Motorsport eNews Issue 223 - September 20-26, 2011

THE WORLD OF MOTORSPORT DIRECTLY TO YOUR DESKTOP

Issue No. 223 September 20 - 26 2011

WAS THAT THE LAST

500 AT THE ISLAND?

WE REVEAL THE PLAN TO BRING THE BATHURST WARM-UP BACK TO SANDOWN

F1, TARGA WEST, NASCA AND INDYCAR COVERAG

LET THE BATTLE BEGIN: ROD NASH RACING AND KELLY www.mnews.com.au RACING SET TO FIGHT FOR REYNOLDS’ SERVICES

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A SPECIAL SOUVENIR EDITION OF MOTORSPORT NEWS

MARCOS AMBROSE ON HIS BREAKTHROUGH WIN JUST HOURS AFTER WINNING AT WAKINS GLEN, AMBROSE SPOKE TO MN ABOUT MAKING THE LONG TREK TO VICTORY LANE

ber 2011

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PLUS: DAVID REYNOLDS’ GUIDE TO MOTOR RACING FITNESS, GARTH TANDER GOES TRUCKING MAD IN THE HRT TRANSPORTER, AN EXCLUSIVE CHAT WITH MCLAREN’S MARTIN WHITMARSH, LOEB V OGIER: INSIDE THE CIVIL WAR AT CITROEN, IRISH V8 SUPERCAR DRIVER ROBERT CREGAN, INSIDE THE CAMS RISING STARS, THE CIK STARS OF KARTING, AND MUCH, MUCH MORE

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Issue No. 223 | 20-26 Sept 2011

news 4

Sandown Returns!

Five Hunner heading home 7 Is he a driver, or not?

Mystery around Skaife’s future 10 Super Sonic Back to CCup for Ritter and Co 12 Michael to McLaren???

Not THAT Michael. Sam Micheal

16 DTM looking good for ‘12 Audi and Merc uncovered!

chat 22 Five Minutes With ...

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Tim Blanchard

comment 24 AVL: Formatting Perfection 25 Branagan: 500 is not 1000

race 26 V8 Supercars 38 Carrera Cup 42 Formula Ford 46 IndyCar 50 Classic Adelaide

trade 56 Classifieds 3

V8 BOSSES LOOK TO SANDOWN 500 RETURN V8 SUPERCARS

C

OULD the first of V8 Supercars’ annual endurance races return to Sandown Raceway in 2012?

As next year’s calendar comes together, eNews has learnt of a secret plan to change the venue for the traditional, 500km

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Bathurst warm-up. Phillip Island has hosted the race since 2008 but it has struggled to gain traction, and a switch back to Sandown has been mooted for next year.

Sandown is a traditional home of long-distance racing in Australia, having held its first major endurance race in 1964.

It was the scene of 400km and

later 500km races until 1998, before V8 Supercars moved its ‘500’ to Queensland Raceway.

The race returned to Sandown in 2003, before it was moved again, to Phillip Island in ‘08.

TeamVodafone’s Craig Lowndes and Jamie Whincup won the last V8 Supercar Sandown 500, in ‘07.

The Melbourne circuit is currently midway through

staged, three-year upgrade works, and a deal between the Melbourne Racing Club and V8 Supercars Australia to keep the series at Sandown until at least 2020 was announced last August.

If the switch eventuates, it’s expected Phillip Island would remain on the calendar, hosting a round in November.

– MITCHELL ADAM

motorsport news

NEWS

Andrew Hall

IT’S RNR v KR IN THE FIGHT FOR REYNOLDS V8 SUPERCARS

T

Dirk Klynsmith

www.mnews.com.au

HE future of David Reynolds just got a whole lot more complicated, with Kelly Racing last week releasing a statement on the position of the driver of the Stratco Commodore.

KR appears to have responded to rumours that Reynolds, 26, is on the way to Rod Nash Racing to drive its Ford Performance Racing Falcon next season.

“We are aware of continuing speculation regarding the future of David Reynolds at Kelly Racing beyond 2011,” read the statement.

“Kelly Racing entered into an agreement with David Reynolds that concludes at the end of the 2012 season.

“As far as our team is concerned this agreement continues to bind both parties for this period.”

KR CEO John Crennan was not able to clarify precisely what constituted by “an agreement” when contacted by eNews.

“We have said what we said, and my position has been, ‘If it walks like a duck and talks like a

duck, it is almost always a duck’,” he said.

The wording of the statement appears to be compatible with recent suggestions that there is no signed contract between Reynolds and Kelly Racing. The statement also does not say that it is not prepared to release Reynolds from any obligation, or any perceived obligation, under any circumstances, which would leave the way open for a settlement between the parties.

Reynolds did not shed any light on his situation when eNews approached him for a comment.

“I’m focussed on this weekend,” he said at Phillip Island. “We’ll worry about next week next week.”

Crennan said that there was not timeline to resolve the issue; “It could take as long as two years, depending on whether there is any legal action to be undertaken,” he said.

The situation has come about because of the change of heart that saw Lee Holdsworth deciding to move not to RNR but instead agree to join Stone Brothers Racing, in place of Alex Davison.

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Dirk Klynsmith

RUSSELL WANTS IN V8 SUPERCARS

DAVID Russell is hitting the pavement as he looks to crack into the V8 Supercar Championship Series as a full-timer in 2012.

The Fujitsu Series front-runner and Kelly Racing endurance driver is working on securing a Main Game drive and, along with manager Paul Marinelli, is in discussions with several teams, including Paul Morris Motorsport and Garry Rogers Motorsport.

“The key for me is to make sure I’ve

he’s spent time on-track with PMM boss Morris, who noted Russell’s performances in an FV8 press conference at Queensland Raceway.

“It’s fantastic that someone with Paul’s experience, and as a team owner, has said that he’s recognised me,” Russell said.

“It would be fantastic to do something with Paul Morris Motorsport. He’s running a good team there, with good cars and a lot of potential, so it’d be a fantastic opportunity to drive for them.”

– MITCHELL ADAM

Dirk Klynsmith

TIM, TOO

spoken to all of the appropriate teams that are potentially looking for drivers, and making sure that I’m well positioned to be at the front of their minds,” Russell told eNews.

“There’s obviously driver movement going on, so, for me, it’s just making sure that when the music stops, hopefully I’ve got a commitment from a team for a full-time drive for next year.”

Russell is currently second to Andrew Thompson in the Fujitsu Series, driving a BF Falcon for MW Motorsport. In that series,

V8 SUPERCARS

TIM Blanchard is eyeing a role in the V8 Supercar Championship after a stellar drive at Phillip Island.

Blanchard, who made his Main Game debut at PI last year with Greg Murphy, started the L&H 500 from seventh, and he and co-driver David Reynolds were sixth after 113 laps.

The 24-year-old Melbourne driver was one of the standouts of the race, which also featured a marquee drive from his Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series rival, Nick Percat. Blanchard says that he feels both of them are ready for the Main Game.

“We are both at the right age with the right experience, we have both won Formula Ford championships, and we are both in the Fujitsu Series,” said Blanchard. “I think we 6

both did a good job on the weekend. I hope that people recognise that and give us an opportunity.”

Blanchard qualified the Stratco Commodore 12th in his group on Saturday, ahead of the likes of Mark Winterbottom, Greg Ritter and Russell Ingall. After making the duo’s mandatory pitstop, he finished 19th, one spot ahead of Kelly Racing team-mate,

David Russell.

With Reynolds starting sixth and finishing fourth in his Qualifying race, that put Blanchard seventh on the grid on Sunday, one spot behind eventual race winner, Mark Skaife.

For more with Tim Blanchard, see ‘5 Minutes With’ on Page 22. motorsport news

NEWS

COMMISH ONLY V8 SUPERCARS

Andrew Hall

MARK Skaife could race a V8 Supercar after he assumes the role of Chairman of the V8 Supercar Commission – but don’t look for him to do it in 2012.

Skaife appeared to leave the door open to continuing his racing duties next year, after he and Craig Lowndes extended their unbeaten streak to three with a win in the L&H 500 at Phillip island on Sunday.

“As long as I want to do it for and as long as I’m enjoying it, I could do it [race],” he said.

“But, the whole thing is, you want to do it at a level that is commensurate with what you expect to be able to do. If I can’t do it at a level that is good enough to either win races like this or at least be competitive then I wouldn’t do it. Results like this don’t hamper than enthusiasm, they probably help it.”

But according to Tim Edwards, who is acting as the Commission Chairman until Skaife officially steps into the role after the Bathurst 1000 next month, that can only mean that Skaife may race in 2013, not next year.

“His appointment to the Commission is for two years,” said Edwards.

“That runs until July 2013. He may not be reappointed after that.”

Asked whether Skaife would be required to give a specific commitment not to race a V8 Supercar while he fills the Chairman role, said Edwards; “I am pretty sure that he has already done that, to the [V8 Supercars] Board.”

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DANE: LET THEM AT IT V8 SUPERCARS TEAMVODAFONE boss Roland Dane has played down any talk of team orders as Craig Lowndes and Jamie Whincup get set to fight it out for the 2011 V8 Supercar crown.

The first signs of friendly fire between cars #88 and #888 started to show in Sunday’s L&H 500 at Phillip Island, when co-drivers Mark Skaife and Andrew Thompson clashed on

Lap 1 of the race. The contact was only mild, but enough to damage car #88’s door enough to ruin any chance of Thompson and Whincup winning the race.

But when quizzed postrace whether he would ever instigate team orders, Dane played a straight bat.

“Hopefully we don’t have any issues,” he said.

“I think both guys are capable of playing a fair and good game

on-track, and its up to the team to provide them with the equipment to do that. That’s always been my plan, my aim, my intention.

“If we are in a position where those two are fighting for the championship at the end of the year then they can have a proper go at doing it.”

Lowndes closed the gap to Whincup by six points at Phillip Island, with just 92 points now separating the two.

TD AIMI

BATH

CRAIG’S TWI-RADE CARRERA CUP THE Twitterspehere has become a place for drivers to vent their outrage, with Craig Baird paying out on what he thought was a bad call for a jumped start in Carrera Cup at PI. Baird was deemed to have jumped the start in the final

CCup event and served a drivethrough penalty. He finished 11th in the race, after a second and win in the first two races.

“Also does anyone know who the dead shit that was the judge of fact for my jump start at PI,” he Tweeted after the race, “Data and on board prove no movement.

Dick head.”

He added, “Off to Singapore GP this week for Porsche Cup Car race. Hope the Dead shit judge of fact isn’t there. Bitter yes just looked points cost 42.”

Baird finished third overall for the weekend, behind Daniel Gaunt and Jonny Reid.

Helio Castroneves was also active on Twitter, see Page 14 ...

BULLAS MAKES V8 SWITCH V8 SUPERCARS DUAL Touring Car Masters champion Gavin Bullas will make his Fujitsu Series debut at Bathurst next month.

With Bullas benching his TCM Mustang for the year and unlikely to race in the class next year, he’ll contest the Bathurst round as a one-off with Eggleston Motorsport as he assesses 2012 options. Bullas will test the team’s VE Commodore – as used by Cameron McConville at Townsville and Queensland

Raceway, pictured – at Winton next week, his only other Supercar experience coming in a brief test at Calder nearly a decade ago.

