Motorsport eNews Issue 131 - November 17-23, 2009

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SCALING BACK

Issue No. 131 November 17 -23 2009

C A B G N I L A

, s e s o l c . m s a w e o t r e g n m o a e t r e h t o n a . . e . l i w o h wh d e s i r p u s You’ll be

Editorial Editor: Andrew van Leeuwen andrew@mnews.com.au Executive Editor: Phil Branagan editor@mnews.com.au National Editor: Mitchell Adam mitchell@mnews.com.au

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Issue No. 131 | 17 - 23 Nov 2009

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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)

news 4 Moving Ahead

PCR’s 2010 program 6 Barbagallo a Gogo Big improvements on way 9 All FPR, all the time PD confirmed, team moves 10 A load of Cobras 12 Hr Stang for Bathurst 14 Asia comes to F3 New drivers head our way

chat 20 5 minutes with ... opinion 22 Van Leeuwen 23 Cormick

race 22 Gold for Australia!

26 Jiminy Crickets!

30 Even more PCR

Peter Thornell Big News out WA Way Looks like a building site but ...

No, it’s Golden State ...

Johnson oh-so-close to #4 The track, not the team

trade 36 Classifieds

Motorsport eNews is published by Australasian Motorsport News ABN 55 125 120 702 Publisher: C Lambden

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Dennis Allen

Copyright: Material published in Motorsport eNews is copyright and may not be reproduced in full or in part without the written permission of the publisher.

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

Readers, we just can’t sit here wondering any more. This is Asher Johnson, racing his GAC 03A Formula Vee in the SA State Racing Series round at Mallala. You will notice that the car is rather stylishly turned out in camouflage paint. Here’s the query; if you collide with Johnson during a race, and the Stewards call you in to explain why, and you say, “I’m sorry, but I didn’t see him”, will you get off?

Cruickshank to scale back, V8 SUPERCARS

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AUL Cruickshank Racing will be on the track in 2010 but in a far different form to the two-car Ford team that will race at Barbagallo Raceway this weekend.

The Gold Coast-based team owner, who has run two Ford entries, for Fabian Coulthard and Michael Patrizi, this season, was in Adelaide yesterday (Monday) to finalise the sale of his V8 Supercars Racing Entitlements Contract (REC) to local businessman James Rosenberg.

That REC looks to be the ticket to Tim Slade’s continued participation in the V8 Supercar Championship Series. As always, all matters pertaining to the transfers of RECs are subject to the approval of the V8 Supercars Australia Board, which is scheduled to meet this Wednesday.

However, while we have not been able to get any comment from Cruickshank, eNews believes that the Rosenberg/Slade entry will take the form of a third Stone Brothers Racing Falcon FG. Furthermore, while that move would appear

to end PCR’s participation in the Series, our sources also tell us that Cruickshank will enter into a deal to lease the second Britek REC and use that to run an entry – and we believe that this entry may well turn out to be a fourth SBR Falcon, for a driver to be nominated. Again, this lease would be subject to Board approval.

Rumours have connected Fujitsu V8 Series standout James Moffat with this seat but, in spite of this, we expect Jason Bargwanna, who has four more races remaining this year with Sprint Gas Racing, to be in contention to steer this entry.

The current Sprint Gas Commodore driver, who has been in good form of late (he qualified on pole at Surfers Paradise) has gathered a sponsorship package together than could see him, once again, race for a Ford team. Bargwanna raced Falcons for Larkham Motorsport in 2003-05, and for WPS Racing in 2007.

In any event, our sources tell us that a decision on the driver is “imminent” and that a confirmation will most likely be made immediately after the final round of the Series in Sydney next month.

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

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

Cash boost for Barbagallo Five Million for the track, but will it be enough to keep V8s interested in WA? V8 SUPERCARS THE Future of V8 Supercars in Western Australia might not be certain, but Barbagallo Raceway has been given a big boost in the form of a $5million government grant.

The funding was announced last Friday

by WA’s Sport and Recreation Minister Terry Waldron, and follows an extensive study conducted by consultancy company GHD, which has been investigated whether redeveloping the existing circuit, or building a new circuit, was the best option.

“Retaining and improving Barbagallo builds on the legacy created by the [WA Sporting Car Club], which has been operating from the venue since 1967,” Waldron said.

“Barbagallo is used every week of the year by local motorsport enthusiasts, but is also frequently used by WA Police and other driver training and road safety organisations.

“The upgrades will include widening, resurfacing and lighting of the entire track, improved safety fencing and upgraded communication equipment. The funding will [also] allow for the installation of CCTV cameras for increased safety, and provision of a portable media centre and

briefing room for the drivers.

“Part of the $5million new funding will also pay for the necessary planning approvals for a potential new track and racing complex expansion to the north of the existing track.”

That northern extension, which first appeared as a drawing plan in eNews back in January, remains part of the long-term plan for the WASCC, although the club’s General Manager Peter Thornell said an exact job list is yet to be drawn up.

“We will be putting together a working group to decide exactly how we tackle the job, which I expect will involve both the Department of Sport and Recreation, and the WA Sporting Car Club,” he told eNews.

“It’s at that point that we’ll prioritise what needs to be done.”

But while the news of the grant seemingly satisfies the long-standing wish from V8 Supercars Australia to upgrade the circuit, Tony Cochrane is remaining cagey about whether this alone will solidify WA’s place on the 2010 schedule.

“V8 Supercars congratulates the WA Sporting Car Club on the upgrade to their facilities which are desperately needed,” Cochrane said.

“This is a tremendous announcement for local motorsport users. Unfortunately, at

this stage, the upgrades for V8 Supercars to return to Barbagallo are not included in the plans for the near future.

“The 2010 calender (released in September) has V8 Supercars with a provisional date only at this stage. We look forward to our meeting this Friday with the Minister and trust a way can be found to ensure one of the world’s leading touring car categories returns to WA. “If not, this will be our last year until the facilities meet the necessary OH&S requirements for the V8 Supercar Championship Series, as we have reiterated on many occasions, over many years, to both the Government and WASCC. No further comment will be made until next week.”

Thornell added that, in time, he hoped the upgrades would keep V8SA interested in retaining a round in WA. “Motorsport [in WA] as a whole will be the greatest beneficiary [of the upgrades], and hopefully when we get down the track and build some more pit buildings, the V8 Supercars will see how this will benefit them, too, and will want to get involved.”

– ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN For more on Barbagallo Raceway and its future, see ‘Five Minutes With …’ on page 18.

