Motorsport News Issue 167 - 3-16 December 1999

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Issue 1^67

$4.m

(NZS5.95 inci GST)

3-16 December 1999

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Ford stay with Holdan Super deal for lIlHI

and $$$ Baird for Stone Lowndes opts for HBT status quo - 10 hours before the deadline!

Drag Raring's biggest bang!

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3December 1999

Ingall’s mega-deal

Bargs back for more I Jason Barg^^anna knows what he 'Will he zp to in 2000. The ¥inton wianer will suit up again in 'Vadvoline colours ! after agrees ng terms with Garry R(/ge»-s Motorsport last j week. The Melbourne-based ! driver will renew bis'Dynamic Duo' partnership with Garth Tander, vh', had already .signed fo' V"CKT for next season.

Declines Ford offer ● 3-year Perkins deal ●Telstra sponsorshijp ?

DESPITE recent efforts to lure him to Ford, Russell Ingall will remain with Holden and Larry Perkins’ Castrol team for the next three years.

Jason Bright’s recent departure from Stone Brothers Racing found Ingall among the targets as a replacement, but this week the Enforcer signed an extended deal which team boss Perkins said “has been on the table since earlier this year.”

“There were all sorts of little things which led me to turn down what was a pretty good offer (from Ford),” Ingall said on Tuesday.

“Larry and I have built up a pretty good following and I went around, particularly at Bathurst, looking at how people reacted to us and to the other teams and decided that we really have some strong support and that it could really take some time to build that sort of rapport up again if you jumped ship...”

His quest for the championship is also unfinished business as far as his relationship with Perkins’ team goes: “If Craig stays (it was confirmed minutes later) that’s good too, because there’s unfinished business there.

“I want to win the championship with him in it, in the same (Holden) car...

“The team is committed to putting everything into the championship next year. Now, more than in the past, the championship isn’t going to play second fiddle to Bathurst. It’s just as important...”

At the same time, unconfirmed rum,tars are suggesting that Ingall has played a major role in signing a new secondary sponsor for the Castrol Team - said to be Telstra Mobilenet - which is expected to fea ture on the front and rear of the Castrol cars.

Perkins, out testing at Winton on Tuesday, said he was “delighted to have everything sorted out, and to have the long term stability which will allow us to really present a strong challenge.”

'With Ingall re-confirmed as his ally, LP is keener than ever to burst intx) 2000 in race-winning mode: “I haven’t felt this motivated going into a new season for a while and I was disappointed by some of my per formances in the Shell series races last year,” he said. “Bathurst showed me, and all those who thought I’d ‘lost it’, that it’s still there and so I expect both Russell and myself to have a real go next year...”

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I Dick JoJanson returned to

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j work brieflv on Tuesday after a much-postponed major ®pera.tioE ito fix his ongoing srims proMeim. The recentl> retired D-J is said to be

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sporting a co-uple of sixeable feicia! bruises, but is expected tro recover iil3y.

■ Former Larter Nick AelanxJ is eipected to contest thie'fuil Fannmla Ford Clnaapianship next year as partof the Spectrum equipe.

After e-utting His teeth in the NSW series this year, the ; yoiuiigster impressed at Baithurst, running consistenth in the top three.

Partners: Ingall is staying with Perkins until 2002 after agreeing to a new three-year deal. (Photoby afi images)

Murphy stays at Wynns Racing

GREG Murphy will stay with Wynn’s Racing next year, despite a strong and firm offer from Stone Brothers Racing last week to join one of Ford’s hottest teams.

Murphy contacted Ross Stone on Monday to turn down the offer, after he and Ford boss Howard Marsden had spent last Thursday on the Gold Coast, along with Stone, hammering out a possible deal.

In the end, Murphy opted for the status quo: “It was quite a difficult and stressful decision,” Murf told us from Auckland on Tuesday.

“It was a good offer, but in the end it wasn’t about money or anything like that. It was to some degree a sense of loyalty

Wynner: Murf is staying at Wynns’ Racing. (AFi-images)

and also the (Wynn's) team’s plans for next yeat which made the difference.”

Murphy has officially abandoned his quest to secure an Indy Lights berth in the US and plants his racing future here in Australia: “The Lights scene has changed quite dramatically over there in the past couple of years,” he said.

“It’s simply more about money. There’s a drive if you’ve got the money. If not...”

Having made his crucial decisions about 2000, Murphy too just wants to get on with it: ‘The team has made tremendous progress, obviously,” the Bathurst winner said. “We should have a good year...”

Craig Baird set for Stone Brothers iW 0 Shell Ishell

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Get back in: Baird looks set to drive for SBR full-time. (Diri< Klynsmith)

CRAIG Baird, who shared the Pirtek Falcon with Jason Bright in this year’s endurance races, is the prime candidate to get the full-time drive in 2000.

With established Holden drivers Ingall and Murphy choosing to stay with their respective teams. Stone Brothers Racing boss Ross Stone is expected to put his faith in the Kiwi, whom he rates highly and who did a strong job for the team at Bathurst - in difficult circumstances.

Stone was unable to comment on his plans earlier this week, once it became clear that Murphy (see other story) was not going to sign, but an announcement is expected to confirm Baird’s signing early next week.

The team has some on-circuit sponsorship commitments to undertake next Monday and Wednesday and Baird is scheduled to undertake the driving duties...

Baird came out of semi-retirement this year to join SBR for the Queensland 500 and Bathurst (and 'Volvo for the Bathurst 500), having established a Brisbane-based business following the conclusion of his BTCC Ford deal in 1998.

He of course ‘won’ the 1997 Bathurst 1000 with Paul Morris, only to be elimi nated post-race as a result of a team error which saw him complete too many laps in the car.

He also shared the second Shell Falcon with Steve Johnson in that year’s V8 endurance races.

■ latorsport golfing types may well have recognised the father (»-f new L8 year-old Australian 'Open sensation AarsmBaddciey. Father Ron was s top Formnla' Ford j contendier in'hiss day.

Fortunately the kid took up a cheaper spoit... j

■ Craig Lowndes’ announcsmeoit a n Tuesday that 'he will stay at HRT 1 leaves bi>th Cameron McConviile and Paul Morris, who may well have vied for the empty seal, without fafilime drives for 2(000.

■ There is seme talk that the ajmoizncemeat of Patrick Raciag^B new driver for the 2000 CART season has been .put ofT'for reasons other tnan a big, Fl-style'laixnch. The media date has be-en set for SDecember 20, hut talk Statei side is that ’Visteo.n may not' ■ I he connpletely happy to have..- , ' hraziiiai! Roberto Moreno rn . board, .Slay tuned for details'. ■ ■ ThcFIA GT 'Champ lons^hip endjedin Zhuhai, Chdna last Sunday, with time Team fireca Chrysler Viper- ofFurl VVenctlmger and frlivie’- Teretta winning its sixth win from 10 races this season.

I While clie gong's were being aLwariied at AVTSCO’s night ox nights at the Crown “Casino i-nMelboum>e, the Good or Boys from the W“inston ' '^iest trsil w ere getting ready txohave a.oeJebration of their' C2>wn. Thie equivalent NA.'^l^AS j c3owas iin'Hawaii... next yeav, pilease Dncle Tonv’ i '■ Speaking of Winston VWifft, th«re 'was an Aussie TV carpw at Motegi, cafcRing all time actiiim'for the local b.3Toadcas.t of the race on C hannel 10. Viewing time is TZE.A; keep an eye on your local fes-3evision got^es. and MN will : ai 'SO let y ou know when. i

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3 December 1999

n Set VCRs; Car fans that’s us, guys ‘n’ gals might want to watch the ABC over the summer (like, there’s anything good to watch on commer cial TV). Our eight cents a day is being spent on a four-part series called ‘Auto Stories’ on us and our cars, starting on A'Snty on Tuesday, January 4 and running each week after that. n Wayne Gardner will be back on a motorcycle on Saturday December 11 at Eastern Creek International Karting Raceway when he com petes at “The Champion of Champions” event.

Some of the best karters will run in a 30 lap Pepsi Super Prix while the bik ers will run on the same circuit on 80cc Grand Prix bikes in the Honda 3-Hour enduro in the style of the Suzuka 8 Hour with teams of riders competing. Gardner will compete in both, while Christian Jones returns to karting. Top level rid ers the calibre of Garry McCoy, Anthony West, and Shawn Giles will also compete.

H Asian Formula 2000 Champion Ben Walsh will be contesting the full 2000 GT-P series in a completely new Peak Performance BMW M3-R having been the first BMW driver home in the recent Bathurst 3-Hour. n Pirelli’s Australian motor spoil representa tives, Motorsport Concepts, have announced the inclusion of Pirelli’s range of rally tyres to their product range. The company has recently landed a container load of the latest generation rally tyres which incoi’porate all the current tread patterns and compounds. Wilson anticipates offering full field support for the 2000 ARC rounds. For further information contact Motorsport Concepts on 03 9872 4522. n Vem Schuppan has left Stefan Johansson’s Indy Lights team, the 56year-old South Australian saying he has “other things he would like to pursue”. Since helping Johansson form the team in 1997, the Le Man-win ning Schuppan has guided youthful outfit to three victories, three poles, 10 podium finishes and a rookie of the year title for Guy Smith last year.

Schuppan’s departure coincides with rumours about the future of Johansson’s team... n Larry Foyt, son of the legendary AJ Foyt, com pleted his IRL rookie tests at Texas Motor Speedway last week. Foyt ran 120 laps, 65 of those at more than 200 mph, with a top circuit of 211 mph while team-mate Ryan Hampton topped out at 209 mph,having run 56 of his 105 laps over 200...

Formula 1 about face Jacques stays at BAR, but is Alex history? are as bad he would have no option but to move to another JACQUES Villeneuve says team but reckons that this that he will see out his will not happen as the team contract with British can only get better.

The first of the new BARAmerican Racing - even if Honda 02 chassis is expected his mentor and manager ^ to be ready to begin testing in Craig Pollock is dumped as ‘ the middle of December. the team chairman and The team’s windtunnel at chief executive.

Brackley is still not opera Villeneuve had made it tional but the aerodynamic clear that if Pollock was to be work for the new car has been carried out at Southampton replaced he would also leave the team. He has now University and at the Auto in Center explained that he will respect Research his contract whatever hap Indianapolis. * As expected, Honda is sup pens.

The implication is that plying chassis engineers for Pollock’s future remains the BAR programme, with 15 imcertain and our sources say Japanese now working at the that the question of team BAR factory in Brackley.

Villeneuve was at Monza leadership will not be settled until the British American last week driving an old Racing board of directors Brabham BTll as part of a re-enactment of scenes from meets again in December.

Villeneuve said that the the film ‘Grand Prix’.

The shooting also involved 1999 season has helped forge BAR into a better team, the star of the original movie despite the fa'ct that the James Garner. The purpose results were .Very poor. He of the filming has yet to be said that if results in 2000 revealed...

By JOE SAWARD

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Time for a Danish? Could Kristensen be full-time at Williams in 2000? (Phoio by suHon-images) Schumacher will need a Zanardi has had a ALL the assurances in the disastrous return to Formula potentially stronger team world are not making Alex mate than Zanardi.

1 this season, the two-time Zanardi any more secure Schumacher was due to at Williams.

CART Champ Car test the Williams/BMW later Sources in the UK champion failing to score a this week at Jerez in .Spain single point. reported on Monday that and it is expected that He has a firm two-year the 33-year-old Italian is contract with Williams Zanardi’s replacement will about to be dumped by have his first run in the car WilliamsFI in favour of extending through the end at next week’s Barcelona of next season, but it is Juan Montoya. There is test. believed that severance also a suggestion that, Frenchman Olivier Panis terms have been agreed should Chip Ganassi not had also been mentioned between the team and its release the Colombian from driver. as a possible replacement his contract, that Williams but it was confirmed With Williams about to would grab Dane Tom Monday that he had signed start a new five-year engine Kristensen, who drove for as test driver for the BMW in a number of deal with BMW,the report McLaren/Mercedes team. sportscar races this season. suggest that Ralf

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Staying put: Villeneuve is not leaving BAR ... yet. (Sutton-images)

Panis stations IGNORE all the reports that Olivier Panis is set to join Williams.

The former Prost Grand Prix driver and 1996 Monaco Grand Prix winner has been formally confirmed as McLaren/Mercedes test driver for the 2000 season.

Although he drove in last week’si demonstration round the Mercedes factory at Stuttgart, Germany,the test commencing at Jerez this week will be his official debut in his new role.

McLaren International managing director Martin Whitmarsh commented, “We have decided that we require a third driver in the Formula 1 program to meet the

Go to EL: No, AU. McLean has bought Paul Weel’s AU for 2000.(Photoby oirk Ktynsmith)

McLean gets Weel AU

LEADING privateer Cameron McLean has gotten onto the ‘Weel deal’ for 2000, purchasing Paul Weel’s AU Falcon V8 Supercar.

After considering building their own new car, McLean and father John decided it better to purchase a ready roller, allowing the Greenfield Mowers/Redex team testing and development time before the beginning of the hew season.

demands of our intensive test schedule. . “Olivier has already impressed us in the car and, with his desire to take over this role, and we are confident that his contribution will be significant.”

‘We haven’t put the money in the bank yet, but the deal’s all but done,” McLean told Motorsport News on Tuesday.

“Buying someone else’s car cuts out most of the sorting out dramas and allows us to get laps under our belts before next season.

McLean said the team had negotiated with Tony Longhurst about buying his newer Castrol AU - the other having been bought by Brad Jones - but the Queenslander decided not to seU. Weel’s KJ Radiators team had begun con struction of a new car, the availabOity of their current AU suiting McLean’s plans.

“We’ve got some fairly good plans and ideas for the new season and buying Paul’s car wiU

help us get those underway.” l^le remaining coy about the specifics of the team’s plans, McLean did intimate they had employed more personnel from another team - who is yet to join them in Brisbane - that has experience with the new AU Falcons.

“We’re looking at chassis and suspension development which we reaUy haven’t b^n able to do this season,” he said. “Our new people involved will enable us to look at those areas.”

The team would also continue with their own engine development programme, McLean happy with the results their first engine pro duced at Bathurst.

“The engine didn’t come off the dyno in Brisbane until 2am Monday morning so we were pretty happy with the results,” he said.

“The race was going weU, too, until lap 141 when the left finnt upright broke, not the axle, and it smacked the wall.

“We didn’t need to pit again and I beheve we could have three cars in front of us that needed to, so a top five would have been a great result.

“We’ll just have to go back there with a little more experience next year...”

- GERALD McDORNAN

3 December 1999

STOP CRAIG Lowndes will stay with HRT - for at least one more year.

Time ran out for the triple touring car champion on Tuesday, when his November 30'Headline for a yes/no deci sion with HRT came, without any firm news from the US, where he had hoped to re establish an open-wheeler career with the Team Green Indy Lights team.

The Kool Green team has tested a dozen hopefuls over recent weeks and Lowndes’ test, two weeks back, went well, according to HRT team manager Jeff Grech, who accompanied his driver to the US. At the end of the day, though, any deal required a solid sponsorship dollar back ground and, while Lowndes was leaving that side of things to IMG(who were rep resenting him)and the Green Team, sufficient progress hadn’t been made by 'Tuesday’s deadline.

“Of course I’m a little dis appointed,” Lowndes said on Tuesday evening from

Gardner to host awards MOTORSPORT legend Frank Gardner is to host the 2000 MotorSport Awards Dinner.

The laconic Gardner, the ‘Bob Hope’ of motor sport, will preside over the sixth H.nnual awards evening, scheduled for Thursday February 10, at Melbourne Park, on the eve of the opening weekend of the 2000 motor sport season (Phillip Island’s opening Shell round).

As usual the gala dinner, co-promoted by Motorsport News and CAMS, will feature the presentations to the 1999 CAMS National Champions, including touring car champion Craig Lowndes, plus the MotorSport Awards themselves.

These honour achievers in many categories of motor sport, as well as Personality of the Year, Young Achiever, International Achiever and the top award, MotorSportsman of the Year.

Previous winners of the top award include Lowndes, John Bowe and Mark Webber.

Personality of the Year voting is open to readers of Motorsport News, who last year voted Russell Ingall as their Mr Popularity. Voting coupons for this year’s award will appear in our next issue.

Sponsors of the 2000 Australian MotorSport Awards include the Australian Grand Prix Corporation, Mercedes Benz and insurance group Marsh.

Enthusiasts, race fans, corporate groups and indeed teams can take advantage of an early priority booking deal (see loose insert in this issue) to both save money and ensure a table at motorsport’s gala dinner of the year.

Auckland, where he was ful filling some corporate obliga tions prior to this wekeend’s NZ Grand Prix in Christchurch.

“At least the Green Team now knows I can do the job They have my test results and information - maybe it’ll come together next year...”

In the meantime, Craig will attempt his fourth tour ing car title from four starts.

“It would have been nice to have a go over there, but what we have in Australia is good foi- both me and Nat. We have a good lifestyle and our fam.ilies are in Australia.

That’s important to both of us.

“The championship is one of the best in the world and winning that isn’t easy.

“At least we can now relax and enjoy Christmas know ing what’s in store for next year...”

Lowndes will return to Australia next week and expects to discuss a longer term contract with HRT boss John Crennan. His current contract expires at the end of next year.

Craig: Lights are out and i'm staying home

Four-play: Lowndes will be shooting for his fourth title in 2000.(Photo by Dirk wynsmith)

Longhurst setfan SBR Real TONY Longhurst will drive a second Stone Brothers Falcon in 2000, having sold his V8 Supercar franchise and assets to Brad Jones Racing.

Longhurst’s car will run as a full second car along side the Stone’s primary Falcon, but under separate sponsorship, which is yet to be announced.

Rumours are suggesting it may be Autobarn, which backed the GTP car

American Dreams: Bright’s test put him in the frame for a ride with PacWest in 2000.

Bright to run in Indy Lights are getting clearer by the day.

The former Bathurst win ner is working hard on his 2000 deal to run the series for PacWest Racing.

“If a quarter of the things we are working on come off, we’re there,” he said this week.

“If, at the end of the day, we don’t get there, there are cheaper options for us. But PacWest is where we want to be.'

Bright flew back to Australia last Saturday after impressing the team with his testing speed.

“I was a half-second faster than their regular driver Toiiy Renna, who has signed a five year deal with PacWest’s Bruce McCaw. I could not have expected to go any quicker than that.

n A new book published last week claims that the British motorsport indus try is now a bigger exporter than the iron and steel industry and agricul ture. ‘Britain’s Winning Formula’ by lectiurer Martin Beck-Burridge and joumalist/racer Jeremy Walton, calculates that the industry generates annual revenues of US$4bn of which around 60-70 percent is in exports. The country exports US$265bn worth of goods every year and so motorsport is responsible for only one percent ofthe countiys foreign earnings. n 'There are stories fiom

Bright Lights

THE dreams of Jason

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“He (Renna) has a good record so far and, I must say, he reacted positively when I went quicker than him. He’s very mature; some drivers would have panicked when someone walks in and goes faster in testing, but he treated it as a positive. He definitely wants me in the team next season.”

Budget-wise, Bright has been delighted by the response over -the last month.

“Since Bathurst, people have been ringing me to offer deals. It’s been terrific; we have four associate sponsors and all of them make the price of the main sponsor lower.”

One thing Bright is work ing on is the opportunity to showcase his Lights sponsors in the 2000 FAI 1000 at Bathurst.

“I’d like to so it with my

own sponsors. There is a chance to do Bathurst, but Queensland will clash with the Laguna Lights race. I’d like to lease a car off Stones’, or another team. I’d like to do the race in my own colours.”

Bright has no regrets about the way the deal has come about.

“If I had the money by now, I would have been able to say something earlier. But it’s been going on since June.

“I could sign tomorrow, but I can’t afford to have a $l.lm hanging over my head. When We have $800,000, we’ll be close to signing.

“If we’re not there in three weeks, there are other options. There are other Lights teams and other pro grams as well, but I’m sure that the deals to get us to PacWest can happen.

- PHIL BRANAGAN

Longhurst shared with Guy Andrews in this year’s Bathurst 3 Hours.

Tony has also undertaken promotional work with the auto parts company.

Longhurst was tied up in meetings on Tuesday and unable to comment.

IN the meantime. Brad Jones last week con firmed our exclusive story of a few weeks back that he would enter the V8 Supercar fray in 2000.

The of purchase Longhurst’s Falcon team allows Jones immediate Level 1 access to AVESCO and the V8 fraternity and he expects to mount a fullon single car assault in 2000.

We understand Jones already has a level of sup port from Ford for the new venture.

At the same time, BJR intends to also commit to the Super Touring Championship in 2000.

Rumours are suggesting a single Audi for 1999 team member Matthew Coleman.

Italy suggesting that Luca di Montezemok)is going to give up his position as pres ident ofFerrari because he is tired ofthe job. The Italian aristocrat has never shirked hard work in the past and said that the only thing which he finds tiring is constantly haring to talk about the Ferrari FI team.

He is busy trying to increase Ferrari sales and revive the Maserati mar que, which is now con trolled by Ferrari.

Montezemok)is bebeved to be considering a project at the moment to open a Ferrari theme park in Italy. n Tomas Scheckter the son offormer World Champion Jody Scheckter is considering leaping into Formula 3000 next year.

The South African was out testing with the European Formula Racing team last week in Barcelona. n Burmah Castrol pic has announced that it has concluded a major deal to supply all lubricants for BMW cars and motorcj'cles.

Castrol will become BMW’s recommended oil for BMW, Rover, Land Rover. Mini and MG models.'The com panies involved are refus ing to say who is paying whom but there is a similar deal between Mobil and Mercedes-Benz which sees Mobil paying for a lot more ofthe Formula 1 pro gramme than is immediate ly obvious in exchange for the‘^recommended” status. n Former FI driver Martin Brundle ended his RAC Rally when he crashed his Toyota into a tree stump.'This damaged the radiator and Bnmdle wab unable to get it to a service area and so had to retire. Martin was in 40th place after 12 stages. n The Ford Motor Company has bought Pi Research of Cambridge, England. The company is one of the most advanced in terms of data acquisi tion software both in the car industry and in motor sport. Pi wiU continue to run vrith the existing management but is expected to have a much bigger involvement in Formula 1 than it has in recent years ria the Jaguar Racing operation.

-JOESAWARD

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n Ferrari is set to launch its new car on January 25 next year,just a few days before Sauber plans to reveal the Sauber Petronas C19 at a show V

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Webber flies in F3000 testing MARK Webber has served notice

of his intentions for 2000 by daz

jumping event in Zurich.

Sauber has a habit of unusual launches, although the best remains the “virtual launch” of a car two years ago when the media was requested to log in for the ceremonies and was sent a free lunch . in the post. n The Formula 1 electronics wizards will be watching developments in California very closely following the news that a new semiconductor transistor has been developed that allows a computer chip to hold 400 times more data that the fastest currently available.

The system has been developed by the University of California at Berkeley and funded by the US’s Defence Advanced Research Project Agency. It remains to be seen how quickly such chips will become available. n Ferrari is expected to run a completely new VIO engine next season which will be considerably lighter than the existing unit. The new power unit will probably be tested in December using an old car, while the new Ferrari chassis is expected to appear at the end of January. Rubens Barrichello was due to start testing at Fiorano on December 1 and the team will turn out at the Bologna Motor Show for a demonstration run on December 5. The team will then return to Fiorano before a four-day test in Jerez beginning on December 13.

■ There have been suggestions is recent days that the British GP may return to its traditional mid-July date. The stories have been denied by the FIA although it is possible that the date may be changed when the FIA World Motor Sport Council meets again. The problem for Silverstone is that it cannot simply be swapped with Austria because the weather in Austria is not good enough at that time of year for an event to take place and the calendar would have to be completely revamped. The rumours began when several FI teams were informed unofficially that the event would revert to nomal.

■ As we have been predicting for some time Aitows has appointed Steve Nielsen as its team manager. Nielsen has spent the last few months out of work following the closure of Honda Racing Developments. He was previously team manager of Tyrrell.

-JOE SAWARD

Eyes to the future: Webber was amongst the leaders in Barcelona.(Photo by sutton-images)

zling the European Formula 3000 circus in Barcelona. * On a circuit he knows well, the Queanbeyan driver topped the times on the first day of the test and was fourth faste.st overall, led only by experience F3000 racers.

The 23-year old’s time of lm32.278s led Marc Goossens by 0.086s on day one. Both were topped by Brazilian Bruno Junquiera and Frenchman Stephane Sarrazan and David Saelens on the final day of the test.

Driving for fellow Aussie Paul Stoddart’s European Formula team, Webber felt he could have gone faster still. \ “I would not have got Junquiera’s time,” he said this week. “No way; he did a mental lap. But I was on a quicker lap which may have got me into second when I almost had an incident.”

Senna appeal rejected

Head and Newey cleared of ‘culpable homicide'

By JOE SAWARD

PATRICK Head and Adrian Newey have finally been acquitted of all charges relating to the death of Ayrton Senna at Imola in May 1994.

The two engineers were cleared of “culpable homicide” charges in December 1997 but Italian prosecutors was unhap py with the result of the trial and decided to appeal, restat ing that they believed that the death of the Brazilian was caused by faulty steering which was ultimately the responsibil ity of Head and Newey - the two senior engineers in the Williams team at the time.

Their belief in the theory of steering failure was based on a 500-page technical report pro duced in December ’95 by a panel chaired by Professor

Enrico Lorenzini, head of the engineering department at Bologna University. Included in its membership, a group of experts such as veteran Ferrari team manager Roberto Nosetto, former FI driver Emanuele Pirro and former Ferrari engineers Tommaso Carletti, Mauro Forghieri and Jean-Claude Migeot.

The conclusion of the report was that the most likely cause of the accident was steering failure, caused by a faulty weld.

The following year Head and Newey were charged with “cul pable homicide” and prosecut ing magistrate Maurizio Passarini asked for a suspend ed one-year jail sentence for both. The request was rejected but the court did not rule on the cause of the crash, allowing the prosecutors to try again under appeal.

This time the appeal judge

Francesco Agnoli said that the prosecution claims offered “no proof of blame” and so the appeal was dismissed.

With the Senna case now fin ished it remains to be seen whether the Italian authorities will have problems with Formula 1 teams refusing to race in Italy until the laws relating the accidents are changed.

It has been agreed that the law needs to be modified and the FIA has been campaigning for either a law or the adoption of pan-European legislation although the Italian govern ment has done nothing and it is possible that the problem could come to a head once again.

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Rest in peace: The last chapter in the longrunning Italian court saga has finally ended, hopefully now allowing Senna some peace.

the first time at Espinelves near Barcelona.

The three day initiation to the car was due to end the following day with Auriol testing on gravel at Basella, near Lleida.

Dontas signs Makita tools NINETEEN-year-old GTP racer Craig Dontas has signed power tool manu facturer Makita to fund his move to Class C with a new VT SS Commodore

SPEAKING of former World Rally Champions, Carlos Sainz has had his first drive behind the wheel o| Ford’s latest WRC challenger, the Ford Focus.

Sainz, who has rejoined Ford also following Toyota’s departure from the series, drove the Focus near Ford Rally boss Malcolm Wilson’s headquarters in Cumbria, England.

FIA boss Max Mosley also took advantage of the occassion, taking in some time behind the wheel of the Focus.

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Auriol takes a Seat in Cordoba DIDIER Auriol and co driver Denis Giraudet tested the Seat Cordoba WRC E2 for the first time last Monday.

The 1994 World Rally Champion, who has joined Seat following Toyota’s departure from the World Rally scene, drove the Seat around the private gravel circuit at Seat in Barcelona later saying the new car shows considerable potential.

“The Cordoba has big potential and the performance is good.

The car has already shown during this year that it is very competitive on gravel.

“I have a very good feeling about driving it in the World Rally Championship next year”.

As Motorsport News closed for press, Auriol was due to again test the Cordoba on asphalt for

The ‘incident’ was his friend and former F3 adversary, Mario Haberfeld. The Brazilian was leading Webber on the road when he flicked a track marker back into Webber’s radiator, forcing the Aussie to abort the lap and pit. By the time he regained the track, his tyres were past their best.

“We started off the test really well,” commented a clearly delight ed Webber, “and unlike Jerez where I was playing catch up, I was on an even keel right from the start. We were always in the top four and concentrated on a few tweaks and developing the car.

“The really satisfying part was that the car was in the top four of every session, all the time. No matter what the conditions, we were competitive.

“The European team guys were rapt. They’ve never had such a com petitive test and the signs are there that we can continue like this.”

-PHILBRANAGAN

To the Max: FIA boss Max Mosley planted his backside into the Ford Focus and experienced the current Ford ride, as too did new team driver Carlos Sainz. who chatted with Malcom Wilson, left, afterwards.

.

(Photos by Sutlon-lmagcs)

next year.

Dontas’ new Makita Highpower team is con structing the series one VT Holden-engined Commodore with renowned South Australian firm, K&A Engineering, installing the rollcage at the moment.

A move to the new Chevengpned series two VT was considered by the Makita team but the bigger 5.7 litre engine requires it to run in GTP’s Class B, the team con sidering it to be at a disad vantage.

“We’re looking forward to the move up in class and we believe the Makita Commodore will be competi tive,” Dontas told Motorsport News on Tuesday.

- GERALD MCDORNAN

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7

3 December 1999

-

the top four at any stage which was extremely encouraging for both myself and the team although we still have a lot of work to do because nothing ever stands still. I have to admit that I’m still coming to grips with what the car needs and the more competitive you become, the harder it is to make those steps forward.

The car is quite basic really in the mechanical and aerodynamics areas but it is quite sensitive to different weather and track conditions.

V

t’s been a long time between drinks as far as my Motorsport News columns have been concerned this year but finally I’ve got a little bit to write abouti

A

t the start of this season, I thought 1999 was probably going to be one of my best years since coming to Europe but it turned out to be the worse by a long shot.

From the outside, it must have looked as though nothing was happening but I can tell you, we have been working very hard to sort things out following Le Mans so I could progress my career. ’ve really enjoyed the last few weeks as I’ve been running in the European Formula 3000 car at Jerez and Barcelona. The refreshing thing about it is, that I’m constantly testing with and against other young guys and that’s really what it’s all about.

At AMG, I was part of a team of drivers, which was a great experience, but now I can be a lot more direct about what I want and when I want it. I can develop the car the way I want it as well as developing my own driving techniques so that I can get back to the forefront of European single-seater racing.

Iwas happy with both tests, although 1 thought Barcelona was a truer reflection as I was there for both days, unlike Jerez where 1 only did the second day.

At Barcelona we were never really out of

T

he team with which I’ve been testing, European Formula, is owned by Aussie Paul Stoddart who has a very serious aviation business in Europe and an equally serious love of motor racing!

After Le Mans, I let a few people know that single seater racing was the way I wanted to go again and Eddie Jordan introduced me to Paul. Between the two of them, they arranged a couple of private tests, just so that 1 could drive something other than the PlayStation!

I think Paul has been fairly happy with my performance - he’s pretty amazing really, because he doesn’t say much or even run much by you, but just gets on and does things and tells you afterwards, which is fine by me!

I’m pretty excited about what 2000 holds for me and the opportunity to get my singleseater career back on the rails. We are expecting to be able to announce the whole package early in the new year.

This season there’s been fewOne highlights for me to remember 1999a by. was my first visit to the Monaco Grand Prix courtesy of fellow Aussie Vin Hillsdon who is a neighbour of Bernd Schneider.

As usual, the TV does nothing for the actual speed and the precision the drivers need at this unbelievably tight circuit. They were all but the one who stood was Michael Schumacher. I was fortunate to stand on the exit of Casino Square and to have him looking at you on a qualifying lap with the

boot in firmly and the Bridgestones flicking the barrier was fantastic!

The other great moment which a lot of other Australians shared vuith me, was Mick Doohan hopping onto his Honda down at Phillip Island to do his so called demo laps at the Qantas motorcycle grand prix.

It really made the hair stand up on the back of my neck to see him enter the main straight as quick as he did in the condition he was in physically, and to hear the crowd giving him one of the biggest receptions you’ll ever hear at the Island. What a legend!

Asweek for me, I’m off Monaco next for awell couple of to Yellow Pages functions, which I’m looking forward to. And. talking of Yellow Pages, I would like to say just how fantastic they have been this year despite the situation we found ourselves in.

I guess I was fortunate in many ways that Bob Copp, the Chief Operating Officer of Pacific Access, was at Le Mans and saw for himself how it unfolded. I,think it would have been very difficult to explain away the

events of the weekend to a sponsor if they hadn’t witnessed it for themselves!

Even though I haven’t been able to perform on-track for them, they have been keeping me busy with promotional activities, I was back in Australia in October to help launch Yellow Pages Automotive On-Line, including the making of a TV commercial which some of you may have already seen - it was great fun to do!

Finally, I’d like toclub say members a big thank to my supporters foryou theif incredible patience and support this season.

I infortunately I haven’t been able to tel! tiem much over the last few months but there is a new newsletter coming this month which will bring them right up to speed with what’s happening in 2000.

Also, thanks to everyone who has emailed me through the year - it’s always good to hear from people back home.

“ Mmk Webber

World Wide Webber; Mark Webber has flown in European Aviation’s F3000 in testing, (smton-images)

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N

3 December 1999

Cattach confirmed lites as AVESCO CEO

2000 By PHIL MORRIS

JASON Bright’s debut season in the 2000 Indy Lights series will be an historical one with the series making its inter national debut.

The development series will run its first ever over seas race, the final round taking place at the new Aruba Motorsports Complex.

The 15th season of Lights will feature a mix of five oval track events and seven street and road course races with significant changes being made to both ends of the cal endar.

The series switches coasts

America in history.

The series also returns to Mid-Ohio for the first time since ’94, with rounds returning to Vancouver and St Louis after an abscene of one year at each venue.

Nazareth, Homestead, Cleveland and Toronto all lost rounds of the series.

