Motorsport eNews Issue 134 - December 8-14, 2009

The world of MOtorsport Directly to your desktop

Issue No. 134 December 8-14 2009

WE REVEAL THE PLAN TO BRING ...

TEAM KIWI BACK WHINNERS!

J-Dub takes his second title, while Homebush is the star of the Sydney show

PLUS

Enduro season comes early – Moffat is in, and Brabs is wanted

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

Australasian

The ‘A’ Team

Production Graphic Design & Web: Jayne Uthmeyer design@mnews.com.au

Issue No. 134 | 08 - 14 Dec 2009

Advertising National Sales Manager: Oriana Ruffini oriana@mnews.com.au P 03 9596 5555 F 03 9596 5030

Administration 357 Nepean Highway, Brighton East, VIC, 3187 (PO Box 7072, Brighton, VIC, 3186) P 03 9596 5555 F 03 9596 5030 admin@mnews.com.au

MD / Publisher

Chris Lambden publisher@mnews.com.au

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 5 TKR 9 James Mofford 11 Builders, Keepers 13 Tricky Ricci 16 Street Fighters

chat 22 5 minutes with ... opinion 24 Adam 25 Addison

Team Kruickshank Racing Moff Jr’s FPR deal T8 keep #1 & #888 Perthian tops F1 test FFord locks in Townsville Jamie Whincup The new Turn 8 People at a motor race?

race 26 V8 Supercars

Sydney Wins!

34 Fujitsu Series Webb Design 38 V8 Utes The Coopers are on Jack 40 Homebush Supports Seto and Twigg 42 Top Fuel Stamatis wins at home

trade 46 Classifieds

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

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

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

Dirk Klynsmith

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

Peter Bury

E L A E REV

Dirk Klynsmith

Best. T8 Driver. Ever Roland Dane says Whincup is the best he’s had V8 SUPERCARS ROLAND Dane has described newlycrowned V8 Supercar Champion Jamie Whincup as the best driver to have ever driven for Triple Eight Racing Engineering.

And the T8 boss wasn’t just referring to the Australian arm of his operation, claiming that Whincup eclipses any of the drivers to have driven for the team world-wide.

“I reckon he’s the best driver that we’ve had at Triple Eight around the world,” confirmed Dane.

“He’s the stand-out driver now; he’s earned his stripes. I’d put him at number one.”

That means Dane sees Whincup as being better than the likes of Jason Plato, Yvan Muller, James Thompson and Fabrizio Giovanardi, all of whom have won titles for

T8 overseas. And, most importantly, Dane concedes that Whincup has overtaken his team-mate, three-time Australian Touring Car Champion Craig Lowndes.

“Craig is a big target,” added Dane. “Jamie is considered to be better than Craig at the moment, and that’s a massive achievement.”

Whincup’s second title comes four years after Dane picked the young Victorian out of relative obscurity, placing him in the then Betta Electrical-backed team alongside Lowndes.

“I think there was two or three guys who were stand-outs at that time, but it’s a question of who could raise their game the most. And Jamie has raised his game higher than anyone else.”

– ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN

ED

news

Cruickshank’s plan to revive Team Kiwi

The concept can work, says outgoing team boss V8 SUPERCARS

P

AUL Cruickshank is heading up a top secret plan to bring a ‘Team Kiwi’ back to V8 Supercar

Dirk Klynsmith

racing.

Cruickshank’s racing team had its last outing in its current form at Homebush, with the likeable New Zealander having sold his own Racing Entitlements Contract to James Rosenberg to run a third Stone Brothers Car for Tim Slade, and handed over the lease of the Jason Bright-owned #333 REC to Brad Jones Racing for a third BJR entry for Karl Reindler.

But while Cruickshank will take on a commercial role with the Rosenberg/SBR alliance in 2010, he remains bullish about returning to the series as licence owner in the near future. And the plan is to bring back the ‘Team Kiwi’ concept, which died earlier this season after

various failed incarnations under the leadership of David John.

“That’s in the plan,” confirmed Cruickshank.

“I’ve had some preliminary discussions, and it’s on the radar.

“I think I’d be the perfect guy to head up a Kiwi team, because I’m a good South Island Canterbury boy; I’m a proud New Zealander. I love living in Australia, but I’m a proud New Zealander.

“I’ve still got good contacts over there, and this category needs a black car with a silver fern down the side of it, but not the way it’s been done. It needs to be done properly, and it needs to be executed well.

“And I think it can be done. The category needs it. That’s on the radar to get done.”

Cruickshank went on to explain that the rivalry between Australian and New Zealand could – and should – be a vital part of V8 Supercar racing.

“Kiwis love nothing more than stuffing it to Aussies. It’s bred into us from an early age – we’re a nationalistic lot. They say we’ve got two chips on our shoulder, and it might be right because we get beaten up by Aussies all the time and we don’t like it.”

While Cruickshank is far from finalising details, he did admit that it could be as soon as 2011.

“By 2011, I’d like to be a REC owner again. It might take 24 months, but if we can do it in 12, good. If I can’t do it properly in 12, it will be 24.

“The reason why I have left is so I can come back with the right resources.”

New Zealand will have a reduced team presence in the V8 Supercar Championship Series next season, with both PCR and Tasman Motorsport shutting down after Homebush. Just Stone Brothers Racing will fly the flag for NZ. – ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN

Dirk Klynsmith

THE DRIVER Craig Lowndes

THE track required a lot of respect.

It’s bumpy, it’s got some fast and flowing corners and also some tight corners, like the chicane at Turn 2-3-4. Everyone was in the same boat, obviously, so it really came down to how you managed the car and getting the setup right to look after it over a race distance. The surface doesn’t seem to work the tyres that hard, but all in all it was very tough on the car.

Some of the kerbs are quite aggressive and hard on the car – they’re probably

THE TEAM BOSS Tim Edwards

HOMEBUSH has been absolutely fantastic.

When we learnt that it was going to be a remote pit set-up like Barbagallo Raceway or Queensland Raceway, a lot of people said ‘oh, not another one of those’. But when you come into an indoor environment like this, it’s just fantastic.

There is plenty of room to work, and it literally is only a few metres to pit-lane. It’s very easy to work here.

And the best part is the public access. This

harder here than in Adelaide and most of the other circuits we go to. It’s obviously there as a deterrent to stop cars short-cutting the corners, but you wouldn’t want to see a race ruined if a car’s leading a race before they get a shock or suspension problem caused by the kerbs, so hopefully that’s something they can look at for next year.

In the races, it’s a circuit where track position is vital. Once you got into dirty air following other cars, it was very hard to not only see the apexes but to make a clean pass unless the car in-front made a mistake. Talking to a lot of the drivers, and from what I’ve seen, the cars in clean air were really good and easy to drive. But once you start following people, that’s when

you started getting problems, like having more understeer. Finding the kerbs became harder and everything else became more difficult, so having good track position was quite critical.

The whole event was fantastic. All of the spectators who came are the reason the event’s on and why we’re at Homebush. The Olympic Park precinct is amazing – it was great to race here. When you got a chance to actually walk around it, from the garages to the merchandise area or pitlane, you got an idea of just how big and impressive the entire facility is. To have all of the transporters in a building, out of the sun and out of the weather, is quite impressive to see and great for the fans as well.

is the closest the public have ever been to the teams and the cars. Usually the crowd can peer into the back of the garage, and they might see an open boot lid. That’s about it. Here they can wander right around the garage, and have great interaction with the cars and the teams.

It is just an absolutely great venue. You walk down Olympic Boulevard, and you see a sea of people filtering through the merchandise area and shops and bars and restaurants.

There is just a great atmosphere, like a Festival. And then it was capped off magically with Cold Chisel on Saturday night. Perfect.

As for the circuit, Steven Richards jumped out of the car after the first practice session

on Friday and said ‘I absolutely love it. What an awesome circuit’. It’s challenging, and it’s hard, but that’s great. Both drivers were hopping out of the cars at the end of the races, and they were physically drained. Part of that is because our cars weren’t perfect, which always makes them a bit harder to work with, but it is just a demanding circuit.

I’ve seen these guys hop out of the car in Adelaide, which you would think is the equivalent of this, and be fresh as a daisy.

This is harder than that, particularly with the pressure on the brake pedal into Turn 1.

It’s massively physically demanding, and that showed in the races with the bit of carnage we saw.

news

HOMEBUSH – THE REACTION

Put simply, the Telstra Sydney 500 was a success. But what made it so good? eNews gathers in the comment that matters in the wake of V8 Supercar’s newest – and perhaps biggest – marquee event

THE EDITOR

Andrew van Leeuwen

THIS time of year, getting nice surprises is a regular occurrence.

Sure, most of those surprises involved festive wrapping paper and a bloke in a red suit, but for the Australian motor racing industry, the pleasant surprise was the Telstra Sydney 500.

Say what you like about V8 Supercars Australia and/or Tony Cochrane, but credit where it’s due, this was an awesome event.

The venue was amazing, the track was, well,

THE HOMECOMING Mitchell Adam

AS a former Sydneysider, being at Olympic Park for a race meeting last weekend was pretty weird. I’d been to the precinct for a few things before moving to Melbourne in 2006, namely sporting matches at ANZ Stadium and the Sydney Royal Easter Show, but I never thought I’d see the whole area turned into a V8 Supercar facility ...

After the weekend, though, it’s almost as though the place was built to host racing.

You’d struggle to do a better job if you were given a heap of land and a giant bag with dollar signs painted on it.

It’s modern and in a very pleasant area,

THE PUNTER Rocco Giaquinto

THERE was good weather and a pretty good atmosphere so, for a ‘first time’ it was pretty enjoyable over-all.

I was there all three days with a General Admission ticket. We watched Sunday’s race from down around the first corner, but for the most part we were just walking around, stopping and having a look.

Viewing wasn’t too bad walking around the track. You were pretty close to the action

better than it seemed, and the event, as an event, was epic.

In my view, the best aspect of the venue was the indoor pits. Back in 2008, I went to New Zealand to cover a round of the World Rally Championship, where they use the Mystery Creek Events Centre to house the service park. They do it exceptionally well.

There are even grandstands set up inside the hall, because when Jari-Matti Latvala brings home a Ford Focus that has three less wheels than it started with, and an engine being held in by a single plug lead, the 20minute frantic fix-it session is a spectator sport in itself.

But I’d never thought of the indoor

concept being applied to V8 Supercars. First of all, the risk of sunburn is much less, and crews aren’t crammed inside a sauna-like box when the mercury rises a bit.

However, it is the public that wins most with the Homebush pit set-up. Basically, the crowd can take a 360-degree wander around the area where the crew are working on the car. It’s like putting a football team in a changing room with glass walls; whatever the crew is doing, the crowd can watch.

