Motorsport eNews Issue 199 - April 5-11, 2011 by V8 Sleuth

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Issue No. 199 Apr 5 - Apr 11 2011

THE TRUTH ABOUT TASSIE V8 SUPERCAR’S BATTLE WITH AFL CLUB OVER TOURISM DOLLARS. WE REVEAL THE OUTCOME

SCHUMACHER VOWS TO IMPROVE IN MALAYSIA

Australasian Safari 2010 The Australasian Safari is Australia’s ultimate off-road adventure as competitors on two and four wheels tackle the remote, rugged and stunning terrain of Western Australia. Widely rated as the toughest endurance motorsport event in the Asia-Pacific region, some of the international off-road stars who competed in the 2010 event say it even rivals the renowned Paris-Dakar. Commencing in Perth and finishing in Kalgoorlie, the Australasian safari is 7 days and 3,700 kilometres of Western Australia’s stunning but challenging outback terrain. This year’s event was won by V8 Supercar driver Craig Lowdnes in a Holden Colorado in his Rookie Year. So watch the adventure unfold as teams from ten countries battle for Safari honours, in what is commonly referred to today as the Dakar Downunder.

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Issue No. 199 | Apr 5 - 11 2011

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Tassie set to keep V8s Footy unlikely to take over 7 Reid Valve Kiwi in D’Alberto’s sights 10 BJR back to Fujitsu Series With Williamson at the wheel 13 Is Chinese better than Spanish? Ricciardo chooses China GP 14 NASCAR on Ice Kimi joins Trucks with Busch

chat 26 Five Minutes With ... Walter Röhrl

comment 28 Branagan: Is Kimi too cold? 29 AVL: Footy doesn’t matter

race 30 Shannons Nationals 36 NASCAR 42 BTCC 44 Speedway

trade 72 Classifieds

V8s set to beat footba T V8 SUPERCARS

HE future of the V8 Supercar races in Tasmania appears safe, despite recent reports that the state’s government was considering diverting the funding it spends on the event to AFL football. Late last week, the Launceston Examiner reported that the government’s funding for the race, which it said was $560,000, would be moved to support two AFL games to be

played in Hobart. The report said that the money would go to the North Melbourne football team, to move two of its 2011 home games at Bellerive Oval. But the state’s other paper, the Hobart Mercury, reported on Saturday that the proposed AFL deal, which is yet to be announced by the government, would not impact on its commitment to the event. “Following final negotiations with AVESCO, a contract is currently with the company to stage the 2011 event,” Minister for Tourism

Michelle O’Byrne told The Mercury. “Both AVESCO (ED: V8 Supercars) and the State Government have jointly agreed to discuss arrangements for the subsequent two years. “The V8 Supercar arrangements are in no way connected to AFL football.” General manager of V8 Supercar Events Shane Howard said that V8 Supercars was committed to see the contract through. “We’re definitely there this year and we are finalising the details with the Tasmanian

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all threat in Tasmania Government about the following two years,” Howard told The Mercury. Howard elaborated on Monday, to eNews. “We are not aware of any Government intention to shift funding away from our V8 Supercar event at Symmons Plains to fund AFL games in Hobart,” he said. “We have been enormously proud to race in what is such a strong motorsport state with the incredible support from the fans. It is after all Tasmania’s largest annual event by some margin. “It would be a great shame for Tasmania

to miss out on the reach of our television audience with the live coverage across all of Australia on Seven and New Zealand on TV3. Then there’s an audience well in excess of 850 million people across more than 130 countries globally that take our coverage and broadcast as live or on delay. “We have had a fantastic relationship with the Tasmanian Government. Of course the way Government spends its money is at its discretion but without funding we will simply not be able to bring the

Championship to Tasmania. It’s not a financially viable event with the increased costs of transport and the like.” Last November V8 Supercars announced a three-year deal with then-Premier David Bartlett, securing the event for 2011, ’12 and ’13. The deal was said to be valued at $1.7 million. Bartlett stood down from the state’s top job in January, succeeded Lara Giddings. V8 Supercars claimed that more than 48,000 attended the 2010 event over its three days.

Dirk Klynsmith

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Lowndes and Luff in Deutsch AUSSIES OVERSEAS

CRAIG Lowndes and Warren Luff appear to be in line to race for Audi again – but this time, in Germany. Both drivers, who joined Joest Racing for its assault on the Bathurst 12 Hour in February, are poised to take on at least one event in the VLN Endurance Championship, but not the famed Nurburgring 24 Hour. The series (or the Veranstaltergemeinschaft Langstreckenpokal Nürburgring, to give it its full title) consists of a number of races, of either four or six hours, with cars ranging from full factory GT racers to slightly modified road cars. Up to three drivers are used per car by most of the teams. The opening round of the 2011 VLN was run last Saturday, with BMW scoring a 1-2 for its factory M3s. The car of Jörg Müller, Augusto

Farfus and Uwe Alzen led home the Andy Priaulx/Dirk Müller/Dirk Werner by 51 seconds after four hours of racing. By having raced in previous Nurburgring enduros, Luff is already ‘qualified’ to compete at the Nordschleife but in spite of his experience, Lowndes is not. If he were to do the race in the future, he would have to take in one of the qualifying events, and the ones that fit in with the V8 Supercar calendar are the Adenauer ADAC Rundstrecken-Trophy on May 14, the ADAC ACAS H&R-Cup on May 28 and the ADAC ReinoldusLangstreckenrennen on June 11. No Audis are entered in the GT class for the Le Mans 24 Hour race this June – but the 2012 race, when there are expected to be cars from Porsche, BMW, Aston Martin, Ferrari, McLaren and Mercedes-Benz, looks like one not to be missed ...

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KELLY’S GANG V8 SUPERCARS

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KELLY Racing has named its full enduro lineup for Phillip Island and Bathurst, and there are no real surprises. As previously revealed by eNews, KR’s lineup will made up of Owen Kelly, David Russell, Tim Blanchard, and Allan Simonsen. Kelly and Rick Kelly will team up once again, Russell will be paired with Todd Kelly, Simonsen will drive with Greg Murphy in the Pepsi Max Crew car, and Blanchard will partner David Reynolds in the Stratco car. “It’s great to sign four high-calibre endurance drivers in the early part of the season,” said R Kelly. “We’ve already made them a part of our training programs and engineering meetings, as we plan for Phillip Island and Bathurst.

“It’s really good to be sorted so early in the year. When you are looking for four co-drivers it’s not easy, but we are really pleased to have four guys that can do the job and work well with our four full-time drivers, as well as our engineers.” Meanwhile, Simonsen says that a lack of European commitments around enduro time will help him focus on partnering Murphy. “I’ve had great success over the years at Bathurst and came very close to a podium there two times, with fifth and sixth, [the] sixth coming last year with Murph in the Castrol car. “So this year is going to be the year. I can come and do Phillip Island again, where as last year I was forced to sit that out because of European commitments. I think getting to Phillip Island will really help a lot. Come Bathurst, we will be ready.”

REID, LIUZZI IN THE RUNNING FOR WSR DRIVES V8 SUPERCARS

Dirk Klynsmith

JONNY Reid has joined the list of potential endurance partners for Tony D’Alberto at Wilson Security Racing. While it was expected that Shane Price would partner D’Alberto again this year, that deal seems to have gone sour, with D’Alberto and WSR now looking around for a suitable enduro driver. And Reid’s efforts at Albert Park in the Carrera

Cup round, where he qualified fastest and ran away with the first race against the likes of Craig Baird and Mark Skaife, has seen him become a late contender for an enduro seat. But while D’Alberto confirmed that he was talking to the Kiwi, he stressed that no deal had been done. “We have spoken to him, but we definitely haven’t locked anything in,” said D’Alberto. “We’re still looking around.”

D’Alberto might have also taken a step closer to signing an international for the Gold Coast 600, after Formula 1 pilot Tonio Liuzzi sat in his Wilson-backed Falcon at Albert Park. While D’Alberto is remaining guarded on his plans, he did reveal that there was mutual interest. “I don’t know where we are at with him,” added D’Alberto. ‘There are some other names in the ring there as well.” – ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN

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Olden Spirits

V8 SUPERCARS RICK Kelly will use a spare chassis for the next two V8 Supercar events. In his Race 3 clash with Craig Lowndes at Albert Park last Sunday and subsequent contact with Steven Johnson, Kelly’s Commodore sustained significant damage, which won’t be repaired in time for the races at Hamilton or

Barbagallo Raceway. At those two circuits, Kelly will step into the team’s spare car, Chassis PE047, which was used in 2010 by Tony Ricciardello in Stratco colours. “That chassis is called KR-02, but the 'fabbies' are now saying it will be called KR-02.5 because a lot of the left side needs to be cut away and replaced,” Kelly said of his car. “The damage is a lot worse

than we first thought. It’s going to be a big job to fix it but we will take the time to do it properly and get it back to 100 percent. “It's disappointing because we spent last season building that car and it was a bit of a showpiece for us. Now it's a pile of metal. But that's what happens out there. It's tight racing and cars are always going to get damaged. There is

Rob Lang

Rick pulls out the spare for New Zealand and Perth

no point worrying about it. “We just have to put our heads down, use the spare chassis in New Zealand and get on with the job. The spare chassis certainly isn't going to hold us back. New Zealand is a great opportunity for us to prove that. “I'm disappointed not to run my new car, but at the same time I’m quite excited to run in the older one and race it up front where it belongs.”

