Motorsport eNews Issue 110 - June 23-29, 2009

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Issue No. 110 23 – 29 June 2009

sweeping changes ... but holden and ford want input

CARUSOFIED! MAIDEN V8 SUPERCAR VICTORY – MASSIVE HIDDEN VALLEY WRAP INSIDE –

PLUS! AMBROSE’S Sonoma near miss

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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Issue No. 110 | 23 – 29 June 2009

news 4 We wanna play but ... Makes want involvement 6 Us too!

8 Holden safe 10 Sweet Sixteen 14 Insuring exit

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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)

chat 20 5 minutes with ...

McNamara opinion 2322 Branagan race

24 Hiding in a Valley 32 Percolating 34 Chuck Everywhere 36 Boys with Toys 38 King for a Day

trade 36 Classifieds

Drivers want involvement As GM slashes racing $$$ More V8s in 2010 Shannons out of 12 Hr Tony Cochrane We wanna play, but ...

Ch-ch-changes JDub and MCar Formula Ford in NT Baxter to the Front Red Bullas rules Valley Kahne wins, Marcos stars

At least one V8 Supercar team brought everything they needed to Darwin; cars, engines, spares, drivers, engineers ... and a bat.

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.

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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

Marshall Cass

Ford & Holden: Involve us!

V8 manufacturers want to ensure they have a say in the V8 category’s future V8 SUPERCARS

Dirk Klynsmith

HOLDEN and Ford have both shown support for V8 Supercars proposed Cost Reduction initiatives – but both companies want to be involved in the development of the new Car of the Future.

Holden Motorsport Manager Simon McNamara and Ford’s Marketing Services Manager Christine Buckley have both told eNews that the companies agree in principal with the plans, but both insist that the makers want to see existing links with the cars they market to the public maintained.

“We want to see the race cars resemble the road cars,” said McNamara. “That has been our mandate from the start, especially when VE came out.

“We went down the Blueprint path, and the cars still have swinging doors, and headlights and bonnets and that kind of stuff. That is all representative of what we sell. Our data shows us that that is what

our customers want to see and we want to keep it that way.”

One the blue side of the pitlane, Ms Buckley echoed his sentiments: “Ford supports the logic of seeking to standardise vehicles and reduce costs in an effort to allow some of the less-well funded teams to continue competing against the more highly funded teams,” she said.

“However, it is also vitally important from a manufacturer’s point of view that we maintain the ability to achieve a point of difference from our competitors while also still providing a link to the road cars that we sell.”

McNamara is firm that his company wants to have an involvement in the new car, set for introduction by the start of the 2012 season.

“Ideally, we would like to be consulted on what the plans are for the Car of the Future. We are not a year-by-year thing, we do it for a long time.”

But he also made pointed to a possible

change of direction if the company feels that the COTF is too far removed from the Commodore road car.

“If in two years’ time, they are thinking about going to a car that is not relevant to us, fine – if that is what the sport wants to do. But we would have to revisit what we do as a manufacturer.”

– PHIL BRANAGAN For more of McNamara’s views, see page 22.

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

news

V8 Supercars Executive Chairman outlines agenda for Change

Cochrane Draws the Line V8 SUPERCARS

A DRAMATIC reduction in costs is one of the main priorities of V8 Supercars Australia, according to Tony Cochrane.

V8SA’s Executive Chairman said spoke passionately in Darwin at the weekend on a range of issues that he wants to see tackled in the six months he has in his new role, which follows the recent resignation of CEO Cameron Levick.

Cochrane, who flew into Darwin directly after a brief business trip to the USA, has served notice of the need to drive down the cost of teams competing in the sport. And he had effectively ended the drawn-out process of what was known as cost containment, which has been ongoing for some time with few real results: “I have banned the words ‘Cost Con-

tainment’,” he said. “If you use the words ‘Cost Containment’, you are fired.”

The timescale of implementing the changes [see list this page] will vary, depending on the lifespan of the parts in question and the level of stocks held by teams.

“Some are going to have set times,” he said.

“There is no point, for example, forcing something on the teams if they still have spares sitting there. You may as well phase it, and bring it in so that the spares are used up, before it comes in.

“Some things could come in in six to eight weeks. Other things can come in in six months. We are going to do it logically, we are going to do it sensibly but, I promise you, we are going to do it. I am sick of the messing around.”

The bold statements come after nearly

a decade of discussion about restricting or reducing the costs teams incur in the series and some progress. But Cochrane is clearly setting a renewed agenda.

“When I look at all of the money that that lunatic [former TEGA GM] Kelvin O’Reilly wasted on the TREC document.

I think that we spent close to 600 grand of the teams’ money there. What we got out of that, we set fire to it. Those days are gone.

“A, we can’t afford to make waste any more like that. B, together, we need to help the teams; we need to make sure that we lower their cost base.

Because if we don’t, we will go out of business in five years.

“We want to be doubling our business in five years. I am sure as hell not going to sit around waiting for that to happen.”

– PHIL BRANAGAN

THE ACTION LIST Campbell continues ...

V8 SUPERCARS Australia has come up with an Action List of 14 items, which will be introduced when practicable and as appropriate. They are:

CAMPBELL Little continues to work on V8 Supercar projects, and may yet return to the organisation in some technical capacity.

Little, who resigned as V8SA’s Category Technical Officer two weeks ago, is working on the implementation of the 14point Cost Reduction program, and will report on his work in 10 weeks time.

Despite his resignation, Little received public support from Tony Cochrane in Darwin.

“Firstly, he didn’t resign to me, he resigned to the [former] CEO,” said Cochrane.

“I have no pre-conceived baggage about Campbell Little.

“Campbell, at the moment, is doing this specific project

for me. I am going to use that 10 weeks to really assess how what I call ‘The Department of Racing’ (and that is Tony Cochrane terminology … you will not read that anywhere); how that whole department is run, how it is set up.

I think that we have some fundamental flaws in the way that we set it up. It is nobody’s fault, no blame, no packdrill.”

– PHIL BRANAGAN

Dirk Klynsmith

n Remove ‘go fast’(non engine) Data and Telemetry n Control valve train – increase target engine life to 8000km n Control wheel n Control dampers n Cap the number of brake discs and pads per season or event n Control engine airbox n Control radiator duct and cooling system n Control rear axle housing n Control suspension n Increase the number of composite parts, ie, current front and rear quarters/fibreglass bonnets n Final Drive ratio – reduce the number of options to 3.15 and 3.5 only n Define Centre of Gravity of cars n Investigate group purchasing and manufacturing n Control fuel system

V8 SUPERCARS

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

er Will new car-makers come in to a low

-cost form of V8

a C ’ s r a c r e p u S 8 2012: V

V8 SUPERCARS A NEW V8 Supercar to be introduced in 2012 will be used as an attraction to entice new makes into the series.

As reported last week, new independent Board member Mark Skaife will lead the implementation of the Car of

the Future program, along with representatives of Ford and Holden. The aim is to produce a race-ready V8 Supercar for a target cost maximum of $250,000.

“Personally, I am not doing anything with the manufacturers,” Tony Cochrane said in Darwin last weekend.

“I am happy to go to any meeting, if anybody wants me to join them.

It’s Mark Skaife’s primary responsibility. I know that Mark has already spoken to a few and I know that there are follow-up meetings this week.

“We want to try to be really inclusive in this process. We

are happy to talk to any manufacturers.

Obviously, we want to keep a good and healthy relationship going forward with both Holden and Ford, and we want to retain them in what will be the Car of the Future, new-look championship in 2012. But both of those manufacturers

Drivers seek input into new Car of the V8 SUPERCARS SEVERAL V8 Supercars drivers have asked to have input into the category’s proposed Car of the Future.

Garth Tander and Paul Dumbrell have raised their hand, and told eNews that there are a number of issues they would like to see in the development of the new car.

“I think that there is an opportunity to address some of the key issues that V8 Supecars have, from a driving perspective,”said Tander, “particularly the heat, cabin temperatures and footwell installation, and things like that.

“It looks like [with] the six-week break in the middle of the season, it makes sense when we design a new car to make it more summer-friendly. An example might be that we all run a mandatory (and ‘control’) air conditioning unit.”

Autobarn driver Dumbrell is clear that he wants safety to be a priority.

“Safety is number one when it comes to a clean sheet design. A seat is about 15 kilos, and there are already talks about being able to measure the impacts that we have with the current seats. In a new car, weight is going to be a critical factor.

“Maybe there should also be a driver

cooling system. There is no difference between components on some of the cars, and the teams that are responsible for building a lot of the cars – Triple Eight, FPR, SBR and Walkinshaws – should have some input into making components that are commonly supplied for the cars.”

Tander sees the role of his former HRT team-mate Mark Skaife in the development of the cars as a bonus.

“One of the positives of Mark being the chairman of that sub-committee is that he is not long out of the driving seat. The concerns are very real for him.”

– PHIL BRANAGAN

news

Supercar racing?

WHAT TEAM OWNERS THINK

ar of Future

GARRY ROGERS Garry Rogers Motorsport Team Owner “Could you build a car for $250,000? You could build a car for $50,000. It depends on what you want. You could build what we have now for less than $50,000, it would not as technical but it would not be that far behind it, either.

“It depends on how quick it happens. Everybody has got cars and equipment, but you keep replacing things. Where do you draw the line? You can’t have half one and half the other. There will be a substantial changeover cost, and more important than that build cost is the maintenance factor. That is more expensive than the build.

“There has been a lot of talk but not a lot if action for a long, long time – long before Tony Cochrane’s time. It would need to be a set of rules that are acceptable. We can’t get rid of what we have got, in terms of the appeal of the cars. It can be done. Whether it will be remains to be seen.”

PAUL CRUICKSHANK Wilson Security Racing Team Owner Dirk Klynsmith

are saying to us now, that they would like to see other manufacturers involved.

Clearly, from their point of view, they are happy for us to engage with others, and certainly that’s our point of view.

“I don’t really mind if there are three manufacturers

or 14 manufacturers in the championship in 2012. There will only be 30 franchises, so that has got to be good for all the team owners and good for the business of V8 Supercars Australia.

“We have a very open mind about this.”

– PHIL BRANAGAN

“I think that it is good. There has been uncertainty going on, so anything that moves towards steering the ship and straightening it up, is a good thing.

“Cost reduction ... we have all beaten around the bush for so long and nothing has really happened. There have been so many papers and other stuff written. Tony has said that there is going to be come action soon, so that gets a yes. We will all go through the bullet points and contribute what we think is right to the guys at V8 Supercars.

