Motorsport eNews Issue 142 - February 16-22, 2010

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Issue No. 142 February 16-22 2010

WESTERN WARRIORS Why Barbagallo Raceway was dumped from the V8 calendar – WA motor racing officials speak out

PLUS!

SEX ON WHEELS Lotus reveals a familiar look to its 2010 Formula 1 car.

More pics inside

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Issue No. 142 | 16-22 Feb 2010

news 4 Getting WIld in the West WASCC lashes out 6 Webb’s Design Canadian Club for Jono 10 James Mofford Moff inks his FV8 deal 12 Lotus goes Old Skool BRG and Yellow is back!

18 Going like a busted ...

Finger. Lorenzo, that is.

chat 20 Five Minutes With ...

Rick Gill

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opinion 22 Branagan Delta Bravo Charlie 23 van Leeuwen Disposable Income

race 24 Bathurst 12 Hour 32 WRC: Sweden 36 Daytona 500 40 Summernationals 42 New Zealand Grand Prix

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Follow Motorsport eNews on Twitter! Breaking news and opinion V8 SUPERCARS

T

For our full interview with WASCC’s Rick Gill, see page 20

They’re Wi the West V8 Supercars claims that OH&S issues drove the decision not to race in the West this year. Others, including a disappointed Garth Tander, are questioning that position.

ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN reports

John Morris/Mpix

HE West Australian Sporting Car Club has hit out at V8 Supercars Australia, after Barbagallo Raceway was dumped from the 2010 V8 Supercar Championship Series schedule last Monday.

The WASCC has revealed to eNews that it was working on a “50-50” likelihood of the event going ahead in 2010, when it was stunned by a release from V8SA last Monday – a day before an agreed deadline to finalise a new sanction agreement – stating that the race was off.

According to Rick Gill, Chairman of the WASCC Board, V8SA wanted a five-year deal signed immediately.

But the WASCC wanted any longterm deal to start in 2011, with a stand-alone event running in 2010, due to the $5 million that the WA state government promised late last year not yet being paid.

“What we wanted to do was separate the 2010 event away from the five-year contract,” Gill told eNews.

“They (V8SA) had stated that they were happy to come in 2010, with everything the way it was, and in 2011, the circuit would be upgraded to their satisfaction, with the government money that has been allocated.

“The government hasn’t backed down. It’s a work in progress, and it is on-target to have that in place, for 2011. We couldn’t sign a contract [for 2010] that relied on the government money, when it wasn’t in place.

“We said we wouldn’t sign it, because while the government has promised us the money, and I’m sure it will work, we didn’t want to sign a contract relying on a third party. Surely people understand that.

“So we tried to separate the 2010 event from the rest, and it fell on deaf ears. They constantly came back and said ’sign the document, sign the agreement’’.”

The WASCC waited until Saturday to issue an official statement, having hoped for official notification from V8SA that the race was off – which,

as of eNews’s Monday deadline, had not yet materialised.

In the official WASCC statement, General Manager Peter Thornell pointed to other issues with the proposed deal – confirming that the sanction fees sought by V8SA were set to increase dramatically over the five-year period of the proposed agreement.

“It would be commercially irresponsible for the WASCC to accept the terms of the sanctioning agreement that the V8s were demanding,” read Thornell’s statement.

“The WASCC has made it clear that they can only commit to a deal that is in best interests of the club membership, a position supported by the state government.

“While the V8s have stated they have reduced the sanction fee in 2010, that fee would almost double (up by 90 percent) over the five-year agreement. [This is] an increase that is difficult to justify, given the V8s have not committed to the minimum number of support events they would include in the program.

“We feel these demands would put the club at great risk of incurring significant financial losses. This would not to be in the best interests of our members or for motorsport in Western Australia.”

Thornell also confirmed that the WASCC would not ask the government for more money to meet V8SA’s demands. “[The] WASCC has not approached the state for funding specifically for the V8 event. We do not think it is appropriate to do so.”

Thornell’s statement also reveals that “[the WASCC] had even taken the initiative to offer the V8s the opportunity to run the event themselves, as they do in some other states, on the same terms they wanted us to commit too. They found this to be unacceptable.”

As we closed for press, V8SA was headed to Abu Dhabi, en masse, and thus unable to comment further.

news

n from you, our readers. CLICK HERE – or search for motorsportenews

Wild in

Tander slams OH&S V8 SUPERCARS WA’s V8 Supercar star Garth Tander has led the condemnation of OH&S as a legitimate reason for the V8 Supercar pull-out.

No OH&S issues have been reported at the WA event in the past and, as Tander points out, the same ‘remote’ pit setup is used at Queensland Raceway and, most recently, V8SA’s new showcase event at Olympic Park in Sydney.

Chairman of the WASCC Board Rick Gill confirmed that OH&S has never been an issue at Barbagallo Raceway: “[It’s] nothing that’s ever been tabled or bought to management meetings,” the

HRT star told eNews.

“It’s a diversion. The facilities of the circuit and the OH&S are just a diversion. If they are worried about that, why did Homebush go ahead?”

Speaking out on Perth’s Radio 6PR last week, Tander, the 2007 V8 champ, said the facilities were adequate for V8 Supercar racing.

“Hand on heart, [with] the circuit itself there is no issue,” said Tander.

“Certainly there are some challenges around the lay of the land; the way the pitlane and the pit paddock operate, but it is not unique to Barbagallo Raceway.

“There are some infrastructure problems at

Barbagallo Raceway, such as power to the pits, but as I was saying, that’s not unique.

“There are other facilities that we go to that are nowhere near the level that Barbagallo Raceway operates at.

“So I think you’ll find that it’s not seen as fashionable to go to WA, where the pits are on pit-lane, and we don’t have that Formula 1-style of pit-lane to operate on.

“In the past we’ve been told it’s an OH&S issue, but we had our first ever street race at the Sydney Olympic Park precinct in December and we operated under the exact same premise, where the cars were moved through a public place.”

– ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN

Radio man takes on Cochrane

V8 Supercar Chairman Tony Cochrane has taken a hammering from the public and the local media in Western Australia since the news broke last week.

One particularly robust exchange was with 882 6PR’s Simon Beaumont, who was more than ready for a live Q&A with the V8 Chairman ...

SB: So you have no responsibility to put some dough into there, Tony? You make a motza out of this series. You say it’s going ahead in leaps and bounds and I assume that means commercially. You have TV rights on Seven, the big network; surely there is a responsibility for you guys to invest in it as well for West Australian sports fans?

TC: Couldn’t agree more. For us to bring the championship to Western Australia costs us $2.38 million dollars. And we are asking for a return on that $2.38 million dollars of $500,000 increasing over five years. So for us to underwrite it, roughly, 75 percent, I think we’re doing our part.

SB:That’s $2.4 million dollars net loss?

You’re making out that you lost money coming to Perth?

TC: Absolutely, we’ve been losing money every year coming to Perth.

SB: And the other races all make money, do they?

TC: Yes, no, overall we make a substantial amount of money. But if you haven’t noticed on a map, Perth is a long way from anywhere.

SB: So is Dubai, mate. I’m asking you, why, if you do make dough, are you so concerned about subsidising WA? TC: I just told you, it cost nearly 2.4 million to get the act to Perth each year. We ask for a contribution of a sanction fee of $500,00 for this year. You don’t have to be Einstein to work out we are subsidizing Perth to the tune of 1.9 million.

SB: You get something out of coming to Perth. You have a West Australian support base, they buy merchandise, they watch Channel Seven; you’re making it look like you pay for Perth when you do get some benefit out of WA. TC: That’s ridiculous. The real key issue for is that you’ve got a third world facility out there, which neither the government or the WA Sporting Car Club will give us cart blanche that they will take full

responsibility for the occupational health and safety problems we’ve got there. They know that pit-lane does not meet OH&S facilities for Australian motorsport where it is today.

Beaumont then aired Garth Tander’s public view on the OH&S situation (see separate story, above): TC: He doesn’t understand the OH&S rules.

He is a driver.

SB: I’ll tell you what mate, I will take Garth’s word!

The exchange ended with Beaumont not quite prepared to accept the V8 boss’ expressions of sympathy ...

TC: We’re just as disappointed as our fans.

SB: I don’t know if you are.

TC: So now you’re saying I’m a liar.

SB: I’m saying the people that are calling me today won’t get to go to V8s this year, and people who have worked in this sport for 30, 40 years are very disappointed.

You’ll just move on and move to Ipswich.

– ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN

It might be a long way to the top at the AGP THUNDERSTRUCK?

V8 SUPERCARS THERE will be yet another tipple in V8 Supercars this year, with Canadian Club backing Jonathon Webb’s Falcon.