As a journalist, it’s easy to take being able to wander into any garage and see what’s going on for granted. For the crowd, that’s a real thrill, and an idea that the category should nurture.

there’s plenty of parks and greenery, things to sit on, shade, and the other facilities we don’t see too often in motorsport. And public transport is a cinch with the train station.

I walked around parts of the track on Friday afternoon and it looked like there were some good vantage points for spectators with General Admission tickets, in particular the open space inside the last two corners.

At a number of other street circuits, you’ve got to walk for miles through congested crowds to get to the pits or support categories, but the nature of Homebush meant there was plenty of room and existing pavilions were used to house the V8 and support paddocks.

The indoor paddocks were a great innovation. All weekend, there were plenty

of people in the V8 paddock (normally the Showbag Hall) who seemed to dig the fact they get up close to it all, could walk around and watch the teams work.

On Friday afternoon, I’ve got to admit that I had doubts about the quality of racing we’d see. The circuit looked tight, as though it’d be very follow-the-leader. However, it was much better than expected.

All in all, you can only class the event as a resounding success. The crowds were big and entertained, with racing, lots of sideshows and, of course, the concerts.

Personally, I’d look at adding a concert on Sunday night to round out the event and help with dispersing the crowds after the V8 race.

Other than that, though, I reckon they got it pretty spot on.

– the metal fencing wasn’t ideal but of course you’ve got to have it for safety. But overall it was good to be close to the action.

This was my third V8 Supercar event. I’ve been to Bathurst, Phillip Island and now Sydney; I try to get to a few each year. The viewing points at Bathurst are a bit better because you can get around and see it without the metal fencing, but the weather here’s better than Bathurst!

We went into the pits all three days and had a good look around. It was probably the best pits I’ve seen, because you could go on both sides and see what the guys were doing.

I live in Sydney, so we drove in, which

wasn’t too bad – there wasn’t too much traffic. Homebush is always great, there’s plenty of toilets and a few shady areas, but it could possibly do with a few more and some more screens to watch the action on would be good as well.

I didn’t actually go to either of the concerts, but from what I’ve heard, Saturday night was pretty good with Cold Chisel.

Overall, it was a pretty good event. Race 1 went to plan with Holden winning but unfortunately in Race 2, my boy Lee had a bit of a crash which was unfortunate ... but it was still a good race.

I’ll definitely come back next year.

Marshall for V8 return?

V8 SUPERCARS

Rosenberg confirms SBR link V8 SUPERCARS JR Racing will enter V8 Supercars next year with Tim Slade driving a third Stone Brothers Racing Falcon.

As predicted last week in eNews, James Rosenberg has now finalised arrangements with SBR to run his new team.

A final decision on Slade’s chassis will be made following SBR’s upcoming end of season ride days, but he’s likely to drive the FG used this year by Jason Bright.

Unlike Bright, though, Slade will be grouped with SBR’s Shane Van Gisbergen and Alex Davison in pitlane.

The two factory Ford teams – SBR and Ford Performance Racing – will actually share a garage for their respective third cars. The teams will line up alongside each other in

pitlane, with Slade and Dumbrell to share the middle garage.

“The car will be based and run out of Stone Brothers as a third car and at race meetings we’ll be grouped together in pitlane,” Rosenberg, right, told eNews.

“We’ll have our own identity, starting with JR Racing, but we’ll have a naming rights sponsor for the team.”

Outgoing V8 Supercar team owner Paul Cruickshank, who sold the franchise to Rosenberg will be involved as Commercial Director.

“Paul has been an integral part of the deal,” Rosenberg said.

“We’ve been working together and he’ll be heavily

involved as my right-hand man on a commercial level.”

Meanwhile, SBR are building a new Falcon for Davison,

Dirk Klynsmith

MARCUS Marshall is in line to return to fulltime V8 Supercars racing next year.

Having been on the sidelines since IntaRacing closed its doors mid-season, Marshall has been working towards a deal for one of the two remaining seats, which eNews believes is the fourth Kelly Racing car.

“I’m focused on getting a fulltime ride,” Marshall told eNews.

“I’m getting very close, I just need to get it over and done with, seal the deal and concentrate on next year. I’ve spent the last four months looking for a major sponsor to take with me

and move forward from there. It’s been tough work but I’m getting there.”

“There’s not long left – days and hours to seal it up.

I’m 90 percent of the way there right now.”

Marshall returned to the seat of a Supercar last weekend at Homebush, finishing fourth in the two Fujitsu Series races with Race Image, right, after a late call-up.

“It’s been five months since I’ve been in a car,” he said.

“It’s always good to get back into a V8 Supercar and get some miles. I learnt the track and had a good weekend.”

– MITCHELL ADAM

whose current car will likely act as a spare for the team next year.

– MITCHELL ADAM

news V8 SUPERCARS

MOFFPR

John Morris/Mpix

LOOK for James Moffat to line up with Ford Performance Racing in next year’s enduros.

After snaring second in the Fujitsu Series, Moffat has indicated he’ll be back in the series next year, but not with Sonic Motor Racing, with whom he has also raced Formula Ford and Carrera Cup. eNews understands Moffat will join Matthew White Motorsport, replacing Champ Jonathan Webb, and race with FPR at the L&H 500 and Bathurst 1000. Such a move will also put him in the frame for a fulltime seat with FPR in 2011.

“I’ve had a good four years with Sonic and I’m looking forward to a new challenge,” Moffat told eNews.

“We’re trying to focus on putting together a good deal for the Fujitsu Series and hopefully we can go one step further “We’ve been speaking to some people about whether we can put together a Fujitsu Series

package and an enduro gig, so hopefully in the next couple of weeks we can make an announcement.”

Moffat was to make his enduro debut this year with Sonic, before they withdrew their wildcard entry.

Should he line up with FPR next year, it’d continue the Moffat family’s association with Ford, with his father Allan a Blue Oval icon. MWM fielded a pair of exFPR Falcons as part of their threecar line-up this year.

Next year, MWM will strengthen its engineering ties with FPR, receiving full engineering support for the BF Falcons, while White told eNews at Homebush that a topline replacement for Webb – expected to be Moffat – was ’95 percent’ in place.

Moffat is among the first batch of 2010 endurance news, while eNews believes Warren Luff has agreed to a deal to drive for Jim Beam Racing again.

– MITCHELL ADAM

Evanses IRC chance RALLY

SIMON Evans has come away from his Peugeot test in France very impressed.

The three-time Australian Rally Champion tested a Peugeot 207 Super 2000 car in France last week, with the view of a part-time program

in next year’s Intercontinental Rally Challenge – the World Rally Championship’s main competitor.

According to Evans, the test was a success, the likeable Victorian admitting that he and co-driver wife Sue “surprised the hell out of the engineers.”

“The car is everything you’d

expect,” he said. “It’s had so much development and so much money spent on it, it’s just awesome. It was easy to drive, has heaps of grip, and heaps of power. It accelerates like you wouldn’t believe.

“It’s like the next evolution of the Corolla S2000 car.”

The Evanses are now hoping

that a deal comes together for 2010, looking at heading back to Europe sometime around June, which could see them debut at the famous Ypres Rally in Belgium.

“There’s nothing else I can do now. There is plenty of mutual respect between me and the team now, and that’s the most important thing. We now have some time to get some funding together and make something happen.”

– ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN

V8 SUPERCARS DAVID Brabham is in the frame for his first V8 Supercar start since the 2006 Bathurst 1000, with plans to make the trip back down to Australia for the enduros next year.

The 2010 American Le Mans Series is scheduled to wrap up a week before the SuperCheap Auto Bathurst 1000, and the calendar leaves plenty of time either side of the L&H 500 at Phillip Island.

The penultimate ALMS round, at Mosport in Canada, falls a fortnight prior to the 500, leaving nearly three weeks to get back Stateside and hopefully defend his 2009 ALMS title.

“Someone contacted me and said ‘it looks like you don’t clash with the V8 races – do you fancy coming down?’” the 2009 Le Mans winner told eNews.

Brabham used his trip to

10

the Sydney Telstra 500, where he drove the Uber-Star car in the MINI Challenge, as an opportunity to discuss the possible drive with one V8 Supercar team.

While he wouldn’t be drawn on the identity of the team, FPR is the most obvious candidate, given Brabham’s 2008 Le Mans 24 Hour chariot – a Prodrive Aston Martin – and enduro starts for the factory Ford team in 2005 and 2006.

“To be honest I hadn’t really even looked at it because I’m so busy with what I’m doing over there [in America], but if an opportunity came up and I could fit it into my schedule, then I always love coming down and doing Bathurst.”

Given his past two Bathurst results were a DNF and a lacklustre 14th, you wouldn’t bet against the prospect of Brabham coming ‘home’ to tidy up some unfinished business ...

– DANIEL HERRERO

MARSHALL CASS

Brabs looks to Bathurst

It’s Claytons time for Fab, Percat V8 SUPERCARS FABIAN Coulthard will drive a Walkinshaw Racing Commodore for the first time this Friday.

Following his final race with Paul Cruickshank Racing at Homebush, Coulthard will take part in a Walkinshaw Racing ride day at Phillip Island.

“That’ll probably be it for the year,” he told eNews.

“We probably won’t get much of a break before getting back in the car next year. There’ll be lots of training and stuff to do between now and then – but that’s my job!”

Also present at the test will be Nick Percat, the Formula Ford Champion holding a longterm contract with Walkinshaw Racing. Percat drove the team’s T2 ride car at Mallala last Friday, and will have his first steer of a V8 at The Island this Friday.

“It’s been really good,” said Percat.

“Rob Starr runs the day, so it’s good to see how it all operates.

The cars still feel a bit weird, but with every lap I feel more comfortable.

“Last Friday I did five laps next to Will Davison, and I learnt so much.”

– ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN

news

THESE LITTLE PIGGIES NOT ON THE MARKET

PETER BURY

V8 SUPERCARS TRIPLE Eight’s remaining two FG Falcon race cars are not for sale.

One of the three Vodafoneshod Falcons has already been sold, the team’s current spare car headed to Dick Johnson Racing for Jonathon Webb to use as a third entry in 2010.

But the team’s two current race cars will stay property of T8 throughout 2010, with many of the internal parts expected to be interchangeable with the VE

Commodores that they will use next season.

“The other two [cars] we’d always reckoned we would keep,” Dane told eNews.

“We’ll probably sell them at the end of next year, for the Fujitsu Series in 2011. We’d never planned on selling those cars.

They aren’t on the market.”

Dane also admitted that Whincup’s car might be retained by the team long-term, as a memento of the team’s final title before switching to Holden.

– ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN

FFF: FORD OR BUST V8 SUPERCARS DEAN Fiore will race a Ford Falcon for the entirety of the 2010 V8 Supercar Championship Series.

