Motorsport eNews Issue 215 - July 26-August 1, 2011

THE WORLD OF MOTORSPORT DIRECTLY TO YOUR DESKTOP

Issue No. 215 July 26 - August 01 2011

R E H T E G O T STAYING 12 ... BUT

AN IN 20 M P A E H C R E P U S A E ’LL B INGALL TELLS US HE? WITH WHICH TEAM

CAR OF THE FUTURE – TODAY!

POWER HITS BACK IN CANADA

DANIEL RICCIARDO

THE INSIDE LINE ON AUSTRALIA’S NEWEST FORMULA 1 DRIVER - ONLY IN THE AUGUST ISSUE OF MOTORSPORT NEWS PLUS: RYAN WALKINSHAW ON TAKING OVER HIS DAD’S BUSINESS, WE TALK TO ASIF KAPADIA, THE DIRECTOR BEHIND THE SENNA MOVIE, REVEAL ALEX ZANARDI’S OLYMPIC DREAM, SPEAK TO THE LATEST KIWI TO TAKE ON THE FAMOUS #51, LEARN ABOUT A V8 SUPERCAR THAT RACES AT THE NURBURGRING AND GET THE LATEST ON AUSTRALIAN RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP LEADER RYAN SMART ...

AND MUCH, MUCH MORE!

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Issue No. 215 | July 26 - August 1 2011

news 4

Cheap, Long lasting Ingall stays in SCA colours 5 Marinos, New Zealanders GC600 gets Franchittier 9 Volkswagen Youth Polo WRC audition, via Skoda 12 Jogging with the Bulls Webber: We are too slow 15 HRC looks for a Hair Cut Dovi, Sic may lose works backing

chat 22 Five Minutes With ...

Marino Franchitti

comment 24 AVL: Reality TV’s challenge race 26 F1: German GP 30 Indycar: Edmonton 34 GP2: Nurburgring

trade 36 Classifieds 3

INGALL TO STAY IN SUPERC COLOURS FOR 2012 V8 SUPERCARS

R

USSELL Ingall is staying in Supercheap Auto colours next season – and he wants to stay a Holden man.

The former V8 Supercar champion has the backing of the national retail chain, even if the team for which he drives is a little unclear at present.

“The indication that they have given to me is that I am their

preferred driver for 2012,” said Ingall on Monday.

“There seems to be a bit of media speculation that I might be retiring next year but I can absolutely guarantee you that is not the case. I’ll definitely be on the V8 Supercar grid in 2012, that is a definite certainty.

Who I’m with team-wise is still a bit of a question mark at the minute.”

As previously reported in eNews, Supercheap is in the

process of discussing its V8 Supercar future with a number of teams, on either side of the marque divide between Holden and Ford. Ingall is aware of this situation, but had no qualms about stating his preference being to stay with Holden – in spite of having won the 2005 V8 title in a Stone Brothers Racing Ford.

“There are some possibilities out there in some strong teams which is great so obviously what

we’re aiming at is getting into the best possible team where I can do the best possible job,” he said.

“I do want to stay with Holden.

If Supercheap gets an offer that they like from a Ford team, then that is how that goes. But my preference, if it comes to that, is that I stay in a Holden.”

He has ruled out giving advance notice on a ‘farewell tour’, as some drivers have done in the past.

STOP PRESS – MORE GC DRIVER

4

JUST as this issue of eNews went online, two more Gold Coast 600 drivers were officially confirmed.

Brit Oliver Gavin will partner Greg Murphy in the Pepsi Max Crew Commodore, after it was originally rumoured that Ben Collins would take that

seat. Gavin currently races for Corvette Racing in the GT class of the American Le Mans Series, winning the latest round at Mosport in Canada.

And, as previously reported by eNews, Fabrizio Giovanardi will once again join Brad Jones Racing. While the motorsport news

NEWS

CHEAP

Serge Mironenko

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“I am not going into 2012 as a farewell tour just for the sake of doing it. I am going into it to win the championship, as I have always done in the past.

“The results throughout the year will determine whether I go on after that. If I am running 25th in the championship points by the middle of the season, that is something you might rethink. You also have to think about what is a farewell tour these days.”

HILDEBRAND PUTS HIS HAND UP FOR V8 DRIVE V8 SUPERCARS

RS CONFIRMED announcement says he will race with either Jason Bargwanna or Karl Reindler, eNews believes the likely outcome is that the Italian will end up back with Reindler, the two having shared the Fair Dinkum Sheds Commodore on the Gold Coast in 2010. www.mnews.com.au

JR HILDEBRAND has emerged as a possible last-minute addition to the Gold Coast 600 driving roster.

The American Indycar rookie, who finished a heartbreaking second at the Indianapolis 500 in May, is in contention to become a replacement driver for the event, should the need for one arise. Finalising the field for the Gold Coast races is a process complicated by the requirements of the 2011 Indycar Champion to fulfil a roster of media commitments the week after the race. With the final race of the series set for Las Vegas the week prior to the GC event, that potentially impacts on the V8 Supercar street race.

The three drivers in contention for the title, current points leader Dario Franchitti,

Will Power and Scott Dixon, are expected to line up with Bundaberg Racing, Ford Performance Racing and Stone Brothers Racing, respectively.

Should Franchitti win a third title, his media requirements are likely to be extensive, while Dixon has the added complication of having his wife, Emma, expecting their second child during the week of the race. eNews believes that Power faces no such problems and, even if it means that as Champion is forced to skip the driver familiarisation sessions at Queensland Raceway on the Wednesday and Thursday of race week, the team is prepared to allow that and slot him straight into a car at Surfers.

On the other hand Hildebrand’s only post-Vegas commitments are the end-of-

season Presentation Gala, in Las Vegas.

Hildebrand’s chances of making the event are “5050”, according to his local representative, Matt Cousins.

“We have spoken to V8 Supercars and some of the teams,” he said. “We will see what happens from here.”

Hildebrand, 23, shocked the Indycar world with a polished 500 debut until hitting the wall while leading the race on the final corner, dragging his heavily damaged Panther Dallara-Honda to second behind a surprised and delighted winner, Dan Wheldon. eNews believes that the California native is prepared to commit to the Gold Coast race on a multi-year deal, as well as become an ambassador for V8 Supercars in the USA in the buildup to the first race in Austin, Texas, in 2013.

5

V8s A CAREER TARGET

MARINO FRANCHITTI LIKENS BATHURST TO MONACO, LE MANS V8 SUPERCARS

Highcroft Racing

MARINO Franchitti can foresee a day when young drivers around the world are aiming their careers at V8 Supercars.

The Scot, a regular in the American ALMS Series, will make his V8 Supercar debut in October when he partners Warren Luff in the Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport Commodore at the Gold Coast 600. Among Franchitti’s opposition will be his brother Dario, the two-time Indianapolis 500 winner joining Bundaberg Racing, where he will join Fabian Coulthard, and one of his best friends, defending V8 Supercar Champion James Courtney.

“Since I started racing the dream was always, for me personally, to be racing in Australia, at some point in my career,” Marino, 33, told eNews this week.

“I have been going there since James and I became friends; 1999 was my first trip there, I think. It is a place I love; I love the racing and I love the fans.

“It is something that I have dreamed about and something I would love to do. I think that

when the Car of the Future comes in, that would be a great opportunity for a drive like me to look at coming down there and driving full-time.”

Marino visited Australia last year to take in the Gold Coast event and was determined then to get a ride in this year’s race. He did a deal with LDM early in the year and is excited at the prospect of competing in the event – and eventually, he hopes, the Bathurst 1000.

“I think that when you are in Australia, I don’t know if you appreciate how big the V8s are,” Franchitti, 33, said. “It is really well though of, world-wide. For me, I am obviously watching because James is a mate, but it the kind of racing that I have always loved to watch.

“Bathurst for me is like Monaco, or the [Indy] 500, of the Le Mans 24 Hours. It is like the Tour de France; even if people are not looking at what is happening any other time in the year, Bathurst is a legendary event.

For me, it sits quite comfortably alongside all those other events.”

