Motorsport eNews Issue 104 - May 12-18, 2009 by V8 Sleuth

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Issue No. 104 12 – 18 May 2009

HOLDEN SEEKS 888

teams seek action on aero controversy

Ford’s Swap Days V8

NIGHT RACE

van giz & frosty to sample Fellow Falcons

Sooner than you think ...

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

Australasian

The ‘A’ Team

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MD / Publisher

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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. 104 | 12–18 May 2009

news 4 Eight Arr Tee

Factory Holden shuffle? 7 Change of Ford-tunes Van Giz and Frosty share 9 The Paul Morris Six But how will they line up? 11 Splitter open Issue to be resolved pre-Tas 14 Skills Stadium Cardinia track in planning 17 Star in the making Reeves on for Pirelli spot

chat 20 5 minutes with ... opinion 24 Branagan

Tony Quinn

25 Rowley

Irony, V8 Supercar style Oh what a night ...

28 NASCAR 32 Indy Qualifying 34 World Superbikes

Evans above .. again Age will not weary him Helio crunches the numbers Fabrizio the Fabulous

race 24 ARC

trade 38 Classifieds Come on Eli ... there’s at least another half-and-inch of Queensland dirt you could be using there!

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.

Joel Strickland

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

COVER STORY HRT contract up for grabs at the end of 2009 so ... is

Roland going fully Red? V8 SUPERCARS THE Holden Racing Team’s factory colours in V8 Supercar racing could move from Walkinshaw Racing to Triple Eight Race Engineering from next season – and Jamie Whincup and Craig Lowndes could swap their Falcons for T8-built Commodores. eNews knows of discussions regarding the switch of the championship-winning team to Holden from the end of the current season, when a number of deals – including Walkinshaw’s current HRT

contract with Holden – will expire to make such a prospect possible. What has been described as “an indirect approach” has been made to T8, which does not currently enjoy any formal sponsorship arrangements with a motor manufacturer. The only link between the team and Ford is via a personal sponsorship deal Lowndes has with the company, and that too concludes at the end of the season. For its part, Holden’s input to HRT is currently said to be

in excess of $10 million a year – something the company may well be looking to save money on. Triple Eight principal Roland Dane offered only a “no comment” when contacted on Monday. Our source tells us that such a deal would see the team field four entries – but the details on how they would be ‘paired’ and who would drive what are complicated by a myriad of issues. So intricate are the matters that would have to be settled that one insider told eNews that “it’s

a 50-50 bet whether those issues can be resolved …” One of the issues is that TeamVodafone and HRT are the two most recognisable brands in motor racing in this country. From the start of their relationship in 2007, both Vodafone and the T8 team have been singular with the branding of the team; in other words, it was never going to be ‘Vodafone Team Triple Eight Racing’. Likewise, HRT has a twodecade history that goes back to the Group A days,

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

news

Back where you started from ...

so preserving both ‘brands’ would appear to be an absolute necessity, should a deal go ahead. Likewise, there is a vast difference in the business models of both teams’ merchandising programs, with T8 owning its own rights and Holden having a major role, and stake, in HRT’s. The red team’s products are available not only from the merchandising points at the tracks but from Holden dealers around the country. There is even the link, if you like, between the HSV road car program – recently re-signed with Walkinshaw for a further 10 years – and HRT to consider. But, in contractual terms at least, the fundamentals of what would be the biggest manufacturer allegiance switch of the decade are possible …

V8 SUPERCARS

Chris Carter

IT would be something of an irony if Craig Lowndes and Jamie Whincup raced in Holdens next year. On the one hand, Lowndes’s defection from HRT to Gibson Motorsport, and from Holden to Ford, in late-2000 sent shockwaves through the sport. His profile and talents remain admired by some within the Holden fraternity, even if they will never admit it on the record … On the other hand, Jamie Whincup’s departure caused few such ructions. There was no drive for him at Tasman Motorsport, but when he crossed the divide three years ago, he did it with the understanding, even sympathy, of those in red. Having said that, that was before he started beating Holden’s star drivers … Whincup and Lowndes are both out of contract with their team at the end of the year, so it is likely that any new relationship that the team engages in would need to be settled at the same time as the re-siging of the drivers, which is expected. On the other side of the ‘fence’, HRT’s Garth Tander and Will Davison are believed to be signed beyond the end of the year, but the actual length of the deals, and with whom or what those deals were signed, is unclear. So, could it work? One team principal said that the challenge of managing four title-contending drivers in what is essentially one team “would be

a nightmare”. But both teams have two of each at the moment, so it could work. There are carrots for everyone involved. For Holden, getting the country’s most popular driver, Lowndes, and the defending Champion, Whincup, in Commodores would be a big plus. For Tander and Davison, it would be a challenge to take on those drivers in identical hardware. For the team, beating Ford’s sponsored teams with their unbranded ‘Pigs’ is one thing, but running off to another brand and repeating it would be a bonus. There is also some attraction to be had, one would think, in beating Walkinshaw Racing Commodores with ones you built yourselves …

What about the hardware? V8 SUPERCARS

Dirk Klynsmith

ONE thing is for sure; if a T8/ HRT deal were to eventuate, hardware is not going to be a problem. Triple Eight Race Engineering’s headquarters in Banyo has the capacity to not only run four entries in the V8 Supercar Championship Series, it can service all of its customer requirements, even if those customers remain in Ford FGs. T8RE already supplies hardware and technology to Jim Beam Racing, Wilson Security Racing and Intraracing in the V8SCS, as well as to

several teams in the Fujitsu Series. But there are already parts headed out the T8 doors to Holden teams. The company is supplying dampers and clutches to Lion-shaped teams, as well as steering racks. Engines would be no drama. KRE, from which TeamVodafone sources its engines, is already experienced with Chevrolet-branded hardware, and much of the development of the team’s Ford engines is transferable to GM motors, so close is the architecture between the two. The similarities between Falcon and Commodore

V8 Supercars under Project Blueprint are such that developing a new chassis would not be that difficult for Ludo Lacroix and his hardworking troops. In fact, the details of how to adapt the technology from one brand to another are detailed in the current issue of Motorsport News (though we used a Nissan as an example …) Routinely, TeamVodafone has had new cars roll out for the start of the season, so parking a few Fords and building a few Holdens is not going to be an insurmountable challenge.

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

Lights, Camera, V8 Action

V8 SUPERCARS

Dirk Klynsmith

A V8 SUPERCAR race at night could be on the calendar as early as next year. eNews has learned that the concept of a night race is rapidly gaining momentum at board level and could be seen on the 2010 V8 Supercar Championship Series calendar, pending lighting, circuit and television factors. Finding a circuit with an appropriate climate for a night race is one of the first hurdles, and the tracks that emerge favourably are all of Queensland’s V8 races – Gold Coast, Townsville and Queensland Raceway, while the other circuit that is in a good position is Barbagallo Raceway in West Australia. The Barbagallo circuit already hosts two night meetings a year for its statebased racers, and with its relative small size would ideally suit a night race.

Ford Performance Racing team principal and V8 Supercar board member Tim Edwards said that idea of running a V8 race when lights are required is high on V8s agenda for future seasons. “Watch this space!” he said. “For the last four years, people have been suggesting that we need this for the category. I’m sure it will happen at some point. “It’s been discussed and it could potentially be a good thing. There’s nothing on the radar at the moment, certainly not for this year, but it’s been discussed multiple times. You could see to see something next year or the year after. Edwards said that climate is a huge consideration. “You want somewhere quite warm – clearly, you wouldn’t do it in Tasmania where its going to be cold enough during the day, let alone forcing people to come out of their homes at night!” he said.

sutton-images.com

V8 Supercars gets serious about night racing – as early as 2010

“You’ve got to think about lighting as well. Even though we’ve got headlights on the cars, you’ve got to think about the crowd. You can’t have them meandering around in the dark, tripping over, breaking their legs and suing us! That’s a fairly substantial investment. “A street track possibly lends itself better to a night race as well. The nature of the lighting is already there with street lights.

