Motorsport eNews Issue 1 - April 24-30, 2007 by V8 Sleuth

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Issue No. 001 – April 24 2007

V8 TEAM SOLD V8 brake issues

Lights out at AGP

SHUNT!

Pukekohe’s final fling

Spectacular sequence inside This issue of Motorsport eNews brought to you with the support of

Ingall: Staying for 08?

Editorial Editor: Grant Rowley grant@mnews.com.au Deputy Editor: Aaron Noonan noonz@mnews.com.au National Editor: Andrew van Leeuwen andrew@mnews.com.au Executive Editor: Phil Branagan editor@mnews.com.au

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Contributing Writers F1: Joe Saward, Mark Glendenning, Adam Cooper, Paolo Filisetti Europe: Quentin Spurring, David Addison US: Martin D. Clark, Phil Morris Speedway: Greg Boscato, Geoff Rounds, Darren Sutton, Tony Millard (UK) Rally: Ryan Lahiff Drag Racing: Dave Ostaszewski (USA), Ken Ferguson, John Bosher National: Mark Wicks, Mark Jones, Daniel Jordan, Aaron Shaw, Daniel Powell.

Photographers Sutton Motorsport Images, Dirk Klynsmith, Marshall Cass, John Morris/Mpix, AF1 Images, James Smith, Peter Bury, Neil Blackbourn, Chris Carter, Coopers Photography, Paris Charles, Bob Potts, Neil Hammond, Joel Strickland, Mike Patrick (UK) Motorsport eNews is published by Australasian Motorsport News ABN 55 125 120 702 Publisher: C Lambden Copyright: Material published in Motorsport eNews is copyright and may not be reproduced in full or in part without the written permission of the publisher. Freelance contributions are welcome, and while all care will be taken, Motorsport eNews does not accept responsibility for damage or loss of material submitted. Opinions expressed in Motorsport eNews are not necessarily those of Australasian Motorsport News or its staff. International photos supplied by Sutton Images www.sutton-images.com

Issue No. 001

24 April 2007

news 5 Holler for a Marshall Kees hands over the keys 6 Morris meets wall 9 Lights out 11 Talking tyres

Why Klynsmith earns big $$$ No AGP night race in 2008 Three vie for V8 tyre deal

chat 18 Five minutes with Rick Kelly and Garth Tander opinion 20 Van Hamilton 37 The Punter

race 22 V8 Supercars, NZ 28 International 30 Targa Tasmania 32 Local racing

RFs and Pukekohe say bye bye Introducing ... Not Tolling around Champs, Indys, Motos ... Jim didn’t win! Sullens did Oran Park and NZ

trade 34 Trade and Industry / Raceshop 36 Classifieds

welcome ... with Craig Lowndes Click on the pic to hear from Craig!

Welcome to Motorsport eNews!

Brake revolt?

V8 teams consider terminating brake package after scares in NZ V8 SUPERCARS

Grant Rowley Editor eNews IT was only a few short months ago that MNews Publisher Chris Lambden sat us down and, basically, turned our world upside down. ”Instead of two publications a month, we’re gonna make five, and we're going to give four of them away for free,” he said. The doctors said I’d make a full recovery from my heart-attack – and they were right. I am here, alive, and proud to be the Editor of Motorsport eNews – the world’s first weekly digital motorsport magazine. We are pioneers in digital publishing, and I have no doubt that we will forge through the unknown, while continuing to lead the pack – in news and opinion – both here at home and abroad. It's been a big effort by many to get this off the ground, but a special thanks must be given to the commercial partners you see in these pages, who are backing eNews, sight unseen, from Issue 001. So, here we go. A new adventure, a new challenge, a new beginning. Don’t be afraid to let us know your thoughts ... 4

A POSSIBLE revolt among V8 Supercar teams is threatening to, at least temporarily, terminate V8 Supercars’ new-for-2007 control brake package. A number of teams have expressed alarm after problems with the Alcon-supplied brake rotors in New Zealand which, with control calipers, form the new specification brake items introduced at the start of the season. As the cars were being packed away on Sunday night in preparation for the Brakes on the brakes: Teams homeward journey, Garry want a safer package. Rogers Motorsport engineers were in the process of investigating whether Dean surface. All teams to which we Canto’s massive Race 3 spoke indicated that they had accident was caused by a rotor already brought their concerns failure as he drove through to the attention of TEGA the daunting Ford Mountain Technical Manager Steve Brow section of the Pukekohe track. and indicated that they would Canto was a passenger in the officially notify TEGA of the Valvoline Commodore when problem later in the week. the brakes failed on Sunday The problems that struck in afternoon. Auckland appear to be across a “Something failed,” he said number of teams. In response after the race. “It was not a to our enquiries, the problems loose wheel – that would have appeared to be brought caused brake knock-off. It to a head by Pukekohe’s stopped alright at the [Holden] combination of long straights Hairpin but next time I braked, and hard stops, which the pedal went to the floor.” prompted extreme highs and But even before the Canto lows in brake temperatures. crash, several teams reported One team principal told dramas with the rotors. One eNews that his team had taken team detected cracks in one extraordinary precautions over of its cars’ front brakes after the weekend. qualifying, despite increased “Last year, we used a total vigilance prompted after of four sets (of discs),” he said. having observed record brake “This year, we have used eight. temperatures at Adelaide and Yes, the rotors are cheaper but Barbagallo Raceway. with the extra ones we have MNews was invited into had to use, I have spent 50 garages immediately after the percent more than I did here races by several teams, in a bid last year.” to bring their concerns to the Another also complained

about the increased cost. “I was against this [control brakes] from the start, but let’s put that aside. This is about safety. The drivers need to have confidence in their brakes and, to be honest, I can’t blame them.” Regardless of whether they supported the control brake concept or not, the team members to whom eNews spoke were careful not to attribute blame. One was even conspicuously complimentary to Alcon. “They are, obviously, not dickheads,” he said. “The problem is not with the technology, it is with this rotor, on these cars, on this track. This is what happens when you have people used to making financial decisions making technical decisions. “Instead of saving money, we are spending more, for worse brakes. Brilliant.” Given the combination of 270kmh straights and hard stops in Auckland, the obvious concern for team members is tracks that offer similar conditions. One team principal did not mince his words. “Bathurst is going to be ugly. Honestly, how can I ask my drivers to drive a car if it was like this [at Pukekohe]? In 1000 kays, we would have to change rotors during the race, probably twice. That would not even look good for Alcon; fancy a bunch of drivers going on TV to say that they need their brakes fixing during the race, but we didn’t do that last year. “This can be fixed. It’s not about who’s right or who’s wrong, it’s about safety. It’s that simple.” – PHIL BRANAGAN

news

Super Sale V8 SUPERCARS

In and out: John Marshall, above, will purchase SCAR from Kees Weel, below.

Dirk Klynsmith

The ongoing future of the team’s sponsor and drivers also are issues for the new owner to attend to. Supercheap Auto’s sponsorship of the Dandenong-based team reportedly ends at the end of this season, while driver Cameron McConville is in the second year of a two-year deal. Paul Dumbrell is understood to be in the first of a two-year deal after joining the team from Jack Daniel’s Racing at the end of last season. Marshall Jr would obviously be a likely candidate for a fulltime drive in 2008. Whether that is as part of the PWR team, or even in a third car (the 32nd team franchise is going up for tender later this year), remains to be seen. – AARON NOONAN

Dirk Klynsmith

GOLD Coast property developer John Marshall will become the new owner of V8 Supercar team PWR Racing. While PWR team owner Kees Weel categorically maintained to MeNews in New Zealand that he hasn’t sold the team to anyone, our sources suggest a deal has been struck and should be signed, sealed and delivered for Marshall to take over the reins of the team – more than likely after the Winton round in late May – subject to TEGA approval of the licence transfer. Marshall’s No Limit Property Group was a secondary sponsor of Weel’s two-car Supercheap Auto Racing Commodore team in 2006. He was present at Pukekohe,

spending a small amount of time in the team’s garage while spending the majority of his time in a separate corporate box. Marshall’s son Marcus currently races Carrera Cup after stints in V8 Supercars and Champ Car and will drive the second Supercheap Auto Commodore at Sandown and Bathurst alongside Paul Weel. With Weel Jr no longer driving full-time and the families’ PWR Performance business on the rise – particularly with a massive new building being completed in Yatala on the Gold Coast – selling out makes sense for Weel. Kees currently sits on the TEGA Board, so the sale of the team will require a new board member from within Holden’s group of teams.

John Morris?Mpix

John Marshall takes the reins at Supercheap Auto Racing

Ingall to stay? V8 SUPERCARS RUSSELL Ingall is talking with Stone Brothers about his future beyond this year. The 2005 V8 Supercar champion’s contract with Stone Brothers Racing concludes at the end of this year, although there is a further year to go on his Ford contract. There are conflicting opinions along pit lane as to whether Ingall will remain with Stones next year, although Russell told Network 7 over the weekend that Ross Stone has said that he wants him to stay.

At this point, though, there is no formal contract. What would Ingall’s options be if he wasn’t able to agree an extension with Stone Brothers? Given that there is a year to go on his Ford contract, it is being suggested that Paul Cruickshank Racing would be an obvious destination. PCR has close links with the Stone Brothers and will need to sign a new driver for 2007 following the retirement of John Bowe at the end of the year. Ingall is just one of several V8 drivers out of contract this year, heralding an interesting Silly Season.

So what should I do, James? Russell Ingall is talking to Stone Brothers about 2008 – with suggestions over the weekend that there’s a deal on the table.

news

The Biff is back

Race against time for PMM to rebuild its VE after big Turn 7 clash at Pukekohe

FORMULA ONE

Like the Super Tourer days ... Former 2-Litre rivals Paul Morris and Brad Jones touched at Turn Seven, sending the white Sirromet Commodore VE into the guard rail backwards, pic #1, before the car pitched onto its roof. The incredible sequence comes to you courtesy of leading MeNews snapper Dirk Klynsmith.

