Motorsport eNews Issue 144 - March 2-7, 2010

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Issue No. 144 March 02-07 2010

E I S S U A E I S S U A AUSSIE ds to s e e n n o s a e s r a c r e V8 Supe th y h w s u ll te s r dle East V8 inside id M e th t o n , a li a Austr

tart in

SURPRISE! Whincup reveals that even he can’t believe how fast his new Commodore is

FESTIVAL OF MOTOR SPORT Featuringg Alfa Romeo

March 19-21, 2010. includes a full field of sensational Formula 5000 racers

Designed by Tim Pacheco ICGT-RMIT.

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Photographers Sutton Motorsport Images, Dirk Klynsmith, Marshall Cass, John Morris/Mpix, AF1 Images, James Smith, Peter Bury, Geoff Gracie, Joel Strickland,

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Issue No. 144 | 2 - 8 Mar 2010

news 5 Security Blank-it No WA V8s, no Wilson 6 We are all mates, really Whincup calms the waters 8 Type AAARRRGGGHHH! Honda wants reasons 10 Eddy and his Cruiser Putting the ‘Ow’ into Audi 14 Wherefore art thou Romeo?

Rare 158 headed here

chat 22 Five Minutes With ...

Jamie Whincup

opinion 24 Will Davison, Mitchell Adam Bahrain and Formula 3

race 26 V8 Supercars 36 ARC and Tarmac Rally 48 NASCAR

trade 54 Classifieds

Follow Motorsport eNews on Twitter! Breaking news and opinion

The tracks might be impressive, but the people who work in V8s are saying that the Midd

TOO LOW KEY! V8 SUPERCARS

V

8 Supercars offshore move for its opening rounds has disappointed numbers of V8 insiders.

For the first time since 2001, the Clipsal 500 didn’t open the season. And while the Abu Dhabi circuit was rich in glitz, movers-and-shakers within the sport have told eNews that, in their view, for a season-opener, the events lacked atmosphere.

As usual for rounds in the Middle East, crowds were very small and, with Channel Seven only showing delayed telecasts of the events, television ratings over-all were modest.

As one senior pit-lane insider told us, the events just didn’t feel like a championship opener: “There’s no atmosphere, because even the garages

are so big, so there is so much empty space, and no sense of occasion,” he said.

“I think it would be beneficial [to start the season in Australia].

Adelaide is one of the best motor races in the world, with the format, the track and the atmosphere. It really starts the season off with an exciting ‘bang’.

We didn’t have that this year.”

The same source also told eNews of concerns that not being the season’s opening round might affect the Clipsal

“

500 negatively: “We’ll see in two weeks, I guess,” he continued.

“We need to see it run. But, for instance, you could imagine that a Holden Racing Team follower might not be quite so keen to go along, now ... Time will be the judge.”

While this source – who, as is so often the case, wished to remain un-named – can not speak for all team bosses, drivers too are also keen to voice a view – again, off-the-record.

One front-running driver is quick to point out that nearly everyone in pit-lane – V8 Supercars Australia included – would secretly rather be starting the season on home soil: “My thoughts are that are everyone involved would rather that [the series started in Australia], but with the detail in the calendar, it’s hard to make it work.

“There are no other options, because the races need to be back-to-back, and it needs to be

Adelaide is one of the best motor races in the world, with the format, the track and the atmosphere. It really starts the season off with an exciting ‘bang’. We didn’t have that this year.

– V8 team insider

news

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

Dirk Klynsmith Dirk Klynsmith

dle East is ...

winter over there.

“But in my opinion, if they could start the championship in Australia, they should and would.”

The driver’s point is an important one; while there is a big enough hole in the middle of the year to host two overseas races, which would also coincide with the height of the AFL season, the average daily temperature during July in Bahrain is a whopping 40 degrees, while it is 38 degrees for the same month in Abu Dhabi.

The Australian mid-season break would, therefore, be unsuitable for motor racing in the Middle East.

Change, to open the series in Australia, would thus mean a major re-shuffle of the 2011 calendar.

However, given the comments being voiced to eNews staff since the weekend, don’t expect this to be out of the question ...

Wilson: No WA, no cash V8 SUPERCARS

WILSON Security may be the first sponsor casualty of V8 Supercars Australia’s decision to cancel its 2010 race at Barbagallo Raceway.

According to Wilson Security boss John McMellen, the Western Australian arm of the business is the second biggest in Australia, and is the home of the company’s Asia-Pacific office. With a WA round in 2011 now in doubt, McMellen says that justifying a budget for next season – which has to be cleared before the new financial year in June 2010 – will be very difficult, and may even force Wilson out of the sport.

“Wilson is involved in V8s for a number of outcomes, which include branding outcomes, customer outcomes, product outcomes, sales, and community and charity things,” he told eNews.

“WA is our second largest business within Australia, and our regional Asia-Pacific is based in Perth.

“So the way our funding for motorsport works is that it is a state-by-state thing, and all the states are in, which is why we do it. If we don’t have a round for our second biggest business, that’s a negative. If I was the state manager in WA, I’d be asking why I would spend money on something I’m not going to get in my state?

“The second issue is that it’s no longer a national series, and the next issue, is that we’ll be going to budget cycles in May, because the next financial year starts July 1.

“So, from the point of view of a state manager in WA, he’s going to argue that he doesn’t need to budget to do V8s anymore, because he doesn’t know if it will be on or off. We can’t run a business where we budget for something that may or may not happen. We need communication, in the next four to six weeks, that it is on next year. Otherwise, do we assume it’s not on?

“The fact that it is off this year is a significant negative. The issue now is that we need to know quickly that it will be back on in 2011. I can tell you now that the same applies for Westrac, and I’d assume it affects Komatsu as well. There will be a number of sponsors that this has a major impact on.”

While V8SA head honcho Tony Cochrane has said that the WA round was becoming too expensive for teams, McMellen believes that for many in pit-lane, it is a case of spending money to make money.

“It is an expensive place to get to – no two ways about it – but while I don’t have a list of sponsors in front of me, if you looked at the teams that do ride days in Perth, there are clearly a number of teams with sponsors that require, or expect, activity in WA. “So it’s a little more expensive to get there, but it’s the second biggest state in our business, and contributes approximately 30 percent of our budget for motorsport. It is expensive, but it gets us 30 percent of our budget, so we need to go there.”

– ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN

The Canto-O V8 SUPERCARS

A TV story.

No, it’s not about TeamVodafone ...

Dirk Klynsmith

DEAN Canto will be paired with Paul Dumbrell in The BottleO Falcon at the major endurance races this season.

As previously reported in eNews #141, Canto and Luke Youlden were both retained by Ford Performance Racing for the 2010 enduros, despite James Moffat also joining the factory Ford squad as an enduro drive. And now it has been confirmed that Canto will suit up in green with Dumbrell, while Youlden and Moffat will drive the ‘official’ FPR cars at Phillip Island and Bathurst later in the year.

It is yet to be confirmed who Moffat and Youlden will share with in the races. “[Bottle-O team owner] Rod Nash has been very good to work with,” Canto said. “[And] I know the car, because of my past two seasons with FPR, and there’s no doubting Paul’s pace, so I think this is an outstanding opportunity.

“Although the season has barely started, the car has been quick from the outset; the cars have improved since last season, and with Paul’s experience from other teams, we will be a front running package come the enduros. [It] should be fun!”

V8 SUPERCARS THE Seven Network has commented on the rating numbers from the opening two weekends of the 2010 V8 Supercar Championship – and it is pleased with the results.

Seven spokesman Simon Francis said that the comparisons made with the opening two rounds from previous years are not accurate, because of the changes in venues and viewing times. This year’s Middle Eastern double-header has changed the way that the comparisons are made: “A more reasonable and considered analysis – which anyone would accept – is to take a look at Abu Dhabi and Bahrain relative to the last time the V8s were in the Middle East,” he said.

On that basis, the delayed

broadcasts from Bahrain last weekend were up 40 and 33 percent respectively against the last broadcast from the track in 2008.

The 2010 Middle Eastern rounds attracted similar-sized audiences, with 282,885 and 286,671 viewers for the two days from Abu Dhabi, and 244,094 and 287,445 for Bahrain.

“Off-tape and against the Olympics and live cricket and we get whopping growth, we’ll grab that with both hands,” said Francis.

“Roll on Clipsal.”

V8 ratings from the opening two rounds have attracted scrutiny. The Sunday telecast of Abu Dhabi was beaten by a Women’s Twenty20 cricket international, while viewer numbers for Australia’s Greatest Athlete, immediately after each V8 telecast, were an average of 53% higher.

news

Whincup: Gripe with rule, not HRT V8 SUPERCARS JAMIE Whincup has moved to rectify quotes that were taken out of context by some media during the Bahrain race weekend.

Whincup made the comments during practice in Bahrain, where the bottom 15 drivers – which included both Holden Racing Team drivers Will Davison and Garth Tander – received an extra 80 minutes track time and a new set of tyres. He deemed the regulation to be unfair, but

Tander took the comments personally, and responded that Whincup should “build a bridge”.

But, as Whincup told eNews, his criticism was in no way a personal “crack” at Tander, or HRT. “I was a bit critical of the new rule, where after one round, the bottom 15 guys get twice as much practice,” he said.

“A lot of people saw that as a crack at HRT, but I was in no way doing that. They were just the guys I used as an example.

“My whole point is that yes,

they had a bad round, but there’s no way that guys like Will Davison and Garth Tander should have twice as much practice with another set of tyres. To be honest, I’d be embarrassed, and I’d still think the rule was wrong, if it was me in that situation. I don’t think it’s right that any factory teams should have that advantage.

“Say I had a bad round at Abu Dhabi. There’s no way that I should get more practice than other drivers.

That’s ludicrous, but it could

have happened, and it shouldn’t be able to happen.

“I apologise to HRT if they thought it was a personal crack at them. Garth fired back pretty hard, thinking I was having a crack at the team, but that’s far from the truth. I just don’t believe in the rule, and the way it’s worded at the moment.

“I stand by my word that the rule’s not right, but it wasn’t a personal jab.”

– ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN For more Jamie Whincup, see Five Minutes With on page 22.

Dirk Klynsmith

Three IRC starts for Simon and Sue IRC RALLY

the 2010 program will be a short one.

Peugeot has won the last three IRC Drivers’ and Manufacturers’ championships but currently lies in third place after one round of the 2010 series, behind Skoda and M-Sport/Ford.

