contention to end his day fifth, and starting the Roush teams troubles in the pits. On the restart the lapped Kyle Busch sideswiped Junior and moved him up the banking, leaving

Gordon to stake claim on the lead again.

Edwards took the lead from Gordon after a duel over a handful of laps, with Stewart following Edwards through and drop kicking Gordon back to third.

The sixth and final caution, brought out by a David Stremme spin, saw Gordon off pit road first with a wedge adjustment ahead of Stewart and Johnson, who soon muscled past Stewart on the restart with

NASCAR | SAMSUNG 500, TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY, TX 1 24 2 48 3 16 4 14 5 17 6 5 7 42 8 2 9 31 10 99 41 47 NASCAR Media

At last! Jeff Gordon ended a long winless streak with a burnout in Texas, left. Marcos Ambrose, left inset, turned blue and his engine turned bluer. Jimmie Johnson, above, was second in a Hendrick 1-2.

Q2 9 14 7 3 23 16 28 15 13 11

NASCAR SPRINT CUP | pointS J Gordon 1154, Johnson 992, Kurt Busch 974, Bowyer 967, Stewart 963, Hamlin 938, Kyle Busch 914, Edwards 889, Kenseth 864, Kahne 851, (Ambrose 28th 656)

No Burning, Busch NATIONWIDE

NATIONWIDE SERIES TEXAS Kyle Busch overwhelmed the competition at Texas on Saturday, leading all but 22 of the 200 laps and taking his third Nationwide Series win in as many races at the mile and a half track.

Due to the new cost cutting rules by NASCAR, Busch did not do the customary burnout as they have elected to have the Toytota engine sealed by NASCAR for use by his Joe Gibbs team in a future race.

The ruling set over the winter came into place at Texas and teams can’t use a new engine in more than three consecutive races.

“That’s the first time I haven’t done a burnout after a win,”

NASCAR Media

27 laps to run, while Biffle got high and the majority of the field swept by.

Marcos Ambrose continued his impressive streak with a fine 11th place qualifying effort in his Clorox Toyota and he rallied as high as sixth, at one point passing Gordon for that spot inside the 50th lap.

Not long after that Marcos was complaining of a sticking throttle, which the JTG Daugherty team attempted to fix under caution on lap 157. However the engine soured and under the next caution, his crew pushed him from his pit stall. He had been holding 18th, the last car on the lap when the TRD engine detonated to air caution three on lap 220. Ambrose finished 41st and drops seven positions in the standings to 28th.

Jeff Gordon Chevy Hendrick/DuPont Jimmie Johnson Chevy Hendrick/Lowe’s Greg Biffle Ford Roush Fenway/3M Tony Stewart Chevy Stewart Haas/Old Spice Matt Kenseth Ford Roush Fenway/DeWalt Mark Martin Chevy Hendrick/Cheez-it J P Montoya Chevy Earnhardt Ganassi/Target Kurt Busch Dodge Penske/Miller Lite Jeff Burton Chevy Childress/Caterpillar Carl Edwards Ford Roush Fenway/Aflac Marcos Ambrose Toyota JTG Daugherty/Kingsford

said Busch, who saved life on his engine and will set a trend for future Nationwide races.

Brad Keselowski was closing on Busch in the final laps.

“It was going to be a battle if the caution hadn’t come out,” continued Busch.

A spin by Jon Wes Townley

unfurled the yellow flag on lap 187 and Busch and Keselowski race side by side while point leader Carl Edwards and Joey Logano made contact behind.

Stewart, who had pitted for four tyres during the caution, was making waves through the pack and passed Keselowski for second with three laps to run.

David Regan and Paul Menard also pitted for tyres in the final caution and the ended their days fourth and fifth respectively.

Edwards’s 18th place result moved Busch to within 38 points of Edwards in the title chase, while Penske’s rookie Justin Allgaier, who finished fifth to move to fifth in the standings, continues to impress.

– MARTIN D CLARK

35

INDYCAR SERIES ROUND 1 – HONDA GP OF ST PETERSBURG, FL

Streets + Race = Bri

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iscoe

race

When Ryan Briscoe won the final IndyCar race on the streets of Surfers, it was hardly a surprise.

