Motorsport eNews Issue 196 - March 15-21, 2011 by V8 Sleuth

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Issue No. 196 Mar 15 - 21 2011

JASON RICHARDS –

“I WANT TO BE BACK BEFORE BATHURST”

KIWI STAR’S PLAN TO BE HEALTHY AND BACK IN A FULL-TIME DRIVE BEFORE THE ENDURANCE RACES IN 2011 CONFIRMED:

QUEENSLAND RACEWAY GOES UNDER LIGHTS. AND THAT’S NOT ALL ...

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Issue No. 196 | Mar 15-21 2011

news 4

Jason wants Racin’! Richards making plans 6 Lights! Cameras! Action! A V8 switch (!) for QR 8 Bolte Towers RBR builds eTag for Webber 13 Silver medallists Mercedes picks up test pace 18 Repsol a Mio Hondas star in MotoGP test

chat 30 Five Minutes With ... Jason Richards

preview 32 Clipsal: The War at Home 38 PI Historics: Oldies, Goodies

race 42 Daytona 500 34 State Racing 38 Speedway

trade 48 Classifieds

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RICHARDS: I WANT TO BE CANCER FREE AND RACING BY BATHURST V8 SUPERCARS

ASON Richards isn’t just looking at competing in this year’s V8 Supercar endurance races – he wants to be back as a fulltime driver before them. Richards has been on the sidelines since Sandown’s round last year, having been diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. While undergoing treatment and battling the disease, Richards has remained close to Brad Jones Racing, turning laps at test days, including at Winton last week. Jason Bargwanna has driven with BJR in Richards’ absence, but the team has publically acknowledged the seat is the

likeable Kiwi’s, when he’s ready to return to full-time racing. The 34-year-old told eNews he wants that to happen as early as possible, while an endurance drive with the team is on the cars should he not be back as a full-timer beforehand. “I’m looking at dealing with this cancer sooner than [the enduros] and getting back into V8 Supercar racing full-time,” Richards said. “Bargs probably won’t want to hear that! “But the reality is that V8 Supercar racing is where it’s at for me, that’s what I want to be doing and I want to be doing that sooner rather than later – because we all know that time out of the chair in these cars, the V8s, is detrimental to your

performance. “So I want to turn up to every test day, get laps in, do as many race meetings as I can and, ultimately, if I’m not well enough, or if I haven’t beaten cancer by then, then in the enduros I’ll be teaming up in what’ll be, arguably, a winning combination.” Richards says Jason Bright’s strong form at Abu Dhabi, where he narrowly lost out to James Courtney in a fight for the Race 2 win, was far from a surprise. In fact, he feels there’s more to come. “We, as a team, knew that was going to be the case, to be honest,” he said of Bright’s form. “We knew we had a fast

car and in the last half of last year, both of us were scoring podiums relatively regularly. We were in the top five, top six cars. It’s probably since Townsville – Darwin, actually – that one of us has been right up there. Then we started getting us both up there together. “So it was only really a matter of time before we were going to start competing for race wins. “At Clipsal, I think the cars should go well there, and I think the Grand Prix will suit the BJR cars extremely well.” – MITCHELL ADAM For more with Jason Richards, see Five Minutes With on Page 30.

JR to make comeback in a Ferrari this weekend V8 SUPERCARS

THIS weekend’s Clipsal 500 will host Jason Richards’ first race since he was diagnosed with cancer last November. Richards will be a co-driver in the opening round of the VodkaO Australian GT Championship, sharing series regular Peter Edwards’ Ferrari F430. The pair will tackle a 60-minute race on Friday night for the Murray Walker GT Tourist Trophy. “Pete [Edwards] needed a driver, John Bowe normally drives with him and drove

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with him at the 12 Hour this year, but John wasn’t able to do it,” Richards explained. “I was roped in and jumped at the opportunity, because it’s therapeutic for me. This is just as much physically as it is mentally, dealing with cancer and stopping your life. “This is another opportunity for me to get back in a racecar, be a racecar driver and do the thing I love to do.” While Richards has tested BJR’s V8 Supercars on several occasions, it will be his first race since Symmons Plains’ V8

round last November. The Australian GT Championship will kick off with a 24-car field, with only four teams taking the option of enlisting a codriver for Friday’s one-hour race. In Maranello Motorsport’s sister Ferrari F430 to the Richards and Edwards entry, Allan Simonsen will join Nick O’Halloran, while Daniel Gaunt is the other notable entry. Gaunt will partner Dean Grant, in Grant’s recently-purchased Porsche 997 GT3 Cup S. – MITCHELL ADAM

Dirk Klynsmith

NEW FORMAT FOR QR

Two day meeting, under lights, in prime time, on Seven Mate ... V8 SUPERCARS V8 SUPERCARS is set to go Prime Time in August, racing under lights at Queensland Raceway. eNews sources report that V8 Supercars is on the verge of confirming that the event will run over two nights, Friday August 19 and Saturday August 20, and that the races will be telecast in an evening timeslot normally reserved for the football codes and other programming. We have been told that V8 Supercars will secure the use of portable lighting and power generation, to provide circuit lighting to the standard of that used in Abu Dhabi and Singapore. QR itself lacks the infrastructure to provide electrical power to the level required for broadcast television, which is in the order of 200 lumens. Lighting the circuit and paddock, and public areas and carparks is a major undertaking but an industry insider, who stressed that he is not involved with this project but who is familiar with QR, said that “it would be doable – not ‘easy’ so much, but pretty straightforward.” QR is not subject to zoning or curfew restrictions, so far as noise or circuit use is concerned, and a late-night finish (like, 10:30pm) would give the promoter V8 Supercars Events an ideal platform for some ‘value added’ activities, such as a fireworks

display on either or both of the nights. The drawback to such an initiative may have been television broadcasting – though the recent changes in digital channels, and the Federal governments subsequent updating of the anti-siphoning list of sporting events, make a big difference. On Friday nights during the AFL season, Seven is committed to a delayed telecast of the opening match of each ‘regular’ round. The opening match of Round 22 of the AFL season is the Carlton v Hawthorn game at Etihad Stadium, which will be broadcast on Channel 7. This means that the V8 Supercars would, in all likelihood, be shown on one of Seven’s other digital channels, in all likelihood the sports-oriented 7mate. While that would put the V8s head-to-head with the Blues-Hawks game (and a yet-to-be-nominated NRL match on Nine) the fact that two Melbourne teams are playing each other somewhat limits the draw for a TV audience outside Melbourne. On Saturday night, the AFL commitments move to Network Ten, with the Collingwood v Brisbane game. In this instance, the V8 Supercars could be shown on either Seven or 7mate, depending on the network’s programming priorities. An announcement regarding the event, including a sponsor for the previously-unsponsored event, is expected from V8 Supercars soon. QR promoter John Tetley is on vacation, and could not be reached by eNews for comment.

Heard it through the grapevine V8 SUPERCARS V8 SUPERCARS has filled another key management position with a recruit from Network Ten. V8S has appointed Sam Heard as General Manager of Communications. Heard is currently Network Ten’s Head of Marketing – Sport, and will start in the new role in May.

“Sam complements our existing communications team that is, I would argue, amongst the best in this country in meeting the everyday needs of the media and building coverage of the sport,” said V8S CEO Martin Whitaker. “He will lead our communications team to further inroads in general awareness and growth of the sport as we continue to challenge the

main codes for ‘column inches’ and recognition.” Heard has considerable experience in the electronic media, including a stint as Vice-President of US Programming for Ten, based in Los Angeles, before he returned to Australia last May. The Heard news comes not long after V8 Supercars appointed Scott Young as Head of TV for V8 Supercars Television.

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BIKE CRASH STORY A BEATUP, SAYS CHAMP V8 SUPERCARS JAMES Courtney will be suffering no ill effects from a less-than-recent pushbike crash at this weekend’s Clipsal 500, despite colourful reporting to the contrary. On the weekend, Sydney’s The Daily Telegraph breathlessly reported that Courtney was involved in a car crash with a ute on the Gold Coast last week, and was even dragged under the car when it took off. However, despite

the reports, the accident actually happened on February 25 – more than two weeks ago – and was a very minor scuffle. Not only did JC not miss any training, he continued to ride his bike home immediately after the accident! “It really wasn’t a big deal,” he told eNews. “I dusted myself off and kept riding at the time. I will definitely be A-OK for Clipsal this weekend.” – ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN

EARTHQUAKE CAUSES NO TYRE SUPPLY PROBLEMS ... FOR NOW V8 SUPERCARS

Dirk Klynsmith

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DUNLOP Motorsport’s V8 Supercar tyre supply is not under any immediate threat from the natural disasters that have struck Japan in the last few days. The V8 Supercar rubber is sourced from the company’s Nagoya factory in Aichi Prefecture. That is more than 500km from the devastated centre of the disaster in Sendai but there has been some damage to the factory. “Mr Ueda is saying that the factory has sustained some damage,” said Dunlop’s V8 Supercar Operations Manager Kevin Fitzsimons on Monday. “But he has emphasised that the priorities at this stage is for their workers, and to make sure that their families and homes are okay right now.” Fitzsimons said that the company had a number of options, so far as getting the tyres out of Japan from different ports, if necessary. “There was stock on the wharf that was due to go tomorrow (Tuesday). We were waiting for the February hard tyre production for Darwin and Townsville. We will see what happens to that. We have softs (Sprint tyres) in stock for up until the Queensland Raceway round, and the next run is due for May, for Phillip Island and Bathurst.”

Celebrity in a Ute! V8 UTES

FORMULA 1 MARK Webber’s drive across Melbourne’s Bolte Bridge has been confirmed. The Aussie will fang a Red Bull Racing Formula 1 car across the bridge this coming Saturday morning, at 9:45am. After the run across the six-lane bridge, he will come down a freeway off-ramp and into an area in Docklands, which will be set-up for the crowd to see the car up close. “We are the first race on the calendar and this will be the first opportunity for fans to welcome their hero home ahead of the 2011 Formula 1 Qantas Australian Grand Prix,” said Australian Grand Prix Corporation Chief Executive Officer Andrew Westacott. “This unique event will truly mark the beginning of Webber’s 2011 season and we wish him all the best for the year ahead.”