For more on Franchitti, see 5 Minutes, page 22

IT’S ALL BLACKS FOR GIZ AND DIXON V8 SUPERCARS SCOTT Dixon will race for Stone Brothers Racing at the Gold Coast 600, it has been confirmed.

As exclusively predicted by eNews some three weeks back, Dixon will team up with Shane van Gisbergen in the SP Tools Falcon for the Surfers Paradise event. The Brisbaneborn Kiwi, who is a former Indy 500 winner and IndyCar champion, raced for Jack Daniel’s Racing on The Coast in 2010.

“Surfers Paradise has always been a special place for me and anyone else that has raced there,” said Dixon.

“It is almost like a home race for me, having 6

been born in Brisbane and raised in New Zealand. It is going to be like the Kiwi super team, with me driving with Shane in a car prepared by the Stone Brothers.

“Ross and Jimmy are obviously racing heroes in NZ and it is going to be pretty cool to drive for them.”

However, there are two sticking points that still may come into play ...

“My wife Emma is due to have our second baby that week and it took a while for me to make up my mind to come, but she was insistent that I come back and race with Ross and Jimmy,” added Dixon.

“We have a back up plan and another driver on stand-by if we have any issues and Ross

and Jimmy are prepared if we have any drama.

“We [also] have our final IndyCar Series event in Las Vegas the previous weekend and then our gala on the following night – so it is going to be a rush for me and the rest of the IndyCar boys making the trip.” van Gisbergen, meanwhile, is confident that Dixon will be on board come October.

“Team Kiwi is back!” van Gisbergen said.

“Obviously I followed Scott’s career while growing up so to be finally driving with him is a real buzz. Scott was quick here last year and is coming off a pretty good run in his series at home, so he’ll be in a good frame of mind.” motorsport news

NEWS

A PEEK INTO THE FUTURE V8 SUPERCARS IF you were expecting something different when you first saw V8 Supercars’ Car of the Future prototype you might just have been disappointed.

These are the first shots we have seen of the new Ford Falcon FG-based car, which has

been testing in Queensland.

These shots were taken at Queensland Raceway last month and, following testing there and at Morgan Park, development of the car is running according to plan.

The car has been reliveried since these pics were taken last month, and it and the new Commodore-based racer

Eastern Creek Rumbles V8 SUPERCARS IF you are in western Sydney over the next few days and think that you hear a V8 Supercar event running at Eastern Creek – relax, it’s just drive days.

A Ford Performance Racing corporate day has grown into something much bigger, with

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a number of teams joining in at the former V8 race venue. TeamVodafone, Tekno Autosports and Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport will join the factorybacked Ford team on Tuesday while Stone Brothers Racing, Jim Beam Racing, Brad Jones Racing and Tony D’Alberto Racing will bring the car count up to 14 on Wednesday.

will look much different when they are shown to the public at Bathurst in October.

The car has been running on current spec 17-inch Dunlop Control tyres, though Sprint tyres were made available for testing last week, for the first time. One of the sources of tyres for use with the new car was the tyre bank of the now-defunct

#10 entry, was which reacquired from V8 Supercars at the end of the 2010 season.

An announcement regarding the successful tender for the COTF rubber, which will be 18-inch, is imminent, and may be made as soon as this week. eNews believes that two companies, Dunlop and Yokohama, made submissions.

The Milky Bar racer: The V8 Supercars COTF prototype at rest, above, at QR last month. The Falcon FG is now camouflaged, thank goodness, so we will be able to tell it apart from ... every other Falcon FG racecar.

7

IS THE FLYING FINN COMING BACK? WORLD RALLYING

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BRITISH magazine AUTOSPORT has reported that Marcus Gronholm may be looking at a World Rally Championship comeback with Volkswagen.

According to AUTOSPORT, VW has been in contact with the 43year-old Finn, and that Gronholm is likely to consider an offer should one be made.

“I’m not thinking about coming back to challenge Sebastien Loeb or anything like that,” Gronholm said. “But it could be interesting if VW did call. Yes, I would be interested in helping next year, it could be good to work with a manufacturer bringing a new car.”

Gronholm’s former engineer Francois-Xavier Demaison currently works for VW. Gronholm retired in 2007 after a stint with Ford. He is a twotime World Rally Champion, winning both titles with Peugeot.

WHO WANTS TO BE A WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP DRIVER? WORLD RALLYING

Dirk Klynsmith

JOHNSON BACK IN A V8 V8 SUPERCARS GRANT Johnson will be back behind the wheel of a V8 Supercar early next month.

Johnson, who raced at the 2003 Bathurst 1000 with Larkham Motor Sport, will drive a Paul Morris Motorsport Commodore at Queensland Raceway on August 4 as part of his prize for winning the 2010 V8 Ute Racing Series. David Seiders will also be part of the test, his prize for being last year’s Rookie of the Year in Utes.

“It’s going to be a bit of fun and it will be interesting to see how the car has changed 8

over the years,” said Johnson. “[Paul Morris] runs a good show, and he now has an alliance with Triple Eight.

They’ve produced some good results over the years. All the front runners are on par these days and anyone can finish on the podium.”

Seiders added that the test was bound to be a valuable experience.

“As a driver you never stop learning, whether it is from Craig Lowndes or a go kart driver,” he said.

“I think the experience with Paul Morris Motorsport will be well worth it.”

TWO Australian crews will get the chance to compete at World Rally Championship level in September, thanks to wildcard entries for Rally Australia.

Two guest driver spots will be open for the Production Car World Rally Championship component of the event, with any Australian drivers with Group N-spec machinery that complies with PCWRC regulations able to apply. The winning applicants will spend the event housed in the PCWRC service park, and will be eligible to score World Championship points.

“Like athletes in many sports, Australian rally drivers usually have to scrape together big budgets to travel overseas for experience and to get international attention,” Rally Australia clerk of course Dr Michelle Gatton said.

“For some, at certain points in their careers, this wildcard program could be a once-in-alifetime chance.”

Applications should be emailed to janah. mclean@rallyaustralia.com.au by August 1. motorsport news

NEWS

VW TO ENTER HOME RALLY WORLD RALLYING VOLKSWAGEN will field two cars at its home round of the World Rally Championship next month.

VW will enter two Skoda Fabias in the WRC Super 2000 class at Rallye Deutschland, one for German up-and-comer Christian Riedemann and another for Dutchman Hans Weijs junior. The program, backed by Wings For Life, is part of VW’s development of its Polo R WRC, and its search for young drivers for the 2013 World Rally Championship season.

“The ADAC Rallye Deutschland marks the second step in our talent assessment programme,” explained Volkswagen Motorsport Director Kris Nissen.

“As in Finland, we’ve again selected two young drivers who have already shown great potential in their brief careers. They are now receiving the unique opportunity to recommend themselves in the toughest competitive conditions for a slot in the Volkswagen rally team.”

Riedemann’s home event will be his first outing in a Super 2000 car. He currently rallies a Ford Fiesta in the WRC Academy.

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Weijs Junior won the Junior WRC round at Rallye Deutschland last year, and recently finished third at the Ypres Rally in Belgium in a Skoda Fabia S2000.

As previously reported, VW will field Skodas in next weekend’s Rally Finland for Norwegian Andreas Mikkelsen and Finn Joonas Lindroos.

9

NEWS

OLD TOURERS TO GET AGP START Groups A&C to join Carrera Cup on Grand Prix support card in 2012

Justin Collins

AGP SUPPORTS FORMULA 5000 will be replaced by Group A and C Touring Cars at the Australian Grand Prix next year.

The 2012 AGP was launched at the Senna premiere at Crown Casino in Melbourne last week, and while the full support card wasn’t revealed, Australian

Grand Prix Corporation CEO Andrew Westacott offered a little insight into next year’s event.

“On track in 2012 we will welcome back the V8 Supercars, which were a tremendous success in 2011 with the new pit lane facility and extended endurance racing,” he said.

“Motorsport fans can also look forward to a new support

category in 2012, the Group A and C Touring Cars. In a first for Albert Park, these predecessors to V8 Supercars will thrill fans with an array of Commodores, Skylines and Sierras from the early 1970s through to the 1990s.”