So, when the circus fired up for 2009 in St Petersburg, guess what happened?

Honda Racing

37

T

HERE were crashes and bashes, and sun, surf and sea. And Ryan Briscoe took his second successive IndyCar win.

The Aussie took the lead from Justin Wilson over the final laps, and while spectators resorted to their programs to see who was drivin\ng what, withstood a challenge from Ryan Hunter-Reay to take the win.

While some of the category’s big names struggled, it was left to the new combinations to shine. But a fair bit of the race, it looked like Wilson would end Dayle Coyne’s career-long losing streak. The lanky Pom drove around the outside of polesitter Graham Rahal at the bstart, the young American tagged by Tony Kanaan and triggering a multi-car melee. But Wilson lost track position because of a yellow, and when Scott Dixon triggered another caution when he punched his Ganassi car into the concrete, another restart was called for.

That is when Briscoe leapt past Wilson, and Hunter-Reay followed him past to make it a Ryan 1-2.

“We have led laps other times here but haven't been able to put it together,” Briscoe said in victory lane. “What a feeling and a big relief to win the race, and it is great to open the season with a win. Team Penske made awesome pit stops and it was great racing

38

with these guys at the end. Roger Penske calls my strategy, and it was just absolutely perfect today.”

For Hunter-Reay, who only got his ride confirmed five days before the race weekend, the result was a highlight.

“Seven days ago that car was sitting in the corner of the team's garage collecting dust,” he beamed. “The crew is new; I just met them a week ago. The finish is for my team and sponsors.”

The Vision team still doesn’t know what to do with success; its post-race media release features quotes from Ed Carpenter first (he qualified nowhere, and finished in about the same spot) before it gets onto RHR. Oh, well.

The race was a strong return by Dario Franchitti after his NASCAR disappointments, and he expects more than fourth in future races.

Will Power never quite had the speed of his team-mate, and in his first race in Penske colours, the Queenslander was sixth.

However, with the next race on the other side of the country, at Long Beach, expect more. In what was the last race for Panoz Champ Cars, Power obliterated the field there last year, so be unsurprised if an Aussie in a red and white car wins for the third race in a row in California.

INDYCAR | HONDA GP of st petersburg, fl 1 6 2 21 3 19 4 10 5 11 6 3 7 02 8 23 9 14 10 34

Ryan Briscoe Aus Ryan Hunter-Reay USA Justin Wilson UK Dario Franchitti GB Tony Kanaan Br Will Power Aus Graham Rahal USA Darren Manning GB Vitor Meira Br Alex Tagliani Can

Team Penske Vision Racing Dayle Coyne Target Ganassi Andretti Green Team Penske Newman Haas Lanigan Dreyer & Reinbold AJ Foyt Conquest Racing

Q4 14 2 5 3 6 1 10 17 7

INDYCAR | pointS Briscoe 50, Hunter-Reay 40, Wilson 37, Franchitti 32, Kanaan 30, Power 28, Rahal 27, Manning 24, Meira 22, Tagliani 20.

Back to work after a long winter: It was five-wide at the first corner, with L to R, Dario Franchitti, Tony Kanaan, Graham Rahal, Ryan Briscoe and Justin Wilson jostling for the lead.

Clockwise from far left: Ryan Hunter-Reay got his relationship with Vision Racing off to an unexpected start with second place. Justin Wilson looked for much of the race like giving Dayle Coyne his first IndyCar win as an owner. Franchitti looked solid in fourth. Will Power came home sixth. Rahal’s pole position made him the youngest pole winner in the history of the series (20 years, 90 days).

All Images: Honda Racing

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WORLD SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND 3 – VALENCIA, SPAIN

Reign in Spain Noriyuki Haga took both wins – and a commanding series lead – at Valencia

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Ducati Corse

TROY Bayliss used to dominate at Valencia – he won his last MotoGP race there three years ago – but even without the Aussie, Ducati’s form carries on at the Spanish track.

Ben Spies interrupted the domination of the Italian Vtwins, taking second in Race 2 but a fall in the opening encounter left Noriyuki Haga and Michel Fabrizio to take a 1-2 and a 1-3, in the process the Japanese ace putting a chokehold on his title ambitions.