“The break is a good idea. When the Olympics were on, I thought it was good – it gave us a chance to regroup and then go again. The run home is a bit hard. I like the idea and I have no problem starting a little earlier, if we know that there is a break in the middle of the year.”

he Future regs

Marshall Cass

Dirk Klynsmith

GM cutbacks won’t affect OZ racing V8 Supercars Executive Chairman outlines agenda for V8 Supercar change V8 SUPERCARS THE cutbacks confirmed last week in General Motors’ NASCAR programs will have no effect on the Holden V8 Supercar program.

Holden Motorsport Manager Simon McNamara told eNews in Darwin that the cuts [see separate story] have nothing to do with the V8 program, or any other motorsport activity that the company is or may become involved with.

“Anything that happens in North America is completely separate to us,” he said.

“Although we are a part of the new GM,

we are in a region where there is growth all around us, and we are independent.

“As [Holden GM] Mark Reuss has mentioned throughout this whole process, we run completely independently. We have our own mandate here in the AsiaPacific, and in Australia, and if we look at a campaign or a motorsport program, we weigh it up on its merits. If we want to do it, get some benefit out of it and some exposure, then we will do it.

“Our motorsport budget comes from our marketing dapartment. That is the way it is in Australia, and we make a proposal to our board about what we think we should do going forward. They weigh it up and

decide whether we should do it or not. At the moment, we are doing it, and we have plans to continue doing it.”

McNamara said that the process of determining what teams would continue with Holden input after the end of the current season was continuing as planned.

“We are probably half-way through it, at the moment. There is a bit more work to go – we will increase our discussions with Tom on the HRT front. There are a couple of other things that have come up in the last few weeks, and things are going on behind the scenes to create some excitement. We will see what happens.”

– PHIL BRANAGAN

news

... but there’s pain in The States NASCAR

sutton-images.com

General Motors recent bankruptcy protection and reorganisation will have immediate impact on all NASCAR teams.

The Nationwide and Truck Series teams were notified first that they would be losing all financial backing from the manufacturer, although they will continue to receive engineering help. The major teams affected include Kevin Harvick Inc., Rusty Wallace Inc., ThorSport (currently leading the Truck Series points) and JR Motorsports.

The Sprint Cup teams of Hendrick Motorsports, Stewart Haas Racing, Richard Childress Racing and Earnhardt Ganassi Racing were notified on Wednesday after GM officials toured their facilities and advised that financial funding would be cut back. Although the amount of the cutbacks has not been divulged, one source said each car at those teams received $3 million per car in backing prior to the cutbacks.

In the American Le Mans Series, GM has pulled the pin on the Corvette GT1 program after winning its class for the final time at Le Mans. Despite the news, class entrants Pratt & Miller Engineering will continue to build two GT2 cars to compete in the US series, but any return to Le Mans in the near future looks doubtful. The twocar effort will now have to compete against Ferraris and Porsches when they return to track for the first time at Mid Ohio on August 8.

The GM story follows the news recently

that the two remaining Cup Series Dodge teams – Penske Racing and Richard Petty Motorsports – have not been receiving their scheduled sponsorship payments from the manufacturer who also recently filed for bankruptcy protection. From that, RPM laid off 12 employees and cut employee’s wages and bonus programs, a possible reduction from four to three teams could also possibly be on the horizon for that organisation.

There are rumours floating that RPM will switch to Toyota either before or at the end of the year, with Elliott Sadler scheduled to drive a Braun Racing Nationwide Series Toyota at New Hampshire this Saturday and Kasey Kahne to drive a similar car at Daytona in two weeks.

Dodge cut its backing totally in the Nationwide and Truck Series at the end of

last season and Ford followed suit with the Truck Series over the winter also.

Other manufacturer changes that have been floating around the garage area include Red Bull Racing – whose contract with Toyota is up at seasons end. It has been linked to a switch to Chevrolet and leasing engines from Hendrick Motorsports.

Earnhardt Ganassi Racing could be losing their backing from Chevrolet with either disbandment of the team or a switch to Toyota likely at the end of the season. There are also rumours that with the imminent departure of Martin Truex Jr. from EGR that should Ganassi have a team remaining for Juan Pablo Montoya, Ganassi will move it to his Indianapolis facility with their IndyCar and Grand Am teams.

– MARTIN D CLARK

So, which manufacturer is next for NASCAR? NASCAR

sutton-images.com

NASCAR chairman Brian France Jr hinted that the organisation is willing to look at foreign manufacturers entering the sport.

“We have been talking to people off and on for a long time,” said France.

“These are decisions that would take a long time to evaluate and actually enter.

It’s not something where we just flip a switch and it would just happen. Clearly there

are some companies that are going to look at opportunities that have not been there in the past. It is under a very clear set of circumstances that manufacturers come to NASCAR to compete and that will not change.”

Since Toyota joined the sport in 2004, there have been rumours of Nissan jumping into the NASCAR circle, but earlier in the year a source close to the manufacturers racing division said that although Nissan had looked closely at entering

NASCAR, the idea had been shelved.

One would have to surmise that for other manufacturers to become involved NASCAR would have to do some

tweaking of the current car to make it more identifiable to those that can be seen in showrooms? And maybe, just maybe, that’s around the corner?

Moffat Mustang for Goodwood WISH WE WERE GOING THE famed TransAm Mustang that Allan Moffat raced to more than 100 victories in Australia will appear at Goodwood this year.

The Bud Moore Racing-built cars, now owned by noted collector David Bowden, will be on of the attractions in a collection of cars of the era at the Festival of Speed, to be held July 3-5.

But Moffat, who is synomous with the car, which raced in the colours of Coca Cola and Brut 33, will not be appearing with the car. The Touring Car legend has prior commitments which cannot be moved, forcing him to reluctantly vacate the driving seat.

16 weekends for 2010 New international venue likely, but no night race V8 SUPERCARS THERE could be an expansion in the number of V8 Supercars race weekends to 16 next season, including the nonpoints event the Australian Grand Prix.

Tony Cochrane said in Darwin that the Board discussed a 15round championship at its meeting last week, and that a further international venue is a high probability for 2010.

“Definitely, we are talking at the moment to two or three international destinations about new international rounds,”he said, and in a perfect world, I would like to do 15 championship rounds next year and one special event, at Formula 1. In a perfect world, the following year, I would like to do 16 rounds, and make Formula 1 in Melbourne a part of the championship.”

This leads to speculation that

the next new venue for the series will be the new Changi track in Singapore or the Yas Marina track, home of the new Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

But one thing that looks unlikely is any race under lights.

Cochrane said that there had been an investigation of the idea in the past and that the cost was prohibitive.

“It would be in the region of $2m,”he said, “and that cost is too much”.

V8s do 10 year deal with NT V8 SUPERCARS V8 SUPERCARS will race at Hidden Valley well into the next decade.

The Darwin circuit, which hosted a V8 Supercar Championship round for the 12th time at the weekend, has had its presence on the calendar assured until 2018 after a deal was confirmed.

NT’s Chief Minister Paul Henderson said the event injected more than $8m into

10

the local economy.

“This is one of our most exciting and important major events – loved by Territorians and visitors alike,” he said. “The V8 Supercars weekend has become a great celebration of our Territory lifestyle – starting with the truck convoy through the City on Thursday and ending with great music on Sunday night – this year with the Presets. In between we have some great car racing and Jimmy Barnes.”

news

The Other Split V8s to take mid-year break to split season Dirk Klynsmith

He also says that any talk of having a night race at Homebush to end the season is fanciful, despite the fact that the precinct already has rudimentary lighting in place.

“I think that we can seel more tickets for the entertainment that we have signed than for a race at night,”he said.

The performers that will take to the stage at the Sydney 500 in December will be announced in the week of July 27.

V8 SUPERCARS’ 2010 calendar will feature a six-week break that will ‘split’ the season in two.

While details of the calendar are some way from being announced, Tony Cochrane said in Darwin that the makeup of the season would somewhat copy what happened in 2008.

“Last year, as you know, we took a four-week hiatus for the Olympics,” he said.

“That seemed to work really well. Our ratings grew after we came back in September. So for a variety of reasons, we are going to explore this.

“The only reason why I am coming clean on that is that I had to share it with the team owners and I am not foolish enough not to believe that it is not going to get out there in the greater media society. So I am declaring that, probably, before I would

Dirk Klynsmith

0

V8 SUPERCARS

prefer to launch it.

“I am also under a fair bit of pressure from new opportunities to expand the championship. So that, sort of, comes into play as well.

“But the primary focus here is to try to punch up the first part of the season and second part of the season and have a sixweek break.

“That is the best time for [the teams] to let their guys

have a few weeks off, come back really fresh and do the endurance events at Phillip Island and Bathurst.

“Then, as you know, it goes into a very tight run of back-toback events, with racing every fortnight all the way to the first week in December.”

A calendar is expected to be announced around Bathurst time.

– PHIL BRANAGAN

No Splitter action until post-Townsville V8 SUPERCARS

John Morris/Mpix

John Morris/Mpix

NO further action will be taken in the matter of Triple Eight Race Engineering’s splitters, following a ‘truce’ between the parties agreed last week.

T8 boss Roland Dane, who delayed a business trip following the recent Symmons Plains round, requested a lay period so that he could conclude his trip prior to the next round of the V8SCS in Townsville next month. Both T8 and CAMS have agreed that no further action will be taken in regard to the matter before Tuesday July 7.

However, there is a further layer of discussions on the matter, with an exchange of legal letters last week.

T8’s legal representatives have advised CAMS that it (T8) had not had what it

considered to be sufficient opportunity to present its side of the case, which will now be heard after a successful protest by Walkinshaw Performance against the initial decision that the protest was initiated outside the required time frame.

No details on the reasons why the protest was upheld have yet been released, but there is a requirement to do so before Tuesday, 14 days after the ruling was made.

T8 has also refused to rule out what has been described as “external legal channels”, which we interpret as civil action outside the realm of the sport’s judicial system.

In any event, the matter does seem set to rumble on for, unless something unforeseen interrupts the process, at least another month.

– PHIL BRANAGAN

11

Five new Races for Power

Honda Racing

INDYCAR

INDYCAR WILL Power scored pole position at Iowa – for Helio Castroneves.

The #3 Penske car that Power drove in St Petersburg has been a telling factor.

Qualifying was washed out in Iowa so Owners’ points, as opposed to Drivers’ points, were used to allocated grid positions. The extra points Power scored helped the Brazilian onto pole position.

Castroneves finished seventh at Iowa, and is fourth in the points.

– MARY MENDEZ

Honda Racing

12

THEY STUDIE

Helio scores Power pole Honda Racing

WILL Power looks set to return to Team Penske for five races this season.

The team has made no announcement, but Roger Penske has indicated he will run Power at five or more events, especially the road and street courses. It just so happens that there are five more such events this season, starting with the famed Watkins Glen July 5, followed by the street circuits at Toronto and Edmonton, then Mid-Ohio and Infineon in August.