“There is also every indication that the Red Bull Race Off will be on track once again and we

can’t forget the ever-popular Porsche Carrera Cup, Shannon’s Historics and the Ultimate Speed Comparison.”

Group A and C Touring Cars currently race at historic race meetings around the country, including the immensely popular Phillip Island Classic, which runs the weekend before the AGP.

F1 2014: EIGHT-SPEED GEARBOXES sutton-images.com

FORMULA 1 FORMULA 1 will have eight-speed gearboxes in 2014.

A raft of technical changes were announced leading up the German Grand Prix last weekend, one of them being a mandatory eight-speed gearbox. Formula 1 cars currently use a seven-speed gearbox.

Other changes will include starter motors that can be accessed by the drivers from the cockpit of the car. Currently, F1 cars are started by external start motors, requiring a mechanic. Also, whenever in pit-lane, cars will have to run in ‘electric mode’, with no fuel or ignition supply to the engine.

Finally, the rev-limit for the new 1600cc V6 turbo engines has been lifted from 12,000 rpm to 15,000 rpm.

10

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11

WEBBER: WE WERE NOT FAST ENOUGH FORMULA 1

RED Bull Racing’s drivers have voiced concerns over being out-paced by both McLaren and Ferrari at last weekend’s German Grand Prix.

With Webber finishing third and Vettel finishing fourth, the team’s early season dominance appears to have come to an end. And Webber admitted post-race at the Nürburgring that it is a concern for all at RBR. “We weren’t quick enough today,” he said. “[I] did everything I could. I was happy with how I drove. I think these guys just had that little extra margin when they needed to do it, especially at the back part of the stints. A little bit more range and that made us a little bit exposed on strategy. We know what we have got to improve on.

“I think we got beaten fair and square in Silverstone, so this isn’t the first time we’ve been beaten, so this is the second

race. Is it the form for the second part of the championship? Difficult to say, because we’re going to go to a track next weekend which should be a bit better for us than this track.

“Let’s see. If we start to see a real trend, like I say, we’ve got company on Saturday and we’re really not in trouble but Sunday’s are more of a handful for us at the moment.”

Vettel also admitted that he was concerned over the revival from Ferrari and McLaren.

“Generally I think fourth anyway was probably our maximum today which is not satisfying but you know we have to accept it and go from there,” he told the BBC. “Next week is the next race and it looks like McLaren and Ferrari are getting quicker and quicker so we need to work harder on our car to try and improve it in order to be back on the podium and maybe stand on the top step again.”

GLOCK SIGNS ON FOR THREE MORE YEA FORMULA 1 TIMO Glock has signed on with Virgin Racing for a further three years, it was announced at the German Grand Prix.

The German will remain with the backmarkers until at least 2014, citing the team’s new link with McLaren as the main reason behind the long-term contract.

“I am very happy to confirm that Marussia Virgin Racing will be my home for the next few years of my Formula 1 career,” he said.

“The past 18 months of racing have been quite tough, although this was always to be expected. As a driver I knew I would have to go back a few steps in order to move forward.

Now we have tasted the difficult times together I can’t wait to be with the team when we start to enjoy the good times.

“And I know they are coming. I’ve seen tremendous belief from Marussia and hard work and commitment across the whole team. With the additional steps we have taken – the technical partnership with McLaren and bringing the whole team together – I believe we can achieve our 12

goals together.

“This year we’ve demonstrated that we know how to build a reliable car, and with the resources we now have we should be able to add to that a high-performing car. After that it’s all about gradual but significant steps forward.”

Over at Lotus-Renault, things are a little less stable on the drivers front. The team benched Jarno Trulli for the German Grand Prix, putting Karun Chandhok in the car itself. But, at the same time it announced Chandhok’s promotion, the team also stated that it was working on a contract extension with Trulli.

“I am delighted to confirm that we are in the process of negotiating an extension to [Trulli’s] contract with us and we are all looking forward to unveiling the details of that very soon,” said Team Lotus boss Tony Fernandes.

“He is a key member of our team and I hope that we can give him a car as soon as possible that allows him to utilise his considerable talents to the full.”

It is expected that Trulli will be back in the car in Hungary this weekend.

For full F1/ MotoGP/WRC

CLICK HERE to get magazine www.gp motorsport news

NEWS

ALONSO ESCAPES POST-RACE PENALTY

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ARS

FORMULA 1 FERNANDO Alonso will not be penalized for not driving his car back to parc ferme following the German Grand Prix.

The Ferrari driver was forced to hitch a ride with Mark Webber after shutting his car down on the cool-down lap, leading to

speculation that the car would fail the post-race fuel test if there wasn’t at least a litre left on-board.

But Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicalli confirmed after the race that there were no issues with post-race scrutineering. “[When] they did the fuel

sample as after the race there had to be one litre of fuel,” he said. “It is all done. So nothing has happened. It was just a precaution.”

Webber also escaped penalty for letting Alonso ride on his car’s engine cover, which might also have contravened the parc ferme rules.

SENNA IN FOR FP1 AT HUNGARY FORMULA 1

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t to GPWeek

pweek.com www.mnews.com.au

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C coverage/news,

BRUNO Senna will be back behind the wheel of a Formula 1 car on a race weekend at this week’s Hungarian Grand Prix.

The Brazilian, who raced for Hispania Racing Team in 2010, will drive Nick Heidfeld’s Renault R31 in Free Practice 1 this Friday, before handing the car back to the German for the remainder of the weekend.

“I’m really excited to be driving in FP1 at the Hungaroring,” said Senna.

“It’s not very often you get these opportunities with big teams, and I’m very grateful for getting this chance.

Hopefully I can do a good job and show the team the potential I have, and help us move forward.

“I’ve done some productive work in the R31 already this year – though never during a race weekend – so I know the car layout well and I’m confident it will be a smooth transition. I’m looking forward to working with the team during the session to ensure a good car set-up for Nick when he resumes driving in FP2.”

The 27-year-old hasn’t driven the R31 in anger since preseason testing at Jerez back in February.

13

FOYT AND HONDA. REALLY INDYCARS THE engine makeup in Indycar next year is becoming a little clearer, with Honda announcing that AJ Foyt’s team will use Honda V6s next season.

Foyt, who was once one of the sport’s biggest critics of allowing ‘foreign’ engines into American racing, will join forces with

the maker for 2012. Honda has previously announced a link with Chip Ganassi’s four entries.

“You’ve got to change with the times and Honda has proven to be a helluva company and I’m just glad they wanted to stick with us,” said Foyt last Tuesday.

“They’ve always given me honest answers and you don’t see that a lot any more.

When people treat me right, I don’t forget it.”

Foyt confirmed that he is looking to expand his team to a second full-time entry, to run alongside Vitor Meira.

“Vitor has been great for us and we’ve talked about three or four drivers out there that might make that first car run even harder,” he said.

Honda Racing

Ranging up on the Outside NASCAR

NASCAR Media

MARCOS Ambrose will face a new ‘road course ringer’ when he takes to Watkins Glen on August 14.

Canadian Andrew Ranger will make his first attempt at a Sprint Cup start at the New York State track, driving for Fas Lane Racing. Ranger, 24, will drive the #32 car in the event, which is currently in the top 35 in owners’ points.

“I am truly overwhelmed that Mr. Stoddard is giving me that great opportunity”, said Ranger in a

PR release. “It’s been five years now that I left single seater racing to undertake a challenging stock-car career. To drive in the Sprint Cup series is a dream come true and a huge step I have been seeking for.”

Ranger, who has run two Nationwide races this season at Road America and New Hampshire, is a former two-time Canadian NASCAR champion and did two seasons in Champ Cars in 2005 and ‘06. He will be the sixth driver of the Fas Lane entry, which has been raced this season by Terry Labonte, Mike Skinner, Patrick Carpentier, Ken Schrader and Mike Bliss.

Kahne car trashed in WoO outing OUTLAWS ON their weekends off, racing drivers sometimes go racing – and Kasey Kahne spent his ‘off’ weekend racing, and crashing, a sprint car at Williams Grove Speedway in Pennsylvania.

