Motorsport eNews Issue 107 - June 2-8, 2009

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Issue No. 107 2 – 8 June 2009

Three isn’t a crowd we name the wildcard wanna-be teams for bathurst

Massive 57 Page

Issue!

Splitter protests stalls

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)

Issue No. 107 | 2 June – 8 June 2009

news 5 Good to be three 6 Protests stall 9 Price is Right 13 Australian Premier 14 Junior loses Junior

chat 20 5 minutes with ... opinion 22 Branagan

V8 teams want Bathurst trio Time called on Splittergate Shane back in business Speedway Champs venue set Earnhardt loses Eury Greg Murphy

23 van Leeuwen

Minor infractions #1 Minor infractions #2

32 Formula Ford 34 V8 Utes 42 IndyCar

Holden 1, Triple Eight more Percat, Percat, STANAWAY! Plains and simple for Ford Close, Ryan. Close ...

race 24 V8 Supercars trade 55 Classifieds

Being good Aussies, we love it when the underdog gets up. And with third and ninth in Race 8 at Symmons, Paul Cruickshank’s first V8 win can’t be far away ...

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

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

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

Dirk Klynsmith

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

How the system works How do you apply for a ‘wildcard’, and what if you win?

V8 SUPERCARS SO what exactly is a ‘wildcard’ entry?

Or, more to the point, what criteria will decide who will be awarded the four extra slots on the Phillip Island and Bathurst grids later this year?

For starters, the process works like this; applicants must provide details regarding what equipment they intend to use, who will be running the cars, the drivers who be entered, confirmed sponsors, and the available budget. Given the tough financial times, there is likely to be some leniency regarding actual confirmations for drivers and budgets. Along with those details, applicants must submit $2500 of the $10000 entry fee, refundable for unsuccessful applicants.

For equipment, there are some rules regarding eligibility. The car must fall under the required rules for the 2009 Fujitsu Series, it must be fitted with the control brake discs and pads from the main series (but not callipers), must comply with main series engine weight,

must be refuelled with a control refuelling tower, and must be fitted with a V8 Supercar judicial camera.

Once an applicant is accepted, there are some conditions. The wildcard entry must compete at both Phillip Island and Bathurst, they will not be eligible for appearnce payment (but can still earn prize money), and will be located in the last four garages on pit lane, despite any associations with a main series team.

One unofficial rule is that the ‘wildcards’ aren’t supposed to detract from the Fujitsu Series field at Bathurst, so applicants who have submissions that don’t involve a car currently competing in the development series will have a good show. That means the Sprint Gas Racing/Greg Murphy Racing alliance is well suited, as it will allow Sam Walter to compete in a VE Commodore in the main race, and his regular VZ Commodore in the FV8 races.

The submissions closed yesterday (Monday), and the four spots will be decided by the Board on June 10.

– ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN

Will ‘06 winner be back?

V8 SUPERCARS WHILE there is a level of main series interest in the four available ‘wildcard’ slots for the Phillip Island and Bathurst races, it is expected that a selection of Fujitsu Series teams will have tendered as well.

Sonic Motor Racing Services, which debuted in the Fujitsu Series this year with two Triple Eight BF Falcons, is one such team. But, despite having submitted a tender, team boss Mick Ritter says there is a lot to sort out between now and the actual endurance races.

“There are a lot of unknowns

attached,” said Ritter. “But everyone’s in the same position, I would think.”

The Seiders Racing Team has checked the majority of the boxes for its submission, with plans to enter the Triple Eight BF Falcon that won the Bathurst 1000 back in 2006.

The car will be pulled out of retirement should the Seiders be successful in their tender, with the boys – David and Colin – slated to drive the car.

Other FV8 teams expected to have submitted tenders include Matt White’s MW Motorsport, and Howard Racing.

– ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN

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

news

Living on the wild side Main series teams vie for ‘Wildcard’ spots for this year’s enduros

S

OME of V8 Supercar’s major teams are set to grow come the endurance races at Phillip Island and Bathurst later this year, with three main series teams now involved in submissions for the four ‘wildcard’ slots.

Submissions for the four extra grid spots closed yesterday (Monday), with potential starters having to outline their plans should they make the grade. But while it was expected that it would be mostly Fujitsu Series teams making submissions, main series front runners are showing interest as well.

Sprint Gas Racing is one team that will be involved, thanks to its alliance with Greg Murphy Racing through Kevin Murphy. GMR runs an ex-Tasman VZ Commodore for Sam Walter, pictured inset, in the Fujitsu Series, and as Murphy revealed to eNews in Tasmania, is applying to run a third Sprint Gas Racing-built VE Commodore at Phillip Island and Bathurst.

“Yes we have submitted, and there’s nothing rough about our plans,” Murphy told eNews.

“At this point we’re planning on running a VE with Sam Walter and one other driver, who can’t be named at this point. The car will be run by GMR, but it will be between is and SGR. We have an engine deal with them, and they will offer all the assistance

we need leading up to the races.

“Given we ran three cars last year [in the Fujitsu Series], we are more than capable of doing this. We have a history of bringing young drivers into the series – like Fabian Coulthard and Dale Wood – so this is an ongoing part of our program.

The two drivers that we are talking to for the second seat with Sam both have V8 Supercar experience at Bathurst, and they’ve been submitted, so we should be seen as a genuine entry.”

Should GMR/SGR be successful in its bid, Walter will campaign his regular VZ mount in the Fujitsu Series races at Bathurst. The Tasmanian, who was at Symmons Plains decked out in SGR gear, says he is excited about the possibility of being on the Bathurst grid come October.

“There have been a few ways how it could have happened, and this is a great option,” said Walter. “I just really want to do those races. We’ll be working hard to make sure it happens.”

Wilson Security Racing, led by Paul Cruickshank, have also tendered for one of the plans. But Cruickshank was remaining tight-lipped at Symmons Plains about his exact plans.

“We’re still working on it,” he said, “but nothing is locked in just yet. There’s a high likelihood we’ll be involved.”

Dick Johnson Racing is also expected to have submitted an application, likely

Dirk Klynsmith

V8 SUPERCARS

to be designed to get Grant Denyer, who drives for the team in the Fujitsu Series, in the main race at Bathurst. But as eNews went to press, DJR part-owner Charlie Schwerkolt would only say “we’ve spoken about it, and we’re interested. But we don’t know what we’re doing yet.”

There could have been a fourth main series team with a tender submitted – Brad Jones Racing. Mark McNally, who drives for BJR in the Fujitsu Series, looked seriously at making a submission, but couldn’t see the dollars making sense.

“I went through the process with Brad and the guys,” he confirmed to eNews, “but it’s just too expensive.”

– ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN

Dirk Klynsmith

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

Marshall Cass

Splitter hearing refused V8 SUPERCARS ‘SPLITTERGATE’ is no closer to being sorted, after CAMS stewards refused to hear a protest by five teams

regarding the eligibility of TeamVodafone’s front splitters at Winton last month.

Five teams protested the eligibility of the splitter mounts used on cars #1 and

#888 in Race 5 at Winton, with Brad Jones Racing, Garry Rogers Motorsport, Rod Nash Racing, Skaife Sports and Walkinshaw Racing making their cases at a meeting with CAMS stewards on Friday at Symmons.

But, after a 90 minute meeting and a five hour adjournment, CAMS stewards decided that the circumstances weren’t extenuating enough for the protest to proceed to a hearing.

“We heard submissions, we heard arguments, and we adjourned this morning after considering the question of the validity of the protest,” said Chief Steward Steve Chopping.

“The decision of the stewards, that was handed down at five o’clock this evening, is that the stewards have given detailed consideration to the question of time limits concerned with lodging a protest.

“The rules provide very

strict time limits for lodging a protest.

Stewards do have the discretion to extend time if it can be shown that there were exceptional circumstances, making observation of [the time limits] impracticable.

“Having considered the submission on behalf of the protesting parties, and all the facts, the stewards find the circumstances to no justify an extension of the time limit. The protest will not proceed to a hearing.”

The decision was handed down at 5pm, and by 5:20pm Walkinshaw Racing had made an appeal to the decision. It will be considered on June 10.

No teams were given the chance to make a more timely protest on the supposedly illegal splitter mounts, as none of the Triple Eight-built Falcons featured the flexible devices at Symmons Plains.

– ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN

news

Dirk Klynsmith

Questions over Symmons future Drivers unhappy with earth-filled tyre banks ... and is it time for an extension?

V8 SUPERCARS V8 SUPERCAR’S round at Symmons Plains will stay on the calendar – but only with major improvements, according to leading V8 identities.

A number of drivers over the weekend commented that the V8s had outgrown the Tasmanian track’s safety standards and circuit length.

With the circuit’s deal to host a round with V8SA and the Tasmanian Government expiring next year, questions about the track’s place on the calendar were raised – and safety stand out as the priority.

Earth filled tyres line the outside of the track from the start of Turn Two and follow the outside of the circuit around to Turn Three. More earth-filled tyres are

also placed down the inside of the back straight.

According to Garry Rogers Motorsport driver Lee Holdsworth, tyres banks aren’t good enough.

“They are a complete hazard,” he said.

“They are just plain dangerous. If you happen to go in there (have a crash), you’d be hitting it at 200kmh, and when you hit it at that kind of speed … you saw what happened to Andrew Jones at Phillip Island – it pulls the car in, sucks it up in a barrel roll and ends in a disaster.

“They’d be better off having a concrete wall there.”

Besides the safety concerns, Holdsworth says that the track needs to be longer to ensure its future with the ever-growing class.

“It’s a great little circuit, but it’s only a matter of time before V8 Supercars outgrows the size of the track,” he said.

“If you look at the area surrounding the track, they’ve got plenty of room to extend it if that farmland was available for purchase. That would be great. They’d probably only need to extend it by 500600 metres.

“It deserves its spot on the calendar.

Every state deserves a race and Tasmania is no exception. The crowd get right behind it, we’ve got a good following down there.

“It’s a good little track with a lot of history and it can make for great racing. There’s two really good passing opportunities and it’s a good circuit for the crowd. I’d like to see it stay for sure.”

– GRANT ROWLEY

AUSSIE NASCAR STAR MARCOS AMBROSE WRITES FOR MOTORSPORT eNEWS

A FEW GOOD TAS-MEN V8 SUPERCARS

Monster Sunday DOVER proved to be a long race for us but in the end we came away with a decent result.

We dropped back early and the car wasn’t very happy, but kept digging – that’s a NASCAR term for pushing hard – and kept working hard at it to get the car working better.

It was a hard day at the office so I’ve got to hand it to my guys for sticking at it and getting the car working pretty well in the last third of the race.

Changes to these cars mean so much. Getting one of these cars set-up for a long race is not an easy task and the tracks change a lot over the course of a race. Sometimes the track comes to you and that’s what happens in Dover. If you can’t have a car that works

i-marcos Marcos Ambrose Australian NASCAR driver brilliantly from start to finish, that’s the next best thing.

These races are long and demanding but giving up doesn’t get you anywhere.

You’ve got to keep pushing on and with every race you learn a little more on what the car needs and how to improve it over a race distance.

20th is a solid result. We want to be doing better but at the same time it’s a good points day for us and it keeps things going in the right direction.

Dover is a tough track but it’s one I really like. We learned a lot today for the next time we run here later in the year.

some seat time.

“We had considered Sam for THE news that Greg Murphy the seat, but this wildcard is Racing and Sprint Gas Racing just too good an option.” will apply for a wildcard In other endurance driver spot at the Phillip Island and news, the second seat at Bathurst endurance races Britek Motorsport looks to be leaves an endurance seat between Adam Macrow and open in the second Sprint Gas Damian Assaillit.

Racing car.