“I hope to run some more races this season,” said Power said, who has been attending all the IndyCar races as a third Team Penske driver (just not competing on track).

“I’m very grateful to Roger Penske. He provided a car for me to run at Long Beach and the Indy 500 when he didn’t have to that. I’m really happy to be at Team Penske. I want to be here with this team fulltime.

“Right now I’m happy just doing selected races with the Penske team. I’d rather do this than have a full-time ride with another team and be running at the back.

“Roger is focused on 2009 and what we can do this year. I haven’t given next year a thought. I knew this deal going in, so nothing’s a surprise.”

– MARY MENDEZ

news

Fine stands

AUSSIE NASCAR STAR MARCOS AMBROSE WRITES FOR MOTORSPORT eNEWS

NASCAR

ED HARD, BUT ...

INDYCAR

RYAN Briscoe has commented on his recent drive in a NASCAR Sprint Cup car.

The current IndyCar points leader was pressed into service to assist Team Penske’s NASCAR Cup series drivers (Kurt Busch, Sam Hornish, and David Stremme) prepare for the Cup Series’s road course events at Infineon and Watkins Glen. The Aussie drove a Cup car at Brazelton, Georgia’s Road Atlanta, a road course not currently on the Cup schedule.

“I went to Atlanta and drove the Cup car to provide the Penske team with extra feedback,” Briscoe, left, said.

“They brought the Cup car down for me and the testing went well. The team said we could do more testing but my

priority is the IndyCar series.

This is where I’m racing. I’m always happy to help the team.”

“I did practice in the Rolex Grand Am sports car for the Penske team at Watkins Glen after Texas because the regular Grand Am drivers, Timo Bernhard and Romain Dumas, needed to be free to compete at Le Mans.”

“I’ve run two races in the V8s in Australia, which was excellent preparation for driving the Cup car. That experience helped me get up to speed in the Cup car.

It’s a lot heavier car so you have to brake earlier. You have to get a feel for it. Race cars are all the same really. You just have to adapt to them.”

Penske’s trio struggled at Infineon, with Busch 15th, Hornish 38th and Stremme 39th.

– MARY MENDEZ

Toyota Motorsports

CARL Long has met with NASCAR’s National Stock Car Racing commissioner in a bid to get his record fine and other penalkty reduced.

The independent owner/driver met with Charles Strang last Monday, and the commissioner had cut his ban from the original 12 races to eight. His $200,000 and 200 point fine, imposed for his oversize engine at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in May, stands.

“I still think it’s an excessive penalty for the size of the infraction, way too much penalty for the crime,” said Long, who remains employed in the shop at Front Row Motorsports Sprint Cup team, but he unable to spot at the track.

“People can say what they want, but there is not a feeling of fairness, everybody knows I wasn’t intentionally cheating.”

The sad thing for Long is that if the fine is not paid by his crew chief it then falls to the car owner, which is listed as his wife Dee-Dee, but of course this would then fall on Carl!

The end result is that if the fine is not paid neither of the three will be entitled to a NASCAR license in 2010, thereby limiting Long and his crew chief Charles Swing to the work they can do for a race team.

The engine in question measured 358.17 cubic inches, 0.17 of a cubic inch over the rule book maximum. The ex-Ganassi Dodge test engine was purchased over the winter months from Ernie Elliott Inc. – MARTIN D CLARK

It’s Back to Front! i-marcos

TODAY was certainly a race of mixed emotions but in the end we came Marcos Ambrose away with a great result.

Australian NASCAR driver Starting from the back, it was always going to be tough, but we showed what we’re capable of all weekend here.

It was very disappointing to have the engine let go in practice on Saturday. It gave me no warning. I knew that I had come from the back at The Glen last year to get near the front but after qualifying reasonably well, the last thing we needed was to make things harder for ourselves.

The guys race so hard at Cup level, especially here at Sonoma. One mistake by you or someone around you and you can drop from third to 33rd in no time.

The double-file restarts were intense, especially towards the end. Following Smoke through those first through corners, I could see that he had his car working better than ours. We just lost all our track time on Saturday with the engine change so our race set-up was something of an educated guess and we just used our rear tyres up.

Kasey might not be thought of as a road course ace but it just shows that the drivers at Cup level are as good as anyone in the world. Smoke has dominated road course races and today Kasey just pulled away.

I joked in the press conference that I can never get near him anyway because he’s usually surrounded by a dozen females … today was definitely his day and it’s always a big deal for NASCAR to get Richard Petty in Victory Lane.

Watkins Glen is later in the year and we’ve proved that our road course package is right up there, but I’m not incredibly concerned about that at this point in time because we’ve got some important races coming up, including Loudon this weekend and Daytona as well.

We’ve moved up a bit in points and that’s the bonus in terms of these road course races, but it’s getting it done on the ovals week-in, week-out that will really get the points ticking over for Little Debbie and Kingsford and Clorox and all our sponsors.

13

Marshall Cass

Shannons Nats backs out of Bathurst Early March start slated for 2010 Shannons Nationals calendar SHANNONS NATIONALS THE Shannons National Motor Racing Championships will not be associated with the Bathurst 12 Hour next year.

The home of national-level racing championships will instead kick its season off in early March at New South Wales’s Wakefield Park circuit.

Eight to nine Shannons rounds are likely to be contested in 2010 – a slight reduction on the 10 official Shannons Nationals rounds this year.

Championship administrator Rob Curkpatrick told eNews that television restrictions doesn’t make the Bathurst 12 Hour/Shannons relationship viable.

“We’ve had a relationship with the Bathurst race where we simply supplied the support categories,” he said.

“We’ll just concentrate on our own series now. If the individual categories want to go there, that’s fine. They can make arrangements, but there won’t be a round of the Shannons Nationals.

“It looks nice to have Bathurst as a round

Regional bonus for lovers of ONE HD COUCH NEWS CIRCLE July 2 on your calendar if you live in a regional area.

That will be the date that ONE HD will expand to serve regional New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria and the ACT. Southern Cross Ten will start broadcasting the allsports network on channel 50.

“The launch of this channel follows the significant investment program which

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was required to enable the broadcasting of HD television across 25 markets we have in these regions in eastern Australia ranging from far north Queensland down to southern Victoria,” Macquarie Southern Cross Media’s CEO Rhys Holleran said.

“The launch of high definition television in these markets in regional Australia will play an integral role in the transition from analogue to digital television in the coming years.”

of the series, but it’s not that simple. It’s not our TV package, and very much a support category. The 12 Hour is a great event, but it’s not really where we want to be. We’re going to concentrate on our events with our television packages.”

The calendar for next year’s Shannons Nationals will be announced soon. Expect to see at least round of the series every month from Wakefield Park in March through to the championship’s December finale at Sandown.

– GRANT ROWLEY

Vale: Stuart Humphreys THE Victorian circuit racing community was saddened to hear of the passing of long-time key figure Stuart Humphreys.

Humphreys, 60, passed away late last week after a long battle with his health.

Best known as the longtime track manager at Winton, Humphreys began his motorsport involvement with car club sprints before a short-lived career racing Sports Sedans with a very wild and unruly Ford Escort in the 70s.

Originally from Benalla, Winton

was his spiritual home and he was to become well known in the sport as its Track Manager for more than a decade, working alongside Mick Ronke, before moving to the Light Car Club in Melbourne, as Commercial Manager for Sandown.

Leaving full-time motorsport behind a decade ago, Humphreys began a picture framing business which became famous for its many motorsport customers ... Russell Ingall and Craig Lowndes, among others.

Humphreys will be missed by his many friends and family.

news

Co-driver of a different kind ...

Evans for Enduro SHANNONS NATIONALS

Joel Strickland

FORMER Australian Rally champion Simon Evans is a late confirmed starter in the Commodore Cup endurance challenge at Winton Motor Raceway this weekend.

As part of the fifth round of the Shannons Nationals Motor Racing Championships, Commodore Cup headlines this weekend’s activities, with a solid 23 confirmed starters for the two 45 minute races.

Evans will team up with Jeff Watters, while other combinations racing for the Ashley Cooper Memorial Trophy, include Steve Owen/Tony Bates, Shane Price/Nick Parker, Brett Holdsworth/Ryan McLeod, Craig and Jason Domaschenz, Geoff Emery/Ross McGregor, Production Car regular Chris Delfsma/Denis Pana and V8 Ute driver Andrew Fisher/ Andrew Parker Reigning class champion Michael Tancredi will debut a brand-new car.

He will be partnered by Dean Crosswell, but Tancredi’s old car isn’t being wasted – his brother Anthony joins Commodore Cup, racing the series-winning car.

In the other classes, Formula 3 will be at Winton Raceway for the first time in many years, with Joey Foster taking in an 18-point lead in the championship over Tim Macrow.

Aussie Racing Cars makes its Shannons Nationals debut this weekend – the first of two rounds scheduled for 2009.

A big field of 31 entries will make the journey to the rural track for Round 3 of the classes championship.

The Shannons V8 Touring Cars will see Steve Owen compete in the PowerPlus 98’s VX Commodore, doing double duty with his Commodore Cup ride. Owen has helped the team out at a couple of test days as the car that he’ll compete in is actually one that he used to race at Imrie Motorsport back in the 2003 Development Series. Eleven cars have entered the V8 Touring Car class.

The Kumho Tyres Saloon Cars and the final round of the Formula Vee National Series will also be at Winton.

– GRANT ROWLEY

Perkins and PD ready to run ... half way V8 SUPERCARS HOLDEN V8 Supercar drivers Jack Perkins and Paul Dumbrell will compete in the annual The Age Run Melbourne half marathon this Sunday.

“I did it back in 2006 with Dumbrell, Cam McConville and a few other guys,” Perkins said.

“A couple of the other drivers might do the 5km or 10km bit, but I’m going to have a crack at the 21km (half marathon).

“I’ve been doing 60-70km a week in training building up to it so we’ll see how we go.”

Perkins is aiming at completing the run in just over an hour and a half after doing it in 1h34m in 2006. Dumbrell is a keen runner/triathlete and has completed the 21km in 1h31m in the past.

15

news

Bowe’s mid-meeting car swap BIANTE SERIES

JOHN Bowe showed that talent knows no bounds, when he was forced to swap cars in the Biante Touring Car Masters Series round at Hidden Valley.

Bowe had only completed three laps in practice when his WesTrac Cat Chev Camaro

ground to a halt with a broken camshaft. But just when it looked like his weekend was done, Tony Hunter stepped forward and handed the Tasmanian his Sunliner RV Holden Monaro.

