Motorsport eNews Issue 116 - August 4-10, 2009 by V8 Sleuth

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Issue No. 116 August 4 - 10 2009

Garth Back on top ... But where will he be in 2010? n w o d n a s e v e i d s i s s a n i M e g a r e v co

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

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MD / Publisher

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Contributing Writers F1: Will Buxton, Mark Glendenning, Paolo Filisetti Europe: Quentin Spurring, David Addison US: Martin D. Clark, Phil Morris Speedway: Greg Boscato, Geoff Rounds, Darren Sutton, Tony Millard (UK) Drag Racing: Dave Ostaszewski (USA), Ken Ferguson, John Bosher, Luke Nieuwhof National: Lachlan Mansell, Mark Jones, Aaron Shaw.

Photographers Sutton Motorsport Images, Dirk Klynsmith, Marshall Cass, John Morris/Mpix, AF1 Images, James Smith, Peter Bury, Neil Blackbourn, Chris Carter, Coopers Photography, Geoff Gracie, Paris Charles, Neil Hammond, Joel Strickland, Ash Budd, Mike Patrick (UK) Motorsport eNews is published by Australasian Motorsport News ABN 55 125 120 702 Publisher: C Lambden

Issue No. 116 | 4 - 10 August 2009

news 4 Garth jumping ship? Open options for ‘07 champ 6 T8’s Red Day 8 Inbox overload 11 DJR’s deal time 14 Splitter Peace

chat 18 5 minutes with ... opinion 26 Branagan

All the details on the switch GR’s Apple blew up – literally! August deadline for Stevie J Finally, a compromise Steven Johnson

27 Craggill

Ford v Holden ... forever? V8 Superbikes

36 Fujitsu V8s 40 Formula Ford 42 V8 Utes/MINI 46 Australian Rally 50 IndyCar

HRT hogs the limelight Russell outlasts the pack Pye in the Sandown sky Jane and Denyer win Evans duo do it again Briscoe! Briscoe! Briscoe!

race 24 V8 Supercars

trade 38 Classifieds

Sandown was once a happy hunting ground for Ford ...

Copyright: Material published in Motorsport eNews is copyright and may not be reproduced in full or in part without the written permission of the publisher. Freelance contributions are welcome, and while all care will be taken, Motorsport eNews does not accept responsibility for damage or loss of material submitted. Opinions expressed in Motorsport eNews are not necessarily those of Australasian Motorsport News or its staff.

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

Tander in a Ford? Sandown winner has options V8 SUPERCARS GARTH Tander could be the next star to leap over the V8 Supercar manufacturers’ divide … to race a Ford next season. Tander is in discussion with Holden Racing Team management about his future but he has indicated to eNews that he has options other than Holden’s factory team. He would not elaborate on these, but sources tell us that there have been discussions within a number of rival teams – including two Ford teams – about the former Bathurst winner and Championship winner’s future. “We are in discussions [with HRT] for next year,” he said on Monday. “But there are … there are

options available to me. “I do not see any massive issues. We would not be working ahead on some of the issues if HRT was not my preference. “That is why we are doing it now; the team’s arrangements [with Holden, confirmed last week] had to be out of the way so we could talk about this.” Walkinshaw Racing’s Craig Wilson confirmed that Tander, who has raced only in Holdens during his decade-long V8 Supercar career, was out of contract at the end of the season, but added that there was an option on his services for next season. eNews sources report than TeamVodafone was approached “by a third party” to sound out the Ford team

about Tander prior to last month’s announcement that current drivers Jamie Whincup and Craig Lowndes, along with major sponsor Vodafone, were re-signing for three years. Team boss Roland Dane declined to clarify that at Sandown on the weekend. “It is no secret that there are a number of drivers who would like to be here,” he smiled, “but we have our two drivers.” Of course, the recent news that the team was switching to Holdens next season – first reported in eNews last Monday – would mean that had the team taken Tander on board, he would have stayed a Commodore man. However, we further believe that Ford Performance Racing, which has plans to expand

beyond its current two entries, has at least discussed Tander as a potential driver. The team’s Director of Business Operations Mark Roworth would not shine any specific light on the subject at Sandown. “We have plans to go to more than two cars,” he said. “That is not news; you have reported that. So, with three cars, or four, we would obviously need more drivers, and want them to be race winners. There are some drivers out there who fit that description …” Any expansion in entries would require that the team acquired at least one new licence. There are a number that are seen to be potentially available, including the Rod Nash licence, currently in use

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DIRK KLYNSMITH

for 2010

by Tony D’Alberto Racing. Sources suggest that a split between the parties is possible at the end of the current season and that Nash, and sponsor Bottle-O, is sounding out a number of opportunities in the pitlane. Roworth also confirmed that the current FPR drivers, Mark Winterbottom and Steven Richards, are contracted to the team until the end of the 2010 season. In the meantime, Tander, who does not have a manager, is upbeat about HRT’s double pole-and-racewinning speed at Sandown “We are keen to follow on with what happened at the weekend,” he said. “Will had a slight edge in qualifying, and I felt like I had a slight edge in the race. The speed was pretty good, and we feel like we can do some more winning yet.” – PHIL BRANAGAN

Silly Season Open V8 SUPERCARS THE V8 Supercar driver Silly Season officially opened moments after Roland Dane confirmed his team’s switch from Ford to Holden last week. The announcement triggered several uncontracted (and even contracted) drivers and their respective managers into action. High on the list of ‘in demand’ drivers appear to be Lee Holdsworth and Fabian Coulthard. Both have ongoing deals, with Garry Rogers Motorsport and Paul Cruickshank Racing respectively, but the pair

has nevertheless reportedly been contacted by teams enquiring about their position for next season. Holdsworth signed a longterm deal with GRM back in 2007. That deal expires next season, but his management group and advisors have been working behind the scenes to see what is available for 2010. The rumour doing the rounds at Sandown was linking Holdsworth to an expanded Ford Performance Racing operation. His management is also reported as having contact with Walkinshaw Racing. Holdsworth himself declined to comment when approached.

Coulthard also has another season to run on his current (PCR) deal, but the Kiwi has also been sounded out by teams that may or may not need a new driver next year. eNews understands that Coulthard has also fielded an approach from the Walkinshaw Racing group, suggesting that the team is canvassing options to replace Garth Tander, if a deal between the former champion and HRT can not be reached. It’s early days in the 2010 Silly Season, but in its formative stages, it promises to be one of the most intriguing in years … – GRANT ROWLEY

Holden renews HRT commitment V8 SUPERCARS

DIRK KLYNSMITH

THE future of the Holden Racing Team is secure for the next three years – and it looks like Clayton’s four-car assault on the V8 Supercar Championship Series will also stay intact. Last Friday, Holden confirmed our report of last week that the iconic Team Red will continue. Holden’s Mark Reuss and Alan Batey and Walkinshaw Racing’s Craig Wilson joined with the team’s drivers Garth Tander and Will Davison to confirm that the association, which started in 1990, will continue to the end of the 2012 season, at least. “HRT is part of Holden’s DNA,” Batey said. “This has been the most successful relationship in the history of Australian touring cars.” Davison qualified twice on pole and he and Tander celebrated the news by winning

HRT’s 62nd and 63rd round victories on Saturday and Sunday, respectively, the second of which was a 1-2. No confirmation of the status of the other two entries is expected for some time, Holden Motorsport Manager Simon McNamara telling eNews that “we have had other matters to deal with [indicating HRT]”. However, we have been told that Bundaberg Racing will continue in its current guise and that a four-car effort is “a lock”.

Triple Eight is going Holden – How does this affect ...

Triple E

Dirk Klynsmith

How does this affect ...

Dirk Klynsmith

IT turned out to be the big story of the year: Triple Eight to Holden and, by association, Craig Lowndes back on the Red Team. Motorsport eNews carried the story last Monday evening, and it came as a shock to many – including a number of teams up and down the V8 pit lane … Of course, that did not stop reports on Sydney radio that claimed the story was ‘breaking’ – almost 12 hours later – or a rush of reports in other media, including the daily press, on Wednesday. As we’ve said before, if you really want to know what’s going on, first, there’s no alternative to Motorsport eNews …

How does this affect ...

The For

Dirk Klynsmith

And you read it here first

Dirk Klynsmith

OUR Triple Eight-built Commodores will take to the track at the opening round of the 2010 V8 Supercar Championship Series. As first reported in eNews last week, and confirmed by Holden on Wednesday, TeamVodafone will switch to Holdens at the end of the season, with Jamie Whincup and Craig Lowndes to move from their current Ford Falcon FGs at the end of the season. As expected, Whincup and team owner Roland Dane unveiled the new deal in partnership with Holden management, soon-tobe outgoing Chairman Mark Reuss and his successor, Alan Batey. Also as expected, Lowndes did not attend the launch, nor did he comment on the news over the course of the Sandown weekend. His current deal with Ford, the last remaining deal any driver has directly with either manufacturer in the series, runs until the end of the year. No value was announced of the deal, but credible sources have told eNews that it is in the region of $6m over three years. We expect that Super Cheap Auto Racing will field two new T8built VEs from the start of the season, while a number of knockon effects are due to be sorted out in the coming months. Wilson Security Racing boss Paul Cruickshank told eNews that he was due to settle on ordering a new car, to replace the Falcon BF currently raced by Michael Patrizi, in the near future, and that he was looking forward to getting the matter settled. On the other hand, Ford has not reacted well to the news, which it claimed (in an email to staff ) only came to light on Tuesday night

Sonic’s

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– What does it all mean?

Eight’s main series customers? THE flow on effect of Triple Eight Race engineering’s defection from Ford to Holden will have no immediate impact on its main series customers Dick Johnson Racing and Paul Cruickshank Racing. As eNews went live, the two Queensland organisations have only had brief discussions together about their future, which may see them work closer in an effort to minimise the impact of the loss of data and technical support that has until now come as part of being a T8 customer. Both DJR and PCR have committed to sticking with their T8 Falcon chassis for the next two seasons, given the soonto-be-introduced ‘Car of the Future’ V8 Supercar, due in 2012. The biggest difference between DJR and PCR’s operations, at the moment, is engines. DJR uses its own powerplants, while PCR is a KRE customer, and that is

one of the discussion points that the pair will thrash out over the coming weeks. But as far as chassis are concerned, nothing will change for either team. “Our deal has been with Triple Eight Race Engineering, not Team Vodoafone, so they are more than happy supplying parts if and when we need them,” said DJR team manager Adrian Burgess. “On an engineering side, they don’t have anything to do with us. We do our own development, so nothing will really change. “We’ve already had a couple of discussions with Paul (Cruickshank) and we’ll go into more detail in the not to distance future.” Cruickshank mirrored DJR’s position. “Right here, today, (using the T8 chassis) is the logical thing to do,” Cruickshank said. “We only found out a very short time before we came to Sandown what had

transpired. I’ve said to my team that we’ll get through this weekend and on Monday, we’ll see what’s what. “There’s a couple of different opportunities that we can pursue, some of them quite logical, but we just need to sit down and analysis it. “Geographically we’re close, we’ve got some history together and it’s certainly worth having a look at. “We’ll have another get-together this week to see what avenues are available for us to pursue, if any. The way forward seems to be racing in packs of four, so we need to set ourselves up in a pack that we can have some longevity with.” DJR is currently in possession of three FG shells – its two race cars and a spare. PCR only has one FG, plus Michael Patrizi’s ex-T8 BF. The team was meant to take delievery of a new FG for the start of 2010, but is likely to take on one of TeamVodafone’s current FG race cars.

written into their contracts every single year – and each year Triple 8 chose to defy that contractual obligation and paint their cars red.” But Dane says that the comment is not accurate. “It is incorrect,” he maintained. “The stipulation was to discuss the colour of the car, relevant to the sponsorship that we had. Each year, we worked with them on the colouring. If it was as simple as braking the contract, they could have cancelled the sponsorship at any time. It is an inaccurate explanation of the reality of the situation.

