Motorsport eNews Issue 100 - April 15-20, 2009 by V8 Sleuth

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Issue No. 100 15 – 20 April 2009

Murphy’s

LAw

kiwi favourite gives hamilton street course changes HIS Approval

En du ro Se at s fi ll in g we name walkinshaw racing’s star recruit

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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

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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. 100 | 14–20 April 2009

news 4 Driver’s speak out 6 Musical Chairs 8 Inta are Outa ... 12 Works of Art 14 Pensk-three 16 AJ with the lot

chat 20 5 minutes with ... opinion 22 Clark race 24 Kart Nats 30 A1GP 34 Bathurst Historics 38 British F3 40 Speedway

trade 42 Classifieds

The ‘V8DA’s’ first scalp Who will be where at PI? New team loses sponsor Ralliart, that is, in Proddies Will Roger go for a hattie? ‘Dinger gets a good deal Greg Murphy E-asy does it? The big, and small, winners Luck of the Swiss Nice place for a long weekend Go, Ricciardo, Go! Hitting the Easter trail

0.009s. That’s the gap that seperated an ectatic Blake Sciberras and a highly disappointed Scott Sorensen at last weekend’s Australian National Sprint Kart Championships at Townsville.

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.

Ash Budd

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

Revisions to Hamilton 400 street cour

Murph: Drivers will V8 SUPERCARS REVISIONS to the Hamilton street course have been given the tick of approval by New Zealand’s perennial favourite Greg Murphy. The Sprint Gas Racing driver visited his home track last week, noting a number of minor, yet significant changes to the street track that “most people wouldn’t notice it, but the drivers will.” Murphy detailed the street track tweaks in an email to his fellow V8 Supercar drivers, making his 29 V8 Supercars competitors aware of the adjustments. The four-time Bathurst winner’s email, though, is not part of the driver’s track safety forum that was conceived in Adelaide last month. The Kiwi stressed that his email was simply to assure his rivals that their concerns from the inaugural meeting last year have been rectified.

“The letter was more to do with the fact that after our first visit to Hamilton last year, a few things would be better if they were slightly changed – and they have been,” he said after his inspection of the track with circuit construction manager Steve Vuleta. “This really isn’t anything to do with safety issues, because Hamilton is generally a pretty safe circuit in comparison to other street tracks. It does pretty well. The email was just me being there and coming back to everybody to tell them what has happened since last year.” Minor, yet significant changes have been made to the testing Hamilton track. The entry to Turn 3 has been reprofiled and the large bump at the change of surface has been deleted. The wall on the

news

100, not out

rse ‘Approved’ by local hero

l notice changes outside at the exit of Turn 3 has also been pushed back and straightened. The controversial chicane on the back straight is modified,, with the kerb at the exit removed, and the wall at the exit pushed back and realigned. Modified tyre bundles will remain on the apexs of the chicanes. Murphy says that this is the circuit’s biggest facelift. “The chicane obviously needed changing,” he said. “It was just too difficult and there was such little room for error. That has been modified and that’s probably the biggest change. That will be a huge benefit.”

Grant Rowley Editor eNews

Turn 5, where Jamie Whincup had his weekend-ending qualifying accident, has also been changed. The exit wall (which Whincup knows intimately!) has been reprofiled and flattened, and the kerb on the outside approaching Turn 6 is gone after the council completed road works to flatten out the surface. The inside wall leading into the apex of Turn 7 has also been pushed back giving better vision through the turn to Turn 8. The Hamilton 400 commences with three practice sessions this Friday with qualifying and Race 1’s 200km race on Saturday. Sunday will see the new 20 minute ‘all-in’ qualifying session followed by the second 200km race. – GRANT ROWLEY

MOTORSPORT eNews celebrates its 100th edition tonight – just over two years after we first changed from our long-standing fortnightly print magazine format. And to say that our internet ‘gamble’ has been anything but a success is an understatement. The ease, accessibility, affordability and environmentally-conscious e-approach has worked out exactly how we originally intended – to deliver you the news in a fast and friendly format. Sure, there are occasional little glitches. Sometimes, a page won’t load quickly enough. Other times, the wife is busy looking at Facebook. But more often than not, eNews is refreshed every Monday night, full of news that you want, race coverage that you need and opinions that make you have a second think ... Reaching 100 is a significant milestone, but it’s only just the start. Making it to this points takes me back to the Bathurst 12 Hour in 2007 – a week before we went ‘live’. A well-known motoring media man assured me that eNews wouldn’t make it past the first year. Sorry bud, we’re now into Year 3, and going strong. Sure, the publisher hasn’t upgraded from the family-sized Audi to the Sports variety, and the editor now lives in the suburbs, but during these tough economical times, eNews continues to be the best value in pitlane – both for the wallet and as an information source. To the eNews team (and those GPWeek jokers who soak up our oxygen in the same room), raise your bats to a hard-fought yet rewarding 100 issues. May the next 100 come just as sweet.

Dirk Klynsmith

eNews through time: The first issue, left, was after the Pukekohe V8 round in 2007. The 50th edition, right, was pre-Hamilton. And the 100th ... Seems our milestones have a Kiwi flavour!

Dirk Klynsmith Dirk Klynsmith

Who wants in? Enduro line ups already starting to take shape ... V8 SUPERCARS Probable

Probable

Dirk Klynsmith

THE 2009 V8 Supercar Championship Series might just be two races ol d, but the race to sign talent for the endurance races is already on. With the expected signing of Shane Price to Walkinshaw Racing (see other story) leaving just one vacant spot there, attention now turns to the remaining competitive drives. One such is Jim Beam Racing, with Warren Luff highly expected to re-sign with the team after doing a good job last year. But while Steve Owen also did a good job for JBR last season, he has already been earmarked by the Holden Racing Team, meaning there is a seat remaining in one of the team’s new Falcons. Grant Denyer will undoubtedly be in the frame for the final seat, given he drives for Dick Johnson Racing in the Fujitsu Series – however his height (or lack thereof ) might be a deal-breaker, given that the centralised seating position in the FG Falcon will make driver changes unusually difficult for the Ford teams. Jason Bright is likely to be paired with Adam Macrow again, although eNews understands that a formal deal between the two, who have shared Fujitsu colours at the enduros for the last two years, has not yet been done. The same goes for Tony Ricciardello at Kelly Racing Team, although expect to see the West Aussie in one of the KRT VE Commodores. Ricciardello was in the frame for the fourth seat pre-season, and he has already tasted Bathurst success once this year with a second place at the Bathurst 12 Hour. – ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN

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Price is Right! Shane favourite for Walkinshaw Racing seat V8 SUPERCARS SHANE Price has emerged as a player in the endurance racing plans of Walkinshaw Racing. Price, 23, is expected to be named as a co-driver with the Clayton-based four-car team this week, following discussions that were due to take place as this edition of Motorsport eNews was being prepared. But what is less clear is whether the former Jack Daniel’s driver will be in red, white or any other shade at Phillip Island and Bathurst. eNews believes that none of the team’s co-drivers are yet slotted into ‘place’ with either the Holden Racing Team, or the Autobarn or Bundaberg Red-backed entries and that the final makeup of the driving combinations

will not be settled until further into the season. The championship positions of HRT’s Garth Tander and Will Davison will be a determining factor in settling which drivers join the two, and Paul Dumbrell and David Reynolds, in their regular entries. This is despite the experience that Craig Baird has with the team, in particular with Tander, in the past. Price has never raced a ‘Clayton’ Commodore – all of his V8 Supercar experience has come in Holdens prepared by Perkins Engineering. After losing his full-time drive in the V8 Supercar Championship Series last year, he raced Holden Motorsport’s entry at the Bathurst 12 Hour this year, and maintains his relationships within the Holden ‘fold’.

