Motorsport News Issue 128 - 5-18 June 1998

iowndes back 128

$4.20 (NZ$5.95incl GST)

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NEWS

BIMIND IHi!f Gliem Setom believes the Ealeems.eamot compete with the Commodores at Bathurst uoless they get a new homolOgatiom mekage.

We can match the Commodores at Bathurst, says Seton

By DAVID HASSALL FORD V8 Supercar teams are desperate for a parity break before Bathurst.

But they are not confi dent that the promised re-homologation of the Falcon - which it was agreed could happen at the same time as the new VT Commodore homolo gation - will happen.

However, they will be encouraged to learn that CAMS has just sched uled a meeting of the Performance Review Committee for next Thursday, June 11.

Since the dramas at Winton over the rear wings on both the Commodores and Falcons, the Fords have struggled to be competitive at Mallala and Wanneroo.

Glenn Seton believes the Falcons really need the re-homologation, though, to be competitive at Bathurst.

“Without that I don’t believe we can match the Continued Page 4 12

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5June M 9Z<L

Longhurst drops Yokos

By DAVID HASSALL

TONY Longhurst and Alan Jones have dumped Yokohama and raced at Wanneroo last weekend on Dunlop tyres.

The dramatic development took place in the week between the Mallala and Wanneroo rounds, although Yokohama was not noti fied untiK Friday.

It then issued a surprising press release which suggested that the decision was “mutual” and followed “amicable discussions”.

Neither party was prepared to discuss it further, however.

Longhurst simply said that he thought it was time for a change in direction.

He later added that the tyre com pany had “stagnated” with develop ment and said he was looking forv'ard to getting some results on the Dunlops.

One insider suggested that Longhurst and Jones were under pressure from sponsors to get some results and that they hoped to keep the door open with Yokohama - a prospect the company is said to have i-uled out.

Interestingly, both Castrol and Komatsu have undergone recent changes in their marketing personnel.

Although Yokohama was not con sulted until Friday, TEGA had dis cussed his situation earlier in the week because the change to Dunlops required the team to

Romano fined over fight

PAUL Romano was fined $5000 and excluded fi-om the meeting at Wanneroo after being found guilty of hitting Ford driver Danny Osborne in the pit lane.

Romano has appealed the decision and denies hitting Osborne, who was stiU in his car at the time of the incident.

The incident followed an ontrack moment in the second race when Romano bumped Osborne off the track, which the race direetor assessed as being worth an immediate stop-go penalty for the Commodore dri ver.

“I was running about fifth or sixth at the time and he held me up for a couple of laps, then he suddenly braked heavily and I hit him, which sent him off,” said Romano on Tuesday.

“After the race I just went over for a chat to see if he had seen me in his mirrors or seen the blue flags -1 was quite casu al about it, but he was the one who wanted to make something of it.

“He grabbed me by the throat, I went to protect myself and then he went to swing a punch.

“I just pulled my head back, then someone came in and broke us up.

“I don’t know anything about a cut over his eye because I didn’t hit him or anything - I’m just not like that.”

CAMS rules provide for appeals to be heard between seven and 30 days after they are lodged.

-DAVID HASSALL

■ The preliminary damage report on Jason Bright’s Pirtek Commodore, after it was hit hard by two eirant privateer cars at last weekend’s Wanneroo SATCC round, is good.

“It’s not as bad as it looked at first,” team chief Ross Stone said on Tuesday.“The fi-ont rails are okay, but it needs a new radiator support panel and a few other bits and pieces, plus a new rear quai'ter. It could have been a lot worse.

We’ll be at Calder for sure.”

■ CAMS has announced that from January 1,2000, all com petitors in all categories will have to wear FIA approved driving suits. The mling comes into effect for aU National Championship level events finm January 1 next year, while the requirement is extended to the following year for all remaining categories.

Currently nine Australian manufactm’ers produce FIA approved driving suits and it is expected that other local manufacturers will seek approval shortly.

NEW BOOTS... Longhurst’s previously Yokohama Falcon wears Dunlops in Perth last week.(Phou by oirkKiynsmith) become Level 2 competitors rather ^ used at^ Wanneroo were bought than Level 1. *” from Dunlop and the team spent all Dunlop was simply unable to the available time on Saturday and offer the team Level 1 tyres the Sunday setting the car up to suit same as the Perkins and Johnson them, teams.

With no stock of marked used There is also no contractual tyres to run in the early sessions, arrangement between Longhurst the team also had to run around and Dunlop and is unlikely to be, and get all the other teams to though Longhurst remains hopeful approve a change of rules to allow of a deal. them to run. The rules had not The tyres Longhurst and Jones been drafted with such a develop-

ment in mind.

Longhurst said he was quite happy with,the tyres and his first reaction was that they proved more rear grip, but less front gi-ip than the Yokohamas.

It is not known what type of Dunlops they will run at Calder later this month.

We believe that Longhurst also approached Bridgestone, but they could not supply the team.

JWercedes says no to Schumacher

By JOE SAWARD DAIMLER-BENZ chair man Jurgen Schrempp last week told the com pany’s annual general meeting that it was “absolute nonsense” to suggest that Michael Schumacher would join the McLarenMercedes team in 1999.

Schrempp said that Mika Hakkinen and David Coulthard were “very successful” and were “very likeable peo ple”.

This is the clearest indication to date that Schumacher will stay at Ferrari in 1999 although he might be in a position to switch teams because he can get out of his deal if he does not win the World Championship. If Daimler-Benz and McLaren do not wish to bid for his services and no-one else in the paddock can afford to hire him, it is logical that he will stay with Ferrari for one more season and try to win the title with the Italian team. * McLaren does not currently need Schumacher in order to win races but, as soon as the other teams begin to catch up, Michael’s value will increase and so Schrempp

Photo by Michael Cooper/AIISpotl

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■ After his superb showing in round two of the FIA GT Championship at Silverstone two weeks ago, Aussie David Brabham was back on form again last weekend when he and British co-driver Andy Wallace swept to outright and class Victory in rormd three ofthe Professional Sports Car Series at Lime Rock, Connecticut. It’s the Panoz team’s first outr-ight victory ofthe season and its fourth straight GT win.

■ Network Ten’s Leigh Diffey left Australia straight after Wanneroo for the Le Mans 24 Hour race. Ten will broadcast a one hour highlights package of the race on Sunday June 21,fi-om 1230 to 1330. He will also report for the evening Sports Tonight progi-am and, with three Aussies in the race,‘Diff is hoping for some good news to report.

■"

WHAT NOW?... Schumacher and manager Willi Weber contemplate the future. may not be quite as dis missive of rumours. He must also be aware that it would be a major loss of face for Daimler-Benz if BMW either or Volkswagen were able to snatch him from Ferrari for the 2000 season.

There have already stories that been boss Volkswagen Ferdinand Piech is trying to get Schumacher to agree to a ^eal involving VW engines and the Benetton team for the year 2000. Piech last week confirmed that his bid for Rolls Royce Motor Cars does include

■ Marcus Ambrose finished in fourth position at the Oulton Park round ofthe British Formula Ford Championship, moving the Tasmanian to equd fifth in the points. Despite an ill-handling car, Ambrose made the most of his weekend and was happy with the result. “I knew this weekend wasn’t going to be easy as we have not had a chance to improve the car from the last race, so I’m happy to score points and move up the ladder,” Ambrose said.

Mygale drivers Jenson Button and David Hayes dominated the event, starting from the fi-ont row and going on to win.

■ Paul Morris was out ofluck in the Milwaukee round of the Indy Lights series. The Gold Coast driver was classified 24th and last after a crash with Guy Smith and Bud Kaeding.

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Cosworth company, which is building Ford’s FI engines and, if that bid is successful in the next few weeks, it would be possible for Volkswagen to have an FI engine ready to race in the year 2000.

Piech says that VW is also planning to buy two other luxury car makers in the next few months and so could probably prbduce FI engines through a company such as Lamborghini, Lotus or even Bugatti.

Lamborghini is cur rently controlled by Tommy Suharto, the son of the recently deposed

President of Indones ia, who may be interested in liquidating his assets fol lowing his father’s demise.

Lotus is controlled by Malaysia’s Proton car company which last week raised its stake to 80% by buying the shares in the Norfolk car-making group which were owned by the family of Yahaya Ahmad.

Italian Although Romeo Artioli retains 20% of the shares in Lotus he will probably sell if the money is right.

Artioli also owns the rights to the Bugatti name.

3

■ Ben Walsh led the latest round ofthe Asian Formula 2000 Championship at Subic Bay in the Philippines until his engine overheated and lost power, drop ping him to second. In the second race his engine held together but he again took second behind Wai Leong. Walsh is third in the series.

■ The price ofFormula Campus has been reduced. A round in the series will now cost US$2000, a $1000 reduction in the cost. Ring Rob McLean on(03) 9764 4096 for more info.

■ Stephen White has topped the latest wet testing session in the Formula Palmer Audi series at Snetterton. Among those chas ing the Melbourne driver were Dai-ren Turner, McLaren twoseater test driver (see page 6).

4

^jW®0®[?S[P®I79

The race is on for the first VT THE race is on to complete the first VT Commodores before the next round of the Shell series, at Calder, in two weeks.

With the two most recent weekends taken up with racing, both Perkins Engineering and HRT have fallen a little behind their planned schedule - although both expect to be at Calder one way or the other, even if their cars haven’t turned a wheel prior.

Perkins’ car (see pic) is structurally complete and is currently being wired. Ail being well, the team hopes to have the car on its wheels late next week.

Holden committed to having its prototype VT cars on track before Calder so that they could complete three races at the end of the Shell series in order to assess their parity with the existing cars before the all-important long distance races at Sandown and Bathurst.

In order to reduce the opportunity for “sandbagging” by the new VTs in these three SATCC races in order to gain an advantage in the ionger races. Ford has insisted that one of the two regular team dri vers in both the Mobil and Castrol teams debut their new cars...

Mezera in at Wynns

TOMAS Mezera will replace Darren Hossack in some if not all three of the remaining Shell Series rounds.

This surprise move by Gibson Motor Sport is designed to get the disappointing Wynns Commodores fully developed and up to speed for the Sandown and Bathurst enduros later in the year.

Mezera’s experience has already been called on by the team and he reportedly lapped Calder Park con siderably faster than before.

His first outing with the squad

will be at Calder on June 21.

Hossack has agreed to move aside because Pate needs more time in the car, being new to touring car racing.

Mezera, however, will return to his own car for the enduros, being a partner will experienced Melbourne engineer Derek Van Zelm in the con struction of a new VT Commodore.

Although previously a contracted Bridgestone driver, Mezera said he does not have a tyre deal at present and will, of course, race on Yokohamas with Gibson.

-DAVTOHASSALL

Continued from Page 1

lost ground finm that,” he said.

Ford is also looking to increase the rear wing height by 60mm, making it the same distance below the roof height compared with the Commodore. / Harbutt believes this is how the wings should be measured, but is seeking the increase in height main ly as compensation for allowing the Holden runners to lower the engine 25mm to fit into the VT. The wing will otherwise be the same as the present wing used on the Falcons.

As far as the parity review goes, Harbutt was not aware of the planned meeting but was dismissive.

“I think it’s futile organising a Performance Review meeting until they have a workable implementa tion program,” he said.

“I want to make it quite clear that there has been no performance adjustment this year - just a Clayton’s adjustment.”

He was referring to the 2mm gur ney flap reduction on the Holdens ordered a couple of months back, which was effectively negated after Winton when the Falcon wings were found to be too high. They had to be cut down by, ironically, about 2mm.

Commodores at Bathm'st,” said a depressed Seton at Wanneroo on Sunday.

Seton said the new package had been rejected by TEGA, a decision he said reflected how politics had made the teams’ gi'oup unworkable.

Seton, who had been the group’s treasurer since it formed, resigned from the TEGA Executive last month.

However, Ford Motorsport boss Greg Harbutt said he expected the new package will go through, based on con-espondence he has had with CAMS. He confirmed that CAMS had expressed opposition to mid-season homologation, but that he had reminded them of an agreement to do so when the VT Commodore application went in.

Both the VT and the EL re homologation were scheduled to be considered by the CAMS Recognition Committee yesterday(Wednesday).

The Committee’s'decision must then be ratified by the CAMS Board, probably by a fax vote, which should be done by the end of next week.

“I will be very disappointed if we don’t get this package approved,” Harbutt said on Tuesday.

The Ford teams have recently been testing their cars fitted with Holden Commodore front air dams and undertrays to establish if the Ford units were the cause of their understeer problems.

Seton said the i-esult of the testing was quite revealing, saying the new undertray produced consistent downforce through comers and eliminat ing the mid-corner understeer the Ford drivers have complained about in recent seasons.

The Ford homologation package includes just such a front end, which Harbutt said would simply redress an advantage handed to Holden at last year’s pre-Bathurst homologa tion.

He said that Holden was then given the opportunity of seeing the Ford unit and then allowed an extra seven weeks to produce a superior undertray.

“We are simply seeking to recover

f

CAMS motorsport manager Tim Schenken admits the Ford wings were technically illegal, but says the Holden ones have also been wrong for a few years.

“There was a lot of variation between the wings and some were technically outside the dimensions of the homologation papers because of the way they were manufactured,” said Schenken.

“But as far as I’m concerned, Winton is done with and eveiything is OK now,so we move on.”

It was clear at Wanneroo - and to a lesser degree Mallala - that the Falcons cannot compete with the Commodores,so parity is back on the agenda.

The Ford teams at least will be pleased to hear of the June 11 meetmg.

Clearly the intention is to bridge the performance gap before the next round of the Shell Series at Calder Park on June 21.

ALL HANDS ON DECK... Perkins Engineering is running hot at the moment to have the first Castro!

Commodore VT ready for Caider on June 21. Despite iooking a million miles from being ready, Perkins and team are confident of success. The VT’s aero kit will look similar to the current VS model.

(Photos by Tony Glynn)

Bridgestone and Ferrari deny link

DID THEY OR DIDN’T THEY?... Schumacher tests at Fiorano. The Ferrari F310ls running clearly marked Goodyear tyres on the front but,just as clearly, the rears are not marked as anything. Were they Bridgestones?

By JOE SAWARD THERE were many rumours in the days before the Monaco GP which suggested that Ferrari had tested Bridgestone tyres at Fiorano last week.

These were denied by both Ferrari and Bridgestone man agements and similar stories which hinted that Minardi might have tried Goodyears to give Ferrari an idea of the advantage to be gained from the Japanese tyres. These sto ries were also denied.

There is no doubt, however, that Ferrari would very much like to switch to Bridgestone in cfrder to close the gap that exists between the F310 and the McLaren-Mercedes.

The drawback of a switch to Bridgestone is that if the Ferrari is not competitive on Bridgestone tyres, there would

be no excuses left for the Italian team, a situation which could have disastrous consequences on Fiat’s funding of the Ferraid’s FI programme.

While there is little doubt that FI boss Bernie Ecclestone would love to see Ferrari on Bridgestone tyres - to keep the FI show lively this year - there is not much to be gained by Bridgestone from such a move.

Sources in Japan suggest that Bridgestone is worried that if it takes on Ferrari, Goodyear will simply withdraw from FI imme diately which would have the effect of ending the tyre war and stopping all the publicity which Bridgestone is receiving at the moment.

As hopes fade for a change of heart from Goodyear, interest is now centred on whether Michelin will come in and

Michelin’s racing boss Pierre Dupasquier was spotted visit ing the FI paddock in Monaco.

He visited the Prost motorhome - his daughter is the team’s press officer - but it did not stop Bridgestone draw ing attention to the visit.

“Monaco is as famous for rumours as it is for racing,” said Hiroshi Yasukawa, “so today we were interested to note the presence of represen tatives of Michelin as they visit ed the garages of one of our contracted teams. We would foe delighted if Michelin were to return. It would be an excellent move for everyone.

“We welcome our friends from Michelin and hope sin cerely that their companj' poli cy changes to enable them to compete against us very soon on Grand Prix tracks.”

5June 1998

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5

Williams closes gap in testing

By JOE SAWARD ALTHOUGH the Monza testing last week was badly disrupted by rain, the dry sessions gave Williams the chance the revised version of its FW20 chassis, which has been reworked at the rear.

Jacques Villeneuve completed 90 laps of the Milan circuit with a best time on the second day of lm25.11s, which split the two McLarens.

Heinz-Harald Frentzen was due to take over on the final day of the test but was unable to run because of rain.

McLaren continues to dominate FI, however, with the fastest time of the test going to David Coulthai’d in his McLaren-Mercedes MP4-13.

He completed 56 laps on the first two days of running with a best time of lm24.86s while Mika Hakkinen did a total of 51 laps in the course of the three days, although his progi'ess was slowed by an engine failure similar to that experienced by Coulthard at Monaco.

His best lap was a lm25.83s but he would probably have gone faster if he had had an imtroubled run.

Ferrari’s Michael Schumacher set the fourth fastest time of the test with a lap of lm26.04s on the second day before heavy rain start ed to fall. Ferrari had started test ing on Tuesday with test driver Luca Badoer trying out a new rear wing in the course of his 40 laps.

... while Stewart tops Silverstone

Schumacher was due to run on Thm-sday but he called off because of flu and Eddie Irvine appeared instead, although he did only one lap in the torrential rain that day.

FeiTari then packed up and went home to Maranello with Ii-vine man ning briefly at the team’s Fiorano test track on Friday.

Also in action at Monza were the Frost and Sauber teams, with both working on engine development.

Jarno Trulli continued his work with the Peugeot EV4 engine which is due to appear at Magny-Cours, while also doing tyre development work for Bridgestone.

He completed 66 laps in the first two days with a best of lm26.20s before the rain came. Olivier Panis took on Thursday but did just a couple of laps in the wet. The team stayed on for Friday but the rain stayed too and the test had to be aborted.

Sauber had Jean Alesi running the latest version of the Sauber Petronas VIO engine which boasts an extra 500rpm. The Frenchman ran on all three days of the test, completing 100 laps with a best time of lm26.65s.

Minardi did not run, preferring to get everything organised for the team’s departure to Montreal. The Italians are planning a major test at Magny-Cours when they return from Canada with the intention of trying a new long-wheelbase ver sion of the M198.

BENETTON, Stewart, Joi'dan, Arrows and Tyn-ell were all in action last week at Silverstone with Rubens Barrichello sur prising everyone by setting the fastest time of the three-day test.

The Brazilian ran on Wednesday and Thursday, completing around 50 laps with a best time of lm26.7s as he tried different set-ups. He suffered one Ford engine failure in the course of the testing. The Stewart team then packed up and got ready for Canada and for the opening of the new factory by the Princess Royal on Monday.

Benetton would probably have gone quicker than they did if Alexander Wurz had been concen trating on setting fast times. He seemed to be more interested in doing long distance and reliability work, checking out revised suspen sion settings and new aerodynamic solutions which are due to appear in Canada. He completed a mam moth 132 laps in his three days of testing and set a best time which was only one tenth slower than Barrichello.

Arrows was in a buoyant mood after the success at Monaco and ran a two-day test for Brazilian Pedro STILL THE SAME VIEW... but it is closer. Hakkinen was third in the lat Diniz, who tried out new software est test at Monza behind Coulthard and Villeneuve. (Photo by Nigei snowdon) and a revised weight distribution in the course of his 50 laps. He set a best time of lm27.6s.

Jordan was busy with two cars running on Wednesday for Damon Hill and Ralf Schumacher but the car remains less than competitive “My car was very good under braking,” career-best finish with a third, battling with Schumacher managing a best said Besnard after the. win. “When his Bowman with the Tatuus of Ryan lap of lm28.1s that day after 54 laps while Hill could do no better (Camirand) tried to pass, I was able to Hampton the entire race. than a lm28.6s after a total of out-brake him. A millisecond is all it takes On Sunday it was Hampton who took nearly 100 laps in the course of his the points ahead of Robby McGehee and and that’s, what I had.” two days of testing. Jordan is Lally.

Besnard had been running with Camirand, who started second in his expected to announce changes to its Van Diemen, dogged Besnard the whole them,leading a four car battle in the first technical structure within the next way, never falling less than 1.283 seconds fo'ur laps btit the roll-bar broke on a crack few days. back to come home 0.955-second behind. which he suspected happened in a Tyrrell ran one car on “I tried to take the lead with about six Wednesday testing crash.

Wednesday and Thursday with He struggled to stay with the lead group Ricardo Rosset doing 40 laps on the laps to go, but it didn’t work,” said the for the rest of the race but hung on to fin Quebec driver. first day to record a best lap of “The team gave me a great Car and I’m ish fourth to cement his series lead. He lm30.8s before handing over to very happy with second and hope to get now enjoys a massive 48-point lead, 180 to Toranosuke Takagi who did only 21 142 over Hampton, followed by McGehee, laps to record a best of lm29.1s. another top-three tomorrow.”

-JOE SAWARD American Andy Lally equalled his Lally and Mike Johnson.

Besnard shares Glen wins DAVID Besnard has claimed his fourth victory on the U.S. F2000 National Championship season, winning the first half of the Watkins Glen International double-header and finishing fourth in the second after an anti-roU bar broke.

Besnard started the first 20-lap contest on the classic New York state track from his fourth straight pole and led every lap during a race-long battle with Canadian Marc-Antoine Camirand.

But his drive was not an easy one as Camirand stuck with him the entire time, passing him once with six laps left, only to be immediately re-passed going into turn one.

Doohan calls for four strokes MICK Doohan has called for the end of the two-stroke formula for the world’s premier motorcycle class.

After finishing second in the French Grand Prix last weekend, the four-time World Champion suggested that 500cc two-strokes be dropped in favour lOOOcc, four-stroke prototypes.

“It seems to me that the two-strokes are reaching the end of their era because the 500 V4s have been doing the same lap times for the last five years,” he said.

“We’re not making leaps and bounds forward any more, the bikes never really change and people lose interest.”

Doohan said that the introduction of a new four-stroke class would be attrac tive to the fans and, more importantly, manufacturers - and not just those already involved in two-wheel racing.

“There’s been talk about switching to foux-stoke grand prix bikes and I think it would be awesome to go to a lOOOcc prototype,” he said.

“With the technology available you

ceuld build really light and small engines with a ton of horsepower. They’d be fun to ride and they’d pull 18,000rpm, so they’d sound great.

“Going to four-stroke prototypes would take the sport to the next level and open up racing to other manufacturers like BMW or even Ford and Ferrari to build engines.

“Yamaha made Formula One engines even though they don’t build cars, so it could work the other way round.”

Doohan refuted criticism of the sug gestion that the switch to the mechani cally complex four-stroke would send costs spiralling out of control.

“Racing four-strokes would cost more, but the manufacturers aren’t afraid to spend if it will do them good. It d be no use trying to keep it cheap, because this isn’t club racing.

“If some people can’t afford to run four-stroke Grand Prix bikes, there s plenty of other championships for them to race in.”

ENGANGERED SPECIES?... Mick Doohan wants to park Honda's NSR500.(Photo by Michael cooper/Aiispon)

■S

5Jm1998

Formula One engine confusion

Briatore gets Mecachrome

By JOE SAWARD THE supply of Meca chrome Formula 1 engines for 1999 and beyond has been thrown into some confusion by the announcement in Monaco that the French company has signed an exclusive distribution contract with a company called Super Perfor mance Competition Engineering, which is to be managed by Flavio Briatore.

The contract will begin in 1999 and will see the exRenault VIO engines being distributed under the ‘Supertec Sports’ banner.

Williams quickly i-esponded to the announcement say ing that there is a contract in place for a two-year deal with Mecachrome and it is going to continue using the name ‘Mecachrome’ and will not switch.

Benetton, which calls the engines Playlife VlOs at the moment, is in a more diffi cult situation because, in order to change the name of the engine, it will have to pay for the privilege.

'Teams such as British American Racing and Sauber, which are interest ed in using the engines, will also have to pay whatever Performance Super

THE HAT IS BACK... ex-Benetton boss Flavio Briatore.

Competition Engineering demands.

One can only presume that Mecachrome and Renault Sport have been paid handsomely for the dis tribution rights to the engines and have agreed because either they are not interested in doing the deals or do not want to be seen to still be involved. According to the Mecachrome state ment Renault Sport is devel oping the engines for 1999 and 2000.

There is clearly a lot more to the deal than meets .the

eye with the biggest ques tion being who actually owns Super Performance Competition Engineering (SPCE). Briatore and his sidekick Bruno Michel, for merly of Ligier, are, it seems, simply managers.

Some rumours in the Monaco paddock suggested that SPCE is jointly owned

by Ecclestone and Briatore as a means of ensuring that there are enough engines around for all the teams and that Briatore can have a money-making role in FI. This seems unlikely

Toyota FI program?

By JOE SAWARD AS we suggested in March, Toyota is con sidering a Formula 1 programme and company president Hiroshi Okuda last week refused to deny the possibility of a Toyota FI team.

'The company later insisted that no decision had been taken, but the fact that Toyota’s big rival Honda has announced that it is planning to return to FI with its own team has added to speculation that a Toyota is due and that it will be timed to coincide with the lowering of the automotive trade barriers in the European Union in the year 2000.

Toyota is already gearing up for a big assault in Em-ope with the announcement of

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plans to build a factory at Valenciennes in France.

Toyota last week announced a 17% leap in pre-tax profits to a record US$4bn ($6bn) in 1997 at a time when most Japanese car mak ers are stumbling badly. The company has also just announced that it is planning to built a automotive theme park, similar to Honda’s facility at Suzuka. The Toyota plan is for the park to be situated on the waterfront in Tokyo.

Although there are people in Formula 1 who hope that Nissan will enter the sport shortly the company last week announced a major restructuring after announcing its fifth loss in six years. The 1997 loss was US$107m.

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because Ecclestone went to a lot of trouble in September last year to distance himself as much as possible from Briatore when Flavio was leaving the sport. At the time this seemed to be a helping hand out of FI, because Flavio’s imaginative ways of doing business did not really fit in with the image Ecclestone was trying to create in the run up to the flotation of FI Holdings.

A second rumour in Monaco hinted that Ecclestone and Briatore have actually bought the whole Mecachrome compa ny. This is ridiculous, as Mecachrome is not a small race-engine builder but rather a vast precision engi neering company worth around $500m which is involved in many industries, notably aerospace and defence.

Investigations into the ownership of SPCE have failed to produce details of ownership beyond a Dutch holding company.

Sources in Holland sug gest that this may lead to a Liechtenstein holding com pany.

It may be a coincidence but Sauber’s Fritz Kaiser is based in Liechtenstein and he told us at Monaco that he

was not involved in SPCE but admitted that he knows the people who are.

It i s also worth noting that Kaiser has represented Gerhard Berger for 15 years and that his negotiating skills impressed Benetton boss Briatore - the new manager of SPCE.

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●REN.' Il.Ti

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WOULD THEY? Will the French giant return to F1 ?

Renault comeback?

By JOE SAWARD THERE has been a lot of talk in recent days suggest ing that the Renault car company is considering a return to Formula 1 as an engine supplier.

Stories have linked the company with engine supplies for British American Racing or Sauber.

Renault withdrew from Grand Prix racing at the end of 1997 after dominating the World Championship for near ly five years. The Renault VIO engines were then passed on to Mecachrome and most of the Renault Sport staff have been seconded to the preci sion engineering company.

Renault Sport has lost a number of important engi neers since pulling out of FI, notably Bernard Dudot, who became technical director of prost Grand Prix and JeanJacques His, the head of research and development, who has been given a new job in production cars. Several other engineers have been hired by BMW. A small group of research and development engineers

under Philippe Coblence remains at Viry-Chatillon to develop the existing V10 unit for Mecachrome and, while there is talk of a brand new engine for 2000, there is no obvious way in which this is going to be financed, as Renault has other problems to worry about.

In any normal country there were would be no possi bility of Renault returning to FI. The company lost $750m in 1996 and was faced with the need for massive restruc turing. Renault chief Louis Schweitzer axed the FI pro gramme not only because of the cost but also because it was difficult to justify at a time when jobs needed to be cut.

It should be remembered that for many years the Renault engine development was funded not by Renault itself but by oil company Elf. This will not happen again.

The only other possibility for a Renault return would be if a company was willing to pay for the engines - as TAG did with Porsche engines in the early 1980s - and that may explain the recent cre ation of SPCE.

Imagine what they do to their enemies...

GIBSON Motorsport team manager Alan Heaphy is sporting a knee to ankle cast after a bizarre incident at Wanneroo.

Straining for a view of the team’s Konica Young Lions car as it completed a qualifying lap, Heaphy took a single step back from the pit wall at the exact moment that one of Gibson’s Wynns cars, dri ven by Dan-en Pate, coast ed silently to a halt in pit lane, having completed its qualifying mn.

It stopped neatly on Heaphy’s toes and the boss overbalanced, the fall - his toes still trapped - twisting and ultimately breaking his foot.

“I’ll still have the cast at Calder,” Heaphy explained ruefully on 'Tuesday, “but I’m really hoping it’s gone before we go to Darwin.

“In 20 years of profes sional motor racing I’ve seen all sorts of pit fires and other assorted dramas, so if this is the worst that happens to me, then I’ll have done okay!...”

- CHRIS LAMBDEN

hL.

SOLDIERING ON... Alan Heaphy and the Injured foot.

X,

7 Valvoline drive for McLean?

5June 1998

0.

...and Geoff Brabham in his BMW for Bathurst?

HEAVYWEIGHT, CHAMP... Stallone was prominent at Monaco and even had time to check out Jacques ViUeneuve’s new hair streaks - they’re blue...

Rocky Reception

SYLVESTER Stallone and a party of Hollywood movers and shakers were pre sent in Monaco to see how they are going to make a movie about Grand Prix racing.

The group included producer Steven Reuther, who has made his name on such successes as‘The Rainmaker’,“The Client’ and “Pretty Woman’.

According to Stallone,the filming of the movie will begin later this year, with the intention of the film being launched in the year 2000. Stallone confirmed that a script has been written and that he will star in the mdvie in the role of a retired racing driver. This perhaps expl^lins why he was spending so much time with Gerhard Berger in the course of the Monaco weekend.

Stallone is currently working on sever al movies, including one called Antz which is being made by Steven Spielberg’s DreamWorks SKG company.

The most recent information from Los Angeles suggests that the Grand Prix movie will be produced by MCA/Universal - which is a sponsor of the WUliams team and is owned by the Canadian company Seagram.

Seagram is controlled by the Bronfinan Family in Canada, which has been Unked with Jacques Villeneuve and Craig Pollock.

The working title for Stallone’s racing movie appears to be ‘Into Thin Air’ and there have been suggestions in the USA that it will be directed by Lili Fini Zanuck, who has been involved in such hits as ‘MulhoUand Falls’, ‘Driving Miss Daisy’ and ‘Cocoon’.

The final details of the movie remain unclear but there is no doubt that the project is going ahead and could be fin ished by the end of 1999.

-JOESAWARD s

By PHIL BRANAGAN CAMERON McLean is close to sorting out a two race assault on Bathurst this season.

The Queenslander tested one of Garry Rogers Motorsports’ Valvoline Commodores at Winton recently and came away with both the car and the team.

“It went well - better than I thought it would,” said McLean.

“The car was nothing like a 2-litre car. In some ways it was easier to drive, because the car wiU drive through any mistakes you make in the middle of corners. In that respect, it’s easier than a 2litre car, but, then again, it’s not hke we were going for the last couple oftenths.

“The speed didn’t worry me; it was less ‘impressive’ than I though in that depart ment. But it was imexpectedly good under brakes, and had better traction than I thought it would.

“The only real problem was dropping left wheels off the track; it’s been five years since I’ve driven a right-handdrive race car.”

Despite being tight-lipped about the prospects of getting a drive, Rogers’ team is not known for its largesse in ‘blooding’ drivers in whom they are not interested.

It would appeal- that, given McLean’s impressive Bathurst debut with Volvo last season, and his relative physical similarity to current driver Garth Tander, McLean has the inside running for the seat at the Sandown 500 and the Australian 1000 Classic.

“It’s not up to me to say anything - but I hope some thing works out,” he said.

FOR the ‘other’ Bathurst race McLean is hopeful that a driver with past experience of a BMW 320i could be slotted in alongside him.

McLean has had discus sions with BMW Australia regarding getting a factory-

contracted driver for the AMP 1000 and, while remaining tight-lipped over who he may or may not get, is delighted with the prospect.

“Look, they are all good dri vers,” he said. “They know what they are doing and it would be great.”

McLean is due to receive a newly-rebuilt engine from BMW for this weekend’s BOC Gases round at Eastern Creek and the sight of him commuting around Brisbane in a 540 sedan suggests that he and BMW have been get ting closer as the season has progressed.

There is even a suggestion that he has agreed terms with BMW to have 1997 Bathurst winner Geoff Brabham in the Greenfields BMW with him for the race.

“I couldn’t say who it might be,” he said on Tuesday. “But I doubt it would be Jo Winkelhock as everyone knows I can’t stand having a smoker in the car...”

No Scheckter for Donington BTCC THERE will be one ex-world champion and only one - at the next round of the British Touring Chr Championship at Donington on June 14.

Nigel Mansell will make his long-awaited return to touring car racing in Ford’s works Mondeo but plans to have Jody Scheckter join him have come to nothing,for now.

Efforts to place the 1979 champion in a third car with one of several BTCC teams

have come to nothing but there is still the opportunity to have Scheckter join Mansell on the grid at Nigel’s next two appearances at Silverstone and Brands Hatch.

Scheckter originally spoke to Vauxhall and Nissan about a drive but it now appears that his best chance lies with another outfit.

Mansell will drive alongside Will Hoy, with Craig Baird standing down for the weekend.

-PHIL BRANAGAN

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8 Grand Prix calendar still to have 16 races for 1999 THE first drafts of a Fonnula 1 calendar began circulating at Monaco and FIA President Max Mosley said that FI fans can expect a radically dif ferent list of dates to the existing calendar.

Our spies tell us that there will still be 16 races - this has been written into the new Concorde Agreement and that the series will kick off in Australia as normal.

We hear that the FI circus will then go to Malaysia and Japan before the usual South American races. The series is expected to end in South Africa in November.

Mosley said that the FIA w'ould prefer to have more races so as not to have replace existing venues.

“We want to make the championship more of a World Championship,” he said. “We don’t want to destroy any existing, tradi tional races. The ideal solu tion, from an FIA point of view, would be to increase the number of races. We would like to see 20 races, but with a two-day weekend rather than a three-day weekend. We can only do that if the teams agree. So,' this is a subject for negotia tion at the moment.”

Wo understand that the telephone company Vodaphone has agreed to underwrite a South African GP for the next five years and has already given guar antees to Bernie Ecclestone that the race will go ahead at Kyalami.

-JOE SAWARD

0

CoiKorde Agreement settled

By JOE SAWARD AFTER two years of nego tiation, the Formula 1 teams and Bernie Ecclestone have finally managed to settle all their differences and have agreed a new Concorde Agreement which will run for the next 10 years.

There have been around 35 different drafts of the Concorde Agreement, but the last one agreed appears to be perfect for everyone except for Sauber. According to team bosses it addresses all the out standing problems and guar antees the long-term stability ofthe sport.

It is a big step forward for Bemie Ecclestone as he plans to float Formula 1 Holdings and we believe that part ofthe deal is Ecclestone’s pledge that he will float his company. The major problem now is getting clearance for a deal from the European Commission.

The new Concorde Agreement was signed on Friday evening at the Automobile Club de Monaco in the presence of His Serene Highness Prince Albert of Monaco. Ecclestone, Ron Dennis (McLaren), Frank Williams, David Richards (Benetton), Eddie Jordan

cash going to Ferrari is (Jordan), Alain Prost r actually going to come out (Prost), Tom Walkinshaw of the money which had (Arrows), Jackie Stewart been destined for some of (Stewart), Craig Pollock the other teams.

(Tyrrell/British American Others stories suggest Racing) and Gabriele Rumi that Sauber has asked for (Minardi) all signed the an extra US$5m a year in agreement on Friday and exchange for his signatoe on Saturday morning the but that this proposal was signatures of Max Mosley rejected by Ecclestone.

(FIA) and Luca di There was another, more Montezemolo (Ferrari) were added. complicated, theory sug gesting that it is not Peter According to Ecclestone Sauber who is causing the and Sauber,the Swiss team trouble but his commercial did not sign because of a director Fritz Kaiser, who problem with paperwork. owns 10% of the shares in This is not a very credible Sauber’s holding company explanation, as Sauber has and was responsible for been refusing to sign for doing the important spon several weeks and any nec FRIEND OR FOE?... Peter Sauber sorship deals with Red essary paperwork could Bull and Petronas. easily have been produced accept political reality and “We feel that EC issues in this period. sign.

The recent weeks have seen The attitude of Sauber is should be taken seriously,” a lot of negotiation over the incomprehensible and as a Kaiser told reporters recently.

This is commendable, but terms of the new deal and it is result there have been a lot of possible that Sauber does not rumours and speculation in illogical, as the Swiss team agree with some of the claus- the paddock. One or two of the stands to lose millions of dol es. stories circulating appear to lars if it is excluded from the Concorde 1998-2008 We hear that teams have have been deliberately planted Agreement which was signed been asked to cancel the 1997- to stir up trouble.

2001 Concorde Agreement but Peter Sauber has always by all the other FI teams at Monaco. that some have asked for extra been the most sensible and money to agree to that. We believe that Ferrari is going to get extra money and that this has upset a lot of team owners, although most have had to

least controversial of all the team bosses and he will not be happy that Ferrari gets extra money.-One story we did hear in Monaco was that the extra

\ Kaiser’s recent letter to the (teams about the situation between the European Commission and Formula 1 apparently indicates an in-

depth understanding of what is happening in Brussels and we have heard the suggestion that Kaiser is perhaps connected with important people in Brussels.

If this is the case, Sauber’s refusal to sign the Concorde Agreement takes on a much more interesting aspect although it remains unclear as to whether he is working with or against Ecclestone.

Taking on Ecclestone would be a brave move for anyone, given the fact that 10 of the 11 teams have signed the Concorde Agreement. Bemie’s failure to get Sauber’s signa ture will probably not have much of an effect on the world of investment banking, as Sauber is really not a very important team.

It could be, therefore, that Sauber’s apparently nonsensi cal rebelhon is nothing of the sort and that Sauber is work ing with Ecclestone to keep the Concorde Agreement ques tion open until the problems the with European Commission have been sorted out.

If the Commission forces change on Ecclestone, he does not really want to be bound by agreements made before he knows what will happen.

McLaren tests 2-seater FI car

DAVID Coulthard and McLaren test driver Darren Turner have undertaken the shake-down of the new McLarenMercedes two seater Formula One car.

The car, a development of the 1997 MP4/12, will offer selected and brave pas sengers - seated behind the driver the ride of a lifetime.

The car has been built with safety at the forefront. It fulfils all the specifications demanded by the FIA and such are the stresses and strains created by the modernday FI car that the candidates may have to undergo a physical examination to ensure that they are fit enough for the experience.

The car has been fitted with a ‘panic but ton’ in case the passenger decides that enough is enough.

The first ‘joy ride’ is planned to take place at Silverstone around the time of the British GP in July. All proceeds from the program will go to charities chosen by McLaren and Mercedes-Benz.

- QUENTIN SPURRING

THE RIDE OF A LIFETIME... McLaren test driver Darren Turner fires the 2-seater MP4 around Brand Hatch in its maiden shakedown run. That's a dummy in the rear seat, by the way, not Mark Webber.

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While Mika Hakkinen was winning the Monaco Grand Prix, his compatriot Mika Salo was bringing the Arrows team a season-bestfourth. In this exclusive column he tells us all about it...

I

was really hoping to get on the podium in Monaco, and if we had the qualifying right I really think we could have done it.

I score my first points there every year. I’ve had two fifths and now a fourth, and that’s why I’m a little bit disappointed - I really wanted to be in the top three.

But our result is really good for the Arrows guys, because they’ve been working day and night for the last three months. To get both cars to the finish and in the points - it’s very, very good for every one, especially my number one mechanic Carl Gibson, who’s going back to Australia after this race.

I was confident that we’d go well in Monaco.

I’ve always liked it; it’s great fun, and you have to concentrate so much. It’s the only circuit where straight-line speed is not so important. I had the same problem with Tyrrell, so I knew what it would be like.

efore the race we did 'some proper testing for the first time this season.

Earlier this year we’d be doing three or four laps a day. I don’t call that testing really - I call it standing around in Barcelorial This time we worked on traction and things like that, and it seemed to help.

Every time we go test ing we make a step for ward. I’m sure there’s still more time in the car which we haven’t found, as it doesn’t feel perfect yet.

But it’s a really nice car, easy to set-up. We’ve

managed to balance it everywhere. We just need to try things to make it better.

They’re working hard on the engine, and maybe they’ll get it right soon. We actually went one step back on engine spec after qualifying, for reliability. I think we should start racing the qualifying engine pretty soon, and by Silverstone time we’ll get the new engine. They’re saying that I won’t have to complain about power, but we’ll see!

When started knewpractice the most impor I tant thing was just to go round and round and round. If you start changing the car too much you get lost, because you’re still re learning the circuit as well, and it’s getting quicker anyway. We were right up

there from the beginning, and I was in the top five all weekend. It helped that our engine is very driveable. It may not have a lot of power, but if there’s any wheelspin we can control it easily.

I was third on Saturday morning and 1 could have stayed there if we didn’t have a little gearbox prob lem in qualifying. I was just starting my qualifying lap when it broke, although it had nothing to do with the old problems. So it was back to the pits for the spare car, and of course it was Pedro’s turn to have it.

They’re supposed to be the same, but two cars never are. I didn’t have the confidence that I had in my race car, which I’d been

driving-for two days, or the whole season really. We’d done all the fine tuning with mine, and to suddenly jump in the other car which has different brakes, steering and so on - you just don’t have the confi dence for the high speed corners and braking. I real ly think I should have been in the top four, so eighth was a bit of a disappoint ment. Everyone else gained 1.5s from the morn ing, and I stayed the same.

T

he start was OK, but it was the first time this year I didn’t gain anything.

I think everyone was really careful, because it’s really

i: -●

■iV

oy Nigel Snowdon

BACK IN BLACK... Salo and Oiniz were on top form at Monaco in their Arrows At 9s.

stupid to throw it away in the first corner. At first Eddie Irvine pulled away a little bit, but also he was catching Frentzen, so I knew something was going to happen!

When Eddie tried to pass, Heinz was stupid to stay outside. He should have backed off when he saw the Ferrari. He left a big gap, and I was going there also. I almost passed Eddie as well; I think he went to neutral, and I was beside him when I heard him get a gear and start to pull away again.

Later on I wasn’t really chasing Eddie, I was trying to keep ahead of Alesi. He was on two stops, and I knew he was a little bit quicker. For the last 20 laps I was taking it really easy when I had no pres sure from anybody.

I short-shifted a lot try ing to save the car, and I wasn’t really pushing hard.

Towards the end my first gear jumped out once.

After that I asked on the radio how much the gap was behind me, and they said ‘20 seconds to Alesi.’

So I decided to back off and use only second; I didn’t use first again.

DON’T MIX THEM UP ROSS... Palmer’s Nurburgring race car will be based on VW’s New Beetle (above), which is nothing like a Dodge Viper. kit, will be air-lifted to Germany within a few days after a shakedown at Blackhawk Raceway in the USA. More than 140 cars are expect ed to line-up for race around the 25.51 km circuit.

The race car - one of three New Beetles purchased by Palmer through regular retail outlets in Illinois - has been prepared by a race workshop in Chicago, AKG Motorsport.

Palmer estimates its tur bocharged 1.8-litre engine should produce a reliable 180 horsepower.

“When it was obvious that there was such a resistance to our racing a New Beetle, I suddenly became quite determined to make it hap pen,” Palmer said last week.

“It would have been way easier and cheaper to simply lease a BMW or whatever for the race. But we will have a heightened sense of achievement if we can pull this off.”

Palmer says he will enter the New Beetle in the other great German endurance race, the Six Hours of Nurburgring on August 15.

One driver has already been con firmed - Sir Jack Brabham.

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PALMER will appear in a Dodge Viper this season after all.

Originally scheduled to race Ray Lintott’s Viper GTS in the Australian GTP Championship, he will now import a new VIO 8litre car from the USA and join Garry Waldon, whose GTS has won the last three GTP races.

“Holden Special Vehicles is currently converting Ray’s car to right hand drive, so we decid ed it would he better to import a new car for GTP,” Palmer said.