Macrow has been paired It was initially expected that with Jason Bright for the Sam Walter would make the last two years, but a good step up to the main series as showing of speed from Assaillit part of SGR’s endurance line– who is backed by Fujitsu, up, but with Walter set to drive Bright’s major sponsor, in the a third SGR car, there is now a Fujitsu Series – has seen the spot up for grabs in #3.

Queenslander move into the The drive will be alongside frame.

Mark Noske, who will again suit Bright was tight-lipped on up with the team. the subject when quizzed at “Mark’s been testing with us Symmons Plains. and he will continue to be part “Adam is still in the picture,” of our program,” confirmed he confirmed, “but I had four SGR owner Kevin Murphy. guys on my shortlist, one of “We have two test days left which is gone now. There’s still and we’ll try and use them a lot to sort out.” before the enduros to give him – ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN

No Change in h

news

Retail Price V8 SUPERCARS SHANE Price made his official comeback to the V8 Supercar Championship Series in Tasmania, taking the wheel of Paul Dumbrell’s Autobarn Racing Commodore in the codriver session on Friday.

Price, who has been confirmed as part of Walkinshaw Racing’s 2009 endurance line-up, completed 20 laps in #10, ending the session 16th fastest. It was his first outing in a Clayton-built VE Commodore.

“It’s a fair bit different to what I’m used to, and it was my first time, so I was really just building up to it,” Price told eNews.

“It’s hard to tell whether it is

John Morris

hue for Godzilla

different in a good way, but I can say it’s nice to drive. The car did nothing wrong at all.”

The session was Price’s first in the main game since he was replaced at Jack Daniel’s Racing late last year by Jack Perkins.

“It’s great to be back,” he added. “Sitting back here, I was excited as I’ve ever been about driving one of these cars. I can’t wait for the endurances races.”

A total of 12 endurance drivers took part in the half hour session, David Besnard (GRM), Johnny McIntyre (SBR), Luke Youlden (FPR), Dean Canto (FPR) and Glenn Seton (RNR) joining Price in having their first official outings of the year.

– ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN

V8 SUPERCARS

John Morris

adorn the Safety Cars with XXXX colours.

A COMMUNICATION blunder Both cars were completely has put a dent in V8 Supercars’ ‘skinned’ in bright yellow in 2009 signwriting budget. time for a photo-shoot early While Nissan has taken on last week before the cars the supply deal for the Safety were shipped to Tassie for the Car/Course Car for two years, weekend’s two championship using its sexy GT-R model, the races.

V8 group retails the rights – It was about now that with some restrictions – to sell someone mentioned it to the signage space on the two Nissan. vehicles.

Shortly after arrival at One of those exclusions is, Symmons Plains, both cars for obvious reasons, alcohol were seen in pit lane being sponsorship – something stripped of their bright new which someone at the Home livery and returned to the of V8s forgot to check when same spec as last seen at a deal was done recently to Winton …

WORLD RALLY NEW South Wales Minister for State Development Ian McDonald has given further certainty to the new-look Rally Australia scheduled for September this year by announcing a special events legislation last week.

In a statement from the minister, he said that the NSW government was excited about having a round of the World Rally Championship in the state’s north.

“This is a great coup for NSW – the FIA World Rally Championships is the highest profile motorsports event after Formula 1,” Macdonald said.

“This major event will drive tourism, create jobs and deliver significant

economic benefits to the Northern Rivers region. Event organisers estimate that the event will create the equivalent of around 40 new permanent positions, or between 1500-2000 part time and casual jobs during the event week. It is expected to generate up to 69,000 visitor nights in the Tweed-Kyogle region.

“The Government is developing appropriate special legislation, to ensure the event can happen in September. The legislation will permit the Government to impose environmental protection measures to manage any temporary impacts on affected local areas.”

Chairman of the Rally Australia organising committee, Garry Conelly, was understandably welcoming of the

Stabilität

minister’s comments.

“The World Rally Championship will bring substantial economic benefits to the Northern Rivers of New South Wales, as the Minster for State Development Ian Macdonald pointed out in a media statement,” he said.

“With less than 100 days remaining until the event, we are therefore pleased the Government has taken the initiative to introduce legislation in order to give certainty to the rally. We now hope to be able to start the all-important marketing of Repco Rally Australia, including the launch of ticket sales in the near future.”

The three-day event will kick off on September 3, and be based out of Kingscliff.

*[It is German for ‘Stability’]

sutton-images.com

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sutton-images.com

Another tick for the WRC

LE MANS IF stability is a byword, Audi will be looking at another Le Mans win next week.

The German team will keep its 2008 victors, Tom Kristensen, Allan McNish and Rinaldo Capello, together in its lead R15 TDI. The allGerman crew of Lucas Luhr, Mike Rockenfeller and Marco Werner will race Audi’s #2 car while Audi regular Alex Premat will team with ex-Porsche men Timo Bernhard and Romain Dumas.

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James Smith

Clem’s Cup

Hossack and Ricciardello to vie for cash SHANNONS NATIONALS

John Morris/Mpix

Youlden’s new ‘race winner’ V8 SUPERCARS

12

in the course that have been stand outs who have helped me out a lot with it. I think it’s going to surprise some people.

This is quite a serious effort we’re putting into the series.”

Brett has driven in the Biante Touring Car Masters Series in the recent past, driving in a one-off round last year at Eastern Creek. He purchased a TCM licence for this season and drove a Falcon GTHO, above, at the last round of the series at Winton Motor Raceway.

Youlden will compete a couple of test sessions in the new car before heading to the next round of the Biante Series at Hidden Valley in three weeks.

– GRANT ROWLEY

John Morris/Mpix

BRETT Youlden will unveil his bran-new Biante Touring Car Masters HQ Monaro Coupe at the Automotive Centre of Excellence at Melbourne’s Docklands this Thursday.

The two year project, which started as nothing more than a rusty shell, has developed into what Youlden describes as a “race winning car,” capable of taking on the likes of John Bowe, Jim Richards and reigning Champion Gavin Bullas.

“It’s a pretty special car,” Youlden told eNews.

“There’s been a lot of attention detail to it. And not only does it look pretty, I think it’s capable of winning.

“We’ve gone to a lot fortune and expensive. It’s been a two and half year project. I’ve built most of it myself. I’ve had some assistance in the last couple of weeks from people from the Kanga Batman TAFE Motorsport course. There’s been two or three of them

ROUND 4 of the Shannons Nationals head to Mallala Motor Sport Park this weekend.

The Kerrick Australian Sports Sedan Championship is the highlight class, with entrants in the weekend’s second race competing for the Clem Smith Cup – a nod to the circuit owner.

Clem will lead the field on their pace lap, driving his old Valiant Charger/ There is $5000 of prize money up for grabs in the race, from the winner down to 10th place.

The lion’s share of that cash is likely to go to Tony Ricciardello or Darren Hossack, who look set to continue their half-decade long battle in the class, although Luke Youlden won the Clem Smith Cup last year. Ricciardello leads this year’s standings over Hossack. Up to 15 cars are expected to contest the Sports Sedan weekend.

Another category to watch

at Mallala will be the Shannons V8 Touring Cars. In 2008, the category made its debut race meeting at the South Australian track with a paltry four cars.

Twelve months on, that number is now 10 and rising all the time.

Look for Biante Touring Car Masters regular Paul Stubber to make his debut in an ex-Perkins VX Commodore.

While the Touring Cars grow, so does the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge. It also made its first race at Mallala in 2008 with 13 cars. This year, they have 20 entries. Matt Kingsley leads the way after his wet weather dominance at Phillip Island.

Kumho Tyres Saloon Cars Series is also in good shape with 28 cars entered for the round which doubles as a round of the SA state title.

Also competing at Mallala is the Superkarts (34 entries) and Dover Madison Formula Vee invitational (19 entries).

news

Warrnambool set for Australian Champs SPEEDWAY THE city of Warrnambool is set to swell when Sprintcar fans from all over the world descend on Premier Speedway for Australia’s two biggest Sprintcar events in 2011.

The prestigious Australian Sprintcar Championship has been added to the speedway’s calendar, straight on the back of the Grand Annual Sprintcar Classic.

The events will mould Warrnambool into the country’s motorsport capital for a fortnight in February 2011 – a pleasant fact for Premier Speedway general manager David Mills.

“A lot of planning and work involved in the formal presentation side of things went into the submission,” he said, “so to be rewarded for all the hard work of our board and members is a terrific

Brisbane’s street race HILLCLIMB

thing, not only for Premier Speedway, but for the city of Warrnambool and the region as a whole.

“We will be holding an event the week after our 2011 Grand Annual Sprintcar Classic; that will duplicate all of the accommodation bookings, all of the tourist visitors, and all of the restaurant visits as we inject hundreds of thousands of dollars into the Warrnambool community.”

Warrnambool Sprintcar driver Darren Mollenoyux, who is thinking about taking some time off in season 2009/10, welcomed the news.

“We’ll have to see how everything pans out but I’d definitely like to be a part of it,” he said.

“There’s a lot of prestige behind it, and you get the best drivers in Australia, so out of all the races, it’s definitely one you want to be involved in.”

– GEOFF ROUNDS

For the first time in almost 90 years, apart from the odd rallying Super Special stage, motorsport has taken inside Brisbane with the Cootha Classic hillclimb held on the slopes on the home of Brisbane television, Mount Cootha.

The 1.5km up and down course took place in front of a large and enthusiastic crown over the May 30-31 weekend with 220 cars (from an entry of over 350) taking part in the inaugural running which featured Formula 1 cars, World Sports Cars, front running Targa cars with Jim Richards setting fifth fastest time for the weekend in his Porsche, below, Sports Sedans and some of the countries fastest Hillclimbers. Bill Norman’s GEK Sports (built up from bits and pieces of Normans long hillclimb career) just pipped Allan McConnell’s Van Diemen for FTD with Ray Vandersee (Skelta G-Force) third.

Ron Hay’s Hay-Honda won fastest historic while fastest

historic sedan saw Ethan Lind pip V8 Supercar driver Kevin Heffernan and rally driver Bruce Dummett in an all Torana battle.

There was also a parade of motorcycles with some of Gregg Hansford Grand Prix Kawasakis featured.

The original Mount Cootha Hillclimb occurred back in 1916, continuing its brief run into the very early 1920s after which Brisbane race fans had to look further north into Pine Rivers shire (Strathpine/Lakeside) or south to the Gold Coast (Southport/ Surfers Paradise) or west to the Darling Downs (Leyburn/ Lowood/Morgan Park) where South East Quuenslands racing circuits evolved.

Brisbane’s 150th birthday celebrations prompted the event which is the first of what is hoped to be an annual running.

Almost 15,000 spectators is estimated to have watched the impressive backdrop of racing cars sprinting up the old abandoned Mount Cootha road over the two days.

– MARK JONES

Mark Jones

Geoff Gracie

13

IndyCar Boss denies he has been fired by his own family

Hendrick calls time on Jnr’s crew chief Eury moved after winless streak: Busch slams Dale Jr NASCAR SPRINT CUP HENDRICK Motorsports has had enough of the Dale Earnhardt Jr situation, and fired his crew chief Tony Eury Jr. Eury, who is Earnhardt’s cousin and who followed him to Hendrick from DEI in 2007, will be replaced by long-time Hendrick employee Lance McGrew. Eury will move to the team’s research and development department.

The news came after Earnhardt, the only Hendrick driver not to have won this season, finished a horrible 40th in last week’s CocaCola 600 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.

“Our performance hasn’t been where it should be,” said team owner Rick Hendrick.

“It’s impossible to pin that on any one factor, but a change is the right decision at this point, we have a plan in place and we’re going to move forward with it.”