NZ GETS SUPERLEA

driver’s series lease

from $35,000

SUPERLEAGUE

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EXPECT to see a range of new faces in the V8 Ute Series in 2011, with a ‘wildcard’ program being announced today. The ex-Layton Crambrook BF Falcon will be turned into an Auto One-backed wildcard car, which will run at every round. Former Australian Touring Car Champion Charlie O’Brien will be first up, running the Falcon at the Clipsal 500 this weekend. Auto One CEO Peter Henry says the wildcard concept will be a great addition to the 2011 series. “We are really excited about the Auto One Wildcard entry,” he said. “Charlie is a fantastic driver and he will be a great addition to launch the program. We are looking at other name drivers for the rest of the year as the idea is to have a well-known driver in the car at each round that can mix it up the front with the established V8 Ute stars.” O’Brien added that he is expecting big things from the Clipsal 500. “I was really excited about competing this year, especially after doing so well at Sydney. I have been training, am down to my fighting weight and really pumped about this year. “Carrying the Auto One livery for the first round will be a great intro for the season, so I hope the form continues where it left off last year.”

FOR WHOM THE BRID

SUPERLEAGUE Formula is headed down under in 2011 – but the series will race in New Zealand, not Australia. A round in New Zealand has been slated in for November 1627, as the final round of the 2011 schedule. Currently, there is no circuit confirmed for the race, however eNews understands that Taupo Motorsport Park is the

only circuit in NZ that is licenced to hold an event as big as this, as Hampton Downs is still not long enough for international sanctioning. Taupo held New Zealand’s A1GP rounds back between 2007 and 2009. There has also been new rounds confirmed for Russia (Smolensk Ring), two rounds in Brazil (Curitiba and TBC) and the Middle East (TBC).

FInal t est da y Huge s uccess! lakesid e, Qld For More Information call (07) 3290 1584 motorsport news

RIDGE TOLLS

AGP Carrera Cup confirmed for Skaifey CARRERA CUP

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EAGUE “SF took a significant step forward in 2010 when we visited China for the first time as part of our expanded 12 round calendar,” said Robin Webb, competitions director. “The 2011 schedule has a wellbalanced mix of traditional venues and new circuits held across four different continents and we’re looking forward to introducing our unique motorsport concept to new fans around the globe.”

MARK Skaife will make his Carrera Cup debut at Albert Park in less than a fortnight. As first reported by eNews, Skaife tested one of the newfor-2011 997 Cup Cars at Phillip Island last week. He has since been offered a ‘guest’ drive in a car prepared by Porsche Centre Melbourne, and will make his debut at the Australian Grand Prix. “I’m really looking forward to it,” said Skaife. “I’ve had great results at Albert Park over the years. I’ve always enjoyed driving there and the Porsche will definitely suit the Albert Park circuit. “When I retired from fulltime driving I did say I would pick out the events I enjoyed. Clearly, the Australian Grand

Prix is one of those. At this stage of my career I can select the event when the opportunities arise and this is obviously one of them. I’m looking forward to it, it should be good fun.” Skaife added that test at Phillip Island was a positive experience. “It was my first time ever driving left-hand drive race car. To drive a car like that on the latest-spec Michelin tyres is much different to anything I’ve been used to, and was a great experience, especially around a fast, flowing European-style circuit. I really enjoyed it. All cars react differently based on the style of car and how they achieve their performance. The Porsche was easy to acclimatise to, especially because it’s designed like a racecar.”

SUPERLEAGUE FORMULA 2011 1 Estoril (Por) 28/29 May 2 Assen (Ned) 4/5 Jun 3 Navarra (Esp) 2/3 July 4 Magny-Cours (F) 9/10 Jul 5 Zolder (Bel) 16/17 Jul 6 Donington (UK) 6/7 Aug 7 Smolensk Ring (Rus)10/11 Sep 8 TBC (China) 24/25 Sep 9 Curitiba (Bra) 8/9 Oct 10 TBC (Bra) 15/16 Oct 11 TBC (Middle East) 12/13 Nov 12 TBC (NZ) 26/27 Nov

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Brabs gets his new ride SPORTSCARS THIS is the car that David Brabham will race at Le Mans in June. The 2009 race winner and co-driver Marino Franchitti shook down the HPD ARX01e at Sebring on Saturday, in preparation for this weekend’s Sebring 12 Hours race, in which the pair will be joined by Simon Pagenaud. Highcroft Racing’s new beast shares some mechanical parts with the LMP2 class car the team raced in France

last season, and which took out the US title. The new car features bigger wheels and tyres, and has gained 50kg to meet the class’s minimum weight of 900kg. New aero regulations have also left the cars with less downforce, and the team has taken the decision to run the car in Florida this week in Le Mans-spec aero trim. The car features a 2.8-litre turbocharged V6 (as opposed to the normally-aspirated 3.4litre V8 from last season) and will race on Michelin tyres.

Highcroft Racing

Ricciardo dominates Renault testing FORMULA 1

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DANIEL Ricciardo has made his intentions for 2011 very clear by topping the times during Formula Renault 3.5 testing in Spain. The young West Australian was having his first hit-out for Czech squad ISR at Motorland Aragon, and dominated the two days of testing. He started by beating early pace-setter, Briton Oliver Webb, on the first day, in doing so becoming the only driver to lap under the 1:43s bracket with a best of 1:42.948s. Then, on the second day,

Riccardo went even quicker, breaking the lap record with a 1:42.237s blinder. “Yesterday, it was my first day working with the ISR team, so we had a few things to sort out,” he said. “Everything went quite well for us today. I like the way ISR works a lot. They don't send me out on track just to get some laps in, but every time we analyse a whole host of settings very closely. “This year I really want to win the title! It is the only thing on my mind and we are going to do everything we can to make it come true.”

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FORMULA 1 TONIO Liuzzi has finally done a deal with the Hispania Racing Team for 2011, and will partner Narain Karthikeyan for the coming season. Liuzzi tested with the team several weeks ago, and has since been working on the finances for a deal. That’s now complete, and the Italian will race for the squad in Melbourne, making it a far more experienced line-up than the team’s debut year in 2010. “I am really happy to have signed this agreement with Hispania Racing,” said Liuzzi. “I never lost hope to be in Formula 1, as I know I have the experience and the right attributes for a young and ambitious team. I face a new challenge now and this excites me. I also face a lot of hard work in guiding Hispania Racing through the development of our new car. I am extremely grateful to José Ramon Carabante and to Colin Kolles for giving me such an opportunity.” But neither Liuzzi nor Kathikeyan will have a chance to drive the new F-111 before Practice 1 at Albert Park. The team was due to test on Friday at Barcelona, but its dampers were held in customs and unable to be fitted to the car. The run was then delayed until Sunday, but the dampers will still not cleared by customs. 12

TONIO SI

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MERCEDES FINDS SOME SPEED FORMULA 1

MERCEDES GP has finally started to show some pre-season form, topping the times at the last two days of testing in Barcelona. Mercedes ran its full Melbourneready downforce package for the first time last Friday, and it immediately showed on the timesheets, with Michael Schumacher going fastest. Then, on Sunday, Mercedes took part in an extra test day with Williams, McLaren and Ferrari, and despite heavy rain, Nico Rosberg was fastest. Having been fastest on two consecutive test days, team boss Ross Brawn said things were heading in the right direction before the opening Grand Prix of the season. “We’ve had a very productive test in Barcelona working on the final specification of the MGP W02 for the first race of the season in Australia,” he said.

SIGNS

But the biggest surprise on the weekend came on Wednesday, when Sauber’s new signing Sergio Perez tried a qualifying simulation, and went even quicker than Vettel had the day before with a 1:21.761s lap. The run left Sauber’s technical director James Key very impressed. “We carried out qualifying practice and race simulation,” he said. “In the morning we started off with some general set up work, and then went into a qualifying practice, which was the first time we had run the car on low fuel. This was also the first time for Sergio to go through all those procedures from Q1 to Q3. He did a good and controlled set of laps, setting a time of 1:22.042s on soft tyres and 1:21.761s on the super soft compound. In the afternoon we started a race simulation, but unfortunately this was stopped early due to a KERS problem, which meant we could not complete the laps we wanted.”

NO F1 FOR VOLKSWAGEN, BUT WRC ON THE CARDS FORMULA 1

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“Our upgrade package has performed as we expected, however Formula 1 continually moves forward, and as always, we will keep looking for more performance. We are happy with the structure that we applied to our pre-season testing program, culminating in a good quantity of miles, and the car that we wanted to produce by the end of this test. “Both drivers and the team have achieved a good amount of work for the new season in terms of race weekend simulations and it is now down to the final preparations for the first race. Then we will really see where we stand and how we have to react.” Earlier in the week, Red Bull Racing set the pace. Webber was flying on the first day, setting the fastest time at Barcelona to that point during a qualifying simulation. Sebastian Vettel went even faster the next day, getting into the 1:21s bracket on a flying five-lap stint.