“There are a lot of hurdles. It sounds like a great idea, but until you start working through it, then you realise how many factors there are involved.” V8 Supercars under lights has not been seen since 1997 when the Australian Touring Car Championship kicked-off in the dark at Calder Park. The V8 class also ran at night the year before on Eastern Creek’s short circuit. – GRANT ROWLEY

news

Dirk Klynsmith

FPR & SBR’s ‘Swap and Tell’ tests V8 SUPERCARS FACTORY blue oval teams Ford Performance Racing and Stone Brothers Racing will swap their star drivers this week in two unique test sessions at Winton and Queensland Raceway. SP Tools driver Shane van Gisbergen will drive Mark Winterbottom’s FPR Falcon at Winton today (Tuesday), while Winterbottom will head up to QR to peddle the SBR Falcon on Wednesday. ‘Van Giz’ will have his engineer Paul Forgie on hand, and ‘Frosty’ will take Phil Keed with him to the Ipswich circuit. The back-to-back test is not the first time the factory Ford squads have worked together. The pair were both instrumental in the initial

development of the new FG Falcon, but this is the first ‘time a driver swap has been arranged, underlining their determination to take their respective teams back to the top of the V8 tree – and most importantly, overcome the rampant Triple Eight squad. “We’ve had the intention to work together and do the best job since we started doing the FG project,” Tim Edwards told eNews. “We both thinks there are benefits to be had by working a little closer together. “There are a lot of things going on under the surfaces, but I think they are two very different cars from two different engineering groups. They are two different engines, likewise. I’m sure their cars have advantages over ours,

and visa-versa. “As to what the tests will bring … time will tell. We’ll wait until Shane hops out of the car and passes comment.” Van Gisbergen was at Winton yesterday (Monday) for a seat fitting with FPR, and his test today will be the first time that he’s driven a non-SBR built V8 Supercar. “When you see the FPR cars on the track, they are quite different in the way they approach the turns, come off the corners and all that,” he said. “It will be interesting to see their advantages there, and where our cars are strong compared to theirs. I’m looking forward to it. “We’d both like to get something out of it, put all the positives together and

hopefully we’ll be up with the Triple Eight guys and even be ahead of them.” Re-establishing Ford’s factory teams as the blue oval’s force over the ‘Pigs’ isn’t impossible, according to Edwards. “We don’t think they are unbeatable,” he said. “If Frosty wasn’t boxed in pitlane in Race 6 (he lost five seconds there), he would have been well down the track before Craig (Lowndes) even left his pit box. Sunday’s race could have been a completely different result with all those shenanigans in pit lane. “You can’t think for a minute that you can’t beat them. Jamie (Whincup) got boxed back in traffic and you didn’t see him for the rest of the race. Triple Eight is not unbeatable.” – GRANT ROWLEY

BRIEFLY... n V8 Supercars’ newest event – The Sydney 500 – will be officially launched in Martin Place on Saturday, May 16. Special guest appearances will be made by V8 racing royalty Mark Skaife, Jamie Whincup, Will Davison and Mark Winterbottom, as well as a host of other V8 drivers. Australian dance music act the Potbelleez will be on hand for a free public performance. Exclusive Sydney 500 discount tickets will also be available to the public, with a 10 percent discount offered to buyers at the launch. Tickets will officially go on sale on Monday 18. n The Nitro SuperGP, October 22-25, will bring together the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport and the V8 Supercar Championship Series on the streets of Surfers Paradise, and you could be trackside. The four day event is now seeking volunteers across a large variety of roles, suitable for all ages and stages of experience, with applications now open via the event website – www. supergp.com “We have a wide range of positions available,” said Ticketing and Accreditation manager Jayne Graham. “There are many benefits to being involved in the team, including official 2009 Nitro SuperGP Shirts and Cap, access to the event for you and a friend, some meals and drinks, free public transport to the event, as well as a participation certificate and an invitation to the exclusive volunteers after party.” The 2009 Nitro SuperGP will be one of the first rounds of the 2009/10 A1GP World Cup of Motorsport.

Ricci samples new ride V8 SUPERCARS TONY Ricciardello has had his first taste of Kelly Racing Team equipment, driving Dale Wood’s Hi-Tech Oils Commodore at Winton last Tuesday. The West Aussie will drive for the team in this year’s L&H 500 at Phillip Island and Bathurst 1000 at Mount Panorama, most likely sharing with Wood. He spent the Winton meeting hanging out with the team, before jumping aboard at a ride day on Tuesday for about 20 laps. “It was a good, no pressure way to do some laps,” said Ricciardello. “It was just about learning where everything is and getting used to it all again. “It’s been a couple of years, but the cars are definitely better than I’ve ever driven before. Everything seems to be nice and simple, right down to the sequential gearbox.” KRT boss and Jack Daniel’s driver Todd Kelly says Ricciardello will be a valued member of the squad come enduro time. “Tony has got a wealth of experience in Australian motorsport and at both Phillip Island and Bathurst,” said Kelly. “If you win six Australian Sports Sedan Championships, you clearly have a lot of ability. The Sports Sedans are real beasts to drive, so it’s definitely good experience to get you ready for one of our cars.” – ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN

Bigger tanks delayed until 2010 V8 SUPERCARS V8 SUPERCARS has delayed the introduction of its 75litre tank for the rest of the season. All of the remaining ‘Sprint’ races in the 2009 Championship Series were to have featured the smaller tanks, to reduce the range of the cars with the E85 fuel brought in at the start of the year. But now, we understand that the races in

question with continue with the current 115-litre tanks fitted to the cars. The races will continue with the 50-litre ‘timed’ fillups introduced at Winton, to ensure that the time spent in the pits is similar for all cars. The reason for the reinstatement of the status quo is believed to be one of cost containment, one team principal telling eNews that it would cost his team “a five figure sum” to convert his

cars to the smaller tanks and then refit the larger tanks for the Phillip Island and Bathurst endurance races. In other news, one of the brake pads in use in the V8SCS will be no longer eligible for use from midseason. The Project Mu H16-03 brake pads, which have been supplied by PWR Racing, will be deleted from the list of approved brake pads for use in the championship from June 26.

news

Peter Bury

Morris locks in enduro drivers Said, Owen in – but the pairings are still a way off as Slade gets up to speed V8 SUPERCARS PAUL Morris has nominated the six drivers that he will take to the endurance races this year. Morris himself will be joined by Russell Ingall, Tim Slade, Owen Kelly, American import Boris Said and Dean Fiore, sharing the two Supercheap Auto Racing Commodores and the Triple F Racing entry (formerly Team Kiwi Racing). The driving partnerships are yet to be decided, and won’t be confirmed until closer to the Phillip Island and Bathurst races, but Morris told eNews that whatever decision gets made, the team comes first. “It all depends on how we go about it,” Morris said. “Ideally, I need to drive with Russell, but its hard getting into his car and getting laps.

“It all depends on how quickly we can get Tim up to speed, but we’ll have Owen Kelly and Boris Said locked in there, trying to fill the puzzle one way or the other. “And we’ve got Dean to think about as well. “We won’t know until we get closer to the date. It would be easy to partner Russell and Tim – all you have to do is drive the car twice and not make mistakes. If he races the race and not the man, he’ll be able to do it, but quite often you see the co-drivers get in a pissing contest for 12th place trying to show everyone who’s best. All you end up with is a train wreck. “Tim has got to be able to prove he can finish sprint races first and then we’ll see how we go.” Said’s return to the V8 enduros comes off the back of his efforts last year with the

team, while securing the services of Kelly is a coup for the Queensland-based team. The versatile racer, currently competing in the USA, has not driven at Bathurst since 2007 when he drove with the PMM team, but would easily fit into any of the team’s cars – including their lead Ingall entry. “It’s just what’s best for the team. I only got six laps in the car last year before we started the race, so it’s just about getting the right bloke in the car who can do that job,” Morris said. “Owen could do that job, we’ll just have to see. Owen would fit in the car better than I would, we’ll just have to see how it all plays out. “Another option is to run Tim and Dean together. There’s lots of options for us.” – GRANT ROWLEY

Peter Bury

Positive tests for Drag Racers

Multiple results from Winternationals and Nitro Champs DRAG RACING A NUMBER of competitors have tested positive to prohibited substances at ANDRA Drag Racing events this year. ANDRA Operations Manager Brenton Myers confirmed the positive results on Monday and said that the sanctioning body was now following its established procedure. In line with the ANDRA testing protocol (as with groups such

as AFL Football) , he did not name the competitors involved, or the substances. “The Winternationals and the Nitro Champs are the two events, and there have some positive results from both of those events,” he said. He revealed that the competitors’ A-sample, which is tested by independent service provider Medvet Laboraties, had returned a positive result. Medvet uses a computer randomiser to choose

candidates for drug testing, and conducts the testing onsite. Officials are tested as well as racers. “The action taken in the first offence is that the person has to register, participate in and complete a register drug counselling program,” Myers explained. “Then they must present for a test at their next event. They can be tested thereafter, as they do not fall into the random sample.”