McGrew, who was crew chief for Brian Vickers when he won the Nationwide Series in 2006, will begin his position at Pocono next Sunday.

Team manager Brian Whitesell called the shots at Dover last week and will remain with the 88 car on a permanent basis to oversee improved performance.

“It was a very difficult situation,” said Earnhardt Jr. “Obviously, when me and Tony Jr. went to work for Rick, we expected a lot of success and be in a totally different situation than we are now. It’s really disappointing I guess that we

14

GEORGE INDYCAR

aren’t making that happen.”

Meanwhile his arch rival Kyle Busch has not missed an opportunity to dump on the driver who forced him out of Hendrick at the end of 2007.

“It’s never Junior; it’s always the crew chief,” he commented. “He’s got his hands full, I guess, having to deal with what’s going on and if Junior doesn’t run well, then he is going to be the ‘problem’ again.”

– MARTIN D CLARK

TONY George is still in control of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and IndyCar, despite reports to the contrary.

Three days after the 93rd running of the Indy 500, Speed. com reported a shake up and that George was no longer in control of the track and the series.

Speed reported that the board – Chairman Mary Hulman George, her three daughters Josie, Nancy, and Kathy attorney Jack Sneider and Tony George – asked Tony to relinquish control.

Speed withdrew the story, then George spoke on Indianapolis TV. “I’m still CEO and President of Motor Speedway Corporation, Hulman and Co., and CEO of the Indy Racing League,” he said.

“My sisters … from its inception the IRL has been a source of controversy. They were against the Indy Racing League in the beginning. Then supportive.

They’ve become concerned over the general economy and business climate that we are in. No one has asked me to leave. I’m still CEO.” Rumours have circulated for a

news

Mayfield loses appeal NASCAR

FEELS THE HEAT number of years about George’s three sisters fighting him over the money George spent from their family trust, said to be more than US$600m over the past 13 years.

In support of her son, who has been CEO of IMS since 1989, Mary Hulman George released this statement: “There was a general discussion about the challenges and opportunities facing the companies. All are doing well given the economy.

But the IRL represents our greatest growth opportunity and therefore deserves the most attention at this point.”

Furthermore, all teams that competed at Milwaukee at the weekend released a joint statement of support for George.

“During the past week there have been many rumors and innuendos about our CEO Tony George. We, the IndyCar team owners, want to express our full support to Tony. As an innovator and leader of our sport, he continually strives to help and improve IndyCar racing, and for that we are exceptionally grateful.”

What does it all mean? Of

the four companies involved, Hulman & Company, Clabber Girl (baking powder and starch products), IMS and IRL, the board has asked George to develop a plan where he would focus on just one company. The sisters are trying to gain control so that their inheritance isn’t drained to support the Indy Racing League, which includes both the Firestone Indy Lights and IndyCar Series.

Each series offers a team support package that compensates teams committed to the season, in essence, as appearance money. The IndyCar teams alone currently earn about $1.2m for 17 events, over $26m for the regular 22 entries.

The series’ highest-profile driver Danica Patrick, who is negotiating with Andretti Green Racing over her contract, spoke out.

“I want stability in the League and the momentum to continue.

“I want the Indy 500 to be what it’s always been. All I’m really concerned about is the structure and stability of the group.”

– MARY MENDEZ

JEREMY Mayfield is in the process of trying to sell his Sprint Cup operation and withdrew his entry from the Dover event, keeping a few of the 12 staff who were working on a contract basis.

The owner/driver, who has been indefinitely suspended for violating NASCAR’s substance abuse policy, sought a temporary restraining order last Friday in an attempt to lift his suspension and return to the wheel of his Toyota until his case is settled. The judge denied the restraining order and has scheduled a hearing on Wednesday to determine whether Mayfield can compete this weekend at Pocono.

Mayfield’s request for an injunction listed seven charges, from breach of character to unjustly preventing him from participating in any NASCAR

function and thus, earn a living.

His attorney Bill Diehl also asked that NASCAR officials stop talking publicly about Mayfield’s drug test.

The drugs in question became known on Friday.

Claritin-D is an over-thecounter allergy medication, the second is a prescription medication Adderall and is for treatment of attention deficit disorder. Although the drug is an amphetamine, it is a namebrand drug and, as NASCAR has no list of what its banned substances are, it’s unclear at this point what the outcome will be.

Their drug policy is open ended in that it states, “Even the proper use of certain medications during a NASCAR event, may endanger competitors, officials and fans and such conduct can not be permitted by NASCAR.” – MARTIN D CLARK

Robby gets Axled NASCAR NASCAR issued a $50,000 fine to Robby Gordon for an illegal rear axle housing discovered after Gordon’s third place finish at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.

The owner driver was also slapped with the loss of 50 points and his crew chief Kirk

Almquist placed on probation until the end of the year.

The toe angle of the housing measured more than NASCAR’s mandated plus or minus one degree, a rule they instigated earlier in the season to stop the ‘crabbing’ of cars on the straights.

– MARTIN D CLARK

15

NASCAR’s all-in forums clear the air NASCAR SPRINT CUP

North Korea’s nuclear testing program is about to pale into insignificance ...

When AJ met Tracy INDYCAR

TWO of American racing’s most volatile characters, AJ Foyt and Paul Tracy, has joined forces.

Due to a late race incident between Vitor Meira and Raphael Matos at the Indy 500 resulting in two broken lumbar vertebra for Meira, Foyt announced Tracy as a replacement. The Canadian raced Foyt’s #14 car, above, at Milwaukee on the weekend.

Tracy could remain in the car for additional races if all goes well, although he has already committed to KV Racing Technology for the two July Canadian races on the IndyCar schedule.

Bringing together two characters like Foyt and Tracy definitely adds a new element of excitement to IndyCar racing. Tracy, now 40 and the current, active driver with the most wins at 31, competed against Foyt in his early CART years driving for Penske.

– MARY MENDEZ

16

Lanzi at DFX? Of Corse!

WORLD SUPERBIKE LORENZO Lanzi is the latest substitute rider in the World Superbike Championship.

The Italian raced for DFX Corse Ducati in the USA on the weekend, subbing for the injured Regis Laconi. The Frenchman is unlikely to return this season after fracturing vertebrae in an accident

during practice at Kyalami last month.

Lanzi, 27, is a three-time winner in the series, including a surprise victory at Valencia last year for the RG team. He also has six podiums and a pole position to his name, and tested for DFX late in 2008.

Miller Motorsports Park saw the Italian take out 17th and 14th in the two races.

NASCAR’s mandatory ‘town hall’ meetings with owners and drivers last week has been viewed by the governing body as a success.

Two, two-hour meetings were held, with the meeting split between different owners and drivers.

The NASCAR drug policy was discussed as were the competitiveness of the sport, possible changes to the new design car and getting more input from fans on what they are looking to see from the sport.

Rick Hendrick and Felix Sabates were the only two owners to speak up in the first meeting, with Hendrick advising Brian France he needs to attend more races and that he can’t steer the ship from Daytona Beach.

Several drivers spoke regarding how to make the racing more competitive.

Two possibilities that came out of the meetings are the inception of double file re-starts, with all cars on the lead lap racing up front and a possible weight reduction of the car. The latter would aid Goodyear at Indianapolis, where tyre wear has been exceptionally abnormal.

– MARTIN D CLARK

Hell, back and beyond In this month’s edition of

Australian Touring Car legend Dick Johnson reveals; – How he survived the financial fight of his life – Why his Jim Beam Racing team is heading back to the top – His ‘never say never’ future with the Ford Motor Company

On sale now at all good newsagents Subscribe now or click here 17

Sichter’s Top Alcohol debut DRAG RACING Almost 50 fast femmes are set to take to the drag strip this weekend for the Castrol EDGE Winternationals at Willowbank Raceway, competing in a wide range of racing brackets including Top Alcohol, Super Stock, Modified, Super Sedan, Super Street, Modified Bike, Junior Dragster and Supercharged Outlaws.

One of the many females competing will be Katherine Sichter, who joins the Top Alcohol ranks for the first time.

Sichter was at the track last weekend, helping her nineyear-old son Lachlan Sichter who was on-track both days in the Junior Dragster category, while she was also getting to grips with her Top Alcohol car on Sunday.

“I am pretty excited about stepping up to the Group 1 ranks at the largest event of

18

year,” the 37-year-old said.

“Sure, it is a bit daunting but we have been out here testing this weekend and I am ready to get to it.

“I have been racing Modified for years, and I am really looking forward to the step up.

“Drag racing is something that is very involved in my family with my son Lachlan racing in the Junior Dragster category and my husband

Warren a former track champion in Super Sedan, who also crews and looks after the business side of things.

“I am glad I have Debbie Reed to race alongside in the Top Alcohol ranks – Debbie is running third in the championship at the moment and has beaten her husband a few times lately so there is no doubt us girls can run right up there.”

news

Early records fall at Willowbank DRAG RACING Willowbank Raceway’s Winternationals Warmup event on Sunday saw the quickest ever pass by a Top Alcohol funny car in this country when Steve Ham piloted his RD Williams backed Pontiac to a 5.50s at only 236 mph.

Ham had earlier recorded a 5.63s at 250mph, and his 5.50s pass could well have been into the 5.40s zone had he not lost the blower belt at 5.09s into the run.

“Twelve months of thinking and scratching my head has finally paid off,” said Ham, pictured.

Another to perform well on Sunday was Scott Porter in his Pro Stock GT500 Mustang. He not only recorded his best ever numbers, but ran a 7.09s pass.

Stuart Bishop is continuing to chase the five-second zone in his Wallace Bishop Jewellers, Top Doorslammer Camaro. Bishop has now laid down fiveconsecutive passes in the 6.0 zone since the rebuild of his car, following his mishap with the concrete wall at Willowbank just

weeks before the Tin Tops earlier this year.

In the Junior Dragster demonstration, Phil Lamittina beat Ben Bray two-one in the three run shoot-out.

Willowbank’s Castrol Edge

Winternationals begins this Thursday June 4 with qualifying starting at 1.00pm for Group 2 & 3. The event continues through until 4pm on Sunday.

– KEN FERGUSON

Dixon, Capps and Johnson score NHRA

David Ostaszewski

LARRY Dixon, Ron Capps and Allen Johnson scored Pro category wins in their respective classes at the race that marks the halfway point of the regular season for the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing series, the 21st annual O’Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals at Heartland Park Topeka.

Dixon was dominate over the Top Fuel class and picked up his second win of the season with a 3.97s run at 301mph in the final round. The run in his Alan Johnson Al-Anabi Racing dragster was just enough to push Dixon past Clay Millican, who was making his first final round appearance in over five years.

Dixon began eliminations

with a round one win over Steve Chrisman, then stopped Cory McClenathan and Spencer Massey and advance to his sixth final round at Heartland Park

Topeka.

Capps drove to his third win this season in Funny Car, driving his NAPA Dodge Charger R/T to a 4.26s/286mph to defeat the

event’s number one qualifier Ashley Force Hood, who slowed to a 4.49s/238mph.

Capps had one of the most consistent cars on the grounds.

In the rounds leading to the final, Capps clocked passes of 4.28/286, 4.29/275, and 4.28/286 as he defeated Matt Hagan, John Force, and Jack Beckman.

In Pro Stock, Allen Johnson grabbed his first win in almost three years, driving his Team Mopar/J&J Racing Dodge Stratus to a holeshot win at 6.726s at 204.94mph over Mike Edwards.

Johnson began the day with a round one win over Ronnie Humphrey. He followed it up with a pair of 6.7s passes to defeat Warren Johnson and Greg Anderson.

– DAVID OSTASZEWSKI

19

5 Minutes with ...

GREG MURPHY

Greg Murphy returned to the front of the V8 Supercar pack at Symmons Plains, and he thinks that things can continue to improve ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN

Is that just a problem on the sprint tyre?