“I really can’t wait for the new car to arrive, the GTP action is really hotting up and I can’t 9f wait to get amongst the action.

MEANWHILE Palmer’s son Darren has continued his series-leading form in the USA at the fourth round of the 1998 Star Mazda Series at Indianapolis Raceway Park (IRP).

Palmer finished second in his first race at an oval in the race held on the night of the Indy 500.

“We came here with no great expectations, as ovals can be tricky, but to be leaving with a second makes me feel more comfortable about the series standings,” said Palmer Jr.

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The one near thedisappointment end was when Fisichella spun. I saw a replay on the big TV screen when I was going up the hill. I was going ‘Third! Yes, yes, yes!’ But when I came round to Rascasse he wasn’t there anymore„and they still had a ‘P4’ for me on the pitwall...

I really don’t know about Canada. The long straights don’t help us, but the slow corners might be kind to us. We had a pretty good race with Tyrrell last year with no power, so maybe it will be all right.

Let’s hope so...

Palmer gets a Volksy and a Viper

ROSS Palmer will lead an Australian assault on the Nurburgring 24 Hour on June 13/14.

In defiance of opposition from Volkswagen of Germany, the Palmer team will race a VW New Beetle in the classic - the first com petition outing anywhere in the world for the car, which is currently available only in North America.

The outing will be overseen by Formula Ford and Suzuki Cup racer Damien White, who is also one of the four drivers. The others are Palmer, Melinda Price of the Castrol Cougars and Sydney jour nalist Peter McKay. The GT Production boss’s Nurburgring campaign comes against the wishes of Volkswagen AG, which has a policy of actively discouraging any importation of the New Beetle from North America.

Hopeful of leasing a turbo diesel engine identical to that used in the endurance racing factory Golfs, Palmer initially approached VW for support, but was turned down.

The rejection is part of a VW policy to keep any New Beetles out of Europe until its official launch there. US dealers have been threatened with disenfranchisement should they knowingly supply any New Beetles destined for Europe.

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World of Sport

Motor Ruiing Calendar Shell Australian Touring Car C'ship*

June 21 . .Calder Park ....Rd 8 July 19 .. .Hidden Valley . .Rd 9 10 round series held around Australia

Slick 50 Formula Ford* June 21 . .Calder Park ....Rd 8 July 19 ...Hidden Valley . .Rd 9 Eight round series held in Australia

A'ustralian Formula Holden Championship*

June 21 . .Calder Park .. . .Rd 4 Five race-series held in Australia

EOC Gases Super Tourirug Championship*

June 7 .. .Eastern Creek ..Rd 4 Rd5 June 28 . .Lakeside Rd6 July 19 .. .Mallala .

Eight round series held in Australia

Centuiy Batteries

June 7 .. .Eastern Creek . .Rd 4 June 28 . .Lakeside Rd5 ,Rd6 July 19 .. .Mallala .

Eight round series held in Australia

FedEx Champ Series*

June 7 . . .Detroit June 21 . .Portland July 12 . . .Cleveland July 19 . . .Toronto

Rd8 Rd9 Rd 10 Rd 11

19 race series held in the United States, Australia, Brazil and Japan

Pep Boys indy Racing league

June 6 . . .Fort Worth .Rd4 June 28 . .Loudon . . ,Rd5 July 19 ...Dover Downs .. .Rd 6 11 race series held inthe Uriited States

Formula 1 World C'ship

June 7 .. .Canada July 12 .. .Britain July 26 . . .Austria

Rd 7 Rd 8 Rd9

16 race series held around the world

Winston Cup NASCAR

June 6 .. .Richmond . . ..Rd 13 Rd 14 June 14 ..Michigan June 21 . .Pocono Rd 15 June 28 . .Sears Point ...Rd16 33 race series held in the United States

NHRA Winston Drag Racing Series

June 14 ..Columbus ....RdIO June28 ..Madison Rd 11 Rd 12 July 19 .. .Denver .

22 race series held in the United States

ANDRA Australian Drag Racing Series

June 5-7 ....Wintemationals ...Wbank Final round of the series, featuring Top Fuel, Top Doorslammer, Top Alcohol, Pro Stock

SOOcc Motorcycle Grand Prix C'ship*

Rd 6 June 14 ..Portugal June 27 . .Netherlands ....Rd 7 July 5 . . . .Great Britain ...Rd 8 16 round series held around the world

Australian Rally Championship Rd July 5 ....Hobart I 4 7round series held in Australia

World Rally Championhip*

,Rd8 June 7 .. .Acropolis June 26 ..New Zealand .. .Rd 9 14 rally series held 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.

RENAULT revisited past glories at Oulton Park’s ninth and 10th rounds of the 1998 British Touring Car Championship, with Alain Menu and Jason Plato taking a win apiece.

Reigning champion Menu domi nated the Sprint Race, winning with ease from the pole, and looked set to make it two in a row in the Feature Race until an uncharacteristic mis take from the Swiss stai’ handed vic tory to his team-mate who became the season’s sixth different race win ner in 10 races.

But while the Renault men shared the victory spoils, Volvo’s Rickard Rydell emerged the real winner of the afternoon, the Swede extending his overall championship lead to 24 points thanks to two second-place finishes.

The Sprint Race saw a perfor->mance reminiscent of Menu’s cham pionship-dominating form of last season. The Swiss led all the way from pole position in his Laguna, beating off a start line challenge from Rydell and romping into a onesecond lead over the Swede by the third of the 20 laps. For good mea sure Menu posted the fastest lap time of the race as he sped into the distance; he eased off only after extending the gap.nn his pursuers to two seconds, five laps fi-om the che quered flag.

As is so often the case at Oulton the getaway from the grid was a fraught affair. On this occasion it was leading Independent racer Matt l^eal who fell foul of the battle for track space, his Nissan edged into the bar riers at Old Hall. Neal continued, but only so far as the pits where his Piimera was deemed to be too badly damaged to continue.

Fellow independent Mark Lemmer was also in the wars, his Vamchall retiring after contact with Robb Gravett’s Honda.

Behind masterful Menu, Rydell was under severe early pressure from David Leslie but, as the laps ticked away, it was clear that Volvo was handling better than Nissan and the championship leader’s sec ond-place finish was never seriously

British Touring Car Championship OuSton Park 25 May 1998 Round 10:40 laps Rounc^Q:20 laps 1 Alain Menu Plato 41m 20.394s SWl Renault Laguna 20m 16.790s 1 SWE Volvo S40 +0.580S 2 Rickard Rydell +1.978S 2 ^Rydell 3 David Leslie GB Nissan Primera +2.955s 3 (Reid +1.057S 4 Jason Plato 4 +2.775S Menu GB Renault Laguna +3.236s GB Nissan Primera +12.477s +6.926S 5 Anthony Reid 5 Thompson 6 Gianni Morbidelii ITA Volvo S40 +13.416S 6 Cleland +20.138S 7 John Cleland 7 +20.585S 7 Hoy GB Vau)^h^l Vectra +14.881S GB Ford M^deo +15.680s 8 Bintcllffe +22.887S 8 Will Hoy 9 John Bintcliffe GB Audi A4 +16.970S 9 Morbidelii +23.473S 10 Yvan Muller FRA Audi A4 +17.526S 10 Muller +24.409S FASTESTL4P Menu 59.646s 99.829mph.

CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS Rydell 109 points. Menu 85, Plato 82. Thompson 76. Cleland 66, Reid 62. Leslie 51, Hoy 32, Warwick & Morbidelii 23.

thi-eatened thereafter.

However, all his good work came James Thompson held fourth for undone in the pits the next time Honda until his Accord’s engine let around when he stopped for his go on lap eight; Plato’s Renault next mandatory wheel-change. New took up the pursuit of Leslie, closing leader Menu pitted a lap later, on to the Scotsman’s tail in the final returning to the circuit weU in front laps but failing to find a way past. of Reid and the other early stoppers Anthony Reid claimed fifth for Leshe and Thompson.

Nissan, with Volvo’s Gianni Plato, Audi’s John Bintcliffe, Morbidelh sixth. Norwegian Renault Volvo’s Gianni Morbidelii and pilot Tommy Rustad claimed the VauxhaU’s John Cleland went on to Independents prize with his drive to score bonus points for leading as the 13th overall. The works Honda pit-stops ensued. Menu regaining top team’s misery was compounded by spot on lap 27 with a half-second the retirement of Peter Kox’s car advantage over Plato, Rydell, Reid after a clash with Tim Harvey’s and Leslie. ’The champion looked aU set to do the double...

Peugeot; Harvey, too, was forced out.

Anthony Reid had his sights firm However, the Renault team leader ly set on victoiy in the Feature Race, reckoned without having to find a his Nissan blasting away from his way past the Peugeot of Paul first pole position of the season to jRadisich. Having returned to the take a commanding eai'ly lead over track just in front ofthe leaders after Menu, Leslie, Plato, Thompson and taking a stop-go penalty for speeding Rydell. By lap 16 (of 40), Reid was in the pit lane, Radisich was in the 1.6 seconds ahead. wrong place at the wrong time as the

BRAD Jones is heading to Germany for the 1998 Nurburgring 24-Hoiu".

Jones will join the Volkswagen team for the assault on the famous Nordschiefe circuit on June 13/14.

He will share a ISOkW Volkswagen Gplf TDI diesel with Jean-Francois Belgian Hemroulle, who drove with Cameron McConville in Jones’ team at Bathurst last October.

It will be the second year that Jones has driven for the team, after sharing a similar car at Spa last year. After running as high as fifth outright the car he was sharing with Yvan Muller and Tamara Vidali was classified 12th outright and third in the ‘Ecotech’ class.

The car has heaps of low-down torque. I’m looking forward to the Nurburgring - I’ve never raced there but it’s one of the world’s most famous tracks.”

The inclusion of Jones in the driving squad is seen as an important development, given that Volkswagen is considering running cars at the Bathurst 1000 in the diesel-only class.

If Volkswagen do commit to the October race they are expect ed to face teams from BMW and Renault.

“The Volkswagen team is very

- PHIL BRANAGAN

GREEN PARTY...

The Renault Lagunas of Alain Menu and Jason Plato may have taken the wins at Oulton Park but Volvo’s Rickard Rydell(top) built on his championship lead with two seconds.

WHERE THERE’S SMOKE...

There’s Nissans. Anthony Reid tried hard in the Primera.

(Photos by Bothwell Photographic)

front-runners bore down on him through Fosters; Menu was wrong footed, ran wide and gave Plato and Rydell the opportunity they had been waiting for.

Both were through in the blink of an eye. Menu relegated to thii'd. And the misery wasn’t yet over for Menu: five laps from the end Reid muscled his Nissan past the Renault to claim a podium place. Menu held on to fourth ahead of Thompson, with Cleland inheriting sixth from Leslie after the latter’s retirement with suspension trouble.

Plato’s victory keeps the Renault squad out in front ofthe manufactur ers’ and teams’championships, while Renault’s independent. Tommy Rustad, takes over the class lead after a second class victory in the Feature Race, gifted to him after Neal was forced back to pits for a second time to have his car’s pitstop-identifier properly removed.

Nurburgring for Brad

professional,” said Jones last week.

JUST LIKE OLD TIMES... Jones was part of VW’s 1997 Spa attack.

5June 1998 n Alfa’s 156 Super Toming car has won its first race. Fabrizio Giovanardi took last Sunday’s Splint race at the Monza round of the series, though he was out of luck in the Featiu-e. n Nissan has had an usual problem with its BTCC Primera.

Up to now the cai"’s suspension set-up has made it impossible to change both front wheels quickly, which means that the cai’ has been getting one front and one rear tyre, putting it out of con tention in the second part of‘fea ture’, pit-stop races. ITie Ray Mallock Limited-run team has now modified both its cars and Anthony Reid and David Leslie should now carry their ‘Sprint’ race form into the longer races. n Speaking of pit stops, the 12s-odd times put up by the Audi Sport Australia team look impres sive but the fastest stop in the BTCC so far tlris season - by TWR’s Volvo team - is 7.8s... n After stniggling in the horse power department-and failing to get a supply ofFrench Peugeot Sport engmes-Peugeot’s BTCC team hasjoined forces with Mountune. Formerly responsible for Ford’s rally program, David Mount’s first engmes wfi] appear in the next round at Donin^on Park on Jime 14. n Reports that Greg Murphy would drive for the DC Cook Renault team in the Bathurst 1000 seem to be wide ofthe mark.

“I don’t know how these things happen,” said Murph last week.

“You’re seen talking to someone at Brands Hatch and, next thing, you’re together for Bathurst...”

II

South African GP set for ’99 ,/»x /

By JOE SAWARD

FURTHER details are emerging about the future of Grand Prix racing in South Africa with the recent announcement by the cellular telephone company Vodacom that it will pour as much as US$50m ($75m) into the sport in the course of the next five years.

The Automobile Association of South Africa is understood to have lodged guarantees with the FIA and with Bernie Ecclestone that will mean that it will join the FI calendar at the end of next year.

If South Africa does win a place in the calendar it will be at the expense of one of the European venues as the teams are still refus ing to do more than 16 races in a season, despite the FIA’s wish that the series be extended to 18 or even 20 events.

The Formula 1 calendar will not be settled until October although a draft calendar is likely to be voted when the World Motor Sports Council meets in June.

The deal between the AASA and Vodacom gives the phone company the naming rights to all South African motorsport championships and the expansion of the racing school at Kyalami in the hope that the country will be able to produce a new champion to follow in the footsteps of Jody Scheckter.

The only problem for &Quth Africa is that the government is trying hard to bring in a law ban ning the advertising of tobacco products, sports sponsorships and similar activities.

The best part is the 6 month/20r000 km warranty on all parts.

I 'J- : l A

- .oSu V

.>4

'if

Photo by Nigel Snowo'ii

THE WAY WE WERE... Nelson Piquet leads Keke Rosberg, Riccardo Patrese and Niki Lauda at Kyalami in ’84.

San Francisco comes to Monaco

By JOE SAWARD SAN FRANCISCO’S bid to host a Formula 1 Grand Prix received a big boost at Monaco when the California city’s mayor Willie Brown showed up to watch the Grand Prix and have talks with Formula 1 boss Bemie Ecclestone.

Brown is supporting a plan to hold a race through the Presidio, a former military base which is locat ed on the approach road to the Golden Gate Bridge.

!.

'The Presidio consists of a large ar-4a of parkland through which run a number of roads, notably Marine Drive, which provides dramatic views of the Golden Gate Bridge and San Franciscp' Bay. The site would be easily acfcessible fi'om the city as Highway 101 runs right past it and it would be fai- enough away from residential areas to avoid too much protest.

However, there is still likely to be a strong environmentalist lobby opposed to any race in city park-

Ra c e

The

No mofe, the best part is the price!

land, as there was at Albert Park.

There are also problems with the timing of races, as running a race in the afternoon in California would mean that most of FI’s TV audience would be asleep when the event took place.

While San Francisco is an option for Formula 1, Willie Brown’s visit to Monaco is being seen in FI as a way of pressuring Las Vegas into making a decision rather than a positive move towards a race in San Francisco.

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12 Bayle back 5JmW98

YAMAHA rider Jean-Michel

^ Bayle completed a successful one-day tyre test at Paul Ricard on Monday.

The French star, who has yet to race in ’98 after suffering concus sion in a pre-season crash, managed 87 laps, equal to that of Red Bull Yamaha teamster Simon Crafar.

Suffering headaches and dizzy spells following the crash, Bayle had been replaced by factory test rider Kyochi Nanba, then Luca Cadalora who finished sixth in the French GP last Sunday. The Italian will fi ll in again for Bayle at the Madrid GP at Jarama on June 28.

Following earlier rumours of forced retirement, Bayle appeared buoyant after the test. “It feels good to do so many laps. It’s been a big improvement since the last test. I’ve been doing a lot of training and gen erally I feel excited about the next time Lean ride the bike.”

Bayle lapped in a best time of lm23.00 which compared well to Cadalora (lm22.40), Norrick Abe (lm22.30), 6rafar, lm22.96 and Regis Laconi (lm23.80), leaving team boss Wayne Rainey very up beat.

“Everything went perfectly today.

It was very good to see Jean-Michel going so well. We will not test him again until we get to Barcelona after the Madrid GP. We also have a three-day option at the Barcelona test if Jean-Michel feels he needs an extra day.

“Luca’s testing today gave us a lot of help and we through a lot of tyres and found a very good front tyre and suspension combination so we’ve had a very good test,” Rainey added.

- DARRYL FLACK

w

ell, a couple of fairly exciting weekends have just past with mixed results on the track, but overall I’m leading the Shell Superbike Championship again which is pretty satisfying considering what happened at the Mallala round.

The first race at Mallala was fairly good. I was second for 99 per cent of the event, before I made a mistake and ran wide that allowed my Zurich Greenslips Kawasaki team-mate Damon Buckmaster to pass so I finished third.

Then on the second lap of the next event he took me out of it when he ran into the rear of my ZXR as we went into the Northern Loop, pushing the back of the bike through the fuel tank, then the whole lot burst into flames and I caught on fire.

During the crash I squashed my dick up against the fuel tank before I flew over the handlebars. As I was flying through the air I was in agony - I actually thought that I had split or burst it open.

As I slid across the ground I iooked down and saw that I was on fire. I got up and managed to get it (the fire) out. Then a corner marshal came over and started slapping me on the back as there were flames coming off my.leathers across my shoulders that took my mind off my groin I

rA Photo by D,hr. Ktynsmih TENDER LOINS... Marty tries not to let Hossack know about his sore, er...

Thankfully, the officials dis played the red flag, so I ran back and jumped onto my spare bike after unzipping my leathers to check that everything was okay in my jocks.

I had to start from the rear of the grid and I knew that I would have to take it relativeiy easy for the first few laps as the tyres were cold and the bike hadn’t been fully prepared for the race. I worked my way through to seventh place and more series points.

I was in a bit of discomfort dur ing the second race, as some fuel had spilt down my right boot and inside my leathers before I depart ed the bike, so my right ankle got burnt and blistered.

D

uring the week I took it pretty easy as I had to ensure the blistering settled down properly as we were racing at Perth’s Wanneroo Raceway the following weekend.

On Friday afternoon Darren Hossack took me for a ride in his

Wynn’s Holden Commodore, The corner speed was really good, as you can feel the wide tyres plus the aerodynamic package and the wings working. However, the acceleration wasn’t impressive because they don’t have the power-to-weight figures that I’m used to on the Superbikes. .■ Unfortunately, the car had lots of understesr which didn’t help the handling qualities.

At the post-qualifying media conference I was asked about my ride in the Commodore by the series commentator, Barry Oliver. I told them I was surprised how slow the cars were. Then he asked me about the difference between the bike and the car.

I suggested you could drive a car while you were asleep as they were not that rapid or moving around like a bike under hard acceleration. That caused a lot of the drivers and the 200 to 300 spectators to laugh, but several of the older drivers gave me a few dirty iooks.

After the conference the younger drivers and a number of the spectators came up and expressed their interests in the comparison of the two classes.

I have offered all of the V8 Supercar drivers the opportunity to go for a ride on the back of my bike at any of the forthcoming Shell series rounds. To date none of them have approached me and there is no fear of me not giving them a good ride...

The Kawasaki boys did an I excellent job rebuilding the bike. I qualified it on pole, which I was quite surprised about, as my |gp times Were three tenths quick er than last year’s qualifying times. I recorded a 56.3-second lap, which was seven tenths of a second quicker than the V8 Supercar pole racked up by Mark Skaife’s Mobil Holden Commodore. By gaining pole I earned another championship point, ome race day and I didn’t get a good start in the first race fin ishing the opening lap in fourth, so I worked my way up to second behind Damon. I just ran out of time to get past him for the win so it was a Kawasaki 1 -2 with me finishing in second spot, In the next race I was third at the end of the first lap before moving into second behind Damon pretty quickly. After that I moved ahead of him and pulled a second and a half gap as I headed towards the chequered flag. I recorded the fastest race lap time of 57.48-seconds which was quite pleasing, I now lead the series by three points over Steve Martin with Craig Connell two points behind him.

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i 5June 1998

13

Religion,prunes in custard suits and wasted effort

sk a bushman in the most remote desert you can think of if he can name the three most famous motor races in the world and he will quickly reply (in Bushmani) that the Monaco Grand Prix is one; the Le Mans 24 Hours is another and the Indianapolis 500 is the third.

He may not be able to tell you in which country these festivals of speed occur but he will have heard of all of them while sitting on his Mummy’s knee out there in Bushmania.

He may then mutter something about being unable to understand why it is that two of the big three races of the year take place on the same day. As a Bushmani race fan, it means that he has 363 days of the year looking for grubs in shrubs and only two drinking beer in front of the TV. He would prefer it if there were three days of beer drinking and 362 of grub-hunting.

No-one iri motor racing ever seems to question the logic of the bushman. The Monaco GP and Indianapolis almost always clash. It has always been like that and why on earth would one want to change that?

If you think about it, however, it really is a daft state of affairs. Can you imagine the uproar you would cause in the horse racing world if you suggested that it would be a good idea to run The Derby on the same day as the Prix de I’Arc de Triomphe? Or the Melbourne Cup on the same day as the Kentucky Derby?

Imagine the cries of “Sacre Bleu!”, “Eh, bah ouf!” and “Ou est mon envelop brun?” if someone pro posed to the Federation Internationale des Bicyclettes Sportives (FIBS) that the Tour de France should clash with the Tour of Italy. And yet every year the Monaco Grand Prix is scheduled on the same day as the Indianapolis 500 and not a sound is heard apart from a plaintive wail from a distant voice in Bushmania...

ghastly - and I suffered serious cold turkey...

Mind you, the FIA blazer blokes have a justification for every argu ment and so what they say in public has become rather irrelevant, because no-one believes a word of it anyway.

The FIA President Max Mosley spent some time in Monaco trying to convince the Ft media that Grand Prix racing this f1 year is really excit ing because of the suspense that builds up during the races as dri vers try to think of a way of overtak ing the car ahead of them without ending up in hos pital or having to pay up a load of money for causing “an avoidable accident”.

You can avoid almost every acci dent if you sit in the queue until the chequered flag comes out... but it is hardly racing.

We journalists do occasionally point out that we get a lot of letters from chronic somniacs (which I pre sume is the opposite of an INsomniac) complaining tbiat they turn on Grand Prix racing to wake themselves up with a few jolts of adrenaline and end up dozing on the sofa as the cars drone round and round and (sorry I had to stop to yawn).

After the recent Spanish Grand Yawn in Barcelona there were lots of letters about F1 being as interest ing as driving Reliant Robins across the plains of Kansas at 33mph.

Mosley’s argument that the thrill of the chase is better than the kill was an interesting one, but anyone who ever studied him in action knows that when it comes to politics.

Max gets his biggest thrill (a manic look in his eye gives it away) as he is plunging a political knife into the exposed artery of a rival and getting ready for the final, crunching twist,

There are some who argue that with famous stars such as Billy Boat, Godfrey Gondola and Denis Dinghy on the front row of the grid at Indianapolis, the race has ceased to have quite the same importance as once it did - and they have a pointbut it is still a big draw because Our Man in Bushmania does not know the difference between Billy Boat and Alessandro Zanardi and it really doesn’t matter to him.

He wants to remember the spec tacle (and the beer) and not bother with unimportant details such as who won.

The smug old folk at the FIA say that it is not important that the two events clash and they argue that having two big races on the same day is actually a good thing, because race fans can indulge themselves enormously on one sin gle day. That is a bit like saying that having two lunches on Christmas Day is a good idea. I did that once and I have to tell you that it was

perhaps it is understandable that 1 FI is a bit dull when it is run by people who like fighting with each other more than actually trying to build the sport into something big ger.and better. Ah well, in defence of the FIA, history teaches us that the human beings are happiest when they are fighting one another, and the only folk who really achieve great things on the world scene were those who did not have to worry too much about opposition at home (look at Tony Blair and Bill Clinton).

The other valuable lesson is that The dispute reminds me CART-IRL of the first aerial dogfight in trying to run an international organi sation is a very difficult thing to do. history which, oddly enough, Look at the Christian church for involved two American pilots. It example. They started out with one was November 1913 when the two basic religion and somehow or planes met in the skies above other there was a fight and there Northern Mexico. The two pilots were two religions and these went were mercenaries in the fight for the control of Mexico. Phil Rader on sub-dividing because some peo ple liked worshipping on Tuesdays was flying for President Adolfo de and others like having four wives la Huerta and Dean Lamb was on the payroll of rebel General and wearing purple headbands.

A

MiMOUNZO

Qp

Every year the Monaco Grand Prix is scheduled on the same day as the Indianapolis 500 and not a sound is heard-/ apart from a plaintive wailfrom a distant voice in Bushmania ...

And then there were Orthodox Tuesday Worshippers and reformists (who were Tuesdayists but wanted to worship on Wednesdays) and so it went on until there were three different Popes (Rome, Avignon and answers on postcard please...)

The religious principle of frag mentation can quite easily be applied to motor racing. The only other thing we have in common is that we all work Sundays (apart from the Tuesdayists of course).

In the sport, the Europeans believe in Formula 1 and the Americans believe in Indycars. The only problem is that in America; half of the motor racing congrega tion are believers in CART and the other half believe in Tony George and the IRL. From time to time in the F1 paddock you hear conversations about whether CART or IRL are winning the battle in the United States of America. It is a rather silly argu ment, because the real winner is NASCAR stock car racing and, if the people involved in CART and IRL would stop floating around the skies of North America in baskets suspended beneath their egos, the sport would be better off...

Venustiano Carranza of the Constitutionalist Revolution movement.

The two aces wheeled around in the sky for a while shooting at one another with pistols - there is no record of any shots hitting either plane - and then waved good-bye to one another and flew home to pick up their pesos. It was a point less exercise...

There are signs in Monaco that if we are not careful we could have similar silly trouble in Formula 1 in the months ahead unless Bernie Ecclestone can head off the ban dits at the pass gate. Ecclestone has done a remarkable job keeping the teams together in F1 so that the sport can grow. In history lessons, the teachers always say that the best form of government is a benevolent dictatorship and, on the whole, Bernie is fairly benevo lent - and always very generous when it comes to giving out money: “One for you, five for me...”

It is depressing to note that Bernard’s brilliance has attracted to the sport the kind of people who know nothing of the passion and the tradition of motor racing and who treat the game as if it were a money market. They get their kicks from trading people and machines as if they were pork bellies or orange juice futures.

These people are easy to spot because they spend too much time in the sun and too many hours mix ing with the international jetset and so, when they arrive in the F1 paddock, they stand out because they look like prunes in custard-coloured suits.

Monaco is the capital city of prunes in custard-coloured suits

and, while I love to watch the racers on the streets, I also hope that one day we can stop coming to Monaco so we will not have to deal with these people. You don’t see them so much on wet days at Donington...

Apart bad one weather the only from protection has from these people is if the sport can be floated on the Stock Exchanges so that the prunes in custard-coloured suits cannot get their sticky fingers on the loot generated and will go off and trade in orange juice futures or white slavery.

Ecclestone knows that flotation is the key both for the sport and for himself (“One for you, a billion for me”) and he is gradually getting there, although there are signs that the buccaneers are putting together a resistance movement to try to stop that happening.

I have no doubt that Bernie will win but I do wish that Professor Alfred Adler the psychoanalyst was alive to visit the F1 paddock. He would have such fun looking for examples for his theories about inferiority problems.

He would quickly be able to tell what motivates the people who play these games and would no doubt expound over a glass of white or two at the Ford motorhome all about how egocentric striving for power is the result of^overcompen sation for inferiority feelings result ing from physical defects, humble beginnings, neglect during child hood or whatever...

Racing has always been an activity filled with people with such motivation but they have always shared the common passion of the sport and there has been a code of conduct which they all understood.

A haridshake meant a deal.

The commodities traders have a different set of rules. The winner of their game is not the man on the podium but the one with the biggest white yacht; the most expensive watch; the ultimate tro phy wife; the smallest mobile phone and, of course, the deepest suntan.

What would a bushman make of it all?

u

Criville on top in France

MICHAEL Doohan’s bid for a third straight French Grand Prix win fell about four corners short last Sunday when the World Champion fin ished second at Paul Ricard.

Doohan swept past the Movi'Star Honda of Carlos Checa on the final corner of the race but was still behind Alex Criville at the che quered flag.

The two Spaniards and the Aussie had staged a race-long battle for the win, Criville taldng his second win of the season on his Repsol Honda.

The leading three riders were covered by less than half a second after the race.

With foimer championship leader Max Biaggi finishing in fifth place it also meant that Criville takes the lead in the 500cc championship for the first time in his career, with Doohan and Biaggi with four points.

For the Italian the race was a struggle. He dumped his Marlboro bike in qualify ing and suffered hand and hip injuries. He tried hard to stay on the pace of the lead ers but fell back into a long dice with John Kocinski, which eventually went the American’s way when Biaggi eased off.

Such had been the feroci ty of the battle that, at the end of the race, Biaggi’s clutch lever was bent as the result of twice banging fair ing with ‘Little John’, who appears to have recovered his form after a nightmare

r Photo by RaceAccess

FRENCH RESISTANCE... Criville had the race face on at Paul Ricard. Here he leads Doohdn, Checa, Kocinski and Biaggi. start to the season.

After the race Doohan was philosophical, despite suffer ing only his fifth head-tohead defeat in three seasons.

“My bike wasn’t carburet ing so well out of the turns,” he said. “I knew that if I got past Alex and Checa in the twists, they’d just blowTiack past again on the Mistral (Straight).”

“I’ve had a lot of tyre prob lems here in the past,” said Criville after his win, “so Michelin made a special tyre and it was great.” Criville was the only rider in the race

to run Michelin’s hard com pound tyre front and rear on the notoriously abrasive Le Castellet track.

In sixth place, and first of the ‘non-Hondas’ was a sur prise - Luca Cadalora made an impressive return to 500 racing, filling in for injured Team Rainey rider JeanMichel Bayle.

Cadalora will also ride at the next GP at Jarama on June 27 and was delighted with his qualifying and race performance in his first ride in almost eight months.

“I’ve enjoyed this weekend

very much, it was very posi-’ (Suzuki) was next ahead of tive^” Cadalora said. “Even in Simon Crafar’s Yamaha and the fafee, I was able to control Sete Gibemau(Honda), The other Austrahan in the the bike very well even when I started to lose grip from the race, Garry McCoy, battled a front. troublesome Shell Advance “We want to test a few Honda V-twin to 17th. “I lost things tomorrow mor-ning a lot of time when I ran on at and then I’ll be back in Spain turn one,” he said after takwhere I hope I can go even ing I’Zth, “Then the front end better. I just couldn’t quite was washing out all the time make up enough through the - I could have sworn I was corners here but at a differ- going down once.” ent track - maybe Jarama - Points: Criville 92, Doohan 90, we could have been closer.”

Biaggi 88, Checa 70, Kocinski 43, N Aoki 34, Abe 32, Okada 29.

Rainey regular Norick Abe -PHILBRANAGAN/ finished just behind DARRYL FLACK Cadalora, while Nobby Aoki

Gobert for Six=Hour Vance & Hines Ducati star Anthony Gobert is set to compete in a Six-Houi' Endurance race at Eastern Creek on October 25. The former SWC and 500cc GP works rider is considering oifers from three Production Superbike teams to contest the event, which will take place three weeks after the final round of the American Superbike Championship at Las Vegas. Gobert hasn’t raced in Australia since his famous double victory at the final SWC round of 1996 at Phillip Island. n Reigning Australian Superbike Champion Martin Craggill will con test round two of the Yamaha R1 Formula Xtreme Sprint Series at Oran Park on June 14. By entering the series, Team Kawasaki’s ZX-9R Production Superbike will be able to take advantage of the Formula Xtreme regulations, while not being disadvantaged by missing the first round on April 5. Formula Xtreme rules allow for riders to drop their two worst races in the series. n Just when you think it’s safe... CraggUl’s, Mallala fire came hot on the heels(sorry) of Akira Yanagawa’s at Monza but the causes were entirely separate. Craggill’s tank spht from the bottom when hit from behind by team mate Damon Buckmaster.

Corser on top of WSC

GET GOING MARTY... Craggill(#1, right)shared the points with Buckmaster in Perth.(Photo by Dirk Klynsmith)

Craggill takes top points MAR'TY Craggill wrestled back the lead in the Shell Superbike Championship at Wanneroo, sharing the victories with team mate Damon Buckmaster.

The defending Australian Champion closely took the first race fi-om Buckmaster but reversed the score in race two to seize the championship lead.

Steve Martin failed to qualify his Ducati on the front two of the grid and was slow away, but swapped thirds and fourths with team-mate Craig Connell.

V

Shawn Giles showed a consistent tm-n of speed on his Mobil-Honda RC45 for two fifths, clear of the Suzuki of Mark Willis, whose rear-sliding style clearly didn’t suit the abrasive Perth circuit.

A WEEK earher at MaUala no-one, including CraggiU, had any answer to Martin.

The home-town man took his time getting into the lead of both 10 laps races but, once there.

seemed to expend very little effort in building a winning gap.

The battles were on for the minor placings. In the first race Buckmaster had to force his way through the tratfic after a slow start, elbowing past Craggill in the Esses for the final time. The move worked and, behind the Kawasaki duo, it was Connell from Wfllis and Young.

But, as Martin was fleeing in race two, the greens clashed. In the Northern Hairpin Buckmaster hit the rear of Craggill’s bike, sending both down the road. Craggill’s bike erupted in flames - as did his leathers for a moment and, while Buckmaster was hmt and unable to restart, Marty took the restart on his spare,finishing sixth.

Martin again won well from Connell, Giles, Young and Kirk McCarthy on the Bombadiere Kawasaki.

Points: CraggiU 156, Martin 163, ConneU 151, Buckmaster 144,Waiis 111, Giles 109, McCarthy 82, Maxwell 55.

-DIRK KLYNSMITH

CHiLi WEATHER... Gregoria Lavilla had to give best to Frankie Chiii in Spain.

DESPI'TE complaining about the per formance of his hike and remaining winless in 1998, Troy Corser finds himself at the top of the Superbike World Championship.

In changeable conditions, the ADVF Ducati works rider brought home a second and third at round four at Albacete, Spain qn May 24 and now lies seven points ahead offellow Ducati star, Carl Fogarty.

In the first reduced 20-lap leg, local Ducati privateer Gregorio Lavilla pulled out a surprising buffer in the wet condi tions before Corser’s team-mate, Pierfrancesco Chili made a stunning run from back in the pack to lever into the lead before half-race distance.

Corser made it a V-twin trio when he broke away from the Castrol Hondas of

Aaron Slight and Colin Edwards, and timed his perfectly to outbrake Lavilla with one lap to go for second.

Team Suzuki rider Peter Goddard bounced back from a disappointing 14th in the first race to beat home former world champ Scott Russell(Yamaha)for eighth.

While the American completed his 100th SWC race with steering damper problems, the Australian had difficulties of his own.

“My rear tyre was no good from about lap fom’ and it was hard work from then on. Russell tried to pass me back on the run to the flag but I held him off,” Goddard said.

Points: Corser 135, Fogarty 128, Haga 123, Slight 106.

-DARRYL FLACK

i

4

PERFORMANCE WHOLESALE

i/2 Ybarly Clearance Sale FORGEO PISTONS

«

iTMj

1 SET 1 SET 1 SET 2 SETS 1 SET 1 SET 1 SET 1 SET 1 SET 1 SET 1 SET 1 SET

131CD2S3 1311J2S6 1312B2S3 1312D2S3 1312D2S5 1312J2S3 1312J2S5 1312Q2S5 1411B2S3 1412B2S3 141VB2S3 1412D2S3

$830.00 LUNATI PISTON 4.030”, 3.480" X 3.5”, 6”, S/LITE, FLATTOP $830.00 LUNATI PISTON 4.060”, 3.480” X 3.5”, 5.7”, FLATTOP.... $895.00 LUNATI PISTON 4.030”, 3.750” X 6”, 12.5-1 DOME $895.00 LUNATI PISTON 4.030”, 3.480” X 3.5", 6”, 12.5-1 DOME.... ... .»

LUNATI PISTON 4.040”, 3.480” X 3.5”, 6”, 12.5-1 DOME.... > ^ $895.00 LUNATI PISTON 4.030”, 3.480” X 3.5”, 5.7”, 12.5-1 DOME ^ i ’ ,- n $895.00 LUNATI PISTON 4.040", 3.480” X 3.5”, 5.7”, 12.5-1 DOME W JV....$895.00 1^....$895.00 LUNATI PISTON 4.040”, 3.625” X 6”, 12.5-1 DOME I :1^.. $830.00 LUNATI PISTON 4.155", 3.750” X 6”, FLAT TOP $895.00 LUNATI PISTON 4.155”, 3.750” X 6”, 12.5-1 DOME $895.00 LUNATI PISTON 4.155”, 3.750” X 6”, 12.5-1 (L/WEIGHT) $895.00 LUNATI PISTON 4.155”, 3.480” X3.5”, 6”, 12.5-1 DOME.,

4X 2 SETS 1 SET 10X 1 SET

117294 117295 125044 129532 135903

1 SET

128193

SB CHEV - 12 BRODIX 4.020” X 3.625” X 6” X 13:1 C/R SB CHEV -12 BRODIX 4.030" X 3.625” X 6” X 13:1 C/R SB CHEV -12 BRODIX 4.004” X 3.625” X 6” X 13:1 C/R SB FORD - YATES HEADS 4.134” X 3.340” X 6.3” X 9.51 C/R NASCAR SB FORD - YATES HEADS 4.060” X 1.25 C/H X M/VXI DOME PLUNGE CUT V/RELIEFS DRAG RACING PISTON BB CHEV - 4.470” X 1.645” C/H X 0.300” DISH - SUIT 502 CIN TURBO/BLOWN

1 SET 1 SET 1 SET 1 SET 1 SET 1 SET 1 SET 1 SET 1 SET 1 SET 1 SET 1 SET 2 SET 1 SET 1 SET

80005 22-20-TP 90452 90455 90456 90611 90661 91451 91465 93451 93461 95461 95751 97751 99496

E

1 SET 1 SET 1 SET 1 SET 3 SETS SPEED-PRO 1 SET 1 SET

SEALED IW

2 LITRE FORD F/TOP 3.605” BORE STD STROKE & ROD BB CHEV - 4.350” X 4.00" X 6.385” X SEMI FINISHED DOME SB CHEV - 4.030” X 3.480" X 5.7” X 13:1 C/R SB CHEV - 4.030” X 3.480” X 5.7” X F/TOP SB CHEV - 4.030” X 3.480" X 5.7” X FTOP X LIGHT WEIGHT SB CHEV - 4.010" X 3.625” X 6.00” X 12:5:1 C/R SB CHEV - 4.030” X 3.625” X 6.00” X 12:5:1 C/R SB CHEV - 4.040” X 3.48” X 5.7' X 12:5:1 C/R ....

SB CHEV - 4.040” X 3.48” X 5.7” X FTOP SB CHEV - 4.060” X 3.48" X 5.7” X 12:5:1 C/R SB CHEV - 4.060” X 3.48" X 6.00” X 12:5:1 C/R...

SB CHEV - 4.155” X 3.48” X 6.00" X 12:5:1 C/R ...

SB CHEV - 4.155” X 3.750” X 5.7” X 12:5:1 C/R...

SB CHEV - 4.125” X 3.75” X 5.7” X 12:5:1 C/R BB CHRYSLER FTOP 470 CIN 4.375” X 3.915” X 6.765” X 0.990”PIN X 1.238” C/HEIGHT

EA $120.00 $960.00 $960.00 $800.00

$3,000

$560.00

r

$900.00

$480.00 $750.00 $950.00 $750.00 $780.00 .... $930.00 .... $930.00 ....$850.00 ^ .... $750.00 .... $850.00 ’ ....$790.00 $790.00 $750.00 $580.00

7060P-030 SPEED PRO FORGED BB CHEV 454 BLOWER PISTONS L2256F-STD TRW FORGED FLAT TOP PISTONS 350 CHEV L2305F-030 TRW FORGED DISH TOP PISTONS 302W FORD 8156P-040 SEALED POWER CAST PISTONS 2 LITRE FORD 8167P-020 351 M BRONCO CAST PISTONS..., 8167P-040 351 M BRONCO CAST PISTONS....: >v NPN BB FORD STROKER PISTON F/TOP, 512 CIN 4.440” BOR E WITH 4.145" STROKE & 6.535 B/B CHEV CONROD

1 X PS78713 GROWER TRIPLE PLATE 10” PEDAL PRO SERIES CLUTCH WITH FLYWHEEL & RING GEAR 1 3/8” X 10 SPLINE SUITSB/BB CHEV

1 X 40235 BOLAWS 805CFM ALCOHOL PROFLOW DRAG RACING CARBY

$1,685

[

RODS & PISTONS

lAWOV“Ai‘^'A ENTERPRISES

»■ i

$780.00 $280.00 $280.00 $ 40.00 $ 40.00 $ 40.00

*●- ●

$855.00

RACING 8NC.

fcVv

1 SET

CAR5780FC 351C FORD 5.780" RODS 4340 H-BEAM

$1,930.00

1 SET 1 SET 2 SETS 2 SETS 2 SETS

265001 265125 265300 302150 302300

SB CHEV S/JOURNAL 5.7” ALLOY RODS SB CHEV S/JOURNAL 5.815” ALLOY RODS SB CHEV S/JOURNAL 6.00” ALLOY RODS ..

SB CHEV L/JOURNAL 5.850” ALLOY RODS. SB CHEV L/JOURNAL 6.00” ALLOY RODS...

$1,100.00 $1,100.00 $1,100.00 $1,100.00 $1,100.00

1 SET 2 SETS

LBL1 LAD2

BB CHEV 4340 PRO MOD 6.535” RODS SB CHEV 4340 BILLET RODS 6” L7J

$1,250.00 $1,980.00

1 SET

LA6535

BB CHEV 4340 BILLET ”H” BEAM RODS 6.535’

$2,150.00

3 SETS 1 SET 1 SET 3 SETS 1 SET

SP91225B B93900B SP93200PF SP9320feB SP93206B

SB FORD 5,155” FORGED 4340 SPORTSMAN RODS SB FORD 5.4” BILLET ROD DJ CHEV B/END SB CHEV 5.7” S/J SPORTSMAN RODS PRESS FIT....

SB CHEV 5.7” L7J SPORTSMAN RODS FLOATED SB CHEV 6.00” L7J SPORTSMAN RODS FLOATED

$1,100.00 .$2,100.00 .$1,150.00 $1,100.00 $1,100.00

2 SETS

3505700R

SB CHEV 5.7” 4340 H BEAM RODS

$ 900.00

CRANKSHAFTS ^su

1 X 1 X

AG117A A0111

SBC 4340 RACER SERIES 3.5” X 350M X 5.7/6.0” ROD SBC 4340 PROSERIES 4.00” X 350M X 6.00” ROD

2X 3X

104000 45440041

SB CHEV 400CIN 3.75” X 400M X 5.7” CAST STEEL BB CHEV 454CIN 4.00” X 454M X 6.135” ROD 4130 STEEL

b,

$600.00

CONROGS CARRILLO

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$1,790.00 $2,150.00

$ 500.00 $1,495.00

1 X 95120-335 SB CHEV 4340 FORGED CRANK 3.35” X 350M X 5.85/6.0” ROD..

1 X LW 95120-343-400 SB CHEV L/W 4340 FORGED CRANK 3.43” X 400M X 5.85/6.0 ROD

$2,800.00 $3,880.00

1 X 2X 1 X

COLS350-S SB CHEV 4340 FORGED CRANK 3.50” X 350M X 5.7' .010” ON MA NS COLS375-S SB CHEV 4340 FORGED CRANK 3.75” X 350M X 6.0” .010” ON MAINS COLA3750D BB CHEV 4340 FORGED CRANK 3.75” X 454M X 6.135”

$1,600.00 $1,600.00 $2,440.00

1 X

3896

BBC 4340 MAXI-LIGHT CRANK 4.04" X 454M X 6.385’

$3,900.00

2 X HV1000 - HIGH VELOCITY MANIFOLDS TO SUIT SB CHEV STD PORT LOCATION $695

m

1 X HV1001 - HIGH VELOCITY MANIFOLD TO SUIT SB CHEV, BRODIX HEADS-8 -10 -11 RAISED INTAKE PORT . . $640

Q mm

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2X7212 DART WILSON SB CHEV STD^_ PORT LOCATION -$750 2 X 7252 DART WILSON SB CHEV STD PORT LOCATION SUIT DOMINATOR CARBY $750 <1

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1 X 2746 BB CHEV TORKER-2 DUAL PLANE DOMINATOR CARBY, RECT PORT

$360

1 X 2909 BB CHEV VICTOR 454-0 DOMINA TOR CARBY OVAL PORT . . .$425 1 X 2967 SB CHEV VICTOR JNR HIGHPORT SUIT R/R HEADS $410 1 X7193 440 CHRYSLER DUAL PLANE $360 PERFORMER

1 X BISKY RACIIMB CAMS 4X

V

■Vi:

331 0013 331 0020

RACING PRODUCTS, In.