PAUL Morris Motorsport faces a race against time to have two race-ready cars for Winton’s fourth V8 Supercar round on May 18-20. The Norwell team’s sole Commodore VE, nicknamed ‘Hercules’, is due to be unloaded by Gibson Freight in Brisbane at 1am tomorrow (Wednesday) before being returned to the workshop for assessment. The team faces either a rapid repair to the damage, valued at more than $100,000 by the team on Sunday night, or borrowing a car to compete at Winton. PMM’s spare VZ, ‘Astro‘, was raced at home by Fabian Coulthard after the team sold the VZ he raced in Adelaide and Perth to Fujitsu Series driver Scott Loadsman (see story page 14).

Morris was unhurt in the 195kmh impact after clashing with old rival Brad Jones at Ford Mountain. It was already a challenging weekend for the team, Morris only just making it onto the grid after an engine change between the two Sunday races. “I gave him heaps of room,” said Morris. “I was hit in the rear – and then I was upsidedown. It wasn’t a big impact with the wall. I was waiting for the big crunch but it never came.” The Team BOC driver was contrite: “I was trying to give him room, but over the kerb on the inside I clipped the tyres that are there for some silly reason and away I’ve gone," said Jones.

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MTRC – THE FUTURE

news

No to night AGP as CEO leaves OUTGOING AGP CEO Tim Bamford has said that there will be no Melbourne Grand Prix at night – at least not in the near future. Bamford confirmed that the initial evaluation of costs had scuttled the suggestion. He announced last week that he would be stepping down as the chief executive of the Australian Grand Prix Corporation having held the post for the last three years. He will be replaced by Drew Ward, who has been working most recently as marketing services manager of the event

and who will take over as CEO next Monday. Ward will be the fifth CEO employed in the position in the 12-year history of the event. He played an important role in the Olympic Games in Sydney in 2000 and then as Operations Manager of the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne in 2006. However, at the same time as Bamford’s departure announcement, former AGPC CEO John Harnden has been confirmed as Deputy Chairman of the AGPC. Bamford's future plans are yet to be announced. – JOE SAWARD/STAFF sutton-images.com

Honda dramas

sutton-images.com

FORMULA ONE

A Curried F1 GP?

FORMULA ONE CHANGES in the technical team at Honda Racing F1 are expected following the team's disastrous start to the 2007 World Championship. There were signs in Bahrain that this process is already underway with chief race engineer Craig Wilson being given a new role to co-ordinate the development of the cars. Jacky Eeckelaert, who has had a more general role in recent months, is to move into a role overseeing the track engineering of the cars. The problem seems to link back to the decision to fire Geoff Willis last June. He was replaced by Shuhei Nakamoto,

a successful motorcycle racing engineer, who was put in charge of design along with the team's chief designer Kevin Taylor and chief aerodynamicist Mariano Alperin. The manufacturing side of the business was put under the responsibility of deputy technical director Gary Savage under chief executive Nick Fry, rather than to Nakamoto. Also involved is Honda engineer Otmar Szafnauer, who is head of the engine division but also on the team board. There have even been suggestions that the entire Japanese operation may move to the UK to avoid the complications of two bases. – JOE SAWARD

BERNIE Ecclestone, right, has proposed a street race format for a Grand Prix in Delhi, India, following the current trend in F1 of moving away from huge purpose-built facilities, such as those in Shanghai and Turkey. Formula 1 wants to be in India to attract the country's growing middle class. The city has a number of wide avenues and the suggestion we have heard is that sections of the circuit would follow the route of the annual Republic Day Parade, for which huge grandstands are constructed each year. The parade takes place each year on January 26 so that any race would probably have to be at that time of year. This would fit in with the plans that have been announced for a race in Abu Dhabi at the end of January.

sutton-images.com

FORMULA ONE

There are still many problems to be overcome, not least the fact that there are elections taking place in India next year, which could change the picture completely. The good news is that both sides say that they want Delhi to be seen as “a world class city.” – JOE SAWARD

BRIEFLY...

n Pukekohe was the final V8 round for Troy Bundy. The V8 Supercars Australia Operations Manager will move to a new marketing role with the NRL after four years of chasing Fords and Holdens around the world.. n V8 Supercar drivers are universally recognised as multi-taskers but one set a new low for achievement at Pukekohe. Yes, he arrived with everything he needed to race; racesuit, gloves, helmet, HANS device and two racing boots. Problem was, he had packed two left boots and no rights. Prior to practice, he had to borrow a spare pair from former team-mate Andrew Jones, add a second pair of socks. And no, we will not reveal his identity … n … Speaking of Cameron McConville, the SCAR driver wore #100 instead of the usual #50 in NZ to celebrate his 100th title round start. Cam has been in the series since 1999 but it was all the way back in 1993 when the fresh-faced kiddie made his V8 debut with Dick Johnson Racing at the Sandown 500, which wasn’t a part of the championship back in those days.

Schumacher may hold the key to the 2008 Formula 1 grid FORMULA ONE RALF Schumacher’s future at Toyota is under question, with rumours that he may be replaced next year by Nick Heidfeld. Heidfeld has done well this year but the rumours of a Toyota deal sound more like a lever in Heidfeld’s negotiations with BMW than any real interest from either party. Toyota has yet to convince anyone that it is a winning operation while Heidfeld has yet to win a race – although his recent form for BMW has impressed many observers. The 32-year-old Schumacher has been in F1 since 1997 when he joined the Jordan team. He moved to Williams in 1999 and won six races with the team before moving on to Toyota in 2005. He has occasional good races but has failed to provide the dynamic kind of leadership that the team needs at the moment.

sutton-images.com

n The financial straits of the car companies are starting to show. The longheld policy of General Motors executives flying business class on international business trips appears to have been consigned to history. The Thursday Melbourne-Auckland flight showed some red bodies in steerage, with the odd exception of a courtesy upgrade into the fat seats. The old policy applied across the board, from Detroit to Fishermans Bend.

Ralf leads F1 silly season

Scumacher’s Manager, Hans Mehr, has been on the front foot as the rumours spread, saying last week that: “We agreed with Toyota quite some time ago, that we would get together to talk about an extension towards the middle of the year. “Ralf is one of the best Formula One drivers in the world. There is no need to worry about his future. If he wants to drive, there will always

Triple 8

be a cockpit waiting for him ...“ There are, however, likely to be more rumours in the months ahead as there are half a dozen drivers whose contracts are up for renegotiation and who may end up without a drive in 2008. The man most likely to be looking for work is David Coulthard, the doyen of F1 at the moment. Coulthard is 36 and he has had few convincing races since he joined Red Bull Racing. Rubens Barrichello is just coming up to his 35th birthday and is unlikely to stay with Honda beyond the end of the season, while there are also questions being asked about 34-year-old Giancarlo Fisichella. Alexander Wurz’s revival at Williams will need some serious results if he is to be retained in the longerterm and Jarno Trulli’s future at Toyota is also one that is being increasingly questioned. – JOE SAWARD

news

FORMULA ONE

GRANDS Prix are scrambling to do new deals as a new generation of Formula 1 tracks emerge. In recent days Malaysia has announced that it has secured a five year extension for its contract, which will now run until 2015. The government gave the circuit the go-ahead to negotiate a deal when it emerged that Singapore was a serious bidder for a race. Mokhzani Mahathir, the chairman of the Sepang International Circuit (and the son of former Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad), says that the intention remains to upgrade the track and build an “automotiverelated theme park” with more facilities. At the same time the Turkish Grand Prix has recently negotiated a contract that will stretch until 2021, as part of the deal in which Bernie Ecclestone takes over the operations of the Istanbul Park circuit for all events, including F1 and the MotoGP. Ecclestone will pay an annual lease fee to FIYAS, a subsidiary of the Istanbul Chamber of Trade, which owns the circuit. There will also be a scheme under which FIYAS will get some of the profits generated. Ecclestone said that the Istanbul contract is one of the worst (financially) for his company but that the sport needed to be in Turkey. – JOE SAWARD

Dirk Klynsmith

GPs sign up V8 TYRE

TENDER OPEN

V8 ACTION Saturday April 28 1.00pm – 1.30pm AEST

V8 XTRA 1.30pm – 2.30pm AEST

V8 UTES Saturday May 5 1.00pm–1.30pm AEST

Dunlop, Michelin and Pirelli expected to bid V8 SUPERCARS THE tender for the V8 Supercar control tyre contract looks like being a three-way battle between Dunlop, Michelin and Pirelli. The French and Italian companies are in the process of finalising their V8 bids, which must be submitted to the Touring Car Entrants’ Group by Monday May 27 – the day after the Winton V8 Supercar Championship Series round. Apart from the production and supply of tyres for the 20082012 seasons inclusive, there is also likely to be a promotional element to the deal, as currently applies to Dunlop’s contract. While it is possible that there could be a change

in tyre supply, there will be no modification to the dimensions and specifications of the category’s unique wheels, which will remain 17 inches in diameter and 10 inches wide. Dunlop won the control tyre deal in 2002 for a three-year period and extended its arrangement with V8 Supercars for another three in 2005. Last year, it supplied around 9500 tyres to V8SCS and Fujitsu Series teams. A similar deal with a new supplier would mean an increase in the number of tyres supplied in the first year, as teams would have to replace existing stocks of test tyres prior to the start of the 2008 season. – PHIL BRANAGAN

MELBOURNE

SYDNEY

BRISBANE

ECU DAY 1: INSTALLATION

SAT JULY 7

SAT JULY 28

SAT JUNE 2

ECU DAY 2: TUNING

SUN JULY 8

SUN JULY 29

SUN JUNE 3

DATA LOGGER INSTALLATION

SAT JUNE 2

SAT JULY 7

SAT JULY 28

i2 DATA ANALYSIS

SUN JUNE 3

SUN JULY 8

SUN JULY 29

SEMINAR

DATA FOR DRAG RACING

THIS WEEK ON SEVEN

V8 XTRA Next V8 Supercar Round:

Winton – May 19/20

WORLD MOTORSPORT CALENDAR April 28/29 A1GP Brands Hatch NASCAR Talladega INDYCAR Kansas AMRS Winton May 5/6 WTCC Zandvoort BTCC Thruxton NASCAR Richmond WRC Argentina MOTOGP China WSBK Monza CAMS National Series (PI)

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Race smart.

