Motorsport News Issue 108 - 29 August-11 September 1997

» from about Mark Webber Issue 108

$3.95 {NZ$S.95lncl GST)

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29 August - 11 September 1997

NEWS

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VIEW OF THE FUTURE: This is our artist Bernie Walsh’s impression of how the VT Commodore might look when it hits the tracks next year.

Iden prepares to unleash the VT

By CHRIS LAMBDEN

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tests See inside

HOLDEN’S aU-new VT Commodore, this launched will hit week, Australian race tracks in mid-1998, possibly with an all-new wishbonestyle front suspen sion design.

Homologation of new touring cars has tradi tionally been on an annu al January 1 basis, but delays in planning for the VT while V8 group TEGA discussed the specification of future V8 race cars have led to Holden’s request for a

delayed mid-year intro duction.

The matter was dis cussed at TEGA’s recent 5) think-tank techno meeting in Melbourne and Holden Motorsport Manager John Stevenson was due to m'eet with CAMS Homologation co ordinator Bruce Keys this week to formalise *the timetable for the VT’s introduction.

Continued Page 3 05

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Here are some examples of the extensive range of memorabilia that we can source.

Original items from

Damaged nose cone of Martin Brundle^s !996) Australian GP Genuine Jordan FI cai Ayrton Senna Team Lotus Steering

Alesi Barricheiio Benetton Berger Boss Coulthard Ferrari Ford Goodyear Hill Honda Irvine Jordan Lola Marlboro McLaren Renault/Elf Schumacher M Schumacher R Senna Sounds Tag TWR Villeneuve Williams Wurz

Merchandise including Caps Bags Calendars CDs Clocks Team Coats Mouse Pads Fire Suits Flags Gear sets Glasses Gloves Jacket jigsaws Keyrings Kids Karting Sui Mugs Original Racesuits Patches Pencils Perfume Pin Badges Pistons Ear Plugs Polos Posters Scarves Stickers Sweatshirts Ties Towels Team Jumpers Team Trousers T-shirts Videos Visors Wallets Wheel Nuts Wing Nuts

Genuine Ford Zetec R V8 X exhaust headers

Damon Hill's personal Rothmans Team jacket \

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29kgusl1997

Murphy's surprise Indy test double

By CHRIS LAMBDEN

GREG Murphy has dri ven an Indycar!

HRT’s young gun spent last week in the States, specifically conducting a two-day test in a Project Indy Team Indy Lights car.

But a big surprise came at the end of the two days when Project Indy Team boss Andreas Leberle wheeled out the team’s exTasman Motorsports ’95 Reynard-Cosworth for Murphy to sample.

It was only a few laps, but Murphy was sold.

“That reinforced it. It’s what I want to do,” he told Motorsport News on his return to Australia on Tuesday.

“It was only a handful of laps on old tyres, but there’s a long straight at Putnam Park, where the test took place, and it was unbelievable!”

The Indy Lights test was arranged by a consortium which involves his long time mentor Peter Adderton and a number of (mainly US-based) mem bers.

The group leased a cur rent spec Indy Lights Lola fi-om the Project Indy team for the two days to simply test Murphy before proceed ing to trj- and find the bud get for an Indy project.

“We asked around as to wbat a good time was at the track,” Murphy said, “and we were told that the Tasman team had run a 1:07.5 there.

“On the second day we actually did a 1:05.9, hut the circuit has been resur faced since Tasman were there, so it’s a bit hard to judge, but certainly the crew were pretty pleased.”

Brian Ireland, former engineer to Craig Lowndes’ current teammate Juan Pablo Montoya in Mexico, was on hand for the test and, according to Murphy, was more than happy with the perfomance.

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STOP PRESS SUPER Tourers may be invited to take part in the Primus 1000 Classic!

As Motorsport News closed for press came the news that the promoters of the October 19 race were seriously looking at the pos sibility of opening up their race to two-litre cars.

Said TEGA Chairman Wayne Cattach: “It seems as though a number of the local Super Tourer guys think they’re getting a raw deal at the other race, with all the dollars going to imported cars and star drivers.

“So we’re considering offering them a role in the Primus 1000 Classic, as a separate class with in the race, but with all the bene fits V8 teams have on offer in our race.”

A decision on whether the offer would proceed was expected by today (Thm’sday).

The pressure continues to build. In a week when Larry Perkins was and then wasn’t an AMP 1000 starter, Russell Ingall is, and Cameron McConville found his permission to do the Primus 1000 withdrawn, nothing sm’prises...

■ As a post-script to our report last issue on rumours concerning a potential Ford fac tory V8 Falcon team involving Glenn Seton and John Bowe, Bowe has confirmed that he is about to re-sign with Dick Johnson Racing for a further year, thereby scuppering that portion of the rumour at least for 12 months.

YES, IT’S REALLY HIM... Greg Murphy at the wheel of a full-blown Indycar. Repeat: this is not a computer-generated facsimile ... Murphy spent most of his time testing an Indy Lights car (below)and impressed the team with his times.

IMG loses another

The Indycar run was a total surprise. Andreas didn’t have to make the sug gestion and I didn’t have (;o think about it for long!

“It was only six laps, but that’s enough to tell you that you like it... priority, Murphy’s

though, remains the forthcoming Sandown/Bathurst double and renegotiation of his HRT deal for 1998. < “That’s the priority.

While everyone’s enthused about how the test went and they’d like to find the budget to do something,

there’s unlikely-to be anything for some time and it can’t conflict with what I’m doing here,” he said.

“But if I can formally allow for any non-clashing opportunity within my HRT contract next year, then that’d be great.”

IMG’s Mptorsport Manager, Gari’y Craft, has announced that he is leaving IMG in 4 weeks to work for ...

Tony Cochrane’s new company,SEL. As Motorsport News closed for press, TEGA Chairman Wayne Cattach was anxiously awaiting a call from new IMG Australia boss Martin Jolly to discuss whether there were any people left at the compa ny with the ability to handle the portfolio...

Hot money is on a “contracting out” of the AVESCO motor sport account to Cochrane’s company...

Holden prepares VT for track

Continued from Page 1

The likely outcome, accord ing to Keys,is that VT Supercar paperwork will need to be lodged with CAMS by January 1 rather than the previous September 1 requirement.

Officially, the car will still be homologated on January 1, but its race debut is likely to be physically determined by Holden’s timing of construction of its first batch of production line “race-spec” shells.

These are expected to have a mid-year introduction, well in

Under the car, while there has time for the 1998 endurance races. been a push to retain as much of But there will be nothing, the VS Commodore mechanicals as possible, the fact remains officially, to stop anyone build ing up a road-going VT shell that the VT is a 100mm wider into a race car prior to this - as (and lojiger) car in standard John Goss did in early 1973 form, with an even greater when he beat the factoi-y team width increase - approximately to the circuit with a Falcon 200mm - between the main chassis rails. hard-top.

This will require a different Aerodynamics regulations approach in some areas, notice are unlikely to change funda mentally as a result of the ably with the front suspension, recent TEGA meeting and where it is nigh on impossible therefore the VT Supercar will to retain Commodore’s current look very much like our artist’s strut assembly.

A proposal is currently being impression.

prepared for submission to TEGA’s Technical Committee to allow the VT Commodore to utilise the same wishbone-style front suspension as used on the Falcon.

“Ron Harrop is currently doing some CAD/CAM work on it for us,” Holden Motorsport’s Stevenson confirmed this week.

“It’s probably the best solu tion and, once in place, will provide a cost saving for com petitors, particularly where replacement after accident damage is concerned.”

■ Someone who ought to know tells us that Qantas will add the Gold Coast IndyCar GP naming rights sponsorship to its portfolio next year. You heard it here first...

■ We hear that Allan Grice has been testing with Paul Romano at Lakeside and will co drive at Sandown and Bathurst.

■ TEGA’s Technical Pommittee recently agi'eed that .''all 1998 SATCC races would be “eight-tyre” races. Most rounds in 1997 were six-tyi-e, although eight were allowed at a handful of the tougher circuits.

■ TEGA is close to having its team franchise structui-e ready for final discussion by its Executive. The document out lines three levels of fi-anchise involvement in the V8 category.

Among the undertakings by teams, should the structure be agreed, is one not to contest any form of competing touring car racing(read Super Touring, AMSCAR)...

■ Jason Bright, who has been in the US for the past two weeks talking to IndyCar teams about the possibly of a test driver berth, arrives back in Australia this week for testing with the Komatsu Falcon team.

As we predicted back in June, Bright will drive vrith Alan Jones in the Tickford 500, but will have to adopt a supporting stand-by role for the Primus 1000 Classic, where AJ will be partnered by IndyCar star Scott Pruett.

■ Canberra’s well-known Triple S Motorsport Show has gone National.'Ten minute high light packages of the 60 minute show can be heard on ComRadSat-linked community radio stations nationally.

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29 August 199/

Fact and Fiction Peter Brock tells us thatwe integrity thing.

Without that, have is noevery selfrespect and without that what are we?

Professionally, our reputation is some thing we strive to enhance and protect all our lives, living by a code of conduct and standards which should be honoured. Most of us understand this.

At the risk of sounding holier than thou, I would like to think that we at Motorsport News have stood by a code of ethics which should, but is not always, recognised in the journalistic world. The feedback we get sug gests that this is widely recognised - and appreciated.

Equally widely recognised is that these same standards are totally abused by some of our rivals.

Selling magazines is, of course, the name of the game, but accuracy must always come first. There should be no reward for delving into the gutter and dis torting reality to suit the rush for weekly headlines.

We are not dealing with the Royal Family. We are dealing with racing drivers who have careers and sponsors to worry about. It’s tough enough without the spe cialist press turning on them.

Of course, all journalists upset people from time to time - regrettably, it comes

no credit on the story...) was told exactly that by at least three sources. There was absolutely no evidence to support the claim apart from the fact that Mark was at the track and so was the McLaren - circum stantial evidence to say the least.

Despite this, the story was presented as fact; no question marks. It effectively sug gested that Mark Webber was a liar. And, incredibly, the journalist who apparently wrote the story was still standing by it days n later, despite widespread condemnation.

By contrast, Channel 10’s RPM pro gramme, which first reported the “test”, OVOT’S; quickly realised it had been the victim of a misunderstanding; Bill Woods was prepared to tell anyone who asked that it was an innocent mistake and retracted the story the first thing in last Sunday’s program. with the territory - but there are thankfully Even Daryl Eastlake and Alan Jones very few who set out to be sensationalist went to the trouble of publically ridiculing and intentionally mischievous. the article in an effort to protect Mark’s In recent weeks, though, there have blooming career prospects. It was that been reports about Mark Webber’s activities which have been quite disgraceful. important.

Ours is not an easy business because Specifically, Australian Auto Action against all the evidence to the contrary, there are always many sides to any story including a flat denial from Mark himself - and people are not always truthful, for a multitude of reasons. But we still have to insisted that he had tested a Formula 1 rely on people; we cannot invent the news, McLaren at Silverstone. even when we suspect something is going Of course, as Mark has pointed out him on. self, it was a “total fabrication”. It simply did

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Schwantz considers $10m bike return A NEW player has enteredl into the negotiations to lure World 500cc Champion Mick Doohan to Yamaha -Kevin Schwantz.

The American former world champ is said to be considering an offer to return to the Suzuki 500 team to partner Anthony Gobert.

Schwantz has been discussing a return for some time though Suzuki’s latest offer - said to be US$10m ($12.2) for a single season - is seen as the first offer that the Texan would seriously consider.

The offer, which came directly from Suzuki in Japan, is seen as a final play to ensure that the unsuccessful team

Corser to test Roberts TROY Corser’s debut 500 GP season has taken another turn with the news that he has accepted an offer to test Kenny Roberts’ Modenas.

The Aussie is even a possibihty to fill in for the team’s lead rider, Jean-Michel Bayle, who is injured and is unlikely to ride again this season.

Corser has been cooling his heels for the last month after a bust-up with the WCM Yamaha team.

The World Superbike Champion was expected to ride in a WSC round or two while sorting out his 1998 progi’am but, with the oppor tunity to test and maybe ride for Modenas,the four-strokes wall be put aside.

While no firm date or venue has been nominated on the test, it is likely to hap pen soon at Barcelona in

Spain.

-PHILBRANAGAN

keeps its Lucky Strike deal for another 'Doohan stays put. season.

Either way, it’s nice to know a value Should Schwantz decline the deal has been agreed on the rider seen as best in the business.

Gobert would be joined by Noriyuki ALSO on the Schwantz rumour trail Haga to run in Suzuki colours.

That would mean Lucky Strike - and is an apparent offer by Suzuki to have not Marlboro - would back Wayne him ride in th'e Daytona 200 next year.

Suzuki has put a great deal into the Rainey’s Yamaha team and that poten race in recent seasons only to see their tially huge number would be earmarked efforts blown away by the almost for Doohan, whom Rainey has been try unbeatable Scott Russell who, ironical ing to get for some time. ly, won the race for them last year.

One thing Rainey is already settled But with Russell locked in at Yamaha on is a second rider. Yamaha WSC star Schwantz is seen as the man most likeColin Edwards seems certain to join the team for his first 500 season, riding ly to the threaten Russell in an inter alongside the Aussie in ‘Luckies’ marque battle.

-PHILBRANAGAN colours, or alongside Norifumi Abe if

read elsewhere, consider the many ‘real’ news stories which are regularly broken in the pages of Motorsport News.

You probably don’t remember where you read them first, but it was here that you read such things as - Mercedes-Benz being interested in Webber; Renault coming to Bathurst; Danwin to replace Eastern Creek in the SATCC; Brock for the 2-litre Bathurst race; Larry Perkins’ all-girl team - and this is just in the last three months.

Going back further, there have been many such (such as Albert Park and Brock’s return to HRT) which have been picked up by the general' media.

It is also worth mentioning our F1 man, Joe Saward, who has broken countless international stories on these pages, includ ing the Williams-BMW connection, the cre ation of Prost Grand Prix and the on-going BAT plans.

This sounds like a bit of a breast-beating exercise, but every now and then you have to remind people of what’s going on. We don’t want to get tarred with the same brush because we’ve tried too hard to gain a good reputation.

Integrity. You’re right, Brocky; you just have to have it and eventually you will be rewarded for it. Others will be the judges, but we don’t have any trouble sleeping at night. n

McLaren confirms Hakkinen and Coulthard McLaren boss Ron Dennis announced last Friday that the team wiU be keeping the same two drivers in 1998.

The most surprised people in the FI paddock appeared to be the drivers themselves, who did not appear to have known about the announce ment before it was made.

In part this was due to the fact that McLaren rushed out its release in response to a communique from Damon Hill which gave details of his negotiations with McLaren.

Damon said he had received an offer for 1998 but had been forced to reject it as “it did not accord with,what I had previously been'led to believe from our prior negoti¬

set to confirm F1

By JOE SAWARD BMW will announce a long-term motor racing involvement with Williams at the Frankfurt Motor Show in the week after the Italian Grand Prix, There have been rumours of a Williams-BMW link for some months but the compa ny has been denying that any decision has been taken.

'The program - revealed for the first time by Motorsport News last year - is believed to include an initial two-year deal in GT racing with Williams building sportscars for the Munich company.

Engine testing of a com pletely new VIO engine will begin in 1998 and there is likely to be an intensive track testing programme during 1999 prior to BMW’s official return to FI at the start of 2000.

BMW has not been involved in FI since the end of 1987 when economic prob lems forced the company to restructure.

The interest in FI sur-

Williams to keep drivers

FRANK Williams is believed to have reached final agreement to keep both his cmrent FI drivers in 1998.

Heinz-Harald Frentzen is under contract to the team and Jacques Villeneuve had an option which has been taken up; there are no longer any problems over money.

The team is now focusing on helping Villeneuve win the World Championship and the French-Canadian will have the use

of the team’s spare car for the rest of the season, although we understand that a sec ond spare may be taken to the Nurburgring, Frentzen’s home race.

Although they are not entirely happy with some of the drivers’ performances this vived, however, and fin 1990 BMW commissioned a car to be designed by Simtek. This was later cancelled but BMW bosses have since made regu lar studies of a return to FI. Two years ago a plan to come back was delayed because the company felt it needed to invest in rebuild ing the Rover Group and

year, Frank Williams and Patrick Head are well aware'of the importance of stability within the team and are hoping that Villeneuve and Frentzen will improve in the months ahead.

We understand, however, that Villeneuve’s manager Craig Pollock will be seen less at the races as he is spending a large amount of his time setting up a rival team for BAT(see separate story this issue).

The decision to remain with the same dri vers next year is a major set-back to Gerhard Berger, who had been offering his services to Williams for a fraction of his current salary in an effort to prolong his FI career with a chance of winning the world title.

expanding the BMW market in the United States.

The return to FI is no real surprise for the ambitious young BMW management under Bemd Pischetsrieder.

The company’s success in the world’s car markets had reached a point at which it now needs to break out of traditional markets and

expand into the new markets opening up in Eastern Europe and Asia.

Williams, incidentally, is expected to continue its involvement with Renault in the British Touring Car Championship for a couple more years and we hear that a deal to that effect has already been signed.

ations” and did not demon strate “a serious commitment to me as a driver”.

We believe that the McLaren offer was $2m and a bonus of $100,000 per point scored.

There has been specula tion in the paddock that Dennis expected the deal to be rejected and was simply trying to control the driver market by tying Damon down.

Dennis said the choice of driver had been made because “both drivers have contributed to the building and reshaping of our team and I believe that they should - and will - benefit from the fruits of these efforts next year.

-JOE SAWARD

AJ’s seat ALAN Jones is soon to be confirmed as the lead dri ver in the second WUliamsRenault Laguna for the AMP Bathurst 1000.

Jones flew out of Sydney on Monday bound for the UK, where he was due to tape a number of sports sto ries for the Nine Network.

While there Jones is expected to visit Patrick Head and Frank Williams at the team’s headquarters at Grove. there While today (Thursday) he is expected to have a seat fitting for the Laguna. His co-driver is yet to be named.

MEANWHILE things are a little clearer at Renault’s rival, Peugeot Sport.

Two of the MSD-built 406s will be coming to Australia, with Patrick Watts driving with Tim Harvey.

The other car is still offi cially TBA/TBA but the lat est gossip suggests that Paul Radisich(who is in the frame for Peugeot’s BTCC team for ‘98) will share the car with none other than Neil Crompton...

-PHILBRANAGAN

2S August m/

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Larry drops 2-litre plans Ingall to go ahead with Vectra drive at Bathurst

By PHIL BRANAGAN

FULL-BLOODED DRIVE ... The victorious Australian cricketers spent a day at Brands Hatch trying their hand at racing cars. And Mark Webber gave champion batsman Steve Waugh (right) a ride he will never forget. (Photo by latDigital)

Mark Webber meets with Frank Williams j

/The Williams factory is worthwhile advice.

FI aspirant Mark Webber has had lunch with one of just awesome,” he told “But it was really just a chat between motor racing GP racing’s biggest ’Motorsport News. movers and shakers “I was taken through the enthusiasts. His views on Frank Williams. engineering side, then onto most things - including his past and present drivers The one-on-one took place the area where they prepare the FI cars. Amazing, just, are worth listening to! recently at the Williams fac “As has been reported, tory at the instigation of amazing.

Frank’s son Jonathan, a “We went through the there’s just one picture of a Formula 3 enthusiast who Williams museum, where I driver in his office - a head has befriended Webber, and sat in AJ’s championship- shot of Ayrton Senna...

Peter Windsor, the Aussie winning car and also the “There were no deals, no ex-Williams team manager famous car which Mansell promises, no contracts or any who is also part of the was in when it blew a t3U'e at of that stuff. Just a good chat with someone who’s been Webber support camp these Adelaide...”

“Lunch with Frank was there and done it all. days.

Webber was blown away just great. He might come “He’s interested in what by his tour into the inner across on TV as a bit remote, we’re doing and said he sanctum at Williams’ new but we had a great chat. hopes to get to an F3 race Grove factory, but even more “He’s quite a personality maybe the Thruxton round, so with the 90-minute chat and, along the way, offered It was a great day...”

-CHRIS LAMBDEN with the boss... me some interesting and

but wild over reports

AUSTRALIAN FI hope Mark Webber has been embarrassed by a false report that he recently a tested McLarenMercedes GP car two weeks ago.

Channel lO’s RPM show, last Sunday week, briefly suggested that Webber had tested an FI McLaren, but 24 hours later the network’s motor sport host Bill Woods agreed that the report, from their British-based film crew, had been a communication error.

Nevertheless, despite a firm statement ft-om Webber himself that no test had taken place, Australian Auto Action published a front cover story claiming, without question, that Webber, had conducted a kecret' McLaren test.

Featuring an computermodified picture of a McLaren, with Webber’s hel-

met superimposed in the car, and, fortunately, they have the story highlighted been very understanding.

We’re still talking with Channel lO’s already dis credited report and its own Mercedes about' what might “source" in insisting that the happen from here on, but, test had taken place. hey, there are a lot of young Webber, at a sensitive guys doing well over here stage in his negotiations and it is a very finely balwith Mercedes over a poten- anced see-saw.

So when you get a comtial future with the company, was aghast when he saw the pletely false story like that...

Webber was indeed at publication and, apart from issuing a strongly worded Silverstone on the day of the denial of the story, has had reported FI test - his F3 to “smooth the waters” with team is based there and senior people at both Channel 10 filmed some McLaren and Mercedes: interview footage outside “I don’t know what these Alan Docking’s F3 premises.

Webber remains focussed people think they’re doing,” he told Motorsport News this on achieving his F3 goal this week. year, which is to finish as JThis is FI, not some kart .first “rookie” in the series, or club newsletter. They’ve got in the top three - both of no idea. ' which are within reach: Docko’s never had a first It (the story) was so wide of the mark. They (McLaren year F3 driver do that, so the and Mercedes) could have team is pretty psyched up to do it,” he said. gone mental.

-CHRIS LAMBDEN “We’ve spoken to them

LARRY Perkins will not be driving in the AMP Bathurst 1000 - despite last week looking certain to break ranks with the Supercar teams and drive a Triple 8 Vauxhall Vectra.

But his teammate Russell Ingall looks certain to share the car with former BTCC champion John Clgland.

Perkjns made the decision to decline the |rive last Friday'after earlier saying that the drive was likely to happen.

Indeed, for 48 hours it was the worst kept secret in the sport.

In Britain the Triple 8 t.^am, which had already been testing the cars Peter Brock will and Perkins was to drive, were saying they were delighted to have the five-time Bathurst winner in their team.

Perkins was unhappy about a number of things, most notably how at Mallala on Thursday everyone in Super Touring racing was talking about Perkins’ drive as a ‘done deal’.

“I wanted to have a bit more of a personal involve ment in the announcement,” Perkins said. “When that didn’t happen I made my feelings known and declined the drive.”

A Castrol Racing media release stated: “Over the past few days a number of offers have been put to me to run in the Bathurst 1000 Super Touring Race. I have considered them and dis cussed the situation with Australia’s Castrol Director/Marketing and

DOUBLE BATHURST... Russell Ingalljoins Peter Brock and Alan Jones as starters in both Bathurst 1000s.

Sales Mr Bronek Kai^cz. In light of developments in the past few months I have come to the conclusion that I must decline the offer.”

While that is the reason given it is also likely that the reaction of TEGA members may have had something to do with the decision.

TEGA Chairman Wayne Cattach would say only “no comment” when contacted on Tuesday - but Motorsport News beheves that a conver sation between the two men was most pointed.

Perkins’ decision last Friday certainly put the Triple 8 team on the back foot. When contacted for a reaction on Friday it was suddenly clear they had not

yet been told Perkins was out...

Ingall’s Vectra seat came about after earlier links with other prime seats in the Great Race.

He had been pencilled in as partnering the yet-to-beconfirmed Alan Jones in a Renault Laguna, while his Castrol links also had him sharing a Castrol BMW with either Charlie O’Brien or the suddenly Peugeot-less British driver Julian Bailey.

Ingall’s inclusion in the Ti'iple 8 team will mean that the two Vectras will run in differing oil company colours.

Brock and Derek Wanvick will have Mobil support while the Cleland/Ingall car wUl cany Castrol.

Sandown set Konica to

ALL the professional teams and lead ing privateers are entered for the Tickford 500.

Sundown’s endurance race, Peter Brock’s swansong race in Melbomme, will take place on September 14 on a track KONICA,which backed Steve Ellery’s Falcon which has just undergone a degree of in the fii-st half ofthe Shell series, will contin ue with him at Sandown and Bathui-st. resurfacing to overcome some excessively Ellery, Darren Hossack and Gibson bumpy areas.

Motorsport’s Wynns-backed Commodore Promoter Jon Davison this week con firmed a field of 25 cars for the traditional win carry Konica signage in the endurance classics. form guide to the V8 Bathm-st race.

The move temporarily ends months of The race will also see the debut of an up graded Dorian timing system which will do speculation regarding the future of the away with the need for pit lane radar company in touring car racing.

The cross-sponsorship partnership with speed measurement and also provide top Ellery and Tony Longhm’st ended suddenly speeds for the two main straights.

Apart from the main event, a strong at Symmons Plains this year, and Ellery or supporting programme will feature 36 Konica have not appeared on the track since.

The photocopier and camera company Formula Fords, 50 HQs and 20 was,at one time, negotiating to be the nam Commodore Cup cars.

Channel 10 will broadcast the Tickford ing rights backer for the HRT Young Lions team.

500 live. Check local guides for times.

back Ellery

F 29Au0 W1 n The motor sport pho tography collection ofthe late Lance Ruling was sold to a consortium of Historic racing fans in Sydney this week for $72,000. The collection numbers more than 250,000 negatives and colour slides.

Spokesman for the gi-oup Ven Seehusen said the collection would be catalogued and individual images would be made available for reproduction. n AMP Bathurst 1000 promoters,Event Management,have announced that a new car show, the Polyglaze / Classic Car Show, will nin for the three days ofthe October 5 race weekend.

The show wUl be situated in Harris Park. Entry will be free to race admission ticket holders. n The 888 Engineering BTCC team discovered in testing last week that the 1997 aerodynamic pack age on its GM Vectra Super Touiing cars is almost a second slower in lap times than the 1996 set-up. Drivers Berek Warwick and John CJeJand are committed to running the latest aerody namics for the rest of the BTCC season,but the Vectras that 888 will run in the AMP Bathurst 1000 in early October will revert to last year’s arrangement. n Having moved Steve Bettes onto circuit and oval racing exclusively, Calder Park is looking for a new Drag Racing Manager, though not nec essarily someone connect ed with drags. For more details, see the Calder ad on page 10. n Winton Motor Raceway has been forced to cancel round four of its Champion of Winton Series, which was to be held this weekend (August 30-31) because of poor entries. The series will now conclude at Winton on December 6-7, which will also feature the HQ 3 Hour race.

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Top men without drives

DAMON Hill, Gerhard Berger and Jean Alesi are all struggling to find good drives for next season.

In all likelihood HUl, Alesi and Berger will be shuffled between the available drives at Jordan, Benetton, Sauber, Prost and Arrows with Jarno Trulli and Mika Salo likely to fill the gaps in the picture.

The deals will probably be orchestrated by FI boss Bernie Ecclestone, who is trying to build up some of the middle-ranking teams by ensuring that they have dri vers wuth plenty of experi ence.

Having Damon Hill at Jordan, for example, would be a major boost for the Irish team, although Ecclestone is rumoured to be pushing hard to get Damon into a Benetton with Giancarlo Fisichella staying at Jordan.

The Italian has been announced as a Benetton dri ver in 1998 but appears to want to stay where he is at Jordan.

Ralf Schumacher now looks to be staying at Jordan - the plan to get Mercedes to supply more engines for next year having been rejected by the Mercedes-Benz management.

Hill,Berger and Alesi have all been talking to Jordan in recent days, as well as Prost and Sauber.

Having announced that he is quitting Benetton and hav ing seen the doors close at Williams and McLaren, Berger may now decide that

I

Prost confirms Panis and Gauloises

By JOE SAWARD

STAYING TOGETHER ... With the options running out and Arrows coming good, Damon (Photo by Zooom Photographic) Hill may be staying with Tom Walkinshaw for another season. he does not want to continue in FI. None of the drives avail able offer the possibility for him to challenge for the World Championship; which has always been his dream.

Alesi has been spending a lot of his time talking to Eddie Jordan because he is unlikely to stay at Benetton and Prost is not showing much interest in him.

Sauber is rumoured to be interested but is waiting to see if Hill comes back to them, having been rejected

by McLaren.

Tom to build VIO TOM Walkinshaw’s plans for an FI engine next year seem to be coming together with most of the specu lation suggesting that Tom is planning to make his own VIO,in association with Brian Hart.

The new engine will be badged either by Yamaha - which does not want to pull out of FI - or by a car company which will be new to Grand Prix racing.

The most obvious one would be Volvo, with which Walkinshaw works closely both in touring car rac t ing and in producing road cars.

Walkinshaw was spotted at Spa in h'igh-level meetings with Yamaha top management from Japan, so a final decision on the badging may not have been made yet.

-JOE SAWARD

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The Swiss team made a strong pitch for Damon, offering him a three-year deal worth $20m, but Hill could not commit himself because of his negotiations with McLaren.

As a result, Sauber decid ed that Damon’s attitude did not demonstrate enough enthusiasm for the Sauber team and terminated the talks? They may be re opened.

Prost is also a strong possi bility and one point which is worth bearing in mind is that Damon’s decision may not be based only on money

or where Ecclestone wants him to race.

The tyre supplies for 1998 are also very important and Damon may consider it a bet ter idea to go to a team which will offer him the chance to be number one Bridgestone runner, which would make Arrows and Prost the most attractive destinations.

Now that McLaren has settled its drivers, we expect movement on the driver mar ket to be rapid in the run-up to next week’s Italian GP at Monza.' ; -JOE SAWARD

Mixed time for Webber MARK Webber has had two wfedkends of mixed results in the British Three Formula

Championship.

At Pembrey’s double header he took a third and a fourth but came away from the day with top points after his series rivals struck trouble.

At Donington last week end the Queanbeyan dri ver take a third in the 11th round of the series.

In the first session at Donington he qualified only fifth in wet condi tions but missed out on improving his spot in the second session when even worse conditions greeted the drivers.

On a drying track he started the 20-lap race well, jumping to third in the first corner but soon Paul Stewart Racing’s Peter Dumbreck charged past.

But the flying Scot soon killed his tyres on the drying track and Webber and series leader Jonny Kane surged past to start their own battle.

But they were run down by Class B driver Martin O’Connell. The privateer had started on

slicks in 12th and, after weathering the early going, mowed down the leaders at up to six sec onds a lap. He shot past Webber and closed on Kane and winner Nicolas Minassian.

But because O’Connell was ineligible for champi onship points Webber took third on the day.

A week before at Pembrey he took sixth and a disappointing ninth on the’ grid, but was fourth by the first corner of race one.

He stayed in that posi tion all race, finishing behind Brian Smith, Kane and Dumbreck.

In race two another brilliant getaway had him up to sixth by the first corner but the race was red-flagged for an inci dent.

At the restart leader Ricardo Mauricio spun, leaving Minassian to lead home teammate Enrique Bemoldi.

The upshot of the two weekends’ racing was that Webber kept fourth place in the series with 99 points, behind Kane (158), Dumbreck (121) and Minassian (104).

ALAIN Prost confirmed that he has re-signed Olivier Panis to drive for his team for the next two seasons.

Panis has been out of action in recent races follow ing his leg-breaking accident in Montreal but is expected to be racing before the end of the year (see report on page 11).

Prost believes that Olivier has been an important part of the team’s improvement in recent seasons and said that he wants to keep Panis on to maintain stability.

He is also obliged to have one French driver as part of his deal with the -SEITA tobacco company - which owns the Gauloises Blondes cigarette brand.

Prost also announced that SEITA has agreed to sponsor the team for another three seasons.

The relationship between the team and SEITA is the longest-standing in FI, dat ing back to 1976 when it funded Guy Ligier’s entry into FI with its Gitanes brand.

When Flavio Briatore took over Ligier, SEITA scaled down its involvement in the team by around 30 percent, but the involvement has now been significantly increased with Prost expected to receive at least $25m from the company.

The Prost budget is believed to be in the region of $50m a year for the next three years but Alain says he wants to increase that to $60m, which is on a par with the big combines such as McLaren, Williams and Benetton.

The team has yet to decide on a second driver but Prost has now confirmed that he does have an option on Italian Jarno Trulli, who has been racing for the team since Panis’s accident.

We understand that Prost is concerned that Trulli is a little inconsistent at the moment and there have been talks with Jean Alesi, Gerhard Berger and Damon Hill.

While the team would probably like another top dri ver to partner Panis, Prost does not really want to spend too much money on his dri vers as he has major capital costs in the next few years to set up his new factory.

Peugeot is understood to be keen on Hill - because of his knowledge of the Renault VIO engine - but we hear that Prost is not willing to consider a deal of more than $3m with a bonus of $100,000 a point.

Such a deal might add up to considerably more than Damon is being offered by Sauber ($20m for a threeyear contract) but we under stand that Bernie Ecclestone wants Damon to join either Jordan or Benetton.

29 Angus! 199/

McConville loses Bathurst V8 drive

CAMERON McConville has lost his prime lide in a Shell team Falcon in the Primus 1000 Classic.

McConville, who originally had the permission of Orix Audi Sport to drive for Dick Johnson’s team, was told on Tuesday that he would not now be released for the race.

A bitterly disappointed McCon ville appears to be a victim of the current war between the Bathurst race factions which also resulted in Larry Perkins’ decision not to con test the 2-litre race with Vauxhall.

“I thought I’d checked aU the offi cial lines of communications in the Orix Audi Sport team,” said McConville on Tuesday.

“It appears that there are a cou ple of issues that haven’t been con sidered.

Ford and Tyrrell - the deal is done FORD will announce today (Thursday) that it has agreed a deal to sup ply Tyrrell with its VIO engines next year,in addi tion to its involvement with Stewart Grand Prix.'

In order to keep Jackie Stewart happy, however, the Tyrrell engines will be at least two steps behind those being used by the works team - and Tyrrell will have to pay.

The top management at Ford seems to believe that having two teams using its VIO engines will speed up the project by creating a healthy competition between the two operations.

They cite the example of 1993 when Benetton and McLaren both had Ford V8 engines and Benetton - the works team - was humbled by the performances of McLaren.

The following year Michael Schumacher won the title for

Ford.

-JOESAWARD

“My loyalties lie with the Orix Audi team and that rules this deci sion.”

Team co-owner Peter Adderton said he wants McConville to con centrate on the BOC Gases Championship and the AMP Bathurst 1000.

“BMW are appealing Brad’s deci sion (reinstatement of Winton’s points),” said Adderton. “(McConville) could be our only realistic chance of winning the series and we don’t want him to get side-tracked by any political crap.

“We’re planning to increase his testing program so he can do the bestjob possible.”

Shell Helix Racing’s Wayne Cattach is disappointed by the deci sion.

“We’re bitterly disappointed that we couldn’t continue,” he told Motorsport News on Tuesday evening. .

“That goes for me, Dick, Steve (Johnson), everybody.

“Initially, Cameron had clearance from his other commitments, but as a consequence of the latest political manoeuvrings that clearance has been withdrawn.

“We don’t intend to use a talent ed young 22 year-old as a political football, so we ‘re leaving it at that and looking for a replace ment.99 In the meantime, McConville is taking a 10-day break from the rigours of racing and is in London for a holiday.

- PHIL BRANAGAN

Rose to tackle 1000 '“t

By BARRY LAKE HOLDEN Commodore V8 Supercar racer Mai Rose is an eleventh hour entrant for this year’s Primus 1000 Classic at Bathurst on October 19.

It is a minor coup for the race because Rose is a former board member of the rival ARDC and was a supporter of the AMSCAR series.

Rose managed to pull a deal together with a number of secondary sponsors for the Fairfax Community Classifieds VS Commodore in the last few days before entries closed.

Rose’s co-driver this year will be former rival Kevin Burton, who placed third to Rose when the latter won the Australian Production Car Championship in 1993.

These two drivers then shared a Ford Falcon to win their class in the Sandown 500 the same year.

Burton last raced at Bathurst when he shared the Enzed VL Commodore V8 in the Tooheys 1000 with Peter

i

and Ryan McLeod in 1994.

Since then the bulk of Burton’s racing has been in 700 horsepower sprintcars, running against Australia’s.. best speedway drivers.

At his first attempt at the Bathurst 1000 last year.

Rose was chasing the Alcair Commodore (which subse quently retired) for first place in the privateer catego ry and a potential top-10 placing before the car’s demise less than 30 laps from the finish.

Short of funds after the car’s post-Bathurst rebuild, Rose was forced to forego the majority of the high-profile events of 1997 but has recently been contesting the NSW-based AMSCAR Series.

Rose also has been keeping his eye in by assisting Ray Lintott with extensive test and development work on Lintott’s ferocious 8-litre Dodge Viper GT Production car.

Rose will have a heavy workload at Bathurst, assist ing with Lintott’s Viper assault on the GTP 3-Hour

Race on the Saturday, before taking part in the 1000 the following day.

Fairfax Community Classifieds’ aim is to win the newly instigated control-tyre Class Two category of the event before progressing into the SATCC with Rose in 1998.

n Goodyear has restruc tured its staff in FI, CART and the IRL. Perry Bell has been named as the new manager of interna tional racing, replacing Cal Lint. As part of the restructuring the company is recruiting another 125 young engineers to work on tyre development, 80 in Akron, Ohio and the remaining 45 at Goodyear’s European facil ity in Luxembourg, n Tom Walkinshaw has announced an interesting double sponsorship deal involving the Arrows FI team and Gloucester Rugby Club, which he also owns.

Both will be sponsored for the next two years by the Eagle Star insm’ance group, which is Britain’s biggest life insurance oper ation. Coincidentally, Eagle Star is a wholly-owned sub sidiary of British American Tobacco, although the deal is believed to be unrelated to bat’s plans to set up its own FI team. n We hear that Tom Walkinshaw is on the verge of hiring one of the top gearbox designers from the X-Trac company to work on the composite gearbox pro ject which Arrows technical director John Barnard is planning to build next year.

An annormcement is expected shortly. n McLaren shareholder' Creighton Brown is report edly getting involved in dri¬

/

ver management next year.

Brow'n has been heavily involved in recent y'ears with the McLaren GT cars but he looking fer new activities as this project is coming to an end, n Mike Salo visited Stewart Grand Prix at Milton Keynes shortly before the Belgian GP but is not thought likely to join Jackie Stewart’s team next year. Salo is hoping that he might get a chance with Sauber or Aitows but has an offer to stay at Tyrrell.

The Finn has some spon sorship from the Nokia tele phone company. n The uncertainty sur rounding the future of Cosworth Engineering con tinues, despite denials from its parent company Vickers that the Northampton engine business is up for sale. Rumours have sug gested that German car builder BMW is interested in acquiring Cosworth, which builds the Ford VIO Foi-mula 1 engines. n Michael Schumacher’s sponsor Technogym has come up with an unusual idea for the Ferrari driver.

The Italian company which makes exercise machines- has built a spe cial travelling gym for Schumacher to use at races.

The Technogym Track wall make its first appearance at the Italian Grand Prix in September.

-JOESAWARD

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29August 1997

n Championship-winning cars don't last long, even if they are a couple of seasons old. Garth Tander’s title winning FF had been snaf fled by Alex Davison, 17year-old son offormer F2 racer Richard, nephew of Sandown promoter Jon and grandson of the legendary Lex. n Dunlop has won the tender for the supply of tjues for Formula Holden.

During recent testing at Phillip Island Jason Bargwanna used the rub ber to great effect, breaking not only the class lap record but the best-ever time which had been held by an F3000 car. n Marcos Ambrose is heading to the UK The FF series runner-up will drive a works-backed'Van Diemen in the Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch on October 19. This mil be a reunion ofsorts: Marcos'father Ross co founded the mai-que with Ralph Firman in 1973. n Want to follow in Ben Walsh’s footsteps? Formula Campus in Malaysia is looking for more Aussie dri vers for its Shah Alam series. Cost per round is US$2800($3700)for which you get tyres, fuel and a car for two test days and a three race meeting. Call Rob McLean (03 9764 4096) for more details.

s

n The latest round of the AMA Superbike series in the USA has seen another win to Miguel duHamel.

The Canadian took a solid victory at Pikes Peak Raceway ahead of Doug Chandler(Kawasaki), Tom Kipp(Yamaha)and Mat Mladin (Ducati). n Another Garth? Hyla Breese is first man con firmed for the Australia Fomiula Opel Nations Cup team. The young West Aussie, who is starring in Formula Vauxhall Junior in the UK,will line up in the event at Donington on October 19. n Brains in neutral Dept.in the last issue we said that Paul Pickett and Jim Cornish would share an HVe Hyundai at Bathm’st when,in fact,Pickett will drive with Bill Sieders.

Sorry, chaps. n The Macau GP tour has been filling fast. Ifyou want to see Mark Webber take on the world’s best F3 peddlers on the colony’s classic Guia track, you’d better call Ray'Venn-Brown fast on(02)92814881. n We omitted to include the series points in our Porsche Cup report on page 25. Geoff Morgan’s lead over D’arcy Russell is now one point(62-61) with Martin Wagg similarly leading Greg Keene.

the straight, if not faster.

Eventually he spun off.

They told me to take it easy on my third set and I was thinking, Tm in 10th position, what’s the point in taking it easy? I have to get stuck in.’ Once I got stuck in the front tyres went away.

Berger passed me with a few laps left and then Diniz was chas ing me. He totally messed up Eau ^ Rouge on the last lap, but still came right up behind me.

I had no right-hand mirror - I’d long as there’s no lying water’ lost it very early on - so I couldn’t they’re miles quicker. see where anyone was down the right hand side. I just drove the normal line. I knew he was somewhere A t the end of the day the decision was mine, but I was last out behind me, but I had no idea where before the grid - on intermediates - he was, because I couldn’t see and I’d seen how wet the track was. I behind me. I just turned in and he thought it would be impossible on hit me. In the end it didn’t cost me anything, as we were fighting for intermediates, so I switched to wets, And Then it stopped raining and the eighth.

To be honest 1 couldn’t have track dried!

