Motorsport News Issue 165 - 5-18 November 1999 by V8 Sleuth

Special Bathurst preview issue Issue 165

$4.50

(NZ$S.95tnciaST)

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Schuey slams Goulthard McLaren driver wants public apology, threatens legal action By PHIL MORRIS MICHAEL Schumacher”s out burst about David Coulthard”s “blocking tactics” may just land him in court with the Scotsman furious and threatening to sue for slander. Schumacher slated the McLaren driver for his blocking tactics after losing the crucial Japanese Grand Prix with Coulthard”s team-mate, Mika Hakkinen, securing the race win and his second straight world driver”s championship. The German lashed out after he came up to lap the Scot and accused Goulthard and his team of using unfair tactics as he fin ished second to Hakkinen - his earlier 'fumbled start' apparently being caused by technical prob lems which Schumacher wouldn’t elaborate on. Ironically, the claims came just two weeks after Schumacher held Hakkinen up for a large section of the Malaysian Grand Prix as Ferrari team-mate Eddie Irvine raced away to victory. “Mika is a great champion,” said Schumacher in the post-race press conference. “He was made champion today by winning the race and there is

no reason why he should not cele brate that 100 per cent, but the team should wonder why they ask the driver to do such things. “It was a different thing - in Malaysia I was racing for posi tion and not being lapped [by Hakkinen] then you can play tac tics but if you are lapped you should give space. “David passed many blue flags, he had a kind of problem, but he was really zig-zagging I am not sure whether I should believe Spa was intentional the way he behaved today/ “I didn’t expect him to do such

a thing when it was clear he was out of the race. I am very disappointed'seeing a manoeuvre from a guy you do not expect to do such things. “It would have been a very close race towards the end but this situation cost be about 10 seconds at the end.” Goulthard was reportedly furi ous with Schumacher’s comments and immediately requested an apology from the German, sug gesting if one wasn’t made publically, he would begin legal,pro ceedings.

Eddie jumps into Michaei... AFTER performing with the utmost professionalism at his final press conference for Ferrari, Eddie Irvine hasn’t taken iong to get out of the grasp of Maranello before firing a broadside at the team and Michael Schumacher. Irvine has been quoted as saying that he has no regrets about ieaving the team for Jaguar, with the role as supporting team-mate to Schumacher being trying at best, and he’s hoping that a divine intervention will help his repiacement, Rubens Barrichello. “God help Rubens,” Irvine is reported to have said. “That [Barricheiio’s arrival at Ferrari as team-mate to Schumacher] is like arriving at a race and getting hit across the head with a cricket bat for four days. It’s not a pleasant experience.” Speculation is rife in Europe that Schumacher allowed Hakkinen to win the final race in Japan, denying Irvine the driver’s title and therefore, while winning the constructors title for Ferrari, allowing himself the opportunity of claiming the team's first drivers title since 1979 next year. - GERALD MGDORNAN

HRT confirms 1000 pairings

SHELL Championship leader Craig Lowndes and HRT team-mate Mark Skaife will

remain in separate cars for Bathurst. HRT made its decision last Friday, opting for the ‘hare and tortoise’ scenario, which gives them separate options and priorities for their two cars in the FAI 1000. “By putting Graig with Gam McGonville and Skaifey with Paul Morris, it will hopefuUy give us two otions,” team manager Jeff Grech confirmed. “One could win us the race, the other could ensure another Ghampionship title and, ideally, both. “It’s a whol;e new ballgame this year. In the past the focus was simply on trying to win the race, but we have to take Graig;s Championship position into consideration.”

Lowndes has confirmed that his Bathurst priority is the Shell Championship win: “The focus will be on my track position in relation to the other title contenders, particularly Russell IngaU, who points-wise, isn’t far behind me. “Skaifey on the other hand will be going for it, so it makes sense to separate us.” Should IngaU win the FAI 1000, Lowndes must finish foimth or better to ensure the title. HRT’s brand new VT Commodore, which Lowndes and McConviUe will drive at Bathurst, turned a wheel for the first time last week at PhiUip Island, completing over 500 kilometres without a problem. The team was due to undertake a final shakedown on Wednesday, as Motorsport News closed for press.

The Dream Teams: HRT’s pairings for Bathurst remain as per the Queensland 500. (Photo by Matshaii cass)

Legal papers? Goulthard and Schumacher before the storm in Japan. (Photo by RaceAccess)

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Tragedy: Canadian Greg Moore was tragically killed after crashing in Fontana on Monday.

Greg Moore killed

California Speedway in Fontana, California, last Monday [Australian time]. Moore was running well when he went off the track on lap 10 of the 250-lap event. The 24-year-old Canadian appeared to lose control of his car coming off Turn 2, the ReynardMercedes skidding onto the infield grass, crashing hard into a retaining wall. The car broke apart right behind the driver’s seat and almost disintegrated in one of the worst accidents in recent memory. Dr. Steve Olvey, director of medical affairs for CART, said Moore sustained mas sive head injuries and was airlifted to Loma Linda Medical Centre.

Eddie Irvine i-ould l>e headed to Bathurst. With Ms FI commitments over for now,the Inslmien is rumoured to be heading for Sydney as part of Ms post-season break and may well turn up at the Mountain to catch up with buddy Neil Crompton as he did last year en route to the Australian GP launch in Melbourne. Eddie should be easy to spot; he’ll be the one dhanging from Ferrari red to Jaguar green, and there’ll be a queue of women lollowmg him.... n Rumour of the week: We all saw Allan Moffai drive the famous Coke Mustapg at .Mbert Park tMs year. In 2000. there may be more; Moffat and Peter Brock may wind back the clock to a match race on the GP circuit. Gars and details are TBA but you can bet on the 1970/80s icons taking it at least half-seriousl> ..

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CART ace Greg Moore has been killed after hitting an inside retaining wall during the running of the Marlboro 500 at the

Eddie heads south

“At 1:21pm [local time, 71 minutes after the incident], Greg Moore was pronounced dead from massive head and internal injuries,” Dr. Olvey said. Following the announce ment of Moore’s death, flags at the speedway were low ered to half mast. CART offi cials also announced that no ceremonies or celebrations would take place following the race. Moore was the youngest driver ever to race in the CART series. He won the Indy Lights championship in 1995 and posted a win this year at the season opener, Marlboro Grand Fhix of Miami. What turned out to be Moore’s final race weekend seemed doomed from the start. He started last in the race, missing qualifying on Saturday after he was knocked fiom his pit bike by a car. He sustained a minor fiac-

ture of the forefinger of his right hand as well as lacera tions on the same hand and a bruised right hip. The deci sion as to whether or not he was fit to drive was not made until Sunday morning before the race, when he ran six laps under medical supervision. It is the second fatality this year for CART and the second tragedy for Penske. On September 11 of this year, Marlboro Team Penske driver Gonzalo Rodriguez died in a fatal crash at Laguna Seca. Moore, who drove for Player’s Forsythe Racing, had recently been signed to drive for Marlboro Team Penske in 2000. The race was won by Mexican Adrian Fernandez, while Colombian Juan Montoya took the 1999 PPG Cup on a countback after tying with Dario Franchitti. -PHIL MORRIS

n Bridgestone will take 2600 tyres to Bathurst next week. According to motorsport manager Graeme Brown,the tyre is identical in construction and compound to the tyre used at last year’s race, with a minor change “in the tread-bonding process”. n 'The Queenriand gov emment has increased the debt owing to it by Queensland Raceway by paying out the $800,000 owed by the orgaMsation to the Bank of ; Queensland. The bank, as the Mghest ranking secured creditor, had put in its own receiver to man age Motorsport Queensland’s affairs, but I by paying out the bank. ' the government’s funding arm,the Queensland 'Treasuiy Corp,regains effecti\ e control of the receiversMp process. , WMle expressions of | interest have been called i for the venue, business I continues this weekend, ! with a major 27-race State ●meet ing taking place. ■ HRT is to host a pair of pre-Bathurst ‘Grand Final’ Breakfa.sts. Motor sport personalities, Mgh profile businessmen, politi cians and sporting celebri ties will gather at Melbourne's Grown Gomplex today (Friday) and Sydney’s Star Gity on Monday for the breakfasts, i ■ Also following a foot ball mitiative, Australian troops in Timor will be able to see the full 161 lut/.s of the FAI1000 \da Austraha Teletision, which broadcasts a 2^ hour satellite service into the Asia Pacific region, reacMng an audience of more than 14 million households.

5!^ovmberl999

n Eight 1999 CAMS National champions have been invited to attend the annual ‘Camp of Champions’ at the Australian Institute of Sport, from 8-10 December. As usual, the camp will involve in depth physicad and psychological testing and allow the champions to update on the latest fitness training techniques. ■ Following the final round at Oran Park on October 24, Sydneysider Warren Luff has been con firmed as the winner of the one-make Lease Plan Mitsubishi Mirage series, with a dominant 10 out of 12 race win record. ■ David Auger will be heading to Macau with more noddies under the bonnet of the Gun Racing Alfa. A new unit, supplied by Englster Racing in Germany, will be fitted to the 155TS for the classic Guia race, which will be held on November 21. ■ Grant Denyer, son of well-known commentator Craig, will make his GT Production debut at Bathurst. The 22-yearold, who has raced in karting up till now, will ; share Tom Watkinson’s j Just Cuts Mazda 626 in the 3-Hour in Class D. ■ Ben Walsh will also he making his first appearance at the moun tain. The 1998 Asian F2000 Champ will race a Hartge BMW M3R entered by Peak Performance in the G'TP race. Walsh recently ran the car at Oran Park in a Sports Sedan race. Y8 Supercar driver Teny Finnigai? will share the car with Walsh. ■ Just prior to announcing the cancella tion of its CART program, Goodyear received some bad news - it was dropped from, the list of blue chip companies which make up the Dow Jones index on the New York Stock Exchange. Goodyear 'Tire & Rubber, retailer Sears Roebuck, Chevron Corp. [oil] and industrial giant Union Carbide were replaced by Microsoft, Intel, SBC ConMUunications and retail cham [and Tony Stewart’s NASCAR spon sor] Home Depot. ■ Speaking of the tyre giant, as if coping a beat ing in Indycar racing for the last two seasons wasn’t enough, Goodyear has also been “shot down” in the air with one of their famed blimps going down accor-iing to the US press. It i« believed the Spirit of Akron blimp went down nose first into woods east of the Goodyear Airdock near Akron. Thankfully the two-man crew walked away from the incident although the blimp was reported to be sticking tail-up, out of th** woods.

Ganassi dumps Honda Chip grabs big-buck 3 year Toyota deal

CHIP Ganassi stunned the CART racing world in California when he announced

that his team is dropping the Honda engine and switching to Toyota for at least three years, beginning with the 2000 FedEx Championship Series. And he will not, as rumours at Surfers sug gested, start a sateUite team to run alongside new Champ Juan Montoya and Jimmy Yasser’s Honda-powered cars, but put all his eggs in the Toyota basket. ‘When you’re in this business for as long as I’ve been, you’re always looking for that edge.” said Ganassi. “Wou always want to be on the leading edge of breaking new ground. I think in the past this team has shown what the benefit of being on the leading edge can be and lead to. With that in mind, our team has decided to run Toyota engines for the next three years, hopefully more. “I know a lot of you in the media, after our championship in ’96, you said, ‘well, we had the package,’ After "97,‘we had the driver,’ or something, and still have the package. A lot of other teams seem to have the package now. I think it’s time to change the package.” Team Ganassi has won four consecutive titles with Honda-powered cars. Yasser, who . owns a Toyota dedership, is expected to do much of the development driving and back up Montoya’s bid for a fifth straight title for the team. Ganassi is rumoured to receive major financial backing from Toyota, with US$30m [$41m] the number being bandied about in Cahfomia last weekend. The move appears a good one for Honda as well. While Ganassi has been successful, it

Sutton-lmages

Four down: Can Chip win five with Toyota? will still have Team Green to lead the way next season, backed up by ForsytheMcDonalds [one car] and two from Walker and, for the first time, Penske. Of course, there is a precedent. At the end of 1994 Hogan-Rahal, under pressure from impatient sponsor Miller Genuine Draft, dumped Honda for Mercedes-Benz. Honda won its first race the following year, and the title with Yasser two years later. Rahal took almost four seasons to win another race ... Ganassi usually guesses right, but this looks an awful big guess. -PHIL MORRIS

Y2KGP dates finalised

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By JOE SAWARD THE FIA has issued the World definitive Championship calendar for 2000 with the dramatic news that the British Grand Prix will take place at Silver stone on Easter Sunday-April 23. This is not good news for the circuit, as the weather is unlikely to be very good and Grand Prix racing is likely to leave the Northamptonshire facility muddier than it was when it arrived. The date is the result of the ongoing battle between FI boss Bemie Ecclestone and the British Racing Drivers Club which seems intent on annoying Ecclestone rather than finding a compromise with him. All the other dates are much as expected with Austria taking the traditional British GP date in mid-July and the European Grand Prix at the Nurburgring slotting into May. The Ml list of dates is: Australia (March 12), Brazil (March 26), San Marino (April 9), Britain (April 23), Spain (May 7), Europe (May 21), Monaco > Jime 4), Canada (June 18), France (July 2), Austria (July 16), Germany Muly 301, Hungary (August 13), Belgium (August 27), Italy (September 10), United States (^ptember 24), Japan (October 8) and Malaysia (October 22).

Photo by Dirk Klynmsilh |

Same name, next year: Steven Johnson gets his chance.

DJR confirms Steven PAUL Radisich and Steve Johnson have been con firmed as DJR’s drivers for 2000 and beyond. Radisich, twice winner of the 'World Cup for Touring Cars, has signed a new three year deal with Shell Helix Racing while Steve will be replacing his father in the seat of the famous #17 Shell Falcon. “Giving away driving wasn’t an easy decision but I’m a realist and I know the future of the sport and my team lies with the younger guys,” Dick Johnson said of DjR’s 2000 driver line-up. “Paul has done a fantastic job for us this year. He’s one of the fastest, most aggressive drivers out there and, coming off the highs of Indy, I’ve no doubt he’ll be a strong chal lenger for next year’s champi onship. “I’m also delighted 'ftat we’ve been able to give Steve the opportunity he deserves,” Johnson said. “He’s grown up around here and, for the last four years, he’s put in the hard yards for us and it's great w^’ve finally been able to

reward him for that.” For Radisich, the con^rmation of an extended deal with the team gives the New Zealander a solid shot at next year’s Shell Series title. “DJR is one of the very best teams in Y8 Supercar racing, so I’m pleased to continue with them,” Radisich said. “This year has been a little frustrating at times - I’ve had to learn almost all of the tracks and the team has had to come to grips with a new car and new tyres, but we’ve spent a lot of time laying the ground work and I’m looking forward to capitalising on that with race wins.” For Junior, the announce ment of a Ml-time drive with his father’s team is a dream come true. “I have to say that I’ve been given some very big shoes to fill,” Johnson said. “If I can achieve half of what Dad has achieved, then I’ll be delighted. “I’ve still got a lot to learn and I’ll be looking to him for guidance throughout the year, but at the moment I’m just concentrating on getting out there on a full-time basis.”

Greg Moore 1975-1999 THE California Speedway crash that took the life of Greg Mooin has robbed intemational motor racing ofone of its brightest talents. The 24-year-old Canadian was poised to move into cliampionship contention in 2000 but, sadly, that is not to be for the man who always seemed mature, and fast, beyond his years. The native of New Westminster, British Columbia,started rac ing karts at 11, win ning the North American Endurp series two straight years in 1989/90. After star ring at the famed Canadian Spenai’d-David racing school, he moved into Fonnula Ford] finishing fourth in the Canadian series in ’91 and taking rook ie honours. He won the Western divi sion ofthe Canadian FF2000 series the following year, before moving into the Indy ; Lights Championship at17,. in a team run by his father Ric. In 1994 he became the youngest-ever winner in the series, taking the chequer at Phoenix and finishing third ; in the championship. In 1995 he moved to the Playei-s-Foreythe team and , was unstoppable,takinglO wins and seven poles in 12 races and winning the Lights title by a record margin. He moved into the CART series at 20,finishing sev enth with Fom^he in’96 ^er three podium finishes. In 1997 he became the yomigest-ever CART winner at 22 years, one month and , 10 days in only his 23rd ‘ career start at Milwaukee ' and backed it up with a win at Detroit the following weekend. He finished sev enth in the series, improving to fifth in 1998 after winning

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at Rio and Michigan and taking four pde positions. The ’99 season was a ! stmggle, hampeied by ; Mercedes-Benz’s peaky and , mirehable engines but, typi- : cally, Moore never com plained. He took the season i opener at Homestead,‘but his only other podiums were at Milwaukke and Detroit. He had already signed for Penske lor 2000 and was looking foi-ward to, contend-, ing to for championship wi,th, j Honda power. ● .Moore made many frienjlsj^ | in Australia for his easy: goi ng nature Emd S.uifeiS ,j was one of his favourite ^ tracks, with fourth, third /I and second places on the- , J Queensland streets. .■^ The reaction among the Australian motorsport com- j mi^ty has been one of shock % and disbelief, many drivers , and ’media members express- ing their sadness at a bright light extinguished far too . ' early. It seems hard to^ ● believe that vve \rii not see' t that slightly wry smile agdn. To Greg Moore’s family,; 1 liiany friendO and milions of ' fans, Motorsport News '’ extends-our heart-felt sym- ” pathies at this terrible toss._ | -PHILBRANAGAN ;

Walter Payton 1954-1999

uamie Squire/Ailsport

THE day after Moore’s California accident, the CART community was dealt another blow with the death of Walter Payton. The co-owner of PaytonCoyne Racing died in Chicago due to a rare liver disorder that had affected him over the last 18 months. He was 45. TheNFLHallofFamer, who joined Dale Coyne'to run Payton/Coyne Racing in December 1994, fell in love with motor racing during his plaving days and, when his NFL career was over, he indulged his passion as a .SCCA .Sports 2000 racer. He also drove in the Ti’ansAm series before joining Coyne as a Champ Car owner.

The team was renowned for giving young drivers such as Michel Jourdain Jr, Luiz Garcia Jr, Dennis Yitolb and Roberto Moreno a break. It was Moreno that brought Payton/Coyne its best-ever CART finish, placing third at the U.S. 500 in 1996. Known as ‘Sweetness’, Payton played his NFL foot ball with the Chicago Bears, setting the record for the most lushing yards (16,7261 of any ranning back in league history. He was the NFL’s Most Valuable Player in 1977 and 1985. Payton is survived by his wife Connie and their two children, Jarrett and Brittney. -PHIL MORRIS

5 November 1999

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Lowndes Lights test on

CRAIG Lowndes will make a concerted effort to return to international

ppen-wheeler racing later this month when he undertakes an Indy Lights test with Team Green. The touring car star will then contest the two opening rounds of the Formula Holden Tasman Cup in New Zealand. Plans were being finalised this week for the Lights test, which is expected to take place in the November 17-20 window post-Bathurst and prior to Lowndes heading to NZ for the Formula Holden series. “Other than the fact that it will be a road course, I’m not sure where the test will be,” Craig said on Tuesday. “IMG have been handling the negotiations with the team on my behalf, but we’re about to start booking flights now.” , A successful test and suc cess by IMG in locating the required budget could see Lowndes contest the full 2000 Lights series with the Green team, bringing to a close his second stint with HRT. The move to the US Lights series is also part of IMG’s

desire to have an Australian in the Honda Indy 300 as early as next year. A good Liglits season (amd again the right budget) could result in Team Green running a third car at the Gold Coast race. Cut-off date for finalising his future with HRT is November 30, so the Shell series leader faces an impor tant three weeks. The Formula Holden Tasman series entry wiU fur ther reacquaint Lowndes with openwheeler life. “Originally, I’d hoped the NZ series would come before the Indy Lights fest - it would be a great way to sharpen up for it - but it’s going to be a competitive series anyway, with Scott Dixon back from the States and Simon Wills the current pace-setter in this year’s series.” With support from long time Mobil, sponsors Lowndes will drive Graham Watson’s Reynard 92D in preference to the 94D he test ed recently at Oran Park: “The 92D is more sorted and, although the 94D may be a quicker car in the end, we’re best to go with some thing that’s sorted.” - CHRIS LAMBDEN

Kane is able: Team Green’s Jenny Kane (27) was Lights rookie of the Year.(Sution-images)

Cracker field for Tasman Series EIGHTEEN Formula Holden cars, now including one for Craig Lowndes, wdl head to New Zealand for the opening rounds of the Tasman Series later this month. NZ’s ’99 Indy Lights contender (and ’98 Formula Holden champ) Scott Dixon and ’99 Formula Holden champion Simon Wills will present a formidable challenge for Lowndes, who hopes to get right in amongst them in Graham Watson’s 92D Reynard. “There’s no reason why I can’t mix it right up with them,” Craig said this week. “I don’t know either of the circuits at all, but I’ll be alright. I can’t wait to get in amongst those Kiwis!”

Formula Ford contender Christian Murchison is using the series for his Formula Holden baptism, while all the regular Australian contenders will line up. Late negotiations may also see an American driver in a Chris Hocking 94D. The Tasman series kicks off at Teretonga (Invercargill) on November 28, with the follow ing weekend’s NZGP at Ruapuna Park (Christchurch). The final round of the three-round series is at Mallala, on January 23, which is expected to be promoted as an ‘Openwheeler Festival’ meeting, with a major distance race for Formula Fords on the cards.

en gets GRM Bathurst ride

... and impresses in F3 test at Zandvoort

A LATE change to the Valvohne Cummins team has seen Formula Ford series mnner-up Steve Owen join Formula Ford champion Greg Ritter in the team’s second car for Bathurst. Owen replaces Matthew Coleman, who shared the car with Ritter at the Queensland 500. The decision was, accord ing to team boss Garry Rogers, made “with the best ofintentions for the good of ITTTT

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the team and its sponsors.” Owen has of coiuse been a member of the Garry Rogers Motorsport line-up through out 1999, running the Formula Ford series under the team’s banner. Putting the two title com batants together in the sec ond Valvoline Commodore, continues Rogers’ tradition of offering opportunity to suc cessful graduates of the junior open-wheeler formula. Owen returns this week from his F3 test in Amsterdam (see other story).

OWEN was one of two Aussies - well, 1.5 Aussies - to test a Formula Three car at Zandvoort last week. The FF series runner-up was given a test with the Van Amersfoort Racing team courtesy of an encourage ment award set up by CAMS Steward Eric Rubens. Owen went well in the test, running competitive lap times despite having no experience in the slicks-and-wings car. The other driver was Allan Cho. The Korean, who spent 18 years living in Perth, test ed for the German GM Motorsport team, for which he will drive in the Korean F3 Grand Prix on November 28. ‘The team was so profes sional,” Cho said from Seoul this week. “I spent one day of the test with Christian Albers, who will drive at Macau, and I got

within 0.5s of his time, and he was as fast as GM’s usual driver Tony Schmidt. And I reckon I would have done better if my neck had held out. It was really getting hard at the end of the test.” Cho said it was less of a drama that he expected step ping into the DallaraOpel/Speiss after racing in Korea’s Hyundai-powered FI800 series on hard, Kumho tyres. ‘The speed wasn’t really a problem. The G-forces were very impressive but, general ly, I felt pretty comfortable. I finished within a tenth of jPeter] Dumbreck’s lap record, so I was pretty satis fied.” Cho leads the FI 800 series after winning four of the eight FI 800 rounds this season and is hoping to use the F3 race as a springboard to an international program in 2000. In the meantime, he is still interested in all things Australian: “How’s [former WA kart rival] Garth Tander going? And how did the Eagles go in the football ... ?”

- PHIL BRANAGAN Dutch treat: Owen (top, with FF Festival winner Jacky Van Der Ende) was impressive at Zandvoort. Seoul man: Cho (left) will line up in the Korean F3 GP after a successful test with GM Motorsport. (Photos by Sutton-lmages) I

Dr. Dixon toER? SCOTT Dixon is in con tention to step-up to a fuU-time CART Indy car drive in 2000. Indy Lights team owner Stefan Johansson has teamed up with ER star Anthony Edwai’ds and the pair will field a team in the 2000 CART series under the Team CAN banner. Team CAN wiU campaign one car in the series-chas sis, engine and tyre details are yet to be confirmed with backing from the Cure Autism Now charity. The CAN charity receives its hvery on the car for free, and will be ahgned with 10 co-sponsors who will share space on the car. In return for the sup port, the co-sponsors have the opportunity to be part ofthe chariW programme which will generate media interest through the involvement of Hollywood’s celebrities. The Team CAN pro gramme wUl also included an Indy 500 campaign, although it is doubtful that the team’s full-time CART driver will also run the IRL race. Dixon has impressed in his debut seeison in the US, winning one Indy Lights race and leading the points during the early part ofthe season. He just failed to win with the rookie ofthe year title, a non-points finish at the last round in Fontana on the weekend handing the honours Irishman Jonny Kane by one point.

n Jufit six weeks prior to its first listed event ofthe season,Calder Park Tbunderdome’s December 18 event,and two subse quent meetings in early 2000, have been ccmtinned. Speculation was rife the season wouldn’t go ,diead with Calder unwilling to commit to the dates until now. Adelaide International Raceway’s January round looks as though it won’t survive, though, unless a major event sponsor is found... n Mitsubishi has taken the Australian Off-Road Championship for the third consecutive year, with Fabio Zarfati secur ing the title at the Springfield 300 round in Queensland last week. n Motorcycling Australia has continued on with its rigorous drug testing programme in recent months with 16 rid ers tested in September alone. AH of those tested four riders at each of the WA State Road Racing, WA Junior Motorcross, Victorian Motorcross and Cowra Long Track titles returned negative results. n Carl Hogan,the boss ofthe Hogan Racing CART team is reported to have announced to his staff that the team is being closed down at the end ofthe year. In theory this puts Heho CastroNeves out of a drive but as he is a contracted Mercedes-Benz driver and there appear to be plans for Mercedes to back Hans-Wemer Aufrecht, the former ovmer of AMG, who is looking to start a CART team called HWA, logic would suggest that everyone would be happy if Aufrecht bought Hogan’s operation... n Damon Hill says that he no specific plans for the future. He intends to have a holiday to get some rest i before making any deci sions about his future. n There must be some thing in the air at the moment in FI. HeinzHarald Frentzen married his long-time girlfriend Tanya Nigge when they were on holiday in Thailand whUe Jacques Villeneuve is reportedly engaged to be married to Dannii Minogue, only five months after meeting the Austrahan actress. We also hear that David Coulthard may be hearing wedding bells soon. n Former Ferrari driver Michele Alboreto hit the headlines last week when he criticised Michael Schumacher’s recent rictor\’ in Malaysia. Alboreto said that ^humacher’s blocking tactics in Sepang were ‘●neither ethical nor professional”. No word on whether Schuey intends to criticise Michele’s driving too...

-JOESAWARD

5 November 1999

n The -Japaneije GP raai Ked the end of Hothmans'22 year associ ation with Grand Prix rac ing, After first spon,«onng Robin Herd's March, the company has heei aied with a nunvix-j- of teams tbroughont the years.

Marcos AUSTRALIANS, Ambrose, James Courtney and Alex Davison have starred at the event considered to be the

; rao\ ed to Sauber but he quit the team earlier this summer

n Iniertechnique, the company which builds the Formula 1 refuelling machines, has 'neen bougnt by the Zodiac Group, w'tiich manufac tures aviation equipment. The com’oined companies will become the world leader in the production of aircraft evacuation sUdes, seats, parachute systems, fuel management sys tems, oxygen, electric and hydraulic systems and teJemetiy. n Malaysia Airports Bhd, the company which owns and operates the Sepang racing cirmit, is to be Boated on the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange. The Malaysian govern ment is selling 28 percent ofthe shares to Malaysian investors. A further 20 percent will,eventually be made available to foreign inveator'*. The sale will raise aroiond USIl-'Kim. n Last week marked the first public meeting to dis cuss the uf^ading of the Brands Hatch racing cir cuit in Kent. The work needs to be completed by the middle of 2002 in order for the track to host the British GP The meet ing was designed to inform the 1(K&1 residents -about what is going to be done. fl We hear rumours that Williams may have I landed sponsorship for ! next season from the international news agency Reuters Ltd. The company j has been in operation for 150 years but is currently m the process of a huge reorganisation to take advantage of the potential offered by the Internet.

Aussies star at FF Festival

n Dr John Davis is not joining Williams as we reported recently. He has been hired by Arrows and will work with Egbahl Hamidy and Dan ParryWilliams under technical director Mike Coughlan. Williams is expected to hire Tom Preston wh.worked with the Team between 199^) and 1997. He was Damon Hill’s race engineer when he won the World Championship in 1996. In 1998 Preston

S The High Court in London has ruled that a ban on iobacco advertising on billboards and in news papers and magazines should not come into force before the European-wide ban which is due to take effect in July 2001. The British government had been trying to bring in the ban on Decemoer 10 this year.

Gearbox problems robbed Marcos Ambrose of a virtual victory at the ’99 FF Festival. Aussie Brat pack: Alex Davison, Marcos Ambrose and James Courtney represented Australia well.(Photos by Sutton-lmages)

world championships of Formula Ford, the FF Festival at Brands Hatch, with Ambrose almost winning the event and Courtney finally finishing second. Ambrose came tantalisingly close to winning this year’s Festival, dominating the event qualifying, his heat, semi-final and the final but the Tasmanian was robbed of certain victory by gearbox problems in the final. Ambrose charged to an almost 5s lead in the first three laps but his winning bid was cut short by gearbox problems, allowing Ricardo Van Der Ende to take the crown. “I drove the perfect weekend. I was on pole for every race and simply drove away from the oppo sition,” Ambrose said afterwards. “I was the best today and although I didn’t win, I am proud of my achievement. I know if my car hadn’t broken, I would have been world champion.”

Dutchman Van Der Ende took advantage of Ambrose’s problems while two-time World Karting Champion Courtney finished an excellent second, despite having bent rear suspension after being hit from behind by Van Diemen team-mate Kimi Raikkonen early in the race.

Courtney was quite happy with his second - his goal of the week end a podium finish. “Of course I preferred to be first, but I had some troubles with Raikkonen in the beginning of the final. It was quite difficult to get him, which cost me a lot of time and then I was hit.” Winner Van der Ende said he was more than happy to win the event considered to be the world championships’of Formula Ford. “I was very close to contact with Ambrose in the final, but luckily it didn’t happen. “All weekend I had the feeling that I was going to be the champi on on Sunday and I was right.” Australia’s third representa tive, Davison, finished an extremely creditable 13th after starting the final in 23rd, having advanced to the final through the last-chance semi-final repecharge.

Ambrose tests ADR F3 Just days after missing out on the unofficial world championshipfor FFords, Australia’s Marcos Ambrose tested at Silverstone in

Alan Docking Racing’s F3 DallaraHonda, impressing the expatAustralian with his speed and feedback. It is hoped that Ambrose canfollow in thefootsteps ofMark Webber by running with Docking’s ADR team next season - Webber’s year with the team in ’97pushing the Australian’s name to theforefront on the international scene.

By JOE SAWARD FORMULA 1 boss Bemie Ecclestone took his chil dren off for a short holiday in the Middle East last

Ambrose is believed to be currently sourcing the budgetfor the drive ...

Photos by Sutton-lmages

Honda unveils new FI VIO

New testing programme announcedfor Japanese car maker’s racing return

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HONDA has taken a big step towards its Formuia One return by announcing the test programme for its new engine. The Japanese marque has unveiied the unit, code-named RAOOOE, which wiil power British American Racing next ●season. The team is expected to begin track testing its VIO in December. Honda quit Formula One in 1992, after an extremely successful period with Williams and McLaren where their engines virtually

dominated Grand Prix racing - Honda engines powering the McLaren team to consecutive championships between 1988 and 1991. Since 1994 Honda have been involved with the CART Indycar series, having won three out of the last four engine manufacturers titles and the powering the last four drivers champions Jimmy Vasser (‘96), Alex Zanardi (‘97/’98) and Juan Montoya (‘99) - to their titles. The manufacturer has won 71 races in total.

week, but spent a little time chatting with govern ments about the possibili ty of holding Grands Prix in the region in the future. Ecclestone met representa tives of the Egyptian govern ment to discuss a Grand Prix in the desert, as a means of rebuilding the country’s tourist industry which was virtually destroyed in November 1997 when Islamic extremists massa cred 58 international tourists in Luxor. Ecclestone then went on to a second destination in the Arab world. It is not clear where thi.s was but there are at least three countries in the region showing interest in Grand Prix racing - Jordan, which wants to boost its Dead Sea tourist trade; Dubai, which wants to con solidate its glamourous image of being the play ground of the Persian Gulf and Bahrain, which is diver sifying into tourism in the face of dwindling oil reserves. At the recent Italian Grand Prix the Emir of Bahrain, Hamad bin Isa AlKhalifa was a low-profile guest of the Stewart Grand Prix team. Bahrain is com pletely controlled by the AlKhalifa family, which appoints the govemrhent.

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Panis for McLaren By JOE SAWARD WHILE most of the Formula 1 drivers stayed out in Asia after the Malaysian Grand Prix, Luca Badoer and Olivier Panis flew back to Europe to undertake testing work, Badoer for Ferrari Look closely: In ’91 Mercedes had its best and brightest in and Panis for McLaren. sportscars. Yes, it’s that nice Michael Schumacher driving. Panis’s test is seen as a prelimi nary to an announcement that he will be McLaren’s third driver next season. There was a certain irony in the fact that Panis was in action at Magny-Cours alongside foriiier MERCEDES is aiming to Oschersleben in eastern McLaren test driver Nick Heidfeld, revive the junior team that Germany late last month. who will take Olivier’s Prost drive Michael Merc sports boss Norbert next year.'Heidfeld has now ceased propelled Heinz- Haug said; “I was very testing for McLaren and is working Schumacher, for Prost. ' Harald Frentzen and Karl impressed with all three of In addition to McLaren and Prost, them. They did comparable towards Wendlinger times, which proves just how the Williams test team was in action Formula One 10 years competitive the German at Magny-Cours with Denmark’s ago. Tom Kristensen being called up to series has been this year. The three drivers monopo “The DTM needs young do the work. Kristensen has been lised the top three in the guys like this. What’s more, driving this year for the BMW 1989 German Formula 3 the heritage with our previ sportscar team, which was nm by Championship before being ous programme 10 years ago, WUliams. The two days of testing were picked up to drive sportscars makes it a good story.” for the Three-Pointed Star Fassler and Jager appear somewhat disrupted by bad weather the following year. Now, increasingly certain to race but Panis completed 104 laps of the Merc wants the first three with Mercedes next year. track with a best of lml8.58s. from this year’s German F3 Both have withdrawn from Heidfeld completed 117 laps and set a best time of lml9.96s while series to become its juniors the F3 blue-riband at Macau did 22 laps and set a best in next year’s revived DTM later this month, prompting Kristensen of lm20.16s. touring cars series. speculation that they have Ferrari ran on four days at New champion Christjan already signed. Albers will Fiorano with Badoer completing a Albers and second and third- contest the race and is also total of 315 laps of the Ferrari test placed Marcel Fassler and chasing drives in the ing circuit, during which he set a Thomas Jager were given a Formula 3000 International new lap record at the track, most of try-out in one of the mar Championship. his work concerned development for que’s CLK sportscars at -GARY WATKINS the 2000 car.

Mercedes revives Junior Team for DTM

Ollie, Ollie, Ollie: Panis looks like combining McLaren test work with a Mercedes DTM program in 2000.

Special K: Tom Kristensen got some reward for a solid BMW sportscar season by testing for Williams at Magny Cours. (Photos by Sutton-Images)

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Revised control tyre for V8s BRIDGESTONE is to fur ther revise its planned 2000 V8 Supercar control tyre after several hundred kilometres of testing at three recent sessions. Motorsport Manager Graeme Brown this week reported that he had asked Japan to come up with a fur ther revised construction after tests at Lakeside, Winton smd Phillip Island. “The new tyre was fine at Lakeside, where John Bowe did the testing and Winton (Larry Perkins), but the high load situation at Phillip Island (where HRT did the testing) brought out a couple o; problems. “So I’ve asked the engi neers to come up with a fur ther option which I’d expect to test at Phillip Island soon after Bathurst, so that pro duction can get under way for next year.” The revised rubber has already overcome the cold graining problems experi enced at places l like Queensland Raceway.