“We did a great job this weekend,” said Nitro, main pic, after his double win.

“I think one of the reasons is that after Qatar I did some ‘age training’! But anyway today 50 points is a great advantage over Ben and I’m very happy with this double win.”

For Spies, below, it was a tough weekend. His intended race bike tumbled in practice, and as usual, he was coming

from behind when he fell in Race 1, while challenging Max Neukirchner for second place. But even had he enjoyed a smooth weekend, Haga appeared to have a couple of tenths margin over the opposition.

Just to rub salt into the wounds, the best of the rest was another Ducati rider. Regis Laconi took two fourth places in a return to his Phillip Island form, while close behind him in both races was Leon Haslam.

The British rookie is proving to be by far the best of Honda’s racers, and the Stiggy team is making the HRC-backed Ten Kate team look like the one having a debut year in Superbikes, rather than the other way around.

Of the rest, the Maxes had mixed weekends, Neikirchner mixing his Race 1 third place with an eighth, wjile Biaggi showed more speed on the Aprilia, on a weekend when team-mate Shinja Nakano broke his collarbone in a practice fall.

Points: Haga 135, Spies 95, Neukirchner 65, Fabrizio 60, Haslam 58, Laconi 56, Biaggi 54, Sykes 47, Kagayama 35, Rea 33.

CAL Crutchlow gave Yamaha its first Supersport win of 2009, moving past Ant West on the final lap. Crutchlow is now equal leader of the series with Kenan Sufuoglu, who was third. Andrew Pitt had a troubled race and was 13th.

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Neil Hammond

Junior takes op INDY LIGHTS

First round fire VMRC Perfect conditions and quality racing featured at the first round of the Victorian Motor Racing Series.

Among the stars were within the TT class with Perry Bullivant and his BMW 7.1 litre having a very hard fought racing debut win from Richard Renatos super quick Volvo.

Sunday’s first race saw the demise of the Volvo from the meeting by finishing on its side out of turn three following severe braking problems.The BMW managed three wins to Phillip Websters one.

In the Saloon Cars events, Simon Tabinor and Tim Rouse were in close precision racing all weekend with Tim only able to find his way past once. Third places went to South Aussie Brad Fox on three occasions while David Heath got the other.

In Future Racers, Nathan Jess dominated as he cleaned up on all occassions. Kosi Kalaitzidis was next best with other placing were shared by Robert Free, Rodney Barnes and Chris Clearihan.

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Improved Production saw James Atkinson show his talent to win all four but it was never easy with the challeges from Mark Rutas’s RX7, Ross Tomainos flame-engulfed Lancer Turbo, pictured above, and Neil Crowes’ Commodore.

The Torana A9X vs XU-1 battle of Rule and McKay spent many safe laps together which unfortunately couldn’t be said of the yellow RX7s of Zourkas and Allway as they met with heavy impact exiting the sweeper in the final.

Under 2 litre Sports Sedans were all won by Barry Megaw with Jamie Augustine never far away second and Sam Speer always next in his Datsun 1200.

Further back, the cars showed the scars of many close encouters during the weekend.

BMW E30 racers saw Matt Martin way out in front.

Andrew Adams finished second in all five races but gave Martin a run for his money in the final event.

Reuben Herries and David Levy twice had the thirds until Paul Kertes worked up to there in the final following his woes of Saturday.

– Neil Hammond

Junior Strous left the first roun of the Firestone Indy Lights with the series lead after two crushing wins at St Petersburg last weekend, “The team has done an amazing job,” said Strous.

“We’re a new outfit so this gives us a lot of confidence for our next race at Long Beach. We saved our tyres in qualifying, so for both races we had a new set of tyres while the other guys ran used tyres.

“Both races it was hard to get the temperature in, but after about 10 laps the Firestones really gave me enough grip to win the race.”

Behind Strous was Jonathan Summerton who finished second in Race 1 and stormed

back from 14th to fourth in the second race.

Third outright in the series is James Hinchcliffe from Daniel Herrington and Jay Howard.