When we were behind the safety done any better than Berger. His car car there was no lying water, that ' was better than mine round there was the main thing. I was on the and he started on intermediates and radio asking if should I come in, go he still didn’t score points. At least back onto intermediates and join at it’s good that Michael got 10 points the back. To be honest I should have and Williams only got four, done it. I couldn’t see where 1 was going. I was worried that someone N low it’s on to Monza; It’s a race would spin and everyone would pile IMl’m looking forward to. I really into them. want to do well. I don’t want to be But it dried quickly. I wanted to loth on the grid and struggle-round stop for slicks on lap 7 and I to seventh position, radioed in. But Ross Brawn said no But I think it’s going to be tough and so I stayed out. I lost 10 sec- for us, as the straights are very onds on the next lap and I got over- long, taken by several cars before I came As long as you do well in front of in on lap 8. the tifosi, it’s great. If you’re not On the second set it went well. I doing well it’s not so great! But I got past Sale and Diniz, but I got really want to do well for them, stuck behind Verstappen. There Having said that, I feel I have to was hoping for rain on race day, was no way I was going to get past perform everywhere - I don’t really him. I was using the older spec make the exception for Italy. The but we chose the wrong tyre. I went for full wets while Michael engine, so I had no power. Even pressure’s always there, it really is went for the soft intermediate. As the Tyrrell was as quick as me on - I’m harder on myself than anyone.

pa turned into the weekend from hell for me; everything we did was wrong, while Michael did everything right. At least it’s good for the champi onship that Michael got 10 points for Ferrari and Williams only got i four.

What you need at Spa is a very efficient car; you need downforce for the corners without the drag on the straights. And there are straights everywhere; There’s a straight down the hill to Eau Rouge, followed by a long, long uphill straight. You come out of the next three corners and there’s another straight and so on. And, as I’ve been saying all year, the Ferrari is not very efficient.

The big problem was that Friday was wet, so we didn’t learn any thing about the car. Then Saturday morning started out wet, too.

When it started to dry I went out fairly late and I spun at the chicane.

The marshals had to push me and when you get outside assistance you are disqualified from the rest of the session. So 1 was 22nd and had hardly done any running in the dry before qualifying.

The car just wasn’t good and 1 had a problem with the springs, A/esi blocked me on one lap, then on my last lap I tried to go past Ralf Schumacher, picked up some dirt on my tyres and just went straight on at the next corner. Then it was all over-and 1 was 17th!

It’s just about the worst qualify ing I’ve ever had; at Jordan I was 19th in my second GP, but 1 had a misfire for the whole session.

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BMW lineups firm

by PHIL BRANAGAN BMW have confirmed Craig Baird will drive at Bathurst with Paul Morris.

But the team is still up to two weeks from confirming who will share Geoff Brabham’s car, or whether there will be a third factory entry.

Baird, 27, won a support event aU Bathurst last October and is BMW’s test driver this season. He will match Morris very well, according to Williamson.

“He has a lot of experience and is very good for this

INDIVIDUALS... Morris (left) and Baird. (Photo ty oirkKiynswuh) event. He and Paul will make 'The young NSW driver has a foi-midable team.” acquired a 1995-spec car from ALSO lining up in a BMW the BMW team and is set to at the Great Race will be make his class debut at the mountain.

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Volvo S40 here for 1998

ONE of Volvo’s latest S40 Super Touring cars looks like racing in Australia next season.

Volvo Australia gave its strongest indication at Mallala last weekend that, as they have hoped all season, a 1997 spec TWR car will be ear marked for Down Under at the end ofthe year.

Jim Richards had his best cham pionship result ofthe year in his 850 in Adelaide with a second in race one, but hinted that the newer, smaller car would be here nejct sea son.

“We’re struggling a bit with what is a 1995-and-a-half car,” he said after race two. “There other teams have 1996 cars.”

When asked whether-there was a chance that he would drive the team’s newer 850 (which he will share at Bathurst with Rickard Rydell) in the final two BOG rounds he answered, “No, that car has to go back to Sweden straight after. But we will have a new car for next year.”

With no more 850s being built in the UK (and the production car being superseded by the S70) that leaves little alternative but an S40...

-PHBLBRANAGAN

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BAT FI deal set for Nurburgring

BRITISH American Tobacco will finally reveal its plans to enter Formula 1 racing at the Luxembourg Grand Prix at the end of September.

However, while an announcement date has been set, we understand that the company has yet to finalise the details of the package.

Negotiations are going for BAT to buy a majority shareholding in one of the 11 existing FI teams because it needs to be a signatory to the lucrative new Concorde Agreement.

Although BAT has been unable to do a deal with either Tyrrell or Benetton, these choices should not yet be excluded; if the price is right a deal is likely to be struck.

More likely, however, is a deal which vrill see BAT take over Minardi, via a deal involving Fondmetal Technologies.

Minardi celebrated its 200th Grand Prix at Spa last weekend but Giancarlo Minardi was downbeat about the future.

“My biggest regret about Formula 1 is that in the past it was possible for a small team like ours to win,” he said. “Unfortunately this is no longer possible.”

BAT is expected to control 50% of the shares in the new team with Reynard Racing Cars having 25% and Craig Pollock - Jacques Villeneuve’s manager- also being involved.

Villeneuve himself is thought unlikely to become a shareholder until he joins the team.

A BAT spokesman, Michael Prideaux, has finally confirmed that the company is looking at Grand Prix racing but has played down the forthcoming announcement.

“It is early days yet,” said Prideaux, “but I can confirm that one of the options is to buy or take a stake in a team. We still don’t know what a team could be called, or what colours or logos would be allowed on the car.”

In the FI paddock it seems virtually certain that the branding will be either Lucky Strike or 555 - both of which are veiy big in the Asian markets.

It is worth noting that former FI marketing men Richard Grundy (of Arrows) and John Postlethwaite (of Benetton) have recently established theii' own sponsorship agency and are rumoured to be looking for money to replace Lucky Strike as the sponsor of the works Suzuki motorcycle racing team.

-JOE SAWARD

ppeal #1: McLaren

By JOE SAWARD

THE Belgian Grand Prix weekend was marred by a couple of controversial inci dents - aU of them involving Mika Hakkinen.

The Finn was found to have been using fuel which did not match that which had been sup plied to the FIA in June and as a result Mika’s fifth place in the grid was cancelled and he was put at the back ofthe grid.

McLaren announced that it would appeal the decision, arguing that the test had been

1

ppeal

incorrect and that new tests would prove that the fuel was legal.

This is a dangerous step as the FIA International Court of Appeal has the power to increase prmishments if it con siders that an appeal is frivo lous and does not bring to light any new issues.

In the race, Hakkinen ran into trouble for overtaking cars under the Safety Car. The stewards decided that, while Hakkinen had been guilty of the offence, he did not deserve to be excluded from the

BRAD Jones’ reinstatement at the Winton round of the BOC Gases Super Touring Championship has had an effect on the way justice will he administered in the rest of the series, according to some of the leading drivers.

Jones successfully appealed his exclusion on the basis that the penalty was unduly harsh and, as a result, he regained the 10 points he lost.

He was the fourth driver to be excluded for ontrack incidents this season, following Cameron McConville (Lakeside), Bob Tweedie (Phillip Island) and Steven Richards(Calder).

But the expectation from the drivers is that now stewards will be more willing to impose a stop/go penalty in the event of an race incident.

This is completely different to the policy fol lowed so far which can be summed up as ‘If you .

i

results and was given a repri mand and a one-race ban sus pended for two races.

Williams, which stands to gain third place for HeinzHarald Frentzen if Hakkinen is excluded from the results, appealed the stewards’ decision, arguing that the rules state that the offence should result in a stop-go time penalty which Hakkinen was not given.

The International Court of Appeal will be convened as soon as possible but until then the final results of the Belgian GP remain somewhat in doubt.

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Brad Jones

ruin someone else’s race the stewards will ruin yours’.

“The powers-that-be have decided it(a stop/go) is the best way to make a penalty stick,” said Jones.

McConville was the first to report for a stop/go after a clash with Richards at Mallala.

But Jim Richards points out that the nature of the Mallala track and pits made the penalty almost meaningless.

“A stop/go is a bit of a joke,” he said. “You go straight into the pit entry and straight out here.

Because of the way things are here you actually cover less distance.

“Cameron wasn’t far ahead when he came in but he still got out quickly. In effect the penalty only cost him second to third.”

-PHILBRANAGAN

ppeal #3: BMW

ON TUESDAY as Motorsport News was going to press another chapter was written in the ongoing saga of Jones’ Winton disqualifi cation.

BMW Motorsport countered Jones’ appeal and subsequent reinstatement by taking the matter to CAMS’ highest court, AMSAC. Team manager Lyall Williamson took the action

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because he felt'“that the origi nal appeal was handled in the right manner by CAMS. “We don’t believe that their (Stewards at Winton’s) ruling was wrong, or that the appeal was handled in the correct manner,” he said.

But the appeal will not auto matically be heard. AMSAC has to rule first whether there was an ‘miscarriage’ of CAMS judicial system before it will re-

examine the evidence and make a new ruling.

“We have concerns that a precedent has been set at that any further action along these lines could further decay the legal system under which we all race,” Williamson concluded.

The news of the appeal came our Mallala race report on page 24, which should be considered as ‘provisional’.

-PHILBRANAGAN

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I 29August 1997

BTCC - THRUXTON

The killer Bs buzz Thruxton

ten World of Sport

n Motor tlailng Calendar *V8 SUPERCAR ENDURANCE SERIES *TICKFORD 500 Sept 14 . .Sandown, Melbourne

*PRIMUS 1000 CLASSIC Oct 19 .. .Mt. Panorama, Bathurst

*BOC GASES AUST. SUPER TOURING CHAMPIONSHIP Oct 26 .. .Lakeside Nov 9 ....Amaroo

Rd 7 Rd 8

8 round senes held around Australia

AMP BATHURST 1000 Oct 5 ... .Mt. Panorama, Bathurst

♦CENTURY BAHERIES AUST. GTP C'SHIP

Oct 26 . . .Lakeside Nov 9 . . . .Amaroo

Rd 7 Rd 8

8 round series held around Australia

□ ■

WINSTON CUP NASCAR SERIES

J Aug 31 . . .Darlington . . . .Rd 23 H Sept 6 . . .Richmond Rd 24 J Sept 14 . .New Hampshire .Rd 25 Bh Sept 21 . .Dover Downs . .Rd 26 J Sept 28 . .Martinsville . . . .Rd 27 S I Oct 5 Charlotte Rd 28 Rd 29 pi Oct 12 . . .Taliedega ^ I Oct 26 . . .Nth Carolina . . .Rd 30 rsm

32 race series held in the United States.

!j FORMULA ONE WORLD 3 CHAMPIONSHIP .Rd 13 [iJ Sept 7 . . .Italy . . .Rd 14 ^ Sept 21 . .Austria J Sept 28 . .Luxembourg . . .Rd 15 .Rd16 Oct 5 . . . .Japan

I ■

!■ !■ I

I ■

!■

I_■ I ■ I ■ II ■

I_■

,^jE®0(o)[rs!JX

16 race series held around Ihe world

♦PPG CART WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP Aug 31 . . .Vancouver . . . .Rd 15 Sept 7 . . .Laguna Seca . .Rd 16 Sept 28 . .Fontana Rd 17 17 race peries held in the US, Aust. & Brazil.

♦500cc WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP Aug 31 . . .Czech Repub. .Rd12 Sept 14 . .Spanish Rd13 Rd 14 Sept 28 . .Indonesia Rd 15 Oct 12 . . .Australia .

15 race series held around the world.

NHRA WINSTON DRAG RACING SERIES Sept 1 . . .US Nationals . .Rd17 Sept 14 . .Reading, PA . .Rd 18 Sept 28 . .Topeka, KS . . .Rd 19 Oct 5 . . . .Memphis, TN . .Rd 20 Oct 19 . . .Dallas, TX Rd 21 Oct 26 . . .Houston, TX . . .Rd 22 Nov 9 . . . .Pomona, CA . .Rd 23 23 race series held in the United States

♦WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP Aug 29 . . .1000 Lakes . . .Rd 10 Sep 19-21 Rally Indonesia Rd 11 Oct 11-15 .Rally San Remo .Rd 12 .Rd13 Oct30Ncv3 Rally Australia Nov 21-24. .RAC Rally Rd14 14 rally series around the world

All event dates In this calendar were correct at the time of printing. Please consult any individual tracks and/or associations for date changes.

Series or events telecast on Network Ten are marked with an asterix.

Check your local guides for screening details.

ALTHOUGH the Audi team swept all before it at Thruxton on Monday - John Bintcliffe and Frank Biela sharing the Car British Touring

Champion-ship victories - it was the Williams Renault team spilling the champagne as it celebrated clinching the man ufacturers’ and teams’ champi onships.

Second place for Alain Menu in the second of the races was enough to make Renault’s champi onship sweep a clean one. Thirtyfour-year-old Menu had tied up the drivers’ championship a fort night ago with six rounds remain ing.

Changeable weather made tyre choice and car set-ups for round 19 of the championship something of a lottery. Several drivers (David Leslie, John Cleland and Tim Harvey among them) opted to abandon their rightful gri'd posi tions and start instead from the back after a late change to dryweather slick tyres.

Pole position man Rickard Rydell chose to stay on grooved intermediates and paid for his decision with a first-lap drubbing at the hands of the slick-shod Audis and Hondas.

Bintcliffe made a demon start from third on the grid to lead his Audi team-mate Biela away from the green lights, with James /Thompson and Gabriele Tarquini muscling their Hondas ahead of Rydell’s Volvo for third and fourth.

The Swede concluded his handi cap was too great on the second lap and pitted for more suitable rubber, rejoining in 20th position.

The duel for the lead was the most competitive seen all season with the cars of Bintcliffe, Biela, Thompson and Tarquini fighting for the duration of the 20-lap sprint.

Outgoing champion Biela tried everything in his repertoire to find a way past his younger and less experienced British team-mate but Bintcliffe survived his assaults and, having the slight advantage of soft-compound Dunlops, was able to maintain his advantage.

“Frank hit me a few times at the chicane,” smile Bintcliffe later, “but the four-wheel drive car held it steady. I chose a softer tyre than Frank and I was able to get an advantage in the faster sections.”

“I tried everything I could to get past John but it was not possible,”

Tradt^ \

THE SILVER BARROWS... Bintcliffe and Biela fought a race one war against the Hondas of James Thompson and Gabriele Tarquini, but held on to split the wins. (Photo by latDigital) replied Biela. “There were a couple of possibilities but the door was always closed. John did some clever defending today.” '' Biela had the handicap of two hungiy Hondas in his mirrors and Thompson tried on several occa sions to take advantage while Biela attacked Bintcliffe, only to see the Audis gain ground once more. The top four finished as they started, less than two seconds sep arating them.

“A couple of time the Audis held each other up,” said Thompson.

“But on a greasy track they were just able to pull away. It was a bit of a gamble to set the car up for the changing conditions.”

Will Hoy claimed fifth - his best finish of the year for Ford - ahead of Harvey’s Peugeot.

Rydell and Volvo team-mate Kelvin Burr retired with gearbox problems. Menu finished a lowly 17th - a late pre-race damper adjustment resulted in a poorly fitted right rear wheel which wob bled and damaged a brake disc on the warm-up lap; he started from the pits a lap behind the field.

Menu was right back on form for round 20, though, starting the race from third on the grid behind Thompson and Biela.

As Thompson made a tardy getaway, Biela put his Audi’s four-wheel

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drive to excellent use to establish an early lead over Menu and Thompson.

New champion chased old for the duration of the race. Menu closing down on Biela in the fastest parts of the ultra-quick Hampshire circuit only for the Audi to pull away again out of the twisty sections.

“I made a reasonable start better than James’s - and I pushed Frank hard for the first few laps but 1 was never in a posi tion to do much about the lead.

“It is a great achievement for us to have won all three titles. This championship is too competitive

for us to rest on our laurels. We need to keep winning for the rest of the season to give us the confi dence for next year.”

Sounds ominous for Bathurst...

Thompson kept the lead battlers on their toes for the first half of the race before dropping back. At the chequered flag Biela was just two seconds in front of Menu, with Tl\ompson a further nine seconds adrift,just ahead of Tarquini.

Bintcliffe displayed his earlier form to pass both Rydell and Jason Plato’s Renault for fifth. A last-lap attack from Rydell on Plato failed to pay off for the Swede.

British Touring Car Championship, Thruxton Round 19 20 laps/47.12 miles Audi A4 1 John Bintcliffe Audi A4 2 Frank Biela 3 James Thompson Honda Accord 4 Gabriele Tarquini Honda Accord Ford Mondeo 5 Will Hoy Peugeot 406 6 Tim Harvey 7 Jason Plato Renault Lagun a Nissan Primera 8 David Leslie Vauxhall Vectra 9 Derek Warwick 10 Lee Brookes Peugeot 406

26m30.915s 106.62mph -(-0.358s -ft.772s -(-1.968s +15.445s -(-25.907s -(-26.307s -(-32.959s -(-42.133s -(-43.233s

Round 20 20 laps/47.12 miles 1 Biela 2 Alain Menu Renault Laguna 3 Thompson 4 Tarquini 5 Bintcliffe 6 Plato Volvo S40 7 Rickard Rydell 8 Warwick 9 Hoy 10 Leslie

26m25.410s 106.99mph -f2.394s -(-11.673s -(-14.237s 4-19.836s 4-23.805S 4-23.845S 4-25.247S 4-29.813s 4-30.098s

Fastest lap: Biela, 1m17.729s, 109 11 mph Championship positions Menu 251 points, Biela 146, Plato 132, Thompson 120, Rydell 118, Bintcliffe 111, Tarquini, 108, Leslie 69, Harvey 58, Burt 46.

Frankie goes to.,, home OUTGOING British Touring Car Champion Frank Biela Biela is almost certain to quit the BTCC series in favour of a drive in the burgeoning German series in 1998.

Biela, who will drive with Brad Jones at the Bathurst 1000 in October, took his second win of the year at Thruxton on Monday but then said he was unlikely to come back next year. “ I think I will have to go back to Germany to race next year,” he said after he and team-mate John

Bincliffe made it two wins on the day.

“But I enjoy this championship enormously and I hope to come back in 1999 or 2000 perhaps.”

That would leave a highly sought seat open at Audi for next season to partner Bintcliffe in the new front-wheel drive A4, which is currently being developed for ’98.

Audi Sport boss Dr Wolfgang Ullrich has already confirmed that Audi will return next year, which means an FWD programme in Germany, Britain and Italy.

j

i\

29 August 1997

Panis delays return to FI

By JOE SAWARD

OLIVIER Panis says he hopes to be back in action in FI for the Luxembourg Grand Prix at the Nurburgring at the end of September- and not at Monza as was suggested earlier.

Panis says he does not want to rush back before his injuries are properly healed and intends to ti*y out a Foi-mula 3000 at MagnyCours before he gets back into a Prost-Mugen FI car.

The news means that Jarno Trulli will remain with Frost for three more races.

The young Italian, who has done a very impressive job since replacing Panis in June, is expected to return to Minardi for the final races of this season but Frost has an option to retain his services next year, when he should become Fanis's ProstPeugeot teammate.

Trulli signed what is believed to be a 10-year contract with the

Benetton Family at the end of not survive scrutiny under 1995.

European Community law.

Benetton then paid for his 1996 ^ Trulli recently set the fastest season in German F3 and organ- - ever lap around the Mugello cirised his drive with Minardi. cuit in Italy, lapping the Ferrari Several top teams in the FI test track in lm25.120s.

This beat the record estabpaddock are beginning to show interest in Jarno, the most fished by Michael Schumacher's important being Williams, which Ferrari in testing at the start of had talks with him at the end of April.

Trulli was tyre testing for 1995, just before Benetton Bridgestone and later tried the grabbed him.

There have been suggestions latest versions of the 1998-spec that the Benetton contract would grooved tyres.

Panoz has recruited Jim Selwa, the chief executive of Lotus Cars USA, to be vice president and chief operating officer of Panoz Motor Sports, Selwa - who has been involved in the automobile industry since 1971 - will be responsible for all Panoz racing activities and the renovation of the Road Atlanta racing circuit, which Panoz bought last November, The intention appears to be for Road Atlanta to be upgraded to host Formula 1 by 1999.

Selwa and Panoz visited the German GP and had a meeting with Bernie Ecclestone and the indications are that Road Atlanta is fast becoming the favourite venue for a United States race, The fast and undulating 2.5-mile circuit lacks run-off area for an FI race and needs serious upgrading but the city has the necessary infrastructure for a big event thanks to last year’s Olympic Games, Ecclestone has long been a Road Atlanta fan. He tried to organise a Grand Prix in the late 1980s and in 1992 actually tried to buy the circuit, -JOESAWARD

n Since May stories have been circulating sug gesting that Canadian oil bai’on Walter Wolf has been looking at a way to return to FI. Wolf ran his own team in the late 1970s and achieved the remai-kable feat of win ning his first race in FI with driver Jody Scheckter. Wolf has been linked with the new BAT operation and also with Ken Tyrrell, who has con firmed that he had been approached by Wolf but rejected the offer that was made to him. n British Sky Broadcasting announced last week that it will launch its digital satellite services in Britain early next year. It is expected sign a deal to broadcast Formula I's "supersignal" on a pay-per-view basis.

Ford push forUSGP FORD’S head of automofive operations Jac Nasser believes it is essential that Formula 1 establishes itself in the USA if it wishes to portray itself as a global sport.

Nasser said that Ford would “probably” be willing to invest in a project to establish FI in America and would prefer to be involved at a permanent racing circuit on the East Coast - the area which would best suit Ford’s marketing aims and the company’s concept of where FI cars should be seen in action.

Nasser met with Bernie Ecclestone but refused to discuss what the conversations had been about.

Nasser said that Ford would also like to see China and India added to the FI calendar in the future.

It is perhaps worth noting that the US circuit which best fits Nasser’s description of the best venue is Road Atlanta near Atlanta, which is owned by Don Panoz.

He has already said he is interested in running a United States GP and is closely involved with Ford as his Panoz sportscars are powered by Ford engines and sold through Ford dealerships.

II

Magnussen doubts

JAN Magnussen's future with the Stewart team hangs in the balance for the moment, the young Dane having been a big disappointment this year.

Magnussen (above) signed a four-year deal with the team in October last year which was intended to nm until the end of the year 2000 but his performances this year have not been as good as expected.

He has never qualified higher than 15th while Rubens Barrichello has been as high as third on the grid.

His best finish was at Monaco where he came home seventh but this was overshad owed by BarricheUo's second position.

It has not been easy for Jan to gain confi dence in the car because testing has been restricted and there have been far too many problems in recent weeks with exploding Ford VIO engines.

It should also be noted that Jan has suf fered. several suspension failures - one of which resulted in him receiving a nasty gash to one of his legs when the wishbones were punched through the side of the tub.

Jackie Stewart has warned Jan that he needs to lift his game a little.

Colombian Formula 3000 driver JuanPablo Montoya is being mentioned as a pos sible replacement for Magnussen nes^' year.

South African GP bid THE Automobile Association of South Afirica in Johannesburg is stiU aiming to run a Grand Prix at Kyalami next sea son.

Representatives of the AASA met FI boss Bernie Ecclestone recently and he has since confirmed thit there is a possibility that Grand Prix racing could go back to South Africa.

Ecclestone has also confirmed that none of the rumoured races in the Far East will hap pen next year as organisers in Malaysia,

In the past few seasons MoTeC users around the World have won in the following races or series: Australian Touring Car Champ’ship

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Australian Super Touring Champ’ship

British Formula Three Champ’ship

Australian Rally Champ'ship

British Hillcijmb Champ’ship

Australian Production Car Champ’ship

New Zealand Touring Car Champ’ship

Australian Porsche Cup

New Zealand Porsche Cup

Australian Sports Sedan Champ’ship

New Zealand Land Speed Record

Australian Club Car Nationals

Macau GP Touring Car Race

Australian Off Road Champ’ship

South East Asian Touring Car Series

Australian Superbike Champ’ship

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Indonesia, China and Korea are simply not ready to host Grands Prix events.

Although there has been a great deal of talk about new venues in South Africa, it is likely that any race would take place at Kyalami, which is owned by the AASA and has all the necessary infrastructiu-e in place.

There is not expected to be an official announcement about the 1998 calendar until the FLA World Motor Sport Council meets in Paris in October.

-JOE SAWARD

n Nokia, which is rumoured to be planning a return to Grand'Prix racing next year, announced profits of $343m last week. The Finnish telecommunica tions company is expected to sponsor whichever team Mika Salo drives for in 1998. This is unlikely to be T5Trell, which Nokia sponsored a couple of years ago. n Lester Pullen, the man who was primarily responsible for Camel's involvement in Grand Prix racing, died recently in the Bahamas. n Michael Schumacher’s manager Willi Weber is taking an interest in the cai'eer of young Dutch driver Tom Coronel, who has been showing well in Formula 3 in recent years. Coronel is expected to move to Formula 3000 next year. n Swedish car company Volvo has sold its 11.4 percent stake in Renault for $740m. Elf- Renaidt’s partner in FI for the last 20 years - has also dis posed of its shareholding in Renault.

-JOE SAWARD

r

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12 29AugusnS9/

The Donut King takes three Report by PHIL MORRIS Photos by INDYCAR NEWS SERVICE

PUT down the glasses.

Collect all bets. Call the dog. And... have a donut.

The 1997 CART title is as good as decided.

Yes, there is a mathemati cal possibility that Alex Zanardi can still be beaten for the title but, after taking his third straight win in a rain-delayed race at Road America, the donut-loving Italian is all but assured of Tai'get Ganassi Racing’s sec ond straight crown.

Not that Zanardi complete ly dominated the weekend.

He didn’t take pole, but was handily placed on the grid; he didn’t lead all the way but drove fast enough and smart enough to be around at the flag: and he stiU does the best victory donuts in the sport.

After a warning at Long Beach after smoking up his Reynard-Honda on the victo ry lap this time Zanardi did it this time in a concrete nm-off area.

“They said it was in a dan gerous place before,” he said with a grin. “This time, I made sure it was in a place not dangerous.

“I just put myself in the fans’ point of view. They stood there for three or four hours in the cold and the wet and they were out there to see a show. I had to do something

to make the show better.”

When he arrived at Victory Circle, 30-year-old Zanardi was greeted by his crew hold ing real donuts in the air in salute...

Qualifying was all about Friday. With Saturday’s ses sion taking place on a damp/wet track (Michael Andretti’s fastest lap was still 10s off pole) there was a single team front row for the first time all season.

It was PacWest team mates Mauricio Gugelmin and Mark Blundell who led the way in their ReynardMercedes, ‘not-so-Big Mo’ taking his second career pole position. Zanardi was third ahead of the extremely impressive Dario Franchitti After almost two hours delay for rain the race start ed on a wet track and, imme diately, there was chaos.

Paul Tracy was carted off the track by Gualter Salles at turn three, ending his race and probably any faint title hopes.

Gugelmin and Blundell led from Franchitti, Zanardi and Andretti in the early going.

Michael’s race came to a dramatic end. While pitting for slicks on lap eight he exceeded the pit speed limit.

Before he could report for a drive thru penalty he spun off.

.®HavoBne

NEW CHIP ON THE BLOCK... Ganassi Racing is heading for its second straight titte. Zanardi was unbeatabie in Wisconsin.

The same thing happened to Franchitti, ruining his run in second place by skating into a wall while warming his slicks. It was yet another promising, but frustrating race for Carl Hogan’s hero.

The running for most of the race had the other hot man of the moment, Blundell, leading Zanardi or Gugelmin by anything from zero seconds to seven.

Zanardi couldn’t get by Blundell on the track but he didn’t have to. His pit crew did it for him on lap 36 when Zanardi and Blundell

took on fuel, but no tyres and he held off the Brit until three laps from the end.

Then it all went wrong. In the tradition dramatic Wisconsin finishes - like last year when A1 Unser’s engine blew while leading the final lap - Blundell’s car caught fire.

That left the Italian six seconds clear after a long, frustrating race.

I’m bitterly disappointed for njyself and the team,” the Englishman said. “I felt we probably had something left for Alex, but ... we didn’t fin ish the race.”

Gugelmin took a solid sec ond from de Ferran, Christian Fittipaldi, Pruett, Rahal, Unser and Vasser.

Fittipaldi, in only his third race back from injury, drove impeccably. His car suffered an ECU-inspired engine problem all race, yet he was among the fastest on the track in wet or dry, charging from 18th grid spot. Another man whose first win is well overdue.

Others who ended up off the track included Raul Boesel and Andre Ribeiro who slid off together after a particularly silly piece of

driving from Boesel.

At least he wasn’t alone.

Greg Moore slid into the kitty litter while trying to get by Rahal (on slicks, on the wettest part of the track) while luckiest escape of the day was Arnd Meier, whose car flew over a barrier and almost into a spectator area.

This Sunday they race at Vancouver and Zanardi needs only six points to seal the title. In the last five races he scored 99 from a possible 110.

Get them donuts ready...

Points after 14 races: Zanai-di 168, de Ferran 130, Ti-acy 121, Moore 111,Andretti 108,Pruett 96.

ANOTHER FLYING SCOT...Dario Franchitti starred again in Carl Hogan’s Reynard-Mercedes.

Riley & Scott’s new IRL car WmaUmtSaR

FROM F1 TO... Vincenzo Sospiri went close to his first win in Colorado. (PhotohyMatHnociark)

Buhl hits his peak

PhclcbyMar,f)Oaa!k

RILEY and Scott has taken the covers off its new Indy Racing League con tender.

The American manufacturer, which has been extremely successful in domestic US sportscar racing, unveiled the car at Charlotte’s recent IRL race.

It will be the first American-built con tender for the series, joining Dallara (from Italy) and G-Force from Great Britain.

Testing of the Oldsmobile Aurora-engined prototype, with Mark Dismore driving, is expected to commence shortly while a full race program will hit the IRL series in 1998.

ROBBIE Buhl dodged one guy in front of him and outraced another behind him in the final two laps Sunday to win his first Indy-car race, the IRL’s Pennzoil 200.

Buhl was on leader Eddie Cheever’s tail racing down the straightaway at the end of the 197th lap when Cheever suddenly lost power, pounding the steering wheel as he coasted to a stop. Buhl barely swerved aroimd him into the lead.

“I did everything I could to stop from hitting him. I had to get on the binders (brakes),” Buhl said.

Buhl knew his own fuel situation was questionable.

“With two laps to go, there’s nothing we could do. We knew we had to chance it,” he said. Buhl took the lead for the first time at the end of lap 197, with Vincenzo Sospiri right behind. But Buhl didn’t know

if Sospiri was on the lead lap.

“My spotter came on and said,‘That’s for position behind you,’“ Buhl said.

Buhl widened his margin over Sospiri by doing a good job of getting through traffic, but Sospiri made a final rush down the last straightaway and Buhl held him off by a scant few feet. The .064-second differ ence was the closest IRL finish in its 10 race history. ' Arie Luyendyk finished third. Cheever wound up ninth.

In the race for the IRL points title, Tony Stewart closed in on the championship though he went out with a smoking engine on the 174th lap. But his main challenger, Davey Hamilton, was gone by the 123rd lap. Stewart finished 14th; Hamilton 17th.

Stewart, who started the day ahead of Hamilton 233-226 in points, finished 10 points ahead, 254-244.

29AuguslW97

13

Crystal ball gazing

I

n the United States there used to be a tradition at all the major sporting events that when the winner had emerged he or she would go to see the assembled press corps and someone would always ask: “Say, Charlie, what are you going to do now that you have won the Indy 500?”

This was the accepted prompt for the victor to add to his spoils by saying: “Me? I’m going to Disneyland!”

And as he left the press room a mysterious man would sidle up to him and slide him a huge brown envelope full of large denomination notes.

It does not happen like when any normal person goes off to Disneyland. In fact it is quite the opposite. You go along and mysterious Disney types take all your money and send you home clutching Mickey Mouse balloons and wondering where all the money went.

I know this because after the Hungarian Grand Prix I spent a few days at Disneyland in Paris.

This mammoth enterprise use to be called Eurodisney but so much money was spent to build the place that it fell into debt and got a bad reputation in business circles and so has now been renamed Disneyland Paris.

It must be making a fortune now. I cannot remember ever see ing so many people in one place.

We spent a couple of days stand ing in queues, eating junk food and buying little plastic trinkets made for Disney by people in China.

±

To make life easier for the visi tors it will make perfect sense to have hotels on site (with confer ence centres, of course) and so FOH will have to knock up a few :t themed hotels, aiming for differ ent segments of the market.

Those who pay more will be able to stay in the Monaco-themed hotel which will no doubt have a casino inside so that you can really feel like a high-roller. The cheaper hotels will be less elabo rate.

Disney does not seem to have There will be FI shops where biggestprobably attraction, howev er, would be the Jos one will be able to buy everything identified the power of motor rac- The Hockenheim ing but there is no doubt that Verstappen from team gear to sponsored ear Experience in which visitors plugs. There will be FI cafes - some of the most popular attrac would find themselves inside along the lines of Planet tions are automobile-related. heat-proof see-through tubes just Hollywood and the Hard Rock as Jos comes hurtling into the Cafe - which will not only retail in of California and Benetton pits at Hockenheim in Paris some the^biggest expensive food but will also be AtinDisneyland used to sell more tee-shirts. queues are for the attraction they his 1994 car. The flash fire would The logical step from there is to call “Autopia”, which gives you the be quite dramatic.

Ingenious designers would develop the idea of a series of FI chance to drive a car around on a rail and bump the car in front of come up with ideas to make the theme parks.

This makes enormous com you. The steering vaguely works technology involved in FI more mercial sense because the aver- and the throttle makes a lot of easy for the man on'the street to age Grand Prix circuit is a pretty noise when you press on it but understand.

You would probably be able to poor financial performer. Some otherwise it is a fairly pointless walk through a laser beam show exercise. Yet people love it. have moderately successful busi which will reveal what it would be nesses with income from testing, At Disneyland Paris, motor rac t was while standing in the vari ing turned up in a curious auditori- like if you could walk around ous queues, trying not to become conventions, corporate days, dri inside a CAD-CAM irate as another Italian pushed his ving schools and indus machine. You will be way past, that I began'pondering trial parks and even a lit allowed to marvel at the future of the theme park in tle from selling branded The Andrea de Cesaris crash the inside of the inner Formula 1 racing. circuit goods - but these the do not make REAL As you may have read in previ machine would be a load more sanctums motorhomes - and will ous columns, I am of the opinion money.

The only really big fun than Space Mountain, as the be able to buy your that rather than being in a situa lunch under the awning tion where the expansion bubble money they earn is on at the McLaren is about to burst, as people have the one weekend a year capsule into which you are Motorhome restaurant when the Formula 1 cir been predicting for years, FI rac ing stands on the verge of a new cus comes to town - strapped tumbles end over end l ll (buffet service). You boom which will lift the whole and most of this has to may even be able to try your hand at being sport to an entirely new level. be given back to This will be triggered by the Ecclestone to ensure that the cir- um - sponsored by Renault - Murray Walker and I expect they flotation of Bernie Ecclestone’s cus keeps on visiting year after where all the walls were video will sell you a videotape with your screens and you found yourself in commentary on it.

Formula One Holdings and the year.

It makes sense, therefore, for a 360-degree cinema. You are If they are really clever you will arrival of a team of professional circuit owners to sell out if then transported on a series of be able to walk through a vast marketing men.

Bernie has made no secret of Formula 1 Holdings offers them a adventures with someone pre slow-motion FI engine with pis the fact that he feels it is beneath large sum of money to rid them tons screaming up and down, tending to be Jules Verne. selves of the circuit. This also cylinders exploding and valves We were run over by a high his dignity to be “a tee-shirt sales gives Formula 1 Holdings some speed train (you may like to know smacking in and out and tidal man” and so most of the promo tional activities in FI have been concrete assets, which has to be that it was not at all painful) but it waves of oil sloshing around the was rather alarming to be roared walkway. largely ignored. When the busi a long-term aim of the empire.

If modern Formula 1 becomes ness is floated, these will become at by a large dinosaur. We flew over the Alps and swooped above too complicated and stressful you prime targets for expansion. certain Bernie will go on pulling the Only having andcircuits theseare areworth the Neuschwanstein castle in Bavaria can always take a trip down strings in the FI paddock - as he ones which enjoy a curious sort of and then all of a sudden dear old memory lane and see all the always has done - but men in mythical status with the general Jules^was in a Formula 1 car dri World Champions on a stage suits will start having committee public. Whether people like racing ving around the old Osterreichring together, discussing their great meetings and will decide that or not, most have heard .of Spa, in the wrong direction - with other races - you can do wonderful Grand Prix racing is an under the Nurburgring, Monza and Grand Prix cars coming at him. It things with robotics these days developed resource in terms of its Silverstone and this is something was great fun. and maybe there will be a chance synergy with merchandising and which is not being exploited at the Just imagine what you could do to have an audience with Enzo that there is an enormous window moment. with high-technology motor racing- Ferrari in the Cavallino Restaurant. of opportunity to expand the The next step is to leave the related attractions.

The Andrea de Cesaris crash Everywhere you go there will development envelope and max tracks running as they are but to machine would be a load more fun be different themed cafes: the imise the earning potential of the use nearby land for development. business.

In order to make the tracks than Space Mountain, as the cap Trattoria Ferrari; Schumi’s This means more than just sell more profitable they must offer sule into which you are strapped Kuchen and the Williams Cafe. ing tee-shirts but there is no something which will attract big tumbles end over end accompa And the park will be laid out in doubt, working on the figures from crowds all year round. The obvi nied by all the necessary film and such a way that one will always ous answer is, of course, the noise going on all around you.

American sport, that a global busi have to walk past the merchan ness like FI should very soon be theme park and motor racing is “Gee Mum,” the kids will say, dising units, which will probably brigning in billions of dollars every perfectly positioned to provide “Andrea’s Austrian shunt was bril be integrated into some form of year from the sale of FI-related what the public wants from a good liant. Can we go and do Paul fake pitlane, on your way to the n merchandise.

Hawkins at Monaco now?” exit. day out.

The secret of the parkgreat concept is that thetheme profit is not really made on the entry tickets but rather on all the peripherals.

Everyone has to eat and drink and have a room to stay in.

Everyone wants some memento of their trip, something to show the neighbours or the other kids at school. An entry ticket may cost you only $30 but by the time you leave you will find that you have spent $300 or $400 and FOH will have taken it all.

When I was at Disneyland Paris, all the hotel rooms were booked solid. I cannot tell you how many rooms they had there but the place I finally managed to get into - a very basic hotel dis guised as a wild west town - had 1000 rooms and there were at feast four other such places which I saw when I was trolling around the Park.

All these places will need proper access roads and plenty of parking which will, of course, make the circuit a much nicer place to be when the FI circus does come to town.

Now you do not have to be a genius to work out that if you have one park at each of the “classic circuits” you will make 10 times as much money as if you have only one.

The audience will be virtually guaranteed because the level of interest in FI racing now is such that many thousands of people who cannot now afford a ticket to a Grand Prix will be able to get a feel of what life is like in FI at a much reduced rate ... so Doris and Desmond Deckchair will bring the kids, leave the contents of their wallet behind and they will all go home happy.

We will have to wait and see if the idea will catch on in America but a lot more work needs to be done in the United States if FI wants to be taken seriously over there.

One night at Spa we were in the restaurant of our hotel and bumped into an American couple.

“Gee,” said the lady, “what is going here at the moment? We are having real trouble finding a hotel. We thought it would be real quiet here. We came to see where my father-in-law fought in the last war.”

Yes, Madame, well you see, there’s this thing called Formula 1 racing. It’s like Indycars but bigger...

Oh, gee, really?

r

U 29August B7

Mkhael gives them a bi Report by JOE SAWARD

MICHAEL Schumacher’s 26th Grand Prix victory will be remembered as one of his finest because-as usual-he combined a brilliant driving talent with an extraoi-dinary ability to make the right decision at the right time — when it really mattered.

The result was that when the race finally started, after a period running behind a Safety Car because of the “exceptional circumstances” caused by a downpour of monsoon-like pro portions, Schumacher waltzed away from the field at an embarrassing rate.

He built a gap of40 seconds in just six laps and that was it really.

You cannot give Michael a 40s advantage and expect him to make a mistake. He isn’t like the other drivers...

While the Williams team again shot itself in the foot, it was Giancarlo Fisichella who was left to be the best of the rest, second place being the Italian Jordan drivers best result in FI. Mika Hakkinen completed the podium after an eventful weekend, which included a fuel controversy in qualifying (see news pages) and a crash.

Qualifying

I would hate to be a cow in the Ardennes. Not only do you know that you will probably end up lying on a plate next to a mountain of pommes frites, but you also have to spend your whole life trying to work out whether you need to stand up or sit down.

Everyone knows that when a cow sits down it is going to rain but in the Ardennes it is not that easy. Halfthe. cows are always standing up and the other halfare always lying down.

Using cows to predict the weather conditions at Spa is probably as accu rate as any of the modem meteoro logical methods for here in the pretty valleys to the south of Liege is a most extraordinary micro-climate. The whole ofEurope can be sweltering in a humid heatwave but at Spa it will be cold and rainy.

There have been many people who have tried to work out what causes this - particularly when the racing comes to town - but no-one has a definitive answer.

My theoiy is that the hot au- gener ated by the tens of thousands of Michael Schumacher fans in the val€>

ley of the Eau Rouge river is responwhat I would call standard'circuits, sible. They come rushing across the which were built relatively recently nearby German border and plunge with a clean sheet of paper, but the their camper vans into the wiggly kind of atmosphere you get at Spa is roads of the Ardennes forests - not something akin to the old Nurburgring. It is the only place for the first time in histoiy. which still has this quality and You may think that Hockenheim is Michael Schumacher’s home race, atmosphere.”

Much of Spa’s fearsome reputation but both Spa and the Nurburgring are much closer to the headquarters comes from the Eau Rouge and Blanchimont corners, which are ofSchumacher’s Army at Kerpen.

And for Schumi fans Spa is special. echoes of the day when the whole It.was here, of course, that he made track was like that. his Grand Prix debut in a Jordan in You haye to visit Spa and potter 1991 and where a year later he won around the old track to really under stand the reputation and the magic of his first Grand Prix victory.

No matter how competitive his car, the place. It is not a place for the Schumacher is a factor at Spa for the faint of heart and even the bravest track is one of the few these days men have to stiffen the sinews and where driving talent, courage and the summon up the blood to deal,with motivation to win can be translated Eau Rouge and Blanchimont. into tenths on the stopwatch.

“Eau Rouge is really the most It is very simple. A better driver tremendous corner, says will go through a fast comer more Schumacher. ‘Tt is like flying down quickly than a less talented man. hill and seeing a big mountain in “Spa is without doubt the best cir front of you. You get the feeling that cuit in the world,” says Schumi. you are driving into the road and “For most of the season we race on then you go up and it is a sensation

It was largely a matter of guess work, but the teams which did the bestjob in qualifying were those with the best computer-generated basic set-up for the circuit. Those who tried After wet andsession totally (the meaning less aFriday two to make big changes in the limited Benettons were fastest) Saturday time available found themselves morning was httle better but for the rather confused and rather pres second of the two 45-ininute sessions sured. Those who made mistakes the track was dry and the times paid heavily for them. started to come down. j And thus it was at the front of the It meant that the teams had grid with Jacques VOleneuve on pole around half an hour in which to position and Jean Alesi alongside decide on which tyres to use for the him. Their respective teammates, Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Gerhard weekend.