Despite not having driven the car prior to the weekend, the former Australian Touring Car Champion and Bathurst

Vale Brian Healey SPEEDWAY The worldwide speedway community was saddened by the recent news of the passing of Brian Healey, co-owner of Tyrepower Parramatta City Raceway.

Brian suffered a heart attack while at work in Sacramento on Thursday (USA time).

Many will remember Brian as the man that introduced 410ci Sprintcar engines into Australia and subsequently the ‘Outlaws Downunder’ events at Tyrepower Parramatta City Raceway.

Brian was instrumental in all the Australian tours conducted by his close friend, Sprintcar legend, Steve Kinser.

Brian is survived by his partner Sherrie and their daughters April and Courtney and his son Byron.

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winner took out second, ninth and third in the three races to finish the weekend second overall behind Gavin Bullas.

“I felt the vibration on the straight, so I switched it off right away,” he explained.

“It went right behind the harmonic balancer. It will be OK, except for needing a new crankshaft. Then Tony Hunter

said to me, ‘You can drive my car’.

“We discovered a few foibles as we went on. The brakes boiled in Race 2, and that was a nightmare, but considering I had never driven the car before – I had never even sat in the car before – I was pretty happy with the way it went”.

– PHIL BRANAGAN

Baird’s dirt test SPEEDWAY Multiple Australian and New Zealand race champion Craig Baird had a taste of the speedway scene when he took Ian Easton’s Sprintcar for introductory laps at Harrisville Speedway last week.

Baird was impressed the winged warrior, and may compete in an offered race meeting.

“They’ve got four wheels and a steering wheel – that’s about the only parallel to any other car I’ve driven before,” said Baird.

“Like anything new – they take a bit of getting used to. It feels like it walks all over the straight, so you’ve got to put opposite lock on down the straight if you come off the throttle.”

TANDER

Holden’s No.1 speaks on HRT, his team-mate and his pride and joy

Also in this month’s edition of

HOW TO RUN THE QUARTER MILE IN A TOP FUEL DRAG CAR ALEX & WILL: SAME SURNAME, DIFFERENT COLOURS AUSTRALIAN RALLY: IN DEPTH FORUM WITH THE BIG PLAYERS

On sale from Wednesday at all good newsagents or CLICK HERE if you’d like to Subscribe & Save!

17

South Oz remembers the good ol’ days V8 SUPERCARS Drag racers, team members, track staff, officials, club members, wives, girlfriends, boyfriends, kids and anyone else who is or has been part of drag racing in Adelaide, including those from regional areas and interstate, are invited to catch up on the third Sunday in September.

While Group 1 Championship racing has been missing from the state, regional tracks have been doing a great job of keeping the sport alive after nearly 10 years without a venue in Adelaide.

It’s been a long time

between drinks for hundreds of people who raced or worked in the sport from the sixties on.

After going to Melbourne for a similar gathering in April, Marnie Hoskins, wife of Top Bike racer John ‘Fat Cat’ Hoskins thought it was long overdue in Adelaide.

“I can’t believe the support we’ve had already,” she said.

“We’ve already had interest from Victoria and I’d like to ask everyone to make sure they spread the word.”

The event will be on September 20, 10.30am, at the Enfield Community Centre in Broadview.

Bray Junior Junior!

DRAG RACING Australian Drag Racer Ben Bray, best known for high speed trip down a quarter mile drag strip, has a new addition to his family.

Ben’s long time partner Samantha Griffiths gave birth on Tuesday to a daughter at a Redcliffe hospital.

It is the second child for Ben and Sam. The

18

couple announced the new baby’s name, Dakoda Jade.

Both Mum and daughter, (who weighed in at 7 pounds 8 ozs) are doing fine and the family is “extremely happy.”

Ben was back at work on Friday as part of the on-course entertainment at the SKYCITY Triple Crown V8 Supercar round at Hidden Valley Raceway.

news

Cowins confirm return DRAG RACING

a brand-new transporter and are in the process of fitting out our new shop and assembling a crew. We won’’t be at the track until were 100 percent ready, but can’t wait to get out there and go racing again. It’s great to be back.”

Cowin Jr has had a couple of years away from racing after a mildly successful stint in the USA, racing in both the NHRA and IHRA. Among other feats, Andrew reset the IHRA world record in 2004 with a pass of 4.53s.

In Australia, Andrew reset the record books by becoming the first driver in ANDRA history to bust into the 4.7s and 4.6s second marks with passes of 4.75s and 4.61s.

David Ostaszewski

ANDREW Cowin is returning to full-time competition – in Australia.

Graeme and Andrew Cowin announced last week that they will enter a Top Fueller in next season’s ANDRA Championship Drag Racing following the purchase of a complete Top Fuel operation from the USA. The team is likely to kick off its return at the first round of the championships at Eastern Creek’s Australian Nationals in September.

“We are very excited to announce we have acquired all the racing equipment from David Powers Motorsport in

the US, “said Graeme Cowin.

“This includes two dragsters which are state-of-the-art and of championship calibre.

I’m turning 65 later this year so this could be my last opportunity to go racing with Andrew.”

Andrew was equally excited about his return to racing.

“Things started to fall into place over the past few weeks and we decided to do it,” he said.

“David Powers has nothing but top of the line racing equipment and outstanding performances. This is going to be a top notch deal.

“There are no firm dates as to when we will hit the track and start testing. We have ordered

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5 Minutes with ...

TONY COCHRANE

V8 Supercars’s Executive Chairman drew a line in the sand in Darwin and outlined his views on what needs to happen in the next six months QESTION: It was raised at the Teams’ Forum last week that there were 17 points put up.

Can you go into any detail about the three that didn’t get up?

TC: Asking me for technical details on the cars is a bit like a chicken going to Colonel Sanders for superannuation advice.

The bottom line is that everybody got to vote on everything that the owners put up or discussed, and they all got to vote. Any item where there were no more than three or four hands in the air, that item got deleted.

So we did not get bogged down in an argument of what could happen and what couldn’t happen. The ones that were left were the ones that got support on the floor and they are the 14 that are going forward.

I can’t even remember what they were; someone from that meeting will. I am just focussed on getting these 14 done.

The Car of the Future; you talked about additional manufacturers. Are you actually courting them, to try to get them on board for 2011 and 2012?

TC: Personally, I am not doing anything with the manufacturers. I am happy to go to any meeting, if anybody wants me to join them.

It’s Mark Skaife’s primary responsibility. I know that Mark has already spoken to a few and I know that there are follow-up meetings this week.

We want to try to be really

20

inclusive in this process. We are happy to talk to any manufacturers.

Obviously, we want to keep a good and healthy relationship going forward with both Holden and Ford, and we want to retain them in what will be the Car of the Future, new-look championship in 2012. But both of those manufacturers are saying to us now, that they would like to see other manufacturers involved.

Clearly, from their point of view, they are happy for us to engage with others.

I don’t really mind if there are three manufacturers or 14 manufacturers in the championship in 2012. There will only be 30 franchises, so that has got to be good for all the team owners and good for the business of V8 Supercars Australia. We have a very open mind about this.

I made a joke the other day. I was being interviewed in my office, and somebody said to me, “Are you really going to speak to all the manufacturers?” And I said, “I am happy to have a conversation with Rolls Royce, if they want to get involved”.

What has been the motivation in splitting the calendar into two ‘halves’?

We can put the front half and the back half of the championship together in a more compact style.

Have you set a timeline on the appointment of a new CEO and a new Category Technical Director?

When would I like the new CEO to start? Tomorrow morning at 9am. But realistically, it will take us some time to do a head-hunt again.

Once again, I would like to do that on an international basis. We have to find the best person. CEOs are not sitting around on unemployment queues … well, the good ones aren’t. That means that they will be in a job; almost certainly, they won’t live on the Gold Coast.

So, with all that is going on and my physical agenda until the end of July, I actually don’t have a day when I am not travelling or doing an activity.

Our plan is that we will use that time wisely and cautiously and I will sit in the job until the end of the season. I would like to hope – and that is all it is at this stage, it is a hope – that the new CEO would be known and be available to start attending at the final round of the year in Sydney.

The Technical Director is a work in progress. I hope to have that bedded down and resolved in time for Round 7 at Sandown.

As a part of the discussions about the planning of the ‘split’ of the seasons, will you and the Board consider a [NASCAR] ‘Chase’-style final series in the future?

Good question. The answer is yes, we considered it. And we rejected it.

Are you and the Board prepared to reconsider Campell Little’s resignation?

Firstly, he didn’t resign to me – he resigned to the CEO. I have no preconceived baggage about Campbell Little.

Campbell, at the moment, is doing this specific project for me [Ed: TC indicates the Cost Reduction Press Release]. I am going to use that 10 weeks to really assess how what I call ‘The Department of Racing’ (and that is Tony Cochrane terminology, you will not read that anywhere), how that whole department is run, how it is set up.

I think that we have some fundamental flaws in the way that we set it up. It is nobody’s fault – no blame, no packdrill.

Secondly,, when ‘Splittergate’ occurred, I was at 30,000 feet. So I was not there and I have had to rely on hearsay evidence since. There are two sides to the story.

I am not going to talk per se about who was right and who was wrong. Because, frankly, I don’t know.

But I do know this much; it should have been a mere grass fire, and we have ended up with a raging bushfire. It has been mishandled, that is for sure. And what I want to see up and down pitlane is these sorts of things handled correctly, so they don’t get out of control.

I can assure you that in the next six months, they will not get out of control.

We have to get to back to running by the rulebook, everybody understanding that, and the rules properly and correctly enforced. No discussion, no argument, finished.

chat

Dirk Klynsmith

21

Holden has a role to play in ‘Future’

opinion

Simon McNamara Holden Motorsport Mgr

IT is difficult for Holden to offer an initial reaction to the changes announced by V8 Supercars Australia until we look completely at all the items, and make a decision whether it is viable.

We spoke to some of the teams yesterday [Saturday] – both Holden teams and Ford teams – and a couple of the teams were not that happy with some of the items. I presume that they were all a part of it when they were having the discussion, so who knows what it going on. We will talk to our guys a bit further and investigate it.

It’s their sport, at the end of the day. We are involved in it, because we get some benefit out of it. But if they decide that the want to take it to a NASCAR-style silhouette program, then we will be doing something else.

We want to see the race cars resemble the road cars. That has been our mandate from the start, especially when VE came out. We went down the Blueprint path, and the cars still have swinging doors, and headlights and bonnets and that kind of stuff. That is all representative of what we sell. Our data shows us that that is what our

customers want to see and we want to keep it that way.

We keep saying, there needs to be some application that we can derive from this category. This is our proving ground. We have, for example, worked out that E85 does this, this and this. There are some friction issues and some other things that we get out of it.