The Red Bull racing star was 14

racing against World of Outlaws driver Craig Dollansky when their cars made contact during the second heat in the opening night of the Summer Nationals.

Kahne’s car somersaulted twice before flying over the fence and going down an embankment.

“I saw Craig start to drift up

towards me,” said Kahne. “He did something similar to me at Limaland [Motorsports Park] and I was able to get on the brakes.

It still put me up into the wall and messed with us a bit. There wasn’t anything I was able to do this time around though. I got wrecked and that happens

sometimes in racing. I’m alright but I haven’t flipped in a race car like that in a while.”

Kahne’s #49 Ollie’s Bargain Outlets car was a write-off. Jason Meyers won the event, while Kahne returned the following night to drive to 17th in Fred Rahmer’s car. motorsport news

STONER IN A CLASS OF HIS OWN AT LAGUNA SECA MOTOGP

Honda looking at MotoGP cutbacks in 2012

MOTOGP

Honda Pro Images

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ANDREA Dovizioso and Marco Simoncelli may lose their Honda support in 2012.

Honda’s racing boss Shuhei Nakamoto told Motosprint magazine last week that Honda’s MotoGP program would operate on a reduced budget in 2012, and that Dovizioso and Simoncelli were unlikely to retain their factory support beyond the end of this season.

“These are hard times, the economic crisis is far from over," Nakamoto was reported as saying.

“On top of that, Japan has some big problems due to the disasters that happened last spring. All [of ] our industrial sector has had to slow down production by 30 percent, and

Honda is not immune from that. So we had to cut costs too.

“If I was forced to make an announcement today with regards to our 2012 riders, I could only talk about the works team, because [Casey] Stoner and [Dani] Pedrosa are the only ones with a contract for next season. So I would have to say goodbye to both Simoncelli and Dovizioso.

“I've asked both to wait and be patient; we are trying to solve the situation, which is fundamentally tied to a matter of money. The budget will be cut, but I don't yet know by how much. By mid-August everything should be clearer.”

Motosprint also reported that Honda will only field four bikes next season, two less than in 2011.

15

Honda Pro Images

THREE years ago, Casey Stoner left California an anguished man.

His Ducati was the fastest bike at Laguna Seca but Valentino Rossi out-smarted him to take the win, in a manner about which Stoner felt uncomfortable.

This time, he got revenge. After a Sunday morning tweak, he felt his Repsol Honda was faster than it had been on Saturday. He started safely, settled into third and waited for the second half of the race. He caught Dani Pedrosa unawares at the Corkscrew mid-race, set his eyes on the rear wheel of Jorge Lorenzo and rode off to glory.

And, glorious it was. The near-2s gap to the Yamaha evaporated in four laps. For a while Stoner watched the Spaniard, nosing alongside at one stage to show him he was serious, and then pulled out one of the great moves. A better drive out of Turn 13 put him within reach of Lorenzo, but the white and red bike covered the inside line – so Stoner went the long way around, sweeping across Jorge’s front wheel at around 265kmh.

After one of the great moves, he simply shot off into the distance, pulling more than 5s in the

remaining five laps.

“All weekend we’ve been struggling a little so we weren’t too confident that we could run with Jorge and Dani in the race,” said the Aussie later.

“However, this morning in warm up we found something I was a little happier with.

“I saw Dani struggling a bit and he started to drop back from Jorge so I had to attack at this point. Once I caught up to Jorge, I watched to see if he made a mistake and kept the pressure on him, then chose my moment to make the move and was able to slowly open up a gap and bring the race home.”

Lorenzo was, for once, happy with second, after a spectacular get-off on Friday, while Pedrosa looked far more injured than he had been a week ago, winning in Germany.

Ben Spies was the best of the Americans in fifth, getting the better of Andrea Dovizioso with a few laps remaining, while Valentino Rossi won the battle of the Ducatis, just ahead of Nicky Hayden. Reports suggest that when The Doctor offered congratulations after what had appeared to be a hard battle, the Kentuckian looked less than thrilled with his role in it. For the record, the Italian bikes finished just over 30s back from Stoner, in a 32-lap race. There is much to be done.

GREAT RECEPTION FOR ERICKSON AT BRD FORMULA FORD DANIEL Erickson will be reunited with his former team, Borland Racing Developments for the next round of the Australian Formula Ford Championship at Queensland Raceway.

The New South Welshman and former Cams Rising Star got the call up to replace Jesse Fenech in the Bosch Batteries backed Spectrum 012, after Fenech’s secondary sponsor pulled funding from the young promising Victorian. eNews understands that although an already tight budget has prevented Fenech from contesting in the immediate future, Fenech may be able to return later in the 2011 season provided another

secondary sponsor can be found for his home events at Phillip Island and Sandown.

Borland Racing Developments’ commercial manager Paul Zsidy admitted that he’s disappointed to see Fenech step back, but delighted to welcome Erickson back to the team.

“We’re very disappointed for Jesse, who is leading the Rookie of the Year points and has been doing a terrific job,” Said Zsidy.

“In saying that, we have to accept that without the funding to continue, we had to ensure we were able to deliver to our commercial agreements and we’re delighted to welcome Daniel back to our team.”

Erickson moreover is looking forward to re-acquainting himself within the team, and a racing environment itself after a few months watching from the sidelines.

“This has all come around very quickly” Said Erickson.

“I can’t wait to get into the Bosch Batteries Spectrum with the BRD team.”

“I haven’t driven an Australian Formula Ford since late 2008 and the competition in this year’s championship looks as strong as ever. I think QR will be tough, as it will take a bit for me to get use to a car with no downforce of slicks again; but we’ll dust off the cobwebs and give our best for Bosch Batteries! I’m sure it won’t take long for us to have the Spectrum at the front.”

SLOVAKIAN TEAM FOR 12 HOUR? BATHURST 12H SLOVAKIA is the latest country to show interest in the Armor All Bathurst 12 Hour, following on from Audi’s German import team taking out the race earlier this year.

The link to Slovakia actually comes through New Zealand, with Motorsport Services from

Hampton Downs confirming that they will run at least three cars at the 12 Hour in 2012. And they may even run more, with Slovak driver Miro Konopa, who ran in one of the Kiwi cars at the event this year, working on getting two Slovakian entries on the grid for next year, which would make it a total of five for Motorsport Services.

SALOON CARS SALOON CAR racing could have unwittingly positioned itself as a feeder category to V8 Supercars, with a former class champion and the current series leader both signaling their intentions to move to the Kumho Tyres V8 Touring Car series later this year.

Multiple Saloon Car champion Bruce Heinrich has purchased the ex-Steve Ellery AU Falcon owned and driven recently by fellow Adelaidian Michael Bartsch, while eNews understands defending champion Shaun Jamieson has taken delivery of the exTeam Dynamik VZ Commodore (last raced

by Ben Eggleston) and will do ‘double duty’ in the remaining rounds this year before launching a full-on attack on the V8TC title next season.

Heinrich took delivery of his new ride early last week and shook the car down at 16

“I’ve got a waiting list of 10-15 guys who all want to drive,” said team boss Dave Taylor.

“We will be back with at least three cars, a 135i BMW, one of our existing 996 Porsche GT3 Cup Cars and a 997 GT3 Cup Car as well.

“Miro is [also] working on bringing two cars down from Slovakia and we would assist

Mallala on Friday. He is expected to make his debut at the series’ next round at Sandown in September.

“It’s not what I was expecting,” Heinrich said.

“You have to drive it hard and aggressive, but it was awesome. We went better than expected and faster than I anticipated. I’m really happy with the car, it feels great and we had no issues at all.

“It’s something I have wanted to do for many years.”

Meanwhile, current Fujitsu V8 Supercar frontrunner Marcus Zukanovic has confirmed he is another looking at the V8 Touring Car category as a means to getting more laps to support his Fujitsu campaign.

After running consistently in the top five at Townsville’s most recent Fujitsu round, Zukanovic says that more miles in a similar car – namely their existing, ex-HRT VZ Commodore – would only assist their

them running them – they would be a 997 GT3 Cup Porsche and potentially a Dodge Viper.