The 2000 Indy Lights schedule is: April 16 June 4 June 18 June 25

Long Beach Milwaukee Detroit Portland

July 22 July 30 August 13 Sept 3 Sept 10 Sept 17 October 29 December 3

Michigan Chicago Mid-Ohio Vancouver Monterey St Louis California Aruba

l l l

DJR Team Manager Wayne Cattach has been confirmed as the new CEO of V8 Supercar group AVESCO. As we specxilated in our last issue, Cattach will leave DJR after seven years to take up the role vacated by SEL man Garry Craft, who returns to the showbiz side of the promotions company.

“I can honestly say I’ve enjoyed my time at DJR,” Cattach said this week,“but with Dick now stepping into a management role, the time is right for a new challenge.

Cattach steps into his new position with a number of immediate challenges including staffing. The recent and impending departure of both media man agers and the illness affecting TEGA’s Ken Potter have left V8 HQ short-handed, although former lawyer and CAMS Steward Peter Svensson is assist ing as needed. , Other issues, including an all-new judicial proce dure put together by Svensson which AVESCO intends to implement(within the CAMg framework), will keep the new CEO busy.There are, after all,just 10 weeks to PhiUip Island...

Mehl quits IRL

for the opener, the kickoff event will take place at Long Beach GP on April 16, three weeks later than the ’99 sea son start at Homestead in Florida.

It will conclude on the new, permanent Aruba road course on December 3, the first race outside North

Ladiesyjust start I your engines

Goodyear, err, bye: Mehl leaves the IRL after three years.

FORMER Goodyear motor - Mehl’s leadership and pro racing boss Leo Mehl has fessionalism behind many of the advances the lEL made, announced his intentions especially on the track. to leave his job as execu "We are grateful for the tive director of the Indy enormous contributions that Racing League.

Leo Mehl has made to the Mehl, vice-president of the IRL," George said at Mehl's Indianapolis Motor Speedway announcement. since 1996, will finish with "He has overseen many pos the IRL this Friday, after four itive developments in the years in the job. league for the last three years.

The 63-year-old took over "The entire Indianapolis as the IRL’s chief administra Motor Speedway and Indy tor in December ‘96 following Racing League family - offi his retirement from Goodyear. cials, drivers, owners, spon Within the tyre company sors, manufacturers and fans he had advanced from his role — mU miss Leo’s professional as a chemical engineer to end ism and integrity. His leader up as general manager of its ship and spirit of innovation world-wide racing programs, tiave set the stage for tremen a job he filled for 22 years. dous growth for the future."

When he joined the IRL ‘It’s been a great privilege Mehl stepped in to help Tony for me to work with all who George bmld and develop the have helped build the Indy breakaway open wheel series Racing League,” Mehl said.

Moforspotl\

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Branskg0m

HERE has been a lot of talk recently about women in motorsport.

Before I get people of either gender rattling sabres about being fair or unfair to women, let me put my cards on the table. I am a heterosexual bloke who likes women. Nope, I love women. My wife is one, and so is my mother. So there.

1 So; women in motorsport? No problems.

Even the most sophisticated car-borne computer system is, as far as I known, unable to distinguish between male drivers and female drivers. I can but, on the basis of who drives whqt, I don’t.

Motor racing is one of the very few professional sports - maybe equestrian, archery and yachting are three others - where both sides can play fairly.

Athletic sports are not.

Golf? Don’t make me laugh. Karrie Webb versus Greg Norman (or Aaron Baddeley,for that matter) would be a no-brainer.

Tennis? I’d back Pat Rafter against either (or both) Williams sisters any day.

Basketball? Andrew Gaze beats Trish Fallon, every time. Track? Even at 40, Linford Christie over Merlene Ottey.

They don’t let men compete against women in those sports. It’s obvious.

Racing; Top Fuel?

Would Romeo Capitanio beat Rachelle Splatt?

Dunno. Depends on the day. the tune-up and who cuts the fastest light.

Leanne Ferrier versus Nick Agland in Formula Ford?

Again, don’t know. Both look pretty quick to me.

There’s been a lot of talk recently about the ‘Beauty

and their Beasts’ calendar.

Ms Splatt and a bunch of other.women drivers have posed (some say somewhat provocatively) for the calendar, and that has upset some people. We have the calendar in question here at MN, I’ve seen it and ! wasn’t upset.

As a matter of fact, I think it’s quite okay.

Why? Btrause the women wanted to do it. Noone was forced against their will to have their pictures taken in their somewhat diminished costumes. There is even a chance that some of the funds the ladies gain for the exercise wilt help them with their racing budgets for the future. Good idea, that.

But people are getting upset. Paints women in motorsport in a bad picture, say they. No it doesn’t; the women in the calendar have never, as far as I know, said that they represent anything or anyone other than themselves. They did it off their own bat. Again, as far as 1 know, no-one feels exploited.

The women in motorsport movement, in many ways, bugs me.

Recently. CNNSI (which is the sports website run jointly by CNN and Sports Illustrated) ran a poll of the sports men and women of the century. The nominees for the male side of the motor racing poll (they were separate) had the expected names; Senna, Clark, Andretti, Foyt etc. Senna won;few arguments.

Women? Shirley Muldowney. No questions; she’s a great racer, three time world champ in Top Fuel, and a legend.

There was only one other; Lynn St James.

Lynn’s claim to fame? She qualified for the Indianapolis 500.

Please. She qualified ior the Indy 500. Okay,she out-qualified Bobby Raha! one year but no-one is

going to convince melhaet she deserves to be noteal for any other reason slnan she is a woman who qualified for at indy.

Quick quiz- who’s Patrick Bedard? Never heard of him? You dam’i. read Car and Driver, Then .

American journalist Bedand has qualified for the 5&d twice. Good effort that.iBtiia his name is not on the CNNSI’s list of the topmsate drivers of the century.Ana) neither should it be. He orirjy qualified for the 500 amd cannot even make a Iraingn ^ as a race car driver. Bii S3t James can, largely becausasi she’s a woman. i Please, please, please.

Can we stop all the butish® , about women in motorsport? Women don't have disadvantages because of their gender,, they have advantages because of their gender The minute a quick one comes along - one who can beat male drivers fairly ^ and squarely -r they wif make the grade and have aa : professional career. ; Sponsors will grab them,Ilf they’re quicker than the current men, the teams will find cars for them because | they’re quick, not because ' they’re women. You can neJ' on it.

Racing cars don’t differentiate between women and men drivers. j Why do we?

If a calendar of some df the better looking blokes iin motorsport comes along and 1 know women who think the Lowndeses, Webbers and Faulkners of the world are downright hunky- women (and some men) will buy it in big numbers. So they should be able to, if they want.

In the meantime, there are people out there who don’t like the women in motorsport calendar. Fine, If you are one of those people, exercise your free will and don’t buy it. Just don’t squeal when someone else does.

NASCAR heads indoors out of the rain CONSTRUCTION is expected to begin in the US next year on the world’s first enclosed super speedway with financing

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“People in racing have talked about this for

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Eighty percent of the required finances are in place. "ITie race track, which is expected tto initially cater for 60,000 people, will be ccmstructed inside a 2.6 million square foot building adjancent to Pittsburgh; International Airport.

Mid-2002 is being targetted as the openingdate for the Rttsburgh Auto Racing Complex

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3December 1999

NASCAR in SMG’s sights

DaiitilerChryslerHonda?

German giant denies talks with Honda and Fiat

V

By JOE SAWARD

leaping 11 percent that day.They later fell back when DAIMLERCHRYSLER Honda denied any discusAG continues to insist, sions and reiterated its desire

IMG has purchased the Charlotte-based Muhleman Marketing group - the progressive marketing company Max owned by Muhleman.

Muhleman was instru mental in bringing the NBA and the NFL to Charlotte and introduced the permanent seat license concept to arena sports, including auto rac ing - his motor racing work significant and attracting clients includ the dominant ing Hendrick Motorsports Winston Cup operation, Hendrick having won fom’ straight championships with drivers Jeff Gordon aud Terry Labonte.

The Muhleman Marketing company will become a division of EHG, retaining its corporate name and staff.

The merger will enable Muhleman the infrastruc ture to expand overseas, while giving IMG access to the much sought after NASCAR arena - an area that it hasn’t had involve ment in as yet.

that it is not shopping for new partners at the moment but that has not

if: m Fishing for team-mates: Mark Gene could be partnered by Phillip Peter at Minardi-Supertec in 2000.(Photo by sunon-images)

Peter Picked?

Lights driver on listfor Minardi

AUSTRIAN driver Phillip Peter is being iinked with the vacant Minardi seat.

According to reports in the Austrian press, the Indy Lights driver has been added to the list of possible drivers in contention to partner Marc Gene in 2000.

He finished second in the Indy Lights championship in 1998 winning the ‘rookie of the year' accolade - and finished third last year.

Peter was put in contact with the Italian team through friend and ex-

Formula One driver Gianni Morbidelli.

'If my sponsors recognise that we talk about Formula One, then I am sure I will find the money we need to get there,’ Peter said.

It was speculated that Luca Badoer would remain with the team for 2000, but he has since renewed his contract as test driver with the Ferrari team, and indicated that he would choose the test drive, ruling out another season with Minardi.

stopped a variety of loimours about the compa ny, including take overs of Fiat and/or Honda.

Reports in Germany last week had DC in discussions with Fiat following the col lapse of talks with PSA Peugeot Citroen - the idea behind the plan being the company’s need to diversify into the compact car market to meet new EuropeaA Union requirements which require companies to reduce fuel- consumption.

The requirements come into force in 2008 and the smaller car sector seemingly DaimlerChrysler’s only option.

DaimlerChrysler boss Jurgen Schrempp is also believed to want to do a deal with Honda rather than with one of the smaller European car makers.

A well-respected German newspaper reported late last week that talks were well underway with Honda, the Japanese company’s shares

remain independent,

for ^ , DaimlerChrysler is that ^onda is not in need of finances and the Japanese are, apparently, worried the German company’s corpo rate culture is completely different to that of Honda.

All this may not seem to he very important to Grand Prix racing but several teams could be affected by

the deals, if any do progress.

Honda is supplying British American Racing (and effectively Jordan Grand Prix as well).

Peugeot is giving its engines to Prost Grand Prix and Fiat is the parent body of Ferrari. McLaren is also part-owned by the DaimlerChrysler empire.

There would, incidentally, be similar clashes of inter est in CART racing where Honda and DaimlerChrysler are in competition.

Future model: Is this a new Mercedes Hemi-powered Accord Uno from DaimlerChryslerHondaFiat? (Sutton-images)

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Motor locffig Calendar

l_B ija

2000 Shell Championship Series V8 Supercars* Rd 1 Feb 13 .. Philip Island

E Mar 19 . . .Wanneroo .

,Rd2

,Rd3 t Apr 8-9 .. .Adelaide ..

Apr 30 ...Eastern Creek ...Rd 4 May 21 .. .Hidden Valley ...Rd 5 ^

2000 FIA Formula One World Championship Rd 1 ^ Mar 12 .. .Melbourne Rd 2 S Mar 26 .. .Brazil Rd 3 Apr 9 San Marino

t«Apr23 HB;:

Britain ...

,Rd 4

J 2000 FIA Formula 3000 n International C'ship Rd 1 ji Apr 8 TBA .. ,Rd2 May 6 ....TBA ..

Rd3 bS June 3 ...Monaco u

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2000 FIA World Rally Championship* Jan 23 ...Monte Carlo ... .Rd 1 Rd2 Feb 13 ...Sweden Rd3 Feb 27 ...Kenya .

Rd4 Mar 19 ...Portugal 2000 NHRA Winston Drag Racing Series Rd 1 Feb 6 Pomona .. ,Rd 2 Feb 27 .. .Phoenix ..

Rd 3 Mar 19 ...Gainesville

^Apr9

.Las Vegas

I

2000

I B

Fedex Cart Championship

,Rd 4

jS Mar 26 ...Homestead ... ,Rd 1 .Rd2 Apr 9 Nazareth Apr 16 Long Beach ... Rd3 Apr 30 Rio De Janeiro ..Rd 4

JIP 5

ijm

2000 Australian Rally Championship* Rd 1 Apr 2 ... .Forest W.A May 5 ... .Canberra Rd 2 Jun 4 Queensland Rd 3 SOOcc World Grand Prix

C'Ship* ■_B Mar 19Motorcycle .. .South Africa Rd 1 ,Rd2 l_B Apr 2 Argentina Apr 9 Apr 30

Japan ..

Spain ...

,Rd3 ,Rd4

2000 Formula Holden Championship Feb13 Phillip Island Rd 1 Mar 26 . . .Eastern Creek . . .Rd 2 ,Rd3 Apr 9 Adelaide

Perth V8$'go'in April 2001

PERTH is in line for the

next VSSupercar extravaganza, with a street race scheduled for the city in 2001.

An Adelaide-style event has been pencilled in for 24 April, 2001, and is expected to take place on a track adjacent to the Langley Park Superstage from Rally Australia.

The 3.7km track will ruil along the waterfront on Riverside Drive and double back to Langley Park along a causeway. While a deal is yet to be signed with AVESCO, there appears to be an agreement in place.

“We’ve had a favourable position from AVESCO,” said.

Ross Roberts, Chairman of Perth VSSupercar Grand Prix P/L, which is putting the event together.

“There are conditions which have to be met, but we are happy with where we are at the moment.”

“A deal would be done iminently.”

The race is expected to be officially confirmed soon, prior to a formal launch in February. ' The event, which will be called ‘City of Perth V8 Supercar Grand Prix 2001’, has the support of the City of j Perth, but the budget for the event, with is between $10-12 million, is being funded privately.

“It’s very good. They have given us a letter of support and indicate that everything will be well received,” said Roberts.

Gary Hunt from the City of Perth concurred:“It is too early to say that everything is going to go ahead at the moment,but we don’t foresee any difficulties at this stage.”

Roberts says that, while the event also has state government support, there will be no drain on WA’s taxpayers.

“My personal view is that too many people are jumping on the governent bandwagon,” says Roberts. “If enterpreneurs want to be involved,I think it is up to them to come up with the money.”

The event will be for an initial 5-year period, with the option of another five.

Kinhill Constructions, which has been involved with the Adelaide race, has been involved in the design process for the track.

J

I B I B

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 associations for date changes.

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

Check your local guides for screening details.

Prodrive grabs the $$$ I

Me and my mates: Richards celebrates another rally win with Subaru brass and Choc Wedges. (Sutton-images) US$100m and US$120m. does not have to make the capital

By JOE SAWARD In order to secure a 49 percent investment necessary to build and maintain the necessary teams and shareholding, Apax will have had DAVID Richards has announced facilities. that he has sold 49 percent of to pay a minimum of US$50m. As a This concept of “out-sourcing” is result ofthe deal Apax director Tim Prodrive to venture capitalist Wright will become a member of attractive to big companies as it company Apax Partners, with the Prodrive board of directors. cuts the overall costs of motorsport the intention of using the money The Prodrive organisation is without reducing the possibilities of raised to expand the company’s already involved in the World Rally success. activities to create a more stable While Ford is an obvious target i Championship - running the facto business. ry Subaru team - and in the for such an approach,it may also be !

It is his intention to double the British Touring Car Championship, attractive to other manufacturers.| company’s business prior to a in which it is running the factory Richards has close links with the flotation within the next two to Ford operation.

Malaysian car company Proton and In recent months it is rumoured four years. The financial details of with the Petronas oil company and the deal have not been announced to have been involved in talks with it is pos.sible that he could reach an but Prodrive was aiming for prof agreement to run all the company’s the Ford Motor Company about the its this year of US$6.5m {$17m) possibility of taking over all of international sporting activities and with assets of around which would greatly enhance the Ford’s competition activities. This US$12m it is believed that the deal makes a great deal of sense for country’s reputation around the company is valued at between Ford, as it means that the company world as a technological nation.

Beauty and the Beast

GARRY Lyon and Tania Zaetta will tackle the

rten1

Look for more: The success of the Adelaide race is leading to a similar race for Perth. (Photo by oiiit Kiynsmith)

BMW Celebrity Challenge at next year’s Qantas Australian Grand Prix.

The recently-retired AFL footballer and the noted TV babe will line up with 25 other drivers in the BMW Z3 roadsters on the Albert Park track.

Lyon is looking forward to the challenge.

“I’m not really a passion ate motor racing follower,” he said this week.

“But everyone who has been involved in the event

tell me it’s the best thing they have ever done. I’m looking forward to sitting down, observing and learn ing as much as I can.”

Lyon is aware that, with the recent exploits of former footballers Sam Newman and Dermott Brereton, he has a fair bit of pressure on him.

“I’ll be asking them for advice and I am expecting them to be so forthcoming ...

Other celebs will be named soon; rumour suggests Pierce Brosnan (James Bond) may shake, not stir, the track.

Ready to rumble: Lyon and Zaetta flank instructor Geoff Brabham and BMW's Z3s.

IM

3December 1999

11

UK Kawa ride for Goddard

BRITON Darren Manning secured his place in the histcrj- books with a dominant victory in the inaugural International Formula 3 Korea

Grand Prix.

Manning added the Korean double to his two wins the previous weekend in Macau, securing a US$100,000 ($150,000) bonus prize.

The TOM’s driver led both heats from pole position in Korea and. despite some intense pressure from Jenson Button, he held on to take the win by just over a second.

At the start of the second race Manning again made the best start, to claim the lead into the first corner, while behind Benoit Treluyer moved past Button.

Button was quickly into second and, on lap 11, the safety car was called out for a spin by Dutchman Christijan Albers, who had been involved in the first race pile-up.

The restart saw Manning and Button puU clear again and, foUowing another safety cai- period when Andre Couto crashed heavily at the first left hander, it came down to a final showdown over four laps.

But Manning had enough in hand to keep the advantage to the flag, even if Button closed up more than Street fighter: Manning (top pic, leading)took the four wins and the $150K in Asia but Button (above) may be the man to beat in 2000.(Photos by sutton-images) expected as they crossed the line.

“It has been a great seven days Button was equally delighted with happy ending the season with a result for me, with winning Macau and tak- his second place. “It was an enjoj'able like this. ing the victory here, and it is like a fight with Manning and, although a “Hopefully I can come back next dream come true,” said Manning. driver never likes finishing second, I’m year and go one better.”

Misery loves company nB□

but don’t expect to see a Minardi/Daewoo

PETERCk>ddardisin tor a hectic 2000.

The NSW rider will ride in seven European rounds of he WSB in addition to his British Superbike commitments with Kawasaki.

'It's going to be a busy year with 19 meetings and 38 races over eight months,"said Goddard.

'The British championship is important for Kawasaki. At the same time Tm pleased the program allows me to keep doing a lot ofracing in the World Superbike Championship."

'God'said he hoped to test ride a Kawasaki ZX'7RR for the first time in early February at either the Eastern Creek or Phillip Island in Australia.

Kawasaki's World Superbike Champimiship riders Akira Yanagawa and Spaniard Gregorio Lavilla are scheduled to test at Eastern Creek and Phillip Island at that time.

Tve never raced a Kawasaki before,so it would be good to do some testing eariy next year to get used to the characteristics ofthe bike before I go to Britain,"he said.

-DARRYL FLACK

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We expect to win next season: Yadda, yadda, yadda. Not even the most optimistic punter expects Minardi to win anything, so why would Daewoo get involved? (SuHon-images) MINARDI and Daewoo have one thing in common: they are both struggling.

And so it is worth ignoring an absurd rumour which did the rounds last week in Italy that the little Italian team is on the verge of concluding a major engine deal with South Korea’s Daewoo.

The nimour-mongers seem to have missed the fact that the company nearly collapsed under its debt burden in July and a few weeks later the company’s creditors announced that they were going to sell off most of the Daewoo subsidiaries in order to concentrate on the core business of producing cars.

This might suggest that a Formula 1 pro gramme is a good idea but Daewoo Motor currently has debts of US$15bn and assets of only US$4.8bn. General Motors has shown some interest in buying the company but is

being very careful not to get involved until it is clear what is happening with the rest of the Daewoo Group - which has combined debts of US$75bn.

All in all, it is very unlikely that Daewoo is going to enter Grand Prix racing.

So it was no surprise to hear that Minardi has denied the stories, saying that it is in the process of concluding its deal with Supertec.

The problem is that Minardi is now more or less at the mercy of Supertec boss Flavio Briatore as it will soon reach the point at which it will be too late for Minardi to build any car other than one with a Supertecengine.

There is a vague possibility of a deal with Tom Walkinshaw but as he is relying on Briatore for his engines in 2000 it is unlikely that the Scotsman is going to do anything to causa trouble.

- JOE SAWARD

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Canto’s Lite EL? DEAN Canto appears set to vinove to V8 Lites for the 2000 season.

The young Sydney driver looks like continuing an association with the blue oval in an ex-Ford Tickford Racing Falcon EL. The car was used by Neil Crompton in the early rounds of this years VSSupercar series before the second of FTR’s AU Falcons came on stream. It last was run at the Honda Indy support events.

“We’re looking at it,” was all that a reserved Canto would say when contacted

by Motorsport News this week.

He failed to qualify for the Oran Park round in the second Challenge car, before joining up with Wayne Wakefield in the Graphic Skills Commodore for the enduros. The duo were a delayed 25th at the Queensland 500 wliile their Bathurst campaign came to an end in the wall after contact with Darren Pate which heavily damaged the car.

Canto may also combine a Lites assault with some GT-P races. He is the youngest winner of a GT-P race, having teamed with Alfredo Costanzo to win the 1998 1-hour race at Sandown and could been seen in a Subaru Impreza STi which may also be dri ven by a Formula A karter during the season.

- AARON NOONAN

Porsche drops Le Mans program THE short-term future of

international sportscar racing is looking a little shaky after the announce ment that Porsche has ditched its plaimed return to the Le Mans 24-Hours.

Despite only testing its new VlO-powered car three weeks ago, the German man ufacturer will not race it in the French classic in 2000.

The German marque is the third to pull out of next year’s event, following Nissan’s withdrawal and Mercedes’ decision not to enter in 2000.

That means that of the major teams in 1999, there will only be Audi next year, although the Volkswagen subsidiaiy will be joined by General Motors off-shoot Cadillac.

However, Porsche has decided to continue develop ment of its VIO prototype tested recently by Allan McNish - “in order to main tain the high level of know how” at the manufacturer’s in-house factory team.

Porsche, who last raced at Le Mans in 1998, has not ruled out a return in 2001.

The manufacturer has said its development of an all-new sports utility vehi cle, due to be launched in 2001, is the reason for its decision to withdraw from Le Mans.

A spokesman for the com pany said, “It is not a ques tion of money; it is a ques tion of capacity. , “We need to concentrate all our technical resources on the sports utility.”

...

LUCIANO Bnrti, rmmerup in the British Formula 3 Championship, will be nominated as Jaguar Racing’s test driver this week.

He will support the efforts of Eddie Irvine and Johnny Herbert next year.

Burti has already complet ed a series of tests for the Stewart Grand Prix team, the first being at the end of last year.

The Brazilian driver has been competing with Paul Stewart Racing in the British Formula ●3 Championship for the last two seasons, finishing third in the series in 1998 and sec ond this year.

Burti has been racing in Europe since the start of ^ 1996 when he took part in the Formula Vauxhall Junior Championship with Martin Donnelly Racing.

He switched to PSR at the end of that season and has been the team ever since, winning the 1997 Formula Vauxhall title before moving up to Formula 3.

.-M.-

See you later: McNish won the 1998 Le Mans 24 Hour race with Porsche but will now be looking for a seat elsewhere after the German manufacturer pulled out.

lex Gobert s Honda deal rr

i

TEENAGE sensation Alex Gobert has signed a two-year deal with Honda Australia to race a CBR600 and the new fuel-injected CBR900 FireBlade in the Australian. Road Race Championships. .

Jao F1 F/rst look: Reynard's 2KI rabs

By JOE SAWARD

pXo^

DUCo.

12 3 December 1999

PACWEST Racing has taken delivery of the first open-wheel racing car of the new millennium, the Reynard 2KI. For the second consecutive year, PacWest is the first FedEx Championship Series team to receive the new Reynard chassis.

"We're very excited to see the 2KI on the shop floor, especially after being involved in the development of the gearbox," remarked PacWest's Vice President of Racing Operations John Anderson.

"It looks like the new car is a major departure from previous Reynard chassis, and in conjimction with the new MercedesBenz engine, we're looking forward to some

early testing to get to know the package."

Bruce Ashmore, Technical Director of Reynard North America,echoed Anderson's belief in the chassis' potential.

"We are very excited about the new aero package for the 2KI," declared Ashmore.

PacWest Lights driver Tony Renna will turn the first hot laps in the 2KI Reynard during a December 2 shakedown test at the Putnam Park road course outside Indianapolis.

Mauricio Gugelmin \vill assume testing duties for December 9-10 and December 2021 sessions in Sebring, while team-mate Mark Blundell will test at the same venue on January 10 and 11.

Gobert, who only turned 16 several months ago, will also race in selected rounds of the Formula Xtreme Tri-State alongside incumbent Honda team member, Adam Fergusson.

The announcement was made by Honda Australia race manager Mick Smith, who said Gobert is a long term project ofthe world’s largest motorcycle manufacturer.

“We have set out a schedule for Alex, and we are working towards building a long-term association with him. It’s a similar program we had with Daryl Beattie when we signed him in 1989-to take him from domestic to international racing,” Smith said.

“It’ll be Alex’s first year on the big four-strokes so we want to expose him to as much local racing as possible.”

Gobert raced to great success in the Moriwaki 80cc class in 1998 and ’99 and recently won the New South Wales 250 Production Championship on an Aprilia RS250 from reigning Australian champ,Broc Parkes.

Before that, he took out the annual Stars of Tomorrow race for C-graders at Phillip Island on a Mobil Honda CBR600.

With his senior road racing career barely underway, the youngest Gobert has already shaded his 18-year-old brother Aaron, while 24-year-old Anthony observed at the 1999 Australian Grand Pris that Alex had the potential to be faster than him.

-DARRYL FLACK

CART for the Glen?

CART could be taking the FedEx series to the classic Watkins Glen track.

The president of the former FI venue, Bryan Sperber, and CART chairman and CEO, Andrew Craig, have had top level discussions about bringing CART to the road course circuit.

Earlier this year, Roger Penske sold his interests in three speedways California, Michigan and Nazareth, where CART races are run -to the International Speedway Corporation fuelling interest in a Cart race at Watkins Glen. The France family, the owner of Watkins Glen and the Homestead-Miami Speedway, which also hosts a CART race, runs the ISC. “You now have four'(ISC)

facilities that host CART races, so I’m pretty optimistic that somewhere down the road something will happen to bring an indycar Grand Prix race back to the Glen,” said Watkins Glen communications'director, Scott Rovn.

Craig recently confirmed that he and SperbSr were considering holding a race at the track.

However, he added some improvements would have to be made before a date could be granted.

“I’m sure that those discussions will start heating up as time goes on,” Rovn said.

The circuit, which also hosts NASCAR Winston Cup races, last staged a Formula One Grand Prix in 1980.

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13

Morris wins in Macau Paul Morris led the Aussie charge at the annual Macau around-the-houses blast, taking a win and second overall.

IT was a scoreline of Audi1, BMW-1 when Australian Super Touring Champion Paul Morris took his first international win at the Macau Guia Touring Car race.

Mon-is split the wins with Geiinan Michael Bartels, the one-time FI driver, aboard an Audi A4 quattro.

Bartels won the opening 10 lap race, with Moms in sec ond place and 12.523s behind.

In race two Morris won the start and, despite all kinds of pressure from the German and a touch against one of the usually-unforgiving barriers, held on to finish 2.436s clear.

That handed the overall Bartels the overall win by just over 10s.

“I made a bad start in race one - the clutch slipped and I was fourth,” explained Morris after the race.

“I passed one of the Audis and then a BMW lost it when I put the pressure on, so I came home second.

“In the second race I made

a much better start. I got the drag off the line and won the race to the first corner. I’ve raced a quattro at Bathurst so I know it’s strengths - I knew once I was in front the race was mine so long as I didn’t make any mistakes.

“The Audi was close behind, but he wasn’t going to do any thing stupid because he only needed to finish behind me to take the combined result.”

The 31-year-old, who raced the previous weekend at Bathurst for HRT, was impressed vdth his first visit to the famed Macau track.

“This is the best circuit I’ve ever raced on. The more com mitted you are, the greater the reward. I’ll be back pext year.”

Morris was the first,Aussie to win at the venue for a decade. The last was David Brabham, who took the hon ours in the F3 GP in 1989.

Bartels was impressed.

“Paul had a great race - I couldn’t pass him, quite frankly. At one stage we were side-by-side across the top of

the Hill and I think we fright ened the mar shals!

“After I lost the start to the first corner I could not get past Paul.”

German Oliver Mayer was third overall in another Audi A4 quattro after finish ing fifth in the opening race and third in the second.

1999 Independents Cup winner Peter Hills was a creditable sixth in the first race in his Ford Mondeo.

However, he was forced out of the second heat after one lap because of a broken engine mount.

“I was disappointed with not finishing the second race,” said Hills later.

“After sixth in the first race I thought I’d be a chance for fourth overall.

“I knew something was wrong on the warm-up lap there was a bang under the bonnet which we later found

Familiar sight:) Morris had to work hard in heat one, chasing down l Hiiis’ Mondeo (above) before getting through to second.

Another bloody quattro: Morris pressured Max Angeielii’s A4 into an error (right) but he’s used to chasing quattros ...

(Photo by Sutton-lmages) out was a broken engine mount...

“Despite that, I had a great start passing Oliver Mayer but then the car started grinding, so I had to bring it into the pits.”

NSW’s Jamie Miller was 11th overall in a Phoenix Motorsport Toyota Camry.

He was 17th in race one and 10th in the second heat.

Queenslander David Auger crashed his Gun Racing Alfa Romeo at 240km/h in the first race, which eliminated him from the remainder of the event.

He was also handicapped by having to run an older engine, as his new Engstler imit blew when he fired it up after installaiion.

Tony Newman was 15th in race 1 in his Peugeot 406 ,but retfred from the second event with a broken driveshaft.

Hey David, nice windscreen strip: Auger had a new engine in the Gun Racing Alfa Romeo but it blew and he was forced to use his older, less-powerful back-up unit.

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Australian Greg Waters was able to complete only two laps of the first race in a Toyota Carina because of mechanical problems.

Mondeo in Macau: Hills made his usual huge start but broken engine mount put his Mondeo out for the weekend.

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3 December 1999

Junior moves Back to the Future MICHEL Jourdain Jr has spiced up the silly season by svfritching to Bettenhausen Motorsports for 2000.

The 23-year-old Mexican will take his Herdez sponsorship with him and will replace Brazilian Gualter Salles, who himself replaced the injured Shigeaki Hattori at the beginning of 1999.

Jourdain switched from Payton-Coyne following a successful test with Bettenhausen last month.

“They are very professional and after testing with the team at Sebring I am convinced they are the best option.”

Long-time sponsor Herdez Grupo, the largest food manufacturer in Mexico, is best known around North America for its Salsa.

The team has confirmed that it wiil run a LolaMercedes combination, which means a complete switch for Jourdain, who

Photo courtesy Herdez

Newman-Haas dumps Swift — Lolas for Michael and Christian NEWMAN-HAAS Racing

Thrilled: Michel Jourdain Jr. drove a Reynard-Ford in 1999.

There has been no statement about who will take his sear at PaytonCoyne Racing or whether, follov/ing the death of team co-ov/ner Walter Payton, whether the team will continue in its current form.

Junior moves IT was described as "the worst-kept secret in the history of racing," but Al Unser Jr. has officially, finally announced his deal with Galles/ECR Racing.

Little Al will race in the Indy Racing League for the next five years.

Rick Galles, who made the ap^ description, said that the team has signed a major sponsor but would not elaborate further. However, Galles did confirm the naming rights sponsor, which wants to hold a launch of its own, was new to motorsports, so it is almost certainly not Valvoline.

This is the second time Unser and Gailes have teamed up. The pair has won 16 CART races in eight seasons and the 1990 CART championship.

Unser will run the full season in a GForce chassis with Oldsmobile Aurora engines.

Unser, 37, is looking most fon/vard to his return to the Indianapolis 500, appearance in 1995 resulted in his only

is returning to its roots, with the announcement that it will run Lola chassis next season.

Drivers Michael Andretti and Christian Fittipaldi will begin testing a Ford-powered Lola in about a week in prepa ration for the 20-race CART FedEx Championship in 2000.

The team is switching from the Swift chassis, which brought victories this season for Andretti at Gateway and for Fittipaldi at Road America. ^ “We look forward to again working with Lola Cars International and plan to return both Newman/Haas Racing and Lola to the domiwe nance previously enjoyed,” said team co-owner Carl Haas last week.

“We were impressed by the competitiveness of the Lola chassis in 1999 and are confident that we can assist in making the Lola a winning chassis in 2000.”

The previously unfashion able Lola chassis was run last season by Hogan Racing.

While the Reynard-mounted

Aaah,the Good ‘01 Days: When God drove a Lola [or, in this case, Nigel Mansell] and Poms could win at something. Newman-Haas is going back to Lola for 2000. masses won every 1999 jrace, Helio Castro-Neves took the pole at Milwaukee in Carl Hogan’s Mercedes-powered B99/00.

The Newman/Haas team has won the CART PPG Cup championship three times, all in Lolas.

Between 1983 and 1996, the team won 51 races and 60 pole positions.

Lola Cars managing direc tor, David Bowes, said that he was delighted to have negotiated the deal which secured both the Haas distri bution company and

Newman/Haas Racing team for Lola.

“The deal is for the long term and I have no doubt that this will be a major milestone in Lola’s return to winning form in North America,” he said.