IT’S official; Volkswagen is not going into the world’s two most popular motor racing series, Formula 1 and NASCAR – but it may enter the World Rally Championship. Last Thursday the German automaker put down recent speculation that it was investigating entries into either series, and did so emphatically. Ulrich Hackenberg, VW’s head of technical development, was clear when asked about NASCAR. “Nothing for us. There is certainly the one or the other person out there in the world that would wish for that, but we don’t have that on the programme,” he told Reuters. “I should know what I am talking about, since it would come out of my budget.” Hackenberg also dismissed suggestions that the company, which is working

towards becoming the world’s biggest auto manufacturer, is planning an F1 program. This comes only five months after Hans Stuck, who works with the company as a motorsport consultant, said that the Group was planning to discuss a GP program aimed at the 2012 season. But the WRC is a possibility. British magazine Autosport reports that VW is planning a program starting next season, and that it may be announced as soon as Rally Portugal later this month. Nasser Al-Attiyah, who won the 2011 Dakar in VW’s Racing Touareg, and former World champion Petter Solberg have been suggested as drivers, with veteran Carlo Sainz expected to take a development role. The team is thought to be developing a car based on the current fifth-generation Polo, having recruited former Citroen Sport engineer, Frenchman Francois-Xavier Demaison. 13

Indy Numbers Set

NASCAR THESE are the colours that Marcos Ambrose will carry at Atlanta. The Aussie will trade his yellow and black for the red and black of Kwikset, when he takes on the Atlanta Superspeedway in early September.

INDYCAR

IZOD Media

AFS Steps Up

WITH the exception of the Indianapolis 500 and Las Vegas season finale, Indycar announced it will restrict its other 15 events to 26 cars. The first 24 spots will be determined by qualification times and the last two spots, provisionals, can be assigned by the criteria going first to the 2010 IndyCar champion, the 2009 IndyCar champion, the 2010 Indianapolis 500 winner, to the highest ranking driver of the top-22 by point standings, to the Leader Circle entry with the best practice lap time, and the

INDYCAR

IZOD Media

GARY Peterson, owner of AFS Racing’s Indy Lights team, has announced its entry into the 2011 IndyCar season. The new team hired Forsythe Racing’s General Manager, Neil Micklewright to run the team and well respected engineer, Tom Brown. The driver has not been named. The team purchased two new Indy car chassis and a Honda engine lease, indicating they plan to compete at the season opener in St. Petersburg. “It is impossible to overestimate the challenges that await us in the IZOD IndyCar Series, said Micklewright. “We are assembling a first class crew with which to build and enter reliable, fast cars for AFS Racing. The technical and performance issues are great, but we can rise to the challenge as we seek to establish ourselves in the premier form of motorsport in North America. “The AFS team is excited to begin our campaign with the inaugural event of 2011 and get that first race under our belts.” Peterson partnered with Andretti Autosport for the last few seasons running in his Indy Lights team. Initially, he had hoped the Andretti team would assist him in running an Indy car but the two parted last fall. At that time, Peterson seemed to have an interest in driver Adam Carroll.

entry with next best qualifying lap time. The Indianapolis 500 will maintain its traditional 33car starting field. The field at Las Vegas Motor Speedway will be expanded to 30 to accommodate additional entries participating in the $5 million challenge. The 30-car field includes two provisional starting positions based on the standard criteria. For the two events outside of North America, Japan and Brazil, a maximum of 26 cars will travel to those events so provisional spots will not be used. – MARY MENDEZ

Rahal to run Howard

INDYCAR JAY Howard, the 2006 Indy Lights champion, will be in the hands of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing at the Indianapolis 500 this May. The very experienced RLL won the 2004 Indy 500 with driver Buddy Rice and in 22-starts at Indy, has achieved 9 top-ten finishes. “The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is a very special place and we have always taken great

pride in performing well there,” said SSM owner Sam Schmidt. “Having the chance to work with a team like Rahal Letterman Lanigan gives us even more reason to be optimistic about our chances for success. Jay Howard is a very talented driver and we look forward to a promising month of May.” Howard has nine IndyCar starts, including four in 2010 with Sarah Fisher Racing. The 30-year old Englishman narrowly missing the Indy 500 field in 2008 and 2010. – MARY MENDEZ motorsport news

Firestone Flip-flop INDYCAR

IZOD Media

FIRESTONE will remain Indycar’s sole tyre supplier after all. Less than a week after the announcement that Firestone and Indycar could not reach an agreement, IndyCar team owners met and decided their best tyre choice was Firestone. Indycar CEO Randy Bernard met with other tyre companies including Hoosier, Goodyear, Michelin, and Cooper Tires. Al Speyer, Executive Director of Bridgestone/Firestone’s motor sports program told the IndyStar, “It’s the ultimate compliment. It wasn’t all about the money for us.” Firestone tyres are so reliable and safe that they have never caused an accident from a tyre

failure. And, that’s why the owners collectively agreed to pay more for their tyres through the 2013 season. Firestone will remain as title sponsor and tyre supplier of the Indy Lights development series through 2011. “We feel that this new supply agreement will benefit everyone,” said Bernard. “It provides a proven safe and reliable Firestone product for the transition to the all-new cars for 2012.” Goodyear’s CEO, Rich Kramer, told the Beacon Journal that the company might consider getting back into open-wheel racing if Firestone dropped out. Currently, based in Akron, Ohio, Goodyear supplies all the tyres for NASCAR. – MARY MENDEZ

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NEW LOOK FOR SIEDERS IN UTES V8 UTES

DAVID Sieders secured a new major sponsor for the 2011 Auto One V8 Ute Racing Series. After finishing fifth and as the top rookie in his maiden Ute campaign in 2010, Sieders will race with backing from Australian Industrial Supplies this year. The Sydneysider’s Falcon will also feature backing from existing sponsors Bisley Workwear and OneSteel. “It’s awesome to have a national organisation

that has the capacity and interest to grow with me and my endeavours, like we’ve found with Australian Industrial Supplies,” said Sieders. “We’ve been given a great welcome by the organisation already, and I’m excited about some of the plans for this year. “The Utes head to Barbagallo this year, making the category a truly national championship, and, with AIS on board, we’re going to be quite busy at every meeting when we’re not in the car – which is a great position to be in.”

GMR look for four FUJITSU V8s

Phil Williams

A DRIVER for Greg Murphy Racing’s fourth car for the Clipsal 500 season opener is still to be finalised. Rookie Josh McIntosh was due to join GMR in one of their VE Commodores, but missed the team’s test at Winton last week due to personal circumstances and won’t race at Clipsal. He may join the team at Barbagallo, while GMR boss Kevin Murphy told eNews on Monday that arrangements for a driver in Adelaide had yet to be made. “We are expecting that our originally entered driver will join us a little later in the season, possibly Round 2 after having a test, but at this point in time, we haven’t finalised our driver for a one-off at Clipsal,” he said. “We’re hopeful of doing so later today, if not

tomorrow. “We’ll only have someone in there with V8 experience and Clipsal experience, but we’re working on it. The car is entered, and it’s in the trailer heading off over there, so the full intention is that it will run. If it doesn’t, it won’t be through a lack of effort.” – MITCHELL ADAM

Razzle Tazzle: This is t

Verdnik FUJITSU V8s

JAY Verdnik will return to the Fujitsu Series this weekend. Verdnik will step back into the fray with Jay Motorsport, driving their Walkinshaw Racing-built VZ Commodore, which was raced by Nick Percat and Shane Price in 2010. The South Australian’s last start in the series came at Bathurst in 2009, finishing seventh for the round. Verdnik will test at Mallala today, Tuesday. Jay Motorsport had hoped to field a pair of international drivers for this year’s full series, but their funding didn’t eventuate in time for the season opener. “Our overseas drivers couldn’t come up with it in the end, so what we’re doing is we’re putting Jay back in the car,” team manager Keith Rennie said. “We’ve got a couple of local sponsors chipping in to help, so we’re going to run Jay in the VZ motorsport news

news

the look that Taz Douglas will sport at the Clipsal 500 this weekend in the Fujitsu Series.

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for the weekend. He’s all keen to have another go. “He has a run with us when we do our test days and we had a ride day last year where he did some driving also. He’s been keeping up to speed with it, he’s looking forward to it.” Rennie said the two international prospects remain in the mix to join the team and series, and could do so in Round 2 at Barbagallo Raceway in May, for www.mnews.com.au

which they hope to upgrade to an ex-Walkinshaw VE. “They’re both really keen,” he said. “They’re disappointed they couldn’t start the series. It’s one of those things, they both had commitments from sponsors that said they’d do it, but decided they’d wait for a little bit. We should have a new car by then, so that’ll be good fun.” – MITCHELL ADAM

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Honda Pro Images

MOTOGP

Honda still leads Testing

Ducati Corse

ONE the eve of the MotoGP season, it appears that Honda is still the team to beat. Dani Pedrosa tipped Casey Stoner out of the fastest time on the opening night of testing in Qatar, in preparation for next week’s opening round of the championship. The Spaniard led a Honda 1-2-3, and the manufacturer has a perfect score of topping all seven days of pre-season testing held so far. “It was a positive first day of practice,” said Pedrosa. “We didn’t test anything in special, because our priority today was checking that the bike was also working well here in Qatar, a very different circuit than Sepang, where we did the main winter testing. “We basically worked on the set-up of the bike, to adapt it for this layout and conditions, and tomorrow we will continue working on mappings and a front fork.” Stoner, who has been the star of winter testing so far, was fastest for most of the five-hour session, with many of Honda’s engineers understandably distracted by the disastrous events unfolding back at home. Gresini Honda’s Hiroshi Aoyama completed the marque’s ‘podium’ ahead of Ben Spies and Jorge Lorenzo – but the good news for the Yamaha crew was that the World Champion was very consistent, logging more laps in the 1:56s bracket that any other rider at the test. Valentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden just failed to break into the 1:56s, but the good news for Ducati was that they have closed the gap between their troublesome GP11s and the Honda to about 0.7s. In Malaysia, on a slightly longer lap, the Italian bikes were over 1s slower than the Repsol-clad missiles. The bad news was that Vale had a fall, his first from a Ducati, though he was shaken rather than hurt.

