Motorsport eNews Issue 217 - August 9-15, 2011

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Issue No. 217 August 09 - 15 2011

EXCLUSIVE

DAN WITH A PLAN

INDY 500 WINNER DAN WHELDON OPENS UP TO eNEWS ABOUT HIS PLANS FOR SURFERS PARADISE, AND LAS VEGAS

FPR: WE WANT DUMBRELL FOR ENDUROS

SPECIAL FEATURE: INSIDE THE NEW LOOK CLASSIC ADELAIDE

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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Ah, to be Swedish and zany, like Mattias

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Issue No. 217 | August 09 - 15 2011

news 4

From the Brickyard to Surfers Wheldon’s V8 crack 8 Barking up the right tree Ben Barker quick at home 12 Pirelli’s hard Dump ...

Hard Control tyre shelved 17 Athletics choices Jim prefers Sprinting 18 Feeling the Leyburn ...

Moff & Davo set to sprint

chat 22 Five Minutes With ...

Dan Wheldon

comment 24 AVL: Dumbrell 25 Branagan: Garry Nixon 26 Classic Adelaide

race 30 Indycar 34 NASCAR 38 World Time Attack

trade 42 Classifieds

motorsport news

NEWS

WHELDON READY TO WIN IN V8 SUPERCARS V8 SUPERCARS

D

AN Wheldon is treating his V8 Supercar debut as an opportunity to do what he did at the Indianapolis 500 – win.

Wheldon will share a Holden Racing Team Commodore in the Gold Coast 600 with James Courtney. With the 2010 V8 Super Champion already stating that he has no hope of defending his title, the double Indy 500 winner see his trip down under as a mission to win, again.

“Last year the race seemed to be a little bit of a crashfest,” said the 33-year-old, a keen fan of V8 Supercar racing.

“From my standpoint, I need to ensure that does not happen to me; I need to score as many points as possible. That side of the team seems to be going for outright wins. That makes my job very simple; looking for outright speed, making sure we qualify well and run at the front.”

The Gold Coast event will be Wheldon’s second race of the year. Without a full-time seat in the IndyCar Series after losing his Panther Racing ride to JR Hildebrand, Wheldon partnered with former team-mate Bryan Herta in a one-race deal that saw Herta’s Indy Lights team step up to the 500. In a drama-packed conclusion, Wheldon chased Hildebrand to the cherquered flag, only to see the rookie crash on the final corner of the race, allowing

the Brit to win the 100th anniversary of the May classic, his second win at the Speedway.

“I’m really excited about Dan joining us,” added Courtney.

“He and I first met when I moved to Europe in karting in the mid-90s so we have known each other a long time. He is a quality driver, a two-time Indy 500 winner and IRL Champion with a record second-to-none.”

Courtney said in the release that he feels that Wheldon has an advantage over some of the other inbound drivers in the event.

“Importantly, he comes from a road course background, which will give him an edge over some of the other US-based drivers who come mainly from the ovals.”

One thing that has surprised Wheldon is that he is ‘suddenly’ famous on Twitter.

“The team has a massive following, right?” he said.

“I can’t believe all the Tweets I have been getting, it [the event] has been getting. I have always wanted to drive for the big teams, and I am really excited about this.”

Wheldon has scored 16 IndyCar wins since his debut in 2002 – 15 on ovals and only one on road or street courses, at St Petersburg, Florida in 2005. In his only start on the Gold Coast, in the event’s sole Indycar event in 2008, he qualified 18th and finished 11th, driving for Panther Racing.

EXCLUSIVE: WHELDON EYES LAS VEGAS MILLIONS INDYCAR

WHELDON’S V8 Supercars debut on the Gold Coast may be his second race drive of the season – but it may also be his third.

In an exclusive interview with eNews, Wheldon has dropped a solid hint that he and Bryan Herta Autosport may reunite for the final round of the IndyCar Series at Las Vegas and, as a ‘wildcard’ entry, be eligible for the US$5 million bonus that a non-regular team could win in the event.

“We would love to do it together and certainly, that is what we are www.mnews.com.au

working towards,” said Wheldon.

“It’s like anything; until you have it signed, sealed and delivered, you have to be very careful what you say.”

The decision as to who will be permitted to enter the race, held the Sunday before the GC600, lies with IndyCar CEO Randy Bernard.

The series promoter had the discretion to allow as many as five entries in the event – which may also determine the 2011 IndyCar Champion – and while names such as Kasey Kahne and Travis Pastrana have been linked to the race, Whedon and BHA represent a clear

and present danger to IndyCar’s regulars.

“I think that Randy is considering it,” said Wheldon. “It is up to him at the end of the day. The biggest thing for Randy is creating a massive story for the final race of the season, but not to take away from the championship. That is his decision to make. We will see.”

The current Indy 500 winner taking on the best in the IndyCar Series, with $5m on the line? Watch this space …

For more on Wheldon, see 5 Minutes, page 22

Dirk Klynsmith

ARC

WILL GETS NEW FALCON FIRST V8 SUPERCARS WILL Davison will debut a new car at Queensland Raceway, Ford Performance Racing has confirmed.

FPR are currently finishing the builds on what are likely to be the last two current-generation FG Falcon V8 Supercars built at Broadmeadows, before the Car of the Future kicks in. Davison will get his hands on FPR-1010 at QR, while Mark Winterbottom will

have to wait until Phillip Island to get hold of FPR-1111.

“I am really excited to get a brand new car which has been built from scratch just for me with all new bits – everything is new, every nut and bolt, it is great,” Davison said.

“Our new chassis is refined in a lot of areas over my current car and given how well I have settled into that we should be able to achieve great things with the new car.

“We should find performance gains in a number of areas and it should handle better as new cars always seem to be tighter and have a nicer feel. I don’t know why that is, I guess we all just like the feel of a new car.”

Team boss Tim Edwards added that the pressure will be on the final two Falcons to deliver results.

“It is a fairly historic occasion as we near completion of the last two factory Ford V8 Supercars

that will be built before the introduction of the Car of the Future design in 2013,” Edwards said.

“All the FGs we’ve built have won races and we expect nothing less than the same result from our final two chassis.

The new cars are the product of everything we have learned and contain all our very latest developments so they should give us the extra edge we’ve been looking for.”

and we were thrilled to be able to give three pretty talented guys their first chance in V8 Supercar,” team owner Lucas Dumbrell said of Tuesday’s testers.

“They approached it with the right attitude and improved every time they went out, we couldn’t have asked for any more.”

LDM’S ROOKIE RUN V8 SUPERCARS THREE young drivers now have V8 Supercar mileage to their names, thanks to Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport.

Kristian Lindbom, Nick McBride and Jack LeBrocq all turned laps in the team’s Gulf Western Racing Commodore at Winton last Tuesday, as part of a rookie test day. Lindbom, a recent winner in Australian Formula 3, and British Formula Ford front-runner McBride split the morning session, with Australian Formula Ford competitor LeBrocq joining them in the afternoon.

“It’s nice to be given the chance and to be recognised for my results overseas so far this year,” McBride, currently second in British Formula Ford, said.

“They’re a bit of a different beast to a Formula Ford but I really enjoyed the day and improved each time out.”

LeBrocq, pictured, also drove the car in the previous week, during the team’s sponsor ride day at Eastern Creek, while Fujitsu Series driver Taz Douglas shared seat time with Warren Luff in the team’s official test day last Monday.

“They all did a tremendous job

motorsport news

NEWS

Dirk Klynsmith

PD TO STEP DOWN IN 2012 V8 SUPERCARS

PAUL Dumbrell is stepping down from his role with Rod Nash Racing but he may still feature in Ford Performance Racing’s endurance plans.

The teams confirmed today (Monday) what eNews exclusively revealed last week, that Dumbrell would step out of his full-time ride in RNR’s #55 BottleO Falcon at the end of the season. But FPR boss Tim Edwards said on Monday that reports that Dumbrell was a man wanted by TeamVodafone were not compatible with his wishes.

“We would like to keep Paul as a part of

www.mnews.com.au

the team,” he said. “He is in the second year of an three-year contract.”

Edwards sees Dumbrell, whose move will allow him to focus on his role as CEO of Automotive Brands, as a man in demand in the pitlane.

“Anyone recently retired from a fulltime role would be sought after, and he is going to be in demand by people,” he said.

“I am sure [TeamVodafone owner] Roland [Dane] would love to get his hands on him. Time will tell.”

Dumbrell, 28, scored his only win in a decade of racing in the V8 Supercar series at Sandown last year.

“The last two seasons at FPR have been great and easily the most successful time I’ve ever had and I am incredibly grateful for that,” he said, “but it is sad to hang up my helmet from a full time perspective and move onto the next stage of my life at the ripe old age of 28.”

Nash and the FPR management will now wort through a list of names as potential replacements for Dumbrell.