-PHIL MORRIS

Mercedes loses Players to Ford Photo by Dirk Klynsmith

>

PLAYER’S Forsythe Racing has joined the stampede away from Mercedes-Benz and will switch to Ford power for the 2000 CART season.

Patrick Carpentier and newcomer Alex Tagliani will run with Ford’s new XF units for next season.

“Suppljing Ford-Cosworth XF engines to PlayePs-Forsythe Racing gives us another race-winning team capable of challeng ing for the 2000 CART Championship,” said Ian Bisco, Vice-pres ident of Cosworth Racing.

“We have always had a good relationship with them going back to the early days ofthe team back in 1994.”

The Player’s team used Ford power when it became a force in the CAR'! series when Jacques Villeneuve won the Indy 500/Championship double in ’95.

'The team’s recent unhappiness with the Mercedes engine was apparent last season, with both Carpentier and the late Greg Moore declining to wear MB caps in public appearances.

Bisco confirmed that the Player’s team approached Ford, rather than the other way around.

‘fr. .'-ai'

X Photo court yalvolj^^G

1

Back with Rick: Al Unser Jr.

DNQ at the legendary track.

"I have some unfinished business there. I wasn’t fast enough to make the show in my last attempt," Unser said.

"That was the lowest I’d ever felt. I came home and was walking around my ranch and it felt like my head was cut off. Rick (Galles) brought me to Indianapolis, and we’re ready to go racing."

Never to be seen again: CART has retired Moore’s #99.

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Primary responsibility is to oversee the ongoing testing, development and maintenance of the Ford

AT the same time as Player’s switch, CART annotmeed that it would retire the number 99 in honour of Moore.

The number will no longer be allocated to any driver. Moore carried #99 to five career CART wins,and becomes to second dri ver to have a number retired after AJ Foyt’s famed #14.

-PHIL MORRIS

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15

The Earl ofShrewsbury,Cold War logic and Julia Roberts T

his is the time of year when Formula 1 reporters go home to discover that the kids are taller and that the wife has reported you missing three months ago [Ed: so do editors, sometimes].

And, after all the excitements of the World Championship showdown in Japan, there is now the excitement of returning home to face the paperwork which has built up into a wobbly tower in the box marked To do’.

This is a social history of the 1990s.

There are old racing magazines and faxes about motor racing teams which have long broken up in disarray.

There is a mound of wallpaper from British Airways but, when you dig through it all and find the total mileage travelled, it always says ‘Zero’ because no-one in their right mind ever pays full price for an airline ticket.

There are a few airline ticket stubs which prove that I am not in my right mind. There are 13 copies of The Economist - none of them opened. There are a pile of letters signed by a man called Mi .'hel Crapart of Reader’s Digest telling me that I am a finalist in a confusing number of different prize draws. Mr Crapart keeps saying that I am on the verge of becoming a millionaire. The bank statements indioate otherwise.

There are four brochures from a wine company called Berry Brothers & Rudd which list all the wines I simply MUST buy for Christmas. The column on the right side of the page indicates that a bottle of 1990 Chateau Petrus is a bargain at £9940.00.

I think I’ll go down to the local supermarket for a bottle of Chateau Collapse instead.

Right at the ‘To do’ pile (18bottom inchesof ofthe paper) is a map of the area around the Caspian Sea, from which I have discovered that there is a country called Kyrgyzstan.

I have tried saying it several times but it makes me sound like a bottling machine. Still, as this is the non-urgent paperwork, I guess 1 can wait for another day to learn how to say ‘Kyrgyzstan’.

The pile of urgent paperwork - about six inches in depth - is topped by a little red plastic ruler which says ‘Action this Da/.

This is the really important stuff. There is a postcard from Alaska, another from Wisconsin.

There is a dollar bill. There are several photographs of happy faces from a summer holiday which I wasn’t quite there for.

"Oh! And here is a photograph of a baby sitting beside a Christmas tree. I know it’s not my baby, but I am damned if I know who it belongs to. I guess I should have noted it down...

In among the flotsam and jetsam are a few scribbled notes. One is the history of

Charles Chetwynd-Talbot, 20th Earl of Shrewsbury. It has been scrawled on the back of an envelope.

You may ask of what use such a thing could be to a motor racing reporter and all I can . reply is that if the good lord were alive today he would be owned

by Peugeot. There is also a note about a man called William Crush who, in 1896, staged a train crash to promote a new stretch of the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railway. There was a crowd of 30,000 to see the two trains hit head-on at 60mph.

One person was killed by flying debris, two were seriously injured.

Ah, the lure of blood sports...

After a few days at home, the lure of paperwork is wearing thin but it is still too early to be missing the sound of the racing engines. The winter stretches away ahead like a road that vanishes into the distance.

The only troubl9 is that you know from experience that the winter will soon l3e gone. The testing will start at one minute past midnight on December 1.

And it will be Ferrari out there burning up gas and spending money. And then the new cars / will start to pop up. There will be launches and then suddenly I’ll be kissing goodbye to the wife again and disappearing off to Melbourne for the start of the

2000 season.

The FI year is perpetual motion. Except in November, when no-one is allowed to test.

This is a marvellous idea.

Testing has reached absurd levels these days and I am absolutely convinced that it is very bad for the sport.

The cars now run so much that they are so reliable that we get few mechanical surprises in the races. It is boring if you know that a car is going to finish every time. Part of the fun of races in 1999 was to wait to find out how'long the two BARs were going to run until something went wrong.

One can understand the desire of the teams to want to test. Everyone is doing if and so must they. This is Cold War logic still being applied 10 years after the Berlin Wall was torn down.

Ferrari covered something like 30 race distances in the actual races ~ and around 70 race distances in testing.

This is dumb.

The Editor’s solution:'If Sawai'd is correct about there being too much testing, the answer is simple: allow wind-tunnel testing (above) but restrict track time to celebs like Dannii Minogue-Villeneuve (below). That way the mileage gets done,the money gets spent, tlie teams get publicity and we get more interesting Dannii pics from Sutton-Images. Cool ...

It is like the nuclear arms race or the madness to build battleships in the years before the First World War. It has ceased to have much relevance and there is little sign that much is gained or lost. In Japan five of the top six on the grid were the same as they were back in March in Melbourne.

Testing has simply become a way of spending money. F1 bosses Bernie Ecclestone and Max Mosley long ago recognised this a long time ago and have been trying to figure out ways of stopping it ever since.

This yea(, you may recall, there was supposed to be restriction on the amount of testing during the racing season.

In February the teams got together and agreed there would be a 50-day limit for testing. And then they went away and ignored the agreement. It was not aa^actual rule so the gentlemanly agreement did not amount to a hill of beans.

Funnily enough, this year a magazine asked me to try to keep track of the number of miles covered by each team in testing.

It was very interesting. I am not saying that my calculations are correct - I always erred on the side of caution - but I reckon that from the figures I obtained Ferrari, just as an example, completed a minimum of 13,500 miles of testing between March

and October. Practice, qualifying and racing is not included in that figure.

In other words Ferrari covered something like 30 race distances in the actual races and around 70 race distances in testing.

This is dumb.

Does all this trolling around add anything to Grand Prix racing? Obviously, there must be some testing at the start of each year because some designers - no names, no law suits - have a habit of designing machines which fall apart as soon as they run.

Consequently it is wiser that the cars be given a day or two of testing before the World Championship begins. After that I see no purpose in testing, except as an engineering exercise to keep the boffins with their heads stuck in their computers.

They could do that using static rigs in the factories.

The damage caused by testing is not felt only in the racing. I think it damages the people as well. Drivers are paid

fortunes and, therefore, do not warrant sympathy, but I often think that if they had more time to themselves they would do the image of the sport a great deal more good.

They would have time to be glamorous, to play the casinos in Monte Carlo and consort with loose lasses in teeny-weeny bikinis. They could go hang gliding or become celebrated musicians or painters.

Formula 1 is a sport but it is also a business. It is not an engineering business, as some would have you believe. It is a retail business. The sport sells ' dreams to millions of ordinary folk around the world. For many people F1 - like the cinema - is a way to escape from the humdrum existence of daily life.

A way of getting away from the fact that you have all your paperwork in order.

And it works not just with normal folk but also with chief executives of big companies. .

They helicopter to races and get excited about being shown around the pits. They tell their friends about how they stood near Jean Alesi in the queue to catch a helicopter out after the race.

Formula 1 puts pressure drivers to be dull - whichonofthe course most of them are not.

They have to do what they have to do to be taken seriously.

Society, as ever, is to blame.

Those who do not follow like sheep are seen as not being serious enough to make it. This j may explain why so many of them seem to be in a permanently grumpy state of mind.

In the movie 'Netting Hill’ there is a very poignant scene in which Julia Roberts - playing the world’s most gorgeous and famous film star (type-casting I feel) - goes out to dinner with a bunch of normal folk in Netting Hill. This is a ridiculous concept if you know the neighbourhood. Normal people are few and far between.

Anyway, as the dinner party draws to a close, it is revealed that there is one piece of chocolate brownie remaining.

Each person at the table tries to win it by explaining how miserable their life is. No-one even gives Ms Roberts a chance because she earns $15m a movie and is beautiful. But she forces the issue, explaining that she looks as she does because she has been on a diet for 10 years and is always hungry. She says that one day she will be a has-been.

I sometimes wonder if life as a Grand Prix driver is not a bit like that. It is always interesting to note how when they retire FI. drivers often become fat and happy. They no longer have to listen to earnest ‘nutritionists' who make them eat rabbit food mixed with glue every' morning.

They no longer have to spend six hours a day torturing themselves in gymnasia. They stop having to dye their hair.

They begin to live.

I reckon that a ban on testing and a change in the cars to make them less physically demanding would do FI a lot of good.

And it might even help me with my paperwork...

£>h

16 3 December 1999

If

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Running in the famiiy: Ralf Schumacher has had to step out from behind Michael’s awesone reputationdo make his own name on Formula One. With the might of Wiliiams and BMW behind him. how iong before he scores his first GP win?

family way

Michael Schumacher won two world titles before his brother Ralf lems.” result, and the most satisfy got into Formula One. But could the younger of the two Ralf has no doubts about ing race. It looked harder where the team’s strength than it was; Heinz didn’t Germans be the next Big Thing? ADAM COOPER reports. have a chance, he never lies.

N recent years Frank Williams and Patrick Head have taken a lot of criticism over their dri ver choices, but no one can argue with the deci sion to hire Ralf Schumacher.

It’s true that when they grabbed him from Jordan last summer, no other top teams had any vacancies, but even so few people in the paddock seemed to be inter ested the young German.

A year on, Ralf would be near the top of anyone’s ‘most wanted’ list. The FW21 is not the greatest car ever made by Williams, but Schumacher Jr has taken it by the scruff of the neck and regularly hauled into the points.

“He’s done a fantastic job, hasn’t he?,” says former Jordan team mate Damon Hill.

“If you think back to the reputation he had in his first season, he’s a changed man.

I think he’s matured very well, he’s extremely profes sional, and he’s only just 24.

He seems to exhibit the same kind of determination his brother had. Frank should be very pleased with him right now.”

“We’ve got a big difference in age, so it’s difficult to establish a relationship other than a professional one,” says current partner Alex Zanardi.

“But he’s a guy who knows where he wants to get, and is very determined to get there.,

He’s got his way to achieve his goals. So far he’s certain ly been able to get more out of the car than I have.”

Ralf has mixed feelings about the season so far.

“On one hand I’m happy we’ve got so many points,” he says, “but on the other the team itself is not really happy with the performance we showed so far. Obviously Williams was used to win ning races, and now we have to work very hard and be lucky to score points. And that’s not a way that we’re happy with.

“We’ve been very lucky and scored a lot of points, and we look better than we really are, I must say. We’re doing a lot of things for the car to make things look bet-

BmiW FOiiULA R iiliNMES TMmC m 19

ter. France was the most enjoyable race - passing a lot of people.” ●> Including a certain Michael Schumacher, of course.

“That’s always nice! I was surprised that I was able to overtake him. Usually the Ferrari is a lot quicker, espe cially in the rain, but this time we were just better.”

Silverstone was one of Ralfs best performances.

He’d already scored a third place in Australia, but this time he beat Heinz-Harald Frentzen and thus won the ‘best of the rest’ battle. That he was able to drive such forceful race after Michael’s accident showed how focused he is on the job at hand.

“For sure it was not nice. I was informed by the teani all the way through what happened to him, that he was out of the car had a broken leg or whatever. So I was happy to continue my race.

‘From a team point of view Silverstone was the best

came close enough to over take me an3Tway, so I didn’t feel under pressure.”

Chemistry is always important in racing, and Ralf and Williams clearly fit well together. The team has noth ing but good things to say about the driver, and Ralf remains confident that the future is bright.

“It’s always a lot easier if the season starts well and everything goes well like this year, there’s no doubt about it. Obviously as you get older you get more experienced, you get more settled and more confident. There have been no big problems, we’re usually in the points. I’m quite happy about every thing.

“I’m enjoying the atmos phere. It’s getting better all the time, more open-minded.

With BMW coming in, everyone’s getting more motivation. I get on really well with everybody in the team so far.

I’m very pleased with them and I’ve never had any prob-

“I think it’s the technical department, the experience they’ve had over the last few years, and the champi onships they’ve won. 'There’s such competence within the team, such knowledge, and it will always help you. But as we’ve seen with McLaren it could take time. But I’m sure - or I hope - it doesn’t take as much time!”

The engine is the weak link in the Williams package.

“The problem we have (had) is that while the Supertec engine is a nice, reliable and driveable engine, it’s simply not strong enough, there’s no doubt about it. We always have to compromise our set-up with wing level and stuff like that to be reasonably quick on the straight.

Ralf has a lot of sympathy for Zanardi.

“He was so unlucky at the beginning of the season. missed quite a few practices know it >. sounds stupid because I’ve said it a couple

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Three amigos; Schumacher swaps chat with Sir Frank Williams and Spain’s King Juan Carlos.

I 1

●_1

1

D&

a guy who knows where he wants to get, and is very determined to get there. Sofar he^s certainly been able to get more out ofthe car than I have.

Alex Zanardi of times already, but I think

Blurred:

he just needs some more time. I’m sure he’s going to make it and get up to speed.

He’s a nice and easy team mate, we understand each other well. It’s good to work with him.”

Like Barrichello and

The Supertec Williams was a disappointment but Rally sure looked better than Alex Zanardi in it.

(Photos by SuttonImages)

Frentzen, Half seems to enjoy the current breed of cars, and all three have looked good in comparison with their team mates. Half

end of the tunnel is the

agrees that he copes well with today’s low grip machinery.

“A lot of drivers can’t or

arrival of BMW next year.

They have been reports that the Bavarian marque has a long way to go, but there’s no doubt that the partner ship has massive potential.

“It’s something new that I’m looking forward to. I hope and think it’s going- to be good from the beginning on. But ob\dously there are going to be some problems we don't know about yet.

They’ve started testing fairly early, but now that next sea son starts in February it cer tainly doesn’t help us, and we’ve got le.ss time to develop.

But they’re very opti-

are complaining about it. But I am quite happy with the cars the way they are. It’s nice, you’re always sliding a lot, driving on the limit. In a way it’s more difficult to be quick, so I’m not so unhappy with the situation. I would like to have slicks again, high corners speeds and more grip, no doubt about it, but that’s the way it is and it’s not our job to change it.

But I hope the FIA looks at it.’

For Ralf and everyone else at the team, the light at the

mistic and they have a lot of good people over there.

They’re Germans, so they’ll do something pretty good I’m sure!

“I hope that we are com petitive after the middle of next season, if the car is going to be as we all expect and the engine is going to be reliable. I’m pretty sure it’s going to be possible, although it might look a bit optimistic now.”

Mention Ralf Schumacher’s name to

as much as Ralf the driver, “Patrick and I thought he was a young driver on the up and up,” says Frank.

“He looked to have had a very good education, and I don’t mean that in a derisory way at all. He knew his -way around, and in 1998 he looked to have reduced the number of times he made

Frank Williams, and his face

mistakes quite considerably.

“We thought at least we’d get a young driver who’d always be pressing hard and score frequent points for us.

“That’s the minimum we

lights up. He hasn’t been this excited about a young charger for some time, but he clearly likes Ralf the man

expected. And over the last six months our expectations have been considerably raised.”

secret that Williams likes to have a charger in his car, and he’s had a lot of satisfaction from seeing Ralf climb up the order week-in, week-out..

“Magny-Cours was a fan tastic drive, and Silverstone too. I know both Michael and Mika were out of it so it should have been fifth, but whichever way you look at, to beat the Jordans round Silverstone was very impres sive. All his races have been strong.”

Ralf is one of those guys who doesn’t seem to have off days; he’s a good benchmark for new developments, because he’s always pushing.

Not unlike a certain Nigel Mansell.

“He’s rather like Nigel in many ways. He’s very, very skilful. He’s very focused and got great determination.

He’s trying to match Michael for fitness. He has a very simple requirement. If the car is quick or too his -liking he’ll be straightforward at expressing that.

“He works very hard with the engineers and puts a lot of time and thought into his car.”

The last two seasons have not been great for his team, but with Ralf getting the job done and BMW on the way, Frank is a happy man.

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That voodoo that you do ‘f

They’re fast, fearless - and,Just like most people, superstitious. Butjust who are the careful men of FI and who are the nut cases, asks PHIL MORRIS.

o

ne doesn’t associate the hard world of Grand Prix racing with superstition but where there is luck involved, where a driver can so easily lose, anything that turns that luck around to make a win is looked on with favour.

Sometimes, though, it is actually habit that seems to verge superstition. Michael Schumacher, his brother Half, Alessandro Zanardi, Pedro de la Rosa, Pedro Diniz and Jean Aiesi all get into their cars from the left hand side. Some say that is simply more convenient, others admit that it is lucky.

“I always get into the car from the left hand side, with the right foot first,” says Schumacher. “It’s always brought me luck, so there’s no reason to change. I always get out of the car on that side too.”

Former team-mate Johnny Herbert used to do the same thing.

After he out-qualified Heinz-Harald Frentzen at Budapest in 1996,the mechanics pointed out that he had got into the car from the left, and had laid out his gloves neatly on the side of the car. He continued to do that until the end of last season.

Now he’s hoping that a change of helmet colour might change his luck.

The most obvious lucky story is Alexander Wurz’s. Take a look at his racing shoes and you will understand why. The left one is red, and the right is blue. Why? When he was in New Zealand at a racing school, his team-mate hid one of his shoes, so he had to take shoe from another pair, which was a different colour.

But he won the race, so he has stuck to what he considered a lucky omen ever since. He, however, always gets into the car from the right and he won’t sleep in a hotel room with his feet facing the door.

Pedro de la Rosa has a different kind of good luck charm. He has a picture of the Madonna taped inside his helmet The picture is a present from his aunt. His girlfriend Maria always hides a similar picture in the cockpit of his racing car.

Less obvious -thankfully - is the story of David Coulthard’s pants. He

had a lucky pair of underpants which he used to wear in every. race. They were wearing out quite badly when he had an accident in Formula 3000 and they had to cut off his overails. His mother found out that he was wearing oid underpants and forbade him from ever wearing them again. He has obeyed her, but stiii takes them in his iuggage. He also has a St Christopher’s medal.

One of the weirder stories concerns Jean Aiesi, who swears he's not superstitious. Even so, he believes that a string of garlic can bring good iuck. Last year, he brought a string back from Naples as Sauber had been having a bad run of races. At Spa, Jean claimed third piace; the gariic had done its job, he says.

Jean is aiso a stickler when it comes to tidiness. He lays out his helmet, balaclava and gloves in the pits and nobody is allowed to touch them in case it brings bad luck.

Finally, two tales from the toilet; Rubens Barrichello apparently always disappears 12 minutes , before the start of a race and more disconcerting, Jacques Villeneuve won’t take off his helmet when he goes to the loo just before a race ...

I*

sA\V5)S1

The man with one red shoe: Apart from being the tallest man in FI, Alexander Wurz is also the most versatile in the footwear department.

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A feastfitfor K 20 3 December 1999

By GERALD McDORNAN

or over 30 years winners of the classic race on the mountain at Bathurst have been showered in champagne and covered in glory.

Victory at Mount Panorama has been the most sought-after prize in Australian motor racing and a generation of Australians have grown up revering the champions of their youth and of today.

This year’s Bathurst race was a little different, though, as for the first time it was part of the Shell championship and series points were up for grabs.

Some worried that the move to include the race in the championship might detract from its standing and the series champion would grab all the glory and the race winners would silently melt into the background.

No one need to have worried as, in the past, this year’s wintiers, Steve.T Richards and Greg Murphy, took centre stage in the national media’s spotlight in all their glory for all to see.Both drivers had been there before but for both of them, their previous victories weren’t quite the same.

Richards and Murphy took a few moments out l from their busy postBathurst schedules to catch a little lunch with Motorsport News and have a casual look back at their brilliant win...

The instmctions were pretty simple: we’ll meet outside the restaurant that’s been made famous in the pages of MN - Maxi’s, an Elstemwick restaurant that Joe Saward believes could feed a small, third world country on just one serve of chicken schnitzel alone!

But, as with most ideas around the office, it didn’t go quite to plan...

Our favourite haunt turned out to be closed so, with a couple of Bathurst winners in tow, we headed down Glenhuntly Road to find a nice little bistro-style establishment which provided the option of seating in the street, in the restaurant itself or out the back under a verandah.

The boys chose out the back, away from the noise of the street and where they could enlighten us about their win over some deep fried calamari and chicken foccacias.

Both seem to be enjoying the spoils of victory.

They’ve 'been there done that' before, but this year is different and they’re making as much of it as they can.

For Richards, having grown up watching his father experience it all many times in the past at Mt Panorama, wins at Bathurst are to be cherished and, even though his success rate there in both the two litre and V8 races has been amazing, cherishing the result is exactly what he’s doing.

“I mightn’t win another race at Bathurst for 15 years, so you have to enjoy what you’ve got - they’re the ultimate in race wins in / Australia and they don’t come along every year,” he says.

Hrnmm, third, first and first in the last three years...

The attention on the two has been constant, but not draining -so much so that the two are looking forward to each part of their moment in the sun.

“It hasn’t been full-on, but it’s been enjoyable, totally enjoyable attention,” Richards says.

“Like today - having lunch and having a chat, talking about something that was a special moment for us all - it’s fantastic to be able to do this and it’s easy.”

“It’s great because It’s the first time all year we’ve actually been able to sit down and have some beers!” Murf adds with glee...

Having been part of the HRT juggernaut back in 1996, Murphy appears to be appreciating his time with the Wynn’s team: “If HRT had won the race, Wally[HRT PR man Paul Weissel] would have had them doing everything for two weeks after - it would be totally out of control.”

Murphy recalls that it wasn’t actually too much like that for him in ’96, with Craig Lowndes very much at the forefront of the team’s media blitz.

The two arewith quite delighted the media .attention, despite the fact ^ that the eight hour road trip' to Bathurst from Melbourne turned into an 11 hour trip, the pair stopping along the way for constant calls from radio stations and newspapers around the country and ‘back home’ in New Zealand - the attention disproving Murphy’s thoughts prior to the race that Bathurst would be swallowed up and lost in the championship.

‘The best part is that it’s

not been selective. The interest is from all over the country and home and it’s shown me that, despite the race being a part of the championship, Bathurst is still the biggest thing of the year,” Murphy says.

The attention is. naturally, quite a contrast with the way it’s been for most of the '99 season, during the year, especially on the TV. “We’ve missed out this year - we’ve not even been looked at- TV’s been down, hardly any coverage at all,” Murphy says disappointedly.

“We’ve been a little pissed off about not getting much recognition. We were motivated by that and that’s a good reason why we won it...”

ike Murf, Richards’ Lfeelings about his two wins vary considerably and, while he will never devalue the win in ’98, this year’s is most certainly special.

“This is a lot different for me to last year. In ’98 I was invited by Ross and Jimmy Stone to drive with Jason [Bright] where as this year it was my team,” he says..

“Even though the whole Stone Brothers team rtlade me feel incredibly at home, it still isn’t the same.

“Last year was a very important race for me as it helped get what I’ve got this year, but this was our own team and we’re now all enjoying the fruits of our hard work.”

Richards is appreciating the win more, too, having the time to stop and enjoy it.

Last year, he married

Three great looking guys and an editor: Branagan ponders while Richards, Murphy and McDoman get stuck into the gmb.

Yeah, we’ve won lunch with Motorsport News: Murphy and Richards were elated witli their Bathurst win and the prospects of an 11 hour drive home.

(Photos by Chris Lambden and Lynley Reid)

Angela Immediately after the race and then headed straight to South Africa to continue on with his (ultimately short-term) -testing programme for Nissan’s BTCC team.

The effect on the Wynn's team has also not gone unnoticed, the two enjoying the fact that so many elements of the team get so much from taking the chequered flag first at Bathurst: “It means a lot to everyone in the team, especially after they had such a hard time in 1998 and pretty much for all of this year,” Murphy says.

“Ountruck driver Joe Sullivan has been in racing for 30 years but - and this is what a win does for you even he was answering the phone on the way home ‘Bathurst Champions, how can we help you?’...”

‘They’re all just over the top and that’s great as they’ve worked hard to get

this result. You're always going to have your teams that will be there at the end at Bathurst and the ones that just won’t rate -this is a team that was always going to be there in the end.

That’s what they’d worked towards and that's what we all believed in.”

B

ack ‘home’ in New Zealand the reaction has also been over-the-top with Murphy suggesting that the attention this time far outweights what happened when he won with HRT in

’96.

Perhaps the bonus for the Kiwis has been Richards who, despite moving to Australia when he was

three, still travels with a Kiwi passport.

Along with the fact that the two are both definitely Kiwis, the country’s recent dismal showing at the rugby World Cup makes it easy to understand the value of their win across the Tasman.

“Every Kiwi’s thrown the rugby aside and, looking for something else, turned on the TV and watched Bathurst,” Murphy says.

The influence of the Kiwis at the mountain was undeniable this year and, with the kiwi numbers playing notable parts in not only that race but the V8 series in general, it has helped create incredible interest in the category:

V

a

You can see the whites of their eyes in the mirrors when you come up behind them... they’re crapping themselves l l l —

Greg Murphy on the ‘once-a-yearers’

I

A

21

3 December 1999 MO

Eings

race - we were the strongest combination all day long,” Richards says.

His philosophy is that the that while the race is one of over six hours in length, for the first five, you're out there surviving and summing up the opposition for the final hour sprint to the finish: “It’s like a yacht race, Bathurst, it’s a match race,” Richards says. “You get to the last hour and, along the way, you’ve proved to yourself that you have the “They’ve turned on to see them - they’re crapping themselves,” he laughs. speed for when you need to how Radisich was doing, race. and then with us too and “Personally, for some of “Down wind on the last them, I don’t see what the they’ve gone absolutely attraction is about. leg, you go for it.” spastic over there - it was “1 can’t think of anything They believed they’d all good stuff for us.”

There has been so much worse than driving around a summed up the opposition race track in a race car that perfectly and, thanks to that, ’good stuff’ for the pair across the Tasman that you can potentially hurt they’d pressured Paul yourself in and be scared Radisich into making a vital Murphy is encouraging his shitless of it all...” team-mate to head back error, one*which harfded over the Tasman with him Good point! them victory: Still, the annual 1000 km “I’d like to think we’d put the following weekend for a race around the mountain is him under a fair amount of visit to capitalise on the to Australians what the Indy result - Richo not having pressure,” Richards says.

500 is to Americans - it was “We’d taken a fair amount of been back since 1986.

“It’d be fantastic for always the race that a time off him in the previous Steven. The New Zealand nobody could enter and laps and our car was right have the potential to win. the tyres were good, the fuel public would think it was just Where anyone can become ace,” Murphy offered, while was light and we were a hero. Just ask Dick...

Richards pondered his making a move.” schedule...

Still, Richards believes Radisich had also given them a hint earlier... that if the grid can hold 55 hat about Bathurst and cars, they should be there: “When Paul went past a the race itself?The “Lots of cars looks great little earlier - there was no details and nitty-gritty hadn’t and attracts the fans. Lots point holding him up in the of cars and fans at the track second stint I did - he was really been the topic of the conversation up to this point looks great on TV and you pumping the [brake] pedal , can’t not have that,” he but, naturally with two dual he’d go^ sideways at a few winners and three scribes says. places..', it set the scene for Still, he’s mindful of sitting around, the race had the showdown.” to come up at some time!

Murph’s point and driver The showdown wasn’t to Both come but the Richards and pair remain Murphy agree confident ‘‘He [Radisich] was pumping the that. they would ph”sically, for [brake]pedal, he’d got sideways at a have won the with the race professional few places... it set the scenefor the pace they drivers, the had. showdown. race isn’t “Our car Steven Richards nearly as was a middemanding as safety...

13s to low-14s car all race the new Adelaide 500, “There needs to be some which, in a six hour which is interesting criteria for the drivers, endurance race, is always considering the extensive whether you run a certain going to be hard to beat,” physical training and strict amount of V8 rounds or Richards says. diet the pair undertook in whatever - and next year preparation for November “There was never any presents the perfect 14, but that the strain on doubt about reliability and opportunity for some of brain power is over the top: each stint was consistent them with the Lites series.”

“It’s a mentally more right throughout.”

“They don’t let any nag demanding place to race plucked out of a paddock than any other as you have f there was to be one to be so committed all the run in the Melbourne Cup, disappointment over the so there shouldn’t be a time - the circuit gives you weekend, it was not making ‘right’ for just anyone to run some breathing space but the top 10 in qualifying, at Bathurst,” Murphy again the speeds are so high and both believing that the race the traffic is constant,” interjects. would have been easier if Murphy says. they had been able to control It from the The racefaultlessly itself appeared hh, traffic... that word to run for the beginning: kept cropping up during pair, although it wasn’t quite “You must think that the week of the race and it that way with one drama you’re going to start at the seemed to be the big talking rearing its head: point - although to the front so you can lead the “The gear knob came race and control what winning pair, while practice loose!” Murphy says. presented its fair share of you’re doing - picking when “I actually suggested before I came in to switch problems, the race really you’re going to pass the wasn’t much of a concern: backmarkers and setting with Steven that he bring an “The traffic is always alien key into the car and the pace,” Richards says. there..." Richards says. tighten the knob up on the “When you start 12th‘you’re move!

“In the race you only at risk.” , come across lone cars - not Still, that’s hard to “I thought it was a great often is there five or six of idea - he was behind a quantify with Richards now Pace Car and he’s a them battling. having won the past two “In practice it’s different. qualified mechanic, so why years from 12th and 15th on not?” , You can never get a clear the grid... lap, as the guys that haven’t The interjecting banter The pair, though, were been there before are between the pair illustrates always confident that they always battling just to get how well they seem to be would have the race pace matched - at lunch as well around the circuit - they’re and their success in the not looking in the mirrors.” classic. as on the track, a fact the Murphy laughs and adds two noted prior to signing “Never any doubt,” says his interpretation of some of with the team last year.

Murphy. the inexperienced rookies “Before we signed we “A lot of people say they and once-a-yearers... had confidence in ‘this or knew what we were going to “You can see the whites do in the endurance races,” that’ but deep down they’re of their eyes in their mirrors Murphy says pointedly. just hoping, but for us it was when you come up behind “And that’s showed in the true - we had confidence in

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Late for lunch: The #7 Wynn’s Commodore was strong right throughout the race and Richards and Murphy believe they were the strongest combination...

(Photos by Dirk Klynsmilh and Chris Lambden)

what we were doing.

“Even with that confidence, though, you still can’t image being first across the line...'

No need to imagine it anymore guys.

Hey, who’s paying for lunch? Didn’t you say if you won, you’d be footing the tab? Hey, Murph, Richo...

It takes quality not quantity to WiN the big one!

Congratulations - Steven Richards - Greg Murphy Wynns Racing - Gibson Motorsport... winners

1999 FIA 1000 m

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22 3 December 1999

The

Pit lane is a fascinating spot to observe the biggest V8 Supercar race of the year. CHRIS LAMBDEN has spent many 1000s there and reports that the 1999 race was a beauty

Main Event cussions over the number of crashes and Safety Cars were provided a race typi yet to come, the sequence cal of the modern made for a busy time for the 1000km Bathurst race. Not team strategists. Fuel win too long ago 161 laps dows were constantly being around the toughest race re-evaluated and instant track in Australia often ‘shall we stop?’ decisions being came down to a case of sur made. It’s a pressure general vival of the fittest. Not any ly unseen by the public, but more. an interesting one as con Anyone wanting to add a tenders either cover moves made by the opposition, or Bathm’st trophy to the cabinet better be prepared to run flat stick to their pre-determined out; one hundred percent pattern.

In the end, by chance effort, late in the race or someone else wiU. rather than anything else, the It’s possible to come back bulk of the field came out of from an early error (Perkins/ this period with nobody par Ingall’s first lap puncture in ticularly disadvantaged. Most ‘96 is a classic), particularly if of the players were within a there are a number of Safety handful of laps of being ‘on Car periods, but that’s about sequence’ fuel-wise and the it. More than one small error real race began... ' and you’re history. And that Once things did go greeh for in a race which takes nearly the final time, on lap 76, it seven hours! didn’t take too long for those No real hint as to the final serious players to emerge. shape of the 1999 race came The Wynns duo had got until the extraordinary series themselves to the front of the of crashes and Pace Cars pack after starting 12th, with came to an end just before a combination of an early fuel half distance. stop which, for a while, had It was starting to get. them off-sequence with the bizarre, but at least it offered bulk of the competition, and a some who might never ordi fuel efficiency which then narily get to lead a V8 race, allowed them to stay out never mind the biggest one of through several more Safety them all, just that. By hang Car periods. ing out there as car after car The result was that they pitted dming a series of stop were back ‘on’ sequence, but pages, eventual privateer win more importantly at the front ners Forbes/Full found them of the contest. And in a car selves heading the queue and that was, genuinely, showing Full led for one glorious lap some real, sustained pace.

