Motorsport eNews issue 200 - April 12-18, 2011

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Issue No. 200 Apr 12 - Apr 18 2011

STONE BROTHERS TELL US WHY THIS WEEKEND IS

VAN GIZ’S TIME TO SHINE EXCLUSIVE:

CRAIG LOWNDES ON BREAKING HIS HAMILTON HOODOO

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Seb Vettel didn’t win the champagne battle after the Malaysian GP ...

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Issue No. 200 | Apr 12-18 2011

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I’ll stick around Rogers not selling 6 Brave new world Big shake-up for ARC 8 Do V8s have a new car smell?

FPR building two new toys 16 NZV8s launch their COT Two series’ looming in NZ

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comment 26 van Leeuwen – Happy 200!

27 Adam – Happy new ARC!

race 28 Malaysian GP 32 Targa Tasmania 36 ANDRA Pro Series 40 IndyCar 44 NASCAR 48 Aussies Overseas

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The Giz: It’s Time!

SBR boss expects his young Kiwi star to deliver ‘at home’ this weekend V8 SUPERCARS

S

TONE Brothers Racing boss Ross Stone is looking for a strong performance from Shane van Gisbergen, his young Kiwi star, when the V8 Supercar circus hits Hamilton this weekend.

Van Giz had a tough weekend last year at the NZ round, and Stone is doing everything possible to help

avoid a repeat – and indeed to create the environment for his young charge take that final step up onto the winner’s dais.

“We went through something like this with Marcos (Ambrose),” Stone told eNews on Monday.

“It took him a little while to get over that final hurdle, to get his first win, but once he’d done that …”

“We’re quite pleased with

the way all three of our cars are going at the moment – Alex Davo and Sladey have been up there putting pressure on Shane – and that’s a good thing.

“This week, we’ll just be concentrating on whatever is needed to do the job at the weekend. We’ve cut back on Shane’s corporate commitments … it’s just all about concentrating on the racing.”

Van Giz notched up a number of podiums late last season, including the heart-breaking Homebush race where victory seemed assured, until his car coughed and ran short on fuel just short of the finish.

Now, the pressure is on both Van Giz and his team to deliver that elusive first win: “It’s time,” says his team boss.

“For sure.”

– CHRIS LAMBDEN

ROGERS: I’M NOT SELLING OUT V8 SUPERCARS

GARRY Rogers has moved to quash speculation about his future in V8 Supercars.

Frustrated by lingering suggestions that he is poised to sell Garry Rogers Motorsport – which fields Commodores for Lee Holdsworth and Michael Caruso with backing from Fujitsu – and end his direct involvement in the sport, Rogers set the record straight.

“I’ve been hearing this, I don’t know where

it’s come from, but I’m sick and tired of hearing the bullshit,” he told eNews.

“My history’s longer than most and I enjoy what I do. I’d like to have a few more wins, and we’re working on those, which has been clearly obvious for the last few years.

“We’ve assembled a great workforce and you’ve only got to take a look around at what we spend and what we do; only a fool would be doing that if I was thinking of moving on.”

– MITCHELL ADAM

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Peter Bury

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NEWS EXTRA – NEW DIRECTION FOR AUSTRALIAN RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP

FORD: SUV CLASS OF INTEREST AUSTRALIAN RALLY

Michael Vettas

FORD will investigate an entry into the Australian Rally Championship’s new SUV class for its Territory platform, eNews can report.

The ARC will start an SUV class next year, in a bid to make the series more attractive to manufacturers. And, with the Ford Territory selling well in Australia, Ford’s motorsport boss Chris Styring told eNews it will be looked into at factory level.

“Firstly, we are really happy with how the Territory has come out,” said Styring.

“We think it’s an amazing SUV, and we think it will make a huge difference to our sales in Australia. So we’re hugely excited about what that vehicle will do for us, and for families around Australia.

“Marketing opportunities will be investigated, for sure. But motorsport is always under the microscope, whether its V8 Supercars or Formula Ford or rallying, so with a limited budget it makes things difficult.

“But I won’t write it off. You always look at these opportunities. If that comes across my desk, I’ll investigate it for sure.”

The inclusion of an SUV class in the future plans of the ARC comes after Subaru boss Nick Senior slammed Australian motorsport for not having a place for soft-roaders to race, given their market share in new car sales.

“V8 Supercars largely disenfranchises the majority of automotive companies in this country,” said Senior at the Subaru Forester launch recently.

“And let’s not forget that V8 Supercars no longer showcases the third biggest car segment in Australia. It is a little reported fact that the compact SUV category is now bigger than the large car class. Yes, the compact SUV segment, at 11.1 per cent of the total industry, surpassed the large car category, which as slipped from 10.9 per cent to 9.3 per cent of the total market.

“A compact SUV motorsport competition would resonate with more new car buyers than V8 Supercars, for the first time in our history.”

– ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN

Honda: We can s

Neil Blackbourn

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ARC GOES UNRESTRICTED AUSTRALIAN RALLY DRIVERS of four-wheel-drive turbos in the Bosch Australian Rally Championship are reporting significant power increases thanks to the ARC’s new ‘Unrestricted’ formula.

This year, turbo restrictors have been removed and extra freedoms have been created with exhaust manifolds. As a result, leading competitors are reporting gains of 25 to 30 percent at the wheels over 2010.

Introduced to improve the speed and sound of cars in the championship, the Unrestricted cars will be used in competition for the first time this weekend’s Quit Forest Rally in Western Australia, the 2011 season opener.

“The cars have been transformed from road cars to

still win AUSTRALIAN RALLY HONDA driver Eli Evans is remaining bullish about his chances in the 2011 Bosch Australian Rally Championship, despite a rule change that will severely favour the four-wheeldrive cars.

For 2011, the Group N rally cars will have less restrictions (see separate story), which could see them produce as much as 25 percent more power. While that will make life harder for Evans and the two-wheel-drive Honda Civic Type R, the young Victorian is still confident of fighting for rally wins.

“Last year was tough for me,” said Evans.

“The Honda Civic Type R is like no other car I have driven before.

For the first time I feel like I’m driving a full-on race car and I’m really excited about the upcoming season.

“I’m confident we can get more speed from the Honda Civic Type R [this season]. I have a full year of rallying behind me now. We’ve gathered some good data on what does and doesn’t work, this year will be a better gauge of how fast the Civic Type R can go.”

The ARC kicks off in WA this weekend. www.mnews.com.au

racecars,” Justin Dowel said.

“When we went testing, I remember there was a corner we tested on last year and we hit it flat in fifth at about 180 kays an hour. This year, we hit it flat in fourth at about 188 kays an hour and I had a grin from ear to ear thinking ‘my god, I can do another 20 kays around this bend’.

“They’re just unbelievable, the sound, the noise, the speed, they sound like WRC cars, they look like them and they’re going to go as fast.”

Meanwhile, the ARC used last week’s season launch in Melbourne to announce the return of Kumho Tyres as the exclusive tyre supplier for 2011. The championship will revert to pump fuel, BP Ultimate, while the Make A Wish Foundation was named as the ARC’s official charity.

– MITCHELL ADAM

Big changes ahead AUSTRALIAN RALLY THE shape of the Australian Rally Championship will change dramatically over the next three years.

This year’s Bosch-backed championship is the first of a three-year plan created by former competitor Scott Pedder, who signed on as its CEO last December. Four-wheel-drive turbo cars will be faster and louder this year, see separate story, in a move to improve the spectacle of the ARC. The next two years, though, contain even bigger changes. A class for SUVs will be introduced in 2012, while the platform for the outright championship will move to a twowheel-drive format from 2013. With Honda currently the only active manufacturer in the championship – with a two-wheel drive Civic – the changes are aimed at making the ARC a more attractive proposition to car markers to get involved in, and, ultimately, boost, the championship.

“There is no more important element to the future success of the Australian Rally Championship as manufacturer interest and involvement,” Pedder said.

“When you look back at the successful periods of the Australian Rally Championship, you find a direct correlation to car company involvement. This isn’t unique to the Australian Rally Championship; Formula 1, the World Rally Championship, NASCAR, V8 Supercars, et cetera, owe a large part of their success to leveraging programs that car companies do within those disciplines.

“Since my appointment as the CEO of the Australian Rally Championship in December last year, my primary focus has been to reengage with car manufacturers and importers with a longer-term vision of wooing them back to the ARC.” Pedder has held meetings with 11 local manufacturers and importers about the future of the championship. The regulations for the new SUV class and two-wheel-drive formula will be unveiled at Rally Australia in September.

“In simple terms, these new outright twowheel-drive cars need to be fast, they need to be exciting and they need to be market relevant,” Pedder said.

“The Australian Rally Championship, together with CAMS, the Australian Rally Commission and several of our world-class rally engineers and technical minds within the Australian Rally industry will be utilised to develop regulations that will fulfil these objectives.

“My strategy is to see the release of these regulations at this year’s Rally Australia event, giving manufacturers and teams enough time to finalise their plans for entry into the 2012 Australian Rally Championship for a year of competition and development, before a shift to the two-wheel-drive focus in 2013.”

Four-wheel-drive turbos will remain part of the championship in 2013 and beyond, but won’t be eligible for the outright ARC titles. As an interim step, outright titles for four-wheeldrive and two-wheel-drive competitors could be awarded in 2012, however that is yet to be finalised.

– MITCHELL ADAM

SOFTS HAMIL

FPR TO PHASE NEW CARS IN V8 SUPERCARS

V8 SUPERCARS

DEAR WARREN, PLEASE DON’T CRASH IN NZ ...

Rob Lang

LUCAS Dumbrell Motorsport will definitely be on the grid in New Zealand for this weekend’s ITM 400 in Hamilton, but Warren Luff will be under strict instruction to keep the car straight.

After crashes at both the Clipsal 500 and the Australian Grand Prix, the LDM Commodore had to be hurriedly fixed to be transported to Brisbane, and then shipped to New Zealand.