“I can now work with FPR to build on the foundation we have established across the last two seasons and I look forward to announcing the identity of our new driver in the near future,” said Nash.

IFX SIGNS ON CARRERA CUP

CARRERA Cup has secured a title sponsor.

Online trading company IFX has signed on as a major sponsor for the one-make series, with the championship renamed to Porsche IFX Carrera Cup Australia.

“IFX and Porsche are brands well suited to each other through a common strategic approach to business as well as sharing customers of a similar mindset,” said Porsche Cars Australia Managing Director Michael Winkler.

“Just as Porsche prides itself on innovation and constantly raising the benchmark, so too IFX leads the way in the field of online trading.

“Through Carrera Cup and our range of exciting customer programs we will work with IFX to help them deliver the type of driving experiences only premium sports car brands such as ours can offer.”

“We are very excited to be the Title Partner of Porsche Carrera Cup Australia and to be working closely with Porsche,” City Index Asia Pacific Managing Director Geoff Sawyer said.

“We are looking forward to build a long lasting relationship with them.

“City Index and Porsche are both strong performers and recognised brands in our niche fields and we’re thrilled to build on our complementary and dynamic brands to deliver value-add services to our clients.”

BARKER ON THE PACE IN CARRERA CUP BEN Barker made a successful return to European racing, scoring a podium finish in his Porsche Carrera Cup GB debut last weekend.

As previously reported by eNews, the Englishman is taking Carrera Cup Australia’s mid-season break as an opportunity to contest some races at home, as he looks to build a European profile. In the first of his two British Carrera Cup events, Barker qualified

the Parr Motorsports entry in fourth place for the two races at Snetterton.

Barker lost several places early in Race 1, but recovered to finish a strong third. A slow start was costly again in Race 2, with Barker finishing fifth. He’ll contest the next round of the series at Knockhill on September 3-4, before the Australian Carrera Cup season resumes at Phillip Island on September 16-18.

“It was great racing back on home soil and I’m ecstatic with

Make your dreaMs a reality it is quick, easy to drive and lots and lots of fun. the car flatters the driver, which is a huge achievement in a low volume car. the experience of the Roaring forties engineers, formerly of holden, is very plain to see. this is a special car!

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motorsport news

NEWS

JOHNSON IMPRESSES IN V8 TEST V8 SUPERCARS

N THE UK my results for the weekend,” Barker said.

“Finishing third in the opening race was a great effort for me and the team, along with posting the fastest lap. One of the focuses of this weekend was to show what I can do to the European motorsport circles, and I think I made a good impression.

“I guess this also shows the strength of Carrera Cup in Australia which, like Carrera Cup GB, has a great depth of talent at the front of the field.”

www.mnews.com.au

GRANT Johnson has made an impressive comeback to V8 Supercars.

The West Australian drove Steve Owen’s Paul Morris Motorsport-run VE Commodore at Queensland Raceway last Thursday, as part of his prize package for winning the 2010 V8 Ute Series. And, despite not having driven a V8 Supercar since racing at Bathurst in 2003, Johnson was quickly on the pace, going within 0.5 seconds of Owen’s benchmark lap time.

“That was an incredible opportunity and I’m really thankful to Paul and his team for allowing me to drive their Supercar today,” said Johnson.

“If [PMM] offered me an enduro drive I would be on the next flight from Perth over to the Gold Coast for sure! I last drove a V8 Supercar in 2003 so this was a brand new

experience for me with the sequential shift, and I was really impressed with how responsive the cars are now compared to what they used to be.”

Morris confirmed that he was impressed with Johnson’s pace.

“He showed raw talent out there today and produced really impressive times, while keeping

a cool head and the car on the track at all times,” said Morris.

“We’ve given a few guys from other categories the opportunity to drive one of PMM’s Supercars but nobody has impressed more than Grant.

I would definitely consider him a strong contender for an endurance drive in the future.”

NEWS

MYGALE READY FOR DEBUT SHANNONS NATIONALS MYGALE will end Dallara’s chassis monopoly on the Formula 3 Australian Drivers Championship this weekend at Morgan Park.

Queenslander Jon Mills’ Mygale M-07 arrived in the country two months ago, but has missed the subsequent two rounds of the championship. Now, Mills will debut the car at Morgan Park, becoming the first non-Dallara to race in Australian F3 since it became a national category in 2000.

Also on the Shannons Nationals card at Morgan Park, Matt Kingsley will return to the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge in a combination of two 996 GT3 Cup Cars.

Kingsley’s original car was written off at Morgan Park in May, but some of the

mechanicals have been installed in a replacement shell, sourced from Jon Trende.

The resulting racer wasn’t ready for the last round at Eastern Creek, but Kingsley will return for his home event.

“I can’t wait to get the ball rolling again,” the 2009 champion said.

“We have had a difficult start to the season. Car speed has not been a problem but, mixed with some misfortune, it has been a challenge to get the ball rolling smoothly for an assault on this year’s series.

“It was terrible to be sitting on the sidelines at Eastern Creek watching the boys go round and round. But we’re back now and chomping at the bit, especially with the new chassis. So now I’m impatiently counting down the minutes

until the first free practice session at Morgan Park.”

The Australian Manufacturers Championship will make their first Shannons Nationals appearance of the year, with a pair of one-hour races. Reigning Champion Stuart Kostera will be joined

by Inky Tulloch in his Team Mitsubishi Ralliart Evo X, while Wilson Brothers Racing return with a repaired Subaru WRX STi, to be driven by Cameron Wilson and David Wood.

Holding a strong lead over Simon Haggarty, Ed Singleton is in the box seat to wrap up the Radical Australia Cup title in this weekend’s final round.

The Kerrick Sports Sedan Series, Saloon Cars and Suzuki Swifts complete the program.

CAMPANA IN WRC YOUNG Corsican rally star Pierre Campana will make his World Rally Championship debut at the upcoming Rally Deutchsland, driving a MINI WRC car.

Like Sebastiens Loeb and Ogier before him, Campana will compete under the FFSA Rally Team France banner, run

by Drive-Pro and supported by Prodrive.

According to the 26-year-old, who tested the MINI in France 10

over the weekend, it will be a great honour to drive in the WRC. “I am very proud to have been chosen by the FFSA to wear the colours of Rally Team France,” he said.

“For me it’s a great leap forward in my rally career, and I cannot wait to begin this exciting new chapter. It will be a big challenge, but one which I am confident I can contest to a high level and with complete focus and motivation.

“To be driving a MINI John

Cooper Works WRC car is an incredible thought and I will do all I can to uphold the reputation of all these legendary brands. I am

incredibly thankful to the FFSA for giving me this incredible honour and would also like to extend my thanks to Drive-Pro for giving me this opportunity.” motorsport news

Fathers Day NEW RELEASE AVAILABLE AUGUST

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Vol .9 revisits the 1981 Australian Endurance Championship races at Adelaide International Raceway and Surfers Paradise International Raceway. This was the time when the legendary Peter Brock faced renewed competition from old rival Allan Moffat in his Mazda RX7, new Ford force Dick Johnson and Kevin Bartlett’s Chev Camaro. Also from the vaults of ABC are television three classic races, once again from Warwick Farm with Sports Sedans action in 1969 followed

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Disc Two This DVD is a very special tribute to the founder of HRT, Tom Walkinshaw, who passed away in December 2010.

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.

Celebrating 40 Years of the GT-HO Phase 3 Armorall Bathurst 12 Hour race highlights

Ford boasts a rich heritage both in Australain motor racing and in the performance road car and muscle car scene. This single DVD contains three classic documentaries that showcase this Australian automotive icon, the Falcon GT. The Racing History of the Australian Falcon GT-HO. 30 years of the Falcon GT The Legend.

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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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BUTTON AND ALONSO: VET CAN BE BEATEN TO TITLE FORMULA 1

JENSON Button and Fernando Alonso are both refusing to rule out snatching the 2011 Formula 1 World Championship from Sebastian Vettel, with both McLaren and Ferrari closing the gap to Red Bull in recent races.

Button, who won the most recent Grand Prix in Hungary, says that while Vettel has a significant lead, he’s not unstoppable.

“I’m 100 points behind Sebastian, so that’s going to be challenging, but we like a challenge!” said Button.

“I never give up, so let’s see what happens. I’ll take each race as it comes and then look at the points at the end of the year.”

Alonso, meanwhile, has also been talking up his title chances during the summer break.

“We must try and win as many races as possible,” Alonso said.

“We are realistic and the championship situation is what it is, but we have seen so often that there can be sudden reversals. And after all, we are Ferrari and we have a moral obligation, especially for the millions of fans spread around the world, to always think of the maximum goal.

“We can’t ever say we will tackle eight races without having the championship in the back of our mind; we will always have an eye on the title, at least until there is no longer the slightest chance.