Marshall still in the Black

Intabill ends sponsorship deal, but team presses on V8 SUPERCARS TEAM IntaRacing is pressing on with its V8 Supercar program, despite the demise of its sponsorship from Access Cash. Marcus Marshall will race the team’s #77 Ford Falcon this weekend, and for the rest of the season, despite the fact that the team’s major backer has withdrawn. In an interesting development, Daniel Tzvetkoff and Sam Sciacca, the Directors of parent company Intabill who established the team earlier in the year, retain ownership of the team. “In recent weeks we have come to the realisation that diversifying in these difficult market conditions presents too many risks and challenges,” Tzvetkoff said in a media statement. “Hence we have decided to scale back our operation to focus on our core

e-commerce processing platform.” Marshall says that the team is already in discussion with potential replacement sponsors for its ex-Triple Eight BF. “While I am extremely disappointed that we have lost Access Cash as a sponsor, I do understand that the decision to withdraw its support from the team was a business decision and it reflects a restructure of parent company Intabill,” he said. “I’m still excited about the future for the team as we have good equipment and a fantastic crew. This is a really good opportunity for a new sponsor to jump on board and take advantage of the exposure the sport generates, not just in Australia but also globally.” Intabill, which is based in the Brisbane suburb of Milton, is an online company that provides payment facilities for customers here and internationally.

Marshall Cass

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Phil Williams

V8SA’s way of saying ‘Tanks’ No modified 120-litre tanks: smaller tanks for each car V8 SUPERCARS ALL cars will run with 80 litre tanks at the remaining ‘sprint’ rounds of the V8 Supercar Championship Series. Following last week’s news that the fuel capacity of the cars would be cut by 33 percent in the remaining ‘non-endurance’ rounds of the

series, V8 Supercars Australia has advised its teams that the option to modify existing fuel systems to reduce capacity to the new limit would not be permitted. Teams will be supplied with new 75-litre tanks on a one-percar basis, with the additional capacity coming from the existing fuel system (catch-tank

etc) already fitted to the cars. Last week, a number of teams suggested to eNews that the additional cost of modifying existing fuel tanks was not in line with the category’s cost containment policies. But V8SA spokesman Cole Hitchcock says that the new hardware will be paid for by V8SA.

“The tanks will be supplied to the teams FOC (free of charge),” he said. “It will be one tank for each car in the series.” The cars will be returned to their 120-litre status for Phillip Island and Bathurst. No changes will be made to cars competing in the Fujitsu V8 Series.

HOMEBUSH GETS GREEN LIGHT No fireworks, and Frog Patrol will protect wildlife. No, really!

V8 SUPERCARS THE final hurdle facing the Homebush round of the V8 Supercar championship has been overcome, with the Federal Department of Environment and Heritage rejecting calls from green groups to can the race.

However, according to the Sydney the race track … Telegraph, some measures will be taken to The Department’s report found that the preserve certain endangered species: race was not a ‘controlled’ event, and thus Fireworks will be banned, amidst fears does not need ministerial approval to go that resident flying foxes might be hit ahead. However, the newspaper reported, by rockets, and additional patrols will be “daily checks will be undertaken of frog mounted to ensure that endangered green fences within proximity of works areas to and golden bell frogs do not venture onto ensure there are no breaches.”

Kermit is Safe. Smile (laugher optional) IT was a struggle keeping a straight face while editing the above story. Even though it is great news that the December V8 street race now has the final go-ahead, the politicalcorrectness involved in attempting to appease the greens makes you smile.

These would be the same breed of do-gooders which saw a King Lake resident fined $50,000 for cutting a few trees down around his bush home. This home survived the Victorian Black Saturday fires – all the neighbouring houses were destroyed … No fireworks. Okay. The flying foxes are obviously smart enough to stay

grounded on New Years Eve, when millions of dollars worth of incendiaries are let off up and down the Parramatta River. But let’s overlook that. But really, frog patrols? Imagine you’re a frog. There’s a bit of a hullabaloo going on over at Olympic Park. Two choices: go for a hop over by the hot, dry road, squeeze through some massive concrete barriers (boy there’s

opinion Chris Lambden Publisher some noise going on, humans everywhere!) and, oh, squelch; or two, just settle back into the mud and soak up some rays. Yup, any smart frog is going to take the easy option! But, like us humans, there are those out there who think we’re so dumb we can’t work it out for ourselves. I reckon frogs are smarter than they’re given credit for …

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There’s No Place like Home Townsville introduces Home Stay programme for street race V8 SUPERCARS

Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 2.5

VISITORS to Townsville’s maiden V8 Supercar Championship Series round will feel right at home – and some of them will feel right at home in someone else’s home. With hotel/motel accommodation now at a premium in much of the city and surrounding areas, Townsville is set to offer a Home Stay programme, as pioneered at Bathurst, for the Dunlop Townsville 400 V8 race in July. The almost 150,000 population of the city and surrounding suburbs is set to swell significantly during the event, and organisers have been swift to adopt the idea in what is likely to be a popular activity. At the same time, a Tent City option will also be available for visiting fans, based at a High School grounds close to the event centre. You can visit www. townsvillehomestay.com.au to find out more details about the Home Stay program. Applications for accommodation can be made now.

Dunlop takes the Yellow option

THIS is the look that V8 Supercars will wear from Winton, when the new Dunlop ‘Sprint’ tyre will be available. The ‘option’ tyre will have yellow sidewalls while the regular, harder tyre will not carry any marks at all.

Ralliar AUSSIE RACING CARS

THE Aussie Racing Car’s CAMS Young Gun team will expand to two cars for the remainder of season. Jesse Batson, 17, will suit up alongside current CAMS driver Garry Jacobson in a second CAMS entry from the next round at Symmons Plains. “It should it great. I’m pretty excited,” said Batson, who will take part in at least one test day before his Tasmanian debut. “I’ve never raced a race car before, only tested a Formula Ford Winton. “I think it will be a good opportunity. The

MARSHALL CASS

CAMS OPENS DOOR

Aussie Racing Cars race in front of all the V8 teams. I don’t have many expectations at the moment. I’ll wait until I drive the car first and then see where we fit into the pack.” Batson will drive the car that Jacobson has used in the opening two rounds of the series at Adelaide and Albert Park, while Jacobson will get his hands on a brand-new Commodore VYbodied car. Batson was a finalist in the CAMS Rising Star program (for Formula Ford). He is a former South Australia state karting champion and tested a Formula BMW at Spain last year. – GRANT ROWLEY

Holdsworth to CCup COMMODORE CUP

BRETT Holdsworth will compete in the opening round of the 2009 Commodore Cup Series at Wakefield Park in two weeks time. The former Fujitsu V8 Series runner has been forced to give the development V8 series a miss this year due to budget constraints, instead turning his hand to Commodore Cup, the series that he cut his teeth in. Holdsworth told eNews that he has not committed to the whole season but is looking forward to getting back in the class after one season in the Fujitsu Series. “I’ve got my car being prepped at the moment,” he said.