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Bullas to test for BJR V8 SUPERCARS

GAVIN Bullas will test a V8 Supercar with Brad Jones Racing early next year, as the two-time Biante Touring Car Masters Champion eyes options to expand his racing program.

The Victorian will return to the BTCM next year, eyeing a hat-trick of titles in his Mustang, but will also test the water outside of

the series.

Bullas was originally due to take part in Fujitsu Series outfit Greg Murphy Racing’s driver evaluation day at Winton last week, following the BTCM season finale at Sandown, but withdrew.

“I cancelled the test because my head wasn’t in it,” he said. “I’ve got a rookie test with Brad Jones Racing in January or February, we’re going to try running in their

car, do the test and see what happens after that.”

Sportscars are also on Bullas’ radar, and while he’s looking to dabble in other forms of racing, he admits it’d take a lot to beat driving the Mustang.

“I’ll try the water in 2010,” Bullas told eNews. “I’m looking at a GT car or a Supercar, I just want to see what’s out there at this point, so we’ll have a run in both

and see where we end up.

“Allan Simonsen grabbed me at Bathurst and asked if I want to run a GT2 car with him in Abu Dhabi, so we’ll have a look at that if it comes off.

“We’d like to run overseas in a couple of events, so we’ll have a look at some things and see what comes up we’ll mix it up a bit, but it’s going to take a lot to beat the fun we have in our series.”

– MITCHELL ADAM

Dumbrell confirms switch FPR/Bottle-O for three years, then time to call it quits V8 SUPERCARS PAUL Dumbrell will drive the third Ford Performance Racing car in 2010.

Dumbrell will jump the divide from Holden to Ford, driving the Rod Nash Racing/FPR joint venture in Bottle-O Racing colours for the next three seasons – after which he has confirmed he will retire from full-time V8 Supercar racing.

“Rod, The Bottle-O and FPR will be the finish of my career,” he said.

“I’ve had great opportunities

throughout, but have a lot of things outside of motorsport as well, and want to leave on a high note.

“It was a big decision to move to Ford from Holden; I’ve driven Holdens my whole career. It played on my mind a lot because I’ve had a great career there, but with what Ford is doing and what FPR is doing over the next couple of years, I had to have an opportunity in what has been one of the most competitive cars over the last couple of years.”

The move will also reunite

Teams take control of the wheel V8 SUPERCARS

V8 SUPERCARS will have to use a control wheel from mid-2010 onwards.

The 17” rim comes from British manufacturer Team Dynamics, and will cost somewhere in the order on $460 per unit – a significant saving on what teams are currently spending.

The control wheel won’t be compulsory in the first part of the season, but by the L&H 500 at Phillip Island onwards, it will have to be used in races and qualifying. By the same event in 2011, it will have to be used for every session during a race weekend.

V8SA board member and FPR team principal Tim Edwards told eNews that the control wheel will save teams money.

“Absolutely, it will be a cost-saver for teams,” he said.

“It’s a good wheel – made from forged aluminium – and it is half the cost of one of the current wheels, and a third of the cost of the other.”

Edwards also confirmed that last week’s briefing on ‘Car of the Future’ with Mark Skaife was a success.

“Aside from a couple of small points, we’re all on the same page,” he added.

“We didn’t answer all the questions, but it’s nice to know we aren’t all sitting around with different opinions about what we want to see. Like I said, we’re all on the same page, which is a really good thing.”

– ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN

Dumbrell with Steven Richards, with whom he drove at Perkins Motorsport for four seasons.

“I was team-mates with Richo for four years, and [we] got along very well, and I know Frosty (Mark Winterbottom) has an avid interest in training, as I do, and we grew up racing go karts together. It should be easy to fit in and I’m sure we’ll hit the ground running and deliver results straight up at the double header in February.”

FPR will group all three of its cars together next season (see separate story).

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FPR on the move for ‘10 V8 SUPERCARS

Dirk Klynsmith

FORD Performance Racing will be relocated down the pit-lane next season.

The team will run it’s two main factory cars, plus Paul Dumbrell’s Bottle-O Racing entry, out of the same garage at race tracks, similar to the way Holden Racing Team and Walkinshaw Racing currently work together.

But that means moving down to wherever Rod Nash Racing, which owns the Bottle-O REC, finishes this season. FPR last ran a third car in 2008, fielding a Ford Rising Stars entry for Michael Patrizi. Back then, the team kept the cars split while at the track – which, according to team principal Tim Edwards, was not the right way to do it.

“Logistically, its much better for us all to operate together,” Edwards told eNews.

“Rather than having two down one and end and one down the other, it’s better that we work together. It means that we don’t have to double up on as many spares, because when you’ve got two

trucks 100 metres apart, it doesn’t sound that far, but if you need a part in a hurry, it is.

“There’s a lot of economy of scale when you can run together. Obviously that

means we have to move down pit-lane to wherever Rod’s licence ends up, but the benefit of being able to operate together outweighs that.”

– ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN

Dirk Klynsmith

Ricciardo goes Nuclear West Aussie’s Formula 3 Champion gets F1 testing call-up FORMULA 1 DANIEL Ricciardo will have his first proper test in a Formula 1 car at Jerez at the start of December.

The West Aussie will spend three days behind the wheel of a Red Bull RB5, a sign of the team’s faith in the youngster, given the limited testing allowed in Formula 1 these days. Ricciardo has driven an F1 car before, but only in straightline testing.

“I’m just really looking forward to it, and I’m going to make the most of this opportunity,” he told eNews.

“With such limited testing now, for Red Bull to give me all three days is a huge gift, and I don’t want to take it for granted. So I been training my arse off, and getting the neck and lower back muscles stronger, which are said to be the two most important.

“I’m not going to put any pressure on myself; I know if

I listen to the team and do as they sa,y I will get on fine, and hopefully can pump out some respectable times. I’ve got no excuses, as the car I’m driving won the last three Grands Prix of the season. It should be good.

“I’ve been spending quite a bit of time on the simulator the last few weeks, and the preparation will continue all the way up to the test, so I should be pretty well prepared for it by the time I’m in the car

A 12 Hour Pony Tale BATHURST 12HR

TWO Shelby Mustang GT500s are currently being shipped to Australia, strengthening rumours that latest version of the iconic American muscle car will have a presence on the Amor All Bathurst 12 Hour grid in 2010.