They are not identical to the road cars any more but there are some things that you can get out of it for the future, and into our engineers’ heads that might save us some time and some money.

There needs to be that. If there isn’t any of that, we’ll go. We are not doing it for fun; we are doing it because we get something out of it.

Mark Reuss has said from the day he got here that he is fine with other manufacturers coming into it. For a long time, we were anti it, but I fundamentally don’t have an issue with it – so long as it is fair and equitable when they do it, if they do it. as In the AFL – when a new team shows up, they get all these budgetary benefits and so on – we would not want to see that.

You have to question which manufacturers will get into it. The other manufacturers, other than Holden and Ford, that have been in the series in the last couple of years have both left – one of them lasted six months. And they were only in it commerically!

I was thinking yesterday; everyone who is in the commercial market goes to the marketplace and researches what their customers want. I am not certain that V8 Supercars has asked the fans what they want. They are the ones paying the bills and following the sport, and they underline the Holden-Ford tribal activities. You see that everywhere – here, other tracks, on television. That is how Australians are. We need to keep that intact.

Ideally, we would like to be consulted on what the plans are for the Car of the Future. We are not a year-by-year thing – we do it for a long time. If in two years’ time, they are thinking about going to a car that is not relevant to us, fine – if that is what the sport wants to do. But we would have to revisit what we do as a manufacturer.

Letters

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

GT, grow up In reply to Tander’s comments, “Wood needs to go back to FFord”.

Garth, have you forgotten what life was like when you started? I can remember you were less than spectacular for some years in the lesser teams when you were finding your feet. Short memory mate!

V8 Supercars are what they

22

are, let’s not make it so clinical that we all get bored and switch off. Part of racecraft is to pass lapped cars, even in Formula 1. Get over yourself!

Bill Lakstins Burnside SA Perfect weekend There I sat tuned into TEN’s ‘ONE HD’ to watch the live feed of Le Mans.

The scenery was fantastic. I managed to recognise Byron Bay, Canberra, Hunter valley etc but no cars.

Ten has been blowing its trumpet about the 24 hour sports station for some time now but in regional Australia we still don’t count.

For all the poor souls who complain about Seven’s coverage of the V8s, at least

you can watch the football.

Think of we poor souls sentenced to a kaleidoscope of regional images accompanied by elevator music.

If it wasn’t for Motorsport eNews there would be no news.

Peter Farquhar Coffs Harbour ED: See News pages for developments on this issue.

opinion

Change Coming. Soon

Dirk Klynsmith

THERE must be something about Darwin that makes things happen in V8 Supercars.

Two years ago, there was the vote of confidence in Tony Cochrane from the teams, and a reversal in policy from V8 Supercars that removed the shackles from drivers criticising their peers. Last year, Ford dropped a bomb on some of its teams (like DJR and T8) by announcing its reduced support for 2009 and beyond.

And this year’s Darwin race will be remembered as the weekend when Cochrane drew a line in the sand. He outlined a program of action that he intends to push through in the six months hence, during which time, he will have the role of Executive Chairman.

There is going to be an outcry on this. Motor racing is a funny business; almost everybody admits that the sport works best when there is a slightly benevolent dictator in charge – I am thinking Bernie Ecclestone or Bill France here – but almost nobody likes it when it happens to them.

But, really. What did people expect was going to happen?

Someone has to be in charge of V8 Supercars, and anyone but Cochrane filling that role now was going to be a stop-gap – and worse, was going to be seen as

opinion Phil Branagan Executive Editor a stop-gap and probably, a soft target. Cochrane has stepped into the role because it makes zero sense for anyone else to do it.

And, there are things that need to be fixed. The current hoo-haa about splitters has dragged on for a month, and will drag on for another month, at least. Imagine that happening in football, or cricket. It wouldn’t. It would be settled, quickly and efficiently, and people would move on to more important matters.

By announcing what he wants to see happen in the next six months, Cochrane has hosed down any chat about a hidden agenda. He has said what he intends to do – to the media – right up front. There will be resistance, there always is, but things need to happen. Otherwise, the talk about costs getting out of hand will continue, but not much will be done about it.

There is a lot good about V8 Supercars at present but some things do need to be fixed. The only constant in life is change, and that is just fine – because it looks like it’s on its way.

eLETTER OF THE WEEK These days it’s all too easy to criticise and point out fault. Most people are quick to complain but quiet when it comes to compliments.

To change that I would like to send out a big thanks to Channel 10 and One HD for the televising for the first time (that I know of ) the Le Mans 24 hour. With the lack of sports car racing in this country since the

SA government stuffed up the ALMS race, being able to watch this live was fantastic.

The fact we got to see David Brabham break his Le Mans duck was just an added bonus.

Congratulations David Brabham and One HD. Trevor Campbell via email

Trevor Campbell is this week’s 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 9-10 – HIDDEN VALLEY, NT

The Evolv

Silver cars won both races at Hidden Valley. The fir PHIL BRANAGAN was at a hot Hidden Valley to see Mic

24

race

ving Door

rst one was predictable, the second was a first. chael Caruso take his maiden V8 Supercar race win

Dirk Klynsmith

25

Dar-Whincup V8 SUPERCARS – RACE 9

S

OMETIMES, motor racing is all about momentum.

Take Race 9, at Darwin, for instance. Jamie Whincup almost didn’t get to race a single lap. He had done almost everything right, getting into the final 10, but not too rapidly, lest his tyres cool so much as to have him last out in the Shoot-out. The result was a front-row slot, again.

Then, on the lap out of pitlane, he had a somewhat alarming problem.

“I had a long pedal on the way to the grid,” he said post-race.

“I was tapping it to try and dislodge the dirt [around the seal on the master cylinder].

You can’t prepare for that. That’s motor racing.”

The Pigs dealt with the problem promptly, and Whincup led the race, pretty much, the whole way. That’s Six. But he was not on pole. Jason Richards was. No, Jason Richards. He sped through the obvious disadvantages of having topped qualifying (ergo, making him last on-track in the Shoot-out) and grabbed

26

pole, the first for the BJR’s in a century. The Winterbottom second after mounting a Kiwi almost grabbed the holeshot too, but bit of a charge, which included getting a the dirty side of the track stopped that and hip and shoulder from Dale Wood on the he settled in, second, on the way to a wellway. He finished ahead of Will Davison, earned podium. who had a Supercross moment of his own, Then the BOC Gases car got the shakes. assisted by Marcus Marshall (though Davo He went off at Turn 1, letting Mark diplomatically offered that he noticed that Winterbottom and the two HRT cars MM had his side mirrors folded back, so he past. Then Todd Kelly went by, and Craig was more sympathetic than angry with his Lowndes. Suddenly, second had become old mate. seventh.

Davison and Garth Tander somehow Brain melt? Nope. A broken front-left managed to swap places during the pit actuator shaft (that’s the rod inside a cycle, through no apparent fault of their damper). That happens about as often as, own and with nothing overt delaying as ... well, have you ever heard of a broken Tander in the pits. Again, that fickle actuator? Just pure, dumb, bad luck. momentum; Davison seems to have it, Bizarrely, Steve Johnson’s Jim Beam car Tander seems to be just missing it. would be hobbled by exactly the same Todd Kelly, Craig Lowndes, Richards, thing.

Courtney, McConville and Lee Holdsworth Still, there were signs that the Walkinshaw- rounded out the top 10. And there were built Commodores from the border were some fascinating tales therein: Kelly on the speed. Both Richards and Cam changed only his rear tyres at his pitstops McConville made the Shoot-out and – Control tyres for Controls; Richards ran McConkey finished ninth, the pair split by yellows until lap 16; Courtney ran long with James Courtney. his Sprints; and McConville ran ‘backwards’, And they were the highlights of the starting the race on Control tyres and then race, because cosmetically, it was not sticking the yellows when he stopped on that fascinating – Pig #1 out front, Mark lap 12.

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 ...

John Morris/Mpix

Dirk Klynsmith Dirk Klynsmith

The talking point pre-race was how much faster the Sprint tyres would be, and how long they would last.

Some said 1.5s a lap; Davison predicted 2-2.5s. It was bugger-all; Tander’s fastest lap of a 9.6 was nowhere near the old lap record (now blowing out 10 candles).

It was a dramatic turnaround from the first two weekends we saw the tyres in use.

Still, the two kinds of rubber does shake up the field somewhat and, if there is the odd dud race along the way, we have had those before, on one type of tyre.

V8 Supercar | RACE 9, HIDDEN VALLEY, NT Pos # 1 1 2 5 3 22 4 2 5 7 6 888 7 8 8 18 9 14 10 33 11 34 12 111 13 39 14 10 15 15 16 25 17 17 18 24 19 4 20 9 21 6 22 3 23 51 24 333 25 16 26 55 27 67 28 77 29 12 DNF 11

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

Team/Car Race Time TeamVodafone Falcon FG 41:09.7792 FPR Falcon FG 41:23.9785 Toll HRT Commodore VE 41:25.2733 Toll HRT Commodore VE 41:25.7385 Jack Daniel’s Commodore VE 41:29.4064 TeamVodafone Falcon FG 41:32.0275 Team BOC Commodore VE 41:32.7427 Jim Beam Falcon FG 41:32.7525 WOW Racing Commodore VE 41:32.8604 GRM Commodore VE 41:33.6280 GRM Commodore VE 41:42.4290 Wilson Security Falcon FG 41:43.0783 Supercheap Commodore VE 41:46.5997 Team Autobarn Commodore VE 41:54.8271 Jack Daniels Commodore VE 41:58.7546 Fujitsu Falcon BF 41:59.6991 Jim Beam Falcon FG 42:06.4629 Bundaberg Red Commodore VE 42:09.9279 Irwin Falcon FG 42:10.4426 SP Tools Falcon FG 42:10.8816 FPR Falcon FG 42:11.3966 Sprint Gas Commodore VE 42:13.3028 Sprint Gas Commodore VE 42:16.6821 Wilson Security Falcon BF 33 Hi-Tec Oils Commodore VE 33 The Bottle-O Commodore VE 33 Supercheap Commodore VE 33 Team Intaracing Falcon BF 33 Triple F Commodore VE 33 Dodo Racing Commodore VE

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

Fastest lap: Garth Tander, 1:09.6076 on lap 2

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Silver Grabs Gold

V8 SUPERCARS – RACE 10

W

HEN was the last time that BJR took a pole position?

Even Brad Jones doesn’t know the answer to that.

So, GRM’s last victory? Easy; Lee Holdsworth at Oran Park in 2007. Michael Caruso added his name to GRM’s honour roll when he took his first V8 Supercar victory at Darwin, leading a bookie’s dream podium, ahead of Alex Davison and Craig Lowndes.