.$ 498.00 .$ 498.00

SB CHEV ROLLER CAM zmiZOAl^ .050” 114LC, SB CHEV ROLLER CAM 264/268 AT .050" 108LC.

50164D 50165D 50213 50199 51099-JB 51099-NB

SB CHEV ROLLER CAM 260/272 AT .050" 106LC R/DRILL...

SB CHEV ROLLER CAM 264/272 AT .050” 106LC R/DRILL...

BB CHEV ROLLER CAM 286/304 AT .050" 110LC SB CHEV ROLLER CAM 260/268G AT .050” 106LC R/DRILL SB FORD W ROLLER CAM 260/264 AT .050” 103LC SB FORD W ROLLER CAM 272/280 AT .050” 104LC

.$ 498.00 .$ 498.00 .$ 498.00 .$ 498.00 .$ 498.00 .$ 498.00

SEALED POWER

3X

SPCS274

SB CHEV 300HP 327 HYD. GRIND

$ 65.00

114801 693971 975849

SB CHEV HYD. CAM 290H SB CHEV HYD. CAM 192 & 204 AT .050 112 L/C BB CHEV HYD. CAM 214 & 224 AT .050 112 L/C.

$ 152.00

g^RAISIE

1 X 1 X 1 X

.$ 110.00

2ND HAND

1 X 1 X 1 X

NPN NPN NPN

SB CHEV CAM MOTION ROLLER SUIT BUICK 282/304 AT .050 114 UC SB CHEV LUNATI ROLLER 285/295 AT .050 113 L7C BB CHEV LUNATI ROLLER 285/295 AT .050 110 L/C

$ 360.00 $ 360.00 $ 250.00

ISKY

RACING CAMS

1 X 1057 KSE WATER PUMP A/EM/ HIGH FLOW HIGH PRESSURE .$530

.$ 142.00 .$ 100.00

BB 440 CHRYSLER HYD. CAM 232" AT .050’ 165181 EPC-2002-A BB CHEV ROLLER CAM CORE

1X 1 X 2X 1 X 1 X 1 X

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1 X 1030-001 KSE POWER STEERING PUMP ASSEMBLY FRONT MOUNT . . .$550 1 X 1030-002 KSE POWER STEERING PUMP ASSEMBLY REAR MOUNT $550 1 X 1062-004 TANDEM POWER STEERING & FUEL PUMP ASSEMBLY - BELT DRIVE OR REAR MOUNT $850

$ i4aoo

liFTFRS

2 SETS 1 SET 1 SET 1 SET 2 SETS 1 SET

66275 66290 66292 66296 66374 66700

SB CHEV ROLLER LIFTERS TALL OFFSET INTAKE SB CHEV SEVERE DUTY TALL ROLLER LIFTERS SB CHEV SEVERE DUTY TALL OFFSET ROLLER LIFTERS..., SB CHEV BUICK SEVERE DUTY OFFSET ROLLER LIFTERS. SB CHEV ROLLER LIFTERS FORD DIAMETER .874" SB CHEV CHILLED IRON LIFTERS

.$ 840.00 .$ 690.00 .$ 750.00 .$ 840.00 .$ 510.00 .$ 150.00

2 SETS 1 SET 2 SETS 2 SETS 1 SET 2 SETS

70992 72790 72840 72848 72914 72992

SB CHEV FLAT TAPPET MECHANICAL BB CHEV ROLLER LIFTERS VERTICAL BLADE SB CHEV ROLLER LIFTERS LAN POP UP DESIGN SB CHEV ROLLER LIFTERS VERTICAL BAR SB FORD WINDSOR ROLLER LIFTERS BB CHEV ROLLER LIFTERS LAN POP UP DESIGN

$ 170.00 $ 620.00 $ 495.00 $ 640.00 $ 640.00 $ 550.00

SB FORD 351W SVO 351 ROLLER LIFTERS. 2 SETS 432-RH 1 SET 1241-L0-15O874 SB CHEV OFFSET ROLLER LIFTERS FORD DIAMETER .874" 1 SET 202-96-RH BB CHEV ROLLER LIFTERS

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1 SET \MACHINE PRODUCTS / 1 SET

mum

SB CHEV -12 BRODIX HEADS SHAFT ROCKERS 1.6 & 1.55 RATIO. SB CHEV DART C/IRON & 220 HEAD SHAFT ROCKERS 1.6 RATIO,

.$1,920.00 $1,350.00

1 SET 1 SET

84147 84150

SB CHEV ROLLER ROCKERS 7/16" STUD X 1.6 RATIO 351C FORD ROLLER ROCKERS 7/16” STUD X 1.73 RATIO

...$ 525.00 ...$ 525.00

1 SET 1 SET 2 SETS 1 SET 1 SET 2 SETS 1 SET 2 SETS

YT5001 YT5006 YT5010 YT5032 ST2004 ST2015 ST2032 ST2033

SB CHEV ROLLER ROCKERS 7/16” STUD X 1.5 RATIO .$ 351C FORD ROLLER ROCKERS 7/16”STUD X 1.73 RATIO... .$ V8 HOLDEN ROLLER ROCKERS 7/16” STUD X 1.65 RATIO ..; .$ V8 HOLDEN ROLLER ROCKERS 1.65 RATIO BOLT ON .$ SB FORD WINDSOR STREET ROLLER ROCKERS 3/8” STUD X 1.6 RATIO ....$ 351C FORD STREET ROLLER ROCKERS BOLT ON ADJUSTABLE $ $ V8 HOLDEN STREET ROLLER ROCKERS BOLT ON 1 .,6 RATIO V8 HOLDEN STREET ROLLER ROCKERS BOLT ON ADJUSTABLE $

1 SET 1 SET

75118 75128

SB CHEV 18" GM SHAFT ROCKERS .550” 0/SET 1.6 & 1.55 RATIO .

SB CHEV 18" BRODIX SHAFT ROCKERS .450" O/SET1.6 & 1.55 RATIO,

1 V Qf' "tesonQ SB CHEV STEEL DRY SUMP WITH RH OUTLETS

20 SETS RK-346-SB

SB CHEV REPLACEMENT ROCKER ARM KITS STD LIFT ONLY

.$

1 X SC 350DS-L SB CHEV STEEL DRY SUMP WITH LH OUTLETS

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1 SET

68670

5 SETS

68671

1 SET 2 SETS

73067 73573

3 SETS 1 SET 1 SET 1 SET 1 SET

COHm 1 SET It

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$ 540.00

Sprintcar / Super Sedan Gears Available In The Following Ratios'.

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.$ 530.00 .$ 360.00

73899 73949 74014 74300 74302

DUAL PROMOD 1.550” OD 200 @ 1.950” & 550 @ 1.250" ROLLER DUAL CHROME SILICON 1.550” OD 200 @ 1.950” & 500 @ 1.250" ROLLER - ORIGINAL BRODIX TRACK I SPRING DUAL NO DAMPER 1.550” OD 190 @ 1.850” & 515 @ 1.250” DUAL NO DAMPER 1.440” OD 120 @ 1.650” & 250 @ 1.250" DUAL PROMAX 1.550” OD 225 @ 2.00” & 650 @ 1.250" DUAL VASCO Hll 1.625" OD 200 @ 1.850” & 560 @ 1.250" DUAL VASCO Hll 1.625" OD 250 @ 2.050” & 745 @ 1.250”

CC946-16

PACALOYTRIPLE SPRINGS 340 @ 1.900” & 770 @ 1.300",

,$ 380.00

.$ .$ .$ .$ .$ .$

196.00 230.00 130.00 350.00 320.00 480.00

. .$880

iMtt^AeTErD

& ;

DUAL Hll VASCO 1.540” OD 206 @ 1.900” & 670 @ 1.300" SUIT ROLLER CAM DUAL Hll VASCO 1.560” OD 230 @ 2.00” & 650 @ 1.300' SUIT ROLLER CAM SAME AS CRANE 99882 SPRINT CAR SPRING.

%

1

1 X set 26 5.22 3 x sets 10 6.56 1 X set 6 5.30 1 x set 34Q 6.71 2 X sets 17 5.63 1 x set 35 6.84 1 X set 8Q 5.70 1 x set 32 6.90 1 X set 8 5.74 1 x set 32Q 6.97 lx set 19 5.78 1 x set 24 7.04 1xset9Q 5.83 1 x set 36 7.14 2 X sets 9 5.85 1 x set 27 7.53 3 x sets 180 6.18 1 x set 28 7.67 1 X set 200 6.24 ^ (3 sets or more $130) S140 (ea set)

Midget Gears Available In The Following Ratios: 1 X set 12 2 X sets 16

5.77 6.14

2xsets16Q 1 X set 17

6.24 6.30

$130 (ea set) 4 X Laminated Midget Gear Charts - Wallsize

STilP GIRPIES S REV KITS

$10ea

1 X 1 X 1 X 1 X 1 X

91400 91644 91647 91649 90301

S/GIRDLE SUIT 350-455 CIN PONTIAC S/GIRDLE SUIT S/B CHEV 7/16” STUD S/GIRDLE SUIT429-460 FORD 7/16” STUD S/GIRDLE SUIT429-460 FORD SVO HEAD REV KIT B/B CHEV SUIT LUNATI/CRANE LIFTERb

1 X 1 X

82027 83002

REV KIT SUIT S/B CHEV WITH 66275 CROWER LIFTERS ^REV KIT SUIT S/B CHEV WITH 66290 CROWER LIFTERS,

.$ 300.00 .$ 300.00

1 X 1350 TAILSHAFT WELD YOKE

$30

300LRK 430LRK

REV KIT SUIT S/B CHEV WITH 1241-LSH LIFTERS, REV KIT SUIT FORD351W WITH 432-RH LIFTERS,,

$ 250.00 $ 250.00

3X1350 USA UNIVERSAL JOINTS (GOOD ONES)

$30

= ISKY5 1 X RACING CAMS 2X

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»..$ ..$ ,..$ ,..$ $

100.00 380.00 420.00 380.00 300.00

L;

1 X SC 350DS-L-TS SB CHEV STEEL DRY SUMP WITH LH OUTLETS SUIT TILTON STARTER $880

30.00

VALVE SPRINGS

$795

1 X SC 350DS-ADKO SB ALUMINIUM DOUBLE KICK OUT SPRINTCAR DRYSUMP $1,340

580.00 580.00 580.00 580.00 430.00 560.00 480.00 560.00

$1,800.00 $1,800.00

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DM1 OLSOn

.$ 587.00 .$ 725.00 .$ 700.00

2203-60-55 2013-60-60

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BELT DRIVE KIT HTD SUIT ABOVE PUMP

ROLLFR ROCKERS IS/

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CAMSHAFTS 1X 2X

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1 X917620 DAMPER SUIT 429-460 FORD . . .$390

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1 SET X2108 KINSLER FLOWED NOZZLES SUIT KINSLER AND GROWER B/B CHEV ABOVE BUTTERFLIES FLOW CODE P545 EQUAL TO GROWER .029” OR HILBORN 14 $295

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1 SET X 2118 KINSLER FLOWED NOZZLES SUIT EARLY HILBORN S/B &B/B CHEV FLOW CODE FI 97 EQUAL TO HILBORN 5 OR GROWER .017 $295 1 SET X 2218-18 KINSLER FLOWED NOZZLES SUIT KINSLER & HILBORN MANIFOLDS FLOW CODE S710 EQUAL TO HILBORN 18 NOZZLE 708AS1/2 $290 1 SET X 2228-20 KINSLER FLOWED NOZZLES SUIT KINSLER & HILBORN MANIFOLDS FLOW CODE T-792 EQUAL TO HILBORN 20 NOZZLE 708AS1 $290

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1 X 8547 V8 CHEV PRO BILLET DISTRIBUTOR SLIP COLLAR EXTRA TALL . . $500

MtSCHUHCOUS

1 X END3002 ENDERLEE FUEL PUMP 80A-0

1 X11450 REBCO RACE CAR CALCULATOR GIVES CHASSIS SET UP, TYRE STAGGER, GEAR RATIO, RPM, ROLL CENTRES, JETS & MORE .$305 1 X 2414-R STEFS SB CHEV DRY SUMP OIL PAN R/H OUTLETS . . . .

1 X12000 SB CHEV GEAR DRIVE

$650

1 X 31167 SB CHEV PRO STYLE DRAG RACE HQ STYLE OIL PAN

$585

1 PAIR X 40014 BB CHEV COPPER H/GASKETS .060” THICK X 4.500" BORE 2 PAIR X 40015 BB CHEV COPPER H/GASKETS .040” THICK X 4.500" BORE . . .

1 6X45355 MEGAFLOW 351C FORD 2.250” INTAKE VALVES

$160 t

$72 $68

1 X 82430 BB FORD 429/460 ROD BOLT KIT

$68

1 X 84351 7/16” X SCREW IN STUDS

$64

Stainless Steel Super Lightweight Sprintcar Hearers & Mufflers

2X2100 BRAIDED HOSE CUTTERS . .$280 AT LAST! A QUICK, EASY AND SAFE WAY TO CUT BRAIDED HOSE.... * CUTS NEAT ENDS FOR EASY FITTING INSTALLATION * HARDENED CUTTING BLADES WITH INTEGRAL GUIDE FOR EXTRA LONG LIFE ● NO MORE SPIKED FINGERS * ACCOMMODATES ALL REGULAR BRAIDED HOSE SIZES ‘ HALVES THE TIME TAKEN TO DO A GOOD PLUMBING JOB

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5June W98

Hakkinen's Mona<

By JOE SAWARD

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IKA Hakkinen strength ened his grasp on the 1998 World Champion

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ship with another dominant vic tory in the Monaco Grand Prix while his two main rivals -

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teanvnate David Coulthard and Ferrari’s Michael Schumacher failed to score a point between them.

Hakkinen now had a command ing 17-point advantage after only six rounds, but is still playing down his position.

Once again, Mika’s only real opposition came from his McLarenMercedes teammate, but after a few fastest laps David Coulthard suffered an enormous engine fail ure, which has been quite rare for the silver cars this year.

Schumacher virtually eliminated himself with a bold passing move on young Benetton star Alexander Wurz mid-race which came apart n when the Austrian failed to be intimidated and fought for his piece of road.

It probably also cost Wurz, who later crashed as an apparent result of suspension failure, but at least he has proven a point with the aggressive German.

Benetton still took second place in the race thanks to Giancarlo Fisichella, who was back on top form, while Eddie Irvine survived an incident which put HeinzHarald Frentzen’s Williams into the wall to claim third place for Ferrari.

But the big surprise of the week end was Arrows, with Mika Salo taking a well-deserved fourth and Pedro Diniz sixth (the latter surviv ing a crazy punt from Michael Schumacher, who was laps behind, on the last lap).

The final points, for fifth, went to a downcast Jacques Villeneuve, the World Champion never on the pace all weekend and gaining little plea sure out of beating Diniz out of the position. 1997 must now seem a long time ago at Williams ...

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CENTIMETRE PERFECT... Apart from one small brush with the barriers, Mika Hakkinen drove a faultless race to take his first Monaco GP and considerably enhance his championship chances. \

Qualifying

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0 matter how jaded one is, the sight of Grand Prix cars hurtling between the barriers on the streets of Monaco always revives the thrill of racing and the enthusiasm for the sport.

The thing about Monaco is that it is a racing circuit which rewards genius over machinery. The only place like it these days is Spa. This is evident when’one reads the list of Monaco GP winners in recent years.

If one accepts that Olivier Panis’s wonderful win in 1996 was a bit of a fluke, there have been only three men who have won Monaco since 1983. Ayrton Senna did it six times, Alain Prost did it four times and Michael Schumacher was up to three when he arrived in the Principality this year.

Despite this amazing statistic, as the FI circus rolled into town everyone was still expecting the McLarens of Mika Hakkinen (who

had never finished at Monaco) and David Coulthard to sweep all before them. Yes, there would be a certain amount of “Schumacher Factor”, but the Ferrari is just not good enough ...

When the cars started to run it was fairly clear that this was going to be the fight that mattered. The McLarens were quicker through the speed traps but Michael made the Ferrari dance and was right up there. It was a frantic dance and on Thursday afternoon he dumped the F310 into the barrier at Casino Square.

“I was trying too hard and lost control,” he admitted.

Michael was very pleased with the latest Goodyear product, which he felt would make life easier as he takes the battle to the boys in grey (oops, I mean silver).

But on Saturday morning things went wrong for Michael. After just a single lap he suffered a driveshaft failure and the repairs could not be made in time. He lost the entire session and that meant that in the afternoon he was struggling with set-up.

The result was not bad, but fourth on the grid was not where

one would expect to find him. Eddie Irvine was seventh, a full second behind Michael, having smashed up his own car at Rascasse and being forced into the spare in the final minutes. It was a good effort from Eddie, who was quite clearly working for his millions as he hopped the car from bump to bump.

And so it was that Ferrari’s edge was blunted and the McLaren men emerged 1-2 on the grid, Hakkinen beating Coulthard by 0.339s despite one of two exciting moments during the practice days.

whacked barrierHakkinen in the On Saturday amorning Swimming Pool but managed to avoid a hefty accident while Coulthard had a spin nearby and backed the MP4-13 into the barrier quite heavily. It mattered little in the afternoon.

Hakkinen’s pole position came in the middle of the session when the track was clear and he admitted that his final run in the dying min utes of qualifying was not as com mitted as it might have been.

“I wanted to stay out of trouble,” he admitted. “I didn’t want to put it right on the limit because it would

have been a shame to damage the car.'

Coulthard was fastest for most of the early part of the session and looked very competitive but it all went wrong in the vital few moments at the end. On his third run he was ahead on the split times when he arrived at the scene of a crash, Rubens Barrichello having creamed his Stewart into the wall at Rascasse. The lap was lost.

On his last lap he had some trou ble getting past Jacques Villeneuve but admitted quietly that the team had gone the wrong way on set-up and it was this rather than the Williams driver which had deprived him of the chance to beat Hakkinen to pole.

Schumacher’s adventures for Ferrari and the fact that the Bridgestone tyres were working very well on the streets of Monaco meant that third on the grid went to Giancarlo Fisichella, and a very happy chappy he was, too.

Giancarlo has not had an easy few months. He arrived at Benetton

expecting to be the dominant force in the team and found hjmself being overshadowed by Alexander Wurz.

In the finest Italian traditions he went a little out of control for a while, crashing several times, but at Monaco on Saturday he kept his head and, thanks to a new front suspension geometry, felt a great deal more confident in the car. He was fastest on Saturday morning and third in the afternoon. n “My target was to be right behind the McLarens,” he admitted, adding ruefully that if he had cho sen to use the softer Bridgestone tyre he would probably have been on pole. » Wurz was just over half a second slower, which put him in sixth place on the grid - not bad for a man who had never raced at Monaco before. If he had beaten Fisichella, who won on the streets in Formula 3 in 1994 and knows the track well, it would have been a really astounding performance.

Fifth on the grid was last year’s pole position man, Heinz-Harald Frentzen, but it had not been an easy practice for him. He touched the barriers on Thursday as he pushed to find the limit of the car and reckoned that he could have

JUBLIANT ... Eddie Irvine and Giancarlo Fisichella (left) embrace after taking the minor placings, but it was not a good race for Fisi’s Benetton teammate Alex Wurz (below) who finished in the barriers.

(Photos by Race Accerss and Nigel Snowdon)

MONACO GI>

B magu done no better than the fourth fastest time that day.

On Saturday he reported that the car was handling better and he decided to go for the softer Goodyear rubber and drove the Williams to the limit. “It was the most I could get out ofthe car,” he said.

trouHeinz-Harald stayed outis ofmore ble, however, which than can be said for his teammate.

World Champion Jacques Villeneuve, who seemed to he in a right royal pickle. He was right on the limit all the time and on Thursday had the misfortune to be taken out by Ricardo Rosset in the Swimming Pool section, the Brazilian being unaware that the Williams was alongside him when he turned in for the comer.

Jacques spun and knocked off his rear wing at Ste Devote on

Saturday morning and in the after noon complained of traffic, notably on his last run when Rosset spun and Jacques had to lift off to get past the stranded Tyrrell. By the end of quahfying he was a little fed up with Rosset.

“The car would have been good for eighth,” he admitted, but the choice of the harder Goodyear rubber meant that making up places on race day was not going to be easy.

Eighth on the grid was a surprise and how nice it was to see a new face up at the top end.

Mika Salo put his Arrows at the front of a gaggle of seven cars, all covered by just 0.4s. It was a good effort, but Salo was disappomted as he had been third fastest in the morning session.

His qualiijing session was spoiled by a gearbox failure, which meant he had to use the spare, so it was an

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DIRTY DANCING... The Ferrari drivers were in the thick of the action.

After Eddie Irvineran Heinz-Harald Frentzen off the track (below and bottom), Michael Schumacher(right) attacked Eurz, ruining both their races. (Photos by Nigel Snowdon and Race Access)

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R€>wGr is nothing ^nfitH ♦ National Race Tyre Sales ♦ Complete, professional trackside Service at Pirelli dominates Phillip Island GTP ail GTP and Porsche Congratulations GTP Class 'A' Cup rounds winner - Garry Waldon

impressive performance by Salo and the team.

Clearly some of the improvement caipe from good tyre performance from Bridgestone and the fact that the circuit means that a horsepower disadvantage can be overcome, but there is no doubt that the Arrows chassis is also pretty good.

Pedro Diniz also did well to quali fy 12th - two-tenths slower than Salo - but reckoned he would have been eighth or ninth if Irvine had not crashed when Pedro was on his best lap.

Johnny Herbert did a good job for Sauber to qualify ninth, a tenth faster than teammate Jean Alesi, who was 11th.

Neither driver was very happy with the understeer that the car suf fers but Herbert kept his head a lit tle more than Alesi - a normal state of affairs - and came out ahead.

Jean might have done better if he had not smacked into the wall at the Swimming Pool on Saturday morn ing. You can accuse Jean of a ten dency to wildness, but it is lovely to watch a madman at work, juggling his car between the walls.

Jarno Trulli best perfor mance of thegave yearhis to date, taking 10th on the grid iiiJiis ProstPeugeot. He was over a second faster and eight places ahead of teammate Olivier Panis, the yinner of Monaco two years ago.

Olivier was not having a nice time. He suffered electrical trouble on Thursday and then on Saturday morning was sidelined at the start of practice with a blown engine. In the qualifying session another electrical problem forced him to switch to the spare car.

Continued next page

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5JunsW98

Trulli’s showing was noteworthy because he had not had an untrou bled practice, which included a hefty shunt at Tabac when he lost his cool after being blocked by Barrichello’s Stewart.

“I was angry,” he admitted with the frankness of a future champion.

Panis was depressed but perhaps as he moped on Saturday afternoon he remembered that two years ago he was 13th on the grid and equally unhappy on Saturday afternoon...

“Monaco is always a lotteiy,” said Trulli, perhaps in an effort to cheer up Olivier...

The Stewart team started the Monaco weekend in an upbeat frame of mind'-with Barrichello sev enth quickest on Thursday morning but then the troubles began with the Brazilian reporting that he was hav ing traction problems. Jan Magnussen stopping out on the track with an engine problem in the afternoon.

Saturday morning was better with Banichello ninth but in quahtjdng he crashed heavily at Rascasse early on in the session and had to take to the spare car. In the circum stances 14th was not so bad.

Magnussen thought he had over come the setback on lost time on Thursday but made a wrong move in set-up in the qualifying session and so ended up 17th.

But if the were ghng, the Stewarts Jordan team wasstrugup to its neck in misery with Damon Hill 15th on the grid and Ralf Schumacher 16th.

The whole thing was a disaster.

There were engines failures, crashes and broken gearboxes on Thursday and so on Saturday the team was stragghng to catch up.

“I don’t want to hear any more about what the problem is or might be,” Eddie Jordan growled, “I want to find a solution to it.”

Down at the back the two Minardis sandwiched the one Tyrrell in the race with Shinji Nakano using his experience to outqualify Esteban Tuero.

Takagi learned the track as much as he could and tried to stay out of trouble while Ricardo Rosset had one of those race meetings which wfil probably haunt him for the rest of liis days.

He kept doing daft things like timning into Villeneuve on Thursday and then dumping a bucketload of egg on his face by spinning and then screwing up when he tried to spinturn the car back into action. He failed to qualify and looked as though he would probably benefit from a good cry and a cup oftea ...

MAGIC MONACO... The harbour, the yachts, the apartments build ings, racing cars... where else could we be but Monaco?

Race - 78 laps sawwarm-up both Irvine and Fisichella The on Sunday morning have rather silly accidents which did nothing to help their causes in the race. Eddie smashed the Ferrari into the tyre barrier at the exit of Casino Square - as Schumacher had done in practice - while Fisichella went off in the same place and damaged his car in a smaller crash.

And then it was time to wait as the annual jamboree of Monaco excess unfolded in the paddock.

Sylvester Stallone and the Duchess of York wandered around being photographed, along with bucket loads of minor celebrities.

Eventually the camera-hanging moved to the starting grid and the excitement began to rise as the min utes ticked away.

In the end the start was an unusually tidy affair with Hakkinen and Coulthard leading away in grid formation and the only change in the top six being Wurz, who scram bled ahead of Frentzen to take fifth.

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better think again. They wiU not be winning it on the race track.

The Bridgestones were dominant and that domination was under lined by the performance of the two Benettons. In the early laps The field behaved itself all the ^ Fisichella had his hands full trying way around Ste Devote and up the to keep Schumacher behind him but hill to Massanet but there Esteban gradually the Italian was able to Tuero went off into the wall during pull away a little. the hurly-burly as the field tried to get into Casino Square.

After that all the attention was Behind those two, Wur?; had to a quiet first stint.

Things began focused on the two McLarens as get more exciting mid-race when Hakkinen built a quick lead of 3.2s Schumacher pitted early in an effort and then Coulthard began to claw to get ahead of Fisichella. Benetton back the gap. The two set 12 fastest reacted by bringing in Fisichella laps between them in the course of almost immediately but the result the next few laps as Coulthard was that Michael was ahead of closed the gap to within two seconds Giancarlo but behind Wurz. again.

It was clear that Michael needed By lap 17 Hakkinen had restored to get ahead of the Austrian because the gap to 3.7s and then suddenly he would have to stop again and if David’s engine went bang and it Wurz- who was on a one-stop strat was all over. Hakkinen found him egy - held him up he would end up self nearly 20s ahead of Fisichella. behind the Benetton and so Michael He maintained the gap, being care decided that the issue had to be ful not to take too many risks. forced.

On lap 30 he almost dropped the On lap 38 he dived for the inside ball, sliding wide at Ste Devote and line at the Loews Hairpin. The two kissing the barrier. But the car held cars banged wheels hut the bullying together and after a stop on lap 37 worked and Wurz was puslied out. he sailed on to a majestic victory to Alexander did not like it and kept complete every boy’s motor racing his foot weU planted on the accelera dream, winning at Monte Carlo. tor. Mr Intimidator could go to Hell It was yet another completely as far as he was concerned. The two dominant McLaren performance cars slithered downhill towards the and it puts Mika into a veiy strong kink after the hairpin. They rubbed lead in the World Championship - wheels again but the advantage was 17 points ahead of Coulthard. with Wurz and he dived into the cor The two McLarens have almost ner ahead. double the number of points of Now Schumacher was annoyed.

Ferrari and if anyone thinks that He is not used to people standing up Maranello is going to win the World to his bullying ways and so he decid Championship this year they had ed to force the issue and aimed for

FOLLOW THE LEADER ... Ales! leads Trulli, Herbert, Diniz, Barrichello, Villeneuve (!) and Magnussen down into Station Hairpin, where much of the race’s excitement would happen.

the inside at Fortier. The two cars made contact again but the momen tum pushed Wurz wide and enabled Schumacher to take the position.

It was all very exciting stuff, but to most observers it looked a little bit on the rough side on the part of Schumacher. Still, the FIA stewards only punish^ people who don’t drive Ferraris so officially Michael got away with it again.

Practically, however, his show of strength against Wurz destroyed his race. The Fortier impact damaged the left rear wishbone on the Ferrari and this had to be changed.

Michael rejoined three laps down and d?ove a storming race imtil the last lap when he made a ridiculous move on Pedro Diniz and punted the Brazilian across the chicane. Once again the FIA Stewards missed a chance to fine a Ferrari driver...

Schumacher finished 10th, which is about what he deserved. It is such a shame that a man with such tal ent should resort to such behaviour - again and again and again.

Eddie Irvine was hardly an angel, either, as he challenged IVentzen for sixth place on lap 10. Eddie dived for the inside and used the Williams as a cushion. Heinz-Harald went off. One could not help but think that if

Fisichella had made the same move he would have been fined, as he was in Barcelona, but then the FIA people never seem to see dodgy moves by Ferrari drivers.

Wurz’s raceas ended on lap 43, probably a result of the shunt with Schumacher. He had been into the pits for fuel and new rubber and the extra weight and grippier rubber are probably what caused the damaged left front sus pension to fail as Alexander hurtled through the tunnel. The resulting crash was a big one, but Wurz emerged unscathed.

This left Fisichella unchallenged in second place and he had a lonely afternoon after that. He closed to within 18s of Hakkinen but on lap 57 he spun at Rascasse and lost another 12s. In the closing laps Hakkinen let him creep to within 11s but it was not a fair representa tion of the relative levels of perfor mance ofthe cars. It was, however, a good result for Benetton.

The last man unlapped at the end of the race was Mika Salo in fourth place in his Arrows. This was a great result for Tom Walkinshaw’s team and was backed'up by Diniz finishing sixth despite the best

Grand Prix of Monaco World Championship, round 6 Monte Carlo, May 24th, 1998 -78 laps 1 Mika Hakkinen, McLaren-Mercedes MP4/13,1 h51 m23,595s 2 Giancarlo Fisichella, Benetton-Mecachrome B198, 1 h51 m35,070s 3 Eddie Irvine, Ferrari F300,1 h52m04,973s 4 Mika Salo, Arrows A19,1 h 52m23,958s 5 Jacques Villeneuve, Williams-Mecachrome FW20,77 laps 6 Pedro Diniz, Arrows A19, 77 laps 7 Johnny Herbert, Sauber-Petronas C17, 77 laps 8 Damon Hill, Jordan-Mugen-Honda 198, 76 laps 9 Shinji Nakano, Minardi-Ford Ml 98, 76 laps 10 Michael Schumacher, Ferrari F300, 76 laps 11 Tora Takagi, Tyrrell-Ford 026, 76 laps 12 Jean Alesi, Sauber-Petronas Cl7,72 laps, DNF Fastest Lap: Hakkinen, lap 29,1m 22,948s Lap Leaders: Lap 1 to 78, Hakkinen Retirements: Lap 0 Esteban Tuero, Minardi-Ford Ml 98, crashed; Lap 9 Heinz-Harald Frentzen, Williams-Mecachrome FW20, accident Lap 11 Rubens Barrichello, Stewart-Ford SF2, rear suspension Lap 17 David Coulthard, McLaren-Mercedes MP4/13, engine Lap 30 Jan Magnussen, Stewart-Ford SF2, rear suspension Lap 42 Alexander Wurz, Benetton-Mecachrome B198, accident Lap 44 Ralf Schumacher, Jordan-Mugen-Honda 198, crash damage Lap 49 Oliver Panis, Prost-Peugeot AP01, rear suspension Lap 56 Jarno Trulli, Prost-Peugeot AP01, gearbox Lap 72 Jean Alesi, Sauber-Petronas Cl7, gearbox World Championship Standings: 1 Hakkinen 46; 2 Coulthard 29; 3 M.Schumacher 24;4 In/ine 15; 5 Wurz 9;6 Frentzen and Villeneuve 8; 8 Fisichella 7; 9 Salo and Alesi 3; 11 Barrichello 2; 12 Herbert and Diniz 1 Constructors' Championship Standings: 1 McLaren-Mercedes 75; 2 Ferrari 39;3 Benetton-Mecachrome and Williams-Mecachrome 16; 5 Sauber-Petronas and Arrows 4;7 Stewart 2

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t's not a good idea to talk to me about starting Grands Prix right now. After the fiasco at the beginning of the Spanish Grand Prix I was really determined to make amends in Monte Carlo. The fact that it's where I live was an extra incentive to do well on 'home' ground.

In preparation for the race around Prince Rainier's streets, the Red Bull Sauber Petronas team went to Magny-Cours after Barcelona. Besides trying the C17 in its highest downforce configuration in readi ness, I also did a lot of practice starts.

FESIDING THE LIMIT: Johnny comes to grips with the unique problems of getting up to speed at Monaco, both on (left) and offthe track ...

though the regulations are, of course, differ ent this year. But that was enough to con vince me that the 1998 set-up was the way to go. My engineer Gil and I improved the Things reasonably in first prac tice. Inwent Monte Carlo thiswell takes place on car on each run and by adapting my style I Thursday so that Friday is a day of 'rest', could minimise most of the inherent under and I was happy enough with seventh place steer that we couldn't dial out. as I felt that we had got a pretty good bal Saturday morning wasn't bad, either, ance on the C17. until I spun into the escape road at Ste It wasn't quite the fastest time that I'd set Devote. The mechanics had changed the in first practice last year, but it was a good brake discs during the half hour interval, but start becausfe the one thing you need more had forgotten to pump the brake pedal to than anything else in Monaco is good turn- restore the hydraulic line pressure and set in. Without that, as I was discover in the tle in the brake pads. I left the pits and race, you are wasting everyone's time. when I got to the Ste Devote corner all I We tried reverting to our 1997 set-up at found was a lot of brake pedal travel. one stage, just to see how it felt, even You don't get much time to do anything at Monaco and, though I was pumping the brake ‘iDedal frantically, it was obvious I wasn't going to make the corner. I had to spin the car and was lucky not to hit anything, but when the engine stalled I had to sit out lll

thought I had made a good start until Jean came blasting through the gap between my car and the concrete wall

efforts of Michael Schumacher to ruin Pedro’s day.

There was plenty of rejoicing at Arrows- and about time, too.

Villeneuve finished fifth for Wilhams, a lap down on Hakkinen.

It was better than the team’s perfor mance a year ago but hardly one which will be remembered in the annals of the sport. Jacques and Frentzen are looking forward to hav ing a new rear end for the Williams FW20 in Canada.

Johnny Herbert drove a good race

t to finish seventh but might have done better if he had made a better start and not ended up stuck behind Trulli’s Frost for the early part of the race. haveAlesi finished fourth.

He deserved Jean was unhappy not to a good result after a storming twostop race until his gearbox stopped working properly and he groimd to a halt vfith just five laps to go.

Behind Herbert - another lap down - was Damon Hill and the

the session and thus lost critical setting up time.

Traffic is always problem choosing the rightamoment forhere, a fastand lap is either an art form or a lottery. If you get it right, of course, it's the former!

In qualifying I had one very good lap ruined right at the end when I came across Eddie Irvine's Ferrari after he had crashed at the Rascasse and left debris everywhere.

But my subsequent attempt was better and I was pleased to line up ninth, with my team mate Jean Alesi 11th.

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ecause it is so damned difficult to over take anyone cleanly at Monaco, the start is always crucial. I thought I'd made a good one, until Jean came blasting through the gap between my car and the concrete wall to our right as we left the line.

If that was disappointing, the rest was even worse. Jarno Trulli got ahead of me too, as he had in Barcelona, and I spent half the race bottled up behind him. I know the back end of that Frost pretty well by now!

best said about the performance of the Jordan the better. It was dreadfill. Qualifying had been bad and the race was no better. Hill finished eighth. Ralf Schumacher clouted a barrier. Eddie Jordan went home promising that changes will have to be made within the team.

Right behind Damon at the finish was the Minardi on Shinji Nakano, which frankly says it all. Jordans and Minardis should not really be mentioned in the same sentence.

The final finisher was Takagi’s

In the morning warm-up I'd been left won dering what happened to the decent balance we'd had in practice, and in the race it was just as bad. The car felt listless, as if tha-e was no speed in it. It was totally confusing.

I rapidly realised that it was just going to be a case of soldiering on, and there's noth ing worse. There were the usual retire ments, but they weren't enough.

At one stage Alex Wurz dropped it right in front of me partway through the tunnel, and I was lucky to avoid being clouted by a show er of debris as his Benetton shed wheels and bodywork. Then Michael Schumacher nearly pushed Pedro Diniz out of sixth place on the last lap, which would have given me the place and the final point, but it didn't quite work out that way. Believe me, sev enth place is about the most annoying result you can get.

So that was it; another frustrating race, and no points. At Magny-Cours I thought I'd got the characteristics of the clutch and the new tyres sussed out. But there's more work to be done, and the sooner I improve that, the better I'll feel. n

Tyrrell and the best one can say about that is that it was a good experience for the Japanese driver, who was not feeling well on race day.

Frost failed to get either car to the finish.

Trulli drove a good race with a car which was clearly a bit of a handful before his gearbox failed.

Fanis spent the afternoon down at the back struggling with tyre vibra tions. It was only after his pitstop that things got better but he had to

stop with a loose wheel, which caused him to retire on lap 50.

Stewart also failed to get a car home.

Bamchello was running 13th in the early laps when the car sudden ly began to behave oddly and he retired with a suspension problem and it was a similar story for Magnussen 20 laps later.

For Hakkinen it was a gi-eat day, the culmination of a great weekend - and, more than likely, the start of a great World Championship ... n

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MALLALA

' 5June 1998

® atcc

2.

ina the

Shell Australian Touring Car Championship

Round 6 lyFnJFHF

l Ingall wins Mallala honours to maintain series lead l Lowndes takes second from a retumed-to-form Seton l Bowe, Ingall and Lowndes take solo race wins l Perkins and Skaife incur stiff driving penalties l Skaife starts from rear twice after tyre controversy l Incredibly close qualifying; top five covered by 0.1s l Rookie Crosswell takes Privateer honours Report by PHIL BRANAGAN

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Credit Falcon was the car to South Australia but, beat, in this business a week hntil the ingau 1998 round Russell likes is a long time, let alone a tyre speed over a single lap. of the Shell Series, the month. After leading all prac Like the rest of the runners Enforcer’s home state tice sessions Glenn was glad didn’t seem to like him to be quick but not getting too on the brand, everyone at Dunlop seemed confident that ,excited. very much. ’ That would wait until the the tyre would be strong for Ingall put a history of frus trating performances behind i4-minute qualifying session. the race as well. him to win the Mallala roimd If Jerez, Spain, 1997 was the The gap from Lowndes to but, by winning the third closest session of all time the next car, Jason Bright’s with all the Falcon, was 0.0075s. The race, arch-rival Craig (and, versus Pirtek Falcon was going hard Lowndes ensured that his Schumacher own championship hopes Villeneuve hoo-ha in the race, until, with Bright trying stayed alive, losing just four the fact that three drivers about 12 tenths, he hit the recorded identical qualifying kerb HARD at Turn One and points to the Castrol driver.^ After his recent woes Glenn times was kind of lost) bounced into the air, spun on landing and belted oyer a Seton got his season back on Mallala ’98 was a close chal kerb at turn two. The result the rails with a third overall, lenger.

How close? Real close. “I was bad news; he tore a even though he never really was told (lm0)7.5s was pole chunk out of a tyre and was looked like winning a race.

Steven Johnson was a and I saw a 7.5 on the dash,” going to be one Bridgestone strong fourth, recovering fi*om said Ingall later. “I thought, short for the rest of the week a race one incident with Mark ‘great. I’ll be on the front end.

Team-mate Mark Larkham Skaife, but the other Falcon roV.” runners had a hard time.

Nope. Not even row two. was, appropriately for the John Bowe won race one but Russell would start on row Mitre 10 car, 10th, 0.5s back.

He felt that he hadn’t used a clash with Larry Perkins three.

On pole was Skaife. The sent him out of contention, his tyres to their best and Mobil-HRT Commodores was still confident for the while Dick Johnson’s second in race two preceded a first- were both going hard but it race. was Mark who found that lit comer clash which sentenced Last of the Mallala Five was IngaU. As stated earher, him to an early DNF in race tle, LITTLE extra to get the three. prime slot. After sitting in he was pleased with the lap, Skaife took a brilhant pole third place for most of the feeling he didn’t leave any session his second set of thing behind, but the 0.0847s in a phenomenally competi tive qualifying session but he Bridgestone’s new 259s were he missed pole by cost him was disqualified from race good for lm07.5060s (we’re four slots. “I’ve made plenty one after the Johnson inci going to four places here, of good starts before,” he dent and a tyre controversy folks). smiled warningly after the saw him sent to the rear of That was faster than what session. had been the best time for the grid for the final race.

Perkins was eighth, split Perkins was the other dri most of the session, Bowe’s, ting the two Johnsons. That ver to suffer swift justice, by all of 0.0028s. Or, as represented a considerable with two stop/go penalties in MHRT Tech guru Ron pick-up: LP had been in the race one - one for the Bowe Harrop later worked out, 70 teens in the practice sessions incident and another for millimetres - about the and looked to be struggling to speeding in pit lane during length of an index finger. get the car onto the pace. the first.

Ditto for Johnson Jr. The And, after that pole lap, Privateer honours went to Skaife was not really happy. Racing for Life Ford was run rookie Dean Crosswell, who “There was a 7.3 there,” he ning new front discs, which said. “I over-drove it. That’s drove superbly in the car usu were not ‘sealing’ onto the ally driven by fellow what happens when you drive brake pads at all well. That and 11 tenths, not 10 tenths.”

Tasmanian Greg Crick. left him with a spongy pedal Lowndes was third, miles for most ofthe day. (er, 0.038s) behind. The Seton was sixth, putting Commodores had started on his spot down to a lack of sin There wasofanother roll-put cars forgood the Friday well apart on set-up gle-lap speed but, with Neil Mallala round. No, better and got closer towards quali Crompton running in the than that; it was perfect. fying. Craig was reasonably Credit colours for the first content. time, there was a consider Track capacity 34 cars, and Bowe split them. The able potential gain in having that’s exactly how many Dunlop runners were on the two sets of data to work fi'om. showed up.

Friday was an on-off wet same hoops as at Symmons Cromley,as ever, was being day and the surprise was Plains, the 359, and there the thorough professional and Seton. While it hasn’t been seemed to be little to separate was in 12th spot on lm08.37s THAT long since the Ford the two brands in terms of (no need for ten-thousandths

1 © Motorsport News. Issue 126

MALLALA

situation J$

HOW MANY RACE WINS? Well, not quite two. Ingall had reason to celebrate (opposite); his Mallala monkey was off his back and he went west with an eight point lead. (Photos by ark Ktynsmm) now). He felt it was a little unfair to be asked to compare his Falcon with the Commodores he had raced for some years.

“It’s got a blue oval badge on the front,” he said when asked to name the differ ences. “Race cars are all dif ferent, whether they are Fords, Holdens, whatever.”

Jason Bargwanna was 11th and not happy. When trying really hard on fresh rubber both he and Garth Tander were fighting unbalanced Valvoline Commodores though, especially in Bargs’ case, the car was consistent at race pace (low lm08s).

Both responded by ‘Driving the WTieels off the cars.

Tony Longhurst led the Yokohama ‘class’. That was the bad news; Yokohama’s 62 tyre just didn’t suit the track.

'The tyre was taking too long to get up to speed; there was not enough heat in it to get tyre speed over a single lap but, while its 10 lap plus per formance was excellent com pared to the opposition tyres, that was little comfort if you were starting 13th (Tony Longhurst), 15th (Alan Jones) or 19th (Steve Ellery).

Of the rest, highs and lows.

John Faulkner looked like he was suicidal; he was 17th and the Betta/F&P Commodore was looking positively dan gerous through the twists. In desperation he borrowed dampers from the HRT overnight.