While the car is now safely on its way to NZ, the team will be operating virtually without spare parts – and if the car is badly damaged in Hamilton, it will be a big stretch for the small team to get the car back to Melbourne, fix it over Easter, and then get it to Perth for the Barbagallo round two weeks later.

“We really need to keep the car 100 percent straight,” Dumbrell told eNews.

“I’ve employed another truck driver for that stretch between now and Perth, because even if everything goes smoothly in New Zealand it will be tight. We essentially get the car back on a Wednesday, and it has to leave on the Saturday morning to WA – and there are public holidays in there as well.

“So that’s right, it is important to keep the car straight. We killed all of our spares at Clipsal and the Grand Prix, so going to another street circuit isn’t ideal.”

– ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN

Dirk Klynsmith

FORD Performance Racing is close to finishing the build on two new FG Falcon chassis, but will not debut them at the same time.

Currently, one chassis is almost complete, with a second not far behind in the production line. But according to FPR team principal Tim Edwards, decisions on a debut date, or even who will get the new car first, are yet to be made.

“Production of our new car

is underway and progressing well,” he said.

“Our workshop-based crew will be working on it when we are in New Zealand, though we are yet to make a decision about when and where it will debut, and who will be driving it.

“We actually have another one coming behind it, though resources during the season don’t allow you to build and debut two new cars at the same time, but I can’t imagine that it will be too far behind.”

– ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN

motorsport news

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S TO MAKE Blues aim chase the LTON HARDER to blues away V8 SUPERCARS

DUNLOP’S softer ‘Sprint’ tyre will make its proper street circuit debut this weekend in New Zealand, and Ford Performance Racing’s Mark Winterbottom says it will make for a tough couple of races.

‘Frosty’ has concerns that with no stints on the control tyre across the two races in Hamilton, drivers will be working harder than ever before.

“This will be the first time we go to Hamilton using the soft Dunlop tyre, so I am not really sure how it is going to go, though it will certainly change our strategy and increase the physicality of driving the car,” said Winterbottom.

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“Our form on the soft tyre hasn’t been great, but our engineers have spent a lot of time since the last race working to provide us with the car we need. One of the things FPR does well is turn things around, and if we can win in Hamilton then it will probably mean more than a normal win.”

Winterbottom’s FPR team-mate Will Davison agreed that the soft tyre will take its toll on the drivers.

“The introduction of the soft tyre is going to be extremely different at a street track and very challenging,” he said.

“It will be tough to use in the races and there is a high chance of driver error which is not what you want on a street track.”

V8 SUPERCARS FORD Performance Racing’s three drivers will visit Christchurch today (Tuesday), as part of the build-up to the ITM 400 in Hamilton this weekend.

Mark Winterbottom, Will Davison and Paul Dumbrell will visit the dealer staff and their families from the still inaccessible Team Hutchinson Ford in central Christchurch, and from the nearby Avon City Ford.

“What has happened in Christchurch is terrible and it probably has not had the exposure it needs since the events in Japan,” Dumbrell said. “I am glad we get the chance to meet some of the people that have been affected and give back something however small to make their life slightly better than it has been lately.”

It’s a living thing V8 SUPERCARS BRAD Jones Racing finally has a naming rights sponsor for car #14, after competing at the first three race meetings of the year with limited BOC backing.

Jana Living – a Warrugalbased property development company – will take over the naming rights sponsorship of Jason Bargwanna’s car from Hamilton onwards. They have been a personal sponsor or Bargwanna’s since he started

his own MINI Challenge team back in 2008.

“Jana Living spent time working out how to use the sport and now they’re totally pumped; it’s all going 100mph,” said Bargwanna.

“The company comes from Warragul [in Victoria]; it’s their home town and their business is focused there. They want to raise awareness for the commercial development they’re doing and encourage national businesses to move there.

“We’re also trying to promote the area to give the people partownership of the car, so it’s a bit of a two-prong approach.”

Jana Living owner John Castle admitted there were risks in the sponsorship venture, but is confident it will work for his company.

“Someone said to me the other day that it’s pretty gutsy for a regional company to take on something like this, but we’ve nutted out a plan that focuses on growing our local businesses and sponsoring a

road safety campaign,” said Castle.

“We’re looking to link up basically with a lot of contacts that have been in and around the V8 supercar scene; that’s one of the most important things that we reckon we can do. I’ve been motorsportmad all my life one way or another and have always been interested in the V8s. I got involved with Jason in the MINIs three years ago, and have got to know him pretty well since then.”

ENDURO SILLY SEASON ALMOST DONE V8 SUPERCARS THE enduro market is almost closed for 2011, with just one seat remaining open for Phillip Island and Bathurst.

Last week, Triple F Racing announced that Michael Patrizi would again partner Dean Fiore in the two long-distance races.

While there was little doubt that the two West Aussies would team up, it does officially take another vacant seat off the market.

“I am very excited to have Michael on board again this year,” said Fiore.

“It’s great that he has got a

drive in Carrera Cup this year in order to keep up his race craft in the lead up to the endurance races. He did an excellent job last year, and we had fantastic pace at Phillip Island so I am looking forward to this year.”

As eNews went to press, Garry Rogers Motorsport announced their final co-driver.

As expected, Marcus Marshall will join the Fujitsu squad.

“I am excited to be joining the team,” Marshall said.

“They are a professional group and have shown excellent car speed particularly in the last few seasons. I feel this is one of the best opportunities that

I have had since early in my career to achieve a strong result at the endurance races.

“With the speed that the cars have shown at Bathurst in previous years it was an easy decision to make. I would like to thank Garry and his sponsor group for the opportunity to join his team.”

The two announcements mean there is only one seat genuinely up for grabs. As reported last week, eNews understands that Jonny Reid is the front-runner to partner Tony D’Alberto, but that no firm decision has been made.

The only potential for a late

opening is if Jason Richards decides not to compete in the long-distance races. Should that happen, expect Andrew Jones to move into car #8 with Jason Bright, and Jason Bargwanna to be on the lookout for a new partner.

Meanwhile, there are still question marks over exactly how the Holden Racing Team/ Walkinshaw Racing will sort their pairings. eNews expects Craig Baird to partner James Courtney, Cameron McConville to be re-united with Garth Tander, and Nick Percat to team up with Fabian Coulthard, but this is yet to be confirmed.

ROAD COURSE LANGUAGE AUSSIES OVERSEAS NASCAR aspirant George Miedecke has added an extra event to his 2011 US program, and will debut in the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards next month.

ARCA stock car racing is as a key part of the NASCAR feeder path and regularly runs as a 10

support for NASCAR events.

The Menards-backed series is the top tier and Miedecke will debut in Round 5 at New Jersey Motorsports Park on May 22.

The Australian will join leading outfit Venturini Motorsports. Miedecke has been enlisted by the team as a road course ringer for the only

non-oval on the schedule, and will be backed by Australian firm iSeek Communications, who supported his 2009 V8 Ute program.

“To be scouted out by Billy Venturini (Venturini Motorsports General Manager) at the opening round of the UARA Stars at Hickory Speedway was a huge honour,”

Miedecke, who runs in the UARA series with Marcos Ambrose Motorsport, said.

“Venturini Motorsports are the powerhouse team in ARCA competition, they have a great history and track record of developing drivers for the top tiers of NASCAR, and I plan to put their flagship number 25 machine in Victory Lane.” motorsport news

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A0971 AMN

WEBBER’S KERS WOES CONTINUE FORMULA 1

M

ARK Webber has chalked up a start-line KERS failure as the reason behind another mediocre result at the Malaysian Grand Prix.

Having qualified third, Webber made a disastrous start when the KERS system failed to fire on the run to Turn 1. He was back in 10th by the end of Lap 1.

“The clutch didn’t behave itself initially,” said Webber.

“That cost me a bit of time, but the biggest problem was KERS. When I pushed the KERS button as we left the grid, nothing happened and I was swamped.”

The KERS failure caused Webber’s crew to switch him from a three-stop strategy to a fourstop strategy, which ultimately allowed him to climb back up to fourth place at the finish.

“Despite being very quick through the corners, it was going to be very difficult for me to pass people with KERS, because they were so quick in a straight-line. I had to do something different to make progress, and that meant changing the strategy.

“I drove every lap on the limit. I’d like to have stayed out a bit longer before making my final pit-stop, but I was losing too much time behind Lewis [Hamilton] and I had to come in. But my car was very fast in my final stint and I was able to make quick progress.”

While Webber is now well behind team-mate Sebastian Vettel in the points, he is refusing to give up on a title tilt in 2011.

“There’s no doubt that Seb has got off to a great start in the championship. But I’m confident that the car will be competitive in Shanghai and I’ll be pushing hard. I’ll keep boxing; I’ll keep swinging.”

NEWEY: DON’T EXPECT QUICK FIX FORMULA 1 THERE may be no quick fix to Red Bull Racing’s KERS woes, according to the team’s tech guru Adrian Newey.

After running with no KERS at all in Australia, both of the Red Bulls had KERS fitted for the start of the Malaysian Grand Prix on Sunday. But a fresh issue arose, with Mark Webber’s system failing off the start line (see separate story), while Sebastian Vettel’s system worked, but only until Lap 29, when it too packed up and stopped working.

But while the unreliability

12

of the KERS system could open the door for McLaren or Renault to break RBR’s run of dominance, Newey has warned that a solution might not happen straight away – particularly with the next race being this weekend in China.

“The reality is that it is a system in its infancy,” Newey told AUTOSPORT. “We are not a manufacturer team so we are having to develop KERS ourselves, which has not been our area of expertise in the past. We are also doing it on a limited resource, limited budget and

with limited experience, so we are on a rapid learning curve.

How long it takes us to get to the top of that learning curve remains to be seen.

“With Mark we had a problem off the line that meant he could not use it at all, during the race, including the start.

He had a problem on the lap to the startline – it was a fresh problem, not a problem we have had before.

“With Seb – we had a problem that meant we could have continued to run it, but from a safety point of view we thought it best to turn it off and not take any risks.”