Get set for April 2008 ... Hamilton street track to measure up at 3.4-kilometres; full house expected for inaugural championship round V8 SUPERCARS AS the curtain fell on Pukekohe’s seven-year tenure as New Zealand’s V8 Supercar host, Hamilton has a lot to live up to in 2008. After more than 132,000 locals showed up to watch the Last Blast around the 2.8km track, further south, Hamilton City Council and promoter CSM Limited are expecting a full house of 155,000 spectators, as stated in the resource

consent documentation. The race, which will be held next April, will be the first in a sevenyear deal to host the race on a 3.4km track, right. As well, V8 Supercars has confirmed that all three New Zealand networks are expected to bid for the television rights to the series for the first time. An announcement of the successful bid is expected in June. – PHIL BRANAGAN For more, see opinion on page 21.

Kiwis line up for V8 endurance V8 SUPERCARS

Euan Cameron

IF you thought that New Zealanders had already infiltrated the V8 Supercar scene, get ready for a whole pile more at the endurance races at Sandown and Bathurst. Pukekohe paddock chat linked a wide range of drivers

from Kiwi-land to rides with Ute racer Chris Pither tabbed to line-up alongside countryman Fabian Coulthard in the second Sirromet car. Three of the front-runners from the local NZ V8 Championship have also staked their claim to rides. Regular Fujitsu V8 racer Kayne Scott looks likely to

drive the second Jack Daniel’s Commodore after testing for the team at Winton recently. New NZ V8 Champion John McIntyre, left, who has driven at Bathurst before in a WPS Ford alongside now-NZ V8 rival David Besnard in 2004, has also been mentioned as a chance to co-drive. McIntyre could also be

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news

Whincup: More to come

New Stone Brothers Racing engine still a little way away though ...

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the #88 BF. To date, Whincup’s car has been engineered by team technical director, Ludo Lacroix. Dirk Klynsmith

e gigs considered a candidate for WPS Racing’s enduro line-up given his previous association. Tasman Motorsport are still searching for their fourth driver and their NZ V8 association with Andy Booth may see the Kiwi line up alongside Mark Noske. The Kiwi will test with the team at its next session at Winton on May 8.

www.mnews.com.au (or just click on this ad!)

Australasian

TEAM Vodafone is in a midst of a major development period to return to the front of the V8 Supercar field. Jamie Whincup, who finished third overall at Pukekohe last weekend, said on Sunday that there were a myriad of new parts on the way for the cars. “We have big plans for the next four rounds of the championship to catch the deficit,” said Whincup after

finishing third at Pukekohe. “This is Round 1 of four but we are well on track to get back up the front.” One of the updates will include new SBR engines. The team tested the newer D3headed motor at Queensland Raceway recently, but will only make the step when it has sufficient parts for both cars. Whincup also started a new engineering partnership in New Zealand, with Mark Dutton taking that role with

Dirk Klynsmith

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Well, it would be an All-Black car either way ... Kayne Scott has tested for Jack Daniel's Racing and could slot into a black VE.

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BRIEFLY...

■ After running a two-race format at Wakefield Park, Performance Car organisers have added another possible race format for 2007 with two 15-minute sprint races and a 30-minute reverse grid final with a compulsory tyre stop. The new format will replace the mooted 200-kilometre format for Hidden Valley. Two double points events will also be added – the Hidden Valley and Symmons Plains rounds to feature more points in a bid to encourage teams and drivers to make the trips. ■ The Australian Safari has scored its first major coup, with French tyre giant Michelin coming on board as major sponsors of the event. Michelin will be the official supplier of the motorcycle portion of the event, while its offshoot brand BFGoodrich will support the auto competitors. The event kicks off in Western Australia on August 24. ■ Aussie James Davison has finished sixth in the latest round of the Star Mazda series at Houston on the weekend. He now sits third in the championship with the next round this weekend at Virginia International Raceway.

The mini Merc

Aussie Racing Cars to get a touch of German later in the season AUSSIE RACERS

PHIL Ward has completed the design work for his latest DTM Mercedes-styled Aussie Racing Car, with a view of debuting the car later this year. A one-third scale model, based on DTM Mercedes pictured, will now be tinkered with before a shell is moulded, tinkered with and race-prepared. “It’s all a slow process, but it’s coming together,” Ward said. “Just like the CLK DTM Mercedes, it has big skirts and flares. She looks like the proper thing. “The new car will keep the same build philosophy of all our cars – it's just a new body. “We want to create more

sutton-images.com

■ Former Australian Formula Ford Champions Will Davison and Jamie Whincup have been appointed as official ambassadors for the championship that helped springboard their motor racing careers. Davison, who won the title for Sonic Motorsport in 2001, and Whincup (who won a year later in the same Van Diemen chassis), will help pass on some advice to the current crop of Formula Ford racers who are keen to follow in their wheel tracks.

interest, more entertainment, and that’s the idea behind it. Only a handful of people will ever get to race a DTM Mercedes! We can now offer that opportunity.” The Aussie Racing Cars

Series now has a hiatus for two months, with its next round scheduled for Eastern Creek Raceway on the Queen’s Birthday long weekend, June 9-11. – GRANT ROWLEY

Reindler to Asian open wheelers

AUSSIES OVERSEAS KARL Reindler won’t return to racing in Europe this year, instead opting for the Formula V6 Asia series, above. Reindler, who raced in British F3 last year, was linked to the all-new Formula Masters category. However budget considerations and the unfamiliarity of the series has seen Reindler take the Asian option.

“We really discussed the Formula Masters thing, but at the end of the day it was as expensive as World Series by Renault,” he told MeNews. “And all the good seats were gone in F3 and World Series, so we ended up chatting with ERain. They offered me a test in Korea, and we did a deal. I love the cars, obviously. Numbers are possibly the only issue with the series, but they are talking to guys like Jonny Reid and

James Winslow so it shouldn’t be a problem.” Reindler will be based in Perth for the year, which will also allow him to look into the V8 Supercar option. “I may even look at some V8 stuff this year,” he hinted. “It would be great to talk to some teams, maybe even look at a test or something.” The FV6 Asia kicks off in Malaysia on May 5. – ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN

news

Loadsman updates to PMM VZ SCOTT Loadsman has purchased an ex-Paul Morris Motorsport VZ Commodore, which he intends to debut in the third round of the Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series at Winton next month. But the plan for the Sydneysider may yet change before he can get his hands on his new toy. Loadsman had expected to take delivery of the car this week, but due to Morris’s major shunt at Pukekohe last weekend, PMM may need to use the car (dubbed ‘Earnhardt’) at Winton themselves. “He might need to borrow it, but I’m not too sure yet,” Loadsman told MeNews. “As soon as he crashed, I got a phone call. They are going to see what state Paul’s VE is in during the week.” Loadsman says that the upgrade from his ex-Lansvale Tint-a-car-backed Commodore to the Morris machine will be a huge improvement. “It’s got an Aurora engine and all the go-fast bits. With the data the car comes with and the support they are going to give my team, we believe we can progress up the field.” – GRANT ROWLEY

Marshall Cass

FUJITSU V8

Handing over: Scott Loadsman has bought the chassis dubbed 'Earnhardt' by Paul Morris Motorsports, forcing Fabian Coulthard back into an older VZ for the time being.

Van Diemen gets new Oz distributor CHASSIS constructor Van Diemen International has a new Australasian distributor. Barrie and Vanessa Worth were recently appointed the local distributors of the Panozowned constructor, taking over from Van Diemen’s longtime holder Greg Siddle and the Worths have declared some bold plans for its future. The Newcastle-based distributors intend to run a factory Van Diemen team in the 2008 Australian Formula Ford Championship, along with a state-based squad. The factory team has ordered four of Van Diemen’s

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brand-new 2007-model DP007s, pictured above. They will be prepared by fellow Novocastrians Prodigy Motorsport, who run two cars in the Fujitsu V8 Series. Van Diemen, now owned by the Panoz group, has

been synonymous with success in Australian Formula Ford, winning 15 national championships since the category’s inception in 1970. – GRANT ROWLEY For more, see opinion on page 20

■ An appeal against the US$150,000 award of damages made to Tony Purnell in his claim for libel against BusinessF1 Magazine and its editor Tom Rubython has been rejected. Purnell was awarded the money in May last year, the jury deciding to overrule the judge's suggestion of damages between US$50,000 and US$120,000. Purnell says that that the money will be paid into an educational charity established in honour of Formula 1 engineer, Harvey Postlethwaite.