The V8 series rookie will carry the colours of the whiskey brand, which is part of the Jim Beam family, from the Adelaide 500 forwards. The CC #19 Falcon will race alongside the Jim Beam-backed cars of Steven Johnson and James Courtney.

Webb’s FG will feature in Beam Global’s responsible drinking campaign, ‘Where do you draw the line?’. In opening two rounds of the season in the Middle East, the car will carry sponsorship from the campaign to increase the awareness of prostate cancer.

Peter Bury

THIS sounds zany, we know, but …

We have a source in the music business who swears black and blue that AC/DC is going to play a concert at the Australian Grand Prix. The rock giants, currently in Melbourne on their Black Ice Tour, will play on the Sunday night at Albert Park, according to this source.

Funny thing is; the band does have a gap in its schedule. The lads are due to play three dates in Japan in midMarch, and then play some makeup dates in the USA three weeks later for shows that got cancelled when lead singer Brian Johnson took ill last October. And Powderfinger and Simple Minds were announced by the AGP Corporation last week – but our chum swears that that world’s loudest seniors will play in Melbourne.

Funny thing is, we asked someone, who might otherwise know about such things, to rule it out. They refused to comment – and by the same token, declined to rule it out.

Angus Young and Michael Schumacher together? Mark Webber belting out ‘It’s a Long Way to the Top’?

Stranger things have happened. Not many, but a few …

Russell’s Big V8 SUPERCARS DAVID Russell will return to the V8 Supercar endurance races this year, after scoring a gig with Dick Johnson Racing.

Russell will partner Jonathon Webb at Phillip Island and Bathurst, his first Main Game starts since 2003. As reported by eNews in December, Warren Luff will continue his association with the team, while Marcus Marshall completes the line-up. A decision on who will partner which regular DJR driver will be made at a later date.

Last week’s V8 Supercar test at Queensland Raceway saw Russell drive Webb’s ex-Triple Eight FG Falcon for the first time.

“It’s an exciting opportunity to drive

with DJR, they’re a fantastic team,” Russell told eNews.

“I rate Jonathon very highly, it’ll be good to drive with him in his debut main game season.

“It’s definitely the best V8 Supercar I’ve driven. I drove it in the damp, on a drying track and it was very nice, very well sorted and easy to drive.

“Between now and the enduros, I’ll do some more test days and the co-driver sessions at Winton and Queensland Raceway. If I can do a solid job, hopefully it will lead to more in the future.”

After finishing third in last year’s Fujitsu Series, Russell is working on sponsorship to return to the series in 2010.

– MITCHELL ADAM

WHAT A SPONSOR!

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Richo is Tyred V8 SUPERCARS DUNLOP’S retail arm, Dunlop Super Dealers, will be the naming rights sponsor of Steven Richards’ FPR Falcon this year.

The deal, exclusively reported in last week’s eNews, is a step up in Dunlop’s V8 Supercar involvement. Dunlop has provided control tyres to the series since 2002 and has smaller deals with drivers and teams, but this will be the first time the tyre giant has been a naming rights sponsor.

Richards’ livery was unveiled at FPR’s

headquarters last Thursday, after running a blank, interim colour scheme at Winton’s preseason test.

“Dunlop has been a proud and active sponsor of FPR since the team’s creation in 2002, so to see a fully livered Dunlop Super Dealer FPR Falcon on the track in 2010 reflects the value we both hold in this relationship,” FPR boss Tim Edwards said.

“In many ways it’s a logical step, Dunlop is obviously aware of the commercial advantages of owning a competitive car - we can now take this long standing support to the next level.”

Sandgropers V8 SUPERCARS

Dirk Klynsmith

MICHAEL Patrizi, left, will be re-united with his old racecar at the V8 Supercar endurance events this year.

The West Aussie has signed a deal with Triple F Racing, to partner Dean Fiore in the same FG Falcon that he shared with Fabian Coulthard at Phillip Island and Bathurst last year.

This year, Patrizi will be alongside his best mate Fiore, giving WA the strongest endurance line-up its seen in many years.

“I am stoked to sign Michael as my enduro team-mate, as he’s been a mate for ages and will bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the team,” said Fiore.

“I am honored to be

joining Triple F Racing for the enduro’s and test days throughout the year,” Patrizi added.

“To be given the opportunity to race with my best mate has been a dream since we were young tackers racing go karts in Kalgoorlie.

“I think via the partnership of Dean and I, it gives WA the strongest pairing for Bathurst.”

Dirk Klynsmith

Results

1 Shane Van Gisb ergen Ford

1:1 0.7 414 2 James Courtney Fo rd

1:10.7610 3 Russell Ingall Holden

1:1 0.8832 4 Jonathon Web b Ford

1:1 1.0 523 5 Dean Fiore Fo rd

1:11.1574 6 Steven Johnso n Ford

1:1 1.1 574 7 Alex Davison Fo rd

1:11.1818 8 Murphy/Morris Holden

1:11.4519 9 Tim Slade Holden

1:1 1.5614 10 Craig Lownde s Ho lden

1:11.6367 11 Jamie Whincup Holden

1:11.6725 impressive, going fastest in of Craig Lowndes and Jamie the morning session, while the Whincup were just 10th and TeamVodafone Commodores 11th fastest respectively.

van Giz tops QR V8 SUPERCARS

V8 SUPERCARS

JOHN Bowe was an interested onlooker in the TeamVodafone bunker at Queensland Raceway’s test last week.

The two-time Bathurst winner was enlisted by team owner Roland Dane to attend the team’s Tuesday test, when Jamie Whincup and Craig Lowndes tested their new VE Commodores for the first time.

“Roland wanted him to come and be involved in our test day

and, as an independent, have a look over what we’re doing, how we go about things and have an input,” Lowndes told eNews.

“Long term, I’m not sure what Roland’s plans are, but at the test day, he was a great asset.”

When contacted by eNews, Bowe, right with T8’s Ludo Lacroix, was unable to elaborate on his involvement.

“It would be unprofessional of me to discuss it, but I was there and most impressed,” he said.

– MITCHELL ADAM

Dirk Klynsmith

JB in red

Dirk Klynsmith

SHANE van Gisbergen set the pace at the official V8 Supercar test at Queensland Raceway last week.

The Giz took advantage of better weather conditions during the afternoon session at Ipswich, just beating James Courtney to bragging rights.

“We ran through all the motions during the day and got a car balance that we were pretty happy with,” said van

Gisbergen.

“It started raining so we changed some stuff and had a play around and then in the afternoon we put on a new set of tyres like most of the others did and we were straight to the top.

“It’s always nice to be quickest but you don’t get any trophies for a test day, we are holding out for the first race at Abu Dhabi and that’s where it all matters.”

Jonathon Webb was

news

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Get your tyres evenly heat cycled to the correct temperature before you use them and be ready to go.

V8s go global V8 SUPERCARS V8 SUPERCARS Australia has launched its 2010 campaign and its world has turned Pink.

As we reported some months ago, US pop star Pink is the headline act of the new advertising campaign, which promotes the V8 as ‘The Greatest Show on Wheels’. A multi-million dollar campaign features Pink and drivers Jamie Whincup, Will Davison, Rick Kelly, Mark Winterbottom, Fabian Coulthard and James

Courtney, in a TV commercial filed during her Funhouse tour late last year.

The ad was directed by Hollywood music video director Dave Meyers, who has worked with the likes of Jennifer Lopez, Aerosmith, Janet Jackson, Jay-Z and Britney Spears.

Pink, who was born Alecia Moore, may also perform later in the year in one of the concerts staged together with V8 Supercar events.

Meanwhile, V8 Supercars’

New man in Blue corner

CHRIS Styring is the man to lead Ford Motorsport’s program in Australia.

After having nobody in its motorsport cupboard last year, the company has appointed Styring, right, a man with a marketing background, to take the role.

He joins Ford after 16 months as Head of Sponsorship & Business Development at Tennis Australia, and his previous roles were General Manager of Relationship Marketing at the Richmond AFL Club and more than nine years with the WilliamsF1 team.

In addition to motorsport, Styring will also be responsible for Ford’s sponsorship and major events activities in other sports.

international reach is expected to grow with two new international broadcasting deals annnounced last week.

V8SA Chairman Tony Cochrane announced new deal with US cable network Speed, and with ESPN Star Sport, both divisions of News Limited.

The new deals come as a result of V8 Supercars Australia new relationship with IMG Media, which was announced late last year.

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Moff locked in It’s a new car!

A NEW sponsor, a new wife, and now, a new Chevrolet Camaro – is there anything Lee Holdsworth doesn’t have?

The 27 year old was handed the keys to a 2010 Camaro SS at Lakeside in Queensland last week, which will become his new daily driver. It was developed by Performax International, who is doing the first right-hand conversions on the cars.