The persons concerned may also choose to have the secondary sample retested. The results of the tests have been buzzing around the Drag Racing community since late last week and the feeling has been that the ANDRA guidelines have been doing their job. “It has been received with a positive reaction by competitors and officials, almost across the board,” said Myers. – PHIL BRANAGAN

NASCAR suspends Mayfield

Sprint Cup owner/driver out indefinitely for substance abuse NASCAR

Toyota Motorsports

NASCAR has suffered its latest drug scandal, with the suspension of Jeremy Mayfield. Owner-driver Mayfield and two team members of other teams have been indefinitely suspended under NASCAR’s rule book for substance abuse policy results received on Saturday. “Jeremy is both and owner and a driver,” said NASCAR’s Jim Hunter, “he will not be allowed to compete in either role. “We have one of the toughest substance abuse policies in sports and implementation of the random testing has been supported by the drivers and owners of the sport. The process is that these three suspensions were a part of our random testing at Richmond a week ago. At this point every driver in the Sprint Cup Series has been tested at least once. At least eight to 15 people are tested each week in the Cup garage.” Mayfield is the first Cup driver to receive a suspension due to NASCAR’s drug policy. NASCAR did not divulge the substance, but Hunter did confirm that alcohol was not the substance in

any of those suspended. “If a suspended person approaches our expert Dr. Robert Black he will look at possible re-instatement,” continued Hunter. “Based on his recommendations NASCAR will look at possible re-instatement.” The others suspendered are Tony Martin of the number 34 Front Row Motorsports Cup team usually driven by John Andretti, and Ben Williams of the number 16 Roush Fenway Nationwide Series team driven to a win at Darlington by Matt Kenseth. The suspension comes in a bad week for NASCAR. Nationwide Series driver Kevin Grubb was found dead in a Virginia hotel room last week, of a self-inflicted gun shot wound to the head. Grubb had been suspended indefinitely for substance abuse. It’s not known at this point what will happen with Mayfield’s self-owned team that failed to qualify for the Cup race last Friday. Unconfirmed reports suggest that a silent ownership partner in the team is the owner of Mayfield’s sponsor All-Sport drink, so it’s possible the team could appear at Charlotte this weekend – with a new owner. – MARTIN D CLARK

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Gore in Court V8 SUPERCARS

V8 SUPERCARS

flexible mounting system be an option for other teams? One team engineer shed some light on the likely outcome by pointing out to eNews that: “whatever you do, things move to a degree at the sort of speeds and loads affecting parts of V8 Supercars exposed to the airstream. There’s no such thing as ‘solid’, really. The correct solution – and it is something that overseas equivalents such as the BTCC do, and F1 with its rear wing deflection issue does – is to specify what amount of deflection is acceptable for a specific item under a specific load. That is totally clear, transparent, and in black and white. “Honestly, Roland’s guys found a hole in the regs … like F1 diffusers, it’s the ones who didn’t think of it who are upset … they [V8SA] just have to fill the hole correctly now.” eNews understands that such a regimechould be implemented in time for Tasmania.

Dirk Klynsmith

THE controversy concerning flexible mounting of V8 Supercar front air dams, which burst into the limelight at Winton, should be resolved in time for the next round of the series, in Tasmania, on May 30/31. Initial reports on subsequent discussions on the matter are currently circulating among the teams. While there are still teams who feel that Triple Eight Racing infringed by running front air dam mounts with some degree of flexibility, most eNews sources around the industry expect that, in the end, the existing rules will be shown to have sufficient ‘grey’ areas that retro-prosecution of the team would be unsuccessful. The question is, what happens next? Will the teams affected be required to ‘solid’ mount their front air dams – or will a more

Dirk Klynsmith

SPLITTER DECISION

CRAIG Gore, head of the Wright Patton Shakespeare group of companies, which included WPS Motorsport, will face the public scrutiny of a Federal Court hearing next month over the collapse of his business empire. Last week, the voluntary liquidation of WPS Motorsport Pty Ltd was overturned, and replaced by a liquidation order, following a Federal Court case brought by the Australian Tax Office. According to Brisbane’s Courier Mail newspaper, WPS Motorsport failed owing some $6.9 million, approximately $1 million of that to the tax department. Several other companies linked to Gore are in receivership or liquidation.

Martin D Clark

Toyota Motorspor ts

Race Me, Race Me!

You can race Ambrose and other Sprint Cup stars on iRacing.com – and read his exclusive tips in eNews! NASCAR YOU could never, ever, in a hundred years, race against Marcos Ambrose. Except, now, you can. Australia’s own NASCAR star is giving fans and competitors in Australia and New Zealand the opportunity to race him both online and on the track this year. Ambrose has become the face of the world’s most advanced on-line racing simulation service as its makes a major marketing push into Australia and New Zealand. iRacing.com has been developed over the past five years at a cost to date of more than $US25 million and offers host of road and oval racing experiences. To celebrate the new relationship iRacing.com is offering Australian and

New Zealand-based fans a special $US25 three-month introductory offer – that 50 percent off the normal price. And all Australian and New Zealand members registered by August 30 have the chance to win a return trip for two from their nearest capital city to the V8 Super School on Queensland’s Gold Coast in

December. At the school, which is jointly owned by Ambrose and V8 Supercar team owner Paul Morris, the fans will have the chance to race Ambrose for real in an iRacing.com-branded Ford Falcon V8 race car. “iRacing.com is for everyone and we want as many fans as possible to experience this

great online simulation service as soon as possible,” said Ambrose. “This is as close as you can get to real racing without writing a big cheque.” All aspiring internet racers will need to race Ambrose and other racers from around the globe is an up-to-date PC running Windows XP or Vista, an inexpensive gaming steering wheel and pedals (which you can buy for as little as $100 from your local electronics store), a high-speed internet connection and an iRacing.com account. Better still, you will be able to get tips on winning on iRacing, and all the news from inside the Sprint Cup, in Ambrose’s exclusive column, starting next Monday in Motorsport eNews.

Coming to America?

