Motorsport eNews Issue 138 - January 19-25, 2010

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Bathurst Issue No. 138 January 19 - 25 2010

How one team can pair its stars on the mountain - and it’s legal

Going soft

Two meetings to be all sprint zones in ‘10

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

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Issue No. 138 | 19 - 25 Jan 2010

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

Photographers Sutton Motorsport Images, Dirk Klynsmith, Marshall Cass, John Morris/Mpix, AF1 Images, James Smith, Peter Bury, Neil Blackbourn, Chris Carter, Coopers Photography, Geoff Gracie, Paris Charles, Neil Hammond, Joel Strickland, Ash Budd, Mike Patrick (UK)

news 4 Bathurst Loophole How PMM could benefit 7 Not dead yet 9 F3 means change 11 Schu-Back-Er 14 Oran Park

chat 18 5 minutes with ... opinion 20 Adam 21 Branagan

race 22 Drag Racing 26 Dakar 30 Dubai 24H 36 NZV8s

QR might come back ...

One quali, three races Michael tests GP2 It’s officially over Jason Bright So Long, Oran Park Biggest contraversy of ‘10 Aussie, Aussie, Aussie Sainz of the Times Ambrose doesn’t make it Johnny Mac is the man!

trade 38 Classifieds

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ant Bathurst favourites?

We reveal the loophole that gives Paul Morris Motorsport the option to pair its aces!

V8 SUPERCARS

G

Dirk Klynsmith

REG Murphy’s ‘Top Gear Live’ commitments in New Zealand next month may well provide an unexpected bonus that would allow him to partner Russell Ingall at the Phillip Island and Bathurst V8 Supercar endurance races.

The new Castrol Racing driver, who will miss the opening round of the 2010 V8 Supercar Championship Series in Abu Dhabi next month because of a pre-existing commitment to co-host the Auckland car-fest, could be a surprising beneficiary of the new rules that tie regular V8 Supercar drivers to their own car for the long-distance races – thanks to the rules’ definition that a car’s ‘Primary’ driver is “the driver who is entered to drive the car at the first sprint round of a season.”

Applying that definition, the Paul Morris Motorsport team could choose to pair its two full-time drivers (Murphy and Ingall) at the L&H 500 and the October Mountain classic, while opposition teams will be forced to pair their regulars with a ‘once a year’ driver.

Together with the anticipated speed of the team’s new Triple Eight-built Commodores, having two Bathurst winners sharing the same car, while Morris and a driver to be named pilot the team’s other entry, could give the team a small but telling edge.

The 2010 V8 Supercars Operations Manual regulations would allow this, provided the rules in place in 2009, and the changes already announced for the 2010 season, are not further supplemented.

The new co-driver rule is catered for by the following regulation: Division A, rule A 5.7.2 VSC Entry Criteria, viz; “Primary Drivers will no longer be permitted to drive in the same car at Endurance Races.”

Simple enough. The critical ruling is the regulation regarding what a defines a “Primary Driver”, and that regulation is covered in the 2009 Operations Manual as follows: Division A, rule A 2. INTERPRETATION & DEFINITIONS “Primary Driver means the Driver who is Entered to drive a Car at the first sprint round of a Season.”

Paul Morris has already confirmed that he, not Murphy, will drive the car at the first sprint round of 2010, at Abu Dhabi, before the four-time Bathurst winner makes his debut for the team a week later at Bahrain. So, according to the existing regs, Morris will be the entry’s Primary Driver and the team is, in theory, free to place Murphy alongside whichever driver they so choose – and that could be in Ingall’s car.

Of course, with one Commodore branded Supercheap Autos Racing and one branded Castrol Racing, there are complications – it would potentially put the team in a position to need to look at a ‘split’ or combined livery. This has happened in the past at Stone Brothers Racing and with Ford Performance Racing – the latter team in co-operation with Castrol.

But that option is not likely to happen, according to Castrol’s Sue Dilger: “No, we want to make a splash with a ‘Castrol’ car in our first year of this program,” said Dilger late last week.

Dirk Klynsmith

Bigger Bahrain V8 SUPERCARS V8 SUPERCARS will race on a second ‘new’ track in the Middle East when the series kicks off the season with its Middle Eastern swing next month.

At the second round of the V8 Supercars Championship Series, the 29-car field will race on Bahrain International Circuit’s 5.4km Grand Prix circuit for the first time, after having raced on the shorter 3.6km layout since the series first visited the track in 2006.

“We want greater entertainment and better racing,” said V8 Supercars Australia spokesman Cole Hitchcock.

“It was considered by the Board that we missed out on racing on some of the best parts of the circuit, with the best overtaking opportunities.”

Todd Kelly is one of the few drivers with

experience on the longer GP layout, having taken part in a one-make production car race there in 2006. HRT’s Garth Tander was also in that race.

“It’s going to be heaps better,” said Kelly.

“For starters, it is one of the best bits of track that I have driven on, it will mean a bit of a different approach to setting the car up.

The new part of the circuit is a different to what we have raced on before, and it has a lot of high speed flowing stuff. It will make much better TV for the fans at home.”

One interesting aspect of racing on the longer track for the first time will be the time of the lap. Taking in account the near-6s time difference in Formula 1 lap times between the BIC and Albert Park, expect the V8s to lap Bahrain in the region of 2:04s – which would be the second-longest lap of the championship, after Bathurst.

Sprint only for Winton and V8 SUPERCARS

Dirk Klynsmith

TWO V8 Supercar rounds this season will be raced entirely on ‘Sprint’ tyres.

After a successful introduction of a single set of the softer Dunlop Sprint Tyre at selected rounds last season, the two rounds – proposed to be Winton Raceway and Barbagallo Raceway – will be raced entirely on the softer tyre .

The formats of the two events will remain the same as the other

Sprint rounds, with a 120km race Saturday and 200km race Sunday, but to allow for the higher wear rate of the Sprint tyre, teams will receive a higher number of tyres for the weekend.

Control tyres will be used during Practice sessions 1 and 2 on Friday afternoon, but thereafter, teams will be allowed to use the softer tyres as they see fit for the remaining Practice sessions, Qualifying and the races.

Friday afternoon meeting rides will be conducted on control tyres.

news

Dirk Klynsmith

QR boss: Resolution is possible V8 SUPERCARS QUEENSLAND Raceway boss John Tetley is hopeful that a resolution can be found to allow the track’s round of the V8 Supercar Championship Series to proceed as scheduled.

A number of separate meetings between representatives of the Ipswich Council and V8 Supercars Australia, and the track’s promoters, are moving towards a solution to the problems that caused the track to recently announce that it would not promote the fifth round of the 2010 championship last week. The following day, V8SA announced it would not promote the round, which was effectively cancelled.

But QR promoter John Tetley reported on Monday a “positive” direction had been achieved through the discussions.

“We are talking,” he said, “and I think that we are moving towards a conclusion. In fact, we expect a resolution.”

The Ipswich Council would not make a comment on Monday, but eNews believes that the role of the council as a broker

has been successful to the point that a media strategy is being discussed. That would indicate that a resolution, and reinstatement of the April 30-May 2 event, is imminent – perhaps as early as this Wednesday.