No it’s on both compounds.

The balance of the car was the same and it did the same thing on both tyres. It’s not a lot; we need to be careful with what we play with so we don’t miss the boat.

Is the short lap here indicative of pace, or not?

If we went to Phillip Island tomorrow are you confident you’d be as competitive?

After the couple of years we’ve had, during which there have been times when we thought we had turned a corner and found a missing link, only to find out we hadn’t, it’s too early to tell.

Winton was extremely disappointing, because that wasn’t us. That wasn’t our car. We actually had some problems that we’ve been focussing on, and I really think

20

John Morris/Mpix

MOTORSPORT NEWS: Seems like you’re back in business …

GREG MURPHY: (laughs) We’ve had a good weekend, and it feels fantastic to be competitive. It’s so tight around here and the lap is so short – a tenth of a second is massive – so to qualify twice in the top three is almost enough for the weekend for me to be happy. From where we’ve been, to where we’re hopefully getting to, well I can’t ask for everything in one go.

We had good speed in qualifying, but we can’t get the car to look after its tyres quite right; it’s just not quite working as nice in that area as we need it to.

I know how jenson feels. i think can use that as an example for this weekend. murphy and button haven’t forgotten how to drive that without a doubt that’s been significant for us moving forward.

I mean, testing was great, and then we went to Adelaide and the thing was a jet. We haven’t been qualifying good, but the car has been good in the races. Hamilton was the same; we were good in practice, but qualified badly.

We just couldn’t get the car right. Hopefully what we’ve done this weekend has proved we’ve rectified that problem.

However, we need to wait and see. I’m not going to get carried away and say ‘yeah we’ve found that little window so watch out here we come.’

That’s just not the case. It would be foolish.

But it must be nice to give the world a Jenson Buttonstyle reality check that you haven’t just forgotten how to

drive …

Yeah! Fortunately last year, and the beginning of this year, I proved to myself at least that it wasn’t the case. There have been times we’ve shown really good speed.

But I know how Jenson feels. I think I can use that as an example for this weekend.

You look up and down pitlane, and there are these guys having amazingly consistent runs and just dominating. And people don’t understand; fans and outsiders don’t get how this works, and that’s hard, because it’s easy to be written off. You hope you haven’t forgotten how to drive, but when it’s one after another after another of being below average, you starting thinking, is it true? (laughs) Jenson was done and dusted, and now look, he’s leading the World Championship. Okay, we’re not in the same situation

exactly, but for the guys who put all the work in, it’s nice to prove we haven’t been flogging around wasting money.

This might not continue at the next race meeting, but I’ve got a lot more confidence that it’s going to than I have previously.

What about the unofficial driver’s association you and Steve Richards have been working towards? How is that coming along?

Really we are just looking at issues of safety. It’s simple things that haven’t been done, and should be done, and are overlooked.

We don’t see that there has been enough focus by the politicians of the sport to rectify things fast enough.

Everything is hindsight.

Things are looked at after they have happened.

chat

Dirk Klynsmith

21

It’s a Long Story opinion Phil Branagan Executive Editor

NASCAR Media

YOU have probably never heard of Carl Long. Heck, until last week, almost nobody had.

Y’see, Long is now a NASCAR record holder. He has been hit with a $200,000 fine, the largest ever handed out in the history of the sport.

He has been suspended for the next 12 Sprint Cup races, and placed on probation until December 31. So has his wife Danielle (DeeDee to one and all), who is his car owner of record, The engine was 358.17 cubic inches. and his crew chief, Charles Swing.

The limit is 358. It was a fraction over [Not that Swing probably has the limit, a fact that Long readily noticed much. According to reports, admits. He bought the engine in he is under treatment in a Georgia good faith, and claims he never even hospital for heart problems.] opened it up.

Long’s dramas started when he Carl Long is a racing addict, which purchased an engine at the end of he also cheerfully admits. His life is last season. He used that engine being a race driver, and so is his wife’s in qualifying at Lowe’s All Star – despite the fact that they are at the Showdown but it soured. When his poverty end of pitlane. Only 23 times crew changed the motor, NASCAR has he made it into a Cup points race, examined the old one. And here is the most recent occasion darn near where the fun starts.

three seasons back.

This week, NASCAR will hear an appeal against his penalties. It is likely that they will stand. Rules are rules. A $200K fine would, in all likelihood, be a minor inconvenience for most of the Cup drivers. Some of them would hardly notice at all. But for Carl Long, it is a life sentence. That is more than he has spent on racing in any one season. If it stands, he will never race again.

If it does stand, perhaps the team owners who have made millions from the sport could step in, quietly, to pay the fine, or reimburse him. Maybe the drivers will too, by redirecting a fraction of their merchandise revenue.

Carl Long is a tadpole in a shark tank. He does not have the firepower to challenge the big boys on the track, or the finance to shrug off this matter. But, there is something not right about NASCAR racing if Carl Long is forced out of it. He may be a throwback to a bygone time, but he races for the same reason people love to watch it – he has passion.

Applying the rules to everyone is all well and good if there is a level playing field. But in this case, there is not. I have my fingers crossed for him.

TEN

Letters

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

Double Talk I recall recently in F1, an issue with three teams using a ‘double diffuser’.

When the FIA said it was legal almost every team was at the next race with a ‘double diffuser’ that they had prepared earlier!

If T8 and associates have such an advantage with their splitter, then make your own, it’s legal! Save your money on legals and put it into a

22

better splitter, go racing and accept the judgement of your governing body.

You are protesting a brand new car that has just passed all tests required to compete as a V8 Supercar, it sounds like a simple decision really.

Warren Furze Via email ED: Our understanding is that the mountings, not the splitters themselves – which are homologated – are the items

being questions. In F1, it is the design of the rear diffusers.

Friends I’m sure glad Murphy isn’t a friend of mine the way he slagged off about his so-called friend Steven Richards on TV! Hothead. Get over it.

Neville Davis Via email No ONE to love Peter Egan should be happy to

have ONE HD at all.

Us non-capital city dwellers (and Newcastle isn’t really out in the middle of nowhere) only get a test loop and a message that says the channel is coming soon, in the next few months. The worst thing is they have the capacity to broadcast it, but choose not to because we would see the Sydney ads and not local ones.

Dave Hamilton Via email

opinion

N. NOT NINE

JOHN MORRIS

TOP nine shoot-out; doesn’t quite have the same ring to it, really …

But that’s what we had at Symmons Plains on Saturday, just nine cars taking part in the singlelap dash for pole position. Why? All because of a missed braking marker for Craig Lowndes at turn 4 in the dying minutes of Q2.

It’s Michael Schumacher’s fault. His stunt – my apologies, unavoidable crash – in the closing minutes of qualifying in Monaco a few years back left a bad taste in a lot of people’s mouths (especially Fernando Alonso’s), and a similar situation is even more beneficial with the knockout qualifying system that V8 Supercars currently use. On the fringe of the relegation zone and don’t have any speed left? Simple; have a quick spin, cause a red flag, and no one can improve their best time.

So there is a rule to stop that happening, which states that if you cause a red flag, you will set the rest of qualifying out, even if your car is still in tip top shape. It happened to Fabian Coulthard and Lowndes in Q2 at Symmons, but there was a twist; Lowndes still set the seventh fastest time, and there was eligible for the shootout. Except the rule actually states that Lowndes isn’t supposed to just sit out the remainder of Q2, but the remainder of qualifying as a

opinion Andrew van Leeuwen mNews National Editor whole. So he was locked into 10th, and the other nine completed the shoot-out.

It seemed silly that such a minor infraction disallowed Lowndes from taking part – not necessarily from Lowndes’ point of view, but from the fan’s point of view. It was freezing at Symmons – at least let the diehards that braved the arctic breeze see 10 cars in the shoot-out!

But on the flipside, allowing Lowndes into the shoot-out, even if every second fan was wearing a TeamVodafone scarf (yes, there were TeamVodafone scarves), would have set a precedent that could be dangerous. With controversial splitters and a handful of drivers seemingly colour blind when it comes to blue flags, the last thing V8s needs is its own Monaco debacle to deal with.

So what should have happened on Saturday at Symmons? Todd Kelly, who qualified 11th, should have been promoted into the shoot-out, Lowndes should have started 11th, and Mark Winterbottom, who qualified 12th, would have been none the better or worse off.

Problem solved.

eLETTER OF THE WEEK Unfortunately I missed the telecast of the V8supercars at Tasmania this weekend, but was fortunate enough to watch the Dodgem cars that were on display instead!

I am first to admit that for the last few years I was complaining that they had sanitised the sport too much and was taking away from the enjoyment of being a motorsport fan, but after the driving standards of some of our ‘top level’ drivers maybe it would be better to have the racing we had a few years back.

Late on Wednesday night I was contemplating spending hundreds of

dollars to make the trip from Albury to attend the event, but thankfully, decided against it. (And never in my life did I think I would be happy not to be attending a V8supercar event).

Poor Murph, after finally finding car speed was getting used as a crash test dummy, and to see both race results decided due to drivers not in contention (and continually ignoring blue flags and common sense) holding up other drivers and ruining what would have been spectacular viewing.

Mary Doorey Albury

Mary Doorey is the first winner of the DVD Transporter 3, starring Jason Statham, compliments of Icon Film Distribution Australia.

Send yours to mail@mnews.com.au, or Motorsport News PO Box 7072, Brighton, Vic 3186 23

V8 SUPERCARS CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES RACES 7-8 – SYMMONS PLAINS, TAS

Something old, something new Holden finally put the Triple Eight domination to rest, winning Race 7. But we only had to wait another day to see normal service resume.

ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN was there

24

race

Dirk Klynsmith

25

V8 SUPERCARS – RACE 7

G

ARTH Tander finally broke TeamVodafone’s stranglehold on the 2009 V8 Supercar Championship Series at Symmons Plains, winning a straightforward Race 7 at the Falken Tasmania Challenge.

With threatening weather, sprint tyres and the shortest lap on the calendar, the potential for strategic carnage was a pre-race talking point in the paddock.

But thanks to a combination of extreme durability from the sprint tyre, and not a single Safety Car period, the gun strategy was clear – start on the softs and leave them on.

That was exactly what the top seven runners did, led by Tander. And given he started from pole, he had the least to do. It was as simple as a splash-and-dash on lap 14 to take on the mandatory 50 litres of fuel (and clear some about-to-be-lapped traffic), managing some traffic and a hard-charging Russell Ingall in the closing laps, and collecting Holden’s first trophy of the year.

“We knew [the sprint tyre] would be

26

durable – more durable than Winton,” Tander said. “It was an unknown how it would work in these cold conditions and on a short track. But the car was good the whole race.”

The final margin with Ingall was close – just over a tenth – and it could have been different if the veteran had some better luck with the traffic late in the race. And it was all thanks a demon tyre tweak at his stop on lap 23, where the overworked right rear was swapped with the slacker of a left front.

“Bit of a pain in the backside, but you expect that,” he said of the traffic.

“It would have taken a mistake from Garth or a big desperate from me, and I wasn’t prepared to do that. Garth and I both need the points, and Holden need us both to finish.”

Third was Steve Johnson, although his journey to the podium wasn’t so smooth.

First, his Jim Beam Racing Falcon reacted poorly to the extra grip of the sprint tyre, developing a worsening understeer problem as the laps rolled by. Then, he, Steve Richards and Tony D’Alberto came together at the infamous hairpin, bending #18’s steering.