Australia and Japan v Italy: While an unshaven Casey Stoner gets faster on the Repsol Honda, top, his former mount, a Ducati, is proving a handful for motorsport news

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FORMULA 3 DON’T be surprised to see James Winslow back in Australian Formula 3 this year. The English driver won the Gold Star in 2008 and has been based in America for the last 18 months, chasing a berth in IndyCar. He made selected Indy Lights starts last year, and is working to put together an American program for 2011. But his year could well include a return to

Australian soil for some more F3 miles. “I want to come back,” Winslow said. “I want to race and win at the V8 events but I also want to try and win another championship. It’s a great series and it looks like 2011 is going to be better value for money than ever before. In the global scheme of things Formula 3 is so important and so well recognised and racing – and winning – it in Australia gave my career a great boost. “It’s still a very realistic goal but I

Dirk Klynsmith

WINSLOW F3 RETURN?

need to re-establish myself in Australia whilst I continue to chase the IndyCar dream over here in the USA. I’m putting together a program for Indy Lights or Indy Car at the moment but I would love to mix that with another campaign in Formula 3 down under.” Meanwhile, Formula 3 Australia has announced that Elf Racing Fuel will become the championship’s official fuel, while Performance Friction Brakes will become the ‘Preferred Brake Supplier’.

Kiwi Teen aims at Oz FF FORMULA FORD ANDRE Heimgartner is a lastminute addition to the field for this weekend’s opening round of the Australian Formula Ford Championship. The 15-year-old New Zealander will link up with Team BRM for his maiden National round, replacing Josh Burdon who was originally set to race one of the team’s two Mygales. Heimgartner contested last year’s Victorian Formula Ford Championship and wrapped up the New Zealand Formula Ford Championship over the 20

weekend at Taupo. Heimgartner tested with the team at Mallala last week, and will join South Australian Tom Goess at Team BRM’s home round. “We are really pleased at the fantastic effort of Andre in his first practice, with poor conditions, the times eclipsed anything first expected”, BRM’s Mark Rundle said. “He (Andre) was quicker than anyone had ever been in the past, in the same position, and with him being so comfortable with the car and team, we are confident of a strong result at the Clipsal.” motorsport news

Then there were None Morcom and Erickson both drop US programs; new plans ahead US F2000 AUSTRALIA has gone from having two drivers racing F2000 cars at Sebring this weekend to none, in the matter of days. Nathan Morcom and Daniel Erickson were both set to race in the opening USF2000 National Championship round at Sebring this weekend, but for two different reasons, their plans have been thwarted. For Morcom, the issue is weather. Heavy snow around Ohio has seen Morcom’s pre-season testing plans frozen out, so he has opted to move to the rival F2000 Championship Series, which starts three weeks later at Virgina International Raceway. “The snow has been so heavy in Ohio, where Primus Racing is based, that it was

almost impossible to get around,” Morcom explained. “Jon Baytos, who runs Primus, has been flat-out clearing snow away from his workshop instead of preparing the racecar. “Racing at Sebring without having done as much testing as the other drivers would have put me at a big disadvantage, and I want to make a good impression right from the start in my first American season.” Meanwhile, Erickson is currently out of a program altogether, thanks to a problem with his racing licence. After racing in the F2000CS in 2010, Erickson was planning to move to the USF2000 series for ’11. But a delay with his licence has seen his plans fall apart at the 11th hour. “There was a misunderstanding about the USF2000 licence requirements,

which are aligned with the IndyCar rules and therefore different from the F2000 Championship Series that I contested last year,” Erickson said. “The USF2000 medical check includes a blood test, which takes a minimum two weeks, so there wasn’t time for me get a licence for Sebring. That would mean missing two rounds, and because all USF2000 rounds count – unlike F2000CS, which allows you to drop your worst two rounds – it would have been a tall order to achieve my aim of winning the series. “After discussing the issue with Jon Baytos of Primus Racing, which would have been my team again this year, we decided that it was in our best interests to withdraw from the USF2000 National Championship and focus our energy elsewhere.”

New year, new look for Synergy

www.mnews.com.au

FORMULA FORD REIGNING Champions Synergy Motorsport has unveiled its liveries for the 2011 Australian Formula Ford Championship. The team will field four Spectrums in this weekend’s season opener at the Clipsal 500 in Adelaide, to be driven by Mathew Hart, Liam Sager, Shae Davies and local Sam Power, who will contest selected rounds. Having won the 2010 title with Chaz Mostert, the team has completed an extensive pre-season testing program. “I have put the boys through plenty of testing so we can start the year off on the right foot,” team boss Justin Cotter said. “With only eight rounds you can’t afford to be caught sleeping when the season kicks off because every point is crucial in this category. “I’m really pleased with their progress and think we might surprise a few people once we start racing.” 21

TASMAN CHALLENGE CONFIRMED SWIFT SERIES

EXPECT to see a group of New Zealand’s Swift Sport Cup cars in Australia later this year, as part of a ‘Trans Tasman’ style program between the Australian and Kiwi series. Approximately eight cars from New Zealand are expected to lob in Queensland for a double-header in August, with a round at Queensland

Raceway immediately followed by a round at Morgan Park. It is also expected that a reciprocal program will be put in the place for January 2012, with a group of Australian cars heading to NZ for two rounds. In other Swift news, the cancellation of the AASA sixhour production car series (see separate story) has resulted in the re-scheduling of the Swift’s ’11 calendar. The schedule will

V8 SUPERCARS

The Chinese brand will supply tyres for all of the Swifts during the series’ debut season. The choice of tyre will be one of the biggest differences between the Australian and New Zealand versions of the series, with the Kiwi versions running a Dunlop control tyre. Organisers are expecting a minimum of 16 cars for the first round at Mallala in May. – ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN

Six Hour series called off

John Morris/Mpix

THE proposed AASA-run 6-Hour Series for Production Cars has been called off. The series, which was going to be staged at Calder Park, Winton Motor Raceway, Queensland Raceway and Wakefield Park, did not attract sufficient numbers to justify moving forward. “There were not enough confirmed entries,” said the AASA’s Mick Ronke this week. “We needed to make some commitments, soon, so we could not take it forward.” However, Ronke also said that it was “highly likely” that the planned series, which was due to kick off next month at Calder, would happen in 2010. “At this stage, it is cancelled for this year, and we are looking at what will happen in the future,” he said.

now feature seven rounds of the Shannons Nationals – Mallala, Phillip Island, Winton, Morgan Park, Sandown, and two rounds at Eastern Creek. The only round that won’t be on the Shannons bill will be a stand-alone event at Queensland Raceway. Finally, tyre maker Achilles has come on board as a sponsor and control tyre supplier for the coming season.

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Phil Williams

Seto soon for TCM TCM THE 2011 Touring Car Masters presented by Autobarn will kick off in Adelaide this weekend, without Glenn Seton. The dual Australian Touring Car Champion will enter the series this year, driving a new Ford XB Coupe. Construction of the car is yet to be completed, though, and it’s now set to make its debut in the second round at Barbagallo Raceway. “Unfortunately the build is behind, so we won’t be racing

at Clipsal,” car owner Jim Morton said. “We’re pushing ahead as fast as we can, to go to Perth. It’s progressing along nicely, but when you build unusual things there are always delayed. There were just too many things that weren’t finished in time for Clipsal. “The series is best seven out of eight, not that that’s the most important thing in life, and we should be in WA, so we’re looking forward to it.” In Seton’s absence, a 31-car field will race in Adelaide. Class C Champion Tony Karanfilovski

was set to step up to an outright Falcon XY GTHO, but delays have meant he’ll stick with his Alfa Romeo for the season opener. Also in the wars, Eddie Abelnica’s new XB is in doubt after suffering mechanical problems just six laps into its maiden test at Winton last week. “We had planned to have a full test run before, but only got in six laps before our mechanical drama so it’s a tight turnaround, but even my short time in the car today has cleared my mind of any concerns with the car, so yes,

this has been a speed bump on the road but we’re very positive for Clipsal,” Abelnica said. The series will race with a revised points structure in 2011, with overall championship points now based on each driver’s race results within their class, meaning a Class B or C driver could walk away with the title. Bonus points will also be allocated Class B and C drivers, based on the number of drivers in their class who start the race. – MITCHELL ADAM

Event to be supporting the Cancer Council and their Relay for Life program,” BMF director James O’Brien said. “There is enough on and off-track action planned for the weekend to ensure its fantastic value for money, plus people will be

supporting a worthy cause. It really is the best of both worlds. “For $20 a family of four will be able to go to Australia’s best circuit and spend a day watching some great motorsport on the Easter long weekend.”

BMF’s a true BFF NATIONAL RACING THE returning Bathurst Motor Festival will lend its support to the Cancer Council of New South Wales. Spectator entry to the Easter event will be by a bank note donation per person per 24

day. Funds will be donated to the Cancer Council’s Relay for Life initiative, a relay-style fundraiser with teams walking or running, which will be held in Bathurst three weeks before the Mount Panorama race meeting. “We’re really pleased as an

motorsport news

news

Brendo gets busy RALLY YOUNG rally ace Brendan Reeves is currently in England, preparing for his World Rally Championship Academy debut with M-Sport in two weekends time. The Aussie has been keeping a comprehensive online diary while in Europe, outlining what he has been doing as part of the preseason training. The tasks have included

various off-track module presentations, testing the R2 Fiesta rally cars that the WRC Academy drivers will use for the 2011 season, driver training with 2004 PWRC champion Niall McShea, and most recently, snow training with Tommi Makinen Motorsport in Finland. The WRC Academy kicks off in Portugal on March 24. More info on Reeves’ overseas exploits can be found at www. facebook.com/brendan.reeves

Two new sponsors will join the Aussie Racing Car Super Series grid this weekend in Adelaide. Model Hayley Swanson will race a Toyota Aurion with backing from Hooters, above, while Queenslander Mark Griffiths will race a Commodore based on TeamVodafone’s 2011 livery. www.mnews.com.au