While no-one would confirm what role the council would actively fill, eNews sources report that it will lease the track from and provide post-event follow up (ie, cleaning and repairs, should they be required). This would leave V8 Supercars Events to promote the race without having to underwrite those expenses.

We believe that there is also a resolution in the works that would permit holders of QR’s Life Memberships, issued almost a decade ago, to the event, though information about how that is to be accommodated is sketchy at present.

In any event, it appears that a week has proven to be a long time in motor racing and that the 15round V8SCS, and those of the support events also scheduled for the weekend, may take place after all.

Price V8 SUPERCARS SHANE Price will partner Tony D’Alberto at the Phillip Island and Bathurst endurance races later this year.

Alberto Racing, which is operating as a single entity for the first time in the main game this year. He joins the team having driven for Walkinshaw Racing’s Autobarn entry at the enduros in 2009.

“Tony and I have been racing against each other for more than half our lives, which is a strange way to look at it given our ages,” said Price.

D’Alberto agrees that he and Price will make a good combo later this year.

“Shane is a quality driver.

He’s got a competitive nature and he wants to showcase his talents. He knows the car, knows the tracks and wants to win.

“With the changes to driving pairings at the endurance races, we wanted to make sure we secured a driver that was on the cusp of racing V8s full time, especially someone who has raced in a Walkinshaw car in the past, and Shane ticks every box.”

TDR has also confirmed that it will be called Centaur Racing this year.

Pouring their HRTs out: Garth Tander and Will Davison launched the HRT cars last year, above.

Launch Patrol V8 SUPERCARS

THE V8 Supercars Launch Season hits its stride this week, with the Holden Racing Team and Kelly Racing unveiling their respective 2010 squads.

HRT will unveil its new look for the coming season at its launch on Wednesday. HRT (and Walkinshaw Racing) will be the first teams to take to the testing track at Winton (on February 1), thanks to the

fact that the Clayton-based cars drew the short straw, and have been allocated to fly to the Middle East from Brisbane, not Melbourne. (The other Melbourne-based teams will test a week later, on February 8).

No endurance drivers are expected to be named at the HRT launch, though eNews expects Cameron McConville and Craig Baird to be confirmed in the coming weeks.

On Thursday, the Kelly brothers will unveil the new line-up for their two-car team this season, with Jack Daniel’s again taking the role of title sponsor. No details of Jason Bargwanna’s entry, or the team’s endurance drivers, are expected until early next month.

The fourth Kelly entry is still a TBA, with the driver of that entry expected just prior to the V8 Supercar pre-season test at Winton on February 8.

Whitaker takes V8 CEO V8 SUPERCARS

sutton-images.com

MARTIN Whitaker has been confirmed as the new Chief Executive Officer of V8 Supercars Australia for the next four years.

Whitaker has been the CEO of the Bahrain International Circuit since 2004, and will take to his new position in April following the opening round of the 2010 Formula 1 World Championship in Bahrain.

The Englishman brings a very impressive resume in motor sport that stretches across 25 years, working at such places as McLaren International, Formula One Management (FOM), and the Director of Motorsport with the Ford Motor Company.

Whitaker was selected after an extensive six-month search across three continents, and it is hoped that Whitaker can bring a wealth of knowledge and a new leadership to the sport.

“This is a magnificent opportunity for me and one that I am very much looking forward to,” says Whitaker, right.

“It is difficult to imagine a better time to be involved with V8 Supercars as its reputation and widening global appeal is going through a significant increase.”

The Board has also reappointed Tony Cochrane as its Chairman for the next two years. Shane Howard will remain in his role as acting CEO until Whitaker arrives in April.

news

BIG CHANGES FOR F3 FORMULA 3 THE Formula 3 Australian Driver’s Championship will undergo a massive format change for 2010.

The changes will start right from qualifying, with the series dropping its longstanding two-session format.

Instead, there will be one 15minute qualifying session, followed by a ‘Quick Six’ shootout for the fastest six qualifiers.

That session will determine the grid for the first of two ‘sprint’ races, which will be held over approximately 15 minutes each. The second ‘sprint’ race will be started in

the finishing order of the first.

Each of these races will see points paid to 10th position, starting with 12 points for first, nine for second, and then decreasing by a single points for each position below that.

Then there will be a ‘feature’ race, held over approximately 30 minutes. The grid for this race will be determined by the combined points of Races 1 and 2, and the points loading will be the same as the 2009 system – 20 points for first, 15 for second and 12 for third, paying down to a single point for 10th place.

The round winner will be determined from the ‘feature’ race, and the total number of

races across the season will rise from 16 in ’09 to 24.

Another tweak to the rules will see all drivers eligible for championship points, regardless of class, whereas up to 2009 drivers in the National Class could only score class points.

According to category spokesman Richard Craill, there are two main reasons for the change – to bring Aussie F3 more in line with Europe, and to give the category a breath of fresh air.

“Series like GP2 have a long ‘feature’ race, and we wanted to mimick that,” said Craill.

“We want to give drivers a chance to experience longer

races, because they might find after 25 minutes or so they start to get a sore neck or something like that, and they see what they would need to expect if they raced in Europe.

“It will also be a new challenge for the teams, because they will have less time to set the car up in qualifying.

“We also just wanted to mix things up a little bit. We’ve had the same format for 10 years now, so we decided it was time for a change. We trialled the new qualifying system at Sandown last year, and it was really well received.

It is really exciting for us.”

– ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN

John Morris

sutton-images.com

Bernie wants legal shortcuts FORMULA ONE

Make it a Date FORMULA ONE

THE launch dates of three Formula 1 teams have been revealed.

Renault and BMW Sauber will launch on the same day at the same place – Valencia on January 31. Neither team has named a second driver yet, with only Robert Kubica confirmed at Renault, and Kamui Kobayashi confirmed

10

at BMW Sauber.

Lotus has also confirmed its launch date – via Twitter.

Team boss Tony Fernandes tweeted that the car will be started for the first time on February 5, with the launch a week later, putting the unveiling at February 12.

Testing starts at Valencia on February 1, with Lotus expected to join in on February 17.

BERNIE Ecclestone has told the media of his desire to implement a ‘Shortcut’ system into Formula 1.

The radical idea is that circuits would be fitted with a shortcut, that could be used a limited number of times by each driver in the field throughout the course of a Grand Prix.

“I think it would be very easy for us on each circuit to have an area where you could gain a bit of time so you could overtake – a shortcut if you like – which a driver could use five times during the race, so it would stop people getting stuck behind somebody,” he said at a media event.

“It’s good for TV, good for the TV commentators, they could talk about somebody having three [shortcuts] left and somebody else having two and what’s going to happen and so on.”

The reaction has hardly been promising. Immediately after the suggestions, World Champion Jenson Button told Autosport that it would be dangerous, and therefore unfeasible.

“I suppose if you are the only person who knows about [the shortcut] then it is a great idea,” Button said.