Fiore’s Triple F Racing outfit completed the purchase of a Triple Eight-built FG Falcon at Homebush, the very car that Fabian Coulthard has been racing this year in Wilson Security colours.

Before he purchased the FG, Fiore was expected to start the season in the BF Falcon that the team already owns, before switching to a T8-built VE Commodore later in the season,

when one became available.

But Fiore has opted for one car for the whole ’10 season.

“I think this is the smartest way to go about it; it makes the most sense,” he told eNews.

“It’s more cost effective, and the guys that I have working with me have experience with these types of cars.”

Fiore is also expected to use KRE engines next season, the same powerplants used by Triple Eight and Paul Morris Motorsport. Fiore was due to meet with KRE boss Ken McNamara at Homebush on Sunday.

– ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN

11

Raikkonen makes the switch WORLD RALLYING

sutton-images.com

one-year contract and we will see how it goes for the future.

I am really looking forward to testing the car and taking the start of the first rally.”

Raikkonen is no stranger to the WRC scene. He made his top-level debut in Finland

earlier this year, showing plenty of potential in a Super 2000 Fiat Abarth, above, before crashing out.

Raikkonen and Ogier will campaign 12 of the 13 events on the 2010 schedule, missing Repco Rally New Zealand.

Hirv’s New Rig

sutton-images.com

KIMI Raikkonen will be a World Rally Championship driver in 2010.

The dumped Ferrari star has agreed to a deal with Citroen’s junior WRC squad, placing him in a Red Bull-backed C4 alongside young Frenchman Sebastien Ogier.

Raikkonen has always made known his desire to go rallying after F1, making the news less than surprising. However, it does rule him out of the second Mercedes F1 seat, to which he had been lightly linked.

“I always wanted to compete in rally, especially in the World Rally Championship at some point in my career,” said Raikkonen.

“Thanks to Red Bull, I have the opportunity to drive the

best car of the series with the Citroen C4. This is a new, but very exciting, challenge.”

Raikkonen’s Citroen deal is only for one year, leaving a return to Formula 1 in 2011 possible.

“For the moment we have a

Power Returns INDYCAR WILL Power is set to get back into an Indycar next month, for the first time since his season-ending crash at Infineon Raceway.

As he continues to recover from back injuries he sustained when he T-Boned a stationary Nelson Philippe, Power will return to Australia for Christmas in the coming weeks. He’ll head back to America early in the New Year, testing his Verizon Wireless Penske entry shortly thereafter.

“My back is in good shape,” Power told eNews. “I’m back swimming, I’ve started running again and doing weights; basically everything I was doing before the accident.

“It’s been a slow progression, it’s been getting better every week. Obviously there’s still pain there if I bend the wrong way, but I think by the time the season starts, it’ll be completely gone.

“The plan is to get back in the car in early January. I’m cleared to get back in the car now, so if we were able to test I’d probably do one now, but we’re going to wait until I’m completely fit.”

– MITCHELL ADAM

12

WORLD RALLYING MIKKO Hirvonen will make his Intercontinental Rally Challenge debut in Monte Carlo early next year, debuting Ford’s new Super 2000specification Fiesta.

The Monte – the world’s longest running rally – became a round of the IRC, not the World Rally Championship, last year thanks to the WRC’s 24-round rotational calendar system.

But while Hirvonen has his sights set firmly on finally beating Sebastien Loeb to a WRC crown, he will have his chance to win the famed rally in January when he takes the M-Sport-built Fiesta for its first competitive outing.

“The Fiesta S2000 looks and sounds fantastic,” said Hirvonen, after testing the car in the south of France last week.

“It’s great to finally drive it, [and] be part of the development of a totally new car, and I was surprised how quickly I got used to driving it. I was impressed by how good the set-up and the chassis are, and that allowed me to push really hard straight away.

“I’ve driven the Monte Carlo Rally five times previously, so I’m familiar with the roads and the conditions.

There are almost four months between the final round of 2009 and the start of the 2010 season, so this will be ideal for getting my mind back into competition mode.”

news

sutton-images.com

A star is born

FORMULA ONE DANIEL Ricciardo has marked himself as a future Formula 1 star by topping the sheets on the final day of the recent rookie test at Jerez.

The West Aussie, 19, took to the track for Red Bull Racing, in what was his first proper outing in a Formula 1 car. And he was electric on all three days, going fourth fastest on the first day (0.376s slower than Andy Soucek), then third fastest on Day 2 (0.526s slower than Garry Paffett).

But it was the final day when Ricciardo came out firing, out-pacing the highly rated Paul di Resta by a whopping 1.318s to set a 1:17.418s lap, comfortably the fastest of all three days.

Ricciardo was the only driver to dip into the 1:17s throughout the three days.

“It puts a big, proud smile on my face, definitely,” he said.

“It was a great day and we were able to get some real pace out of the car and myself. I was becoming much more confident after a couple of days in the car and I think the team were quite satisfied. I think they got some good data for next year.

“Working within a Formula 1 team was completely different to anything I’ve ever experienced, but it was really good. I think I adapted quite well and understood that there are a lot of people and that they’ve all got their purpose within the team. We all got along and had a good three days together.”

Jerez Testing – Top 3s Day 1 Andy Soucek Paul di Resta Garry Paffett

Williams 1:19.158s Force India 1:19.369s McLaren 1:19.426s

Day 2 Garry Paffett McLaren Nico Hulkenberg Williams Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull

1:18.718s 1:19.184s 1:19.243s

Day 3 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull 1:17.418s Paul di Resta Force India 1:18.736s Garry Paffett McLaren 1:18.746s

13

Tyre incentive for FV8s?

V8 SUPERCARS V8 SUPERCARS Australia is contemplating offering Fujitsu Series teams an incentive to tackle every round of the series in 2010.

The incentive involves a redistribution of prize money, and is aimed at getting teams and drivers to commit to all eight rounds before the season kicks off in Adelaide next year.

The plan was due to be put to the V8SA board yesterday (Monday).

“At the last board meeting, one of the topics

was the Fujitsu Series,” said V8SA operations coordinator Damien White.

“I was asked to investigate what can be done about encouraging not only participation, but consistent participation.

“My proposal focuses on the redistribution of prize money. If it’s successful, there will be less prize money. I can’t say much now, but it won’t be an appearance fee. It won’t be any more cash for teams, it will just require them spending less cash.”

– ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN

Jelly Bean is a L V8 SUPERCARS

JOHN Bowe is a Legend – and that’s official.

The Tasmanian was due to be inducted into V8 Supercars’ Hall of Fame tonight, Monday, at the annual Awards Dinner in Sydney.

“I have never been a glory seeker, but to be acknowledged like this is just great,” said Bowe.

“I love motor racing and I love V8 Supercars, they have been my life and I am blessed to be able to still be involved.”

Toll Holden Racing Team’s Will

BIANTE ON THE MOVE FROM M TOURING CAR MASTERS

THE Touring Car Masters looks set to get a new naming rights sponsor for 2010.

Biante’s three-year tenure in the role – which also extends back to the Group N Historic days – has ended and won’t be renewed, and eNews understands a number of companies are currently in line to replace them.

While Biante won’t be naming rights sponsor, they intend to continue their involvement with the series at some level.

– MITCHELL ADAM

14

news

The Havs have it

Marshall Cass

Dirk Klynsmith

Legend

V8 SUPERCARS

Davison won the Barry Sheene Medal winner for the best and fairest driver in the sport. James Moffat, son of the great Allan Moffat, was awarded the Mike Kable Young Gun Award for the best rookie in V8 Supercars, while the Townsville 400 was the best event of the year.

CALTEX (Havoline) has returned to V8 Supercars, and will back TeamVodafone’s Commodores next season.

Double V8 Supercar Champion Jamie Whincup and Craig Lowndes will race with Caltex backing in what was described as a “multi-year” deal, while Lowndes will also be an ambassador for Caltex’s primary brands.

“We are very pleased to be joining forces

with Caltex once more and are excited about the opportunities that lie ahead of us in 2010 and beyond,” said team principal Roland Dane, whose team enjoyed Caltex backing until the end of the 2007 season.

“Caltex left the sport briefly after a shift in marketing direction and we’re confident that the decision to team up again will bring with it a range of benefits as we roll out new cars and look towards even greater championship success.”

MASTERS

Dirk Klynsmith

OUT OF THE BOTTLE: We like the look of the new-for-2010 Bottle-O FPR Falcon, which was unwrapped in Sydney on the weekend. But, we have to ask – where did Rod Nash get that barrell girl?

15

Hitting the Townsville FORMULA FORD THE Genuine Ford Parts Australian Formula Ford Championship will visit Townsville for the first time in 2010.

A trip to Far North Queensland was the most noteworthy inclusion on the 2010 AFFC schedule, which was released late last week.

The Townsville street circuit was new-for-2009, and takes Formula Ford’s street track quota up to three, including

Albert Park for the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix, which will again host the first FFord round of the year. Townsville comes at the expense of Phillip Island, which misses out on an AFFC round in ’10. The rest of the rounds remain the same as ’09.

According to leading FFord team boss Mick Ritter, there are two trains of thought on Townsville’s inclusion.

“In terms of an event, and for the profile for the championship, it is a good

thing,” Ritter told eNews.

“But as far as expense is concerned, it’s not a good thing.

“To not be at Phillip Island is a real shame. Not including Perth, Formula Ford now does the three most expensive domestic rounds of the V8 Supercar calendar, and that’s insane.

“But the circuit will suit the cars, and it gives the young blokes the chance to learn a new circuit, which is always helpful for them.”

– ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN

2010 GENUINE FORD PARTS AUSTRALIAN FORMULA FORD CHAMPIONSHIP CALENDAR 1. Albert Park, Vic, March 25-28 2. Queensland Raceway, April 30-May 2 3. Winton Raceway, Vic, May 14-16 4. Hidden Valley, NT, June 18-20 5. Townsville, Qld, July 9-11 6. Surfers Paradise, Qld, October 21-24 7. Symmons Plains, Tas, November 5-7 8. Sandown Raceway, Vic, November 19-21

Johnson out of V8 Utes?

V8 UTES

GRANT Johnson may not be back to contest another V8 Utes season next year.

The 2007 champion – and this year’s runner-up – is on the back foot, with major backer Grove Fruit Juice opting to only support one car in 2010 – that of Grove’s managing director Greg Willis.

“We’re parting company at the end of this year, and at this stage I don’t have a drive for next year,” the West Aussie said.

Johnson is hoping that four championship podiums

16

in four years will be enough to encourage a new sponsor to come on board, but isn’t optimistic.

“Unless something changes in the near future, I won’t be running next year.”

But while his future is in doubt, Johnson’s sense of humour isn’t. He likened his consistent run in the Ute series to his namesakes run in NASCAR …

“I could have nearly got four championships in a row, a bit like Jimmie Johnson,” he quipped.

