Motorsport News Issue 159 - 13-26 August 1999

no early comeback

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1999 Bathurst Celebration ofAustralian Motorsnort V

M/e are delighted to announce an exciting new format for the traditional Bathurst event in October at the world famous Mt Panorama circuit.

The new format will see the Super Touring cars and others invited categories compete in a sprint race on Saturday and a feature endurance race on Sunday. In addition, the new V8 Bathurst Tourers will compete with AUSCARS in their own 300km endurance race on Sunday morning.

A further seven support categories(with over 300 cars)from Commodore Cup,Austin Healey,Group N Historic, Club Car, HQ Holden, Formula Vee and the brand new Mitsubishi Mirage Series Cars, will make up the most inclusive motorsport event ever staged at Mt Panorama.

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A message from the Managing Director On behalf of the Organising Committee and the Seven Network, I am very pleased to advise that the Bathurst Motorsport Spectacular will be staged on the fraditlonal NSW long weekend in October with the full sanction, support and permit of CAMS Ltd. We are very grateful to the support of a great number of people in relation to this event, and I take this opportunity to thank some of them individually.

To the Bathurst City Council and in particular Mayor Macintosh, General Manager Phil Perram and the Director of Corporate Services Dave Sherley - you guys have done your city proud and you deserve as many successful events as you determine to host. To Graham McVean and everyone at Channel 7 who have every right to be a major player in Australian motorsport. The Bob Jane organisation - Bob, John Reinehr, Peter Bridge and Warren Howard. This would not have got to first base without your encouragement and support. To

Support Categories HQs National C'ships . Group N Commodore Cup Austin Healeys Club Cars Formula Vee Mitsubishi Mirage

Ticket Costs

Entertainment

Peter Brock who never wavered in his support. Bruce Williams who had the dream and will live the dream. Kelvin O'Reilly and his TOCA supporters, together we will provide a future for a genuine niche in Australian Motorsport. To Rob Cutler, Mary Still and Kate Jordan at Clayton Utz -1 think we made petrol heads out of you all! To Craig Fletcher for the advice and the hard work and the team at Advantage - let's get on with the job! Finally to the innumerable supporters of competition and fair play In motorsport who wrote and called and gave us all the strength to continue the fight Together everyone has contributed to the resurrection of the Great Race with a format that will succeed and will grow. Now we need everyone to come to Bathurst and support a true celebration of Australian motor sport.

Steve Frazer - Managirtg Director Advantage International

Competitor Enquiries

Open air concert featuring Australian rock

For all your competitor enquiries contact Craig Fletcher on 03 9427 9655

legend Paul Kelly starting 5pm. Tickets can be

Hospitality

For any signage or commercial enquiries contact Craig Fletcher or Peter White on 03 9427 9655

For hospitality packages and facilities contact Lisa Stockman, Hospitality Co-ordinator on 03 9427 9655

purchased from Ticketek.

Your ticket requirements

General admission

concession

Order Form Name: _ Address:

Your ticket requirements

RaCeWeek pass* (Wednesday loSimchyj Weekend pass* (Saturday & Sunday)

$80 ea $55 ea

$40 ea $25 ea

Sunday pass

$35 ea

$15 ea

Pit/paddock pass#

$20 ea

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Pit straight grandstand

FOC on all days

FOC on all days

TOTAL U(Children under 16 years must be accompanied by an adult whilst in Pit/Paddock Area). CONCESSION: Children 12 to 16 years: Pensioner cardholders. Children under 12 arefree ofcharge. * Ticketing includesfree entiy to Paul Kelly Live in Concert at Mount Panorama on Saturday evening, starting at 5pm

Paddock Camping Costs Per person: Week $75 each Weekend (Fri-Sun) $50 ph{

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Method of payment D Cheque or Money Order payable to Advantage international

(Every ejjforl will be made to allocate your preferred site, however this is not always possible)

□ ViSA

Tickets £r Camping package

Card

You can purchase combined entry ticket and camping package for a week for $155 per person (includes Raceweek pass, paddock pass, camping and Paui Keliy concert) or a weekend pass (Friday to Sunday) for $125 per person (inciudes Weekend pass, paddock pass, camping and Paui Keiiy concert). Piease compiete order form.

Accommodation

For all your accommodation and home rental program contact the Bathurst Visitors Centre on 1800 68 1000.

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$ $ $ $

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Totai amount enciosed/to charge:$ Robyn Dixon Mail 1999 Bathurst Celebration of Australian Motorsport to PO Box 3297 North Burnley Vic 3121 Ph 03 9427 9655 Fax 03 9429 1591

Advantage INTERNATIONAL

13 August 1999

I

Lowndes ba<k for Winton

By PHIL BRANAGAN CRAIG Lowndes is weU on the way to recovery and is confident of being back in the saddle at Winton’s SCS roimd on August 21/22.

The Mobil-HRT star has had his brace ‘released’ on Monday and is now able to drive a manual car for the first time since his post'-Calder surgery late last month.

In an effort to ensure he is fit for Winton Lowndes has been undergoing daily phys iotherapy sessions, as well as hyperbaric treatment at the Bundoora Medical Centre in Melbourne.

“I can bend the knee, but I can’t fully straighten it,” Lowndes reported on Tuesday.

“It’s been a great help to have the brace released but I’ll be in it for another six weeks.”

Lowndes was expecting to have a seat fitting in ‘Steffi’, his 1996 title-winning VS Commodore that Cameron McConville raced at Symmons Plains last week end, on Wednesday this week. He is also having a racesuit modified to accom modate the knee brace under the left leg.

The one hurdle which Lowndes will have to over come before he drives is pass ing a CAMS medical. Apart from actually driving the car - which is no problem, according to Lowndes - he will have to satisfy the authorities that he is able to get in and out of the car with out any assistance.

CAMS rules do not specify a minimum requirement for that test other than NCR 137 (iv) which states, in part, “No driver ... who is suffering from any disability, perma nent, temporary or recurrent ... shall take part as a driver in any event”. In Formula 1 drivers must be able to get out of a car within five sec onds, and this is likely to be Lowndes’‘target time’.

“I’m quite happy about it no. I’m itching to get back into a car and go fast. It was only minor injuries, after all, and it has been a little bit weird to sit back and watch the racing,” he said.

As a backup to Lowndes’ situation McConville will be at Winton ‘just in case’. In the likely event that Lowndes does drive, McConville is like ly to steer a microphone for Network 10 as Barry Sheene will be at the Czech 500 GP.

!

Knee trembler: Lowndes’ injuries from the Calder crash could have been much worse, and Craig is confident of a comeback at Winton in 8 days.(pnotobyThunderpics)

#●#

as HRT starts new Vf

Tjjg jjolden Racing Team has taken delivery of a new Commodore VT body shell to replace the car destroyed at Calder.

Team boss Jeff Grech took delivery of the new Dencar-built shell last week, prior to starting a build program for the car.

The resultant VT is expected to be indentical to the cars raced by Lowndes and Mark Skaife during this season.

The team expects the new car to be ready for Lowndes to race at the Oran Park Shell Series round on September 4/5.

close

points posi tion at the top of the Shell series table is set to cause a long distance dri ver pairing conundrum at HRT. With the championship unlikely to he decided prior to Bathurst and both its regular drivers now in the title hunt, the team faces a com plex decision as to whether to pair title contenders Lowndes and Skaife together as a hot combo for the Bathurst race, or split them among the team’s two cars as a hob each way safety guarantee in terms of the champi onship outcome.

Double points, 300, are up for grabs at both the Queensland 500 and FAI 1000, with the likelihood of several drivers being with in striking distance of Lowndes and Skaife in the

Screen my calls; Michael was not at Hockenheim racing but his image was put up on the superscreens to enabie his fans to see him. (Photo by Sutton-images)

Second pp for Schu

By JOE SAWARD

MICHAEL Schumacher underwent a second Klynsmilh

championsbip chase.

With Cameron McConville and Paul Morris (above) contracted to the Mobil team for the long distance races, the early assumption that Lowndes and Skaife would run together is likely to be under question, a pairing decision is unlikely until at least after the final sprint round, at Oran Park, on September 5.

- CHRIS LAMBDEN

Doohan likeiy to miss September There’s been no official update on Mick Doohan’s recovery from his leg injury, but late mail indi cates that the five-time Champ is not going to be fit enough to race during September. Doohan’s 500 comeback, therefore, may have to wait for the Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island on October 3.

■ Ditto no firm news from the UK this week as Mark Webber continues negotiations with AMG Mercedes for a contract release to enable him to take up a Jordan FI test deal (as per our story last issue). Some news is expected in the next fortnight...

Craig and Mark and Cam and Paul?

THE

3

operation over the week end at a clinic in Geneva, Switzerland, with surgeons removing some of the pins which were inserted into his leg in the operation which took place at Northampton General Hospital on the after noon of his crash at Silverstone a month ago.

This has led to press speculation in Germany that there was no need for the pins to be inserted in

the first place.

While Schumacher can not hold out much hope of winning the World Championship this year he does not wish to dam age his chances in 2000.

At the same time Mika Hakkinen’s failure to score many points in recent races means that Michael is still only 12 points behind the McLarenMercedes driver in the World Championship and, while it would not be pos sible to close the 20 point gap to Irvine, it is not impossible that he could finish runner-up to his team-mate, particularly if Hakkinen fails to get good

results in Hungary and Belgium.

The Ferrari team says that Michael will not be back before the Italian Grand Prix at the earliest and this is realistic as, in addition to needing the time for the bones to knit properly. together Schumacher needs to allow for the injury on his foot to heal as this is cur rently restricting his movements.

Even if this does not affect his driving it would make it hard for him to pass the FIA test which insists that a driver must be able to get out of his cockpit within five seconds.

■ Cameron McLean has announced that GTP and former V8 racer Wayne Park will share the Greenfields Falcon with him at the Queensland 500. BTCC stalwart and regular Australian visitor John Cleland is already signed to partner McLean for the FAJ 1000, but his commitments with Vauxhall preclude a Queensland 500 start.

■ Another driver pairing con firmed for the two V8 long dis tance races pairs Tasmanian Dean Crosswell with NT young ster Layton Crambrook.

11 Driver power prevailed at Symmons Plains last weekend, when part of a new earth bank wall was bulldozed prior to Sunday’s racing. The new earth en wall, all the way around the long double left-hander at the end of the main straight, was recently put in place, but V8 dri vers’ concerns about having a solid wall at right angles to the direction of travel at such a fast spot (without a sand trap in front) were eventually heeded and the relevant part of the wall was taken out.

H Stewarding notes from Symmons: Mark Poole was repri manded for his part in a race three incident with Rodney Forbes (turn 6), while Layton Crambrook was issued with a warning following his clash with David ‘Skipp/ Parsons during Saturday’s privateer race.

H Wynns Racing admitted at Symmons Plains that Greg Murphy’s car was running differ ent dampers for the first time.

'That led to two interesting bits of speculation; that they were running NEMOs like Paul Morris’s BMW (denied) and that they had a look at the underside of Lowndes’ car when it went over at Calder (also denied).

■ With all the moves on the CART driver market, there is a fair bit of speculation on who (whom?) will end up where.

Expect ‘SuperSuh’ Roberto Moreno to be near the top of most teams’ shopping lists (espe cially Patrick Racing and Walker) and Canadian Lee Bentham to suit up for l^layersfunded, ex-Greg Moore nde at Forsythe Racing.

4

IM

13 August 1999

■ Son of a Gun: John Harvey’s 28 year-old son Gavin is a starter in the new Mitsubishi Mirage one-make series, which kicks off at this week end’s Oran Park Super Touring round. Gavin, who has returned to full fitness after fighting off cancer a year ago, is funding his race pro gramme himself.

■ While a combined Super TouringA^S race hasn’t got the nod here in Australia, plans have been confirmed for the Liquor King Drivesafe 500, at Auckland’s Pukekohe track, on November 7. The race will pit NZ V8 touring cars(very similar to the new Bathurst Tourers) against NZ 2 Litre Touring Cars and FIA App J Super Production 2 Litre Touring Cars.

■ It appears likely that Carl Haas will abandon his three year relation ship with Swift and return to Lola in a deal to include a “spare parts distributorship”. Talk is that, along with leaving the American chassis manufacturer, NewmanHaas will get the services of Dr Mark Handford, Swift’s technical director.

S One thing that is cer tain is that Brazilian Luiz Garcia Jr is joining Hogan for the rest of the se.^son. Garcia is taking hi(k sponsorship money from the struggling Payton-Coyne team with him.

■ Penske-bound Indycar driver Gil de Ferran is switching sports - to baseball. On 'Hiesday, Aug. 10 the Brazilian took the pitch-' er’s mound at Pro Player Stadium to throw out the ceremonial first pitch for the Major League game featuring the Florida Marlins against the San Francisco Giants. “I’m excited and a little ner vous,” de Ferran admit ted before the game. “I just hope my pitch won’t hit the batsman.” That’s ‘batter’, Gil...

■ V8 Supercar’s rat ings are very impressive; after Rugby Union’s recent Oz/NZ test match and three AFL matches Calder’s broadcast was fifth for the weekend of July 24/25. Almost 460,000 viewers tuned into the ‘Baz, Mark and Diff Show’on Network 10, miles more than Nine’s Austrian GP(8th, 190,400 viewers) and lO’s Michigan CART(10th, k61,000).

■ Formula Vees have been added to the support program for Bathurst in October. Expect up to 75 of the air-cooled critters to storm the Dipper in the races on Mt Panorama.

DIM

Consumer watchdog to investigate AVESCO

By PHIL BRANAGAN THE onward march of the V8 Supercar jug gernaut has attracted the attention of Australia’s business watchdog.

The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission, the coun try’s consumer watchdog, has just launched an investigation into the V8 Supercar governing body AVESCO. News Motorsport understands that the ACCC wrote to members of the Motor Racing Promoters’ Association on July 29 seeking submis sions in relation to their investigation.

In the letter bedded “AVESCO’s use of Australian motor racing circuits”, the ACCC says that it has received alle gations that “AVESCO may be attempting to pressure circuits into staging only the AVESCO class event, such that no other competing V8 style event would be staged at the circuit.”

This appears to be an obvious reference to the Bathurst Tourer(nee New Millennium Auscar) cate gory.

'The letter goes on to say that AVESCO’s conduct raises potential implica tions under section 46 of the Trade Practices Act, which deals with competi tion between corporations and misuse of'market power.

'The ACCC seeks advice on “corporations elimi nating or substantially damaging a competitor”; “preventing the entry of a person into that or any other market”; and “deterring or preventing a person from engaging in competitive conduct”.

To prove its case the Commission must prove that a corporation has a substantial degree of power in its market and that a corporation took advantoge of that power for anti-competitive pur poses.

While the ACCC does not make public details as to how and why their investi gations are initiated, in theory it is possible for a

Close run thing: V8 Supercar racing has been a great success on the track but now the ACCC is looking at class promoter AVESCO.(Phoio by oirk Kiynsmith) wide-ranging number of parties to have input into the enquiry.

Bathurst organiser Advantage International would not be drawn on what input it may have into the ACCC investiga tion: “We’re busy with our event and we hope that the ACCC can sort out the issues involved,” Advantage spokesman Craig Fletcher said on 'Tuesday.

What is AVESCO? AVESCO: The Australia Vee-Eight Supercar Company Chairman: Mr Tony Cochrane Chief Executive: Mr Garry Craft Shareholders: TEGA,SEL(Sports & Entertainment Ltd), AMSC TEGA: The Touringcar Entrants' Group Australia (Represents the VSSupercar teams) Chairman: Mr Garry Craft General Manager Mr Ken Potter AMSC:The Australian Motor Sports Commission Limited An independent company, licensed by CAMS,to “conduct, promote, man age and advance motor sport, and to maximise the business opportunities w/ithin the sporT (source: CAMS Manual of Motorsport).

Chairman: Mr John Osborn (President, CAMS) Commisioners: Mr Bob Porbes Mr Terry Mortis Mr John Schaap Mr David Tait

Fernandez, The tecmi owner formerly ittipaldi out known os Prince ©f CART

By JOE SAWARD

THERE was a consider able amount of talk in

ADRIAN Fernandez and Christian Fittipaldi will be out of CART racing for some time.

The Patrick Racing driver was injured during Friday prac tice for last weekend’s Champ Car race in Detroit.

He crashed at Turn 2 oil the circuit and was flown to an Indianapolis hospital where he underwent surgery to insert a metal plate and screws into his right injured wrist.

It is not yet known who will replace the Mexican at the team. “This is obviously a very unfortunate and sad situa tion,” said team owner Pat Patrick.

“Adrian was off to a very strong start and is a contender for the PPG Cup. “The most important things are that he receives the best medical care possible and that he has a full recovery.”

Fernandez will be allowed back in his racecar after he receives the all-clear from CART’s chief orthopaedic consul tant Dr Terry Trammell.

He is currently fifth in the CART championship on 95 t ● points.

Fernandez is the second Champ Car driver to be ouj of the series through injury in the last week.

The previous Monday, Fittipaldi suffered head injuries after crashing during a test at Gateway International Raceway.

Fittipaldi was knocked unconscious for five to 10 minutes after backing his Ford/Swift into the Turn 1 wall during a test at Gateway International Raceway.

Fittipaldi was airlifted to St. Louis University Hospital, where he was admitted to the neurological intensive care unit, where he regained full consciousness.

‘Super-sub’ Roberto Moreno, just off an eight-race stint in Mark Blundell’s PacWest seat, will sub for the Brazilian. Two years ago, Moreno drove seven races for Newman/Haas after Fittipaldi broke his leg at Surfer’s Paradise.

Fittipaldi, currently fourth in the FedEx championship points, is enjoying his best season, having scored his first career pole (Rio)and his first career victory(Road America).

the Hockenheim paddock suggesting that Arrows team owner Prince Malik

ado Ibrahim may shortly be.bought out of the operation by his partner Tom Walkinshaw.

Walkinshaw and Malik own 50 percent of the team with the other half belong ing to the investment bank ing company Deutsche Bank Morgan Grenfell.

The stories in Germany suggested that,the deal struck last winter involved certain deadlines by which payments had to be made by the partners and that the end of July was an important date in the com pletion of the transaction.

Prince Malik has made no secret of the fact that the team needed to raise more money and there is no sign that the curious “T-minus” branding idea has produced any income.

We believe that if the agi'eed deal is not completed there are provisions for a settlement between the partners which will allow one to acquire the shares of the other.

It is probably not a coinci-

On yer bike, Mai: Prince Malik ado Ibrihim. (pnoto by suiton) dence that in recent weeks Walkinshaw has been sell ing offsome of his^ar deal erships in the Ixion Motor gi'oup and relocating others to new premises. This is estimated to have raised

several million dollars.

It was intbresting to note that while Walkinshaw was in an unusually chirpy mood in Gennany. the Prince looked decidedly glum...

13 August 1999

Wayne rules Japanese GTs

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Gardner-san: Wayne Gardner added a four-wheel victory to his two wheel triumphs in the Land of the Rising Sun by belting the GT field at Mt Fuji. With Gardner on the podium is co-driver Hideki Noda. (Photo by suiton-images) Comas leads the series on 61 points, while Gardner and Noda are now seventh on 31, with 20 points available for a win.

In the GT300 class, Porsche’s brand new 996GT3 driven by Hideshi Matsuda showed immaculate perfor mance, taking the lead on lap 5 and never relmquishing it.

The two remaining rounds of the series will be a TI Aida on September 24, while the final is at Motegi on October 24.

Ingall and Richards cleared at Symmons

1

Development V8 class off?

AVESCO’s plans for a restricted low-cost devel

opment category for V8 Supercars may not now materialise - that alter nate series of races now slated as the prime place fof'VS Supercar Privateers to race.

Latest AVESCO predic tions for 2000 suggest that the V8 Supercar group could have as many as 32 Level 1 franchised cars on-track.

Given this scenario it is likely that the privateer’s task in qualifying for many

events could be a tough one hence the proposal that the second series be for full-spec V8 Supercars that are not part of the Level 1 show.

AVESCO Chairman Tony Cochrane confirmed the pro posal this week.

“It could well be the best option for what we now call our Privateers,” he said.

“The second series will have five stand-alone rounds, plus races at several of our rounds and its own TV. “Given the high number of Level 1 franchises we expect to have - a number of current

privateers are expected to take up Level 1 fi'anchises next year - it could be a pretty tough time for privateers travelhng interstate, trying to qualify...”

It has been suggested that the V8 Supercar show could thus eventually follow a ‘soc cer-style’ format, with the bottom two teams each year dropping to the ‘second divi sion’, the top two finishers from that series moving up.

In the meantime, AVESCO stUl expects to issue its 2000 calendar during the third week of September.

- CHRIS LAMBDEN

0 There continues to be much speculation as to why Mika Hakkinen suffered a Bridgestone tyre failure at Hockenheim. The damaged tyre was flown back to Japan for investigation and everyone involved has been very keen to play down the problem. We understand that prior to Hakkinen’s problem the team had suf fered two other similar fail ures (one for David Coulthard in qualifying and another for Hakkinen - which went largely unre ported). On aU three occa sions the failure occurred when the tyres were nev> and no other team suffered in a similar fashion. The impheation is that the extra grip afforded by new tyres and the grip level of the McLaren MP4-14 which is higher than that of all its rivals - combined to cause the tyre to faU, prob ably because the stresses within the tyre were greater than anticipated.

H Damon Hill has said that he will continue to race until the end of the season despite his decision to stop during the German Grand Prix because he did not like the brakes of his car. Hill said that the car was too dangerous to drive but this did not stop HeinzHarald Frentzen finishing third in the race.

■ Honda’s president Hiroyuki Yoshino under lined the company’s desire to remain independent despite the rationalisation going on in the automotive industry at the moment.

Yoshino said that the size of the company is not important if the products are good. BMW chairman Joachim Millberg said the same thing when he announced a 27% fall in profits for the-Gennem com pany in the first six months of the year.,Fiat has bid several times for a merger with BMW and we hear that the most recent offer included handing Ferrari, Maserati, Lancia and Alfa Romeo to BMW to market alongside its own vehicles.

RUSSELL Ingall has been cleared of blame in relation to the Calder race two restart incident which sidelined championship contender Jason

Bright.

A hearing last Friday in Tasmania heard evidence from Stewards and Ingall before making its judgement.

The decision was greeted with dismay by a number of opposing teams, which turned to incredulity when it was announced that Steven Richards would now face charges in relation to the earlier incident which result ed in Craig Lowndes’ well-publicised roll.

Bright’s team boss Ross Stone was among those dis appointed by the Ingall decision and later sought out Race Director Tim Schenken to outline that disap pointment...

Richards’ charges were dismissed on Sunday.

n Suzuki’s Shawn Giles added two Superbike wins to his Calder success at Wanneroo on August 1.

Giles led home Ducati’s Steve Martin and Andrew Pitt(Kawasaki)in the first race, while Pitt got the bet ter of Martin in race 2.

Martin leads Pitt 278-238 in the points, with Kevin Cui-tain(Yamaha)third on 202 from Craig Connell (Due)196 and Giles’ 193. n Those marsupials are breeding like rabbits.

Possum Bourne has added to the clan, with Jazhn Rachel Margrete Bourne arriving(thoughtfully between rallies) on kViday 30th July. Homologated weight was 2.93 kilos and “she even knows how to sleep. Yahoo,lets hope it lasts," reported the current ARC points leader. Dad is probably working on an STI version as we speak...

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ken through to take his first win in the All-Japan GT series.

In front of a crowd of 62,700 Gardner and co-driver Hideki Noda shared a Toyota Supra GT to take the round at Mt Fuji. The duo led in fine conditions to win by 30s from the Wakisaka/Kaneishi Dome Honda NS-X, with Erik Comas third in the Nissan Skyline.

The winners saved the day for Toyota. Carrying on from where they left off in the Saturday quahfying, Sekiya, Raphanel and Suzuki, in Tom’s Supras,led early before Noda chMlenged each of the Tom’s cars, taking the lead in the first comer on lap 11.

Noda widened the gap to Sekiya while ex-Pl man Suzuki suffered a flat tyre on lap 8,forcing him to pit early.

Noda pitted to hand over to the former world champion, who quickly resumed in the lead. The Honda charged after Gardner, but the Toyota/Bridgestone combina tion was too superior and Gardner scored his first international win by a half minute. Because of Gardner’s win the Team Esso Tiger car will cany a weight penalty of 50kg for the next race.

It was the second Toyota win for the championship, after Sekiya/Kurosawa won at Sugo on May 30.

5

Shake, rattle, roll-over? The ‘low cost’ Supercar series may not happen. (Phoio by oirk Kiynsmith)

-JOESAWARD

6

IM

13 August 1999

n There have been sug gestions that Martin Brundle could be appointed the director the Toyota Formula 1 team when it enters PI in 2002. The team is expected to begin a testing programme in 2001. Brundle is currently working as a TV commen tator with ITV but races for Toyota in sportscar events. n Former Ferrari driver Carlos Reutemann was expected to win the elec tion for the_ governorship of ArgentinaOs Sante Fe province as we were closing for press. Victory would be a welcome boost for the Peronist party as it pre pares for the presidential elections in October.

Reutemann is an aUy of the Peronist candidate Eduardo Duhalde although many consider that Carlos will mount his own bid for the Argentine presidency in 2003 or 2007. n The Benetton group is increasing its involvement around the world with Burger King,following the acquisition of American catering firm Host Marriott Services, which owns a variety of Burger King franchises across the United States. Benetton subsidiary Autogrill owns the Burger King franchise in Italy and there has been speculation that the hamburge n company could help fund the Benetton FI pro gramme in the future.

S Bemie Ecclestone’s attempts to sell his digital FI service have not been helped by recent changes in ownership of the major digital'TV companies in Europe. Things are now beginning to settle dovra with French utilities com pany Vivendi emerging as a major player, having increased its shareholdings in both British Sky Broadcasting - which is bidding for the digital TV rights for FI in Britain and Canal Plus - which ovras the digital TV rights for FI in a variety of differ ent countries. Vivendi now owns 24.5% ofBSkyB and 49% of Canal Plus.

S We hear that the rebuilding plans for Paul Ricard are very impressive with provision being made not only for an oval circuit but also a major motor rac ing theme park,including a hotel. This should attract many more visitors than the old circuit. n Zandvoort has been granted a Fonnula 1 test ing licence by the FIA fol lowing a recent safety mspection.'The track pro moters hope to be able to stage a Dutch Grand Prix at some point in the future and are aiming to take over the Belgian GPOs end of August date ifthe Belgian government insists on banning tobacco adver tising. The Dutch are intending to follow the European union tobacco advertising ban which does not come into force until 2006.

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Irvine keeps them guessing m

as Eddie signed for new Jaguar FI team?

EDDIE Irvine has denied reports that he has signed to be the number one driver with the planned Jaguar Formula 1 team for the next three years.

But the World Championship leader has not ruled out the possibility of the deal - which we believe is finahsed but yet to be signed.

We would expect that the deal will be concluded within a matter of weeks and that an announcement about Jaguar and Irvine will be made by Ford at the 58th annual Frankfurt Motor Show in mid-September.

The deal is believed to be worth US$9m a year for Irvine for the next three years.

Although Ford management remain coy, there is no doubt that the programme will be a Jaguar-badged operation, with the cars most likely to appear in British racing green, to enhance the company’s British image.

Jaguar is intending to use the FI programme to support its successful sales drive with the new S-I^pe - which is setting records around the world - and to promote the new X400 “Baby Jag" which will go into production in 2001. We believe that Ford boss Jac Nasser intends to use FI in the longer-term to turn Jaguar into a sporting brand to rank alongside Ferrari.

This may sound unlikely but it is worth remembering that there was a huge following for Jaguar when the company was taking part in the Le Mans 24 Hours in the late 1980s. The company does seem to have a certain mystique among fans which is yet to be fully exploited.

Irvine’s place at Ferrari will almost certainly go to Rubens Barrichello, who has signed a letter ofintent with Ferrari.

-JOESAWARD

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If I could be like Mike; Irvine has denied reports he has signed for the Jaguar-branded Ford Formula 1 team. If he has he’ll be the second-highest earner in Ft.(Photo by sutton-images)

¥8 drivers want action V8 SUPERCAE drivers are calling for stiffen penalties and consistent infringe ment adjudication follow ing a meeting with CAMS officials.

The drivers met with CAMS Motorsport Manager Tim Schenken and race Stewards last Saturday after noon at Symmons Plains to discuss driving standards and other issues.

The meeting was, in gener al, seen to be a positive step> . with a number of issues raised in relation to driving standards and enforcement.

In addition, a circuit dia gram of the following day’s race venue was used to more specifically discuss dos and don’ts.

One of the initiators of the driving standards push, Neil Crompton, submitted a revised version of driving con duct regs and expressed opti mism at some progress: “It’s good at least that, for the first time, all the drivers were able to sit down with the Race Director and express their different views. It remains to be seen whether it produces any lasting change.

“At the end of the day, you have to have strong enforce ment. As J said to them, it’s like tax - if you didn’t have noles and enforcement, who’d bother to pay any tax?”

Mark Skaife, another beliind the push, was positive; “It was very productive.

Everyone now has a clearer idea about what’s on and what’s not.

“The specific briefing on the actual track is a good idea.

“The officials tend to want

“At the same time, you also to put it on us; they think that the initiative has to come have to remember that it is from us. So we’ll get our house racing and that, sometimes, in order, then the onus will incidents simply have to be put down as just that- racing fall back on them to police the incidents.” situation strongly.”

Jason Bright was among those calling for stronger ONE change introduced by AVESCO with immediate penalties and enforcement; “You shouldn’t have to tell effect prior to last week professional drivers how to end’s race meeting, no race, surely. All that is needed longer allows drivers to is a strong approach to stew- have legal representation arding and appropriate penal at hearings and appeals. ties, which are enforced.”

'The move follows a number Paul Radisich, who was of recent cases in which dri part of the BTCC when it too vers have escaped penalty went through a driving stan thanks to procedural errors dards blitz agrees: and the like which have little “Back then, we all sat relevance to the incident for down, wrote down what was which they have been acceptable and what wasn’t - charged.

Call for change: DJR’s Paul Radisich.(Photo by sunon-images) a clear set of rules - then found someone qualified enough to observe and make the judgement as to whether anyone had stepped over the line. Jeff Allam took on that role in the UK PIAA Australian Racing Team offers for sole their Reynard 9l D-003, ex Jason Bright, ex Alex Zanardi/Bironna “We need the same here Formula Holden. not the Race Director, but a This vehicle is straight and has been maintained regardless of cost. Engine ond gearbox just been completely over recently retired driver who hauled and comes with Pi2 system. This is the only Formula Holden during !999/98 to complete every race. knows how the game is played. That will sort it out.”

Is currently leading 1999 Silver Star Championship and was 2nd in 1998 Silver Star Championship.

For his part. Race Director Winner of the 1998 Australian Cup, 3rd Tickford 500 support 1998 and 6th New Tim Schenken also described Zealand Grand Prix. the meeting as worthwhile: “It’s good for the drivers to Plus over $45,000 woth of spares including full ) air their views with me and set of wets, cor and spares available from the other officials. 'There’ll be completion of final round of 1999 Australian a further chance at Winton, Drivers Championship Sept 5. where we’re modifying the for mat ofthe Drivers Briefing.

“At this stage it’s too early to judge the outcome, after just one race meeting, under wet conditions, but while the drivers are calling for tougher )mil- linl fhiiiur penalties and enforcement, it’s,« III slcp inlii this e.vciliii,!; cnu\i;iiry mill my view that we have to^ liiivi- llic imrwiirv yiiods in hi- cimipciiliyc Iroiii Serious offers only. address the problem before it riiiir pr\l riii c. so liikr this iippiiriiiniiy.

Ph les Crompton;03 9820 5133 or 0413 879 989 comes to the penalty stage...

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DETAILS have been released of the Bathurst Tourers 300 race, which will share the billing with the 500km race for Super Tourers, at the October Bathurst meetmg.

Teams will compete for $50,000 prizemoney in a field which organisers expect to contain a dozen of the new category cars and 15 suitably modified AUSCARs - the race will also constitute the opening round of the 1999/2000 AUSCAR championship.

Teams will have the option of using one or two drivers in the 48 lap race, which will kick off the day’s racing, starting at 10am and be broadcast live by the Seven Network. A maxi mum race time of two and a half hours will apply.

An information bulletin issued promoter by Advantage International this week confirmed techni cal and race regs and also outlined the group’s expec tation that the concept of a combined Super Tourer/ Bathurst Tourer 1000 km race, rejected by CAMS this year, would be in place for the 2000 event.

Practice for the 1999 event, will start on Thursday, with qualifying

13 August 1999

f

Bathurst rules set I

7

Reynard gets Riley & Scott .

THE US racecar con

Green means go: This is what a Commodore VS Bathurst Tourer will look like. Andrew Mclnnes and Ray Sidebottom will share this car, based on an ex-John Faulkner Racing Commodore AUSCAR.(Artwo* by predd Briggs) on Friday.

A race for the new catego ry has been scheduled at Calder’s forthcoming Super Tourer Championship round, on August 29.

Bruce Williams, oversee-

ing the new V8 category aspect of the meeting for Advantage, said this week that “there’s a lot to do in a short time, but I hope that all those people who showed their support for this cate-

gory understand that it now has a future and that there are concrete plans for a 7/8 race series in conjunction with the Super Touring series next year.

“Obviously we hope as

many as possible are able to prepare cars for Bathurst in October. It is a great opportunity for teams to gain sponsor exposure in a major live broadcast.”

- CHRIS LAMBDEN

Minardi Cleland retires from BTCC gets Jason Plato for Vauxhall?

Supertec

Prancing, er, horse? Agip is heading back to Maranello, renewing its asso ciating with Formula 1. This was taken at Monza 31 years ago ... (Sutton-images)

Agip back with Ferrari

By JOE SAWARD THE Italian oil company Agip is to return to Ferrari next year as the team’s fuel supplier and as a major sponsor.

Agip, which is owned by ENI, the huge Italian petrochemical company, was a Ferrari sponsor for 22 years between 1974 and 1995. When Ferrari was looking for a much bigger budget in 1996 - to help pay Michael

Schumacher’s enormous salary Shell is rumoured to have doubled Agip’s bid with an annual sponsor ship to Ferrari of around US$20m.

It seems that Agip has now decided to outbid Shell for the Ferrari deal and it is likely that the deal is worth as much as $30m a year to Ferrari. It is bad news for Shell which has used the relationship with Ferrari as a major commercial promotion and was hoping to continue the association.

THE Fondmetal Minardi

TWO-time British Touring Car Champion John Cleland has announced his retirement from the series at the end

team will use Supertec VIO engines next year if an agreement it has reportedly made with the French engine com pany is confirmed.

The deal will cost the lit tle Italian team some where in the region of $23m when all the rebuild ing costs are included.

Minardi will join Arrows and Benetton in using the old Renault VIO engines, while British American Racing will switch to Honda engines and Williams will begin its new partnership with BMW. Supertec says that there will be a revised 'engine next year called the FB02 but the teams are under no illusion that these will be any better than those being used this season.

Having said that both Benetton and Williams have scored podium finish es this year with the Supertec engines so Minardi should be more competitive.

of the year. /The announcement, which came at Thruxton’s recent BTCC race, leaves Vauxhall’s team with an empty seat for 2000.

Greg Murphy, who drove for the Triple 8 team at Bathurst last year, is believed to be on the list for the ride, which is headed by Renault’s Jason Plato.

Murphy had not spoken to the Vauxhall team as MN closed for press, but was intend ing to inquire. Vauxhall motorsport boss Mike Nicholson, said, “We have a fair idea of what we’re doing, but there’s no need to make any immediate decisions.

“We don’t know who’s available yet.”

Cleland, 47, won the title with Vauxhall in 1995 and 1989 and scored his most recent vic tory last year, beating Nigel Mansell in a memorable race at Donington Park.

“I am quitting Touring Cars only, not motorsport,” said Cleland in a media release.

“I want to keep going and look at different things.”

On Monday he said that part of his future plans could involve sportscar racing and, per haps, the Porsche Supercup series.

“There are a lot of circuits I would like to see and cars I would like to drive. I intend to keep racing; it’s not like I’m old, or anything ...

“And I intend to keep racing at Bathurst.

'That’s one race I’d really like to win.”

- PHIL BRANAGAN

structor, RQey & Scott is now part of Reynard Motorsport, its longrumoured acquisition by the UK motorsports con structor having now been finalised, move The brings Reynard - the current mar ket leader in CART ChampCar racing-into the Indy Racing League mar ketplace.

R&S was formed in 1990

by Bob Riley and Mark Scott, who stiU run the com pany together with Bill RUey,Bob’s son.

Over the past nine years, they have built a range of cars in various track racing categories, including TransAm and World SportsCars as well as the IRL. Re3mard says it will provide techni cal support to improve man methods. ufacturing increase car and component production, and initiate new support.

Reynard already has a technology store agreement with BAR so that the latest techniques can be used throughout the Reynard Motorsport group. R&S will use the Auto Research Center in,Indianapolis for 50% moving ground wind tunnel testing and sevenpost suspension rig testing.

In addition, new tech nologies which are already part of Reynard’s portfolio of computer-aided engineer ing programmes, such as 3D modelling, computation al fluid dynamics and finite element analysis, are now being employed on aU new R&S programmes, such as the Cadillac Le Mans pro ject.

Reynard Motorsport chairman Adrian Reynard commented on the acquisi tion,“We are very fortunate to have Riley & Scott as part of Reynard. Although a young company, they have quickly made their mark in motor racing and command great respect within the industry.

“I believe that we can benefit from their experi ence within US motorsports and build on this, with the extensive resources of Reynard bringing a new perspective of services and facilities, to enable the com pany to realise its full potential.”

-QUENTIN SPURRING

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13 August 1999

0

BAR - the heat is on

By JOE SAWARD THE continued failure of British American Racing score World

to

Championship points is something of a joke within the Formula 1 paddock given the new team’s extravagant claims since this time last year.