5 November 1999

High noon at BAR By JOE SAWARD

AS we were closing for press, a power struggle was taking place within British American Racing, ^ with Adri;m Reynard trying to con vince the shareholders of the team that Craig Pollock should be removed as chairman and that Rey nai’d should replace him. The fact that Reynard is mounting a coup d’etat suggests that he knows it will be successful and Pollock will be ousted. The danger is that if Pollock goes Jacques Villeneuve may also decide to bail out of the team. For Reynard to be successful in his bid he needs to have enlisted the support of some of the British American Tobacco V members of the BAR board. There are .tmapes four BAT directors on the BAR board and each is understood to supply his own Smiling faces,sort of; Reynard (second left), Zonta, Malcolm Oastler and Pollock share of the budget so it is not impossible joined the Honda brass at the launch of the F1 program - but who will survive? that they will vote independently of one team, as it has long needed to get its up Mount Eagle’s shareholding to 50 per another. cent. management sorted out if it is going to Reynard - who owns 15 percent of the Honda is known not to be happy about make an realistic progress. team - undoubtedly has the support the Having various factions fighting one the current level of performance and support of engine-supplier Honda but, as another has not helped progress this there have been stories circulating in the the Japanese car company does not cur year. rently have a shareholding in the team, FI paddock which suggest that the team Honda held a very low-key press con has to score some good results in the first it will not be involved in any voting. ference in Tokyo in the week before the three races of next year or face a situa It wiU, however, be an important back tion where Honda could switch its main Japanese Grand Prix, unveiling the new ground presence. CART team boss Jeny VIO engine. This is due to begin testing Forsythe, who controls a part of the 35 support behind Jordan Grand Prix. in December. Villeneuve has nailed his colours firm percent of the team owned by an Honda is expected to send a number of American company called Mount Eagle ly to Pollock’s mast and has even sug chassis engineers to BAR in Brackley Inc., currently uses Honda engines in the gested in the past that he might quit the but is also likely to go on with the devel United States and may want to keep team if his mentor is ousted. Jacques opment programme of the cars which could go off to CART in the United that relationship sweet. At the same were built for Honda Racing time he has said that he wants to States. One way or the other, provoking a Developments by DaUara. This will keep increase his shareholding in the team up the pressure on the team. and might see this as an opportunity to showdown is probably a good idea for the

SuperSport GTs set THE new SuperSport GT category has received the green light from CAMS for 2000 The class will run along side AVESCO’s V8 Supercars and the V8 Lite series over eight rounds next season. Network Ten will cover each SuperSport race weekend, to be shown on the ‘Trackside’ motorsport program. It will also fea ture in the Network Ten coverage of the Queensland 500 and the :I FAI100 Classic at Bathurst. The aeries is based on current International i Grand Touring(GT)regu- ' lations (article 258)of the Federation International Automobile(FIA)hand book. “We are‘expecting between 15 and 20 cars or the grid in the first year of the series,” says MaHt Caimey, Chief Executive Officer of cat^ory manag er, SuperSport Marketing. “We are currently work ing with teams represent ing cars from Lamborghini,Ferrari, Porsche, Lotus, Ultima, Dodge Viper and TVR. “Support from Ansett, Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin, Tag Heuer and HeaV Crown Casino has already been secured.”

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Australian Rally Chompionship* Nov 4-7 .. .Ratty Australia ...Rd 7 FIA World Rally Championship* Nov 7 Australia Rd13 Nov 23 ...Great Britain ...Rd 14

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Rd 10

2000 FIA Formula One

Garage sale: Bernie Ecclestone stands to collect over US$1.3bn if his ideas go to plan. (Sutton-images)

By JOE SAWARD

The deal has been negotiated by Lanphere - who first became involved in FI in

MORGAN Grenfell Private Equity, a subsidiary of Germany’s vast Deutsche Bank, has agreed to pay Bernie Ecclestone US$325m for a 12.5 percent share in SLEC Holding, the parent com pany of Formula One Holdings. MGPE has also signed an option to buy another 37.5 percent of the company for US$975m and is currently looking for ven ture capital money to complete the deal. If everything goes to plan Bernie Ecclestone will walk away with US$1.3bn - and will still retain 50 percent of the company. If the deal is confirmed - and it is subject to regulatory approval from the European Commission, but not conditional on the out come of the current investigation on the way the sport is run(an important but subtle dif ference)- POH is expected to have a new board of directors which will be chaired by former Mercedes-Benz chairman Helmut Werner.

January when MGPE bought a 40 percent shareholding in the Arrows team. The com pany still owns those shares but there is likely to be pressure to sell if the POH deal goes ahead -to avoid a clash ofinterest. Ecclestone and MGPE have agreed to a strategy for the business and the aim is for an initial public offering in two or three years time - depending on market condi tions.

MGPE will be represented on the board by Scott Lanphere and Robert Fowler III.

Goodyear floats FI GP return idea

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Just a thought: Goodyear are entertaining an F1 return. (suHon-images)

CART and the IRL, Goodyear have admitted they are keeping an eye on Grand Prix racing and may return to the sport they left at the end of 1997. “It is becoming increasingly diffi cult to justify the significant capi tal and resources the company devotes to CART and IRL,” said Goodyear’s competition boss Stu Grant. The company will concentrate its efforts in the successful N.ASC.AR Winston Cup but Grant said that the company is not rul ing out a possible return to Grand Prix racing. “We routinely revisit our 1998 decision to exit FI,” Grant admit ted last week. We hear that Goodyear top man agement has been rather shocked by the effect that the FI withdraw al has had on the company’s profile in Europe, where Bridgestone sur veys - and presumably similar Goodyear market research - have revealed a leap in the Bridgestone profile. It remains to be seen if sales will follow similar lines but the fear is that it could happen. 'There has long been speculation that the company would return to Grand Prix racing as soon as it had completed its merger with Sumitomo Rubber Industries of Japan, which controls'the Dunlop brand -JOE SAWARD

Ready for 8TP Sheer

PETER Fitzgerald and Jim Richards team Op again to defend their crown in the 3 Hour Bathurst Showroom Showdown, the prime supporting event to the FA11000. The pair face some interesting combinations, such as Garry Waldon and John Bowe in the . former’s Dodge Viper, Geoff Morgan and Domenic Beninca in Morgan’s Porsche 911 RSCS, Wayne Park and Ross/Darren Palmer in Palmer’s Ferrari F355 and John Faulkner joining Ed Aitken in the latter’s Porsche 911 RSCS. A packed field of widely-varying cars makes up the field for the 3 Hour, to be run as usual on Saturday afternoon. Other supporting events are for Formula Ford and HQ Holdens. Network Ten’s extensive broadcast of the Bathurst proceedings starts at noon on Saturday and at 7am on Sunday (Eastern Summer time).

BMW continues with FI testing By JOE SAWARD

BMW continued its testing programme when the FI circus was in Japan, with Jorg Muller spending three and a half days in action at the Hungaroring. He used three different engines and

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“From an investment point of view we feel very confident about the upside of the busi ness,” said MGPE chief executive Graham Hutton. “It is a largely under-exploited sport in terms of what can be done to take it fur ther, particularly in the Far East and with plans for an FI event in the US.”

Just a week after announcing their withdrawal from both

Jun 11 ...Acropolis Rally ..Rd 7 Jul 16 . ..New Zealand —Rd 8

Categories marked * are telecast by the Ten Network. Check your local guides for screening times All event dates in this calendar were correct at the time of printing. Please consult any individual tracks and/or associahons for date changes. Series or events telecast on ne-v/ork Ten are marked with an asterix. Check your local guides

MGPE says that there is considerable interest from venture capital firms in becom ing involved in the project and rumours in Italy have linked the deal to 21 Investimenti, the venture capital company of the Benetton Family. There are plenty of other similar firms.

completed 500 miles of run ning. The BMW test pro gramme with its own car is now finished and the first Williams-BMW tests will take place in December. This will give everyone a clearer view of how com petitive the engines are going to be next year. m-po»r SWWV con!inu#d tT:eir tF^ir>g unabated at the Hungaroring.K

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Leisure pic, the compa ny which runs the Brands Hatch racing circuit in England, has confirmed that it has received a “preliminary approach” that could lead to a take-over bid. The company was com menting on an 18 percent rise in its share price in the course of the last week. The bid will offer shareholders a “modest” premium on the current value of the shares. The shares in BHL have tre bled in value this year are worth currently US$165m, around six times the annual turnover. There have been reports in recent weeks that the steady rise in the BHL share price has been caused by a single buyer, quietly collecting stock in the company and the sug gestion has been that this may have been Bernie Ecclestone. However, Ecclestone’s ongoing discussions with the European Commission Competition Directorate would make such a move unwise as Ecclestone is keen to avoid being seen to be operating or building a monopoly situation and buying Grand Prix tracks would be unwise.

There were reports in The Times newspaper in London that Ecclestone was behind the bid but at the weekend the two major Sunday newspapers in London both reported that the bidder is the Group, Interpublic through its Octagon sports marketing subsidiary. In September Octagon announced plans to raise its profile to tap the grow ing interest in using sport for corporate marketing and advertising. Octagon Motorsport was formerly known as the Flammini Group before it was bought in 1998. It man ages events, negotiates rights and does corporate consultancy work with an impressive string of clients including Honda, Ford and Michelin. the FIM It runs World Superbike Championship and oper ates offices in London, New York and Rome. Octagon is backed by the financial clout of The Interpublic Group of Companies Inc. which is valued at $llbn and includes advertising agen cies McCann Erickson and Marschalk and Pratt. Octagon was formerly known as Advantage International, and had its first Australian exposure recently, as promoter of the Bob Jane T-Marts Bathurst race last month.

mance of the car that is immaterial. The reg ulations state that the car must comply and that rule has been rigorously enforced ever many years of Grand Prix racing. “There are politics in every sport and the real losers today are not McLaren. The winners are not Feri-ari. I feel the real losers are the genuine motor racing fans. The ben efits of this decision are purely short-term and I don’t think that it does any long-term

By JOE SAWARD

THE FIA International Court of Appeal overturned the exclusion of the Ferrari team from the results of the Malaysian Grand Prix. But there are more than a few people in the Formula 1 community who feel that a newsworthy finish to the season was rather more pivotal in the decision of the appeal court than tlie facts of the case. McLaren boss Ron Dennis said that he was not surprised by the decision. “We believe the push now for our sport has inevitably become quite commerciah’the said. “Everybody wants to have an exciting race in Japan, but I think the price we have paid for that one race is too great. It is a bad day for the sport. What has actually occurred is that through very heavy scratiny of our rules a way has been found to pro vide a reason for the appeal to be upheld. “I am convinced that Ferrari’s miscalcula tion was a mistake. But even if this oversight had had a negative influence on the perfor-

By JOE SAWARD

5 November :999

good. And now this sport has lost a degree of its integrity.” n Ferrari was successful by convincing the FIA judges that the measurements taken by the FIA Technical Delegate after the race were not correct and that the barge board in question was legal within the 5mm toler ance allowable in the regulations when the device was properly attached to the car. The ruling added that the method of measurement^used by the FIA Technical Delegate was “not necessarily in strict con formity with the regulations” and that the measuring equipment available in Malaysia “was not sufficiently accurate”. Ti

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Great race, great place: Pity most Americans didn’t get to see it on TV. (phoiu by Suuon-images)

us TV under fire

AMERICAN TV networks ABC and ESPN are under fire for their coverage of the Honda Indy 300 from Surfers. The live coverage of the event was delayed by a late-running NCAA college football game, meaning that viewers tuning into the Queensland race late on Saturday night [US time] missed the first eight laps. Worse, the taped replay of the race also started late, after live coverage of the raindelayed final round of the Indy Racing League race from Texas Speedway. The broadcast rated poorly on ESPN, rat ing 0.6 compared to a normal [ie daytime] race’s 1.2-1.5. The live broadcast made it into 445,000 US homes, compared to 3m for the Talledega NASCAR race the following day. The IRL race rated 1.0 [286,000 homes].

To intensify matters, American commen tators Paul Paige and Parker Johnstone did not ingratiate themselves with the local TV production team. Reports from the USA say that, several times during the telecast, they apologised for the poor coverage of the event, blaming the quality on the Ten net work. Mike Audeent, Ten’s Producer of Sports, said he was unaware of any problem. ‘They didn’t say anything to me,” he said. “I listened to a fair amount of the US com mentary and didn’t hear anything. “It was a little different to what they are used to, with not being able to call up shots and so on. We got most of the incidents and didn’t miss much. As far as I know, they were pretty happy.” - PHIL MORRIS/PHIL BRANAGAN

Superbikes

A DECISION by the leading motorcycle distributors to withdraw from 2000 Australian Shell V8 Supercar Championship support program has inadvertently heralded the demise of the Superbike class in Austraha. In a statement issued by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries, the body representing the leading Australian motorcycle importers, the strategy was for the lOOOcc Production Superbike class(with which the Superbikes ran alongside in 1999j to take-over as the premier class in 2001 after a transitional year in 20(X). But following the pull-out of two of the top Superbike teams, the end seems nigh for the class that helped launch the careers of Mat Mladin, Troy Corser, Anthony Gobert, Aaron Slight, Marty Craggill and Troy Bayhse. Commenting on our story in the prerious edition of Motorsport News that reported the demise of the 1999 championship winning Ducati ; Dealer Team,Ducati Australia i chief Warren Lee said,“Were still considering our level of commitment for next year, so I cannot comment. We need to assess how this whole thing plays out and see how the dates and TV [coverage]comes together before we make any sort of decision.” Hard on the heels ofthe impending Ducati pull-out is the news that Team Kawasaki j Australia, the countn'’s longeststanding motorcycle race squad, is set to announce its withdrawal from road racing in 2000. Following Yamaha’s decision to pull-out of Superbike racing in 1994 and Honda in 1999, this leaves Suzuki as the only distributor committed to Superbike racing in Australia, an ; untenable position for the class. It seems inevitable that the Production Superbikes will take over one year earlier than expected, in 2000, which was hardly the outcome sought when the distributors decided to pull out of the Shell Advance Supercar support program. -DARRYL FLACK

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12 SNovembei 1999

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GIRT says 'Aloha'to Goodyear dumps CART, IRL Hawaii race i

GOODYEAR has blamed

the costly feud between the Indy Racing League and CART for its decision

THE high-money, high-profile Hawaii Super Prix CART race is off. After months of toing and froing, the deadline for a mandatory US$10m [$13.5m] payment to CART lapsed last week, ening any hope of the November 14 event taking place. “Due to circumstances beyond our con trol. we were not able to make our pay ment to CART,” said HSP general man ager Phil Heard. “[HSP president] David Grayson sent a letter to CART sajdng that we were unable to meet our financial obhgations, and that is a breach ofthe contract.” “We are disappointed to have to make thi.s announcement.” said CART CEO Andrew Craig. “However, the Hawaiian Super Prix has been unable to secure the necessary funding to make the required payment of the purse and the other fees to CART.” CART and the HSP signed an agree ment in February that guaranteed CART the right to collect US$5m if any thing such as a cancellation should hap pen. The surety bond was posted with Frontier Insurance, and CART plans to proceed with its rights to collect on the bond. The race was promising US$5m to the winner, with the top 16 drivers from the 1999 FedEx seeded into the race, to be joined by two invitees. The organisers had hoped to grab for mer CART champions Alex Zanardi and Jacques Villeneuve from FI, but plans failed to materialise. -PHIL MORRIS

to pull out of both series. Developing rubber for competing open-wheel rac ing series “really raises the cost,” said Stu Grant, Goodyear’s general manager for global tyres. Grant said Goodyear was disappointed that CART and IRL had been unable to resolve their feud. “Like many supphers, we are certainly disappointed that no reconciliation between the two groups is in sight and therefore beheve it is in the best interests of our shareholders, customers and the racing division to take a sabbatical from the CART and IRL series,” he said. Goodyear, which had sup plied tyres for Indy-style racing for 36 years, will con¬

tinue supplying other race series, including NASCAR, World of Outlaws, NHRA, IHRA, SCCA, USRRC, ALMS and IROC. “Racing will continue to play a major role in the com pany’s track-to-street tyre technology transfer and our marketing and advertising strategies,” Grant said. Grant said the decision on Indy-style racing came down to a matter of economics of developing two tyre lines. “It takes a lot of money to com pete,” he said. “Ultimately, we’re running a business.” He said the decision to drop CART and IRL might be reconsidered if the two resolved their differences. Goodyear also said it hadn’t ruled out returning to Formula 1 racing, which it quit at the end of year. Firestone, which returned to Indy-type racing in 1995,

has been dominant in the field, with winning cars in 59 of the past 71 CART races and four consecutive PPG champions. Since 1998, Firestone has 36 wins in 38 races and won 35 pole posi tions. Goodyear’s share of the CART series had dwindled to the Penske, Walker and Bettenhausen teams with a total of five cars,just a fifth ofa typical CART field. CART vice president Tim Mayer said the decision wouldn’t affect the quality of CART racing. “We have the clear sup port of Firestone for the future,” Mayer said in a statement released at CART offices in Troy, Mich. Firestone has agreed to supply tyres to all teams until a second supplier enters the field, Mayer said. -PHIL MORRIS

... will IVlichelin come in?

Last of the Mohicans? Will Gil de Ferran go down as Goodyear’s last CART winner? (Photo by waiker Media)

MICHELIN could be the company to face off against Firestone in the CART and IRL championships. Sources in the USA have told Motorsport News that the French giant may use the opportunity created by Goodyear’s CART/IRL pull-out to use motorsport as its marketing spearhead in North America. While such a plan seems far-fetched, it appears to make sense on a number of fronts. In recent years Michelin’s US pro gram has been based largely on sports-

cars, one-make series and rallying, none of which has a profile high enough to be used in the proper marketing campaign. But CART’S profile -and the opportunity to win the Indianapolis 500- could tempt the tyremaker into both series. “CART is also big in South America and Asia,” the source said last week. “And American racing is much, much less costly than going back into F1.” If Michelin does go open-wheel racing in the USA, expect an announcement mid-2000 for a 2001 program.

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Irani PLAYER’S Racing has announced the sign ing of Toyota Atlantic veteran Alexandre Taghani to team up with Patrick Carpentier on its Champ Car team for the 2000 season. Tagliani, 27, tested in early October after Greg Mopre, who was killed in California Monday [Australian time], announced he was leaving to sign with Penske Racing for their 2000 campaign. Lee Bentham and David Empringham joined Tagliani for the tests at Sebring, each ofthe three drivers completing nearly 400km. Bentham actu ally posted the fastest lap of the trio, clocking a best time of 52.6s, to the 53.0s ofTagliam and the 53.2s ofEmpringham. ‘Tve gone through all sorts of emotions in the last few weeks, and even though it seemed like I was waiting forever, the wait was sure worth it,” said Tagliani. Tagliani moves up from Player’s Atlantic pro gram, where he finished fomih m the 1999 championship. He closed the year three points behind thirdplace Andrew Bordm in the season standings and 'his campaign included three victories, at Long Beach, Vancouver and Montreal. Interestingly, Tagliani’s signing by-passes cart’s preferred training ground for its top series. CART owns both Indy Lights and Atlantic series, and CEO Andi'ew Craig says that the lad der to the FedEx series is Atlantic, Lights, then Indy car. Carpentier [and 1995 CART Champ Jacques Villeneuve] also went to Player’s CART team straight from Atlantics and Payton-Coyne’s Memo Gidley, who made his debut earlier this season and raced at Surfers’ Honda Indv 300 last Playing games: Tagliani (right) beat Bentham (left) to get the Playeris-Forsythe seat alongside Patrick Carpentier. (Sutton-images)

month, made the bigjump as well. -PHIL MORRIS

ORSCA»

2KQ compliant: Adrian Reynard with the new Mopar 2KQ.(Sutton-images)

Reynard debuts Chrysler sporty

CHRYSLER Corporation will shortly confirm plans to sell ‘works’ MOPAR race engine kits to private entrants com peting at Le Mans in 2000. Based on its latest, all-almninium V8 which is successfully con testing the World of Outlaws sprint car series in the USA, the naturally aspirated, pushrod, 6litre engine will be available for the new Reynard 2KQ and other sports-protot3T)es. The new Reynard was unveiled last week at the Brackley, UK

base of the manufacturer. Adrian

Reynard was'joined at the launch by Lou Patane, Vice-President of Chiysler’s Motorsport Operations and Mopar Performance Parts. The aerodynamically-advanced car is currently undergoing shakedown testing with the new Chrysler power unit installed. The engine will also be suitable for the FIA Sports Racing World Cup and World SportsCar series, in which it is expected to find a ready market. - QUENTIN SPUHR.ING

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14 5 Nov&noer 1999

IjMdO®I78[P®[FO

Criville wins 500« title Rossi also secures championship with another win over Ukawa ALEX Criville became the i first Spaniard to the SOOcc world title after a steady ride in the Brazilian GPneeding just a 10th to secure the title, came home sixth.

Follow the leader: Biaggi trailed Roberts to the chequered flag . Italian lucky to make it after highsiding his Yamaha.(Photo by RaceAccess)

Roberts bookends year Suzuki wins fourth 500 GP of year, Yamaha finishes strong. Alzamora wins 125cc title in thrilling battle with Melandri

SUZUKI’s Kenny Roberts “bookended” the year winning the fii’st and last 500cc Grand Prix of the year - by taking out the Argentinean GP ahead of Yamaha riders Max

1 \j

Biaggi and Norick Abe. Biaggi went close to taking the event but rode off the track after taking the lead on the last lap, the Italian lucky to save his sliding, high-sid ing YZR. Despite being hurt when he landed back in the seat, Biaggi held out Abe. Roberts’ fourth win of the year - in muggy, overcast conditions - secured him sec ond overall in the champi onship after points rival, Honda’s Tadayuki Okada crashed out. “When I was in front I wasn’t riding on adrenaline, I was riding like a computer, just trying to be consistent,” said the Amencan> “I figured Max would wait until the last lap, then Ijust had the rest of that lap to work out where to pass him back. In the end, luck was on our side.” In the last four races of the year, Biaggi finished second Too much,too late: Despite dominating the f of the year, Marco Melandri failed three times and took one to win the 125cc title by one point- his early season results at fault. (Piwto by RaceAccess) win enough to secure him fourth in the championship. Yamaha’s excellent closing to IN the 250cc category, Olivier Frenchman the season was continued with A Carlos Checa beating newly- Jacque secured another crowned World Champion Alex race win although the Cri\'ille into fourth. title had been decided in “That was a very exciting Brazil the previous week race, I really enjoyed it,” said with the brilliant Italian Biaggi, who shadowed 6i Team Lintott, Australia’s official Chrysler USA Valentino Rossi taking Roberts from the first lap. Viper Motorsport agent, offers for sale a race ready another win on his factory “Kenny was very fast and Viper set to win Bathurst 1999 or GTP 2000 veiy consistent too. There were Aprilia ahead of Shell some places where he was Advance Honda’s Tohru quicker and .ither places where Ukawa. I was fa.ster but I think that had a lot to do wth the charac THE 125cc class produced teristics ofour machines. yet anothe-.' thi'illing bat “I tried hard and passed him on rhe last lap, then I tle and, despite Marco went into this turn with a lit Melandri winning another tle too much throttle and had GP, Spaniard Emilio a big slide. I saved the slide Alzamora won the world but hurt my shoulder in championship - the mar »import duty and sales tax have been paid in full doing so, and going on the gin just one point. " comprehensive spares package “ no expense spared in build or upkeep grass at that speed wasn’t so Alzamora failed to win a nice! So maybe finishing sec “ blue printed engine, transmission and ECU(Team Viper spec) GP during the year while ond isn’t so bad! »vehicleVinNo: IB3ER69E4TV2004l7«$ I S0,000 Melandri won.-a handful, but “We've had a very good fin For further information phone: ish to the season at the last the young Italian’s early Ray Lintott 0418 282 888 or 02 9744 0691 or few races and that makes me season results denied him Andrew Marnaer 0409 991 551 02 9744 0^1 quite confident for next year.” the title.

initiative, before holding off a desperate last fling from the Italian on the final bend. Roberts’ Suzuki began in pole position but said he had trouble with his engine from the eighth lap onwards and eventually finished third. “Finally, my dream has come true," said Criville. “I still can’t believe this. This is the result of the sacrifice of many years and a lot of dedication... it’s the fruit of all my work. Now, I can say that I’m the world champion. From the moment Okada fell back, Criville knew he was on the brink of making motorcycling history. “For the last 10 laps, my mind was in a thousand different places.” His only disappointment was that he did not win against Michael Doohan, winner of the last five world championships. “I would like to have won with him competing,” he said. “But it was not to be and it cannot be changed.” Criville said he was still not fully recovered after fracturing his wrist during qualifying for the Australian Grand Prix last month. Criville now aims to savour his title before starting work for next season. “Once we get to December, it will be back to I reality,” he said.

The race was won by Yamaha’s Norick Abe. The title was effectively Criville’s'in the 12th lap when Japan’s Tadayuki Okada, the only man capable of catching the Spaniard, lost second place after nearly colliding with Abe. Okada, who needed to finish in the top two and hope that Criville would fail to score, skidded off the track and, by the time he regained control, had dropped to 10th and eventually finished seventh. Criville, the first European to win the crown since Italian Franco Uncini in 1982, began on the third row and quietly edged his way up through the field as the race went on. His progress distracted attention from a thrilling three-way battle for the lead. Abe, Max Biaggi and Kenny Roberts were wheel to wheel for the last 10 laps of the 24-lap race and were speeding clear of the other riders. Biaggi briefly managed to overtake Abe two laps from the end, but the Japanese rider almost immediately regained the

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New Ford PORD unveiled the XF Champ car engine at California Speedway. “We designed this engine out of choice, not out of neces sity,” said Baice Wood, CART Program Director for Cosworth Engineering. “A lot of teams would be happy to run the XD (Cosworth’s 1999 engine) next year. Ifs at the peak of its per formance and we believe it is the best engine in the series. But ifs reached the limit of its development.” The XF is 25kg lighter than its predecessor, a reduction of 18 percent. By incorporating artcillary units like water and oil pumps into the basic block casting, Cosworth has also been able to lower the motor's centre of gravity by 2cm. “The XF exceeds all of our performance targets and has the potential to be developed over the next two yeans,” Wood added, saying that Ford drivers would enjoy an extra 900 revs over ttie XD. “When 1 first ran the XF, it seemed like I had already been using it all season long,” commented Christian Fittipaldi, who was the first dri ver to test the new motor. “It vibrates a tot less than the previous engine and that was one of the big complaints of the drivers.”

The brand new design could power as many as 12 cars in the 2000 FedEx Championship Series field. The Ford/Cosworth engine will be used in 2000 by Newman/Haas Racing,Team Rahal, Patrick Racing, Payton/Coyne Racing, and Wood revealed in,his remarks to the media that Cosworth would be servicing “additional teams.” Those are expected to include Fotsythe Racing and All American Racers, but Ford representatives would not con firm anything on the record.

Running on empty: Adrian Fernandez rode a risky fuel strategy to win the California 500 (Photo by MSI/Ford Media) for Patrick Racing. ONE of the best season finishing races in CART history was overshadowed by the tragic death of Canadian driver Greg Moore in the early laps of the Marlboro 500. Adrian Fernandez took the chequered flag to win the race and Juan Montoya, the young rookie from Colombia who has electrified the series all season, edged out Dario Franchitti in the closest championship hattie in CART history. Both Franchitti and Montoya fiiushed the season with 212 points, but Montoya won the title based on having the most wins in the season. It was a storybook end to a dramatic season. But, despite the drama and the competi tion, this race will be remem bered only for the death of 24year-old Greg Moore, one of the brightest stars of the FedEx championship. After startog last following a finger-breaking scooter acci dent which forced him to miss qualifying Moore’s Player’s/ Forsythe Reynard-Mercedes was running strong when suddenly the unthinkable happened. Coming off turn 2, the car run loose, rotated to the right then flipped over several times before finally hitting the inside retaining wall that sep arates pit road from the track and landing upside down. The car broke apart in an extremely hard and frighten ing impact. It was immediate¬

ly clear that this was a bad accident. Moore was pronounced dead 71 minutes after the incident. Although he never chal lenged for the lead, Franchitti was in a position for most of the race to still clinch the championship, but it all began to unravel for the young Scotsman on lap 72 when he was forced into the pits for new tyres. A mechanical problem on the right rear tyre was the beginning of the end. By the time, he left the pits, Franchitti was two laps behind the leader; his cham pionship hopes all but gone. He finally finished the day in 10th place, two laps down on Fernandez. Montoya ran strong all day and was never out of sight of the leaders, and even led for 10 laps. For him, the key to the championship was a series of flawless pit stops in which he gained a few posi tions. He finished the day in fourth place. Both Franchitti* and Montoya would up with 212 points each. It was a tie, but the championship whet to the man with the most wins. Montoya has seven wins to his credit this year, while Franchitti has three. Max Papis drove a brilliant and aggressive race to finish second. Christian Fittipaldi was third from Jimmy Vasser, Mauricio Gugelmin,

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A1 Unser Jr., Tony Kanaan and Gil de Ferran. For Fernandez, it was the second win of 1999 and the fifth win ofthe year for Ford. “It’s so hard today because Greg was such a good friend of ours,” said a tearful Fernandez. “This is a tragedy for all of us and I can’t express to you how I feel. The win doesn’t matter or anything. I remem ber Greg as a great gentle man, friend and race car dri ver.” Papis was moved to tears as he spoke about Moore. “I am so sad. There is no word or nothing. No satisfac tion can pay this back. I don’t understand why things like this happen. “Greg was a special person in and out ofthe track.” Franchitti, one of Moore’s friends and fellow driver echoed the feehngs of others when he said, “Today I lost one of the best friends I ever had. “In the past couple of years, ever since I’ve knowm him, we

shared a lot of good times together. He was a guy I com peted the hardest with on the track, and he was the guy that I had the most fun with away from the track. “The guy was going to be a champion, many, many times over. He was my friend. With what’s happened, nothing else matters.” In memory of Moore, aU cel ebrations and festivities were cancelled. Although CART officials had planned to also cancel the awards banquet on Monday night,the Moore fam ily asked that it be held. CART plans to dedicate the banquet to the memory of Moore and Gonzalo Rodriguez. The championship win by Montoya marks the fourth consecutive year that Target/ Chip Ganassi Racing has won the PPG Cup. It is also the first time a rookie driver has won the CART championship since Nigel Mansell in 1993. Montoya also set or tied CART records for consecutive

Trade #4 for #1: New Champion Judn Montoya,(sutton-images)

wins by a rookie (three), wins by a rookie, pole positions by a rookie and laps led by a rookie driver. He is also only the seventh driver in CART history to record more than 200 points in a season. What should have been a great end to a terrific season was overshadowed by the cruel accident which took the life of Greg Moore. Montoya, Franchitti and Fernandez will have reason to celebrate their achievements in the future but, for the pre sent, one of our finest has been lost to us. What else seems important? Drivers points: Montoya 212, Franchitti 212, Tracy 161, Andretti 151,Papis 150, Fernandez 140, Fittipaldi 121, de Ferran 108, Vasser 104, Mooret 97, Kanaan 85, Herta 84, Carpentier 61, Moreno 58, Castro-Neves 48, Gugelmin 44, Jones 38, da Matta 32, Pruett 28, Gordon 27, Unser Jr. 26, Hearn 26, Blundell 9, Magnussen 8, Jourdain Jr. 7, Salles 5, Barron 4, Marques 4, Gidley 4, Vitolo 2, Andrea Montermini'2, Boesel 1, Rodriguezt 1. Nation’s Cup: Brazil 271, United States 264, Canada 248, Colombia 212, Scotland 212. ManufacturePs Cup:Honda 383, Ford 301, Mercedes-Benz 193, Toyota 80. ConstructoPs Cup:Reynard 424, Swift 241, Lola 31, Eagle 13, Penske 10. Rookie of the Year: Montoya 212, da Matta 32, Marques 4, Gidley 4, Rodriguezt 1. -PHIL MORRIS

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5 November 1999

M/e

Macbeth, McDonalds and other Scots

Bagpipesf bombs and a little bit ofHonda

l l l

inventive. Who else would have come up with a robot to make sushi. This can produce 1200 of the raw fishy things in an hour! And who else would have invented the Executive Travelling Fishing kit?

y favourite example of this marvellous invention comes from the 1940s when relations between Japan and the rest of the world were not as warm as today. It is a little-known fact that Japan managed to bomb mainland North America: once in 1942 when a reconnaissance plane was launched from a submarine and dropped incendiary bombs on Mount Emily in the Siskiyou . National Forest in Oregon. Later on they came up with an even more remarkable plan which was hushed up by the US Office of Censorship - in which they used high-altitude air currents to send hydrogen balloons - made of paper glued together with potato paste -7000 miles to the US mainland. The first one exploded in the Wyoming countryside in December 1944. scaring a few cows. They reported the incident to the US authorities and boffins collected up the bits and reported that these came from Japan. In total 9300 balloons were launched and 285 arrived, blowing up as far afield as Michigan and Mexico but there were only a handful of casualties when one of the bombs exploded near a picnicking family in the woods of Oregon.

By Joe Saward

’● f

Flying into Narita Airport was on a Tokyo’s plane which had a TV I camera mounted on the underside of the nose. This allowed all the passengers a pilot’s eye view of what was going on - and it was very interesting, not ieast as we manoeuvred into the parking position and watched a local man in a white helmet directing the plane with two luminous orange table onnis bats.,I am sure there is a word for “Dayglo aeroplanedirection devices” but I don’t know what it is... The man in the white helmet was very serious about his job and his performance was so like ballet that it seemed that he was almost sending himself up. He wasn’t. This is Japan and these things are serious. It was a very stylised - very Japanese performance. Many years ago I had a pal who worked at the National Theatre in London - welding things and dropping lights on cringing Thespians. He rang me up one day and said that there was a show that I absolutely HAD to see. He had tickets for the show that night. I asked what it was... “Weil,” he said, rather cautiously, “I... urn... well... ah... When I describe what it is, you will say that I am mad. But it really is briliiant and it has had the best reviews of any show that I have ever seen.” “What is it?” I growled. “Macbeth." “No thanks. I’ve seen it. I’ve read the book. I’ve worn the teeshirt. Not today thank you. I have to wash my hair. I have a headache. I have to leave the country unexpectedly... Is that enough excuses yet?" “You HAVE to see it,” he said. “Why?” “Well,” he explained, “It’s three hours long and it’s in Japanese.” I cannot remember why 1 went but 1 did and I sat through the most amazing piece of theatre I have ever seen. I did not understand a word of it, except when the three witches warned “Banzai Macbeth I Banzai Banquol” And yet it was brilliant. One of the things I find most extraordinary about visiting Japan is the contrast that exists between the aesthetic and highly stylised traditional Japanese art forms which are simple, graceful, elegant and refined - and the gush of popular Western culture which seems to hold the Japanese enthralled.

Auld lang syne; The entire Stewart team gathered in Suzuka for a very special solo bagpipe performance. Hydrogen-filled helmet? Ricardo Zonta tries his best to restrain a new Honda FI engine from floating off and over the US... (Phoios by Sutton-Images) l

Art has spilled over Japan and you caninto seelife it in when a taxi driver adjusts his white gioves and bows to you or a bulidozer driver manoeuvres his vast machine around a building site with an elegant ease. There is a reason for everything and no energy is wasted. And at the same time you have silly schoolgirls who are anything but eiegant waddiing aiong, clutching Mickey Mouse dolls and .cans of CocaCola, wearing uniforms which look as though they were designed by Stewart Grand Prix. Understanding Japanese ways is not easy and most of the F1 community gave up trying years ago. They either don’t make the trip or they stay in the Suzuka Circuit Hotel, where they can drink in the Log Cabin bar and eat in the westernised restaurants - or in the paddock where the team chefs turn out their usual fare. Very few struggle with the locals - which is a shame because that is quite fun, invoiving lots of smiling and waving of hands and learning from mistakes. Not many of the FI folk know that Suzuka is actually by the sea. They never see it. There is a Suzuka mountain range... Suzuka is located in Mie Prefecture - which is like a county but the area looks more to the sea’s Ise Bay, sheltered inlets and islands which are famous for their seafood and their cultured pearls. Not far away is Ueno City which is famous as the birthplace of Iga-ninjuts'u which is the art of making oneself invisible. And not far away in the Kinki district there was a strange outbreak of "Eejanaika”- which means literally “Who cares?”back in 1867 when people went bananas and danced non-stop and the men dressed up as women.

t.was all rather Scottish. In fact, the theme of my week in Japan seemed to be a connection betvyeen the Japanese and the Scots. I discovered that an absurd percentage of the Japanese rugby team have Scottish names. McCormick passes to Gordon, who passes to Yamamoto, that sort of thing. There is also a Smith and a Joseph. Why? How? I have no idea, but when I spotted a fullykiited bagpiper in the paddock I knew that there was something going on... I discovered that the Stewart team had searched the whole country to find a piper for the team photograph, to mark the passing into F1 history of Tartan trousers. I guess they went to Yellow Pages and looked him up in the “Pipers Scottish” section. The Scottish nationalists will tell you that it was the Scots who built the British Empire and there is no arguing the fact that they currently outnumber all other nations.

England only has two team bosses these days (Ron Dennis and Frank Williams), Ireland is loudjy represented by Eddie Jordan, Peter Sauber is as Swiss as a cuckoo clock - and some would say just as cuckoo. Jean Todt and Alain Prost are both small and French. Giancarlo Minardi and Rocco Benetton are definitively Italian. But there are three Scotsmen: Jackie Stewart, Tom Walkinshaw and Craig Pollock. There is no doubt that the Scots are an inventive nation you have only to listen to the three Scottish FI team bosses to know that- and the Japanese are similar. People say that they are a nation which improves on everyone else’s ideas. This is certainly true of croissants which the French have forgotten how to make (for commercial reasons). The Japanese make the best in the world. But they are also very

One the great inventors of theof post-war era was Soichiro Honda and in the days before the Japanese Grand Prix the Honda Motor Company held a press conference in Tokyo to reveal the new VI0 engine it is supplying to British American Racing next year. Toyota is coming and there are signs that in a year or two Nissan will follow suit. A couple of days later at Suzuka there was a dinner to tell a small selection of the international media about'something called Formula Dream. This is a series run by Aguri Suzuki and it is designed to find and then develop Japanese drivers capable of winning Formula 1 races. It aims to teach them everything they need to know about working under pressure, setting up cars, dealing with the media, physical training, strategies and so on. It uses Dome chassis and Mugen engines and is backed by Honda and Bridgestone. There is no doubt, however, that Formula Dream is not so much a promotion to find a Japanese World Champion, but rather a scheme to find a star for Honda. Even the name gives it away. As any biker will tell you the Honda Dream was the motorcycle which in 1951 launched the company on its phenomenal rise to success. There was a very clear feeling at Suzuka this year that after a few years in the doldrums. Japanese interest in FI is growing again. The sun is rising in the east, but there is a big “H” on the horizon. An image worthy of Japan’s curious cultural mix...