“I’m not sure whether I’ll do the whole championship, but we’re pretty sure that dad will do one or two rounds. We’ll probably split them up a bit. I haven’t made any commitment, but if I do the whole series, then we might lease a car for him. We’ll see. “We just don’t have the budget to commit to a V8 Supercar drive – it’s not completely off my radar. I just can’t justify those costs at the moment. “I don’t get enough value for what we spend there. I can go back to Commodore Cup, race on the main circuits and race against some good blokes. “Commodore Cup still gets TV, so I’ve been able to keep my sponsors, which still gets them similar coverage. They

obviously don’t get the same attendance figures. “Doing Commodore Cup means that I still get to go competitive racing and I don’t have to stress about where I’m going to find my next dollar.” Holdsworth has re-signed Hairy Lemon as his bonnet sponsor, as well as extra support from the TTM Group and Admix. Other drivers confirmed for this year’s Commodore Cup is fellow former V8 Fujitsu driver Tony Bates, 1997 class champ Dean Croswell and HQ ace Kieren Pilkington. As many as 20 cars are expected for the first round, starting Wakefield Park during Round 2 of the Shannons Nationals. – GRANT ROWLEY

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rt Targets Manufacturers MAN CHAMPS

John Morris

RALLIART will go back to having an ongoing involvement in circuit racing this year, with the Mitsubishialigned team set to enter two cars in the Australian Manufacturers Championship. Led by Alan Heaphy, the team, which was once a force in the Australian Rally Championship, has won the last two Bathurst 12 Hour races. And Rod Salmon, who was a driver in both of those winning entries, will pedal the very Lancer Evo X that he, Damien White and Tony Longhurst won the event in this year. The other Ralliart car will be driven by West Aussie Glyn Crimp, who finished second in

WORLD SUPERBIKES BEN Spies likes Monza. And who wouldn’t, after spending the first of World Superbike’s two-day test learning the track, and the second going fastest? The American unofficially clocked a 1m45.3s lap to head WSBK points leader Noriyuki Haga by 0.2s, with his Ducati team-mate Michel Fabrizio a tenth behind. “It was fast,” Spies said after his first acquaintance with ‘The Cathedral of Speed’. “It was everything I thought it would be. You’re leaned over in fourth and fifth gear with a wall to your inside shoulder, you go in and out of the woods. It’s nothing dangerous, but you definitely feel your speed there. It’s an intense track to ride and it has so much history behind it.

his Evo X at the 12 Hour with Tony Ricciardello and Stuart Kostera. According to Heaphy, the Lancers should be competitive on the tight and twisty Wakefield Park layout, where the championship will kick off in a fortnight. “I think they’ll be very quick,” he told eNews. “The Evo X has a much better chassis than the IX, and the engine is stronger too. They go around corners really well, so if we have a half good day and a half good driver, we’ll look alright.” Heaphy has extensive experience in circuit, working with Gibson Motorsport and Wayne Gardner Racing back in the ’90s. – ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN

It was a great feeling to get to test there and I’m sure when we come back in May for the race and the place is packed with fans it’s going to be that much more exciting.” Max Neukirchner was fourth fastest, and the top seven riders were covered by a second at the Italian track. But the loser of the two-day test was Troy Corser, the Aussie highsiding off his BMW and missing the second, afternoon session. While he nursed a banged-up finger, test rider and TV commentator Steve Martin stepped in to help Ruben Xaus test some new parts for the S1000RR. The next round in what is turning into an intriguing season is at Assen on April 26.

Yamaha Racing

SPIES FLIES AT UPERBIKES’ CATHEDRAL

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Helio may get straight back to work, if he is cleared of tax charges INDYCAR ROGER Penske may run three cars for most of the 2009 IndyCar season. The veteran car owner has made it clear that his team is standing behind Helio Castroneves, who could race at this weekend’s Grand Prix of Long Beach if the jury finds him innocent of tax evasion this week. But Penske also is so pleased with the job Will Power has done that he is willing to expand to a third car. “We’ve had talks about that [a third car],’’ said Penske, who is very loyal in his business relationships.

“The problem is there are so many decisions that ride on Helio. But Will’s done a great job for us.” “If there’s no issue coming out of this [trial], Castroneves will be in a car at Long Beach,” Penske told Associated Press about his driver of nine seasons with 19 victories in 155 starts. “We’ve never backed off that for a minute. It’s a tough situation. Helio doesn’t have a bad bone in his body. We certainly understand the concerns everybody has for him ... and we’re hoping the jury sees he’s not the culprit in this situation.” – MARY MENDEZ

sutton-images.com

Penske to run 3 cars – maybe at Long Beach

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Guess Who’s going to Indy? The King files a 500 entry, with John Andretti in at Dreyer & Reinbold INDYCAR

IndyCar Media

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AMERICA’S most famous racing dynasties will combine at next month’s Indianapolis 500. Richard Petty will enter a car at the famous race for the first time in his astonishing career, and the driver of the car will be John Andretti. The car entered for the legendary seven-time NASCAR champion will be prepared by the Dreyer & Reinbold team, will carry Petty’s famed #43 and sponsorship from Window World, the same company that brought Andretti to the Daytona 500 earlier this year. “This is pretty exciting news for all of us,” Petty said. “Never did I think I would have the opportunity to be part of the Indianapolis 500. I know how much this means to John Andretti and the Andretti

family. And, I’m looking forward to seeing John on the track in May. I’m not sure if I can be of any help to him, but he’s going to have no bigger supporter than myself.” Andretti, who is Michael Andretti’s cousin and the son of Mario Andretti’s twin brother, Aldo, has made nine Indy 500 starts with a best finish of fifth. Before turning to stock cars in 1994 Andretti won the inaugural Surfers Paradise Indy in 1991 during a six season stint in open wheel. – MARY MENDEZ

Indy 500 qualifying could see 35 cars INDYCAR

sutton-images.com

ALTHOUGH 22 drivers competed at the IndyCar season opener in St. Petersburg, Florida, it’s looking like as many as 35 cars will compete for the coveted 33-car grid of the famed Indy 500 race. A.J. Foyt plans to run his grandson A.J. Foyt IV as a team-mate to his regular driver, Vitor Meira. AJ’s godson John Andretti will race for Richard Petty Motorsports (see separate story) and Scott Sharp, left, having spent the last two seasons in ALMS sports cars, will return in a second car at Panther Racing (team-mate to

Dan Wheldon). Alex Lloyd, the 2007 Indy Lights champion, will drive a collaborative effort between Sam Schmidt and Chip Ganassi and Sarah Fisher will drive for her own team. That makes 27 cars, but teams that could expand to run a second car for May are Conquest, Dale Coyne, HVM, KV Racing Technology, Luczo Dragon and 3 G. Rahal Letterman Racing has cars ready at its shop and Hemelgarn may return. And, with no critical parts shortage as occurred last May after the merger, there could be more. – MARY MENDEZ

Dinger gets to September Petty’s man gets new deal – complete with anchovies NASCAR AJ ALLMENDINGER has a stay of execution at Richard Petty Motorsports. Allmendinger, who started the season with an eight-race deal with the team, has attracted sponsorship from Hunt Brothers Pizza for six point races and the All Star Challenge on May 16. The new deal means that Allmendinger now has backing through to the 26th race at Richmond on September 12 – the last race prior to the Chase for the Sprint Cup. As Allmendinger is currently 20th in series points, he looks to be a likely candidate to make it into the season ‘final series’ as one of the 12 top drivers in the Sprint Cup. Also working in his favour is his road racing form, which will be a great asset at Sonoma and Watkins Glen. The Petty team has been one of the stories of the season. Kasey Kahne, the ‘lead’ Petty driver, sits 10th in the standings, but the two drivers who got drives in place of Allmendinger are struggling to match him, with Elliott Sadler 25th and Reed Sorenson a dismal 30th. – MARTIN D CLARK

Earnhardt Ganassi pulls pin on #8 NASCAR

NASCAR’S year of downsizing has continued, with Earnhardt Ganassi Racing erasing one of its entries due to a lack of sponsorship. The team’s #8 Chevrolet entry, piloted by Aric Almirola, has been binned, which has led to 20-plus team members being laid off last week. The closure of the team that was 37th in points leaves EGR with just two cars in the Sprint Cup. Juan Pablo Montoya, who has full backing from retail giant Target, is currently 13th in points, just outside the all-important last Chase spot, and Martin Truex Jr, with only partial backing from Bass Pro Shops for the remainder of the season, is 24th. – MARTIN D CLARK

Good on ya Mum – Tin Tops the one!