However in recent weeks there have been more and more suggestions that there are serious problems between the various partners in the team.

The team’s budgetary problems have now been sorted out thanks to another $37m being injected by par ent company British American Tobacco. This will undoubtedly help ease some of the pressure but there is also no doubt that BAT man agement is beginning to pay more attention to the heavy spending.

Things have changed in

recent weeks with the com pletion of the deal for BAT to take over Rothmans International. This means that Rothmans boss Johan Rupert has become the largest BAT shareholder with around 30% of the equi ty. Rupert has plenty of experience with Grand Prix racing having funded the hugely successful Rothmans Williams Renault team between 1994 and 1997.

That project cost a fraction of what BAR is spending at the moment.

Fortunately Mika Sale’s -7^ seventh place at Imola earli er this year means that the team is one of the top 10 Defender of the faith: Jim Richards is no certainty to defend his Bathurst crown for Volvo. (Photo by John Morris/Mpix) teams this year and is there fore eligible to receive travel benefits and TV money. We hear that Sale was rewarded for this valuable job by being, WITH six weeks to go before the soon, but we’ve done it (Bathurst) for Australia MD Jan Ericsson and asked to buy his way out of,a recently confirmed Bathurst 500, the past three years , so it’s more likely Motorsport Manager John Cotter were BAR option so he could jpln Ferrari. The deal cost the both leading Australian-based than not.” still examining costs for the event as Volvo Australia is still to determine MN went to press.

Finn everything he earned Super Touring teams are likely, but imconfirmed, starters. whether it will go to the Moimtain and “It would be a great idea,” said Volvo from BAR this year... defend its title.

Kim Jones told Motorsport News this spokesman Graeme Adam on Tusday, week that “we’re looking at the budget Following the Oran Park meeting “but we’re still in the process of looking for the race now and we should know with Advantage’s Steve Frazer, Volvo at it.”

No decision from Volvo, Audi

Prosfs engine woes

P7

3

Talking the talk: But Craig Pollock and Malcolm Oastler walk the walk (whatever that means)? (Phoio by suHon-images)

By JOE SAWARD

ALAIN Frost’s relationship with Peugeot remains strained as the two parties wheel and deal to try to decide whether to continue their relationship.

The two parties have a contract until the end of the 2000 season but Peugeot seems to be much more inter ested in rallying and Frost is not happy with the level of commitment from the car company.

We hear that the planned new VIO engine, which is due to be raced next year, has been rather disappoint ing to date in dyno testing at Peugeot Sport headquar ters at Velizy, near Paris, and that there are even sug gestions that the company is suggesting that Prost use an updated version of the old VIO next year. This sug gestion has not gone down well at Prost because although the old Peugeot is a strong engine, it is heavy and large in comparison to the new units with which it is competing.

Prost wants Peugeot to increase its involvement and maybe even take a shareholding in the team - but Peugeot is baulking at the idea as it is keen to use available money on its World Rally Championship pro gramme.

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Nissan back on top

VOLVO may have taken all four pole positions at Thruxton this year, but Nissan’s drivers completed a clean sweep Round 17(16 laps) of BTCC race victories at the Hampshire 1 Aiello Nissan 20m 47.191s circuit. +3.105s Volvo 2 Rydell Laurent Aiello took the chequered flag in 3 Radermecker Volvo +11.420s the Sprint race, but his lead at the top of the 4 Leslie +12.089s Nissan drivers’ championship was ultimately cut to 5 Plato Renault +22.605S just 10 points by team mate David Leshe who 6 Neal +23.197s Nissan i-ecorded his third win of the year in the later +24.447S Honda 7 Thompson Feature race.

8 Muller Vauxhall +25.907S Afterwards, BTCC veteran John Cleland 9 Kox +27.358S Honda announced that he would be quitting the Renault +32.681s 10 Hoy BTCC at the end of the year. The 47-year-old Scot, champion in 1989 and 1995, has decided Round 18(34 laps) 1 Leslie Nissan 46m 05.796s to leave the series he has graced for 11 years 2 Radermecker Volvo +16.057s after a disappointing season with the Vauxhall Vectra.

Ford +19.603s 3 Menu Renault +19.808s 4 Plato As the lights went green Aiello’s Nissan, 5 Aiello Nissan +26.159s from the outside of the front row, surged past Vauxhall +30.861S 6 Muller the Volvo of pole-sitter Rickard RydeU as the Ford +38.429S 7 Reid Swede suffered from wheel-spin on the dirtier Renault +39.153s inside of the circuit. Leshe held third in the 8 Hoy Honda 9 Kox +41.002s second Primera, but was under intense pres Vauxhall 10 Blair +1 lap sure from James Thompson and the Honda Fastest lap Rydell 1 ml6.215s driver demoted the Scot soon after the start.

Drivers points: Aieilo 169, Leslie 159, Thompson An eventful first lap produced contact and 124, Plato 109, Rydell 107, Muller 90, Radermecker passing manoeuvres throughout the field.

89, Neal 87, Kox 80, Bouillon 63.

Leslie had little time to recover from Thompson’s .pass before Vincent his team mate in third.

Radermecker’s Volvo had shunted him down After starting from fourth, James Thompson another place. Menu and Plato came together soon found himseV seventh and under pressure on their first visit to the complex, the Ford from the Independent Nissan of Matt Neal. driver coming off worse and dropping to 13th The Midlands driver nudged the Honda and while Plato held on to seventh. Muller and was pitched into a spin, collecting the second Kox seem regularly to attract each other’s Accord of the hapless Peter Kox as he disap attentions, on this occasion the Frenchman peared into the grass. Thompson.w.as slowed overcame the Belgian to claim eighth. enough by the drama to allow both Mondeos Menu’s early drop towards the rear of the through and the Safety Car came out while field threw the former champion into the mid the debris jwas cleared. dle of a chaotic struggle with the Renaults of When racing resumed, the pit stop window works driver J-C BouUion and Independent was open, but before the round of stops were WiUHoy. made, Rydell’s hopes of a race win had Menu and Boulhon passed either side of the expired with his engine, promoting Aiello to Arena Laguna on lap seven, but Hoy showed the head of the field. The Frenchman pitted the value of his BTCC experience to reclaim on lap 14 and was turned around in quick the place lost to the works Renault and then time, but on leaving his garage, Aiello cut on the very last lap, he swept past the across the Volvo of Radermecker, incurring a Mondeo at the final corner to claim tenth drive through penalty. place and another championship point.

Any thoughts of recovering the situation Once he had claimed the lead, Aiello might were dashed as the Nissan was caught speed have hoped to pull away at will, but Rydell ing in the pit lane on his drive through, incur had other ideas. The reigning champion is not ring a repeat penalty and he had to settle for giving up his crown without a fight and he fifth place.

The race was thus thrust into the hands of shadowed eveiy move of the man most likely to succeed him. The pair, separated by less David Leslie. The Scot grasped the opportuni than a second, pulled away from a dramatic ty and maintained his composure in blistering tussle that was unfolding for third. heat that saw the temperatures in the car rise Thompson’s initial race speed fell away, to nearly 70 deg C. Leslie took the chequered allowing the charging Radermecker through flag over 16s clear of his nearest challenger to to claim the third podium finish of his debut close the gap at the top of the championship. season. The Honda then had to fend off a spir Vincent Radermecker added a second place to ited challenge fi'om a resurgent Leslie, but on his earher third to complete a fine weekend lap eight he could resist no longer and the for Volvo’s BTCC rookie.

Scot took fourth.

Alain Menu filled the final podium place Aiello’s imperious drive to the flag was after a superb charge through the field. faultless and brought him home just three Having again found himself shuffled down the seconds ahead of Rydell. Matt Neal came pack on the first lap, the Swiss former cham home sixth for yet another win in the pion recovered to secure Ford’s first podium Michelin Cup for Independents. since Oulton Park in May. Although Rydell made a better start to the Hoy had a race-long battle with the other Feature race, the Nissans closed in and as the Mondeo of Anthony Reid and although Reid leaders approached the complex for the first finally claimed seventh place, Hoy took a welltime they were three abreast. The Volvo pre deserved class victory in the Michelin Cup for vailed, but Leslie lost out, slotting in behind Independents.

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Will Ron be the next Bernie?

BACK in March we suggested that the TAG McLaren empire be sold '■ to might DaimlerChrysler and that the money raised from that sale would then be used to buy the Ojjeh Family and Ron Dennis into Bemie Ecclestone’s Formula

^ .World of Sport

Mr MoiorRmng Calendar Shell Championship Series V8 Supercars* RdIO Aug 22 . . .Winton . . .

Rdll Sept 5 . . . .Oran Park Rd12 Sept 19 . . .Willowbank

Oct 17 . . .Surfers Paradise .Rd 13 FIA Formula One World Aug 15 Aug 29 Sep 12 Sep26 Oct 17

Championship .Rdll . . .Hungary . . .Belgium Rd 12 .Rd13 . . .Italy . . .Europe Rd14 .Rd15 Malaysia

FedEx CART Championship Series* Rd13 Aug 15 . . .Lexington . ,Rd14 Aug 22 . . .Chicago . .

Rd15 Sep 5 . . . .Vancouver Rd 16 Sep 12 . . .Monterey . ,Rd17 Sep 26 . . .Houston . .

SOOcc World Grand Prix Motorcycle C'Ship* .Rdll Aug 22 . . .Czech Rep. Sep 5 . . . .San Narino . . . .Rd 12 .Rd 13 Sep 19 . . .Valencia Oct 3 . . . .Australia .Rd 14 Oct 10 . . . .South Africa . . .Rd15 World Superbike Series* .RdIO Aug 29 . . .Austria . . . .Rd 1'1 Sep 5 . . . .Oran Park .Rd 12 Sep26 . . .TBA Oct 10 . . . .Japan . . .

w

Rd13

FIA Formuol 3000 International C'ship Rd8 Aug 14 . . .Hungary .

Rd9 Aug 28 . . .Belgium . .Rd 10 Sep 26 . . .Germany

1999NHRAWinstan Drag Racing Series Rd1 3 Aug 8 Sonoma Rd14 Aug 22 . . .Brainerd Sep 6 . . . .Indianapolis Rd 15 .Rd1 6 Sep 19 . . .Reading Aust Formula Holden Championship* Aug 22 . . .Winton Rd 6 ,Rd7 Sep 5 . . . .Oran Park Australian Rally Championship* .Rd5 Aug 14-15 Melbourne .Rd6 Sep 18-19 Tasmania Nov 4-7 . . .Rally Australia . . .Rd 7 FIA World Rally Championship* RdIO Aug 22 . . .Finland Rdil Sep 19 . . .China Rd12 Oct 13 Italy Nov 7 . . . .Australia Rd13

rten1

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J

Categories marked * are telecast by the Ten Network.

Check your local guides for screening times All event dales In this calendar were correct at the time of printing. Please consult any individual tracks and/or associations lor date changes.

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

Check your local guides for screening details.

Deep in thought: Ron Dennis could end up running FI. (Photo by sutton-images)

One Holdings.

At the time the story was largely speculation but since then the German car giant has bought 40% of the TAG McLaren Group and there are hints from DaimlerChrysler headquarters that this is just the first part of a phased take-over bdd, timed to coincide wdth the launch of the Mercedes McLaren SLR super car in 2003. The intention is for this machine to carve a place in Ferrari’s market, using!the McLaren brandname to promote sales.

There is no doubt that DaimlerChrysler does want McLaren to be a subsidiary.

DaimlerChrysler co-chairman Jurgen Schrempp told German reporters as much recently although he did not indicate any timescale for such a rrlove. The extreme secrecy surrounding the deal is curious as there is no obvious reason to hide anything, unless there is more to it than meets the eye.

We believe that this is the case and that eventually McLaren will become a DaimlerChrysler sub¬

sidiary - just as has happened with AMG. But will Dennis and the Ojjehs buy into Formula One Holdings?

There is no question that the Formula 1 business very much fits the policy of investment used by TAG, which specialises in high pro file, high technology activities and then builds then up before floating or selling them. The company did this with TAG Heuer and seems to be doing the same with TAG McLaren.

Ron Dennis’s desire to see the sport run properly in the future is evidence enough that he would like to do the job and there is no doubt at all that a great deal more money could be made fi-om FI than is cur rently the case, because Bernie Ecclestone has not bothered to exploit the potential that exists. He has made considerable progress in television technology but there is certainly more to come and there are enormous marketing possibilities in and around the sport.

It is worth noting that since January Dennis has been a member of the Permanent Bureau of the Formula 1 Commission. This body used to consist of just three mem bers: Bemie Ecclestone, Max Mosley and Ferrari’s Jean Todt. It exists to make quick decisions between FI Commission meetings. This change was not publicised at all.

Barrichello quick

Toyota comes as Ferrari piles on the miles clean on F1 program

THERE was testing last week at Silverstone, Mugello, Fiorano and Lurcy-Levis with the biggest test taking place the British track.

There were four teams in action and at the end of the test it was Rubens Barrichello who had set the pace at Silverstone with a best lap of lm26.47s after 140 miles of running.

The team ran youngster Luciano Burti for the first two days, the Brazilian completing 285 miles and Johnny Herbert did the fi nal day but completed only 50 rtules.

Second quickest in the test was David Coulthard who spent two days in the company of Nick Heidfeld doing development work for McLaren. David completed 340 miles of running with a best of lm26.66s while Heidfeld did 220 miles and recorded a fastest lap of lm27.60s.

Photo by Sutton-images

t:

Jordan ran a new specification Mugen Honda VIO engine for Heinz Harald Frentzen on the first day of the test, the German completing 240 miles of running before he handed over to Damon Hill who did both days, completing 350 miles while doing back-to-back testing with a normal car and a long wheelbase version of the Jordan 199.

The Williams team ran both dri vers for two days with Ralf Schumacher completing 200 miles and Aessandro Zanardi 270 miles.

Schumacher’s best was a lm27.60s.

At Mugello Frost and Sauber were both in action with the French team running Olivier Fanis on the first day and Jamo Trulli on the second and third days. The pair completed around 750 miles between them while the Sauber team also had a busy time with both Fedro Diniz and Jean Aesi in action. The two cov¬

ered around 500 miles of running.

At Lurcy-Levis Benetton’s Laurent Redon and BAR’S Fatrick Lemarie did aerodynamic mapping work up and down the runways of the little French facility while Ferrari and Minardi both ran at Fiorano.

Ferrari began work on Tuesday with Mika Sale and the Finn ran for two full days, covering 620 miles before handing over to Eddie Irvine.

The Ulsterman completed another 375 miles on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, including 50 miles on an artificially damp track.

Minardi ran both Luca Badoer and Gaston Mazzacane, completing a total of 150 miles of running.

At the weekend Luca Badoer and Salo did some display runs at Zandvoort as part of the Marlboro Masters Formula 3 event.

-JOESAWARD

r

The ugliest wing in the business: Damon Hill may retire because of embarrassment if Jordan runs this wing...

By JOE SAWARD

TOYOTA has stopped hiding behind recruitment companies and anonymous post office box numbers and is advertis ing for Formula 1 staff in the specialist press all over Europe.

The company says it is seeking a variety of engineers and technicians to be part of its Formula 1 team, which will be based at the Team Toyota Europe competion headquar ters in Cologne, Germany.

There has been a lot of speculation in recent weeks that Toyota might be talked into reconsidering its FI plans following British American Tobacco’s deal with Honda which wifi see the tobacco giant paying the car company to develop factory engines.

This resulted in Honda can celling plans to start its own team.

Toyota has always said that money is not an issue as that if it comes to FI it will do so with a complete team, with the intention of using the sport as a way of training staff, advanc ing technology and selling cars by improving the compa ny’s image.

While no date has been mooted for the team's debut in GP racing, 2001 would be the earliest such a team could make it to an F1 grid.

S

13 August 1995

Da

Franchitti takes over

By PHIL MORRIS DARIO Franchitti led team-mate Paul Tracy to the chequered flag after inheriting the lead from Juan Montoya in Sunday’s inci dent-filled Grand Prix of Detroit that turned on mis-commmiication and a missed pit stop.

“It may not have been pretty, but we’ll take the win any way we can get it,” said Franchitti who now leads the championship points. The Scotsman has 136 points, five more than Montoya, who had a 13-point lead going into the race.

An almost non-stop run of crashes resulted in 23 laps of the 71 lap race being run under yellow flags. There were so many delays that race offi cials called it a timed race after two hours, four laps shorter than origi nally scheduled.

Greg Moore finished third, fol lowed by Michael Andretti, Jimmy Vasser and Tony Kanaan.

Although he started from the pole and lead most of the race, Montoya had a series of problems. He was running nearly 10s ahead of the rest of the field when a caution came out on the 44th lap.

All of the leaders went into pit road for fuel, but Montoya had a miscommunication with his team when they failed to tell him to come onto pit lane for his second stop.

While the rest of the field made stops, Montoya missed the signal to stop from his crew. As it tmued out, that lapse became the turning point ofthe race.

As a result of the confusion, Montoya had to stay out on the tight street circuit and try to build a big enough lead when the race was restarted sq that he could stop for fuel and retain his lead. It was a good plan, but one that didn’t hap pen.

After building a lead of more than 15s, Montoya went to the pits for fuel on lap 59. When he got back out on the track, Franchitti had the lead and Montoya was running eighth.

■i:.

-Sfc

m

He did manage to get past Tony Kanaan on the next lap but his luck ran out when Casto-Neves hit him in the rear.

As he made every effort to charge to the front, Montoya and Roberto Moreno touched on Lap 63 in a heat ed battle for sixth place. Montoya was dropped to eighth place after both cars spun.

Moreno defended his actions in the race, saying, “There was no way he was going to pass me there because I was braking late. I don’t know what he was thinking. He was too far back to even tiy that pass.”

When the race was restarted two laps later, Montoya powered into seventh position. Before he could move up any further, the caution flag waved again when Cristiano da Matta hit the wall. It was at that time that officials decided that the race would be called after two hom-s and the distance shortened from the original 75 laps to 71 laps.

Both Franchitti and Tracy radioed that the pace car was leaking fluid during the caution period. Race offi cials decided the best com-se of action was to take the pace car off the track and replace it with another.

Unfortunately, not all the drivers realised what was happening and things got very confusing.

When the leaking pace car pulled into pit road on the 70th lap, Helio Castro-Neves thought it signalled a restart, and jumped on the accelera tor causing him to run into the back of Montoya’s car. Montoya’s car spun and hit the wall. A few minutes later, he climbed out ofthe car — his race, and his championship lead were over.

“I’m stUl trying to figure out what happened out there,” Montoya said.

“We had a mis-communication about our pit stop and we then put ourselves in a tough position to win the race.

“We never gave up and I thought we had a great chance to at least keep the points lead for the champi onship. Then I got hit from behind and I was so shocked. The>end of the race was very confusing, and I’m dis appointed about not finishing the race. I guess it’s bad luck, or timing.”

For his part, Castro-Neves said, “I saw the pace car pull off the track and assumed it was going to green that lap. People started to speed up and the team had told me that it was going to go grebn, but I didn’t hear the next time by. I never knew that they were bringing another pace car onto the track. By the time I knew that the track was still yel low,I had already hit Juan.”

Points: Franchitti 136, Montoya 131, Andretti 119, Tracy 106, de Ferran 88, Moore/Femandez 95,Papis 68.

Photos by Sutlon-lmagea

SCOT on TOP: Dario Franchitti took over the points lead in the FedEx series with his second win of the year.

Moore, de Ferran for Penske

Lolas or Reynards - and Honda? - for 2000

AL Unser Jr. wiU leave Marlboro Team Penske at the end of the season and Gil de Ferran and

Greg Moore will be the team’s new drivers.

Each has a three year agreement to drive for the team. Unser Jr’s plans are not clear, but he is “explor ing other opportunities.”

In the good years, the Penske/ Unser partnership produced eight wins and a championship in 1994.

But nearly four years without a victory has weighed heavily on both driver and team owner. Instead of dwelling on the past, Penske preEndangered species: Gonzalo Rodriguez drove for Penske in Detroit, feired to emphasise the more posi cent sure that w.e will not run a history with 99. Unfortunately, the tive aspect of this week’s announce 100th win has eluded the team.

Penske chassis, but we’d run either ment. a Lola or a Reynard. That is really Their last victory was at Gateway De Ferran, 32, has earned poles in up for grabs at this moment.

International Raceway when Paul Japan and at Toronto this season, “We feel we can take a chassis Tracy took the chequered flag in and won the race at Portland. Moore, 1997. from either Reynard or Lola, we can 24, won from the pole at the seasonenhance it with om- people, and we When asked if he is considering a opener at Homestead. During his expect to build our capabilities fiii’switch to Honda power, Penske com four years of racing in CART, he has j mented: “This is not a press confer ther over in England.” five poles and five wins.

There has also been much specu ence to announce cars, engines and “I feel bad for Al, but as a profes lation about the future of Marlboro tyres. I would assume that we’re sional race car driver you’ve got to as the sponsor of the team. Penske going to tiy to be loyal to the people held his cards close to his chest and try to further your career however that supported us in the past.”

Penske did/M but announce that you can,” Moore said in refused to offer any indication about Indianapohs, where he drove in the possible changes. the Penske chassis is on the way out “Om- sponsors have been loyal to season-ending IROC race. “It’s diffi for next season. “We have people cult to leave a team that I’ve been us for a long period of time. AH of the today that are fielding two cars,” associates, all the major sponsors, with for five years, but on the other Penske said. “Our Poole operation we’ll announce those at the end of the will still be part of our opportunity hand I think it’s time for a change.” season as we normally do,” he said. in the future, depending on what Penske Racing has won more -PHILMOKRIS chassis we’ll try to build. I’m 90 perraces than any other team in CART

Unser; no news

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Braidwood M Goulbura NSW

AT Detroit, Unser (above) shed little new light on his plans for the future: ‘To be real honest with you. I’m in a divorce right now, and my wife’s attorneys have asked me the same questions (about where he will be driving next year), and I’m not at liberty to say because of those reasons.

“All I can tell you is I will be driving race cars.

I love racing and I will be driving race cars.”

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PROMOTIONS

12

13 August 1999

‘I hope lViat Crashes’Gobert ANTHONY Gobert’s plea that Mat Mladin should crash at the Brainerd round ofthe US Superbike Champ ionship on August 1 came to nought after the Yoshimura Suzuki star finished a safe sec ond behind Gobert’s red-hot Vance&Hines Ducati team-mate,Ben Bostrom, The Go-Show’s remark able outburst came after he claimed Mladin swept across his line while he was on a hot lap during qualifying. The Aussie pair argued in the paddock after the incident and car ried on their war of words in the post-qualifying press conference.

Speaking to the media first, Mladin said,“The Suzuki’s working great, I can’t complain,” before he added sarcastically, “Obviously, Anthony prob ably would’ve got pole if I didn’t get in his way but, that’s the way it goes”.

When it was his turn at the mike, a fired up Gobert let fly.

“Mat’s had a pretty good run this year with luck, so hopefully you know, he might crash,” to which Mladin threw his head back and laughed.

Despite being the cur rent title holder, it was Bostrom’s first-ever AMA Superbike win, and places him within just eight points of current leader Mladin with just one round to go at Pikes Peak, Colarado on September 19.

Gobert, who finished third at Brainerd still has an outside shot at the championship, with 36 points going to the winner along with bonus points for pole position and most laps led.

Points: Mladin 333, Bostrom 326, Gobert 315, Doug Chandler 315, Larry Pegram 239.

-DARRYL FLACK

B@iwiTES

By DARRYL FLACK CASTROL Honda ridel’s Colin Edwards and Aaron Slight left 120,000 English fans numb after they dominated the European round of the Superbike World Championship at Brands Hatch on August I. i World Champion CarL ii'ofarty and Ducati Performance team-mate Troy Coarser both failed ' to make the podiumjn eidier ofthe 25-lap races, ^ the first time an ltalMa'^>»1ii has failed to fin ish in the top three in livingmemory.

After claiming he would win 10 races in 1999, Edwards has been revitalised aflcr a mid-seai son slump,and is looking to achieve fazsta»eL I “I set my sights on winning a lot of raO^^^ - I year, Fve taken four now but maybe my vrill start here. I’ve got three weeks off now I aim to train hard for the last few races. I’m not as fit as Aaron and it showed towards the that second race.” , SI Also overcoming a bout of indiffere was hoping to log his first victory o; year, failed in the dying laps of race two.

“I tried hard to pass Cohn in the second race. I had a

ImT’

good look at a fewg^aces but we’re on the same machine, with the same tsTes and there was nothing between us. I don’t know what happened to the Ducatis - they were running the same Michelins as we 9* did. Maybe they didn't ha\’e the set-up. /Vs we’ve reported, so often in -1999; it-was-anotbe*-^—; day of lamentfor Corser after carding a 5-13th finish.

“We struggled a little ^1 weekend trying to find the right rear tyres and neither Garl nor I got something good enough for the job,” a bitterly disappointed Corser said. “In the first race my rear tyre started chunking and bits came off. Carl had the same problem, but a httle worse and he chose to pit and get a fresh one. I decided to carry on and got fifth place but that was hard.”

Pierfrancesco Chilli (Corona Suzuki) stepped up at Brands to record a hard fought third in the first race, before he retired while challenging the front-runners in the second leg after his seat broke.

“In the first race, the rear tyre started going off and it was impossible for me to push harder. I made sure that I kept my position though and had to work hard to keep [John] Reynolds at bay. In the second race I was up with the leaders again and quite comfortable. I was trying to work out a way of passing Colin in the last part of the race, but then my rear tyre gave out and I had to stop.”

It ‘gave out’ with such force that it destroyed the Suzuki’s seat shell. With Chili’s demise, Haga was left in a distant third place behind Slight after choosing a wrong tyre in the sweltering conditions in race one.

“I’m happy that I could get a third place on a track that I don’t like,” Haga said after his 7-3 finish. “I was right behind Fogai’ty for the first half of race two and then when I went to pass him I nearly highsided and opened the door for Edwards to come past. Then I had to hold off Fogarty for the podium.”

After qualifying a promising eighth, Peter Goddard (De Cecco Aprilia) proclaimed light at the end of the tunnel with the all-new V-twin after a crash-ridden start to the season.

“This weekend has seen a marked improvement because now we are starting to race the bike instead of just develop ing it,” Goddard said following his 12-8 result. “In the first race we struggled for rear grip, and then the gear linkage broke four laps from the end when I was a safe ninth. I man aged to kick it into fourth gear and finish 12th.

“At one stage I was run off the track and lost a couple of positions,” Goddard after succumbing to Reynolds, Sean Emmett(Ducati)and Niall Mackenzie(Yamaha).

Points after 9 of 13 rounds: Fogarty 330, Corser 282, Edwards 268, Slight 236, Akira Yanagawa 215.

mm to

Steady Eddie: Edwards dominated Brands Hatch, taking two wins from team-mate Slight.

Corona, not Corolla: The signs are there that the Suzukis are getting closer to the Hondas and Ducatis. This is Chili (right).

(Photos by Nigel Snowdon)

Liquor King DriveSafe 500™ Pukekohe, New Zealand 7 November 1999 The first race in the world open to Super Production 2 Litre Touring Cars New Zealand Racing Drivers Club (NZRDC) invites expressions of interest from Australian drivers for Super Production cars in the Liquor King DriveSafe 500™ to be held at Pukekohe on 7 November 1999.

NZRDC representatives visited Group N-(- entrants in Germany, Belgium and England recently to discuss their entering the Liquor King DriveSafe 500™ under Super Production rules and marketing their cars after the race.

Inquiries have since been received from BMW, Honda, Peugeot, Renault, Volvo and VW teams. Others makes represented in the various Group N-t- championships are Alfa Romeo, Citroen, Ford, GM-Opel and Mitsubishi.

/

With TOCA including Super Production cars in next year's Australian Championship, the Liquor King Drive 500™ is a good opportunity to testrace a Super Production and select a car for next year's Championship.

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%

13 August 1999

Tko.

13

Work, work, work W»^aT 7Ya

WpV

T»iN?!

I

n recent summers the Formula 1 calendar has included a pair of Germanic races; one in Austria, the other in Germany itself. They are separated by a week which means that the army of Schumacher fans can drive from one to the other and buy tickets for both. It is a sound marketing idea.

It also means that quite a lot of FI folk do not bother flying off back to London or Milan, prefer ring to have a day or two off and then a quick 400 mile blast up the autobahns to the next event.

Between Zeltweg and Hockenheim there are lots of rather pleasant places: the Bavarian Alps where one can marvel at the castles built by Mad King Ludwig or the Salkammergut where one expects the Von Trapp Family to pop up at any moment.

As an aside, it is worth men tioning that the original Von Trapp Family was probably not as sweet as the Hollywood version as Baron Georg Von Trapp was actu ally a World War I submarine com mander before the family took to warbling.

One way or another it is a great place to be in late July when the sun is shining. The lakes are as blue as Pacific Ocean lagoons, the terraces are shady and the beer is cold. Outside my hotel window as I type there'are a bunch of cheery Germans are inflating a huge red balloon with a rather large blow torch, getting ready for a cool sum mery evening floating over the Rhine Valley.

It is holiday time.

Those awfully clever people from Mercedes-Benz’s press department quickly realised that the short break between the races gave them the perfect opportunity to ensnare members of the international press corps and organised a junket between the races. The offer of a couple of nights of free hotel accom modation and the potential for some feature material was a powerful one and so each year about 40 scrib blers end up in Stuttgart, touring Mercedes-Benz facilities, interview ing Mika Hakkinen, David Coulthard (pictured) and Norbert Haug and partying.

The trip also gives MercedesBenz the chance to drag Mika and David around car factories for photo opportunities (bolting bits and pieces onto road cars) and signing autographs for the Mercedes workforce. Several birds are being killed with one stone.

And so itaround was that I ended upfac touring the S-Class tory at Sindelfingen. Now you would think that every FI journalist has been to enough car factories to make this a rather tiresome experience. Somehow or other I never did.

And I must admit that I was fas cinated by the computer-orches trated ballet of the robots which was presented to me. it was mag nificent to watch these ugly, yet somehow graceful, machines

Cartoon by Allan Schofield

showering sparks as they spotwelded, glued, pressed and whirled the various bits and pieces of metal to produce the skeleton of a motor car.

And then after lunch the Mercedes men took us to a big car park and handed over the keys to a fleet of the latest Kompressors and other fancy Mercedes road cars (most of them convertibles).

We were given a road book of instructions to follow and told to meet them all again at a landing stage of the Neckar River 128km later.

A lot of thought had gone into planning the route to enable us to see what the cars could do while also giving us some beautiful bits of road to appreciate on a gor geous sunny afternoon. There was even a stop for drinks halfway around the route.

I have never been one for following orders too closely(ED: Re-eeeaa-ny7) and,so after a few miles we decided to have a little fun and set off on a route which was designed so that we would be going the wrong way down the offi cial route at various places. The aim was to confuse out colleagues.

And it worked a treat.

“What are you doing?” said one couple when we met them at a crossroads.

“We are going the wrong way,” we said. “Having some fun.”

And thenait river was time climb aboard boatto called the ‘Barbarossa’for a long meander down the river Necljar back to Stuttgart with vineyards on the steep riverside slopes and sunshine on the water. There was a band onboard which set about scaring water rats and other riverside folk. There was good food and there were the dri vers, trapped on the boat.

After Mika and David were final ly allowed to escape at one of the locks along the way the volume of the band was turned up and it was party time a /a Norbert.

1943 an American named Charles Chaynefound a Royale in a wrecking yard in the United States.

He bought itfor $412 and lived yy happily ever afterwards... these hand-built monsters - and Next morning those who still had workable heads on their shoul that to date six people have parted with the cash to own one of these ders went off to another car facto machines. ry. But this was no normal car fac tory. From the outside the AMG You have to be a car nut to buy one of these things. It is not a factory in Ludwigsburg-Ossweil looks like every other dull factory ’ great shopping car, nor can you on a dull industrial estate. If the get two Samsonites in the boot. In factory had produced plastic piping fact there isn’t a boot. Nor is there a passenger seat as the car is not it would not have been a surprise but inside we learned that this was unrelated to the Mercedes GT sportscar of 1997. It is a serious the production facility for the most piece of kit with an engine which expensive new car in the history of the world. even the AMG men describe as “an animal” and a clutch that Old cars have been sold for a lot more than the £850,000 needs changing after 1500km.

It is an extreme machine in the ($2.1 m) price tag but there are not finest traditions of automotive many folk in the world who can nip down to the local dealership and extremity. It is a remarkable piece write a cheque for that kind of of engineering and is designed money. The Limited Edition AMG only for people who do not have to ask what it costs for a service. The Mercedes CLK GTR is a pretty remarkable machine. The compa car is all about pure performance while another machine with similar ny says that it will make only 25 of

idea was all about luxury and style.

The Bugatti Type 41 was designed for Kings, Emperors and Maharajahs in the 1920s. Ettore Bugatti came from a family of artists and inventors. To him the automobile was more than just a machine. His cars were works of art - and the Royales were the ultimate machines. They were, if you like, the Rembrandts of the automotive world. Bugatti planned to build 25 of them. In the end there were only six - and only three were ever sold - and not one of them went to a crowned head.

1920s Wall Street Crash of 1929. They were very expensive at the time but the passage of time has put the cost into perspective. If you want to buy a Bugatti Royale these days, you need to sell your FI team to get it.

The last time one was sold was in 1990 when the buyer parted with £9.4m, the highest price ever paid for a car. Another Royale came up for sale in 1996 but the owner withdrew it from the sale when the bidding stopped at £6.8m.

The vast prices commanded by the Royales have served to con fuse things somewhat because Bugatti historians are not quite sure whether there really were only six of them. Some say there were eight. There may be two more somewhere in the world And then there are the repli cas... the most recent of which was build by Tom Wheatcroft, the owner of Bonington Park, who worked out that rather than buying a Royale at auction it would be much cheaper to build a perfect copy, using the original drawings and old-fashioned construction techniques. In order for the car to be as faithful as possible, the work took seven and a half years and 100,000 hours and the bills came to over two million pounds.

When I am at home in my ham mock, sipping a cool glass of rose and dreaming about life I some times wonder what it would be like to find one of the “missing” Royales. I have searched my prop erty, looked through the barn and poked around under the wood pile - but I couldn’t a Royale anywhere - which was a shame. Oh well, maybe one day...

What keeps me going is the knowledge that in 1943 an American named Charles Chayne found a Royale in a wrecking yard in the United States. He bought it for $412 and lived happily ever afterwards...

Leaving AMG and driving through the suburbs of Stuttgart we realised that not everyone aspires to such elegance and wealth. I think it was the man in the open-topped Ford Escort with the Dalmatian skin seat covers and the silly waxed moustache who con vinced me of this.

We soon left hirp behind and wound our way up the Neckar val ley towards Heidelberg. The FI folk who were In a hurry rushed off up the autobahn to Hockefnhelm but we chose a quieter pace of life.

There was time for a glorious drive in the sunshine and a long lunch on a shady terrace under an old castle.

Just another day at the FI office...

cat's away

® Skaife takes 2 wins and round win in Tasmania © Bargwanna second overall in born-again GRIVI VT ® Ingall charges to third after qualifying let-down season 0 Disaster for Radisich and DJR after first © Weather plays havoc with front-runners m IVlcLean qualifies top 10, takes Privateers honours Report by CHRIS LAMBDEN ' MARK Skaife moved himself into second spot in the Shell series and helped to protect Craig Lowndes’ points lead by winning the ninth round of the

there were a number of hard luck stories - like surprise pole man Paul Radisich spinning out of race one on the last lap; like Neil Crompton, vying for second on the day, spinning out midway through the last race; Garth Tander exiting at the same spot later in the

series, at Symmons Plains,last Sunday.

Skaife was always in the contest and benefited, same race. ^ when race two leader Greg It was that sort of day, Murphy, who’d planted Even privateer dynamo the Wyims Commodore on Cameron McLean fell foul the front row, was taken out while lapping backmarkers, later fending off , a race three challenge “"from Jason Bargwanna then Russell IngaU to take a near maximum 146 points, Bargs and Ingall completing the podium.

It was a wet old day in Tassie once again and Going the other way: Paul Radisich (right) starred on Saturday, taking his and DJR’s first pole of the sea son before raceday turned to, er, mud for the team.

(Photos by Dirk Klynsmith and John MorrisyMpix)

’-T,v

Zero to Hero: Skaife put a prac tice engine drama (right) behind him in the Tassie SCS round. He is now within 40 points of series leader Craig Lowndes.

Practice & Qualifying

of the race day conditions after a tremendous quali fying performance'that shamed a huge number of pros...

wm-. 1

I V

I

You could have got of 500:1 against theodds front row that evolved at Symmons Plains.

It was statistician Nigel Greenway’s dream firsts everywhere!

First Australian pole for the pole man, first front row for four years for number two’s team, first ever all-Kiwi front row.

On it went. Enough clues?

Radisich and Murphy was the surprise quinella - it had been so long, the duo weren’t sure where to go for the Top Three Press Conference...

Both have to date put in some good race perfonnances, but to date both have also been unable to get their cars to offer that vital few tenths on fresh, fast rubber. Both have made progress...

There was little however to suggest what was to come in the morning’s two practice sessions.

Russell Ingall topped both time sheets, the only car dip ping down into the 53s (a 53.69 the best, in the early, cold session), but he was in for an impleasant shock when it counted in Qualif3dng.

HRT debutant Cameron McConville was also up there in both sessions, revelling in his opportunity to get sprint race ndleage in a pukka HRT race car, while for team-mate Skaife the day wasn’t getting off to a good start.

Four laps into the opening session, Skaife’s engine, which had been in the car since the Darwin round, developed an instant, bad news vibration and he shut it down.

The team managed a smart engine change and Mark was back out just a few minutes into the second session, drop ping right onto the pace (54.2) after just a handfiil of laps but valuable time had nevei-theless been lost: “The engine’s quite badly damaged and the missed time means we haven’t been able to try a couple of things we wanted to,” reported team manager Geoff Grech.