... so does DJR V8 SUPERCARS

Dirk Klynsmith

STEVE Johnson will be back in his 2010 car for at least the next two rounds of the championship – possibly even longer. After crashing heavily in the final non-championship race at Albert Park just over a week ago, Dick Johnson Racing has decided that Johnson will switch back to Triple Eight’s chassis 16 – the car he raced last season – while chassis 19 is repaired. He will definitely be in the slightly older car for the upcoming events in New Zealand and Perth, with

the future beyond that still unknown. Chassis 19 has only been used by Johnson since the start of this season, and is the car that Jamie Whincup used to win the title in back in 2009. “The accident was a huge hit and could have been worse,” Johnson said straight after the crash. “My new car looked very second hand. I just could not take a trick this weekend. Hopefully the bad luck is over here!” With 19 out of action, the team is down to one spare car until it is repaired.

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Coming attraction V8 SUPERCARS V8 SUPERCARS will name Albins as the transmission supplier for the Car of the Future in the next week. The Ballarat, Victoriabased engineering company, which already supplies its transmissions and components to a broad market in Australia and overseas, will produce the transaxle that the COTF will use from 2013. The company is expected to confirm the news, which was first reported in eNews some months ago, “in early April”. Albins already supplies a number of components to teams, in spite of the fact that the Holinger gearbox has been in use for almost two decades.

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Bound for Albury ... again

FUJITSU SERIES AUSTRALIAN Formula Ford Championship leader Tom Williamson is eyeing a step up to the Fujitsu Series with Brad Jones Racing in 2012. The winner of the Adelaide season opener, Williamson is a junior driver for the V8 Supercar outfit, who fielded a Mygale for him in last year’s Formula Ford

Championship. In 2011, he has been placed with Borland Racing Developments to drive a Spectrum, but remains a future BJR prospect, despite not running out of Albury . Williamson tested one of the Albury outfit’s Commodores late last year, and has identified the Fujitsu Series as a likely step for 2012. With Andrew Jones, BJR won the second-tier title in 2004.

“Last year I got a drive of the Supercar and we plan for more testing in the Supercar and, hopefully, in 2012 we’ll be running a Fujitsu Series car with BJR,” the 23-year-old said. “If all goes to plan, hopefully it’ll be a long association with BJR. “We had a test day late last year, so in the afternoon they threw me in the car and let me have 10 to 20 laps and

it was good. It was good to jump in and see how different it really is. “Once we go testing this year, I think there’ll be another couple of opportunities and we’ll see how it goes. It’s an easy way for me to learn without the pressure and really just drive around to understand and slowly put it all together.” – MITCHELL ADAM

THE GEELONG PERCATS FUJITSU SERIES

Dirk Klynsmith

EARLY Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series leader Nick Percat will be an ambassador for Morris Finance in 2011. The Geelong-based finance and leasing company has created a sporting ambassador program, which includes Geelong Cats AFL player Billie Smedts, adventure racer Grant Suckling, marathon runner Lee Troop, and, now, Percat. “Nick is hard working and extremely dedicated in the pursuit of his motor racing career,” said managing director

Nathan Murray. “His professional attitude and commitment to success in his chosen sport reflect similar principles to Morris Finance. “We are proud to share the sporting journey and welcome Nick to our brand.” “Morris Finance has great sporting and community programs and I’m really excited to work with them in my sports ambassador role,” added Percat. “Motor racing is a team sport both on and off the track, and I’m really grateful to have their support for the rest of this season.” motorsport news

Subscribe to Australia’s No 1 motorsport magazine Motorsport News and Motorsport eNews are the complete source of motorsport knowledge in Australia: monthly print magazine Motorsport News is a super read, covering everything from V8 Supercars to F1 to Speedway to Drag Racing to Models - insightful features to digest in your leisure time. Motorsport eNews (by subscription only) is the cuttingedge, weekly, digital magazine, direct to your desktop every Monday evening, with all the very latest news, opinion, analysis, and weekend coverage from the world of motorsport. 21st century motorsport media! Check it out (sample issue) on our www.mnews.com.au home page.

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Mercedes: We’ll be better in Malaysia FORMULA 1

MERCEDES GP drivers Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg have warned against writing the Silver Arrows off this early in the year, despite the squad’s terrible start to the season in Melbourne. At Albert Park, Schumacher was unable to make it into the third part of qualifying, while Rosberg was taken out by Rubens Barrichello early in the race. But while the double DNF doesn’t bode well for Mercedes, the drivers are remaining bullish about their chances at the upcoming Malaysian Grand Prix. “There is absolutely no doubt we want to do better than in the opening race [in Malaysia], which was a disappointment for all of us,” said Schumacher. “We clearly see that as a challenge and it is much too early to write us off. Everybody in the team remains positive and is in a fighting mood. So I expect a better weekend for us to come; a weekend we can build on.” “We had a tough weekend in Australia but the team has worked hard and we are confident that the car will be running reliably in Malaysia,” 12

added Rosberg. “Melbourne is a unique circuit and we know that we will have a much better understanding of our level of performance after the next races. I think we can surprise people [this] Sunday. We know that the car is fast from the last test in Barcelona, so now we have to work on proving that potential.” Team principal Ross is also expecting things to pick in Malaysia this weekend. “We endured a difficult weekend at the first race of the season, despite having reasonable expectations after completing a successful testing program in Barcelona,” he said. “We suffered a number of problems which resulted in a far from optimum car for qualifying and the race, and then were unlucky to suffer a disappointing double retirement. “Our priority since Melbourne has been to regroup back at our factories in Brackley and Brixworth, to review the weekend in detail, and to establish the best way to achieve the full potential of the car from Malaysia onwards. How we respond to the disappointment of Melbourne, and the challenges we faced, will be a true measure of our team.” motorsport news

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YOUNG BULL OPTS FOR F1 FORMULA 1

DANIEL Ricciardo’s priorities for 2011 have been made clear, with the news that he will miss the opening round of the Formula Renault 3.5 Series so that he can be with the Toro Rosso team at the Chinese Grand Prix. The West Aussie was expected to miss out on his Free Practice 1 duties in Shanghai in a fortnight so that he could be at Motorland Aragon for Round 1 of the FR3.5 schedule. But British magazine AUTOSPORT is reporting that Ricciardo will be in China, not Spain. “I’ll be in the [F1] car again for first practice in Malaysia in a couple of weeks, and then Shanghai again a few weeks later,” confirmed Ricciardo. “Unfortunately that means that I’m going to miss the first Formula Renault 3.5 race in Spain. It’s great to get more F1 time, and I’m hugely grateful for the opportunity, but it just means I’m going to have to work a bit harder to win the FR3.5 title this year!”

KERS TO STAR THIS WEEKEND FORMULA 1

FORMULA 1’s new technology will hit its straps in Malaysia this weekend, according to Lewis Hamilton. The McLaren driver believes that the KERS and DRS systems will suit the fast, open nature of the Sepang International Circuit, and that the new technology will make for an awesome spectacle. “[Sepang is] big, fast and wide with some really demanding high-speed corners where you can find a lot of time if you’re really able to get the car working to its full extent,” he said. “After the pace we showed in Melbourne, I think we can have another good race in Malaysia. Albert Park is a great track, but a circuit like Sepang is where the differences between the cars will start to become clearer. “I’m really looking forward to using KERS Hybrid and the DRS too – the rapid change of direction you experience when the car is really in the groove is phenomenal around here, and I think both systems will make the cars look sensational, especially in qualifying.” www.mnews.com.au

Hamilton is also hoping to not have a repeat of the floor issues that dogged his run to second place at Albert Park. “The team have looked into the floor failure we experienced in Melbourne: it seems like the bond between the bib and the chassis was damaged so the damage looked quite bad by the end of the race. It was good to see that the car could withstand that sort of punishment, but, even so, I’m looking to give it an easier ride in Malaysia next week!” Meanwhile, McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh believes the Malaysian Grand Prix will give his team a better idea of how close it is to Red Bull Racing. “Sepang is a demanding, high-speed circuit that is likely to showcase the performance of those cars with the best levels of grip and downforce, and which can best manage the tyres at what will be their hottest and toughest test so far. “As with every season, we’re pushing hard to bring developments to the car for every race. We don’t think Melbourne showed us the best of our competitors’ pace, so that only makes us more motivated to bring as much performance to the table as possible.” 13

Raikkonen confirmed for NASCAR NASCAR

Suttons Images

The rumours are true – Kimi Raikkonen will make his NASCAR debut on May 20 at Charlotte Motor Speedway driving a Toyota Tundra in the Trucks Series race. The 2007 World Champion has signed with Kyle Busch Motorsports in a deal that will see him compete in a limited campaign of a maximum of four other (as yet unspecified) events this year. “I am really excited to have the opportunity to start my venture into NASCAR with Kyle Busch Motorsports,” Raikkonen said in a statement. “Kyle is one of the best in NASCAR, and being able to draw on his knowledge will be a valuable asset as I make my transition to a new form of

racing. He has put together an experienced team that builds fast race trucks. I look forward to being a part of a team that has proven to be a winner on and off the race track.” Raikkonen, 31, scored 18 GP wins and 62 podiums in nine seasons in Grand Prix racing. He currently drives in the WRC with his own team, ICE 1 Racing. His McLaren F1 team-mate from 2006 and 2007, Juan Montoya, welcomed the news and predicted that Raikkonen would ‘fit right in’ at NASCAR. “I think he will have a lot of fun,” said Montoya, who enjoyed a sometimes cool working relationship with the Finn before making his exit from F1 to take up a NASCAR offer with Ganassi for 2008. “He always used to drive his car like a truck anyway.”