Lengthy nms to check tyre wear Berger, both had crashes and were and other such luxuries were simply seventh and 15th on the grid.

It was a big disappointment for not possible and so almost eveiyone went for the safest available tyre Berger, who had been fastest in the wet on Friday. option.

Early in quahfyrng Gerhard spun The only people willing to take a risk were those with nothing to lose: at the Bus Stop chicane and clonked Arrows and Minardi. The softer tyre the wall. He had to take to the spare choice would mean a better showing car and did not feel confident in it.

Frentzen made a big of a pig’s ear in qualifying - which always looks good - and might, depending on the of qualifying by going off at Les temperature, give an advantage in Combes on his third qualifying run the race on Sunday. and bopping the bai-riers rather hai’d. which is probably the best you can experience and the most satisfaction you can have as a racing driver.”

A fast minute with,,.

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TACnCAL GENIUS... MichaelSchumacher once again out-thought the opposition to take a brilliant victory at Spa.

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Adam Macrow Name: Adam Macrow Born: 23 November 1978 Home state: Victoria Car: Spectrum 06 A consistent performer throughouf 1997 Adam Macrow has regularly finished in the top 10, including a fourth at Calder and a fifth at Lakeside. Adam is one of the early favourites for the Formula Ford races at the 1997 Tickford 500.

Likes: speed, water sports (jetskiing), roast chicken and bakec^otatoe^^ Dislikes: going slow, cheats, brussel sprouts Three words that you would use to describe yourself: sentimental, determined, stubborn Ambition in motorsport:

To race in Formula One Ambitions for 1998: To win the 1998 Australian Formula Ford Championship Most memorable moment in Formula Ford: My first win at Phillip Island in the 1996 Victorian State Series ■J- .

Most admired Australian driver: Jason Bargwanna Most admired international driver: Mark Webber Most admired competitor: Dean Lindstrom Favourite catch-phrase: “What’s happening'

BELGIAN Gl>

29Augtisn99/

15

ith at Spa 1

ABOVE LEFT: Hakkinen, Schumacher and Fisichella on the podium.

ABOVE: Mika Hakkinen had an “interesting” weekend but came through the finish third - though that is the subject of an appeal hearing.

LEFT: The unusuai start, which took place behind the Mercedes Safety Car because of the conditions.

(Photos by LATDigital andZooom Photographic)

He was able to drive the car back to the pits but it was not going to be fixed for the final run and so he had to jump into the spare which was set up for Villeneuve.

Frentzen and Berger were both confident for the race, however, as Spa is a track where overtaking is not a problem.

Being at thewhich front is is still a big advantage not easily overcome by those giving chase and Jacques Villeneuve was delighted

with his pole position.

“The set-up was great,” explained Jacques,“so tiie car was really good. I came here feeling strong and very confident and that always helps. It is difficult to know what to expect iri the race. I don’t think anyone wiU bej properly prepared.”

Jean was also dehghted.

‘T have a good rehable car for this circuit,” explained Jean. “The tyre choice was easy. We went for the safe option and we are quite happy about the choice.”

The mood of optimism did not extend to the third-placed man on the grid, Michael Schumacher, who seemed somewhat pfek)ccupied after qualifying was over. His day had been spoiled by “a problem” with his race car in the morning, which meant that he jumped into the spare for

qualifying.

The Ferrari people did not seem to want to explain exactly what the problem might be but it seems that a crack had been found “at the rear of the chassis” and could not be

repaired. After each run the engineers made changes to the car but Michael was never really in the hunt for pole and ended up 0.8s down on Villeneuve.

Eddie Irvine was deeply in trouble as he often is in qualifying - and ended up a miserable 17th on the grid, blaming Ralf Schumacher for forcing him offline, which did his tyres no good at ah.

Fourth on'* the grid fell to the Jordan-Peugeot of Giancarlo Fisichella which was a very good effort for the little Italian who had never raced an FI car at the circuit before.

"The car was well set-up and I was driving well so the combination worked well,” reported Giancarlo, “but to be honest I was not expecting to be fourth in qualifying. If every thing goes well we can make the podium.

Ralf Schumacher was only 0.05s slower than Fisichella but the pair were split by Mika Hakkinen’s McLaren.

Schumacher reckoned he should have been nearer the front but an engine problem forced him to finish the session in the T-car, which under steered too much for his taste.

But if Ralf had complaints they were nothing compared to the tale of woe of Mika Hakkinen.

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Looking forward to getting some dry running, Mika went out in the second part of Saturday morning’s session and was dialling himself into the track when the McLaren suffered a disastrous rear suspension failmre which tore the left rear wheel off the car and sent Mika gyrating into the barriers at Les Combes.

The problem was later traced to a structural failure ofthe lower left rear wishbone - a composite item. These were replaced with metal suspension parts on all cars for qualifying. atever the details, it was not

Whe kind of failure one would

expect to see on a McLaren, the team priding itself on its ability to produce pieces of the highest aerospace quality. Very odd.

In the afternoon Mika did a remarkable job to qualify fifth fastest and then had to face the ignominy of being booted out because a fuel sam ple did not match the chemical profile of the fuel which had been given to the FIA earher.

The team argued the case and on Sunday morning Mika was reinstat ed under appeal but with McLaren unhkely to be able to come up with any new evidence in front of the FIA judges, the team faces potentially huge punitive damages for Wasting the court’s time.

23Auguslf99/

w

ell, I got to the chequered flag and finished in the points, so things are certainly looking up compared to the last few races. However, thanks to the weath er, the Belgian Grand Prix was still a long way from working out the way I hoped it wouid.

Just before the start of the race there was a cloudburst and the track conditions were so bad that we decided to fit full wet tyres to the car. It was the right choice; that is, until it was decided to start the race behind the pace car.

It was then too late for us to change the car to intermediate tyres.

To make matters worse, I had also planned a one-stop race so the car had a heavy fuel load, which I certainly wasn't going to need before stopping in the pits for a change of tyres.

Other drivers, like Schumacher, had gam bled on intermediate tyres and a light fuel load. When it was decided to use the pace car the die was aiready cast.

We to start race on fullwere wetscommitted and for the first the three laps, when we should have been able to take advantage of the conditions, we had to sit behind the pace car as the water subsided and the tables turned rapidly in favour of the opposition.

u and then I got ahead of Herbert and Coulthard.

In the second half of the race 1 was chasing Hakkinen for third place yy but on my second set of slicks the car started to ( understeer again.

I managed to close the gap but by that different. The trees were shrouded in mist time the tyres had''gone off, so I had to settle and there was a familiar curtain of rain for an eventual fourth place. I suppose it was-| drenching the track which, despite its damp disposition, was no less foreboding. n't too bad, considering the way the dice had It is a mighty circuit which is a genuine By the time we were finally racing, the fallen before the race even started. thrill to drive, whatever the weather. intermediates were already quicker and it was Even at the best of times you cannot help hatever the circumstance, it's always a struggle to hold my sixth place. I was fight thinking about what the car is going through great to race at a track like Spa and I ing with Hill when I also got a bang from Barrichello, fortunately without damaging my got an extra tingle of excitement when I got at a comer like Eau Rouge.

One time I had the car bottom so badly car. my first glimpse of the track this year. at the front that for a moment I had no I was skimming the pine trees at 300mph I hung on for as long as I could but, as the in the cockpit of my jet when the circuit steering and it was pointed straight at the track began to dry and the tyres started to barrier! The telemetry showed us pulling 2G suffer with the full load, my times were drop appeared between the hills, looking as ping dramatically. impressive from the air as it does from the compression up the hill with an even higher peak as it bottoms out before the climb.

However, i couldn't stop early like Jacques cockpit of my Rothmans Williams-Renault.

Character building.

It couldn't have been a better day, the did, for it would have been too wet for slick For me the Belgian Grand Prix was yet circuit looking magnificent as it threaded its tyres and it would have meant changing to another case of what might have been, way through the pine trees. We banked intermediates again. although at least I did manage to come Once the track had started to dry out and I over the top of the paddock and then pulled away with three points, which were just got going quickly on slicks, 1 was able to start up for the landing at Spa airport a few kilo enough to put me back into third place in racing again. I had a good battle with Berger, metres away on top of the next hill.

Twenty-four hours later things looked very the championship. n who I got by going into the Bus stop chicane, '●

It was the right choice ... until it was decided to to start the race

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behind the pace car.

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CHARGEKERBED... David Coulthard was battling for a point when he clipped and kerb and crashed. (Photo by LAT Digital) David Coulthard had a relatively calm qualifying in comparison but 10th was disappointing, largely thanks to smacking into a wall at the Bus Stop in the final moments of the qualifying session.

Eighth were the and two ninth Arrows-Yamahas on the grid with Pedro Diniz showing why he is worth $12m to any team willing to take it from him.

Damon Hill, who received most of that money this year, was behind Pedro - a curious state of affairs.

Johnny Herbert was'llth in his Sauber with Gianni MorbideUi 13th just a few tenths behind.

As usual the Sauber boys reck oned they would be a lot more com petitive in the race than in qualify ing and there was some quiet opti mism in the Swiss garage.

Rubens Banichello did well to get his Stewart-Ford into 12th position but Jan Magnussen was again rather disappointing in 18th place, nearly a second behind his teammate.

He did, however, have a good usual with Jos Verstappen slower excuse because in the morning ses sion he had lost vital time in the than Ukyo Katayama as a result of going off in the qualifying session; dry with - whisper it - another The Minardis, too, seemef to blown Ford engine. spend a lot of time spinning and The Prost-Mugens were rather bouncing off the walls. disappointing with Jarno Trulli 14th and Shinji Nakano 16th.

Neither driver knew the track and Race - 44 laps would be better in the race - as Sunday morning was beautiful and they usually are. in the cool of the morning ViUeneuve The Tyrrells and Minardis were was fastest in the warm-up with Ralf mixed up at the back of the grid as Schumacher second and Johnny

Herbert right 6n the pace in his Sauber.

It was lovely until about 20 min utes before the start when all the cows of the Ardennes suddenly sat down and the sky began to spit rain as the cars were getting ready to take up their positions on the grid.

And then a tropical rainstorm broke over Spa and there were a lot of very wet-looking beautiful people on the grid and pit crews panicking

GRIPPING BATTLE . .. With a variety of tyre brands ana treads, Diniz (left), Sale, Hill and Irvine battle t nis mid-field. iPhotc bvZooon)

to get their bits and bobs in the right places.

In all the excitement Ralf Schumacher did a very stupid thing and spun off at Stavelot and had to then jog up the track to the pits to get into the spare. He would start from the pitlane.

As his brother arrived on the grid, there were hurried consultations and then the Ferrari mechanics put on a little more downforce. But Michael decided that the rain was going to stop and that the right choice would be to run with intermediate tyres.

This was a gamble.

The Race Director then decided that it was too wet to have a normal starting procedure and so it was announced that the race would start behind a Safety Car - as allowed for in the regulations. This was the cor rect decision because trying to race with rivers across the track, spray everywhere and puddles against the kerbing would have resulted in chaos.

‘Tt would have been a major disas ter,” commented Mika Hakkinen.

The problem in such situations is that mostexceptional people are not quite sure about the rules and so there was some doubt in some quar ters - not least among some of the drivers - as to whether the race had started or whether there would be a parade lap as normal.

Certainly the grid marshals did not know. They were waving their number boards as usual when the field came back at the end of the first lap and were rather surprised when no-one stopped.

Hakkinen may have appreciated the decision to use the Safety Car but he clearly did not know the rules as he somehow contrived to go off.

“There was so much water on the track,” he reported later. “I lost two places and it was difficult to get them back.”

It was also completely illegal, but the FIA stewards being a law unto themselves decided that all he need ed was a reprimand and a suspended one-race ban.

After all the fuel business on Saturday night and the amazing col lapsing suspension trick in the morn ing, the McLaren team really did not need any more dents in its reputation for complete professionalism.

Trying to figure out who was using which tyres in such circumstances is very difficult because you cannot tell by just looking at them. Goodyear has three kinds of tyre in these cir cumstances: the full-blown 1996-spec wet tyre (called the Quattro), the Vcut wet (a wet tyre new this year) and the intermediate (a kind of slick with grooves).

VUleneuve, Frentzen, Alesi, Irvine and Ralf Schumacher went for the Quattro. Fisichella went for the V-cut

2H\s01997

\1

Belgian Grand Prix World Championship, round 12 Spa-Francorchamps, August 24th, 1997; 44 laps (Results are subject to an appeal over third place)

1 Michael Schumacher, Ferrari F310B, 1h33m46,717s 2 Giancarlo Fisichella, Jordan-Peugeot 197, 1 h34m13,470s 3 Mika Hakkinen, McLaren-Mercedes MP4/12, 1h34m17,573s 4 Heinz-Harald Frentzen, Williams-Renault FW19,1h34m18,864s 5 Johnny Herbert, Sauber-Petronas C16, 1h34m25,742s 6 Jacques Villeneuve, Williams-Renault FW19, 1h34m28,820s 7 Gerhard Berger, Benetton-Renault B197, 1h34m50,458s 8 Pedro Diniz, Arrows-Yamaha A18, 1 h35m12,648s 9 Jean Alesi, Benetton-Renault B197,1h35m28,725s 10 Gianni Morbidelli, Sauber-Petronas Cl6, 1h35m29,299s 11 Eddie In/ine, Ferrari F310B, 43 laps, DNF 12 Mika Salo, Tyrrell-Ford 025,43 laps 13 Jan Magnussen, Stewart-Ford SF-1, 43 laps 14 Damon Hill, Arrows-Yamaha A18, 42 laps, DNF 15 Ukyo Katayama, Minardi-Hart Ml97,42 laps, DNF 16 Jarno Trulli, Prost-Mugen Honda JS45,42 laps Fastest Lap: Villeneuye, lap 43,1m 52,692s Lap Leaders: Lap 1-4 Villeneuve; Lap 5-44 M. Schumacher ON FORM ... Giancarlo Fisichella’s strong form continued with his impressive drive into second place. Here the Jordan-Peugeot leads Hakkinen's McLaren and Villeneuve’s Williams. (Photo by LAT Digital) wet and the rest went for intermedi ates.

After the race the men at Bridgestone refused to tell anyone what their cars had been usiug at the start - which was very siUy. As soon as the race was underway it was real ly rather iiTelevant as, for whatever reason, none of the Bridgestone men really figured in the race.

There nowhich doubtwere at all that the three is laps run behind the Safety Car at the start of the race gave the intermediate users an advantage because the wet users would have left them for dead while there was standing water on the cir cuit.

But one has to say that it seemed

prudent at the time not to let the field go in those conditions.

When the Safety Car pulled off there was still enough water lying about to allow Jacques Villeneuve to stay ahead for the first lap but then the intermediates began to look like the right choice. Schumacher passed Jean Alesi at La Source at the start of lap 2 and then tiptoed past Villeneuve in Rivage.

“With Jean it was fairly tight,” Schumacher admitted later. “I decid ed I was going to take the line and he saw the situation and just moved over.

“Jacques knew that he didn’t have a chance to keep me back with the kind of tyres he was using and he was quite fair and stayed on his line.”

BATHURST

As soon as he was ahead, Michael lit the afterburners on his Ferrari and disappeared into the distance.

The gap went from 5.8s ahead on the first lap to 16.9s on the second, 22s on the third and 28s on the fourth.

By the time he had completed nine racing laps he was a minute ahead.

The game was over.

■Michael pitted for dry tyres on lap 14 and ran a 15-lap stint until his second stop, then rattled off the last 15 laps letting those behind sneak a little closer but was stfil able to cross the finish line with a 26s advantage.

It was a magnificent victory won in those touch-and-go first 10 laps when he was in a class of his own.

Continued Page 46

Retirements: Lap 5 Shinji Nakano, Prost-Mugen Honda JS45, accident Lap 8 Rubens Barricheilo, Stewart-Ford SF1, bent steering arm Lap 18 Tarso Marques, Minardi-Hart Ml97, accident Lap 19 David Coulthard, McLaren-Mercedes MP4/12, accident Lap 21 Rail Schumacher, Jordan-Peugeot 197, accident Lap 25 Jos Verstappen, Tyrrell-Ford 025, accident Lap 42 Ukyo Katayama, Minardi-Hart M197, engine' Lap 42 Damon Hill, Arrows-Yamaha A18, loose front wheel Lap 43 Eddie Irvine, Ferrari F310B, accident World Championship points: 1 M Schumacher 66; 2 Villeneuve 54; 3 Alesi and Frentzen 22; 5 Berger 20; 6 Irvine and Hakkinen 18; 8 Panis 15; 9 Coulthard and Fisichella 14; 11 Herbert 13; 12 R Schumacher 11; 13 Hill 7; 14 Barricheilo 6; 15 Wurz 4; 16 Trulli 3; 17 Salo and Nakano 2; 19 Larini 1 Constructors Championship: 1 Ferrari 84; 2 Williams-Renault 76; 3 Benetton-Renault 46; 4 McLaren-Mercedes 42; 5 Jordan-Peugeot 25; 6 Prost-Mugen Honda 20; 7 Sauber-Petronas 14; 8 Arrows-Yamaha 7; 9 Stewart-Ford 6; 10 Tyrrell-Ford 2

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The Peter Brock Story - Part 6

The Big Holden Split V

The most infamous period ofthe Brock career was the 1987 split with Holden. As the Peter Brock Story continues, DAVID HASSALL tells the man^s own view ofthe whole episode: Peter’s own view of events ten years down the track are quite clear and he holds no grudges with General Motors or the majority of people in the company, despite the personal cost he suffered from the split. He views himself as the victim of corporate cul ture and of fewer than a handful of individuals who wanted to wrest from him the Special Vehicles business.

It is typical of the man that he is now so philosophical about the episode and so willing to forgive those whd hurt him badiy; even to work with them today. Many in his shoes would harbour grudges and spend the rest of their lives looking to get even; Peter, though, practices as he preaches, that such negativity is only counter-produc tive to moving your own life forward.

But-we are getting ahead of our selves here, for there were two years '' leading up to The Big Split’ with Holden which provided Peter with some of his greatest ever challenges.

And frustrations.

At the end of 1984, Peter and the Holden Dealer Team took on a very different look. Not only were the great Group C cars gone - replaced by the international formula called Group A but the HDT cars were to appear in new colours with Mobil replacing Marlboro.

The sponsorship was a huge change, yet one which came about remarkably easily.

“I’d been to a couple of promotions mid-year and it became apparent that it had become difficult to do a promo tion without red tape and drama,” recalls Peter of the final days of tobac co backing. “In fact, I remember going to a school and we had to hand a

imagine Peter Brock apart from Holden in the mid-1980s was as foreign a concept as one could imagine. They were inseparable it seemed, a marriage made in Heaven which worked to the benefit of both. That it all fell apart in suoh an ugly fashion in February, 1987 was hard to believe at the time. and just as hard to believe even now.

It was an extraordinary time, one vvhich generated enormous amounts of copy at the time and much of it either distorted by one side’s viewpoint or the general media’s preference for colour (like the polariser issue) over

END OF THE ROAD: Ajsoon as Peter launched the HDT Director road car, Holden severed all ties to theirformer shining star.

poster to a teacher, who then handed it to a student if they were under the age of 18. 1 just thought, This is hum bug; do I really need this?’ I was uncomfortable dealing with a cigarette company and having cigarette compa ny money. I’d stopped smoking a cou ple of months before. I was trying not to be the reformed smoker and impart ing my values on everyone else, but it was just an uncomfort^le liaison.

“Mobil actually approached me in an airport lounge in about November, 1984. I don’t know how they knew I was looking at alternative sponsor ship. Anyway, I suggested a meeting and said it was a fairly big sponsorship commitment. We had a very short meeting and they told me we had a deal. As quickly as that, to my surpnse.

“In retrospect it was the simplest, easiest transition you could ever imagine.’

After that single meeting, the details were worked out and the whole process was completed in a oouple of weeks. Peter then gave Philip Morris the bad - and most unexpected news. But at least it pleased Holden, which must fiave been experiencing similar problems with promoting their team.

The change A wasthat far more difficultto andGroup Peter admits the move had caught HDT by sur prise. Of course, Holden and Ford wanted to keep Group C, but the other manufacturers successfully lobbied CAMS, leaving Brock “scurrying around trying to find some way of building a competitive car”. From the outset there was a problem with the 5048CC V8 Holden engine, which tipped the Commodore into the high est class, forcing it to run 75kg more weight that if the engine was just 49cc smaller.

Brock versus the rest of the T

he 1986 European campaign had its moments of glory, but HDT was hampered by Brock’s ethos of living by the rule book while his rivals took advan tage of the more liberal interpreta tions which were rife in Europe.

"We were unaware of the leniency with which the scrutineers viewed the cars. We just played it too damn straight. We were dumb!

We were naive! We p!ayed it by the book. We didn’t realise that in that part of the world there was a more ‘laissez faire’ approach to the interpretation of the rule book ... and you could do deals! And we know of many deals that were done - not allegedly, but factual. It opens your eyes a bit when you go over there and race.

“I just had this moral stance and wasn’t prepared to do it. It was probably to my detriment to have taken that stance, but I don’t know if I’d do it any differently now.

“We knew what was going on, but we were caught between a rock and a hard place. We had a car that was scrupulously built to the rules and regulations, totally

SHOWING THE GERMANS: The Mobil HDT Commodore leads one ofthe works BMWs at the Hockenheini circuit during the European Touring Car Championship race there in 1986.

squeaky clean, and we found our selves swimming in water that was decidedly muddy, but we had to ride it out. What could we do? We had to swallow some pride, press on and make the most of it.”

»

For the first three rounds at Monza, Donington and Nurburgring, Peter found himself not only being passed in a straight line by the likes of a Rover Vitesse, but was outqualified by Allan Grice

in his privateer Commodore. Peter reckons be probably had 40 horse power more than the HDT car.

But at least the Mobil car fin ished some races, claiming fifth places at Donington and

Hockenheim. And in the British race he was actually leading hand somely in horrendous conditions when the wipers failed (“One wiper literally froze to the screen, then suddenly released and stabbed the other one, which left me with noth ing!”) and Peter was forced to pit for repairs.

Later in the year, HDT took two cars across to Spa for the big 24 Hour race, pairing Brock, Moffat and John Harvey in one car with new development driver Neal Lowe and fellow kiwis Kent Baigent and Graham Bowkett in the other.

The race turned into another nightmare, with the two cars limp ing around to finish 22nd and 18th, but there was still some joy to be had. For the sake of the Kings Cup - an award for the most successful

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PUTTING ON A BRAVE FRONT; Peter with the last ofthe HDT racing Commodores in 1987 outside HDT Special Vehicles in Port Melbourne.

fair to say that when we discussed it all, the upshot was Larry wasn’t with the company any more... It was going to happen anyway, but I guess that was the catalyst. I told him it was time to go.” e 1985 Bathurst effort was a

■R _ great encouragement for the team,

And the Group A mies - written as they were for Europe and Japan required huge buiid numbers for homoiogation, so HDT lobbied CAMS for some form of compensation because of the size of car manufactur ing in Australia; ‘We knew we were in for a bit of a struggle, but CAMS weren’t at all sympathetic to our cause. They said it was international Group A, we have to keep it clean, no local deals. So we had to cop it on the chin and go motor racing.

‘That was a curious time because we went from the terrifically competi tive Group C cars into a car that was going to struggle - at the same as we introduced our new sponsor Mobil.

“As it transpired, we won our debut race at Sandown. It was an absolute fairytale. How on earth that happened I don’t know. People thought it vvas just business as usual. But it was just one of those days and it didn’t fool us; we knew that we were going to have a difficult year.

“However, it did give us a lot of impetus with GM to re-engineer things

World three-car team which was highly regarded in Europe - Team Australia was formed by including Grice’s entry. Incredibly, consider ing Grice finished 23rd, the Australian team somehow man aged to win the award and the three cars cruised over the line in ‘proud’ three-abreast form finish.

At the end of the year. Brock and Moffat took their Commodore to Fuji in Japan, which was to be the site of a World Championship round the following year, and were looking good for a victory quite late in the five-hour race. A broken rocker stud ended their run, though.

Despite the lack of results, Peter was still looking forward to the following season’s WTCC. He had the budget organised, staff employed specifically for the pro ject, they had the experience of Europe and Japan, and there was the new VL Commodore coming on board with more homologation bits.

“We thought we would come back (to Australia), do some engine development, come up with

because we really had to have the manufac turer involved, moreso than Group C. This was a manufacturers’ formula and it took us a while to get GM involved to the level where we could build a competitive homologation special.

We had to reduce the engine capacity back to 4990CC, which was a major thing for Holden. Fortunately there were people around like Ray Borritt who got in there and made it happen because if it didn’t happen GM was a dead duck; we wouldn’t have been racing our Commodore.

“It was quite an upheaval going from Group C to Group A; if you weren’t hooked into a European rac ing program you were out on your own. We were out on our own so any results we got were a bonus.”

For 1985, Holden teams had to run the standard VK Commodore, com plete with single-row timing chain, small valves, cast iron exhaust mani-

never saw it as an

chain just a few laps from the finish. It was certainly one of his best ever drives and completed a try ing season which brought him just the one victory, from that debut race at Sandown in February.

The changing scene at HDT in 1985 also included a major personnel change with Larry Perkins leaving early in the year. It had been a difficult relationship, biit Peter greatly admired the technical abilities of his taciturn engineering chief and co-driver, who announced in January that he wanted to do his own thing. Peter suggested he take a holiday to think about things.

“Larry wasn’t involved in the prepa ration of that car for Sandown,” explains Peter. “I think he was plan ning to do his Perkins Engineering stuff, which was fine, but I didn’t want him to go because I valued his contri bution so I suggested he have a cou ple of weeks off. We got the car back from New Zealand (where they had done the Nissan-Mobil races), changed the car a fair bit for Sandown and won the race. I suppose that gave us the confidence that there were the skills in the team to do the job (without Larry). Larry did come back for a short time and ... suffice to say things didn’t work out. A short time later he decided to do his own thing.

“At the same time there was this public furore - while I was overseas actually - with a police chase of one of our road cars on the Tullamarine Freeway and art involvement suppos edly of Larry and some of our race team. It became a really hot situation in the general media and it would be

issue over the polariser... and fy don^tto this day.

what was required legally and get back over there and do very well.

But it did surprise us when the goalposts were moved with more new homologation and engine mods allowed for that year which put the opposition that much fur ther up the road. We thought we could fix a few cars up with our straightline speed, but it didn’t quite work out.”

It didn’t quite work out - quite an understatement. The split with Holden killed the program dead in its tracks. The funding was gone, the GM link was gone. Brock was putting out fires on the home front.

The VL prototype was sold.

Ironically, it was bought by Moffat, who had Rothmans sponsorship and took it to Europe with Harvey, having both walked but on Brock and HDT. And they made head lines by winning the first ever World Touring Car Championship race, at Monza, after Walkinshaw boycotted the race, the Sierras ran foul of the scrutineers and all the BMWs were excluded! Moffat, who had finished 7th on the road, found himself holding the hardware, but at least sent Brock a thank you note for providing such a good car...

Peter did venture overseas in 1987 with an unexpected return to

folds and that extra 75kg of steel plate welded to the bottom of the fuel tank housing. Despite that inexplicable fairytale first-up win at Sandown, the year was a real struggle and Peter did well to finish third in the ATCC behind Jim Richards (BMW) and Dick Johnson (Fond Mustang).

The endurance races were not much better, despite a couple of placings at Amaroo and Oran Park, and almost winning Bathurst against the odds. Against the might of Tom Walkinshaw’s three-car Jaguar team and the works BMW teams, Peter somehow found himself closing on the leaders in the final stages before being delayed by a broken wind screen and, finally, a broken timing

Spa: “Mobil wanted to do It. They said, ‘We’re not really having a good time here; you’re being vili fied by the media, so let’s do something exciting, let’s run Spa’.

It was Nick Hluszko’s idea and he went to management and made it happen. Next thing you know we were running at Spa just to do something that was uplifting for the team and sponsors.”

The team built a brand new engine for the event, but on start up the oil pressure immediately dropped. Closer inspection found a piece of welding flash in the oil pump which wrecked the bottom end. The team cobbled up an engine with the new heads on an ^Id block for race and Peter got it as high as 7th when it blew after eight hours.

It was a sad end to the interna tional experiment, but Peter still looks back fondly at the time because it was a real adventure.

They had lived like gypsies, called in favours all over the place to make it happen, and thrilled a lot of Aussies who turned up just to see a Commodore bellowing down the main straights at such foreign places as Monza and Hockenheim.

“We had no money to do it, just a great deai of determination and a sense of adventure. It was great.”

I

but Peter knew that the job was stiil ahead of them. And for ^e following year there were great expectations for a planned assault on the European Touring Car Championship as a leadup to the proposed World Championship in 1987.

'That Bathurst performance was far above our expectations and we knew we had a lot of work to do for 1986 and beyond if we were to turn the Commodore into a competitive car.

For 1986 they finaily got the car they had needed the year before.

Holden had produced the basic 4990CC version of the V8 engine, and on the HDT homoiogation car it was fitted with extractors, bigger vaives, roiler rockers and the normal double row timing chain. There was also a five-speed Getrag gearbox, a rear spoiler and, later, more suitable tyres, having endured 1985 on tyres which were designed for a BMW. There was also the arrival in the team of none other than Allan Moffat, for so many years Peter’s great and often bitter rival. The problems of a few years earlier when Moffat had dri ven one of the Commodores at Sandown were forgotten and Peter now says he was not that worried about it; it was just a bit of “Box Office”.

The introduction of Moffat was the idea of long-time Brock friend Grant Steers, who was also a Holden execu tive. Steers thought Moffat, who was without a drive since Mazda pulled out, was the perfect choice for the European program and Peter ended up being delighted with the choice.

“I found to my great delight that Moffat and I got along very well. It worked out great. He was a solid con tributor to our objectives and he was terrific to work with. We could bounce things around really well. I enjoyed it.

“It was very much The Odd Couple in many respects because we’d been such bitter rivals over the years, but we got to like one another and found out we had a lot in common. Now we are quite firm friends; in fact, Moffat’s probably my closest friend in motor sport.”

But it was to be another very diffi cult season, with only one win again to show for considerable effort. And, off the track, there were the growing ten sions between Brock and GMH which would reach an ugly conclusion in January of the following year.

The ATCC was dominated by tur bocharged cars - the works Volvos and Nissan Skylines - and Peter fin ished only fourth in the ATCC, which was compromised by the European campaign. The sole win came at Surfers Paradise, which was also Continued next page

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FALSE HOPES: Peter gave the very first Group A Holden Commodore an unexpected debut victory at Sandown, but he knew it would still be a tough year.

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29Aijgiist1997

the only non-turbo win of the series.

In the enduros, the Nissans were even more potent, the BMWs were stronger and, while the Brock/Moffat combination had no joy at Bathurst after crashing badly in practice, the race was won by Allan Grice and Graeme Bailey in another Commodore. These were not good times.

The genesis withofHolden really startedofinthe thesplit middle 1986, as Peter believed there were certain people within Holden who wanted to take -more control of the increasingly lucrative special vehicles business which Peter had created.

The problem for Holden was that it could not control Peter Brock and Peter was wanting to go further with his cars, such as installing indepen dent rear suspension well before GMH was ready for it, or wanted it.

Of course, there was also the issue of the Energy Polariser, which certain ly grabbed the headlines at the time, but which Peter believed was not a central issue. For those who do not know, or have forgotten, the Polariser was a device produced by Peter, his friend Dr Eric Dowker and others which was designed to make cars run better. It appeared quite simple and involved theories which were not easi ly understood by the layman, but Peter was - and remains - certain of its benefits. There was much fear and scepticism over the device and Peter realised that he was ahead of his time in trying to sell the idea to the world.

All these things came together \with the release of the latest HDT Special Vehicles road car, called the Director, on February 19, 1987. It was a land mark event because Holden had told Peter that the car was not approved for release and if he went ahead with the launch their relationship would be over with immediate effect It was the classic immovable object versus the irresistible force. Of course, Peter

went ahead with the launch and because it was the tail wagging the successful in the special vehicles teammate Gary Scott wrote off Peter’s industry, but the bottom line is that GM new race car in testing at Lakeside.

Holden cut him off immediateiy. dog to a large extent.

“I had the mind-set that that’s what saw this is a business opportunity they But then came Bathurst. Against all But Peter believes the decision to wanted to be involved in and it was the odds, driving a car that should not end the relationship with him was I wanted to continue to do. It was suc taken well before that. Holden wanted cessful, we were innovative, it was totally their prerogative to take that. It have made it past the first pit stops, to be able to control its Special working fine. 1 was asking why they was better for them to deal with Tom against the toughest field ever assem Vehicles business and had asked wanted me to stop that and GM said, Walkinshaw than me because I have bled for The Great Race, in appalling three or four companies to tender for it ‘Well, Peter, this is it, this is your my own way of doing things and there conditions ... Peter Brock somehow as early as mid-1986. But one of choice- you either build a car to those was obviously a clash. It was inevitable. contrived to win his ninth Bathurst “I wouldn’t have 1000. those tenderers was The race was a round of the done anything differ already the favoured choice - British racer ently. I did everything doomed World Touring Car at that time with the Championship and had attracted all and businessman highest levels of the works Sierras and BMWs. Peter^s Tom Walkinshaw, whose TWR had won integrity and honesty. own race car blew an engine early in My motivation was the race, so he jumped into the cobBathurst for Jaguar always to produce bled-up number two for a bit of fun, not the previous year.

“There was a the best possible expecting it to last But it did, with Peter, David Parsons and Peter vehicle.” desire within GM to McLeod taking third place on the road re-evaluate their - which became first when the two investment in the spe The split didn’t with Sierras ahead were finally disqualified Holden cial vehicles industry,” quite stop HDT in its a month later. says Peter. “I was At the track, though, the crowd tracks, but the battle fully aware that con to continue was not regarded Brock as a winner already. versations had taken only difficult but They assembled under the presenta place as early as mid’86 with Tom FINAL FLING:Peter works the last ofthe HDT Commodores arowtd unwinnable. Supply tion balcony and chanted, “We want Walkinshaw but I dried up and even Brock. We want Brock’. When the Colder Park in the 1987 WTCC round. great man finally appeared the place those dealers sympa didn’t place much cre went bonkers, much to the amaze dence in it. But coming back from Mt specifications or we will have to sever thetic to Peter’s cause could not afford ment of the ‘victorious’ international to alienate GMH. our links’.

So that was it.

Fuji in 1986 I unexpectedly took an visitors.

On the Special Vehicles side, Peter earlier plane back to Australia and I ' “But we had drifted apart some “What an event. That would have was rather bemused to find months beforehand. It got to the stage found that establishing an alternative to go down as one of the most extra Walkinshaw on the same plane. Tom where it didn’t matter what sort of sal^ network was not viable, so rwhen ordinary weekends that you could he was approached by Lada about a was coming for a meeting with GM,so negotiations took place - and we had ever imagine. We just had a terrific I wasn’t at all surprised when I found some senior government people such year later he jumped at the chance to out that he’d been courted some six as Andrew Peacdck talk with GM to sell his plant in Port Melbourne and all run, me blasting around the track enjoying myself sliding around on try and get things back on the rails - the equipment. “I had this huge manu slicks in the wet, which I’ve always months before (the split) by GM. “I wanted to do things my way and but it was pretty obvious it wasn’t facturing plant, with equipment, staff, enjoyed thoroughly. It was just one of debt, all of those things, and when GM saw the special vehicles industry going to work. Basically, it was a diver those weekends you wouldn’t swap gence of interest; GM wanted to go in Lada came along in 1988 it was a for anything.” as an adjunct to their normal manufac godsend.” one direction, we wanted to go in turing process and they wanted some But that was it for Holden. After another.

On the race track, things were not one to do things under their strict con running the WTCC races at Calder “I didn’t really see it as an issue much better. The fight with Holden (finishing eighth) and Wellington (fifth), trol. They didn’t like things that weren’t in harmony with their corporate plan, over the polariser at all - never did had become so bitter that HDT had the decision was made to stop radng trouble getting any parts to run the which is ufiderstandable. and don’t to this day - just big busi Holdens. It had simply become impos “From'my perspective, if I came up ness having their idea of what they race cars and the season was some sible and Peter Brock - hero of wanted to do versus a small business thing of a disaster. For the first time Holden fans all over the country with a better idea I wanted to imple ment it. That was what it was all about; like mine saying this is what I want to since he started in the ATCC in 1973, started looking around for a new part Peter went through a season without that’s what I had been doing and it continue to do. nership. n “I was out of their control. I had a winning a race and the team’s was extremely successful, but it Continued next issue... resources were stretched when new wasn’t necessarily how GM saw it very strong view of what it took to be

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4

29 August W1

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Doohan makes it four - in styie

MICK Doohan certainly is a Man of Style.

The Queenslander only had to finish in the top six at Donington’s British Grand Prix to wrap up his fourth straight World Champion ship but that’s not the way he is used to doing things.

Instead the 32-year-old qualified his Repsol Honda on pole position and fought tooth-and-nail in the race to hold out the challenge of his team-mate Tadayuki Okada just as he had in Brazil two weeks earher.

Doohan recovered from his traditional bad start as effortlessly as ever and shot past the Japanese for the lead but Okada stayed with him and even took back the lead late in the race until Doohan pressured his way back past for his 10th win of 1997.

“You could see I wasn’t riding for the points,” grinned Doohan, who joins Giacomo Agostini and Mike Hailwood as the only men to win four back-to-back 500 titles.

“That was the only way to do it - win the race to win the championship. Four world titles is more than I ever expected and I’d like to dedicate this win to my team. They’re 100 per cent into winning and the bikes been fantastic every race this year. I just have to add my own ingredient.”

For Okada the race was encouraging, but still frus trating as he seeks »his first GP win.

“I was trying too hard and kept messing up my corner exits,” said Okada. “My bike was working better than Mick’s, he was sliding around a lot, but he was the stronger rider again.”

Brazilian Alex Barros fin ished the race in third - the first time a privateer Honda NSRV 500 has made the podium.

The Brazilian qualified a career-best second, starring on the twin on a circuit wellsuited to the smaller, lighter machine which was still 24s behind at the flag.

The other Aussies had a mixed weekend. Daryl Beattie came home in sixth place after coming through the field and staying out of trouble, while team-mate Anthony Gobert ran strongly until cramp in his arm (the legacy of a Friday qualifying spill) became too much for him and he DNFed. Kirk McCarthy’s first ride on a works bike ended in more points, a 12th placing being the result.

It was bad news for the Roberts-Modenas camp.

Kenny Jr finished in 11th place and admitted the team should have done better, while Jean-Michel Bayle missed the race after crack ing a scaphoid bone in a practice tumble.

Doohan is expected to announce his plans for the future - including, maybe, a change of camp - soon.

“I hope to know by the end of this month and then start preparing for ’98,” he added.

GAEL Fogarty of Britain tasted glory and defeat at the Austrian superbike world ch£unpionship event, winning his first race Sunday and crash ing in his second to relinquish his short-lived oversdl lead.

The Ducati rider topped the podium after the first of two races at the Al-Ring. He was 0.297s ahead of Japan’s Akiro Yanagawa on a Kawasaki and .615s clear of New Zealand’s ' Aaron Slight on a Honda.

In the first race five riders were within a second of each other nearing the line until ’ Fogarty broke away and won in 38 minutes 11.804 seconds after 25 laps.

But in the second race, Fogarty caused a crash with his fiercest rival, Honda rider John Eocinski, when he tried to : overtake the American.

Eocinski had just taken the lead from Fogarty when both men slid ofi-track. The Briton was forced to abandon but Eocinski was able to remount his bike and continue.

The American recovered sen sationally to finish third and n regain the overall lead in the standings with 273 points to Fogarty’s 267 points and ; SRght’s223. i The crash between the sport’s two leading men allowed ! Yanagawa to become the first Japanese rider to win a super bike world chamipionship race outside his home country.

A delighted Yanagawa I crossed the finish line 6.121s ‘ ahead of Slight and 7.264s i ahead of Eocinski.

L

“But whatever happens ’99 ^ will be my last year.”

Points after 11 rounds: Doohan 270, Okada 149, N Aoki 139, Crivdlle idz, Cadalora 96, T Aoki 86.

THE 250 GP featured another great battle between the Hondas and Aprilias, with Ralf Waldmann coming out on top.

The German’s NSR250 and Tetsuya Harada’s Aprilia swapped positions twice on the final lap but Harada out-braked himself at the final corner and Waldmann took the win.

World Champ Max Biaggi hurt his chances by running off the road at MacLeans while battling handling problems.

GARRY McCoy finished a good fourth in the 125 GP after losing a spot on the final comer.

McCoy battled through from eighth but was dis tracted by ‘Tommi’ Manako, who somersaulted on the final corner in a desperate attempt to get by Valentino Rossi. ; The lanky'Italian took his ninth win of the year and sixth straight, celebrating by dressing as Robin Hood on the victory lap...

MAN OF THE YEAR...

Doohan enjoyed sealing his fourth straight 500cc title at Donington. It was the Queenslander’s 10th GP win of the year and 44th of his career.

Foggy wins and falls Kocinski takes WSClead in Austria

but will Mick quit Hondafor Yamaha-Rainey ^Superteam’?

THERE may be more to Mick Doohan’s trip to Japan to see the Honda brass about 1998 than meets the eye.

After he returned to Europe for last weekend’s British GP he met with Yamaha officials about a pos sible partnership in 1998-99.

A ‘super-deal’, which would see Marlboro back the Rainey Yamaha GP team for two years, is said to be dependent on Doohan joining the team.

The move would mean that Marlboro would leave the struggling Kenny Roberts Modenas team, behind which it put all its weight at the end oflast season.

While the performance of the team, particularly the now-injured Jean-Michel Bayle, has shown promise, Marlboro see a Yamaha team with Doohan as undis puted number one rider would have a better chance of winning - especially against weakened (ie Qoohan)/● less) Honda opposition.

It would also mean Doohan would see out his career where he started it. He has already confirmed that t, 1999 will be his final year.

Were the move to happen, it would come as little surprise. In 1995 Doohan reportedly received a huge offer - said to be around $19m - to join Yamaha for two years.

He is also said to hold a personal fondness for Yamaha. While a member of the Peter Jackson-backed Yamaha Superbike team in 1987 and ’88 he made his international debut at Oran Park, following up the performance with a third at Sugo in Japan.

He was also expected to join Yamaha’s GP squad until Honda stepped in...

- PHIL BRANAGAN

n

29August 1997

Cam 1

OUCH AGAIN... Jones and Brabham’s first comer incident allowed Jones to win and Brabham to DNF.