Finding Willowbank’s Edge DRAG RACING THE Castrol EDGE Tin Top Titles at Willowbank Raceway is ready and rearing to go next weekend in its new Saturday/ Sunday format. The April 18 and 19 Event will host ANDRA Championship Drag Racing rounds of Top Doorslammer, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle alongside a full Sportsman line-up. Fans will enjoy qualifying from 9.30am in morning to 8.00pm on Saturday night the 18th of April and racing all day Sunday from 9.30am, concluding in time for tea with the finals set to kick off at 3.45pm. The Professional Categories of Top Doorslammer, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle plus the Pro Street Categories and Super Stock, Competition Eliminator and Super Compact will be on track from 4.00pm Saturday and 11.00am on

Sunday. The full event schedule can be found online at the Willowbank Raceway website www.willowbankraceway.com. au This will be the first time in the Event’s long history that it has moved from its usual Friday/Saturday format to be held entirely on the weekend, with the move set to make the event more accessible to fans as well as track volunteers, officials and drivers, while ensuring an early Sunday night schedule finish at approx 4.00pm to assist families on what is traditionally a ‘school night’. Willowbank Raceway Managing Director Steve Bettes said he was looking forward to seeing how the new schedule worked for fans and racers alike. “The decision by Willowbank Raceway to alter the Castrol EDGE Tin Top Titles format came about from listening to feedback from the fans, the

officials and also the racers, and so I am looking forward to seeing how the change works in practice,” said Bettes. “We hope that making the move will make the Event more accessible to fans who will no longer have to battle Friday afternoon traffic and will now have a whole weekend of racing action to enjoy. “With the racing moving in entirety to the weekend it will also make it easier for our volunteer officials, who will have the impact on their dayto-day occupations lessened, as will those who travel with the race teams. “With a move to Sunday, we have also assured that no one will have to make the choice between staying out late on a ‘school’ or ‘work night’ and seeing the end of the racing action, with racing set to conclude in the early evening with the finals scheduled to start at 4.00pm.”

Lights, Camera, Lots of Cash! THIS week’s Castrol EDGE Tin Top Titles at Willowbank Raceway is the last chance for photographers, both [rofessional and amateur, to capture images for entry into the 2008/2009 Wallace Bishop Jewellers National Photographic Competition. The competition, now in its third year, provides amateur and professional photographers the opportunity to win more than $20,000 in cash and prizes. Simply take photos of the on and off track action at their local drag racing strip and entering them online at www. stuartbishopracing.com.au

news

Zappia in blistering form DRAG RACING PERENNIAL West Aussie favourite John Zappia was in blistering form at Perth Motorplex for the Grand Final meeting, running the quickest time in Australian Top Doorslammer history, a staggering 5.833 second pass at 247.25mph. The pass was quite a feat, considering he had already set times of 5.848s and a 5.839s earlier in the weekend. “I have been drag racing for a long time, and rarely does the car take my breath away, but that first 5.833 was simply awesome,” he said. “[In] First gear after launch was really strong, it carried the wheels for so long and simply scared the daylights out of me,” said Zappia “At about 1,000 feet the car hit

me in the back with such force it was like a two stroke power band coming on – the finish line was a blur and our data logger tells us I went to 254mph before I got off the throttle. One exciting ride I can tell you!” Unfortunately for Zappia the times won’t be recorded in the record books because

the Grand Final meeting was not sanctioned as a Top Doorslammer event but according to Zappia’s engine man, Graham Jones, the Striker Crushing HQ Monaro was in full race trim. “The car weighed 2,730 pounds after the run, was running our D Series PSI at the legal limit of 108

percent over, and all other Top Doorslammer regulations were adhered to. It’s a true ‘Tin Top’ – with a steel body and wing and now it’s the quickest and fastest one in the country, again. We know that the runs do not count as an official ANDRA record but it does show we are consistently making steps to higher levels.”

... but Judd says “It’s not over yet!” DRAG RACING ROBIN Judd may have temporarily lost the prestige of Australia’s quickest-ever Top Doorslammer drag racer with John Zappia running the 5.833-second pass at Perth Motorplex but the fellow West Australian isn’t phased; for Judd it’s time to focus on the Top Doorslammer championship crown. “I had a feeling Zap (Zappia) would go well at Kwinana. I could not race at the event due to interstate business commitments. I heard the air was good and the track in killer condition, so I am not surprised at his times. Good on him, we’ll just have to work a bit harder to take back the bragging rights and one way we can do that is win the Championship.” Judd said. With three championship events left to race, Judd is looking for a good result at the Castrol EDGE Tin Top Titles to make his move on Zappia. Since the seasonopening event – the Fuchs Australian

Nationals in Sydney last September – Judd and Zappia have gone head-to-head as Australia’s quickest Doorslammer racers and championship contenders. Judd, who holds the Willowbank Doorslammer track record with a 5.907sec pass, knows the Tin Tops will be a real challenge. And with 15 cars vying for a spot in the eight-car field, qualifying will be important and it is inevitable that several big names will miss the cut. “The Tin Tops will be a tough event. Since we were last at Willowbank in January, we have been testing our William Buck/K & B Exclusive ’59 Studebaker. We recently ran a 5.861 (second pass) and have more data. “We’ve also made a couple of subtle changes to our combination for the Tin Tops, which we believe will make the car more consistent and depending on the conditions, quicker at Willowbank,” Judd said. “I want to win the event and claw back some of the (championship) points we lost

to Zappia at the last round.” “I think there is now more pressure on Zap than on me because there is a higher expectation on him to continually run fivesecond passes. “But consistency is the key word. Willowbank Raceway is one of our favourite tracks; we have had some good results there and if we can get a handle on the track conditions early, I think we should have a good race meeting. We will worry about Zap and points after the event. “This championship is not over yet,” Judd said.

5 Minutes with ...

GREG MURPHY

Greg Murphy’s love affair with Pukekohe Park ended two years ago. Can NZ’s favourite son turn his fortunes around at Hamilton? GRANT ROWLEY

You’re in your home country now. Is it still a big weekend for Greg Murphy? Oh yeah. It’s big on more levels than normal. Just the fact that the flag that we carry is more relevant here. We’d like to do well, and on top of the fact that we haven’t achieved anything in the last little while, it would be nice to get things back on track here. I’ve said that in the past and it hasn’t happened so I’m very mindful of that … Needless to say, we are in better shape than what we’ve been in in over the past

John Morris/Mpix

MOTORSPORT NEWS: You’ve been to see the Hamilton circuit. The circuit managers have made some changes. Are you happy with the revisions? GREG MURPHY: Yeah. What they’ve done is good. There were certain things that they were aware of last year that they wanted to do but didn’t have time so they’ve gone ahead and done that. Stuff like the big bump going into Turn 3 – that wasn’t a safety issue, but was more of a comfort thing. The promoters wanted to get rid of it and they have. The chicane obviously needed changing. It was just too difficult and there was such little room for error. That has been modified and that’s probably the biggest change. That will be a huge benefit. There’s also been a few realignments of walls here and there, kerb changes in places. It’s all very minor stuff and most people wouldn’t notice it, but the drivers will.