“Of course, we must start winning and we have to hope that Vettel makes a few mistakes or has some problems.”

PIRELLI DUMPS HARD T FORMULA 1

sutton-images.com

12

IT SEEMS that Pirelli’s hard compound tyre will be benched for the remainder of the 2011 Formula 1 season.

Last week Pirelli announced the tyre compounds that will be used for the next three Grands Prix, with the soft and medium for Belgium and Italy, and the supersoft and soft compounds for the Singapore Grand Prix.

Having made the announcement, Pirelli’s motorsport boss Paul Hembrey told British magazine AUTOSPORT that the hard compound is unlikely to be seen again in 2011.

“I don’t think we’ll see the hard compound again,” said Hembery. motorsport news

NEWS

TTEL sutton-images.com

TWO MINUTES WITH

DANIEL RICCIARDO sutton-images.com

TYRE “I think it’s probably too hard and that the medium is proving sufficiently robust for the aggressive circuits we’ve still got to come. So don’t think we’ll be going the hard route.

“Probably next season the medium will become the hard.

We’ll probably slot something in between the current softs and mediums; we want to keep about one second between each.

“The supersoft and soft gap is about right to be honest, because you’ve got a onesecond speed advantage, but you’ve got a clear degradation and limitation on use. If we could replicate that now with a new medium and a new hard then I think we’ll be well placed.” www.mnews.com.au

QUESTION: Formula 1’s first ever race took place at Silverstone in 1950. Your debut was at the legendary circuit, could your name be engraved in F1 history forever?

DANIEL RICCIARDO: I would like it to be remembered; I would love to be World Champion one day and have my name on the list. That is the real dream. Although I am sure it is the dream for pretty much all the Formula 1 drivers.

I think I am at a good age and very motivated to really have that as my long-term goal. I think it was really special to have my first race at Silverstone, with all the history that surrounds it.

Personally, I would have picked Australia as my first race but I have always said that if it wasn’t there, then Silverstone would be the perfect place to make my debut.

How would you describe your driving style and what are your first impressions of the F111?

I like high-speed corners but with the F111 it is taking a little time to build up to that. Tonio [Liuzzi] has been quicker in the high-speed sectors in the first few races. That is a part that normally I am strong at so I expect to get better.

As for the rest, I am quite a smooth driver and not too erratic; I think I drive with quite a lot of finesse. I guess that is what has got me here. Now I have to find a little bit more and be different from the others and, hopefully, better than them.

This year you have driven in World Series by Renault, been test driver at Toro Rosso and now racing with HRT – quite an impressive CV for a 22-year-old. What are the difficulties in adapting

to each category and which are the differences between one car and another?

It has been a very busy year for me racing in World Series, spending some Friday’s with Toro Rosso, testing the Red Bull at the end of last year and now HRT. I actually see it as quite a privilege to have driven so many cars already at the age of 22!

It is not easy to adapt to a new car, but having jumped around in them quite a bit this year has helped me out a lot.

In World Series everything is a bit slower than F1. But each time I sit in the car, whether it is World Series or F1, once I am in the cockpit I am mentally prepared for what the car is. I don’t have to physically drive it to remember what it is doing.

What is your main objective for the second half of the season?

The target is to continue learning. I think that will come with time in the car. If I could manage to sneak out a personal best result or edge out Tonio and the Virgins in a few races that would be a strong result. I have to aim high because it is only going to help me for the future. I think that for the last few races of the year I can really start to push and aim for it.

What are your plans for the summer break?

I have a few PR events in Austria and Italy that I have to attend to. Maybe I will just have five days off and, honestly, I will probably spend those days training. With all the traveling it is quite hard getting in the gym and doing what is required. So I think it won’t be much of a holiday.

13

IZOD INDYCAR me dia

Power back on in Dario INDYCAR IT’S on again between Will Power and Dario Franchitti, the two IndyCar stars clashing at Mid-Ohio.

Already not the closest of chums after an altercation at Toronto last month, the Aussie and the Scot traded words after an early-race incident that saw Power’s Penske Dallara contact

the similar Ganassi car of Franchitti.

Franchitti, who went on to finish the race second behind team-mate Scott Dixon to stretch his points lead to 62, was not shy after the chequered flag.

“He hit me twice on the first lap – pretty hard actually – going into Turn 5,” said the Scot.

“He didn’t get me all the way around but he had a good try

at it.”

For his part, Power, who finished the race in 14th, said that the clash was ‘just racing, that’s all’.

“I was just trying to get past him at the start, he went around the outside and I think I hit his back wheel ... sort of similar to Toronto,” he said.

After the race, at the post-race press conference, it was a calmer

Franchitti who addressed the issue.

“I think Will was unlucky today, he didn’t do much wrong,” he said. “I’ve done a lot of these races, and probably still lost more from bad luck than I have won from good. I will take the good luck whilst it comes though.”

TRUE BLUE CARL Danic NASCAR CARL Edwards is staying a Ford man, having re-signed with Roush Fenway Racing.

Edwards signed what has been described as ‘a multiyear deal’ last week, and will stay with the team he joined in 2003.

“In a perfect world, Carl

NASCAR media

14

and I would tell you we would have liked it to have been over a long time ago,” Roush Fenway President Steve Newmark said.

“Carl was very upfront when we started this discussion in the spring that he wanted to do a deliberate and comprehensive assessment of his options. We tried to stay true to the fact that there was no ultimatum, no deadline. We owed it to Carl to allow him to think about it.

“He looked at a lot of very strong organisations and ultimately realised that Roush Fenway is his home and a place best suited to make runs at additional championships.”

Ford itself took a role in

ensuring that he stayed in blue.

“Carl’s outreach and affinity with NASCAR fans plays a very active role in promoting new products,” said Jamie Allison, director of Ford Racing. “In the end, the deeper connection with the company was a vital element for both Carl and Ford.

All along we felt confident, and this is validation we have the right programme.”

The Edwards deal is likely to prompt considerable movement in the driver market, with a number of drivers who are in negotiation with their current teams – including Juan Montoya and Clint Bowyer – now looking to extend their current deals.

NASCAR DANICA Patrick is said to be close to signing deal to run NASCAR in 2012 – and she could step up to Sprint Cup, in a limited programme.

Patrick is expected to confirm that she will run a full Nationwide schedule with JR Motorspor ts, the team co- owned by Dale Earnhardt Jr, and also race in a small number of Sprint Cup races with Stewar tHaas Racing. According to AP, Patrick will also be able to compete in motorsport news

NEWS

Injured Keselowski cleared by Dr Petty NASCAR HONDA media

feud

Iowa Speedway.

Clearly, the ank le did not cause too many problems, with the #2 Dodge tak ing the second win of the season.

NASCAR media

HONDA media

BRAD Keselowski was lucky to race at Pocono on the weekend after a major testing crash in Georgia.

Keselowsk i lost control of his Penske Dodge when its brakes failed at Road Atlanta last Wednesday.

The car left the track at an estimated 240k m/h and struck a steel barrier headon. He was airlifted to hospital immediately.

He was cleared to race on the weekend after visiting Charlotte neurologist Dr Jerr y Petty – yes, really – and was cleared, despite suffering a broken left ank le.

One thing that the driver of the Miller Lite car was

not cleared to do was to fly. Because of this, he drove to Pennsylvania, and the team deputised Sam Hornish Jr to sub for Keselowsk i in the Nationwide Series race at

ca Sprint Cup deal close

www.mnews.com.au

TS: “Nope, nope.”

Q: “ You can’t say, or you re not work ing on something”.

TS: “Can’t say anything.”

The reluctance of Stewar t, who usually speaks openly with the media, to speak about Patrick is believed to be with respect to Patrick ’s contract with Andretti Autospor t. Patrick ’s NASCAR deal is believed to be subject to her release from her AA contract and, until such time that is formalised, expect news to be vague, at best.

NASCAR media

the Indianapolis 500, no doubt with a team that will run Chevy engines, to fit in with JRM and SHR’s Chevrolet links.

SHR co- owner Tony Stewar t, met with members of the media at Pocono Raceway and was tight-lipped over his involvement in her future.

Q: “ There are a lot of repor ts about Danica and Stewar t ”.

TS: “I k now, I’ve heard all k inds of stuff [chuck les].”

Q: “Can you say are you work ing on anything with her?”

15

RAJC FINALISTS AIM HIGH ARC THE contenders for the Rallyschool.com.au Australian Junior Challenge final at Rally Australia have been decided.

Throughout this year’s Australian Rally Championship, young drivers have been competing for a spot in the final at Coffs Harbour, with both a two-wheel-drive and a four-wheel-drive section. The winner of the two-wheel-drive section will win a drive in a drive in a four-wheel-drive rally car at Rally Victoria, while the four-wheel-drive winner will take two sets of rally tyres and $2000 home.