–DANIEL HERRERO

news

Winslow wants double duty FUJITSU SERIES

JAMES Winslow is looking to combine open-wheel racing in America with the Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series in 2010.

The 2008 Gold Star Champion made his debut in a Supercar at Homebush last weekend with Jay Motorsport, showing impressive pace.

He’s aiming to aiming to race in the series full-time next year, in addition to a season in the US F2000 Championship. After racing in the Atlantic Championship, Winslow will race with new squad Team Effort in US F2000.

Sharing is caring

“My main goal is to race V8 Supercars,” Winslow told eNews.

“So I’m looking to put a proper program for the Fujitsu Series for next year together.

“I was pleased with how Homebush went, so hopefully I can get back and do the full season next year.

“The F2000 program is locked in, I’m heading over on Christmas Day to get ready.

“There’s seven rounds of that and no clashes, so if I can get the budget for Fujitsu, there’d be no problem running both.

“I’m trying to do a test and a bit of Indy Lights as well, but it’ll all come down to finding budget over the off-season.”

– MITCHELL ADAM

V8 SUPERCARS PAUL and Todd Fiore have had their first taste of the Triple F Racing V8 Supercar.

The two brothers, who along with V8 regular Dean Fiore make up Triple F Racing, tested the team’s VE Commodore at Barbagallo Raceway on the Monday after the Bigpond 300 in WA a fortnight ago.

“Dean was doing some rides, so we took the chance to have a drive of the car,” said Paul Fiore.

“The rides took more time than expected, so we only had about 20 minutes left at the end of the day. Because of that,

I only got five laps and Todd only got four.

“But it was still a great experience.”

The brothers are currently assessing a Fujitsu Series program in 2010, with Dean jumping into an FG Falcon for the main series.

“I was 1.7 seconds faster than Todd, so I’m now odds on for the Fujitsu Series drive,” Paul joked. “But seriously, there’s every chance we’ll do the Fujitsu Series next year. We have the car, we have the transporter; all we’d need is the consumables and some staff to run the car.”

– ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN

17

Wall lo

AUSTRALIAN GT

Honda returns to ARC – with Eli Evans AUSTRALIAN RALLY HONDA is returning to the Australian Rally Championship, and taking Eli Evans with it.

Evans and co-driver Glen Weston will compete in the series in a new JAS Motorsport-built, Mugen-powered Honda Civic Type R, similar to the car that current British Rally champion Guy Wilks drove in Australia in 2008.

“The Civic Type R has proven to be an incredibly fast and exciting car,” said Evans.

“I can’t wait to get behind the wheel, attack the stages and let the free-revving Honda V-Tec

18

engine go to work at 8000rpm.”

The news means that Evans, 26, looks set to take on his brother Simon and sister-in-law Sue, the reigning ARC Champions. The pair recently tested a Peugeot S2000 car in France and, while Simon has not announced any ARC plans, the brothers may go head-to-head in particular events next year.

Honda’s Type R will be campaigned by Evans Motorsport from its Victorian headquarters, and will be shipped to Australia after a brief shakedown. The first round of the 2010 ARC is to be held in Tasmania February 26-28.

NEW Australian GT Champion David Wall is looking to return and try to defend his crown next year – in a new car from the other side of the Atlantic.

Wall wrapped up the championship at Homebush last weekend the Kim Burke-owned Porsche GT3 Cup S, but he told eNews that he could be driving something completely different next year.

“I hope to be back, I’ll probably be back in something American,” Wall said.

“It’s like all of those situations,

news

ooks to USA

said.

“The Development Series is out of the question, but if I can get an enduro gig next year as well I’ll be over the moon, so we’ll wait and see.”

In the meantime, Wall will head to Germany later this week for the Porsche Motorsport Awards.

If Wall gets a new American beast, it won’t be the only newcomer to the grid. eNews understands Mark Eddy will race a newly-imported Audi R8 GT3, having sold his ’08 titlewinning Lamborghini Gallardo to West Australian Ross Zampatti.

– MITCHELL ADAM

AUSTRALIAN GT GEORGE Miedecke now has a new overseas target for next year – on the other side of the Atlantic.

After revealing European ambitions to eNews back in October, Miedecke is now focusing his efforts on getting a 2010 drive in the USA. “I was pretty much set on [British] GT [a few weeks ago], but sands have shifted,” explained Miedecke.

“It’s looking most likely that it’ll be America now.”

After steering a V8 Ute for the past three years, the Port Macquarie-based driver is

Dirk Klynsmith

John Morris

you don’t really know what you’re going to get until you’re on the grid at Clipsal. If I am sitting there, I’d be very, very happy.

“It’s probably only 50 percent at the moment, but we’ll wait and see.”

Wall will try to get another V8 Supercar endurance ride in 2010, after racing with Wilson Security Racing at Phillip Island and Bathurst this year, but has ruled out a switch to the Fujitsu Series.

“Australian GT is what we’re focusing on, mainly because it’s attractive to the people who help us out, it’s got live TV and the budget to do it is achievable,” he

George ready to jump to USA

now likely to take up latemodel stock car racing, as a more economical means of furthering his career.

“Europe was a certain amount of money for six races, and you can probably do 20 races for that in America.”

Despite plans for stock cars, Miedecke maintains that he hasn’t turned his back on sportscar racing, which remains his ultimate goal.

“I’ve still got an ambition to do some sportscar racing. I don’t think they’re mutually exclusive – there’s guys that jump out of NASCARs and then do Daytona prototypes.”

– DANEIL HERRERO

Call for CAMS spill CAMS

Peter Bury

THE Victorian State Council of CAMS last week called for a spill of the ASN’s board.

A meeting last week, hosted by the MG Car Club in Melbourne and attended by both CAMS President Andrew Papadopolous, (pictured with Marcos Ambrose, lef)t, and its CEO Graham Fountain, saw representatives of 40 car clubs

affiliated with the national body, call for the Board of CAMS to be vacated and, in effect, replaced with a new one.

The vote for the action was unanimous.

CAMS’ Board has six directors elected by its State Councils, with two members facing reelection each year.

The board also has three directors appointed by the

Board, and an independent Chairman.

State Chairman David Bellenger and his deputy, Dr Norm Gowers, will meet with Fountain this Wednesday to discuss the Council’s proposals.

Papadopolous was on hand in Sydney on the weekend, and presented Ambrose with the Sir Jack Brabham Award for his achievements in the US NASCAR series.

19

Japan v

Martin looks to add

Erickson impresses in Star Maza test AUSSIES OVERSEAS

DANIEL Erickson has completed his first Star Mazda test in the United States of America.

The Aussie Formula 1 hopeful tested for Mundill Star Mazda Team at MSR Houston Raceway last week, and on the third test of the day, he set a time just 0.1s slower than the current Star Mazda lap record.

Mundill co-owner Jeff Hill was suitably impressed with Erickson’s performance.

“Daniel got within a tenth of a second of the record this morning, despite conditions that made the track about half a second slow,” Hill said.

“With a little more work, I am confident that he’d have lapped in the 1:24s bracket. That would have been the quickest time here since Star Mazda switched from bias ply to radial tyres.”

Erickson was due to return to his home in Sydney on Sunday.

Ambrose joi DUBAI 24 HOUR

Mundill Racing

20

MARCOS Ambrose is taking on a 24 Hour race – but it is not at Le Mans or Daytona.

The Aussie NASCAR star will race in the Dubai 24 Hour sportscar race on January 14-

news

versus Europe

Nippon.

“That’s the plan,” he told eNews.

JOHN Martin is planning on “I’ve got the Nippon calendar, splitting his 2010 season and I’ve seen the provisional between Japan and Europe.

The Aussie open-wheeler ace schedule for Superleague, so I will have a quieter summer this just need to make sure it all fits.”

“Superleague is getting year, with A1GP very unlikely bigger and bigger. At the last to return for the 2009/10 round in Spain there were a season, having already failed lot of people there. They are to lob at its first two rounds. doing things the right way. A1 Instead, Martin is hopeful of bit off more than they could returning to the Superleague chew in the first year, whereas Formula, where he drives Superleagure is just doing for Scottish football team what it needs to do.”

Glascow Rangers, as well as a As for Nippon, Martin full program in Japan’s Formula recently returned from Japan after positive talks with Docomo Team Racing.

“I was supposed to test at Fuji, but it didn’t happen,” he added.

“I still went to the test. My engineer from A1 (Rob Arnott) engineers a team out there, so I have an in. He’s with the Docomo Team, so I’m talking to them.

“It was good. At this stage Superleague is first option, so we’ll see what happens.”

– ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN

SUPERLEAGUE

d Formula Nippon to Superleague

sutton-images.com sutton-images.com

Peace breaks out in Saloon Cars SALOON CARS

ins the Dubai Brothers 16, in a Ferrari F430 GT2. He will share the AF Corse entry with fellow Cup driver Michael Waltrip, his co-owner Rob Kaufman, Rui Aguas and Niki Cadei.

The race will be the second outing for Ambrose in a 24 Hour race. He raced in the 2005

Daytona 24 Hour in a GT class Porsche GT3 Cup car, with fellow Australians Paul Morris and John Teulan, and Kiwi Craig Baird.

At Dubai, fellow Aussies Mal Rose, Peter Leemhuis and Tony Alford will share Rose’s Holden Commodore.

SIMMERING issues with the structure of Saloon Cars have been resolved, following a meeting between stakeholders and CAMS in Melbourne last Monday.

TASCCO’s Les Morrall, CAMS and Saloon Car state managers met to flesh out the future of the class and end a breakaway in Western Australia. The meeting was declared a success, with WA cars to return to the common national technical regulations, which will continue to be used by each state series.

“There’ll be one set of rules

across Australia,” Morrall told eNews, “we’re back as one big family.

“The terms of a new Competition Management Agreement for the next three years were agreed to and it’ll be signed shortly.”

TASCCO has also finalised deals with Bridgestone to become Saloon Cars’ new control tyre supplier next year, its 10th season, with Bob Jane T-Marts supplying wheels.

Morrall will recommence the search for a new naming rights sponsor, after a company who was close to signing a deal withdrew.

– MITCHELL ADAM

21

5 Minutes with ...

JAMIE WHINCUP

TeamVodafone’s young star is now a two-time V8 Supercar Champion – and he’s more than focussed on Title #3

You sound physically and emotionally drained; how hard was it in Sydney? It was a busy weekend at the office ...

22

John Morris/Mpix

QUESTION: You must be highly delighted to take home back-to-back trophies.

JAMIE WHINCUP: Yeah absolutely.

Just to paint a little picture in 30 seconds, I joined one of the best teams four years ago, and we battled on an narrowly missed out by two points back in 2007.