18 5 November 1999 ByJOESAWARD

drove a brilliant Mika race at Hakkinen Suzuka to win the Japanese Grand Prix and the World Championship. It was not the same Hakkinen we have seen in recent weeks. He was the Ice Man again and he wanted to be Top Gun and not even Michael Schumacher was going to stop him. And Maverick Eddie Irvine was left in a flat spin-

Qualifying When think about it, the you earth-shattering adventures of Formula 1 in recent weeks are nothing com pared to the real world. Molehills become mountains. Barge-boards become news. Lawyers get their 15 minutes offame. Over in Japan, however, the earth is regularly moving and mountains really are being created for this moun tainous little country is becoming more mountainous with eveiy little tremor. The orogenic forces are in play as one tectonic plates slides into another. There is perpetual earthquake activity and occa sionally a big one will flatten towns and the trains wUl stop running on time. The thing about Japan is that 80 percent of the country is moxmtainous and, so, every one lives on the narrow strip of coastal plain where the earthquakes are less exciting and the only thing to worry about are massive ‘tsunami’ tidal waves coming in off the sea that flatten anything which is too close to the beach. Suzuka is right next to the sea but you don’t realise it because there are no beaches that the FI folk have ever found. 'The Japanese are far too busy rushing into the Honda factoiy to make auto mobiles to go to the beach and have some fim. The Suzuka circuit is a cou ple of miles inland on the slopes that lead eVentually up into the Suzuka mountain range but there is enough change in elevation to make this one of the more interest

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graphs. I guess that if the Italians have the tifosi - a word derived from typhus fever - the Japanese fans should be called “chouchifusu” for their hysterical behaviour. Part of the feeling of excite¬ ment comes from the fact that this is often the venue for nail-biting championship showdowns and so there is an underlying tension in the paddock. The 1990s really have been a remarkable era in FI history. In the 1970s there was an exciting showdown every five years. In the early 1980s the World Champion¬ ship was structured so that the title remained open artifi¬ cially with a system of points which had to be dropped. When that was dropped one would have expected there to be less showdowns but it has not be like that at all. Four of the last five World Championships have gone down to the wire - confound¬ ing the science of mathematical probability. And here we were again with the battle for the World Championship this time being between a guy who hasn’t won a race since August and a bloke who cannot keep up with his team-mate. It has been a less than perfect year and there was a widespread feeling in the paddock that neither Mika Hakkinen nor Eddie Irvine really deserves to be the World Champion. The man most folk think should be the title winner was on the pole at Suzuka and noone was really surprised.'The limp was getting better, the Ferrari misfire seemed to be but Michael cured Schumacher was still only three and a bit-tenths faster than Hakkinen over the 3.6 mile circuit - and that really is a fraction. The extraordi¬ nary pole position in Malaysia looked ever more out of place. “TThe best thing I can do to help Eddie and the team is to win the race,” he said. It was a very convenient sit¬ uation for Michael. Things were rather more complicated for Irvine. If he could finish third behind Schumacher and Hakkinen (in that order)he would be the World Champion, but quahfy-

Stone Cold Hakkinen takes second title with brilliant Suzuka performance Finnish to the season: Hakkimen now has two world titles. the same as arch-rivali Michael Schumacher. The West McLaren-Mercedes was too much for the Ferraris. {Photos by RaceAccess and Sutton-lmaqes]

ing FI circuits on the calendar with a nice mixture of differ ent speed comers,tricky apex es and blind comers. It is a tracK where the brave and the talented are able to pull away fi-om the rest, but where you also need a good car to set a good time. 'The drivers love it. And so do the fans. In recent year^ FI interest in Japan has been somewhat limited. Honda was no longer involved and Ayrton Senna a God like figure to the Japanese race fans of the 1980s - was dead. Tora Takagi was not showing any signs of being in the really big league. And so the crowds dropped and the hysterics faded away. This year aU the FI regu lars agr^ that the country is getting excited again as the prospect of a Honda return and the arrival of Toyota draws ever nearer. At the Circuit Hotel this year the dri vers could not move without a pile of race fans jumping on them, pleading for auto-

Going, going,'gone: Hakkinen is already out of the picture after a brilliant getaway, leaving Schumacher to fend off the fast-starting Panis Prost, Irvine and Coulthard. The start was the most decisive of the season. (Photo by RaceAccess)

ing fifth did not help his cause as neither David Coulthard nor Heinz-Harald Frentzen were going to make it easy for Eddie. Eddie would probably have done better if he had not had a fairly sizeable crash with eight minutes to go in the qualifying session. The Ferrari went out of control in a rather bizarre fashion but everyone seemed to agree that it had not been a mechanical failure. I just lost control of the back end,” explained Eddie. It was a big hit - it is not easy to take off both front wheels without going round several times, but Eddie did it. The chassis was damaged beyond immediate repair and the Ferrari mechanics spent the night with the spanners. With Hakkinen second and Coulthard third McLaren was well-placed for the race, with David in a position to act as rear gunner for Mika in the race.'The problem was that all Eddie had to do Jf Mika was second was to finish fourth. And so Frentzen became a K

■f 0

5 November 1999

key figure in the strategic cal culations. Hakkinen was rather di.sappointed not to have been on pole position, all the more so because he never got a final qualifying run. In the chicane just before he started his last flying lap Jean Alesi spun in front of him. He swerved to avoid the Sauber and spun. “I think Jean may have got too close to me and lost his front aerodynamics,” said Mika. “He went straight on and spun. It was a strange sit uation for someone of his expe rience.” Alesi was upset with Hakkinen, claiming that the Finn had been blocking him in order to get the right amount space for his fast lap. 'The two had Frentzen ahead of them on the road. Mika backed off going into the chicane and Alesi had the choice of ram ming the McLaren or going across the chicane. He chose the latter course but lost con trol and spun across in front of the McLaren... “I probably lost sixth place,” complained Jean. The stewards looked at film of the events and proclaimed that it was “a racing incident”. This was probably the right decision, but no-one had much confidence when they discov ered that the blokes in the blazers included Paul Gutjahr, the man who was chief stew ard at Jerez in 1997 and Michael described Schumacher’s take-out of Jacques ViUeneuve as a race incident and - wait for it Nazir Hoosein, making his comeback as an FLA steward

for the first time since the dis astrous 1998 British GP after which he had to hand in his licence... In the paddock they were quietly praying that the race would pass without incident. Coulthard’s third place was a pretty good effort given that he had a hig shunt on Friday. “All things considered I am reasonably happy,” he said. Frentzen’s fourth place was a good effort and a boost for Honda which had the usual Suzuka mega-motor in the back of the Jordan. “Coulthard is my contender in this race,” said Heinz, “and I will be aiming to win as many points as possible.” With three Ijoints between the two men the race was looking like being an interesting one. Damon Hill’s last Grand Prix qualifying session was a disappointment. He was 12th. “I cannot put my finger on why I was not faster,” he said. Sixth and seventh on the grid was a good bffort from Prost Grand Prix with the recharged Olivier Panis ahead of Jarno Trulli. The pair had a new version of the old Peugeot engine and it suited the situa tion. Whether or not it would be reliable in the race was another matter. A good result from both cars might have lift ed Prost ahead of Benetton in the World Championship and the French pit was buzzing with excitement - even if it was a long shot. Eighth on the grid was Johnny Herbert in the first of the Stewart-Fords and this was good news for the team as it battled Williams for fifth

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place in the Constructors’ Championship. Johnny was happy .but reckoned he might have been as high as sixth, but his team-mate Rubens Barrichello was less than delighted with his 13th slot on the grid - in his last race for the team. The Brazilian com plained of traffic, a water leak, a switch to the spare car etc etc. “Things didn’t go my way,” he explained. Ninth on the grid was Half Schumacher and that was not a bad performance given that it was achieved in the T-car after Half pushed too hard and bonked the barriers on his first run. The T-car was not nearly as good as his own car. He reckoned he might have been as high as sixth. Alex Zanardi did not look like a man who is going to be seen again in Formula 1 and qualified a mis erable 16th. The worrying thing was that he said he was “quite happy” with the result. “I made a choice which turned out to be the wrong one,” he explained. “Grab all, lose all.” Rounding off the top 10 was the miffed Alesi while his

A bad start to the end: Eddie Irvine had one of those qualifiers, dusting the Ferrari when he needed a good grid spot. The car went straight on into a barri er (above), leaving Eddie to check the damage before walking in. The car made an ignomin ious exit on the end of a Japanese crane, though Ferrari did secure the Constructers’ titl§ on Sunday. (Photos by Sutton-lmages)

team-mate Pedro Diniz was down in 17th on the grid, com plaining that he had struggled to find a good set-up. All in all it was a pretty dull effort fix)m Sauber. It would be nice to have the occasion to report anything other that. Eleventh on the grid was Jacques ViUeneuve with the weight of BAR expectation on his shoulders. A point in Japan and the team would be US$10m richer next year. Dontinued on page 20

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20 5Mo\mber 1999 Continued from page 19 ‘I think we have reached the limit ofthe car,” he said. Ricardo Zonta was down in 18th place complaining about having difficulty finding a setup. The team talked about hav ing a good chance of being in the points - but it did not look very likely... It was a bad day for the Benetton boys with Giancarlo Fisichella 14th and Alexander Wurz 15th on the grid. Team boss Rocco Benetton blamed traffic but his drivers said it was all about grip -just as it has been almost every race this year. Down at the back as usual we had the Arrows-Minardi cocktail, with local hero Tora Takagi winning the game in qualifying, beating Marc Gene ahead ofPedro de la Rosa and Luca Badoer right at the back. With Arrows, Minardi and BAR fighting over $10m the race looked like being as interesting at the back of the grid as it was at the finnt...

by the Frentzen-CoulthardIrvine kerfuffle). Herbert was also caught out in the rough aiid tmnble and dropped fi’om eighth on the grid to 10th at the end ofthe first lap. There was no doubt about Hakkinen’s intentions. He set six fastest laps in the first seven laps. By lap eight he was 4.9 seconds in the lead and the gap just went on growing. Between lap 12 and lap 15 Michael managed to hold him but then Mika kicked again and he was over eight seconds ahead when he pitted for the first time on lap 19. Michael took the lead but when he pit¬ ted three laps later he was still 7.5ss behind when he rejoined. Then the Ferrari ver put the power down.

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Fat Lady/Sheet music interface: Damon Hill went out with a whimper in his final race, but that didn’t stop his fans and team bosses wishing him well;(L to R)Tom Walkinshaw [Arrows], Sir Franks Williams [Williams], Herbie Blash [Brabham] and Eddie Jordan [Jordan]. (Photo by sutton-images)

Race(53 laps) The morning warm-up saw de ia Rosa dent his chances when he crashed heavily on his first lap out of the pits. Irvine had an off and was only sixth. Hakkinen was fastest from Michael Schumacher. When the drivers emerged for the parade Irvine seemed subdued. The pressure was on and it was showing. But it did not show at the start. Eddie got away well. So did Hakkinen. But it was not the case with Michael Schumacher, Coulthard and Frentzen. All three made at best average starts. Frentzen almost ran into the back of Coulthard. Irvine nearly ran into the pair of them. Instead he jinked to the left and went past them both. At the same time Panis took advantage of a gap on the right and emerged at the fiorst comer in third place behind Hakkinen and Schumacher (M ●. Irvine was fourth with Coulthard on hiS tail and Frentzen in sixth. They were followed by Schumacher (R), Alesi, Trulh (who was slowed

A Tradition of... Ricardo Zonta and Jacques Villeneuve went to Japan needing one point to overhaul Arrows and Minardi and score US$1 Om in 2000 travel money. Didn’t get it. Smile for Uncle Tom; Arrows didn’t want a team photo, but when in Japan ... (Sutton-images) But the Ice Man did not melt. Michael was obviously frustrated because when he lost a few seconds trying to get past Coulthard he lost his cool. It made no difference. Michael was not going to win the race by then anyway. “If you have been lapped you should give space,” he said. “David had passed manyblue flags and he had some kind of problem, but he was really zig-zagging. Actually I am not sure now whether I should believe that what hap pened at Spa Gast year) wasn’t done on purpose, the way he behaved today. I didn’t expect such a thing from him.” It was a petulant outburst. As he was speaking the Press

Room roared in incredulify. It may have been a Sunday, but Michael is hardly a man to preach about ethics. Let us not forget Adelaide 1994 and Jerez 1997. Michael is a great racing driver but there was no need to open his mouth and spoil what was otherwise a joyous moment. It just made him sound like a bad loser - but he had not lost anything. Ferrari had won the Constructors’ title. 'There was no way Michael was going to win the race - with or without Coulthard. Even Irvine - who is not always the most diplomatic of souls - was gracious in defeat. What a shame that Michael could not be the same.

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■\Vhen he heard about the comments, David was furious . He wanted a public apology, he said, or he would sue Schumacher for slander... David was probably over reacting a bit. It had not been his day either. After the dis appointing first lap he pres sured Irvine throughout the first stint. They moved up a place when Panis disappeared. Good work at the first pit stop got David ahead of Irvine and for 10 laps McLaren dreamed of winning the Constructors’ title as well, David controlled the situation nicely, using Ferrari tactics to allow Frentzen and Ralf Schumacher to close onto

Irvine’s tail, forcing Eddie to look in his mirrors as well as trying to find a way to over take the McLaren. But on lap 34 he lost con trol, spun and removed the nose of the McLaren against a barrier. He also removed the team’s hopes of a second title, David pitted for repairs and rejoined. 'The car was clearly a handful. And then he found Barrichello and Schumacher behind him. If one is being generous to Schumacher you could say that David cost Michael about three seconds. Maybe 3.7s. But let us not be silly about this. In the 10 laps before that, Michael went from 6.4s behind Hakldnen to 6.2s. 'Two-

tenths in 10 laps. It would only have taken him 310 laps to catch the Flying Finn. Just short of six Grand Prix distances... David retired three laps later, his car handhng like a bowl of wet spaghetti on top of a spin dryer. Coulthard’s spin promoted Irvine to third place and gave Ferrari the Constructors’ title. But as he reeled off the remaining laps Irvine knew that the title was slipping away from him. “I was just driving around, wondering if anything was going to happen to Mika,” he admitted. “We have won the Constructors’ championship, which is important. We didn’t

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5 November 1999

Bad race: FIsichella strug gled again in the Benetton. l

win the one that both Ferrari and I would have preferred, but at least we got the consola tion prize.” And so Hakkinen won a brilliant victory. It was a champion’s drive. “This has been a very diffi cult year,” he said. “All the way through from the start of the season when we weren’t able to finish races and we lost a lot of points. Everyone knows those problems we had. To have won the champi onship in the last GP is nervewracking. It’s an experience that I can’t recommend to anyone! I have now experi enced it with Michael last year and again with Eddie this year.” Behind all the Ferrari and McLaren excitement Fanis’s moment of glory was short lived. He had Irvine under control. “My car was feeling won derful and everything was great,” he said. “And then the alternator shaft failed.” It was the end of Olivier’s career with the team - after six seasons - and it was a fit ting way to leave. Trulli’s race was consider ably shorter. He retired with a mechanical problem of some sort after just three laps. The disappearances of Coulthard and Panis meant that Frentzen finished fourth, although he was chased for most of the afternoon by Ralf Schumacher. He soaked up aU the pressure and came

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through to confirm his third place in the Drivers’s World Championship. It was not a great afternoon for HUl. He was running 13th when he had an off. He pitted for repairs, the Jordan being fitted with a new nose. A few laps later the car was parked in the garage. “What’s wrong with the car?” someone asked a Jordan mechanic. “Well,” he said. “The prob lem is that it is in the garage and not on the race track.” Damon had given up. Going out with a bang is good. Going out with a whimper is barely excusable. Going out in total silence is a disgrace. The only good thing was that Damon left the sport in one piece. Let us hope that in the months to come he has some rest and remembers how to smile again. The last few months have not been fun to watch. Ralf Schumacher’s fifth place was little reward for a

F World Championship Round i6 October 31,1999 53 lops(310.582 kms)

1 M.Hakkinen McLaren-Mercedes 1h31mia.785s 2 M.Schumacher Marlboro-Ferrari 1h 31m 23.800s 3 E. Irvine Marlboro-Ferrari 1h 32m 54.473s 4 H-H.Frentzen 1h 32m 57.420s Jordan-Mugen-Honda 5 R.Schumacher WiUlams-Supertec 1h 32m 58.279s 6 J. Alesi Sauber-Petronas 52laps 7 J. Herbert Stewart-Ford 52laps 8 R. Barrichello Stewart-Ford i 52laps 9 J. Villeneuve BAR-Supertec '52laps 10 A.Wurz Benetton-Supertec 52laps 11 P. DInIz Sauber-Petronas 52laps 12 R.Zonta BAR-Supertec 52laps 13 P. De la Rosa BAR-Supertec 52laps 14 G. Fisichella Benetton-Supertec 47laps(DND Retirements: electrics Lap0 A.Zanardi Wllllams-Supertec electrics Lap 3 J.Trulli Prosl-Peugeot Lap 19 0.Panis Prost-Peugeot gearbox Lap 21 D.Hill withdrew . Jordan-Mugen-Honda Minardi-Ford Lap 31 M.Gene gearbox Lap 39 D.Coulthard McLaren-Mercedes hydraulic leak/georbox Mlnardi-Ford Lap 43 L. Badoer engine Arrows Lap 43 T.Takagi gearbox Lap 47 G. Fisichella Benetton-Supertec engine Fastest Lap:M.Schumacher,Lap 31,1 m 41,319s,208.355 kph. Lap Leaders:Lap 1 -19,Hakkinen 20-22,Schumacher 23-53,Hakkinen. Drivers Championship final points: Hakkinen 76,Irvine 74,Frentzen 54,Coulthard 48,M.Schumacher,44,R. Schumacher 35,Barrichello 21,Herbert 15, Fisichella 13,Sato 10,Trulll/HIII 7, Wurz/DInIz 3,PanIs/AlesI 2,De la Rosa/Gene 1. Canstructors’Championship final points: Scuderla-Ferrarl 128,McLaren-Mercedes 124,Jordan-Mugen-Honda 61, Stewart-Ford 36,Wllllams-Supertec 35,Benetton-Supertec 16,Prost-Peugeot 9,Sauber-Petronas 5,Minardi and Arrows 1.

You call me Mr Dennis; After beatings in sportscars and CART, Mercedes motorsport boss Norbert Haug had 1999 (and his bacon) saved by McLaren and Ron Dennis. (Photo by Sutton-lmages)

Highlights of the post-race press conference

Sportsmanship; Eddie’s congratulations were warm after the biggest disappointment of his life. Too bad Schumacher wasn’t as thoughtful about the other McLaren driver. (Phcpio by sunon-imgges) gritty drive. Half has been one I had had a difficult first Mika Hakkinen: The start is everybody in the company it of the stars of the year and part of the race, we obviously is impossible to succeed. always difficult here at has not always had the had more fuel on board and Suzuka because it’s downhill. results he deserved. Zanardi’s Michael Schumacher; I am I knew I could do well and I the handling wasn't perfec; seasop ended with an electri not sure exactly what was very confident. We had ad^ted everything cal problem on the first lap. It and I had started catching happened at the start. I had a When the lights changed, was an imperfect end to an Mika -1 was down to vrtthin problem when I went off the I immediately realised I had imperfect year. Perhaps even 6s of him -and it wouW have grid, at ttie green light before an advantage over Michael to an imperfect FI career... and at the moment when we been a very close race the parade lap and I had a Alesi finished the day with towards the end, but that similar problem during the shifted into second gear I a point for sixth place. race start. situation cost me,I think was already one car’s length “It is a fabulous way for me about 10 seconds. So I am Things weren’t working in the lead. At that point, I to say good-bye to the Red knew that all I had to do was very disappointed about that. normally and i don't want to Bull Sauber Petronas team,” to keep that position. go into any detail here, but he said. Quite so. Eddie Irvine: This was obviously we will have All the way through the Diniz finished 11th with really the best 1 could have analyse what was going on. race I didn’t have any nothing much to report apart expected today. Qualifying Despite that, 1 went into particular problems and I was from bad handling. didn’t go the way we wheelspin and made a able to build up the gap on The two Stewart Fords Michael all the time, if I expected because I had mess of it while Mika just ended the day seventh and been fairly confident I could wanted to. Obviously the got a very good start, eighth, bringing to a close the backmarkers would cause do reasonably well in Japan. without making a mistake. Tartan Chapter of the team’s In qualifying 1 thought We are going to have to problems at some point and sometimes I would lose half history. Next year the cars maybe I would get DC work hard to get on will be green. BanicheUo said (Coulthard) but then on that McLaren’s level. Things are a second passing them. But otherwise? Brilliant. he was leaving the team with quick lap 1 lost the rear end obviously going very “sweet memories” and that is (and crashed) which gave This championship is consistently for them, and me a sore neck for today, i really aU that can be said on that’s something on which obviously different; the first the subject. He was beaten we have to improve. was feeling it today, time is the first time and yes, To be honest, Mika is because it was pretty boring home by Herbert - for the it is a different feeling to have third consecutive race. for me,just driving around done it again. This has been definitely a great champion. and wondering if anything Today he won the Villeneuve finished eighth a very difficult year, all the and Zonta came home 12th. was going to happen to way through from the start of championship by winning the Mika. the season when we weren’t race, and there is no reason But British American Racing But we’ve won the able to finish races and we why he should not celebrate needed a point and it did not come. This means That Constructors’ championship lost a lot of points. Everyone that 100 percent. But his team should be which is important. We didn't knows the problems we had. US$10m will not appear next win the one that both Ferrari To have won the asked why they expect the year. The team has been in championship at the last GP drivers to do things like they and I would have preferred, the newspapers since its is nerve-wracking. It’s an did today. It was a different but at least we got the inception and no doubt in the experience that I can’t thing in comparison to consolation prize. weeks ahead it will remain in recommend to anyone. I Malaysia where I was the news- probably for all the Ralf Schumacher: First of have now experienced it with actually racing for position wrong reasons - as usual. Michael pushing me last year and had not been lapped. In all t want to congratulate Wurz came home 10th Mika Hakkinen, because it and again with Eddie this that instance, you can play which was nothing to write tactics. year. has been no easy job for home about.'StiU, it was a bet him to win the But if you have been ter performance,than that of n Ron Dennis (McLaren): An championship. lapped, you should give Fisichella, who had a couple of almost perfect weekend. With regards to my race space. David (Coulthard) had off-track moments before Mika deserves his result- it today, 1 had a good start but passed many blue flags and retiring with what the team after that I had to stav behind he had some kind of was one of his best races, if said was “a lubrication prob not his best. Heinz-Harald and, although I problem, but he was really lem”. Yes, the engine had ; David had to put the zig-zagging. was generally quicker, it was lubricated the track... and maximum pressure on the Actually I am not sure not possible to overtake him. there was probably quite a big now whether I should believe competition and in doing so A fifth place is fine even if, of hole in the side of the engine made a mistake, which can what happened at Spa last course, I was hoping that! as weU. happen to anyone. It was could achieve something year wasn’t done purposely, The only one of the small prudent to retire the car as it the way he behaved today. I better, mostly to help my fry to make it to the finish team in the Constructors' had developed a fault which didn’t expect such a thing was de la Rosa - in the T-car. from him when it was clear was making the car very championship. Takagi retired in a large cloud difficult to drive. he was out of contention for At the end, I want to of smoke which the team said the race and had been thank the Winfield The important thing is that was “a gearbox problem”. Hey, in the most difficult WilliamsFI team for the lapped. maybe the team was using circumstances the team I am very disappointed to good co-operation they gave the world’s first nuclear gear excelled and both drivers did see such a manoeuvre. me throughout the season. box because it looked like a We now look forward to exactly what was asked Nobody would expect a guy major engine blow-up. like him to have done them. Finally, whilst we are working next year together The Minardis both died here in Japan enjoying our something like that, with BMW and I am quite during the race and no-one success, we must remember particularly as I was really sure that we will do a great seemed to mind very much. that without all the efforts of challenging Mika. job. And that was that...

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5 November 1999

The Showdown

The 1999 FAI 1000 promises much - the biggest field in recent times, up to a dozen potential winners and, for the first time, a showdown to decide the Shell Championship Series. PHIL BRANAGAN previews the world’s greatest touring car race. THE 1999 FAI 1000 is shaping up to be one of the best races ever on Mount Panorama. Added to the fact that the race is one of the most open long-distance events ever held on the track - with up t. a dozen real contenders for the win - the race is a punter’s nightmare. Put it this way. The race could well pan out like this; Safety Car about to pull off with 12 laps left. Skaife leads Crompton, Bright, Ingall, Lowndes and Radisich. Will Skaife pull a gap straight away? Will the Enforcer go for Bright’early, or wait for the Pirtek car to pull him up to the leader? And could that pair get by Cromley, who was the fastest driver on the track at the end of the FAI in ’98 and ditto at the Queensland 500? Lowndes can win the title with a fourth place - what will he do? And Radisich is quick and the Helix Falcons have been blurs on the straight bits all season. Could he pass everyone? It’s a brilliant race in prospect. Let’s look at the heavy hitters:

. I

The Contenders:

Mobil, One: Lowndes and McConville enter the race as favourites in the Mobil-HRT VT. Lowndes only needs to finish fourth to win the SCS title, but you can count on the team and drivers to shoot for the win. (pnoio by oirn Ktynsmitn) This year? Crompton (below) and Seton have both been well-piaced before, but are yet to taste victory at Bathurst. (Photo by af-< 'mages)

1 Craig Lowndes/ Cameron McConville(Mobil-HRT Commodore VT) They start as favourites, with good reason. MHRT team manager Jeff Grech has kept his Queensland 500 pairings, but only after a lot of thought, such is the quali ty of his driving staff. Lowndes obviously holds the key to the whole thing. When he hasn’t been win ning, injured or in luck this season, he has been quietly amassing points. McConville has been a terrific back-up and many believe that he, not Skaife, was always the best man to slot in beside Lowndes. Strengths: Best car, best dri ver, excellent team back-up. Weaknesses: HRT can trip up at the mountain - witness 1998 (tyres) and 1995 (engines). Ed’s comment; If there was any driver in the series I’d have drive for my life, if would be Craig.

2 Mark Skaife/Paul Morris (Mobil-HRT Commodore VT) The conundrum. Everyone acknowledges that both drivers are top-shelf, but questions remain. Skaife has had two uncharacteristic disas ters this season, both in dis tance races, while Morris

hasn’t had sufficient race mileage in the car to show his form. But he has been brilliant in the BMW this season, winning the BOC series and Bathurst ‘500’. Strengths; Preparation, Skaife’s qualifying speed. Weaknesses: Not many, but they don’t look quite as

strong as Car #1. Ed’s comment: Skaife is effectively out of the series running. That may not necessarily be a bad thing as far as winning the race goes...

Ford’s best hope? Cta their Queensland 500 form, you’d think so. The Stone Brothers team are defending winners and there are no questions at all about Bright’s ability to go fast and stay out of trour

4 Jason Bright/Craig Baird (Pirtek-SBR Falcon AU)

Continued on page 24

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Tall stories: The naming of Steve Ellery as DJR’s fourth driver surprised many, but the youngster has had a brilliant season when funds permitted. Mr Rogers’ neighbourhood: Tander and Bargwanna (above) make a formidable combination, though their pitwork let them down in Queensland. Final ride: Veterans Johnson and Bowe shared two wins at Bathurst and will face off for the final time on November 14. Who are you calling odd: Ingall and Perkins won in 1995 and '97, and '99?

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Photo by Noai Papelera

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Bet on Odds & Evens ACCORDING to Centrebet, Lowndes and McConville are the favourites for the 1999 FAt 1000. The Mobil-HRT will start the week at $3.75 for a $1 to win oet, Shading team-mates Mark Skaife/Paul Morris who are worth $4.50. ! The Northern Territory-based i betting agency has framed a ' market exclusively for Motorsport News, setting odds :or what they see as the top 20 driver aairings for the race. Gienn Seton and Larry Perkins share the third rung on $7.00, while value punters may want to look at the Shell Helix duos, with Radisich/Ellery on $26 and Johnson/Johnson on $51 [!]. Centrebet will be taking wagers on the race from Monday November 8. They can be reached on [08] 8955 5800 or on the net at www.centrebet.com.au The odds are: Lowndes/McConville Skaife/Morris Seton/Crompton Perkins/Ingall Bright/Baird Murphy/Richards Brabham/Bates Larkham/Jones Bargwanna/Tander Keliy/Noske McDougaH/Miedecke Gardner/Brabham Longhurst/Macrow Faulkner/Wills Radisich/Eliery Romano/TBA Mezera/Ricciardello Johnson/Johnson Ritter/Owen Weel/Crick

11/4 7/2 6/1 6/1 7/1 7/1 10/1 12/1 14/1 16/1 20/1 20/1 20/1 20/1 25/1 33/1 40/1 50/1 50/1 50/1

Continued from page 23 Baird? He’s not a full time V8 Supercar driver. but he should be. Don’t forget; despite the Bathurst BMW shit-fight two years ago, he was the fastest man at the end of the race. Strengths: Great drivers, first-rate preparation. Weaknesses: In common with the other Ford teams, the AU is new to Bathurst. No big deal - except the VT isn’t... Ed’s comment: If Bathurst owes anyone a result, it’s Baird. And we know Brighty can win it, even from 15th... 5 Glenn Seton/Neil Crompton (Ford Tickford Racing Falcon AU) If there was any justice in the world Seton would be shooting for his third or fourth Bathurst win this season, but there haye always been little flies in the ointment. This season has been below-par for Ford’s nominal number 1 , but he still has a shot at the title, and the car was a rocket-ship in the late stages of the Queensland 500... Crompton? Excellent co driver, but perennially unlucky. Long overdue for a win, anywhere. Bathurst would make his year. Strengths: Great car, even drivers. It’s Weaknesses: Bathurst, and it’s 161 laps, not 160.’ Ed’s comment: Even Collingwood, the Queensland Bulls and Christian Fittipaldi got to win once. Let Seton win a Bathurst, eh?

7 Greg Murphy/Steven Richards (Wynns Racing Commodore VT) On paper, why would anyone rate this team on their 1999 performances? Because their endurance form is A-plus. Both drivers have won over 1000km before, Fred Gibson knows what it takes to win Bathurst and their qualifying form means butkus in this race, Dark horse status hides their true potential - if they win, no-one would be surprised. Strengths: Youthful expe rience , good team and maxi mum motivation. Weaknesses: If they need to run at 100 percent over the final 10 laps or so, oth ers may be a little quicker. Ed’s comment: Nice guys do not necessarily finish last. Every other team rates GMS. 11 Larry Perkins/ Russell Ingall (Castrol Commodore VT) The Enforcer and the Crusher. Ingall is fast, fast, fast and Perkins never allows mistakes in his bespoke team. While every one else shot themselves in the foot in Queensland, LP just trucked along as fast as necessary. And the team won Bathurst in 1993, 95 and’97. By the law of aver3gcs, it’s their turn again. Strengths: Bullet-proof car. Ingall as lead driver (probably!) Weaknesses: None. Even in a slow car, they finished second last year. And Ingall is likely to run three stints in 1999, not two as in previ ous years (though LP won’t

say before the race). Ed’s com ment: They know how to win. Now, a//they have to do is repeat it... 17 Dick Johnson/Steven Johnson (Shell Helix-DJR Falcon AU) Let’s put thena in for Dick’s sake. No, let’s include them because they could win. ‘Junior’ will do most of the driving and, hopefully, qualifying, and Dick is capable of holding up his end in the middle bits. It’s time for the kid to stand up. Strengths: Good car, terrtfic horsepower. Weaknesses: Never been to the mountain on any thing but Dunlops. Not a big handicap, but it could tell. Ed’s comment: Could be fairytale winners. Need a little luck, but the straight-line speed is top of the tree. 18 Paul Radisich/Steve Ellery (Shell Helix-DJR Falcon AU) If anyone thought they were a dark horse, qualify ing at Surfers blew those thoughts away. They were 1-2 on the grid; the flying Kiwi is now up to speed, and has his first win out of the way, while Ellery is the biggest (and most pleasant) surprise of’99. The only problem the team could face is deciding who might qualify the car! This season Ellery has been brilliant on tracks where no-one tests.

Strengths: See above, but add to it the driving line-up, which is second to almost noone. Weaknesses: Ditto to above Johnson/Johnson, but they might be a little better placed than 17. Ed’s comment: Given a reliable run, why would you bet against them? 19 Wayne Gardner/ David Bfabham (Coke-Perkins Commodore VT) Even darker horses. Gardner has an outstanding Bathurst record - he’s done everything except win the damn race and, despite being restricted to the odd local outing, his Japanese GT form is fine. Brabham? Not a world-beater in V8 Supercars, but he has been in everything else, including at Bathurst in Super Tourers. Strengths: Perkins car, good drivers. Weaknesses: How many people does it take to run a Commodore at Bathurst? Ed’s comment: At 40, WG is driving the best he ever has. If nothing goes wrong in the build-up, they’re a threat. 35 Jason Bargwanna/ Garth Tander (ValvollneGRM Commodore VT) Everything Garry Rogers has said this season has been correct; it was hard to build and develop the VT but, when they got two new cars on the track, they went fast and stayed fast, just as

he predicted. Bargs and Tander are both race win ners this year and the small hut dedicated crew has made some of the big-ticket teams look ordinary this year. Almost - ALMOST - co favourites. Strengths: Great drivers on the crest of a wave, and the team will work until they die if they have to. Weaknesses: None. That hloody dickie seat better work. Ed’s comment: Bathurst owes Bargwanna one, too. 600 John Bowe/Jim Richards (CAT Racing Falcon AU) I ast car - the biggest 1stto 2nd qualifying margin of the year was Bowe’s at Queensland Raceway. Good drivers - what they lack in hair-care products they make up for in race wins. But the team is a little less experienced than its dri vers, and the recent geo graphical and financial upheavals may not have helped matters. Strengths: Speed from car and drivers. Neither are like ly to make any mistakes. Weaknesses: Not many. Reduction in track time in recent years may hurt them more than some other teams. Ed’s comment: Again, may need a smooth and drama-free build-up to contend in race. And 1999 is the International Year of the Older Person (sorry, JB and Jim!).

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Rookie battle a classic

THE Rookie of the Year award in any race is always worthwhile winning. At this year’s FA11000, it will be doubly so, because of the quality of the drivers eligible for the award. With the possible exception of the 1987 Bathurst 1000,f when the stars of the World Touring Car Championship arrived at the mountain en -masse to face the Big Hill for the first time, the 1999 Classic boasts one of the best field of rookies ever. ^ Leading the w/ay, amazing ly, is Paul Morris. Despite two Bathurst class wins,three Super Touring titles and a Bathurst 500 win this year, this wiil be the Queenslander’s first V8 drive at the mountain and, for the purposes of this year’s rookie title, he is eligible. Two rookies are sharing a potential race-winning car. Greg Ritter and Steve Owen

AUSTRMIIl'S ULTIMiTE eJIlENOM IS HERE!

have spent much of the sea son banging wheels on their way to 1-2 in the Formula Ford Championship, but will suit up in the Big V for a drive in Garry Rogers’ second Valvoline Commodore VT. CAT Racing’s Tim Leahy makes his long-awaited move into a Falcon, sharing team boss[and rookie] John Briggs Supercheap AU, while the other team car will also have two rookies. Bob Thom and Todd Wanless. Also in ‘Pro’ ranks, current Sports Sedan Champ Tony Ricciardellq makes the move in the V8 sLpercar ranks. The Alfa pilot shouldn’t be over awed by the horsepower of Tomas Mezera’s Densitron Commodore and the former race winner seems an ideai coach for the Perth youngster. Paul Dumbrell will share JFR’s Commodore VS with Matthew White, the 17-year-

old coming off a tough season in Formula Holden, while White has at least some V8 experience, having driven a NASCAR there two years ago. Two-thirds of the Big Three from the Commodore Cup ranks will be in the race as well. Tim Shaw has made great strides this year, going close to winning the title and will share Craig Harris’s exSBR Falcon EL. Series Champ Wayne Wakefield is not really a Bathurst rookie, having driven a Carina in the 2-litre race last year but this will be his first appearance in a V8 there. He will have fellow V8 rookie Dean Canto, who drove at Bathurst in Peter Hills’ Mondeo last month. The pair should attract some attention for their driving and tons for Canto’s girlfriend, new Miss Indy Kyly Boldy...