The four qualifiers for the four-wheel-drive section are Tom Wilde, who won his spot in WA, Dane Berry who won in Queensland, Sandy Nott who won in SA and James Rodda, who was added as a wild card entry after struggling through a tough season so far.

“Our tilt at the RAJC didn’t go quite as smoothly as we would have liked and at the end of Scouts Rally SA we thought our

RADICAL DEVELOPM

campaign had come to an end,” said Rodda, pictured.

“It was a bit of a surprise to be called up and given the wild card. It has been a tough year; we melted a piston in WA on the first stage, which we repaired but the car was well down on power and we never really had the pace we had hoped for. We threw everything into our home rally [in SA] only to be forced out after a heavy landing, so it is fantastic to get a second chance.”

In the two-wheel-drive section of the RAJC the three highest points scorers from each of the qualifying rounds will fill the 10 spots available at the Coffs.

The 10 qualifiers are Will Orders, Ross Allen and Jack Flanagan who qualified in WA, Stephen Turner, Cameron Sluce and Paul Batten who qualified in Queensland and Rowan Wollard, Brendan Brown and Matthew Amos who tied with Matt Busby for the final qualifying spot at Rally SA.

RADICALS A NEW and unique piece of equipment will join the Radical Australia Cup next year.

Developed jointly by Radical Australia and Radical’s UK factory, the 2012 Radical SR3 CUP will join the Australian series next year, alongside the existing SR3 vehicles. The SR3 CUP will feature bodywork revisions, including the nose, sidepods and rear louver section, and a twin exhaust system.

The cars are expected to arrive in mid-January, ahead of an expanded 2012

SCTA REVAMP TARMAC RALLY EXPECT to see a more technical course at next month’s Supaloc Classic Targa Adelaide.

Targa Tasmania organisers Octagon have now taken control of the famous South Australian tarmac rally, after the previous organiser, Silverstone Events, went broke in 2010. According to Octagon’s Stuart Benson, who will be the Clerk of Course, the newlook event will be shorter, but much more technical.

“What we’ve done from the previous history of the event is we’ve tried to produce more of a traditional Targa-style event, with more challenging roads than have been used in this region before,” Benson told eNews.

“The main thing was trying to create and event that was challenging, and had the least amount of what we refer to as ‘filler stages’ – competitive distance for the sake of having another closed section of road. So we have reduced the event for this year from a five-day event to a four-day event, just so we can get a handle on what the road structure is like, and what the local feel is to tarmac rallying, and how the community can benefit from it.”

The event is restricted to pre-1990 cars, and will kick off in the Barossa Valley on September 14.

– ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN Phil Williams

16

Radical Australia Cup. Having contested a five-round series this year, organisers are eyeing seven rounds in 2012 – focusing on New South Wales and Victoria – with at least six to be run with the Shannons Nationals.

“The Radical SR3 CUP is an exciting development and a great new vehicle to have available for our Australian customers,” Radical Australia’s Greg Smith said.

“Specifications have been carefully chosen to create the best balance possible between price and performance. Like all Radicals, the car will be able of being

For more on Classic Targa Adelaide, check out our special eNews feature story on page 26. motorsport news

NEWS

John Morris / Mpix

MENTS

Dirk Klynsmith

upgraded in specification however the base package is ready to race and capable of running at the front of the pack ‘as is’.

“Given the strong position of the Aussie dollar and a package deal with Radical in the UK the price we have negotiated is very competitive and offers competitors a ‘turnkey’ package.

“The timing is perfect for many competitors as our second-hand vehicle stock has been almost entirely depleted, so owners looking to upgrade can feel confident of selling existing cars prior to the new vehicles arriving.”

JIM SPRINTS ON, JAVELIN CAN WAIT TCM JIM Richards’ new Javelin is at least another round away from debuting in the Touring Car Masters presented by Autobarn.

Eastern Creek’s Muscle Car Masters on September 3-4 had been mooted for the car’s long-awaited debut, but the seven-time Bathurst winner has elected to stick with his title-winning Falcon Sprint for the time being. Work continues on the Javelin, which could still appear during the second half of the TCM’s season, which kicks off at Bathurst in October.

Glenn Seton will finally join the field at Eastern Creek, aboard the new, Jim Morton-owned and Ford Performance Racing-built Falcon XB Coupe, following several delays. Also in the Ford ranks, Cameron Tilley will switch from his Pacer to a new 1969 Ford Mustang, while dual series champion Gavin Bullas has ended his 2011 season in a bid to find and rectify the engine problems that have thwarted his Mustang in recent times.

Formula Ford competitor Elliot Barbour is set to make his TCM debut in a Chrysler Charger, and Ross Almond returns in his Porsche 911 RS after missing several rounds earlier this year.

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17

NEWS

V8 STARS TO CONTEST LEYBURN SPRINTS HISTORICS JAMES Moffat and Alex Davison will join Steve and Dick Johnson at the Leyburn Sprints later this month.

The three current V8 Supercar drivers and the former Australian Touring Car Champion will face off in the V8 Supercar Drivers Challenge, where they will complete runs in a NASCAR-powered 1971 Ford Falcon GT HO, a 1971 Ford Escort Mk 1 and

a 1934 single-seater racing car. The fastest aggregate time will win.

Race Director Dennis Brown said that due to the driver’s many commitments it was not known yet whether they would be able to attend on Saturday or Sunday.

“However, we do have confirmation from Dick, Steve, Alex and James that they are definitely coming, so in particular there’s a treat in store for those spectators from country areas who don’t often get to see

the big V8 Supercar events,” he said.

“The drivers will be right here in our own back yard at Leyburn on the Darling Downs. Online ticket sales jumped when we announced last week that Dick and Steve were the first entries for the V8 Supercar Drivers Challenge. Alex and James say they can’t wait to try an iconic touring car like the Falcon GT HO and they’re looking forward to meeting many new fans.”

FAMOUS ELFIN BACK IN THE HUNT AT WINTON

HISTORICS THE famous James Hunt Elfin will be back in action at Winton this weekend.

Back in 1978, the Formula 1 World Champion came to Australia to drive an Elfin MR8 B-C Formula 5000 at Winton. It was his only race in Australia – and he won.

This weekend, the Rose City 10,000 will be reenacted at the Winton Festival of Speed, with two 10-lap Formula 5000 races.

And Bob Harborow will drive the ex-Hunt Elfin, giving the event a special touch.

“With the long track’s two additional long straights and 18

longer distance we expect the F5000 ‘big bangers’ to reach some awesome speeds, which will be further enhanced by their considerable noise and power,” the Festival’s race committee chairman Ian Ross said.

“With almost 600 horsepower on tap they make a pretty impressive spectacle. What makes these cars so special is that not only are they still very, very fast, but they are a rare and valuable addition to Australia’s historic racing.”

As well as the 5000s, the Festival of Speed will feature the Rose City Touring Car Trophy – a 20-lap mini-endurance race for Historic Touring Cars, sponsored by Shannons and featuring rolling start and a pit stop. motorsport news

A celebration of Australasian Muscle Car heritage and a tribute to drivers who raced them FATHERS DAY SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 4, 2011 Eastern Creek Raceway - Sydney - Australia AMC’s annual Father’s Day celebration of Australia’s unique muscle car heritage returns to Sydney’s Eastern Creek Raceway.

Join us in 2011 as we celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Ford Falcon GT-HO Phase III and the Charger R/T E38, and 25 years of the VN Commodore Group A

Don’t miss out on the AMC Legends Dinner with Allan Moffat, Jim and Steven Richards, plus by popular demand Allan Grice SATURDAY 3 SEPTEMBER

For travel packages check out

www.travelaire.com.au

WHAT’S ON IN 2011

So get to the Creek for...

- The Sports Sedan Spectacular

New for 2 011

- Touring Car Masters presented by Autobarn - Groups N, C and A Historics Touring Cars - Master Blasts - Best of the Best - Heritage Hot Laps - Ulimate Race Replicas

For all ticket bookings, Legends Dinner reservations, trackside hospitality bookings and event info, check out

www.musclecarmasters.com.au

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19

NEWS

LUNETTA ROLLS, THEN WINS KARTING JULIAN Lunetta has overcome a roll over in the heats of the City of Adelaide Titles to claim the victory in the Clubman Pro class at the Southern Kart Club’s Bolivar Raceway last weekend.

Lunetta was the driver to beat all weekend, setting the fastest time in qualifying before taking out the opening heat, however everything turned upside down in Heat 2 when he was involved in an incident that saw him roll his Tony Kart at Turn 3.

After the DNF, Lunetta hit back winning both the pre-final and the winner-takesall 21-lap final, leaving Nicholas HolmesKaravas (who won Heat 2 in Lunetta’s absence) and Rocco Ventra to round out the podium.