We fought on during 2008 and got that first championship. The feeling then was unbelievable, and the main reason for it was that we got the right people around us to make it happen.

This year we kept the continuity. The team would have got about a week off last Christmas, and prepared two FG racecars that had a massive question mark over them. [But] we hit the ground running at Clipsal.

Unfortunately our opposition got motivated to catch us, and they reeled us in. We hit a bit of a mid-season slump, and the SuperGP race was one of the lows in my career.

But we fought back, we had a fantastic Phillip Island, and then we went well in Perth, which is a bit of a bogey track.

[Sydney] was all about getting 22 points, and I fought hard, I had nothing left in me.

The week’s been draining, [so] I’m rapt in my performance.

I think that’s the best I could have done. We’ve had a huge week, but we’ve finished it off.

That double championship means everything.

It was more of a mental race. Mentally if you’re all good and focused on the job, the physical stuff isn’t really a worry. When I knew Will [Davison] had a bit of trouble [in Race 25], mentally it absolutely drained me. I started feeling every muscle in my body.

You’ve had 34 career wins and now two championships.

At your age, and with that equipment at your disposal, who’s to say you won’t challenge the record of five championship wins?

We won’t jump to conclusions.

It’s an elite group to have two championships, without doubt, and I’m very familiar with the stats. I study all that stuff. I’m very, very proud of what the team has achieved.

I’m playing a broken record here – we all come out and say thanks to the team – but those blokes take the skin off their knuckles, week in, week out.

It’s important to understand that I’m just one part of that.

Although everyone wants to talk to me, it’s just a massive team effort. We’ll all get together sometime in the next week just to work out exactly what we’ve achieved.

The way you got out of the car was a lot different to how you were 12 months ago at Oran Park. On that slow down lap, were you just allowing yourself a chance to reflect on what you’ve achieved?

You’ve got to cherish every moment you’ve got by yourself, to really reflect on exactly what it means. I had a bit of time on the in-lap, about a minute, to reflect on the achievements, and it’s an unbelievable feeling.

I started racing go karts when I was seven, and I hated doing my homework. I was always cleaning sprockets and changing engines and cleaning my go kart. I decided to dedicate my life to motorsport and racing cars.

The championship for me is absolutely everything.

If the team was busy last year, how busy will they be this year, getting ready with some Holdens?

We’re going to start again, aren’t we. There will be another week off over Christmas, and then building two brand new VE racecars.

I can’t speak highly enough of the team. You’re only as strong as your weakest link, and it’s a massive group effort.

Anyone who thinks that I’m the most important part of that team is a fool. I’m just part of a huge group, and if one of us was to leave, we’d be in trouble.

We’ve got a great leader, and I’m sure the continuity will be there next year.

Every year you look for motivation, and certainly last year, the fact that Marcos Ambrose was the last person to go back-to-back, and there is an elite group of double champions, that was my sole motivation.

Next year will be totally different with the VE. How different will the Holden be to the Ford, and how will it suit your driving?

You’ve got to remember that 80 percent of the car is built by our team, and that 80 percent is all the important stuff; the suspension, the uprights, what the rear wheels bolt on to, [and] the roll bars. They’re all the things that make a racecar really fast.

Those parts will be identical.

They are Triple Eight Race Engineering parts.

Literally what we will do is put a different skin over the top. I believe we will be competitive.

chat

Dirk Klynsmith

23

DOUBLE

8

Dirk Klynsmith

AUSTRALIA has another ‘Turn 8’.

While Homebush’s eighth corner isn’t anywhere near as quick as its namesake in Adelaide, it claimed its fair share of scalps – probably more than in the City of Churches.

A host of cars went in during Sunday’s race in particular, including race leader Lee Holdsworth, Rick Kelly and Cameron McConville.

So, what made it such a carnage magnet? I asked a few drivers.

“I thought it was fine,” Tim Slade admitted.

“There was a surface change

going in, so you just had to watch that you weren’t carrying too much brake over the surface change, because it does lock that inside front.

“If you stayed on the brake, you pretty much understeered into the wall. I had one moment there in practice and got out of it and went down the escape road.

"The surface started to break up there a little bit at the end of the weekend, but plenty of guys had stuck it in before that ...

“I think they might have been trying to make up too much time going in, but it’s actually one of those corners where

Letters Bigger than Texas Thanks for the great coverage you provide and in particular, for the V8s as in the three years since I moved from Perth to Houston, V8s have never had a mention on any US media, including www.speedtv.com.

While it is great news that SPEED will be covering the V8s next year, I just wonder how they will promote this and get behind it, when their total focus is basically hours and hours of NASCAR coverage – little of which, I might add, is actually showing racing, unless you count the Truck series.

To reiterate this point, to date there has been no announcement of their coverage of the V8s on the SPEED website and as

24

you make it up going out.

“I had my problems on corners on street circuits at the start of the year and I knew it was a high-risk corner that you can easily come unstuck on, so I played it pretty cautious going in there and made sure I maximised the exits.”

Fabian Coulthard echoed Slade’s views of the corner being a challenge, rather than a hazard.

“I think as people got more confident, they pushed a bit too hard and came a cropper,” he said.

“It was no different to yesterday [Saturday], apart from there being few marbles

opinion Mitchell Adam eNews Asst Editor off-line which meant there was pretty much one line to go through there.

“If you were a quarter of a car wrong, there’s nothing but wall and the corner slopes off camber which leads you into it.”

Corners take time to acquire reputations, so it may be premature to put a label on any of Homebush’s just yet.

But, it has made a pretty solid debut.

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

of today, when you look at the program schedule for the weekend of the 12th-13th, the promised V8 coverage is not listed.

Hopefully this will actually happen and the V8s will be shown with only a week delay next year. But in the meantime, I’d like to see a list of the 130 countries that the V8s are actually shown, and at what time, so that I can perhaps better arrange my travel schedule to be in the right place at the right time, as it clearly isn’t in the US if you want to see real V8 racing and not crash and bash on ovals!

Neil Eddy Houston, Texas

Now this would be ... special I went to Homebush, I saw, I listened, I loved it.

Just one suggestion for Tony Cochrane.

Next year, can we have Cathy Freeman wave the chequered flag?

Tony Lee Via email

Carnage on the streets I presume Tony Cochrane will be picking up the bill for all the damaged cars. Let’s not forget, it was his idea.

G Wallace Tuggerah NSW

opinion

Sydney: Fan-tastic!

WOW! Forgive me, but as a Pom, I’m not used to seeing people at a motor race!

Knock out the Grand Prix, and we rejoice if we get 30,000 people at a race. So to see the whopping number of people over three days of the Sydney Telstra 500 was awesome.

What percentage were firsttimers? No idea, but if they didn’t enjoy the weekend then there is something wrong. This latest event (and I stress that word) had everything; music, drama, entertainment, colour, atmosphere, and some superb racing thrown in for good measure.

We don’t do ‘events’ in Europe, we do motor race meetings. We don’t brand our British Touring Car Championship events like V8s are branded, each with an identity. In every sense of the word, the Sydney Telstra 500 was an event and one that was a ripper as a first stab. Build on this and it will be huge and deservedly so. Let’s face it, it was bloody big to start with.

Crowd figures were good, and so was the racing, thanks in part to the track. Every time the television pictures flicked to another camera you expected to see another incident – and often enough

that was the case. Look at the number of champions, past and present, that were in the wars; look at the number of dramas in pit releases; and look at the snakes-and-ladders races many drivers had. If the crowd size was a boost for the championship, the racers responded by delivering two action-packed 74-lappers.

Criticisms? Hard to find many, although I was surprised not to see more event promotion from the airport to Homebush, but no doubt that will be looked at for year two. A few electronic scoreboards to tell people of the order during pit stops would be welcome, too.

And there’s nothing better

opinion David Addison V8 track commentator than noisy, brutal cars delivering bags of grunt is there? That’s why I am still trembling from my first visit to Parramatta Speedway on Saturday night, thanks to the generosity of the indefatigable Wade Aunger, to watch World Series Sprintcars – the most gob-smacking racecars I have seen. Ever. In 32 years of going racing.

It wasn’t just the noise, speed and smell that made the hairs stand up on my neck, it was being invited to trigger the four-way salute on the A-Main rolling lap and hearing the crowd reaction to the drivers.

Australia should be proud of its fans; they are the best in the world. Look after them.

25

V8 SUPERCARS CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES RACES 25-26, SYDNEY TELSTRA 500

And the winner is ...

SYDNEY!

V8 Supercars came, saw and conquered in its first races around the Olympic precinct.

ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN reports

26

race

John Morris

27

28

Dirk Klynsmith

F

OR the second time this year, Lee Holdsworth looked to be controlling the first race on a brand new street circuit – and had it taken away by a factor well beyond his control.

Last time it was Townsville, where Holdsworth was leading comfortably when his motor let go. This time it was Homebush, and having jumped early leader Garth Tander during a Safety Carinduced scramble for the pits, Holdsworth looked untouchable on the streets of Sydney.

He set the fastest lap of the race on Lap 21, and did it again on Lap 24. Holdsworth was flying, and a popular second win looked on the cards. Until he found some fluid on the

racetrack on Lap 25, and immediately found the wall.

The beneficiary was Tander, who went on to win the race easily. It was an up-and-down affair for the West Aussie; having led early, Tander found himself behind Holdsworth during the first Safety Car period, and then behind Jamie Whincup a handful of corners after the restart, when the Champion dive-bombed him and somehow got away with it.

But Tander re-gathered, retook the lead when Whincup ran wide on a later restart, and cruised to the first win in Homebush.

“It was about getting to the half way point and assessing where we were at,” Tander said.

“When I lost track position [early in the race] I wasn’t too

worried. I just wanted to stick with Holdsworth and Whincup.

It was a matter of holding your cards and playing them when the time was right.”

Mark Winterbottom was second, and it definitely came thanks to a little luck. Mistakes from Holdsworth and Whincup helped, and at one stage, it looked like hometown hero James Courtney was going to muscle past. But when Courtney’s right-hand door started to flap in the breeze, the meatball flag came out again and car #18 was no longer a threat to Winterbottom.

“We were a bit sneaky there,” said Winterbottom. “The car was not quick, but it is straight.

Every time someone went off I thought ‘great!’ I just needed

Garth to go off as well …”

Third was Jason Bright, who had to withstand awesome pressure from Jamie Whincup late in the race. On the penultimate lap the pair almost – almost – came to blows, dropping Whincup to fifth.

Of course, fifth was more than enough to seal the title for Whincup.

As for Holdsworth, he finished fourth after a remarkable comeback drive. Having dropped well into the teens after his brush with the wall, Holdsworth charged home, his final pass coming thanks to Bright and Whincup’s stoush at the end of the race.