The other ‘factors’ in the once it went green. A feelgood 15 minutes offame... race looked to be the While the post-race reper- Radisich/Ellery Shell car arid.

The 1999 FAI 1000

PfWt'O C/ t>ix.

Rock on: Dick Johnson was reunited with the famous rock.

of course, HRT. As sheer con sistent pace - strings of laps in the low 2:13s - began to play its part, so it became clear that a couple of early expected contenders weren’t going to play a major role: Glenn Seton and Neil Crompton in the FTR Falcon were discovering that they simply didn’t have the straight line*speed - especial ly when compared to the sis ter Shell cars. This duo were

simply hanging on, hoping...

As was Larry Perkins. He and Russell Ingall were per plexed by a car which, overnight, had turned into a difficult understeerer. They too would plug on, that few vital tenths offthe pace and in a car which was to prove so tough on its rubber that it would delaminate a tyre and cost them an extra stop.

Days later, LP would con firm the simple failure which had taken them out of con tention. One simple mistake: “The rear bar adjuster had gone ‘over centre’ and so the car was jammed on “full soft’ at the rear, regardless of where the adjustment lever was. As we’d been running close to “full hard’ a lot of the time,it was costly...”

So there were, really, the four. Close but not quite close enough would be the Johnson duo’s Falcon and the third quasi-HRT car, Messrs Noske and Kelly Mowing to the let ter their strategy. The two had virtually ignored qualify ing, looked for a race set-up, kept laps to a minimum,just as they had in Queensland.

And again it was paying off.

Something that might have played its part in the past was not in the end an issue. The Wynns car and the Lowndes/McConville Commodores were the only two contenders not to have made their compulsory brake pad change during one of the many Safety Car periods.

Both would end up doing it under green, with no margin for error, but both teams delivered a faultless proce dure.

Latest design and tech nique mean that front pad changes can be done in under 30 seconds on a good day.

That’s no longer than it takes for a full tank offuel.

In this case, both teams managed somethjng between 30 and 35 seconds, nothing ‘stuck’ and nothing was lost.

While all this going on, the lead was Shell car was staking its claim.

Throughout the morning’s upheaval this had been the car with the pace. Above all, it was also the car which could pass.

Wherever it was in the queue, it could make progress back towards the front with apparent ease.

- s 4- .

Live ... this; The Wynns team was too much for everyone at the end ot the 161 laps.

Don’t believe everything you read: There wasn’t a lot of giving way going on ...

(Photos by Dirk Klynsmith and Lynley Reid)

don’t even know who it was -in my mindI was past Pmd Kudmch on the laiwd car he hit

Ask Mark Skaife: “Mate, he (Radisich) just pulled out and passed me going up Mountain Straight like I was stopped...” When did you last hear that from an HRT driver!

Ellery too was doing the business during liis sessions, This often imder-rated racer mirrored Radisich’s efforts, picking off car after car when it was needed.

They looked strong.

At some point, probably about two-thirds distance, HRT settled for the champi onship.

“If Larry and Russell had had race speed in the first hour, we’d have cottoned on,” Jeff Grech reported. “But they looked to be struggling a bit Russell was quite buggered after his first stint and that’s always a sign.”

Certainly, after the final

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0.

3 December 1999

D&

Mardi Gras comes to Bathurst: Garth Tander and Co made a big impression on the fans. stops the HRT duo, running quite close on the road, were a good 20 seconds back from the leaders and seemingly unable, or unwilling to risk, doing much about it.

“We were running quite conservatively at that point, albeit still quite quickly,” HRT’s Jeff Grech conceded.

“We were really hoping for a late Pace Car. If there’d been one, we’d have let Skaifey loose. He might have given the Wynns boys some thing to think about.

“But there wasn’t a Pace Car and that’s the way it panned out...”

And so there were two.

Two cars capable of much the same pace, two cars having a near-faultless run.

A loose gear lever knob caused brief concern in the Wynns pit, but that was the Gibson team’s only real drama. In the Shell car, the brake pedal was becoming just a teeny bit ‘long’, but both Radisich and Ellery reported that the car was fine.

Our race report document ed the long stint that Greg Murphy did in the Wyims car before the final stop. If Steven Richards was to take it to Radisich in that final stint, it was crucial to get every drop, every lap out of the Wynns car.

Despite all the computer assistance, the calculated projections, the team simply adopted the old method of running the car “until the fuel light came on”.

Murfs last few laps were critical, the Wynns car on next-to-no fuel, stretching the margin back to Radisich, on full fuel, by vital seconds per lap.

In the end, the Wynns car only needed two-thirds of a tank of gas. It saved time and weight and on fresh rubber, the car was quick. It was also, ironically given the last lap failure in Queensland, very, very good under brakes.

Although Radisich went by as he warmed the fresh rub ber, Richo was quite confi dent of having a serious go at the Ford: “That’s what Bathurst is aU about now,” he would con clude later. “You spend all day sizing up the opposition, measuring yourself against them, getting yourself set up to race them over that final 20 or 30 laps.

“I’d run with him (Radisich) earlier and I don’t think his brakes were as good as ours he was tapping the pedal quite a bit - shding a httle here and there. He had started to come back to me then,so I was pret ty confident I could catch him now. Whether I could have got past him was another mat ter...”

w

e’ll never know, but Richards was right - it would have been a hell of a contest. And a surprising number of people I’ve spoken too since didn’t reahse exact ly what happened next. A lot of people think that Radisich’s Falcon simply picked up a puncture.

Richards likes to think it was the pressure...

Either way, the #18 Falcon contacted a hitherto un named lapped car (reputed to be the John Deere Commodore) and ripped the valve out of the right-front wheel.

“I went inside him at McPhillamy,” Radisich said.

“He left room for me, but then half way through the corner came across. It was just a super-light tap, but with the wheel on lock, it just nicked the valve. I don’t even know who it was - in my mind I was past...”

One mistake. Costly.

Brake pedal notwithstand ing, did 'ITie Rat think he had Richards covered?

“Yes...”

I guess we’ll never really know. My feeling is that it could have been a hell of a contest...

It was good to see the other Shell car get home. Fourth was a good result for the father/son team, when Dick’s final year has been, well, dif ficult.

Dick was seriously bug gered at the end, the sheer

Full’s metal jacket: Geoff Full wrote his name into the history books by leading two laps in Rodney Forbes’ Diet Shake Commodore.

Silver streak: Race sponsor FAI went to a lot of trouble with silver grid boys and girls...

(Photos by Marshall Cass)

pace of the race com bined with his well-docu mented sinus complica tion taking its toll on the about-to-retire persona.

That, along with the genuine but quietly emo tional scene in the back of the Shell pit as Dick, Jill, Steven and sister Kelly at last realised that that was it, provid ed quite a contrast with the emotion of a differ ent kind a hundred metres away, on the ros trum.

Dick also - as he has so often - provided the quote of the weekend. I wasn’t there, but I’m told it’s gospel and it jiist about sums up race-day priorities: Scene: Shell pit. DJ close to getting into car for mid-race stint. Princess Anne’s daugh ter (Zara Phillips), working in Sydney, is present and in the pits. Aide asks Shell team member if Dick would like to meet Princess Anne’s daugh ter. Shell team member asks Dick.

Dick responds to Shell team member: “Botheration Princess Anne’s Daughter - I need to relieve myself’ Only he didn’t say “Botheration” and he didn’t say “to relieve myself...”

And that, was Bathurst.

Well, almost. A strange

thing happened afterwards.

Motorsport News reported the vibe up and down pit lane concerning the remarkable straight line speed of some of the Fords and the rumblings among Holden teams about new-spec Ford cylinder heads.

(Incidentally, the Shell team’s Dean Orr, now a sea soned team engineer, is cate gorical in maintaining that his team’s engines were total ly koshe: “Those who don’t know are speculating, those who need to know, know they’re okay,” he summarised).

Still, rightly or wrongly, fact or myth, the vibe was there, and it would have been good for the rumours to be quashed.

So what happened post race? Three leading Holdens had their cylinder heads removed. Not one Ford.

There was also, admitted ly, a suggestion of a minor casting change in Chev heads too, but heavens, a lot of behind-the-scenes rumour and innuendo could have been avoided if a couple of pairs of Fojrd heads had been snaffled too.

Holden Special Vehicle? We told you in our Bathurst issue about the Holden execs who travelled home in a shopping trolley: here’s the proof.

Handles like a shopping troiley: David Brabham had the Bee Gees scared out of him when a tyre popped at the Chase at BOOkmh.(Photo by John Morris/Mpix)

Bit of an oversight?

And that was Bathurst...

/jjti(D0®!7SfJ)®l70

24 3 December 1999

Locals share the spoils Teretonga in New Zealand last weekend after the duo

able learning experi ence, his focus squarely upon the following weekend’s New Zealand Grand Prix.

That’s not to suggest that he wasn’t in the ballpark performancewise, but the high-speed circuit demanded a

claimed a win apiece in the opening rounds of the hotly contested Tasman Express NZ Grand Prix Series for Formula Holdens.

Dixon had pole for the round one 25-lapper, but was plagued by a mysterious elec trical ailment in his aeroupdated Turners Auctions Reynard 92D that ultimately saw him slip to sixth in a race that was dominated by Wills, who led from flag to flag.

Fellow Enzedder Wills then started the round two 35-lapper in a confident frame of mind from pole position and dictated the pace early on, until Dixon swept around the outside of his opponent’s Birrana Engineering 94D in slashing style in the high speed turn 1 sweeper and held a determined Wills in check until the chequer fell.

Third place in both events was claimed by an extremely impressive Brenton Ramsay in another of the Birrana entries, the affable young charger proving to be a dab hand in his potent 94D, despii'fc his lack of experience in the V6 Holden-engined open-wheelers.

The Shaky Isles gods didn’t exactly smile upon reigning Australian Touring Car Champion Craig Lowndes, who made a less than spec tacular return to Formula Holden after a five-year hia tus as far as outright results were concerned.

Acknowledging his lack of seat time, Lowndes made the most of his opportunities behind the wheel of Graham Watson’s Mobil 1/Challenge Recruitment 92D and prag matically treated the opening rounds at the demanding South Island circuit as a valu-

high-horsepower engine and Lowndes, sadly, lacked the outright grunt down the long k,main straight that the n v.'V Birrana Engineering entries quite clearly possessed. Incidentally, that strip of NZ bitu men was effectively the -:'4 same length as Mount Panorama’s Conrod Straight between The i rr Cutting and the Caltex V: Chase tJ' Hi When it came to pure though, handling, Lowndes came into his own and was progres Battle of Wills: Dixon (leading) and Wills were the pick of the Blinch at Teretonga, the two Gold Star winners taking a race each, sively quicker over the back of the 2.57 km cir Practice saw Lowndes rookie year, the young New winner of last year’s NZ GP runner-up result, Dixon was right on the cuit at each practice arid fourth quickest in the first Zealander’s 95D was sporting and Tasman Express Series money in practice, carding new F3000 front end-plates and the 1999 Australian qualifying session, mana^ng session and eighth in the sec to snare grid five for both ond, a fuel pump pick-up as used by last season’s Drivers Championship - the quickest times in the first races. secured second spot with a and third outings and settling parting company and causing European cars, Watson feel “I last drove a Formula him to come to an unsched ing that the new hardware 51.482 in qualifier one and for second behind Ramsav in Holden in 1994, so I’m a little uled halt on the track during would prove to be of benefit topped the second qualifying the second session.

His third session best of out of touch,” Lowndes said. the latter outing. with its significantly different session with a 51.698, while 52.182 was bettered in the Ramsay was third in one and “I spent Friday getting back The final practice session gurney flap configuration. in the groove and playing saw him disconnect the rear “What we really need is second quickest in two, their first qualifier with a 51.481, with the basic set-up on old efforts in the splendid pair of good enough for pole despite a more horsepower,” Watson roU bar and, happier with the tyres and was very happy car in that configuration, he said, “as we’re eight kmh 94D machines putting a smile spin on the second lap, while a 51.904 in the second qualifi with my progress. moved back up the board to slower down the front on the face of team-owner “Obviously, Dixon and fifth spot. er was only good enough for straight, where the good guys Malcolm Ramsay.

Dixon, the 1998 Formula third spot, behind Wills and Wills are my major opposi A brace of fifths was gar are doing 250-plus kmh and tion, but I’m pleased that the Ramsay.

Holden champion, honoured we’re doing 240s. nered fi-om the two qualifying field is so close and that I’m Now, while the taciturn ‘We’re only talking a deficit his sponsorship commitments sessions the next day, already up there in the top Dixon wasn’t making any of five to eight horsepower and returned home from his Lowndes carding a 52.362 in five.” the first and a 52.590 in the and, although our cars were successful sojourn in Indy excuses for his occasional Fresh from a Stateside second, his performances as quick as the Birranas in lapses in performance, it is a Lights with Stefan Johansson Indy Lights test outing with Motorsport in the States to fact that the car was ham hampered by a loss of speed the section coming onto the Team Kool Green, Lowndes down the main straight that straight, we just ran out of prepare himself for the NZ pered by that irritating inter was able to acclimatise quick mittent electrical problem, GP at Ruapuna, Christchurch clearly indicated a rethink speed opposite the end of the was in order where the car’s ly, the precision of the and improve upon last year’s which was only eradicated by pits.”

Fonnula Holden more to his front aerodynamic settings While a fair percentage of were concerned. taste than the less aerody attention was deservedly namic American machine Lowndes’ team-mate Matt given to the Watson stablewith its extra 100 horsepow¬ Halliday was afflicted with mates, the Birrana Boys next er. the same sub-pai- power prob door were among the “While it would be nice to lem and, after besting with acknowledged pace-setters in do really well in these first fourth in the final practice practice, Ramsay topping the two Tasman rounds, my main session, was obliged to settle second session and coming aim is the New Zealand for sixth spot in each of the third in the final, while Wills Grand Prix and this weekend was second, third and second qualifying sessions.

Third in the Australian in consecutive outings. is really a lead-in to' the big one,” he explained.

The next day. Wills - the Drivers Championship in his

Repdrt by TONY GLYNN Photos by DIRK KLYNSMITH

HONOURS were evenly divided between Simon Wills and Scott Dixon at

85

No Commo-door: Lowndes played himself back into open wheeler form well, but the three-time SATCC winner was hampered by a lack of straight-line speed.

DUCI-

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a complete replacement of everything that could be swapped in time for the sec ond race on Sunday after noon, which he dutifully won.

That 35-lapper was also the 1999 Denny Hulme Memorial Trophy, a prestigious race that earned the winner the actual 1974 Argentinean Gran5 Prix winner’s trophy that Denny brought home, Greta Hulme perpetuating the memory of one of New Zealand’s motorsport legends themselves on the warm-up lap and he started the race via this exotic piece of motor from pit lane, leaving a sur ing history.

The NRG International prised Willis to rocket into Racing Team entries of the lead and never be headed Christian Murchison and on his way to a well-deserved, but - in his words - hollow Jason Liefting were consis tent top ten performers, victory.

“I really wanted to have a Murchison qualifying fourth (despite a spin in his own oil race with Scott to prove a point,” Wills said, after pac after a filter problem) and seventh in his 94D, while ing himself to the flag,“so I’m not really that happy with the Liefting was good for ninth and fourth in his Theta/ outcome, even though I won I Cockpit 88 95D, after gi'ap- just hope he can get the car pling with an overheating right for the second race and that we can really make a engine during Friday prac race of it.” tice. .

Wills set the fastest lap Paul Dumbrell’s Wynn’s time with a 52.022 on lap 23, 94D was good for eighth in Greg Murphy’s stunningly the first qualifier and tenth in the second - unfortunately, quick Teretonga Park lap early in the latter session, the record of 51.206 seconds set 17 year-old buried his car in last November now looking unlikely to be bettered on the the sand trap after an error while exiting the daunting, day.

Lowndes made a meteoric high-G turn 1 sweeper and start to annex second spot damaged the nose. and held out the faster car of Dumbrell, who benefited Ramsay for the full race dis significantly in practice from a spring change, was looking tance, the latter retaining third despite the undisci for big things to happen dur plined behaviour of the backing qualifying and felt he had markers while being lapped squandered an opportunity to and the looming menace of make the top five on the grid.

1998 Formula Audi Class B Halliday in his mirrors dur champion Andrew Booth and ing the closing laps.

Japan’s Yudai Igarashi were The rather processional the last of the top 10 players, affair saw Booth in fifth, the duo in Chris Hocking’s ahead of a stuttering Dixon care and running the (whose engine was cutting Gallagher 96D and the out altogether at various Domani 94D,respectively. points), Igarashi, Kevin Bell’s Booth qualified seventh Enzed Hose Fittings 91D, a and eighth, while Igarashi down on power Dumbrell and Peter Hill’s 92D. was tenth and ninth, the lat ter driver bouncing back after Then came Daymen breaking a pin in the gearbox Templeman (92D), Les in the first practice session on Crampton (3M Just-Lites Friday and then having an off 91D), Ian Peters (Camtech Ein the last session. commerce 91D), Mark Ellis Race one got off to a sensa (S&Y Plating Halt RT23) and tional start when Dixon’s Jim Turnbull (Auckland electrical gremlins reasserted Raceway 9ID).

3December 1999

Long trip: Yudai Igarashi made his first appearance in Formula Holden.

Start program: Wills leaps away from pole, while Brenton Ramsay (left) was best of the Aussies.

Murchison called it quits on lap 22 when his smoking engine finally blew necessi tating a frantic engine swap and before race two Liefting, who was trapped behind Mqrchison and collect ing a fair share of his errant oil, was sidelined on lap 12 with a blown gearbox bearing.

In the second race. Wills again jetted away in the lead of the 35-lapper, though this time Dixon was on full noise and in hot pursuit, with Ramsay up his exhaust pipe.

Immediately behind were a smoky Liefting, Lowndes, Halliday, Booth and Igarashi - further in arrears were Dumbrell, overdriving the car to maintain station. Bell, Templeman and Murchison.

Hdliday had found some of that missing power after Watson disconnected the fuel mixture control box, which was deemed to be sending incorrect messages to the engine ECU - as a result, Lowndes was now under con stant pressure from his team mate, who was enjoying the extra boost in available power, albeit on a small scale.

At the start of lap 8, Dixon shot around the outside of Wills in the sweeper to take the lead and, no matter what Wills threw at him as the laps wound down, the Kiwi youngster could not be dis lodged from his winning posi tion.

On lap 25, Booth spun and Igarashi immediately moved

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wide and high on the exit and his car snapped around.

In an instant, he was into the sand trap - but, thanks to his phenomenal reflexes, he kept the motor running, whipped the car around, missed the tyre wall and burst back onto the track, dropping a place in the process and leaving the stunned spectators gaping as he shot off into the dis tance.

Unfortunately, he was car rying a fair percentage of the sand trap with him and spim a couple of times in quick suc cession at GWD entering the main straight, finally taking the flag in eighth spot - post race, Lowndes was more than a little disgusted with his effort and was rather deflated.

Dixon retained his lead

over Wills, who came home ahead of Ramsay, Liefting, Halliday, Igarashi, Booth, Lowndes, Moirchison and Templeman.

Then came Bell, Hill, Crampton, Peters, Ellis and Turnbull - Dean Cockerton (Senator Motors 90D) retired on lap 28, while Dumbrell had parked his car on lap 18, after deciding that it was bet ter not to continue putting the car in jeopardy and possi bly deny himself a drive in the following weekend’s New Zealand Grand Prix.

Ramsay was the quickest driver on the circuit, stopping the clocks with a 51.602 on

lap 35.

Points: Wills 35. Dixon 26, Ramsay 24, Halliday 18, Lowndes 18, Booth 12, Igarashi 10, Liefting 10, Bel! 3, Murchison 2, Dumbrell 2. Templeman 1, Hill 1.

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up to seventh. Booth recover ing to maintain eighth spot till the flag.

Booth had been experienc ing difficulty controlling his car in the sweeper, his front wing’s aerodynamic efficiency evaporating on one side when the right hand jet flap came loose, his car understeering badly and ultimately causing the spin at the other end of the circuit.

As the race wound down, the result appeared to be a foregone conclusion for the top ten, until fate stepped in and king hit Lowndes.

On the last lap at the rightangle Castrol right-hander, Lowndes- who had been rele gated to sixth two laps earlier

by Halliday and was strug gling with a massive understeer problem - ran a little

Ii

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28 3 December 1999

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Superspeedway, Japanese-style: Motegi is an impressive facility, lacking nothing except, maybe, light. This was taken at 4:00pm in the afternoon ... (Photosby Phii Branagan)

East meets the Rest A long way from Calder: Kim Jane was the best of the Aussies at Twin Ring Motegi, the three-,time NASCAR Champ qualifying 15th and finishing eighth.

NASCAR’s Winston West series headed to Twin Ring Motegi in Japanfor theirfinal showdown.

When the inscrutable Japanese met head-to-head with the Good or Boys - and afew Aussies PHIL BRANAGAN was there to watch the action.

mmEmmn

-0

KEVIN Richards won the

boys retm-ned a year later to have the bejeezus scared out of them by Jim Richards, or championship, at Twin. ‘John Reynolds’, as the Americans kept calling him.

Ring Motegi in Japan last Then, last year, real oval week. track racing. The Twin Ring Who? Kevin Richards, of Motegi track, 100km from Spokane, Washington. Drives Tokyo, was open. The Good a Chevrolet Monte Carlo. ’01 Boys rocked into town and No, not Jim, not Steve, Kevin. He’s as American as put on a show. The locals loved it. apple pie; looks like the kind This year there was, of bloke that would put down according to the Americans, ' a ’burger and a Coke and parachute out of a B29 ready an even bigger show - the first championship NASCAR to take a beach head some round ever held outside the where, anywhere.

USA. It was the final outing Second was Austin Cameron and third Eric of the season in the Winston West championship and the Norris. Never heard of them title was on the line. This was either, but Norris, a film director and stunt co-ordina- the decider.

Coca Cola 500, the final round of the Winston West

tor from Dallas, has a famous dad. Chuck Nonis, he of the kick-and-punch movies and TV shows.

There were three Australians there. Kim Jane qualified 15th and finished eighth. Terry Wyhoon and Neville Lance qualified 24th and 26th respectively and both retired with engine problems.

Mike Wallace was unlucky.

TRe Craftsman track regular also has a famous relative, brother Rusty [49 Winston Cup wins]. Mike poled in his Ford Taurus and led 112 of the first 140 laps until he dropped a valve and rolled to a halt.

But, if the racing itself was a little underwhelming, the Big Picture was not...

Having race in Japan aisNASCAR not a new idea.

After a non-championship gallop at Suzuka in 1996, the

And,just to add spice to the mix, there was an interna tional flavour, with the top three from the 1998/’99 Australian series thrown into the mix along with three local' Japanese lads.

Whoopee. there. Despite the fact that All the hype in the world NASCAR and Motegi were wasn’t going to change one picking up the travel tab fact; Winston West ain’t between them, and the Winston Cup. While ‘Cup’, as biggest purse of the season the Americans called it, is the [US$69K for the win, and number one spectator motor even last place paid $14K] sport on the planet, ‘West’ is Sedgwick’s team owner Tim nothing like that. Of the 14 Buckley simply couldn’t be races through the year, three bothered going all the way to [including the Motegi race] Japan. got TV coverage. Only three The West series is a combi events - two at Las Vegas nation of proving gi'ound for and at California - were on up-and-comers [like superspeedways. It was all a Cameron, 22, and 20-year-old little... tame.

Jason Small], a resting As a frinstance. Bill gi-ound for fading Cup didn’tSedgwick, who was third in make-its [like John Metcalf the pointscore before the and Wallace] and gentlemen weekend started, wasn’t even racers, like 60-year-old den¬

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Honda has

somefine engineers, butI doubt any of them worked on this project.

>>

NASCAR’sAlBasnight [left] on Honda’s Legend ‘NASCARs’ one of the most impressive motorsport facilities in the world.

tist ‘Doc’ Faustina, who made a fortune sawing away at kids’ teeth and spends his weekends belting around ovals in his Tamms.

And the cars themselves were nothing special. Some of them had obviously had big hits somewhere in their life times, probably when they were new Cup cars a long time ago. Most needed a birthday; presentation-wise, Jane’s John Sidney Racingprepared Monte Carlo was best of breed.

I

f the hardware failed the white glove test, the track did not. Twin Ring Motegi is

When the $600m complex opened two yeai'S ago, it was the most expensive privatelyfunded construction in Japanese history. There are a total of eight different tracks; from the 2.5km superspeed way to a 4.8km, GP-standard road course. The two dirt tracks, a 1/4 mile and l/8th, are the only two of their kind in Japan.

The media and officiating facilities are the among the best anywhere. Like Suzuka, it is owned by Honda and fol lows that company’s corpo rate philosophy which, in NASCAR-speak, would read, “If we can’t win, we ain’t playin’”, Example; there are 27,500

tyres built into barriers around the road course. And, they're all brand new.

But not everything is per fect. One thing the price tag [almost four times that of the new California Speedway in Fontana] couldn’t buy is access. The track is approx.

100km from Tokyo in the Tochigi Prefecture, a fairly rural setting which proudly boasts possession of the last clear stream in Japan. Such is the price of all those Toyotas and microwaves.

So here is a facility capable of accommodating up to 100,000 punters and you have to drive along country lanes to get there. Like Win ton?

Worse. Lakeside? Much worse than that. Silverstone on British GP weekend? Now we’re getting close.

If traffic jams of Olympic proportions are anathema to Aussies, they are par for the course for the locals. Car after car featured small. boomerang-shaped aerials on their rear windows, which aid not only their SatNav sys tems, but allow the gridlocked passengers to catch the latest in local TV. And Japanese TV must be the worst in the world. Okay, the language was indecipher able to we ‘Gaijin’[foreigners] but the content was not hard to follow. Historical dramas featured plenty of violence and sword-play; news and sports reports started with the traditional deep bow from both male and female presen ters [always two], who appeared to be capable of looking serious or startled but, apparently, nothing in between...

Wacky game show's? None, dammit, so there was no opportunity to marvel at busi nessmen in Boss suits sitting in frog-infested custard for the delight ofthe viewers.

3 December 1999

DUQ, Even that other great Japanese TV attraction Gaijin stars flogging stuff to the '(populace in phonetic Japanese - was thin on the ground. Sir Anthony Hopkins appeared* selling Honda’s Avencia. Catherine ZetaJones did a turn for Lux soap, but that was about it.

The other notable adverts were those which featured English words in inappropri ate settings. As an example, Daihatsu’s new minivan is called the ‘Naked’, and no, I am not making that up.

The reflected sports theprogramming obsession the locals have with all things American.

The week before the race the top baseball league held its annual player draft, which followed a bunch of young sters sitting at home with TV reporters, awaiting the phone call to tell them where they would be playing and how many billion yen they would get for doing so.

They even have basketball.

On race eve, the NHK net work broadcast a live game, featuring a few local threepoint shooters and a bimch of Americans who looked pissed about not being able to get a game in a real league in the USA or Europe.

The show was called ‘Friday Funky Night Game’ and no, I am not making that up, either.

If it is not news that the Japanese like American sport, they have a long way ■c go to embrace the top level of US racing. At Motegi they have a fleet of Honda Legend-bodied NASCARs, the chassis for which were imported from the ’States.

The engines could have been too, but the brass decided that Honda’s own quad cam V6 was more in keeping with Japanese taste.

So they ‘fixed’ the cars.

Problem was, NASCAR grunters are dry-sumped, and the Hondas were wet-sumped.

The engine wouldn’t fit until the chassis were stretched about 25cm, which turned the cars into pushing, understeering pigs. Of the 10 Legends built, two have been destroyed and most of the rest have tasted large amounts of Motegi concrete.

And these cars are meant for driver education. God help the drivers.

NASCAR’s A1 Basnight, the former Calder Park Thunderdome Race Director who oversees the company’s Asian operations from his office in Charlotte, summed it up politely: “Honda has some fi ne engineers, but I doubt any of them worked on this project.”

'*1

Q

ualifying was a night mare. With the size of the”field, everyone was guar anteed a start, so it is hard to imagine what was going through the minds of the four drivers who seriously walled their cars.

There were four spare cars [three from the US and Rod Jane’s regular Calder mount] and all were pressed into ser vice for the crashers.

One delay was particularly long, as the local firemarshalls [dressed in natty sil ver, heat-reflecting suits and

running shoes] had a big, long think before getting involved with a burning Thunderbird. As a result a hole was burnt in the track, leaving a 45-minute clean-up.

At least the driver, Manabu Orido, was not inconvenienced unduly. He said he liked his replacement Ford, a Taurus, because it had headlight decals, while the T-Bird did not. Wow. The Aussies all made it through unscathed, Wyhoon the first on the track [spots were determined by a lottery] and thus he temporarily led the times.

Wallace, inevitably, poled.

Many of the Americans were cheesed off that he was there at all, the opinion being that the biggest purse of the sea son was more responsible for his presence than the delights of racing in Japan.

When he dropped a valve in the race, not everyone was disappointed.

Loss of face When is a big thing Japan.

Orido crunched his car in qualify ing, Ids local helpers insisted that it be covered up rather than immediately fixed, as having a crashed car in the Norris Racing pit would shame the driver.

The void between the American [and Australian] way of going motor racing is wide, and there seems to be no way of closing it.

Race winner Richards crashed in practice and was playing catch-up from there.

He started from 17th and, after a steady beginning, he and his team worked away until the car was, at least, manageable. That’s what a Sidney, Wyhoon or Lance team would do as well. It is hard to see the locals embracing that way of doing things.

Last year, around 30,000 came to see the Winston Cup stars race at Motegi. This year, with the first ‘exported’ NASCAR race, pre-race pre dictions were that the figure would he repeated, despite the absence of Earnhardt[s], Gordon et al. There was never any way that 30,000 would show up, and the Americans knew it.

The Japanese probably did as well, but admitting it before the race would shame the visiting Winston West show. Best guess was about 10-12,000 appeared for the race.

s

0, was the 1999 Coca Cola 500 a success? Hard to say. The success or otherwise of the race will be determined not by what happened at Twin Ring Motegi in November, 1999, but what will follow and happen in the new century.

In isolation, as a stand alone race, the Coke 500 was a bomb. The race barely rated a blip on the local media radar, and even NASCAR itself didn’t appear make a big deal of it. The date for the race, for instance, was wrong on NASCAR’s own website, even after the event.

But any success associated with the event may be felt a long way down the road. If the race continues in isolation it will be a long time, if ever, before it gets off the ground.

29

V

UP

I

^I

^1

0

FtUi, Bathust

and Motegi

THERE is life after Formula One - and Erik Comas should know.

Six years after his last F1 drive, the 36-year-old Frenchman is busier than ever, racing in the USA, Japan and Europe from his base in Santa Barbara, California.

On successive weekends in November, he won the 1000km GT race at Fuji, took in the FA11000 at Mount Panorama and headed back to Japan to look at the Winston West race. He must have some serious frequent flyer points ...

And, after seeing the local landscape at Bathurst, he could be heading down under to race before very much longer.

“I was at Bathurst with my friend Wayne Gardner,” he said last week at Motegi.

[Gardner and Comas race against each other in the All-Japan GT series, which Comas won ].

“What a great race. Fiftyfive cars on the grid!

“What a great track.

NASCAR, Coke, Honda Living Legend: Honda’s fleet of and Goodyear can Legends have had a hard life, throw as many yen as Run away from flames: The fire they want at the event marshals were enthusiastic, but but, as long as it their footwear was a little unusual, remains just a Winston West event, it will stay small potatoes.

The Big Picture is that the Motegi event could be something else entirely. With talk of an oval being built somewhere else in Asia - maybe in Malaysia the seeds are there for a Pacific Rim NASCAR senes.

With a rac e or two in California, one in Portland an d, maybe, Phoenix, there would ][j0 enough local interest for the American teams to get involved . Two races at Motegi would satisfy the Japanese, Add one elsewhere [Malaysia] and one or two at the Calder Park Thunderdome and there could be the beginning of something relatively big.

The good news is that there is no reason to think that the Australian teams Driveskill is proud to announce it has been who ventured .to Japan are in any way inferior to their US appointed as the exclusive approved CAMS competition. Sure, Wallace Licence Evaluation School in Victoria. had the field fevered, but An Observed Licence Test is available during our Jane, in particular, looked renowned DrivePerform 2 day program. Improve capable of matching everyone else. For his first race of a your skills and lap times with highly experienced, new season, Kim looked prettt tygood.

So, the US$690,000 ques»» tion: What will happen?

Hard to tell. To quote actress Kate Capshaw in Ridley Scott’s 1989 movie classic Black Rain, in Japanese “Yes means No, Maybe means Never.”

Was the 1999 Coca Cola 500 a success? Maybe ...

Some day soon I would like to go to Australia to race at Bathurst. Maybe with Wayne next year?”

Comas, who drove in 59 GPs for Ligier and Larrousse in the early '90s, leaves no doubt that he prefers his life now to the one he had in FI. “Formula One is too ... restrictive. If you race, you cannot do motorbikes [sic].

I like motorbikes! You cannot ski; I like skiing. You cannot do anything else. It’s too hard.

“I like my life now. It is good; I can race here, and in the USA. I can race in winter in the French Alps, in the ice racing series.

“Life is a lot more enjoyable now than when i was in Formula One.” With that, Comas smiled, spun around and started talking to some local media - in Japanese. i If the disappointment of ' not making the grace in the toughest game of alt was eating him up, he sure wasn’t letting it show. !

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Guest’s Hyundai WRC ride

Impreza for Middleton

1997 Formula 2 Champion Brett Middleton has his championship winning Honda Civic for sale and will contest next year’s Australian Championship in an ex-Cody Crocker Sgbaru Impreza WRX. After his 1600cc Honda was generally outclassed by the Volkswagen Golf kit car of Simon Evans during 1999, Middleton decided to make the move to the four-wheel drive Subaru, and anticipates finishing on the podium in his first year with the car.