“I’m excited about it, but on the other hand I’m nervous about it; jumping into a whole new category and not knowing where it’s at,” Bullas admitted.

“It’ll be a one-off for this year, we’ll see where we are. Next year we’re looking at campaigning something for the full year.

“I probably won’t run in my [TCM] car next year, we’ll put that

up for sale, but certainly we’ll look at campaigning probably a Fujitsu Series car at this stage, I’d say. I’d love to do Bathurst in the Main Game at least once, and this would give us an opportunity to do that. If we did quite well with it, we could try and get a wildcard entry for next year’s race.”

Bullas is also looking at Carrera Cup, and has been in contact with Porsche’s Motorsport Manager, Jamey Blaikie, about the category.

“I have spoken to Jamey a

couple of times, and he’s said that next time they do a test day, he’ll give me a run in one,” he said.

“And Stevie Richards has questioned me a few times, saying ‘you should come and try our cars out’.

“At this stage, I’m keen to do something, but it’s just a matter of what we do and where I’m at. We’re pushing, we’re talking to a really major sponsor about running a car for a full year and we’ll see where we end up.”

– MITCHELL ADAM

Dirk Klynsmith

8

motorsport news

NEWS

ING FOR

V8 SUPERCARS

HURST

TONY D’Alberto is likely to be fit for the Bathurst 1000, despite missing Sunday’s L&H 500 through illness.

D’Alberto withdrew from the 500-kay race before qualifying on Saturday morning after contracting Chicken Pox. Taz Douglas was rushed in to partner Dale Wood, while D’Alberto watched the race from hospital.

But while D’Alberto was still under the

weather today (Monday), he is confident of being on the grid at Bathurst in three weeks.

“Yeah, I’m sure I’ll be there,” he said.

“I’m pretty positive. I feel 50 percent better today than I did yesterday.”

As for watching the Phillip Island race, instead of competing in it, D’Alberto says it was a bitter sweet sensation.

“It was pretty painful, that was seriously bad luck,” he added.

“But it was good in a way; it makes you realise how much you want to be out there.

“I though the guys did a good job. Taz had a tough job ahead of him, to just jump in like that. There wasn’t a lot of expectation on him, but he did really well. He out-qualified guys who had been in the car all weekend.”

– ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN

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NEWS

John Morris / Mpix

SONIC LOOKING AT CUPCAR CARRERA CUP SONIC Motor Racing Services is evaluating a return to the Porsche Carrera Cup in 2012.

In addition to Formula Ford and Fujitsu Series campaigns, the Melbourne squad has run a range of Porsche CupCars in recent years, initially in the first chapter of Australian Carrera Cup and more recently in the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge. They opted against entering the reborn series in 2011, but strong interest from prospective 2012 drivers could see Sonic return to the category they won in

2007 with David Reynolds, above.

“I think the series is probably proving to be a bit stronger than people thought,” team boss Michael Ritter told eNews.

“For us, at the end of the day, if there’s someone there, the right sort of driver, who can put together the right package together and for whatever reason would prefer to do CupCar over the Fujitsu Series, we’d look at it, absolutely.

“If we can go and have a legitimate crack at winning the championship with someone, we’d look at it.”

Four new Porsches will make their debut in the category in the 2012 season opener, but Ritter isn’t solely focusing on acquiring one of them, with several existing cars likely to go onto the market.

“At the end of the day, for me, it doesn’t matter whether it’s a new car we buy,” he said.

“I’m sure there are going to be existing cars coming up for sale at the end of the year with very little mileage on them, so whether it’s a new car or a current car, if we’re going to go, we’ll go one way or the other.”

– MITCHELL ADAM

COFFS WANTS RALLY AUS ... EVERY YEAR WRC

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Michael Vettas

RALLY Australia chairman Ben Rainsford is calling for Australia to have an annual spot on the World Rally Championship calendar.

Currently, Rally Australia shares its slot on the schedule with New Zealand, making each country’s round bi-annual. But Rainsford told WRC.COM that his plan was to make Rally Australia an annual event from 2013 onwards.

“We will run as a round of the Australian Rally Championship [in 2012],” said Rainsford.

“We are not on the WRC calendar, but we’ll be pushing hard to become an annual event from 2013. The ARC round will happen next year, giving us the chance to help with the development of officials and the like here.

We can do that outside of the WRC spotlight.

We’ll also look at giving the event a little bit of sizzle to remind people of the WRC.” Rainsford also confirmed that Rally Australia will stay at Coffs Harbour, after the locals gave the event a warm reception earlier this month.

“Barring a natural disaster or anything

like that we will stay here, we don’t want to start chopping and changing. We’d like to establish a base here and start that development.

“We reached saturation point on local accommodation very early on and we had to span out a little bit into the other regions, but that’s been good for the surrounding shires. The local community’s reaction

to the show that is the WRC has been extraordinary. We’ve had more than 25,000 people coming into the Super Special and that, combined with the number of people we’ve had at the enthusiasts’ points out on the stages, is extraordinary. The good thing is that when you walk down the street, everybody knows about the rally. The numbers here are very high.” motorsport news

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MICHAEL TO JOIN MCLAREN FORMULA 1 AUSTRALIAN engineer Sam Michael will move to McLaren in 2012.

It was announced earlier this year that Michael would leave his current post as technical director at Williams after the Korean Grand Prix this year, but until now his plans beyond that point were unknown.

But late last week McLaren announced that Michael will take over the role of sporting director for the 2012 season.

“I’m extremely excited to be joining Vodafone McLaren Mercedes,” said Michael.

“Being a racer my whole life, I know that McLaren is one of the all-time greats of Formula 1. I already know and respect many of the team’s senior technical management figures, and becoming a member of that excellent working unit was one of the prime attractions of this new position.

“Equally, for some time I’ve closely observed and greatly admired both Lewis [Hamilton] and Jenson [Button] as grade-

one drivers, and therefore regard it as an enormous privilege to be able to work with both of them.

“I’ve spent 11 seasons with WilliamsF1, have many fond memories, and truly wish them all the best. In the near future, however, I will become 100 percent focused on Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, and will be aiming to ensure that the team’s famous rocket-red victory T-shirts will be seen many times over the coming years.”

“Speaking on behalf of everyone at Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, I’m very pleased to welcome Sam as an important senior addition to our race team,” added McLaren boss Martin Whitmarsh.

“He’ll bring a very valuable blend of experience and expertise to our pitwall, and will also enrich the technical management we provide for our drivers.

I’m certain he’ll work extremely well with our senior technical management team, which I firmly believe will now become the strongest in all of Formula 1.”

PEREZ TESTS FORMULA 1

sutton-images.com

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SERGIO Perez has tested for Ferrari, as part of his role in the Ferrari Driver Academy.

The Sauber driver completed 46 laps of Fiorano in a 2009-spec Ferrari F1 car after spending two days in Ferrari’s simulator, with a best time of 1:00.650s. He was joined on track by Ferraribacked Frenchman Jules Bianchi, who completed 70 laps with a best of 1:00.213s.

“Today, we followed two different programmes with Perez and Bianchi,” said Academy head Luca Baldisserri.

“Sergio impressed, despite this being his first time at the wheel of a Ferrari. He proved to be aggressive and quick right from the start and was able to adapt motorsport news

NEWS

FERNANDO: NO CHANCE OF TITLE

Alonso admits that the championship belongs to Super Seb, ^OPSL -LYYHYP JVUÄYT UV TVYL KL]LSVWTLU[ VU º JHY FORMULA 1 FERNANDO Alonso is the latest Formula 1 driver to concede that Sebastian Vettel will be the 2011 World Champion.

Speaking to the Ferrari website last week, Alonso said that while he and the team will continue to push for wins in the remaining Grands Prix, they are only fighting for second in the championship.

“I think in this part of the year, with the advantage that Vettel has, winning the title is not mathematically impossible but it is extremely difficult,” he said.

“We will fight to get second place in the championship, which is better than fifth, and try and enjoy every Sunday as we did in Monza, where we qualified fourth, attacked aggressively

at first corner, fought in the race and then enjoyed the podium.

“So our aim, when we arrive to Singapore, will be to win the race. After practice and qualifying we will see where we are exactly. But now, before the race, there is one clear aim – winning.”

Alonso’s comments came just days after Ferrari admitted that it too had given up on winning the ’11 title, by telling media that the focus was now 100 percent on 2012.

“We have stopped the development [of the car],” Stefano Domenicali told BBC Sport. “It is very, very, very, very, very difficult now. We were expecting a bigger step in our development at Spa. Unfortunately, we discovered it was the opposite so we took a step back, and that was also a step back for Monza.”

sutton-images.com

S FERRARI

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to the car in a very short space of time.”

But while Perez enjoyed his time in a Ferrari, he added that his role with Sauber – which will continue into 2012 – remains as his priority.

“I think there is room for me to do well where I am and that’s my current target,” he said.

“It’s impossible to say how things will go and my dream is to become World Champion and it would be nice if it could happen with a team like this one. I have got a lot out of this time with the Ferrari Driver Academy. The work on the simulator, the meetings with the engineers are all things that will help me over the rest of the season and in general in the future.”

13

POWERING AHEAD INDYCARS WILL Power has set up a two-round showdown in his battle with Dario Franchitti for the Indycar championship.

Power finished second in Japan, five spots ahead of his rival, to seize back the points lead and take the fight to the final two races of the season in Kentucky and Las Vegas.

Last year, Team Penske won at Kentucky, with Helio Castroneves doing the winning.

There was no Indycar race at Las Vegas.

“It was a good day for us points-wise in the championship, but I’m really not worried about points right now,” said Power, who more than 3s behind Scott Dixon. “I just need to keep finishing in front of (Franchitti) the rest of the way and we’ll be fine. We’ll keep chipping away like we have been.”

Power qualified second for the Japanese race, but had no answer for the speed of Dixon, who remains a distant third in the points but within mathematical contention.

INDY O

Castroneves pena INDYCARS THE standard of officiating in Indycar racing has come under the spotlight again with some angry drivers flying home from Japan.

The man who appears most upset is Helio Castroneves. The Brazilina finished seventh on the road but was dropped to 22nd, the last of the drivers on the lead lap, after race director Brian Barnhart deemed that his Hitachi-backed car passed JR Hildebrand for the position under yellow flags. The local yellows were in place at Turn 3 after Vitor Miera spun off, but were out for two laps.

Castroneves, who has previously been put on probation for his criticism of some decisions, was at first somewhat circumspect in his comments.

“I am very disappointed in the result and the decision to penalise us at the end,” he said on TV. “I have said it before; the decisions by Race Control have been very inconsistent, this season especially, and I think today was just another example.

CHICAGOLAND RAINED OFF TO MONDAY NASCAR

14

NASCAR Media

SIX hours of rain have prompted NASCAR officials to postpone the Sprint Cup race set for Chicagoland until Monday, US time.

The Geico 400 will now start at midday, local time, with Matt Kenseth on pole position. It will be the first time that a race in The Chase for the Sprint Cup has been postponed.