\ JIMIHN

Report by PHIL BRANAGAN Photos by DIRK KLYNSMITH AUDI topped BMW at the sixth round of the BOC Gases Super Touring Championship at Mallala after a weekend when too much incident was barely enough.

For the second meeting in a row Brad Jones and Geoff Brabham came in contact, this time on the first corner of the race and not the last.

The outcomes were com pletely opposite: Jones won the race and Brabham retired on the spot.

Unfortunately for BMW Paul Morris also got caught up in the first race but stag-

am-m

gered around to a placing to keep his championship lead at 15 points after the week end had finished.

Cameron McConville took top points on the day for the first time after he overcame a race one stop/go penalty to finish third and won race two despite pressure from Brabham.

Jim Richards had his best weekend of the season with a second but for son Steven it was all bad, two DNFs virtu the handing ally Independents’ prize to rival Cameron McLean, who took two class wins.

Entry and Qualifying The previous round Winton

was cold so the BOC circus headed to South Australia looking for finer weather.

They had their wish on Thursday and Friday with but good conditions Saturday was another day.

It rained intermittently in the morning but the AM ses sion was dry, Brabham top ping the sheets with a stag gering lm09.74s lap. But by the time the cars rolled out for qualifying it was on a wet track.

And it was COLD. How cold? Have you ever tried typ ing in gloves?

Only 13 cars appeared for qualifying. Peter Hills missed the trip from Sydney, prefer ring to save his budget to nm the Knight Ford Mondeo at

Bathurst, while BMW Motorsport had a car present for some extremely fortunate media testers but didn’t con sider running it for a race.

This was despite the pres ence of test pilot Craig Baird who wore that uneasy look really quick racing drivers have when they haven’t got a race to drive in. His next ride will be at Bathurst: the quick Kiwi should be worth watch ing at the Mountain.

Most cars headed out on slicks but soon pitted for intermediates or wets before a late-session dry line appeared and slicks were the call.

Brabham,on a pole roll, set the pace. He set the fast times in the last five minutes

of the session, diving into the 10s before slicing off a lm09.94s. Team-mate Morris went close with a lml0.26s but, on his final lap, he locked the rears and spun away his chance.

In the second session the conditions were reversed but not the order. It was dry for the first nine minutes and that’s when Brabham posted a ImlO.lOs. It was his fourth pole position in a row and gave him two important series points.

And even though he said nothing, it was obvious that he was less than impressed with the decision to reinstate Jones at Winton.

Morris was sitting third when the ‘stoppage’ came due to the mid-session squall but went out at the end to have a run at it. He improved his time, to lml0.63s, but stayed third.

Jones was third on the first grid with a lml0.63s, feeling he had not got the best out of Dunlop’s latest 533 tyre (which had just arrived at the track). He was even more perplexed in the second ses sion when his lml0.96s left him sixth.

The theory he came up with was that it was better to start on tyres that were dead cold and warm them fully rather than start the job with them half-done. That would not be a factor in the race -

but he was on the third row.

McConville wasn’t. The Winton winner was only a tenth and a spot behind Jones in Q1 but the fastest Audi lap of the weekend, a lml0.17s, bounced him all the way to second for race two (and almost to his first pole).

The time had come as a result of set-up changes between sessions and the youngster looked confident. A rather silly question about whether Cam would move over for ‘the boss’ in race two was deflected neatly by Jones at the post-qualifying media conference.

The man becoming known as “Mr Fifth”, Jim Richards, lived up to the title in the first session but in the second he gained a spot with a neat ImlO.eOs. The team was, however, very happy with their car/tyre package and confident for the race, Jim commenting, “I wish it would be hot tomorrow, but I don’t think I it will happen.”

Making up the 2 by 2 by 2 grid in race one was son Steven, who was also extremely content. He improved half a second in Q2 to fifth for the second and was, like his father, confident for the race.

“The Primera is really good here. At Winton we fixed a diff problem but screwed up with tyre choice. Here we’re running really hard (com pounds) and I think we’U be there.”

As usual his sparring part ner Cameron McLean was close to him. In both sessions the Queenslander - whose team resembled an advert for flu treatments - was a tenth back, the two split by Jones on the second grid but, after ‘changing everything’ the Volvo driver-elect was also looking for a result near the factory cars.

INDY BATTLE... Auger, Cornish and Newman flew the flag for Italy, Korea and France respectively with an energetic dice.

*

ROUND 6 MA.LLA.LA

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Backing up in the Phoenix Motorsport Camry was Neal Bates. The dirt ate looked comfortable in the Toyota, now running better after a diff adjustment, his best of lmll.44s in the first session giving his eighth which he repeated with a 12.46 in Q2.

Bob Tweedie and Tony Newman traded positions with ninth and 10th. The Peugeot rolled to an ominous halt in the first session when

Newman thought he heard a noise reminiscent of a wheelparting repetition of Winton’s woes. It turned out to be nothing like that, though the team was pleased that he didn’t hero it out and risk an embarrassing failure, It was Tweedie that had the best view of the Morris spin, I had the headlights on was going for a quick lap,” he explained. “Paul saw me com-

29August M

23

CAMERON, CAMERON BURNING BRIGHT... It ivas a great day to be named Cameron In SA. McConville (left) won the day after probably his best-ever drive in race two while Volvo aware driver McLean (right) went a long way to locking up the Independents’ title with two polished drives. ing a little late and speeded up to try and hop out of the way. He had a spin, I locked the brakes trying to get around him and that broke the gearbox.”

Tweedie’s troops had spare ratios, but not identical to the ones that came out and, therefore, raceday was going to be a gearing compromise.

Not far behind in Q1 was David Auger’s Alfa Romeo.

The red machine was bowling , along after five laps, with a best of lml4.80s, but then thing went awry. A gearbox mount had broken and, even though his crew fixed the car for the race, the second ses sion passed without the 155.

Justin Matthews also had his woes in the first session.

The Faber-Castell Dimmer was in the 15s until a roll pin broke in the gear selector mechanism, leaving him stuck in gear. After some solid effort the 318i was good for lml4.32s in the second session, problems solved.

Last man up was Jim* Cornish. Running the solo H3Tindai (Paul Pickett again stranded by lack offunds)the Sydney vet was in the 17s in Continued over page

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24 29/\tigusn99/ BOC Gases Super Touring Championship Round 11 & 12- Mallala Motorsport Park, August 23/24

Race 1(25 laps) Team/Car Pos Driver 1 Brad Jones Orix Audi Sport A4 Volvo Australia Volvo 850 2 Jim Richards 3 Cameron McConviile Orix Audi Sport A4 4 Cameron McLean Greenfieid/RedeX Vectra 5 Neal Bates Atlantis Toyota Camry BMW Individual BMW 320i 6 Paul Morris 7

Tony Newman Rob Tweedie

9 David Auger 10 Jim Cornish 11 Steven Richards DNFJustin Matthews DNFGeoff Brabham

Qua! Grid Race time F/lap On 29:59.0190 1:10.8565 7 1:10.6310 3 30:11.3527 1:11.3495 5 1:10.9757 5 30:12.7060 1:10.7497 17 1:10.7356 4 30:15.9029 1:11.8508 2 1:11.4462 7 30:43.2302 1:12.1553 5 1:11.9820 8 30:46.7648 1:11.4076 4 1:10.2677 2

Fastway Couriers Peugeot 31:03.1491 1:13.1739 IBC Vauxhail Cavalier 24 laps 1:13.8802 Fishing Magaxine Alfa Romeo 24 laps 1:15.0498 24 laps 1:15.4386 HVe/Skittles Hyundai Lantra Nissan Primera 22 laps 1:11.3500 Faber-Castell BMW 320i 8 laps 1:14.3438 BMW Individual BMW 320i 0 laps

5 1:13.2902 9 2 1:14.2569 10 9 1:14.8091 11 3 1:17.2207 13 5 1:11.3134 6 4 1:15.8494 12 1:09.9488 1

Race 2(25 laps) Team/Car Pos Driver 1 Cameron McConville Orix Audi Sport A4 BMW Individual BMW 320i 2 Geoff Brabham BMW Individual BMW320i 3 Paul Morris 4 Brad Jones Orix Audi Sport A4 Volvo Australia Volvo 850 5 Jim Richards Greenfield/RedeX Vectra 6 Cameron McLean IBC Vauxhali Cavalier 7 Rob Tweedie 8 Tony Newman 9 David Auger DNFNeal Bates DNFSteven Richards DNFJim Cornish DNFJustin Matthews

Qual Grid Race time F/lap On 29:35.7312 1:10.3997 5 1:10.1779 2 29:36.9561 1:10.2972 4 1:10.1078 1 29:46.7227 1:10.4151 6 1:10.2575. 3 29:52.9498 1:11.0341 4 1:10.9637 6 30:05.1929 1:11.3805 5 1:10.6057 4 30:06.0132 1:11.6060 4 1:11.0850 7 24 laps 1:13.2440 4 1:13.8137 9 24 laps 1:13.4873 5 1:13.9656 10 Fastway Couriers Peugeot No time 13 Fishing Magazine Alfa Romeo 24 laps 1:14.8816 4 9 laps 1:13.2098 Slaps 1:11.0899 Slaps 1:16.5126 4 laps 1:15.0033

Atlantis Toyota Camry Nissan Primera HVe/Skittles Hyundai Lantra Faber-Castell BMW 320i

8 1:12.4608 8 3 1:10.8593 5 2 1:16.2093 12 4 1:14.3240 11

Points: Drivers Morris 136, Brabham 121, McConville 120, Jones 110, Jim Richards 86, McLean 56, S Richards 39, Matthews 24, Newman 23, Tweedie 19, Auger 18, Bates 14, Wakefield 10, Jason Richards 7, Briggs 4, Adderton/Cornish 3, Hills 2, Pickett 1.

Manufacturers: BMW 160, Audi 148, Volvo 116.

Teams BMW Motorsport 260, Orix Audi Sport Australia 243, HVe Motorsport 28 TOCA Challenge Independents Cup McLean 142, S Richards 110, Matthews 79, Newman 71, Auger 63, Tweedie 62, Bates 34, Wakefield 24, Jason Richards 23, Hills 20, Cornish 16, Briggs 12, Adderton 10, Pickett 4.

Accommodation for the

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Continued from page 23 Q1 and managed a lml6.20s in the second go.

The car was running, like at Winton, a little warm in the Arctic conditions, the diagnosis of which was hard ly helped by a computer which was having slight delusions of grandeur. It was spilling out a 268kmh top speed in sixth gear and under SOOOrpm.

Such impressive numbers could not possibly be true; if they are, get down to your bookie’s and get a wad of cash on the Korean Komet for Bathurst... l

Race 1 (25 laps) Look, up there in the sky.

Is it a bird? Is it a plane?

Who cares? Everyone was looking at the weather on Sunday morning and, while the support categories took to the damp track on a mixture of slicks, wets or others, by the time the grid walk cleared the track was dry. It threatened, but it didn’t rain.

Even if it had you would not have expected to see the Audis make a better start. “I actually made a pretty good start, or so I thought,” said Morris, ‘but then Brad just went‘whoosh’.”

Also whooshing was McConville. “I made the best start, ever,” he said, “but I ran out of space (between Brabham and Morris) and then...”

Then, clang. Jones’ start was even more impressive than McConville’s and he was challenging Brabham around the outside at Scotcher corner. “It was either turn in or head into the pits,” said Jones.

“I turned in as usual and there was Jones,” said Brabham later.

The Audi and the BMW bounced off each other with vaiying results: Brabham - over the kerb, stuck in the middle of the road where he was hit by Morris, two sides of broken rear suspension, one set of front and a new guard.

Instant retirement.

Jones: two second lead...

Best of the other survivors was that Mr Fifth, Richards.

The Volvo had surged through the melee in an appropriately safety-con scious manner and was look ing equally secure in second.

Even if he was 2.45s behind after a lap.

McConville was third from Steven, McLean, Morris(who was testing his steering to see what was still working).

Bates, Newman, the under geared Tweedie, Matthews, Auger and Cornish.

McConville climbed all over the Volvo for three laps until making an error at the first hairpin, losing speed and falling not only well behind Jim and second but behind Steven as the Primera piled past on the back straight.

Meanwhile Jones ran away. He thumped in a cou ple of high 10s but, with the rest of the field either dam aged (Morris), trapped (McConville) or FWD he backed off and eased to a 12.33s win.

Jim was equally lonely but his son was not. Time and again the Nissan swept away

on the straights only to be reeled in under brakes.

McConville got alongside at the Northern Hairpin on three straight occasions, only to be out-dragged to Bridgestone.

It all went awry on lap seven. The Audi left a mark on the right rear passenger door and a tyre smoked on the Nissan for a lap or two until it cleared.

On lap 12 it turned sour.

The two made contact again and this time McConville got through, leaving Richards with a flat ^e.

“I had put all four wheels on the dirt the first few times,” said McConville.

“This time I didn’t budge, he turned in and I was hard on the brakes. I had no room.”

The stewards saw it differ ently. With Richo in the pit getting rubbered McConville was shown the black flag and came in on lap 15 for a stop/ go. He flew out a few seconds behind the Morris, surging past immediately.

Paul was struggling. “The steering wasn’t working properly and that was killing my tyres,” he said. “I was just holding on to get as many points as I could.”

True enough, he failed to hold off McLean and Bates, falling to sixth and into the lml5s,by the end ofthe race.

McConville was flying. The angry young man’s first flier was a 10.75 lap record and he was catching McLean at a Schumacher-like 1.5s a lap.

By lap 20 it was under a sec ond and the Audi roared by on lap 22 at the Northern Hairpin.

He kept going after Richards but the Volvo never faltered, holding onto second by 1.4s.

Behind McLean came the steady and impressive Bates, Morris and Newman, who had a lonely race.

Ditto for Tweedie and Cornish, Steven Richards los ing three laps with his tyre stop and a spin by himself.

Race 2(25 laps) As if anyone had missed it earlier everyone was now aware that the manners mafia were prepared to use the stop/go as a weapon of choice. The stewards exam ined the evidence in the race one Jones/Brabham brouha ha and decided no action was necessary.

The lunchtime drivers’ appearance at the BOC Gases Hospitality venue was a little frosty - even allowing for the cool weather.

The start was all-impor tant. Brabham out-jumped McConville but the Audi hit the gears quicker than the Bimmer and beat everyone to Scotcher Curve. This time they all got through in one piece.

Morris was third from Jones, Jim and McLean, who beat Steven away. Bates, Matthews, Tweedie (who had borrowed some better ratios off McLean), Auger and Cornish followed.

Despite his first race win Jones had not been blinding ly quick in the race and was now feeling the pace.

“The car has been a little odd all weekend. I don’t know what’s happening, we’ll have

to check it carefully when we get home.” He fell back from Morris after a few laps but kept fourth.

Morris hung on to the two leaders for a few laps longer but, with Brabham pushing hard on tyres that were only one comer old he couldn’t sus tain the pace.

But McConville could.

Brabham gave him a fearful time but the Melbourne dri ver held on, both men driving superbly and rattling off midto-low 10s seemingly at wiU. Brabham threw absolutely everything at the Audi, get ting alongside on several occasions but neither driver made a sniff of an error and McConville took the race (and the day)by 1.2s.

Behind the spread out third and fourth men came a grow ing battle. With his tyres “falling to bits” Jim Richards was being hauled in over the final laps by McLean.

The leading privateer got well within a second of the red car but couldn’t force a way by, holding on for sixth at the flag.

Should it be pointed out that at the next race they are team-mates? , “I was trying pretty hard,” smiled McLean later, “but I wouldn’t have like to have had Jim offthe road...”

Behind came the battle of aU battles. Newman spent the first two thirds of the race with Tweedie clamped to his boot, trying to throw the Vauxhall past 6n almost every comer. He eventually made it and set up a tiny gap but the two friendly rivals looked like having a ball all race long.

Auger-was the only other finisher after some mice got into the machinery. Bates was forced to stop after a fuel pump failed and threatened to lean out the engine.

After popping around for a lap or two Bates had the wherewithal to pit the car and save the engine for another day.

So did Steven Richards.

The water temp headed for the sky and, with a blown engine from the last round still to rebuild, he pulled over and parked.

Ditto for Cornish. The Lantra, always prone to run a little warm, was taking things too far. He pitted to find a $1 hose clamp had fall en off a water hose.

Matthews, who stopped in race one vrith a CV problem, had it return in the second race so the team started their Bathurst rebuild just that lit tle bit early.

The championship is now delicately poised. BMW will have home ground advantage at the next round at Lakeside or. October 16 and will be looking to lock up the points, but McConville and Jones are driving well so they will be trying to stay in range.

They get their ‘home’ ground at the final race at Amaroo Park. They have never been beaten there.

Oh yes, in the meantime is that non-championship event at Bathurst. Ifthe BMWs and the Audis really are as well matched as the looked in race two the Great Race should be interesting, to say the least.

Next stop, the mountain...

2Skjgustm/

25

ALL-IMPORTANT... Bowe beat Fitzgerald away twice but the Falken Porsche got by to win race one. NEW THREAT... Rob Chadwick (left) (Photos by Dirk Klyrtsmilh) cleaned up the Falcons in his Mitsubishi Magna.

Call it a tie Aitken and Morgan split wins

YELLOW TIMES TWO... Ed Aitken took the first win, here moving inside local driver Greg Keene.(Photo by Dirk Kiynsmrn) ED Aitken and reign ing champ Geoff Morgan went home with a win each after round six of the Australian Porsche Cup Series.

A large field of 28 cars headed to South Australia’s Mallala cir cuit to battle out two exciting races in cool, windy and sometimes wet conditions.

In the damp and cold conditions tyre choice was critical. Most of the race field went out on intermediates including Martin Wagg and Greg Keene who both led early only to be over run by the

charging Aitken who was also competing in the GT Production events as usual.

Local driver Keene and ex-Formula Ford pilot Adam Wallis both put in great performances in the trying conditions fin ishing fourth and fifth respectively, Gerhard Hassler was another driver who had a busy schedule at Mallala, he like Aitken was con testing the Porsche Cup and GTP events in his ‘993’ RSCS. Hassler fin ished the race in sixth just ahead of Chris Stannard who took out Class B.

A little further back Max Dunn, D’Arcy Russell and Trevor John rounded out the top 10.

Class C honours went to Tim Hearse in a 930, some 30 seconds ahead of his rival Phillip Dixon in a 911.

Morgan’s Vodaphone entiy took the early lead in race two and was never really headed in the diy but still cool con ditions. Keene moved in to second spot and Wallis assumed third position.

The first three places stayed stagnant for the entire race but further back in the field Wagg, John, Dunn and Harburg

all swapped positions a number of times at differ ent points of the circuit.

At the flag it was Morgan, two seconds clear of Keene who was some 10 seconds ahead of a great performance from Wallis.

Fourth went to Wagg from John in the 944 Turbo with Stannard, Julian Harburg and Dunn rounding out the eight.

Aitken was unable to repeat his race one per formance and settled for a dry ninth ahead of Hassler who rounded out the top 10.

-PAUL BURFITT

by PAUL BURFITT JOHN Bowe and Peter Fitzgerald split the wins in round six of the Century Batteries GT Production Championship at Mallala last weekend.

Bowe led both races - all the tway in the second, and half way in the first until Fitzgerald forced his way by to all but seal the title.

Chris Sexton managed to secure the Class C honours in race one with second place, but walked away unhurt from a 200 km/h rollover in his XR6 Falcon race two.

He was beaten by the debutant Mitsubishi Magna driven by South Australian Robert Chadwick.

Race 2(18 laps)

Bowe again got away well from grid two and moved into the lead over Fitzgerald.

The rest of the field managed to get away without incident until the end of the back straight when Sexton’s dramas began.

The Queenslander’s XR6 left the circuit at around 200 km/h then slid sideways into a tyre wall and flipped onto it’s roof. Sexton was unhurt during the ordeal which the team blamed on a broken brake pad.

“All we can guess is that it must have been a broken pad because it’s not in the calliper any more, it must have broken and fallen out...” said a team member.

The Safety Car emerged as the accident was cleared allowing the Race 1 (18 laps) From pole the Poz Cola Ferrari field to close up again for the lap made a blinding start to take the four restart. Again Bowe made his lead ahead of Fitzgerald while a break closely followed by Fitzgerald fast starting Geoff Fielding spun and Aitken.

Former Formula Holden front his Pulsar GTiR, causing mayhem runner Kevin Weeks was into fifth mid-field.

With the field tight up front a in his new Porsche 911 RSCS. The race long battle emerged between South Australian will join forces Class B front runners Andej with Ed Aitken for the Bathurst 3 Pavicevic and Chris Kousparis in Hour in the latter’s ex-Jim Richards Porsche. their Subaru.

Bowe went on to take a one sec The WRX pair swapped position numerous times during the race ond from a hard charging (and with Kousparis eventually taking highly oversteering) Fitzgerald.

Class honours after brake and Aitken picked up third from gearbox problems caused Pavicevic Weeks and Hassler all in similar Porsches, to slip off the track on the last lap.

Class B honours went to a The young Zepter back driver relieved Pavicevic who earlier managed to rejoin and pick up sec ond spot ahead of Murray Carter’s thought his Impreza’s gearbox Nissan 200SX. might not make it to the finish.

The widest Ferrari in the coun Chadwick bought the Magna try kept Fitzy at bay until lap 10 home a credible first in class to when the Falken Tyres entry take out Class C making it two moved through into the top spot wins from two starts for the highly where he would stay until the flag. impressive Mitsubishi.

Rain began to fall mid way Troy Searle managed to overhaul through the race causing some cars Lynton to take out Class D honours to leave the black stuff including but Lynton managed to pull out a Dominic Beninca’s Porsche on the lai'ger points gap in the series over last lap, effectively handing Ed Phil Kirkham in a Mazda 626.

Aitken third spot in his similar Class E was taken out by Trevor Porsche.

Haines in a TX3 Laser toppling the Beric Lynton bounced back from Swift GTi of Nigel Stones after yet his Amaroo and Winton dramas to another race long battle, take out Class D honours giving Bathm-st is the next stop for the him a healthy lead in GTP stars and it looks set to be a three hour thriller.

Championship stakes.

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2S 29August 1997 Briefly Historic n An interesting Historic hillclimb competi tion is being conducted on three of Victoria’s leading venues- Rob Roy, Arthur’s Seat and Mt Tarrengower.

Run in two categories (for pre-war and post-war road registered sports cars), it is based on consistency.

The awards, which are sponsored by Penrite Oils, go to the drivers who score the closest times at all three hills, and last year Doug Bumip recorded a difference of only 2.5s. in his pre-war supercharged Austin 7, and Don Hobbs a mere 2.1s in his more recent Austin Healey Sprite. Another old fash ioned idea is that the com peting cars must be driven to the venues. n And speaking of hillclimbs, supplementary regulations and entry forms are now available for the 17th annual Vintage and Historic Mt Tarrengower Hillclimb to be held near Maldon on Sunday October 26.

Promoters of the event are the Vintage Sports Car Club of Vic. Inc. and the Bendigo Car Club Inc. For further information contact the secretary Roger Boehme,327 High St, Golden Square 3555, phone(03)5443 7008. n Next year will repre sent 70 years of hillclimb ing at Mt Tarrengower, Australia’s oldest and longest venue.

I am currently gathering information for a book on the history of Mt Tarrengower which will be launched at the 75th cele brations, and would like to hear from anyone with photographs, programs, newspaper cuttings, results or good yarns dat ing back over this period.

My address is 328 Sinclairs Rd, Strathfieldsaye Vic 3551, phone/fax(03)5439 5296. n Good news is that John Fish and his wife, Mel are well on the way to recovery following a seri ous head-on crash near Ballarat after last year’s Historic Sandown meeting.

At times like this it is comforting to know the Historic fraternity rallies around and offers support to those in need, as was the case with John. The day after he was admitted to Ballarat Hospital he had a visit from Austin Miller, who proceeded to cheer him up by. telling jokes.

With a crushed sternum and a shirt-full of broken ribs, this was all John Fish needed!

He said, “I tried to think of other things and pre tend Aussie wasn’t there, but he kept going regard less.

“When he saw I wasn’t laughing he said “I don’t think you’re listening, ‘Trout’!”

What are friends for?

n Seen at the Winton for the first time in a couple of decades was the youngest of the famous Davison clan, Christopher. Back in the seventies, Chris was a very competitive driver in Formula Ford, but then retired to concentrate on his stock breeding activi ties at Holbrook NSW. These days he also spends much of his time as a rugby administrator in NSW,and was returning from a meeting in Melbourne when he saw a sign advertising the Super Tourers at Winton on August 10 so he decided to see what all the fuss was about.

Thanks to rugby and his healthy outdoor life, Chris Davison has developed into a sizeable bloke - his chances of squeezing into the narrow cockpit of a modern-day Formula Ford would be highly remote!

However, it was good to see this rugby enthusiast still has a passing interest in the more gentle art of motor sport. n I’ve just visited a great new motoring pub in Melbourne - the Swallows of Port Melbourne.

John Fitzpatrick and Gillian Weinberger are the proud owners, and their aim is to make Swallows the gathering place for fel low petrol heads.

Gill will be known to many enthusiasts as the other half^of the Silver Ghost team with Amie Dillon in three Dutton ral lies. She is also an enthu siastic driver(and unen- i thusiastic navigator) of the Swallows Delage, and owns a low-light Morris Minor.

John has been seriously involved with a mixture of ‘proper’ cars for more than three decades, including MG,Jaguar, BMW, Peugeot, Lancia, Alfa Romeo, Bentley, MercedesBenz, Aston Martin, Bugatti, Lola, Ferrari, Elfin, Brabham, AC, Lotus and Delage - an inipressive array.

He has been competing in Historic events since the early sixties, including the Mille Miglia Retrospective and four Targa Tasmania’s.

Their pub, the Swallows is small and cosy with an open fire and, not surpris ingly, a motoring theme in the dining qrea with Bugatti, Delage and Ferrari well to the fore. It is open for lunch and din ner (or snacks)seven days a week and features and extensive wine list.(“Wine is one of our other little weaknesses,” said John.)

Parking is no problem, and proper cars are defi nitely encouraged - espe cially on Saturdays and Sundays.

Swallows of Port Melbourne is at 192 Station St(corner of Ingles St) phone(03)9649 2746.

-BRIAN REED

Ferrari fever in England

IT seems that recent major events in Europe such as the Festival of Speed at Goodwood or the 50th anniversary Ferrari cele brations in Italy attract quite a number of Australians, including Lloyd Shaw, i^though he was only away for a short time, Lloyd’s was a whirlwind trip that took in SUverstone and some other cir cuits, the Morgan factory, a TVR gathering and other social and motorsports events.

Lloyd brought back a SHverstone program and some photos taken at the Coys International Historic Festival presented by Chiysler in July.

MARTIN AND SON...

Naturally, the prancing horses figured prominently as Spencer Martin and son Mathew had two stunning the 50th celebrations spilled over to England, and Lloyd cars for the Silverstone Shaw said there were lines of Coys International Historic: Ferraris on display for the Mathew drove this Ferrari entire length of the airstrip on 250GT while Spencer drove the inside ofthe circuit. a C-type Jaguar (right).

(Photos by Lloyd Shaw) What a sight - especially if you were taking off and land ing in one of the many vintage Kerry Manolas-owned 1953 Caircraft including Rob Lamp- type Jaguar. lough’s immaculate Spitfire.

Spencer’s son Matthew Australia was represented drove the second of Kerry in the Duncan Hamilton Manolas’ entries at Silverstone Trophy Race by Don Thallon - a Ferrari 250G'I^ SWB in the driving his 1959 Lister Jaguar Ferrari GT events.

-BRIAN REED and Spencer Martin in the

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When I phoned Don Kinsey for details of the ‘Trophee de Conducteurs Anciens’ - a competition for drivers 65 years of age or more - he said “Do you want to be one of them?”

Le Trophee is an innova tive competition for ageing pilots to challenge for an out right win on one of Victoria’s favourite hillclimbs which is based on an index of perfor mance consisting of the age of the driver plus the age of the car, divided by the best time.

The competition is an ideal opportunity for those who thought they should have given up racing 10 yeeas ago, but who have the experience to match the vehicle.’s age.

>

ATDONINGTON Park in England a Memorial to Juan Manuel Fangio and Ayrton Senna was recently unveiled.

The ceremony was attend ed by Britain’s Argentine and Brazilian ambassadors (whojointly dedicated the Memorial), Stirling Moss and Derek Jakobi, Trustee of the Ayrton Senna Foundation.

Present at the unveiling were some of the most sig nificant cars the two men raced: a Mercedes W196 (driven over for the day from the Mercedes muse um in Stuttgart), a Maserati 250F and three of Senna’s championship-winning McLaren Honda MP4s.

Australian contributors to the Tribute include The Ayrton Senna Fan Club of Australia, Respectfully Ayrton’s International Network, Lang Miniatures, Howard Goldberg, Senna Wedes and Bev and Trevor Young of Biante Enterprises.

Calling all ‘Anciens'

and can therefore be consid ered as serious challengers against younger drivers in faster cars. ' It covers the official meet ings at Rob Roy each year, and an interesting feature of

the concept is that it is possi ble to win the trophy even if a driver competes at only one meeting.

There are two categories ‘Original Vehicle’ which is determined by the year of

manufacture (modifications must be of the era, or as accepted by the judges), and ‘Special Vehicle’ which is determined by the latest date of manufacture of any of the major components, namely the chassis, engine, geai-box and rear axle assembly.

If this sounds comphcated, contact Don Kinsey, 5 KentHughes Rd., Eltham, 3095 or teWax (03) 9439 5464 for fui-ther details.

Currently Le Trophee de Conducteurs Anciens” is being led by Lou Molina (78 years) in his 1938 MG TA with an Index of Performance of 4.9.

-BRIAN REED

29 August M

29

CONTRAST... Roberts’ Riley is a thing of well-loved, expertly restored beauty. Roberts’ museum Is a thing of clutter and chaos, the way such places should be!

1

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The Life of a Riley Story and photos by BRIAN REED

IF you had the choice of a 1950 Riley saloon or a box of old Riley bits, what would you pick?

In the case of 16-year old Keith Roberts he chose the latter, and so began an adventurous, long-term project to recreate a 1932 super charged Riley sports car with only photographs and magazine articles to work from.

The youngster’s mechanical interest was no doubt the result of his father’s influence.

Neville Roberts was one of Melbourne’s earliest professional car restorers who built up his first

Austin 7 during the 1950s at his premises in Heathmont. He was a committee member of the Vintage Sports Car Club, and had a particu lar passion for Alvis and Riley as well as his baby Austin.

After selling his business and moving to Eddington in central Victoria, Neville Roberts and his family have become mainstays of the annual Eddington Sprints. And son Keith (now aged 30) is carrying on the restoration tradition.

According to Roberts senior, an Austin 7 or a Riley were the only cars Keith could afford to rebuild, and when a friend Paul Rodis offered him a heap of old Riley bits and a rusty chassis, the teenager set to work on a project that was to

occupy him for the next 6 years.

At first Keith was going to install a Riley 9 engine, but he made such a good restoration job of the chassis his parents decided to give him the 6-cylinder parts for his 21st birth day so that he had “the right bits in the right chassis.”

The first outing of the 1932 supercharged Riley sports car wa$ at the 60th anniversary meeting at Philhp Island in 1988, and on this occasion his passenger was Joan Richmond; Australia’s most famous pre-war racing driver.

Keith said he planned to do two or three laps and then bring his elderly passenger back to the pits, but she was enjoying herself so

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much she gave him the signal to keep going!

During her illustrious racing career, Joan Richmond achieved fame especially in long distance events. She was a class winner at Le Mans, won a 1000-mile race at Brooklands, and competed with dis tinction in major rallies such as the Monte Carlo Rally. What made her performance the more remarkable was that she actually drove her car from Australia to Europe in order to take part in the grueUing Monte Carlo!

Now 93 years of age, Joan Richmond has given much of her racing memorabilia to Keith for the fascinating motor museum he has established at the historic Roberts home on the banks of the Loddon River at Eddington. Items include her Monte Carlo competition plate, photographs, badges and other valuable items which he has added to his ever-growing collection of motoring memories.

The latest project being undertaken by Keith Roberts is a road car which he is again building out of a pile of bits and, not smprisingly, it’s another Riley. The chassis rails were retrieved from a farm yard at BeaUba, and the body will be a copy of a Treen post-war Riley 9.

Work is progressing steadily, with the same painstaking care that went into his supercharged 1932 car.

Apart from driving his Riley at Phillip Island, Keith Roberts has also competed at Oran Park, the Speed Trials at Geelong, Winton Motor Raceway, hillclimbs at Mt. Tarrengower and Rob Roy, and nat urally, the Eddington Sprints which are almost in his back yard.

It’s good to know that young peo ple such as Keith Roberts are play ing such an important role in restoring and racing older cars. The future of the Historic movement is in good hands.

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29/1110199/

Super speedway's new Race Director Last week, AUSCAB,Racing Pty Ltd, the controlling body for the Australian Super Speedway Championships, appointed widely experienced and wellrespected motor sport official Peter Davis as its series’ Race Director.

Davis has spent the past two decades fulfilling official duties at the majority of the country’s major motor racing events.

During that time, he moved from being a flag marshall at Adelaide International Raceway through to sector marshalling at various venues, before being appointed to a senior race control position at the Australian Formula One Grand Prix in 1985.

Since 1987, he has been the Chief of Communications at the Australian FI Grand Prix meet ings, working with Tim Schenken, the Clerk of Course and Charlie Whiting, the FI Series Race Director, Davis performing the Assistant Clerk of Course role for all FI support events.

Since that time, he has been a key player in the running of International, National and State Championship race meetings for both two and four-wheeled competi tions.

MOTORSPORT NEWS caught up with Peter Davis and Steve Bettes, the Motor Racing Manager at the Goodyear Thunderdome, as they discussed the forthcoming 1997/98 super speedway series.’

Steve, how was it that Peter was nominated for this position in Australian super speedway?

■When the change of management associated with AUSCAR Racing Pty Ltd was announced, we started

seeking eligible people locally, with the option of possibly contracting someone from the US if that was required.

Peter was an absolute standout right from the word go, due to his previous experience at the Thunderdome back in 1988.

With the assistance of the venue’s new road racing Clerk of Course, Ken Smith, we managed to track Peter down and discussed the possibility of his joining our organi sation.

We plan to fully utilise his wealth of experience across such a broad cross-section of major race meetings, as we feel that it will be of great benefit to all parties involved in the Australian super speedway scene.

Peter, did you work in race con trol at each of the five super speedway meetings conducted on the Thunderdome in 1988?

Yes, alongside Peter Nelson, who was the Race Director, while I looked after the communications side of the operation.

In fact, going back to the World Touring Car Championship round that was conducted at Calder Park in late ’87,1 was the sector marshal looking after the Thunderdome sec tion of the course.

In those early days in Race Control, did you gain much information from the visiting US NASCAR officials?

At the opening meeting in February, ’88 both Peter and I worked alongside Bill Gazzard, the Winston Cup NASCAR Race Director.

He taught us a lot about this type of racing and it was a tremendous

Over the years, have you fol lowed what has been happen ing on the Thunderdome?

Most certainly! I’ve followed the sport both frere and in the US on T'Y, plus I have kept up to date with what has been happening through the specialised motor rac ing publications and newspapers.

In early ’88, super speedway oyas a form of motor racing that Australians didn’t fully understand or how it was run - but, after some fine tuition from the US personnel, we now understand how it goes.

At the recent Shell Australian Touring Car Championship round at Phillip Island, the Race Control officials were discussing our days at Thunderdome and commenting how we would like to get back to it

A

R

ick Hendrick, NASCAR multi team owner and the USA’s largest car dealer, pleaded guilty to mail fraud in a North Carolina Federal court on August 14.

Hendrick, suffering from leukaemia, entered a plea bargain with the US government in con nection with the Honda dealer scandal and $160,000 in illegal payments.

A sentence of 10 to 16 months of home detention, due to his condition, was-agreed to in the plea, along with a possible fine of $250,000 - in return, prosecutors dropped 13 money laundering charges and one conspiracy charge.

Hendrick will be formally charged within the next two months.

“I want to thank all my friends for their support during these difficult times. I’m going to give 100

experience observing the way he did things.

After that, we applied what we had learnt from him and we intro duced local refinements as we got more race meetings under our belt.

At the Xmas 500 meeting in December that year, Dick Beatty, the sport’s leading Race Director in the USA, arrived and helped us with the methodology, the interpre tation and application of the vari ous super speedway rules.

I learnt a tremendous amount about the racing during this period of time in my role as Assistant Race Director Commimications.

When the separation between Bob Jane and CAMS happened in late 1990, I concentrated almost solely on road racing - I did ven ture back to the Thunderdome as the Assistant Clerk of Course in the late 80s, when Toyota established a number of world 24-Hour records with their Corollas.

percent of my time to battling this leukaemia,” said Hendrick, His legal troubles are far from over, though, as Hendrick has 50 law suits from competitive Honda dealerships to face in the future, Meanwhile, former General Motors heavyweight Jim Perkins has been appointed as Hendrick’s replacement at the head of the Hendrick Automotive Group, responsible for $2.4 billion in 1996 sales.

s rumoured in the last issue, Las Vegag Motor Speedway will become part of the Winston Cup Series in 1998 with a date on March 1.

The date had previously been allocated to Richmond, Virginia, but weather had always been a problem with the third race'on the schedule and it has been moved to June 6, both the one mile track dates becoming night events.

The 102,000 seat capacity of the 1.5-mile Vegas facility is locat ed just 20 miles from the famed strip and the track layout has received many rave reviews from drivers.

Vegas is the fifth track to be added to the growing schedule within five years, bringing the num ber of races within the schedule to 32.

The Vegas announcement prompted Speedway Motorsports

NEW FACE... Peter Davis, credentialled Race Director. (Tony Giynn) - little did I know that a short time later I would be offered the position of Race Director.

national championship rounds - it is virtually a replica of a Clerk of Course role at any FIA champi onship event.

I believe Peter’s role in AUSCAR Racing Pty Ltd will see him as one of the key personnel improving the future of this forai of motor racing.

What attracts you to super 1 speedway racing?

The high speeds and the steeply banked comers, the race tactics and the pit stops without air jacks It is one of the few forms of rac ing where ever3fthing now happens under lights, right in front of you.

What are your goals for the forthcoming super speedway season, Peter?

I would like to think that we will be providing the trackside spectators, corporate sponsors, television view ers and race teams with good, safe, fast, clean racing that excites everyone.

I plan to enforce the niles as laid down in the official AUSCAR Racing Pty Ltd rule book - I would not expect any controversies to arise and everyone will, I believe, be satisfied that the race meetings have been run fairly and smoothly.

Steve, what does the role of Race Director encompass?

In the past, we have always had a full-time Competition Director, who assumed the role of Race Director at our various super speedway and road racing meetings.

Peter will be an integral member of our super speedway management team and his commitment will see him putting in many days of work before, during and after each of the Inc to lobby NASCAR for a second date at their Texas Motor Speedway, putting up a five million dollar purse as a carrot for the governing body and teams alike.

NASCAR remarked that they were not in the position of offering race dates to the highest bidder and, with the schedule for 1998 not yet released, a second Texas date is possible, but unlikely.

Expect Ernie Irvan’s ment, Kenny Irwin, toreplace attempt to qualify for the Richmond Winston Cup race on September 6. Irwin and the Robert Yate’s team tested at the one mile speed way on August 11 and 12.

Bodine is now minority owner and will stay on as the organisa tion’s driver for three years.

Veteran crew chief Tim Brewer has joined Bodine as team manag er, replacing ex-Ford Motorsport boss Lee Morse - Brewer worked for owner Junior Johnson when the elder Bodine won four races in 1990 and 1991.

Look for the new Bodine Scandia team to field a second car for part-owner Andy Evan’s IRL driver, young Jimmy Kite - this deal will operate alongside Brett Bodine and possibly before year’s end.

G

eoff Bodine officially announced on August 16 that Jim Mattei and John Porter have taken over as the new owners of what is now Mattei Motorsports.

YTINSTON CUP RESULTS Goody’s PovYders 500 ■= Brtstoi, TN. August 23, 1997 Dale Jarrett, #88 Quality Care Ford Thunderbird Mark Martin, #6 Vaivoline Ford Thunderbird Dick Trickle, #90 Heilig-Meyers Ford Thunderbird Jeff Burton, #99 Exide Batteries Ford Thunderbird Steve Grissom, #41 Kodiak Chevrolet Monte Carlo Ken Schrader, #33 Skoal Bandit Chevrolet Monte Carlo Terry Labonte, #5 Kellogs Corn Flakes Chevrolet Bobby LabonlTe, #18 Interstate Batteries Pontiac GP Geoff Bodine, #7 QVC Ford Thunderbird Sterling Marlin, #4 Kodak Film Chevrolet Monte Carlo

The new will GM make Winston powerplant it’sCup debut at Daytona in February of next year SP2.2 is the name of the lighter and narrower V8 that has been under test in NHRA, ARCA and TransAm racing this year.

r mSCABi i

CuBTent Points After Round 22

11. John Andretti, #97 RCA Ford Thunderbird

I. Hark Hartin, Ford

12. Rusty Wallace, #2 Miller Lite Ford Thunderbird

2. Jeff Gordon, Chev

13. Ricky Craven, #25 Budweiser Chevrolet Monte Carlo 13. Dale Jarrett, Ford

3270 32S7 3099

14. Dale Earnhardt, #3 GM Goodwrench Plus Chevrolet 14. Terry Labonte, Chev 3030 2979 IS . Ted Musgrave, #16 Family Channel/Primestar Ford | 5. Jeff Burton, Ford 16. Bill Elliott, #94 McDonald’s Ford Thunderbird 16. Dale Earnhardt, Chev . . . .2865 17. Ward Burton, #22 MNBA Pontiac Grand Prix 18.' Johnny Benson, Jr., #30 Pennzoil Pontiac Grand Prix

7. Bobby Labonte, Pont.

8. Ted Musgrave, Ford

19. Ricky Rudd, #10 TideAAThirlpool Ford Thunderbird 20. Chad Little, #97 John Deere Pontiac Grand Prix

9. Bill Elliott, Ford . . .

10. Ricky Rudd, Ford

. . .2760 2597 .2591 .2534

2SAugtisl 1997

3/

Martin gets lucky at Michigan

Mark Martin rallied from a two lap deficit to win the Devilbiss 200 at Michigan Speedway on August 17, beat ing Jeff Gordon to the stripe by 2.009 seconds and gaining ten points on The Kid’in the battle for the series title.

Taking the lead on lap 12 and having lapped most of the field, Martin cut a tyre on lap 85, but amazingly kept the car straight and pitted for fresh tyres, only los ing two laps.