Peugeot

SIMON and Sue Evans will have three ‘extra’ events on their plate this season – in the IRC. The reigning Australian Championship will take in three Intercontinental Rally

Challenge rallies this season, in a Peugeot 207 Super 2000 rally car similar to the one they tested late last year in France.

Peugeot was looking for an expanded program following the test but the team’s existing commitments, and the Evanses’ ARC program, will mean that

HONDA WANTS ANSWERS

Type R’s return stricken by tyre dramas; extra tyres allocated for final day ARC RALLY

Michael Vettas

HONDA will seek an explanation for the reasons behind the tyre failures that blighted its return to the Australian Rally Championship.

The company’s Managing Director Yasuhide Mizuno told eNews that the company would contact ARCom and Kuhmo’s local agency to find out what caused the tyre problems that caused Eli Evans to fall from a potential podium result to a distant finisher in one of the two Legs of Rally Tasmania at the weekend.

The new Honda Civic Type R suffered five tyre delaminations in its 10-tyre allocation, but Evans and co-driver Glenn Weston received an additional two tyres for safety reasons, lest they face Sunday’s stages on only four healthy tyres, and one blistered spare.

It was the team’s first run on the new-for-2010 Kuhmo tyre, variations of which are now mandatory for the ARC. “The Civic is too fast for the tyres!” Evans quipped.

“The set-up we are running

is the same, base set-up used on these cars in Europe. We are trying to soften up the car to make the best of the tyres we have left.”

Unlike V8 Supercars and other categories, the ARC is a single-supplier rather than a control tyre series, because of the difference in sizes between the tyres required by different cars. The JAS-built Civic was running on 17-inch rims and Evans selected 200mm wide, medium-compound tyres to suit. Rally winner Pedder was also on 17-inch mediums, but his 220mm rubber suffered no similar problems.

Honda showed substantial commitment to the first event of the season, with engineers from both JAS and Mugen present to oversee the preparations of the car’s debut.

Evans won the opening stage of the rally, and was within a handful of seconds of leader Scott Pedder in two legs of the event when tyre dramas struck.

With his extra rubber, he traded fastest stage times on Sunday with Pedder, until the final stages in Burnie.

– PHIL BRANAGAN

V8 SUPERCARS JAMIE Whincup’s domination of the opening four races of the 2010 V8 Supercar Championship Series came about after a series of changes were made to TeamVodafone’s two Commodore VEs. In an exclusive interview with Motorsport News, the team’s technical director Ludu Lacroix has explained that the first test of the cars at Queensland Raceway last month revealed a handling characteristic of the new Holdens did not work. The team changed the front end of the car, and a subsequent test at QR a few days later

Andrew Hall

T8’s Commodore VE [Mk II] revealed that the cars were much more to the liking of Whincup and Craig Lowndes.

“I know that there have been only a few days since we took the car onto the track for testing,” Lacroix told MN before the cars were flown to Abu Dhabi, “but it seems like that the VE aero package is different enough to have to adapt suspension. That is why we have already, after we tested last Monday and before we tested four days later, built a new cross member. We tested that on the Friday before we went to the Middle East.”

The Frenchman was not forthcoming with the detail of what the changes were, save to say, “We really did something

different between the two tests, and that made a big difference to the dynamic of the car.”

The T8-built VEs have been the class of the field in the opening four races of the year, easily faster than the similar cars built

by Walkinshaw Racing and the other, longestablished Holden teams.

Lacroix also reveals whether the team has been able to make its new Holdens perform like its older, and dominant, Fords.

For full details of TeamVodafone’s transformation from a Ford team to a Holden team, see the new-look Motorsport News magazine, on-sale this Wednesday.

– PHIL BRANAGAN

Percat ready for Fujitsu V8 V8 SUPERCARS NICK Percat has completed his last test before the Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series kicks off at the Clipsal 500.

The reigning Australian Formula Ford Champion completed more than 100 laps of Winton with his new team, South Australian-based Holden squad JAY Motorsport.

“It went surprisingly well,”

he told eNews following the gruelling test.

“That’s the last day I get before Clipsal, so it was about getting used to things like changing roll bars on the run, and activating the pit-lane speed limiter and so on.

“And Keith [Rennie, team boss] was happy with my times.

We ran some really good pace in the middle of the day.”

Adelaide-based company

Sip’n Save will be the major sponsor for the Clipsal round, and may continue with the team for the remainder of the season.

Meanwhile, Percat will continue to work for Sonic, the team with which he won the AFFC, as a Formula Ford engineer this season. His duties will be restricted at rounds that clash with the Fujitsu Series.

– ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN

BRIEFLY...

RECEIVERS have been appointed to four companies belonging to John Marshall, long-running motorsport sponsor and father of V8 racer Marcus.

The Gold Coast Bulletin reports that St George Bank appointed receivers to No Limit, No Limit 7, No Limit 12 and Storage King Miami, all owned by the Gold Coast property developer. n

Miedecke’s big break AUSSIES OVERSEAS

n RESULTS for the Armor All Bathurst 12 Hour remain provisional. Organisers hope to have an outcome shortly.

Next week’s issue of Motorsport eNews will publish on Tuesday (9th), thanks to the Monday public holiday in Victoria.

– MITCHELL ADAM n

10

Dirk Klynsmith

n THE final field for the V8 Utes 10 Years of Legends race at the Clipsal 500 will be sorted this week.

Winner of the 2009 season finale, George Miedecke will return from the USA for a one-off to partner Jeremy Gray, who is a newcomer to the class. Gray will race Miedecke’s old Falcon Ute in the 2010 season.

Former series winner Marcus Zukanovic will also rejoin the class for the weekend, partnering Gary Carson, while Luke Youlden joins Gary McDonald.

Former touring car racer Charlie O’Brien will line up with Steve McFadden.

Dirk Klynsmith

n STILL on Production Cars, regulations and the format for the inaugural Australian 6 Hour at Eastern Creek are coming together.

The start time for the race, which will be held with the Shannons Nationals in July, has been locked in for 10:30am. Further information on the structure will be determined in the next month.

GEORGE Miedecke will join Marcos Ambrose at JTG Daugherty Racing this year.

The former V8 Ute racer has been signed a development driver for the outfit, joining Coleman Pressley in a two-car Late Model outfit.

“It’s a huge opportunity,” Miedecke said.

“I got together with Marcos (Ambrose) and his manager Trip Wheeler at the last V8 Ute race at Homebush, and we really got along. We talked about my ambition to come over to the states and since then we have been talking more and more.

“For it to end up with an opportunity like this is just fantastic and I want to thank him for his efforts – it’s very rare to be presented with a

break like this.”

Miedecke, who arrived in America in early February and will be based near the team in North Charlotte, will kick off his season in late March.

“The plan is to spend some time fine tuning my oval driving,” Miedecke said.

“That will really help before we turn up the heat and do some larger races.

It really is an amazing privilege to be granted this opportunity having never turned a wheel on an oval, but I think the team knows how dedicated I am to making it as a driver.

“I’m also looking forward to running with Coleman (Pressley) – he’s been achieving great results and it will be good to have another driver there to learn from and bounce ideas off.”

Evans signs with BRM FORMULA 3 MITCH Evans has signed with Team BRM to contest this year’s Formula 3 Australian Drivers Championship.

The Kiwi standout made his F3 debut in the season finale at Sandown, winning the SuperPrix.

Evans joins Englishman Ben Barker and Chinese driver Zhang Shan Qi in the team’s allinternational line-up.

“Obviously the round at

Sandown was very good for us and we really enjoyed our experience in the Formula 3 Australian Drivers’ Championship, so we wanted to take that further and be involved in the whole series,” Evans said.

“We are going to give the championship our best shot with BRM. “I want to do as well as I can, get some solid results over there and try to do some really good things before I head

overseas. Winning a Formula 3 Championship would be a good step.”

Fellow New Zealander Ben Crighton will return to TanderSport, while Queenslander John Magro will race an F304 Dallara for R-Tek Motorsport.

The 2010 F3 season kicks off at Wakefield Park this weekend, with the series expected to announce a new pole position award with Meguiars CarCare in the coming days.

news

Rob Lang

FIRST PIC!

Pretty damn GR8. Seriously.

AUSTRALIAN GT MARK Eddy has turned his first laps in the new Audi R8 GT3 he’ll race in this year’s Australian GT Championship.

The 2008 Australian GT Champ tested his new car at Winton last Friday in warm conditions. Eddy’s Audi is one of only 10 built, and the first R8 GT3 to race outside of Europe.

“The day went well, considering it’s a new car – all we did was put petrol in it,” Eddy told eNews.

“We did about 40 laps, the times were consistent and it was easy to drive. Compared to the Lamborghini, it has the same horsepower but more torque and it’s a little bit smoother.

“We’ll run a lot more weight

in the Audi; I think we’ll run at 1410kg, which will be the heaviest car in the field, so that’ll be interesting to see how we go.

“It’s more of a race car than a road car. The Lamborghini was a road car modified for racing, but this is a full factory race car.

“The car is one of only 10 made and the only 2009-

model car still racing. One’s in a museum and the others were up-specced to 2010-spec, so it’s a bit of a collectors item.”

Eddy has secured support from Melbourne dealership Audi Penfold, with the car currently being liveried ahead of the season opener at the Clipsal 500 next weekend.

– MITCHELL ADAM

Fountain steps CAMS

Corey Sleep

CAMS will seek a new CEO after the resignation last week of Graham Fountain.

Fountain, who joined the organization in 2007, will take up a new position in April as CEO and Chief Officer of the Metropolitan Fire & Emergency Services Board.

Fountain previously had over 20 years experience with the Country Fire Authority where he rose to the rank of Deputy Chief Officer.

“I would like to publicly acknowledge the significant contribution Graham has

made to CAMS during his tenure and on behalf of the Board wish him every success in his new role,” said CAMS President Andrew Papadopoulos in a statement.

“I would also like to reassure the organisation that the Board has already commenced the process to recruit a new high calibre CEO as a priority and will ensure the transition is managed appropriately to maintain service delivery to the members.”

An announcement regarding CAMS’s new CEO is expected as developments occur.

11

Key change FORMULA 1 BMW.SAUBER has made a key change on the eve of the 2010, with Willy Rampf standing aside from his role as Technical Director.