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13

IZOD INDYCAR Media

RLL signs Baguette

for Indy 500 Trump to D INDYCAR For the 100th anniversary of the Indianapolis 500, Rahal Letterman Lanigan has expanded its effort to a two-car team with driver Bertrand Baguette.

RLL will also run a car for Jay Howard, in a joint arrangement with Sam Schmidt Motorsports “We anticipate an exciting month at Indy with a pair of young drivers that are hungry to make their own marks in Indy Car,” said RLL co-owner and 1986 Indy 500 winner Bobby Rahal. “Adding Bertrand to our lineup gives us a chance to make both entries stronger. Bertrand has shown throughout his career that he is a proven winner and he improves every time he gets into the car. We look forward to giving both Bertrand and Jay a great opportunity to compete and show their skills at the Indianapolis 500.”

Baguette, who won the Formula Renault 3.5 World Championship in 2009, made his first Indy 500 start a year ago, qualifying 24th and finishing 22nd. He competed in the final 15 races of the 2010 IZOD Indy Car Series season with Conquest Racing, 14

placing in the top 15 in five of the year’s final seven starts.

“This is a very good opportunity for me and it is important for me to compete in the 100th anniversary of this great race,” said Baguette, who will drive the #30 Honda/Dallara/Firestone with the support of the Royal Automobile Club of Belgium and Aspria.

“To be there with a team of the calibre of Rahal Letterman Lanigan is very exciting. They have great people and a rich history and I know we can do great things. Last year was my first time at Indy and it’s a big place and the speeds are high, but once you get used to that, you just focus on improving the race car. We qualified pretty easily on the first day and had a car that was running as fast as the top 10 guys in the race, but we had some misfortune with a broken mirror that set us back. I look forward to joining Rahal Letterman Lanigan and showing the world that I have the ability to run up front there.”

The Ohio-based RLL team has earned 11 top 10 finishes at the Indianapolis 500 since its inception in 1992, including its 2004 Indy 500 victory with Buddy Rice.

– MARY MENDEZ

Indy 500 Pac INDYCAR

Flamboyant business tycoon Donald Trump will drive the 2011 Chevrolet Camaro Convertible Pace Car to lead the field of 33 drivers to the start of the 100th Anniversary Indianapolis 500.

“It’s a great honour to be selected as the Pace

Car driver for such an American institution as the 100th anniversary of the Indianapolis 500,” Trump said. “The Indianapolis 500 has been the gold standard of motorsports for a century, and I can’t wait to get behind the wheel of the Camaro and bring the famous field of 33 drivers to the green flag.”

IndyCar revises

knock-out qualifying INDYCAR

After the season opening event in St Petersburg, IndyCar has made changes to its road course qualifying format.

The field will now be divided into two groups, with each given 15 minutes to set their fastest qualifying lap. The top six from each group continue in a 10-minute session, from which the six fastest go on to participate in the third and final 10-minute segment to decide the order for the first three rows.

“It’s a combination of the new rule that allows one set of tyres, either primaries or alternates, per segment, and the 12 cars in Segment 2 that have clearly demonstrated the ability to be quick, so they don’t need the 15 minutes,” said Brian Barnhart, Indycar’s President of Competition and Operations. motorsport news

IZOD INDYCAR Me dia IZOD INDYCAR Me dia

Drive

ce Car Pagenaud replaces Trump, sometimes nicknamed ‘the Donald’, is a very successful real estate and golf course developer, author, and popular TV show, ‘The Apprentice’. His biggest challenge may be keeping his combed forward hair from blowing while driving the Camaro convertible at over 160km/h...

– MARY MENDEZ

Beatriz at D&R INDYCAR

Reigning 2010 ALMS Champion Simon Pagenaud made his IndyCar debut at Barber Motorsports Park in place of the injured Ana Beatriz.

Beatriz had wrist surgery a few days after the St Petersburg race in which she

suffered a fracture during a clash with Graham Rahal.

“I’m fortunate to have the opportunity to drive the No 24 IndyCar this weekend,” said Pagenaud.

“It’s an awkward situation and not the best for a driver to race in circumstances like this. I wish Ana a very quick

recovery. I’ve been looking to get into IndyCar for several years and now is my chance. I just have to say thank you to everyone for giving me the opportunity.”

The 26 year-old Frenchman was 2006 Atlantics Champion before moving up to Champ Car. – MARY MENDEZ

Junqueira for Indy Foyt entry INDYCAR

www.mnews.com.au

IZOD INDYCAR Me dia

Bruno Junquiera will join fellow Brazilian, Vitor Meira, at AJ Foyt Racing with ABC Supply sponsorship for the 100th anniversary of the Indianapolis 500.

“Bruno certainly knows his way around Indy,” said Foyt, who will enter Junqueira in the #84 car.

“Every time he’s run there, he’s been fast. Plus he and Vitor get along well. They’re both from Brazil. I may have to start

learning Portuguese. It will make us a stronger team for Indy.”

Junqueira was the 2002 Indy 500 pole winner and twice has finished fifth in the famous race.

“I love the race,” said Junquiera.

“The biggest champion in that race is AJ Foyt – he won as a driver, he won as a team owner.

I’m going to have Vitor as my team-mate who is a good friend and a good driver. It’s a perfect combination.”

– MARY MENDEZ

15

NZ V8s launch COT NEW ZEALAND THE build has commenced on the new wave of NZV8 Commodores and Falcons – but don’t be confused, this isn’t a SuperTourer ...

The first details of New Zealand’s ‘Car of Tomorrow’ have finally been released – however, at this stage, they are limited. It has been announced that the FG Falcon and VE Commodore models will be introduced in time for the 2011/12 season, running alongside the current BA/ VZ models. Also, the series is expecting to move to a 9” differential, so it can switch to standings starts, instead of the

current rolling start format.

More technical details are expected to be announced next month.

“The prospect of the two new chassis is fantastic,” said Kerry Cooper, general manager of The Motorsport Company.

“The new V8 Board has got the interests of the fans, teams and sponsors squarely in their sights and we are right with

them. “ “There is absolutely nothing wrong with the performance of our V8s and the racing is fantastic. Crowds are up this year for sure and the added dimension of new cars for the coming season will just continue to build the category.

I am sure we will see new competitors and teams climb on board now.”

The announcement comes six weeks after V8 SuperTourers LTD pulled the covers off their own VE Commodore, which will be part of a new rival V8 tin-top series in New Zealand starting in 2012. The V8 SuperTourer car has been priced turnkey at NZ$200,000 and features a seven-litre GM engine as a standard component, whatever the brand of car it is fitted to. “

Booth makes switch ...

NEW ZEALAND DUAL NZV8 Champ Andy Booth is the latest driver to commit to the new V8SuperTourers Series in New Zealand.

Booth and his AV8 Motorsport squad have decided to switch to the new

series, which will kick off in February 2012, fielding at least one VE Commodore. The move is no major surprise, with Booth’s business partner in AV8, Wayne Andersen, one of the architects of the new car and series.

“This is the most exciting development in New Zealand

motorsport since I began racing 20 years ago,” Booth said.

“After a decade competing in the NZV8 series, including two championship wins, we are ready for a further challenge, something new, and V8 SuperTourers is exactly the right thing at the right time

NEWS ANALYSIS

OH NO, BRO THIS whole New Zealand situation is headed for trouble.

There is no way a country as small as New Zealand can commercially support two V8 Supercar-style categories. In other words, the NZV8s and the V8 SuperTourers will have to eventually join forces, or they will both whither and die.

It seems to me like some current NZV8 team owners weren’t happy with the direction the ‘Car of Tomorrow’ was going, so they’ve built their own version. And 16

for New Zealand motorsport.

These cars are faster, the racing will be more exciting, but most importantly, future proofed.

“We have an order for one new VE Commodore V8 SuperTourers chassis and are currently evaluating options to run an additional car, or cars, for the right drivers.”

to be honest, they’ve done a ripper job.

The V8 SuperTourer looks the goods, and has the right price tag.

Now, without knowing exactly what NZV8s have in mind for the ‘official’ Car of Tomorrow, it’s hard to say that the V8 SuperTourer looks like a better package.

But let’s just say the NZV8 version would want to be pretty awesome – and pretty cheap – to trump it.

However, what the V8 SuperTourers don’t have is ASN support in NZ. The

Andrew van Leeuwen – eNews Editor NZV8s are still the official series, on the Tier 1 bill, and that’s worth something too.

I’m sure both sides of the fence have a million reasons why they can’t just get along, save each other a heap of cash, and merge into one, top little V8 series – and I’m also sure they are petty squabbles. So, it won’t happen. And there will be consequences. motorsport news

news

CARRERA CUP CARRERA Cup Australia will mix up its race formats throughout 2011.

The series is scheduled to have 60 minutes of racing at each of its seven rounds, but within that there is room to move. At the Australian Grand Prix, the series had three 20minute races, a format which is set to be repeated in Round 2

at Barbagallo Raceway.

Weekends with two 30minute races, or a 20-minute ‘sprint’ and 40-minute ‘feature’ could also be used during the year. Porsche Motorsport Director Jamey Blaikie said the category’s TV arrangements with Channel 7 would largely dictate race formats.

“We’ve seen the schedule this morning, and at this stage, because of the number of

categories over there, it looks like we’re going to do three 20 minute races at Barbagallo,” he said on Monday.

“We’d like to mix it up, where at all possible. The decision will be based on the television schedule. We’ve got live TV at every round, sometimes it’s Race 1, sometimes it’s Race 2, sometimes it’s Race 2 and 3.

“So it will depend on how all of that works in the schedule,

Phil Williams

Three races for CupCars in WA

I’m not going to sacrifice the television exposure to make a longer race.”

Blaikie confirmed there was still no set plan for the series’ 23rd chassis, as driven by Mark Skaife at Albert Park. The car was originally imported to be used as a display car, however New Zealander Ant Pedersen is working to lease it for the balance of the season.