INDYCAR BOTH Dreyer & Reinbold Racing drivers, Justin Wilson and Ana Beatriz, suffered wrist fractures in separate incidents at the IndyCar season opener’s Honda Grand Prix of St Petersburg. 14

Wilson, who broke a small wrist bone from contact with Alex Tagliani mid-race, will wear a carbon fibre brace for the upcoming race at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama. “On the restart I made contact with Alex in Turn 1,” explained Wilson, who

finished 10th. ”As our wheels bumped my steering wheel wrenched in my hand. I knew at that point that I had broken something. It was bad. But I was able to continue driving and raced with one hand to secure some good points.” Beatriz’s injury occurred

IZOD INDYCAR Me dia

HONDA Racing Media

Broken wrists for both D&R drivers when she made contact with Graham Rahal on the fifth lap. She had surgery last Tuesday for a fractured scaphoid bone. The Brazilian may miss the second race of the season but should be fine for her home race in Sao Paulo on May 1. – MARY MENDEZ

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Tracy back

in racing Indycar’s TV boost INDYCAR

Scheckter’s Indy deal

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IZOD INDYCAR Me dia

TOMAS Scheckter has secured a drive at next month’s Indianapolis 500. The South African will race a single KV Racing Technology-SH Racing entry, owned by James Sullivan and TJ Humphreys, and in collaboration with KV, for the 100th anniversary of the race. “I am excited to be competing with this team for my 10th Indianapolis 500,” said Scheckter. “The Indianapolis 500 is the greatest race in the world, and from my first time here, in 2002, I have wanted to win this race. I believe that this organisation will provide me with a great

opportunity to reach that goal.” In nine Indianapolis 500s, Scheckter has led a total of 153 laps in three races with a best finish of fourth in 2003, and was the coRookie of the Year in 2002. – MARY MENDEZ

dia IZOD INDYCAR Me

IndyCar’s recent changes in its broadcasting arrangements appear to have paid off. The ABC network broadcast on free-to-air TV for the IndyCar season opener in St. Petersburg earned a 1.2 rating, a significant increase from the 0.3 at the Homestead championship-deciding finale shown on the subscription channel, VERSUS. “I’m very encouraged by the ratings,” said Randy Bernard, INDYCAR’s CEO. “It’s our highest-rated non-Indianapolis show since 2007. We’re ecstatic with our ratings and with the double digit percentage of growth with the live attendance at the event. We believe IndyCar is going to continue to make substantial progress in the next couple of years.” – MARY MENDEZ

INDYCAR

Paul Tracy has secured a deal that will see him run a five-race programme IN this season’s IZOD IndyCar Series. The volatile Canadian will drive for Dragon Racing, which had closed its doors mid-February but which has since been revived under the leadership of Jay Penske. “It feels like a little bit of a homecoming because I’m back under the Penske umbrella,” Tracy told Speed. com. “I’ve known Jay since he was a teenager and we both got into our fair share of trouble with his dad. “I asked Jay what his dad said about us teaming up and he told me Roger said: ‘Oh great, the two guys who gave me the most problems in my life are getting together!’” Tracy competed for Roger Penske from 1991-1997, scoring 10 wins. And at the season ending banquet with his hair dyed red in honour of Penske’s 2000 championship captured by de Ferran, the outspoken Tracy said these infamous words: “I have to congratulate Roger for winning this championship. When I told Roger to buy a Reynard chassis (instead of the PC, Penske chassis), lease a Honda (instead of the Mercedes-Benz engine) and get Firestone tyres (instead of Goodyears), he fired me for it.” Tracy, 42, will compete in five races for Dragon, starting at Long Beach, then Texas, Toronto, Edmonton and Infineon. Engineer Eric Zeto will reunite with the Canadian after working together at Forsythe Racing. But as previously agreed, Tracy will return to Dreyer & Reinbold Racing to compete at the Indy 500. Dragon Racing is expected to hire a veteran for the May spectacle. – MARY MENDEZ

INDYCAR

East v West in ARC Opener ARC

Scott: Penalty Harsh NZ V8s KAYNE Scott has been excluded from the first six rounds of New Zealand’s BNT V8s Championship, over a technical infringement. The Fujitsu Racing driver was found to have a discrepancy of 0.0007 inches in the combustion chamber of his Ford Falcon’s engine. He was seven points from the lead of the championship before the penalty was handed down. “We don’t dispute the measurement,” said Kayne.

“Our machining is done by a specialist in Wellington, and his work is supplied to our engine builder who assembles it. We merely install the engine in the racecar and go racing. “In fairness, a mistake has been made of which we had no knowledge and we are embarrassed. It is a minor breach and we have engaged the services of a university lecturer in physics who has concluded that the error is a hindrance to performance rather than an improvement.” While Scott is not disputing

that his engine was illegal, he is disappointed with the severity of his punishment. “I think the penalty needs to fit the crime. We did not gain a performance advantage and we are a victim here, rather than a villain. In layman’s terms it is rather like the leaky home syndrome – someone buys a home in good faith and the problem surfaces due to the original workmanship. “We certainly don’t dispute that there was a breach but we feel the interpretation of the penalty schedule is harsh.”

ONE TO RACE ON TELEVISION

NETWORK Ten Head of News and Sport, and the man behind 24-hour sports channel OneHD – David White, is leaving the Ten Network. With recent changes at Board and senior management level leading to policy changes in OneHD’s content – it is rumoured to be heading away from 24 hours of sport – White has decided, after 14 years with Ten, to move on. “It’s all amicable, my decision, all that,” White told us on Monday. “I’m here until the AFL contract is finalised – 16

which could be as early as Easter – and then I will be leaving.” With rumours circulating around the industry as to the future of 24-hour sport, and in particular OneHD’s motorsport content – including F1, MotoGP, NASCAR, and ProSeries drag racing – White is able to put minds at rest: “All the major motorsport content is contracted, and thus won’t be affected by any other changes, he said. At this point, White has no firm destination postTen, but is “looking at a couple of opportunities.” – CHRIS LAMBDEN

EAST versus West will be the theme of the 2011 Australian Rally Championship opener in a fortnight, as local crews try to win WA’s Forest Rally for the first time in almost two decades. Among the 55 crews entered for the rally, 38 are from Western Australia – and they will all be trying to break a drought that has been going since 1992. “A local crew hasn’t won the QUIT Forest Rally since Rob Herridge in 1992, and I believe the calibre of the West Australian entrants this year might just mean that the trophies get to stay at home,” said clerk of course Ross Tapper. Leading the local charge will be former WA Rally Champion Leigh Hynes, as well as John Macara, Chris Anderson, Alex Stone and current State Champion Tom Wilde. But they’ll have to take on some of the east coast’s best, like Justin Dowel, Mark Pedder and young gun Ryan Smart, as well as Eli Evans in the mighty two-wheel-drive Honda Civic Type R. “2011 is set to be one of our most exciting years yet,” added Tapper. “There is a new generation of exciting rally drivers and codrivers coming through the ranks of the Australian Rally Championship, and with the event being the first round of the new season a victory at the end of the weekend is within all the crews grasp!” The rallyschool.com.au Australian Junior Challenge will also kick off in WA, as well as 18 bikes and quads in the Moto class. motorsport news

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RED, WHITE AND BLACK BULL ARC

Proton

Atko leaps ahead APRC CHRIS Atkinson has praised his new Proton Satria Neo S2000 rally car, after taking his first Asia-Pacific Rally Championship round win for the Malaysian manufacturer on its home soil last weekend. The Queenslander and co-driver Stephan Prevot dominated Rally Malaysia, finally breaking through for a win in an S2000 car. His team-mate Alistair McRae was third, while Gaurav Gill split the two Protons. According to Atkinson, the step up in performance is exactly what Proton deserves after a productive off-season. “This result has been coming for a while,” he said. “Last year, we saw just how quick the car was www.mnews.com.au

in the APRC and now we’ve delivered the score which everybody in Proton deserves. “As a driver, you always want to be on the limit and racing, but this was a result for Proton and the people of Malaysia. They have made us so welcome over the past week, [so] to be able to take two places on the podium is a fantastic result for Chris [Mellors], the MEM team and all of Proton. It’s the best possible way to start the season. As soon as we got into the car to drive it with the new suspension and engine, we knew it was going to be special. It was. Very special.” Mellors, the team principal, agreed that the new Satria was a big step forward. “When we saw the look on the drivers’ faces after the first test of the car this year, we knew this was possible. The team has worked so hard through the winter to make this happen.”

