Motorsport eNews Issue 235 - December 13-19, 2011

THE WORLD OF MOTORSPORT DIRECTLY TO YOUR DESKTOP

Issue No. 235 December 13 - 19 2011

MAX ATTACK

FORMER INDYCAR STAR MAX PAPIS TESTS FOR HRT – AND HE’S A MAN WITH A V8 PLAN. FULL DETAILS INSIDE

LINDBOM OPENS UP ON GP3

IS YOULDEN OUT OF A DRIVE?

LEE HOLDSWORTH:

MY CHAMPIONSHIP PLAN

YOUNG GUN TELLS MOTORSPORT NEWS EXACTLY WHY HE’S SWITCHING SIDES TO JOIN SBR IN 2012 PLUS: PATRICK LONG ON HOW HE CHANGED THE GOLD COAST 600, SAM MICHAEL OPENS UP ABOUT HIS PAST AT WILLIAMS AND HIS FUTURE AT MCLAREN, INSIDE FORMULA 1’S FIRST VISIT TO INDIA, CAMERON WATERS TALKS BATHURST AND FORMULA FORD, A LOOK AT THE WORLD ENDURANCE CHAMPIONSHIP, EXCLUSIVE PHOTOS OF THE RED BULL RING IN AUSTRIA, TONY RICCIARDELLO’S ALFA ROMEO MONSTER, AND KARTING WORLD CHAMPION NYCK DE VRIES

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We thought it appropriate to feature Prof Sid Watkins, whose retirement was marked with a special award from the FIA last week. Onya, Prof ...

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@motorsportenews @mnewsupdates Issue No. 235 | 13 – 19 Dec 2011

news 4

HRT: It’s Max Time Papis tests a V8 Supercar 6 FPR: It’s Mac Time Kiwi on board at Broady 9 Sonic: It’s Miedecke Time This theme is getting tired 12 Renault to the Rescue Lotus runs out of Petrov 14 Ragan to the Rescue Busch runs out of Penske

chat 22 Five Minutes With ...

Max Papis

comment 24 Lindbom: GP3 Impressions race 26 Manufacturers Championships 30 Extras: Swifts and Giggles

trade 32 Classifieds 3

WINTON HOSTS POST-SEASON TEST V8 SUPERCARS

W

INTON Motor Raceway was a hive of activity on Monday, with a number of drivers and teams trying each other out to see if they fit.

Apart from testing Max Papis (see separate story) Walkinshaw Racing had HRT’s Bathurst-winning VE on track, with endurance drivers Nick Percat and Cameron McConville joining the Italian on the track. The car ran under #222 rather than its more common #2, signifying that the team was using the tyre bank from Percat’s usual Fujitsu Series entry.

There were three Ford Performance Racing cars on hand, with the two usual Main Game Falcon’s joined by the car raced

by Chaz Mostert late in the FV8 Series. The team’s endurance drivers Steven Richards and newcomer John McIntyre were joined by Mostert and two Davisons, Will and cousin James sharing time. Mark Winterbottom, who is on vacation overseas, missed the test.

Garry Rogers Motorsport was forced to test its spare chassis after time ran out to repair the car damaged in Sydney. Scott McLaughlin, who is expected to race the car next season, was joined by Cameron Waters and Tim Macrow, along with Paul Laskazeski.

MORE TEK V8 SUPERCARS

T

EKNO Autosports has confirmed its 2012 expansion and brand switch.

Having branched out from Dick Johnson Racing at the start of the 2011 season, Jonathon Webb’s outfit will grow to two cars in its second season, leasing one of Paul Morris Motorsports’ RECs with an option to purchase it in 2013.

The team will also switch from its current FG Falcon to VE Commodores. Webb has acquired two of PMM’s Triple Eightbuilt Commodores – Steve Owen’s 2011 car and an unraced shell. PMM’s third VE will head to Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport for Taz Douglas to race.

Tekno is yet to confirm a driver for the second seat, although 2011 Fujitsu Series champ Andrew Thompson remains the favourite.

MAX MAD ABO V8 SUPERCARS

M

AX Papis is looking forward to racing a V8 Supercar after his first taste of driving one at Winton on Monday.

The Italian veteran made the trip to Melbourne over the weekend and joined the Holden Racing Team at the Benalla circuit, under the watchful eye of team engineers and endurance drivrs Nick Percat and Cameron McConville.

“They are definitely a very technical racecar, with a huge amount of horsepower,” he said after his first taste of the VE. “You need to be,

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motorsport news

NEWS

sutton-images.com

OUT V8S

WINTON TEST WHETS ITALIAN VETERAN’S APPETITE FOR V8 SUPERCAR RACE HITOUT

pretty much, a specialist to get the best out of the car.

“The car is very good under braking for the high-speed corner. It is not as connected to you in the low-speed corners, so you need to use two different mindsets. You need to focus pretty hard on the braking, but you need to use a finesse technique in the low-speed corners.

“It is closer to what I was expecting but there is a lot to learn.”

Papis is due to drive a car again at Phillip Island, during a ride day, on Wednesday, aboard Walkinshaw Racing’s Ride Day car. He got some special advice from a compatriot about the GP track.

“I spoke with Valentino [Rossi] and he told me, ‘Don’t use the same racing line I use for MotoGP!’ And I think that Turn 1 is not wide-open!

We were just joking around.”

The 42-year-old has a clear eye on getting onto the grid for the Gold Coast 600 in October.

Papis intends to continue with his racing commitments in the USA, where he lives with his wife Tatiana and their two sons. He raced a German Racing Toyota in both the NASCAR Sprint Cup and Truck Series, and even demonstrated a Sprint Cup car at home at Monza two weeks ago. As well, he will race the new Corvette Daytona Prototype in the Daytona 24 Hour race in February.

For more on Papis, see Five Minutes, page 22-23.

onracegear.com.au www.mnews.com.au

5

Phil Williams

TDR, WILSON SPLIT V8 SUPERCARS WILSON Security will not back Tony D’Alberto Racing in 2012.

The team has confirmed that it will have a new major backer next season, issuing a statement that read “TDR will not take up its option with the team for 2012 and beyond”.

According to team owner Al D’Alberto, the deal with Wilson Security has run its course.

“Tony D’Alberto Racing has decided to

part ways with Wilson Security, effective immediately,” D’Alberto said.

“We have enjoyed a four year relationship with Wilson Security, culminating in a major sponsorship deal for this season. Our team has sincerely enjoyed the company’s support over that time, but we feel now is the right time to move onto new partnerships. We thank Wilson for all of its support that they have given our team in 2011 and wish them all the best in the future.

“Now, TDR is looking forward to the

challenges of 2012 in the V8 Supercars Championship. The V8s class is one of the most competitive motor racing championships in the world and we are striving for the best results we can achieve in the coming years.

“I’d also like to take this opportunity to thank the ongoing support of all our partners.”

Wilson has been linked to both Brad Jones Racing, through Fabian Coulthard and David Wall, and Kelly Racing, through Karl Reindler, for 2012.

TWICE BITTEN, JACK WARY V8 SUPERCARS JACK Perkins is eyeing a return to the main game as soon as 2012 – but he has warned that he won’t race for an uncompetitive outfit.

Perkins is no stranger to the main game, having graduated from the Fujitsu Series in 2007 with his father’s team Perkins Engineering. But despite qualifying in the Top 10 at Winton that year, Perkins struggled, and was replaced before the 6

end of the ’07 season. He returned to the main game in 2009 with Kelly Racing, but another tough season left him back on the sidelines for 2010.

Now, the runner-up in the ’11 Fujitsu Series is searching for another main series drive – as long as it is with the right team.

“I want to be back in the Championship Series,” he said.

“It’s one thing to be in the main series, and it’s another thing to be in there and be competitive. I’m not really interested

in making up the numbers; I want to be in there and be competitive week-in, week-out.

“I’ve been there a couple of times in uncompetitive situations, and it’s really not worth the effort. All of my eggs are in one basket, and if that falls over, I really don’t have a back-up plan.”