“I felt the car feel a little bit funny,” remarked Martin. “I kinda eased into [turn] one just slightly.

That’s the only reason I saved it; n that thing went all out of control.

This team dug in there to fix the problems we had associated with that.”

The associated problems were a tyre carcass wrapped around the rear axle - this broke the brake line, which was capped off, while the inner wheel arch panels were also damaged, leaving poisonous gas to escape into the car.

The team worked to repair the panels during five pit stops and re route a hose to get Martin more fresh air into his helmet.

When other competitors pitted for fuel, Mark gained one lap.

Then the first caution aired on lap 106 for rain.

Martin’s team mate, Jeff Burton, was leading at the time of the yel low flag. Burton lingering around the fourth turn and almost getting hit by Jimmy Spencer, but allow-

ing Martin to get back on the lead tour and later muscle his way back through the field.

“That’s what it’s all about,” said Burton. “He had the best car and I had the second-best car. That’s part of being a team.

“If I was in that position, he would have done the same thing.”

Team owner Jack Roush said “that was absolutely the drivers’ decision; I don’t interfere with what they do on the race track.”

Martin had worked his way from 16th to tenth when his efforts were further boosted by a second yellow flag for rain over a period of 34 laps - during that time, teams pit ted for fuel and tyres, taking away any chance of a fuel strategy race.

Ted Musgrave headed Gordon on the restart, the stalled Wally Dallenbach Chevy then airing the final yellow flag.

Martin started,the final segment fourth, but in just two tours his Valvoline machine drove three wide under Gordon’s rainbow Chevy and Musgrave to head the fray for the final time.

The lapped Jeff Green car caused Martin little trouble as the two Jeffs tried to draft in the upper groove.

Burton and Musgrave, Martin’s Roush team-mates, dominated the event, the threesome leading a combined 177 of the 200 laps on the two- mile oval, Musgrave lead ing at halfway and finishing third.

“That was the best my c^s ever been here at Michigan and it

wasn’t even close to what Mark had,” remarked second-placed Gordon, who recorded his 16th top five in 21 events.

A fired-up Dale Earnhardt summed up the Chevrolet perfor mance - Gordon was again the strength of the Bow Tie Brigade and Dale was the second with ninth place - the GM driver stat ing that “those Fords have more horsepower and downforce.

“I’m tired of it, it’s unfair. I’m driving my butt off, hung out loose and I still can’t keep up with them,” Earnhardt lamented.

Earnhardt also pirouetted through 720 degrees in practice, somehow keeping the car off the. wall after Dallenbach took the air off the Goodwrench Chevy.

Pole sitter Johnny Benson led early after racing hard with Ricky Craven, but dropped back with bad handling to wind up 24th.

Spencer and Ricky Rudd were the only two cars involved in colli sions, both scraping the outside wall in seperate incidents - unfor tunately, both moved the rear axles and it cost Rudd dearly, as it was the first time in 54 races he has not been in the top ten in points.

Martin, who lead 102 laps en route to his third Michigan victory, FORTUNATE... The cards fell Mark Martin’s way.(Martin D Clark pic) has also amassed 16 top ten results in 24 starts at the track.

(Pontiac), 7 Elliott (Ford), 8 J Labonte 2884, 5 J Burton 2814, 6 Final r.esults: 1 Martin (Ford) Burton (Ford), 9 Earnhardt Earnhardt 2744,7 B Labonte 2618, 8 Musgrave 2479, 9 Elliott 2476, 126.880 mph, 2 J Gordon (Chevy), (Chevy), 10 T Labonte(Chevy).

Points standings: 1 Gordon 3194, 10 Mayfield 2437.

3 Musgrave (Ford), 4 Irvan (Ford), - MARTIN D CLARK 5 Jarrett (Ford), 6 B Labonte 2 Martin 3095, 3 Jarrett 2914, 4 T

NJ E

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Touring Car Championship winning ChevCamaro. 1971-72.

a

Classic Poster Series No 3

Bob Jane Team Austral Brock and Larry Pei Mans / 984. Parse Classic Poster S

◄ Bob Jane’s Championship winning M66 /McLaren Repco Classic Poster Series No 5

Aho availabe: ● Photo poster of Australian legends Jane’s Camaro, Moffat’s Mustang and Beechey’s Monaro on the grid at Calder. Classic Poster No I ● Photo poster ofJane and Moffat banging door handles at Calder.

Classic Poster No 2.

Quality prints of Martin de Lang’s original renditions featuring Australian motor racing legend Bob Jane’s fabulous career as driver and team owner.

; Please rush me my part of motor racing history: \! Poster No: □ 1 □ 2 □ 3

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Send all payments to: Bob jane Motorsport Gear, Bob jane Classic Poster Series 766 Bzabeth Street Melbourne 3000 Email: mcowan@bobjane.com.au Internet: www.motorsportcom.au Phone: 03 926 7 0814 or fax orders to: 03 9267 0880

32 29/\ususn997 DOME TRACK REPAIRS he Board of the Calder Park Group of Companies recently allocated $360,000 to be spent on facility maintenance at the Calder Park complex, with an additional $300,000 going to a capital works program.

A significant amount of the funding will be spent on the Goodyear Thunderdome tri-oval race surface upgrading, combined with the installation of two large spectator lap scoring boards.

“The first stage of the track surface upgrade is designed to improve the racing line between turn one and two by removing the undulations mid-track,” comment ed the venue’s Managing Director, Ed Ritchie.

“In addition, we will address the washboard effect on the back straight, plus level the bump over the southern spectator tunnel caused by the surface settling.”

Management has sought advice from the country’s leading track designer, Don Breedon, who is assisting in the selection of the track surface repair contractors.

Work is scheduled to be com pleted prior to the opening round of the 1997/98 series on Saturday night, November 1.

T

V

NASCAR AND AUSCAR UP Following team Park’s and owners survey byaCalder Motor Racing Manager Steve Bettes, it is believed that approximately 25 NASCAR competitors will line up for the first round of the ACDelco Cup Championship series and a field of 23 to 25 AUSCAR com petitors will facing the starter at the same race meeting.

the Winston Cup NASCAR Championship.

Couid we see the AUSCAR racers also get a name change to meet sponsorship requirements?

AUSCAR DRIVERS MEET recent AUSCAR drivers’ meeting in Melbourne saw a group of approximately 40 inter ested people meet with key per sonnel from Calder Park Raceway.

Presiding over the meeting was the company’s Marketing Director, Bill Jane, who detailed the comprehensive television package that has been put in place for the 1997/98 racing sea son.

Each of the six championship rounds will be broadcast as onehour shows during Sunday after noons on Network Ten, with Leigh Diffey hosting each of the twelve one hour programs.

In addition. Southern Cross Network will air the race meetings nationally into regional areas, SBS Television’s Speed week pro gram will contain highlight pack ages and Optus Vision plans to present live to air, or same day telecasts.

As with past seasons, Australia Television International will beam twelve one hour programs via satellite across the Asia Pacific Region.

A

FAN APPRECIATION DAY

NASCAR outing for Malaysia

Blake deal imminent As Motorsport News went to press, there was a very strong possibility that West Australian NASCAR racer Barry Blake has been able to get the signatures required to complete a deal that would see a troupe of 12 to 14 Australian NASCARs com pete in a couple of demonstra tion meetings this November.

The deal will see NASCAR vehi cles compete in two ten lap races per meeting at two Malaysian race tracks (one being Shah Alam), with a view to them being on the support program for the inaugural Indonesian Grand Prix next year.

An earlier attempt to get the NASCARs over to Malaysia a cou-

pie of seasons ago stalled after look ing very promising.

Blake has gone it alone in putting this deal together and has made numerous trips to get the package signed, sealed and deliv ered - AUSCAE Racing Pty Ltd’s Ed Ritchie has reportedly approved Blake’s independent venture.

The high-profile deal naturally includes personal sponsorship of Blake’s NASCAR team, which would enable him to upgrade his equipment and contest the full 1997/98 Australian ACDelco NASCAR Championship.

It may also include the provision of a second car for an Indonesian driver.

Last weekend, August 24, Blake was in Malaysia competing in the Proton 300 Production Car champi onship and was hoping to conclude the signing of the NASCAR races.

In terms of the Production Car race, Blake, who is not known as a circuit racer, had suitably impressed the team, getting the Proton up to speed and rating as a real prospect for a race win.

There also exists the chance of NASCARs racing at Perth’s Barbagello Raceway.

The full story and an interview with the man behind the plans will appear in the next issue of Motorsport News.

-BRE'TT SWANSON

NASCAR NAME CHANGE? t is believed that the local NASCAR category will be under going an official name change in the near future.

The 670 horsepower V8 charg ers may be called ACDelco Cup Cars, following the US model where the'race series is known as

Calder Raceway ning toPark conduct a freeisplanto the public Fan Appreciation Day on Saturday, October 11, with high speed action taking place on the Goodyear Thunderdome, National road racing circuit and the quar ter-mile drag racing strip.

Spectators will be able to ride in race and road cars, with a spe cial session set aside for patrons to take their own vehicles around the steeply banked tri-oval track.

Further details will be provided as the final schedule of activities planned for the day are finalised.

What had been a two-horse bat tle for the Winston Cup title turned into a hotly contested points race last weekend at the Bristol Motor Speedway when Dale Jarrett won the tradition ally wreck-marred 500 lapper at the ‘World’s Fastest Half Mile’ nestled in the Tennessee moun tains.

Mark Martin came home second, taking the points lead from Jeff Gordon, who was swept into a wreck of his own doing.

Gordon came home 35th, his worst Bristol finish as he watched a 99 point lead dwindle to a 13 deficit after spending 70-plus laps behind the wall for repairs - he would eventually finish 135 laps off the pace.

Jarrett muscled under Martin with 30 laps remaining in the event, just prior to the twelfth and final caution for oil on lap 470.

Martin slipped and that was all Jarrett needed to slide underneath the Valvoline Roush Ford.

Martin decided discretion was the better part of valour and held off a charge for the lead until the final lap, protecting what is now his first points lead since 1990.

Jarrett pulled away after the restart, leaving Martin in his dust, while veteran Dick Trickle pitted for fresh tyres during the final yel low flag and came home a cred itable third.

Jeff Bm'ton was fourth and Steve Grissom, another on fresh tyres, was good for fifth.'

Jarrett’s win was his fourth of the year and, amazingly, his first ever on a short track.

“We were fortunate, as Mark ran

a great race. Dale Jarrett wins on a short track, finally,” remarked Jarrett, driving a new Yates Ford designed just for the Bristol high banks.

Dale had flat-spotted his tyres when Bobby Hamilton got sideways in front of him - luckily, a caution came out just after on lap 408 and Jarrett, who had dropped several positions, was second behind Martin after pitting.

The majority of the cautions were for accidents, as is the case at Bristol - all were quite heavy and one in particular very spectacular.

Derrike Cope was racing David Green on the fronts tretch when they touched and Green’s CAT UPSET RESULT... Dale Jarrett's Bristol win has heightened interest in the points standings. (Martin D Clark) Chevy was planted against the wall.

This did not cure the problem - he nudged Gordon wide in turn Green rode the wall and flipped two and dived underneath, Jarrett and he came back, this time chang his car on its roof, sliding down the following through with the lapped ing the left side - he subsequently finished 12th, two laps off the pace straight and coming to rest back on Jeremy Mayfield in his tracks. all fours.

Gordon cut down on the latter, after gaining one of three tours Rumours have now surfaced Brett Bodine, Ricky Rudd, Dale the pair heading toward the inner back in the waning laps. surrounding Ernie Irvan’s Earnhardt and Hamilton were also wall on the back stretch, Gordon Wallace’s younger brother Kenny future when he vacates his involved In the melee - Earnhardt suffering a bent rear- axle and front was the surprise polesitter, but he ride with Robert Yates at sea was nudged into the wall by had struggled to stay on the lead alignment trouble - he had the field sons end. lap, but the Goodwrench Chevy had covered up to that point with what Skinner to bring out the fourth cau It appears likely that he tion - Darrell Waltrip was also a holed radiator and he wound up looked like a dominant car. will join MB2 Motorsports, “That’s what happens on a track involved, Waltrip ha\dng finished 14th, three laps off the pace. the new for 1997 team that Green was later diagnosed with a that you can’t pass on; we had a first so many times at Bristol, but runs Skittles Pontiacs for dri broken right shoulder, a minor great shot at the win,” remarked coming home last on this occasion. ver Derrike Cope, with Final results: 1 Jarrett 80.010 injury when compared to his Gordon.

Hendrick-leased powerplants. ; totalled car - the race was red He has to change that luck to win mph, 2 Martin, 3 Trickle, 4 J There are two theories flagged just before halfway for 20 the Winston Million bonus and Burton, 5 Grissom, 6 Schrader, 7 T one is that he will replace minutes to remove Green from the with it his third straight Southern Labonte, 8 B Labonte, 9 G Bodine, Cope and the second is that a car.

500 at Darlington this coming 10 Marlin. second team will be formed ; Points standings: 1 Martin 3270, Mike Skinner and Wally weekend(August 31). alongside the two-time win Dallenbach also came together Rusty Wallace’s Penske Ford was 2 Gordon 3257, 3 Jarrett 3099, 4 T ner - speculation also puts ; Labonte 3030, 5 J Burton 2979, 6 running strong’in third place and hard, both emerging unscathed.

Cope in the new Irving Gordon’s wreck was the seventh he looked a threat for the win, until Earnhardt 2865, 7 B Labonte 2760, Washington team for 1998, ' he developed a vibration and pitted 8 Musgrave 2597, 9 Elliott 2591, 10 caution of the evening. with Pepsi sponsorship.

Geoff Bodine was a lapped driver with 43 laps to go and changed two Rudd 2534.

- MARTIN D CLARK -MARTIN D CLARK trying to get around leader Gordon tyres.

I

Points race hots up as Jarrett wins at Bri^ol

I

LateNevifs

29August 1S97

Kent Persson runs Europe's first four

V

Swede Kent Persson has become the first driver on European soil to run a four sec ond elapsed time, running a 4.987/294 at the Nitro Olympics, held at Hockenheim in Germany on August 16.

Persson, at the wheel of former European Top Fuel Champion Peter Lantz’s Optima Batteries dragster, ripped off the historic four second run to qualify on top of the four car field present for the event.

Although the first to run a four in Europe, Persson becomes the sec ond European to break the barrier, expat-Brit Steve Read having run a number of four second ets in Australia while driving for Santo Rapisarda.

Persson and Lantz’s efforts in running the first four in Europe denied Hockenheim promoter Rico Anthes the chance, the German the most favoured to break the barrier after running a 5.011 at Santa Pod is England a few months ago.

Viveca Averstadt had also attempted, on a number of occassions, to run four second ets while contesting a select few NHRA events in the US,but her Valvolinebacked machine could only run a best of 5.0 seconds.

Despite creating history with their run, Persson and Lantz didn’t

back up the run for a new record, or win the event.

Another for mer European Top Fuel Champion, Pelle Lindeloew, took out the final round on a holeshot, win ning with a 5.299/257 to Persson’s 5.218/247.

In Top Alcohol Dragster, Swede Peter Beck took out the final, running a win ning 5.99/221 to defeat Peter Schofer’s 6.12/221, while in Top Alcohol Funny Car Alex Joon’s Daytona recorded a win with a 6.35/200 defeat over Dan Larson’s 6.41/224 in his Pontiac Firebird.

-McDORNAN PIPPED... German Rico Anthes(above)looked set for the first European four-second card, having run 5.03 in his Swindahi-chassis Dakota Jeans Top Fueller at Santa Pod in May.(Thompson/Allsport )

33

1 between 2pm and 4pm central I standard time on Tuesdays, I Wednesdays and Thursdays and I between 7pm and 9pm cst on I Tuesday evenings. / I Written enquiries will be I answered by mail, fax or email.

1 r I Phone calls are asked to be I brief, with members having to

By Gerald McDor ] give their licence number, while n non-members will be asked to provide contact details.

Kevin pro moterPrendergast, of Eastern former Creek and All inquiries will be logged.

Technical inquiries can be Ravenswood Raceways, was awarded the ANDRA Award of made by phoning (08) 8271 5350, Merit in recognition of his many or by faxing (08) 8271 6988. years of service to drag racing at Alternatively, they can be made the recent ANDRA Annual by emailing to victorhw@ozemail.com.au.

General Meeting.

Prendergast, in addition to this direct involvement at track level, Raceway’s media and marketing consultant had devoted many years to the Willowbank ANDRA National Control Council Rob Oberg has been elected to and proudly represented the Ipswich Regional Chamber of Australian drag racing and Commerce.

The Raceway joined the ANDRA in Nevf Zealand, Japan Chamber earlier this year and and the US. “ The ANDRA Award of Merit since that time many of the area’s has only been presented five captains of industry have been times in the past 24 years and is entertained in Willowbank’s cor the highest honour that can be porate facility.

Willowbank has also played conferred by ANDRA for services host at recent events to represen to drag racing. tatives of the Queensland Department of Sport and the ANDRA’sl997/98 Contingency Programme has again Queensland Travel and Tourism Commission. exceeded $1,000,000.

A comprehensive booklet will be circulated to ANDRA licence Vic Wood Marketing is about Consultant to return holders during September, with ANDRA ANDRA contingency bonuses from a well-deserved break in the available from the first round of US, although it has been more of the 97/98 Austraiian Drag Racing a working holiday.

Wood’s trip to the US saw him Series, the Premier State attend the Bonneville Speedweek Nationals in October. with his long-time friend and salt flats competitor, FIA Drag Racing ANDRA has announced that, President Cart Olson, who was from August 18, technical inquiries will only be accepted hoping to break 300mph. fi

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34

29/\ugust1997

DRAG RACING

Al Hofmann: Funny Car's ■J'lHr^isunder^toi kV I# O ^

QUICKER THAN MOST ...A standout Funny Car drawcard Stateside, Hofmann (above) is a constant threat to John Force’s ambitious title program. (Dave Ostaszewski pic)

Controversial though he may 6e, Al Hofmann is an open hook in at least some aspects of his life.

He’s a racer, pure and simple and, while he may never achieve the kind of hoard room success that has made racers like Force, Bernstein and Prudhomme so financially successful, you’re unlikely to ever misunderstand his motives. If ever there was a man who lived hy the credo, (( Get out of the way. I’ve got the left lane,” Hofmann is that man.

Vilified by some, admired by others, Al Hofmann, 49, has never been able to achieve his primary goal in life — win ning an NHRA 'Winston Funny Car championship.

While his main rival, John Force, continues to gain fame, fortune and ever more sponsor ship support, Hofmann suffers the slings and arrows of a fickle audience that will cheer him wildly at one race and then boo him bit terly at the next.

Hofmann has suffered on the sponsorship front, losing his Parts AmericaA/Vestern Auto sponsorship at the end of last year after a renewal had apparently been agreed to by all sides.

More than once during his tumultuous career, Hofmann has found it necessary to bear down, dig deep and keep going in the face of disaster.

During his match racing days he Was known to be fire-prone; but, since becoming a full-time competitor on the circuit, he’s occa sionally suffered the same kind of fnghtening results and we can remember numerous races during which the body of his car has blown off in shreds after yet another engine failm’e.

But those instances pale in the light of what took place in the finale of this year’s Mac Tools Gatomationals - that’s when Hofmann’s engine decided to regurgitate its crankshaft in the lights. The resulting crash was frightening and life-threatening.

That he was alive afterwards was a minor

miracle in itself That he’s returned to racing this year is nothing short of astonishing.

He’s often found himself in trouble for the statements he’s made in the heat of battle and later regretted - he made some truly wild accusations against John Force late last year and then found himself on the receiving end of a supportive Force’s largess after his Gatomationals crash.

Earlier, he single-handedly left PRO presi dent Kenny Bernstein with little choice but to resign in disgust, after accusing him of mak ing a private deal with the NHRA regarding souvenir sales.

Married to an Austrahan and having cred ited the Land of OZ for giving him his first real breaks in drag racing, Al and his wife Helen provided Motorsport News with an insight into what makes this couple tick.

Here’s the world through the eyes of Al Hofmann.

How are you feeling?

I’m ready to go back and race now, but when I got back in the car in Virginia it was proba bly too soon.

I needed a little more time and didn’t real ize how badly my body got screwed up [in the Gainesville accident]. It took it’s toll on me.

I was going to fly out to Topeka and drive there, but when I got up in the morning I couldn’t move. I was numh everywhere, and I couldn’t see. I was dizzy and really messed up.

I went to the doctor and it turned out to be

a bad reaction to all of the drugs I’d been tak ing to counteract infections.

They screwed my stomach all up, so they gave me medicine to counter the other medi cine and it seems to have worked.

Tell us about your long-standing “Australian Connection.”

I went down there for the first time in ’86, filling in for Paul Smith driving Tony Amato’s car, which is the “A Team” car out of Arizona.

We went over there and did really well. It was probably the best I’d ever done in racing and that really gave me my start.

I came back here and started to run a few national events and then I went back down there and raced some more.

That resulted in the BDS [Blower Drive Service] sponsorship, and I was able to hire Tom Anderson and we went from there.

I met Helen the first time I went to Australia. It was the first time I’d ever been a paid driver, so I thought I was on the way.

She was working for Bob Jane, selling fuel at the races.

I met her at Calder Park Raceway two weeks after I got there and we’ve been together ever since.

She came to the States two weeks after I got back and we’ve never looked back.

Australia was probably the biggest part of my ever getting started in racing on a full time basis. It gave me the experience I need ed to try and make it here.

We went back to Australia in ’87 and put together a car down there. We won every race we entered and set some records too.

That was actually the last time I raced over there, but I’d sure like to go back.

We’ve planned on going back every year, but with the national event schedule and sponsor things we’ve never made it.

I’m hoping that will change in the next year or two.

Tell us about the Gainesville crash.

Well, I’ve had fires a mmibers of times before, but when it first lit up I could see it was bad - but I didn’t think it would get into being what it turned out to be.

It instantly burned the ’chutes off, because the crankshaft broke.

It ripped all the fuel lines off and dumped the fuel on the engine. It was actually a nitro fire. That’s why it was so big and intense.

I lost my vision when it melted the visor. I really couldn’t see any more and I didn’t want to put the visor up and get my eyes burned. I was trying to “feel” where I was.

I kept it straight for quite a while and off the guai’drail, but then it ran over a piece of the crank and when it did it jacked it up on one side and it went into the guardrail.

It glanced off it the first time, but then it got turned sideways and it went straight off into one of those openings for the return road.

That’s what really did all the damage.

It got up on top of the I'ail and started bai’rel rolling. That was bad.

S

2SAugust W7

/^®P®D^8J)®[F0 It made a pretty good mess out of every thing, including my arm and my leg.

I was talking to my therapist last week and I’ll probably never get back to 100%. I’ve got three fingers in my left hand that I’ve got no feeling in at all.

I’ll have a steel plate in my right arm for ever, but I’m getting used to it. I can feel every screw in the damn thing. Now that feeling is coming back in it, I feel it every sec ond.

It also changed my outlook on racing.

Everything that’s gone wrong for the last year came back at me right then.

out here, he wouldn’t be world champion.

I don’t think he could compete on that level and I don’t think he’s as good a driver as I am

●4*

it. They worked for it and he won it. One car, one crew chief, and 1;Jiey deserved it. As far as I’m concerned,[Force] has bought‘em.

^ffA6fPlON

^

Be specific, please.

Well, Western Auto told me we had a deal right up until November and then they backed out.

And then there was the deal with Tom Anderson before that [Anderson having accepted a job with Don Prudhomme’s team just prior to the Seattle race in August].

When I was layin’ there in the hospital, I started wondering if this was all worth it.

But, once you’re away from racing for a couple of weeks, you can’t wait to get back at it.

What made you decide to run the car during your recovery, since you don’t have sponsor obligations?

I guess it was just because we have a good team here that works hard and we basically needed the qualifying money.

I think once you go away, people tend to forget you and I didn’t want that to happen.

■ I’ve got a lot of interest from sponsors for next year and I didn’t want that to go away, either.

I figured the best thing to do was finish out this year the best we could and come back next year and win the championship.

I felt we were on a good roll going into Gainesville.

We’d been running ’nineties just about everywhere and we were the only car that could run wdth Force and I didn’t want to lose that momentum.

Tell us how you see your relationship with John Force.

John’s a friend and I’ve felt he’s been a fiiend for years, but lately things’ve just gotten out of hand.

This “circus” he’s got in the pits now [with three rigs, including the so-called Gastrol Technology Centre] isn’t good for thq'class.

I mean, he’s just murdering everybody out here with all of this nonsense.

It’s coming back to haunt him now, though.

He hasn’t won in nine or 10 races, so that’s showing me he’s bitten off more than he can chew.

His guys are upside down over there ’cause [Coil and Fedderly] are watchin’ ’em work with canieras.

There’s none of ’em that are happy over there, but John keeps going on hke nothing’s' wrong.

I’ve talked to him about it and he thought it was a big joke.

He didn’t realize his guys were so pissed off at how things are going. Maybe it’s sinking in now.

Ya know, he’s refused to run any more match races with me ’cause we beat him three in a row last time.

Now he’s trying to force the tracks to take just his two cars if they want him and nobody else.'

On a one-on-one level, John Force cannot race with me.

The man could not compete with me on my budget.

If he had to come here and race one car with one crew chief like everybody else does

NO PRISONERS... Hofmann makes few concessions, on or off the track. (Keith Burgan) Let’s talk about Jeff Arend for a second.

I had Jeff come in and drive my car at Atlanta. I saw the job he did for Paul Smith [winning the ’96 Pioneer Electronics Keystone Nationals] and the kid was really sharp in the car. He seemed to be aware of what was going on in the car.

I raced against him at Maple Grove and he beat us.

Heswas really sharp, a good car handler.

either. He’s way over-rated as far as a driver goes.

With the stuff he’s got and the money and crew chiefs he’s got, Jeff Arend pould have been Driver of the Year.

The bottom line is that if you don’t get at least a million dollars a year, you can’t be out here. You’ve got to secure at least that kind of money if you want to win a world championship.

U

If he had to come here and race one car

with one crew chief like everybody else does out here, he wouldn’t he world champion

● ●●

I don’t think he’s as good a

driver as I am either. He’s way over-rated as far as a driver goes,

99

“ Hofmann on John Force .

If you want to race against Force, you’re looking at funding over there that’s three million a year. That’s hard to compete against. This sport doesn’t warrant the kind of money he’s throwing at it.

There’s no other teams out here that can compete 'with him.

If you want to buy a world championship, fine. He’s done it a number of times.

In all honesty, the last “world champi onship guy” out here was Cruz - they earned

1

That made my decision to put him in my car.

I don’t know what happened over the win ter. He had eye surgery, I think, but when he got in my car he just couldn’t handle it.

I don’t think he’d ever tried to drive a car that was that ■violent, ■with the power coming on so early. He just never caught up to it.

I’ve got nothing against Jeff. He did the best he could for me.

He may think there are hard feehngs, but there aren’t.

I think the car was just a lot more than he was expecting.

I had Cory Lee driving the car for me and he’s driven Tom Hoover’s car and he told me my car was an animal compared to that.

It’s a tough car to drive. It makes a lot of power. It’s run 4.90-flat at 312. It’s run a number of 4.90s this year.

I think if we hadn’t crashed in Gainesville, nobody could have run with us this year.

Now we’ve got this new Murf McKinney car that [crew chief] Jimbo Ermalovich fin ished off and we’ll go from here.

After the run in Atlanta [when Arend crossed the centreline under power and “chased” Mark Oswald’s car through the lights], he came over to apologize and I said “Jeff, now is not the time. There is no excuse for what you did.

“You do not cross the centre line and keep your foot in it and run 293 miles an hour in the wrong lane.”

He just shook his head and walked away, and that’s the last time I’ve ever talked to him.

I was hot at the time, but I’ve got no hard feelings now. He could have killed both of them, himself and Oswald.

After driving as many years as I have, see ing that kind of pissed me off.

Tell us about your relationship with the PRO [Professional Racers Owners Organisation].

I don’t think there is any PRO. I don’t think the PRO exists any longer.

They’ve done nothing for the sport this year except jack the membership fees com pletely out of sight.

I have no regrets about Bernstein’s resig nation. He was going to quit anyway.

He was over it. I was just a good excuse at the time.

For what Bernstein was doing for PRO, we didn’t need him in there. It came directly from NHRA that he was wearing too many hats in the position he was in.

It’s tough when [Bernstein] was making his own deal [with NHRA] and Force was making his own deal. We’re all supposed to be on the same level, when it wasn’t really that way.

I’m kinda over PRO. I make my own deals out here too.

If we could sell our souvenirs out of the back of the trailer I’d probably be able to make another $10,000 at each race. That’s what we make in a match race, so I know we could do it at a national event.

I know John [Force] makes $30,000 to $40,000 at a race through Sport Services.

That’s a lot of money. I could race on that kind of mqney.

Where do you think the sport ought to go?

It’s goin’ backwards right now with the way they’re handling it. The sponsors are all pulling out.

Now you’ve got McDonald’s pulling out.

They’re not getting the coverage they’ve been looking for.

The sponsors that do want to come into it are suddenly sponsoring races instead of cars.

NHRA needs to take a strong look at what they’re doing to the sport.

They’ve got to support the racers out here and find them sponsors, because if they don’t, they’re not going to have anything to put on for the fans.

They’re not going to have any need for sponsors themselves ’cause there’s not going to be any cars out here.

There’s a real strong possibihty of losing Continued on page 36

1997 NHRA WINSTON DRAG RACING SERIES - POINTS AFTER RD„ IS, BRAINERD, MN. 1997 Top Fuel Championship 1299 I. Gary Scelzi, Team Winston 2. Joe Amato, Keystone Warehouse . . 1 1 1 1 3. Cory McClenathan, McDonald’s 1 107 4. Scott Kalitta, American Int. Airways . .941 5. Kenny Bernstein, Budweiser King . . . .828 6. Bob Vandergriff, Jerzees Activewear .756 7. Mike Dunn, Mopar Performance 751 LIMITS ■ 8, Larry Dixon, Miller Lite/Snake Racing . .651 9. Tony Schumacher, LaBac/Peek Bros . .636 .628 10. Shelly Anderson, Parts America

PEHHIOnTHERE

ARE

NO

»

1997 Funny Car Championship I. John Force, Castrol Racing 1 177 2. Whit Bazemore, Team Winston . . . . 1005 .909 3. Chuck Etcheils, Kendall/Mopar .903 4. Tony Pedregon, Castrol Racing 5. Cruz Pedregon, McDonald's/Coke . . .819 .814 6. Randy Anderson, Parts America 7. Kenji Okazaki, Mooneyes/Prolong . . .773 8. Ron Capps, Copenhagen/Snake 754 9. Dean Skuza, Mateo Tools/Mopar 671 .641 10. Del Worsham, Checker/Kragen

35

1997 Pro Stock Championship 1369 I. Jim Yates, McDonald's 2. Warren Johnson, Goodwrench 1224 1 126 3. Kurt Johnson, ACDelco 4. Bruce Allen, Slick 50/Reher-Morrison 804 S. Steve Schmidt, Schmidt Automotive . .789 .694 6. Tom Martino, MaMa Rosa Pizza .613 7. George Marnell, Marnell/Black . . .577 8. Mike Edwards, Edwards .565 9. Troy Coughlin, Jeg's Mail Order 10. Scott Geoffrion, Mopar Performance .558

3S

Continued from page 35 four strong teams next year and that’s myself, McDonald’s, Etchells and one other that I really can’t talk about right now.

V

n NG

29 August 1997

How long will you run without a major sponsor?

Through the rest of the year. If I don’t have a sponsor for next year, I’m over it. I can’t keep coming out here to run on my own money.

NHRA really needs to take a look at the people who are doing things for them.

Pontiac has stood by me 100% this year. If it wasn’t for Pontiac this year, I wouldn’t he here at all.

NHRA needs to start supporting the racers that’re out here putting people in the stands.

They can’t just turn their backs on some body. If you go out and lose a sponsor [like I did], they shoulda had somebody lined up for me a week later.

They’d just as soon hang on to ’em and con vince ’em to sponsor a race instead of a race car.

Pretty soon they’re gonna have a hunch of races and no cars.

NHRA has tried to compare themselves in different ways with NASCAR. They’re not even a shadow of what NASCAR is right now.

It’s incredible what[drag racing] could be if it was marketed right.

We’ll name some people and you teU us what you think of them...

McDonald’s Pontiac driver Cruz Pedregon: Cruz is going to have a hard time finding a job as a paid driver somewhere.

He’s a good guy, but he’s made his share of mistakes. He’s lost an awful lot of races through driver error that he could have won.

Pioneer Dodge driver Tom Hoover: He’s prohahly one of the nicest guys out here, as far as racing goes. I think a lot of Tom. He never bothers anybody.

He comes out here, does his thing, and then goes home. He’s just an all-mound nice gu-y.

Del Worsham: He’s got a great future in this sport, if the sport is still here for him.

Kendall Dodge driver Chuck Etchells: I really don’t know what to say about Chuck.

He and I have been good fnends and match racers for years, but all he does is complain about driving.

He says he hates to drive the car, so I tell him,“why don’t you get out of it?”

a l ll

NHRA President Dallas Gardner: Boy, that’s a tough one. I’d hke to see Dallas take a more active role in what’s going on out here, I really don’t feel he’s doing that at this point. They’re so worried about new tracks and new events when they should be worried

J have said things in interviews that Fve regretted five minutes later.

But he’s somehow gotten it into his head that he’s the greatest race car driver on the planet.

That’s hard to knock out of somebody when they believe it.

Mooneyes Dodge driver Kenji Okazaki: I love to see him heat Force! That was the greatest thing he’s ever done when he beat Force that year in the Big Bud Shootout!

He obviously has a really good time racing and he’s got a great crew chief over there in Jim Duim.

Castrol Mustang driver Tony Pedregon: He wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for John Force, obviously.

He’s a good driver. You can’t take that away from him, hut he’s got good equipment, too - there’s a lot of people who could have done as well if they were given the opportuoity he was. .

Mateo Tools Dodge driver Dean Skuza: He’s another Whit Bazemore, with a good future.

He’s the kind of guy that’s going to be tak ing the places of people like Force and myself, 10 years down the road. He and Bazemore will probably be fighting it out then.

about who’s going to he out here to run ’em.

Dallas did help me out when we originally got the Western Auto deal, hut I think he has to support all of the pros out here and sup port them with their sponsors.

Now you’re afraid to do that, because you’re afraid that Dallas might try to get them to sponsor his race instead of your car.

If you were suddenly made President of NHRA,what’s the first thing you’d do?

I’m not into the pohtical thing very much, hut I’d certainly make a lot of changes in the marketing area. , My goal would he to try and secure spon sorships for the racers, so they could keep coming out here to race.

These guys are putting on a helluva show for the spectators and a lot of them are doing it on their own dime and that’s tough to keep doing.

[When I was hurt]I had spectators sending me a dollar or $10 and that gets to you.

NHRA needs to look at stuff like that and say, “if these kids can do it, certainly we can do something, too.”

What’s your personal goal in racing?

Winning the championship. I don’t really care to come out here and just finish [in the Top 10]. If I can get a good sponsor and race for the championship, I will. Otherwise, I won’t be coming back out here,

Dale Pulde: t He’s probably one of the most respected dri vers out here over the years. I’ve always If you did win the Utle, would you retire, or go after it again? thought a lot of Dale.

Dale’s a good driver and knows what tfie^ Probably. I think I’ve got four or five good car’s are doing. He’s worked on ’em all his life'- years left in me, maybe even more than that.

I don’t ever see myself being a team owner and he’s not just a driver who knows nothing about the cars, like Force ... Force couldn’t hke Prudhomme.

I’ve had someone else in my car now, for Whit Bazemore: change a spark plug if he had to! the first time and it’s awful tough watching He’s just like Del Worsham. He’s made a someone else drive your car. I may feel differ great start this year. He just won his first Western Auto driver Randy Anderson: Well, it’s not his fault about what happened ently in the future, but I think that once I race and I was proud of him for doing it.

We’ve had our ups and downs and our 'with my deal. He’s got a good car there, a walk away from the sport I’ll be gone for good. arguments, but he’s stuck hy it and he’s/ good team and a good crew chief.

When I do quit, I think I’ll probably get He’s probably going to do a lot better than earned what he’s got. into the car restoration business - I’ve got a a lot of people figured,including me.

No interview with AL HOFMANN can be considered complete without a few words from his wife, HELEN. An integral part of his racing opera tion, Helen handles everything from race team management to actually working on the car.

A tough, sometimes opinionated woman, Ms Hofmann is a staunch defender of her husband’s racing efforts.

Prior to going to work in the racing industry Ms Hofinann was a police offi cer in Victoria for eight years, until an on-duty accident resulting jfrom chasing a suspected criminal resulted in her forced retirement - as she says, “eight operations later, I basically had no knee left.”

Top FueLdriver Jim Read actually introduced Helen to A1 and their rela tionship blossomed.

That she found herself flying to America a couple of weeks later still surprises her, but she has no regrets.

Still maintaining close ties to Australia, Helen and A1 are in regular contact with Helen and Peter Russo, with whom they speak on an almost weekly basis.

What was your reaction to the Gatomationals crash?

To be honest, none of us realized that AI had actually crashed. We weren’t aware of that until we were halfway down the track and saw it on Winston Vision.

We all thought, “shit, here we go again.

The body’s on fire and we’ll have to get another one.”

I was horrified when I got down there.

The other half Steve' Evans [the television commentator] said it perfectly when he said it was like a war zone down there.

We had to walk through 500 yards of rub ble. There was broken tubing and parts everywhere.

When we got there, the car was still upside down on top of the guardrail.

I really didn’t think about how bad it was until they took him away in the helicopter.

I was thinking, “well, here we go again.

We’ve got nothing left, but at least he’s alive.”

He’d been pretty vocal at the end of the track because he wanted something to drink, some water, but they [Dan Brickey, NHRA Medical Director] wouldn’t allow it, so he started badmouthing Dan and me.

I thought, “here he is, with a bone sticking out of his arm, but he’s obviously going to be aU right, ’cause his mouth’s still miming.”

Even though he was a mess, he was con scious and still talking. Basically, he was as obnoxious as ever, so I knew he’d be all right.

Do you think it’s time for Al to quit?

I keep thinking about everything we’ve been through in the last 12 months with the Tom Anderson stuff and the Western Auto thing and then the crash, but it’s his decision to make.

I got into this because I fell in love with him and this is his chosen career.

Even though I’d been involved in other forms of racing in other jobs. I’d never really been exposed to drag racing before and I often wondered what I was getting myself into.

I feu in love with this guy, so I decided to see it through with whatever he wanted to do.

You and Al have had what could be caUed a fairly publicly turbulent rela tionship - wo^d you agree with that?

Yeah, you could say that. We’ve never, ever come to fisticuffs, but there’s definitely been some shouting.

I was married to an alcohohe and I got the bad end of that deal, so I would never stay around in a relationship in which there was violence of any kind.

Our personahties are totally different and I guess that’s why the business side of our lives works out, because I basically nm the business and Al really runs the race car.

He’s not really aware of how things are going financiaUy, because I handle all that.

He depends on me to run the business.

He’s a race car driver, and that’s what he does, so when we end up discussing the busi ness side we sometimes get into it.

There’s always time in any married life when you say one thing and your spouse says another and that’s it - it becomes “do this, or do that” and I just won’t put up with that kind of thing.

[^®9®[F0[^i:F9 lot of older cars, including street rods and a bunch of others that I’d like to do something with.

I’d also hke to travel and definitely go back to Australia and spend some time there.

How often have you been misquoted by the press?

I probably misquote myself more than any thing. It happens vnth the press.

But, I have said things in interviews that I’ve regretted five minutes later.

I don’t know if it’s regret, as much as it is wishing I’d said something differently, or said even more!

fast fut§s Bom:28 Noveinber 1947 Resides: Umatilla, Florida Wife: Helen Daughter: Christine 1997 car: Hofmann Racing Pontiac Firebird Crew Chief: Jimbo Ermalovich NHRA Career Wins: 13 NHRA Final Rounds:27

I

Best elapsed time:4.90 secs Best terminal speed: 312 mph Started drag racing at local tracks i in Connecticut and New York in 1968, racing doorslammers until | 1978, when he sold his successful ; construction business to buy a ' nitro Funny Car. : Started racing in NHRA Winston Drag Racing Series in 1979. ’ Competed in 12 races over eight weeks in 1988 in Austraha.

Avid match racer from 1979 to 1989, mainly on East Coast.

One of only three drivers to beat NHRA Winston Champion John Force in a final round, winning the .

Chief Auto Parts Wintemationals in 1996.

I I really respect the relationship I see between Larry and Laurie Meyer [crew chief on Shelly Anderson’s Top Fuel car] because they’re so devoted to each other.

That’s the ideal relationship, while A1 and I are like chalk and cheese in many ways.

There’s been many times when we’ve said, “well, you go your way, and I’U go mine,” but we’ve worked so hard to get where we are that we’re going to stay together no matter what.

We’ve lived, breathed, slept and ate for this race car and this race car industry to the extent that, in our early days, we slept in a single bed, in a trailer, in the backyard of a friend’s house.

If you can endure that kind of stuff, your relationship can endure anything.

■When you got the word that Western Auto wasn’t going to renew, did you want to quit?

I was halfway across the country, heading home [to Florida Irom the Winston Finals in October) when A1 called and said he’d had a conversation with them and didn’t know what was going on.

It was actually a week or so later when we got a five line letter irom them saying they’d decided not to renew.

I was in total amazement and disbelief that after three years all .they thought was necessary was a five line letter saying “get lost,” after they had already done a contract, done an announcement.

There’d been TV announcements and things in National Dragster about it, too.

I thought, can they do this?

I’m not sure what the outcome will be, but there is ongoing litigation about what hap pened.

n NG

29August 1997

J7

Quickest ever: Amato’s 4.562!

V

Brainerd’s 16th Annual Champion Auto Stores Nationals on August 14-17 saw Cory McClenathan continue his mid-summer reign of terror and take his fourth straight Top Fuel win - a feat shared with only one other dri ver, Scott Kalitta, who did it back in 1994 - though Joe Amato stole some of the limelight with the sport’s quickest charge, a 4.562 blast at 317 mph that was more than good enough for the top quali fying spot.

McClenathan defeated Bob Vandergriff in a wild wheel standing final round and remains unbeaten in the l^cDonald’s dragster since its debut in Denver, four races ago.

The hot streak has also put McClenathan into a solid third place in the points standings, a mere four points behind second-placed Amato.

John Force finally got his Castrol Ford Mustang back into victory lane, scoring his first win since Phoenix in February.

In the Funny Car final.

Force defeated red hot driver Ron Capps, after the throttle linkage on the Copenhagen Camaro broke right at the green.