Mark Poole, now with a new backer in Bosch Service Centres, was perplexed to find the car slower than it had been on older tyres a week earlier, while Darrens Pate and Hossack were 21st and 22nd, their Yokes having a shelf life of “about one lap” before they were stuffed.

The Wynns cars were JUST clear of fastest Privateer Chris Smerdon, whose car was driven on Thursday by Tomas Mezera.

The local surprised himself by picking up more speed than he anticipated.

John Briggs was half a sec ond behind, while Crosswell was playing himself in steadi ly in 27th, still getting used to the carspeed of the Crick car and looking forward to fine conditions in his first V8 Supercar event. \ Crosswell - and everyone else - wasn’t going to get their wish.

Race 1 (17 Saps) The as thetrack field was linedstill up wet in the pits. A lot of necks were craned skywards and the mechanics started the Dance of the Rattle Guns.

Eventually it was slicks all roimd, with one or two soonto-be-notable exceptions.

Skaife’s start was a shock er. Bowe’s was good but, from the third row. Ingall had done IT again. He shot away and sniffed ilp the soon-to-be slammed right door of the Shell Helix Falcon into the first corner. From fifth, he was second, in about 150 metres.

Skaife just held out Lowndes but Craig soon realised the score. “We (Bridgestone runners) were dead ducks early on,” he said.

“I knew we would get better as the line dried so I waved Dick and Perkins by and waited.”

With Dick fourth on lap one and Lowndes and Perkins about to swap positions Steven J led Seton, Bright (slow start) and Faulkner.

The extent of the Bridgestone’s drama was evi dent after less than a lap. By the time they were in the Pacific Waste Sweeper for the first time Bowe and Ingall led the slipping Skaife by more than FOUR seconds and they kept going away.

The rest of the evidence was apparent on lap two.

Glenn Seton, defending Shell

ATCC Champion, was ninth, having given up a spot to Crosswell. The new kid was scything through the pack, having been one of the few to start on wets. But, even so, it was an impressive gallop for a first-time V8 drivet who had started 21 spots behind Seton.

Johnson Sr and Perkins soon went past Skaife on sheer grip and Lowndes fol lowed them through, followed

by Johnson Jr on lap three.

Then, after five laps, the tide turned. Crosswell, who had even been hauling in Skaife, started losing time to the leaders Dunlops slicks. In turn they had stopped pulling away from the Bridgestones, the 1/2- 3/4 gap stabihsing at around seven seconds. The Johnson family was soon under attack, Dick holding back Perkins and Steven chasing Lowndes in front and keeping Skaife at bay behind.

That wasn’t going to last.

As Junior went down into the Southern Hairpin in lap seven Skaife was carrying a lot more car speed but, as he went onto the slippeiy stuff to look inside the RFL car, his rears locked and he spun Johnson around.

Steven was stuck in the middle of the track and Skaife T-boned him. Both cars got going, but with tyre problems; Johnson’s rubbing guard would leave him to drive around a deflating right-rear tyre while Skaife’s split oil cooler would leave him with slippery, locking rears which flat-spotted his tyres.

After the race Skaife apolo gised to Johnson over the incident but the stewards took a darker view; Mark was DQ’d from an eventual eighth and would start race two from the rear. While the hearing was ongoing the team sought to have his damaged tyres replaced, which would also have repercussions...

Ingall knew the score. He

Continued over page

ATCC

5Jml998

23

24 5June 1998

MALLALA

ATCC

Rookie Crosswell takes out Private honours ROOKIE Dean Crosswell put the rest of the Privateer competitors at Mallala on notice with a fine debut performance in the Ericsson/Trust Bank Commodore.

It wash’t actually raining when the cars rolled out for the four lap Dash but the track was pretty wet and slicks were nowhere to be seen.

From the front row Briggs got the power down best to jump into the lead away from Steve Reed, who barged through from row two to get ahead of Smerdon. Nash, Tratt, Crosswell, D’arcy Russell, Wayne Russell, Osborne and Ryman.

Briggs bolted in the first two laps but the Lansvale car closed the gap over the final three laps. He looked close enough to challenge until a half-off on lap four, leaving the Supercheap Falcon to cruise home.

A spin on turn two accounted for Smerdon’s hopes while, behind > Crossweil and D’arcy Russell was putting in the big ones, moving up to third apd fourth respectively.

In race one Crosswell tore through on wet rubber to chase the Level One guys, gaining as mush as four seconds a lap until the tide turned and he was losing up to seven seconds a lap him self.

Smerdon was leading the chase. On lap 10 he had caught him and, just as the leaders of the race were closing, they touched at turn one. In the melee

Tratt spun while Smerdon recovered to take the class win, just ahead of Briggs, while Mai Rose (who had changed an engine and missed qualifying altogeth er) came through to third.

Tratt got going for third ahead of the Crosswell car and Paul Weel.

Smerdon took the lead in the second race as well but there was no dealing with Tratt in this race. The Toll Falcon zoomed clear of Crosswell and Briggs, who put on a great battle for the podi um spots.

The youngster prevailed and sped to second. Fourth was Smerdon, ahead of the Rose/Nash battle.

Nash was getting faster. In race three he was the man to get onto the tail of the leader Crosswell and for all of the second half of the race, the two put on a great show of clean, hard racing. That was for the lead too; the lap two brouhaha at Northern Hairpin account ed for Smerdon and a very best Weel, while Tratt only lasted a lap before clouting the wail.

It would have taken a Crosswell mis take to change the lead order but none came, the rookie taking top honours and top marks after a great day’s dri ving. Osborne was just behind from D’arcy Russell.

On these performances Crick and Crosswell will make a strong combina tion come the endurance races ...

- PHIL BRANAGAN

Shelf Australian Touring Car Championship 'f; -X.

Qualifying Pos Driver 1 Mark Skaife 2 John Bowe

Team/Car Mobil-HRT Commodore Shell Helix Falcon

3 4 5 6 7

Craig Lowndes Jason Bright Russell Ingall Glenn Seton Dick Johnson

8 9 10

Larry Perkins Steven Johnson Mark Larkham

11 12 13 14 15 16

Jason BargwannaValvoline Cummins Commodore Neil Crompton Ford Credit Falcon Tony Longhurst Castrol Longhurst Falcon Paul Romano Bap Romano Commodore Aan Jones Komatsu/Castrol Falcon Garth Tander Valvoline/Cummins Commodore

17 18

John Faulkner Mark Poole

19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34

Mobil-HRT Commodore Pirtek Falcon Castrol Perkins Commodore Ford Credit Falcon Shell Helix Falcon Castrol Perkins Commodore Racing for Life Falcon Mitre 10 Falcon

Time 1:07.5060 1:07.5088 1:07.5440 1:07.5515 1:07.5907 1:07.8436 1:07.8918 1:07.9279 1:08.0375 1:08.0885 1:08.1034 1:08.3739 1:08.3845 1:08.4834 1:08.6143 1:08.6945

Betta/Rsher&Paykel Commodore 1:08.9027 Bosch Service Centres Comm odo re 1:09.0734 Konica HYL Commodore 1:09.2241 Steve Ellery 1:09.2395 Terry Finnigan Sony Autosound Commodore Darren Pate 1:09.5958 Wynns/Kmart Commodore 1:09.8001 Darren Hossack Wynns/Kmart Commodore Chris Smerdon ITS Commodore 1:09.8327 1:10.4155 John Briggs Supercheap Auto Fal con Steve Reed Lansvale Smash/ICI Commodore 1:10.4518 1:10.9754 Anthony Tratt Toll Transport Falcon Dean Crosswell Ericsson/Trust Bank Commodore 1:10.9802 Paul Weel Castrol Falcon 1:11.1903 Rob Nash Highlift Travel Towers Commodore 1:11.2147 1:11.6543 Danny Osbourne Colourscan Falcon 1:11.7535 Wayne Russell Union Steel Commodore 1:12.4009 D'Arcy Russell Rod Smith Racing Commodore 1:17,5007 Charles Ryman Landmark Place Falcon Mai Rose Fairfield Community Commodore No time

Rcce2-17laps

Driver

Race time Flap On 1 Russell Ingall 19:46.7453 1:08.7181 5 2 Dick Johnson 19:53.3303 1:08.9333 3 3 Craig Lowndes 19:53.8408 1:08.2087 2 4 Glenn Seton 19:54.4872 1:09.1193 4 5 Jason Bright 19:56.7939 1:09.1845 4 6 John Faulkner 19:57.4816 1:09.1800 11 7 Steven Johnson 20:01.3271 1:09.2225 2 DO Mark Skaife 20:01.7332 1:08.7141 9 8 Tony Longhurst 20:05.9485 1:09.6330 3 9 Jason Bargwanna20:06.04751:08.8492 6 10 Mark Larkham 20:08.3903 1:09.1897 5 11 John Bowe 20:08.5477 1:08.5160 2 12 Neil Crompton 20:10.5671 1:09.4387 5 13 Mark Poole 20:10.9408 1:09.3234 8 14 Larry Perkins 20:22.7028 1:08.8895 2 15 Alan Jones 20:27.8848 1:09.7392 3 16 Darren Pate 20:33.7358 1:11.0971 10 17 Anthony Tratt 20:35.6464 1:11.1821 8 18 Steve Ellery 20:39.0302 1:10.2513 3 19 Terry Finnigan 20:40.0161 1:11.1223 8 20 Dean Crosswell 20:40.6181 1:11.4467 8 21 John Briggs 20:40.8011 1:11.4462 12 22 Garth Tander 20:41.3499 1:09.2327 3 23 Chris Smerdon 20:46,9522 1:11.1966 8 24 Mai Rose 20:50.4345 1:11.7956 7 25 Rob Nash 16laps 1:11.7731 12 26 Danny Osbourne 16 laps 1:12.7368 13 27 D'Arcy Russell 16 laps 1:13.2332 8 28 Paul Weel 16 laps 1:12.0228 5 29 Darren Hossack 16 laps 1:11.0750 4 30 Wayne Russell 15 laps 1:13.1413 3 31 Charles Ryman 15 laps 1:03.4210 2 DNF Steve Reed 5 laps 1:11.8733 4 DNF Paul Romano 3 laps 1:13.1043 2

Race 1-17 laps Racefiniie Fte Driver 20:42.9078 1 John Bowe 20:43,3896 2 Russell Ingall 3 Craig Lowndes 20:49.8644 20:55.0287 4 Larry Perkins 20:58.6569 5 Dick Johnson 6 Steven Johnson 21:06.2487 7 Glenn Seton 21:08.2024 21:09.2199 DO Mark Skaife 8 John Faulkner 21:12.9510 21:16.6885 9 Jason Bright 21:22.0366 10 Alan Jones 11 Tony Longhurst 21:24.5341 21:25.3132 12 Paul Romano 21:38,6162 13 Steve Ellery 21:44.8563 14 Garth Tander 21:48.8688 15 Mark Larkham 16 Darren Pate 16 laps 17 Darren Hossack 16 laps 18 .Chris Smerdon 16 laps 16laps 19''John Briggs 16 laps 20 Jason Bargwanna 21 Mai Rose 16 laps 16 laps 22 Anthony Tratt 23 Dean Crosswell 16 laps 24 Paul Weel 16 laps .'leiaps 25 D'Arcy Russell 15 laps 26 Danny Osbourne 27 Charles Ryman 14 laps 13 laps 28 Wayne Russell 29 Neil Crompton 7 laps 30 Mark Poole 2 laps 31 Terry Finnigan 1 lap 32 Rob Nash Olaps DNSSteve Reed

Race 3-17 laps Fte Driver 1

Racetkne Craig Lowndes 19:37.6836

2 Russell Ingall 19:42.3559 3 Glenn Seton 19:45.0185 4 Steven Johnson 19:46.7868 5 Jason Bright 19:47.3621 6 J Bargwanna 19:48.5701 7 John Faulkner 19:49.5340 8 Mark Skaife 19:50.1417 9 John Bowe 19:51.2172 10 Neil Crompton 19:54.7904 11 Larry Perkins 19:56.6659 12 Garth Tander 20:07.3271 13 Mark Larkham 20:07.8124 14 Tony Longhurst 20:08,6933 15 Mark Poole 20:11.1865 16 Paul Romano 20:20.0899 17 Terry Finnigan 20:20.9550 18 Darren Pate 20:30.7989 19 Darren Hossack20:36.9441 20 Dean Crosswell 20:46.9758 21 RobNash 20:47.1827 22 Danny Osbourne 16 laps 23 D'Arcy Russell 16 laps 24 Steve Ellery 16 laps 25 John Briggs 15 laps DNF Wayne Russell 12 laps DNF Alan Jones 11 laps DNF Dick Johnson 2 laps DNF Chris Smerdon 1 lap DNF Paul Weel 1 lap DNF Anthony Tratt DNS Steve Reed DNS Mai Rose DNS Charles Ryman

F/lap On

1:09.8758 1:09.6275 1:08.2963 1:09.4324 1:09,8259 1:09.6344 1:09.8062 1:09.8574 1:10.0919 1:09.5064 1:10.3322

15 15 14 14 10 12 13 10 11 10 15

1:10.2758 1:09.3493 1:10.5319 1:09.6760 1:10.1026

11 14 10 11 17

1:12.0443 1:11.2521 1:12.7409 1:12.9542 1:09.5060 1:13.2768 1:13.0709 1:16.4777 1:14.2555 1:13.3866 1:13.8814 1:25.8604 1:14.8325 1:17.6459 1:42.6958 1:57.8667

16 10 16 11 11 10 11 15 12 13 10 11 10 5 2 1

Points

Pfap On 1:08.2495 8 1:08.8314 1:08.8609 1:08,9790 1:08.5170.

1:08.5952 1:08.6513 1:08.6929 1:08.5669 1:09.1458 1:09.2650 1:09.1982 1:09.3701 1:09.3985 1:09.0389 1:08,6651 1:10.2801 1:10.9119 1:10.0621 1:11.8550 1:11.3814 1:12.5661 1:13.1321 1:09.7853 1:12.0296 1:13.2929 1:09.7890 1:13.8041 1:24,3439 1:26.3094

2 2 4 4 4 4 9 4 7 4 4 5 3 8 5 6 13 5 4 7 4 4 6 14 3 4 2 1 1

616 Ingall Lowndes 608 504 Bowe Perkins 484 430 Skaife Seton 416 416 Bright D Johnson 406 Longhurst 382 Bargwanna 319 Faulkner 236 Larkham 220 Romano 220 Richards 188 SJohnson 168 Jones 163 156 Ellery Hossack 128 Finnigan 116 79 Tander Poole 72 Pale 70 Crick 60 58 Ashby 44 Mezera 41 Reed Smerdon 40 Crompton 36 26 Briggs Douiman 26 Weel 26 Rose 23 20 Hislop T ratt 17 .

Brewer 14 Osborne 12 McLeod 10 Price 8 Heffeman Mork 4 Nash 3 Crossweil 2

TRY,TRY AGAIN... Smerdon and Tratt put in the big ones in the Level 3 battles. Both damaged cars at the end of the day but Crosswell(149, left) went home smiling. (Photo by oirk Ktynsmim) Continued from page 23

When AJ had a lunge at ●turn one Tander followed into the gap but, then the gap disappeared, the nose of the Komatsu car flicked into the air and Jones was left to finish the race with little or no front downforce. Tander’s

was a close second, on the front row for race two and wasn’t going to kill the car getting by Bowe, who was driving perfectly. Second it was.

Once Lowndes got confidamage was worse; a tyre dent in the conditions he valve was pulled out. He pitturned on the taps and the ted for rubber and finished chase was on. He closed at a 23rd. second a lap onto Perkins’ In the dry Lowndes’ tail and moved by on lap 13 Bridgestone had the grip on at the Hairpin. Johnson was Bowe’s Dunlops and he outnext but Lowndes needn’t dragged the Ford on the back have worried as the 17 car straight to take second on gyrated at Bridgestone on lap seven but Ingall was lap 16, falling to fifth. ( already 3.5s up the road.

Sixth was Steven, just picking his lines and nursing clear of the recovering Seton, his tyres to the flag.

Skaife, Faulkner and Bright.

The challenge wouldn’t Jones was 11th ahead of last. Two laps later Lowndes had an off by himself at the Longhurst (who had had an incident with Larkham), Northern Hairpin, dropping to fifth. while Tander hit the wall That wouldn’t last either. after a 180 degree spin in turn two before recovering to On lap 11 Perkins was look 15th, albeit with a bent diff ing at. the Bowe at the housing.

Northern Hairpin and, when JB shut the door, Larry’s Race 2 (17 laps) nose hit him and Bowe spun.

Johnson and Seton rode The badnews - after forthe Skaife stewards’ was through the fuss to third from Perkins, Bright, hearing the rear of the grid Lowndes and Steven beckoned. Just before the Johnson. start the HRT crew came out But the Law was watch and changed to what they were thinking were ing. Perkins was blackflagged for a stop/go penalty approved, replacement tyres. and, worse, when he pitted to They were going to be serve it, he was clocked proven wrong. breaking the pit lane speed Ingall made another peach limit, which meant another of a getaway and took the lead, Bowe just holding off visit two laps later.

He was 15th by the time Lowndes whose own jump the race ended and marched from three had been pretty straight up to see the stew impressive. ards...

There was no runaway this time. Ingall has 0.6s Ingall had almost six sec onds in hand from Johnson after a lap from Bowe, Lowndes, Perkins, Johnsons by the end, with a recovered Lowndes third from Seton (“I Sr then Jr, Seton, Bright, Jones, Long-hurst and got a little lucky”). Bright Faulkner. and Faulkner, who was going faster and faster on his The front three quickly revised suspension settings. built a gap over Perkins and Johnson Jr followed from the order in the top 10 remained pretty static. But Skaife, Longhurst, Barg wanna, Larkham and Bowe. by lap four Lowndes was looking seriously at Bowe Skaife’s run was impressive. and that allowed Ingall to After a cautious opening pull what would be a win ning lead. few corners he went very Further back the fast, hauling up to 18th on Valvoline cars were in the lap three and was just out wars. Bargwanna ran onto side the top 10 by mid-race.

He avoided the wrecks and the dirt at the Northern Hairpin, and Tander was made it to eighth but he was DQ’d, ROG’d and had it all to chasing the Faulkner/Jones battle impressively. do again.

RaCC 3(17 lapS) This was not one of Initgall’s greatest starts - but was good enough to get through turn one in the lead ahead of Lowndes and Johnson, sideby-side.

Dick clouted the kerb on the right and busted the splitter on the rear of the Castrol Commodore. That would be the end of his race meeting, pitting after two laps.

Ingall had daylight second from Lowndes, Seton, Junior, Senior, Faulkner, Bright, Bargwanna, Longhurst, Bowe, Poole, Crompton, Larkham, Perkins and Jones.

After a lap from the rear Skaife was 20th.

This time Ingall was not going to run. Lowndes’ Bridgestone’s had tons more grip that the Dunlops and it was just a matter of when.

Ingall held on for six laps until Craig got the drive out of the Southern Hairpin, pulled past on the straight and beat the Castrol car to the other Hairpin.

That was that. Lowndes sped off and was almost 5s clear by the eiid of the race.

Seton looked strong in third. “The car wasn’t too glamorous in the first two races,” he said. But third on the day was something of a return to form.

Steven J got close but never got a sniff and had to settle for a career-best fourth in the race and on the day. In the rush to hail the new stars his was one of the best efforts of the season.

He did it hard. Bright was all over the other blue Ford for almost the whole race but couldn’t find a gap. Right behind was the Bargwanna/ Faulkner battle, while Skaife was eighth, again ... but this time it stood up.

The action elsewhere was more muted except for the Wynns team-mates getting together in the Northern Hairpin (the same spot as Team Kawasaki’s ‘Fire Dance’).

And that, as they say, was that. Ingall celebrated, Lowndes looked pleased that the gap wasn’t bigger and, it seemed, everyone else had wounds to hck - and only fomdays to get them healed.

MALLALA FORMULA HOLDEN

5Jm 1998

25

THE Kiwi invasion of this Star GoM year's Championship gained fur ther momentum at Mallala, with Simon Wills joining Scott Dixon on the winner’s podium.

The pair shared wins on the day, Dixon nmning sec ond to his countryman in his other start to extend his lead at the head of the Formula Holden Australian Drivers Championship.

A pair of consistent third places keep leading Aussie Mark Noske in second spot in the championship run ning, while a second and a first corner DNF find Todd Kelly third outright after four rounds.

For Wills, a change from number 13 to 31 eventually brought a change in luck, although he had to wait for the second race of the day for his win. The first was as unlucky as his past four, caught out wide at the start, a couple of spins, and an eighth place finish.

South Au^ralian Darren Edwards, taking Marcus Friesacher’s spot at Team Watson, was on the front runners’ pace, but delayed and taken out respectively by incidents in both races.

Friesacher, now with Arthur Abrahams’ squad, continued his ongoing battle with Brenton Ramsay and John De Vries for the places, with locals Dale Brede and Owen Osborne showing well in respective Silver Star races.

A

,'#5 ^

(Photos by Dirk Klynsmith)

Qyalifyiinig On a dry track, the first session was one of those now common Formula Holden qualifying duels, with pole changing hands several times as the category’s con trol Dunlop, which takes some time to come up to speed, warmed to the task.

With the session interrupt ed by a couple of red flag stoppages it Ml became a lit tle frantic - so much so that a pit lane collision between Noske and Dixon was to have its effect on the outcome.

Noske ran over the rear of wheel and forcing use of a the Kiwi’s car, putting him- worn tyre on the right rear self out of the session with a for the rest of Qualifying, damaged front wishbone and Edwards, enjoying the slightly bending the left rear data-acquisition and other suspension of Dixon’s benefits of Watson’s team, as Reynard. opposed to his own more With this coming just six modest operation, was just laps into the session, Noske four tenths slower for third, would have to sit and watch with Brenton Ramsey his time drop aO the way to (1:03.04) a strong fourth, seventh best, while Dixon - deposing a confused Todd with the rear end slightly out KeUy to the third row. of alignment - had to give Toddler’s little team looked to be in set-up trouble, the best to his compatriot in the series’ other youngster a bit chase for pole.

After all the mechanical baffled as to what to do next, bad luck that has afflicted It would continue in the sec ond session, but overnight his two previous appear advice from Formula Ford ances, Dixon’s pole was engineer Peter Verheyen warmly received. With time would allow some overnight for his team to effect some progress to be made. proper gearbox maintenance Friesacher, a frustrated since Winton and tidy up a few other aspects of the car, Noske, Bastian, Crampton the former F3 combatant and Asai completed the top looked good from the start ten for race 1. '*■ Times were a few tenths and very late in the session

eclipsed Dixon’s 1:02.38 by the six-hundredths necessary to grab his first Australian pole.

Under the circumstances, Dixon’s effort was also excel lent, the entanglement with Noske also damaging a

PLAYING FOR KEEPS...

Wills(31)and Dixon were not being shy in turn one.

Look how close Dixon's front win is the Wills’ wheel...

TODD OFF... Kelly is having a rough time at the moment.

cooler for the second session and this time it was Dixon who would head the all-NZ front row, his 1:02.50 fourtenths up on Wills.

Edwards was only five hundredths away from a front row spot this time.

er, but throw in another quick 360 onto the starfrfinish straight as he fought his way back into the top ten.

So, Dixon led Edwards, a happier Kelly, Friesacher, Noske and Ramsay at the Race 1 (15 laps) While the warm-up had end of a dramatic opening been cold and damp, by race lap.

By the end of the second time there was a definite diy tour, Dixon had 3.5 seconds line, with just some remain ing dampness on the edges of up his sleeve. Business as usual. the circuit.

Except it was now Kelly in Wills got the jump, but that’s as good as it got. He second, the youngster finding appeared to botch the change the Konica car much more to up to second and that was his liking.

More action. Noske tapped enough for Dixon, who swept ahead to lead clearly into the rear of Friesacher’s car, which spun the Austrian, turn one, with Edwards join and allowed Ramsay onto his ing him.

Wills was pushed wide as tail.

The local was looking they barrelled through the sweeper, losing a couple of strong and indeed, next lap, spots, while the end of the out-braked the Primus car into Bridgestone and set off back straight brought disas after Edwards. ter for Asai and Bastian, who By now Dixon was over collided, rotating at high speed off the end of the five seconds clear of Kelly, straight, both with wings with a similar gap back to Edwards, but it wasn’t long missing.

More lap one drama as before he had company in the Wills went in too deep at form of Ramsay.

They were nose to tail as Bridgestone, spinning the Telegroup Reynard to the . they started lap seven, but rear of the pack... He’d recov- into Bridgestone there was while Friesacher got the bet ter of Ramsay for fourth.

Noske, Kelly, Osborne, Asai and De Vries completed the top ten.

more drama, Ramsay into the back of Edwards and both cars spinning, only Edwards rejoining, in fifth.

Edwards later conceded he’d braked a fraction early, albeit defending the damp inside line: “I assumed he was out wide on the diy. He wasn’t...”

Things settled down now and Dixon reeled off the remaining laps with relative ease, some nine seconds clear of Kelly at the finish.

Friesacher closed in on Noske as the laps ran out perhaps it was as well that he didn’t catch him - with Edwards fifth, from Osborne, Brede, a recovering Wills, De Vries and Jacobsen.

Race 2 (15 laps)

This time it was Dixon who didn’t get the start quite right, the Judds Auctions Reynard smoking off the line with too much wheelspin, allowing Wills to take the first corner and lead the queue through turn one.

Behind them there was mayhem.

Edwards got squeezed between Ramsay and

Friesacher and popped out, straight up the pit entry, with a damaged steering arm. Kelly was in there too, the Konica car rotating through the air before stalling, too damaged to con tinue, on the turn one out field.

Two out already.

This left Wills and Di.xon well clear of Ramsay, Friesacher, Noske, Osborne, Asai and Brede at the end of lap one, but the end was nigh for Osborne and Asai.

Through the turn two sweep er, there was a collision and both were out on the spot.

Dixon actually booted it out of the hairpin a bit pre maturely this time round, getting very sideways, and Wills emerged with a couple of seconds up hi»,sleeve at the end of the second lap.

And then a light shower intervened. It caught out Ramsay who rotated himself from third to fifth.

Friesacher too went off, at the hairpin and after re-fir ing his stalled car proceeded to drive across the kerbs and beach it there, stalled. The steering wheel received a solid hurling as he emerged from the stranded car...

Just as quickly it started to dry and Dixon began to close in on Wills. By lap 10 they were almost in line astern, but rather than risk a points DNF Dixon now appeared to accept second and eased back from the chase. A brief, late shower threatened to add further spice but there were no late changes.

Ramsay retained a lonely fourth, from Brede, De Vries, Jacobsen, Digby and Bastian.

Points after four rounds: Dixon 130; Noske 102; KeUy 92; Ramsay 60;Friesacher 50; De Vries 42.

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● Three wins puts Lowndes back at top of points table ● Skaife makes it a Mobil-HRT 1-2 after taking third successive pole ● Ingall fights hard to keep the championship battle tight ● Falcons struggle with lack of downforce s i ● Officials kept busy with battles on and off the track ● Innocent Bright has Falcon badly damaged ● Another record field and big crowd

Shell Australian Touring Car Championship

By DAVID HASSALL THIS is turning into one of the greatest battles in the history of the Australian Toxiring Car Championship.

Make no mistake, this is his tory in the making.

At Wanneroo, Craig Lowndes and Russell Ingall were at it again, slugging it out in their own private two-man duel to the death for the Shell Series. And this time, after being upstaged for the last couple of meetings, it was the Mobil man who was back on top.

Mark Skaife may be the qualify ing king, but when it counts on raceday Lowndes is proving himself the master, driving with a con trolled aggression which marks him a superior driver to the yoimg rook ie who won the 1996 title.

Lowndes won all three races in the West, despite struggling to qualify third, and in the process has put himself back at the top of the title points table, turning an eight-point deficit after Mallala into an eight-point advantage with only three rounds remaining.

But with so many points on offer.

Round 7 1 T.T ^anneroo a lead of eight is nothing. The only thing sure about the points race is that no-one else will win. The 1998 champion will be Lowndes or Ingall.

Russell took as many points away from Wanneroo as he had any reason to expect, maybe more con sidering that the Dunlops were no match for the Bridgestones on this occasion.

Ingall “worked bloody hard” to take third place overall behind Lowndes and Skaife, the Mobil duo scoring an impressive 1-2 for the day.

Like Lowndes, Ingall is driving with his head and wringing the maximum results from his Castrol Commodore.

BOREWm With budgets of

The only real drama in HRT’s 1-2 steamroller came after race two when the technical officials found Craig’s winning car to be four kilo grams underweight.

Naturally there was a bit of excitement around the paddock when word spread, but replacing the car’s trailer wheels (whjch have heavily grooved tyres) with the actual race wheels and tyres sud denly saw the scales tip over at an extra 10kg, putting any questions to rest.

It could have been an interesting argument, though, because the scales in use had been a bit dodgy all weekend.

At the end of the day, then, Lowndes (728 points) and Ingall

(720) have the title between them, with Perkins now moving up to third on a distant 578 from Skaife (536, but still appealing his Mallala exclusion) and the disappointed Bowe (530).

The remaining three rounds are at Calder Park, Hidden Valley and Oran Park, which will this year undoubtedly live up to its Grand Final reputation.

Qualifying

Wanneroo is the circuit that all the tyre engineers and teams hate the most, with its somewhat unique and very abrasive surface chewing up the rubber like no other.

As a result, they all know they are in for a rough weekend on the rubber front and the hope is not so much that they have a tyre which will hold up over the three races but that they wiU not deteriorate as much as their rivals’.

Outright speed is one thing, but

NL

A

durability is the big factor. So qual ifying would be interesting, but get ting to> the end of Sunday would pose a big problem, particularly with only eight tyres to do the job.

And it must be said that after qualifying it looked like Bridgestones on a Commodore was the best combination because, while there was little between the Bridgestones and Dunlops in terms of time, it was generally considered that the Bridgies were a little hard er compormd and could therefore be expected to last longer.

But would it turn out that way?

For the third race in succession and the fourth time this year from seven races - Mark Skaife proved to be the master of qualif3dng, and this time by a considerable margin.

At least by recent standards.

The quahfying session was domi nated by Commodores, which to all the Ford people was further evi dence of how they have been shaft-

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iXo

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HOLDEN POWER... Lowndes gets an outside wheel in the air as he"bounces off the kerb at Wanneroo (ieft) before joining teammate Skaife on the podium (right).

WHAMMO... After being tipped off by Seton, who can be seen disappearing in the background, Bright was siammed into by Kendrick and Nash, suffering extensive damage.

I

(Photos by Dirk Klynsmith and John Morris)

ed on the parity issue (see news pages). There was only one Falcon in the top six.

At the end of the half-hour, Skaife had again nailed pole by 0.067s, a narrow margin by most standards but not compared with the Mallala shoot-out a week earlier.

Further back, though, things were really tight with Craig Lowndes snatching third on the grid in the dying minutes from Dick Johnson by just 0.0001s - that’s right, one ten-thousandth of a sec ond!

That was an excellent result for

the Mobil Holden Racing Team because first and third on the grid gave them the first two inside posi tions, the place to be in the desper ate scramble to the first turn at Wanneroo.

The team was also understand ably optimistic because the Bridgestone 261s were generally seen as a slightly more conservative choice than the Dunlop 359s on this notoriously tyre-wrecking circuit.

The team had also worked on reducing some exit oversteer to save the rear tyres. , The only question mark for Lovsfndes was that he did a consid-

erable number of fast laps to bump Dick from third place. Sure, it proved the tyres were good for a number of laps, but would those laps have damaged the tyres for raceday? Time would tell.

Splitting the two HRT cars was the Castrol Commodore of series leader Russell Ingall, which repre sented his best qualifying perfor mance of the season, but he wak conceding that the softer Dunlop was a potential problem in the race, especially if the weather was warmer.

“We’ll try a few things in the morning warm-up in the rear end to make the rear work better and make the tyres live longer,” Russell said.

Dick Johnson deserved to feel well-pleased with fourth on the grid, even though he missed third by the very narrowest of margins.

He was one-third of a second ahead of the next Falcon.

“Yeah, the cars feels good on new tyres,” he remarked, clearly con-

RIDE ‘EM COWBOY... Ingail said it was “bloody hard work” and this seems to prove it... (Photos by Dirk Klynsmith)

cerned about the tyre situation.

“The set-up is coming along real well; I just hope it remains consis tent tomoiTOw.” Fifth on the grid was Jason Bargwanna’s best since Bathurst last year and was a great result for the Valvoline team, being just a quarter of a second slower than the HRT pole car on the same tyres.

Larry Perkins said he was happy with his sixth-fastest time, threetenths slower than teammate ●Ingall, and seemed more concerned with tyi-e performance in the race.

“Three times 20 laps here will be absolutely torturous for everyone,” he warned.

Jason Bright was a little further back that we have become accus tomed to seeing, but the Pirtek Falcon was still two places ahead of

the fellow Bridgestone-shod Ford of Glenn Seton, who simply couldn’t get any grip out of the Ford Credit car.

“We’ve been struggling all week end,” said Bright. “We’ve picked up quite a bit of time and I’m actually lucky to be as high as 7th.

“It is lacking gi’ip all round, but it’s basically understeering going in and oversteering on the exits.

“I thought it was the tyres but new ones were no good. We made some changes in qualifying that worked so we’ll keep going in that direction, make changes for the warm-up and hope for a big gain.”

At least he was happier with the brakes, having cured a chronic imbalance he suffered in recent races through changes to the shocks and springs.

OVER THE HiLL... Lowndes ieads the way on iap one, race three.

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ATCC Bowe

was

16th

and

The cheque is in the mail?

Bargwanna 27th, leaving him a big task in the next race.

Perkins came back from a

Alan Jones rarely appears at the Saturday post-qualify ing ‘Meet the People’ gatherings, preferring to pay the $500 fi!ne for non-attendance. In fact, earlier this year he pre-paid the fines for the rest of the sea son. At Wanneroo, though, he and Longhurst agreed to attend in response to the other teams allow ing them to change tyre brands, so per haps AJ will be apply ing for a rebate from CAMS...

poor start to take the fifth place, barely holding out the improving Seton in the final laps, which was a surprising ly good result for the defend ing champion.

And right behind Seton were Romano and Bright, underlining how well the Bridgestones were working at the serious end of the business, even on a Falcon!

Another big mover was Tander, who came up from 14th on the grid to finish 9th ahead ofSteve Johnson.

John Faulkner recovered from an early spin right in front of Romano to finish just outside the top ten and just in front of Larkham while Jones dropped a couple of places on the last lap to take 13th in his continuing test and development program with the new Dunlops.

Early in the race, Longhurst suddenly lost power and retired with an engine problem which would keep him out of the next race while it was replaced.

The was exactly what he did not need with miles on the new tyres being vital to get ting the cars set-up properly.

Ellery managed to finish 14th just ahead of Finnigan and the rapidly closing Bowe while the Darrens rounded out the non-privateers, Pate ahead ofHossack.

Ashby and Rose conducted a brilliant battle for priva teer honours with Rose lead ing the first half of the race before being passed by Ashby. Rose continued to challenge and at the end was right behind his rival.

Crick should have been third, but spun with just a lap to go and was passed by Nash and Kendrick, while Briggs was seriously delayed by a lap one incident.

n Craig Lowndes pipped Dick Johnson for third place ^n the grid in the dying moment^ of quali fying by just 0.0001s that’s right^one tenthousandth df a second!

That equates to a dis tance ofjust 4.2mm or one-eighth of an inch over the 2.4-kilometre circuit. And to think it that only a few years ago we thought that hun dredths of a second were enough differentiation ... a Mark Skaife incurred the wrath of the stew ards after accidentally punting Trevor Ashby off in practice. The HRT dri ver was fined $3000, which perhaps should have gone to Ashby to help pay for the repairs.

Skaife’s defence was sim ply that he had been caught by surprise when Ashby hit the brakes, but the stewards were not impressed because there was a yellow flag out at the time. n It was not the best of weekends for John Bowe.

On race day he confessed to making a big mistake: “Getting on the plane in Melbourne ...” n The race attendance was posted at 24,000, a few thousand short of last year’s Brockinspired record but a couple of thousand up on the pi-evious best. And improvements to the traffic flow and parking accommodated the big crowd more comfortably. n Another new record for the number of starters, too, with 28 cars at the Perth circuit. The previ- . ous best was 22 in 1995. n Russell Ingall might have worked hard for his points, but he reckoned that rival Lowndes did it easy. “I saw him adjust ing the volume on his radio out there,” Russell quipped at the post-race press conference. n Ingall’s consistency this year has been remarkable. He has now finished in the top three in 19 successive races ...

- DAVID HASSALL

For the first time in months he experienced a front lock-up rather than the rear.

Seton was a depressed man. There simply wasn’t enough grip and it had nothing to do with tyres. The Fords, he said, were being screwed aerodynamically by recent parity decisions. two the Splitting Bridgestone-shod Falcons was the Shell car of John Bowe on his Dunlops, and somewhat confused to be four-tenths slower than Dick and losing Skm/li onto the pit straight alone because he was unable to get the power down.

He was even more confused about the car’s behav iour, saying it understeered and oversteered in different comers, making it very hard to decide on changes.

Bowe predictably said he was looking very carefully at Dick’s set-up, but was cau tious about duplicating it because the two cars have slightly different weight dis tribution. Nevertheless,''big changes were in store for raceday.

Rounding out the top ten and again impressively close to Bowe on his first visit to the circuit - was Steve Johnson in the Racing For Life Falcon.

Paul Romano was next and looking forward to a strong race package, having spent considerable time “reading” his two sets of Bridgestones, from John Faulkner, Steve Ellery (happy to be closer to the front of the field than of late with his Yokohamas) and local hero Garth Tander.

With almost identical times were Tony Longhurst and Alan Jones, having never before even turned a lap on their selected Dunlop 356s since splitting from Yokohama. Tony’s first reac tion was that he had more grip at the rear but less at the front.

It was always going to be a tough call and Tony admit ted that they needed to do considerable set-up changes to make the cars work with the Dunlops, starting with the warm-up (when both dri vers would try considerably different set-ups before con sulting) and continuing through the following day’s races.

ENUOF THE ROAD;

John Bowe’s slim title hopes evaporated when he dropped the Shell Falcon in the sand and trudged back to the pits in race two.

(Photos by John Morris/Mpix and Dirk Kfynsmith)

“I would be happy for a hot day tomorrow,” Tony said, “but it will really be a test and development day. We are not going to get a result.”

AJ - who was blackflagged when he tried to run a practice session on unmarked tyres - said they were always behind the eight-ball, having been able to take part in only one session before qualifying, and that on different tyres to their race mbber.

Terry Einnigan was next, putting the Sony Commodore ahead of Level 1 runners Darren Hossack, Mark Larkham and Darren Pate.

Then it was leading control tyre runner John Briggs (Falcon) from the Commodores of Mai Rose (with a rebuilt engine after blowing at Mallala), Greg Crick, Trevor Ashby and Rod Nash, then Danny Osborne’s Falcon, local driver Geoff Kendrick’s VR Commodore and Darcy Russell in 28th and last position.

It was a veiy healthy field, easily the biggest seen in the West.

then inherited second when Nash dropped off the road on lap two', which dropped him down to a more representafive battle with Russell and Osborne for the last few places, At the finish, Briggs was the winner from Crick, Trevor Ashby, Mai Rose, Geoff Kendrick, Russell, Nash and Osborne, RaC© 1—20 iapS The start provided no surprises, with Skaife getting away slowly and Ingall making his usual perfect launch to lead away, with Lowndes slotting into second ahead of his tardy teammate, Often these days that would be the motor race, but Ingall was not able to make a break and drive to victory, Even with fresh tyres. Ingall could not stop Lowndes from getting a great run out of the loop on the second lap and powering alongside, which allowed him to take the lead, It was fairly obvious already that the Dunlops were not a match for the

Bridgestones as Lowndes was able to get away from Ingall/Skaife, while Johnson in fourth was dropping back by half a second a lap.

Ingall kept Skaife at bay for the first half of the race but a superb piece of oppor tunistic driving by Skaife when the pair were lapping Darcy Russell enabled the Mobil car to get ahead. He then pulled away, finishing 4.6s clear at the end.

Up front, though, there was no stopping Lowndes, who extended his lead of 2.8s over Skaife when he moved into second on lap 11 to 3.6s at the finish. An impressive 1-2 for the Mobil men.

Dick Johnson drove a rela tively lonely race into fourth Next should have been Bargwanna and Bowe,-but their races were ruined when Bargs came up to lap Russell, who gave him no room and the two tangled. Bargs ran a little wide and was clobbered

by Bowe, sending both to the pits for new t3rres and ruin ing their day.

At the end of the race.

Race 2-20 laps For the second race, both HRT drivers chose to replace only the rean tyres while Ingall behind went for a full set. It was time to gamble. A good start from third on the grid, splitting the HRT cars in front, was his best chance of winning, then he could try and hold them off in the last race.

But it did not work out that way. Lowndes made a typically good start from pole to virtually secure the second race and this time Skaife got away well enough to keep Russell at bay.

Behind these three, though, Perkins made a blinder and raced down the

Privateers -4 laps John Briggs was a hot favourite for the sprint after drawing pole position, but he bogged the Super Cheap Autos Falcon at the start, allowing fellow front-rower Rod Nash through to the lead.

It took only half a lap for .

Briggs to get to the front and he was then able to drive to another win, though Greg Crick reduced the margin to just 1,5s at the finish.

Crick had made a great EXPENSIVE MISTAKE... Mark Skaife was fined $3000 over this incident under a yellow start to move up to third and flag, which put the Lansvale Commodore into the wall.

(Photo by John Morris/Mpix)

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l^®{]®[FS[p(p£9 inside of Dick Johnson ... right down the inside, wheels in the dirt, back on the tar mac, over the kerb, more dirt, but he was through.

And that was about the race for the top five. Ingall applied plenty of pressure on Skaife while his tyres were fresh but ran out of grip again, just as Skaife tuned out a bit of early understeer.

So at the finish it was Lowndes from Skaife and Ingall again, then Perkins and Johnson.

Seton ran in sixth for the first half of the race until Bright and Romano slipped through, then Tander as well. But Glenn fought back with a big move on Tander into turn one that gave him 7th place after Romano was given a stop-go for punting Osborne (which had more serious consequences — see news pages).

Behind Tander, Junior Johnson rounded out the top ten ahead of Faulkner, Larkham, Jones (who had gone backw^ds with the set up) and Finnigan, who passed Ellery on the very last comer ofthe race.

Romano recovered to 15th (from which he was later dis qualified) from Hossack while Crick managed to take privateer honours from Ashby, Briggs and Rose.

The most significant retirement was Bowe, who moved up three places to 10th with only four laps remaining when he just locked the rear brakes and spun off into the sand at turn one, where he remained.

It was the end of his very slim title hopes and he was not very happy with himself it must be said.

Bargwanna was also unhappy, having hauled himself up from the back of the grid to 10th after 13 laps before sliding off into the sand at the loop.

Race 3-20 laps

The start of the third race was somewhat chaotic, though it did not affect the series combatants as both Lowndes and Ingall skipped away to an early lead.

Behind, though, Perkins lunged down the inside of Skaife and moved into third while Mark was left to slith er back to fifth behind a fast starting Seton and in front of a tardy Bright.

ATCC

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5June 1998

s

FIRST CORNER MAYHEM:

While Lowndes got away cleanly from pole in the final race, the slow-moving Skaife moved across to the inside, forcing a fast-starting Perkins (far left) to take to the grass in order to get past. In all the mayhem, Tander in the Valvoline Commodore went spearing across the grass and crossed the track backwards (below), narrowly missing Skaife and Seton.

(Photos by John Morris/Mpix)

Dick Johnson had been quick away, but it was too quick and by the end of the lap he was into pit lane for a stopgo penalty. A lap later Nash was in for the same reason.

The first corner msh also accounted for Tander, who was shunted down to the tail of the field.

Seton was certainly above his position in the natural order of things in 4th place and at the end of eight laps, thanks to traffic and Skaife’s superior drive out of comers, the Mobil Commodore was past the Ford Credit Falcon - followed by the opportunis tic Bright.

Glenn must have been steamed about that because two laps later he dived down the inside of Bright in turn one from probably a. bit too far back, only got halfway and hit the Pirtek Falcon off the road and into the sand.

Bright tried desperately to get back onto the road, but couldn’t move - then he saw Kendrick and Nash heading his way out of control! Bang!