EIITRiES - 1999 FR1 1000 CLASSIC, nOUEOIBER 1 4 PROIfSSfONilS NoDrivers Team/Car 1 Craig Lowndes/Cameron McConville Mobil HRT Commodore VT 2 Mark Skaife/Paul Morris Mobil HRT Commodore VT 4 Jason Bright/Craig Baird PirtekSBR Falcon AU 5 Glenn Seton/Neil Crompton FTR Falcon AU 6 Geoff Brabham/Neal Bates FTR Falcon AU 7 Greg Murphy/Steven Richards Wynn's GMS Commodore VT 10 Mark Larkham/Brad Jones Mitre 1QSBR Falcon AU 11 Larry Perkins/Russell Ingall Castrol Perkins Commodore VT 15 Todd Kelly/Mark Noske HRT-Young Lions Commodore VT 16 Dugal McDougall/Andrew Miedecke Aloe Quench Commodore VT Shell Helix Falcon AU 17 Dick Johnson/Steven Johnson 18 Paul Radisich/Steve Ellery Shell Helix Falcon AU Coca-Cola Commodore VT 19 Wayne Gardner/David Brabham(UK) Romano Commodore VS 24 Paul Romano/TBA 25 Tony Longhurst/Adam Macrow Castrol Longhurst Falcon AU Densitron Commodore VT 32 Tomas Mezera/Tony Ricciardello Valvoline Cummins Commodore VT 34 Jason Bargwanna/Garth Tander Valvoline Cummins Commodore VT 35 Greg Ritter/Steve Owen K&J Thermal Products Falcon AU 43 Paul Weel/Greg Crick 46 John Faulkner/Simon Wills(NZ) Wynn's GMS Commodore VT 66 Mark Poole/Tony Scott John Deere Racing Commodore VT 70 John Briggs/Tim Leahey Supercheap Auto Falcon AU 73 David Parsotis/David Parsons Challenge Recruitment Commodore VT 75 Anthony Tratt/Alan Jones Toll Express Folcon AU Cummins JFR Commodore VS 96 Paul Dumbrell/Matthew White 600 John Bowe/Jim Richards CAT Racing Falcon AU

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Riding the

With the win ratio so far in 1999 heavily favouring Holden, the FAI 1000 is Ford's chance to steal one big dose of the ’99 glory. As Glenn Seton shook down his Bathurst challenger this week, our own CHRIS LAMBDEN pulled on the Revolutions, snuck in a few laps in the factory Ford team’s challenger and came away exhilarated...

all it a leap of faith. Would you let anyone in your $250,000 factory Ford just over a vt/eek before Bathurst? I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t, but guess what - Glenn Seton did just that this week so that we could remind you folk just what it’s like to juggle 600+ hp and just how good a car the very latest V8 Supercar really is. The #5 car was at Galder on Monday, utilising a private session to bed in brand new driveline components and also put the finishing touches to testing and mapping the MoTeG engine management and data acquisition system, having switcheo to Richard Bendall’s product since the Queensland 500. Engineer Ken Douglas was on hand to oversee the MoTeG work and it was between sessions of this task that we were able to jump into the car for an up-date on the V8 Supercar experience. Since our last similar drive (in HRTs ’96 SATGG/Sandown/ Bathurst-winning VS Commodore) not too much has changed in a physical sense apart from the newer body shapes, but things get refined. First impression: a little thing, but Glenn’s latest Velo seat, modified to his spec, fits like a glove. The side support under your arms is noticeably more ‘wraparound’ - something I always figured was a big plus. After alt, it’s hard to be as precise as these guys need to be if you’re flailing around in the seat, using the steering wheel to hold yourself in... With the belts done up tightly, there’s no energy involved in holding yourself in situ - all that can be directed to the job in hand. Optimistically, one of Glenn’s crew shows me how to engage the ‘lockout’ reverse gear (using a gnurled knob on top of the gearbox) “just in case...” Thanks, buddy. There is in fact a small array of dials and the ubiquitous MoTeG dash, but with all now able to be monitored from the pits in ‘real

time’ telemetry, there’s little need to take a lot of notice. As you’ve probably ascertained from the spectator banks, these things are as docile as a street car if you want them to be on the way out of pit lane, so we opt for a dignified pit lane exit, but then docility goes out the window... The six-speed H-pattern Holinger is the crisp, positive gearbox it has always been and, with 600+ of Mr Ford’s best equines driving through Bridgestone’s control rubber, acceleration is exhilarating. Even with a Bathurst diff ratio, the Falcon pulls strongly out onto Gaidar’s front straight in second. Third, fourth, fifth. Heading up over 230 kph, towards 250 over the slight crest in Gaidar’s front straight. This thing is rock solid. Once upon a time V8s used to

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Turning mountain into molehill: Lambden squirts the Seton/FTR Falcon over the hill at Calder as he gets all respectable with 600-odd neddies and a 6-speed Holinger box. No, I don’t want to swap jobs: Seton and Lambden compare notes. It was a mighty leap of faith for Seton to let anyone drive his Bathurst car before the big race, especially a journalist ... (Photos by Tony Glynn)

. jiggle just a bit, float a tad over these high-speed bumps, but not any more. You may as well be on the new Citylink Freeway - at 250 kays... Onto the brakes a little earlier than Mr Seton would, and what a feel of confidence. Very firrh

pedal, very little dive, just full, straight, clean deceleration, the engine spiralling down off its peak hum, a couple of blips and second for Calder’s 180 degree turn one. According to engineer Douglas , who calls up one of

Seton’s laps on the computer, he brakes 58.8 metres before turn-in. Bloody engineers. Let’s call that 60 metres, shall we... Regardless, that’s impressive, hauling 1350kgs down from 250 kph to a second gear loop. Into turn one and around it.

Calder has become quite bumpy, but that’s where the finesse of the modern spring/shock absorber set-up comes into its own. Seton has always set his cars up slightly on the softer side and the latest AU is no different, but the steering response is nevertheless impressive and rapid. Hardly a ripple is translated through to the steering wheel as we wheel through the turn and back onto the throttle for the brief, power-band spurt, to the right-left esses. A trace of understeer into the right, but precise-with it, rapid transition from right to left as we ease out over Calder’s ‘hill’.

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5 November 1999

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Understeer is your friend: You don’t want the tail of the beast wagging, Sprintcai'-style, when you have a second gear comer and getting the power down is the key issue.

KISS: It means ‘Keep it simple. stupid’ and that’s just what the FTR crew has done inside the car. The two levers at the rear adjust roll bars fore and aft. The rearset gear lever employs a neat linkage, while the knurled knob is for engaging reverse. Lambden didn’t need it - at least. that’s what he fold us ...

Short change to third over the crest as things go light for a moment, then into fourth, through the kink, a brief touch of fifth before it’s back all the way to second again for the second esses and another ‘power squirt’ to the final corner. This too is right ‘in the band’ and you can sense the Bridgestones working at their peak in terms of drive, almost but not quite breaking traction, an almost elastic-band feel as the car is propelled forwards. As smooth as possible out of the unwinding final turn, working the power down, then the simple exhilaration of pure, full throttle acceleration down Gaidar’s main straight, 7,500rpm of V8 roar, flashing past the group of moderately

apprehensive FTR faces! This is great. Nice. Nice? Hardly how one ought to describe a 600+ hp race car, but it’s almost true. At the seven, maybe eighttenths, that this test is by necessity conducted at, the FTR Falcon is strong and muscly, but secure and predictable. Easy to become over confident, I’d guess... It’s when those couple of extra tenths are demanded - and that’s most of the time in today’s ultra competitive world of V8 Supercars - that any deficiency or glitch would become apparent. For now, though, I can report that our V8 Supercar drivers have a terrific piece of touring car equipment at their disposal. The almost universal use of power steering (no heavier than your

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road car in Baton’s case) steady advances in shock absorber technology and data acquisition, brakes to die for and the latest in Bridgestone grip form a package that must be a delight to push to its peak. Physically, it’s not hard. The effort and sweat comes from the sheer concentration (and heat in longer races) and mental effort. It’s a refined package and, thanks to the category’s constraints, a settled one. No wonder there is, so frequently, such little time between the top ten runners. But getting the very maximum number of those 600+ horses through to the ground is the key. It must be the tiny tweaks that make the difference...

out from final JUST two his weeks Bathurst as a driver, Dick Johnson hasn’t had time to think about the race he’s quite quick to call “frankly, one of the most important races of my career." “Quite honestly, I’ve been so busy I haven’t really had time to think about it," Johnson, the five-time Australian Touring Car Champion and three-time Bathurst winner, said on Monday. But, like all champions, Johnson knows where and when , the time is right to sit and focus on the job ahead and that was to be right after our conversation... “Tomorrow we’re going testing with our car, checking out everything and there I’ll be able to focus on the job ahead.” Like a good dozen cars in the race, the famous #17 JohnsonJohnson Shell combo can be considered a strong chance although the odds, at 50-1, seem to be higher than what was expecteo. “I never take any notice of the odds,” Johnson says with authority. ‘The team has come out of Indy on a high with Paul [Radisich] taking three from three, we’re pleased with the progress we’ve made and we’re as well prepared as ever. “Bathurst is a difficult race to win, it’s about having all your shit together on the day and if you don’t, you’re not going to win. “Everyone goes to Bathurst thinking they’re in with a solid chance and we’re no different...” Johnson sees the difference between winning and not this year is making the right call at the right time. “You’ve got to make the right call and make it count... safety cars, weather... they all play such a big part in the race and you just

have to be on the bail.” While Johnson might be hanging up the helrpet at the end ! of this year’s classic, the Johnson name will be living on with son Steven finally getting the nod to take over. “It’s been a long time coming for Steven but, frankly, we just haven’t been ready in the past,” Johnson says of the move. “I believe it takes a good driver 12 months to settle into the V8 class now and Paul’s been through that and we’re starting to see the results. “Steven’s grown up around this place and, while he’ll still need time to settle into a full-time position with the associated pressures, he’s willing to learn and capable of winning races in the near future.” Changes for the future won’t stop with drivers at DJR with Dick predicting a number to happen within the team before next year, although the soon-to-be ex driver/team owner says that's nothing to be worried about. "Whether the changes are for the better or not, we’ll just have to wait and see when they’re made but, with this V8 category being so competitive, if you don’t accept change, you just won’t survive.” - GERALD McDORNAN

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Reg Smith, our founder, was accidentally killed at Bathurst in 1960. Our 40 plus year involvement in Motor Sport continues to this day. The Smith family, under the various' business names of Reno Auto Sales, Las Vegas

Russell Ingall

Robyn Cooper

Brad Jones

Cameron McConville

Paul Morris

Motors, Reg Smith Motors, Smiths Radio and

Greg Crick Rex Lewis

Bob Whyte Val Smith

Craig Lowndes Tomas Mezera

Mark Noske

now the Garry & Warren Smith Group, has had

Fred Harvey

Warren Smith

Greg Murphy

Mark Skaife

Bryan Thompson John Pollard

Gil Davis

Win Percy Mike Preston

Stephen White

a long association with motor sport. Reg Smith, our founder, took up motor racing in 1953 aged fifty, and no person had more fun or enjoyment than he had in trials, hill climbing and circuit racing. He was accidentally killed at Mt Panorama, Bathurst on Con Rod Straight on October 2nd 1960, aged fifty seven. Our involvement either as a competitor, or sponsor, began with the 1953 Sun Car Rally, 1953 and 1954 Redex Trial, then continued with Ampol and Mobil Gas around Australia trials, hill climbs, road racing, aerodrome and circuit racing. We have also been involved with events such as Targa Tasmania, Australian Safaris, Motor Cross, and other off-road racing since then. Now in our 70th year of business, we thought it appropriate to name the people who have also enjoyed participation in motor sport under part or full sponsorship or associated sponsorship.

Bob Forbes

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To those we missed listing we apologise, and

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ask you to call to remind us.

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HARD WORKING VOLUNTEERS

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We would also like to thank the

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clubs and CAMS over nearly fifty years. Without

In additibn, we have, at HDT and HSV, funded Holden Racing Team drivers through Holden such as; Colin Bond

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thousands of volunteer officials from the car

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their involvement motor sport could not take place, as even with all the advances in car safety, it is a dangerous sport. We have enjoyed our manufacturers' involvement in Australian motor sport, especially Holden, Mazda and Honda. Above all, we are proud of the creation of the Holden Dealer Team with Peter Brock working with Holden people and the Holden dealers, Don McCrae, Vin Keane and Warren

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people such as Rob Mclnnery, Kevin Wale, Ross

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McKenzie and the people at HSV and HRT. We

Matt Philip

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must not forget the hard work of Max Wilson,

Who's Who of Australian motor sport, including

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John Bagshaw and Harry Firth who built the

some in our contribution, through Holden, to

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dream for Holden in the first place.

their motor racing; rallying and trials. Phil Harrison Reg Smith

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A WHO'S WHO OF MOTOR SPORT

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We congratulate people like Tom Walkinshaw, John Crennan and the Holden

Of course, the race isn't over yet. We look forward to an ongoing involvement with the same passion for motor sport demonstrated by the late Reg Smith over 40 years ago.

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In a relatively short career in V8s, Greg Murphy hasjust about seen and done it all. One Bathurst and two Sandown victories, factory drives and. everyone’s worst dream, unemployment... 1999 was a new teginning. Murf teamed up with Stev^^st&rd^ and the Wynn’s-backed Gibson Motorsport operation.^ it hasn't been ail aiain sailing. Still, Murf, Richo atniShB Wynn’s/Gibson combo head to Bathurst with a be more than tough enough in this years'lor^r<S^^0îBces. Now they’re more than a charxx of stsaSng ail the ôry. * i GERALD McDORNAN ca>.^t up with Murffast week and had^] interesting cha’ acoui his season, BeîurstarKi what lies ahead...

MOTORSPORT NEWS: When you sit back and look at the year the Wynn’s team has had quite frustrating one would think in the sprint races, especially qualifying down the pack most of the year, but impressive with car speed and reliability, especially at the Adelaide and Queensland endurosyourself and Steven [Richards] would have to be confident heading into Bathurst. GREG MURPHY: The Wynn’s cars have been good during the long distance races so we are confident. In Adelaide the car didn’t qualify well again, it was off the pace but we were pretty happy with the outcome there. In the race the car was very consistent, and that’s the key to it. At Queensland Steve had worked a set-up out for that type of surface the Winton, Danwin, Ipswich-style of track and he’d been improving it as we went so we ran with it. With a few adjustments it ran pretty well, it looked after the tyres and was consistent and quick and, albeit for a mistake which cost us, at worst, second, we could have come away with maybe the win. So all things considered, we’re really fired up about Bathurst as the car is really capable of winning and we think we’ve got a pretty good chance. I think we’d also be considered a chance by other teams who sit down and have a good think about who they have to beat. MN: Is it important that you’re considered a chance or would you prefer not to be?

GM: You can’t avoid that. All the top teams who are sensible sit dovm and work out who they have to beat and they would have us near the top of their lists, no doubt about that. MN: During the sprint season it’s been quite obvious that the progress of the Wynn’s team this year has been hampered by poor qualifying speed on new,“green” tyres. No doubt you’ve Improved, but does it matter if you go to Bathurst and qualify outside the top 10? GM; I don’t think we’JI be outside the top 10, I’m sure we’ll be deep inside the top 10. We’ve got the car working better on a new tyre, getting the temperature into them a lot better than

sure the package is right for Bathurst...”? GM: At the beginning of the year when we sat down to discuss our plans we didn’t expect to be winning a pile of sprint races and Bathurst was a focus right from the start. We knew we were going to be behind right from the start, although we didn’t expect to be as far behind as what we were considering the fact that at the Grand Prix we had four top 10 finishes in four races... But then things transpired and we weren’t actually placed anywhere near what we thought after the GP. Then Adelaide came along and that was ‘^A/ow,’’ but again the qualifying performance wasn’t there -

Sign of things to come:Murphy looiked sircwiig in Adelaide for the 500,giving a strong indication of the Wynn’s/Gibson Motorsport’s^wtoti^ for the later enduros. Co-drivers: The Murphy/Richards combo appear to be as evenly and strongly matched as any other in the FAI1000 Classic line-up. With a \»m apiece at Bathurst,the pair will be a threat next week.

before. Do you go into the race with a set plan, a list of tactics? GM: We don’t want to « out-smart ourselves, so we’ll just play it as it runs. You can create the greatest strategies on earth, but you have to be prepared to change it on a whim due to different situations - it couid rain ail day... it could rain half way through... lots of accidents and safety Murphy on his chances next week I cars... You have to be ready and on the ball. You need to we did during the year so... we gained places through have the right people to towards the end of the year the length of the event. make the right decisions on We went back to where we were finding a lot of time the spot, literally at a we were at the sprint races, during qualifying. second’s notice. Bathurst is a good qualifying bad, getting In Adelaide we made crashed into, all that sort of surface and a good track so some mistakes in that area good stuff... it’s been I think the car will be good and in Queensland there punishing! during the whole week. was a mistake that cost us a Bathurst was always a I’m looking forward to definite second and maybe focus and" with some of the being at the front in even the race, so it shows results we’ve had [in qualifying, although it’s that you have to be on top of Adelaide and Queensland] going to be tough... it all. Bathurst even more we believe that we are going so... to be good. Like with MN: Was there a point in It’s a long way and a long everything, we’ve also l time during the year when race and you can come back improved our qualifying... the Wynn’s team thought from a long way down the “let’s keep going as well MN: Both Steven and pack but you can’t count on as we can, but we’re not coming back. yourself know how to win going to win the You never know when it’s championship so we’ll Bathurst, you’ve both done it quite convincingly concentrate on making Continued next page...

Bathurst was always afocus and, with some ofthe results we’ve had[in Adelaide and Queensland], we believe that we’re going to be good.

(Photos by Marshall Cass/AFl)

No distractions,no fear, no excuses: Murphy has his sights set firmly on success. (Photo by AFl)

The desired view: Murphy believes he and Richards can win Bathurst again, and from the front.

going to be the fastest race ever or when a safety car will come out, so you have to be on top of it all, all the time if you’re going to win the race. That’s how you win Bathurst and it’s the only way to win Bathurst. MN: Having won Bathurst before, is it the absolute pinnacle? Does it outweight a touring car championship? GM: Now they’ve made it part of the championship I suppose if you win it all you’re okay. But if you win the championship and not Bathurst, well... I still don’t agree that Bathurst should be part of the championship - there’s too much riding ori the one event. People will still look at the two as being different things. If we win Bathurst and not the championship, then we wouldn’t care about not winning the championship but... Look at Craig. If he finishes fourth at Bathurst, then he wins the championship. I’m sure he’d want to win the race but you have to make the decision that “do we go flat out to win the race or settle for fourth and win the series?” It has to come at some point in time and it’s really not a decision you would like to make at Bathurst. We’ve got nothing to lose so we’re just going out to win the race.

MN: When you jumped into the V8s it was instant success with wins at : Sandown, Bathurst and a ciean-sweep in New Zealand. But, now with two sprint seasons under your belt-’97 with HRT and ’99 with the Wynn’s/GMS team - you

haven’t had the success which you expected and, perhaps, others expected of you. Has it been frustrating? GM: I’ve been lucky to go from no one knowing who 1 was in 1994 to driving for two very good teams. In ’96 I drove for the undisputed best team and had all that success at Sandown, Bathurst and in New Zealand and it was great. But, despite the success ’97 turned out to be quite frustrating during the sprint rounds, quite different to what I wanted, much through no fault of my own. Going to Gibson Motorsport this year has been a new challenge, very different and sometimes very frustrating. That’s all probably because the only comparison I can make to other teams is with HRT, probably how people might have compared Gibsons to other teams prior to HRT’s run of the last few years. I suppose that can anger people who I’m working with sometimes, but that’s the only comparison... We’ve been in the position this year where we’ve won one race and we probably should have won the round at Symfnons Plains but that wasn’t to be. I made a move when I shouldn’t have but, hey, I was racing and I had to make a decision and you oan’t change your mind once that decision’s been made... We’ve been in positions to win races a couple of times, but we’re still a long way away and we’ve got to be prepared to dig in and do the work, even after we think we’ve achieved something. To be in the position we’ve been in after

qualifying this year has not been my idea of where we should be especially considering '97 when I was on the front row eight times out of 10 rounds. I’m not used to it and I certainly don’t like looking at all those cars in front! Like the year with HRT, this year’s been a big challenge. I’ve enjoyed a lot of it but I haven’t enjoyed all of it as 1 like to win races. I don’t like coming second... MN: Winning those races with HRT - was it too much success too early? Were there more expectations than you deserved and has it hindered your own progress? GM: Maybe. My personality and the way I operate sometimes upsets people but I’m only there to win races and that’s what I want to do. I don’t like excuses and I try not to make too many. If I’ve made a mistake I might as well admit it. Being at the front so early on and being shoved into the best possible scenario so quickly [with” HRT] probably has made it pretty hard and when you’re not doing “it”, it’s hard to accept it. I don’t think you can jump on people for wanting the best that there possible is, though. People say you’ve got to take your time but sometimes time mightn’t be on your side and you’ve got to do it right the first time. That’s what it’s got to be like and you’ve got to be prepared to say the things to make it happen... MN: How is your relationship with your Wynn’s teammate Steven Richards? You appear to be getting on well and are a strong match when

driving together at places like Queensland and Bathurst. GM; Steve digs in real hard and has a great understanding of how a car operates and how to make it go faster. He’s put in a lot of time and effort and is a big reason why the car is running as good as it is. The time he also spends at the workshop with the guys improving the cat*is terrific. He’s been an integral part of why the team and the whole Wynn’s/Gibson Motorsport operation has improved this year. Steven and I work very v/ell together and we need more of that to make the team better and that’s probably where we’ve been lacking... That’s sometimes a very hard thing to achieve as there’s not always a lot of available people arouncj to do that sort of thing. MN: With that in mind and the progress you, Steven and the Wynn’s/Gibson team have made this year, and the fact you’re going into Bathurst with a strong chance, is your future settied with the team? if not, is it important that you stay at Gibsons and capitalise on the work of this year? GM: I would like to settle into something rather than putting up with the September/October deal of the last couple of years of not knowing what’s going on so, yes, I would like to stay. But it has to be right and I want to be back at the front racing. I know all the boys at Gibsons want to be at the front as well otherwise, viihat’s the point? I know Garry Dumbrell wants to win too. There’s been a lot of money spent and it needs to be worthwhile - it’s got to be justified. I want to be somewhere that is capable of winning races and I believe Gibson’s can do that. It just has to be Worked right for us all... MN; Would a Bathurst victory secure it GM: I don’t know. Personally, I think what we’ve done this year with

what we’ve had, in some areas has outdone expectations so maybe that should be enough. But, like I said earlier, it all could have been better, so... MN: If you do secure your drive with the team and knowing the improvements you’ve made this year, the likelihood is that both yourself and Steven should be up the front from the beginning of the season and challenging for the championship from the start. GM: If I’m driving for Wynn’s/GMS, it’s not a likelihood, it’s a need to be up there... for everyone’s sake. You’re not going to be on the front row every race, but you’ve got to be consistently in the top 10 in qualifying and getting some better, consistent results. MN: Your desires to go overseas in the past are well known. Now, with the competitiveness of the Shell series where 7/10ths could mean the difference between qualifying on pole or down in 20th, does that make you want to stay here and try to be the best touring car racer that there is? As a racing driver, surely being successful in a competitive series like the V8s must provide incredible satisfaction... GM: The attraction is becoming more so for me because the age thing is going to be the limiting factor fairly soon, it’s a very attractive championship. You seriously have to consider now whether you take the risk of trying to go oveiseas or whether you try maintain a good grasp on a good drive in a great championship like here in

Australia and enjoying life and what goes along with it. It [the series] is growing all the time and becoming more competitive with drives, with a lot of talent around, so you want to maintain a good, wellsupported drive. It’s an exciting category and people love it. In fact, there's not too many bad sides to it! If you've got goals to go overseas, which I’ve had for quite a while and maybe they’ve been a contributing factor to why I’ve been pretty inconsistent to what I’ve been doing, there comes a point where you've got to look at it and say, “hey, this is pretty' good. I’ve got to settle here and concentrate properly. Hang everything else ” Everyone talks about the V8s overseas and people want to come here and drive the cars, it’s a good championship. MN: Last one. Who’s to look for at Bathurst? There has to be 12-15 cars which are absolute outright contenders... GM: Absolutely. This year’s Bathurst is going to oe the biggest, most competitive one ever. Last year we said that and it’s got bigger and better. Next year it wilt probably even bigger and better again... New cars, new teams, and a lot of good cars. The pace will dictate how hard it is. If someone runs from the start, you can’t let them go because they mightn’t come back to the field. You have to remain in touch. Obviously Larry and Russell, HRT, the DJR cars - we’re going to be bloody tough. The list just goes on... It’s never a given... never. Bets are on anything...

My personality and the way I operate sometimes upsets people butFm only there to win races and thafs what/ want to do.yf Murphy on his style and goals

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36 5 November 1999

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Bridgestone’s control tyrefor V8s has levelled the playing fieldsfor all this year, although some have taken longer to adapt than others. Heading to Bathurst TONY GLYNN spoke withfour leading teams tofind out what effect the new tyre rule has had during the season and what it all means going into the most important race ofthe year...

he introduction of Bridgestone’s control tyre in V8 Supercar racing has proven to be one of the smarter parity moves by the category managers, albeit at the expense of a number of the sport’s long standing tyre manufacturing sponsors. While the current Bridgestone-shod runners were correctly perceived to be the winners after the ten dering process relegated Dunlop and Yokohama to the history books, not all the dis affected teams were unhappy about the outcome. One of the prime movers for the control rubber that ulti mately resulted in his Castrol Perkins Racing Holden Commodore operation losing its lucrative Dunlop sponsor ship was six-times Bathurst winner Larry Perkins, who now sings the praises of the Japanese hoops. “At the last Bathurst, I was at odds with the Dick Johnson team and Dunlop on what was the right tyre to run, as Dick’s influence was certainly greater than mine at Dunlop for reasons I’ll never be able to explain,” Perkins said. “That incorrect tyre choice meant we went backwards and, in the end, we lost the race by only ten seconds. “That situation added

more fuel to my push over the years for a control tyre, not to resolve our own inter nal incompetence in choosing tyres, but to make it fair, no matter what, right across the board. “And, from what I’ve seen this year in the Touring Car Championship, that absolute fairness in the strictest sense of the word with the Bridgestone control tyre has been a real plus on the track, regardless of whether we’re talking about the best car, the worst car, the best dri ver, or the worst driver. “As far as our own team is concerned, I don’t think it’s going to be a problem now for us to go to Bathurst,” Perkins explained. “We’re certainly getting used to how we should set the Bridgestone tyre up, as there are things about it that are quite different from our Dunlop"experience. “For example, you’d be sur prised to hear how well the things drive out of a corner and how hard you can brake on them - in fact, you can brake much later than was previously possible on the Dunlop rubber. “Bridgestone’s tyre has done far more than it was ever asked to do from the technical specification that was originally tabled and.

putting it simply, the tyre is superb on all fronts. “Tyre strategies employed by teams in the past for Bathurst are now out the window, as the tyre can no longer be counted upon to be either your strong link or weak link any longer - it’s exactly the same for every one and that’s got to be healthy,” Perkins continued. “We do know that the tyre is certainly responsive to chassis adjustments and par ticularly shocker absorber adjustments, so you don’t have to be a Rhodes Scholar to know that, if you change the chassis stiffness for the better, the tyre will respond. “Our new Bathurst car, which we debuted in the Indy race, is indeed a stiffer car and, having also put in some solid testing since the Gold Coast race, we’re pretty confident with it and believe we’ll be able to better tune the car to get the best speed oilt of it and exploit the Bridgestone tyre’s potential. “From my perspective, therefore, I can teU you that I’m heading off to Bathurst with absolute confidence in this tyre and that’s the first time I’ve been able to make that statement for many, many years. “In the past. I’ve gone into the race not really knowing whether or not I’m going to

next podium last year in the tor Bridgestone-shod Pirtek EL month’s Mount Panorama Ford Falcon - also holds the outing. control rubber in high “Like all the Ford people, esteem. we had a new car in the AU “The only problems we’ve Falcon this year and a new experienced with the tyre all tyre as well and the data year have related to the from the previous EL on the graining that every team old Bridgestones didn’t swap appears to have suffered,” over. That has made things Little stated, “but I can’t difficult for a good three really see any significant months and we took some problem ivith it. time to reach our peak,” “Interestingly, the control Little elaborated. tyre is considered to be two “Mind you, I know the new compounds harder than VT Commodore didn’t swap what we ran at Indy last over from the VS either, as it year, but the only time dif ference we saw I believe is a fair bit different and the would be attributable more VT runners are only now to the diff ratio than the starting to come good - guys like Bargwanna have really tyre. “But tyres that have been struggled and yet they were run and tyres that are green on Bridgestones last year. “Now the AU and the VT are quite different tyres and, have virtually identical rearinterestingly, both of them have proven to be faster on ends and I’m not entirely sure that we haven’t all particular circuits for a cou ple of laps - and this tyre painted ourselves into a cor does noticeably change the ner, as what we both had handling of the car as the before was good and what tyre goes from cold to hot we’ve gone to is pretty much and from new to old. a compromise. “But that doesn’t mean I’d “Now this could become a want to run the older EL at tricky issue in the top ten qualifying at Bathurst, but Bathurst, as the Atj has not in the race itself. some virtues and proved to be quicker at a lot of race “While not having ever run on Dunlops, I understand tracks - and the only ELs that the Bridgestone control that have been quicker have tyre is harder than anything been our own old cars in the Dunlop people would other people’s hands. “At our first tests and our have run there in the past. “The Stone brothers, first race, we took along all though', are familiar with our EL settings and trans both Bridgestone and posed them as best we could, Dunlop, the latter through but we couldn’t get the car to their previous involvement point and it understeered on with Dick Johnson. entry and oversteered on exit “The only significant point - and you’ll probably find in their view is that the that’s still the problem for most ALT teams out there. Bridgestone could be run “From the Stone brothers again and again and would continue to come back to its perspective, therefore, I can times, while the Dunlop tell you that the only setting would gradually lose time we were able to retain was the over its life.” amoimt oftoe-in at the front!

“Bathurst is an interesting track, in that you can go there with a car that isn’t quite right in its handling, because the circuit is quite forgiving,” Little continued. “Now that’s not to say that you can’t have problems, but I think that the tyre problems that did arise there last year have been addressed with this Bndgestone control tyre. “We knew we could go faster with a particular set up on the Bright car which ultimately won the race, but we also laiew that it would not be good for the tyre - as far as the Mark Larkham car tyre problem went, I have to say that we also came close to having a tyre problem. “Nonetheless, I think the control tyre will be so close to what we ran last year at Bathurst that it wmn’t make any difference overall, though maybe it will be quicker later in the race than last year’s compound proved to be,” Little con cluded. Another high-profile AU user is Glenn Seton’s Ford Tickford Racing, which according to team manager Tony Murphy - has already settled into something of a comfort zone with the new body shape and its control rubber and Seton particular ly likes the way the new rear-end treatment trans lates into driveability out of comers. “The way we build and set up cars, we were always chasing drive with the EL and we always had to be mindful offront brakes,” said Mimphy. “As far as the different rear suspension on the AU is concerned and the chase for drive, I believe the shorter

Mindful ofthe drive problem, Glenn always had to look after the back tyres on the EL as it would be very easy ff tofry them, but that’s not so much ofa problem now with the AU. - FTR team manager Tony Murphy

rear trailing arms on the AU have been a plus for us in that area. “Mindful of the drive problem, Glenn always had to look after the back tyres on the EL, particu larly in a sprint race, as it would be very easy to fry them, but that’s not so much of a problem now with the AU.

Couldn’t be happier: As far as Larry Perkins is con cerned the control tyre has achieved and even surpassed its objectives.

brakes and so on and all of that is what goes into Bathurst.” Finally, the control tyre gets the thumbs up from Jeff Grech, team manager for the Holden Racing Team and a key V8 Supercar player who arguably possesses more knowledge about Bridgestone racing rubber on touring cars than any other team in the country. “As far as Bridgestone users are concerned, nothing’s really changed with the move to the control tyre, as last year’s tyre in its hardest compound is basically identical to this year’s tyre - we would have run this compound at Bathurst last year,” stated Grech.

(Photo by Marshall Cass)

teams also had difficulties. “We hadn’t done much run ning with the VT up till then and certainly had made no major changes between the testing and Bathurst, so I didn’t think we’d been running excessive camber or anything abnormal, as we’d satisfactorily used all those set tings on the previous model VS in the past. “While no conclusion was ever really reached, I believe it was probably a bit of the team, the VT, the day and the tyre itself that resulted in the problem. “At this point in time, though, the VT is about as good as it qan get and there really isn’t a lot more speed to be found. “But the thing that you’re always chasing is rear grip and, despite the less than ideal rear suspension/bodywork package, we’re getting better at getting control of it and, consequently, as the Bathurst race goes,on, all adjustments are always directed at the rear. “Mind you, if we ever had the opportunity to fix the mechani cal grip issue at the rear, then we would go quicker - there is another way to go faster and that’s by improved aerodynamic grip,” Grech added. “But, as we’re not rehomologat ing, we can’t do that either. “In terms of tyre life, if you do have to get a rush on at Bathurst for a couple of laps and the driver

“The way we build and set cars up is obviously different from the way that Ross and Jimmy Stone and also Dick Johnson Racing do theirs - for instance, we tend to have a bit of an understeering motor car, whereas they don’t. “Comparing the AU directly with the EL, in our experience the AU is better in drive and is “Last week, we very success therefore more forgiving with the rear tyres - it also allows us to fully went testing on the control run more rear brake, which rubber at Phillip Island with all means a reduction in the braking three of the HRT cars, including the new machine only fimshed a loads on the front tyres. couple of days before for Craig “While Bathurst is not a severe circuit on brakes, I v/ill say that, Lowndes for Bathurst and I can with the way we set cars up, we say that the Bridgestone 265 would not be able to get through compound is certainly durable and is made for the toughest cir Bathurst with the older EL. cuits with a high level of grip.” “We’ll have to see what hap Despite the colossal pool of pens with the AU as far as pad wear is concerned, but the gains knowledge that HRT has accu mulated about Bridgestone’s in that area may bring us up to where the Commodores were,” best, the team unfortunately astounded competitors and spec Murphy opined. “At Bathurst, we’ve never had tators alike with a bout of costly a problem with durability with 'and dramatic tyre failures at Bridgestone tyres and, in fact, in/ last year’s 1000km enduro. the past we’ve even put tyres' But, despite the unpalatable back on and done a second stint. repercussions for. the team, “Settings for Bathurst will be Grech was adamant that the very similar to those used in the team’s approach to tyre set-up championship rounds - I don’t was not the culprit, believe anybody would head off “I can only say that we never in a different direction, as you really got to the bottom of the learn things throughout the problem at all,” Grech explained. “But you can’t say that it was year about the car and its sus pension, shocks, steering. only an HRT problem, as other

abuses the tyre a little bit and gets out of shape, he only has to back off for a lap or two and this tyre will come back, which is a major plus. “As far as our own pool of Bridgestone knowledge was con¬ cerned at the introduction of the control tyre, I have to admit that we had the jump on most of our competitors. “But, to be fair to the Bridgestone-runners with Fords, they had a new car to come to terms with while we didn’t,” Grech added. At this late stage, though. they’ve caught up to us and we’re looking for new ways to forge ahead, as the minute we relax we’ll get passed.” “I believe the control tyre has stopped the supermarket racing, where you can still go out in other classes and buy the tyre that gives you the perfect result on the day - this way, you’re up there with the best of them, whether you’re a million dollar team, or a three million dollar team.”

The VT IS about as good as it can get and there really isnH a lot yy

more speed to befound. - HRT boss Jeff Grech

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5 November 1999

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Since they left Perth for the USA the Green Brothers have made every post a winner in the CART Championship. This year Barry and Kim have guided Dario Franchitti and Paul Tracy to top 3finishes in the FedEx Championship. Team boss Barry Green spoke to PHIL BRANAGAN at Surfers Paradise. Motorsport News:Sum up your 1999 season in one sentence. Barry Green: I think, fantastic. I’m proud of our guys and proud of the team effort. MN: Is it getting harder or easier as seasons go by? BG: Harder. If you look at the grid sheets and so on, it’s so close. The cars are getting closer, the engines are getting closer and you just have to do it better every year. That’s what is so good about our team. We have a very good platform and we don’t try and trick ourselves, which you can do easily in this business. And that shows in the middle of the season, race after race, we had 1 -2 finishes; three of them. Our guys have done a great job. And it’s hard to believe that, after those finishes, we’re still second in the championship!

fl'C

MN: It’s getting to be that sort of series. A few years ago, there were three or four guys with a shot at winning, but now there’s 10 or 11 every weekend. BG: For sure. Dario and Montoya have been the hot guys, the consistent guys, but there’s been so many winners this year and you’re right: any of 10 guys can win any race. MN:1995 was obviously a great season for Team Green. Compare the set-up you have now with the one you had four years ago. BG: It’s a tot bigger. We had 17 people then - now we have 56 people. But we’re running two cars. not one, but, funnily enough, a lot of those 17 guys are Still with us. That is what has made it all possibie; keeping people on the team and keeping them all happy. Of course, you have to be able to afford them. Sponsors sponsor me in the style that I am able to ’ afford to have the right people and the right bits and pieces. In ’95 we had no kind of wind tunnel development program, now we have a big program. We’re doing more testing and building more of our own parts and we have 48,000 square feet, compared to 10,000 square feet we used to have. Big difference ... MN: Do you see the series growing to the point that teams like yours will build a car themselves?