“We struggle seeing anyway out of the sides of the cars, because the cockpit comes up to here for safety reasons. So if there is a car coming at an angle, it can be very dangerous.

“It’s probably not one of his better ideas. Bernie has a lot of very, very good ideas, and that is not one of the best ideas that Bernie has come up with.”

GP2 Series

Schu fits in GP2 test FORMULA ONE

MICHAEL Schumacher has taken a step towards proving he still has what it takes to run at the front of the Formula 1 field with a successful three-day test in a GP2 car.

With testing restrictions limiting the seven-time champion’s seat time behind the wheel of a full-blown Grand Prix car, Schumacher spent three days at Jerez

in one of the second-tier racers – and ended up just four-tenths off Kamui Kobayashi’s lap record at the Spanish circuit.

“Those days here in Jerez are definitely worth it, because even if I was not driving I would spend the time speaking and discussing with the engineers, working on set ups and prepare for the season,” he said on his website.

“I gain a lot from being here because even if you cannot reach F1-level in terms of g-forces, you are still able to practice the communication with the engineers and the sensibility on the limit.

Fortunately it was back very soon.

“I felt comfortable out on the track from the very beginning, and naturally I’d like to thank our team and the GP2 series very much for the opportunity to drive.”

Another Anderson at USF1 FORMULA ONE AUSSIE John Anderson has joined USF1.

The open-wheeler guru, who has worked in all facest of American motor racing, and has most recently been managing Gil De Ferran’s American Le Mans team, will

be USF1’s team manager – with immediate effect.

“I’ve known John and been close with him for nearly 20 years,” said USF1 team principal Ken Anderson.

“To be able to hire someone as experienced, as organised and as successful as he is will only enhance our team as we

move forward.

“He is simply the best at what he does and knows what it takes to be successful in motorsports.”

John Anderson is excited about the new role.

“It’s about getting the right group of guys who can work, live and play together, and

also understanding where everyone’s strengths and weaknesses are,” he said.

“Ken and Peter Windsor have put together a strong group, and I can only help to strengthen the bonds and be a part of America’s resurgence in the top motorsport in the world.”

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Robby Gordon steps up to two entries NASCAR ROBBY Gordon will return to the USA this week from another Dakar Rally to face a NASCAR season with a twocar team.

Robby Gordon Motorsports has formed an alliance with BAM Racing, a team that mothballed its equipment at the end of 2008 owing many vendors money. BAM will now effectively bring its sponsor Warner Music Nashville to back a second car at RGM with David Gilliland as the driver.

The deal will use the RGM facility, equipment and personnel to run the second car, much like the agreement between JTG Daugherty Racing, which runs the Marcos Ambrose car from the Michael Waltrip Racing race shop.

– MARTIN D CLARK

Roush downsizes NASCAR ROUSH Fenway Racing has downsized to four Sprint Cup teams.

RFR has sold its #26 entry and inventory of Ford Fusion cars, pit equipment and hauler to a new team, Latitude 43 Motorsports, which is owned

by Vermont businessman Bill Jenkins. The move comes because of NASCAR’s rule that limits team owners to four entries.

There is no word yet of who will drive for the team, but Frank Stoddard is the crew chief for the team that will be based in Concord, North

Carolina – and he most recently worked with Boris Said.

The #26 gets a guaranteed starting slot in the first five races of the season, as the entry finished 22nd owners point at the end of 2009. The top 35 cars gets guaranteed starts in the first five races.

– MARTIN D CLARK

Tyre of Tomorrow NASCAR

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sutton-images.com

NASCAR will conduct an open tyre test for the new style Nationwide Series cars at Daytona on May 18/19 in readiness for the first of four races on the 2010 schedule for the new car at the Florida superspeedway on July 2.

Along with tyre compound verification, shock, spring and restrictor plate packages will also be evaluated. Starting with the season opening Daytona race in February, teams will be limited to 15 members, including the driver, spotter and pit crew.

Teams will now run no more than two consecutive races without using an engine sealed by NASCAR; the 2009 ruling was three consecutive events.

– MARTIN D CLARK

Wings out, Blades in NASCAR NASCAR looks set to drop the controversial rear wing from its Car of Tomorrow Sprint Cup racer.

Major changes to the 2010 rulebook have been decided and eNews expects the most visible change will be the reintroduction of the blade-type spoiler similar to that used on the car prior to introduction of the COT.

Apparently the front splitter is also under review, along with other aerodynamic aids aimed at keeping the cars stable, especially on the restrictor plate tracks of Daytona and Talladega.

A test of the new rear spoiler has already been set at Charlotte Motor Speedway for March 23/24, but it will not be introduced until at the least the Martinsville race on March 28. The governing body is also

looking at ways to spice things up on the racetrack, which could include the removal of ‘no passing zones’ below the yellow lines at Daytona and Talladega.

The announcements will be made at the NASCAR Research & Development Center in Concord, North Carolina on Thursday during the annual media tour hosted by Charlotte Motor Speedway.

– MARTIN D CLARK

news

CHEAPER INDYCARS INDYCARS INDYCAR has launched a range of measures designed to cut costs for its competing teams.

At the annual winter meeting held in Indianapolis on January 12, the way was led by Honda, which will supply engine leases for the 17-race season at US$935,000, a reduction of $27,000. That is about half what teams paid in 2005 when they were competing against two other engine manufacturers, Toyota and Chevy.

The Indy 500 only package, which allows 800 miles for practice and qualifying, and then race, is $150,000, reduced from the $225,000 charged last May. Any team wanting a fresh engine for the race can pay an additional $60,000.

Or, a team with a limited budget can pay just $90,000 for 500 miles of practice and qualifying, and the race. The Honda engine life is about 1200 miles, equivalent to three regular race weekends.

The Team Support package has been increased to US$1.3 million per entrant for teams committed to a full season, up from $1.24 million paid in 2009.

Drivers will no longer have the four fuel-map settings and will have to control fuel consumption with their throttle foot. But the rule change also gives Honda’s normally aspirated, 650hp engine an increase in their Push to Pass option on the ovals, increasing the performance from five to 10 hp.

Drivers will still have a yellow fuel setting option they can

use during a caution period.

For the nine road and street course events during the 2010 season, a reverse gear has been added to the six-gear transmission provided by Xtrac.

Reverse becomes part of the paddle shift system.

As a safety advance, Jeff Horton, the IRL’s Director of Engineering, has introduced a floating back headrest configuration to reduce the difference in G forces between the car and the driver’s head in a rearward crash. Horton has designed and tested the system that has the Kevlar skin of the headrest attached in front of protective foam while the sides of the headrest are allowed to float.

On impact, a driver should only feel the effect of hitting the foam. This safety

improvement is recommended but not mandatory.

The IRL is offering two open tests to its teams for 2010, starting with road course testing at Barber Motorsports Park on February 24-26 near Birmingham, Alabama. An oval test will be offered at Kentucky Motor Speedway May 4 since the start of the IndyCar season consists of four road courses prior to the first oval at Kansas.

The Firestone Indy Lights series also participates in separate sessions.