Bang!

Kendrick took the nose off the Pirtek Falcon and Nash t-boned the car around the rear wheel. The damage was considerable, Despite three cars stuck on the outside of the comer, the race was not red-flagged perhaps the CAMS people had a plane to catch - and Seton was brought in for a stop-go penalty for starting the whole thing.

i

That left Lowndes with a handy lead over Ingall and Perkins, who had Skaife bearing down on him and looking to redress the situa tion at'the start. He did it with four laps to go, once again through superior drive coming onto the pit straight.

Moving quietly into 5th place at the end was John Faulkner, but the drive of the race was Bargwanna, who came from 27th on the grid to finish a magnificent 6th, underlining the car’s speed from qualifying and the two previous races.

Steve Johnson drove another mature race to finish 7th, just ahead of Larkham, while Tander and Longhurst rounded out the ten. That was a good effort for Tony considering he started from the back of the grid and had don& precious few laps on the Dunlops.

Bowe had also started from the back but was never a factor, finishing 12th just behind Hossack and ahead of Dick Johnson in the other Shell Falcon and Ellery in the Yokohama-shod Konica car.

Briggs was the third differ ent privateer winner of the day, finishing well clear of Ashby, Osborne and a strangely out ofform Crick.

Overall privateer honours, though, went to Ashby from

Crick and Briggs.

Up the front, Lowndes was the clear winner with three wins from Skaife (two sec-

MtliorTSStI jiomu> A

i"

onds and a third). Ingall(two thirds and a second), Perkins and Johnson. Next, with 70 points each for the day, were Faulkner, Steve Johnson and Tander.

“That was one of the hard n est races I’ve ever driven, said Ingall after his superb

efforts. “It was bloody hard n work out there.

Lowndes was naturally delighted with his winning form and retaking the series lead, but was tempering his natural optimism with cau tion. a W,e’ve got Calder next,

which is our test track so we should go well there, then we go to Hidden Valley, which nobody has raced at,” he said, “But I still see it coming down to the last race at Oran n Park.

That would be fitting. n

j.

^ Shell Australian Touring Car Championship Qualifying Time Pos Driver Team/Car 57.0765 Mobil-HRT Commodore 1 Mark Skaife 57.1435 Castrol-Perkins Commodore 2 Russell Ingall 57.1552 Mobil-HRT Commodore 3 Craig Lowndes 57.1553 Shell Helix Falcon 4 Dick Johnson 5 Jason Bargwanna Valvollne/Cummins Commodore 57.3161 57.4012 Castrol-Perkins Commodore 6 Larry Perkins 57.5053 Pirtek Falcon 7 Jason Bright 57.5303 -* Shell Helix Falcon 8 John>Bowe 57.6830 9 Glenn Seton Ford Credit Falcon 57.6841 10 Steven Johnson Racing for Life Falcon 57.7862 11 Paul Romano Romano Racing Commodore 57.8399 12 John Faulkner Betta/F&P Commodore 57.8836 Konica HYL Commodore 13 Steve Ellery Valvoline/Cummins Commodore 57.9409 14 Garth Tander 58.0211 Castrol-Longhurst Falcon 15 Tony Longhurst 58.1275 Komatsu Falcon 16 Alan Jones 58.3316 Sony Commodore 17 Terry Finnigan 58.5057 18 Darren Hossack Wynns/Kmart Commodore 58.5236 19 Mark Larkham Mitre 10 Falcon 58.5661 20 Darren Pate Wynns/Kmart Commodore 59.0807 Supercheap Falcon 21 John Briggs 59.1152 Fairfax Commodore 22 Mai Rose Ericsson/Trust Bank Commodore 59.2469 23 Greg Crick 59.5639 Lansvale Smash Commodore 24 Trevor Ashby 60.3258 25 Rod Nash Nash Racing Commodore 60.3731 Colourscan Falcon 26 Danny Osborne 60.5077 27 Geoff Kendrick Kendrick Racing Commodore 61.1068 RSR Commodore 28 Darcy Russell Race 2-20 laps

Fte Driver

BRIDGESTONE BATTLE... The struggling Falcons of Bright and Seton sandwich the Commodore of Romano. The day would not end happily for any of them. (Photo by Kiynsmith)

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Racetime F/lap On 19:55.7908 58.2072 2 1 Craig Lowndes 19:57.6713 58.6965 2 2 Mark Skaife 19:58.6045 58.7397 2 3 Russell Ingall 20:08.0816 58.7876 2 4 Larry Perkins 20:08.7954 58.9175 3 5 Dick Johnson 20:09.1846 59.1548 3 6 Jason Bright 20:13.3077 59.0409 3 7 Glenn Seton 20:15.9217 59.3081 4 8 Garth Tander 9 Steven Johnson 20:19.7637 59.6869 5 20:24.1241 59.9975 2 10 John Faulkner 20:24.6777 59.9890 2 11 Mark Larkham 20:30.1892 59.9983 3 12 Alan Jones 20:33.5890 60.1814 3 13 Terry Finnigan 20:33.6619 60.1344 5 14 Steve Ellery 15 Darren Hossack 20:37.1307 60.2468 3 20:58.2152 61.5545 3 16 Greg Crick 19 laps 61.4377 3 17 Trevor Ashby 19 laps 61.5418 3 18 John Briggs 19 Darren Pate 19 laps 61.2610 5 20 Mai Rose 19 laps 62.3506 3 21 Geoff Kendrick 19 laps 62.7140 9 22 Darcy Russell 19 laps 63.0894 3 23 Rod Nash 19 laps 63.2148 2 24 Danny Osborne 16 laps 62.4601 3 DNF John Bowe 16 laps 59.4187 6 DNF Jason Bargwanna 13 laps 59.0436 10 IS Paul Romano

Race 1-20 laps Racetime Rs Driver 1 Craig Lowndes 19:48.6779 19:52.2034 2 Mark Skaife 19:56.8807 3 Russell Ingall 4 Dick Johnson 20:03.1318 20:06.2073 5 Larry Perkins 20:06.5245 6 Glenn Seton 20:07.5561 7 Jason Bright 20:15.5833 8 Garth Tander 9 Steven Johnson 20:17.5330 10 John Faulkner 20:24.0897 11 Mark Larkham 20:24.2406 12 Alan Jones 20:27.1961 20:35.7034 13 Steve Ellery 14 Terry Rnnigan 20:36.6873 20:39.6620 15 John Bowe 20:47.8647 16 Darren Pate 17 Darren Hossack 20:50.8027 19 laps 18 Trevor Ashby 19 Mai Rose 19 laps 20 Rod Nash 19 laps 21 Geoff Kendrick 19 laps 19 laps 22 Greg Crick 19 laps 23 Danny Osborne 19 laps 24 John Briggs 18 laps 25 Darcy Russell 26 Jason Bargwanna 18 laps 5 laps DNFTony Longhurst IS Paul Romano

Race 3-20 laps On Racetine Fte Driver 19:50.6675 58.4690 3 1 Craig Lowndes 19:57.2604 58.7797 2 2 Russell Ingall 20:02.2510 58.9689 6 3 Mark Skaife 20:04.0434 59.1329 5 4 Larry Perkins 20:05.5319 58.9345 4 5 John Faulkner 6 Jason Bargwanna 20:11.1700 58.7944 8 7 Steven Johnson 20:16.9311 59.5003 3 20:17.9764 59.6818 4 8 Mark Larkham 20:24.8138 59.6292 4 9 Garth Tander 10 Tony Longhurst 20:28.0447 59.8578 6 11 Darren Hossack 20:35.5466 60.0109 4 20:36.9124 60.0980 4 12 John Bowe 20:38.2458 59.8835 7 13 Dick Johnson 20:40.0195 60.0531 8 14 Steve Ellery 20:45.2091 60.7356 6 15 Terry Finnigan 20:46.2781 61.3059 4 16 Darren Pate 19 laps 61.2911 9 17 John Briggs 19 laps 61.8629 7 18 Trevor Ashby 19 Glenn Seton 19 laps 59.0648 4 19 laps 62.1617 7 20 Danny Osborne 19 laps 62.4761 8 21 Greg Crick 19 laps 63.0836 6 22 Darcy Russell 23 Mai Rose 18 laps 63.4857 2 24 Alan Jones 18 laps 60.8384 12 10 laps 59.0044 6 DNF Jason Bright 9 laps 62.2769 5 ONF Rod Nash 9 laps 62.3438 2 DNF Geoff Kendrick

On 9 3 58 58.6315 6 58.6774 6 59.1345 3 58.8903 3 59.2171 3 59.0780 3 59.5816 5 59.2868 3 59.6423 18 59.6824 5 59.7408 6 60.1293 8 60.4726 6 59.1918 7 60.8203 3 60.8130 4 60.9256 5 61.2183 5 61.4147 7 61.7125 7 61.5009 9 61.8715 7 62.3785 3 63.1257 5 59.1081 4 59.7812 4 Points

Lowndes 728 720 Ingail Perkins 578 Skaife K 538 Bowe 530 D Johnson 482 Seton 472 Bright 470 Longhurst 404 Bargwanna 347 308 Fa Larkham 288 S Johnson 288 Romano 228 Ellery 196 195 Jones Richards 188 Hossack 180 Finnigan 151 Tander 149 65 Pate 72 Ashby 72 Poole Crick 41 Reed 40 Smerdon Mezera 38 Briggs 35 Crompton 28 Rose 26 Weel 26 Doulman 20 Hislop 17 Tratt 14 Brewer 13 Osborne 10 McLeod 9 McLeod 9 Hefteman Price 8 4 Mork 4 Nash 2 Crossv\«ll

30 5June 1998

Macrow heads for FF title Race 2- 10 laps

PUT down the glasses, caU off the betting, get the fat lady out front with her vocal chords warmed up.

All that stuff. With the twoweek Mallala/Wanneroo

Tyler Mecklem (in a seven year-old car, no less), Alex Davison (RF95) and factory entrant Greg Ritter.

roadshojv only half over, the Slick 50 Ford Motorsport Formula Ford Championship was all over bar the shouting.

Pencil it in: 1998 Champion; Adam Macrow, Spectrum.

The young Melbournian had another McLaren-esque weekend. Unbeaten in both qualifying sessions, never headed in both races. It was, well, almost boring.

Indeed, you had to feel sorry for Spectrum team mate Christian Jones. He has it together in 1998 as well, but it’s second all the way. Second in all sessions, second in both races.

Spectrum, Spectrum. Get the drift?

With former champi onship challenger Dugal McDougall having a shock er, Jones now moves to sec ond in the championship, too - but with just over half the number of points accu mulated by Macrow.

WA pair Murchison and Leahey proved best of the rest at Mallala, coming out on top of a five-car Van Diemen contest also involv ing spectacular youngster

Frankly there was only one real surprise when the two timed sessions were combined and it wasn’t a positive one.

After a bad Winton, McDougall and the Mygale still held second in the championship, but a bizarre brake problem involving a faulty balance mechanism was effectively going to end the McDougall challenge right here. The car was undriveable and 17th in

Scene 5 Take 2: see Scene 5 Take 1. As far as the top three spots went, that’s how it was: Macrow, blistering opening lap, Jones and Murchison.

Again, Christian hung on well, this time smashing the lap record by three-tenths on the final lap as a 1.5 second gap was narrowed to half a second. But The Mac had it all under control. His fastest

Qualifying

qualifying really previewed a miserable weekend.

Up front, it was business as usual, Macrow (1:12.54) that frustrating couple of tenths quicker than Jones.

Owen was half a second back, heading Mecklem’s RF91, Leahey, Kerry Wade, Ritter, Murchison, Davison and Craig Zerner.

Race 1-10 laps

Macrow was headed once this weekend - in the morn ing warm-up - with Davison an impressive eight-tenths quicker in the wet, cool con ditions, but come race time it was dry and almost warm.

The Macrow scenario was

TITLE-BOUND... Adam Macrow and his Spectrum have been in a class of their own and look set to clinch the national title. Teammate Christian Jones follows. (Photos by Dirk Kiynsmith) pretty much as at Winton three weeks earlier: blister ing first lap, then control it from there.

That’s the way it was, but the gap was by no means as big, Jones chasing his team mate all the way, never much more than a second away throughout and set ting the race’s fastest lap on the final tour.

The big gap came next, back to the real scrap, for

third.

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Owen, Mecklem, Ritter, Leahey, Murchison and Davison-headed that queue as they wound off around the sweeper for the first time, but by the end of the lap Owen’s day had gone downhill, Too in^o deep Bridgestone, the Spectrum scrabbled off on the dirt, rejoining well down and fac ing a hard slog to get up as high as 15th by race end.

The rest worked each

other over for most of the way, but it was Murchison who broke clear for third after Mecklem slid a tad wide onto the start/finish straight on lap four. In the end, Leahey, Mecklem and Davison finished line astern, dropping Ritter with two to go.

Harrington (noseless and with one sidepod gone), Seward and a recovering McDougall made up the top ten.

lap was mid-race. From there it was easy.

Murchison completed a lonely race some seven sec onds back, with the action centring on fourth spot.

This time it was Leahey, Ritter, Harrington, Davison and Mecklem in line astern in the early stages, with McDougall, Cotter, Seward and (Robert) Jones making up the next bunch.

Again, the race for fourth came down to the last part of the last lap and, with Ritter out on the grass through Leahey Bridgestone, grabbed the spot from him, Davison, Mecklem, a recov ered Owen, Seward, Cotter and Jones.

- CHRIS LAMBDEN Points after round five: Macrow 180; Jones 99; McDougall 93; Leahey 90; Ritter 64; Zerner 62; Owen 46; Murchison 44; Harrington 36;Seward 35.

despite hiccup at Wanneroo LOCAL driver Christian Murchison in the Biumings Van Diemen RF 98K won Round 6 of the Slick 50 Formula Ford Champion ship at Wanneroo.

The 17 year old made it a resounding victory by not only taking pole position but also by winning both races.

Runaway title leader Adam Macrow. had one of those weekends, ending his run of eight pole positions and retir ing from the first race with a broken gear lever.

Nevertheless, he retains a big points lead of 57 over Spectrum teammate Christian Jones, with only 80 points available in the final two rounds.

Murchison was delighted with his debut FF series round win, especially on home ground.

“I’ve been getting closer each time I’ve raced and this time it all came together,” he said.

“At the start of the year I was looking to win the Rookie of the Year award, but now I’ve also got my sights on the top three outright in the Championship.”

Murchison took pole by being fastest in the opening session and no-one was able to improve in the second because the track was a second slower.

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FIRST WIN... Murchison sprints for the chequered flag.

This was bad news for Dugal McDougall, who was only 17th on the first session and then didn’t complete a lap in the second.

The grid for race one was therefore headed by Murchison, Macrow, Stuart Kostera, Christian Jones, Tim Leahey and Greg Ritter.

When the lights went green Murchison jumped ahead of Macrow and the pair opened a sizeable gap to the field on the first lap, but then Macrow suddenly slowed and then stopped.

After the race the problem was foimd to be metal fatigue in a gear linkage, a part that had never before been broken.

Murchison drove within himself to conserve the car to the finish, four seconds clear of Leahey.

Jones flew the Spectrum

flag with a fighting third while Kerry Wade chimed in with fom-th.

McDougall had another bad race, crashing out after he was caught up in another driver’s spin.

The second race saw Murchison again lead all the way but the action was defi nitely behind.

Macrow, starting from the back, sliced his way through the field. On eveiy lap he was closer to the front and by the end of the race he had blitzed his way to 7th! It was stun ning perfonnance.

Jones scored a very good second, challenging the win ner on the line, while Leahey took third.

Points after round 6 (of 8): Macrow 186, Jones 129, Leahey 120, McDougall 93, Murchison 84, Ritter 68, Zerner 62, Owen 46, Seward 44, Harrington 36.

There's more,pai^to Repco than you think.

32

IN DYCAR

5June 1998

Ba<k on Tai Chip Ganassi’s drivers were right on Target at Madison and Milwaukee, Alex Zanardi and Jimmy Vasser taking a win each. PHIL MORRIS reports:

JUBILANT... Jimmy Vasser leaps into the arms of his pit crew after win ning at Milwaukee for the Target team.

IS Eddie CheevePs victory in the Indianapolis 500 was worth US$1,433,000 from the richest purse in auto racing history. The total purse was US$8,722,150, slightly ahead oflast yeaPs. CheevePs winnings were almost as much as he earned in his pre vious eight Indy starts combined, when his best finish was fourth in 1992. A record 22 ofthe 33 starters earned more than US$200,000.

1 CARTs new, drag-inducing rear superspeedway wing was shown to the press in St Louis last weekend. The high drag wing will be mandated for cart’s two 500-mile races, the ‘ US 500 at Michigan Speedway on July 26 and the season-closing 500-n)ile race at the California Speedway on November 1. The wing was tested two months ago

by Gil de Ferran with Derrick Walker’s team at Michigan and

by Jimmy Vasser and Chip Ganassi’s team at the California Speedway. n Roberto Moreno has been hired as Team Penske’s test dri ver. Moreno has been talking to Penske about the job for many months and an agreement was reached last week. n How times change. Formula I’s average age this year is 27 with 14 drivers in their twenties.

CART is just one year older, with an average age of28 and also with 14 twenty-somethings com peting in the FedEx Championship Series. The IRL’s Indy 500 field averaged 34 years old with six drivers in their twenties. NASCAR’s Winston Cup series averages 38 years old with only three twenty-some things in the field. n cart’s team owners have approved a motion to place fur ther restrictions on any possible use of traction control.

Suggestions have been made l since the start ofthe season that Ford and Honda have developed new versions oftraction control that elude CARTs technical inspectors, but teams will now by subjectto random tests oftheir software to determine if any trac tion control codes are in use.

HOT on the heels of Alex wall on lap 22, ending their race. last-minute stops for fuel, leaving Vasser and Castro-Neves to lead Zanardi’s win in the Madison That left Moore in the lead and the round of the 1998 CART Canadian looked like extending his the field to the flag.

It feels great to have done well Championship (report below), series lead until he suffered sus on the ovals this year after all the teammate Jimmy Vasser last pension damage. ^ Coming up to lap Mauricio trouble they gave us in 1997,” weekend broken through for Vasser said after his win. his second win of the season at Gugelmin in tl\e still-out-of-sorts “We’ve been working very hard,to Milwaukee.

PacWest Reynard Moore saw Gil de Ferran lose and engine right in figure out the black art of 1-mile The 1996 CART champion out ran star rookie Helio Castro-Neves front of him and, in the resulting ovals. It’s very hard to keep the car in a fuel economy run to the end of moment, he clouted Gugelmin’s consistent from the beginning of a rear wheel. ‘Mo’ pitted for rubber fuel run to the end. Obviously we’re the race, out-distancing the rejuve making progress.” nated A1 Unser Jr, who took third (though he retired with electrical Fourth was Franchitti ahead of problems soon after) and Moore lost at the flag.

The race was marred by contact four laps while he crew replaced a the consistent but never threaten ing Bobby Rahal, while Paul Tracy which accounted for many of the bent front wishbone.

The gamble came with 78 of the was sixth. leading cars. The Players-Forsythe Both Team Green Reynardduo Patrick Carpentier and Greg 200 laps remaining. Vasser and Hondas had strong races, Tracy fly Helio Castro-Neves pitted and Moore dominated qualifying, mak ing the front row an all-blue affair returned near the head of the field, ing from 17th to third in the open and, at the green flag, it was content on an economy run to the ing 10 laps while Franchitti was Carpentier who settled into a battle finish. While the battle for the lead always in touch with the leaders. for the lead with Michael Andretti. raged between Alex Zanardi, Paul Tracy was delayed by a slow second But the two drivers clashed and Tracy and Dapo Franchitti, all stop and a last-minute splash’n’go.

The other stories of the race were drove each other into the concrete three drivers would have to make

Hot pit stop miilces the differeiice

ALEX Zanardi’s light ning final pit stop was the difference Saturday in a hard-fought victory over Michael Andretti at Madison on May 23/ Those two put on a dra matic show for a big crowd at Gateway International Raceway, with Andretti, the winningest active driver in the CART Championship Series, trying to chase down Zanardi and coming up about three car-lengths short.

“It was very difficult to overtake anyone on the track, so I knew our work in the pits would be critical,” said Zanardi, who has two wins this season and 10 in his Champ car career.

“Our guys have been incredible all year. You think sooner or later they will do something wrong, but it just hasn’t happened.”

Andretti took the lead on lap 43 of the 236-lap event and stayed in front until all the leaders pitted on lap 175. That stop came under a caution, brought out when A1 Unser Jr. smacked the wall in turn four on the 1.27-mile oval.

Andretti, who had led by 3.412-seconds just before the yellow flag, came into the pits just ahead of Zanardi. But his NewmanHaas Racing team, which had been the fastest in the first two stops, took just a

tick longer than Zanardi’s Target Chip-Ganassi Racing crew on this one.

“I came out of the pits sec ond,” Andretti said. “The only way you could pass anybody was in traffic.

That’s where our car was working, but we just didn’t have enough traffic at the end. /

“If we had another lap or two, who knows what might have happened.”

In the final 50 laps, Swift-Ford Andretti’s remained within striking distance of Zanardi’s Reynard-Honda, but never was able to catch the leader.

The final margin was 0.573s.

Zanardi, the defending series champion, took the season lead from Greg Moore, who finished third, just ahead of 1996 series champion Jimmy Vasser.

“The car was a little loose at the beginning,” Moore said. “That’s what let Michael and Alex go by me, and it was follow-the-leader after that. You had a big advantage if you were out front.”

Rain had marred practice and qualifying Thursday and Friday, but the race was ran on time and in its entirety despite thi-eatening skies.

The race was slowed by six caution flags, all of them brought out by crashes or spins. The only reported

ABOVE: Tony Kanaan exits the race in dramatic style, hitting the wall heavily in the Tasman entry.

RIGHT: The start.

r -

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MOTOROLA

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//

injury came on lap 107 where Amd Meier spun and

&

took Max Papis into the tm-n one wall.

Meier, from Germany, was believed to have a minor concussion and was airhfted by helicopter to St. Louis University Hospital for a precautionary CATscan.

The other injury of the weekend was to Christian Fittipaldi who crashed his Swift in qualifying. He was

^ n I B% n

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A H “1 taken to hospital and is expected to miss the next few races. Newman-Haas’s

1

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1997 ‘Super-sub’ Roberto Moreno will fill in for Fittipaldi while he recovers.

Rahal talks to Formula 1 driver

BOBBY Rahal is talking to a driver with a "top FI team" about joining his team next year.

Rahal, 45, retires from driving at the end of this season and is look ing for someone to replace him beside Bryan Herta in Team Rahal's pair of Re)mard-Fords.

Rahal confirmed that he has

talked to an FI driver, but said has made no deeisions at all about who will take over his Miller beer-sponsored seat next year.

"There has been an inquiry," Rahal acknowledged, "and I promised I wouldn't divulge who it was. But I think it's highly imlike-

ly.

Unless

it

was

Michael

Schumacher, I have to say I'm not really swayed by the fact that he's an FI guy. There are guys here who I think are better bets.

"Do I want to go for a proven winner here, or someone fi’om FI who's an unproven winner in Championship cars?

"I'd rather find a young guy who's really motivated. I'd much rather

roll the dice on a ymmg guy whose motivation is clear to me rather than an FI guy whose motivation for coming here I would question.

"I can tell you I don't want a guy who's going to complain when things aren't going well. I want a guy who's going to bear down and work with the team and demon strate a desire to win."

i

IN DYOVR

5June 1998

:

33

JL

Indianapolis 500 May 23rd, 1998-200 Laps

Penske and Toyota. Alex Ribeiro stunned everyone by qualifying his PC27-Benz in row two and looked strong until pop-off valve problems.

Using the Brazilian’s set-up Unser drove a heady race, moving steadily through the pack to take Penske’s second podium of the sea son.

While usual brand front-runner Robby Gordon smeared the con crete on lap 120, it was PJ Jones who flew Toyota’s flag high.

Chasing Tracy’s fumes he stormed through the field and, at one stage, passed Zanardi for seventh position before falling back into the pack.

Toyota have clearly raised their game.

T

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Points: Zanardi 92, Moore 85, Vasser 72, Fernandez 59,Andretti 49, etc.

\ 7

I

Penske prepared to wait over Indy ROGER Penske says the only way CART'S teams and drivers will return to race at Indianapolis is if track owner Tony George can create an engine formula that is accept able to CART'S engine manufac turers.

“I think from a pure business perspective for open-wheel racing we've got to have Indianapolis as part of any series.

“I've said before I'd like to go back to Indy, and we've tried, but Tony's the one who has the keys.

“It would be impossible for us to run a 20-race series and then have a different car and different engine for just one race.

“I think the key thing is that with Toyota, Honda, Mercedes and Ford you've got four companies that buy TV and print media advertising and do a tremendous amount of customer entertainment at the races, and you've got each of them supporting five or six cars, which goes a long way to support the senes.

“I think you've got to have a for mula where more than one manu facturer can be competitive and have a chance to win.”

Penske said the CART team own ers have agreed to return to Indianapolis only as a group.

“What's happened in CART is that the teams and car owners have said we'll go together, and we'll compete to make the race,” Penske emphasised.

“There's got to be a level playing field. I don't see us going back there on a fragmented basis. I think it has to be all of us together."

Penske also said he believes the IRL has a long way to go before becoming an economically viable series.

“I respect Tony's views,” Penske said. “He's got a mission he's set out for his business, but you can't have a series that will sustain itself without having other strong races, notjust one race.

“I think you have to have a strong supporting series, and at the moment the IRL races are having a tough time selling tickets.”

Pos

Driver

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33

Eddie Cheever Buddy Lazier Steve Knapp Davey Hamilton Robby Unser Kenny Brack John Paul Jr Andy Michner J.J. Yeley Buzz Calkins Jimmy Kite Jack Hewitt Jeff Ward Marco Greco Mike Groff Scott Sharp Stephan Gregoire Greg Ray Raul Boesel Arie Luyendyk Dr, Jack Miller Roberto Guerrero Billy Boat Scott Goodyear Johnny Unser Sam Schmidt Mark Dismore Stan Wattles Jim Guthrie Billy Roe Robbie Buhl Donnie Beechler Tony Stewart

210.600iriph -3.19TS -6.74&S 199 laps 198 laps 198 laps 197 laps 197 laps 197 laps 195 laps 195 laps 195 laps 194laps 183 laps 183 laps 181 laps 172laps 167'aps 164 laps 151 laps 128 laps 125 laps 111 laps 1O0 laps 98 laps 48 laps 48 laps 48 laps 48 laps 48 laps 44 laps 34 laps 22 laps

Engine Running Gearbox Running Gearbox Running Gearbox Running Running Drive Line Clutch Engine Accident Accident Accident Accident Accident Engine Engine Engine

VICTORY AT LAST... Eddie Cheever kisses the prestigious BorgWarner trophy after winning the Indy 500.

Eddie a winner at last No win's in FI and CART, but Indy beckoned EDDIE Cheever couldn’t win the top 10, Davey Hamilton in Formula One in 132 GP was fourth, Robby Unser, son starts, or win a CART race in of three-time Indy 500 winner 75 attempts but, in the Indy Bobby Unser, was fifth as Racing League, the tall CheeveFs team-mate.

“I thought he had the legs to American has won the biggest event in the business, the 1998 beat me,” Cheevey said of Lazier.

Indianapolis 500.

Cheever took the lead for “I was sure it(car) was going good on lap 178 after beating to break. I had no reason to Buddy Lazier out of the pits in think that, except for history, his DaUara/Aurora. because my car ran really well Cheever led Lazier by 3.1 all day. seconds when Marco Greco’s “But there are so many car started smoking on Lap gremlins that run through 191, triggering the last of 12 your head. The last 20 laps were the hardest I’ve ever dricaution periods.

Racing resumed on Lap 195, ven.”

Cheever led 76 laps, more with 1996 Indy winner Lazier just 0.5 s behind Cheever. than any driver.

But Cheever steadily pulled He patiently navigated away over the last six laps, dri through the field from his 17th ving the high gfoove through starting spot, taking the lead the four turns of the 2.5-mile for the first time on lap 68.

Veteran John Paul Jr. oval for his first Indy 500 victoappeared to be in control midry.

Rookie Steve Knapp was way through the race as he led third, one of four rookies in laps 98-113 in the Dallara/Aurora.

Paul entered the pits on lap 114 but regained the lead on lap 124. He held off defending race champion Arie Luyendyk to lead until lap 146, when he made a routine pit stop, Paul led 39 laps in total, second best behind Cheever.

Luyendyk took the lead when Paul entered the pits on lap 147,but it was short-lived, Luyendyk entered the pits for a routine stop on Lap 150.

The clutch malfunctioned in Luyendyk’s G Force/Aiuora as he tried to leave the pits and his car broke midway through lap 152,ending his day.

Cheever took the lead and began trading the lead with Lazier on pit stops, Pole sitter Billy Boat led the first 12 laps but eventually fell out with driveline problems after completing 111 laps and was classified 23rd.

IRL points leader Tony Stewart was last in the 33-car

lll

field after his engine broke on lap 22, Just one lap after he took the lead for the first time.

The only major accident came on lap 49, when seven cars were involved in a crash ia Turn 3.

Jim Guthrie was the only driver injured in the incident.

Guttrie underwent surgery for a broken right elbow and broke his left fibula, cracked his ribs and cut his right leg when his G Force/Aurora hit the outside wall after ruiming over the rear wing off Sam Schmidt’s already-crashed car.

The race started about 40 minutes late due to wet spots on the back straight caused by overnight rains.

A brown dog also ran free on the tracli for nearly two laps before the start of the race.

The dlog was eventually caught atfter repeated attempts

by Speedway officials arid race te.ams.

nn

RACE DRAMAS There may not have been the big names, but there were the usual dramatic moments that the h/gn-speed Indianapolis track produces Above left, Donnie Beechler’s car spews flames after a mechanical problem ended his race while, above right, the cars of Sam Schmidt and Jim Guthrie collide in turn three, sending Guthrie to hospital with various injuries.

3^

5June 1998 Report

by JON THOMSON

A massive entry for Round 3 of the Australian Rally Championship saw 88 cars face the starter in the Rally of Queensland on the Sunshine Coast on May 24 and, despite the fact that Possum Bourne dominated the results, the third double victory in a row for the Kiwi did not reflect the incredibly close, torrid battle waged with arch-rival Neal Bates.

A mechanical mishap aside, Bat& was never more than ten seconds away from Bourne and on leg one led the him, only to have a shock absorber lock up, costing 46 secs and dampening his hopes of victory.

With Bates heading the list at car one and Possum Bourne at car two, a lot of interest was focused on Michael Guest, returning to the sport after a six month layoff in his Group N Subara Impreza.

His greatest opposition would come from Cody Crocker, given an encore drive and this time part nered by US-based Kiwi Tony Sircombe, as Subaru Australia continues to groom the young Victorian.

Albury’s David West returned in his Lancer, back after a six month layoff, while Victorian Spencer Lowndes and local John Goasdoue in Lancers - as well as Brisbane’s Stewart Reid in his Impreza - were also key protagonists.

Foi-mula Two saw the yet to be beaten Rick Bates and his Daihatsu up against a revi talised Simon Evans’ Corolla, Brett Middleton’s Honda Civic and Lee Peterson’s Nissan Sunny, not to mention Bates’ team-mate Ross MacKenzie ajid Dean Herridge’s Hyundai - but the favourite was Wayne Bell in the WRC Hyundai kit car-.

The largest Bridgestone Corolla Cup ever assembled saw Steve Forsberg head the entry, with strong opposition from Roman Watkins and Jason Slot, Ashley James and Jo Cadman.

LEG ONE Bates immediately threw down the gauntlet, topping

u\ Bourne hy two seconds, but neither was under any illu sion about the significance of the six kilometre spectator stage, as the real rally would commence an hour north in the forests around Imbil.

Bates extended the lead by another three seconds on stage two and was looking strong in the twistier forestry stages.

Bourne was feeling a little unsettled, admitting that the Impreza wasn’t handling as he would like.

“The car was very tailhappy and in some of that tight stuff it was a real worry - to cut a long story short, the car was feeling crap,” said the always quotable Bourne.

Guest had the edge in Group N with a three second advantage over Crocker after the opening pair of stages, but trouble was to strike the factoiy Subaru.

John Long, still in his old Evo III PRC Lancer, was vying with Guest and Crocker for third place as the trio fought it out over the opening stages. Long gaining the upper hand from stage three and, on cementing third behind the lead pair, left the Group N protagonists to trade blows.

Long had handling prob-

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lems as a result of two bent rear trailing arms, which were replaced at the midaftemoon service.

Also performing well was local hero Goasdoue in his Lancer, obviously relishing play in his own backyard and not too far behind Guest and Crocker in Group N. Reid suffered a flat and lost time, dropping almost four minutes on stage four, where a series of fast-flowing fords caused problems for many of the competitors, par ticular the F2 brigade.

Crocker’s Subaru suffered electrical problems, later traced to a connector coming loose, sidelining him while Lowndes dropped almost eight minutes with a wet ignition.

Bell was jiaving little trou ble in the lead, though he did lose about ten seconds after breaking an injector lead.

But that was nothing com pared to the trouble Rick Bates had - the Daihatsu’s oil cooler cracked and emp tied itself of oil. Luckily, Rick shut it down without engine damage, but recorded his first DNF of the year .

Middleton peeled the Honda’s sumpguard back and limped to the stage fin ish, but with no way offixing the problem in time to start the next stage.

\J

Evans wet the ignition of kilometres from pare ferme the Corolla and lost more it couldn’t be fixed and he was than six minutes, while again out of action.

Bourne was six seconds up Herridge had already lost time with a puncture and after two stages and Bates was shaking his head. was struggling to catch up.

Guest declared he had Neal Bates had a ten sec ond lead after the end of started steadily, despite the stage four, but the Toyota fact that he had taken 12 driver then conceded nine seconds off Crocker on the seconds to the Kiwi. opening stage.

In F2, there was high Bates on the next stage gave away another second, drama as the leading com and his trouble was just petitors tumbled like nine beginning. On the longest leg pins on the opening stage.

Middleton blew a head of the day, the Corolla suft fered a handling problem, gasket on the Honda, as did later pinpointed to a broken Mackenzie in his Daihatsu, rear shock absorber - it while Peterson was back in resulted in two spins, as the bad luck zone, breaking Bates battled to control the an engine mount in the unwieldy car and lost 46 secs. Nissan and retiring it.

Bourne was all smiles, Bell was again leading F2 despite complaining of the in the WRC Hyundai kit car, dust still hanging in the air but the cold conditions on the cool, still autumn meant he was having trouble afternoon - but, with a 46 getting enough heat in the second lead, the Kiwi had lit tyres he was running. tle to woiTy about.

Herridge was losing gears Bates reasserted himself, in the Hyundai, depriving him but it was too httle too late - of any chance ofchallenging. as Bourne battled the dust, Evans was in the groove the Corolla driver closed the and second in the Corolla, margin back by another four ahead of Rick Bates.

“It is much better, as I am seconds, finishing the day 42 seconds behind. only 12 secs off BeUy and the The Longs would take car is humming. If he thinks third in the Lancer, a further he has got tyre problems, mine 3mins 43 behind. are four years old,”said Evans.

There was drama in Group James was leading the N on the final stage, as Corolla Cup, but then rolled Guest saw his almost invinci the car, putting him out, ble lead cut, his Subaru while a puncture would drop breaking a front driveshaft Forsberg almost five minutes and limping to the finish, as Watkins stepped up to take the class lead. conceding the class win and The battle for the lead was fourth outright to Goasdoue’s Lancer by just five seconds. continuing and Bates was Reid, although no longer in reapplying the pressure to contention, also broke a dri Bourne and taking time from veshaft and limped out of the here - just a second here, or stage. there, but with special stage 16 cancelled. Bates launched Bell had the Hyundai firm ly in command of the F2 an all-out attack on stage 17. class, trumping the Daihatsu It meant that the Toyota of MacKenzie by 2mins 3secs, was now only six seconds while Lee Peterson took third behind Bourne, with just the in the Nissan. six kilometre spectator stage Winwood won the Aussie car at Pelican Waters to run. class by a big gap, 4mins 11 But Bourne replied and, secs ahead of Geoff Full’s despite both lead drivers dri Commodore, while newcomer ving at, or close, to the limit, James took the Corolla Cup he was able to grab another ahead ofseries leader Forsbei^. 4 secs and go to the line 10 secs ahead of Bates and take LEG'TWO maximum points once more.

Reid’s problems started “I don’t have an answer; immediately, when a left front we gave it everything and we wheel parted company on the will just have to go back and freeway on ramp just a few take a look at things. I think

we are going to have to get some more weight out of the CoroUa and see what we can do,” said Bates.

A beaming Bourne said he had driven just within the lim its to make sure of the win.

Group N this time fell to Guest, who made sure of it, bringing his Subaru home 3mins 24 seconds behind Bates for third outright and 23 seconds ahead of Crocker for the class win.

Goasdoue was bumped back to third in group N on day two.

Bell’s F2’ win again came as his opponents continued to suffer problems.

Evans lost almost ten min utes with a wet ignition, handing second in class to Rick Bates Watkins would claim the Corolla Cup, while Winwood would say goodbye to rally ing with another Aussie car win ahead of Geoff Full, after Peter Roberts’ older Commodore V8 was slowed with a flat.

Winwood’s no-win situa tion with ARCOM meant he would not take the ARC points, those falhng to Full.

RESULTS-LEG ONE 1 BoumeAfincent Subaru Ihr 2minl8 sec 2 Bates/Taylor Toyota Ihr 3min Osecs 3 Long/Long. Mitsubishi Evo3 Ihr 6min 43sec 4 Goasdoue/Bates Mitsubiishi Evo3(GpN) Ihr 7mi 40secs 5 GuesfrStacey Subaru(GpN) Ihr 7min 45 secs 6 Bell/Stewart. Hyundai(F2) Ihr 8min 57secs RESULTS-LEG TWO 1 BourneA^incent Subaru 47min 49sec 2 Bates/Taylor Toyota 47min 59 sec 3 Guest/Stacey Subaru(GpN) 51min 23sec 4 Crocker/Sircombe Subaru(GpN)51min 55sec 5 Goasdoue/Bates Mitsubishi Evo3(GpN) 52min 29sec 6 Long/Long Mitsubishi Evo3 52min 39 secs POINTS: Bourne 120, Bates 80, Long 72, Crocker 44, Goasdoue 55

5June 1998 By PETER WHITTEN The 1998 World Rally Championship remains the most open for many years after Tommi Makinen scored his sec ond win of the year in the Rally of Argentina on May 21.

The 1996 and 1997 World Champion was never headed once he hit the lead in his Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 5, but it was the battle for second and third place which set the event alight.

Going into the final day, Juha Kankkunen’s Ford Escort led the Toyota Corolla of Carlos Sainz by just 10 seconds, but Sainz whittled that lead down and took the lead with one stage to go.

Kankkunen threw caution to the wind over the final test to beat Sainz by a sec ond, but it wasn’t enough the Spaniard beat his former team-mate by just seven tenths of a second, the clos-

35

Tommi wins in Argentina but Carlos tops WRCpointscore again est placing in World Rally Championship history.

“It’s hard to believe that the two most successful dri vers in the history of the sport have driven flat out for more than 400km and have finished less than a second apart,” Ford boss Malcolm Wilson remarked at the fin ish. “It shows how right the FIA was to introduce timing to the tenth of a second.”

Makinen’s victory is the first for the new version of Mitsubishi’s Lancer and together with team-mate Richard Burns’ fourth place, the marque now lead the Manufacturers’ title by seven points from Subaru.

We finished The Rally of Queensland in Falken secondTyres place.

I feel like a broken record. A disappointed and frustrated broken record. However, having said that, once again we were happy with much of our event.

We came out of the blocks fastest on the first four stages of Heat 1, only to have a seized strut cause two spins and cost us 46 seconds later on.

I’d actually said to Coral a few kilome tres prior to the spins that I thought we had a flat tyre. The car certainly felt odd. At the end of the stage, we asked the control offi cial to check for us and I was puzzled when he said no.

My immediate call was to the service crew to ready them to change the suspen sion and my suspicions proved correct. It seems at the moment we’ve loaded all the bases - we just haven’t hit the home run.

Yet. The trend over the Championship this year has seen ourselves fastest in the first heat and Possum fastest in the second.

In Queensland, it was no different.

We didn’t have any problems in Heat 2 - in fact, we improved our Heat 1 stage times by a considerable amount.

The first stage on Sunday was a 15km section called “300LA,” a tight and pretty tricky stage which Possum has beaten us on for the last couple of years and this year, in Heat 1, he had taken nine seconds from us on the stage. Another very tricky stage, “Borumba,” was also Possum country.

So our plan of attack on Sunday was to concentrate particularly on these two stages.

Subaru’s Colin McRae was the fastest driver over the whole rally, but lost two and a half minutes on day two after damaging the rear sus pension of his Impreza World Rally Car. He took fifth, only one minute and 18 seconds behind Makinen, while the second Subaru driven by Piero Liatti finished in sixth place and also score champi onship points for Subaru.

Toyota lost Didier Auriol with engine failure on the second day of the event, while Ford driver Bruno Thiry suffered a similar fate after lying in third place for most of day one.

Both Toyota’s ran without -the unique joystick gearshift system that has caused them some trouble since the car was debuted last year - as in the Safari Rally earlier in the year, the Corollas ran with normal gear levers.

Sainz’s second place puts him at the head of the World Championship table once again, two points clear of Colin McRae, followed by Makinen, Burns, Kankkunen and Auriol.

Group N was taken out by the Lancer Evo 4 of 1997 Champion Gustavo Trelles, while the Seat, of Spain’s Oriol Gomez was the victor in Formula 2.

Final Results 1. T Makinen/ R Mannisenmaki Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 5 4h22m07.4s 2. C Sainz/L Moya Toyota Corolla WRCar 4h22m34.2s 3. J Kankkunen/J Repo Ford Escort WRCar 4h22m34.9s 4. R Burns/R Reid Mitsubishi Carisma GT 4h23m02.3s 5. C McRae/N Grist Subaru Impreza WRCar 4h23m25.0s 6. P Liatti/F Pons Subaru Impreza WRCar 4h27ml4.9s 7. KHolowczyc/M Wislawski

posed golf course in a new estate.

The surface was pretty sandy and horri ble, but it was great for the spectators and they came in droves.

Congratulations to Possum and Craig on their win - we tried our hardest and we enjoyed the competition immensely.

First up, 300LA and we took a stagger ing 27 seconds off our Saturday time.

Now some of this was due to the road being swept - traditionally, repeated stages on Sunday are always faster than Saturday, but 27 seconds seemed a huge amount.

As it turned out, we equalled Possum on the stage and we were very happy with that.

Borumba was also much faster for the second run. This time we took a stagger ing 44 secs off Saturday’s time. But Possum took 39 seconds from his Saturday time and so we trailed the stage by eight seconds.

I think most of that time was lost in the slippery middle section of the stage.

We went into the penultimate stage in a determined state of mind and managed to pull back seven.

Possum now led by six seconds as we headed off to the final stage of the rally.

This was our second run around the spectator stage at Pelican Waters, a pur pose-built 6.38km stage around a pro-

The nowit'slooks veryyet. diffi cultChampionship for us - hovuever, not over Possum can still drop one round and the final round of the Super Series in Melbourne carries 50% bonus points.

Basically, though, we would need to win the next two rounds and Possum ,to finish no higher than third in Melbourne, But anything can happen - just look at the final stage in Perth earlier this year,

o

ne of the scariest things in Queensland was the cattle on the stage. There were mobs of them around during recce and both ourselves and Possum made serious mention of this fact to the organis ers.

It’s not a nice feeling to come over a crest at decent speed and be confronted by cowp in the middle of the road.

Efforts were made to move them away from the roads, but we still had some heavy braking moments to avoid them dur ing the rally.

The had new promotional start to the rally event ona Friday night in the main street of Caloundra.

The city of Caloundra has embraced the rally wholeheartedly'^and the crowds turned out, proving it to be a popular decision.

Amazingly, this was on a Friday night.