“But I would like to add this. From our point of view, Ford was a good sponsor, and they chose not to renew. They told us that it was because they did not want to be on a car with a ‘red’ sponsor. That is their choice. For our part, we feel that when you have an engagement with a mass-market sponsor like Vodafone, which is very customer-oriented, you would want to be involved. I notice that in the NASCAR model, there are plenty of Fords of different colours, and there are plenty of red Falcons on the road, as well as other colours. “From our point of view, it is history.”

team will stick by Triple Eight, and will be happy to run Commodores in the future if that’s how it works out. “It won’t affect our relationship with Triple Eight whatsoever,” Ritter said. “We’re just looking at what’s going to help us, and the most important thing for us is to have the right package, which Triple Eight are definitely giving

us at the moment.” Ritter is also hopeful that T8’s switch might open the door for some more Falcon parts to come the way of Sonic. “There might be some opportunity there. “We need to look at our engine package, because the weekend showed we’re lacking a bit there.”

rd Motor Company? TEAMVODAFONE boss Roland Dane has refuted a claim made by Ford President and CEO Marin Burela over the reasons that the team and manufacturer parted ways. In an email to the company’s staff, Burela said that colour of the cars, red, was in breach of the agreement between the manufacturer and the team. “We honoured every single aspect of our sponsorship arrangement with them and in return, we asked for one thing – that they respect our brand by painting their cars blue,” the statement said.” This wasn’t just a simple request, it was

Fujitsu Series program? SONIC Motor Racing Services is committed to its technical alliance with Triple Eight Race Engineering – regardless of what cars they are building. Sonic currently runs last year’s BF Falcons in the Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series, with support from Triple Eight. And according to Sonic boss Mick Ritter, his

TeamVodafone and Holden Well, hasn’t Roland Dane just stuck up his middle finger to 90 percent of Triple 8’s supporters! So, Ford wasn’t giving him any money – to quote Dr.Evil “Boo-friggedy-hoo”! There is more to it than just money – he obviously has no understanding of motorsport in this country if he thinks that his team switching to Holden won’t lose them a vast majority of their support. Yes, they will pick up some Holden fans, especially the Lowndes ones, but I think he’s got his head seriously buried in the sand if he reckons HRT fans are going to swap sides to Vodafone. Dean Turner Email Sticking with Ford – will never support a Holden team

Unfortunately it looks like its the beginning of the end for V8 Supercars, with 20 Holdens and 10 Fords next year why bother going or watching? The Biante series or NASCAR looks far more appealling. If TC and his men don’t want the V8 Supercars to go back 10 years, get Ford and give ‘em a shake up. Give the now unfunded Kelly Racing some money to jump to Ford and give the talented James Moffat a drive. Ford and Moffat sounds great. Gary Tonkin Charlton Vic Well congratulations to Holden motorsport for signing 888 to Holden for the next three years. I suppose if you can’t beat them you can always buy them.

Other readers have just been imagining what a TeamV Commodore will look like ... Art by Scott Yorston

The news is a bit of a shock and disappointment for the likes of me, who are Ford and V8 Supercar supporters. What do we have to look forward to now that the two most competitive and successful teams fall under the Holden banner? As for Ford and their brilliant marketing person who chose to cut ties with all Ford teams other than the FPR and Stones who, after receiving Ford $$$s haven’t come close to matching 888, they can always wisely spend their marketing money on the Ladies Lacross competition or competitive knitting for seniors. A very disillusioned former Ford Supporter (Name withheld by request)

During the late 80s and 90s when the racing fields were almost exclusively the domain of Group A (yuck) and the Holdens, and very few paying spectators, we were treated to boring, virtual one make racing. When in the early 90s Ford again entered the fray formally, we no longer saw a parade of HRT cars 1 and 2 and all the others a lap behind. There were people warning back then about the viability of two make racing, but Holden and Ford were allowed to set the agenda. We are now at the point where we are to return to virtual one make racing and the subsequent disinterest from fans. As Dick Johnson has stated, the cost of developing and advancing his team is not viable if they do not have partners in this development, so consequently, he, Paul Cruickshank and Marcus Marshall will fall well behind and become uncompetitive as FPR and Stone Brothers are now. RIP V8Supercars. David Turner Dulong Qld

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n: The Fans have their Say Here is a sample of the enormous number of letters we have received since the TeamVodafone-to-Holden deal was announced last week ... What ever happened to the old adage of ‘if you can’t beat, join them’, because I do believe this change is the exact opposite of that. Guys, you should have going out there doing for the fans and the love of the sport and try and make HRT become a Ford team. If you are beating them, you shouldn’t change to help them win; you should be going out to keep beating them. I don’t know what I’m more ticked off over at the moment, the fact that T8 have turned their back on their loyal Ford fans or the fact both drivers have come over the last couple of months and said that they will never put their bums in a Holden again only to have been planning it all along. Sorry boys, this is yet another fan you have lost. I don’t wish you bad luck on your new venture, but I will finish in saying the best champion for this year, in my books, will be Garth Tander, a man who knows where his loyalty lies and has his fans at heart. Ben Randall Via email In 2006 at Clipsal, interviews were aired on the big screen with several drivers where they were pizza drivers promoting a sponsor – one being Jamie Whincup. In the interview he was asked several questions one being “What has been your worst job?”. His reply; “Driving a Holden”. And in 2010 we see him back in the Holden colours. Hey, I’m a Holden fan. To have great drivers come over and fly the red colours, I’m all for it. But what I’m annoyed about is it just goes to show you should

never really open your mouth up to soon cause one day you may come to realise the ones that originally helped you are the ones that again lend a hand. Kylie Hearne Carlton NSW What the hell are Ford up to? First you let your funding be given to only two teams. Then you watch the best team in the field win everything. Now one of the better drivers is out of Ford contract, and you let him walk as well. Now you let the best team in the game cross to the other side. What kind of Muppets are running Ford Motorsport? V8 Supercars, how the hell did you let this happen? May as well call it V8Supercomms. Surely you want a fair Ford versus Holden battle. All I want is even numbers on the playing field. Rodney Swinney Email

everyone would want answered. Did Craig Lowndes and Jamie Wincup know of the planned defection to Holden before they resigned with Triple 8? I expect we will never know the truth. Graham Lawrence Email Dear Roland, Craig & Jamie, I hope your deal with Holden has provided you with enough funds to provide refunds to the diehard Ford fans who have pumped millions of merchandise dollars into you business over the years. You are traitors to Ford

fans and fans of V8 Supercars. Obviously this is not a deal which has happened overnight. The intentions of T8 to defect to Holden should have been made prior to this season and prior to Ford fans pumping more money into 2009 merchandise. I will not be supporting T8 ever again. I would rather support HRT, at least they have been loyal to their fans. This weekend at Sandown I will be supporting DJR. All my T8 merchandise, including merchandise bought at the last round, will be in the bin. Russ Brebner Terranora

Are we on the way to V8 Supercars Holden Cup in 2010? No one should be naive enough not to think V8 Supercars is a business first and sport second, but let us not forget the whole business is built on motorsport and the efforts of volunteers. At this stage, probably at least 60 plus percent of the 2010 field is going to be Holden. Brad Jones went to Holden to improve his and his team’s lot, did it work? I think not. Also which of the current loyal Holden teams will be facing reduced financial suppoprt for Holden to support Triple 8? I think there is a question

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Johnson: I want a new deal now

Dirk Klynsmith

STEVEN Johnson wants his driving future sorted by the end of this month. The #17 Jim Beam Racing man and his management has set themselves an August deadline to secure a new racing deal – likely to be with his current team JBR. Johnson has driven for his family-owned (these days part-owned) team for his entire V8 Supercar career, but was only signed for a one-year deal this year. Now, after his best season to date (including two podium finishes), Johnson is keen to lock away a multi-year deal as soon as possible. “Another one year deal is not really of interest to me,” he told eNews. “I want to lock in my future, and yeah, I’d like to be here. “Things have gone better for me this year and everything is going along great, so I don’t know why we’d change. It all seems to be working …” Johnson says that negotiations have already begun. “We’re starting to negotiate now, and with other people as well. I don’t want to go through the enduros and late in the year wondering what’s going to happen next year. We want to get it sorted early.” – GRANT ROWLEY For more with Steven Johnson, check out ‘Five Minutes With’ on page 24.

Dirk Klynsmith

V8 SUPERCARS

Bahrain at the double V8 SUPERCARS

V8 SUPERCARS is pushing ahead with its plans for Bahrain this season, along with a Middle East double header in 2010. Pit-lane discussion on the weekend put down recent suggestions that the Gulf Air 400, set for the Bahrain International Circuit on November 5-7, may be postponed in order to facilitate a February Bahrain-Abu Dhabi trip, with rounds to be run on

successive weekends. But according to the latest discussions, the BIC race will proceed this year, as it has done in recent seasons. However, the rumour mill is also suggesting that BIC and the new Yas Marina circuit (which will host the final race in the Formula 1 World Championship in November) will be the scene of a double-weekend start to the 2010 V8 Supercar Championship Series calendar, sometime in February.

BRIEFLY... n There is no word yet

on the entertainment involved in the seasonclosing Dunlop Sydney 500. V8 Supercars Australia had planned to announced the acts to appear at Homebush last week but, according to a spokesman, “ongoing discussions” mean that the identity of the performers is still some way from being announced. n A new campaign and fighting fund to help save Gold Coast motorsport venues has been set up. Gold Coast businessmen and motorsport identities Terry Morris and Brett ‘Crusher’ Murray, have setup a campaign called ‘Place To Race’ to kick the Gold Coast City Council into action in a bid to establish a permanent facility in southeast Queensland.

The Freeze is on

V8 teams call end to suspension, rad development V8 SUPERCARS DEVEOPMENT of V8 Supercars radiators and suspension have been frozen from the Queensland Raceway round onwards in an attempt to further cut costs for teams. Just like the engine regulations, no further additions to the radiator and suspension parts will be accepted onto the component

lists from the Queensland round onwards. Ford Performance Racing team owner and V8 Supercars Australia board member Tim Edwards told eNews that the decision was financially driven. “Everybody’s bleeding at the moment, so the more we can help the better,” he said. “Everybody has a wishlist on what they want to design for their cars and this obviously

puts a line through some of those ideas, for sure. “Every team will have development in the pipeline, so every team will have been impacted by the decision, but it is what it is. You have to work within the rules of the championship and obviously I understand the reasoning behind it so it’s the right thing to be doing.” – GRANT ROWLEY

n The weather in Melbourne on the weekend must have felt arctic for a visiting member of the Bahraini royal family at Sandown. The un-named royal was at the track as part of the country’s involvement in the V8 Supercar series. n And while we do not normally report on matters in the American Superbike Series, it would be wrong not to note that Mat Mladin announced his retirement at the weekend. The six-time US champion will quit at the end of this season.

IT’S RICHO’S TURN

Dirk Klynsmith

n Holden Motorsport Manager Simon McNamara was a no-show at the announcement of HRT’s three-year contract extension at Sandown on Friday. Nothing untoward … McNamara’s wife was in the process of giving birth to baby Jenson. Congrats to all concerned.

Richards to test SBR car as part of tech-sharing deal V8 SUPERCARS DON’T read too much into it, but Steven Richards is to test a Stone Brothers Racing Falcon next week. The offer from SBR follows an earlier ‘driverexchange’ agreement with Ford Performance Racing, when Mark Winterbottom stepped into an SBR car and SBR’s Shane Van Gisbergen drove

one of FPR’s cars. The swap was part of the two teams’ cooperative approach to a number of the technical aspects of V8 racing. Richo has, of course, driven for Stone Brothers in the past, most notably taking victory at Bathurst, teamed with Jason Bright, in 1998. The test will be part of a full SBR test day, at Queensland Raceway, next Thursday.