‘To be honest, I’d be disappointed if we couldn’t regularly finish on the podium in third place,” Middleton said.

“We will have a big job to stay ahead of the regular Group N cars, but I will just have to drive the Impreza as hard as the Civic.”

Middleton’s team will convert Crocker’s 1999 Championship winning car from Group N trim to Group A/PRC, in their attempt to also win the Privateers’ Cup in 2000.

Middleton considered several options before deciding on the Subaru, including a Mitsubishi Lancer, Ford Falcon, and even a Toyota Camryl Approaches were then made to Subam Australia to purchase either of the two Impreza WRX’s run by Cody Crocker over the past two seasons.

A seven event program has been scheduled, including the five ARC Super Series rounds, the FAI Rally of Canberra, and Telstra Rally Australia.

- PETER WHITTEN

FORMER Australian

Group N champion Michael Guest is expect ed to drive a Hyundai in several rounds of next year’s World Rally Championship.

Although nothing had as confirmed been Motorsport News went to press, it is thought that the former Newcastle carpet layer will do several events in Hyundai’s Formula 2 Coupe kit car, before getting behind the wheel of their new Accent World Rally Car later in the season.

It is possible that Guest will also contest some

rounds of the Australian Championship.

With sponsorship from cigarette giant Winfield, Guest is thought to have considered drives in both Toyota and Subaru World Rally Cars, before settling on the Hyundai drive.

Guest recently said that another season in a Group N Subaru Impreza was a viable option for 2000, but looks to have opted for the Group A route in order to fast track his chances of gaining a factory supported drive in the world’s most hotly contested rally cham pionship.

-PETER WHITTEN

VALE:

GEORGE KAHLER FORMER Queensland and NSW Rally Champion and front running Australian , Championship com petitor, George Kahler, passed away in Brisbane recently.

A minister of reli gion, Kahler landed the nickname “The ; Faster Pastor” throughout his rallying career, and even had spon-

m

sorship from the fast food chain ‘Fasta Pasta’ during a South Australian round of the national championship in the early nineties.

Kahler was a exceptionally fast driver at the wheel of a Mazda 323 4WD, and then a Mitsubishi Galant VR4. 52-year old Kahler died of a heart attack.

Al Wahaibi's WRX A-Pac 2000 dates OMAN’S Hamed al Wahaibi will drive a Subaru Impreza World Rally Car in the 2000 World Rally Championship, a step up fi’om Group N for the former Middle East showroom champion.

Al Wahaibi and Kiwi co-driver Tony Sircombe vdll crew the car on five rounds of the WRC, in addition to tackling the Cyprus International Rally, the Rally of Lebanon and the Rally USA in Colarado next July.

It is believed that this is the start of a three-year deal for al Wahaibi in a Prodriverun Subaru and he will be funded by his Assarain Group of Companies in Oman.

Marlboro will no longer support his pro gram and he has severed ties with Mitsubishi Ralliart Germany.

- PETER WHITTEN

THE dates for the 2000 Asia Pacific Rally Champion ship have been released by the FIA Television cover age similar to 1999 year is expected to

be confirmed for 2000. The weekend following the Rally USA is Pikes Peak hillclimb.

Rally of New Zealand and RaUy of China are also part of the World Rally Championship.

The calendar is as follows: 1. Rally of Indonesia, 31st March to 2nd April 2. FAI Rally of Canberra, 5th to 7th May 3. Rally USA, 22nd to 25th June 4. Rally New Zealand, 13th to 16th July 5. China Rally, 7th to 10th September 6. Rally of Thailand. 27th to 29th October 7. Raiiy of Malaysia, date to be confirmed.

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0

Burns s.-z-'n;'

Day 2

By JON THOMSON

RICHARD

Burns

has

clinched second place in the 1999 World Championship with a near-perfect drive to win the R^y of Britain.

The victory was Burns’s third this year and, with Juha Kankkunen in second, it was the third 1-2 for the Subam team this year.

Harri Rovanpera took third place in his SEAT, again showing the Spanish maker has potential in the WRC arena..

The final rally of the year was one of the toughest. The pace and slippery conditions claimed several leading dri vers including Colin McRae and, in his final Toyota drive, Carlos Sainz.

Day 1

u

nder leaden skies the rally got underway from Cheltenham, with the tradi tional stately homes stages.

The first leg was the short est with only 35 kilometres of stages, but tens of thou sands of spectators at Silverstone and nearby state ly homes.

Kankkunen, a master of the ‘Mickey Mouse’ stages thr ough bunting and around hay bales placed fruitlessly to protect the lush green lawns, showed the way to team mate Bums.

Tommi Makinen’s fortunes weren’t looking too good. He would finish the day seventh after sliding wide and dam aging the bodywork of his Lancer on the fifth stage.

“I chose the wrong tyres and it was muddier than I expected, but there is still a long way to go. I will certain ly be trying very hard,” Makinen said.

But it was Kankkunen as the cars finished arrived back in Cheltenham just 3.5s ahead of the Peugeot of Francois Delecour with his Peugeot Team mate Marcus Gronholm in third another one second behind.

Burns lost time on the final stage of the day slip ping off the road in the Blenheim stage to finish 3.7s behind Gronholm. The Toyotas of Auriol and Sainz were in fifth and sixth.

Despite and the being atrocious a Monday weather - the forests were gridlocked as fans made their way into the Welsh countryside to catch a glimpse of the action.

Bums was in his element, blasting through the stages where he cut his rallying teeth and winning the open ing three stages to snatch the lead from Kankkunen.

Gronholm won SSll the fourth stage of the day, tak ing 16s out of Bums’lead and closing to just 2.8s. But it was the closest he would get.

Bums had a scary moment on SS12 after almost spinning the car off the road in the shppeiy conditions. If that wasn’t enough, on the next road sec tion he had an oil fire which was extinguished without major damage. Despite this, he retained the lead winning SS 13,14 and 15.

Kankkunen extended the gap over Gi'onholm to 15s.

“There won’t be team orders between me and Richard, because if I slow down, Marcus will pass me after the first stage. We have to go for it,” said Kankkunen.

McRae had moved into fourth after an inauspicious start, but a crash on the final stage ended his rally. He ran off the road into a ditch and hit a car that had crashed during the previous run through the stage.

Rovanpera moved up into fourth in his last drive for SEAT, while team mate Gardemeister was forced out with clutch faOure. Gwyndaf Evans added to SEAT’S strong showing in his first run in the WRC car, running into the top five.

Didier Auriol lost time with a wrong choice of tyres, while Sainz slid into a ditch on SS12.

“It was a difficult day, we lost four minutes in a stupid slow place. I’m very disap pointed with myself,” said the Spaniard.

Makinen lost nearly two minutes on SS12 when he slid wide at a junction and dam aged the suspension, drop ping to 17th before climbing back to finish the day in fifth.

Bums wordd finish the day with a 29s lead on Kankkunen, with Gronholm 15s back in third.

Number 2, in lots of ways: Richards Burns’ second straight win in the RAC gave him the runner-up spot in the World Championship.

Close, but still no cigar: Peugeot’s 206 has been fast but fragile during the season and it ended the year in the same fashion in England.

(Photos by Sutton-lmages)

Days The leg of the was thelast longest andrally caused of problems. plenty Competitors faced 197 kilometres over seven stages. with deep mud and driving ram.

Burns was on a roll as he extended his lead across the day, mastering the mud while Kankkunen was fending off the challenges of Gronholm for most of the day and was unable to match the pace of Bums.

Gronholm was tiying veiy hard to catch Kankkunen but, on the fourth stage of the day, he rolled the Peugeot 20 metres down a hill, with both he and co-driver Timo Rautiainen emerging unharmed but out of the rally.

Team mate Delecour had battled back after early prob lems to be in the top five before he lost drive in the Pug on the last stage.

It was to be a sad farewell for Toyota, with both cars out within two stages of home.

Auriol lost a wheel while mnning fourth after he hit a rock, the impact cutting a water hose and the water loss

So long Corolla: Carlos Sainz’s last drive for Toyota was a bust, the Spaniard retiring late in the event with suspension failure.

cooking the engine.

Sainz retired after the front suspension broke on the penultimate stage. The Spaniard was up to seventh when the right front suspen sion broke halfway through the stage.

Makinen was on course for third until his engine blew just three stages remaining.

It was different for team mate Freddy Loix, who overcame what has been a disastrous year to move up into fifth place in his first attempt at the Rally of GB. The truly stunning perfor mance came from recent Subam discard Bruno Thity, giving the fledgling Skoda team its best ever WRC result with fourth place behind the SEAT of Rovanpera.

Mark Higgins took Formula 2 in his VW Golf kit car ahead of the Renault of Martin Rowe. Vauxhall driver Jarmo Kytolehto was third, while Spaniard Luis Climent led a clean sweep for Subam in group N For Burns, it was a stun ning result lifting him to sec ond in the title and repeating his home victory of“’98.

‘It”s fantastic to be part of a Subam 1-2,” said Bums.

“Everything has worked well for me: the car, the tyres, the mechanics, the whole team. It’s fantastic to have so many people cheering you on, too. There were even fireworks on the hills at one point!

“I’ve been a lot more relaxed this year and I think that has helped me on this year’s event.”

14- Resutts'^' 1 Burns/Reid Subaru impreza WRC99 3:53:44.2 2 Kankkunen/Repo Subaru Imprezo WRC99 3:55:31.5 3 Rovanoera Pietilainen SEAT Cordoba WRC E2 3:5a-39.5 Skoda Octavio WRC 4.-02.H.7 4 Thiry/Prevot Mitsubishi Carismo GT 4:03:19.5 5 Loix/Smeets Ford Focus WRC 4:03:47.5 6 Radstrom/Borth 4:04:17.8 7 Panizzi/Panizzi Peugeot206 WRC 4.-05:21.5 8 Martin/Kitsing Toyota Corolla WRC Drivers’ championship final standings Makinen 62,Bums55,Auriol 52, Kankkunen 44,Sainz 44,McRae 23, Bugaiski20,Loix14.

Manufacturers'standings Toyota 109,Suboru 105, Mitsubishi 83,Ford 37,SEAT 23,Peugeot 11, Skoda 6. i

]

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32 3 December 1999 f”^he formation of the formidable I Lawrence/Brazier Racing Team just over two months ago created a great deal of talk, innuendo and specu lation thoughout the Australian Sprintcj^r racing scene.

And, while it has taken some time for Queensland-based Lawrence’s fledgling organisation to find its winning way,the team has noAfr found its form and the results have begun to come.

Scribe TONY LOXLEY spoke to Barry Lawrence and triple Australian Sprintcar Champion Garry Brazier about their speedway dream that is about to become a reality,

Dreamy

I

t was Barry Lawrence’s son, John, who best summed up the newly-formed Lawrence/Brazier Racing Team when, with a sparkle in his eyes, he said, “this is the opportunity I’ve been looking for. This is what I’ve always wanted to be involved with and now it’s happening- it’s just awesome!”

And, let’s face it, he’s absolutely right in so many ways, as there are few Sprintcar teams today capable of matching this combination when it comes to pure, hard-earned experi ence.

John’s father, Barry - a former Sprintcar, V8 Dirt Modified and part-time touring car competitor - had always prided himself on presenting machinery that was head and shoulders above most teams in Australia and, along with younger brother Chris, has contin ually established precedents where presenta tion is concerned.

Bottom line - a California blonde wouldn’t have made your head turn as fast as a Lawrence Racing Sprintcar would!

Today, this Lawrence trait of excellence continues, only this time Barry is stepping back from driving duties and handing over to a more formidable driver - and one that both he and his family have enormous respect for - triple Australian Champ Garry Brazier Brazier has been given the task of steering the team’s immaculate Maxims to victory lane - and that’s a goal which this highly-talented, adrenalin-driven racer is eminently capable of achieving.

Complementing Garry’s driving skills is the team’s access to the deep pool of knowl edge possessed by his father, Steve, a double champion who is without a doubt one of the world’s best when it comes to a hands-on involvement with the demanding and con stantly variable set-up requirements of Sprintcars.

s

ince its inception, the most common question asked of Lawrence and his team by those who follow the sport is a simple “why?”

■W^y would Barry Lawrence, who has been retired from the sport for almost four

Instant success: Already the Garry Brazier-led new team has already experienced success on the tough new QSSS tour. (Photo by Tony coxiey)

From concept to reality... the Lawrence/ Brazier Sprintcar Racing Team has arrived!

decades, decide - in what was basically the blink of an eye - to approach the Brazier family with a fairly major proposal, purchase all their equipment and then build a top quality Sprintcar racing team in the space of only three weeks?

Well, the answer is just as simple - pas sion.

Absolute passion.

With perhaps a little madness thrown in, as well.

“If the truth be known, I couldn’t help myself., but, then again, maybe I am a little mad,” Lawrence laughed. “I had absolutely no intention of racing this season. Not at all.

“But, when Bill Mann approached me and told me he was putting together a Queensland-based Sprintcar racing series through his Performance Wholesale compa ny, it sort of pricked my ears a bit.

“Subsequently, the more he told me about what he had in mind, the more I became

excited about becoming actively involved again in the sport - and not just for Bill’s sake, but for Queensland Sprintcar racing in general. I wanted to help... it’s as simple as that.”

Prior to'those discussions, Lawrence and Mann had, in fact, previously talked about forming a Sprintcar team for the 2000/2001 season.

It had been Mann’s intention to pull dollars out of drag racing and commit those funds to assist in fielding a top-notch team with Lawrence to run World Series Sprintcars and other major events throughout the summer season.

The duo had also discussed hiring an American driver to do the winning.

It was their ultimate racing dream...

However, that dream was put on hold due to Mann’s enthusiasm for what is now known as the Queensland Sprintcar Summer ShootOut (QSSS).

The formation of the QSSS racing series over-rode any further thoughts regarding the aforementioned deal between the pair, but Lawrence’s racing itch started to reoccur with monotonous regularity only a matter of weeks after Mann’s plans were revealed.

“I couldn’t stop thinking about it for one minute,” Lawrence enthused. “I kept think ing about financing a team to run BiU’s series - which I honestly beheve is one of the best racing series in Australia - as a way of not only helping the QSSS, but as a way of intro ducing my son, John and getting my brother, Chris, back into the racing scene.

“So, only a few weeks prior to the official launch of the QSSS, I spoke to my brother, my son and, of course. Bill about what I had in mind. Right away, we started to throw some ideas around.

“I also knew we would have to find the right equipment to get the job done and we would have to do it fairly quickly.

“I had already told everyone that I didn’t want to drive anymore and my son wasn’t really prepared to run either at that stage, although he will later this season - so we decided to hire our own driver and, perhaps, a top-notch mechanic at the same time.

“That’s when my mind really started to tick over.”

0

ne driver had already come to mind, though. 'Throughout Lawrence’s racing career, he had continually been impressed with the driving talents of Garry Brazier and, as far as Lawrence and his brother were concerned. Brazier was and is one of the best Sprintcar drivers he had ever seen.

WELD

He liked the way Brazier drove his cars, he liked his win at all costs attitude and he has always been a huge fan of Steve Brazier’s dri ving and mechanical abilities over the years.

So he decided to take a rather large punt.

Lawrence thought to himself, “why not talk to the Braziers and see if they would be inter ested in selling and, at the same time, ask if they would be interested in working along side a racing team financed by both myself and my brother.

It wasn’t a big ask - not!

Now it was time to talk to the Braziers, but the time to do it was running out.

Gang of three: The new force in local Sprintcar racing, Queensland-based Lawrence/Brazier Racing Team’s Barry Lawrence (left). Steve Brazier and dynamic triple Australian Champion Garry Brazier

t.

3December 1999 “Up to a week, or so, prior to the QSSS launch, I hadn’t really ever spoken to either or Steve Garry, althc^ugh I had raced against them often,” Lawrence recalled.

“So, after we decided what we wdre going to do - or should I say, what we wanted to do I picked up the phone and spoke to Steve, then Garry and then gave a courtesy phone call to my bank manag er, bless his heart!

“That was it. Three

Schatz dominates

Garry Brazier: Three Australian Titles - now chasing a fourth.

American clean-sweeps WSS western swing

(Tony Loxley pic)

equally delighted about racing with the Lawrences.

Garry Brazier wasPrior to the start of this season. Brazier hadn’t really considered racing on a regular basis - both he and his father wanted to contest the major shows throughout this season, but no racing equip ment had been prepared when the Lawi'ences initially spoke to them. .It was no secret that Garry wanted to move his family to Queensland and had openly dis cussed those plans - so, when he received the call from Lawrence, he thought long and hard.

A drive in a locally-based car using equip ment he knew inside out could be just what he needed to reignite the spark which hadn’t flared for some time.

“When I spoke to Barry, I knew it was going to be a challenge, but I was really excit ed,” Brazier said.

“Running the QSSS also gave me a chance to race at tracks that I hadn’t previously raced on. It was also an opportunity for me to get back into racing shape in preparation for some of the bigger shows - so, as far as I’m concerned, yes, it’s a good deal. And we all get on well, too.

“Tve got some very good equipment under me each night, a good crew and, right now, I’m vei-y excited about racing again... if you really want to know the truth, more than I have been for a long time.

“I’m hoping this deal lasts a few more years - in fact. I’d be happy if it went for another ten years.

“We all go racing to win, but at the same time we have a few laughs and everyone knows their jobs - and I know dad is happy.

He believes we only need a few more shows to really get our act together and then we should be right on track.

“So, I honestly reckon it’s looking really good for the future.”

The team’s ultimate goal is to replace the Lawrence Racing #28 on the tail tank with a large, fluoro orange #1.

Can they do it with only half a season of racing?

According to Brazier, they can.

“We’ve got eveiything to get the job done,” he said “and, with a new car and motor not too far off, I think we’re ready to get back Australia 1. And,if I do, it will be for all of us - but especially for Barry and my dad. We’ll see what we can do.” ’Time will tell if Garry Brazier’s dream of a fourth Australian Title will be realised, but for Barry Lawrence, the initial dream of hav ing the Braziers as part of a racing team has now become a concrete reality - and, for this genuine nice guy of motor racing, there are plenty who hope that Brazier’s dream will become yet another reality that both can cherish.

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Schatz had earlier taken new eight-lap track record in preliminary heat racing. advantage of a lap nine red Green led early but by the flag when an incident tenth lap, after two restarts, between Marty Perovich and American schatz has made aDonny scintilating Schatz moved into the Peter Murphy called a start to the new World position he is becoming temporary halt to Series Sprintcar accustomed to. proceedings Perovich Championship, dominating Jackson withdrew with complained of a sore back the western swing, winning engine troubles at around and ribs while Murphy’s car all three rounds in the same time, Schatz was sufficently damaged Kalgoorlie, Claremont and continuing to consolidate his enough for the team to Bunbufy withdraw and nead back to ever-increasing lead, Green The 24-year-old formei' withstanding a late charge Adelaide tor repairs.

World of Outlaws Rookie of After the restart Tatnell from Dumsney to come the Year reward team-owner home second. assumed control but Shane Krikke by leading Krikke ran fourth ahead of changes made to Schatz’s home Max Dumesny, Kruck, who again impressed car helped him pass Tatnell Brooke Tatnell and Trevor after starting the A-main in in heavy traffic - Tatnell Green in the rounds to give tenth. choosing to stay low while him maximum points in the Schatz was in a class of 17 race series. ' Schatz rounded him up with his own with Green summing greater momentum around In Kalgoorlie Schatz the outside and set about up the situation by saying, “It made a winning debut with a doesn’t matter for a ‘scrubber’ establishing a winning thrilling, last-lap, come-fromlike me, we can bust our arse margin. behnd victory over three Afterwards Schatz trying but we were beaten time WSS champion tonight by a professional admitted, “It wasn’t a good Dumesny - the two front-row driver. Schatz is a pro who race car until the boys got it combatants keeping the races 100 times a year so ’’m better at the red light. crowd enthralled with their happy with second.”

“Up until then I struggled battle during the 30 lap'' The next round of the but we sure got it figured out feature. and were faster in traffic.

World Series Sprintcar Dumesny had snatched “No WA-based team has Championship is Saturday the lead from the start of the ever won WSS before and night at Speedway City in last lap but Schatz retaliated Adelaide.

I’m hoping to bring it back immediately by running Standings after three rounds: here for my car-owner three-wide with a lapped car, Schatz 3000, Dumesny 1780, Shane Krikke.” just managing to squeeze Green 1740, R Krikke 1650, Tatnell was extremely ahead by the finish.

Tatnell 1380, Kruck 1240, “I was the butter between disappointed with second, Jackson 960, Priolo 850, saying he should have won the bread,” laughed the Calandro 710, Scheuerle 665.

North Dakota star. “It was on the night. awesome to win. You have “I feel sorry for my crew who did all to take your hat off to Max the hard work,” he as I made a few mistakes said. “I had a first and he raced me clean. We class car but the got pretty lucky as I messed driver let them up a few times.” down.”

Racing a Schnee for Ron Krikke Perth’s Sean Enterprises, finished third with Dumesny could have Queenslander Drew jammed Schatz into the Kruck fourth, lapped car, but raced clean. defending series “I could have jammed him champion Skip without anyone knowing but Jackson fifth.

I’m here to race fair - if you do, it maybe will come back to you. It was a nice close The night of thefinal western race,” he said.

Green filed home for third swing saw Schatz ahead of Tatnell, who needing to work harder than the arrived back in Australia the previous week. previous two events after the American drew starting The Perth’s second Claremont round at position six after Speedway saw Schatz pass convincingly being pole sitter Tatnell’s Shell Helix highest qualifier, Avenger in traffic mid-way setting quickest time through the 30 lap A-Main. trial and creating a Sitting prettj': Donny Schatz.(Maitin aork) Report by GERALD McDORNAN

phone calls and the deal to purchase their racing equipment was done - and, at the same time, Chris and I mapped out a deal that ensured Steve and Garry remained with the team.

“And, so far, despite one or two hiccups. I’m pleased to say that everything has been working out fine - in fact, we’ve just won our first QSSS feature and I believe we’ll be right up there by the time we hit the big dol lar shows in December and January.”

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Logue's night in Bendigo

IN stark contrast to the weather at the last meet

ing,vBendigo turned on a beautiful bahny night for the crowd while the action on the track was definitely hot.

The hottest property on the night was dual Aussie Super Sedan Champion Peter Logue, who in his first race since breaking his wrist at last season’s Australian championship, was absolutely dominant.

Logue won his opening heat by half a lap, led the second heat across the line before being relegated to second place, made no mistakes in his third heat, won the stars dash from position three, and then lapped all but three cars in the 20 lap final - as he crossed the line he was sizing up a pass on the third place car.

With a new fi-ont on the car and a new Neil “Part” Burns engine, Logue was simply dominant with a capital D. V8 star John Faulkner was back in Geoff'Trewin’s Toyota but they were still

sorting out the car follow ing its heavy shunt the previous weekend.

“I think the steering col umn is all bent from last week because I was actu

ally looking out between the dash and the top of the steering v/heel,” Faulkner commented.

Faulkner scored a win in the sixth heat of the night.

In the feature Logue led from the start while third row starters Clarke and Faulkner made contact coming out of turn two.

West and Rhett Daley got tangled up and spun to the infield. White retired on the restart and the race then ran non-stop with Logue pulling away.

Amato was the second retirement - his Pontiac dropping the tail shaft.

The top three were now spread out with the action coming from Clarke, Hickman, Napier and Faulkner, who was get ting progressively quicker.

Daley then retired and Logue zeroed in on Miller.'

Logue took the win right on Miller’s tail with Nicola a distant second.

TV s night of nights- it’s Logue’s night: Former Aussie Champion, Mick Nicola, didn’t feature in the final results.

(Photos by Brett Swanson) Hickman * grabbed fourth behind Miller and Faulkner just passed Clarke in the run to the line with Napier and Lamb next.

The action in the Modified division was just as hot but the result was vastly different with Phil Pottage taking the feature win by mere inches while the Grand Prix Midget feature was won by Lester Appleton.

- BRETT SWANSON

Dirty dancing: John Faulkner won a heat and finished strong in the final.

...while Shiells enjoys Avalon pie night

By GEOFF ROUNDS AN engine-block that was used in the past by Brett Lacey, Ian Lewis, David Hetherington and Phil Johnson amongst others has again proved it’s worth by helping a Victorian rookie to his maiden win.

The 372 cubic-inch Chev known to many as “old faith ful” has played a major part in victory for Troy Shiells who netted his first feature at Avalon victory International Raceway on November 20 in only his ninth sprintcar race.

The 28-year-old Warmambool driver won the 25-lap Beaumonts Pies from Spintcar Classic Matthew Reed and Jeff Judd in what many experts deemed as one of the best races in

years at the Lara venue.

Shiells drove a faultless race to collect the $2000 prizemoney in what was vir tually a flag to flag victory.

He had a heat win as did Judd, Darren Walsh and Peter Telford and Shiells fin ished second in the six lap dash qualifying the Harry Droste-owned Tognotti in position two next to Ian Thomsen in a Maxim on pole.

Shiells was elated to be come off the front and decid ed that a naturally driven race would help him reap rewards at the conclusion.

“I knew there was some fast drivers behind me but I thought if I did all that I would finish off pretty well thankfully I was right,” Shiells said.

He made his move 10 laps from home when he powered around Reed to snatch the

lead back after being passed two laps prior.

With one lap to go Shiells was unsure if the engine would last.

“I saw the white flag go out and was starting to hear noises that I had never heard before...”

The winner celebrated his win with a series of 360 degree donuts on the infield.

Final placings: Shiells, Reed, Judd, Thomsen, Van Bremen, Tim McCubbin, Vogels, David Swayn, Walsh, Rod Matthews, Rob Rankin, Telford, Ian Smith, Ron Dalton and Alan Pitcher.

Pie night: Matthew Reed came in second at Avalon,(swanson)

I

ts great to be back home catching up with friends and family as we began our summer season in front of our home fans with the Pennzoil/Skilled sprintcar.

I have a new crew-chief this year, he is Carl Ludeman and early last month he finished putting together oupnew car which we took to Parramatta for a bit of a shakedown.

We ran second to Max Dumesny on a rough-track that tended to suit his car better - we were happy with the handling considering all things.

We ran at Newcastle the following weekend and I was fortunate enough to win my heats and take out the A-Main on the night - which was a good result before we loaded up the transporter and headed off to WA for the traditional western swing, opening rounds of the World Series Sprintcars.

As defending and three time WSS champions our team is determined to make it four series in a row...

In third Kalgoorlie behind World I time-trialed of Outlaws driver Donny Schatz and Ron Krikke and then I was the top points scorer for the night.

Pity that I only drew marble number six prior to start of the main, and that’s where I stayed for the balance of the 30-lapper. I didn’t move backwards or forwards...

T

he second round was in Claremont last Friday night and, thinking that we had worked out any little problems, I was quickest in the time trails.

Things appeared to be improving. I wasn’t to know...

In one of the heat races I got caught up in an incident that virtually destroyed the frame - the bottom rail had been pushed in approximately 75-90 mm, so we had to start out of ninth in the Feature with the straps shortened on the Jacobs Ladder.

I managed to work my way through to fifth, which was quite an acceptable result considering how badly the car was damaged - it was junked because the frame took the whole impact after riding over the other car’s front wing.

Later that night Carl, my brother Paul Kevin Small and some other helpers pulled our spare frame out of the taick and began building a new car for the following night’s round at Bunbury.

I caught up with the guys at 8 around nine the next morning and helped putting all the final components and finishing touches into the car before we headed south for another night's racing.

I had a feeling that we’d be in good shape as, after feeling a little disappointed about the first two nights, I didn’t thing it could last...

Straight out of the box the spare car was quick. I was second in the timetrials behind Schatz, who’d cleaned up at Claremont again, and I was feeling good about running third in the A-main until we struck and engine problem 10 ; laps in and I had to retire, j We’ve and all had ofthe the magneto electrical system checked out and it all appears to be okay. We might have a fuel system problem, possibly a gremlin from Friday’s activities.

It was a shame as I felt confident that we were going to finish in the top two - instead 1 watched the remaining laps from the centre and we missed out on collecting those vital series points.

TatnellDumesny, and TrevorBrooke Schatz, Green have all been mnning strong, but as the series moves to Adelaide next Saturday night, I believe we’re still going to be strong.

I’ve got the team and we all enjoy the challenge.

Donny is quick and experienced in this type of racing but he is not unbeatable.

I’ll see you all at the races, come around to our transporter and have a chat...

John Sidney Racing^

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36 3 December 1999

JXo

COMPACT Speedcars, Hot Rods, Speedcars, Legends, Super Sixes and a demolition derby - sorry. Super Sedan con tingent - comprised an actionpacked 26-event program at Western Auto Raceway on November 20, South Australian Bill Miller taking out the Super Sedan honours at the sensation al Bacchus Marsh venue.

Same deal; Tim Shaffer.(Clark) n Rookie of the Year Tim Shaffer and Vivarin will team up again next season with the same engine/chassis combination now that Shaffer has nm all the tracks, watch out. n Following on from the final round of the 1999 World of Outlaws event at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, newly-crowned champion Mark Kinser was imsure whether associate sponsor - and sponsor of the final event at Vegas-Wirtgen would be back again next season.

Guy Forbrook was working on a deal to hit the road full-time with the Outlaws and Wirtgen for the 2000 season and this may affect Kinser.

0 Championship runner-up Danny Lasoski will return again in Dennis Roth’s Beefpackers team, while Steve Kinser and Stevie.Smith will be as before, althou^li both will be looking ifor some more horsepower during their winter breaks.

H Channeilock also announced that it will team up again with Sammy Swindell, as well as support the Championship thi'ough the Channeilock Dash and the Channeilock Mechanic of the Year. n Donny Schatz, who has recently landed in Austraha, will have support from Parker Stores for a further two years.

H Jeff Swindell is unsure of his plans for next season, having lost long-time sponsor 104+ Octane boost.

One thing for sure is that the team will drop its Ford engines unless some new,lighter pieces are developed. n Andy Hillenburg has signed sponsor Luxaire for another year and is confident of a better showing. n Big news at the moment is that Joey Saldana will be racing full-time with the Outlaws for his dad, Joe Saldana, after having secured a major company for a three-year deal. n Shane Stewai-t, who spent time i-unning for Junior Holbrook f^nd his own car, is working on sponsorship to run a second car with an existing Outlaws team. n Outlaws telecaster TNN (The Nashville Network) has also announced that it will increase its coverage in 2000- it will now cover 15 races live.

D D n

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Miller stalked race leader Mick Nicola before making his move and then hanging on for the win - fel low crow-eater Steve Stewart was third,,with Lionel West next.

V8 Supercar star John Faulkner made his Super Sedan Race debut ^ and put in some not unexpected ” ^ brilliant performances, before sue- ambulance with a sore neck, which cumbing to a slick track late in the unfortunately held up the progJ'am for some considerable time. feature race.

The Compact Speedcar feature The final heat went to Nicola, fell to Peter Robotham,from Gordon from Stewart, Miller and Faulkner.

Cardwell and David Robotham.

Paul FaiTell took the win in the fTIhe feature event saw Nicola slightly bigger full-bore Speedcars, after downing Ray and Harley Bishop.

Jason Kavanagh was the domi nant force in the SDAV Hot Rods, beating Shane Mitchell and Dean Green!lam.

The Super Sixes feature fell to Rob McConnell, from Glen Van Dyk and Rob Taylor, all three cars crossing the line side by side.

The Legends feature was won by Peter White, from Richard Downing, Brad Radclyffe and John Faulkner.

/

Super Sedans

X lead away from pole and Faulkner rtin high, dropping to almost last in the pack - he then worked his way forward, as Nicola continued to lead from Miller and Stewart on a blackening track.

Stewart, West, Danny Aihato and Faulkner were in a fight for third when a slight tap from Faulkner saw Amato spin and get left sitting on the inside edge of the track as the race continued.

Miller had been pacing himself and, with six laps to go, made his move into the lead just as George Napier spun.

Miller kept the lead from Nicola, Stewart and Faulkner until, with two laps to go, Faulkner spun in

The headline Superevent Sedans and there were was the ^urn 4 and was hit hard by both much interest in Faulkner’s perfor- Phil Lamb and Napier, mances in the Geoff Trewin-owned Positions remained unchanged Western Auto’s Toyota Soarer. over the final two laps. Miller leadFaulkner lightly fenced the car ing from Nicola, Stewart, West, during hot laps, but was not alone Pearson and Napier, “Racing on the dirt is so exciting in doing so on the very wet track.

Nicola, in his Lucas Oil Products and fast - hey, those guys work Camaro, won the opening heat, overtime as they fight for trac almost lapping Faulkner in the tion,” was Faulkner’s comment process, Faulkner struggling to after the race. move forward from his rearward “I was having trouble adapting to the sliding style of racing during gi-id position.

Ian Page in the AU Falcon was the earlier events. But the crew next, ahead of Miller’s Pink Blair made several adjustments that Athol Auto Parts Camaro. suited my type of racing and we Heat two was incident-packed - managed to be in fourth - then I a portent of things to come - and spun. I’d like to spend a little more was led initially by Stewart, until time testing and developing the Faulkner blasted into the lead and car prior to my next venture back out onto the dirt at Western Auto took the win in fine style.

Stewart and Miller completed Raceway,” Faulkner concluded, the top positions of the race, which was declared when Justin Pearson Speedcars spun again and triggered a chain reaction which saw Debbie e Speedcar division was in Reddecliffe spin, only to be hit _ trouble right from hot laps, head-on at almost full noise by when both Darren Hossack, Troy Darren Clarke.

Jordan and Travis Mills suffered Reddecliffe was knocked uncon- driveline/diff problems - Mills was scious and spent some time in the the only one able to make the heats.