“I’m absolutely thrilled to be driving the Camaro and can’t wait to have it in my driveway,” Lee said.

FUJITSU SERIES FORD Rising Stars Racing will return to the Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series this year.

Jim Morton’s program will again be run by Ford Performance Racing, with James Moffat aboard the FPRbuilt Falcon owned by Morton.

The car, and Ford Rising Stars Racing branding, spent 2009 on the sidelines, while Moffat finished second in the Fujitsu Series with Sonic Motor Racing.

The announcement finalises Moffat’s 2010 program, which includes a gig with FPR in the V8 Supercar endurance races.

Moffat, who works at FPR, will be involved in the preparation of his own car, and will be backed by Norton, Toshiba and Boylan Traffic Solutions.

“I couldn’t be happier to be joining Ford Rising Stars for the Development Series, on top of my drives with FPR in the longdistance races,” Moffat said.

“There’s no doubt this will give me the best possible chance to go one better in the

“It’s not only a great looking muscle car, but also a seriously good drive, as I discovered at Lakeside. The handling is excellent, and that Chevy LS3 alloy V8 really punches it out of the corners.

It’s a traditional muscle car that is also a real sportscar.

“And the right-hand drive conversion is a first-class job of design, engineering and finish by Performax International. It’s factory-quality.“

Championship this year ... I’d like to thank Jim and also the team from Norton for putting the program together, all things point to it being a very exciting and successful year.”

In car Cameron V8 UTES

10

Dirk Klynsmith

CAMERON McConville and Steve Owen headline the latest additions to the V8 Utes 10 Years of Legends races.

McConville will team up with series front-runner Gary Baxter in his Commodore, right, at the Clipsal 500’s season opener.

“I know enough about Gary Baxter through his advanced driving and commentating his racing in the Utes to know that we’ll be extremely

competitive,” he said.

“The Sage Team is very professional and I’m sure we’ll have a great weekend. He won the Adelaide round last year, so it is one of the prized seats in the field.”

Owen, 2008 Fujitsu Series Champ, will line up with Holden driver Kim Jane.

Meanwhile, the vastlyexperienced Andrew Miedecke and Rick Bates will join the Ford camp. Miedecke will partner last year’s Ute Champ, Jack Elsegood, while Bates joins Andrew Fisher.

news

Macrow wants a V8 FUJITSU SERIES

Dirk Klynsmith

TIM Macrow is aiming to contest selected rounds of the 2010 Fujitsu Series.

The 2007 Australian Formula 3 Champ and Gold Star winner is currently working to find the budget to join the series in an ex-Main Game VE Commodore.

The Macrow family already has strong ties with the Fujitsu Series, with Tim’s older brother Adam winning the title in 2006.

“We’ve found a VE that we could use and I’d run with a team that’s not currently

involved in V8s,” Macrow, who finished second in last year’s F3 title, told eNews.

“It probably won’t be for Clipsal, but we’d like to do three or four rounds during the year.

“At the moment there’s a budget shortfall, but we’re working towards getting putting the deal together at the moment.

“We’ve set ourselves a deadline of a month for it to happen, if it doesn’t happen within the month we’ll call it off.”

– MITCHELL ADAM

Taz on the sidelines FUJITSU SERIES

Dirk Klynsmith

TAZ Douglas will miss part of this year’s Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series, thanks to recently being diagnosed with Lymphoma.

The 25 year old is currently in hospital undergoing chemotherapy, and will require at least three bouts of the treatment.

As a result, he will not race until at least Winton, and will probably not make his debut until Townsville: “What I’ve got is similar to what Delta Goodrem had,” he told eNews.

“I caught it early, and the cure rate is up around 90 percent, so my doctors are very positive about it.

I’m at the good end of a bad situation; it could be a whole lot worse.

“But I’ll be out of action for a while. If everything goes perfectly, then I’ll make it to Winton, but I doubt that very much. Townsville will most likely be my first one.”

On a personal note, all of us at eNews wish Taz the speediest of recoveries. He is a good friend of us all – get well soon, mate.

– ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN

11

LOTUS BRINGS ON THE FORMULA 1

THE magic number at Lotus is 127.

That is the model number given to Lotus Racing’s 2010 Cosworth-powered GP car, which will start testing this week in Spain. The T127 is the first Formula 1 car to bear the name since Team Lotus ended its involvement in GP racing in 1994.

The car was unveiled in an evocative British Racing Green and yellow livery, in front of 500 guests inj London.

“The last few months have been some of the most challenging of my career,” stated designer Mike Gascoyne, “but it’s been a challenge the whole team and I have thrived on since we first started work

on the car up in Norfolk. I’m delighted that we’ve reached this point, and now we have a beautiful car that gives us a

great base to work from for the season ahead and a fighting chance of going racing in the right way, with a winning

mentality. The hard part starts now, and I know everyone in the team and I are up for whatever lies ahead.”

Hamilton tops Ferrari buyers FORMULA 1

sutton-images.com

12

Lewis and Lucas: Hamilton topped the times, while di Grassi got some useful Virgin mileage.

sutton-images.com

MERCEDES-Benz and Ferrari dominated the times at the most recent Formula 1 testing at Jerez but the final order was not what many expected.

Lewis Hamilton topped the times at the end of the fourday test but the 2008 World champion was chased by drivers in four customer cars.

Jaime Alguersuari was second fastest in the Toro Rosso, heading Kamui Kobayashi and the second STR of Sebastien Buemi. With Adrian Sutil fifth in the Benz-engined Force India, that meant that the next manufacturer entry was that of Michael Schumacher in eighth – behind Rubens Barrichello in the Cosworth-engined Williams and Robert Kubica’s Renault.

Jenson Button and Nico Hulkenberg rounded out the top 10 but, as has been the

case all winter, huge variations in the fuel load have meant that the times do not bear any direct comparison, and the teams themselves continue to play their cars (and cards) close to their chests.

For instance, Sebastian Vettel was 14th overall and Mark Webber only 18th, but nobody really believes that the Red Bulls are anywhere off the pace, looking secure and stable through the corners and even if their top speeds are off the very top, one would expect that if the cars were accelerating a lot of fuel mass from low speed.

Testing continues at Jerez next week, with another four-day session starting this Wednesday (February 17).

news

E

Images courtesy Lotus F1 Racing

Virgin gets to work FORMULA 1 VIRGIN Racing has turned around a tough first week of Formula 1 testing and has shown some form at Jerez.

The svelte red cars were brought to a halt on their first day of testing at Jerez when Timo Glock lost a front wing at speed. When the team diagnosed a design fault with the wing’s mount, a prompt redesign was ordered at the factory.

The car’s opening day gap of 17 seconds to the fastest car was cut to 10 seconds on Day 2, but Luca di Grassi was given the green light to push the car with its new front mount, and by the end of the test was well within 3s of the quick time of the week. Better still, the Brazilian was within 1.6s of countryman Felipe Massa who was on the track at the same time, leaving many to make positive noises about the VR-01.

“It is very pleasing to end our first test on such a positive note, having finally achieved some solid running in dry conditions,” Technical Director Nick Wirth said.

“We have remained focused on the job list in hand and given that we have been working with a representative fuel load to evaluate various set-ups, our lap time and rate of progress is encouraging at this very early stage.”

The 25-pointer gets the all-clear FORMULA 1 THE FIA’s new pointscoring system has been given the green light but guessing the weight of Grand Prix cars will just that – guesswork.

As reported previously, the top 10 finishers in a GP will be

awarded points in the order 25-18-15-12-10-8-6-4-2-1. But unlike recent seasons, the FIA will not publish the starting weights of cars ahead of Grands Prix.

There are also some detailed changes. Lifting of cars in the pitlane must now be

done by means of a nonpowered method, while the ban on in-season testing – which prevented Michael Schumacher from testing prior to his abortive Ferrari comeback last season – has been relaxed. The rule states: “If a team declares that one of

its current race drivers is to be substituted by a driver who has not participated in an F1 race in the two previous calendar years, one day of track testing will be permitted between the start of the week preceding the second event and the last event of the Championship.”

13

NARAIN: COM INDYCARS-TRUCKS

Hole in track causes two red flags for repairs in six-hour Daytona 500 NASCAR SPRINT CUP NASCAR viewers got to watch an unexpected marathon when the Daytona 500 was stopped for track repairs, not once but twice.

More than two hours of stoppages turned the event into a six hour-plus marathon as officials coped with a track breakage between Turns 1 and 2. A hole in the track became apparent when John Andretti and Jimmie Johnson both suffered flat tyres at the same point of the ractrack.

The defending Champion was forced onto pit road to change the tyre, and scored a subsequent penalty for pitting early, while Andretti was out on the spot.

