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Issue No. 140 February 2-8 2010
SK8IFE! It’s TeamVodafone for the enduros ...
SONIC BOOM!
Blanchard back with Sonic for Fujitsu Series tilt
WE HAVE LIFT-OFF – F1 TEAMS IN LAUNCH MODE AS TESTING GETS UNDERWAY
Editorial Editor: Andrew van Leeuwen andrew@mnews.com.au Executive Editor: Phil Branagan editor@mnews.com.au National Editor: Mitchell Adam mitchell@mnews.com.au
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Issue No. 140 | 2-8 Feb 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 Skaifety First 6 F1 launcharama 10 Super Sonic 11 Testing, testing 12 Full Power
chat 20 5 minutes with ... opinion 22 Adam 23 Branagan
race 24 Targa Wrest Point 28 Drag Racing
T8 gets their man Shiny new things go live Blanchard’s FV8 ride Walkinshaw does Winton Will gets back into it Daniel Gaunt 12 Hours of Power Tennis and TV Eight out of 10’s enough It was weird in the west
trade 40 Classifieds De la Rosa, Kobayashi and Bridgestone are the only three names on the new Sauber. Who needs sponsor signage? See Page 6 for more on the F1 launches.
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.
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Sneak Peak: The T8 Commodore ... but that’s not all! Today’s TeamVodafone launch in Sydney to announce Mark Skaife as a co-driver for Phillip Island and Bathurst V8 SUPERCARS
M
ARK Skaife is set to be named as an endurance driver with TeamVodafone. Motorsport eNews sources have told us that the five-times Bathurst winner will be present at the team’s launch in Sydney this morning (Tuesday), and that he will be a member of the team for the L&H 500 at Phillip Island and the Bathurst 1000 in October. Skaife was initially in line to partner Greg Murphy in PMM’s Castrol Racing Commodore in the two races, but then,as we revealed exclusively last week,
things changed. Discussions relating to who would replace Murphy at Abu Dhabi, (Murph has a clashing engagement with Top Gear Live in New Zealand), came to light – Skaife’s name was touted as likely – but negotiations foundered, and the Brisbane-based Triple Eight team came out the winner. Skaife’s high profile is an obvious attraction to any sponsor and to Holden, particularly given his commentary role in V8 Supercars’ television broadcasts. While his salary is likely to be the highest of any of the part-timers in pitlane for the two races – reports from reliable sources have put it “in
excess of $100,000” – tying Skaife to a team, even in a passive role during the first half of the season, is sure to add value to his signature. At the same time, his experience in endurance racing, most recently with Sprint Gas Racing in 2009, means that whoever partners him in the endurance races looks likely to start the events as one of the favourites, given the fact that Triple Eight has won three Bathursts and two 500km races – at Sandown – in the last five years ... The question now is who, out of Craig Lowndes and Jamie Whincup, gets the most experienced co-driver in the game? ...
Skaife and Lowndes, or Whincup? MARK Skaife and Craig Lowndes together would be Bathurst gold – but so would Mark Skaife and Jamie Whincup. Skaife’s appearance in TeamVodafone colours presents the team with a dilemma that most team principals could only dream of. The reuniting of Lowndes, the most popular driver in the country, with the most accomplished of any of the endurance drivers is bound to attract headlines. Both former HRT drivers have a huge following and the chance to place them in the one car, in the biggest race of the year, could well be, literally, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. On the other hand, Skaife is one of the most competitive drivers to ever suit up in this country, and there are many who rate Whincup as the world’s best touring car driver [including us]. While the Whincup/Lowndes combination has a stellar record
in long-distance races, the new regulations force them to split, and there are few drivers in pitlane who would turn down a chance to share a car with Skaife. Looking at it another way, from Skaife’s angle, which driver represents the best opportunity to win The Great Race? Lowndes has been a ‘last stint driver’ without peer at Mount Panorama, but the strides taken by Whincup in his two championship years have put him at the head of the field in V8 Supercars – challenged by only, perhaps, Will Davison and Garth Tander. From both sides, it represents an intriguing question and a decision that may not be made for some little time yet.
Who do you think Skaife should be paired with? Let us know on Twitter or Facebook!
eNews Extra
Check Back Here McLaren-Mercedes MP4-25
The latest Macca is the prettiest of the cars launched so far, and it looks like it should be quick, too. Jenson Button says he’s as excited as he’s ever been, and pundits are already saying Lewis Hamilton will be the man to beat in 2010.
Renault R30
We’ve been wondering how long it would take Renault to go back to its traditional blackand-yellow livery, and finally it’s happened. Massive improvment on last year’s minger of a car. The team also confirmed Vitaly Petrov alongside Robert Kubica, giving Russia its first-ever Formula 1 driver.
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On Tuesday, this spread will be updated with exclusive pics of all these F1 cars (and more) testing for the first time, PLUS the TeamVodafone launch. Don’t miss out! Ferrari
Ferrari F10
Ferrari’s 2010 car features more white than last year’s, thanks to Spanish banking giant Santander following Fernando Alonso to the team.
McLaren-Mercedes
BMW Sauber C29 BMW Sauber launched the first car of the postBMW ownership era, but kept the carmaker’s name ... despite having a Ferrari engine under the shark fin engine cover.
BMW Sauber
Renault
Alex D: Permission to V8 SUPERCARS ALEX Davison has flagged 2010 as his year to shine. The third generation racer re-joined the V8 Supercar fray last season with Stone Brothers Racing, after a stint racing Porsches in Europe. But while Davison finished on the podium in Darwin last year, the season as a whole fell below par. As a result, the IRWIN Toolsbacked driver says ’10 is ‘go time’. “It has to be; it definitely has to be,” said Davison.
“I didn’t tick all the boxes I wanted to last year, and to be perfectly honest, I wanted a stronger first season back in V8 Supercars. “We had glimpses of form, but we just weren’t consistent enough. I know we can be competitive because we did it a couple of times last year, but we have to work on doing it every weekend. When I had a car I was happy with last year, we were fast, so we’ve done a lot on the off-season to make sure that happens more often.” – ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN
... and there are changes at SBR V8 SUPERCARS
New Year, New Look: All three SBR FGs carry fresh warpaint into battle this season and Alex Davison, Tim Slade and Shane van Gisbergen, below, appear ready ...