Billy Miller’s Great Blokes: Bill Miller drove his Pontiac Trans Am to a win in Super Sedan while Paul Farrell was happy after taking the chequered flag first in Speedcars.

(Photos by Bratt Swanson)

Ian Lewis was flying in the Bob Boast-owned #!§ and took the lead after rubbing wheels with Darren Power - just after that, Ray Bishop and Power made contact.

Power spinning hard into the wall and doing considerable damage to the chassis.

Lewis took the win, then retired with engine dramas, while Farrell grabbed sScond from Rick Saunders.

Peter Ghent Jnr was a runaway winner in heat two, beating Farrell and Travis MiUs.

COUTFipaCtS

John Mills won the final heat, beating Ghent and Ray Bishop and Farrell, who crossed the line side by side.

The feature event was a beaut}', with Ray Bishop and Farrell waging a great battle on a slick track.

John Mills also joined the action and all three led at some stage until Mills spun away his chance on the last lap, which saw Farrell take a narrow win from Ray and Harley Bishop - Scott Memmery was a fine fourth, ahead of Colin Lamb and Eric and Shane Smith.

^ompact Speedcar heats were \_/won by Gordon Cardwell and pgter Robotham (2), but the action was always close and fierce between these two and Brian Cardwell Ken Thomas and David Robotham.

In the feature, it was Peter Robotham who took the major spoils after a great five-car dice evaporated late in the race, leaving Gordon Cardwell in second from David Robotham, Thomas, Brian Cardwell, Graham McDonald and Glen Wiles.

-BRETT SWANSON

Tl

Big little man; Peter Robotham emerged triumphant in the Compacts.

Sprintcar numbers down in Tasmania Radio show back on airfor another season Fiepoit by

Only 5fivnt as Dawkins wins season opener Report by BRETT SWANSON PREMIER No 1 Speedway, near New Norfolk, Tasmania, ran the opening meeting for the Apple Isle Sprintcar set - but, sadly, only five cars contested the meeting and a diminished field finished the feature, which was led home by Robin Dawkins from Phil Coates and Phil Chilcott.

Tim Hutchins started from pole with Dawkins alongside, the pair

running side by side until a failed inside pass by Dawkins saw his car ride over the front of Hutchins, causing a red light period.

Hutchins was sent to the rear minus the nose wing, which made the car handle less than ideally and he soon came undone as he tried an outside pass on Terry Watson.

After rubbing wheels, Hutchins rolled and Watson veered into the wall.

After a 25 minute delay, the remaining three cars completed the race.

Brelt Swanson THF. sxiceessful ViGtorian

speedway

radio

show,

Diig^aa’ in the ©irt, is hack on air for another season.

The show, which is hosted

by Stuart McCarthy, Gavid White and SYlB’s sports com mentator Scott Stewart, can he heard on 882AM 3YB on Thursdays between 7.30 and 8<00pm.

Added to the regular jocks is a featured guest w'ho will get four weeks in the spotlight Warrnamhool Modified Rod ace Tim Morse has been the

first guest presenter and Sprintcar star Stephen Bell will fee the next semi-regular to taike the ehair; The ‘PAggiP’ i® the Dirt’ show featewes interviews with varions speedway identities, sneh as Trevoir Green and NA§R’s John puhges, as w'ell as competitions and give aways.

The show can also be heard live on the internet via www.sprintcarworld.Gom.au supported by Morse’s Undercai'in Warrnambooi,the show will air until after Easter.

j

0

3December 1999

0

37

Brazier takes Lizmore QSSS in style

Report by TONY LOXLEY IN one of the finest drives seen for some time, triple Australian Sprintcar

Despite the fact that several dri vers were still awaiting parts and one team owner - John Dean was in hospital following major heart surgery, a quality field was in attendance and some of the rac

Champion Garry Brazier showed a big NBN Lismore speedway’crowd just why he is regarded as one of the finest competitors today after he dominated at round four of the

ing was very impressive.

Fresh from his previous QSSS win, McComb was looking to increase his series lead, stating that he was a man on a mission at the super-fast Lismore oval.

So, too, were leading drivers John Kelly, Todd Wanless, Steve Mortimer, Darrell Hodges, Cameron Gessner, Ricky Mitchell, Shore and Adrian Maher.

Heat wins went to Dean Wanless, Mitchell, Brazier and Mortimer.

In the highly-competitive 3X3 Shoot-Out, wins were recorded by McComb, Mortimer and Brazier, the latter deemed the winner on points (after his win and twO thirds) and pocketing $1000, while Mortimer received $600 and Drew Kruck $450 - Todd and Dean Wanless were unfortunate retirees from the event after a coming together on the first lap of the sec ond three-lapper.

Kruck, Kelly and Maher looked strong throughout the feature, although Maher’s wrong set-up moved him down from fourth to sixth at the flag. ^ Following B/azier, Shore and McComb home' were Kruck, Kelly, Maher, Mitchell and an unlucky Hodges, who had been running a strong second until being sent rear of field after avoiding a T(idd Wanless spin early in the feature - Wanless’ disappointment at not finishing the second QSSS feature in a row was evident as he exited his car, as he had charged through the field from seventh to make the top three.

QSSS series points: McComb 220, Kruck 202, Hodges 182, Gessner 173, Brazier 172, Todd Wanless 168, Sherri Schaffer 166, Mitchell 162, Tony Bridge 142, Kelly 139.

The next round of the Queensland Sprintcar Summer Shoot-Out is on December 4 at Archerfield Speedway.

Queensland Sprintcar Summer Shoot-Out on November 20.

Starting from position 12 in the A-Main - and following a strong win in the $2500 QSSS 3X3 Dash - Brazier literally picked off com petitors one by one, using conserv ative moves rather than just out right speed to hone in on his rivals.

At times. Brazier appeared to be at only half-throttle, yet he gained ground with ease, using brains rather than brawn to chase down second-placed Dean McComb and New South Wales stand-out John Shore, who led from lap 1 in a strong, consistent drive.

Brazier first blasted under McComb not long after a lap 16 restart, then ran down and ulti mately moved under Shore in a brilliant move on lap 21 of the 25lap feature.

Following his move on Shore, Brazier was never headed and opened up a six car-length gap by race’s end.

For Brazier’s car owner, Barry Lawrence, the win was a culmina tion of six weeks of frantic work and the smile on the former Sprintcar driver’s face was a fit ting testament to his faith in Brazier’s ability and his crew’s dedication throughout the forma tion of the fledgling L.xwrence/Brazier Racing Team.

'We’ve been getting a little clos er every week and, after a few mechanical letdowns, I think tonight we showed everyone that this is going to be a formidable racing team,” Lawrence stated in victory lane.

“I sincerely hope we can keep the momentum moving this way throughout the rest of the season.”

Stiff luck: Darrell Hodges lost a secure second spot. (Photo by Tony Loxiey)

Max Dumesny Motorsport

n Speedway legend Garry Rush left Australia last week to mee up \vith long-time crew chief John Barrett in the US with a view to purchasing a car for Garry Jr. With it apparent that father and son will again team up, questions are now being asked over the current arrangement between Rush Jr and Cyril Peei's BC Motorspcftts team.

iOllS

n Phil Gressman will be the only American driving for Peel’s BC Motorsports team this summer.

Hopes are held for Gressman to make an

--AVv'-

Good times: Lismore runner-up John Shore (left), winner Garry Brazier and third-placed Dean Mccomb are happy QSSS campers.(PhotobyTonyLoxiey)

Cruise missile: American star Body Schroyer has hit WA.(Photo by Peter French) THE American Late Model Sedan start of the race, bringing his father, Ben, up onto pole... team has really hit Perth in a big way, Rody ‘The Destroyer” Schroyer On the start, Rody S took the lead taking out the first three rounds in and continued on, but the big mover convincing fashion. was Blake, starting out of position ten While it was thought that the and, by lap 5, moving up to sixth. drivers would need a bit of time to set Rody S bolted away from the field their cars up for the different type of and left Miller and Ludlow to fight it tracks in Western Australia, the out for second place, while Derrol Americans have adapted to Perth like Crane was also pushing hard for a ducks to water. top three place.

Night one at Claremont saw Rody Blake continued to carve his way Schroyer start on the front row of the through the field and, after a three25-lap feature and, when the green way battle with Ludlow and Miller, flagged dropped, never be headed. moved into second.

Local driver Brad Blake took the Rody S took the win, with Blake challenge up to Schroyer in the mid close behind and Todd S in third. part of the race but an engine misfire It was hoped Bunbury Raceway slowed him, Todd Schroyer taking over from Blake in second. was going to be Blake but, with the Americans on a more familiar A Schroyer one-two and Blake finishing third set the tone for the surfaces. The Destroyer once again took fast time in trials. following week’s contest.

Night two saw Rody S once again Come feature time Rody S set a take fast time in time trials and we blistering pace and kept the field at also started to see the team captain, bay. Blake looked as though he might Ron ‘The Professor” Miller, put in just get his wish, but two-thirds of the some good times. way through the race an engine Unfortunately for Todd S, though, misfire put paid to his chances. things didn’t go well early as he was The Aussies put up a great fight suffering from engine problems. but Rody S was not going to be The Aussies were on a fightback denied his third feature win - Ludlow and, come feature time, it was Brad and Miller going at it until the Ludlow who had earned the right to chequer, where they finished second start from pole position. and third respectively.

As luck has it, steering problems -BARREN SUTTON caused Ludlow to retire prior to the

appearance at Western Auto Raceway on December 10 for the Fireball derby event. n Brooke Tatnell, hot off a solid debut season in the US World of Outlaws Series,is in contention for a full-time ride with the KC General Stores team.

After having recently missed out on securing 9 major sponsor for his own 2000 campaign. Tatnell’s name came into contention | for the KC ride, along with Dean Jacobs and Jac Haudenschild. n Mindful ofrestrictiMi oftrade laws, the Sprintcar Racing Association of Victoria has said that they will not apply 12 month suspen sions to those who compet ed at the NASR-sanctioned Outlaws race at Avalon on November 20.

Hopes are still being held for the SRA rounds cancelled by Avalon and Warmambool over NASR licence requirements, can now be reinstated. n 'Thanks to the help of his fiiends and sponsors, the fast Lynton Jeffrey is expected to be back on the track soon. Jeffrey’s imme diate future was in doubt after suffering engine fail ure at the Sprintcar Masters event in Adelaide recently. n LATE NEWS:‘Diggin in the Dirt’s’ Scott Stewart died in hospital on Sunday, November 21.

Stewart had suffered chronic heart problems throughout his 28 years and had a heart trans plant on the previous Monday-imfoiTunately, Stewart sucumbed to pneumonia.

1999 WORLD OF OUTLAWS SERIES POINTS SCORE

Australian Distributors for ^W 4^

i

^ RACING TIRE

^

For more information on Hoosier Drag arnl Speetiway Tyres cali:

NSW: 02 9679 1990 Fax 02 9679 1187 VIC: 03 9331 6477 Fax 03 9331 7444 SA: 08 8332 0800 Fax 08 8364 0296

FINAL POINT POINTS STANDING,1999 SERIES 1. Mark Kinser .

10561 10490 2. Danny Lasoski 3. Steve Kinser., 8 0332 4. Stevie Smith., 80847 5. Sammy Swindell.... 10124 6. Johnny Herrera 10104 9996 7. Donny Schatz 9433 8. Jeff Swindell .

9. Tim Shaffer..

9342 80. Andy Hillenberg ....9326

11. Daryn Pittman...... 8 i 804 12. Brooke Tatnell .....8 i 198 13. Lance Blevins....... 5924 ; 5553 14. Dale Bianey 15. Kevin Gobrecht..... 5069 16. Jac Haudenschild ... 5047 4838 17. Tyler'Walker., 3952 18. Craig Dollansky 3886 19. Joey Saldana...

20. Frankie Kerr ..

3548

FINAL ROUND RESULTS

I. Donny Schatz I 2. Johnny Herrera 3. Jeff Shepard 4. Jeff Swindell 5. Sammy Swindell 6. Stevie Smith 7. Kasey Kahne 8. Tim Shaffer 9. Steve Kinser 8 0. Randy Hannagan

11. Craig Dollansky 12. Terry McCari 13. Daryn Pittman 14. Dean Jacobs IS. Paul McMahan 16. Andy Hillenburg 17. Joey Saldana 18. Brooke Tatnell 8 9. Greg Hodnett 20. Kenny Jacobs

1

lMo)O(D[70fJXS)iyO

38 3 December 1999

McComb's Masters

while March and Brazier settle for the Adelaide podium

B There may be more opportunities on two counts for Australians to ride speedway in Britain.

Several tracks are calling for a new scheme whereby Elite League teams may work around a squad system and use more than seven contracted men.

This would open the door for riders to be used at Premier League circuits when not required by their parent teams.

In addition, Sheffield promoter Neil Machin is trying to set up a reciprocal scheme with Motorcycling Australia to allow Aussies to race in England without the hassle of work permit constraints.

This could be achieved by a reciprocal system, with promising British riders racing in Australia between November and March.

Work permits riders are not allowed in the Premier League, but the likes of Craig Watson, Frank Smart and Mick Powell all avoid this by ancestry. n Kevin Doolan was on the phone to Belle Vue promoter John Perrin within two weeks of arriving home.

Doolan, 18, is contracted to race in five of the Dave Tapp Speedway Masters events, but his target is to make the World Under-21 Championhip final - he came 11 th in this year’s event.

But to do so, he really needs a British league contract for next year.

The young Victorian, working in a processing plant until the end of February, hopes to return to England -“but I am not counting my chickens until I get a work permit and a new contract,” he said.

That may be easier said than done, as the youngster’s average was way below that required for the automatic renewal of his permit.

“I desperately want to get back to Belle Vue next year,” he added.

“I can’t wait to get in a full year, but it was very tough going in at the deep end." fl Former England team manager Eric Boocock - who has brought several British squads to Australia in recent seasons and Whose brother, Nigel, has lived in Queensland for the last fifteen years - is set to become the manager of the British international team once again.

Boocock has been asked by a number of top riders to consider taking the reins again, but it will

!

I I be the promoters who will make the decision - the current boss is former World number two Dave Jessup, but he has had a number of problems with motivating his riders.

England finished last of the four nations in the World Team Cup won, in Prague, by Australia.

Report by DAVID McNABB DEAN McComb became the first Queenslander to take out the Australian Sprintcar Masters when he performed brilliantly at Speedway City on November 13, finishing ahead of Phil March and Garry Brazier.

The 30-lap A-Main needed four restarts after various incidents, but McComb, who finished seventh fastest in time trials, had his Titan Garages Eagle running strongly after heat second and third placings.

Defending Masters Champion Trevor Green won the Trophy Dash,lowering the eight lap record in the process to start the feature oh pole, alongside top points scorer March.

Green held the early ascendency over March, McComb and Drew Kruck, but McComb’s team.-mate Kruck was the first retiree, with engine problems on lap 8.

McComb was able to advance to second place at one-third race dis tance and, when race leader Green was held up in traffic, the Queenslander hit the front.

On lap 17, an incident involving Robbie Farr and David Anderson claimed both drivers after a heavy confrontation with the turn 4 wall - and, with just nine laps remain ing, runner-up Green pulled

Masters history: Queensland’s Dean McComb takes the Masters honours in the #21, Phil March to settling for runner-up.(Photo by FrankMidgiey) infield, citing motor problems as Reuter, Max Dumesny and Pete the reason for his unfortunate Smith. demise.

Reuter's performance showed Brazier, from position four, had great maturity, after he earlier slipped back to sixth, but the claimed both his heats, one ofthem Queensland-based 1994 Masters in track record time.

Other heat winners were WA’s champion,steadily advanced, pass ing Mark Reuter and ,closing on Pino Priolo, March, Mick Hanlon March. and Farr, while the B-Main trans However, the Australian title- ferees were Jamie Jones, Dumesny holder hung on for runner-up, and Chas Calandro, the latter gaining a Masters race start after despite having lost his power steer Lynton Jeffrey’s demise with a ing halfway through the race.

Brazier finished third, ahead of blown engine.

Young guns kings of ’castle Under 18s dominate Newcastle Super Sedan rounds

Mark Lemon.(Photo by Mike Patrick) n Mark Lemon, still trying to getfixed up with a British League club for next season, has signed a contract to race in the Swedish League.

He will be riding for second division club Bysarna, which was relegated at the end of last season.

With Swedish clubs at Elite League level signing deals to partner second division sides.

Lemon could well race for Indianerna, which has linked with Bysarna. n Two young English riders arrive in Australia on December 5 as a pilot to the ‘young rider exchange’ scheme being put together by David White of Motorcycling Australia.

Simon Stead and Ollie Allen are the two youngsters. Stead cutting his teeth at British Premier club Sheffield, while Allen raced this year at Swindon.

Allen, previously with Peterborough, guested on several occasions for Premier League teams during the season.

THE last three V8 Super lead the field home by almost Sedan main events at half the main stretch by the fall Newcastle Speedway have of the chequer.

Both he and cousin Clayton been won by 18 year-old kids have very similar driving - it sounds remarkable, but styles, something that may have it’s true.

David Robertson started it all been fashioned by their vast off when he bagged the second kart experiences.

“The young guys keep the feature of the season at cars very straight - you don’t Newcastle, then repeated the often see them with the tail dose in the opening round of hanging out in the corners. the Gough and Gilmour Series.

Cessnock 16 year-old High Ronny (Pyne) and I learned to School student Clayton Pyne drive these cars when you had shook the senior Super Sedan to hang the tail out, so it looks scene to its knees at Parramatta like we’ll have to learn the new a week later when he led home way quickly, or these kids are veterans John Pyne and Dennis going to take over,” quipped Sims in the feature.

John Pyne from the infield.

Not to be outdone, Kurri Pyne sat on the infield for Kurri’s Luke Pyne had designs most of the race, however - his of his own for the second round #9 Commodore developed a of the Gough and Gilmour vibration early in the race and Series at Newcastle - and he grassed the machine where promptly took home the loot on he could concentrate on his son November 20. leading the main event.

Luke steered his #91 Diesel After giving his nephew a Engines R Us Pontiac Grand pretty torrid time for much of Prix to a flag to flag victory in the race, Ron Pyne broke an the incident-packed 25-lap main, axle in the #1 Pontiac and also despite some close attention had to view the remainder fi*om from Ron Pyne and John Smith. the lawn.

“I can’t believe this; what a Robertson had not given up gi-eat feeling,” yelled the young on winning his third feature in ster in viptory lane.

Luke scored the win in much a row, but Smith slipped the #41 the same way that Robertson Smith’s Smash Repairs Falcon had in the first Gough and through on the inside to push the rookie back to third and Gilmour roimd.

He won a heat race, started Bernie Roberts repeated the on the front row of the B-Main dose in the Carline Mufflers VT (which he won) alongside Commodore not long later.

Dennis Sims and then sat on “We had the car a little wrong pole for the feature event. tonight, but I’m still happy to Despite some intense pres finish up in the points,” sure from Sims, then Ron Pyne Robertson said, after eventual and later Smith, Luke kept the ly finishing fourth.

- WADE AUNGER car straight and a cool head o

2000 Speedway Masters Series Schedule Rdl Rd2 Rd3 Rd 4 Rd5

Rd 6 Rd7 Rd8 Rd 9 RdlO Rdll Rdl2

Rdl3

Dec 29 Newcastle Speedway.

Tomago, NSW Dec 30 Brisbane Exhibition Ground, Bnsbane, QLD Jan 1 Lismore Speedway.

Lismore. NSW Jau 2 (josfurd City Speedway, | Gosford, NSW Jan 4 Parramatta City Raceway.

Parramatta, NSW Jan 8 Wawille Showground, -Adelaide. SA Jan 14 Western Auio Raceway.

Bacchus Marsh.\’IC Jan 15 Borderline Speedwa>.

Mount Gambier. SA Jan 21 Claremont Speedwax, Perth. WA Jan 22 Bunbury Cicy Rncow ay Bunbtu-y, W.A Jan 25 Kalgoorlie Speedway.

Kalgoorlio, W.A Jan 28 Olympic Park Speedwav.

Mildura,\TC Jam 29 Riverview Speedway, Murray Bridge,SA

3 December 1999

Du®l7i Wo DOUG Herbert’s explo sion during qualifying at the NHRA season-ending Auto Club Finals at

M

n Long-time Peter Ridgeway crew chief, Victor Bona, is recovering from a heart attack, suffered early last month.

Bona complained of chest pains and was admitted to Frankston Hospital where tests revealed he had suffered a series ofsmall attacks.

Bona was kept in hospital, missing the first round of the Pro Stock series, later undergoing hear surgery to rectify a mui* artery blockage.

Pomona a fortnight ago was certainly spectacu lar, as well as potentially lethal.

A

The Besf

.t

t -i?

''TV

-

-■

The massive engine fail ure was, apparently, caused by ignition problems, . Herbert’s car, like many, running the state-of-the-art high amperage, multi-tim ing adjustable magnetos that many of the leading teams on the tour i urrently use.

Fifteen people were injured in the incident, 10 transported to hospital, although all were released.

With Eddie Hill having suffered two similar explo sions at the two previous events, already rumours have the NHRA looking to seriously restrict the explo sive nitro-bumers next year.

Ace US photographer Erik Asher caught Herbert’s brain-busting blow-up, left, in his lens...

n Rule changes were the talk at the recent PRI show in Indianapolis with the Top Fuel and Funny Car classes being the target of what appears to be some drastic changes.

It was rumoured that the current, big volume fuel pumps will go and a standard ratio blower overdrive will exist in 2000. Also, with an eye on down-time due to oildowns, a pressure relief valve in the sumps are being considered, along with a “black flag’ rule oildown the track and have the run disquaKfied Couple these to rumoured j smaller blowers, nitro percentage limits, magneto output restricitons and a three engine per event maximum and drag racings once-unhmited classes could soon be extremely controlled.

att fareMiell tour finished!* M ; .^X-time Australian Top .®c6h'ol ChanapiGn Gary ? Phillips" iefeut in Top ^ioorslammer will have to ; wait .hpfcil after the second' I r0iu®d of the series in : Perth next week as moiifiI cations required to make I his new Stmdebaker I doorslanimer ANDilA : legal aren’t q;mte finished.

Phillips needed to under take the modifications after a : mle revision appeared in the : new ANDRA inle book which i allowed only modifications .already approved for each particular doorslammer body : style PhM'lips having extended his car’s front over! hang from 36 inches used by : all other 'Studebakers in Top ' Doorslammer, to just over 41 inches.

The previous rule book allowed a maximum 43 inch overhang, Phillips, believing that to be the mark he was permitted to construct his car.

“It’s like shifting the goal posts after the game has already started,” a disappointed Phillips told

Motorspoi-t New.s last week.

“They added a line to the ru»ebook for this season and, «*««« car well on the way, I got ; caught with my pants down, which isn’t good.

“Neither is the $10,000 it cost to change the car...”

Phillips and Wayne Daley, the car’s constractor, are cur- ; rentty in the process of i changing the front with the car now slated to bo ready : mid-December.

“We’ve had to construct an i entire new front - make new plugs, moulds and then the i fi'ont - so it’s been time con- i suming and expensive.

■ “Everything else is done, the driveline’s finished... it’.s ail happening, it just would have been better to have ■ ah’eady been on the track and i putting on a show' for our ' sponsors, Lucas Oils.”

Phillips hopes to have the car tested and ready for the , third round of the series at Willow'bank on January 15, is | appearance at that event pend- i log settlement of a dispute < between hiraselfand the track, - GERALD McDORNAN

ft"

I

Walking away? Rachelle Splatt may have run her last drag race with new;s of her pregnancy.’(Aiispoit/ci.Tnnone)

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RACHELLE Splatt may have fairewelled drag racing with news that she has again fallen pregnant.

Splatt was scheduled to run all five rounds of the Australian Top Fuel Series, ending at Willowbank in June, as part of her ‘farewell to drag racing tour but the revelation of her pregnancy now casts into doubt her appearance at the four remaining rounds - the Melbourne-based racer having made the final of the opening ro und of the series in Adelaide last month.

It is believed Splatt has been given the OK by doctors to drive up until the new year, although whether she actually appears at the next round in Melbourne next week Is subject to conjecture.

Since making her debut in Top Fuel at the end of the 1992 season, Splatt has constantly been in the spotlight - a Nationals-winning performance and the first run by a woman over 300 mph the highlights giving her celebrity status both in Australia and the US. Her Australian career since 1995, following her return from a brief racing career in America, has, while producing consistent performances, only seen Splatt make sporadic appearances over the past few seasons, winning just three events.

The 30-year-old semi-retired from the sport two years ago with confirmation of her first pregnancy, now 15-month-old daughter, Kayla the proud result.

■ Dodge will unveil the new Hemi-99 engine at the 2000 Wintemational.s at Pomona, the new engine the first hemi engine designed by the car giant in 30 years. The new unit has been specifically designed with Pro Stock in mind and, according to an insider has “straightened out the geometry in the heads to maximize flow.” The new engine has been targetted at pushing the DamilerChrysler company straight back to the top of i the points table in the factory hot rod class.

■ Dodge are also currently assessing a number of different body designs for its Pro Stock programme, the Neon being favoured at the moment over the current Avenger style. Mopar Motorsport chief Lou Patape is currently avoiding commiting to which style the company uses, but with just over two months to the beginning of the new season, no doubt the decison has been made...

AUSTRALIAN SPRINTCAR CALENDAR

VICTORIA S.R.A. Warrnambool ...

Western Auto ...

Avalon Western Auto. ...

Western Auto ...

Avalon Western Auto ...

Bendigo 360 Series Mount Gambler ..

..Dec 4 ..Dec 10 . .Dec 26 . .Dec 26 . Jan 8 ..Jan 15 . Jan 22 . Jan 23 . Jan 28

SPEEDWAY CITY S.A. World Series Sprintcars .Dec 4 All-Star Show .Dec SI World Series Sprintcars ,Dec27 AMCA National Titles . .Jan 15 Sprintcar Spectacular .. Jan 22 Australian S/car Title .. .Feb 5 All-Star Show ■Feb 12

QLD SPRINTCAR Archerfield Archerfield Archerfield Archerfield Lismore ...

Archerfield .

Toowoomba Archerfield .

39

.Dec 4 .Dec 27 Jan 12 .Jan 14 .Feb 12 .Mar 11 Mar 18 Apr i

40 3 December 1999 n Eddie Hill has notified his team members that they are free to seek employment elsewhere with there being little hope of the veteran finding a sponsor to fund a campaign in 2000.

“We don’t want to go out this way,it’s just not how we want to end it,” said Hill lasf'week. “But for now we have to be realistic, these people all need a paycheque and we might not be racing next year. Rumours had Hill getting close to a deal with Texaco Havoline but no firm commitment has been forthcoming.

B With his retirement imminent, it seems as though Hill could have avoided pulling the pin on his racing operation. Talk in the US had Hill actually receiving an offer of continued sponsorship by Pennzoil on the condition that 2000 was to be a ‘retirement tour’ and, following its completion, the 64-year-old was to replace himselfin the seat with a younger driver.

Hill, apparently, turned the deal down and sort a new sponsor -so far none having been found. n Del Worsham’s Checker Schucks Kragen Funny Car team, who will field a second car for Frank Pedregon in 2000, have purchased Tom Hoover’s entire racing operation.

The team will keep the cars and parts inventory while the transporter will be sold, Worsham having already purchased a complete unit from John Force for the second team. n ^soon as the 1999 season finished Alan Johnson began testing a new Chevy-based nitro engine at the Texas Motorplex with an eye on the future. Johnson’s Winston team driver Gary Scelzi was busy elsewhere so his driver for the new Emoola.com Furmy Car team, Bruce Sarver, handled the driving duties.

Fran Monaghan was also in Texas testing one of the engines in her alcohol Furmy Car. Performances of the new engine weren’t revealed... n The IHRA have announced a record US$11.1 million contingency programme for their 2000 season, representing a 37 percent increase in cash awards from 1999.

Nine new companies have joined the programme, 73 companies in total now listing 112 products in the scheme.

A

Report by GERALD WIeDORNAN PERTH’S new Kwinana Motorplex has been given the green light by the Western Australian the for Minister Environment, Cheryl Edwardes, the environ mental approval seen as the last hurdle to jump before construction begins on the facility.

Tenders are now being called for the combined drag racing/speedway complex with work expect ed to begin in late January with a completion date set for October 2000- both the current WA drag racing and speedway tracks, and Ravenswood Claremont, closing at the end of the current season.

Motorplex boss, Gary Miocevich is thrilled with the final government approval is looking for ward to the opening of the new facility “The approval is great news after five years of going through all the vari ous hoops and hurdles, Miocevich said.

“Kwinana will provide a huge boost for the local economy with some 570plus jobs being generated by the facility’s construc tion and 363 on-going jobs once it’s up and running. ' “The venue will be truly world class and it’s an important facility for the local community who have shovm overwhelming sup port ofits construction.

“The whole concept of the venue is to become a valued and integral part of the local community.

Facilities like this are becoming very important around the world because of the benefits they gener ate for everyone.”

It is believed the activi ties at the motorplex will impact the local communi ty to the tune of $29 mil lion annually.

ANDRA CEO Tony Thornton said the news from WA was important for the sport of drag racing.

“Western Australia is a vital part of our national picture and that’s reflect ed in the number of racere from the west who take part in the Australian Drag Racing Series,” Thornton told Motorsport News.

“What’s also veiy impor tant is the fact the WA State Government has recognised the huge eco nomic impact of our unique brand of motor sport.”

Aside from motor racing, the Kwinana complex will also be used for commimity-based driver training activities.

t

New Perth track is go Final hurdlejumped, October2000 completion date set

How do you say Kwinana? Perth’s new Kwinana Motorplex has been given all the approvals, now it’s time for construction.

while Sydney answer delayed again

Yet another study commissioned by government to try accommodate EC

LITERALLY just hours after Perth’s Kwinana track was given the final green light, the proposed Western Sydney Motorplex was again put on standby.

Failling to accept the results of a study that they commissioned that concluded a separate drag racing track couldn’t be accommodated within the confines of the current Eastern Creek Raceway complex, the NSW state government have called for another expensive study to be undertaken.

The government is hopeful the study will find a way for a separate drag strip

to be incorporated into the ^ Eastern Creek property.

The new move by the government, while not a total knockback, is seen as a massive blow to the sport and the industry which supports it nation wide, it is believed Western Sydney Motorplex proponents, veteran racer Jim Read and Dragster Australia publisher David Cook have been told by the Premier’s Department that, if the new study again confirms that a strip within Eastern Creek is not an option, the government will then reconsider the proposal for the adjacent property.

Red tape: The Western Sydney Motorplex’s future is being challenged thanks to bureaucratical bungling.

Randy Daniels Joins VPW Pro team AMERICAN Pro Stock

Truck ace Randy Daniels will join Bruno Cugnetto’s VPW Mail Order Pro Stock team for the third round of the Austrahan series at

Mail order driver: Bruno Cugnetto, above, has enlisted Randy Daniels.

Willowbank in January. told Cugnetto Motorsport News earlier this week that Daniels, who supplies vital engine technology for the VPW team, is looking forward to racing down-under.

“Randy’s a tough com petitor and he knows exactly what needs to be done to win races,” Cugnetto said.

“He’s helped the VPW Mail Order team with our

engine programme for the last two years and having him here, hands on, will help us reach our goals of winning races.”

Daniels won three events on the NHRA tour in 1999, finishing fifth in the tough Pro Truck cate gory.

“We’ll hit Willowbank in January with both VPW cars ready and loaded.”

FOLLOWING Cugnetto’s first round loss at the opening round of the Pro Stock series in Melbourne last month, it is believed a rule change is being considered to cut the

current ‘20 second stag ing rule’ to 10 seconds.

At the moment, after one driver has staged their vehicle, their oppo nent has 20 seconds in which to also stage.

Cugnetto was ‘burnt down’ by opponent Jon the Andriopolous, Sydneysider waiting imtil the last moment to stage.

“We should have outrun Jon, but something still needs to be done to stop that sort of stuff,” Cugnetto said last week.

‘Thbse engines cost too much just to destroy them on the startline.”

-GERALD MCDORNAN

1999 WINSTON DRAG RACING SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL POINTS 1999

1999 Winston Top Fuel Championship ,1488 1. Tony Schumacher ,1380 2. Gary Scelzi 3. Joe Amato ,1345 4. Mike Dunn 1327 ,1306 5. Doug Kalitta .1260 6. Kenny Bernstein ...

■t. .1259 7. Doug Herbert ,12 10 8. Larry Dixon 1 149 9. Cory McCienathan 1 131 10. Bob Vandergriff ...

1999 Winston Funny Car Championship 1. John Force .2071 ,16 04 2. Tony Pedregon . a Whit Bazemore . ,1413 ,1028 4. Frank Pedregon .

5. Dean Skuza .977 ,960 6. Jim Epier 7. Del Worsham .9 28 .923 8. Jerry Toliver .8 91 9. Ron Capps .8 81 10. Tommy Johnson

1999 Winston Pro Stock Championship 1. Warren Johnson 2. Jeg Coughlin 3. Kurt Johnson 4. Jim Yates 5. Richie Stevens 6. Troy Coughlin V. Mike Edwards 8. Mark Pawuk 9. Allen Johnson lO.Greg Anderson

1802 1458 1434 .1288 1141 1046 1029 ,1004 ,916 .795

3 December 1999

Critchley storms Racers angry in NSW in early testing Protests mooted for Eastern Creek this Saturday qr

Pre-season: Aussie Troy Critchley is already testing in readiness for the 2000 Pro Mod Championship in the US. HOT off a top 10 finish in Alan Johnson engine an d his first season in the US, recorded a string of 6.2s Australian Troy Critchley elapsed times, besting with a 6.26/224.43. has wasted no time in After the test session, readying himself for the Critchley said he was 2000 IHRA Pro Modified pleased with the results and, season by carrying out an providing the team main extensive and exhaustive tained the momentum, he test session in Johnny was looking for a strong sea Rocca’s ’49 Mercury at son next year.