Radisich gave a hint of what was to come by putting in a 54.0 right at the end of the session as he ‘scrubbed in’ one of his two sets of fresh rubber, as did Seton, who in fact scrubbed both sets, one to a greater degree.

Again, tyre ‘preparation’ was a distinguishing factor as the teams ended these ses sions and waited for the 14 minutes Of Qualifying.

While Seton and Longhurst had roaded two sets, most went for the bob each way, leaving one set ‘green’. There were a few notable exceptions who left both sets brand new - Skaife (short of time), Crompton (“bugger it, forget the science - every time I’ve ever gone really quick in a

JXZ race car it’s been on new t3Tes!”), the Wynns team and the Valvoline crew.

In the end, this group would do well...

With 30 cars present, one or two good operators were going to be in the second 14 minute session, so while the fastest 50% were likely to dominate the grid, there was the possibility of a surprise or two...

The fastest 15 emerged with Murphy at the head of the queue. The Wynns team had made some significant changes in suspension set-up (trying a new shock absorber brand) on Murfs car alone since Calder and, although they’d come to Tassie with it untested, the car had felt strong in practice (54.3s). The acid test was now, on fresh rubber, something that has been the team’s bogey to date.

Murf headed the sheets as the times started to come 53.7 - and then came a huge surprise. Privateer McLean also dropped in a 53.7 on his fourth lap out - then prompt ly buried the Greenfield Falcon in the sand at the turn two left-hander.

The Queenslander would have no choice but to sit out the remainder of the session, but surprisingly few would match what was a superb effort. And Cameron could, in all likelihood, have gone faster...

Crompton’s ‘green’ policy looked to be well worth it as the group came to the end of its first run and pitted for their second set, with the FTR Falcon quickest (53.59),

from Radisich (53.62), Bright (53.67), Murphy, Skaife (53.77) McLean and Tander (53.81).

Seton, on his scrabbed rub ber, was ninth and life was about to get worse. He was one of the first out on the sec ond set, but locked the rears over the crest into turn two and slipped off the road. What was waiting in the gi’ass was something a bit solid - it ripped off one of the car’s air jacks completely. That was it for Seton who would have to pit and watch as he slipped to an eventual 13th...

At the same time, Murphy had put in a blinder on his second fresh set - the 53.51 which, until Radisich’s late move, would look like pole.

The Shell man put in two quickies, a 53.54, then the pole-winning 54.43. He was, he said, going even quicker on the next lap when it all got away as he exited turn two and the #18 Falcon rotated.

StiU, it was enough.

“The Falcon has very good top end and power down, which is what you need here,” a delighted Radisich said.

“Now all I have to do is get a good start and keep this lot behind me...”

Team-mate Dick Johnson was only half a second away from his internationally expe rienced ally, but in this com pany that accounted for 13 grid spots...

Steven Richards was, simi larly, just that five tenths away from Murphy, but it too meant 13 spots...

“Until we test at our home track we won’t know if the

, t..

Small Wonder: Bargwanna came back into contention in a huge way, hustling the Valvoline VT to second overall and announcing he was a threat again.

(Photos by Dirk Klynsmith)

changes on my car are a general improvement or just something that works here,” Murphy reported, “but it’s certainly a step forward.”

Skaife recovered from his limited track time for an excellent third, his 53.58 com ing some minutes before the end of the session. There was a suggestion that Radisich might have inadvertently delayed Skaife in a last lap run,,but Mark wasn’t com plaining: “It’s the first time we’ve run a VT here of course, so there were a few things we needed to try but couldn’t with the engine problem...”

Crompton couldn’t improve on his first set time on the second set, but it was good enough for fourth (53.59),just a hundredth quicker than Bright, who had no com plaints other than to rue that one tenth would have made the difference between fifth and second. Close? You bet.

McLean’s superb effort saw him sixth at the end of the first session, but that was to

become seventh after Bargwanna got a good run together in the second group to post a 53.73, the Valvoline VT now back on track in set up terms.

McConville, Tander and Ingall completed the top 10, the latter (and team-mate Perkins) mysteriously slower in this session than on used race tyres in the earlier prac tice.

Russell was totally bemused, and unamused by it: “I’ve got no idea,” he said. “I honestly thought we were looking good for pole and that it was going to be a good weekend...”

Mark Larkham was 11th, shading an unhappy John Bowe. After his Calder speed.

Continued ove:page

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13 August 1999

Symmons Plains- Qualifying Shell Helix Falcon All

) 2 3

Paull^dlsich Greg Murphy MarkSkalfe

4 5 6 7 8 9

Neil Crompton Jason Bright l Jason Borgwonna Cameron McLean Cameron McConviile Garth Tender

10 11 12 13 14 15

Russell Ingall Mark Larkham John Bowe Glenn Seton Dick Johnson Steven Richards

16 17 18 19

TonyLonghurst John Faulkner Mark Poole Paul Romano

20 21 22

Larry Perkins RodneyForbes David Parsons

23 24 25 26

DugalMcDougoll Steve Reed PaulWeel David Parsons

27 28 29 30

AnthonyTratt Layton Crambrook Paul Dumbrell Mikelmrie

,

Wynn’s Commodore VT Mobil HRTCommodoreVT Ford Tickford Falcon All Pirtek Falcon All Valvoline/Cummins Commodore VT Greenfield Mowers Falcon EL Mobil HRT Commodore Valvoline/Cummins Commodore VS Casirol Perkins Commodore VT Mitre 10 Falcon AU Cat Falcon AU Ford Tickford Falcon AU Shell Helix Falcon AU Wynn’s Commodore VT Castrol Longhurst Falcon AU Cummins Commodore VT John Deere Commodore VT Siemens Mobil Commodore VS Castrol Perkins Commodore VT Rodney Forbes Commodore VS Challenge Recruitment Commodore VS Aloe Quench Commodore VT Lansvale Smash Repairs Commodore VS K & J Thermal Products Falcon AU Challenge Recruitment Commodore VS Toll Falcon AU Crambrook Racing Commodore VS John Faulkner Racing Commodore VS Saabwreck Commodore

Contnued from page 14 the CAT Falcon was unbal anced here, understeering just too much to get a good balance. There would be no qualifying heroics from JB this time.

Behind Seton, Johnson and Richards, Longhurst, Faulkner, Poole, Romano and Perkins completed the top 20, LP’s spot one worse than his Calder 19th: “I just don’t seem to be able to put together a good lap on fresh rubber,’^ lamented Larry. This isn’t where you expect to see Perkins...

Race 1-24 laps (inc! Safety Cair)

53.4381 53.5134 53.5885 53.5946 53.6079 53.7319 53.7775 53.8103 53.8107 53.8251 53.8756 53.9175 53.9196 53.9735 54.0436 54.0870 54.1761 54.2125 54.2644 54.3549 54.5116 54.6194 54.6203 54.6583 54.9022 55.0695 55.1572 55.4286 55.7524 56.5527

Murf surfs through the murk: Murphy was back to his brilliant best in the Wynns Racing Commodore,taking race 1 and threatening until this happened in race 2.(Photo by Dirk Klynsmith, Phil Williams and John Morris/Mpix)

A

JJ

Dick’s weekend was about to go downhill, the Shell car burying itself in the turn two sand (or is that mud?)traps something that brought the first of the day’s Safety Cars out.

It went green at the end of lap six, Murf and Skaife immediately gapping Radisich, who had a veritable queue stacking up behind him headed by Crompton, who would spend the whole Then on the very last lap astrous Sunday a lap later. race looking for a way past, until Radisich added to the Shell Having tagged Weel at the unsuccessfully, team’s misery, rotating out of first comer and deranged his Radisich’s last lap error. the hairpin, backing onto the front a little, the Kiwi just Murphy had eked out a sec infield and getting bogged, went into the hairpin too hot ond by half distance, with Radisich a further four back Dick and Paul would start and tagged the armco suffirace two fi’om the back row... ciently to damage the radia in what was proving quite a tor and a front rail. ‘static’ race.

Up front his Trans Tasman As a dry line started to finrl colleague was right on emerge late in the race there ' ' Skaife’s boothd, harassing the was the spectre of wet tyres starting to go off, but in the T ike Calder a fortnight earcar, and at the end of end few were affected.

Lher, a quiet first heat was his opporBowe slipped back a num about to be followed by some ^ ber of spots, struggling still race two action. It was, by moment for Skaife: . ... ' “I had a bit of opposite lock with his set-up, while Forbes now,raining steadily... , aiT r- i. ^ a.

Cl T j 4-u ^ ^ 4. ^ on anyway and the front leil illustrated Perkins’ struggle Skaife made the best start, i /. ... .. . .. n hit the big puddle on the by slipping past the Castrol carving across emphatically . .. ●. i. i. 1 XT. p X ● inside of the corner - it was car at the end of the main to take the front running ^ straight. from Murphy, Crompton, 'The laps simply wound out, Bargwanna, McConviile, n- i j x txi. i.x Murphy holding Skaife at a TanLr, Bright and Ingali; “out. I thought we were comfortable second or so while further back Longhurst j,uge power slide (although it narrowed over was in trouble, spinning to x ^ j .. r xi- c i^j ● X XU out Wide allowed Murphy an the last couple of laps), a gap the rear of the field into the „ to Radisich, Crompton, Bargwanna, Bright et al.

RadSich completed his dis°PP°rtunity gratefully, easing

owtiviM

Race 2-25 laps

Overnight had easedup a little asrain they lined under conditions that threat ened to dry out mid-race. ' Radisich made the better start and led Murphy and Skaife into the turn two left hander, only to ran a fraction wide and allow the pair through as they slithered off toward the hairpin.

Crompton was best of the rest and led Bargwanna, Bright, McConviile, McLean, Ingall, Tander, Bowe, Johnson and Seton as they completed the opener.

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leaders mghtmare - two struggling back markers, one lapping the other and neither aware of the leader’s imminent arrival. In this case, it was the struggling McDougal lapping the out-of-his-depth Imrie.

The two were side-by-side around the final turn, with Murphy trapped behind them Skaife looming. and McDougal went through, Mmf followed, but the former can’t have seen the latter coming alongside as they crested the right-hand crest before turn two.

The door was shut and Murphy rotated.

Skaife led and an understandably pissed off Murphy was able to rejoin in ninth although unable to make any progress back towards the front with a damaged front air dam. Indeed, Bowe would

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out a solid 1.6s lead over the next two laps.

Further back, Tander was making strong progress, accounting for McConviile and closing in on team-mate Bargwanna.

The action started to come on strong now.

First McLean, leading the privateer chase by a solid margin, delayed himself by spearing off the end of the straight. Bargwanna finally found a way around Crompton and moved into third, just as Bright’s weekend started to crumble - the Pirtek car rotating into the deep soil trap on the outside of the last comer.

While officials deliberated over a Safety Car, Murphy’s day at the front was about to come to a very unsatisfactory end.

He was faced with every

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Three cleae starisl

Shell Cihempiofiship Sefi#s ^ rou rid 9 Syrnfripns Ptein# 8 Aufy st 1;999 Hesults Race II (24 Laps)

Pos Driver Race time F/lap On 24:48.0020 57.1928 13 1 Greg Murphy 24:48.9937 57.5434 11 2 MarkSkaife 24:57.8722 57.6578 12 3 Neil Crompton 4 Jason Bargwanna 24:58.2990 57.7195 12 24:58.9972 57.8091 13 5 Jason Bright 6 Cameron McConville 25:00.1756 57.6157 14 25:04.8486 57.9179 8 7 Russell Ingall 25:06.6374 57.8889 12 8 Garth Tander 25:07.0733 57.9069 11 9 Cameron McLean 25KJ8.9035 57.6279 11 10 Glenn Seton 25:10.3533 57.5826 14 11 Steven Richards 25:11.3869 58.0741 15 12 Tony Longhurst 25:13.3809 57.4216 14 13 Rodney Forbes 25:16.9911 57.8485 14 14 Larry Perkins 25:19.5081 58.1767 9 15 Mark Larkham 25:21.2937 58.1182 11 16 John Bowe 25:21.3054 58.1776 15 17 David Parsons 25:21.6036 57.9716 13 18 Steve Reed 25:24.5800 58.2317 11 19 John Faulkner 25:28.0539 58.2477 13 20 Paul Romano 25:33.1813 58.4981 13 21 David Parsons 22 Layton Crambrook 25:34.1423 58.3760 15 23 PaulWeel 25:34.5515 58.4836 13 24 Mark Poole 25:36.6769 57.9349 10 25:42.3241 58.5815 14 25 AnthonyTrott 26 PaulDumbrell 23 laps 59.3321 13 27 Mike Imrie 23laps 60.3529 10 28 DugalMcDougall 23laps 58.6112 12 DNF Paul Radisich 23 laps 57.5828 15 DNF Dick Johnson 21aps 62.1711 2 DNS Mike Conway

Race 2(25 Laps)

Pos Driver Race time F/lap On 27:33.7757 58.5923 8 1 MarkSkaife 2 Jason Bargwanna 27:35.7801 58.7162 23 27:36.5696 58.5262 25 3 Neil Crompton 27:37.4890 58.7923 23 4 Garth Tander 27:38.9081 58.0473 9 5 Russell Ingall , 27:40.3410 58.5522 24 6 Glenn Seton 7 Cameron McConville 27:42.3636 58.6442 8 27:42.7163 58.7151 9 8 Steven Richards 27:44.5330 58.2722 25 9 John Bowe 27:49.7296 58.5941 9 10 Greg Murphy 2751.1066 58.9796 23 11 Larry Perkins 27:51.3682 58.3854 25 12 John Faulkner 28:06.9638 58.9534 24 13 Cameron McLean 28:12.0203 60.3792 21 14 PaulWeel 15 Layton Crambrook 28:15.7309 59.8527 23 28:16.9260 60.3109 22 16 Dick Johnson 28210.6615 60.6114 24 17 Tony Longhurst 28:21.7970 59.5300 24 18 Steve Reed 2822.2132 60.3074 24 19 Anthony Trott 2825.4491 60.4028 22 20 Paul Romano 21 David Parsons 28:27.2342 60.7884 25 24laps 59.7819 18 22 Rodney Forbes 24 laps 62.0102 6 23 DugalMcDougall 24 David Parsons 22laps 61.011020 25 Mike Imrie 20 laps 65.9251 16 21 laps 58.4146 9 DNF Jason Bright DNF Mark Larkham 20 laps 60.5097 10 DNF Mark Poole 7 laps 60.9986 7 DNF PaulDumbrell 7Iaps1:11.6577 6 DNF Paul Radisich 1 lapl:25.2927 1

Race 3(23 Laps)

Pos Driver Race lime F/lap On 25:43.4972 58.8933 4 1 MarkSkaife 25:43.7746 58.9636 16 2 Russell Ingall 3 Jason Bargwanna 25:48.1505 58.8475 5 25:49.8602 59.0442 17 4 Glenn Seton 25:54.1674 59.0707 15 5 John Bpwe 25:58.3947 59.0631 15 6 Larry Perkins 26:02.9822 59.4660 12 7 Greg Murphy 26:11.8732 59.8166 13 8 David Parsons 26:14.9658 60.1731 14 9 Dick Johnson 26:16.5166 60.6599 5 10 PaulWeel 26:30.5757 61.1890 17 11 Tony Longhurst 26:32.5606 60.9424 15 12 Paul Romano 26:34.0483 60.7766 5 13 Mark Larkham 26:40.1814 60.5378 5 14 Jason Bright 26:53.3304 62.0437 18 15 David Parsons 22laps 61.1364 14 16 Anthony Trait 22laps 60.3331 13 17 Rodney Forbes 22laps 60.8750 4 18 Layton Crambrook 20 laps 62.3555 14 DNF DugalMcDougall DNF Garth Tander 17 laps 58.6845 3 -DNF Steve Reed 15 laps 60.5051 5 DNF Cameron McLean 14 laps 59.4627 13 DNF John Faulkner 10laps 60.0432 4 DNF Mark Poole 7laps 61.0308 5 4laps 59.1626 3 DNF Neil Crompton DNF Mike Imrie 4 laps 65.0104 4 DNF PaulDumbrell 3Iaps1:11.6656 2 DNS Steven Richards DNS Cameron McConville DNS Paul Radisich

Drivers points: Lowndes 1146,Skaife 1106,Seton 1086,Ingall 1066,Bright 1010,Tander946,Murphy 852,Bowe 846,Longhurst 716,Bargwanna 690, Richards 656,Perkins 646,Radisich 574,McLean 557,D Johnson 552,Crompton 513,Faulkner 508,Larkham 488, Noske 460,Donaher 277,Forbes 254, Romano 244,Truckie Parsons 242,Reed 241,McConville 239,Ellery 198,McDougall 176,Mezera 174,Weel 168,Ashby 138,S Johnson 108,Doulman 103, Briggs 90,Gardner 88,Crambrook 82,Kelly 76,Smerdon 74,Emerzidis68,Tratt67,Skippy Parsons 56, Nash 52,Russell 50,Poole and Wakefield 42,Crick 37, Pate and Finnigan 36,Pretty 30,Imrie 28,Conway 22,Ward 20,Kendrick and Heath 17,Osbourne 17,Thorn 10, Cotter and Baxter 7, Harris and Peters 1.

demote him a further position before race end.

The Safety Car was now sent out while Bright’s car was excavated (he actually rejoined at the tail of the field), as weU as the (Truckie) Parsons car which was in the mud at turn two.

At the green, at the 14 lap mark, Skaife eased clear of Bargwanna who in turn put some air between himself and Crompton, who was being pressed by Tander - although when Bargs had a bit of a moment at the end of the straight, the two pursuers closed in to make a three-way second place battle.

Although setting some quick times. Bright was a lap down and, after a fracas with Johnson at the hairpin, final ly ended his race in the mud at the end of the main straight. Ross Stone wasn’t impressed.

Skaife was untroubled at the front, his only drama being the need to avoid an errant backmarker at the end LAYTON Crambrook’s brief spell as of the back straight (Imrie ‘Youngest Ever' touring c^r racer ended on again) and he brought the car Sunday, when Melbourne Formula Holden home a couple of seconds racer Paul Dumbrell made his V8 debut.

Dumbrell, son of Wynns boss Gary, has clear of Bargwanna, with Crompton, Tander, the contested the Formula Holden series to date, advancing Ingall and Seton but was using Symmons Plains as an opportu nity for mileage in the John Faulkner-run VS completing the top six.

McConrille’s strong run (in Commodore he will drive in the long distance fifth for most of the distance) races (most likely sharing with Darren Hossack). ended when he was forced to At 16 years, 11 months and 7 days, slow on the last lap as his Dumbrell sets a new youth benchmark for a temperatures skyrocketed, touring car racer unlikely to be matched for dropping to seventh, ahead of some time.

Richards, who was suffering The youngster had completed 80 laps of exactly the same drama.

Indeed, both would be running at Calder prior to the meeting, and was third best privateer during Friday’s prac scratchings from race three tice, but Symmons Plains vyas to bring little joy thanks to engine damage in terms of competitive running, the caused by blocked radiators Commodore plagued by a mystery electrical and the resultant tempera problem throughout which even had the tures. With so much debris MoTec experts baffled. and blocked radiators, Try debuting a V8 which simply switches Skaife’s crew would under itself off if you go over 6,500rpm - and in the take a precautionary radiator wet... change between races...

The youngster did however stay out of trou Bowe and Murphy complet ble, completing the opening race despite the ed the top 10, Murf heading problems, still coming to terms with the stark to the Stewards room to dis difference between a nimble F/Holden and a cuss the behaviour of back- V8. markers...

"It’s huge,” he said. “The extra weight in particular makes a big difference...”

- CHRIS LAMBDEN Continued over page

17

The decision to implement an 18 metre dis tance between rows might be seen as excessive - although the evidence suggests it reduced first corner accidents at Symmons Plains.

However, there were drivers who felt that the gap reduced the opportunity for a good start to make a place or two...

It also meant that the final rows of the grid were well back around the final corner. Ask the poor Shell banner girls who had to walk it to find their two cars after their disastrous race one... n While many thought that Murphy’s front row was the first for the Gibson Motorsport team since the ’96 IndyCar race meeting (where Skaife took pole) and the fii’st Shell series front row since 1995,it technically wasn’t- it was in fact the first for Wynns Racing, which is the official franchisee for the team these days.

Same for the race one win which was also the first for the ‘ex’-Gibson equipe since 1995. Still, the return to form couldn’t have come at a bet ter time for Wynns and sponsors Kmai’t. n It was,it seems,the first ever all-Kiwi front row. Murphy suggested this was some thing to do with Launceston’s latitude being the same as New Zealand’s north, while the duo resisted the suggestion of a pre-race Maori haka on the grid {thank God:ED). n Who needs ya! Where’s a PR man when you need one- both front row PR main men were absent from Tasmania, David Segal(DJR) relying on his staff to fly the flag and Paul Burfitt(Wynns)on personal business at home in Adelaide. n With teams restricted to two sets of wets and a relatively abrasive Symmons Plains track, even in the wet, a request was initiated

by HRT for a third set to be allo\ved for th> third race.

Stewards ruled, correctly, that a third set would be allowed -if you were prepared to start at the back ofthe field. No-one took up the offer... n Telstra had a good weekend Championship leader Craig Lowndes, recuper ating in Melbourne, was on the phone after every session checking on the Mobil team and others’ progress... n The GRM Valvoline team’s grid-person Theme of the Meeting was Bonnie and Clyde.

Team boss Garry Rogers confirmed that the desire for good,taste had ruled out the rumoured Monica and Bill...

This aint no Playstation,sonny: Dumbrell shows respect for his elders (!)in qualifying, leaving lots of room inside Crambrook at the hairpin. Dumbrell’s record, at 16, may

n With HRT championship challengers Bright, Seton and Ingall qualifying 5th, 13th and 10th respectively, their challenge to Lowndes’ points lead got off to a mediocre start.

Said Skaife in jest: “I’m shedding a quiet tear for them...”

- CHRIS LAMBDEN

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18 13 August 1999 Continued from page 17 Larkham had been a late retirement, also overheating, while Poole and Dumbrell were also DNFs, the young ster still battling with the electronic cut-out affecting his Commodore engine.

Race 3-22 laps (incl SC) '

w:

^ith the metre row spacing and no row four (Richards and McConville both not starting), it was the strangest looking field which lined up for race three.

From the outside of the front row, Bargwanna made the best initial getaway, but Skaife’s car put the power down better and he led over the crest into turn two, these two putting air between themselves and Crompton over the opening lap.

Ingall managed to squeeze inside Tander and emerged in

JM with the consistent Seton, Bowe, Murphy, Perkins, Faulkner, Johnson, McLean, Weel, Reed, Crambrook (enjoying a terrific race day) and Longhurst filing through.

Despite having Ingall’s attentions, Crompton closed back in onto Bargwanna and, along with Tander, a five car lead train resulted until they came round to complete lap foui-.

Skaife’s car twitched, and he held it, but Crompton wasn’t so lucky, a very com petitive day coming to a sad end as the FTR Falcon spun into the mud outside the final corner, initiating a Safety Car. Imrie’s car was also already in the kitty litter on the outside of turn two, but not considered in danger and it was left there.

It took a little while to get Neil’s car out of the bog, but the race went green at the end of lap nine, with the leaders settling into some-

thing of a rhythm.

McLean was the next casualty, spearing between the outside wall and Larry Perkins as he shot up the hairpin escape road, fortunately without hitting anything (Reed also spun at the same comer), Up front, under very dark skies and in continuous rain, Skaife was now easing away, but Ingall was all over Bargwanna.

He got through on lap 20 as Bargs slipped a metre wide off the end of the straight. It was a tricky situation, for 50 metres away, a yellow signailed that Tander had suffered the same fate as Crompton and was now buried in the mire on the exit ofthe final turn.

This time, with just three laps to go, there was no Safety Car. Ingall, however, wasn’t done and now zoomed in on Skaife. With a lap to go he got

a run inside the leader over the crest into turn two, right front locked, and there was a vei7 tense moment as Skaife made room yet held it all together to emerge from the turn two scrabble still intact and stHl in front.

There was no other oppor tunity so second it was for Ingall, but it moved him into a podium spot for the day.

Bargwanna confirmed sec ond on the day with third, from Seton, Bowe, a distant Perkins and Murphy.

Interesting finishing group - when the conditions get shitty, the really experienced come through...

That included local David (Skippy) Parsons, who drove through the mire to an impressive eighth (first priva teer) in this race for the Challenge Recruitment team.

Johnson and Weel completed the top 10.

On the face of ft, Lowndes and HRT have got away with Craig’s enforced absence.

The consistent Seton has

closed only marginally, while Bright’s Calder incident and a mixed day in Tassie has cost him the chance to make hay.

The youngster has instead slipped to fifth on the table, Ingall moving to fourth.

The big mover has been Skaife, now just 40 points behind his team-mate at the top ofthe table. A big decision looms for the team - will Skaife and Lowndes be paired for the big points long dis tance races, or will the team have a bob each way?...

fourth, lufeenft®

Craig’s twin?

McConville's ‘official’ HRT debut was an impressive one, the VS Commodore qualiyfing 7th and running in the lead group until a blocked intake DNSed it for race 3.

iiClhif privateers suppletnenfeci the field ; in Tasmania, with Cameron McLean again illustrating in qualifying that his days as a part-timer should be numr bared.

His sensational seventh outright was clearly best of the non-pros, a massive three-quarters of a second (and 14 grid spots) clear of i the next best, Rodney i Fot^bes.

Forbes (54.51). headed a : close queue of challenging i privateers, David (Skippy) Parsons and Steve Reed both within a tenth, with the other David Parsons I (Truckie) fifth of the eight. ^ ¥8 debutant and new i ‘youngest ever’Paul I Dumbrell missed some of the privateer practice session and had electrical prob^ lems in quaiifying, but was stili in the S5s.

29th outright.

(John Morris/Mpix)

I

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'

The Privateer Race, on Saturday, was a little long at 15 laps for the small 7 ear field, but it allowed McLean to strut his stuff and all but sew up the Privateer crown.

He blew the start, allowing Forbes to make the running, but then took his time in picking out a spot, unsuccessfully trying the I outside at the end of the main straight, before successfully pulling of an outside/inside pass at the turn 1/2 section of the track moments later.

From there it was all over, Forbes hold ing onto second with an increasingly,noisy j (manifold?) Commodore,from Steve Reed.

The other action came on lap eight, ; when that other young recent debutant, ; Layton Crambrook, got half inside ‘Skippy’ Parsons over the turn one crest, but lost it, taking both out.

Vyith a maximum (5 wins) to his credit in; the ‘best five to count’ format, McLean is ^ virtually home in terms of the privateer series. Forbes must win each of the

McLean gets it dirty: Cameron McLean was challenging Larry Perkins uniil this happened at the hairpin. And this(below) hap pened in quaiifying. (I'hm... hv'Cliri, C.mcr/l.ihn .vlumM

remaining rounds to force a tie. A win for McLean at VWinton will deny him and thus secure the crown for the Queensiander.

s

unday’s races produced a mixed bag, j although McLean was again the pace- | setter, ninth outright in race one, 13th in the j second after a brief ‘off at the end of the i straight, but a DNF in the third race.

I With regular challenger Rodney Forbes, i suffering a series Of spins in the second and third races, there were some new faces near the Wnt of the privateer contest | ^ none more so than the experienced David (Skippy)Parsons. !

His best was saved for last, a superb i charge from grid 21 to eighth in the third, murky race. Indeed, race three was a David Parsons Quineila, team-mate David (Truckie) Parsons second privateer home, I albeit in 15th and in a race which saw half j the privateers ©NiF. The other impressive effort came from !

Layton Crambrook (whose reign as the j youngest ever touring car driver ended j here -see breakout). Crambrook was sec- | ond only to McLean in a busy second race, j running the late laps with a recovering Dick i Johnson for 15th, then moving:further up in i the third heat before forced| to make a late pit stop. j Steve Reed too had some strong moments, but was handicapped to some degree by a lack of recent time in the car he shares | with Trevor Ashby. i -CEERISLAMBDEN i Hardy,these Taswegians: ^ Symraons Despite ihePlains lousygrand.slaJKls weather the w&K packed...

I Photo i'v r>«rk Klviwm:;!)i

|

I.

1 'U f

\-7 ●>'

S--C

Peter Bre^^

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m

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21

Bradbury Bags another Two BOG

It was soon apparent the Bradbury had an advantage PETER Bradbury through turns 1 and 2 but power kept strengthened his grip on Wagg’s the 1999 Pirelli Porsche Bradbury at bay down the back straight. On lap 4 Cup at Queensland Bradbury got a better run Raceway. out of turn 2 and took Wagg Bradbury won both races down the back straight. but had to fight to take the By this stage Keene had lead in both races, but once dropped back a little but in front pulled away from there was a huge gap back rivals Martin Wagg and to the fourth place battle Mike Keene.

Greg between Stannard, Withers, Kilpatrick dominated Class Harburg and Kilpatrick.

B in Peter Bolton’s absence, Withers lost his rear brakes and Michael Walkerden resulting in a big lock up at was the top Class C car. turn 6 on lap 8 letting Bradbury set a time of Harburg and Kilpatrick 1:15.3987 early in the first through. qualifying session and Bradbury pulled out 5s didn’t have to defend it in gap by the end over near Q2. Wagg and Keene brakeless Wagg and Keene. worked down to their times Stannard pulled away to a but Wagg’s best was a 15.92 lonely fourth, ahead of and Keene’s a 16.15. Keene Harburg, Kilpatrick, had two seconds on Chris Withers just holding off Stannard. David Withers Skea. Sahu-Khan and and Steve Harburg were Miller completed the top 10.

Keene made a sensational next. Kilpatrick was 2.4s clear of Azim Sahu-Khan in start for race 2, powering Class B. between Bradbury and Qualifying for race 2 was Wagg into turn 1. Wagg held on a wet but drying outbraked Bradbury at turn track and the times tum 6, leaving the lap 1 order at bled as the session pro Keene, Wagg, Bradbury, gressed. Keene was on pole Stannard, Kilpatrick, early but Wagg was fastest Harburg, Skea, Walkerden, for most of the session until Sahu-Khan and Miller.

Bradbury came from fourth Using his turn 2 advantage to pip them on the last lap Bradbury retook second on by over a second. Both lap 2 until Wagg took it back a comer later.

Wagg and Keene were spin ners in the damp condi On lap 4 Wagg had closed tions. the gap to Keene and took There were 2s gaps back the lead into turn 4. Two to Keene, Stannard and laps later Bradbury got Harburg. Kilpatrick’s gap past Keene under brakes at over Class B had been turn 3. Bradbury set off reduced to just over one after Wagg, but Wagg’s David recurring clutch problems second by Scaysbrook. Walkerden from practice put him out topped Class C for both on lap 8. From there races.

Bradbury cruised to win Wagg and Keene both got over Keene and Stannard.

A close battle for fourth good starts but Bradbury was able to hold off Keene was won by Skea over into turn 1. Down the back Harburg and Kilpatrick. straight Bradhury started Sahu-Khan, Miller, Leon looking for a way past Trapp and Walkerden com Wagg. Over the line the pleted the top ten. first time Wagg led Bradbury leads the series Bradbury, Keene, Stannard, with 235 points over Keene Withers, Harburg and on 195, IQlpatrick 174 and Kilpatrick with a small gap Wagg 144. Kilpatrick leads to Rohan Skea, Sahu-Khan Bolton in Class B 174 to and John Miller.

129.

By MARK JONES

icfn

Follow my lead: Bradbury and Wagg engage in a little overtaking at Queensland Raceway.(Photos by oirk Kiynsmith) j

Commodore Brilliance and Cliaos TIM Shaw closed on championship leader Christian D’agostin with a second and a win in a dramatic six round of the ROH Wheels Commodore Cup after D’agostin had a brush with officialdom and Wayne Wakefield couldn’t take full advan tage of previous experi ence of the new venue.

Greg Waters held pole position for much of qualify ing, but was caught very late in the session by first Shaw then on the last lap Wakefield dropped half a second to take top spot with 1:22.4690. D’agostin, Maurie Platt, David Gittus, and Geoff Emery were next. The track was still just damp enough for the sec ond session to be a waste of time. In the warm-up Geoff Emery served notice recording a 1:22.03.

Wakefield stalled on the dummy grid and would get the start badly, allowing Shaw to jump away ahead of Waters, Emery and Wakefield. After that a close dice of Shaw, Wakefield, D’agostin,

%

Slide it away: Shaw gets sideways on the final comer, which allowed Wakefield to sneak through.

Emery, Sidebottom and Waters pulled away.

Wakefield quickly recov ered to second but Shaw was slightly too far up the road until the last lap when Shaw had a big slide in turn 6. Wakefield won from Shaw, D’Agostin, Emery, Sidebottom and Waters.

D’agostin was later exclud ed for having too narrow a track.

Wakefield again faltered at the second start allowing Shaw to jump away. Down at turn 3 chaos erupted vyhen Emery lost the back of the car, in a big slide and was collected by Waters.

Gittus, Wakefield, Emery, Papendall and Haley were all involved somewhere.

Shaw was able to then skip away while D'agostin charged through the

scarred field from the back for second after taking Sidebottom, whose engine was dying with a lap to go.

Platt, Gittus and Andrew Mclnnes were next with Wakefield back in 10th.

Shaw leads the series with 500 points from D’agostin (495), Wakefield (478), Sidebottom (457) and Emery (435).

- MARK JONES

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Maa-aate! A fired-up Salo gave Irvine (above) his third win and the lead in the championship in Germany. A grateful Irvine was glowing with his praise after the win.

(Photos by Sutlon-lmages and RaceAccess)

^ J. r

M

cLaren has the fastest Formula 1 car of the 1999 season. And yet Eddie won at Irvine Hockenheim - as he had in Austria because McLaren screwed it up.

Mika Even before Hakkinen departed, spinning wildly into the wall when a rear tyre exploded, he had been dumped back from a good lead to fourth place because of a refuelhng glitch.

David Coulthard ripped off a front wing while trying not to overtake Mika Sale’s Ferrari and then landed himself a stop-go penalty for overtaking while off the circuit, while trying to avoid hitting Olivier Panis.

We keep saying that McLaren cannot go on screwing up forever but, at the moment, it seems that the team can - and that means that Irvine is becommg a serious World Championship challenger.

And it seems winning is helping Eddie develop a new side to his character. He won in Hockenheim but he after the race he promised to give Salo the trophy. Because it had been Mika’s race...

QualSfyjng If youlook are up really bored and you Hockenheim in the Encyclopaedia Britann-ica you will find that the only mention it gets is in the section called Clark, James. “Bom March 4 1936, Duns, Berwickshire, Scot.-d.

April 7, 1968, Hockenheim, West Ger.” It goes on to say that he was a “Scottish automobile racer who became world driving champion in 1963, when he won a record 7 of 10 title events, and in 1965, when he won 6 of 10 as well as t’ne Indianapolis 500-mile race. He was killed in a racing accident.

IS it.

And that Hockenheim has never been glamorous like nearby Speyer - where they invented the word Protestant and held lots of Imperial diets (which were parliaments rather than yoghurt and muesli for emperors)- or Heidelberg with its world famous university and medical schools or even Bmchsal with its magnificent Rococo castle.

No, Hockenheim was a littie place, a farming commu-

Lone family member: Ralf Schumacher drove another blinder, qualifying 14th and finishing fourth to head aii the Supertec-powered cars in the race. He really is kicking Alex Zanardi’s tail at the moment. (Photo by sutton-images)

most of a lap and often this means that they blow up.

Reliability is an issue because it is usually steam ing hot at Hockenheim at the end of July.

In terms of setting up the drivers have a choice. They can go for high speed on the straights and a hairy time in the stadium or for good grip in the twisty bits and slower top speeds. Both routes have their dangers and often they produce the same basic result.

It used to be the case that the FI teams tended to line up in echelon but these days the competition is so tight that those patterns have blurred and so we had a rather ‘jumbly’ line up. But one thing stayed the same: Haklcinen was at the front, on pole by five-hundredths of a second.

“I think I could have done better he said, “but when I arrived at one point on the circuit there was a lot of dust on the track and I lost three-tenths of a second.

“But,” he added, “I am on pole and that is the most important thing.”

Unusually Coulthard was not right alongside Mika. At the end of his first pun David suffered a puncture which caused “a rather attentiongrabbing moment”. As a nity in the flat woodland of result there was some dam the Rhine valley. Even in age to the car and so David 1939 when Mercedes-Benz switched to the spare car.

He then went back to his built a racing track through the forest in order to test own car at the end of the their cars for the fast Grand session but the time lost Prix circuits of North Africa meant that he did not get as there was little interest (the good a shot for pole as he world was concentrating on had expected... He was third other things by then) and on the grid. after the war was over Splitting the two silverGermany did not have grey cars was a yellow money to go racing and splodge belonging to HeinzHockenheim hosted only Harald Frentzen, making minor races. his bid to have Germany In those days the track behind him on race day. In was shaped like a large part this was due to the lat sausage with the Ostkurve est engine development from at one end and the Honda.

Westkurve at the other. The ‘HH’ was delighted to be only thing of note was that on the front row - which was the Westkurve went around no great surprise. His team mate Damon Hill was a sec the outside of a graveyard and if you were not careful ond slower and that was you could crash into the only good enough for eighth cemetery wall... on the grid, on Saturday It was the construction of morning “Mr Yo-Yo’ had been a new motorway in the early fastest but in the afternoon 1960s which gave he failed to put together a Hockenheim the boost it good lap and was extremely needed. The government disappointed. needed half the land on which the circuit was built There a Ferrari in and paid a vast sum in com fourthwas on the grid and pensation. The track owners now we had a big surprise used the money to construct because it was not the team’s the track we know today, stand-in number one Eddie with the fast curling Irvine but rather its stand-in straights of the old number two Salo, who outHockenheim sausage and qualified Irvine by a couple the twiddly stadium section of tenths. This was some built in the 1960s. thing of a blow for the bur To this have been added geoning Eddie Irvine indus chicanes following the try which would have you deaths of Clark in 1968 and believe that their man is Patrick Depailler in 1980 ready to go head-to-head and the terrible injuries with Michael Schumacher which Didier PTroni suffered for number one status at in a crash in 1982. In recent Ferrari.