The King and I INDYCAR THE most famous name in American racing was thrilled to be at The Brickyard to watch qualifying for the Indianapolis 500. “We use to come here during qualifying with STP 15 to 20 years ago,” said Richard Petty, who is supporting John Andretti’s Indy 500 entry in collaboration with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing. “Last year was the first year I’ve ever been to the Indy 500 race. It was quite a thrill. I think what fascinated me about the Indy deal is the cars more than the people or the circumstances.” The King did not bring his driver any luck. Andretti was bumped from the top 22 cars and in a late run, looking to break into the field, crashed at Turn 1. He will make another attempt at qualifying next weekend. – MARY MENDEZ

Takuma Sato linked to De Ferran IndyCar team INDYCAR

IndyCar Media

THE next Formula 1 refugee to line up in IndyCars could be Takuma Sato. The Japanese ace, who raced twice at the Speedway in the F1 United States Grand Prix, was at Indianapolis at the weekend to observe Indy 500 qualifying. Rumors have linked him with Honda, the sole engine supplier for the IndyCar series and Gil de Ferran. The former 500 winner, who is owner/driver of one of Acura’s ALMS teams, confirmed he’d like to return to IndyCars as a team in addition to running in ALMS. “Obviously, I know the track, but this is my first trip during the IndyCar Series,” said Sato, whose last F1 drive was a test with Toro Rosso last November. “I’m very impressed. This place, obviously, is very important. I’m looking forward to any possibility of a chance in my future plans (to race in the Indianapolis 500), just to have a look and feel it, the Indy 500. “I only know the race days in F1. The Indy 500 on Race Day will be massively different from Pole Day today. But obviously I can get the feel that this is one of the biggest events in motorsports in the world. I’m so excited for it.” – MARY MENDEZ

New state-level circuit being investigated in south east Melbourne

Is this Victoria’s next race track? GENERAL NEWS

VICTORIA could have a new purpose-built racetrack within the next three years. Last week’s state budget contained funding for a feasibility study for a proposed circuit to be build adjacent to the Pakenham bypass, in the shire of Chisolm. The proposal includes a Level 2 racetrack and two karting circuits, including a Level 1 FIA-CIK track, as well as skid pan and autocross circuit to provide driver training. The project has the support of the Cardinia Shire Council, Chisolm TAFE, the local police as well as CAMS and Motorcycling Australia. The study will be conducted within the next two months by VDM Consulting, which is already involved in the development of the Changi Level 2 track in Singapore, and Bill O’Gorman, who has experience in the field dating back to the development of the Adelaide Grand Prix circuit in the early 1980s, and Eastern Creek. “I have never been involved with something with such widespread support,” O’Gorman told eNews. “[It has] unanimous council support, and from the Police as

well. The community needs to be involved with this project from the word ‘go’ but competition only takes up 15 percent of the time that the facility will be in use.” Funding is being sought from a number of sources, both private and public, and the location of the facility in Melbourne’s south-

east falls in line with the recommendations of the Marriott Report, which identified the area as a prime candidate for such a facility. The study is being jointly funded, with the state government providing $20,000, another $13,500 provided by the Shire and $26,500 from Drew Price Engineering.

WSS moves ahead in leaps and bounds WORLD SERIES

Ash Budd

THE future of World Series Sprintcar looks stronger than ever, with key category delegates agreeing to a new marketing and promotional venture. The WSS Management Group met at Tweed Heads, NSW last week, and Chairman Geoff Kendrick commented that the group has put in place strategies and ideas for the future and many key decisions were made. “We were especially pleased to have Sprintcar Racing Pty Ltd representatives Dale Rodgers and Noel Gessner at the table to participate. Following a comprehensive presentation by Rodgers, the group

unanimously accepted the marketing and promotional role that Sprintcar Racing presented.” Kendrick said “We were then able to launch into the formal planning of the series in the knowledge that all stakeholders – NASR, the promoters, the SCCA and now Sprintcar Racing have a clear and workable path to ensure the series builds on the previous seasons.” Discussion points that were tabled included television, contracted drivers, calendar and the full promotional package. According Kendrick, the cream of the local Sprintcar scene has registered early intention for the 2009/10 WSS. “The depth of talent already showing firm intention to run

next season is very pleasing and supports the early work and direction of the new WSS Management Group’ Kendrick added. The WSS Management Group has now asked for a firm commitment from the drivers and teams who seek a contract for the series. Once the list of committed teams and drivers has been finalised the WSS Management

Group will select 12 for contract. Teams and drivers who have expressed interest at the end of April include Steve Caunt, Luke Dillon, Shaun Dobson, Max Dumesny, East Coast Pipeline Racing, Ben Ellement, Ryan Farrell, Peter Lack, Trevor Green, H&M Racing, Kerry Madsen, Krikke Motorsport, Ricky Maiolo, James McFadden, Bryan Mann, Danny Reidy, David Murcott and Simon Van Ginneken.

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Strong AGT entry for Phillip Island SHANNONS NATIONALS THE third round of the Australian GT Championship will be the class to watch at Phillip Island this weekend. As part of the Shannons Nationals,m the GT field will contest two one hour endurance races, with entries able to use two drivers. While most have elected to run single driver entries, there are two obvious stand-outs. Allan Simonsen and John Bowe join the fray, with Simonsen codriving with Nick O’Halloran in the Maranello Motorsport Ferrari 430 GT3 while Bowe is to be paired with Ted Huglin in the Consolidated Chemical

Company Lamborghini Gallardo. off run in the National Class, driving her Other confirmed two driver teams F304-model Dallara. Joey Foster will be include Rod Wilson and Jim Manolios in out to continue his dominant run having the Trofeo Motorsport Maserati Trofeo won every race of this year’s title. Light in the GT Challenge division and The Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge, Andrew Macpherson and Mike Reedy Commodore Cup and Saloon Cars Series driving the Imak/Kwikmit Lotus Exige S will compete in their second rounds, in GT Production. with all three producing strong entry David Wall leads the title in his PR lists. Technology Racing Porsche GT3 Cup The GT3 class will see at least six of the S ahead of Porsche 997 runners James ex-997 Cup Cars race that were meant to Koundouris and Max Twigg. There are be in the now defunct Carrera Cup. 26 Sportcars entered for the round – Also making a special appearance will another strong field in the GT ranks. be the Porsche Club Regularity featuring In other Shannons news, Round 3 of 35 Porsches. Look out for Jim Richards the Australian F3 Driver’s Championship who will be taking part, doing double sees the return of Leanne Tander in a one- duty along with his Australian GT ride.

Dirk Klynsmith

Saloon Cars combine and conquer THE Kumho Australian Saloon Car Series is trailing a combined entry list of national and state competitors this weekend for the second round of its series at Phillip Island. A close-to-capacity 40 cars will line up for the Shannons Nationals event, which is being run as both a national round and a state round for regular local competitors. Category administrator Les Morrall said that he is keen to see national and state entries mix in more often. “I figured that we needed to thicken the grid up,” he said.

“Every category is suffering at the moment, so we’ve thrown the state guys into the mix. “We’re going to do the same for the Queensland teams at Morgan Park, and the New South Wales guys at Oran Park. It’s all coming together. NSW is thin on the ground this year, so we’re also trying to organise a NSW/Qld state challenge. That’s just an idea we’ve discussed. There’s no use just siting around on your hands waiting for people to enter.” This weekend’s Saloon Car field has been bolstered by the entry of former Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series regular Tony Evangelou. A former Saloon Car

Marshall Cass

SALOON CARS

champion, Evangelou is only locked into this round, but is contemplating more rounds later in the season. While Evangelou makes a return, class dominator Bruce Heinrich will take a rest this round. The three-time class

champ is only running a partial program this season. In other Saloon Car news, Kumho Tyres has recently come onboard for the rest of the season as the naming-rights sponsor, replacing Supaloc. – GRANT ROWLEY

Volkswagen Motorsport

VW teams up with Nasser DAKAR

sutton-images.com

VOLKSWAGEN has grabbed Nasser Al-Attiyah for its assault on the 2010 Dakar Rally. The Qatari driver will join 2009 winner Giniel de Villiers, runner-up Mark Miller and Carlos Sainz in a four-car effort on the race, which will start in Buenos Aires on January 2. “Volkswagen will contest the Dakar Rally in 2010 with a clear aim: We want to repeat our

triumph,” says Volkswagen Motorsport Director Kris Nissen. “One thing is clear already: The route is likely to be even tougher and the challenge even greater.” Al-Attiyah, 38, was one of the stars of this year’s Raid. His BMW X3 was VW’s closest challenger, winning two stages and leading the event until he missed some of the route and was disqualified from the event. German Timo Gottschalk will be his navigator.