Walter: Brit and Aus F3 FORMULA 3 WALTER Grubmuller will split his time between the British and Australian Formula 3 Championships for the remainder of the 2007 season. Having completed both the opening round of the Australian championship and the support races at the Australian Grand Prix for Astuti Motorsport, Grubmuller missed the second round at Oran Park last week to instead race for Hitech at Donington in England. But Astuti boss Sam Astuti is expecting the young Austrian to be back before the Australian season is over. “His attitude is the more miles the better,” said Astuti. “Budget isn’t really a problem, so I’d expect that when there is no conflict between the calendars he will fly back out

here to race.” Thanks to a test day in England, Grubmuller is likely to miss the next Aus F3 round at Phillip Island, leaving a frontrunning seat available. According to Astuti, New Zealand TRS ace Andy Knight is in the frame. “We are looking for a driver, and I have spoken to Andy in the past,” he told MeNews. “But there’s nothing in place as of yet.” – ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN

MOTOGP VALENTINO Rossi had to cope with a tyre problem in Turkey last weekend but the Italian maestro has been most critical of Toni Elias. Rossi criticised the Honda rider after the two clashed mid-race while battling for second position. With his

Scelzi calls it a day DRAG RACING

David Ostaszewski

■ Champ Car veteran Paul Tracy expects to be back behind the wheel to race at Portland on June 10. The Canadian continues his recovery from a broken vertebrae suffered at Long Beach while Oriol Servia fills his seat in the Forysthe Racing squad. – JOE SAWARD/STAFF

Rossi critic

Dirk Klynsmith

■ Red Bull says that it may take legal action against Spyker, claiming that the team has received stolen design documents from Red Bull Racing. These were presented as part of Spyker's case against Scuderia Toro Rosso, claiming that Red Bull and Toro Rosso parts are interchangeable. Red Bull immediately launched an internal investigation in Milton Keynes and in Faenza to try to find out how Spyker obtained the drawings. Spyker says it received the drawings in the mail. There is also a question of whether or not stolen documents would be admissable in the arbitration case between Spyker and Toro Rosso as many law courts refuse to accept evidence that is believed to have been acquired illegally.

Dirk Klynsmith

BRIEFLY...

FOUR times NHRA drag racing champion Gary Scelzi has announced that he will be taking a sabbatical from the sport at the end of this season. The Don Schumacher Racing driver could not confirm how long he’d be out, or if he is to return at all. “This is actually a lot more difficult than I thought it was going to be,” Scelzi, 46, said last week. “I got everybody together

to let everybody know that at the end of this year I will be leaving Don Schumacher Racing and am going back to work at Scelzi Enterprises to get back involved in the family business.” Scelzi has won four championships, three in Top Fuel and a memorable Funny Car title in 2005 when he beat John Force. Scelzi become an instant fan favourite when he shocked many in rookie drag racing season (1997) by winning the Top Fuel championship.

news

Atko’s new mate WORLD RALLY CHRIS Atkinson will have Stephane Prevot calling the notes for the remainder of the 2007 World Rally Championship. The experienced Belgian is making a comeback to the Subaru World Rally Team, having first worked with the team as Bruno Thiry’s codriver during the 1999 season,

as well as sitting alongside Stephane Sarrazin during several rounds last year. “Right from the start of the test we seemed to work well together and we improved with every day,” said Atkinson. “Stephane’s an experienced and professional co-driver and he adapted to my driving very quickly. Of course there’s still work to do, as Stephane gets used to my notes system,

and my words and phrases, but it’s good so far. “We already have a good understanding in the car and I’m feeling positive about our rally debut in Argentina.” The Argentinean round of the World Rally Championship kicks off on May 3. – ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN

Hossack to debut new engine SUPERKARTS AN Australian-built Superkart engine will make its debut in the Victorian Superkart Series round at Phillip Island this Saturday. The SAFE 250cc twincylinder International class engine will be used by Darren Hossack, himself making a debut in the category. The man behind the motor is Scott Ellis. The Melbournian has been competing in 250 Inters for four years and has been involved in kart

production for around five – both with his own SAFE Superkart chassis (the name comes from his initials) and via his day job running the manufacturing side of things at DPE. Ellis came up with the idea of his own engine about three years ago. “They stopped making the crankcases for the Rotax 256 engine in 1997,” he told MeNews. Over the years a shortage of crankcases led to several European engineering

companies making their own. “The copy-cases from Europe are so unaffordable, so I decided to make my own at half the price.”

Hossack has raced pretty much everything on four wheels, but it will be his first time in a Superkart. “I’m not knowing what to expect!” he said. “We are putting the engine on one of Colin McIntyre’s Anderson chassis and we’ll have Col there to look after that side of things.” After the Vic Series round, Hossack and Ellis plan to contest the two-meeting Australian Superkart Championship. – MARK WICKS

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Michelin tyres clearly giving best to Bridgestone at the track, the Yamaha rider fell to 10th by the end of the race, while Elias was second, 6s back from Casey Stoner. “I’m quite unhappy with Elias today because I think he was quite dangerous - more than once he passed me on the inside and then altered his line. This is not a correct way to race,” fumed Rossi. The is a history of bad blood between the pair, Elias clanging Rossi out of last year’s Spanish GP. But many see Rossi’s blast as merely a deflection from why he finished so far down on the track where he qualified on pole position and where he was second in the middle of the race, in which Bridgestone-shod bikes filled the top six places. Furthermore, Rossi has a history of taking no prisoners himself, most famously when he bumped Sete Gibernau out of the lead at Jerez in 2005.

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cal of Elias

5 MINUTES WITH ...

R KELLY & G TANDER

TOLL HSVDT team-mates Rick and Garth were both on the pace at Pukekohe. In fact, they finished equal first for the round and are now 1-2 in the championship QUESTION: Rick, your first win in New Zealand – did the team keep you informed about what was happening, points-wise? RICK KELLY: I guess everyone was a little unsure what was going to happen. For us, it was just a matter of having more laps, rather than less, in case we had to push at the end or conserve our tyres. But it was a bit of a surprise, to be honest. You had your brother Todd behind you in the HRT Commodore for pretty much the whole race. I was surprised to be in the lead after the pitstops. We got quite lucky to take the round win. We had a good car in Race 1 and not so good in Race 2, so [for] Race 3 we improved. Some other cars out there made some good improvements for Race 3, but I think that we could probably have held on to the end if the race was longer. In the bigger picture, you came into this round 13 points in front and you leave 13 points in front. Status quo, with 11 rounds to go. Garth and myself had equal points in a couple of rounds last year and we are starting to do that again this year. I don’t know if I can keep up with him; he was pretty fast here again, as he was in Perth. I don’t know how to keep up with him! The Toll/HSV team has won every race in the series, bar one. It is a menacing sign that you are going to your home,

test track at Winton for the next round of the series. This year, we know what we need to do to go really well. Winton is a track where, sometimes, we have struggled in the past. Last year, the Queensland teams came down there and beat us. Since then, we have made significant improvements so this year, I think that we can improve there as well. Garth, talk us through the pitstop that cost you any chance of what would have been a pretty comfortable victory. GARTH TANDER: It was just too long! Simple as that. I think that it was a jammed wheel nut. Sometimes, you can hear both wheel guns going and this time, I could hear one. The second one went for a fair while and I knew that we were in a fair amount of trouble. There was a lot of traffic in pitlane that I had to wait to merge into, so I lost a lot of time. I spent a lot of time in the mid-pack and it took some time for me to get through. Were you aware of the points situation and the one-lap dash to the chequered flag? Paul Radisich in the Team Kiwi Ford was in front of you and if you had got past him, it would have got you the round win. We knew that I had to get past Paul to claim the round win outright. We weren’t aware that it was going to be a onelap dash to the end – basically

we thought that it was going to be eight laps. I had a crack at the hairpin anyway to get it done sooner rather than later, but it wasn’t enough. To my surprise, as we went over the line, the chequered flag was waving. It is disappointing not to get the sixth race win in a row and not get the round win but, as Rick said, we were fast all weekend and it has been a great start to the year for the team.

You and Rick have extended the team away from the rest of the field. What areas do you focus on now heading into Winton? Pitstops, to start with! We have had a great run, the cars have been strong right out of the truck in Adelaide. We are not too concerned about what other teams are doing. We have two very strong drivers at the top of the championship and we push each other hard. The little bugger took 13 points off me in Race 3 and we will continue to push each other hard. That is what pushes our team – we have a lot of fun but we push each other hard. Garth, you said you didn’t know it was a timed race but Rick, you did know? RK: They suggested that it might be.

Garth, do you feel then that your own weekend was disrupted or destroyed by the dictates of television schedules? GT: I don’t know what the reasoning behind the ending of the race was. I’m not sure. Given that timed races come in, usually, for that kind of reason, do you feel that more than a one-lap dash might have been fairer? GT: I think that if they had cleared [Canto’s] GRM car a

little more efficiently, it might have saved time. That is probably the biggest issue. Rick, it must be nice to put an end to this, with not winning a round last year? RK: It is still equal points, so I am not too sure. To be honest, we didn’t win this weekend by dominating all the sessions and the races, so we still have a little bit of work to do. It is just a matter of making the right changes onthe car to make it fast and me driving it correctly. If we focus on that a little more, we are capable of winning some races later in the year. Garth, would you have had a bigger go at Paul [Radisich] if you knew it was the last lap? GT: Absolutely.

chat

Dirk Klynsmith

The name’s 007 ... DP007

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The late, great Ayrton Senna was one of the many famous drivers to pedal an ‘RF’ Van Diemen.

WITH Pukekohe hosting its last V8 Supercar round for the foreseeable future last weekend, tradition in motor racing is a bit of a hot topic at the minute. Speaking of which, I stumbled upon something rather interesting the other day. The website for the UK Formula Ford Championship recently posted a story about Freddie Hunt, son of 1976

OPINION Andrew van Leeuwen MNews National Editor World Champ James, cutting some laps in Van Diemen’s latest FF chassis – the DP007. Hang on, shouldn’t it be the RF07? As in Ralph Firman Snr? As it has been for the last umpteen years? Apparently not. It’s no real mystery where the designation

comes from. DP stands for Don Panoz, which given that the Panoz group is now the owner of Van Diemen, makes sense. However Panoz has owned VD for seven years now, and, one may have thought, had chosen to leave RF as the prefix to the model out of (proud) tradition. It’s a shame, because the RF name has existed throughout the company’s finest cars. In fact, it was only their very first

couple of chassis that didn’t carry RF, instead starting with FA thanks to a Tasmanian named Ambrose … It’s always a shame when these things change, but, in the name of progress, some things must. Like a multi-national company buying a small racecar manufacturer from Snetterton. Or a well known motorsport publication going digital …

Letters

Have your say – email us at mail@mnews.com.au. Remember, keep it short! Come on 10, seriously As a fan, I can see Channel 10 this season are as pathetic as before. Take the Malaysian Grand Prix for example. The race started at 5pm Brisbane time, but was not telecast until early Monday morning. They’re crowing about telecasting qualifying, which they did for the Bahrain Grand Prix, but again they telecast both the race and qualifying at very awkward times.