Splitter controversy over, as rivals trade protest blows then kiss and make up

Hugs and kisses in V8 pit lane V8 SUPERCARS Dirk Klynsmith

V8 SUPERCARS’ Splitter controversy, which started at Winton Raceway and rumbled on for thre months, has ended amid unprecedented pit-lane bonhomie. The matter came to a head on the weekend when Triple Eight Race Engineering submitted a protest over the eligibility of Will Davison’s race-winning Commodore on Saturday. The protest, over the fitting of a blanking plate behind the car’s front grille, was dismissed, but T8 lodged a Notice of Intention to Appeal. The following day, there were discussions over the Winton matter. Already, Stewards had completed the hearing of evidence and submissions from Walkinshaw Performance (WP), T8 and the IPO (Peter Wollerman) concerning the protest lodged

by WP against the eligibility of the front bar and splitter mounts on TeamVodafone cars, and the actions of the Category Technical Director (then Campbell Little) arising from the fifth race of the season at Winton. When no Notices of Appeal was lodged by any of the parties involved in the matter, and following “further discussions”, the Stewards permitted T8 to withdraw the Notice of Appeal previously lodged in the Davison protest. eNews sought comments from both WP’s Craig Wilson and T8’s Roland Dane. “No comment,” said Wilson. “Nothing further to add,” said Dane.

WELL there you go. After three months of angst, hissyfits and bitch-slapping, the Chris Lambden HRT/Triple Eight protest-fest eNews Publisher is over! Honestly … team principals, at ten paces. Turn and shoot. Still, it is good too see, in a week when Motorsport eNews broke the news that the two would be Holden ‘sister’ teams from 2010 on, some common sense prevail. Ever since the original splitter controversy exploded, Roland Dane had been waiting for an HRT win in order to fire back a salvo of his own eligibility queries, and it came on Saturday. And, we hear, there was plenty more to come. So, well done to the Common Sense Brigade and whoever brokered ‘peace’. It was becoming tiresome. What it does highlight, however, are some clearly glaring holes in the fine print of the V8 Technical Regulations. There’s a worthwhile project for the tech boys at V8 HQ … whoever is formally heading that department at the moment. As we have suggested before, just employ (or re-employ?) the right person, provide support, and let him get on with the job.

Bayliss tests Fiore Commodore

... and is a chance to drive in the V8 enduros V8 SUPERCARS TROY Bayliss tested Dean Fiore’s Paul Morris Motorsport-prepared Commodore VZ at Queensland Raceway last week. The two-time World Superbike champion completed a number of laps, and according to Fiore, acquitted himself well in only his second serious V8 session. “He went really good,” Fiore said. “He did everything we expected him to do. Troy obviously isn’t foreign to motorsport, and like The Dude (Paul Morris) and I were saying amongst us, you’d think that he’d been doing it his whole life.” The question now is if Bayliss can be ready to compete in the Phillip Island and Bathurst endurance races. Bayliss tested a Triple Eight Falcon in June and noted that he is eyeing a four-wheeled career. Fiore has a number of drivers on his wishlist for eeh co-drivers seat alongside

himself, including Bayliss, Aaron Caratti, David Russell and Marcus Marshall, but the lure of having a former world champ partner him is a tempting one. “We’re trying to see if the shoe will fit,” he says. “If we can we’ll do it. “We’d like to make it all work. If we can generate some money around his name, then that’s great. The cameras are going follow if he drove the car, so it would be a win-win for us. On the other hand for us, we want to do well and finish both races as high as possible, so if we think that he’s capable of doing it, then yeah, we’ll look at it.” Fiore will test his Commodore at Queensland Raceway next Thursday and the West Australian hopes to have his enduro driver locked away beforehand to allow them to get as much seat time as possible prior to the races. – GRANT ROWLEY

opinion

news

Ken Ferguson

THE RETURN OF THE 2+4 V8 SUPERCARS

Yamaha

THE 2+4 motor racing format is back, with confirmation that Australia’s best Superbike racers will take to Phillip Island during the L&H 500 weekend next month. After the absence of more than a decade, the Superbikes will race in two 10-lap nonchampionship races at the iconic Grand Prix track, and have a full qualifying session, including a single-bike Superpole. Superbikes were a regular fixture on the bill of what was then the Shell ATCC in the 1990s, until the two series split in 1999. V8 Supercars Chief Operating Office Shane Howard said that the Superbikes were part of a plan to turn the endurance event into a major extravaganza. “We started this project back in 2003, to see if we could pit the two-plus-four concept back together,” he said. “We are going to build the L&H 500 into a major motor

racing festival.” Howard said that there had been discussions with categories such as Formula 5000 but no details about other support events are forthcoming. However, Howard did confirm that camping sites would be available for the event, and that an entertainment and catering precinct would be established, to provide for the expected visitors to the track when the track is not in use. More than 30 bikes are expected to enter the races, and Australian Superbike Championship promoter Yarrive Konsky said that he was open to discussions about more 2+4 events in the future – though V8 Supercars Australia Executive Chairman Tony Cochrane emphasised that he wanted to see Phillip Island work before there were discussions about any other events. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” he said. – PHIL BRANAGAN

Itchy Feet? Don’t look for Lowndes to sneak out on his Yamaha R1 ...

Taz takes a hit FUJITSU V8S

TAZ Douglas has slammed the driving standards in the Fujitsu Series after a costly clash with Brad Lowe at Sandown last weekend. Douglas’ self-run Commodore took a big hit in the rear from Lowe’s MW Motorsport Falcon on the first lap of Race 2, when Douglas was running third and Lowe miscalculated his braking into Dandenong Road from fifth place. It ended Douglas’ race, denied him any chance of a good result, and left him frustrated with what he described as “over driving”. “Some of these guys think they are good enough to

race in the main series, but incidents like this prove that they aren’t,” he said. “We are supposed to be learning here; we are development series drivers, and that means we can’t do things that main series drivers do. A few select drivers think they are Mark Skaife. “Just because you can afford to buy a good drive and you can reel of one quick lap doesn’t make you an expert. I’m here to try and become a better driver, but I don’t get that chance when incidents like what happened with Brad keep happening.” Lowe was sent to the back of the grid for Race 3 for his part in the crash.

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Brad to the Max

Price: Ready to go and Resting

V8 SUPERCARS

Marshall Cass

V8 SUPERCARS

While Price is not disappointed in Holden’s decision, he says he would have liked to give the Jay Motorsport crew a decent result. “It’s been great doing this with the Jay guys and the only reasons we haven’t had some really good results have been beyond our control.” The Jay Motorsport drive will now be made available for lease. – ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN

Marshall Cass

SHANE Price has made his last start in the Fujitsu Series for 2009, and will now focus on his endurance race commitments with Walkinshaw Racing. Price has been racing for Jay Motorsport in the Fujitsu Series this year, logging miles ahead of the endurance races, in which he’ll drive one of the factory-supported Commodores. But with the

enduros closing in, and Price basically out of the title running, Holden has chosen to discontinue the ex-Perkins driver’s FV8 program. “The main aim was miles, and the enduros are coming up so I need to concentrate on those,” he said. “I’ll do the rookie session at Queensland Raceway, and that will cap off a good preparation for me, because I’ve been in the cars regularly and doing laps.”

BRAD Jones may race in the enduros this season. The veteran, who stepped out of the cockpit of his BJR team’s cars as a full-time driver at the end of the 2007 season, is in contention to drive because Max Wilson has found himself leading the Brazilian Copa Nextel Stock Car title this season. The Brazilian driver, who with Jones finished fifth at Bathurst last year, does not have any clashing races, but an expanding list of promotional activities for his team are threatening to make it problematic for him to get to Phillip Island and Bathurst.

KIWIS OVERSEAS AUSTRALIAN Formula Ford’s latest – and youngest – new race winner Mitch Evans is seeking special dispensation to make his wings-and-slicks debut this summer. The 15-year-old is hoping to compete in this year’s Toyota Racing Series in his native New Zealand, but may fall foul of a new rule the series has implemented requiring drivers to be at least 16, despite NZ’s rules allowing competition licences as young as 14. Ironically, Evans is the first young driver at national level to take advantage of CAMS new-for-2009 age limit of 14 in Australia, the minimum previously sitting at 16. Evans, who won his first AFFC race at Sandown last weekend and sits fourth in

Formula Honda? CLUB RACING

licences when it comes to age versus experience, said Thomlinson, “and this understanding between ourselves and Motorsport NZ still applies; Brendan Hartley had just turned 15 yrs when he raced in TRS. “In the case of Mitch he was granted a Super Licence for TRS Lites last season to compete in the NZ Grand Prix meeting, and also at Hamilton. He did a great job, as he is doing in Australia currently, and still only 15 years old.” Although not confirmed, he is expected to be in line to test for a spot in Red Bull’s junior program before the year is out. – ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN

Stanaway test leads to drive KIWIS OVERSEAS KIWI sensation Richie Stanaway will compete in three rounds of the ADAC Formula Masters later this year, after a successful test in Germany recently. As reported in last week’s eNews, the Formula Forder tested one of the wings-and-slicks cars with the view of returning to Germany in 2010 to race. But his wish has come early, with MaCon Motorsport building a new car for Stanaway to run in races at Nurburgring (August 22), Sachsenring (September 19) and Oschersleben (October 17). Stanaway expects the racing to be more intense than the Australian Formula Ford Championship, but says he should be competitive. “I watched a DVD of one of the last rounds, and it looks intense,” he said. “They had over 25 cars and it looked full on. But we did a race simulation in testing at Lauzitsring and the team said I would have been near the front, so a top 10 should be achievable.” Stanaway sits fifth in the AFFC standings after Sandown, where we was eighth for the round. – ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN

Dirk Klynsmith

IN its 40th year, Formula Ford in America may become Formula Honda. Honda’s California-based racing division, Honda Performance Development, recently announced that it intended to develop a Jazz 1.5-litre four-cylinder engine into a unit suitable for use in existing FF1600 chassis. The fuel injected L15A7 engine would potentially offer competitors much lower running costs that the out-of-production Kent OHV motor, and the aim is to have engines and installation hardware available in a kit (including motor, intake, exhaust, dry sump, restrictor plate and ECU) costing less than US$12,000. Honda demonstrated a car to prospective racers at Road America last month. Eligibility would be dependent on the approval of America’s SCCA, which 0versees competition in FF and a number of other grassroots USA classes.

the series, is hoping to run TRS over the summer, before heading to Europe next year to race wings-and-slicks cars in a bid to make it to Formula 1. “It’s important that we can run TRS this summer because Formula Ford is completely different to a wings-and-slicks category,” Evans told eNews. “To learn about cars like that is critical. People can underestimate kids my age, but I think my results in Formula Ford this year prove that it shouldn’t be a problem.” While TRS category manager Barrie Thomlimson didn’t confirm Evans would be granted a licence, he offered a good indication that the talented youngster would be allowed to compete. “There has always been discretion for

Dirk Klynsmith

Evans’ age of reason

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MINI commits to Challenge MINI CHALLENGE

Marshall Cass

MINI Challenge has committed to the Australian motorsport scene until 2011 and beyond. A press conference at Sandown on Saturday outlined the manufacturers commitment to its one-make category, including an announcement that Pizza Capers will be the class’s major sponsor for the next two seasons. Justin Hocevar, National Manager of MINI Challenge said that “There’s a lot of change going on out there, but MINI Challenge is something that we’ve made a very firm commitment to,” he said. “We’re entering agreements with numerous parties until 2011. “We’ve got a fantastic new category and we think there’s a lot of scope to build on that.” The MINI Challenge Series has gone through a turbulent period over its 18

month existence. The original category management agreement with Sherrin Motorsport ended mid-last season when the company went into receivership, which saw Ted Toleman Motorsport take over. While that deal has ensured MINI Challenge remains on track, grid numbers are now the next hurdle for the class to overcome. Just 14 cars entered the Sandown round, and Toleman says that this number needs to increase. “It’s not where we want it to be,” he said. “We’ve spoken to a lot of potential drivers, and being able to confirm that we’re here for at least the next three years, and more, plus a major sponsor, that gives potential competitors confidence in us. “We’ll have 20 next year, maybe even before that. As soon as we get to the Gold Coast and Homebush, those meetings will entice people.” – GRANT ROWLEY