Zemke subs in ... and is Sterilgarda switching sides? WORLD SUPERBIKES

THE future of Team Sterilgarda is surrounded by some doubt, with the news that the team’s sponsor has joined Yamaha’s works World Superbike team. Ben Spies and Tom Sykes ran in the colours of the Italian food giant at Monza and, while there is no confirmation of a

Honda Pro Images

WHILE Ben Spies was stealing the headlines for running out of gas in Race 1, and then winning Race 2, another American made his World Superbike debut at Monza. Jake Zemke, inset, replaced John Hopkins on the Stiggy Honda and raced relatively conservatively at the famed Italian track to finish 18th and 20th. Ironically, it was the second time that Zemke, 33, has been called up to replace an injured Honda WSBK rider; last year, Ten Kate asked him to ride Robbie Rolfo’s bike, but paperwork problems prevented him from doing so. “Race 1 went a lot better then Race 2,” said Zemke, who usually races in the Pro

Daytona SportBike class for the Erion Honda team. “We made some changes and thought they would help us, but they didn’t, and then the ride through penalty for cutting the chicane just finished the race for me.” Hopkins has said on his website that he hopes to return to the saddle for the Miller Motorsport Park round at the end of the month.

permanent deal – the media release said it was for ‘selected races’ – there is obviously the potential for more. “It’s fantastic to have Sterilgarda onboard,” said Laurens Klein Koerkamp, Manager, Yamaha Motor Europe Racing Division. “We’re looking forward to working together and this being the

start of a long term relationship.” That is not good reading for Marco Borciani. Since Max Biaggi left at the end of 2008, they have struggled, and Shakey Byrne has had a tough season. He was 14th and 18th at Monza, results hardly recognisable from the man who topped pre-season testing at Portimao.

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Reeves to shoot for the stars Young Victorian to lead Aussie charge for 2010 Pirelli Star Driver award AUSTRALIAN RALLYING

Redline Photographics

RALLY aces Brendan Reeves and Eli Evans have both qualified for the final shoot-out in this year’s Pirelli Star Driver scheme, after last weekend’s AsiaPacific Rally Championship round in Queensland. The scheme, designed to help under27 year old drivers break into the World Rally Championship, works on a qualifying system, with the top two registered drivers from the New Zealand and Australian rounds of the APRC automatically going through to the shoot-out. And despite both having problems in Queensland, the effective points system resulted in Reeves and Evans making the cut. “The way the system works is great,” said a clearly delighted Reeves. “You get points for a stage win, so when we had a problem with a wheel on the second stage and dropped a heap of time, it didn’t rule us out. We repaired it and got the car back to service, and we only lost a few points. “You hardly ever get opportunities like this, so it’s really exciting.” The opportunity Reeves is referring to is the prize on offer for winning the scheme – a funded drive in six rounds of the 2010

Production Car World Rally Championship. Reeves and Evans will now take on the top two qualifiers from the New Zealand round (to be held in June) when the WRC circus rolls into New South Wales this September. When that does happen, Reeves will be back to having his co-driving sister Rhianon Smyth alongside him. In

Queensland, Smyth was contracted to ride with kiwi Emma Gilmour, meaning the experienced Glen Weston read the notes for Reeves. “In testing we were a bit nervous with each other,” added Reeves, “but when the lights went green on the first stage everything was fine.” – ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN

From Todd Road to Tokyo City ... JUNIOR National Light and Clubman Light drivers at this year’s City of Melbourne titles will be racing for a drive in the Toyota All Stars SL Championship final in Japan later this year. The winner of the JNL class at this year’s ‘Yamaha Japan Qualifier’ will join the winner of Clubman Light on the plane to Japan to compete at the 33rd annual Toyota All Japan SL Final, held at Yamaha’s famous Sugo circuit in the north east of Japan. The total prize is worth over $20,000.

The Japanese event will be held at on October 1 – 4. Each price includes trips for two to Japan, four days accommodation, transfers and the supply of all the equipment necessary to compete. Winners will also get the chance to travel on the famous bullet train on your way to Sugo via Tokyo city. Entries are open to any individual, although a limited of 36 will be enforced on each class, so competitors are advised to get in quick. The City of Melbourne titles will be held on August 15/16.

Ash Budd

KARTING

When the title was lost DRAG RACING

Sitting in the staging lanes inside his Auto One/Snap-on Top Fuel Dragster, Phil Read had just been given the news that the driver that stood in the way of him clinching his fourth successive Australian Top Fuel Championship had just been eliminated in the first round. He knew this was his chance to head to the Castrol EDGE Winternationals hot on the heals of Phil Lamattina. He got to the line, his burn out was strong, but in literally a flash, it was all over. Phil Read was out of contention; he was eliminated in the first round, not by a quicker pass, but by a $5.00 part. A bent fuel shut off valve cable had ‘leaned out’ the 8000hp engine, causing one large engine explosion. Read’s Top Fueler had clearly been the fastest car up until that point; straight out of the box on Friday night, his pass of 4.56 was just two-

thousandths of a second off the national record. “What happened on Sunday of the Karcher Nitro Champs summed up our entire season. It’s been the little things that have gone wrong all year that have cost us the championship,” said Read. “What’s really disappointing is that with Phil Lamattina going out in the first round, we really could have made up some points to challenge him for the title at the Winternationals. There’s not much we can do about it now though.” With the season-ending Castrol EDGE Winternationals just three weeks away, Read now has a different priority for the Willowbank event; “We are going to make the Auto One/Snapon dragster the fastest top fueler is Australian history. If the conditions are right, which they normally are at Willowbank at that time of the year, we will be going all out for the national record.”

Barbagallo turns fortunes around John Barbagallo has had an indifferent ANDRA Pro Stock season, but his performances have improved and he was rewarded with a win at the 2009 Nitro Champs last week. After qualifying, the Sydney crowd was treated to the quickest and tightest qualifying field in ANDRA Pro Stock Championship history, with just 0.059s spreading the eight car field. This fact made it a very satisfying meeting for Barbagallo to take victory, also setting a new National record ET – with a 7.042s effort.

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John Bosher

Top Bike Champ’s future in doubt Popular Kiwi racer Athol Williams can’t commit beyond the end of this season DRAG RACING ATHOL Williams has had a huge couple of weeks. The New Zealand racer wrapped up the Australian Top Bike Championship, becoming the first non-Australian to claim a Group 1 ANDRA National title. Add to that the world’s fourth fastest-ever Top Bike pass, plus victory at last week’s Nitro Champs and you’d imagine that the Stud Racing team owner/rider would be a pretty happy chap. Well, you’d be wrong. Williams is now in a serious bind and is unlikely to defend his 2008/09 crown unless he lands some serious sponsorship dollars. Williams will run the season finale at Willowbank next month, followed by the Trans Tasman Challenge at Darwin and Alice Springs.

But according to the Kiwi Champion, his bike will return to NZ after that and be rested ... possibly for good. “After the Trans Tasman, the bike will come back to NZ and sit here,” he said. “Our economy leads an awful lot to be desired. “I’ve had to lay half of my workforce off and Stud Welding (ED: William’s own company), pays probably 98 percent of our racing costs. Yes, we do have sponsors on the bike which we couldn’t have done it without, but the majority is paid by ourselves. “The only reason we’re completing the Trans Tasman Challenge is because of the friendship that I have with the people organising it. It’s a long-term relationship that I wouldn’t bow out of. “But after those races at this point, the bike will come home,

unless there’s a large amount of corporate interest.” Williams is one of the most popular Group 1 competitors, so much so that he considers his team to have an edge over some of the local teams. “I honestly believe that we’re one of the most popular teams in Australia – and that’s difficult to comprehend – Australians supporting a New Zealand team!” he says. “With our bike in Australia, you’ve got the Holden/Ford scenario in Top Bike. There’s the Harleys, two cylinder bikes verses four cylinder bikes. You’ve got big cubic capacity two cylinders verses the smaller four cylinder supercharged bikes. They you throw into the equation Australia v NZ and, from a promoters point of view, you’ve got the best of both worlds.” – GRANT ROWLEY

5 Minutes with ...

TONY QUINN

Targa Tasmania? Tick. Phillip Island GTs? This weekend. Then, the Nurburgring ...