– MITCHELL ADAM

JAY GETS VE, WANTS DRIVER FUJITSU SERIES JAY Motorsport is set to debut their new VE Commodore when the Fujitsu Series heads to Barbagallo Raceway at the end of the month. Just who will drive it, though, is still up in the air.

The South Australian squad has acquired Andrew Thompson’s 2010 Bundy Red Commodore from Walkinshaw Racing, to which their primary

engine is being fitted. The car is expected to be ready to collect from Clayton in around 10 days, ahead of Round 2 of the series.

“We’re planning on going to Barbagallo, which is a good start,” team manager Keith Rennie said.

“The new car is on its way, Walkinshaw are just finishing putting it together. We’ve pulled the engine out of the VZ we ran at Clipsal and it’s gone back to be fitted to the

VE. It’ll be ready to pick up somewhere around the 20th, so that’ll be a good thing.”

Rennie told eNews that a driver was yet to be finalised, and that earlier interest from internationals had yet to turn into a deal. One option for WA could be to put Jay Verdnik – who drove the team’s VZ at the Clipsal 500 – back in the car.

“They’re dropping off a little bit,” he said of the internationals.

“So we’re still in the hunt for someone to drive it. If need be, we may put Jay back in it, but we’re still talking to a few people. We’re quite close to signing a sponsor, which if that goes ahead, we’ll put Jay in the car, as that’ll take away the necessity to have monetary input from a driver.”

Meanwhile, West Australian Brett Stewart will debut in the series at Barbagallo, driving an ex-Paul Morris Motorsport VE. – MITCHELL ADAM

Solid start for 2011 Proddies PRODUCTION CARS A 20-car field is likely to race in this weekend’s opening round of the Australian Manufacturers Championship.

Before a series of longer races, including a 500km race at Sandown and six-hour races at Eastern Creek and Phillip Island later in the year, www.mnews.com.au

Production Cars will kick off with a sprint round at Phillip Island with the Victorian State Racing Circuit Championships.

Stuart Kostera is back to defend his 2010 title with Team Mitsubishi Ralliart, while Jake Camilleri will debut a new Mazda 3 MPS, as reported in last week’s eNews. Lauren Gray will be joined in the series by

younger sister Maddison, in a Toyota Corolla and Echo respectively.

When contacted on Monday, category manager Aaron McGill said that there were still several aspects of the entry list to be finalised, including some possible refugees from the MINI Challenge, which would run within their own class as

the MINI Cup. A driver for the Ted Robinson-entered FPV was also yet to be finalised.

“We may pick up three MINIs for the round, Beric Lynton would be one of those,” he said.

“And there’s a potential name driver for Ted Robinson’s Typhoon turbo.”

– MITCHELL ADAM 17

COMMODORE CUP TIM Blanchard will make his second and third Commodore Cup starts in the coming months.

After having his first run in the series last year as Josh Hughes’ co-driver in Winton’s Endurance Challenge, the Fujitsu Series driver will join the teenager again for this year’s pair of two-driver weekends. First up is Bathurst at Easter, among an expected 18-car field, followed by the series’ hallmark event at the Victorian circuit in June.

“It should be a bit of fun,” Blanchard said.

“It’s a good little family run team, operating on a small budget, so I’m helping Josh out any way I can.

“I’ve spent most Easters at a racetrack for the Australian Karting Championships for a few years, so I haven’t had an Easter holiday for a long time, but any laps around Bathurst in any car at any time is always a good experience. I’m looking forward to it.”

Blanchard’s 2010 appearance in the series came at late notice, when he was called upon on the Friday afternoon of the race

Richard Craill

Blanchard back for more Cup

meeting to replace Paul Morris, who was originally to partner Hughes.

“Last year I was only told I was driving on the Friday afternoon, and I was in Brisbane, so I got a flight down on Friday night,” he recalled.

“The first time I sat in the car was when it went out on the track for qualifying. “We were pretty competitive, in that last race we were on track for a really good result until the throttle cable snapped, but I’m sure this year we should be pretty competitive again with a bit more preparation time and hopefully get Josh a win.”

Blanchard isn’t the only high-profile co-driver in the field. Geoff Emery will be joined by V8 Supercar driver Steve Owen, while Tony Bates hopes to secure Blanchard’s FV8 team-mate, David Russell.

Of the other combinations, Matthew Hayes has signed former Commodore Cup front-runner Christian D’Agostin, and Danny Buzazdic has done the same with Nick Parker. There’ll be a pair of McLeods out there, with Gerard to partner Marcus Zukanovic and Ryan to drive with Adam Lloyd.

– MITCHELL ADAM

Bumper fields for 2011 BMF BATHURST

18

John Morris / Mpix

THIS year’s Easter long weekend Bathurst Motor Festival will boast a massive 270 strong entry list across five race categories and two regularity time trial events.

One of the bigger grids of the weekend will be the Production Sports Cars where an impressive 51 entrants have staked their claim to battle it out on the world famous circuit. Cars such as Ted Huglin’s Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4, pictured, Rod Wilson and Jim Manolios in a brand-new Corvette GT3 and Andrew Miedecke and Jamie Augustine in a Daytona Coupe will contest two 30minute races on Saturday and a headlining one-hour enduro on Sunday.

Making a welcome return to the mountain after four years will be 41 Kent-powered Formula Fords, with the likes of Andre Borell, Luke Ellery and Tom Tweedie returning to the class.

The Saloon Cars will run around the mountain in a nonchampionship event in honour of Ashley Cooper. Keeping in style with the other categories, a near-capacity 41 cars will converge on the mountain.

Large grid sizes are nothing new to the Aussie Racing Cars, but they will be racing at the mountain with a 39-strong field.

Promising the usual close racing, it too will be making a return

after some years absence.

The ever entertaining Commodore Cup too will be in attendance, see separate story, with an expected 18-car field.

Making up the rest of the total event entry list is the regularity time trail events for both Porsches, and the New South Whales Road Racing Club which is open to a wide variety of makes and models.

– CALLUM BRANAGAN motorsport news

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This fabulous annual hard-cover book is a collector’s prized possession, and a great gift idea.

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19

TARGA TASMANIA DEAN Herridge has been crowned the first-ever Australian Targa Champion, despite not winning any of the three events that made up the series.

Herridge and co-driver Ben Searcy finished second at last weekend’s Targa Tasmania, which coupled with his fourth place finishes at both Targa High Country and Targa Wrest Point has resulted in the West Aussie winning the inaugural Australian Targa Championship.

Herridge said he was surprised to win the title, given that he drives a relatively under-powered Subaru WRX STi, run by Maximum Motorsport in Perth.

“It’s been our aim to win the championship, and we thought we’d be a chance in that, but it’s sometimes hard to have our little Subaru battling against the Lambos and the GT-Rs,” Herridge said.

“It’s a thrill to win a championship, and I’m very proud to be second in what was arguably the most competitive Targa field that has ever been assembled.”

HERRIDGE IS TARGA CHAMP

OVERSEAS FOR WOOD KARTING AUSTRALIA will have a representative in the FIA Karting Academy Shootout later this month.

Newcastle teenager Caitlin Wood has been named as one of the 10 young females heading to Geneva in Switzerland for a two-day shootout, where drivers will be judged on a mix of theoretical, presentation and driving activities.

The winner will receive a free entry for the 2011 CIK-FIA Karting Academy Trophy, with equipment supplied by Parolin, FIM and LeCont.

"I feel very honoured to be nominated for Australia,” Wood said.

“Then to go to Switzerland as one of the chosen top 10 is an awesome feeling! I'm overly excited for the event and looking forward to the challenge.”

Wood, 14, was nominated for the spot by the CAMS Women in Motor Sport Committee.

“Over the past few years we’ve seen a rise in the number of females competing in karting, to have Caitlin selected to participate in the Academy Shootout is also recognition that the FIA is looking at Australia for the next generation of drivers,” 20

Australian Karting Association National President Simon Whiting said.

“The CIK-FIA Karting Academy Trophy showed last year that it is a great opportunity for the young drivers to not only learn a lot about karting on the world stage but also about the education side of the sport and road safety through the

EduKart program.

“We hope that one day, in the near future, we will have an Australian representative in both the Academy Trophy and also the World Under 18s Championship, hopefully Caitlin’s involvement in the Shootout is the first step towards achieving this goal.”

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21

Sainty sits out in Sin City

DRAG RACING TERRY Sainty continued his campaign in the USA with the Santo Rapisarda Top Fuel team last weekend at Las Vegas but unfortunately found himself on the outside looking in after qualifying.

On a race weekend in very hot and high altitude

conditions, a 4.27s run (over the 1000 feet distance) was not enough to break into the Top 16.

Anton Brown took out Top Fuel, while Robert Hight and Mike Edwards got the silverware in Funny Car and Pro Stock respectively. The series continues this weekend.

– LUKE NIEUWHOF

Spinozzi frustrated by start

John Bosher

DRAG RACING EMILIO Spinozzi is starting to get a little frustrated in the ANDRA Pro Series, as he missed the first round again at Sydney on the weekend, qualifying 17th.

The new Pro Stock driver and his team have plenty of experience in the Super Stock ranks, but a combination of weather and engine issues have hampered the beginning of their pro career.

22

“It’s very frustrating when we don’t get to complete events.

However, I want to thank the management of Sydney Dragway for allowing us to rerun the event,” he said.

“The other bright side to the situation that we have at hand is that we have been given plenty of testing opportunity and practice at turning the car around between rounds.”

The Terra Civil Pontiac GTO has produced some solid launch times that the team

estimate will be 7.1s runs once extrapolated to the full quarter mile.

“Our testing has been paying off, we just need to get the car quicker in the later part of the run,” explained Spinozzi.

It hasn’t been all bad news for the CNS Motorsports team, though, with Spinozzi’s teammate Frank Nirta recently signing a new sponsorship deal.

Roaring Lion Energy Drink and Urban 3 Building and

Developments will join the team, adorning Nirta’s Chevrolet Cobalt.