Drives are officially still up for grabs with Tekno Autosport, Garry Rogers Motorsport and Brad Jones Racing for the 2012 season.

– ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN motorsport news

NEWS

Andrew Hall

FPR’S McATTACK V8 SUPERCARS

FORD Performance Racing may have another change in endurance drivers up its sleeve after announcing that John McIntyre will partner Will Davison at Sandown and Bathurst next year.

The Kiwi has driven for Stone Brothers Racing in the enduros since 2009, sharing with Shane van Gisbergen for the last two Bathurst 1000s. But in 2012 he’ll have a change of scenery, switching to rival Ford squad FPR to partner Davison in the #6 Falcon.

“First up, FPR is the Ford factory team and as a Ford-supported driver it is a real honour to be driving with them,” McIntyre said.

“As a professional V8 Supercar codriver I only enter two races a year in Australia, so my goal has to be to win the endurance events and in particular, Bathurst. To head there with Will Davison gives me my greatest shot yet at a Bathurst win.

“It is also a relief to know where I am driving well before the New Year. Last year I had six or seven months out of the car and that makes it hard. I can now meet the team and test the car before the year is out which puts us on the front foot and gives us a jump on everyone else.”

McIntyre tested with the team at Winton today (Monday).

The announcement also confirmed that Steven Richards will again partner

Mark Winterbottom in the enduros but made no mention of who the team’s third endurance driver would be. The team tested by James Davison and Tim Blanchard at Winton, team principal Tim Edwards reporting that the “other drivers are out for a driver, that’s all”.

But it appears that Luke Youlden, whose incident put the #6 car out of contention for a Bathurst 1000 win, might be the man looking for a new seat.

Edwards would only confirm that “there was a lot of disappointment in the team after Bathurst”, and that there was plenty of time to settle the team’s third driver – not a good sign for Youlden’s future.

Dean Canto has previously driven the #55 Bottle-O backed car.

LOWNDES, SETON, BERGHOUSE GET V8 GALA NODS V8 SUPERCARS CRAIG Lowndes might be stranded on three V8 Supercar Championship win, but at least it matches with his number of Barry Sheene Medal wins.

Lowndes won the 2011 Barry Sheene Medal at the V8 Supercars Gala Awards last www.mnews.com.au

week, the third time he’s won V8’s answer to the Fairest and Best.

Glenn Seton was also a winner at the Gala, the 1997 Champion inducted into the V8 Supercars Hall of Fame. Chaz Mostert won the Mike Kable Young Gun award, while Jack Perkins was named Privateer Cup winner.

Event of the Year went to the Clipsal 500

again, with the L&H 500 at Phillip Island taking out the honours for best volunteers group. Roger Cook, Basil Scaffidi and James Erksine were honoured with an Appreciation of Service award.

The Media Award was presented to Ray Berghouse, Chairman on Chevron Publishing, which owns Motorsport eNews.

7

EGG-SPANSION ON THE MENU V8 DEV SERIES EGGLESTON Motorsport is aiming to run two and possibly three cars in next year’s V8 Supercar Development Series.

The Victorian-based squad was a semi-regular in the 2011 with Cameron McConville making a pair of appearances and Gavin Bullas entering Bathurst’s round before crashing in practice, aboard an exWalkinshaw Racing VE. A second car was also

entered for Lindsay Yelland in Townsville.

Eggleston is working towards adding two more Walkinshaw-built VE Commodores to his fleet, with the intention of running at least two cars throughout the 2012 season. He’s currently in discussions with sponsors and a range of drivers, including McConville, Bullas and youngster Ash Walsh.

“Instead of being the one or two that we ran this year, it’ll definitely be two and maybe three next year at some rounds,” Eggleston

told eNews.

“There’s plenty going on at the moment.

We’re in negotiations with a few sponsors and things like that, and we’re talking to plenty of drivers.

“It’s shaping up to be a big thing. You’ve got to have a go. If you’re going to do it, you’ve got to do it properly. In the next couple of weeks we should have everything locked down.”

– MITCHELL ADAM

FALCONS ... BUT NOT AS BATHURST KNOWS THEM BATHURST 12 HOUR GERMAN outfit Black Falcon Racing have confirmed their entries for February’s Armor All Bathurst 12 Hour.

As previously reported by eNews, the GT3 squad will bring a pair of Mercedes-Benz SLS GT3s to Australia for the race, and feature on a provisional entry list of 28 cars. Entries for the February 24-26 event close at the end of the month.

Former A1GP driver and sportscar regular Joreon Bleekemolen will lead one of the Black Falcon entries, with renowned driver coach Rob Wilson to head the other.

A total of 10 cars are currently entered for the outright Class A, with Black Falcon joined by a pair of factory Audis, United Autosport (Audi R8) and Asian outfit Clearwater Racing (Ferrari 458) as the international raiders.

Local entries include Lago Racing (Lamborghini LP600), Consolidated Chemical Co. Racing (Lamborghini LP560), Maranello

Motorsport (Ferrari 458) and dual 12 Hour victor Rod Salmon, in a Mosler MT900 purchased from Dean Grant.

A further three cars are entered in both Classes B and C, along with nine Production Cars and three Invitational entries.

ARMOR ALL BATHURST 12 HOUR - PROVISIONAL ENTRY LIST CLASS A – GT3 OUTRIGHT Lago Racing – Lamborghini Gallardo LP600 GT3 Consolidated Chemical Co. Racing – Lamborghini LP560 GT3 Maranello Motorsport – Ferrari F458 GT3 Clearwater Racing – Ferrari F458 GT3 Phoenix Racing – Audi R8 LMS GT3 Phoenix Racing – Audi R8 LMS GT3 United Autosport – Audi R8 LMS GT3 Black Falcon – Mercedes Benz SLS GT3 Black Falcon – Mercedes Benz SLS GT3 Bar One World – Mosler MT900 CLASS B – GT3 8

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NEWS

V8 DEV SERIES GEORGE Miedecke took an important step towards the 2012 V8 Supercar Development Series, completing a test day with Sonic Motor Racing Services at Winton on Monday.

After two years in the USA racing Late Models on ovals, Miedecke is aiming to return to Australia and race in the second-tier V8 series in 2012, as previously reported. In the BF Falcon driven by Jack Perkins throughout 2011, the test was the New South Welshman’s first meaningful hitout in a V8 Supercar.

“I did like four laps in a Stone Brothers car back in ’08,” Miedecke said of his past V8

experience. “So it was all new to me, really.

It was definitely an eye opener.

“The car’s good and we’re doing a pretty comprehensive test day, which is good.

I’m happy with how it’s going. My braking technique is a lot better than I thought it would be, so I think there’s a lot of hope in that.

“I’m still learning. Like everyone says, they’re very different things to drive.”

As he looks to secure a seat in the series in 2012, Miedecke was pleased with the day.

“It’s great to get some laps and get a feel for how they drive,” he told eNews.

“It’s been a great opportunity to come and see what the cars drive like, even

Dirk Klynsmith

MIEDECKE’S SONIC HITOUT

though I’ve got virtually no experience, and see how a really professional team like Sonic goes about a test day.

“Personally, I really am quite happy with the pace I’ve shown.”

While Miedecke got the bulk of the seat-time in the car, expecting to turn around 90 laps during the day, 2011 Sonic Formula Ford drivers Nick Foster and Garry Jacobson also turned laps. Also at Winton, Marcus Zukanovic was on hand for Greg Murphy Racing to help a range of rookies including Tom Williamson, Elliot Barbour, Matt Hansen, Scott Andrews and Fraser Ross. MW Motorsport also tested, with 2011 GMR driver Tony Bates and Ash Walsh.

– MITCHELL ADAM

PYE’S TESTING TIMES AUSSIES OVERSEAS SCOTT Pye’s 2012 focus has shifted from British Formula 3 to the F3 Euro Series.