Rampf, 56, first joined Peter Sauber’s team in 1994, and has been replaced by James Key, below. The 38-year-old Englishman joined Jordan in 1998, and became the Technical Director of the team in 2005, moving through its transformations into Midland, Spyker and Force India.

Rampf is expected to stay with the team until April, through a handover period and the difficult flyaway races.

Chandok close FORMULA 1

sutton-images.com

sutton-images.com

INDIA could have a man on the grid this season, with Karun Chandpk close to a deal with Campos Meta.

The GP2 pilot has confirmed on his Twitter page that he has not signed a deal with the team, but an announcement one way or the other is expected Monday, London time.

“Hey guys, I know I said we should have news by today but it’s going to be a few days more ... getting there slowly – fingers crossed !!” he said.

Team boss Colin Kolles appears to be on the same wavelength, telling India’s Business Standard Motoring, “We are close to finalizing a deal with him.”

Chandok, 26, has no F1 race experience, but has tasted success in GP2, where he has spent three seasons. If the man from Chennai makes it onto the grid, he would become India’s second F1 racer, Narain Karthikeyan having driven 19 GPs for Jordan in 2005.

USF1 LOOKS TO 2011 FORMULA 1

12

sutton-images.com

THE USF1 saga has taken a turn, with the team reportedly asking the FIA to defer the team’s entry ... until 2011.

Reports on speedtv.com say that the team has offered to put a multi-million dollar surety bond in place to assure its commitment to racing next year.

The report comes a week after Charlie Whiting was reported to be visiting the team. The Formula 1 Race Director and Technical Head was reported to be at the

team’s Cahrlotte base last week, to assess the team’s situation and determine whether there was a realistic chance of it making it onto the grid as planned.

The American team, and the Campos Meta team in Spain, has missed the entire preseason testing program, and faces the likelihood of taking untried racing cars to GP races, whenever that might be. To add to the intrigue, Stefan GP continues to promote its own credentials and case, in order to try to make it to some events this year.

sutton-images.com sutton-images.com

sutton-images.com

Lewis sends a warning FORMULA 1 LEWIS Hamilton has emerged from the latest round of Formula 1 testing with the fastest time from three days of work at Barcelona.

The 2008 World champion, main pic, topped the times on the final day of the test, but he was only just faster than Red Bull’s Mark Webber. With most of the teams running high fuel loads before they went ‘light’, the comparisons did appear to be slightly more realistic than they have

been in recent tests, a fact backed up by the speed of Felipe Massa, who was third fastest in his Ferrari F10.

What was apparent was that the early testing speed show by the Mercedes team has somewhat ebbed in later tests. Michael Schumacher was in sixth place, behind countrymen Adrian Sutil and Sebastian Vettel, and the multiple champion downplayed his team’s expectations somewhat – before doing a reverse the next day when more data became available ...

The speed of Sutil, top, in the Force India was not unexpected – team-mate Tonio Liuzzi was also fast the day before – amd there have also been impressive cameos from Williams (Nico Hulkenberg topped one days’ times in Barcelona) and BMW. Sauber, with Pedro de la Rosa, above, showing speed in the confusingly-named, Ferrari-powered car.

The Barcelona test brings an end to preseason testing, with cars being prepared before being fired up for the first practice session at Bahrain, on Friday next week.

Staying FORMULA 1

Courtesy Stefan GP

STEFAN GP continues its plans to make it to the seasonopening race next week in Bahrain, despite have had no testing, no confirmed drivers and having no entry.

The team, based in the former Toyota factory in Cologne, is in the midst of having its second car finished and reports indicate that Jacques Villeneuve is due at the factory today, Monday, for a seat fitting.

Zoran Stefanovic’s squad has already sent equipment to Bahrain in case it is allowed to

race in the first Grand Prix of the season.

“SGP would like to re-confirm its desire and, importantly, its ability to compete in the whole of the FIA 2010 F1 World Championship,” said the team in the statement.

“It recognises that this can only happen with the consent of the FIA and the FOM, but we have faith that the F1 ‘family’ will make the correct decision in the end.

“There will be no more press releases on this subject and we look forward to being allowed to show everyone our team in Bahrain.”

13

RED IS THE NEW RED

Rare 158 will lead the parade of historic Alfa Romeos at Phillip Island HISTORICS

Something Old

THIS is John Bowe’s new Mustang in the flesh. JB tested the car at Winton last Friday, ahead of the Touring Car Masters presented by Autobarn season opener at the Clipsal 500.

The class has announced a new partnership with Australian Sports Marketing (ASM) as their official ticketing, corporate hospitality and travel provider.

14

Dirk Klynsmith

ALFA Romeo’s all-conquering 158 Alfetta, which totally dominated the inaugural F1 World Championship season 60 years ago, in 1950, is heading to the Phillip Island Classic Festival of Motor Sport from 19-21 March to kickstart the Italian manufacturer’s 100th anniversary celebrations in Australia.

Usually housed in the Alfa Romeo museum in Arese, Italy, the 158 Alfetta seldom ventures far from home these days and the 2010 trip to Australia will be only the second time this car has been in the southern hemisphere.

The 158 Alfetta won every one of the 11 races it contested in 1950 and saw Giuseppe Farina crowned F1’s first world champion in the sport’s modern era.

The 158 will be one of more than 100 examples of

the Italian marque expected to take to the circuit for the VHRR’s 21st Anniversary Phillip Island Classic, again supported

by Shannons, Penrite Lubricants and CoolDrive.

Kevin Bartlett, who won the Australian Drivers’ Championship (CAMS Gold Star) in 1968 and 1969 driving an Alfa-powered Brabham and Mildren, respectively, is the Phillip Island Classic’s Patron.

Over 500 entries have been received for the Island’s major historic motorsport event, which includes races for more recent ‘historics’ such as Historic Touring Cars, Group A Touring Cars, and a full field of throaty Formula 5000s.

(See the all-new Motorsport News magazine, available from newsagents from Wednesday, for a super chat with New Zealand’s perennial racer and F5000 star, Kenny Smith ... plus, a visit to Mercedes Benz’s museum).

Age no object: Toulo de Graffenried demonstrates the Alfa Romeo 158 at Monaco in 1953. Alfa fans will no doubt recall this image; Kevin Bartlett, Mildren-Alfa, Horden Trophy, Warwick Farm, 1968.

Something

VODKA O Racing took the wraps off their two-car Australian GT Championship team in Melbourne last week.

Former Formula 3 and Formula 4000 Champ Peter Hackett will join Dean Grant in the squad, both driving Lamborghini Gallardos.

The season kicks off at the Clipsal 500 next weekend.

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15

AMC48

Magazine Only: Motorsport News

Prism continues to start – and Blaney goes the distance in

Power leads P

NASCAR SPRINT CUP

Toyota Motorsports

NASCAR’S recent fairytale story, of Dave Blaney, right, qualifying fifth at California last week, has continued, despite his car being confiscated by NASCAR. As reported in last week’s eNews, Blaney started fifth in the race in a Toyota owned by retired driver Phil Parsons, and the intention all along was to ‘start and park’ and collect the prizemoney attached to a lowly finish.

But each week NASCAR confiscates two cars, the race winner and a random selection US$160,070 in California for a total of just 83 laps of ‘racing’, car. Jimmie Johnson’s winning as both cars were parked Hendrick Chevy was sent before pit stops. back to NASCAR’s R&D center Compare this to the tyre, in Concord, North Carolina, crew and engine lease bill while after looking at Parson’s Roush Fenway Racing had to logistics, NASCAR inspected cough up for Matt Kenseth’s his car at the Las Vegas track on Thursday and Friday prior to seventh place result, which netted them $161,696 its easy the race. to see that Parsons and his The Camry is one of two partner are onto a good thing complete cars Parsons and – and with NASCAR helping partner Randy Humphreys them in their situation last own, the other is driven by week, it seems they need those Michael McDowell in a similar cars on the grid each race. ‘start and park’ situation.

Although it’s not been So NASCAR felt some confirmed, insiders say compassion for the team that just simply fills their fields each that NASCAR’s TV contracts stipulate 43 cars start each weekend with no complete Sprint Cup race before back-up car and a skeleton monies can be paid to the staff that doesn’t include a pit sanctioning body. Providing crew. our information is accurate, Prism Motosports sent a car bending over backwards to to each Cup race last season help Prism could make perfect and this year increased his sense. program to two cars entered Both Prism drivers made at each event, effectively the field again in Las Vegas, doubling his payout if its exMcDowell in 33rd and Blaney Michael Waltrip Racing cars 38th. McDowell pulled in on qualify. While Johnson’s team has around 12 active cars and a lap 41 with brake problems, but Blaney made the finish, full pit crew filling hotel rooms three laps behind winner each weekend and taking up Johnson in 29th. seats on corporate jets, Prism’s – MARTIN D CLARK two-car effort netted them

16

Queenslander tops IndyCar test, with Helio and Briscoe right behind INDYCAR WILL Power has shown that he is completely recovered from his racing accident last summer in which he fractured four vertebrae by setting the pace over two days of IndyCar testing at Barber Motorsports Park near Birmingham, Alabama.

In cold conditions, the Queenslander led a Penske 12-3, setting a blistering lap of 69.8724s on the 16-turn, 4km course.

“I’m fully recovered and ready to go,” said Power.

“When I tested the car my first lap felt like normal. I didn’t give my back or my accident a thought. My core is actually stronger this season and I’m fitter this year than last from all my exercising.”

Helio Castroneves was second followed by Ryan Briscoe. Right behind was Scott Dixon, but the news was not all-good for the Target Chip Ganassi team.

Defending IndyCar Champion Dario Franchitti slid off the track on cold tyres after just two laps on the second day with extensive damage to his car and the guard rail. He was unhurt but it took over an hour to repair the circuit.

Other challengers this season appear to be Justin Wilson now driving for Dreyer & Reinbold and Takuma Sato driving for KV Racing Technology, both former F1 drivers.

“The cool thing this season is Will is full-time,” said Briscoe, who starts his third season with Team Penske, finishing third overall last year.

“I hope to be one of the guys fighting for the 2010 championship. Our team has gotten stronger. The results didn’t really show that a lot of drivers/teams could have won races last year. We had an edge in our strategy and pit stops. My biggest goal is to win the Indy 500 and after that, fight for the championship.”