IndyCar: 17 in 2010 INDYCARS

A to I in 12 Hour BATHURST 12 HOUR THE Bathurst 12 Hour endurance race has confirmed its date and eligibility list for the 2010 race. The fourth running of the race in its reborn state will be run on February 12-14, with a field of 50 cars expected to enter. The class structure has been simplified for 2010, and event manager James O’Brien says that the correlation between showroom and race track has never been more evident. “Our intention is to retain the production based concept for the 2010 Race, albeit with a simpler class structure and definitive eligibility list,” he said. “The event will also offer

manufacturers the opportunity to profile alternate energy vehicles such as Diesel, LPG or Hybrid in a special class to highlight the changing trends in the automotive industry.” The field will also see the first entry of an international entry. A New Zealand BMW 130i entry has been logged, making it the first overseas car to compete in the race. The Bathurst 12 Hour will again be televised in a three-hour, post-produced programme on the Seven Network with replays on Fox Sports, and Internationally through Europe, North America and New Zealand. Vehicles racing in both the New Zealand and Australian MINI Challenge and V8 Ute

Marshall Cass

INDYCAR has announced its 2010 program, with 17 races, including eight ovals, four permanent road courses, five temporary circuits start earlier with a race in Brazil, to still be determined. Disappearing from the schedule are the short oval track Richmond and The Milwaukee . The Detroit Grand Prix, in an area hit hardest by the economic downturn of Ford, GM, and Chrysler, is postponed until 2011, as is Cleveland. “We couldn’t be more pleased with the diversity of the schedule as it will help us maintain a championship tradition that has been exciting for both competitors and fans,” said Brian Barnhart, IRL’s President of Competition and Operations. The 2010 schedule keeps inline with our goal to create a championship that requires drivers and teams to master a variety of tracks over the course of the season, and hopefully once again see our title battle come down to the final race of the year.” – MARY MENDEZ

2010 Bathurst 12 Hour Classes Class A High Performance (All Wheel Drive) Class B High Performance (Rear Wheel Drive) Class C Performance Class D Production (Sport) Class E Production (Small) Class F Alternative Energy Class G Mini Challenge Class H V8 Utes Class I Invitational categories will be eligible. The Invitational class will be open to cars that fit the philosophy of the 12 Hour event, but which may not be specifically eligible to compete in the Australian Manufacturers Championship.

Raining at Pocono NASCAR

NASCAR Media

SUNDAY’S NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Pocono has been postponed because of rain. After heavy rain hit Pennsylvania throughout the day, and despite efforts to dry the track that lasted well into the afternoon, NASCAR officials decided shortly after 4:00pm that there wasn’t enough daylight time to get the track dry again and get

the race complete. The race will now start on Monday at midday, weather permitting. With qualifying rained off and the starting field was set by the point standings, Tony Stewart and Jimmie Johnson were scheduled to start on the front row. But points leader Stewart will now start at the back of the pack, having he switched to a backup car after hitting the wall hard in practice on Saturday.

I cannot do a thing with my hair: The Jet Driers were in action but to no avail. The Pocono race will not start midday Monday.

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Grubnic returns to NHRA Top Fuel

Green and Gold! Gold! INDUSTRY

Aussie reunites with Kalitta’s in 3-race deal

Dave O

NHRA TOP FUEL DAVE Grubnic is back in the Top Fuel business. The Aussie will return to the NHRA’s premier category at Brainerd International Raceway on August 14-16, in a second Kalitta Motorsports fueler. Grubnic, 46, will will also race in the two following NHRA events in Reading, Pennsylvania and at Indianapolis. Connie Kalitta’s team currently fields entries for

Doug Kalitta in Top Fuel and Jeff Arend, who races at Toyota Solara Funny Car. “Connie has some things he wants to try out and bringing Grubnic’s car back out is the best way for him to do that,” Jim Oberhofer, Kalitta Motorsports general manager said. “NHRA limits our testing time, so having another car out there racing will help us try some new things without compromising the

performance of our two fulltime racers.” Grubnic drove a Top Fueler for Kalitta Motorsports between 2004 and 2008, but he has been sidelined so far this season due to budget constraints. He has two NHRA national event wins in 14 final round appearances in his 14year Top Fuel career. Longtime Kalitta Motorsports race car mechanic James Riola will step up to be crew chief on Grubnic’s ride.

WITH support from the Australian Trade Commission (Austrade), and significant funding from state governments, the Australian Automotive Aftermarket Association will be running a major Australian Pavilion at this year’s PRI Trade Show (December 10-12) in Orlando, Florida, and has already secured over 200 sq metres of space. The AAAA are offering members a highly competitive all-inclusive exhibition display package, which includes: A 3m x 3m display area with lighting, carpet, solid walls, furniture, a reception counter with lockable storage, basic catering and a large meeting space; Exclusive access to a 36sqm networking space within the pavilion to conduct meetings; VIP invitation to the Australian Networking Evening Function hosted by the AAAA and Austrade during the PRI show with the option to invite customers to this function; Exclusive access to a qualified leads list attending the show, put together in conjunction with the AAAA, Austrade and PRI. A large number of companies have already expressed keen interest in participating in the pavilion – bookings are available now. Interested parties should contact Ben Bartlett or Kathryn Abbott in the AAAA National Office on 03 9561 7044 or email kathryn@aaaa.com.au.

New name for Bullas switches to drag champs XA Falcon BIANTE SERIES

DRAG RACING ANDRA Drag Racing has changed the name of its Group 1 championships. The ‘ANDRA Pro Series’ is the new title for the championships, which will officially kick off at Willowbank Raceway this weekend with the first round on August 8 and 9. The Pro Series contains a complete redesign in the operations of elite drag racing, says ANDRA spokesperson Tony Beuk at

the launch of the new brand in Sydney. “This is a bold step for the sport,” said Beuk. “This is a complete redesign of our operations. The Pro Series will represent the elite championship chase for competitors in Australia.” Round 1 of the ANDRA Pro Series at Willowbank Raceway will see Pro Series brackets represented by Top Doorslammer, Top Bike and Top Alcohol, accompanied by sportsman action from Group 2, 3 and 4.

GAVIN Bullas is putting the final touches on a new XA Falcon Hardtop for the 2010 Biante Touring Car Masters. The reigning series Champion and current leader of the Biante-supported series has one of the classic Falcon chassis near complete, with the body currently being welded in anticipation of the roll cage being fitted. There was a chance that the car would be ready for the Bathurst round of the series in October, but Bullas says that he plans to have it tried and tested for the opening round of next year’s title. “It’s going to be good,” he enthused. “We’ve got a good, strong 351 Cleveland engine coming along and we’re hoping to have about 650hp in it. “I’d like to drive it next year. I want to do a few tests in it first, but Biante want me to run the Mustang again for another year, so we may run the Mustang, or we could run both. We’ll just have to wait and see. “I could run both, rotate them at different events and try something different. It would be interesting, but I’m looking forward to getting into the Hardtop.” The new XA Falcon is being built by Bullas’s regular engineer Tony Black. Bullas is reserving his judgement on the capabilities of the new car until he gets his backside in it. “I don’t really know what the differences are going to be,” he said. “The Mustang feels a bit smaller, but until I get into the XA, we’re not really going to know.” – GRANT ROWLEY

Stubber’s ‘Kiwi Killer’ almost ready HISTORIC TOURERS PAUL Stubber doesn’t do things by halves … The West Aussie motor racing nut is currently building a new classic challenger for New Zealand’s Central Muscle Car Series this summer, and he’s taken full advantage of the technical freedom offered by the Kiwi’s version of the Biante Series – including the use of a Richard Childress Racing NASCAR engine, making more than 700 horsepower. Actually, Stubber and co have got their hands on two NASCAR engines for the new Camaro, each offering different power and torque curves. The car will be debuted at the Muscle Car Masters at Eastern Creek in Sydney in September, by which time Stubber would have ‘warmed up’ with a trip to the US to race a Mustang at Laguna Seca and a quick visit with Marcos Ambrose at Bristol. – ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN

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Classic scores cash upgrade SPEEDWAY THE 2010 Grand Annual Sprintcar Classic will be the most lucrative in the history of Australia’s most prestigious speedway event. Premier Speedway Club has introduced an extra $5,500 into the event, which will be aimed mainly at second-tier competitors. The significant injection of dollars is the first significant prize money boost in five years, lifting the total to $107,500, with tow money packages boosting the payout to between $135,000 to $140,00. “I’d be 100 percent confident we’d be in the top three paying shows in Australia, and very confident we’d be nearly the richest,” club manager David Mills said. “As a club we are very mindful in these harsh economic times of the need to look after the competitors as best we can, especially when it comes to the Classic and the standing it has within the speedway community. We are confident that the changes we

have made will continue to make the event an attractive one for all competitors, thus hopefully ensuring we continue to receive the strong support from the drivers and teams that we have enjoyed.” Prizemoney for Saturday’s preliminary feature, the Australia-America Challenge Cup, is unchanged. “The Classic winner will still pocket a cool $30,000, with

positions two through to eight still enjoying the same prize money allocation as was the case in 2009,” Mills added. “From position nine in the A-Main, right through to the back end of the C-Main, every competitor will see an increase, with those that start the A-Main guaranteed $1,200 just for starting the Classic final. A start in the BMain has also been increased

from $300 to $500.” The usual tow money packages will still apply, as will bonuses for the best presented car and crew, quick time and the hard charger of the Classic final. The total payout for the 2010 Classic AMain alone will be $73,350. Entry forms will be sent out and made available online shortly for the 2010 Classic. – GEOFF ROUNDS

New GM for NASR SPEEDWAY THE National Association of Speedway Racing has a new General Manager. Dale Gilson was announced by NASR Chairman Neil Sayer last weekend, and both parties are excited by the new direction. “The board has full confidence in Dale and his ability to bring the organisation and the sport up to the next level,” he said. “He has been employed to perform a different type of job to what we have been used to. He will engage government departments, continue to work on unifying the sport, and maximise sponsorship and grant opportunities in

order to relieve the financial pressure on licence holders. “Dale comes from a professional sports administration background, so will have a completely fresh outlook, and we see this as an excellent development for Australian speedway as we take this new direction.” NASR engaged Niche Consulting Group to advertise the position following the resignation of Tim McAvaney in June. Over 90 applications were received with four interviewed for the position by the selection committee. Gilson has already commenced work in his new role this week and will commute to Adelaide from his Melbourne home.

“I am looking forward to getting to know everyone in the speedway community and tackling the challenges ahead,” Gibson said. “I believe my background in professional sports administration will be an asset to NASR and the sport of speedway as we move forward. I can look at the organisation from a business perspective with an unbiased viewpoint, and implement strategies and practices for the benefit of all.” Meanwhile, Competition Manager Paul Trengove has been promoted to manage the operations of the NASR Head Office, as well as all competition related matters. – GEOFF ROUNDS

5 Minutes with ...

STEVEN JOHNSON

It’s contract time, and Stevie J’s top five championship place has put him in good GRANT ROWLEY stead for an early (multi-year) renewal MOTORSPORT NEWS: You’re doing the business on the track this year – running fifth in the championship and two podiums. You only have a one year contract. What’s your situation for 2010 and beyond? STEVEN JOHNSON: Another one year deal is not really of interest to me. I want to lock in my future, and yeah, I’d like to be here. Things have gone better for me this year and everything is going along great, so I don’t know why we’d change. It all seems to be working …

Last year, you didn’t sort your deal until January/February. What’s your ideal timeline this time around? I want my future decided by the end of August. We’re starting to negotiate now, and with other people as well. I don’t want to go through the enduros and late in the year

James Smith

Staying at Jim Beam Racing seems to make too much sense. Not only is the family name on the door, but the results are there for all to see. Absolutely. This is one of the best teams, certainly in terms of personnel and the cars are proving to be quite fast. And we’re managing to get more and more out of them each weekend. It’s only going to get better as well. We’re showing pace to win races this year, and we’ve only had these cars for six months so I think they are going to get even strong and by next year, we’ll be right up the front, week in and week out – but we’re pretty much doing that now anyway.

wondering what’s going to happen next year. We want to get it sorted early. (Johnson’s manager) Dale Rodgers and I have been working hard on that to have an end-of-August deadline and I think we’re on the right track to meet that. Was the turning point getting these new cars? Yeah, I think so. I think the turning point has also been with (DJR part-owner) Charlie Schwerkolt and how that’s all come about. We wouldn’t be here without him, and obviously, we wouldn’t be here without Dad as well. We’re all working together well and it’s putting us on the map. Charlie is a great

businessman and commercially, has put us back into a position where we’re making good money, and attracting great sponsors like Jim Beam. You’re running ,… in the title. We can’t write you off as a championship contender yet. If we won Phillip Island and Bathurst, and Jamie (Whincup) and Will (Davison) have average weekends, bang, we’re there again. I wouldn’t write us off yet. We’re pushing hard, the other guys are obviously doing good jobs, but all we need is those other guys to trip over, lose some points and we’ll be right there at the top. It would only take one mistake ...