“A lot of the drivers from this year’s race are already locked in and ready to come back, so we’ll have guys with at least one race under their belts, which will be a big help. We’re excited about coming back over for what should be an even bigger event next year.”

Supercar campaign.

“It’s something we’re looking at,” Zukanovic told eNews.

“At the end of the year the VZ won’t be eligible for the Fujitsu series and I believe will be allowed to race in the V8 Touring Cars so it’s something we’re assessing as an option for next year.

“We’ve got the car sitting there, but in the end it’s still a V8 Supercar and takes a good budget to run so we need to see where that sits with our plans for next season.

“It would make sense to do,” he admitted.

“The cars are very similar and any additional miles you can get in a V8 will make racing at the front in Fujitsu easier.”

Kumho Tyres V8 Touring Cars’ Rob Curkpatrick confirmed the series had sold three additional Engine Control Units (ECU) immediately after the recent Eastern Creek round.

– RICHARD CRAILL motorsport news

NEWS

DESPRES TO AUS! AUS SAFARI A THREE-time Dakar winner will be part of the field for the 2011 Australasian Safari.

Frenchman Cyril Despres will take on the West Australian outback in the moto category, arriving directly from the Rally dos Sertoes in Brazil. He will be supported by KTM Australia while down under.

“Australia is a continent that has always fascinated me,” said Depres.

“I grew up near Paris but I always dreamed of being in wide open spaces and as I understand it you have a few wide open spaces in Australia! Also, I have done over 60 rallies in my career and the safari is the only major event that I haven’t yet done.

“From what I understand you have some very good riders in Australia, who are both fast and good navigators, so I think there will be plenty of competition. And of course I have never done the race before and while it seems similar to other events I have done, experience is always a useful commodity.”

The Safari kicks off in Perth on September 22.

COPPIN’ A COPPLIN AT COFFS RALLY AUSTRALIA ADRIAN Coppin will race an FIA Group Nspecification Ford Fiesta at the upcoming Rally Australia at Coffs Harbour, it has been confirmed.

The young Canberra driver recently announced that he would drive a Fiesta at Rally Australia, but the exact specification of the car remained a mystery. Now, it has been revealed that he will drive a

Group N Fiesta ST, a car that was built

by David Greer Motorsport in Northern Ireland and has since been run by the Abu Dhabi Junior Team in the Middle East. It is left-hand-drive.

The car is being imported by Jon Mills from FSport, which is the New South Wales Kumho Motorsport tyre dealer.

“I received a call one night from Adrian, who I supported in his Hyundai Excel in 2010, telling me he had found a good ST

that I might be interested in” Mills said.

“I invited Adrian to drive the car in Rally Australia because I think he is a young driver with the right skills and attitude. He worked hard to promote FSport last year with his results and his media skills.

“I think he has a bright future in Australian rallying and I’m very happy to have him as my driver.”

Coppin will test the car for the first time late next month.

FAREWELL SALOONS, HELLO V8TC

James Smith

www.mnews.com.au

17

NEWS

HAZELWOOD TURNS UP THE COOL FORMULA FORD FUJITSU Cool Driver Todd Hazelwood is set to make the jump up from Karting to Formula Ford next season, after placing a deposit on a Mygale Chassis, to possibly be run by Minda Motorsports.

With many state Karting titles under his belt, the 15 year-old South Australian is looking forward to taking on the Victorian

Formula Ford Championship in 2012.

Hazelwood has also indicated beginning his Formula Ford career as soon as this season, with plans to get acquainted with the team and his Mygale with testing commencing later in the year.

“At this stage, we’ve put a deposit down on a Formula Ford, hopefully we can run along side Bruin (Beasley) and Minda Motorsport.” Hazelwood told eNews.

“We’d like to do the state series next year, and it would be good to get some testing by the end of this year as well, get to know the team a lot better, be at one with the car and learn how to drive it along with all the other little things.”

Hazelwood is planning 2012 to be a toe dipping exercise to learn the ropes in an older 2007 Mygale.

– CALLUM BRANAGAN

BMF GETS AN EARLY EASTER PRESENT

John Morris mpix

BMF BATHURST Motor Festival organisers have confirmed that the rejuvenated event will go ahead again in 2012.

More than 270 cars took on Mount Panorama at Easter time this year, ensuring a successful return for the event. With that in the bag, organisers have confirmed that the BMF will be back in ’12, running across April 6, 7 and 8.

“It was not a hard decision to continue on with the event after the success of this year,” event director James O’Brien said.

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“We had excellent feedback from competitors and a great turn out of fans across the three days, who clearly reveled in having some motorsport on the Easter Long weekend.

“We have had a great response from categories who are keen to return and also from new categories looking to join the event. As such we’ll have a full program with as much variety, if not more, than any other event of its type in Australia.

“Yeehah Events is looking forward to working with the Bathurst Regional Council team and putting on another great eent for the region and the Mount Panorama circuit.” motorsport news

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On this DVD hosted by Will Hagon, we look at Tom’s first visit to Bathurst in 1984, and then his triumphant return the following year.

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Twelve hours around the punishing 6.2km Mount Panorama – that’s about as tough as it gets in world motor racing. But this year the Armor All Bathurst 12 Hour took things up a notch higher, with the switch to full FIA GT3 Sports Cars. So it was that the 2011 race featured iconic sports car names such as Ferrari, Porsche, Lotus, Corvette – and Audi, with the German manufacturer taking on the race with a two-car factory effort. Another classic Bathurst 12 Hour, this time featuring some of the most expensive, most glamorous and fastest supercars in the world.

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NEWS

MAWSON FOURSOME KARTING

JOSEPH Mawson has continued his domination of the Junior MAX class during the 2011 Rotax Pro Tour, becoming the first driver to claim four consecutive round victories with another win at Warwick Kart Club in Queensland.

The Fujitsu Cool 15-year-old Arrow driver won two of the three heats before claiming the pre-final and ultimately the final, greeting the chequers a few kart lengths clear of archrival and CRG driver Pierce Lehane.

Michael Stewart crossed the line a close third ahead of Mitchell Gee, who showed great pace all weekend and was the only other driver to win a race taking out the second heat.

“It’s a great feeling to have won four from four,” said Mawson.

“Tyler [Greenbury] and Dave [Sera] came close with three straight previously in Rotax Light, but to be the first driver who has won four events in a row is pretty cool.

“To win all but one race this weekend is a great feeling. As always Pierce (Lehane) was there pushing me all the way. We were joined at the front this weekend by Mitchell Gee, Joseph Burton-Harris and Michael Stewart – they all showed some good speed across the five races.”

Gold Coast-based Exprit driver James Macken broke through to take out the competitive Rotax Light category with a last lap pass on Victorian Josh de Maio.

“It’s my first podium finish in the Pro Tour, first win as a senior and my first win with

Oakley as a sponsor – I’m stoked,” said Macken.

Unfortunately for de Maio he dropped to fourth at the finish line with Greenbury and Chris Hays snatching the final two podium positions.

Greenbury went one better during his debut in the DD2 class by taking the win ahead of Damian Ward.

Victorian CC Racing pilot Troy Woolston proved too good for his opposition in Rotax Heavy with Brendan Nelson and reigning National Champion Simon Meyer rounding out the podium.

Other drivers to enjoy success at the penultimate event on the Rotax Pro Tour Schedule were Mitchell Kennedy (JMax Heavy), Mick Robson (Over 35s) and Bruce Otter (Super Heavy).

CIAN READY TO TAKE THE FIGHT TO SPENCER KARTING WITH the penultimate round of the Castrol Edge CIK Stars of Karting Series set to be battled out this weekend in Newcastle, the chase for the crown in the Pro classes is set to sizzle.

Defending Pro Light KF1 Champion Cian Fothergill currently sits second, 31 points 20

adrift of current leader Jake Spencer. But Cian admits that the championship really starts now, and that a win is really needed this weekend.

“We’re 31 points behind but there’s still four points races up for grabs so my goal is to win every final, which will give us the best opportunity to retain the championship,” said Fothergill.

The way it’s sitting now looks good for Jake, but I just have to keep my chin up and give it my best as we’re definitely not out of it.”