Having finished 10th in British F3 with Double R Racing, persistent local speculation linked Pye to a return to Australia to drive Triple Eight’s V8 Supercar Development Series entry in 2012. However, as revealed by eNews in October, Mercedeswww.mnews.com.au

Benz is supporting Pye’s push to remain in Europe, on a path that could see him become the first Australian to race in the DTM. The South Australian tested with British F3 outfit Fortec Motorsport in October, however the German manufacturer has expressed a preference for Pye to race in the F3 Euro Series. After a month in Australia, Pye flew back to Europe last week,

and will test with Euro F3 squad Prema Powerteam tonight (Monday, European time) in Spain.

The Italian outfit won the 2011 Euro Series with Roberto Merhi, and the recent Macau Grand Prix with Spaniard Daniel Juncadella.

Pending the outcome of the test and finances, Pye could race one of the team’s four cars in the 2012 series, which will be run entirely as a DTM support category.

9

HUGE INTERNATIONAL ENTRY FOR 2012 TRS SEASON TRS A WHOPPING 14 drivers from outside Australia and New Zealand will take on the Toyota Racing Series this summer.

As of today (Monday), there were 20 drivers confirmed for the fifth TRS season, which kicks off on January 12. Out of that 20, three quarters of them are from outside of New Zealand, with 14 coming from even further away than Australia.

Some of the more noteworthy overseas entrants include Josh Hill, son of 1996 World Champion Damon Hill, who returns for his second season of TRS. Ferrari Academy member Raffaele Marciello will make the

Click through to our website

long trek from Italy, while Dutch sensation Hannes van Asseldonk will represent the Netherlands.

Austrian sensation Lukas Auer, nephew of former Formula 1 driver Gerhard Berger, is also on the list, having recently tested for Force India at the young driver test in Abu Dhabi.

Jordan Oon, from Perth, will be the lone representative from Australia. Oon is a former WA and Victorian Formula Forder, and also raced Formula BMW in Asia.

Formula Forder and Fujitsu Series competitor Nick Cassidy is one of the Kiwis taking part, along with GP3 star Mitch Evans and former Carrera Cup driveR Jono Lester.

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Age 17 17 19 17 19 22 23 16 20 16 17 19 17 22 16 18 24 23 19 20

Hometown Auckland, New Zealand Auckland, New Zealand Darfield, New Zealand Sao Paulo, Brazil Ponce, Puerto Rico Auckland, New Zealand Selangor, Malaysia Paris, France Surrey, United Kingdom Mumbai, India Kufstein, Austria Boekel, Netherlands Harbury, United Kingdom Paris, France Caslano, Switzerland Invercargill, New Zealand Rome, Italy Bangladore, India Bangkok, Thailand Perth, Australia

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NEWS

LINDBOM SETS HIS SIGHTS ON GP3 AUSSIES OVERSEAS

KRISTIAN Lindbom is ready to chase his European dream, following his two-day GP3 test with Tech 1 Racing at Jerez in Spain last week.

As revealed by eNews a fortnight ago, Lindbom is in talks about a development series program for 2012, rumoured to be centered around Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport. However, he may be prepared to risk it all chasing his dream to race in Europe – if he can find the backing to do a GP3 deal.

“It all depends on money,” Lindbom told eNews.

“If I’m going to drive a GP3 car again, it will be because of I’ve done a deal with a team for the season.

“There are options, and I am speaking to people. I can’t pay for it myself, I need to find a serious backer, who understands the sport and what’s going on.

“It’s hard to approach people, because on the surface I’m just a guy who finished 20th in a test. But if you talk to the team, they’ll tell you it’s not magic. They were actually

impressed. Even I thought it was a bad result, until the team told me how hard it is to get on the pace in a GP3 car. I’m only a few more days of testing away from the pace, realistically.

“I’ll look for the money in Australia. I’ll pitch to some people, and get a sense of direction on where to go.”

While Lindbom is keen to live out his dream of racing overseas, he is mindful that a good V8 Supercar program might be the most realistic option for the future.

“There are options in V8 Supercars, and they are good options, but my dream has

always been to go and race in Europe. If there is any chance, I’ll do that. But I don’t want to do that without looking at the big picture. I’ve got to be careful with my decision-making, and weigh up my options every day.”

Lindbom has recently launched an online fundraiser to help fund his 2012 plans; head to http://www.kristianlindbom.com/ onlinefundraiser/ for more details.

– ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN For more with Kristian Lindbom, check out his exclusive GP3 test diary on page 24.

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GROSJEAN REPLACES PETROV FORMULA 1

ROMAIN Grosjean will drive for Renault next season, alongside former World Champion Kimi Raikkonen.

Grosjean will return for his second stint at Enstone, after a short-lived race drive alongside Fernando Alonso in 2009. He will replace Russian Vitaly Petrov, who, alongside Bruno Senna, will be looking for a new drive in 2012.

“I am thrilled to be one of the team’s race drivers in 2012,” Grosjean said. “There’s

a big grin on my face at the prospect of getting behind the wheel of next year’s car, and I feel very privileged to be given this opportunity.

“To be racing alongside a former World Champion and someone who is hungry and returning to Formula 1 will be a great experience, and I’m sure will help raise my level of performance too. I feel that my successful season in GP2 Series has helped me mature a lot, and I am a much more complete driver than I was last time I was competing in this sport.”

Team owner Gerard Lopez added that the signing of Grosjean was proof that Renault is entering a whole new era.

“Only last week I reiterated that the team is at the start of a brand new cycle,” he said.

“Announcing Romain as our race driver alongside Kimi is great news and will help us achieve our aims of getting back to the very top. The announcements we made today and last week are exciting ones for our team and there is a real buzz surrounding us now.”

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NEWS

COTA BACK IN ACTION FORMULA 1

RICCIARDO CONFIRMS RED BULL SUPPORT FOR 2012 FORMULA 1 RED BULL will continue to support Daniel Ricciardo in 2012.

In an interview with The West Australian newspaper, Ricciardo has revealed that he will continue to be supported by the Austrian drinks giant next season.

However, he has also admitted that a Toro Rosso seat is unlikely, fueling speculation that he will join Heikki Kovalainen at Caterham F1 next year.

“At the moment it seems like Toro Rosso are going to stay with who they’ve got,” Ricciardo told The West Australian.

“It wasn’t put down 100 percent, but it was the wording I was making out.

There’s a good chance if I’m on the grid

next year it’s going to be with another non-Red Bull outfit, but I guess the good news is I’m still contracted by Red Bull.

They’ve agreed to continue with me.”

Ricciardo also confirmed that Caterham was an option for next season.

“I would like to say there’s a chance, but at least for me that’s probably all it is for now, just a chance.

“It would be a step up from this year, so it’s not really a bad thing. I doubt they’ll still be able to fight for points next year.

They’ll still be towards the further end, but I think they’re progressing well.

“If Kovalainen was to be my team-mate, it’s someone very good to measure up to. He’s won a Grand Prix before and he’s smashed Trulli this year.”

CONSTRUCTION is set to kick off again at the Circuit of The Americas in Texas, after track bosses managed to finally reach an agreement with Bernie Ecclestone.

The circuit was in danger of being still-born recently, with a row over the commercial arrangement with Ecclestone seeing an initial contract torn up, and construction halted. But the track has been listed on a recently released 2012 Formula 1 schedule from the FIA, and organisers have now confirmed that construction will kick off immediately.

“Mr. Ecclestone received his cheque today,” said founding partner Red McCombs.

“We want to thank the fans supporting us, the local officials and businesses that have encouraged us, the State of Texas, Circuit of The Americas’ staff and Bernie himself.”

“We have a substantial number of fans who have expressed interest in buying tickets and hospitality, so today is a win for all of them as much as it is for Circuit of The Americas,” added Steve Sexton, president of Circuit of The Americas, added.

“We encourage everyone to visit our website and register for information. Registered fans will receive the first communication regarding ticket sales plans. In a matter of weeks we will have more exciting news as we unveil our full calendar of world class events.”

The news is also good for V8 Supercars, which has a contract to race at COTA from 2013 onwards.