The cars are being imported by the Zukanovic family, with Marcus Zukanovic set to lead a Mustang team in the 12 Hour. It might even be his return to motor racing, with Zukanovic not having started a race since he crashed during pre-season Fujitsu Series testing at the start of the season. eNews understands that one of the cars will be used a racecar, and one as a show car, and according to Zukanovic, the only thing that can stop the project going ahead is time.

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for the real deal.”

Ricciardo, who is part of Red Bull’s development squad, recently won the British Formula 3 Championship, and has been topping the times in Formula Renault 3.5 testing, the category in which he will race in 2010.

– ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN

“We’ve got the plans in motions, but it’s about getting the cars ready in time,” he said.

“Until we get them out of the container and see what we need to do, it’s hard to say whether its feasible or not. We’re committed to getting the car ready, and we’re already pulling the resources together, but we still have to wait and see.

“But we’re really keen on the car. If the V8 Supercar part of my career slows down, I might even look at it for targa-style rallies or something like that.”

Speaking of V8 Supercars, Zukanovic also confirmed that he is still planning on an FV8 comeback in 2010.

“The plan is there, yes. We’re trying to finalise some money, and if that comes off, then we’ll be there.”

– ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN

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Marshall Cass

LEANNE RETURNS MINI CHALLENGE

Red Bull Racing

LEANNE Tander will return to the Pizza Capers MINI Challenge this weekend at Barbagallo Raceway.

In the penultimate round of the 2009 series, Tander will share the MINI Uber Star Car with ex-Ironman Guy Andrews.

Both drivers will contest a

sprint race, before sharing driving duties in the 35-minute final race.

Tander contested last year’s MINI Challenge round at Barbagallo, qualifying second and showing impressive race pace, despite the final results not going her way.

“I had the pace last year, and we were a strong chance of

getting a good result, but we had a bit of bad luck getting run into,” Tander said.

“I’d like to be up at the front again, but the main idea is to go out there and have fun.

“Guy has done a bit of racing and he’s involved with stunt driving on the Gold Coast, so it should be good.”

– MITCHELL ADAM

Ford Media

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New Deals in Place for 2010 NASCAR

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NASCAR

THE future of Nelson Piquet looks set to involve ovals, NASCAR and Trucks.

The Brazilian will make a decision today (Monday) on whether he will run a Toyota in the Camping World Truck Series in 2010. Should he decide to go ahead and join NASCAR, he will likely run a Toyota Tundra, right, for Red Horse Racing, the team for which he tested recently at Rockingham Speedway in North Carolina.

The former Renault Formula 1 driver, who split with the team in the midst of the Singapore race-fixing scandal, was in Phoenix last weekend to watch the Truck Series race and is also working on plans to run the Daytona 24 hour race next year.

– MARTIN D CLARK

Denny Gunning for Kez NASCAR KYLE Busch will clinch his first NASCAR title at Homebush this weekend, but there will be plenty of eyes cast further down the field.

While Busch only has to take the green flag to seat his Nationwide crown, there could be fireworks between Denny Hamlin and Brad Keselowski after the two locked horns at Phoenix.

On lap 157 of 200, Hamlin, who started from the pole and led much of the race early, nudged Brad Keselowski, who managed to save his JR Motorsports Chevrolet and hit Hamlin in return, twice. On the second bump Hamlin couldn’t save his Gibbs Toyota and looped the car.

In what continues to be grudge match between the two, Keselowski said he’s forgotten about it, but the bump showed him Hamlin hadn’t.

“I can sit here and bash him for the next 20 seconds or so and give you all a bunch of sound bites,” Hamlin said, “but I’m just happy that I signed up for next week’s Nationwide race, and you know in turn, there’s a lot of guys that owe him. There’s a lot of guys that have a lot of chips that they’re

going to cash in, I’m just going to be the first to the pay window.”

Hamlin said he would not involve NASCAR in the matter, so regardless of what Busch does, look for some action in the final race of the season in Florida ...

– MARTIN D CLARK

Toyota Motorsports

SEVERAL sponsorship and manufacturer contracts were inked last week, a pointer towards NASCAR coming out of its own GFC-related downturn.

Michael Waltrip Racing extended its agreement with the Toyota brand through 2012, this also includes the cars they field for JTG Daugherty Racing, driven by Marcos Ambrose. Earnhardt Ganassi Racing will remain with Chevrolet next season after flirting with the idea of switching to Toyota, with engines supplied by Joe Gibbs Racing.

One of the key movers in these decision was Chip Ganassi, who was talking to two manufacturers (Chevrolet and Toyota) until they asked for an ultimatum and a decision was made. It also looks likely the team will return to being known as Ganassi Racing in 2010.

Bobby Labonte has signed a deal to drive for TRG Motorsports full-time next season, with the first races backed by Tax Slayer.

Although they haven’t confirmed it officially Kellogg’s will not be back to sponsor title contender Mark Martin at Hendrick Motorsports next season. Car Quest will return along with Go Daddy and Delphi, which will all be major sponsors for 30 races next season.

Robby Gordon will field his self-owned Toyota again next season, but he has sponsorship for only eight of the 36 races so far.

– MARTIN D CLARK

Trucks beckon Piquet

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t Junior

Vision Racing planning to continue

50 is the new 30 NASCAR

EVEN if Mark Martin does, by some miracle, win the Sprint Cup title next week, he will not be NASCAR’s oldest champion driver.

Ron Hornaday Jr claimed that distinction when he won his fourth NASCAR Camping World Truck Series title at Phoenix last Friday night,

Honda Racing

Toyota Motorsports

Carpenter Looking Forward, not Back INDYCAR

finishing fourth. Hornaday, 51, is now the oldest NASCAR champion, having previously won the series titles in 1996, 1998 and 2007.

It was a multiple celebration, with his team owner Kevin Harvick taking the spoils in the race over the pair of Billy Ballew Racing Toyotas of Kyle Busch and Aric Almirola.

– MARTIN D CLARK

NASCAR Media

ED Carpenter remains optimistic about racing for Vision Racing in 2010.

The team, co-owned by former IndyCar and Indianapolis Motor Speedway boss Tony George, his wife Laura and actor Patrick Dempsey, has recently laid off staff from its Gasoline Alley shop, but George’s stepson, Ed Carpenter, who was sponsored by Menards, a midwest hardware store chain, is optimistic about continuing.

“The obvious high for me this season was the race at Kentucky,” Carpenter said, on the verge of his maiden victory until being denied by Ryan Briscoe in a thriller finish, a margin of only 0.0162s.

“We have been working for a long time to win a race, and getting that close really reaffirmed to the team that we can win. We are doing the right things to get to that point. But we did not win, so we still have

some work to do to make it happen.”