But after four more laps of racing, officials red-flagged the

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Swift

NASCAR Media

Daytona’s Black Hole

IS Narain Karthikeyan going to be India’s first NASCAR driver?

An eNews spy, currently working on the MRF1600 series in India, has told us that the former Jordan Formula 1 driver will have a two US-based parttime programs this season, combining NASCAR Truck with Indy Racing League program in 2010.

“I’m looking forward to 10 races in the NASCAR [Camping World] Truck series, and the road courses in the IRL,” he told our man, when quizzed on his ’10 plans.

Karthikeyan would bring a

race so that they could inspect what turned out to be a hole in the asphalt.

NASCAR Chairman Brian France explained that recent rain had prevented the “normal” procedures from working and that officials made three attempts to fix the track before racing restarted.

Racing resumed on lap 123, but on lap 159, out came a yellow and, two laps later, a second red flag.

After a 45-minute fix of what Kevin Harvick noted was an even bigger hole, the race resumed, only to finish under some confusion because of NASCAR’s new green-whitechequer policy.

For the record, Jamie McMurray won the race for Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing in his first drive for the team.

massive TV audience to the sport, and was one of the most popular drivers in the A1GP Series, driving as the seat holder for A1 Team India. It is also likely that he would have access to a considerable level of sponsorship, as India is a growing market for just about every consumer product on the market.

Karthikeyan, 33, drove in 19 GPs for Jordan in 2005, and has gained considerable recently experience in Sportscars. He has no oval racing experience, but his road course pedigree may well be the answer for any IndyCar team looking to fund a program.

news

MING TO AMERICA

INDYCARS

current Honda-powered Dallara IR3, but to do so with four-cylinder turbocharged motors that produce only 300 horsepower and with much longer engine life than the current normally-aspirated V8. Bowlby believes that the aim is achievable, and that the car will do all this at a cost much lower than the current seven-year-old design.

The car had been designed to dramatically reduce aerodynamic wash, and therefore to allow cars to race closely without losing cornering performance due to ‘dirty air’. Construction, and testing, of a prototype is expected to commence immediately.

On the other hand, Lola in Britain and Swift in California have produced far less radical concepts, but both companies underline their commitment to the same aims as DeltaWing. Both manufacturers have previously supplied chassis in CART/Champ Car, Lola having three Indianapolis 500 victories in its history.

Dallara has also presented its concept to IndyCar team owners. A decision about the winning supplier is expected before the end of the year.

NASCAR has revised how races finish under the caution flag.

Beginning with last week’s Daytona Gatorade Duel qualifying races, a maximum of three restart attempts prior to the white flag under NASCAR's green-white-checkered flag finish will now be implemented. If the leader has taken the white Flag and the caution flag is displayed, the field is frozen and the race will not be restarted. Previously, there was only one restart attempt.

– MARTIN D CLARK

No Wampum NASCAR SPRINT CUP

NASCAR Media

DeltaWing

THE race is on to determine which manufacturer will supply IndyCars in 2012 – and there are some left-field designs.

In the last week DeltaWing, Swift and Lola have all unveiled their concepts in DeltaWing’s almost bizarre design has caused the most comment. Its concept, which has been in development for 12 months, was unveiled at the Chicago Auto Show last week and features an extremely narrow front end and wide rear, with tyres largely enclosed by bodywork. Chip Ganassi Racing’s Ben Bowlby, formerly Lola’s chief designer, has virtually reinvented the architecture of racing cars.

“Today marks a fundamental shift in how race fans and the general public will view all racing cars in the future; this is a game changer,” said DeltaWing chief executive officer Dan Partel.

“This radical prototype takes open wheel racing to a new level from both an engineering standpoint and the overall spectator experience.”

The car is designed to race at speeds equal to, or even higher than, the

NASCAR SPRINT CUP

sutton-images.com

Indy’s new

New Flag rules

PHOENIX Racing has lost sponsor Miccosukee Resort and Gaming.

Team owner James Finch got the bad news at the 11th hour while at Daytona, even though the team had a contract through the season for both its Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series teams.

Chairman of the Miccosukee tribe, and a huge race fan, Billy Cypress lost the last election and the new council decided to pull the plug on NASCAR sponsorship.

Finch, who owns of a Florida construction company, is still going to attempt to field Chevrolets for Aric Almirola in a partial schedule in the Sprint Cup Series and a full schedule for James Buescher in the Nationwide Series.

– MARTIN D CLARK

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Joel Strickland

BRIEFLY... n FINAL results for Sunday’s Armor All Bathurst 12 Hour remain provisional.

Post-race scrutineering found a turbo boost irregularity in the Evo IX of David and Des Wall and Trevor Symonds, which finished second.

The hearing was deferred pending further investigation. n FIRST ever laps at Mount Panorama by Superkarts has been deemed a success.

Six karts from three different classes took to the track during the weekend’s Bathurst 12 Hour, for a 10-minute session on Friday afternoon, running on wet tyres between storms.

“All karts handled the circuit with ease,” NSW Superkart Club President Wayne Horswell said.

WILSON Brothers Racing had an unexpected delay in their travel to Bathurst.

The Gold Coast squad stopped at Moree in Northern New South Wales last Tuesday night, but were robbed during the night. While four crew members slept, an intruder stole wallets including credit cards and cash, and keys to the transporter containing the team’s Subaru WRX. Fortunately the keys weren’t used and after assistance from local dealership Zannes Brothers Ford, they were back on their way. n

n CHRIS Hays took out Clubman Light at the Victorian Open Sprint Kart Championships last weekend, on his senior karting debut.

Jason Pringle claimed Clubman Heavy and Rotax Heavy, while David Sera won Rotax Light.

Other winners at Oakleigh included Adam Hughes, Leie Mitchener, Ben McKinlay, Ian Branson, James May and Andrew Rae. – MITCHELL ADAM

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Uncertain future for ‘Stang BATHURST 12 HOUR ACTION Racing is assessing the best options for the future of their Mustang Shelby, which debuted at the Bathurst 12 Hour on the weekend.

The Mustang, which turned its first-ever race laps in Friday practice for the 12 Hour, and finished the race 27th outright and first in the Invitational class, could race in a variety of different categories according to team owner Mick Zukanovic.

“The main focus has been on getting the car ready for (the 12 Hour),” Zukanovic said.

“There are quite a few different things

we could do with it. We could run it in Targa Tasmania or some other tarmac rallies or hillclimbs, or we could try and make it eligible for the Australian GT Championship, or even put a different engine in it and race it in Improved Production.

“The other thing we could think about doing would be racing it overseas – it’s actually the first Shelby to race anywhere in the world and the Americans have been very impressed.

“This weekend has been all about developing the car and making it into a good racecar.”

– LACHLAN MANSELL

Roll up, roll up!

EVENTS THE maiden CAMS-organised CARnival will be held at Echuca-Moama this October.

The motoring and motorsport event will be held annually, and is designed to attract up to 5000 vehicles and their owners, and up to 20,000 visitors.

Set to be the biggest national car club gathering held in Australia, the inaugural CARnival will be held on October 1-4, New South Wales’ Labor Day long weekend.

Among the activities on offer for Car Clubs and their members, the familyfriendly event will host a car show, over 20 competition events including motorkhanas and rally sprints, a twilight navigation test and a fuel economy run.

news

Team BRM orders in FORMULA FORD & 3

Dirk Klynsmith

TEAM BRM has added a pair of international drivers to their 2010 line-up.

New Zealander Martin Short will lead the team’s campaign in the Genuine Ford Parts Australian Formula Ford Championship, while Chinese driver Zhang Shan Qi will race in the Formula 3 Australian Drivers Championship.

Short, who currently leads the New Zealand Formula Ford Championship with one round remaining, will use the chassis raced by Richie Stanaway for the team in last year’s Australian Championship. He joins Tom Goess and Jon Mills at the Adelaide squad.

Shan Qi is the second confirmed driver in the team’s F3 line-up. He joins the previously-announced Ben Barker in F307 Dallaras, with a third likely to be finalised in the coming days.

The 18-year-old made his Australian debut in the 2009 season finale, racing a National Class F304 Dallara for R-Tek Motorsport, pictured.

“Hopefully there’ll be three cars for Formula 3, which we should be able to confirm in the next couple of days,” Team

Manager Mark Rundle told eNews.

“Because of the lateness of the deal, Zhang’s first run in the car will probably be the official test on the Wednesday before Wakefield Park, but we think he’ll go quite well.

“He’s new to Formula 3 and

has only done that one round at Sandown, but he’s got good experience in categories like Formula Renault in Asia.”

The Formula 3 Australian Drivers Championship kicks off at Wakefield Park on March 6-7.