There were reasons for the years this sombre history has been lightened up by lack of speed but no major Michael Schumacher and his incident to explain it.

“We did not get the best army of flag-waving, fire works-throwing fans but, of out of the ear today,” said course this year, there was the fifth-placed Irvine. Very no Schumi to cheer. Ralf is disappointing. not the same as his big Sale’s performance was brother... Not yet. impressive but the Finn said Hockenheim is the ulti he was not surprised.

“I am more comfortable mate test for the Formula 1 engines. They are flat out for with the car now,” he said. “I

i

Mk)D®[Fsm®n’0

13 August 1999

Rat at work: Niki Lauda chaufferred DaimlerChrysler Chairman Jurgen Schremp around the track. FIA VP Bernie Ecclestone gives Herr Schremp the good oil, while McLaren engineer Tim Rapley appears to have Lauda at a disadvantage ...

Silver Arrows x 3: 'M-Bs old and new were everywhere.

That’s Bernd Schneider in the W196 (car #10).

(Photos by Sutton-lmages)

did not make any mistakes and I got what I wanted. I still have more to learn so I think there is more to come.

The combination of me and the car are still not perfect.”

Behind the two Ferraris we had Rubens Barrichello in his Ford - which was a good enough performance on a weekend when the compa ny president Jac Nasser was at the track, wheeling and dealing and spouting forth amiable waffle to the press.

It was actually not as good a showing as many of the team members had hoped particularly Barrichello.

“My target was the second row,” he said. “I guess we didn’t improve as much as our rivals in the afternoon.”

Poor old Johnny Herbert had another dose of dreadful luck. Friday was ruined with a broken exhaust and poor handling anti then on Saturday morning Johnny had a very scary moment when his rear wing col lapsed. In the crash that fol lowed Johnny gave his thumb a hefty bash and that caused him some trouble.

This meant that he was 17th on the grid. .

Seventh on the grid was a big surprise with the ProstPeugeot of Olivier Panis looking really rather compet itive - a rare thing these days. With Jarno Trulli ninth on the grid the French team was looking better than it has for a long time.

The answer was simple. The Peugeot has always been a powerful engine and if it does not have to go round too many corners the extra weight it carries is not such

a big problem.

The fact that Trulli had two engine failures in the qualify ing session alone and still achieved what he did gives you an idea of just how com petitive the P r 0 s t s ^peared to be.

Tmere was much optimism for the race.

I

t was no sur prise to find the Supertec runners strug gling to get into the top 10. The old Renault Photo by ! engines are a Sutton-lmag< bit short of puff Dangerous curves ahead; these days and so Hockenheim is famous for its scenery. the Benettons, Williams and BAR cars were Schumacher’s Williams and all out of the picture. Fastest chaos theory seemed to on this occasion was apply in that garage as well Fisichella’s with Ralfs third run being Giancarlo Benetton and with Wurz disrupted by Patrick Head talking down the radio at 13th it was not a bad quali the wrong moment. fying for the team.

The team said that the “I thought I was speaking cars could have gone faster to Alex on the radio,” said and Fisichella reckoned that Patrick, “but in fact I was on he might even have been the wrong channel and I was sixth if he had he not been actually talking to Ralf when held up by a Sauber and as he was coming into the then gone off and been Stadium section.”

One can only wonder what delayed for repairs so that when he went out again Patrick was saying to have there was traffic. Listening caused Ralf to lose his con centration.'The mind boggles to Giancarlo’s story in quali fying was like reading the given Patrick’s usual colour chaos theories of the late ful and forthright way of 1980s.

Next up was Ralf Continued over page

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13 August 1999 V

been his own worst enemy.

And here, suddenly was a new Irvine. A likeable one, giving credit where credit was due and not sneering at everyone and everything.

Long may it continue.

Behind the two Ferraris Frentzen came home to score another four points and in doing so moved to third in the World Championship. It was a good effort.

The same could not he said for Hill’s performance. If one was trawling for laughs one might say that since his revival at Silverstone Damon has given up working week ends and only goes quickly on Fridays. His race perfor mance at Hockenheim was not that of a man committed to taking risks and going fast.

“I was finding it difficult to stop the car and I locked up badly three times,” he explained. “I thought it was pointless to continue. The team wanted me to continue but I am in the cockpit and I took the dedision that it was not safe to cany on.”

It may sound harsh hut it is time for Damon to retire.

He has been a great sports man and an even greater ambassador for FI and for sportsmanship in‘general. It would be such a shame if he were to ruin that hard-won reputation with a season which whimpers to a petu lant close or ends with the team concluding that Damon must be dmnped.

“I need to speak to Damon to see what actually hap pened and why he did not want to continue,” said Eddie Jordan.

Continued from page 23 talking to his driyprs.

Zanardi was 14th on the grid, admitting that he had timed his final runs badly.

He reckoned he could have been half a second faster.

Twelfth on the grid was Jacques Villeneuve’s BAR which was a good effort for Jacques given that his race car broke down and he had to switch to the spare car for his last run.

“We didn’t show out true colours,” he commented, pointing out that he never qualifies well at Hockenheim hut generally has better races. Of course that was in the days when he had a reli able car. Ricardo Zonta has mechanical troubles with his BAR and ended up down in 18th on the grid.

The biggest surprise of all was the performance of Minardi’s Marc Gene, who was 15th on the grid. This was the result of a new aero dynamic package which was being run on the car which, rumour has it, was put together by the men at Minardi rather than the at aerodynamicists Fondmetal Technologies.

Luca Badoer’s lacklustre Formula 1 career continued with 19th place on the grid after an engine failure and a spin.

Sixteenth and 21st was hardly Jhe kind of result one would expect to see from the Sauber team - particularly when the boss of Petronas was at the race and the con tract is up for renewal soon.

Everything seemed to be wrong for Jean Alesi and he described his day as “a dis aster” and had no idea why he was six-tenths slower than Pedro Diniz.

There was no big surprise that Arrows were at the back with Pedro de la Rosa 20th and Tora Takagi 22nd.

Tom Walkinshaw was hon est enough to admit that the team’s only real hope in the race was good reliability...

The Wurz is yet to come; It was frantic in the ‘nornalfy aspirated’ class, Wurz and Fisichella having Hill for company until the Jordfan 'ran out’ of brakes. Hmm. Black days for the Macs: McLaren’s usually superb pit work was off beam.

Celebration time: Finland doesn’t have a Formula One GP - yet... {Photos by Sutton-lmages)

k

Race(44 laps) Come Sunday morning the warm-up saw the McLarens looking good hut it was the two Prosts which provided the entertainment with Panis and Trulli second and fourth. The drivers said that they had been running with full tanks. Also going well were the Stewarts with Barrichello fifth and Herbert sixth.

The grandstands filled up but the atmosphere was not as electric as it used to be in tbe great days of Schumacher Mania. Whenever Ferrari number three appeared the ●^crowd cheered but the driver was a Finn. It was not the same thing...

Michael delivered a mes sage to the German fans but it didn’t do much to raise the level of excitement. Although whenever one hears the incredible roar of a gridful of FI cars at full pitch, one can not help but get excited. And then the lights went out and the fi eld was off, the cars jinking left and right amid the tyre smoke.

Hakkinen made a good start but Frentzen and Coulthard were less success-

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Lid fill. Salo jinked his way 4o second place as they all dived into the first corner while Irvine found himself clogged up behind DC and was only fifth. On the run down to the first chicane he was jumped

by Barrichello and pushed down to sixth place.

“Once that had happened,” said Irvine, “I knew that I would have to let the race come to me. I was having oil temperature problems and I had to back off a little. But the race came to us...”

Indeed it did.

In those early laps there seemed to be httle hope of a big result for Irvine.

Hakkinen was ahead, while his old Finnish rival from karting days was the Ferrari standard bearer. Sale’s per formance was mighty and did

away with the argument that it takes time to get up to speed in FI. , If you follow that argument to its natural conclusion one has to say that Mika’s perfor mance did not reflect well on Irvine but perhaps it is too early to judge just yet. Mika says he is still not getting the best out ofthe Ferrari and Eddie says that he had an oil pressure problem.

The race began to lap fall five into Irvine’s lap on when Barrichello slowed with an hydraulic failure which deprived him of gearbox and tbrottle. On lap 10 Coulthard ran into the rear wheel of Sale’s Ferrari in what looked like a ill-considered overtak ing manoeuvre. The result was that the McLaren lost its

front left wing.

“I had ho intention of over taking Mika at the point where we collided,” said David, “He braked quite early in front of me and I went 'to the inside to avoid hitting him.”

With Coulthard out of the way Salo was free to chase Hakkinen but the gap remained at around five or six seconds. Five seconds behind the Ferrari, Frentzen and Irvine tussled for third.

When it came to the pit stops Eddie managed to get in and out slightly faster than the Jordan.

When Hakkinen stopped on lap 24 the McLaren stop went wrong. The refuelling nozzle jammed and the World Champion was at rest for nearly 25secs. Back on the

race track Salo led Irvine and we wondered for a moment if the Finn would disregard all team orders and go for victo ry. It would have been a great story. But on lap 26 he puUed over to let Irvine pass.

Within a few seconds there was no longer a Hakkinen threat. Barrelling down the straight into the stadium area, Hakkinen’s car sudden ly slewed sideways. The left rear tyre had blown at around 200 mph. The car gyrated across the track, nar rowly missed the wall and then went into the gravel trap. It stopped spinning and went head-on into the tyres.

For a moment it looked nasty but the gravel trap and the tyres had worked well.

Mika climbed out, shook his head and wandered off the pits.

And so there was Eddie leading the race with a tail gunner to protect his rear and no real worries. The engine might have blown up, but it didn’t. The win was his. Eddie is not a man given to many moments of good grace but on this occasion he expressed remarkable - and laudable - thoughts.

“What a star Mika was today! This was his race and he wiU be getting the trophy,” said Eddie. “I would feel bad if it was sitting on my man telpiece instead of his. He’s a boy wonder and he did an absolutely fantastic job.”

Eddie’s fan club in the press corps has never been a massive one. He makes good copy but his mouth has long

Fourth Schumacher place went but his to Ralf was a lonely race. It was nonethe less a good race with Ralf giv ing his all as usual. As usual Alex Zanardi was in the wars with something seizing up in the back of his car. This was later traced to a dodgy differ ential which caused the team to caU him in to retire. Poor Alex.

Coulthard eventually fin ished fifth but not before a stop-go penalty for overtak ing Ohvier Panis off the race track and then a second stop, occasioned by his early stop for repairs. He set some fast laps at the end but sadly it was not a great performance.

The final point went to Panis in the Prost and that was not really a surprise given the speed of the car throughout the weekend.

Ohvier made a bad start and as he was on two-stop strate gy he paid heavily for that mistake. Truth was on a onestop strategy but was held up by the slow-moving Panis. He did what he could but an engine failure wiped out his chances after 10 laps.

Wurz came home in sev enth place after some hard battling - notably half a lap during which he ran side-byside with Coulthard . It was something. Fisichella’s race was less successful. He was chasing Wurz when went off in dramatic fashion at the entry to the stadium.. He rejoined, pitted for a new nose, and then trolled around until he retired with suspen sion failure which was proba bly the result of his off-track adventures.

13 August 1999

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Pos Driver 1 E.Irvine 2 MikaSalo 3 H.H.Frentzen 4 R.Schumacher 5 D.Coulthard 6 0.Panis 7 A.Wurz 8 i.Alesi 9 M.Gene 10 L. Badoer II J. Herbert

Car Marlboro-Ferrori Marlboro-Ferrari Jordan-Mugen-Honda Williams-Supertec McLaren-Mercedes Prosl-Peugeot Benetton-Supertec Sauber-Petronas Minardi-Ford Minardi-Ford Stewarl-Ford

Race time 1h21m58.594s 1h21mS9.601s Ih22m03.789s 1h 22m]1.403s 1h22mt5.4l7s 1h22m28.473s ]h22m31.927s Ih23m09.885s 1h23m46.912s 44laps 40 laps

Fastest Lop:Coulthard (lap43)lm45.270s(233.331 kph) Retirements; crash with Diniz LapO J. Vilteneuve BAR-Supertec crash with Vilteneuve Sauber-Petronas LapO P.Diniz differential seat Laps R. Barrichello Stewart-Ford frontsuspension Benetton-Supertec Lap 7 G.Fisichelta engine Prost-Peugeot Lap 10 J.Trulli brakes Jordan-Mugen-Honda Lap 13 D.Hiil Arrows engine Lap 15 T.Takogi engine BAR-Supertec Lap 20 R.Zonta differential Williams-Supertec Lap 21 A.Zanardi tyre failure/crash Lap 25 M.Hokkinen McLaren-Mercedes crash Lap 37 P.de la Rosa Arrows Stewart-Ford gearbox Lap 40 J. Herbert Leaders:lap 1 -24 Hakkinen,lap 24-25 Solo,lap 26-45 Irvine.

Drivers World Championship points: Irvine 52, Hakkinen 44, Frentzen 33, M .Schumacher 32, Coulthard 30, R. Schumacher 22, Fisichella 13, Barrichello 10, Solo 6, Hill 5, Wurz and Diniz 3, Herbert and Panis 2, De la Rosa Alesi and Trulli 1.

Constructors’ World Championship points: Scuderia Ferrari 90, McLaren-Mercedes 74, Jordan-Mugen-Honda 38, Williams- Supertec 22, Benetton-Supertec 16, Stewart-Ford 12, Sauber-Petronas 4, Prost-Peugeot 3, Arrows 1.

Jean Alesi ended up in eighth place but it was a dreary result for Sauber. The race began in disastrous fashion when Diniz was taken out at the first comer by a wildly gyrating Jacques ViUeneuve.

“At least Jacques came and apologised,” said Diniz.

Alesi managed to avoid the carnage but at the end of the first lap he ran into the back of Panis and had to pit for a new nose. He rejoined and pushed hard but eighth was the best he could do.

Ninth and 10th places went to the two Minardis with Gene" ahead of Badoer.

Gene complained that his car was handling oddly after he was hit by ViUeneuve and then Zonta at the start.

Badoer complained of brake and clutch problems.

Herbert looked like he would finally get Some reward as he was running fifth in the closing laps but then his Stewart died beneath him as it has done so many times this year. We hear that wire-

Ferrari team manager Jean ¥odt rarely seeks the limetight alter wins but the Frenchman did speak out alter the Hockenhelm 1-2 Question: How did you feel about today’s result?

Jean Todt: Well of course, I am a verv pleased. It’s been a hard fight. When Michael had his accident at Silverstone, it was probably the worsi time of the season. Fortunately, it’s one leg broken, but the team has to face up to the situation. The race last week in Austria with Eddie was great and the race today is even greater at various levels.

Ifm very happy withi Mika Sate because it has given him the opportu nity to show that he's a good driver and a good man. The way he handled the situation was not easy but he did it with a very good spirit. !1 attash greatimportant to human values and I must say that on that score he did very well. : So he's a good driver and a good'#er# son and that’s very important.

Q: Was there ever any diSGUSsion that he would be allowed to win the race?

JT: No,, he knew what was going to happen. We’re not cr^y. We know that at the moment Eddie has the best chance in the Drivers’ championship.

Mika may have set a better lap time in qualifying, and he made a better start, but then the situation arose that we had to ask him to let Eddie past.

less detection units blushed ■when they heard what Johnny had to say to the team over the radio...

Of the rest there was little to report. BAR continued its " Q: Did you come ph the radio and dreadful and embarrassing adk him to move over? season with another double JT: When Eddie was closing the gap to retirement. Villeneuve’s inci him, we just informed him of the situa dent at the start was odd as tion by radio.

Jacques appeared to jink into Gene for no reason. He Q; If Irvine hadn’t got ahead of then spun into Diniz and Frentzen at the pit stop, you would that was that. Zonta also have had to let Sato go? touched Gene in the melee JT: The team did a good pit stop, so and eventually came in for a there’s no point in saying if... We have new front wing. He rejoined enough ifs, but the ifs today were in just in time for the Supertec Our favour, which is good.

VIO to blow up.

Arrows also posted two Q: It must be hard to ask a guy to retirements with Takagi give up his first Grand Prix win? going out with an engine JT: No, not at all. Ferrari has to win failure and de la Rosa mak we are professional people. We have ing a mistake and piling his to be human, and atthe end of the day car heavily into the wall at we all work for Ferrari. This is a big Turn 1, battle for Ferrari; there are commercial In three races Irvine has interests, this is industry. We don't scored 26 points, Hakkinen 4 v work for ourselves and each member and the Irishman looks capa of the team knows that and has to take ble of 'winning the title. that into consideration.

If Schumacher does come back early, who wants to be Q; Have you been surprised by the the one to tell Eddie?

Having ftin Wifb a Finn: Mika Sato is eongratulated by country man and World RaHy Champ Tommi Makkinen.Todt is atready on the phonCjplanning(he next win.

waybotb diiiyers have adeptednew iipagined that.thin'g'ftwould^haye roles since Miehaei’S accidenf? gone so well sinGe?/ JT: ;| wouldn’t have said that it’s a new J?:jldo,:but I thought we were uniudky ' after Monte Carte,.for four races iini a role, they've just adapted themselves to; the situation. Mika ihas had a double- ' row, very’unludky, s'p^,believe .in -, ' ."-“1 new role; to act the perfect team-mate something,^! donTknow what, butil^.,^' and then to give his team-mate the believe jn sometliiing.;lf,you'work ilar#;^:’^ right opportunity. and'everyone in'thg^teamgives'as 'l 1 imudh'-dsthey dahiyoucaji’t'rernaih ; ■unlucky, :s6'let',sihope that it contiitiues^vri ■Q::D6 you think it’s been diffiGwlt _ from Mika to comejiRp aibig;|.i^itf like'^thijs^uhtil the end' oHIie. ch'a'ih^j-’ ^ J like Ferrari?^ * ^ , ■dh^hipriubMcLaren rnighWinis'Ssr ^ and; second at the' next race, end weJT; You know, T was quite impressed with the job he did in Fioranpi while ili, might only score one point, if ariy, -j which would'put thern ihjfronf. agaihi soT'i appreciate that it isn’t a very represen tative circuit, but he.did’well; and his we must'keep pur fekten'-the ground attitude was good: Theni I saw the jdb '■ , j -, _ . he did'in qualifying, in Austria, but then : :Q%^&>yeuTeelptKat tbp ^ he couldn’t avoid Herbert in the mess -' ' 1 at the start. ;lt was a shame because ' prefer to say that they Se still; the ^ 'favourites - so you’re not disappointed he could have done a good job-arid if they winii ’ . scored points,.

This was bis secoTiid! race and'-he’s' ' ■ Art'll whfe1i;aread‘6Jv5^if@§lrth^' dene a perfect job. He was ufldbr pressure, he was always sensible '' they still have a teclinil|#aa%i!i|^ when Coulthard was behind! him, so tage? JT; They still have a paekagp which'is ' everything he did today was very a bit qpicker, but that pushes us to . ,A. good. The good thing is that he will drive in Formula One next year. Three work hard and to improwe-ithe psSg^f-^' ■mance 'of our carpthe errgihg:, th lero weOks ago, he was ijust plannirigi topackage, everything. ' . get married. Now he's driving; for Ferrari for a certain; period and'he will be driving; Formula One next year;, QV-B ut^ou’ve made .prog res,^p^^p what more can you hope for?

■ :ehgine, you-were quickestiqmlhe?^ straight here at HocketShfi^^, *> Vi JT‘; It’s not only theerigin©,.ft’s-alsO' -; Q: Were you impressed by his perthe: aero package..fl youi-don'tbawe -a^- i formance here and his commitment on what is very quick circuit? goodaeroipackage butyou'have a ' -i] good engine, you dontbave top' -.

JT,: Yes, you need a lot of commit speed, so .the job,we’ve donie:jh'the: ment, but I would say that it’s not the wind tunnel has meant that wd’we most difficult driving circuit. You need made a good step fonward. ● , a good engine, good brakes, a reliable ■^3 car and on that Tm quite happy with -v what the team has delivered: And ^Qj-can y6u.imprbve.:ydungpaW^ when you have all those things, you perfoiimance? ■ also need to have some good drivers, JT We’ve tried, but it’smbt easy, so everything was fine and it went well. TheyTe-vgry g&0d in. quali%i|nig5vMika (Hakkinen) is partiGularly good; as well.

Q; After Silverstone, could you have Again, we miss Michael on that.

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Into the wild Blue

Ford is getting serious about Formula One - some would say,‘at last’. Blue oval Chief Executive Jac Nasser was at Hockenheim talking about the company’s F1 future. JOE SAWARD was iistening.

J

ac Nasser, the president and chief executive of the Ford hjotor Company,jetted in to Hockenheim to have talks with members of the Formula 1 circus while avoiding giving away any of the company’s plans in Grand Prix racing.

There have been a lot of rumours about the recentlyacquired Stewart Grand Prix team being turned into a Jaguar team and the next Formula 1 Commission will consider a request from Ford for the team to change its name. But what will that name be?

We haven’t decided that,” says Nasser.'There has been a lot of talk about Jaguar and I will not rule that out. Motorsport is an integral part of Ford’s business. It isn’t different from other areas such as production, sales and so on. It is therefore global and so it must be integrated with our brands because we want motorsport to run through the bloodstream of our people.

We are in a transition phase as far as the brands are concerned with the purchase of Volvo, the establishment of the Premier Automotive Group of luxury brands and the changes in the management at Ford of Europe.”

Nasser insists, however, that no matter what happens Jackie Stewart will still be linked to Ford although perhaps not in F1.

We have had a relationship of 30 years with Jackie,” he explains and that will continue. It is not only a long relationship it is also very ●“broad ranging from vehicle testing to giving advice to people like me.

That will continue but exactly how we organise the racing side is under discussion and we are right in the middle of that.

‘The aim is clearly to win and I don’t think that will take long, if you go back and look at the perfor mance of Stewart Grand Prix over the whole programme we are ahead of where we expected to be.

Aussie at Large: Ford’s number 1 man Jac Nasser (above) has big plans for Ford’s FI program.

Past and Present: A leading role player in the future will be Jackie Stewart, once Ford’s standard bearer behind the wheel(below, at Monaco in 1971)and now team owner with his son Paul(below, right). The livery of the StewartFords (right) may change to Jaguar, though ...

But this is a tough business and we would not be proceeding if our intention was not to win.

“Being there is not enough bbt we don’t have to win every time.

We want to be among the winners.

We do not do it for the marketing impact alone. We would not do it for that. Marketing is more impact ful if you win but that is only about 20% of the reason for the pro gramme. The other 80% is divided

equally between people and tech nology.”

Nasser’s battle cry is a familiar one amongst the Ford men in FI and is echoed by John Valentine, head of the company’s Advanced

Engineering racing technology divi sion in Dearborn, Michigan.

“F1 is very valuable for training engineers,” he says. 'They learn not only how to do things quickly but they also have an increased

13 August 1999

27

yonder 4 Showing your hand: Ford’s plan for an FI comeback will likely follow the same program it has implemented elsewhere in the sport.

Get the best people - like Colin McRae and Malcolm Wilson (hold ing umbrella, right) and touring car star Alain Menu (below, right), pay them what they are worth and let them go for it.

(Focus photo by RaceAccess; all other photos by

I

Sutton-Images)

scope of responsibility . One week they might be working on drive shaft problems and the next they will be on aerodynamics and then it might be braking systems. They also learn a lot about how to deal with people at a lot of different lev els, They have to deal with teams, suppliers, the media, drivers and FI personalities such as Jackie Stewart.

“These people are legendary and they have an air about them which is unique. It is good for young engineers to come and be awed by that. It helps their person al growth. Often when hey arrive they are shy but after a couple of years you can really see the

change and that is good.

“From the technology standpoint motorsport really lends itself to things like computer modelling. The computers allow you to do a lot of quick testing so that instead of hav ing to build five prototypes you can do them in a computer and get a lot closer to the idea you want, in rac ing tfie quick turnaround time really lends itself to developing the com puter-modelling.

‘We are now so confident in our computer-modelling software mod els that we do about 10% of the rig testing we used to do. In other areas were are struggling more because thermal and aerodynamic modelling is much more difficult

because you need to do the whole car and the number of cells need ed is unbelievable and we need more computing power. We are just at the tip of the iceberg on this stuff and it’s very exciting. As com puters get faster and we get better it will get better and better.

“F1 is also useful for material and electronic development and, for instance, we have technology transfer deals with people like Boeing. Recently we have been looking at some of the wiring on the Apache attack helicopter for Cosworth engine looms.”

Valentine now admits that Ford has had a much bigger involve ment with Stewart than was imme diately obvious.

“We have been using our tech nology all along but in a very quiet way. You are seeing improvements in the car as a result of that. We were not at all pleased last year with the carbon fibre gearbox but we did not own the team. We sug gested that the carbon fibre not be used. We strongly suggested that.

We strongly suggested a back-up programme - but it all fell on deaf ears. We could only suggest.

“Unfortunately a lot of our sug gestions were not taken and the results last year were disastrous.

The fallout of that was that there was a change for this year and there is more Advanced Engineering presence in the new car.

‘We have just had the StewartFord SF3 in Dearborn doing advanced analysis for the next generation car. It is like taking an F1 car to a doctor for a physical.

We looked at structural rigidity, both overall and in localised areas.

We looked at suspension and engine attachment points; global and local structures, suspension geometries, centre of gravity and these types of things.

‘We have had people working at Stewart for the last three years. It started with one engineer and has now increased to three. It will increase again. Once you have an equity position in a company the commitment is such that you are

absolutely free to bring in all of your technology without the risk of it going somewhere else.

“When you don’t own a team or an engine manufacturer you are always a little bit in an ‘us’ and ‘them’ situation. And that goes both ways because the team does not necessarily want to share every thing with you. Now we can get serious. We are unencumbered in what we would like to do. It wasn’t that one day we just woke up and decided that we wanted to do. It has been in the back of our minds since my group was formed in 1996. The idea was to renew our commitment to racing, increase our involvement and get the technolo gy transfer going to help train our engineers and use racing as a test ground for new ideas and tech nologies.

“In the back of our minds we kept saying “we would like to do more with Cosworth” but it was not for sale. In the end we got what we wanted and buying the team is icing on the cake, we are going to have a complete entity and we are very pleased about it. The working relationship is going to change and I envisage more Ford engineers involved . We are going to step up our technical presence in Europe with more racing engineers being posted to Cologne to help not only

with the F1 but also with the rally and touring car teams.”

Valentine also envisages a Ford motorsport “campus” where all the company’s racing activities could be concentrated.

“Stewart Grand Prix does not own its own building and there is no room to expand and Cosworth is surrounded by Audi facilities.

They are also grossly outdated.

We knew when we bought it that we would not stay there but we have put in a lot of effort reorgan ise the machine shop and put in new machines. In the long-term we want to grow the racing engine business at certain levels.”

That will not be in Formula 1.

The company is spending money with rumours of talks with engineers like Adrian Newey and drivers such as Mika Hakkinen and Michael Schumacher but, accord ing to Valentine, budgets are not unlimited. ' “It is clearly our intention to win," he says.“We have seen people spend cubic dollars and n9t win in F1. Just because you have a lot of money does not guarantee suc cess. You have to look for value.”

Nasser says it will not be long before all is revealed and promises “a real magic mix of involvement in motorsport.”

We can hardly wait...

28 13 August 1999

Swede dreams

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Dream Team: Even when Richards pitted the Volvo advantage remained intact,.a superb 9s stop stretching his race 3 lead. Richo and Morris (above)shared the wins at QR.

© Richards 2from 3 at Queensland Raceway © Morris takes race 2 to keep series lead © Qualifying misdemeanours send 7 cars to rear of grid © Blinding first 1999 pole for Jones o Crashes for Canto, Coleman and Downard © Indy winner Hills seals title

(Photos by Ditk Klynsmith and Marshall Cass)

Qualifying report by MARK JONES Race report by PHIL BRANAGAN ON’T send Jim Richards to the rear of the grid; it just makes him angry.

That seemed to be the main message after a stun ning performance from Volvo’s veteran, Richo shrugging off a lousy start ing spot in race 1 to ham mer the field into submis sion in the first and third races at Queensland Raceway.

After passing the field in the first race, and following Paul Morris around in race 2, Jim unleashed the S40 in the final outing and, aided by a superb pitstop, beat the field by more than 10s.

In doing so, Richards closed the points gap to

leader Morris to 16 points with two rounds to go.

Morris went 2-1-3 in the races, edging out Brad Jones. After a great pole lap the defending Champ went 3-3-2 in the races to keep his championship hopes alive, despite a race 1 engine problem. i Dean Canto looked in line for a good day until getting hooked up in a race 2 start ing accident with Matthew Coleman, putting the Mondeo out on the spot and forcing Coleman to park his Audi for race 3.

Canto’s team-mate Peter Hills dominated the rest of the Independent races, seal ing the 1999 title with two races left.

four frenetic laps the heavens opened and the session was declared wet.

In those four laps Morris was the first into 1:13 brack Afield of 18 carsRaceway, arrived at Queensland et with a 13.9, then Jones already missing the two local with a 13.7, Richards a 13.9.

Carinas or Rea and Rolfo. For Next lap around and pole the second meeting in a row was beyond doubt.

Henderson was out of the a recorded Jones meeting early with electrical l;13.1979s on his third flying problems after another lap to snatch pole suddenly engine rebuild. The pretty Jrom the clutches of Richards Vectra was loaded away in as spitting rain began, under the transporter on Saturday cutting Richards best time by after looking fairly good on a tenth. Jones had been jut under half a second from Friday morning.

The dominant feature of Richards pace.

When asked where the this year’s series - rain - was to badly affect qualifying. extra speed had come from The clouds rolled quickly in Brad couldn’t put his finger the late morning and when on which of the changes qualifying started it looked they’d made from the morn decidedly threatening. After ing session produced the

Entry and Qualifying

resrdts but he also said “they were going to beat me with a stick if I didn’t come home fast enough” Like most at QR Jones had had problems graining tyres and weisn’t sure about lasting a race distance.

Just after Jones set the pole Richards flashed across for a 13.63 lap, 0.3s slower than in the morning session.

The next lap was starting to get wet.

“I wasn’t going to do the time Brad did so I called a halt to it. I didn’t think we had to beat Brad I thought we had to beat Paul.”

Happily for Jones and Richards, the BMW was restricted to the second row.

Or so we thought.

Paul Morris recorded a 13.91 on his first fly ing lap in the Nemo Racing BMW 320i. He didn’t better it because of traffic and then the rain. Morris had found no perfor mance gain from fresh tyres to roaded tyres, indeed the fresh tyres had been worse if any thing. Morris had thought early on he wouldn’t be as as quick Kchards, and so it proved.

No way through: Morris’ race 3 start came to nothing when he couldn’t get between the Audi and the Volvo. Look at Hills (#88)...

Once the rain set in several teams packed up and headed for shelter, with cars being driven out of pits into the paddock before the session was over. This is clearly against against TOGA regu lations and the powers-thatbe sat down to examine the evidence.

After a lengthy discussion session the Race Director sent Richards, Adderton, Dean Canto, Peter Hills, Jim Cornish, David Auger and Mike Downard to the rear of the field.

Morris was back on the front row, from Coleman, Robson, Zonneveld, McGill and Newman. Troy Searle was 8th in a best ever grid spot. Richards was back in ninth with it aU to do in race 1. Adderton called the protest “very petty”, while HiUs used other, more colourful words...

Each of the top three’s team-mates had different tales. Coleman was just behind or just in front of Jones at each session, and recorded a 13.96 to be fourth.

He’d only had one clear lap before the rain set in, but there were no problems to report with the second Audi.

Coleman was taking it easy with the tyres, willing to sac rifice grid spots for tyre life.

Adderton in the second Volvo lost time with some CV related niggles, and didn’t get on to fresh rubber until Friday. He claimed fifth but was a over a second from Jones time.

Top three’s team mates?

Morris had a team mate in the team’s second car (a ’96 Diet Coke 318i last raced at Bathurst by Geoff Brabham) for Nissan GT-P racer John Teulan. Teulan was enjoying racing a pure-bred racecar for the first time. The weekend was being used as a shake-

13 August 1999

JXS.

29

Only the Lonely: The Audis and Morris looked lonesome when seven cars left pitlane during Saturday’s wet qualifying session. Jones (above)took a strong pole, his first of the season.

(Photos by Marshall Cass and Dirk Klynsmith)

Sartorially presented: Former BMW team manager Frank Gardner was on hand to give some tips to Volvo Australia motorsport manager John Cotter (right). (Photo by Marshall Cass)

mechanical dramas of it’s older I

( ,

sibling, the 406 had blown a clutch earlier in

I

down for Teulan to run the car at the Bathurst 500.

Teulan’s best time was set with the track a little damp and was well down in 13th.

The Mondeos were sixth

been short of power at Oran Park in the Honda, and was still not fast enough. Robson was praying for rain on Sunday. Cornish was having a trouble free weekend in the

and seventh. Canto logged a lot of laps testing on Thursday before Hills arrived at the circuit. Canto was only 0.3s behind Adderton, to take

Nissan to be ninth, only a hundredth behind the Honda.

top privateer. Hilts was a fur ther 0.2s away. Like most the Mondeos had been graining tyres and tyre life was defi nitely a concern.

The Project Racing team were next, all be it almost two seconds slower than

TC Motorsport Peugeot 405.

On Friday the car had stripped a crown wheel and pinion, the team repaired the car and Zonneveld was only a tenth behind Cornish. Tony Newman in the newer

Hills. Anthony Robson had

the day. Newman decided not to go I out straight away i in qualifying in order to get a clear run later in the session. The weather gods wrecked all that howev er; the best laid plans....

Snapping at Zonneveld heels was Aaron McGill and Auger. McGill slowly dialled in the Mondeo over sessions and had little trouble. In the

Completing the top 10 was Mark Zonneveld in the older

garage next door the same could not be said. Auger had blown the engine on Friday morning with achieving lap time. An engine swap was ordered, but a day was lost and the Alfa Romeo was still sorting gear ratios and chas ing set-up on Saturday. A chance for further sorting in the qualifying session was lost with the rain. Auger was disappointed to be sure.

After Teulan, Downard was also caught by the rain slightly to be 2s slower in 14th in the Playboy BMW 318i. It was Downard’s first weekend clear of mechanical

Peugeot 406 was 15th howev er. Not to be left out of

BOC Gases Super Touring Qualifying Pos Driver

Team/Cor

I

AudiSports Australia Audi A4

1:13.1979

Paul Morris MotorsportBMW 320i

1:13.9168 1:13.9655

Brad Jones

2 Pout Morris

Time

3 Matthew Coleman Audi Sports Australia Audi A4 4 Anthony Robson Racing Projects Honda Accord 5 Mark Zonneveld 6 Aaron McGill

TC Motorsports Peugeot 406

1:16.5588 1:16.6940

Trinovin/Smeg Ford Mondeo

1:16.7558

7 John Teulan 8 Tony Newman

Paul Morris Motorspori BMW 320 1:16.8101 1:30.4094 TC Motorsports Peugeot 406

DQ Jim Richards

Volvo Racing Volvo S40

DQ Mark Adderton

Volvo Racing Volvo S40

1:13.6318 1:14.3618

DQ Dean Canto

Signature Security Ford Mondeo

1:14.6094

DQ Peter Hills

Signature Security Ford Mondeo

DQ David Auger

Gun Racing Alfa Romeo

1:14.8013 1:16.7913

DQ Jim Cornish

Visit your Vet Nissan Primera

DQ Michael Downard MPD Racing/Playboy BMW 3181 SAEBMW318i NT Troy Searle NT Milton LesUght

problems though and was enjo3ring the increased track time.

Troy Searle was happy with his BMW on Friday, a Lakeside set-up was worWng well and Searle had come to

1:16.5688 1:18.8976 No time

aap Toyota Carina

The weather was, at least, better for Sunday.

Fine, warm-ish, little breeze. The pity was that there were only a few spectators there to take advantage of it; at least though, there were no queues to get into the track...

Predictable result #1; Morris screams away. Any hopes Jones had to keep the Beemer behind went west with Richards’ being bumped back to nine. But Turn 2, Paul was 1.2s in front...

Predictable result #2; Mondeos scream away. This time it was McGill, third into the first corner qnd right behind the tardy Jones. Soon the Volvos were by, Adderton leading the way, but Aaron was rapt; “that was the best feeling I’ve had all season,” he grinned later.

'The other part of the Ford equation was that both Canto and Hills were ahead of Richards, Jim taking until lap 2 to find a way past into fourth.

Once he had clean air, Jim dropped the hammer. Morris was 1.7s clear after two laps but Jones started to gain.

There was oil on the track; at the first corner Auger had clouted Searle, splitting an oil cooler and the slippery stuff ended up on almost half the track before the 155 pitted.

terms with the track quickly.

He would be a bit happier

That knocked the edge of the times for a while but Jim

late on Saturday.

Milton Leslight failed to get any lap time with a clutch failing in the Carina on his

was inexorable; he gained up to 0.7s a lap on Morris and Jones, topping the charts with a 13.87s on lap 8 to set a new record. A lap earher he had found a way past Jones,

morning out lap, and didn’t venture out once the rain set

No time

Race 1 (10 laps)

in qualifying.

blasting by on the back

straight a zeroing in on Morris.

from the cars behind. Canto made another blinder from

He took only two laps to get onto the tail of the 320i and, when Morris hobbled in turn 2, the five-cylinder Volvo swept past, took the line and cleared away to win.

It was been one of the best drives ofthe season.

six and tried to get between the Audis. On the left Coleman’s right front guard banged into Canto’s leftfront, the blue car vaulting into the air and crashing back to earth with broken

“Each lap I went by I looked at Paul’s car,” Jim said calmly later. “I knew we could do low-14s; if you qualify at 13.9 (like Morris did) I don’t think you can race at that.”