MNEWS JOINS THE FORMULA 5000 GRID FORMULA 5000

MOTORSPORT News is going racing – and supporting the Red Cross Christchurch Earthquake Appeal. MN Publisher Chris Lambden will tick off another ‘bucketlist’ box by debuting his fullyrestored McRae GM1 (#004) in the Formula 5000 category at this week’s Phillip Island Classic and the following week’s supporting events at the Grand Prix. It is the culmination of over a year’s wishful-thinking and planning: “I was at the Hampton Downs (NZ) and Phillip Island races last year, and was completely gobsmacked at what I saw. I grew

up in Christchurch, watching Graham McRae and his peers racing F5000s in their prime – the fact that the category has been re-born and is now this spectacular shop-front for historic racing brought on something of a motorsport midlife crisis. I had to try and do it and, somehow, we have. “The fact that, 30-something years later, I’m going to race one of McRae’s cars is quite bizarre, but something I’m really looking forward to – it’s going to be a hell of a challenge …” The car, restored from the ground up by Christchurchbased specialists Motorsport Solutions, was originally

campaigned by American Evan Noyes, passing through several hands before, just two years ago, being at the centre of rumours of it being rebuilt by McRae himself to make a racing comeback. Unfortunately, medical issues precluded that, and the car now finds itself in Lambden’s hands. “Despite some delays, the car was all-but finished when the earthquake hit Christchurch, but I was quite prepared for that to bring everything to a halt. But the guys have forged on, as have the citizens of Christchurch, and the car is ready to go. We only had a very brief shakedown run, so I’ve still got a great deal to

learn in a very short time!” For these two major events, the car’s original livery has been modified to reflect the red and black Canterbury colours “as a reminder to anyone watching that what’s happened over there, now amplified by the subsequent Japanese disaster, is devastating and to please donate to the Red Cross Appeal. The city centre itself looks pretty much like a war zone.”

ABOVE: Motorsport Solutions’ John Crawford oversees the shakedown at Christchurch’s Ruapuna Raceway – unaffected by the recent earthquake.

AND SO DOES JAMES DAVO ... FORMULA 5000

ALSO about to make a re-appearance on the F5000 grid, after many years being restored, is the ex Teddy Yip/Alan Jones/ Jon Davison Lola T332 owned by Richard (father of Will and Alex) Davison – and to be driven by nephew James. The car was restored by respected Adelaide engineers K&A Engineering, and has remained in Davison’s garage for some years since: “I’ve been meaning for a long time to take it out, but never quite got around to it,” Davo 26

Snr told us last week. “But with James back here and looking for something to do, it seemed like a good time to actually get it together.” Having run Indy Lights for two seasons, finishing second in the 2009 series, and Grand Am in 2010, James Davison is a ‘current’ young racer, and able to take advantage of F5000’s ‘Owner driver – or family’ philosophy to compete. At the time of speaking with Richard Davison, the car had yet to have a shakedown, “but we hope to before heading down to the Island … we’ll see how it goes!”

Lola T332 – originally in AJ’s hands ... motorsport news

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John Bosher

Back in action DRAG RACING

IT HAS been a long wait between drinks for Pro Stock drivers but they will be back on the track this weekend at Sydney Dragway for the second round of their ANDRA Pro Series Championship. Among the drivers there keen to get in some competitive laps is Jason

Hedges, driver for the DecoGlaze team. They finally got on to the strip recently at a private test day after several false starts due to rain and were pleased with the results. “It was great to be back at the track in a racing capacity,” said Hedges. “We have missed the racing opportunities; however, this is only because of matters out of

our control. “The information that we gained during last weekend’s test session showed that we have a good baseline to work with come the March 19-20 event. “The team produced some very solid early numbers, that should see the team produce personal best elapsed times and speeds.”

Ahead of the event, Jason Grima tested his new Pro Stock Mustang at Sydney Dragway on Saturday, pictured. Pro Stock will be out alongside Top Doorslammer this weekend at an event that also incorporates a round of the Sydney Track Championship and the Nitro Funny Cars of Andrew Cowin and Chris Stipanovich. – LUKE NIEUWHOF

Gregorini keeps his stride DRAG RACING

Luke Nieuwhof

DANIEL Gregorini had another successful outing in Top Doorslammer at the recent Westernationals, and is looking forward to an interstate journey. Gregorini ran a new personal best of 6.03s, but lost in the first round due to a crank trigger problem. “It’s been electronic gremlins in both rounds that have bitten us,” he said.

I guess that’s part of racing. You have to find all the ways to lose before you can win.” US tuner Jim Salemi was satisfied with the gains made as the car edges closer to the five second zone. “We went out to see what the tune up for the first round would prove to do. I was happy that it ran a couple of hundredths better,” Salemi said. “It’s just really hard to make large jumps in ET when you

lose runs for silly situations and parts failure but that’s all

part of it.”

– LUKE NIEUWHOF

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Theft strikes Hambridge DRAG RACING

Luke Nieuwhof

ANDRA Pro Series Top Alcohol points leader Aaron Hambridge has been left devastated following a break in at his family’s business, Advanced Performance Machining in Sydney. Some $300,000 in equipment was stolen in a highly organised burglary that has resulted in Hambridge having to put his race team on the market in order to cover the losses. Items stolen range from complete motors to miscellaneous tools, belonging to both Hambridge and his business customers. “So far it looks as though two guys were in our shop for

at least two hours using our trolleys and forklift to move everything around, then stole a truck from the kitchen maker two doors up,” he said. “(They were) loading it all up with nearly all the spares from my trailer and around 100,000 dollars worth of stuff out of the HDT semi trailer parked two units down from us. “This has crushed me and the rest of my family mentally and financially, we now have to come up with most of the money out of our own pocket to replace all the stuff that was in our shop hence the race team being for sale, we also have to complete all the necessary labour accompanied with all these engines all over again.

“Some parts can just be reordered but there are some rare parts, some one-offs and worse than all some parts with a lot of sentimental value that I just can not replace.”

A complete list of stolen items is on the Australian National Drag Racing Association website – www.andra.com.au – LUKE NIEUWHOF

Victoria’s Nino Cavallo went 7.93s in C/Altered Production trim. South Australia’s Jim Ioannidis brought the C/ Modified Sedan Automatic record to a 9.99s. Local racer Michelle Osborn lowered her own record in A/

Modified Altered to a 7.13s and upped the speed mark to 294kmh while Greg Carter’s Pro Auto Chev Cobalt put the Super Sedan/A record into the sixes for the first time with a 6.93s run at 318kmh. – LUKE NIEUWHOF

ANDRA records records DRAG RACING

Luke Nieuwhof

A TOTAL of 13 new national records have been ratified by the Australian National Drag Racing Association following the 40th annual Westernationals last weekend at Perth Motorplex. Competition was the scene of plenty of record breaking, including Jeffrey Clarke, pictured, setting new standards in the BB/Dragster class with a 5.73s run at

391kmh. The run was so quick that it also reset AA/Dragster to a new minimum. Brian Robinson gave BB/ Funny Car an almighty thrashing, bringing it down by over three tenths of a second to a 6.33s, as well as increasing the speed mark to 357kmh. Andrew Minogue reset CC/Gas Automatic to a 7.17s. In Super Stock Mick Frossos ran a 7.35s time in his ACDelco Nissan 300ZX to reset the A/ Gas Automatic record, while

Next ANDRA Pro Series Round: Sydney Dragway, March 18-19 ANDRA Pro Series on TV: Friday March 18, Top Bike, Westernationals www.mnews.com.au

Five Minutes with ...

JASON RICHARDS

JR will be back on the grid this weekend, sharing a Ferrari F430 in Australian GT. MITCHELL ADAM spoke to him about the drive, his ongoing battle with cancer, and V8s MOTORSPORT NEWS: We’ll start with the good news of the day, you’ll be jumping in the Ferrari in Australian GT at the Clipsal 500 – how did it come about? JASON RICHARDS: I do a bit of work with Maranello Motorsport, a bit of driver training for their guys, so I’m part of their team as well, to be honest, but during weekdays normally. Pete [Edwards] needed a driver, John Bowe normally drives with him and drove with him at the 12 Hour this year, but John wasn’t able to do it. I was roped in and jumped at the opportunity, because it’s therapeutic for me. This is a challenge just as much physically as it is mentally, dealing with cancer and stopping your life. This is another opportunity for me to get back in a racecar, be a racecar driver again and do the thing I love to do. Were you planning to head over to Clipsal anyway? Yeah, I was. I was going to be a part of the team (BJR), I’ve got a few sponsors who are going to be attending the event and I want to stay involved because the greater plan is for me to come back racing. I want to keep an eye on where the team’s going, what direction they’re heading, and just overview the whole weekend. But I don’t want to get too involved, because I know it will take my attention

off what I need to focus on, and that’s dealing with this cancer and treating that. Being back in a racecar, obviously you did some laps at the Eastern Creek test about six weeks ago, but to actually be racing ... is that something you thought you’d be doing at this stage? Well ... you know, I take every day as it comes these days. It’s a big change in philosophy when you’re staring down a potential hazard in your life. I don’t even know what I’m going to do week to week. There are trips away, Monday and Tuesday I’ll be in Sydney, last week on Monday and Tuesday I went to Winton, testing, Wednesday I was in the debrief – I’m still leading quite a busy life, which is good for me. For a while there, I stopped my life, played a lot of golf, caught up with my friends, and it’s just not me. It’s not the way I used to operate. This is sort of an opportunity to deal with cancer as a fulltime job, with my wife, Charlotte, and some friends and family who are helping and supporting me. This cancer’s extremely rare and that’s the challenge of it, the fact it’s so rare; it means a lot more research needs to be done by me and my team around me to treat this. We’re in contact with the world – Italy, Germany, England and the US – because