These guys really should put things on at sensible times bearing in mind where the races occur, or, preferably, pass the Formula 1 season to another broadcaster. Ian Beaumont Bribie Island, Qld. It’s time to go ... Brad

Sometimes, out of disaster, comes some good.

I am referring to the shunt at Pukekohe which took Paul Morris off big-time.

Fortunately, no-one was hurt, but it would be good if the incident caused Brad Jones to pause and reflect. A few laps after this crash, Mark Skaife and Russell Ingall ran through the same corner side-by-side. Nobody ran into anyone. At this level, drivers have to have faith in each other that they have racing room. In this case, Brad failed Paul Morris, whatever the reason. Brad has had a long

and – particularly in the Thunderdome days – good career, but the signs are there that it is time to hand the seat over to an up-and-coming youngster. I'd hate Brad to hurt himself. Paul Simmons Appin, NSW Thin Edge Is the shortening of the third race in NZ the first of many such decisions? It was, we are told so that

opinion

THOSE in charge of the infrastructure and planning for the Hamilton V8 Supercar race appear to be well on top of the case, but need to remember just one thing. In two words: REMEMBER CANBERRA. I have no doubt that Hamilton will be a success. The people there, epitomised by the Mayor, are clearly committed, interested, and keen to do it well. And, in commercial terms, it will undoubtedly pull in bigger crowds – unless they tragically overprice tickets as Melbourne did with the recent World Swimming Championship, which played mostly to a part-filled arena. In terms of providing a spectacle for kiwi (and TV)

Or is it ... Boo hoo. People whinging about

Chris Lambden MNews Publisher race fans, Hamilton has a high level to aim at to equal Pukekohe – which, as far as I can remember, hasn’t produced a dud. The combination of high-speed flicks and big stops makes it one of the more testing circuits for drivers and one which has always produced a great spectacle, for on-track and TV spectators. It’s the nearest thing Down Under to Spa, in my view. Street circuits are the go, so the circus must move on. But there are two types of street circuit: Adelaide and Canberra. Adelaide retains a high-degree of challenge and, consequently, produces terrific racing. Canberra was

Channel 7s V8 telecast need to get a life. Seven provides a quality and free service, yet that’s not enough. They want to whinge about anything and everything. So seven laps of the V8 race were cut at Pukekohe. So what. Races running to a time limit are nothing new. F1, NASCAR, and Champ Car all have time limits and races sometimes get shortened. Seven had an AFL match to show live in Perth (go the Dockers!) so the V8s were cut short. I love my V8s – they’re the best – but people need to remember that together with Channel 10, Channel 7 paid $800 million to get the AFL broadcast rights. Of course AFL is going to get preference over

a complete joke. The track design itself was a farce and the racing – when spectators could see more than 100 metres of road – was pathetic. I’ve walked the proposed circuit in Hamilton and came away thinking “there’s plenty of potential here.” But then a driver told me that “they’re going to have to put a chicane in the middle of that straight or the entry will be too quick into such-and-such corner …” Whoa. Stop. Dear Hamilton promoters: by all means listen to drivers concerns, but don’t emasculate the place. The same goes for the Race Track Thought Police (formerly track design/safety officials!). We live in a society where political correctness and, let’s

be blunt, arse-covering, is the norm. If you’re not vigilant, a great opportunity could be wasted in Hamilton. Track safety is immeasurably better than a decade ago; cars are stronger, walls and debris fencing also. As the final spec of the Hamilton circuit takes shape, remember this is motor RACING, not Proceding In An Orderly Fashion and Sounding Good Trials. The ghost of Canberra is never very far away … In the meantime, so long Pukekohe, it was great.

Big Dog Photographics

a handful of football fans (ie WA only) could watch an AFL match live rather than delayed. It should be worth noting that all three V8 races were over before they were broadcast in the eastern states ie every race was delayed. The handling of it, including the reported error in cutoff time given to teams is unforgivable and everyone in V8s, not just Garth Tander, has a right to be well pissed-off. Time for action Mr Cochrane. Seven has done well with its broadcasts to date, but this has to be addressed. Matthew Broughton Doncaster, VIC

OPINION

Dirk Klynsmith

Bye bye Pukekohe – it was great knowing you

OK, this photo has nothing to do with any of our letters. But our eagle-eyed Exec Ed Branagan snapped this in NZ ... the V8s. Anyone who thinks V8s aren’t second to the AFL is dreaming. The 7 deal has plusses and minuses. The package has been improved but sometimes there will be AFL clashes. Besides, where are these

people when other races on a V8 weekend get severely chopped and lose half of their race distance because red flags in a V8 session have made the schedule go overtime? Jason Stellen stellsey@gmail.com

V8 SUPERCAR CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES ROUND 3 - PUKEKOHE

Pukekohe’s The final V8 Supercar race around Pukekohe Park had it all – excitement, failures, carnage and controversy. The only thing we didn't get was a new winner. PHIL BRANAGAN reports from NZ

race

Dirk Klynsmith

Last Blast

John Morris/Mpix

Goodbye and good luck: Greg Murphy, above, leaves Pukekohe with sweet memories. So does Mark Winterbottom, below, who picked up his first pole position, but this blown tyre cost him.

Dirk Klynsmith John Morris/Mpix

Home bodies: Home ground advantage played into Paul Radisich's hands, the Rat taking two superb top 10 results. Not such a good result for Dean Canto, below, who had a big off at the start of Race 1, below, before an even bigger shunt in Race 3.

John Morris/Mpix Dirk Klynsmith

AMMIT. There we were, going through the record books to look for longest streaks in V8 Supercar racing and then, a wheel nut goes and ends it all, stone cold. Peter Brock had seasons when, it seemed, all he had to do was make it to the track in one piece to win. In the early part of this century, Mark Skaife won as he liked, as the Holden Racing Team flexed it muscle to dominate the class. Garth Tander must have been feeling close to that invincible. A month after ticking the ‘Win a V8 Supercar Round at Home’ box on his resume, the Toll HSV Dealer Team ace was well on the way to winning six races in a row, adding three wins in Australasia’s eastern-most stop to the three from the west. In doing so, he was also about to take the lead in the championship from team-mate Rick Kelly. But then, a jammed wheel nut left the #16 Commodore up on its jacks about six seconds longer than it should have. By the time GT got the ‘go’, he was boxed in and had to yield to cars exiting the pits. He lost nine spots. Any chance he had to get the round win back ended when the race was controversially stopped early (for 'broadcast reasons' – see news pages) because of delays in clearing up Dean Canto’s crashed Commodore. The field was given the green flag for the 36th of the scheduled 43 laps, which turned out to be the last. Rick Kelly knew it was the final lap; Tander did not. They finished equal on points, Rick winning the round on a countback. Tander had one (unsuccessful) crack at gaining a spot and points, from Paul Radisich, and was not happy later: “We knew that I had to get past Paul to claim the round win outright,” he said. “We weren’t aware that it was going to be a one-lap dash to the end. Basically, we thought that it was going to be eight laps ...”

HE story of the weekend was less about what happened to Tander than what happened to everyone else. Mark Winterbottom snared pole but then suffered a Race 2 drama, a tyre blowing after a Turn 5 lockup. The cause was that a front tyre, flat-spotted earlier, had to be replaced at his compulsory pitstop, and it locked, then popped, first time out at Turn 5. Frosty had to complete a slow lap, so his 2-23-11 results were good enough only for 10th overall. Hardly representative of his car speed. There was a Ford in third, and it had Vodafone all over it, but it was Jamie Whincup’s not Craig Lowndes'. The latter ran off by himself in Race 1 and The Whiz picked up the cudgels, with 4-2-5 results vaulting him ahead of Todd Kelly by a single point. The Toddler had had his share of misfortune already, having all of his final session Q times tagged when he missed a weighbridge call. With all his tyres used (and one of them flatspotted) Kelly had little option but to start 10th and peck away in typical fashion. And Mark Skaife got his latest chapter of black cat luck, his own wheelnut jamming and dropping him back to 10th in Race 1. In the ruck he was in, that at least gave the vast crowd the opportunity to see him race traditional foes Lowndes and Russell Ingall, though hardly for the results any of the three would have wanted. Skaife wound up seventh on the meeting points report and conceded fourth in the title hunt to the wound-up Whincup.