Vision has competed for five IndyCar seasons with at least Carpenter as its driver and expanded in 2009 with its Firestone Indy Lights effort for driver James Davison, who finished second overall, including a win at Mid-Ohio’s permanent road course and two runner-up finishes in 15 events.

“I feel good about the outlook for 2010,” said Carpenter.

“We are keeping our core group of people together, which will allow us to continue growing and improving as a team. Next year’s schedule starts mostly with street courses, so I am preparing over the off season by competing in karting events. The reality is I need to maximize my results in those early races next year until we get to an oval where I feel like we can compete for wins.”

– MARY MENDEZ

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F3: ZHANG HIGH AND RIO FORMULKA 3

Gray + Dad BATHURST 12HR

WHILE they probably won’t be racing at Sandown, Michael and Lauren Gray have confirmed they’ll enter the Bathurst 12 Hour.

The Grays will form two-thirds of the driver line-up in their Toyota Corolla, with a third driver still to be signed.

Michael and Lauren, who won Class E in last year’s AMC, will look to become the first fatherdaughter team to start a multipledriver, long-distance race at Bathurst.

Their Corolla Sportivo made its debut at Sandown last year and the team had aimed to run this year’s AMC season finale, but a wait on new parts from overseas is likely to see them sidelined.

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Dirk Klynsmith

THE Formula 3 Australian Drivers Championship will have a record number of international drivers on the grid for its season finale at Sandown next weekend, November 28-29.

Six internationals are locked in to contest Sandown’s SuperPrix, the most for an Australian F3 championship round, with two Asian openwheel drivers the latest to join the field.

Chinese driver Zhang Shan-Qi will make his Australian debut in Natoinal Class with R-Tek Motorsport, aboard an F304-model Dallara mostrecently raced by Roger I’Anson.

The 18-year-old, right, has previously finished second in the Chinese Radical Series and has spent the last two years in the Asian Formula Renault Championship.

“I am very excited as it’s going to be my first F3 race,” he said. “It is also going to be my first time visiting Australia so I'm very much looking forward to it.

“I am grateful to have this opportunity to be able to take part in this great event in Australia and also the chance to be able to race with the other drivers from different parts of the world.”

After impressing in National Class in his F3 debut at Queensland Raceway in August,

Formula BMW Pacific champion Rio Haryanto will make his second start in the championship at Sandown.

The 16-year-old Indonesian driver will step up to race in the outright class in Astuti Motorsport’s second Dallara F307.

“As a team we were impressed with Rio’s performances at Queensland in the National Class car,” Astuti Motorsport boss Sam Astuti said.

"By the end of the weekend he was just as fast as the class benchmark and not far off the outright cars too.

“We are looking forward to seeing what he can do in the outright car at Sandown and I would say, based on his pace and successes in Asia so far this year, he will be very competitive.”

With a field of 13-15 cars expected to round out the season, Shan-Qi and Haryanto will join four other Internationals on the grid at Sandown, including championship contender Joey Foster and Peter Kalpakiotis from England.

The New Zealand contingent will double, with Ben Crighton joined on the grid by Formula Ford standout Mitch Evans, making his F3 debut.

That number could still grow, with R-Tek working towards fielding a second car for another international driver alongside Shan-Qi, while plans for Richie Stanaway to join the field haven’t come to fruition.

Sandown Hit Out BATHURST 12HR PRODUCTION Car teams are set to use next weekend’s final round of the Boylan Traffic Solutions Australian Manufacturers Championship as a vital hitout ahead of February’s Armor All Bathurst 12 Hour.

Sandown Raceway will host a pair of one-hour races, with a compulsory pitstop in each and the option to have two drivers per car. The 22-car entry list includes a number of leading 12 Hour contenders.

Dual and defending winners Rod Salmon and Damien White will team up in the Evo

X Lancer Salmon has raced in the AMC all year, as he battles Lee Castle for the A1 class win.

Outright championship leader and ’07 12 Hour winner, Garry Holt has enlisted Paul Morris, his regular co-driver, to share his BMW 335i.

Eric Bana will make his debut in the championship, joining Peter Hill in the Evo X they raced to 10th in this year’s 12 Hour.

New Zealander Inky Tulloch and former Production Car regular Darren Best are also Lancer newcomers, with Tulloch joining Salmon and the returning Glyn Crimp in a three-car Team Mitsubishi

Ralliart effort.

Last-round winner in an Astra, Ryan McLeod is set to line up in one of Gerard Keogh’s HSV Clubsports, while 2006 Australian Production Car Champ David Ryan will team up with Bruce Tomlinson in an Allan Shephard-owned BMW 130i.

Having sold his Falcon ahead of a move to the Shannons V8 Touring Car Series next year, Chris Delfsma will team up with Jeremy Gray in an FPV Typhoon at Sandown ahead of a 12 Hour campaign.

– MITCHELL ADAM

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The Show Goes On CCup Assn in liquidation, but series continues COMMODORE CUP IT’S business as usual at Commodore Cup, despite the Commodore Cup Association being placed into liquidation.

The Commodore Cup Group has held the Category Management Agreement since early 2007 and will now act as the sole entity in charge of the series.

“Everything is keeping on keeping on,” Commodore Cup Technical and Sporting Manager David Stevenson told eNews.

“The demise of the Association is unfortunate, moreso on an emotional level,

but it doesn’t affect what the series is doing day to day.

“The Commodore Cup Group is owned by competitors and has held the Category Management Agreement for the last two years.

“We’ve worked with the Association in that time, consulting them for their thoughts on different aspects, but now things will all be done through one entity.”

Minor changes will be made to the series’ and CCG’s structure ahead of the 2010 Commodore Cup National Series.

“We’re currently liaising with CAMS on that side of

things,” Stevenson said, “taking advice on how to make sure competitors who don’t wish to become a shareholder in Commodore Cup Group still have input.

“An opening on the board will be made available for a competitor liaison officer as part of this process.

“Categories like the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge are run solely through companies rather than with an association, so we’re looking to see how that works and could be applied to Commodore Cup.” – MITCHELL ADAM

Ride with Lee and raise $$$ COMMODORE CUP SUPERCAR star Lee Holdsworth will get back behind the wheel of a Commodore Cup car next Friday, November 27, at Sandown.

Holdsworth will drive Andrew Parker’s VS Commodore in the meeting rides session, raising funds for the MS Australia, which supports and helps people living with multiple sclerosis, before Parker jumps back into the car for the season finale.