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WILL BUSCH AND RAGAN SWAP SEATS? NASCAR

NASCAR Media

KURT Busch may swap seats with David Ragan, after being dismissed by Penske Racing last week.

Ragan has a deal in place to race for Phoenix Racing in 2012, but the deal was recently described to ESPN by team owner James Finch as subject “to him getting a better deal.’’ Ragan has confirmed that he has had a meeting with Roger Penske and is due to have further discussions this week.

Finch has already talked with Busch, who parted with Penske after a number of off-track incidents, including the use of inappropriate language to a television pitlane reporter. But Finch has also said that the former Cup champion is not the only driver he would consider, should he release Ragan.

“Kurt, his talent is pretty good,’’ Finch said. “He’s one of the best there is, but I’m not going to listen to that s--- and pay him money.”

Gibbs grabs Grubb NASCAR

NASCAR Media

DARIAN Grubb is to join Joe Gibbs Racing.

Grubb, whose role as crew chief for Tony Stewart’s Chevrolet ended immediately after the duo won the Sprint Cup title at Homestead last month, has been named crew chief for its #11 Toyota driven

by Denny Hamlin. His previous

crew chief Mike Ford was released last week.

“Darian is a great addition to our organization and person to lead our #11 FedEx team,” said Joe Gibbs. “Obviously he has proven the ability to guide a team to a championship and we are excited to have him working with Denny (Hamlin) toward achieving that goal here at Joe Gibbs Racing.

Chevron has all your motorsport needs covered including classic race packages, Bathurst highlights as well as in-depth documentaries. See our website today for the full range of DVD’s available.

14

motorsport news

NEWS

Simon Says ‘Oui’

Red Bull Racing shuts its doors

Pagenaud signs Indycar deal with Sam Schmidt

NASCAR

INDYCARS

RED Bull Racing closed it doors last Thursday.

The last of approximately 150 employees left the team, which has run two entries in the Sprint Cup over the last five seasons. The last staff members participated in a raffle for team memorabilia and each was given cases of Red Bull before the team shut its doors.

INDYCAR will have to find itself another Super Sub, after Simon Pagenaud signed to drive for Sam Schmidt Motorsports last week.

The Frenchman will driver SSM’s Hondapowered Dallara, after having driven in three Indycar events last season. He raced for the injured Ana Beatriz at Barber Motorsports Park and Justin Wilson at Mid-Ohio, and for Simona de Silvestro at Infineon Raceway after the Swiss driver had visa issues.

“I am delighted to be joining the IZOD Indy Car Series full-time with Sam Schmidt Motorsports and Honda,” Pagenaud said. “The series represents the most competitive racing in the world right now, and I am really looking forward to the challenge of racing in a singleseater again. I have to thank Sam Schmidt Motorsports for giving me the opportunity and to continue with the Honda engineers at HPD. It is the best situation I could wish for.”

Sprint extends NASCAR deal for 3 years NASCAR

Honda Racing

THE Sprint Cup is staying the Sprint Cup until at least 2016 after the US telco signed a three-year extention of its NASCAR sponsorship deal.

Sprint, which became the sponsor of NASCAR’s premier series in 2004, signed the deal for an undisclosed amount.

Sprint took over the title sponsorship when it acquired Nextel, which took over from Winston, in 2005. The new deal is expected to include an expansion of Sprint’s coverage of the sport via mobile phones and other online platforms.

Pagenaud, 27, also raced for Honda in the Sebring 12 Hour, for Peugeot at Le Mans and for Garry Rogers Motorsport in the Gold Coast 600. He was the Champ Car rookie of the year in 2007.

Another team to sort its lineup for next season is Sarah Fisher/Hartman Racing. After confirming a partnership with businessman and sports franchise owner Wink Hartman, Fisher announced that 2011 Indy Lights Champion Josef Newgarden will drive the team entry next season.

PRE-ORD

NOW!ER YEAR YEAR BOOK BOOK The Essential Bathurst Annual

This is the original Bathurst annual hard-cover book, the definitive publication on Australia’s Great Race.

The story of this always-epic and often heartbreaking event is presented in 256 pages, illustrated by some 400 images shot by some of Australia’s best motorsport photographers. The book also boasts a comprehensive statistical analysis covering all facets of the race – there’s even a full race history record for each competing car. This fabulous annual hard-cover book is a collector’s prized possession, and a great gift idea.

Call: 1300 361 146 or www.chevron.com.au

www.mnews.com.au

15

UPGRADED ASTON FOR EGGLESTON AUSTRALIAN GT

John Morris/Mpix

BEN Eggleston will return to the Australian GT Championship in 2012 with an upgraded Aston Martin.

Eggleston made a handful of starts in 2011 in an aging Aston Martin DBRS9, but is upgrading the car to current specifications.

Initially, he hoped to race it at the Armor All Bathurst 12 Hour, but Eggleston will now focus on the 2012 Australian GT season, which kicks off at the Clipsal 500 a week later.

“We’re just speccing it up to make it more competitive,” Eggleston told eNews.

“It’s still a work in progress.

We’ve got a few things on in the next week. which will decide a few more things with it. There’s a wait on parts because it’s all overseas, but, basically, it should be ready to roll by the end of January.”

Eggleston’s team is likely to run a second car in the championship. That has been helped by a lack of clashes between the 2012 AGT program – featuring four Shannons Nationals appearances – and the V8 Supercar Development Series, in which his team will also run, see separate story.

“We’re also in negotiation to

run more than the one GT car next year,” Eggleston said.

“The way the calendar’s structured, only the first and last rounds of GT and the DVS clash. And that frees everything up; if a GT driver wants to

drive a DVS car or if I wanted to do a DVS round, it gives me the opportunity to do so, because we’re not doing GT that weekend.

“It sort of frees up everything.”

– MITCHELL ADAM

HARRIS LOOKS TO CUP CAR FOR 2012 CARRERA CUP

16

DIFFERENT C AUSTRALIAN GT

Dirk Klynsmith

EXPECT to see Ryal Harris in a Carrera Cup car, a Ute, or both, in 2012.

Having enjoyed his best V8 Utes season to date in 2011, Harris is eyeing a move to the one-make Porsche series, but could also continue with his current twodoor ride simultaneously.

“I don’t know what I’m doing,” said the Gold Coaster.

“I really want to do Carrera Cup. All the cars are equal, the racing’s hard but fair, and those guys don’t really bang into each other. I’d love to do the Utes with these boys [Big Gun Racing], and if I can do Carrera Cup as well, I’d do that, but if it just means I can do Carrera Cup, I’d do that.”

Harris hasn’t yet locked away a team, however, and as is often the case, money remains a hurdle.

“I’ve been speaking to a few teams, so obviously I’ve just got to go out and find a budget,” he said.

“I’ve already got money in the air back from a few people now, and I’ve got a few people on the go, but I’ve just got to go crazy in the off-season and hope that something turns up. That’s all I can do, really.”

The long-time Utes driver had initially expressed a desire to spend another year in the Utes, then step up to the V8 Supercars Development Series when the introduction of the COTF would make more pre-loved hardware available.

– DANIEL HERRERO

DEAN Grant is weighing up his machinery options for the 2012 Australian GT Championship.

A regular in the championship, Grant raced two cars throughout the 2011 season, a Mosler MT900 and a Porsche GT3 Cup S – the latter purchased after motorsport news

NEWS

Rob Lang

O’HALLORAN SIGNS ON WITH MARANELLO AUSTRALIAN GT NICK O’Halloran will drive the second of what could be a four-car campaign from Maranello Motorsport in next year’s Australian GT Championship.

O’Halloran will run the second of the Melbourne squad’s Ferrari 458s, which is due to arrive in the country next month, alongside the existing 458 of Peter Edwards.

A third 458 is likely to join their fleet, and while they purchased a Lamborghini Gallardo LP600 from Asia with the view to

on-selling it, they may continue to run it for a new owner. O’Halloran raced the LP600 at Sandown’s 2011 season finale, finishing fourth for the weekend.