Kurt Johnson took his AC Delco Pontiac to the Pro Stock win, stopping the Pontiac of Jim Yates in the final round.

The victory gave Johnson his first win in almost a year, the last win coming at the ’96 US Nationals.

Matt Hines continued his domination of the Pro Stock Bike class, with a final rormd solo when opponent Dave Schultz broke during the burnout.

Top Fuel After all the clutch trou bles and tracks that could not produce enough traction for the fuel cars throughout the summer, the tour moved to a track where the weather was cool and the surface had bite.

Only 15 cars showed for the 16-car show, but it took a strong 4.721 by Bob Vandergriff to crack into the top half.

Amato led everyone by a ton, taking his dragster to the quickest run in history at 4.562 seconds at a whopping speed of 317.01.

McClenathan followed at 4.646/316.01, Gary Scelzi went 4.650/308.43 for third and Eddie Hill nailed down fourth with 4.676/301.50.

Under cool and overcast skies, eliminations got underway with the JerZees dragster of Vandergriff tak ing on the Darrell Gwynnowned Mopar fueller driven

by Mike Dunn, who had amazed the crowd on Saturday by saving the car from a complete blowover, missing the last session to make chassis and front-end repairs.

At the green, Vandergriff got the jump on Dunn and

straight win number four that makes it 16 consecutive round wins for the McDonald’s team going into the US Nationals, where McClenathan is also the defending event champion.

NONE BETTER... Joe Amato may not have won Brainerd, but he ran the numbers that really count.(Dave Ostaszewski) motored away when Dunn’s tyres began to lose traction, Vandergriff breaking a few connecting rods on his way to a 5.186/221.02 vnn.

Jim Head made his best run in quite some time dur ing qualifying at 4.707 and improved to a 4.699/310.45 in the first round to knock off the new Peek Bros car of Tony Schumacher, which was instantly up in smoke.

Scott Kalitta showed he came to play when his 4.681/305.08, along with the aid of a Cristen Powell red light in the Royal Purple machine, adyanced him into round two., In a refilay of last year’s final round, Eddie Hill took on Kenny Bernstein.

This year, though, there was a different result, as Bernstein suffered a loss'of traction before he got past the tree, a fate that plagued the Bud King team through out the weekend.

That was the break that Hill needed, as his motor went silent at half-track and he coasted to take a 5.795/154.08 win.

Without a full field, Amato took a first round bye 4.908/317.57, while Cory Mac improved on his qualifying effort to take a 4.622/315.56 win over Shelly Anderson, the Parts America team join ing Bernstein in having a very fogettable weekend.

The next pair produced the mismatch of the event, when the points-leading car of Scelzi took on the long, skin ny Bovine of dairy farmers Brent and Vicky Fanning.

At the green, Scelzi drilled Fanning by more than a tenth - but; just as the car moved, a fuel line blew off the Winston cars’ motor, starving the motor and spraying fuel everywhere.

This allowed Fanning to take the win at 5.450/247.72 and marks the first time in almost two years that an Alan Johnson-tuned car had lost in round one.

The final pairing saw

I

Larry Dixon take a safe 4.727/311.41 win over Doug Herbert, Round two saw the cars of Vandergriff and Amato both go up in smoke - both drivers started pedalling their mounts to reach the finish line, but the engine in Amato’s car hydrauliced in a parts-spraying, firey explo sion, giving Vandergriff,a smoky 6.451/256.70 victory.'

Hill continued to show signs of life, going into the semis again with a 4.824/297.52 win over the Miller Lite car of Larry Dixon, who lost traction just past the concrete pads.

Kalitta dropped a cylinder early in the pass, but kept from getting run over by the cow, taking a 4.781/297.22 win over the upset-minded Udder Nonsense car of Fanning.

The roimd came to a close when the summer terror, McClenathan, took an easy 4.689/304.77, come from behind win over Head and the Close Call machine, which took an early lead to mid-track, until a loss of traction allowed the McDonald’s driver to advance.

Hill’s hope for a win in Brainerd came to an end when the Pennzoil dragster went into a huge wheelstand right off the line.

Hill stayed with it for about 200 feet, before finally backing out of it and allow ing Vandergriff to advance into the final with, a 4.713/308.74.

McClenathan and the International American Airways car of Kalitta staged a great race in the other semi, Kalitta taking a small lead at the start and heading the McDonald’s car by almost a car length at half track - but the motor started to come unglued, oiling the tyres and causing a loss of traction.

Kalitta’s motor finally let go in a fireball and McClenathan squeaked by to

take a narrow 4.746/302.82 to 4.788/292.87 win.

In one of the wildest Top Fuel final rounds in recent memory, McClenathan took a good lead over Vandergriff, but the front-end came up and kept climbing, McClenathan rode it for as long as he could,shacked off

/*

the throttle just a tad and eased the car back to the ground - at that same moment, Vandergriffs car started to climb into a wheelstand of its own, getting quite high at half-track.

Vandergriff clicked it off and McClenathan stormed to a 4.795/315.01 victoiy to take

Funny Car Qualifying also saw some of the big performance num bers that the Top Fuel teams enjoyed, Whit Bazemore tak ing his Ford Mustang to the top spot with a career-best 4.916/311.41.

Tony Pedregon put bis Castrol Mustang into the second spot at 4.990/306.64, followed by Force at 4.994/307.27 - Capps contin ued to look good, running 5.024/307.58 to grab fourth.

Dean Skuza (5.036), Randy Anderson (5.037), Chuck Etchells (5.053) and Gary Densham (5.055) rounded out the top eight.

In the final round, the green light flashed, but only the Castrol Mustang of Force reacted, the Funny Car leg end thundering downtrack to take a 4.974/310.55 win - the throttle linkage on the Copenhagen Camaro had apparently broken, slowing Capps to a downtrack idle.

The win was Force’s 64th and is his fourth straight at Brainerd.

- DAVE OSTASZEWSKI

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29Augusl 1997

assies at Knoxville PCR and NSW N Sprintcar Club I resolve dates .

i

ing to reach the A Feature ational Sprintcar Champion Knoxville Final.

Garry Brazier was best placed among the Aussie contingent con t’s been a big week for 1997 testing this year’s Knoxville Knoxville Nationals winner Dave Nationals - won by Dave Blaney Blaney. at the Marion County Fairground, His victory at Knoxville follows Iowa. hot on the heels of his success at Brazier was credited with 13th Eldora in The Historical Big One. spot in the 30 lap A Feature Final of the Knoxville Nationals Both victories gave him $100,000 payouts.

Brazier and Skip Jackson were With his Knoxville victory, the only Aussies who reached the Blaney became the third driver in Skip missed the cut for the A Championship Final to decide the Main when he came home third in as many years to win both The 37th running of the Amoco Knoxville Nationals.

Historical Big One and the the B Feature, while a second Knoxville Nationals on consecu Jackson, who a couple of days place finish behind Joe Saldana in earlier had won the tive August week ends.

American/Australian The Knoxville win Sprintcar Challenge, also pushed him into was placed in posi tion 22 in the Final first place in the cur rent World of Outlaws V race standings for the A Feature. point standings.

The Australian And, just to wrap up what has been a line-up at Knoxville tremendous month of this year also includ August for Blaney, he ed Brooke Tatnell, also announced a Trevor Green and three-year sponsor Knoxville regulars ship deal with the Jaymie Moyle and Amoco company.

Peter Murphy.

“It’s been unbe Both Tatnell and lievable here lately,” Moyle qualified to the B Feature on the Blaney said in Knoxville’s Victory final night, but failed Lane. “Things have to qualify within the been going our way top Four for a trans for the last ten days fer spot to the or so. I couldn’t be Knoxville A Feature Final. happier.

“Vivarin has been Brooke narrowly missed the cut with great to me tor a long time and Tm glad I a fifth placing, while could win this for Moyle came home them. This is [crew in eighth spot in the B Feature.

Kenny chief] first Woodruff’s Meanwhile, in Knoxville Nationals," view of Brazier’s Blaney said. impressive form this SKIP JACKSON... The 1997 Knoxville Track Champion took out season with the “You don’t usually the American/Australian Sprintcar Challenge at the Knoxville World of Outlaws see this racetrack go Nationals and the B Scramble, after time-trialling thirdfastest. one lane like it did where he has been (Mark Neale pic) and I got a huge a top ten Finisher in the ‘B’ Feature provided Tatnell break with the front two guys the A Main - his ‘lowly’ 13th finish ing position in the Knoxville Final with a transfer spot into the ‘A’ wrecking.

“I couldn’t ask for much more. I main. /' could be regarded as slightly Brazier kept his consistency have a great crew and my partner, below par.

The Brazier team faced a com record of top ten placings with the Keith Hylton, has been great as a plete rebuild after the crunch at Outlaws in A Features when he first-year owner.”

The most dramatic lap of the Eldora and spent the initial part of was placed ninth in/ the A their Knoxville campaign getting Preliminary Feature, won by Mark Knoxville Nationals came early in Kinser from Dave Blaney and the race as Mark Kinser and the car back on the pace.

Sammy Swindell battled for the However, just to reach the A Sammy Swindell.

Feature Final of the Knoxville Moyle timed in as nineteenth lead.

Nationals is a distinction within fastest on the second night with a Don Droud junior, the last dri itself.

16.364-second lap and reached ver to qualify for.the feature, Word is the Brazier camp will the A Preliminary Feature with a flipped in front of the leaders in turn four on lap ten. soon be toning down their current third placing in the fourth heat.

Swindell and Kinser collided as American Sprintcar campaign and Sydney’s Murphy was one returning to Australia. position ahead of Moyle in the they tried to avoid Droud and lost Garry and his dad, Steve, are heat and also transferred to the A. their positions as they repaired their cars. already planning their 1998 Moyle was credited with a posi Blaney assumed the lead and American Sprintcar commitments. tion 12 finishing position in the maintained a solid pace through feature, while Murphy was placed They plan a much longer cam out the remaining 20 laps to take paign next year - starting in the in position 21. the Knoxville title from Greg early part of the World of Outlaws season - with a more extensive Hodnett, Danny Lasoski, Jac and Johnny Jackson, who already Track has Haudenschild race itinerary. wrapped up the Knoxville Brazier commenced his Championship, took out the Herrera.

The top 10 were rounded out Knoxville Nationals challenge on a American/Australian Sprintcar

by Joe Gaerte, Craig Dollansky, high note when he timed in as Challenge and the B Scramble on Frankie Kerr, Paul McMahan and sixth fastest in time trial qualifica night three of the Nationals.

Jackson started on the pole Steve Kinser. tions on the opening night.

His time of 16.070 seconds for and led ten laps of the Challenge By his own immaculate high a one lap journey of the Marion to pick up a cool US$5000 for his standards, Steve Kinser did it tough at this year’s Nationals, County circuit was only marginally winning effort. slower than fastest man Mark “We were a little bit down and after he broke a rod during the Kinser, who stopped the clocks at out the other night, but we first lap of the A Scramble.

15.601 seconds.

His tenth-place finish dropped changed things a little bit and now him back to the outside of the fifth However, fastest of the Aussies we’re pretty good,” Jackson row. on this night was Jackson, who explained after the race.

“We just broke a rod,” Kinser cut a super 16.012s lap and His victory in the B Scramble emerged third-quickest from the gave him the second row outside said. “It happens once in a while.

We’ve been fortunate not to have 82 cars that ran against the clock. starting position in the B Feature Tatnell also had a hitout on the on the final night of the 1997 that happen much. The car felt Amoco Knoxville Nationals. pretty good. It had better be awful opening night’s programme and timed in as 21st fastest with a good, as for back as we’re going Jackson made good his start 16.496 second lap. ing spot in the B with a third plac- to be starting,” Kinser added.

by Uennis

Negotiations between the NSW Sprintcar Club and Parramatta City Raceway’s David Lander for the upcoming season’s cal endar of events have been suc cessfully concluded.

“The owner drivers had a meet ing and agreed to ask for a $300 increase up to $11,300 plus three gate refunds, as stated in the SCCA rule book,” said Billy Roberts, the constructor of Grizzly Chassis and the new president of me NSW club.

“Lander offered us $10,500 and no gate refunds, which - when you consider we average 40 cars per night- means we would be running for $8,000.

“We said we would settle for last year’s money, which was $10,800 plus three gate refunds.

“Personally, I’m not totally in dis pute with Lander, as long as the prize money makes up for the loss on the gate refunds - I lived in America for 14 years and never once got a gate refund, but I have to put forward the wishes of the mem bers.”

The Sprintcar Control Council of Australia rule book states that com petitors must receive gate refunds for three people per night, some thing with which Lander disagrees.

“As for the amount of races,” Roberts elaborated, “Lander had already decided that he was going to run a shorter season and had already told us that.

“As it stands, we have agreed to a price of $10,500 with no C Main [which cost ah extra $300] and to a schedule of eight club shows, two Internationals and two World Series Rounds.

“The thing I don’t understand is.

if there’s no money, why i.s he run ning two rounds of the World Series and why has the money being paid to the Modifieds doubled and the Super Sedans money gone up by 34%?”

With race dates settled at PCR, the only other area stdl to be finally resolved concerns the dates for Newcastle, where track promoter Lander and the club have reached a 95% agreement as to prize money and races, which would include six club shows, a round of the World Series and a Test Match.

“At one stage Lander was talking of running Outlaw-style at Newcastle, with no tow money or gate refunds, just prize money,” Roberts continued.

“But that would be in contraven tion of SCCA rules and anyone who ran there wouldn’t be allowed to run at any other race track around the country and that wouldn’t be fair on them.”

Even if the Newcastle races don’t happen, then the NSW club will still have a big season, with prelim inary plans in place about the club promoting its own shows at Canberra.

'Three races are slated for Wagga International Raceway, including the State title on March 7 and the club is also looking at running some races at Gilgandra, Nowra and Cobar.

Commenting upon the early negotiations between himself and Lander, Roberts stated that “there may have been some ^sagreement, but it was just two grown men dis cussing the sport. The dealings between us were good.”

-BRETT SWANSON

Sweetwater win

by Greg Hodnett One #ll’s misfortune was another #ll’s gain on August 19 at Sweetwater Speedway as Greg Hodnett became the Pennzoil World of Outlaws Series’ 11th different A Feature winner of the year.

Steve Kinser raced ahead of the 24-car field until the engine in his #11 Quaker State Maxim lost power early in lap 26.

Hodnett restarted in the lead and di'ove the #11H Selma Shell Maxim to his first victory of 1997 and sec ond of his World of Outlaws career.

Sammy Swindell finished second and regained the lead in the Pennzoil World of Outlaws Series driver standings as Kinser settled for a 21st-place finish and Dave Blaney came back from an early mishap to run 14th.

Blaney, who only two days befoi-e won his first Amoco Knoxville Nationals championship, opened the World of Outlaws’ first event at Sweetwater by setting the track’s qualifying standard.

His 101.611-m.p.b. lap around the high-banked, 3/8-mile oval earned him his third Channellock Fast-’Time Award of 1997.

Blaney - “The Buckeye Bullet” started on the pole of the Vivarin Dash, but finished second, as Sammy Swindell won the seven-lap race for the right to start the 35-lap main event inside the front row.

Hodnett, who started outside the third row, took over second place with a high move past Sammy in the fourth corner late in lap 19.

He was a full straightaway behind “The King of the Outlaws” before a puff of smoke billowed from the #11 and Steve stopped in the second corner.

Jeff Swindell held off Mark Kinser for third place.

Tenth-starting Joe Gaerte fin ished fifth, ahead of Craig Dollansky, Rookie of the Year can didates Donny Schatz and Paul McMahan, who led home Herrera and Haudenschild.

-RICHARD DAY

Vic Martin and Tony Rose com pletely dominated proceedings at the Gold Coast Speedway on August 9 with masterful dis plays against some quality opposition.

Martin, with passenger Bob Hill, finished unbeaten in the Sidecar events with five sizzling wins on the banked 320 metre circuit.

Despite the appearance of John Pitt/Dave George and Darren CafeA¥ayne Jennison from New South Wales, Martin’s strongest challenge on the day came from the Gary Sewell/Mark Chase pairing in heat five.

Sewell out-jumped Martin at the start, the only rider to do so on the day and led the first two laps until Mai-tin was able to muscle his way through in turn two on the final cir cuit.

The unique and somewhat disap pointing final brought Martin, Pitt,

First up, I want to congratulate the Aussie drivers who compet ed overseas - especially at the Knoxville Nationals Skip Jackson, Brooke Tatnell, Garry Brazier, Pete Murphy and Trevor Green.

I thought Brooke’s effort was especially good, considering he hasn’t run there for a couple of years and he was running with a new team.

He only missed the Feature by one spot, finishing fifth in the B Main with Skip in third - and Skip is the track champion and has won a couple of races there.

On the down side. Brazier’s performance prior to the Nationals was a bit disappointing.

I’m not talking about his driving, but his behaviour.

He’s managed to get away with that sort of thing before back here, but over there they don’t care who you are - if you misbehave, you’re out. It’s a shame, because the Aussie’s have built up a good rep utation over the years and Braziers antics don’t help it.

I just wish he’d concentrate on his driving, because he’s an extremely talented and fast race car driver.

D

ave Lander, the PCR and Newcastle Promoter, is cur rently involved with some heavy discussions with the NSW Sprintcar Club over prize money and the like.

I understand both sides of the argument and I’m just glad not to be involved in it.

Just Sprintcar sideto offinish things.on I’dthe really love to do some more Sprintcar racing.

39

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Rose and Martin dominate Cafe and Sewell together for a series of four one lap sprints, with points accumulating on each clash to determine the overall victor.

Needless to say, Martin was untroubled in each encounter and collected maximum points.

Cafe and Pitt engaged in some rather physical exchanges that resulted in an elbow injury to George and damage to Cafe’s trike.

Bruce Cook/Dave Oliver started the day strongly with a big win in their opening ride, but couldn’t sus tain that form against the top quar tet and narrowly missed a final berth.

In Solo competition, Tony Rose again proved too strong for his A

Grade rivals, despite a shock loss in his second ride to former English international Jamie Habbin.

Habbin, now domiciled in Queensland and having his first competitive outing in several year’s, blew everyone away in heat five, before a series of mechanical mal adies brought his day to a prema ture end.

Habbin’s demise provided Rose with an unchallenged run through the remaining heats and saw him finish as equal highest pointscorer with veteran Allan Rivett.

Brent Collyer was next best, ahead of talented youngster Scott Smith, Paul Stewart and New South Welshman Lee Femance.

especially around January with the Grand Annual Classic, some international races and the Title.

At the moment, I’ve got nothing lined up because I’ve just been concentrating on getting the Speedcar ready and building up Action Screen Printing with my brother, Colin.

At the moment, there’s plenty of speedway work coming in, with teams having established their sponsorships and so on, so now I’m just hanging around waiting for the season to get started.

maintenance, which could be a good thing when doing the super series.

Brett Morris has supposedly sold his car and bought a Harris chassis out of New Zealand, once the National body allowed their use - that should be another inter esting combination to keep an eye on.

The Speedcar Series will, I think, helpSuper Speedcars in Victoria, Queensland and along the east coast. It’s going to be a big summer.

There’s so many combinations of cars, tyres and engines.

I don’t think that any one driver is going to dominate. Whoever’s the quickest to adjust to the new / tracks will be the one to beat.

A particular combination, like a Stealth/Fontana on Hoosiers may be the car to beat at, say, Avalon, while a Beast/Scat/McCreary com bination might be the go at Archerfield.

Aussie champ Craig Brady has gone for an Esslinger powerplant this season.

I’m told that they are not short of horsepower, but are kinder on the valve train so they need less

The only major incident on the day occurred in heat three when Stryder Horton, yet another visitor from over the border, took a heavy dump in turn four after contact with Dave Watt, putting both rid ers out of action for the day.

The A Grade final proved to be a Rose benefit, due to the early demise of Rivett (disqualified for touching the start tape) and Smith (a fall in turn one).

Collyer, who has been struggling to find peak form in recent weeks, was the only other survivor and wasn’t able to pressure his more experienced rival.

Burly Goffs Harbour-based rider Rob Hooper was the star performer

At the moment, our budget’s not looking real flash, so we may not be doing the whole series -jwe may just pick and choose the we run in our shows Jackson/Fontana/Hoosier car.

The-goals for this season are to concentrate on the series and to change the number on the car.

ufr

'A

R

od Bowen has two identical

cars ready to go. F^d’s as keen as ever and has a two-car team of Stealth/Gaertes on McCrearys.

Both cars are painted ready to go, one numbered 75 and the other 57.

Having two cars with the same engines should help Rod with his consistency this season.

Add to that the fact he’s import ing an ace wrench from New Zealand and he sure is looking good.

A

dam Qiarke’s dad and Ken Jenkins have both just

in the B Grade ranks, winning three from four and performing very strongly when called in to the top grade as a substitute.

Former junior star Ricky Nicol perfoi’med solidly to pick up a win and a series of runner-up finishes behind Harper.

Overall, my first visit to the Gold Coast circuit was a pleasant experi ence, with good racing and a very reasonable admission price.

A few improvements to the place and a more professional attitude from a few competitors are all that’s needed to make the complex a first class motorcycle speedway venue.

-CHRIS METCALF

PUMPED UP... Robbie Farr is lookingforward to a great season. returned from the US with some son and, after the success of last new parts - so, with all the young season. I’m a bit nervous as to whether we can repeat the effort. guys and good equipment travel It will be a bigger challenge this ling around the east coast, it will season, but we’re all looking for be a great series.

I’m really pumped up this sea- ward to it.

John Sidney Racing

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29 August 1991

Satori, Maiolo top Ellenbrook

Youngsters Ken Satori and Jamie Maiolo were the big win ners in their respective divi sions at Ellenbrook Speedway on August 24.

Satori, who appeared with new sponsor Nu-Kia on his #30 Formula 500, had motor problems all day, hut thanks to his dedicated crew, got everything together when it counted in the NuFord/Tucker Time final.

Luck was on his side, though, as top pointscorer Phil Crofts’ motor soured in the final,just as his start ed to perform.

Crofts had one win and two sec onds during the three heats and was well in front when he experi enced his problems, allovdng other heat winners Trevor Harding and '’"'Anthony Chitty to finish second and third, respectively.

McCreary Tyre dealer Neville Rowe dominated the Limited Sprintcar heats, taking three from three.

Brett Searle proved once again to be the driver to watch, taking out the first two heats in the 360ci divi sion - Maiolo would take out the third.

Last season’s 360 points champi on Marc Giancola finished the day on a bad note, destroying a motor and a driveline as he finished heat number three.

Come the final and Searle led the field away, only to be relegated a position at the first restart for jumping the original start - in the end, he would finish a disgruntled second behind Maiolo, with Peter Johnston grabbing third.

Modified Reds once again graced the Bullsbrook circuit and Alan Baker certainly showed his worth with a fine run, taking out two wins and a third in the heats, plus a sec ond in the final.

Vince Smith took out the second heat of the day, but it would be Darren Newby taking out the win in the final.

Ron Napier, Andy McNally and John Castagna all grabbed a heat win each during the afternoon, with Castagna taking out the final over Alan Smallwood and Napier.

For a change, Luke Halliday didn’t dominate the Junior Sedans, but arch-enemy Matt Bennett did Bennett clean-sheeted the day’s events, with the final between the two being nothing short of brilliemt.

After they cleared away from the pack, they ran the final five laps side by side, with Bennett’s Mini getting a push in the middle of each comer and forcing Halliday to mn wide each time, Bennett finishing only a car length ^ead at the che quer.

The final division of the day.

Street Sedans, sounded just like the Juniors, with the name Bennett dominating the three heat races this time, though, it was Matt’s father Rob who did all the winning in his new Cortina.

When it came to the final, he let the family whitewash down, rdnning second to last Sunday’s fea ture winner Graeme Hunter, with Stephen DeBoik finishing third in his newly-built Torana.

Ellenbrook Speedway held its annual Telethon Day last month

Brisbane’s Speedway has some newArcherfield initiatives on the drawing board for the upcoming season, Archerfield spokesman Mick Reid confirming recently that the circuit will host two nights of racing every week from September through to June next year.

Friday night meetings will comprise Archerfield’s various Bomber divisions only, including a new Stock Standard class that is open to new competitors and novice drivers only. Reid is confident that this new category will attract an influx of hew talent that will quickly progress through to the more recog nised higher profile categories.

The Archerfield promotion also plans to have all feature races contested under the traditional fastest from the rear format for all divisions - acceptance of this proposal from the various racing clubs is yet to be con firmed, with discussions over the allocation of prizemoney under this format currently under way.

For this system to work effectively, prizemoney allocations need to be reassessed to ensure that the best performed competitor overall on the night (heats and feature) takes home the major portion of the money - oth erwise, tftere will be no incentive to perform in the heats if the only reward is a rear of field start in the main event.

A big positive about this proposal is that it will enable more drivers to collect feature race wins and impress sponsors and sup porters and it will also increase the amount of passing in these events.

Other news from Archerfield includes the announcement that the America’s Cup series for Modified Production Sedans will not be contested this year.

The series, which has attracted big fields and provided plenty of good racing since it’s inception, has been deemed too expensive by track management.

Former Exhibition Speedway promoter Vic Butler has confirmed that he will stage the opening round of the Series 500 International Speedway Masters at

BRITISH GP... Mikael Karlsson leads #16 Joe Screen,#8 Chris Louis and Biily Hamill.(Mike Patrick pic) Top British stars Joe Screen and Kelvin Tatum, along with the American former World Champion Sam Ermolenko, have signed contracts to race in the Series 500 International Speedway Masters in -TONYMILLAilD Australia fi-om December 29 to January 31. and President Len Hawkins and heat three. Kelierberrin’s Trevor Limited Sprintcars filled the pits his hard-working crew of helpers Johnson won the other heat, but it and a notable entrant was that of provided a great surface for the in the end it was Dave Plecas who former Ellenbrook points champ, dominated the final, winning over Daniel Hawkins. da/s activities.

Hawkins didn’t wait to settle in Junior Sedans have with out a Danny. and bolted out of the blocks to win doubt been one of the success sto Greg Robinson took out the open ries of this season and the standout ing heat of B Modified - A1 heat one.

Rookies Sean Phillips and Jamie driver has been Luke Halliday.

Smallwood took out a pair of -wins, After winning heat one, he came with Chris Brooks and Jack Maiolo took out a heat win each, out in heat two and flipped over a Dolmans taking out the other two but Brett Searle looked to be the one to watch with two heat wins. number of times in turns two and heats.

Come feature time and Searle Come the feature, though and it three - the race was declared, giv unfortunately experienced prob ing his hard-working crew a chance was Dolmans grabbing the win.

Peter Hardie and Rob Bennett lems with his car and at no point to fix the car, Halliday winning the grabbed a heat win each, but in the became a threat for Marc Giancola, rerun, plus the final.

Other strong performances came feature, Osborne Park motor who had a consistent run all day, the way of Matt Bennett, Dennis t mechanic Graeme Hunter took the taking the win in his Coates Hire Poland and Trey Stones. ' win over what eventually was a Gambler - in the end, Searle would A Modifieds saw both Dave and depleted field. finish third' behind talented young Barry Hunter and Wayne ster Maiolo, with John Ing grabbing Danny Ple.cas run up the front all fourth. day, with Dave taking out heats Fairbrass followed him home.

-BRAD STEELE An assortment of 15 360ci and two and four, while Danny collected

ern Ndfies

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By Chris Metcalf Archerfield on December 29.

The racing will be contested on the tacky 400 metre clay circuit and not the 280 metre infield layout that was utilised when Solos last appeared here almost 10 years ago.

The Grand Final of the rich series will still be held at the Exhibition Speedway as planned.

With Lismore promoter Warren King only running a limited number of shows this sum mer, Street Saloons from that region will also become a regular part of the Archerfield pro gramming this season.

TT,

le Downs Speedway Club has just _ released its racing calendar for the 1997/98 racing season at the Charlton Raceway on Toowoomba’s western out skirts.

The club has 15 meetings scheduled, with the Australian Litre Sprintcar Championship and the Queensland Modified Production Championship pencilled in for a double header over Easter 1998.

The full calendar of events is as follows: September 20 - Litre Sprintcars, October 11 Modified Productions, October 18 - Solo and Sidecars, October 25 - Sprintcars, November 15 - Speedcars, November 29 - Modified Productions, December 13 - Modified Rods, December 20 Super Sedans, January 10 Speedcars, February 7 - Super Sedans, February 21 - Modified Productions, March 7 - Modified Rods, March 21 - Speedcars, April 10/11 - Australian Litre Sprintcar Title and Queensland Modified Production Title, May 2 - Bombers.

The Toowoomba club has also under gone some major changes in personnel, with Malcolm Layt taking over the presidency from Wayne Thompson, who will now serve as Treasurer.

David When occupies the Vice Presidency, with Joy Nielsen replacing the fabulously helpful Jenny Hynes as Secretary.

Super Sedan pilot Brian Missen, as Programme Coordinator, is the final member of the new executive.

ATri-City Sedans this series season will be over held six for rounds Street at the Gympie, Maryborough and Kingaroy cir cuits.

The meetings, which should provide plen ty of action, are as follows: Maryborough Speedway - October 4 and December 20, Kingaroy Showground October 18 and November 15, Mothar Mountain Speedway November 8 and December 13.

The Brisbaneconducted Limited Sprintcar Racing Association its trophy presen tation ceremony and Annual General Meeting recently.

Trophy winners for the 1996/97 season were: Club Champion: Eddie Thoriey.

A Grade Pointscore: 1st - Eddie Thoriey, 2nd - George Galea, 3rd - Brian Abbott.

B Grade Pointscore: 1 st - Danny Devers, 2nd - Richard Atkinson, 3rd - Annette Spence.

Rookie of the Year: Rod Loutitt.

Encouragement Awards: Phil Alien, Ray Devers, Les Rodgie.

Commitment Award: Adrian O’Connell.

Chief Stewards Awards: Michael Black, Keith O’Shea.

The 1997/98 Management Committee was also elected, with Mark Devers remain ing as President for another term.

Shane Conradi has been appointed Vice President, with Deeanne Brooks performing in the role of Secretary. Danny Devers will serve as Treasurer and Geoff O’Connell has been appointed Machinery Officer.

Michael Black and Richard Atkinson will be responsible for the control of race meet ings as Chief Steward and Driver’s Representative, respectively.

Official pre-season practice Archerfield Speedway on August 16 at drew a very poor response, with only five cars taking advantage of the minimal admission price and the opportunity for extended track time.

Terry Bracken was the quickest of those in attendance, throwing the Titan Maxim Sprintcar around the track in 13.04 seconds.

Fellow Sprintcar jockey Julie Murphy, yet to compete in the division, stopped the clock at 14.80 seconds, a fraction quicker than the 14.88 seconds recorded by Jim Gallagher aboard his Castrol-liveried Litre Sprintcar.

The only other time recorded was by Russell Bonsey aboard his V8 AMCA National - the former Super Sedan and Modified Rod pedaller clocked a best time of 19.00 seconds for a lap of the 400 metre clay circuit.

The Brisbane Speedway Association also held its annualSedan trophy presentation evening recently, with Super Sedan ace Ian Marshall scooping the pool.

Marshall, a former national champion, clinched the 1996/97 Club Championship trophy aboard his trusty Federal Tyres Commodore with consistent results through out the season.

Ian Brims backed up his America’s Cup success with victory in the Modified Production season pointscore.

The complete list of winners is as follows: Modified Production Season Pointscore: 1st - Ian Brims, 2nd - Gary Brown, 3rd David Jacobi.

Super Sedan Season Pointscore: 1st Ian Marshall, 2nd - Jamie McHugh, 3rd Nick Girdlestone.

Rookie of the Year: Steve Price.

Best Presented: Gary Brown (Modified Production), Ian Marshall (Super Sedan).

Club Champion: Ian Marshall.

41

Roberts three-car Grizzly Sprintcar team gears up Apart from his responsibilities as president of the NSW Sprintcar Club, Grizzly Chassis constructor Billy Roberts is working flat out to get the three-car Grizzly team ready for the new season and the upcoming races in the Northern Territory.

“We’re getting ready to head off to Darwin on September 15 for the series of six races over eight nights,” Roberts explained.

“We’ll be doing two nights at Darwin, one at Katherine, three at Alice Springs and there will be some gun drivers there too, like Ron Krikke, Darryl Downing and Dave McFadden.”

As for the local season, Justin “JJ” Mineeff will be saddling up in a brand-new “AC/DC” chassis - a car that can run coil-over, or torsion bar suspension - backed again by Suzi-Wreck and Scott’s Refrigerated Transport. Kevin Burton will run a high bar torsion bar Grizzly for the Van Man and Burtons Wholesale Cars, while Peter Craft will split his time between two of last year’s coil-over chassis with the bacldng of Craft Differentials, Pro Shocks and Hoosier Tyres.

Keny Madsen will also continue with his Grizzly car, which he describes as the best chassis he’s ever had.

Roberts’ good friend John Shore will run two new J&Js which are actually built to Grizzly specifica tions, as Roberts didn’t have the time to build the cars personally for Shore.

The Grizzly team has four motors, two of which will be main tained by Ivan Walker, one by Wayne Jones and the other by Roberts himself - the latter is the team’s research and development motor and is unique in that it runs a Motec fuel injection system.

“People says you can’t run a MoTeC system without electronic fuel injection, but that’s not true,” Roberts stated “Our motors at the start of last season were down on horsepower, so we devoted the second half of the season to R&D and we learnt more in half a season than we would in two years.

“We did all the data logging on the MoTeC engine which is current ly in the States'- along with anoth er of our engines - where we have different people testing both on their dynos to give us some compar ison data.”

The Grizzly team is also expect ing to do a couple of rounds of the SRA series in the Garden State, Victoria, this season, as is Gosford’s John Shore.

-BRETT SWANSON

olish rider Ratal Dobrucki, recently runner-up in the World Under-21 Championship, has been named as the wild card rider for the Poiish round of the Worid Championship Grand Prix series.

Dobrucki will be the fourth home rider taking part at Wroclaw, where he will join Tomasz Gollob, Slawomir Drabik and Piotr Protasiewicz in the 16-man field.

It had been thought that Australian Jason Crump might have earned the place - Crump has been the most successful wild card rider to date, when he came 10th in Sweden, but the FIM has decided that a rider will have just one wild card this year.

make it back to England in time to race.

i

By Tony Millard U l\ Aussie starLeague Jason Lyons raced his 20th meeting for the Belle Vue Club of Manchester and celebrated with a maximum 15 points return against Coventry in the British Elite League - Lyons is now using Jawa machinery and attributes his recent improvement to his change in motors.

The ‘2O0th’ celebrations were shared by the birthday of girlfriend Julie on the same day !

Belle Vue has sacked American Charles Venegas, who has flown home to California - for mer England international Paul Thorp has taken his place.

■'yhe Secondthree Test match Match series of the proposed between England and Australia was cancelled, after three British riders threatened to pull out fol lowing the selection of the England team.

Gary Havelock, Joe Screen and Mark Loram all said they would not ride if John Louis remained as team manager.

Louis had left out his own son, Chris, to allow him to ride for his club, Ipswich, in a League match the same night and the others felt this was unfair.

British Promoters’ Chairman Terry Russeil denied that Louis had acted wrongly.

He claimed that both Chris Louis and Australia’s Steve Johnston were omitted from their country’s teams and therefore it evened things up - both ride for Ipswich, the club managed by John Louis.

The riders have, however, agreed to race the ‘third’ Test Match at Swindon on September 14 - ironically, Russell Is co-pro moter at that circuit.

British speedway Boocock, wholegend livesNigel in Australia, is flying to England to take part in a special meeting just three weeks short of his 68th birthday I Boocock is racing at Coventry among many legendary names in a meeting staged by another leg end. Berry Briggs, to commemo rate 50 years of speedway at the Midland Track in England - he last raced there in 1980 for Swindon against Coventry!

The meeting is a ‘Golden Greats Brandanopolis’ in which the line-up will include former World Champions Briggs, Ove Fundin and Anders Michanek.

With the Grand Prix in Poland the night before. Ole Olsen (Grand Prix Director) and Peter Collins (TV Commentator) can’t

Perth’s veteran Glyn Taylor, now 43, hasstar confirmed he intends to ride again, despite hor rendous injuries suffered at Hull four weeks ago - a full body cast is now fitted to protect his spine and titanium bracing holds his back in place.

“I want to be back next March,” Taylor said when attending the Bradford Grand Prix meeting.

“I had a worse crash in 1990, when the handlebar came through my helmet at Alice Springs. I was unconscious for seven weeks, but came through that” - Taylor is likely to remain in England and will miss the Aussie summer.

A German change Speedway in the rules of the Federation allowed overseas riders to com pete in this year’s national cham pionship providing they race regu larly in the domestic League.

As a result, Sydney’s Todd Wiltshire is among them and he came third in his semi-final.

Wiltshire scored 11 points to finish behind local favourite Matthies Kroger and British rider Marvyn Cox. Wiltshire shed a chain in his First ride, but pro duced some fabulous riding to make up for lost time. gteve not inbeen havingJohnston the best has of luck this year’s World Longtrack/Grasstrack championships and went into the third meeting (Sunday, August 24, at Pfarrkirken in Germany) in eighth place with 24 points England’s Glenn Cunningham is the leader with 41.

Shane Parker took part in the second meeting at Cloppenburg, where he came 13th.

Neville Harper and Motorsport News

hjeviHe Harper is truly an identity of State President. He then moved sylwho can be acknowledged as up to national ranks, taking over one who has “been around the the Vice-President’s role for three years before, in 1996/97, taking tracks" for quite some time.

Neville became ,over the National Presidency of Initially, involved in speedway approxi ! the ASCF. But Neville has also earned a mately 30 years ago and, since reputation as a competitive driver that time, has achieved a reputa on the track. tion as a man who is prepared to stand by his word.

Neville’s firsf Tasmanian State Championship was won in 1969 Neville’s belief is that if you want to be critical of the way and now, 30 years on, his list of victories is impressive. things are done, or of the rules In Tasmania alone, he has that are formulated, you should be taken out an additional six State prepared to contribute by taking on an administrative role.

Titles, four Grand National events, four Grand Prix events and five For this reason, Neville, who admits freely that he is always King of Carrick Titles (the most recent in March this year). ready to express his opinions However, Neville has not just openly, has taken on such an competed locally, but has become active role in speedway.

Neville's introduction into known nationally as a shrewd rival.

He won the ASCF Australian speedway administration came when he took over the Presidency Open Championship in Adelaide in 1988, coming second in the same of the Latrobe Speedway Drivers event the following year.

Club, a position that he held for 12 He has taken victory at the years.

Neyille's next achievement was Leeton Queens Birthday Classic on seven different occasions, as his eight years as the guiding force in Tasmania, holding the position well as notching up numerous fea-

Max Dumesny Motorsport

The 1996/97 speedway season is finally over and the titles in all divisions of sedan racing have been run and won.

This year was probably the most difficult year for some time, for the ASCF executive members.

As every member is no doubt aware, all titles are on a rotation basis from state to state and this year, with two titles allocated to the Northern Territory, has caused an unprecedented demand on our resources, both financial and physical.

The upside was that all titles were a resounding success and congratulations must go to all competitors, officials and promot ing bodies.

The coming season is already shaping up to be the BEST EVER, with many positive changes already in place, such as Newcastle Motordome and Parramatta City Raceway under the same promotional team.

Also worthy of note is the news that Latrobe Cascade Apple Isle Speedway in Tasmania has upped the $25,000 race to $30,000.

This event is to be held in con junction with the ASCF 30th anniversary and the Australian Modified Production Title.

These will be held over a 10 day period, from January 19 to February 8, with many additional activities planned for this period also.

1

have also been heavily involved in discussions with Jon Davison, Promoter of Sandown international Raceway in Melbourne, in an endeavour to run speedway at the Melbourne Showgrounds on a reg ular basis.

Jon has been negotiating with showground officials, local council

and relevant members of parliament for some time and it is his view that "... it [speedway at the showgrounds] has never been closer.”

We are currently organising a demonstration to run in conjunc tion with the Melbourne Show for Friday, September 29, with approximately eight Super Sedans selected for this display - more details on this when they come to hand.

Draft specifications for Super Sedans have now been circu lated to all states and ASCF exec utives need your comments in order to formulate the new Spec Book - remember, we can only do what you want us to do, if you tell us what it is.

So, please, go to club meet ings, make your wishes known and vote for them.

Instruct your representative to the ASCF to implement your wish es - the September conference is the cut-off date.

1997 WORLD OF OUTLAWS/SKOAL OUTLAW SERIES

agents for

Xoo$irr

ture event wins at tracks Australiawide.

Neville's greatest achievement is his induction in the “Motor Sport Hall of Fame,” which he deemed to be a great honour.

Motorsport News welcomes Neville Harper to its pages as a regular Super Sedan columnist.

POINT STANDINGS TO AUGUST 24. 1997

2

c

I

^ ^ RACING TIRE

for more information on Hoosier Drag and Speedway Tyres call 02 9679 1990

I. Sammy Swindell 2. Dave Blaney 3. Steve Kinser 4. Jac Haudenschild 5. Andy Hillenburg 6. Greg Hodnett 7. Stevie Smith 8. Johnny Herrera 9. Joe Gaerte 10. Jeff Swindell

7,984 7,958 7,931 7,886 7,653 7,522 7,444 7,248 7,142 6,997

11. Donny Schatz 12. Paul McMahan 13. Mark Kinser 14. Dion Hindi 15. Danny Lasoski 16. Lance Blevins 17. Joey Saldana 18. Garry Brazier 19. Craig Dollansky 20. Randy Hannagan

6,767 6,737 6,718 5,496 5,072 3,825 2,886 2,461 2,320 1,995

ELAflA SPEEDWAY - AUGUST 23 A-FEATURE (40 LAPS) I. Sammy Swindell I!. Kasey Kahne 12. Paul McMahan 2. Steve Kinser 13. Travis Cram 3. Stevie Smith 14. Marc Huson 4. Dave Blaney 15. Dion Hindi 5. Craig Dollansky 6. Donny Schatz 16. Dale Smith 7. Joe Gaerte 17. John McDonald 8. Greg Hodnett 18. Andy Hillenburg 9. Randy Hannagan 19. Mark Kinser 10. Johnny Herrera 20. Peter Murphy

F

29Augusl199/

KARTING

[/^®9®[FS[p®l70

SWEATY PALMS... Troy Hunt and crew carry out frantic repairs for the Inter A final.(Edward Krause pics)

Dann The Man tops Raleigh Report by EDWARD KRAUSE

Gary Dann had the perfect shakedown for his World Championship campaign, win ning the Formula A final at the third round of the CIK Series at Raleigh two weeks ago.

The PCR driver led an on-track team 1-2, but his new team mate, a back-in-form Ryan Wlodzinski, was given a three-position penalty for a starting infringement and was pushed to fifth, Nick Agland being elevated to second from David Clark.