THE Pedders Suspension Rally Team carries a new looking into the 2011 Bosch Australian Rally Championship. Mark Pedder and co-driver Lee Tierney, who finished equal second in the 2010 ARC, take their Race Torqueprepared Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX west in new colours, with an eye on finishing in the top three this season. “This year we will be carrying Scott’s number 7 on the door from last year – after so many years at the top of his game it would be great to take a Pedders car to the top step of the podium this year,” said Mark Pedder. “I haven’t driven the car in the new trim yet but I can’t wait. With a considerable gain in power I think the cars will be exciting but probably easy to drive. I think the sport needed to evolve and I think the new ARC cars will certainly provide the spectacle that is needed to take our sport to the next level.” You can follow the Pedders Rally Team’s progress by tuning in to their dedicated Facebook page. For all the details on the 2011 Bosch Australian Rally Championship check out www.rally.com.au 17

James Smith

Sieders gets a Kiss V8 UTES A HAND from a V8 Ute rival is helping get David Sieders’ V8 Ute back on track for Barbagallo’s second round of the 2011 season. In the wet final race in Adelaide, Sieders’ Falcon was among those to make contact with the outside wall at Turn 8. While he was able to limp home in seventh place to clinch the round win, massive damage became evident when they got back to their Western Sydney base. “When we got it back to the workshop and got it up on the hoist, we went ‘oh dear, this isn’t good’,” Sieders said. “The front was across, the rear was across. For such a small impact, it’s done quite a lot of damage. “It had to go onto a rig to get it straightened, I think half of the nose had to be cut off, to the firewall even. It had a fairly big birthday, even after it had one over the off-season.” Unable to use their regular repairer, Sieders Racing Team enlisted the help of

fellow V8 Ute competitor Nandi Kiss and his smash repair facility. The team aim to test at Wakefield Park twice before heading to Western Australia. “Mr Damage is living up to his nickname!” Sieders joked. “Our local guys couldn’t squeeze us in, so we went to Nandi, we knew he had a good machine to straighten things.

“He’s even had a Falcon like that before he went to the Holden. It’s good to have someone that knows what they’re doing and has spent a lot of money on good equipment to work on the car. “It should be coming back from Nandi’s today or tomorrow and then it’s about getting the car rebuilt from a bare shell.” – MITCHELL ADAM

Meanwhile, with Colin Sieders ... FUJITSU SERIES WHEN Colin Sieders returns to the Fujitsu Series in Townsville, he’ll do so in an upgraded Falcon. Sieders contested the season opener at the Clipsal 500, but doesn’t have the budget for Round 2 at Barbagallo Raceway. By the time he lines up for Round 3 in Townsville in July, though, his Falcon will have been fitted with a sequential gearbox, with a number of other upgrades also being investigated. “The cost is too much for us, a small, one-car team,” he said of the WA round. “So we’re getting ready for Townsville now, we’ve got all of our local sponsors 18

up there doing the same thing again with the City of Townsville car. Bisley’s back on board for Bathurst, Homebush and, hopefully, Queensland Raceway. So we’re getting all of that locked away “We’re going to put a sequential gearbox in the car, get rid of the HPattern, and do a few little things to try and upgrade the car and try to pick up the pace. “We’re going to do a couple of test days, I haven’t done a proper test day in two years. We’ll have a serious crack in the last half of the year and try to get the car a bit more competitive and myself a bit more competitive so we can do a good job for our sponsors.”

Sieders and brother Luke spent last weekend in a car, though, both taking part in CareFlight’s 4WD Venture on the southern coast of New South Wales. Colin did the trip with his wife and daughter. “We went off on the Careflight Venture raising money for medical research and the CareFlight helicopter service they have in Sydney,” he said. “We went down the south coast, down to Sussex Inlet and Batemans Bay. It’s like a mini Variety Bash rally type of thing, with a three or four day weekend fourwheel-drive trip. It was good fun, really, splashing in the mud and dust.” – MITCHELL ADAM motorsport news

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Tasmanian Tigers COMMODORE CUP REIGNING Commodore Cup Champion Adam Beechey has retained Dean Croswell for this year’s long-distance races. The pair won last year’s Endurance Challenge at Winton as part of Beechey’s title-winning season, and will look to go back to back in June. First, though, they’ll team up at Easter’s Bathurst Motor Festival, where there will be two Commodore Cup races, each with a driver change. “Dean is the most successful driver in the Commodore Cup mini-enduro format since it was introduced in 2008,” Beechey said.

“He won the event in 2008 driving with Michael Tancredi, and he won last year with me as well. “Dean has a lot of experience at Mt Panorama – he raced in the Bathurst 1000 in 1999 and the Konica Series race in 2002, so he knows his way around the track. For someone like me, who has never raced there before, it’s important to have a co-driver with experience, because it’s a very unforgiving racetrack that will punish you if you make a mistake. “It will be a very competitive field of cars and there will be some very experienced drivers there, but I’ll be aiming for another podium finish.”

BATES LOOKS AT MORE COMM CUP, RUS COMMODORE CUP

TONY Bates will look to contest this year’s full Commodore Cup National Series in addition to his Fujitsu Series campaign. The longtime Commodore Cup front-runner had planned to only contest selected rounds of the series as he focused

on his Fujitsu Series running with Greg Murphy Racing. But after winning Wakefield Park’s season opener, he’ll assess the viability of doing the full series in both classes. “It’s hard not to press on with the year now,” he conceded. “It’s a matter of fitting in the Fujitsu V8 Supercar drive with Greg Murphy Racing and

the Commodore Cup season, which will be a hard sell to the fiancé, but if it can be done I would love to do both.” The next two rounds of the Commodore Cup series will feature a twin-driver format, at Bathurst over Easter and Winton in June for the series’ Endurance Challenge. While not locked in, Bates is keen to

draft in David Russell. “At this stage, it is likely that leading Fujitsu driver David Russell will partner me in both the Commodore Cup enduro events,” Bates said. “I asked Dave some months ago and he committed to me that he would be interested, so he has first call. The next in line is GMR team engineer and boss

Jake gets new Zoom PRODUCTION CARS JAKE Camilleri will debut a new Mazda in the opening round of the Australian Manufacturers Championship next weekend. Camilleri has been a giantkiller in the series in recent years aboard a Mazda 3 MPS, often upstaging cars in higher classes. For 2011, he’s upgraded to the latest model with a brand-new car, which he’ll race for the first time at Phillip Island on April 16-17. “It’s the updated model of the Mazda 3 MPS, the same as 20

we ran last year, but just the current model-spec of it,” the Queenslander said. “We’ve had a run in it and it was impressive straight up. There were a few little teething problems, but we should be right for Phillip Island and the first round. The bodyshape looks different, with a more modern look and all, but surprisingly on the track it’s a fair bit different to the old car. “It should be that little bit better than what we had last year, so we’re pretty excited.” – MITCHELL ADAM motorsport news

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Dirk Klynsmith

V8 UTES

Rob Lang

SSELL

“It will also make cars easier to drive in regards to throttle response. They will have data logging capabilities so the engineers can analyse a problem much easier than previously.” Developed over the last nine months, the new MoTec will give teams access to additional data, including braking and acceleration points, gear changes and track maps, while laptimes will now be displayed on the dashboard. “It’s been our aim for the past three or four years to turn around V8 Utes from what

started as a novelty act to be seen as a true feeder and development category,” series organiser Craig Denyer said. “We are seeing rewards of that with younger guys coming into the category like Sean Carter, Jake McNally and Ryan Hansford and drivers that have moved through the category like George Miedecke, Warren Luff, James Moffat and Marcus Zukanovic. “The MoTeC system will enable drivers to access and analyse data before moving in to a category like V8 Supercars where there is an enormous amount of data heavily used.”

Phil Williams

Dean Lillie who has put his hand up should Dave not be able to commit. “Dave is a terrific driver who would suit what I am looking for in a co-driver for the enduro rounds, however Dean Lillie has terrific experience and knowledge with all styles of vehicles and driving so he too would be a great fit.”

DRIVERS and teams in the Auto One V8 Ute Racing Series will have a new ECU to get used to for the next round of the series at Barbagallo Raceway. A new control ECU from MoTec will be introduced in WA on the April 29-May 1 event. The hardware for the Utes’ new system is the same that’s used in V8 Supercars, but operated by different software. “It will enable the scrutineers to keep a closer eye on the drivers,” MoTec’s Ross Buckingham said.