Yep, you read that right. That is how V8 Supercars rolled at Darwin. A boring race came to life with split strategies that converged at the end of the race, aided by a Safety Car. Unusually for a ‘sprint’round, this was a race of tactics and there were almost a handful in play. Caruso’s ace was to start the race on a ‘green’ set of Sprint tyres, run down Lowndes for the lead and hold position, with a four-tyre stop with 26 laps

28

to run. Dumbrell followed a similar strategy.

Kelly’s was different, with his team choosing to swap only rears on his car, which had the effect of shaking him clear of Tander, who was right behind his former team-mate when they pitted simultaneously.

Then there was the Alex Davison/Russell Ingall axis; save your yellows until the every end of the race and run ’em down. That is a sound strategy, but is dependent on a four-tyre stop (because you cannot swap only two yellows, you need to change four or none). That plan potentially needed a Safety Car to work. With 10 laps left, the SC hopers got their wish. AD turned on the afterburners and charged after the leaders.

That said, it would be a simple mistake to suggest that Caruso’s result was down to purely strategy. It was not; it was down to very good driving, and sound work from the GRMs. “For the Garry Rogers team this is very special because they are a low budget

team,” Caruso somehow said through a mile-wide smile.

“We tended to save our sticky tyres for today’s race and it paid with that stint that basically gave me the lead at the start of the race.

“When that Safety Car came out it felt like it was going to be Winton all over, but we had enough just to get there at the end.

Having someone like Craig Lowndes in your mirrors is very intimidating.”

Davison served notice with 10th in qualifying, aided by a better set-up, and found it difficult to be patient and stick to his game plan.

For Lowndes, the 8 seconds dropped when he skated off the track was vital.

“It was a bit of a dumb mistake – I came back out after the pit stop and the only thing I didn’t adjust was the ‘[brake] bias,”he said.

“I was keeping an eye on what Steve Richards was doing and came down into turn one and locked up the front left.”

race

Dirk Klynsmith

Several frustrating weeks were forgotten as SBR’s new boy Alex Davo saved his soft rubber for a late, late run, which netted a superb second place.

V8 Supercar | RACE 10, HIDDEN VALLEY, NT

John Morris/Mpix

So, what of points leader Whincup? Tenth. There were problems in qualifying, relating to the brakes (the Pigs run water cooling here) and they arose again in the race.

“I basically had a few problems with brakes and the throttle,” he said. “For most of the race I could only use 70 percent throttle.

“On a positive note I ticked another box this weekend with yesterday’s win and to extend my championship lead is a bonus.”

That happened because there was a clash between his biggest championship threat, Will D, and his former team-mate James Courtney when the final sprint was on. On the positive side of the Red ledger, Tander ended up fifth, and that allowed him, and not Whincup or Caruso, to score the most points over the course of the weekend.

Such things are telling, but JDub extended his series lead and everyone faces unchartered waters next time out in Townsville. The red cars on both sides at either end of the pitlane are the favourites but Darwin showed that good drivers, like Jason Richards and Caruso, to name only two, can threaten the established order.

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

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

Team/Car Race Time GRM Commodore VE 01:25:24.6054 Irwin Falcon FG 01:25:25.2133 TeamVodafone Falcon FG 01:25:27.8015 Jack Daniels Commodore VE 01:25:33.3794 Toll HRT Commodore VE 01:25:33.9331 Team Autobarn Commodore VE 01:25:34.6079 GRM Commodore VE 01:25:36.5151 Supercheap Commodore VE 01:25:37.5280 SP Tools Falcon FG 01:25:39.8141 TeamVodafone Falcon FG 01:25:40.3215 Team BOC Commodore VE 01:25:40.7716 Jim Beam Falcon FG 01:25:42.7252 Jim Beam Falcon FG 01:25:44.5527 FPR Falcon FG 01:25:48.8584 Wilson Security Falcon BF 01:25:49.2752 Team Intaracing Falcon BF 01:25:49.7894 FPR Falcon FG 01:25:50.7105 Toll HRT Commodore VE 01:25:59.0797 Fujitsu Falcon BF 01:25:59.1186 Wilson Security Falcon FG 68 Sprint Gas Commodore VE 68 Hi-Tec Oils Commodore VE 68 WOW Commodore VE 68 Dodo Racing Commodore VE 68 Supercheap Commodore VE 67 Triple F Commodore VE 66 Bundaberg Red Commodore VE 59 Jack Daniel’s Commodore VE 54 The Bottle-O Commodore VE 35 Sprint Gas Commodore VE 34

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

Fastest lap: Alex Davison 1:09.5276 on lap 56 Championship points: Whincup 1272, Davison 1128, Tander 954, Lowndes 906, Holdsworth 897, Johnson 873, R Kelly 807, Winterbottom 765, van Gisbergen 729, Ingall 728, Coulthard 720, J Richards 672, A Davison 666, Caruso 639, McConville 630, Dumbrell 627, S Richards 624, Courtney 548, Bright 525, T Kelly 495, Reynolds 489, Murphy 465, Patrizi 417, D’Alberto 363, Marshall 351, Wood 333, Bargwanna 327, Perkins 315, Fiore 276, Slade 255.

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COUCH

GRANT ROWLEY

30

COMMENT BRAD JONES V8 team owner not have the same problems, or follow the same pattern, in our racing this year. Last year we started really strong and then things went wrong. At Symmons Plains, we put a lot of work in, with the people in the team and with the vehicles, to make sure that everything was just right.

There has been a lot of

change in the team. Having two cars in the top 10, one on pole and headed for a likely podium finish is a good thing, but I don’t think about it that way. We want to get the best possible results all the time.

We have a good memory and we were a dominant team for a long time, all in different categories.

It is nice to be at a point where we have the combination right and we are capable of racing for pole positions and podium finishes.

Davison’s split livery RICHARD Davison, always a proud dad, has a new shirt; split down the middle, and half ‘Alex’ and half ‘Will’.

Davison, A, drove his best race with Stone Brothers. Saturday’s Q1 session saw the brothers surround the field, with Will P1 and Alex P30.

The older sibling was much happier during Sunday’s session, partially doe to have a supply of tyres to get the job done. And SBR’s car speed was better, with Alex setting the fastest lap of the race – and Shane van Gisbergen set the fastest lap.

“It was hard not to freak out early in the race when people go past you two seconds a lap quicker,”he said.

“Obviously we were blessed with the Safety Car and I just kept plugging away and I had no idea what position we were in until I was in about third or something.

“Before today I wasn’t that keen on this soft tyre thing but obviously I’ve changed my mind on that now.”

Little brother Will may have more points but is happy for his brother’s result.

“I am really happy for him, generally very, very

pleased. Obviously circumstances helped, but he got his first top 10 in qualifying.

“I don’t agree with the Safety Car thing, it is obviously a strategy that people play when they have nothing to lose. It looked like a massive coincidence, Ingall went from 18th to eighth.”

And what does he think of Dad’s shirt?

“It makes perfect sense, doesn’t it?”

– PHIL BRANAGAN Dirk Klynsmith

CONGRATULATIONS, Michael Caruso.

I’m sure I’m not the first person to say this in the past 24 hours, and I’m guessing I won’t be the last in the next 24.

While the final result of Race 10 might suggest that the race was ‘random,’ don’t be fooled.

Caruso earned every single point, and he deserves every pat on the back he receives.

But what does this mean for the future of the Garry Rogers Motorsport team? It can surely only do good things, but now, I feel, is crunch time for them.

The Valvoline-backed racers have been hanging in and around the top 10 for two years, and between Caruso and Lee Holdsworth, they have a win each. Now, it’s time for them to up the ante and be serious contenders week-in, week-out.

Are top 10s good enough for Garry’s boys any more?

Should we be expecting better results? I reckon yes.

We are becoming used to seeing Holdsworth (and now Caruso) fighting for positions just off the podium – no mean feat in this category – but now they must be aiming higher.

Last weekend’s win at Hidden Valley proves that when things are right, GRM can do the business. But it should not take the Victorian Holden team another two years to win a race ...

I HAVE been trying to remember the last time Brad Jones Racing got a pole position.

It was probably in an Audi.

To tell you the truth, it was a long time ago and I don’t remember. It feels good to have another one in Darwin, but it feels a bit different to be standing here watching, rather than out there on the track, behind the wheel.

It is easier but, probably, a little more nerve-wracking.

We have done a lot of hard work to make sure that we do

Dirk Klynsmith

Pushing GRM forward First pole since ...

FROM THE

race

Even when the cameras are away, there is much to work through

Figuring out emerging patterns

T

HERE are a fair few hours, five or six, spent by us – and ‘us’ is Neil Crompton, Mark Skaife, Ross Holder and yours truly – on Friday and Saturday evenings, trying to work out what patterns may emerge over the course of a weekend.

We are trying to tell the story of what the teams may do. We break it down into three groups; conservative, pro-active and reactive. Those things generally seem to play out, but there are also things that play out that are unexpected.

That is always driven by the objectives of the different teams when they arrive at the startline.

Some guys are racing against leading contenders in the championship. There are guys who see an opportunity for a moment in the sun – to look good for a while, knowing that they can’t win the race. And there are guys with genuine speed who, for whatever reason, are starting from the back of the grid. All those things typically emerge.

Three things came out of the weekend, for me. One was that we saw the Sprint tyre absolutely deliver what it was designed to do. While we saw some

opinion Mark Larkham V8 pit commentator potentially different outcomes at Symmons Plains and Winton, this was the first time that it has delivered the style of race, with a crescendo at the end, that it was designed to do.

Second, Michael Caruso’s drive was outstanding – and I don’t mean just how he held his nerve when some first-class talent was right behind him and closing him down. I think that his drive in the first half of the race was equally as spectacular and sensible. It was a first-class job, and it underpins Garry Rogers as a talent-spotter.

He has an uncanny ability to identify these young guys.

Mick Caruso is a genuinely good young bloke, and he has paid his dues to get where he has. It was a breakthrough result, and that is what the game should be about.

The other one is the Alex Davison situation. It may seem obvious; he was on a brand-new Sprint tyre late in the race

while others were falling over themselves.

He drove that car with potentially the least amount of degradation that we have seen on any Sprint tyre run by anyone. It was first-class, and I can’t put my finger on why that was. Maybe the mileage he has done in Porsches, which are more precise and accurate than a V8 Supercar, served him well in this situation. To be punching out the numbers he did at the end of the race, as he did right down to the last lap, was very special.

People know that I am not a big fan of making changes mid-course, but I have had a think about it and I think that there may be another benefit to be gained by having the Sprint tyre. What I would love to see as a consequence of what we saw on the weekend is to make changes to the way the Sprint tyre is used. The Sprint tyre could be the ‘Control’ tyre at some tracks, (like Winton and Symmons Plains), where they last a long time, and have the harder tyre in that role at Darwin and Wanneroo.