that’s where the mass of this cancer is, because of the volume of people. In Australia, I only know of one other person living with this cancer, so we’re talking about trying to treat something that’s extremely rare. So, really, it is a fulltime job, and this is an opportunity to have some fun on the weekends, like normal people get. The V8 enduros, are they still on the cards? For sure. I’m looking at dealing with this cancer sooner than that and getting back into V8 Supercar racing full-time. Bargs probably won’t want to hear that! But the reality is that V8 Supercar racing is where it’s at for me, that’s what I want to be doing and I want to be doing that sooner rather than later – because we all know that time out of the chair in these cars, the V8s, is detrimental to your performance. So I want to turn up to every test day, get laps in, do as many race meetings as I can and, ultimately, if I’m not well enough, or if I haven’t beaten cancer by then, then in the enduros I’ll be teaming up in what’ll be, arguably, a winning combination. So that’s something to look forward to, for sure. Ideally, I want to have my own car, running my own show and being a full-time V8 Supercar driver. But in the

meantime, doing races like the Clipsal 500 in a Ferrari keeps me racing, it keeps me out there, and keeps me sane. Is it fair to say that watching Abu Dhabi with Jason [Bright] up there fighting for the win would’ve been a bit bittersweet? There’s no doubt I’d have loved to be racing at Yas Marina – it was amazing to see the performance of the car. But we, as a team, knew that was going to be the case, to be honest. We knew that we had a fast car, and in the last half of last year, both of us were scoring podiums relatively regularly. We were in the top five, top six cars. It’s probably since Townsville – Darwin, actually – that one of us has been right up there. Then we started getting us both up there together. So it was only really a matter of time before we were going to start competing for race wins. From my point of view, I was so excited. I was excited because it was great racing, and then obviously I had the added advantage that it was Jason in the car doing it, making the race so exciting. At Clipsal, I think the cars should go well there, and I think the Grand Prix will suit the BJR cars extremely well. For me, not racing is difficult, but in the whole scheme of my life, it’s not that significant, I guess.

I’M LOOKING AT DEALING WITH THIS CANCER SOONER THAN [THE ENDUROS] AND GETTING BACK INTO V8 SUPERCAR RACING FULL-TIME. BARGS PROBABLY WON’T WANT TO HEAR THAT! 30

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Andrew Hall

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SPECIAL CLIPSAL 500 PREVIEW

V8 SUPERCAR’S MAS The Clipsal 500 has become one of the most sought-after titles in Australian motor racing, and it’s here again! Welcome to eNews’ special preview

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STERPIECE

Dirk Klynsmith

www.mnews.com.au

SPECIAL CLIPSAL 500 PREVIEW

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WHAT WILL IT MEAN IF HRT WINS CLIPSAL?

After dominating on the streets of Adelaide 12 months ago, the Holden Racing Team is almost favourite for this year’s Clipsal title ... but if the team wins, it might not mean its speed woes are over, writes ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN

Phil Williams

www.mnews.com.au

OR many V8 Supercar faithful, the season starts now. With that pesky overseas round out of the way (tongue firmly in cheek), the V8s are back on Australian soil, and set to do battle at an event that has become an icon of V8 Supercar racing – despite starting life as a Formula 1 Grand Prix. Of course, I’m talking about the Clipsal 500. Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina and Adelaide’s Parklands couldn’t be more different. The Middle Eastern track has long corners and a dead-smooth surface, which is exactly why it suits cars with a lot of mid-corner grip, such as those built by Triple Eight, Ford Performance Racing, and Stone Brothers Racing. It’s also exactly why the track doesn’t suit the Walkinshaw Racing-built cars. However, Adelaide does suit the WR cars – so don’t be surprised if either James Courtney or Garth Tander walk away with the weekend. Adelaide is essentially made up of 90-degree corners, on a grippy, but bumpy, surface. It rewards cars that stop well, pivot with no midcorner speed, and then have excellent drive to get away again. Those are the characteristics of a Commodore from Clayton, and that’s why Tander won both races so easily 12 months ago. But there’s a word of warning; if HRT does come out of the Clipsal 500 smelling like roses, it doesn’t mean its car speed issues are completely solved. I know Courtney won a race in Abu Dhabi, but to get into that winning position required luck – and I maintain it wouldn’t have happened on car speed alone. To me, this all seems a lot like last year, where the Triple Eight hardware looked amazing in Abu Dhabi, and then everyone thought HRT had struck back with the two wins at Clipsal. But it was a phantom fight back, because the

squad struggled with car speed for the rest of the season. If you’re a Team Red supporter, just be a little wary of over-confidence if Tander or Courtney take a couple of wins. Speaking of Tander and Courtney, that may well be one of the most fascinating battles of the weekend. Tander is the reigning Clipsal 500 Champion, so we know he’s fast there, but Courtney has always looked the biz on the streets of Adelaide. The problem is, he’s never been able to finish the job. On so many occasions he has looked so fast, but the win has never come. Maybe, just maybe, this will be the weekend when it does. However, there is no way I’m going to rule out Jamie Whincup here. He was sublimely fast in Abu Dhabi, and he reeks of someone desperate to get that #1 back on his car. And let’s not forget that Whincup took his first win at the Clipsal 500 in 2006, and is the first to admit that he loves the place. He will be a threat, as will Craig Lowndes in the other ‘Fone machine ... if he hasn’t got Formula 1 on the mind just days before his Bathurst test drive. Another driver to consider here is Shane van Gisbergen. He has shown plenty of pace on the streets of Adelaide before – think 2008, when he was on debut for Stone Brothers Racing, and he finished fifth. He’s 12 times the driver now than he was then, and proved on the Gold Coast in 2010 that he loves street tracks. A bold prediction, maybe, but van Gisbergen can definitely win his first V8 Supercar race in Adelaide this weekend. Then of course we have the constant threat of all three Ford Performance Racing drivers, and the new threat in Brad Jones Racing ... well, Jason Bright, anyway. Throw a dose of Stevie J into the mix, and we have the recipe for one heck of a weekend! 35

SPECIAL CLIPSAL 500 PREVIEW

Strategy and Safety Cars are keys to success

V8 Supercar star JASON RICHARDS gives us his exclusive insight into how the 2011 Clipsal 500 will be won, and who will win it

WOULD like the think that Jason Bright will be right up there at the Clipsal 500. However, you have to remember that Jamie Whincup goes exceptionally well in Adelaide, and I think that his performance at Yas Marina shows that he has one of the fastest cars in the field. But this race is more about circumstances coming together, and Safety Cars coming at the right time. We saw at Yas Marina that the Safety Car turned the race upside down, and the same thing can happen in Adelaide. You can have the top three or four cars fire into Turn 8, too, which we’ve seen before! There are some many contenders these days that it’s hard to pick one favourite. But on raw speed, you’d day Whincup, because he always goes well there. The Walkinshaw cars do love the 90-degree corners, though. [Brad Jones Racing’s] cars are Walkinshaw cars, although we don’t run them using a Walkinshaw set-up any more, but they were always extremely competitive there. FPR are real contenders as well, so how do you pick one? A lot of it might come down to strategy and fuel consumption. Potentially, it will be a two-stop race this year under green, so it will be down to the guys that have the fuel efficiency to be able to do that. That could turn the field on its head as well. The faster cars might not be able to do that, but we saw James Courtney beat everyone in efficiency in Abu Dhabi. That could be an advantage for HRT as well.

FUJITSU SERIES WIDE OPEN FOR ‘11

DON’T know who’s going to win this weekend’s opening round of the Fujitsu Series, let alone the title. The field assembling for the 2011 season is surely the strongest seen in the series and, by my thinking, includes the best part of 10 drivers who have the talent and equipment to win races, and rounds in most cases, on pace. Let’s start with last year’s contenders. David Russell stays on at MW Motorsport and is joined by Tim Blanchard, who won a round and finished second in last year’s series with Sonic. Matthew White has the strongest line-up on the grid. Nick Percat will continue to fly the flag for Walkinshaw Racing. Percat was fourth last year, and showed plenty of form, especially when he jumped into a VE for the last couple of rounds. And I wouldn’t put a win past Scott McLaughlin, who displayed plenty of positive signs last year 36

in the Stone Brothers Racing entry. Jack Perkins made a couple of appearances in 2010, but he’s got a fulltime ride this year with Sonic, who’ll be keen to capitalise on his experience having finished second in 2009 (James Moffat) and 2010 (Blanchard) with rookie drivers. Perkins’ employer Paul Morris also looks set to get out there and amongst it from time to time again. The PMM-built VEs are a handy piece of kit and Morris knows his way around. Then it’s onto the additions. The biggest fish in the V8 Supercar pond, Triple Eight will enter the Fujitsu Series for the first time, with Andrew Thompson in a VE to get extra miles for the enduros. Wayne Miles has given Formula Ford graduates Chaz Mostert and Ash Walsh a crack in Triple Eight-built Falcons. Mostert has a round under his belt, at Bathurst last year, in which he was impressive on

his way to fourth. Another open wheel graduate, Tom Tweedie from F3, will race the third MW Falcon. Tony D’Alberto Racing returns to the Fujitsu Series, with dual Australian GT Champ David Wall in the VE Commodore raced by D’Alberto in recent years, which was particularly handy at Clipsal last year. Elsewhere, Taz Douglas and Marcus Zukanovic could be the breakout performers. Due to illness in Douglas’ case and injury for Zukanovic, their time in the Fujitsu Series has been interrupted of late. But Douglas is still dragging speed out of his aging Perkins-built VZ, and Zukanovic has upgraded to a PMM VE for the year. The bottom line? The Fujitsu Series is back in business. There’ve been some lean times in the last couple of seasons, but the quality and quantity is there in spades in 2011. If you’re putting cash on the outcome, you’re braver than I.

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CAN’T BE AT THE CLIPSAL 500?

Whether you’re at the track or not, you can follow eNews’ live and exclusive reporting for all V8 and FV8 sessions. Just follow @mnewsliveupdates on Twitter, or head to www.mnews.com.au and look for the Live Updates!