“There’s probably another 458 coming after mine, so we’ll have three 458s and it’s looking like we’ll run [the Lamborghini] as well, so we’ll have four in the series,” O’Halloran said.

“The 458’s such a good looking car, easy to drive, and no-one else has got them, so we thought we’d be a little different and get them. Maranello have always been involved

with Ferrari, so there’s such good contacts with the factory.”

The team has committed to running one 458 at the Armor All Bathurst 12 Hour – with Allan Simonsen, Dominik Farnbacher, John Bowe and Edwards – and interest from Asia could see them field a second.

“A team in Malaysia want to come out and they want us to run it, but we’re negotiating at the moment to see what they want to do. It’s a possibility,” O’Halloran said.

– MITCHELL ADAM

John Morris/Mpix

CHASSIS OPTIONS FOR GRANT’S GT PROGRAM the Mosler was extensively damaged during the Bathurst 12 Hour. With the Mosler repaired and now sold to Rod Salmon, the Porsche is on the market, and when it’s moved, Grant will make a decision on what he purchases next. A 2011-spec Audi R8 is currently the leading contender. www.mnews.com.au

“I’m definitely going to be there next year. We’ve got our sponsors and everything locked in,” Grant said of the GT Championship.

“We’ve still got the Porsche but I haven’t sold it yet, so I don’t know what to do with it yet.

I’ve committed that I won’t buy another car until I’ve sold both

of the cars, but I’ve got someone interested in the car, so we’ve just got to pull a deal off.

“I’m looking at a variety of cars, but the Audi would be the pick of the bunch.”

After a puncture at the Chase extensively damaged the Mosler and set back his whole year, Grant is open to running in next

year’s 12 Hour, but not as a car owner.

“At this point I just want to focus on GT,” he said.

“I’m definitely not running my own car, but if a drive came up in something that’s competitive and reliable, I’d have a crack at it.”

– MITCHELL ADAM 17

NEWS SPEEDWAY

MEYERS RACES

Geoff Gracie

REIGNING World of Outlaws champion Jason Meyers is returning to Australia, aiming to bag two of the country’s major events.

The 32-year-old Californian has the Lucas Oils Grand Annual Sprintcar Classic and the Scott Darley Sprintcar Challenge in his sights and is expected to lead a record number of USA entries for the Classic.

Meyers, a two-time Outlaws champ, will make his Australian debut on December 26 at Tyrepower Sydney Speedway for the annual Valvoline Australian Sprintcar Grand Prix with follow up appearances at the same venue on January 1, 7, 13 and 14.

On January 21 and 22, Meyers will head south to contest the 40th Classic and is keen to atone for his demise in last year’s race. Running second with 12 laps remaining, Meyers and fellow American star Joey Saldana made contact on the back straight, with Meyers rolling. The incident did spark a heated dispute between the pair.

Meyers will again team-up with NSW team owner Steve Caunt and is looking forward to returning to Warrnambool.

“The Classic is a race we all want to win and I feel we will be better prepared than ever,” Meyers said. “After coming so close last year, we are aimed at one thing, winning it all.

“It’s all part of racing,” he said of his premature exit from the Classic.

“They say you have to lose the big ones before you figure out how to win them. It is the biggest race in Australia. So to me it would mean a lot. It would have a special meaning being that I am driving for an Australian car owner as well.

Meyers will be joined at the 40th Classic

by Craig Dollansky, Danny Smith, Paul McMahan, Jason Johnson, Shane Stewart, Caleb Griffith, Daryn Pittman and Jonathan Allard.

– GEOFF ROUNDS

ECB INTO ARC ARC THE Bosch Australian Rally Championship has secured a naming rights partner for two of its new, 2012 initiatives.

Australia’s largest manufacturer of alloy bullbars, East Coast Bullbars, has signed on to back the all-new Australian SUV Rally Challenge and the new season opener, Rally Calder on March 1-4.

18

“ECB has clearly seen the potential and opportunities the Bosch ARC is offering and embraced the sport at a time of expansion and rebuilding and we welcome them to rallying,” ARC CEO Scott Pedder said.

“ECB is an industry leader and its fantastic to have them as our partner for Rally Calder, an event that represents be a giant step up for the sport in Australia.

“With growing interest amongst

manufacturers and privateer teams the Bosch ARC is attracting increasing attention from a range of companies and ECB is one organisation that has recognised this.

“Rally Calder presented by ECB will bring a whole new range of spectators to the sport of rallying and to motor sport and we are billing the weekend as Melbourne’s Festival of Speed.” motorsport news

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Brock’s best ever race

ndoubtedly the ‘72 Bathurst, that supposed to be used. You was his best race. Because could tell him he knew exactly what to do, and he that with all the testing we’d would do it. In done, ’72 at Bathurst, Brock just with this new driving technique and went way off that we’d into the distance. evolved for the new tyres, which only We were utterly and convincin he was doing because the gly in others didn’t control for the whole bloody understand it, he was at race. Brock least five percent got a minute penalty, wrongly. faster on any circuit than When they he’d been before. refuelled the car, he goes to take off Because of that, unless there and was an one of the guys says ‘the accident or something like cap’s not on that, he knew properly’. So I tell them he was going to win. to stop the car, and take the cap off and The race was turning point put in on again. in his life.

That was not contravening He went from nobody to the regulations.

King of the The official didn’t see us Mountain. It was lucky for stop the car and us that year that assumed we’d started the car before Ford made a few mistakes the – they didn’t fix refuelling was done. We were wrongly their brakes, and they didn’t understand penalised. what a huge difference the new wheels and Moffat got three penalties tyres would make to our – Moffat car – and they started the car before they’d still used their old suspensio finished n. refuelling, no ifs or buts Brock knew exactly what about that. had to be done We knew – I had a man down at his to win. I said, ‘don’t bother pit trying to pass watching it all.

Moffat, just sit behind him and worry him.

The other very outstandin Make it so he’s looking g drive was in more at you in the the A9X, when he broke the lap record mirror than on the road ahead, on and he’ll the last lap, while six laps make a mistake. That’s what in front. That is happened. really rubbing their noses The wet that year was an in the dirt. It’s advantage for also taking a big risk! us because of the tyres we had and the way If it had been me running the car was set up. We used the team, I soft tyres the wouldn’t have been happy whole race, and our hand-cut about him tyres were running that risk. But it’s far superior to anyone else’s. an ego thing and But as a team manager you can’t could use all that new technolog Brock control it; you y as it was just have to put up with it. I would have said, ‘Peter, you understan d that you took a bloody big risk doing that.

If you’d have pranged that car on the last lap, that would have really given you a lot of aggro!’

The other extremely good drive was his win in the Repco Round Australia Trial.

Because rallying really wasn’t his scene, but he adapted to it and excelled himself.

52

53

Brock and the Beast

engine compartment 5000 engine, and the XU-1 rally car we was square tube emember this – the that went around that ent, was not ‘stuffed’, ed as a roll cage supplem used to make it of built cars steel reinforc inch steel already of my competition picking up on 3/8 as some say. None engine we made the XU-1 plus floor for the rear shell, into were faulty: when was reinforced with dash centre and centre and gearbox mount Sports Sedan, the to cut a out had cut It shell. mount were extra plating in body floor and gearbox a the Repco Formul make the space for

R

the project. seat and roll cage with four-wheel disc Peter helped in the down Monaro diff cs car was tailor made of HQ front hub/dis – seat belt – as the brakes adapted out explaining how to an exercise for future to suit him. Don was and stock parts – as it was all strange had 14x7 Dragway and run engine as four-disc system. It used the T10 start It only finished it at tyres. we e to Peter, and how wheels and Fireston clutch. Panel beater where it ran as car Sandown circuit – gearbox and a Repco at Suspension it all in – Ian Splatt first time and all brakes. for “Dicko” and I put lower Koni shockers and unit – lighter settings, spring rates, Dragway did the diff as I thought they front and a cross tyre pressures were springs were put in and God” theory! compartment, with should be – by “guess brace in old engine I told Peter to be It ran the normal We fired it up and the battery in the rear. pump to suit and brave, and to come very cautious, not XU-1 tank fuel lines To everyone’s dry sump tank in the in if anything felt wrong. fuel injection – the but well, stopped fair, Don Halpin (Repco) surprise it handled spare wheel well – line. up engine as it was did it go in a straight helped fit and connect in d involve they were a Repco lease and 59

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19

NEWS

BROTHERS FIGHT IT OUT AT VIC TITLES KARTING

LEIGH and Jordan Nicolaou went wheelto-wheel for the victory in the recent Victorian Closed State Titles held at the Swan Hill Kart Club, however in the end it was Jordan who reigned supreme.