During the season, an IndyCar team can use up to six private testing days and 800 miles per day. Teams can earn up to three additional private test days by utilizing an Indy Lights driver for a minimum of 600 miles in their tests.

– MARY MENDEZ

Dirk Klynsmith

All-Honda, all the time INDYCARS RUMOURS that Volkswagen was about to enter IndyCar competition have been dismissed by the huge German manufacturer.

“It is not realistic for the moment that the VW group will do it,” VW’s Motorsport Director, Kris Nissen, told Autosport. “IndyCar needs to

settle down. It looks like it is getting better. America needs to settle down, the car market needs to be stable again.”

With sole engine supplier Honda opposed to the introduction of a four-cylinder, turbocharged engine format, the news appears to lock the series into a spec chassis/ engine formula for at least two more years. Once a new

rules package is agreed upon – and that appears to be at least a year away – it will take two years before the engine and a new chassis can be implemented.

In the meantime, a leading engineer has developed a revolutionary chassis concept for future consideration. Ben Bowlby, who used to be designer at Lola, has designed

a project, known as Delta Wing and featuring the small displacement, four-cylinder, turbocharged engine concept supported by the majority of IndyCar team owners.

The car has been tested in an actual highway tunnel in Pennsylvania on land owned

by Ganassi.

– MARY MENDEZ

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FORMULA 3

More F3 for Mat fizzled out.

“So I’m pretty sure I’ll do F3 again and we’ll take the year to organise the move into V8s properly for 2011.”

Sofi, who finished third in

the F3 Championship with Astuti Motorsport last year, is also looking towards getting a ride in the Armor All Bathurst 12 Hour.

“I haven’t spoken to anyone

yet, but in the second half of the month I’ll see what comes up,” he said.

“It’d be great to race at Bathurst and learn the track.”

– MITCHELL ADAM

Dirk Klynsmith

MAT Sofi looks set to return to the Formula 3 Australian Drivers Championship this year, after plans to move to the Fujitsu Series fell through.

The Sydney driver was eyeing a move into tintops with Astuti Motorsport and was close to having arrangements in place, before ultimately falling short.

“Nothing’s locked away as yet, but more than likely we’ll do F3 again and then try to put something together for the Fujitsu Series for next year,” Sofi told eNews.

“We were about 80% of the way there [a move to Fujitsu], but it came down to sponsors in the end.

“A major sponsor didn’t have the budget they thought they would and gap was going to be bigger than we’d anticipated, and then we were told the car we were working towards using was no longer available. It all just sort of

Oran Parked Clipsal co-drivers GENERAL

James Smith

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Marshall Cass

ORAN Park’s farewell race meeting has been cancelled.

The circuit was due to host its final race meeting this weekend, however a lack of entries has seen it called off.

“It’s very disappointing,” Oran Park’s Jeff Boulos told eNews.

“We had indications that we’d have plenty of entries until it came time to put signatures down on entry forms. We’ve rung around

and hassled people but we just can’t pull it off.

“Unfortunately the end has come a little earlier than expected.”

Practice days have replaced the event and a driver training day next Monday will be the final activity at Oran Park Raceway.

Following Tuesday’s Australia Day Public Holiday, demolition crews will move in on Wednesday to begin clearing the site.

– MITCHELL ADAM

V8 UTES THE field for the Ten Years of Legends race at the Clipsal 500 is coming together, with more co-drivers signing on to join series regulars.

V8 Supercar team owner Paul Morris will partner Scott Jennings in his Holden Ute. Through Racer Industries, Morris’ outfit provided tests to a pair of Ute drivers last year, series Champ Jack

Elsegood and Rookie of the Year Paul Williams.

Ex-V8 Ute racers Chris Pither and Chris Smerdon will return for the event.

Kiwi Pither will join Big Gun Racing’s Peter Burnitt, while Shannons V8 Touring Car racer Smerdon will line-up with Dennis Cribbin.

New Zealand Ute racer Matt Lockwood will make his Australian debut when he drives with Steven Hodges.

– MITCHELL ADAM

news

James Smith

Three for GMR at 12 Hour BATHURST 12 HOUR RENOWNED driver coach Rob Wilson will join Greg Murphy Racing for the Armor All Bathurst 12 Hour, as it splits its hopes across two different manufacturers.

GMR tested at Winton yesterday, Monday, with Team Manager Dean Lillie confirming the squad will run three cars – a pair of Evos and an HSV. The Evo X of Peter Hill, Eric Bana and Tim Leahey,

above, will be joined by an Evo IX for Jim Pollicina, John O’Dowd and Simon Middleton.

Meanwhile, England-based Kiwi Wilson will be joined by five-time Commodore Cup Champion Geoff Emery and English sportscar driver Maurizio Fabris.

Driver line-ups across the board are coming together, before entries close on January 31.

Australian GT and Sports Sedan Champions David and

Des Wall will again partner Trevor Symonds in the Alan East Motorsport Evo IX GSR after finishing fourth last year. eNews hears Bob Pearson’s Pro-Duct outfit will retain a similar line-up to last year’s event, with Glenn Seton, Jason Bargwanna, Neil Crompton, Mark King and one other driver to join Pearson in their Evos.

Experienced open-wheel driver Barton Mawer will complete the driver line-up

in Jim Hunter’s Subaru WRX STi alongside rally ace Dean Herridge, while Barry Morcom will again be joined by Paul Stubber in his BMW 335i, with Morcom’s son, Formula Ford racer Nathan, in the mix to join them.

After finishing second in Class D last year, Leanne Tander will return to Conroy Motorsport, lining up with Terry Conroy and Gerry Burgess in a Honda Integra.

– MITCHELL ADAM

Pace rise at the Mountain?

BATHURST 12 HOUR

morning we did a 2:28, but it was one lap out of the box on a good tyre and we didn’t equal that in qualifying.

For more with Heaphy in

the lead-up to the 12 Hour, check out the February issue of Motorsport News, out next Wednesday, January 27.

– MITCHELL ADAM

Dirk Klynsmith

TEAM Mitsubishi Ralliart chief Alan Heaphy expects race pace to pick up in next month’s 2010 Armor All Bathurst 12 Hour.

As they aim for a thirdstraight win, TMR will field a pair of Evo X Lancers, one with Rod Salmon, Damien White and Inky Tulloch, the other with Glyn Crimp, Stuart Kostera and Warren Luff.

TMR tested a number of new components Bathurst in November, including a new suspension system. With a year

of development of the Evo X under their belt and with increased competition, Heaphy expects more of the race to be run in the 2:29-2:30s laptime bracket.

The Crimp entry set last year’s fastest lap at 2:29.9865 enroute to second, place one of only two cars to do a sub-2:30s lap.

“I think the pace is going to be greater,” Heaphy told eNews.

“I would think, low-30s and, certainly into the 29s is what we’re going to see for race pace.

I think qualifying is going to be in the 2:26s-2:27s, whereas last year in one session on Saturday

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Vale: Bill Patterson

ONE of the stalwarts of Australian motor racing, Bill Patterson, has died in Melbourne.

The former Australian Drivers’ champion passed away on January 10 at the Karinya Grove retirement community in Sandringham, Melbourne.