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Contact Martin Fell of EARL'S PERFORMANCE PRODUQS RUST. PTV LTD Unit B, 284-290 Parramatta Rd, ftuburn NSW 2144 (to find us turn in beside Carpet City) Phone (02) 9748 6017 Fax (p2) 9748 6241 Bankcard, Mastercard, Visa COD available

Subaru Impreza WRCar 4h33m46.0s 8. M Galanti/V Zucchini Toyota Corolla WRCar 4h44m23.5s 9. G Trelles/M Christie Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 5 4h46m52.1s 10. 0 Gomez/M Marti Seat Ibiza Kit Car 4h47m48.5s Drivers Championship: Carlos Sainz 28 points, Colin McRae 26, Tommi Makinen 24, Richard Burns 21, Juha Kankkunen 20.

Manufacturers: Mitsubishi 45 points, Subaru 38, Toyota 38, Ford 29.

when the State of Origin match was being televised! Just goes to show how far rally ing has come.

The nextSafari round Tasmania of the Super the Saxon onSeries July 4isand that will now occupy our full attention, along with preparations for the Rally of New Zealand, because the car will leave for the trans-Tasman trip directly after the finish of the Saxon Safari. We will then fol low it over.

Preparation for the NZ event will happen over there in Auckland, as the tight timing of the two events means there is no possi bility of returning the car to our workshop in between.

New Zealand looks like having upare to seven Corollas competing, so we really looking forward to it.

This year, we have improved the grip and tyre wear on our Dunlops dramatically, which will be a huge Improvement in New Zealand over last year.

The New Zealand roads can be incredi bly abrasive and you often have to cover up to 50km competitive between service points.

Last year, we were carrying two spares, with Coral and I changing them in between stages.

We have one final tyre test happening this week in Canberra prior to putting our NZ tyre order into production. The test is in a forest where we carried out the first Dunlop test prior to the Rally of Canberra, so it will be interesting to see how far the car and tyres have come over the last four rallies.

3S

5Juris 1998 tuned, Jim Epler-driven Easy Care Dodge laid down a nice first round 5.105/286.68 to stop the Syntec Mustang’s 5.187/256.16.

David Ostaszevwikki n 26 cars were on hand for the Fram/Route 66 Nationals and a record bump of 4.754 seconds left some heavy hitters oiit of the show.

Doug Herbert failed to qualify with his Dick LaHaie-tuned Snapon Tools ride, ending up 18th at 4.765 and Jim Head, who led the point chase and was so strong early this year, was sporting a one race deal from sponsor Strange Engineeringyr he wound up 19th at 4.807. n Some NHRA career-bests were established in Joliet.

Randy Parks ran a 4.760/303.50 and had to settle for 17th.

The car’s turnaround could be attributed to John Smith helping with the tune-up on the Fluke/ Rydin Decal dragster.

Luigi Novelli also recorded NHRA career-best marks at 4.868/302.48.

The longtime Division 3 fuel racer and UDRA terror has solved the breakage problems of 1997 and dipped into the 4.80s and 300 mph twice during qualifying. n Clay Millican has purchased some of the Rhonda Hartman equipment and showed up in Joliet with the same car that the Hartmans had run earlier in the year.

The team secured a one-race deal with the local Major League Baseball team, the Chicago White Sox. After two runs lost to breakage and tyre smoke, the Richard Hartman-tuned dragster posted a 4.973/291.13 in the final session.

9 On hand with his di’agster was the Chicago drag racing legend, Chris “The Greek” Karamasines was.

Bobby Baldwin handled the dri ving and produced a 5.457/209.26 best.

n Jerry Toliver and the MAD Magazine Pontiac scored his first NHRA round win by holeshotting the number two qualifying (4.928) JCIT Pontiac of Tim Wilkerson.

Toliver’s .594 reaction time, cou pled with a 5.364, sent the very late .672 and 5.297 of Wilkerson home much earlier than the team had anticipated.

The JCIT team thundered at Joliet and is a win waiting to hap pen. n Cory Lee,in the Tom Hoover Pioneer Electronics Dodge Avenger, looked good in quali fying, producing a best of 5.046/292.65 for the eighth spot.

The team has run well of late and could be a good bet to get the last spot in the Four Second Club. n Randy Anderson showed up with a new paint scheme on the Parts America/Texaco Havoline Pontiac.

The car was sporting a one-race paint scheme resembling the car from and promoting the Blues Brothers 2000 movie release on video.

The car also had some addition al backing from the Hollywood Video chain.

Blues The Joliet-based Brothers” movie car was a hit with the fans. n Freddy Neely was back in action, driving for Jim Sickles.

The team, led by tuner Tom Anderson, put the Pontiac into the show in the number 16 position at a very respectable 5.203. n A1 Hofmann struggled through the first three ses sions of Funny car qualifying, smoking the tyres on every pass.

In the final session, the GM Performance Parts Pontiac left hai'der than anyone in the session, only to drift toward the centerline, forcing Hofmann to lift and subse quently come up short of the bub-

ble.

n F rank Pedregon has become the spoiler at recent events.

The driver of the Jim Dunn Dodge Avenger stopped Cruz Pedregon in Dallas four weeks ago and put John Force on the trailer in round one in Joliet.

Force appeared to have Pedregon covered, but began to lose traction at 900 feet and Pedregon sailed on past to score a 5.248/286.50 to 5.417/216.97 win.

The other Castrol team driver, Tony Pedregon, didn’t fare too well either, as the Paul Smith-

n Jim Yates failed to make the cut in Pro Stock for the second time this year.

The Peak Anti Freeze/SplitFire Spark Plug Pontiac struggled in the heat, coming up short of the 7.038 bump with a 7.047. n Recent winner and two-time finalist Mike Edwards also failed to make the show, end ing up number seventeen at 7.043.

BIG AL ... Traction problems are plaguing Al Hofmann.(Ostaszewski)

1 1^:

BAG ‘EM UP... Kenny Bernstein claimed victory at the inaugural Fram/Route 66 Nationals. (Ostaszewskipic)

King Kenny wins in quickest field ever

The Chicago area has had a yearning for championship drag racing for years and, with the construction of the stadi um-style venue at Route 66 Raceway,just outside of Joliet, niinois, the racing fans - some 135,000 for the four days - final ly had their needs fulfilled, as Whit Bernstein, Kenny Bazemore, Mike Thomas, Matt Hines and Larry Kopp all scored wins at one of the most impressive facilities in the States during the inaugural NHRA Fram/Route 66 Nationals on May 31.

The smooth racing surface allowed the perfonnance standards to remain high, despite the hot and muggy weather conditions.

For Bernstein and the Budweiser team, it was a much-needed ydn, as the team has not won a round of racing since their victory at the Winston Invitational.

Bernstein qualified in the eighth position with a 4.646/305.22 in what is now the the quickest field in the history of the NHRA, rang ing from Joe Amato’s 4.554 low qualifying shot to the 4.754 bump spot time of Cristen Powell and her Reebok fueller.

Bernstein and Mike Dunn rolled out onto the pad for the first pair ing of round one and, with higher track temperatures than the teams had seen all weekend, Bernstein took a tyre-smoking, pedalling win at 4.841/288.77.

After round'one was completed, the two through five qualified cars of David Grabnic, Eddie Hill, Larry Dixon Jr and point leader Cory McClenathan were packing for home.

In the second round, Bernstein squared off with past two-event winner Amato.

At the green, it was Amato who left first, but the tyres on the Tenneco dragster started to spin at the top-end and this let the “Bud King” squeak past to advance into the semis at 4.713/304.67.

The semi-final saw Bernstein benefit from a Paul Romine red light staii and, while Roriiine was destrop'ing the fifth engine of the weekend, Bernstein motored downtrack, taking a 19.325 win after smoking the tyres violently. f

This mov^d him into the final round, where, he would take on the Winston dragster of Gary Scelzi.

Scelzi had stopped Pat Dakin in a wild first round affair when the blower belt on Dakin’s car- broke at 900 feet, Scelzi taking a 4.861/290.51 win.

In round two, a 4.688/304.94 stopped Shelly Anderson and, in the semis, a 4.701/306.26 ended the day for Bob Vandergriff.

In the final round, both cars left hard only to go up in smoke, turn ing this into a pedalling contest, with Bernstein feathering the throttle to record a 5.586/265.43 win over Scelzi.

That was win number 20 in Top Fuel for Bernstein and his 50th overall, if you include his wins in Funny Car. “The starting line was good, too good,” said Bernstein. “It shook the tyres the first time all weekend. I got back on it and they lit up again.

Usually when you do that, you just stop out there and give up.” '^it Bazemore ripped through Funny Car eliminations to take his first win of 1998 and his fifth career event title.

He qualified number six at 5.029 and came out on Sunday to com pletely dominate the field.

To give you an idea of how strong the Winston Mustang was, his slow est run of the day was still quicker than anyone else in the 16-car field had gone on elimination day.

A first round 5.005/291.82 took out the Mateo Tools Avenger of Dean Skuza and a 5.027/296.44 stopped the Copenhagen Camaro of Ron Capps.

This set up a semi-final match with Chuck Etchells and, while the Kendall Camaro lost traction, Bazemore thundered to low e.t. of eliminations at 4.962/302.48, the only fom- of the day and moved into the final round to face the sui-prising Pontiac of Del Worsham.

Worsham and the Checker, Schucks and Ki-agen Pontiac has had an up and down month of May. The team joined the four second club in Dallas, debuted a new car two weeks later at Englishtown and DNQd, then rolled into the “Windy City’^ and moved into the final round with 5.111, 5.115 and 5.066 wins over Cory Lee, low qualifier

Cruz Pedregon (4.889) and Jim Epler.

In the final, Worsham left on Bazemore, but overpowered the track at 200 feet, giving Bazemore the win at 5.001/297.42.

Mike Thomas scored his first career win in Pro Stock, driving his Pennzoil Pontiac to a '7.024/196.39 to 7.075/194.80 victory over Wan-en Johnson in a repeat match up of the final round in Houston earlier this

year.

Thomas reached his second final round of the year by taking 7.037, 7.030 and 7.015 wins over Greg Anderson, Mark Osborne and Bruce Allen. , Johnson, meanwhile, had defeat ed John Nobile, Kurt Johnson and Troy Coughlin with runs of 7.003, 7.029 and 7.000 and appeared to have the edge in performance - but the car was having a miss at high speed throughout the day and that seemed to have hurt him in the final round.

“It’s not normal to drive around Warren,” said Thomas. “To drive around him on the back half of the track, I wouldn’t have it any other way. I can’t describe the feeling. This is great for all of us. It’s very satisfy ing to finally put Pennzoil on top.”

Matt Hines returned to his domi nance in the Pro Stock Motorcycle class, defeating Angelle Seeling, who red lighted.

Hines posted a final round 7.296/184.02 and has won four times in five events for the bikes in the 1998 season.

Larry Kopp won Pro Stock Truck for the third time this year, defeat ing Bill Henderson, 7.772/174.37 to 7.887/171.55.

Kopp has now been in the final round at every event contested for the tracks, losing only one.

“Joliet” John Lawson scored a fiery win in Federal Mogul Funny Car over Marc White.

Lawson’s Pontiac burst into flames at the end of a 5.880/225.75 final round win and was severely damaged. Lawson was not seriously injured.

In the Federal Mogul Dragster class, Shawn Bowen was victorious with a final round 5.607/249.30 to 5.675/248.98 win over Bobby Taylor.

- DAVID OSTASZEWSKI

5June 1998

3/

Record entry for ’98 Winter Nats This weekend’s Winternationals event is officially the biggest drag racing event ever to be staged in Australia, with 515 entries being received by Willowbank.

The number of competitors passes the highest previous ever total of 473, set at the 1997 Nationals at Calder Park Raceway.

While this year’s Nationals dropped in competitor num bers to just 399, the Winternationals has grown from last year’s total of403.

The event will feature every bracket, bar nitro Funny Car, with eight entries in Top Fuel - the field being high lighted by the return of 15-time Australian Top Fuel Champion Jim Read and his Wynn’s Top Fuel team.

n Santa Pod’s first round of the 1998 FIA European Top Fuel Series turned into a major flop, with just two cars from the whole of Europe turning up to contest the event.

Jens Nybo and England’s own Barry Sheavills were the two in attendance and race fans had to be content with the two performing match races for the event both Nybo and Sheavills nmning a number of good 5.0 second passes, along with tyre-smokers.

Ironically, three nitro

Funny Cars -a class which is' under fire in Europe, as it is in Australia - turned up for testing, with John Spuffard laying down a number of 5.6-second passes in his ex-Dean Skuza Dodge Daytona.

Jarmo Roivas set a new European Top Alcohol Dragster record at 5.75 sec onds, although his car got loose in the final round and Britain’s Rob Turner pounced with a 6.11 to take the win.

With the dragsters and Funny Cars now split into different categories, it was disappointing to see just four alky coupes front, although the racing was good-.

Leif Andreasson took the eventual win, although Alex Joon is currently appealing the final.

FIRE ANOTHER SHOT... Roy Smith is ready for the Winternats following Mick Atholwood's survival.(Thunderj^PIcs)' n

Atholwood survives shooHra Drag racing veteran Mick Atholwood was seriously injured a fortnight ago when shot by a neighbour in Brisbane follow ing a lengthy dispute between the two.

Atholwood - partner with Roy Smith in the Atholwood

and Smith Top Fuel dragster and father ofFunny Car star s Ron, Jeff and Glenn was lucky not to be killed, The bullet fired from a rifle entered through his cheek bone and travelling through his mouth before entering his chest.

■Following the incident, which made national televi sion, Atholwood was admit ted to hospital where he spent the next few days before being released to recover.

It is believed the veteran drag racer, one of the spoil’s

leading tuners and fuel sy^ti

tem experts, has reGoverfe^ sufficiently to attend .tteilj weekend’s Wintemafionad^ at Willowbank 'Raeewa,y with Smith, cakipaigHi-ng3 their potent Sainty-poweref^ fueller.

- GERALD McDORNANt

SOUTHSIDE

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3S 5June 1998

0

In what appears to be an incredible and ironical case of deja vu, trouble is brewing on the quarter-mile front following the dropping of ANDRA sanc tioning for legal off-street drag race meetings by Calder Park and Adelaide International Raceway promoter Bob Jane trouble which many insiders believe will again lead to divi sions between the sport and Jane, one of drag racing’s most prominent promoters and the possibility of the shelving of drag racing’s premier annual event, the Nationals.

Almost 10 years to the day that Jane notified ANDRA he was drop ping sanctioning for his legal offstreet drag racing meetings - a decision that, coupled with fiu-ther proposals, led to an all-out war with the sanctioning body and its member^ - on May 21 he notified ANDRA that both his Calder Park and Adelaide ' International Raceway facilities would, again, not be paying fees for the legal offstreet meetings.

In notif3dng ANDRA, Jane made his intentions clear that the legal off-street drag racing events at his venue would revert to running under the auspices of AUSCAR Pty Ltd, the sanctioning body which controls his speedway series and a similar one with which he made the move in 1988.

Jane was quoted last week as saying that “I am in a mode of restructuring motor racing at both venues and drag racing is included in that” and “street meetings lose money after paying ANDRA fees ...”

In responding, ANDRA Chief Executive Officer Tony Thornton said that he was surprised by the move, but “that’s his choice and you know Bob. “I’m disappointed, as all the tracks recently agreed that they would support ANDRA and the insurance scheme that we have in place and, obviously, this doesn’t,” Thornton said.

“The irony is that back in 1988 when the Jane Corporation split with ANDRA, we restructured the sanction fees because of the dishar mony at the time and they haven’t changed for nine years.

“At the recent promoters confer ence, ANDRA was actually congrat ulated by the tracks’ representa tives for keeping their fees at the same level for so long.”

The structure for sanction fees put in place following the 1988 split actually gives a bonus for tracks running more street meetings.

“At the Calder Park and Adelaide International Raceway level, they only pay for the first eight street meetings of the year, then they get the rest free of sanction fees,” Thornton said.

It is believed the sanction fee for a track like Calder, which averages around 12 legal off-street drag rac ing meetings per year, is approxi mately $375 per event (for the first eight events), while $5 from every competitior entry fee goes to ANDRA to cover insurances.

The 1988 split with the Jane Corporation and ANDRA led to a

pXo.

Jane dumps ANDRA off-street sanctions Memories ofdrag racing’s bitter 1988 split revived long battle, with the Jane company withdrawing its bid for the 1989 Nationals, then resubmitting it before finally withdrawing it again and alledgedly threatening to “dig up the race track” at a meeting to solve the then long dispute with racers.

The dispute in ’88 started with a release announcing that “Because of the need to contain costs ... the Bob Jane Corporation have found it neccessary to review all operating costs.”

The Corporation, at the time, indicated that they believed they had come up with the concept of street meetings and that they should not pay for that.

In regards to the resulting insm-ances, the Bob Jane Corporation placed their public risk insurances elsewhere, stating that where they had been placed provided them with “considerably more than the cover provided by the ANDRA insurance, but at considerably less cost.”

The new split now sees the Calder Park and Adelaide tracks covering their insurance require ments through AUSCAR’s scheme, with Jane last week being quoted as saying that “I do not know of any track in Australia that gives the same cover we do.” . At the time of splitting from ANDRA’s street meeting sanction ing during the original dispute along with notifiying their inten tions of running all drag racing events under the AUSCAR Professional Drag Racing Group banner (a division of AUSCAR Inc), with the national open events sanc tioning coming from ANDRA Calder also released a scheduling of dates with their representative.

Grant Tibet, indicating in an inter view with Dragster Magazine in 1988 that the company was disatisfied “with the ditherings of the annual promoters conference and date setting procedm-es.”

Ironically, to this date, the Calder Park and Adelaide International venues have yet to provide ANDRA with their soughtafter dates for the 1998/99 season, as each other track is believed to have done at the annual Australian Drag Racing Promoters Conference last month.

“We can’t get any dates con firmed from Calder for next season and that’s holding up the process for the other tracks, as well as hav ing racers screaming at ANDRA for

calendars,” Thornton said.

On the effect that the new split from ANDRA’s system will have on drag racing’s sanctioning body, Thornton said that the organisation will be careful when it comes to allocating their funds.

“Obviously, we’re going to need a sharper pencil come budget time, as this will take around $30,000 out of ANDRA’s income,” he said.

On an even more serious note, Calder Park is also yet to reapply for an extension to their contract to run the country’s most prestigious event, the Nationals, with some predicting Jane’s decision not to support ANDRA at the lowest level of the sport will see the event trans ferred to another venue, or even shelved.

ANDRA commits around $20,000 per year servicing the Nationals and supporting Calder Park with officials, yet in 1998 it received just $7,500 from the venue for sanction ing fees and a half share of the tro phies offered.

Thornton wouldn’t be drawn on what position ANDRA would take, saying that he was still waiting on

a submission Calder from regarding the extension of the Nationals con tract. “ T h e Nationals is the most important event in drag racing, period and I’d rather shelve it than see it run at a lower level than what it has been run at in recent years. ’Melbourne is the logical home of the Nationals and that’s where we like to see it con tinue; but, until we have heard from Calder Park regarding the 1999 Natiortals, we aren’t in a position to com ment.”

I STORMY FUTURE?... ANDRA CEO Tony Thornton.

Canberra Nostalgia Alf Sciacca and Joe Schembri were the big winers at the NSW Eighth-Mile Nostalgia Titles, held at Canberra International Dragway on May 17, Sciacca taking out Top Eliminator and Schembri Top Gas. If numbers are anything to go by, then the Australian Nostalgia Racers Group is well and truly on the march, as more than 80 entries packed the staging lanes at CID, the entry over double the 40-plus at the 1997 event.

Dawning bleak and cold - and staying that way throughout the event - the organisers’ worst fears were reahsed when a mid-aftemoon shower brought proceedings to a grinding halt.

But, fortunately, the weather turned around and all finals were able to be run at the Lucas Oilssupported show.

Just three cai’s were on hand for the premier Top Eliminator brack et, Norm Longfield top qualifying in his front-engined JPl dragster with a lazy 5.20, ahead of Sciacca’s “Snowman” Sainty-powered Dodge

Charger (5.34), which oozes the nostalgia theme and Victoria’s Mark Thompson, whose Clevelandpowered digger ran a 6.35.

The bracket was run over two rounds and a final on a heads-up Pro tree, Sciacca taking the first points when his 5.41 outdistanced Thompson’s losing, but improving, 5.79, while Longfield, still running a conservative tune-up, recorded a solo 5.08.

Thompson then scored the round two bye for a 5.86 and Longfield squeezed a touch more from the dragster for a 5.05 over the Snowman’s consistent 5.37.

Finals time saw a repeat of the second round when Sciacca and Longfield squared off, but this time the outcome was reversed, Sciacca scoring an easy 6.12 win after Longfield was forced to shut off on the line with failing oil pressm-e.

Top Gas had four cars, all of them regular CID Wild Bunch rac ers, Stephen Dupond’s beautiful 1948 510 Chev-powered Ford top qualifying with a 5.26, Dupond’s quickest-ever at CID.

Next came Dennis Moreau’S'wild looking 526 KB/Olds Alfa Romeo (5.43), Schembri’s big-block “JoeBlo” Holden Funny Car (5.64) and the South Coast entry of John Babington (6.51), the whale-sized KB-powered Dodge Phoenix.

This bracket was run with dialins, two rounds and a final.

Dupond (5.10 dial-in) caught and passed Babington (6.50 dial-in) in round one, Dupond winning with 5.33 to 5.91, while Schembri byed for a 5.71 after Moreau parked the Alfa.

Round two became the final, with Schembri’s FC and Dupond’s “Fat Attack” battling it out - but the JoBlo FC ran a good 5.66 (5.50 dialin) to defeat Dupond’s trying hard 5.40(5.20 dial-in).

Other winners at the CID Nostalgia Titles were Brett White (Middle Eliminator), Mark Marlin (Holden Eliminator), Tim Baldwin (Junior Gas), Scotty Taylor (OZ Performance), George Palmer (American Muscle), Daniel Huxtable (Nostalgia Bike) and Stephen Bush (Junior Dragster).

- TONY WADLEY

1998 NHRA CHAMPIONSHIP DRAG RACING SERIES - POINTS TO JUNE 1ST^ 1998.

PENNZDIL "W

1998 NHRA Top Fuel Championship I. Cory McClenathan, McDonald’s .. o..733 2. Joe Amato, Tenneco Automotive ... .688

1998 NHRA Funny Car Championship I. John Force, Castrol/Mac Tools .705 2. Chuck Etcheils, Kendall/MaMa Rosa . .644

3. Gary Sceizi, Team Winston-No Bull ..598 4. Mike Dunn, Mopar Performance ....510 .484 5. Jim Head, Jim Head Racing 6. Kenny Bernstein, Budweiser/Prolong .483 .453 7. Larry Dixon, Miller Lite/MBNA 8. Doug Kalitta, Kalitta International ...419 9. Bruce Server, ATSCO Power Steer ..413 10. Bob Vandergriff,Jerzees America ....408

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

i

Cruz Pedregon, Interstate Bat/Hot Rod ..610 Ron Capps, Copenhagen/MBNA 591 Tim Wilkerson, JCIT International ...532 Tony Pedregon, Castrol Syntec 519 Whit Bazemore,Team Winston-No Bull ..475 .410 Randy Anderson, Parts America Al Hofmann, GM Perf. Parts/Pontiac .384

10. Dean Skuza, Mateo Tools/Mopar ... .375

1998 NHRA Pro Stock Championship Warren Johnson, Goodwrench/Pontiac ..787 Jim Yates, Peak Anti-Freeze/Splitfire ...542 Jeg Coughlin Jnr., Jegs Mail Order 539 Mark Osborne, Dick Sherman Racing 524 Kurt Johnson, ACDelco/Chevrolet ..492 .447 Mike Thomas, Pennzoii .409 7. Mike Edwards,JK Radng Pontiac

I. 2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

8. George Marnell, Tenneco Automotive ..346 9. Tom Martino, Six Flags Thrill Parks . .342 10. Pete Williams, Pete Williams Racing . .327

t

/I^0®[7SJJ)®I70^

,1

5Jm m

39

Report by MARTIN D CLARK After running out of gas the previous week while leading The Winston, Jeflf Gordon came up ti-umps with his second con secutive Coca-Cola 600 victory at the 1.5-mile Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 24.

It was Gordon’s third 600 victory, the first being his first-ever win back in 1994.

Gordon also won his fifth succes sive 600 pole, equalling David Pearson, after drawing a late quali fying slot which was run in cooler temperatures.

The day into night event is the longest on the schedule and is sometimes mundane - but this year was an exception, with plenty of competitive racing and the lead changing 33 times among 12 dri vers.

Winston had put up one million dollars for the ‘No Bull Five’ entrants who finished in the top five of this year’s Da3ftona 500 and, THE REAL THING ... #24 Jeff Gordon pocketed a neat US$346,500 for win number three in the demanding Coca-Cola 600. (Martin D Clark pic) with two of the five in contention for the win in the closing stages, the race was all the more exciting.

However, when the eighth cau tion flew for Gary Bradberry (who slapped the turn three wall), leav ing a 16-lap shootout, Gordon’s crew elected a four-tyre pit stop over leaders Rusty Wallace and Bobby Labpnte, who both took on two - and this turned out to be a major advantage.

With just nine laps remaining, Gordon swept under Wallace and Labonte, exiting three-wide the / fourth turn in domineering fashion.

At the halfway point, a great batHe extended his advantage over Wallace for the win by 0.41 sec- tie ensued between §pencer, onds, collecting $110,000 extra Martin, Jarrett, Wallace and from Winston for winning the race Gordon, who were all locked in while heading the points standings together, as Earnhardt, in need of - Gordon’s 600 purse totalled the removed spring rubber since $346,500. the drop in temperature, was Gordon was seen in the Coca- lapped.

Earnhardt, who had been racing Cola 600 victory circle holding a Pepsi up high for the company he Randy LaJoie in the Hendrick endorses.

Budweiser Chevy fop several laps, “This redeems ourselves for The found himself in the fence and Winston,” he said. “It was kind of a bruised again, LaJoie apparently Winston shootout; we knew we scooting up the track and the pair were gonna take on four tyres and ending the evening nose to nose against the wall. gamble and it worked out for us.”

“The #50 Car [LaJoie] put me in The victory gave Gordon a 27 point lead in the standings over the wall,” remarked Earnhardt.

LaJoie commented that “the #16 Mayfield, who could only muster a 19th place result after running out car [Musgrave] ran up behind me and took the air off my spoiler.” ofgas on lap 104.

Wallace now runs third, with Following that seventh caution, race dorainator Mark Martin fourth the race was all about leader Wallace, B Labonte and Jarrett, in the race and points standings.

The top five in the race, including with the latter pair closing in fast Dale Jarrett (who finished fifth), but we never found out if either now go to the Indianapolis Motor would pass Wallace, as the eighth Speedway in August with the caution waved agaimfor Bradberry.

One thing was for sure, Gordon chance of netting US$1 million if woftld not have won prior to the they win the Brickyard 400.

Those front five diced many caution and Labonte, whose car was stronger on long runs, could times for the lead during the Coca Cola 600 to provide one of the most possibly have been a million dollars exciting races of the year - if only richer, Wallace could have ended his the purse was $1 million for every race! longest-ever wiiiless streak since 1992 - which now stands at 40 Number two qualifier Ward Burton headed laps one through 29, and also been in contention to pick up the million. diving around Gordon and opening “I can’t believe he did that,” said up a healthy lead by using a very Wallace. “I thought two tyres would low line in the turns.

The first yellow flag waved on lap be enough. We have been burned so many times doing four tyres when 34 for Bradberry and Wallace led the pack off pit road, followed by everybody else does twj). This is Gordon and Martin, with Dale real disappointing for us.”

Earnhardt pitting twice to remove As for Martin, who was strong a spring rubber. before darkness fell, two tyres were Jeff Burton looped Jimmy not what team owner Jack Roush would have opted for.

Spencer around for the second cau “I don’t think that was a decision tion, Gordon, Martin and John ON A ROLL... Du Pont-supported Gordon also heads the Winston Cup pointscore. (Martin D Clark pic) he was likely to win with,” Andretti leading after the caution Final results: Gordon (Chevy) Points standings; Gordon 1590, managing to spin and almost hitas Terry Labonte, who started a remarked Roush.

136.424 mph, R Wallace (Ford), B Mayfield 1563, R Wallace 1559, Jimmy Spencer, Dick Trickle, ting the pit road wall. dismal 36th, dropped off the pace Labonte (Pontiac), Martin (Ford), Martin 1504, T Labonte 1461, Todd Bodine, Ricky Rudd, Jerry Bill Elliott and Mike Skinner, with a broken wheel bearing. both recovering from recent Jarrett (Ford), Nemechek (Chevy), Jarrett 1455, B Labonte 1339, Nadeau and Gary Bradberry were W Burton disappeared from con subbed mid-way b y Andretti (Pontiac), J Burton (Ford), Spencer 1313, Schrader 1292, tention when his team replaced a all assessed penalties for speeding injuries, were ,t Earnhardt 1269.

Benson (Ford), Schrader(Chevy). on pit road at Charlotte, Bradberry Morgan Shepherd and Jeff Green. battery.

Golden Gordon scores third Coke 600 victor

»«GIWkc\

L"

5Jm1998 V

Dale's Dover

Dale Jarrett took his second win of the year in the MBNA 400 at Dover Downs on May 31.

Jeff Gordon wore out the other 42 cars, leading all but 25 of the 400 laps, but Jarrett’s Yates crew rolled the dice on fuel mileage and came up trumps, winning by a half lap, or 13.117 seconds, over Jeff Burton, the only other car on the lead lap that did not pit.

An aggressive Gordon was so

<

five finish - that’s just the way it goes.”

Rusty Wallace won the pole with a ut Stricklin has been released new track record of 155.898 mph at as the driver of the Stavola the concrete one-mile speedway Brothers Chevrolet, the change duhbed ‘The Monster Mile’ and he following the Circuit City-backed headed the first three tours before out team’s non-qualification in the side front row sitter Gordon took over.

Jeff Gordon encountered radio Charlotte 600 miler. problems during the Coke 600.

Wallace was forced to the outer Apparently someone had For Stricklin, it was his third gi’oove and slipped back to seventh missed race in a row, having removed one of the team’s radios as the first yellow flag uncoiled on failed to qualify for five events this from the transporter and each time crew chief Ray Evernham lap 10 for Johnny Benson, who year.

Busch Grand National Series would talk to his driver, someone spun and collected Kyle Petty, driver Buckshot Jones has been would key their radio and wipe out Robert Pressley, Randy LaJoie and Chad Little. named the replacement, at leest the transmission.

The frequency of the channel for the next two events at Dover Ted Musgrave also was involved, although without the damage sus and Richmond - beyond that, it’s was changed and the problem tained by the other five - it still possible ARCA Supercar series solved. meant three of the five Roush cars regular Andy Hillenburg could drive the car. were involved in the fracas. organ McClure Motorsports recently used a Hendrick Gordon headed Mark Martin, Jarrett and Rick Mast, with engine for qualifying purposes Kenny Irwin,Randy Dave Marcis, Hut and is apparently in negotiations Stricklin, McDonald, Wallace picking off both Joe Andy Hillenburg, Dan Pardus and with the company to lease powerNemechek and Ricky Rudd to move Morgan Shepherd were amongst plants for future race use. back up to fifth.

McClure has a reputation for the non-qualifiers at Charlotte, Lap 120 and Martin moved under Shepherd driving the SABCO building some of the best restric Gordon for the lead, Jarrett closing First Union Chevrolet. tor plate engines with engine in also, but Gordon muscled back SABCO owner Felix Sabates builder Shelton ‘Runt’ Pittman, but around Martin with a nudge or two transferred the sponsorship from lately the team has struggled and The AUSCAR tyre situation is the just one lap later, the two racing the car to the unsponsored LJ the engine department is consid back and fourth for the lead, only doubtful issue, as most com ered the source of the problem.

Racing Chevy of Kevin Lapage. petitors believe that the regulation (Jordon again eventually holding The team scored its first 1998 When Lapage wrecked in his own.

Goodyear Eagle road tyre is not suit win with Bobby Hamilton in April, Saturday practice on oil spilt from Gordon strengthened his points ed to the upcoming task, as the pro its first since July of 1996 at Joe Nemechek’s SABCO entry, advantage with the win, Mayfield posed event is to be a mixed class Sabates sold LJ owner Joe Falk Daytona, NASCAR/AUSCAR one-hour long still holding second with a good the Shepherd car - unfortunately, sprint on the daunting, extremely fifth and Wallace staying in^third umours have been flying Lapage could only finish a 36th , high-speed Mount Panorama circuit. with his 18th-placed finish. about a possible Monte Carlo place result after qualifying 15th.

As for Dale Earnhardt, he drove Calder Park did have the option Irwin, in the Robert Yates super car that will invade the of running what is considered to be in pain from his rib injuries, start Texaco Taurus, was more of a Winston Cup Series in 1999. more suitable B F Goodrich rubber ing 34th and finishing 25th, drop “The Intimidator” was recently surprise, as it was the first time as the regulation tyi-e for the new ping to 13th in points. the car had missed an event released to the public and appar season, but ultimately decided to An explosion in the camping area since Ernie Irvan's almost fatal ently the concept car will be intro sign with Goodyear for its Eagle at Dover killed one race fan the wreck at Michigan in August 1994 duced into the Winston Cup Friday before the race - apparently road tyre again. ^' - it was also the first time the #28 Series mid-way through 1999.

The issue of television coverage a propane tank exploded after a Whether it will take over as the car had not qualified for a race in seems to be the current hot topic flag pole on the camper touched an new Monte Carlo, or a special 18 years. and, regardless of whether the overhead power line.

Irwin could only record a built just to be competetive on the Final result: Jarrett (Ford) super speedway event is scheduled 178.790 mph speed, compared to track - similar to the Plymouth for the Sunday AMP Bathurst / 119.522 mph, J Burton (Ford), Roadrunner used in the early sev the pole speed of 182.976 mph.

1000, or for the Saturday qualifying Gordon (Chevy), B Labonte “I feel sick to my stomach,” enties- no one at GM will let on. day, the majority of competitors (Pontiac), 399 laps, Mayfield (Ford), said Irwin, who wrecked the spoken to by Motorsport News have Rudd (Ford), Martin (Ford), Jones team’s primary car in the previous revealed a reluctance to participate (Chevy), Irvan (Pontiac) 398 laps, T ItNASCAR is possible that in athe future will devise universal week’s Winston. at Mount Panorama if there is to be Labonte(Chevy).

“It just sucks,” remarked Yates. body template that all marques no televised coverage of their event.

Points standings: Gordon 1765, must comply with, allowing just Bearing in mind the fact that the Mayfield 1718, Wallace 1673, minor changes to the front and Bathurst race is not to be a Martin 1655, Jarrett 1635, T Jeff overslept the morn ing Gordon before the Charlotte Coke rear of the cars and thereby limit pointscoiing event in next season’s Labonte 1595, B Labonte 1499, J 600, missing the penultimate ing the amount of bickering schedule, there is a high level of Burton 1427, Schrader 1410, between teams running the three practice. competitor interest in Calder Park’s Spencer 1409.

Hendrick team mate Terry manufacturer’s products.

- MARTIN D CLARK ongoing efforts to successfully nego tiate a television package - and, significantly, a renewed level of enthusiasm for the future of the sport now that super speedway supremo Bob Jane is more marked ly pro-active in his current efforts to raise the sport’s profile.

Australian NASCAR driver Walter Giles, originally from Sydney, has recently been promoted to : Reinforcing that latter view is General Manager of’Triad Motorsports, which runs a Ford Taurus for driver Gary Bradberry out of n the news that the Calder Park its Thomasville, NC,facility. management is also having discus Giles joined the team in February and takes over duties from veteran crew chief Richai’d Broome, who joined : sions which could result in costthe team late last season. effective super speedway support Prior to Ti'iad, Giles worked for Richard Jackson’s Precision Products Racing, but that team scaled down its races at both the Indy Car Grand operation over the winter months when no sponsor or driver opportunities were forthcoming.

Prix on the Gold Coast and the Bradberry has qualified for three of the nine events he has entered so far this year, posting results of 43rd in Australian Grand Prix at Albert Atlanta (after detonating a Lairy Wallace engine), 24th at Texas and 23rd at California.

Park.

- MARTIN D CLARK -TONY GLYNN

dominant that only three cars fin ished on the lead lap, Jarrett only heading the final eight laps - but they were by far the most important.

Gordon, who pitted for fuel only with just eight laps to run, counter commented: “It was a picture per fect day for us, but we can’t do any thing about gas mileage.

“We were expecting those other guys to come in too.

“But we can’t jeopardise a top

H

Bob Jane still negotiating for Bathurst Despite the fact that the moot ed super speedway presence at the 1998 AMP Bathurst 1000 on October 4 has not been con firmed, the response from a numher of competitors has been overwhelmingly positive.

As the Calder Park management continues its negotiations with the Bathurst Management Group to secure a support spot with the Super Touring enduro, John Sidney is sourcing a vehicle suited to road racing from the US which would become the designated mount for reigning ACDelco Cup champion Kim Jane.

Sidney currently fields a pair of Chevrolet Monte Carlo ACDelco Cup cars for both Kim and his cousin, Roney Jane.

“While the new car is most likely to be run by Kim at Bathurst, it doesn’t necessarily have to be a dedicated road race car,” Sidney said.

“We actually need a third car as a full-race spare for the next season here, as our sponsorship commit ments with the Jane organisation’s existing cars for both Kim and Rodney require a presence at every event, regardless of any accidents. . “Rodney’s damaged Monte Carlo is actually out at Russell Caddy’s workshop at the moment for a new front clip and will be seen on-track again at next season’s opening round, if not before then”. Sidney added.

Fastrack Racing proprietor Marshall J Brewer, who is rumoured to be sourcing another Monte Carlo Stateside to be run in Pennzoil colours, believes that his CIGWeld Ford Falcon AUSCAR would be the ideal mount for the Bathurst outing and would virtual ly guarantee a victory due to its superior handling characteristics.

Labonte was called upon to shake the car down.

Unfortunately for Labonte, the right-front tyre blew, sending him into the turn two wall and the #24 crew scrambling to make repairs on the DuPont Chevy.

The right side was repaired and the front suspension and rear axle replaced.

Terry went over to brother Bobby’s pit later in the day and Bobby asked: “See if Dale Jarrett will let you drive his car, too!”

M

R

Giles manages Triad

1998 WINSTON CUP SERIES RESULTS I.

;

Dale Jarrett, #88 Quality Care Ford Taurus Jeff Burton,#99 Exide Batteries Ford Taurus

3.

4.

Jeff Gordon,#24 DuPont Chev Monte Carlo Bobby Labonte,#18 Interstate Batteries Pontiac GP

5.

6.

7.

Jeremy Mayfield, #12 Mobil I Ford Taurus Ricky Rudd,#10 Tide Ford Taurus Mark Martin,#6 Valvoline/Cummins Ford Taurus

11. Rick Mast,#75 Remington Arms Ford Taurus 12. John Andretti,#43 STP Pontiac Grand Prix 13. Bill Elliott, #96 McDonald’s Ford Taurus 14. Michael Waltrip,#21 Citgo Ford Taurus 15. Ken Schrader,#33 Skoal Bandit Chev Monte Carlo

8. ‘Buckshot Jones,#8 Circuit City Chev Monte Carlo

16. Brett Bodine,#11 Paychex Ford Taurus 17. Bobby Hamilton,#4 Kodak Film Chev Monte Carlo 18. Rusty Wallace,#2 Miller Lite Ford Taurus

9. Ernie Irvan, #36 Skittles Pontiac^Grand Prix 10. Terry Labonte,#5 Kellogg’s Chev Monte Carlo

19. Sterling Marlin,#40 Coors Light Chev Monte Carlo 20. Darrell Waltrip,'#! Pennzoil Chev Monte Carlo

F

/

Current Points After Round 12

MBNA 400 - Dover Downs. May 3!st, 8 998,

2.

nn

I.

Jeff Gordon ...

2.

3.

4.

Jeremy Hayfield Rusty Wallace .

Hark Hartin ...

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

Dale Jarrett ...

Terry Labonte .

Bobby Labonte Jeff Burton ....

Ken Schrader ..

10. Jimmy Spencer

1760 1718 1673 1655 1635 1595 1509 1422 1410 1409

1 i

9

Aussie assault at Suzuka Washoutfor Formula A, Troy Hunt robbed in wet Senna Memorial and top 10for troubled Courtney Report by SEAN HENSHELWOOD

POLE MAN... World Champion James Courtney set a new lap record in .

Formula Super A at Suzuka on Bridgestone rubber, the young Australian prodigy's super-fast Koene-tuned Vortex rotary valve powerplant outclassing the opposition. Courtney went on to secure ninth spot in the final for his Italian Tony Kart team.

(Sean Henshelwoadpjc)

The Australian assault on the 1998 World Cup at Suzuka was almost a success, but not quite.

Last year, James Courtney missed taking the Shell Showa World Cup at Suzuka by just 0.236 seconds - this year, he was back for revenge and, at one point, it looked like he might just do it.

Together with the other inter national Aussies - Ryan Briscoe and Ben Horstman - we had the biggest representation at Japan for some years, with eight dri vers going for glory for Australia.

This is their story...

Up until race day, the condi tions were perfect - up to 30 degrees and fine every day but then the rains came.

Intercontinental A(ICA) Australia was represented by reigning Australian Champion Troy Hunt (Top Kart/Comer/ Bridgestone) and former ICA front-runner and Australian Formtda A driver Daniel Richer!

(PCR/PCR/ Bridgestone).

Hunt, with the assistance of his Italian factory mechanic, was immediately on the pace.

Ninth in practice session one (50.006), fifth in session two (49.775), 11th in session three and 13th in the final of the four official half-hour scheduled sessions on the Friday.

Richert, meantime, was getting used to his new Italian chassis and was 32nd in the opening session (51.297), 38th in session two, 25th in session three (50.308) and 22nd in session four.

At the end of time trials. Hunt found himself third-quickest overall with a best of two laps of 49.295, only six one hundredths of a second off pole man Shinsuke Kuroda (Tony/ItaiyBridgestone).

Richert, meanwhile, had quali fied with his best time of the week in 28th position (50.139) in a kart which he was becoming happier with.

The time triallers were divided into three groups. A, B and C, which were combined in different configurations for three twelve lap heats.

In heat one, Richert lined up in position 19 and came through to finish a fine 11th.

Unfortunately, adjustments to his kart, the fact that he wasn’t wearing his protective vest and a little less fuel on board than usual saw him come in 100 grams under weight, effectively forcing him into the repechage.

In heat two. Hunt forced his way into the lead in the first corner and led the first five laps until, running wide onto the ripple strip as the field began lap six, he entered the first turn in third.

From there, he found his way past Satoru Shiratori (Energy/Ital/Dunlop) when he forced him into an error in the esses a few laps later, Shiratori hitting the kerb hard enough to rip off his right rear wheel assembly.

In true ‘never give up’ form, he

1^ restarted his stalled kart and con tinued around the track on his sprocket and chain, until the chain broke half a lap later.

Hunt was then second and he trailed second-fastest time trialler Hirokazu Nagaya (Ital/Rotax/Bridgestone) to the line,two and a halfseconds in arrears.

Hunt lined up second again in heat three, with Richert 19th.

Hunt didn’t start his second race as well as his first, being second into the first turn behind thirdplaced starter Koji Wada (BRM/Ital/Bridgestone) - this was the way they would greet the che quered flag.

Richert, meanwhile, had discov ered the perfect starting line and passed another six karts by turn one on his way to a fine 13th-placed finish, finally happy with the kart set-up and looking forward to the repechage, where he would line up

third of eleven karts.

He had another of his blinding starts to lead into the first turn and_ managed, despite lacking the horse power of his Japanese opponents, to hold them off until about lap six, when he was forced wide into the first turn and ultimately back to fourth, the position where he would finish, over two and a half seconds behind.

Race day dawned wet, very wet...

Despite this. Hunt continued his form in the early morning carburation laps, setting fourth-quickest time.

In the 16-lap pre-final. Hunt jumped to an early lead on the open ing lap and wasn’t headed again on his way to a two and a half second victory over Kuroda and Toshiaki Okamoto (Tecno/Rotax/Bridgestone).

Richert had worked his way past a number of karts early in the race

to be in about position 17 by lap three (which was not bad, consider ing he started from position 32), only to fall victim to the conditions.

In the roll around laps, he found that water and dirt from the track were coming around the sides of his ‘wirly-visor,’ so he added some race tape to combat the problem.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough and he was driving blind when he misjudged the chicane on the fourth lap and spun to the infield.