The ‘Fones had a strange race, and while their winning streak was busted, seventh for Craig Lowndes and eighth for Jamie Whincup was hardly a disaster. Lowndes was on the right strategy, but was atypically slow in and out of the pits when he tried to clear traffic at the end of the first lap, losing places to Todd Kelly and Will Davison right there and then. Whincup, meanwhile, started on the control tyre; and when he did take on the sprint rubber on lap 15, he stalled on his way out of the pit box, and then ran wide exiting pit lane. The silver lining was that at the conclusion of the race, his sticky Dunlops only had 27 laps under their steel belts …

Greg Murphy was another driver inside the top 10 at the end, but not entirely happy with finishing ninth. Having gone fastest in practice, and second fastest in qualifying, it seemed he and Sprint Gas Racing had turned a corner. But the SGR Commodore struggled with tyre management, and by lap 17 Murphy was starting to complain that his sprint tyres were going off. He pitted on lap 19 to take on the control rubber, and promptly fell away from the lead group.

race V8 Supercar | RACE 7, symmons plains, tas Dirk Klynsmith

Beating the Pig Epidemic

Dirk Klynsmith

Pos # 1 2 2 39 3 17 4 22 5 7 6 9 7 888 8 1 9 51 10 33 11 15 12 34 13 14 14 111 15 6 16 5 17 4 18 8 19 3 20 24 21 11 22 77 23 10 24 67 25 55 26 25 27 333 28 16 29 12 30 18

Driver Garth Tander Russell Ingall Steven Johnson Will Davison Todd Kelly Shane Van Gisbergen Craig Lowndes Jamie Whincup Greg Murphy Lee Holdsworth Rick Kelly Michael Caruso Cameron McConville Fabian Coulthard Steven Richards Mark Winterbottom Alex Davison Jason Richards Jason Bargwanna David Reynolds Jack Perkins Marcus Marshall Paul Dumbrell Tim Slade Tony D’Alberto Jason Bright Michael Patrizi Dale Wood Dean Fiore James Courtney

Team/Car Race Time Toll HRT Commodore 37:13.9662 Supercheap Auto Commodore 37:14.0956 Jim Beam Falcon 37:22.6997 Toll HRT Commodore 37:24.5697 Jack Daniel’s Commodore 37:25.1462 SP Tools Falcon 37:28.8352 TeamVodafone Falcon 37:30.3638 TeamVodafone Falcon 37:35.3755 Sprint Gas Commodore 37:36.1441 GRM Commodore 37:36.5017 Jack Daniel’s Commodore 37:36.8765 GRM Commodore 37:47.5988 WOW Commodore 37:48.3191 Wilson Security Falcon 37:55.1482 FPR Falcon 37:55.4024 FPR Falcon 37:55.9547 Irwin Falcon 37:57.8550 Team BOC Commodore 41 laps Sprint Gas Commodore 41 laps Bundaberg Red Commodore 41 laps Dodo Commodore 41 laps Intaracing Falcon 41 laps Autobarn Commodore 41 laps Supercheap Auto Commodore 41 laps Bottle-O Commodore 41 laps Fujitsu Falcon 41 laps Wilson Falcon 40 laps Hi-Tec Commodore 40 laps Triple F Commodore 40 laps Jim Beam Falcon 40 laps

Q 1 4 3 14 11 7 10 8 2 13 6 16 30 15 9 12 17 22 23 26 20 19 24 21 27 18 28 25 29 5

Fastest lap: R Kelly, on lap 6, 51.4713s (record).

27

Normal Service Resumes

V8 SUPERCARS – RACE 8

N

ORMAL service resumed in the 2009 V8 Supercar Championship Series in Race 8 at Symmons Plains, with Jamie Whincup taking his fifth win of the year at the Falken Tasmania Challenge.

While the race – the longest ever at the Tassie track – was a strategic melee, Whincup and TeamVodafone took a fairly simple approach to the 84-lap two-stopper.

The reigning Champ started on his used – but hardly abused – sprint tyres, stopped on lap 32 to take on the control tyres, and then stopped again on lap 52 to take on a new set of rears. He’d started from pole, and when things shook out after three Safety Car periods in quick succession late in the race, Whincup was back in front of the field.

He stayed there until the chequered flag, but it wasn’t that simple …

Will Davison had taken a fairly similar approach, although he made his stops earlier (laps 16 and 40), which kept distance

28

between the pair on the track. They were hadn’t been for some questionable driving nose-to-tail when Whincup emerged from under blue flags by a lapped Paul Dumbrell, his second stop, and battled their way to he might have been first or second. the flag. But Davison couldn’t find a way “There was a fair bit left; there was plenty past, and had to settle for another second of adjustment in the bars,” said the Kiwi. place.

“But it’s an unknown, and you take [the “I should have been in front of [Whincup] traffic] as it comes. You’ve got to be there to after his stop,” lamented Davison post-race. put the pressure on to force a mistake. The “I went off to track two laps before his stop cars in front didn’t help, but that’s how it going around some traffic and I did a 54s goes.” lap, which cost me. Even so, I was probably But for all the hard luck stories, Whincup strong enough at the end, but the Safety came still came out on top …

Cars made it hard.”

“I was on the ragged edge for 80Then there was the curious case of Fabian something laps,” he said.

Coulthard. The Wilson Security Racing driver “Yesterday was tough. We had good speed, started Race 8 on the sticky tyres, a decision but we couldn’t get it together. The soft that was made literally moments before tyre really spices things up. We usually have the cars rolled out of pit-lane. He did a pretty normal races here, but that was crazy.” quick stint back on control rubber between There were some other potential his stops on laps 22 and 50, and then had contenders along the way throughout the the luckiest of lucky breaks – good road 84 laps as well. Todd Kelly proved his 2008 position, a late-race Safety Car, and a run at Symmons was no fluke by qualifying sprightly set of sprint tyres to play with. As second and running with Whincup and it was ‘Fabs’ was able to secure his and the Davison – despite being on the control tyre WSR team’s first podium position, and if it – early in the race. But an engine problem

race

Dirk Klynsmith

The first of many? Fabian Coulthard took Wilson Security Racing’s first podium finish in Race 8 at Symmons Plains last weekend. Now to go a couple better ...

V8 Supercar | RACE 8, symmons plains, tas

John Morris/Mpix

eventually ruled him out.

His brother Rick was also in with a show until the end, but a crash between James Courtney and Dale Wood, which caused the first Safety Car, left enough dust on the circuit to catch Rick out. He got going again, and didn’t even lose too much thanks to the caution, but was eventually given a serve at the hairpin by Michael Patrizi and retired with a broken steering arm.

Mark Winterbottom was fourth, but at one point he looked like he too might challenge for the win. He pitted early – lap 4 – and took advantage of the clear air in the late teens to set fastest time on fastest time. It was a good crack at a different strategy, and had Frosty in the effective race lead for some time, but a clang at the hairpin with Greg Murphy late in the race left him unable to hold off Coulthard, or challenge Whincup and Davison, at the end.

And then there was Race 7 winner Garth Tander.

Poor GT pitted on lap 1, taking on 40 litres of fuel, only to find himself back in the pits on lap 11 with tyre damage. Given his HRT Commodore was heaving with ethanol, he couldn’t use the second stop to fulfil his fuel obligations, and was always going to have to stop again.

He even stalled on his way out of the pits, and ended the day down in 12th.

Pos # 1 1 2 22 3 111 4 5 5 33 6 39 7 25 8 3 9 67 10 333 11 888 12 4 13 2 14 14 15 6 16 34 17 10 18 17 19 55 20 9 21 11 22 77 23 51 24 8 25 12 26 24 27 15 DNF 18 DNF 16 DNF 7

Driver Jamie Whincup Will Davison Fabian Coulthard Mark Winterbottom Lee Holdsworth Russell Ingall Jason Bright Jason Bargwanna Tim Slade Michael Patrizi Craig Lowndes Alex Davison Garth Tander Cameron McConville Steven Richards Michael Caruso Paul Dumbrell Steven Johnson Tony D’Alberto Shane Van Gisbergen Jack Perkins Marcus Marshall Greg Murphy Jason Richards Dean Fiore David Reynolds Rick Kelly James Courtney Dale Wood Todd Kelly

Team/Car TeamVodafone Falcon Toll HRT Commodore Wilson Falcon FPR Falcon GRM Commodore Supercheap Commodore Fujitsu Falcon Sprint Gas Commodore Supercheap Commodore Wilson Falcon TeamVodafone Falcon Irwin Falcon Toll HRT Commodore WOW Commodore FPR Falcon GRM Commodore Autobarn Commodore Jim Beam Falcon Bottle-O Commodore SP Tools Falcon Dodo Commodore Intaracing Falcon Sprint Gas Commodore Team BOC Commodore Triple F Commodore Bundaberg Red Commodore Jack Daniel’s Commodore Jim Beam Falcon Hi-Tec Commodore Jack Daniel’s Commodore

Race Time Q 1:22:07.8219 1 1:22:08.2613 4 1:22:08.4376 7 1:22:11.4237 5 1:22:12.2661 13 1:22:15.6348 12 1:22:16.7048 18 1:22:17.3259 15 1:22:17.5383 28 1:22:17.8549 23 1:22:19.4529 16 1:22:19.7938 19 1:22:20.0008 10 1:22:20.9457 26 1:22:21.2293 6 1:22:58.7945 21 83 laps 25 83 laps 9 83 laps 27 83 laps 11 83 laps 22 83 laps 29 82 laps 3 82 laps 20 81 laps 30 81 laps 24 79 laps 14 59 laps 8 58 laps 17 43 laps 2

Fastest lap: Winterbottom on lap 16, 51.8066s Championship points: Whincup 1044, W Davison 948, Johnson 753, Tander 723, Holdsworth 723, Lowndes 675, R Kelly 627, Coulthard 606, van Gisbergen 600, Winterbottom 573, Ingall 572, S Richards 519, McConville 510, J Richards 504, A Davison 480, Dumbrell 462, Bright 420, Caruso 417, Reynolds 414, Courtney 389, Murphy 387, T Kelly 363, D’Alberto 336, Patrizi 324, Bargwanna 288, Perkins 282, Marshall 273, Wood 264, Fiore 231, Slade 201.

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FROM THE COUCH PHIL BRANAGAN

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AS far as great days go, that was probably the best. I’m just starting to think about it now, and it is a pretty awesome job from the guys to go from where we started, to being on the podium three and a half years later.

That’s pretty much in line with where I thought we would be. Yeah it’s a cliché, but it makes the hard work seem worth it. It’s still nice to do it, and you finish on the podium

you look at the day in context, we had two cars in PAUL CRUICKSHANK the top 10. For a small team, it makes me really proud. We V8 team owner were here until 10 o’clock last night running through first time once, so you have to everything – like I’m sure enjoy it. everyone else was – working The best part is we didn’t out how we were going to run jag it. We had a good strategy, things today. The Safety Car Fabian [Coulthard] drove really worked out well for us, and well, and it was just a good both the drivers did a good team effort. job. Our pit-stops weren’t great, Then there is Michael but they were good enough to [Patrizi’s] ninth place. When keep us where we were.

opinion

Penalty takes shine off Slade TIM Slade recorded his best main series finish in Race 8, but it could have been a whole lot better.

The Super Cheap Auto Racing driver finished the race ninth on the track, but was relegated to 14th afterwards for his part in a clash with Cameron McConville. Slade accepted the penalty in good grace, although was clearly disappointed upon hearing he had lost a top 10 finish.

“I guess I went in a little – I wouldn’t even say too deep – but it was too deep for where [McConville] was at with his tyres,” he told eNews.

“I didn’t know what tyres he was on and he braked a lot earlier than I was expecting. It’s

Dirk Klynsmith

WHO would want to be Aaron Noonan?