It was Leigh who was on top of his game the earliest, qualifying fastest over Jordan, but come Heat 1 it was Andrew Carey who threw a cat amongst the pigeons to lead home Jordan and Leigh.

From then on in was all the Nicolaou brothers up the front, with Jordan winning Heat 2 over Leigh, and those results reversed in the pre-final.

Jordan was again back on top when it counted, taking out the 18-lap final over Leigh and Carey, with Anton De Pasquale finishing fourth in his first senior event.

Jordan went close to claiming a double victory but had to settle for second in Sportsman Light, with Richard Muscat proving too strong leaving Tim Holowell to cross the line in third.

Leigh Nicolaou also finished on the podium in Clubman Heavy running third behind winner Travis Kodric and runner-up Muscat.

Two other Jordans were also triumphant,

with Jordan Caruso winning the Midgets and Jordan Boys taking out Junior MAX. Boys also finished runner-up to Thomas Prascevic in Junior National Light, with Damon Strongman third. Strongman also recorded a victory of his own, taking out Junior National Heavy with Aiden James and Zac Soutar rounding out the podium.

The remaining junior class, Junior Clubman, saw Jayden Wallis greet the

chequers ahead Luke Walker and Jake Klein.

Nathan Van Hulst led home Craig Arnett and Andrew Hayes in Clubman Super Heavy while in Clubman Over 40s the win went to Phillip Smith over Mark Poole.

The remaining class victories went to Danny Wright in Sportsman Heavy, Luke Medley in Sportsman Restricted Light and Chris Crawly in Sportsman Restricted Heavy.

– PAUL CARRUTHERS

BUTTON WINS WHELDON KART RACE KARTING MCLAREN F1 driver Jenson Button has won the Dan Wheldon Memorial Kart Race held in the UK at the Daytona Motorsport’s Milton Keynes facility last week.

The 2009 World Champion fittingly teamed up with Dan’s

father Clive to form team DW Lionheart to take the victory.

Making things even more special was the fact that Dan’s sister Holly finished in the runner-up position, teamed up with recently crowned IndyCar Champion Dario Franchitti.

The charity event raised around £20,000 for the

Alzheimers Society.

The impressive list of drivers who joined Button and Franchitti in the race included Anthony Davidson, David Coulthard, Guy Smith, Jonny Kane, Rob Huff, James Hinchcliffe, Johnny Herbert, Marino Franchitti, Martin Brundle, Alex Brundle, Mike

Conway, Derek Hayes, Adam Carroll, Chris Buncombe, Richard Dean, Steven Kane, Sam Hancock, Luke Hines, Marc Hynes, James Rossiter, Peter Dumbreck, Richard Lyons, Sam Bird, Duncan Tappy, James Thompson, Tom Sisley, Ollie Hancock and Danny Watts.

– PAUL CARRUTHERS

FIVE ROUNDS FOR SoK IN 2012 KARTING FIVE rounds are on the cards for the 2012 CIK Stars of Karting Series.

The Bolivar circuit in South Australia will see proceedings kick off on February 25, the week prior to the Clipsal 500, while Round 2 will be held in Newcastle at the Mount Sugarloaf circuit on April 21/22.

After opening the series in 2011, the Ipswich Kart Club in Queensland will this 20

year host Round 3 on June 16/17, one week after the country’s biggest drag race, the Winternationals at the adjacent Willowbank Raceway.

Then it’s time for a return to Sydney’s recently resurfaced Eastern Creek for Round 4 on July 28/29 with the final set for Todd Road in Victoria on September 22/23, which is the weekend following the Sandown 500 V8 Supercar race.

“These dates and venues have been

carefully planned to provide our competitors and the series with the maximum possible exposure alongside other mainstream motorsport events throughout the year,” said International Karting Committee Chairman Craig Denton.

“The dates have also been planned around other major karting events as well, to ensure there are no clashes.”

– PAUL CARRUTHERS motorsport news

New Releases Just in time for Christmas!

Availab le Decem ber

Available er Decemb

y

Each onl

$ 20 years of the VN Commodore

The VN Commodore SS is a highly significant model in the history of high performance Holdens.

Sadly, it never received the kudos it deserved over its short competition life, now 20 years ago. The second place the VN scored at Bathurst in 1991 is hardly remembered today, but it was against much tougher opposition than that faced by the HRT VL model Commodore that won in 1990. But the VN was significant for other reasons: it is the last true high performance homologation special ever made by Holden, the last true production-based Holden racer before the advent of V8 Supercars. This DVD recalls this short but critical piece of Holden motorsport history. Featuring highlights of the ‘91 and ‘92 Australian Touring Car Championship (these highlight packages were never released in Australia) plus highlights of the ‘91 Bathurst 1000. Some special moments to keep a eye out for when watching, Brock’s return to Holden, Mark Skaife’s very first touring car championship win, some of Australia’s greatest race tracks gone but not forgotten and some of the best in-car camera footage you will ever see.

We hope you enjoy.

.00

35

stage and IncludinHganPo dling

2011 Australian Muscle Car Masters

This special DVD presentation features over one and a half hours of highlights from the 2011 Australian Muscle Car Masters at Sydney’s Eastern Creek Raceway, Sunday 4th September.

Relive some of the best action from Australia’s premier annual muscle car event, which this year featured the 40th year of the Falcon GT-HO Phase III and the Valiant Charger, and 20 years of the VN Commodore Group A – three of the most legendary Australian production performance cars ever made.

Featured cars and drivers include Jim Richards, Charlie O’Brien, Dick Johnson’s 1981 Falcon XD and Peter Brock’s 1987 Bathurst Commodore – and a lot more.

In addition to the legendary men and machines off the track, this event is a feast of on-track action, with the Master Blast and Heritage Hot Laps sessions, races for Touring Car Masters, Group A&C and Group Nb and Nc Historic Touring Cars – the best Touring Car action from the 1960s, ‘70s, ‘80s and early ‘90s.

This DVD is a must-have for any motor sport enthusiast and muscle car fan.

Classic Austrlain Touring Car Races vol 10

Classic Australian Touring Car Races Vol 10 revisits two classic races at Sandown; one 25 years ago, the other 20 years ago. This is history that can never be repeated: a dominant Nissan 1-2 in the 1986 Sandown Castrol 500, a strong showing from Allan Grice in his Chickadee Commodore, as well as the Holden Dealer Team with Peter Brock and Allan Moffat.

Next we look at the all-conquering Nissan GT-R ‘Godzilla’ going the distance in the Drink/Drive Sandown 500 of 1991. This highlights race package was screened on ABC television latenight and sees the all-wheel-drive twin-turbo Nissan come home for its first endurance race win. As for the Holden teams, there was little joy to be extracted from Sandown, and Peter Brock had a day that he would prefer to forget. Then we go further back into time to take in two 10-lap screamers at Warwick Farm from 1968 and 1970, both in wonderful black and white.

Once again see all the cars, all the stars and all the action on Classic Australian Touring Cars.

To order please call:

1300 361 146 or www.chevron.com.au

www.mnews.com.au

21

FIVE MINUTES WITH ...

MAX PAPIS In between runs in one of HRT’s Commodores at Winton, the Italian took time out to tell PHIL BRANAGAN his first impressions of a V8 Supercar MOTORSPORT NEWS: How was your day?