Race officials attempted several times to dry the 1.5-mile oval using jet dryers, but the decision was taken about six hours past the scheduled start time.

The weather forecast for the area, Joliet Illinois, is for fine and cloudy weather. motorsport news

NEWS

OFFICIALS UNDER THE GUN

alised 15 places for yellow pass – but Dario punts Briscoe and plays on

Indycar Media Indycar Media

I am really upset about it and I from the Penske car, Franchitti think it is very unfortunate for resumed and many waited the fans and my fellow drivers.” for him to be hit with a driveWhen he got to his Twitter through penalty. He wasn’t; account, he really let fly. race control moved Franchitti to “It is sad to see one person the rear of the field for a restart being responsible for bringing – a loss of around three spots, down an entire series,” he since he had lost so mush track Tweeted. “Brian Banhart is position – and from there, he inconsistent and even changes mounted a rearguard action to rule book when is convenient climb to eighth by the flag – one for him, and his own personal position gained at the expense interests. In the same race in of Castroneves, of course.

International television he At the time of the restart after penalizes some but not others. the Briscoe incident, Power’s ‘live’ Making the famous @paultracy ‘s points lead was 23. Post-race, it words mine : Brian Barnhart is a is 11. circus clown! Very disappointed for finishing 7th. and being put to 22nd. This is just ABSURD !!!

Just expressing my feelings right now!”

The other controversial decision in the race was the penalty applied to Dario Franchitti. The Scot punted Ryan Briscoe in the rear and spun both around, causing several other drivers to take evasive action. After reversing away

RCR: No Case NASCAR

www.mnews.com.au

NASCAR Media

NASCAR officials have investigated Paul Menard’s spin, and subsequent yellow flag period, late in the race at Richmond, and found there is no case for further enquiries.

Last Friday, NASCAR President Mike Helton told the press that there would be an investigation of the action, which enabled Kevin Harvick, right, and other drivers to pit for new tyres with about 15 laps of the race remaining. Harvick went on to win the race in his Budweiser entry. Both drivers race for Richard Childress racing.

“We’re going to look into it and see if there’s anything,’’ Helton said. “A lot of it is going to be interpretation. Certainly, it’s on us to understand exactly what all we can find as far as facts are concerned. It’s on all of our shoulders to get the facts right and if there’s something there, we should find out about it and be sure that we’ve got it right.’’

But a day later, NASCAR spokesman Kerry Tharp said officials had listened to Menard’s radio transmission prior to the spin, and found nothing to indicate that Menard, who had been delayed earlier in the race, had done anything deliberately.

15

HOT: NEW AUDI & MERC DTM CARS V8 SUPERCARS MERCEDES-BENZ and Audi unveiled their new DTM challengers at the Frankfurt Motor Show last week.

The covers came off both Merc’s C-Class Coupe and Audi’s A5 at the famous show in Germany, with both cars conforming to the DTM’s new-for-2012 rules, which include a standard carbon fibre safety cell, reduced aerodynamics and larger wheels and tyres.

“The first test of a new car is always an exciting moment,” said Mercedes driver Garry Paffet.

“After getting a feel for the handling and performance of the DTM AMG Mercedes C-Coupe around the Lausitzring, I can say I’m very pleased with it. Of course, we still have a lot of development work ahead of us before the 2012 season opener at Hockenheim.

“The driving experience is quite different to that of previous DTM cars. The new Hankook tyres for 2012 are wider and have taller sidewalls, providing more mechanical grip. Also, the gear lever has disappeared for 2012 – we will change gear using paddles on the steering wheel instead – and that’s something I’m already used to from Formula 1.”

ATKO BACK IN THE IRC WORLD RALLYING CHRIS Atkinson will return to the Intercontinental Rally Challenge this weekend.

The Australian’s Asia Pacific Rally Championship employer, Proton, has drafted him in for this weekend’s Rallye Sanremo to replace P-G Andersson. It will be his second IRC event of the year, though his first at Monte Carlo in January was shortlived – retiring with electrical problems 700m into the opening stage.

“I’ve done the recce for this event before, but never competed in Sanremo,” Atkinson said.

“It’s fair to say that this is one of the events I’ve always wanted to do: it’s one of the classics and a really tough event. From what I remember some of the stages can be quite technical and then there’s the night stage, which is 16

going to be a big challenge.

Atkinson currently leads the Asia Pacific standings with two rounds remaining. That series resumes in Japan on September 30 after a three-month break.

“I haven’t competed for a while now, so I’m really keen to get back in the car,” he said.

“Competing in Sanremo will definitely help me for the following week in Japan.

There’s nothing like time in the car to keep you sharp. The competition in IRC will be really tough as usual.

“Those boys have been out racing pretty much every other week and that really gets you on the ball as a driver. I’m pretty fortunate having a team-mate like Giandomenico [Basso], he’s got plenty of knowledge on setting the car up on these roads and for tyre choice if the weather closes in.”

SPECTRUM OPEN TO NEW FORMULA FORD FORMULA FORD AUSTRALIAN Formula Ford manufacturer Spectrum is open to building a new specification chassis for the 2012 British Formula Ford Championship, but will not commit to doing so until the final regulations and costs are revealed.

The new generation British Formula Ford was released at the Frankfurt Motor Show in Germany last week (see separate story), and while the FIA-approved regulations are unlikely to hit Australian shores for quite some time, Spectrum is already active in the UK, through agent Mark Bailey Racing.

While the final regulations and costs are yet to be revealed, Spectrum’s marketing manager Paul Zsidy told eNews that there is a chance a new generation car could be built for 2012.

“It could happen,” he said.

“If there was a deal in place and it all made sense then we could get involved; but first we need to know exactly what we’re dealing with. Until we get everything through – the costs and the regulations – it’s impossible for us to do anything. If someone asked us how much it would cost to build a car, we wouldn’t know.

We don’t even know if it will require a modification to the existing chassis, or a clean slate.

“But its good that something is happening. We’ve been hearing about the new car for a few years now so to see it moving in a direction is good.”

Zsidy added that he wasn’t sure if any parts of the new car, which include carbon fibre crash structures and a six-speed gearbox, would suit the Australian Championship.

“Once again, we have to wait and see what the final spec is before we can have a good look and work out what could be adapted to what we have here in Australia.”

– ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN motorsport news

NEWS

FFORD GOES KINETIC! FORMULA FORD THIS is the first ever Formula Ford built to the new FIA spaceframe regulations.

Revealed at the Frankfurt Motor Show in Germany last week, the Mygale-built space age Formula Ford racer is powered by the Ford EcoBoost 1600cc turbo engine that will be introduced to the British Formula Ford Championship in 2012.

Making about 160 horsepower, the car also features a fully removable seat, carbon crash structures and higher sidepods to increase safety, and a six-speed sequential gearbox.

“The 2012 specification car’s FIA approved safety attributes, powerful Ford EcoBoost engine and striking kinetic design, make for a really appealing proposition for race teams and drivers,” said Mike Norton, motorsport manager, Ford of Europe.

“Formula Ford is already well-known as the perfect proving ground for upand-coming drivers and engineers, and it is Ford’s desire to continue nurturing this by supporting teams and manufacturers across the globe with the safest environment, latest technologies and most attractive packages. Formula Ford is in its 44th www.mnews.com.au

consecutive year and remains a very popular choice for drivers around the world. Many Formula Ford drivers have gone onto careers in Formula 1.

This is a great compliment to Formula Ford and we are at Ford proud of this achievement.”

But don’t expect to see the newspecification Formula Ford in the Australian Championship any time soon. According to AFFC category manager Margaret Hardy, the local series will watch how the new car is received in the UK before making any decisions to introduce it to Australia.

“Formula Ford in Australia has been aware for some time of the intention to launch new category technical regulations for the UK series, but until now we’ve not had any details,” Hardy said.

“Our first step will be to understand the detail and then to discuss the relevance of them to the Australian market and with our various stakeholders, including of course Ford.

“We’ll also carefully monitor the introduction of the new regulations into UK competition in 2012 … given the success of Formula Ford in this country, there is no need for change in the foreseeable future.”

17

NEWS

TWO CLEAR!

V8 SUPERCARS CASEY Stoner is almost two races clear of the field after his eighth MotoGP win of the year at Aragon in Spain.

Stoner gave way to team-mate Dani Pedrosa and Ben Spies at the first corner by was past both before the end of the opening lap and charged away to a winning margin of more than 8s. Pedrosa was second and Jorge Lorenzo third, the local coning from behind to pass Spies, who had earlier been passed by Marco Simoncelli,

before the Italian dropped back to fifth after running wide.

“Our start was pretty average,” Stoner admitted after the race, “I pulled to the left a little on the start and managed to avoid hitting Dani [Pedrosa] but Ben [Spies] came around the outside and I ended up third or fourth going into turn one, but from there we were able to settle down and feel pretty comfortable with the bike. I wanted to get to the front as soon as possible as the bike has been working perfect all weekend and it was our race to lose, so I wanted to try

and get out in front and pull a gap.”

The race was another disaster for Valentino Rossi and Ducati. Forced to take his seventh engine of the season because of changes to his bike, the Italian started from the pitlane, 10s behind the pack. He charged through the field, but ran out of grip mid-race and hung on for 10th. While that in itself is not a terrible result, he was only third among the Ducati riders in the race, behind Nicky Hayden (seventh) and Hector Barbera (eighth) – hardly what fans would have been thinking at the start of the year.

PROPOSED SCHEDULE RELEASED FOR MOTOGP MOTOGP AUSTRALIA’S MotoGP round has been pushed later in the season on the 2012 calendar.

DORNA has released its proposed schedule for next season and there are a number of changes, including an October 28 date for the Phillip Island event.

The season will start with the now-traditional nighttime Qatar GP on 15 April, and all 18 2010 venues have retained

their events, though several are subject to contracts or final approval, including Jerez, Estoril and the German race, which does not yet have a circuit attached to the event.

The other major change is that the two USA events, at Laguna Seca and Indianapolis, will run back-to-back, though only the MotoGP class will run in California. A rumoured third Stateside race, at the new GP circuit in Austin Texas, did not get a date on the calendar.

John Morris/Mpix

18

Provisional 2012 calendar 15 April 29 April 6 May 20 May 3 June 17 June 30 June 8 July 15 July 29 July 19 August 26 August 16 September 30 September 14 October 21 October 28 October 11 November

Qatar Spain Portugal (STC) France Catalunya Great Britain Netherlands Germany (STC) Italy United States Indianapolis Czech Rep. San Marino Aragon Japan Malaysia Australia Valencia

Doha/Losail Jerez de la Frontera Estoril Le Mans Catalunya Silverstone Assen TBC Mugello Laguna Seca Indianapolis Brno Misano Motorland Motegi Sepang Phillip Island Ricardo Tormo motorsport news

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NEWS

BATHURST 12 HOUR LATE bloomer Ted Huglin will add a start in next year’s Armor All Bathurst 12 Hour to his growing motorsport CV. The 75-year-old has built up his involvement in recent years after a late start in the sport, and currently campaigns a Lamborghini LP570 GT3 in various GT-style events. In February, he’ll make his 12 Hour debut in it, enlisting Cameron McConville as one of his co-drivers.