He might not have won, but Holdsworth was the star of the race.

race

John Morris

No place like Homebush: Garth Tander led the field away and was still there when the chequer fell, opposite. In between, it took this moment to cost Lee Holdsworth the lead and, maybe, the win, left.

He stormed back through the pack to fourth, ahead of Jamie Whincup. David Reynolds starred on the streets, bottom left, but was one of many drivers to strike trouble. Shane Van Gisbergen amd Mick Caruso showed that the course was not too narrow to race side by side, below, while Greg Murphy showed that the SGR cars will be a speedy buy for someone, bottom.

Peter Bury Peter Bury

Dirk Klynsmith

29

R

Dirk Klynsmith

Street fighter: James Courtney took another street course win, above, while Jason Bright looked set to end a three-season drought before copping a drivethrough penalty, below.

Dirk Klynsmith

30

ACE 26 in Sydney proved that home ground advantages do exist in motorsport.

Okay, that might not actually be true. But by a freakish coincidence, the top three finishers in the race – James Courtney, Michael Caruso and Mark Winterbottom – were the three native New South Welshman in the field. It was a fitting way to end an epic weekend, slightly west of the harbour city.

The second Sydney hit-out was a case of redemption for Courtney. He had been on for a podium on Saturday, only to have his door latch fail. On Sunday, there were no such blemishes, and Courtney cruised to his third V8 Supercar race win, and second round win of 2009.

“It wasn’t easy, but today was easier than yesterday,” said Courtney.

“I love street circuits. I love grabbing the car by the neck and throwing it up against the walls.”

Courtney didn’t thank the invention of the drive-through penalty in the post-race press conference, but maybe he should have. After all, it was a drive-through penalty that took mid-race leader Jason Bright out of the equation.

Bright had jumped JC on a Lap 43 restart with a daring move into Turn 9, and sprinted into the distance. But then came the news that Bright was to do a drive-through for an unsafe release from the pits.

The exact same penalty also took Craig Lowndes out of the equation, after #888 had shown some pace in the top three mid-race. Lowndes may well have taken the fight to Courtney, but never had the chance after a hip-andshoulder on Alex Davison coming out of the pits earned him a penalty.

Caruso’s second place capped off a quiet, yet highly impressive, weekend for Garry Roger’s youngster. On a track that some big names struggled on, Caruso barely put a wheel wrong all weekend, and backed up his sixth in Race 25 with the second in Race 26.

“It was so tough,” he said. “Everyone was spearing off, so my strategy was to keep it off the walls. It takes a lot of concentration.”

Just like in Race 25, Mark Winterbottom was there at the end to collect a podium, this time third. Again, Winterbottom’s FPR Falcon was the fastest or nicest car on the track, but a typically professional job from the Sydneysider reaped another podium.

“To be on the podium both days – what more can you ask for? Those were really tough conditions at the end.”

The hard luck stories went to Lee Holdsworth and Greg Murphy. Having started from pole, Holdsworth was right in the thick of the battle early in the race. He was on a completely different strategy to Courtney, opting for a late first stop to try and wrestle the lead back off the Jim Beam Racer in the pits. It might have worked, had it not been for Holdsworth donging the wall while trying to push late in his stint, retiring immediately.

As for Murphy, there might have been people in the Sprint Gas garage daring to dream of a last-race win for the Tasman outfit. But on a restart, while trying to follow leader Courtney, Murph locked a front, lost the rear, and hit the wall. That he was able to recover to seventh was amazing in itself, but it wasn’t the result he or the team were wanting ...

race

The NSW Blues: Mark Winterbottom starred on home turf, with two podiums and top points for the weekend.

Jamie Whincup, below left, had sealed the title by the time Sunday started, and was in the wars for most of the day. Michael Caruso charged, again, and scored a deserved podium finish, below. Russell Ingall, bottom left, was one of the many drivers to end the race with battle scars. Cameron McConville, bottom, showed podium speed but had rear of grid luck in the two races. He leaves the top level with his head held high, class intact and a lot of friends.

Dirk Klynsmith Dirk Klynsmith

Dirk Klynsmith

Peter Bury

Peter Bury

31

The weekend that wasn IT’S hard to come across race wins – or even the opportunity to win races – so it was’ the one that got away from us’ at Homebush.

That is really disappointing.

We had the speed to win both races. In saying that, there are a lot of positives to take away from that as well. Second in qualifying on Saturday, the fight back in Saturday’s race, and then pole position – we are showing people that we can do it.

All we need now is a bit more consistency. We struggle at some tracks, and we’re good at others. We need to work on that, improve, and be on top of it next year so we can be good at all the tracks.

COMMENT LEE HOLDSWORTH

GRM Driver

Back to Homebush ... I was pretty proud of how I was able to come back in Saturday’s race.

I was pretty frustrated after the crash, but I kept a cool head and brought it home.

As for Sunday, well, if I had my time again I don’t know what I would have done differently.

I turned in at the same point as I had every other lap, and I don’t know if the track was breaking up, but I hit something and the car went straight ahead. I don’t know what I could have done different.

V8 Supercar | RACEs 25-26, SYDNEY TELSTRA 500, HOMEBUSH Pos No Driver 1 5 Mark Winterbottom 2 34 Michael Caruso 3 18 James Courtney 4 9 Shane Van Gisbergen 5 39 Russell Ingall 6 111 Fabian Coulthard 7 1 Jamie Whincup 8 6 Steven Richards 9 2 Garth Tander 10 25 Jason Bright 11 4 Alex Davison 12 24 David Reynolds 13 22 Will Davison 14 33 Lee Holdsworth 15 51 Greg Murphy 16 3 Jason Bargwanna 17 15 Rick Kelly 18 17 Steven Johnson 19 55 Tony D’Alberto 20 8 Jason Richards 21 333 Michael Patrizi 22 10 Paul Dumbrell 23 7 Todd Kelly 24 67 Tim Slade 25 888 Craig Lowndes 26 14 Cameron McConville 27 11 Jack Perkins 28 12 Dean Fiore 29 16 Mark McNally

Team/Car Ford Performance Racing Falcon FG Valvoline GRM Commodore VE Jim Beam Racing Falcon FG SP Tools Racing Falcon FG Supercheap Auto Commodore VE Wilson Security Racing Falcon FG TeamVodafone Falcon FG Ford Performance Racing Falcon FG Toll HRT Commodore VE Fujitsu Racing Falcon FG Irwin Racing Falcon FG Bundaberg Red Commodore VE Toll HRT Commodore VE Valvoline GRM Commodore VE Sprint Gas Racing Commodore VE Sprint Gas Racing Commodore VE Jack Daniel’s Racing Commodore VE Jim Beam Racing Falcon FG The Bottle-O Commodore VE Team BOC Commodore VE Wilson Security Racing Falcon BF Team Autobarn Commodore VE Jack Daniel’s Racing Commodore VE Supercheap Auto Commodore VE TeamVodafone Falcon FG WOW Racing Commodore VE Dodo Racing Team Commodore VE Bing Lee/Panasonic Commodore VE Hi-Tec Oils Racing Commodore VE

Q1 7 4 8 15 12 18 3 22 1 13 23 9 17 2 6 EXC 11 16 20 24 25 10 14 19 21 5 26 27 28

R23 Q2 2 4 6 6 17 2 10 19 16 21 13 20 5 26 8 22 1 7 3 8 20 16 18 10 15 13 4 1 DNF 5 7 11 9 3 DNF 24 11 17 12 15 DNF 23 DNF 12 14 25 DNF 18 19 9 DNF 14 DNF 28 DNF 27 DNF 29

R24 3 2 1 6 4 5 14 15 DNF DNF 9 11 8 DNF 7 DNF DNF 10 DNF DNF 12 13 DNF 16 DNF DNF DNF DNF DNF

Pts 267 240 204 180 177 177 174 150 150 129 129 123 120 120 96 96 84 78 72 69 69 66 63 57 48 0 0 0 0

Points: Whincup 3349, W Davison 3044, Tander 2916, Lowndes 2592, Winterbottom 2414, Johnson 2255, Courtney 2192, R Kelly 2162, Ingall 2048, Holdsworth 2006, Caruso 1977, Van Gisbergen 1970, S Richards 1780, J Richards 1756, Dumbrell 1677, Coulthard 1655, A Davison 1648, T Kelly 1624, Bright 1607, McConville 1565, Murphy 1555, Reynolds 1428, Slade 1221, D’Alberto 1196, Bargwanna 1192, Perkins 993, Patrizi 920, Fiore 668, Wood 578, McNally 512.

32

Heartbrea opinion ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN Motorsport eNews Editor CAMERON McConville might have temporarily considered retracting his retirement on Saturday afternoon in Sydney.

After scraping into the Top 10 Shootout, McConville looked strong on the onelap dash, and even stronger in the race.

By the 125km point of Race 25, he was sitting third, and hustling newly-crowned Champion Jamie Whincup for second place.

He pitted earlier than his front-running rivals – on Lap 42 – and then, on cold tyres, drove straight into the wall at Turn 8.

Having tried in vane to get the car back to pit-lane, McConville crept up an escape road, press the ‘radio’ button on his steering wheel, and told the team “sorry guys, another one that got away.”

Tomorrow might have been another

race

n’t

2000, all over again FROM THE COUCH PHIL BRANAGAN

Peter Bury

eak High in Sydney day, but Race 26 brought the same result.

McConville wasn’t as close to the pointy end, but still found the Turn 8 wall. Again he got on the radio, informed the team that “this wasn’t how I wanted it to end”, and then walked into the pits and threw his gloves in heartbroken disgust.

Greg Murphy was also a man determined to get a good result, to celebrate the end of the line for Tasman Motorsport. Murph was in the shoot-out, and was sitting fourth in the middle part of the first race.

Ironically, it was an incident with McConville that ruined Murph’s dream

result. The Sprint Gassers released Murph right into the path of the WOW Racing Commodore, earning #51 a drive-through penalty. A handful of laps later, Jack Perkins rubbed salt into Murphy’s wounds by shunting him into the wall.

Murph had another crack at it in Race 26, and was in a position to genuinely challenge James Courtney for the lead at the 30-odd lap mark. But on a restart he spun by himself at Turn 1, crashing into the wall, and out of second place.

Finally, for the second race meeting in a row, fate was cruel to David Reynolds. Right when his career needs a great result, it failed to come again.

Reynolds topped a practice session on Friday, and then went second fastest in Q2. It looked as if it was finally all coming up Reynolds. But then he got sandwiched at Turn 1 on the first lap of Race 25, had a front guard come loose, and was advised by officials that he needed to pit to avoid a meatball flag.

– ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN

BUZZ at a racetrack is like changes in elevation; it is not always visible from the television coverage.