Troy Hunt had his toughest test yet in the Intercontinental A class, winning the final from grid ten, while Michael Caruso stretched his lead in ICA Junior.

Formula A Qualifying & Heats Tecno/PCR driver David Clark’s weekend started badly when his team forgot to attach the transpon der in the opening qualifier - David had done around five laps and pitlane stopwatches had him at a 45.6 before the mistake was noticed.

Nick Agland set pole in the Arrow/Italsistem with a 45.7 in the opening session, with most unable to improve in the second session.

Clark set a 45.8 to be on the front row from the PCR pair of Dann and Wlodzinski, followed by PJ Lehane (Haase) and Andrew Wamsley (Tibi).

Series leader Lincoln Mitchell (Top Kart) was disappointed with seventh fastest, while next to him was John Joyce in the Tony Kart.

Malcolm Heath qualified ninth in a Tecno, but by the final he would be back in a Top Kart.

Newcomer Bradley Sloan was tenth, followed by Scott Logan and Tyson Pearce, the latter not record ing a competitive lap due to a brake problem that was fixed by the heats.

Clark took pole for the Pre Final

with two firsts and a third. go at Agland, but the Oceania The racing up front was intense champion held on to win. -j Dann passed where Clark and at times a httle rough.

Agland took the other win, as couldn’t at Vanguard, but Clark well as a second and a third to shot-back and retook third at the last diet of esses to relegate Dann to retain a front row spot.

Wamsley and Joyce were big fourth. improvers to be on the second row Final - Wamsley was quick but an alter The first start was a farce. The cation or two cost him some valu able points, while Joyce was steady green light was given despite a three-kart accident on the last cor but not spectacular.

Mitchell was another who was ner, which included one kart upside down. consistent, fifth on the grid to share The field was regridded, but it with Wlodzinski, who didn’t start the first heat and then finished sec was a rush as Mitchell and Joyce ond and fourth. (who rolled) had to do some urgent The fourth row would be Dann repairs to their karts.

Both were furious at the antics of and Lehane, the South Australian second, 12th and fifth, while some of their competitors.

Mitchell was forced to start a lap Lehane was seventh, eighth and 10th. down due to a fouled plug, while Four of the FA newcomers were Clartc and Heath had to start from having a tough time. Heath, Logan, the back with the same problem.

Wlodzinski was given a threePearce and Sloane roimdiflg out the place penalty for jumping the start grid, a variety of problems prevent as the starter let them go and, at ing them getting up the field. the same time, Mitchell was wheel Pre Final ing his kart back to the pits while Joyce got shuffled badly at the on the exit of the fast turn one!

Wlodzinski got the start from start, while up front it developed into two battles, Agland and Clark Agland and Dann, while Clark made a sensational start to be for the lead, with Wamsley, Dann and Wlodzinski behind. fourth by lap two.

From lap three, the race for the After much passing and repass ing, they eventually spread out, lead was on and would continue to Wlodzinski in third from Dann, the very end.

A lot of passing centred around while Wamsley began to fall back Mitchell passed him for fifth and the Raleigh Truss & Timber hair pin and esses. they both had lonely races from then on.

Agland hit the lead at the hair Clark had taken the lead, but pin, while Wamsley and Pearce made early exits.

Agland hit back on lap 15.

A multitude of passing attempts By this time, Agland had to deal with pads that were rubbing on the (and failures) were made among brake disc and an engine that the front four, but the most costly didn’t want to pull out of comers. for Clark was when he passed Then Wlodzinski and Dann got Wlodzinski for second, only to run into the act. wide and fall back to fourth.

Wlodzinski passed Clark and?The PCR pair swapped second a when he counter-attacked at the couple of times before Wlodzinski ultra-fast Vanguard left-hander, he hit the lead with two identical pass ing moves at the esses, firstly on was squeezed and had a half-lose.

This gave Dann the incentive and Dann and then the next lap on the front four were split into two Agland. battles, Agland and Wlodzinski for Agland hit back the following lap, first and Clark vs Dann for third. only to lose it two corners later.

On the last lap, Wlodzinski had a Then, with four to go, Dann made

THE WINNER... PCR punter and Formula A victor Gary Dann his move, taking firstly his team mate and then, with a superb brak ing move at turn two,the lead.

He then pulled away to take the win, while on the last corner Wlodzinski snuck underneath Agland for second, only to be rele gated to fifth with his penalty, which he argued about in vain with the stewards.

This elevated Agland to second and Clark to third.

Fourth (after Wlodzinski’s penal ty) was Scott Logan, another PCR driver coming good, who just heldg out P.J Lehane after earlier seeing off Joyce, who was vfery sore and sorry from his tumble earlier and finished seventh with a muffler stinger missing.

Next was Malcolm Heath and then, a lap down, Mitchell.

“I’m just so happy,” said Dann afterwards. “I knew I could do it; everything was going well. I just waited and then made my move and it worked beautifully.

“We made some changes to the chassis on Saturday night after we were wearing tyres out and they worked and our Dunlops were superb in the final. I can go to the Worlds [Championships] a lot more confident.”

Agland was less enthusiastic, saying he was not happy with his chassis set-up in the final: “It just wasn’t working properly. The brakes were rubbing in the Pre Final and we just couldn’t get it all to work properly.”

Despite this, Agland scored the most points on the day and is now leading the championship from Clark, Mitchell and Dann in what is one of the closest Formula A series ever.

Intercontinental A Coming from behind and Troy Hunt are not two phrases that go together this season, but at Raleigh the young Top Kart driver faced and passed, his biggest test of the season.

For the first time this series, he didn’t qualify fastest - then, in the Pre Final, he was running second

behind Wesley May and seized.

This meant starting from grid ten in the final, with series chal lengers Mark Winterbottom, William Yarwood and Luke Mewett all starting ahead of him, as was fastest qualifier May. Then, while waiting on the grid for the final, it looked like he wouldn’t be starting at all.

ICA Junior competitor James Harrigan noticed that one of the nuts that holds the engine’s head in place was broken.

It was stripped and Hunt didn’t have a spare engine available there was no choice but to try and somehow get another nut on.

Using all manner of methods, including bodyweight on the engine, a nut finally took and they were in the race, hoping the head was sealed properly.

In the final. May took the lead from Winterbottom, Mewett and Yarwood.

Hunt took five laps to be in sec ond position, passing all three of his closest championship contenders.

He then set out after May, who had established a strong lead.

Winterbottom tailed Hunt for several laps, but Hunt broke clear while Yarwood and Mewett contin ued their season-long duel for fourth, with Mitch Boulton in the new Energy Corse kart closing in sixth until a bent sprocket put him out.

On lap 17, Hunt took the lead and, after a couple of laps, began to pull away as the front five spread themselves out, Yarwood getting the upper hand over Mewett to take fourth behind May and Winterbottom.

Hunt was ecstatic after the final: “We made a lot of changes on Saturday night, which made the kart work much better, and faster.

“Seizing the engine in the Pre Final was just my fault, as the silly driver ran it too lean. I started to run out of rear tyres at the end of the final and it was sliding around a bit, but it was still good.”

Continued next page

KARTING

1^®0®£S[P®I79^

29August W

^3

Oceania in doubt?

The Oceania Championships event to he held in Melbourne later this year is under threat.

Australian Karting Association (AKA) President Boh Edyvean con firmed that he was concerned that the overseas teams had shown no intention of making the trip to Australia in late November.

He is now even more concerned, given that there is a CIK event being held in the Phillipines on the same weekend, which seems to he the preferred option for many of the teams.

A CAMS fax to International Commision (CIK) Karting President Ernest Buser expressing concerns was replied to and sent to CAMS Motorsport Manager Tim ‘Ashenkon’(Schenken), claiming to be confused about “all this ques tions who have nothing to do with

International Championships.”

Buser then asked for confirma tion that the “Australian Sport Association” is still interested in holding the event and that we would have to have sufficient com petitors for the event.

He also said that “there is never a guarantee of attendance, not even in Europe” - this is despite the guarantee he gave to Edyvean that he would make sure that the European teams would participate in November, after the poor show ing in Januai-y.

Edyvean confirmed that neither Tony Kart nor CRG had expressed interest in coming and that he would abandon the event if insuffi cient overseas interest was shown.

The date would then simply become the final round of the Australian CIK Championships.

In a surprise twist, the rumour mill was running hot during the CIK Series third round that the Oceania event could return to Raleigh next year.

With CAMS now out of the pic ture, the denied dispute between Raleigh proprietor Chris Piggot and the Confederation is obsolete and there is no doubt that Raleigh is the popular choice among the dri vers, both locally and from over seas.

With new engines to test follow ing the homologation process, the teams would have a benchmark from 1995 with which to compare.

Edyvean also confirmed that he had heard those rumours and said that he was well aware of the popu larity of the Raleigh venue, but at this stage it was only talk and -EDWARD KEAUSE hearsay.

Continued from previous page If Hunt had a scare, everyone else was in shock.

Wesley May had arrived at his first senior (IIK round and done what his more CIK-experienced counterparts had been unable to do, out-qualify and take a race off Hunt - his superb drive and nerve under pressure was a sure sign of his development as a driver, as pole and second place on debut is a very worthy achievement.

Here’s hoping he retmms.

Winterbottom was again unable to find the right set-up when the grip goes down and, while the Arrow AX6 driver made it onto the podium, he acknowledged he was a long way behind at the end - but he is also improving at every round and his qualifying performance at Raleigh was a big step forward. “novTEr.n '

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It was hard to get used to and it didn’t help living in a foreign country with a very different cul ture.

This off amy lot engine better.

I’ve year beenstarted living with tuner, Martijn Koene, in Holland, where a lot more people speak English and seem nicer.

As far as the racing is con cerned, it’s been good, although the Bridgestone tyres we ran have been the wrong choice for this year.

But, I’ve been the highest placed Bridgestone runner all the season and I finished fifth in the European Championship.

I also took second place in the World Cup at Suzuka, which I should have won, but for a mis take on my part on the last lap.

The Bridgestones have been 7/1 Os of a second slower than the Dunlops, so for us to have gone as well as we have is very good.

I

’m feeling confident about the forthcoming World Championship on Setember 14. Salbris is one of my favourite tracks, probably because I always seem to go well there!

The Bridgestone people have told us that our tyres will be good for the race, so I’m really looking forward to it.

There are 99 starters and qual ifying starts on Friday. We have all the heats on Saturday and then Sunday is for the Pre-Final and Final.

There are only a couple of dri vers I’d say are my main rivals, Antonio Garcia and Alban Martinet. In my next column. I’ll be able to tell you how it all went.

After theback World I’ll be in Championship, Australia for a while, before heading over to the States for the North American titles in October.

When I’m in Australia, dad and I will be offering a race tuition ser vice for junior karters.

We’re going to place a few advertisements in the media soon, but the general idea is that I’m available for younger drivers to hire for a day, or whatever, for race tuition and to help them set their karts up - okay, end of free plug! Talk to you soon.

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One of my firstwas priorities when came home to ait my dri I ving test, as I turned 17 at the end of June.

I had a few lessons before hand and my instructor only had two words to say and they were “slow down!”

Now I’ve got my licence, there’s np keeping me off the road!

I’ve got a Datsun 1200 ute and I go out driving all the time. Mum keeps asking me where I’m going and I tell her “wherever I end up.”

I haven’t ventured as far as Perth just yet, but I have clocked 2000kms in two weeks and I seem to be filling up with petrol every five seconds.

But, back tothe my World racing ... since winning Junior Karting Championship in 1995, I’ve moved up a class to Formula A and next month I’ll be trying to win another world title at Salbris in France.

Just in case there’s anyone reading this who isn’t too familiar with the varying classes of kart ing, in comparison with Juniors, Formula A karts have wider back tyres, run rotary valve engines, a different carburettor and the tyres are stickier.

Last year was my first season in Formula A with Tony Kart - the team I won the world title with in 1995 - and I was actually living with the team in Italy.

It wasn’t all that good for me, although I did finish fourth in the World Championship.

I had a fair bit of trouble in the European Championship and ended up seventh overall - my best place was a second at Sabris.

The biggest thing, though, was being away from my family for the very first time.

ICA Junior Michael Caruso started off his weekend in usual fashion, qualify ing fastest - but then the Tony MAKiNG WAVES... Third-placed Mark Winterbottom impressed.

Kart driver finished runner-up in all three'heats and the Pre Final to Monaco for the Race of Champions Elevated to second was Alan Cla5d;on Pyne, who was having his street race later this year.

Curr, the Konica Top Kart pilot first run for the 'Wynn’s Team, / Official notification was yet to having an off weekend and not able come, but as the series leader, he match the pace of the leading pair, although stOl in his Tony Kart. but still able to keep in contention Pyne had been the pace-setter said that if he was eligible then he for the series. throughout the meeting, winning would go.

Debutant Bart Price made a sen Pyne was later excluded from every race, but a bad start in the final saw Caruso take an early lead second position in the final, as the sational debut, finishing third in and from there it was all over. muffler he was using on his Vortex his first CIK Series meeting after a The difference in lap times engine, the one that Schumacher strong performance throughout the between the front two was minimal, used at Bercy, was ineligible. heats, but didn’t complete a lap of It was more a matter of confused the Pre Final, having to come from the race won and lost at the start. grid nine in the final.

Caruso may well now be off to paperwork than any cheating.

aF

t’s pretty cool having my own column in Motorsport News and I’m looking forward to keeping you up to date with my future progress in Europe.

At the time of writing, I’m near ing the end of a six-week break back home in Australia and i fly back to Europe on September 3 in preparation for the World Championships - more of which later.

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^4 29Augusn99/

Top entry for Rally of Melbourne This weekend’s Rally of Melbourne is shaping up to be a dour struggle destined to decide the 1997 Australian Rally Championship.

The top three competitors, Neal Bates (Toyota Celica GT-Four), Possum Bourne (Subaru Impreza WRX)and Ed Ordynski (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 3) are all still in with a chance of winning the national crown.

Favourite for the event is undoubtedly Possum Bourne.

The Kiwi speedster has not been beaten since he returned to the championship after the first round this year, and nothing it seems, bar mechanical failure, can stop him from taking his second consecutive crown.

But Bates and Ordjmski are still mathematical chances, and should the Subaru falter, they’ll be waiting to pick up the pieces.

Similarly in Group N, ‘96 Champion Michael Guest and Kiwi challenger Greg Graham are locked in battle for production car hon ours.

Just a few weeks after contest ing his first overseas World Rally Championship round in New Zealand, Neal Bates has been given the chance to drive the new WRC Corolla prior to this year’s rally Australia.

Bates will be the number two Toyota Team Europe driver at the Rally of Indonesia next month, when he will back up Frenchman Didier Auriol in a pair of the new Corollas, which have their WRC debut this weekend in Finland.

As well as the chance to come to grips with the Corolla before his home event in Perth in November, Bates will also travel to Japan next month to contest a major rallysprint contest, similar to the Canary Islands event last year.

Eriksson keen to stay winner s deterRally Kenneth of New Eriksson Zealand is mined to stay a Subaru driver in 1998, despite being the oldest factory driver in the World Championship.

41 year-old Eriksson believes he still has what It takes to win ral lies and believes he has at least another two years at the top level of the sport.

But it is believed Subaru raily team boss David Richards is under increasing pressure from tyre supplier Pirelli to use Italian driver Piero Liatti more often.

Liatti, winner of this year’s Monte Carlo Rally, has only been used by Prodrive for tarmac events this year.

Talks about the teams 1998 dri ver line-up are expected to begin after the Rally of Finland at the end of this month.

Corolla debut Finn-Marcus Gronholm the world debut of themade Toyota Corolla World Rally Car at the Alpina Mantta 200 Rally in Finland on August 9, finishing third overall.

The six-stage one-day event was won by Sebastian Lindholm in a Ford Escort World Rally Car, with Jarmo Kytolehto second in an Escort RS Cosworth.

Not everything went well on the event for the new Toyota.

The car seemed to maintain pace on shorter stages, but lose power on the longer ones.

On the first stage, the transmis sion also failed and the car revert-

*-

TITLE CHANCE... Mathematically, Ed Ordynski still has a shot at claiming the Australian title. (Peter Whitten) Guest only needs to finish third to win the title, but he’ll be hoping his last two rounds’ bad luck doesn’t play a part in the outcome.

Dean Herridge (Hyundai) has his nose in front in the Formula 2 category, but he expects strong opposi-

tion from rivals Brett Middleton (Honda), Lee Peterson (Nissan), Ross Mackenzie (Daihatsu) and Simon Evans (Toyota) - but, as Motorsport News went to press, Middleton was an unconfirmed starter after expensive parts for his

Honda’s close ratio gearbox were still to arrive from the UK. A record entry of 80 cars will line up for the start in Melbourne on Friday, August 29, before crews begin the competition proper on Saturday morning.

Indonesia WRC Corolla and Bathurst for Bates Bates will take his current Celica GT-Four to the event, which is being staged on a dockside site on the edge of Tokyo Bay immediately after the Indonesian rally.

Bates doesn’t expect to set the world on fire in his first drive of the all-new Corolla on the unfamiliar and at time tricky plantation tracks of the Indonesian Rally - however, he believes the opportunity will

give him a chance to learn all there is to know about the new Toyota rally weapon, which he will also use in the 1998 ARC attack.

Bates was offered the drive afj;er longtime Toyota Asia Pacific con tender Yoshio Fujimoto declined the invitation.

‘There mil be plenty of pressure on me to make sure we get it home in one piece; we are talking about a

brand-new car which is worth more than half a million dollars,” said Bates.“Any opportunity to log some overseas experience in a full TTE spec machine can’t be sneezed at and it was something Ijumped at.”

The invitation to the Japanese International rallysprint came as a result of Bates being in New Zealand, where he took his Australian Celica to sixth outright.

The rally will be based at Melbourne’s Carlton Crest Hotel, but the action will centre on the forests surrounding Healesville and Marysville.

Spectator information is avail able by contacting the Rally of Melbourne office on(03)98904474.

Top 10 entries 1. E. Ordynski(F. Gocentas Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 3 2. P. Boume/C. Vincent Subaru Impreza WRX 3. N. Bates/C. Taylor Toyota Celica GT-Four 4. M. GuesbM. Stacey Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 3 5. G. Graham/G. Macneall Subaru Impreza WRX 6. D. WesbT. Best Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 2 7. M. Beckton/TBA Proton Wira Evo 3 8. G. Alexander/D, Stewaid; Mitsubishi Lancer RS-E 9. G. Wise/R. Beekman Mitsubishi Lancer RS-E 10. M. Reeves/R. Smalley Mitsubishi Galant VR4 -PETER WHITTEN

After being locked in to a purely domestic program for several years.

Bates will have competed in three WRC events, as well as the Japanese event, at this year’s end.

On the Super Touring front, Toyota has apparently re-evaluated its commitment to the opening round of the Australian Rally Manufacturers Championship, deciding not to enter Bates and Coral Taylor for the Adelaide Rally, which clashes with the AMP Bathurst 1000.

Instead, Bates will now partner mark Adderton in the Pheonix Motorsport Camry, which will be part of a two-car effort, the other being run by expat Kiwi Rod Millen and his US team.

-JON THOMSON Tommi favourite to win itsubishi’s Tommi Makinen is the favourite to win his home event, the Neste Rally Finland, which starts this weekend.

The 10th round of the World Rally Championship is usually the event which produces the closest finish of the year, thanks largely to the smooth, fast stages.

Makinen, the winner of the event for the past three years, crashed his Lancer Evo 4 in New Zealand in the last round, but will be eager to make amends on home soil.

But competition will be tough.

Subaru speedster Colin McRae and team-mate Kenneth Eriksson both believe their Impreza World Rally Cars are capable of winning, while Ford’s Carlos Sainz and Juha Kankkunen will both drive brand-new, significantly revised Escort World Rally Cars.

Team-mate Kankkunen, a twotime winner of the event, is also looking forward to a good result.

The event will see the return to the World Championship of Toyota, who will make the debut of the Corolla World Rally Car. Although not eligible for World Championship points this year, Didier Auriol and Marcus Gronholm will both be eyeing vic tory.

It will be Toyota’s first official World Championship appearance since their 12 month ban for using illegal turbo restrictors at the Catalunya Rally in 1995.

Full report on the Rally Finland in our next issue.

M

DREAM RUN... Ed Ordynski(right) will drive a Mitsubishi Group A Lancer Evo 3fielded by the internationalfactoryteam in this year's API Rally Australia. Ed will be teamed with reigning world champ Tommi Makinen (centre) and British star Richard Bums(left) in Mitsubishi’s three-car Ralliart Team-Makinen and Bums will drUe Evo 4 models.

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By Peter Whitt Editor -Australian Rallyspon lews ed to front wheel drive. The cause of the electronic problem was unknown.

After earlier testing with Didier Auriol, most of the power unit pieces, including turbocharger, injection and ECU, had been changed. In tests after the event, these test pieces were refitted and the problem did not recur.

The transmission problem was ind to be due to a faulty sensor.

The car proved surprisingly stable, even on the faster roads. although, after experience with the Celica, the car took a long time for him to get used to.

Gronholm also found that the suspension settings of the car were too hard and it was nervous in the dry conditions.

Large crowds watched the Finnish event, including locals Juha Kankkunen and Tommi Makinen.

Results 1. S. Lindholm Ford Escort WRCar, 34m57s 2. J. Kytolehto Ford Escort RS Cosworth, 35.03 3. M. Gronholm Toyota Corolla WRCar, 35.17 McCarthy wins in wet O ubaru driver Allan McCarthy Otook a brilliant six second victo-

ry in the latest round of the WA Rally Championship, the Yokohama Motorsport Stirling Stages, held on August 9.

After 120 competitive kilometres in attrocious weather, McCarthy emerged the victor over the Toyota Celica GT-Four of Tony Flood.

McCarthy and Flood were in a class of their own, particularly after the Subaru of former Australian Champion Rob Herridge retired with mechanical failure just min utes into the event.

Third place went to the Mazda RX2 of Hembrough/Aitken, per haps highlighting the lack of depth in state championship rallying in Western Australia at present.

Tim Barnes took fourth in a Daihatsu Charade GTti, two min utes clear of Paul Feaver’s Ford Escort.

29Augusi199/

45

VW to contest Rally Australia

TOUGH LUCK... Impressive Hederics/Weel International T3 Nissan Patrol broke a timing chain and surrendered the race lead to eventual winners Mikhail Narishkine/Oleg Pialine.

Russians take Safari victory European teams dominated the 13th annual Australian Safari which finished on the gold Coast on August 15, Russians Mikhail Narishkine and Oleg Pialine pairing together to trump the opposition in a T3 Mitsubishi Pajero and winning the Safari at their second attempt.

The Russian pair tailed early leaders John Hederics and Kees Weel, as well as last year’s winner Bruce Garland, throughout the early part of the Safari, play ing a waiting game in their Sonauto France-prepared Mitsubishi while the leading Australians made the run ning.

It was only three days from home when the Hederics Nissan Patrol broke its timing chain that the Russian team took the lead, holding on to the finish to beat team-mates Frenchmen Jean Pierre Strugo and Bruno Catarelli by 2hrs 7min 29secs.

The fight for second place also involved the tense strug gle for all-important World Cup Tl Marathon points between Strugo and his Italian adversary Franco Germanetti in a Nissan Patrol.

Strugo’s Pajero was in the end too good for the Germanetti Nissan, the Italian’s many early prob lems meaning even a late charge which saw him take several fastest stage times was simply not enough to bridge the 54 min gap to Strugo.

The first local crew home in a small, but quality auto field which saw just 19 starters - was Sydney crew Terry Denham and Ray Stubbs in their near stan dard Mitsubishi Pajero in fourth place, 2 hrs 31 mins behind Germanetti.

The 15-day, 8340km Safari was a round of the FLA Cross Country World Cup, carrying all-important marathon sta tus along with the Paris Moscow Beijing, which was

scheduled to start just a and other problems, to see Hederics continue the lead week after the Safari finish.

The clash of dates on the with Narishkine up to secpart of the FIA meant both ond, ahead of Garland and events were affected with Strugo in fourth, small fields.

The fourth day saw crews Along with the 19 auto cross into the Northern starters, the bike section of Territory vdth Garland being this year’s Safari attracted claimed as a victim, the 38 entrants, with a strong Jackeroo plummeting into a contingent of KTM works- creek bed on its nose, damagbacked machines master- ing the radiator and transfer minded by former Aussie case, The german turbocharged motocrosse superstar Jeff Liesk in a determined effort ,RAV 4 of Sven Quandt and to break the 11-year Honda his Geco Raid Sport team stranglehold on the Safari. broke its suspension and The KTM effort paid off, dropped a 24 horn- penalty to despite some of the leading stay in the event.

By the time the Safari left riders being forced out.

South Australian Andy Alice, Hederics had a half hour lead, Nicastri had been Haydon took the lead from the start on his KTM and forced out when a stick holed was never headed, coming the Jackeroo’s radiator and home 3 hr 7mins ahead of Austrian Walter Roser had the Honda of Paul rolled his Pajero, but was Sinderberry, with another able to continue without los Honda ridden by Mick ing his sixth placing.

Hederics had a woeful day Shearer in third, 7mins fur ther back. on day nine, the Nissan suf Haydon’s effort in winning fering a series of punctures the bike section also saw him and a wrong turn which meant the Patrol driver had better Narishkine^s leading auto time by Ihr 30mins in a a lead of just 15 minutes by smooth and measured attack the time he reached the on one of the world’s tough overnight halt at Bedourie. est rally raids.

The next day, the tough Hederics, a six-times win running in the Simpson Desert sand dunes saw the ner on bikes, looked unbeat able for the first ten days of Nissan cry enough, the tim the Safari, the Queenslander ing chain breaking.

With Narishkine inherit swapping to four wheels this year and topping pre-event ing the lead, the Russian had favourite Bruce Garland’s a strong cushion of over an hand-built works Holden hour and a half to his team mate Strugo, with the run Jackeroo at the prologue in through the Channel Cairns Country ahead of them.

The same thing occurred There was no way any of on day one from a wet start in Cairns to Georgetown, the other auto class could where Hederics held the lead catch the flying Russian, the from Garland by only 30secs final super special stage at ,with fellow Holden Jackeroo Robina on the gold Coast driver Ross Nicastri in third attracting several thousand ahead of Narishkine in spectators to watch the 32 finishers limp across the fourth.

The Safari wound its way line.

The Safari has a long term through Gulf country on day with the two, with the overnight halt commitment at the Burke and Wills Queensland government to Roadhouse, before striking start and finish the Safari in south to Mt Isa for the third major Sunshine State cities and this, it is believed, has overnight halt, The Safari was starting to secured the future of this claim victims with a series of great Australian motor sport bent drivetrains, flat tyres event. -JON THOMSON

UK Rally Championship leaders Volkswagen and Alister McRae are to con test November’s Rally Australia.

Alister, younger brother of former World Champion Colin McRae, will pilot a Golf GTI 16V, sponsored by Sony and prepared by top UK rally preparation experts SBG Sport.

Following outright victo ries in the Welsh and Scottish International Rallies and his World 2-litre Cup win in the Rally of Portugal, 26-yeai--old McRae will start the Australian event - the penultimate round of the World Championship - as favourije for top honours in the 2-litre division. » SBG Sport team chief Steve Bagnall believes McRae and the Golf GTI will be hard to beat.

“There has been a works Volkswagen presence on only two World Championship events so far this season and we’ve won both,” Bagnall said. “We’re hoping for a

good result Down Under to set uS up nicely for the RAC Rally in Britain, the final round of the World Championship.”

The Golf GTI’s first worldstage victory of the season came on the Swedish International, where Jorgen Jonasson claimed a convinc ing home win.

Volkswagen currently holds fourth place in the World 2-litre Cup rankings, chasing leader SEAT. SBG Sport, formed in 1989, has enjoyed a rapid rise to prominence in the British rally world.

In 1990, the team took two UK class championship victories and followed these up in ’91 by staging the first ever outright national rally win by a Group N Sierra Cosworth.

In 1992, SBG cars won the British Championship and took first place in Group N on the RAC Rally; 1993 saw further wins in the British and Irish Tarmac Championships and another RAC Rally Group N victory.

An SBG-run Golf powered Finn Tapio Laukkanen to victory in the 1996 Finnish 2-litre Championship.

Technical specification 1997 Volkswagen Golf GTI 16V 2-litre ‘superally’ carPrepared by: SBG Sport, Daventry Engine: 1990cc, 16-valve, 4-cylinder Bore/stroke: 83.9/90mm Tuned: Lehmann Motorentechnik Bosch Motronic engine man agement system Max power: 280bhp-plus Drive: Front-wheel drive Gearbox: Six-speed Gemini sequential Clutch: AP Cerometallic Brakes: Gravel - AP 4-pot, 295mm discs Tarmac - AP 6-pot, water-cooled 355mm discs Suspension: Proflex Tyres/Wheels: Pirelli/17in Revolution Lubricants: Silkolene Length/width/wheelbase: 4020mm/l702mm/2475mm FrontfReai’track: 1464/1448mm Weight: 970kg

THE OTHER McRAE... Alister’s potent VW Golf G Tl will race out west at Rally A ustralia.

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Continued from Page 17

T was not too optimistic after prac tice,” he admitted, “and if the race had been in straightforward circum stances we would have struggled.

But with the weather and making the right choices, everything was per fect.

“Difficult circumstances suit me well. It was a very difficult decision but when I was sitting on the grid I had a smile on my face because I knew they were the right circum stances for me.”

Eddie Irvine did not do quite as well. He stayed on wet tyres until lap eight but the slicks were too slow to gain any real advantage. He moved up to eighth before his second stop but that dumped h’m back to 10th.

Eddie found himself dicing with Pedro Diniz for eighth on the last lap.

Pedro went to pass him at Les Combes. The two collided. The stew ards thought it was a racing incident but most people in the paddock felt that Eddie had been rather less than judicious turning across the path of Pedro, who had captured the inside Une.

Giancarlo Fisichella up in second place, which ended was largely due to his tyre choice in the early laps as he was able to get past Alesi

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Championship. “It will make my day when we pass McLaren,” he said.

Raff Schumacher staifed from the pitlane in his T-car, had an early off and then did some pretty quick laps before dropping the ball hugely and going into the wall heavily in the Les Combes chicane on lap 22.

Third place went to Hakkinen - for the moment at least - which was a good result after a fi-aught weekend.

Mika had an off on lap 11, but this did not seem to have any effect. He complained of a technical problem late in the race but refused to say what it was.

The lap times did not make sense as he set his fastest lap of the race two laps from the finish.

Whatever the case, he had to hold off Heinz-Harald Frentzen in the closing laps of the race.

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and make a break with clear air ahead - Schumacher being so far up the road by that point that Giancarlo could not even see him.

This enabled him to get an advan tage of around four seconds which Mika Hakkinen then chipped away at for the rest of the afternoon. The two were never far apart but FisicheUa always remained ahead.

Fisichella was delighted, of course, it being his best result to date in FI. Eddie Jordan was also happy because his team closed the gap to McLaren in the Constructors’

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nJh on/Q^ 95277744

Belgian Grand Pnx

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Unit 5/314 Hoxton Park Rd Prestorts NSW 2170

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Call Gerald Mi

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OR FAX US ON...

(09)272 4816

Crane & Mantey products

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FRONT

# Rev Counter tt Tell Tale it Lap Timer with 25 lap memory tt Shift Light # Return to Pits Light

RACETECH HEADS

JR’s AUSTRALIA'S ORIGINAL ONE STOP RALLY SHOP

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Unit 22/89 Gow St (West), Padstow NSW 2211 r MOTORSPORT CHASSIS ENGINEERING^

Send to Motorsport Information Service PO Box 2654 Carrum Downs VIC 3201

LAP IN

1. Transmitter 2. Receiver 3. Control Unit 4. Display Screen

□ Alloy steel (Reynolds/Chrome-moly)

HE BOOK

ONE

Set Consists of:

□ Wlild steel

with all the facts and figures on Australia's leadingj Championships, the SHELL ATCC, Super Tourers, 1 Formula Ford, Formula Holden and Production Cars\

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PO Box 6330 Shepparton Vic 3632 Ph 014 406 980 or(03) 5827 1359

ALWAYS

□ Hi-tensile aluminium alloy

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n

Quick, Accurate, Easy. Use pedestal or hand drill - cut 0-50° in square or round tube up to 2 3/8" diameter. Steel construction, large cutter shaft with needle roller bearings.

required, simply sit it on the floor and start bending chrome-moly, aluminium mild &

David Coulthard’s race was a short one. He stopped for slick tyres at a good moment and was able to run sixth but was then pushed back to seventh by Frentzen. A few laps later he hit and kerb and spun out.

Frentzen’s race was case of to a good recovery from thea decision run full wet tyres. He stayed out until lap 8, by which time he had been swamped by the midfield but then put on slicks and began a charge which dragged him up to fourth place.

Villeneuve’s race was rather less impressive. The decision to run wets was wrong and Schumacher left him behind quickly.

There was then a comedy of errors as Jacques braked for the Bus Stop on lap six, under heavy pressm’e from Fisichella. He overshot the turn-in and ended up in the pits. It was too early for slicks and so the team which did not know he was coming in - bolted on intermediates.

Within a lap or two he knew that had been a mistake as well and he had to come in again for slicks and by then he was 16th.

He charged back and as the track dried got quicker and quicker, setting a string of fastest laps in the closing laps as he tried to catch fifth-placed Herbert.

Johnny had done a good job, start-

sm

3 - 6 October 1997 Super Tourers

ftatli

7 1 OR

7

wyia package

17-20 October 1997 V8 Super Cars

tiiw ● Accommotiatioji ● All meals Saturday Sunday , ● Entry & pit passes ● Relttm Coach travel.

Departs: Fridays. Returns: Early Mondify.

Pick ups: Melb, Seymour, Shepparton, Narranderra, Temora, Yoimg, etc

Etmu/itco & Iuwfetitg6 ph IM Itm twgiim 1800 249 0^1

ing on intennediates and pitting at the right time for slicks. This put him solidly into the top six and there he stayed. A good job.

(Tianni Morbidelli finished tenth but early delays meant that he was too far back to catch up.

Gerhard Berger finished seventh for Benetton with Jean Alesi ninth, which was a poor result given that Jean had been on the front of the grid. The problem was blistering tyres when the track dried which meant that Jean had to make a total of four stops.

Berger made a better job of it but had lost too much time in the wet to get a decent result.

Pedro Diniz finished eighthby despite the last lap assault Irvine - and it was a good result.

Unfortunately he lost around 10s during his first pit stop when a wheelnut stuck on. Otherwise he might have finished in the points.

Damon Hill was quite overshad owed. He started on intermediate tyres and then switched to intermedi ates again when everyone else was going for slicks. This meant he had to make an extra stop which put him a lap down.

Late in the race Damon felt a front wheel coming loose and pitted on the last lap but it could not be tightened or removed. He was classified 14th.

Mika Salo was 12th for Tyrrell but Jos Verstappen had been the Tyrrell star of the day, starting on intermedi ate tyres (Salo was on wets) and climbing to eighth. Unfortunately, under pressure from Irvine, he spun off on lap 26.

Jan Magnussen made it home for Stewart but had put on too much wing before the start, which made him very slow on the straights. He then lost a lot of time in the pits try ing to get wing taken off the car.

Rubens Barrichello had to retire early on when his front suspension was bopped by Frentzen in the early laps.

Prost had a rotten day.

TruUi stai-ted a lap behind because his race car refused to fire up, then had a slow puncture with his first set of slicks but on the final set he put in some useful lap times.

Nakano’s race was short-lived, the Japanese driver suffering electronic problems after five laps.

Minardi nearly got Katayama to the finish but on the last lap some thing went wrong and he came trundling into the pits to retire. He was classified 15th.

Marques spun off after 18 laps.

And so we go to Monza with Michael Schumacher 12 points ahead in the World Championship and a lot of Ferrari fans will be getting very hot under their collars... ■

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29/iusiistmJ

Sedans

Falcon XE Sports Sedan, fully prepared and ready tc race, full steel engine, dyno at 530hp, dry sump, full floating rear end. Fabricated front and rear suspension, rack and pinion steering. Heaps of spares. Genuine price (no time wasters), POA. Must sell. Ph: 02 9905 5814 (BH), 018 556 798(AH)

Nissan GTR, 1991 Australian delivery, original Nissan specs, full service history. No competition use. Metallic dark red/grey interior. Zenon alarm, immobiliser. $59,990ono, Ph: 03 9793 5588(BH),03 9775 7515(AH), kb

Fiat 2300, red, white strip, 6cyl, 3 Del Ortos, heaps of spares. Super reliable, competitive in 2600 class. Great fun car and it's different. All this for only $3,000ono. Ph: 044 217 386 after 6pm. .09

Escort Twin cam, genuine Lotus-powered car, alloy rollcage, Minilityes with AOOIs, as new Huntmaster seats and racing harnesses. Stored tor over 10 years. $8,500 Ph: 03 9580 9199 or 0411 855 704. ,oo XD Falcon, XF panels, 460 C6 4 link rear clip (not fitted) with shortened, braced 9" Summer Bros axles. XF rea' discs, billet alloy Dragway Draglites with M&H rubber, coil over shocks, XF dash, Fairmont velour seats. Unfinished project. $6,500 Ph: Jason 0419 364 361. k»

Mini. Excellent original Cooper 'S', professionally built to oe very competitive, but not run. Easily made into a road car. Some spares. $10,000. Ph: David 03 9870 0744 or 018 377 327. 109 Mk2 Cortina Sports Sedan, Toyota 1G-GE six, 4 speed, 4.4 to 1, Minilites, wing, rose joint suspension, alloy cage, perspex windows, spares. Reg trailer. Holds two hillclimb records. Getting desperate. Offers? Ph: Steve 067 665 977. 109 Mazda R100 turbo, 400-r hp engine, Supra, 9 inch.

Memo, Simmons, harnesses. Al l mechanicals new.

Engineered, registered. Extremely fast, reliable. Best of everything. Ideal race car. Will consider trade. $16,500.

Ph: 0419 602 633. kb

17

Lotus Cortina race car, red/gold, 207hp with ultra c/r box, Salisbury diff etc. Race ready V8 beater, low kms on engine. $27,500, Ph: Pro-Duct 02 9758 1377. kb

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Ford Anglia 105E deluxe. Good body strip down, no gearbox or motor. Plus 2 litre Escort motor and diff. Good for classic racing or restoration. No reg. Ph: 03 9808 5622 or 0418 749 403. m

% K:

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J..

Datsun 260Z 2-seater, pre cvatalytic converter model.

Rolling shell in exc cond. Suit circuit, rally or for complete restoration. Also spares. $3,500. Ph: 0199 60228. 109 Mazda RX5 rally car, 13B rotary, 5 speed, Koni sus pension, LSD, rally setas, 4 pt harnesses, roll cage, Halda.

Many spares. Regd RX 050. Ph: 03 5143 0896. 109

VB Commodore rally car. 1 of 20 factory cars for 1979 Repco, PRC, 5 litre, extractors, Saginaw gearbox, 10 bolt LS diff, rear discs, seats, harnesses, cage, original 1979 Repco fittings, 10 wheels/lyres, spares, 11/^ reg.

Transport Dept approved. Ideal for 1998 Round Australia. $6,000. Ph: 07 5464 1273(AH). 106 1964 Lotus Elan Series 1 Roadster. Car has fresh paint and'leather seats, is in excellent mechanical condi tion and would suit fastidious buyer, $38,500. Ph: 03 9534 1426. .06

Fiat, 1969 124 Sports Coupe AC. Needs paint and reassemble. Excellent body. Suit race. Historic rally or re shell. $750ono. Ph: 03 9889 1149. .09 Commodore VH V8 rally car. Fresh, major overhaul, ail right bits, super strong and quick Victorian rally reg.

Spares. $14,000ono Ph: Glen 03 9701 3313 (BH). 109

●LJ XU-1, purpose-built Group N (C). White/black. full trim. Strong fresh motor on Webers. Detroit locker, watts linkage rear. Full cage/race seat/harness, extra instrumen tation, isolator switch, battery in boot. Hoosiers and Yokohamas. Spare panels, wheels, springs included. No expense spared project ready for serious Historic or Targa/GP Rallies. $11,500. Ph: 018 632 267 or 06 241 .3863 (AH). 109

Rare EBII Falcon SS. Only 5 built. Car won 1993 Australian Production car Championship. Fully rebuilt including back-to-metal respray. 5 speed manual. Recaro seats with matching upholstery. 27,100 km. $25,000. Ph: 043 676 706. 109

Nissan Bluebird Sports Sedan, 355 ci Chev, 9" diff.

Ford g/box, Simmons wheels, top ten finisher. Full set MLDS wets, trailer, 12 spare tyres, all time sheets, many extras. $18,000ono. NSW. Ph: 047 774 708, 02 9623 7936 nr 018 476 895. ™

0414 797 999. 109

ESiS

HQ race cars (2). One new Gene Cook motor, one used Richard Farnam race motor, plus two spare motors.

4 Cobra seats. 4 harnesses. Race one and have one spare. $9,500 the lot. Negotiable, will consider split. Ph: 03 9793 5588 (BH) or 0418 361 399. 109 Commodore Cup car. Only three meetings old. As new cond. Supra gearbox, some spares. Ph: 019 402 319. 109

n Nota Fang (Type IV). Classic Australian sports car.

Everything either new or restored, rare example in near concourse condition. Current NSW registration and possi ble Historic racing eligibility. Must sell. $15,000. Ph: 0411 083 536 or (AH) 02 9558 5484. 109

Torana LX Hatch, 253 V8, Aussie 5 speed, Banjo LSD, alloy cage, drop tank, hotwires, good tyres, straight, digital stereo. Unregd, needs tidy up, runs well. $4,000. Ph: 03 9802 5806 (AH). .09 Toyota Supra 1988 Turbo, genuine 1991 Bathurst 12 Hour winner, still set up for racing and is road registered.

CAMS log book, very quick car with plenty of extras.

Immaculate condition. Must sell urgently. $18,750ono. Ph:

Commodore rolling body shell with full cage and dri vers seat mount. Suit Commodore Cup rally, club car etc.

Pro-built car. $2,000. Ph: 08 8380 5519 (BH), 08 8380 5559(AH). .06

Ferrari 275 Spyder. Class winner, GP Rally. Iwice class winner Geelong Sprints - 13.68 seconds. Class winner, Phillip Island, Oran Park, Winton, Mallala. Rob Roy 26.91 secs, Tarrengower 46.36 secs. Docile, with outstanding performance. Ph/Fax: 03 9551 1837. 109 Datsun 1600, 5 speed, 1800 motor, white, no rust extractors, wide wheels, new sports exhaust system, Stereo, long reg, RWC. Clean straight body. $2,800ono.