“We are going to have a red-hot go and we’re certainly not doing this to make up the numbers,” Huglin said.

“Cam has done more laps at Bathurst than he’s had hot dinners and

Rob Lang

TED’S BIG BATHURST PLAN

he’s a star. There are very few drivers who know that place better than Cam: he’s very fast and very reliable and will be a great asset to have in the team. We’re also not far away from confirming our third driver and he will be very, very competitive. We will have a strong team.

“We were going to do the race this year but I didn’t agree with some of the regulations regarding to what tyres we could use and the number of stops our car had to make.

“But they have changed that this year and opened it right up so we were the first to say ‘yes, we’re going’. It’s a great Event and this year could be the big year where it gains a massive following both here and abroad.”

sutton-images.com

STRAKKAN WHILE THE IRON’S HOT SPORTSCARS THE Honda-based sportscar program will continue, in a way, with news that Strakka Racing will enter next year’s World Endurance Championship (WEC).

The British team will field an entry in the series, based on the LMP1 Honda Performance Development HPD ARX-03a that Highcroft Racing raced earlier this season. Team owner Nick Leventis and co20

drivers Jonny Kane and Danny Watts will steer the car, to be powered by a 3.4-litre, normally-aspirated HPD V8 engine, which is designed and built by Honda Performance Development at its Californian headquarters. The Wirth Research-designed car will continue to race on Michelin tyres.

Strakka has tasted a considerable amount of success in its four-year history, including an LMP2 class win at Le Mans last year, when the car finished fifth outright. motorsport news

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FIVE MINUTES WITH ...

TIM BLANCHARD After an up-and-down season in Fujitsus, Blanchard stepped up at PI, partnering David Reynolds to sixth in the L&H 500. By PHIL BRANAGAN MOTORSPORT NEWS: That was a good performance in your second V8 Main Game start. How did you approach the race?

TIM BLANCHARD: It was good to be competitive and to start the race in the top 10, so it was a matter of trying to make sure that we didn’t make any mistakes.

You need to make sure that you do the little things right. You need to make a good start and to make good pitstops, and make the strategy work. We knew that if we did that, we should be right for a top 10 result. It wasn’t about trying to set the world on fire, it was about doing the job and bringing it home.

Your Fujitsu [V8s] season may not have been what you anticipated at the start of the year.

It has been a little disappointing, to be honest.

I think we are improving. I think that the last race we had at Queensland Raceway showed a bit more promise, so I am looking forward to getting to Bathurst in that car. It would be good to get a similar result that we had at Phillip Island.

How do you mix the two programs and cars? Do you put the Fujitsu commitments out of your mind and just concentrate on the Stratco team?

Not necessarily. I have had the support of Jayco in the Fujitsu Series and and I want to keep doing the job for them and Matty White, and I want to get good results in the Fujitsu Series.

I want that just as much as I want to do well in the Stratco car. I can’t take my eye off what I am doing in the Fujitsu Series.

Is it a completely different critter to drive, to go from the Fujitsu car and the Reynolds car?

There is a bit of a different driving style to the cars and that takes a bit of adapting to. We made some changes to the Fujitsu car, to make them a bit more similar. I 22

think those changes will be a big help when he get to Bathurst.

David [Reynolds] has had the car to himself all year. How much of a compromise was there on set-up? Do you get some sort of input?

A little bit on set-up.There was a fair bit of compromise on the seating position.

Dave is pretty small!

In terms of set-up, Reynolds has been doing the job in the car all year and he was going to be doing the majority of the work, so there was quite a bit of feedback for what I was doing, I thought.

It was still mainly his set-up, and that because of the job he has been doing with it all year.

So, the scenario is; you are about to start your second V8 Supercar [Main Game] race; you are seventh on the grid and the car immediately in front of you is driven my Mark Skaife. What are you thinking about?

It did seem a bit daunting, while I was following his car around on the warm-up lap. Then we were firing it down into the Kink on the first lap and there was a bit of rubbing, and I was trying to get past.

It is just another car, another driver.

Once you start a race, it doesn’t matter what name is on the side of the car. They are all the same to me.

I am old, I have been watching races like these for a long time and the impressive thing was that you never, at any stage of the weekend, looked in over your head.

I don’t think that I was.

I have done a fair bit in racing by now.

I have been to Europe, I have won the Australian Formula Ford championship, and this is my second year in the Fujitsu Series.

I have done a fair few miles now over the years in racing cars, and I feel like I was ready to step up into the Main Game, and over the weekend, I proved that.

Given how well the Kelly Racing car went over the weekend, do it raise your expectations for Bathurst?

I think that our expectations for both races were to be inside the top 10. That might sound crazy but it is a lot more realistic than we might have thought. I think that we are heading to Bathurst with a lot more confidence, after having put a good result on the board.

Is there some since of familiarity about the races? You are racing against people like Nick Percat and Andrew Thompson, who you race against in the Fujitsu Series as well. The same faces, but on a higher step?

It does make it a little bit easier. The way the format is, to separate the co-drivers and the Main Game guys, a lot of the co-drivers are coming I for the first race of the year. That also makes it a little bit edgier, and it is still a challenge.

Some of the sport’s more experienced co-drivers finished behind you. You and Nick Percat, in particular, had a great weekend. Do you feel like you are ready for an opportunity to step up to the Main Game?

I think so. We are both at the right age with the right experience, we have both won Formula Ford championships, and we are both in the Fujitsu Series. I think we both did a good job on the weekend.

I hope that people recognise that and give us an opportunity.

Your dad [former BMW team driver John Blanchard] used to race Touring Cars and he has raced in the Bathurst 1000. He is overseas on vacation. How was the phone bill on the weekend?

Pretty big, I think! He was on the phone quite a bit, to the family, so it was an expensive weekend.

He is due to fly in from LA and go straight to Bathurst from there. He is going to be pretty tired by the end of the race, I think ... motorsport news

CHAT

www.mnews.com.au

23

I FIND myself sitting in the media centre at Phillip Island, preparing to write another opinion piece about the Saturday format used at the L&H 500.

Just to make sure I didn’t go over bad ground, before I opened Microsoft Word and starting tapping away I went back to eNews from 50 issues ago ... which I suppose normal people would call a year. Sure enough I wrote an opinion piece about the L&H 500 format in #172. If I didn’t have other things to get on with before making the long drive back to Melbourne, I’d probably zoom back to #122 and find a similar think piece on those pages, too.

Anyway, last year I wrote about the fact that championship points were awarded across both qualifying races, offering the chance for a driver to score

points in civvies and cross trainers. Change that, I said, and it would be a perfect format.

That was representative of how the paddock was receiving the format 12 months ago. Since then, the paddock perception has shifted.

In 2011, people weren’t talking about the points, they were talking about the stops. Up and down pitlane, the common gripe was that having to make one stop across two races made it confusing. Garth Tander summed it up.

“You guys (Ed: the media) can probably answer this question better than us, but whether or not the people at home and the people at the side of the track can follow what’s going on with the pitstop across two [qualifying] races,” he questioned.

OPINION Andrew van Leeuwen – eNews Editor “It wouldn’t be a bad thing if they just gave us all an extra set of tyres and everyone did a pit-stop in both the sprint races. But the format is different; it’s unique. You’ve got to manipulate it and work it to your advantage.”

I’ve got to say, I don’t know that I necessarily agree. Just like I did 12 months ago, I like the L&H 500 format. I like that each pool of drivers is made up of a mix of regulars and co-drivers for the qualifying races. I like that the guys race for grid positions, and I like that some unusual names get a chance to shine because the pit-stop strategy works their way.

Is it a little confusing? Yeah.

Will the fans who really care work it out anyway? Of course.

The ‘Holding the Ball’ rule is still not properly understood

by AFL fans, but the league doesn’t just abolish it. You can’t dumb the sport down for people who don’t care enough to work out what’s going on.

At the end of the day, the L&H 500 format offers something that GT and I both agree is a good thing.

“The good thing is there is plenty of Supercars on the track [on Saturday], so the people coming down get plenty of action.”

Right on, Garth.

Dirk Klynsmith

ENTERTAINMENT COMES FIRST 24

motorsport news

COMMENT

No Mountain is an Island

sutton-images.com

ONE of the wise heads in V8 Supercars looked around the atypically blue Phillip Island sky over the weekend and made the comment, “Don’t forget, this isn’t Bathurst.”

He is right. It isn’t. For years, the 250/400/500/Hang Ten/ Sandown/Queensland/Phillip Island race has been a pointer to the 1000km of Mount Panorama, but it has nearly always come up short of the real thing. Going well in the 500 is one thing, but so is taking a set off Roger Federer.

Getting the whole shebang across the line is another thing.

So, what do we know? That TeamVodafone is really, really good at endurance racing.

The team clicks into gear for the big stuff and shines. Ken Douglas is back on board for the long races as TeamV’s “extra body”, as he puts it, (I think he means “extra brain”).

Mark Skaife and Andrew Thompson did their job and www.mnews.com.au

Craig and Jamie were ....

Craig and Jamie. Whincup is not a man to pretend he is thrilled to finished second to anyone and looked like it, but this is the team to beat at Bathurst.

The Holden Racing Team stepped it up, Garth Tander looking as racy as he ever has.

So did Shane van Gisbergen as Ford’s leading light. V8 Supercars would like to have a bit more Driver v Driver angst out there in public, but trying to get the laid-back pair of Craig and The Giz to bark it out is a big ask. Short of poking them with a cattle prod, they don’t really seem to be able to do “amped up”.

But if something did come out of PI, it was that the new generation is arriving, quickly. Nick Percat was terrific, even if he did stall the car and prompt an aborted start. Tim Blanchard, ditto. An honourable mention to Taz

OPINION Phil Branagan – Executive Editor Douglas, who stepped into the unknown, literally, and did not disgrace himself in Tony D’Alberto’s Falcon after TD went down with chicken pox.

Some of the veterans looked good, like Brighty charging over the last half of the race, but some of them, honestly, looked well past their use-by date. There are a few blokes driving on reputation out there, and one or two filling seats for reasons that I just cannot fathom.

Realistically, the Beams looked like hell. So did some of the SBRs. Where was the BottleO car? And I do not imagine that David Brabham flew all that way hoping to finish 22nd.

But, it’s not Bathurst. If you

take the 500 as the form guide for Bathurst and place your wagers on that, you deserve what you end up with.

One more thing. The Fair Dinkum Sheds car pitted for a broken header and lost 13 laps, thereafter lurching around the place on mostly worn tyres to finished 28th. Everyone else failed to crash, blow up or otherwise screw up. James Moffat and Matt Halliday drove their car 113 laps, just like the winners did, and finished the race 25th! There were no retirements, which is an astonishing and probably, unprecedented feat.

Will that happen in the 1000? Hell, no. Don’t forget; Phillip Island isn’t Bathurst.