EC-Ute

30 for TCM in WA TCM

John Morris / Mpix

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A FIELD of 30 will head west for the Touring Car Masters’ first visit to Barbagallo Raceway since 2007. The weekend won’t feature the debut of Glenn Seton’s new XB Falcon, which is now set to race for the first time at Hidden Valley in June. There will be a newcomer, though, with Terry Lawlor joining the series in a 1973 Porsche 911

RS, which he had originally planned to run at the Clipsal 500. “We were very disappointed not to make the opening round at Clipsal due to engine failure, but we’re now finishing the rebuild and going to be a definite starter at Barbagallo,” Lawlor said. “From what I hear, it’s an interesting circuit for the driver. I haven’t driven there myself yet, but I’m certainly looking

forward to it.” Tony Karanfilovski is set to give his new 1971 Falcon XY GTHO a run for the first time, stepping up from his Group C Alfa Romeo. After missing Adelaide, Chris Stillwell, Bill Pye, Garry Treloar, Ross Almond and Trevor Talbot will make their first starts of the season, while Bernie Stack will step out of his regular Porsche and into Bob Middleton’s 1970 Camaro. 21

Honda Racing

Stoner sees red in Spain MOTOGP CASEY Stoner has given a serve to officials at the Spanish MotoGP. The former World champion was taken down in a collision caused by Valentino Rossi on lap eight of the race at Jerez. But while Rossi apologised for the mistake, and Stoner accepted his apology, he has given a spray to the tracks marshals. While a number rushed into action, and helped Rossi to get his Ducati back in

the race, only one went to aid Stoner – and when his bike failed to fire, he was left to fend for himself. Honda’s 2011-spec RC212V is unusually difficult to start and is usually push-started by at least two mechanics from the HRC team. “With the accident, I heard Valentino arriving and I wasn’t worried about anyone passing me at that point in the race so I gave him plenty of room,” Stoner said. “It was a racing incident and

there’s not much we can do. “What is more frustrating is the reaction of the stewards and their assistance for Valentino and not for me – it was unbelievable.” Rossi told Italian TV network Italia1: “It’s completely my mistake and I have to say sorry to Casey. “I know that he’s very angry because he didn’t make any mistakes. I went straight to say sorry.” To make matters worse, what initially looked to be a hopeless

cause turned into a lot of points for Rossi. The seventime champion of the premier class finished fifth as the slippery track claimed Marco Simoncelli, Ben Spies and Colin Edwards, when all three looked to be heading for a podium finish – or in Simoncelli’s case, a maiden GP win. Jorge Lorenzo took the win by 20s from countryman Dani Pedrosa, a repeat of the 2010 race. Nicky Hayden gave Ducati its first podium of the season in third.

Pedrosa goes under the Knife MOTOGP

Honda Racing

DANI Pedrosa will undergo surgery today (Monday) or tomorrow in a bid to ease his shoulder injury. Pedrosa has been diagnosed as having intermittent compression of the subclavian artery, causing numbness and lack of strength in his left arm. He will have a the titanium plate and screws, which were placed on his collarbone in an

operation last October after a crash in Japan, in a bid to release the compression pressure. He will start rehabilitation immediately and is expected to be fit to race in Estoril for the Grand Prix of Portugal on May 1. “It’s never nice to have an operation, but we’ve had a lot of time searching for an answer to the effects of this injury and I’m relaxed because I finally know what has happened,” said Pedrosa.

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DRAG RACING QUEENSLAND’S Top Fuel privateer Steve Read was left satisfied after making the final at last weekend’s ANDRA Pro Series round at Willowbank. Despite the loss against

another privateer in the form of Darren Morgan, Read felt the team could hold their heads high. “We had some issues on the hit of the throttle and it went into tyre smoke,” Read said. “I saw Darren break with his problems, but I made the

decision not to pedal the car and chase after him as I didn’t want to run the risk of hurting another engine. “It was Darren’s event, he was the best all weekend and it was his to win.” The team is looking to make the last two events

Ken Ferguson

Speed Reader

of the season, the Nitro Champs in Sydney on April 29-May 1 and the seasonending Winternationals at Willowbank Raceway in June, and have marketing opportunities available for interested partners. – LUKE NIEUWHOF

PILKINGTON IN THE BOX SEAT DRAG RACING ROB Pilkington has seized back the championship lead in the WA Top Comp series from Jeffrey Clarke in what is proving to be a thrilling conclusion to the season. Pilkington’s Force Equipment/Alutech Monte Carlo Funny Car claimed its points in style with a win in the

final over a rejuvenated Alistair McClure. “We knew the final would be a great match up as Al had gone 0.7s under his index and us 0.6s under our index, so we thought it could come down to the startline,” Pilkington explained. Pilkington unleashed a 5.80s time in the final to take the victory as McClure

unfortunately had some mechanical dramas that prevented him from making a full pass. “It’s a fantastic result for the team as the win now puts us back in the championship lead with a 15 point buffer which will be an exciting climax for the last meeting,” Pilkington said. “Hopefully we can hold

on and win our third championship in four seasons.” The Grand Final this weekend at Perth Motorplex is the last race for the WA season. But the team won’t be done just yet, with the Winternationals and the ANDRA Pro Series on the agenda as they compete in Top Alcohol. – LUKE NIEUWHOF

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New structure for ANDRA DRAG RACING DURING a Special General Meeting in Adelaide last week, the vote to change the Australian National Drag Racing Association Inc (ANDRA) to a company limited by guarantee was supported

by over 97 percent of voters. The change means ANDRA will now operate as a true national organisation. At a sporting level this has been the case in the past, but the new status means the company will be able to pursue state and federal funding. The company

structure will also bring with it higher levels of reporting and financial operations, and director responsibilities. “This has been a long process but today’s decision is a milestone for the organisation,” said ANDRA CEO Tony Thornton.

“There will be no negatives for members and the new strategic direction that goes with the change will generate increased member benefits and a stronger position for the organisation and our great sport.” – LUKE NIEUWHOF

Brian White

New record for Hancock DRAG RACING THE Rocket Allstars Racing series round at Willowbank Raceway saw New South Wales rider Mark Hancock take the national record for the A/Modified Bike category, but he still harbours plans to move into Pro Stock Motorcycle. Hancock’s Suzuki GSX-R1100 claimed the time and speed records with a 7.79s run at 168mph. It’s a goal the team

has harboured since Hancock first raced the GSX-R in 2009. “This has been a goal for a little while, so it is good to have it off the list,” Hancock said. Hancock says his bike can go faster in its current form, but there is still more performance needed before a shift into the ANDRA Pro Series. “Trying to keep moving forward is the thing for us,” Hancock said.

“We reckon we can run 7.5s with the engines we have got here, but it is still not enough to be competitive at the top end in Pro Stock. “We will step these engines up a bit more, but eventually we will have to go to a two valve.” Hancock is honest with himself that to achieve his dream of running in the ANDRA Pro Stock Motorcycle field, he will need a new engine, so the team is seeking

sponsorship for the upgrade. “We have got the professional package there, we just need the engine – we basically just need more horsepower and that comes down to dollars,” Hancock said. They will have a chance to better the record they set last weekend when the team travels to Winternationals in June, when the cold winter air of the Willowbank Raceway is perfect for going fast. – LUKE NIEUWHOF

Next ANDRA Pro Series Round: Nitro Champs, Sydney Dragway April 29 - May 1 ANDRA Pro Series on TV: Friday April 15, Top Fuel, Willowbank www.mnews.com.au

Five Minutes with ...

WALTER ROHRL

The former World Rally champion is looking forward to getting to grips with the twisting roads of Targa Tasmania. Before heading south he spoke to PAUL WARD TWO-TIME world rally champion Walter Rohrl is the star driver of this year’s running of Targa Tasmania. After a long and successful career that took him into everything from hotrod IMSA sedans with Audi in the USA to Le Mans with Porsche, Rohrl is now the chief test driver for the German sports car company. He is not chasing outright victory in Targa, but heads the classic field in a 1981 Porsche 911 SC. It’s a very special reunion, as it’s 30 years since he drove the very same car, below, to within an ace of victory in the San Remo Rally in Italy – against a field including the omnipotent Audi Quattro. To complete the reunion picture his co-driver in Tasmania is Christian Geisdoerfer, who was alongside him for the San Remo. QUESTION: Walter, you’re 64 now, why aren’t you retired and taking life easy? WALTER ROHRL: I still like to drive a car. As soon as I am sitting in a car, and I have a closed road, I have the same fun like 40 years ago. I had some troubles with my body, my back, that I feel now it is time to stay at home and save the rest of my body. But as soon as I’m in the car I forget it. So will you still be flat-out in Tasmania?