– MITCHELL ADAM

Carter sticks with Bargs MINI CHALLENGE TEENAGER Sean Carter will return to the MINI Challenge this year with Bargwanna Motorsports.

Carter, 19, made his debut at the Gold Coast late in the 2009 season.

“2010 is going to be a big one for my career and we’re going to do whatever we can to take the #98 MINI to the front of the pack,” Carter said.

“After last year and competing on two street courses as my first taste of MINI Challenge, I know what to expect arriving at Clipsal

– which is a great event and will be an awesome place to race a MINI John Cooer Works Challenge racecar! “ The Melbourne youngster will be the team’s sole entry this year.

“We’re really happy to have Sean back on board for this year,” team owner Jason Bargwanna said.

He impressed us with his level-headed approach and talent at the end of last year and I think you’ll see him go to another level this year.

“I would like to see Sean challenging for podiums and take at least a race win.”

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Fives in reach for WW2

DRAG RACING NORM Longfield is aiming to break into the five-second barrier when he takes his front-engined ‘WW2’ nitro dragster to Willowbank Raceway for the first time this Saturday.

Longfield will be among almost 200 nostalgia racers at Willowbank, in the opening round of the Nostalgia Drag Racing Series.

“We have never been to Willowbank, Sydney is our home track and so we are really looking forward to taking the

dragster to new ground and seeing how we go,” Longfield said.

“We have in the past run a 6.07 second pass, and so the next goal for us is to aim for that ‘five second’ mark, and that is something that we are continually working towards.”

Lorenzo ENZED signs on for TF to miss next test DRAG RACING

MOTOGP

WORLD SUPERBIKES YAMAHA and Suzuki have unveiled their 2010 Superbikes and sponsors.

Ben Spies might be gone

but James Toseland and Cal Crutchlow will wear the blue colours of Sterilgarda that the Texan carried to glory in 2009.

It will be the Yamaha team’s second season with the Italian

Alstare Suzuki

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to working with [ENZED Marketing Manager] Kevin [Spiteri] and his team this year,” circuit Managing Director Steve Bettes said.

Meanwhile, Western Sydney International Dragway has announced a junior dragster program as part of their new association with McDonalds.

Yamaha Racing

GOING slow on a motorcycle can be dangerous. Just ask Jorge Lorenzo.

The Fiat Yamaha Team rider has undergone surgery in his right hand following an accident he suffered training near his home in Barcelona last Thursday. Lorenzo fell off his motocross bike at approximately 30kmh, and hurt his right hand as he landed. He had a titanium plate inserted in his finger and will require hand protection for four to six weeks.

Lorenzo will not participate in the next Sepang test but he is expected to make a full recovery in time for the final pre-season test at Qatar in March.

ENZED will be the naming rights sponsor of Willowbank Raceway’s Australian Top Fuel Championships.

The sponsorship in the April 17-18 event is an extension of ENZED’s involvement in Australian drag racing, signing

on as a major associate sponsor of the ANDRA Pro Series.

“It is very exciting to see a company such as ENZED expanding its involvement in our sport of drag racing Australia-wide with their association with the ANDRA Pro Series, and I look forward

food company.

Team Suzuki Alstare has a new sponsors, and will be backed by Estonian beer Viru for 2010. Leon Haslam and Sylvain Guintoli will ride.

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 ...

RICK GILL

The Chairman of the WA Sporting Car Club Board opens up to eNews about what’s going on with the V8s. He spoke to ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN MOTORSPORT NEWS: What is the WASCC’s position?

The [WA] Sporting Car Club is alive and well.

The bottom line is that the V8 Supercars are not coming, and we’ll get on with business.

There are other promoters, track owners and operators around Australia on the same wavelength as us, which is lets get on and do something ourselves, jointly, and nationally. There are options that are being discussed, so it’s not the end of the world.

Is there any way back for Barbagallo Raceway?

At this stage (the interview was conducted almost 24 hours after V8SA’s initial press release), [V8SA] haven’t contacted us, directly and

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Dirk Klynsmith

I’m guessing you can’t elaborate on those options at this point ...

No, I can’t. But you’ll be welcome to the information at the right time.

Back to the V8s, the club refused to sign a five-year contract, with sanction fees that are simply unrealistic, and the management would have been totally irresponsible to sign that on behalf of the club. Because going forward, it would have been a disaster.

The V8s are unfortunately losing teams and cars, and spectator numbers have reduced over the last three years. So when you do the budget for the event, it’s simply not working. Queensland Raceway, as you know, went through this a month or so ago, and that was all to do, again, with money.

Great Shame: The famous big air shots at the Esses are about to become a thing of the past.

officially, about them not coming to Perth.

We had a deadline of today (Tuesday February 9) to negotiate the last hurdle, which was the money for the sanction fee, and they made an announcement a day early. I think it was a mistake on their behalf. But, even so, it tells me that they had their minds made up no matter what we came back with.

Was it a surprise for the WASCC? Were you guys expecting a resolution had the proper deadline been honoured?

We expected a 50-50. What we wanted to do was separate the 2010 away from the fiveyear contract. The reason is that they stated that they were happy to come in 2010, with everything the way it was, and in 2011, the circuit must be upgraded to their satisfaction, with the government money

that has been allocated.

The government hasn’t backed down. It’s a work in progress, and it was on target to have that in place. The Sporting Car Club has geared it’s negotiations that from 2011 onwards, all would be in place.

And that’s why we tried to separate the 2010 event from the 2011 and ongoing events.

It was simply because we didn’t want to sign a contract that relied on government money and timing.

We said we wouldn’t sign it, because, while the government has promised us the money, and I’m sure it will work, we didn’t want to sign a contract relying on a third party. Surely people understand that.

So we tried to separate the 2010 event from the rest, and it fell on deaf ears. They constantly came back and said ’sign the document, sign the agreement’. They say that we’ve given them lip service

and we haven’t responded to them, but I can show you a paper trail, Andrew, with a response to every piece of correspondence that they sent us, and I can date it.

What about beyond 2010?

Is the WASCC happy to renegotiate with V8SA even if there is a year off for Barbagallo Raceway?

We’re open to negotiate, and that’s never not been the case.

We want the V8 Supercars, and we want to negotiate, but the negotiations, Andrew, revolve around ... money!

The Sporting Car Club shouldn’t have to sponsor the event and go broke itself, and the government shouldn’t have to sponsor it either. It should be an event that can stand on its own and run itself accordingly.

I’ll reassure you; everybody at Barbagallo Raceway wants the V8 Supercars to be here.

chat

Dirk Klynsmith

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Vote 1: The Wacky Racers Opinion Phil Branagan, Executive Editor

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I HATE Adrian Newey.

Okay, ‘hate’ is a strong word for someone whose achievements in motor racing are so notable. But, in a sense, Newey and every other engineer who have worked hard at nailing racing cars down onto the road with downforce over the last 45 years have ruined motor racing for anyone who is not a driver, an engineer or a team owner. You know, people like the spectators, TV viewers and the media.

See, there was a time when cars could race other cars, even through a corner. Then someone came up with the notion of turning a wing upside-down and nailing it onto the back, then the front, of a racing car. Next thing you know, there are Gurney Flaps, sidepods, skirts, diffusers and all kinds of crap on racing cars, increasing grip and speeds, and manufacturing dirty air and killing the racing.

The FIA had a shot at fixing this, at least as far as Formula 1 is concerned, but they dropped the ball like a Pakistani fieldsman.

Once double diffusers were okayed a year ago, much of the downforce returned and a lot of the entertainment disappeared.

So, that’s why I say I like the look of the Delta Wing car. Weird? Yep. It looks like a cross between a Top Fuel dragster, a Salt Flats racer and something that just escaped from a Death Star. It looks like nothing anyone has ever described as a ‘racing car’. It’s different.

And it might just work.

Sure, there are naysayers out there who bemoan the concept. Selling anything with ‘only’ 300 horsepower to Americans, who are used to more grunt than that from their clothes driers, is a big ask. Green is good, but you could understand why they want some grunt, like NASCARs have.

But, roll the dice, I say. Apart from the fact that there are two Aussies in the series, about the only mediagenic thing in IndyCar racing is Danica Patrick, and we can all figure out where she is headed. The series needs something to change it before it can regain even a fraction of its former glory, and two dozen racing cars banging wheels and swapping positions, in corners, might just be the ticket, even if they do resemble Transformers.

Ben Bowlby’s wacky racer should be assessed. Even if it turns out to be a dud, it is gratifying to see an engineer at least attempt to do something for the fans for once. Bring it on!

The End. THIS is a very special edition of eNews, for this is my 150th opinion piece about V8 Supercars racing in Western Australia.

Okay, that might be a slight exaggeration ... but you get my point.