STONE Brothers Racing will have a new engineering line-up for season 2010. Dave Stuart will take over the lead role on Alex Davison’s #4 IRWIN Tools Falcon, with Davo’s ’09 engineer Wes McDougall moving to new kid Tim Slade’s #47 Falcon. Paul Forgie will continue to be the lead engineer on Shane van Gisbergen’s #9 SP Tools Falcon. According to Davison, his split with McDougall wasn’t personal. Instead, it was a way to breath some fresh air into the team. “Wes and I got along very well, we had no dramas at all,” Davison told eNews. “The team just wanted a fresh start for this season, and that’s what it feels like. When I got back from holidays the whole workshop had been given a makeover, with the guys all in their new roles. There’s a great atmosphere within the team at the moment, which I know sounds like a cliché, but it’s genuinely the case.” – ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN
R
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Daniel Gaunt’s sensation
al LDR Commodore
WILD WEST!
on. Once we get established, I see no reason why we can’t be looking at the THIS is the car that Lucas Dumbrell top 10 on good weekends. Motorsport will race in its debut year “To be honest, I haven’t driven in the V8 Supercar Championship a Commodore yet. I’m expecting Series. there to be subtle differences, The artwork of the Gulf Westernbut at the end of the day it’s a backed Commodore was exclusively V8 Supercar, and it’s the best revealed yesterday (Monday) on eNews’ prepared Supercar that I’ve driven. Twitter Feed – and we like it! We will be growing as a team, so So does Daniel Gaunt, who will drive that learning process shouldn’t for the team in its first year. And the be a problem.” Kiwi ace told eNews he is eyeing off Gaunt will drive the #30 the top 15. Commodore for the first time “The package is great; it’s all good at next Monday’s official V8 gear,” he told eNews. Supercar test day at Winton. “We have Walkinshaw chassis 004, – ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN and current-spec engines, so there is no reason why we can’t be looking For more with Gaunt, see ‘Five at the top 15. That’s our aim early Minutes With’ on page 20.
V8 SUPERCARS
Blanchard: FV8 Deal Done FUJITSU V8s
TIM Blanchard will make his Fujitsu Series debut at the Clipsal 500. The Melbourne driver will reunite with Sonic Motor Racing in 2010, the team with whom he won the 2007 Australian Formula Ford Championship. After finishing second in the 2008 British Formula Ford Championship in a breakout campaign, he was unable to find a budget to move into the Fujitsu Series in 2009 and spent the year on the sidelines. After testing with the team at Winton in December, a deal was finalised on Saturday, which will see Blanchard join Sonic and step into the exTriple Eight Falcon driven by James Moffat to second in the 2009 series. “Everything is starting to
fall into place, it is great to be back with the Sonic team,” Blanchard said. “We are looking for a really strong year and there is no reason not have the Championship firmly in our sights, the year on the sidelines has given me a new sense of determination to make the most of this opportunity.”
Blanchard is currently negotiating with sponsors for the season, with his Falcon to run a blank livery at Clipsal – as Moffat’s did in 2009 – if nothing eventuates. Sonic will continue to run two cars, with Rodney Jane to remain in the series in his exJamie Whincup Falcon. “Tim delivered the 2007
Morton back at FPR, with FUJITSU V8s JIM Morton could reprise the role of V8 Supercar team principal this year, overseeing James Moffat’s Fujitsu Series campaign. As first reported by eNews almost two months ago, Moffat will race with Ford Performance Racing in the V8 Supercar endurance races. The program was to have been accompanied by a switch to Matthew White Racing for a second season in the Fujitsu Series, and Moffat tested one of the team’s exFPR Falcons at Winton in December. However a deal failed to eventuate, with FPR now moving towards finalising arrangements to run the 25-year-old themselves alongside their three Main Game cars.
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The chassis would be an ex-FPR Falcon owned by Morton, which has previously been used by his Ford Rising Stars Racing outfit and Team Kiwi, with Morton to have an involvement in the project. “There’s been some discussion,” Morton told eNews. “At this stage, nothing’s finalised but there’s definitely keenness for it to happen and it would be a nice fit, we’re hopeful it will come together. “James had an excellent 2009 and he’s a big chance of doing well again this year.” Meanwhile, Allan Moffat has been named as an official ambassador for Ford Performance Vehicles – just in time for his son to join the factory squad. – MITCHELL ADAM
Formula Ford Championship to the team and I was very impressed with his 2008 season in the UK, runner up in that championship is no mean feat in your first year in the UK,” Sonic boss Michael Ritter said. “I am pleased to be able to see a Sonic driver return to tackle the next level.” – MITCHELL ADAM
Sweet 16 FUJITSU V8s
STONE Brothers Racing will re-kindle its in-house Fujitsu Series program this year, for 16-year-old Scott Mclaughlin. As hinted in last week’s issue of eNews, SBR will once again be in the hunt for a development series title, having won it once before, with Mark Winterbottom back in 2003. This time it will be Mclaughlin’s turn, the young gun coming straight out of karts and into the big bad world of V8 Supercar racing. He will be backed by Fujitsu General, and will work at SBR as an apprentice fabricator between race meetings. “We have had great success in the V8 Supercar development series in the past, having won the championship with a young Mark Winterbottom back in 2003”, said Stone. “Jimmy and I are prepared to have people say and print that 16 is too young, but we feel that if you’re good enough, you’re old enough. This is a true development program for SBR. “We are very lucky to have such a young, talented and dynamic group of drivers this season.”
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Rum and Roosters
Holden Racing Team and Bundy Red Racing tested yesterday (Monday) at Winton, a week earlier than the rest of the teams due to the fact that their cars will be flown to Abu Dhabi out of Queensland. While HRT ran its new-for-2010 livery, BRR tested out its Extra Smooth Racing scheme, which will be used in the Middle East, where alcohol advertising is banned.
MOSLER MT900 GT3 – reduced $50,000! Australian GT championship Open class POLE-sitter 2009 Clipsal & 2009 AGP Meetings • The famous black Mosler driven by Craig Baird showed the way when it raced in 2009 • Available with 12 wheels – plenty spares – fully optioned. • Rebuilt to as-new condition - Ready to ‘Race and Win’ Clipsal and AGP 2010 with pole-winning set-up and new rubber ...