Ventra did strike for a win of his own coming from fifth on the grid to win Clubman Light, greeting the chequers ahead of Matthew Panella and Daniel Price, while in Clubman Heavy Andrew Cash won every race with fastest qualifier Daniel Wallis and Spraky Marquis filling the minor positions.

Fujitsu Cool driver Todd Hazelwood was the dominant junior driver for the event claiming a double victory, including winning every race in the Junior Pro class. Fastest qualifier Luke Marquis took second ahead of Aidan James while Hazelwood’s other

victory was much closer in Junior National Heavy, with the top three dicing all weekend but in the end it was James who took second and Jonathon French third.

Marquis went one position better winning Junior National Light over Tyler Morrison who charged his way from P13 and failing to finish the pre-final.

The Wooley brothers were unstoppable in the two remaining Junior categories, both on top from qualifying right through to the final in their respective classes. Chase led home Jackson Rees in the Midgets while Rhys crossed the line ahead of Joshua Denton.

A dominant clean sweep for Liberty Fuels Simon Layne saw him triumphant in the Clubman Over 40s Challenge over Stephen Blee and Jason Tippins.

Paul Pittam claimed the double winning both Sportsman 125 Light and Heavy taking out every race apart from Heat 2 in the Light category, which saw George Gutierrez as the runner-up while Brandon Stillwell took second in the Heavy division.

Mark Lunn only won one race but it was the one that counted, the final of Sportsman SA while the two remaining senior class victories went to Matthew Adam who raced from eighth on the grid to win Sportsman Restricted Light, while the Heavy class was won by Alex Gaminiti.

CRG READY TO WIN BATTLE OF THE MAKES KARTING POPULAR European marque CRG is currently heading the Trans-West Manufacturer’s Challenge, with one round remaining in the CIK Stars of Karting Series.

The CRG Australia team is led by Chris Dell, and with two of his drivers, Kel Treseder (Pro Gearbox KZ2) and Pierce Lehane (Pro Junior KF3), leading their respective classes, it has given the team an 11 point advantage going into the final.

“To win the manufacturers challenge would be the most prestigious award for us as a team,” said Dell.

“It’s a sign that shows the effort of the whole team, not just individuals.”.

Looking to snatch the cup for

CRG’s strangle hold is the Remo Luciani-led Kosmic team, and with victory in the Pro Light category at all four rounds so far they are in with a big chance.

2010 winners Tony Kart sit third narrowly ahead of Top Kart and Exprit.

HUGE FIELD FOR CITY OF MELBOURNE KARTING THE City of Melbourne Titles are set for this weekend at the Go Kart Club of Victoria’s Todd Road circuit, and while at the time of print entries were still open, they have already topped the 220 mark.

The Midgets class is currently the biggest with 26 entries, with Wright Kart driver Jordan Caruso sure to be one of the 20

favourites after his victory at the Victorian Open at the same venue earlier this year.

All the Junior classes are looking strong with 22 already in Rookies while both Junior National classes and the elite Clubman and J MAX classes will be ones to watch with plenty of interstate visitors keen to spice things up, including the likes of Joseph Burton-Harris in J MAX and Luke Marquis racing in both.

The Senior classes will be equally intense particularly the Clubman Light, which is currently at 21 entries including the likes of James Sera, Macauley Jones, Jordan Nicolaou and the Sanderson brothers of Ryan and Jordan, while Clubman Heavy is also looking strong.

This year is the 27th running of the prestigious event with racing over two days. motorsport news

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21

Five Minutes with ...

DAN WHELDON This year’s Indianapolis 500 winner will make his V8 Supercar debut on the streets in the Gold Coast 600 – with HRT. By PHIL BRANAGAN

How do you approach something so different? Do you try to take on as much information as you can, or do you want to keep an open mind?

Well, obviously, I have a lot to learn. I have never driven a touring car before; or, I have, but just for a short period of time.

So I will be using the Test Day to learn as much as possible.

I do know the IndyCar track, and the V8 one is slightly different. The main thing for me is to go there and to try and win the thing. I have a fantastic team, I have James Courtney as a co-driver, the current Champion, so I do not want to let any of those guys down.

I have to be open-minded, and to be willing to listen to the right people in the team. Then I can execute what I want to do.

Do you think about this race as being a ‘cleanskin’? James has already said that he does not have any ambitions of defending his Championship, so is it just a matter of getting a good result on the day?

22

start off testing the IndyCar [Ed: The new Dallara prototype] and we might have the chance to go for the $5 million in Las Vegas. I would love to be able to win this race. If that was to come off, and I think that realistically it could, it would be huge.

I am goig to go there looking for the win.

sutton-images.com

MOTORSPORT NEWS: What do you know about racing a V8 Supercar? What have you been told?

DAN WHELDON: I have been told it’s a lot of fun!

Obviously, I am a huge fan of all kinds of racing. I actually follow that [V8 Supercars] more than I follow most forms of racing.

I used to be team-mates with Marcos Ambrose back in 1998 [Ed: in British Formula Ford] and I happened to follow it a lot then. I continued to follow it after he left.

I watched last year’s [Gold Coast] race and I am good friends with Scott Dixon and Dario Franchitti, so I heard all about how much fun they had. It is a race I was desperate to be a part of, and I am feeling great to be a part of it now. But to join what I consider to be the best team in the series, that makes it even more exciting for me.

I think that is unfortunate. From what I have seen, James has had a bunch of bad luck this year. I think that we all know just how good he is, certainly from back when we used to race in Europe at the same time, I knew how talented he is. So this is a situation where you have to just go for it.

Last year the race seemed to be a little bit of a crash-fest. From my standpoint, I need to ensure that does not happen to me; I need to score as many points as possible. That side of the team seems to be going for outright wins. That makes my job very simple; looking for outright speed, making sure we qualify well and run at the front.

Is there some kind of bragging rights up for the internationals? There are drivers from all walks of life, Formula 1, IndyCar, Sportscars, there is a wide cross-section.

That’s right. We are all so competitive and that is why the race was so good to watch last year. There are absolutely bragging rights. I think it is one of those things where it looks like a lot of fun, and it certainly is, but from my standpoint, I certainly want to do well.

The one race that I have done this year is, obviously, the Indianapolis 500 and I won that, so that was good. Tomorrow I

What about the Vegas race? I asked Bryan Herta about it after you won the 500, he was a little bit tight-lipped about it. If anybody is in the pound seats to win the race, it has to be you guys.

We would love to do it together and certainly, that is what we are working towards. It’s like anything; until you have it signed, sealed and delivered, you have to be very careful what you say.

I think that Randy [Bernard, IndyCar CEO] is considering it. It is up to him at the end of the day. The biggest thing for Randy is creating a massive story for the final race of the season, but not to take away from the championship. That is his decision to make. We will see.

You mentioned the test, Monday, US time.

What are you expecting from the new car?

I am not allowed to talk too much about it. Everyone involved in the program is extremely excited. There is much that is good; there is change. We have had the same car now for a long time. There is a plus in that but along the way, there is a growing list of improvements that could be made. I think that the new car has a lot of them covered.

It is very important from a fan perspective to be coming out with something new and fresh. I think that the series has got a ton of momentum right now. Races have been, maybe other than Mid-Ohio, really exciting. I think that the on-track product will stay pretty similar.

The new car is going to be very attractive to the fans, with the turbo engines and multiple manufacturers involved.

Everyone I am working with on the project is really happy and motivated. motorsport news

CHAT

Dunlop Motorsport

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23

PAUL DUMBRELL: SIGNS OF MATURITY

P

AUL Dumbrell has grown up during his V8 Supercar career, and I mean that both literally and figuratively.

Andrew van Leeuwen – For much of his 12-year career eNews Editor in V8 Supercars, PD has struggled to shake the ‘rich kid’ tag. A harsh was me, so for two laps, I didn’t look in the mirrors.” appraisal, I know, but there are In that very same interview, I somewhat warily those out there who have never really believed asked Dumbrell what he thought of spending that Dumbrell has properly developed from a 16a big chunk of his career with some people year-old seemingly gifted a Bathurst drive by his believing he was just a ‘rich kid’. father to being one of the best 28 Touring Car “I suppose I’ve been tainted with that for my drivers in Australia ... by which I mean properly whole career, but if anyone else was in my worthy of a V8 Supercar drive. position, they would do the same. I’ve had a great Of course, it’s all bollocks. Yes, there were times opportunity given to me, and in the latter part of that Dumbrell struggled to look as if he belonged my career, I’ve taken it with both hands. In the first in the series, such as his series of crashes in part of my career, I probably didn’t. I didn’t treat the Castrol days at Perkins Engineering. But if it as seriously as I should of, and it wasn’t until I Dumbrell seemed a little immature, it’s because he was a bit more experienced and well-rounded as was a man barely out of his teens trying to make a person that I realised that I was the only person his way in the series. That’s a really tough thing who could make it work.” to do, and having people assume that you’re only The fact that Dumbrell calmly and honestly there because of a trust fund doesn’t make it any answered the question, without trying to deny easier. that anyone would ever have thought that he In my mind, the last 18 months have proven was a rich kid, told me that winning that race at just how much growing up Paul Dumbrell has Sandown was the justification he needed ... and done during his career. He’s had to deal with some that he didn’t care what anyone else thought. I family tragedies and take over the running of the was hugely impressed at that point. It remains one huge Automotive Brands company – and during of the best answers to a question I’ve asked. that period he has looked faster than ever before Dumbrell’s decision to step down as a full-time in a racing car.