when you haven’t produced the goods for a while, it’s easy for people to lose interest. murphy admits that in lean times, popularity changes couple of years. I’m not going to make any bold statements like a few others have been doing, but I know I can do the job – I’ve just got to get the ducks in a row. Have you noticed your popularity change when results are hard to come by? I think so. It has to, really. It’s like any team that you follow or support. When you haven’t produced the goods for a while, it’s pretty easy for people to lose some interest, and I wouldn’t blame them for that! Getting results is important for me. The ones who I have to be excited for the most are the ones who have supported me through the hard times – it would be nice to repay them for their support. That’s more than the supporters as well, that’s the team, the sponsors and the list is long,

but the supporters who pay their money, come to the race meetings and watch it on TV that have supported me and always wish me the best, I’d love to give them something to cheer about. In its current guise, does Tasman Motorsport have the right ingredients to be a top five runner this year? I think yes. Absolutely. It does now, and I’ve thought that previously, but the way the team is at the moment is better than what it has been. We’ve definitely stepped up that level and the way it’s operating now is the best it’s been. Until that changes and we improve further, it’s certainly the best its been. When it comes to NZ V8 rounds, its obviously a busy round for you. Is there

anything you don’t like about going over there? Umm. I don’t like leaving on Monday feeling like shit! That’s the worst part. I don’t like leaving any track wishing I hadn’t been there, but I suppose being a Kiwi, there’s a little bit more feeling about this one. Winning any race meeting in this championship is a big deal these days, so doing it in front of your home crowd ... I’ve been fortunate to feel that feeling and I like it a lot. You try to emulate it as much as you can. It’s a great feeling doing here at home, and it’s not a great feeling leaving and not having anything to show for it. Apart from that, I’ve got nothing to complain about. The public support this race big time. The fans love it. It’s a huge part of the championship.

chat

Dirk Klynsmith

opinion Martin D Clark NASCAR Editor YOU have to question Rick Hendrick’s decision to fire Kyle Busch at the end of the 2007 season and to replace him with Dale Earnhardt Jr. You can’t argue that Hendrick hired the NASCAR’s and America’s most popular driver, but isn’t he supposed to win? Since Busch joined Joe Gibbs Racing, he has won 10 races. Earnhardt has won one. He’s only led seven laps all season – and six of those came when he didn’t take tyres to lead off pit road at one point in Texas. Junior is fast becoming less like an Earnhardt, and more like Danica Patrick; plenty of fans, but few wins. Busch can be seen as a young punk, but the kid can drive the wheels off a racecar. Sure, he runs off at the mouth, but didn’t the late Dale Earnhardt and Darrell Waltrip? Both former champions had the same issues and fans went on to worship the pair over time. At the beginning of the season, Earnhardt admitted that he didn’t work out and thought he didn’t need to. On the other hand Carl Edwards, an iron man if ever I saw one, is at his best at the end of races. Hendrick – and possibly sponsor National Guard – got wind of Earnhardt’s admission and now he’s working out regularly. Not surprisingly, the media has been hard on Junior this year, with some justification; his performance at Daytona was nothing short of embarrassing. Following a team ‘shake up’ meeting his performance improved at Martinsville Speedway with his second top 10 result of the year only for him to screw up on track after the final restart at Texas and finish 20th. He fell as low as 35th in points after Las

Vegas, but has rebounded to 16th – 67 points from Jeff Burton in 12th. Should he make it into the all-important top 12 for the Chase, it will be the furthest back anyone has come to achieve that after race three in Vegas. Many feel his long time crew chief (and cousin) Tony Eury Jr is to blame for the poor performance since joining Hendrick, but both driver and owner say he’s not the issue and stand by him. With the strong engineering base that Hendrick Motorsports has to offer Eury, many think he’s looking the other direction and going with his own car set-ups, something he and his father (who continues to crew chief in the Nationwide Series) have been long known for. “I have said it a hundred times and it just doesn’t seem to make a dent,” said Junior recently. “The guy that I feel bad for is Tony, Jr. because he gets criticised so badly. Everybody in this room (media center) and some of you have criticised him yourselves know how smart a guy he is. He is a good mechanic and a solid crew chief.” Earnhardt’s team-mates Jeff Gordon (who took to working out more than he ever has over the winter) and Jimmie Johnson head the points. Mark Martin appears over his luckless streak and is clicking off top 10 and strong qualifying efforts. You have to ask; will we see Little E return to victory lane in 2009 and peak the interest of ‘Junior Nation’ in him and the sport in general? Or will he continue to battle on with the same crew chief he continues to stand by? Simply put; Does he have what it takes?

Letters

Have your say – email us at mail@mnews.com.au. I want my IndyCar TV Hopefully you can help me, because Foxtel can’t! Do you know if anyone is televising the IndyCar series this year? ESPN televised the first round at St Petersburg live, but they are not showing the Long Beach round in their

TV Guide. I have Foxtel being connected next week just so I can watch the IndyCars, but if they aren’t showing any more of the series there’s no point me paying for it! Please help me if you can. Greatly appreciated

Dean Turner (a very long time reader of Motorsport News) via email ED: We contacted Fox Sports about this, by both email and phone, and as we closed this edition, we were yet to receive a reply. We would

welcome any good news or otherwise from the Pay-TV broadcaster. I want my MotoGP TV I live in Taree, which is outside the Godly ‘metropolitan viewing area’ so SC Ten is still promising (again) to let us see

opinion

IS JUNIOR GOOD ENOUGH?

If anyone but Little E performed as badly as he has done for the last two seasons, someone would have been fired by now this new 1 HD thingy. Anyway after waiting for ages to see a MotoGP race, this morning I finally got to see, INFOMMERCIALS!!! Any chance of MNews, again finding out if we will ever get 1, and even nicer if SC10 has any intention of letting us see the Qatar race? I heard it was won by Casey. Thanks for nothing, minus Ten. John Gray Via email

ED: Our understanding is that ONE HD will be rolled out to the regionals in due course, subject to the timetable of SC Ten and affiliates. PS You heard right, Casey Stoner won. I want my free-to-air TV I have noticed in recent editions of eNews that there are some grizzlers going on about motor racing coverage in Australia. So I reckon I should put my

two cents’ worth in. Formula 1, free. MotoGP, free. V8 Supercars, free. NASCAR, free. Plus drag racing, ARC, WRC (if you look for it) and various other forms of the sport, all on free-to-air TV. And there is plenty of indication that ONE is going to pick up more stuff when it becomes available. (Note to ONE: World Superbikes, please.) My point is, I have been to the USA in recent times, and

to see the sport there, you need to have Speed CHannel or ESPN. It seems to me that it is only a matter a time before that trend is followed here, and any motorsport worth watching is buried on pay-bythe-month TV. So, quit moaning, and enjoy it while you can. Because bet on it, this is never going to last. Tony Carney Via email

AUSTRALIAN KARTING NATIONALS TOWNSVILLE, QUEENSLAND

Gold Plate Rush

The 47th Australian Sprint Karting Nationals at Townsville rewrote the history books and produced some surprise results

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LEOPARD HEAVY Kel Treseder made history by winning Leopard Heavy, becoming the first driver history to win Australian Titles in the Clubman, Rotax and Leopard classes. The 2007 and 2008 Rotax Heavy Champ and winner of Clubman Heavy at the 2004 Nationals, Treseder completed the set with aboard his Arrow. Kreseder’s win was all the more remarkable as he took a break from racing for most of 2008. Local Townsville driver Brad Belcher was a favourite in terms of both form and crowd support, but a slow start hurt his chances. As Belcher battled amongst the pack, Treseder and Simon Roberts set about building a lead out in front. Roberts had led the early laps by virtue of a spectacular move around the outside of several karts to take P1 at the ultra-fast first turn at the start. Belcher eventually broke free of the skirmish and set about chasing the lead two. The Kosmic driver was able to round up Roberts’ CRG with two laps to go, but despite setting fastest lap after fastest lap, could not pull in Treseder. Matt Greenbury finished a commendable fourth aboard his Tony Kart from Hayden Stephensen and Rick Pringle.