Ph: 03 5334 6364 (AH). 109 HQ Holden sedan, 202 manual. Strong motor, gearbox, diff. Suit HQ racer or road. No RWC. $500ono. Ph: 03 9587 6109 (BH). 109

1996 Ford Mustang, RHDauto, 289 V8, light metallic blue with new blue interior. RWC, personalised plates (MY MUSY). $19,500. Ph: Paul 03 9870 9189 or 0419 351 929. 106 XF Sportsman, complete rolling shell, new roll cage, new front spoiler and more. $3,500ono. Ph: John 03 9529 6422 (BH), 03 9580 2337 (AH), 10a Supercar Commodore, Perkins-built car, Chev engine.

In pristine cond, quickest Priv car (has done 13.2 at Bathurst). Reluctant sale, consider lease for Bathurst. Phil Ward 018 276 323 or 02 9817 5560. 109

FI00, 86 model, p/steering, auto, air con, CD player, lowered, fully worked 351 engine, roller rockers, roller cam.

Reg, RWC. POA. Ph: 03 5996 2263 or 0419 388 192. w

continued over page

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CATEGORY; Cars: □ Speedway □ Drag □ Sedans □ Open Wheelers □ Photographs □ Other General; □ Parts □ Engines □ Trailers □ Wanted

29Augusl 1997 Group 2A Sports Car, fully restored, alloy V6, fuel injected with engine management system. Monoooque space frame chassis. Spare nose etc. Enclosed tandem trailer. $45,000neg. Ph: 07 3369 2917(AH). 107

NASCAR Chev, ready to race, runs low 29s, front steer, 9.5 to 1. Gene Cook built engine. 16 spare wheels and tyres, churns and more. $28,000 neg. Ph: 017 860 840. loo VW Beetle race car, 13B pp Micro Tech injected rotary engine, close ratio limited slip box, IRS, 4 wheel disc brakes, very neat car, ready to race. $7,000. Ph: 02 9820 9307 or 0416 087 560. toa

Toyota Celica GT4 turbo 4WD. Rick Bates' current NSW Championship-winning car. Totally rebuilt and immaculate. Turn key and go rallying. Ideal car for Round Australia or Targa. $36,000, Ph: Rick 018 480 339. lo?

Lotus Escort Mk 1 twin cam, suit restoration, good body, no rust, good interior, good engine and gearbox.

Rare car. $7,500. Ph:02 9817 5560 or 018 276 323. 107 NASCAR Commodore, True Value #9, complete car with all spares and pit equipment, fresh paint and running gear, less engine. Transporter and engine available sepa rately. $25,000. Ph: 03 5966 9532 or 0419 539 320. 107

Complete HQ outfit includes transporter, two cars (Thunderdome spec), two spare engines, diffs gearboxes, axles etc. Transporter has electric winch, storage bins, liv ing area. $20,000 the lot. Ph: 03 9432 8038 or 0412 550

HQ Race cars, ex D'Ombrain. One circuit, one ‘Dome, ready to race. Each has spare engine, shell and rails, pan els etc. $5,000 each or $9,500 for both. Ph: Leigh 0418

556. 107

500 287. 107

/i

Sprintcar,'91 JSR chassis with all panels, engine ptates, side and rear nerfs, fitxir, pedals. Very good cond. 51,700.

Other parts available. Ph: 03 5447 0078. loe & Modified Production, current Australia No 2, multi feature winner. Fresh engine, new panels, many spares.

Autometer gauges, Carrera shocks, quicksteer adj sus pension. $12,000. Ph: Paul Egan 06 242 0943 or 0411 614 628. loe Super Sedan chassis, roll cage, fitted with EF Falcon body, alloy interior with chequer floor, AFFCO leaf springs with sliders and nylon bushes, top and lower A arms and struts and engine mounts. Radiator fitted to left side, body white, light blue mil cage. All new. $5,500. Must sell this week. Ph: 045 725 949. ,o/ 92 Gambler, as new, excellent condition and looks great. Some spares. $7,500. Also, Chewy II motor corrv plete, magneto, injection, some spares $1,400ono, Chev 350 type. Millidon alloy block, 4" +30. tested. $1,800ono.

Ph: Ray 02 9790 1372. ,or

II

Super Sedan chassis, Commodore body. $1,000.

Quick change diff $1,000. Ph: 03 5996 2263 or 0419 388 192. 107

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QLD Gemini series car, front running car is ready to race for new,driver or seasoned competitor looking for the series win. $5,500. Ph: Shayne Melton 07 5495 4095. 107

Ford Mondeo, Rouse-built rolling chassis, ex Radisich 94 World Cup winning car. All the best Ford Motorsport factory bits, Penske shocks etc. Realistic offers around $45,000.

Ph: 02 9796 4328, 02 9597 6393 or 018 117 070. 107

Ford EB GT Club Car. SVO Motorsport engine, 5 speed 1:1 ratio gearbox, 9" diff, Proflex suspension, Harrop 4 piston calipers. Stack dash, chrome moly welded cage, on-board fire sustem. Brand new shell, never bent.

Car constructed June 96. Ph: 0418 134 011. 107

A9X Torana, Bathurst supercar, immaculate, 76,000km.

Fresh 330+hp motor, very original throughout, only vari able engine enhancement and wide wheels. Quality investment only. $22,500ono. Ph: 071 597 130. 107 Commodore VH HOT improved. VC body kit. 4.2 It 4 speed. Long range tank, Irmsoher rims etc. New tyres and Bilsteins. No rego. $7,500. Ph: 049 389 524. 107

Volkswagen Scirocco 1986, superb German touring car, engine and suspension have been upgraded and enhanced by VW specialist. This is a good-handling and very quick, unique motor car. Ph: 048 894 340. 107 AUSPAR VP, 315CC motor, 360bhp, 270km, Super T10 box, Harrop rose-jointed front end, four spot calipers, fully adj Bilstein suspension, Harrop type diff, VDO gauges.

Total Recall tacho, Hurst shifter, braided fuel lines, pit equipment etc. Many spares, body parts, too many to mention. Help (crew) given first couple of meetings. $25,000. Ph: 9579 2986 or 015 800 342. 107

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fiat

Ldt'W-

Holden Rod, VC Commodore VIC 46, comp car, Hussey motor, auto with JAP. Good looking car with racing rubber.

Urgent sale. $4,500. Ph: Robert 03 9876 5356 or 0412 362 655. 109

Compact Speedcar: Datsun 1200, Hilborn injection, Streader rear end, spare rims and tyres. Reg trailer (ACT) with box. Ready to race. $9,500. Ph: 06 241 5686. 109

Super Sedan OLD 96, fastest car at the Australian titles (Darwin) 97, 2 lap records. Proven track record, slick or heavy. Lap record and top points scorer at Qld titles.

Cairns 97, 4 wins from 4 starts. Very forgiving car, easy to drive, $15,000 inci 4 wheel disc brake trailer with tyre rack.

No motor or gearbox. Ph: Bruce White 018 774 464. lor

1 \

Vector TF 94FF. Fantastic bargain opportunity to step into a late model FF. Comes complete with engine, gear ratios, and new fire bomb. Vectors won the 1994 British FF Championship. Competitive car in the right hands. Bargain at $24,500 firm. No tyre kickers please. Ph: Les Crampton 03 9701 0806(AH),03 9776 4266, 0412 386 315. m Kart (urgent sale) Arrow A9S with KT100S Yamaha, blueprinted by McAuley Engines, c/w tacho, stand, trolley, sprockets. $2,000 Ph: Robert 03 9876 5356 or 0412 362 655. 109

LX Torana Hatch. X Modified Production or Bommer.

Very competitive. Fully adjustable suspension, 4 speed gearbox, all instruments, aluminium fuel tank. Fibreglass seat and 5-point harness. Helmet net. Plenty spares included. $2,500. Ph: Troy 07 5491 2251 (BH). 109 Superkart. Zip Eagle 93 model, never bent. Lastest spec barrels, digital ignition, spare wheels x 12, new slicks x 4, new wets, spare barrel (new), gearing, jets. 38mm flatside Del Ortos, Digitron temp, Scitsu, $10,000. Ph: 07 3278 8280. lb

/ .n Cortina TE, 250ci, newly built. Never raced, reco motor.

Plenty spares, suit street stock, standard saloon.

Beautifully prepared. Forced reluctant sale, $1900 ono. 03 5127 7338 or 03 5127 4309. 109

K>

AUSCAR Sportsman #8, winner of Best Presented award, very competitive, finished 4th in rookie season.

Brand new fuel cell. Complete with all spares incI engine and set-up information. Selling at half replacement cost, $16,000. Ph:03 9404 4113(AH), 0412 257 658. 107

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LC Torana Sports Sedan, 6 cyl turbo Holden motor.

Sports Sedan, space frame by Redline Race Cars.

M21 g/box, full f/glass front. 16in wheels, some spares, Fresh mid-m'ount 350 Chev, top hp with your choice of tandem trailer. $5,000 (car only $3,500). Ph: Bruce 042 carby or injection, dry sump, triple plate clutch, T10 box, , 341 207(BH),044 488 150(AH). 107 9" diff, massive brakes and calipers. Covered by VL Commodore panels, easily changed to later vehicle, ready to race. $35,000ono, will consider roller only. All assis tance given, possible finance package available, Ph: James at Walden Motorsport 015 701 103, 107 Qld Gemini series car, ready to race, motor never been raced. Neat and tidy car. Must sell. $4,000. Ph: 07 3263 3607 or 0412 144 381. 107 RX3 Coupe, rolling chassis, YZ cage, 13B, race exhaust, needs work but genuine '75 model, almost complete. $l,450ono. Ph: 0412 323 941 (Sydney). 107

Litre Sprintcar, QLD 39. Chrome moly Gerhardt low bar chassis. Kawasaki 1175cc fuel injected engine.

Halibrand quick change diff. Well presented car comes complete, ready to race, less trailer. $6,500 or as roller (less engine)$3,500. Ph: 018 783 332 or 018 798 994. 109

Fender Bender, VC Valiant, Nowra 05, rebuilt motor, best of everything. Front running car in any club. Ready to race with spares. $2,000ono. Ph: 02 9525 3430 or 0418 970 646. 109 *

Suzuki Mighty Boy 4WD,Toyota 1600 twin cam fuelinjected motor, 5 speed gearbox. Hurricane extractors.

AUSCAR Sportsman #35 Falcon XF, Well present Ultimate suspension, SAAS sports seats, alloy roll bar, RTA ed and very competitive car in race ready condition. approved. 12 months rego. $15,500ono. Ph: 046 327 592. 107 Excellent opportunity to enter Australia's most economical and competitive motor sport class. Car is available comAppendix J Group NB 1964 Lotus Cortina. Registered, plete or as rolling chassis. $16,900. Call Jamey Hollier. Ph: n current log book, engine 185hp. Vehicle is in excellent 03 5367'1087(BH) or 015 502 517(mobile) or 03 5367 condition. $21,000. Ph: 02 9873 3793(BH & AH). 107 Datsun 1600, 5 speed, 1800 motor, whitd, no rust, extractors, wide wheels, new sports exhaust system.

Stereo, long reg, RWC. Clean, straight body. $2,800. Ph: 03 5334 6364(AH). 107

Speedway Modified Production Commodore VL, Nissan RB30, Carillos, Ross pistons, Motec, injection' or carby, adj sus pension, Koni, AFCO, Tilton, all the best gear, heaps of spares. Will separate oar, engine, trailer. $12,000ono the lot. Ph: 06 258 9519 or 0414 853 45. 109 Torana Hatch Modified Prod. V. competitive, adj sus pension, 4 speed, F/G seat and belts* all instruments, ally tank, all electrics, ally rad, 4/w discs, 12 wheels, heaps spares. Less mator. $2,500, Ph: 07 5491 2251 Or 07 5491 8185(AH), m

4

6545(AH). 107

Celica GT4 Group A. Top 10 runner last 3 years in Targa Tasmania. Never damaged, and in mint condition.

Very low genuine Kms. All rally equipment included, plus original road equipment. $47,000. Ph: Warwick Freemantle, 03 9728 4444(BH)or 0411 504 881. 107

Gambler 1993 mod Sprintcar, hibar 30" standard arm, complete ground up. Rebuild features Winter long spline rear end, Sanders top steer front end, Duralite wheels, all-new bolt-ons, 4 wings. Complete with Felsch fully fresh Rodeck engine Would suit new car buyer. $32,000 will separate. Can supply spares kit Ph: John 02 9543 8806 or 018 041 .571. lo?

Appendix J 64 Cooper S, 48 DCOE Weber, gas flow head, Hepolite pistons, 648 cam, s/c drop gears, SC/C/R gearbox, log book. Marine blue colour. $5,750ono. Ph: 08

Compact Speedcar, Lismore #33, Yamaha FZR 5valve, Hilborn injection, MSD ignition. Dial A Jet, Schroeder, Halibrand quick change, Gardner molly chas sis, tail tank. Includes spares and trailer. Fast and reliable. $10,000. Ph: 07 3808 9578. 10a

Road Race Zip Kart, Rotax 125, extras, gears, tyres, stand. $3,000. Ph: 03 5341 3291. m

Speedway Sidecar frame and glass (Nash) style $800. Ph: Tony 08 9344 7779 Perth, loe Speedcar Winters diff, 3.78 ratio, good cond. $1,600.

Ph: Glenn 06 241 5122(BH).

Chevy Monza Super Sedan, Jones quick change. 11 rims and lyres, moulds, ready to race less engine. $5,500.

Ph: 08 8391 2225 or 018 804 347. ic» Faicon XF Modified Production, professionally built using only the best equipment. Quick p/steer, triple plate clutch, aluminium seat, new radiator, fresh engine. $7,500.

Ph: 018 694 584, or 069 223 558(AH), loe

8522 5541. 107

9

Bo.

Kart - Kali Lonato. Front running rolling chassis, only raced 4 times in 1996/7, suit Clubman or National class.

Sold with mufflers, spare tyres, sprockets, chains etc.

Selling due to sponsorship commitments. $1,850, Ph: Anthony 02 9610 5019. 109

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Porsche 928S. Great road and competition oar, resprayed July 1997. Race cage, seats, harnesses, origi nal leather seats. Rebuilt engine, gearbox, brakes. Targa category, class winner. $35,000ono. Ph: 03 6229 2479 or 018 129 169. 107

Mazda RX4 Club Car. Winner 1995 NSW Club Car Championship. 13BPP, Needham box, MoTeC M4 Pro and much more. Both engine and gearbox recently rebuilt by Selectmaz. $19,000. Ph: 0419 436085. tor

3 Litre UC Torana Modified Production, ex Vic 3, 4 meetings old, very competitive car, all new fully adjustable suspension, 3 sets new tyres and mags. Fresh engine, heaps spares, tandem trailer. $8,000ono. Ph: Peter 03 5275 4904. 106

Speedcar, TRC chassis kit, ex Howard car USA. $1,500ono. Ph:02 9628 2238. 107

Formula Vee Renmax, ready to race, excellent hp Kleinig engine, superb cond, meticulously maintained, regular top 10 car throughout 1996. $7,000. Ph: Chris Cummins 02 9709 4655(BH),02 9876 3446(AH). IQ»

^uGl

29August 1997

JJCO.

Swiss Hutless 80cc Yamaha Superkart, excellent cond, freshly rebuilt motor, wets on rims. Goes very well. $2,100. Ph: Jeff or Paul Hodges 044 217 386 or 015 128 770. 109

Go Kart, with KT100S motor, new exhaust, only one meeting old. 3 bearing axle, good paintwork, blue in colour, complete with spare set of tyres. As is $1,300. Ph: 03 5995 6004 after 6pm. 109 F5000 Gardos, less transmission, $25,000 or complete $37,000. Will be broken up if not sold quickly, so call to register interest in remains. Ph: 02 9683 3666 strictly 69pm weeknights, or 015 438 945 any time.

Lenco 3-speed, with levers and Chev clutch can $5250.

Ph 08 8443 3435 after 4pm.

1932 Ford Roadster, nostalgia style, HP 427 Chev alu minium Muncie 4 speed, 9" LSD, full NSW reg, 11.9 sec onds quarter mile. $26,500. Ph: 018 694 584, or 069 223 558(AH). 108

Kart - Dino 194 rolling chasis in immaculate condition.

Powder coated, black, with magnesium rims, hydraulic brakes. Only raced 4 times. Suit new kart buyer. $1,700ono. Ph:046 556 266. 103

Parts Ford Laser TX34WD gearbox. KH-KF has just been fully rebuilt. Brand new parts, comes with Ford factory warranty only. $1,650. Good for spare or replacement. Ph: 07 3800 0747 or 0419 732 402. 109

Holden V8, 280ci (4.6L). Chev rods, Zolner pistons, Jones cam. Group A oil pan, Rollmaster, Crane Rollers. Ported heads, complete maniWd to fan. All new and balanced, $5000. Ph Chris of Geoff 0419 33 4434. m

Ralliart LSD, suit Lancer 4WD or Galant VR4. Approx 100 ks old (no time wasters). $1500(03)9545 0338 Murph. 109 Grp A parts, VL extractors, power steering, flywheels, rocker covers. 3-link diff housing, VR/VS front spoilers, assorted used discs.(02)97504644.109

Group A Holden engine, Completely rebuilt. New Perkins heads. Used by Mark Poole Bathurst '96 (best lap 2m15.8s). $22,000(08)8524 8131. James Rosenberg, m

Harrop 6 piston calipers, discs and hats, like new. $4,800. Ph:03 9728 6915 or 0416 323 442. .09

Race engine, Ford 351 Cleveland. Nesco block, 4V heads, roller cam, dry sump oil pump (complete engine). Doug Nash 5-sp gearbox(brand new)POA Must sell(02)9905 5815(BH) or 018 55 6798. ra

Lotus Cortina parts, most body parts and mechanicals.

(02)9750 4644. 109 Fuel Chums(2)and 1 catch can. $1500. Ph: 03 9728 6915 or 0416 323 442. ra Radiator, suit Capri V8 $100. Capri GT dash (with V8 tach) $80. Ph 08 8443 3435 after 4pm. 109

Tyres, new and used slicks, wets. Various sizes and com pounds, 13-14-15-16-17-18-19" from $10. Must sell, ph 047 73 4134,02 9328 6787. 109 Wheels, Perkins 17 inch x 11. Five stud, $550 each (08) 8524 8131. James Rosenberg. 109 Yella Terra roller rockers, complete with posi locks, stud girdles, guide plates, pushrods. Suit 253-308 Holden. $650.

Grp A Holden conrods. ACL, .030" Duralite pistons, standard crankshaft, $500.308 Holden cyl. heads, ported, 1-pce valves, Isky springs.$1000. Ph Chris of Geoff 0419 33 4434. 109 NOTA CLUBMAN, Group M log book, ex Jacques Sapir, Ron Davies etc. Recent front to rear rebuild. Ford engine, Holinger gearbox, BMC rear end, new Dunlop Rs, new custom trailer, huge amount of spares incI 8 diffs, engine blocks etc. Well known car with excellent competi tion history. Nothing to spend. Genuine and reluctant forced sale. $21,950 with everything. Contact Len Shaw on 03 9787 0856. me

Reco 250ci engine, alloy head, crossflow. Jones Racing cam, all new parts, spare block, pistons, etc. Never started, reluctant forced sale. $600 ono (03) 5127 7338 or (03) 5127 4309 BE QUICK! los

Ford 351, 4MAB crank with top loader and box mounted shifter. Has run 13s in XY Falcon. Needs freshen. $2000. Call Jason (0419)36 4361. 109

Holden HQ parts, front panels, nosecone, two guards, bonnet. No rust, some repairs (minor dents). 3-sp synchro g'box $300. Ph 017 962 336 Wangaratta. 109

9

Alloy mag wheels, suit Datsun/Celica. 14 x 7 ATS light weight, $250. Cheviot Hurricane, $250. Enkei Competition, 13 X 6, $200. Also alloy rear wing, suit small car, $100. Marchall lights, $80 pair. David AH 03 9802 5808109 SBC Dart heads, 550hp 'C ringed. Complete with studs, guide plates, girdle (brand new). Never used. Solid F/tappet, Crow Cam and lifters. Six runs. Cost $4000, sell package deal $2500. Ph 0412 121615 Woollongong. ic9 Cylinder heads, pair of Ford SVO C-3L Yates heads. Brand new,$4200. Phone(07)3395 5786. 109

Drag Racing

LH Torana drag car, 95% complete. 9" diff, minispool, 4 link steering, new wheels and MT tyres. Engine plate, trans mount, tubbed, roll cage, seat, low lines. $6,000ono.

Ph: Des Curnow 02 9821 3688 or 018 242 157. 109 Drag Car, Sports Sedan Mitsubishi Galant 2 door, full Bond alloy roll cage, enlarged tunnel, complete new paint, no interior. Selling to finance other project. $3,000ono. Ph: 019 978 037. 109 Dragster, 192 in 15x15x33 new slicks, 9 in 31 spline, 2 speed 5000 Dominbator stall, Aulometer s/I tacho. Pro Control, flatbed trailer set up for small block. Add engine, go racing. $10,000 ono. Ph: John 070 362 333(Cairns). 109

t-i Junior Dragster, brand new Briggs motor and clutch, still standard. Minor work to complete. Never raced. $2,000ono.Ph: 07 5533 7126. 108

Custom manufactured car trailer, 4 wheel discs, 5 alloy wheels, storage boxes, winch, immaculate, as new. $4,000ono. Ph: Chris Wiles 042 262 112 or 015 273 355. 108

Race engine 202 Holden turbo, dynoed 400hp, 4 meetings old sinoe rebuild. EC. $3,500ono. Ph: 03 5447

F350, 302 V8, tyre rack, plenty storage. Dual fuel, reco heads, 12 month rego. $8,000ono. Ph:035792 3221 (AH). ice

0590(AH). 108

Tandem trailer, suit cars, must sell, SLOOOono. Ph: 03 5762 5763 after 4pm. loe

Porsche 911 engine, 2.7 litre, fuel injected. Complete and running. Suit overhaul or parts. $2,500. Ph: 03 9469 5162. 108

Holden 308, new Group A, 4 bolt block, Yella Terra forged rods, AUSCAR heads, HEI Ignition, professionally built. $4,400ono. Ph: 03 9803 1579. loo

«

SB Chev 366ci, 5/8 stroke, C&A rods, Wiseco pistons, HDGM 4 bolt block, Pontiac heads, roller cam and rock ers. Victor Junior, complete. $13,500. Ph: 049 342 302. loe Group A Chev engine, freshly rebuilt, built by HRT. HRT manifold, injector rails. Very cheap, this month only, $22,900. Ph: David 02 9545 0088 or(AH)02 9540 3643. loe Chev 355, 18 degree heads, bowtie block, BRC crank, new alloy rods, JE pistons, Jesel rockers, Lunati roller cam. Crane lifters, Hilborn injector, 727hp/547lb. $15,000ono. Ph: George 02 9724 9615(AH). loe

Trailers/Transporters

Ford Ft50 1989 302 EFl. Dual fuel, auto, extractors, 2.5 inch exhaust, power steer, air cond, bucket seats, 8" mags, bed liner, tonneau. Hayman Reece towbar. VGC. NSW reg HOT-351. $25,000. Ph: 018 694 584 or 069 223 558(AH). me

Other Books, The Great Race Vc' 1-10, all in perfect cond. $500, will not split. AH 07 3262 2395. 109 Racesuit, Simpson, for female size 10/12. Mid blue, triple layer, excellent cond. $400. Ring work (03)9567 4161. home (03)98731103.109 Go-Ped, the fold away pit bike, with bag. $730 (049) 59 8555. 109

Models, Onyx 1/43 1988-89 FI sets, some 1990. Sports prototype, most of '88, some '89, all of '90, All B&M. Valued $1700, offers. 049 59 8555. 1(B Number plates: GODZLA - Vic plates, currently held at Vic Roads, white on black. $3,000ono. Ph:0412 337 227. 10; Australian Motor Racing Yearbook, 71 to 88, 92.

Bathurst yearbook 1960 - 89. Various other books all in excellent condition. Ph: Richard 035338 2271. me

Lotus Elan +2S/130 parts, new and used, inci new Lotus chassis. Phone for price list. Ph:088263 2939.-,ice Carillo 6 inch large journal second generation'rods. 30 up Keith Black 13.4 to 1 pistons with 64cc heads. Plasma moly file fit rings. All brand new. $2,200. Ph: 03 9469 2043 after 6pm. loe Chev pistons 14 to 1 $200. Titanium valves $200. Valve springs $400. Ph:017 862 840. ne Pit boom and equipment.Ph: Chris Wiles 042 262 112 or 015 273 355. ice

Wanted Formula Vee, condition not important, but prefer in Race car transporter, 1967 Bedford bus, 300ci motor, 5 speed synchro box, high speed diff, no rego, near road worthy, sleeps 4, interior all new. VGC. $6,200ono. Ph: PeterJ33 5275 4904. 109 Tandem trailer, home made lightweight, no winch, with ramps and tyre rack, beaver tail and jockey wheel. Lights and reg. $1,700. Ph: Robert 03 9876 5356 or 0412 362 655. 109

LA billet crankshaft, 3 5/8 stroke, suit 350 Chev. EC. $3,000. Speedway Engineering QC diff, steel tubes, GM calipfers, 4 wideshubs, $1,500. Ph: 03 5862 1238 10s

Chev Duallie, 454, new engine, T400, 6 new tyres, a/c, p/s, new rad, dual tanks, 120 litre LPG, sleeper box, etc.

12 months reg. $28,000ono. Also, 32ft enclosed gooseneok trailer, 12 mths reg, elect brakes, lined inside, 240v lights, tyre rack etc $12,000 Ph: 02 4959 2185. 109

Dry sump, oomplete kit to suit 6 cyl red motor. Includes hoses, clamps, sump, pump, filtyers etc. Out of LJ Sports Sedan, but suit any. $750ono. Ph: 02 9628 7269. loe

Bus, fits car in back. Mid engine, a/c, p/s, 10 speed Road Ranger, new turbo engine. EC. $12,000ono. Ph: 03 9728 6915 or 0416 323 442. 109

Nissan GTR (Godzilla) performance parts. 3" stainless exhaust, fron to back, $800. 17" x 9” Simmons (4) wheels $1200. 260kph speedo (Australian del). $1,000. Group N brake rotors (f&r)$700. loe

Gearbox, ex-Commodore Cup, W-55 Supra Trump gear set. Cross member, clutch, pressure plate, bell housing, yoke and shifter. $1,400. Ph: 02 9153 6571 (AH). i«

BB Chev, carby to pan, 468ei, steel crank, indexed Manley rods, 12.7 pistons, roller cam cc, rectabgular port heads - Dart, internally balanced, PJ geardrive, race pan.

Ready to go. ET 8.4, 159mph in 20001b drag car. Ph: 046 552 422. 108

Ford Sports Sedan, rolling shell only, from XA-XC Coupe, XD-XE Sedan or Capri. Ph: 019 600 256. 109 Transporter. Tandem axle semi-trailer to 45ft. Drop deck type preferred, need not be fitted out, but in good condition. Ph: Chris 03 5987 2691. ns Videos; This is your Life, with Brocky; Rounds 1-5 SATCC 1997; V8 Supercar photos of Seton, Murphy, Ingall. Will pay for videos, postage, photos. Contact Roe, P.0, Box 514, Katoomba, NSW 2780. m Gregg Hansford signed 1993 Bathurst photo. Ph: Richard 03 9827 9882(BH). ns Job wanted, in marketing, sales, anything in motor rac ing industry. Sydney-based, ambitious and keen. Please ph (047)51 7670 or 0418 767 665. m

Everything provided. Don't apply unless you have a sensi ble budget. Genuine enquiries only. Ph: 07 5537 8255 or 015 752 935. me GMC Dually 454 auto, air cond. cruise, power steeing, twin fuel tanks (300ltr), gas tank. Far too many features and extras to list. As new cond. $45,000ono. Ph: 03 5448 8487. 108

Porsche front guards to change 911 to drop-nose front. $2,000ono.Ph:0414 997 303. me

Engines

014 807 501. 109

Percy year. Must be in reas cond. Please contact Anthony (Wk)03 9208 1227. or Ah 9387 7695 ns NASCAR driver wanted for coming season.

Porsche 911 pistons and sleeves, 2.5 litre. High compression, 87.5mm to suit 2.0 - 2.4 litre engine. Half new cost. $2,000. Ph: 03 9469 5162, loe BMW E30, M3 body kit, suit 2 door road or race car, front/rear bumpers, side skirts and guards, all in fibreglass.

Make an Offer. Ph: Greg 042 859 155 or 0411 785 915. loe

working order, up to $3,000. Ph: Michael 03 9893 3424 or

Book, The Great Race Vol 10 (1990) Allan Grice/Win

Tilt car trailer wanted, with electric brakes and in good condition to fit HQ Holden. Open, not enclosed. Ph: 046 556 266. toe

You’ve just looked at over S1.6 million dollars worth of cars and parts for sale in Motorsport News Free Classifieds.

1 pair airflow 220 aluminium heads. Ferrera s/steel valves. Crane tool steel springs. Crane rookers. Stud girdle. $3,000. Hilborn 2 3/16" injection $1,600. Crane roller cams 260 - 262. $250 each. Ph: 08 8263 7719 or 015 794 697. loe

Or.-.. 4)

Trailer, banana back tool boxes, rego GC. $1,000ono.

Ph: 0354 470 590(AH), me

Nissan RB30, Carillo rods, pistons, solid cam and litters.

Extensive head work, triple plate clutch. Dry sump oil pump. With MoTec Injection and carby, good HP. $5800.

Ph 062 589 519, 0414 485 345. m

Minilite magnesium wheels, 13 x 5.5, suit Ford stud pat tern, genuine period wheels in excellent condition $220. Ph: David 03 9534 1426. ice

Chev small block Victor Jnr manifold, ported $290. 350 4 bolt block $300. Lunati roller cam, rev range 4000 - 7200, Esky roller lifters. Rev Kit push rods $850. Ph:045 725 949. loe

Blackjack Commodore. Winner 1996 Grand Finale.

Complete with trailer, separate engine and trans, rolling chassis only, tandem trailer only. POA, Make a fair offer for complete oar or separate. Ph:02 9821 3688. 109

Dodge DF3 transporter, pan, 318 V8 dual fuel, long range LPG, tyre racks, fold up bench, fluoro lights, ramps and tool trunks. $3,700ono. Ph: 017 862 840. u»

Mazda 13B Bridgeport, race engine. Professionally built, as new condition. Selling to finance other project, $2500.019 97 8037. io9

Blower, Litterfield blower (freshened). Enderle Bird Hat (complete). 1995 Hairyglass Dodge Avenger body kit (com plete). Must sell, all offers considered. Phone (08) 8260 1235 after 6pm. 109

Ex Greg Murphy Formula Holden Reynard 92D, Simoco Pacific Pty Ltd offers for sale this raoe winning Reynard, Chassis #023. Comes as raced in 1997 Championship season. 4th AGP, 3rd Calder. Fresh engine, Penske shocks, fire bomb, fully o'hauled calipers.

Complete ready to race with spares available. Priced to sell at $75,000ono. Call Bruce Williams. Ph: 03 5335 8788 or 0418 349 555. 100

Fully enclosed dual axle trailer, electric brakes, 18ft X 8ft X 6ft, two pack red, polished alloy edging, tyre rack, drop down back door. Professionally built, fi t any car. $5,500. Ph: 062 420 843 or 0411 614 628. loe

323 442. 109

Escort parts, 13x6 Globe mags, t/c gearboxes, Xtrac c/r box, forged pistons, adjustable sway bars, 'L' block with new Cosworth pistons and rods. Ph:02 9740 4644. 109

Formula Vee Elliott, completely rebuilt for 1997 sea son, fresh Elliott top HP motor, new paint, new tyres, noth ing to spend, just get in and win races, NO EXPENSE SPARED. The best available. $11,000. Mark White. Ph: 03 5971 1961(AH), loe

NASCAR engine, Chev 9.5 to 1. New block, Lunati crank, Carillo rods, Wiseco pistons, Isky cam and lifters. Timing chain set, valves and springs. All machining and prep, by Keith Darton, Charlotte USA. Done 2 races since new, comes with Quartermaster clutch, flywheel, Tilfon starter, headers, power steering pump, etc etc. $15,800 Ph: 03 9728 6915 or 0416

iS

Trailer, carries 6 Formula Fords or 4 Formula Brabhams.

Single axle, fresh paint, belly lockers. Crane to lift 1000kg. reg. $18,000 Ph Brett, 08 9242 2208. no Tandem trailer, professionally built, polished aluminium cladding, to suit Formula Ford or any open wheeler. As new. $6,000. Ph: 0418 318 866. loe

$1.6111 Let's face it, there’s no belter way to sell your motor sport equipment than in Motorsport News - it’s free and it works!

50

COIVilVIENT

29AU0W97

Astute judgement 0)

0 X0 NEWS

200,000 at the Gold Coast Indy, ^ \ 50,000 at the AMP 1000, 10,000 minimum at each of the 10 rounds W oftheATCC. Then there’s the Drags,

Dear Sir,

Editorial Editor David Hassall Technical Editor Tony Glynn Assistant Editor

Just a short note to congratulate you and Channel 10 for the astounding, informative coverage you give on motorsport as a whole!

Your publication and RPM com bined is a dream come true for all

::cTaik '

petrolheads, which were both well overdue.

TneilSff Of MotCfW^

Could you possibly in the future publish a series of life stories on ‘legend’ FI team owners/managers, ie. Tyrrell, Williams, Dennis, Briatore to name a few?

Phil Branagan Graphics Co-ordinator Viv Brumby

Advertising Paul P. Andriessen

Advertising Manager Gerald McDornan

Kewdale, WA ASST ED: Thanks for the kind

Administration

words, Andriessen. You were looking really good until you confused ‘legend’ with ‘Briatore.’

Managing Director : Chris Lambden

Brock book fan

Contacts

r’^reTe

and is far more complete than just a shell as the article claimed.

In fact, it is currently in the process of being restored to it’s orig inal specifications.

My displeasure at this misrepre sentation is due to the fact that the identity of my car has already been diminished by a fraudulent claim in the UK, which I understand was also attempted with the car men tioned in the article.

a? yoec.:x aert' the sport and I wish to say thank you for all that I received as a sim ple viewer.

I shall miss seeing Gregg wrestle his Falcon around Australian race tracks and hearing his voice through both SBS and FOX Sports.

:(PO Box 1010 North Caulfield 3161) ; Phone:03 9S27 7744: Fax 03 9527 7766

n

i Email: m$ncws@ozonlino.coin.au

Contributors General: Mike KaPle, Jon Thomson,

'

Brian Reed, Darryl Flack FI: Joe Saward, Adam Cooper 'Europe: Quentin Spurring, Ian Bamsey, Gwyn Dolphin US: Bruce Smith, Phil Morris NZ: John Hawkins Speedway: Dennis Nevviyn, David McNabb, Wade Aunger, Geoff Rounds, Mark Neale, David Lament, Chris Metcalf, Sue Hobson, Michael Attwell, Tony Millard (UK) Rally: Peter Whitten Drag Racing: Gerald McDornan, Greg Ward, Jon Asher (USA), Dave Ostaszewski (USA), Nick Nicholas, Steven While.

Ken Ferguson, Scott Jug Super Speedway: Martin Clark (USA), Brett Swanson Karts: Ian Salvestrin, Allan Roark, Graeme Burns, Edward Krause

;■

; | i

Photographers: LAT, Dirk Klynsmith, Zoom photograptiics, Neil Hammond, Nigel & Diana Snowdon, Brad Steele, Tony Glynn, Thunder-Pics, Marshall Cass, Mike Harding, Brisbane Motorsport, Frank Midgley, John Bosher, Phil Wiliiams. Mike Patrick (UK)

'

'nOTORSPORT NEWS is published by Au^rraUisian MofofSf.>Ofr New's Pr^' Ud AGSi No 060 179 9/8 ■17irer.rcy.v C Lambden (Managing). D Hassall. A G^ynn -

Publisher: ,C Lambden Printed by; i Wilke Color 37-49 Brou'n-; Rd Clayton 3168 : Distributed by: NDDLtd

;

There are no plans at this point of putting everything back into book form, but I’m getting plen ty of pressure, so you never know...

Another Brique in the wall De,rir Sir, My attention was drawn to an article published in your magazine

by Brian Reed on the ex-Paddy Hopkirk Rally Mini,/LRX-828E. It was a interestihg and informa

M.necial puWisiierJ h> MOtORSI'ORT NEWS is , roj3)'FigLir tjnd may not he repfoduced in full or in ' pan wiihour rhe wmien permission of tne ; publisher Freeldnte conuibuiions are wultome. and while all uve will be taken. Ausirala.sia/i ; Moforspoji News Pry Ltd doe.s not accept . responsibility fni damage or loss of rnaierial , suhmiited.

Opinions e.>:pressed m Moiorsporl Nsavs are not necessarily tfiose o! Australa.sian Motorsporr News Ply Ltd or its staff ’ Recommended and maximum price only.

round in Sydney; why does Victoria get four rounds? Let’s get back to basics, the way motor sport was run prior to IMG (International Money Grabbers).

On another note: why does Channel 10 provide better coverage of the 2-litre series, showing the majority of the field during races with interviews of both Level 1 and the privateer drivers?

With the V8 series, you’re lucky to see any further than the top six and going to commercials just when a passing move occurs or an inci dent of some kind. Come on chan

item, I was wondering if you had plans to collect them altogether into one booklet for fans to keep.

The alternative is to photocopy the items from eabh issue and sta

Lindsay Tyson Hurstville, NSW ED: Thanks for the kind words.

tive article, except for one glaring error.

I own the sister car, LRX-829E, to the one mentioned in the article.

I assert that it is not destroyed

nel 10, get your act together.

P Johnston

GENTLEMAN RACER... V8 role model Glenn Seton. (Dirk Klynsmith) In researching my car’s histoiy, I have followed the car’s owners back to BMC Australia.

Furthermore, after communica tion with historians in the UK and

ter is edited and post-produced.

Dear Sir,

With regard to FI: let’s hope

Channel 10 gets a shot at it soon.

Channel 9 is becoming like that my car is, in fact, a works car! ! Channel 7 was to the ATCC - slip I feel that I must highlight that ^ telecast in when other committhis is an ongoing problem with ments allow. this car arid pther cars away from Whilst I’m on my soap box... the the mainstream, making them ripe media (Channel 10 aside) need a for identity theft. This, can reduce gigantic rocket up their blurters. a valuable and historically signifi The other week I had to go out cant car to a mere replica. for a while during the Oran Park round of the ATCC. So I tried to get Dave Linton some results on the radio. via E-mail Not a cracker. I got AFL, League, local Rugby, but nothing on the We’ll miss Gregg MeShane ATCC. There were 45,000 people at Oran Park and probably 450 at Dear Sir, Chatswood Oval watching the I do not know, nor have ever met Rugby and I got the scores from Gregg MeShane, but through SBS there. It’s a joke.

Television’s ‘Speedweek’ I felt a There was a thing published in connection as a motorsport lover the Telegraph last year which being entertained and informed by another.

Gregg’s obvious love for all forms of motorsporUbrought me closer to

i i ' ]

showed crowd figures for all sports.

Motorsport came in seventh with 451,000 people. There would have been 300,000 over the FI carnival,

0

ADVERTISING WORKS. IT'S THAT SIMPLE! Cali Gerald McDornan on

03 9527 7744

Voo MAv WOT see anythiMQ wRorJe, WITH IT... I I

/■

I

[L

I

\>

Congratulations to Glenn ^

Dear Sir, I am writing to congratulate Glenn Seton on his 1997 Championship win. Never before have I seen a man more desei-ving of a win such as Glenn achieved at Oran Park.

Despite his incidents at Lakeside and Wanneroo, he still came through without any whining and moaning and without a word of complaint about other drivers, or any of the other BS we’ve seen in the past few months from so many other drivers.

In the face of adversity, ‘Seto’ just kept on going, talcing the good with f^e bad, holding his tongue and keeping his silence; he should be held up as a shining example to other drivers.

Rosemary Sutcliffe Leura, NSW

By Barry Foley

$95 1 can't C>ee AMYTUlWq WfiOMU nfiuOTA c^t?L.T I NfeR MC, TO AAve ACLffeE LOOK AT VOUR DtRRMACLe structures 6(0O6y

Frenchs Forest, NSW ASST ED: The major difference between lO’s Shell and BOC series coverage is that the for mer is ‘almost live’ and the lat

pyt the OneS OH 10

from photographs, I have verified

Subscriptions

A$I50 A$I60 A$170 A$ 190 A$>:0(T

ygfsus One 00 Ten

being dropped due to “poor crowd attendance.”

What bullshit. That leaves one

been quite enthralled with your special feature series “The Peter Brock Story Parts 1 to ?”

I have been a PB fan since day 1 and your articles bring back many memories of Peter over the years.

As these articles are a collector’s

If you decide to produce such a booklet, then I would appreciate receiving advice as to how and when I could take delivery of one copy.

Thank you for your response and keep the good magazine rolling.

you’re willing to exempt us Motorsport News chaps from that blunter business.

Re your issue #107 with refer ence to proposed schedule 1998 SATCC rounds with Eastern Creek

quite pleased with the content and presentation.

I have been a Peter Brock fan for

ple them together, which is a rather poor way to store such a memorable series of articles.

Mt Colah, NSW ASST ED: We assume, Blissett,

Dear Sir Michael Reilly via E-mail

much longer than your magazine has been in existence and have

: CompuServe: ioo237,ii6s

David Blissett

The industry will be poorer by his passing.

Dear Sir, I have been reading your maga zine since issue 1 and have been

:89 Orrong Crescent iCaullield North VIC .3161

(I yoai - 2(i issues) Australia Overseas (Air .Mail) New Zealand. PNG Malaysia, Indonesia Phillipines, HK, lapan IJ.S. Canada Europe Post or lax to address above.

oe ^

Speedway, Bike GP, Superbikes, Super Tourers etc. You get as many at a club meeting at Amaroo as you get at a junior League game, but you can always get the league results in the paper.

It’s a joke.

. . SuT we voefie iw ihc driver CHrVdqiroc, Room rivfrtETiME.

Jon Davison f

Tickford

■C2:

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OnlySPB HURRY. LIMITED STOCK.

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Signature All parcels are sent by Registered Post & insured for a $10 fee in Australia.

W1. Williams Peach Skin Microfibre jacket. Quilted thermal padding, satin gold lining in collar, large back embroidery. Exclusive to FI Shop.

Now only $299

Note min. 14 days delay before forwarding goods paid by personal cheque. motorsport 2s®97

W4. Great New 97 Rothmans Cap. Adjustable size, Sonax logo.

Only $29.K Williams jackets sUees M to XXL