The future of WA’s race has been an ongoing issue for years now, and one that eNews has reported at length.

But perhaps this is the last one.

Perhaps, the financial demands from V8 Supercars Australia have finally materialised into something, and maybe they will never race in WA ever again.

Now, before you accuse me of being a biased West Aussie, I’ll say that I see both sides of the story here. V8 Supercars says that going to Perth costs around $2.4 million per year – and that may well be right.

So by dumping that race, V8SA saves the cash – and creates a Singaporesized hole in the calendar when the new Changi circuit is ready. Perfect, another overseas race.

Which reminds me, the ‘OH&S’ reason for not going to Perth in 2010 allows V8SA to back out of its promise

Opinion Andrew Van Leeuwen, Editor

that Abu Dhabi wouldn’t cost a local event its spot on the calendar. Double perfect. Ingenious, even.

But here’s as couple of things I don’t get. About this $2.4 million ... is that not covered by cash coming in from TV rights agreements, team sponsorship deals and the like? This is supposed to be a national championship, so when the sponsors signed on and the TV rights were agreed, there was a 15-race calendar, including WA ... that sponsors were happy to pay for. Will sponsors now get a six percent-plus rebate?

And if this is all about saving those teams money, then why are we spending the first two rounds in the Middle East, where alcohol signage is not permitted on the cars? Surely, with Canadian Club now coming on board to sponsor Jonathon Webb and a massive VB logo on the front of Paul Dumbrell’s Falcon, alcohol sponsorship is the fastest-growing area of sponsorship in our sport? So why are we going somewhere where it can’t be put on the side of the cars?

Oh yeah, that’s right, the promoters in the Middle East pay V8SA big cash

for the circus to go there. Silly me. Yes, V8SA and the teams all benefit from that, but let’s think of the sponsors again for a second ...

Perth might be a little further away than Darwin, and it might be surrounded by sand and desert, but you can have as many beer, wine and spirits ads hanging off the side of you racing car as you like. And guess what else? The mining boom has weathered the GFC pretty darned well, so while Perth doesn’t have the biggest population in the world, it does have a population with plenty of disposable income. Not only do people with disposable money spend it on alcohol, but they also spend it on cars, usually fast cars, like XR Falcons and SS Commodores. You know, Fords and Holdens.

According to the people at the WA Sporting Car Club, V8SA made an unrealistic demand when it came to sanction fees, and then sent out a media release the day before the WASCC’s deadline was up saying the race was off. V8SA never wanted them to sign that agreement. And it worked.

Marshall Cass

23

ARMOUR ALL BATHURST 12 HOUR MOUNT PANORAMA, BATHURST

Bavarian Motor Winners Mitsubishi’s dominance of the Armor All Bathurst 12 Hour has ended, with the BMW of Garry Holt, Paul Morris and John Bowe taking out a wet and wild 2010 race.

LACHLAN MANSELL was there

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race

Marshall Cass

25

The BMW 335i of Garry Holt, Paul Morris and John Bowe upstaged a plethora of Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution entries to record a stunning victory in the 2010 Armor All Bathurst 12 Hour.

The race was littered with safety-car periods, wet weather and even a tree falling across the racetrack, bringing the race to a grinding halt at one stage, but the BMW entry ran solidly at the front of the

26

field all day. The experience of John Bowe and superior fuel economy and reliability of the BMW compared favourably to the all-wheel-drive opposition, proving decisive in the race’s final outcome.

“A lot of credit has to go to Paul Morris for this race-win,” Bowe said.

“Paul is a really good strategist, and if it wasn’t for his visionary way of looking at race strategy, we probably

wouldn’t be here.”

The win was the second 12 Hour victory for Holt’s outfit, who took out the maiden race in 2007, but had been plagued by electrical gremlins in recent times.

“The BMW has a G-sensor which is a bit of a problem in the dry, because it restricts the throttle, but it’s actually not so much of a problem in the wet,” Holt added.

Despite a strong contingent

of Mitsubishi Evo X Lancers, it was actually the Evo IX driven

by David Wall, Des Wall and Trevor Symonds that ended the day as the strongest of the all-wheel-drive vehicles, winning Class A and finishing second outright. It was the best result for the team, following on from a fifthplacing in 2008 and fourth in last year’s event.

Glenn Seton, Neil Crompton and Mark King finished third,

John Morris / Mpix

The Hill, Bana and Leahey Lancer ended in the wall, above, while Seton, Crompton and King took their Evo X, below, to the podium.

Phil Williams

Joel Strickland

The well-driven HSV Clubsport R8 Sportswagon of Cameron McConville, Nathan Pretty and Andrew Jones, right, ended the day fourth and topped Class B after being in contention for a podium finish for much of the day, Pretty at one stage banging panels with Bowe while trying to stay on the lead lap. Peter Conroy, Mark Brame and Anthony Robson rounded out the top five.

John Morris / Mpix

after being delayed with some minor mechanical problems.

A blistering wet-weather stint from Seton elevated the Bob Pearson-owned Evo X to just one lap down at the finish.

“The car was really strong all weekend and especially strong in the wet,” Seton said. “Unfortunately we had a mechanical problem – a turbo actuator I believe – which cost us a few laps, but otherwise the car ran really well.”

27

James Smith

Marshall Cass

Marshall Cass

Pole again Owen nabbed pole again, as Evo Lancers swept the top 6 QUALIFYING

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The Mustang, top, had a troubled day, but its potential is obvious.

Finishing 12th outright, the McLeods were among the class winners in their Astra, above, while Wilson Brothers Racing’s Subaru, below, was eighth after suffering broken wheel studs in the last half-hour.

Phil Williams

STEVE Owen claimed his second-consecutive Bathurst 12-Hour pole position in the Mitsubishi Evo IX he shared with James and Theo Koundouris.

Because of the variable weather conditions, the event organisers ditched the upper and lower 50 per cent qualifying system in favour of an hour-long, “allin” session.

Unfazed by the extra traffic, Owen set a 2:26 lap-time in the early stages of the session and then parked his car. The time looked unassailable until Glenn Seton came tantalisingly close, only to fall six hundredths of a

second short.

“The track conditions were good,” Owen said.

“The track was cool, which really suited the turbo cars. I’m very happy with the time; it wasn’t too long ago that a 2:26 was a good Bathurst 1000 time.”

Seton ended up secondfastest, claiming he ran out of talent in the final sector of the lap, while Jason Bargwanna qualified third.

“It wasn’t a high-risk lap and the main area of improvement over the weekend has been in myself, learning how to get the most out of the car,” Bargwanna said.

Damien White and Klark Quinn rounded out the top-five on the grid.

– LACHLAN MANSELL

Phil Willaims

A number of high-profile teams retired from the race including, surprisingly, the two Team Mitsubishi Ralliart entries which finished first and second last year. The troubles began when Stuart Kostera crashed into the wall just after the two-hour mark, significantly damaging the car he was sharing with Warren Luff and Glynn Crimp. The other car of Damien White, Rod Salmon and Inky Tulloch, below, ran strongly for much of the race, but a cracked exhaust and subsequent overheating problems forced them out with just over two hours

remaining, ending their dream of a hat-trick of victories.

The Eric Bana / Peter Hill / Tim Leahey entry was eliminated in a nasty crash, which also claimed the Subaru STI of Jim Hunter, Dean Herridge and Barton Mawer. Hill clipped the wall at Reid Park and Herridge, not aware that Hill had stopped, slammed into the rear of his Mitsubishi Evo X, extensively damaging both cars.

With over 40 entries across eight classes, there was plenty of champagne sprayed at the end of the day. Trevor Keene and Hadrian Morrall gave Osborne Motorsport a dream

debut with their new Mazda 3 MPS, winning Class C and grabbing ninth outright, while the Astra of Peter, Ryan and Gerrard McLeod was 12th and the best of Class D. Greg Willis, Jason Gomersall and Matthew MacKelden were the pick of the Utes in 17th place. Locals Matthew Windsor, Paul Newman and Steven Shiels were 19th and won Class E, three spots ahead of the Class F-winning Alfa 159 of Kean Booker, Rocco Rinaldo and David Stone.

Action Motorspot’s Ford Mustang had a troubled weekend battling mechanical issues with a new car, with

Marcus Zukanovic, Jason Bright and Allan Simonsen eventually classified in 27th.

Wet and wild weather conditions caused the deployment of the safety-car at the five-hour mark, with fog at the top of Mt Panorama significantly reducing visibility.

The safety-car remained on the circuit for around an hour before a tree collapsed onto the circuit on Conrod Straight, completely blocking the track and forcing the field to stop for around 45 minutes behind the safety-car while the circuit was cleared by a combined effort between race officials and the State Emergency Service.