The Pro Junior KF3 category also sees a 31 point margin, with current Champion Pierce Lehane looking to hold off Joseph Mawson, while the likes of Joseph Burton Harris,

Cameron Hill, Jake Klarich, Jake Coleman and Brock Plumb have all really stepped up their game.

The tussle in the Pro Gearbox KZ2 class is a tough one, with the top eight drivers all within striking distance, and with only one point separating leader Scott Taylor and Kel Treseder, this weekend’s event is set to be a crucial one. motorsport news

*See www.mymagazines.com.au for the latest offer.

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21

FIVE MINUTES WITH ...

MARINO FRANCHITTI

There will be another sibling rivalry at the GC600, with Marino taking on his brother Dario in a V8 Supercar. By PHIL BRANAGAN

You were there last year to support Dario and to watch the race, and it clearly made a massive impression on you.

Absolutely. It made a massive impression on me the first time that I saw V8 Supercars , in 2008 when Dario raced there in the IndyCar. I was watching James [Courtney], when he was with Stone Brothers in the Ford, and it was amazing.

Then I got to go to Queensland Raceway to watch the testing before the race, to see the drivers get used to them before they went to Surfers. They are just beasts, you know. The cars are just so … [pause] ‘enchanting’ is the wrong word. You cannot keep your eyes off them. They sound amazing, they look amazing and the racing that they put on is just fantastic.

Marino, that is the first time in my life that I have heard a Scotsman say ‘enchanting’!

Yes, it would be! It is hard to think of the word that sums them up.

What I mean is, the cars overwhelm all your senses. These are the things to watch if you are a petrolhead and you are passionate about racing. I have seen Bathurst, since I was a wee boy, on TV, and the cars are just so amazing to watch, they are the real thing.

You have some great people to talk to about this; James is the current V8 Supercar Champion and Dario came in 22

amazing drivers come into these cars and struggle.

You have to take that into consideration. I am not going to learn anything if I stick the thing into the fence. For me it is all about seat time, and making sure that I keep progressing.

I read something recent where a driver said, “If you are not winning or improving, then you are not doing your job”. I think that was from Jeff Krosnoff [Ed: the late Champ Car driver].

Bathurst for me is like Monaco, or the [Indy] 500, of the Le Mans 24 Hours. It is like the Tour de France; even if people are not looking at what is happening any other time in the year, Bathurst is a legendary event. For me, it sits quite comfortably alongside all those other events.

‘Evocative’! That’s it, they are not enchanting, they are evocative!

Highcroft Racing

MOTORSPORT NEWS: Last year at Surfers, you told me that you were going to get a drive in the Gold Coast 600 this year and you have done it.

MARINO FRANCHITTI: Thanks. It’s been a bit strange; we did the deal so long ago. But it is great that it is out in the open now. I could not talk about it until.

Lucas and I did the deal quite early in the year, so it iwas nbice to know that I was coming down there, again, from early on.

as a rookie last year. What have they told you about racing a V8 Supercar?

I have to say, I have not gone into any detail with them about it yet. I have started doing my homework about the cars and the series, and things like that.

I m going to be going to Bathurst first, because that is the race that I have always dreamed of doing. I want to see the track, and it will be good to hang out with the Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport guys. That will give me a head start on Surfers and I can watch and learn as well.

It will be about then that I will be picking Dario’s brain, especially, and James, and David Brabham and all the guys I know who have driven them. Judging by everyone else, it does not matter how much you talk about it, you have to get in there and experience it for yourself. That ‘hit’, when you first drive the car yourself, is pretty important.

Even with experience in a lot of different cars, a V8 Supercar is a clean sheet of paper; a spooled diff, over 600 horsepower, manual gearbox.

Right. But one good thing, I am from the UK and I am used to right-hand-drive!

The spooled diff, especially, has such an effect on how it mechanically works. That is a big challenge. You have seen some

Looking at your immediate future, are you going to have an involvement in what Highcroft is doing with its new car?

[Ed: The Project 56 Le Mans racer].

I am not sure yet.

They are still in the early stages of getting the car together. It is a big program and there are a lot of pieces to be tied together. I have a great time with Highcroft and they seemed to be happy with me, so there is no reason there that we might not be working together. But there are a lot of things to come together.

I would like to be doing Petit Le Mans at the end of the year, if there is a seat available, but if there is nothing there, my main focus for the rest of the year it getting ready for the Gold Coast. There are some LMP programs out there, and I would like to see a few people.

I am looking forward to being back on the grid. motorsport news

CHAT

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23

HAS MA REALITY

M

OTORSPORT hit the screens in a big way over the last week.

For starters, we had the Australian premiere of the Senna movie at Crown Casino last week, which coincided with the launch of the 2012 Australian Grand Prix. It was actually the second time we here at MNews HQ got to see the film, having been to a private screening thanks to Universal several weeks ago, as a precursor to Phil Branagan speaking exclusively to the director Asif Kapadia.

I won’t go too deeply into our thoughts – you can read them when the August issue of Motorsport News hits the shelves this Wednesday, along with Branners’ review and chat with Kapadia – but I will say that it is an epic piece of cinematography. I am convinced that the Senna movie will do what many motorsport films have tried, and failed, to do in the past – appeal to people who aren’t already fans of the sport.

Several days later it was V8 Supercars’ turn to try and appeal to the masses. Shannons Supercar Showdown debuted on 7mate on Sunday evening, in the somewhat difficult 5:00pm timeslot. With The Block and Masterchef engaged in a weekly battle to top the OzTam ratings, it makes sense that the reality TV genre is the way that our sport has tried to bring a more human element in to play, and engage viewers who aren’t, at the moment, interested in watching a 250km race at Winton (for example).

It’s a novel idea, but the Kelly boys are up against it a bit here.

Firstly, it’s a difficult time slot, particularly when you have 24

motorsport news

COMMENT

ASTERCHEF MADE Y TV TOO HARD? OPINION Andrew van Leeuwen – eNews Editor the West Coast Eagles and the Fremantle Dockers putting on an epic football battle at the same time (so there goes any chance of having a single viewer in Western Australia).

Secondly, it’s hard to make a reality show these days that doesn’t look like a cheap and nasty version of Masterchef.

That’s not a jab at the Kellys or the people at WTFN, who are behind the production. It’s just that Masterchef has been so unbelievably successful that it has changed the game for reality television.

It’s not just a problem that Supercar Showdown faces, either.

The Renovators also premiered last night, on Ten’s main channel in the pretty handy 8:30pm timeslot. But it fell well short of the mark, finishing third in its time slot, 12th for the day, and a million viewers behind The Block and Masterchef, who led the way. Why? Probably because, as someone described it to me this morning, it’s Masterchef with hammers. So backed up against George, Garry and Matt it has no chance of not looking like a rip-off.

It was clear right from the word go that the production of Supercar Showdown was heavily based on the Masterchef template. The mid-challenge cut-aways, the ‘reward dinner’ and the black aprons, I mean helmets, were straight from Masterchef’s recipe for successful reality TV. But those similar elements, without the budget of www.mnews.com.au

Masterchef, seem a little short of the mark.

There’s one other wrinkle to this, and that’s the poor history of sporting-based reality shows.

It seems Australians like reality TV if the people are cooking, singing or even just lazing around a house, but the sport thing never seems to take off.

The Club, AFL’s shot at reality TV, only lasted one season back in 2002. Football Superstar, a soccer-based program on Fox8, got through three seasons without developing anything more than a cult following. Cricket is next in line to give it a go, with Cricket Superstar set to air on Fox8 later this year. It is likely to face a similar slog to gain mainstream recognition.

I’m not being picky here – I genuinely found a lot of the Supercar Showdown debut entertaining viewing – particularly watching Ben Small trying to pick up his female driving instructor. I’m looking forward to seeing how the show evolves throughout the series and I’m looking forward to seeing if anyone can beat Andrew Jordan, the only professional racecar driver in the field, to the Bathurst seat.

But I’m not the person the show is directed towards, because I’ve been a motorsport fan my whole life. But I’m not sure this will be effective in dragging new fans on board.

However, in this case, I’ll be happy enough to be wrong.