25

V8 SUPERCAR CHAMPIONSHIP RACE 19 – L&H 500, PHILLIP ISLAND, VIC

26

motorsport news

RACE

STILL UNDEFEATED

Since getting the band back together at TeamVodafone last year, Craig Lowndes and Mark Skaife have been unbeatable in endurance races. ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN watched them make it three straight at The Island

Dirk Klynsmith

www.mnews.com.au

27

QUALIFYING RACE 1: DAVO’S DE

I

T won’t show up in any record books, but Will Davison won his first race for Ford Performance Racing on Saturday at Phillip Island.

Davison dominated Qualifying Race 1 at The Island, making a ripper start from pole position, establishing a couple of seconds worth of gap in the first couple of laps, and then maintaining that gap for the 14 laps of the race. It was actually that simple, and while the win won’t count as an official race win, 50 points and the chance to show the whole field a

28

clean pair of heels was a good look for Davison – particularly given the first group was the one more heavily stacked with regular drivers.

Second was Garth Tander, a result that he said was “better than he hoped for.” Given that he started eighth, it was a fair point, and a result that came from a ripper start that got the HRT Commodore into third, and then a Lap 5 pass on Andrew Thompson at Honda Corner.

Once in second Tander was able to maintain the gap to Davison, but never realistically looked like he’d mount a challenge on

the #6 Falcon.

Thompson held on to finish third, after TeamVodafone elected – for the second year running – to make Jamie Whincup take the pit-stop in the second race and leave the co-driver to complete all 14 laps uninterrupted. Thompson held up his end of the bargain with a podium finish (not that there was actually a podium after the race), despite dropping back from the leaders as the race wore on.

Behind Thompson was a fascinating battle between David Reynolds and his team

boss Todd Kelly. The two got close, very close, on a number of occasions, including Reynolds running wide at MG Corner on Lap 12. But the youngster held on to take fourth, with Kelly settling for fifth – still an impressive result given his less-than-impressive year to date.

Craig Lowndes was sixth, but it should have been so much better. Starting from the front row, and with Mark Skaife nominated to take the pit-stop, Lowndes should have challenged Davison for the win.

But a poor start put paid to that

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ELIGHT

plan, Lowndes smoking the rear bags off the line and dropping back to ninth. He got back to sixth thanks to nifty passes on Michael Caruso, Steve Owen and John McIntyre.

Behind Lowndes, Owen, Caruso, Jason Bright and Fabian Coulthard rounded out the Top 10.

As for the stoppers, John McIntyre, Dean Canto, Owen Kelly, Allan Simonsen, Nathan Pretty, Cam McConville, James Moffat, Steve Richards, Jack Perkins, Taz Douglas and Karl Reindler all got their CPS out the way in QR1.

Dirk Klynsmith

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29

QUALIFYING RACE 2: BLUE OVAL SWEEP

S

HANE van Gisbergen made sure it was a Blue Oval clean sweep in the short races at Phillip Island on Saturday with a straightforward win in Qualifying Race 2.

Right from the start it was van Gisbergen’s race to lose. The Kiwi started on the front row next to Jamie Whincup, but with John McIntyre copping car #9’s compulsory pitstop in QR1, van Gisbergen was free to race to the end, while Whincup was staring down the barrel of a stop.

To make life even easier for himself van Gisbergen won the start, jumping into the lead. For a while Whincup pressured, but eventually he peeled into pit-lane, leaving van Gisbergen with a healthy lead that he would hold for the remainder of the 14 laps.

His efforts, coupled with John McIntyre’s heroics in his pool of drivers, left the #9

30

Falcon third on the grid.

Behind van Gisbergen, Paul Dumbrell reaped the rewards of Dean Canto having stopped in the first race to wind up second.

He might have been a long way behind the leader, but given that the FPR crew hurriedly changed an engine between races (see breakout), it was a mighty effort. As a result, the Dumbrell/Canto effort wound up fifth on the grid for the main race.

Third was Greg Murphy, another driver whose position was somewhat flattered by his team-mate having stopped in QR1. Still, the result boosted the Pepsi Max-backed entry to eighth on the main grid.

Behind those guys it was Mark Winterbottom, James Courtney, Rick Kelly, Warren Luff, Russell Ingall, Dale Wood, Matt Halliday and David Wall – all who didn’t have to make a stop.

Whincup finished best of the stoppers in 12th, but it interestingly it was only enough for fourth on the grid for he and Andrew Thompson. Mark Skaife was next in line, but that was only enough for sixth on the grid for he and Craig Lowndes.

Then there were the stars. Nick Percat came home 14th after stopping in the HRT Commodore, having started an amazing fourth on the grid (his time was the best of anyone at Clayton in regular qualifying), grabbing second spot on the grid.

Luke Youlden drove to a solid 15th place to earn pole for the #6 FPR Falcon, wrapping up a good Saturday at The Island.

He admitted post-race that throughout the 14 laps he didn’t really know what was going on, but kept his head down, listened to the engineers, and soon learnt that he had his first pole position in V8 Supercars.

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Dirk Klynsmith

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C

Dirk Klynsmith

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RAIG Lowndes and Mark Skaife defended their L&H 500 crown at Phillip Island on Sunday, and, like so many of Lowndes’ long distance wins, they did so from the third row of the grid.

Clearly, replication was the name of the game for TeamVodafone. Just like last year, Skaife started the car, while Lowndes watched on from the sidelines. And, like last year, Skaife found clean air, and ultimately the front of the field, by making his first stop nice and early, on Lap 15 to be precise.

But, also like last year, car #88 proved to be a fly in the ointment. Despite falling behind Skaife after the first round of stops, Andrew Thompson soon barged past his teammate and back into the lead.

However, the next round of stops proved costly for #88, and they had #888 to thank for it. When Thomspon went to jump out of the car to let Jamie Whincup jump in, the driver’s door jammed, a product of Thomspon and Skaife getting together on Lap 1. It didn’t cost #88 much time, but it was enough to give #888 crucial track position.

Why was the track position so crucial? Because on Lap 65 some geese wandered out onto Honda Corner (yes, really), bringing out a full-course yellow.

And when almost the whole field filed into pit-lane, Whincup was forced to queue up behind Lowndes. From there, it was never in doubt.

By that, we mean it was never in doubt from Whincup.

But it wasn’t a completely straightforward run home to the flag. First, Garth Tander made his play for control of the race, diving under Lowndes into Turn 1 on Lap 76. Just as Tander’s tyres wore out and Lowndes re-took the lead, Shane van Gisbergen started a late charge, chewing into #888’s lead enough to suggest it was going to go down to the wire. But then he too struck tyre issues, motorsport news

Dirk Klynsmith

Dirk Klynsmith

Tyred: Shane van Gisbergen, above, looked on to snatch the win, but was let down by his tyres late in the race and dropped to fifth. Nick Percat, above right, made a blue, but then made up for it. The ‘Fones got together at the start of the race, below left, and Garth Tander made a big play for the lead, below right, but it wasn’t enough.

Dirk Klynsmith

Dirk Klynsmith

couldn’t make the #9 Falcon turn properly, dropped back to fifth by the end of the race, and left Lowndes to cruise to he and Skaife’s third straight endurance win ahead of Whincup and Thompson.

Was it fortunate? Yeah, a little bit. But with another 1-2 for TeamVodafone, it just can’t be all about luck.

“It’s been a pretty smooth weekend. Everything we’ve done to the car its been responding,” said Lowndes.

“I kept getting mixed radio comms [about fuel]. One minute it was save fuel, and then it was that we were good.

I’m not sure exactly where we were on fuel consumption. The tyres, I couldn’t have pushed much harder. When Shane van www.mnews.com.au

Gisbergen was closing that gap I radioed and said ‘I don’t want to go any faster, because I’m going to burn the tyres up and having nothing left to fight with’. All of a sudden he went backwards. For me, it was a blessing.”

Third was Will Davison and Luke Youlden, the pole-sitters having a reasonably quiet day out. Youlden did a solid job to lead the first part of the race, but the pair later conceded that they lacked the ultimate pace to trouble Triple Eight.

“You never say never, I just kept trucking on,” said Davison.

“At the end of the day, we did all we could do. I think we hit our maximum. Luke did a mega job, [and] you’ve got to be happy when you know you’ve done the best that you can do.”

Tander and Nick Percat came home fourth thanks to a starring role from the young South Australian. Ironically, it was a mistake from Percat that gave him an opportunity to shine; while trying to creep forward into his grid box at the start, Percat stalled the HRT Commodore, causing the start to be aborted. After the crew scrambled to rectify a starter motor problem, the car fired up ... but Percat was forced to relinquish his front row starting spot and kick off his race from pit-lane, at the back of the field.

What followed was impressive.

Percat fired his way through the field, was flawless through his pit-stops, and handed the car back to Tander in fourth place and on par with the leaders. The

charge did leave #2 vulnerable on tyre life, but it was still a heck of a drive from both steerers.

Thanks to their own tyre issue van Gisbergen and John McIntyre wound up fifth, ahead of a very impressive Stratco Racing entry. Tim Blanchard put a tough season in the Fujitsu Series behind him to drive an awesome stint, handing the car back to David Reynolds in a good position. Along with Percat, Blanchard was one of the quiet stars of the race.

Jason Bright/Andy Jones finished seventh after a tough lead-in to the race, Rick and Owen Kelly finished eighth, James Courtney and Cameron McConville finished ninth and Fabian Coulthard and Craig Baird rounded out the Top 10.

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WINNERS LOWNDES/SKAIFE: Winning one endurance race is tough; winning three on the trot is something special.

Once again, Skaife played his part perfectly, and Lowndes simply starred.

NICK PERCAT: Sure, the start-line stall wasn’t great, but he more than made up for it with that awesome stint in the race.

TIM BLANCHARD: The understated star of the race. TB did his chances of a main game in the near future no harm with that drive.

GARTH TANDER: A standard dogged drive from GT. And his move on Lowndes into Turn 1 was pretty awesome.

PERCAT & WHINCUP, QUALI STARS QUALIFYING was an interesting affair at Phillip Island.

Now, just to clarify, I’m talking about qualifying, as in the 20-minute all-in sessions. Not the Qualifying Races, the, well, short races that determined the grid spots for the main race. Got it?

Anyway, Will Davison burst out of the blocks in the first qualifying, setting his best time of 1:33.1874s on his first flying lap. After that he simply circulated, only having one more real crack at a time. It was impressive … or so we thought.

Less than an hour later Jamie Whincup rolled out on track. As soon as pit-lane opened for Qualifying 2, he trundled down pit-lane, laid down a standard looking out-lap, and then busted out a 1:32.6904s flyer. He promptly returned to the pits, hopped out of the car, and let the clock run down. There was no way anyone was going to beat that time. It was a staggering display of speed, and a staggering display of

being right on the money, straight away. It was a one-lap pole effort that devastated the rest of the field by almost three-tenths of a second.

The closest man to Whincup was Shane van Gisbergen, who recorded the only other lap in the 32s bracket across both sessions with a 1:32.9569s effort.