RACE SCHEDULE

Dirk Klynsmith

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Reckon you know who will win the FV8 races? MITCHELL ADAM disagrees

John Morris/Mpix

www.mnews.com.au

Thursday, March 17 9:00am V8 Utes 9:35am Australian GT 10:10am Fujitsu Series 11:05am Formula Ford 11:40am Aussie Racers 12:15pm Touring Car Masters 12:50pm V8 Utes 1:25pm Australian GT 2:00pm Aussie Racers 2:35pm V8 Utes 3:10pm Formula Ford 3:45pm Fujitsu Series 4:40pm Touring Car Masters 5:15pm Aussie Racers 6:25pm V8 Utes 7:05pm Australian GT

Practice Practice Practice Practice Practice Practice Practice Practice Qualifying Qualifying Practice Practice Qualifying 1 Race 1 Race 1 Qualifying

Friday, March 18 9:00am Formula Ford 9:40am Fujitsu Series 10:30am Touring Car Masters 11:10am V8 Supercars 12:30pm V8 Supercars 1:20pm Touring Car Masters 1:55pm Aussie Racers 2:20pm V8 Supercars 3:05pm V8 Utes 3:40pm V8 Supercars 4:30pm Formula Ford 6:00pm Fujitsu Series 7:15pm Australian GT

Qualifying Qualifying Qualifying 2 Practice – Bottom 14 Practice – Bottom 14 Race 1 Race 2 Practice – All cars Race 2 Practice – All cars Race 1 Race 1 Race 1

Saturday, March 19 9:00am Aussie Racers 9:30am V8 Utes 10:10am V8 Supercars 11:00am Fujitsu Series 12:00pm V8 Supercars 1:30pm Touring Car Masters 2:35pm V8 Supercars 5:05pm Formula Ford

Race 3 Race 3 Qualifying Race 2 Top 10 Shootout Race 2 Race 3 – Clipsal 500 Race 2

Sunday, March 20 9:00am Touring Car Masters 9:35am Aussie Racers 10:05am Australian GT 10:45am V8 Supercars 1:10pm V8 Utes 2:35pm V8 Supercars

Race 3 Race 4 Race 2 Qualifying Race 4 Race 4 – Clipsal 500 37

SPECIAL PHILLIP ISLAND CLASSIC PREVIEW

Retro Heaven at PI Classic IF you’re a true motorsport buff, and you understand and love motorpsort history, then Phillip Island is the place for you this coming weekend – when over 450 cars from all sorts of eras come together to contest the Phillip Island Classic. With special anniversaries being celebrated at the meeting for the Bathurst-

winning Nissan GT-R (20 years), the XY Falcon GT HO (40 years), the Jaguar E-Type and the Mini (50 years) and the 60th anniversary of Porsche in Australia, and over 30 cars coming from overseas, historic race fans are in for a superb weekend. From classic sports car marques to Formula Ford, from Group A/C Touring Cars

from the golden eras to F1/ F.Atlantic/F5000 openwheelers, there’s something to attract every eye . This year’s Classic features a selection of classic Le Mans sports cars – several Porsche 956/962s, Lola T70s, and Rob Sherrard’s soectacular 1988 Sauber-Mercedes to name but a few. They will be on-

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SPECIAL PHILLIP ISLAND CLASSIC PREVIEW

track throughout the weekend, with a 30-minute feature event the highlight of Sunday’s programme. From the USA, Bert Skidmore (yes, really) will pilot his Gurney Eagle V12 F1 car, in amongst an extensive field of classic openwheelers, as well as his ex-Le Mans Lola T286.. A representative bunch of mainly Australiaqn-based muscular F5000 cars will

mix in with Atlantics, while Porsche Museum in Stuttgart substantial fields of Under and include the eight-cylinder Over 3-litre Historic touring Porsche 908-02 that won the cars and more recent cars from 1969 Targa Florio road race in the 80s and 90s – Commodores, Sicily and the Type 718 RS60 Sierras, Skylines, and even one Spyder that won the 1960 of TWR’s Bathurst Jags, will Daytona 24-Hour race outright. provide nostalgia-plus. Other notable vehicles A substantial list of the on track include a 1928 Alfa famous motorsport brands of Romeo 6c, a 1929 Bugatti Type years gone by will be on hand – 37A Grand Prix car, a 1948 including up to three exquisite, Talbot Lago monoposto, a 1963 irreplaceable Maserati 250Fs. Austin Healey ‘Sebring’, a 1965 Standout vehicles from the Alfa Romeo TZ1 and a rare

1974 Lancia Stratos Group 4 coupe. With two-day passes at $50 ($25 Sat, $35 Sun), children under 16 free, a huge static Expo show (80 cars), there’s no reason not to be there if you’re a Victorian motorsport nut. More info on www.vhrr.com IMAGES: Just a handful of the exquisite historic cars which will be on-track at the Phillip Island Classic.

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BNT NZV8s ROUND 6 – TAUPO

Four winners in one wee

NZV8s

HERE were four winners at the Battery Town 200 at Taupo on the weekend – three race winners and a round winner – and the one that really matters went to John McIntyre. The Stone Brothers Racing endurance driver didn’t win any of the three races at Taupo on the weekend, but two seconds

and a fifth was enough to give him the round win, and keep him in the points game as the series heads to its final round on the streets of Hamilton next month. “This is really what we needed to do and now that we’ve done it I’m just thrilled for the team, because the car has been fantastic,” said McIntyre. “We have done what Angus Fogg has done most of the

season and be consistent and end up winning the round.” As for the race winners, Kayne Scott took out Race 1 with a clinical display, leading from pole position right to the end. Race 2 went to Aussie Jason Bargwanna – his second win in the series – after he held off McIntyre in a thrilling fight for the lead. The final – a full reverse-grid race – went to 17-year-old Kiwi Scott McLaughlin. The SBR

protégé, who races in the Fujitsu Series, became the youngest ever NZV8s race winner after a superb drive through the field. “This is really going to help my career,” he said. “This feels just so great. I don’t know what to say, but hopefully I can take this form to Adelaide and show the V8 Supercar teams what I can do.” With points leader Fogg having a quiet weekend, the

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MAGIC FROM GAUNT PORSCHE GT3

DANIEL Gaunt has won the 2010/11 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge title, after a thrilling finish at Taupo on the weekend. Gaunt went into the final round with a healthy lead over Triple X Racing team-mate Craig Baird, but the veteran made things interesting by winning the first two races of the weekend. While Baird was winning, Gaunt took a huge risk by purposely dropping back to fifth in Race 2, to ensure a front-row start in the reverse-Top 6 final race. It essentially left Gaunt and Baird in a winner-takesall scrap for the final race, and the tense scenario didn’t disappoint. The pair

dominated the race, with Gaunt just too fast for Baird to catch, winning the race and taking the title. “I almost gave myself a heartattack between today’s races thinking of every possible outcome,” said Gaunt. “At the end of the day it was focusing on the result, doing the best I could do and it worked. It was a gutsy call made by all. The Triple X team have never let me down; we all came up with a game-plan, to forfeit the morning race and series lead to Craig, to help our chances for the final. “We’ve all had our ups and down’s this year – and I have to say a big thank you to Triple X, Michael Morton and Shane McKillen. They’ve helped me immensely; it could have been

over before it began when I had the crash in practice at the first round.” Meanwhile, Baird was philosophical in defeat. “I got boxed in at the start which let Daniel away with a lead I couldn’t catch,” said Baird of the final race. “He played an advantage with his points and tyre situation – making him unbeatable and the new title winner. “After being shuffled off during early rounds of the season, we’ve come back from being 170 points down to five behind and second overall – that’s a win in its own right.” The end of the final race was so tense that TX team owner Michael Morton retired from the race just to watch ...

ekend! Evans takes another title title fight is now wide open. Scott is now just seven points behind Fogg, pointing to a huge weekend in Hamilton. “We are now really looking forward to going to Hamilton, as it is a fantastic track and all the people who live there are really neat too,” Scott said. “This has been an awesome weekend, which is fantastic for the team with both our cars finishing on the podium.”

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TRS

MITCH Evans is the 2011 Toyota Racing Series Champion, after wrapping up the title at Taupo on the weekend – and winning the Denny Hulme Trophy. But it wasn’t all smiles and trophies for Evans. In fact he only won one of the weekend’s three TRS races – a poor strike rate by Evans’ 2011 standards. And he even made a mistake, crashing out of the lead of Race 1 with an unforced error. Still, a win in the 15-lap Denny Hulme Memorial Trophy Race was more than

enough to hand Evans his second TRS title in as many years. The Taupo weekend was a standout for another young Kiwi, Nick Cassidy. The former Formula Forder took his first TRS win in Race 1, making the most of Evans’ rare mistake. He then backed it up with a win in Race 3, leaving him second in the standings and making it a Giles Motorsport 1-2 for the season. Jamie McNee wound out the series in third, while Scott Pye was the best-placed Aussie in fourth. Nick Foster was 10th and Jordan Skinner was 11th.