Contact: John Teulan at JTR – 0418 725 060 teulan@ozemail.com.au Delivery Anywhere 11
Power
INDYCARS INDYCAR team Vision Racing has lost its battle to stay in the sport and has shut down. The Tony George-owned team has closed its doors just six weeks before the IndyCar season opener in Brazil due to lack of sponsorship. Menards, a mid-west hardware store chain that has sponsored the team for several years has not renewed. That leaves Ed Carpenter, George’s stepson, without a ride. George started his own team in 2005 with Carpenter as his
primary driver after car owners requested George become an owner to experience the challenges and financial obligations first-hand. Other drivers who have competed for Vision include A.J. Foyt IV, Paul Tracy, Tomas Scheckter and Ryan Hunter-Reay. Ironically, 2009 was Vision’s best IndyCar season with a runner-up finish at Kentucky, requiring a photo finish to determine the winner, Ryan Briscoe, who nipped Ed Carpenter by inches. Carpenter told the Indianapolis Star, “We’re suspending operations, but I don’t know fully what that
FOR LEASE – V8 SUPERCARS
Full race preparation and support at events FUJITSU SERIES ROUNDS Clipsal, Queensland, Winton, Townsville, Bathurst, Sandown, Sydney
SHANNONS SERIES Symmons Plains, Mallala, Winton, Eastern Creek, Sandown
Call Terry, Image Racing: 0408 555 821 or Image49@tpg.com.au 12
IndyCars
The End of Vision
means. We’re still pursuing opportunities to resume operations.” Also now looking for a ride is James Davision, 23, who has competed for two seasons in the Firestone Indy Lights series, earning two victories, 11 top fives, and runner-up in the 2009 championship battle. Davison was hoping to move up to IndyCars this season with Vision Racing. Vision Racing has asked fans to start a letter writing campaign showing their support in the hopes of finding a sponsor. – MARY MENDEZ
INDYCARS WILL Power has made a successful return to the cockpit of an IndyCar. Power, who will drive the #12 Verizon entry this season, was able to shake off the rust in a recent test at Sebring. It
NHL consider INDYCARS NEWMAN Haas Lanigan Racing may downsize to a single entry. With the news McDonald’s is not renewing their title sponsorship with NHL for 2010, the team may have difficulty fielding two cars. Graham Rahal,who has not yet signed a contract, is believed to be talking to other teams, possibly Dreyer & Reinbold, Luzco Dragon, Dale Coyne or Panther
Racing. Dreyer & Reinbold will announce drivers for their twocar team next week. Rumors indicate Hideki Mutoh, who raced the last two seasons for Andretti Green Racing, has brought funding for one seat. Alex Lloyd, who debuted with NHL at the HomesteadMiami season finale, is questionable for his 2010 season return as a result of losing his funding from Energy drink Her. – MARY MENDEZ
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back, in Black
IRL gets its man INDYCARS
IndyCars
was the Queenslander’s first return to the cockpit after his horrifying crash with Nelson Philippe at Infineon last August that resulted in four fractured vertebra. “I’m not sore at all,” said Power to Racer.com. “While I was on my back, I was
having a good think about it – although it ended badly last year, it was a great season for me. I ended up with a full-time ride with one of the best teams in IndyCar, and I’m really ready to come back.” There are more changes coming for Power. Over the
holidays, Power proposed to his long-time girlfriend, Elizabeth Cannon, who he met while driving for Walker Racing under the Team Australia colors. Cannon worked as the team’s PR person and currently works for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing. – MARY MENDEZ
ring the Single Life
THE Indy Racing League has a new Chief Executive Officer. According to a report in the Indianapolis Star, the IRL has signed Randy Bernard to replace Tony George, who resigned at the end of June when his family removed him from control of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Bernard, 43, is the founder and CEO of the Professional Bull Riders Inc. Although Bernard, who is expected to be confirmed next week, has never attended an IndyCar event, he faces the same challenges in racing as in bull riding, expanding the fan to increase attendance and TV audience. “I didn’t know anything about bull-riding before we started,” Bernard told the Star. “But 20 riders gave $1000 each – three had to borrow the money – and we made it go. The first day we had a 15-by-15 office, a folding chair, a table, and I was the only employee. We learned everything from the ground up.” In addition to Bernard, Zak Brown, CEO of Just Marketing International (which handles many IndyCar sponsors) and Mark Miles, CEO of Central Indiana Corporate Partnership, were both considered for the position but declined. – MARY MENDEZ
PBR Inc
IndyCars
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John Morris
McElreacing FUJITSU SERIES MCELREA Racing will continue to be supported by Stone Brothers Racing in 2010, despite SBR reestablishing themselves as a Fujitsu Series team. The team, owned by Kiwi Andy McElrea, debuted in the Fujitsu Series last year with Daniel Gaunt, using an ex-SBR Falcon complete with SBR support. It is now looking at expanding to two V8 Supercars this year, and will continue an alliance with SBR. “Absolutely, we will still be aligned with Stone Brothers,” McElrea told eNews. “Scott McLaughin has his own relationship with the team, but our relationship with them is still very, very strong. We will be working with their entry, to the point of sharing data.” The team is yet to name its 2010 FV8 driver line-up, although McElrea says he is “close to locking in one car, and I have a sneaking
Barker @ BRM FORMULA 3 ENGLISH driver Ben Barker is the first driver signed for Team BRM’s Formula 3 Australian Drivers Championship campaign. Barker, 18, will look to follow in the footsteps of countrymen Ben Clucas, James Winslow and Joey Foster, who have all won the Gold Star with the Adelaidebased outfit. He finished ninth in the 2009 British Formula Ford Championship and is likely to drive the chassis used by Foster last year. “I’m looking forward to it, I can’t wait to get out there and see what I can do,” Barker told eNews. “We tested at Winton
on Friday and it went really well. I was quite ill, particularly in the morning, but we put on new tyres and I managed to do a 1:18.13, which was pretty much Joey’s pole time from last year. “That was my first run on new tyres in an F3 car, and I really learnt a lot from it.” Team Manager Mark Rundle told eNews that the team will add at least one other driver to its line-up – likely to be Mitch Evans – and that a third car remains a possibility. Barker will test again with the team this Saturday at Mallala ahead of the F3 season opener at Wakefield Park on March 6-7. – MITCHELL ADAM
DRIVER REQUIRED Do you have a budget and want to race in the Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series with a leading team? You should call us today! Front-running cars, full test program – or tailored to suit. Signage space available. Phone Warren Davis at Howard Racing
07 5571 6625 or 0414 646 873
howardracingptyltd@bigpond.com.au 14
Phil Williams
2010 FUJITSU SERIES
suspicion we’ll do a late deal for the second car.” The FV8 program isn’t the only area in which McElrea Racing will expand this season. The team will also debut in the MINI Challenge, with as many as three cars. Chris Reindler is apparently on the team’s wish list, having made his MINI debut with Greg Murphy Racing at Barbagallo Raceway late last year (see separate story). “The deal is that I’ve agreed to the concept of running a driver in the Fujitsu Series in 2011, and we want to give this driver some miles on all the tracks in a way that is less expensive than a V8 Supercar program. The MINI Challenge is perfect for that.” McElrea Racing will so field its ex-Nathan Caratti Porsche for Singaporean driver Yuey Tan in the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge, as well as helping Tan with his program in the Asian Carrera Cup Championship. – ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN
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Percat gets Fujitsu ride FUJITSU SERIES NICK Percat will contest at least three rounds of the 2010 Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series with Jay Motorsport. The reigning Australian Formula Ford Champion will drive an ex-Walkinshaw VZ Commodore for the South Australian team, which, like Percat, has links to Walkinshaw Racing, having run Shane Price in a partial program last year to ready him for endurance duties for WR. “I spoke to (Walkinshaw Racing’s) Craig Wilson, and we