“I want to take this opportunity to thank both Roaring Lion Energy Drink and Urban 3 Building and Developments for coming on board as marketing partners of the CNS Motorsports team.

Here at CNS Motorsports, we believe that this will be a long and successful relationship,” he said.

– LUKE NIEUWHOF

motorsport news

news

John Bosher

Rain thwarts Slamfest DRAG RACING THE Slamfest Series pulled into Mildura, Victoria on the weekend but unfortunately was rained out before the

finals could be completed.

ANDRA Pro Series Top Doorslammer champion John Zappia, pictured, joined the series for the first time, which is run over an eighth mile

(approximately 200 metres) distance compared to the quarter mile traditionally used.

He set a new track record at the ANDRA-sanctioned facility for Top Doorslammers with

a 4.02s. run and reached the semi finals before the rain fell.

Also in the semi finals were Gary Phillips, Ben Bray and Marcus Chambers.

– LUKE NIEUWHOF

PILKINGTON GOES THREE FROM FOUR DRAG RACING ROB Pilkington took a runner up at Perth Motorplex in the track championship Grand Final on Saturday night, which was enough to claim his third title in four seasons.

Pilkington’s chief rival Jeffrey Clarke had a bolt go through his engine which caused some mechanical carnage and that left him unable to front for eliminations. Daniel Gregorini was able to leapfrog Clarke and had a chance at the championship if Pilkington went out in the first round, but a smooth 5.80s from Pilkington

sealed the points up.

It was Alistair McClure grabbing his first win in Top Comp, though, when Pilkington had a foul start, but McClure’s 6.59s would have been a tough pass to defeat.

The Driver of the Year title was a nail biter as Allen Puglia was controversially disqualified in the first round of Super Comp.

Pilkington needed to win the event to claim the honour, but his runner up saw Puglia sneak it in by five points.

Rookie Driver of the Year was also tight, with Trent Morrison having the opportunity to snatch the trophy from

Ethan Hort’s hands, but when Morrison’s altered crossed the centreline shortly after launching he lost the final and Hort took home the bragging rights in the battle of second generation drivers.

Of the championships to be decided in the last event, in Modified Andrew Frost was able to clear out to win the title by advancing to the second round, while rivals Norm Butler and Simon Lekias bowed out in the first round.

Samuel Gullotto had a nervous wait in the Super Sedan category after going out in the first round. He had

to watch as results went his way including Paul Downe and Peter Giles losing in the second and third rounds respectively.

Blake Jeffreys won Super Street by winning the first round, despite being put out by his brother Scott in the semi finals. And in Junior Dragster Sam Butler showed why he became the 2010/11 champion by winning the event against Aaron Pense.

Alicia Naylor had a slim chance at the title but when Butler moved past round one it was all wrapped up.

– 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

23

Five Minutes with ...

CRAIG LOWNDES Craig Lowndes has never had a great run at Hamilton, but this weekend he will be looking to break the hoodoo. By ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN

Phil Williams

MOTORSPORT NEWS: In the three trips V8s have had to Hamilton, you’ve never had a really great result there – are you cursed at that track?

CRAIG LOWNDES: No, no, I’m not cursed.

But you’re right, I haven’t had the best results there. It’s one of things that I put down to that it will happen eventually.

We’ve had good car speed there, and this year we have to use the soft tyre, which will play a big part for me, because I enjoy the grip from the soft tyre.

It’s a circuit that I enjoy, not a circuit that I hate. Last year we had a brake caliper nipple come loose, and I lost my brakes when I was having a good run.

So with all of that considered, it’s shaping up to be a good weekend. It’s all there, we just need to put it together.

Well that’s right, if you look at your qualifying results there you have the potential to be really quick. You just need to string a race together.

Exactly, it’s about putting a whole weekend together, not just having a good run in practice or qualifying. We need to finish the job, and because of certain factors, I haven’t been able to do that.

It’s pretty plain and simple. Two years 24

ago I hit everything except the Safety Car, and last year we had the brake problem, but there is light at the end of the tunnel.

We just need to put ourselves in a good position, and that starts with qualifying.

Jamie Whincup’s had a very strong start to the year, and, in terms of race results, you haven’t. How important is a good result and some points this weekend in terms of making a run for the title?

Look, if I can get some points, get some results, it will be fantastic. As we’ve already touched on, Hamilton hasn’t been too kind to me in the past, so if I can come out of the weekend with some good, strong points, I’ll be really happy. If that means I’m on the podium, then I’d be delighted.

But if you look at my past few seasons, my start to the year has never been strong – but from mid-year onwards I’ve had strong finishes. If I can maintain a kind of consistent start to the year, then it puts me in a great position for the second half of the season.

So you’re saying that there’s no panic stations in Team Lowndes at the moment ...

No, we’re not panicking. It’s just a matter of

doing the best you can with what you’ve got, and everyone’s going to have a bad day eventually, it’s just a matter of making sure your days not as bad as the rest.

You seem to have stepped up your game in qualifying this year. Is that something you worked on over the off-season?

You always work on your weaknesses, and qualifying has definitely been one of mine. It’s hard to put it down to one thing, but I’d say its got a lot to do with being comfortable in the car. The car is responding and doing everything that I want it to do, so I think the platform where the car’s at, we carried that over from last year, and we’ve hit the ground running.

Finally, have you stopped daydreaming about driving a Formula 1 car at Bathurst yet?

That’s pretty hard to shake! That’s something that will always be in the memory bank. It’s just a pity that it happened 14 years after I was in Europe trying to do it. But it’s one of those opportunities that you’d never turn down.

Wow, 14 years! Patience is a virtue ...

(Laughs) If you wait it will come to you! motorsport news

chat

Peter Bury

www.mnews.com.au

25

200 NOT OUT! OPINION ISSUE #1, APRIL 24 2007

ISSUE #100, APRIL 15 2009

26

Andrew van Leeuwen – eNews Editor

M

OTORSPORT News HQ is a very different place to what it was when I first walked in half a decade ago.

Back when I started, we used to do a fortnightly news/opinion/race coverage/features magazine. It was a heck of a job to put it together, but we had two weeks to do it. We were, essentially, making two magazines per month.

Since then, the world of publishing has changed – and Motorsport News has continually been the first to respond to the demands of our readers; demands for faster delivery of content, but without a drop in quality; demands for a new way of looking at race coverage; demands for insightful, meaningful opinion – with a proper byline from a proper professional motorsport journalist, not the anonymous tag line from an online Content Management System.

These days, five years since I first packed up my car, drove across the Nullabor, and started working for Motorsport News, we do things a lot differently. Two magazines per month is now a distant memory. We now make five magazines a month – minimum. In the last few months, we’ve grown the online magazine, recently publishing back-to-back issues over 70 pages. The workload is bigger, the pressure is on, but our product keeps getting better and better.

The reason I am babbling on with this self-serving horn tooting is that this is the 200th issue of Motorsport eNews – and I reckon that’s pretty impressive stuff. When we took the plunge and went down this road, it was a big risk; but here we are four years later, and eNews just keeps getting better and better. If that doesn’t warrant a pat on the back, then I don’t know what does.

What I love about eNews is that it combines the speed of the internet with the content of a magazine. Okay, a website can maybe get you the info a little quicker, but we can do it so much better. We have the format to properly analyse what’s going on in the world of motorsport – and back up our editorial with stunning, back-lit photography ... none of that thumbnail picture garb. We can have a look and a feel that represents our editorial policies, not just the boring framework of a website. And we can get it to you faster than any printed magazine. It’s a win-win.

Just because everyone here at MNews HQ is proud of the eNews product, it doesn’t mean we’re going to stop improving it there. For instance, look out for our Live Updates service to keep getting bigger and better this year. While our competitors use Twitter so give you the boring old ‘Lap 5, Driver A is leading from Driver B’, our Live Updates give you our opinion of what’s happening. It’s funny, entertaining, and something that can be viewed even if you’re watching the race, just for that little extra insight into what’s happening.

And if you don’t have Twitter (and therefore can’t follow @ mnewsupdates), then you can simply watch it through our website, www.mnews.com.au Right, I better knock this off before the advertising department asks me to pay for advertorial space. In summary, well done, us. 200 issues is a great milestone. And thank you all for reading and supporting us. Here’s to the next 200. motorsport news

comment

A TEMPLATE FOR A NEW ERA?

E

ARLY in his speech at the launch of the 2011 Bosch Australian Rally Championship last week, new CEO Scott Pedder cited Albert Einstein’s “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results”.

It was very apt, and sets the scene for a much-needed upheaval of the championship. Manufacturer, competitor and public interest in the championship has waned in recent years, the Super2000 formula didn’t reap medium-to-long-term benefits and it was all on the decline. Simply persevering and hoping for the best wasn’t going to change anything, so, since stepping into the role late last year, Pedder has set about turning that around.

He’s developed a three-year plan and it looks like things are moving in the right direction. The existing turbo, four-wheel-drive cars have been unrestricted – the ARC’s 2011 tagline – with the removal of turbo restrictors and additional freedoms with exhaust manifolds.

Group N rally cars aren’t the most aurally stimulating things you’ll ever hear, but this change will make them louder and faster, with competitors estimating a 30 percent power increase. In short, way cooler. It’ll improve the show (remember how sweet those S2000 Fiestas sounded?) and give the competitors what they want, while utilising their existing machinery.

That accounts for the first year. The next two will have even more upheaval. A class for SUV vehicles will be introduced in 2012, while the outright ARC platform will move to two-wheel-drive cars in 2013. The aim is to be more relevant to car manufacturers (moreso than aging Mitsubishi Lancers and Subaru WRXs, especially with neither manufacturer currently involved) and entice some into the

OPINION Mitchell Adam – National Editor sport, with Honda the only brand currently involved with a twowheel-drive Civic.

Pedder has been on a whirlwind tour meeting manufacturers, and the ARC has come up with a list of 67 target vehicles, to which the regulations for the new SUV Class and the outright formula could cater for. He wants to attract new manufacturers to the sport, which will in turn boost competitor numbers, the ARC’s profile, commercial and public interest.