National pride: Above, JNH went to Kondopirakis. Below, Greenbury won Leopard Light. Bottom, Fulcher ended Simpson’s Super Heavy domination.

Ash Budd

SENIOR NATIONAL HEAVY It was a shame that a great Senior National Heavy final will not be remembered for that reason – as controversy reigned in the second final of the day. The first pair across the line was local Marshall Watson and Corey Lean. But an offtrack excursion by the two on the final lap saw the result thrown into question. Marshall led the final lap after taking the lead for the first time in front of the hometown fans at the final corner on the penultimate lap. Lean then retook the lead as the lead pack of 10 karts passed the last lap board. At the ultra-tight Turn 3 hairpin, Lean and Watson came together just as defending champ Matthew Waters made his move to take the lead. As Lean and Watson rejoined the circuit at Turn 6 after an excursion over the grass, two races developed – that between Lean and Watson (now miles out in front), and the remaining karts that completed the full lap, where eight karts still battled on. Watson crossed the line first, while

LEOPARD LIGHT At his first Nationals as a Senior, Tyler Greenbury was up against a host of former National Champions in Leopard Light. But that didn’t phase the Toowoomban as he decimated the quality field to clearly win the final, with daylight second. Greenbury was the dominant force on Friday in dry conditions, scoring pole and winning the opening heat. But his speed was curtailed on a wet Saturday, with Victorian David Sera gaining the ascendancy and grabbing pole for the final. As a sprinkle of rain descended on the 1004-metre Townsville circuit during the roll up laps before the green light, fortunes looked to be pointing towards Sera and his Arrow kart, but Greenbury took the lead at the start and was never headed. As Greenbury cleared out in his Tony Kart, Adam Hughes and Sera maintained a race-long battle for second, with Hughes winning that battle in his Kosmic. John Grother was fourth, just ahead of Jason Hryniuk, who passed Grant Smith and veteran Ryan Wlodzinski in the final stages.

Ash Budd

JUNIOR NATIONAL HEAVY Darcey Kondopirakis was the pacesetter in JNH all weekend aboard his Arrow kart. While a swag of different drivers challenged at various stages over the weekend, Kondopirakis was the common denominator in the front pack. The polesitter was Liam Sager, who stormed home in Saturday’s wet Pre-Final. Sager led a pack of five karts that broke away early, until on lap 8 Kondopirakis and Aaron Johnstone pulled clear. From there, the leading pair ran out front, both with enough pace to stay clear, but Johnstone unable to reel in Kondopirakis. Sager was then left to battle with Macauley Jones and Joseph Mawson for the final step on the podium. Each kart had turns at running in third place, with Mawson heading the trio with one lap remaining. Jones, however, who has also been a regular fixture in the front end of the field, grabbed third with a strong run down the inside of Mawson at the top hairpin and held the spot for third.

Hayden Stephensen edged Nathan Sinclair by half a kart length to get third place, but there is potential for that place to be much more post-race ...

Ash Budd

HE 47th National Sprint Kart Championship sponsored by Yamaha were run and won last weekend at Sun City Raceway, Townsville. eNews looks at each class from the traditional Easter long-weekend event, detailing the triumphs and tribulations in Australia’s most prestigious karting championships.

CLUBMAN SUPER-HEAVY Scott Simpson’s three-year domination of Clubman Super Heavy champion was ended in Townsville – the mantle passed to a fellow Queenslander Ryan Fulcher. Fulcher was the primary rival to Simpson for several seasons this decade, able to defeat his nemesis at state championships but never the green plate. Local driver Paul French took the lead at the start as three karts made their way past Simpson down the inside at the first corner. On the second lap, Fulcher took the lead, followed by West Australian Lee Foster. Foster briefly took the lead on lap eight, before the Bundaberg driver took the lead back on lap 11. Foster looked to be set for one last charge on the final lap, but lost time when going deep under brakes at Turn 2, giving Fulcher enough of a gap to get the win. Simpson pushed hard to pull in the leading duo but never got close enough. His Redspeed team-mate Ben McKinley picked up fourth, with Dale McDonnell.

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CLUBMAN LIGHT The big question in Clubman Light was ‘could anyone beat David Sera?’ When Ben Stewart passed the multiple Australian Champion at the final corner of the race and crossed the line first, the answered initially appeared to be ‘yes’, but post-race Sera was elevated back into first place, with Stewart adjudged to have forced

Ash Budd

CLUBMAN HEAVY Matthew Wall has for so long chased a national title in a Clubman category. Year after year he tried and came up short in Clubman Light, and then a move up a weight division to Clubman Heavy in 2008 netted him state – but not national – titles. But the hoodoo was broken in Townsville, with a sensational final that saw Wall race wheel-to-wheel with his greatest rival and

JUNIOR CLUBMAN Chris Hays made the Junior Clubman final a relatively straight-forward affair by leading from start to finish. But after having luck go against him on final’s day at the Nationals for the past two years, the Vodafone-backed driver left nothing to chance by clearing out, setting super-fast lap times and taking the chequered flag for his first Australian title. After leading with one lap remaining at Eastern Creek in 2007 and having his kart fail to start in Launceston last year, it was welcome relief. Honourable mention must go to Warren White Jr, who backed up his championshipwinning drive in Junior National Light with a never-say-die drive, rising all the way up to second. Initially, it was Mathew Hart and Ben Jurczak that set out chasing down Hays, but neither could make a serious impact. White Jr caught and passed both Hart and Jurczak in the second half of the race to take second, with Jurczak holding on to third ahead of Hart and Egan, who was another to come home strong.

Closest ever: Above, Sciberras won SNH by a mere 0.009s. Below, Hays broke his Nationals duck. Bottom, Wall finally secured a Clubman title in a close race.

Ash Budd

JUNIOR NATIONAL LIGHT Speed is vital, but patience is a virtue. That’s the best way to describe the final of Junior National Light at Sun City Raceway in Townsville. And it was Warren White Jr that had both in the final, running in the leading trio along with Jordan Lloyd and Jonathon Venter throughout the championship decider. All three drivers took the lead at some point throughout the 16-lap final, but by staying out of trouble on the final lap as the other two clashed on the final lap gave White Jr his first National title. Contact between Lloyd and Venter at Turn 8 on the final lap sent both off-track, and with White Jr right on their heels he found himself in the perfect position to capitalise. Joseph Mawson and Liam Sager found themselves out of reach of the leaders early in the race, but that did not stop them from having a hard fought race to round out the top five. In the end, Mawson took the spoils aboard his Arrow.

good friend, Jason Hryniuk. Defending champion Shayne Piper took the lead at the start and led the first circulation, but Wall was quick to pounce. From there he led until lap 14 as a field of five karts pulled away from the rest of the field. The pack was reduced to four when Bart Price lost a plug lead while running in second place, losing ground that he was never able to recover. Jason Hryniuk moved to second behind Wall mid-race and after a few laps stalking his long-time foe, ‘JH’ made his move with two laps remaining. In a hectic final lap, Wall looked both left and right but could not find a way past Hryniuk’s CRG until the final corner, when Wall snuck down the inside. In a three-wide run to the finish, Wall had sufficient momentum to take the win ahead of Mackay’s Justin Garioch and Piper, with Hryniuk just holding out local driver Brad Belcher.