Australian James Davison had a promising first round, driving for Vision Racing. The Victoria qualified fourth before finishing Race 1 in eighth and Race 2 in 17th.

In the first race, Davison jumped to third on the opening lap to second place where he ran for several laps before getting loose in dirt and debris on the course from a previous incident. The bobble caused Davison to slip back through the field until he eventually regained control and held steady in the eighth spot until the finish.

In Race 2, he again started

Wootton: Second plac FBMW PACIFIC Australian Formula BMW Junior, Chris Wootton scored two runner up placings in Formula BMW Pacific under changeable conditions at Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia.

The Brisbane-based 20-yearold made a poor start in Race 1, slipped down the field before behind shunted from behind

and running into a rival ahead of him. The crash damaged his wing, but he raced on to take a remarkable second place.

In the second race, Wootton, driving for Eurasia Motorsport, made a magnificent start and raced to an early lead, but changeable weather conditions made him the pioneer when it came to testing out track conditions. He caught a waterlogged piece

race

David Ostaszewski

pening blow from the fourth spot and was running a solid race from the fifth position when he was punted from behind by Richard Philippe in the No. 36 car on lap 23 of 40.

The incident put Davison in the back of the field in the 22nd position and cost him valuable championship points and a potential top five finish. Davison soldiered on to finish 17th in the race which combined with his eighth place finish yesterday, gives him 37 points (63 behind the leader) and places him in the 12th spot for the Indy Lights championship point standings.

The second round of the Firestone Indy Lights Series resumes in two weeks from the streets of Long Beach on Sunday, April 19th.

Double wins for Don Schumacher ce FBMW Pacific debut Racing of racetrack and went off the circuit, dropping back to third.

Ultimately, he was able to fight his way back to second in the shortened race, finishing behind Indonesian race winner, Rio Haryanto (who won both races). Finishing third was Irishman Gary Thompson.

Only half points were awarded for the second race it was shortened due to time constraints.

Chris sits second in Formula BMW Pacific points after this weekend’s sensational start.

“I’m happy with the result overall – it shows that we have pace and we’ve got a great platform for the rest of the season.

“It’s going to be very, very tight between Gary, Rio and I right throughout the season, but we’ve shown we’re right in there.

DRAG RACING Don Schumacher Racing scored double wins in the fuel classes as the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series completed its fifth event into the 2009 season in Las Vegas.

Tony Schumacher scored his second Top Fuel win in as many weeks, while teammate, Ron Capps notched his third Funny Car win of the year. Jeg Coughlin took the honors in Pro Stock at the SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals.

Schumacher jumped into the points lead in his quest for an unprecedented sixth straight series championship with a commanding final round victory over Brandon Bernstein. Schumacher’s U.S. Army dragster stopped the timers in 3.87-seconds at 311 mph to stop the Budweiser

dragster’s 4.00/295. For the day, Schumacher got past Terry Haddock, Cory McClenathan, and low qualifier Shawn Langdon.

Capps snapped back from his two-event slump after taking the first two events of the year, with his 27th career win and third of ’09 over teammate Matt Hagen.

Capps Napa Auto parts Dodge clocked a winning 4.18/297 to stop Hagen’s 4.33/248. Earlier, Capps defeated Brian Thiel, Mike Neff, and Robert Hight.

Coughlin posted his second win of the year, driving the Jeg’s Mail Order Chevrolet Cobalt to a 6.71/205 win over Greg Stanfield, who fouled in the final round. In taking his 43rd career win, Coughlin had earlier outdistanced Kurt Johnson, low qualifier Mike Edwards and Jason Line.

– DAVID OSTASZEWSKI

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Odd Spot

Tender loving car

Joel Strickland

Eli Evans loves his rally car, and he would never want to see it injured in any way.

So after he rolled it at Canberra last month, the team took it to the local hospital, resuscitated it and conducted some serious rehabilitation. And in an unbelievable comeback, the Subaru made it to the Forest Rally in WA last weekend. Amazing.

The only visible scar on the car was covered up by this band-aid, left, on the bonnet.

We can only assume that this story will feature sometime soon on one of those TV shows – like Triple Zero Heroes, Amazing Medical Stories or even Bondi Rescue ...

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