You get off the bomber from the Indy 500, head down to Launceston and, finally, get to take the Big Chair next to Neil Crompton and Mark Skaife for the telecast of the Main Game.

That’s fine. Noonz acquitted himself very well and has drawn a lot of positive comment.. But here is the rub; the next broadcast on Seven is the AFL, and the fella filling the same role for the Footy is none other than Bruce McAvaney. Tough act to precede! ... McAvaney is, well, special ....

Apart from that, mostly good. There is so much action going on at any given moment at Symmons Plains that some of it is going to get through to the keeper, and technically, it looked fine.

That poor tortured tyre on Whincup’s car was well worth seeing. It took our minds off Skaife’s croaky voice (get well soon).

The other notable effort was that of Briony Ingerson.

She was across much of the strategy in pitlane, and looks like a useful addition to the team. Some may find it easy to dismiss such a pretty woman as JUST a pretty woman.

Unfair, that. She was on the pace, and looks far more comfortable in front of the camera than her opposite number in the AFL, Mr

Playing with the big boys

Dirk Klynsmith

New (old) face in the Central Comm Box

unfortunate, but thems the breaks. The same thing happened to me earlier in the race and I was pretty dirty, so I can understand.”

Despite the penalty, Slade was happy with both the pace of the #67 Commodore, and the fact that he added another race finish to his results book.

“We did something a little different with the car in qualifying, and it didn’t like it much, so we went back to how it was for the race. I just kept my nose pretty clean and punched out the times I had to punch out. We had a couple of strategies that we could have gone with depending on cars around us and Safety Car, and it all ended up pretty good.”

– ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN

race

New tyre regulations still have people in pitlane guessing

Sprint Tyres: Plusses and Minuses

I

’M a little disappointed with how the sprint tyre was able to go the race distance in Race 7. I don’t think that was ever the intention, although we do need to appreciate that there are only three corners here, it was incredibly cold, and very easy on the tyre.

The upside to that is, as hard as we all try – Myself, Mark Skaife, Neil Crompton and Ross Holder – to sit down and work out who will do what, when, we never cease to be surprised by who rolls out of the garage with what tyres on their cars. It’s not stabilising at all, and that’s great.

To me, Saturday was a surprising one. I thought a lot of people would sit back and see what the sprint tyre did here, but nearly half the field rolled out with them on. We’ll go the next circuit in Darwin, and it will be a totally different scenario again.

That’s where we’ll really see the sprint tyre do what it was conceived to do.

opinion Mark Larkham V8 pit commentator What’s emerged this weekend is that with Jamie being where he was on Saturday, and a lot of the controversy regarding the front splitter, there were certain people smiling. Come Sunday, TeamVodafone has shown yet again that in a plethora of strategic options, they come out in front.

I’m a bit concerned about some of the driving standards I’ve seen this weekend.

I think, the last few laps in Race 8, what we saw with Paul Dumbrell was sailing

very close to the wind on a professional foul. You could see it coming from a few laps before. I understand his actions, but the organisation needs to jump on it a bit sooner. The team needs to be made aware that eyes are on them, and jump on it quickly. There’s no point jumping on it after the damage is done, because there is two races in a row, that possibly the race winner might have been different in traffic wasn’t involved.

Sure, traffic is always an issue on a short circuit like Symmons Plains, but lapped cars should never affect the outcome of a race. With all the communication we have between the pits and the cars, there is no reason that a driver shouldn’t be fully aware of what’s going on around him.

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FORMULA FORD ROUND 3 - SYMMONS PLAINS

Run of wins in tact ...

... but Nick Percat’s challengers are coming thick and fast now NICK Percat’s round winning streak is still in tact after the third round of the Genuine Ford Parts Australian Formula Ford Championship at Symmons Plains, but he is no longer the sole race winner for season 2009.

However, it did take until the final race of the weekend on Sunday afternoon for the South Australian to be beaten.

And even then, the Mygale domination stayed alive, with Team BRM’s flying Kiwi Richie Stanaway forcing his way past Percat and onto a maiden win on Australian soil.

It wasn’t enough to stop Percat taking the round, and extending his devastating

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lead in the series after just three outings. But while Percat walked away with Rounds 1 and 2, he definitely faced some stiffer competition at Symmons Plains.

For starters, Chaz Mostert – the only driver who looked even remotely capable of running with Percat at Winton – charged to his first pole position in qualifying. It looked to be the Synergy driver’s best chance of taking the fight right to the title leader, but Mostert made a meal of the start of Race 1, and then through it off at the hairpin on lap 2. He never really recovered, finishing the weekend seventh.

That left Percat free to cruise

around to his sixth consecutive win, while behind him Stanaway and AMSF Rising Star Scott Pye put on a fight worthy of being for the lead, Pye just gaining the upper hand on the last lap when Stanaway started to run out of fuel.

The chasing pair got a lot closer to Percat in Race 2, applying some late pressure to the leader, but still they had to settle with filling the podium.

Then there was the final; Percat had been in contention to keep his winning streak alive, but an off road excursion during the heat of the battle caused the comfortable points leader to rethink his strategy, and settle on third place.

Pye and Stanaway fought it out, with the Kiwi breaking through.

“Wow, that was a pretty awesome race,” Stanaway said.

“Nick, Scott and I had a great battle and it probably could have gone either way, but thankfully I had the speed to hang on at the end. Hats off, though, to Nick and Scott; it made for some great racing.”

“I would have liked to have kept the winning streak alive, but it’s always close here with that long straight,” added Percat. “This year I need to be thinking about the championship, so I was happy to settle for third.”

– ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN

race

Marshall Cass John Morris/Mpix

Biff at the hairpin: Chaz Mostert, right and Mitchell Evans, left, caught up in this hairpin incident. Below, Scott Pye showed speed, and below left, Richie Stanaway took away a win from Nick Percat.

Dirk Klynsmith

Marshall Cass

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V8 UTES ROUND 3 – SYMMONS PLAINS, TAS

sutton-images.com

James Smith

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race

Ford’s Plains Sailing The Blue Oval goes large at Symmons Plains with dominant display

R

ound 3 of the Yokohama V8 Racing Ute Series saw 32 Utes take to the grid at the Symmons Plains circuit, and defending series Champion Layton Crambrook never looked headed.

Crambrook recorded the fastest time in combined practice before taking out pole position and two of the three races.

Crambrook’s success was just the tip of the iceberg for him and his fellow Ford rivals – the blue oval having a field day at Symmons Plains.

Race 1 saw the first signs of a Ford whitewash, with Crambrook taking a convincing five-second win over Jack Elsegood and Stephen Robinson. The race was marred by a spectacular spin at turn 2 from Noel Edge, and just a lap later smoke billowed from the overheating radiator of leading rookie Paul Williams, eventually coming to a stop by the pit lane wall.

Gary Baxter, who led the series going into the round, retired from

Race 1 with engine failure after a disappointing qualifying session.

Race 2’s reverse grid race ramped up the excitement, with Yanis Derums beating the field to the first corner, and Jack Elsegood and George Miedecke able to make quick progress towards the front while Crambrook was tangled in traffic.

Ironically, it was a flat tyre that ended Kim Jane’s race shortly before Ben Kavich exited in a cloud of dust.

And only a few laps later, the hairpin was the scene of a lucky escape for Elsegood and Miedecke – both cars turning around and being stranded as a number of cars made their way around the corner. Shortly after, Yanis Derums buried his Ute deep in the beach at the slowest turn of the track. The incident required the Safety Car, but even that didn’t stop the mayhem – Justin Van Twest endured a wild slide around through dust and debris, but he managed to avoid fellow competitors and safety barriers to finish the race in a respectable 19th.

A five-lap dash to the chequered flag saw Kurt Wimmer taking the race from Charlie Kovacs and Andrew Fisher.

The third and final race set up a show down between the Falcons of Crambrook, Fisher and Robinson for round honours. Crambrook got a blinding start, but Fisher managed to reel him back to apply pressure before the reigning Champion managed to make a break from the rest of the pack and secure the win.

Fisher made a gallant effort to stick with the leader but settled for second. Grant Johnson applied pressure to Robinson in an attempt to force a mistake, but Robinson maintained his focus to keep him and Wimmer at bay.

Round 4 of the Yokohama V8 Utes Series heads to Hidden Valley on June 19-21.

– REBECCA WYATT Points: Elsegood 350, Crambrook 308, Miedecke 300, Robinson 296, Baxter 290, Johnson 284, Jane 284, Fisher 281, Harris 279, McNally 265.

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Denyer’s Determined Move

DecoRug racer pulls off late Race 3 pass on Paul Stokell to secure Symmons Plains ro MINI CHALLENGE GRANT Denyer may have only recently returned to racing, but it was a determined display at Symmons Plains to claim round honours in the MINI Challenge at Symmons Plains.

Paul Stokell was keen to maintain his perfect record at Symmons Plains, but had to make do with second place at the completion of the round.

A small field contested the round, with Stokell taking out pole position honours from Chris Alajajian and Jonathon Webb. Stokell won the first race from Webb and Denyer, but it was Denyer who declared his intentions in Race 2, beating Scott Bargwanna and Stokell to the line ahead of a hard-

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charging Alajajian.

Race 3 was by far the highlight for the MINIs, with a spectacular spin from BJ Cook at the pit exit the early spectacle, but it was with just one lap to go that things started to heat up.

After a controlled display up until the final lap, Alajajian, Stokell and Denyer went berserk. A gutsy move from Denyer at turn 2 to claim second position from Stokell would prove to be the defining moment in the round, handing the race win to Alajajian and the round win to Denyer ahead of Stokell and Bargwanna.

Former Winter Olympic Gold Medallist Steven Bradbury made his MINI Challenge debut and showed improvement.

Despite a wild front straight

spin, he stepped out of the car with a huge grin, and is planning on more motor racing competition in the future.

Denyer credited his accident last year with improving his focus and determination.

“Obviously coming back from that, I am incredibly thankful to be back behind the wheel of a race car, and it has given me a new hunger for it,” he said.

“In the past my driving has been left until the last-minute with all my other commitments, now it’s more of a priority, I’m enjoying it more and I think it shows through in my driving.”

Denyer will now carry 25kg success ballast through to the next round of the MINI Challenge at the Townsville 400 on July 10-12.

– REBECCA WYATT

race

Marshall Cass

TARGA

Dirk Klynsmith

THE V8 Supercars may have been the major drawcard for the weekend, but a Lamborghini Gallardo belonging to a local lad drew crowds to the fence in the Targa Invitational Series at Symmons Plains.

The Targa Invitational was the first of a number of planned ‘local’ classes to compete on the highly-prized V8 Supercar bill.

Jason White, best known to local motorsport enthusiasts as a past winner of Targa Tasmania and a former national and state karting champion, lead the field for the majority of the weekend’s proceedings, delighting the masses with a near faultless display.

The main threat for the weekend came from the Ford BF Falcon of Ray Hislop, who drew first blood in claiming pole position from White, with Andrew Lawson in a Nissan 200SXR in third place.

It would be a predictable weekend from

James Smith

White beats Blue

ound honours

thereon in, with White making victory seem effortless in Races 1 and 2, with Hislop and Greg Garwood in a Porsche GT3 RS making up the podium.

Race 3 saw positions 1-6 and 7-12 reversed to shuffle the grid, with Garwood getting a great start, but his solitude would be short-lived with the Lamborghini and Falcon soon joining him for a three-way battle. Hislop managed to pass the Lamborghini and maintain his lead for a number of laps before White ducked underneath the Falcon at the hairpin, only to be relieved of the lead at the same corner on the final lap.

The final race, however, was a simply faultless display from White, taking a considerable lead by the first corner and never looking headed.

With the rear of the car alight, White made the final race look like a walk in the park, taking an easy win in Category A over Hislop and Garwood.