Rumours have Critchley Darlington Raceway, and Rocca heading back to South Carolina. for th e Australia Having set the IHRA at national Pro Mod record at Winternationals 6.22s and topping 225 mph at Budd’s Creek towards the end of the official season, Critchley and Rocca hit the Darlington track with a new

Willowbank in June, a source close to the pair sug gesting that the plans are well under way.

- GERALD MCDORNAN

the situation before NEW South Wales’ rac ers have acted angrily Christmas.

Read was too devastat to the state govern ment’s decision to ed with the decision to commission another comment as Motorsport News went to press while study into the possi no comment was forth bility of putting a coming from ANDRA. stand-alone drag strip A meeting called at just current 12 hours notice in Sydney on the Eastern Creek site. last Sunday night Premier’s attracted over 200 -angry The Department notified the racers with calls for of the propo'nents protest being registered.

Western Sydney Over $2,000 was Motorplex, Jim Read and believed to have been David Cook, last Friday raised on the night as a of its decision. fighting fund.

The decision comes It is also believed that after the early Whitnell Sydney radio personality report, commission by Alan Jones has also react the Department of Urban ed angrily to the news Affairs lagt year, fpund it from the government, was impossible to accom sources saying he was modate a first class drag assured that all was pro racing strip to the cur ceeding well with the new rent standards required track and a favourable

by ANDRA at Eastern decision was likely.

Creek.

Unnamed sources sug It is believed the gov gest a protest will be held ernment have said that, outside Eastern Creek if the report confirms the Raceway this weekend, original reports’s find the ARDC running an ings, they will reassess ANDRA-sanctioned Pro-

carburettor changes.

The increase was quite pleasing but we kept the info to ourselves as I’m a firm believer in the fact that the dyno is not the ‘be all to end all’ - you’ve still got to run down the track and making bulk power on a dyno doesn’t always win races.

With the new power in hand, though, we headed to the first round of the ANDRA Pro Stock Series in Melbourne on November 13...

You’d think that over the winter months drag racers would take a bit of a break but for Peter Ridgeway and his crew, it’s been ‘no rest for the wicked’ ...

o

ver winter we’ve done a fair amount of dyno work trying to find more power from our Pro Stock engine which is always a tough task.

Thanks to help from the legendary Bill ‘Grumpy’ Jenkins in the US, we’ve managed to get some additional horsepower from the engine through camshaft and

Thankfully atplate Calder we managed to wipe the clean -taking the top qualifying spot, running top speed and low elapsed time and we won the meeting with our John Williams Auto Sales/No Fear Olds Cutlass.

We managed to squeeze a 7.67sec/177.72mph run out of the car which which was pleasing although we didn’t break the 7.65s e.t. record that Bruno Cugnetto set the weekend prior in Adelaide.

People have said that he would be hard to beat this year after his Adelaide run, but I reckon you don’t watch the form in the practice matches - you wait until you’re

1^

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playing for the points.

For the final in Melbourne I felt confident we’d be able to pinch the record from Bruno but a small problem with the transmission prevented that from happening.

Still, maximum points from the first round had us smiling...

T

he John Williams Auto Sales/No Fear Olds Cutlass is ready for the second round of the series in Adelaide this weekend and we’ve made some more little changes to the package, trying to ensure we stay ahead of the field - and that’s a tough task.

No doubt, our main opposition in the whole series will come from Bruno as he’s got a new engine in his VPW Olds Cutlass and he did run fast in Adelaide.

They’ve got a little problem, though, as when they start to tune the engine it slows down a little, but with the US Pro Stock Truck racer, Randy Daniels, coming out here in January, they’ll be tough.

Daniels used to own Bruno’s current car and he’ll run the same car I used to win the

Am meeting on Saturday.

WeTl have 60-70 cars and a number of pantecs outside the facility show ing people what they’re really missing out on,” the source said. * “To make matters worse, they’re advertis ing the race this weekend as the return of drag rac ing to Sydney, when it’s far from it - it’s not prop er drag racing” ANDRA have applied severe restrictions on the event - the pro-am run ning only over the eighth mile with very little track preparation.

Restrictions include performance restrictions and single lane runs for some vehicles. Vehicles quicker than 4.5s over the eighth mile (low-7s vehi cles over quarter mile) aren’t eligible to run.

“We’re sick of being compromised. If this track doesn’t happen, it’s

the end of the sport,” the source said.

- GERALD McDORNAN

Winternationals in 1998.

The VPW team also have another new engine coming next year so their pace should be hot...

In addition to Bruno,the Olds Cutlass of’94 Pro Stock Champion Bmce Leake was runner-up to me at Calder and he again ran well - Bruce is on a charge back. Add in Jon Andriopolous, Joe Polito and a whole bunch of others and it’s going to be a tough year.

I

n my previous column I mentioned the brand new Holinger five-speed sequential drag racing transmission.

The box shows great potential and everything went as expected during our tests.

One of the units is now in the US and being tested by one, now championship-winning, team. 1 expect all the big teams will be on the phone to Holinger’s ordering them soon...

Pro Drag Racing Australia hasStock a new website, located at www.prostock.com.au. The site’s fairly impressive and has been rated by one leading drag racing website in the top 10 in the world!

n New Winston Top Fuel Champion Tony Schtanacher is said to be close to announcing an expansion of his Exide Batteries-backed operation. Schumacher, who won the championship in his first full year on the toiu, has ordered a new semi-trailer for the second outfit - the move, like Johnson’s, to maintain a performance advantage over the opposition. n After losing Jerzees as major sponsor, it’s rumoured Bob Vandergriff will again have clothing manufacturer Fruit ofthe Loom,Jerzee’s rival, adorning the sides of his Top Fuel car. FOTL is believed to have signed a major associate sponsorship with Vandergriff, a major, major sponsor, believed to be NASCAR sponsor Tide detergents, also rumoured to have signed recently.

n American mtro Hariey racer John Mancuso has recorded the first 6.4 second lap for the breed in testing at Houston Raceway Park in Baytown,Texas.

In preparation for the upcoming ADBA Top Fuel Harley World Drag Racing Series, to be run in Austraha over January/ February, Mancuso recorded a stunning 6.471/214 lap, backing it up with a later 6.51/215.

"The bike ran great, we tested some things - some worked, some didn’t - and we'll test again before we head to Australia in January," Mancuso said.

"We'll be ready."

iCJS

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42 3 December 1999

FMK karting silly season begins...

Formula A

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he hot news of the

past fortnight has been the addition of yet Junior another Intercontinental A(JICA) star moving straight to Formula A for the forth coming 2000 season, Sydney’s Peter Hamilton.

Hamilton was one of the early favourites in this year’s JICA series for the Mike Wilson team, but makes the move to Formula A alongside reigning JICA champ Ad am Graham for the TibiKart team.

Another likely addi tion to the FA ranks may well be Brad Sloan, a dri ver who last appeared in the FMK ranks in 1997.

Intercontinental A In true motorsport fashion, once a season is over the toLinges start to wag and the speculation is rife.

Who’s going where, who’s moving up, and who’s getting out...

Karting is no different and the rumour mill has been doing overtime. SEAN HENSHELWOOD reports.

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Typically of any new season there will be an influx of Junior ICA drivers who will be of an age to move to the senior ranks. / Aside from Graham who makes the huge jump to FA, Daniel Elliott will be one of the drivers who will shake the ICA ranks.

Wynn’s driver Elliott has been linked to a number of top teams, but as yet has not made an announcement.

Round one and four JICA winner Geoffrey Grant also looks set to join the seniors and is likely to stay with the William Yarwood Racing team with their CRG out fit, while the series leader for the first three rounds, Regan Payne, looks set to' stay with PCR. Alan Gurr’s younger brother, James, looks likely to replace his him in senior ICA, while Geelong youngster Ricky Occhipinti also looks likely to advance despite strong hints towards a Formula Ford career.

One driver making a team-change for 2000 will be Sydney’s Trent Rogers.

Rogers is one of Australia’s leading Senior National drivers and joined the Tony Kart team in 1997.

After a disappointing year in ICA which culmi nated in a withdrawal from the final round prior to qualifying, Rogers has made a move to the all-conquering HRT of karting - Top Kart. Considering their record in recent years you/would suggest that Rogers has picked up the seat of the year.

A fleet of new drivers wiU join the series for the first time led by RESA

Cup Champion Kris Laue. Laue has been

looking at options with a number of teams but with Jason Hryniuk’s success in the final round at Eastern Creek, may well stay with the Stevenson Karts Haase team.

Fellow RESA drivers Linden Lumbewe, Timm Weitzel and Barbara Agrimi will also move up, while ICA debutante Kate Friend will make a full attack in 2000 after a trial run at the Eastern Creek final.

Junior Intercontinental A As theChampionships, nurseiy class of the JICA is the face of tomor row,-with a strong entry promoting growth in the series future.

A number of young dri vers have been making approaches to the many teams across the length and breadth of the coun try in order to become a part of Australia’s high est profile series.

Likely contenders in the competitive Junior Intercontinental A will be Melbourne’s Tony Jace D’Alberto, Lindstrom, Sydney’s Wade Lanham and Kyle Clews and Queensland’s Josh Hunt.

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In the hunt: Troy Hunt will run in Europe next year.

HOT on the heels of his Intercontinental fantastic victory Championships in 1997, then running a close sec against the Japanese ond to Finland’s Toni at home in the qualify Villander at the Oceania ing event for entry to Championships iast the elite Elf-supported January.

La Filiere school, and His run at Mariembourg World the his top 10 finish at the for World Championships Championships all but in Belgium two months sealing the deal, Hunt Top ago, comes the news Karts choice in Formula A the European that Sydney’s Troy for Hunt will be Europe- Championships,and hope bound in a kart for fully the Australian sea son as well. Look for an 2000.

Hunt has been on Top Kart’s shopping list since winning the Australian

official announcement early in 2000.

- SEAN HENSHELWOOD

COMING EVENTS

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Christmas Meeting South West Enq 03 5594 6231 /.

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Great memories: Tim Francis takes the chequered flag to win the Mort Page Memorial.

ALLARAT Kart Club start and continued on 'or good run on a very wet held the annual Mort the win, McDonald and track first up in the Dean filling in the minor Page Memorial meeting on morning when the November 21 with the Clubman Over 40 class hit positions. the track.

Senior National Light main attraction being the saw Tim Francis start the Senior National Pro class Bill Clarke drove with 20 entries. final from pole with Glen through the field in heat Beaton on two. Francis led It was evident from the two to finish second and early, ahead of Beaton and start that defending event start up front with O’Donohue in the final champion Tracy O’Rourke Tracy O’Rourke O’Rourke | passing for second.

I was going to have to work On a virtually dry track In the points. Francis hard to win it again.

Clarke opted for wets with Tim Francis showed took the win, Beaton O’Donohue on slicks - the enough to get the nod run to turn one desperate. plenty of pace early, ahead of O’Rourke fo Clarke came out in front coming from well back in second. the pack in heat two, but by the next laps his Senior National Heavy Francis getting close to tyres were finished and saw Karl Price make C; n :o; O’Rourke at the finish and O’Donohue moved into the third in National Pro whe: making the points very lead, Jex Talbot slotting in he withstood the cnaiienge close heading into the final. for third behind Clarke.

The final saw Francis Clarke definitely had the from Robin Dume^ry and won while young Andrew getting a good start with right tyres for the final of Hayes emerged from the O’Rourke slotting into Clubman Heavy but next group tor third, second, Kenny Dean next Jeremy Anderson had the in the junior classes in a long line. Francis speed - Clarke again Darren Camilleri and Rhys finishing second. Kris slowly edged away at the Archer took the wins in Tobias third. front, Dean moved to second. Francis had the Junior National Heavy and Ian Mason, Dean and Light respectively while points to take the win while Tania McDonald were the Ben McCashney won the pace setters in Clubman Karl Price, with rookies class and Jake Light with the three on the consistency, snuck into third.

Smethurst the midgets. same points heading into the final. Mason took the Kevin O’Donohue had a - GRAF31E BURNS

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3December ^999

Del

Robbie Gordon returns

Evernham & JeffGordon Californian abandons CART, signs lease with Irvan-Simo split again l l l

ROBBIE Gordon's rumoured return to Winston Cup racing has been confirmed with the announcement the Californian and partners, Mike Hand and John Mepard have signed an agreemeift with Irvan-Simo Racing to use the team's North Carolina facility.

The deal includes the use of all equipment, race cars and employ ees and runs through to the end of 2000, with a further option for 2001.

The deal with Ernie Irvan and the Simo Brothers' team made sense with the late decision to re-enter Winston Cup racing meaning the assembly of a entirely new, competitive stock car team in time for 2000 a vir tual impossibility.

Despite his NASCAR plans, Gordon will also continue with his assault on the Indy 500, the Gordon-Hand-Manard trio plan-

ning to run both the classic race and Winston Cup's Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte on the same day next May. During his stormy tenure at Felix Sabates’s SABCO operation in ’96, Gordon attempted the same two races...

Gordon's agreement with the team reunites the controversial racer with Ford, Gordon having dri ven Ford-backed campaigns in the past in Trans-Am, MSA and CART. Gordon's deal also reunites him with Irvan-Simo president Lee Morse, Morse having been the motorsports manager at SVO when Gordon drove for the factory.

A merchanidising agreement is also linked with his return to NASCAR, co-team owners Mark and Brian Simo being the owners of apparel company No Fear.

A crew chieffor the team has yet to be announced although the experienced Andy Graves is believed to be the major possibOity.

RAY Evernham and Jeff

Gordon are to go their separate ways again... lliis season the pair have co-owned and cam paigned a Repsi-backed car for Gordon and Ricky Hendrick in selected Busch events.

But,announcing the split at GEM,Gordon cited the mix between his Chevrolet involve ment and Evemham’s new Chrysler involve ment as their reasons for going then own ways. n Former Winston Cup Rookie ofthe Year, Johnny Benson has signed with Tyler Jet Motorsports to contest the 2000 Winston

A change will do me good: Robbie Gordon

Labonte scores for Gibbs Dale Jarrett secures his and Ford Taurus’first Winston Cup title * « »VJ J]

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I Winston Cup

The family way: Dale Jairett celebrates his Winston Cup Championship with his father, former NASCAR Champion Ned,and son Jason.(Photos by suuon images ami Nigei Kinrade)

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BOBBY Labonte stormed through from 37th on the grid to win his fifth Winston Cup race of the year at the season-ending NAPA 500 in Atlanta, sewing up second place in the points standings at the same time.

Needing a provisional to start after failing to qualify, Labonte reached the top 10 by the 44th lap and took the lead for the first time after out-jumping Steve Park on a restart.

Labonte came from farther behind than any driver in Atlanta history to win, and he was just the second driver in history to have ever won after using a provisional to start. The win was his fourth in the past six races at Atlanta.

Newly crowned Winston Cup Champion, Dale Jarrett,

fifth in points, came home fifth.

Atlanta produced some surprises for a race that’s normally quiet, Jeff Gordon not impressed with the results.

"There's a bunch of idiots out there," said Gordon "There’s guys out there driving not too smart, and 190mph is not something I want to play around with.

“Some guys are making it three-wide any time they want. It’s one thing at Daytona, it's not very smart here at Atlanta..."

In total, there were 38 lead changes and eight cautions, Labonte leading for 147 of the 325 laps, including the last 36.

-PHIL MORRIS

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"Getting on board with Tyler Jet Motorsports is a great opportunity," Benson said."They have a solid pro gram in place with good cars and a great engine program.' n Ricky Rudd’s streak of taking at least one Winston Cup race win a season has ended at 16 years following his seventh placed finish in Atlanta last weekend.

Having lost his sponsor.

Tide, to Cal Wells’ new NASCAR operation, Rudd wdll move over to RYR’s Texaco Ford team in 2000.

Touchdown: Bobby Labonte scored yet another win for team owner Joe Gibbs.

finished second, winning a stirring battle with Jeremy Mayfield for position over the final 10 laps.

The keys for Labonte’s victory were two late cautions although controversy reared when Labonte team-mate, the lapped Tony Stewart, appeared to impede Mayfield’s efforts in trying to pass while Rusty Wallace, Mayfield’s team-mate, easily let Labonte pass Mayfield’s relationship with Wallace having, obviously, soured.

“What got me was he [Wallace] didn’t give Labonte no problem at all. Then I remember passing Rusty and having to race him pretty hard...” a perplexed Mayfield said later.

Despite winning, Labonte

Cup NASCAR season.

Benson, who spent the last two years driving for Jack Roush's Ford team, will return to the Pontiac stable from which he won the rookie title in 1996.

said things didn’t necessarily go all his way.

“On new tyres m y car would really go good for 20 laps, then it started pushing,” he said. “It was good for those 20 laps, then it would level off, and then it wouid get bad.”

For his efforts, Jarrett earned high praise from crew chief Todd Parrott.

"He drove his heart out, and he didn't have to do that," Parrott said.

"We had the championship locked up, but he wanted that second place “ If he couldn't win the race, he wanted to finish second, and that’s the way he's been all year long."

Mark Martin, third in points, finished fourth behind Mayfield and Jeff Burton,

Champion

n Ken Schrader drove the last race in the familiar Skoal Bandit colours in Atlanta - the company abondoning their long-time involvement in stock car racing.

Skoal has been involved in Winston Cup since 1981 with team owners Burt Reynolds and film director Hal Needham.

Harry Gant then carried the compan/s colours until his retirement, when Schrader and team owner Andy Petree took over.

11.Ward Burton .., I l.Steve Park 13.Rusty Wallace ..

14.Dale Earnhardt Jr. I S.Tony Stewart ...

16.Elliott Sadler ...

I l.Kevin Lepage ...

I S.Geoffrey Bodine . !9.Ken Schrader ...

20-Jerry Nadeau ..,

35 top five finishes in the Truck series during the past five years. n One of US stock car racing’s early pioneers passed away on November 16 - - H. Clay Earles, the founder of Martinsville, died at age 86.

Earles hosted races at the half-mile Virginia before Bill France sanctioned NASCAR events on Daytona Beach some 51 ago. n Felix Sabates announced what he called the worst-kept secret in NASCAR on November 19 that Kenny Irwin wiR drive his Bell South-backed Chevrolets in 2000.

Irwin moves over to SABCO following a stormy two-year tenure at Robert Yates Racing. n Brett Bodine has sold his self-owned operation to Californian Richard Hilton.

Hilton owns a west coast NASCAR-sanctioned team.

Bodine will continue as the driver in 2000, although a major sponsor has yet to be | found.

I n Ford is waiting for approval on a new design c}'linder head thai, according to them, would bring them in line with Chevrolet’s SB2 | engine. A larger inlet valve port is in the offing for the 2000 Taurus. n Veteran crew chiefGary DeHart is expected to return, to lead Terry Labonte’s Kellogs team in 2000.

DeHart left Hendrick in late ’97, following an alter cation with a crew member at Martinsville and he has since worked for Morgan McClure Racing as a consultant-cum-crew chief He has also been building chassis for different teams and acting as a consultant to Chevrolet.

Labonte has struggled recently, winning just two races in ’98 and just one top five finish in ’99.

What’s for breakfast; Terry Labonte.(photo ky Manm ciark}

Atlanta Motor Speedway 21 November !999 ...Pontiac .....Ford Ford Ford Ford Ford .....Ford .Chevrolet .Chevrolet .Chevrolet

n AJ Foyt announced officially on November 19 that Truck series driver Mike Bliss will pilot his Pontiacs in 2000 with spon sorship from Conseco.

Bliss has seven wins and

V

1999 WINSTON CUP SERIES RESULTS I.Bobby Labonte 2.Dale Jarrett ...

3.Jeremy Mayfield 4.Mark Martin ...

S.Jeff Burton ....

6.Chad Little ....

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9.Dale Earnhardt lO.Bobby Hamilton

43

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44 3December 1999

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Bates tops Classic

ADILAIDi

1

Adelaide

Rick Bates and Jenny Brittan have added the Classic Adelaide to their impressive list of wins. But more importantly, everyone had a good time. BRIAN REED was one of the revellers.

IN a short space of time Classic Adelaide has established itself as one of Austraha’s top tarmac rallies, helped in no small way by superb scenery, challenging roads for the special stages, shck organisation and the usual Adelaide hospitahty.

The four-day event attracted entrants in three distinct categories - a non competitive tour section for 28 classic cars, a parade class of exotic cars many of which were dri ven by invited international stars who had a real ‘go’ on the special stages, and just on 100 competition cars in the serious rally side of the event.

'The Spoi-ting Car Club of SA was an idyihc setting for a lead-up dinner and more than 130 guests took the opportunity to mix with special guests Sir Jack Brabham and his wife Margaret, Roy and Susan Salvadori, well known car collector Paul Vestey and triple British tour ing car champion, Bathurst winner and great favourite down under. Win Percy. The evening was compered in splendid fashion by the prolific British motoiing author Doug Nye. One of Veste/s extensive stable of cars, the V12 Ferrari GT250 in the original blue and white colours of Rob Walker and raced by Stirling Moss in the 1960 Tourist Trophy at Goodwood, was an appropriate back drop to the night’s festivities.

Some fine English historic racing videos were screened, and Nye kept the audience amused with good yams and an ample supply of cryp tic comments. One classic was Frank Williams supposedly describ ing Nigel Mansell as “a shining wit....at least,” said Nye, “I think that’s what he said!” But soon it was down to business....

Day 1 North to the Barossa Valley Total distance 273kms including 43kms of Special Stages. Tour section to Collingrove Hillclimb.

Touring Norm Tour Beechey led offcar theicon ‘Classic de Lunch-a-Lot’, section accompanied by wife Margaret in his whopping Chewy Impala, but when the oppor tunity arose it was time for coffee, strawberries and cream. As Norm was heard to say “It’s better than being in the old men’s home!”

There were Jags aplenty includ ing the SSlOO of Tess McGrath and Geoff Gowring and David Edwards in his D Type, along with a 1936 Mercedes-Benz 540K and a 190SL

Road.ster and a host of other delectable cars from yesteryear.

The Parade category was headed by our triple world Formula One champion Sir Jack Brabham in John Taylor’s Aston Martin DB4. One of his old Grand Prix sparring partners from the 1960s, Roy Salvadori drove Reg Kenny’s Jaguar Mk2, Paul Vestey and Doug Nye teamed in the

(Elfin Clubman) were also well placed, although the Mustang was to undergo the first of two clutch replacements and eventually dropped out of contention as the event proceeded.

FeiTari 250GT, Win Percy was grinning his way around in a replica 1965 B'ord Cobra and another inter national Nick Britten was sharing Warren Gunning's beautiful silver 1967 Porsche 904 fitted with a flat 6-cylinder engine.

Another car to attract the plaudits of the crowd was Tom BaiT-Smith’s very rare rear engined Austin Healey SR2 powered by a 2-litre, twin cam Coventry Climax engine a car built to tackle the 1968 Le Mans 24-hour race.

Day 2

Cathy Coad with Mae-Lin Hendi-y in teamed a 1969 Aston Martin DB6 Mk2, but Cathy’s mother, Diana Gaze had yet another frus trating outing with her 1929 Alfa Romeo Zagato 1750SS. It has taken 15 years to get this rare car back on the road, and this time the gearbox failed.

The real head-turner amongst the bevy of Parade cars was David Bowden’s sensational Ford GT40 and it made the best noise too!

Sadly, clutch troubles caused it to miss most of Day One, but former Gold Star champion Kevin Bartlett enjoyed the rest of the event, even though he said the roads used were not too kind on the race-bred GT40s taut suspension.

The 100 serious Competition cars were last to leave at one minute intervals, their first destination being Adelaide International Raceway for a standing lap dash. A short morning tea break at the Birdwood Mill Museum and lunch at St Hallett Winery were welcome interludes for the seven special stages, and touring'through the Barossa’s beautiful wine growing country ensured Classic Adelaide was away to a flying start.

By the end of Day One former winner Andrew Cavalli and co-dri ver Michael Dale were already 59 seconds in front, having taken fastest time on the first five stages.

Their highly tuned Ford Escort RS1600 was leading the similar car of Peter Kyriakidis and John Caldicott, with the Porsche 911 of Rick Bates and Jenny Brittan chal lenging John Beasley’s Torana XU-1 for the next spot. Chris Stephen (Ford Mustang) and Ross Williams

336kms taking in the Fleurieu Penninsula includ ing eight speciai stages over 52kms.

From Victor Harbor to the party in Gouger St. Sadly, a casualty in thewas Parade category on Friday the Vestey/Nye Ferrari with valve gear failure. A replacement car (Dean Rainsford’s Lotus Cortina) was hastily substituted, but it lost a throttle return spring hurtling along the Willinga Hill special stage with the throttle wide open. The two Brits were having a time to remember!

After some spectacular driving, top contender Ross Williams found his chances dashed with a broken throttle cable on his flying Elfin Clubman near Victor Harbor, the Magraith Mustang came to grief with a large immovable tree on another special stage, and Chris Stephen was about to order yet another clutch for his big Ford.

Williams rejoined the fray, but had lost five valuable minutes carry ing out repairs while most others enjoyed a first class lunch on the foreshore at Victor Harbor.

As usual, Adelaide turned on the party atmosphere when the cars arrived back in town for the street party in Gouger St. that night - it was an ideal way to finish what had been a long, tough day.

Days , Adelaide to Lobethal through the hills.

Lots of twisty through Basket Range bits section.

Lunchthe at Macclesfield before challenging Gorge Rd. Tour cars enjoy Hardy’s Winery instead. Total distance 233kms including eight special stages over 57kms.

A day of drama! Steady, hght rain made conditions treacherous, espe cially at the first Adelaide City stage. The Williams’ woes continued, and sadly the little Clubman was

Area code 911: Rick Bates’ Porsche had too much pace for its rivals, winning the Classic Adelaide. Navigator Jenny Brittan (below) joined in the post-event celebrations.

pushed to the side this time having broken a drive shaft.

Although still holding a one minute advantage, outright leaders Andrew Cavalli and Michael Dale were on a charge until they overdid things on the Macclesfield Reverse stage. Their Ford Escort left the road at high speed narrowly missing a large tree - as a police officer said “They went within six inches of a long stayin hospital.”

Not long after there was a major hold-up at the Gorge Road Long stage when John Allison and John Fitzpatrick were trapped under their Delage after it plunged over a bank and came to rest upside down near the Kangaroo Creek Reservoir dam. They had moved over to allow a quicker car through which then proceeded to spin in front of them setting off a chain reaction.

Theirs was also a very lucky escape - it took eight marshals to lift the heavy car off the occupants who escaped with minor injuries.

Fitzpatrick was nursing broken ribs at the Presentation Dinner the fol lowing night.

“I’m OK,” he said. “Just don’t make me laugh!”

The Parade cars of Win Percy (Ford Cobra replica) and Nick Brittan (Porsche 904) were also in trouble, and by the end of Day 3 there had also been some major changes at the top of the Competition section’s leader board.

Day 4 Some long special stages amongst the 242kms including the 23-km Paris Creek stage. A curly drive up Montacute Rd., with lunch and a country fair at Strathalbyn before the victory celebrations in Rundie St.

TS

e incidents continued, with the _ treacherous 5.92km Green HUls special stage claiming several casu alties including Sir Jack Brabham

L

3 December 1999

●'£■

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in the Aston Martin DB4. It was a section that demanded great respect and according to our triple FI world champion he “over-cooked it” on a difficult bend.

“The car shd wide off the road and there was a tree just where I didn’t need one,” he said. The Aston is sporting a deep impression of a large tree at the front, but fortunately both driver and navigator John Taylor escaped iminjured.

In spite of their earlier handling problems in the Porsche 911, Rick Bates and Jenny Brittan maintained the lead they inherited with the demise of the Cavalli/Dale Escort and held on to score a popular win.

Eventually the remainder of the field found its way back to a rousing Rundle St. reception with thousands of enthusiastic fans there to wel come home those still mnning.

All competitors who successfully completed the course received a fin isher’s medallion on the finish line, and all major placegetters were pre sented with their trophies at a glit tering Presentation Dinner and Awards Night at the Hilton Hotel.

It was a fitting finale to what had been a typically sensational Adelaide event. ....Enter the Motorsport News Falcon GT

Back in with 1967,Fred Harry Firth teamed Gibson to win the Gallaher 500 at Bathurst driving a Ford Falcon XR GT. On the advice of Harry Firth Victorian Barry Finlay bought one of the GTs which, in typical Ford fashion, you could buy in any colour you liked - so long as it was gold. After 32 years, Finlay still has his XR GT, although it is now sporting dark green livery just like the winning Firth car from 1967.

His is very much the sister car to Harry’s - in fact it carries a medal lion on the dash given to him by ‘the Fox’ acknowledging Firth’s win in the ’67 Great Race.

Still sporting its original 289cu.in.V8 engine (with much more horsepower), steel wheels (somewhat wider) and original upholstery, Finlay likes to use his prized Ford, and has previously teamed with Harry Firth for the

Bates/Jenny Brittan Results OUTRIGHT 2,1. Rick Peter Kyriakidis/John Caldicott

C14 plus CI5 CI6 CI8 Ml Methanol 99.95 minimum p Nitro Methane 99% minimum

Porsche 911 Ford Escort RS 1600 Alfa Romeo Montreal

3. Richard Anderson/Bruno Fulcher Class Winners (Lotus Elite) B. Gray/C. Robinson Class 2B (1947-61) 1101-1600CC T. & J. Eastwood (MG A) Class 2C (1947-61) 1601-2000cc B. & L. Dermott (Austin Healey 3000 Mk2) Class 2D (1947-61) 2001-3000co K. Hoscow/R. Hartsen (Bentley SI Spl.) Class 2E (1947-61) Over 3001co (Morris Cooper S) R. Young/S. Haigh Class 3B (1962-65) 1101-1300co P. LandarVW. Thomas (Moms Cooper S) Class 3C (1962-65) 1301-1600cc S. Loh/D. Anderson (Porsche 356C) Class 3D (1962-65) 1601-2000cc S. &L. Kent (Ford Mustang) Class3F (1962-65) Over3001cc (Morris Cooper S) Class 4A (1966-70) Up to 1300CC P. Coiby/A. Fiynn (Lotus Europa) Class 4B (1966-70) 1301-1600cc M. Whisson/M. Pargeter Class 4C (1966-70) 1601-2000cc P. Kyriakidis/J. Caidicott (Ford Escort RS1600) R. Bates/J. Brittan Class 4D (1966-70) 2001-3000cc (Porsche 911) G. & R. Burrowes Class 4E (1966-70) Over 3001 cc (Holden Torana XU-1)

1995 and ’96 Bathurst Legends rallies. Now it was Motorsport News correspondent Brian Reed’s turn to join Bapry Finlay for the 1999 Classic Adelaide Rally....

With no navigational experience or backup crew but with some wel come sponsors names on the car, (Motorsport News, National Workforce, 5DN and George’s Seafood Restaurant in Adelaide), the aim was to just finish. The day prior to the start we decided to try out a couple of the early stages using the route instructions provid ed, and surprise, surprise - we got lost! On the return trip back into Adelaide the front brakes of the Falcon GT were making an omi nous noise and we found the pads were completely worn out. Nine laps of Sandown and 10 at Winton plus the leisurely drive across to Adelaide had ended their life.

Thanks to Tillbrook’s Brake & Clutch Service in Adelaide, new pads were hastily machined and fitted, but these too lasted only one day. In spite of a clever invention of Harry Firth that squirted water onto the front brakes we caught fire on three special stages.

Tilbrooks again came to the rescue with yet another set of pads and although they went the distance, the car had to be returned to their workshop following the rally to carry out further'repairs.

An ‘off during the flying lap at AIR on Day One meant we were down the list after the first special stage, but 19th outright on the Gorge and some other steady dri ves later that day helped our cause.

Day Two was the longest of the four-day rally, and with no front brakes left, the not-so-effective

hand brake had to be used to stop at the seemingly endless run of traffic lights on the road back to Adelaide. Radio 5DN - the Talk of Adelaide was following our progress, and a ‘live’ cross to the Ken Dickin Show during the lunch break at Victor Harbor provided a good opportunity to bring listeners up to date with the state of play.

Rain on Day Three made condi tions hazardous, especially for the bigger cars like ours, and the first Adelaide City special stage was a handful. A miscue on the tricky reverse Macclesfield special stage resulted in us taking out a white post and a visit up a bank, but luck ily not much time was lost and damage was reduced to a dislodged front airscoop.

This was quickly repaired by a group of TAFE mechanics on site and we were on our way again in 12 minutes.

Thereafter, steady driving on our part plus the ever-growing list of casualties meant we continued to improve our overall position so that by the end of Day Four we fin ished the 1999 Classic Adelaide provisionally 22nd outright and 6th in our class.

Unless you are at the absolute pointy end of the fi eld, placings don’t really mean much. What’s more important is to simply finish and still have transport home at the end.

EVEN bad weather couldn't dampen the enthusiasm of those attending the 1999 Gellong Sprints last month. Yes Virginia, that is a Le Mans-Porsche GT1 (above) which mingled with cars and drivers of all vintages at the event. iPhoios by stipstmaw Photogtsohc)

THE

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9 a .

We greatly_ appreciated the sup port of: Motorsport News, National Workforce, Radio 5DN - the Talk of Adelaide, and George’s Seafood Restaurant, Gouger St. The Motorsport News Falcon GT will be on display for the next month at Jeffrey Duttons Pty. Ltd., 525 Church St., Richmond.

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PRB Clubman. Highly developed, best of everything.

Quaife gearbox, Quaife diff, MoTeC etc. Fresh engine, 195bhp. Great value at $29,000ono. Ph: 0414 801 699. to Jaguar E Type. Production Sports. Highly developed.