– MARY MENDEZ

news

Mutoh is a New Man with Haas Lanigan

Penske Sweep

INDYCAR

Red out, Black in INDYCAR TEAM Penske will carry a new look this season.

For the last 20 years, the team ran the very distinctive and easily recognizable red and white race cars. But this season there’s been a major change.

Long-time sponsor Philip Morris USA, under its Marlboro brand cigarette logo, had to be removed a number of years ago due to legislation restricting tobacco advertising but the color scheme remained.

Being so identifiable, the missing name was essentially

a subliminal billboard on the Marlboro Team Penske cars.

Further recent legislation, however, has eliminated even the all too familiar color scheme and finally Philip Morris/ Marlboro as a sponsor.

“This marks an end to an era of red and white cars we’ve run since 1990,” said Tim Cindric, President of Penske Racing.

“Philip Morris is no longer a sponsor of Team Penske. But we are excited about competing with three cars this season and looking forward to the opportunities that lie ahead.”

– MARY MENDEZ

Honda Racing Media

Honda Racing Media

HIDEKI Mutoh has signed to race with Newman/Haas/ Lanigan this season.

Mutoh moves to the sport’s second most successful team, with eight championships and 107 victories, after two years with Andretti Green Racing.

“I’m very happy with our test,” said Mutoh, who tested with NHL at Sebring last November and then again at Barber Motorsports Park’s open test.

“I have good communication with my engineer, Martin Pare, who I knew at AGR. It takes time for me because of my language and I need to understand what the team is talking about. The car has a lot of potential to be fast. I started watching Indy car racing when Nigel Mansell came to race in the United States from Formula One and am happy to be racing for the same team.”

To date, NHL only plans to run one car unless sponsorship can be found. With the loss of McDonald’s at the end of 2009, the team could not renew its

contract with Graham Rahal, making him a free agent.

Word at Barber’s open test was that Rahal was offered a ride at Dale Coyne Racing but declined. Coyne had two entries listed for the test without drivers named but didn’t participate. Although rumors have linked Rahal with a switch to NASCAR, he may still land an IndyCar drive for the season opener in Brazil on March 14.

– MARY MENDEZ

Lotus back to Brickyard INDYCAR

Honda Racing Media

THE Lotus name will return to the Indianapolis 500 this year.

Motorsport Director, Claudio Berro, announced last week that the famed constructor will return to compete at the 500 this May under the Team Lotus USA banner. The chassis manufacturer is submitting a new Indy car chassis design for the 2012 season. For Lotus to enter the 500, it will collaborate with a team that runs a Honda/Dallara/Firestone entry, as required by the rules.

Most noticeable at the Barber Motorsports test was the black with gold trimmed,

third KV Racing Technology car driven by James Rossiter, which is very similar to the famed Lotus Players color scheme. Although Rossiter hasn’t yet signed with KV to join team-mates Takuma Sato and EJ Viso (signed last week), he is likely the Lotus connection.

Mario Moraes, the 2009 KV Racing Technology driver, was present at the Barber Test but not driving. He said he hopes to return to IndyCar racing but doesn’t think there is time for his deal to come together for the season opener on March 14 in his home country, Brazil.

– MARY MENDEZ

17

PASS GO, GET $1000. IN TOWNSVILLE AND FORMULA FORD GENUINE Ford Parts Australian Formula Ford Championship competitors will have 1000 extra reasons to do the championship’s two long-haul races.

As an extension of its relationship with Formula Ford, Instrumental Music Australia will support the championship’s ‘Top End Top Up’. Each competitor who does Rounds 4 and 5 at Hidden Valley and Townsville will get $1000.

IMA also sponsors the championship’s pole position award, giving a $1000 bonus to the driver who scores the most poles in the season.

“The 2010 championship is heading to some fantastic locations, some of which are a

long way away,” IMA CEO and Formula Ford competitor Jon Mills said.

“Any amount of support these young drivers can get will help in getting them to all the rounds, which is what I want to see.”

John Morris

19 cars for Sports hit-out V8 SUPERCARS THE Australian Sports Racer Series will debut at next weekend’s Clipsal 500 with 19 cars.

Seven manufacturers will be represented in the two-class system, contesting three races at Clipsal. The six-round series also features an appearance at the Shannons Nationals at Phillip Island and rounds with

the New South Wales state series.

Former Gold Star and MINI Challenge Champ Neil McFadyen is the highest-profile driver in the field. The Sydneysider will race a brand-new Speads RS08 Sports Racer “It’s a brand-new car straight out of the box, so we’re going to take it out for a run and see how we go,” McFadyen said.

“I think the Sports Racers will look awesome around the streets of Adelaide

– we should be the quickest cars through Turn 8 all weekend, and in terms of lap times, the cars should be right up there with the V8s because of their aerodynamic and handling advantage.”

Sports car racers Andrew Macpherson and Greg Keene are also set to line up, while Aaron Steer – son of West boss and series organiser Greg Steer – will debut West’s new WX10 model.

NEW FORMATS FOR S-SEDANS, SPORTS SEDANS SPORTS Sedans and Commodore Cup drivers will tackle new formats in the Shannons Nationals’ season opener at Wakefield Park this weekend, in a trial for both classes.

18

The PPG Gearbox Dash for Cash will put the top six drivers from the Kerrick Sports Sedan Series back on track for a fourlap, reverse grid race, with a single-file start and no passing until after Turn 1.

There won’t be any points on offer, but the top three will

earn prize money.

Commodore Cup, meanwhile, will run traditional, progressive grids in Races 1 and 2. The grid for Race 3, though, will be determined by the fastest lap of each driver in Race 2.

“If it’s successful and

everyone loves it, we might look at it more often,” Commodore Cup Group’s David Stevenson told eNews.

The Commodore Cup season opener has attracted 18 cars, including newcomers Adam Beechey and Garth Duffy.

– MITCHELL ADAM

19

Bird flies high DRAG RACING

Luke Nieuwhof

DOUG Bird won the Competition category at the Westernationals on Sunday night, with his altered-style race car performing well to take the title.

“Long live the Altereds,” he said after his win.

One of the stories of the event however was Craig Glassby returning from a crash in his Funny Car two events ago to make it through to the final and take a runner up spot.

The team performed

DRAG RACING MICK Frossos took a well earned victory in Super Stock at the Westernationals, defeating Allen Puglia in the final.

Frossos top qualified in his Nissan 300ZX and reset the

national record for his class with a 7.56sec. time.

“It has been really financially and mentally straining to get here today,” he said.

“We had a hiccup at the start of the season with a new engine, I had to send it back and this is my first time back

out; the engine is a weapon.”

Puglia settled for the runner up after some issues on the start line.

“We had no line locker ( a device that holds the front brakes on to keep a car stationary) on the line in the final, I don’t know how the

Luke Nieuwhof

Frossos finds form

extensive repairs and found personal best times at the Westernationals.

“We crashed the car on boxing day, I turned up to 1320 Race Cars on New Years Day and said we need this car back; we went pretty hard on repairs,” he said.

“I was happy just to qualify for the Westerns and it just ran great.”

Check out Pages 40-43 for full Top Doorslammer and Top Bike coverage from Westernationals.

– LUKE NIEUWHOF

hell it (the run) worked but it worked,” he said.

In other Westernationals action, Neil Anderson proved almost unstoppable in Competition Bike, claiming victory against David Rundmann.

– LUKE NIEUWHOF

ANDRA Pro Series news is proudly presented by:

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news

Karcher sets up Shootout DRAG RACING ANDRA Pro Series Drag Racing category Top Doorslammer has a new championship within a championship, with the launch of the $20,000 Karcher Tri State Top Doorslammer Shootout.

The concept sees drivers compete over three rounds, in three states for a winner-takeall prize pool of $20,000.

All race cars competing in the Karcher Shootout assembled on the Perth Motorplex start line ahead of the Westernationals to take part in a bonus points draw that provided an extra

element to the competition.

Drawn randomly, each driver was provided with a envelope containing bonus points they would take into the opening round.

With the bonus points ranging from 5 to 55, it was Ben Bray who pulled the maximum allocation from his envelope. Deno Brijeski grabbed 50 points and Robin Judd started the weekend with 45 bonus points to his name.

“The only place to go is downward from here,” joked Bray.

“Seriously though, getting a head start in the Karcher Shootout is great. There is a

lot of motivation amongst the Top Doorslammers to win the $20,000 prize and they all have to chase me now.”

The Karcher Tri State Top Doorslammer Shootout will be held over three rounds: the Westernationals at Perth Motorplex, the Nitro Champs

at Sydney Dragway in May and the Winternationals at Brisbane’s Willowbank Raceway in June.

Points are accumulated under the same allocation as run in the Australian Top Doorslammer Championship.

– LUKE NIEUWHOF

Next ANDRA Pro Series Round: ENZED Top Fuel Championships, Willowbank Raceway, April 17-18 21

5 Minutes with ...

JAMIE WHINCUP The season is four races old, and Jamie Whincup has three poles, four wins, and 600 points. He told ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN that it’s all been a pleasent surprise MOTORSPORT NEWS: I guess that couldn’t have gone any better.

JAMIE WHINCUP: (Laughs) No, it couldn’t have.

Going into the year with the question mark of a new car, and a new track – as well as the question mark over reliability – to come out of Round 2 with four wins and three poles, you’ve summed it up. It couldn’t have gone any better.

Is a lot of it about riding on the wave of confidence?

I just go out there and do the best I can, no matter what the conditions or mentality are. But there’s no doubt that confidence does work for you.

I knew I had a quick car, I proved that in the first race in

22

Dirk Klynsmith

Are you surprised? Or in the back of your mind did you suspect you’d be able to go out and win races as easily, or maybe even more easily, than you could last year?

That’s a tough one. No one can go along thinking they’re going to win every round in the Middle East. And there’s no way I thought that.

I’m fully aware of the competition in this category, and how tough it is to win a round – let alone four races in a row. I had confidence in the car, because it is still a V8 Supercar, and a lot of the car is the same as last year, which was very quick.

And I’d knew we’d get there, but I didn’t expect us to be so strong, so early. I blame myself for that. I should never doubt the engineers at Triple Eight, but I did in some way.

Bahrain. Race 2, that was one of my worst races for a while. I made three errors; one off the line, two when I ran wide, and three, disgracefully, stalling in pit-lane. I’m not happy with that, and I want to improve. I’m just thankful that we were still good enough to get the win.