He was 86.

Patterson had an interesting lineage. His grandmother was Dame Nellie Melba’s sister and his father, Gerald Patterson, was a decorated soldier in WWI and a two-time Wimbledon Mens’ Singles tennis champion.

Bill loved cars, and started racing in his early 20s.

He quickly became a racer of some note in a variety of different cars, after starting his career in an MG TC in the mid-1940s, and raced in events as varied as the Australian Hillclimb Championship – which he won in 1954 – to the RedEx Around Australia Trial. His best result came also came in 1954, when he finished second outright in a Peugeot.But Patterson’s greatest success came in 1961.

He won the CAMS Gold Star behind the wheel of a Cooper T51-Climax, ahead of some of the most famous drivers in the land; Bib Stillwell, Reg Hunt, Alex Mildren, Stan Jones and Lex Davison.

Patterson started the season with maximum points at Longford (race winner Roy Salvadori was not eligible for points) and Bathurst, the latter after Jones’s identical Cooper retired while leading.

He fought off Mildren’s Maserati-powered Cooper to win next up at Lowood, and then won again at Caversham after racing a backup car.

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Mallala’s Australian GP was one race he failed to win, a misfire dropping him three laps behind winner Davison to fourth place.

Patterson was as successful in business and he was on the track, and when Peter Brock quit the Holden Dealer Team in the mid-1970s, Team Brock picked up Patterson’s large Holden dealership as a sponsor. The team ran a threecar team at Bathurst in 1977, Brock driving with his brother Phil, Doug Chivas/Tony Roberts and internationals Gerry Marshall/Basil Van Rooyen. Resources were overstretched and when Brock returned to the HDT, Phil took over the lead driver’s role.

Patterson went on to concentrate on his business efforts, and expand his successful businesses. He leaves behind many friends, wife Janet and his two children, Tim and Susie. To all, Motorsport News extends its sincere condolences.

GT3 Cup grow GT3 CUP CHALLENGE ALMOST 40 Porsches have been entered for the opening round of the 2010 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge, supporting the Armor All Bathurst 12 Hour.

The GT3 Cup Challenge is entering its third season and continues to grow. While this year’s entry list of 39 is slightly down on last year’s 42, there is an increase in regular GT3 Cup Challenge competitors.

Part of the series’ growth is the 997-spec Cup Cars,

which are now eligible for the outright championship after running as a Trophy Class in 2009. A total of 16 are entered, including newcomers Neale Muston and John Morriss, while series regulars including Sven Burchartz, Jon Trende, Jeff Bobik, Ray Angus, Dean Koutsoumidis and Shane Smollen have all upgraded from 996s.

“The year is shaping up well, we’re really pleased,” Category Manager Jodi Zylstra told eNews.

“While the number is a little

Scott goes Stateside

news

John Morris/Mpix

ws bit down on last year, it’s a good result in the current environment and there’s a lot of strength in each of the classes, including 12 Porsche 944 drivers in Class C. “The 997 and 996 classes will each have the same points structure, in addition to the outright championship, so drivers in each class have plenty to race for during the year.”

Bathurst’s season opener will be aired in a 60-minute package on the Seven Network.

– MITCHELL ADAM

AUSSIES OVERSEAS KART racer Scott Saunders is the latest Australian to embark on an American career.

Saunders, 21, will race in the Langers S2 Sportsman Series with High Point Racing. The series features 350hp stock cars.

“I think that in my first year in Stockcar racing it’s obviously going to be a massive learning curve moving up from Karting, but at the same time I have done some Nascar S2 testing in 2009, racing with good equipment and we have the support from High Point Racing,” Saunders said.

Big Bang Theory MOTOGP DUCATI has joined the Big Bang club, unveiling its new GP10 MotoGP racer.

Casey Stoner and Nicky Hayden joined team boss Claudio Domenicali at the Italian ski resort of Madonna di Campiglio to unveil the new machine.

“The main changes to the bike are based on the rule changes, so the major part of

the work was done precisely to make it perform better using only six engines for the entire championship,” Domenicali said.

“It’s a very important difference, because we were used to using more-or-less one engine per race, so to switch from 18 engines to six is a very important adjustment.

“To go 1600 kilometres with an engine that goes over 19,000 rpm isn’t a simple

assignment.”

The use to the Big Bang firing order of the V4 is a return, with Ducati having used the technology four years ago in the last year of the 990cc engines. The move promises to make the 800cc bike more rider-friendly, without any increase in power.

The GP10 also utilises a carbon fibre swingarm, first seen last season at a number of races with the GP9.

Another Evans ...

RALLY DEAN Evans will campaign the remainder of the 2010 Australian Tarmac Championship – and has an eye on the Showroom title.

The motoring journalist – and 2001 Mirage Cup winner – took on the seasonopening Mt Buller Sprint with a one-off outing with Team Mitsubishi Ralliart late last

year. And, having won the Tasmania,” he confirmed to Showroom class at that round, eNews. “But given the success he’s decided to tackle the at Mt Buller, we’ve decided to remaining three rallies. bite the bullet and do all of Evans and co-driver Simone the rounds.”

Bachmann will continue The new-for-2010 series will to use the same Mitusbishi stage Round 2 at Targa Wrest Evolution X TMR Clubspec, Point (January 30-31), Round complete with factory 3 at Lake Mountain Sprint support from Alan Heaphy’s (March 20-21) and the fourth TMR squad. and final round at Targa “I was originally hoping Tasmania (April 27-May 2). to do Mt Buller and Targa – ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN

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5 Minutes with ...

JASON BRIGHT Brighty has something old, something new and not much borrowed for the 2010 PHIL BRANAGAN season. No, he is not getting married, he is going racing ...

MOTORSPORT NEWS: Is this year looking half like going home? You are back in a Commodore, and Phil Keed is on the other end of the radio again.

JASON BRIGHT: I guess that it is a little bit like that. It is a step back in time, so far as that goes, but I am looking forward to it.

I had a great couple of years with Phil when we were last with Holden and I think that we have some of the ingredients to do that all over again, plus a bit more.

How do you describe the relationship between a race driver and his engineer?

Is it a bit like catching up with a girlfriend every now and then?

You have to have an engineer you can work well with. And I would not say that I have ever had a bad engineer. My relationship with Phil was successful, but we had all the right ingredients around us, as well.

Then, if you look at our first year at FPR, that was something of a building year.

The second year went well but yes, it is about surrounding yourself with the right ingredients, as well. It does not matter how good a relationship a driver and an engineer is, if you do not have the right hardware, or if the engines are not on a par with everyone else’s. If you cannot do the rest of the job, it is pretty hard to get the results.

I have had a good look at the things that we having coming together for this year and I believe that we have the right ingredients.

Is the relationship based on absolute honesty? It would appear that you need to put it all on the table to make it work.

I guess that is where we do have a good relationship. We don’t pull any punches with each other; we both say what we think. You cannot afford to be scared to hold back. If he believes that I have made a mistake, he will certainly let me know.

We can be critical of each other without getting offended.