decided that given our budget, and the fact that I’m in the Walkinshaw family, this was the best way to go,” Percat told eNews. “I driven the car twice now, and as far as I can tell it feels really good – although I’m not exactly sure how a V8 Supercar should feel yet. We’ve got another test day coming up, so having had a think about it over Christmas, I should be able to get plenty out of it.” Percat’s test will be at Winton on February 16, and he will also continue ride day duties with Walkinshaw
Racing throughout the season. But while Percat is expected to complete the full FV8 season for Jay Motorsport, his current deal is only for the first three rounds. “At the moment that’s all we’ve committed to,” he
confirmed. “After that there are some big meetings, like Townsville and Bathurst, so hopefully we can put the funding together to get to the end of the season.” – ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN
Russells upsize FUJITSU SERIES
Dirk Klynsmith
AAREN Russell will join his older brother Drew in this year’s Fujitsu V8 Supercar field. Novocastrian Motorsport has picked up the remainder of BJR’s Falcon inventory and will expand to a twocar operation in 2010, accompanying the ex-BJR BF used by Drew Russell in the final two rounds of ’09. “We’ve purchased all of BJR’s remaining Falcons, parts and engines,” team owner Wayne Russell told eNews. “Aaren and Drew will run in the two sister cars and we’ll have a third car which will be our spare initially, although we could do a lease drive and run three cars if the circumstances were right.” Drew Russell (left in pic with Aaren) who finished 13th in the ’09 standings from a partial campaign, will
revert to run #58 this year, with Aaren running #59, as he steps up from Formula Vee. The team is currently in discussions with sponsors for the campaign. “It’s going to be a huge step up from Formula Vee,” Aaren Russell, 18, said. “Racing in the Fujitsu Series is what I wanted to this year, but I wasn’t sure what was going to happen. It’s a bit overwhelming that it’s all come together and I’m going to be out there. “We’ve got a big job on our hands to build the cars up and get them ready for the first round, and our aim is to have a test day before Clipsal. “Drew and I did a couple of karting events together, which was pretty competitive, but this will be the first time we’ve raced cars together. He’s been like a mentor to me and it will be good to have him there as a team-mate.” – MITCHELL ADAM
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One Ascari, two Ascara? British GT title winners head down under for some Vodka O AUSTRALIAN GT BRITISH manufacturer Ascari will make its debut in the Vodka O Australian GT Championship this year. Queenslander Darren Berry has purchased two of Ascari’s GT3-spec KZ1R racers, with the first car expected to arrive in the coming week and a second in late March.
The KZ1R is powered by a 5-litre BMW V8 engine and won the 2009 British GT Championship with twin brothers David and Godfrey Jones. Berry, who has dabbled in GT before in a Dodge Viper will debut the first Ascari in Round 1 of the 2010 GT season at the Clipsal 500. “I selected the Ascari to race in the 2010 Vodka O Australian GT Championship on
the basis that it has been very successful in the FIA and British GT Championships and that it is a highly desirable and unique car,” Berry said. “Its mid-engined BMW powerplant is brilliant as is the carbon fibre chassis. The car will probably be better than me certainly initially, but where ever it is in the field it will certainly attract plenty of attention.”
sutton-images.com
A Cameldore ... V8 UTES FORMER V8 Ute Champion Layton Crambrook will switch brands in 2010. Crambrook and South Australian Craig Dontas are both swapping their Falcon Utes for Commodores. As part of a new deal with Ice Break Coffee, ’08 Champ Crambrook has purchased Ray Sidebottom’s
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VE, while Dontas will retain Thirsty Camel backing in the ex-Kurt Wimmer VE. “Our new sponsor Ice Break has a relationship with Holden and we had to be in a Holden,” Crambrook said of his switch. Both drivers will race their new machines in the opening round of the 2010 season, the Ten Years of Legends Race at the Clipsal 500.
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SPORTS SEDANS DARREN Hossack is set to do double duty again in 2010. The dual Australian Sports Sedan Champ and 2008 Australian Superkart Champion will return to both classes this year. The John Gourlay-owned Audi A4 Hossack races will feature a
new front-end for the 2010 Kerrick Series, which kicks off at Wakefield Park in March. “The new front end is going on the car at the moment, so the car will have a new look this year,” Hossack, who finished third in last year’s series, told eNews. “We’re trying to win the title again this year. I feel
we’ve got the best car out there, but reliability was our biggest issue last year, we had a few mechanical problems during the year so that’s something we’re working on.” Sports Sedans will contest five rounds and Superkarts two, with Hossack set for a busy weekend at Morgan
James Smith
More of the Same
Park in August, where both classes will be racing. Hossack is also the first driver confirmed for Winton’s Commodore Cup Endurance Challenge. He’ll partner Nick Parker in the event, having raced with the team in the maiden Endurance Challenge at Mallala in 2008. – MITCHELL ADAM
All the goss about FORMULA FORD SOUTH Australian teenager Tom Goess will step up to the Genuine Ford Parts Australian Formula Ford Championship this year. Goess will race with Team BRM, having made his car racing debut with the team in state level Formula Ford in 2009. He
finished third in the Victorian Series and won his sole outing in the SA Series’ Duratec Challenge. Goess will join Queenslander Jon Mills and a third, TBC driver in the team’s Mygale SJ09A chassis’, which have been updated to 2010 specification. “This will be Tom’s second year of car racing, so we’re looking
at it being a two-year program in national Formula Ford,” Team BRM’s Mark Rundle told eNews. “Tom’s done some testing in the last couple of months and there’s a bit more to come. “He’s come along a lot quicker than we expected, he’s been getting quicker and quicker in every test.” – MITCHELL ADAM
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Brit-ang BATHURST 12 HOUR
John Morris John Morris
JASON Bright will complete the driver line-up in Marcus Zukanovic’s Mustang for the February 14’s Armor All Bathurst 12 Hour. The V8 Supercar driver joins Zukanovic and Allan Simonsen in the Class I entry, which is currently being built at the team’s Melbourne workshop. “I’ve got a pretty good relationship with BJR and my mechanic is really good mates with Jason,” Zukanovic told eNews. “He asked him if he was interested and BJR gave him the OK, I think it’s a really good driver line-up. “We’re working really hard on building the car, so we wanted to have a strong lineup with three drivers who can all run at the same pace, and Jason’s technical feedback and
experience should help with the development of the car as well. “We’ve still got a couple of issues getting the car built, waiting for parts to come in. It looks like we’ll cut it pretty fine, but I’m confident that we’ll be at Bathurst.” In other line-ups, as predicted by eNews a fortnight ago, Glenn Seton, Neil Crompton, Jason Bargwanna and Mark King will return to Bob Pearson’s two-car Evo X line-up. Pearson is currently entered to drive in each of the two cars, joining Seton, Crompton and King, and rally ace Steve Glenney – who starred in a pair of Manufacturers Championship outings in an Evo last year – and Bargwanna. The team were among those to test at Eastern Creek last week, top right. Following Russell Ingall’s
withdrawal, Andrew Jones will join Nathan Pretty and Cameron McConville in the Holden Sportwagon. Jones was originally entered in Barry Morcom’s BMW 335i (bottom right with new livery), alongside Morcom and Paul Stubber. Daniel Erickson
WORLD SBK THE rain in Spain went mainly down the drain – and so did any meaningful testing for the World Superbike teams at Valencia last week. Intermittent precipitation led the teams present to spend a lot of time watching the skies but what they did manage to eke out of the twoday experience was that tyres do not like to operate in minus
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temperatures, even when it is dry. Times did not mean a huge amount but, for what it was worth, Carlos Checa showed that the Althea Ducati team will be a force to be reckoned with, the local ace taking his updated 1198R to a 1m33.8s lap, about half a second off Ben Spies’s 2009 pole time. “After Portimao and [the] Valencia test, I’m feeling more comfortable on both my bikes,”
Ducati Corse
And the winter is ...