Speaking of the enduros, I’m sure you’d agree that getting a win there would be the ultimate for this team, considering the past couple of seasons. Yeah absolutely. All up, we’ve had a pretty good year. James (Courtney), by his standards, has had an average run because of some mistakes. I’ve had some good results, and we’re running third in the team’s championship. If we won Bathurst, it would top off a season that’s been quite remarkable for us. Our team has had a win this year, James has had three podiums and I’ve had two. It’s a hell of a lot more than what we had last year.

chat

Dirk Klynsmith

There goes the Datsun!

HERE are many facets to the TeamVodafone-Holden alliance – but there is one huge one that I have not seen discussed anywhere. In signing a three-year Holden deal, T8 boss Roland Dane has, intentionally or otherwise, locked in V8 Supercars as a twomake series for the foreseeable future. Like it or lump it, it’s Holdens v Fords from now until somebody has a better idea. In effect, since the announcement a year ago that Ford was channelling its financial backing into Ford Performance Racing and the Stone Brothers, TeamVodafone has been an orphan – a team without backing from any car brand. Yes, Craig Lowndes had – has – his Ford deal to run its course until December 31, and there was Pig branding on the cars. But otherwise, T8 was open for business, with a ‘For Hire’ sign out the front. Think about it for a second. If you place any biases aside, you would have to admit that the Fones are the best V8 Supercar team in pitlane. Lowndes is the most popular driver in the sport. Jamie Whincup is the best driver in the series; in fact, looking at 2009 compared to last year, you could mount a credible argument that

JDub is the best touring car driver in the world. Commercially, with backing from Vodafone, Nokia, Norton 360, Komatsu, Toshiba and Dexion, not to mention the team’s stellar merchandising program, TeamV is on a sound commercial footing. Surely, if any other brand was going to come into the sport, this was the time. As if winning three Bathurst 1000s and a Drivers’ and Teams’ title with Falcon BFs was not sufficient evidence, when it wheeled a brand-new FG out in Adelaide, and thrashed everyone – then did it again, and again, and again – Triple Eight Race Engineering showed that, within architectural and aerodynamic reason, it could take any car and turn it into a race winner. Don’t forget, the Eights’ cars have been superior to all the Commodores this season, despite the Holden teams having a two-year head start on developing their VEs. Anyone – Toyota, Nissan, anyone – would have looked at the opportunity and rubbed their hands with glee – providing, that is, that they had anything more than a faint and passing interest in joining the series. Cosying up to T8 was a fast-

opinion Phil Branagan Executive Editor track to success; it was the motor racing equivalent to sidestepping the queues for the rides at Disneyland, and just jumping on. There is no reason to assume that T8’s Commodores will not be front row contenders at the first race of 2010, any more than T8 cars of any third brand would, likewise, be in contention to win. So, that boat has sailed. Maybe other marques shopped, then kept walking; maybe Holden’s Simon McNamara got his foot through the door first, and made sure nobody could follow. If he did, good luck to him. And if the $6m-for-three-years number being bandied about is remotely accurate, Simon just delivered Holden the bargain of the decade. Ford’s nightmare scenario may be about to come true. At the same time, if the Walkinshaws ever lacked motivation, they sure as hell have it now – in matching hues.

opinion

BRING ON THE 2+4!

Marty Craggill 2-time Australian Superbike Champion

Suzuki

S far as I am concerned, it is great news that we are going to be racing Superbikes on the same weekend as the V8 Supercars at Phillip Island. Funny enough, just recently, I have been watching some videos of the 2+4 races we had in the 1990s, when we raced with the Shell Series. I remember the huge crowds, there were autograph sessions for the fans to meet the riders, there were kids there and the bike manufacturers all supported it, because it was a good way to showcase their bikes to potential customers. The crowds were great. In 1997 or 1998, I remember the Oran Park weekend, and there were about 40,000 people there on Sunday, and that was fantastic. In Superbikes, it’s down on that now, but I hope that it can get back to that level in the future. Everyone used to carry on that we were second-fiddle, but I never felt that. We were putting on a great show, the teams had a better product to sell to sponsors, and there

opinion

A decade later: Superbikes will return to the Island on the V8 Supercar program, so expect to see Craggill, and other contenders like fellow Suzuki man SHawn Giles, above, in action next month. was a big rivalry between good grounding for the bike Racing at Phillip Island is the Supercar drivers and the guys to be in that environment, always good. I have to be Superbike riders. The lap times especially if they went overseas. realistic, I have been off the always were very close, no Some guys used to complain bike for two years, but I have matter whether we were racing about the tracks, because the Eastern Creek this weekend, at Winton, or in the west, or Supercars would be diving over and then Mallala, to try to step Mallala. When I was on pole, the kerbs and the track surface it up a bit. I am racing a Phil if we were faster than the was dirty. I always found the Tainton Racing Suzuki, and he drivers, they would have the track condition to be pretty always prepares a great bike sads, and vice versa. We would good. We were usually on after and has been really supportive, give each other some stick at the open-wheelers, and they with Maz Building Maintenance press conferences – the media cleaned up the track surface on the side. So make sure you liked to see that – and it was for us. make it to Phillip Island!

eLETTER OF THE WEEK I am a very happy subscriber to your publications which has filled a void that has frustrated me for a long time. Why is it that the general media do not rate or give enough respect to motor sport? On a typical sprint round of the V8’s it would be lucky to get half a page in the leading newspapers or a very brief mention on the sports

news on TV. I could be wrong but I believe that the V8s have a larger audience then the NRL; I would even go as far to say that the V8s are just as big in relation to spectators even though the NRL have over 200 games a year. In Melbourne the NRL has a very small audience yet it has far more media attention than the V8 Supercars.

Take last week –, the biggest news in years with 888 ditching Ford for Holden yet this story pales in relation to an NRL player deferctng to the AFL. Do the media realise how big motor sport is in this country? I guess not. Scott Johnson Narre Warren

Scott Johnson of Narre Warren 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 27

V8 SUPERCARS CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES RACES 13-14 – NORTON 360 SANDOWN CHALLENGE

race

before k e e w e h t adlines e h pair of e a h t h t i d e w g , g n o have h Sandow y t a a k m c e a n b o t f TeamVoda he Red Empire fough AGAN reports tt AN the race bu tching wins. PHIL BR a poles and m

s l l u B d e R The

Dirk Klynsmith

A ‘special’ win V8 SUPERCARS – RACE 13

OU could, quite legitimately, draw a direct line between Sandown Park’s motor racing facility and the Davison family. For three generations, the Melbourne clan has raced at the circuit, and its name is etched deep in the history of the shared sporting arena. Lex Davison lost his life at the track in 1965; his sons Jon and Richard raced at the track in the 1970s and 80s (and Jon was the track’s promoter for more than a decade); and Will and Alex now race V8 Supercars there. So it was fitting that the south-east suburban track saw Will break through and take his first win for the Holden Racing Team. Such a result would be a proud moment for any family; to witness the way he did it made it all the more special. Davison took pole position from rival and former housemate Jamie Whincup and then sped into the distance. He had some weather to cope with, and the job got easier when

Whincup was delayed by a wheel change SNAFU, but Davo’s ‘dramas’ were never enough to stop him from meeting destiny at high speed. “I saw my grandma in the stand,” he smiled later, “waving a scarf with a smile on her face.” It would have brought a smile to the face of many, most in red. While Davison was flourishing, Garth Tander was left to rue a qualifying error, which snookered him at the back of the grid and forced him to chase his was through to 17th by the time the race ended. If there were clouds and silver linings in Team Red, it seemed all the downside was reserved for the Tander side of the garage. But there were other links to the HRT chain. James Courtney led home Craig Lowndes for second, the former Holden works drivers well behind the current one at the end of a Safety Car-free race. Townsville winner Courtney appears to be in a mid-season surge (“It’s great to beat Triple Eight with their own car,” he said cheekily) while Lowndes smiled, as

usual, and played a straight bat after a week during which everybody but him had been talking about his future. The non-T8 Fords struggled, Mark Winterbottom leading and hoping for rain before he changed tyres, with Steven Richards two spots behind. The pair were split by Jack Perkins, whose form continues to run a bit hot-and-cold but, in the cool of Melbourne, was hot. Of course, there was more to come. Davison’s win was the first for HRT since the controversial happenings at Winton and post-race, there was an air of anticipation in waiting for the other shoe to drop. Shortly after, as darkness fell appropriately on the track, the media received word that there was a protest against car #22 from the minders of car #2. The next morning, the word was that “a solution had been found” to the situation. See the news pages for more details. Two team owners in the same series? Yes. With cars of similar colour? Yes. Of the same brand? Soon. Friendly rivalry? Don’t bet on it.

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Dirk Klynsmith

Season highlight: Todd Kelly scored his best result for the year – fourth in Race 13. Below, James Courtney racked up another podium finish for DJR.

Dirk Klynsmith

Dirk Klynsmith John Morris/Mpix

Off and up: Shane van Gisbergen took to the scenery at the start of Race 13, above. Below, Lowndes leaped to third.

V8 Supercar | RACE 13, SANDOWN, VIC

Marshall Cass

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

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

Team/Car Toll HRT Commodore Jim Beam Racing Falcon TeamVodafone Falcon Jack Daniel’s Commodore GRM Commodore TeamVodafone Falcon Supercheap Auto Commodore Jim Beam Racing Falcon Bundaberg Red Commodore Wilson Security Falcon Sprint Gas Racing Commodore Ford Performance Racing Falcon Dodo Racing Team Commodore Ford Performance Racing Falcon SP Tools Racing Falcon Irwin Racing Falcon Toll HRT Commodore GRM Commodore Team BOC Commodore Sprint Gas Racing Commodore Supercheap Auto Commodore WOW Racing Commodore Team Autobarn Commodore Jack Daniel’s Commodore Triple F Racing Commodore Hi-Tec Oils Commodore Fujitsu Racing Falcon Wilson Security Falcon

Race Time 39:34.9720 39:41.3923 39:42.4524 39:53.3344 39:53.7490 39:54.0765 39:54.4256 39:59.8925 40:00.5078 40:02.5956 40:05.9631 40:07.5974 40:15.0574 40:21.9350 40:22.8055 40:23.3317 40:25.9952 40:26.0679 40:26.2057 40:28.7155 40:34.2522 40:38.5433 32 laps 32 laps 32 laps 32 laps 28 laps 27 laps

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

Fastest lap: W Davison on lap 4, 1:10.0743s (record)

That old one-two feeling H V8 SUPERCARS – RACE 14

OW could HRT top Saturday? Surely, a win from pole was about as good as it gets? Not quite. Pole and a 1-2 is just that little bit better. That is what came HRT’s way on Sunday, Garth Tander putting his qualifying mishap to rights with an emphatic win, and Will Davison overdelivering (other drivers had way more Sprint tyre speed left in their rubber than he did) for second. But even then, it was a matter of fortune favouring the local team. “It was pretty straightforward for us,” said Tander. “For once, the Safety Cars fell almost as we wanted them. We stuck to our

strategy.” But there was a battery problem in car #2 and, as the charge went down, so did the straightline speed. “I was surprised it lasted, to be honest.” If HRT had a near-perfect weekend, Jamie Whincup performed what could be best described as a salvage effort for the Fones. The team admitted that the balance of the cars was not the best, a fact mirrored by the position of Whincup (12th) and Craig Lowndes (14th) early in the race. Whincup zoomed into a pack, worked his way through it and emerged on the bottom step of the podium to, somewhat, limit the damage to his previously strong points lead. “Absolutely no excuses,” he offered. “There

were a few little issues going on behind the scenes that we need to address. It’s been a big week.” Two Holdens from the same team were fourth and sixth, a great result for the brothers Jones. Cam McConville’s fourth came following a prompt two-hour engine swap, after his intended unit went sour during qualifying (in which he was only 26th!), while Jason Richards chased Lowndes home after a battle with Rick Kelly and Tony D’Alberto [see breakouts]. Kelly was fairly amped on Sunday, having initially been docked 33 points for his role in an incident with Jason Bright on Saturday (which was later changed to 10 points, more in line with what has happened previously this season). Ricko was warned

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Dirk Kynsmith

Forcing the issue: Garth Tander, left, lead team-mate Will Davison across the line for an historic HRT one-two – the first at Sandown since 1999. Above, James Courtney leads Tony D’Alberto. The latter got in front by the end with a career-best performance.