It looks like Mark Winterbottom has emerged as the bloke most likely to give you a few headaches this year.

Is that your read on it, too?

Yeah, but I’ll still put the Holden Racing Team guys up there. They aren’t gone. They’ll come back hard. Both factory teams – FPR and HRT – were my

predictions at the start of the year, and while HRT didn’t get results, they were very quick.

The new lay-out at Bahrain looked like it added some passing spots. Do you agree?

Definitely. The track’s a lot more exciting to drive now. The whole purpose of cut-throughs is to give the spectactors more value, so that we’re passing them more often– but when the television audience massively out-weighs the crowd attendance, then there’s no reason why we shouldn’t go on the full circuit.

Overall though, that decision was forced by GP2 Asia being

there, because the cut-through wasn’t homologated. So we were forced into it, but we should be doing that anyway, because it’s better for the drivers and better for television.

Onwards to the Clipsal 500, and personally you have a good record there. You must be excited about getting back on home soil.

Without doubt. But Clipsal is completely different to the billiard tables we’ve been driving on in the Middle East.

It’s another new challenge, and one that I’m looking forward to. It’s my favourite event.

chat

Dirk Klynsmith

23

Personal

Will Davison – Toll Holden Racing Team

DOWN, BUT NOT OUT ...

I

T’S been a disappointing trip to the Middle East for us, no doubt about that.

But I’m very proud of how hard the guys worked over those weekends. The actual preparation and the way the guys worked during the week between races was amazing.

If we keep that up, we’ll improve the weaknesses that were proven to us on the weekend, and we’ll get back on top of it.

It’s changed our mindset for the rest of the season. Of course we’re on the back foot now, but we’re heading back to some tracks where we know we’ll be really competitive. We actually knew that Bahrain isn’t great for our cars, but to win the championship you can’t afford to have tracks that are good and bad for you.

So, we used the weekend to try some radical things, and we learned some stuff. Between the first race and the second race in Bahrain, I learnt a lot and took some steps forward, but still not nearly enough. We were nowhere near strong enough.

Clearly we didn’t have the pace of Jamie [Whincup] and Frosty (Mark Winterbottom).

But GT (Garth Tander) was very quick in Abu Dhabi. My tyre life hasn’t been there, but I’ve qualified in the top five at nearly every race, apart from the second race at Abu Dhabi when I speared off.

We’ve been making more changes than you normally do over a race weekend. The actual qualifying speed in Bahrain wasn’t too bad, but we weren’t at Jamie’s pace, and then we couldn’t get the tyre life we needed.

It’s not scary how fast TeamVodafone have been, but they’re on top of their game. I’m not surprised. At the end of the day, we knew

24

they would be quick straight away. They are traditionally quick at Bahrain anyway, and HRT cars have struggled with the low-grip conditions.

They have also found quite a bit of horsepower with the Holden engines. [Russell] Ingall had a lot of power last year with the Morris engines, and Triple Eight have improved the power.

We’re behind in a couple of areas, but it won’t be as bad as it looked last weekend on all circuits. We’re very confident that we’ve got a good car, and it will work on a lot of the circuits in Australia that we go to. It’s just disappointing that we couldn’t be stronger overseas.

We’ve got that mentality change now – you know, where you can’t believe how your year starts after such full-on preparation! We honestly can’t believe it.

We’re pretty relaxed, and we’re super pumped to get to Adelaide. We’re not downand-out, we’re just more motivated. It’s been very disappointing for the team but, as I said, I’m very proud of how they have worked even when we weren’t as competitive as we’d like to be.

I’m really confident that we’ll head home and really dig deep. Everyone is excited about getting to Adelaide already. No one likes losing, and we’ve come into the year with high expectations, and we haven’t met them.

I know I’m feeling more motivated than ever – I’m not feeling down. My head is up high, and I’m excited about the next race.

We’ll be going all out attack from here on in.

It’s given us a wake-up call, and our efforts will be doubled back home.

opinion

Opinion

Mitchell Adam – eNews National Editor

Dirk Klynsmith

To F3, or not to F3

T

Dirk Klynsmith

HAT is the question many drivers are asking themselves and, it seems, ultimately answering with a ‘nay’. At the time of writing it looks like this weekend’s opening round of the Formula 3 Australian Drivers Championship at Wakefield Park will scrape in at just under 10 cars.

It’s a low number in anyone’s books, and surprising given how hard those involved in the championship have been working to attract drivers.

This column isn’t a witch hunt – I don’t think we should ‘bone’ or replace F3 – and I don’t have any answers to the situation. It’s obvious that the championship has potential, but it just doesn’t seem to be resonating with drivers for a variety of reasons.

Personally, the most-disappointing stat is that there are just two confirmed Australian drivers on the entry list. Internationals like Mitch Evans, Ben Barker, Ben Crighton and Zhang Shan Qi see the value in running the class to further their careers, but Tom Tweedie and John Magro are the only locals on the list.

I think perception plays a big part in that.

It doesn’t seem to be on aspiring V8 drivers’ career paths. F3 doesn’t run on the V8 card

and it doesn’t have the driver development track record of, say, Formula Ford in Australia.

Primarily that’s because it’s only been here 10 or so years, but the alumni in V8s is growing, with Michael Caruso, Tim Slade and Karl Reindler in there.

The big area that’s been hit hard, though, is the weekend warrior ranks. In the past, Formula 3 has generally had around half a dozen ‘gentlemen drivers’, but for Wakefield there’s currently none. If you threw them in with the existing top end of the grid, things would actually look alright; this is probably one of F3’s strongest seasons in terms of young, fast, outright contenders.

But there are so many – too many – different categories out there, diluting the pool. And, for whatever reason, there’s probably at least a dozen F3 cars which have been purchased in the last two years, that are now sitting in sheds or only doing the occasional state event, rather than being involved in the National Championship.

So there’s bound to be lots of head scratching around the pits this weekend, and F3 will continue to plug away. Hopefully business starts to pick up a bit.

25

V8 SUPERCAR CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES RACES 3&4, BAHRAIN INTERNATIONAL CIRCUIT

26

race

SHEIKH AND BAKE

The Middle East was very, very kind to Jamie Whincup. After two races in Abu Dhabi and then two more in Bahrain, he has 600 points. It’s going to be a long year for the other 28 drivers ...

Dirk Klynsmith

27

T

HERE were those who thought Jamie Whincup’s clean sweep at Abu Dhabi was more about TeamVodafone’s ability to engineer a car for a brand new circuit than the outright speed of its new VE Commodores. But Race 1 in Bahrain proved otherwise.

Whincup was simply sublime, taking a lights-toflag win to make it three from three in 2010. He was never really challenged, had enough pace to nurse his tyres on the abrasive surface, and basically made it look easy.

“We have had a great run,” Whincup said.

“To win in Abu Dhabi was huge but to come here and win is really something else.

“I know it looked easy, but we were working hard. Frosty really pushed us today.

“We really set our day up today with our amazing qualifying run this morning and from there our car was excellent in the race and our strategy was spot on.”

Once again, Mark Winterbottom was the only driver who looked even remotely in touch with Whincup. Frosty set his race up by sneaking past front-row qualifier Shane van Gisbergen on the run to the first corner, but, while he would shadow Whincup for the entirity of the race, he never once looked like he was going to challenge the reigning Champ for the lead.

Craig Lowndes was third, with one of the most impressive drives in the race. He qualified just eighth, and fell back even further in the early laps of the race. But then he went on an absolute charge, and by the time he stopped on Lap 9, he was back up to fifth – and that became fourth when he jumped Garth Tander during the stop.

Lowndes even filtered past Winterbottom during that first round of stops, forcing the FPR driver to re-claim second on the track later in the race.

Tander came home fourth, a golden result compared to the shocking weekend that the Toll Holden Racing Team had in Abu Dhabi. Will Davison was also back in the points with eighth, making it a satisfactory day for the men in red.

Shane van Gisbergen was fifth after going a bit hard on his tyres early in the race, with James Courtney sixth and Russell Ingall seventh.

Rick Kelly was ninth, but there were almost two Jack Daniel’s cars in the Top 10. After being fast in practice, and then making a meal of qualifying and starting 18th, Todd took his first pit-stop early and made good head-way through the field.

Problem was, with two laps to go, his Commodore was running on fumes, and he had to make a splash-and-dash, dropping him from inside the Top 10 to 20th.

Steven Richards was a big improver compared to Abu Dhabi, making the shoot-out and qualifying seventh. But brake problems ruled him out in the early laps, spoiling any chance of a good result.

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Race 1

Dirk Klynsmith

Tough Times: HRT’s best result of the weekend was Tander’s fourth in Race 3, above, while Winterbottom was the only drivere even close to Whincup, right.

Dirk Klynsmith

Dirk Klynsmith

29

T

HE second race at Bahrain made two things glaringly obvious; Jamie Whincup is going to be almost impossible to beat this year – and if anyone’s going to do it, it will probably be Mark Winterbottom.

The second hit-out in the Kingdom of Bahrain was a thriller.

Whincup and Winterbottom stopped on exactly the same laps and spent the majority of the race nose-to-tail.

The only time there were cars in position between Whincup and Winterbottom was the start, when Whincup – starting from his third pole of the year – made a meal of it and dropped to fifth. On Lap 2 he dived down the inside of Lee Holdsworth at Turn 1 to make it fourth, and two laps later, he pulled an identical move on James Courtney. It took just one more lap for Whincup to find a way down the inside of a fast-starting Will Davison,

30

and then it was a case of creeping up to the back of Winterbottom, and picking a moment. The moment came on Lap 8, and Whincup led to the end.

But ‘Frosty’ didn’t let the Champ get away. After the second round of stops, the pair staged an intense battle. However, in the end, Whincup was too good, and kept his unbeaten streak alive.

“That certainly wasn’t my perfect performance,” Whincup said.

“The start was ordinary; I ran wide and had a wheel lockup, which I got away with. Then I stalled coming out of the pit bay, which I’m not happy about and will have to go away to have a think about.

“It’s just a massive, massive effort from our team, and one we are immensely proud of. My preparation for each event is simple; I go out to do the best job I can. Some days your best isn’t good enough, some days it is and the last two weekends

our best has been better than anyone else.”