The rides and tickets to Sandown’s event were auctioned recently, as part of Parker’s ongoing fundraising work with MS Australia.

“I’ve been trying to raise awareness and funds for MS Australia through my racing this year,” Parker said.

“Lee has done some work with the group before as well, so we got together and organised for him to drive my car.

“It was really successful, we had a great response and a couple of people have purchased rides for the 20minute session.

“In the end, it went for $385 for every lap they do with Lee – I’m sure they’ll have a ball.”

– MITCHELL ADAM

Oran Park sets Final Date: 23-24/01 ORAN PARK

Dirk Klynsmith

ORAN Park Raceway has set a date for its final, yes final, race meeting.

The iconic Sydney circuit will host racing for the final time on January 23-24 next year, just under a month shy of what would’ve been its 48th birthday.

“The end of January is pretty much where we’d expected things to end up, but it’s a little bit sad to lock in a final date,” Oran Park General Manager Jeff Boulous told eNews.

The exact format and details for the club level, two-day event will be fleshed out in the coming weeks, with competitors invited to express their interest to compete in the meantime.

“It will be open to everyone,” Boulous said.

“We’ll be doing combined grids and running as many cars as we can fit into the weekend.

“More details will be released as they come to hand.”

– MITCHELL ADAM

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Ready to Roll SPORTS SEDANS ANOTHER bumper field of Sports Sedans will head to Phillip Island this weekend for the final round of the 2009 Kerrick Series, incorporating the traditional $50k plate at Island Magic.

Following 30-strong grids for the last two rounds at Oran Park, 29 cars are expected at Phillip Island, including a big contingent of Victorian competitors. At the head of the field, Des Wall leads the points over Darren Hossack and Tony

Ricciardello.

Having not raced since late 2007, Dean Randle returns to the series with a brandnew Saab, which he shook down last week at Winton, above.

Built in conjunction with Ron Hossack, who built his son Darren’s Audi, the body of Randle’s new Saab is 100% carbon fibre.

The series has also received strong interest in its two new classes for 2010, the ‘Under 3,500cc Normally Aspirated Series’ and ‘Heavy Metal Series’, which were announced last month.

Vote 1 Webber!

Bowing Out

John Morris/Mpix

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John Morris /Mpix

FORMULA 1

SPEEDWAY THE new ownership team of Garry Rush, Rod Bowen, Brett Morris and Dennis Loudoun will take control of Tyrepower Parramatta City Raceway this week, but last Saturday night’s shootout was the final meeting for long-time Parramatta manager Steven Green.

Green has taken up the role as WSS General Manager after nine years at the helm of the Sydney track. No word on Green’s replacement at Parramatta but he will certainly be missed by the Sydney speedway community.

– GREG BOSCATO

Both classes will run within the existing Sports Sedan races, but with broader eligibility, with the Heavy Metal regulations designed to include a range of full-bodied, more production-based sedans.

“We’ve had almost 10 inquiries from prospective new competitors so far,” series manager Phil Crompton told eNews.

“They’ve mostly been from people who have cars which used to race in other series – it’s all really positive.”

– MITCHELL ADAM

MARK Webber has been nominated for the ‘Performer of the Year’ award in the 2009 Sports Performer of the Year Awards, run by Fairfax Media.

The Red Bull ace will go up against the likes of Gary Ablett Jr and Cadel Evans in a star-studded field of 12, after his breakthough F1 season which netted his first two wins and fourth in the world championship.

Mark’s the only motorsport representative in the awards, all the more reason to get behind him!

Voting closes this Friday, November 20, at 5pm (EST), with the winner to be announced at a gala function next Wednesday night, November 25.

So get behind Mark, you could even win $5,000 cold hard cash for your troubles.

To vote, CLICK HERE to head to www.performerawards.com.au.

race

Bruce Gets Packing DAKAR BRUCE Garland has his sights set firmly on a top 10 finish at the Dakar Rally next January.

The Sydneysider has confirmed that he and long time co-driver Harry Suzuki will tackle to gruelling event again, after finishing 11th last year in his Aussie-built Isuzu

D-Max Diesel. The pair were also first diesel ute, and first production chassis car home.

“We’re planning to be the first non-multi-million-dollar team home,” said Garland.

“Because I didn’t quite make the top 10 last year, I’m still classed as an amateur, so we want to be the first amateur in the top 10, but we’re thinking

deep inside the top 10.

“Our other goal is to beat our old mate, Alfie Cox, from South Africa – Australia has to beat South Africa at something!”

Garland and Suzuki will have a brand new D-Max at their disposal, with more torque than last year’s racer.

“We think this engine will cope even better with the

extreme weather conditions we know we will be facing, and give us more top speed.

We’ve also upgraded some other parts, so they’ll deal with the rugged terrain over there. It’s much rougher than outback Australia.”

The D-Max is currently on its way to Argentina, where the Dakar will kick off on January 2.

James Smith

More 997s for GT3 GT3 CUP CHALLENGE

THE ranks of 997 Cup Cars in the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge will swell at Sandown’s season finale next weekend, with a category-high nine entered.

Following the demise of Carrera Cup earlier this year, the newergeneration cars have been running in their own 997 Trophy Class within the GT3 Cup Challenge, before they become eligible for the outright title in 2010.

A group of newcomers will join the field at Sandown as a pre-cursor to next year’s series.

Melbourne driver Aaron Silluzio will make his debut in the car Craig Baird drove to the 2006 and 2008 Carrera Cup crowns, while Mark Seamons has the ex-Paul Stokell, Sherrin Motorsport 997 and Yuey Tan joins McElrea Racing. In a sign of the 997 influx, they form almost half of the 19-car entry list expected for the final round of the series’ second season.

– MITCHELL ADAM

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5 Minutes with ...

PETER THORNELL

The General Manager of the WA Sporting Car Club is in charge of the $5million ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN government grant for Barbagallo Raceway MOTORSPORT NEWS: What’s the feeling around the WA Sporting Car Club now the announcement has been made? Is it one of relief?

PETER THORNELL: I think it’s one of anticipation. What I mean is that it’s not relief, because this is really just the beginning. There’s just a feeling of excitement for the future.

Was it an unexpected result?

Or were you always expecting the GHD study to find that redeveloping Barbagallo Raceway was more viable than building a whole new circuit?

We were probably expecting something along the lines of what we got, because we honestly believed that it was the best thing for the sport here in WA. I know it’s not the biggest financial boost in the world, but the WASCC must still be excited. It gives you something to work with in the future.