James Smith

29

I see red, I see red, I see red Bathurst’s wild weather took its toll on the 12 Hour’s support races, LACHLAN MANSELL reports

Phil Williams

30

THE support categories for the 2010 Bathurst 12 Hour were all affected by inclement weather.

The Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge and Saloon Car National Series were the worst-affected categories; torrential rain on Saturday afternoon forced the cancellation of the second race in each category.

Nevertheless, the slippery track conditions produced plenty of action in the single Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge race, with Rodney Forbes taking a surprise win from Kane Rose and Shane Smollen, after qualifying on pole position. The race was marred by an incident in the first corner between two of the title favourites, Matt Kingsley and Sven Burchartz.

Kingsley clipped the back of Burchartz’s car while trying to make an inside move into Hell Corner; both cars spun off the circuit with Kingsley crashing heavily into the wall.

The subsequent lengthy safety-car period to clear away the wrecked cars resulted in the race being shortened to seven laps; as a result, only half-points were awarded as a result.

Kris Walton took out the single Saloon car race after making a spectacular move around the inside of Clint Harvey and guest driver Steve Owen into Griffin’s Bend. Owen crossed the line in second position, but was later excluded when his Commodore was found to be underweight, elevating Harvey to second ahead of Tim Rowse, John Goodacre and Simon Tabinor.

Reigning champion Shawn Jamieson had a tough weekend, qualifying 42nd after brushing the wall at Griffin’s bend. In the race, he moved forward to 20th position.

Victorian Rod Raatjes came away with two race wins in

There’s a Porsche in there ... somewhere.

Rodney Forbes, right, took out the sole GT3 Cup Challenge race.

Phil Williams

Kris Walton, below, did the same in the Saloon Cars season opener.

In HQs, a pair of wins went to Rod Raatjes, below right.

James Smith

Marshall Cass

conditions. Leigh Forrest won the first race in his Toyota Celica, before Ben Schoots, above right, took advantage of wet weather to dominate Race 2. Simon O’Dell-Fontana took out Race 3, which was cut short when a torrential downpour hit the track.

Group N Historics also saw three different race winners, with Cameron Worner, Mathew McGrath and David Stone, right, winning one race each in their GT Falcons.

John Morris / Mpix

Marshall Cass

the HQ Holden races, with John Wood winning the other race. Keven Stoopman and Andrew Williams also figured in the battle for the podium positions, but Williams ended up in the Chase gravel-trap on the final lap of Race 3 after a high-speed tangle with Wood on Conrod Straight.

Three different drivers came away with race wins from the Improved Production races, which were also affected by highly variable weather

31

WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND 1 – SWEDEN

SIMPLY THE BEST

That was the story of Rally Sweden; Mikko Hirvonen was simply way too good. Even Sebastien Loeb couldn’t stop him winning Round 1

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race

33

M

IKKO Hirvonen has made the best possible start to the World Rally Championship season, out-pacing Sebastien Loeb in a straight fight on the snow in Sweden.

Hirvonen basically led the entire rally, passing Loeb mid-way through the first day after a successful change of differential setting. But while leading meant running first on the road for the majority of the event, and pioneering tyre management on the roads where snowfall was scarce, nothing was going to stop the flying Finn from winning that rally.

“It’s absolutely fantastic,” said Hirvonen.

“And I’m really happy it’s over after those last few stages; you can’t imagine how nervous I was in there.

“It’s a perfect start to my year. I’ve never won the first round before, but after last season I’ve got one more year of experience.

Now I plan to carry on like this. It’s a new game in Mexico, and I can’t wait to get started again.”

Loeb’s weekend took a turn for the worse on Saturday afternoon, when he and the Citroen team took a gamble on tyre choice that didn’t work out. It ended any realistic chance the reigning World Champ had of overcoming Hirvonen, and he settled into second place.

“It’s been a tough weekend, and Mikko has done a perfect rally,” admitted Loeb.

“We made a little mistake yesterday, but even without it I don’t know if I would have been able to beat him in the stages. He was strong and he deserves his victory. I did my best. There’s nothing more to say.”

As the pre-event form guide would have suggested, the fight for third was between Ford and Citroen’s number two drivers, JariMatti Latvala and Dani Sordo.

Sordo had the early pace over his rival, but on Saturday a blanking plate was left on the 1 Mikko Hirvonen front of his C4 WRC, causing it Ford Jarmo Lehtinen to overheat and handing the 3:09:30.4s 2 Sebastien Loeb final podium spot to Latvala.

Citroen Daniel Elena Three other big names +42.3s 3 Jari-Matti Latv all had tough rallies. Kimi ala Ford Miikka Anttila Raikkonen spent too much +1 :15 .4s 4 Dani Sordo of Friday digging his car out Citroen Marc Marti of snow banks, and had to +2:41.6s 5 Se bastien Ogier settle for 30th place on his Citroen Julien Ingrassia WRC debut. Marcus Gronholm +4 :15.3s 6 Henning Solber had electrical problems in g Ford Ilka Minor his Stobart Ford, and finished +5 :23 .4s 7 Matthew Wilson 21st, although he did win Fo rd Scott Martin the Sagen stage, which is a +7 :53 .9s 8 Mads Ostberg favourite of the two-time Subaru Jonas Andersson World Champ. And Petter +9 :22.2s 9 Petter Solberg Solberg was a lowly ninth, Citroen Phil Mills after simply failing to bond +10:17.5s 10 PG Andersson with his new C4.

Skoda Anders Fredrickson In the new S-WRC class +12:08.9s for Super 2000 cars, former Points: Hirvonen 25 Suzuki WRC driver P-G , Loeb 18, Latvala 15 , Sordo 12, Ogier 10 Andersson decimated the , H Solberg 8, Wilson 6, Ostber field, and even finished g 4, P Solberg 2, Andersson 1.

10th outright in his Skoda Fabia.

Results

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sutton-images.com

Mr Plow, that’s his name: Kimi Raikkonen nosed a few snow banks throughout the weekend, left, while Loeb wasn’t a happy camper at all, below left. Jari-Matti Latvala played a perfect number two role for Hirvonen, below.

sutton-images.com

35

NASCAR SPRINT CUP ROUND 1 – DAYTONA 500, DAYTONA, FL

NUMBER ONE, WITH

36

H A BULLET

race

After two lengthy stoppages to repair a crumbling racetrack Jamie McMurray got just the help he needed to score his first win in NASCAR’s biggest race.

MARTIN D CLARK was there

37

J

AMIE McMurray has won the 52nd Daytona 500, the fourth win of his career and first since returning to Earnhardt Ganassi Racing over the winter months.

McMurray looked strong late in the going, restarting to the outside of Kevin Harvick on the final restart, and bump drafting from his ex-Roush Fenway teammate and buddy Greg Biffle saw him catapult around Harvick to lead just two laps, the fewest of a Daytona 500 winner, but the most important of his career.

“It’s huge for a new crew chief, driver and team to come together and do this,” said McMurray.

“This is unbelievable, I’m in awe.”

“Third place isn’t all that bad,” said Biffle, “but I’m just so happy for Jamie. I pushed him to the win down the backstretch and I feel pretty good about that. He’s going to be buying me dinner for sure.”

The crowd were on their feet as fan darling Dale Earnhardt Jr came from nowhere in the closing two laps and, amazingly, closing in on McMurray, but he didn’t have the steam to pull off the pass. Biffle could do nothing but watch Junior blast by and he had to be content with third ahead of Clint Bowyer and David Reutimann.

The race was put under the red flag after John Andretti cut a tyre and hit the wall. A pothole was spotted in the track between turns one and two, and lengthy repairs (which required

a second red flag) took over three hours to repair, pushing the event out to six-plus. Jimmie Johnson continued to ride the luck that has seen him win the last four championships as he cut a right front tyre at the same time of the first track caution and was able to pit under caution.

It mattered little to Johnson, who dropped off the pace with 16 laps to fall to 35th.

Immediately after the race, it was not clear if either of the tyre issues, or Johnson’s broken axle, Downhill battle: Marcos Ambrose had a tough race, retirning early after were caused by the track. showing some speed. Jamie McMurray was a happy man when he hit pitlane, There were several wrecks in the taking the 500 win in his first drive aboard the #1 Earnhardt-Ganassi Chevy. closing laps with NASCAR using The decisive moment of the race was when McMurray, #1, got a push from two of their newly implemented Biffle, #16, that took him past the Harvick car, #29, and Edwards, #99. three ‘green-white-checker’ finishes. Those wiped out late included Kasey Kahne, Ryan Newman, Joey Logano and Bill Elliott.