That is one of the important things

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Seven Year Itch: It was 2003, when Bright and Keed worked together to race a Commodore. about any kind of relationship like that.

You have to be able to admit when you have made a mistake, otherwise they are going to be see that you are not quick to step up when you do make a mistake.

We have just had news that two of the events this year are going to be for Sprint tyres only. What is your first reaction to that?

I have long believed that the criticism that our series has tended to have, about not having good racing, is actually because of the tyre that we are on. I believe that our racing would be much better if we had a tyre that was a much better tyre; one on which you could have a go, and pass people.

The tyre that we have, our control tyre, is quite a hard tyre and that makes it very hard to race on. When you try to pass someone, if you make a mistake or an error in judgement, you end up off the track, maybe in a crash. That is usually something that will hold drivers back from having a crack at passing someone.

The soft tyre last year, even though it improved the racing, a lot of that we because you could use the car a lot better.

As I understand the rules, you can use it [the Sprint tyre] in qualifying. That will put a smile on drivers’ faces.

That will be great. You will be able to have a real crack at that.

I am really pleased to have it for a few rounds. That will prove that the soft tyre, one with considerable degradation, will provide the close racing that we need, without throwing something in there that is 3s a lap slower.

Familiar things; Keed, a Clayton Holden Commodore, does that all make the changes easier?

For sure. It is one of those things that make a new team a lot easier. The more known factors, the better.

We have good engineers, we can work well with them, the car is a proven quantity and I believe that a Noonan engine is a proven thing as well. I have enough ducks in a row to pull them together and get the results we need.

Just to be clear; we are talking about a Jamie Noonan engine, not an Aaron Noonan engine?

An Aaron Noonan engine? No, thank God!

chat

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Last of the ‘lasts’ didn’t last Opinion Mitchell Adam – eNews National Editor

O

RAN Park will host its last-ever race this weekend.

Or at least it was going to, but unfortunately the event has been cancelled; citing a lack of interest – see news pages.

As a former South-Western Sydneysider, Oran Park was my home track. Many a weekend was spent there watching the action, then working in the media at various levels. I’ve been there for pretty much everything there’s been to see in the last decade, Supercar rounds, PROCAR, Shannons Nationals and Supertruck events, State Racing, Night Races and test sessions on a Wednesday when the place was otherwise deserted. Good times all round.

In the PR game, I was involved in three of the ‘lasts’, working with Formula Ford at the final V8 Supercar round, the Shannons Nationals at the last national-level event and Drift Australia’s last Drifting event there.

It did feel a bit John Farnham at times, but now there is no last ‘last’, which is a shame for a circuit which has served Australian motorsport of all levels incredibly well for almost 48 years, it’s gone out with a bit of a whimper.

Some have complained about the facilities in recent years, but pretty much everyone who’s visited the place will have good memories to recall and it’s one of the rare circuits in this country with a bit of character and history.

The Nationals round in August was my last time at the circuit and I’ll miss the days sitting up on the hill at the final corner where you can see most of the track, or almost feeling like you’re standing on-top of the cars as they turn into Turn 4 in the go-kart section of the circuit.

After some private practice days this weekend in lieu of the ‘final race meeting’ and a driver training day next Monday, that’ll be it be it.

This time next week, Oran Park will be officially closed and ‘progress’ will move in.

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opinion

The Good Oil Opinion Phil Branagan – Executive Editor

F

John Morris/Mpix

ROM Little Things, Big Things grow.

There was a moment last week when I was thinking that Greg Murphy missing out on the opening round of the V8SCS at Abu Dhabi was not that big a deal. Then, the what-ifs started, we pored through the rule book, the lightbulb above my head lit up and I realised that this could be a Big Thing!

There are a bunch of ifs and buts in play here, but just for a moment, close your eyes and imagine; Russell Ingall plus Greg Murphy plus T8 Commodore – at Bathurst. Two Bathurst-winning drivers who have grabbed excellent endurance racing results in recent years in cars that were, let’s be frank, not quite the sharpest tools in the shed. Put them together, in a rocketship, and watch them go.

Of course, this might not happen. As we explain in the news story on pages 4-5, providing the V8SCS Ops Manual stays as is, PMM will have the option of pairing its aces.

It may choose not to do so; the only sure thing will be that Ingall and Morris will be ‘Primary’ drivers and, therefore, tied to the entries they race, respectively, at Abu Dhabi for the enduros. The team may choose to slot Murphy in alongside Morris.

What would you do? Ingall and Murphy are not – yet, at the very least – among the

favourites to win this year’s championship.

But a Bathurst win is far from out of left field.

Bathurst ’09 showed that both Rusty and Murph are still experts at their craft, and Murph’s final 20 laps last October showed that the fire is still there. Quick; name any confirmed or probable Bathurst ’10 combo – any of the fast drivers at the front of the field plus their once-a-year co-driver – and rate them alongside Ingall/Murphy/T8 VE. Which pairing do you think is going to start the favourite for the biggest race of the year?

This is going to cause some comment in pitlane. It should; the intent of the recent change to keep teams’ star drivers in separate cars caused a significant split in the sport, half thinking it a great idea, half the opposite.

One team, and only one team, having the option to bypass that eventuality is sure to fire up the opposition teams – and, as we stand, it appears to be well within the rules.

The season is weeks away from starting, but this could well be the first major controversy of the year. As news stories go, it is a ripper.

Rarely do we thank another journalist for a yarn like this but, in this instance, it would be churlish not to.

So, for your part in all this, whether you thought of it or not, we say thank you Jeremy Clarkson, and have fun in Auckland …

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NITRO FUNNY CAR CHALLENGE ROUND 2, WILLOWBANK RACEWAY

Two out of two ain’t bad

Ken Ferguson

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After winning Round 1, Damien Harris finished the Nitro Funny Car Challenge with another win, as records fell. KEN FERGUSON was there 23

WEST Australian Damien Harris followed up his Round 1 efforts with a totally dominant display in Round 2 of the Nitro Funny Car Challenge at Willowbank Raceway on Saturday night.

Piloting the BTP Chev Impala Funny car owned by Paul Shackleton, Harris smashed the current speed record for the class and equaled the quickest pass by a Nitro Coupe on Australian soil. Harris piloted the 7000+hp beast to a 4.86s pass at more than 320mph – 513km/h – in the final against fellow Australian Ricky Steffens, below.

Steffens, at the helm of the Chemical Warfare Impala of Rodney Bailey, shared the

Ken Ferguson Ken Ferguson

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accolades as the pair set the quickest side-by-side pass for the class, and recorded his own best-ever numbers with a 5.16s at 270mph.

“The speed record hasn’t really sunk in as yet to be honest, the guys came on the radio to tell me what had happened while I was slowing down and I was concentrating on the car and things, and it just hasn’t sunk in,” Harris said.

After copping a hiding at the hands of the Aussies at the first round two weeks ago, US visitor Jack Wyatt, left, ended his campaign on a slightly brighter note, taking a win in the B Final against West Aussie, Mark Sheehan. Wyatt’s early incremental times suggested a

high four-second pass until he blew the supercharger off the engine just before half track.