Yeah exactly. Especially given that it has the potential to help motorsport in the state so much …

How exactly will it benefit motorsport in WA, as a whole?

I know a lot of the talk will be about V8 Supercars, but you must be thinking about this all in broader terms?

Motorsport as a whole will be the greatest beneficiary, and hopefully when we get down the track and build some more pit buildings and so on, the V8 Supercars will see exactly how this will benefit them too, and want to get involved.

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But whatever happens with the V8 Supercars, the regular users of the circuit like statelevel competitors and people who hire the circuit out, will be seeing the benefits of the upgrades as soon as they start happening, and that’s what we want to see.

Do you have a job list of where the club will start when the money starts coming in?

And if so, what is job number one?

No, not yet. We will be putting together a working group to decide exactly how we tackle the job, which I expect will involve both the Department of Sport and Recreation and the WA Sporting Car Club. It’s at that point that we will prioritise what needs to be done.

About 12 months ago, eNews published some drawings that the WASCC had done for a substantial extension to Barbagallo Raceway, using some land to the north of the current site. This government injection might not cover all of that, but is it still in the pipeline for the club?

Very much so.

And when you “this is just the beginning”, you are referring to this being the first step towards that major upgrade?

Yeah. That’s still where we want things to go, but I can’t really say too much until I speak to the people involved about how we’re going to use this money, and what we might be able to do afterwards.

There are some quotes from Tony Cochrane floating

around about this, and he’s still cagey about the future of V8s at Barbagallo Raceway.

Are you hoping to sit down with the V8SA people over the course of this weekend and try and nut a few things out?

Hopefully Tony Cochrane is supportive of this program moving forward, because we want this to benefit V8s too. It was never going to solve all the problems straight away, but we’re hopeful that, in time, this will lead to us hanging on to a V8 Supercar event.

Do you count much on the fact that WA must be an important place for the championship to be visiting, commercially speaking?

Well I would have thought that’s the case, for sure. With sponsors and customers and the mining and resources boom, I would think this is somewhere they’d want to be coming.

And you’re happy with how

preparations have been going for the Bigpond 300?

Absolutely, it’s just up to the weather now. I’d love it to be fine, but not too hot.

That was always our concern with running the event in November, but it shouldn’t be a problem.

I know the place pretty well, so I’ll bring my shorts. The option tyre coming back should throw a few cats amongst the pigeons – have you got an early tip as to who might get up this weekend?

Well one thing we’ve been thinking about is whether or no the championship could be wrapped up …

Will Davison would need to have a shocker, but Jamie Whincup could certainly be crowned Champion in WA. That’s what we figured. Who knows, we might be the championship-deciding round for 2009. That would be a great thing for our event.

chat

Brian White

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Good News from Way Out Wes

E

ARLY last week, a good source of mine in Perth called to tell me about last Friday’s announcement regarding almost $5million worth of state government funding heading to Barbagallo Raceway.

The source knew that, in a professional sense, prior knowledge of the news wasn’t particularly useful to me. After all, our deadline is Monday, and the announcement was Friday, so there was no chance to break the news early. But the source thought that as a member of WA Sporting Car Club, I’d be interested on a personal level. And they were right.

I’ve been going to Barbagallo Raceway since before I can remember, first to watch

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my Dad race, and then to compete myself.

I love the place, and it holds a lot of special memories for me. It’s through making the trek up the Kwinana Freeway so regularly that I developed the love for the sport that makes this my chosen occupation.

That’s why I’m really excited about the fact that the circuit will soon be getting a birthday, and I’m not just talking about whether it will entice V8 Supercars back.

Sure, there’s not a person involved in motorsport in WA that doesn’t want the V8s to keep coming West, but the advantages go a lot deeper than that.

For starters, the circuit’s main business – daily track hire – will flourish. The people who use the circuit for driver training and

opinion Andrew van Leeuwen Editor eNews testing and track days will all benefit, and these are the people who make the club tick financially. Then there are the WASCC members, who, in their hundreds, enter the State Race meetings that make a whole year of racing in the West.

This may well turn into a win for V8 Supercars Australia – and their prodding on the matter is undoubtedly involved – but the real winners here are the WASCC and its many members. Like me.

opinion

st

COUNTING DOWN opinion

I

James Cormick Sydney Spy at Large

John Morris

WENT down to Homebush last week, and there is a lot going on.

It is unusual to see a street circuit going up in Sydney, but I have seen Indy – I have done a few laps, at night – so I know what to expect. The facilities go up very fast, so one day it looks like it is a building site, then it all finishes quickly.

The Bus Stop looked nowhere near finished. One of the construction workers said last week that part of the track was “60 percent” finished, but a few days later, there had been a great deal of progress.

It’s going to be a very fast circuit. We are not talking Bathurst or Phillip Island speeds, but we are not talking

tight like Canberra or Surfers either. It is quite fast and flowing, and that was a bit of a surprise.

There are some big dips and rises, and the part behind the station is going to be a tricky spot to master. It will be hard to set-up for, and I would not be surprised if some splitters go flying ...

I don’t know how the chicanes are going to work on the back straight. When I was there, they had too much traffic flow to see how the racecars would go on the race weekend, but it should be under control.

Viewing is going to be a challenge. I think that you will need to be in a grandstand for the best view – you will not be able to get within two metres of the track and the catchfencing will mean that the only view worth having will be over the top of the fence.

One side of the Novatel Hotel will offer a great view of the action.

They are going to have lots of big screens for the fans to watch, a lot more than were ever at Eastern Creek, so I am looking forward to that.

What I do want to see is a good clean fight to decide the championship. Both contenders have fast teammates, but I hope that there is no ‘interference’, and no stupidity from anyone else. I am looking forward to someone like the Kelly brothers hitting their straps, because they are not going to be at a disadvantage because of a lack of data from previous years.

I would like to stay for the concerts, but my chair’s battery will be flat by then so, unless somebody can make a pitstop, I will be heading off with the rest of the fans!

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John Morris /Mpix

Best in the West

Robin Judd and Jay Upton got it done on home soil as the ANDRA Pro Series visited Perth.

LUKE NIEUWHOF reports.

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race

Luke Nieuwhof

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ANDRA PRO SERIES TWO Western Australian racers won their home rounds in the most recent stop for the ANDRA Pro Series, the Goldenstate Titles at Perth Motorplex on Saturday.

Robin Judd scored top spot in Top Doorslammer over New South Wales’ Maurice Fabietti, while Jay Upton took out Queensland’s Chris Matheson in the final of Top Bike.