– REBECCA WYATT

37

33rd WINTON HISTORICS WINTON MOTOR RACING, VIC

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race

Goers and Showers

The 33rd Annual Winton Historics burst into life at the country circuit, highlighted by big fields and big crowds. NEIL HAMMOND reports

Neil Hammond

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WINTON HISTORICS

“T

here’s the goers and the showers “ to quote the late Lou Molina – and they were all there at the next chapter of the highly successful Winton Historics annual meeting last weekend at the rural circuit.

Molina was a real race goer, and in his memory, nine of his racers from the past celebrating were featured in an active display, ranging from ‘Madam Butterfly,’ the yellow Bugatti Brescia, the MM Holden, the glorious Monza Holden and the MGs along with Lou’s decendants.

Pre-war car action abounds at the meeting ranging from the tiny Austin 7s to

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the big Vauxhall 30/98s.

JK racing saw Greame Raper best aboard the Monoskate with the highly-sought Arthur Waite handicap award to John Rowes talents driving the WA-residing Alvis.

Lb racing witnessed Fred Greenaklee way out in front with the little Cooper JAP while the pack included the Reid brothers, Dick Willis’s very unique Stewart MG, the distinctive BMH comic book special and Graham Smiths superb Allard, among others. Ian Brock’s Elfin Sreamliner was raced with the number 85 – just to match his years of age ...

M&O racing was dominated by Laurie Bennetts Elfin 600 while Keith Simpson did his usual best by being next.

In Q&R, Peter Whelan worked hard to

pass Andrew Makin for his wins with Luke Doidge brilliant to blast the Farrell Clubman into a very brief lead in the second event.

Production Sports was Terry Lawlor rewarded for a fine performance with his Porsche in front of a packed variety field.

Sedans winners were Tony Hubbard from Anthony Reads rapid Mazda RX2 while in Nb Jervis Ward and Henry Draper headed the masses.

Further on track activities were performed by the motorcycles and the antics of the sidecars.The grand parade brought out the showers from the capacity car park display.

Next year’s event is already being planned and is set to present another chapter in moving history ...

race

Justin Collins Justin Collins

Old Mother Hubbard: Tony Hubbard leads the Group Nc field at Winton, below. Above, Jackson in Group Sa, and top, Kent in Group O.

Neil Hammond Justin Collins

Justin Collins Justin Collins

Different fortunes in the Motorsport eNews Esses: Dymond, above, negotiates the eEsses perctly, but the Flack/Hipposeley combination, right, in Sidecars weren’t as effective.

41

INDYCAR SERIES ROUND 5 – AJ FOYT 225, MILWAUKEE, WI

Honda Indy Racing

42

race

De-Fense!

De-Fense!

No, the fans were not screaming for Scott Dixon to do a Castroneves and climb De Fence after winning in Milwaukee. But it did get his title aspirations back on track

43

Honda Racing

R

Running in unfamiliar green colours of TomTom, Target Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Dario Franchitti was third ahead of Graham Rahal, the youngster having his best weekend of the season after qualifying second to Briscoe.

The amazingly consistent Danica Patrick was fifth, her fourth consecutive top-five finish ahead of rookie Raphael Matos, who put his dramatic Indy 500 exit behind him with a career-best sixth.

Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves finished 11th after starting 20th, his weekend set back by a qualifying crash.

Scott of Milwaukee: Dixon, top, was unstoppable. Franchitti, above, was back in green on his way to third. Foyt got close to new driver Paul Tracy, below, who is subbing for the injured Vitor Meira.

IndyCar Media

44

Honda Indy Racing

YAN Briscoe dominated the AJ Foyt 225 at the famed Milwaukke Mile – but Scott Dixon won it.

Penske resident Aussie took pole position, and looked set to take back-tro-back wins on the track, leading 154 laps after slicing past Tony Kanaan on lap 26. But Dixon was stalking and, when the Penske car was baulked in traffic, the Kiwi shot through to take his second win of 2008.

In doing so, he also takes over the points lead for the first time this season.

“I was trying to get the flow of traffic the whole day,” said Dixon, whose other 2008 win came at Kansas.

“I definitely think from the start our car was better. We could run quick times when we needed to, and we were good in traffic. We had many runs on Briscoe, and he kind of blocked a lot and that was kind of frustrating early on, but he definitely got caught up there with (Tomas) Scheckter trying to take him on the bottom, and I got a great run on the high side and it just lined up perfect.”

“Scott was just a little bit better than me at the end there,” Briscoe admitted.

“I was struggling with a little bit of understeer, and whenever I'd get on the inside I'd really lose my momentum.

Great job by Scott.”

Honda Indy Racing Honda Indy Racing

Honda Indy Racing

INDYCAR | AJ FOYTY 225, MILWAUKEE, WI 1 9 2 6 3 10 4 02 5 7 6 2 7 26 8 27 9 5 10 4

Scott Dixon Ryan Briscoe Dario Franchitti Graham Rahal Danica Patrick Raphael Matos Marco Andretti Hideki Mutoh Mario Moraes Dan Wheldon

NZ Aus GB USA USA Br USA J Br GB

Target Ganassi Team Penske Target Ganassi/TomTom Newman Haas Lanigan Andretti Green Luczo Dragon Racing Andretti Green Andretti Green Racing KV Racing Panther Racing

4 1 8 2 7 9 13 6 5 14

Dixon 161, Briscoe/Franchitti 157, Patrick 139, Castroneves 136, Wheldon 126, Kanaan 122, Rahal 114, Andretti 109.

Honda Indy Racing

INDYCAR | pointS

Red is trumps: Yes, but not for Briscoe, top. Danica Patrick is having a consistent run on the ovals, above, but Helio Castroneves, below, struggled after a qualifying crash.

45

NASCAR SPRINT CUP ROUND 13 – AUTISM SPEAKS 400, DOVER, DE

46

JJ takes one for the General

On the eve of General Motors’s bankruptcy, Jimmie Johnson mounted a fightback that would do the company proud.

By MARTIN D CLARK

Ford Racing Media

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J

48

NASCAR Media

IMMIE Johnson looked the winner of the Autism Speaks 400 at the Dover International Speedway all the way – almost.

Johnson led 298 of the 400 laps, and looked to have the win there for the taking. But following two late-race cautions, JJ was suddenly in eighth place after a slow pitstop. He surged through the pack to beat the always-consistent Tony Stewart by 0.8s.

“I didn’t know if I could catch them when I dropped to eighth but I wasn’t going to give up,” said Johnson after his fourth victory on the Monster Mile.

“When the green dropped, it was time to go and I got with it. The strategy at the end was kind of goofy.

We weren’t sure whether to stay out or take two or four tyres, so we took four tyres. Fortunately, I had such a good car I could run at the top at the end. My hat’s off to Tony Stewart, as I had to drive so far over my head to get by him. Man, my car was good.”

The deciding factor was that Stewart took just two tyres at his final stop.

“That’s all I can do. I’m used up,” said the former champion. “We didn’t leave anything on the table.

We got outrun at the end, as Jimmy (Johnson) was flying.”

But there is a huge consolation for Stewart, despite not repeating his non-points All Star win.

He takes the points lead in the Sprint Cup, building a 46 point lead over Jeff Gordon. After a qualifying crash, Gordon started 42nd in his back-up car and struggled to finish 26th, two laps off the pace.

Greg Biffle led a pair of Roush Fords to take third ahead of Matt Kenseth, while Kurt Busch in a Dodge was fifth.

For much of the weekend, Dale Earnhardt Jr was the talk of the paddock. Without cousin Tony Eury Jr as crew chief for the first time, Jr qualified 1th and finished 12th, after having run as high as third.

“I’m happy,” said Earnhardt. “I would like to have run better than 12th. Track position was real important, and we didn’t have it at the end of the race. We did have good communication, and we need to keep doing that.”

Kyle Busch finished 23rd after breaking a front splitter, Denny Hamlin banged the wall while running second and Mark Martin got caught in an accident 30 laps shy of the flag.

I DO LIKE MONDAYS

DOVER can be a tough place to race. Just ask Marcos Ambrose.

The Aussie finished the Monster Mile in 20th place, the same position in which he qualified the RaceSavers. com Toyota. At one stage, setup problems dropped him outside the top 30.

“It was just a long race but in the end we came away with a decent result,” said Ambrose.

“We dropped back early, kept digging and kept working hard at it to get the car working better.

“It was a hard day at the office so I’ve got to hand it to my guys for sticking at it and getting the car working pretty well in the last third of the race.

“These races are long and demanding but giving up doesn’t get you anywhere.

You’ve got to keep pushing on and with every race you learn a little more on what the car needs and how to improve it over a race distance.”

COCA COLA 600

Toyota Motorsports

SPRINT CUP | AUTISM SPEAKS 400, DOVER, DE 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

48 14 16 17 2 9 99 39 07 5

Jimmie Johnson Tony Stewart Greg Biffle Matt Kenseth Kurt Busch Kasey Kahne Carl Edwards Ryan Newman Casey Mears Mark Martin

Chevy Chevy Ford Ford Dodge Dodge Ford Chevy Chevy Chevy

Hendrick/Lowe’s Stewart Haas/Old Spice Roush Fenway/3M Roush Fenway/DeWalt Penske/Miller Lite Petty/Budweiser Roush Fenway/Aflac Stewart Haas/US Army Childress/Jack Daniel’s Hendrick/CarQuest

8 31 5 14 19 2 13 11 17 28

DAVID Reutimann won a rain-delayed by one day – then rain shortened – 50th running of the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, Charlotte last Monday afternoon.

There were a whole bunch of firsts; Reutimann’s first win in 75 starts; the first win in NASCAR Cup for the 00 car number; Toyota’s first Cup win outside of Joe Gibbs Racing; and the first time in the 50-year history of the Coke 600 that the race had been postponed a day.

His Michael Waltrip crew elected not to pit on lap 222 along with Ryan Newman and Robby Gordon during the sixth caution for rain. This turned into a red flag and two hours three minutes later NASCAR finally called it a race after 227 or 340.5 miles with Reutimann leading just the final five

yellow flag laps.

“With the exception of the birth of my daughter this is the best thing that’s ever happened to me,” remarked Reutimann, who started 21st moved up to second early before holding in the top 15.

Pole sitter Ryan Newman lead the first two laps from his choice of the outside front row before Kyle Busch hit the front, leading through a caution for showers and then a competition yellow flag on lap 40. The Camry driver led 173 laps, but when he (and the rest of the field) pitted, Reutimann led – and the third and final red flag decided the results.

Final result; Reutimann (Toyota), Newman (Chevy), R Gordon (Toyota), Edwards (Ford), Vickers (Toyota), Kyle Busch (Toyota), Kahne (Dodge), JP Montoya (Chevy), Kenseth (Ford).

– MARTIN D CLARK

NASCAR | DRIVER’S points Martin D Clark

Stewart 1853, Gordon 1807, Johnson 1789, Kurt Busch 1762, Newman 1680, Kyle Busch 1634, Hamlin 1630, Kenseth 1625, Biffle 1618, Burton 1587, Edwards 1582, Martin 1567 [Ambrose 1319, 20th].

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Drama, but still in front Riccardo had a difficult weekend at Rockingham with a DNF and fifth place BRITISH F3

sutton-images.com

Nick Tandy’s Mygale won the opening British F3 race at Rockingham in an emotional day, the win coming just three weeks after his brother and team principal, Joe, was killed in a car crash.

Tandy benefitted from a tangle between Daniel Ricciardo (Carlin Motorsport) and Renger van der Zande (Hitech), which eliminated the pair. Tandy inherited the lead but, as he powered out

of the final corner, a wishbone broke as he crossed the line. As he started his slowing down lap, the front wheel parted company with the car.