Did you feel any different this year? You had already won, in Tasmania, in your Nissan GTR. No, because I have done that before. I did not feel any different at all. I guess that I am just getting older. I try my hardest, and we do our best. But the Targa-type events are full of surprises and disappointments. There are more than 200 competitors, and there is really only one winner. Yes, there are different classes, but the spotlight is always on the outright winner, and there is only one of them. The battle with Kevin Weeks went all the way to Sunday morning … Yes, I have to say congratulations to Kevin. He drove like a champion, he is a man possessed and he

I HAVE TO SAY CONGRATULATIONS TO KEVIN WEEKS. HE DROVE LIKE A CHAMPION PLENTY OF SPORTSMANSHIP ON-BOARD AT TEAM VIP

Redline

MOTORSPORT NEWS: Let’s talk about Targa Tasmania. It must be gratifying to come through and win it after a decade of trying. TONY QUINN: I think that I have won my fair share of Targa events; I won in New Zealand, I have class wins and I have come second in several events as well. But the one that everyone always wants to win is Targa Tasmania. That is the jewel in the crown, isn’t it? It has been held so tightly, for many years, by Jimmy [Richards]. He has always had the edge on everybody, and he works very hard at his job. His strategy in the past has always been to go hard on the first day, get a gap on the field and keep it. But we are all onto that now, so for the last couple of years, it has seen him struggle a fair bit.

desperately wants to win, like we all do, Targa Tasmania. He has put such a lot of effort into it. He probably started a bit later than me, has been doing it seven or eight years, and there has been no shortage of effort or money. It is quite common knowledge that Kevin did 8000km in recce. Stevie Jones was there for a month prior to the event, doing recce. There are some serious efforts being put in, and that is why the top bunch of guys are so good. For the record, I was there on Thursday morning and did Thursday-Friday-SaturdaySunday recce. I don’t think that all that recce helps you that much. It can make you familiar with the course and I think that there is a danger that you can become too familiar [with the course]. I think that the driver needs to focus on driving, without thinking what corners go where. I think that there is a difference between listening to your navigator and

remembering the road. My recce was to drive over the stages twice, because there are some places that are a bit tricky. That lasts until the day, when you go for it. It makes such a difference when you concentrate and listen to the navigator. Therein lies a bit of a trick as well. I feel female navigators are clearer with their diction. I think that male navigators try to drive it with you! They want to get involved with the driving side of it. Females like to sit there, they drive by the seat of their pants, so they don’t look at the road all the time. That is what Naomi [Tillett] does! We just get on with the job. The only bad thing about female navigators is the chitchat on the touring stages … New Business. Phillip Island coming up, GTs, Aston Martin. A different mindset? Yes. I really love driving the Aston Martin. It is a pleasure

to drive, after driving circuit Porsches for so many years. It is a good car to drive. So well built; Prodrive did a great job with the car and it seems to be well-balanced. At Sandown last year, when I jumped in the car, it felt good straight away. We have done a little bit to it, since the last event. We have put in a MoTeC dash, which people understand, and now the team can see what I am doing. Straight after Phillip Island, we are off to the Nurburgring, for our fourth attempt at the [24 Hour] race. We have a good bunch of guys, and we have trimmed it back to focus on one car. The drivers are Klark and myself, and Craig Baird and Grant Denyer. I think that we can do well, as we are all quite competent drivers. If we don’t get punted off, I think that we can do very well. The first year we did it, we finished an unbelievable ninth outright. Even the Germans could not believe it. The following year, with an RSR, we wanted a podium, which never eventuated, because a BMW took us out. Last year, at two o’clock in the morning, we were taken out by another BMW. We just need to be very careful this year. The clear instructions are, if somebody is hassling you from behind or in front, let them go. We need to be there at the end. If we are, I am fairly sure that we can get a decent result.

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Targa Tas

The little team’s lega B

EWARE the Little Team. No, I am not talking about Brawn GP, which has both Formula 1 World Championships (Drivers’ and Constructors’) in a hammerlock. Nor am I talking about Super Aguri, which a couple of years ago, gave Honda Racing an awful time in Formula 1, which is a bit like being beaten up by your sister. I am talking about Briggs Motorsport. With the best will in the world, Briggs was a middleof-the-grid team, with the odd shiny performance. It bobbled along, then Triple Eight arrived, kicked the tyres, bought the team and got to work. What has happened since is history, and since you are

reading a specialist motor racing publication, let me assume that you know that history. By almost any measure TeamVodafone is the best team in V8 Supercar’s pitlane; unbeaten in 2009. And that fact is not without some irony. As detailed in the news pages, Messrs Lowndes and Whincup both earned their stripes in Holdens. They now both get their kicks beating Holdens. Could have been different. When Roland Dane and Peter Butterly came to Australia in 2003, it was to see about buying the Holden Racing Team. The TWR Group’s difficulties were in full swing, and the team looked, for

a brief time, to be at the mercy of the free market. Things happened differently. HRT stayed in ‘local’ hands, and has won one title and one Bathurst since. On the other hand, the blokes who wanted to buy the team have built the team that everyone wants to beat but, for now, somehow cannot. The interesting part will be, if this deal comes off, how will the fans react? Would Craig and JDub be welcomed back by the Holden fans

with open arms? Would the HRT drivers be considered ‘true’ HRT drivers if that franchise was held by someone or something other than Walkinshaw’s? Fascinating times. A 50-50 bet, according to an insider. Even odds – and better odds than you would have got a year ago on Jenson Button leading the World Championship after four wins in five races ...

opinion

acy ... MOTOR RACIN’!

Saturday night’s a great night for ...

opinion

F implemented correctly, having V8 Supercars race under lights could (or possibly would) be the sport’s next big thing. Most of you would remember the Australian Touring Car races held at Eastern Creek (1996) and Calder Park (1997). They were good – but modern-day V8 racing would be great. Why? There’s a few reasons, but the main one for me is that motor racing thrives at night time. The cars work better and they look better. Flames, sparks and smoke. It’s impossible to miss and it’s a spectacle worth seeing. Think about Speedway racing, or to a lesser extent, drag racing. You would never really think about going to see a ‘day-time’ Sprintcar race.

Phil Branagan

Executive Editor

It just doesn’t happen. If V8s is to have racing (once or twice a year) at night, then where would it be held? As FPR principal Tim Edwards points out in our news story (page six), staging the race at a street track is an option. Some of the track’s lighting, and most of the public areas would already be well lit with regular street lights. The addition of a number of flood lights would be all you’d need. Otherwise, there are minimal options for holding a night race at permanent facilities – except for one track. Barbagallo Raceway already holds two night meetings for its state competitors each year. Flood

opinion GRANT ROWLEY Editor, eNews

lighting exists at the track and around the circuit. And with West Australians always looking for something new and exciting to promote, this could be the perfect recipe. But what’s the only drama with having a Saturday night race on the west side? The race would be held at 8pm their time – 11pm East Coast time. Does that suit V8 viewers, Channel 7 or V8SA? There are many factors to consider when the lights go out, but if (or when) they do, it will surely be a coup for the sport.

Dirk Klynsmith

AUSTRALIAN RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP RALLY QUEENSLAND

Building a lead Simon Evans crushed the ARC and APRC field at Queensland, taking the lead in the local championship

race

Joel Strickland

AUSTRALIAN RALLY

IMON and Sue Evans overcame their international rivals and the local rally contingent to win the Red Devil Rally Queensland last weekend. The two-time Australian Rally Champions won every stage on Saturday, with only a flat tyre in Sunday’s Stage 10 robbing him of the same claim. Evans was registered for the Asia Pacific leg of the rally, bagging him maximum APRC and ARC points, even if he is unlikely to compete in the entire APRC title. He proved that should he contest the remaining rounds, he would be an outright contender for the FIA’s APRC, with his 1m23 sec victory over current Champion Cody Crocker.