You should be clever enough at this age to turn back the revs. If you have an old car with 200,000 kilometres you don’t rev it to 7000. And it should be the same with your body. So what are you expecting, and in such a memorable car? First of all, having fun. That is the first thing. And second, it’s a nice experience. It’s 30 years ago I was sitting in this car. That’s something very interesting. Every day I do new prototypes, and combing back to a ‘pure’ car ... it is always a challenge. Of course it’s always really fun if you are fast. What is the history of this particular 911? We were using it to lead in San Remo and it looked like a victory until a driveshaft failed. It was a common weakness with the cars at that time. I think it was in 2006 the Porsche people asked me to sign again a contract with them. I said I only sign if get the 911 from the San Remo Rally. They told me, ‘I think we have sold it.’ I was sure it must be brandnew. But they we using this car to test things for ParisDakar. The car was completely destroyed. I hope now it’s in the same condition it has been before.

Why do you say that? Comparing him to Senna, Schumacher, those guys are very limited in what they are doing. He is the only one who is managing everything. He was even doing the circuits in America and everything. He is the most complete driver. Walter, you caught up with Sebastian Vettel at the Australian Grand Prix. What advice did you give the youngster? I was surprised that he knew all about me from videos of me driving. He knows all about the history of motorsport. When he arrived he was so focussed, but he came. It was good talking to him.

Have you ever driven a Formula 1 car? Only once, when I was first world champion. A German newspaper asked to make a comparison with Emerson Fittipaldi in a Copersucar. It was very difficult for me to fit in the car, because I was much too long. It was a surprise for me – the feeling is that it is a car. Just the feeling was more precise. It was a nice experience but I was never dreaming to sit in a Formula 1 car. What’s the difference for you between racing and rallying? In a rally you can compete and make up for some disadvantage, but in a race car, if the car is not perfect, you have no chance. If I watch these F1 drivers, they do 6000 kilometres competition, and maybe the same testing. The rest they are sitting in the aeroplane. In our time we were 300 days a year in a competition car. Some years I have done 300,000 kilometres in one year. This experience, you can’t have it today. All my life was just sitting in a car.

PORSCHE MEDIA

WALTER, AS FAR AS I WAS CONCERNED, WAS THE BEST DRIVER IN THE WORLD

Christian, what’s it like to be back alongside Walter? CHRISTIAN GEISDOERFER: It’s like a time journey. Back 30 years. It’s funny enough, when you enter these old cars they have their own smell. It’s like a time flash – bang, you are there again. And Walter, as far as I’m concerned, was the best driver in the world.

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KIMUNICATION OPINION Phil Branagan – Executive Editor

OME people say that opposites attract. We may get an interesting view on that in the next few months, with the news that Kimi Raikkonen is not only going to race in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, he is going to do it with Kyle Busch Motorsports. This could be fun. After all, Raikkonen won the World Championship four years back and has unquestioned speed. Whether he can adapt that speed to ovals is another question, and one that I suspect even he does not have the answer to just now. Here’s the thing. Kimi is not a great ... talker. I once upset him in a media ruck at Albert Park when I had the temerity to ask him to speak up because I could not hear him – in spite of standing less than a metre away. A Finnish journalist once told me that we had it easy; as much as Kimi was hard to understand in English, he was impossible in Finnish. “At least in English, he makes some effort,” he said. America is not like Formula 1. Americans like their sportsmen to be able to communicate. They want to know what is going on in their heads. Hearts get worn on sleeves. There are fans – many fans – in NASCAR who would like to see Kyle Busch burnt in effigy but heck, no one is going to accuse him of not letting his feelings known. This might be one of those great combinations that nobody saw coming. Remember, lots and lots of people thought that Nigel Mansell had made a massive mistake by going to Ferrari in 1989. He hadn’t. But a lot of those people also believed that Nige moving to McLaren in 1995 was a huge error – and it was. It may well be that Kimi Raikkonen takes to Trucks, wins in a Nationwide car and looks great in a Cup car. This may well lead to the mercurial man from Espoo having the most satisfying and happiest time of his racing career. But what I cannot help but wonder is, whatever happens, unless he changes, how on earth are we going to know? 28

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THE PROBLEM WITH PERSPECTIVE

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Dirk Klynsmith

ERSPECTIVE can be a bitch. The news from Tasmania about the state government considering giving V8s the flick for some footy has made me want to re-iterate a point I’ve made on these opinion pages before. Very late last year, I wrote a piece saying that things are actually pretty good in V8 Supercars, despite the usual mongers of doom and gloom doing their best to guarantee us the sport is on the edge of implosion. My point was that, compared to the rest of the domestic racing series around the globe, we have a good, competitive, and reasonably financially viable series on our hands. And before the technicality police get involved, V8 Supercars is still a domestic series, despite the best efforts to get international status with the new FIA categorisation. You could put ‘intergalactic’ at the start of the title, but it will still be an Australian series, not a World Championship. Anyway, I digress. V8 Supercars is a pretty good

OPINION Andrew van Leeuwen – eNews Editor thing, and there are F1 squads that would kill for the commercial stability that even our mid-gridders have. That was the point I made back in eNews #186. Of course, the Tasmania story has put it all into perspective. The fact that those in charge of the Apple Isle would even consider dropping a threeday event, and the jewel of Launceston’s sporting portfolio, for two games – two games – of football isn’t a good look for V8 Supercars. There are hundreds of AFL games per year, but Tasmania only gets one chance to hold a V8 Supercar round. And it isn’t like North Melbourne is going to move down to Hobart – this is just for two home games. And North Melbourne aren’t even a good team! It shows that V8 Supercar racing is still a heck of along way behind the AFL, in terms of popularity, viewership, and

political sway. Whether it ends up happening or not, the fact that it has been publically considered speaks in volumes. Doom and gloom, right? Wrong. Does it matter? Doesn’t this say more about Tasmania’s lack of tourism budget than it does about V8 Supercar racing? The reason that this saga has reminded me of the opinion I wrote in #186 is because I don’t think V8s needs to be competing with football. I said it then, and I’ll say it again: ‘Too much can be made of V8 Supercars’ mass appeal when compared to the likes of AFL, Rugby League and Cricket. Does it really matter how Australian motorsport stands up against those other sports? Isn’t it more important to see how Australian motorsport stands up against domestic motorsport in other countries? Because if you apply that logic, we’re doing pretty well.’ 29

SHANNONS NATIONALS ROUND 1, WAKEFIELD PARK

Underway The 2011 Shannons Nationals kicked off at Wakefield Park last weekend, with Roger Lago kicking off his Porsche GT3 title defence with style. LACHLAN MANSELL was there

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Rob Lang

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John Morris / Mpix

OGER Lago has kicked off his Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge title defence with overall honours in the opening round of the 2011 series at Wakefield Park this weekend. Lago qualified second and won the opening two races, before finishing second behind Matt Kingsley in the 45lap final. Lago actually led the opening stanza of Race 3, before his lead was slashed by a Safety Car intervention when Brad Rankin spun off the circuit. “It was a pretty good weekend, really,” Lago said. “When the Safety Car came out after 20 laps it was pretty disappointing, because the lead I had on Matt disappeared. Then when we restarted, there was a lot of gravel on the circuit where they pulled Brad’s car back on, so I had no grip for two laps. “Matt and John [Goodacre] got up the inside of me and once I got the grip back, I got past John and I was catching Matt,

but it was one thing to catch him and another to pass. “The car is set up really well; I just get in the car and drive it to the best of my ability, so we’ll go to the next round at Mallala and see how we go.” Kingsley looked to be the man to beat after he qualified his 996 on pole position, but his chances of a round victory took a severe turn for the worse on the formation lap for Race 1, when his car ground to a halt with a fuel pump problem. Kingsley charged from the rear of the grid to seventh in Race 2, before moving to the front in Race 3. Despite intense pressure from Lago in the closing laps, Kingsley was able to hold on for the win, also taking the lead in the Jim Richards Endurance Trophy series for the longer distance races. He finished in fifth position for the weekend. Yuey Tan finished second overall with a consistent run in the weekend’s three races. After qualifying ninth, he worked his way through to third in Race 1 and

then finished fifth in the other two races. “I’m stoked with the result,” he said. “My goal for the weekend was top six, so I’ve exceeded my expectations.” Phil Morriss finished third for the round ahead of Jeff Bobik, who ran strongly in the first two races but suffered a broken driveshaft in Race 3. Paul Bolinowsky ended up winning the Porsche 996 class by virtue of consistency, with results of 12th, 11th and eighth outright in the three races. As well as Kingsley’s dramas in the opening race, Bolinowsky was also aided by a final corner collision between the other 996 contenders, John Goodacre and Terry Knight, also in Race 1. The other major incident for the weekend occurred in Race 2, when Bob Thorn and Bill Fulton tangled in Turn 4. Both cars suffered significant damage and were eliminated from the remainder of the weekend. Points: Lago 88, Tan 58, P. Morriss 52, Bobik 50, Kingsley 47. motorsport news

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Richard Craill James Smith

Matt Kingsley, top, bounced back from early weekend dramas to win the final race. Yuey Tan, above, had his best GT3 Cup Challenge round result with second, while Bob Thorn and Bill Fulton came together in Race 2, left.