25

FORMULA 1 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND 10 – NURBURGRING, GERMANY

SURPRISE, SURPRISE

It’s been a tough few months for Lewis Hamilton, but he put all the criticism aside to take a surprise win at the German Grand Prix

N

O one was more surprised that Lewis Hamilton won the German Grand Prix than Lewis himself.

Even after qualifying on the front row of the grid, less than a tenth behind Mark Webber’s Red Bull, the McLaren driver seemed a little miffed at where his own pace had come from, saying “I definitely underestimated how good car would be when we went to light fuel. The lap was beautiful – it was one of the happiest and comforting laps I have ever had” after the session.

Then came the race. Hamilton stormed off the line and led the first stint, not surprising given Webber’s inability to launch a car this season.

26

But when Webber took over the lead in the second stint, it looked like another Red Bull victory was coming.

But then the race took another turn.

First, Webber tried to run the undercut for the second round of stops, pitting earlier than Hamilton and Fernando Alonso, who were running nose-to-tail, in a bid to consolidate his lead. But it backfired, and Webber found himself in third after the stops.

That left a sprint to the flag – almost.

The final twist was to come when the three leaders all had to make a final stop, in the dying laps of the race, to do their mandatory stint on Pirelli’s medium compound tyre. With the tyre much, much slower than the soft, it was a case of making the change as

late as possible, and Hamilton was the first blink, coming in on Lap 50 of 60.

It seemed like he might have gone a little early, but even an extra two laps for Alonso couldn’t help him get past the Brit. Webber, meanwhile, went the other way, waiting until Lap 56 to take the harder tyre. In principal, it should have worked, but when the low track temperatures gave the medium tyre a little more speed than expected, the roll of the dice just locked Webber in to third, and handed Hamilton his second win of the season – to his surprise.

“I think every win is special, but I think the emotion and all the energy the team put into the car and the effort they have put in ... motorsport news

RACE

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when we don’t see results like this it slowly builds up,” Hamilton said.

“So when you finally hit the sweet-spot and get it, I think it is just ever better. It just couldn’t feel any better. I think we never expected to come here this weekend and be so fast.”

As for Webber, he simply admitted that RBR didn’t have the pace to win the race.

“I couldn’t have got much more out of what we had today, so disappointed not to get the win, but all three of us had a smooth day really,” he said.

“A good fight around the stops. Like you say, mixed emotions. Another good result.

You need to perform at a high level to get these, but we will keep learning. The progress has been decent but we need to improve.”

While Webber looked undoubtedly disappointed as he faced the media postrace, he could at least take some joy out of finally beating his team-mate Sebastian Vettel. The German qualified third for the race – his first time off the front row in 2011 – and then promptly dropped to fourth at the start. Early in the first stint it looked as if he’d be able to run with the leaders, but a spin dropped him into a battle with Felipe Massa that ended up running for the entirety of the race.

In the end, Vettel got the upper hand on the Brazilian thanks to a lightening quick stop with just a lap to go, but fourth wasn’t the result the runaway title leader was looking for at his home race.

Massa, Adrian Sutil (who two-stopped), Nico Rosberg, Michael Schumacher, Kamui Kobayashi and Vitaly Petrov rounded out the Top 10.

As for Daniel Ricciardo, it was an improved race for the newcomer. He was less than a tenth behind Tonio Liuzzi in qualifying, and took another 19th place finish, although this time he wasn’t last of the runners, beating Karun Chandhok to the flag.

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RACE

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Results :: German Grand Prix

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We have Lift Off: Nick Heidfeld and Seb Buemi had a nice little tangle, top, while Webber did, for a while, lead Hamilton and Alonso, above.

Meanwhile, Dan Ricciardo beat Chandhok home, below.

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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 18 19 20 DNF DNF DNF DNF

Lewis Hamilton Fernando Alonso Mark Webber Sebastian Vettel Felipe Massa Adrian Sutil Nico Rosberg Michael Schumacher Kamui Kobayashi Vitaly Petrov Sergio Perez Jaime Alguersuari Paul di Resta Pastor Maldonado Sebastien Buemi Heikki Kovalainen Timo Glock Jerome D’Ambrosio Daniel Ricciardo Karun Chandhok Tonio Liuzzi Jenson Button Rubens Barrichello Nick Heidfeld

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

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

Top 10 Points: Vettel 216, Webber 139, Hamilton 134, Alonso 130, Button 109, Massa 62, Rosberg 46, Heidfeld 34, Schumacher 32, Petrov 32.

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IZOD INDYCAR SERIES ROUND 11 – EDMONTON, CAN

HONDA Racing Media

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RACE

Power

on again

After the lows of Toronto, Will Power could hardly have responded better in Edmonton with an impressive performance for which title rival Dario Franchitti had no answer

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HONDA Racing Media

D

ARIO Franchitti remains unlikely to receive a Christmas card this December from arch Indycar rival Will Power, but the two warring drivers were at least able to engage in civil conversation at the conclusion of the Edmonton Indy event.

One good reason for this was that the pair had not come to blows (unlike what took place at Toronto two weeks earlier), and Power had not ended his race in the wall. Instead, he was on the top step of the podium celebrating a nicely judged win that will go a long way towards rejuvenating his championship campaign.

“This means a lot for our confidence,” a beaming Power said afterwards, before turning to Dario to compare notes. “I’m really happy with the result.”

Power had always been the man to beat after relieving pole sitter Takuma Sato of the lead early on. Sato lost a few more spots before finally getting turned around by Ryan HunterReay at the mid-race point.

Hunter-Reay subsequently

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copped a drive-through, dropping him from third place to an eventual seventh.

While there was plenty of contact between cars during the race, happily the more open spaces on the 4.2km Edmonton airport circuit did not see a repeat of the carnage of the Toronto street circuit two weeks earlier.

In one such incident, Scott Dixon’s hopes of a podium result were dashed when the Ganassi driver was taken out at a restart by EJ Viso. With repairs affected, the frustrated Kiwi recovered to finish 23rd.

Afterwards Dixon described Viso as a ‘bonehead’.

In the latter stages Franchitti was looking menacing, a run-long strategy allowing the Scot to recover the ground he’d lost after the Viso/Dixon restart. He got ahead of Ryan Briscoe to move to third, but by then Briscoe was in what would prove a losing battle to save fuel. The Penske driver ran dry on the penultimate lap, forcing a fuel stop that dropped him from

fourth to 10th.

The final laps featured a fight to the flag between Power, Penske team-mate Helio Castroneves (looking strong on fresher tyres), and Franchitti.

They ran that way to the flag.

“I’m so glad to finish this high,” Castroneves said of his best result for the season thus far.

“We have worked on every single thing, and we finally fixed it and got a solid result.”

Third for Franchitti was a good haul of points and limited the damage done to his series lead by Power’s win.

“The final restart went slowly and I lost position,” Dario said. “I fell back to 10th and got back up to the front; but once I got there I couldn’t do anything with Helio and Will.”

Tony Kanaan inherited fourth place as Briscoe made his lastlap fuel stop, while Justin Wilson came from 15th on the grid to fifth. Sebastien Bourdais made it consecutive sixth places for Dale Coyne Racing, ahead of HunterReay, and fellow Andretti teammates Mike Conway and Danica Patrick.

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RACE

IZOD INDYCAR Media IZOD INDYCAR Media

Power down: Scott Dixon puts power down as he leaves his pit box, but neither the Kiwi nor anyone else at Edmonton could put Will Power down, top left, above. Paul Tracy’s wishes did not come true, and instead the Canadian was out on lap one courtesy of a touch from Graham Rahal, inset. Takuma Sato leads off the start, from pole, below.

Results :: Edmonton Indy, Edmonton CAN Pos. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Driver Will Power Helio Castroneves Dario Franchitti Tony Kanaan Justin Wilson Sebastien Bourdais Ryan Hunter-Reay Mike Conway Danica Patrick Ryan Briscoe

No. 12 3 10 82 22 19 28 27 7 6

Team Team Penske Team Penske Target Ganassi KV Racing-Lotus Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Dale Coyne Racing Andretti Autosport Andretti Autosport Andretti Autosport Team Penske

Nationality AUS BR GB BR GB FR USA USA USA NZ

Race Time Qual.