Simple, when you put it like that,isn’t it... ?

Jones had been hobbled by an oil leak. His front tyres were sliding around but he held on to third, the car immediately heading garagewards for an engine change.

Coleman’s challenged substantially dropped away with a half-spin on lap 4, losing three spots and taking a few laps to get back past Adderton and Hills, taking the Mondeo on the OUTSIDE

suspension.

As Dean hopped oh'’ the Safety Car was beckoned and the field lined up while the Ford was manhandled off the grid. The front-left suspension was shattered; it was out for the day.

Jones had made a bad start, lining up behind the Volvos and ahead of Hills, McGill (running Hills’ spare gearbox), Newman, Cornish, a recovering Coleman, Robson, Searle, Leslight, Downard and Teulan.

After two laps, it was on again. Morris leapt away and had a small gap and the interest was on Jones and Adderton, the Audi getting third a lap later. Richards started to close on Morris

ofturn 4 on the final lap.

Behind came Adderton, Canto and Hills (the boss moved over to allow young Dean some points), Robson (another start at the opposite end ofthe chain from Morris’) and Newman. Cornish and

but, before he could mount a challenge, the Safety Car reappeared on lap 10.

It was Downard. He had been dicing with Leslight and, approaching turn 4 on lap 9, he looked inside the Carina. The black car turned

McGill followed, the Ford

in and, riding his two inside

pulhng off immediately with a screwed gearbox, Teulan, Leslight and Downard.

wheels over the high-ish kerb, Downard starting to two-wheel...

The Playboy car gently rolled onto its roof and sat

Race 2(17 laps) Even pole,for Richards was from no match Morris’ start, but he got some help

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13 August 1999

Continued from page 29 ness. His biggest problem was unplugging his radio conrtection. The car was pret ty okay until,’with the Safety Car again out, the car was bounced back onto its wheels.

Downard was completely unhurt; so, hopefully, was the car’s outstanding liveiy!

Another two laps and the racing was on again.

Amazingly enough, even with two former NASCAR champs behind, Morris out-leapt them again, bmlding a small lead and, no matter what Richards tried, Paul stayed there. The track tempera ture, up 6 degrees on race 1, was not doing the FWD cars any favours and Moms hung on to win by 0.6s.

Richard was second (with a 13.94 on the way)from Jones (13.88!), Coleman (who strug gled on with a cracked upright), Adderton and Hills, an almost reluctant Indy winner in light of what had happened to Canto. After a battle Robson, Newman ?

Searle, Cornish (trailing a bumper), McGill, Leslight and Teulan followed - all on the lead lap, courtesy of the double appearance of the Safety Car.

Race 3(20 laps) The badwas news forthey the Audi team that had no spare for Coleman’s car.

He was out. The good news was that Bradley’s fast lap time in race 2 had him on the front row, and relegated Morris to row 2.

Predictable start #3; Morris out-jumped the front row but there was no room in front. Moms looked left and found no joy there, so he started to go back to the right - only to find Peter ‘Top Fuel’ Hills already there...

He had nowhere to go. But Richards did - the lead.

Despite a little creep at the start the Volvo was station ary when the light went green and he out-dragged Jones to the corner. From there on the race was histo ry; Jim was gone, gone, gone, up 1.92s after a single lap.

To add insult to injury Jones ran wide at turn two, allowing Adderton through.

Now he had to get into foui-th; he took Hills at turn 6 on lap 2, swept away

Adderton two laps later and took off after the leaders.

Richard pitted on lap 9, followed in by Morris. The Volvo Oz crew were right on the money; Richo left after 9 seconds, three up on Morris’ NEMO lads. To make it even worse, Morris got stuck behind the exiting Leslight who was “doing 30 kays instead of (pit lane speed limit) 60”. At the end of it all Richo was 13s up.

Jones pitted a lap later, taking 12s and just heading Morris at turn 1.

Adderton made his stop, which was not as quick as Richards’ and added to the problem with a penalty for speeding on the exit. On' fresh tyres everyone was spending all their speed; Richo set a new mark with a 13.82s lap on lap 11 to stop anyone thinking of having even a sniff of a win, while Jones (14.00s) and Morris went at it hard. Paul’s response was a 13.85s on lap 15, faster than he qualified, but he couldn’t force Jones into error and stayed third.

That’s how they finished.

Behind Adderton (37s behind JR) was Hills, Rpbson, Newman and Zonheveld (who almost beat ‘the boss), McGill (three Gas &Gear awards for older cars), Teulan, the returning Auger, Leslight and Searle.

masHT

o

Richards was 4elighted, Morris'almost equally so (“We always thought the Volvo and Audi will be good here”) while Jones, with his early engine problem, had at least salvaged good points from the day, and showed real car speed in qualifying.

With the speed of the Audi, Richards’ confidence and Morris’ starting, qualify ing at Oran Park will be absolutely critical. Bradley and Jim -will be desperate to keep that Beemer off the front row in Sydney next week.

Those 15 minutes on Saturday, August 14 should be a cracker...

Formula Ford: Canto and Hills (above) split the Indepents’ wins and Hills has already sealed the title two races before the end of the season.

Bad start: David Auger and Troy Searle (below) clashed at the start of race 1. (Marshall cass)

-2.

^ Race 1 (10 Laps) Race time PosDriver 12:37.9210 1 Jim Richards 12:38.6636 2 Paul Morris 12:40.9589 3 Brad Jones 4 Matthew Coleman 12:49.7660 12:50.9035 5 Mark Adderton 12:56.1773 6 Dean Canto 12:56.7861 7 Peter Hills 8 Anthony Robson 13:06.7692 13:10.0898 9 Tony Newman 1320.1117 10 Jim Cornish 11 Aaron McGill 13:27.7440 13:28.5498 12 John Teulan 13:46.7344 13 Milton Leslight 14 Michael Downard 9laps 2laps DNF David Auger 1 laps DNFTroy Searle t DNF Mark Zonneveld Olaps

lil^ygusllSitRciGeResuis Race 2(17 Laps)

F/Lap On 1:13.8747 8 1:14.4441 2 1:14.7624 2 1:14.2657 9 1:15.3080 12 1:15.7025 6 1:16.0972 5 1:16.6288 9 1:16.9699 8 1:18.2929 4 1:18.7379 2 1:18.4693 9 1:19.9310 5 123.7681 6 1:26.1776 1 125.7609 1

Race time 26:35.5239 1 Paul Morris 26:36.1160 2 Jim Richards 26:37.4765 3 Brad Jones 4 Matthew Coieman 26:45.7341 26:46.5027 5 Mark Adderton 26:48.6532 6 Peter Hiils 7 Anthony Robson 26:49.8040 26:53.9074 8 Tony Newman 26:54.9244 9 Troy Searle 26:56.6861 10 Jim Cornish 27:00.3765 11 Aaron McGill 27:10.0629 12 Milton Leslight 27:27.0337 13 John Teulan DNF Michael Downard 8laps DNF Dean Canto Olaps DNSDavid Auger PosDriver

F/Lap On 1:14.1658 6 1:13.9406 6 1:13.8811 6 1:14.5721 8 1:15.1710 7 1:15.8022 7 1:16.3968 14 1:16.3518 15 1:17.0977 7 1:16.9715 15 1:17.6089 14 1:19.5361 8 1:17.5332 9 1:19.5083 5

Roce 3(20 Laps) Race time PosDriver 25:23.8993 1 Jim Richards 25:34.5851 2 Brad Jones 25:35.0656 3 Paul Morris 26:10.7144 4 Mark Adderton 26:13.9753 5 Peter Hiils 6 Anthony Robson 26:31.6827 19 lops 7 Tony Newman 8 MarkZonneveld 19 laps 9 Aaron McGill 19 lops 10 John Teuton 19 laps 11 David Auger 19 lops 18laps 12 Milton Leslight 17 lops 13 Troy Searle DNFiim Cornish 1 lap

F/Lop On 1:13.8379 11 1:14.0046 14 1:13.8500 15 1:14.7635 14 1:15.5259 15 1:16.0376 15 1:16.2489 5 1:16.7986 13 1:16.8682 2 1:17.1738 14 1:17.8853 4 1:18.5805 13 1:17.7621 14 1:30.1641 1

DRIVERS POINTS: Morris 189,Richards 173,Jones 136,Coleman 119,Hills 85,Adderton 49,Watts 40,Canto 38,Robson 34, Newman 25,Henderson 23,Auger 21,Williamson 17, McGill 15,Wall and L.Searle 8,Cornish 5,Townshend 3,Rea and Zonneveld 3,T.Searie 2,Elias, Leslight and Teulan 1.

INDEPENDENTS POINTS: Hills 206,Robson 106,Canto 102, Newman 84,Auger 74,McGill 64,Henderson 55,Watts 49,L.Searle end Cornish 40,Leslight 24,Wall 22, Rea 19,T.Searle 17,Elias 14,Zonneveld 13,Teulan 12,Stones 10,Townshend 8,Letcher 7,Downard 6.

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32

13 August 1999

V

By TONY GLYNN

T

he NHRA rule revision regarding the deletion of airshifted (pneumatic) and elec tronically shifted transmissions from Pro Stock and Pro Stock Truck Stateside - which will also be implemented in the tenth month of next year in Australia - is about to propel Melbourne-based Holinger Engineering squarely into worldwide drag racing prominence.

As a consequence of the move back to manual shifting in a sport where the margin for winning or losing is measured in thousandths of a second, the idea of running a lightning-fast, driver-operated manual sequential transmission that automatically conferred a mea surable performance advantage on the vehicle in question - and also guaranteed a flawless, utterly reli able shifting pattern from first to top - began to look rather appeal ing to a couple of lateral thinking drag racers and Peter Holinger’s American/Japanese business con nection.

Currently, there are three com monly used transmissions produced in the USA, the Liberty with a manual vertical gate shift mecha nism employing external linkages, the opposition G-Force product which employs an identical shift mechanism and the Jerico unit, which is still in the throes of mak ing a successful transition to a fullmanual shift.

It would seem, therefore, that the manual Holinger HDB five-speed sequential transmission may well have appeared in the marketplace at the most opportune time, thanks to the groundbreaking initiative displayed by local drag racer Peter Ridgeway, American chassis builder Don Ness and Peter Holinger himself, the latter the manufacturer of arguably the world’s best road racing gearboxes.

Australian Pro Stock Owners Association President Ridgeway, who currently runs a pneumaticshift Jerico transmission in his Winter Nats-winning, Ness-built Oldsmobile Cutlass Pro Stocker, was well aware that the external shifting mechanisms on all three American transmissions travel a significantly further overall dis tance as each gear is selected than a sequential system that operates on an internal camshaft would — and he was also very much aware that those incremental differences equated to a significant margin timewise on a seven-second run.

“Comparing apples with apples, the Holinger has just one stick attached to a rod out the back of the transmission and no further external linkages; it also shifts far more positively and the all-impor tant shift distance remains con stant each time a gear is selected,” Ridgeway explained.

“There’s also a considerable weight saving due to the Holinger’s single stick actuation, as against the bulkier, more complex American arrangements, which .generally employ two sticks due to ‘'their separate reverse set-ups.

“The sequential transmission is undoubtedly the future in this sport and, as we speak, I believe that Jerico is trying to come up with a similar deal.

“But, as things stand, Holinger has produced the first such trans mission in the world and, impor tantly, his transmission is approxi mately 20 pounds lighter than the lightest of the opposition units, the latest magnesium-cased Liberty,” Ridgeway explained.

“Now,in itself that weight differ ence is a huge advantage in this

Molmger's Magk

Aussie engineer Peter Hoiinger has produced the worid’s first sequentiai drag racing transmission type of car, as movable ballast is the key to ultimate performance and thousands upon thousands of dollars are spent on titanium com ponentry just to give the teams a little more ballast to adjust the bal ance of these cars to suit the track conditions.”

A few years ago, Holinger made an ultra-affordable sequential con version for his ubiquitous six-speed H6-S manual-shift transmission universally employed by the Ford Falcon and Holden Commodore V8 Supercars that race in this country, the commonsense sequential shift

the unique drag racing unit.

“The durability and reliabihty of the Holinger box over there has really shone out when compared with some of the American trans missions used,” Ridgeway stated.

“Significantly, the shifting func tion was vastly better and it’s

Another challenge met: Holinger Engineering principal Peter Holinger (left) and Pro Stock test pilot Peter Ridgeway after the very impressive quarter-mile debut of the locally-built manual-shift HDB sequential transmission.

(Tony Glynn pic)

H

aving already established a need for such a transmission in his mind, Ridgeway was aware that Holinger was already supplying sequential transmissions to Japan and, coincidentally, Ness was asked to supply his Statesidehuilt and much admired tube-chassised creations in Nissan GTR Pro Stock guise to meet the needs of the Japanese drag racers.

units selling extremely well in Europe, Asia and New Zealand, but not permitted for local sedan road racing under the current Supercar regulations.

He then designed a GTR sequen tial six-speed gearbox dedicated to the needs of the potent Nissan GTR and it was that seemingly bullet proof transmission that proved to be the catalyst for the evolution of

reached a point now where the 4WD Nissans GTRs with their turbo motors are exceeeding 1300 horsepower with around 700 foot pounds of torque, which are outputs comparable with a 500 cubic inch NH^Pro Stock car.

“Now, Holinger’s American agent, Ken Nielsen, was in Japan and contacted Peter and stated that, in his opinion, the transmis-

sion would more than suit the seri ous American market, but that he needed more technical data.

“In turn, he spoke to Don Ness, who rates as the premier chassis builder for Pro Stock cars in America, the pair discussing the notion of tiying one of these trans missions on American drag strips.

“I came into the picture when I happened to be in Minnesota at the Ness workshop having a new car built and the subject was raised,” Ridgeway said.

“Don asked me if I had heard of Holinger, which I had through the Touring Cars and he explained to me what had been happening over the past twelve months with the correspondence from Japan.

“He thought it would be better for me to become the Holinger test pilot for the sequential transmis sion for two reasons - firstly. I’m here and in Peter’s back yard and, secondly, we thought it would be better from a practical standpoint to tiy the transmission out behind a small block, before going to a big block powerplant.

“So, after about ten months of correspondence with Don had been dragged out and I still hadn’t spo ken to Peter Holinger, Don came to Australia to do some work on my new car and it just happened that Holinger’s Japanese connection had returned to the USA from Japan and rang Don here in Australia and he was very keen, as the manu al shift rule had just been imple mented in Pro Stock and Pro Stock 'Truck in America.”

Holinger, Ness and Asubsequent between Ridgeway, meeting the latter pair armed with various American transmission componentry to estab lish specification baselines, very quickly led to Holinger opining that

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34

13 August 1999

Report by GERALD fUJcDORWIAN '' in Sonoma

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IT was a case of third time lucky for Whit Bazemore and Doug Kalitta, both having been to the finals in Funny Car and Top Fuel at both Denver and Seattle, with each driver taking wins in their respective cate gories in Sonoma on Monday, August 9.

Bazemore was the absolute class of Fimny Car all weekend, running low et of every round, including a brilliant 4.87/310 - a new track record - in his semi-final win over the Syntec Mustang of Tony Pedregon.

In the final round, Bazemore defeated his third Pedregon of the day, Frank, when his Penthouse Magazine Pontiac went up in smoke off the line, Bazemore streaking to a 4.96/301.

The Kendall Camaro, with Tim and Kim Richards as crew chiefs, has stepped up recently, reaching the final round at three consecutive events - Denver, Seattle and Sonoma.

Ironically, it was three races ago that Bazemore and the Etchells team debuted the new, aerodynamically-enhanced ’99 Camaro body, developed by the Detroit car manu facturer to rival Ford’s Force Mustang.

“I can’t say enough about Chevrolet... they helped rescue my career and this is just great for them,” Bazemore said after the final round.

“A.oything can happen with these cars, but Tim and Kim Richards have the car running so good that

Dawn of a new era: Helen Russo guides husband Peter, Australia’s Funny Car king, after the US-based team’s historic first Stateside launch. we’re always going to be a chance.

“I’m not quite sure of the points and John [Force’s] lead, but as long^ as we’re out there we can go all the way.”

Bazemore was outspoken about the Camaro body and the effect that Ford’s Mustang had early in the season.

“We’re on a level playing field now. Ford got a chance to go change things and they had a huge advan-

tage. We don’t write the rules, but now they’re written and they want to play the game, Chevrolet are more than happy to play too.”

Kalitta’s win in Top Fuel, over eight-time finalist/no-time winner Tony Schumacher, came after the nephew of legendary drag racing figure Connie ran through with a solid 4.61/315 while Schumacher’s Exide dragster banged the engine at three-quarter track.

liiiny Car refugees

WITH plans of racing at both Seattle and Sonoma and hopes of maybe qualifying in the tough world of professional drag racing, some of those in Austraha that helped force the hands of Peter and Helen Russo make the move to the US

might say their NHRA debut was a failmre - but, be assured, it was far from that. In fact, it was a great success.

The Russos didn’t make the Seattle event(thanks to problems obtaining parts on time to assemble their brand-new Steve Plueger-built Dodge racer) and, after a quick launch to try and familiarise Peter with the car, just one quahfying run - the final round - was attempted.

But the Russos - and all those that witnessed the pass - came away happy and impressed with their efforts.

On his only pass, Russo shut off the Avenger after just four seconds on the throttle, the four-time Australian champion’s brain trying to catch up with the car after being out of the seat for 18 months - but a stout 5.65/208 still came up on the boards, indicat ing that qualifying next time out is certainly on the cards.

“The car moved out of the groove and just past half track I thought it was better to lift and take stock of what we did rather than try be a hero,” said the “Working Class Hero,’Peter Russo.

“Nonetheless, the 60 footer was our second-quickest

ever, the 330 footer was our quickest ever and the half-track speed of 224 mph was our fastest ever, so we were pretty pleased with the car’s obvious poten tial - all things considered, in theory that pass would probably have netted a high teen et, which would have seen us quahfy eleventh.

“Racing in the US has just been a dream coihe true - it’s the real deal and, even though it’s taken 20 years to get here, it’s been well worth it.”

Both Peter and Helen were amazed at the response of both the fans and other teams at Sonoma, their pit being the place to be for much ofthe weekend.

“It was terrific... Force, Etchells, the Hofmanns, who’ve been our Mends for years, Ronnie Swearingen, Lance Larsen - they were all here, welcoming us, giv ing us encouragement and offering help and that was brilliant,” Helen Russo said.

“We had no illusions about how we’d go, what we’d do, or the reception we’d get, but everything went bet ter than what we could ever hope for.

“At this stage, we’re planning to do the two Texas races and Pomona at the end of the year and, with a few areas that we’ve recognised that need attention or working on,I think we could even sneak into a field.

“Even so, just getting here, just putting the car together and just nmning it once was an achievement in itself that we’re very proud of..”

So was anyone on hand who had the opportunity to witness it.

- GERALD McDORNAN

With Ed ‘the Ace’ McCulloch caUing the tuning shots, Kalitta was solid all weekend, only once failing to complete a full, competitive pass.

His final round foe from Denver and Seattle, Joe Amato, went fi-om chocolates to boiled lollies in the first round, losing to points leader Mike Dunn, Track records were crushed in Sonoma, with better than expected weather conditions allowing com petitors to hook up much better than predicted.

Bob Vandergriff set a new et record for Top Fuel at 4.55, while Schumacher ran the track’s first 320 mph pass in qualifying and repeated the feat in eliminations.

Perhaps the biggest shock and most spectacular race of the year came in the first rodnd of Funny Car, when Pedregon’s boss John Force was downed by independent Chuck Beal.

Force’s Mustang smoked the tyres early in the run, allowing BeM to streak away, although his Dodge’s engine let go near the fin ish line, blowing up in a ball of flame and launching the body 100 feet into the air.

Beal swerved across the track in front of Force and, as it hit the wall, the Castrol Mustang crashed into Beal’s rear, pushing him up the track - both drivers emerged uninjured.

Sharp: Ed “Ace” McCulloch came up trumps for Kalitta. (David Ostaszew/ski)

1999 WINSTON DRAG RACING SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS AT AUGUST 8, 1999

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1999 Winston Top'Fuel Championship 918 1. Mike Dunn, Team Mopar 901 2. Kenny Bernstein, Budweiser King 873 3. Joe Amato, Tenneco Automotives 869 4. Tony Schumacher, Exide Batteries 854 5. Doug Kalitta Kitty Hawk 852 6. Gary Sceizi, Team Winston 825 7. Doug Herbert, Snap On Tools 789 8. Larry Dixon, Miller Lite 763 9. Cory McClenathan, MBNA 748 10.Bob Vandergriff, Jerzee’s

1999 Winston Funny Car Championship 1,361 1. John Force, Castrol Ford Mustang 2. Tony Pedregon, Castrol Ford Mustang ,.1,105 3. Whit Bazemore, Kendall Chev Camaro ....974 .670 4. Frank Pedregon, Penthouse Pontiac 5. Dean Skuza,Mateo Tools Dodge Avenger 670 .653 6. Del Worsham, CSK Pontiac Firebird 7. Cruz Pedregon, I’state Batteries Pontiac ..605 .599 8. Tim Wilkerson, JCIT Pontiac Firebird .562 9. Cory Lee, Pioneer Dodge Avenger.... .539 10.Jerry Toliver

1999 Winston Pro Stock Championship 1. Warren Johnson, Goodwrench Pontiac..1,123 2. Kurt Johnson, AC Delco Chev Camaro..1,022 3. Jim Yates, Splitfire/Peak Pontiac Firebird 909 4. Jeg Coughlin Jnr, Jegs Mail Order Olds....785 5. Richie Stevens, Valspar Pontiac Firebird ..735 6. Troy Coughlin, Jeg’s Mail Order Olds. .660 7. Allen Johnson, Amoco Dodge Avenger ..656 8. Mike Edwards, Dewco Chev Camaro. .609 .595 9. Mark Pawuk, Summit Racing Pontiac .544 10.Greg Anderson, Troy Humphries

DU& ■=55 ●

35

13 August 1999 Jim’s second win: The Peak Performance/SplitFire Spark Plugs Pontiac Firebird of Jim Yates was victorious at Sonoma, making it Oj two Pro Stock wins for the season so far. (David ostaszewski pic)

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It was just the third time this year that neither Force, nor Tony Pedregon, had been in the Funny Car final round.

Following his dramas in the first round in Seattle, Jim Epler fronted at Sonoma, but left the track sans another Corvette body and a DNQ. On the final qualifying pass, Epler’s Easy Care Corvette hung open an intake valve, the engine backfiring and spectacularily blowing the Vette in half needless to say, crew chief and double Australian Top Fuel Champion Glenn Mikres couldn’t believe the team’s luck.

Australian Funny Car Champion Peter Russo, just like Andrew Cowin at Pomona in February, came up just a little short and qualified 18th for the 16-car field in his US debut.

Delays and frustrations restricted the Russo team to just one qualifying pass, although Russo nearly pro vided a major upset by appearing to be on his way to a place in the field before the car drifted out of the groove and Russo shut off to a 5.65/208 - the bump was held by Cruz Pedregon at 5.25.

In Pro Stock, Jim Yates took his second event win of the season in four final rounds with the Peak Pontiac running to a 6.98/197 over Kurt Johnson, the Seattle winner losing traction when he shook the tyres hard early in the nin.

“We changed gear ratios and made a whole bunch of suspension changes to get down the track in the final round and we made a pretty good run,” Yates said.

“I saw Kurt when we let out the clutch and for the

first part of the run, but when I hit second he disap peared and I was happy with that!”

Four-time NHRA Pro Stock Champion Warren Johnson had a tough week end, the GM-backed racer just qualifying, albeit in sec ond, on his last run before falling to tyre shake in the second round - a problem that plagued WJ the entire weekend.

In Top Alcohol Funny Car, former World Champion Pat Austin made it two wins in a row with the ProMax Pontiac, taking a 5.7/254 to 5.89/243 decision over the Dodge of Mike Andreotti.

Top Alky dragster was a lucky one-car contest in the final for Duane Shields, opponent Darren Nicholson popping the blower on his car whenifiring up - Shields banged his blower on the launch to take a slow win!

■ While Seattle seemed to be unbeatable when it came to food and drink pricing, I don’t think anything could ever take the cake from Sonoma.

Cop this... two chicken burgers and two large Pepsis for lunch cost US$19 - that’s $30 in our money!!!

As if the Australian pro moters didn’t charge enough already... hey?

■ John Force confinned fol lowing Seattle that, if he is to run a third team in 2000, it will be another Funny Car and not a Top Fuel dragster as has been nunoured for a number of years.

Apparently Ford, who are putting in serious money and effort into Force’s effort, want a female driver in another Mustang to try and attract that section of the new car market.

Currently in the running for the ride are Pro Stock Motorcycle racer (and cur rent points leader) Angelle Seeling and Top Fuel racer Shelly Anderson, who is sponsorless and sitting out tliis season.

■ Force’s team had a fourth semi-trailer rock up to Sonoma on Friday during qualifying, the rear loaded up with four new Mustang bodies, two for Force’s own car and two for Tony Pedregon’s. With new bodies worth around US$25,000 each, around US$200,000 was loaded and unloaded from the trailer!

■ Also adding another car to the Funny Car ranks, next season will be Chuck Etchells, the “first in the fours” racer believed to be close to signing a sponsor that will help him return full time to the driver’s, By Gerald Me D or seat.

Etchells stood aside together, although his 5.14 for Whit Bazemore this sea wasn’t enough to handle son, Bazemore bringing Frank Pedregon’s 5.10 - the associate sponsorship to the Penthouse Magazine car, of Kendall team that enabled course, being owned by two things to occur - firstly, Dunn.

Bazemore was fortunately With help on hand, able to continue his career Hofmann split with tuner behind the wheel after los Jimbo Ermolovich just prior ing his major sponsor, to racing on Sunday morn Winston, at the end of ’98 ing, although Ermolovich and, secondly, Etchells’ hung around until the team team now had the budget had packed up and headed required to operate at the home. top level.

■ Teen “sensation” Cristen ■ Scotty Cannon is also in Powell appeared at Sonoma the midst of organising a late with the JCIT Pontiac second car for the Oakley Funny Car, although she team to run in 2000. didn’t make a run on the Cannon told Motorsport track.

News he is currently in dis Powell and the team were cussions with Oakley CEO at Bakersfield during the Jim Jannard and he is confi week, but problems with dent that a second “Nitro driving the car pi-evented Mater” will be on the track her from obtaining her next year.

Funny Car licence in time for the event.

■ A1 Hofmann’s bad run of The team’s previous dri tyre-smoking runs appears ver, Tim Wilkerson (who to be coming to an end, the was fourth in the points semi-independent racer heading into Seattle), was enlisting the help of veteran also at Sonoma. driver/tuner Jim Dunn to Wilkerson said he expects turn the Pontiac Racing dri to be back on the track in ver’s car around. one car or another soon The help looked to be and most likely will compete good, too, with Hofmann at Indy for at least a one-off putting four good mns appearance.

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Lampus again

DON Lampus moved into the point lead on the IHRA trail, taking his second straight win when he defeated Steve Smith in the final round of Top Fuel at the IHRA Car Quest Northern Nationals at Stanton, Michigan, on August 1.

Lampus’ final round, cylinder-dropping, 4.98/276 was enough to cover the tyre-smok ing 8.08/91 of Smith.

Lampus qualified low at 4.737 seconds and took out season-long points leader Bruce Litton in round one with a 4.79/302 when Litton spun the tyres - a second round 4.93295 stopped Michigan favorite Jack Ostrander.

Smith had made his way to the final round by stopping Jim Bailey in round one on a holeshot, 5.14/264 to 5.05/274, then disposed of Shirley Muldowney 4.96/283 to 5.20/290.

Lampus now sits at the point in the IHRA points standings by 31 points over Litton.

Joining Lampus in the winner’s circle in Michigan were Floyd Cheek in Pro Stock, Steve Vick in Pro Mod, Von Smith in Alcohol Funny Car and Jim McClure in Top Fuel Harley.

Cheek used a holeshot to take his third win of 1999 when he defeated Ron Miller’s Chevrolet Monte Carlo, 6.83/204 to 6.79/205.

The seventh qualifier at 6.83, Cheek scored round wins of 7.05/193, 6.85/203 and 6.83/203 over Gene Wilson, John Montecalvo and John Konigshoffer.

He moved back into the Pro Stock points lead when low qualifier Chris Holbrook was disqualified in round two after his errant Ford Probe crossed the centerline and sent the 330 foot markers flying. f Miller qualified fifth (6.80) and posted 6.80/204, 6.81/204 and 6.78/205 wins over Charlie Peppers, Mark Hay and Dwayne Rice.

Vick reached the winner’s circle for the first time in his career when his ’68 Camaro holeshotted Shannon Jenkins in an allnitrous final round.

Vick used a final round 6.49/217 to hold off the charging 6.46/216 of Jenkins to win hy less than a foot at the stripe.

The number three qualifier at 6.47, Vick hammered out 6.49/214, 6.54/213 and 6.50/215 victories over Ed Hoover, Steve Cossis and Dale Brinsfield.

The win moved him into third in the points standings, behind Jenkins and Fred Hahn.

Jenkins, the current Pro Mod point leader, came from the fourth slot at 6.47, then took out Gary Shearer, Quain Stott and Australia’s Troy Critchley with passes of 6.48/214, 6.45/215 and 6.47/215.

Critchley made his best showing to date after struggling during qualifying, finally putting the “IronHorse” into the program on the bubble at 6.60.

In round, pne, paired alongside low qualifi er (6.356) fi ahn, Critchley motored to a 6.47/217 win, throwing the rods out and destro}dng a motor as Hahn broke right off the line.

In round two, Critchley got another break when Harold Martin red lighted.

The ’49 Mercury used up most of its lane, narrowly missing the guardrail and then the wall - his day came to an end in the semis, when he took a shot at the tree and lit the red bulb against eventual winner Jenkins.

Von Smith continued his domination in Alcohol Funny Car, scoring a 6.01/234 win over Scott Weney, who hurt a motor and slowed to a 6.37/181.

The driver of the Big Daddy’s Bar-B-Que Sauce Pontjac, who has been unstoppable in 1999, qualified number one at 5.99, then pro ceeded to set the quick time in every round throughout eliminations.

Smith took 5.91/234, 5.96/234 and 6.00/234 wins over Steve Ruda, Monty Todd and Dale Brand, while Weney had stopped Paul Noakes, Jimmy Rector and Mark Thomas enroute to his runner-up finish.

- DAVID OSTASZEWSKI

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By Gerald McDor n Tim Wilkerson is out and Cristen Powell is in - that’s the news from the John Costanza JCIT Funny Car camp in Seattle.

Apparently Wilkerson was let go from the team last week,despite the fact that he was fourth in the points and won for the first time recent

mz - On a roll: Seattle Top Fuel winner Joe Amato backed-up his Denver win a forthlght ago.(Oa«id ostaszewsw ptc) Report by GERALD McDORNAN in Seattle EVEN the greatest hero of them all. Superman, couldn’t have believed the comeback Snoopy would help Joe Amato make, the five-time Top Fuel World Champion taking consecutive vic tories just two weeks apart, the second in Seattle on August 1.

The superstitious Amato debuted a new car in Superman livery for a one-off appearance in Bristol, minus his normal good luck charm.

Snoopy,from the nose ofthe car.

But, with a first round red light and the Superman promotional commitment completed. Snoopy reappeared on Amato’s now black Jimmy Prock-tuned digger in Denver two weeks ago and the results - two from two <- have been staggering.

Joining Amato in the winners cir cle at the Northwest Nationals were Kurt Johnson in Pro Stock and Del Worsham in Funny Car, the win for Worsham being the first since 1992 when,in his debut year, he won two national events in a row.

Amato, who again top qualified with a 4.58 to pace the field, defeated Doug Kalitta on a holeshot in the final round, a slower 4.70/306 enough to hold out a 4.69/307 from the fast-closing Kitty Hawk dragster.

The win came despite the fact the Dynomax car had been placed in the less-favoured left lane, as too did Worsham’s win in Funny Car. “When I saw Del [Worsham] go down the left lane, that gave me a lot of confidence in the track and I knew we would be able to hold out Doug,” Amato said after the win.

“We’d lost lane choice to Bernstein in the semi-finals and Jimmy [Prock] put in the “bad lane’ set-up and it worked well - so, while lane

choice was important, it didn’t prove to be the winning factor.”

Worsham’s win in Fimny Car came at the expense of Whit Bazemore in Chuck Etchells’ Kendall Chevy Camaro,unfortunately for Bazemore, his Seattle result mirroring his Denver runner-up.

Bazemore’s radical new aerodynamically-improved Camaro spun the tyres immediately on the step of the throttle, while Worsham’s CSK Pontiac ran through for a 5.28/279 to take his third career victory.

“This is great,” an elated Worsham said after the event. “It’s been a long time since our last wins, but we’ve kept working hard and we’re making progress all of the time towards being a real championship contender.

“We were a little worried being put into the left hand lane and we fell off our earlier pace, but we were able to get down the track without smoking the tyres and that’s what

Consistency: Scotty Cannon made it to the semis once again -- that's three times in the iast four outings.(David Ostaszewski pic)

wants strip

DUBBO City Car Club has carried out viability studies to determine the feasibility of building a multi-purpose international standard drag rac ing facility in central New South Wales.

An economic feasibility study produced ovenvhelming evidence that the Dubbo International Raceway , project was indeed viable and would result in massive financial benefits in the order of $1.4 million for both Dubbo and the region.

CQS Australia, consultants for the project, con ferred heavily with Dubbo City Council officials and identified a potential site on council-owned land adja cent to the old Broadacre site approximately 15km ’from Dubbo on the Newell Highway to Gilgandra.

An implementation plan has also been completed by CQS Australia.

Following further consultation with the council, a full technical acoustic stud\' was carried out as a pre-

I’equisite for any foi-mal applications to the council - a noise impact assessment and noise management plan have now been completed.

In view of the ven- positive nature of all the investi gations. the Dubbo City Car Club is now eager to for mally pursue the project.

Ted Lancaster, spokesman for the club, viewed the results to date as extremely positive: “The project is now more than a dream for the club: it is now shown

to be economically feasibile and technically possible."

He also stated that the acoustic study had identified a design which would reduce the noise impact on the area surrounding a preferred site - the Dubbo International Raceway would also cater for driver education, heavy vehicle driver training and training programs for motorcyclists, with the ampitheatie nature of the site lending it.-elf to open air music or theatre events.

counted in the end.”

John Force was a shock semi final loser, Worsham taking out the tyre-smoking Castrol Mustang, although the US$4,000 top qualify ing bonus was a consolation.

Scotty Cannon’s recent run of improvements continued, the Dale Pulde-tuned Oakley Pontiac advancing to the semi-finals and only just falling to Bazemore in a 5.16 to 5.16 duel, the result giving him three semi-final roimd finishes in the last four events.

Perhaps one of the most amazing races of the event came in the first round of Funny Car when Jim Epler continued to stand on the throttle of the Easycare Corvette, despite being on fire.

The Glenn Mikres-tuned ’Vette smoked the tyres against Dean Skuza and, desperate to take the win, Epler continued to pedal the car to the finish line, albeit taking the win.

“I guess my brain turned off for a moment, but I was so concerned about taking the round win that I had to keep going,” Epler said.

Epler did win the race, but couldn’t return for the next round.

Surprisingly, neither Force nor team-mate Tony Pedregon, who couldn’t start his Castrol Mustang for the first round, didn’t set low et, that honour going to Jerry Tohver’s WWF Undertaker Pontiac for the first time, Toliver running a 4.98.

Johnson’s win in Pro Stock cost opponent Jim Yates more than just a trophy, the double NHRA cham pion losing out on a US$50,000 No Bull bonus being offered by the series sponsor.

Johnson and his father, Warren, dominated the event performancewise, their ACDelco Camaro and GM Goodwrench Service Plus Pontiac Pro Stockers consistently running the quickest and fastest times of most sessions, constantly topping 200 mph.

The legendary WJ power took KJ’s Camaro through for the win with a 6.92/200 against Yates’ 6.96/198.

While WJ took the top qualifier’s cheque with a 6.90, KJ ran the low et for the event at 6.87 during elim inations.

In the pro-sportsman categories, Melanie Troxel and Pat Austin took the victories, Troxel’s In-N-Out Burger injected nitro dragster win ning over NHRA champion Rick Santos and Austin’s Pro Max Funny Car taking out Larry Miner in the final.

Both Troxel and Austin dominat ed their fclasses, setting low et and top speed on their way to victory, along with also top qualifying.

ly, with Powell’s father reportedly bringing consider able funding to the team as the sweetener.

Powell,the winner in Top Fuel at last year’s Seattle event,licensed in Del Worsham’s Funny Car recent ly and was at the Northwest Nationals on the weekend running in the alky dragster category with an injected nitro dragster. n How superstitious is Joe Amato? Before every run, Amato twice rubs the picture of Snoopy on the nose of his Top Fuel dragster and then makes a sign of the cross on the left rear slick. n Cruz Pedregon appeared in Seattle with his own Pontiac Funny Car,the car carrying backing from goracing.com and Action Collectables, while being tuned by Ronnie “Spare Engine” Swearingen.

Pedregon has a five-race deal for the remainder of the year and the ’92 Funny Car champion is hopeful of putting together a full deal for 2000. n A huge rumour floating around in the US at the moment is that the legendary Shirley Muldowney wiU soon make an appearance at the wheel of John Force’s long talked-about front-engined Top Fuel car. Now,that’s a wild rumour. n The king of merchandise, John Force, has come out with a new best-ever. Soon Force and Action Collectables will be offering to the public 1/24 and 1/64 scale models of Force’s gold eight-time cham pion Mustang.

Now,before you say ‘what’s new about that?’ how about the fact that each model will include a piece of the car...