In a bold call, Pedder has said anything less than four manufacturers getting involved for 2013 would be a failure. But this is the time for the ARC to be bold. It was going nowhere fast, and needed someone to step in and turn it around.

That has been Pedder, who ended his speech by branding the day as the “beginning of what will be the best era of the Australian Rally Championship”.

The foundation has been laid, now the hard work starts for the ARC to make that a reality. The regulations they create for the new classes and how they manage the change – particularly the shift from the current four-wheel-drives to the new outright formula – will determine whether manufacturers and competitors embrace it, and shape the championship’s long-term viability.

Michael Vettas

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FORMULA 1 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND 2 – SEPANG, MALAYSIA

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PERFECT 50

It wasn’t quite as easy as it was in Melbourne, but Sebastian Vettel still took the points home from Malaysia

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Another Day, Another Win: Sebastian Vettel took another 25 points away from Malaysia, main pic. Meanwhile, his team-mate Mark Webber got swamped at the start, right. Alonso and Hamilton were penalised after a wheel-to-wheel battle, right below, and Nick Heidfeld took his first podium finish in two years, bottom.

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F the rest of the Formula 1 field is going to take anything away from the Malaysian Grand Prix, it will be that maybe, maybe, Sebastian Vettel is beatable.

Red Bull’s speedy young German was unable to dominate in Malaysia like did a fortnight ago here in Australia. In qualifying, it took a last-gasp effort for him to topple Lewis Hamilton from pole position. In the race, he had just enough speed to keep a silky-smooth Jenson Button at bay – although Vettel’s KERS system did pack up at mid-race distance.

But still, despite the tiny chinks in the armour and the slight sense of vulnerability, Vettel took home another 25 points, making it a perfect 50 from two races.

“Well, I mean, first of all we can be happy today and enjoy and try to take that momentum into the next race,” said Vettel.

“Two out two is perfect, couldn’t be any better, but there is still a very long way to go. The championship is far away. There are a lot of points still to get so we have to keep our feet on the ground.

“At the moment things are looking good.

I think we worked hard over the winter so

if that is the reward then I think there is no problem putting even harder work in. I am very happy with that and tomorrow starts China and we see how we get on there.”

While Button ended up second, he had an odd afternoon. For starters, he was jumped by the Lotus Renault of Nick Heidfeld at the start – and then spent the first half of the race circulating, not entirely happy with his pace on the softer Pirelli rubber. In the last stint his crew threw a set of the prime tyres at his McLaren, and Button went on a charge. In the end, he was actually quicker than Vettel.

“The last stint, when we put the prime tyre on, the car came alive and I had so much more grip,” said Button.

“I had a feeling that the tyre wasn’t going to go the same way as the soft tyre and my pace was much better in the last stint.

A fun race. A couple of really good battles.

Happy to come away with a second.”

Heidfeld ended up third, a result he essentially set up with a belter of a start.

Having shadowed Vettel in the first stint, Heidfeld was another driver who managed his tyres well in the final stint, looking racey when others around him were struggling for grip. He was rewarded

with his first podium finishing since Malaysia in 2009.

Mark Webber finished fourth after a tough afternoon. While Vettel’s KERS system failed on Lap 29, Webber’s failed at the start. So, when he pressed the KERS button to ensure a solid getaway from P3 on the grid, nothing happened – and he was down to 10th by the end of Lap 1.

Immediately, Red Bull switched Webber from a three-stop strategy to a fourstopper, and it worked, with Webber fighting his way back to fourth, ahead of Felipe Massa.

And what of Fernando Alonso and Hamilton? Well, Alonso’s day was ruined by a broken DRS system, which led to him tagging the back of Hamilton during a failed passing maneuver, taking an extra stop for a new front wing, and finishing sixth – along with a 20s penalty for the contact. Hamilton, meanwhile, struggled with tyre grip all afternoon, and was then also handed a 20s penalty for blocking Alonso, dropping him from seventh to eighth, promoting Kamui Kobayashi one spot.

Michael Schumacher and Paul di Resta rounded out the Top 10. motorsport news

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Results :: Malaysian Grand Prix

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Pos

Driver

Team

Qual

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 DNF DNF DNF DNF DNF DNF DNF

Sebastian Vettel Jenson Button Nick Heidfeld Mark Webber Felipe Massa Fernando Alonso Kamui Kobayashi Lewis Hamilton Michael Schumacher Paul Di Resta Adrian Sutil Nico Rosberg Sebastien Buemi Jaime Alguersuari Heikki Kovalainen Timo Glock Vitaly Petrov Tonio Liuzzi Jerome d’Ambrosio Jarno Trulli Sergio Perez Rubens Barrichello Narain Karthikeyan Pastor Maldonado

Red Bull-Renault McLaren-Mercedes Renault Red Bull-Renault Ferrari Ferrari Sauber-Ferrari McLaren-Mercedes Mercedes Force India-Mercedes Force India-Mercedes Mercedes Toro Rosso-Ferrari Toro Rosso-Ferrari Lotus-Renault Virgin-Cosworth Renault HRT-Cosworth Virgin-Cosworth Lotus-Renault Sauber-Ferrari Williams-Cosworth HRT-Cosworth Williams-Cosworth

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

Top 10 Points: Vettel 50, Button 26, Hamilton 22, Webber 22, Alonso 20, Massa 16, Heidfeld 15, Petrov 15, Kobayashi 6, Buemi 4.

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AUSTRALIAN TARGA CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND 3 – TARGA TASMANIA

QUINN BACK AS

In 2009, Tony Quinn was the king of Targa Tasmania. Two years later, h and this time it was an absolute cakewalk

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S TARGA’S TOP DOG

he’s done it again –

Jeremy Rogers

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AST year, it was an exotic Italian that won Targa Tasmania. This year, it was Japanese performance as far as the eye could see ...

We’re talking, of course, about the machinery. In 2010, it was Jason and John White’s Lamborghini that took outright honours. But this year, it went Nissan-Subaru-NissanMazda at the top of the leaderboard at the finish.

Leading the charge of Japenese sportscars was Tony Quinn, who replicated his ’09 victory with an easy win. Quinn and codriver Naomi Tillett took control of the rally on just the fourth stage of the opening day, and armed with a very quick Nissan GT-R, they never looked back, winning by 3:35s.

“This is beautiful to win this,” Quinn said.

“It’s something that I wanted to do since I knew it was the 20th year of the event.

“We had a bit of a noise in the front end [Sunday] morning, and we were panicking over Mount Arrowsmith and starting to take it easy, but we had a buffer so we cruised through a bit.

“This year our win has been well deserved, and Naomi and I as a team have come on in leaps and bounds. We’re learning so much about the car, but there are still things we need to do to it to make it a better package. We haven’t had much wet stuff to practice on, so I think we’ll get better as a package.”

Behind them was West Aussie Dean Herridge, in his relatively under-powered Subaru WRX. He and Ben Searcy held off South Australian pair Matthew and Dennis Sims, who were also in a Nissan GT-R. One of the most remarkable results from the event was that of Brendan Reeves. The young Victorian only had a two-wheeldrive Mazda3 MPS at his disposal – and it was running in the Showroom class, with minimal modifications. Still, he and codriver Rhianon Smyth took the little Mazda to fourth outright, as well as winning his class by nearly 15 minutes.

“We’ve had a great run and to finish second outright on the first stage [on Sunday] was awesome,” Reeves said.

“Our aim was to finish in the Top 10 outright, so to finish fourth outright is amazing considering the car we’re in.

“Once again, the Mazda3 MPS has been a dream to drive and I’m rapt to finish with such a great result. It’s a great way to say thank you to our team for all their hard work over the last week.”

In the Classic Outright class, Rex Broadbent and Chris Randell took a remarkable fifth straight win in their ’74 Porsche 911 Carrera RS. But he had some stiff competition; first it was Andrew Miedecke, who spun out of the lead on the second last day. Former World Rally Champion Walter Röhrl also had a lash at the Classic trophy, but mechanical problems on Day 2 took him out of contention.

“Not in a million years did I think I’d win it five times,” Broadbent said.

“I come into this event thinking about it as 38 races, and even if you win 37 of them, but fail to finish the last, you don’t win. You have to finish every stage, so that’s how I drive. I’m rarely the fastest, but consistency means I’m always there.

“As far as wins are concerned, the most recent is always the best, but this one has been memorable to be up against Walter Röhrl. That added an incredible amount of prestige to the event.

“In the rain he was clearly quicker, but we didn’t have to push that hard because we already had a buffer. You feel very satisfied after this sort of an event to be where we are.”

Wally R: Walter Röhrl, top, had some bad lucky early on the piece, which allowed Rex Broadbent to win a fifth-straight Classic title, right.

But neither Tony Quinn, inset, or Brendan Reeves, middle, needed any help on their way to wins.