replaces Jones after the switch, while Morcom’s son Nathan is also entered as a possible driver. In Class D, Australian GT drivers Mark Eddy and Ross Zampatti will partner Richard Gartner in his new Renault Clio 197. – MITCHELL ADAM
said veteran Checa. “Today we tested some new tyres and different setting and I think we did a really very good job.” Checa was 0.2s faster than 2009 runner-up Noriyuki Haga, with their respective team-mates Skakey Byrne and Michel Fabrizio close behind them. BMW reported than Troy Corser and Ruben Xaus both went under the 1m35s mark.
When Yukio met Suzi WORLD SBK TWO Japanese riders will race Yoshimura Suzuki’s entry in three rounds of the World Superbike Championship. Four-time SBK race winner Yukio Kagayama will ride at Assen and Magny-Cours while Daisaku Sakai will make his WSBK debut at Imola in September. This will be the first appearance outside Japan for Sakai, who won the Suzuka 8 Hour last year. He also raced in a 250 Grand Prix at Suzuka in 2002, when he finished second.
in the February iSSue oF motorSport neWS
GreG Murphy Talks
on his castrol ride; tasman’s demise and sharing with mark Skaife
ThaT’s noT enouGh exclusive inTerviews • World rally champion SebaStien loeb • penSke indycar Star Will poWer • outlaWS ace donny Schatz plus: prepare the arguementS We name the top 25 driverS in the World
on Sale in neWSagentS noW 19
5 Minutes with ...
DANIEL GAUNT
The young Kiwi is gearing up for his first season of main game action with Lucas ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN Dumbrell Motorsport ... and it all started with Facebook MOTORSPORT NEWS: Well, I’ve just looked on eNews’s Twitter Feed and seen exclusive artwork of a V8 Supercar with your name on it! How do you feel when you look at those pictures? DANIEL GAUNT: It’s pretty exciting stuff, mate! It’s becoming a reality; it’s kicking in that this is the full-blown main game, and we’re getting pretty organised and things are looking good. This isn’t officially your debut in the series, because you had those few rounds with Team Kiwi Racing in 2008. But does it still feel like a debut, given that it’s your first proper crack at it? The Team Kiwi thing was all about getting miles in a car, and it was perfect for that. Before that, I hadn’t done much at all, other than just a driver evaluation day. To be honest, it was more about getting an idea of what V8s are about, and getting miles under the belt to get the ball rolling. This is a totally different approach. Obviously I’m in the championship from the start – it’s not bits and pieces – and we’ve got an awesome package. Lucas has put together a great deal with the Walkinshaw car and engine, and the team around us is a good bunch of guys. It seems that it all happened pretty quickly. We all thought Jack Perkins would be named as the team’s driver, and then late last year it ended up being you. How did it all come together?
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I was searching for some ideas for this season, and David Reynolds mentioned to me that there might have been an opportunity there. So I sent a Facebook message to Lucas and asked if it was worth talking to him about this year, and he came back and said that it was. I’m lucky that I have great support from Michael Morton back home. He’s been very generous to give me this opportunity, and give me some sponsorship to bring with me. With that in place, the deal was done over a weekend. What are your expectations for this year? The package is great; it’s all good gear. We have Walkinshaw chassis 004, and current-spec engines, so there is no reason why we can’t be looking at the top 15. That’s
our aim early on. Once we get established, I see no reason why we can’t be looking at the top 10 on good weekends. You’ve raced Falcons in all your V8 Supercar programs so far – do you expect the Commodore to be much different? To be honest, I haven’t driven a Commodore yet. I’m expecting there to be subtle differences, but at the end of the day, it’s a V8 Supercar, and it’s the bestprepared Supercar that I’ve driven. We will be growing as a team, so that learning process shouldn’t be a problem. Are you comfortable in a V8 Supercar now? Yeah, I am. There is still a lot to learn, but every time I go out I feel a lot more comfortable. Obviously the guys like Garth Tander are a
lot more comfortable than I am, but it is becoming a lot more natural to me. It’s just a matter of miles – you can’t beat miles. Finally, you’ve landed the misfortune of living with David Reynolds now you’re based in Melbourne ... (Laughs) I’ve known Dave for years now, with what he’s done in New Zealand with the GT3s. He’s been quick in every racecar that he’s driven, and it’s a real shame he doesn’t have a full-time gig this year. But he’ll be back. The only thing that I’m worried about is having to watch some weird movies. He’s warned me about the fact that he’s a move fanatic, and he’s into some weird stuff. I’ve already spent a weekend with him, and, yeah, he’s not wrong (laughs).
chat
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W m m l
Opinion Mitchell Adam – eNews National Editor
Oh, what a (partial) night
T
HIS year’s Armor All Bathurst 12 Hour is shaping up quite nicely, if you don’t mind. It looks like around 45 cars will be on the grid come February 14. Amongst them, there’s lots of quality peddlers and plenty of depth in most of the classes, which should have some ripper battles over the course of half a day. The outright fight is the one which will – understandably – attract the most attention. And, to be honest, I’d struggle to name a favourite at this stage. Mitsubishi’s Evo Lancer has been the car to have in recent years, and Team
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Mitsubishi Ralliart look like a well-oiled outfit with their two Evo Xs as they aim for three-straight 1-2 finishes. The Pro-Duct team has brought in the big guns again after a speedy but troubled 2009, while entries with the likes of Steve Owen, David and Des Wall, and Tony and Klark Quinn on board can’t be discounted. Looking for someone to knock off the Lancers, Garry Holt’s BMW 335i seems the most likely. The 2007 winner claimed last year’s Manufacturers Championship, has sorted out the car’s electrical gremlins and will be joined by John Bowe and Paul Morris.