Force’s team has cut the car up into 2,000 pieces for the latest sales piece for col lectables! Further details will be released soon. n Veteran Australian Top Alky racer Jeff Burnett has made an impression in the US with his new carbon fibre injector hats, one appearing on the Pontiac Funny Car of friend Gary Densham at Denver.

Densham is quite a rap for the hats,saying it helped him record his quickest-ever runs at Denver,along with also setting the track record at a match race the week prior to Seattle. “It’s got the best throttle action I’ve ever felt,” Densham said of the new piece.

13 August 1999

37

Wlodzmski t Energy Corse

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REIGNING Australian Formula A Champion Ryan Wlodzinski is moving away from PCR, the team that gave him the coveted #1 plate in the 1998 Wynn’s Series, to take up an offer from the Italian-based, Austrahan-

run Energy Corse team.

Jon Targett, a former European Super A championship round winner and Australian champion, is the team manager for Energy Corse in Italy and is a big fan of Wlodzinski.

It is unclear as to when

Wlodzinski will start'with

the Energy team in Australia, but he is scheduled for his first race in the team at the forthcoming A Formula World Championships in Belgium on September 19.

-SEAN HENSHELWOOD

Swiss Huiless tops in Euro Champs Tyre woesfor Briscoe in Formula A

SWISS Hutless has dominated the 1999 four-round European Championships, taking out both the Formula Super A Championships with Giuseppe Palmieri and Formxila A with Julien Poncelet.

Palmieri has been one of the most promis ing drivers in Europe, narrowly missing last year’s World Championships — but he didn’t have things all his own way, being hounded to the title by Kosmic’s Sauro Cesetti (ranner-up to David Fore in the 1998 World Championships).

Meanwhile, former CRG driver Poncelet took a convincing win in the Formula A

Championship, defeating 1999 Oceania visitor Bruno Vroomen(Top Kart), Australia’s Ryan Briscoe suffered from a tyre disadvantage, the young CRG factory driver’s Vegas no match for Bridgestone on the European scene, despite his dominance in Italian Championships, I'® the European 125cc Championships, Tony Kart’s Ronnie Quintarelli took the Formula C Championship from Birel’s Francesco Laudato in Intercontinental C, Birel took victory with Claude Montiero from Van Kart driver Alessandro Sferrella.

- SEAN HENSHELWOOD

ADAM Graham (above), one of Australia’s hottest Jumbr'#ivlhg tes j just returned from Fr^ce where he contested the "unoffioial” Wor'ld-Jtonilo'd Intercontinental A Championships.

-J,I Titled the European -Junior Championships, Graham finished a® outstanding fifteenithih'! the final from 112 competitors and was third Bridgestone driver home on what wasl arguably a circuit that better suited the Vega rubber.

Finishing first tvas fellow Tony I^art diiver Reinhai'd Kofler - second was former Iritish Champion Lends Hamilton (Top Emt). who came home ahead of AHessandro Bonetti(Birel-)’ andNicoRosberg(CRGt son ofthe 1983'PoroiulalWoiddChamipio%Eeke^ - -SlAiNiHiENJliElMiiJDJ :

World Champs changes for 2001

IN a move away from the traditional one-off World Championships for Formula Super A and Formula A each September comes the announcement that the 2001 World Championships win consist offive rounds.

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i I Hoiden swaps: Barclay Holden (right)- pictured with Neil McFadyen and Alan Gurr, has moved across from Tony Kart to Azzurro for Inter A competition.(Sean Hensheiwood pic)

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Azzurro attracts hot talent

Star Series Round 4 Ballarat Enquiries 03 5335 9007/5335 7313

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TWO of the hottest talents in the Intercontinental A class have switched teams mid-season to the increasingly competitive Azzurro team.

Luke Skinner, who has previously campaigned for Azzurro, returns to the team, while third-placed Oceania driver Barclay Holden moves across from Tony Kart.

Meanwhile, after the success achieved by the Kosmic karts of Mark Winterbottom (Formula A) and Alan Gurr (Intercontinental A) at (Queensland’s second round of the Wynn’s Series, Tim Macrow has moved into one ofthe Italian chassis in an effort to get him -SEAN HENSHELWOOD self onto the Championship podium.

’99 Thomas Horey Trophy

THE 1999 Thomas Horey Trophy event on August 22 will again be conducted

on mwm

With thie increase in ; strength of the fields and ; competition, the 1999 Wynn’s Series has gained ! the notice of Channel fe®.

After hosting brief high lights throughout 1998 on ; Sports Tonight, Ten has gone one step fuither and . ; included a highlights pack age on their RPM progi-am

by the Gold Coast Kart Club in memory of one of the club’s youngest mem bers, Thomas Horey pass ing away in November, 1997, aged eight.

This will be the secohd

nmning of the event, which is open to Midget drivers aged seven to eleven years.

Last year’s inaugural meeting was fittingly won by Jake Beattie, a friend of Tom’s.

There are trophies from first to fifth places and an encouragement award, as

well as giveaways and event souvenirs for entrants.

The winner will hold the Thomas Horey Perpetual Shield until the next event in 2000.

The Gold Coast Kart Club generously donates all entry fees received from this event to the Royal Children’s Hospital Neuroblastoma Research - a raffle will be held on the day to raise funds for this worthy cause.

For further information, contact the club secretary on: 07 3209 9923, or the office on: 07 5546 6876.

Two of the European Championship rounds, plus the two North American Championship rounds (Canada and Charlotte) and the World Cup in Japan (which from 2000 will move from Suzuka to Motegi) will be the new formrda.

- SEAN HENSHELWOOD

I

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38

13 August 1999

ArcherfieBd & NASR n Archerf^eld Speedway promoter Bill Goode has announced that his venue will run under National Association of Speedway Racing (NASR)sanctioning from the beginning of the 1999/2000 racing season.

While competitors will not have to possess a NASR license/mem bership to compete at the circuit, there will be a $5 increase in admission charges for those spec tators/competitors who choose not to join the new peak body.

Pit entry will remain at $25 for NASR affiliated competitors/spec tators, but will jump to $30 for all others.

Joining Archerfield next season under the NASR umbrella will be Grafton Speedway, Lismore Speedway, Exhibition Speedway, Yandina Speedway and the new Willowbank complex.

OLD Supers squad

B A quartet of Queensland Super Sedan drivers is preparing for a trip to Western Australia at the start of next season.

Negotiations are continuing with WASCF boss Geoff Green and there is also a possibility that some Americans will be contracted for the four-race series, which is tentatively scheduled for the open ing week in September.

The Queensland squad will com prise four-time state champion Lyndsay Hawkings, central Queensland’s Des Kom and the Gold Coast-based duo of Nick Girdlestone and Jamie McHugh.

Swingier’s title

B Ste','e Swingler took out the Queensland Compact Speedcar Championship on a rainy weekend in Cairns.

Swingler,-who also clinched the New South Wales Championship earlier in the season, proved too strong for his rivals in the allimportant championship decider.

Ga\dn McDonald, undeniably the most improved driver in the division and perhaps the most pro fessional as well, scored a very good result when he snared second place ahead of second generation steerer Brad Hilder.

Australian champ Darren Vine dominated qualifying with an unbeaten run, before a dead bat tery ended his title chase after starting from pole position.

Swingler (2), McDonald (2) and Brad Sloan also collected heat wins during the weekend.

The Queensland Formula 500 Championship was also part of the progi-am, with Mackay’s Gavin Jaenke emerging victorious to snare his fifth title.

Townsville’s Alan Iverson fin ished in second spot, with Mark Ki-ause repeating his effort from the previous season by finishing third again.

Downs dates H The Downs Speedway Club has released the race dates for the 1999/2000 season at their Charltpn Raceway complex out side Toowoomba.

L The season gets underway with the traditional Carnival of Flowers show on September 18, featuring Dirt Modifieds.

The Austi-alian Litre Sprintcar Championship has been tentative ly scheduled as a two-night fixture on Api-il 22-23.

Super Sedans will make their first appearance on December 26 (Boxing Night) and then return for a second event on February 5.

The remaining dates, with par ticipating divisions yet to be con firmed, are October 9, October 23,

‘S

0

By Chris Metcalf November 6, November 20, December 4, January 22, February 19, March 4, March 18, April 1 and May 6.

Gympie dates

n The Gympie Saloon Car Club has also released its itinerary of events for the coming season at Mothar Mountain Speedway.

The expected highlight will be the Queensland Super Street Sedan Championship to be decid ed over two nights at Easter on April 22-23.

The traditional Gympie Gold Rush event will be contested on October 9 and the Modified Production King of the Mountain is scheduled for March 11.

The season kicks off on September 11, with shows also , scheduled for November 6, December 11, January 15, February 12, Apidl l,,May 21 and June 17.

Super Sedans, Modified produc tions and a variety of Street Sedan classes will appear at each event.

New QLD Supers

H There are exciting times ahead for Super Sedan fans in Queensland, with a plethora of new cars and drivers due to appear next season.

Roolue sensation Michael Gee will have a brand-new Ford Taurus at his disposal for his sec ond year in the tin top ranks.

Wayne Randall, Nick Girdlestone and Des Korn will also have brand-new cars up and running for the start ofthe 1999/2000 season.

In an another exciting develop ment, the Sunshine Coast-based duo of Peter Warren and Geoff Phillips will join forces in a twocar operation - Phillips will be piloting the potent Pontiac driven

by Stu Robertson in Newcastle last season.

Other drivers updating their equipment over the coming months will be Kelvin Hamilton, Graeme Lehmann and Chris Stacey.

At least two new drivers will be seen next season, with Rohan Cravino and Tony McDonald set to join the fray.

New Compacts

n The local Compact Speedcai- ranks will also be blessed with an influx of new equipment next season.

Darren Dillon, Paul McMannim, Wayne Lewis and Gavin McDonald will have new machinei-y at their disposal for their 1999/200 campaign.

Officials are extremely confident of providing a field in excess of 20 cars for their season-opener at Archerfield on September 4.

South Burnett dates n The South Burnett Speedway Club has released some details of the upcoming season of competi tion at its Kingaroy Showgrounds circuit. Modified Productions and Street Sedans will feature at every show, with other categories yet to be confii-med.

The opening fixture is on September 25, followed by events on October 3, November 13, December 4, January 1 and 2, January 29, February 26, March 25, April 30 and May 27.

Two-seat Spnnkar febut big suuess

¥2

I

tions even further - and, depending on your height, the view is brilliant, as I was able to look directly for ward over the driver’s head, as well as from side to side.

An interesting viewpoint was August 1 at Western Auto looking down at the left front Raceway, Bacchus Marsh and wheel, which was dangling in the from the moment it was rolled air and locked up on occasion, as out of the truck it generated a Wayne pushed the car to its limits lot of interest. and balanced its performance with some deft combinations of throttle, With multiple state title-holder brake and steering input.

Milburn at the wheel and with his The track on the day was not at son, Wayne, in the passenger seat, its best, having had a couple of the car performed flawlessly on its hundred laps run on it prior to the maiden laps. twin-seater’s amval; but, with the Second time around, I got to sit experience of Wayne, the ride was in the tandem machine and experi still exhilarating as he worked the ence Sprintcar racing from a new available surface looking for drive. and novel angle - and, having raced Down the straight and into the Sprintcars before, I can say in all turns, the car was working to its honesty that this car behaves and maximum capability, but the exit feels exactly like it should. off the turns had to be treated with The only difference between this some respect - this was evident and the normal version is that you from watching Wayne’s arms as he don’t have a steering wheel in your worked the car off the tricky tarn 4.

So, for those pundits out there who are unlikely to field their own race cars, the opportunity now exists to put in some high-speed IVAN Mauger has had tallks with Beffiheid Sports Internatioiiiiai i (see separate mews story page 41) about brimgimg the Grand Prk| laps in Wayne Milburn’s Ultimate senes to Ausfeaha. | Adrenalin Experience two-seater Mauger vsdl be looking to promote a round in Sydney, but believes this , Sprintcar (call Wayne on 03 59775122, or mobile 015 350 482), won’t be until the year 2001. which gives you the chance to seri But the muithworld champion, who now lives on the Gold Coast, says ^ the finances wil: need earefiil planning, as to advertise and run success-; ously experience all the thrills and fially there wifi need to be a substantial money guarantee in place * he ' emotions at near to, or full race pace, with a competent pilot who says at least $120,000 wifi be needed to market the event and, while i can extract the best ride from the much may be generated from sponsorship, it wifi stifi be a tough call.

Mauger is also tMking about taking a round to Christchurch in New| available track.

-BRETT SWANSON -TONYMBLLARD Zealand.

VIA Motorsport News, we’ve kept you up to date on the progress of Wayne Milburn’s two-seat Sprintcar - well, the car had its maiden run on

hands and hence you don’t have any control over the ride at all!

From the moment you get pushed out to the track with the car float ing on its huge black donuts, to the moment its locked into gear and chatters down the track waiting for the engine to fire into life, its a 100% authentic ride.

A couple of slower laps to warm everything up ^nd get the feel of the car and we’re into it, with the first noticeable thing being the acceleration from the full-blown race motor.

The unexpected lifting of the front-end of the car as the throttle is buried into the firewall is the next thing to grab your attention, followedT)y the vibration as the tyres scramble for grip as the beast is thrown into tmn one in anger.

Sitting higher and rearward in the car accentuates the movement and angles that the car experi ences, heightening all the sensa-

QP rmnd for Australia?

Western Auto calendar

THE Western Auto Raceway in Victoria has released its 1999/2000 racing calendar.

The new dirt-track speedway near Bacchus Marsh outside Melbourne will be hosting twelve Sprintcar series rounds, plus separate series for the Speedcar, Super Sedan and AMCA ranks, as well as hosting a round of the World Series Sprintcars championship, the Skilled 500 Solo series and the USA versus AUS Super Sedan series, plus other events for Hot Rods, Mini Sprints, Modified Sedans, Street Stockers and Harley Davidson motorcycles.

“We have structured this season’s racing calendar around 26 action-packed race meetings,” stated Geoff Trewin, the Managing Director of Western Auto Raceway. “The ’99 season kicks off with the Sidecar Masters on Saturday night, October 16, with a wide and diverse range of exciting events being run through to Easter Saturday night on April 22.

‘We’re currently installing two 33 metre poles in the infield -which will have 220 powerful lights fitted to them, floodlighting the whole race track and the multi tiered viewing mounds.

“In addition, we’re increasing the 8,000 seat viewing area and preparing for ten corporate suites to be locat ed in premium viewing locations above the track.”

The raceway has developed a special Season Pass for $195, which provides admission to all race meetings for the season and there is also a $380 Family Pass that allows access for two adults and up to three children.

‘Western Auto Raceway is open seven days a week, allowing competitors to hire the speedway for private testing,” added Trewin.

‘We also have a fleet of AMCA race vehicles that are available for individuals to hire, or for corporate days.

These space frame cars are powered by 4.2-litre V8 Holden engines that provide drivers with plenty of thrills as they slide them through the tons - natural ly, we deck the drivers out in race suits and all of the appropriate safety gear.”

1999/2000 Western Auto Raceway Calendar October 16 Sidecar Masters/Mini Sprints October 30 Sprintcar Series/AMCAs/ ''

November 13 November 20 December 10 December 18 December 26 Januai’y 8 January 14 January 15 January 21 January 22 January 29 February 5 Febraary 12 February 19 February 26 March 4 March 11 March 18 March 25 April 1 April 8 April 15 April 20 April 22

street Stocks Sprintcar-Series/AMCAs Speedcar Series/ Super Sedan Series Sprintcar Series/AMCAs/ Hot Rods World Series Sprintcars/ AMCAs/Hot Rods Sprintcar Series/AMCAs/ Monster Trucks Sprintcar Series/ Modified Sedans/Hot Rods Skilled 500 Solo Bike Series/ Speedcar Series USA versus AUS Super Sedans/ AMCAs ALL STARS Super Sedan Series Sprintcar Series/AMCAs Speedcai' Series/ Super Sedan Series Speedcar Series/ Street Stock Series Sprintcar Series/ Speedcar Series/Street Stocks Sprintcar Series/ Speedcai’ Series Sprintcar Series/ Super Sedan Series Speedcar Series/ Super Sedan Series Sprintcar Series/Hot Rods Hot Rod Title/Sprintcar Series Sprintcar Series/ Super Sedan Series Speedcar Series/ Super Sedan Series Super Sedan Series/HotRods/ AMCAs/Street Stocks Sprintcar Series GrandFinal/ Hot Rod Cup/Modified Sedans Sprintcar Easter Trail/ Street Stocks Super Sedans

Dud. THE Hylton/Blaney Motorsport team’s winning habit was fed again where the big money races are concerned when, for the second year running, they captured the Historical Big One at Rossburg Ohio’s famed Eldora Speedway last weekend.

Dale Blaney was the man who did it last year, but he was removed as the driver of the Amoco Ultimate #93 earlier this season.

Replacement Kevin Gobrecht gave up one of the best rides in Pennsylvania to take over the seat and has rewarded the team’s faith in him handsomely by taking the win in the Historical Big One VII.

Bill’s a dad!

13 August 1999

Gobrecht has a Big One If you only win one race a year, this one, which pays US$100,000 to win, is the one you want to win.

Gobrecht took the chequred flag ahead of Californian Randy Hannagan in his brothers Nettaxi THR. Hanngan has had a relatively

successful trip east from his California home, winning the previ ous weekend’s feature at Knoxville.

Third place fell to inaugural winner Jac Haudenschild in the Big Daddy’s Maxim, with young gun PJ Chesson fourth, ahead of Paul McMahan. - BRE'TT S’WANSON

Winning ride: Amoco Ultimate #93 did the job nicely. (Martin d Clark pic)

n New South 'Wales Sprintcar identity Bill Roberts finally took delivery of a long-awaited piece of equipment last Monday (August 9)- and I’m not talking about his shock dynol The Roberts family was expanded by one with the birth of Bill’s first child at 2;20pm.

Named Keeley Carol Roberts, the newest member ofthe Roberts’ Sprintcar operation weighed in at 71b 14ounces.

Both mother, Lyndal(nee Raymond)and baby are doing well.

Motorsport News would like to extend its congratulations to the Roberts and Raymond families.

- BRETT SWANSON DAVE Darland won the 22nd running of the prestigious Belleville Midget Nationals last weekend in only his third attempt.

Darland used team-mate Jason Leffler’s advice to take the lead fol lowing a lap 21 restart and held out early race leader and dual champi on Steve Knepper over the final caution-free 19 laps.

Former Australian tourist Jerry Coons grabbed the last podium position.

Two Aussies were in action, Adam Clarke actually qualifying into the main event where he fin ished 22nd - Steven Graham was the other Aussie, faring worse and finishing tenth in the semi.

The unique three-day event on the 23-degree banked half-mile oval

The past few as weeks have been fairly busy, we prepared a new car for this weekend’s Amoco Knoxville Nationals.

On next Friday night, there is the sixth annual Kele & Associates Australia vs USA Challenge Cup before the Finals Night on Saturday, when all the best Sprintcar drivers in the world will face off in the five feature events - I just hope that I’m one of the Aussies in the A-Main. my Several Californian weeks friend ago, R Randy Hannagan called in and ran at Knoxville Raceway, getting in some laps before the Nationals.

He won the night and I man aged to grab fourth after the front wing broke while I was in third with only a few laps to the che quered flag - but I managed to hang on in a car that was per forming poorly in the turns.

D

ariand^s Belleville saw Dave Strickland qualify faster on day one.

Clarke was just over half a sec ond off the pace in 15th in a field of 28 runners.

A third in the third heat put Clarke into the Eddie Jackson Memorial feature, where he fin ished 19th behind eventual winner Darland.

Graham got his turn on night two and qualified 17th, seven tenths off JJ Yeley’s quick time.

Graham then scored a fifth in his heat and followed up with a 13th place finish in Friday night’s Bob Schupp Memorial feature, which was won by Yeley.

Graham’s run then faltered in

the first heat on the final night, the Sydneysider only managing a sixth while Clarke scored a fine second behind Leffler in heat three.

Bobby Boone won the 12-lap semi feature in which Graham finished 12th.

Dqrland took the US$10,000 first place prize, while Clarke’s 22nd place was worth US$500.

- BRETT S’WANSON

All Stars Jacobs the master : THE All Stars opened Historical Big One 'VTI on August 5, with Kenny Jacobs showing his mastery of the Eldora Speedway.

P J Chesson won the di-ag from the drop of the green, leading Jacobs and fast timer Joey Saldana.

Danny Smith and Rodney Duncan collided on lap 5, ending their races.

Following the restart, Jacobs passed Chesson with a low move going into turn 1, Saldana mirroring the move to take second place.

Lap 13 was very unlucky for Kasey Kahne, who tagged the wall on the back straight- Byron Reed then ran over the front of Kahne and flipped violently, ultimately being sent to hospital.

Saldana challenged for the lead, but a flat right front tyre ended his : race.

Jacobs went on to record a narrow win after a restart with just two laps to run, with Jeff Shepard taking second from Donnie Schatz, Frankie Kerr and Chesson.

-BRETT SWANSON Garry Brazier managed a 21st place finish.

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39

uring the following week, we screwed a new car together in preparation for the Nationals - I debuted it on August 8 by finish ing third behind Craig Dollansky and former Australian visitor Brent Antill.

There was a lot of rain around the nearby area and the track was fairly heavy - our car was a little tight in the A-Main.

Fellow Sydney-sider Peter Murphy finished a fine fifth, while Kerry Madsen was back in 13th.

The race meeting finished at 4.00am on Sunday morning, due to the inclement weather.

This week. I’m hoping to shake our new car down at a couple of nearby shows, providing the rain stays away, before heading to Knoxville for qualifying.

This week, of Knoxville is virtually a suburb Australia, with a host of Aussie race fans and dri vers all arriving in town for the Nationals.

I’d expect Brooke Tatnell, Kerry Madsen - who has been running well at Knoxville in recent times - and Garry Brazier, provid-

ing his equipment is operating f well, to be in the A-Main on Saturday night.

Going by last Saturday night’s performance, Peter Murphy could be in there with us - my brother, Robert, is also entered, but is looking for a competitive ride.

If I was going to place a bet on any drivers, I would select Danny Lasoski, Mark Kinser and his cousin, Steve Kinser - I believe they would be a good trifecta, with Jac Haudenschild as the dark horse of the event.

Each of these guys has plenty of experience at Knoxville, plus they are fast qualifiers.

If you can set a quick qualify ing time and run a consistent heat race, you should be able to trans fer through to the A-Main - all you have to do to get there is keep out of other people’s incidents and have a car that is running hard and fast.

With our new car and engine package, we should be able to make a strong assault on this year’s Nationals.

I

read in my copies of Motorsport News that the V8 Supercars are attracting 40 cars to the Shell Championship Series rounds well, the Knoxville promoters have 132 drivers entered for this week’s 39th Annual Amoco Knoxville Nationalsl I’ll give you an update on all the Nationals happenings in a fortnight’s time.

Cheers,

SmiWs winning streak continues Dominant display by Ingersoll-Rand Black Bandit team ESdora

Orange County

n Stevie Smith and the Ingersoll-Rand Black Bandit^ team are hitting their straps at the right time of the season, taking a hat trick of A-Feature wins, the first team to do so this season.

Smith put in another dominant display at the Orange County Fair Speedway on August 2, taking his first’Vivarin fast time award of the season and then after starting alongside heat two winner Sammy Swipdell, who blasted off the line.

Smith caught him in turn 1 and took the lead in turn 2 and from there was never headed.

Swindell, meanwhile,soon retired from the event with engine failure.

'Tyler Walker had bean thrilling*the crowd, running higher on the track than anyone else, but while dicing with Daryn Pittman, Pittman’s car suffered rear-end failure and drifted high into Walker’s path - after col liding with Pittman, he hit the wall and rolled.

Heat one winner Donny Schatz held on for second from Steve Kinser, Dale Blaney and Danny Lasoski Brooke Tatnell, who had timed 15th and run seventh in his heat,just missed a top ten finish in 11th place.

n Smith’s run of success continued and his confidence increased further when he led all 30 laps to win the US$8,000 A-Feature at the famed Eldora high banks on August 6.

Smith took the lead of the race before the green flag waved, as Andy Hillenburg bumped the wall and Pittman slowed to avoid Hillenburg.

Johnny Herrera, however, had nowhere to go and rode Pittman’s left rear tyre before flipping - everyone restarted and Smith won the start once again, as Mark Kinser moved up to second.

B-Feature winner Tatnell caused the next stoppage when he stopped with a flat tyre.

Jeff Shepard’s crash on lap 27 set up a three-lap dash to the flag which saw Knser actually nose ahead of Smith in turn 2, only to have Smith retake the lead in turn 3- Smith opened up his lead over the last cou ple of tours and won by seven car lengths from Kinser, Jac Haudenschild, Lasoski and Walker.

Tatnell finished 12th, while Garry Brazier could only make it as far as 14th in the B-Feature.

- BRE'TT SWANSON

1999 WORLD OF OUTLAWS SERIES POINTS SCORE

POINTS STANDING TO AUGUST 8,1999 1. Mark Kinser 2.» Danny Lasoski 3. Steve Kinser 4. Stevie Smith 5,Johnny Herrera 6. Sammy Swindell 7. Donny Schatz 8. Tyler Walker 9. Jeff Swindell 10. Andy Hillenberg

7582 7479 7403 7251 7198 7127 71 12 6920 6730 6651

11. Tim Shaffer 12. Daryn Pittman 13. Brooke Tatnell 14. Kevin Gobrecht IS. Dale Blaney 16. Jac Haudenschild 17. Travis Whitney 18. Craig Dollansky 19. Frankie Kerr 20. Joe Gaerte

6587 6469 5829 3847 3764 3408 3192 3151 2960 2898

ELDORA SPEEDWAY, AUGUST 16

I. Stevie Smith 2. Mark Kinser 3. Jac Haudenschild 4. Danny Lasoski 5. Tyler Walker 6. Greg Hodnett 7. Johnny Herrera 8. Donny Schatz 9. Tim Shaffer 10. Kevin Gobrecht

1 1. Sammy Swindell 12. Brooke Tatnell 13. Dale Blaney 14. Frankie Kerr 15. P.J. Chesson 16. Butch Schroejler 17. Paul McMahan 18. Kasey Kahne 19. Joey Saldana 20. Jeff Shepard

40

0,

13 August 1999

vSiSver Cup

n Mark Kinser took his fourth straight Don Martin Memorial Silver Cup at I^emerville Speedway, but not before having to overpower Greg Hodnett and then Donny Schatz on July 27.

Kinser set fastest time at a record pace, taking his 21st Vivarin Fast Time award from the 46 events run to date.

Johnny Herrera,Sammy Swindell, Hodnett and Schatz won the heats and all but Swindell headed Kinser in the Channellock Dash.

Kinser dropped to fifth at the start of the A-Main, but worse befell Tyler Walker and Tim Shaffer, who both suffered mechanical ailments, while BMain winner Kasey Kahne exited in spectacular fashion with a flip.

Some adjustments to the car under the red flag allowed Kinser to start moving forward, exchang ing second place with Schatz before maldng an unsuccessful move on Hodnett.

Schatz pounced,though and passed both cars to hit the lead for a lap until Kinser took overSchatz got very sideways trying to regain the lead and dropped four places.

Danny Lasoski worked his way up to second as Hodnett struggled on with an oil leak before eventu ally retiring.

Stevie Smith demoted Lasoski to third,from Swindell, Herrera and Steve Kinser.

Brooke Tatnell scored a psycho logical victory over fellow Aussie Gany Brazier.

Tathell timed-20th to Brazier’s 25th,'but both were in trouble in the heats, with Brazier finishing last(13th) and Tatnell sixth.

Both ran the B-Main, where Tatnell finished fourth and Brazier seventh -from there, Tatnell recorded a 22nd place finish in the A.

WiUiams Grove H Mark Kinser’s winning run con tinued when he took the prelimi nary feature, but only just, after passing racelong leader Stevie Smith with less than two laps to go on July 29.

As vidth the night before, Kinser set fast time and finished fourth in the dash, but this time he also won a heat.

Fi'om pole position. Smith jumped into the lead with Kinser quickly up to second, followed by Lance Dewease.

Hodnett’s car shed its right front wheel, putting him into the wall.

If not for a caution period when Cris Eash stopped with a flat tyre.

Smith probably would have won, as he had established a handy lead till that time.

Kinser, though, kept up with Smith on the restart and took the lead late in the 19th lap.

Smith maintained secpnd from

'/f

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By Brett Swanson Dewease and Walker, who were all now locked into the next night’s dash.

Brazier out-qualified Tatnell (16th to 30th)and then ran third in his heat.

Tatnell’s heat sixth put him in the B, where he ran eighth Brazier finished 22nd in the A. Kinser then took his second double-feature sweep of the season when he led all 30 laps ofthe July 30 feature, adding another US$10,000 to his season’s win nings along the way.

Swindell timed fastest, with Tatnell 22nd of the 31 cars required to run off- Brazier was not in action on the night.

Tatnell’s night never got any better, the Sydneysider finishing ninth in his heat and then eighth in the B. Kinser, though, had a good night, winning the Dasji, his 10th ofthe season and then leading from pole all the way to win by about six car lengths from W^er, who’d made a late charge to pass Dewease, who also fell to Smith.

Dewease had taken the chal lenge up to Kinser,lunging for the lead on a couple of occasions before succumbing to Walker and Smith.

Completing the top ten were Swindell, Schatz, Lasoski, Hodnett, Shaffer and Steve Kinser.

Hagerstown

n Stevie Smith hit back with a vengeance,leading aU 30 laps at Hagerstown Speedway on July 31 to take his second A-Feature event of the year and, more importantly, to give him and the team some confidence with The Historical Big One and the Knoxville Nationals just around the comer.

Mark Kinser once again set the pace in qualifying with another record nm.

Aussies Brazier(13th) and Tatnell(17th) were both within a second of Kinser’s time.

Herrera, Smith and Schatz won the heats, while Brazier and Tatnell both finished sixth.

Schatz bettered Smith in the dash, but Smith bested him as they took offfor the start of the feature and was never headed.

Kinser passed Schatz early, but Smith was able to draw away, leaving Kinser to fight off Swindell.

Jeff Shepard and Walker were dicing for 10th when they crashed and flipped out of the race.

Kinser closed on Smith over the final stages, but Smith took the win with six car lengths to spare.

Swindell maintained third fi’om Hodnett and Lasoski - Tatnell fin ished 16th and Brazier 18th.

ie Redde€liffe's Ian Campbell award ft

MORNINGTON’S

Reddecliffe topped off a superb speedway season by taking out the coveted Ian Campbell Dedication to the Sport Award at this year’s Victorian Super Sedan presentation dinner. ^ Named ip honour of the dynamic motorsport personality who helped put speedway back on the calendar, the trophy is awarded to the winner by his or her peers, this being the ultimate dedication any sportsperson can receive.

The Reddecliffe team also fin ished second in the Super Sedan Southern National Series, the final placings in the series going down to the wire at the last round held at Alexandra’s speedway on April 25 for the Michael Higgins Memorial Race for Super Sedans.

Mick Nicola took a narrow win in the series, being forced to complete the 25-lap final with a blown head gasket - had he not continued, a non-finish would have relegated Nicola back to a possible second or third.

Reddecliffe, who put team-mate Daryl Hickson in the driver’s seat after breaking her thumb at Hamilton on the Easter Trail, was forced to watch from the sidelines for the last three rounds, Hickson piloting the car to take out some top points, however.

Third placegetter in the Series, Bill Higgins was also in contention until the last round where he was a forced retirement before the final with a blown motor - unfortunate ly, this forced him back a placing to finish behind the Reddecliffe team.

George Courtot finished fourth, followed by Mick Kiraly, Michael

his promotion and sup port of the VSSA Inc th^ season.

The Motorsport News Acknowledgement Award went to Mick Kiraly, while it was SA’s Dave Gartner who took out the Motorsport News Rookie of the Year trophy.

The Best Supporting New Member Award, sponsored by K & J Rodda and Midland Highway Panels, went to Michael Briscoe, with the IPTA Fibreglass Best Presented Car and Super Sedan winner Debbie Reddecliffe Crew again being taken Briscoe, Lionel West (in the Les Faulkhead-owned Commodore), out by George Courtot - the final SA’s Bill Miller, Lucas Roberts and special driver award went to Lucas Dave Gartner (also from SA), who Roberts, who took out the Speed rounded out the top ten of the 35 Pro Engine Centre & Colspray Most Improved Award. finalists.

Special acknowledgement was Recognition was also given to given to Clive Reddecliffe for acting those companies which supported the Super Sedan Southern National as Driver Representative, with Series - Stihl, Western Autos, Mark Hobson also receiving recog Heads Caps, Dark Zone, K & J nition for his assistance as Pit Rodda, M & J Auto Wreckers - Marshal.

Other notable winners on the with the trophies for the first three night were Scott Whittle, who took placings in the series being spon sored by Mornington Motors, out the Donut King Award, Darren Peninsula District Towing and M & Hickman for the Viagra Award J Auto Wreckers. (which had something to do with The Mornington Peninsula Auto mounting the waU at Bendigo) and Glass Interstate Ambassador Bruce Briscoe, who was given a gas Award was taken out by Mick lighter refill bottle in the hope that Nicola after his win in the SA title, he won’t run out of gas (again!) in a second in the VIC Title and a the tow vehicle.

- SUE HOBSON third in the National Title.

Ken Willsher tops in F50O

THE Victorian Formula 500 Association held its

annual presentation night at the Warrnambool Performing Arts Centre on July 24, Ken Willsher taking out the Presidents Trophy (first Victorian home in the Australian Title) and the Mike Zivkovic Shield (outright points winner).

Rookie trophies were awarded to winner Darren Molleno3mx, nmner-up Paul McDonough and Ian Hore.

Most Improved Driver went to Garry Bruce and Most Improved Visiting Driver to NSW’s Danny Hogan, while Darren and Graham Mollenoyux took Best Presented Car and Crew.

Luke Dillon claimed the Outstanding Achievement award, the Encouragement award going to Johnny Pearson and Special Recognition awards to Jack Willsher and Bill Ryan for 40 years of service to Victoriaq,Formula 500 racing. .

Night out for Busy seasonfor WA Late Models Sprintcar fans AROUND 20 Late Model meetings have been pencilled in for Western Australia next season, with nine at Claremont and four at Bunbury.

A highlight will be The USA Independence Tour, which will feature American drivers in a team to be headed by regular visitor John Soares.

In other WA news, Chris Cardy is building a new Camaro for Busselton’s Kevin Bell to replace the Alan Nylander-built Monte Carlo that was damaged at Margaret River last year.

Also on the production line is another Cardy Camaro for new racer Peter Ken’, who is in America buying parts.

And the house car will again be driven by brother John, with the powerplant being rebuilt by the Kostecki Engine Centre.

Last year’s champion Brad Blake will drive a brand-new AJN car for the Nylander team, while the old championship car looks set to be piloted by Mark Nylander - Craig Nylander, previously in Sprintcars and Super - DABREN O’DEA Sedans, is tipped to drive Rob Whittington’s car

The Cheap Tyres Victorian Morwell Ambassador Award went to Steve Reddecliffe for

Debbie

SPRINTCAR fans are invited to a 7.00pm gathering on Saturday, August 21, at the Silver Birches Reception Centre in Werribee, Victoria.

Feedback from webchat has indicated that fans would appre ciate a get together and the 1999 Knoxville Nationals will be screened on the night, provided the video tape makes it in time!

Cost per person is $16.00, with finger food provided and drinks at bar prices -for more info, con tact David Kinnear on 03 9742 2279.

S

The Top Ten drivers in the hotly-contested 'Tucker Time King of Wings Series (which attracted a total of 68 entries during the 1998/99 season) were as follows: Ken Willsher VIC (371 points), Darryl Willsher VIC (363), Luke Dillon SA (360), Trevor Harding WA (290), Ken Sartori NSW (275), Ian Burrows NSW (266), Danny Hogan NSW (238), Roy Urpeth NSW (238), Graham Mollenoyux VIC (216) and Anthony Chitty WA (176).

Darryl Willsher took out the Western District Stampede Series, ahead of Damen Mollenoyux and Ken Willsher.

Finally, Tucker Time For Pets Managing Director Trevor Harding and NASR Australia General Manager John Hughes unveiled the new logo for next season’s Formula 500 Series, which wOl be billed as the Tucker Time Series 2000.

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AN extensive publication tracing the history of Cainberra’s Pepsi n Powerdome - nee Tralee International Raceway/Fraser Park| Raceway -- from creation and construction, through the gi'eat and | some not so great years, to its eventual slow and sad demise is i being produced by ACT motor racing scribe Michael Attwel. | Photos, track puiblications, club, association and personal news and; views are eagei’ly being sought for possible inclusion.

“Tralee was home to some of the finest racers in the country and played host to some of the finest national aird international drivers and riders to have ever graced a speedway ti’aek,” said Attwell. i Any information can be forwarded to Attwell at 2 Seddon Place, Flynn,; ACT 2615, or you can email him at www.noidea,com.au@bigpond.Gom. All photos will be copied and returned within seven days.

sXo_

13 August 1999 forklift

Crump fifth in Brit GP JASON Crump has moved into fourth slot in the overall Grand Prix standings after taking fifth place in the British Grand Prix at Coventry on July 31.

The Aussie lies 23 points behind leader Tomasz Gollob, but only 12 behind third-placed Jimmy Nilsen - Crump now looks certain to quali fy as a seeded rider for next year’s GP. Leigh Adams, sixth at Coventry, is joint seventh alongside England’s Chris Louis.

Ryan Sullivan has dropped to 14th and faces the prospect of hav ing to qualify via the Grand Prix Challenge Round at Lonigo in Italy in October.

World Champion Tony Rickardsson won in flying style, not being headed all night and taking the final honours ahead of Louis and Greg Hancock.

The event was full of controversy, with Poland’s Gollob stopping in the consolation final and claiming a yellow light was flashing.

That heat was won by Crump, with Adams second and, when race director Ole Olsen threatened a rerun, the Aussies led the protest and were successful in getting the result to stand.