Championship returnee Marcus Ericson took second in the first race before winning Race 2, the Swede taking time out from his Japanese F3 title bid.

Tandy and van der Zande were caught up in a lap one clash that eliminated the Dutchman and left Tandy limping to the pits for

repairs, while Henry Arundel benefitted from late-race chaos to take second.

Daniel Ricciardo took

Smith wins; Scott troubles FORMULA RENAULT

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sutton-images.com

FORMULA Renault UK honours fell to Dean Smith (Manor Competition) who dominated both races at Oulton Park.

In Race 1 he was tapped from behind on lap one, clipping Dean Stoneman (Alpine Motorsport) who in turn tagged James Calado (Fortec Motorsport). Stoneman pitted with a puncture, Calado retired and Harry Tincknell (CRS Racing) led from Smith. Tincknell made an error after a safety car period giving Smith the lead, Tincknell hanging onto second from Fortec’s Oli Webb.

Smith was never head in race two as he stormed away from Webb and Stoneman with Calado in fourth in a processional race.

Australian Josh Scott was eliminated on the

opening lap of Race 1 when he fell into the gravel at Lodge Corner and had a fraught time in Race 2. He ran 10th early on but was pressured in to an error by Alice Powell who nipped by and Scott then lost further places as the car lost pace. A quick pit stop hindered his cause and he ended the race in 24th place.

– DAVID ADDISON

fifth which keeps him in the championship lead from Tandy with 15 points between them.

– DAVID ADDISON

race

Davo’s strong run continues INDY LIGHTS VISION Racing’s James Davison earned his first topfive finish of the season at The Milwaukee Mile in the Firestone Indy Lights Husar’s House of Diamonds 100 last weekend.

Starting from the seventh,

the Australian ran a clean and smart race, taking advantage of others mishaps. He ran in fourth place for much of the race until lapped traffic slowed his pace, allowing Sebastian Saavedra to overtake him on lap 85. From there Davison held on to finish fifth – his best result of the season to date. It

is also Vision Racing’s best Indy Lights result at The Milwaukee Mile after driver Jay Drake started and finished sixth here in 2005.

The result underlines Davison’s consitency in 2009. In six races so far, he has placed inside the top 10 four times, moving him up

from 10th to ninth in the championship.

Mario Romancini took his first-career Indy Lights victory, ahead of J.R. Hildebrand, Sebastian Saavedra and Gustavo Yacaman.

Firestone Indy Lights action resumes on Saturday, June 20 at Iowa Speedway.

Local’s open reborn CIK accounts ROTAX PRO TOUR

Ash Budd

Novocastrians Hayden McBride and Simon Roberts claimed a one-two finish in the opening round of the 2009 Australian CIK Karting Championship, run alongside the Rotax Pro Tour, at the Mount Sugarloaf circuit in Newcastle, NSW over the weekend.

McBride was the pacesetter from the outset having qualified on pole position and taking the win in the opening two qualifying heats.

A mechanical gremlin halted his charge in the opening final of the day for McBride but he put this disappointment behind him to claim a dominant victory in the second final.

Roberts, who was making his debut in the Australian CIK Championship, continued to adapt to the high-horsepower machines before

crossing the line second in the final race.

Damian Radosevic, who won the first points scoring final earlier in the day, finished third behind the local duo in the second race.

In the opening event on the Rotax Pro Tour, it was David Sera who proved too good in the Rotax Light category to take the win over local driver Mark Flood. Jason Pringle continued his impressive run in Rotax Heavy while Luke Rochford won the Formula JMA category.

Sydney Top Gun Racing Academy driver Nicholas Crawshay showed the field a clean pair of heels to win Rotax Over-35s by 4.3s while Grant Smith won the Open Performance (Rotax DD2) category.

The next round of the Australian CIK Championship (with the Rotax Pro Tour) will be held at Melbourne’s VACC Park on June 26/27.

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WORLD SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND 7 – MILLER MOTORSPORT PARK, USA

Utah: The Other Lone S When Haga flew over the bars in practice, it was looking like a Ben Spies weekend in Utah.

From there, it only got better

Yamaha Racing

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Star State

double win.

Carlos Checa continued his love affair with Utah (he was untouchable there last year) by taking second in Race 1 ahead of Fabrizio and Kiyonari, but the Spaniard crashed out of Race 2. In his absence, Jonny Rea took third, completing a solid weekend for Ten Kate Honda.

It was looking like Leon Haslam was going to be the man to fly the Honda flag, but he crashed out of third on the final lap.

Points: Haga 262, Spies 212, Fabrizio 201, Rea 133, Biaggi 126, Haslam 122, Sykes 113, Kiyonari 96, Checa 93, Smrz 82.

KENAN Sofuoglu took his second win of the season after a last-lap pass in Supersport.

The Turk fought his way

by Eugene Laverty and Cal Crutchlow to take the win, with Joan Lascorz taking fourth on his Kawasaki. Garry McCoy was best of the Aussies, his Triumph beating Andrew Pitt to sixth.

Honda Pro Images

Texas to Utah, via Italy: Even a fit Nori Haga would have had trouble beating Ben Spies on home soil. He took his seventh pole and both wins.

B

EN Spies is back in the World Superbike Champion business.

The American took a double win on home soil at Miller Motorsports Park in Utah and, with Noriyuki Haga having a tough weekend, the gap between the pair is now roughly one race weekend.

Spies planted his Yamaha R1 on pole position – when does he not? – and was challenged

by Michel Fabrizio only in the second race. He slaughtered the opposition in Race 1 (which was red-flagged) and now trails Haga by 53 points.

The Ducati ace was flung off his bike in practice and, despite not breaking any bones, was hardly in a shape to challenge the mercurial Texan after that.

His results were ninth and eighth in the two races.

“With Haga being hurt, he’s capitalised when the bike’s broke a couple times, and when we’ve crashed, and we needed to capitalise on this,” said the American after his

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Dramatic Turkey

Paffect result DTM

BTCC

The fight for third was intense as Plato and Neal ran nose-to-tail for half the race with Jonny Adam joining the party ahead of Andrew Jordan’s Vectra.

James Thompson’s Honda Civic took seventh and he drew pole position for the final race. He led from the lights and was never headed, as Jordan chased him hard.

Neal took third after a great drive by Rob Collard (BMW) up from near the back of the grid having missed Race 2 with a driveshaft problem.

– DAVID ADDISON

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COLIN Turkington took two wins in the British Touring Car Championship at Oulton Park last weekend as Matt Neal left the parkland circuit as the championship leader after three dramatic races.

Turkington’s rear-wheel drive BMW bolted away from the lights at the start of race one to mug the Chevrolet Lacettis of pole-sitter Jason Plato and Mat Jackson.

Once ahead, Turkington strolled into the distance as Plato secured second ahead of Jonny Adam’s Airwaves BMW. Jackson pitted with a puncture falling to the rear of the field.

Turkington, with 45 kilos of success ballast on board, repeated his Race 1 win as he fended off reigning champion Fabrizio Giovanardi’s Vauxhall Vectra. ‘Gio’ challenged early on but then fell away allowing Turkington an easy run to the flag.

GARY Paffett scored his first DTM win of 2009 at Euro Speedway Lausitz on the weekend.

Paffett made a late first pit stop to leapfrog the Audi of pole-sitter Mattias Ekstrom, while fellow Mercedes driver Bruno Spengler did likewise to assume second place with Ekstrom third.

The Swede came under frequent attacks from Mercedes driver Paul di Resta who was frequently caught up behind backmarkers which, in turn, blunted his challenge.

Reigning Champion Timo Scheider took fifth for Audi ahead of Jamie Green in his 2008-specification Mercedes.

– DAVID ADDISON

The rain just won’t go away NSW STATE Variable weather conditions played havoc with the racing in Round 3 of the NSW State Championships at Oran Park over the weekend, mixing up the results in the 10 categories on the program.

Leigh Burgess extended his lead in the Formula Ford championship with three race wins, ahead of Garry Watson in his historic entry. Daniel

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Lewis and Grant Doulman battled for the final podium position.

Greg King won two of the three HQ Holden races and took out the round, while Ian McLean won the other race.

Aaron Steer bounced back from a couple of spins in Race 2 of the Racing and Sports Car series to win Race 3 and the round, ahead of the consistent Richard Fricker, who finished second in each race.

In Formula Vee, it was Daniel Reynolds who came out on top, winning all three races to establish a commanding championship lead. Michael Kinsella just pipped Aaren Russel for second place, and reigning national champion Ben Porter charged to fourth after overcoming problems from qualifying.

Jeremy Gray scored his first Combined Touring Car round win after an intense

battle with Jim Pollicina, the two drivers rubbing doors for several laps in Race 3. Gus Barbara came home third in his HSV GTS Coupe.

Ryan Brown continued his domination of the Over 2 Litre Improved Production class, and Graeme Cox took advantage of problems for Justin McClintock to win the Under 2 Litre class from Tony Prior and Greg Hartnett.

– LACHLAN MANSELL

race

Muller and Farfus share wins BMW run riot at Valencia, taking two wins in Spain WTCC

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Yvan Muller and Augusto Farfus were the WTCC winners in Valencia last weekend, Muller taking his third win of the season.

Muller mugged pole-sitter Gabriele Tarquini on the opening lap, and although the Italian tried to fight back, Muller quickly shook off his team-mate and extended his lead. Tarquini then fell behind the similar SEAT of Tiago Monteiro but there was nothing that could touch Muller.

The Chevrolet Cruzes of Alain Menu, Rob Huff and Nicola Larini were all in the wars, while Farfus took fourth for BMW. Farfus claimed honours in Race 2 having chased fellow BMW driver Jorg

Muller for the first two laps before he made his move. Muller shadowed him home for second place while Andy Priaulx

and Tarquini traded third place, the Italian being ahead at flagfall.

– DAVID ADDISON

Canadian Wickens takes first F2 victory FORMULA TWO

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Canadian Robert Wickens won the opening round of the new FIA Formula Two Championship at Valencia last weekend.

Carlos Iaconelli took second as Andy Soucek slowed and was collected by Tobias Hegewald. That brought out a Safety Car and Kazim Vasilauskas inherited third which he held to the end.

Wickens won Race 2 as well, despite coming under early pressure from Red Bull team-mate Mirko Bortolotti. As Wickens led, Bortolotti tried everything to unsettle the leader, while former Formula BMW World Final winner Philip Eng hung onto third place ahead of Andy Soucek.

– DAVID ADDISON

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rear of grid

Odd Spot

Cold.

Really Cold

HOW cold was it in Tasmania on the weekend?

This cold. Rick Kemp had a handy pyrometer, and it was pressed into action on several occasions on the weekend.

weather. But at this juncture, we would also like to point out that Stokell is, originally, from Tasmania. So, if he was feeling the cold, it must have been really, really freezing …

IndyCar Media

DON’T you just love an Indy Roadster?

Okay, technology long ago sentenced the front-engined monsters to life in a museum, but it does the old heart good to see the beasts fired up from time to time. Such an event happened on the weekend, when them pretty boys in their carbon fibre slingshots took a backseat to real men, in real cars, on the Milwaukee Mile.

By the way, Sunday’s race was the AJ Foyt 225. The raceafter-Indy has been called a number of things, including the Rex Mays Classic and the Tony Bettenhausen Classic.

Foyt is now paired up with Paul Tracy. There is going to be an explosion there, possibly a stoush, one day soon. We want to see the winner get the next naming rights to the race.

Should be a hoot.

He even used it on Paul Stokell during preparations for the MINI Challenge races.

Either that, or it was some kind of hypnosis to make him go faster.

Har har. We like to make fun of Tassie

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