BG: I see the teams shying away from all that, quite frankly. Penske has just bought Reynards, and he’s been his own builder. Dan Gurney builds his own car but that hasn’t been very successful. I think when you’ve got a rule book as tight as we have it, 1 don’t see any advantage in building your own car. Reynard, Lola and Swift are all building very nice cars and, with the teams going their own development on fop of that... You’re looking tor hundredths, not seconds. The rule book pretty well designs the car for you and I don’t see anywhere where you can gain a second. It’s not worth building your own car; you’re better off spending your time in R&D and testing. MN; The balance has shifted in Formula One, which is the most obvious thing with which to compare Indy car racing. The big teams are now business-driven, with manufacturer support. Is this series going that way? BG: There's been rumours that different manufacturers have been interested in buying teams, but I'm not so sure that the manufacturers. for instance Honda, would want to own a team. I think they like having three or four team, three or four chances, and they can learn a lot with a set-up like that. I’m not sure. It will be interesting to see what the manufacturers get out of owning FI teams, and where it goes from there. It’s already a

((

There are guys who really interest me, like Craig Lowndes, who's a tremendous talent, and Jason Bright Holy smokes: Franchitti was in brilliant form at Surfers, taking pole, most laps led, the race win and Juan Montoya’s head back to the USA on a stick. The only sore point was girlfriend Ashley Judd’s broken leg ...(Photo by Marshall Cass)

I Kool by name: Franchitti (far left) and Tracy have made a formidable combination, contrary to many expectations. Know thy enemy: Green reckons Montoya (left, with Tracy)is the best young driver he’s seen in a long time. (Phocos by Slipstream Photographic)

Must be something about Aussies: The Jones brothers have been successful in racing and so have Barry (left) and Kim Green.(Lyniey Rad)

* \

They’re both tremendous drivers who put 110 percent into it. They work well together but, at the same time, they want to beat each others’ butt bad^^ pretty close relationship and that s what we need, that’s what we look for. We also need to be close to the tyre companies, and we are. But, right now, there is a lot of interest in the sport. I could run another car, or maybe another two cars, if I wanted to. But we’re happy doing what we’re doing. We have great partnerships with our suppliers Honda, Firestone and Reynard and with Kool and Klein Tools.

within hours if they wanted to but we want to stick at 20, 21 level. which I think is a good number. I think that, while it would be good for us (CART, IRL) to get back together, it’s cer tainly not worrying me too much. I sleep pretty well. I think that the IRL guys should be concerned; they do not have a series and I think it will be a long time before they do.

MN:There’s been a lot written about the CART-IRL split in the MN: You’ve been very supportive USA. As a former indy 500 win of Paul Tracy. Last year it was ner, how hard is it that you can’t beginning to iook like Paui was at go back and win the race again in its current format? the cross-roads. The sppport you’ve given him has paid off BG: No, I can go back and run the Indy 500 if I want. But my sponsors -this year. are very, very happy with this BG: It’s been both ways. I^didn’t series. have to re-sign Paul at the end of last year but, for me and the guys I think it’s evident that the spon sors are investing in a series, not a in the team, it was an easy deci sion. single race. A single race, even a He has worked hard for us. he fantastic race like Indy, does not could have easily won two or three make a series. They need the races last year and didn’t do it, for shows are around the country and the world. If I could have found a different reasons. Some may have been his doing, some were our sponsor, I could have gone and run the Indy 500. 1 tried, but there’s doing. For us, it was easy; Paul fits in well and works hard. We like not the interest there to run a team at the level at which I want to run a that. team in that race. MN: He seems like a good mea suring stick for Franchitti. Having said all that; we’re already very busy trying to stay in » They’ve been weil-matched this front in this series. I do believe that season. BG: They’re both tremendous dri it would be better for everyone all vers who put 110 percent into it. around if we got the two series They work well together but, at the back together, but I don’t think it’s same time, they want to beat each a necessity. I think that CART is others’ butt bad. very strong; the series could have They know that they are using 20, 30, 40 percent more races

each other to be as fast as they are, and that’s very important. I keep reminding them that that’s the case! MN:In Australia our domestic scene has been very strong, especially in the last couple of years, but we seem to lack the commitment to put a driver on the world stage, either in CART or FI. What are your thoughts on that? BG: You’ve got several good, young drivers coming through. As an Australian, I’d love to see an Australian in one of my cars. We’re looking for the absolute best driver to it into our team and maybe that will be an Australian in the future. There are guys who really inter est me, like Craig Lowndes, who’s a tremendous talent, and Jason Bright, who’s already been to the ’States and done very well in FF2000. Are they ready for an Indy car yet? No. But, if you could get them into a Lights car, which may be something we need to consider, since we have a Lights team, maybe that’s something we will look at. MN: From the point of view of the local business community, what wiil it take? A multi-year plan, to the point where there is

an Aussie candidate for one of your drives? BG: I think so. In my case. I’m not here looking for sponsors. I’m looking for drivers, and not just in Australia. I’m looking for drivers who will fit into our plans for the future, but it would help a driver a lot if a big company got behind them and supported them. But they can’t go straight into Indy cars, in my opin ion. They need to do Lights and then step up. Lights is a very competitive series and a tremendous training ground and it would be, if I was an Australian driver’s manager, that’s where I’d be putting him. MN: Dollar-wise, what does it take to get a driver into Lights? BG: A major sponsor for a Lights car is somewhere between $800,000 and $1.2 in US dollars. MN: Do you get a sense that the will here Is changing? There are young guys pushing through in touring car racing and that may get the attention of corporate Australia.

BG; I think that Australians love their motorsport but I’m not here talking to sponsors, so it’s hard to say what the temperature is of sponsors in the business side I don’t have sponsors catlk^ me suggesting they may get involved, but I don’t expect it, either. If you want it bad enough, you go get it. I have my sponsors, we’re proud to be carrying their colours and we’re here to win. MN: Do you have plenty of goals left for yourself and your team? BG: Oh, yeah. Three or four championships - in a row!- would be nice. I have to take my hat off to Chip Ganassi’s team, which has had a tremendous few years. They are the team to beat this year, they found a young driver in Montoya who is the best young driver I’ve seen for a long, long time, and they have done a tremendous job this year. But I’ve got plenty of racing left, and plenty of races I want to win. This one here would be a gooc place to start. And, three hours later, it was ...

22 October 1999

Outlaw Briefs World's best sign Opener i

Briefs

n Australia’s Andrew Cowin is being hotly tipped for the NHRA’s Rookie of the Year Award. While

Cowin’s appearances with the K&N Filters/Auto Meter Top Fueller have been sporadic his results, including a recent runnerup finish at the US Nationals, have been impressive. The award will be announced at the NHRA’s gala end of year function following the AAA of SoCal Finals at Pomona in a fortnight’s time...

Calder in December and

again in February for the Nationals...

n US Pro Stock driver Allen Johnson will have an increased financial commitment from Amoco for his campaign on the NHRA tour next year. Johnson, who won his first national event at Richmond, Virginia in May with his Dodge Avenger, believes the increase in funding will help the team reach its goal of winnmg the championship next year. “This gives us all ofthe things we need to take the next step,” he said last week.

for ADBA Series THIRTEEN of the best Top Fuel Harley riders from the US, Canada and Europe -have been confirmed for the American Drag Bike World Association’s

ADELAIDE International Raceway’s 1999/2000 season opener got off to a quite,relaxed,start on October 16 with 120

entries contesting the eight brackets -the Supercharged Outlaws Championship, which will be the lead act. staged in Australia next A modest crowd of8,000 year. witnessed some great Leading the list for the series, which will run over racing and saw a few three rounds at Willowbank, stout numbers on the day. Adelaide and Calder race There were a few n Peter Kapiris’ Pennzoil Studebaker spent time at ways in ’January and delays, mainly extracting vehicles fimm the litter February, are American nitro Murray Anderson’s chassis Harley drag bike legends Bill litter. Everything else, shop recently receiving a Furry fellows: n As predicted a couple Furr, John Mancuso, the top new front end following the however, ran to plan with Bill Furr, above, and John of months back in Jon four finishers in this year’s the last chutes deployed car’s impact with the guard Mancuso, right, lead the list Asher’s drag racing column ADBA series, as well as Jim shortly after 10 pm. rail at Hidden Valley. of nitro Harley riders com¬ McClure, who has been here in Motorsport News, A hint of nitro fiilled the Four doorslammersing to Australia for the offered a wild card entry. the front-running Jim air with Robin Kirby and Kapiris, Victor Bray, ADBA’s World The four riders who will Oddy/Fred Hahn IHRA Pro Andrew Searle and Shane Brisbane’s Bailey Brothers Championship Series early represent Australia are yet Mod team has secured high Elcoate -fronted at the fronting with then* cars next year. to have been announced, performance mail order -the Baileys shaking down Valley for a match race s (Photos courtesy of.ADBA) although Brett Stevens is a giants Summit as sponsors their fuel Funny Car, \ recently with Bray taking of their blown ’53 Corvette. known starter and specula Kirby ran a shut-off S.4s the eventual win in front of tion has the Xessive Force Oddy and Hahn fronted pass with the Pennzoil a huge crowd on the The ADBA World at the last round of the team also running. fueller while Ashley slippery surface... ADBA owner, Australian Championship will be some IHRA series in the Summit Bailey laid down some Peter Salmon, said the thing not to be missed." USA - Bill Furr, John colours three weeks ago in check-out passes that the n Information on Perth’s series will rank as one of the Furr is currently the Mancuso, Mark Conner, team would have been a brief preview of how the new Kwinana Motorplex quickest of the international Steve Moore. . great highlights of Australian team will look in 2000... pleased with - a couple of drag racing and speedway bunch, having run 6.53/213 drag racing. Canada - Ron Houniet, strong burnouts and complex can now be found “We’ve been able to offer on his Southern Rock VI, Ken Kent, Dave O’Hara, n One of the most prolific launches showing that on the web at the best prizes in motorcycle although the best perfor Greg McLean. drivers in alcohol dragster the team are starting to Rob Van www.motorplex.com.au. drag racing and, subse mances are separated by Europe find their feet despite history. Bill Barney, passed The website also features quently, assemble the best just 0.7s. Geffen, Ton Pels, Charlie limited opportunities. away on October 12 after a field of racers ever seen in The international team event information for both Karling, Willem Been. The Outlaws bracket briefillness with cancer. members are: Australia,” Salmon said. - GERALD McDORNAN Ravenswood and attracted 16 entries led by Barney, who was backed Claremont Raceways... Lui and Nick Raschella by Castrol for much of his with the Robinvale career, won 23 NHRA n Calder Park’s startline Transport Top national events in 37 final area has now been Doorslammer recording round appearances, resurfaced in readiness for its best ever munbers. ranking him second in the the 1999/2000 season. The Tough competition class behind the late Blaine new woi’k, about 340 ft in came from Ricky Johnson who had 26 wins. length, now completes the “We’ve never Monserrat’s Corvette Barney’s biggest win came Fuimy Car, Matt Able and entire resurfacing of the at the 1990 US Nationals whinged about bud Simon Miller in his Mown entire quarter-mile - the get restraints in the where a perfect .400 reaction Chiysler dragster. last three-quarters ofthe past, we’ve just gone gave him a holeshot victory Raschella continued his out and raced as track having been needed over Coiy McClenathan... good form through hard as we can to be repaved prior to the eliminations after top within our limits track’s touring car event n The IHRA are expected quaU^ring,running to release a PC simulator earlier this year... never over-stepping several six second passes our means,” said game onto the market early on his way to meeting Charlie DiFilippo, 8 Calder Park is again next year. Although details Monserrat in the frnal team owner, crew offering a $100,000 bonus are sketchy to this point, it winning that too. chief and dad. to the first racer outside the is believed the sim game Sav and Michael Ali “Redback US to break the 300 mph will offer players the choice debuted their ex-Les Performance barrier, provided the feat is of driving in Top Fuel, Pro Mathieson B/Altered Ford Exhausts came achieved at its track. The Stock, Funny Car and Pro roadster in Competition onboard for the last Modified. Top Fuel series visits Venomous: Darren DiFilippo is looking for 300 mph. (Photo by Marshall cass) two events of last Eliminator,running a 7.91 to top qualify. Sav fell to season, liked what AUSTRALIA’S fastest Anguel Athanasov in the they saw and heard, and first round... family, the DiFilippos, have joined us for the coming The BB/Gas battle have put some venom into season, with options for t'he continued with locals their bite with the signing following two years. Danny Baines and of Redback Performance “We can now contest the Brenton Bassett, Bassett Exhausts as major spon full Top Fuel series and recording his best ever at sors of their Top Fuel that’s the first time in our 10 7.07/201. dragster for the 1999/2000 years of racing Top Fuel, Baines, howevei, that we’ve been able to do season. advanced to the final Last season the family that.” although a .398 redlight Come and watch John Allpress, National handing the win to Mick team, with 27-year-old son Dan-en doing the driving, set Sales Manager for Redback Utting. the stars the national elapsed time Performance Exhausts, said Super Stock saw the record for the quarter-mile at the signing of the DiFilippo Ceravolo Brothers 4.83 seconds, won two rounds Family Racing team was an collecting a hard earned Gates open at 9.30 am of the series, went to the final exciting move for the company. win - Tony’s C/MS “Top Fuel dragsters are Monaro downing Bob $BO to race enter on the day at the season’s biggest event - the Nationals - while also the epitome of performance Sherry in the final. Spectators $15 Family passes $35 coming closest to being the and the DiFilippo Family Taking wins in the first to break the 300 mph Racing team’s car has proven supporting brackets were Test & tune 11am-5pm Mclvor Highway barrier, but sadly, the team it has the bite which is only Paul Waldom (Modified), Heachcote VIC missed winning the Top Fuel equalled by a Redback,” he Richard Caval(Super Scrutineering closes at 4.30pm Enquiries: series by just one elimination said. Gas), Mark Lee(Super 03 5439 leSG,03 5439 1H8B Racing at 5.30 or 041B 07B 478 “The DiFilippo team, car Sedan),Matt Visentin round of racing - the costly decision to race within their and efforts go hand-in-hand (Super Street) and means and miss an series with our products and strategy Raymond Gould(Junior round in Queensland being and we’re looking forward to a Dragster). strong association with them.” the deciding factor. -STEVEN WHITE

-.A n

DiFilippos ready to strike

Redback sponsors 1999/2000 Top Fuel campaign

Street: Car Shoutout niiadified Street

NfiW & Old Competitors

DYO

Heaizhcate Park Racewvay

Saturday 13 IMov 1999

22 October 1999

n With A]Hofmann

jSchuey fits

having signed for Jim Dunn’s 50th anniversary year in the sport next year, Helen Hofinann is believed to be close to con firming who will be dri ving the couple’s Pontiac on the tour -expat Australian Helen running the team on her own...

s his first NHRA event, and maybe the orce and WJ secure even more titles

her won his first national the NHRA title in Top er-up spot came with a the 90s the thumbs up. (Photos by Oslaszewski/McDoman)

Report by DAVID OSTASZEWSKl IN his debut “full time' season on the “tour”, second generation racer Tony Schumacher has led the Winston Championship for much of the second half of the season and has looked like having the goods to go on and take the NHRA title. But, despite the success that he’s had so far, there has been something most important missing - his first NHRA national event win. In Dallas, Schumacher found what he was looking for... Schumacher struck oil at the Motorplex, winning for the first event in nine final round appearances - five of them coming in 1999 - while taking the race by storm. In what could be the decid ing factor in the ’99 champi onship, Schumacher’s Exide Batteries dragster downed

Scott Kalittadn the final. posting a winning 4.62/323 when Kalitta broke at midtrack - extending his vital points lead over Joe Amato. “The win came along when we really needed it hke I had hoped it would,” said Schumacher. “I knew if I got out in front of Kalitta that the race was mine. Once I got there and didn’t see him, it was a big relief. “When you have that ning the 14th Annual many shots at winning and O’Reilly FaU Nationals, Force motored to an amaz¬ don’t get it done, it begins to wear on you mentally.” ing ninth Funny Car champiThe win couldn’t have onship this decade while been any more emphatic . notching win number 10 of with the the “Shoe” also set- the year - Force defeating ting a new speed record at Tommy Johnson in the 326.91 mph... quickest and fastest side by While the Top Fuel battle side Funny Car race of all may still go down to Pomona, time - 4.82/319 to 4.84/319! “The old hot rod did what John Force and Warren Johnson clinched NHRA she needed to do today.” said Championships in their Force. “It was fast and that’s respective Funny Car and what we needed to beat that Pro Stock classes at the Interstate Batteries team in Texas Motorplex while win- the final.

“We’re glad to get the win and the champi¬ onship locked away. Coil talked about [Johnsori crew chief] Wes Cemy not taking it easy on us, so we knew we had to go for it. Force was a picture of consistency throughout the event, qualifying number one at 4.84/317 and using bracket-like passes of 4.82/321, 4.85/317 and 4.82/309 to stop his opponents. Crew Chief Austin Coil reflected on the championship -his 11th as head wrench. “You spend all year looking at the points and to finally clinch the title is great. Now we start working towards next year because come February, we’ll all be at zero.” Warren Johnson won the Dallas event for the third year in a row, locking up his fifth championship in a clas sic final round with rival Jim Yates - 6.84/201 to 6.89/199. WJ dominated the event and set new et and speed records at 6.822/202.33 before

going on his competitor-pound ing elimination performance. “The car was awesome on the final run,” said Johnson. “I stuck it in gear and it just hiked up tho front end and marc];:-d right to the finish line," ne said. “I’ll enjoy this champi onship for about a half-hour and then I have to go back to work. We’ve only won 7 races this year so, obviously, there’s a lot of room for improvement. If we had a perfect season, we’d have won them all...” Brad Jeter kept his Pro Stock Truck championship hopes alive with a final round win over Vinnie Barone. In a battle of “Grumpy” Jenkins-powered Chevy S10s, Jeter took win number three of ‘99, 7.52/178 to 7.59/177 after both drivers cut brilliant .409 and .401 lights respectively. Jeter also set a new speed record of 179.21 in the semi final round. “We knew coming into this race that, if we wanted to win the championship, we had to win today,” said Jeter. “That was the best run of my career and I knew I needed that to keep the champi onship ahve.” Alcohol dragster champion Rick Santos scored his sixth win of the year when he defeated Bill Reichert in the final round, 5.46/255 to 5.65/250. Pat Austin defeated Chuck Cheeseman, 5.66/253 to 5.73/249 in the Alcohol Funny Car final round. Australia’s Steve Harker was qualified eighth (5.73/250) and went to the second round but lost to Jimmy Jones.

Ip^ers r^ect Eastern Creeks iiroposal

i^iDRA’s NSW Division Director, 'PAMNING rejectioh of the not supporting a race on an Terry Agland,said a dear message unprepared track, the sanctionARDC’s proposal for a race a largeiy unprepared ing body surveyed its licence has been sent to both the ARDC, track at Eastern Creek has holders in mid-October with the who control Eastern Creek, and the Government. !coihe from the NSW state’s results apparently clear. “The fact that some racers -87 percent stated they did i racers with an ANPRA sur- " not wish to participate at the who could use the track in its [yey indtcatihg that nearly 90 n current condition are not willDecember 4 event. 'pereent of licence hoiders ^ Of that numb er, 55 percent ing to race is very important,” l^-did not want to take part in he said. said they would race bf the track 'the December 4 event ●® spec“We aecept the difficulties was fully prepare d to accepted standards. ! lulation now having the the faced by the ARDC in providing kevent almost unlikely to industry standard conditions, 77 percent w ere not satis¬ fied that the re duced track but we beheve the sport and the ! receive Ai^RA sanctioning. I After Giaims pf ANDRA not pFeparation was adeqaate for Sy^ey racers deserve the same opportunities as their Counteri supporting its constituency by their vehicles.

parts in other states. The appM- : cation from the ARDC to stage ; limited events does not address j that.” i With a submission on costs for j a stand-alone drag racing ftieili- , the Western Sydney ty Motorplex - now having been l submitted to the Premier’s Department by proponents Jim i; Read and David Cook, the sport | now just waits, The government h ave commit- ; ted to confirming a d>ate for | them decision soon, -GERALD MCDORNAN i

n While on the subject of drivers being signed for next season. Dean Skuza is apparently close to con firming either Phil I Burkhart Jr or Randy Anderson as the driver of his team’s second Dodge fuel coupe for 2000. Anderson is a known quantity while Burkhart surprised many with his first ever NHRA event win at the wheel ofPaul Gratton’s independent Funny Car during the year... n Englishman Dave Fletcher has been con firmed as crew chieffor Del Worsham’s number two Funny Car - the team being announced recently with the surprise neing Frank Pedregon as driver, With sponsor, auto chain CSK stepping up recently, three-time national event winner Worsham believes a sec ond car is the only way the dominant Force team can be challenged... Fletcher is currently assistant crew chief to Wes Cemy on the Interstate Batteries Funny Car driven by Tommy Johnson... n Recently departed Cory McClenathan crew chief, Rick Cassel, fronted at Dallas m Top Fuel racer Doug Foxworth’s pit. Cassel, who was rumoured to have been told his services were to be terminated in the Gibbs camp at the end of the year, walked out on the MBNA team in Topeka. He is expected to help Foxworth for the two Texas races, his 2000 plans as yet undecided... n Talking about new tuners in Dallas, Funny Car racer Scotty Cannon fronted without crew chief Dale Pulde, the former Pro Mod champion appar ently wanting to see how he faired calling the shots. The first two rounds of qualifying showed Cannon had learnt plenty in his first season of racing fuel coupes, an ofF-the-trailer 5.15 followed by a 4.99/306 from the Oakley-backed “Nitro Mater” Con'ette...

1999 WINSTON DRAG RACING SERIES CHAMPIONSIflP POINTS AT OCTOBER 31, 1999

i! I-

1999 Winston Top Fuel Championship 13 38 1. , Tony Schumacher , 2. Joe Amato 12 57 1 198 3. Doug Herbert 1 187 4. GaryScelzl 5. Mike Dunn 1 172 1 160 6. Doug Kalitta .1 155 7. Kenny Bernstien .. ,1082 8. Cory McClenathan 10 63 9, Larry Dixon 10 22 10. Bob Vandergriff

1999 Winston Funny Car Championship 1857 John Force 1496 2. Tony Pedregon 1342 3, WhitBazemore ,962 4. Frank Pedregon .892 5. Dean Skuza 6. Del Worsham ,865 .823 7. Ron Capps .791 8. Jim Epier .774 9. Tommy Johnson Jr .768 10. Cory Lee 1.

1999 Winston Pro Stock Championship 1, Warren Johnson 2. Kurt Johnson 3. 4. 5. 6.

Jeg Coughlin Jim Yates Richie Stevens Mike Edwards

7. Troy Coughlin 8. Mark Pawuk 9. Allen Johnson lO.Greg Anderson

1650 1367 ,1273 ,1181 1036 .984 .937 .897 .653 .775

42 22 October 1999 whispers doing the rounds now have Epler’s spot under question following their decision to depart...

n Cousins Doug and Scott Kalitta fronted in Dallas without their crew chief, veteran Ed “the Ace” McCuUoch, with the “Ace” and team owner Connie Kalitta, above, coming to an mutual decision to head their own ways. Despite the poor timing, with Doug in the midst of a championship battle with five other drivers, Connie believed the team would be as competitive. “That’s drag racing, bad timing is just part of the deal sometimes,” he said. “We’ll definitely be looking for a new crew chief in the off-season but right now we’re not going to think about anything but racing. We’ll be just as competitive as we were before...” n Rumours have Bernstein close to announcing a second team car for 2000 with his son apparently ready to jump in the seat. Word has been circulating tor some time in the US about a second Bernstein car, sponsored by WWF rival. World Championship Wrestling, although no confirmation has yet come. Inklings of a deal getting closer came recently with the appointment offormer Cory McClenathan crew chief Mike Green to the team to assist current boss Lee Beard... n Bernstein has also recently announced the signing ofa continuation of his contract with Budweiser. Bernstein, who has been backed by Budweiser brewer Anheuser-Busch since 1980, has inked a deal that will see his team campaign in the familiar Bud King livery at least until the end of 2005... n Talk has Jim Epler’s future with the WWF team as unknown following sponsor Easy Care dropping the sport’s first 300 mph fuel coupe driver. It was rumoured in the US that one ofthe reasons Epler was hired by the Jerry Toliver-owned team was the availability of major associate sponsorship and

n Bob Vandergriff has lost his major backers, Jerzees, for his Top Fuel campaign, casting doubts over whether he’ll be able to front in 2000. 'Through his screen printing business, which produces most ofthe NHRA racers’souvenir t-shirts, Vandergriff was a major purchaser ofthe Jerzees product but, apparently,it wasn’t enou^ this time to get him over the funding line... n Top Alcohol racer Melanie Troxel(below), who won his first NHRA national event this year in Seattle, will be stepping up to Top Fuel in 2000. 'Troxel’s In-N-Out Burger team are believed to have already begun ordering the components required for the move... n Top Alcohol Funny Car racer John Lawson is stepping up to the fuel ranks, having recently purchased Gene Christerson’s “California Racing Experience” Dodge Avenger. Lawson, who has the backing of Lucas Oils -the same sponsor as Austraha’s Gary Philhps,licensed in the car recently. Dale Pulde drove the car to a runnerup finish and a 4.89 at the "97 Winston Finals. Expect former NHRA Top Fuel and IHRA Funny Car World Champion Mark Oswald to be crew chief... n Kenny Koretsky,the only driver to have ever qualified (or even attempted to)in both Top Fuel and Pro Stock at the same event in the early 90s, is believed to be ready to make a comeback. NHRA announcer Bob Frey said in Dallas last week that Koretsky will return to Top Fuel next season... n Recent Pro Stock 200 mph club inductees, Bruce Allen and Tom Martino, both have an Australian connection with their new Don Ness-built Pontiacs running Murray Anderson Australian-built rear ends... n Speculation is rife in the southern states that IHRA ovraer Bill Bader is ready to drop the mountain motored Pro Stock class, with the former “factory hot rod” bracket now ranking a distant fourth in popularity behind Top Fuel, Pro Mod and the new nitro Harley bracket... - GERALD McDORNAN/ DAVID OSTASZEWSKI

Double, double: Melanie Troxel is heading to Top Fuel. 3

5 o Q

I .V.

Sceizi

4.480 But Dixon wins Houston

WITH much of the focus being put on the Top Fuel and Pro Stock Motorcycle points championships, Larry Dixon, Rickie Smith and Tony Mullen sur prised everyone by taking event titles in Houston while John Force joined the trio, posting his 11th win of the season. Dixon scored his second win of the year, downing Gary Scelzi in the final round, 4.59/314 to 4.70/289. Dick LaHaie had the car

BUMPEH4*

Forceful: John won his 11th NHRA event of the year.

performing flawlessly, get ting four good laps in during qualifying before posting another four in eliminations, all eight runs between 4.57 and 4.62. “I’d like to dedicate this win to my friend, Greg Moore, who died today in a racing accident,” said Dixon. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and team-mates. Scelzi denied Tony Schumacher a clinching of the title in the semi-finals when he ran the quickest et in history - 4.480s - defeat

Gibbs FC shock

WITH an apparent sudden move in funding related to his Interstate Batteries Winston Cup NASCAR, Joe Gibbs has unexpectingly pulled the pin on his Funny Car operation. The move by Gibbs, right, which takes effect following the World Finals at Pomona next week, has shocked the entire team which now finds itself unemployed - driver Tommy Johnson perhaps toe most shocked of all. “We're all shocked," Johnson said. “Everything we’ve been doing since I joined the team in May has been aimed at challenging for the championship in the year 2000 and now we won’t even be together, “it's

very, very disappointing. I guess this i j how it goes but we’ve beei running so well. “Hope:utiy, v/e've done good enough as a group that someone else v.i'i hire us “ Crew cHei, vves Cern;. will move to Gibbs' MBNA Top Fuel team next seasco.

Schumacher’s Exide car. The 4.48 was also good for a new national record and the runner-up finish moves Scelzi into second place in the points, 109 behind Schumacher, who only needs to qualify in Pomona to lock up the championship. John Force put the Castrol Mustang into victory lane for the second time in just seven days, sweeping both Texas events in typical Force fashion. He recorded a 4.84/318 to defeat.WWF driver Jim Epler and the Undertaker Pontiac - the win, Force’s 81st. Rickie Smith notched his first Pro Stock victory since 1993 by defeating Tom Martino in the final round on a holeshot,6.92/199 to 6.89/198. “When you don’t run all the races, it’s a deal where you sometimes shine and sometimes you don’t,” said Smith. “Today was just om- day.” Tony Mullen won his first career Pro Stock Bike victory when Dave Schultz red fight-

ed in the final round. Mullen posted a winning 7.24/184, making him the sixth different rider to win this season - a new NHRA record. Matt Hines set the et record at 7.154 and upped the mph mark to 191.48, leaving Houston just 14 points behind Angelle Seeling heading into Pomona, Rick Santos defeated Melanie Troxel in a classic blown alcohol vs. in jected nitro Top Alcohol Dragster final round battle. 5.43/256 to 5.42/259. Four-time alky Funny Cai Champion Pat Austin ended any hopes Tony Bartone had of winning a second championship by defeating Bartone in the final round, 5.63/256 to 5.64/250. Bartone’s loss gave Frank Manzo his third straight Federal Mogul title. Steve Harker qualified seventh but fell in the second round, - DAVID OSTASZEWSKI

Trickle Rickie: Rickie Smith took out Tom Martino in PS.

Spideraian’s nuNHuilieeled 5893 LARRY “the 99

Spiderman McBride created drag racing histo ry in Houston on Sunday by recortog the first ever five sec ond elapsed time for a motorcycle. Riding his Pingel/Red Line Oil

nitro-buming Kawasaki, McBride recorded an amaz ing 5.993 to write his name into the history books. McBride also ran the fastest ever ter

minal speed, a whopping 243 mph, despite “clicking” the bike at just 5.8 seconds.

Canberra drag court date

AFTER failing to follow an ACT Supreme Court direction to prepare for an appearance in August, the ACT Government has been directed

to appear in court on December 6th to solve its dispute with the Canberra International Dragway. The dispute centres around the track’s lease on the property on which it is built, with CID late last year having been denied its contractual option to extend the term for another 10 years. With the adjacent airport proposing expansion, the ACT Government which is responsible for aspects of the

lease despite the land actually being Commonwealth Government land and classified as national - offered the man agement of the track an extension of just five years. An extensive period of disagreement over the lease led the management to the only option available to them - close the facility for the time being as doubt was thrown over its long-term viability. Frustrated with the resulting legal arguments and the local government’s apparent bureaucratic inefficiency, CID management applied to the Supreme Court on October 19 to force the govern ment to co-operate, with the court hand¬

ing down directions of a December 6 hearing. “It’s very relieving to have finally secured a firm hearing for the matter following what’s been 11 months of fimstration and hard work,” Canberra International Dragway manager, Geoff Develin said. “I have the highest level of confidence in our legal counsel and anticipate a positive result from the hearing. “Given the date for the hearing, with a judgement expected soon after, we should be in a position to schedule events from early January.” - GERAI.D McDORNAN

n TwoNASC:AE Truck Series 4r.'i' "have landed Winston Cupj it’ >

:> I Bliss r^as tKrflr signec up as pil'it fb^ Ba'nan-£e] scvt-i River £j<::nfC - 81 is tim»● T'oi> vir.ner wii! run > tnis r.ini ● Cu;i (■ thrs'-' vear S:a v Compa-’i, a lether i.rucker, n- :iruntht .'emaianis W’lniu ■ I Cup e-.-ents for Meiling Rac:nc in the Cart-iu'! ^^woTk Tai’.run. Ctem' chief Newt Moore left McUijir when Rich Brckie was ngaaeei by Cempton,

Report by MARTIN D CLARK FOR the third time this year, Jeff Burton headed his older brother, Ward, to the finish line in a Winston Cup race, this time at Rockingham on October 24, the site of Ward’s only career victory and Jeffs sixth this year. Jeff B’s Roush crew put together a true team effort, working hard on the car all day - he almost fell a lap down to then race leader Dale Jarrett on lap 140, but the adjust ments paid off and the caution flags fell his way. “This was the best win we’ve ever had,” said Jeff Burton. “This is the hardest we’ve ever had to work to win. “Halfway through, I would have been happy just to fi nish on the lead lap. It was a big, big surprise to win this race.” Jeff B remains sixth in points, thanks to six lousy finishes between 35th and 37th - he’s 529 points behind Dale Jarrett and unlikely to make up much ground. Jarrett, meanwhile, maintained his 246 advantage over Bobby Labonte, Jarrett heading the most tours to gain five extra points, but finishing fourth behind Bobby L. For Jarrett, victory looked cer tain, as he dominated the early stages, leading 147 of the first 178 laps. “We thought we had the car to win. We just have to learn what this race track wants at the end of the race,” he said, after finishing in the top three for the sixth time at Rockingham.

Burton 'n Burton: Ford Taurus ol Rockingham winner Jeff Burton heads the CAT Pontiac Grand Prlx of ruftnor-up brother Ward. (All pics by Sutton Imagus)

Ward B finished the closest of seconds by just .337 seconds, follow ing a desperate last lap effort. Td nin another 400 laps to have five more today,” he remarked. “I feel sure we would have won today, if we had a little more time. If I had gotten there, I think I would have won the race. “I don^t think Jeff would have had much trouble about me win ning, as he knows how hungry I am. “I’m not going to say I would have wrecked him, but it would have been interesting.” Ward B was frustrated by the lapped Jeff Gordon, who was trying to get one lap back. “We had a lapped car race us really hard and that got me a big distance behind my brother on the final restart. We played catch up from there,” Ward B added. Mark Martin won pole with a 157.383 mph lap, surprisingly his first of the year - he led the first five tours before Jeremy Mayfield took up the running, then Jarrett, with Ricky Craven showing well in the Mid West Transit Chevy, which was up as high as second at one point. The fastest cars on the track, though, belonged to Sterling Marlin and Rusty Wallace, Marlin from 23rd and Wallace from 25th into the top ten in no time, both using any groove on the three-wide track. Rusty Wallace lead 107 laps mid way, but fell off the pace late in the going. “The car was perfect all day, then I put that set of tyres on and every thing went to heck,” said Wallace. “I adjusted on the last stop, thinking it was getting cooler and,

: ■ D:^-Jirrert crew chief Todd

Jeff ’n Jeff: #99 Jeff Burton (above) laps amoilTif-paiseJnkGlfSorcion., j

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i Best show in town: NASCAR’s Winston Cup Series ■ produced its usual high-speed spectacle at Rockingham. when I adjusted for it, I took wedge out to loosen it up. We put the last set of tyres on and the car was so loose I could hardly drive it. It was that one bad set of tyres that screwed us up.” There were only three caution periods, but they played a part in the race. The first aired when Rick Mast cut an oil line on lap 179 to enable a third round of pit stops. On the restart, the lapped Tony Stewart was black fl agged by NASCAR for jumping the restart in an effort to gain a lost lap Stewart would still finish 12th, one lap down. The second yellow waved on lap 300 when Craven scrubbed the wall and W’Burton was first off pit road, setting a torrid pace. Unfortunately for Ward, the

b«eB

bySASSSfer sweanng

third cauttrtiija on lap 321-played against liioc®. “Thsit'l&38 (lilferrry N .adeau) Just ran me ovQnsr - "the ■ '.day waimifit be complete uuiailessB 'hes rruns irato sa.mebody,” isiiid’. H'allljyEDtalleiaibaffib. The HTf’fiek sataritsd 'whem Irvfin contacted . Dal i« ISarmhaxdt and Nadeaui' liiWl: the reaair off Dctllanteach in the cmnleawc, “I dom'ltSa# ’whiiatbe's thinkftag; I guess he: '..jattiits sa head stars on next year,’ sfdi: JaaOlenliacla., whao is replaced tay'N’jadeaau in 200Oi at Hendrirf hStfloMrsponrts. Follo™^’lii8- ira.Jladega -win -the previotmS'rVeek iBiiarTiib'SiTdtt 'caded his day eartiaiintnhe “The ® '■ (IfwSni) flioofeed icni; with said the his riiihteit resarr, Intimidiaatof~T,. “We comaE Dp' -off' the Conner and he started, .jjp ftim naje. D thd-rik the pipe in the.^ itinnapesiT-stenck in tthe nose of! -myN , eat ieaause! I coul^’t turn anuidiliikiiocliEed' the Iheck out of the wall. John ^AnEJalrettti tiaaTiie-d his Imck around ■●vith t. aee-'ventrtth'pllaced'eEnrt in the Fetty^.pomtiaaic,hBS Qrst top ten in siaraf^ccs. Only iseve:^ni ca®8 tEnisfcedi on the lead lap,„:iueiB.ljrg;dlyr'.tatfce domiraation by Wallace i smd the lack of canitiCiion!Jeff ffaet'OT, Sinishing lilthr- aHerr adijjjusttmeats, ome lap dowm-ajia -idtallyiniiigilrtem 32nd; at one potent Final: fresnai-ult: ij Oturtson (iFor-(ct' 131.103j:iiipteih;''/ Jiitawton- (Poiiliiac\ B Labonated^oiidQftt 'Jarrtett (.ford), R Wallacceljn.-lcrd’i.i, IHtlartciin tFord), Andretti. (Pp»OTtia(S.i), Nwiarltm (Oiewy-) 392 laps.„'MaX.-;3i|iel(3l (Fr-ord),. Hamilton (Chevy). Points. -BtatetmtliUKs: 'Stiarrett 47®, B Labonte 452^)Slaa!fttea443!8. (iJordcan 4298, Stewaf?Sn'i2^’'6,^:Buwora -424i3, Earnhardt 4‘4tD82i iE ffWaltlace- 3837. W Burto!m36S»(2;SSgin3!mer3!603.