“That last run was feeling really great, we were finally feeling good and I thought it was going to be a great run but then the supercharger studs broke, we just couldn’t get a break,” a disappointed Wyatt said “Harris was just phenomenal – what an amazing, flying run – all of the Aussies have been fantastic and I am just sorry that we weren’t able to put on a better show for the fans and give the Aussies a better race, but hopefully we can come back and get a rematch.

“To come down here and race was something I have

wanted to do all my life and to fulfill a dream has just been great, and very overwhelming, probably more overwhelming than I expected ... but its been great, a real once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I loved it.”

Gary Densham, bottom left, again returned with his Nostalgia Camaro Nitro Funny Car, chasing an elusive, fivesecond pass in his match race series with Peter Leahy in a nitro-fuelled front-engined dragster. The old saying, ‘oh so close’ couldn’t have been any more apt, with Densham’s funny car crossing the stripe with a 6.01s at over 240mph.

“We have been looking after the car as we wanted to make sure we could put on a good

show for the fans, and for that last run there we just really felt like we could throw everything at it and take a chance,” Densham said.

“We just missed it by that much!

“I love coming here and I really hope I can come on down again. Harris was brilliant, all the Aussie racers were, in an ideal world I would like to bring my big Nitro car back here and race these guys, but we will just have to see – I hope so!”

Next major event at Willowbank Raceway is the Australian Top Fuel Championships, which will feature Top Fuel, Pro Stock and Morgan & Wacker Pro Stock Bike on April 17 and 18.

Ken Ferguson

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RALLY RAID DAKAR 2010

WHEN SAINZ COM Carlos Sainz finally got his Dakar trophy but he had to fight off his own team-mate, and controversy, to get it

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MES MARCHING IN

dakar.com

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And the Winners are: Carlos Sainz and Lucas Cruz in the VW Touareg; Vladimir Chagin in his Kamas; and Cyril Depres.’s Red Bull KTM. Stephane Peterhansel tried hard and came home fourth in the BMW X-Raid; Robby Gordon recovered to finish eight in the Hummer.

olkswagen Motorsport

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www.dakar.com

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OLKSWAGEN got its dream result in the 2010 Dakar Rally but it only came after some pain and controversy late in the event.

Carlos Sainz added the Dakar title to his two World Rally championships won in 1990 and ’92, and the German marque swept the first three placings in the event. But there was some needle between the Spaniard and his second-placed team-mate Nasser Al-Attiyah when the Qatari driver passed Sainz on the road on the penultima day of competition. Al-Attiyah finished second, 2m12s behind Sainz in the closest-ever finish to the Raid’s 32-year history. “[This is] A very, very important day for me,” said Sainz after the fuss died down.

“I won in Europe, in Spain and today in the Dakar. I would first like to thank my copilot Lucas Cruz for his wonderful work and the team as well as all of those who trusted

me for so long. There was no problem at all with the car. There is not a single bump on its body. We drove very fast, but we were clever too. It was a tough and daily fight against my team-mate. We had to master everything and control our emotions. But it has been like this for a week!”

Sainz took the lead on the fifth stage and as the opposition dropped away – the VWs gapped the pack by more than two hours – the event’s second week became an in-house affair. But Al-Attiyah, who was recruited from the BMW team, has shown that he intends to win the event in the nottoo-distant future.

Frenchman Cyril Despres let a KTM 1-2 of the Bike Division, winning from Norwegian rider Pal Anders Ullevalseter by more than an hour. Despres’s third Dakar was a ninth for the Austrian manufacturer, which is now tied with Yamaha for the most wins in the two-

wheeled division. Chilean rider Francisco ‘Chaleco’ Lopez Contardo took third for Aprilia.

Russian legend Vladimir Chagin completed another 1-2 result for Kamaz, his sixth win coming 1h13m ahead of team-mate Firdaus Kabirov. Chagin took nine stage wins and now has the most of any competitor in the event’s history with 56, one more than French rider/driver Stephane Peterhansel who won four stages this year in his BMW. Argentinean brothers the Patronellis dominated the Quad Bike Division on their Yamahas, Marcos coming home ahead of his brother Alejandro.

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DUBAI 24 HOUR DUBAI AUTODROME

Top Performers

Raymond Narac, Patrick Pilet and Marco Holzer took IMSA Performance MATMUT to victory in the Dubai 24 Hour

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IT was a good day and night to be a French team in Dubai, with the MATMUT Porsche outfit winning the Dunlop 24 Hours of Dubai on debut.

The #66 Porsche 911 GT3 RSR of team owner Raymond Narac, Patrick Pilet and Marco Holzer managed to complete 608 laps of the Dubai circuit, surging three laps ahead of the second placed Petronas Syntium Team BMW Z4. .

It was the perfect start to the weekend for the French team after Patrick Pilet qualified the Porsche on pole position. Then as the race slowly commenced and went by, the team was never outside of the top-three, many thanks to a consistent pace that was free of any major mechanical gremlins.

Although the Porsche had slightly greater pace on the track, it was less fuel efficient than the Petronas BMW, meaning it had to stop more frequently for fuel.

“Of course, we had our little problems, but it is great having been able to bring victory home. I am particularly happy for Porsche and for our sponsor MATMUT,” Narac said.

Second placed was the Japanese Petronas Z4 Coupe who were also on debut for the fifth running of the 24 Hour. During the first half of the race, the entry was right on the pace with the MATMUT Porsche and the locally based AL Falsal Racing BMW, but the

French were simply too good in the latter stages of the race, leaving the two BMW’s filling the final two steps on the podium.

The race also featured two NASCAR stars with both Michael Waltrip and Marcos Ambrose stepping into the AF Corse Ferrari. Unfortunately for the Australian, Waltrip cut short the team’s chances of a high position as he collided with a backmarker when the team was running as high as sixth – before below and after right. Earlier, Ambrose had qualified the car inside the Top 10.

Team BMW Hungary had an outstanding weekend with their BMW 120D, winning the

D-2 Class for Diesel powered cars. Out of a 75 strong car field, the Germans crossed the line in eleventh overall. It was a very successful outing for the German manufacturer, as they took victories in five of

the 10 classes.

Dubai also saw the local AUH-Motorsport team succeed by winning the SP-3 class driving an Aston Martin Vantage GT4.

– CALLUM BRANAGAN

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WORLD SERIES SPRINTCARS ROUND 11 – PARRAMATTA CITY RACEWAY

Farr out – what a perform

F

ORMER Parramatta local Robbie Farr blitzed a drama filled World Series Sprintcars round at the Tyrepower Parramatta City Raceway last weekend.

Farr was in a class of his own after setting quick time in qualifying, and winning Friday night’s preliminary A-Main. He then simply ran away from the star-studded field to score an easy victory, with American Outlaws star Jason Sides second, and young Sydney hard charger

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Ian Madsen third.

The meeting was certainly drama filled. The promoters had rebuilt the track during the week, and right from qualifying, drivers weren’t happy about the wet and tacky conditions.