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Jeremy Rogers

Final Results :: Targa Tasmania 2011 PURE TASMANIA MODERN COMPETITION 1. Tony Quinn (QLD) / Naomi Tillett (SA), 2009 Nissan GT-R 2. Dean Herridge (WA) / Ben Searcy (WA), 2008 Subaru Impreza WRX STi 3. Matthew Sims (SA) / Dennis Sims (SA), 2009 Nissan GT-R

PURE TASMANIA SHOWROOM COMPETITION 1. Brendan Reeves (VIC) / Rhianon Smyth (VIC), 2009 Mazda3 MPS 2. Michael Sinclair (VIC) / Bill Hayes (WA), 2009 Skoda Octavia RS 3. Andrew Mckay (VIC) / Alex Hailstone (NSW), 2006 Mazda MX5

SHANNONS CLASSIC OUTRIGHT 1. Rex Broadbent (VIC) / Chris Randell (VIC), 1974 Porsche 911 Carrera RS 2. David Cooper (TAS) / Jason Dann (TAS), 1977 Holden Torana A9X 3. Nicholas Ellis (VIC) / Travis Lacey (VIC), 1977 Porsche 911 Carrera 3 Jeremy Rogers

SHANNONS LATE CLASSIC HANDICAP 1. Duane Rodgers (VIC) / Paul Rodgers (NZ), 1985 Porsche 911 Carrera 3.2 2. Nicholas Ellis (VIC) / Travis Lacey (VIC), 1977 Porsche 911 Carrera 3 3. Jon Siddins (QLD) / Darren Ferguson (QLD), 1970 Datsun 240Z

SHANNONS VINTAGE RALLYE 1. John Lawson / Andrew Lawson, 1938 Alfa Romeo 6C 2300B Mille Miglia Spyder 2. Wayne Clark / Roger Richardson, 1938 Dodge Speedster Specia

PURE TASMANIA EARLY MODERN 1. Blaise Paris (WA) / Raechel Krause (WA), 1999 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VI 2. Andrew Richmond (VIC) / Matt James-Wallace (WA), 2002 Nissan Skyline GT-R V Spec II 3. Ric Shaw (NSW) / James Parish (NSW), 2000 Mazda RX7

TMR PERFORMANCE 4WD SHOWROOM 1. Scott Millar (Qld) / Christopher Dean (Qld), 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X 2. Tony Warren (Tas) / Greg Boyle (NSW), 2006 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX 3. Ralph Norton (Tas) / Malcolm Norton (Tas), 2010 Subaru WRX STi

SHANNONS EARLY CLASSIC HANDICAP Jeremy Rogers

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1. Jack Waldron (VIC) / Vin Gregory (VIC), 1955 FIAT Abarth 750 2. Paul Freestone (VIC) / Christine Freestone (VIC), 1948 Holden 215 3. Andrew White (NT) / Ashley Yelds (USA), 1961 Volvo 122S 35

ANDRA PRO SERIES SYDNEY DRAGWAY, NSW

Second time around

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After a rainout last month, Pro Stock finally got to race at Sydney Dragway, where Aaron Tremayne won a thrilling final. JON VAN DAAL was there www.mnews.com.au

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John Bosher

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HE 2010/2011 drag racing season has mirrored Australia itself, being the victim of some of the wildest weather this country has ever seen.

This has seen a large number of major ANDRA Pro Series events cancelled including the recent Pro Stock and Top Doorslammer round at Sydney Dragway in March.

The track had its monthly bracket race on in early April so it was decided to reschedule the ANDRA Pro Series round to that date. The Slam Fest held at Mildura ruled out a re-run of Top Doorslammer, but Pro Stock did return.

The race format saw Pro Stock qualifying on Friday night and eliminations on Saturday. A total of 21 cars were entered in the top bracket but only 17 took to the track and what the small 38

crowd saw was a great four hours of qualifying. The first session saw John Barbagello run a 7.086s and by night’s end there were four cars in the zeros, led by Lee Bektash’s Dodge Stratus with a 7.039s at the fastest ever speed recorded in competition – a 194.69mph. Amazingly after the third session, four cars had engine damage all with dropped valves.

Bektash and Emilio Spinozzi were out (though Spinozzi didn’t qualify anyhow) while Shane Tucker had another head sent from Brisbane and Tyronne Tremayne and team tried fixing their head problems.

Tremayne was two tenths off his qualifying time in the first round with a 7.288s, however it was enough to put away Frank Nirta in a battle of the Chev Cobalts, but in the second frame his improving

7.231s was no match for Michael Ali’s Pontiac GTO on a 7.141s. Brother Aaron had better luck, gaining the Round 1 solo when Bektash couldn’t return and that took exactly 7.137s to complete in his Cobalt. In the next round he faced the GTO of Jason Hedges and an almost psychic .007s light and a 7.099s was enough to turn back Hedge’s red lighting 7.136s.

Tremayne then faced the similar GTO of fellow Queenslander Dave Newcombe in the semis, and they virtually left as one with only a hundredth between their reaction times, but, at the other end, Newcombe’s car had problems leaving Tremayne to move into the final with a 7.104s that gave him lane choice. On the other side of the ladder, Ford Escort ZX2 driver, Barbagello worked his way through eliminations.

This saw him use a 7.13s to turn back Arthur Kolaroff’s 7.350s from his Pontiac GXP, a 7.127s to get past Bill Kotsias’ GTO’s 7.302s and .004s light, and 7.149s to take out a red lighting Michael Ali and book a spot against Tremayne in the final.

Pro Stock racing is as much about head games as it is sheer performance and driving ability, and, after a solid burnout, Tremayne rolled into full stage before his opponent had even hit pre-stage.

Barbagello wasn’t fazed and took the lead off the line by almost four-hundredths, but Tremayne had the power to drive around him with a 7.107s to 7.153s that made it close at the finish-line.

The ANDRA Pro Series returns to Sydney Dragway on April 29-May 1 for the 2011 Nitro Champs, with all of the Group 1 categories in action. motorsport news

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John Morris / Mpix John Bosher

John Barbagello, top, met Aaron Tremayne in the final, above left.

Lee Bektash, above, topped qualfying but that was the end of his weekend.

Dave Newcombe, right, made it to the semis, where he met Tremayne.

John Morris / Mpix

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IZOD INDYCAR SERIES Round 2 - BIRMINGHAM, AL

Power switch Dario Franchitti might have won the season opener but the power was switched on at Barber Motorsports Park as Will Power scored a decisive victory that has put him on top in the points race.

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f you’re going to win, it’s always good to win well. That was cer tainly the case for Will Power at Barber Motorspor ts Park as the Team Penske driver led for the entire 90 laps after star ting from pole.

From qualifying onwards, Power was the man to beat. He took pole with almost four-tenths to spare over teammate Ryan Briscoe, mak ing it an allAussie front row – and an antipodean 12-3, with Kiwi Scott Dixon third fastest. “ That is one of the easiest races I have done physically,” Power said.

“I have been training really hard for the season and Scott Dixon was pushing me to the limit at the end. It was a lot of fun and I am really happy for the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske car.

“Leading the race from flag to flag just came down to getting the jump star t and staying consistent the whole time with where I star ted. It came down to holding Scott Dixon off until the end.”

Dixon did make Power work for the win, putting the pressure on during the final round of pitstops but fading a little towards the end.

“It was a tough day for us,” said Dixon. “ We cruised around and saved a bit of fuel and I gave it all I could with Will Power. I was tr ying to give as much pressure as I could on the restar t with 20 laps to go and he just didn’t give any. It was an overall good day for Target and we earned ourselves some points.”

Defending Champ Dario Franchitti was happy enough with a third-place finish that kept his points tally tick ing along.

“It ’s like we said last year, ever y point, whether it ’s St. Pete, here or the last race, you have to fight for ever y position,” said Franchitti, who has now dropped to second in the standings.

“So to get from seventh to third was a good team effor t.”

Likewise Marco Andretti had to be satisfied with four th, his best result since Chicagoland last year, while Newman-Haas driver Oriol Ser via was fifth. Tony Kanaan had a strong race to vault from 24th on the grid to sixth by the end.

For Briscoe it was another day to forget, the Penske driver bowing out after a mid-race incident with Ryan Hunter-Reay. “It was Hunter-Reay ’s fault, it wasn’t a passing zone, and he drove straight into me.”

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HONDA Racing Media

Power up: Will Power was dominant at Barber Motorspor t Park, heading home Scott Dixon and Dario Franchitti, top left. Tony Kanaan was brilliant from 24th in the grid, above left. Dixon heads Danica Patrick, left, while Ryan Briscoe’s race was ruined by a clash with Ryan HunterReay, here following the Australian, below left.

Power leads them away on the opening lap, top.

Results :: Honda Grand Prix of Birmingham, AL Pos. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

No. 12 9 10 26 2 82 3 24 78 83

Driver Will Power Scott Dixon Dario Franchitti Marco Andretti Oriol Ser via Tony Kanaan Helio Castroneves Simon Pagenaud Simona de Silvestro Charlie Kimball

Team Team Penske Target Chip Ganassi Racing Target Chip Ganassi Racing Andretti Autospor t Newman/Haas Racing KV Racing Technology-Lotus Team Penske Dreyer & Reinbold Racing HVM Racing Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing

Qual.

1 3 7 9 6 24 4 23 13 21

Top 10 Points: Power 94, Franchitti 87, Kanaan 63, Dixon, de Silvestro 54, Ser via 52, Ma Andretti, Sato 44, Tagliani 43, Meira 42.

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NASCAR Round 7 - LAS VEGAS,NV

Matt Finish The night before, Matt Kenseth said he didn’t know if he’d ever win a race again.

The question was answered the next day as Kenseth broke a 76-race losing streak.

F

or a driver who hadn’t won in literally years, Matt Kenseth looked pretty comfortable at Las Vegas as he surged to a victory he never looked like losing right from the start of the 500 miles.

“I haven’t had something like this for a long time,” Kenseth said. “It has been a long time. Hopefully, we can carry this momentum back to victory lane a couple of times.”

The Roush Fenway Ford driver was in front for 169 of the 334 laps on a weekend that belonged to the Roush Fenway Racing outfit.

Carl Edwards had won the

Nationwide race from pole in his RFR Ford, while in the Sprint Cup race the four Roush cars spent a significant amount of time in the top 10 for most of the race. Among the four, mostly it was Kenseth’s Crown Royal Black Fusion out front.

It was a race comparatively free of caution periods, but that only served to accentuate the pace advantage the Roush Ford drivers enjoyed.

The minimal caution Sharp shooter: In Las Vegas Matt Kenseth’s aim was true – and few of the others could keep him in their sights, right.