Mark Pryor

Open wheelers star at MP QUEENSLAND OVER 160 Entries assembled for MG Car Club of Queensland’s opening round of the Queensland Motor Racing Championships. Open wheelers attended in large numbers for the Morgan Park event on March 12-13, with 56 cars spread across three categories. An early three-car battle between F3 Dallaras of Roman Krumins, Ben Gersekowski and Blake Varney ended with a collision between Varney and the Formula Ford Swift of Bob Power. Gersekowski, pictured, took a pair of wins after

Krumins won the opening race. Jon Mills was third in his national series Mygale Formula Ford, while Hayden Cooper (Van Diemen RF02K) dominated Formula Ford 1600, spending much of the weekend battling Mills, with Richard Lihou second (Van Diemen RF04K). At just 13 years of age, Liam McAdam won the Pacific Superkart Challenge in his Hypermax-Rotax in the class weighted title. Jason Smith (Anderson-FPE), Tim Philp (Avoig-Honda) and Russell Jamieson (Anderson-Honda) shared the race wins. Paul Kellaway (Bee Cee

Jabiru) won a slightly rainaffected Formula Vee battle overall after he shared race wins with Paul Mantiet (Rapier Delux) and Mike Smith (Gebert). Production Sports had its largest grid in many years. Terry Knight clean swept the weekend in his new Porsche GT3 Cup ahead of Steve McFadden (Porsche GT3 Cup) and Kerry Finn (Mazda MX5). John Van Gilst (AU Falcon) won Saloon Cars after a late race collision with Coleby Cowham (AU Falcon) saw Van Gilst off the track, while the race wins were shared by Lindsay Kearns (AU Falcon)

and Chris Berry (AU Falcon). David Waldon (Mazda 808) won Improved Production after a day long battle with David Skillender (VS Commodore) and Justin Keys (Mazda RX-3). Michael Dawes dominated Geminis over Paul Butler, and Gary Bonwick did the same over Brett Baker in HQ Holdens. Mark Bowen (CommodoreChevrolet) similarly took out Sports Sedans over Travis Edwards (Escort-Rotary) while Guy Gibbons (Torana XU-1) won Historic Touring Cars ahead of Shane Wilson (Ford Mustang). – MARK JONES

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Mawson and Brabham Sera shine at grabs Vic titles FFord win KARTING

VICTORIA MATTHEW Brabham has taken out the opening round of the Victorian Formula Ford Championship at Winton on the weekend, winning two out of the three races after a close battle with Sonic Motor Racing team-mate Josh Hunter. Hunter won the first race before Brabham, in his first weekend with Sonic, took the ascendancy in Races 2 and 3. As is the norm, a number of other top Formula Ford teams used the round as preparation for the national championship, with Evans Motorsport Group, Synergy Motorsport and Minda Motorsport all fielding entries. The most spectacular incident of the weekend occurred when Rhys Howell flipped his car in Race 2 after contact with Stefan Borsato. Fortunately Howell escaped injury. Chris Lewis-Williams

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dominated the Porsche 944 round, winning all four races ahead of Robert Lange. Nils Musaeus finished third for the round, while Steve Courtis, who won the opening round of the series at Mallala a fortnight ago, only finished one race. The HQ Holden race victories were shared among three drivers but in the end it was John ‘Spud’ Wood who won the round from Ken Wright and Stephen Whyte. Whyte won the first two races but copped a penalty for jumping the start in Race 3. Mark Ruta won three of the four Improved Production races, but a DNF in the other race cost him valuable points and allowed Graeme Watts to win the round from Neil Crowe. Mort Fitzgerald won both the Super TT and MG categories, while Matt Martin took a clean sweep in BMW E30s. – LACHLAN MANSELL

DOUBLING up was the theme of the Victorian Karting Championships, held at Port Melbourne’s Todd Road on the weekend. Over the 16 categories being contested, it was the likes of Joseph Mawson, 11time Australian champion David Sera, Queenslander Brendan Nelson and Nicholas Ellen who dominated proceedings. Mawson cemented his place as one of the country’s top junior drivers on his way to the 11th and 12th state championships of his eight-year career. The New South Welshman, 15, dominated the Junior Clubman final, however, his run to victory in the Junior Rotax category was far from easy. He had to fight every inch of the way against Liam Morey. “In Junior Clubman I had enough pace to pull away from the field which made life a little bit easier, however, the same can’t be said about the Junior Rotax Final,” said Mawson. “The Junior Rotax race was a

really tough one, I really didn’t know if I was going to be able to hold on for the win until after I came out of the final corner.” Sera raced in three categories over the weekend, and won two of them – Leopard Light and Rotax Light. However, he was beaten to the Clubman Light title by his cousin James Sera. Nelson’s two wins marked the first time he had won two titles at a single event. He took a sublime win in Clubman Heavy, taking out the likes of Shayne Piper and Matt Wall along the way. He also won Rotax Heavy. Ellen was the dominant drive in both of the Senior National categories, Light and Heavy, to claim dual state championships. Other victories went to Jordan Caruso (Midgets), Reece Sidebottom (Midgets), Liam McLellan (Junior National Light), Anton de Pasquale (Junior National Heavy), Ben McKinlay (Clubman Super Heavy), Remo Luciani (Clubman Over 40s) and Matthew Wall (Leopard Heavy).

SPEEDWAY LOCAL Ryan Jones captured the Murray Machining and Sheds Australian 360ci Sprintcar Championship in commanding style as he went on to lead every circulation of the 40-lap affair at the Murray Bridge Speedway, South Australia. For Jones this was the third time he had captured the national crown in the last four seasons and this victory was a popular triumph amongst the local fans. Local knowledge was the key ingredient in

survival through out the two nights of racing, and as many competitors crashed and bashed, Ryan and fellow local Mason Merritt lined up side by side on the front row for the final event. Fittingly, Merritt, driving car #23, won the opening night’s main event being the Ross Wright Memorial feature (Wright also piloted #23) from Adam Currie and Brendan Quinn, however Merritt was unable to produce his best for on the second night as Jones blasted away to a handy lead and Merritt fell back through the field.

Surprise packet Michael Lovegrove flew under the radar as he quietly worked his way from sixth to second by the end of the main event, while Mark Caruso held his starting position to claim the final step on the podium. The big mover of the field was Craig Vanderstelt, who blasted his way from 17th on the grid to a sensational fourth, picking off Chad Ely, Victorian Phil Lock (first of the interstate competitors), Adam Currie and Shannon Barry in closing few laps of the race. Behind Barry was Karl Enderl, who

Paris Charles

Jones wins 360 crown

also proved a big mover from 18th to ninth ahead of Merritt. Outgoing Champ Alan Barlee could only manage 14th after a big crash on the opening night. V8 Supercar driver Tim Slade was among those in the wars. Slade rolled his machine on the opening night of competition after suffering from component failure. Unfortunately for Slade and the Bartlett Racing Team, the impact was enough to destroy the chassis and the team did not return for night two. – PARIS CHARLES

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race

Mads Man SPEEDWAY

AFTER running in World Sprintcars, Sydney’s Ian Madsen returned to Tyrepower Sydney Speedway last Saturday night in style. Madsen took control of the 30-lap A Main mid-race and avoided the crashes to take a great victory, defeating a fastfinishing Kelly Linigen with a very improved performance from Martin Lawes home in third. Other drivers’ crashes almost hurt Madsen, though, running out of fuel just after greeting the checker. Darryl Campbell the early race leader,

slowed and stopped on the final tour after running dry while running second. With Madsen and Campbell dominating the race, the action was behind them as Lawes, Sammy Walsh, Warren Ferguson, Linigen and Adrian Maher were all trading places. After several stoppages, Madsen held a good lead over Campbell and Linigen on the final lap, before series leader Ben Atkinson slowed with driveline problems just as QLD star Brent Aprile crashed heavily in Turn 4. The race was restarted with two to go but a brakeless Mitch Dumesny rode over

Campbell’s rear wheel and barrel-rolled into Turn 2. Another two laps to go restart saw both Ian Loudoun (racing with a damaged top wing) and Craig Morrison flip over in Turn 3. The race had now run for over 40 minutes and after another stoppage the race did finish, but not before second placed Campbell ran out of fuel. Madsen had just enough in the tank, running out of fuel on the cool-down lap. Behind Linigen and Lawes, Grant Turks, Walsh and Ferguson completed the top six. It was a healthy 40-car

field for Round 12 of the TSS track championship but after winning Heat 2 Max Dumesny was excluded after exceeding the noise limit and with ignition problems, making him a non starter in the B Main. Heat wins went to Maher, Mick Matchett, Walsh, Lawes, Marty Perovich, Daniel Goldini. Linigen and Mitch Dumesny. Clayton Hart took out the B Main. There was no change to the top three spots in the track championship, with Atkinson, Loudoun and Mitchell Dumsney all failing to finish. – GREG BOSCATO

Veal just right in SRA SPEEDWAY JAMIE Veal has continued his impressive season, with victory in Round 10 of the Sprintcar Racing Association of Victoria series at Simpson Speedway last Saturday night. Veal, who won the 360 cubic inch engine state title earlier this season, claimed a flag-to-flag win in the

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410 cubic inch motor class from a fast-finishing Brett Milburn, who loomed on the inside but could not find a way underneath the young Warrnambool driver. “We had a real good night,” Veal said. “The car’s been good since the Classic. In fact every race we’ve been in since then, we haven’t finished any lower than fourth.”

Veal’s form at Simpson saw him break the 10-lap track record as well as winning the pole shuffle, a heat win and eventually victory in the 25lap feature. “I just wanted to dictate the race from the start and get the win,” Veal said. Vogels, a four-time series winner, capitalised on series leader Stephen Bell’s misfortune, to take a 14-point

lead into Round 11 at Avalon Speedway on Sunday night. Bell rolled in the opening round of heats and had to qualify for the feature through the B-Main, finishing eighth. Mollenoyux, third in the series, was 123 points behind Vogels heading to Avalon where the feature race doubled as Round 11 of the series and the state title. – GEOFF ROUNDS

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motorsport news

rear of grid

t o p S Odd

SCOTT Pye is killing them in the UK. Well, he is almost killing a rabbit, anyway. The Aussie got to grips with the local wildlife at Silverstone last week, leaving many to wonder whether he was

Rabbit Pye ...

making a bid for Masterchef. His Double R Dallara Mercedes was ninth quickest in testing, and we hear that the bunny lived to tell his brothers and sisters about the aerodynamic features on the underside of

the latest F3 contender from Italy. Carlos Huertas topped the time sheets, and we have heard nothing about the Colombian’s relationship with British critters.

No Moke without Fire

NO, you more facetious readers, this is not Jamie Whincup testing V8 Supercars’ Car of the Future ... Actually, he and Craig Lowndes had a bit of fun with Mark Winterbottom on the track at Top Gear Live in Melbourne last week. They competed over a track lap combining time with the Mini Moke, a go-kart and a silly 3-wheeler car. No results were forthcoming, and no rabbits were harmed during the event.