But the big shock of both sessions was what happened at Clayton. Young Nick Percat, facing the massive task of co-driving the #2 HRT Commodore with Garth Tander, stepped up to the plate in a serious way. His time of 1:33.4343s put him fourth in Qualifying 2, which was impressive in itself, but what really got us was that it was the best lap from any HRT driver in any of the qualifying sessions. In Q1, Tander recorded a 1:33.6242s while Cameron McConville’s quickest was a 1:33.7393s. In Q2, the best reigning Champion James Courtney could muster up was a 1:33.7283s. Very, very impressive.

– ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN

LOSERS WHINCUP/THOMMO: First it was a busted door (inflicted by Skaife), then a pit-lane queue. Couldn’t have gone much worse, but they were still second.

GEESE: We’ve seen Safety Car periods for a lot of different things, but two fat geese waddling across the track was a new one.

JIM BEAM RACING: Never looked in the game.

25th and 26th from The Beams reflected their entire weekend, unfortunately.

34

Dirk Klynsmith

TONY D’ALBERTO A case of Chicken Pox sent TD in to hospital and out of the 500 on Saturday morning. His misfortune was good news for Taz Douglas, who impressed as a super sub aboard the WSR Falcon. motorsport news

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Dirk Klynsmith

LUFF’S PESKY ASTERISK STARTING a V8 Supercar Championship race from eighth is a good effort.

Finishing that race seventh shows it is no fluke.

So, why isn’t there more love for Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport?

That is one of the problems that the 500 format engenders. The two 14-lap qualifying races are fine, in themselves, but when Warren Luff got those results in Race 2 on Saturday in the Gulf western VE, any number of folk in pit-lane were willing to

talk about the ‘asterisk’ attached to the race, rather than the performance itself.

And, the team did exactly the right things; “We sacrificed Nathan [Pretty, co-driver] a bit,” admitted Dumbrell.

“He had the worst of the tyres, Warren had the best of them, but it worked out well.”

Which is exactly what any other team owner would have done in any race in which those circumstances appear. LDM

made the right call on strategy; Pretty made the CPS and did the donkey work so that Luff could deliver the result.

The team’s Commodore is a bit long in the tooth, and it is no secret that Dumbrell is looking at better hardware for 2012.

Ironically one of those options, Russell Ingall’s car, finished behind him, and Luff’s lap times were faster in the race.

But in its second year, this was a step in the right direction.

– PHIL BRANAGAN

28 STARTERS, 28 FINISHERS. WOW

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Peter Bury

WHEN was the last time everyone finished a V8 Supercar endurance race?

We do not know the answer to that.

But that is what happened at PI on the weekend; every car that started the race finished.

The Karl Reindler/David Wall car dropped about 13 laps when it pitted with an engine noise. The team replaced a header and then took a long view, sending the drivers out on older tyres to get miles for Bathurst.

The Luff/Pretty car went two laps down, much of it early on, but they all finished. And the 25th-placed Moffat/ Halliday Jim beam car was still on the lead lap.

Never has there been such a quality of hardware in Australian Touring Car racing, and the standard or preparation is also as professional as it has ever been.

– PHIL BRANAGAN

WHAT’S IN A NUMBER? IT was a busy time for all the V8 Supercar teams on Saturday but particularly so at Ford Performance Racing.

Will Davison and Luke Youlden might have secured pole position, but it took wholesale changes on Friday night to do so – and Davo was not certain they had worked, even during the race that he won.

But that was nothing compared to next door. Dean Canto reported an engine misfire in the Bottle-O car and after considering a change of ECU and other electrical bits, the team set to a rapid engine swap between the

races. And when we say ‘the team’, we mean just that; team owner Rod Nash himself was assisting with the engine hoist.

“It would normally take about 90 minutes,” mused FPR principal Tim Edwards.

How long did they have? An hour. They did it in 55 minutes; appropriate, given the car number.

It worked. Paul Dumbrell reported no problems on his way to second in his qualifying race. If this was a Tweet, we would add, #jobwelldone.

– PHIL BRANAGAN 35

Results :: Qualifying Race 1

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Results :: Qualifying R

Pos

#

Driver

Team/Car

Qual

Pos

#

Driver

Team/C

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28

6 2 88 16 7 888 49 34 8 61 33 47 19 14 12 17 4 1 9 55 5 15 11 18 39 3 30 21

Will Davison Garth Tander Andrew Thompson David Reynolds Todd Kelly Craig Lowndes Steve Owen Michael Caruso Jason Bright Fabian Coulthard Lee Holdsworth Tim Slade Jonathon Webb Jason Bargwanna Dean Fiore Steven Johnson Alex Davison Cameron McConville John McIntyre Dean Canto Steven Richards Owen Kelly Allan Simonsen James Moffat Jack Perkins Taz Douglas Nathan Pretty Karl Reindler

Ford Performance Racing Falcon FG Toll Holden Racing Team Commodore VE2 TeamVodafone Commodore VE2 Stratco Racing Commodore VE2 Jack Daniel’s Racing Commodore VE2 TeamVodafone Commodore VE2 Paul Morris Motorsport Commodore VE2 Fujitsu Racing GRM Commodore VE2 Brad Jones Racing Commodore VE2 Bundaberg Racing Commodore VE2 Fujitsu Racing GRM Commodore VE2 James Rosenberg Racing Falcon FG Tekno Autosports Falcon FG Brad Jones Racing Commodore VE2 Triple F Racing Falcon FG Dick Johnson Racing Falcon FG Stone Brothers Racing Falcon FG Toll Holden Racing Team Commodore VE2 Stone Brothers Racing Falcon FG Rod Nash Racing Falcon FG Ford Performance Racing Falcon FG Jack Daniel’s Racing Commodore VE2 Pepsi Max Crew Commodore VE2 Dick Johnson Racing Falcon FG Paul Morris Motorsport Commodore VE2 Wilson Security Racing Falcon FG Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport Commodore VE2 Brad Jones Racing Commodore VE2

1 8 3 6 9 2 7 4 12 10 13 15 14 23 18 20 26 11 5 17 21 22 19 25 16 24 27 28

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28

9 55 11 5 1 15 30 39 3 18 21 88 888 2 6 33 61 34 16 7 47 12 49 17 19 4 14 8

Shane van Gisbergen Paul Dumbrell Greg Murphy Mark Winterbottom James Courtney Rick Kelly Warren Luff Russell Ingall Dale Wood Matthew Halliday David Wall Jamie Whincup Mark Skaife Nick Percat Luke Youlden Greg Ritter Craig Baird Marcus Marshall Tim Blanchard David Russell Daniel Gaunt Michael Patrizi Paul Morris David Besnard Richard Lyons David Brabham Shane Price Andrew Jones

Stone B Ford Pe Pepsi M Ford Pe Toll Ho Jack Da Lucas D Paul M Wilson Dick Jo Brad Jo TeamVo TeamVo Toll Ho Ford Pe Fujitsu Bundab Fujitsu Stratco Jack Da James R Triple F Paul M Dick Jo Tekno A Stone B Brad Jo Brad Jo

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John Morris/Mpix

Top 10 Points: Whincup 2145, Lowndes 2053, van Gisbergen 1716, R Kelly 1585, Tander 1548, W Davison 1544, Winterbottom 1447, Johnson 1411, A Davison 1334, Bright 1280.

Results :: Race 19 – L&H 500, Phillip Island

Race 2

Car

Qual

Pos

#

Drivers

Team/Car

Brothers Racing Falcon FG erformance Racing Falcon FG Max Crew Commodore VE2 erformance Racing Falcon FG olden Racing Team Commodore VE2 aniel’s Racing Commodore VE2 Dumbrell Motorsport Commodore VE2 Morris Motorsport Commodore VE2 Security Racing Falcon FG ohnson Racing Falcon FG ones Racing Commodore VE2 Vodafone Commodore VE2 Vodafone Commodore VE2 olden Racing Team Commodore VE2 erformance Racing Falcon FG Racing GRM Commodore VE2 berg Racing Commodore VE2 Racing GRM Commodore VE2 o Racing Commodore VE2 aniel’s Racing Commodore VE2 Rosenberg Racing Falcon FG F Racing Falcon FG Morris Motorsport Commodore VE2 ohnson Racing Falcon FG Autosports Falcon FG Brothers Racing Falcon FG ones Racing Commodore VE2 ones Racing Commodore VE2

2 5 9 13 7 6 8 20 15 22 25 1 3 4 11 14 16 10 12 18 17 21 24 28 26 19 23 27

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28

888 88 6 2 9 16 8 15 1 61 14 33 11 7 49 34 5 19 12 39 3 4 55 47 18 17 30 21

C.Lowndes/M.Skaife J.Whincup/A.Thompson W.Davison/L.Youlden G.Tander/N.Percat S.van Gisbergen/J.McIntyre D.Reynolds/T.Blanchard J.Bright/A.Jones R.Kelly/O.Kelly J.Courtney/C.McConville F.Coulthard/C.Baird J.Bargwanna/S.Price L.Holdsworth/G.Ritter G.Murphy/A.Simonsen T.Kelly/D.Russell S.Owen/P.Morris M.Caruso/M.Marshall M.Winterbottom/S.Richards J.Webb/R.Lyons D.Fiore/M.Patrizi R.Ingall/J.Perkins D.Wood/T.Douglas A.Davison/D.Brabham P.Dumbrell/D.Canto T.Slade/D.Gaunt J.Moffat/M.Halliday S.Johnson/D.Besnard W.Luff/N.Pretty K.Reindler/D.Wall

TeamVodafone Commodore VE2 6 TeamVodafone Commodore VE2 4 Ford Performance Racing Falcon FG 1 Toll Holden Racing Team Commodore VE2 2 Stone Brothers Racing Falcon FG 3 Stratco Racing Commodore VE2 7 Brad Jones Racing Commodore VE2 22 Jack Daniel’s Racing Commodore VE2 12 Toll Holden Racing Team VE2 10 Bundaberg Racing Commodore VE2 14 Brad Jones Racing Commodore VE2 27 Fujitsu Racing GRM Commodore VE2 16 Pepsi Max Crew Commodore VE2 8 Jack Daniel’s Racing Commodore VE2 11 Paul Morris Motorsport Commodore VE2 15 Fujitsu Racing GRM Commodore VE2 13 Ford Performance Racing Falcon FG 9 Tekno Autosports Falcon FG 24 Triple F Racing Falcon FG 23 Paul Morris Motorsport Commodore VE2 18 Wilson Security Racing Falcon FG 19 Stone Brothers Racing Falcon FG 28 Rod Nash Racing Falcon FG 5 James Rosenberg Racing Falcon FG 21 Dick Johnson Racing Falcon FG 20 Dick Johnson Racing Falcon FG 26 Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport Commodore VE2 17 Brad Jones Racing Commodore VE2 25

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Qual

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PORSCHE CARRERA CUP ROUND 6 - PHILLIP ISLAND, VIC

BACK TO BACK 38

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Dirk Klynsmith

AFTER A CLEAN-SWEEP AT TOWNSVILLE, DANIEL GAUNT BECAME CARRERA CUP’S FIRST 2011 REPEAT ROUND WINNER AT PHILLIP ISLAND. MITCHELL ADAM REVIEWS THE WEEKEND

D

ANIEL Gaunt and Craig Baird both had moments of misfortune during the fourth round of the 2011 Porsche City Index Carrera Cup at Phillip Island. But one was far more costly than the other.