Despite his best efforts to restart in the appalling conditions, the track officials finally forced him to drag the kart off the track and sit out the completion of the race.

At the start of the 24-lap final, the Japanese had Hunt’s measure and he was forced back to sixth by the first turn.

He was unable to make any inroads into the positions ahead of

PENSIVE... Australian champion Troy Hunt reflects upon his fortunes in Suzuka.(Sean Henshelwood pic)

him, but didn’t lose any ground either.

Starting lap four, he was in a group of five karts who were all bunched together and, as they exit ed the right-left corners, Troy was turned completely around, but managed to continue, albeit in ninth place.

Richert, meanwhile, had started brilliantly again and by lap five was in 18th place(from 29th).

He surprised one Japanese driver with an excellent move in the esses, completely outsmarting the other driver who, when he realised Richert had made the move, tried to block him, only to force himself into a spin and out qf the race.

Unfortunately, Richert’s efforts to make a bid for the front came to an end when he spun in the esses on lap seven and was dnable to restart in conditions which were becoming steadily worse.

Hunt, meantime, was surprised to see the black flag on lap seven and pulled to the pits while still in ninth place to find that he was being disqualified for what the offi cials said was ‘outside assistance’ when he changed the spark plug after the two roll-around laps.

Initially, it was thought that they did this (despite not receiving out side assistance, he did it himself) because he did not use the mechan ical breakdown area, but the smart money after the event was that he had been targeted by the officials who wanted a Japanese victory.

They had,in fact, taken nine laps to make the decision, which should have been made at the start of the race.

A member of one of the European teams spoke with one of the top ranking FIA officials post-race, who made the startling revelation.

Continued on next page

I

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9

5Jm1998

Despite this, however, Hunt maintained his happiness with the ‘result and he certainly proved that an Australian driver has the opportunity to run with the best that Japan has to offer.

With Himt’s demise,the race came down to a battle between Atsuo Shiramomo (Mari/Ital/Dunlop), Hiroyuki Inoue (Birel/Ital/Dunlop) and Kiu-oda, the thi'ee kaids crossing the line in that order.

When the results became official, however, it was shown that race winner Shiramomo was underweight, handing Inoue the win from Kuroda and Ryuta Ukai (CRG/ CRG/Dunlop).

Final positions Ayrton Senna Memorial Cup Intercontinental A 1 Hiroyuki Inoue (Japan) Birel/Ital/Dunlop 71:98 km/h 2 Shinsuke Kuroda(Japan) Tony/Ital/Bridgestone 1.221 3 Ryuta Ukai(Japan) CRG/CRG/Dunlop 7.888 4 Shun Kishimoto (Japan) Biesse/Rotax/Bridgestone 13.147 5 Ryo Miyata(Japan) GP/Rotax/Bridgestone 14.437 6 Naoya Sugimoto(Japan) Tony/Vortex/Dunlop 14.803 7 Takahiro Ishii(Japan) CRG/CRG/Dunlop 15.770 8 Atsushi Saito(Japan) GP/Rotax/Bridgestone 16.791 9 Keiji Fukaya(Japan) CRG/Vortex/Bridgestone 18.277 10 Masayuki Miyatake(Japan) YamyRotax/Bridgestone 22.034 22 Daniel Richer!(Australia) PCR/PCR/Bridgestone. -18 laps Disq Troy Hunt(Australia).

Top/Comer/Bridgestone Formula A The Australian representatives were William Yarwood (CRG/ CRG/Dunlop)- having his first x’un in Formula A, but his foui’th straight visit to Suzuka with team-mate and European top gun Ryan Briscoe (CRG/ CRG/Dunlop), Wesley May as the sole factory representative for Energy Karts (Energy/ Atomik/Dunlop) and, on his sec ond consecutive visit to Japan, Gary Dann (PCR/PCR/Dunlop).

In the opening session on Friday, it was clear that the tyre battle between Bridgestone and Dunlop would be the centre of everyone’s attention when the Bridgestone runners took the top ten time slots, ahead of CRG factoxy number one, Ryan Briscoe.

The early paceman was Yasuhiro Takaski (Tony/Ital/Bridgestone), who set a best lap of 48.528.

Briscoe’s best was 49.316, better than Yanvood with a best of 49.935 and May’s best of 50.036.

Dann’s transponder wasn’t work ing, but he had set times in the high 49s.

In session two, Briscoe improved to be sixth quickest (49.159) behind pace-setter Mitsutoshi Hosaka (Mari/Ital/Bridgestone - 49.055), Yarwood (50.570), Dann (51.237) and May (51.247).

By session three, Briscoe’s Bridgestone-shod team-mate Cesar Campanico had set fastest time (48.638), clear of Hosaka (48.683) and Briscoe (48.720).

May, meantime, had found speed by raising the ride height of the Energy to set his best time so far of 49.475 to see him in 23rd. .

The 1987 World Karting By the final practice session, Champion was making his return Briscoe had slipped back to 12th to karting after a ten year sabbati (49.063), although the CRG team cal from PCR, the team with which was unconcerned. Goki Hashimoto he had so much success.

(Alpha/Ital/Bridgestone) set the Yarwood made a lightning start fastest time of 48.747.

By Saturday morning, Briscoe in the repechage and was up to the was back on the pace with a fastest leading ten karts when fate stepped lap of 48.399 to lead the time in yet again - for no conceivable reason, the third factory-tuned sheets, CRG had given up after only six Yarwood was starting to come on - the second evolution Heron chas laps, ending his 1998 Suzuka cam sis, complete with all-new bars, set paign.

Dann, meanwhile, finished in him eight kilograms over the limit, causing his team frustration in set- ninth place, finally setting laps in ting up the kart, but now they were the 49s to finish behind Winter Cup and Las Vegas winner Patrick Long starting to find their pace - and he set 30th fastest time (49.404).

(CRG/CRG/Dunlop) and Simoni May was 44th (50.464) and Dann (PCR/PCR/Bridgestone).

46th (50.739).

Jan Magnussen team driver Ronnie At the close of time trials, it was Bremer(Birel/PCR/Dunlop)took home Takasaki who set the fastest time the repechage win from Gianluca of 48.404, ahead of Diaz Fernando Scarcia(Jolly/Rotax/Bridgestone).

Despite the rain and the notorious Alonso (Mike6/Parilla/Bridgestone 48.451)and Briscoe (48.475).

Bridgestone wet weather tyre, Briscoe May set the 35th fastest time blitzed the field in Sunday morning’s (49.293), Yarwood 43rd (49.851) carburation session with a lap one and a half seconds faster than the and Dann 45th (50.111).

to be seventh as he came to start

pods just brushing Briscoe’s legs.

Unfortunately, thdhgh, it was the end of Briscoe’s chances, the CRG sporting a bent axle and bent right rear nm.

There was some hope for the final, though.

In his six laps, Briscoe had set the fastest lap of 58.813 on lap four, the second-fastest lap of the day behind Super A winner Matsuya.

His time was half a second faster than eventual pre-final winner

Jinbo.

Cairapatoso took second, Umegaki third, Adam Jones (Tony/Vortex/ Bridgestone) fourth and European round one winner Riko Furtbauer (Biesse/Rotax/Bridgestone)fifth.

May, meantime, had stopped after only two laps while forcing his way through the field. He was forced wide on the exit of the first turn, which ultimately pulled the right rear t3rre from the wheel, ending his run.

With the event format scheduling ICA ahead of Super A and Formula

lap four and only the length of the front straight in arrears - he had passed seven karts on the third lap alone.

The track officials called for a half hour break to allow conditions to settle - however, they only became worse and, after half an hour, the entire chicane was under a minimum of four inches of water; the race was cancelled and called a no result.

May had made another fine start and entered the chicane on lap two to find ten karts bogged down in the water and another group going wide in the dirt.

His only option was an inside line through what looked like shallow water. Had the move worked, he would have been well inside the top ten - but, unfortunately, as his airbox full of water post-race would show,the move didn’t work, Final positions Showa Shell World Cup Formula A Pre-Final results 1

H

5-^1 i

Kenta Jinbo(Japan) Yamaha/Rotax/Dunlop 76.55 km/h 2 Ruben Cairapatoso(Brazil) Tony/Vortex/Dunlop 0.619 3 Hiroshi Umegaki(Japan) Birel/Rotax/Dunlop 2.208 4 Adam Jones(Switzerland) Tony/Vortex/Bridgestone 8.648 5 Riko Furtbauer (Austria) Biesse/Rotax/Bridgestone 11.376 6 Marino Spinozzi (Italy) Tony/Vortex/Bridgestone 13.016 7 Cesar Campanico(Portugal) CRG/CRG/Rridgestone 13.903 8 Jarkko Venalainen (Fin) Biesse/Rotax/Bridgestone 16.182 9

BALLISTIC... Champion Giorgio Pantano launches himself off the kerb to come through the field in an extremely wet Formula Super A final for a hard-fought second spot on the podium.(Sean Henshelwood pic) In qualifying heat one, May (24th) lined up against Yarwobd (29th), with Takasaki starting from pole. Yarwood never really got going, the 1998 CRG rotary valve giving up after only four laps May, meantime, came through the field to finish a safe 17th.

In heat two, Briscoe lined up second behind Alonso, with Dann starting 30th.

By race finish, Briscoe had dropped back to a safe sixth, behind race winner Alonso.

Dann finished eighteen seconds behind Alonso in 24th place. May finishing 19th and giving him sec ond last place in the group of karts that would not need to make the repechage to qualify.

In heat three, Briscoe had a wheel to wheel battle with his team mate, Campanico, for the majority of the race, the two drivers trading positions lap after lap until Briscoe conceded that Campanico was so hungry for the win that he would be inclined to force him off the track to take it.

■' He let common sense prevail and allowed Campanico to take the win.

Yarwood was again hampered by mechanical problems and was forced out after only a handful of laps, making him last-placed qualifier for the repechage.

Also making the repechage after disappointing 20th and 28th-placed fi nishes in the heats was former British Touring Car race winner and factory Alfa Romeo driver Giampiero Simoni. t

rest of the field (1:00.416) topping Hiroshi Umegaki(Birel/Rotax/Dimlop - 1:01.977) and Ruben Cairapatoso (Tony/Vortex/Dunlop -1:02.257).

May set 27th fastest time (1:04.546).

For the pre-final, Campanico lined up on pole from Takasaki, Alonso, Takahide Sugiyama (Tony/Vortex/Bridgestone), Kenta Jinbo (Yamaha/Rotax/Dunlop) and Briscoe - May was the 27th-placed starter.

A, the final of Formula A was to be the last event on the programme but the circuit wasn’t getting any

drier.

Naohiro Kawano(Japan) GP/Rotax/Bridgestone 17.180 10 Diaz Fernando Alonso (Ecuador) Mike6/Parilla/Bridgestone 17.424 30 Ryan Briscoe (Australia) CRG/CRG/Dunlop -6 laps 33 Wesley May (Australia) Energy/Atomik/Dunlop -14 laps

Prior to the roll around laps, the FIA track inspector came over to the chicane to inspect the water Formula Super A across the track, which was steadi The Australian hopes for Super A ly mounting. rested squarely on the shoulders He got to halfway across the of reigning World Formula A track proper and was standing in Champion James Courtney two inches of water. He gave the all (Tony/Vortex/Bridgestone)and our clear! other international driver, Ben ;It started from the first roll around Horstman(BireFAtomik/Dunlop).

The rain didn’t let up for the pre final and, in fact, mid-race it lap, with Alonso and Nelson Van Der Coming off victories in the became heavier.

Pol (Tony/Vortex/Bridgestone) com European rounds, Tony Kart’s Alonso got the jump at the start, ing to a complete stop in fom- inches Davide Fore lined up as a threat for of water at the chicane. with Briscoe right on his tail. the World Cup, as did Courtney’s The young Australian made a From there it just snowballed, nemesis from the 1997 World Cup and the man who won Formula A beautif^ul move at the fast right with over a dozen karts coming to a hand sweeper, taking a tighter fine stop. Somehow they managed to last year, Kosuke Matsuura than Alonso to lead by the exit of complete the second roll around lap (Biesse/Rotax/Bridgestone). the corner. and stop for inspection.

From opening practice, it was By lap six, he had pulled a three Briscoe, unfortunately, had trou- clear that the Bridgestones would and a half second lead, but aqua- ble restarting and finally managed be a dominant force, setting the planed off the circuit to the infield to get the engine to fire half a lap in fastest 19 times with Roberto at the exit of the esses, arrears of the field as they took the Toninelli (CRG/CRG/Dunlop) the Briscoe jumped quickly out of his green flag. first Dunlop ruimer. kart and pushed it across the track Disaster struck again and again Ronnie Quintarelli (Tony/Vortex/ off the race line to try and restart, at the chicane, with more than half Bridgestone - 48.375) headed the Just as he got momentum up, the field having restarted them- time sheets from Vitantonio Liuzzi Yasuhisa Ito (Mari/Rotax/Dunlop), selves at the chicane after only two (CRG/CRG/Bridgestone - 48.375) and who was third in a group of four laps.

Alessandro Manetti (CRG/CRG/ karts, spun as the group saw the On the third lap, with Jones lead- Bridgestone - 48.494). yellow flag and flew backwards into ing from Jarkko Venalainen Courtney was 21st fastest Briscoe and his kart.

(Biesse/Rotax/Bridgestone) and Luke (48.955) and Horstman (49.110) From a distance, as Briscoe was Hines (Tecno/Rotax/Bridgestone), 29th. thrown into the air, the worst was the clerk of the course red flagged In session two, Matsuura set the expected. the race, citing danger from too fastest lap of 48.489 from Takashi much water on the track!

The hit was quite severe, Oka (Birel/Vortex/Bridgestone although luckily the impact had By the time the red flag was pro- 48.525) and Enino Gandolfi been taken by the kart, Ito’s side duced, Briscoe had passed 27 kaids (BRM/Rotax/Bridgestone - 48.560).

-f

5Jm&8

9 Com-tney (49.225) was 23rd with Horstman (49.882) 37th.

In session three, Koji Tsuda was fastest (KosmicAi"orte5^ridgestone - 48.449) from Yoshihiko Lee (Yamaha/IAME/Bridgestone 48.452) and Giorgio Pantano (KosmicA/'ortex/Bridgestone 48.459).

Lee, in fact, was the third-placed finisher in Super A in 1997, behind Kazushi Sano and World 125cc Champion Gianluca Beggio.

Courtney was 24th (49.113) and Horstman was the top-placed Dimlop driver in 26th (49.183).

By session four, Courtney showed his potential by setting his fastest laps so fai- for the weekend with a best lap of 48.706 for tenth place but more was yet to come.

Oka set the fastest time in ses sion four (48.205) from Liuzzi (48.358) and Lee (48.368), Horstman setting his best time (49.084)for 28th fastest.

In Satm-day morning carburation laps, Yoshifumi Suzaki (Alpha/ Rotax/Bi'idgestone) set the fastest time (48.345) from 1995 World Champion Massimiliano Orsini (Swiss/Ital/Bridgestone - 48.370) and Tsuda (48.389).

Courtney was 28th fastest (49.023) and Horstman 36th (49.258).

By qualifying, though, aU of that would become history, with James Courtney astounding everyone by setting the fastest lap around the Suzuka circuit of 47.989.

Behind him, Anthony Davidson took second fastest (Biesse/Rotax/ Bridgestone - 48.043), ahead of Matsuura (48.097).

Reigning World Champion Dan-ilo Rossi was the leading Dunlop competitor (CRG/CRG/ Dunlop) with 22nd fastest (48.454).

Horstman’s best lap of 48.848 saw him qualify 34th.

At this point, it is interesting to note that the eventual winner, Matsuya, qualified 32nd and third placed man Cesare Balistreri (Tibi/Parilla/Bridgestone) 35th.

In heat one, it was evident from the start that Courtney was in diffi culty, his Tony Kart slipping quick ly backwards through the field till, on lap ten while in position 18, he succumbed to carburation problems.

Davidson took victory from Nobuyuki Higuchi (Biesse/Ital/ Bridgestone) and Manetti.

Horstman eventually took 20th place after battling with Matsuya, Balistreri and team-mate Simone Fumagalli.

In heat two, Davidson again took victory from starting position one over Matsuura and Pantano.

The final heat again saw

i

43

Coffs Harbour East Coast Over 40s Titles PRESSURE... Ryan Briscoe heads CRG team-mate Cesar Campanico during intenseiy competitive Formuia A heats.(Sean Hensheiwood pic)half seconds behind), Matsuura, Courtney hne up on pole and again strangely fall back through the Keisuke Suzuki (Haase/Haase/ field, however fortunately finishing Bridgestone) and Fore.

13th at race end.

The early pace had been set, Matsuura took victory in heat however, by the ever-aggressive three from Nicola Gianniberti Pantano, who had a good early lead (Jolly/Rotax/Bridgestone) and before spinning himself off on lap nine while chasing Matsuura.

Higuchi, Horstman finishing 25th.

Matsuya (starting 23rd) and With their disappointing results, both Australians were forced to Rossi (starting 21st) were the qualify through the repechage, movers, coming carefully through Coru’tney lining up fifth, Horstman the field in the increasingly treach' erous conditions. sixth.

Courtney, meantime, was moving Gandolfi led from the start, while a gallant effort from Horstman saw through the field quite comfortably, until he caught team-mate him keep the remainder of the field at bay for three laps, before first Quintarelli by one-third race dis Courtney and then another four tance, the Italian ultimately forcing him off and causing James to karts made their way past to force him out of the finals by only one restart well down the field.

Unfortunately, Quintarelli went position.

Gandolfi lead Courtney to the on to finish tenth, while James was flag by just under six seconds, with forced to do all his work over again for 20th place at the flag.

Fumagalli third.

In his quest for victory, Matsuya From 30th position, Courtney had his work ahead of him, went orirto set a blistering fastest although in typical relaxed lap of 57.717 in continually wet Australian fashion he' was not con conditions, incredibly under ten cerned - even the \ifet weather seconds slower than Courtney’s didn’t deter him. pole time.

For the 24-lap final, Matsuya The early morning carburation tests showed the sign of things to again led and was never headed, come, Dunlop leading the time ultimately claiming victoi-y by over 26 seconds. sheets with Matsuya almost a sec Rossi, on the other hand, wasn’t ond clear of Rossi, with first-placed runner Tsugio quite so fortunate, his CRG rolling Bridgestone Matsuda (CRG/CRG/Bridgestone) to a stop on the roll-around laps one and a half seconds in arrears in with a broken ignition lead. third.

Suzuki took second early from Courtney’s best lap of 1:04.718 Matsuura and Toninelli, with had him in 26th place, 4.3 seconds Pantano up to 13th from 25th by lap three. behind Matsuya.

Courtney, meantime, had started Matusya took victory in the pre well and had moved into 13th place final, ahead of Rossi (sixteen and a

*

It’s that time of the year again when the fans wiU be converg ing on Coffs Harbour for the 1998 Bob Jane T-Marts East Coast Over 40s Titles, which are scheduled to be run over the Jrme 6-7 weekend.

This is the fourth year that the Coffs Harbour Kart Racing Club will have hosted the event and, by all indications, it will be a recordbreaker.

V8 Supercar stars Craig Lowndes and Jason Bargwanna will participate in the Coffs Celebrity Challenge on Saturday, June 6, racing karts against local celebrities. by lap three, before being forced off the track again by lap five. He rejoined and set about catching the leaders.

While Matsuya continued to /fetretch his lead, the placings were changing every comer behind him.

Lead GKS Lemmens driver Jan Heylen (Tecno/Rotax/Bridgestone) had moved into, fifth from ninth starting position' with a hard move on Fore in the.chicane.

Matsum-a had made his way into second by lap 10, but all his good work came undone when he ran wide exiting the right hand sweep er, losing over ten places including twelfth to hard-charger Courtney.

Suzuki, who had taken second back after Matsuura’s demise, came unstuck in the same place two laps later to allow Higuchi into second from Fore, Balistreri and Pantano.

Pantano was on a mission. At the chicane, he was launching himself off the kerb every lap, getting all four wheels a minimum of two inch es off the ground in an effort to gain time.

While no match for Matsuya’s outright speed, he did manage to set fourth-fastest time behind Matsuya, Matsuura and Suzuki. n By lap 19, Courtney had caught and passed Lee and Tsuda for ninth, his ultimate finishing posi tion, 37 seconds in arrears of race winner Matsuya and only 10 secs

With 800 drivers and pit crew expected, the event should guaran teed a more than successful outing for the thousands of fans urging the Oldies on.

Supported by Bob Jane T-Marts, Pelican Beach Travelodge Resort, 2CS am639 and TEN Northern New South Wales, the East Coast Over 40s Titles will be contested in National (Light, Heavy, Super Heavy), Clubman (Light, Heavy, Super Heavy) and Open classes, the latter including RESA, Reed Twins,Piston Port and PRD. For further information on the June 6-7 event, contact Nicole Rosevear on: 02 6651 7868. '' N; behind second-placed Pantano.

Balistreri took third for TibiKart, with Higuchi fourth and Fore fifth.

Final positions Showa Shell World Cup Formula Super A Final results 1 Takao Matsuya (Japan) Yamaha/Rotax/Dunlop 75.55 km/h 2 Giorgio Pantano (Italy) Kosmic/Vortex/Bridgestone 26.033 3 Cesare Balistreri (Italy) Tibi/Parilla/Bridgestone 26.866 4 Nobiyuki Higuchi(Japan) Biesse/Ital/Bridgestone 27.192 5 Davide Fore (Italy) Tony/Vortex/Bridgestone 28.108 6 Ronnie Quintarelli (Italy) Tony/Vortex/Bridgestone 30.488 7 Kazushi Sano(Japan) ItalTtal/Bridgestone 34.444 8 Yoshihilo Lee(Japan) Yam/IAME/Bridgestone 36.202 9 James Courtney (Australia) Tony/Vortex/Bridgestone 36.946 10 Massimiliano Orsini(Italy) Swiss/Ital/Bridgestone 39.087

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SPEEDWAY

5June 1998 Since Stevie Smith had taken the lead in the Outlaws cham pionship for the first time ever in his career, he was eagerly looking forward to the annual Eastern swing back through his home state of Pennsylvania, where he and the other Outlaws would come up against the toughest bunch of locals racers, the Pennsylvania Posse, which includes recent Aussie tourists “Fast” Freddie Rahmer and Todd Shaffer.

However, for Smith, the tour would prove costly, thanks to a spate ftf engine failures while wellplaced, which saw him drop from first in points to fourth.

Lerneiwille(May 19) Posse member Rahmer did what most local racers struggle to do and that’s to beat the Outlaws when they roll into town.

Rahmer, driving A1 Hamilton’s #77, a team in which our own Max Dumesny had a brief spell, won the A-feature and the $10,00 first prize, writing his name into the record books as a first-time Outlaw A-Feature winner.

Before a sellout crowd, Rahmer took the lead from fellow Posse member Lance Dewease late in the 22nd lap and went on to lead the final 14 laps.

Rahmer was on a hot streak this was his fifth consecutive win at five different tracks within a week - and the confidence was obviously a factor.

“I thought I was a pretty good local driver, but tonight I’m a real driver,” Rahmer said proudly. “I won tonight, but I know the Outlaws are going to be even tougher later this week. I may never get another one, so I’ll enjoy it tonight.”

Rahmer, who timed third fastest behind Mark Kinser and Sammy Swindell, then ran third behind Tyler Walker and Dewease in the Dash.

Dewease and Walker blasted off from the line, with Dewease taking the lead in turn 2.

Rahmer quickly moved to sec ond. with Danny Lasoski third.

De\''ease endured a stoppage for a spin by Johhny Herrera and had a 12-car lead when he clashed with Mike Woodring down the back straight on lap 13, which allowed Rahmer to close up.

Dewease re-established the gap, but dense traffic saw Rahmer close in and take the lead with a low move on lap 22.

A series of interruptions kept things tight and allowed Lasoski to grab second and then Kinser pushed him back another spot.

Swindell finished fifth, ahead of Steve Kinser, Walker, Jac Haudenschild, Smith and Kenny Jacobs.

Danny Smith timed 19th out of 55 cars in the Brazier Schnee, ran second in his heat and finished 22nd in the feature.

Brooke Tatnell fared much worse, failing to set a time and then an 11th place finish in his heat put him into the C-Main,

where he finished 18th, winning a grand sum of $30.

Williams Grove(May 21) The Channellock Spring Classic at “The Grove” has been pretty good to Herrera over the past few years, but Mark Kinser turned the prelim inary night’s program sour for Herrera when he took the lead with little more than a lap left to run, recording his third pre liminary feature win of the sea son and moving to within six points of Smith’s championship

lead.

Williams Grove(May 29) After a demoralising run through his home state of Pennsylvania, “local” Outlaw Stevie Smith hit back with a vengeance at Williams Grove on May 29, leading the majority of the feature after passing early leader Sammy Swindell before going on to record the fastest 30-lap feature in the history of the track.

After a week of building new engines following the run of failures which cost him the points lead a week ago. Smith’s emotional roller coaster ride took an upward turn when the Outlaws returned to the Grove.

Smith started on pole in the Channellock Dash, which he won from SwindeU to start the race off pole.

Smith got the jump at the green, but Swindell drove under him through the first turns and took the lead. He then opened a gap which Smith closed a few laps later. They were nose to tail as they hit lapped traffic and Smith dived low to snatch the lead on lap 9. Swindell came back at Smith “My crew just watched the track and came up with a plan to run the bottom, which is something I don’t/ normally like to do,” Rnser said.

“My crew chief(Karl Rnser) said ‘go to the bottom’ and it was defi nitely the right call. We were prob ably a third-place car, but on the last I'ed flag we dropped it down (put more weight) on the left rear and it worked.”

Kinser had timed only third fastest behind Tim Shaffer and Swindell and managed only fifth in the dash behind Dewease, HeiTera, Haudenschild and Swindell.

Dewease led at the drop of the green, but Herrera hit the lead by the time they came out of turn 2.

Further back, the dicing between Swindell, Dewease and Rnser was intense, with Mark moving to sec ond by lap 10.

Cousin Steve was also on the move, now up to fourth.

Kevin Gobrecht then spun and collided with Lance Blevins and Dale Blaney, with both Blaney and Gobrecht turning over.

Steve K took third on the restart, but Dewease retook it.

The Rng got it back on lap 15, but then stopped with a broken dri veline three laps later.

The caution bunched the field and intensified the fight for the

lead, with Herrera and Mark K running side by side until Rnser pulled off the winning move.

Herrera ran the high line, but was a car-lengtb short as they took the flag, with Swindell and Haudenschild all qualifying straight into the following night’s feature.

Joe Gaerte, 21st starting Andy Hillenburg, Gris Eash, Jeff Shepard, Lasoski and Dewease completed the top ten.

Stevie Smith missed the cut in his heat, then won the B-Main before finishing 21st in the feature.

Swindell was lucky to make the two laps later, but Smith narrowly maintained his lead before building a big lead and taking a comfortable victory, despite bumping the turn 4 wall on the last lap.

Meanwhile the action just behind was fierce with Jac Haudenschild pushing Swindell for second, until Mark Rnser passed both of them. Haudenschild then swapped second with Rnser three times over the last three laps, until Rnser took the ascendancy, Haudenschild ran third ahead of Swindell, whose motor had broken a rocker arm, Dewease, fast timer Tim Shaffer, Kreitz Jr, B-main winner Dale Blaney, Rahmer and Walker. The king was only 13th.

Danny Smith had a troubled run, timing only 33rd of 42, running ninth in his heat and then finishing 10th in the B-Main.

Lincoln(30 May) After winning his first Outlaws A-Feature a week ago, his fifth straight feature win, Rahmer continued the Posse’s upstaging of the much-vaunted Outlaws when he passed early leader Hillenburg on lap 7

Feature, after flipping in his heat after contact with Shepard.

Quick work by his crew saw him repaired and taking fifth, the last qualifying position.

Billy Pauch, the defending win ner on the Syracuse mile, flipped in his heat and broke bis knee cap into five pieces and will be out for about six weeks following surgery.

Tatnell had a better night, tim ing 30th, but was lltb in his heat and failed to start the B-main.

Danny Smith qualified four places further back, ran seventh in the same heat and finished 11th in the B-Main.

Herrera bounced back from the disappointment of the night before to lead all 30 laps of the televised race in the Casey General Stores Maxim.

“I have to give my guys all the credit in the world,” Herrera said.

“We’ve been struggling with engines a little bit. We had a new one flown in (a McCuen) yesterday and it got the job done. We’ve been

outside pole when three faster qualifiers, Haudenschild, Shepard and Blevins, all failed to make the feature.

Ninth fastest qualifier Ed Lynch Jnr won the Dash, beating Kreitz, who went straight into the lead at the drop of the green flag in the Vollmer Patterns Eagle, Walker quickly passed Lynch, only to have Smith dive under neath for second.

Two laps later. Smith hit the lead and built a commanding lead until his engine expired on lap 12.

Ki-eitz took over the lead and, just as he couldn’t keep up with Smith, Mark K couldn’t keep up with Kreitz. before going on to win the 30 Swindell was flying and issued a lap event and the $7,000 that went with it. successful challenge on Rinser and was closing on the lead with just Rahmer qualified ninth behind Lasoski, who set a new lap record. over a lap to run when he slid over Rahmer was second in his heat the cushion, ending his challenge and fifth in the Dash, which was but maintaining second place ahead of Mark K, who increased won by Hillenburg from Herrera, his points lead.

Mark Rnser and Tim Shaffer, Hillenburg led the Feature until Hillenburg, Walker, Blaney, Rahmer took the lead with his Greg Hodnett, Steve K, Blevins and Haudenschild completed the patented third turn slingshot under Hillenburg on lap 7. top ten, the latter after starting his Herrera eventually moved into back-up car from the back of the Bmain. second and finished the race just 1.57 seconds behind Rahmer, with Danny Smith qualified well in Shaffer hard on his tail.

10th, won his heat and then ran seventh in the dash, before finish Mark K, Hillenburg, Lasoski, Blaney, Steve K, Walker and Joe ing 12th in the feature.

Tatnell, on the other hand,timed Gaerte completed the top ten.

28th of 32 and ran seventh in his Danny Smith put in a better per formance,timing in at 17th, one spot heat- he was then just one spot off behind Steve Kinser. A fifth place in making the main race, running fifth in the B-Main. his heat was enough to make the ASwindell’s successful defence of Feature, where he ran 19th.

Points: Mark Kinser 3232, his World of Outlaws crown took a Sammy Swindell 3167, Steve big step forward the following Rnser 3146, Stevie Smith 3132, “main” night, when he led from Hillenburg 3079, Haudenschild flag to flag in the 30-lap A-Feature 3051, HeiTera 3042, Lasoski 2960, and jumped to second in the points chase at the same time.

Gaerte 2921 and Jeff Swindell 2890.

“The Channellock car was work ing good tonight. We were fairly Smith’s race ended on lap 27 strong last night, but had a few lit with a blown engine, setting up a tle problems. We’ve been fast all year, but we just haven’t gotten the three lap dash to the flag.

Herrera controlled the restart breaks we needed,” said the and won by eight car lengths over defending champion.

Kreitz started off pole in the Mark K, Swindell, Haudenschild, Donnie Reitz Jnr, Hillenburg, B- dash, but Swindell beat him across Feature winner Tim Shaffer, Steve the line to earn pole for the feature K, 23rd-starting Jeff Swindell and event.

Lasoski.

At the drop of the green, Danny Smith and Tatnell timed Swindell burst into the lead and 26th and 28th, respectively, then started building a comfortable advantage, as Mark K worked on ran eighth and 10th in their heats.

Smith just missed a transfer into Reitz in third. the A-Feature, while Tatnell was Mark K finally grabbed second ninth. on lap 8 and then Hillenburg Mark K left the grove with a 28- snared third a lap later.

Rnser used traffic to close the point lead over Stevie Smith in the good all year, but tonight it was ours. The car was flawless.”

Herrera started from pole, beat Mark K into the first turn and was never headed.

Stevie Smith passed seven cars m the first three and a half laps to be sixth when Dewease stopped.

Mark K dived under Herrera fol lowing the restart, but Hen-era ran the high line and maintained his momentum to win the back straight drag. Swindell and Smith swapped fourth place four times in five laps before Swindell held it.

Haudenschild was on the move and closing with the help oftraffic.

points chase.

Hagerstown(May 23) The posse hit back when Reitz Jnr snared the Preliminary feature win after Stevie Smith blew another engine, this time while leading the featiu-e race.

Apart from the race win. Smith dropped two more positions in the title hunt.

“I didn’t like seeing Stevie drop out, but we’ll take one any way we can get it,” said Reitz, whose last Outlaws victory was the Williams Grove National Open back in 1993.

Reitz, the eighth fastest qualifi er, got to start the dash from the

gap, but then jumped the cushion and lost a spot to Hillenbui-g.

Hillenburg held second and was actually closing, but was still 12 car-lengths behind at the fall of the flag.

Mark K maintained third, ahead of Shepard, Haudenschild, Stevie Smith, Reitz, Blaney, 17th-starting Steve K and Hodnett.

Tatnell’s run of horrors contin ued when he flipped the #7K RE Technologies sprinter during hot laps and then was unable to get the car repaired.

Danny Smith, on the other hand, timed 16th, ran third in his heat and finished 13th in the Featme.

Max Dumesny Motorsport

1998 WORLD OF OUTIAWS/SKOAL OUTLAW SERIES

Xoo$lrr I

POINT STANDINGS TO MAY 29TH, 1998

Australian Distributors for

I. Mark Kinser 2. Stevie Smith 3. Steve Kinser 4. Sammy Swindell 5. Johnny Herrera For more information on Hoosier Drag and Speedway Tyres caii: 6. Andy Hillenburg NSW: 02 9679 1990 Fax 02 9679 1187 7. Jac Haudenschild 8. Danny Lasoski VIC: 03 9331 6477 Fax 03 9331 7444 9. Jeff Swindell SA: 08 8332 0800 Fax 08 8364 0296 10. Joe Gaerte

^^ RACING TIRE

^

2,762 2,724 2,723 2,M4 2,646 2,628 2,618 2,599 2,549 2,537

11. Dale Blaney 12. Greg Hodnett 13. Tyler Walker 14. Donny Schatz 15. Craig Dollansky 16. Larry Neighbors 17. Dion Hindi 18. Lance Blevins 19. Brooke Tatnell 20. Terry McCarl

2,444 2,442 2,430 2,425 2,043 1,907 1,889 1,821 1,145 1,066

WILLIAMS GROVE SPEEDWAY - MAT 29TH A-FEATURE (30 LAPS) I. Stevie Smith II. Andy Hillenburg 2. Mark Kinser 12. Kevin Gobrecht 13. Steve Kinser 3. Jac Haudenschild 4. Sammy Swindell 14. Johnny Herrera 5. Lance Dewease 15. Cris Eash 6. Tim Shaffer 16. Greg Hodnett 17. Todd Shaffer 7. Don Kreitz, Jr. 18. Joe Gaerte 8. Dale Blaney 9. Fred Rahmer 19. Lance Blevins 10. Tyler Walker 20. Donny Schatz

45

l^®0®£sg^ni0

Paulger too good in QLD

In the most dominant perfor mance of the season, Shane Paulger annihilated his Super Sedan opponents to take out the penultimate round of the Coastline Vehicle Transport Super Series at Yandina Speedway on May 23.

After finishing halfa second quick er than his nearest rival in time tri als, Paulger (Breaka Pontiac) finally enjoyed a reversal of fortune in the grid draw when he selected pole posi tion for the 30-lap feature.

Paulger, the only driver to utilise a deep cushion that had developed aroimd the egg-shaped circuit, was never threatened from the outset and finished half a lap clear of John Leslight (American Truck Parts Camaro), who has already wrapped up the series.

Gold Coaster Jamie McHugh (ABC Spare Parts Falcon) finished third and was the only other driver to finish on the lead lap, such was the quality of Paulger’s dominant performance.

The race was delayed for 10 min utes after the first attempted start was aborted whfen Wayne Randall flipped his Ian Boettcher Motors’ Mazda RX7 in turn 3 and triggered a five-car pile-up.

At the resumption, with only Randall and A1 Starling (Byron Towing Service Pontiac) unable to participate, Paulger immediately skipped clear of the field and increased his lead with every lap as the race ran non-stop to the chequer.

Rock Hampton’s Rod Gough (Kia Motors Pontiac) shared the front row with Paulger, but quickly found himself behind Leslight and McHugh in the opening laps.

Gough’s inability to dispose of lapped traffic almost cost him another spot in the closing stages, as Chris Bussey, in a continuation of his aggressive tactics from the previous weekend, closed the gap considerably aboard his immacu late Golding Contractors Pontiac.

Next in line was the ever-improv ing Kelvin Hamilton (Midas Exhausts Pontiac), followed by Bob Domjohn (Commodore), Graeme Lehmann (Ampol Commodore) and Darren Bates(Dulux Camaro), who is retiring from competition for

family reasons at the end of this season.

Ian Marshall, having repaired some major damage following the opening lap crash, found himself back on the infield when he slammed his Federal Tyres Commodore into the turn 2 concrete.

Despite a very disappointing field ofjust 13 cars, mainly as a result of a boycott by local drivers, the four qualifying heats provided quality entertainment. Leslight, Bussey, Marshall and Gough collected wins on a very good racing surface.

Time trials saw Paulger smash the existing lap record in finishing ahead of Gough, Leslight, Randall, McHugh and Marshall.

Limited Sprintcars were also pro grammed in preparation for the upcoming Queensland Championship meeting at this venue.

Current state champ Peter Thorley (Kelly Wrecking ’Tognotti) was unstoppable in the feature race, cruising to the line ahead of Ed "Thorley, Shane Conrad, Les Rodgie and Mark Lowe.

- CHRIS METCALF

Nick Girdlestone emerged vic torious in a thrilling, incidentpacked Super Sedan feature race at Archerfield Speedway on Satimday, May 17 to take out Round 21 of the Coastline Vehicle'Transport Super Series.

In yet another race plagued by controversy, Girdlestone (Murray’s Race Pads Camaro) drove superbly under pressure to secure the win in the 30-lap event.

Rockhampton’s Rod Gough (American Truck Spares Pontiac), in his best drive of the season, cap tured second spot, ahead of Ian Marshall (Federal Tyres Commodore)and series leader John Leslight (Wattyl Paints Camaro), who started from pole position.

Twenty cars fronted, including a new Commodore for veteran Bob Domjohn - the four heats were taken out by Leslight, Girdlestone, Gough and Wayne Randall (Ian Boettcher Motors Mazda RX7).

Shane Paulger (Breaka Pontiac) cut the quickest lap in time trials, only to invert the top six in the ridiculous pre-race draw, which

New Club Champion John Shore took out the major award on May 16 at the New South Wales Sprintcar Association’s Presentation Banquet, which was held at the Sunnybrook Hotel & Convention Centre at Warwick Farm in Sydney.

The well-attended function, which was co-hosted hy the legendaiy Mike Raymond and his son, Andy, also paid an emotional homage to recent retiree Garry Rush and his longstanding crew chief, John BaiTett.

In order of presentation, the Speedway Push Car Association of NSW Battler’s Award went to Trevor Shields, while the Craft Differentials Encouragement Award went to Shane Sonter.

Warren Jenner took out a Special Award for his contribution to Sprintcar communications by way of a home page with pointscore updates on the worldwide web.

The A1 Drums Most Promising Driver was former Midget racer Danny Hart and the Australia Wide "Towing Most Improved Driver was Kelly Linigen.

The Bob Lee Best Presented Car was accepted by John Shore Snr, while Bob Jackson took out the Red Bus Best Presented Pit Crew Award.

Wayne Jones supplied a $500 col legiate ring to the Crew Chief of the Year, John Shore Snr, the award in its inaugural year and awarded to the crew chief of the pointscore winning car.

Shore tops NSW awards The Max Dumesny Motorsport Hoosier Tyre Series at Newcastle Speedway Award of $3000 cash plus contingency awards valued at another $3000 - saw John Shore the winner, ahead of Adrian Maher, Bob Jackson, Grant Tunks, Brett Leadsman and Kelly Linigen.

The NSW Sprintcar Association’s Special Awards were then made to Garry Rush and John Barret, who were a prime focus of the evening’s proceedings.

Another Special Award spon sored by A1 Drums was made to David Higgins and Bruce Hounslow, members of the NSW Ambulance Service who selflessly pulled John Cross from his burning Sprintcar earlier in the season and the comment was made that it was nice to see two people so dedi cated to the sport, given that every one who saved the life of American driver Doug Wolfgang had their backsides sued in the USA a few years ago.

An auction and raffle to raise funds for an ailing Tony Warrener

was enthusiastically supported and produced in excess of $6000 -items auctioned included Steve Kinser’s helmet and race suit.

Joint winners of Club Members of the Year were Wayne Ingram and Steve Mansur - Wagga-based Ingram was instrumental in the successful running of the NSW Title at Wagga, while Gunnedahbased Mansur organised the $6000 Gough and Gilmour sponsorship at NIM. John Shore topped the Club Pointscore (trophy sponsored by A OK Trophies), heading equal sec ond-placed Adrian Maher and Bob Jackson (both trophies courtesy of Motorsport News).

Then came Grant Tunks (Motorsport News), Peter Attard (Motorsport News), Kelly Linigen, Peter Craft, Mick Turner, Kervy Madsen and Garry Rush (A OK Trophies).

Video footage for the evening was compiled by Alana and Wayne Baines.

- TONY GLYNN

Girdlestone victorious

should have Put Blair Granger (Bridgestone "Tyre Centres Pontiac) on pole position.

However, a major gaffe by series officials saw Leslight, who was only seventh quickest, promoted to pole, while Granger was shuffled back to the inside of row four.

Paulger .was again embroiled in drama as he charged his way through the field from position six.

Having progressed as far as sec ond spot with some spectacular passes, the crowd-pleasing Paulger challenged Girdlestone as they approached a gaggle of dicing tailenders in turn 4.

Paulger dived low in an effort to take the lead, only to find Girdlestone had already filled the gap.

The resultant collision exploded Paulger’s outside rear .tyre, putting him on the infield with Jamie McHugh (Miami Smash Repairs

Falcon), who had also retired with a flat tyre after/being fenced by Paulger on the opening lap.

Girdlestone then found himself airborne as he skated across the top of Richard Kay’s Falcon before bouncing back to earth to lead the field away at the restart.

Paulger’s demise moved Leslight, who was struggling with severe understeer, back into second with nine laps remaining.

Gough relegated Leslight with -●six laps to run and Marshall, hav ing regained fourth from Granger, did likewise on the penultimate lap to snatch third spot.

The dicing back in the pack was ferocious, as Mick Doblo, Chris Bussay, Peter Warren, Kelvin Hamilton, Wayne Randall, Graeme Lehmann and Craig McGeorge swapped spots constantly and, despite a couple of clashes that brought the race to a halt, put on a

great show. Randall’s challenge ended when he was unjustly ban ished to the rear after being spun

by Bussay, who also put Doblo around in the same spot before any official action was taken.

A final restart came with five laps remaining, when Brian Missen (/^S Pontiac) became the last of Bussey’s victims and slammed the back straight fence after a hit from behind.

Granger drove splendidly and avoided the chaos to snare fifth spot, ahead of Lehmann, Warren, Hamilton, Bussey and AI Starling.

Needless to say, tempers flared in the pits afterwards, with several drivers fuming about the carnage and the lack of action from race stewards, which was a disappoint ing end to what was a totally absorbing and thoroughly enter taining race.

- CHRIS METCALF

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^

Unlike last year’s Sprintcar Racing Association of Victoria Presentation Banquet, where Matthew Reed made a clean sweep of the major awards, this year’s bash was a lot more open, with more drivers having their moment in the spotlight.

While everyone knew that Reed had successfully defended his-SRA Series title after beating Tim McCubbin and Darren Walsh, the Club Championship was a bit of an unknown quantity and, fittingly, it went to a driver who is a hot head at times^ but is a hell of a competi tor, is fast and fair and has just completed what he said was one of his best seasons.

That man was Warmambool’s Phil Johnson.

Not surprisingly, Reed was run ner up, with McCubbin third.

“I thought I would win the ‘Ai'sehole of the Year’ award for all the trouble I’ve stiiTed this season,” said a truly surprised Johnson.

“It’s great to win this champi onship and it’s great to see that, despite all the infighting and stir ring that has gone on this season, that we can all come together and have a good time.”