Third ended up going to Shane van Gisbergen, with he, Holdsworth and Rick Kelly staging a mid-race battle for the final podium spot. But, having come from 14th on the grid (six of those places being made in the opening six laps), van Gisbergen broke free of the other two cars and ended up just down the road from the leaders. His reward was third in the championship after the Middle Eastern swing.

The race was another shocker for HRT. Having run as high as second at the start, fifth was the best that Davison could muster. And that was a great result compared to Garth Tander, who was turned around on the first lap, fought back to the midpack, and then had contact with Steven Richards on the penultimate lap – breaking his steering and leaving him with another DNF. Oh dear.

Race 2

Dirk Klynsmith

Dirk Klynsmith

Promising Start: Winterbottom led for the opening eight laps, after Whincup fluffed the start, above.

Shane van Gisbergen was sublime, surviving a battle with Rick Kelly for third, left.

Dirk Klynsmith

31

WINNERS JAMIE WHINCUP: Four from four, and continues to make things look pretty easy.

MARK WINTERBOTTOM: Was Whincup’s closest challenger, again, and pushed him in Race 2. Is Campbell Little the ingredient he’d been waiting for?

SHANE VAN GISBERGEN: With all due respect to Shane, who would’ve bet on him being third in the points as the series heads back to Australia?

GREG MURPHY: A guy who finished 16th and 22nd might seem like a strange choice, but he outqualified Russell Ingall for both races, and was fifth in the main qualifying session for Race 1, all in the team’s older generation car.

LOSERS WALKINSHAW RACING: Put simply, it was another disastrous weekend. Garth Tander now has two DNFs from four races and is 22nd in the points. Will Davison fared a bit better and is 13th, while both Bundy cars joined GT on DNF list on Saturday.

TODD KELLY: Looked good on Friday until needing a late splash and dash. But the Turn 1 incident on Saturday summed up his Middle East trip, which has left him 27th in the points.

STEVEN RICHARDS: Overcame his Achilles Heal to qualify in the Top 10 for both races, but results went begging through no fault of his own.

32

TIRED tyres were the biggest talking point in Bahrain.

A week after Abu Dhabi was extremely kind to tyres – with wear essentially a non-issue – nursing tyres across a pair of 200km races on the abrasive Bahrain surface was the focus for teams.

Rear tyres copped a pounding and went off within a handful of laps, with race pace as much as five seconds slower than qualifying times.

“Bahrain was almost like racing at Barbagallo before it was resurfaced,” Craig Lowndes told eNews.

“The surface was chewing up tyres really quickly. In qualifying,

you only really had two laps, three if you were lucky, to set a time before they went away.

“Managing the tyres over the weekend was the biggest factor, especially making sure you had enough reasonable rubber to get through both races. Some guys used a lot of their tyres on Friday and didn’t have much left for Saturday.

“Our strategy was to change the rear tyres at every stop. The fronts actually held in there quite well, but the rear tyres copped it and you needed to try and keep them in good shape, especially to get runs onto the long straights.”

– MITCHELL ADAM

Tyres d

Davison: HRT beaten fair TOLL Holden Racing Team’s Will Davison has conceded that Triple Eight beat them in all areas during the Middle Eastern swing.

While it seemed failures and luck, more than car speed, cost the factory Holden squad during the first four races of 2010, Davison says that he couldn’t even consider matching the pace of tear-away leader Jamie Whincup.

“Clearly we didn’t have the pace of Jamie [Whincup] and Frosty (Mark Winterbottom),” he told eNews.

“But again, GT (Garth Tander) was very quick in Abu Dhabi, and my tyre life hasn’t been there, but I’ve qualified

in the top five at nearly every race.

“We’ve been making changes than you normally do over a race weekend. The actual qualifying speed in Bahrain wasn’t too bad, but we weren’t at Jamie’s pace, and then we couldn’t get the tyre life we needed.”

But while the HRT pairing of Davison and Tander sit 13th and 22nd respectively in the championship, Davison is quick to point out that they aren’t scared of Whincup’s awesome pace.

“It’s not scary, but they’re on top of their game,” he said.

“I’m not surprised. At the end of the day, we knew they would be quick straight away.

They are traditionally quick at Bahrain anyway, and HRT cars have struggled with the lowgrip conditions. “[Triple Eight] have also found quite a bit of horsepower with the Holden engines. [Russell] Ingall had a lot of power last year with the Morris engines, and now Triple Eight have improved power.

“We’re behind in a couple of areas, but it won’t be as bad as it looked last weekend on all circuits. We’re very confident that we’ve got a good car, and it will work on a lot of the circuits in Australia that we go to. It’s just disappointing that we couldn’t be stronger overseas.”

– ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN

V8 Supercars’ Green Policy AT Abu Dhabi, V8 Supercars Australia rolled out a new Safety and Course Car program, sponsored by Pedders Suspension.

Problem is, TV viewers haven’t had much of a chance to check it out yet, because four races into the 2010 season there has not been a single Safety Car period!

Thanks to the long runs offs and huge track widths in the Middle East, no incident

has been significant enough to cause a caution period.

Not even a sign falling down during Race 3 at Bahrain could cause a stoppage, or Karl Reindler’s BJR Commodore catching fire after a clutch burn-out towards the end of Race 4.

Oh well; with the Clipsal 500 just a couple of weeks away, you can be sure the Safety Car will get a good work-out – and Pedders will get the coverage that they paid for.

do the talking

Dirk Klynsmith Dirk Klynsmith

ir and square

FROM THE COUCH with ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN

Dirk Klynsmith Dirk Klynsmith

THERE are numbers of detractors when it comes to V8 Supercars racing in the Middle East, for many reasons.

But to me, the worst thing about Abu Dhabi and Bahrain isn’t the time difference and delayed telecasts, or the affect the overseas adventures have on local circuits – it’s the fact that V8 Supercars look so slow on the massive Tilkedromes.

Both these tracks are impressive, no doubt about it, but the width of the tracks, with the cameras placed at the end of the huge run-off areas, means the cars are lost. After all, these tracks have been designed and built with Formula 1 in mind, and as great as V8 Supercars are, they aren’t as fast as an F1 car – obviously.

As loyal followers of V8 Supercar racing, we know that the cars are impressive. They are loud, fast, over-powered and undertyred. And watching 29 of these beasts race door-to-door around somewhere tighter, like Winton, is an awesome experience. But they just don’t look impressive on the telecasts from the Middle East, and that’s a shame – particularly for your channel surfer that might stumble across the coverage. I’d expect they’d be unlikely to stay on board for long.

But there was one great aspect to V8 Supercars’ latest visit to Bahrain – the Grand Prix layout. For the first time the V8s used the longer GP version of the circuit, which, ironically, the Formula 1 cars won’t use in two weeks for the Bahraini Grand Prix; they’ll use the full ‘endurance’ lay-out.

Anyway, while the extended lay-out for the V8s made the laps long, the shoot-out boring to watch and tyre conservation even more crucial, it did open up some genuine passing opportunities.

And there were re-passing opportunities too, with the ‘criss cross’ a very common move over the weekend. It really spiced up the racing – and was all thanks to the fact that international GP2 Asia was on board for the weekend.

With any luck, they’ll want to come back next year, so we can have the GP lay-out again.

33

Results :: Race 3 – Bahrain Int. Circuit

34

Pos

#

Driver

Team/Car

Qual

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

1 5 888 2 9 18 39 22 15 34 17 33 14 19 11 51 24 4 8 7 47 10 3 21 16 30 55 6 12

Jamie Whincup Mark Winterbottom Craig Lowndes Garth Tander Shane Van Gisbergen James Courtney Russell Ingall Will Davison Rick Kelly Michael Caruso Steven Johnson Lee Holdsworth Jason Bright Jonathon Webb Jason Bargwanna Greg Murphy Fabian Coulthard Alex Davison Jason Richards Todd Kelly Tim Slade Andrew Thompson Tony D’Alberto Karl Reindler Tony Ricciardello Daniel Gaunt Paul Dumbrell Steven Richards Dean Fiore

TeamVodafone Commodore VE Orrcon Steel FPR Falcon FG TeamVodafone Commodore VE Toll Holden Racing Team Commodore VE SP Tools Racing Falcon FG Jim Beam Racing Falcon FG Supercheap Auto Racing Commodore VE Toll Holden Racing Team Commodore VE Jack Daniels Racing Commodore VE Fujitsu Racing / GRM Commodore VE Jim Beam Racing Falcon FG Fujitsu Racing / GRM Commodore VE Trading Post Racing Commodore VE Dick Johnson Racing Falcon FG Rock Racing Commodore VE Castrol Edge Racing Commodore VE Bundaberg Red Racing Team Commodore VE Irwin Racing Falcon FG Team BOC Commodore VE Jack Daniel’s Racing Commodore VE Wilson Security Racing Falcon FG Bundaberg Red Racing Team Commodore VE Centaur Racing Commodore VE Fair Dinkum Sheds Racing Commodore VE Supermax Racing Commodore VE Gulf Western Oil Racing Commodore VE The Bottle-O Racing Team Falcon FG Dunlop Super Dealer FPR Falcon FG Triple F Racing Falcon FG

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

Dirk Klynsmith

Top 10 Points: Whincup 600, Winterbottom 543, Van Gisbergen 471, Lowndes 447, Courtney 420, R Kelly 392, Holdsworth 372, Johnson 296, Caruso 294, Ingall 270.