Judd’s weekend started out in horrible fashion, needing to replace an engine after his supercharged Studebaker dropped a valve in a qualifying session.

Coming into the final session of the field, Judd slammed down a 5.85s pass to break into second place.

His first round was against fellow Western Australian Adam Croker, competing for the first time with a new USA-built Camaro.

Croker shook the tyres and abandoned the run, leaving Judd to take an easy 5.90s win.

The semi finals saw Judd take on Queensland’s Ben Bray, who earlier caused one of the upsets of the season by defeating John Zappia in the first round. He couldn’t repeat against Judd though, who ran out the 5.90s victor.

In the final Judd faced top qualifier Fabietti, but when Fabietti found his engine running off in the burnout he decided

Contact Oriana Ruffini: oriana@mnews.com.au

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race

Luke Nieuwhof

Jay Upton, left, joined Robin Judd on the list of local winners at Perth Motorplex, taking out Top Bike ahead of Chris Matheson, below.

Maurice Fabietti, top, netted second to Judd in Top Doorslammer.

Luke Nieuwhof

Luke Nieuwhof

discretion was the better part of valour and switched the Holden Trader Club Monaro off, allowing Judd to take a solo 5.87s for the win.

“We were up against it on the Friday night, the guys worked really well together and we knocked over an engine change in an hour and took the car back out,” he said. “I think we’re now 80-odd points in front in the championship which is quite a good buffer to have.”

Upton’s route to the final saw a first round 7.25s defeat of Wayne Barrett, followed by a 6.35s win against the tough Kim Stevens in the semi finals.

This set up a final against the new force in Top Bike, Matheson.

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Both Matheson and Upton’s machines are nitro-burning four cylinders which are capable of running “fives”, should the riders ever be able to keep them under power for the length of the track – a brave accomplishment with 370km/h top speeds.

Upton took the lead early in the race and never looked back, running a 6.13s despite the engine burning up in the second half of the track. He also reset the national record to 6.11s during qualifying.

“It’s great to be back at the front, I really enjoyed racing at the Motorplex this weekend,” he said.

The next round of the Top Doorslammer will be held in February in Sydney while Top Bike waits until March to come back to Perth.

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NASCAR SPRINT CUP ROUND 35 – CHECKER O’REILLY AUTO PARTS 500, PHOENIX, AZ

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Three and three-quarters

After a bad week at Texas, Jimmie Johnson needed a big turnaround at Phoenix. He delivered with a dominant win.

By MARTIN D CLARK

Ford Racing

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J

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with a 108-point lead and needs only to finish 25th or better to clinch the title over his Hendrick stablemate Martin.

“We’re going to show up there and treat it like any other race,” continued Johnson.

But, if you thought this was a lock, just keep in mind; Johnson finished 38th at the previous race in Texas, so it ain’t over yet.

Ambrose qualified 21st and slowly worked his way to the front, hitting the top 10 for the first time with 70 plus laps to run. He reached a race high ninth, but was passed for that spot by Jeff Gordon with 15 laps to run. Then his Michael Waltrip stablemate David Reutimann took 10th with eight circuits to go as Ambrose drifted wide off the turns. Ambrose continues to hold 18th in points, 67 points ahead of Joey Logano.

Happy Face: Only a catastrophe can stop Jimmie Johnson, right, from taking a fourth straight Cup title. Danny Hamlin was the best of the Toyotas, below, while Marcos Ambrose, below right, dropped spot to 11th.

Toyota Motorsports

IMMIE Johnson cruised to his seventh victory of the year at Phoenix International Raceway on Sunday showing why he should clinch his fourth consecutive Sprint Cup title this Sunday at Homestead Miami Speedway even though his record there is less than stellar.

Johnson’s Hendrick Chevrolet looked like it was rails all race long and he dominated to head 238, and the most, of the 312 laps.

“First off I have to thank this race team for bouncing back from last week and show up and put a butt kicking on everybody today,” remarked Johnson.

“At the start of the race we were a little loose, but as soon as we put new tyres on the cars came to life and we had a couple of small adjustments and the car really came to life.”

Martin Truex Jr won pole, but was overhauled by Kurt Busch on the first lap and Busch would lead the first 56 laps before Johnson took over from his third starting slot and never looked back from that point fourth.

There were two wrecks of note, both straight after restarts with the field bunched up on the narrow frontstretch, the second triggered by Dale Earnhardt Jr, who spun while racing alongside Marcos Ambrose. The wreck damaged the cars of Tony Stewart, Matt Kenseth, Joey Logano and the Red Bull duo of Brian Vickers and Scott Speed, to name but a few.

In a new-design Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet, and with new crew chief Todd Berrier, Jeff Burton had an impressive run to come home second ahead of Denny Hamlin, Mark Martin and Truex, who recorded his first top five in 15 months.

With his third straight fall race win at Phoenix, Johnson enters next Sunday

SPRINT CUP | CHECKER O’REILLY 500 1 48 2 31 3 11 4 5 5 1 6 2 7 33 8 42 9 24 10 00

Jimmie Johnson Chevy Hendrick/Lowe’s Q3 Jeff Burton Chevy Childress/Caterpillar 36 Denny Hamlin Toyota Joe Gibbs/FedEx 5 Mark Martin Chevy Hendrick/Carquest 10 Martin Truex Chevy Earnhardt Ganassi/Bass Pro 1 Kurt Busch Dodge Penske/Miller Lite 2 Clint Bowyer Chevy Childress/Cheerio’s 13 Juan Montoya Chevy Earnhardt Ganassi/Target 17 Jeff Gordon Chevy Hendrick/DuPont 14 David Reutimann Toyota Waltrip/Aaron’s 15

NASCAR | DRIVER’S points Johnson 6492, Martin 6384, J Gordon 6323, Kurt Busch 6281, Stewart 6207, Montoya 6203, Biffle 6171, Hamlin 6140, Newman 6081, Kahne 6016, Edwards 5972, Vickers 5826

Champagne on Hold Ford Media

NASCAR Media

NASCAR Media

NATIONWIDE

Toyota Motorsports

CARL Edwards dominated to win the Nationwide Series race at Phoenix Raceway this past Saturday leading the most laps and putting the brakes on Kyle Busch clinching the series championship in the penultimate race.

Busch finished ninth after spinning out on lap seven and causing front end sheet metal damage.

“I was driving a bucket of shit,” said Busch when asked what lead to the spin which saw him brush the inside wall.