Ash Budd

SENIOR NATIONAL LIGHT Senior National Light produced what is likely to be the closest ever Championships finish. Blake Sciberras edged Scott Sorensen at the line by just 0.009s in the final, after a frantic final lap that saw four karts all vie for the win. Just as he has so many times in Senior National Light races at state and national titles, Cian Fothergill led for virtually the entire race aboard his Phoenix kart. Sciberras had been glued to the back of Fothergill’s kart for the entire race, decided that Turn 3 on the final lap was the place to make his move – and he succeeded. Immediately after pouncing, Sciberras defended in his Arrow, the battle allowing Sorensen and Matthew Waters to catch up. Fothergill made a last corner attempt around the outside in an attempt to grab the first national title he so eagerly wants, but ended up wide on the grass on the exit, leaving Sciberras to drag Sorensen down the hill to the finish line with Waters collected third.

Sera off-track. Stewart got a great start and along with Sera and Cian Fothergill, the three karts pulled a gap. Sera led the race for the first 14 laps, but on the 15th lap Fothergill edged past Sera at the hairpin. Sera, however, moved back past Fothergill two corners later, with Stewart following him through. Fothergill made the same move on the final lap, only for Sera and Stewart to readdress the situation in exactly the same fashion, leaving Sera to lead into the final series of corners. Entering the final corner, Stewart and Sera made contact. Stewart exited the corner in front as Sera ran wide and it was Stewart that was able to win the drag race to the line, with Adam Hughes crossing the line second. Sera crossed the line in third ahead of Fothergill and Brenton Simmonds fifth in his Phoenix. A post-race stewards hearing changed the order to read Sera, Stewart, Hughes.

A1 GRAND PRIX Algarve, Portugal

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On a (Swiss) Roll Switzerland’s Neel Jani secured the A1GP Championship lead with an emphatic Feature race win amid absolute choas and carnage in Portugal

A1GP.com

A1 GRAND PRX THE Netherlands and Switzerland emerged victorious from last weekend’s A1GP round at Algarve, Portugal. In a round full of passing, crashes and penalties, Robert Doornbos (NED) and Neel Jani (SUI) were the stand-outs in a mixed event. In the Sprint Race, Doornbos took his maiden victory for A1 Team Netherlands after a red flag prematurely ended the Sprint race of Vodafone A1GP. Doornbos took the lead from Italian pole-sitter (and class debutant) Vitantonio Liuzzi into the first corner and built up a healthy lead before a crash involving Felipe Guimarães’ Brazilian car and South Africa’s Adrian Zaugg brought out the red flags. Ireland’s Adam Carroll brought the ‘Celtic Tiger’ home a comfortable second and also claimed a point for fastest lap. Home favourite Filipe Albuquerque took

the final podium position much to the delight of the Portuguese crowd. In the Feature Race, carnage reined, but Jani emerged victorious in an actionpacked race. The result gave Jani his 10th A1GP victory – more than any other driver. Ireland’s Carrol had a fraught race. Despite receiving a drive-through penalty early on for a false start, Carroll made a great come back to cross the line in second. That position was later overturned following a stewards’ investigation. Adam Carroll was judged to have passed the Australian car of John Martin under Safety Car conditions. It cost them the lead of the championship ... Portugal’s Albuquerque drove a fantastic race to come through from seventh on the grid to take the final podium position – later upgraded to second. Doornbos’ chases were ruined on the warm-up lap when mechanical problems saw him park on the sidelines.

In the crash department, Liuzzi tried to pass USA’s Marco Andretti after the American slid wide. The pair eventually made contact, sending the Italian car the innocent Monaco entry. All three retired due to the damage. New Zealand’s Earl Bamber was also caught up in weekend damage, crashing into the back of South Africa’s Adrian Zaugg while in a competitive position. The Australian entry, driven by John Martin, finished 10th and 12th in the two races respectively. The result didn’t really tell the full story, though. Despite an off on the first lap of the feature race, Martin experienced a small electrical relay issue which robbed the Queenslander of a likely fifth place. Points: Switzerland 88, Ireland 86, Portugal 82, Netherlands 66, France 46, Malaysia 43, New Zealand 36, Australia 30, Monaco 27, Great Britain 24.

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A1GP.com

Highs, lows and smashing debutants: Former Formula 1 driver Tonio Luizzi made his first A1GP start, qualifying on pole for the Sprint race but was involved in a clash with Marco Andretti, pictured moments before their shunt. Left, Robert Doornbos was robbed of a chance to dominate the Portuguese round with mechanical problems on the warm-up lap. Below, Australia’s John Martin had fifth place taken away late in the Feature when an electrical problem ruled him out.

A1GP.com

BATHURST FESTIVAL OF SPEED MOUNT PANORAMA, BATHURST

Every (club) racer’s dream Mount Panorama played host to a very busy and popular Festival of Speed. MNews photographer JAMES SMITH captured the action

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James Smith

BATHURST FESTIVAL

James Smith

HE Easter long weekend again provided club racers the chance to fulfill their dreams and drive the famed Mt Panorama circuit at Bathurst. The second Bathurst Festival of Sporting Cars event (promoted as the Shannons Celebration of Motor Sport), drew an entry of 430 cars to an event with no prizes – just the chance to challenge the Mountain and race their mates. The Festival of Sporting Cars saw the ‘The Masters,’ a group of vastly experienced exchampions, to provide pernonalised driver training and safety advice to enhance the drivers enjoyment of motor sport. The weather added further to the challenge with rain drenching the circuit from lunchtime Saturday and again on Sunday afternoon. The highlight of the weekend’s racing was the dice between the Porsches stalwarts of Geoff Morgan and Bill Pye in the Historic Sports Class. Morgan held off the tenacious Pye to win all three races. He was headed briefly in Race 2 before Pye performed an exciting 360 in the Esses without hitting either walls. Alf Bargwanna’s Torana streeted the field in the first Historic Touring Cars over 2 litre race and looked set to record a second victory before suffering a mechanical problem while leading comfortably. John Harrison took out the honors. Glen Taylor and Iain Pretty fought out the Marque & Production Sports with Taylor’s MG V8 winning both races. An accident at the fastest point of Conrod Straight was cause for concern but both drivers emerged in good health. Keith Berryman’s genuine Australian delivered D-Type Jaguar, led the Le Mans start of the Sounds of Glory Regularity event. The field also included an impressive array of top class replica C and D-Types. Although the rain played havoc with the timing of events, most drivers were happy with the planned increase to race laps and spectators and supporters were entertained between races by a variety of Jazz Bands and Musical Groups.

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James James Smith Smith

Mountain pioneers: Geoff Morgan, above, led Bill Pye for the majjority of the weekend in the Porsche class. The only time Pye got in front, he completed a neat 360 degree spin in the Esses ... without hitting the wall! Below, a rusty project.