HE other notable factor was the amount of damage over the weekend. The large crowd had plenty of carnage to see, with Jason Richards, Brad Jones (twice), Dean Canto and Paul Morris all eating the scenery – all, thankfully, without anything like serious injury. The old, fast horse track remains as unforgiving as ever. “Pukekohe has served V8 Supercars well,” said Tander post-race, as the locals’ thoughts turn to Hamilton and the teams’ turn to Winton. Last year, that was the scene of some carnage, but only to the reputation of the resident test teams as Lowndes and T8 ate up the place. Tander, though, issued a warning; “I think we are much further down the track than we were last year.” Eight races in, the score is Toll 7, HRT 1, Rest of World yet to trouble the scorers. In three weeks' time, many people will be hoping that GT is being a tad optimistic.

race

Dirk Klynsmith

V8 SUPERCAR CHAMPIONSHIP | Round 3 PUKEKOHE Pos #

Team/Car

r2 r3

1 Rick Kelly Toll HSV Dealer Team Commodore VE 4 16 Garth Tander Toll HSV Dealer Team Commodore VE 2 88 Jamie Whincup Team Vodafone Falcon BF 5 22 Todd Kelly Holden Racing Team Commodore VE 10 4 James Courtney Jeld-Wen Falcon BF 7 888 Craig Lowndes Team Vodafone Falcon BF 8 2 Mark Skaife Holden Racing Team Commodore VE 6 18 Will Davison Jim Beam Falcon BF 13 9 Russell Ingall Caltex Falcon BF 9 5 Mark Winterbottom Ford Performance Racing Falcon BF 1 021 Paul Radisich Team Kiwi Racing Falcon BF 15 6 Steven Richards Ford Performance Racing Falcon BF 3 51 Greg Murphy Tasman Motorsport Commodore VE 12 3 Jason Richards Tasman Motorsport Commodore VE 11 8 Max Wilson WOW Sight & Sound Falcon BF 23 100 Cameron McConville Supercheap Auto Commodore VZ 21 17 Steven Johnson Jim Beam Racing Falcon BF 14 33 Lee Holdsworth Valvoline Cummins Commodore VZ 19 111 John Bowe Glenfords Falcon BF 17 39 Fabian Coulthard Team Sirromet Wines Commodore VZ 24 7 Shane Price Jack Daniel’s Commodore VE 27 55 Steve Owen Autobarn Commodore VZ 16 12 Andrew Jones Team BOC Falcon BF 25 26 Alan Gurr IRWIN Racing Falcon BF 29 25 Jason Bright Fujitsu Racing Falcon BF 18 34 Dean Canto Valvoline Cummins Commodore VE 22 20 Paul Dumbrell Supercheap Auto Commodore VE 20 14 Brad Jones Team BOC Falcon BF 28 67 Paul Morris Team Sirromet Wines Commodore VE 30 10 Jason Bargwanna WPS Falcon BF 26 11 Jack Perkins Jack Daniel’s Commodore VE dnq

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

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

The Good and Bad: Whincup, above, got his first podium since Bathurst last year. Below, J Richards had a mechanical failure in his Tasman Commodore.

John Morris/Mpix

Dirk Klynsmith

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 29 30 31

Driver

V8 SUPERCAR CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES Points after three rounds: R Kelly 173, Tander 160, T Kelly 132, Whincup 104, Skaife 104, Courtney 100, Lowndes 79, Winterbottom 79, Johnson 78, Davison 78, Ingall 75, Murphy 57, S Richards 55, Holdsworth 36, Radisich 27, J Richards 25, Bright 17, Wilson 12, McConville 8, Canto 8, Owen 5, Bowe 5, Morris 4, Price 4, Bargwanna 3, Coulthard 2.

Pukekohe Notepad

n The two jumbo jetloads of cars and gear flew from Brisbane and Avalon but not all ‘Melbourne’ cars flew from there. The Holden Racing Team and Team BOC made the road journey to Queensland to ‘even up’ the planes’ loads, HRT having been beaten to the punch by their Toll-HSV neighbours. Rick and Garth’s cars will take their turn to fly from Brissy for the next OS race, in Bahrain – which follows the nearby Gold Coast Indy event. n One of the more interesting non-racing activities on Sunday was a ‘demonstration’ involving a Toyota Racing Series car driven by Ben Harford and Andrew Stroud on a Suzuki GSX1000. Harford got a 10second start and added a couple to it over the course of two laps, during which the brave Stroud plunged down Ford Mountain at more than 230kmh … n The crowd figures at Pukekohe were truly huge. No doubt aided by the final weekend of NZ’s school holidays, 34,806 attended Friday practice, 46,083 were there on Saturday and come raceday, 51,347 hardy souls squeezed into the place for the last V8 Supercar race at the track, giving a threeday total of 132,236 – a new record.

Stoush pending

N paper, this looks bad for anyone except Walkinshaw’s Warriors. Eight races into the most competitive touring car series on any of the first five planets, Team Clayton has won eight and every other postcode has zero. That looks like domination but there is an undercurrent of competitiveness. Until the 14th lap of Race 2, this was a works team battle between Toll and Ford Peformance Racing. Mark Winterbottom and Steven Richards took the battle right to the Commodores but tyre and other issues derailed what was looking like a good, oldfashioned stoush.

ANALYSIS

Phil Branagan mNews Executive Editor The Holden teams point out that the opposition is dropping the ball, regularly. The opposition points out that the works Commodore drivers seem to be able to recover more quickly from their setbacks, pointing a wary finger at the cruisy carspeed of the Tolls. The truth appears to be somewhere in the middle.

he big chat in pit lane, though, is about brakes. Rarely has there been such consensus in pitlane about the

Dirk Klynsmith

GARTH Tander may have been a first-time V8 Supercar winner at Pukekohe but he reminds us that he has won there before, just not in a tin-top. GT won at his first attempt at racing at the track, in a Formula Ford, back in 1996.

shortcomings of the control brake package. I cannot recall being, literally, ushered into team garages to be briefed on the need to air grievances about something that is clearly seen as a necessary change, for the sake of the drivers’ safety. Will something happen? If the teams have their way, and if safety really is at the heart of the sport, it looks likely. Events in the not too distant past are still vivid in the mind; one team owner was most keen to highlight that if the problem really is a factor of temperature changes prompted by long straights and hard stops, the circuit that will really test the package is Bathurst …

Yellow and Red Cards FRIDAY PRACTICE Britek Motorsport: $250 fine for late attendance at the Team Manager’s Briefing. Brad Jones: $500 fine for twice exceeding the Pit Lane Speed Limit. Fabian Coulthard: reprimand – failed to activate the Pit Lane Limiter while in Pit Lane. QUALIFYING Todd Kelly: missed the weigh scales at 12.58hrs – all times to that point disallowed. RACE 1 Rod Nash Racing: $1000 fine – a team member had crossed Pit Lane before the last car had exited Pit Lane. Fabian Coulthard: breached the Code of Driving Conduct, Careless Driving. A Pit Lane Time Penalty of 39 seconds added to the Race 1 time for Car #39.

Dean Canto: incident at Turn 1 Lap1. No breach of rules was established. Andy Jones and Jason Bargwanna – incident. No breach of rules was established. RACE 2 Shane Price: Pit Lane drive-through – for crossing the blend line at Pit Exit when rejoining the track. Shane Price: Mechanical Black Flag for loose rear bodywork. Mark Skaife and Jason Bright – Bad Sportsmanship Flag for blocking. RACE 3 John Bowe: Bad Sportsmanship Flag for blocking. Alan Gurr: $1000 fine – Car #26 was released in an unsafe manner from Pit Bay. TOTAL: $2750

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It’s not as clear-cut as the results suggest ... but the Ford teams need to avoid the little mistakes. By Neil Crompton ANALYSIS Neil Crompton Driver / Commentator

Dirk Klynsmith

OOKING at it from a distance, you could be forgiven for thinking we’ve got a Toll HSV/HRT steamroller on our hands. With eight races down out of 37, all eight wins have been shared by Holden drivers and the round wins by three of the four Clayton-based cars. Looking carefully at it, though, we haven’t seen the best from FPR, Triple 8 or Stone Brothers at this stage. In varying circumstances, they’ve all showed quite good pace. It was a shame, for example, that Mark Winterbottom ended up with a mark on his front tyre in Race 2, and the team batted for safety and went for a diagonal two-tyre change – in doing so it sent him out with one stone cold front tyre and one hot front tyre – a massive disparity. He was under pressure from Garth and couldn’t pull the car up from the normal reference point … But he clearly had great pace. James Courtney equally had strong pace – some strong sector splits. He closed down some gaps but, once you give away track position, you can’t recover from it easily. They had an out-of-round wheel (!) in the second period of qualifying, which meant they had to sacrifice their third set

to get in to the top 10 and so had no firepower, or ‘green edge’ for that last session. Richo’s performance was encouraging and he looked like a much more relaxed, happy guy this weekend – he and Phil (Keed) have obviously found the sweet spot that he needed to get the car working. He had pace, but he was just unlucky in one of those first lap jostles that take place. Barring that, he would have been a factor as well. Looking at the Race 3 results, Rick had the fastest lap of the race, by two-hundredths of a second from Craig … So, I’m salivating at the prospect of one or more of the Ford teams getting a good clean run in the not too distant future and not having the niggly weird things occur – then I think we’re going to see a good contest! I’m on the TEGA parity committee, and I see the raw

data after the computers have processed the top six and top 10 cars of both brands, so I get to see whether we’ve got any parity issues. I’ve already had casual observers suggest to me that we might already be seeing the beginnings of a parity problem, but I firmly don’t believe that is the case. When you look at the data after qualifying and the races, the current results have more to do with circumstance than raw speed.

o the Clayton cars have any specific advantage? In my view their four cars are very good in each critical area. One thing’s for sure – I haven’t seen them do wheelstands past

other cars at Pukekohe despite others telling me constantly that they’ve got much more horsepower … They do appear to stop very well and, equally importantly, get off the corner cleanly. At the hairpin, they were very clean – they hit the mark, then hit 100 percent throttle cleanly and efficiently every lap, even with poor tyre condition. Having said that, there were times over the weekend when, just ‘eye-ball engineering’ from afar (which can be a dangerous thing!), I thought that in terms of bump control, it looked like the FPR cars were very good, which gave them some strength in areas like Turn 6/7.

GLOBE TROTTER sutton-images.com

MICHAEL Patrizi has struggled through his Formula 3 Euroseries debut at Hockenheim, finishing the weekend with a best finish of 14th in Race 2. Wins went the way of preseason fave Romain Grosjean and Sebastien Buemi.