Johnson also told Motorsport News that this had not been his last season - as he had stated pre viously - and that he was looking at a couple of options involving cars from outside his home base at Warrnambool.

The 360ci portion of the SRA Series was taken out by Mt

Johnson tops SRA Awards Gambler’s Gerard Boult from Rod Matthews and Wayne Milburn, while the Motorsport News Constructors Championship and Engine Builders Championship went to Tiner from Stealth and John Sidney from Graham Hussey, respectively.

Probably the second most presti gious award is the Doug Wrightdonated Rookie of the Year award, which was keenly contested by yet another swarm of young drivers making the step up to the thundeaand lightning brigade.

In the end, it was a close-fought tussle between two drivers from the Western district.

But, when all was said and done, it was the Australian National Sprintcar Poll co-rookie of the year, Stephen Bell, who had added the Victorian title to his resume.

Ian Vale, the Australian Title winning crew chief for Max Dumesny, kindly donated the for award Outstanding Achievement and the list of three nominations was finally whittled down to one. Rod Matthews.

From four nominations, rookie Tony Simone emerged as the Quick>?.

Race Parts “Battler of the Year," having made his debut with hardly as much as a spare front-end on the trailer.

New Club Champion Johnson was also the donor of the “SRA Series Crew Chief of the Year” tro phy, which this time went to “The Big One” - Mark Walsh - for the efforts on his brother Darren’s #97 JSR. An elite panel ofjudges voted on the W & G Mowers “Best Presented Car & Crew” award, which fittingly went to the immaculate McCubbin Racing Team.

Greg Foster of D&F Racing Products donated the prize for the “Unluckiest Driver” and had some say in who won it, Flocon Racing’s Steve Knight ultimately taking out ’’the award.

Wayne Milburn snared the Russell Clark “Most Improved Driver” trophy, while Shane Stephenson took the Evans Family “Encouragement Award.”

-BRETT SWANSON

IN STRIFE Jason Crump, in a happy mood(above)after celebrating his victory in the Greg Hancock Testimonial 1998 event at Coventry, is now facing a banfrom domestic UK meetings.(Mike Patrick pic)

CLUB CHAMP... New SRA Club Champion Phil Johnson, sideways in front of Ray Scott. (Brett Swanson pic)

I

« -

By Tor^y Millarci

Chris England’s topPrix, fin isherLouis, in the Czech Grand was back on home soil to win the British Championship at Coventry just 48 hours later with a 15 point maximum from his five rides.

Joe Screen took second place, dropping his only point of the day to Louis in his third ride.

Title-holder Mark Loram missed the meeting, with a recur rence of his shoulder problem that meant he was not fully fit in the Grand Prix.

G

Warren wins in Gympie

Peter Warren (Caloundra Exhaust Commodore) collected an overdue feature race victory when he scored a narrow win in Round 7 of the Skinner Engineering Super Sedan Series at Gympie’s Mothar Mountain Speedway on May 9.

Starting from pole position after an unbeaten run through qualify ing, Warren established an early buffer between himself and his pur suers before a couple of stoppages and a slick track enabled Jamie McHugh, who was using the meet ing to experiment with wing set tings on the rear of his Miami Smash Repairs Falcon, to mojint a serious challenge in the second half of the 25-lap event.

McHugh drew alongside Warren at one point in the main straight and briefly moved ahead, before Warren obtained superior bite .through turn 2 and reclaimed the 'top spot.

Wayne Randall was the big

mover through the field, steering his Castrol Mazda RX7 into third spot after a poor qualifying effort put him back in ninth spot on the

grid.

Series leader Cameron Meehan (Lewin Homes Falcon) finished in fourth, ahead of Chris Albert, who drove particularly well in just his third outing for the yeai- after starting his Bob Jane T-Maris Commodore on the outside ofrow five.

Don Birt (Aussie Auto Falcon), Lee Noon (Repco Commodore), A1 Starling (Byron Towing Pontiac).

Darryl Dimmick (Noosa Exhaust Centre Falcon) and Geoff O’Keefe, who spun his Torque Gas Conversions Falcon twice in the same spot, rounded but the top ten.

Toowoomba veteran John O’Mara was enjoying a strong performance, until his Oakey Wrecking Pontiac expired in a cloud of steam while occupying fourth spot.

Warren picked up three heat wins from as many starts, with

McHugh Meehan and O’Mara col lecting one apiece.

Modified Productions were well down in numbers for Round 9 of the Autobarn Series, but put on some tenific racing in the heats.

Mark Pagel, Brock Clifford and talented youngster Andy Geppert visited victory lane.

The 20-lap feature lacked the same intensity, though, as new Queensland champ Gary Pagel romped home by a considerable margin, moving into the series lead as a result.

Mark Pagel finished in second, ahead of Geppert, Clifford, Troy Brittle and Jeff Blackburn.

The City of Gympie Super Street Sedan phampionship featured a stunning drive from Greg Waters, who charged to victory from the rear of the field in the 25-lap feature.

Frank Packer, Ewan Johnstone, Jim Springate and Geoff Pickering were next best.

- CHRIS METCALF

rand Prix race director Ole Olsen has called for unfit rid ers to be ruled out of future GP meetings.

Both Brian Andersen and Mark Loram raced in Prague with shoulder problems - but, with each among the seeded riders, they knew they would gain at least 5 GP points simply for turn ing up.

Andersen is expected to miss at least the next GP because his shoulder, damaged last season, is again causing problems.

The bones have parted and the pin that was inserted to help repair the damage has snapped.

The Dane has been advised to let things repair naturally and that could see him out for most of the season.

Australian GP astar Crump faces banJason from domestic meetings in England, after missing a meeting prior to the Czech Grand Prix.

The English Elite League fix tures have been planned this sea son to avoid any clash with GP dates and riders are expected to meet all club commitments.

Crump rode in Sweden on the Tuesday and went straight to Prague for the Friday GP and so missed a club commitment with Oxford on the Wednesday.

Crump is adamant he had flu and was unfit to race - and, cer tainly, he was off-colour in Prague.

At the Marketa Stadium he said; “I’m not very well at the moment and at this level of com petition that shows up pretty well.

“I felt very stiff on the bike and I’m aching ail over.”

A broken rocker arm in his first race hardly helped the cause of the man from Mildura..

Czech rider Bo Brhel aiso received a ban for missing a meeting for Kings Lynn on the same day.

Leigh was feringAdams from flu in another Prague,suf but he battled on and is safely among the seeded riders for the second GP in Pocking on June 6.

“I’m very happy. I just floated along with the format, just doing what I could,” he said afterwards.

“It was weird, because I found you have your heats where you qualify for your gate position and you have do or die heats when you’ve got to go for it to finish in the top two.”

Perth’s Johnston is doing well inSteve European Longtrack meetings, but has struggled to find his form for his club, Oxford, in domestic speedway.

“I enjoy the longtrack, because I do not feel the pressure like I do when I ride in team speedway - I hate letting people down.

“Everyone has been so good to me at Oxford and I want to repay them with some good scores, which I know I can achieve,” he said.

Aussie Nigel SadlerUnder-21 had astar surprise mechanic alongside him for the World Under-21 quarter-final in Germany.

Russian star Roman Povazhny, who became friendly with Sadler during the Russians’s recent tour to UK, offered to help and his efforts proved invaluable.

British club Peterborough is set to tour Russia later this year.

An invitation has been extend ed for a five meeting trip at the end of September.

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1969 BMW 2002,fully prepared Road Rallies 2.2 litre engine, 5 speed gearbox, twin caliper brakes. Veto seats, Simmons wheels, Terra Trijr, Intercom, Sabelt 6 point harness, full custom interior. Ready for any event. $22,000. Ph:036231 4253. la AUSCAR Sportsniafi VL Comm, fully rebuilt body, 2 pack paint, all suspension, new full float diff, seaL s/wheel, wfndows, fuel tank,5 rims. Urgent sale. $2,500. Ph:03 97436259(AH), la

Ford Escort SS,red & silver, Windsor Super I'lO close ratio.

Falcon diff, fibreglass bonnet, boot and guards. Must sell $7,500ono. Ph: Barry Wraith 075594 0860,018 450 213. 129 HQ Holden 253 V8, not rusty, very straight body. Will sell separately. GTS dash, body panels in excellent order. May suit race car or Register. $1.OOOono. Ph:02 4961 5527. 129 Chevrolet (rare)‘62 Impala "pillarless" Norm Beechey replica. 350/auto; dual fuel, louvred bonnet, big wheels & tyres.

V good example, plus $1,500 NOS parts. No rego/RWC. Affordable classic. $7,950. Ph: Miles 039354 9322. 129 HQ race car, NSW #16, 2nd in 1997 Div 1 Championship.

Perfectly set up, strong C&B engine. Ready to race -r complete inventory of spares. Assistarjce given to purchaxr. $8,200 {+ trailer$9.700).Ph: 029748 1564. 129

Turbo VL Commodore wagon. New turbo and gearbox and silver paint. Colour-coded CSA mags, new tyres, ALL Calais elec options. Pedders susp, tinted windows. 12 mths reg, $10,500 ono(0418)471899. 129 Spoilsman VL, comes with fresh motor, radio. 4 spare wheels, jacks, stands, heaps of spares. $9000ono. (02) 6585 1397 AH(Cameron). 129 Thunderdome HQ, all log books. New sealed motor (as new), sealed box. $7200, can be test driven before sale! Ph (03) 9563 7072. 129 NASCAR, Pontiac Grand Prix (ex-Jim Richards), complete or will separate engine, spares etc. Also pit equipment.(03)9430 5538(AH). 129 AUSCAR/Spoilsman, VL Commodore #6. ALI spares and spare body with cage. Urgent sale, $10,000 ono. (0417) 844 078. 129

Mazda RX3 Coupe rolling shell. Good lyres, mags, needs paint/panel work. Good for Club Car or rally. $2,500ono. Ph: 08 8261 6672,015793613. .28 Commodore Sports Serian, two races old, new 350 Chev mid-mounted, T10 gearbox, 9" floater rear, fibreglass panels all round. Comes with spare springs, moulds, wets etc. $26,000.

Ph:026355 5995. 12a Datsun 1600 Sports Sedan. Full space frame chassis, full fibreglass body. 2 sets Nissan factory race wheels, 4 spare R180 diffs, A arm suspension and more. $5,700. Ph: 03 5422 7474,0419 334 786. ra

Alfa Romeo Guilia Sprint GT. Full-off body restoration, 2 litre nxitor, adjustable suspension, 5 speed gearbox, log book.

LSD, trip computer. Great Targa, Dutton or Club Car. 3rd in class Targa NZ, 3rd in class Targa Tas 97. Spent $45,000, ask ing $16,500. Ph:0418 793 390. la

Subaru 94/95 WRX, Quiktrac, 12 months reg. 3" exhaust, AVO intercooler & blow-off valve, 4 x D98J tyres -r rims, turbo timer, spray kit. /Vnaroo 58 sec, E. Creek 1:51. Second outright, NSW Sprint title. Best offe|- over $30,000. Ph:029524 7849. i»

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MG Holden Special, only one built, grey motor, triple carbs, straight cut Needham box, reg to Dec 98, $8,750. Ph: 03 5775 2643(Mansfield, VIC)

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Celica 1988 GT4 tuibo. 74,000kms; race suspension: diff lock; new tyres. Drives great. Not for Road Reg but perfect for race or rally. $6,800. Ph;024957 2905. 129

Sports Sedan, 78 Celica, 3.51t Rover alum, motor, Celica 5 speed gearbox, LS diff, 4 wheel disc brakes, 15x10 Rebel wheels, dual axle. Reg trailer. $6,500ono. Ph:0265594002. 129 Alfa Sports Sedan,fully rebuilt 350 Chev, mid mounted,fuel injected, Brodex heads, 9" diff, new tyres, seat and harness. $12,000ono or roller $6,000. Ph:019 331 845. 129

Torana, Group 2E Club car. Top HP Irvine headed engine (6 cyl), 4 spot brakes, new tyres. Totally re-shelled and rebuilt. Immac cond,$10,000. Matt(0417)30351. ra Mazda RX4 sedan,rolling shell. Fresh paint, new seat, harness, steering wheel, 4-wheel dixs, new wheels (in boxes), never dri ven. Suit Club Cars or Sports Sedans, offers,(07)3890 3725. 129 Commodore Cup, 98 spec. Fresh motor. Plenty of spares, possible trade w/ road car. $23,000 ono.(0417) 794 933. 129 KE20 Corolla Sports Sedan. 2TG Twin Cam, 5 speed Celica box, diff, A008Rs (5000) 7x13 rims. Harness, race seat, alloy cage, perspex windows, adjustable struts, 2 spare shells, 1 engine in bits. $2,500ono. Ph;018659 123,

Commodore Cup, Car No. 8. Professionally-builf turn-key oar. no expense spared, Piatt engine, immaculate condition.

Opportunity to enter competitive National class which includes Bathurst. $23,000. Ph: Ian 03 9556 5400,0418 395 566. 129 Works Escort RS1800 BDA. 1977 English factory Boreham-built, Colin Bond-owned, Greg Carr driven, lYK 000.

Winner 1978 ARC, 1978/9 Castrol Internationals. Full restoration.

Factory Cosworth BDG alloy 21 (used by Ari Vatanen), ZF 5 speed, floating 5.1 locker, AP Racing brakes/clutch, Bilsteins.

Historic. Forced iaie. Offers. Ph:07 5529 7146

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Mazda RX3 2E Club Car, 13B bridgeport, MoTec fuel inj, Needham CR 5-sp box, LSD, RX7 Series IV 4-sp calipers (F) & Series III (R). Adj susp,freshly dynoed(300hp), xted & ready to race. $12.5K with MoTec loom & prog but no ECU,$15K with Clubman ECU,$15.5K with Pro ECU.(0417)441 395. 129 Sale or lease. Commodore V8 Supercar. VR, Perkinsbuilt and unchanged since delivery Chev engine. Lease to driver with correct budget or sale, with or without engine.

POA. Ph: Phil Ward 018 276 323, 02 9533 4909 (BH), 02 9817 5560(AH). 12s

Mitsubishi Galant VR4. Direct import. Correctly imported for rally reg. No damage, goes and drives A1. Abxiute bargain, must be xld $7500. Ph Richard McNay(0418)526 852. 128 Sports Sedan, Escort. Half built fibreglass bonnel, boot spoiler.

Full cage, mags,adj struts, clutch. Must xll $1500.(02)6386 3575 Datsun 1200 2E Club Car. Top HP JTS A15, Sunny 5-sp, big brakes, Adj susp, NSW Championship 92-94. E Creek 1:51, Amaroo 58,$7900 ono(Bargain).(02)97571470. 129 Renault 12 Gordini replica. Historic rally car. Loads spares inc 3 motors, one full-race spec. $8,000. Ph:026554 2165. 129

(AH). 129

Datsun Stanza rally dar, damaged from hitting stump.

2230CC motor, forged pistons, big port head. Twin 48s, ceramic clutch, 260Z/Holinger box, works rear end, 4.6 rear end. Davis struts, Bilstiens.$7500, will xp. Delian (0418)221 353(Melb). la

Nissan Silhouette GTS. SVD, series 2, manual, low kms, immaculate and original. $21,000ono. Ph:026331 8707. 128

continued over page

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NAME: ADDRESS:

CATEGORY; Cars:

□ Sedans □ Open Wheelers General: □ Parts □ Engines □ Trailers

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□ Speedway □ Drag □ Photographs □ Other □ Wanted

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Drag Racing 'M *

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TE Cortina Street Stock. Four meetings old, current ASCF Celica 1988 GT4, intercooled turbo, 74,000kms, race sus pension, electronic diff lock, electric leather seats. Not for road rego, but can be rally registered. $7,300ono. Ph; 02 4957 2905 01 0419434 341,

reg, AutoMeter gauges/tacho, brand new 250 x-flow. Bilsteain SUSP, spares. Very Competitive car. $5400. David Duncan 30 Maroondah Hwy Healesvilles 3777. 129 Sprintcar, 85 Gambler roller, low bar, excellent cond, new Maxim bonnet, new seat, alloy axle, quick change super slider, new bladder. Exhaust, helmet net, KSE power steer. Must sell.

Impressive car for age. $6,000ono. Ph: Jason 0418 861 224,02 4733 6885. 129

Truck. 1959 Chev ramp back, V8 auto $15,000. Will consider car swap. 1959 Chev El Camino Wild Bunch Drag Car. John Payne-built, 540 Rodeck, 3 speed air Lenco. Turn key. $55,000. Will separate. Ph: 02 9711 2218. 129

T/Bird, hairy glass panels. Late model, low drag. 5 speed Lenco titanium gear set. Mark Williams modular 4 link housing, model no. 97000. Aluma'Star wheels, MSD ignition. For a Windsor. Lakewood bell housing.

Peter Undy, RMB 5695, Koroit, Vic 3282. 126

Open Wheelers Chevrolet Camaro Z28 95, and Pontiac Rrebird 94. Both with 350 LTI Chev engine, 4 speed auto, twin air bags, ABS, RHD, complianced. $57,000 each. Ph: 03 9772 9907, 03 9634 4333(BH). .29

Historic Delta Ford 1500, VW gearbox. $5,000 Ph: 02 6554 2165. 129

Will Kart Magnum rolling chassis, made by Top Kart. As new condition, raced once, 30mm chassis, 40mm axle. Suit Clubman Heavy or Reed class. $2,350ono. Ph; Steve 08 8532 Super Sedan Pantera. Complete or less engine. Mag diff, bent box, Quickrack, W5 hubs, alloy shocks. Complete with spares, body, SUSP etc. Phone Craig or Bert(089)451 1969. 129 Two LX Toranas, Standard Saloons, top susp. Less motors.

Ring for info $500 each. Also 4 V8 radiators. (03) 5157 5695

1425. 129

Kart - ready to race Clubman kart with 100S motor. Many spares, all in excellent condition. $1,800. Ph:03 9434 1069. .29

(AH).29

Toyota Starlet, twin mode turbo, EFI, roll cage, full adjustable suspension, HKS Racing electronics, adjustable boost control. Factory rally car, fully imported. $16,000ono. Ph: 0412 259 212. .29 Celica Sports Sedan. Built from Lola F5000, it has SOOOcc Chev engine, McKay manifold, Luca timed injection, DG300 g/box and diff, Lola uprights and axles. Many spares. Complete car $38,000. Will sell body shell cAv moulds, panels, doors sep arately ($3,000) if motor and gearbox sold separately. Ph: Bob Gill 03 9510 7418,018 378 943. .29 Holden HQ racer, ready to race, excellent condition, heaps of spares, second set of wheels, spare gearbox & diff etc. Must sell. $4,000. Ph:02 4647 1896,0418 211 341 (AH). 129

Modified Production. Strong 250 Xflow motor, 4 speed.

Good car, plenty of spares, ready to race. Ph: 03 5978 7679, 0419388192. .29

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1991 Reynard,,ex-factory car, low kms, fully rebuild Benson RED engine, good assortment of spares. PDA. Ph: Jeff 9570 3683,0418 172 889. 129

Sprintcar, V92, l/w Tiner chassis. All best running gear.

Winner past 2 years SRA Hoosier series. Ava'lable with or with out JSR engine, wide range spares and 16' trailer. Ph: Matthew Reed 0397630827. .29 Fender Bender, VC Valiant, 1 meeting since engine rebuild, sealed motor. Ultra competitive car, pest of everything. Huge quantity quality spares, including approx 20 wheels & tyres.

Ready to race.$1,500ono. Ph:029525 3430,0418 970 646. 129

Commodore VS Group A, HRT shell, Benson engine, Harrop running gear, Motec system. Comes with spares pack age including wheels & lyres. Assistance given to purchaser.

POA.Ph:026355 5995. la NASCAR, Pontiac Grand Prix. Ready to go, with 2-ways $25,000. Jerico $3500. Cambered rear axle to axle $3000. Chev and Pontiac heads, complete with manifolds, NASCAR block $3000.(02)96364447. 129 Mazda RX-7 series II, 13BBP, 48IDA Weber, extractors, light ened flywheel, 6,000kms on engine, new tyres, 8/98 rego, new two-pack paint, red. $9,000. Ph:02 6281 3576. 12a Datsun Sports 2000 Marque Sports Car. 2nd in Vic championship 1996, 1997; 1:50s at PI. Fully rebuilt, ready to race. Group 0 history. $22,900ono. Ph: Tom 03 9510 1781, 0419356 572. 128

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3 Litre UC Torana Mod Prod. Ex Vic3,6 meetings old, very competitive, adjustable suspension, 3 sets new tyres and mags, fresh engine, Powerglide Centura diff. Power Head. Best of everything. Sold with all spares & tandem trailer. $7,500ono. Ph: Peter 035275 4904. 12a

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Speedcar. Beast hi bar, 4 bar chassis, 13B Bridgeport.

Fastest rotary speedway racing. All good gear, fresh engine, ready to race.$22,000. Ph:02 9618 7006. 129 Torana Modified Sedan. New fibreglass panels, 186ci motor. Old car being updated - unfinished. All major parts there, just needs to be put together. $2,000. Ph:08 8556 3944(SA). t29

Elfin 622 Historic Group Q. Total restoration completed 5 years ago. now running F3 configuration. Quick, relaible car holds Group Q Under 1300 lap records at Amaroo and E. Creek. Full Cosworth Ford engine ex UK, specifically built tor F3 with BDA crank and rods, gear driven camshaft etc, twin plate clutch and Mk8 Hewland. Flawless in finish and presentation.

Documentation available, spares incl. Ph: Richard Harward 02 9789 8470(BH),029568 4147(AH). 130 Formula Two Avanti, 1980, Ford engine. Fully enclosed trailer with tyre rack, 2 sets wheels, spare ratios, spare rear wing, numerous tyres. Engine and ignition rebuilt. $25,000 plus, for right person, will include up tp $5000 sponsorship. Paul Nelson (02)9620 7408. ra Kart, Swiss Hutless Rookie rolling chassis. As new (6 starts) $1800.(0418)851196. 129 Sprint Kart, Monaco GP rolling chassis. Compete less engine and pipe. Race winning kart in exc cond. $900ono (0418) 120

Van Diemen RF92: excellent condition, completely rebuilt, many spares. Fresh Lamer engine. $26,000. Trailer, fully enclosed with work bench (oval axle), carry F/Ford. Registered. $5,500. Ph: John or David Frazzetto 0413 750 401. iz?

Superkart, 80cc Haase Calipso. Second in Aust Championships. Full body lit, heaps of spares including tyres, engine, bodywork etc. Engine currently rebuilt. $3500 ono (02) 9796 8942(AH).

Ewgiites Lotus Twin-cam, professionally built, receipts. Steel crank, dynoed 170hp, 1600cc, dry sumped tank, pump, filter, Aeroquip hoses, 45 Webers, ready to run. Plus 2nd complete spare engine. $8,000 for package. Will pay freight. Ph: (NZ)00 11 647 575 8599 (fax 575 8911). 129 Speedcar or race car engine - Volvo overhead cam, stroker crank, forged pistons, dry sump pump, alu minium oil tank, braided oil lines, fuel injected, Hillborn fuel pump, magneto, exhaust system, plus spares. $6,000ono. Ph: 02 9604 0208. 129 Alloy Chev SB, block brand new, with Ridgecrest 4 bolt main caps $3,500. 13.5:1 Keith Black signature series pistons, new, $600. Ph: Steve 014 029 610. 129 Formula Holden VS, Not raced since thorough rebuild. $15,000(0411) 724 297. 129 Chev small block, Childs&Albert alloy rods, 5-7, brand new (still in box)$1000.(07)3888 5934 Brisbane 129 Chev small block, alloy airflow Research heads.

Brand new, 590hp, complete with valves, springs etc.

Still in boxes. Cost $5000, sell $3200.(07) 3888 5934 Brisbane 129 Holden 202 race engine. Fully rebuilt, balanced, blueprinted. Fully worked head, roller rockers, ACL rac ing pistons, Starfire rods. Crow cam, straight cut gears.

Hi Energy sump. $2,200. Ph: 03 5978 7679, 0419 388 192. 128

Formula Ford current spec engine, fully rebuilt, no miles, manifold to clutch. Just bolt it in. $6,500. Ph: Jeff 9570 3683,0418 172 889. 12s Mazda 12A Bridgeport, fuel injected, complete with computer, all ready to install. Has had low road use, will suit race car, 155 rear wheel hp. $4,500. Ph: 02 9482 8358. 129 Chev dry sump set-up. 3 stage external pump, sump, round alloy tank and braided hoses. $1,200. Ph; 08 8272 7774 7am-7pm. 127 Ford 5 litre, SVO block. Kings crank, JE pistons, Manley titanium valves, Cunningham rods, Yates heads, Weaver dry sump, MSD ignition, Holley carb. Run three meetings $25,000. Ph: Ron 07 5539 9337, Ross 00 11 642 536 0915. 127 Holbay 2400 engine kit (new) for Cosworth YB. includes RS500 block, crank, rods, pistons $8,000.

Cosworth RS500 head, ported N/A specification, new guides, solid buckets flow charts, $3,250. Ph: 08 8204 8869, 08 8278 5988(AH). 127 Holden alloy 12 port head, complete and as new with shaft mounted rockers. Great power increase. $2,300. Ph: Fred 0412 487 771. 127 Weldtech -12 heads, latest design, 267cc, runner, fully CNC ported and lightened. Brand new. $6,000. Ph: 08 8272 7774, 7am-7pm. ,27 Chev 400, +30, Manley 5.7” steel rods, Arais 11.5:1 pistons, TCI balancer, ARP stud kit, windage tray, turbo 292 heads, standard ports 1.60 and 2.02. Heaps more, most parts new. $5,200. Will separate. Ph: 07 3812 4398,0418 105 016. 127

758. 129

Kart - Azzuro, with Yamaha Clubman engine, new powder coated blue, AX6 sidepods. Comes with stand. Suit beginner.

Urgent sale $1,800 ono. Ph: Geoff 035275 3140. 129 Elfin Aero Formula Ford. This unique car is for sale with spares and trailer. Own a piece of Australian motor sport history.

Eligible for Historic racing. Ph:03 9563 1390,0417 774 193. 129 Karts (2), CRG rolling chassis, 40mm rear axle, front camber adjuster. About 8 months old, excellent condition. Also, Kali frame with National engine, ready to race, good cond. Ph:(Tas) 03 6391 1890 between 6.30am & 7pm. 129

Speedway

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Litre Sprintcar, QLD 37, midbar Gerhardt chassis, cut-off Kawasaki, Motec injection, Halibrand quick-change. Proshocks, Schroeder g/box. Complete with spares, wings etc. .$16,500ono. Ph:07 4636 0397(AH),07 4638 3533(BH). 12a Modified Production, LH Torana 3 litre Production Sedan. 2 years old and emphatically maintained as new. Ready to race Elfin MRS Chev F5000. Ex-Cooper, Perkins, Schuppan, with spares and trailer. $7,500 or packaged to suit. Ph: Kevin or Pironi 1979 Rothmans winner. Superb cond, good spares pack Neale 039744 2434. 129 age. $78,000neg. Ph: Peter 03 9890 6586,0418 556 934. 128

Parts Commodore suspension, 4 coilover Bilstein struts, with springs, sway bars, adjustable top hats etc. To suit IRS Commodores. $2,500. Ph: 0419 355 376. 129 Brodix dash-12 heads compolete with jessels $5,500.

Lightweight Grower oarnk 3.625 $2,300; Grower 6” rods $1,300; roller cam to suit $500. All parts 1 season old. Ph: 0418 579 530,03 6442 3053. 129 Tyres - Hoosier racing wets, brand new 16”, 220x10.0-16, x4. New $1200 Sell for $900. Ph: 0412 337 227. 129 Pi-4 data logging acquisition system. Complete with all software etc. Good cond. $10,500. Ph: 03 9752 3030,0417 526 446. 129 Webers (4) 48 IDA (new), c/w Inglese linkages, fuel fit tings, gaskets, pressure gauge, never used, cost $4,300.

Sell $3,200. Ph: 0417 104 582. 03 9890 3454. 129 Brakes - large 4 spot $950: race clutch $500: Lakewood bellhousing $200; Large oil cooler $200; Single rail box with race clutch and bellhousing $950. Ph:02 9639 2730. 129 Toyota 5 speed, with conversion to suit Holden V8, one rebuilt gearbox and two spares. $1,000ono. Ph: 019 331 845. 129

Scorcher twin point dist. New, suit Leyland V8. $350.

Ph:02 6554 2165. 129 Gearboxes, Lotus twin cam, 2.5 first gear Quaif single rail and 2.2 Xtrao 3 rail ultra close box $1500. (02) 9758 1377. 129

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●I AMCA NSW4S. 253 methanol engine, LHD, power quicksteer, alloy Kirky seat, powder coated chassis, 2 pack paint.

Best of everything + many spares - rims, wheels, gearbox, power steer, diff, roof. Very fast, ready to go. Bargain price at 'J12,500ono. Cost over $16,000, 9 months old. Ph: Jason 0418 861 224,02 4736 6424 (AH). 129 Centura Modified Sedan 265ci, MB72 ex-Cory Reid, fabri cated front & rear ends, Volvo diff, Commodore rims, Quicksteer with power, fibreglass panels with moulds. $5,500. Ph: 08 8556 3944 (SA). 129

Formula 500, ex New Zealand. Receipts for motor work.

Complete, ready to race, in NSW now. Offers. Ph: 02 6543

7540. .26

Van Diemen Formula Ford. As raced by Marcus /Vnbrose to second place in the 1997 championship. Top HP Lamer engine (2 races old). New white paint, maintained by Galloway with no expense spared. Come with spare panels, ratio and all parts to do with car. $37,000. Peter Dell (02) 9821 4283 (W), (02) 9755 1709 (H) or (0418) 267 670 (Mob). 126 Formula Vee, Elfin Crusader. Top 10 car at 97 Nationals.

Geberf engine parts, fully end alloy trailer. Updated chassis to Borland specs, urgent sale. Make an offer (014) 907 845. 129

Various; Weaver dry sump pump & dry sump tank, with heater. Many ratios for Jerico box. Ford stroke camshaft, bladder safety petrol tank and a lot more. Ph: Bob Gill 03 9510 7418,018 378 943. 128 Commodore wheels & tyres: five 16x8 Starform alloys with 225/50 Bridgestone RE 520s tyres (half worn). $2,000. Ph: 0419 355 376. 129 Rally parts, Marsh maximo sheepskin, near new $450.

Simpson 3”, 5-point aircraft buckle, wrap-around shoulder straps. $280. Terratrip 202+, inc probe and RZU, $400.

Bluebird TRX mags (5), exc cond. $300 (2) good cond $100. 200B SX mags (3) $80. Yokohama A509, 195/60R15, buffed (4) $160. Other tyres available. Delian (0418) 221 353. 129 Longacre computer scales, new, never used. Ph: 02 4628 8322(AH). 128 V6 Holden parts. Forged steel crank and Carillo rods.

Still in boxes, $3100.(08)9045 4305. 129

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5June 1998 Ford Genuine Boss 302, right numbers, 4-bolt block, stel crank (crack-tested), roller rockers, dual high-rise, 2 x Holleys, $6500(08)9045 4305, i» GT40 fibreglass body, $6500. D-type fibreglass body, $500. (08)9045 4305. 129 048IDA Weber carby, single or pair. Dean (08) 8260 3577. 129 Gompomotive rims, 4 stud 15x6. Also Evo 2/3 spares, shafts, suspension, bumpers. Mazda 323 4x4, fully rebuilt gearbox. Ph: 0419 040 788 (Perth). 128 Motorola two-way radios. Two crew, one driver, car harness with aerial, chargers, two headsets, one helmet kit. As new $2,900. Ph; 02 4628 8322(AH), .a

Traiisporters/Trailers

Enclosed Tandem, with annex and tyre rack, Suit open wheeler up to F/Holden. Internally 4820 x 1920 x 1020. $5000 (0411)724 297. 129 Bedford CF LWB van, V8, Turbo 400, dual filler, bull bar.

Commodore dash and buckets. Engineering certiicate, $6000.

(0411)724297. 129 Bedford, 77 model. Flat Top. New 202, 5-speed, twin LPG tanks. Tool boxes, tyre rack, bucket seats, hwy diff. 11 mths rego.,$3000,(0419)692 6577 or(AH)(02)9724 0806, 129 Transporter, 1985 Mazda T4100.18 x8x8feet pantec. 18x10 feet awning. 12V & 240V power. Benches and o'head cupboards.

Reco motor, new rubber.$10,000 ONO(0417)794 933,129 FIDO, 82 model, ex ambulance, 351 V8, auto, dual fuel, 150lt gas tank & twin fuel tank. Tow bar, with or without 12mths reg & RWC.$10,000ono. Ph:035978 7679,0419 388 192. 129 Fully enclosed trailer, with self supporting canvas annex, ideally suited for Formula FordA/ee. Overhead storage area, mag wheels. $5,500. Ph: Jeff 9570 3683,0418172 889. 129 Tandem trailer, up and over style, plenty storage under neath. Used for Super Sedan & Modified Production. $2,500.

Ph:03 5978 7679,0419388 192. 129

Wanted 1979 isuzu SBR car transporter. Auto, 8 ton winch, tyre racks, ramps, rego Sept, inspection due Feb 1999. $10,600ono.

Ph:026368 3220. 129 Enclosed trailer, suit Speedcar, Litre, or race car. 12'9" long, 6'9" wide, 5'7” high. Override brakes, dual axle, tyre rack, shock rack, radius rod racks, spares shelf. Three months rego, in excellent cond. $3,000ono. Ph:02 96040208. ia Transporter, Converted Millard Starcraft caravan, 30'4 axles, elect brakes, Stanfast annexe 27' x 15'. Sleeps 3+, HWS,show er, stove. 3-way fridge. $10.500ono. Ph:02 4942 6233(BH). 129

WMm

Pit Crew: Super Tourers, Sydney based, voluntary basis, over 18 years, female/male, experience not necessary. Long term, no time wasters, no criminal record. Ph: 02 9774 1711 (BH). 129 Historic lOHP Ford open wheeler was for sale early 97, Penrith area. Would owner contact Barry Ph: 02 9747 8777 (BH), 02 9674 2001 (AH). 129 Pit Crew Subcontract. I'm enquiring about any full time positions available on a team. have Speedway, NASCAR and touring car experience.

Own tools & equipment. Ph:iJason 019 967 450, 03 9431 3653. 129

^Motorsport News' RACE

i 1971 edition Australian Competition Yearbook.

Also 1968 Hardie Ferodo 500 programme. Must be in good cond. Ph: Scott 03 5025 7293. 129 Mazda RX-7 series 4 competition parts: rack, suspension, wheels, glass panels, anything .

Ph: John 02 6734 2259, 02 6732 3353. 129 Rally prepared Falcon, V8 XT, XW or XY. (08) 8344 3113. 129 Wheels, alloys to suit Lexus SC400/Toyota Soarer.

Must be 16, 17 or 18inch and in good condition, with or without tyres. (0418) 581 961. 130 Chev 350 +30 forged pistons to suit 5.7 rods, new or second hand. Ph: Jason 08 8261 6672, 015 793 613. 12B Copy of Lakeside ATCC telecast 29/3/98. I wi l l pay any expenses or swap for copies of any thing in my large motor sport video collection. Ph: 07 4773 5215 (AH). 128 Information on Group C Geminis that raced at Bathurst and their drivers. Any photos, articles, or if you know where the drivers can be reached.

Ph: D. Beck 03 5996 5609. 128

Historic Photos: 70s and 80s, Brock, Johnson, Richards, Senna, Prost etc. b/w and colour, majority unpublished. Tourers, F5000, FI, Sports, also V8s, 2-litre, 500co, Histories. Fax for details 02 9960 6552. ,28 Fastman driving suit, almost new, size 7, $65. Also Bell open face helmet, used twice $75. Ph:02 9894 4634,

saw it m

Tamiya FI kits. Wolf WR1 1/20th. First issue FI Racing. Ph: Andrew 02 4948 4472. 12a

Other FI 1/43 scale diecast Onyx 89-90 models, Quartso Classics, all surplus to my collection needs. From $20 each.

Send sae to R. Krane, 11 Rogers Court, Ballarat East, Vic 3350 for list. 129

AJ *

Nevm

Magazines & Books for sale: RCN, AA, Chequered Hag, all 1970 to 1990 approx, plus other assorted magazines and programmes. Also Motor Racing Yearbooks. Will separate. Ph: 03 98732656,0416131 546. ,23

I

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COIVIIVIENT

5June 1998 Schwantz fan 0

0

0(0^ Nl

Dear Sir, About six weeks ago, I wrote to ask if you could let us know about the progress of Kevin Schwantz.

Thanks for doing so. Being a NASCAR fan I’m thankful to see l that Schwantz column each fort night. I appreciate it, because the USA NASCAR magazines are about a month stale.

Editorial Editor

: David Nassau Technical Editor Tony Glynn Assistant Editor Phil Branagan Graphics Co-ordinator iViv Brumby

,

Advertising

rra*

Send letters to Talk to PO Box 1010 North Vic 3161. our E-mail address, or fax to 03 9527 7766.

The staff of Motorsport News does not necessarily agree with opnions express by readers

Philip Jones Ballarat, VIC

when he made that somewhat bizarre suggestion?

Reading between the whines

Advertising Manager Gerald McDornan

Dear Sir, In regards to Martin O’Neill’s suggestion to slowing down the McLarens, does anyone remember McLaren in 1988, with Prost and Senna winning 15 of 16 Grand Prixs?

If you look at McLaren in 1994, 1995, 1996 and most of 1997, yoii

Administration Managing Director Chris Lambden

Contacts

World Cup Gooooaaaallllll Dear Sir, Now that the Bathurst 1000 is front-runner for next year’s FIA Touring Car World Cup, the Bathurst organisers should work to make sure they secure the Cup not just for next year, but for as long as possible.

other side of the world that very moment

David Baker Davidson, NSW

If this package is put in place, the only other thing I could want is an HRT Vectra in next year’s Super Touring Chainpionship. Yum!

ASp ED: We’re speechless and Saward will be too (er, maybe not). Dunno about the gents of the Sydney press corps, though.

Stephen Hart hartsj@hotmail.com ASST ED: Good points, Hart.

But is the FIA likely to consider an established television pack age as a plus, considering that’s

39 Orrong Cresceni Caulfield North VIC 3161 (PO Box 1010 North Caulfield 316!)

Phone: 03 9527 7744 fax: 03 9527 7766

CompuServe: «ooi37,ii6s

Contributors General: Mike Kable. Jon Thomson, , Brian Reed, Darryl fTack FI: Joe Saward,.Adam Cooper Europe: Ouentin Spurring, Ian Btimsey US: Bruce Smith, Phil Morns H7-. John Hawkins Speedway. Dennis Newlyn, David McNabb, V/ade Aunger, Geoff Rounds, David Lamont, Cfiris Metcalf.

Sue Hobson, Michael Attwell, Tony Millaid (UK), Darren O'Oea Rally. Peter Whitten, Jon Thomson Drag Racing- Gerald McDornan, Greg Ward, Jon Asfier (USA), Dave Ostaszewski (USA), Nick Nicholas, Steven White,

' MOTORSPORT NEWS pGblisfied by AuMfal-'fiii.'in Moiorspon Nt.AVi Ply Lid ACN No 060 !79 920 C i.2irT;Ljaen (.Mcfancjir-f}). D K»5Sa:I. A Glinn

Publisher; ; C InmbrJori Printed by; Wilke Colix 37A9 Browns Rd Oa>'lon i 168 Distributed by: I NOD Lid M.iieritH publiihod uy .MOTOSSPOIO N'lUv; li wOpyfiqht DHd niciy no! Lie '●epioduc.L'd ;n full o; m wiinoul tiu* wfiMon pcrm.^ision o< tf>c ' puLlfShor f reePinre ronrribulions afu welronie. [and while all r.r'ire will be faken, Ausiralavan . ; -Moloripor’’ New5 Ply Lu1 does noc accept [respens’b'lHy fof dainacje o: loss of Diafena!

THE ACTUAL WINNER... Williams FW16 punter Damon Hill was the victor in Barcelona, 1994, not Schuey. find that the well-funded big teams lose their way, i.e. Williams this year.

When Mansell was driving for Williams in 1992, only the rules regarding the jungle juice supplied to the teams caused Mansell to slow down.

If a team has a superior package and drivers over other teams within the rules, then it is up to the other teams to lift their game, not to have people making absurd comments on how to slow the cars down.

Justin McGowan mccojust@minproc.com.au ASST ED:‘Absurd’ is the word; had it occurred to you that O’Neill was probably joking

The advantages of this are-obvi ous. From the point of view of the FIA, they would have a guaranteed track, established support and tele vision package (how did they manage to overlook that, anyway?), For the race organisers, the World Cup status would mean more interest, a bigger audience globally and locally {= bigger profits) and they will be guaranteed the top teams and drivers from around the world because they won’t be pissed off anymore about the lack of a television package!

I hope so, anyway.

I was a bit despondent watching last year’s Bathurst, knowing that the likes of Cecotto, Aiello and Winkelhock were racing on the

■ SUpfUitffXi.

u

I Opinions r.vpFrssed m .Voforsporr News are r:or ! nocessaciy fhose of rXcisUtdaiian Mofcrspc'f NtNvs [Pty Lrd or as .sia^.

■ 'Pecoenmended find rniixinnim puce onh,’

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Post or fax to address above Bankcard, VISA Mastercard, Amex accepred I

^VERTISING WORKS. IT'S THAT SIMPLE! Cali Gerald McDornan on

03 9527 7744

Dear Sir, I would like to draw your atten tion to an error in your “TEN” World ofSport Calendar.

I have been watching for a few months for someone to correct the

I believe NASCARs are available

Ken Ferguson, Scott Jug Super Speedway: Martin Clark (tJ.SA), Brett .Swanson, Grant Nicholas Karts: Iciri Salvestrin, Allan Roark, Graeme Burns, Edward Krause

Mike^arding, Brisbane Motorsport, Frank'MIdgley, John Bosher, Phil Williams, Mike Patrick (UK)

We made a mistake, too

problem, but obviously, no one else has noticed it.

The FedEx series is the 19 round international series for champ cars, while the Indy Racing League is the 11 round North American series, not the other way round as you have pubhshed.

I realise this is no big deal, but I’m sure Motorsport News would like to get it right.

Would it be possible to add a cal endar for both Optus and Foxtel as well, for those who like to pay for their racing telly fix?

Having Optus means you can watch FedEx rounds (including qualifying), as well as So.uth American F3 Series, to name only two.

Email: msnews@corpllnk.com.au

Photographers: LAT, Dirk Klynsinitfi, 2oom Photographies, Neil Hammond, Nigel Snowdon & Diana Burnett, Brad Steele, Tony Glynn, Thunder-Pic.s, Maishall Cass,

but mistakes like this can only be expected from journalists that wTite the poor motorsport columns in one particular Sydney newspaper.

Regarding the issue concerning the lack of racing appeal in FI, I believe that stability in the regula tions will bring the racing closer together, but patience is needed.

Either that, or give the teams as much grip as they can through large slick tyres, or through other non-aerodynamic means.

mMJM i

a department that makes them quite a bit of money?

Saward makes mistake!!

Dear Sir, I am surprised that nobody wrote in to tell you about Joe Saward’s mistake in issue 126.

While he was reporting on Hakkinen’s retirement from the San Marino GP (due to being stuck in fourth gear), he remembered Michael Schumacher’s effort at Barcelona in 1994.

However, Michael did not win that race, as Saward reported.

Damon Hill did.

I respect Saward’s work very much and like reading his articles,

3.9

. . .Tbosufeo/eRneiAocAM zeppcun ENCdtoeo escort, now THEf?e IS A soFte sau>om .. .

on Foxtel, but what else am I miss ing?

For your readers yvho may be interested, I am the designer of Queensland Raceway and would welcome any discussion on the track design via our E-mail: tonys@queensland-raceway.org.au.

To view the design and find out more about Queensland Raceway, readers can visit our Webpage: http://www.queenslandraceway.org.au.

Tony Slattery Willowbank, QLD royclark@dingley.net NOTE FOE READERS: While this page is to air YOUR views on motor racing, Motorsport News does not publish any let ter without a legitimate name AND identifiable address - and, if you e-mail us, we reserve the right to publish your e-mail address. If that is going to get you in trouble at work, don’t email us from there.

By Barry Foley

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