■ Hut Strickliii i'.'-' ‘ ’ yi. i three-year conMnH A’, ir.sor .^lotors^.'rts arJ; ■inokigies Motersp-.^rts Sale! ■ Dav? Marcih, Ed Hut Stricken a.ad Rich Bick- ■■ faded to make zhc. Fu>ckiit^-a'' t-3-car

field.

Mike- ^nne'-, -J imm> Spencer, , Dale Ea-uhardi. Ste-ee Mike Biis? and CPad Uric- uaed rro\i.ssoE2i slots lo n;ake the cut. ; ■-Along ritti the \r> .lersci, Roush teem, it lo-i*.-- ■-<-) , that Kcv.,r, Lepage's A' C^de'P.msc-re-i Roush wri: *u return in 200C. TV»-. iid-’ -at-? -ecent''' fiten taken c-ver ar u t!’ ^ -●iw company having no cv. ‘-“s r racing■ Cha-u Lrtle made ar- .apoioe;- tu ?t .-irior..; race tea-ler Bobte _ -i.-'om-:- .CL hein.g a lap ao\- n ● ffl fir nt o.f the then -act- tea’; ■1 Ij 'Uiooth thin.eg over. ■emarl:-i-c Lixrie. '1 sho-oia ri a-. ■ y- -'er, ^’rr.more room. Labonte %el,s that acfif-is 'r .■ r ’,-ntle ar c t»i'J El-ioi: dia hel-i him lose the race to-jeff G .-r-.M ■ >ji the ciosint aps ■-n.iea ■ NASCMchas.<-*ars following ffjckcnehanChevrolet of Steririii Mark U. Pontiacs u' 8 a Sc. 1 j’-jnt--- .a Ward 'P---' .n and Ut Fotes ff.u.st\ t' rl:a>?e and D.?'t Jarret-

■ The FBI s investigating the .ramilies if :he three spectators killed at Lc.wes Motor Speedway. Charlotte, rn the May TRL race. Lowes stores have been the tar * ●. :ks, get ofhcmt'iogs in recent tnree sto-’^- close re the speecwr;■ have had hrmhs placed in then cne explod:'".,g in tb c-rrm--"- ● ● i.re ana .-ntrs “ 1 ::ie

44 5 November 1999

Reynard and Penske Cosworth t blow wind up NASCAR NASCAR

REYNARD Motorsport has announced that it has joined forces with Roger Penske to construct a purpose-built, NASCAR-specific wind tunnel in Mooresville, North Carolina, for the development of vehicles in the Winston Cup, Busch Grand National and Craftsman Truck series. Reynard, which is renowned for its chassis design in Formula One and CART Champ Cars, opened its suc cessful new aerodynamic Auto Research Center in IndianapoUs earlier this year and also supplied design and technical support to the British American Racing Formula 1 team for the construction of its wind tunnel in Brackley, England. The Mooresville facility will be geared to the special requirements of N^\SCAR and will contain features to help the performance of the models more accurately reflect full-scale cars for oval racing conditions. The complete specification will not be announced until the facility opens in approximately one year.

“Reynard has an unequalled expertise in designing wind tunnels for testing up to 50% models,” said Penske, who will be a partner and co-investor. “We believe the technology will be useful to NASCAR racing, because it is more cost-effective to test models in the wind tunnel than experiment with full-size cars at the track. “All competitors can use the Auto Research Center on a confidential and economic basis, so they can

include wind tunnel^development in their testing pro grams.” Reynard president Adrian Reynard commented that “Roger understands the importance of wind tunnels, as they have been one of the technologies contributing to his performance results over the past 30'years. “I’m delighted he has decided to invest in this facility with us. We believe that this new Auto Research Center will give teams another resource to gain an edge in the intensely competitive world of NASCAR.”

Kimbo propped for Japan

NASCAR Champion Kum Jane is anticipating some close racing during the Coca-Cola 500 at the Twin Ring Motegi complex in Japan on November 20. Jane is no stranger to the circuit, having attended the Winston Cup racing over the last few seasons, his experience enabling his John Sidney Racing team to carry out a

few specific modifications to tailor his Chevy Monte Carlo to the track. Given the ultra-smooth racing .surface on the slightly banked high speed oval, a much softer, suspen sion than the norm for the bumpy Australian conditions is deemed to

n SBIII Motorsports is to close, this jiist after a recent sponsor agreement with Motorsports Safety Technologies - a meeting is set for November with team mem bers, where the announcement is expected to be made. Hut Strickhn had just been signed to a three-year contract with team owner Scott BarbourSBIII was formed at the end of 1998, with RickyCraven the before he was released and replaced by Loy Allen Jr and then Stricklin.

of what oval racing is like on the other side ofthe pond.

n Ground has now been broken on the new Rockingham Motor Speedway in Northamptonshire, England and several guests from the track and BRSCC visited the track’s namesake in North Carolina over the NASCAR race weekend in October. Peter Davis, the managing director ofthe new 1.5-mile oval and road course facility, planned the visit to give them all a close up

be mandatory and vehicle aerody namics are also a major factor. Jane believes that the three

Australian teams will be at a disad vantage as far as the aerodynamics are concerned, the American Winston West competitors running vehicles that have benefitted from

WmI

n NASCAR has now given the OK for the 2000 Ford Taurus to be used in competition next year. One new car has been built, a combined effort by Roush Racing, who built the test car, Penske South and Robert Yates Racingthe car will be tested following the season-ending Atlanta event. - MARTIN D CLARK

t/Ui

No wedded Wiss: Truck racer Mike Bliss is off to Winston Cup for 2000, but who with - Eel River, or Foyt?.(Martin d ctarti)

As far as engines are concerned, Sidney went to the trouble of hav ing a brew mixed in Australia to match the specifications of the Unocal fuel the Americans will be

n Melling Racing, who had Jerry Nadeau driving the Cartoon Network Fords for the majority of 1999 before his release, was told that the TV network would not be back to sponsor the operation in 2000. Rich Bickle and Steve Grissom have driven the Melling entry in recent events. Cartoon Network is expect ed to move over to the Butch Mock-Galaxy Motorsports entry in 2000 with new steerer WaUy Dallenbach, who takes over from Ted Musgrave. Musgrave, meanwhile,is rumoured for a possible top IRL seat. -MD CLARK

AMr

\ ! f

BWss move upsets A.J.

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plying NASCAR engines to the Cal Wells Busch Series team. Operating out of its Torrance, California, base, the Ford-owned Cosworth Engineering concern has been responsible for the develop ment of the all-conquering 2.65 litre turbocharged V8 XB Indy Car engine and its derivatives and the Ford Sierra Cosworth RS500’s NE Series EAO Sports 2000 cylinder are going to be behind in certain block-based 2.3 litre in-line four areas and experience counts for an enormous amount in NASCAR. DOHC injected YBV Midget speed “But we see tremendous potential way engine, both projects having been successfully carried out by in the details of the engine design we think we can exploit.” Engine Project Manager and ex-pat Sporting McDonMd’s sponsorship Englishman Kim Sparkman. signage, the Well’s entry will be dri Cosworth, which has not been ven by Anthony Lazzaro during the involved with a carburetted engine -TONY GLYNN 2000 series. since its 1969 Formula Atlantic Ford

AJ Foyt is apparently none too pleased that word got out that Mike BUss is to pilot his Conseco Pontiacs in 2000. Bliss, a regular on the NASCAR Truck Series, decided against driving for Eel River Racing and long-time friend, co-owner and crew chief Barry Dodson when their 2001 sponsor fell through. This left Dodson very upset with Bliss and Bliss saying he was going to drive for Foyt. It seems that no contract has been signed between Bliss and Foyt, but a verbal agreement has been given - but, knowing Foyt’s temperament, don’t be surprised if a change is made in the driving department. - MARTIN D CLARK

Indianapolis 500 cti

four cylinder based upon the ubiqui tous Ford 110 Series sedan block, will supply only the Wells team with engines in the short term, but will explore the possibility of supplying additional teams in the future. “We are very excited to be start ing this new chapter in Cosworth’s history,” said Ian Bosco, Cosworth’s vice-president. “However, we realize we have our work cut out for us. We realize we

supplying and, after modifications on his dyno, found an increase in power as a bonus over his usual -T GLYNN unleaded-spec fuel.

n An announcement is expected .shortly that Richard Petty will switch from Pontiac to Dodge in 2001 - Ray Evemham was recent ly seen at Petty Enterprises and a press announcement is expected at the SEMA show in Las Vegas, or at the Homestead-Miami race on November 12. Joe Gibbs, who was rumoured to also be switching, has said he will stay with Pontiac for his drivers, Bobby Labonte and Tony Stewart.

dee tfee mA fkiK^?

announced that it will be sup

constant tweaking of body panels during their heavy 1999 racing schedule.

iB’Joe Nemechek signed a two-yeai’ i'contract with car owner Andy Petree to drive the Oakwood-spoii: , sored Monte Carlo starting in 2000 - Petree has lost sponsor Skoal , and the financially troubled Oakwood is contracted to take over. Petree stated that he will return Q. as the team’s crew chief, following the announcement that Sam Johns O will follow current driver Ken Q Schrader to the M&Ms MB2 ■c -MDC Motorspoi-ts Pontiacs.

COSWORTH in America has

1999 WINSTON CUP SERIES RESULTS North Carolina Speedway 24 October 1999 I. Jeff Burton 2. Ward Burton ... 3. Bobby Labonte 4. Dale Jarrett

.. .

Ford

. . .

.Chevrolet

.. .Pontiac

12. Tony Stewart .

.. .Pontiac Ford

13. Kenny Irwin . . 14. Terry Labonte IS. Steve Park . . .

.. .Pontiac Ford .Chevrolet .Chevrolet .ChevrolM

Ford

S. Rusty Wallace . 6. Mark Martin ...

Ford

11 .Jeff Gordon

.Chevrolet

7. John Andretti

.. .Pontiac

16. Kenny Wallace 17. Mike Skinner

8. Sterling Marlin

.Chevrolet

18. Elliott Sadler .

Ford

19. Ricky Rudd

Ford

20. Jimmy Spencer

Ford

9. Jeremy Mayfield 10. Bobby Hamilton

Ford .Chevrolet

Points to 26 Sept 1999 .4772 . . .4526 2 Bobby Labonte 3 Mark Martin ., .4438 .4298 4 Jeff Gordon . . . 4286 5 Tony Stewart . .4243 6 JefT Barton , . . I Dale Jarrett

7 Dale Earnhardt

.4082

8 Rusty Wallace 9 Ward Burton 10 Mike Skinner

.3837 .3682 J603

5 November 1999

Damp night at Western Auto Wwmambool drops SRA Series after NASR Ikenre dispute engine m r August at Pay day:Wing the Bacchus and engine Marsh track testing saw paid off. Lynton Matthew om the pace. Reed, in the rtony Glynn pic) Kato Super Exceed JSR of Fred Edwards, blew off the cobwebs with a fine second, ahead of Bateau Bay’s John Shore, in the .turn 1, where Bob Forbes was tagged by Peter Knight, who spun, Caltex Havoline Energy #6 Eagle. Heat two got no further than along with Tim McCubbin. Knight’s brother, Steve, in the #24 Flocon Foster, left the field behind to win byhalf a lap. Behind him was a furious dice between SRA Series Champion Jeff Judd in the Autopro Foster and McCubbin’s PPG J&J - the battle was so intense that McCubbin didn’t see the chequered flag and ended up' astride Judd’s tank in turn 1. The final heat of the night saw a TOOWOOMBA’S Cameron Gessner brok^ through for his maid redeeming win for McCubbin, who en feature vrin after taking the lead with'barely half a lap to run had to fend off the advances of in roimd two of the Queensland Sprintcar Summer Shoot-Out Mike Van Bremen’s I&V Truck Series at Brisbane’s Archerfield Speedway last weekend. Repairs Foster, with Canberra’s Young gun Darrell Hodges had led the majority of the event before Darren Saillard third in the lapped traffic opened the door for Gessner’s Union Steel Maxim. Komatsu Johnboy after a good dice Hodges’ Textron Maxim was later adjudged to have passed a car on with Jeffrey. the infield, so he would have been stripped ofthe win had he taken it. Rookies David Swayn, John Tony Bridge continued his good early-season form after being promot Vogels and Paul Batlow all made ed to second. Dean Wanless, in the #56 EWT Wreckers J&J, was a lap sensible debuts. one casualty, along with Nathan MacDonald’s Fraser Shores MACl The heavy downpour then sent Drew Kruck led the feature before spinning. the good crowd scurrying and, in a Uie 3x3 Shoot-Out had earlier fallen to Garry Brazier, after a multi magnanimous gesture, promoter car pile-up in the final shoot-out eliminated two thirds of the field. Geoff Trewin offered rain-out pass Steve Mortimer, MacDonald (2) and Todd Wanless shared the four es to all spectators. -BRETT SWANSON heat wins. - BRETT SWANSON

PRIQR to a monumental down pour which halted proceedings at Western Auto Raceway’s inaugural Brown & Skinner Transport Sprintcar Series last weekend, the action had been absolutely first class. In a deal concluded in the week prior to the first round, Peter Brown and Lisa Skinner agreed to become the sponsors of the ten-round series and were rewarded with a healthy grid for the opening show. New South Wales’ Lyntou Jeffrey, in the handsome Vortex Racing #70, split the front row of heat one to take an impressive win, after some testing of wings and

Gessner scores JlSSS victory

Avalon still to declare stance as NASR campaign grinds on

FOLLOWING a drivers meeting where Sprintcar Racing Association of Victoria (SRA) members voted overwhelmingly to only race at tracks that accepted only Sprintcar Control Council of Australia (SCCA) licences, negotiations have failed to resolve the issue and Premier has taken the decision not to run the two scheduled rounds of the SRA Series pro grammed for its track. In a news story appearing on the Sprintcarworld web site, Premier’s Graeme Hose is quoted as saying that “we no longer will be hosting any SRA rounds this season. “Premier Speedway Club and the SRA cannot agree over the licenc ing terms and the committee met last Wednesday night and it’s very disappointing that we have to take this stance, but that’s what we have decided is best for Premier Speedway.” Premier Speedway is a sharehold er in the National Association of Speedway Racing(NASR)and, con sequently, demands NASR hcences. *1 have to say that I am genuinely disappointed with WarrUambool’s response to this issue,” said SRA

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President Wayne Milburn. “We have been asking since June (for Premier) to give us a reply... and we still haven’t had a response back.” Interestingly, the news item on the web site written by Warrnambool Standard newspaper reporter and Mbtorsport News con tributor Geoff Rounds - was posted before the SRA had been officially notified of the Premier decision. Avalon Raceway’s Jeff Drew stat ed that he had not made a decision one way or the other, although both tracks confirmed tnat they will still be running Sprintcar shows as planned on the affected nights. “I’ve been very disappointed ail the way along with a lot of SRA matters,” said Drew, who is also a committee member of the SRA, “and, while I am not sure whether we will be holding any (SRA) rounds, or not, we will also run some kind of Sprintcar racing on those nights.” The SRA has been offered the option of combining the remaining rounds of the SRA Series with the Brown & Skinner Transport Sprintcar Series, which kicked off at Western Auto Raceway in Bacchus Marish last weekend.

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46 5 November 1999 Accident mars Schofield's winning outing V

AN outstanding night’s racing was the order at Collie Speedway on October 23 for round one of the Production Sedan Challenge Cup Series. ^ But the racing was overshad owed by a serious accident involv ing Production Sedan driver Neville Pinker. In heat six, as Pinker came out of turn 2 onto the back straight, he collided with the concrete wall, ripping off his right front wheel. The car bounced back in front of Garry Sutton, who had nowhere to go and he collided with Pinker at full throttle, which put Pinker’s car back into the wall. Pinker was then also hit by two other cars. It took about 15 minutes for crash and ambulance crews to remove Pinker from the twisted VH Commodore wreck Pinker underwent surgery the following day for two smashed ankles and is recuperating in hospital. Steve Schofield took out the first Super Sedan feature of the series from reigning state titleholder Darren BUght, while Rod Mussara put in an outstanding drive to finish ahead of Greg Robinson in fourth. The Smarter than Smoking Jimior Sedans were taken out by David Townsend, who finished with three wins from Dean Crowe and Darren Johnson, who fin ished the night in third place. Modified Sedans saw Bunbury’s Phil Rose take out the night from Ken Melvin and Norm ●Burrows in the highly sophisti cated Ford Escort. Formula 500 honours went to Tim Winters, who finished the night with two heat wins and two second placing to put him ahead on the points table, Roley Pearce running second overall and Craig Walton rounding out the top three. The Ladies division races were split between Shirley Crowe and Cassie Millman, with one win apiece. -DARREN SUTTON

pXo^

THE future augurs well for Victoria’s Mighty Midgets once again, the new Western Auto Raceway (WAR) at Bacchus Marsh with maestro Geoff Trewin at the helm having pledged solid support for the wild and wingless thunderbug division. And, this season, the Speedcars will be celebrating the 65th anniversary of midget auto racing in Australia, which was inaugurat ed in Melbourne on December 15, 1934, at Olympic Park Speedway. Two of Speedcar racing’s most prestigious events are slated for WAR, the Australian Speedcar Championship and the Victorian Championship - incidentally, the latter event happens to be the world’s second-oldest midget title race, the USA’s Thanksgiving Grand Prix (the Turkey Night Classic) having been around for longer, but only by a mere six months. With at least seven‘other rac'e dates slotted into the WAR sched ule, the Victorian Speedcar Drivers Association (VSDA) has its best chance for several years to re-estab lish a firm supporter base. As an added bonus, Geelongbased Avalon Raceway’s Jeff Drew has also scheduled race dates for the division, including the presti gious annual Beasley Memorial. The VSDA kicks off its season on Noverfiber 6 at Geelong and on November 20 at Bacchus Marsh, both promotions also committing to a combined season pointscore series for the midgets. Also on the VSDA agenda is the Rosedale Speed\y^ay’s annual

Vktonan Speedtah^^ f

● 'Hi

Boom Western Auto Raceway and Avalon Kiss of life: Western Auto Raceway and Avalon Raceway are backing the wingless wonders. (Kevin Emmerson) Christmas Cup trophy race on December 4, the smooth Gippsland venue one of the few true dirt track speedways stiU operating today. Five new cars will be making their debuts this season, that num ber including the entry of Paul Farrell, who wrote off his Stealth chassis in a nasty, high-flying flip at Avalon last season - Farrell has teamed up with Rob Brown, who owns the ex-Steven Graham NSW Stealth, which will now run Farrell’s very quick and reliable Fontana powerplant.

Former Mini Sprint star Rodney Hudson-Davies will return to midget racing in the Leroy Beasley Cosworth, while Tony Moule, who acquitted himself well in his few midget drives in the Tony Oates Rotary, has built a brand-new supercharged Subaru-powered midget. As reported in the previous issue of Motorsport News, the high-pro fi le entry list includes multiple state champion Ian Lewis in a brand-new Canaday-powered Wayne Pearce chassis, Darren

Power in the Power Racing V-4 Scat, dual state titleholder John Mills (now in his 25th year of midget action and also in a Power Racing V-4 Scat) and six-times Victorian champion Ray Bishop, along with young guns Harley Bishop and Travis Milis, who now have to five up to their fathers’ rep utations in midget racing history. Other long-serving VSDA stars also competing will be Wayne Pearce, Eric Smith, Colin Lamb, Peter Ghent and Cohn Patterson. - KEVIN EMMEESON

■ Trevor Green’s new chassis in red Adrad Radiators hvery is a Mopar Maxim formerly run by father and son pairing Karl and Mark Kinser and is the sister car to that which won August’s Amoco Knoxville Nationals.

Champ Car in the USAC Coors Light Silver Bullet Series on Sacramento’s Cal-Expo mile oval.

Poles apart FORMER England captain and team manager John Louis may be quitting British speedway and this decision may question the future of the sport at Ipswich, which he promotes. Louis, who is married to a Polish girl, has been offered the chance to promote in Poland - where the sport is flourishing - and he is con sidering the offer, which could mean the end of his involvement in British speedway. It would also make it unlikely that Tomasz Gollob would race in the British League. -TONY MILLARD

Plenty of poke; Superb Caltex Havoline Energy Eagle of John Shore ranks as a major threat after its debut in the OSSS open ing round. (Bron Swanson plo)

Caltex, Shore & Premier Speedway, Warrnambool Roberts “We have got to get our young Australians into the British Premiier League so that they can learn,” Street said. “But most of them are not able to get work per mits because they don’t have proven ability. It is a Catch 22 situation.” - TONY MILLARD

199912000 Calendar

Nov 14 Dec 4 Dec 12 Dec 26 Jan 1 Jan 15 Jan 16 Jan 22

Street anger at UK rider restrictions AUSTRALIAN team manager Neil Street has criticised the British Government for restrictions that prevent more Australian riders rac ing in Britain - Street’s criticism came in the wake of Australia’s suc cess in winning the World Team Cup.

Practice day SRA Sprintcar Series, Super Rods, Demo Derby WSS, Open Sportsman Super Sedans, Street Stocks, Juniors WSS, Formula 500, Jmiiors, Fireworks r 3 Litre VIC Title, Open Sportsman, F500 Series, Minisprints 3 Litre VIC Title, Super Rod Cup, Minisprints, Juniors All Stars Super Sedan Series, Compact Speedcars, V8 Dirt Nationals, Juniors Jan 29 “The Standard” Grand Annual Sprintcar Classic, Australia/America Challenge Cup, V8 Dirt Nationals Jan 30 “The Standard” Grand Annual Sprintcar Classic, Super Rods Feb 13 Open Day - Practice Feb 19 AMCAs, Juniors, Speedway Karts, Demo Derby Mar 18 SRA Sprintcar Series, Open Sportsman, Street Stocks, Juniors Apr 23 Sprintcar Easter Trail, Super Rods, Juniors, Fireworks May 7 Open Day May 13 Presentation Night

THE Bateau-based JSR team of John Shore and Bill Roberts recently race debuted their #6 Eagle chassis at Queensland’s Archerfield Raceway in its new Caltex Havohne Energy livery. “I’m glad we tested at Bacchus Marsh before we went north” said Roberts. “We were quick from the start and, if not for some bad luck, we feel we would have won.” “This season, we’re going all out to bag as many wins for Caltex Havoline Energy as we can and we expect that to be a few.” For his part, reigning NSW Champion Shore is also fired up and focusing hard on his perfor mances behind the wheel. -BRETT SWANSON

■ Brooke Tatnell is the first Austrahan driver to run an assault on the Pennzoil World of Outlaws and is currently ranked third in the Rookie of the Year standings and 13th overall - last summer was the first time in a decade that Tatnell failed to win at least one WSS A-Feature in a season, a sta tistic he’s keen to erase. ■ Peter Murphy has not raced in Australia for two years since he gained the ride in the Williams Motorsport Maxim previously run by close friend Steve Kinser, Murphy crewed for Kinser when the 15-times World of Outlaws champion made his IRL debut at the Indianapolis 500. Recently, Murphy - who has enjoyed another successful season in the Northern Auto Racing Club (NARC) in Cahfomia - raced a

■ Newly-crovraed Australian Sprintcar Champion Phil March will be joined next month by crew chief Ashley Smith. The young South Australian i .mechanic has spent the winter months in California working with Peter Murphy, who now becomes a rival on the WSS tour. ■ Chas Colandro has engaged the services of Joey Saldana’s Washington-based crew chief Rob Hart for the upcoming two-month WSS schedule. Hart and Mount Gambier com panion Katherine Barrows wrenched Saldana’s Fox Motorsports machine to runner-up in the 1999 All-Stars Championship and fast time at the Knoxville Nationals. ■ Defending triple consecutive WSS Champion Skip Jackson is returning to Australia after just failing to win a third consecutive Knoxville Raceway track title.

5 November 1999

he season has got off to a slow start for the Speedcars at Parramatta City Raceway, with one show and one rain-out to date. The race we did get in was convincingly won by Jason Gates in his Esslinger-powered Alach, from Grant Draney ard Phil Chilton. I thought the Queenslander Draney, was really impressive, considering he had never raced at now, with the new Foxtel show, Parramatta before - he held we’ll be getting even more expoShayne Alach out for mans laps, sure. There’s talk around at the before the Kiwi eventually got by. moment that we may even get on Lucky for Draney, but sadly for Speedweek from time to time. Alach, the Auto Temp Esslinger of rett Morris had a lucky escape Alach developed problems with recently, when he stacked his only a few laps remaining. Les and Andrew Porter made go-kart big-time at the Eastern their debut as a father/son team Creek Karting Raceway in in the Gold Medal Roofing Sydney, machines - Les didn’t make it out Details are sketchy, but I the gate, but 15 year-old son understand that a kart stopped in Andrew enjoyed his first night front of Brett and he launched into the air before emerging from the sideways. We weren’t ready for the first bushes with the steering wheel show, as we were waiting on our tom off the kart. Brett’s ankle looked like the new Fontana REAP to arrive from the USA, but it was great to see Goodyear Blimp after the crash, but he’s back in the saddle with a three NZ boys competing. Michael Kendall drove the new Gaerte/Stealth on the way, Wells Family Nissan, with Mark from what I hear. Cooper and Alach running their heard a rumour that Steven own machines. Graham is not the only Speedcar driver racing Sprintcars Atour the time of writing, Engines we have in Sydney this year - another Dominator Fontana ready to fire for the high-profile racer apparently has weekend and I don’t think I’ve some new steel and a wing, or ever seen our car look more two, to run soon. attractive than it does this year.

I rHiKiii

Hard chase: Runner-up Todd Wanless (above) made the podium ahead of third-placed Tony Bridge. (Loxiey)

SSS vMtor MtComb

I 1^4

Wanless ruimer-up as unlucky Shore punctures in QLD Sprintcar Summer Shoot-Out opener DEAN McComb’s excellent' early season form in the Titaii Garages #21 Eagle continued when he won the first round of the Queensland Sprintcar Summer Shoot-Out on October 23 at Charleton Speedway, Toowoomba, McComb leading all 25 laps after starting from pole position. Sydney’s John Shore put on a great display in the Caltex/ Havoline Energy #6 Eagle, Shore having had an ordinary run through the heats, but clawing his way up to second in the feature after passing Garry Brazier and Todd Wanless. Shore was rapidly hauling in race leader McComb when Nathan MacDonald’s MACl engine explod ed - unfortunately, the impressive Shore collected shrapnel from

MacDonald’s engine in his right rear tyre and his race was over. Wanless then took up the chal lenge and chased McComb to the chequered flag, with Tony Bridge third ahead/of Drew Kruck and Cameron Gessner. Wanless had earlier won the rich 3x3 Shoot-Out from MacDonald and Knick. Wanless and Kruck won a heat each, with Bridge winning two heats - the B-Main fell to Sherri Schaffer. MacDonald’s debut in the MACl machine was less than perfect, with the engine detonating during the feature event - but, at least the team, which built the chassis and the engine, is taking the initiative and trying to manufacture an advantage, rather than run the same gear as everyone else. - BRETT SWANSON

Despite ailing engine, Robert Jackson claims Newcastle victory

: Rid'l winner DeM MeComb. .

Former Speedcar drivers seem

Lambert is a big improver to be winning big in other diviDinavethe Allen King-owned sions - Danny Hart won the

Fontana Ellis - the team has also picked up a new sponsor in VP Racing Fuels, so, apart from magneto problems on opening night, they look set for a big year. Lambert took the bright purple car onto the new Foxtel NASR Speedway program last week - I believe the show debuts on November 13.

n the subject of TV, we seem to be getting more and more of it in Speedway lately and that’s great. David Tapp’s C7 program “Chequered Flag” continually shows highlights from PCR and

Pack all the way

A heavy Claremont track delayed the start of the QVRsponsored meeting on October 22, so much so that time trials were dropped altogether (not a ROBERT Jackson scored his first featm’e win of the season when - bad thing). he downed a small field of cars at Wynn’s Newcastle Speedway to The previous week’s dual feature win the opening round of the In Gear Sprintcar Series. winner, Jamie Maiolo, could not Jackson was nursing an engine hurt the week previously, but was reproduce that form this time out, unconcerned, knowing that handling was at a premium rather than going down in the first heat to his horsepower. mentor, Ron Krikke, who won Jackson had run well all night, winning his second heat and the Dash again in heat two. before inverting the top six cars. Gavin Migro was performng just as CanbeiTa’s Dan-en Saillard led the race, until he became bottled up well in the 360ci heats, winning both behind Louise Genner, Jackson sweeping around the outside of both and into the lead. outings. A small field of only 12 cars (open Saillard maintained second, ahead of Brett Leadsman, Trevor Shields & 360ci-Combined) fronted for the - BRETT SWANSON and Kelly Linigen. feature, which had been reduced

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from 25 laps to 20 due to time con straints. The open class cars started the feature from the front, but were actually starting a lap dowm to the 360s, which is a big handicap in anyone’s language. Phil Pack (360), who had made the 1200km haul south from Newman, effectively led the race from the drop of the green and, when it was shortened to 12 laps after two cautions, he went home victorious. Runner-up was Alan Nash (360), ahead of third-placed Mark Wells in the new Murphy after last week’s big dump and then Krikke. -BRE-TT SWANSON

Parramatta Sprintcar feature recently, Clayton Pyne won the Super Sedan main and Adrian Maher bagged a Sprintcar main win at Newcastle last season. Racing a Speedcar must be good experience for other forms of racing! After slow start we to the season withanumbers, should be back to about 25 cars for the next meeting at PCR, including our team, so I can't wait for that, See you trackside,

Mauger out of ACT for 2000 IVAN Mauger has confirmed that his ACT round of the 500cc Long Track and Harley Davidson Flat Track event will not be returning for the year 2000 season. Concerns about possible track damage following a new surface installation at Exhibition Park in Canberra have recently been raised by officials. Added to that issue are the ongo ing alleged noise problems that unfortunately also forced promoter Phil Harrison to cancel a round of the Australian Supercross at Epic earlier this yeai\ -MIKEATTWELl

1999 WOKLD OF OUTLAWS SEMES POINTS SCORE POINTS STANDING TO OCTOBER 4,1999

I. Mark Kinser 2. Danny Lasoski 3. Steve Kinser 4! Stevie Smith ^^ RACING T8RE ^ 5. Sammy Swindell For more information on Hoosier Drag and Speedway Tyres call: 6. Johnny Herrera NSW: 02 9679 1990 Fax 02 9679 1187 7. Donny Schatz Jeff Swindell VIC: 03 9331 6477 Fax 03 9331 7444 8. 9. Tim Shaffer SA: 08 8332 0800 Fax 08 8364 0296 10. Andy Hillenberg

10409 10328 10135 9941 9906 9904 9769 9221 9161 9154

I I. Daryn Pittman 12. Brooke Tatnell 13. Lance Blevins 14. Dale Btaney 15. Kevin Gobrecht I6.|ac Haudenschild 17. Tyler Walker 18. Craig Doilansky 19. Joey Saldana 20. Frankie Kerr

8660 8043 5829 5553 5069 5047 4838 3779 363 3548

PERRIS AUTO SPEEDWAY,OCTOBER 30 I. Craig Doilansky 11. Jason Meyers 2. Terry McCarl 12. Jeff Swindell 3. Tim Shaffer 13. Toni Lutar 4. Steve Kinser 14. Donny Schatz 5. Sammy Swindell IS. Danny Lasoski 6. Paul McHahan 16. Johnny Herrera 7. Mark Kinser 17. Dean Jacobs 8. Stevie Smith 18. James Chesson 9. Andy Hillenburg 19. Tommy Tariton 10. Bud Kaeding 20. P.J. Chesson

48 5 November 1999

Dud,

Rookies aplenty as Super Rod numbers rise I vsrestem Victo)la, the Super Rod division is gearing up for a bumper season, despite losing top runner John Vogels to the Sprintcar ranks. Mellissa Magilton, publicity offi cer for the Super Rod Association ‘aand the signwriter for a fair few of its cars, reports that the chassis biuilding workshop of M&J Chassis (John “Snoop” Verhoeven and Mai Rankin) has been running flat out building new frames and repairing and modifying old chassis. Warmambool brothers Gaiy and Tony Meehan have sold their previOTus mounts to Howard Stansfield and Colac Rookie Shane Colhns both Meehans are awaiting new fr-ames. while Stansfield was forced to update after destroying his machine at the final meeting at Warmambool last season.

long it will be before he leaves his comfort zone and steps up to Sprintcars. Stephen Clay has updated some of his running gear and Dave Magilton, with support from Autobarn, has reconfigured the rear-end geometry on his Ford-pow ered machine, as well as undertak ing some lightening of certain com ponentry. Adam Verhoeven and Greg Cockayne are back for another year and should step up with a few fea ture victories, while last season’s rookie of the year, David Cook, is looking to add more feature wins to his maiden feature frfjm last season. The sensational Super Rods will support the Sprintcai*s on many occasions and will conclude their season with the now traditional trip to Swan Hill on the Queens Birthday long weekend.

Leigh Podger made the fatal mis take of allowing his father to taste S uper Rods last season and they will now produce a pair ofcars. Another rookie is Neville Gange, also from Colac, who has purchased the car of Wayne Wilhams, who has repaired his other car and will share it with his sister, Learme. Adrian Hislop has bought twin brother Wayne’s car and dumped the Ford powerplant for a Chev. There will be three Malone broth ers raring. David, now in his third season, leaving his kin to fight it ont for rookie honours. Ricky Draper is yet another rook ie and should be a real chance since purchasing the front-running outfit from \ogels. Rankin's Rod is also up for sale, as he is retiring, again, to crew' chief Vogels’ Sprintcar. Alan Gledhill, Adam McKenzie and Wajme Honeyman are all set to return to the sport, while Sally Woolstencroft may be forced to hand the car back to her dad, George, who is getting itchy feet. Kevin Stanley and his son, Jamie, will share the driving of their car. Triple Victorian Champion IDarr}’! "Mick” Nelson should lead the division and one wonders how

Super R«d Race Dates Nov 27 ^ Simpson Warmambool Dec 4 Dec 11 Avalon Dec 18 Portland Jan 2 Mt Gambier Jan 8 Avalon - K-Rock Cup Jan 15 or 16 Warmambool Super Rod Cup (Date to be confirmed) Jan 23 Laang - Day meet Jan 30 Warmambool - Classic Horsham - VIC Title Feb 5 Feb 12 Simpson Trevor Podger Memorial Feb 19 Portland Bill Campbell Memorial Feb 27 Laang- Day meet Mar 4 Simpson Maris AvalonTriple Crow'n Mar 25 Hamilton Mate TBC) Mar 26 Laang - Day meet Apr 1 Simpson Apr 9 Laang- Day meet Winter Cup Apr 15 Bacchus Marsh SDAV Cup Apr 21 Avalon - Good Friday Apr 23 Warmambool Easter Sunday May 6 Portland Jime 11 Swan Hill - BRETT SWANSON

I DOWN Cobdr r. w. % in south-

Outside line: Super Sedan winner #77liH*Mii|9|*ciasbee:W*th third-placed Greg 5W|lklns.(Frank Midgiey) NEWLY-CROWNED Northern Territory Super Sedan Champion Billy Miller took out the feature at Riverview Speedway’s season-opener at Murray Bridge on October 16. From the start of the 12-lapper, Adelaide’s Miller tailed Andrew Keen in the best race of the night and it was only on the last lap that he slipped into the lead, with Broken Hill’s Greg Wilkins in for third. Both Miller and Wilkins had ear lier won a heat, beating each other in the process. During the off-season, the track had been extended from 290 metres to 360 metres, while the width went from 13 to 17 metres - in the past, the smaller track caused many stoppages and was not really con ducive for good,' clean racing with the bigger classes of cars. Modified Rods, known as V8 Dirt »THE QLD Sprintcar Summer Shoot-Out launch in Brisbane on October 20 saw series spon: sor.Bil Mann(right)in action. Mann, proprietor of Performance f Wholesale, pointed out that the i high-dollar series was put together by a dedicated crew and his spon* sors in Only three weeks - and, if this-season’s series was totally . supported by both teams and projmoters, then next year’s series ^ would be even bigger, with more ’prizemoney and incentives on offer. ( “The future ofspeedway depends upon the families who attend the sport,” said Mann. “I want to give something back to the family Kgroup, as it’s a very important part ! of my life and, consequently, we’ve marketed this series directly to rthem.” Special guest at the launch was V8 Supercar star Mark Larkham.