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BRITISH F3 THE news wasn’t much better at Donington Park for John Martin in British F3. The reigning Australian Formula Ford Champ failed to finish the first race, before coming home 18th in the second. Marko Asmer continued to dominate proceedings, winning both races.

PENSKE has taken its second ALMS victory in as many rounds in Houston. Timo Bernhard and Romain Dumas won the race, while Ryan Briscoe was fourth. David Brabham was fifth.

CHAMP CAR WILL Power has dropped out of the lead of the Champ Car World Series after a number of problems thwarted his efforts at the Grand Prix of Houston last weekend. Power couldn’t take advantage of his poleposition, which allowed Sebastien Bourdais to scamper to his secondconsecutive victory and take the series lead. Bourdais controversially beat Power into the turn one chicane, and the Frenchman

was untouched from there. Power, on the other hand, lost a spot to Justin Wilson and made a desperate attempt to get back in front. The move didn’t work, and the Team Australia driver lost a lap. “On the first lap I knew what Sebastien was going to do and went straight through the chicane and he held me up in turn four, so Justin Wilson got me," he said. “We were on plan until our stop and were really slow on fuelling and lost a few positions and after that we were saving a good

amount of fuel and had the opportunity to pass a few people. “Wilson was quite a bit slower than us, but I went for a move that wasn’t on and that was my fault and it (our race) went downhill from there.” Bourdais’ team-mate Graham Rahal finished in second place, from Robert Doornbos, Oriol Servia and the second Team Australia car of Simon Pagenaud. – PHIL MORRIS Points: Bourdais 74, Power 69, Doornbos 61, Alex Tagliani 57, Bruno Junqueira 53.

Gordon wins #76 in Phoenix NASCAR JEFF Gordon had a big weekend in Phoenix, taking the Subway Fresh Fit 500 victory, building on his points lead and equalling Dale Earnhardt’s tally of 76 career wins. Pit strategy and a late-race caution played into Gordon’s hands perfectly, allowing him to jump from second place into the lead. The only pressure came when early leader Tony Stewart briefly re-took the top spot in the closing laps, however Gordon was up to

NASCAR Media

AMERICAN LE MANS

Bourdais back on top

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F3 EUROSERIES

the task, passing Stewart and driving to victory. “I drove my guts out,” said Gordon. “I’ve never had to work so hard.” “We didn’t lead a ton, but we had a good car. It all did fall in our lap. I almost drove

through the pit. [Crew chief ] Steve [Letarte] made the call [to stop] and I love him.” Stewart finished third ahead of Denny Hamlin. Points: Gordon 1326, Jeff Burton 1252, Matt Kenseth 1166, Jimmie Johnson 1115, Hamlin 1084.

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Aussie Aussie Aussie!

Casey Stoner wins again in Turkey – now leads MotoGP points BUSCH SERIES AUSSIE Casey Stoner won the Turkish Grand Prix on Sunday and grabbed the points lead in the MotoGP after an extraordinarily dominant display – while behind him there was carnage! Stone led virtually all the way after Valentino Rossi survived a huge moment on the opening lap on the grass at over 230kph. Rossi was lucky at the very next corner to just be clear of a four-bike crash, which involved Olivier Jacque, Colin Edwards, Dani Pedrosa, and a fortunate Chris Vemuelen, who was able to remount and finish an amazing 11th, next on the road behind Rossi, who faded badly as his Michelins grained. Stoner’s Bridgestone-shod Ducati

cleared away from Honda’s Toni Elias, who in turn broke clear of a torrid scrap for third, resolved in Loris Capirossi’s favour on the last lap. “I was focussing on getting through the first couple of laps and not getting shuffled back, like in Jerez,” said Stoner. “I managed to get past Colin and then Valentino ran wide and pretty much gifted me the lead. From there, I just got my head down for a couple of laps, managed to get a bit of a break, and kept on building!” In the other categories, Andrea Dovizioso lead home Jorge Lorenzo in 250s while Simone Corsi took out the 125s. Points: Stoner 61, Rossi 51, Pedrosa 36, Elias 35, Melandri 30.

Teriyaki Tony NASCAR Media

sutton-images.com

IRL INDYCAR TONY Kanaan and the Andretti Green Racing team won a strategic battle to take victory at Japan’s Twin Ring Motegi last weekend. The race became one of strategy when Kanaan’s teammate Marco Andretti crashed mid-race, causing a lengthy caution period. With all of the leading drivers pitting under yellow, the race was on for a splash and dash in the closing laps. Race leader Dan Wheldon was the first to pit, coming in with 14 laps to go. He was followed by Kanaan, who, thanks to a super-quick refuel, found himself in the lead. Kanaan held on to win from Wheldon and Dario Franchitti.

Fighting in the Busch BUSCH SERIES

Points: Carl Edwards 1525, Dave Blaney 1101, Kevin Harvick 1076, Kenseth 1048, David Reutimann 1034, (Ambrose 921).

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CLINT Bowyer was the man to beat in Busch at Phoenix, leading 120 of the 200 laps on his way to a close-run victory last weekend. Matt Kenseth was the only man capable of running with Bowyer, and the two put on a great stoush for the lead. The last pass occurred on Lap 187, with Bowyer going the long way around Kenseth. A three-car crash on the final lap saw the race finish under caution. “It means as lot,’’ said Bowyer. “I want to thank Matt Kenseth for running me

clean. You know, it’s been a long time coming for these guys [the team]. They work hard and it’s good to see this happen.’’ Jeff Burton was third, while Marcos Ambrose finished 22nd, behind Juan Pablo Montoya. Montoya was a one-time leader of the race, using pit strategy to find his way to the front. It didn’t last long, the Columbian falling back through the field after being tagged by Steve Wallace.

Points: Wheldon 118, Kanaan 115, Scott Dixon 112, Helio Castroneves 101, Sam Hornish Jr 91.

Redline Photographics

Up, Up and Away They may not have been pre-event favourites, but when Targa Tasmania started, so did Tony Sullens and Julia Barkley TARGA TASMANIA YOU might well call Tony Sullens the quiet achiever of this year’s Targa Tasmania. He was certainly an achiever, to the point that he and codriver Julia Barkley backed up their 2004 outright victory by holding out Targa’s king of kings Jim Richards in the drivetime.com modern section. Sullens/Barkley were as far down as 29th in the prologue, picked up the lead when their closest rivals all tripped over themselves during the second leg, and then slowly built up a lead (thanks mostly to a storming drive towards the

end of the fourth leg) to lead Richards and Barry Oliver at the finish by 46 seconds. “This is better than my first win, it’s awesome,” enthused Sullens at the finish. “We didn’t come down here with any preconceived ideas, and to pull off another win in the dry is a good thing for me. I’m very happy. “Khumo tyres is the only sponsor I have – the rest of the money has come out of my own pocket and we just built the car and did it ourselves.” Richards, meanwhile, was hardly disappointed with his grinding second place. “I feel fantastic about coming second,” said the eight-time

outright Targa winner. “The car’s been brilliant. We could probably win with this car, but I didn’t have time to prepare it properly.” Another consistent performer over the five legs was Tony Longhurst, who, along with co-driver Michael De Vere came home third outright. The mostly dry conditions played into the hands of Kevin Weeks and his Lamborghini, who wound out the event fourth outright, while Tony Quinn also benefited in his two-wheel drive Porsche, battling to fifth outright. But, as usual with Targa, there were some hard-luck

stories on the Tasmanian roads. Circuit ace Allan Simonsen had been gunning for a third straight Tarmac rally win, and was doing everything right up until the second leg. With a handy little lead in his Les Walkden-prepared Mitsubishi Evo, Simonsen and co-driver Ben Searcy slipped off the road and out of contention. “Naturally I am upset about the outcome, especially for the team given the amount of effort they have put in,” he said. “We had done good recce and Ben’s notes were spot on. I approached the corner at the right speed but the corner was too tight. We’ll be back again, though, for sure.”

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Redline Photographics Ash Budd

Memories of Tassie: It was a good weekend for Broadbent/Goedheer, top, but a bad weekend for Kilsby/Molocznyk, above. Also in the good weekend category were Richards/Oliver, right, as were Longhurst/De Vere, below right. And then there is the almost-good-but-actually-bad section – just for Simonsen/Searcy, below. Redline Photographics Redline Photographics

Ash Budd

Simonsen was in good company, though. His off handed the lead to John and Jason White, but the 2005 winners lasted only a couple of kilometres before they too slipped off the road and out of the race. Also on the ‘hard done by’ list was Ray Vandersee in his Skelta G-Force. Having run at the front of the field early in the first leg, the Skelta suffered a broken suspension arm, leaving him out of outright contention.

Upon fixing the car, Vandersee proved he and co-driver Jahmell Taylor would have been outright contenders by setting a host of fastest stage times. But it was all too late. Just as it did in the modern competition, Leg 2 was the part of the rally that set up the final result for all-new Shannons Classic category. That was the day that Rex Broadbent and Michael Goedheer wrestled the lead

from Bill Pye and Grant Geelan, a lead they would continue to build on until the end of the rally. “This is definitely the hardest event we’ve ever been and we are so glad to be here,” said Broadbent. “Introducing an outright classic category has been a boon to competitors like me. The handicap system is great to make equity for all, but the organisers have recognised there should be an outright and there is now and full credit

to the event for doing so.” The top two reversed for the Classic Handicap section, with Pye/Geelan taking the honours. Other winners from the Apple Isle included Ross Dunkerton, who despite being a five times Australian Rally Champion was classed Rookie Rallye winner in the modern section with Anthony Chudleigh, and Adrian Morrisby, who took Rookie Classic honours along with David French.