The Joe Gibbs team worked on set up issues throughout the race, but was unable to get the Toyota up to the speed of Edwards Ford. However with a 190-point advantage over Edwards entering the season finale at Homestead Miami Speedway this Saturday, Busch only has to start the race to clinch his first NASCAR championship.

Kevin Harvick drove a self owned Chevrolet to second place with Reed Sorenson third in a Braun Racing Toyota followed by Clint Bowyer and Keselowski.

– MARTIN D CLARK

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Farr Makes it Four at TPCR SPEEDWAY ROBBIE Farr was again the man to beat at Tyrepower Parramatta City Raceway, as the now Perth-based racer continued his blitz on the Sydney scene with his fourthstraight victory last Saturday night.

Following Farr home was a fast Craig Brady, with current TPCR track champion Mitchell Dumesny taking third.

Farr jumped into the lead on Lap 1 and while the impressive Gary Rooke shared the front row and battled with the East Coast Pipelines J&J for the opening few laps, a very confident Farr simply forged away, going on to take his fourth TPCR Sprintcar victory in as many starts.

While Rooke dropped back down the

field to eventually finish 13th, the battle between Brady and Dumesny was intense, as the pair traded places a few times before former National Speedcar champ Brady took second in the Garry Rush-owned machine. Rounding out the Top 6 was Ian Loudoun, Mitch’s dad Max Dumesny and Ian Madsen, who had the drive of the night for the second week in a row after starting way back in 21st.

While the 30-lap A Main had only three stoppages, the B Main saw a couple of incidents, with Steve Caunt and Andrew Scheuerle tangling at Turn 3 while Dean Thomas barrel-rolled down the front straight. 17-year-old Taylor Johnson had a huge crash in Heat Four, demolishing her machine but emerging unhurt.

Mitch Dumesny started his night in style, setting quick time in qualifying with Kelly Linigen, Rooke, Martin Lawes, Clayton Hart and Victorian Grant Anderson completing the Top 6.

Loudoun, Farr, Brodie Tulluch (QLD) and Grant Tunks took the heat wins, while Dean Thomas won the C Main and Roddy BellBowen defeated Matt Young and Craig Morrison to win the B Main. The Dash wins were shared by Rooke and Farr, with Trevor Green’s night ending with a DNF in the B Main. Sprintcars return to TPCR this Saturday night but, with the start of the WSS in Brisbane, Parramatta will lose both Farr and Max Dumesny as they contest the 2009/10 Championship.

– GREG BOCATO

John Morris /Mpix

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race

Crocker Signs off in Style RALLY

brilliantly. It wasn’t easy this weekend. The course took a lot of prisoners, but our Impreza continued to perform faultlessly.

“It really was the perfect weekend. I’m not sure what will happen next year, but we’ve certainly finished this campaign off on a high.”

Hansford before winning the Gemini Series and, similarly, it took until the last race for Jamie Furness to secure the HQ title over Dion Cidoni.

John Hay took top prize in Superkarts, with consistency paving the way to overtake the absent Steve Murray at the final race.

Tony Isarasena fell short in trying to beat Steve Draheim to the Improved Production championship.

Moving from a Duratec Van Diemen into an F3 Dallara, Roman Krumins beat Formula Holden racer Bill Norman to

win the Racing Car title.

Young sensation Grant Gatland won the Saloon Car prize, with John Van Gilst taking second. James Mann secured the Formula Ford crown, while Bob McLoughlin defended his Sports Sedan title after rival Damien Croston broke down in the first race, and Bob Sudall led a Mazda RX-2 trifecta in Historic Touring Cars.

A week later, the Golden Holden 1 Hour race for HQ Holden and Gemini Series cars was held at Queensland Raceway, with defending

champions Dave and Chris Hinton overtaking the car of Benn Wilson and Melissa Thompson in the closing laps to emerge victorious.

Rod Dawson and Ryan Hansford came from a long way down after a Safety Car ruined their pitstop strategy to take third on the final lap when the car of Jake Brackenridge and Chris Donnelly failed. Behind the allGemini podium, Jamie Furness and Darren Aspinall were the best HQ Holden pair in fourth place.

– MARK JONES

Subaru Motorsport

WITH a fourth-straight Asia Pacific Rally Championship title already in the bag, Cody Crocker rounded out the season with another dominant victory in last weekend’s Rally of China.

The win capped a standout season for the Australian, who finished the season with 94 points, just two shy of the maximum possible – 96 – from the seven-round championship.

Crocker and co-driver Ben Atkinson also secured the 2009 Asia Cup and took Subaru to the manufacturer’s title.

In China, Crocker led the field each day, finishing well clear of Subaru team-mate Emma Gilmour, who inherited second in the championship after Mitsubishi pair Katsu Taguchi and Gaurav Gill failed to finish the opening day.

“It is a fantastic way to end the season,” Crocker said.

“We came here with the APRC already won, but with important business remaining.

We really wanted to win the Asia Cup as well, but most importantly, we wanted to make sure that Subaru’s name was engraved on the Manufacturers’ trophy.

“So the year has ended

Queensland Kings Crowned STATE RACING

THE Queensland State Championship finale at Morgan Park Raceway on November 8 was headlined by the appearance of the Supersports Interstate Challenge, in which Steve Morcombe successfully defended his title ahead of Richard Ficker and Ash Lowe, with David Barram winning the Sports 1300 class.

Shane Hart reclaimed the Formula Vee Series from Paul Mantiet. Ben Tomlin was chased all the way by Ryan

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rear of grid

‘Tis the season ... to crash!

It’s true, no one quite does crashes like Speedway. And with the summer starting to ramp up, expect quite a few images like this.

Here, John Morris captures fast femme Taylor Johnston getting some air time at Parramatta ...

t o p S d d O

IT’S OFFICAL: I love this mo.

Nearly three weeks into the month of Movember, and I couldn’t be happier with how things are going. The mo is starting to soften out nicely, and I’m developing a strange urge to wear increasingly shorter footy shorts, and drink beer from cans wrapped in a wide, hard foam stubbie holder. So apologies to anyone who was at Half Moon Bay on Saturday.

Myself and the rest of the ‘Studio 18 Mo Gro’ team are also stoked with the money we’ve been able to raise. We’ve currently put $941.74 in the bank for the fight against both prostate cancer and men’s depression – and that’s a pretty good effort. Could still do with more, though, so feel free to keep donating ...

– ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN

CLICK HERE

To donate to AVL’s ‘Movember’ 33