MAX PAPIS: Well, learning a V8 Supercar is pretty interesting!

They are definitely a very technical racecar, with a huge amount of horsepower. You need to be, pretty much, a specialist to get the best out of the car.

The car is very good under braking for the high-speed corner. It is not as connected to you in the low-speed corners, so you need to use two different mindsets. You need to focus pretty hard on the braking, but you need to use a finesse technique in the low-speed corners.

It is closer to what I was expecting but there is a lot to learn.

Can you make a comparison between a V8 Supercar and a [NASCAR Sprint] Cup car?

Yeah, there are a lot of similarities. In terms of the power-to-weight ratio, in terms of how you put the power down coming out of the corner. It is kind of halfway between a Cup car and a GT1 car.

But using the spool at the back, that really makes it unique. In the low-speed corner, especially, that makes it a unique car. You need to spend time in ther car, it does not come naturally right away.

I know that you are keen on MotoGP. What do the bike racers tell you about Phillip island, Max? I spoke with Valentino [Rossi] and he told me, ‘Don’t use the same racing line I use for MotoGP!’ And I think that Turn 1 is not wide-open! We were just joking around.

I have watched Phillip Island in the past, maybe 20 times on TV, I am watching the MotoGP races and the V8 Supercar races.

I am reasonably familiar with the track.

[Max was standing next to Cameron McConville at Winton while talking to eNews] Have you seen Cameron’s incident at Phillip Island two years ago, when he ran off the track at Turn 1?

No but I have seen the YouTube pass he made to win the race here [at Winton] over and over again.

Red Bull Racing

You were at Bathurst with Marino Franchitti, who drove in the Gold Coast 600. Does this mean that we are taking you as a serious contender to race at Surfers this year?

Absolutely! The reason that I came here was that I was picking up vibes from Mike [Henry, HRT’s Operations Manager] and the people at HRT. I am going to be, as well, going to Phillip Island, giving rides to people [on Wednesday]. Overall, I think that this is a great feel and a great

opportunity to build on my knowledge, and learn whatever I can before the race.

My hat is off to the V8 guys. I can see why the good drivers – the Tanders, the James [Courtney], the Murphys – are as good as they are. These cars are challenging and they require a pretty unique technique.

Did Cameron make you watch it?

No, I watched it myself!

I can see that he can have bragging rights at this track.

What about Bathurst? You must be interested in the 12 Hour and the Bathurst 1000.

Definitely. You have to show up in a place like Bathurst with some track experience.

This year, with the schedule that I have, I should be free to run in the 12 Hour. I am really enquiring to have the opportunity to go there. To be there and have the opportunity to be there in a car, for the 12 Hour, that is something that I really want to do. I am ready to come, I just need a car!

So, what is your next race – the 24 Hour at Daytona?

I am going back [to the USA] on Saturday and I am testing on Monday/Tuesday the new Corvette Daytona Prototype car at Daytona. I am going to be running in the race for Action Express, and I think that there is a big chance to win the race.

That is a good-looking car.

All the cars have been improved tremendously, since they first appeared in 2002.

I am looking forward to driving the Corvette, because I really think that is the direction that the Daytona Prototype category needs to go. It looks more like a road car, and from the first shakedown that the car did, it is supposed to be pretty fast.

I am excited to be here at HRT and to have a driver like Cam giving me advice.

To be involved with a team like HRT, that is something pretty special, to be able to be here and have a run in a V8 for the first time.

I am looking forward to driving the Corvette, because I really think that is the direction the Daytona Prototype category needs to go 22

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LINDBOM: TURNING A DREA For a long time, Kristian Lindbom has dreamed of racing in Europe.

Last week, he took a step closer to that dream, testing for GP3 team Tech 1 racing at Jerez in Spain. Here, in his own words, is how it went down.

E

VERYTHING about the test was challenging.

The thing I found the most difficult was how competitive it is in Europe.

Everything is competitive, even the way people act. It goes down to every little detail.

It was quite overwhelming, only because I was quite underprepared in terms of miles in a GP3 car. The only experience I’ve had in any car in the recent past has been either in a V8 Supercar, or in my road car!

Suddenly I was at a brand new track, driving a car with heaps of tyre grip and downforce through high-speed corners. As soon as I was going over 200km/h, it felt like I had 10 times as much grip as anything I’ve every driven, especially a V8 Supercar, and even a Formula 3 car. It was a completely different realm. It was only in two or three corners that the car felt familiar – the slower corners – but even then it wasn’t the same. It was overwhelming, to be honest.

It was like the first time I ever hopped into a racing car.

Even on the installation lap, the speed was overwhelming, because I’ve been out of a car for a while. It came down to the

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roughness of a racing car; I’ve become used to road cars with leather seats! I got back in the GP3 car, and wow ...

You can’t expect perfection straight away. On the first installation lap, I was trying to be perfect, I was trying to get everything right. But realistically, you have to rough it out for a bit and get used to the car. Then you can switch to the aggressive mode that you need to drive one of these cars fast.

The V8 Supercar isn’t like that. It’s so easy to overdrive a V8, whereas you have to drive the GP3 car so hard – and once you’re doing that you’re still two seconds off the pace, so you have to drive that hard again.

You can’t have a concept of how hard you have to drive the car until you experience the tyres.

It’s a difficult tyre to work with, the Pirelli. It’s basically the same tyre as they use in Formula 1; it’s the same compound, the walls are very soft – to put it into basic terms, I just haven’t had the miles to be on it straight away.

The first day I was essentially just acclimatising.

On that first day, I also realised I wasn’t strong enough. I was up against 16-year-old kids who were tiny – they looked like little kids – but they were stronger than me. If we went head-tohead on weights at the gym, I’d smoke them, but they are stronger in the right areas. This isn’t a gym, it’s a racing car.

Once I was over that hurdle, it

OPINION

Kristian Lindbom – Former FFord and F3 competitor was about getting used to the car. The track itself wasn’t that hard, it’s a fairly easy track. But it’s a strange car. The way you drive it is the complete opposite of anything I’ve ever driven before.

You always learn to hold the brake, get into the corner, and hold the brake pressure right to the apex, to keep the weight on the front tyre. Then, you feed the power on to get out of the corner. But in this thing, you have to get off the brake as soon as you possibly can. You rush the corner. You get off the brake and turn. If you did that in another racecar, you’d just get massive understeer.

You have to turn hard, too. If you get off the brake and don’t turn, it won’t work. If you’re on the brake too long, it won’t turn.

It doesn’t make sense. It took until the third set of tyres for me to learn that.

Up until that point, I’d been making a few tenths on the new tyre, but it wasn’t enough. So, I got to the middle of one of the corners, and got off the brake. I thought I was going to go into the wall, but it worked.

I went out for another lap, on worn tyres, and went 1.3

seconds faster. If I’d gone for a new set of tyres then, I would have been on the pace. I went into the pits to get new tyres, and the engineer wanted to look at the data. I wanted to go straight back out, because I knew what to do, but they insisted we looked at data.

We did that, it all made sense, I hopped back in the car, and it started raining. That was it.

I saved those tyres for the last session, but there were too many red flags to get enough heat in the tyres. I tried to go too hard on cold tyres with a few laps to go and went off, into the gravel. That was the end of the session for me.

I learnt a lot. It’s taught me that I could compete with the guys over there.

I’ve always had a few issues in a racecar, like getting the gain out of the new tyre. In Formula Ford, that was my weak point.

But getting to test – that was my first test in three years – gave me a chance to try things out. I put all of my theories into practice, and I think I fixed those issues.

That will make me a stronger driver in anything I drive from now on.

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COMMENT

AM INTO REALITY

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AUSTRALIAN MANUFACTURERS C’SHIP ROUND 5 - EASTERN CREEK, NSW

RIDERS OF THE STOR

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RACE John Morris / Mpix

RM

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CHAZ MOSTERT AND NATHAN MORCOM CLEANED UP IN THE EASTERN CREEK 6 HOUR, AS THE 2011 PRODUCTION CAR SEASON WRAPPED UP. LACHLAN MANSELL WAS THERE

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OUNG guns Chaz Mostert and Nathan Morcom have emerged as the victors in the 2011 Eastern Creek 6 Hour, the final round of the Australian Manufacturers Championship, in their BMW 335i.