V8 Supercar | RACE 14, SANDOWN, VIC

Dirk Kynsmith

with a black flag for blocking in Race 14, to our eyes, a decision that was a little fast on the trigger. What was underlined at Sandown was that the Sprint tyre is a success. How many Sandown races have seen the cars lurch around until it took something – maybe rain, sometimes a flood – have struck to liven things up? Not now; the meteorology in Melbourne was just fine. If there is a falsity to having hard vs soft tyres, it’s worth it. They worked just as intended. Rick Kelly led, then dropped back; Lee Holdsworth got into the battle group, then dropped back. Jason Bargwanna led out of sequence, then dropped back, then recovered. And the same happened to the FPR Fords, but from a long way further back. Both cars had problems that put them mid-grid, and it was only in the last laps of the race that the drivers managed to make any ground at all. Tough times at Campbellfield.

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

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

Team/Car Race Time Q Toll HRT Commodore 1:27:49.5475 6 Toll HRT Commodore 1:27:49.8975 1 TeamVodafone Falcon 1:27:56.5977 9 WOW Racing Commodore 1:27:59.6195 26 TeamVodafone Falcon 1:28:01.3357 Team BOC Commodore 1:28:02.4272 21 The Bottle-O Commodore 1:28:03.5134 19 Jim Beam Racing Falcon 1:28:06.1474 2 Sprint Gas Racing Commodore 1:28:09.4882 13 Team Autobarn Commodore 1:28:10.1350 20 GRM Commodore 1:28:13.0793 7 Ford Performance Racing Falcon 1:28:16.0322 16 Jack Daniel’s Commodore 1:28:16.2002 4 Supercheap Auto Commodore 1:28:18.0386 23 Wilson Security Falcon 1:28:18.6208 5 Ford Performance Falcon 1:28:18.6235 15 Jim Beam Racing Falcon 1:28:25.1158 3 Jack Daniel’s Commodore 1:28:25.4831 11 Fujitsu Racing Falcon 1:28:26.4184 25 GRM Commodore 1:28:26.8051 8 Irwin Racing Falcon 1:28:29.3011 18 Wilson Security Falcon 1:28:40.4930 27 Sprint Gas Racing Commodore 62 laps 10 Supercheap Auto Commodore 60 laps 17 Dodo Racing Team Commodore 41 laps 14 Triple F Racing Commodore 34 laps 28 Hi-Tec Oils Racing Commodore 7 laps 29 Bundaberg Red Commodore 2 laps 22 SP Tools Racing Falcon 1 lap 24

Fastest lap: Tander on lap 4, 1:09.8573s (record) Points after R14: Whincup 1791, W.Davison 1674, Tander 1416, Lowndes 1350, S.Johnson 1194, Holdsworth 1116, Winterbottom 1083, R.Kelly 992, Ingall 989, Caruso 984, Coulthard 966, McConville 945, J.Richards 927, Courtney 926, Dumbrell 903, Van Gisbergen 858, S.Richards 843, Davison 765, T.Kelly 744, Bright 681, Reynolds 675, Murphy 621, Patrizi 561, Bargwanna 519, D’Alberto 513, Perkins 471, Fiore 417, Slade 396, Marshall 351, Wood 333, McNally 102.

TD: Breakdown, breakout

THERE were some up-sides and down-sides for Jack Daniel’s Racing at Sandown. There is so much bad luck – we do seem to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. In saying that, there is no point complaining about that – in 06/07, and 03/04, I had a lot of luck on my side! But certainly, it hit us in one hit this year. The Safety Cars were in the wrong place for us this weekend, while we

Dirk Kynsmith

IT just looked like your standard-old Tony D’Alberto race weekend. A steering rack issue in practice followed by a blown tyre early in Saturday’s qualifying session meant limited track time and a starting position of 26th for Race 13. Then just before the first race, a clutch drama meant he was classified as a DNSer. Sunday morning brought some better luck. The Victorian qualified 19th, and with a fresh stack of tyres, things looked promising. The problem was, D’Alberto had been in this position before, but failed to convert. That all changed on Sunday afternoon. TD raced smart, bolted on his fresh Sprint tyres

with 28 laps to go and charged through the field to finish seventh – a career best. “I hate going over old ground with the would of, could of, should of, but a result like this has been coming for a while,” he said. “Now, we’ve done it. It’s not so

COMMENT RICK KELLY JDR V8 Supercar driver were up the front, so I would love to get a result for the team. The cars’ speed is exceptionally good. It was my fault in qualifying. We were fourth on the first two splits, and it was my fault that the last one did not

much the moneky off our back – I think this is just more of a relief. “It just builds confidence. It gives the team confidence in me, our car and the whole group. “We’ve been working pretty hard for this, and at times, you think ‘how hard are these other work out. I did not do the job I needed to do. The car should have been up the front. We still need to work on a couple of little areas, but we are getting closer. Both Todd and myself are drivers that have won endurances races before – though I haven’t won Sandown, I have a second and a third. The team around us, and both of us, are capable of doing the job there, and we have a

blokes working if we can’t even get near them?’” At Sandown, D’Alberto wasn’t just near them – he ran with them, and considering his regular engineer Glenn Seton left the team only last week, it was a result worth celebrating. – GRANT ROWLEY car under us that is quick enough, and in good enough condition to be a contender. We are working towards that now, and the endurance races have been a massive part of our planning for this year. We knew that the car was not going to be quick enough to contend for the championship, but we have a real opportunity to win in the endurance races. I reckon we can do it.

Rick’s upside down weekend

Dirk Kynsmith

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Larko avoids the obvious and goes with the Men in Black

How to start a new race team opinion Mark Larkham V8 pit commentator targets yet, and there have been some issues and failures. But overall, they are doing a really good job. Think what is involved; capital investment, team infrastructure, systems, protocols, build up relationships with suppliers. Then, get the team to become coherent. Then there is the whole other business of servicing your existing sponsors and recruiting and growing new ones. On Saturday, what got my attention was the professional manner in which they dealt with an urgent issue at the start of the race, on Rick’s car.

Literally minutes before the start, it would not fire. There is a fundamental difference between panic and urgency and what I saw from this team was good leadership. They checked the things that could be checked quickly. There was a visual analysis, the plugs and connectors were checked, the ECU was changed. Plug the laptop in, get a diagnostic report. They did that – bang! Crankshaft sensor. They had one at hand, and three guys worked together to change that in a couple of minutes. Highly impressive.

The Red Jacket Day DURING the week before the race, GM Holden Chairman and Managing Director Mark Reuss unwrapped a new deal with TeamVodafone and announced a three-year extension with HRT. Then, he got to witness the Red Team dominate the Sandown weekend, with two poles and two wins. PHIL BRANAGAN spoke to him.

Dirk Kynsmith

How do you top a week like this? That is a good question! We announced the whole Vodafone/ Nokia/Triple Eight activity, then we went in with HRT on Friday morning, so we could talk about how the future lies and how important it is for Holden to win in this series. And then, we did that [win] this weekend. So, it is emotional for me, to be leaving Holden. It is emotional for me to leave the country, Australia, the people and the company. This

could not have been a more fun weekend – I brought my son and it has been absolutely fantastic. I am just thrilled. It is tough [to leave]. These guys have worked really hard, and in the 18 months that I have been here, things have not always gone my way. Now it has, and there is huge confidence coming out of Garth’s win here. I am excited for him. Do you feel like the team has made a statement here, for the future? Absolutely, and that is the plan. As our parent company emerges out of bankruptcy in the United States, Holden is a part of the new GM and our product line is absolutely loaded. You are going to see us announce things in this next week, that are just unbelievable for fuel economy and efficiency. Now, we have our

Marshall Cass

THE obvious thing to talk about after Sandown is Triple Eight versus HRT. Or, should I say, Roland Dane versus Tom Walkinshaw. I am not going to do that – other than to say that I think we the public, over the coming years, are going to be the beneficiaries of the heightened on-and-off the track warfare. Sit back, relax and enjoy the show. During the telecast, I touched on the performance of the Kelly Gang. It should not be understated what they are doing there. Yes, they had some engineering headstarts with Perkins cars, but the enormity of starting a Greenfield site, a new team and sponsor mix, and to see how far they have come by mid-season is terrific. I am sure they have not hit all their own

But here is the clincher. Someone, in the midst of all that, made a quick decision to change tyres. They had the presence of mind to pull the Sprint tyres off and put on Control tyres. They knew Saturday was not going to be their day, but Sunday might be. It would have been silly to start on Sprint tyres and get held up in traffic. Those are the things that you see in a team that makes me think that the Kelly team is working towards having a solid future.

race situation well in hand, with two teams that can absolutely win every weekend. I cannot imagine a better set-up here for Holden, in this sport in the next few years. When you are back in the USA, in your new role [Ed: Reuss will move to the role of Vice President of Global Engineering for GM] will you keep an eye on what goes on in V8 Supercar racing? I love this sport, even before I came here, and even more when I got here. I could not get to as many events as I wanted, for obvious reasons. It is a bad look to be showing up at races when the company is going through a tough time, so I chose not to do that. But believe me, I am in front of the TV every weekend, watching this, and it is spectacular to be able to watch this in your own backyard. Absolutely spectacular.

FUJITSU V8 SUPERCARS SERIES ROUND 4 – SANDOWN

Sneak ing th rough th

David GRAN Russell to T ROWLEYokm t h repor e Fujitsu r o ts on an up und win a nd and d own vaulted week t end o the top

of the

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he gap s

Dirk Klynsmith

FUJITSU V8s

AVID Russell has vaulted back into title contention with victory in Round 4 of the Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series at Sandown last weekend. After a disappointing round at Townsville, Russell qualified fifth at Sandown before being turned around by Damien Assaillit in Race 1 on a greasy circuit. Russell’s weekend looked to be shot to pieces when he could only manage ninth in that race. Enter, the reverse grid Race 2. From the front row, Russell was untouched on his way to the win, and with another front-row start for the final, he eventually took the lead to

record his second round win for the year and move back into the title lead. Russell knew that the only way to get back into the fight for round honours (and to keep his title hopes alive), he needed a win in Race 2. “I had to get the win in the reverse grid race I had to get the points,” he said. “When (James) Moffat and (Jonathon) Webb had dramas, that worked out well, but it all goes around. I’ve had my up and down rounds. I had a huge downer at Townsville when I was looking good for a top three, so its good to be back here on the podium getting big points.” Besides his Race 1 spin, Russell’s only other scare came at the start of Race 3 when

he and Daniel Gaunt fought for track position. The Falcon pair ran wide and allowed Grant Denyer through to the lead. But that situation didn’t last long – Denyer faded, eventually taking fourth behind Russell, Moffat and Webb. But Denyer’s fourth was good enough for second overall. The Dick Johnson Racing driver qualified 10th and finished in that place in Race 1, giving him pole for Race 2. Now, anyone who knows Denyer’s efforts in the reverse grid race would be aware that when he gets out in front – he’s hard to catch and/ or pass. Russell got the better of him at Sandown, but his second place set him up for his overall podium.