The buzz at Homebush was muted by the teletyranny of distance. I know there was genuine atmosphere at the track, but a little less of it made it through to the screen. The stands looked full-ish, and the regularity of cars clanging into the walls made the races dramatic. There was even more overtaking that many predicted on the tight corners and narrow confines of the track.

I only had two small problems with the coverage. One was the shortage of ‘tweaks’, like the lack of a tricky camera angle (ie, the remote camera set-up on the Turn 8 wall at Adelaide), or trickery.

The use of the slow-mo was okay, even if it came across as a bit been-there, donethat, which is possibly inevitable at the end of a long season. We look forward to the onslaught of viewer-friendly features from the Gulf next February.

My other drama was with the commentary. Aaron Noonan’s excellent work over recent rounds was missed.

In terms of the Drivers’ title, Sunday’s race was a dead rubber, but definitely not in terms of the Teams’ title. The commentary team talked about the teams’ battle several times during the race, without managing to shed any light on what the actual points situation was between TeamVodafone and HRT – until lap 71. V8 Supercars uses a fairly primitive, MS-DOS text-based timing system, but one of its features is a ‘live’ points display during a race. Working out which team was ahead at any particular time during the race would have required a pen, paper and about 30 seconds’ work.

All in all, a satisfying rather than a breathtaking end to the year.

And, one more thing; whose idea was a cycling race? If we have to have that, can we please arrange to see Le Mans racers in the Tour de France? Good intentions, I’m sure, but really, really out of place.

33

FUJITSU V8 SUPERCAR SERIES ROUND 7 – HOMEBUSH

34

race

Jono’s job done

Jonathon Webb wrapped up the 2009 Fujitsu V8 Series in style at Homebush.

MITCHELL ADAM reports

Dirk Klynsmith

35

Dirk Klynsmith

J

ONATHON Webb didn’t before falling foul of a broken need to win the final front wishbone. round of the Fujitsu V8 It ended the title fight, Supercar Series to wrap with Webb finishing second up the title, but he did anyway. to Moffat and sealing the The Sydneysider headed to championship.

Homebush with a 79-point “It was always going to be a lead over David Russell and five- tough weekend,” Webb said. straight race wins under his “We’ve had a good run with five belt. Russell had all the work out of five wins coming into to do, but the odds turned the weekend, so my confidence further against him early, when was high. a misfire limited him to eighth “But having said that, it was in qualifying. a new track and a street circuit, Webb, meanwhile, started which makes it much, much second alongside James Moffat, harder again, so I’ve definitely who got the jump at the had plenty of weight on my start. While Webb shadowed shoulders all weekend.

Moffat, Russell was moving up “You don’t wish that [Russell’s the order. He got up to third, DNF] upon anyone, but it lifted

36

the weight off my shoulders, knowing that from there on we could enjoy the rest of the race, have a clean run home and wrap up the championship “David pushed us all the way this year and James t has been strong as well, to come away with the win is a massive relief.”

The early stages of Sunday’s race was a repeat of the opener, with Moffat leading off the line and Webb settling into second.

This time though, with the title in the bag and the pace, Webb moved into the lead at the first corner on Lap 7.

He set the fastest-lap the very next time around and went on to win the race by six

seconds, and the round on a countback.

“It’s great to say that we’d wrapped up the championship on Saturday, but I still wanted to bring home a car that we could roll onto the truck, having not been thrown in the fence,” Webb said.

“So I wanted to get past James without hanging him out do dry or putting him off, that’s not the way I want to drive.

“It was difficult to get past, but I saw the opportunity and took it. James and I both got through the next corner cleanly, I knew I had the speed and went away with it from there.”

With Russell’s Race 1 DNF,

Peter Bury

James Moffat, opposite, won Race 1 and tied with Jonathon Webb on points for the weekend to snatch second in the series from David Russell, above.

Grant Denyer, left, ended the season with a pair of thirds, to secure fourth in the points.

Peter Bury

Moffat was back in the mix for second in the championship. As he headed to second, Russell needed to finish fourth. From 14th on the grid, he got up to fifth and was challenging Marcus Marshall, but he tagged the wall on the final lap and ended up having to defend fifth from Geoff Emery.

Grant Denyer and Marshall were the quiet achievers of the weekend. Denyer benefited from Russell’s late retirement to finish third in Race 1, backing it up on Sunday, while Marshall, a lastminute addition to the field, was fourth each day.

Emery had a breakout weekend, a finishing career-best sixth in each race, the best Holden each time. David Sieders also scored a

personal-best, with fifth in Race 1, but a slow start in Race 2 was costly, while Drew Russell bagged a pair of seconds.

James Winslow picked up the best result for the three debutant drivers, with ninth in Race 1 despite a spin, before a clutch problem on Sunday.

Sam Walter had a troubled farewell event, caught up in an opening lap incident in Race 1 which also eliminated Brad Lowe and Ben Eggleston.

Final Points: Webb 1874, Moffat 1623, Russell 1618, Denyer 1441, Daniel Gaunt 1179, Lowe 1077, Daniel Assaillit 1018, Walter 943

37

V8 UTES ROUND 8 – HOMEBUSH

(Else)Good Enough

T

WO years have passed since Jack Elsegood probably should have been a V8 Utes champion.

In 2009, the former Manly and Sydney Roosters winger finally took the title in the Coopers Falcon - pending a CAMS hearing for Layton Crambrook,

38

who is appealing his exclusion from Bathurst.

“I just wanted to have a clean race and get the car home,” he said.

“It’s a great feeling to finally win the title. I’ve been with Coopers for six years now, and it’s a great result to finally bring this home to them.”

Once again, 2007 champion Grant Johnson was a genuine chance to take the title at the final round. But he had to settle for runner-up honours – for the round as well as the championship. However, in the process he maintained a 100 percent championship podium record in his four years in the V8

Utes series.

In a bruising year for all the main protagonists, Johnson was left to reflect on what might have been “You can always look back and think of what could have happened. I look at Clipsal – two DNFs after I smashed it in the wall and wrote the car off,”

race

Dirk Klynsmith

said the West Australian. “[We had] a blown tyre at Northern Territory, then another flat tyre at Sandown, but I can’t blame anyone but myself at Bathurst [when I hit the wall on Sunday].

Any one of those probably would have changed the result.”

George Miedecke, in what will likely be his last outing in a V8 Ute for the foreseeable future, was a class of his own all weekend, and his first round victory helped him to third in the championship.

Were it not for the partial reverse grid in Race 2, Miedecke might have had a perfect round, after topping practice and qualifying, and taking easy lights-to-flag victories in Races 1 and 3.

“The other guys did a great job but I think we just prepared really well, I had a fantastic car all weekend, and I was trying my arse off,” explained Miedecke.

“I was knocking in mirrors all over the place.

“I’m really glad to give race and a round win to my team before I leave, so I’m really proud of that.”

As expected, many came to grief around the concrete-lined Olympic Park circuit. Ryal Harris earned the dubious honour of being the first driver to bite the concrete at the new track in the first practice session.

For the second-consecutive meeting, Ben Kavich copped a big shunt from behind at the fastest corner on the track.

Kavich was hit by Craig Dontas in Race 2 as the two exited the sweeping left-hander behind Acer Arena, and braked for the ‘bus stop’, and while the former refused to comment on the incident, Dontas claimed that Kavich was “tentative” on the brakes.

Paul Williams was the rookie of the year, and Hi-Tech Motorsport is the first team to take a championship one-two in the V8 Utes Series.

– DANIEL HERRERO

39

Seton’s Round, Stokell’s Title MINI CHALLENGE

PAUL Stokell is the Champion of the second edition of MINI Challenge, which wrapped up at the Sydney 500 on the weekend.

Despite a Race 1 DNF – car #27 sheered the right-front wheel off and hit the wall at the chicane complex, pictured right – the Decorug driver took his sixth national title courtesy of a massive points advantage prior to the meeting.

It was Glenn Seton, back in the category after driving the Uber-Star entry at Surfers Paradise, who took round honours on a countback after a solid outing for M3 Motorsport.

“It’s been a good weekend, really,” he said. “[I was] quickest in the second [practice] session, quickest in qualifying, won the first race, had the reverse [top] six in the second race and finished fourth; and that’s led to coming and winning that last one.”

However, he was helped by a last lap incident between Chris Alajajian and Scott Bargwanna in the final race. Bargwanna had reeled Alajajian back in during the closing stages, and tried to pounce on the former A1 Team Lebanon driver around the train station

at Turn 10. Contact ensued, spinning Alajajian out of first – for the race and round – and into third, while Bargwanna continued on to finish the race in second place.

“It’s a train station,” quipped Alajajian. “I think there’s a whole row of a train, I guess. You’ve got to be nose-to-tail and not side-by-side through there, particularly that part of the track.”

“If there’s any part of the track I’d say that there’s no passing that should be done, that would be it.”

Bargwanna thought Alajajian could have been more co-operative.

“I think he’s turned in. I definitely think we could have got it up the inside.”

Alajajian, however, can take solace in being runner-up for the round, and the 2009 rookie of the year. He also set up his Race 2 win by moving from fifth to first on the opening lap of the race.

The weekend’s Uber-Star, David Brabham, showed his class by executing two good passes – on David Stillwell and Beric Lytnon – at Turn 9 to take fourth in Race 3, adding to fifth and sixth in the earlier two encounters.

– DANIEL HERRERO

BRAKE BALANCE BARS Balance Bars distribute brake force

• Essential tools for serious plumbers!

• Single or Double Ended

separately to front and rear brakes, and can be adjusted to alter braking ratio.

Tilton Balance Bars come in various widths and bar thickness (2 1/2" wide, 3/8" bar standard).

Single Ended to tighten hose ends to adaptors Double Ended allow hose to hose end assembly,also fit swivel nuts etc.

Cable Kits for in-cockpit bar adjustments also readily available

•

Distributed in Australia by -

PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS

40

HOSE END WRENCHES

Anodised Aluminium to minimise scratches. Sizes AN3 to AN20 Distributed in Australia by -

12 Stanley St Silverwater NSW 2128 Ph: 02 9748 6011 Fx : 02 9748 6241

PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS

12 Stanley St Silverwater NSW 2128 Ph: 02 9748 6011 Fx : 02 9748 6241

race

Twigg takes maiden win AUSTRALIAN GT

Dirk Klynsmith

MAX Twigg’s name is on the list of maiden Homebush race winners after taking out both races in the final round of the VodkaO Australian GT Championship.

Theo Koundouris finished second, while David Wall is the new champion after finishing third, completing an all Porsche 991 Cup S podium, with Porsche dominating the weekend. In opening practice, eight of the Top 9 vehicles were Porsches, with Tony Quinn’s Aston Martin DBRS9 the sole representative of another manufacturer.

Wall was the fastest qualifier, and led the first 30-minute race until he was overtaken by Twigg midway through.