Gaunt led Baird home in the opening race after they hauled in and passed early leader Jonny Reid, with Gaunt’s move to grab the lead at Turn 4 particularly impressive. In Race 2, Gaunt looked set to make it two from two, holding a three-second lead during the final lap.

But as it turned out, he didn’t quite have enough fuel to complete the lap. His car surged exiting the final corner and Baird reeled him in to grab the race win and lead of the series, with Gaunt just holding off Reid to finish second.

They shared the front row of the grid in the final, but in a decision best described as incredibly marginal, Baird was deemed to have jumped the start.

He was given a drive-through penalty and ultimately finished a livid 11th, with his team’s data and video showing no signs of early movement. Gaunt, meanwhile, went on to win the race and his second round in a row, having taken a clean sweep in Townsville in July, to move up to second in the standings.

“I’m happy enough with how it panned out,” Gaunt said.

“It probably should’ve been first, first and second, but it turned into a first, second and a first. In Race 2, I ran out of fuel and on the last corner it surged, unfortunately. We just miscalculated, Race 2 was a lot quicker pace than Race 1, which obviously burnt a lot more fuel over the 12 laps.

“Then for Bairdo, it’s always unlucky and it’s a penalty that doesn’t suit the crime. I would’ve loved to have raced him because he’s a great guy to go wheel-to-wheel with.”

Behind Gaunt in the final, there was a sizeable scrap for second. Ben Barker held the position for the first half of the race, comfortably too, but a delaminating front-left hindered his pace and he had to eventually settle for fifth. Barker was fifth in Race 2 as well, recovering from a spin at Turn 4 as he tried to pass Baird for second.

In the end, Reid finished second, securing second for the weekend and retaking the lead of the championship. Michael Patrizi was third in Race 3, capping a recovery effort after suffering a broken fan belt in the opener, while Steven Richards had a quiet weekend, finishing with a fifth and two fourths.

In the Elite Class, Max Twigg won the weekend after topping the class in two of the three races, with Damian Flack getting the nod in the other. Twigg was actually the highestplaced Australian-born driver in Race 1 in sixth.

Points: Reid 593, Gaunt 575, Baird 566, Richards 517, Barker 423, Patrizi 406 40

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Dirk Klynsmith

Dirk Klynsmith

Craig Baird led Daniel Gaunt early in the final, left, before getting his controversial penalty. That handed the points lead back to Jonny Reid, above, who had a consistent weekend.

Ben Barker showed plenty of pace, but a Race 2 spin, below, and tyre trouble in the final hurt his chances, while Michael Patrizi, left, fought back from a Race 1 mechanical issue to be third in Race 3.

John Morris / Mpix

James Smith

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41

AUSTRALIAN FORMULA FORD CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND 6 - PHILLIP ISLAND, VIC

ANOTHER ONE IN T

/, +0+5»; :*69, ( 9(*, >05 )<; *(4,965 >(;,9: 46=,+ *36:,9 ;6 WITH ANOTHER ROUND VICTORY AT PHILLIP ISLAND, MITCHELL ADAM REPO

N

OT for the first time, Cameron Waters won a round of the 2011 Australian Formula Ford Championship. But at Phillip Island, he did it without winning a race.

The Sonic driver took pole position and led all three races at one stage or another, but the races ultimately went to other drivers. In the opener, he fought CAMS Rising Stars Jack LeBrocq and Trent Harrison, continuing their recent surge, before a Safety Car period brought other drivers into the battle.

In his third start back in Australia, Daniel Erickson capitalised to win his first Australian Formula Ford race since the final hitout of the 2008 season at Oran Park. Waters had a minor off as Trent Harrison grabbed his maiden win in Race 2, and LeBrocq held him out by half-a-tenth to win the final, as half a dozen drivers slugged it out.

Still, a third and a pair of seconds was enough for Waters to win his third round of the year and extend his championship lead. With a maximum of 122 points on offer in the final two rounds of the 42

year, Waters leads by 78 and is in the box seat to win the title.

“I’m a bit surprised to win the round, actually, because I only had a third and two seconds” he conceded.

“But at the end of the day, to win the championship, you’ve got to have consistency and we’ve had that, and I’ve extended the points lead.

“It was probably some of the best racing I’ve seen and been in all year, so it was quite exciting. I’m glad I finished and got the round win as well.”

Harrison grabbed a pair of fourths to go with his three-second Race 2 win, to finish second for the weekend, with Tom Williamson third after a consistent weekend.

“I just had to put my head down, to be honest,” Harrison said of his victory.

“Once I got into the lead, I knew we had the speed so I just had to put my head down, not make any mistakes and break away, which I did.” motorsport news

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John Morris / Mpix Dirk Klynsmith

Dirk Klynsmith

THE BAG

Trent Harrison, top, claimed his maiden National Formula Ford win, while Daniel Erickson, above, won his first in the category since December 2008. Tom Williamson, below, rounded out the round podium.

6 ;/, -694<3( -69+ ;0;3, ORTS

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Tristen Murray

Erickson was fourth for Borland, the lone Spectrum in the top six for the Mygale-dominated weekend. Having sat on the sidelines in 2011 before he picked up the drive at Queensland Raceway, he’s is getting back into the swing of things.

“Before Queensland Raceway, I’d been out of a car going on 12 months,” Erickson said.

“This is the first weekend back where I’ve actually really gotten amongst it and felt confident in the car.”

LeBrocq was fifth, a Turn 4 off which dropped him to 13th in the opener hurting his overall weekend. Similarly, Nick Foster was among the pace-setters and took third in the final, but he too had an off in Race 1, running wide at Turn 1 with team-mate Garry Jacobson in the right place at the wrong time as he rejoined. Foster remains second in the standings and one of only three drivers in mathematical contention, such is Waters’ advantage.

Points: Waters 268, Foster 190, LeBrocq 177, Williamson 143, Jacobson 137, Harrison 137

43

AUSSIE RACING CARS ROUND 5 - PHILLIP ISLAND, VIC

COTTRELL’S ISLAND GE

ADRIAN COTTRELL THE AUSSIE RACING

A

DRIAN Cottrell has moved into the outright lead of the Aussie Racing Car Super Series, with a hard-fought round victory at Phillip Island.

Cottrell entered the weekend sharing the lead of the series with Tyler Owen, but left with it all to himself. Both drivers picked up a race win from the four starts, but it was Cottrell who did more in the others to win the round ahead of Owen.

From pole, Peter Carr won the opening race, but a clash with Owen as they fought for the Race 2 lead saw him crash heavily on the final lap, ending his race. Carr got back out there for Races 3 and 4, regrouping to take eighth and 10th.

Owen went on to win Race 2 by a mere 0.03s ahead of Cottrell, while behind them, Trent Young emerged at the head of a frenetic,

44

10-car pack to finish third.

Paul Kemal picked up a win in Race 3, leading home Kyle Clews and Adam Gowans – with Cottrell fourth and Owen fifth – and Kemal led the final again, before spinning and eventually finishing 19th.

Taking full advantage, Cottrell broke away from the pack to win the race ahead of Gowans, Owen and Clews, to seal the round and grab the championship lead. Owen and Clews completed the weekend podium, ahead of Gowans, Sheridan Phillips, Simon Smith, Kemal, Young, Richard Fricker and Brendon Pingel.

Former motorcycle racer Kevin Magee was due to make his debut in the category, but withdrew after qualifying to attend to a family matter. motorsport news

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GETAWAY

L WAS THE BIG WINNER AS G CARS HIT PHILLIP ISLAND

Tristen Murray

Adrian Cottrell, leading left, won the round, while Peter Carr, above, and Paul Kemal, below, both mixed race wins with dramas. There was plenty of action over the weekend, including at Turn 4 in the final, below, when an oil leak caught many drivers out.

John Morris / Mpix

Peter Bury

John Morris / Mpix

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45

IZOD INDYCAR SERIES ROUND 16 – MOTEGI, JAPAN

46

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THE LAST KING OF

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W

ILL Power flew back to the USA after following a Ganassi car for all 63 laps of Motegi’s final Indycar race – but luckily for Power, it was the ‘right’ Ganassi car.

Like every other driver in the race, Power had no answer for the speed of Scott Dixon, who qualified on pole and dominated the race.

Power followed, the two at times streaking away from the opposition, by was never really in a position to challenge the flying Kiwi.

“I have to give a lot of credit to Team Target; they gave me a fantastic car,” said Dixon. “In some sections of the race I was just cruising trying to save fuel. Great pit stops and fuel strategy, and everything was flawless. [Will Power] was a real handful, especially at the end. [I’m] just happy we had a fantastic weekend.”

It would be a stretch to say that Power settled for second and the series lead, but climbing back in front of the Scot is at least part of Mission Accomplished for the Aussie.

“At no point in time was I settling for second,” said Power after the race. “I was giving it everything I got. If we can finish second today and win the championship, that’s alright by me.”

The better news for Power was that the man he is fighting for the title, Dario Franchitti, was eighth, but even that is not without controversy. The Scot had a bad day, turning Ryan Briscoe around and prompting a multidriver melee. Both drivers plunged through

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the field as a result but Franchitti was slapped only with a rear-of-pack restart, rather than a drive-through penalty that many expected.

Accurate or not, there is a growing feeling that there are two sets of rules being applied for driving infringements in the series.

“The incident was totally my mistake, totally my mistake,” admitted Franchitti. “I did a lot hard work to get from ninth to fifth, and I’d been saving fuel the whole first stint. I made risky move on the restart. I thought there was a gap and Ryan [Briscoe] was going wide on the entry and that was that.”

Through the mess caused by Franchitti, Marco Andretti turned back the clock to show of his road racing prowess with third ahead of Alex Tagliani, though it is worth pointing out that before a late-race yellow, the two Queensland-born drivers were more than 20s clear of their pursuers.

As usual, there was an officiating drama to deal with. Helio Castroneves finished seventh in a strong comeback drive, but only after controversy. Vitor Meira spun off the track for the last two laps and prompted a local yellow, but expecting it to be withdrawn after all the drivers had been through the corner once, Castroneves took the position, at Turn 3, on the last lap.

Race director Brian Barnhart stepped in and moved the Penske man to the back of the field, in 22nd position. In doing so, Franchitti gained two points, which could prove telling in the final reckoning.

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RACE

Results :: INDY JAPAN 300

Honda Racing

Pos.No. Driver Nat Team 1 9 Scott Dixon NZ Ganassi 2 12 Will Power Aus Penske 3 26 Marco Andretti USA Andretti 4 77 Alex Tagliani Can Schmidt 5 2 Oriol Servia Esp Newman Haas 6 19 Sebastien Bourdais F Dale Coyne 7 4 JR Hildebrand USA Panther 8 10 Dario Franchitti GB Ganassi 9 27 Mike Conway GB Andretti 10 5 Takuma Sato J KV Racing/Lotus Fastest lap: Giorgio Pantano, on lap 5, 1:40.2453s (record).