AJ Allmendinger had a stellar run going in his Richard Petty Ford, moving through traffic before half distance to lead many laps, but when moving back through the pack he spun unaided, trashing any chance of seeing the famous 43 back in victory lane at Daytona. Scott Speed also opened some eyes when he led late in the going with ease – until he was freight trained either side to finish a distant 19th. the arm that NASCAR needed that point well inside the top Aside from the track issues, the after poor TV ratings and 15 at times and drafting well. racing was unbelievable with attendance last year.

Ambrose also had issues with his 52 lead changes among 21 Marcos Ambrose retired from helmet hose and pitted under different drivers and around 15 the race on lap 79 with engine the first caution to fix the issue, of those cars capable of winning. failure, after qualifying a healthy starting toward the rear and The competition was the shot in 18th and running strong to forging his way forward again.

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SPRINT CUP | 2010 DAYTONA 500 1 1 2 88 3 16 4 33 5 00 6 56 7 29 8 17 9 99 10 42

Jamie McMurray Chevy Earnhardt Ganassi/Bass Pro 13 Dale Earnhardt Jr Chevy Hendrick/AMP Energy 2 Greg Biffle Ford Roush Fenway/3M 23 Clint Bowyer Chevy Childress/Cheerio’s 9 David Reutimann Toyota Waltrip/Aaron’s 20 Martin Truex Toyota Waltrip/NAPA Auto Parts 14 Kevin Harvick Chevy Childress/Shell/Penzzoil 5 Matt Kenseth Ford Roush Fenway/Crown Royal 24 Carl Edwards Ford Roush Fenway/Aflac 27 Juan Montoya Chevy Earnhardt Ganassi/Target 17

Martin D Clark

NASCAR | DRIVER’S points McMurray 190, Earnhardy 175, Biffle 170, Bowyer 165, Harvick 156, Reutimann and Truex 155, Kenseth 147, Montoya 139, Edwards 138, Martin 132, Burton 130.

Smoke hits 15 NATIONWIDE TONY Stewart’s 2010 Nationwide schedule has one race on it – and he won it.

Smoke led the final 20 green laps to take his 15th win at the Speedway, and fifth in NW, aboard Kevin Harvick’s Chevy. Carl

Edwards was second and Harvick third.

Behind the trio, there was a high level of carnage, with Kyle Busch, Brad Keselowski and Dale Earnhardt Jr just three of the names to get wrecked. Danica Patrick’s Nationwide debut also ended in a crash after 69 laps.

Martin D Clark Martin D Clark

Martin D Clark

39

2010 SUMMERNATIONALS WESTERN SYDNEY INTERNATIONAL DRAGWAY

Wash-out Rain scuppers Summernationals

John Morris / Mpix

RAIN forced the cancellation of the 2010 Summernationals at Western Sydney International Dragway.

The event was to have featured ANDRA Pro Series rounds for Top Fuel, Top Alcohol, Top Doorslamme, Top Bike, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle on Friday and Saturday nights. However, storms in Sydney prevented hopes of getting the event run. Before the rain arrived, Aaron Hambridge put in a 5.6s pass in his new Top Alcohol car, Ben Bray entered the 6.7s zone in his Pro FX machine, top right, and Phil Lamattina’s 4.8s pass, above, saw him lead Top Fuel qualifying.

40

race

John Morris / Mpix John Bosher

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TOYOTA RACING SERIES NEW ZEALAND GRAND PRIX

Bamber wins NZGP Late Safety Car bad news for Mitch Evans as Earl takes classic victory TOYOTA RACING SERIES

E

ARL Bamber received the sweetest Valentines Day present of all on Sunday – a New Zealand Grand Prix win.

The 19-year-old spent the majority of the 35-lapper at Manfeild in second place, cruising behind young gun Mitch Evans. But when a late Safety Car bunched the field up, Bamber pounced, grabbing the lead and, ultimately, the NZ Grand Prix.

“Mitch was really quick in the beginning and our car was set to get

42

faster later in the race, so I knew if I could stay close enough we should be able to take the lead,” said Bamber.

“Once the safety car came out I knew we had the better pace, so from the restart we had a good attack, a bit of contact, but we got a clean pass to get the job done.

“It’s what you dream about winning.

The Grand Prix is such a big prize internationally, so to be a Kiwi name alongside so many internationals is very special – especially having the Triple X Motorsport team win it back-to-back.”

Bamber was awared $10,000 from

Toyota New Zealand for winning the Grand Prix.

Evans hung on to finish second, ahead of Estonian Sten Pentus and Aussie Formula Ford front-runner Richie Stanaway.

While Evans missed out on a debut Grand Prix win, he did win the fourround ‘International’ series within the TRS championship, earning himself $5,000 and a Tissot watch.

The series itself will be wrapped up at Taupo on Match 21, with Evans leading on 721 points, from Bamber (687) and Pentus (660).

race

Baird’s lucky break NZV8s CRAIG Baird has won another round of the BNT NZV8 Series, all bar securing the series for 2009/10.

But up-and-comer Tim Edgell made it tough for Baird, winning the first race of the weekend and almost winning the second. Only a slip up on oil left on the circuit from Eddie Bell gave Baird the Race 2 win, which set him up for the round.

Johnny McIntyre finished third for the round after a weekend-long duel with Kayne Scott, keeping his slender

title hopes alive heading into Taupo’s finale next month.

Angus Fogg also won a race, the reverse-grid final on Sunday, which he lead from start to finish.

Baird was delighted with the round win, but warned he hasn’t won the title just yet.

“It’s not all over yet,” he said.

“As we have seen anything can happen in this type of racing.

“I was really happy with my car all day and felt we had the package to take the overall win, but in the last race my handling seem to get away and cause me to slow slightly.”

The Jonny, Dave and Dan Show GT3 CUP CHALLENGE THERE were three winners from three races at the latest round of the Battery Town Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge at Manfeild last weekend.

While Jonny Reid won the round, he had to share the race wins with Melbourne house-mates David Reynolds and Daniel Gaunt.

Reynolds was the first to rack up a win, braving wet conditions on Saturday to overcome pole-sitter Matt Halliday at the start and drive into the distance.

On Sunday, the start was again the key, Reid jumping Reynolds and taking a defensive win, which ultimately set up

round honours.

Then, in Race 3, V8 Supercar rookie Daniel Gaunt had a win, grabbing the lead of the reverse-top six race early and holding on for his first Porsche win.

“It’s fantastic,” said Reid, of his maiden Porsche round win.

“Particularly against the likes of Craig [Baird], David and Matt. You’ve only got to look at what they have done in GT3s, Carrera Cup, Supercup and the Battery Town series here. They are guys I hold in the highest regard, and believe me, winning a race against drivers of that calibre is not easy.”

Baird holds a handy lead over Reid with a single round remaining.

43

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1962 Elfin Catalina

EA Saloon Car 67

1962 Elfin Catalina, Historic race car. Complete recent restoration from Chassis up. 1500 ford engine engine with twin webers, Tait head and all steel internals. 4 speed VW Hewland gearbox , Certificate of Authenticity and log books plus complete history.

Original owner was Noel Hurd. This was the last Catalina built, chassis number 6317. Very few miles since restoration and in “as new” condition. Includes a lightweight fully enclosed trailer and a host of spare parts. Competitive group M historic race car or eligible for formula Junior category. Beautiful car and a reluctant sale. Contact John 0411195088 or email johnwburch@hotmail. com for further details. $65,000. John 0411195088.

Regarded as one of the best handling & braking cars in Australia.

No expense spared to keep this car at the front. Many race & championship wins. Fresh swift top hp race engine, nothing to spend to go win your class. Spares package available separately.

Priced to sell at well under replacement cost $11,990 Contact Lindsay Kearns 0412 720 981. $11,990. Scott 0412 720 981.

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Historic BDA Escort

CAMARO SPORTS SEDAN Full space frame,all new, franklin quick change diff, wilwood brakes and hubs, quicktrack steering, 4 sets of race wheels some tyres, body moulds and spare panels, ready for motor and gearbox. Build cost to date $70,000.00 priced to sell. $45,000.00. Greg 0409 999 775.

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historic group Nc 1600cc BDA escort. Errol Stratford ph 07 4661 5145 and 0415 388140. $45,000.00. Errol 0415388140.

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rear of grid

Putting the forest onto Forrest’s Elbow t o p S d Od

Joel Strickland

We’ve had some seriously strange stuff on these pages over the years, and there comes a point where you think you’ve seen it all.

But this one takes the cake. Midway through Sunday’s Bathurst 12 Hour, a giant tree fell across the exit of Forrest’s Elbow. It blocked the track and the race was stopped for about half an hour while the experts from the SES went to work.

Fortunately, the field was behind the Safety Car at the time anyway, and no-one ended up under the unexpected track invader ...

Phil Williams

James Smith

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