James Smith

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was also involved in the incident but was able to continue. Tony Bates won the opening round of the Commodore Cup National Series, which used a unique random grid-draw format. Bates drew 11th for Race 1, but started from pit-lane after his car failed to fire in the paddock. He worked his way up to sixth, before taking advantage of a front-row start to win Race 2. Bates then battled with Marcus Zukanovic in the final, eventually executing a switchback manoeuvre through Turn 8 to capture the lead and drive to victory. “This is my best win in Commodore Cup,” he said. “All the main competitors were there, and to come back from a pitlane start in the first race makes it very satisfying.” Zukanovic finished second for the weekend ahead of reigning champion Adam Beechey, who scored his seventh consecutive Commodore Cup podium with fifth, fourth and third in the three races. Geoff Emery won Race 1 after drawing first position in the grid lotto, but the fivetime champ spun out of contention in Race 2 and then retired from Race 3 with mechanical problems.

Shawn Jamieson won the Saloon Car round with wins in two out of the three races. It might have even been a cleansweep for the 2009 champion, had he not copped a post-race time penalty for jumping the start in Race 3. Matt Lovell capitalised to win Race 3 and finish second for the round, while Chris Berry rounded out the podium. For spectators, the highlight of the Saloon Car racing was the battle for fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth positions in all three races between Paul Pennisi, Geoff Brown, Mark Primmer, Harley Phelan and Bevan Garioch. The drivers swapped positions lap after lap, but amazingly, there was very little contact or panel damage. Tim Berryman and Jon Miles teamed up to take victory in the inaugural Radical Australia Cup. Berryman won the first sprint race, Miles finished fourth in the second sprint race, and the drivers shared the car to win the 50-minute endurance final. Peter Opie finished the round in second place overall, with Glyn Edis third, both drivers electing to go solo for the weekend. – LACHLAN MANSELL

John Morris / Mpix

E may not have crossed the line first in any of the three races, but racecraft and consistency earnt Scott Loadsman overall honours in Round 1 of the Kumho V8 Touring Car Series at Wakefield Park’s Shannons Nationals season opener. Loadsman qualified on pole position but was beaten by Terry Wyhoon in Race 1. In Race 2, Loadsman again crossed the finish line in second position, but was awarded the race win when Wyhoon was penalised post-race for jumping the start. Loadsman stalled his VY Commodore on the grid in Race 3 and dropped to 12th, but fought his way through to third to secure the overall victory. Chris Smerdon finished second for the weekend in his ex-Stone Brothers BA Falcon with finishes of fourth, third and second in the three races. Wyhoon rounded out the overall podium despite dropping to eighth in Race 3 with a spin. The defending champion Tony Evangelou had a mixed weekend, bringing his BA Falcon home in a lowly 17th in Race 1 due to mechanical problems. He stormed through the field to second in Race 2 and won Race 3, finishing fourth overall ahead of impressive newcomer Justin Garioch in the Jose Fernandezprepared Falcon. The weekend’s first two races were relatively clean but carnage erupted in Race 3, inset, when John Vergotis spun at Turn 7 after a tap from another competitor. He was collected by Aaron Tebb and both cars were out on the spot. Stuart Inwood

John Morris / Mpix

Loadsman on top in V8TC

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James Smith

Tony Bates, above, and Shawn Jamieson, right, kicked off their seasons with wins in Commodore Cup and Saloon Cars respectively. Tim Berryman and Jon Miles took out out the Radical Australia Cup round, below.

Rob Lang John Morris / Mpix

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NASCAR Round 6 – MARTINSVILLE, VI

For the second time in a row, Kevin Harvick waited until the end of the race to show his hand – and this time, he stole the win from Dale Earnhardt Jr

This Bud’s not for You

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T would have made SUCH a great story. Dale Earnhardt Jr nosed his way past Kyle Busch to take the lead at Martinsville, and with five laps to go, the Hendrick Chevy looked like a winner. The sport’s most popular driver looked set to end his 98-race streak without a Sprint Cup win, and the Earnhardt Nation could, finally, get on with their lives, knowing that all was, once more, right with the world. Then, Kevin Harvick drove past him to take the win. The man in the #29 Childress Chevy was, suddenly, the most vilified man in the northernmost reaches of the South, if you take my meaning. “I hate to be the bad guy here, but winning’s winning,” Harvick said after his second win in a week. After finishing second, it was a Earnhardt who congratulated Busch after a tight and physical battle, which saw second place decided by a few millimetres. “I am frustrated. I got close,” Earnhardt said. “I ain’t won in a long time. I was thinking at the end I was meant to win the damn race.” Junior is right; his last Cup win came at Michigan in June 2008. “I’ll probably think about it a million times what I probably could have done differently,” he said. “If I know what’s best for me, I should probably have a good attitude about what happened today and probably go into the next race and use it as momentum and confidence, like any other good driver would do, instead of worrying about, you know, how close we came.” The problem now is, what will Junior do to precent his streak stretching out to three figures next week? It was a case of what might have been for Busch, who led a race-high 151 of the 500 laps, dominating the race early. He was equally sporting. “I was holding him [Earnhardt) up, so it was good for him,” Busch said. “I mean, he took the lead. No harm, no foul. I probably had the best car here today. Unfortunately just didn’t win with it.” Busch has to be content, at least for now, in taking the points lead. The big loser of the day was Jimmie Johnson. He has a great record at the track, but when he sped on pitlane, his hopes of winning were dashed. He recovered to 11th after serving a penalty. Juan Pablo Montoya has a strong short-track finish in fourth ahead of Jeff Gordon and Matt Kenseth. It was a great result for Kenseth, who was a lap down at one stage. Marcos Ambrose finished the race in 29th 37

position, after being collected by Michael McDowell’s car and clouting the wall. “It was a disappointing day, I think the contact was uncalled for,” Ambrose said. “We had a strong car but we never had a chance to really see what it could do. The race was stopped for almost 25 minutes after Martin Truex Jr’s car tested out a SAFER barrier, after the throttle of his Michael Waltrip Toyota stuck open. On the way into the wall Truex rammed Kasey Kahne, but neither driver was injured.

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TOYOTA Media

Blue Sky thinking: It was another huge crowd that packed into Martinsville, above, to witness the fight to the finish between Dale Earnhardt Jr and Kevin Harvick. The Amp Energy crew worked hard to have their man in position to win, but in the end, the man in black ruled the day. It was a rough race for Marcos Ambrose, who survived a number of scrapes on his way to 29th.

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Results :: Goodies 500, Martinsville, VI Pos.No. 1 29 2 88 3 18 4 42 5 24 6 17 7 1 8 6 9 33 10 5

Driver Kevin Har vick Dale Earnhardt Jr. Kyle Busch Juan Montoya Jeff Gordon Matt Kenseth Jamie McMurray David Ragan Clint Bowyer Mark Mar tin

Make Chevrolet Chevrolet Toyota Chevrolet Chevrolet Ford Chevrolet Ford Chevrolet Chevrolet

Team Childress Hendrick Joe Gibbs Earnhardt Ganassi Hendrick Roush Fenway Earnhardt Ganaddi Roush Fenway Childress Hendrick

Sponsor Budweiser Amp/National Guard Pedigree Target Drive to End Hunger Crown Royal Widia UPS BB&T Quaker State

Qual. 9 26 11 27 21 24 1 14 15 12

Top 10 Points:

Kyle Busch 219, Edwards 214, Johnson 207, Kur th Busch 205, Har vick 204, Newman 203, Montoya 201, Earnhardt 199, Kenseth 195, Mar tin 181.

CIK STARS OF KARTING ROUND 2 – BOLIVER, SA

AKE was the name to have at last weekend’s Round 2 of the 2011 CIK Stars of Karting Series presented by Castrol EDGE at Bolivar Raceway in South Australia. Jake Spencer and Jake Klarich both broke through for maiden wins in the CIK series, with Spencer taking out Pro Light KF1, and Klarich winning Pro Junior KF3. Despite this being only his second event at the top level of Australian karting, Spencer showed he has got what it takes to mix it with the best drivers in the country on his way to victory in both KF1 finals. After

winning the first 34-lap race, Spencer lined up on pole position with series debutant Daniel alongside in his Gillard kart for the second final. Unfortunately for Rochford, his run came to a premature end when he was involved in an incident with local driver Ben Edwards and Gold Coaster James Macken at the opening turn. Spencer was then forced to battle with Adam Hughes and Cian Fothergill, before Lap 24 when Hughes and Fothergill came together battling for the runner-up position, forcing Hughes onto the sidelines. Fothergill

JAKE

was able to continue – albeit out of contention for the win. “I came here not expecting too much, hopefully a podium, [so] to walk away with a round win and the championship lead is awesome,” said Spencer. “It is the toughest field I’ve ever raced in so it is good to come out on top.” Monster Energy-backed Arrow karts driver David Sera took a clean sweep of the proceedings in the Pro Gearbox (KZ2) category, however, the action behind him was action-packed. Local driver Scott Taylor showed some great speed across

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E 2.0

Not Jaking: Spencer avoided carnage to win in KF1, left, while Sera was simply in a class of his own in KZ2, above. Perth’s Jake Klarich was an elated winner in KF3, right.

the weekend to secure second for the round. “All in all it has been a fantastic weekend,” said Taylor. “When I heard that the series was coming to my home track here at Bolivar it was definitely exciting and to finished second behind David Sera is pretty amazing – especially when you look at his list of achievements in the sport.” After a number of podium finishes over the past 12 months, Klarich finally broke through for his maiden victory in KF3. The 15-year-old made a pass on pole-sitter and

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early race leader Joseph Mawson mid-way through the second final, before holding on for the win. “It is a great feeling to have won, it is the first time I’ve won and one I won’t forget for a long time,” said Klarich. “I had the pace of the leaders all weekend and then in the final I managed to get ahead of them and then hold them off, there was a lot of pressure there but I was able to hold on,” Round 3 of the CIK Stars of Karting Series presented by Castrol EDGE will be contested in Melbourne on June 16-18.