Modifieds, were down iiv numbers,* but still put on a good showing. Jim Wright, the reigning SA Champion, won the 10-lap feature from (Jlenn Goonan and Owen Pitt after chasing early leader Les Baker and passing on the inside on pit corner - Baker went wide, slam ming into the wall and wrecking the front-end and bringing the race to a stop. Wright drove the new car to be driven by youngster Todd Wigzell gi'and-son of the famed Bill Wigzell - and was making sure the set-up was right before Todd takes over. Ken Bowey scored a good F500 feature win after starting from position seven in the Jfl-car field. Chasing Bowey to the flag was Shayne O’Shea, who was followed by Rob Ransley and Andrew' Prestwood. Craig Forester topped the V6 Mitsubishi Sprints with a heat win

and a convincing victory over Steve Agars and Dud Lambert. The bigger track also made for better racing in the Street Stock and Modified Sedan sections - the Division One'Street Stock feature was well won by Rick Emery, with Jason Hayden first to the flag in Division l\vo, while Mildura’s Paul Sheen won the Modified Sedan fea ture after hounding and rounding up early leader Bruce Rofe. Bikes were also programmed, Ford Keane winning all three Solo events and Dave Bottrell with pas senger Mick Nixon scoring two Sidecar heat wdns and a resounding victory in the six-lap feature, ahead of Roger Evans and Rob Matthew,s. Increasing the track size has cer tainly raised the standard of racing at Riverview and it will be a specta cle when the World Series Sprintcars run there on Januarv 3. -FRANICMIDGLEY

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Sprinttar Masters Mlens SA season runner, having vowed to curb his sometimes impetuous trackside behaviour. Perth’s Pino Priolo, Gosford’s John Shore, fellow Sydney star Robbie Farr, Queensland’s Drew Kruck and the Parramatta pairing of Jamie Jones and Kelly Linigen the Adelaide venue, which was are included in the impressive line known as Speedway Park when up, which also sees Mike Van racing began there 21 years ago. Bremen hauling from Victoria and Mick Hanlon making his regular Defending Masters champion Trevor Green starts at reasonable trek from Alice Springs. The strong local entry includes odds in his newly-acquired Adrad Australian champion Phil March, Radiators ex-Kinser Maxim, espe cially after an excellent run in the Dennis Burford, Tony Bartlett, Wayne Builker, Brett Squiers in his Northern Territory last month. freshened Avenger Sprintcar and One of 29 year-old Green’s arch rivals will be Albury ace David former Modified Rod driver Darryl Wright in the ex-Mark Gilbert Anderson, who finished runner-up Maxim, now renumbered #27. in last year’s Masters. South Australian drivers have Anderson is an acknowledged Speedway City specialist, having finished in the top three Masters won several SA State titles there placings on only six occasions in the 15-year history of the event, but the and the 1992 Masters champion calibre of the local line-up suggests will be a firm favorite for a podium this statistic could be improved placing. Twice Masters runner-up Max upon next weekend. A late entry is possible from 1997 Dumesny has nominated for the Masters winner Brooke Tatnell, 1999 race after finishing fourth last but, according to Speedway City year behind Bunbury’s Ron Kiikke. promoter Wendy Turner, this will The WA star has happy memo depend on a flight being arranged ries of Speedway City after claim ing the $10,000 to win Sprintcar from the USA to Adelaide. “The Tatnell team would bring Stampede last season, but can’t compete next Saturday as his wife the transporter over from NSW is expecting their first-born on the and, hopefully, Brooke can fly same weekend. , directly in,” said Turner - the Garry Brazier ran eighth in last Sydney star missed out last year on year’s event after fuel problems defending his title, following flight destroyed his chances, but the 1994 connection problems. - DAVID McNABB Masters champion is a likely front

SPEEDWAY City’s fourth sea son begins next weekend (November 13) with a top-class entry list for the annual Australian Sprintcar Masters, this year’s opener marking the 14th Masters event to be held at

Giancola tm mil in Bunbury Supers f

TONY Giancola took out the

Super Sedan feature at Bunbury City & Regional Raceway in Western Australia on October 23. Bert Vosbergen held a narrow lead in the feature until mechanical problems forced him infield and handed the lead to Giancola, who had been pressuring him. Giancola used the advantage to the fullest to go on and take the win over Peter Brook, with James Holland crossing the line in third. Todd Davis was the man to beat in the -Limited Sprintcar feature, coming from behind to win in style.

Gary Bornatici claimed second, despite a flat right front, third going to young charger Sean Zemunik. Modified Sedans put on their usual excellent racing, with heat wins going to Greg Freeman and Ben Ellemenf- Freeman was the victor in the feature, with Ellement second and Peter Knox third. Veronica McCann took a narrow victory over Tara Vaughan and Kyle Beard in the Smarter Than Smoking Junior Sedan Series. The Marlows Monster Trucks also provided plenty of car-crush ing, dirt-chuming action.

SUBiFAjQl Speedway at Moruya will host the Southern NS’W Championships on November 6. ' I Sedan classes on the bill include Super Production, Open,; ’ 1500s, Super Street and Ladies, along with Super Modifieds, i Foinnula 500s and motorcycles. n THE National Capital Motorsport Club meeting on November 7 will feature all (Uvisions at the super-quick circuit located adjacent to the Air Disaster Memorial at Fairbaim. - MICHAEL ATTWELL

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n The British Elite League indi vidual riders’ championship brought a clean sweep for Australians in an event never pre viously won by anyone from Down Under. Jason Crump,top of the British League averages, won the final at Coventry, ahead of Todd Wiltshire and Leigh Adams. All three have enjoyed consider able success this year, both indi vidually and in the World Team Cup - and all are in the Grand Pi-ix series for next year. n Australia will defend its World Team Cup next year at Coventry, after the FIM decided on the British track as the venue for next year’s final. It means England will be seeded to take part, despite coming fourth offour teams in this year’s final in the Czech Republic. The Austrdians’ display in the Riders’ Championship will make the choice a welcome one when they come to defend their crown the final will be on September 17. n The Grand Prix dates have been allocated for new year as May 6, June 3, July 2, July 29, August 26 and September 23- all bar July 2 are Saturday dates and it i® expected that the last two events will be in Poland and Denmark. .However, Benfield Sports International, which holds the GP rights, is some way from conclud ing a deal with the various venues as the staging fees are consider ably higher than in the past. The Grand Prix Challenge, the route via which those other than the top ten in the GP series can qualify for the 2001 series, will be staged at Abensburg in Germany on October 6. n The World Lon^rack Championships will involve involve five meetings after the quahfying stages. This year, Australians Shane Parker and Steve Johnston took part in the series, which’doubled’ with grasstrack racing. The five rounds next year will be staged in the Czech Republic, England, Holland, France and Germany. It will be the first staging of a romid in England and that will be at Abingdon on August 6. n Ryan Sullivan led his British Elite League team to the League Championship on a dramatic night shown live on television. For the first time, Sky Sports showed two matches live and simultaneously from two venues, Peterborough against BeUe Vue and Kings Lynn against Poole. The Peterborough match fin ished first, with them winning 6030,leaving Poole wanting a 4-2 heat victory in the final race to take the title. Sullivan, Jason Crump and Nigel Sadler were all huddled around a T\^ monitor watching as Aussie colleague Leigh Adams won the heat for Kings Lynn to give Peterborough the title.

JiI No tcur; Jason Crump will not be competing in Australia this season, preferring instead a break with partner Melanie.(Mike Patrick pic) He and partner Melanie have then- first child on the way and they've decided to spend some time togetlier after a very hectic European schedule this year. “That’s very important for the rest of our lives together,” said Crump. Apparently Tapp has been upset By Tony PHiliar<0iiif by Crump’s decision and, in turn, n World Champion Tony Crump has been hurt by his reac Rickardsson will continue to race tion. “It was a difficult decision to speedway, even if he lands a con tract to race touring cars for Volvo make.’ Crump explained. in the year 2000. “Dave Tapp does a tremendous However,it may mean the job in Austraha, but it is hard for Swedish superstar will miss out on him to appreciate what we do in racing in England and simply Europe during a season, being allow his speedway commitments away four, or five, nights a week. in Sweden and Poland to time him “I am very disappointed at how David has taken the news and I’m up for the GP. “It is still very much in the upset by his reaction.” negotiation stage, but something n It has been confirmed that Sky may have to give ifI decide to go with the touring cars,” Sports will show 20 live emeetings Rickardsson said. next year on British Television in “If I continue in Britain, it will a newly revamped British Ehte again be for Kings Lynn, but the League that will see teams meet commitment of regular British ing each other home and away League racing will probably be too twice for a total of36 meetings for much ifI am to race cars as well. It the ten clubs. will be a new challenge and I am TV coverage will start in May looking forward to it, even if it may- and will run regularly on wait until two years time.” Wednesday nights until the climax of the .season in September. n Perth rider Frank Smart will The Craven Shield wiU be raced miss the rest ofthe British season for separately, vrith the top four after breaking a collarbone in a teams in the League facing home League meeting at Newcastle. and away play-off matches, “I’ve had a lot of pain and they tell me that the clavicle is broken n The British Speedway Gi-and Prix could have a shock new venue off at the shoulder end,” Smart said. “They did consider plating it, next year, after the event has been but I’m glad they didn’t, because it raced at Coventry for the last two seasons. stfll would not have got me back before the end ofthe season.” Grand Prix organisers are con Smart will not be racing in sidering using the plush Don Australia this season -“but I will Valley stadium in Sheffield that has never been used so far for the probably go home for a holiday in February,” he said. sport. Currently, Rugby League and n Jason Crump will not be riding athletic events aK> staged at the in the David Tapp Speedwaystadium, but a speedway track Masters Series in Australia this could be laid over the athletics cir season because he wants a com cuit as happened for previous plete break from speedway at the world finals in Los Angeles and Munich highest level.

k L*i 1 f*j

AUSTRALIAN SPRINTCAR CALENDAR VICTORIA S.R.A. Bendigo Western Auto .. Avalon Warrnambool .. Western Auto .. Avalon Western Auto ..; Western Auto .. Avalon Western Auto ..

■Nov 6 Nov 13 Nov 20 Dec 4 .Dec 10 .Dec 26 .Dec 26 .Jan 8 ■Jan 15 .Jan 22

SPEEDWAY CITY S.A.

,Nov 6 Official Practice , .Nov 13 Sprintcar Masters ,Nov 27 All-Star Show ... World Series Sprintcars ..Dec 4 Dec 1 1 All-Star Show World Series Sprintcars ..Dec27 AMCA National Titles ....Jan 1S Sprintcar Spectacular ....Jan 22 Australian S/car Title Feb 5 All-Star Show Feb 12

QLD SPRINTCAR Archerfield Lismore ... Archerfield Archerfield . Archerfield . Lisrr.ore .... Archerfield . Toowoomba

.N ov 6 ●Nov 20 .Dec 4 .Dec 27 .Jan IS .Feb 12 .Mar 11 .Mar 18

50 5 November 1999

/a&'0®[FSIJXo)179

Ipy^U i Carios set tI hr For' r

SPAM-IARD Carlos Sainz is almost certain to

. Exciteitient^aclfine:. GM is iookiito to boaSt sales of its A^ra in Australlaandfs'T" -repoitedryiconsidering-.’^ 'usinga kit'cAr campaign iivthd^ Australian Rally Championship F2' category as a promotional toolAstra results in the ’99 British-Championship .{pic by Sutton Images). ; werp the.catalyst,' .

announce that he will sign with the Ford World Rallyteam, partnering Colin McRae in the Malcolm Wilson-run dream team in the year 2000. Sainz had been courted strongly by Spanish manufactur er SEAT since rumours of the demise of Toyota in World Rallying surfaced earlier this year. However, it is believed Sainz was swayed away from a patriotic signing by the lack of strong performances from the SEAT Ei o 2 WRC since its debut in Finland in Au^st. It is believed that Ford was also offering a far bigger annual pay cheque thsin SEAT - however, it is also under stood that Sainz’s pay won’t be as high as the $16million McRae reputedly attracts. The Ford Focus took McRae to two wins in the WRC this

*aasL

1.-^ -

WHILE Ford is set to launch a two-car team in the ARC in 2000 using its V8 Ute, it appears that Holden is closely investigating an involvement with the sport in this countiy. But, rather than campaigning the heavy and already strong-selling Commodore, the General is apparently looking to Formula Two and its smaller Astra model. Rumours are starting to circulate in rally ranks that Holden Motorsport chief John Stevenson is looking closely at importing an Astra F2 kit car, as campaigned in several rounds of the British Championship and European Championship this year. , The Astra kit car was developed by Opel in Germany, with Skoda works driver Armin Schwarz doing most,'of the devel opment work and, while not totally competitive in the hot-bed of F2 in the British title, the car apparently showed good potential and would be a competitive weapon in the right hands Down Under. PROTON is currently investigating the possibili ty of and potential for staging a One Make rally series in Australia using a low-price version of its Satria model. Proton Australia’s motor sport manager, Clayton Faflik, said the investigation was only in its early stages and that no formal approach had been made to ARCOM at the moment, but it was hoped that, if the idea had potential, the go button could be pushed quickly.’ Faflik said the goal would be to have a brand-new car available for the series for around $10,000, giving com petitors the chance to have the car ready to rally for under $15,000. “It is very early days; we are still investigating the

The potential Holden-backed team could not be confirmed before Motorsport News went to press - however) it is believed that GM management considers that the Astra needs an injection of excitement to boost its sales potential in Australia. l With Hyundai backing a semi-works Wayne Bell operation, the VW motorsport team running a pair of Golf IV kit cars and, potentially, Holden on board, the 2000 F2 class will have more manufacturer involvement than the outright category in Australian rallying. n Another hot rumour is that champion Rick Bates could potentially find himself behind the wheel of a fully-developed V6 Camry in the Australian Car class in 2000. The Camry would be built to absolute minimal weight lim its and feature a high-horsepower version of the 3-litre quad cam V6 to put it on an equal footing with the Falcon V8s, which currently dominate the Aussie Car Class. - JON THOMSON

Proton One Make series mooted potential and the feasibility of making it all happen,” Faflik said. “The car is homologated in several different Group N variants, so that is not a hur dle, but obviously we still have to speak with ARCom about whether it could all happen. “We also want to make sure there will be a demand among rallyists for a lowcost, entry level category with the very strict control parameters that a one-make championship has. “It would be good if we could uncover some new young driving talent and

help them on the path to the top,” he added. “I am sure I will be inun dated with inquiries follow ing this, but that gives us an idea how many potential cus tomers there are out there.” Previous One Make titles, such as the Corolla Cup and the Daihatsu Challenge, have indeed uncovered tal ent, including Simon Evans, now heading up the VW Motorsport team, Ross McKenzie, who went on to spearhead Daihatsu’s local team and Andrew Pinker, now trying his hand in Britain.

-JON THOMSON

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year and, with Ford throwing many more millions at its rally program than the Spanish VW subsidiary can muster, even a plea by King Juan Carlos could not convince Sainz to go with the home team, Sainz launched his World Championship career in the late 1980s at the wheel of a privateer Ford Sierra Cosworth with some giant-killing performances on tarmac rallies before being snapped up by Toyota. It won’t be Sainz’s first stint -with Ford - the Spaniard ran with the factory blue oval outfit in 1996 and ’97 in the Ford Escort Cosworth and then in the first year of the Escort World Rally Car. He has also had experience as a team-mate witl< McRae, being a part of the Prodrive Subaru equipe in :994 and 1995 alongside the Scot. However, with the massive escalation in pay ana the increasing pressure for both drivers to win another World Championship, there is no guarantee that relationships at Ford between the two star drivers will be smooth. - JON THOMSON

n 'The Anglia Memorial Sprint Rally will be run by the Ford Four Car Club on December 4 in Mt Disappointment State Forest. With the event not being part of any series and the time of year lending itself to greater opportmiities, it will be a 55km pacenoted sprint rally. This decision provides a cheaper opportu nity for crews to experience pacenotes with out the expense of an ARC Super Series round. With the amount of daylight available at this time of year, reconnaissance and the event will be on the same day. There will be a set of safety notes sup plied, which will be written by Cody Crocker. Entries will be limited to 60- those inter ested should send your postal address to: darylmch@techno.net.au Regulations will be posted when available.

n 'The Historic Rally Association s(HRAJ fifth and final 1999 championship event, the Goulbum-Murray Safari, will start near Shepparton on November 27. A daylight autocross/special stage will precede a “jocularity-run" tracing the pic turesque Goulbum River upstream. Crews will enjoy a meal at the Echuca } Wharf, before plotting approximately 140km ( of very interesting rally countr>- in the i MuiTay River Forest-the timed, night ‘ stages mH access roads rarely permitted to rally competitors. The course will have crews crossing the ' border more than once before they finish in Echuca early on Sunday morning. Event director Graham Wallis can be con tacted on (03)93778379 bh, or(03) 98591412 ah, or e-mail on: graham.wallis@airservices.gov.au The entry fee is just $110.

Djemwarrh Rally ’99

THE Djerriwarrh Rally, the final round of the

1999 Victorian Rally Championship, was so named by its promoters, the Melton Motorsports Club, in the early 1980s when the event was includ ed for the first time in the local Djerriwarrh Festival. Djerriwarrh is the name given by aboriginals who inhabited the area to the witchetty grubs found locally. From its inception in the early 70s as a closed Grade 6 club event called the Melton Shell 200, it steadily grew in status until, in the early 80s, it became one of the most respected rallies in Victoria. Using the very fast, smooth roads in the Daylesford/Trentham areas enabled the MMSC to entice large fields to compete in an exciting event close to Melbourne.

In an attempt to gain VRC status for the event in the early 80s (there was a lot of competition from clubs wish ing to run VRC events in those days), the organisers became very innovative. In what was to become its final year as a Grade 6 event, the Djerriwarrh attracted 96 entries, of which only 60 were allowed to start. Good prize money, a street parade, a special stage in the Bacchus Marsh lion park (minus the lions!), radio com munications at each control, computerised scoring, a sponsor’s bus, service crew competition, TV coverage, superb roads and slick organisation were reasons why the Djerriwarrh became a much-respected rally on future VRC calendars. Unfortunately, though, personnel “burn out” eventu ally led to its decline in the

late 80s,

However, with a resur gence of interest from its members, the MMSC Djerriwarrh Rally has made a welcome return to the VRC calendar.

In 1999, it will again offer rally enthusiasts an inexpen sive, first class event in the traditional Daylesford/ Trentham area. To make the event more user-friendly, the rally will start and finish in Melton, just 40 minutes from the Melbourne CBD. Competitors are invited to finish off this century’s rally ing by being part of this his toric event, which has, in the past three decades, given so much to the present shape of Victorian rallying. Further details on the event are available from Dan Murphy on (03) 93643288 during business hours, or mobile 0411 368758. -PETER WHITTEN

DLra

5(November 1999

Adams wins North Eastern Rally

Possum wins in Malaysia

n Subaru Impreza WEXs took six ofthe first nine pJacings in the roost recent round ofthe Victorian

A rarely used tie-breaking rule saw Possum Bourne win the latest round of the Malaysian Rally Championship. At the end of the event. Bourne and local driver Kararajit Singh were tied on total elapsed time but, as Bourne’s Subaru Impreza WRX had been one second faster through the first stage, he was given the win. Bourne overcame the mud and a broken transmission hydraulic hose to come from behind after los ing more than a minute. Bourne won an earlier round of the series in May, but is not in contention for the title, as he is not contesting any more events.

Watkins' Adelaide SUBARU Impreza WRX driver Roman Watkins won the 1999

including the event in the Australian Championship in 2001.

Adelaide RaUy on October 9-10,

Network 10 mil provide a short

the event held on the chaUeng-

’

Australian rally community, espe cially Bob Whyatt and his team, for putting in the substantial effort involved in elevating a state cham pionship event into p'acenoted Super Series format. Watkins and Flintoft dedicated their event win to the memory of Peter Mignot, a Victorian champion navigator and co-driver, who sadly passed away in a civil road accident on the same weekend as the Adelaide Rally. -PETER WHITTEN

ing forest roads «f Kuipto and Ter?J?edo“iLantiy to Second Valley on the Fleuneu Flintoft said. “We weren’t Peninsula in South Australia. going ballistic and had a couple of The event was most notable for / gpjjjs, but still set six fastest times the fact that Ed Oi'dynski crashed after finding and fixmg a number of his works Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 3 intermittent problems, any of out of the rally on the third stage hayg caused a DNF in Ordynski had Channel 10 reporter Rally Australia,” Alison Drower in the co-driver’s The team thanked the South seat for the event. Though not contesting the South Australian Championship (of which the event was the only qualifying round for 1999), Perth-based THE Australian Rally Champ ionship calendar for the year Watkins finished second in heat 2000 season has been released, following the latest meet one (behind newly-crowned South ing of the Australian Rally Commission (ARCom). Australian Champion Darren 2000 Calendar Masters) and first in heat two to Forest Rally (WA) April 1-2 finish the event first Outright, first FAI Rally of CanbeiTa (ACT) May 4-7 in Group N and winner of the June 3-4 Rallv Queensland (QLD) Corolla Interstate Challenge. June 24-25 Watkins and co-driver Paul Coffs Harboui- Rally (NSW) Rally of Melbourne (VIC) August 28-27 Flintoft’s main aim in competing in Saxon Safari (TAS) October 7-8 the event was to prepare for November 9-12 Australia’s round of the World Telstra Rally Australia (WA) Championship, Rally Australia. “I must acknowledge the assis tance from fellow competitors, espe cially Ed Ordynski, who sprinted up a very steep hill to wave us down after he crashed. Ruiming car FORD may adopt a larger proBut Ford Australia’s involvement one on the road was a new learning file in the 2000 Australian Rally "’ll! be in their familiar AU Falcon V8 - it could well be in a experience,” Watkins said. Championship, if current dis team of AU Falcon V8 utilities. The 1999 Adeliade Rally was run cussions about the feasabfiity of as a pacenoted event in Australian Confirming Ford’s interest in the a new program are given the goChampionship Super Series format plan, Howard Marsden, General ahead by senior management. for the first time, with a view to Manager of Motor Racing, said

ARC 2000 Calendar

Rally Championship,the Silverstone Tyres North Eastern Rally, David Adams and Jim Stewart led the event from the first stage to win by 25 seconds from Danny Murphy and Ross Lilley. Adams’Group N Impreza bad a trouble-free, run over the eightstage, 105km rally, held on the tough and rugged forest stages in and around the picturesque town ship of BrightIn third place was Darren Windus and Michael Bruce, who had just four weeks to get their car ready for the North Eastern Rally after they crashed out of the previous round in Ballarat. Begonia Rally winner Scott Redder and co-driver Paul Humm (Mitsubishi Lancer)took fourth place, a minute clear of the Subaru Legacy ofSam Vaughan and Craig Dawson. The first two wheel drive car home was the Holden Commodore ofNeilSchey. The much-fancied Ford Escort of Mark Miller retired on the sec ond stage when the exuberant Miller rolled the car. Other retirements included the V8 Commodore of Chris Lowe, which blew its engine in a water crossing 300 metres into the first stage and Peter Whitten’s Escort, which caught fire at the end of stage four. With one round of the Victorian Rally Championship still remain ing, the title is still up for grabsRedder, Windus and Vaughan are still in with a chance of winning the state crown at the Djerriwarrh Rally on November 13. Final Results 1. David Adams/Jim Stewart Subaru Impreza WRX Ih30m37s 2. Danny Murphy/Ross Lilley Subaru Impreza WRX +25s 3. Darren Windus/Midiael Bruce Subaru Impreza WRX +48s

From the , ^ece- WhlttM .'■ri

Scott Pedder/Paul Humm Mitsubishi Lancer RS-E -i-lm36s Sam Vaughan/Craig Dawson Subaru Legacy RS Turbo +2m46s

ARCom news ■ ARCom is floating the idea of allowing some changes to the Formula 2 regulations, which would see the regulations changed to allow cars not produced in Australia to compete in that cate gory. This would, if passed, allow (for instance) more powerful models of cars produced overseas to be permitt^ to run in the Australian Championship. An obvious benefit of this would be that Brett Middleton would be able to run a larger capacity engine in his Honda Civic, which is currrently nmning in the leOOcc class. The idea will oe circulated on the CAMS website and also dis played on the various State egroup chat sites. ■ For 2000 competitors will be able to score points in the Super Series finm their best eight heats, hot their best four events as at present. ■ There will be no One Make series for next year, with the Dunlop Corolla Cup not proceed ing. However, there are negotiations currently going on between a man ufacturer and ARCom about the possibihty (^introducing a new One Make series. ■ A lengthy discussion was held on the subject of safety issues on tarmac events. Representatives from Taiga Tasmania, Classic Adelaide, the East Coast Classic and other events were in atten dance to address the issues raised.

Ford considers AUV8 Utes for MtC that, while there had been ongoing discussions about the ute program. but the final decision was not yet iminent. “Yes, we are interested in doing something with the AU Falcon utility - but, no, I can’t tell you if the

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EARL’S

said.

“We are in the process of sorting out our future expenditure in motorsport and there are many things to be considered before we go into anything new.” - P WHITTEN

lEARCS

project will go ahead,” Marsden

f'* I®*' L u

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Contact Martin Fell at tHflL S Performance ProdueWHust Ptyi ltd 68-72 Derb^ Street Silvemsater NSIM 2128 Phone (02) 9748 6011 Fax (02) 9748 6241. Bankcard, Mastercard, liffsg COD meilable

^Iton

52 5 November 1999

£>u&

Meet Martin

eXo.

Been there, done that: Karting legend, Martin Hines. (Mike Kable pic)

that’s “Mr Karting” Hines

old bedsteads with lawnmower engines. They learn everything that’s worth had big diameter wheels with narrow tyres, Ask Martinabout Hines, if you want to tubular steel chassis with handlebar-type knowing karting. It’s an understatement to say the affable steering and American Clinton two-stroke Englishman has been there and done engines, normally of 100 to 125cc capacity. “My father bought two them and we both that in the sport, with numerous on and off-track achievements during a full-on, went racing - in those days, drivers like 37-year involvement that have earned Stirling Moss and Graham Hill used to race him not only the nickname of “Mr karts for fun. . “Since then. I’ve been karting for 37 years. Karting,” but also a legend’s status. The triple Superkart world champion I’ve loved every minute of it, met some won derful people and have either known, or raced, is still going strong, albeit from the side lines these days, giving a guiding hand to against many drivers who have been house his son, Luke, 18, who is following in his hold names in FI over the p^t 20 years.” Hines was singularly unsuccessful for the footsteps and has already amassed a first two years. string of British and European titles. “I can remember sitting there when I was There are never enough hours in the about 17, thinking ‘why do all those people day for the mercurial Martin Hines. keep beating me? Why are they so much He divides his entrepreneurial ener gies between running his flomrishing Zip quicker than me?’ Then, I drove my father Kart company - one of the world’s mad by asking him to go to the circuit with biggest kart manufacturers- distributing me on every spare day we had. “I did as many laps as time allowed and Bridgestone tyies here, there and every where, overseeing the Zip Young Guns always looked to tuck in behind the fastest team and keeping an eye on his driver there. My technique and speed improved to the point where, within a few Champions of the Futui’e television pro gram, which is sponsored by the months, I was picked to race in the British McLaren-Mercedes FI team and has a 100 International category, the forerunner to huge viewing audience in the UK and US. Formula A. “From then on, I raced for seven years at In a fascinating interview with MN’s the highest level. MIKE KABI.E, Hines discusses the ori “The sport grew incredibly quickly. By gins of karting, its progression into 1967, there were something like 140 drivers Formula Ford and, hopefully, FI. participating in the world championships, ines - then 15 - would have his first even though each country was allowed a maximum of only four drivers. drive of a kart, at Rye House Stadium “In those days, we did not regard karting in Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire, close to where he would ultimately establish his Zip as a starting point to Formula One. It was a way of having fun on four wheels at a reason Kart factoiy. “When I look back, the karts then were like able cost. Now, it’s very expensive at the top

COMING EVENTS

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end of the field. “But, if you want to be the best and get on in motorsport, you have to race with the best all the time.” A

passion for “grunt” influenced Hines to switch from lOOcc karts to 250cc sinJL J^de-cyhnder Superkarts in 1969. He built the first Superkart to feature body panels - a nose cone and sidepods - only to run foul of the stewards at its first outing at Oulton Park. They rejected it as being illegal, but Hines challenged them to find anything contrary to the regulations in the RACs book of motorsport rules. He duly won that verbal skirmish - and, within a year, there wasn’t a kart to be seen without bodywork. Superkarts progressed to twin-cylinder Suzuki engines in 1974, the year that Hines won his first British championship. It was the start of a winning streak for him in various countries, that ultimately yielded three FIA World Championships, the FIA World Cup, five European Championships, nine British Championships and the World Endurance Championship in the US. His Superkarts were astonishingly quick. In 1991 for example, Hines was clocked at 161mph (260km/h). At one stage of his career, he considered moving to Formula 3, to the point of having a test with the Chevron team. “I wasn’t that impressed with the car. The problem is, once you’ve driven a Superkart, everything else bar FI is pretty tame.”

for Hines in 1974, when he talked Another big development Bridgestone into producingmaterialised kart tyres. “At that time, Goodyear were making near ly 99% of the tyres being used in karting and Dunlop Japan decided to get in on the act. “I thought about having my own Zip Kart tyres, so I flew to Tokyo to talk to a friend who suggested we should go to Yokohama. “That company told us there was no mileage in the proposition, so we went to Bridgestone. We spent three days there and, in the end, we managed to get to the top floor. The chiefs were interested and said they would send me some prototype tyres. “They arrived three months later and I looked at them in absolute disbelief. They were balloon-shaped, with soft sidewalls. Like miniature FI tyres. My reaction was they would do only one lap before falling to pieces. “They sat under my desk for several months, until I asked one of my Junior dri vers, Mike Wilson (later to win several World Championships), to test them on a new chasSIS.

“He went out first on Goodyear Blue Streak tyres and set the lap times we expected to

get. Then, we fitted the Bridgestones, which had no manufacturer’s markings. “We told Mike they were bigger than the Goodyears, but not to worry about the gear ing. He did a handful of laps and we couldn't believe what we’d seen on the stopwatches. “He was one and a half seconds a lap quick er. We didn’t tell him this when we pulled him in. His response was ‘they’re rubbish, you have to drive the thing around the cor ners.’ “Then he saw the times. He used the tyres the following weekend and won his race by a

lap.

“A month later, Mike went to Jesolo in his tiny van with his two karts, three engines and tent, to compete against all the European factory teams with their 10-kart trans porters, marquees and mechanics. “He took pole position for the final, but was pushed offthe track in the first comer of that race. “It didn’t matter. The point had been made. The Bridgestone name was bom in karting. “I bought the first three years production of their kart tyres and have been their distribu tor ever since.”

ines’ advice to budding young racing drivers is to put karting behind them before they turn 18 and get into the hkes of Formula Ford. To do, in fact, exactly what James Courtney has done,thanks to his new mentor, Alan Gow. He rates Courtney as “excellent” and also feels that Ryan Briscoe will “go all the way.” 'The drivers who really impress him are the ones who can pick themselve.s up after a bad day and win at their next race. “That’s what really makes the difference. If you don’t get on top of it, say in a day’s test ing, then it’s better to pack up and return the next day. The best of them have bad days, but they’re able to bounce back.” The link between karting and FI, accord ing to Hines, began when Tony Brise was selected for 1962-68 FI world champion Graham Hill’s fledgeling Embassy team. Their association had a tragic ending when they were both killed in a light aircraft crash towards the end of that year. “Tony came straight out of karting into FI, the only driver who has ever done that. He used to race with me in Superkans. But Emerson Fittipaldi (1972-74 FI world cham pion)served his apprenticeship in karting. “Today, there’s only a handful of drivers without a karting backgroimd. “It’s the best motorsport school, without question. They leam racecraft, how to set up a car, the basics of understeer, oversteer and so on. Also, the importance of being able to communicate with their team, in respect to what their kart is doing.”

5 November 1999

Gaze

k3«

Alfa

ready

THE long-awaited completion of Diana Gaze’s 1929 super charged Alfa Romeo SS Zagato has now been achieved, and a thanksgiving limch i was held on

Free-for-all: Big fields made sure that the Sandown Historic meeting was a success. Paul Blubber’s Camaro (right) still bore its Bathurst wounds.

Sundown's blockbuster By BRIAN REED

project at‘mock up’ stage and completed it in July, 1999 with the assistance of Ken Ward who did the painting, and Grant White the upholstery. The scream of the super charger was heard for the first time in 60 years,” he said. Altogether there were around 50 friends,family and members of the Alfa Romeo fraternity to cele brate the occasion, and as well as Ken Ward and Grant White, other key players in the cars restoration in attendance were Bob Williams from Castlemaine who was

SOME of the best racing seen in a long time higlilighted the Penrite Oils Historicsponsored Sandown meeting on October 23-24 and was fitting reward for the combined VHRR and MG Car Club committee that compiled the program. Topping the list were the exciting P & Q sports and racing events, and the bat tles between the Lola Formula 5000s of Andrew Robson and Mike Glynn stole the show. In the open ing encounter, Glynn (who has really come of age lately in F5000) stole the race on the line by less than 0.5s from hot favourite Robson. A trio of Elfins followed led by the big banger MS7 sports car of Aaron Lewis. Sunday’s encounter was even better when Robson’s T332 led off the line only to be pegged back. On the last lap Glynn saw a gap as the pair flew into the left handsweeper at the end of the back straight, grabbed the lead in a brave passing move, but almost as quickly relinquished it and Robson scraped home by 0.2s. Not surprisingly, another crowd pleaser was Group N - the Historic tintops drew capacity fields and really timied it on for spectators. Class act was West Australian Paul Stubber in his awesome 5-litre Chev Camaro. He scored a hat trick of wins, but didn’t fea ture in the official results due to some irregularities with his car that attracted the wrath of the scrutineers. As he had travelled across Australia to be at Sandown, he was given permission to start from the back of the field, and although there were 40 cars to negotiate, Stubber grabbed the lead after two-and-a-half laps! Not only did he blitz the field, he turned on a display of brilliant sideways motor ing that had the crowd on its toes. With Stubber out of con tention, Saturday’s five-lapper went to Drew Marget’s Mustang Trans Am. Tjno Leo (Monaro) finished a close second with the Mustangs of Chris Stephen

‘ Sunday.October 24 at, appropriately. Cafe Nuvolari in Albert Park. The restoration has been painstakingly undertaken by David Rapley, a task that first began in 1988 “I inherited the whole

Grunters: Aaron Lewis’ MS7 sporty took the fight to the F5000 brigade. (Photos by chns carter) Pas going and really chalmounted) were exemplary. on McDonald Marque sports car racing lenged Sunday. However the Ausca has become very popular, as demonstrated by the impres- was too good and also put in sive line-up at Sandown, and the fastest-lap of the race Tom Hutchinson’s potent with an impressive 1-30.13. As usual, the regularity Triumph TR8 led home the wild sounding Robnell of events were well subscribed Lyndon Punshon with the with Michael Hipkins even wilder black Jaguar (Vauxhall 30/98), Ian Edgar (MG TC) and Barry Bagatol XH5 of Mike Roddy next, By contrast the handicap (Bentley Speed 6) most con race went the diminutive sistent amongst the pre war Sprite of Stuart Maxwell competitors. The famous John Harvey Wright who just survived as the pack came bearing down name popped up in the post war field. ‘Harvs’ drove a on him at the chequered flag. Jaguar E-'Type, but honours In the other sports car went to another Jag drive by races for Groups Sa, b and c. Peter Doherty. The 30-event Penrite Oils James Irvine scored a first and second placings in his Historic Sandown meeting Datsun 240Z, and Rosemary attracted well over 300 com Edgar drove well to record a petitors, and another attrac second and third behind the tion was the appearance of wheel of Paul Trevethan’s more than 30 Elfins in MG B. demonstration laps on both Veteran campaigner Brian days of the program. It was Sampson showed he hasn’t fitting that Elfin was the lost his touch when he featured marque, this being brought home his early the 40th anniversary of Cheetah Mk4 behind Jamie Australia’s most prohfic and Larner’s Brabham BT18 in successful racing car. All 40 an interesting field of Group years were covered, ranging from the 1959 Streamhner of The all-MG races were well M sports and racing cars. contested with Andrew After dominating practice, John Partridge and the GTS McDowell’s fire-breathing Ian McDonald was set for a of George Spanos through to MG B GT V8 taking the good weekend in the J, K the very latest Clubman opener. But it was Peter and Lb sports and rating built this year by the new Clark (MG B V8) who was events. His Ausca sports car Elfin owners Nick Kovatch most successful over the won both scratch races and and Bill Hemming. weekend with two wins and a was just pipped for second Fortunately the Elfin second place. In amongst all ' place in the handicap. After name is destined to continue that horsepower, the efforts experiencing problems in the and is in good hands, if the of Peter Brice, Allan Taylor opening scratch race, Stuart latest sports car is anything and Dale Rodgers (all Midget Powell got the famous Faux to go by.

and Greg McPherson next. Ian Jones was the best of the XU-ls. In race two McPherson grabbed second spot from Stephen but couldn’t catch Stubber or race winner Marget. The feature race over eight laps on Sunday went to an emotional Chris Stephen who dedicated the win to his late son Mark. It was a fine drive by Stephen, who finished well clear of Tino Leo with Wayne Purdon’s Falcon XY just holding out the XU-1 of Ian Jones for third spot. Ten different marques were represented in the Formula Ford events, and after incurring a stop/go penalty in the first race for jumping the start, young Andrew Makin got it right on Sunday and scored impressively in his Palliser FF. Less than one second separated the top three in the handicap with victory going to David Grierson’s Van Diemen RF76 in a tight finish.