What we saw on the weekend showed that hot and abrasive tracks are well-suited to the tyre mix we have now. The opposite just might be true also. Something to think about, perhaps.

John Morris/Mpix

31

FORMULA FORD ROUND 4 – HIDDEN VALLEY, NT

They’re used to this ...

Nick Percat continues on his merry way to the 2009 Formula Ford Championship, warding off the threat of his team-mate. PHIL BRANAGAN reports

32

race

Marshall Cass

FORMULA FORD NICK Percat sailed onwards on his voyage to a Ford Genuine Parts Formula Ford title at Hidden Valley, but he did not have things his own way in the north.

Percat had to deal with Sonic team-mate Mitch Evans, who finished in his wheeltracks in Race 1 and actually led almost half of Race 2, before ‘The Cat’ slipped past and sped on to another win in the

Walkinshaw Mygale.

The third race followed the familiar pattern, with the youngster winning the jump and the more experience Percat sneaking pash under brakes at Turn 1. The Sonics were the class of the field, easing away from the pack at a couple of tenths a lap.

“Three from three ... can’t do much better than that!” Percat exclaimed.

“Apart from my dodgy starts, I’m happy with the way things turned out. Credit to Mitch too. He really had some pace this weekend and pushed me pretty hard.”

Evans was satisfied with second, learning much from the weekend.

“I’m happy with second for the round but I think I probably could have looked after my tyres more for a better showing in this final race.” Evans said.

“Keeping up with Nick is hard work and for my first time here I’m happy with the result ... a few more laps around here and I would be less prone to some of the mistakes I made which all part of the learning curve I guess.”

Ryan Simpson was third in Race 2, taking a 1m12.90s lap record home with him in his Spectrum, and that time stood up as the temps rose at lunchtime. The only issue Simpson had for the weekend

was getting his car off the line … “ Again I made a meal of the start ... the clutch was slipping off the line and I just got bogged down,” he said after Race 3.

“A shame because I think I had the pace to run with Nick and Mitch which was reflected in the lap times.”

After qualifying fifth, Scott Pye was consistent over the weekend, finishing fifth, fourth and fourth in the three races. He ended the weekend locked on 136 championship points with Evans.

The Formula Ford Championship heads to Sandown next in August for the fifth round.

Points: Percat 205, Pye 136, Evans 136, Mostert 125, Stanaway 108, Simpson 92, Uhrhane 47, Walter 44, Ellery 27, Chapman 16.

33

YOKOHAMA V8 UTES SERIES ROUND 4 – HIDDEN VALLEY

sutton-images.com

The Battle Heats Up

Baxter wins at Hidden Valley, closing up the V8 Utes Series after leader Elsegood gets involved in biff ...

H

OLDEN driver Gary ‘Chucky’ Baxter claimed victory in the final race of Round 4 of the Yokohama V8 Ute Racing Series at Darwin last weekend – handing him the overall round honours.

The Sage Automation driver finished second in Race 1 behind weekend rival Grant Johnson. Baxter then managed fourth place in the reverse grid Race 2 (after starting 15th), and had a screaming finish against Johnson to win Race 3 and the round.

Johnson had a great start in the final race and held the lead until lap two when Baxter passed him in Turn 1. Johnson reclaimed his spot again on Lap 5 and stayed in front until slipping off the road and letting Baxter through.

“It was when Baxter was

34

passing me I felt the tyre go, I was just hoping it would last me for the next lap and a half and it did,” said Johnson post-race.

Johnson held on for third place in the last race, beaten by local driver and reigning class Champion Layton Crambrook.

The Ford driver won Race 2 and took his chance when Johnson struggled with the flat tyre.

Crambrook’s second in Race 3 earned him third overall in the round which has secured him second place in the series.

Fourth overall was West Aussie Glenn McNally after taking second place in Race 2.

Charlie Kovacs was fifth outright but was lucky to manage a fourth in Race 3 after he failed to adhere to a mechanical black flag for a damaged side skirt. As a result, he was penalised 10 championship points but held

onto his top 10 spot in the series. Kovacs blamed faulty radio communication for not obeying the directions of the officials.

George Miedecke, championship leader Jack Elsegood, Kurt Wimmer, Kim Jane and Stephen Robinson rounded out the top 10 for the round.

Craig Dontas was 11th overall, but it could have been higher if not for a Race 2 altercation with Elsegood. Dontas was running in third spot but dropped back to 14th after being tagged by Elsegood under brakes in Turn 1.

Elsegood was given a post-race drive-through.

The loss of points for Elsegood has dramatically closed up the title point score.

Only 10 points now separate Elsegood from Crambrook with both Baxter and Johnson now

back in the chase, while George Miedecke has dropped backed to fifth overall.

The Armor All Best Presented Award went to Paul Williams who is only trailing the Racer Industries Rookie of the Year ladder by a few points behind Wollongong’s Gary Carson.

Robert Jarvis claimed the SS Inductions Hard Charger Award for passing 13 Utes in Race 2 and went from 29th position to end the race in 15th. This is the first time Jarvis has won the award in the seven years he has raced the Utes.

The V8 Utes will head to Townsville for Round 5 on July 10-12.

Points: Elsegood 446, Crambrook 435, Baxter 424, Johnson 424, Miedecke 404, Robinson 388, Jane 377, McNally 376, Kovacs 360, Fisher 347.

race

The moves that mattered: Above, Elsegood and Dontas clashed, giving Elsegood a penalty. Left, Johnson wa passed moments after this pic by Baxter.

Below, Crambrook was consistent on home soil.

35

BIANTE TOURING CAR MASTERS ROUND 3 – HIDDEN VALLEY, NT BIANTE MASTERS

A

DEFENDING Champion winning all three races of a championship round sounds like a bore. But in the world of the Biante Touring Car Masters, it was

anything but.

Sure, Gavin Bullas had speed and experience in the Mustang, and did in fact, win all three races. But it was what happened around and behind the 2008 Biante winner that made the weekend one to remember.

Jim Richards had a number of problems, like a drive-through penalty from a jumped start in Race 1 (which, with the high first gear in the Falcon Sprint, is a bit like adding insult to injury.) Then in Race 2, Jim accidently knocked off the fuel switch, causing the Shannons

car to crawl to a halt and drop six places while he pushed and prodded until the beast regained its roar.

“I slipped while I was grabbing first gear,” he confessed.

“I thought I better pull it over to get out of the way, then I

Anything but a bore

Gavin Bullas may have won all three races, but there was plenty going on in the Biante Touring Car Masters races at Hidden Valley.

PHIL BRANAGAN was there

36

race

saw it had no fuel pressure.”

His luck was not much better in the third race, when a plug lead dropped off.

The first two Bullas wins meant that he was back in the pack when the final race started, but it took only a lap for the Stang to find its way

to its accustomed position.

Behind was a great battle, with Brad Tilley holding out former V8 stars Richards and John Bowe, the Tasmanian doing a remarkable job in a car he had never driven before the weekend (see news pages).

“I might have had something

for Gavin if I was in the Camaro,” In Group 2, Bernie Stack he said later. showed that 3200cc is plenty The final laps of the weekend to take three wins in the Under were the perfect advert for 5-litre class, so long as those the series; Bullas, Tilley skating ccs are in the rear of a Porsche. around behind him, Bowe in John Nelson made it a Stuttgart the bellowing Monaro and 1-2, with Mick Wilson taking Richo, driving like a demon in third for Australia in his Valiant the corners.

Charger.

John Morris/Mpix

37

NASCAR SPRINT CUP ROUND 17 – TOYOTA SAVEMART 350, INFINEON, CA

38

race

NASCAR Media

The King of Beers Few people fancied that Kasey Kahne would win on a road course. But when he won at Infineon, he got to take the King, Richard Petty, back to Victory Lane.

NASCAR Media

39

F

NASCAR Media

40

OUR late-race restarts did nothing for his nerves, but Kasey Kahne dealt with the pressure, and a charging Tony Stewart, to take the win at Infineon Raceway.

Kahne’s Dodge may be beersponsored, but he looked right at home in the wine hills of northern California’s Sonoma Valley. It was his first road course win, and his best finish on the track formerly know as Sears Point was a 23rd.

“To win here at a road course for me is unbelievable,” said Kahne.

“Stewart is about as good as it gets here and to hold him off is something, the guy is an awesome race car driver and one of my favourites.”

Kahne lead the final 38 laps to score the first win for the newly-formed Richard Petty Motorsports, previously GillettEvernham Motorsports. The team had three of its three cars in the top 10, with AJ Allmendinger seventh and Elliott Sadler 10th. It

Red, Red, Yellow-Red: Kasey Kahne held off road course aces Tony Stewart and Marcos Ambrose, left, to take the win. Brian Vickers did a Vettel and scored pole for Red Bull, above, while Ambrose, right. had to fight his way though the pack after a post-practice engine change. was the first time ‘The King’ had been in victory lane since 1999.

A spin by Scott Speed (who failed to qualify so ran a Joe Nemechek owned entry for the second time this season) set up a two lap shoot out to the chequers and the end to a supercompetitive and crazy race.

The race provided Marcos Ambrose with his best-ever Cup result. After qualifying a careerbest third, then setting the fastest time in first round practice on Saturday, only for his engine to expire on lap four of the session.

NASCAR’s penalty for an engine change sent him to the rear on the start of the race.

“Obviously, it’s extremely

race

SPRINT CUP | TOYOTA SAVEMART 350 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

9 14 47 48 11 42 44 33 24 19

Kasey Kahne Dodge Tony Stewart Chevy Marcos Ambrose Toyota Jimmie Johnson Chevy Denny Hamlin Toyota Juan Montoya Chevy AJ Allmendinger Dodge Clint Bowyer Chevy Jeff Gordon Chevy Elliott Sadler Toyota

Toyota Motorsports

Q5 4 43 11 24 17 20 26 13 8

NASCAR | DRIVER’S points Stewart 2364, Gordon 2280, Johnson 2207, Kurt Busch 2084, Edwards 2051, Newman 2046, Hamlin 2009, Biffle 1992, Kyle Busch 1962, Kenseth 1957, Martin 1926, Montoya 1917 [Ambrose 18th, 1704].

Toyota Motorsports

disappointing,” said Ambrose.

“I don’t know what to say really, it’s just tough on our whole team. What we have to remember is that we still have a long race ahead of us. I guess that if you look back to the Cup race at Watkins Glen last year, we were able to come from the back to get third. Pit strategy will still have a big part to play so we have some options there.

We will be charging hard, that’s for sure.”