325bhp. Great value at $33,000. Ph: 0414 801 699. m MG Midget rolling chassis, one-piece fibreglass front, roll bar, racing seat, 8-inch wheels (Supalights). No motor or gearbox. $2000 ono. PH 03 5155 3172. iw

mM6£BAC£B! m * FOLDS FOR STORAGE

XF Falcon AUSC4R Sportsman, 'unner up 1998/9 season. Front-running Ford. Record time of 32.68 sec.

Spares inci: flat track set-up, spare shell painted & caged.

Ideal Club Car.Price neg. Ph: Andre-Ar 03 5367 1866 (BH), 03 5369 2271 (AH). <«>

i

A*

1966 MG Midget, Historic Sb log book. Completely restored and ready to race. Some spares. Quick and reli able. New C/R gearbox, Simpson 5 point harness. $12,000.

Ph: 03 9470 4270 (AH) or Fax 03 9471 4407 to Bluebird SSS, '94 turbo 4WD. Aust. compliance, rare manual, low k's, 2.5" exhaust, Reg until Mar 2000. Ph: 0418 737966. TO Commodore Sports Sedan, roller. Setup for mid mount Chev, HDT flares, spoilers, f/g boot & bonnet, new NASCAR extractors, Detroit locker, floating axles, 2 sets mounted composites etc. $4,800. Ph:Rod 02 6562 7762. to Superminis, #1 Ironhead Supermini and trailer, fairly fresh engine & very competitive. #2 Turbo Supermini S trail er, spaceframed body with turbo engine, heaps of poten tial. Plus huge spares list, race suit, helmet etc. $10,500 ONO. Ph: 02 9773 1909. to BMW M3 GTR, Yellow '94 model. Fully adjustable sus pension, Recaro interior. A.T. racingbrakes, full roll cage, immaculate car. Full service history. $95,000 ONO. Ph: 03 9398 8582 (AH), 03 9681 6310 (BH) to Mini Sports Sedan, winner 1997 NSW Super Mini series, consistent front running car. Complete with trailer, wets & spares. $5,500ono. Ph: 02 6352 4290 (BH). 02 6351 4363 (AH). TO Talcon XR8 AUSCAR rolling chassis, with Bilstein susp, tire system. Autometer dash, diff, g/box, 2 sets of wheels, fuel churn, jack etc. $14,500. Ph: Jamey 0414 952 601. TO

Fiat 124 Sports Coupe CC Sports Sedan. 1800TC, twin carbs , half cage, some spares, reliable racing, good cond. $3,500ono. Ph: 02 4271 4945, 0418 497 569. 168

Carbon ^ Metallic and Ferrer Carbon

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● ExceHent insurance for the protection of your expensive crank ● Used in most forms of racing hy the top engine builders ● Suits Oiese! and Petrol engines ● Uglit or Heavy case depths ● Dady service ● Processed at lower temperatures than other forms o* nitriding, resulting in greater quality control

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Phone for free brochure and information on how we can harden your crankshafts and reharden your aluminium beads.

Heat Treatment NSW P/L 33 Cann St Guildford NSW 2161 Ph 02 9681 3050 Fax 02 9681 3297

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● only 500 km since built ■ brand-new Neil Burns-built 400 hp, 5.0 litre Holden V8 engine ● Motec ECU ● Harrop cambered rear-end Harrop brakes front & rear ● all new rod ends and bushes

Racing Products

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48 3 December 1999

GTP Hyundai Excel. Fresh engine and gearbox, spare engines, gearboxes, wheels & tyres. Ready for Bathurst or 2000 season. Genuine enquiries to Darren Best0418178 159. ice Datsun l4oO Club Car. 2 litre, twin 45 Webers, Dat Rally Parts, 6 point cage, 2 racing seats and harnesses plus heaps of spares, and tandem trailer. $6,200. Ph; 0412 756 172. 1G8

llil

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. lee Escort Twin Cam, 1970, original condition, Sydney, $12,000. PH 0418 899 982. ,a

Toyota Celica RA28 1977. Rebuilt engine (road race & rally), cage, 4 point harness & race seat, log book. Great for hillclimbs or circuit racing. $3,995. Ph: 03 9735 5315. tcc

I

869 851, 167

Speedway

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't;.-

Parts: 2 Zail sumps, $300 ea suit Chev; 1 short 35C, 4B, +30, steel crank & rods, never used, $1800; 1 set 180 degree Pacemaker, straight port, $300; 1 750 methanol carby $400; 1 set Yella Terra VN heads, alum, $2500; ^ Tilton starter motor, $250; 1 Tilton lookalike starter motor, $150; 1 Holden 308 manifold $120; 1 set Dart heads, valves & springs, $1500; 1 Victor Jnr, suit Chev, $200; 1 Zail sump, suit Holden 308,$300. Ph: 0419 184 855. i« RX-7 Modified Production, almost complete, with spares and tyres. $1600 ono. PH 03 5261 3995, Mob 0411

Litre Sprintcar. hig'" bar, Halibrand quick change diff, fresh paint, complete racer. Spare tyres, wings etc.

With reg trailer. $6,200. Ph 02 4647 8531. ics

Super Sedan Camaro. Ex-Australia One. Heaps of spares Roller ready to race less motor. Engine parts avail able. $7000 neg. PH 03 5447 1232, Mob 0417 106 711. t67 Stealth Pontiac Speedcar #73. Near new all genuine gear. Ri.'ii, for further info, plus assorted secondhand ■Aiwedcar carts. PH 02 9875 1041 BH, 02 9624 6428 AH

n

Off Road Class 4 VW Baja, Nissan CA18 fuel-injected turbo engine, Bilstein shocks with coils, Saas seat, quick and reliable. NSW Class Champion last three years straight. Ready to race. $8000 ono. PH 02 4832 1321 ●67 Japanese imports for road/rally/race. PH Michael 0413 824 048. is?

Escort Twin Cam '70, white duco, std engine, clean, original, Bilsteins. Full drivetrain, suspension, brakes rebuild. \Will separate engine. $10,750 or $6500 engine only. PH 08 8204 8869 BH, or 08 8278 5988. is?.

HQ Holden race car (circuit), '99 log book, very competi tive, CB Wilson-prepared motor, heaps of spares. $5500 ono. PH 03 9803 1728 AH. 167 Mazda RX4 Coupe, incomplete project. 13B with extrac tors, 5 speed box, 6 point cage, Hoosier slicks, two sets of spare mags. Turbo 5 speed and windscreen. PH 0416 237 216. 167

Thanks Motorsport News.

I sold my Escort Sports Sedan from your Classifieds 1 first issue in!

If Thanks again - great mag - another satisfied reader /

/ Capt^$rK~re 1;^

HQ Holden race car. No expense spared on this com petitive race car, including top horsepower Swift motor.

Consistent top 10 runner in QLD at Lakeside and '98 Indy Grand Prix. Ready to race, nothing to spend. $6900 ono.

PH 0417 399 162 Bus, 07 3824 2818 AH. ic7 Mazda RX-7, just built, mid-mounted 20B, adjustable everything, big brakes, 8 point rollcage, Mazdaspeed colours, professionally built. Very quick car and handles.

Too much to list. $25,000 ono. Genuine enquiries only. PH 07 5570 4135. i67 Toyotz Corolla club car, 3rd in '97 State Champs, 4AG twin cam, 5 spd, LSD, TRD centre, 4 wheel discs, new SUSP, full cage, Dorian plus charger. OP 51s, WP 1.15s, EC 1.54s, quick, reliable and cheap to run. Genuine applicants only. $11,000 ono. PH 02 4736 3882. ig?

Hissan Pulsar GTi-R (’911), fully Aust complianced, 4WD, exhaust, 16-inoh mags, adjustable boost, many extras. WRX beater! Great performance car. $22,500 one PH 08 8353 1200, Mob 0407 724 862, w Mazda RX-7 WA's most successful street car. Strong 13B, brand-new Weber, factory LSD, large axles, Koni fully adjustable suspension, AP calipers all round, fuel churn.

Group C body kit and struts, two sets wheels. $18,000. PH 089 300 1700. Mob 0418 951072 w Torana XU-l group NC. Ready to race. Alloy cage, motor 2 meetings old. top 10 finisher. Trade in considered. $14,500 ono with spares. Ph 0419 440 973 167 Monaro HK drag oar. Summers Bros 35 spline diff. lad der bar, 4 wheel discs, glass front boot, bumpers, chassied front, back, complete roller. Raced once since built. Plus spares. Ph 02 4257 7303 i67 Bathurst Tourer Falcon, Auscraft barred-out body shell, brand-new in undercoat, with AUSCAR Falcon - complete less motor and gearbox. Log book, VIN A226. $19,500. Will separate. Ph 02 4937 3333 167

c

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. to

= Mark West, Victoria

X

Open Wheeierg

4

T*l

Mini Sprinter: new motor, car 99% rebuilt new paint (purple), comes with lots of spares, trailer to suit. $8,000neg. Ph; 03 5336 4221. 168

k

m

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. to Mitsubishi Lancer EVO RS. Ex-Jeff Beaumont. Fully seam-welded, tower to tower cage, DMS 50mm suspension, Ralliart bushes, Ralliart computer, extensive underbody pro tection, Total harnesses, OMP seats, Rallymaster, light pods, new clutch, 12 mths rally rego, ready to rally. Excellent condi tion with some spares. $24,000. Ph: 02 6585 3766 to

TE Cortina “A” Modified, 250 new rings and bearings, 350 Avgas Holley, 12 tyres and mag wheels, spares, reg '99-2000, with trailer, will separate. $5800 ono. Ph David on 03 5221 6135. le?

Monaco CP2 lOOeo Superfcart, raced this year. LNT clutch, Dunlop SL4 tyres, temp gauge, new nose cone.

Plus spares, stand, trolley & fully end 2-kart trailer All exc cond. $5.500ono. Ph; 03 5995 6403. lee Formula FonS, Swift SC94. Only 18 races since new.

Black 2-pac paint Immaculate condition throughout. Ready to race. $22,000 ono rolling chassis. Ph: 02 9544 2734. m

ButOtivn

Nissan March: As quick as a WRX and ready to race.

Inc spare engine & g/box, plus more. Call for details. $4,500ono. Ph:03 58271256(AH). to

3789. 167

'v

is

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. $35,500ono. Ph: Chris 0418 580 700 (BH) Melbourne.

Super Sedan. Urgent sale. VS Commodore. 366 Chev, Quick-change gearbox (auto), many spares, tyres, rims.

Must sell before 26/11/99. $10,000. Ph Col on 07 5441

CAE cageless Sprinter, with Halibrand quick change, Schroder Steering box. Knock oft hubs, Chevy with Hilbourne Injection. Would suit vintage speedway enthusi ast. Ph Paul on 07 5443 2348,

Formula Holden 920, good hp engine, competitive car, Tickford 500 winner, spares & trailer available. Make an offer. Contact Owen Osborne on 0417 320 866. to Formula Ford, '86 Van Diemen. Comes with spares set of wheels and gear ratios etc. $9,900. Ph: Kevin 02 9679 7022 or 0413 047 163. to Historic Open Wheeler Gr Q, fresh motor, gearbox, new tyres. Bargain at only $17,500. Ph: 03 5443 8251' (AH1 or 03 5441 4208 (BH) to Rait RT4 Formula Atlantic, 1982. Complete, minus motor. Chassis plate no. 292. A$25,000. Also, Ralt RT4 Formula Atlantic, 1986. Complete minus motor. Chassis plate no. 594. A$25,000. Ph: Ken Smith 00 11 649 274 8646, fax 00 11 649 274 8642. (NZ). to

■rZ-dtS

Super Sedan Falcon, new frankland quickchange, new Brinn transmission, new rack, fuel tank, char-lynn, ready to race with heaps of spares, 10 wheels with new tyres, less engine. Ph: 03 6340 1884. to Modified Production TE Cortina. Good HP engine, new Quick Steer, fuel tank, Bilstein and Koni shocks. Heaps of spares. $6000 ono. PH 02 6032 9654 BH. 167

Formula Two CRD 8S2 Will be eligible for Group R, fresh Ford Engine, Hewland Gearbox, Current Log Book, full history available, race ready, spare suspension, ratios, engine parts wings, wets on wheels. $14500ono. Ph: BH 0417 851 716, AH (03) 9878 951598 to

I

OVER $2 MILLION WORTH OF CARS 3 PARTS AND MOTORSPORT GOODIES IN OF MOTORSPORT NEWS

I

49

3December ^999 Scorpion Formula Vee. Successful ex McConvIlle, Daniel Orr, Bill Burford, Richard Chamberlain. Race winner in 1999. Top hp Elliot engine, just rebuilt. Ready to win again. $12,000. Ph: 03 9804 7642, 03 9884 5675. m Spectrum 06B, race ready. Top Lamer engine, raced by Christian Jory, 8 meetings old. Immaculately presented and maintained. Spares inci wheels, tyres, nose etc. Complete $35,000. Ph: Tony Jory 03 6326 5555, 0418 130 133. 168 Bacchus Clubman. First raced 1965. BMC B series engine, road reg. $12,000. Ph: 08 9447 2410, 08 9240 2558. .68

Kaditcha F2 Group Q Historic. All steel tvJn cam, 2 sets wheels, wings, ratios. Historic log book, cert of description. Stored for 10 years, had little use. Four wheel end trailer included. $38,000. Ph; 07 3800 5903. lea Swift SC93F. Christian Jory offers for sale, ready to race, heaps of spares. Top finishes Nat & State series. All set-up data, Lamer engine. $20,000. Ph: Tony Jory 03 6326 5555, 0418 130 133. 168

4135. 168

Formula Ford race engine, complete with many new components, bargain at $3500. Also, Dorian Data-1 timing transponder with tray, perfect cond, $300. Ph: Stuart 07 5575 5001,0414 744 700. 168 Sprintcar engine. 372ci steel block Chev, Brodix heads, Hilborn injection. Pro crank, Carillo rods. Gambler dry sump system etc. 98/99 SRA series winning engine. $12,000. Ph: 03 5593 3409(AH), 0407 041 481 (BH). tea Ford AUSCAR engine, dyno and set-up sheets, 380hp, $2,800. Ph:Jamey 0414 952 601. lea Toyota twin cam 4AGE, quad throttle bodies, ram tubes, Wade cams, TRD injectors, Cosworth pistons, super charged crank, bridged mains, lOOkW head, ported & pol ished, plus, plus. $2,000. Ph:02 9604 7725. 168 Holden 186 race engine, roller cam, Milodon roller rockers, 12 port superflow head, triple DelOrtos on methanol. Many extras, fully rebuilt ready to race. Ph: 02 6492 3869. ice Holden VT 5.7 auto pattern short motor, o/w heads, rock er covers, sump, roller lifters, push rods & gasket set. All parts still in box. Genuine enquiries, $5,000. Ph: 03 9781 2274. .68

13B Bridge Port race/street engine, electronic dissy, fully rebuilt, started once. $2000. PH 03 5261 3995, Mob 0411 869 851. 167 Mazda Rotary engine with Wade supercharger (run in), professionally built, 3-inch drive belt, spare pulleys, perfor mance engine. $3500. PH 07 5570 4135. 167 Ford 367 stroked Cleveland, Venolia 13.5:1 pistons, Grower billet steel rods, 4V heads, extensive porting, titani um valves, retainers, Yella Terra rockers, Crane girdle, Romac, active inlet, 600+ HP. $8900. PH 07 3878 2740, Mob 0419 655 701. w 400ci Bowtie Chev , Ross pistons, 15:1, Kryptonite rods, Lunati crak, Pontiac heads, Peterson dry sump, 700+hp, Methanol, all best parts. New and spares cost $35000. Will sell $18,000 ono. Ph^02 4257 7303 .6/

$350; Koni adjustable suit A9X/Holden $300. Ph: Mark 0418 425 426,02 4236 0263. m Fuel injection system to suit Holden V8, 8 butterfly Motec-style, Morrison-built, complete with M8 loom, HRT airbox, dissy, spark unit, choppers and sensors, HRT exhaust primary and secondary only. $5500 neg. PH 0418

Wantod Early Bathurst Programs, in good condition. Also want other race programs from 1976 to 1980. Ph: 07 4982 6260. 168

994 566. 167

Any used old racing, off-road, rally gloves & boots.

Don't throw away,just send them to this address. My size is 8 to 9: B Taylor, P.O. Box 526, Hervey Bay, Qld 4655. w Tyres; 4 Yokohama A008s, 225/60 x 14, new or old, not dead! Ph: Nathan 0416 007 533. ra pistons, 1.30 pin, flat tops, used, $500. Windsor titanium Official V8 Bathurst posters wanted - need 1997 in valves, inlet $500, exhaust $500. Cleveland titanium valves, vgc and any before 1976. Please phone Rod, 07 4982 exhaust $700, PH 07 3878 2740 Mob 0419 655 701, 167 6260 .68 Anglia racing ear. Ph: 03 9889 1149. m 1986 Australian Stock Saloon Championship videos.

Urgent buyer. Will pay $15 to $25 for 1 or 2 hour tapes. Ph: 02 9820 1616 10am-6pm weekdays. 168 'Suzuki Stockman or Sierra or Holden Drover ute. Any considered. Ph: Gail 03 5334 6364(AH). 168 Simmons Wheels, 13x8 or 13x7. Will pay good money for set of 4, stud pattern to suit Escort or anv 4 stud pattern.

Ph. 02 4736 1675. w To buy, small Melbourne-based business in motor sport or high performance Or buy into active partnership. Ph 041:r'388 075. is, Superflow 600 flowbench. Ph:03 5250 1183. m NASCAR, to lease, for the first round of the series. Must Semi enclosed dual axle trailer. Ramps, brakes etc be strong and reliable, prefer Melbourne-based team. Ph: Never used. Built for open wheeler, but could take Sports Darren 03 9583 9103, 0419 674 256. .68 car. Ph: Terry Wade 03 9830 4976. 168 Dick Johnson memorabilia, posters model cars 45ft Kentucky race trailer. Alloy wheels, $45,000onr (Sierra, XD, XE, EB), wall hangings, anything, Ph Ryan 08 Ph: 0407 825 426. lee 8852 1370. 168 33ft triaxle trailer, 8ft wide, 7ft high, elec brakes, living Drive wanted by keen 16 year-old tor 2000 Will drive & w/shop area. Will carry 2 F/Fords or sedan. Plus 84 FI00 anything to get a start, as I can't afford my own. Prefer SAbased. Ask for Scott. PH 08 8756 5057 AH. ler LWB 4X4, 351, 4 sp, on gas & fuel. Complete, $30,000, will Harness, race suit, race seat for MGB. Plus similar bits for separate. Ph: Tony Jory 03 6326 5555, 0418 130 133. 168 historic racing. PH Tim on 02 6583 5955 BH. 167 Double or triple layer race suit. Large size. Ph 02 4987 V8 Supercar fuel injection, ex-Seton, to suit Ford V8. $3400. PH 02 9817 5558. «7 Yates titanium valves, inlet $650, exhaust $650. JE

l^aiisporters/Trqliers

4167 157

Parts 1994 DAP lOOcc Clubman Superkart. Yamaha clutch.

Very quick and competitive. Trophy winner at Lakeside in 1998 Qld series, inc spares & end trailer. $3,000. Ph: Matt 07 5525 2043,0412 242 437. lee Arrow AX6 J kart, complete with blueprinted J motor, tacho, trolley. Suitable tor Junior/Senio^ classes, ready to race, supplied with race set-up info. Assistance given to beginners. Perfect condition. $2600. PH 07 3345 7267, Mob 0411 547 158. i67 Arrow AX6 Clubman kart, complete with fast blue printed fresh Clubman motor, spare mufflers, tacho, trolley, supplied with race set-up info. Suitable Junior/Senior class es. Assistance given to beginners. Perfect condition. $2650. PH 07 3345 7267, Mob 0411 547 158. 1157 CRG Detroit Clubman kart, 3 bearing 40mm axle, complete with fast blueprinted fresh Clubman motor, spare axle, rims, tacho, mufflers, trolley. Suitable Junior/Senior classes. Assistance given to beginners. Perfect condition. $2650. PH 07 3345 7267, Mob 0411 547 158,

Formula Libre, 12A rotary, twin dist, VW front and rear ends. Engine needs seals. Spare engine (dismantled) and four sets end plates, std to B'port. Great hillclimb or club oar. $3400 ono. PH 03 9799 0053. 167 Kart, Tibi Kart with J motor. $2850. 3 kart trailer, regis tered. $1450. Heaps of spares available. Ring for list. PH 03 9704 8123. ig?

Foimiula Ford RF94, ’95 update. Penske front shock, wide track front suspension, s/s floor. Tidy car. $20,000 rolling, or engine etc e available. PH 08 9458 4586 BH. is?

Formula FordI drivers required to compete in the 2000 national Formula Ford series. Gold Coast-based team is looking for motivated drivers wanting to succeed. Use our car, or provide your own. For details, call Tony on 0418 877 268. 167

Kart, KT100, just set up, very quick, includes spares, etc. Must sell. $1500 ono. PH 07 5570 4135. les Formula Ford, RF94/95 Van Dieman. Two complete engines, two sets of wheels, ratios and spares. Top finishes in national series. PH Graham Wade 08 9458 4586 (W). 167

liigities 1 set Brodix, 10 Alum Chev heads, complete with Rollercam, lipters, Jessel Rockers, VJ manifold $2500 the lot. 1 BG Alcohol 750 carb, 1 Vertex mag, 1 Alum radiator, 2-9 inch Alum spools. Ph: 03 5446 2221 (AH) or 03 5434 5098 (BH) 168

Mazda rotary engine with Wade supercharger (just run in). Professionally built, 3" drive belt, spare pulleys, performance engine. Dollars spent. $3,500. Ph: 07 5570

Super Sedan parts, 350 Chev, 12.5 4 bolt steel crank. $1800. 750 Methanol carby $400. Pace makers $350 and Zail Sumos $250 each. Ph: 0419 184 855. ra Space frame to suit VP Commodore, & CNC Billet Allow hubs/bearings & handmade steel knuckle. VGC, $1200. Ph: 07 5527 4713. i68 VW, IRS Beetle Type gearbox, Billett steel hemisphere (American), 4 Stargear diff, 25mm alloy ribbed sideplate, 4.125 crown/pinion, Hollinger third & fourth gears 1.58/1.14. $700 ONO. Ph: 07 3351 3506 168 Holden 308 crankshaft, knife-edged, cross-drilled and indexecjf $400; Roller rocker Yella Terra 5020 new, suit Holden V8, $600; Holden B cast heads, complete, with s/s 1 piece valves, $500; Flywheel, suit Holden V8, Yella Terra billet, $100. Ph: 0417 558 452. i6s Race wheels and tyres; 4 x 16x8 ROH Reflex wheels in vgc (Commodore Cup), with Dunlop slicks, $600; 2 x Dunlop Formula R D93J 225x50x16, one third worn, $100 ea. 2 x Dunlop D73J, 225x50x16, half worn $50 ea. 4 x D93J 245x45x17, one third worn $100ea. Ph: 0418 517 600,03 9432 5454(AH), ice Yokohama A008, 4 x 235/60 VR 15. Never used, as new,$550. Ph: 03 9884 9441, 0416 215 151. lea Hawk brake pads to suit Willwood superlight calipers HB 101 - black or blue, $200/set. Dynalite calipers, black or blue, $100 set. Ph;03 9435 5407 after 7pm. lea Sierra RS500 17" BBS centrelock wheels, front strut inserts, 5 gall dry sump tank, wheelnuts new & used, hubs, 14‘ disc hats, drive shafts, tail shaft assy, new springs 14001b to 22001b. Lots more. Ph:03 9359 6066. 168 Tilton clutch plate to suit 7.25’ clutch and Escort/Cortina twin cam gearbox. Brand new, in box. $180.

Ph;02 9526 8436. 168

Other

Tow vehicle. Coaster with 400 Chev motor. Turbo 400 auto, Dana 60 diff, 230 litre LP9, club lounge, fridge, stove.

Roofrack, alloy bullbar & bumper. Tinted windows $30,000. Ph:039877 6995,0408 541 960. 168 Fully end dual axle trailer to suit open wheeler. $2,600ono. For details, Ph: Richard Carter 029999 3606. iss Ford FISOXLT. 1990, customised, one of the best. Two tone, white/burgundy, 351 auto, air cond, canopy, 300 litre gas tank, custom seat. Tinted windows, CD. Bull bar, towbar, alloy wheels, alarm, rubber matting, brand new tyres, RWC. Complete service history. Heaps of extras. $32,000ono. Ph: Andrew 03 5367 1866(BH), 03 5369 2271 Enclosed 4 wheel trailer. Electric brakes. Compact, good storage. Suit open-wheeler. $2,700. Ph: Richard Carter 02 9999 3606. las Custom-built three-kart trailer. Holds up to three karts, full interior lighting, fitted fire extinguisher, gas strut doors, heaps of storage space, easy access to karts and equipment, lockable, fully registered, lightweight and easy to tow and manouevre. Perfect condition. $2150. PH 07 3345 7267, Mob 0411 547 158,

Wheels - Subaru/Celioa, 15' with Dunlop D98J 205x55 tyres. Wheels as new, will separate, $950 the lot. Ph: 02 9524 7849. ice VW brand new 2 litre heads, 48x38, s/s Manley valves, Chevy double springs. Suit speedway, off-road or perfor mance VW. $1,000. Plus other performance goodies. Ph: 02 6655 5715.0409 125 965. isa Cosworth fuel injection manifold, slide throtttle body, throttle position sensor, trumpets and fuel rail. Suit BDE, F, G, H, J, M series. Very good condition. $1500. PH 0408 522 175, or 0418 532 882. 167 Coil-over Spax with springs $250; Torana Hatsch body shell. Sports Sedan $500; Victor Jnr Chev manifold 750 DP

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IMkn NOtOmtWAURIIIAM Torana ASX and 1978 Holden Dealer Team posters. Full colour and laminated. 420x290mm. Clean cond. Price incI postage Aust wide. $27. Ph: 07 4639 3308. 168 Books; collectors set 1 to 18 (1981-1998) Hardie Ferodo / The Great Race and 1&2 Bathurst books. All perfect cond.

Cost $1050. Offers. Plus Bathurst 1982-1988, plus many more ass. motoring books, posters etc. Ph: 07 4159 2882. IBE "w-

965. 168

6418. 168

Race suit - Fiamecrusher triple layer nomex, size Large, white and royal blue with red stripes, perfect cond, $400ono. Also, size 10 Emmerson race boots, blue suede, $50. Ph:03 9836 7331 (AH), lee

(AH). 168

Halda - single line, all mechanical. $80. Ph:0419 139 303. lee Porsche AUS rims, 17x8s, polished with alloy caps.

Brand new Pirelli P700 tyres, 245x45 series, never used.

Top class show rims. $2,800. Ph: 02 6655 5715, 0409 125 Brakes, NASCAR 12.25x1.25 discs, hats & 4 spot alloy calipers, suit Commodore, Holden; 12'x1' discs with hats & 4 spot Harrops, $1250 & $1100. 6 16x10 Rebel Wheels, $110 ea, Ford/Holden. Ph: 0418 425 426. 168 Detroit locker - new, to suit N/C Torana. Ph: 02 4573

Motorola two-way radios, 4 hand held, 1 in-car, with cabling and 3 hand-held radios with 3 aviation head sets, desk top charger can charge 5 radios at once in 1 hour, 4 spare batteries. $2,900ono. Ph- Jamey 0^14 952 601. lea Magazines - Autosport 53-73 (approx 300 issues), SON 57-64, plus some early RCN and others. Priced tc sell. Ph: Glenn 0418 609 320, 02 9482 3787. lee The Great Race books, complete set of 18 Aust Competition Yearbook nos 1 to 8. Offers. Ph:039397 6750. -i* Storage space available in Melbourne for race cars, trailers, equipment etc. 15 min from Dandenong. Ph: Keith 0408 066 106, lea

Chev Silverado Xcab, three-door, 1998. 10,800 miles, 5.7 litre auto, fully loaded, immaculate conversion, includ ing wipers. Too many extras to list. Would suit new car buyer.'$67,500. PH 03 5448 8487, Mob 0413 077 428. 167 45tft Kentucky race trailer, alloy wheels. $45,000 ono.

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Race car trailer, fully enclosed, elect, brakes, tandem, internal dimensions - 5.00m long, 1.85m wide, 1.5m high, ample storage inside. Suit FF. $4000 ono. PH Jim McConville 03 5367 5292. m ACCO Crew Cab, ex-fire truck, V8 auto, new paint, very good condition, 82,000 kms, ideal gooseneck vehicle. $15,000 ono. PH 03 5275 2567. 167 Leyland Coach race car transporter, winch, plenty of storage, new paint, rego. $11,000. PH 03 5275 2567. le?

Isuzu race car transporter, 230 HP intercooled, 6-speed overdrive, electric tailgate, 22 ft, 240 volt power, $25,000.

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50 19 November 1999

/ji&s)O®{70m®(7O The rise and fall of Slug?

MoiOESp^

Tony Glynn

Dear Sir, I was interested to read in Issue 166 that someone is writing John Harvey’s biography.

I though John Harvey had already written his life story, or was I just confused by the title “The rise and fall of Peter Brock”?

Assistant Editor Gerald McDornan

Adrian Williams Berwick, Vic

Graphics Co-ordinator Viv Brumby

First On Race Day

Editorial

Editor Phil Branagan Technical Editor

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Advertisfng Advertising Manager Brendon Sheridan

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Administration Managing Director Chris Lambden

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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 Bums, Frank Viola, John Morris Photographers: Sutton Motorsport ● Images, Dirk Klynsmith, Bothwell Photographic, Neil Hammond, NigexSnowdon & 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

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walking offthe street and asking!

Jim Morgan Bathurst, NSW Assist Ed: Jim, airfares are a very complicated issue even at the best of times. Fm sure that

/

Qantas’ discount would be given over standard retail price without too many conditions, whereas the lesser price probably has many conditions applying.

Talk Converter HKsBff

Rodney Forbes fan club

Dear Sir, Poor old Ford supporter...

Well, what a year of motor racing. Lowndes win championship, Holden wins Bathurst...

But what a great race we had for five hours. Amazing how one flat tyre made the Holdens look good.

Then again, just imagine how hard it is for a Holden fan where as a Ford supporter can watch Fords win races and rounds in FI, Indy cars. Rally, BTCC and NASCAR. I know why we must have Formula Holden and HQs...

I'm also positive that, if the Fords start winning in V8s next year, CAMS will have to slow them down again!

Mick Muscat Goonellabah, NSW

Turn me off Ten Dear Sir, I wish to express my absolute disgust with Channel .Ten Adelaide for not allowing me to witness Bathurst live.

Thanks to Ten, the ‘Great Race’ became just another replayed championship round, when we all know it is much more than that.

As a dedicated motorsport fan who tunes in to all the commercial broadcasters’ coverage of racing on TV, I think a better service must be provided, especially for such an important race that dominates an entire weekend for fans like me.

Thanks to Ten for taking the heart out of my interest in Sunday’s coverage.

After putting up with this ‘style’ of coverage in many other sports for years (FI in particular), I had

Dear Sir, I would like to congratulate Rodney Forbes and Geoff Full and the whole Lansvale Smash Repair team on a fantastic result at Bathurst - first and second

jK8UM>EP TC BL'’

What about NHRA? Ford fan Mick Muscat has forgotten about the blue oval’s championship-winning foray into drag racing in the US. hoped for’better treatment for a state known for its love of all motorsports.

During the telecast we heard mention of the growth of touring car racing in Australia and its profile aroimd the world as a highly competitive series. I hope that in the rush to achieve greater quantity of exposure, we don’t forget about quality.

There can be no justifiable excuse for not showing Bathurst live and I urge Channel Ten to prove themselves as true motorsport fans.

At the start of Sunday’s coverage a voiceover stated that all the action would be coming to us live, thanks to Ten. 'Thanks for nothing.

Michael Reilly Salisbury East, SA

130 percent of what?

Dear Sir, Bloody hell! Let me get this straight - all the drivers had to achieve to qualify for Bathurst is a time in one of the practice sessions

within 130% of. I’m assuming, the fastest timet for those sessions which, according to my calculations, mean anyone capable of a 2:50:xx can qualify...

What a joke. Why bother having a cut-offlimit?

Ferd Email: <ferd@easynet.net.au>

It’s duck season...

Dear Sir, There appears to be open season on motor racing officials all year round.

Track side officials are the real volunteers as they have to pay their entire expenses all year round to be at the respective meetings.

At last someone has stepped up to help - Qantas.

Qantas, sponsors of the AGPs at Albert Park, have come up with a discounted airfare to assist the officials to get to Melbourne.

They have a 4591 discount from Sydney, which looks good until you chock with any travel agent and find you can save another $75 by just

privateers, 12th and 16th outright - well done everybody, I am proud to be a fan of Rodney, I have been following him all year and will continue to do so in 2000 and beyond.

No one gave the Diet Shake team a chance, they were more interested in the McLean/Cleland team. What did they do? Once again, McLean didn’t finish an endurance race.

To quote your report - “The Porbes/Full Commodore took privateer honours but only after pace-setter Cameron McLean crashed out late in the race following mechanical failure.”

I don’t recall reading anywhere else how Richards/Murphy won the race “but only after Radisich’s motor blew late in the race”.

It sounds like sour grapes to nie.

A little credit to a team and it’s car preparation and driving where due would be more appropriate.

And some people reahsing McLean is not God or the only (so-called) privateer in the event. ’ Criticism aside, thanks for the great mag. Go Rodney!

Diane Rapley Dubbo, NSW Assist Ed: Diane, we try and give an unbiased report on what we see at each race.

Winners are grinners and Forbes and Full should still have smiles on their faces.

'-,WlSi<yii5Ll.CiF

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Number 1 Constructor Phone Dougal or Luke 03 9801 5801

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