The most intriguing prospect is the Ford Mustang of Marcus Zukanovic, who’s enlisted Jason Bright and Allan Simonsen. On paper, the ‘Stang looks good, and there’s nothing wrong with the driver line-up – the strongest out there? – but the test will be how a completely new and unknown car handles the challenge of 12 hours around Mount Panorama. And let’s not forget the class battles; Commodore versus Falcon, Mazda 3 versus BMW 130i and Integra versus Toyotas. Whoever your money’s on, a good old fashioned Bathurst battle is brewing.
opinion
Why tennis Opinion makes motorsport T look good
Phil Branagan – Executive Editor ENNIS. Thank goodness I am not a fan. For me, tennis is too small. Too slow. And any attraction to six-foot blonde Russian supermodels playing the game is overcome by the annoying and, apparently, mandatory noises they make while doing so. The Australia Open is over for another year and I am guessing some TV viewers might be saying, thank goodness. There were problems. This year’s Open was different; there was no FoxSports coverage to fall back on so the fans were at the mercy of Seven. Which means, the nearly-always sacrosanct 6pm News bulletin and Home and Away took priority over matches people had been salivating. Now, I have never seen Home and Away (or Neighbours, for that matter) and my black-and-white memories of being a whining, lovesick teenager are not those that might fall into the ‘Entertainment’ category. And, let’s be honest, any TV network’s news is almost completely like ... any other network’s news. The Tennis is a different species. The Open is protected by the Federal Government; actually, the Broadcasting Services Act 1992, which lists the Open as a sporting property reserved for free-to-air broadcasters. The anti-siphoning list means that Pay-TV broadcasters can get the secondary rights, only after the big players have done their deals. There are a couple of problems. The Act was designed prior to the new Freeview arrangements, which gives each broadcaster additional digital channels, in either Standard or High Definition. That means that the matches could not be handballed onto 7Two, in much the same way as the BBC does with its sports coverage. At the moment, the network’s brave new world appears dominated by ghastly American reality TV shows and such groundbreaking entertainment as double episodes of Green Acres, but that is sure to change. And, if the Act protects “Each match in the Australian Open tennis tournament”, is does not mandate when a network must, or should, show them. There have also been complaints of late about Nine’s international cricket coverage, so I am not being anti-Seven here. But I am being pro-V8 Supercars Television. During the course of the season, we comment on things that we see on the coverage, and some might see that as a negative. So it would be churlish to withhold the positives; V8TV and Seven, generally, do a fine job, and we get to watch it on free-to-air. All of it, before the news starts, and without pimply teens interrupting. When the law catches up to technology, and after the current deal between V8 Supercars Australia and its host broadcaster expires, it might be that sports, including the V8s, appear on the new channels. But for now, all I can say is, lucky us, and well-played Roger. But, one last thing; let’s hope we not have an outbreak of constant cross-promotion. Like most things he says, Tony Greig’s babbling enthusiasm for ‘V’ is sickening, and if I hear Cromley tell us how much he is enjoying Cougar Town, this could be the end of a long friendship.
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TARGA WREST POINT TASMANIA
T EIGH
Firing on all 10 cyli 24
inders
race
Engine problems couldn’t stop Jason and John White from winning the 2010 Targa Wrest Point, their first win on home soil since Targa Tas in ‘05 Joel Strickland
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I
T’S been five years since John and Jason White took a breakthrough Targa Tasmania win, but last weekend they were back in the winner’s circle, taking out Targa Wrest Point. The Tasmanian’s were in scintillating form on home soil – and they needed to be. While their Lamborghini Gallardo should have been the fastest car in the field, it was hobbled by event-long engine problems, which practically turned the mighty V10 into ‘only’ a V8. The engine problems left the pair second going into the final day, nine seconds behind West Aussie Dean Herridge and his Subaru Impreza STi. But five wins from five stages gave the Whites an impressive 24s win. “The event will go down as the most amazing thing that John and I have ever done in a car together,” White said. “We’re both really happy with each other’s performance. The first stage [Sunday] morning we knew we were under pressure, and the car was down on power, but there was a lot of fast downhill stuff in the stage and we just didn’t back off. “Somehow, the engine lasted, but I think it might only be a V8 now, not a V10. “It’s been a long time since we won on home soil, and not for lack of trying, but we’ve put a lot of work into it and it’s rewarding to have it all pay off.” Herridge’s second place was his best finish on tarmac, and proof that the former Subaru factory Australian Rally Championship driver is getting better and better on the blacktop, and more comfortable with co-driver Chris Murphy. While he was disappointed not to win the event, Herridge was happy to be second in a car that should never have challenged the mighty Lamborghini in the first place. “The weekend went as well as we could have hoped,” Herridge said. “We pushed really hard, driving at Australian Rally Championship, [and] World Rally Championship pace. We were totally committed to our notes and pushed flat-out all the way. “In the end we just couldn’t match the speed of the Lamborghini. Jason drove it really well and they just had the edge. “But we’ve come a long way since debuting this car last year and finishing fifth, so now we’ll just try and fine-tune things for Targa Tasmania.” Third was another West Aussie, former Targa West winner Steve Jones, who was paired with Ben Searcy. The pair had a trouble-free run in their Nissan GT-R, to lead home another GT-R driver in Tony Quinn. Rounding out the top five was Targa legends Jim Richards and Barry Oliver. In the other classes, it was an all-Tasmaniac affair, with Geoff and Leon Duggan winning the Classic class, Tony Warren and Nathasha Deniese winning Showroom and Chris Long and Anne Gigney taking out Early Modern – all hailing from the Apple Isle.
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race
Joel Strickland Joel Strickland
Four Pot Screamer: Dean Herridge, above, punched above his weight in the Impreza STi, leading heading into the last day and finishing second – ahead of some much faster cars. Steve Jones made it two West Aussies in the top three with third, right. Meanwhile, Frank Purdey needed to enlist some local help to get back on his feet ... by which we mean wheels, below.