Sponsor Target Verizon Venom Energy Bowers & Wilkins Telemundo Scouting National Guard Target DHL Honda

Result 63 laps -3.4375s -4.4782s -5.5913s -6.1621s -6.6399s -8.7436s -9.0690s -9.3816s -10.0981s

Qual.

1 2 10 15 16 20 19 9 20 11

Top 10 Points: Power 542, Franchitti 531, Dixon 483, Servia 397, Kanaan 353, Briscoe 340, Andretti 327, Hunter-Reay 317, Rahal/Castroneves 302, etc

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Indycar Media

Goodbye Japan: Scott Dixon led nearly all the way to take the win.

This is the final restart, about as close as anyone got to the red car.

Andretti, above, was third. but the Franchitti-Briscoe incident caused much discussion, right.

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2011 CLASSIC TARGA ADELAIDE ADELAIDE, SOUTH AUSTRALIA

WEEKEND AT KEVIN’S CLASSIC TARGA ADELAIDE RETURNED FOR 2011, AND NO-ONE COULD STOP KEVIN WEEKS. PHIL WILLIAMS WAS THERE

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RACE

Phil Williams

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All pics: Phil Williams

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RACE

A

FTER a two-year hiatus, Classic Tarmac Rallying returned to Adelaide in the form of the Supaloc Classic Targa Adelaide.

With competition reduced to 25 stages over four days and slightly over 100 entries headed by Targa specialist Kevin Weeks in a Porsche 911, it was a comparatively smaller field than seen in the glory days of the forerunner event.

The event kicked off with a prologue through the streets of the Barossa Valley town of Tanunda, before a short stage up the famed Mengler’s Hill, both claimed by Weeks.

Day 2 saw a ceremonial start in the city before the field headed into the hills north-east of Adelaide for a total of eight stages, including the longest of the rally, Castambul, at 17.64km. Weeks was dominant, leading fellow South Australian Matt Selley (Porsche) by 47s, with WA rally stalwart, Tolley Challis (Porsche) a further three adrift.

As field headed south of the city for a further eight stages on Day 3 – including some of the iconic legs of old, such as Mt Lofty and Willunga Hill – Weeks forged further ahead, extending his outright over Selley to 1m 42s. In overall standings, though, it was petfood king Tony Quinn, in a 1990 Nissan GTR, who held second only 19s down.

On the final day of competition the crews headed east of the city for eight stages, with the highlights being Norton Summit and Gorge Road; a new look for an old favourite, with the stage being run in the

reverse direction to previous events.

The status quo remained as Weeks further built his lead, ending the event a total of 3m 17s clear of Selley, with Challis a further 16s in arrears in third.

Quinn’s rally ended at the finish control of the final competitive stage with an engine fire, the Nissan unable to return to the final time control under its own power.

The honours for Early Classic went to Michael Lamprell in a 1964 Mustang, with a tie for second between Peter Mayer (’07 Porsche Cayman) and John Amos (’09 Lancer Evo X).

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THE HONDA TOURING CAR CHAMPIONSHIP BTCC HONDA Racing teammates Matt Neal and Gordon Shedden head to Brands Hatch tied on points at the head of the BTCC standings after this weekend’s action at Rockingham.

Pole-sitter Jason Plato won the opening account in his Racing Silverline Chevrolet Cruze, chased by the privateer Chevrolet of Paul O’Neill in second and the everimproving Toyota Avensis of Frank Wrathall third.

Matt Neal managed to grab fourth while Shedden was only sixth, meaning that the former

double champion Neal edged ahead on points.

Race 2 fell to Shedden ahead of Wrathall and Neal, with Scotsman Shedden moved ahead of Neal by five points in the title race, while Wrathall’s second place was the best result to date of a car built to the Next Generation Touring Car (NGTC) regulations.

Race 3 was won by James Nash in his 888 Racing-run Vauxhall Vectra. The British driver finally scored his maiden, but long overdue, win.

His Vauxhall took the win from Rob Austin who worked wonders to score second place – a career best – in his Audi A4.

With Neal sixth and Shedden 21st after an earlier collision, the two teammates are tied on points.

“I keep saying it but today has shown just how quickly it can all turn around,” said Shedden.

“I hadn’t expected to win here but the car was dynamite in Race 2 and I took my chance.

Going into one corner in Race 3, I was ahead of Matt and on for more decent points and 20 yards later I’ve been knocked aside and everyone has come sailing past. I can’t see the championship being decided until the very last lap of the season at Silverstone.”

– DAVID ADDISON

BLUE LAGUNA ALMS

THE American Le Mans Series was at the famed Laguna Seca at the weekend, where it was Aston Martin Racing who finally took a win for 2011 in the six-hour race.

Guy Smith and Chris Dyson meanwhile took the championship despite a pre-race scare resulting in a last minute engine change.

With Stefan Mucke, Harold Primat and Adrian Fernandez at the wheel, the winning Aston Martin was able to steer clear of any gremlins that would eventually rule their main rivals out.

The GT class was also fought out between the Flying Lizard Porsche of Jorg Bergmeister and Patrick Long and the Risi Ferrari of Melo and Vilander. The Flying Lizard Porsche however took the class win after the Risi Ferrari was handed a penalty for reckless driving.

Joey Hand and Dirk Muller meanwhile won the GT championship, with their second place in class driving the Rahal Letterman BMW.

ROSSI AND VERGNE VICTORS IN FRANCE FR 3.5

ALEXANDER Rossi and Jean-Eric Vergne have both taken the Formula Renault 3.5 spoils at Paul Ricard on the weekend.

Vergne made it clear it was his intention to hear the Marseillaise play out in front of his home crowd, and he achieved that feat with consummate ease to make it five wins in the 2011 season.

Vergne’s main weekend rival Rossi meanwhile ended a long

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run of bad luck in the series after snatching the win from Vergne through the pit stops. The American Rossi took advantage of Vergne’s slow stop to inherit, and dominate the second race.

Series leader Robert Wickens meanwhile had a horror weekend, just holding onto a slim two-point advantage over Vergne in what is promising to be an exciting title showdown.

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RACE

GILBERT FINDS HIS FEET AT ROCKINGHAM AUSSIES OVERSEAS

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MITCHELL Gilbert scored another podium result in the latest rounds of the Formula Renault UK Championship at Rockingham on the weekend.

The Australian moved back up to fifth in the championship points after taking a sixth place finish in the second of the two races, rounding off what he admits was one of his best race weekends of the season so far.

In qualifying Gilbert sealed a place on the front row for the opening race. He then ran second as the field headed into the first corner. Gilbert consolidated his second place and maintained a lead over the rest of the pack right up to the chequered flag.

“I’m really happy with the results this weekend, but I still think that we could have been better,” Said Gilbert.

“In terms of driving it was definitely a step forward for me and I worked really well with my engineer for the entire weekend.

“If I had been a bit more aggressive at the start in race one I could have taken the lead on the opening lap, but I know that I didn’t have the outright pace to compete with the guy on pole, so after the first couple of laps I settled in to consolidating second place and making another return to the podium and taking more points,” he added.

In Race 2, Gilbert started from eighth place on the grid and, although he got a good start, he was only able to maintain that place.

However, just ahead of him, two rivals made contact and took each other out of the race, giving him an easy pass to sixth place, which he was able to maintain to the line, once again picking up more points.

– DAVID ADDISON

EKSTROM STRIKES BACK

DTM MATTIAS Ekstrom took his second win of the DTM season at Oschersleben as Audi continued its impressive return to form.

In wet conditions, Ekstrom took command after Bruno Spengler’s race-leading Mercedes C-Class retired with suspension problems.

Making matters worse for the Canadian was that championship rival Martin Tomczyk guided his 2008-spec Audi A4 from 14th on the grid to second place; increasing Tomczyk’s series lead to nine-points.

Third fell to Miguel Molina’s Audi (from pole position) while Gary Paffett (Mercedes) starred in finishing fourth. He was stone last on the grid after a misfire, managed to storm his way up to fourth place.

He clashed early in the race with Timo Scheider’s Audi, with Paffet stating post race, “Without that crash, I could have finished second.”

– DAVID ADDISON

HOUND OF BASKERVILLE TASMANIA STATE

ROUND 5 of the Tasmanian Super Series has been run and won under almost perfect weather conditions at Baskerville raceway over the weekend.

The round also included a headline field of 13 Sports Sedans, with eight interstate and five local runners and over 1500 fans coming out to enjoy some close racing.

Chris Muscat (Mazda RX7) took the win in the final race of the day, in front a hard charging local Bruce Banks also in a Mazda RX7. New South Welshman David McGinniss finished in second, ahead of Victorian Michael Robinson third. All competitors commented on the close racing and the desire to return to Tasmania given the opportunity.

With only one round of the Super Series

remaining, 1200 Formula Vee pilot Nino Bocchino is in an almost unbeatable position for the State Championship. This would be his first championship in over a decade of racing in the category.

Round 5 was the final round of the year held at Baskerville.

Other Round 5 winners included Phil Ashlin in the Holden HQs, Matt Stringer in the Improved Producition category and Historic Touring Car runner C Taylor.

Sports GTA competitor Brad Sherriff took the weekend spoils while Dane Smith, Michael Conacher, took Sports GTB and GTC wins respectively.

The next round of the Tasmanian Super Series will be held at Symmons Plains Raceway on November 27.

– DAVID CLIFFORD

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ODD SPOT!

WILL Davison knows how to keep his Kewell.

Bad joke, I know, but after months of media speculation as to whether Harry would come back to Australia or not, followed by the announcement and his subsequent rockstar-style return, the good Kewell puns have all been used.

Anyway, HK was down at Phillip Island on the weekend, celebrating a personal partnership with Ford Performance Vehicles by taking a ride with Will in the #6 FPR Falcon.

Courtesy FPR

When Harry met ...

Willy

rear of grid

“If I was allowed to swear, I would,” said Harry as he clambered from the cockpit.

“Absolutely brilliant. The adrenaline rush is second to none.

“It feels like I’m back home now. This is great. I thought I had quick feet, but seeing [Will] going up and down on those pedals!

He’s saying he’s got no skill on the ground but I reckon he would do!”

As for Will, he was just keen to prove that he can take corners every bit as well as Harry.

“That was really cool,” he said.

“I love sharing individual skills with each other, and sometimes you take for granted what you do. You see the reaction on someone like Harry’s face, and it’s so cool to have him here, and its so cool to have him back in Australia.

“I’ll certainly be following [the A-League] more closely this year. I lived in England, and when you’re living there you can’t stay away from the soccer side of things. It’s an unbelievable game.”

– ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN

ON THIS DAY :,7;,4),9

FINISHING in the points on your Grand Prix debut is a significant achievement. Finishing on the podium is very rare, but that is what Mark Donohue did in Canada, 40 years ago. The American qualified eighth for the race in his McLaren M19, an impressive enough statistic, and in heavy rain, as Jackie Stewart and Ronnie Petersen fought out the lead, the American held third – in spite of pitting for fresh goggles in the driving rain! After a short retirement he returned to F1 but lost his life following a practice crash at the Österreichring in 1975.

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