Crump, seeded from the previous round to the main event, started with a second place behind Nilsen in heat 12.

He again came second in his next ride in heat 17 behind American Hancock and that took him through to the semi-finals.

But a disappointing third behind ultimate winner Rickardsson and

services

I01T93) S11669

There’s stuff that happen ing at so themuch moment it’s hard to believe we’re supposed to be in the off-season.

Case in point - congratulations to NT veteran Bob Holt for win ning the 1999 Australian Speedcar title recently.

Wow! They say in the Northern Territory that “you’ll never, never know until”(you know the rest) and I can vouch for that. Never would I have guessed that Bob would knock off the crown, but it just goes to show that persistence does pay off - congratulations, Holtie, I bet it’s an amazing feeling.

The win would have been of particular interest to fellow veter ans George Tatnell, Sid Middlemass, Dud Lambert, Kevin Gormly, Terry King, Barry gra ham, Steve Brady and Ros Bowen, I would think - coming out of retirement, anyone?

B

Ob’s win was even more sig nificant when you consider he used a Cosworth motor to do it this breaks the stranglehold that Gaertes and Fontana motors have had in the last five years.

If I remember rightly, it was fel low Territorian Warrene Ekins who pioneered the Cosworth rev olution in Australia in the late eighties.

Philosophical: Leigh Adams contemplates life. (Mike Patrick pic) Louis meant a ride in the consola Sullivan collected seven GP tion final was the best he could do, points when he was eliminated though winning that helped him up after coming last in heat 10.

Things had started well, with a the ladder in the standings.

Adams battled from the start, second place in heat 13 as a seeded winning his opening race in heat 2 rider behind Hancock - but, when and again taking the chequered he trailed in last next time behind flag in his second race in heat 8 to the talented Scandinavian trio of make the main event.

Rickardsson, Neilsen and Nilsen, A last place in heat 12 behind he found himself battling for sur Nilsen, Crump and Andy Smith vival a race later and it was again a meant he had to storm back by win last placing, this time behind Gollob, Adams and Mark Loram, ning heat 15 ahead of Louis - a sec ond in heat 19 behind Gollob that sent the Adelaide man packearned the Mildura man a place in mg. the semi-finals.

GP standings: Gollob 75, But he trailed in last behind Rickardsson 66, Nilsen 64, Crump Rickardsson, Crump and Louis to 52, Hancock 49, Stefan Danno 45, take himself into the consolation Joe Screen 44, Adams 39, Louis 39, final, where a second behind Crump Loram 35.

-TONY MILLARD gave him sixth place overall.

BS!acquires Speedway Grand Prix rights $25 million dealsecures Championshipsfuture BENFIELD Sports International (BSI) has acquired the rights to the FIM Individual Speedway World Championships (Grand Prix) series for a minimum of five years, with an addi tional five year option.

Representing an investment of $25 million, the agreement signed last month in Poland by FIM President Francesco Zerbi and British-based Benfield

Sports ''International Chief Executive John Postlethwaite safeguards the future of the Speedway Grand Prix series and is a massive boost for the sport of speedway worldwide.

BSI has secured the media, commercial and spon sorship rights for the World Championships, which currently comprises six rounds held across Europe in five different countries.

Poor old have Steven just doesn’t theGraham luck when it comes to Aussie titles, this time getting caught up with Neville Lance and crashing out - I guess Steve is like the Brooke Tatnell of Speedcars when it comes to national championships.

Wollongong racer Dave lambert and his car owner, Dave King, must be thrilled with their second place, even though they were probably a little disappointed not to win.

What a change in fortunes they have enjoyed in the last season and a half - it’s amazing what a bit of confidence and a good Fontana motor will do for your chances.

From what I of understand, a large proportion the national field was from Western Australia - and they sure do have an impressive track record fon'cars over there.

The latest whisper from over at Claremont is that Graham Jones may take up racing again - won der if that will come true?

The latest Hollywoood heartthrob actor is Heath Ledger, a young West Aussie who currently stars in (among others) a new film called “Ten things I hate about you,” which is doing really well at the box office.

41

What’s that got to do with racing? Heath is the son of Kim Ledger, a former Speedcar racer himself and Graham Jones’ car owner for many years,

N

ext season at PCR will see Speedcars race a lot more frequently and I can’t wait.

From what I understand, we have several shared shows with the Sprintcars that will ultimately benefit both classes.

On that note, the winged mon sters will race for $50,000 to win at Parramatta next year, which should bring out some interesting race tactics!

To all Sprintcar owners out there. I’m ready, willing and avail able on that weekend.

By all reports, Newcastle Speedcar driver Adam Clarke was again sensational in the Summer Sizzle event at 16th Street in Indianapolis.

A giant, star-studded field greeted combatants in the $20,000 to win event, but Clarke was right up there with the big guns come main event time.

Adam finished a remarkable 11th after starting from position 23 and that was after transferring from the C-Main to the B-Main and then the Championship event - that boy has got talent!

Wisconsin Deancondition Billings is still in driver a serious in hospital after an horrendous crash at Sun Prarie in his home state.

Reports vary on his condition; however, it sadly seems that he has not regained consciousness since the accident, even though he is no longer in an induced coma - our thoughts are with you.

Dean.

T

alented Litre Car driver Nathan Smee hinted recently that he may race Speedcars, or Sprintcars, next season.

Either division would benefit greatly from a young gun like Nathan, not only from his driving ability, but also because his spon sor, Cenovis Vitamins, would be getting involved.

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42

13 August 1999

■ Butch Mock Motorsports has formed a partnership with Galaxy Enterprises - Mock has been a Winston Cup team owner for the past 21 years, prior to BMM as Rahmoc Racing.

“The sport has outgrown me,” said Mock. “I just can’t afford all the things the team needs to be competitive. For example, wind tunnel time is very important and is equally expensive. To keep up with the larger teams, research and development is a key element and I just don’t have the resources.”

Galaxy Enterprises is owned by David Oordt, who already owns a Busch Series team driven by Butch Miller and sponsored by Channellock; he purchased this operation earlier in the year Oordt is a successful newspaper publisher, owning 38 publications across the states.

■ Darrell Waltrip ended many rumours with the announcement

at Indianapolis that the year 2000 will be his final year of Winston Cup competition - Waltrip retired from the Brickyard 400 with engine problems on lap 61.

■ ThenewCalWeUsPPI

Motorsports operation has chosen a driver for its McDonald’s-backed

By Martin D Clar Roush drivers - Chad Little, Kevin Lepage and Johnny Benson - while Jimmy Spencer, Kenny Wallace, Ernie Irvan and Bobby Hamilton used the remaining spaces.

■ Driver Ward Burton and Bill

Davis Racing announced a contract extension with backer

Caterpillar for three more years. starting next season.

The sponsor came on board this year following the closure of American Equipment Racing.

Burton has logged two top fives and is 11th in points hot commodity crew chief Tommy Baldwin Jr is expected to stay for the tenure.

■ Ford inveiled its new 2000 year race Taurus at Indianapolis - with a noticeably less-roimded hood and trunk, the car is expected to provide more downforce next year.

Busch Series program - Anthony

n Dale Earnhardt has shaved off his moustache! For the first time

Lazzaro is the current points leader in the Kool/Toyota Formula Atlantic series and currently dri ves for Wells in that series,

since 1982, ‘The Intimidator’ is without facial hair, following trou

although that was not the decid ing factor, as 20 drivers tested for the tryout at Hickory Speedway

Bahamas.

Lazzaro, 32, ^1 pilot the Fords.

recently.

■ Rich Bickle, Brett Bodine, Dick Trickle, Buckshot Jones and Jeff Green were among 11 drivers who failed to make the cut for the

Brickyard 400. Seven provisionals were taken and, again, three by

DALE Jarrett won his second

Brickyard 400 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, dominating this year’s 160-lapper on August 7 in the same car he almost took to victory lane last year, before running dry of fuel.

ble with a face mask on a

This year’s event was also look ing like a fuel mileage race, until the caution flag uncoiled for the

snorkelling holiday in the

■ Junie Donlavey is celebrating his 50th year as a NASCAR team owner and Nestle have announced

■ Nike will step into NASCAR at Dajdona in 2000 with a new form of racing footwear - Dale Jarrett, Bobby Labonte, Tony Stewart and Adam Petty will don the footwear, along with their crews.

MARTIN D CLARK

they will back the Taurus driven by yoimg Stanton Barrett at Indy, Michigan, Richmond and Talladega.

■ Winston Cup team Bud Moore Engineering has been sold to Winston West team Fenley Motorsports, who entered the Brickyard 400 with driver Jeff Davis. Bud Moore and son Greg will work as consultants for the

team after the Indy race.

third and final time on lap 141, when Dave Marcis’ Chevy engine detonated, dropping oil on the flat two-mile oval.

“The car was easy to drive it, handled perfectly,” remarked Jarrett, whose team had worked on a new aerodynamic package. “It handled better with two new tyres than it did with four all day. As good as it was, it was probably bet ter than last year.”

Jarrett headed 117 laps, includ ing the final 17 - both race records - and, once he pitted for what could have been the last time on lap 116,

D.J. began conserving fuel for his final run, the team hoping the car would go the distance without a splash of fuel.

Jarrett glanced the wall on pit road during his final stop while avoiding Martin and hit the barrier in turn 3 on lap 19 - “I’ve hit the wall here every year, so it wasn’t any different,” he said.

Jarrett pulled out to a racerecord 3.351-second advantage over Bobby Labonte, who grabbed the runner-up slot from Ward Burton with seven laps to run, as Burton’s two-tyre stop started to show.

“I guess you’re never happy with second,” said Labonte. “If you are, you’ll never be a winner.”

Jarrett netted $712,240 for his trouble, while Labonte’s purse clearly showed he was the runner-

up, Bobby earning $270,950 for his two hours and 41 minutes of work.

Labonte’s Gibbs stablemate and

hometown boy Tony Stewart came home a disappointing, for him, sev enth and when asked if his Indy 500 experience had helped him at the track, he remarked bluntly, “it’s never been an advantage; this is a

Stock Car, not an IRL car.”

The other double winner, Jeff

Gordon, had handling trouble.

“My car would go for 25 laps and be pretty decent and then fall off the pace,” remarked the champion.

“I had my hands full all day long; it just didn’t feel comfortable all weekend. We just weren’t hooked

up to the race track.”

The final pit stop by the Rainbow Warriors helped Gordon’s cause, crew chief Ray Evernham electing to fit four tyres where some took two and this gave Gordon the juice to help him move from seventh to second in the final green flag peri od, passing Martin for the third position.

The opening laps were entertain

ing, Gordon leading Martin and Jarrett from his 179.612 mph record pole lap and continuing his streak of becoming the only driver to have led all six 400s.

Mark Mai'tin took the point on

lap 5, with Gordon, Jarrett and Labonte in a four-car breakaway, their cars obviously with the right set-up early on.

Indiana natives Stewart and

Y2K Ford: The unveiling of the new Ford Taurus for the year 2000 was a glittering affair. (Sutton images)

Richards teams

up with Thomas 'JIM Richards looks to be heading back into NASCAR racing fullitime with Tropic Coast Racing.

I The former champion is set to join forces with Ian Thomas in a two-car :Chevrolet Monte Caido team, backed by a new brand of sunglasses to IAustralia,

I Thomas is curi'enitly in negotiation with the manufaetui’er and is hopiing to launch the race team through his 83 Bright Byes sunglasses Iretailers.

● The duo will share two Peter Sportelli-built Chevs, one which

;Richards drove to victoi7 at the AGP supports in March and a new car.

, “We’re fairly confident that we will be there,” Thomas said this week.

■ ‘The problem could be the first race at Wanneroo, which clashes with f a commitment Jim has. I have been talking to Calder Park and I am Ihopeful that we will be able to drop a round, so that Jim can compete in --PHIL BRANAGAN

I; the championship.”

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Indianapolis 500 TWO INCREDIBLE WEEKS.

The world's largest single day sport ing event

1999 WINSTON CUP SERIES RESULTS ..

2. Bobby LabontE 3. Jeff Gordon ...

,. .Pontiac

21. Elliott Sadler

L Points to 8 Aug, 1999 ●Ford

22. Joe Nemechek 23. Bill Elliott

...

Ford

15. Steve Park

●Chevrolet

25. Geoff Bodine

lb. Sterling Marlin 17. Robert Pressiey

Chevrolet

26. Jlmnry Spencer

.. .Pontiac

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10. Dale Earnhardt ... .Chevrolet

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.Ford 13. Kenny Irwin 14. Wally Dallenbach ..Chevrolet

.. .Pontiac

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... .Chevrolet

12. Mike Skinner

Ford

6. Ward Burton

Chevrolet

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Fax039874^Flio.ie0398747999

11. Terry Labonte

..

4. Mark Martin

5. JeffBurtop

Ford

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18. Ken Schrader

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19. Johnny Benson , 20. David Green

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.Chevrolet Ford

■Chevrolet

24. Ernie Irvan

... .Chevrolet Ford

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I. Dale Jarrett

.3199

2.

Mark Martin

.2925

3.

Bobby Labonte ..

.2906

.. .Pontiac

4. Jeff Burton

.2819

●Chevrolet

S. Tony Stewart ....

.271

Ford

27. Michael Waltrip .. .Chevrolet Pontiac 28. Dave Blaney ..

29. Jeremy Mayfield 30. Kevin Lepage ..

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INDIANAPOLIS SPEEDWAY, AUGUST 8 I. Dale Jarrett

7. Tony Stewart .

8. Rusty Wallace 9. Ricky Rudd ...

PO Box 1509 East Doncaster Slit 4,75 Iftldun Road Donvale Vic 3U1

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6. JefTGordont

.2692

7. Dale Earnhardt Sr.

.260!

8. Terry Labonte ...

.2278

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9. Mike Skinner

....

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IO.RustyWallace ...

.2341

TKl No sweat: Brickyard 400 winner Dale Jarrett crushed his opposi tion while taking his second win at the hallowed Indianapolis Motor Speedway last weekend.

John Andretti began to reel the front four in, with Jeff Burton also in the mix - while Jan'ett was bet ter entering the turns, Gordon looked faster off.

However, on lap 26, Jarrett snuck his nose out front for the first time, going under Gordon on the back stretch and bringing Martin through with him.

The leaders pitted from lap 37 to 39,just prior to the first caution on lap 43, when Geoffrey Bodine and Chad Little got together in turn 1.

“I got hit by a bald-headed cue ball,” remarked an unhappy Little of Bodine, who crashed out of his third straight Brickyard.

Jarrett fronted Martin, B Labonte, Gordon and J Burton on the restart, Jarrett and Martin exchanging the lead several times before the former opened up some breathing room.

Gordon was now some eight and half seconds in arrears in fifth, with Kenny Irwin and Stewart four-plus seconds behind Gordon.

The caution fights flashed for the second time on lap 72 when Kyle Petty cut a right front tyre and impounded the wall, the car catch ing fire following impact.

“We must have run over some thing on the track and cut a tyre,” remarked Petty. “That’s the second time I’ve done that here.”

Jarrett and Martin both had lightning pit stops under the yel low, the pair almost colliding on pit road and slowing Martin, who entered the track third behind Jarrett and B Labonte, with Gordon and Stewart behind him.

Labonte made a charge at Jarrett and looked to have something for the Yates Ford, but Jarrett turned up the wick and blew by on the next lap to head at halfway Martin was the first of the front runners to pit under green on lap 112, encountering trouble with the left side rear wheel - a 21-second stop dropped him back, although he stni held third, Jarrett and Labonte following four laps later.

Jarrett opened up a five second advantage before the final oil cau tion.

Jarrett’s crew elected for a twotyre stop under the last yellow flag, B Labonte grabbing two and thirdplaced Ward Burton also going for two in a no guts, no gloiy situation - Martin and J Burton completed the top five.

Burton bungled his stop, taking right side tyres and the driver then pulling away while the tyre chang ers were loosening the left wheels after Burton spotted Jarrett pulling way with two tyres.

W Burton took second away from Labonte and looked to have some thing for Jarrett, but his two-t3rre stop did not suit his chassis set-up and he surrendered the position back to Labonte.

Gordon took third from Martin with two circuits remaining.

21 cars finished on the lead lap some notables included David Green, who started third and fin ished 20th, rookie Dave Blaney (who will complete the whole tour next year) in a steady 28th, one lap off the pace.

Andretti was strong, having a

possible top five wrapped up, but dropped from tenth to 37th on lap 125 when his left side wheel came loose and he almost hit the wall.

“We had a problem all day in the pits and the wheels would never stay locked on,” said Andretti.

Ricky Rudd’s ninth placing was a season-best for the independent owner-driver.

Jeremy Mayfield was heading for a possible top ten, but he lost sec ond and third gears for the second race in succession.

Probably one of the best battles was between Rusty Wallace and Dale Earnhardt, who raced each other all afternoon, the pair finish ing eighth and tenth, respectively Earnhardt sustained front fender and aero damage after hitting a tyre on his final pit stop.

O

Only one driver has completed all 960 laps in the six Brickyards, that driver being Ken Schrader, who also finished on the lead lap in every event.

There were only six leaders Jarrett, Gordon (24 laps), Martin (16), B Labonte (1), J Burton (1) and Marcis, who led his customary one lap under caution.

Final result: Jarrett (Ford) 148.228 mph, B Labonte (Pontiac), Gordon (Chevy), Martin (Ford), J Burton (Ford), W Burton (Pontiac), Stewart (Pontiac), R Wallace (Ford), Rudd (Ford), Earnhardt (Chevy).

Points standings: Jarrett 3199, Martin 2925, B Labonte 2906, J Burton 2819, Stewart 2711, Gordon 2692, Earnhardt 2601, T Labonte 2378, Skinner 2368, Wallace 2341.

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All past and present Superspeedway Team, Race Officfels, Volunteers and Superspeedway fans are invited to attend this important occasion.

Date: Friday 10 September 1999 Venue: Uitima oni ICeslor Furtctlon Cesitre Price: $48 per persoo Dress: After five women * Jacket and tie men Bookings close Friday 20 Augusi 1999

If you enjoy good food, great company and the opportunity to have a great night, fill in and mail or fax the form below together with your remittance to: Fastrack facing Locked Bag 7 Sanbury 3420 ®r fax to §3 9217 8952 Name; Address

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Date

44

13 August 1999

Telstra spon sors Rally OZ

n As noted in the pre vious issue of Motorsport News, Telstra, who has been making life easier for Rally Australia §ince the event first began in 1988, is tl^ new naming right^-sponsor for the Australian round of the FIA World Rally Championship.

The event will be known as Telstra Rally Australia and Telstra has agreed to a three-year sponsorship deal with an option to extend.

No way: TTE boss Ove Andersson (left) disbelieves the rumours that Toyota is to walk away from WRC competition.

7*

r

^y'Peter WhittM Editor -Australia,c RalVspor^A's

Morris NSW win n Driving the ex-Neal Bates Toyota Celica GTFour, Canberra’s Mike Morris has won the most recent round of the NSW Rally Championship,the Copy Press Printing Bay Stages Rally.

Morris won the event by 58 seconds from the Lancer Evolution 3 of John Mitchell, with John Holster’s Evolution 4 Lancer in third place.

Early pace setters Howard Grove and Louie Boon both crashed out of the rally early on, with Boon completely destroying the Lancer that he drove to a top 10 placing in the FAI Rally of Canberra earlier this year.

Peter Edwards,in his unique Ford Escort RS Cosworth,took fourth place, while the leading Formula 2 runner was Brett Middleton, who drove his Honda Civic VTi-R to sixth plai,“, nearly two minutes ahead of Kelvin CrokeFs Datsun 1600.

The next round of the NSW Rally Championship is the Bathurst Rally on September 4.

Guest retitement disappoints

n Michael Guest was disap pointed at his early retire ment from the Rally New Zealand after sliding off the road.

Guest had tested a new adjustable centre differen tial which had performed brilliantly in the dry testing before the event, but on the damp event itself, it proved a reM problem.

Water getting onto the wiring loom was shorting things out and switching the drive between the front and the rear of the car.

“We’d come into a corner in fourth gear and, before we knew it, we virtually had only rear wheel drive,” Guest said.

“Eventually we slid off the road and ran out oflate time.”

Guest had been reason ably happy until then.

V

despite the problems and was lying third in Group N. He now heads to the Rally of China, where he hopes his recent bad luck will change for the better.

Abe goes 4WD

n Reigning ARN Junior Rally Challenge champion Abe Tuckett has his titlewinning Daihatsu Charade GTi up for sale and is set to move into the four-wheel drive brigade.

Tuckett, who has been out of rallying since his prestigious Junior Challenge victory, hopes to drive a Group N Mitsubishi Lancer in this year’s Rally Australia.

Part of Tuckett’s prize package for vanning last year’s ARN Junior Challenge was free entry into this year’s World Championship qualifying / Rally Australia.

1999 Begonia Rally

H The Begonia Rally is once again cranking up and will be based at the Ballarat Light Car Club complex on September 25 as the fourth round of the Victorian Rally Championship.

'The event format will be based on previous year’s, with Friday evening scruti ny followed by an all -daylight event, which will have cars starting at 9am and the first car due at the fin ish around 4.30pm.

This yeaFs event is look ing promising, with most of the approvals having already been received, including confirmation of two special stages which are to be held within Ballarat itself.

The 1999 event will start with a special stage in Ballarat, followed by approximately 120 competi tive kms of forest stages around Creswick, ^ Daylesford and IVentham, finishing with a stage run ■within the shire.

In an effort to attract new competitors to this level, the organisers have designed the event to require a single service crew and chase notes will also be provided for use dming the event.

Supp Regs are available and anyone interested in competing, officialling, or sponsorship opportunities * should contact Joe Brick on (03)97430625 ah.

ndersson denies Toyota FI rumours

TOYOTA Team Europe boss Ove Andersson has denied claims by Toyota’s motorsport chief Shinichi Kato that the marque would concentrate on Formula 1 racing in the future.

Toyota’s future in rallying has been under a cloud for some time and the fact that TTE drivers have not won a World Championship event since New Zealand last year hasn’t done anything to blunt the rumours.

“The fact that we haven’t won for so long hasn’t helped our cause,” Andersson said.

Korean Championship snared by Damien Long

SYDNEYS Damien Long is the new Korean Rally Champion after he and driver J.Y. Park won the first-ever rally conducted in the former war-torn Asian country.

Co-driving for racing dri ver Park in a Hyundai Coupe, Long won the 2-day, 74km competitive event by a massive margin of nine min utes and 35 seconds.

“We had a lead of about a minute and a half going into the last stage,” Long said, “but oim four main rivals all went off the road in the slip pery conditions.”

The rally was held over a combination of shire roads (like those in China) and mountain forest roads which, according to Long, were a bit like some of those found in Canberra, twisty and narrow - indeed, over the longest

Bat^ turns Cbinase!

RICK Bates and Jenny Brittan, the cur rent Australian F2 Rally Champions, have^been signed to compete in the Chinese' found of the' World Rally Championship in September.

They will drive a 1600cc WV Jetta GTX for the newly-formed Yichi Dazhong factory

“However, we feel we won in Spain and Corsica this year because we were only beaten by racing cars from Citroen and not geniune world title contenders.”

A delegation of senior management from Toyota will attend the Rally Finland this month (August 22) and, despite the team’s lack of victories, Toyota still ■holds a com manding 19 point lead in the Manufacturers’ Championship, thanks to the incredible rehability of their cars - Mitsubishi is second with 59 points, ahead of Subaru (52), Ford (35), Seat (12), Skoda (3) and Peugeot (0). - PETER WHITTEN

team - Yichi Dazhong is the manufacturer of Volkswagen cars and the biggest auto manufacturer in China.

The manufacturer selected Bates for its two-car team as the running mate for British ace David Higgins, who was a con tender foi- the British Rally Championship.

14km stage of the rally, they averaged only 42kmh.

“I’ve never seen a stage so twisty - it was a bit like the famous Motu stage in New Zealand,” he said.

The event allowed only Formula 2 cars with regula tions a little like PRC, although brakes had to remain standard and only minor modifications could be made to the engine.

Hyundai Coupes were the

front running cars, with a couple of Kia Sephias also performing well.

Long said that, despite it being the first-ever rally in Korea and that the officials were pretty ‘green,’ the organisers were very enthu siastic, the stage security was very good and the event received strong support from the government.

Forty-one entries were received for the rally and it is

hoped that two or three events will form the champi onship in 2000.

Spectator numbers were small, but according to Damien Long, this was because many of the stages were inaccessible to the publie.

“A lot of the stages had no roads joining the route between the start and finish controls,” he said.

-PETER WHITTEN

Solberg Focus program hike... and bad news for Radstrom FORD young gun Fetter Solherg is likely to get a ten-event program in the Focus World Rally Car next year, according to M Sport boss Malcolm Wilson.

“The plan is for Petter to do ten events for us,” Wilson said, but whether Ford’s other drivers, Simon Jean-Joseph and Thomas Radstrom, remain at the team in 2000 is still to be decided.

“We always said we’d make a full assault on the manufacturers’ championship in 2000.

In an ideal world, we’d like to nominate just two drivers on all 14 events to back that attack up,” he told the UK’s Motoring News.

Jean-Joseph has so far not impressed on his outings at Monte Carlo, Catalunya and Corsica and looks likely to be dropped from the squad, while Radstrom’s future is believed to depend on his performances on

gravel during the remainder of the 1999 season.

The possibility of the Blue Oval signing World Champion Tommi Makinen has also not been discarded as they attempt to domi nate world rallying.

Solberg has a five-year contract with Ford, but while Ford has ob'viously recognised the Norwegian’s promise, it is unlikely that he is yet ready to take up the number two driver position for the entire season.

However, in Radstrom’s case, his final day ‘off in New Zealand when he slid off while under no pressure was described by Ford’s Malcolm Wilson as a “silly mistake” because of that, Estonia’s man of the moment, Markko Martin, has already been linked to a Ford drive in 2000 at Radstrom’s -PETER WHITTEN expense.

. ? i j

MJcdOcditsuxdiiG

13 August 1999

Australian Safari Notes

By JON THOMSON

I

n Twent two Japanese motorcyclists will be start ing the 1999 Australian Safari International Cross Country Rally on August 21.

The Japanese contin gent represents more than half the total two-wheeled field and includes the only female competitor, Michiko Kobayashi-she has competed in the UAE Desert Challenge in Dubai and the Russian Rally.

This will be her second Australian Safari, after competing three years ago.

f a week is a long time in politics, then five years is an eternity in rallying before his win in the Rally of Argentina in May, it had been five years since Juha Kankkunen claimed a victory on a World Championship raUy. A long night of partying followed that win and Juha was looking every bit the ‘senior’ statesman of World Rallying when Motorsport News caught up with him at Cordoba airport the morning after.

Ordering two vodka and cokes, Kankkunen explained that the vodka would help him sleep on the plane and the coke would replenish his sugar levels.

He then lit a little cigar and started talking.

“I always knew that, given the car to do the job, I could win again,” said Juha.

“This win hasn’t been by accident - it took a lot of

hard work and testing from the entire team and I think we are there now.

“We worked very hard and we went testing in Greece for a full week, driving up and down a lot of gravel roads pounding the car to destruction - we only stopped when the engine blew,” he said.

The advent of active differentials and an absolute myriad of chassis adjustment capabilities works as a double-edged sword nowadays.

On one side, you get infinite adjustment and the abUity to trim cars to suit drivers, but on the other it can be difficult to sort and arrive at a rally-winning setting for every driver.

“The Subaru WRC was set up for Colin’s [Cohn McRae] style of driving; he drives a lot more sideways than me and it took a lot of work to reset the cars for the way Richard [Burns] and I drive them,” he added.

While acknowledging the work he and the team put in, Kankkunen believes the return of Prodrive CEO Dave Richards to active duty with the rally team after his stint with Benetton FI has been pivotal in the return to the winners circle.

“Dave is a big factor - he motivates the team and his presence cannot be underestimated,” said Kankkunen.

H

e may appear to be the cool calm, i Scandinavian on the surface, but underneath he has a fiercely-huming, competitive spirit.

Before his win in Argentina, Kankkunen’s last World Championship Rally victory had come on the Rally of Portugal in 1994.

Kankkunen had struggled for the rest of the year with his Toyota Celica, scoring minor placings and suffering mechanical problems, while his French team-mate, Didier Auriol, took the wins and the title.

The year after, the Finn had to come to terms vrith an uncompetitive new Celica, which did find some speed toward the end of the year,

45

H Chatmel nine personali ty Glerm Ridge is compet ing in a new 4.2 litre Nissan Patrol turbo diesel -Ridge competed in 1992 and also has seven Targa Tasmanias to his credit.

mainly due to the massive cheat the TTE engineers had pulled with the car’s turbo restrictor, The team was excluded and that meant Kankkunen could only do a limited fourrally 1996 program in privately-entered Celicas.

The ’97 and ’98 seasons were spent with Ford in its less than competitive Escort - but things just seemed to go from bad to worse, as the only bloke to have won four World Rally Championships went winless and started to be tagged a journeyman working out the twilight of his career.

The first six ralhes of 1999 only served to bear this out, as Kankkunen and his new team, Subaru, struggled, His hair is thinning on top, the wrinkles are starting to gather at the edge of his eyes, he has just turned 40 and, after a long, hard special stage, he looked partibcularly worn out compared vnth, say, his young compatriot, Tommi Makinen.

Many now believed that Kankkunen was nearing the end of his career.

Rumours flew - Subaru will be pulling out; Kankkunen is past it; he’ll never win another rally, But Argentina changed all that.

Kankkunen was back and, despite many believing the win really belonged to his young British team-mate, Richard Burns, a win is a win.

F

or Kankkunen himself, the victory was a waypoint in a career in World Championship rallying that started way backfin 1979.

Growing up on a farm near Laukaa in the Jyvaskyla region of Central Finland, young Juha used to watch his rally heroes on the sweeping, undulating roads that are the home of the legendary 1000 Lakes Rally, It would have been hard to

imagine him getting involved in any other sport and in a

series of Ford Escorts, which he crashed more often than not, the teenage Kankkunen forged his career.

A 14th outright placing on the 1979 1000 Lakes meant Juha came to the notice of legend Time Makinen, who decided to help the young farm boy establish a rally driving career.

Within three years, Kankkunen was driving for Toyota Team Europe.

He won his first WRC event on his first visit to the Safari in 1985, moved to Peugeot in 1986 and won the World Championship, trans ferred to Lancia in 1987 and collected his second crown.

He picked up his third title, again for Lancia, in 1991 and returned “home” to where he started at Toyota to claim his fourth crown in a Celica in 1993 S17 rally seasons, four World Championships and 21 World Rally wins ^er he started with Toyota, Kankkunen has shown he can still match it with the best, even team-mate Bums, 13 years his junior.

I

n a career dotted with huge accidents, including a massive end for end in the 1994 Safari when he rolled his Celica six times without a helmet on, Eiankkunen says his scariest moment came not in a rally car, but on a tractor.

In fact, Kankkunen’s career as a top level rally dri-

ver may never have even started if he hadn’t escaped from a harrowing tractor accident in 1982.

The young Juha had been preparing an ice racing track on a frozen lake in Finland.

Driving around the freshly ploughed circuit late in the afternoon, the ice cracked and the tractor, with Juha aboard, dropped into the icy water.

Kankkunen tried desper ately to get back to the sur face, but couldn’t find the hole to get back out again because it was so dark.

Eventually, he found the hole and clambered out, describing the incident as the scariest in his life.

Tractors play an important role in Kankkunen’s life.

As a farm boy, tractors were all around him and he has long been sponsored by Finnish tractor manufactur er Valmet - and through that association he met his wife, Pirjo, the Finnish ploughing champion and a works driver for the Valmet factory.

Pirjo gave Juha his first son, Tlno, in 1995, which he admits was something that took his focus away from ral lying for a time., “You know, it is a very big thing in our lives and you start to question why you are doing such a dangerous sport at times - but, in the end, I realised rallying is my life as much as my job and I soon got my focus back,” Kankkunen said.

c

Stittonjmageg. :

an Juha win a fifth World Championship, all things considered?

“Of course,” he statd emphatically. “I can still beat Carlos, Colin, Didier and Richard - any one of us can win the title these days, but the car is getting far more critical than it ever has been.”

Kankkunen dismisses any thoughts of retirement in the next few years.

“I am younger than Didier and still feel pretty good, so I want to continue for a time yet,” he said, as he sipped his second vodka and coke.

Kankkunen’s co-driver Juha Repo then arrived in the lounge, looking a lot fresher than his rally part ner, despite the fact that it hafl been his first World Championship rally win.

The pair uttered some thing in Finnish and laughed.

Then it was time to board the plane for the long trip back to Finland for a short break of two days, before heading off to start the recce for the Acropolis.

With 14 rounds over 11 months, plus testing, it is a hard fife on the road for a top rally driver these days.

It will be interesting to see how many more seasons Kankkunen will endure but, no matter how long he stays, you can bet your last dollar he will be wringing the last ounce out of whatever car he is driving.

Tapk)new BrH Champ

DESPITE a disappointing result in the recent Ulster Rally, Renault’s Tapio Laukkanen is the new British Rally Champion.

Mechanical problems hampered the Finn’s rally, but problems with all his rivals meant that he has secured the title with one round still to ran. ° Renault has also clinched the manufactur er’s championship.

The event was won by the Vau.xhall Astra kit car of Neil Wearden. with Gwyndaf Evans second in a Seat Ibiza.

Australian Marty Beckton retired from the event eaidy on the first day after crash-:' ing his Group N Subaru Impreza WRX. Beckton lost control after a bridge on the all-bitumen event, hitting a tree and tearing two wheels off his car.

The final event in this year’s British Rally Championship is the Sony-sponsored Manx Rally next month.

With the title alreadv decided and eompetitors now with little to lose, it promises to be an exciting race for victoiy.

-PETER WHITTEN

9Francois Westenberg and Maartyn Van Eyk are one ofthree teams from the Netherlands -they finished sixth in their class in the 1998 UAE Desert Challenge, eighth in class in the Optic 2000 Tunisia and won their class once in the ParisDakar.

The pair will be compet ing in a ’94 Mitsubishi Pajero in the T1FIA International Auto divi sion. n Stephen Greenfield will be racing for Honda along side team-mate Peter i McDonald - Greenfield has won the Finke Desert Race twice in 1997 and 1998 and McDonald is a Safari veteran, having competed in six events prior to 1997.

0Bob Land, ofLand Racing USA,will be com peting in his Isuzu VEHICross-fresh from the Scare Desert Racing Series in the States, he will be bringing with him a team of twelve,including mechan ics, media manager,team manager and co-driver. n Now a UK resident, expat Andrew Coaker will be coming home for his favourite event with three Englishmen to compete in the motorcycle division Coaker came eighth in the 1996 Safari and finished 23rd in the Paris-Dakar in 1998. Coaker will be riding a ’99 model Husaberg FR600E in the Production Class 600cc. n Grant Robinson will be returning from Dubai to compete - a pilot with Emirates Airlines, he was a runner in the 1999 UAE Desert Challenge. n Iridium the first truly global mobile satellite net work -is the official telecomminications provider for the Safari.

The Iridium network is serviced by 66 low Earth orbit(LEO)sateUites, which uniformly circle the entire globe and commrmicate with land-based fixed and cellular networks worldwide.

V

46

GEAR is a goer

By BRIAN REED THE formation of the Golden Era Auto Racing Club (GEAR) at Wakefield Park, Goulbum earher this year has signalled a new era in vin tage and historic racing in Australia.

GEAR has as its principal aim the preservation of the racing cars and histo ry of the Golden Era of Australian motor racing, from its formative years to the end of the era in the early 1960s. To achieve this aim, the club will actively encourage and support the restoration, conservation and the pleasurable usage and enjoyment of the racing and sports cars of that era.

The club will promote and organise gatherings, static and mobile displays and motoring events for members and their cars in an affordable, safe, regulated and social motor sport environment. Safety requirements will conform with estab lished practice operating throughout Australia and with the Standards Association of Australia.

Not surprisingly, there will be empha sis on the camaraderie and social aspects of meeting like enthusiasts, of discussing the history of racing cars and drivers of the ei-a and associated technical matters as well as the display and use of the cars in organised and special events.

Membership is open to all with an interest in the Golden Era of Austrahan mqior sport, and especially to owners and former owners of the cars of the period, including the many ‘specials’ that were an important part of the racing scene.

Families, mechanics and pit crews, loyal supporters and spectators will also be made welcome.

The annual membership fee is $25 (from July 1 to June 30), and further enquiries can be made by contacting Jim Madden (02)9949 1697 or Graeme Snape (02)6945 3165. r

MJ®g®/70/p®g’g

13 August 1999,

Europe imports Dymonds JOHN Dymond of Penrite Oils and son Mark have

just returned from a trip of a lifetime after competing in the “Raid to the Tyrol’ - a European rally for Frazer Nash cars of the Vintage Sports Car Club in England.

Every 10 years the Frazer Nash fraternity trot out their cars to relive the great days of 1933 and ’34 when they domi nated the Alpine Rallies. This year, 70 cars took part includ ing six post-war Frazer Nash, two Frazer Nash-BMWs and the remainder were chain dri ven cars (known as ‘the chain gang.’)

John Dyihond’s entry was a 1938 Frazer Nash-BMW which he acquired from a deceased estate of a friend in England. Frazer Nash were the BMW concessionaires in England, hence the joint names. There are only 3' or 4 Type 328s in Australia, one of which is owned by BMW. The first day of the rally was especially memorable as it retraced the route of day one of the 1933 Alpine Rally - a run that took in a climb of 2700 metres. The final day was also of special signifi cance, ending with a dinner at the Bugatti Museum in Mulhouse, France.

The 2-week long Raid to the Tyrol Rally ended on late June, and the Dymond’s BMW 328 is due to arrive at its new home in Australia in the next couple of weeks.