Results :: Race 4 – Bahrain Int. Circuit

Dirk Klynsmith

Pos

#

Driver

Team/Car

Qual

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 DNF DNF DNF DNF DNF

1 5 9 15 33 22 18 8 34 55 17 888 39 11 6 19 4 47 3 12 16 51 30 14 2 24 21 10 7

Jamie Whincup Mark Winterbottom Shane Van Gisbergen Rick Kelly Lee Holdsworth Will Davison James Courtney Jason Richards Michael Caruso Paul Dumbrell Steven Johnson Craig Lowndes Russell Ingall Jason Bargwanna Steven Richards Jonathon Webb Alex Davison Tim Slade Tony D’Alberto Dean Fiore Tony Ricciardello Greg Murphy Daniel Gaunt Jason Bright Garth Tander Fabian Coulthard Karl Reindler Andrew Thompson Todd Kelly

TeamVodafone Commodore VE Orrcon Steel FPR Falcon FG SP Tools Racing Falcon FG Jack Daniels Racing Commodore VE Fujitsu Racing / GRM Commodore VE Toll Holden Racing Team Commodore VE Jim Beam Racing Falcon FG Team BOC Holden Commodore VE Fujitsu Racing / GRM Commodore VE The Bottle-O Racing Team Falcon FG Jim Beam Racing Falcon FG TeamVodafone Commodore VE Supercheap Auto Racing Commodore VE Rock Racing Commodore VE Dunlop Super Dealer FPR Falcon FG Dick Johnson Racing Falcon FG Irwin Racing Falcon FG Wilson Security Racing Falcon FG Centaur Racing Commodore VE Triple F Racing Falcon FG Supermax Racing Commodore VE Castrol Edge Racing Commodore VE Gulf Western Oil Racing Commodore VE Trading Post Racing Commodore VE Toll Holden Racing Team Commodore VE Bundaberg Red Racing Team Commodore VE Fair Dinkum Sheds Racing Commodore VE Bundaberg Red Racing Team Commodore VE Jack Daniels Racing Commodore VE

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

35

AUSTRALIAN RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND 1 RALLY TASMANIA

FAMILY FEUD The Pedder clan took on the Evans brothers in the opening battle for the 2010 ARC crown.

PHIL BRANAGAN was there to watch the fun

36

race

I

F the opening round of the Australian Rally Championship was any indication, a family feud could well decide the 2010 titles.

The return of brothers Scott and Mark Pedder to the ARC saw them take on Simon and Eli Evans and it was Scott who emerged victorious, taking both legs in – ironically – the Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX that Simon Evans drove to the 2009 title.

Pedder took the lead on Friday and maintained it into the weekend. On Saturday, he looked under threat early but as problems slowed his rivals, he asserted his authority to take a solid Leg 2 win, and points lead in the series.

Sunday’s leg saw the real fight, as Pedder and Eli Evans swapped best stage times, until the Lancer extended its lead beyond reach. In a final twist, Evans broke his gear lever on the first upshift of the last, short special stage around the streets of Burnie; stuck in gear, the Type R buzzed around the streets like a banshee, fast enough only drop second place – to Simon.

Pedder agreed that it was a dream return to topline Aussie rallying.

“That’s one way of putting it,” he said.

“We were pushing along all the way, and the car got better after some set-up changes. This means a lot; it is 20 years, almost to the day, since Ed Ordynski won Pedders’ first rally in 1990.”

Much of the talk was about the new control tyres, in use for the first time.

Simon Evans chose hard rubber for his 18inch rims; Pedder went the medium route for his 17s, as did Eli Evans. But the Honda needed slightly narrower 200mm hoops than the 220mm opposition, and that was to be its Achilles heel (see news pages).

Simon Evans also suffered a lack of grip, describing himself as “the drift king” in the cooler conditions on Saturday morning, but as the day grew warmer and the stages grew longer, his selection came into its own. The white Subaru won the last two stages of the day but by then, Pedder was conserving his own tyres, and his comfortable lead.

“We could drive on these things [the tyres] for another six rallies,” Pedder smiled.

Eli was allocated an extra two tyres (beyond the normal allocation of 10) for

Sunday, for safety reasons, but still drove conservatively until the late, shorter stages.

Not the result he wanted but he did enough to show that the new weapon has speed, on tarmac at least.

Mark Pedder drove less flamboyantly than his brother, and worthy of special mention was the performance of Matt Dowell. His Evo IX had a head gasket failure on Saturday morning and under the circumstances, getting the car to the end of the stage was a solid, if unspectacular, effort. With a new radiator, thermostat and water pump, he managed to make it through Sunday as well, to record welldeserved placings.

Pedder has laid down the gauntlet to the Evans tribe, who will be hoping that the new rubber supplier’s good are better suited to the West Australian gravel in April.

My brother can beat up your brother: Simon Evans, below, was second-best over the weekend, and brother Eli showed that Honda’s new Type R Civic has speed to burn on tarmac, bottom. But Scott Pedder, main pic, was just too fast in Tasmania.

37

AUSTRALIAN MODERN TARMAC RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND 1 RALLY TASMANIA

S Federal Express The opposition wilted, and Steve Glenney and Brendan Reeves fought out a tough battle over three days. By PHIL BRANAGAN

38

TEVE Glenney emerged from a ruck of competitive cars to give Federal Tyres a fairytale welcome to tarmac rallying in Australia.

Glenney and co-driver Alan Stean drove a thoughtful event, overcoming some niggling diff issues, to watch their major opposition wilt under the demanding conditions of the three-day event. Their Subaru WRX STi handled the see-sawing temperatures well, to hold out Brendan Reeves and Rhianon Smyth in another Impreza, with Jamie and Simon Vandenberg third in their Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IV. Jim Richards and Barry Oliver had looked set to add to their staggering array of silverware gained from years of competition in Australia’s southern-most state, leading the event into the last day when their Porsche GT2 was

race

in particular making an expensive exit from the event, while his son Klark stopped his black beast before its problems became terminal and more costly.

On the pink side of the fence, Peter Leeumis left the road on the King Solomon stage on Sunday morning, the Donut King car ending its event pointing down a cliff. No injuries and a slightly deranged (rather than squashed) Godzilla were the result, but the team has some work to do before the cars hit the start ramp back in Tassie in a few months.

IN the classic part of the event, Keith and Mary Anne Callinan kept the spectators whooping in their De Tomaso Pantera, to take the win from Roger Paterson/ Richard Geue (Porsche 911 RS) and the Mitch Roberts/Tony Cooper Mazda RX7.

Michael Vettas

stricken with a steering issue.

When Sunday dawned fined, the granddads of grunt appeared to be on their way to a win, before Jim withdrew from the event after completing the first of Sunday stages.

“Better safe than sorry,” shrugged Oliver. “Better it happens now than in Targa Tasmania.”

Glenney was pushing hard on the final day and had not conceded another Porsche win.

“I took time off him [in the first stage],” he said. “The sun helped us as well, the tyres came to life and we were pushing.”

Richards was not the only big name to retire from the event.

Rally Tasmania was a disaster for the Nissan teams, with three of the four GTRs failing to make it to the end of Sunday. Both VIP Petfoods cars dropped out on Saturday with oil pressure problems, Tony Quinn

Dog gone: Both of the VIP Petfoods Nissans struck oil pressure problems, which will have them thinking before Targa Tas ...

New Horizons: The Subarus may have been beaten in the ARC event, but the flat-fours took a 1-2 in the Tarmac competition, with Steve Glenney, main pic, leading home Bendan Reeves, below.

Michael Vettas

39

ANDRA PRO SERIES WESTERNATIONALS, PERTH MOTORPLEX

Strike force John Zappia reset the National Top Doorslammer record at the Westernationals, while Geoff Redgrave won a Top Bike thriller.

LUKE NIEUWHOF reports 40

race

Luke Nieuwhof

41

Luke Nieuwhof

42

Grant Stephens

The ANDRA Pro Series and Rocket Allstars Racing Series went west for the 39th annual Westernationals at Perth Motorplex on February 27 and 28, with John Zappia and Geoff Redgrave taking victory in Top Doorslammer and Top Bike respectively.

Reigning national champion Zappia reset the national record to 5.81s en route to his first win of the season in his Striker Crushing Monaro, knocking out Robin Judd, left against Stuart Bishop. in a 5.82s to 6.07s, all Western Australian final.

Zappia clawed back some valuable points on Judd who currently leads the championship, as well as assuming an equal lead in the Karcher Tri State Shootout.

Zappia took bonus points for low elapsed time but Judd was able to secure top speed.

“Unfortunately, because of the non-event in Sydney, we lost a chance to get some points back,” Zappia said.

“I was trying all weekend to get the extra speed to get the bonus points from Robin but we had a slight misfire in the top end.”

Zappia ‘s national record did come unexpectedly for the team, who thought the warm qualifying conditions and high relative altitude would slow the car down.

“We weren’t expecting to be down in a 5.81s, but the car is handling right with what we’ve done at local Motorplex events,” he said.

Zappia credited much of

his pace to his racing in the WA State Championship, with gives the team a lot of data and also ensures they are used to racing for a championship rather than just testing.

“When you’re trying to win a championship you can’t always test and be right out there, when I race (at local events) I’m trying to win to make a final, bring home some prizemoney and make my local sponsors happy,” he said.

In Top Bike, Redgrave’s nitrous-assisted Suzuki took an upset win in the final against Chris Matheson in a match up of Queenslanders.

Both racers recorded personal best times in the opening round of racing, but Matheson had a massive performance advantage of

over a second. However when he smoked the tyre shortly after launching, Redgrave shot ahead. Matheson tried to run him down with a massive top end charge on his nitrofuelled machine but fell short by centimetres, in the 7.39s to 7.49s race, above.

“I didn’t know where he was, I was just waiting for him to come blowing past me,” Redgrave said.

“This is a brand new bike, that was our ninth run. There is plenty left in it; it is just a slowly, slowly thing.”

It wasn’t all bad news for Matheson, who took out championship rival Jay Upton in a dramatic first round confrontation, to set himself up well for the remainder of the ANDRA Pro Series.

43

WORLD SUPERBIKES R1, PHILLIP ISLAND

Leaping Leon Suzuki’s Leon Haslam struck first in the 2010 World Superbike Championship, grabbing his first win in the class at Phillip Island.

44

race

All pics: John Morris / Mpix

45

SUZUKI’S Leon Haslam won the opening round of the 2010 World Superbike Championship, after splitting the wins at Phillip Island with Carlos Checa.

The British rider took his GSXR1000 to Superpole position on Saturday, and scored a dramatic victory in Sunday’s first race. Having led from the start, Haslam looked set to

resist pressure from Ducati’s Michel Fabrizio and Noriyuki Haga, but ran wide at Turn 10 on the final lap.

He held on to score his first WSBK win – and Suzuki’s first since in 2008 – edging out Fabrizio by just 0.004s in a photo finish, the closest ever race finish in the series.

“I didn’t know I had won until three-quarters of the way

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round the warm down lap,” Haslam admitted.

“My strategy was to sit down behind these guys (Fabrizio and Haga) and have a go at the end. But it didn’t work out like that. I got a good start and kept checking out my lap times. I just then smoothed it off and try to break them a few times, but it just wasn’t going to happen.

“On the last lap I managed to get my head down and really push, until I made a mistake at the last right-hander. I knew Fabrizio was right there, but we managed to get my first ever win so I’m over the moon.”