Plato’s Philoso

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JASON Plato put himself into the touring record books at Brands Hatch on the weekend, by taking two British Touring Car Championship race wins, giving him a record tally of 62 career wins. Plato won the first two races of the weekend at Brands Hatch, with arch-rival Matt Neal winning the third. Neal led Race 1 from pole position, but only lasted as far as Turn 2 before he was caught up in a clash that included Plato and his Chevrolet team-mate Alex MacDowall. Neal was out of the race and a Safety Car was needed to help clear up the mess. Plato bolted clear on the restart to score a 61st BTCC win with the turbocharged, Triple 8-run Vauxhall Vectra of James Nash taking second place. Plato won race two later in the day, having grabbed the lead at the first corner with Nash following him. However, a massive slide delayed Nash and let Mat Jackson (Ford Focus) up to second. Nash then lost third to MacDowall, before falling behind Honda Racing’s Gordon Shedden after a Safety Car period. Jackson pursued Plato with vigour, but the flying Shedden caught the pair and started to attack Jackson. That allowed Plato to pull away for win number 62, while ‘Sheds’ grabbed second spot with three laps to run to give the new turbocharged Honda Civic a maiden podium result. Neal started Race 3 from pole and led Andrew Jordan (Vauxhall Vectra), until ‘AJ’ suffered a front-left puncture. That allowed Jackson up to second place but he failed to catch Neal, the gap at flagfall being just two-tenths of a second. Plato was fifth to maintain his championship lead heading to Donington Park in two weeks time. – DAVID ADDISON

SKINNER STRUGGLES IN UK DEBUT GINETTA CUP AUSTRALIAN single-seater driver Jordan Skinner had a tough baptism to sportscar racing at Brands hatch last weekend, in the opening rounds of the Michelin Ginetta GT Supercup. Driving the Leeds manufacturer’s new 3.7-litre G55, Skinner ran mid-field of Race 1 before a clash with teenager Jake Hill – a graduate of the Junior Championship

– and the pair retired with damage. Another retirement from Race 2 left Skinner with work to do in Race 3, starting 21st on the grid. An early charge up the order put him 12th by Lap 4, until he spun at Druids and had to battle his way up from the back of the field. He tangled with Ginetta rookie Mark Steward on lap 16 of 27, which led to a third retirement of the weekend. – DAVID ADDISON

F3’s EURO HAT-TRICK F3 EURO SERIES THE Formula 3 Euro Series has kicked off with three different winners from three races. Nigel Melker was the first driver to record a victory at Paul Ricard, the Dutchman hunting down early leader and polesitter Roberto Merhi to take the lead. He then controlled proceedings, ending the race with more than four seconds up his sleeve. Mehri got his revenge in the second race, bolting from fifth on the reversed grid to barge

past Marco Wittmann and hold on for the win. Meanwhile, things took a turn for the worst for Melker, who finished fourth, but was later handed a 30s penalty for unsporting behaviour. In the final, it was Mehri’s Prema team-mate Daniel Juncadella who had his time in the sun, passing the Race 2 winner with three laps to go. By that point, the Prema cars were well ahead of the pack, finishing less than a second apart, but more than 8s ahead of Wittmann in third place.

NEED TO JOIN A CAR CLUB TO GET YOUR CAMS LICENSE? No matter what car you drive, Formula Ford Association membership is a cost effective way to get you on track.

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Paris Charles

LINES KEEPS IT STRAIGHT SPEEDWAY

THRASHES, Smashes and Hits were the order of the night, as the Sprintcar combatants came to Adelaide’s Speedway City for the Orrcon Steel Champion of Champions Round 12 of the hard fought Revolution Racegear Track Championship Series. While many of the competitors crashed and bashed themselves into a pulp, Mount Gambier’s Steven Lines returned to Speedway City driving for the Monte Motorsports Team from Western Australia, and successfully claimed back-to-back $5,000 winner’s purses, after a hard-fought battle with newly-crowned World Series Sprintcar

Champion Robbie Farr. Before a lap had been recorded there were several aborted starts that resulted in nasty crashes, wiping out eight of the twenty competitors, which included fellow World Series-contracted drivers Trevor Green, Ricky Maiolo and David Murcott. The latter two each had a night to forget, rolling over and out twice during the evening. Also caught up in the carnage were former feature race winners in this year’s championship series; Jamie Cobby and Daniel Pestka. Once the race was underway it was Farr who jumped to a handy lead over Lines and the hounding field. On Lap 22, Farr’s quest come to a premature end after the radius arm bolt fatigued. From

that point forward Lines led the last eight circulations to claim the win. Local racer Luke Dillon was next, bagging a handy haul of points to lead the track championship point score and rounding out the podium was Victorian young gun Nick Lacey. Brad Keller stormed from the rear to fourth, earning him the Hard Charger Award for his efforts. Steven Caruso and Justin Sloan slugged it out for the next two placings, and rounding out the finishers in the attrition plagued event was Darwin’s Alan Barlee in a wounded car followed by the two New South Welshmen Eddie Lumbar and Darryl Guerin to round out the finishers. – PARIS CHARLES

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Lip Service

Phil Williams

THE Mt Alma Mile Hillclimb has another new name engraved on the trophy – Sebastian Lip. Inaugural winner Kevin Mackrell in his 6.5 litre Chev powered 260Z set the time to beat in practice with a new track record of 42.56s on his first run, but he would not complete the event due to component failure. After five completed runs, the Top 12 from the 4WD and 2WD classes ran off, and were eventually eliminated until only the Top 3 from each remained. Sebastian Lip (Nissan R35 GTR), Greg Keene (Porsche 911 Turbo S) and Tristan Catford (Misubishi EVO IX) fought out the 4WD battle, with Catford going fastest on the final run with 44.13s. However, a touch of the wing mirror on a bollard at the chicane half way up the hill proved costly to Catford. The defending champion incurred a five-second penalty for the indiscretion, elevating Lip to first place with Catford dropping to third. The 2WD final came down to a wrestle between the rotaries of Levi Trent (RX-7), and Bruce Combe (RX-7), along with the Clubman of Richard Wright. Less than a second separated the three, with Trent taking the honours over Wright and Combe. – PHIL WILLIAMS

Max back in business SPEEDWAY VALVOLINE’S Max Dumesny bounced back into the winner’s circle a week ago at the Tyrepower Sydney Speedway, with a great win in the 30-lap A Main feature defeating early race leader Adrian Maher with Garry Rush team driver Ben Atkinson home in third. It had been a while since the former multiple WSS and Australian Champion had scored a victory in Sydney, but after two solid second placings in his heat races, Dumensy chased down Maher to score a superb

victory with series points leader Atkinson, Ian Loudoun, Ian Madsen and Grant Tunks making up the top six finishers. Current TSS sprintcar track champ Mitchell Dumesny after a couple of spin outs was a non finisher. The only major crash saw Peter Attard flipping over early in the A Main. The eight heats saw wins to Loudoun, Matt Young, Tunks, Martin Lawes, Maher, Atkinson, Mitchell Dumesny and Madsen while in the last chance B Main Steve Caunt scored the victory from Peter Gordon and Jon McCorkindale. – GREG BOSCATO

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t o p S d Od

THE BURNS OF SHAME TOLL Holden Racing Team mechanic Justin Burns shouldn’t be expecting a call up from Australian cricket selectors to replace former captain Ricky Ponting in the slips position anytime in the near future – if his recent form is anything to go by. As the lead mechanic on Garth Tander’s Commodore, Burns has been bestowed the time honoured task of catching the empty champagne bottles dropped from the elevated podium by his driver, following each race’s podium celebrations. But, much to the disgust of his team-mates, twice in the past two events Burns has dropped the prized trophies. The first came at Adelaide’s recent Clipsal 500 event, with the second following a week later, after Tander’s second place finish in the V8 Supercar races at the Australian Grand Prix. Each time the embarrassed Burns walking away and leaving the shattered trophies behind for team-mates to clean up! Needless to say, Burns has been banished by Tander to fine leg for any future podiums ... www.mnews.com.au