V8 Supercar driver is just further proof that he’s Even his maiden win at Sandown last year grown into a remarkably mature human being. reflected the ‘new Dumbrell’; when Jamie To give up racing cars, something that he Whincup was nudging the back of Dumbrell’s car loves and is bloody good at, because he late in the race, PD put his head down and gapped realises he can’t keep having two fullthe reigning champion. It was a performance time jobs, is a hell of a call. But he’s unlike what we might expect from Dumbrell, and made it, because he’s mature when I spoke to him for Motorsport News several enough to see that it had to weeks after that, he agreed. be done. And that’s pretty “100 percent right!” he happily admitted when I remarkable. called it an uncharacteristic display of maturity.

“Jamie got into the back of me a couple of times to ruffle my feathers, and I started making my same old mistakes. I realised what was happening, I knew the only person who could lose the race

24

OPINION

motorsport news

COMMENT

MEMORIES OF GARY #9 OPINION Phil Branagan – Executive Editor

G

Dirk Klynsmith

www.mnews.com.au

ARY Nixon died last week, aged 70.

If you don’t follow motorcycle racing and maybe even if you do, you may not have heard of Nixon. He was born in Oklahama in 1941, the kind of man who had he been born two decades earlier would have probably flown fighter planes over the Pacific. Instead, he raced bikes, on tar and dirt, all over the world.

He twice won the AMA Grand National title, a series that required riders to race on road courses and dirt track – often up to a mile long – and usually on different brands of bikes for the different disciplines.

He also won the Daytona 500 in 1967, on a Triumph. Just think for a moment, racing a Triumph, on wire wheels and crossply tyres, at 260kmh, on a Superspeedway. Gulp.

Brand-wise, Nixon was a journeyman, and some of his greatest wins came on Kawasaki. Aided by tuning ace Erv Kanemoto, his three-cylinder KR750 should not have been a match for Yamaha’s TZ750 ‘four’ in the mid-70s, but Nixon more than made up the difference when he turned his hand to the world scene, spying the Formula 750 title as a likely target. He was second at Daytona and won in Venezuela, but such was the chaotic organisation of that event that the lap scorers gave the win to Victor Palomo, a Spaniard. The two battled hard for the rest of the year, Palomo snatching the title by a point. Nixon appealed and lost.

(A year later, Steve Baker won the same championship, in doing so becoming the first American to win an FIM title.)

We have not run a pic of Nixon here; there is no point. The pic of Nixon was taken in 1976, when the Formula 750 series visited Laguna Seca. A photographer named Mush Emmons (why don’t we have photographers named ‘Mush Emmons’?)

snapped Nixon leaping out of the final corner at the California track. It combines grace and speed in a stunning shot; it also documents the fact that Nixon led Kenny the factory Yamaha of Kenny Roberts, 10 years Nixon’s junior and the man who would change motorcycle racing, forever, when he went to Europe a couple of years later. Google the pic; it’s a classic.

Nixon stepped down from pro racing in 1979. He tinkered with bikes in historic events, and ran his Gary Nixon Enterprises business, which was made famous by Barry Sheene. The Pom-turned-Aussie always wore one of Nixon’s T-shirts under his leathers, in tribute to his mate. The two were Suzuki team-mates when Sheene had his horrifying testing crash at Daytona in 1974; what is less well-known was that Nixon sat patiently by Baz’s hospital bed, convincing him that he would recover and practically forcing him to eat.

A couple of years ago, I was in the process of collecting some items for the charity auction for the Barry Sheene Ride to Phillip Island’s MotoGP. I emailed Nixon and asked him if he could supply a GNE teeshirt for the event. His reply was, “Give me a call, too long to type, Gary #9”.

So I did. We talked bikes and racing for an hour. A couple of days later, the company that made his shirts sent a package with two Tees and a note.

“I put in a shirt for you,” it read.

“Barry was the best. Gary #9”.

I still have the shirt.

Nixon moved to Baltimore a few years ago. Earlier this year, he fell from a tree and broke his leg. He never complained, just as he never complained about getting banged up in all those race falls over his 22year career. He was as tough as they come, but had a heart of gold.

They don’t make Gary Nixons any more.

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SPEC

THE HILLS ARE COMING AL

It was close, but Classic Adelaide has survived a financial meltdown, and is back in the guise

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motorsport news

NEWS FEATURE

All photos by Phil Williams and Daniel Kalisz

LIVE – AGAIN

e of Classic Targa Adelaide. ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN goes behind the scenes of the new event www.mnews.com.au

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SPEC

A

BOUT a year ago, Australia almost lost an iconic motorsport event.

In the 12 years before that, the Classic Adelaide rally established itself as a staple part of South Australia’s sporting landscape. It went from being all about classic cars to allowing the latest and greatest to take part, with the Adelaide Hills and Barossa win region offering the perfect backdrop.

But in 2010, it all went south – pun fully intended. Silverstone Events, the company behind Classic Adelaide, went broke, and the rally didn’t go ahead. It might have disappeared altogether had it not been for some pro-activity by South Australia Events, and a winning bid from Octagon, the company behind the ultra-successful Targa Tasmania.

“The previous provider of the Classic Adelaide event, we always worked closely with, because we have the same market,” 28

says Octagon’s sporting director Stuart Benson.

“When they ran into financial difficulty, we had a lot of our clients lobbying us, asking us to get hold of it and massage it into what they expect from a Targa event. Just on a year ago we were approached by South Australia Events to put in a tender; we were one of three that submitted a tender. The other providers put up reasonable business cases, but ultimately the state government went with us because they believed that we had the runs on the board, with the three other Targa events that we run in Tasmania and Victoria.

“It’s a good fit for what we do. The processes and so on are easily adaptable to what we are doing elsewhere.”

Enter the Supaloc Classic Targa Adelaide.

Now running the event, Octagon has chosen to take it back to its roots. For 2011, cars will have to be built before 1990, meaning

the Nissan GT-R R32 will be the weapon of choice, along with any Porsche built after about 1970. The event will now be slightly shorter, more technical, and will be the first round of the Australian Targa Championship, although only for the classic division. The event will also move to September 14-17, leaving behind its traditional November date in a bid for more favorable weather.

Remember, a lot of classic cars don’t have air conditioners ...

Benson, in his role as Clerk of Course, has been responsible for working out what ground the competitors will cover this September. It’s been a unique challenge, trying to incorporate the best parts of the existing special stages while giving the event more of a Targa feel. The classics will remain, such as the winding Gorge Road, Corkscrew and Montacute stages, as well as the faster, more flowing runs through McLaren Vale and Chapel Hill. motorsport news

NEWS FEATURE

“The course that we have for September extends for four days over 26 closed road stages,” says Benson.

“What we’ve done from the previous history of the event is we’ve tried to produce more of a traditional Targa-style event, with more challenging roads than have been used in this region before. The Targa-ness of this event is a staple of the event, to give it some identity. In four days we will drive a total of 600 kilometres, of which 220 are closed road competition.

“The main thing was trying to create and event that was challenging, and had the least amount of what we refer to as ‘filler stages’ – competitive distance for the sake of having another closed section of road. So we have reduced the event for this year from a five-day event to a four-day event, just so we can get a handle on what the road structure is like, and what the local feel is to tarmac rallying, and how the community www.mnews.com.au

can benefit from it.

“So we picked the eyes out of what was the previous event, and modeled what we believe to be a challenging event on the best bits of Classic Adelaide. We actually took out a lot of the very fast sections of road, which weren’t particularly challenging, just about straight-line speed, to focus on more technical stages.

“I’d say it’s a mix of what we have in Tasmania and what we have in Victoria [for Targa High Country],” adds Benson.

“The Victorian roads are pretty technical, but also very quick. The roads we have in Tasmania are tight; due to the geography down there you don’t have big flats and plains.

“So here in Adelaide we have a good mix.

We’re staying as much as possible in the Adelaide Hills area, so we’re running through gorges and up hills, which makes it a bit more technical than the event in Victoria,

and gives it the demands of some of the roads in Tasmania. It will require a lot of homework to do well.”

With just six months between winning the tender and the 2011 event, Benson is quick to point out that the 2011 event isn’t necessarily a reflection of where the event will go in the future – rather just a taster.