James Smith James JamesSmith Smith

James Smith

Wet at Bathurst? Never! Above, the start of the Marque Sports class. Left, there were 430 entrants and many, many car displays.

t r a t S t c e f Per lish

Bul a o t f f do o Ricciar

BRITISH F3

ANIEL Ricciardo has made the perfect start to his maiden British Formula 3 International Series campaign – winning both races in the season-opening rounds at Oulton Park last weekend. The Carlin Motorsport driver led every lap of both races, stamping on early claim on the series. The Australia’s victory was also a magnificent return to the series for engine supplier

sh F3

riti B n i t r sta

Volkswagen, who after a 20plus year absence from the sport made a widely successful return. In the first round, Ricciardo’s job was made all the easier by a startline gaffe from his Carlin team-mate Max Chilton. Chilton threw away his pole position advantage by jumping the gun at the lights and was handed a one-minute penalty. Nick Tandy and his JTR Mygale-Mercedes pressured Ricciardo all the way to the chequered flag to claim second, with Austria’s Walter

Grubmuller took third for the Hitech team to collect his maiden podium finish in what has been a long British F3 career. Ricciardo’s second win was even more impressive than the first, as it required him to overhaul the car of polesitter Walter Grubmuller not once, but twice in what was a restarted race. The first race had to be abandoned on the opening lap after a two-car collision left wreckage strewn across the track. Ricciardo had beaten

Grubmuller at the start, and when the race was restarted, he did the same again, leading from lights to flag. “It’s a great start, to win in my first race here is incredible,” the Red Bull driver said. “I’m really pleased to have made a good start to the season, it’s only the first race, but I’ll feel confident when I get in the car for the next round.” Points: Daniel Ricciardo 40, Walter Grubmuller 28, Nick Tandy 28, Daisuke Nakajima 18, Riki Christodoulou 14.

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Erickson’s steady start

Good from the start NATIONWIDE SERIES

Dirk Klynsmith

BRITISH FFORD DANIEL Erickson has exectuted a steady start to his British Formula Ford season, finishing each race inside the top 10 at Oulton Park. The NSW driver, who finished fourth in last year’s Australian Formula Ford Championship, was forced to start the weekend from the back of the field after he did not complete enough laps in qualifying.

In Race 1, the Kevin Mills Racing Specrum driver raced through to 10th, followed by two ninth place finishes in a conservative yet strong debut. At the head of the field, Jamun Racing’s James Cole took two race wins and a second place to take the round win, while Erickson’s team-mate Daniel Cammish had a solid event, finishing third, fourth and fourth in his Australian-built Spectrum chassis.

JOEY Logano retuned to victory lane at Nashville Speedway last Saturday night, passing his Joe Gibbs Racing team-mate Kyle Busch with nine laps to run and holding off his challenge following a late race caution and subsequent red flag. “This Toyota was good from the start,” quipped Logano, who started in the outside front row and suffered suspected alternator wire issues prior to the final yellow flag. “We kept loosening it up as the track was getting tighter and tighter and kept on top of it. It’s been too long since we had this win, that’s for sure.” For the record, “too long” dates back to Logano’s first NW win in June … There was plenty of action on the 1.33-mile concrete track. Just after the 18-year-old passed Busch for the lead and, ultimately, the win, a multicar wreck with nine laps to run saw Joe Nemechek sliding down the road on his roof after contact from Ricky Stenhouse

Jr. Nemechek continued on four wheels to pit road, where NASCAR deemed his car unsafe to continue to race. Polesitter Carl Edwards led the first laps before Logano and Kyle Busch took turns up front, with Logano heading 95 of the 225 laps and the most of the race. Edwards did not run outside the top three until a series of problems in the pits struck him just past halfway. His Roush Fenway crew missed a left front wheel nut and dropped him to 22nd on the restart. He would never make it back to the front three, Brad Keselowski taking that place and former Wood Bros driver Kelly Bires passing him for fourth with five laps to run. In the championship standings, Edwards now holds a 23 point lead over Busch, with David Ragan third and Jason Leffler fourth. – MARTIN D CLARK Final result; Logano (Toyota), Busch (Toyota), Keselowski (Chevy), Bires (Chevy), Edwards (Ford), Leffler (Toyota), Ragan (Ford), Bliss (Chevy), Wallace (Chevy), Lagasse (Toyota).

EASTER SPRINTCAR TRAIL VICTORIA EASTER TRAIL CONSISTENCY was the key to Grant Anderson winning the aggregate of the 30th running of the Easter Sprintcar Trail last weekend. Anderson of Albury, did nearly everything right from the word go of the annual Trail when it commenced three night’s of consecutive racing, winning the opening round at Avalon International Speedway on Good Friday from Kelly Linigen and Danny Reidy. Anderson’s Round 1 win was quickly backed-up with a second place in Round 2 at Mount Gambier on Saturday night and seventh place on Sunday night at Premier Speedway, Warrnambool. His efforts saw him pocket the $3000 aggregate bonus as he edged-out Max Dumesny by 15 points for the overall prize. “I didnt push it too hard (on Sunday night) as I knew what I had to do in the final,” said Anderson, who explained spending the off-season in America was unlikely. “I would have loved to have gone back to the States again this year but it’s hard with work and a young family. “We will just freshen the motors and get ready for next year.” The impetus for Anderson’s breakthrough results in the $110,000 Easter Sprintcar Trail on the weekend can be traced back to a three-month stint on the US circuit during the Australian off-season last year. Anderson, 29, crewed for World Of Outlaws Series racer Shane Stewart and gained some new insights into the sport he has been involved in since he was a child. “I learnt a hell of a lot and met a lot of great people,” he said. “I came back with some new ideas.” One of his 2008/09 season strategies was to race in a

custom-built Foster chassis. “The car is built to what we want,” Anderson said. “It’s not extravagantly different. There are just a few little things that suit me.” Anderson said US-built cars were designed for super slick tracks, which suited Australian conditions around Christmas time but didn’t always perform in cooler months when the tracks were faster. He said some of the chassis customising was to produce a car which could run quickly under both track conditions. A second-generation sprintcar driver, the Albury motor mechanic also benefits from the involvement of his father David as crew chief. The final night of the Easter Sprintcar Trail saw Robbie Farr produce an exciting drive to win the third leg ahead of Max Dumesny and local ace Darren Mollenoyux. Despite Farr also winning at Mount Gambier’s Borderline Speedway the previous night from Anderson and Steven Lines, it wasn’t enough to win the overall aggregate. “We have started to get on a roll and the season comes to an end,” explained Farr who has won five of his last seven starts. Farr hopes an upcoming stint in Ohio, during the Australian off-season will be better than the one he had three years ago. The Sydney gun used one word when asked how he went the last time he visited the Buckeye State. “Terrible,” he laughed. “I just jumped in a car that wasn’t quite right and we went over there for the week so by the time we got it sorted, it was time to leave.” Farr’s plan is to go to the United States in June for three weeks, which would mark his sixth trek to the country. “Ohio racetracks are very slick whereas Warrnambool is a lot heavier and tackier.”

Anderson’s

Three nights, three tracks, and every ti he played a cool hand. GEOFF ROUNDS

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s Easter

ime Grant Anderson went out, DS reports Geoff Gracie

rear of grid

Holding back the years ... part of the Ford GT Nationals, and while they were restricted to demo runs, there was some serious racing, with Group N and Racing Cars competing, among other classes. The purely historic racing saw healthy entry lists, which was encouraging, considering there was the mother of all club meetings being held at a reasonably well-known country NSW road course ...

Phil Williams

THE Mallala Easter Historics were held last weekend, highlighted by midday demonstration runs by Murray Carter and John French, pictured inset and below respectively. The pair did half a dozen laps each in their Falcons, bringing back the glory days of Australian touring car racing. The GTHOs were there as

Phil Williams

Odd Spot

Herbie’s hell ride!

Phil Williams

MEANWHILE, in other parts of South Australia over the weekend, Collingrove played host to a hillclimb. That itself is no biggy. The popular hillclimb course is the home of all-things uphill in SA. What was big was Adam DiBiasi’s effort in his little green Volkswagon Beetle, pictured at all angles right. DiBiasi’s didn’t roll over, eventhough you could have been forgiven for thinking that this was the last photo to be taken while the car was in reasonable shape. But no, this image shows that while the VW is not in good shape, to the driver’s credit, he kept the boot in, tipped the car back onto all fours and barely lost any time up the Collingrove hill. Nice effort.