Then, the heats started an hour late, forcing the preliminary C and B Mains to be dropped. A couple of huge crashes also marred the eight heat races, with both Bryan Mann and local James Thomson having bone ratting accidents.

After the heats, the drivers looked like they would boycott the preliminary A-Main, while the fans on the hill were left wondering if they would actually see a feature. After a late drivers meeting, the 18 drivers in the prelim A-Main decided on a 20-lap encounter – starting at 10.55pm, 25 minutes after track curfew.

While things were heated in the pits on Friday night, Saturday saw a different slick, and a little dusty, track. Farr led

the points tally from over from Night 1, from Mitch Dumesny, with Sides, Madsen, Gessner and Tatnell making the top six.

At the start of the A-Main, Sides jumped into the lead. But by Lap 2 Farr was in charge and forged away with a non-stop green to checker victory ahead of Sides.

The battle behind the leaders was between Dumesny and Gessner, who fighting for third, before Madsen powered by both to claim third.

“It’s hard on a slick track, you

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Veal takes his first Feature win

John Morris/Mpix

don’t know what someone is doing behind you,” said Farr.

“We could run down the bottom, middle and the top; my car was great everywhere. They just said I’ve won by half a lap – I thought I slowed up a bit at the end, maybe cooled the tyres, I just couldn’t get on it as well as earlier but I guess everyone else was having the same trouble.”

Brooke Tatnell holds onto his WSS points lead over Farr and Max Dumesny.

– GREG BOSCATO

as impressive as the winner, coming from eighth position for third, with Nick Lacey settling for fourth.

It was an emotional result, and Veal now sits second in the Eureka Garages and Sheds Series, only 137 points behind championship leader John Vogels.

“It was great to get past Matty Reed, I have a lot of respect for him,” Veal said.

“It’s my fourth season and it’s great to finally get the win.

Doing World Series Sprintcars last year has paid off and hopefully we can continue this good run for the rest of the season.”

Veal netted two second places in his two heats, and was

the highest qualifier for the topsix shootout event, but it was Reed who made the top six shootout his own. He qualified sixth highest on points after the heats to set quick time and elevate himself to the front row alongside Vogels.

Vogels, who rolled early in the final, fought back into sixth position ahead of Ryan Davis, who made up a remarkable nine positions on the grid in an outstanding effort.

The Eureka Garages and Sheds Series will now take a spell before returning on February 27 at Hamilton’s Western Speedway for the start of a busy five weeks of racing throughout March.

– GEOFF ROUNDS

Geoff Rounds

mance!

THE duck has been broken for Warrnambool’s Jamie Veal, after he finally broke through for his first Sprintcar feature race win.

Veal clinched his maiden A-Main victory at Heartland Raceway, Moama, to win the seventh round of the Eureka Garages and Sheds Sprintcar Series last Saturday night, after pulling off one of the passing moves of the season over Matthew Reed.

The final laps of the 30-lap A-Main looked to be all Reed’s, until Veal locked into running the highline and drove right around Reed to win.

Veal raced to victory ahead of Reed, while 360ci racer Darren Hickman was just

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BNT NSV8s TERETONGA

It’s Mac time ... again NZV8s THERE’S just no stopping Johnny Mac in the BNT NZV8 Championship.

Johnny McIntyre was in fine form at Teretonga last weekend, taking his third consecutive pole position and two race wins from three races to extend his lead in the series. He also finished a solid ninth in the reverse grid race, just one place behind series rival Craig Baird.

The Baird/McIntyre rivalry was in full swing over the weekend at Teretonga.

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While McIntyre had a fairly easy time of things in the first scratch race, Baird gave him a really hard time in the second. In fact, McIntyre’s winning margin was a slender 0.036s!

“It was a massive race right from the start – from pole, I led all the way, but Craig was all over me from the first run around the sweeper,” said McIntyre.

“After a couple of laps behind the Safety Car, Craig kept on applying pressure, then on the very last corner, the car’s gearbox popped out of first

gear. While I was trying to get it slotted into gear properly, Craig got the inside line as we came onto the start-finish straight for the last time and it was literally a drag race right down to the line.

“Thankfully we ended up with the win, but another five metres and he would have ... It was great to see the big crowd of race fans up on their feet applauding.”

McIntyre now leads Baird by 71 points. The next round is at Timaru next weekend.

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Evans wins, Aussies struggle TRS

Tough Start: Ausse Chris Wooton had electrical problems at Teretonga.

MITCH Evans has further proven he’s a star of the future by winning on debut in the senior class of the Toyota Racing Series in New Zealand.

The 15-year-old Kiwi dominated the opening day of the first TRS round of the season at Teretonga last weekend, taking pole position, setting the fastest lap, and, naturally, winning the race.

Evans would have won the second race too, had it not been for an engine problem on the last lap. A tiny cough was all it took for Estonian challenger Stan Pentus to sneak through and grab victory.

The final race of the weekend started with a reverse grid, giving Brazilian Lucas Foresti the chance to win, and make

it three different winners, from three different countries, from the three races.

Pentus holds a nine point lead over Evans after Round 1.

The two Aussies in the field had a tough initiation to life in the TRS. Aussie

Formula Forder Nathan Morcom finish the three races with two ninths and a 10th place, while Chris Wooton had two 10ths and a DNS, thanks to an electrical problem on the warm-up lap of the second race.

Reynolds, Reynolds, he’s our man GT3 CUP CHALLENGE DAVID Reynolds has continued to be the form man in a bumper season of Battery Town Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge racing in New Zealand.

The Aussie won the third round at Teretonga last weekend, winning two of the three races, the other going to Matt Halliday. The only blot on the copybook for Reynolds was that the one race he dropped to Halliday was the $10,000 Mad Butcher Mini

Enduro on the Saturday ...

But while Halliday had a good Saturday, he had a bad Sunday. The experienced Kiwi had a remarkable warm-up lap crash with Courtney Letica, and while he made the start of the race, it was from pitlane, ruling him out of round contention immediately.

Reynolds might have won the round at Teretonga, but Craig Baird, who was third for the weekend, retains a healthy lead in the series, thanks to Reynolds missing the opening round late last year.

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rear of grid

Sorry Kimi, Nicky’s the new NICKY Hayden has won his first race for Ducati – in a kart.

The Kentuckian took a win in the ice karting event on a frozen lake at the Wrooom event at the Madonna di Campiglio ski resort in Italy, holding out Felipe Massa and Casey Stoner. A similar car race, for 4WD Fiat Pandas, was won by Massa, with Stoner and Hayden filling the podium positions.

Odd Spot

THIS may look like an ordinary photo of South Aussie speedway ace Jamie Hendry, but it’s not ...

Y’see, this piccie was actually taken by former Kelly Racing pilot Jack Perkins, who, along with fellow V8 chums James Moffat and Tim Slade, spent most of the summer cruising around with the World Series Sprintcars crew.

While in South Oz, Perkins caught up with eNews snapper Paris Charles, who gave the second generation racer a few tips and then sent him trackside with a camera.

This is the result. Not too shabby at all, although we’re not sure that Dirk Klynsmith or Dan Kalisz will be shaking in their boots quite yet.

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