“A lot of people who have looked at the course have said we’ve done the best that we could in a short time frame, but for next year we’ve got some more ideas on how to make the event longer and more challenging. This year is just a taste of what’s there and what’s out there to be developed.

“The intention is that this is a long term approach. Targa Tasmania has just turned 20 years old, and this event has a 12-year history prior to us taking over. We want to work with out regular Targa clients so we can develop a demand for a market that will be here, potentially, for another 20 years.”

29

IZOD INDYCAR SERIES ROUND 12 – MID OHIO

SCOT T LEADS SCOT

Scott Dixon wasn’t going to let anything stop him from taking a third win in MidOhio ... not event his title-contesting team-mate 30

motorsport news

RACE

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S

COTT Dixon has broken through for his first win of the 2011 IndyCar season with a commanding performance at Mid-Ohio.

The Aussie-born Kiwi took his third win at MidOhio after starting from pole position (also his first for 2011) – but it wasn’t that straightforward. Dixon’s teammate Dario Franchitti put up a heck of a fight, grabbing the lead during a Safety Car period on Lap 56, the Scot pitting a lap later and snatching P1. But it was a shortlived period at the front, Dixon forcing his way past on the re-start.

Once in front the Kiwi stayed there, with Franchitti opting to take the safe approach, finishing second and the valuable points on offer.

“We worked so hard to get pole, so to come back today for the win was fantastic,” Dixon said.

“I wanted to get back to the front [at the re-start] and Dario didn’t fight too hard, and I respect him a lot for that.”

“Let’s be honest, Scott had one of those days,” added Franchitti.

“He was in a different zip code today and deserved to win it. From the time we came here for the test [in July], he’s been on a mission. “[It was a] great job by the Target boys going 1-2. Good points day for us despite Will’s best efforts at the start to spin me around. We managed to get out of that and I think it was a great job in a tough race.”

For Will Power, it was a horror day. He seemed able to run with the leaders early on, but the same Safety Car period that helped Franchitti into the lead ruined Power’s day. Power opted to stay out for an extra lap, and it backfired, putting him at the back of the field. He recovered to 14th, but lost a whopping 62 points to Franchitti.

“We were making great fuel mileage and we were going to go a lap or two longer than the leaders on the second stop, which would have put us in great position to challenge for the race lead in the last stint,” said Power.

“Basically, today we suffered for doing a great job of driving a smart race. We just got caught out by that last yellow flag.”

Power’s bad luck was good for Ryan Hunter-Reay, who wound up third when the Australian slipped down through the field.

“Dario and I were about on the same pace trying to catch Scott, but Scott was just gone,” said Hunter-Reay.

“He had a great pace. I was quicker than Dario through some of the quicker corners, like 11 and 1, but he had me through every corner leading on to a passing zone.”

For Ryan Briscoe, who started on the front row, it was a very similar story to his team-mate Power. Briscoe had been going for fuel conservation as well, and found himself caught out by yellow flags, ending the race 16th.

“We were just really unlucky today,” Briscoe said.

“In the first stint the Penske Truck Rental car was able to stay with Dixon, we were saving fuel and we were pretty comfortable. We had trouble with a tire change on our first pit stop, which hurt us, but we were still in good shape. We did a good job saving fuel – I think Will and I were able to go farther than everyone else – but we just got caught out by the yellow flag.”

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motorsport news

RACE

Great Scott: Dixon looked right at home at the front of the field throughout the weekend, above. But it wasn’t to be for Will Power, far left, who got caught out by an ill-timed Safety Car. The same went for Ryan Briscoe, left, while Dario Franchitti benefitted from the same caution period, bottom left.

Results :: Honda Indy 200 Pos 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Driver Scott Dixon Dario Franchitti Ryan Hunter-Reay Takuma Sato Tony Kanaan Alex Tagliani Marco Andretti Oriol Servia Sebastien Bourdais Vitor Meira

Team Ganassi Ganassi Andretti KV KV Sam Schmidt Andretti Newman/Haas Dale Coyne Foyt

Qual 1 3 5 9 16 8 21 20 11 19

Top 10 Points: Franchitti 428, Power 366, Dixon 335, Kanaan 283, Servia 268, Andretti 258, Briscoe 253, Rahal 230, Castroneves 224, Hildebrand 222.

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33

NASCAR ROUND 21 – POCONO, PA

in PaintheRain

Rain delays made Pocono a five-hour event in two parts, but through it all Brad Keselowski battled the discomfort and disability that came with racing with a fractured ankle to score a heroic victory

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motorsport news

RACE NASCAR Media

B

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rad Keselowski was lucky just to be able to take the start at Pocono. Four days earlier he had badly injured his ankle

and foot in a testing shunt at Road Atlanta – indeed, he probably shouldn’t have been racing at Pocono.

But he was, and he drove through the pain and also past all the other drivers to score his second Sprint Cup win for the year – and delivering a strong statement to the rest of the drivers outside of the top 10 that still fancy their chances of bagging a place in the Championship Chase.

After the race Keselowski was clearly in some discomfort, but the Penske Dodge

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driver was quick to play down his achievement.

“It is not me that should get the credit; it is just good people,” Keselowski said. “It’s having a Paul Wolfe (crew chief ) and a team that digs.

“I’m no hero. The heroes are the guys [who] died in Afghanistan this weekend. I want to spend time thinking about them. They’re my inspiration for this weekend, the things that those guys do.

“I’m glad that we could win today, but those are the heroes.

I just drive race cars for a living.”

The event was interrupted by rain mid-race, with action resuming once the track dried out nearly two hours later.

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Unusually, it was Keselowski’s aggressive strategy in the first half of the race, before the stoppage, that was instrumental in setting up the victory.

Keselowski and Penske teammate Kurt Busch each made stops under the caution period when the rains came. They lost track position, but regained it when most of the others pitted after the race resumed.

Keselowski grabbed the lead at the final restart (for an incident that claimed Juan Montoya) from Kyle Busch, and had the speed from there to keep the Toyota driver at bay.

Behind Kyle, his brother Kurt was locked in a bitter battle for third place with Jimmie Johnson.

It culminated in a bit of ‘rubbin’s racing’ action between the pair as Kurt went on the offensive on the final lap. It could easily have seen both cars in the wall, but instead it was resolved with both making the flag and Kurt just hanging on to the final podium spot.

The duelling pair exchanged words afterwards, an angry Johnson confronting Kurt as the Penske driver climbed out of his Dodge.

“I worked him over for 10 to 15 laps and had the opportunity to screw him over, and I didn’t do it,” Johnson said later. “I’m not going to run people over to pass them. It’s not me.”

Busch’s version differed: “I was

racing him flat out. I didn’t know you were supposed to pull over with five to go. We were racing clean, and he wants to come over and bitch at me?”

The Joe Gibbs Camrys were strong most of the race, with Denny Hamlin scoring the mostlaps-led point only to have his hopes were scuppered by a delayed final pitstop.

Earlier team-mate Joey Logano had led the race, but his gamble to not pit before the rain stoppage, along with a late-race stop for a suspected puncture, ruined his afternoon.

Marcos Ambrose’s afternoon was solid if not spectacular, the Australian finishing 20th after having run as high as eighth in

motorsport news

RACE the early stages.

“It was just a long day today, but we just fought and gouged all day long,” Ambrose said. “I’m really proud of my guys.

“I feel like I got the most out of myself and the guys really tried hard. It’s not the day we wanted, but we’re still proud of ourselves.”

NASCAR Media

Gimme shelter: NASCAR doesn’t run in the rain, and they don’t even like the cars to get wet, top right. Martin Truex Jnr heads Juan Montoya and Mark Martin, right. Denny Hamlin led most laps but lucked out in the pit stops, far right. Kasey Kayne and Joey Logano lead them away, below.

TOYOTA Media

TOYOTA Media

Results :: Good Sam RV Insurance 500, POCONO Pos. No. 1 2 2 18 3 22 4 48 5 39 6 24 7 99 8 16 9 88 10 27

Driver Brad Keselowski Kyle Busch Kurt Busch Jimmie Johnson Ryan Newman Jeff Gordon Carl Edwards Greg Biffle Dale Earnhardt Jr. Paul Menard

Make Dodge Toyota Dodge Chevy Chevy Chevy Ford Ford Chevy Chevy

Team Penske Joe Gibbs Penske Hendrick Stewart Haas Hendrick Roush Fenway Roush Fenway Hendrick Childress

Sponsor Qual.