Ambrose was one of the first to pit on lap 13, as his crew

RPM/Budweiser Stewart Haas/Old Spice JTG Daugherty/Little Debbie Hendrick/Lowe’s Joe Gibbs/FedEx Earnhardt Ganassi/Target RPM/Best Buy Childress/Cheerios Hendrick/DuPont Red Bull Racing

played the strategy game and as the race progressed, it played into the team’s hands. He pitted for the final time with leader Tony Stewart with 36 laps to run, but Ambrose aired the third caution as he hit the racing Bobby Labonte entering the race track from pit road.

The yellow flag also sealed the fate of then-leader Robby Gordon, who was intending to pit the next lap. But the caution caught him out and he ended his day 36th after wrecking on the last lap with Mark Martin.

Ambrose restarted ninth and worked his way up to third, losing it on one restart to Juan Pablo Montoya and having to fight tooth and nail as Kahne chose to start on the opposite side, leaving Ambrose to restart behind Stewart on four occasions.

“It was a great day for our team,” said Ambrose.

“I just burnt my stuff up there trying to get to the front. That last restart I really cooked my rear tyres and I’m just happy to finish third, another top five feels good – running well is good for my job security. You don’t want to slip up when you’re in that rare air with those top drivers and we brought her home. “ I would have loved to have won the race, but I feel like a disadvantage blowing up that motor, this feels like a win.”

With the result Ambrose moves back up to 18th in points, 90 behind polesitter Brian Vickers.

Fly Boys star in Milwaukee NATIONWIDE CARL Edwards and Kyle Busch made the dash from California after the Sprint Cup practice to take in the Nationwide race at Milwaukee. Guess what happened?

Both started at the back after no practuce or qualifying, but they finished 1-2 in the 250 lap race at the nation’s oldest track.

“It seems like almost every week, we’re getting faster and faster,” remarked Edwards.

“It’s really cool to get that first win (of the year), hopefully, it kicks off the rest of the season like it did last year.”

Erik Darnell led from pole in his Roush Fenway Ford, fellow rookie Brad Coleman then headed the way in his Joe Gibbs Toyota.

Edwards took the lead under Busch with 45 laps to run heading the pack through the third and fourth cautions and never looked back. Busch again led the most laps – 80 – for the eighth consecutive race, and battled Brad Keselowski and Darnell in the closing laps.

Rookie Ricky Stenhouse Jr, in just his fourth series race, was fifth.

Edwards moves to within 127 points of Busch, with Keselowski third 218 in arrears.

– MDC

41

INDYCAR ROUND 7 – IOWA CORN 250

42

race

When winning is the pits Some slick work in pit lane by the Ganassi crew earnt Dario Franchitti the win in Iowa – and bumped Ryan Briscoe back for his third second place in a row ...

43

RYAN Briscoe kept his run of second places in tact last weekend, the Australian losing out to Dario Franchitti in the latter stages of the Iowa Corn 250.

It was the third consecutive race that Briscoe has finished second, and the third consecutive race in which Briscoe had led the most numbver of laps. However, when the chequered flag fell, there was a Ganassi car between him and the biggest trophy.

It all happened for Franchitti at the third and penultimate round of stops. The Scot jumped from fourth to second, right on the rear wing of Briscoe, as the field filtered through the pits. The pair battled hard to the final round of stops, where Franchitti took the lead. He then had enough pace to hold of Briscoe to take his second Iowa win in three years.

“The car wasn’t great and the Target guys made a couple of adjustments for that last stop,” said Franchitti, “and that was a green flag stop. That was really the key; good in lap, good out lap on cold tires, and amazing pit stops.

“The Target guys were phenomenal. They made three places on one stop under

44

yellow. To gain that kind of advantage against the competition we have on that pit lane is amazing.”

Briscoe, meanwhile, lamented not having the late-race pace to beat Franchitti, but was happy to extend his points lead. “[I] had a great battle at the end there with Dario,” said Briscoe. “Unfortunately, I didn’t have enough for him at the end. I was hoping with the lapped traffic we were coming up on at the end I was going to be able to catch him like the previous stint, and get around him, but he actually

got the luckier draw with the traffic and was able to extend the lead.

“So it was tough. But I knew where the others were and, you know, it was a pretty good day to come in second and extend the points lead.”

Hideki Mutoh was third, ahead of Dan Wheldon, while Scott Dixon and Helio Castroneves finished fifth and seventh respectively after making contact very early in the race.

The race was started on points after qualifying was first delayed, and eventually called off, due to rain.

race

INDYCAR | IOWA CORN 250 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

10 6 27 4 9 23 3 24 7 20

Dario Franchitti Ryan Briscoe Hideki Mutoh Dan Wheldon Scott Dixon Thomas Scheckter Helio Castroneves Mike Conway Danica Patrick Ed Carpenter

GB AUS JAP GB NZ RSA BRA GB USA USA

Ganassi 1:39:47.90s Penske +5.01s Andretti-Green +10.97s Panther +17.58s Ganassi +1 lap Dreyer & Reinbold +1 lap Penske +1 lap Dreyer & Reinbold +1 lap Andretti-Green +1 lap Vision +1 lap

Fastest lap: Mutoh on lap 32, 18.0128s (178.673mph)

INDYCAR | DRIVER’S points

Briscoe 241, Franchitti 238, Dixon 226, Castroneves 212, Patrick 189, Wheldon 184, Tony Kanaan 162, Marco Andretti 159, Graham Rahal 145, Mutoh 142.

Which way to Victory Lane?

Dario didn’t need his TOM TOM to find either the chequered flag, above left, or the champagne, above. Briscoe might have been the winner had he been faster through the traffic, left, while fast starters Castroneves and Dixon clashed early and finished down the order, below. Through it all, Mutoh was an impressive fourth, right.

45

WORLD SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND 8 – MISANO, ITALY

Rea Gun 46

It rained, Shaky Byrne starred and Ben Spies was not on pole. And Jonny Rea won his first WSBK

race

S

OME odd things happened at Misano’s round of the World Superbike Championship at the weekend.

To start with, Ben Spies did not take pole, for the first time this season. In fact, he was not even second. A Ducati was on pole but it was not a Xerox bike, it was Jakub Smrz’s. And Jonny Rea was second for Ten Kate Honda, which has been struggling this season to even look like the best Honda team in the championship.

Then, it rained, and a Ducati dominated Race 1.

But again, not read; it was Shakey Byrne, looking like a winner. But then the track dried, Spies judges the series’ first-ever mass pitstop-andbike-swap the best, and dominated the ‘dry’ part of the race to win from the Ducati quarter of Byrne, Michel Fabrizio, Smrz and Noriyuki Haga.

Now it was looking like Spies was on track.

But no. His clutch failed in Race 2 and after falling as low as 17th, he made it to ninth by the end of the race. Rea had started from pitlane in Race 1 after his number one bike stopped with

fuel problems on the sighting lap, and then he hitched a ride back to the pits from Ryuichi Kiyonari. Rea recovered to seventh and, in the second race, won, ahead of another gaggle of Ducks (Fabrizio, Haga, Smrz) and Charlie Checa on the other Ten Kate Honda. Skaky was sixth.

Not a brilliant weekend for the Aussies. Broc Parkes was 17th twice on the Kawasaki, and Troy Corser came off his BMW in Race 1 and rode hurt to 19th in Race 2.

Points: Haga 292, Spies 244, Fabrizio 237, Rea 167, Biaggi 135, Haslam 134, Sykes 130, Checa 109, Smrz 108, Kiyonari 98.

IN World Supersport, Cal Crutchlow beat Eugene Laverty on aggregate in a restarted race, prompted by Kenan Sofuoglu coming off his Honda.

Aussie team-mate Andrew Pitt also dropped his, and Massimo Roccoli (Honda) was third from Loan Lascorz and Mark Aitchison.

Sam’s Kids sweep Lites podium a Sam Schmidt Motorsports podium sweep – a first in the Firestone Indy Lights class.

Davison finished a lap down in 10th place after he was engaged in some contact late in the race. He scored 20 points towards his chamionship and held onto a solid seventh in the overall points.

The next round of the series will be held at Watkins Glen in two weeks.

IndyCar Media

Honda Pro Images

INDY Lights lady Ana Beatriz led an all-Sam Schmidt Motorsports podium as she secured victory in the Miller Lite 100 at Iowa Speedway last weekend.

Beatriz, who started sixth in her Sam Schmidt Motorsports entry, passed team-mate Wade Cunningham on Lap 107 of 115 and went on to her second Firestone Indy Lights career win. The race ended under caution as a Lap 114 incident involving the cars of Australian James Davison and Pippa Mann brought out the yellow flag.

James Hinchcliffe completed

Points: Hildebrand 227, Romancini 211, Cunningham 205, Sebastian Saavedra 203, Hinchcliffe 191.

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rear of grid

Both images by Dirk Klynsmith

Stealing Richo’s thunder LAST weekend was a pretty bad one for Steven Richards.

Not only did he and Ford Performance Racing fail to replicate their 2008 results at Hidden Valley, but Richo also lost of one his motor racing records – most wins in Australian Formula Ford – to Nick Percat.

Of course, we say that tongue-in-cheek.

Richo is as good a bloke as any that has worn nomex, and would have been more than happy to pass the mantle on to a promising young talent like Perdog. Woof!

As for the young man in the black, red and silver Mygale, he didn’t stop at just winning that magical 18th race to steal Richo’s record. That was purely Race 1’s job; he then went on to win the other two outing as well to leave his 2009 record at 10 from 11 starts. He might be breaking another record or two before this season is over …

“It’s not a record I ever set out to achieve but it’s an honour to take it home,” he said.

One interesting thing is that for the

first time since 2005, we have one driver dominating the AFFC. In 2006 there was little to choose between Tim Slade and John Martin; 2007 was a season of two halves with Tim Blanchard the form driver at the start, and Ash Walsh coming home strong; 2008 was the same with Paul Laskazeski being hunted down by Percat.

Odd Spot

Dirk Klynsmith

THE menacing eyes of Craig Lowndes’ TeamVodafone Falcon; Alex Davison on a much faster tyre; nothing seemed to faze Michael Caruso in the late stages of Race 10 at Hidden Valley.

But, as frightening as a mirror full of Lowndesy is, Caruso could draw on the experience of taking on a tougher, scalier and older foe a couple of days earlier – a croc.

Caruso and team-mate Lee Holdsworth dived into the dangerous and unchartered waters of, ahem, Crocosaurus Cove before the Darwin race, to meet and greet the wildife park’s family of crocs.

Lowndesy might have a toothy grin, but he struggles to match the impressive fangs of the happy character pictured here. No wonder Caruso held his nerve on Sunday …

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