Gaunt was third overall – his first podium place in the Fujitsu Series. The Kiwi has slowly improved his speed throughout the season, and is becoming more and more comfortable behind the wheel of his McElrea Motorsport Falcon. Despite a few off-track excursions over the duration of the meeting, Gaunt is finding his feet. The next round at Queensland Raceway – the track where he has done the most V8 miles – will be a true test of Gaunt’s speed. Assaillit was fourth overall despite his Race 1 penalty, ahead of Webb, who had a shocking round. The former series leader ran second in Race 1 until a last lap spin dropped him to down. A DNF in Race 2 compounded his

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John Morris/Mpix

Spin, win: Above, Jonathon Webb spun on the last lap of Race 1, dropping from second to fourth. Below, Daniel Gaunt had his best run of the year, taking third overall.

Dirk Klynsmith

the leading pair are starting to run out ... For the minor places, there were a couple of highlights and lowlights. David Sieders started Race 3 from third having had an excellent run in his Falcon BA. All his hard work was undone at the first turn when he was collected by Karl Reindler. Taz Douglas was also on the rough end of the stick after copping a hit from Brad Lowe in Race 2. The next round of the FV8 Series is in three weeks time at Queensland Raceway.

Time running out: James Moffat, above, has been the fastest in the FV8 field, but will need maximum results from here on to be a title threat. Below, David Sieders and Taz Dougls showed promise, lacked luck.

Marshall Cass

Points: Russell 1010, Webb 986, Moffat 881, Denyer 866, Gaunt 744, Price 713, Douglas 654, Walter 647, Assaillit 624, Lowe 624, Emery 529, Sieders 393., Jane 316, McCashney 302, Drew Russell 295.

John Morris/Mpix

dramas, but a fighting third in the final kept him in touch with Russell in the title. While Webb stayed within sights of Russell, Moffat slipped further behind, but it could have been so different. With a fresh lick of paint thanks to a one-off deal with Sandown round sponsor Norton 360, Moffat qualified on pole and streeted the Fujitsu pack in Race 1. The signs looked ominous for the rest of the field until turn four of Race 2 when Moffat miscued a pass on Webb. Moffat broke the front of his Falcon and did not take any further part in the race. In the final, Moffat come through from 10th on the grid to finish second, but with just eight races left in this year’s title, his chances to peg back

FORMULA FORD ROUND 5 – SANDOWN

Having Pye and eating it too

Scott Pye won a thrilling round of Formula Ford at Sandown. ANDREW VAN LEEUWE

round win. “That was a great weekend’s racing,” Pye said. “The team has been working towards this since the opening race of the season, and now after the last two rounds we have really found our feet. After starting from pole today I really wanted to let everyone know how good the car was. I felt really comfortable out there because I knew we had some really good speed,” Percat ended up second for the round, and did so through consistency rather than outright pace. In that way it was a complete contrast to his efforts at Sandown 12 months ago, where aggressive mistakes ended any realistic chance of him challenging Paul Laskazeski for the title. This time round, Percat played it smart, let the guys around him jostle – and often crash – and

Dirk Klynsmith

COTT Pye has come out on top of Round 5 of the Genuine Ford Parts Australian Formula Ford Championship at Sandown – undoubtedly the most exciting round of the year so far. On a track that was seemingly built for the slipstream-happy open-wheelers, there were two race winners, countless lead changes, some sizable shunts, and the first big trophy for Pye. It wasn’t until Race 2 that Pye really became a player, and even then it took a lucky break in the form of early pacesetters Mitch Evans and Richie Stanaway getting together at turn 1. That put Scott Pye in the box seat for that race win, and on pole for the final. But there was nothing lucky about his Race 3 win, Pye storming away from series standout Nick Percat to seal his first AFFC

took home enough points to keep his points lead basically unassailable. It looked more like a championship-winning performance than his amazing winning streak at the start of the year – even if it was the first meeting all year that he’s failed to win a race at … Third was Chaz Mostert, who put in a storming drive in the final race to come from the back of the grid, where he

started thanks to an earlier parc ferme indiscretion, to finish second. Still, his efforts were slightly overshadowed by Kiwis Evans and Stanaway. Evans in particular had a breakthrough round, taking his first win on Australian soil in difficult weather conditions in Race 1. Had he and Stanaway not clashed in Race 2, above, Evans would have been in a good position to make it a

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EN was there round win. Meanwhile, Stanaway looked furiously fast, but added to his Race 2 woes with two mistakes in Race 3, ruling out a decent round result despite a third place in Race 1. The unluckiest driver of the weekend was Luke Ellery. The CAMS Rising Star qualified a career best second, and led Race 1 early before aquaplaning into a spin on the exit of turn 3 on the first lap, hitting the wall. The BRD team fixed the Spectrum, but in Race 3 Ellery grabbed too much kerb into Dandenong Road … and smashed the wall again, even harder. Formula 3 regular Tom Tweedie had a tough weekend as well. Having struggled for pace all weekend, Tweedie lost his Minda Spectrum in the braking area for turn 1 in Race 3 and hit the wall hard.

Dirk Klynsmith

YOKOHAMA V8 UTES ROUND 6 – SANDOWN

One hundred and fifty reason Kim Jane won the V8 round amid carnage. ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN reports

Dirk Klynsmith

F Kim Jane didn’t have a ticket in last weekend’s big Lottery draw, then he should have – it was lucky weekend. Jane, on his 150th V8 Ute race start weekend, came away from Sandown’s sixth round of the Yokohama V8 Ute Series with the points, but literally didn’t look like a genuine contender until six laps from the end of the final race … Okay, so maybe he looked in with a shot after the first corner when contenders Layton Crambrook, Grant Johnson and George Miedecke were all taken out by Jack Elsegood. The shunt elevated Jane to second, but in front of him was Race 1 winner Gary Baxter, who was leading the round points

going into the final race, and looked unlikely to throw it away. Until he did … With half a dozen laps

remaining, Baxter lost control of his Sage Racing Commodore when its engine failed, spinning out of the race and watching round honours slip

through his fingers and straight into Jane’s. The fact that seventh in Race 1 and the fortunate win in Race 3 was enough to

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John Morris/Mpix

secure round honours for Jane was helped immensely by the fact that no points were awarded for the result of Race 2. Less than 75 percent of the race was run after a lengthy clean-up involving Steve Robinson’s upturned car, which was beached on its roof at turn 1 after a clash with Glenn McNally. As a result, no points were awarded, placing more emphasis on the two wins that counted – Baxter’s and Jane’s – and taking the shine off Craig Dontas’ Race 2 victory. The stewards made sure McNally was hit as hard as Robinson’s car; he was excluded from the meeting and handed a $3000 fine with a further $6000 suspended. Rounding out the top three for the round was Kurt Wimmer, who was sixth and second in the two races, and Ryal Harris, who was eighth and third.

Dirk Klynsmith

ns to celebrate

Who wants to play? Championship contenders Layton Crambrook and Jack Elsegood clashed at turn one.

MINI CHALLENGE ROUND 4 – SANDOWN

Caratti stripped of MINI win First-time winner cops post-race penalty, handing Grant Denyer the Sandown round win. GRANT ROWLEY reports NATHAN Caratti took his first Pizza Capers MINI Challenge round win at Sandown International Motor Raceway last weekend – only for it to be stripped from his post-race. In post-race scruiteneering, Caratti’s car was deemed to have breached a component regulation, forcing the stewards to exclude him from the meeting. This came after the West Australian hunted down Grant Denyer, who qualified on pole position and stormed to wins in the two races. Denyer put a tonne of pressure on Caratti in the final race, but when Scott Bargwanna joined the queue,

Denyer was forced to play a defensive role, allowing Caratti to skip away to the race win. Caratti’s penalty handed Denyer the round win, closing the gap to series leader Paul Stokell. “Nobody likes to win that way but I’m happy for Bill Gremos and the DecoRug team to get the Championship points and the win,” said Denyer. While Caratti’s round win was a first, the meeting probably won’t be remembered for his feat, or even the fact that he was excluded. In Race 1, Chris Alajajian launched his MINI over the turn six barrier after contact with …. The race was red flagged and soon cancelled.

Alajajian emerged relatively unscathed, with just a sore leg to speak of. His car was parked for the weekend but will be repaired in time for the next round of the series at Phillip Island in September. The incident actually played into the hands of Caratti and Denyer as the pair had clashed at turn one and lost a tonne of time ... Championship leader Paul Stokell was on the backfoot all weekend, battling with a maximum 50kg weight penalty (as part of the category’s regulations). The Tasmanian qualified third and finished third in all three races, maintain a handy margin in the championship standings.

Bargwanna finished fourth for the round, ahead of series newcomer John Magro who had a successful debut. The North Queenslander finished sixth and fifth to take fifth overall for the Sandown round. Magro kept is nose clean as he learned his way around the cars. Fujitsu V8 regular Geoff Emery was never far behind Magro, but was passed by team-mate David Stillwell late in the last race. – GRANT ROWLEY Points: Stokell 570, Denyer 432, Bargwanna 381, Alajajian 345, Caratti 267, BJ Cook 196.5, Emery 168, Modystach 151.5, Paul Morris 138, Gary Young 129.

race Dirk Klynsmith Dirk Klynsmith

MINI Mayhem: Left, Alajajian leapt the fence. Above, Cook lifted wheels, below, Caratti and Denyer got loose at turn one before Alajajian’s shunt brought out the red flag.

John Morris/Mpix

Dirk Klynsmith

AUSTRALIAN RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND 5 – RALLY SA

Survival of the fitte

est

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The final round of the Australian Rally Championship was winner-takesall, but mechanical woes made it a one-horse race. And that horse goes by the name of Simon Evans ...

Phil Williams

IMON and Sue Evans are now three-time Australian Rally Champions, after taking out last weekend’s winner-takes-all final round, the Sprint Auto Parts Rally SA. The Evanses and reigning Champions Neal Bates and Coral Taylor went into the round with just eight points between them, meaning that whoever won the rally would be crowned Champ. And the two contenders couldn’t have had more different rallies. Evans drew first blood in the Pedders ‘No Bull’ Shootout on Friday, which immediately added two points to his narrow lead. Then, he made serious hay in the first heat, winning at a canter while Bates retired with an alternator problem. At that point it might have been effectively game over for Bates, but he still came out firing in the second heat, dominating the heat-opening superspecial in Angaston on Saturday night. However, as the crew prepared to leave the service park and hit the forests on Sunday morning, Bates’ Super 2000 Toyota Corolla wouldn’t start, leaving him stranded and out of the running for the title. Evans had his own bit of bad luck during the second heat, suffering a puncture while leading halfway through the day. He then put in a storming effort in the dying stages to catch his brother Eli Evans, but while he couldn’t quite get there, second was enough to secure the title – the first for a driver in a Mitsubishi since Ed Ordynski in 1990. “This is all down to the incredible support from this team, and the great car we are driving,” said Evans. “This also couldn’t have worked without the support of Dad. When the Toyota pullout happened, he didn’t have to add another car, but he said he couldn’t have us sitting around when everyone else is out having fun – and here we are. Driving the Mitsubishi was great because it was something new to me; I had to adapt to the car, which was a challenge but it’s worked so well. “[And] Sue has been as incredible as ever. It’s a great feeling.” Bates, meanwhile, was left dumbfounded by why his Corolla wouldn’t fire up … “It went fine [Saturday] night, and we were set for a big go today,” he said. “It’s run faultlessly all year so I’m at a loss to explain it. It’s obviously a very disappointing way to end what had been a good year for us.” Glen and Matt Raymond, the only other crew in with a shout of the title, finished third overall and second in the title, their best heat result coming in the first where they were second. Like Evans and Bates, ‘Raymo’ had his troubles, lucky to get away with any result after his Corolla broke a gearbox during the Shootout on Friday. He missed Friday night’s superspecial, but still scored the second in Heat 1 thanks to a 30s time penalty on Eli Evans for checking out of service too late. Simon Evans is now part of a group of just six drivers to have won three or more ARC titles; Possum Bourne leads the way on seven, Ross Dunkerton has five, Neal Bates four, and three a piece to Evans, Cody Crocker and Colin Bond.