-BRIAN REED

Three-series: John Dymond’s newly acquired BMW 328 has a final look at the hillocks of the glorious Fatherland before hopping aboard a boat and making the trip down under. (Photo courtesy John oymond)

The Life of Ron THERE’S an interesting new book just released on one of Australia’s most famous motor racing engineers, Ron Tauranac.

Thanks to ongoing persuasion from Jack Brabham, Tauranac convinced he should go overseas to help Jack build racing cars in England back in the late fifties. Tauranac arrived there in 1960.

Titled ‘Brabham, Ralt, Honda - the Ron Tauranac Story by Mike Lawrence, the book gives an historical account of the early years in England at Motor Racing Developments and beyond. A somewhat dif ferent insight is given into the relationship with Jack Brabham, and this makes very interesting reading.

Most Australians relate the Tauranac name with

the famous and highly successful Repco Brabhams, but less well known locally are more than two decades of outstanding success with Tauranac’s own car the Ralt which dominated both Formula 2 and Formula 3 in Europe.

Just as the Brabhams racing cars were noted for their less complicated and rather conventional design, the Ralts followed similar principles, and many drivers were to achieve fame behind the wheel of these unbeatable cars.

The story continues today, and Ron Tauranac’s genius is stiU influencing motor racing programs at Honda.

The book is generously illustrated with many excellent photographs, and RRP is $58-00.

The Real Coys

-■

COYSSi^ from the Start CO .A

m

IT appears that a good time was had by all at the Coys International Historic Festival at Silverstone on 30th July - 1st August.

The event,claimed as the largest celebration of historic racing in the world, attracted over 450 of the world’s greatest cars, from the ’20s, ’30s, '50s and ’60s, and was attended by over 80,000 people.

Coys also hosted their annual sale of competition and sporting motor cars. The 100 entries includ ed the famous ex-Prince Bira Connaught A-Type Grand Prix (chassis Number A8), the car which was the regular works entry of Bira and Moss during the 1953 Grand Prix season.

Also entered was the famous ex-Jack Lambert Competition EType Jaguar ‘RL26’ campaigned

throughout the 1960s in International GT races, with many victories.

Many other attractions including Historic Rallysprint, Club Stands, Trade Fairs, Concours - in fact, everything a car enthusiast would wish to see in one weekend.

Coys extended the auction to include the sale of collectors’ aero planes and related aeronautica.

Highlight of the aerial collection was an ex-Royal Canadian Air Force 1941 Hawker Sea Hurricane BW853 (Serial R30019, C.A.A. Reg G-BRKE) which had originally been used for North Atlantic patrols and convoy support.

Attending the event were a number of notable drivers, includ ing Stirling Moss, Sir Jack Brab ham and the singer Chris Rea. - RICHARD St JOHN-THOMAS

V

Black Jack: Sir Jack Brabham was at Hoys Silverstone event.

Blackout? This Ferrari 250 GTO seems to have an identity crisis.

Black Adder: Rowan Atkinson was there as well - in black, natch.

(Photos by Sution-Images)

Mossing along: Stirling Moss and BRM (8) in the main event.

Yeah Ba-by!

There were E-type Jaguars galore...

I ● o'

13 August 1999

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l

'ji I £S

Ford saustang. Ex Dick Johson Palmer Tube green Group A touring car. Fresh Ford Motorsport dry sump DJR 351. 5 speed getrag gearbox, on board air jacks, dry break fuel system, Harrop 9” floater. Race ready, excellent cond. $28,500. Ph: 08 9405 1113. 160 Batsiiini II SCO ClalJ Car. Fully modified L series 2 litre motor, 260Z gearbox, 3.9LSD, roll cage, clean body. $5,000ono. Ph:07 3801 2367 after 5.30pm weekdays. leo

524. 159

Rally Lantra, J1, Group A, rhd (Ihd spares). Ex Herridge, Rally Aust/Rally Canberra eligible. FIA seats, FIA 6pt har nesses, firebomb, chrome moly cage, fresh engine, LSD. Details on www.rally.com.au, or Ph: Dusty 0414 575 925. ik> NASCAR: Pontiac Grand Prix, new body, 18 degree Chev engine, fast and consistent car complete with pit equip ment, flat track set-up, Jerico gearbox, Alcon brakes etc. $40,000. Rh: 0417 014 383. m

Commodore VL, Group & shell. Ford 9" diff. Modified Aussie 4 speed. Rebuilt 308 with 320 bhp. Excellent cond.

Ready to race. $10,500. Ph: 02 4942,6233(BH). 159 Toyota Supra GT twin turbo series 3. 2 new turbos, new brakes & tyres, Japanese import Suitable for race or rally. $8,000. Ph: 0414 414141. 159

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LC Torana Sports Sedan. 202, triple Webers, CR box, Detroit locker, Stratos seat, some spare wheels, tyres, plus reg tandem trailer. Must sell. Complete. $6,000ono. Ph: Anthony 02 4952 5078. to

AUSCAR/Bathurst AUSCAR Commodore. New engine, reco diff + g/box. Just rebuilt suspension. Spares include new VRA^S shell, barred and paneeied, never used; pit equiipment and suspension, new floater diff. Must sell due to business, will consider trade. $18,500. Ph: John 03 9742 3234(BH). 160 Subaru WRX, 94 STi 4 dr, build no 27/100. Qld Rally rego 5-00. 60,000km road car, never rallied, air con + elec tric windows, silver. $22,000. Ph: 0418 731 115 Brisbane.

-V

Cortona GT Mkl - Historic Group N. Current class lap record, Bathurst. In perfect race ready condition. Veiro kevlar race seat, new foam-filled fuel cell. Sealed Trvethan engine. 12 alloy rims, 2 new gearboxes: CR and int with remote shift. 3 diffs. New kevlar pads. 1 set wets. 1 set new Hoosier, plus used Hoosiers. Many spares. No money to spend. $14,000. Ph: Andrew 03 9817 4324(AH). 159 Qld Gemini series race car: TX coupe, full steel roll cage, new gearbox, very straight car built up 3 years ago.

Heaps of spares. $5,000ono. Ph: 07 3391 0141 (BH), 07

Ford Escort Mk2 Club Car. Full race 2 It. Big valve head. Manly stainless steel valves, Wade 520 x cam. Crane rockers, twin 48mm Webers, Venolia pistons. Sierra 5 speed, racing clutch assy, Bilstein front struts, adj platform coils. Forest flares, full al roll cage, Targa race seats, Cheviot mags etc. Competitive, value, $9,000. Ph: Luke 0418 582 882 Vic. 159 Torana Hatchback, 253 V8, 4 speed, alloy tank.

Hotwires, roll cage, stereo, LSD. Minor work reqd. Unreg. $3,000. Ph:03 9802 5806(AH). 159 Restorer’s dream - Dodge Phoenix 1963. Push-button auto. Interior original - good condition. 318 motor has been blueprinted. Runs excellently. Must sell, best offer around $3,000. Ph: 07 5573 5504. 159

3204 4721 (AH). 159

l@l

TO

1982 Fiat 131 race car. New race engine, huge hp.

Ital Motors engine builder. 4 wheel discs, race rims, tyres.

Double seam welded etc. Spare car & heaps of spares, with race trailer as new. $45,000 the lot. 2 x 124cc Fiats with spares, also great race project cars. Ph/fax: 03 5332 6977 (bh),03 5336 1221 (AH), to Escort Lotus twin cam 1972, road car, hot orange.

Very good original condition. Original t/c wheels + grill. $12,000ono. Ph:02 4730 3542,0413 362 280. to

Porsche Cup Car - B Class: 1974 style update Australian compliance Coupe. 3.2 It, 153kw power, Haltech system, 3 sets wheels, flared guards, alloy tank. Ready to go now.

Would suit buyer interested in competing in 1999 for Porsche Cup, Bathurst or Indy. Complete race records available. Great assistance package provided. For further information, please contact(02)9418-3711 BH,

V8 Supercar: ex HRT VS Commodore, Holden engine, ready to race, spare engine, spares package. $80,000. Ph: Simon 0418 449 139. to Porsche RSCS 1995. Pristine condition. Ph: 0411 327 327. TO

Subaru WRX,import, FORS rally approval. Damage to rh front, roof and floor. Runs and drives. $10,500. Ph: 0414 888 003. 159 Mazda'RX3/808 restored, many extras ie 13B, Weber etc. Must sell. $6,500ono. Ph: Derek 02 6681 4391. 159

Triumph TR8 S.OIt V8 Marque Sports Car. Red, front run ning car, successfully raced by Mike Pattern. Immac cond.

Comes with custom built fully end trailer. $37,000. Ph: 0412 084 062. 160 AUSCAR Sportsman Commodore. Championship winning engine, very competitive, always finished in top ten. Car comes with full range of spares. $10,500. Ph: 0417 014 383. TO

Falcon XW GT, fully restored. $15,000 Ph: Simon 0418 449 139. TO

n

FI00 78, XLT, LWB, V8, auto, gas, red duco, black GT interior, original Centrelines, DJM lowering kit. $10,000 spent on parts. $20,000, will trade. Ph: 03 9465 6889, 0418 312 779. 159 Datsun Stanza Hatchback, 2 door, complete, ideal rally/sprint. Unreg. $400. Ph: 03 9802 5806(AH). 159 NASCAR: Pontiac Grand Prix, complete car, ready to race with pit gear and spares. $25,000ono, $10,000 as roller. P«:'0413 075 219. 159 Cortina GT Group N. 1998 championship-winning car is offered in race winning condition. Fresh, top hp engine, heaps of spares. Buy & win. $15,900. Ph: Drew 0418 312 587, 03 9480 1122,

Mitsubishi Sigma Sedan, 2.6lt, 5 speed, high tech components, good performance in 2 divisions. All parts to go with this ready to race top car. $5,000ono. Test drive.

Ph: 02 6963 6367. to Modified Production Falcon XF, methanol engine, top hp, Bilstein coilover. Power head, quicksteer, 11 wheels & tyres, alloy seat. Very comp car. Make top Production sedan. Ph:035382 6967,015 861 590. to Beast wide body Gaerte Speedcar, 1998, USA 62.

Very fast, as new cond. KSE, Willwood, Winters, Carrera, Sanders, FBI, Gilliam splined wheels, spares, Winters diff complete, swaged rods, nerf bars, engine parts, vgc. Sell complete or sep. Ph: 07 5546 8732. 160 Super Sedan, factory Rayburn Mandrel, bent rails, com plete roller, new Quicksteer, Wide 5 hubs, gun drilled axle, aluminium radiator, Willwoood brakes, new rack, fuel cell.

Ready to race less engine. $12,500ono. Ph: 02 9724 0806, 0419 692 677. to I

L Australian Porsche Cup winner: Current leader of 1999 Porsche Cup.Consistent winner, 7 line honours, 3 seconds from 10 starts. Professionally built in Jan 1998 to highest of standards. Absolutely immaculate. 3.6Jt turbo, 6 speed box, Motec, 3 sets 18" Simmons wheels. Available to purchaser for Bathurst and Indy 1999. Complete history and assistance available. This car will be very competitive into the new Millennium. For further information, please con tact(02)9418-3711 BH. TO Ford Escort Mkl, 2lt oho with twin 45 Webers.

Complete with Dorian timer & charger. Ready to race in Club Cars. Well presented. Must sell. $10,500ono. Ph: 02 9838 9703

Torana, genuine L34, COME Racing 308, T10 gearbox, Centreforce clutch, approx 4,000kms on motor, Barbados green, 7 & 8" wheels, 12 months rego. $14,500. Genuine enquiries only. Ph:02 9534 3871. m

3 Litre Sedan, Vic 3. Fully adjustable suspension, Quicksteer, auto, very fast and reliable car. Ready to race with spare wheels/lyres, panels, suspension parts etc. $7,000. Ph: Craig 9576 1800,0418 106 797. 159 RX-7 Modified Production, almost complete, with spares & tyres. $1,800ono. 13B Bridgeport race/street engine.

Electronic dizzy. Full rebuild, started once. $2,200. Ph: 03 52613995,0411869 851,

Gemini Coupe Sports Sedan. Mid mounted engine, spare rims & tyres. 13B, efi turbo, with four speed. $7,500.

Ph: 02 6734 2259(AH),02 6732 3353(BH). 159

Suzuki Swift GTi: has won 2 Qld class championships.

Fully seam welded, $4,000 chrome moly cage, new gen uine Suzuki engine, Bilstein adj suspension, built to Group N1 specs. Never pranged, ultra reliable. Ready to rally & win. Replacement cost over $28,000, sell $15,000ono. Ph: Tony 07 3286 2093,0417 609 462. 159 XF Falcon AUSCAR Sportsman. Runner up, 98-99 season, front running Ford. Has run 32.68. Spares includ ed, flat track set-up. Spare painted caged shell complete.

Privce neg. Ph: Andrew 03 5367 1866 (BH), 03 5369 2271 (AH),0419 347 037. 159 Falcon AUSCAR Sportsman. Race ready. Spare wheels, fire bomb, fresh piotor. Plus dual axle trailer with electric brakes, wheel rack. $11,500. Ph:0410 488 831. 159

Datsun 1600 Club Car. Not raced yet, worked LI8, 5 spd, 6pt cage, Int bars etc. Sell with 12 months full reg + RWC. $4,500 neg. Ph: 0409 670 401 Cranbourne. 159 Escort Lotus t/c, original spec road oar. Full drivetrain rebuild, Bilsteins. Suit collector or Classic Adelaide/Targa.

Many spares, $12,500. Genuine Gr 1, IV parts available.

Ph:08 8278 5988. 159

Super Sedan VS Commodore.366ci Mike Blaker engine, QC diff, 2speed auto, trick kit. Close 5 hubs.Spare rims, tyres & parts. Tested only. Urgent sale. $13,000. Ph: Col 07 5441 3789. 159

Mazda RX-7 series III, late model 13B turbo and gear box, $5,000 paint job, immaculate interior, CD player, 15" wheels, alarm, real head turner. Reg and RWC. $15,000.

Ph:03 9888 3131. to

Super Sedan, Torana Vic71. Turbo 202, 400hp, Ross pistons, stud girdle, Borg & beck clutch, live axle, alloy 6 pin rear wheels, lots of spares, POA. Ph:03 5473 3334(AH), isb Street Stock VB Commodore. Cage, harness, seat, quick engine, suspension set-up, heaps of spares, Iterior radF ator with twin fans. $1,000ono. Ph: Mick 024399 2170. 159

t

13 August 1999 Nissan motor and gearbox, 2140cc, from 1600 rally car. Twin 45 Webers, button clutch, 3 gear, Holinger 5 speed, extractors. $3,000ono. Ph: 02 4392 0258, 0408 688 306. 159

U Torana, 3 litre, John Sidney engine. Pro shocks, 5 near new Hoosier tyres, 2 speed gearbox, ram clutch. Assorted spares, $6,000. Will separate. Ph:03 5241 1087. i»

Formula Libre Cooper Honda. 1998 NSW Hillclimb ch/ship class winner. Bulletproof CBR 1000 engine. Near new Avons, quick & reliable. With fully end trailer and some spares. Bargain, $6,500 the lot. Ph:0410 544 629. 160

Chew 18 degree 324 cu.in. drag race motor, single carb, bow tie block, 700hp. Dyno sheets available. $16,500ono.

Ph: Graham 02 6282 5180. 159 Ford Boss 1969 302 fuel-injected, 516hp, dyno sheets available. $12,000. Ph: Graham 02 6282 5180. 169 350 Chew, alloy heads, 4 bolt block, steel crank, forged pistons, $4,500. Triple plate Borg & Beck clutch, $800. Ph: 03 6331 2624(BH), 03 6330 1881 (AH). 159 Cortina 1600 crossflow, twin methanol SVs, Holley pump, extractors, recently freshened. Suit Classic Speedcar, $1050. Ph: 08 8322 5789(AH). 159

Parts

Gambler high bar roller. Winters long spline alloy rear end. 4.11 gears Buckley coupler drive line. Profile power steering. Midget tank. JFZ brakes. Simpson belts. Pro shocks. LTweight wings. Alloy wheels. Complete with radia tor, engine plates, exhaust, drive flange and uni, bolts and nuts. Less engine. Full set spare alloy wheels and tyres and complete front axle. $9,000ono. SBC 2-3/16 McGee fuel injection with pump and air cleaners, $1,000. Ph: 08 8952 2019. 159

Formula Vee Jabiru. Qld Championship winning car, many poles, wins, ex Gerard McConkey car. Rebuilt, main tained by Bernie Cashin. Yet to be run in. Trailer, some spares. $10,000. Ph: 07 3807 3401,0418 881 272. 160 Lotus 59 F3 #2. In F2 spec with 69 bodywork, FVA, FT200. Ex Ken Smith car. Available in F3 spec witli MAE, Mk9 if reqd. This ex-works F3 car has been in NZ since 1970. Ph/fax: 00 11 649 274 9401. 159 Mygale SJ95. Inol spares, fresh Lamer engine. Avail lease State/National events. Ph: Alan/Cameron Shearer 02 6922 5387, 0408 481 653, 0418 572 679. 159 ,, Cheetah Mk6, 1976 build. Ex Ian Richards'P3 and F2.

Has had complete rebuild and is fitted with genuine Ml Celioa motor. $20,000. Ph: 0418 311 849, 03 5659 8288 (AH). 159

Midget Speedcar Q61. Beast 4 bar chassis, Mitsubishi motor. Winters splined diff, splined wheels, power steering.

All good gear, complete with all spares and 16ft end trailer. $25,000. Ph:07 3267 5211.

_ 6282 5180. 159

RF92 Van Diemen, complete, Ohiin shocks, Astratech data logger. Immaculate cond. Winner, NSW Formula Ford Championship, 98, 97. Many spares. $32,000. Ph: 02 4943 0607. 159

Street Stock LX Torana: race ready, reliable & competi tive. Strong 202, Nolathane susp, plenty of spares incl diff ratios, rims & tyres, rack, panels, susp. $1,400ono. Ph: 08 8322 5474. 159 Super Sedan, VR Commodore. 355 Chev, new block, TRW 12.5 to 1, roller cam, 10,000rpm clutch, quickchange, trailer & spares. POA. Ph: 03 5348 3403. 159 Modified Rroduction LC Torana, 202 fully worked,95% complete, never raced. $2,500ono. Ph:02 4353 4755. 159 Team Vosbergen Racing offers rear engined Pantera Super Sedan, complete with 5/8 stroker engine, aluminium heads. Super fast car. Bert box, good gear. Bargain, $16,000.

Ph:08 9452 2808. 159

Off Road Buggy, Class 9, Bilsteins, 20” rear travel, 29" axles, power steer, Wright coil over front. Centrelines, turn ing brakes, CNC pedals, braided lines, full Albins G50 Porsche gearbox. No motor. $12,000. Ph: Roly 02 4464 2970(BH), 02 4234 0857(AH), 159 Van Diemen RF95, professionally maintained by Banfield Motorsport, immaculate car, ex AMSA, very com petitive (1st Sandown Vic Series 99). Genuine Lamer motor, complete set of spare corners. Many other spares & set-up equipment, plus set-up info. $28,500. Ph: Karl 0414 .646 949. 159

Prag Racing Drag Racing Car: RS 20C0 Escort. 351, 2 speed auto, 9.6/quarter mile. $20,000. Ph: Simon 0418 449 139. leo

hm'rirn i

ippeis Wheelers

y

Slingshot Dragster, 141 in wheelbase. Mustang alloy head 232-V6, Dominator, Manual shift C-10, Galaxy diff, fronts new, rears 50%, parachute, spare engine, trailer.

Easy to drive and maintain. $5,700. Ph: Steve 02 6766 5977

(AH). 160

Engines

/ Lotus 20 FJ. Full restoration, top hp Ian Tate motor, suit investor or beginner in Historic Racing. Full preparation & maintenance if necessary. $50,000. Ph: George Makin 03 9545 1656,0419 356 819. leo Kart - Clubman race set-up. Monaco GP2 chassis, 2 blue printed Hurst Clubman engines, driving suit, fully end trailer + all spares. Must sell, $4,500ono. Ph: 02 9637 7265. 160 Fomiula Vee Nimbus, chassis 501. Ideal beginners car.

Koni adjustable shocks, 3" harness, reg trailer, with tyre car rier. $3,800ono. Ph: 02 9451 5357, 0407 229 778. is> Superkart; 250cc National. Yamaha YZ 92 model, numerous spares, end trailer, ready to race, all in excellent cond. $8,500 the lot. Ph: 02 9691 1301. m

3 BBS 19 inch Snake Tongue touring car rims, centrelock nut style, with Michelin slicks. Worth $6,000 sell for $1,000ono. Ph: 02 6655 5715, 0409 125 965. 160 Velo Racing seat, black with yellow insert, brand new, GP90 model with rails. $600ono. Ph:0419 253 675. leo Haltech E6S-8 sequential engine management system.

Full wiring loom, ignition ignition module, all sensors & trim.

8 X Ford Motorsport 2416 injectors & intank pump, as new, $1800ono. Ph: 07 3849 2866, 0413 128 876. 160 Brand new VW 2-litre heads, 48x38 titanium stainless valves, Chev double springs. Suit motor with 105mm pistons and 105 barrens to suit. $1,000. Plus other VW Performance Goodies. Ph: 026655 5715, 0409 125 965. im Sparco race seat, mint condition, top model. Set up on rails to'^suit Toyota Corolla. RTA approved. $250ono.

Ph: 02 6_251 7377, 0414 873 177. m Weber carbs, 2 x 48mm DCOE, competition use only.

Ex BDA/4AGE. Recent rebuild. VGC. $1350ono. Ph: 08 9341 2860. ™ Ford JE flat top pistons, 1.30 pin height, $500; JE 14.5:1 dome 1.25 pin height, new, $700; titanium inlets, $750; titanium exhaust, $800; 302w pushrods $150; Harrop 31 spline spool, $300. Ph: 07 3878 2740, 0412 202 733. iso Chev 18 degree cy! heads. New high port big bore, CNC ported and hand finished by HRD USA. CompI with Del West titanium valves, Jessel rockers, titanium retain ers, and 10 degree looks. Heat treated. Come with GM alloy valve covers and matching fully ported GM high port single carb manifold. 700-rhp. $9,000ono. Ph: 02

Ford Cosworth BDM 1600CC, dry sumped, Lucas fuel inj. Excellent cond, but will be rebuilt. $30,000 firm. Ph: 08 8376 0460. 160 Formula Holden engine, completely rebuilt, no kms, comes complete with fitting kit, starter motor, clutch/fly wheel assy, engine wirir^ loom, and exhaust. POA. Ph: Jeff or Mark 03 9791 4633 (BH), 03 9570 3683 (AH). 160 NASCAR engine: Chev, bowtie block, Bryant crank, Oliver rods, Wiseco pistons, roller cam, Pontiac cylinder heads. Everything brand new. $15,000ono. Ph: 0413 075 219.

159

Chev 60 degree VG, aluminium heads, roller, motor, all bowtie internals; 300+ hp, including LJ Torana, fibreglass front, Kevlar bonnet, 3/4 chassis, mini tubs, 9" diff etc. All ready for comptetion. $6,000ono. Ph: 0412 008 290, 0417

282 764. 159

i

49

Tff^iispoffteffs/Tg'iailers > I

A |/v..

_V TK Bedford transporter, 454, three speed, auto, rego, two 200ltr fuel tanks, 60ltr water tank, fresh paint job, full length awning, flood lighting, lounge/sleeping area, winch, power points. $16,500ono. Ph: 02 4655 2422. 160 26 fool race car box trailer. Brand new, made to suit V8 Supercar. $11,000. Ph: Simon 0418 449 139. ICO Transporter: 42ft, fits 2 cars, bathroom, bunks, hot water. Must see. $40,000. Ph: 0413 075 219. 159 40ft drop deck pantech and single axle 88 Scania prime rpover P12M, sleeper cab, full engine rebuild on Scania by Scania. All reg and RW. Max weight 3.6mt.

Tandem aluminium covered-in trailer, 14.5ft x 7ft x 5.5ft high. Opening back door, small side door, cupboards, elect brakes. Suit Speedcar, Litre 60, karts etc. $2,600. Ph: 03 9439 7566. 159 Transporter: Chev C60 big block. Petrol/gas twin tanks, 5 speed, 2 speed diff, luxury crew accommodation. 36ft 5th wheel tri axle, 240v, annex. Suit many forms of motor sport. $45,000. Ph: david 0417 325 742,03 9438 3110. 159

Holbay stroker crank with rods, block, aluminium fly wheel, front pulley to suit 2 Hr Ford (sohc or Cosworth). $2,650.

Ph:026562 7762. 159 Quaife Lotus Cortina professional s/c, c/r gearbox, needle roller bearings, rated to 275bhp, 10,000 rpm, $2,450. Rocket box sc/cr Quaife, 2.39 1st as new, $1,750. 2000E box, $950.

Ph:08 8278 5988. 159 Ford Edelbrock Torker manifold to suit 4V Cleveland, brand new,$400. MSD 6AL brand new,$400. Mallory Unilite dizzy with new cap, rotor, module, relay,$400. Ph:0417 282 764. 159 BMW M3 E30 alloy front struts, c/w inserts, steering arms, k/o hubs, alloy rear shocks, carbon fibre airbox, intake mank fold c/w throttles. Lightweight window glass. Misc parts. Ph:00 11 649 274 9401. 159 Datsun/Celica mags, CSA Bathurst 13x6, $150. Cheviot Hotwire 13x7, $200. Cheviot Gold 14x7, $200. Ph: 03 9802 5806. (AH). 159 Various: Wilwood vented brake rotors (x2), .75 xIO,6 on 5.5.

Brand new $150; Sparco Pro 2000 fibreglass race seal, FIA spec, black nylon, EC c/w side mounting brackets, $600; Volvo brake conversion kit, suits Mazda RX2, RX3 and RX4 inc Volvo 4 pot calipers, 10.5 vented rotors, Mazda hubs, mount ing brackets & pads, $450. Ph:03 9435 5407. 159 Chev 377 short motor, bow tie blcx;k, steel splayed caps.

Cola crank, JE pistons. Eagle rods. As new,$7,500. Ph: Graham 02 62825180. 159 Gear ratios, suit LD200 and Mk8/9.40 to choose from. Vary in price from $100-$180. Ph:075446 7611,fax 07 5446 7480. 159 Obie driving lights, rectangular, pair, vgc, $120. PIAA rally driving lights, $80. Ph:0398025806(AH). 159 Wheels, 4 x AUSCAR rims, fitted with Dunlop D93 wets, 20560-15. Near new.$1,000 the lot. Ph: Rod 035792 2527(BH). 159 Chev SB assorted parts: Jessel belt drive. Hamburger full kickout oil pan. ATI lightweight balancer. MSD crank triggers.

Manley al rods. Del West fitanium valves 2,150, 1.620, .550 long. Manley titanium valyfes 2.125, 1.620, .400 long eto. Ph.Graham 026282 5180. 159 Datsun Gripiite steering wheel, $40. Ph: 03 9802 5807

Motorsport books: The Great Race, Bathurst and other books on tin-top racing in Australia. Ph: Roscoe 08 8388 4020 or PO Box 777, Balhannah, SA 5242. ico NASCAR gear - spares, equipment etc. Pit gear, also Pontiac GP panels. Please send list with prices to Raceline, P.O. Box 184 Paradise Point, Qld 4216. 159 Services of a brake mechanic wanted to renew brake lines on old Clubman Sports car. Al my place. Ph: 03 9799 1683. 159 Co-drive in Bathurst GTP race by current Qld Formula Ford champion. Previous Bathurst experience. Targa Tasmania Gold Trophy winner. Have budget and experi ence. Ph: Peter 0418 184 456. 159 Weber carbies - 2 model 45DCOE side draft, right hand rod linkage preferred. Pti: Ken 02 9604 8088(BH), 02 9622 0699(AH), fax 02 9725 4759. 159

(AH). 159

RPM race seat & five point harness, $400; new Performance Challenger mags, suit RX2, 3, 4, 7, $450. Ph: 03 9354 0417,0419 191 612. is9 Attn Group C enthusiasts: a meeting to discuss the future of Group C Touring Cars will be held at Burwood RSL at 7.30pm on August 18. For info: Frank Binding 02 9905

Bunlop wets 265/570/15, half worn, hand cut tread pattern. $400 the lot. Can deliver Melbourne metro, -r$20 per tyre delivery interstate. Ph:0418551 780. 159 Winters diff, lightweight, ally spool, ally tukies, gun-drilled lower shaft. Brand new. $5,500ono. Ph:02 9317 0055. 159 Mazda gearbox. Needham close ratio 5 sp, 1:1 5th.

Straigfht cut gears, splined layshaft, 18 months old, limited events, $2,500ono. Ph:074972 1023. 159 Dimlop slick tyres,8 off 230-570x3,6 off 190-535x13, suit 8” or 10" rims. Cheap. Best offers accepted. Ph:024942 2490. ra Carillo rods, 6 inch U,suit Chev, new. $2,100. KB pistons +30, 13:1 comp, new, $350. File fit TRW rings, +35, $130, SB gasket set $30, gear drive $150. Ph:03 9716 1560. 159 Bond Roll Cage (6pt), to suit Commodore to VL, $375.

Walkinshaw VL Group A camshaft, as new, $85. Ph: Ken 02 9604 8088(BH),02 96220699(AH). 159

Category; □ Sedans □ Open wheelers □ Speedway □ Drag □ Parts □ Engines □ Trailers □ Wanted □ Photographs □ Other

©tfeeu' Complete workshop clearance (Haydan Service Centre) sale. New hoist, new Vane 9000 & onboard computer, ramps 3ft high x 25ft long. Host of other equipment. Genuine enquiries: 03 5332 6977(BH),03 5336 1221 (AH), leo

JAMES HARDIE ,

aigJHu NMOAnEaMr^ i

A

«!

Collector decals: James Hardie 1000 Bathurst and 1986 inaugural Fosters AGP. Both good clean cond, approx 300mm length. Proce includes post. $6 ea or $11 pr. Ph: 07 4639 3308. 159

5770. 159

Revolution Mondiale FIA approved blue suit, size S, plus FIA gloves and boots, 2 yrs old, good cond. $400 the lot ono.

Ph: 02 4647 7350. 159 Car and motor sports magazine collection. Various titles in excellent condition, some dating from early 70s. Ph: 0412 439 333. Launceston. 159 Biante 1:18 scale model Falcon GTHOs, Moffat 65E Phase 3, Wild Violet Phase 3, Grecian Gold Phase 2. From $180. Ph: 02 6296 4905. 159

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50

DUCE

13 August 1999

Any (de)merit in this?

NEWS

Editorial Editor Phil Branagan Technical EdiM>r Tony Glynn Frequent Flyer Editor Gerald McDornan Graphics Co-ordinator Viv Brumby

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Administration Managing Director Chris Lambden

Contacts 89 Orrong Crescent Caulfield North VIC 3161 I

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Contributors General: Mike Kable, Jon Thomson, Brian Reed, Grant Nicholas, Darryl Rack, Aaron Noonan FI; Joe Saward, Adam Cooper Europe; Quentin Spurring US: Phil Morris NZ: John Hawkins Speedway: Brett Swanson, ● Dennis Newlyn, Sue Hobson, Geoff Rounds, Tony Millard (UK), Rally: Peter Whitten, Jon Thomson Drag Racing: Greg Ward, Jon Asher (USA), Dave Ostaszewski (USA), Nick Nicholas, Steven White, Ken Ferguson, Scott Jug Super Speedway: Martin Clark (USA) Karts: Sean Henshelwood, Graeme Burns, Allan Roark, Frank Viola, John Morris Photographers: Sutton Motorsport Images, Dirk Klynsmith, Bothwell Photographic, Neil Hammond, Nigel Snowdon & Diana Burnett, Tony Glynn, Thunder-Pics, Marshall Cass, Mike Harding, John Morris/Mpix, Frank Midgley, John Bosher, Phil Williams, Mike Patrick (UK), Tony Loxley, Daniel Wilkins, Wayne Nugent, Peter French Artist: Bernie Walsh Cartoonist; Allan Schofield

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More great taste from 5® Versace

Send letters to TaBc Converter to PO Box 1010 North Cauti our E-mail address, or fax to 03 9527 7766.

3161,

The staff of Motorsport News does not necessarily agree with opinions«

readers.

sen commentators, I, along with many others, will be switching off.

Why not give us the knowledge able and likeable Peter Brock?

that he has run over an' unlucky black cat at Calder.

Some observers would consider his previous ‘pinging’ for the same offence with Paul Morris in Super Tourers, was unwarranted when one could see, particularly in TV replay, the slightly out of control. kerb-bouncing , even slightly airborne antics of Morris in the comer and the snap over-correction on exit which turned him left into Steve’s Primera as he went for the gap.

That, many would say, was a racing incident, not undue care.

Just as in the Supercar episode, Steven had little if even the lesser part as cause of the outcome, Dick Denvil denvild@bigpond.com

20 years on: Moffat vs

Whilst still retaining the Clerk of Course awarded Stop/Go penalty for blatant misdemeanours, maybe a demerit point system, like road licences, should be introduced: 3 points for rear end contact, 2 points for back to B pillar contact and 1 point B pillar to front, to the rearward of the two cars etc.

Similarly points could be allocated for ignoring flag signals, especially Start Line black flags. It is a drivers responsibility to check for flags each time past, as acknowledged by signing to obey racing rules on entry forms and licence applications.

Not seeing a fl ag over two laps, as well as the communications incar from the pits, make the practice of ignoring the flag a blatant offence and does not reflect well on the supposed aptitude and intelligence of ‘talented’ drivers, team/pit managers, etc. It also makes a joke of a fair and consistent application of CAMS discipline and judicial systerns.

As to the Steven Richards “undue care” matter, it would seem

BfOCk

Dear Sir, As a motor racing fanatic, I watch everything on the TV with two or four wheels, However, the 2-Litre Super Touring is now covered incompetently by Ch. 7 at Midday on Saturdays with ‘Start Your Engines’. Allan Moffat and Mike Raymond fall short as modem day sports commentators, compared to the more likeable and ‘down-toearth’ and ‘tie-less’ commentators on Ch 10 every Sunday afternoon, Especially annoying is the way both Moffat and Raymond call a Peugeot a‘Pew joe’, For the first time in my life I have, through-sheer frustration, stopped watching a motor racing coverage, even at the expense of missing my most respected racing driver - the great Jim Richards, When it comes to Bathurst in October, Ch. 7, please update. If Allan Moffat, Mike Raymond, Gary Wilkinson and the ‘over-the-hilT Murray Walker are again your cho-

TASMAMlAJHeMi-f ^ lSig,SoAk\0k!Sfi.A'klS, V6’s ~ItSU?(3F,iT'S

Australasian Motorsport News Pty Ltd ACN No 060 1 79 928

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Dear Sir, The fiasco of the Calder carnage and the subsequent (dismissed) charge against Steven Richards illustrate the need for urgent action

by CAMS, TEGA and the drivers to avoid shooting themselves in the foot.

Whilst most sensible motorsports participants and followers accept a small amount of panel damage, the current demolition derby is beyond sense as to the good of the sport and good TV entertainment.

Not only the crowding, barging and ‘unloading’ that seems to be overstepping ‘sporting behaviour’, but the cost factors to competitors from the top, well sponsored end to the brave, frequently self-sponsored guys at the rear, is only likely to inhibit or lose some sponsors and competitors. / Who can say whether John Faulkner might have asked for less, and retained his recently lost spon sors, if he hadnt had to spend so much on panel damage over the last year?

Something needs to be done to deter drivers with tunnel vision from ‘enforcing’ their way through.

Motorsport News is published by

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Stuart Wilson Alexandria NSW

Fixing F1

Dear Sir, I’ve been reading your paper for over 5 years and really enjoy it.

From cover to cover you guys do a greatjob.

I am a big John Bowe fan and it was great that he finally got one under his belt. GO GIOVi^hJNI! Keep up the good work MN, you’re the only motoring paper I read.

Ciao.

Antonio Versace Bankstown NSW

International Geographic

Dear Sir, Further to Ralph Bellamys com ments (MN #156,2 July), proponents of sensible changes would have to agree with most all of his ideas.

In a variety of categories (FI, Supercars, WSC, etc.), an increase in ground clearance, reduction in downforce, sidepod area, brake size and maybe more, would certainly decrease the “aerodynamic brick effect”. One only has to look at the less winged formulae and those open wheelers with narrower tyres on wider spaced suspension sepa rated from the body sides. Look at bikes and that is where you see closer racing.

Rule makers must realise too many wings, splitters, spoilers, tabs, lips, etc. have taken us down the wrong road. Also an increase in ground clearance would have cost benefits in not wiping those aids out (or digging up the turf) on even minor off-road excursions. Lower level teams especially would enjoy the cost saving of fewer aerodynam ic replacements.

As to tyres, the whingeing dri vers who want more and/or softer tyres, just look at the bikes with their smaller contact patch (and way less marbles or grey area) which gives more passing area and action. Possibly it is an ego matter as it is hard to consistently drive all race long “on the limit” on narrow er, harder tyres and could possibly show up drivers lesser talent with out super-wide sticky slicks.

Dear Sir, Did something different the other night and taped the Indy race from Elkhart Lake, always one of my favourite circuits.

Hadn’t seen an Indy race for years and was astounded at the dif ference between that and FI, which I watch with religious fervour. It was amazing - there were cars actually overtaking each other, expert commentary, even in-car raiio comms that were legible and, yes, plenty of in car camera work, including full laps of this Godzone circuit.

I was so impressed with the pro fessionalism of the film work, com mentary and overall standard of the racing that I might just light up the VCR next time. ’The powers that be in FI could look and learn...

Richard Gaskel email

Jim Thom Chapman, ACT

ITY

Dear Sir, There is nothing inappropriate about Gualter Salles driving for All American Racers (MN #158, p4) unless a South American is some how less ‘American’ that a North American.

Mark Taylor Wanniassa ACT ED: McDornan apologises. He considers any country that doesn’t have Top Fuel racing a communist republic.

Doing It better?

euT UKt

11# To vjit

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