Mostert and Morcom qualified fifth, but after struggling with excessive tyre wear early in the race, they battled their way to the front of the field after rain started falling around half way through the race. A blistering wet-weather stint by Mostert elevated the BMW to the race lead – from a lap down – with just over an hour remaining, and Mostert held off the Mitsubishi Evo X of Stuart Kostera and Inky Tulloch in the final stint to secure the race win.

The Kostera / Tulloch entry looked to be in trouble in the race’s early stages, pitting on several occasions with delaminating front-right tyres.

However, some well-timed Safety Cars allowed them to stay within striking distance of the lead, and a gamble to pit for fuel under a Safety Car paid off, albeit with 2001 Champion Kostera making it to the chequered flag on an almost empty tank.

Tony and Klark Quinn were third in their Mitsubishi Evo IX. The Quinn team led the early stanza of the race, before losing some time under an early Safety Car. They fought their way back into a race-winning position but Tony was not able to match the pace of Mostert in the wet conditions, and then the team was forced to make their final pitstop under green flag conditions, costing them track position to their rivals who stopped during a Safety Car intervention.

Dylan and Dave Thomas finished fourth in their Evo IX after a troublefree run, ahead of the Subaru STi of Cameron Wilson, Dave Wood and Peter Burnitt, which ran in the top four for much of the race before losing third gear.

Sixth was the well-driven Mazda 3 MPS of Hadrian Morrall and Adam Dodd, ahead of the Mitsubishi EVO IX of Jim Pollicina, Dean Lillie and Steve Cramp who were asking themselves what might have been. Cramp had found himself with a commanding lead after a clever strategic pitstop under the first Safety Car of the race, but the team’s race was severely compromised when a front wheel fell off the car in Lillie’s stint.

The pole-sitting car of David and Des Wall was out of contention by the second lap of the race with a turbo boost problem, losing over 30 laps in the pits for repairs, while there were also a number of notable incidents in the race.

Greg Symes had been running well in the Mitsubishi Evo he was sharing with Glenn Seton, before he tangled with the Grant / Iain Sherrin BMW 135i, eliminating both cars on the spot.

During the rainiest period of the race, large puddles formed on the main straight, which caused a few cars to aquaplane. After a near miss by Morcom, the worst affected was the Suzuki Swift of Brendan Cook, which spun out of control completely and crashed into the wall, necessitating a lengthy Safety Car and the field to detour through pit lane while the debris was cleared.

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RACE

John Morris / Mpix

In a super wet stint, Mostert unlapped himself and passed Kostera for the lead, above. The Quinns, left, took third, while Pollicina, Lillie and Cramp, below, were in the mix before losing a wheel.

John Morris / Mpix

John Morris / Mpix

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Jarvis and Simpson, the Swift movers of Sydney ...

John Morris - Mpix

SWIFTS ALLAN Jarvis is the inaugural Swift Sport Australia Series champion, after he finished second overall in the final round of the series, supporting the Eastern Creek 6 Hour.

The round was won by local driver Ryan

Simpson, who was invited into the category for a guest appearance and dominated the weekend, topping practice, qualifying and all three races. Allan’s father Rob Jarvis rounded out the podium, while Justin Johns had a tough weekend, crashing in practice before switching to a spare car, which he crashed in Race 1.

Four Group N races were also held, with Vince Macri winning the first race in his Camaro, before John Predl, also driving a Camaro, won the other three races.

Allan Reid (Falcon GT) battled with John Harrison (Ford Mustang) for the minor placings.

– LACHLAN MANSELL

Pulling the Fogg Over Their Eyes NZV8 ANGUS Fogg has enjoyed a bumper weekend in Christchurch after he took two wins and a second in the three races in Round 2 of the BNT V8s Series.

Favourable speed and even better performances in the pits from his team helped Fogg escape his rivals by the end of the weekend, with his dominating pace coming to full realisation following a

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coming together with Jason Bargwanna, where Fogg recovered brilliantly to second position.

Culminated with his earlier Round 1 win, Fogg now holds a 22point lead over the BNT V8 field.

“As the race went on the car came right and it was a jet again,” said Fogg after the weekend.

“So we managed to pick them off and second was a pretty good recovery all things considered.”

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RACE

PAIN? WHAT PAIN? SPEEDWAY DESPITE severe shoulder pain, James McFadden still was strong enough to win Round 3 of the 2011-12 World Series Sprintcars Championship at Mildura’s Timmis Raceway.

The win shoots him to a narrow lead in the busy series and was impressive as he is still getting over injuries sustained in a big main event crash at Dubbo during the second round. “It was a brutal track,” McFadden said.

“I’m sore, my shoulder in particular was giving me plenty of trouble. Pulling down the belts really gave me some pain. I’m glad we could hold on.”

After a monster crash last week, Steven Lines made a welcome return to form in his new J&J and after a disappointing first two rounds.

American Jason Johnson recorded his second straight third place result in his Maxim, but the result may have been different if he had of flipped when slamming into the Turn 1 wall during the A-Main.

Robbie Farr was the early race leader until McFadden, Lines and Johnson caught him.

The fourth round of the Hi-Tec Oils World Series Sprintcars Championship is scheduled for Adelaide’s Speedway City on Monday, December 26.

– GEOFF ROUNDS

Twas the Night Well Before Christmas ...

WA STATE THE annual Xmas Night Race Meeting was run on the weekend at West Australia’s Barbagallo Raceway, for what was their final race weekend of 2012.

The round honours were hotly contested in the Holden HQs as Grant Howlett and Ian Sweetman enjoyed a brilliant weekend dice for the silverware.

After taking a win in the opening race, Howlett had it all to do heading into the final race after his main rival Sweetman took a win in Race 2. But a commanding

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performance from Howlett in the final saw him cross the line in first for both race and the round.

Daniel Gaunt made another appearance at Barbagallo to compete in the Sports Car and Marque Sports Cars category in a Porsche 911RS. To say he had an easy weekend would be an understatement as he dominated his class to win the honours, while Adam Marjoram decimated his rivals in the Sports Car class to make it a perfect three wins from as many starts, also driving a Porsche.

Continuing the theme of utter class

domination was Nathan Callaghan in the Saloon Cars. It was Callaghan’s weekend to lose in his Commodore, winning every race en-route to taking the round honours ahead of Rick Gill in second, and V8 Ute regular Grant Johnson in third overall.

Brett Sherriff was the man at the front of the Sports Sedans in his Mazda RX-7, easily holding his own in a much quicker car to make it a perfect weekend. Mark Greenham meanwhile came back from a slower start to his weekend to win the Street Cars category in his Mitsubishi Evo VII.

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rear of grid Indycar Media

Karts for Da Boyz

Indycar Media

Ryan Hunter-Reay, Jay Howard, Alex Tagliani and Tomas Scheckter at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The racing was conducted in conjunction with the International Motorsports Industry Show.

We are not sure who won – or whether Smoke fired anyone from his crew after the race.

Indycar Media

WHAT do racing drivers do in the offseason? They race!

That was what happened in Indianapolis on Sunday when the stars of NASCAR and Indycar faced off in karts.

Sprint Cup Champion Tony Stewart joined AJ Allmendinger and Austin Dillon to take on Scott Dixon, Graham Rahal,

ON THIS DAY 12 DECEMBER 2002

NINE years ago, the Formula 1 testing season was in full swing in Spain and Jenson Button took a step that would have big repercussions. After a tough season with Renault, he moved to BAR Honda and tested for the team for the first time on Dec 12.

In 2003, he finished ninth in the championship; the following season, he was third. After two disastrous seasons in 2007 and ‘08, Honda pulled out. The team becamse BrawnGP and JB won the title in 2009 – and then he moved to McLaren-Mercedes.

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