Joel Strickland
Joel Strickland
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ANDRA PRO SERIES TOP ALCOHOL, PERTH MOTORPLEX Luke Nieuwhof
Freaky Friday ... and Saturday 28
race
A full moon produced some freaky racing as Top Alcohol and Top Bikes visited Perth Motorplex, LUKE NIEUWHOF reports 29
DRAG RACING FOR the superstitious, the full moon is an important event. However even the most sceptical of people would have been a little worried on January 28 and 29 at Perth Motorplex with one of the stranger events seen in the ANDRA Pro Series being held. In Top Alcohol, NSW driver John Cannuli won his first event in the Hennock and Sons Mobile Truck Washing Funny Car while SA’s Phil Howard took out the Pro Stock Motorcycles. Cannuli qualified third with a 5.74s time and then advanced through the first round with a 5.75s to 7.04s victory over West Australian Aaron Deery, who red lit. In the semi finals, Cannuli faced the quickest of the locals, Rob Pilkington, but took out the number two qualifier in a 5.79s to 7.74s contest, with
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Pilkington going into tyre shake early. It wasn’t all good news for Cannuli, however as he hurt a piston on the run, meaning a lot of hard work would be needed in the pits. His opponent in the final, another WA runner in Adam Marchant, waited in the staging lanes until Cannuli was ready and they then took to the track. Marchant’s car had troubles with the dragster refusing to rev over 5000rpm in the burnout, an issue that continued into the run. It gave Cannuli a relatively easy win, despite slowing to a 6.75. “This has been a long time coming,” he said. “I really have to thank my crew, we hurt a piston before the final and they were really thrashing.” The win propelled Cannuli into the lead of the ANDRA Pro
Series. Marchant, meanwhile, went all the way from 10th in the points to third with his performance, though it was one of the stranger runners-up. He qualified dead last and then had extraordinary luck with top qualifier Steven Ham fouling the starting beams in the first round against him, and he then benefited from Phillips crossing the centre line in the semi finals. “I don’t really know who to thank, probably God,” Marchant said. “It all scraped together in the end, but I don’t know how.” NSW driver Aaron Hambridge travelled to race in WA for the first time but didn’t even make it through one run when he put oil under the slicks in the first qualifying session and crashed into the wall. The Pro Stock Motorcycles were beset with gremlins right
from the start of qualifying, with bike after bike stalling or not getting off the starting line. Out of eight bikes in the field, only three made it down track within the seven second zone. Phil Howard was one of the riders not to make a pass at all on his Kawasaki. But come eliminations the problems were gone and he raced through to the final to defeat Queensland’s Michael Gilbertson with a 7.74s to 7.73s win, a better reaction time meaning Howard’s slower elapsed time won. “We looked like a bunch of amateurs (in qualifying),” Howard said. “We all threw our bikes on the train to come over and they all turned up a bit rattled and banged up and nothing really worked.” The win gave Howard the lead in the points over Andrew Badcock.
race
Luke Nieuwhof
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GRAND-AM SPORTSCARS ROLEX 24 AT DAYTONA
A triumph for Por ...
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.
race
Did Porsche win its 22nd Daytona 24 Hour race? When not even the factory acknowledges the team that won it? MARTIN D CLARK wonders
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P
ORSCHE wins the 24 Hours of Daytona. Hardly a surprising headline, is it? After all, for generations, fleets of flat-six powered, factory-built racers have won on the high banks and inner road course of the famed Florida Speedway. Before the lights went green on Saturday, Porsche had scored 21 Daytona wins. Except, this year, it was different. Action Express Racing is hardly a factory, or even factory-backed effort. Grand Am’s somewhat, um, distinctive Daytona Prototype regulations make works teams a thing of the past. And that Porsche motor in the back of the winning entry was not a flat-six. With a 5-litre V8 motor from a Cayenne not far behind his shoulders, Joao Barbosa held off Scott Pruett by 50 seconds to win the 48th running of the race. That gave him, and co-drivers Terry Borcheller, Mike Rockenfeller and Ryan Dalziel, the win in the SUV engine-powered Riley – which, until last year, had a flat-six in the back. The engine, built by independent engine builder LBP, can be considered non-approved by Porsche to the extent that the Porsche font could not be used on the winning car! It will be interesting to see how, or if, the German manufacturer promotes the win in the motoring press ... Even more unusual was the fact that, despite experience in the cockpit and on the pitwall, the 24 was the first race of any type
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as an owner for Bob Johnson. He bought the second entry of the Brumos team, which still prepared the car at its Denver, Colorado base, and arrived in Florida to watch his car win. Ironically, the other Brumos entry ran a Boxer motor, with five-time 24 hour winner Hurley Haywood looking for a strong finish in his 37th and final start at Daytona. The #59 car stopped on Sunday afternoon – with engine failure. The winning car had no real issues, and the same could almost be said for Ganassi Racing’s lead entry. After 22 hours Justin Wilson was leading when, fearing an engine problem (the team’s other car was already out with a blown motor) he headed to the pits. After taking off the front and rear nose sections nothing was discovered and he returned to the track a lap behind the AER Porsche. Three-time winner Pruett wheeled the car back on the lead lap hoping for a final full-course caution in the final hour, but they were out of luck. The team’s thinking is that Wilson ran over something on the track, upsetting the car enough to spoil BWM’s first chance at victory since 1976 with a classic 3.2 CSL. The second Ganassi BMW of Juan Pablo Montoya, Dario Franchitti, Jamie McMurray and Scott Dixon led 139 of the first 249 laps before it fell foul to engines issues at midnight just as Montoya had taken over. The team switched from Lexus power after Toyota pulled its backing
over the winter and when the team cracked the engine block during an engine change after qualifying, they had to put the ‘old’ engine back in. That had seen in excess of 1200km, hence the failure. The GT class was won by the Florida-based SpeedSource Mazda RX-8, over a brace of TRG Porsche GT3s. The RX-8 is also a Riley-engineered chassis, with drivers Jonathon Bomarito, Nick Ham, engineer David Haskel and owner Sylvain Tremblay wheeling it to their second win three years. The win was bittersweet for the ultra-focused Tremblay, who lost his wife and office manager Carol in an auto accident just over a year ago. Current Grand Am Series Champions Gainsco Racing had a rough trip to Daytona, starting when Jimmie Johnson made avoidable contact with a GT car in the first Thursday practice session. The three-time NASCAR Champion backed the car in the barrier, twisting the rear frame of the car. Riley Technologies hastily built a new rear section of the car, which was flown in from Mooresville NC aboard Johnson’s private jet. The team worked through the night to weld into place the new rear section and re-install the complete rear of the car including suspension, gearbox and engine. In the race, like many others, gearbox issues troubled them, then the oil pump belt canned itself and their race was done after 22 hours.
Martin D Clark
GrandAm Racing Media
Victory for a V8: The AER team celebrated a win for the underdogs at Daytona. The re-engined, BMW-powered Ganassi cars were a feature, with the #01 car, left, finishing second. The #10 SunTrust car started from pole but was never a contender. Mazda celebrated a second win in the GT category, above, while AJ Allmendinger led the race in Michael Shank’s Ford-powered Riley, below, which finished sixth.