Evans’ win also gave him the lead of the ARC for the first time since the second round at Canberra. Crocker was easily the best of the regular APRC contenders, taking maximum points. Crocker and co-driver Ben Atkinson survived an early scare on the first stage on Sunday when a puncture cost them over a minute and brought them back to the field. But they pushed on strongly across the final six stages in their MotorImage Subaru Impreza WRX STI to score three points for winning Leg 2 and a further 10 for taking the round. They also took three points yesterday as the fastest in Leg One. Third outright in the rally behind Evans and Crocker was Japanese driver Katsu Taguchi in the Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9. The battle in the regular ARC field was

no less intensive with Quit Forest Rally winner Glen and Matt Raymond pushing hard for a podium position all day. He finished second in both Saturday and Sunday’s heats. Team Raymond only beat former Championship leader Neal Bates in the Red Devil S2000 Corolla by one second in Sunday’s event, but Bates’s podium was enough for him to maintain his title lead. I need a few more gears to catch the turbo cars,” Bates said. Eli Evans had am up and down round in the Tankformers Subaru. After placing fourth on Saturday, Eli’s Subaru ingested water after the spectator point on Stage 12, killing the engine. WRC Star Chris Atkinson led the crews in an official capacity as Car ‘0’ the Safety Course Car over the weekend.

race

Joel Strickland

Winners everywhere: Simon and Sue were up to their old bonnet-standing tricks, above. Cody Crocker returned to Australian shores, claiming big points in the APRC component of the rally, left. Below, WRC star Chris Atkinson drove the Safety Car, while Japanese driver Katsu Taguchi was third outright.

Redline Photographics

NASCAR SPRINT CUP ROUND 11 – SOUTHERN 500, DARLINGTON, SC

Experience and Tre

race

eachery

Ford Racing Media

The Grand Old Man of NASCAR, Mark Martin, used Old Tyres to take his second win the the last four races. By MARTIN D CLARK

NASCAR Media

ASCAR’s 50-year old Ironman Mark Martin whipped his younger brethrens’ butts at Darlington Raceway in a 367 lap four plus hour endurance they call the Southern 500. It was a Hendrick and Chevrolet whitewash, with Martin’s team-mates Jimmie Johnson and seven-time Darlington winner Jeff Gordon second and fifth. Hendrick rookie Brad Keselowski finished seventh with the Hendrick-built cars of Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman third and fourth respectively. “This is unbelievable, absolutely unbelievable,” said Martin who one his last

Southern 500 back in 1993. “This was a big surprise, we had a strong car, but I never expected to win.” Martin ran in the top 10 most of the evening, keeping his car in one piece and out of harm’s way, but didn’t get out front until 45 laps remained. His win moved him up four spots to 11th in the standings and inside the all-important Chase top 12. As always it was tough to pass on the egg shape track making track position vital and Martin took full advantage of that on lap 319 when he and seven others elected to stay on track while others pitted and it paid dividends.

Johnson rallied back from a lap down after spinning his car on pit road, after starting last when he hit the wall hard in qualifying and reverted to a back-up Impala SS. Greg Biffle looked to have a winning car, but after heading 117 laps, around midway he was one of many to slap the wall with 70 laps to run. Others that were bitten by ‘The Lady in Black’ included Carl Edwards, Jamie McMurray, Brian Vickers, David Reutimann, Clint Bowyer along with Sam Hornish, Kyle Busch and Kasey Kahne who all ran up front and Michael Waltrip whose engine let go in a ball of fire.

Earning Your Stripes

That Flat Feeling NATIONWIDE

Martin D Clark

MARCOS Ambrose qualified an impressive 10th, but gave the wall a famous ‘Darlington Stripe’ on lap 28, causing right side body damage and bending the rear track bar. He took his JTG Daugherty Toyota to the garage for repairs on lap 72 returning to the track 16 laps later recording a 33rd position, 55 laps off the pace. The result dropped him down one spot to 20th in the series

standings. “A tough night really, but my hat goes off to the crew for doing a great job to keep me out there,” remarked Ambrose. “This track has bitten a lot of people and tonight was my turn I guess. It’s such a tough race, it was just a long night to stay out there, but it meant that we didn’t get hurt in the points quite as bad as what we could have.”

SPRINT CUP | SOUTHERN 500, DARLINGTON, SC 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

5 48 14 39 24 1 25 16 20 17

Mark Martin Jimmie Johnson Tony Stewart Ryan Newman Jeff Gordon Martin Truex Jr Brad Keselowski Greg Biffle Joey Logano Matt Kenseth

Chevy Chevy Chevy Chevy Chevy Chevy Chevy Ford Toyota Ford

Hendrick/CarQuest Hendrick/Lowe’s Stewart Haas/Old Spice Stewart Haas/US Army Hendrick/DuPont Earnhardt Ganassi/Bass Pro Hendrick/GoDaddy Roush Fenway/3M Joe Gibbs/Home Depot Roush Fenway/DeWalt

Q12 42 18 3 2 16 31 11 5 1

Final result: Kenseth [Ford], Leffler [Toyota], Edwards [Ford], Darnell [Ford], Allgaier [Dodge], Newman [Chevy], Bliss [Chevy], Burton [Chevy], Wimmer [Chevy], Vickers [Toyota].

NASCAR Media

NASCAR | DRIVER’S points Gordon 1601, Stewart 1572, Kurt Busch 1546, Johnson 1465, Hamlin 1445, Burton 1384, Kyle Busch 1380, Newman 1363, Biffle 1345, Kenseth 1326 [Ambrose 1131, 20th].

KYLE Busch had the Darlington Raceway Nationwide race in the bag last Friday night, but a caution with two laps remaining and subsequent flat rear tyre under the yellow flag put paid to that victory, leaving Matt Kenseth the benefactor. Busch led 143 of the 153 laps and the race looked like it would come down the wire, with Kenseth closing rapidly on Busch with five laps remaining. But when Joe Nemechek and Scott Lagasse wrecked with two laps to run the slate was wiped clean and a thrilling finish looked imminent with a green, white, checker, ‘overtime’ finish. Busch restarted 18th and finished a dejected 16th when the race ended under caution after Morgan Shepherd was punted into

the wall. Kenseth’s Roush Fenway Ford held off Jason Leffler’s Braun Racing Toyota. Leffler continues to hold third in the points behind Carl Edwards and Busch, the latter losing 75 points with Edwards now just 37 points in arrears. Talladega Cup race winner Brad Keselowski was in the wars and responsible for three caution flags, but rallied to finish 11th. Edwards, who led five laps, suffered a wet radio and then handling issues ending his day third with Roush rookie Erik Darnell and Penske rookie Justin Allgaier having great runs in fourth and fifth, respectively.

INDYCAR

INDIANAPOLIS 500 QUALIFYING

Honda Racing Media

The Spider and The Flyer

A month ago, Helio Castroneves faced spending Memorial Day weekend in jail. Instead, he will lead the field away for the Indy 500. By MARY MENDEZ

IndyCar Media

EAM Penske will start the 83rd Indianapolis 500 from first and second on the grid after qualifying at the Speedway saw Helio Castroneves edge out team-mate Ryan Briscoe for pole. Briscoe set a blistering fourlap run of 224.131mph as the eighth qualifier in difficult, cold and windy conditions, which held for four hours until Castroneves went out for his second run, withdrawing his second place speed (223.949 mph). Briscoe, having topped the charts each day in practice, showed great confidence by trying to unseat Castroneves for the $100,000 Pole Award. But his second attempt came up just shy with a speed of 224.083 mph. “It was a big gamble but we took a chance,” Castroneves said, who was able to run in slightly warmer air. “And, it paid off. It

was magic the way the sun came out. It's just incredible.” “I have to thank Roger [Penske] and Tim [Cindric’ for believing in me and to be behind me all the way. They have given me my life back just being in the race car. That's what I know to do since I was 11 years old.” “The Team Penske cars are looking pretty good,” smiled Briscoe. “We’ve been solid all month. Our cars were so good straight off the truck.” Target Chip Ganassi drivers Scott Dixon and Dario Franchitti passed on their first opportunity to qualify leading others to wonder if they were sandbagging. But instead, they were searching for speed, changing car settings without improvement, hoping the weather would change in their favor. Franchitti (224.010mph) starts alongside Briscoe in the front row but couldn’t come

Black on Red: Power cruised into the top 10, left, but the front row will have a familiar Penske- Ganassi look, with Franchitti, Castroneves and Briscoe, above.