Haslam almost left Australia with a pair of wins. He led Race 2 and was battling with Fabrizio, Haga and Sylvian Guintoli (Suzuki). Recovering

Left: Haslam leads the way in Race 2, which was won by Checa, above. Corser, below left, was the pick of the Aussies, while Vermeulen had a shocker on his new Kawasaki, below right.

from a slow start, Checa joined the group mid-race, and passed Haslam with two corners remaining to claim the victory.

“That was one of the best races in my life,” Checa said.

“Sometimes you must calculate very well and make a clean pass. I took care a lot when I did, and in the end it worked quite well.”

Fabrizio was third, to sit second in the standings, ahead of Checa, Haga and Guintoli.

Troy Corser was the best of the Australian riders, taking his BMW to ninth and seventh.

Andrew Pitt was 15th in each race, and Josh Brookes took a 19th and a 14th.

But it was a tough return to Superbikes for Chris Vermeulen. In his first outing

with Kawasaki, the ex-MotoGP rider crashed out of each race.

“In both races I had really good starts but in the first race I lost the front early on when lying 7th and in race two I had a gear problem which resulted in a high speed crash,” he said.

“I’m bruised and battered but am feeling ok considering the speed of the crash. I had heavy impact to my lower right

leg and my finger is pretty smashed up.

“The first preliminary x-rays have shown no brakes but for precaution I am heading to Melbourne for a more detailed M.I.R. I’m glad we have a month before Portimao so I can ensure that I am back to full fitness.”

Round 2 of the series takes place in Portugal on March 28.

47

NASCAR SPRINT CUP RD 3 OF 26: SHELBY AMERICAN, LAS VEGAS

48

race

FOUR TO THE FLOOR

Taking on four tyres at the final stop was crucial in Jimmie Johnson grabbing his second win in two races, and his 49th ever. If the rest of the field aren’t worried, they should be ...

49

I

T was a case of four into two for Jimmie Johnson in Las Vegas on Sunday.

Johnson, who had looked to be outclassed by team-mate Jeff Gordon, took on four new tyres at the final round of stops. It turned out to be a demon tweek, with the reigning Champ settling in behind Gordon for 17 laps, before pulling out and taking the lead with 17 left to run – his second win in a row. His 49th career win was his fourth in Las Vegas, and made him the all-time record holder for 1.5mile speedways, his 15 wins beating Dale Earnhardt and Richard Petty by a race.

Had Gordon won the race, it would have been him that took the record. But in the end, leading 218 of the 267 laps wasn’t enough, and Gordon had to settle for third, after opting for just two tyres at the final stop.

“If we won the race, we’d look like geniuses,” Gordon said.

“The fact that we lost the race, now Chad (Knaus, Johnson’s crew chief ) looks like a genius. I talked to [crew chief ] Steve [Letarte] briefly after the race. He’s pretty upset, obviously. I think he just felt like more people were [going to] take two tyres. Shoot, we were thinking for a split

50

second to stay out.

“I felt like we needed to come in and get some tyres, but I felt like two tyres was the right call, too. We just needed [Johnson] to take two. They did the opposite of us. That won the race for them.”

Kevin Harvick finished second behind Johnson, just as he did in Fontana a week earlier, and remains the points leader after two rounds. Mark Martin was fourth, making it three Hendrick cars in the top four.

Meanwhile, pole-winner Kurt Busch was caught up in a crash between team-mates Jamie McMurray and Juan-Pablo Montoya, inset.

Marcos Ambrose finished 14th, after starting 31st. He broke into the top 15 midrace, and survived a loose car in the closing laps to take his first race finish of the season.

“Well, we finished – and that’s more than what we’ve done the last two [races],” he said.

“Our season starts right now. It was a decent day – a top-15. We’ll take our licks and go to the next one.

“We’ve got ourselves in the back in the 40 (in the points standings), that helps us get out of a hole here. We are worried about getting inside the top 35 in points, but If we get a couple more good races like that we’ll be fine.”

Kevin’s Heaven NATIONWIDE

RESULTS :: SHELBY AMERICAN 1 48 2 29 3 24 4 5 5 17 6 20 7 14 8 33 9 9 10 16

Jimmie Johnson Kevin Harvick Jeff Gordon Mark Martin Matt Kenseth Joey Logano Tony Stewart Clint Bowyer Kasey Kahne Greg Biffle

Chevy Chevy Chevy Chevy Ford Toyota Chevy Chevy Ford Ford

Lowe’s/Kobalt Pennzoil Pepsi/DuPont GoDaddy.com Crown Royal Home Depot Old Spice Cheerios Budweiser 3M

POINTS: Harvick 506, Bowyer 459, Martin 457, Kenseth 448, Johnson 443, Biffle 443, Burton 430, Logano 413, Reutimann 397, Edwards 389, Stewart 386, Kyle Busch 375.

20 34 2 8 11 6 9 13 19 7

SLOW pit-stops couldn’t stop Kevin Harvick from winning the Nationwide race at Vegas last Saturday.

Harvick was the clear pacesetter on the track, but on what crew chief Ernie Cope described as the “worst day ever” in the pits, Harvick had to wait until there was just 25 laps left to over-run Denny Hamlin and take the win.

The car was really fast,” said Harvick.

“We’ve definitely got some work to do on pit road, but, fortunately, the car was fast enough.

“I get mad, and [the crew] know how I am and what I expect of them. But you can only gripe about it so long, and then you have to go back and drive the car.”

Hamlin finished second from Carl Edwards, while Danica Patrick ran as high as third before a run-in with backmarker Michael McDowell.

While Patrick swore on the radio as the crash happened, McDowell owned up to it being his fault.

“It was completely 100 percent my fault,” he said.

“The closing rate was so much, there just wasn’t much time to make a decision.”

51

SA kicks off under lights

Phill Williams

STATE RACING

Richard Craill

52

Phill Williams

THE South Australian Motor Racing Championships kicked off at Mallala Motorsport Park on Saturday, with over 130 competitors entered for the day-night format.

Cameron Waters and Roger I’Anson battled it out for the Formula Ford honours, with Waters eventually emerging on top. It was competitive in Formula Vee, with Scott Blake, Daniel Westacott and Bo Jenson all grabbing race wins, but it was Jenson who claimed the round.

Shaun Duns was the dominant force in Improved Production, winning each race and coming close to breaking

the class’ lap record. Wayne King won Saloon Cars in his Commodore, while Andrew Taplin’s GT-spec Lamborghini Gallardo, right, was too good in the Sports Car ranks.

Torana XU-1 driver Graham Stewart, below, won the Historic Touring Cars round.

– RICHARD CRAILL

race

Paris Charles

Ian gets the Loudoun at TPCR SPEEDWAY

The AB Medal SPEEDWAY THE journey from Darwin to Adelaide has proven to be worth every kilometre travelled for Allan Barlee, as he punched the air while claiming the Murray Machining and Sheds Australian 360 Sprintcar Championship at Murray Bridge Speedway on Sunday night.

Barlee qualified in third position for the start of the 40-lap final. At the drop of the green, Barlee quickly tucked in behind race leader and defending National Champion Ryan Jones before making a pass around the high side of Turn 2 on Lap 22. From there, he was never headed despite several restarts, going on to record the biggest win of his 20-year Sprintcar racing career.

“It has been a huge effort by everyone to keep us going,”

he said.

“We have been down here for two months getting ready for this race. The support from my entire family and crew has been amazing. Ray Bartlett put us in his car around Christmas time to help us qualify for the event.

“I am extremely proud to wear the Australia 1 for the next 12 months.”

Bendigo’s Darren Hickman also turned in a solid run, advancing from fifth to second. He was unable to get the jump on Barlee, but was able to hold out the fastfinishing local gun, Darryl Wright.

Broken Hill’s Josh Ruhs came from a victory in the B Main to finish fifth, heading out Karl Enderl and Jones, who had stormed his way forward from the back of the pack after an earlier spin.

– PARIS CHARLES

IAN Loudoun scored his second Tyrepower Parramatta City Raceway A Main victory in a week when the former Parramatta track champ blasted by team-mate Adrian Maher with just six laps to run to claim win, with local hard charger Marty Perovich third.

Maher’s #10 Maxim took control of the 30 lap A Main on Lap 8, after powering by Roddy BellBowen, with Dubbo racer Jeremy Cross holding down an impressive third. Ultimately, though, BellBowen was a non finisher, after flipping over exiting Turn 2, which left Maher unchallenged for the lead for a number of laps. Cross was also crashed out late in the race after steering box failure.

It left Maher leading TenEighteen team-mate Loudon, with Perovich in third after Rush teamster Craig Brady dropped back to behind Grant Tunks. Maher looked to be heading to a great win but he got caught up in lapped traffic and that was all Loudoun needed to blast past and take the win.

“Adrian had just as or more pace than us but I was in the right place at the right time

in the traffic,” Loudoun told eNews.

Maher held onto second, from Perovich, Tunks, Brady and Bruce White. After winning a heat race, former TPCR Track Champ Troy Little was forging forward early in the A Main but went to high in Turn 3, crashing into the tyre wall.

The early heats saw wins to Brady, Maher, White, Cross, Little, Glen Saville, Loudoun and Darryl Campbell. Mitch Dumesny took out the B Main over Paul Freeman, Peter Bourke and Clayton Hart.

Heat 8 featured a nasty crash on the opening lap, when birthday boy Brad Stacey flipped over in Turn 3 and ended up caught in the catch fence. While Stacey was unhurt it took the crash crew a few minutes to release the sprintcar off the fence.

While Mitch Dumesny had another quiet night, finishing the A Main back in 9th, he still leads the 2009/10 TPCR Sprintcar track championship with 3486, but third moved Perovich into second-place, just 12 points in arrears.

The night also hosted the 68th NSW Speedcar title with Troy Jenkins taking the win from Tony Abson and Scott

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rear of grid

Dyno’s grand finale AN era of sorts ended in Bahrain at the weekend, with Dave ‘Dyno’ Johnson retiring from Dick Johnson Racing.

Dyno, who bears an uncanny resemblance to his brother Dick, is stepping down to spend more time with his family – which includes

young grandchildren.

During more than three decades in pitlane, Dyno has done everything from driving the team’s trucks to working on the racecars, and has shared his family’s dry sense of humour.

Cya round, Dyno, and well played.

t o p S d d O

Dirk Klynsmith

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