1h57m22.5177s 2 + 0.8089s 9 + 1.1735s 4 + 11.1507s 11 + 11.7835s 15 + 12.6681s 12 + 18.0259s 7 + 18.3563s 20 + 21.0430s 22 + 31.1578s 6

HONDA Racing Media

Top 10 Points: Franchitti 388, Power 350, Dixon 282, Kanaan 253, Servia 244, Briscoe 239, Andretti 232, Rahal 218, o Castroneves 212, Hildebrand 212.

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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SPORTING NOSTALGIA GO LAKESIDE QLD SPORTS CARS LAKESIDE Park’s 50th anniversary celebrations continued over the weekend with the Festival of Sports Cars. This was the third of four special tribute meetings planned for this year with the final event to be held in August, touring cars being the focus.

Hi-light of the weekend was the return of one of Australia’s most famous sports cars, Bap Romano’s Kaditcha WE84.

Both Romano and son Paul took to the track on Sunday for demonstration runs, with the banshee wail of the Cosworth V8 reverberating across the surrounding hills.

A large number of red flags interrupted proceedings across both days, fortunately no drivers were injured. It is however unlikely that Matt Ryelands Datsun 240Z will return to the track any time soon after making heavy contact with the barriers.

Group 1 of the Alfa East Coast Challenge was dominated by Charlie Clements (308GTB) taking four race wins. Top step of the Group 2 podium was shared by Bill Magoffin (Alfa 2000 GTV) and Alfio Mucumeci (Alfa GTV6) with two wins a piece.

Ken James (MX5) took out the first race in Production Sports Group 1. With James crashing out of Race 2, Michael Sukaha took full advantage winning the remaining three races. Group 2 followed a similar pattern, Wayne Hennig (Porsche GT3 Cup) winning Race 1 with Brendan Whittaker (MX5) claiming gold in the final three events.

Steve Morcombe (Chiron) headed Tony Quinn (Aston Martin DB9RS) and Klark Quinn (Mosler MT900 GT3) in Saturday’s Invited Sports car events. Morcombe unfortunately hit the wall in Sunday’s first of two races allowing Tony and Klark to battle for one win each.

Brendan Whittaker (R4 1) took three wins from four races in Historic Clubmans, but a rare mechanical failure while leading handed the Race 3 win to David Barram (ASP 340C/6).

Older cars ruled the roost in regularities with one win a piece to Lloyd Muller (PRB Clubman), Stuart Everett (1959 Karman Ghia GT), Tony Galletly (1963 Lotus Elan) and Neville Bertwistle (1962 Centaur Waggott GT).

– MARK PRYOR

NORTON: QUICK AS THEY COMBE UK FORMULA FORD

APART from winning all three open-wheeler rounds at the Victorian State Circuit Racing Championships on the weekend, Borland Racing Developments also saw much success at Britain’s Castle Combe raceway.

Castle Combe Racing Club’s latest championship round

saw Ben Norton return to the cockpit in his Spectrum 11c, immediately putting to rest any doubts about his performance with second in qualifying.

From there, Norton improved his weekend greatly to win two races from as many starts, with fellow Spectrum driver Steven Jenson finishing second and third in the two races respectively.

RIO ON TOP OF THE RING IN GP3 GP3 THE list of maiden winners undoubtedly continued to grow at the Nurbugring on the weekend, with both Rio Haryanto and Valtteri Bottas snatching their first spoils for 2011.

Chaos met the opening race for the GP3 runners on Saturday, when heavy rain struck the famous German circuit. With many of the drivers electing to stay out on slick tyres to save a pitstop, it was Haryanto who held his composure better than the rest, the Indonesian

managing to cross the line two and a half seconds clear of Silverstone winner, Lewis Williamson in second. Bottas finished the opening race in third.

The GP3 runners faced the slippery, unpredictable Nurburgring weather in Race 2 also, but it was Bottas who impressed the most on Sunday.

After starting well from sixth, the ART prepared driver took the lead within half a lap, never looking back until he reached Parc Ferme. Pole sitter Alexander Sims had a good race to finish in second, third was Nigel Melker.

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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RACE

GP2 ON his 100th start in the GP2 Series, Luca Filippi was the deserving winner of Saturday’s feature race despite a last minute team change to Coloni.

Romain Grosjean moreover has extended his strangle hold on the 2011 championship trophy, with a convincing win over Jules Bianchi in Sunday’s sprint race.

Filippi changed the face of Saturday’s feature race after the pit stops, jumping initial race leader Charles Pic with a brilliant turn around from his pit crew.

Then, his rivals had to get use to looking at the rear wing of his Dallara, escaping the charging pack of GP2 cars to an eventual five and a half second win over Pic in second, and Grosjean third.

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Filippi and Grosjean share the Ring Grosjean was the subject of many questions around the Formula 1 paddock, especially the questions aimed at Renault’s Eric Boullier. And through this, Grosjean showed why his heart is still set on Formula 1, by taking a brilliant win over countryman, Bianchi, with a masterful final-lap manouver.

The two were evenly matched on the track after

the pitstops, even trading the lead at one stage, but it was when Bianch locked up the brakes heading into the final chicaine that Grosjean made his move, and punished the Ferrari Acadamy driver hard for running wide.

DAMS driver Grosjean crossed the line one and half seconds clear of Bianchi in second, Filippi in third.

SLIP N’ SLIDE SANDOWN VIC STATE THROUGH adverse weather and changing conditions, clean racing complimented the drivers for Round 3 of the Victorian State Circuit Racing Championships at Sandown on the weekend.

A confusing aftermath to the triple points finale (which was red flagged), deemed Caleb Rayner the winner in the Formula Ford Fiesta class, after driving a consistent weekend ahead of South Australian debutant, Simon Hodge.

Lachlan Marshall in the Formula Ford Kent class meanwhile pulled a great wet

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driving performance from nowhere to finish ahead of main rival Adrian Lazzaro.

Scott Andrews was on track to dominate yet another round, but his bad luck in the triple points feature races came back to haunt him.

Historic Touring Cars were back, and it was Andrew Williams who dominated his brethren in the tricky wet conditions.

The sheer power of the four-wheel drive Lamborghini Gallardo was too strong in the hands of Justin McMillan, taking three wins from as many starts ahead of Ted Huglin in the Sports Cars.

Taking his speed to another level in the Formula Vees was Mitch Martin, taking a clean sweep of the events in his

Borland prepared Sabre 02.

Chris Lewis-Williams is still the one in the Porsche 944 challenge, staying consistent when his rivals failed at a very slippery Sandown.

The absence of Improved Production giants allowed Kelvin Twist and Gary McKay to have an epic battle, with Twist’s RX-7 eventually winning the battle.

And ‘Rocket Rod’ Raatjes struck back at his HQ rivals to win the weekend’s races, while Bob Nordlinger and James Robertson were the winners of the MGs and Invited British Sports Cars category respectively.

– CALLUM BRANAGAN

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motorsport news

ODD SPOT!

rear of grid

GREG Gartner may have won the Finke this year, but his luck did not hold out for the third round of the Australian OffRoad Championship.

Gartner was just 200 metres into the

Prologue of the event, at Baroota near Port Pirie, when his truck got out of rhythm with the Woop-de-Doos. The vehicle bounced a couple of times before it launched into the air, then came crashing

Phil Williams

Up, Up and Away! back to earth.

Gartner and co-driver Jamie Jennings were taken to hospital for observation before being released. Funny thing is, after its aerials, the truck was barely marked ...

ON THIS DAY 29 JULY 1973

IT is 38 years ago that the career of Roger Williamson was tragically cut short at Zandvoort. In only his second GP start, the Briton crashed his March 731 on the eighth lap, the car quickly catching fire. Marshals were ill-equipped and insufficiently trained to deal with the flames, leading David Purley to stop to try to free Williamson from the upturned car. He couldn’t and Williamson, 25, died of asphyxiation.

Purley was later awarded the George Medal for his bravery. Williamson is honoured by a permanent statue at Donington Park.

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