THE date for the Australian Historic Motorfest at Winton Motor Raceway in 2000 ; has been changed. Unfortunately, the meeting has had to be rescheduled owing to a i plethora of sporting, social and cultural events in the region around the same time. Also, because of the 2000 Olympic Games, the motorsport calen dar has been adjusted and the first weekend in November is now the ' likely date for Winton s ! round of the 2000 ' Australian Truck i Championship. The new date for the Australian Historic Motorfest is April 1-2, 2000. Maybe it will help ' relieve some of the pressure at the end of the year - and provide a good opportunity for Historic Winton com petitors to get their eye I in before the big meet ing at the end of May.

responsible for the chas sis and fabrication, and Chewton’s Mark Rye who built the body. The rare Alfa was parked on the footpath outside Cafe Nuvolari while guests and friends enjoyed an appropriate Italian meal and then, with Campari and sodas aloft, toasted that great lover of fine food and grand opera, Giuseppe Campari, winner of the 1928 and 1929 Mile Miglia for Alfa Romeo. An unlikely guest was well-known journalist Keith Dunstan who,in the past has shown a dis tinct preference for the bicycle as a mode of transport. Even he must have been moved by the grace of this Italian red beauty. At the end of the day, Diana and Tony Gaze drove the Alfa back to Nagambie,its maiden journey successfully negotiated. i Speaking of Diana, she i will also possibly be relieved. She has quite a schedule ahead, having just received a major slab of manuscript to proof read It’s the long-awaited book on her late husband Lex Davison which has been written by leading Sydney motoring writer Graham Howard. Let’s hope it won’t be long now before this important work is on the bookshelves for everyone to enjoy. - BRIAN REED

lMo)0®{?suxwi}

54 5 November 1999

he Parts Plus group which was established three years ago with just 4 members has, with the recent joining by Greenacre Mitsbits. Parts Plus in Sydney, grown to 20 members throughout NSW, ACT and Victoria. Parts Plus can supply good quality used parts and panels for all makes and models of cars, commercials and 4wd's. Each part has a nationwide 6 month/ 20,000 km parts and labour warranty, panels have a lifetime warranty and delivery can be n arranged anywhere in Australia. For further infor mation contact Parts Pfus on 1300 360 186.

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Fast Post. Ingall, Murphy. Bargwanna, Richards, Nicholas and Leisk try out the new No Fear range (below).

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motorsport back grounds so they have plenty of experi ence when it comes to per formance driving. Driveskill have just recently been accredited as the sole Cams Licencing tester in Victoria. We had 6 in our group on the day, all there for differ ent reasons. John was 17 and about to go for his licence and at the advise of his parents, who felt he was an aggressive driver, he decided to do the defence driving course prior to get ting his licence. Paul was 21 and received the course as a gift from his grandparents, Mark was been put through the course by his company as part of an occupation health and safety initiative.

Julie had recently been involved in an accident in the family car and had lost confidence driving the car. The course was to improve her driving skills and regain confidence with driving. The day was a combina tion of theory and practice, with discussions on driving habits, seating positions and the causes ofaccidents. The practical side was per formed in your own car and simulated emergency brak ing situations in a safe and controlled manner. We were all given a fev’ runs at tiying to stop from 60 kph before hitting the simulated car which had pulled out in front of us. We all skidded into the side of the car totally out of control. However after some tuition on the correct brak ing procedure everyone started to avoid a collision and stop with full control. Stopping and keeping control of the car was the main aim of the practical side of the course, the theo-

ry concentrated on avoiding the need to use these skills in the first place. Bad dri ving habits, poor concentra tion and over impatience were some of the subjects discussed. Although the course was about learning, it was con ducted in a light hearted atmosphere where every one's input and participa tion was encouraged. Personally I believe I have gained a lot from the day and have become a safer driver with a greater appreciation of how to drive and improved awareness on the roads. Everyone on the course that day said they felt the same and all seemed to enjoy themselves along the way. Driveskill run a range of courses starting with the DriveAware and Ehive Advance course as well as Cams Licence te.sting. For further information contact Driveskill Intemationai on 03 9841 6411. - BRENDON SHERTOAN

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56 5 November 1999 I.

CLASSIFIEDS

Motorsport News Classifieds are FREE for private sales. Classifieds from motor sport traders are accepted (marked with a ●) and must be prepaid, at the following per issue rates: $5 per 10 words (min $10 per ad), photo $10. Further enquiries to our advertising department.

SeJans/Sports Cars r ■■

'Ll-

Cortina Mkl GT Group N. Completely rebuilt for 1999 season, fresh engine, new Quaife gearbox, close ratio steering box, new paint, new Bilstein suspension, new electrics. Lots of spares. $ 15,500. Ph: 03 9726 7431. 166 Lotus Escort twin cam, 1970 original English delivery, round h/light. White, FIA moly cage, side intrusion, FIA seats + fire bomb. World Cup struts, new shocks, 4 spots ventilated fronts. Minilites, LSD. Ready for Classic Adelaide, Targa. $15,000. Ph: 0417 083 096. m HQ Holden. Good starting package, fresh paint, good hp engine, recently run at Calder 8 Winton. Get an HQ, go racing!. $4,500. Ph: 0419 139 303, .66

Sports 1300 Mallock Mk31. Brand new Suzuki t/c motor , Alfa'g/box, Konis all round, Stack dash, Data logger. Car built 1998, fully set up with spares. Immaculate. $35,000 Ph; 0414 816 555, 02 9653 2254 (AH), lee

‘>1

ija,

GTP Hyundai Excel. Fresh engine and gearbox, spare engines, gearboxes, wheels 8 tyres. Ready for Bathurst or 2000 season. Genuine enquiries to Darren Best 0418 178

Mazda RX4 13B, 4 speed, spooled diff, half cage, H/D suspension. Marsh seat, 4p harness, built for Vic 6 Hr. Reliable car, logged S/S, easy concert to Club Car. Great start for new driver. $2,500. Ph: 03 9449 1404

HQ race car #70. New brakes from front to rear, fresh engine, best presented Sandown 500 1997. Plenty of spares, top 10 car easy, ready to race. $7800. Ph: Adam 0414 564 327, m Mazda RX-7 Club Car, Bond roll cage welded in, half finished project. Motec ecu series 3, rear axle and diff. Spare ratios/Momo seats 8 steering wheel. No expense spared. $9,000ono. Ph: 0410 500 007. ii»

Ford Escort Mkl, 2lt ohc with twin 45 Webers, complete with Dorian timer anc( charger, ready to race in Club Cars. Well presented, mustlell. $10,500ono. Ph: 02 9838 9703. les NASCAR Oldsmohile roller, 01 Revell car, ideal new level 2 class, could win series in right hands. Requires some parts. Assistance given. $12,500, would consider trade. Ph: 0412 553 345. .es

Porsche Cup Car - B Cllass. 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 s'uit buyer interested in competing at Indy 1999. Complete race records available. Great assis tance package provided. Ph: (02) 9418-3711 BH,

Datsun 260Z, VL turbo powered, 5 spd, intercooled, blow-off valve, 6-25psi boost, button clutch, 4WD 4 spots, 16x8 ROH, full cage, 2 Sparco seats, RTA approved, 12 months reg, tandem trailer. $15,200. Ph: 03 6431 4675, 0419152 032. les

JMW Sports 1300, Datsun engine, g/box. Best lap Lakeside 55.8, 1/4 mile 13.00 @ lOOmph. 2nd Nationals 1999. $13,000. Ph: Ash 0409 648 633,07 3274 2280, m Holden EH, 300hp 192 race engine in light weight body. Discs, LSD, 8x13s. Needs finishing - won't take much. Must sell, owned since 73. Never driven it. For Street/Strip. $6,000. Ph 03 9802'3776 alter 7pm.

159. 166

VS Commodore Sports Sedan chassis, push rod suspension, quickchange diff, 2 body kits, big brakes, unfinished project. All parts to finish are supplied. $12,000. Ph: 03 6330 1881 (BH). 166

Toyota Celica RA28 1977. Rebuilt engine (road race 8 rally), cage, 4 point harness 8 race seat, log book. Great for hillclimbs or circuit racing. $3,995. Ph: 03 9735 5315. TO HQ Holden, "99 log book, competitive, h/d steel cage, Salisbury diff, VDO. Inc many spares and wheels. Ready to race. $4,000ono. Ph: 0417 882 781. to Group C ASX, Bob Morris Channel 7 Bathurst car. Current road rego, recent restoration, complete history includes log books. Original L34 race eng. Super T10, 4 spots etc. Best offer. May separate or consider trade. Ph: 02 6242 6675. to

Honda Prelude VTi-R, '97, 53,000 kms. Car is dark green, in immaculate condition, with rear spoiler, carpets, 10 stack CD etc. Never thrashed, raced etc. terrific road car. $35,500ovno. Ph: Chris 0418 580 700 (BH) Melbourne. Lotus Esprit turbo. Superb performance car, red with black leather, 50,000kms since full rebuild. Sunroof, CD. Very reliable. Reduced to sell, $36,000ono. Ph: Mark 02 9827 0738. to Nissan Stanza coupe, new Z18 turbo, space frame, FGA 400 Hewland transaxle, 16x10' wheels, 4 sp'ot calipers, Motec ecu, independent suspension, fibreglass panels. $25,000. Ph: 03 9876 3993. to RX2, 12A Bridge port, Motec M4 pro Lambda logging. Full floater rose jointed LSD. Big brakes, Bilsteins, bias, hydraulic handbrake, intercom, Terratrip -f more. $11,000. Ph: 07 4926 0303

Peugeot 405 Super Tourer. Fresh engine, clutch and 6 speed X-trao gearbox. Ready to race with good inventory of spares, wheels etc, $22,000. Ph: 0414 623 251. 185

Australian Porsche Cup Winner. Winner of 1999 Porsche Cup. Consistent winner, holding the lap records at Winton, Wiliowbank and Oran Park GP race circuits. Professionally built in Jan 1998 to highest of standards. Absolutely immaculate. 3.6 It turbo, 6 speed box, Motec. 3 sets 18' Simmons wheels. Complete history and assistance available. Ph: (02) 9418-3711 BH 165 Golf GTi, 16v 1990 3 door, exc cond, c/r box, traction control diff, service books, factory alloys, sunroof, new VAG exhaust, brakes, outperforms VR6. $22,250. Ph: 08 8278 5988. (AH)

RX7 GTP race car. Fastest vehicle in its class, ultra reliable. 4 pole positions at last two championship rounds. Immaculately prepared by Maztech and stunning graphics by Metal Morphis. Spares package, data logger. Ready to win 2000 series. $62,000. Ph: 03 9481 0981,0419 897 217. TO Escort MkOI, circuil/rally project, 90% complete. Pedal box, Fierra diff, 4 wheel discs, all parts new or rebuilt, too much to list. Genuine reason for sale. $8,000 - have spent $000s more. Comes with most parts to finish. Ph: 02 9456 1128,0412 372 678. to

Group C RX7, ex Murray Carter, engine rebuilt 8 ready to run in. Trailer 8 lots of spares. $15,000. Ph: 0412 624 130, 03 5825 3125. to Mazda RX7, just built, mid mounted 20B, adjustable everything, big brakes. Spt roll cage, Mazdaspeed colours. Professionally built, very quick car and handies. Too much to list. $25,000ono. Ph: 07 5770 4135. TO

. .1

“’■‘■-'T-ri,,

Sports Sedan, mid mounted 202, dry sumped, Webers, forged pistons, triple plate BB, c/r Chev muncie, Ford rear end, Detroit locker, big brakes, 14 wheels, slicks 8 wets Quickest, most successful 6 cylinder in SA. Ph: 08 8565 6273. 165

j|S“ Corvette Stingray 1974, 350 motor, turbo 400 trans. Excellent cond. $30,000. Ph: 07 5598 3166, 07 5534 6881. 1® 2 X HQ Thunderdome rollers. Near new cage, alloy seats, harness, fuel cell, chambered diff etc. $1,200ono. Ph: 0418 320 673. 03 9743 0083

Super Sedan VN, VR Commodore. Rayburn chassis, 6 cyl Holden engine, new Torana diff. single leaf rear end. Plus spares + tandem trailer. Good cheap ca'- $8,000ono. Pti: 02 6352 2773. « EL Falcon Mod Production. Forte race car bar work to ASCF specs. Full race car, full suspension rear end, front eno, complete. Can be used as 3 litre Sedan in Vic only, (No motor or gearbox). Ph: 03 5339 5834,0411 540 809 after 4pm. ig6 Sprintcar engine, 640 hp Chev 369ci. steel block, alloy heads, injected, dry sump, geardrive Fully fresh 8 race ready. $16,000. Ph: 02 4362 8453,0418 391 443. to Litre Sprintcar, 94 high bar. Hilbrand quickchange diff, fresh 2pk paint, complete roller. Spare tyres, wings etc, with reg trailer, $6,200. Ph: 02 4647 8531 TO JSR Sprintcar, hi-bar, roller less engine Heaps of spares. Comes with 24ft trailer. Priced for urgent sale. Ph: Ftehard 03 5282 2792. to Super Sedan - Ford body, new chassis, new shocKs, new leaf spnngs, only had 2 race meetings and handles extremely well. 1st in first A Grade race at Newcastte. $30,000. Ph: 02 49292193. to Sigma Production, 3 litre. Junior or similar division Sedan. Car has good background, comes as roller, with heaps of parts and goodies. $3,000ono. Ph: 02 6963 6367, ■ , Super Sedan - Camaro body, strong methanol 327 Chev, good straight chassis. Wide 5 wheels with good McCrearys, new coil overs, Dina diff, spare wheels 8 tyres. Top B Grade car. Ph. 07 5494 5240.

' I

Escort Sports Sedan; ex Bob Holden with Group C log book, brand new 2 Itr engine, all the best gear, race winner. $11,000. Ph: Trevor 03 9763 7898, 0413 128 287. I&5

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Super Sedan - Dodge Avenger. 600+hp Chev, Brodix, Willys, Willwood, AFCO, chassis 8 engine 4 races new. Finished 6th Australia's richest race 99. Ready to race. $26,000. Ph. 0418 127 334. to

at ‘ WMD

●● Nissan Marcb: As quick as a WRX and ready to race. Inc spare engine 8 g/box, plus more. Call tor details. $4,500ono. Ph: 03 5827 1256 (AH). 166 Ford Escort 2lt Club Car. Twin sidedraught Webers, new manifold, new cam, extractors and exhaust. Very quick car. 7' mags, roll cage, race seat and belts, with log book. $5,500ono. Ph: 03 5126 2822 anytime. i66

Mazda RX7 Club Car - 13B BP, Haltech F7, laptop, 4 speed or, 8x14" mags, spare springs 8 diff, tandem trailer, ready to race. $16,000. Ph: 0419 688 214. 165 LJ GTR Torana, very good cond, Sportmaster wheels, XU1 spoilers, tinted windows. Always garaged. $8,000. Ph: 0419 631 005,02 9818 4474. 166

Fiat 128 3P coupe, new paint, factory mags, AOOSRs, mild modifications, VGC, suit road or hillclimb. Spares incl. $2,700. Ph: 02 6658 6866 (AH), 0413 117 051 (BH). to Mazda RX4 Club Car, S/Sedan project. Floater diff, watts link rear trailing arms, disc brakes pedal box, custom roll cage. Too much to mention. $1,600ono. Ph: 0409 191 612, 03 9354 0417. to

5,.vrr.

Modified Production VP V6 Commodore. Steel crank engine, all best parts, top hp, custom mandrill pipes, 6.0 9i" quick steer, bead locks. 10 tyres, most new (2 meetings old). $15,500. Ph: 02 6922 5468. 165

FI Club Sedan/Super Sedan: VS Commodore body, new chassis, new coil-overs, 360hp genuine XU1 202 block with rare aluminium 12 port Phil Irvine head, triple 48mm Del Ortos etc. New McCrearys, Ph: 07 5491 8446. TO Super Sedan, 95 Camaro, live axle, quickchange, steer ing reduction box, Willwood pedals, 80ltr fuel tank, reco radiator and driveshaft. Less engine. $3,700. Ph: 07 5494 8184. TO

Super Sedan chassis with body only four meetings old. No running gear, good cond. $2,800. Ph: Frank 02 4572 5949. TO I

Formula Ford - Van Diemen RF86. Top hp engine, immac cond. Complete with spares, suspension jigs, ratios & fully end trailer. Done sprints/hillclimbs last 3 years. A joy to drive, must sell. $14,000ono. Ph: Paul 0407 432 378. to Formula Vee Elliot 01. 1996 pointscore winner. Totally rebuilt. Top Elliot Bond engine. New paint & nose cone. Comes with pi, gear box, spares + trailer. $10,000. Ph: 03 9308 7663,0416 210 778. to Kart: Monza GP R197 Junior. Complete, with air box, spare stubs etc. Very competitive. $2400. Ph. 03 5766 4218. TO

Open Wheelers

■-

■■ ;

1? »

■ ,-fk-

1977 Farrell Clubman, 1300 Nissan A12, dry sump, Cosworth pistons, GX head, twin 48 Webers, Holinger CR box, current log book. Eligible Histories. Many spares, diffs, wheels enclosed regd trailer. Excellent cond. $14,500neg. Ph: 03 9850 9207. to Kart, KT100, just set up. Very quick, includes._sp,ares etc. Must sell $1,800ono. Ph: 07 5770 4135. to

Lynx FJ, second-last Lynx built ISOOcc Ford motor, exc cond, log book, cert of description, suits small drivers only. $28,500. Ph: Dick Willis 02 6652 2099 (AH), to Elfin 622 Historic Group Q. Full restoration to F3 spec. Top hp Cosworth engine with BDA crank & rods. Twin plate B&B clutch, Mk8 Hewland. Beautifully presenlaed & main tained, all best equipment. Spares, lull history available. Offers over $30,000 to Richard Harward, Ph: 02 9568 4147 (AH), 02 9789 8470 (BH), to

-●

t■ Kart - Speed R-2000 chassis, Yamaha J-100 (serial no 769 602138), 30mm axle, nose cone, stand, control muffler. Clean, fast and straight. $1,350. Ph: Stewart 03 9560 8840, 019 161 691. TO Elfin 622 Historic Group Q. Full restoration to F3 spec completed 5 years ago. Top hp 1300 Cosworth Ford engine, BDA crank & rods, twin plate B&B clutch, Mk8 Hewland. 'Beautifully presented & maintained car. Offers over $30,000 to Richard Harward. Ph: 02 9568 4147 (AH), 02 9789 8470 (BH). to

Formula Libre Pirhana. 1327cc Suzuki engine, 2 sets of body shells, Avon tyres, track record-holding Victorian champion car. $11,500. Ph: 03 9735 5315. to Clubman Sports 1300. Farrell FA83. Armstrong adjustables front & rear, wings, presently fitted 4AGE motor. Sell with motor $6,500, or without $6000. Ph: 0419 108 128. TO Van Diemen RF95, ex AMSA, professionally maintained by Banfield Motorsport, Lamer motor (just rebuilt). Proven race winner, top condition, ready now. Many spares & ratios, wheels etc. $26,000. Ph: 0414 646 949, 03 9598 7558 (AH). TO

Engines Nissan FJ20 turbo, ex 'the Sprite' Australia's fastest 4 cylinder Doorslammer. 630hp, 8.18 sec 162mph. Complete as last run. Hilborn fuel injection, Carillo rods, Cosworth pistons. Ph: Jeff Watson 07 3891 2424, 07 3341

-i.

1873 (AH). TO

Chev SB high performance 355ci, manifold to sump. 12.5 to 1 comp, roller valve train. 4 bolt bottom end, approx 420-450hp. Can supply thicker head gaskets to make more streetable. Quality brand names inside engine. Will sep head.s/manifold from bottom end. $6,000ono. Ph: 02 9604 8910,0417 253 324. to Z18 turbo, factory computer and harness, Z18 head port ed, 76 cam, 48/88 Crow cam, Z18 5 speed, lightened fly wheel, turbo clutch, slide plate injection 42mm. Suit Z18. Ph: Richard 02 4777 5606. tee 350 Chev, alloy heads, roller cam, Cosworth crank, Carillo rods, Cosworth pistons, dry sump, triple plate clutch, Haltech efi fuel inj system. Top engine. $12,000ono. Ph: 03 6330 1881. to Nissan VG30D race engine, quad cam 3 litre. Grower crank/rods, crank girdle, 4 stage dry sump pump with alloy tank. Ph: 0418 884 756. to Mazda rotary engine with Wade supercharger. Professionally built, 3' drive belt, spare pulleys etc. Will split. $3,000. Ph: 07 5770 4135. to

\ f' ',

●S'

Formula Vee Spectre. Brand new body, engine fully rebuilt by Volks Performance, new tyres & spares. $3,990. Ph: 03 9735 5315. to 250cc International Superkart. Yamaha engine. Zip chassis, Kelgate brakes. All completely rebuilt. $4,000. Ph: Barry 03 9796 4588 (BH). to Historic Sports Racing Car: Croup R, fully restored. Kaditcha body, rotary powered with Hewland Mk9 g/box. May trade car or bike. Offers around $30k. Ph: 0409 603 749. 166

Parts

Formula Holden 92D. Good hp engine, competitive car, Tiokford 500 winner, spares & trailer available. Make an offerl Ph: Owen Osborne 0417 320 866. to

5 November 1999

350 Chev block, 430 It main, never used, brand new. $800 Ph- 03 5484 1307(BH). to . Off Road race shocks,4 x Aushcxik Race shocks, 12 in travel, reservoirs, threaded bodies, spring hardware. As new,$350 eaoh, Ph:029604 7725 TO RX3 Coupe shell $3,000: Needham 11 5th $1,500; Volvo brake kit (f) + 2 discs + 2 calipers + seal kit, $500. Monno wheel + boss $100. Phone for these and more 0419 576 830. « Nissan L series 4 cylinder head. Fully reconditioned, last development by HSD Flows 194hp, ho valve springs, 44mm inlets, billet 76 cam, multi hole sprocket. $800. Competition exkactors $130. Ph:039576 4053 i* Holden VS V8 cyl heads, brand nev. in boxes, bare. $70Opr orio. Ph'02 6242 6675. to VW brand new 2 litre heads, 48x36, titanium valves, Chevy double springs. Suit Speedway, off road or performance VW. $1,000. Ph: 02 6655 5715, 0409125 965. to Dunfop slicks, 16", near new. 2 off 285/590, $300pr; 2 off 325/625,$350 pr. Ph:03 9318 7515. <86 Te* Racing Super T10 gearbox. X ratio, steel case, magnesium external housing, Hurst Super Shifter + straight linkages. VGC. $3,200. Ph 0418 546 318, 03 9761 0166 (BH). TO

Porsche Aus liims 17x8s, polished with alloy caps, brand new Pirelli P700 tyres 245x45 series, never used. Top class show rims. $2,800. Ph:026655 5715,0409 125 965. to Four Yokohama A008 205/60x14 tyres. Very good. $240. Ph-03 9889 1149. to Dorian timer $350: 4 stage dry sump pump $600; Oberg filter ass $150; Crane H16 ign kit $350; Mallory dist. suit 350, S100; Lockwire gun-wire $180. Ph: 03 6330 1881. to Hewiand to Ford gearbox alloy spacer, with starter mount 2’ wide, $120, Ford Cosworth twin cam forged rods (2)only $400 pr ono. Ph:07 5463 6730. Holinger 5 speed gearbox. Group A, good cond, $9,000. Pn: Scotty 03 6234 84'66 or Bill 015 432 013. to Brodix .12 head, CNC ported, valves & springs, $2,OOOono.Ph: 0419 603 126 to RPM race seat & 5 point harness, new. $400. Ph: 03 9354 0417.0409 191612. to Fuel cell tank and bladder, complete with dry break filler fittmos, ex Falcon GTP car, grxid condition, $^0 the lot. Ph: Bob 08 82431122(BH) 08 84499196(AH), to VW: brand new 2 litre heads, 48x33 titanium valves, Chevy double springs, suit Speedway, off-road or performanve VW. $1 OOO. Plus other performance goodies, Ph: 02 6655 5715,0409 125 965 TO Group A twin throttle body. New tappet covers, air box, ne-w .njectors. All parts new. $3,500. Ph 0419 184 855. TO

l Brake calipers, discs, pads, master cylinders. Large range new/jsed. Ph: CC! 0418 925 767. to l Clutcfies: AP Tilion, QM, 7.25, 5.5, 5.0. New/used. Ph: CCI 0418 925 767. laE l Oil coolers: Earls, Setrab, Serck, 7-60 row, used/new. Ph: CCI 0418 925 767. to l Pedals: brake/clutch, floor mount/hanging. Large range. Ph: CCI ,0413 925 767. to l Radirton: alum/brass, new/used, 1, 2,3 core. Ph: CCI 0418 925 767. to l Hewland DGB. TFT FT lop gear ratios, new/used. Ph: CCI 0418 925 767. to

Transporters/Traiiers

Chevron B29 Formula Atlantic 1975 Group Q Historic, with COD Cosworth BDD fresh engine. New mounted wets. Ex Albert Poon. Race ready, spares, trailer available. $54,000. Ph: Geoff Wieland 0412 333 332, 03 9816 4639 (AH). 165

Fuel tank (new) $250. Also, 35GE Toyota motor $850. 2 X 48mm Webers $900pr. Holden hubs & Harrop rotors, 14', $500, Ph: 0418 736 619. TO Porsche 911/930 bits. Power brake booster $430: half cage, alloy, $400: 'Bra' for pre-C2 930, $125; wheel nut impact gun, batt, op, brand n^w, $120 (cost $180). 'RSR 3.3' Vic No. plates, $250. Ph; 03 9822 5034. 166 Race tyres 4 off 190-535x13, 2 off 230-570x13 Dunlops. Cheap. Ph: 02 4942 2490 (AH). TO Cosworth type front mounted oil pump to suit 105E 120E Ford motor $550. Laystall steel crank (4 bolt) to suit Lotus twin cam. Std stroke. $600. Ph; 03 9592 5706. 166

Convertad school bus registered as camper van. elec tric v^inch at back, huge rear door. Fully reconditioned Ih-ougl-out. $4,900. Ph;02 4929 2193, « Acco Crew Cab, ex fire truck, 392 V8, auto, new paint, very good condition, 82,000kms. ideal gooseneck tow vehi cle $15,000ono.Ph:035275 2567. m Enclosed trailer, 18ft 4 wheel electric brakes on Alko sus pension, ROH Wheels with U tyres(+2 spares), 7kVa gen set, 12 ;fm" compressor, fluoro lighting, side door, pro-built. Immaculate, all brand new.$12,000. Ph: 0416194 763. tee 1987 FSB Isuzu 24 x8.5 pantec. 6.4 Itr DSC, 6 spd, 6/2000 Vic reg Ramps to suit Commodore or Falcon sedan 90001b winch, 3 phase, fridge, TV lockable storage cabinets etc. Finished in white, no money to spend. RWC supplied. With 24'x12' canopy. $27,500. Ph: Christian 03 9568 3020,0418 105 369 i6£ Race car transporter, isuzu JCR 22ft pantech, 2 speed diff, power steering, well maintained, ramps, work bench, storgae boxes tyre rack, annex 20ft x 12ft $11,500 Ph:02 9565 2600. to

Pheteqraphs

Bom!oasnn3y""pliolo?'^TTicf7carsT^5F"^^'P^ Porsches etc etc. from 1999 and earlier years also. Ph: 07 3298 5522 (evenmgs). <86

Wanted Motor racaig pro^ams A posters, any track, buy, sell swap. Also, Photos and info of Ford Mustangs ratxig 1964 to new. Aust & NZ-Improved Prod, Sports Sedan, Group N, Drag, Speedway etc. Ph:BobWi«amson0296273790,0296297178(AH). to Photos from Aust GP held at Longford Tas, 1959 or 1964. PhStewart 02 6299 8239 to Tyres, R spec, used to suit 99'WRX, 205-50-16. Ph Glenn 0414 456677. TO 2 BBS 19 inch Sn*e Tongue touring car rims with centre lock nut pattern, or swap 4 Porsche AUS rims, 17x8 with brand new Rrelli P700 tyres 245x45 in showroom cond. Ph: 02 6655 5715, 0409125965. to High compression pistons for Toyrta 4AGE. Ph: 03 9889 1149. TO

For 350 Chev, 2 good Manley akm rods, 5.7, small journal. Ph: 03 5422 1942. to Ml 5 gearbox ratios 'Hewland) m good oond. Also Ford twin cam front timing cover, set ftxged rods & pistons, either new or good srh.Ph: 07 5463 6730. « Wheels 13"“x7" to suit Mini hubs. Sports Sedan type flares or nxxids to suit early Mini, 4' wide. Triple master cylinder pedal box (hanging type) with bias bar/vatve. Ph: 02 4984 5056. lasDrive for 2000 - karting, F. Holden, or Formula Ford, Super Touring, V8 Supercars. Ph: Flaul 0418 291 618 if interested. TO Smiths 0 - SOOOrpm chronometric tachometer. Ph: Brian 02 49663516. to Comic books. Hot Rods & Racing Cars (Clint Curtis & The Road Knights) in any condition. VWiere are they all? Genuine enquiry. Ph: 0410 423 243. 166 Hyper Stimulator or similar wanted. .Anything considered, cash buyer. Ph- 07 5445 8733 (BH), 07 5448 6077 (AH). 166 Information, photos, articles, memorabilia etc from Tralee Speedway, Fraser Park Racevray. Pepsi Pewerdome for consid eration for extensive written and ptetorial publication. Ph: 0410 423243. TO

Other Experienced VS pit crew assistant wants work at Bathurst. Can get there under own steam If you are looking for someone at short notice, phone 0413 275 570. tea

Ford Trad«r Dual Cab with 380ci Chev, just rebuilt, on LPG. 30' trarler originally constructed to carry 2 F. Holdens. Includes onginal benches & loading crane. Front section has lounge area & kitchen facilities. $42,000. Ph: 03 9872 4522 (BH), 0417 511 911. to Enclosed trailer, 6900 long, 2400 wide, tandem heavy duty axles, 4 wheel electric brakes, rear door and side door. 90% finished. Can take wide car. Priced to sell. $4,400. Ph: 0412 880 878. to Mazda 6 cyl diesel, 5 sp, elec o'drive, pwr steer, ramps, winch, tyre rack, storage boxes, carries HQ. At reli able. $6,990. Ph: 03 95961624. 166

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Trailer - 40' drop deck, modern looking, Revell NASCAR team trailer. New tyres, set up for professional team. Carries 2 cars. Everything you need. $48,500, will trade large 5th wheeler, Pb: 0412 553 345, 16S

FI 1/43 model cars - very rare. Western factory bult or kits, all mint cond & boxed. Some pictured. Ph. 02 9805 1914. TO

Autosport mags 1975-1995, tree. Ph: 02 6294 9048, 0418 459 218. to GTP co-drive available at Bathurst 3 Hour in Hyundai Excel. Must have 04 licence and budget. Ph: 0418 178 159. tee

Winfield Williams, B&H Jordan Kmart Texaco pit new shirts, brand new, never worn, all size L. 1999 Very hard to obtain. $200 ea. Ph: 07 5443 1587. m Complete set of empty Adelaide GP Port bottles in boxes. Plus 1st Melbourne GP bottle. $200ono. Ph. 07 4634 3959. tes Car magazines 1964-1999 (326), featuring Exotic Cars, Lambos, Ferraris etc. Including Road & Track, Car, Sports Car World etc. Plus 10 Lambo/Ferrari books. Sell as one. $1200ono. Ph/fax 08 8249 1329-. TO Serious investment opportunity; direct purchase & mail order Unique Auto rTKxfel, game, apparel etc store In ACT region (no concept copiers). Genuine proposal. Ph: 0410 423 243. TO

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58 5 November 1999 Let every team add a bit here

Bad boy Schuey Editorial E€8§tor

Phil Branagan TecSsmiicaS Editor Tony Glynn AssBstasiit Editor Gerald McDornan Grapl?i€s Co-ordinator Viv Brumby

Advertising Advertising Manager Brendon Sheridan

Dear Sir, I have lost all respect for the “greatest driver of the ’90s.” Schumacher complained about David Coulthard’s driving, but he had nearly created the largest pileup FI would have ever seen at the start. Thanks to drivers with brains behind him,a disaster was avoided. A spoiled brat, that’s all Schumacher is and now we all can be sure that the incidents with Hill and ’i^illeneuve were deliberate. That selfish man belongs in a straight jacket.

Kewdale, WA

Managing Bireetor Chris Lambden

The old gender thing

89 Orrong Crescent Caulfield North VIC 3161 (PO Box 1010 North Caulfield 3161) Phone: 03 9527 7744 Fax. 03 9527 7766 Email: msnews@ozetnail.com.au CompuServe: 100237,ii6s

Contributors General: Aaron Noonan, Brian Reed, Grant Nicholas, Darryl Flack, Jon Thomson, Mike Kable 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 Super Speedway: Martin Clark (USA) Karts: Sean Henshelwood, Graeme Burns, 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), Daniel Wilkins, Wayne Nugent, Peter French Artist: Bernie Walsh Cartoonist: Allan Schofield Motorsport News is published by Australasian Motorsport News Pty Ltd ACN No 060 179 928 Directors: C Lambden (Managing), A Glynn Publisher: C Lambden Printed by: Wiike Color 37-49 Browns Rd Clayton 3168 Distributed by: NDD Ltd Material published by MOTORSPORT NEWS is copyright and may not be reproduced in full or in part without the written permission of the publisher. Freelance contributions are welcome, and while all care will be taken, Australasian Motorsport News Pty Ltd does not accept responsibility for damage or loss of material submitted. Opinions expressed In Motorsport News are not necessarily those of /Vjstralasian Motorsport t News Pty Ltd or its staff.

* GST (Australia) Australian publishers are now required to charge 10% GST on the portion of new magazine subscriptions which falls after June 30, 2000, when a GST will be introduced in Australia. The subscription rate quoted is thus made up of the base S H 0 cost plus GST applying to the postJune 30 portion at this time.

QjTalk Converter

representative of ALL women in motorsport. A very disappointed racer, Gai.-Louise Holden E-mail <pooch@accsoft.com.au>

iX0!^ and there, as theyTl get away with ^ would they? Whether you’re a Ferrari fan, or not, the fact is if Eddie Irvine had won this year’s championship it would have been a very hollow victory indeed. TVice Eddie has won a GP when Mika Hakkinen’s car stopped due to mechanical failure. Twice he’s won with full assistance of his Ron Dennis is a hypocrite. If he (or any other team for that matter) team-mates(Salo and Schumi). could get away with anything On the other hand, Mika illegal on lus cai’s, they would do it. Hakkinen has had 11 poles with If Ferrari used the panels at the five clear victories. Mechanical last GP, then this whole episode is failures robbed him of additional points/victories, while twice his own team-mate nudged him off the track! Twice he committed his own imdoings while leading comfortably. Mika should have had this year’s championship in the bag many races ago. In my eyes and, hopefully, the eyes of true FI fans everywhere, this yeaFs very clear and deserving champion is Mika Hakkinen by a country mile!

Dear Sir, As a (lapsed) foundation member of WIMSA and, more importantly, as just another woman who races, I feel very strongly about the recent release of the WIMSA calendar

Ari Piirainen

“Beauties and their Beasts” (article

Heritage Park, QLD ED;Ari, with a surname like that, it’s lucky we edited the bit about “thinking with your head instead of your heart...”

on page 8, 22/10/99 -MN 164). I originally joined WIMSA ' because I believed its purpose was to finally bring to an end the ignorant gender stereotyping surrounding the concept of women in motorsport. I’ve been proven wrong, because the release ,0f the calendar is, in my opinion, simply perpetuating the sexually discriminatory and dismissive beliefs many people still hold regarding women and motorsport by resorting to the (boring and utterly lacking in imagination) concept of using sex to

sell.

The whole idea of the calendar is disappointing and unquestionably a HUGE step backwards in the battle for women in this sport who are trying to attain equality based on a specific type of ability. That is, CRED-ability. I’m just a nobody who races superkarts and does the odd supersprint when I’ve got nothing else on, but I’d hke the opportimity to publicly distance myself from this sad portrayal (read ‘betrayal’) of women in motorsport and to state quite clearly that it is not

Camping with attitude ‘

There’s that nice iittie Mika: Face of a champion... twice. (Sutton images)

Doobie standards Dear Sir, I am not a Ferrari fan, but have you noticed the photo on page 31 of October’s MSN of the Benetton that shows the similar aero panel to the Ferrari. It doesn’t appear to be vertical, does it? Have the Benetton cars been excluded, or protested? It is about time that the FI circus and, for that matter, all motorsport scrutineering be done and accepted before the race starts without any

a disgrace. Any scrutineer worth their salt would have noticed this “infringement” very quickly, I think that we are not being told the complete truth about this. Ian Both By E-mail

MoraS victor Mika Dear Sir, So much for so-called FIA rules and regulations. What a joke! Just because Ferrari hasn’t won

y mm

Dear Sir, In the 30 years I have been attending races at Bathurst, I have seen many changes to the circuit and surrounds. I have been able to accept, albiet reluctantly, the designated camp sites, restricted areas and associated levels ofticketing. What I do find particularly repugnant, however, is the attitude and inconsistencies of the security personnel attending the camp ground gates. If the energy of these protectors of the paid-up camper could be channeled into removing the barriers in the spectator areas erected by a selfish minority, it would justify their existence at what is otherwise an excellent event.

of this stupidity. This t37pe of carry on makes motor racing look ridiculous in the eyes of the fans,

last 20 years shouldn’t give them

Russell Brovm

sponsors and the general public.

extra privileges.

Mildura, VIC

the World Championship for the

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