However, the field was compressed when a Safety Car was deployed shortly afterwards to recover the stranded Lotus Exige of Angelo Lazaris. The race restarted

with just one lap to go, and Twigg was able to hold off Wall to take victory.

However, confusion reigned when the chequered flag was not waved at the 30minute mark, instead being displayed one lap too late. A number of drivers continued racing, while others slowed down. The race results were amended post-race to reflect the correct 30-minute duration.

Twigg again led away in Race 2, with Theo Koundouris also beating Wall off the line and moving up to second. On Lap 2, Quinn also charged past Wall on the main straight.

The order was the same at the end, while James Koundouris and Klark Quinn collided fighting for fifth, eliminating Quinn.

Further down the order, Ted Huglin went too deep under brakes into Turn 1 and crashed his Lamborghini Gallardo into the tyre barrier, while Mosler driver

Andrew Macpherson also experienced problems and ran up the escape road.

It was an incident-riddled weekend for Macpherson, who also crashed during qualifying.

In the GT Challenge Class, Jordan Ormsby led the way in Race 1, finishing 14th outright. Ormsby spun out of reckoning in Race 2, though, allowing Michael Loccisano through for the class win ahead of Paul Tresidder and Eric Bana.

Paul Freestone came into the event needing only a handful of points to wrap up GT Production, but he looked to be on shaky ground after damaging his Corvette in Friday practice. Overnight, a Holden Monaro was transported up from Melbourne, and although it lacked the Corvette’s outright pace, Freestone accumulated enough points to secure the title, aided when his main rival, Mark O’Connor, failed to finish Race 1.

– LACHLAN MANSELL

Dirk Klynsmith

John Morris/Mpix

41

Hometown hero

Martin Stamatis broke through for his maiden win ANDRA Pro Series Top Fuel win at home, LUKE NIEUWHOF reports

42

race

DRAG RACING TOP Fuel driver Martin Stamatis won his first-ever home track event in the ANDRA Pro Series, with the Western Australian putting in a consistent performance to claim victory at Perth Motorplex.

In the Billview dragster.

Stamatis defeated Victorian Phil Lamattina’s Fuchs team with a 4.70s time over Lamattina’s 5.20s.

“I couldn’t believe my eyes for a minute, when my front tyres dipped the finish line and Lamattina wasn’t in sight. I had tears in my eyes,” Stamatis said.

With the WA round carrying bonus points, it gives Stamatis a big leg up in the ANDRA Pro Series chase, which he now leads after former leader Steve Read didn’t travel the distance to contest the round.

“The win put me into the Number 1 spot and we’re in a good position to chase the championship,” he said.

Stamatis qualified fifth in the seven-car field, with a 4.98s time. He overcame fellow WA driver Allan Dobson, driving in a new dragster for team owner Santa Rapisarda, in a close 5.03s to 5.09s race.

In the semi finals, Stamatis faced off against team-mate Phil Read. When Read’s Auto

One dragster ate up an engine at three-quarter distance, Stamatis took the win with a 4.74s against Read’s 5.04s.

Emotions were running high for Stamatis during the event, following his involvement in a tribute car for WA drag racing legend Bob St Lawrence.

The drag racing community pulled together to assemble a Top Fuel dragster in just two weeks, carrying St Lawrence’s hand-built steel engine. Stamatis drove the car in an exhibition pass after qualifying on Friday night.

“You couldn’t write the fairytale any better,” he said.

“It was something very special for everybody and I’d like to dedicate this win to Bob St Lawrence.”

Lamattina’s car ran the slower time in the final after spinning the tyres just before quarter track. It was still a good comeback, though, after qualifying last and gave him valuable points after a first round loss in Round 1 of the series.

“It’s early days yet, there’s five rounds to go and hopefully we can be in the final at the next one and even up the ledger,” Lamattina said.

The next championship round will also be held at Perth Motorplex on January 8 and 9.

43

Johnson wins at TPCR 09/10 WSS

44

driveline in qualifying after one lap, before a broken magneto and faulty power steering pump in his first heat. Farr finally had a good finish with second in the B Main, getting him into the A feature where he finished ninth.

Former WSS and Aussie Champ Max Dumesny had a quiet night, finishing seventh in the A Main, while son Mitch was impressive all night debuting a new car. A flat tyre in a heat saw the current TPCR track champ starting mid-field in the A Main, but a wrong chassis set up saw him finish back in 16th.

Retired V8 Supercar racer Paul

Morris was a first-time visitor to Parramatta. While he didn’t set the track alight, he improved every time his #67 machine hit the track and vowed to return later this summer.

In qualifying, Brazier showed he meant business, setting fast time with a 11.785s lap, followed by Gessner, Reidy, Johnson, Farrell and local Adrian Maher. The heats saw wins go to Peter Attard, Wayne Rowett, Tatnell and Darryl Campbell, with Andrew Scheuerle and Roddy BellBowen claiming two heat wins each.

– GREG BOSCATO

John Morris /Mpix

AMERICAN ace Jason Johnson claimed his maiden Parramatta victory in Round 3 of the 2009/10 World Series Sprintcars at Tyrepower Parramata City Raceway on Saturday night.

NT racer Danny Reidy, who has already been impressive this summer at the Sydney track, was the early race leader, with Johnson and Aussie Champ Garry Brazier closing in.

Brazier was on the charge and powered by Johnson to attack Reidy’s lead. The three staged a sensational battle before Johnson took control, leaving Brazier to challenge Reidy for second. Johnson held onto a comfortable lead to claim his first-ever Parramatta victory with Reidy and Brazier following him home. West Aussie Ryan Farrell was fourth after a great battle early with Brazier, with Cameron Gessner fifth and James Thomson the first Sydneysider home in sixth.

“I knew it would be tough if you run around the curb,” Johnson told eNews. “I definitely had to find a different line to pass those guys. When Brazier got by me I saw where he was running but he looked to struggle a bit up on the top rim.

“I found something in the middle of the race track and it

worked to my liking. I then ran every lap as fast as I could not make any mistakes, keep the rear tyres under me and hope for the best!”

Current WSS Champ and series points leader Brooke Tatnell had a night he’d rather forget. After 20th in qualifying and winning in Heat 8, Tatnell started the feature from 13th, and could only manage 14th after sliding off the track early.

After winning four on the trot this summer at TPCR, Robbie Farr had what he called a “night from hell”. His #7 machine broke a driveline in hot laps, another

race

SPEEDWAY

THE sublime talent of Steven Lines shone through, as he held off a gallant Matthew Reed to win the fourth round of the Eureka Garages and Sheds Sprintcar Series, doubling as the Fireball Derby at Geelong’s Avalon Raceway last Saturday night.

The highline of Avalon was the place to be and Simpson driver John Vogels used it to his advantage.

In three of the four SRA rounds contested, Vogels has

now finished third in each AMain and his consistency sees him leading the championship.

Lines was faultless throughout the race, while Reed was on the move immediately, getting by Darren Mollenoyux for second on the opening lap. With 10 laps to go, it was a two-horse race between Lines and Reed, with the order remaining that way.

“I knew Matty Reed would be there, I did see him a couple of times up on the inside. I knew I’d be pushed all the way and

Geoff Gracie

Fast Lines

The B-Main was a memorable one for Glen Sutherland, who came from 15th to sixth to qualify for the A-Main. He then started 18th and passed another 10 cars to finish eighth in an incredible run.

– GEOFF ROUNDS

MT BULLER SPRINT

home Steve Jones and Ben Searcy in a Nissan Skyline by 17 seconds. Dean Herridge and Chris Murphy were third in a Subaru WRX, while Rex Broadbent and Chris Randell took out Classic Competition in their 1974 Porsche 911 RS.

R4 to Reuter White hot SPEEDWAY

MARK Reuter claimed an action-packed feature event for Round 4 of the Revolution Racegear, Speedway City Track Championship Series.

In a race that proved to be a grueling battle, only five of the 13 cars managed to go the full 25 laps. At the drop of the green, Reuter jumped away to lead, while fellow front-row starter Luke Dillon checked up, leaving Jamie Cobby nowhere to go but into the side of Dillon, before he was collected by Ben Hall and Ian Binding.

After some frantic work by his pit crew, series leader Cobby restarted, before succumbing

to further damage.

As the race continued so did the crashes, a luckless Matt Egel took a huge tumble after running over the back of Steven Caruso who had suddenly slowed with engine failure. Soon after, the crash crews were brought into action again when Luke Bowey made solid contact with the Turn 3 wall, while Ryan Jones also took a spin into oncoming traffic.

Despite the numerous stoppages, Reuter was able to keep his cool, fending off Dillon with Bradley Keller rounding out the podium. Daniel Pestka and Philip March rounded out the Top 5.

– PARIS CHARLES

JASON and John White took out the 2009 Mount Buller Sprint in their Lamborghini Gallardo.

With a total time of 1:17:09.18, the Tasmanians led

Justin Collins

it turned out to be a great race,” Lines said.

Reed and Vogels were pleased to fill the podium, while Jamie Veal made a return to form with fourth, ahead of front row starter Mollenoyux, Brett Milburn and Mike Van Bremen.

45

46

rear of grid

Frog Marched off ...

Odd Spot

around the Olympic precinct. A special sheltered frog habitat was even established outside the confines of the racetrack.

Early reports suggest that a couple of frogs did have a few beers and one tried chatting up what turned out to be a Fujitsu hat, while another frog was seen stage diving during

Dirk Klynsmith

Dirk Klynsmith

NO frogs were harmed during the conduct of the Sydney Telstra 500.

You might be aware that there were concerns in some quarters a while back that frogs – green and golden bell frogs, to be precise – may suffer damage during the three days that V8 Supercars sped

The Presets gig at Acer Arena.

But otherwise, no harm, no foul and no frogs croaked it.

That did not stop the jolly jokers at GRM from poking fun at the whole idea with greenish decals (note; not frogs) on the headlights of their Commodores.

On the other hand, Sydney

was the last stand for Sprint Gas Racing. The team is disbanding, as we speak, and the cars bore tribute to the hard working team of folk who have made the SGR cars work over recent times.

In these competitive times, it is nice to see some sentiment is still in the sport.

BOYS WILL BE BOYS IN BRAZIL

sutton-images.com

MEANWHILE in Brazil, Felipe Massa has won the Granja Viana 500-mile karting enduro.

The Ferrari star, leading left, and yes, it does look like he is shielding his face, shared the win with codrivers, Renault test driver Lucas di Grassi and Stock Car Light frontrunner Julio Campos. It was his second win in the event, and first since 1997.

Massa dedicated the win to his son Felipinho, who was born last week. Former F1 driver Ricardo Zonta was part of the team that finished second while eight-time Granja Viana winners Rubens Barrichello and Tony Kanaan were among the drivers of the thirdplaced kart.

47