McIntyre wins NZ showdown NEW ZEALAND V8

Euan Cameron

ONLY 43 points separated John McIntyre and defending champion Kayne Scott going into this final round of the ENZED NZV8 Championship at Pukekohe last week, but it was enough to ensure McIntyre the silverware. The first race went to plan for Scott as he led from the rolling start, with Andy Booth helping his cause by getting in front of McIntyre on the second lap to decrease the points differential between them. In Race 2 things were again looking up for Scott with another all the way win. McIntyre was sitting comfortably in second for three-quarters of the race until the hard-charging Angus Fogg came from 12th to sneak past, setting the scene for the final race – 13 points between the leaders heading into the full reverse grid showdown. With McIntyre starting ahead of Scott

and heavy congestion ahead for both, it was a cautious start to the 20 lap race. Lap 2 saw Scott make his move, getting past McIntyre in the traffic. However the race was stopped the very next lap when Cam Hardy crashed heavily coming out of the hairpin and his car caught on fire.

The restart saw Scott jump up the field, however McIntyre wasn’t about to be left behind. Sixth was good enough for him to win the championship. – JODY SEABRIGHT Final Points: McIntyre 1104, Scott 1095, Fogg 1006, Besnard 917, Clark Proctor 715.

Brian White

The ‘Berger takes the Cup at Puke NEW ZEALAND

Trading trophies in Perth WA STATE

Dirk Klynsmith

CADE Bell was the big winner at Barbagallo Raceway’s Auto Trader Trophy last weekend, winning all three Formula Ford races. He was tailed by Rhys McNally and Christopher Reindler throughout the meeting. There was a split field in Saloon Cars, with Luke Hansen and Jeff Watts doing the job in the VN/EA class and Grant Johnson leading Kerry Wade home in the newer cars. Ron Moller, Daryl Hansen and Ric Tarr shared Historic Touring Car wins, while Darren Peat took a couple of HQ wins to Peter Green’s one. Jez Hammond dominated Formula Vee proceedings up front, while Bruce Welsh was best of the 1200cc cars. Matt Cherry, Mark Greenham and Troy Stones shared Street Car wins, while David McShane and Kevin Ledger did the business in Improved Production.

THE Toyota Racing Series may have already been decided when the crew arrived at Pukekohe last weekend, however the NZ Motor Cup was still up for grabs in the final 16-lap race. Andy Knight led the pack, taking a lights-to-flag win in the first race, while Shane van Gisbergen pushed hard until a piece of bodywork came loose and started rubbing on the right rear tyre. In the NZ Motor Cup it was again Knight who had the better start, however with his bodywork repaired, van Gisbergen wrestled the advantage at the hairpin and took the lead by the end of the first lap. Gaunt managed to hang onto this front group but never really challenged from third. Aussie Tim Slade finished the cup race 11th. With early GT3 leaders Matt Halliday and Fabian Coulthard away on other duties, it was left to Craig Baird and Jody Vincent to fight for the crown. A win by Baird in Race 1 extended hislead to 20 points, with the result of the final race and the championship

sealed when Baird again led all the way. In Formula Ford, Sam MacNeill was the favourite for the championship with a 122 point lead over Andrew Waite. A sixth in the first race for MacNeill was not reflective of his usual pace, especially with Waite going on to win. Worse was to come for MacNeill. When Jason Liefting and John Whelan put each other into the barriers off the front straight, MacNeill was an innocent bystander of the carnage, resulting in a DNF. But despite the horror race meeting for MacNeill, his points from Race 1 were enough to secure the championship. – JODY SEABRIGHT

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Marshall Cass

Charlie and the clean sweep FORMULA 3 THE second round of the Kumho Tyres Australian Formula 3 Championship at Oran Park saw Charles Hollings dominate proceedings, with the Brit

scoring convincing victories in both races ahead of Tim Macrow and Leanne Tander. To make it even more of a whitewash, Hollings also claimed the top honours in both qualifying sessions. Macrow and Tander had

no answer to his dominance, which looms as an ominous sign for the remainder of the championship. With his pair of second places, Macrow takes hold of the series lead ahead of Hollings and Stuart Kostera. Kostera finished in fourth in

Points: Macrow 62, Hollings 51, Kostera 43, Tander 40, Chris Alajajian 32.

second place all weekend. The Super Trucks certainly put on a show, but the weekend was marred by two spectacular crashes from Bob Middleton and Light Truck racer Peter Hewat. While leading the third race, Hewat suffered a brake lock up entering the final turn and smashed into the concrete wall, the force so great that it broke the wall. The other crash

occurred in the final race of the weekend when Middleton was charging his way through the field before losing control exiting Turn 7 and making heavy contact with the wall. Due to both Races 3 and 4 being red-flagged, Hewat won the former, and John Bomberle claimed Race 4. Races 1 and 2 were won by Middleton and Daniel Bajema. – DANIEL POWELL

SHANNONS NATIONALS TONY Ricciardello may have lost the Kerrick Sports Sedan National Series last year to Dean Randle, but the West Australian made his intentions clear at the opening round of 2007 by winning all three races from Randle and Stephen Voight. In Commodore Cup, former champion Geoff Emery claimed the overall honours for the round by taking two out of three races, while Ashley Cooper was victorious in the opening race when he comfortably defeated Emery

and Daniel Richert. In the Supaloc Australian Saloon Car Championship, Clint Harvey gained the upper hand over reigning champion Bruce Heinrich when he claimed Races 2 and 3. Heinrich won Race 1 ahead of Kris Walton and Harvey. Layton Crambrook took all before him in the opening round of the newly formed National HQ Holden Challenge series, where he and closest rival Kieran Pilkington were simply too good for the field. Crambrook finished on top in qualifying and all four races and Pilkington finished in

– DANIEL POWELL

John Morris/Mpix

Tricky Ricci back on top

Race 1 ahead of Marco Mapelli, while another British driver in the form of James Winslow did likewise in Race 2.

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rear of grid

Introducing ... The Punter The Punter is our man out there in the stands. He’s an honest-togoodness race fan; he pays to get in the gate and he’s got an honestto-goodness view on most things ... and we want him to stay that way. That’s why we call him The Punter

John Morris/Mpix

OW, this is amazing. I’ve emailed the guys at MNews a few times over the years and now I’m part of the team, sort of. Rowley emailed me and told me about all this new digital stuff and how they wanted someone from out in the real world, Spectator Land, to have a point of view. So here I am. I’ve even got an email if you want to let me know how it’s going. I’ve been following motorsport since the early 90s, yes before V8 Supercars were invented, and like most people I love the V8s. It is something unique to our country and looking at motorsport in other countries we should be pretty proud of it. There’s a bit of crap goes on behind the scenes, from what you hear, but there’s a bit of that in every sport these days if you look behind the shop front. We (me and two or three mates) get to the V8s in Sydney (and Bathurst of course) and we’ve driven up to Queensland Raceway a couple of times and down to Winton. I did the Clipsal once (and can’t wait to again). Next big interstater could be the Indy – haven’t done that yet. But there is more to life than V8s. I’m a big F1 fan as well (in fact it was F1 which got me first, watching on Nine at the time, before I went to a race here) and have got to Melbourne twice. I’d go again if there was any chance Mark Webber could get himself into a decent car, V8s or no V8s on the support programme. I watch a fair bit from overseas, but haven’t managed to get to anything outside Australia

thepunter@mnews.com.au

yet. Marcos Ambrose in Busch Cup and probably NASCAR is great, those World Rally coverages are amazing, again with an Aussie in it, and …

the ratings would have been a big fat zero. Hopefully, apart from sacking the programmer, Nine will repeat it at a smarter time.

was going to rave on about Will Power and Champ Car, but as we all now know, nobody has picked up the TV rights for the Champ Cars in Australia this year. For the first time I can remember it’s not on, and now we have a guy leading the series! That’s just crazy. Surely there isn’t that much cash involved? After all, most of the races are in the early morning Aussie time. Is there a commercial sponsor out there who could make it happen? On SBS even? That’s a bad enough oversight, but my first award, Knob of the Week, goes to the programme planner at Channel 9 who had the stupidity and/or arrogance to put the Bathurst 12 Hours telecast up against the V8s from Pukekohe. From what I saw briefly (during commercial breaks from Pukekohe), it didn’t look like a bad broadcast – and it’s an interesting event – but I’d be guessing

have to admit I was a Rick Kelly doubter at the end of last year. Then I watched him at this year’s Clipsal, where I thought he was superb. The sustained pressure he put on his brother late in the race was tremendous. He has the talent and is in the right team. And then, in the words of the song, “he goes and spoils it all by saying something stupid like …” Like after race one at Pukekohe, to the TV interviewer: “We don’t enjoy getting held up when we have a fast car …” It was a thinly veiled swipe at Steven Richards who, like FPR team-mate Mark Winterbottom, struggled a bit for pace late in the race, but did his darndest to hold his spot. Rick, son, it’s called racing. If you expect the way through to open up just ‘cause it’s you, then change your name to Moses and join the priesthood ... The Punter will return.

Odd Spot Longhurst dodges a bullet axe! Redline Photographics

IN the past, Tony Longhurst was not known for his tolerance of aggression. Remember his clash with BMW teammate Paul Morris at Winton in 1994? That’s right, Tony didn’t take any crap that day. He punched his team-mate through the open driver's window! Time has calmed Tony, though. Indeed, Tony himself was on the other end of some unwanted aggro recently. Tony was in court as a witness in a ’road-

rage’ incident on the Gold Coast in January. He and his wife were driving along when a fellow motorist took exception to Tony's positioning of his road car. How did the guy deal with it? At the next lights he pulled out an axe, threatening Tony, before hacking into Tony's car. Thankfully, no one was injured ... Longhurst overcame any emotional scars to finish third in Targa Tasmania last weekend, pictured left.