OUTSTANDING PIT DISPLAYS BY OCTANORM MANY OTHER DISPLAY OPTIONS AVAILABLE PLEASE CALL US TO DISCUSS REQUIREMENTS

SYDNEY (02) 9556 6012 MELBOURNE (03) 9394 3150

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Results :: Samsung Mobile 500, Las Vegas, NV Pos. No. Driver 1 17 Matt Kenseth 2 33 Clint Bowyer 3 99 Carl Edwards 4 16 Greg Biffle 5 27 Paul Menard 6 9 Marcos Ambrose 7 6 David Ragan 8 48 Jimmie Johnson 9 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr 10 22 Kurt Busch

Make Ford Chevrolet Ford Ford Chevrolet Ford Ford Chevrolet Chevrolet Dodge

Team Roush Fenway Childress Roush Fenway Roush Fenway Childress Petty Motorsports Roush Fenway Hendrick Hendrick Penske

Sponsor Crown Royal Black Cheerios/Hamburger Helper Scotts 3M Quaker State/Menards Stanley UPS Freight Lowe’s/Kobalt Tools Amp Energy/National Guard Shell/Pennzoil

Qual.

4 3 2 9 19 7 1 6 28 10

Top 10 Points: Edwards 256, Ky Busch 247, Kenseth 243, Johnson 243, Ku Busch 240, Earnhardt Jr 235, Newman 233, Montoya 232, Harvick 228, Stewart 213, Ambrose 175 (19th).

periods led to scrambled pit strategies, and fuel gambles for Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon that didn’t pay off, with both running dry on the final lap.

The final stops were under green, and Kenseth resumed in the lead with 40 laps to go, chased by Stewart and Clint Bowyer. He would be unchallenged from there.

The field spaced out over the final laps and Kenseth took the flag by a large margin over Bowyer. With Stewart running dry and falling to 12th. Carl Edwards inherited third, making it a Roush Fenway 1-3.

To get there Edwards had fought off a nausea – which he blamed on a dinner his mother cooked.

“I hate to throw my mum under the bus, but she cooked something last night that I don’t think was too good,” he said.

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The third-highest finishing RFR driver, Greg Biffle, was fourth, ahead of Paul Menard’s Chevrolet and Marcos Ambrose after what had been an excellent run from the Australian.

Ambrose had run in the top three during the second half of the race and was rarely outside the top 10 for the whole duration. The pace was not there in the Petty Motorsports Ford to challenge the leaders but it was nonetheless a promising run.

“I’m very proud of the Stanley boys for putting together this result, we’re starting to really click on these intermediate ovals,” Ambrose said. “It’s great to be running out in the front of the pack, and it gives us a lot of confidence moving forward.

“Sadly we didn’t quite have the package together in that last run to challenge for the win, so we’ll learn from that.”

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Bigger in Texas: The Roush Fenway Fords lead them away, below. Marcos Amborse had one his most impressive oval races yet, finishing sixth, left. Dave Blayney about to be turned around by an overanxious Tony Stewart, centre. It wasn’t a day for the Toyotas – not a single Camry in the top 10, below left.

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Aussies start BFF strongly AUSSIES OVERSEAS GEOFF Uhrhane has kicked off his British Formula Ford campaign in style, winning a race at Silverstone and finishing the weekend second in the points.

There were three winners from the three races at Silverstone, with Brit Scott Malvern winning the first, Dutchman Jeroen Slaghekke winning the second, and Aussie Urhrane winning the third and final race of the weekend.

As a result, he is just seven points behind Slaghekke in

the title standings.

“I’m really happy with the weekend’s result, it’s great to be on the podium and have a race win next to my name considering everything that happened,” said Uhrhane.

“I was especially pleased with our qualifying pace.

To be quick straight away is a promising sign for the upcoming rounds.”

Fellow Aussies Nick McBride and Spike Goddard both had promising British FF debuts, with a consistent Goddard ending the weekend fourth in the points, and McBride in sixth, despite a Race 2 DNF.

Morcom on the board AUSSIES OVERSEAS NATHAN Morcom has scored a victory on debut in the USA, as the F2000 Championship Series kicked off at Virginia International Raceway.

Morcom qualified third on the grid in his Van Diemen and when heavy rain hit the circuit halfway through Race 1, made the bold call to stay on the circuit on slicks, when most of his rivals pitted for wets.

The Sydneysider was able to build a gap at the head of the field, and led by four seconds over Robert La Rocca when

the race was called after six laps.

“We took a gamble on the slicks, and it was absolutely radical driving on them in the rain,” Morcom said.

“I had to lift my dark visor just to see anything ahead, which let the rain in, and I was constantly adjusting the brake balance as the track went from greasy to completely wet.”

From sixth on the grid for Race 2, Morcom was involved in an opening lap incident, but recovered to finish eighth, as Remy Audette took a lights-toflag win.

Lakeside kicks off 50th celebrations HISTORICS

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Mark Jones

LAKESIDE Park’s extended 50th anniversary celebrations began over the April 8-10 weekend with the ‘Tribute to the Originals’ with as many cars drivers and officials as could be gathered from the era of the veteran Queensland circuit’s birth.

Drivers like Max Volkers, Dennis Geary, Brian Michelmore and John French were present at a day which featured equal parts of regularities and racing and an official ceremony lead

by Queensland Governor Penelope Wensley. Peter Boel’s Flintsone Lotus 23 was the winning of Sports/Racing Cars, Lester Baguley (Torana XU1) won the Historic Touring Cars while John Downs (BMW 1000) won three of the Historic Bike races.

One of French’s cars, the Centaur GT, above, was present at the meeting. One of a very small group of survivors of CAMS original set of Sports Car regulations, Appendix K, it was a ground up creation for the class in 1962 before Appendix K was abandoned after 1963. The

car was designed by Centaur’s Tim Harlock with Dave Evans and French, with the latter taking the car to win the 50-lap Australian GT Championship held at Lakeside in 1962 over Tony Basile’s Porsche Carrera and Bill Pitt’s Mark I Jaguar.

Owned by Bevan Batham, the car was restored to original

condition in the mid-80s after being Repco-Crossflow powered for much of its life, with modified bodywork and driven by drivers like Dennis Geary and Wally Scott. Son-inlaw and Group C Escort owner Neville Bertwhistle drives the car regularly.

– MARK JONES

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D’LIMI, REINDLER STAR AT BARBAGALLO WESTERN AUSTRALIA A CLEAN sweep of race wins at Sunday’s Auto Trader Race Day at Barbagallo Raceway has seen Ben-Lee D’Limi charge into contention for the 2011 WA Formula Ford 1600 Championship.

As carnage hit the three races, D’Limi kept out of trouble, while Rhett Noonan and Andrew Goldie split the second place finishes. Goldie finished

Atko takes #700 at TSS

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equal second for the round with William Hall.

In contrast with D’Limi’s Formula Ford form, there were three different race winners in HQs. Darren Peat took the round honours after sharing the victories with Grant Howlett and Ian Sweetman.

V8 Supercar driver Karl Reindler got some bonus Barbagallo miles, making the trip west to drive a Porsche CupCar in the combined Sports

Cars/Sports Sedans/Street Cars field. Reindler won all three races, with Brett Sherriff and Andrew Stevens taking the Sports Sedans and Street Cars honours respectively.

Matt Cherry dominated Improved Production, winning all three races with Sean Ferrall and Ashley Seisum grabbing the second places. Rick Gill did the same in Saloon Cars, as Travis Sharpe won the VN/EA class.

SPEEDWAY

place at the checker.

Kelly Linigen had been in second but spun and was by Matt Young, who had nowhere to go. Max Dumesny and Roddy BellBowen were among the other mid-race retirements.

The meeting billed as the 700th sprintcar feature since the track opened in 1977 and with former Sprintcar greats on hand, 39 machines were present for the heat races.

Wins went to Abbott, Jamie Duff, James Thomson, Madsen, BellBowen, Loudoun, Linigen and Daniel Needham while the B Main was taken out by Craig Morrison.

Next weekend is a feast of NSW Sprintcar racing, with the TSS Sprintcar Grand Final on Saturday while Morris Speedway at Dubbo hosts two nights of action with the $10,000 to win Diggers Cup on Saturday and the rescheduled NSW Title on the Sunday night.

– GREG BOSCATO

LAST Saturday night, the Garry Rush-owned Sprintcar with Ben Atkinson behind the wheel took out the 700th Sprintcar A Main feature at Tyrepower Sydney Speedway defeating Ian Madsen with Ian Loudoun third.

They were followed by Troy Little, Damian Abbott and Martin Lawes. With the track championship finale this weekend, the win gives Atkinson an almost unbeatable lead.

Abbott was the early leader, but after a number of stoppages around middistance, Atkinson had forged forward taking the lead with Madsen also honing into the leading pack. Towards the end of the 30-lap, feature Abbott started to drop back with Madsen moving into second, while Loudoun, after starting from Position 11, was in third

Miedecke quick at Kingsport AUSSIES OVERSEAS GEORGE Miedecke continues to make an impression in Late Model racing in America, running strongly in his second UARA Stars Series start.

The Marcos Ambrose Motorsport driver qualified on pole and led the opening 23 laps of the race at Kingsport Speedway, before Kyle Grissom took the lead. At the start of the final lap, Miedecke had an inside run on Grissom at Turn 1, but the pair collided.

Miedecke crossed the finish line first, but was deemed at fault by the stewards, who dropped him to seventh, two spots behind Grissom.

Brennan Poole inherited the win.

“It’s a shame, I definitely didn’t want the race to end that way,” Miedecke said.

“I had such a good run coming into the last lap and I just went for it, but unfortunately the door closed on me and there was contact.

“The Marcos Ambrose Motorsport car was easily the car to beat out there today, seventh place is a set back, but we know we are going to bounce back.”

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motorsport news

rear of grid

Tropic Thunder Malaysia’s probably the most tropical GP on the calendar. It’s hot, humid and prone to some old-fashioned lashings of rain. This year was no different ...

sutton-images.com

Sebastian Vettel let his engineers have the umbrella on their track walk, while there was a shortage at Renault ... Vitaly Petrov took matters into his own hands, but test driver Bruno Senna missed out.

sutton-images.com

sutton-images.com

Before the rain, Jarno Trulli hit the bike, and some (crazy?) mechanics ran the circuit in full race gear.

sutton-images.com

sutton-images.com

www.mnews.com.au

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