GrandAm Racing Media
Martin D Clark
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WORLD SERIES SPRINTCARS ROUND 12, PREMIER SPEEDWAY
Geoff Gracie
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race
Ah, McCarl, you’ve done it again IT may have been Australia Day, but Americans dominated Round 12 of the World Series Sprintcars at Premier Speedway. The USA contingent spoilt the Aussie party, filling the first four spots with Terry McCarl winning from Wayne Johnson, Danny Smith and Jason Johnson. Brisbane-based James McFadden was fifth and seventime WSS champion Brooke Tatnell had to produce the drive of the night to extend his points lead, storming to sixth from the back of the 18car field. American Jonathon Allard claimed pole position after working from seventh in the top eight shootout. He was joined on the front row by Johnson, while fasttime winner McCarl, Craig Dollansky – who won Round 8 of the WSS season at the track earlier in the season – and veteran Danny Smith rounded out the top five. Brisbanebased James McFadden was the only Australian in the first three rows (sixth).
Tatnell and title rival Robbie Farr had to earn a spot in the final after qualifying through the star-studded B main, won by Mount Gambier’s Steve Lines. Tatnell, who entered the round with a 32-point lead in the standings, goes to Western Australia for the last two rounds of the series with a 36point advantage over Perthbased Farr. While the 36-point buffer is not insurmountable, it could have been a lot worse. It’s not very often Tatnell would be satisfied with a sixthplaced finish but should he go on and win a record eighth WSS crown, he may well see Tuesday night’s effort as decisive. “We have been on the road now for four straight months. It is going to be nice to get home and work from our own shop in readiness for some big events coming up in February and March,” Tatnell said. His drive in the final made up for a poor start to the night, which saw him post the ninthfastest time in qualifying. But he failed to finish his opening heat after tagging the wall in
Geoff Gracie
SPEEDWAY
Turn 3 and suffering front-end damage. While Iowa native McCarl’s win had no impact on the standings, it was a welcome relief for the American hardcharger, who raced without success at the 2009 and 2010 Classics. He was delighted to post a victory for his Ballarat car owner Rod Matthews, despite some mechanical issues late in the race. “I am not sure what happened I think we broke a rocker,” McCarl said after the race. “Hell, that sounds like an excuse, so we had a great car and I am real happy that these guys gave me an opportunity to race.
“It’s easy to stand up here when you win but you guys are the best fans and you make it so fun for the Americans to come here and race.” It was a similar story for his countryman Johnson, who posted his best result in his two swings Down Under, which included last year’s Classic. “Hell, I can’t believe they had me back after the year I had last year,” Johnson said. “Maybe I can get back at Christmas time next year and get this thing sorted earlier and win a race or two. ‘’To come out of here in second after the week we have had is awesome.” – GEOFF ROUNDS
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Rotax PT kicks off KARTING
Mad skills SPEEDWAY
IAN Madsen has now established himself as one of Sydney’s top Sprintcar racers, after taking out another stunning sprintcar A Main victory last Saturday night at Tyrepower Parramatta City Raceway. After starting from sixth Madsen, he forged into the race lead on Lap 12. From there the younger Madsen brother kept his cool and his #35 Cool machine held command. It was a thrilling battle early, with Mitch Dumesny passing race leader Craig Brady, before they were both passed by Madsen. After a couple of race stoppages, Brady started to drop back as
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Roddy BellBowen forged into contention having started 10th. In the closing stages, BellBowen took second from Dumesny only to slip off the track on the final lap and hand the position back. Out front, Madsen was a clear leader and winner over Dumesny, BellBowen and Brady, followed by James Thomson with Adrian Maher storming into sixth with a brilliant drive after qualifying from the B Main. Queenslander Allan Woods was running a strong second to Brady in the early laps only to retire mid race while Warren Ferguson had the only major crash of the A Main flipping over in Turn 1. After almost a decade using
the American-based format with time trails, heats, dashes and Mains, TPCR moved to a new format on Saturday night. To give fans more racing, the meeting reverted to running two rounds of four heats, followed by C, B and A Mains. With 50 cars nominating the action was superb. The heats were taken out by Glen Saville, BellBowen, Peter Gordon, Ben Atkinson, Perovich, Bruce White, Thomson and Jeremy Cross while Rod Bright won the C Main and former track champ Troy Little won the B Main in his Parramatta return. Meanwhile, 10-time Aussie Sprintcar Champ and TPCR coowner Garry Rush turned laps in the circuit’s two-seater. – GREG BOSCATO
JASON Richards impressed upon his return to karting in the opening round of the 2010 Rotax Pro Tour, at Geelong on Sunday. Richards raced in the Rotax DD2 class, running in the top five for most of the weekend before eventually finishing eighth in the final. “I have to look at the schedule and see how it fits in, but it was just awesome racing and I want to do some more,” Richards said. “I’m keen to try and qualify for the Rotax DD2 World Finals in the Over-32 Masters category.” At the head of the DD2 field, Kyle Ensbey took the spoils, leading home fellow Queenslander Damian Ward and Daniel Baker. Max Johnston grabbed a thrilling final corner win in Rotax Light, after Tyler Greenbury and David Whitmore clashed, while weekend pace setter Joshua DeMaio was forced out by an opening lap collision. Whitmore held on for second from Darren Anderson. Pierce Lehane won Formula Rotax JMA Light, Jason Pringle was too good in Rotax Heavy, Frank Falla took out Rotax Over 35 and Jaymee Frampton claimed Formula JMA Heavy.
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FORMULA 5000 KENNY Smith has continued his winning form in the New Zealand Formula 5000 Tasman Revival Series, taking out Round 4 at Pukekohe Park. After winning all four races in the first leg of the NZ Festival of Motor Racing’s Bruce McLaren tribute at Hampton Downs last weekend, Smith scored another clean sweep.
In his Lola T430, Smith qualified on pole by threequarters of a second, and won both of Saturday’s races, the afternoon’s race by 11 seconds over Roger Williams. Drizzle on Sunday morning saw Smith run wet tyres for Race 3, but even though the circuit had almost fully dried, the 68-year-old nursed them home for another win. Smith claimed the lead early in the 15-lap feature race and controlled the race
throughout a rain shower to make it eight wins from eight starts. “Bruce was an old friend of mine, we went to the same school together and later on I owned his first car, the Austin Ulster, so it’s just magic to be able to win this trophy at the Bruce McLaren tribute meeting,” Smith said. Williams closed on Smith late in the feature race, but had to settle for second, ahead of points leader Steve
Alex Mitchell
Four more for Kenny
Ross. The pair split the secondplace finishes across the weekend, while Chris Hyde withdrew from the meeting with engine dramas after setting the second-fastest time in qualifying. The MSC New Zealand Formula 5000 Tasman Revival Series now crosses the Tasman, for the final two rounds at the Phillip Island Classic on March 20-21 and the Australian Grand Prix the following weekend.
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rear of grid
t o p S d d O
Greetings From Valencia
As eNews went to press, F1 testing was about to start in Spain. Here are a few early pics – remember to check back to eNews later on Tuesday for additional full
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