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Phil Williams Joel Strickland

When nothing goes right: Neal Bates, top, had a shocking weekend, with mechanical problems ruling him out of both heats. Eli Evans, above, had a good outing with a Heat 2 win, while Glen Raymond, below, wrapped up second for the year.

Phil Williams

Joel Strickland

INDYCAR ROUND 12 – MEIJER INDY 300, KENTUCKY

Ryan’s Kentucky R

Reign

For the second weekend in a row, an Aussie in a Penske car won an IndyCar race. But this time, it was Ryan Briscoe, who held off a charging Ed Carpenter. MARY MENDEZ reports

Honda Racing

AIRYTALES almost come true. But in Kentucky on Saturday night, Ed Carpenter fell a few inches short. The American was in position to take his first win, and give beleagured stepfather Tony George a welcome boost. But a relentless Ryan Briscoe edged a heartbroken Carpenter to the finish line by just 0.0162 seconds, to capture his hard fought first win ever on a 1.5mile superspeedway. With IndyCar’s aerodynamic rule changes on ovals and Honda’s new Push to Pass

option to spice up the racing, no one knew that these options would generate such a thrilling race at Kentucky Speedway. To add to the variable, weepers – water permeating through the track surface after heavy rains soaked the hillsides – caused qualifying to be cancelled practice and qualifying, so the grid was decided by entrant points. Pole sitter Scott Dixon held off a challenge from Briscoe for some electrifying, side by side racing for the first 123 laps, exchanging the lead seven times. But when Dixon faded

after his third pit stop, Briscoe found himself in an equally breathtaking fight to the finish with Carpenter. “Unbelievable! That was a fun race,” Briscoe said, having almost hit the Turn Four wall twice on cold tyres. “It was really tough. “Carpenter did a great job running the low line. I didn’t know if I imagined it or did Carpenter make his car wider and wider every lap? I got in trouble a couple of times and I was able to work my way back up, making lots of passes. With 20 laps to go, Roger [Penske]

told me to use my Push to Pass every lap I could. I could use it only once a lap and tried to time it through Turn 3. I worked my butt off.” Although Briscoe used up all his Push to Pass with one lap to go, Carpenter had one shot left. It wasn’t enough, resulting in the second fastest IndyCar race with an average speed of 200.893 mph, and the 11th closest finish. “I was hoping this was going to be a break-out race,” Carpenter said, having held the inside line, the shortest way around the track.

INDYCAR | MEIJER INDY 300, KENTUCKY 1 6 2 20 3 11 4 3 5 02 6 10 7 9 8 7 9 12 10 26 IndyCar Media

Team Penske 1m29.32. Q3 Vision Racing -0.0162s 14 Andretti Green/7-Eleven -0.1614s 9 Team Penske -0.2728s 4 Newman Haas Lanigan -0.6346s 10 Target Ganassi -1.7670s 2 Target Ganassi -3.2512s 1 Andretti Green -4.7231s 5 Team Penske -6.1424s 20 Andretti Green/Venom -6.9963s 6

Fastest lap: Carpenter on lap 8, 24.3847s (218.498mph)

INDYCAR | DRIVER’S points Briscoe 416, Dixon 408, Franchitti 405, Castroneves 341, Patrick 309, Andretti 279, Wheldon and Kanaan 274, Rahal 265, Wilson 253.

Aussie, Aussie, Aussie! Ryan Briscoe, opposite, beamed that megawatt smile in Victory Lane. Once the track was dried of ‘weepers’, top, Ed Carpenter almost took an upset win for owner Tony George, inset, while Tony ‘The Torch’ Kanaan took third place, below.

IndyCar Media Honda Racing

“I’m happy with second but I was so close to that win. I tried to run Briscoe as high as I could but he was beating me to the finish line every lap. The aero changes were what really made this race exciting. No one knew if it would make the racing better.” In this nailbitter, seven drivers changed the lead 20 times, including Will Power in a third Penske Racing car, who didn’t pit for the only caution when Justin Wilson had a wheel bearing seize on lap 121. On an alternate strategy, the Queenslander led 29 laps in the likelihood rain shortened the race, pitting on lap 156 to finish ninth. Briscoe’s second victory of the season (his first also came at the expense of Vision Racing, beating Ryan Hunter-Reay for the win in St. Petersburg) earned him the points lead, eight ahead of Scott Dixon who finished seventh. Tony Kanaan, nicknamed “the Torch” after recovering from his AGR pit fire a week ago, finished third followed by Helio Castroneves, Graham Rahal, and Dario Franchitti.

Ryan Briscoe Aus Ed Carpenter USA Tony Kanaan Bra Helio Castroneves Bra Graham Rahal USA Dario Franchitti GB Scott Dixon NZ Danica Patrick USA Will Power Aus Marco Andretti USA

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www.racefuels.com.au 53

Keselowski wins at Iowa NATIONWIDE

! R E G N A R R E W PO

SUPERLEAGUE JOHN Martin picked up a win in the Superleague Formula Super Final at Donington, despite crashing out of Race 2. Max Wissel won Race 1 for FC Basel with Martin (for Glasgow Rangers) second after he was delayed behind tardy backmarker Dominik Muermans (PSV Eindhoven). On the opening lap of Race 2, Martin arrived at Fogarty’s too quickly and plunged into the back of Giorgio Pantano (AC Milan). Pantano was out on the spot while Martin limped to the pits with suspension damage. It was

a two-hour repair job but Alan Docking’s guys achieved it in less than 40 minutes. FC Porto’s Tristan Gommendy won the race and joined the six car Super Final grid which was headed by Wissel until he suffered a gearbox problem leaving him stuck in fourth gear. As he wilted, Martin caught and passed him with Tottenham Hotspur’s Craig Dolby securing second ahead of Wissel. “We had a bit of luck there with Max and his gearbox but the guys deserved that win after their hard work,” said Martin after the win. “It was my mistake in Race 2: I just stuffed up trying to keep

Images: Superleague Formula

BRAD Keselowski will go down as the inaugural winner of a Nationwide Series race at Iowa Speedway. The JR Motorsports Chevy driver took his fourth career win, and second this year, on the series’ first visit to the 0.875 mile track. “I couldn’t have asked for a better finish,” said Keselowski who raced Kyle Busch hard during the race passing him several times and lead four times for 121 laps on his way to victory. “It’s a lot of fun to say I bet Kyle heads up, that means a lot to me.” Keselowski elected not to pit during the final caution and repassed Kyle Busch – who’d pitted for two tyres – with just eight of the 250 laps to run in an exciting race that featured lots of two and sometimes three wide racing on the progressively banked oval designed and part-owned by Rusty Wallace. Jason Leffler in his Braun Racing Toyota passed Carl Edwards for third in the closing laps while Kelly Bires rounded out the top five. Busch leads Edwards by 192 points in the standings with Keselowski third, Leffler fourth and Joey Logano fifth even though he’s only run 15 of the 19 races. – MARTIN D CLARK

John Martin:

(Antonio) Pizzonia behind me and I couldn’t stop in time. It is my first win since F3 on the Gold Coast last year so it feels pretty good but I reckon Docko gets to keep most of the 100,000 Euro prize money. He’ll probably give me about £5!” – DAVID ADDISON

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Italians and Turks ... BTCC

sutton-images.com

FABRIZIO Giovanardi and Colin Turkington shared the BTCC wins at Snetterton on Sunday with two wins being claimed by the Italian. Giovanardi won the first two races whilst Turkington was a fortunate winner of race three, his BMW being promoted to the top spot after on-the-road winner James Nash was excluded for spinning Rob Collard (BMW) out of the race at turn one. Giovanardi’s first win came in a bruising race that accounted for Turkington Jason Plato (Chevrolet) who were delayed in lap one skirmishes, while Andrew Jordan spun away second place under pressure from Mat Jackson. A quieter race two gave Gio an easy win ahead of Turkington and Plato, but Turkington won race three after Nash was excluded. It leaves Turkington heading the championship from Giovanardi with Knockhill the next stop in two weeks time. 1 Colin Turkington 182, 2 Fabrizio Giovanardi 165, 3 Matt Neal 136, 4 Jason Plato 126, 5 James Thompson & Robert Collard 103 – DAVID ADDISON

Sealed mit ein Kisse DTM

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Wading through Kentucky INDY LIGHTS WADE Cunningham earned his seventh win in Indy Lights with victory at Kentucky. Sebastian Saavedra took second after leading 22 laps of the race, while James Davison, who started sixth, finished fourth after a great battle with Ana Beatriz. She featured in the lead battle, but dropped back in the closing stages.

“I’m really happy with our performance,” said Davison. “It is a big development for us as a first year team in this series to have a competitive run on a mile and a half oval with the top teams. We have to be satisfied with that.” The race finished under caution when James Hinchcliffe spun off Turn 2 with three laps left. Hinchcliffe, who was battling Beatriz for third at the time, continued to finish seventh.

REIGNING DTM champion Timo Scheider took his first win of the season at Oschersleben as he headed home an Audi 1-2-3. Scheider took the lead from pole-sitter Tom Kristensen and was never headed. TK led briefly but was given a drivethrough penalty for not lining up in the correct grid slot, the Dane finishing in eighth place. Behind Scheider came Mattias Ekstrom and Martin Tomczyk while Paul di Resta was the best of the Mercedes drivers in fourth place ahead of marquee-mates Gary Paffett and Bruno Spengler. Maro Engel took seventh after Oliver Jarvis suffered a puncture in the closing stages. – DAVID ADDISON

rear of grid

Now is the Winter of our Content

John Morris

THERE are four weeks of winter left in Australia and, while some might whine about the cooler months, others make the most of it. Take Symantec, f’rinstance. As first-time sponsors of the Norton 360 Sandown Challenge, the folk who protect our computers wanted to see a sea of yellow, their corporate colours, in the stands and spectator areas. What they saw was an opportunity. So they gave away caps – thousands of them. And they gave away scarves – thousands of them. And everywhere you looked, it was hello yellow – Race fans, rugged up, and toasty warm. The fact is, by Melbourne standards, the weekend was not that cold. In fact, it was not bad at all. And the Norton Commandos sure made the most of an opportunity.

Odd Spot ONE of these fellas plays football. Ford has a strong corporate link with the Geelong Cats and, with that AFL club celebrating one and a half centuries of chasing a Sherrin around a paddock, there was little surprise when some of the teams’ champions make an appearance at Sandown over the course of the weekend. One of the players on the scene was Jimmy Bartel (left), who, according to our own Andrew van Leeuwen, is possibly the greatest human being ever and may win a Nobel Prize or two this year. It seems that Mr Bartel kicked a point a week or so back that, far from being a letdown, as it usually would be, won the game and put the Cats back on track for the season. At least we think that is what happened. When the editorial department asked AVL what it was all about, he suddenly started making squeaking sounds, much as you might expect from a pet playing with a toy. Yes, kind readers, van Leeuwen is a lifelong Geelong supporter. So, with no actual knowledge of the game to cloud our comments, well done on that point, young Bartel. And good luck for the Nobel Prizes.