close to Castroneves’s Pole winning speed. With only 11 drivers officially counted as qualified after 27 runs for the 33-car grid, Will Power qualified ninth fastest, 223.028 mph, in the third Penske Racing car. Power was in line to qualify again in case he was bumped but a second run wasn’t needed. “My line was really, really quite comfortable, to be honest,” explained Power. “The team gave me a good car. The wind certainly makes it harder. I didn’t quite need to be that conservative, but it was a good run. It’s a fantastic change from last year because the team is so much more experienced. This has been a good month. The team was less experienced last year, and so was I. This year’s a whole different story.” Tony Kanaan used borrowed bodywork from his team-mates when he qualified but was one pound underweight. He

requalified sixth fastest (223.612 mph), beating Marco Andretti and Danica Patrick. Fourth team-mate Hideki Mutoh was bumped. Graham Rahal had to requalify as well, even though his car was legal. Officials informed the Newman Haas Lanigan team his car would have to start the race in the same configuration as he qualified. The team elected to make a change more appropriate for running a 500mile race, leading to a faster time on the second round and earning him a fourth place with 223.954mph. Team-mate Robert Doornbos, while running second fastest in practice on Pole Day, lost control in Turn 2 where the wind gusts caused the most difficulty. He crashed his primary car the previous day and will wait until the second weekend to qualify, giving the NHL team to repair damage to both cars.

WORLD SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND 5 – MONZA, ITALY

Ben Spies ran out of gas. Noriyuki Haga fell off. Max Neukirchner crashed. And Michel Fabrizio scored 1-2 results at Monza

Nessuno Luogo*[There’ come a s No Place

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BEN Spies is a fast learner. He should have left Monza, where he was racing for the first time, with a double win (to go with pole position). But when he came out of the Parabolica on the last lap of Race 1, his Yamaha R1 ran out of fuel. He dropped from first to 15th. So, in Race 2, he short-shifted on the warm-up lap – and won the race. That was, partially, the story of the weekend. The other part was that Michel Fabrizio, who spent much of Race 1 duelling with the Texan, took the win from Noriyuki Haga, and backed it up with second in Race 2 to take home maximum smiles, if not quite maximum points. The good news for Spies is that Haga failed to score in Race 2, crashing out on the third lap and allowing the American to close within something like a reasonable distance in the championship.

The other notable point, performance-wise, was that Honda was back in the game. Nobody has ever accused the CBR1000RR of lacking grunt, and Ryuichi Kiyonari was right on the noise, with two third placing to give the beleagured Ten Kate squad something to be pleased about. Race 1 was stopped when there was a huge crash at the first chicane, and the worst-injured rider was Max Neukirchner. The German suffered a broken femur in the crash, and Aussies Troy Corser (BMW) and Brendan Roberts (Ducati), Makoto Tamada (Kawasaki) and Tommy Hill (Honda) were also involved. Points: Haga 200, Spies 146, Fabrizio 125, Haslam 103, Sykes, Biaggi 81, Laconi/Rea 77, Neukirchner 75, Kiyonari 65, Smrz 56. CAL Crutchlow took his second World Supersport win of the year in style at Monza. The Briton raced Fabien Foret and Eugene Laverty for the first half of the race, before pulling away to a 2s win. Joan Lascorz put in a late charge to snatch second, from Foret and Laverty. Andrew Pitt was fifth, Garry McCoy was eighth. Red is the new Red: Michel Fabrizio was in fine form at Monza, main pic, and Ryuichi Kiyonari got back to work, with two third on his Honda, let.

Victorians mark territory a

Twelve of the 15 classes won by the locals at Puckapunyal last weekend KARTING

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HE Victorian Karting Championships were run and won at the Hume International Raceway in Puckapunyal last weekend. With next year’s Australian Nationals to be held at the ‘Pucka’ venue, one of the most competitive Victorian fields descended on the circuit, with early Nationals preparations in mind. And the Vics definitely took their share of success, with drivers from the host state claimed a dozen of the 15 titles on offer. Portland’s Aaron Johnstone held his nerve for the final few corners to take the win in Junior National Heavy, holding off Joseph Mawson and Travis Kodric in a threekart shootout for the blue plate. It was Johnstone’s first State Championship in 15 attempts across his eight-year karting career. Bendigo driver Jarrod Egan claimed his second state championship in six months when he took victory in the highly-competitive Junior Clubman category. Egan took full advantage of every opportunity that came his way in the final of Junior

Clubman, none more so than when it matter most – on the last lap. After being one of the front runners throughout the 16-lap final, running inside the top five for the duration, but when race leader Adam Lindstrom and second place Jordan Ford came together on the third-last corner Egan took over the lead and claimed his second state title. Echuca driver Reece

Sidebottom entered the Midgets final as a clear favourite, and for good reason, with the youngster clearing out to take an easy victory. David Sera won his 34th State Championship, proving beyond doubt that he is the class of the Rotax Light field. Jordie Lindstrom was second from Damian Ward, Brett Davidson and David Whitmore. Sera also proved dominant in

the Clubman Light on his way to a convincing victory over fellow Melbourne driver Adam Hughes and Luigi Catanese. Hughes went one better in Leopard Light to lead home a Kosmic quinella in Leopard Light, holding out a late charge from Phillip King and a mid-race attack from former team-mate James Sera. Jace Lindstrom showed that he’s anything but rusty

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Vic State Heroes: Aaron Johnsotone, left, won Junior National Heavy, while Jace Lindstrome, above, took out Clubman Heavy. with victory in an enthralling Clubman Heavy final. Lindstrom had a race long battle with Jason Hryniuk following him through the first corner to take second. The pair then pulled away from the rest of the field as they before crossing the line within close proximity. A broken throttle cable in the pre-final, which relegated him down the grid for the Leopard Heavy final, wasn’t enough to stop Geelong driver Daniel Richert from claiming the State Championship. Jason Pringle led home his

younger brother, Rick, across the line in Rotax Heavy to claim the victory. Finishing third behind the pair was Kel Treseder. Remo Luciani got the better of a race-long battle with WA’s Greg Dicker to claim his 49th State Championship in the Clubman Over 40s category. In the other categories, Scott Simpson won Clubman Super Heavy, from Jason Stania and Craig Arnett, while Corey Lean (Senior National Heavy), Blake Sciberras (Senior National Light), Jordan Nicolaou (Junior National Light) and James Golding (Rookies) took the other honours.

Peugeot continues reign LE MANS SERIES Peugeot made it three wins in a row in the Spa 1000kms as Nicolas Minassian/Simon Pagenaud/Christian Klien won the second LMS race of the season. Minassian stormed ahead of the sister car of Marc Gene that was then delayed by suspension problems and a four-minute stop-go penalty for its part oin one of a number of incidents that brought five safety car periods to the race. The best petrol-engined car took second as Christophe Tinseau/ Jean-Christophe Boullion guided their Pescarolo home ahead of the Lola Aston Martin of Jan Charouz/Thomas Enge/Stefan Mucke that started from the pit lane after an engine change. Casper Elgaard/Emmanuel Collard/Kristian Poulsen won LMP2 in their Porsche Spyder, Porsche’s second win coming in GT2 thanks to Marc Lieb/Richard Lietz, helped when the Ferrari of Gimmi Bruni/Rob Bell had to make an extra stop due to a wheel not being fitted properly in a pit visit. A three-car GT1 field fell to the Corvette of Luc Alphand/Patrice Goueslard/Yann Clairy. – DAVID ADDISON

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Odd Spot

SOMETIMES, being a rally photographer is like shooting fish in a barrel – pun fully intended. That’s not to say rally sharp-shooter Jeremy Rogers isn’t fantastic at his craft, it’s just that when you find a spot high above a long, deep water crossing, you can relax and let the lenses

do the talking. While this shot of Kiwi Emma Gilmour (and Aussie femme co-driver Rhianon Smyth) is a cracker, it’s not actually Roger’s best from this spot. To see that you’ll have to wait until the ‘Pictures of the Month’ pages in the June edition of Motorsport News magazine …

Kazeem Mansur’s two-step guide to crashing a Formula BMW car ... First, start having a massive crash. Then, have a massive crash. Simple.

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