Miller Lite 13 M&M’s 11 Shell/Pennzoil 5 Lowe’s 18 Tornados 12 Drive to End Hunger 31 Ortho Home Defense Max 4 3M/811 9 Amp Energy/National Guard 19 CertainTeed/Menards 7

Top 10 Points: Edwards 720, Johnson 711, Ky Busch 709, Ku Busch 706, Harvick 700, Kenseth 694, Gordon 668, Newman 658, Stewart 642, Earnhardt Jr. 641, Marcos Ambrose 529 (23rd)

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

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37

WORLD TIME ATTACK 2011 EASTERN CREEK, NSW

ATTACK IS THE BEST FORM OF DEFENCE

J

APAN’S Cyber Evo squad made it back-to-back Australian wins as the World Time Attack circuit returned to Eastern Creek Raceway.

After winning the inaugural

event in 2010, the team’s Evo Lancer, driven by Tarzan Yamada, was too good again in the Super Sprint-style format with cars on road-legal rubber. With times at the head of the field almost two seconds quicker than last year,

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Yamada recorded a fastest lap of 1:28.8510 around the 3.93km circuit.

Having finished second last year, American outfit Sierra Sierra was second again. After suffering a late gearbox failure

in the team’s Lancer, David Empringham ended the two-day event 0.1730s shy of Yamada’s benchmark.

Garage Revolution’s Mazda RX7, driven by Mitsuhiro Kinoshita, grabbed the final podium

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RACE

John Morris / Mpix

David Empringham, above, gave Sierra Sierra another second-placed finish, while Garth Walden, below, was the best of the locals in fourth.

John Morris / Mpix

position ahead of the best of the Australian entries – Garth Walden in the Tilton Interiors Lancer. V8 Supercar driver Warren Luff was sixth in a Lotus Exige, ahead of another Australian entry, Mark Berry in a Nissan R34 GTR.

John Morris / Mpix

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AUSSIE DOWN, BUT NOT OUT AUSSIES OVERSEAS AUSSIE Mitchell Gilbert missed the two Formula Renault UK Championship races at Snetterton on the weekend after contracting food poisoning.

Rather than racing, he was forced to spend two days in hospital. “It’s been a real nightmare weekend for me,” Said Gilbert.

“I didn’t feel too well when we set off for Snetterton in the middle of the week. By the time we got to the track on Thursday I was feeling really bad and the

team though it was best that I got checked out before I got in the car. After that I never really saw the circuit again as I spent the next two days in hospital,” he added.

“It’s really, really frustrating as I had high hopes of continuing my run of good result this weekend and not being able to take part in the two races will definitely have cost me places in the championship too.”

“I will just concentrate on getting myself fully fit now before the next event at Silverstone and pick up right where I left off,” he added.

– DAVID ADDISON

BREAKING THE SWEDISH DROUGHT DTM A WEEK after winning the Spa 24 Hours, Swede Mattias Ekstrom won his first DTM race in 15 months.

The double champion easily guided his Audi A4 to victory at the Nurburgring, with Mercedes ace Bruno Spengler managing to slip ahead of Audi’s Mike Rockenfeller on the last lap to prevent an Audi 1-2.

Ekstrom cleared away from the following carnage to

dominate his brethren, with Rockenfeller looking destined for second place, until Rocky developed a problem with the grip levels as his rear tyres degraded. Despite making brake balance changes to combat his troubles, he couldn’t stop Spengler from nipping ahead.

The next round of the DTM is at Brands Hatch next month, with Spengler heading the title race.

– DAVID ADDISON

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DOLLANSKY EARNS HIS DOLLARS IN WoO WORLD OF OUTLAWS HOT and humid conditions at I-55 Raceway in Missouri left veteran Craig Dollansky breathless after winning the prestigious Ironman 55.

It was his seventh World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series win of the season, and hardest part of the win looked to be lifting the 55pound trophy.

“I am absolutely spent,” Dollansky said as he tried to haul up the trophy.

“Fifty-five laps is a long time out there and the track was just so fast all night long since they had about three inches of rain here the day before. It also was about 95 degrees plus the humidity just made this a tough one.”

Jason Meyers closed late on Dollansky’s Maxim and was relieved of one small thing in victory lane.

“It would have been nice to win but at least I don’t have to hoist that 55 pound dumbbell over my head,” Meyers said.

“We had a great car here tonight and man was that a workout.

By far the toughest one I have ever had in the gym or a race car by far. We’ll take the second and gear up for Knoxville. Thanks to all the fans that came out tonight, too. It was a workout for them as well just sitting in this heat.”

In what seemed to be déjà vu from last year, Meyers and Lucas Wolfe had a spirited battle in the closing laps. Instead of going for the checkers, the two drivers were fighting for the runner-up spot. As in 2010, Wolfe watched Meyers cross the line ahead of him.

“It was another great run for this team tonight,” Wolfe said.

It is the third top three for Wolfe for the third consecutive race.

“We’re getting really close to that first win. If you keep running up front, eventually you’ll find yourself in position to win one of these things. We just have to keep being there.”

Rounding out the top five in the long and grueling race was Aussie Kerry Madsen from Donny Schatz.

The Outlaws now head to Knoxville, Iowa, for the 51st Goodyear Knoxville Nationals, which begins on Wednesday.

– GEOFF ROUNDS

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BTCC FORD Focus racer Mat Jackson left Snetterton as the new BTCC points leader after the wins were split between Jason Plato, Gordon Shedden and Jackson.

Chevrolet pilot Plato won the opening race from his team-mate Alex MacDowall, and was helped along the way after Plato made contact with arch-rival Mat Neal at the Turn 1. Everyone missed the carnage while championship leader Neal could do no better than 18th. Honda’s Shedden was third behind the Chevrolets while Frank Wrathall

took a career best of fourth in his Toyota Avensis. This was the best result yet for the New-Generation Touring Car-spec Toyota and a landmark race for Ginetta graduate Wrathall.

An aggressive Shedden made contact with Plato on the opening lap of Race 2, pushing the Race 1 winner wide allowing the Scot to win the second contest. Plato recovered to third behind the Vauxhall of James Nash. Conversely, Neal’s horror weekend continued after retiring with a wheel problem, handing the championship lead to Shedden.

BTCC Media

They’re used to this view now

Jackson took victory in the revere grid Race 3 after nipping ahead of pole-sitter Dave Newsham in his SEAT Leon. Once ahead, there was no stopping Jackson who took the championship lead from Shedden.

Paul O’Neill took second place, his best result of the season, with Plato bagging third.

Coming to the pointy end of the season, just 20 points now covers the top four: Jackson, Shedden, Plato and Neal in what promises to be an all-action fight to the BTCC crown.

–DAVID ADDISON

HOWLETT SWEEPS UP IN WA WA STATE MICHAEL Howlett took a clean sweep of wins in Formula Ford at last Sunday’s Spices catering Cup at Barbagallo Raceway.

Howlett held Ben-Lee D’Limi and Rhett Noonan at bay in each of the three races, taking maximum points. With former title leader Andrew Goldie back in fifth for the weekend, he and D’Limi are not locked on points at the front of the field.

It was a similar story in HQ Holdens, with Grant Ord winning all the races. Stuart

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Kenny and Steve Raisin shared the second places.

In Formula Vee Cameron Edwards continued his great year in the 1600cc class, putting another 15 points between himself and Jacob Parsons by winning all three races. Parsons limited the damage with three second places. In the 1200cc class, Bruce Welsh won the round after splitting the race wins with Stewart Burns.

Michael Henderson won the Formula Classic round in his Ralt RT4, but he didn’t have things all his own way. A gear problem for the last race put him back in

the company of Dick Ward’s Chevron B29, but Henderson held on to make it three from three.

It was all clean sweeps in Street Cars and Sports Sedans as well, with Brett Sherriff taking out Sports Sedans in his Mazda RX7, and Mark Greenham winning all three Street Cars races in his Mitsubishi Lancer.

And in Historic Touring Cars Greg Barr took a commanding lead in the state title by winning two races in the pre-1972 class, beating him Mark Jewell in one and Stuart Young in the other. Bill Meeke won both outings in the pre-1965 class.

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motorsport news

rear of grid

ODD SPOT! When Drifters Collide ...

John Morris

OUR understanding of the Time Attack event held at Eastern Creek last weekend.

New Zealand Drift driver Cole Armstrong had a pretty heavy crash during the

event, but it was the aftermath of the collision that was interesting. Armstrong was sitting on the ground in a type of ‘surrender’ position with officials pointing

around him. It looked like he was being arrested at the scene of a crime.

He wasn’t, and no one was injured in the incident.

ON THIS DAY 7 AUGUST 1966

IT would be just wrong to leave this out. It is 45 years since Jack Brabham scored a remarkable fourth-straight Grand Prix victory, at the Nurburgring. Black Jack won in France (the first GP victory for Repco), Britain and in Holland, and then took victory in Germany, ahead of the Cooper-Maseratis of John Surtees and Jochen Rindt. The wins put Brabham on-track to a remarkable double win, in the World Drivers’ and Constructors’ championship.

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